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President Trump spent part of his Tuesday morning firing off a wide-ranging barrage of tweets  many attacking former President Barack Obama  while apparently watching his favorite cable news talk show Fox and Friends.

As hes prone to do in his spur-of-the-moment tweeting, the president ignored some basic facts while taking shots at his predecessor and the media.

Trump also referenced the wonderful plan to repeal and replace Obamas signature health care legislation introduced Monday by Congressional Republicans.

Trump started his flurry about 7 a.m. Eastern time with this: 122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!

That tweet came as Fox News ran a story about former Guantanamo Bay detainees re-engaging in terrorism. The Fox segment didnt mention Obama.

The Miami Herald pointed out that 113 of the released detainees U.S. intelligence agencies consider recidivists were freed under President George W. Bush.

Trump then touched on the health-care bill, blamed Obama for Russias actions in Crimea, said he will get rid of state lines to promote competition in health care and promised to help increase competition in the drug industry.

He capped things off by denying numerous reports describing turmoil inside the White House.

Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!

The Washington Post ran a story Monday describing a raging Trump, angered that his speech to a joint session of Congress a week ago was overshadowed by reports of his campaign surrogates, including U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, being in contact with Russian operatives, and by his own accusations that Obama wiretapped him.

The Chronicle has been covering Trumps legislative efforts:

 GOP plan to replace health care plan is released

 Trumps new travel ban seeks to avoid 1st edicts flaws

 New travel order may still have legal obstacles, analysts say

 While Trump tweets grab spotlight, appointees make crucial changes

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
By Bay City News Service

Berkeley police are searching in the area of Aquatic Park for an auto burglary suspect who allegedly tried to run down a Richmond officer with a car early this morning, prompting the officer to fire multiple rounds in self-defense, authorities said.

Berkeley police said they received a call at 12:19 p.m. from a community member about a suspicious vehicle that possibly was involved in the Richmond incident.

Officers who responded to the call found the suspect's vehicle abandoned in the area of Channing Way and Fourth streets, police said.

The driver of that vehicle was seen running northwest on Channing Way toward Aquatic Park, which is just east of Interstate Highway 80, according to police.

A witness described the suspect as a black man in his 20s or 30s who is wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, police said.

Numerous Berkeley officers are searching the area for the driver. Community members who live or work in the search area are asked by police to report any suspicious behavior or similarly described suspects to call (510) 981-5900.

Richmond police spokesman Lt. Felix Tan said that at about 1:10 a.m. today, officers responded to a call about a man breaking into a truck on Sutter Avenue.

When the first officer arrived at the scene, the suspect took off running and the officer gave chase but lost sight of him on Carlson Boulevard, Tan said.

A second officer arrived a short time later and began looking for the suspect on foot.

"Then all of a sudden this silver Mercedes darts out at the officer with no headlights on and trying to run him over," Tan said. "The second officer then, feeling that he was going to be run over and killed, he shoots at the driver in hopes of stopping the car."

Police do not yet know if the shots hit the driver, Tan said.

The suspect continued driving north on Carlson Boulevard, police said.

The Mercedes-Benz was described as an early 2000s model silver four-door sedan and the suspect was described as a black man between 20 and 30 years old wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, according to Tan.

981-5780

Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan (510) 621-1204 or (510) 672-1147 cellphone
CHICAGO - After meeting with GOP Governor Bruce Rauner about Chicago Public School funding Friday , Chance the Rapper tweeted out his response "The fight has just begun," and announced he'd have a plan Monday. He's holding a press conference Monday afternoon, he announced Monday via Twitter.

UPDATE: Chance the Rapper promised $1M in personal funds to help Chicago Public Schools - especially concerned about arts programs in the schools. He plans $10,000 to several schools - the first check to Westcott Elementary School where the press conference was held. He also challenged other businesses to match his donation.

The governor and Chance told the public they exchanged personal contact information, and Chance publicly notified the governor Saturday he should "pick up" the phone if Chance happens to call:

In the meantime, CQ wrote up a story blaming Governor Rauner for possible school closings and teacher/staff layoffs in the Chicago Public School system because Rauner vetoed a $215 million bailout earlier this year.

And after the annoying meeting that didn't solve the funding issues, Chance met with Black Lives Matter activist Deray Mckesson about school funding, and together they called on the city "to do our jobs."

More to come ...
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The San Francisco public defenders office will begin representing detained immigrants facing deportation, after Mayor Ed Lee said he would approve four new positions dedicated to that purpose.

Lee said Friday that he would immediately sign off on three new immigration attorneys and one paralegal for Public Defender Jeff Adachis office. The mayors approval is necessary when a city department hires more employees than are included in its budget.

On Monday, Adachi announced his first hire: Jennifer Friedman, managing director of the immigration practice at the Bronx Defenders in New York, a city-funded nonprofit that provides legal help to low-income people in the borough. Adachi said he plans to hire people to fill the other positions in the coming weeks. Each attorney will handle around 50 cases.

These new positions will allow us to fight on behalf of approximately 150 immigrants locked in deportation detention and separated from their families, Adachi said in a statement.

Thats far fewer than the roughly 1,500 detained immigrants in deportation proceedings in San Francisco immigration court who dont have attorneys. Even so, it represents a significant expansion of the public defenders scope. Until now, the office focused exclusively on representing indigent criminal defendants.

The deal among Adachi, Lee and the Board of Supervisors brings to a close months of negotiations over whether the public defenders office should represent detained immigrants and, if so, to what degree.

After President Trump was elected, Adachi asked for funding for 10 immigration attorneys, five paralegals and two legal clerks to handle the job. Lee balked, saying community-based legal groups were better equipped.

Officials in Lees office, as well as some of the supervisors, also questioned why the city should finance the legal bills for all detained immigrants in San Francisco immigration court when only a fraction of them live in the city. The mayors office estimates that as many as 85 percent live in other counties, including some in the Central Valley.

Last week, members of the supervisors Budget and Finance Committee said they supported letting Adachi use surplus money in his budget to hire one paralegal, two staff attorneys and one head attorney. Lee countered that he supported Adachi hiring three staff attorneys and one paralegal.

The issue will probably arise again when Lee proposes a budget for next fiscal year. Adachi plans to ask for more funding to hire more immigration attorneys.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
BRUSSELS  Europes top court has ruled that European Union member states arent obliged to grant humanitarian visas to people who want to enter their territory to apply for asylum.

The decision announced Tuesday came after a Belgian court in October ordered the government to give humanitarian visas to a family in war-torn Syria.

The European Court of Justice ruled that allowing people to choose where to get international protection would undermine the EU system establishing which country should handle asylum applications.

It said that EU law only lays out the procedures and conditions for issuing visas to transit through or stay in the territory of a member state for up to 90 days.

But the Luxembourg-based court said member state courts remain free to rule on visas under national law.

Friends in Belgium had offered to lodge and feed the family, which lived in the besieged city of Aleppo and is believed still to be in Syria.

The government fears that granting visas would open the floodgates to more applications and believes that it, and not the courts, should be responsible for such decisions.

Belgiums immigration minister, Theo Francken, has refused to pay a fine of $4,438 per day for defying an appeal tribunal.

A lawyer representing the Syrian family, Tristan Wibault, said the ruling was not helpful as it says only that European law does not apply.

Lorne Cook is an Associated Press writer.
MOSUL, Iraq  U.S.-backed Iraqi forces were fighting their way through a government complex in the heart of western Mosul after storming the buildings in an overnight raid, and were facing fierce counterattacks Tuesday from the Islamic State.

According to Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, the troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood earlier in the morning, hailing the federal police units who stormed the compound as heroes.

By noon, troops on the ground said the complex had not yet been fully secured and that they were battling a wave of intense Islamic State counterattacks.

Sgt. Azam Ibrahim of the federal police was with the first troops to storm the Mosul government complex. His unit then pulled back to a base on the edge of Mosuls Tayran neighborhood, and he said the clashes were still under way at the complex later Tuesday.

We were pulled back because we had killed and wounded, said Ibrahim. The (Iraqi) forces there are surrounded, the Humvees cannot reach them, nor can the ambulances.

The consistent advance  more than two weeks since the new push started to clear Mosuls western side of Islamic State militants  has been a major blow to the extremists, who once controlled nearly a third of Iraq.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul fully liberated in January after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October

Yar Allah, who commands the army operations in Ninevah province, where Mosul is the provincial capital, said the troops now also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River, known as the Hurriyah Bridge.

Mosul is Iraqs second-largest city, and its western half is the last significant urban area held by Islamic State in the country.

Susannah George and Sinan Salaheddin are Associated Press writers.
KAMPALA, Uganda  South Sudans government is blocking desperately needed food aid and restricting United Nations peacekeepers, according to a confidential report by the U.N. secretary-general and a statement by a top U.N. official.

Together, the report and statement show the daunting conditions faced by the international community as it tries to combat a catastrophe in the troubled East African nation.

The internal report from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to members of the Security Council singles out South Sudans government for the destruction of all the social fabric in all parts of the country and lists outrageous examples of belligerence by South Sudans security forces.

South Sudan is impeding humanitarian assistance, said the U.N. humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien, after a two-day visit to the country over the weekend.

People have been displaced, brutalized and raped. They have been attacked when they sought out assistance. This must stop, and it must stop now, OBrien said in a statement.

At least 50,000 people have died in South Sudans civil war, which began in December 2013 as a result of a struggle for power between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.

An estimated 100,000 people are experiencing famine, and another 1 million people are on the brink of starvation, South Sudans government and U.N. agencies said in late February. South Sudan is now Africas largest migrant crisis as more than 3 million people have either fled the country or become internally displaced, according to the U.N.

The impact of this ongoing conflict and violence has reached disastrous proportions for civilians, Guterres said in the internal letter.

The U.N. Security Council decided in August to send an additional 4,000 peacekeepers to South Sudan, but the government has delayed the arrival of the extra troops. Some progress on sending the extra troops has recently been made however, and the deployment of an advance contingent of Rwandan troops is being finalized, said Guterres report.

Guterres letter, sent to the Security Council on Feb. 13, listed several incidents in which he said government forces hindered the U.N.s peacekeeping and humanitarian work.

But South Sudans government says it has improved security and taken steps to hold violators of rights abuses accountable, First Vice President Taban Deng Gai told members of the U.N. Human Rights Council on Feb. 27, according to a statement.

He said the government does not have enough resources to demobilize armed groups, and asked for more military funding.

I can state with confidence that the notion of a looming genocide and possible ethnic cleansing is fading away as we continue with these demonstrations of our commitment to harmoniously live together, Gai said in the statement.

Gais optimistic portrait of South Sudan is markedly different from the one U.N. officials provide.

U.N. peacekeepers were recently prevented from verifying allegations of government forces killing or arbitrarily arresting civilians, including in the troubled town of Yei, according to the internal letter from the secretary-general.

Justin Lynch is an Associated Press writer.
Airways New Zealand announced plans to replace its current air traffic management platforms in a $58 million project over the next four years.

The state-owned enterprise has awarded a contract to global science and technology company Leidos to collaborate on software development and the Leidos Skyline X system will replace Airways two existing ATM platforms which were installed between 2000 and 2003. The system is expected to become operational in New Zealands domestic airspace in 2020 and in oceanic airspace in 2021, Airways said in a statement.

Chief operating officer Pauline Lamb said the new system will allow Airways to implement a new operating model as well as take advantage of advances in tools to optimise the air traffic system and staff deployment.

By 2020 the new platform will allow airspace sectors to be operated from two new air traffic control centres in Auckland and Christchurch, in addition to 19 control towers nationwide, said Lamb.

The development of the system will be a collaborative project between Leidos and Airways software development teams, with Airways purchasing the hardware and installing and testing the system. This successful partnership model previously saved Airways customers around $2.6 million per year or $36 million across the life of the current ATM platform.

"Air traffic is forecast to grow by 50 percent over the next decade. The expertise of Leidos and the ongoing development of our SkyLine X technology will support Airways New Zealand in their continuing effort to deliver safe and efficient air traffic management to meet the increased demand," said Leidos civil group president, Angie Heise.

Airways and Leidos will continue to support and enhance the system over a 15-year period once it becomes operational.

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Downer EDI, the Australian-based infrastructure and mining firm, will become New Zealand's No. 2 'vertical' construction company after Fletcher Building with the acquisition of Hawkins from the McConnell family.

The company said today it has agreed to acquire Hawkins with a settlement date of March 31 but didn't give a price. Hawkins is understood to have annual sales of $600 million to $700 million and the sale price was likely in a range of A$50 million to AS$100 million. The deal doesn't include any of Hawkins' offshore operations, which have included a geothermal development in Indonesia and interests in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific.

"We have a large range of capabilities in New Zealand. This adds vertical construction," said Michael Sharp, Downer's head of corporate affairs, referring to construction of buildings rather than drainage or roading infrastructure,

Downer's customers in New Zealand include the New Zealand Transport Agency and most local authorities. Hawkins currently has contracts including the SH16 Lincoln-to-Westgate upgrade, the construction of Aucklands Park Hyatt Hotel, the Pier B extension at Auckland International Airport, Wellington International Airports Rongotai control tower, Wellington City Councils Arlington housing project, the Christchurch Town Hall, and the Avon River Precinct in Christchurch.

Sharp said Hawkins will benefit from Downer's balance sheet strength. It intends to maintain the Hawkins brand and keep on its experienced managers, he said. The deal would add to earnings in Downer's first year of ownership, it said.

An issue for construction firms is the requirement for bonding - setting aside funds to ensure projects can be completed, which to date has fallen to the existing owners of Hawkins.

Downer's first-half results, released on Feb. 2, showed the company had on-balance sheet gearing of just 1 percent and net debt of A$22 million. Its operating cash flow was A$244 million and work in hand rose 13 percent in the first half to A$21.1 billion. Last month Fletcher said it has backlog of construction work awarded but not completed of $2.7 billion.

Its A$3.6 billion of first-half revenue was spread between rail, transport services, utility services, mining, electrical construction and maintenance, and technology and communications services.

Downer chief executive Grant Fenn said the acquisition would allow Downer to benefit from ongoing construction activity in New Zealand. "It is estimated that over $50 billion will be invested in non-residential construction in New Zealand over the next five years," he said.

The acquisition would follow Fletcher Building's acquisition of rival construction company Higgins Group Holdings last year for $303 million. That deal was approved by the Commerce Commission after Fletcher dropped the Horokiwi Quarries business from its application to reduce its dominance in the aggregates market.

Horokiwi Quarries is a 50-50 joint venture between Higgins and privately held construction firm Fulton Hogan. In January, Downer EDI said its New Zealand boss Cos Broyn was leaving to take over the reins at Fulton Hogan although he faces a nine-month restraint period before he can become Fulton Hogan chief executive.

John McConnell told the NZ Herald in 2015 that the family was forced to sell its interest in construction firm McConnell Dowell in the wake of the 1987 sharemarket crash and the family subsequently started its own business, McConnell Group. In 1996 the McConnell family invested in 50 percent of the Hawkins business and by 2002 had purchased 100 percent shareholding, according to the Hawkins website.

Downer shares last traded at A$7.21 on the ASX and have soared 96 percent in the past 12 months.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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The New Zealand government's efforts to support more spending on research and science are heading in the right direction, but could use a bit more heft to boost stoke economic growth, the International Monetary Authority says.

Providing support for innovation is one of the IMF's four pillars to support what's already strong economy growth, with the global body of 189 member nations sees as able to go beyond existing increases in funding for science and research and development grants. IMF mission chief Thomas Helbling told a briefing in Wellington that the government's innovation policy is already doing the right thing, but could benefit by increasing the budget.

"It's less (about) change and doing new things, but perhaps a bit more in the sense the amounts seem a bit on the timid side," Helbling said. "The point is more about the direction of R&D and also with the spending opportunities for the growing economy in a sense that as you have a larger population, workforce, making sure that opportunities and scale are there to accommodate these needs."

Last year, then Innovation Minister Steven Joyce flagged an extra $410.5 million to fund science projects over the following four years as part of his drive to grow business investment in R&D to more than 1 percent of the economy.

Helbling said average spending on R&D among developed economies was closer to 2 percent, and while New Zealand's agricultural sector may support that investment, tourism wouldn't attract as much R&D. If the existing research programme is seen as successful, the government should consider extending it beyond the four-year timeframe, he said.

Innovation was seen as one of the ways to lift New Zealand's productivity levels, which has been more difficult to achieve given the nation's relatively small economy and distance from other markets.

The IMF mission didn't consider any specific prescriptions for the changing nature of the labour market as more automation is introduced into what's traditionally been white-collar work.

"The very generic answer is making sure education and training opportunities remain - in the end, that's what enables what the workforce and the country to deal with these changes," Helbling said.

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Vista Group International expects to generate "meaningful revenue" for its Movio analytics division after signing US cinema advertiser Screenvision Direct as a customer.

The Auckland-based company's Movio division provides marketing data analytics and campaign management software for movie theatres, film distributors and studios, giving them real-time information for about 34 million moviegoers' activity and transactions, of which more than 14 million are in the US. The deal boosts Movio's market share of onscreen advertising, with Screenvision operating programmes across 15,000 screens in 2,400 US theatres.

"With this growth Movios share of the cinema on-screen advertising business in the USA it should provide an impetus in other markets where cinema screen advertising is prevalent," Vista said in a statement. "This contract will add a meaningful revenue stream to Movio and further validates the value of the moviegoer data that can be accessed via Movio Media."

Last month, Vista said the Movio cinema division lifted annual revenue 42 percent, with "notable growth" in South Africa, Norway, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates, and increased contracted customers 47 percent to 50. The Movio media side of the business signed new multi-year deals with Sony, Warner Bros and Lionsgate and was seen as holding "significant opportunities" from the rise of digital media.

Vista shares last traded at $5.46 and have slipped 1.6 percent over the past 12 months.

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The gap between what men and women are paid on average has barely shifted in the 14 years since the first major attempt to measure the difference was published in 2003, a new report from the Ministry for Women has found.

The report, 'Empirical Evidence of the Gender Pay Gap in New Zealand', says the gender pay gap, based on 2015 income statistics, was 12.7 percent, compared with 12.8 percent in the 2003 study, which was based on data from the late 1990s.

In fact, the main thing that's changed between then and now is that women are, on average, more highly qualified than men. The report found that "at almost all educational attainment levels, females now outstrip their male counterparts".

"For instance, the proportion of males with a bachelor's qualification or higher increased from 14.3 percent to 22.5 percent in 2015, and for females increased from 12.4 percent to 30.5 percent."

Men were more likely than women to have no qualifications, at 16.3 percent versus 14.2 percent.

Yet there was "clear evidence of a glass ceiling effect in New Zealand, with the gender pay gap increasing as we move up the wage distribution."

At the bottom end of the earnings scale, there was no measurable difference between what men and women earn, while at the top the difference ranged between 18 percent and 21 percent.

In her first major speech as Minister for Women, Paula Bennett described the results as "really disappointing" and vowed that closing the gender pay gap was among her "top priorities" in the portfolio.

The new analysis also found that only about a fifth of the pay differential could be explained by known variables, such as many women leaving the workforce to have children and therefore advancing their careers more slowly than men, with the highest paid jobs showing the least degree of explainable difference.

"The pay gap that is unexplained becomes larger and more significant as we move up the wage distribution," the report says. "For instance, at the 90th percentile, almost 100 percent of the pay gap is unexplained."

Across the whole workforce, the average hourly rate for a man came in at $29, while women averaged $25 an hour. The survey sample also found women were three times more likely to be sole parent, widowed or divorced than men, while men in 2015 were more likely to be living in households with children under the age of six.

Women were more than three times more likely than men to be working part-time.

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November 4th Morning Report


Downer EDI, the Australian-based infrastructure and mining firm, has agreed to acquire Hawkins from the McConnell family, in a further sign of consolidation in the construction industry.

No price was given for the acquisition, which would be debt funded, Downer said in a statement to the NZX. The deal would add to earnings in its first year, Downer chief executive Grant Fenn said.

Hawkins was founded about 70 years ago and currently has contracts including SH16 Lincoln-to-Westgate upgrade, the construction of Aucklands Park Hyatt Hotel, the Pier B extension at Auckland International Airport, Wellington International Airports Rongotai control tower, Wellington City Councils Arlington housing project, the Christchurch Town Hall, and the Avon River Precinct in Christchurch.

Fenn said the acquisition would allow Downer to benefit from ongoing construction activity in New Zealand. "It is estimated that over $50 billion will be invested in non-residential construction in New Zealand over the next five years," he said.

The acquisition would follow Fletcher Building's acquisition of rival construction company Higgins Group Holdings last year for $303 million. That deal was approved by the Commerce Commission after Fletcher dropped the Horokiwi Quarries business from its application to reduce its dominance in the aggregates market.

Horokiwi Quarries is a 50-50 joint venture between Higgins and privately held construction firm Fulton Hogan. In January, Downer EDI said its New Zealand boss Cos Broyn was leaving to take over the reins at Fulton Hogan although he faces a nine-month restraint period before he can become Fulton Hogan chief executive.

Last month, Downer EDI posted an 8.5 percent gain in first-half profit to A$78 million and raised its full-year guidance to A$175 million. Fenn said at the time that the company was in a period of "very strong operational and financial performance."

John McConnell told the NZ Herald in 2015 that the family was forced to sell its interest in construction firm McConnell Dowell in the wake of the 1987 sharemarket crash and the family subsequently started its own business, McConnell Group. In 1996 the McConnell family invested in 50 percent of the Hawkins business and by 2002 had purchased 100 percent shareholding, according to the Hawkins website.

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OCA - Notice of Half Year Result Announcement

Westpac 2022 Full Year Financial Results Announcement

David Mair Announced as Newest Board Member for Sanford

HFL - Financial results for the year ended 31 August 2022

November 7th Morning Report

SKC - ADDITIONAL US PRIVATE PLACEMENT FUNDING SECURED

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November 4th Morning Report


NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister NarendraModi, on Monday gave ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India's National Productivity Council and UAE's Al Etihad Energy Services for various services in the field of energy management and conservation.

Under the MoU, the NPC, an autonomous body under the Commerce and Industry Ministry's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, will provide energy assessment services, training and certification of energy auditors and demand side management, a cabinet communique said.

Meanwhile, Al Etihad will provide customer support with UAE government and privately-owned organisations, local support for field auditing professionals, local support for training and certification of energy auditors and support related to demand side management of industries to all the relevant projects.

"The MoU will enable NPC avail high value opportunities such as energy building and develop institutional mechanism in area of energy efficiency in Dubai and other Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC) member countries," it said.

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Railways To Go Shopping Abroad For Train Wheel Sensors
NEW DELHI: Startups continue to attract highest investment from private equity (PE) and venture capitalists (VC) in 2016, but the deals value declined by more than 50 pct this year, says a report.

According to the Grant Thornton in India's The Fourth Wheel 2017 report, produced in association with Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA), startups received the maximum investment of USD 2.5 billion and constitutes 70 pct of the transaction volumes in 2016.

While startups remain the key focus for PE/VC investors, the report says the investment values in startups declined by more than 50 pct this year, signifying rationalisation of investments and startup valuations.

However, the government's push on digitisation and initiatives under the Startup India plan are likely to lead a rebound in this segment, according to the report, launched at the IVCA Conclave held here today.

Apart from startups, other sectors that witnessed the maximum transactions were telecom, banking and financial services, real estate, IT/ITeS and manufacturing.

These sectors along with startups contributed around 78 pct of the overall deal value in 2016.

The report further said values and volumes of PE & VC investments were lower in 2016 due to the lack of big-ticket investments that were made in the previous year.

PE and VC investors invested USD 14 billion in 971 deals in 2016 compared to USD 16 billion in 1045 deals in 2015, registering the first decline in the PE activity in the last four years.

"Although 2016 saw a decline in the PE activity, we are hopeful for 2017," Harish HV, Partner - India Leadership team, Grant Thornton India LLP said, adding it could be the year of reckoning for the country where implementation of structural policies and reforms such as the GST and the recently announced measures in the Union Budget 2017 will drive growth.

Moreover, expected improvements in the banking sector, pick up in the rural demand, post demonetisation, a robust primary market and improving capacity utilisations across industries are likely to drive domestic economic activity.

"Amidst global uncertainties arising due to Brexit, protectionist policies proposed by the US and a slowing Chinese economy, India continues to be the bright spot. India is likely to drive resilient growth in deal activity in 2017," he said.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An 80-year-old senior citizen is not your typical drunk-driving defendant.

But Raymond Piazza of Stanwich Street, Grasmere, found himself in police custody Sunday night after he hit two other cars in Dongan Hills while intoxicated, allege authorities.

The incident occurred around 6:35 p.m. on Hylan Boulevard and Reid Avenue, a criminal complaint said.

Piazza was driving a 2006 Ford sedan which collided with two other vehicles, said the complaint.

Piazza had a "strong odor" of alcohol on his breath, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, his speech was slurred and he staggered out of his car, according to the complaint and cops.

"I had three or four beers in Brooklyn. I was driving home," the complaint quotes him as telling officers.

A Breathalyzer test determined Piazza's blood-alcohol content was slightly higher than .10 percent, the complaint said.

The legal threshold for driving while intoxicated is .08 percent.

Piazza was charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and a lesser count of driving while impaired.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Criminal Court.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Staten Islanders anxiously await the arrival of spring and the promise of rebirth, a sacred annual tradition awaits a group of individuals whose faith is their inspiration year after year.

St. Joseph, one of the most loved saints among Italian-Americans and the patron saint of the Universal Church, workers and the protector of families, is honored each year on March 19, his feast day.

According to legend, there was a famine in Sicily centuries ago. The villagers prayed to St. Joseph, foster-father of Jesus, and asked his intercession before the throne of God.

Their prayers were answered. And when the famine ended, a special feast of thanksgiving was hosted to commemorate the miracle.

During biblical times, to honor St. Joseph affluent families prepared huge banquets and invited the poor, the homeless and the sick to attend.

Today's St. Joseph Day tables or altars can be lavish and festive or simple with shapes and designs that represent symbols and the life of St. Joseph and of Jesus -- with the steps on the altar representing the ascent from earth to heaven.

Instead of spaghetti sprinkled with grated parmeseano, in its place is a traditional mixture of toasted dry bread crumbs with fresh sardines and fennel sauce.

And let's not forget the tradition that dictates those who bear the name of Joseph, JoAnn or Josephine are responsible for footing the bill for those must-have St. Joseph Day pastries.

Many Italian-Americans recount the same story: In exchange for prayers answered, many have made promises to a relative or to St. Joseph to keep the tradition alive.

One such family: The Pastores of New Dorp.

Anna Grace Pastore opens her home each year to a family tradition that began in the mid 1800s back in Bari, Italy.

Each year Anna Grace displays a three-tiered altar representing the Holy Trinity. On the top tier sits her 160-year old St. Joseph statue handcrafted of paper mache holding the Baby Jesus -- a statue presented to Anna Grace's grandmother Anna Cassano back in 1905.

"The altar is draped with her grandparents' wedding bedspread which is 104 years old, and her grandmother's original missalette. The altar also displays photos of all the deceased family members along with flowers donated by family and friends," says she.



Every visitor, or family, receives a loaf of fennel-laced bread from Moretti Bakery in West Brighton. The bread and altar are blessed at the start of the day.

Visitors also receive a fava bean.

Anna Grace's late Uncle Joe Cassano once explained the reason for the tradition and reiterated what we mentioned above.

"During a famine in Sicily centuries ago, people prayed to St Joseph (San Giuseppe in Italian), for his help. An abundance of grain was produced and the fava bean came to symbolize this prosperity."

Many Italian's regard St. Joseph as their patron saint. Aside from visiting the altar, the day is not complete without an assorted array of Neapolitan pastries, known to many as Zeppole and Sfinge.



"I feel this is a tribute to my grandmother who was so loving and so devoted to St. Joseph and I truly believe that every year St. Joseph brings our beautiful family all together," adds Anna Grace.



Her grandparents displayed the altar until 1969, then her eldest aunt Tessie Ditizio displayed the altar until 1985. Her aunt Marie and uncle Joe Cassano took over until 2015, and now she has the honor.



Says Anna Grace: "I may not have a lot of room to display my altar, but the love in my heart and the blessings that have come my way while continuing this beautiful tradition is a feeling I cannot express. My mom, Clara, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 90, is looking down with a big smile on her face."
Outerbridge Crossing.jpg

An individual who caused an accident while trying to make a U-turn caused major delays Monday evening. (Staten Island Advance/ Bill Lyons)

Update: The accident has been cleared, according to a Port Authority tweet. There may be residual delays.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An individual who attempted to make a U-turn on the Outerbridge Monday afternoon caused an accident and delays, Port Authority Police said.

An alert was posted about the incident on Twitter around 4:20 p.m.:

The Outerbridge Crossing in both directions is experiencing a delay due to an accident blocking all lanes. [04]  Outerbridge Crossing (@PANYNJ_OBX) March 6, 2017

Traffic maps indicate delays on the West Shore Expressway are as far back as Bloomingdale Road.

A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Perth Amboy Police were following a car that made a U-turn into the westbound lanes of the bridge and hit a car.

One individual was in custody after the collision, and one person was transported to an area hospital, the spokesman said.

Perth Amboy Police did not respond to a request for comment on further details of the person that was taken into custody.

A tweet from the Port Authority Patrolmen's Benevolent Association indicated that officers were in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

All westbound lanes are currently closed and all eastbound lanes are open, the spokesman said.

Further information will be posted as it becomes available.
Tyson Foods-Bird Flu

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, file photo, a Tyson Foods, Inc., truck is parked at a food warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Tyson Foods said Monday, March 6, 2017, a strain of bird flu sickened chickens at a poultry breeder that supplies it with birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the 73,500 birds at the Lincoln County, Tenn., facility were destroyed and none of the birds from the flock will enter the food system. The H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, can be deadly for chickens and turkeys. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

(Danny Johnston)

NEW YORK -- Tens of thousands of chickens have been destroyed at a Tennessee chicken farm due to a bird flu outbreak, and 30 other farms within a six-mile radius have been quarantined.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 73,500 chickens were destroyed at the facility and will not enter the food system. The H7 avian influenza can be deadly to chickens and turkeys.

"Bird flu" is a catch-all phrase for a variety of influenza viruses that spread among poultry. They can be very contagious and deadly among birds, but rarely spread to humans. That said, deadly human flu pandemics have been sparked by viruses that first emerged in birds, and health officials closely track what's killing poultry.

Flu can spread from birds to humans when through the air, or when people touch a bird or an infected surface and then touch their eye, nose or mouth.

The Tennessee breeder supplies the food company Tyson Foods Inc. The company said that it doesn't expect its chicken business to be disrupted, but the outbreak sent jitters through Wall Street.

Shares of Tyson, based in Springdale, Arkansas, fell and the news dragged down shares of other companies in the sectors as well.

"We're responding aggressively, and are working with state and federal officials to contain the virus," Tyson said in a company release.

The company said it tests all of its flocks for the virus before they leave the farm "out of an abundance of caution." Results are known before the birds are processed, the company said, and animals are not used if bird flu is detected.

Tennessee's Department of Agriculture is not identifying the farm where the chickens were destroyed, saying only that it is located in the state's Lincoln County, which is just west of Chattanooga and boarders Alabama.

Only one commercial chicken farm in Alabama was within the six-mile radius, the state said, and all the birds there tested negative for the flu. That Alabama farm was also used by Tyson, according to the state. Alabama said it also began testing chickens in people's backyards within in the affected area, and all the tests have come back negative so far.

There have been bird flu outbreaks in China and in Europe in recent months, though they are of differing strains.

The USDA said Monday that it does not yet know what type of H7 bird flu is affecting the chickens at Tennessee, but will know within 48 hours.

Shares of Tysons Foods Inc. fell $1.50, or 2.4 percent, to $62.10 in afternoon trading. Shares of Sanderson Farms Inc., based in Laurel, Mississippi, dropped $2.23, or 2.4 percent, to $92.16, and shares of Greeley, Colorado-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp. fell 30 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $20.66.
CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio denounced hate crimes and anti-Semitism at the Sea View JCC a week after the Jewish institution received a bomb threat.

Even as de Blasio and Police Commissioner Jimmy O'Neill met with community leaders at the Manor Road JCC on Tuesday morning, more threats were made to the Anti-Defamation League in Manhattan and other Jewish centers nationwide.

"These horrible threats go against the values of New York City, they are unacceptable to us," de Blasio said after the meeting.

David Sorkin, executive director of the Staten Island JCC, said he wasn't aware of any threats to the borough's three centers on Tuesday.

"Not that I know of -- they were just coming in virtually as we were meeting," Sorkin said.

ONGOING INVESTIGATION

A bomb threat was called into the Sea View JCC between about 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 27.

That threat wasn't specific to the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC at 1466 Manor Rd., so police were called to all three locations on Staten Island. Operations resumed later that day.

Law enforcement officials said on Tuesday the investigation into last week's threat to Staten Island's JCCs was ongoing.

"Not going to divulge any leads to a confidential investigation," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said when asked about the case.

A man was arrested last week for making threats to other Jewish centers.

'SAFE AND SECURE'

Officials acknowledged some concerns raised over security, including at the the Sea View JCC. Consulting with Jewish centers is part of the new "neighborhood policing" program being rolled out across the city.

"You should see an increased uniformed presence in houses of worship throughout the city," O'Neill said.

Sorkin said Staten Islanders should feel safe at JCCs.

"At any given day, I have a 2-year-old granddaughter who's in this building and goes to daycare. After school every day, my 8-year-old granddaughter occupies the other building," he said. "So I feel safe and secure. One of the things people don't realize about security is some is overt and some is covert, and although we don't discuss individual security issues and methods with the public, I feel safe and secure and I think our public should also feel safe and secure in the building."

Police plan to regularly show up at city JCCs that received recent threats and local precincts will work with places of worship to help with security.

"It's not just about keeping New Yorkers, it's about making sure all New Yorkers feel safe, too," O'Neill said.

'FORCES OF HATE'

De Blasio alluded to an surge in reported hate crimes since the election of President Donald Trump. The NYPD said there have been 229 reported hate crimes across the five boroughs since Election Day through March 5, with 115 motivated by anti-Semitism.

Hate crimes are up 113 percent so far this year in the city overall.

"This is a moment in time, a moment in history where forces of hate have been unleashed," de Blasio said.

There have been six hate crimes on Staten Island so far this year through March 5, according to the NYPD. Half were anti-Semitic in nature. The other three were anti-black, anti-Muslim and motivated by sexual orientation.

Officials and Staten Island community leaders discussed the increase in hate crimes and anti-Semitism, as well as active investigations into those cases, during the meeting at the Manor Road JCC.

Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, Councilwoman Debi Rose and Councilman Joseph Borelli attended the meeting, as did Jewish community leaders and representatives from other elected officials who couldn't be there.

Borelli, an avid supporter of Trump and his former New York campaign co-chair, said he and the mayor may have a different worldview "on a lot of things."

"But what it comes down to is that the mayor is certainly not my enemy or even adversary when it comes to standing against hate here on Staten Island or citywide and especially so when it is the JCC in my community," Borelli (R-South Shore) said.

De Blasio said he appreciated the councilman's comments, but added that "everyone in Washington" should speak up against anti-Semitism.

"This is not a partisan atmosphere or a partisan moment," de Blasio said. "We are all united in defense of the community."
Applications for the fall 2017 incoming class at Skidmore College have topped 10,000officially the largest group of applicants in college history, beating last year's record of 9,200 and 2015's record of 8,500. Over the last five years, applications have increased 75%.



Applications are up from international students as well as domestic students who self-identify as students of color. Skidmore has also received a record number of Early Decision entries: 622 applicants specified Skidmore as their first choice, a 13% rise over last year's 552 ED applicants. Since 2012, early-decision applications have climbed 65%.



"It's exciting to see so many exceptional high school students interested in attending Skidmore," says Mary Lou Bates, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. "We have enjoyed getting to know our applicants, and we're eager to welcome those we believe will be a great fit for Skidmore's strong community." The expected size of the Class of 2021 will be 660, including 25 students opting to begin overseas, with Skidmore's first-year program in London.



Regular-decision letters were mailed March 23, and accepted students will have until May 1 to commit.





Skidmore is consistently named as one of the nation's best liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report and was recently featured on the 2016 Forbes lists of America's Top Colleges and Best Value Colleges as well its roster of Most Entrepreneurial Colleges.
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A group of Australian National University students have been disciplined by John XXIII College after displaying "unacceptable behaviour" during Orientation Week.

News Corp reported that four students were suspended from the Catholic residence for the duration of Orientation Week after chanting sexual rhymes about "nailing" women. The college did not return Fairfax Media's calls.

John XXIII College head and CEO Geoff Johnston outside the college on the grounds of the ANU last year. Credit:Graham Tidy

ANU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the John XXIII College head had "formally advised the university of unacceptable behaviour involving some new residents during Orientation Week" and confirmed disciplinary action was taken.

"We have requested additional information from the head and students involved may face further disciplinary procedures from the university," she said.
It's hump day and the weekend countdown is on. Congratulations for making it this far. We're looking at a pretty cool one today with a predicted top of 22 degrees. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast it as the coldest day of the week.

Katie Burgess reports the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has revealed another former priest living next to a Canberra school could be a concern to the community.

It is understood the archdiocese is in the process of removing the ex-priest from accommodation next to Ainslie School. This comes less than a week after three priests were moved from a retirement home for clergy next to two southside schools. The principal of Ainslie School has written to parents on Tuesday to assure them student safety was their top priority.

It's also understood at least two parents have pulled their children from Sts Peter and Paul Primary School over the scandal which prompted calls for Archbishop Christopher Prowse to resign last week.

Read more here.

Spy agency in jeopardy of systems failures
A man accused of killing his wife in the bedroom of their Gordon home stabbed her 57 times as she breastfed their 10-month-old baby, prosecutors say.

Maged Mohommed Ahmed Al-Harazi, 36, has maintained his innocence after he was charged with murder after the body of Sabah Al-Mdwali, 28, was found on a bed inside the Knoke Avenue house in March 2015.

Police had been called to the couple's Gordon home previously and Al-Mdwali approached at least one support service. Credit:Jeffrey Chan

Al-Harazi pleaded not guilty. His six-week ACT Supreme Court trial began on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold said in his opening address there was no dispute Ms Al-Mdwali had been murdered and the trial would revolve around whether Al-Harazi was the person who inflicted the fatal stab wounds.
Senior executives within ANZ's institutional bank, including the former managing director, all resigned at around the same time the bank was subject to an investigation by the corporate watchdog over the alleged rigging of the bank bill swap rate.

The revelation came as ANZ also defended its treatment of small business customers, particularly farmers, to the parliamentary committee running the ongoing inquiry into the banking sector.

ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott confirmed on Tuesday to the committee the executives had all let the bank "at around the same time".

The executives named before Parliament today by Labor MP Matt Keogh were former global head of markets Steve Bellotti, former acting managing director of markets Eddie Listorti, former head of global markets sales Peter Maddox and former head of ANZ's institutional bank Andrew Geczy.
Jetstar and Virgin Australia will pay penalties of hundreds of thousands of dollars for their use of "misleading and deceptive" pricing tactics.

The fines, which amount to $200,000 for Virgin and $545,000 for Jetstar, were handed down in the Federal Court on Tuesday, following its finding in November 2015 that their use of "drip pricing" techniques was in contravention of Australian consumer law.

"I think this is a very big deal," said Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.



"Consumers have been complaining about drip pricing for a long time ... and this penalty sends out a very important message to airlines. The good news is, the airlines have largely changed their behaviour now."
During my career as an employment lawyer I've represented many women who have experienced pregnancy-related discrimination, particularly surrounding their return to work. Illustration: Simon Bosch According to a 2014 Australian Human Rights Commission's report looking at support for working parents, one-in-five women are made redundant upon their return to work from parental leave, while one-in-two women experience some form of pregnancy-related discrimination. My experience acting for women pursuing legal action for these reasons suggests the real figures could be even higher. Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons would benefit from stronger powers. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The report identified the many different types of discrimination in the workplace ranging from negative attitudes and comments from colleagues and managers, through to loss of opportunities for further training and career advancement, a reduction in pay and conditions, and redundancy and job loss. These types of discrimination tend to be more subtle and, therefore, are much harder to prove or connect with a period of parental leave or gender. The lawsuit brought by Amber Harrison's lawyers will put Seven on the defensive. Credit:Twitter There should be a requirement to pay a premium on top of any redundancy package given to an employee who is made redundant on parental leave or within six months after their return. The impact of such discrimination can be devastating. There can be significant short and long-term negative impacts on individuals and their families  especially on their mental and physical health.

It can also hinder their career advancement and earning capacity and many of my clients struggle to understand how their employers can treat them in such a way simply because they took a break to have a baby. They also can't comprehend why the law does not do a better job to protect them. So what legal changes are required? Examples abroad Sweden is a pacesetter in this area with laws that go well beyond asking organisations whether they have policies in place. Their laws actually demand that there is measurable evidence on the ground. This is what we need in Australia. A good place to start is demanding more stringent reporting obligations of employers to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Currently, employers are required to report on a range of gender issues in the workplace. Many employers take this role seriously and find great benefit from doing so in providing further reinforcement of the need to continue to drive change internally when it comes to gender equality.

But with reporting obligations in place that lack any real bite, unfortunately, many employers still treat this important exercise as just another red tape process rather than an effort to enact meaningful change. Employers outline their commitment to diversity in the workplace and tick a few boxes, but aren't compelled to follow through with anything concrete. Those who don't meet their reporting obligations usually receive a mild slap on the wrist and a public shaming at the most. Stronger powers Bearing this in mind, there is scope for the reporting obligations to the WGEA as well as its role and powers to be strengthened and go even further. This could include requiring employers to submit more transparent data around issues such as equal pay, conditions and the numbers of women who return from parental leave and remain employed after six months. Employers should be required to address any areas of systemic discrimination that is subsequently revealed in that data. Another element to consider is more opportunities for anonymous reporting by employees and a reconciling between what the employer portrays, and the reality of their employees' experience. From what my clients tell me, there can be, at times, a massive disconnect between the two, even in organisations that regard themselves as leaders of gender equality.

The WGEA should also be given the tools to play a more investigative and prosecutorial role akin to that of the Fair Work Ombudsman. Complaints could be made to the agency and action taken on behalf of women, and indeed men, who are discriminated against and who have a disincentive or feel powerless to stand up to their employer. There should also be legislated financial penalties for employers who fail to comply with their reporting obligations and a financial deterrence for employers who sack new parents. For example, there should be a requirement to pay a premium on top of any redundancy package given to an employee who is made redundant on parental leave or within six months after their return. These suggestions are far from sweeping changes, but no doubt some will argue they go too far or will be too hard to implement. But unless we make such changes, our workplaces will continue to fail to be places of truly equal opportunity for women. So let's call upon the government, and not just women, to be bold for change this International Women's Day.
Former union boss Jim Metcher has announced his retirement as a legal investigation finds he had a duty to disclose a domestic violence matter in his applications for right of entry permits in 2009 and 2010.

The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia, of which Mr Metcher was head of the NSW Postal & Telecommunications division, last year commissioned barrister Claire Howell to investigate media reports he had pleaded guilty to domestic violence.

Former union boss Jim Metcher (left), pictured here with his family, is retiring after almost 30 years of service. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Ms Howell's legal opinion, outlined in a report released to Fairfax Media, found he did not plead guilty to any domestic violence charges laid by Blacktown police in 2007.

The report did not explore whether the domestic violence incidents occurred and Mr Metcher has not denied a domestic violence incident occurred 10 years ago.
Bengaluru, Mar 7 (IBNS) : Reliance Capital has sold its nearly 1 percent stake in digital payments firm Paytm's parent One97 Communications for Rs 275 crore to China's Alibaba Group, The Times of India reported.

Reliance Capital held a 0.83 per cent stake in One97 communications at the end of financial year 2016, as per documents Registrar of Companies.

ToI quoted its sources as saying that the Anil Ambani-led company scooped up about Rs 275 crore through the share sale.








To sex and the people of New South Wales (C8). Instead of Welshmen, Peter Craig, of Alexandria, proposes New South Walers, or just Walers, "recalling the splendid horses of the Australian Light Horse". Dr Georgios Sotiropoulos, of Mosman, suggests New South Welsher, though he accepts while other states may be enthusiastic "the etymology of welsher/welcher may limit its local appeal". Adam Fitzgerald, of West Footscray, cooks up a Welsh rare bit of blended Portuguese and Latin with "Novo Sud Cambrian". But the last word to John Wilko, of Batemans Bay: "Victorians have a contemporary name for New South Welshmen. It is neither sexist nor printable in Column 8."

Who gets the 2 cents change from $20 for buying a $19.98 item (C8)? John Whiteing, of Willoughby, says it's the vendor so "pay with a credit or debit card as often as possible and then the buyer gets it". But, cautions Michael Afaras, of Henley, some merchants still round up or down on a card. So Phil Sinclair, Geoffrey Toon and Ian Collins all suggest the same cunning plan: "Buy two of the $19.98 items, which will end up costing $39.95, or a 2.5 cent discount per item. Return one item and ask for the money back. This will give $20 back, so the one item will only have cost $19.95." That makes cents.

It's not always fashion that dictates fads such as drinking out of jam jars (C8). Meri Will, of Dee Why, explains: "My daughter and son-in-law have taken to using jam jars as drinking glasses at home. He eats a lot of jam and she breaks a lot of glasses. It's good for the household budget."

Mia David, of Wollongong, wants John Dillon (C8) to know that Wollongong Blood Bank dishes up the best authentic milkshakes. "They are served in metal containers, made with cold milk, and have a good deal of froth on top ... and they're free after you have donated some valuable blood."

Old report card comments (C8) reminded Terry Williams, of Bonville, of how his sister has for decades had to tolerate recounting of her kindergarten report. "According to a misheard word, it praised her 'good bowel sounds' ".
There is a darker reality that underlies the jovial, uninhibited late-night greetings at bars and clubs around Canberra and the nation.

A reality manifest in reports and statistics detailing alcohol-realated emergency department presentations, physical and sexual assault figures.

A cursory glance at such reports seems to indicate up to one in seven ED presentations in the ACT may be alcohol-related.

While there were about 60 offences recorded by ACT police each week during the year to September 2016, that fell slightly (2.3 per cent), compared to the same period the previous year.
I don't like to brag  except about three things.

The first is that I invented the Gogglebox concept a decade before watching other people watching television became a global phenomenon. I told the kids back in the 1990s  but forgot to inform anyone in TV land.

The world is still waiting for a pee-detecting pool chemical. Credit:Peter Braig

My second great idea was in the late '90s when I proposed a disposable swimming nappy to stop my children doing any more number twos in Japanese public pools. I told my wife  but forgot to tell Huggies.

Not to worry, because my third claim to fame is way more important. It's something that Facebook, Donald Trump and Pauline Hanson are only now beginning to master.
When the NSW government and the Department of Education announced in 2014 that Arthur Phillip High School in Parramatta was to become a showcase high-rise School of The Future, the principal Lynne Goodwin was wildly excited about the opportunity to lead such a school.

The award-winning design for the $100,000,000 development of 14 storeys had captured Goodwin's vision a for a high-rise school in the centre of downtown Parramatta. She had researched lighthouse schools with a futurist orientation in various countries. She travelled throughout Scandinavia at her own expense to observe innovative teaching and learning spaces in operation and how they might impact on her plans for the new high-rise APHS.

Lynne Goodwin was creative, courageous and adored by many.

She was a passionate advocate for public education in NSW. Her enthusiasm for sharing best practice and innovation in teaching and learning was inspirational. Her considerable energy was infectious. She spent her long teaching career in the NSW public education system looking for ways to make the curriculum accessible for students of all backgrounds and all abilities and interests.

Goodwin was born in Enfield on the 25th April 1948. She was a proud graduate of her local public co ed comprehensive high school, Strathfield South High School, where she completed her Leaving Certificate in 1964. She attended Sydney University from 1965-1968.
Australians are tired of politicians who pussy foot around. We want decisiveness. What we want, we are told, is not just strong leadership, but a leader like Vladimir Putin.

Of course! I should have realised it sooner - everybody wants a PM like Putin.

Australians, we are told, are just crying out for a PM like Vladimir Putin. But should they? Credit:Andrew Taylor

Just think of how much better things would be if we took a couple of pages from the Putin playbook. And there is so much we can learn from his track record.

It is sheer coincidence, of course, that his political opponents keep dying with remarkable regularity. These have included witnesses to state-sanctioned fraud, bankers with evidence on the President's cronies, journalists, human rights lawyers, and even a former Russian deputy prime minister. While some have been shot in the streets, most have had a habit of being mysteriously poisoned.
'Irreversible' Indeed the impacts of climate change, which the report notes at length, "are likely to worsen, and some of these impacts may be irreversible". Richard Fitzpatrick inspects recent bleaching of coral in the Great Barrier Reef at Vlasoff Reef near Cairns. Credit:Christian Miller While overall temperatures have risen about 1 degree over the past century, the pace is much faster in some areas. Australia's south-west and south-east marine regions are warming fastest - at 0.4 degrees per decade between 1982 and 2015. Despite the importance of climate change, the report reveals a huge reduction in spending on such programs:

More broadly, the report hints at the failure of governments in general to fund environmental care in all its needs. No single estimate is available of what that cost might be but the figure "is likely to be beyond the scope of traditional sources" - shorthand for "don't ask the treasury". Queensland woes The Great Barrier Reef attracts due attention for the big bleaching event in 2016 as water temperatures got an El Nino boost in addition to the background warming to trigger widespread coral mortality. However, as we have seen in recent weeks, another bout of bleaching appears to be unfolding even without an El Nino, underscoring how close to thresholds existing eco-systems are.

Other pressures on the precious natural treasure also appear to suggest that in the tussle between economic growth and the environment, there is usually only one winner. "Approximately 10 per cent of the shoreline within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area now comprises human-made structures (e.g. breakwalls, pontoons, jetties) - an increase of 70 per cent in some areas in the past three years," the report states (italics added). And that's before any of the giant coal mines proposed for Queensland's Galilee Basin get developed. On such subjects, the SoE report is all but silent, noting such proposals there and in the Hunter Valley are "controversial... in part on the basis of their environmental impacts, including on-ground impacts, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions associated with combustion and, for the Galilee Basin, the potential risks of contamination of the Great Barrier Reef as a result of shipping from the Abbott Point Terminal". Coal seam gas also gets a few paragraphs despite its impact in Queensland adding to "existing ecologically threatening processes - such as fragmentation, clearing, increased invasive species and changed fire regimes  in a region that is already highly disturbed.

No mention is made in the report of increasing evidence that CSG brings other risks such migratory emissions of methane that may blow a hole in Australia's greenhouse emissions goals. Land-clearing expands Queensland is also singled out it for its increased land clearing during the past five years, mostly during the Liberal-Nationals Party government of Campbell Newman. "[[Queensland's] clearing of woody vegetation, primarily for pasture, increased by 73 per cent in 201213 from 201112 and by a further 11 per cent from 201213 to 201314, the report noted. The report touched on the fact that NSW and Western Australia are heading down the same path, noting: "Weakening legislation relating to clearing of native vegetation has adverse implications for vegetation extent, condition and connectivity, and for biodiversity."

Despite the detail given to Australia's global warming risks, the report makes the most cursory of assessments of the Abbott-Turnbull's climate policies. The $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund, despite being described as the "centrepiece" of current policies escapes scrutiny save for a mention "that effectiveness of these policies has been questioned". That's despite most sectors of the economy are showing rising emissions - when they should be falling - and many other indicators pointing to the "Direct Action's" failure such as paying landfill operators $200 million for nothing. (See Australian Conservation Foundation chart below of main emissions.) Relatively good years Also, skating lightly over the economics is the report's summary on the $10 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan and its impacts.

Yes, the federal government lifted its holdings of environmental water from 993 gigalitres in 2010-11 to 2410 GL in 2015-16, and managed to deliver 5400 GL so far. The plan has "contributed to ecological benefits for stream functioning and biodiversity", the report notes. But as noted last week in a report by Quentin Grafton, director of the ANU Centre for Water Economics at Crawford School, spending of $5 billion had produced little to show at a basin-level scale. "You'd expect to get more than no discernible improvement," Grafton told Fairfax Media on Tuesday. Loading Worse, all that spending has happened over the past five years when rainfall had generally been better than the previous drought-hit period covered in the 2011 State of the Environment report.
The pilot of a shared home-ownership scheme being watched with interest by the Turnbull government has been operating in two states and put more than 70,000 people into homes in the past two decades, new figures reveal, as financial leaders urge the Coalition to act on the nation's housing "market failure".

Turning housing affordability into a key pitch to voters in the looming May budget, Treasurer Scott Morrison has praised the release of the Victorian Labor government's $50 million shared ownership housing pilot for 400 homes as "very interesting".

Any move to introduce a shared house ownership scheme, where the government or a private lender owns up to 25 per cent of a home to help lower the initial purchase price, could also garner support from MPs across the divide, but would have to address concerns about the potential for such a scheme to drive up prices by giving buyers extra money to bid with.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said in 2007 that she believed there was a "a strong economic rationale for allowing individuals to hold less than 100 per cent equity in their home."
Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has apologised for spruiking increased flights between Australia and Indonesia on the 10th anniversary of the fatal Garuda crash which claimed the lives of 21 people, including five Australians.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Ciobo held a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta with the chief executive officer of Garuda Indonesia to announce a 13 per cent increase in flights between Indonesia and Australia.

Federal Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has apologised for announcing a boost in Garuda Indonesia flights between Australia and Indonesia, on the 10th anniversary of a plane crash which claimed the lives of 21 people, including 5 Australians.

The announcement came on the 10th anniversary of the Garuda plane crash in 2007 which claimed the lives of the respected Australian diplomat Elizabeth O'Neill, AusAid officer Allison Sudradjat, federal police officers Brice Steele and Mark Scott, and the Australian Financial Review journalist Morgan Mellish. Many more were injured.

The Australians were travelling to Yogyakarta for the visit by the then foreign minister Alexander Downer, who was travelling separately.
One in five ABC managers  totalling up to 200 staff  will lose their jobs under a sweeping restructure announced by ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie.

Ms Guthrie acknowledged the "painful" cuts would be a blow for staff who lose their jobs, but said "swift and decisive action" was needed for the ABC to remain relevant to audiences.

As revealed by Fairfax Media last month, the savings generated by the job cuts will free up $50 million a year to invest in TV, radio and online content.

Up to 80 new content roles will also be created in regional Australia over the next 18 months.
2. Donald Trump Did a Murdoch executive trigger US President Donald Trump's weekend tweetstorm claiming he'd been wiretapped by former president Barack Obama? A really fascinating read on Louise Mensch, a prominent former Tory MP, who established the online news website Heat Street. Mensch is a Trump critic and claims two intelligence sources told her the FBI obtained a warrant to examine the activities of US citizens in Trump's campaign with ties to Russia. [Karla Adam/Washington Post] The ex-MI6 officer who prepared the dossier claiming Russia compromised Trump and has been cultivating him for years to cause divisions between Western allies has returned to work. [The Independent]

Trump and Putin have both described the dossier as "fake" or "fake news." Christopher Steele went into hiding after the media reporting of his dossier had all but identified him. The president spent the morning as he often does: live-tweeting his favourite Fox News show, Fox & Friends.

American media is focused on the repeal of Obamacare and a comment made by Republican Jason Chaffetz who said Americans "have choices" and "rather than getting that new iPhone ... maybe they should go and invest in their own healthcare." He attempted to clean up his remarks by saying he believes in "self reliance." Damage done. [CNN] 3. North Korea China has reacted angrily to the arrival of US components for the a missile defence shield in South Korea. China says it will "resolutely take measures to defend China's security interests." [Kirsty Needham/Fairfax] The delivery came just one day after North Korea fired at least four missiles into the sea near Japan.

Kim Jong-un during the launch of four missiles into the sea near Japan. Credit:KRT/AP North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to be pleased with the missiles' progress. They were directed at US bases in Japan, state media said. [CNN] Pyongyang has had a serious fallings out with one of its few friends, Malaysia. North Korea has banned Malaysians from leaving the country as Malaysian authorities attempt to question three officials in the North Korean embassy over the murder of Kim Jong-nam. Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak described it as tantamount to hostage taking and held a meeting of his national security council. This is a serious deterioration in ties between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysians are the only people in the world able to travel to North Korea for up to one month without a visa. [Lindsay Murdoch/Fairfax] 4. Aust politics

Experts are hitting back at the idea of creating a jumbo Department of Homeland Security. [David Wroe/Fairfax] AGL Energy says it could be left short of gas this winter unless some of Queensland's exports are quarantined for domestic use. [Financial Review] Treasurer Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Budget speculation: the government is considering establishing a new resources tax but this time on the booming LNG sector, setting up another showdown between industry and Canberra. [David Uren/The Australian] And stories over negative gearing refuse to die. Renee Viellaris  citing "highly placed sources"  reports the negative gearing curbs for the rich are still on the table, despite the coalition mocking Labor's attempts to trim back the tax concessions. [Courier Mail]

Nick Xenophon finally reveals his hand on reforming section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act: he's open to change. [David Crowe/The Australian] And the South Australian senator wants the Australian parliament to start taking petitions seriously, the way the UK parliament does. [Mark Ludlow/Financial Review] One Nation's Pauline Hanson supports cutting Queensland's share of the GST for Western Australia, a position the majors should be lining up to condemn today. [Sky News] 5. UK politics Professor Stephen Hawking Credit:AP

In a contest between Stephen Hawking and Jeremy Corbyn, who do you choose? Hawking told The Times that while the Labour leader has his heart in the right place, he regards Corbyn as a "disaster." [Tom Whipple] Corbyn believes he would win a snap election, if one were called. [BBC] Not that Prime Minister Theresa May's inclined to call a snap poll, despite the urgings of the former foreign secretary William Hague to scrap the Fixed-term Parliament's Act 2011. [Oped/Telegraph] May lost an important vote in the House of Lords which voted to give the parliament a "meaningful vote" on whatever deal the PM negotiates with the EU.

But the government stared down an attempt to hold a second referendum. [Rowena Mason/The Guardian] 6. Beaked whales If you're doing anything water related and see dolphins and or whales, then you've hit the underwater jackpot. So imagine not only seeing one of the world's most elusive creatures, the beaked whale, and capturing it on camera. [Chelsea Whyte/New Scientist]

As your Number Six today, enjoy the first ever underwater footage  captured by school students  of beaked whales and released today as part of a new study of the animals. [PeerJ] And that's it from me today  you can follow me on Facebook for more.
New Delhi, Mar 7 (IBNS): Vodafone India, one of the top telecommunication service providers in the country celebrates International womenas day by giving away free 2GB data to all its women Red Post-Paid subscribers in Delhi-NCR.

This day long offer comes with no restrictions on the 2GB data usage and the data benefit will be automatically credited to the users account and notified through an SMS.

With this offer women customers will be able browse internet, shop online, watch their favourite videos & movies online, connect with near & dear ones through video chat and lots more.

This exclusive gift from Vodafone is part of its #ConnectedSheCan campaign which aims at encouraging women to get digitally connected.

This offer is a part of the many initiatives by Vodafone to provide women access to information and help them experience the benefits of going digital. Research suggests that better connectivity helps communities and individuals leverage network access to bring about positive change.

It also helps in obtaining high levels of health, education, economic growth and other socio-economic indicators.

Speaking about the offer and women empowerment, Alok Verma Business Head, Delhi-NCR, Vodafone India avers We as an organization firmly believe in giving equal opportunities to women in the work space, and this value system reflects in our work culture. Our data analytics have suggested that our women customers are as avid mobile internet users as our male customers. This offer reiterates our efforts to enable women to do more and achieve more in life. I urge all our women Red Post-Paid customers to experience the digital life on our network

Vodafone has always endeavoured to contribute towards womens empowerment and is celebrating International Womens Day from March 6th to 10th, 2017. The week-long series will have some exciting events lined up.



Vodafone Foundation will also be launching 4th addition of Women of Pure Wonder book which acknowledges women for their inspiring stories. The book captures the stories of women who did not conform to the status quo and defined their own path and emerged as an inspiration to millions of women.
I'm wearing red today, while spending zero money, to show solidarity with the A Day Without A Woman strike. There are those who dismiss the campaign as "kind of annoying". To them I say, "Sorry, I can't hear you - I'm on strike."

I understand the charge that only privileged women can afford to down tools for political reasons. But since I'm one of those, I'm happy to use my power to make the point that the gender pay gap persists, casual sexism clings on and the domestic violence crisis has not been solved. And that's just in Australia. Globally women's rights are increasingly under attack. That's why I think the campaign is an inspired one  it's also relevant to sustainable style.

Susan Carland on her recent recce to Phnom Phen, with Cambodian womens rights activist Mu Sochua

More than 80 per cent of garment workers are women. What would happen if they all refused to sew our clothes until each and every one of them was granted fair working conditions? The fashion industry would grind to a halt, that's what.

Whatever colour shirt you're wearing today, spare a thought for the person who made it. There's a good chance she was a woman having a crap time.
He loves dancing to songs, such as Michael Jackson's Beat It and the Macarena, but he can't listen to music in the usual way. He laughs whenever someone takes his picture with a camera flash, which is the only intensity of light he can perceive. He loves trying to balance himself, but his legs don't allow him to walk without support.

He is one in a million, literally.

Heather Withrow with her son Orion. Credit:Washington Post/ Anastasia T. Withrow

Born deaf-blind and with a condition, osteopetrosis, that makes bones both dense and fragile, six-year-old Orion Theodore Withrow is among an unknown number of children with a newly identified genetic disorder that researchers are just beginning to decipher. It goes by an acronym, COMMAD, that gives little away until each letter is explained, revealing an array of problems that also affect eye formation and pigmentation in eyes, skin and hair. The rare disorder severely impairs the person's ability to communicate.

Children such as Orion, who are born to genetically deaf parents, are at a higher risk, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. The finding has important implications for the deaf community, said its senior author, Brian Brooks, clinical director and chief of the Paediatric, Developmental and Genetic Ophthalmology Section at the US National Eye Institute.
Major Clark Carpenter, a Marine Corps spokesman, confirmed that an investigation is underway, Marine Corps Times reported, but he said military officials were uncertain exactly how many personnel were involved.

The revelation was first uncovered by a decorated combat veteran's non-profit news site and reported Saturday by the Centre for Investigative Reporting.

Hundreds of Marines may be caught up in the scandal, the Marine Corps Times reported Sunday.

The US Marine Corps is investigating a veteran's allegations that military personnel and other veterans distributed nude photos of female colleagues and other women as part of a social media network that promotes sexual violence.

Nude photos were allegedly shared online via a Facebook group titled Marines United, which has nearly 30,000 members, mostly active-duty US Marines, Marine Corps veterans and British Royal Marines.

An online link to the photos, as well as the names and units of the women pictured, was posted in January by a former Marine who was working for a defense contractor, the Washington Post reported Sunday. The contractor has since been relieved of his duties.

Marine Lance Cpl. Marisa Woytek told the Post that photos were taken from her Instagram account and posted to Marines United multiple times in the past six months, without her consent. "Even if I could, I'm never re-enlisting," Woytek said. "Being sexually harassed online ruined the Marine Corps for me, and the experience."

Woytek said she was alerted to the photos by others on social media and were shown the comments that accompanied them. She said that many of the comments included allusions to sexual assault and rape, the Post reported.

She said many female colleagues had experienced similar harassment but had been reluctant to speak out for fear of retaliation from the group's members. With the War Horse report, she said, she and others "have a voice now".
At Carlingford West Public School, enrolments are booming. Student numbers have soared 57 per cent in just five years and the popularity of the school shows no sign of slowing down.

But it is not just enrolments that are growing. The school, now with 1164 students, has been steadily lifting its NAPLAN results and this year it has been recognised as one of 400 schools across the country that has made significant improvements.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which runs the federal government's My School website, identifies schools across the country that may not have the top NAPLAN marks but have made the biggest gains.

Carlingford West is one of NSW's most improved performers, with the latest results published on My School on Wednesday.
The findings come as one in 11 parents say they still believe vaccination is connected to autism and 30 per cent are unsure about this, despite extensive medical research showing no causal link.

Parents have told a national survey their unvaccinated children had been denied treatment because their shots were not up to date.

Australian health providers have been accused of refusing to give medical care to one in six unvaccinated children.

"I'd be very disappointed if that is the case," said Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon, in response to claims doctors could be among those refusing treatment. The nurses' union has also rejected that nurses would deny treatment.

If education and counselling for families who do not understand the benefit of immunisations fails, their children will be excluded. Credit:Getty Images

"No matter what reservations an individual doctor might have, it's not ethical to deny care to an unvaccinated child," Dr Gannon said, stressing that refusing care to anyone, but particularly children, who don't get to choose their vaccination status, was unethical.

"Having said that, I understand individual doctors perhaps changing their practice based on the threat to their other patients. For example, if you have a child with measles, the last thing you want is them in your waiting room potentially infecting other children."

The findings are from the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital Child Health Poll, which quizzed nearly 2000 parents of 3500 children in January, most of whom  95 per cent  had fully immunised their children.
A man has been charged with impersonating a doctor after he allegedly stole another man's identity, moved to Australia, and worked in hospitals in NSW for more than a decade.

Shyam Acharya worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014, at hospitals in Manly, Wyong, Hornsby and Gosford.

Authorities allege Mr Acharya took the name of another man in India before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of NSW in 2003.

He then "used the identity of the doctor to gain employment in the NSW public health system".
A British backpacker met her accused rapist at a "bush doof" and started dating him before he began raping, assaulting and keeping her captive, police allege.

The 22-year-old was allegedly raped four times, including twice on a 1600-kilometre road trip stretching from Cairns to Mitchell, in the southern Queensland outback, that would see police rescue her after a petrol drive-off.

According to police, the pair first met on January 27 at a trance music festival or "bush doof" outside Cairns, before forming a "boyfriend-girlfriend relationship".

But it was just a few days later the 22-year-old New South Welshman, living in Cairns, allegedly began abusing the woman, who police said had been in Australia on a working visa since April 2015.
After leaving Cairns some time last week, they travelled through the state with stops at towns including Bowen and Gordonsvale, with the woman doing the bulk of the driving against her will and the man occasionally hiding in an alcove in the Mitsubishi Pajero to avoid detection. Police allege the British backpacker and her alleged rapist took this rough route through Queensland. The alleged abuse continued during their journey, and Detective Inspector Paul Hart said it would have been nearly impossible for the woman to escape. "We don't want to speculate, but it is fair to say that she is a tourist, a lot of the areas where she would have been would have been unknown to her, and she wouldn't have known anyone there, so it would have been difficult for her to make an escape," he said. "From the information we've been provided she had very limited opportunity to try and do that anyway."

However, a petrol stop at the Mitchell Caltex alerted locals to her dire situation. The service station owner, Beverley Page told Seven News she alerted police after the visibly shaken woman drove off without paying for petrol. "She was distressed, she was crying and she was shaking and she had two black eyes and she had marks on the side of her neck," Ms Page said. Police pulled the four-wheel-drive over, and noticed immediately that something was wrong. "It appears she was terrified and not able to hide that," police said.

'Great courage' to speak to police Police said the young woman showed 'great courage' in detailing her abuse. Credit:Facebook The woman had facial fractures, cuts and bruising and was taken to the police station, where arresting officer Acting Sergeant David Harper said she told police about her alleged attacker. "The allegations (are) that he's made threats to her in relation to alerting any person or police." Inspector Hart said the young woman, originally from Liverpool, showed "great courage" to provide the detail she had about her ordeal.

"What she's experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying, and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police out at Mitchell," he said. "I'm sure as we can all appreciate the charges speak for themselves in terms of what she's had to endure." The woman was taken to Roma Hospital, where she was treated and then released. It's understood she will be transported to a Brisbane Hospital on Wednesday morning for additional treatment. What happens next The man has been remanded in the Toowoomba watchhouse, and he is due to face court again next week.

As for the investigation, inspector Hart said it is in its infancy as it will take the combined effort of a number of police stations to build their case. "(The man allegedly) committed a number of offences against her as they travelled around the state," he said. One of the charges the man is facing relates to the alleged damage of the woman's passport, which means she cannot return home for now. Police would also not say whether her family would fly over from the UK to support her here. "At this point in time they are just waiting to see how our investigation transpires," Inspector Hart said. Loading
Health officials are scrambling to contain a potential outbreak of meningococcal in a childcare centre north of Brisbane.

Metro North Public Health Unit officers will visit the Bribie Island childcare centre on Wednesday after a young girl was confirmed to have the disease on Tuesday.

Health officials are working to minimise the risk of spreading meningococcal disease at a Bribie Island childcare centre. (File Pic) Credit:Nick Lenaghan

Officials will meet with staff and parents to offer antibiotics to a small group of children who spent significant time with the girl in the week leading up to her illness.

"Despite the very low likelihood of further cases, we are asking parents to watch for any symptoms of the disease and to seek medical assistance immediately if they suspect the illness," Public Health Physician Dr James Smith said.
The Liberal National Party has "no intention" of returning more than $50,000 it received as a result of the fraudulent activities of its former MP Scott Driscoll.

Driscoll, who was elected state member for Redcliffe in the March 2012 LNP landslide, is on remand facing up to six years in jail after pleading guilty to a string of fraud charges related to his involvement with a retail lobby group before and after his election.

At a sentencing hearing for Driscoll at the District Court in Brisbane on Monday it emerged that during his election campaign in November 2011 he deposited a cheque from the Queensland Retail Traders and Shopkeepers Association into an account held by Norsefire, a company owned by Driscoll's wife, Emma.

The same day, the court heard, Driscoll transferred $60,000 from the Norsefire account into a personal account and immediately paid a total of $54,000 in "campaign contributions" to the LNP.
Mumbai, Mar 7 (IBNS): Godrej Appliances, one of India's leading players in the Home Appliances industry, today launched the nationas most power saving green inverter air conditioner with 5.8 ISEER under its premium sub-brand NXW.

With this ISEER rating, Godrej NXW Inverter AC doesnt merely meet the 5-star requirements of the current BEE energy rating norms, it also complies with the 5-star requirements of the proposed BEE energy table of 2019.



This makes Godrej NXW AC Indias most power saving AC. Concurrently; the company also unveiled its brand philosophy Soch ke banaya hai (Things made thoughtfully) that fuels the brands new communication strategy.



Godrej Appliances has always endeavoured to push research and development in its relentless effort to ensure that products are thought-through and delight the consumer through innovative, relevant and green technologies. The new philosophy encompasses these very values.

The Godrej NXW Inverter AC comes with a unique Green Inverter Technology.

This clever combination of Inverter Technology and the Green Balance Technology helps in achieving the highest energy efficiency in most eco-friendly way using the worlds greenest refrigerant R290 which has zero Ozone Depletion Potential and minimum Global Warming Potential.

Driven by the consumer insight that Air Conditioners being power guzzling appliances are the biggest contributors to high electricity bills, the core design features of the companys products are based on the pillars of power saving, along with eco-friendliness, given the companys commitment to the environment.

The new Godrej NXW AC, rated 5.8 ISEER, offers substantial reduction in power consumption as compared to any other AC in the market, thereby beating its own record of last year. ISEER or Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a new rating system introduced by BEE (Bureau of energy efficiency) in June 2015, for inverter ACs. The minimum ISEER required for an inverter AC to be rated as 5-star is 4.5.

Strengthening its NXW range of ACS, this will be among Godrej Appliances super premium offerings. It also broadens the NXW brands range of products, with Godrej having launched super-premium refrigerators and AC under the banner earlier.

After having doubled their investment in the brand as compared to last year, Godrej Appliances plans to strengthen its position further and capture a market share of 20% in the 5-star and inverter AC segment by the year 2018, with this launch.

Commenting on the launch, Kamal Nandi, Business Head and EVP  Godrej Appliances, said, True to the promise of brighter living, at Godrej, our endeavor has always been to delight our stakeholders with innovative and relevant technology that makes their lives brighter. We're creating a culture of strategic and innovative thinking across the organization and coming up with thoughtful innovations. The new Godrej NXW AC is a leap in that direction.

Among the insights thrown up by our consumer research, the key insight was that when it comes to air conditioners, consumers worry the most because these are power guzzling appliances that hugely contribute to high electricity bills. With the thought of building an AC that consumers can use without worrying about electricity bills, we created the Godrej NXW AC with 5.8 ISEER- Indias most power saving green inverter AC. This year, we are already experiencing an early summer and IMD has predicted it to be a warmer year, which is expected to increase the consumption of air conditioners. With the new Godrej NXW AC, consumers can use their AC without worrying much about the electricity consumption or the environment.

Further adding on the new communication strategy he said. For a brands success, it is imperative that it differentiates itself by focusing on things that truly matter to the consumer. In the home appliances category, differentiation has historically come from just one thing- innovation. We realized that in a marketplace where brands have consistently been talking about innovation, our innovation needs to stand out by being in a far more relevant context. Most brand communication is full of blueprint diagrams and the internal mechanics of appliances adding to jargon and complexity, with the aim of evolving consumption by communicating non-core benefits of the appliances and associating with newer consumer experiences, while the core consumer motivations for buying an appliance have not really changed. We realized that our communication needs to highlight how our innovation is truly differentiated in the category because it is thought through, with an insight and a meaning. So that we can confidently say for our innovations- Soch ke banaya hai 

Anup Bhargava, Product Group Head- Air Conditioners, Godrej Appliances, commented on the launch saying, Inverter ACs is the fastest growing segment with 100% per cent year on year growth and 8% contribution to industry sales. Last year we launched the Godrej NXW with 5.2 ISEER, which met with huge success and this year, we are setting a new benchmark altogether. We have designed NXW to be the best 5-star inverter AC in the industry with the highest efficiency of 5.8 ISEER, making it the most power saving and green inverter AC available in India today. This AC has been specially designed to suit the Indian climatic conditions while delivering high efficiency - and therefore comes packed with advanced technology and features such as 3X BLDC Motor Technology; Gold Nano coating for increasing the life of the condenser; ECO mode for 25% more power saving, Intelligent Air Throw as well as User defined Air Throw along with many other features which deliver comfortable cooling."




Skye Whiteman's daughter Brydee was diagnosed with a rare childhood blood cancer at five-and-a-half months old.

An active child, Brydee had her bone marrow transplant in May last year, following six months of chemotherapy to treat her Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia.

Brydee with her sister Allyrah, 4.

Mrs Whiteman said her daughter slowed down a bit during treatment but "flew through" the transplant. Afterwards Brydee, now two, was one of the early beneficiaries of a new blood test.

The test which enables doctors to more accurately and rapidly assess the success of a bone marrow transplant has been hailed a lifesaver because of its ability to give doctors more time to respond to changes in a patient's condition.
A huge man-made island south of Werribee could become Melbourne's second container port.

It would be four kilometres long and 600 metres wide, connected to the mainland via a 1-kilometre road and rail bridge.

A cargo ship at the new loading dock at the Port Melbourne. Credit:Joe Armao

But the proposed Bay West port would need extensive dredging  28 million cubic metres of sand and rock from the Port Phillip seabed  and would potentially one day involve widening the shipping channel at the bay heads to fit mega-ships carrying up to 18,500 containers.

The question of where and when Melbourne will build its second container port once the Port of Melbourne reaches capacity has been forensically picked over in a new discussion paper by Infrastructure Victoria, released on Tuesday.
Disgraced MP Don Nardella is under pressure to reveal the location of the beachside home  reportedly a caravan  which allowed him to claim more than $100,000 from taxpayers and which he is doggedly refusing to hand back,.

Mr Nardella was forced out of Labor's caucus after refusing Premier Daniel Andrews' request that he pay back the $113,000 he claimed in entitlements for living at Ocean Grove, 80 kilometres away from his Melton electorate.

When asked to comment on resigning from the Labor caucus, Mr Nardella told The Age to "f--k off" and "go away".

The move leaves the Labor government with just 46 seats in the 88-seat lower house  giving it a narrow majority which could pave the way for further chaos.
Melbourne has become so important it now accounts for all of Victoria's economic growth, with the rest of the state contributing nothing in net terms.

New regional figures compiled by SGS Economics and Planning show inner Melbourne's economy grew by a blistering 3.9 per cent in 2015-16, the city's north-east grew by 4.1 per cent, its north-west by 4.7 per cent, its south-east by 3.9 per cent, and its west by 3.9 per cent.

Victoria's economic activity is becoming increasingly monocentric, centred within 10 kilometres of Melbourne's city centre. Credit:James Davies

In contrast the Ballarat statistical area grew 0.1 per cent, Bendigo 0.4 per cent, Geelong 0.6 per cent and the LaTrobe Valley 0.5 per cent, offset by shrinkage of 2.8 per cent in the north-west, 1.4 in Shepparton and 1.2 per cent in Warrnambool and the south-west.

"Victoria's most important economic asset is what happens within 10 kilometres of the GPO," said SGS economist Terry Rawnsley, who produced Australia-wide and statewide national accounts while he worked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
A young man with cerebral palsy who stabbed a five-year-old girl 25 times with a pocket knife in his Ballarat unit was drinking about a dozen stubbies of beer a day at the time of the attack, a court has heard.

The girl survived the attack, but, the County Court sitting in Ballarat heard on Tuesday, "the scars remain".

Ty Ranger has admitted stabbing the five-year-old girl.

Ty Ranger, 24, has pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally causing serious injury over the assault on November 22, 2015, and one count of possessing child pornography.

Office of Public Prosecutions prosecutor Justin Burke said Ranger asked the girl into his unit and repeatedly stabbed her with a pocket knife before trying to remove her clothes.
Barrister Lloyd Rayney has been grilled during his multimillion dollar defamation trial about his gambling habits and told a Perth court his wife bullied him before her murder.

Mr Rayney is suing the West Australian government for being named by Detective Senior Sergeant Jack Lee in September 2007 as the prime and only suspect in the murder of Supreme Court registrar Corryn Rayney one month earlier.

Mr Rayney is suing the West Australian government for being named as the prime and only suspect in the murder of his wife Corryn. Credit:AAP

Mr Rayney was questioned on Tuesday about an email his wife sent in October 2003 in which she accused him of a "flagrant breach of trust".

She also referred to "darkening the door of the place" and a "continuing habit".
FAQs Are Roe 8 and the Perth Freight Link the same thing? Is it a bird, is it a plane? Where did this project come from? Why do we need a solution at all? What exactly does Labor promise instead?

What role does this potential second harbour play? How much would it cost Labor to break Roe 8 contracts? Will the federal government let Labor just spend the billion on something else? What does the RAC think? What does Infrastructure Australia think?

What did the 2016 Senate inquiry conclude? What did the 2017 Senate inquiry conclude? How many jobs does each plan promise? Has this kind of standoff pre-election happened before? What do councils think?

Answers Are Roe 8 and the Perth Freight Link the same thing? Roe 8 is stage 1 of the Perth Freight Link. It's what the Liberal state government is clearing land for right now: The extension of Roe Highway by 5.2 kilometres from its current end at Kwinana Freeway, through Beeliar Wetlands to Stock Road in Coolbellup. Roe 9 is stage 2, a three-kilometre tunnel from the Stock/Winterfold roads intersection in Hilton through to High Street, East Fremantle. It would run beneath homes in Hilton and White Gum Valley and connect to Stirling Highway.

The federal government has not received the business case for Roe 9. Together Roe 8 and 9 are projected to cost $1.9 billion - $1.2 billion federal funding and $700 million state funding. Stage 3, Roe 10, or how the traffic will get from Stirling Highway, across the river and through Fremantle to the Port, is unplanned and uncosted. This plan is supported by the transport industry and the City of Melville. The Perth Freight Link plan.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? Where did this project come from? Sustainability expert and Curtin University professor Peter Newman is a former board member of Infrastructure Australia, which assesses state submissions for federal infrastructure funding. He says WA is notorious for not proposing projects. "The response was, we prefer the cocktail party approach, where if politicians come to town we lobby them and get some money," he told the crowd at a recent transport forum in Perth. "The Perth Freight Link just dropped out of the sky; it was not from Infrastructure Australia or any planning, it was just a gift from Tony Abbott. When you do that kind of planning you can expect major problems."

Why do we need a solution at all? In a nutshell, Fremantle Port is in a tricky area that's hard to reach and is already very built up. WA is growing fast. The economy is growing, the population is growing, road transport is increasing, more trade is going through Fremantle Port Inner Harbour and the existing road network is constraining productivity. Everyone agrees these issues are pressing. But Labor's solutions are markedly different.

Roads in the southern suburbs are under pressure. Credit:Paul Rovere What exactly does Labor promise instead? Labor has vowed to scrap the PFL, end the existing contract Main Roads has signed to build Roe 8 and reallocate all remaining funding (about $1.7 billion) to its own congestion-related projects, three immediate and one longer-term. Immediately: 1) Construct Armadale Road dual carriageway between Anstey Road and Tapper Road ($145 million from forward estimates.) Includes create public transport corridor.

2) Build the $166 million Armadale Road Bridge, linking North Lake Road and Armadale Road over Kwinana Freeway. 3) Invest $95million to build two new overpasses on Wanneroo Road, one at the intersection of Ocean Reef Road and the other at the Joondalup Drive intersection. Longer term, it has committed $20 million and a taskforce for planning its longer term Freight and Trade policy including planning for the construction of a harbour at Kwinana. It says heavy freight traffic through Fremantle and surrounding suburbs will be reduced as Fremantle Port reaches capacity and freight is transitioned to the new Outer Harbour. It has promised to maintain Fremantle Port as an operational port in public ownership.

Supporting this plan, as well as most of the concerned councils, are the RAC, Conservation Council of WA and other conservation groups. Mark McGowan has a different vision. What role does this potential second harbour play? Governments of both stripes have for many years acknowledged need for an outer harbour at Kwinana to take the brunt of freight in the longer term future as there is consensus Fremantle Port will reach capacity over the next decade. The most recent Regional Development Australia report; Perth and Peel Economic Development Strategy and Infrastructure Priority Plan identified an Outer Harbour in Cockburn Sound as a "game-changing initiative" and has warned that without its development, WA will be "held back".

The City of Kwinana's proposal for an outer harbour showed a second port could be made operational within a decade for around the same amount of investment currently committed to the Freight Link. Labor talks more about its commitment to the harbour here. The government has not signalled any immediate plans to progress with an outer harbour and has progressed a Bill to privatise Fremantle Port, a plan not supported by its National Party coalition partner. Fremantle port is set to be sold if the Liberal government stays in power. How much would it cost Labor to break Roe 8 contracts?

WA Labor says it sought independent legal advice from former WA Solicitor General Grant Donaldson before deciding to break the Roe 8 contract. This advice indicated the move would only have a "modest cost". Transport Minister Bill Marmion has estimated it could cost $20-$40 million, but Labor countered that Mr Marmion was betting on a particular clause being included in the contract, which their lawyer advised was not. Labor says its final costings will include an allocation for contract renegotiation. Will the Federal Government let Labor just spend the billion on something else?

A spokesman for federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said the $1.2 billion committed by the Federal Government was "specific to the project" and could not " simply be re-allocated". But the federal government recently released the $1.5 billion in funding to the new government that canned the East West Link in Victoria, allowing it to be spent on other projects - a parallel situation. "We would expect the same treatment as Victoria received and I would not take any notice of the blusterings of ministers, federal ministers, before the state election," leader Mark McGowan has told media. Minister Fletcher. Credit:louise kennerley What does the RAC think?

Perth Freight Link was not on the RAC's top five priority list and it had consistently called for the full business case to be released, Corporate Affairs manager Will Golsby said. "In 2014 when it arrived in the Federal Budget there was a lack of information," he said. "We were not aware it would be announced in the Federal budget, we asked for the information then. "The project has also changed. It started as Northlink, the scope changed with a change of minister, then it was Roe 8, now there is discussion around Roe 9. There is a lack of information across the board to make an informed decision ... confusion around the project, the staging, where it starts and stops, getting to the port, and issues around the port. There are all these different timelines around the ports. What we want to see is all the stats, all the facts, so people can make an informed decision. "The community needs some certainty.

"Perth is 150 kilometres by 50 kilometres. One road in, one road out. The forward planning needs to be done. 2031 might sound a long way away  but it is crunch time for infrastructure in this state." It's crunch time for infrastructure in a sprawling capital city, the RAC says. Credit:Andrew Meares What does Infrastructure Australia think? The independent statutory body, mandated to prioritise and progress nationally significant infrastructure, noted when it prepared its assessment in 2015 that while the Link option was shortlisted, then selected, from a range of lower cost options, a benefit-cost ratio was completed for the preferred option only ... not completed from additional options to determine if the preferred option provided the greatest net benefits". It noted there were other options, including the expansion of the outer harbour at Cockburn Sound, and lower cost options including a $100 million Leach Highway/High Street upgrade.

"Further, the assessment of options has had limited reliance on objective quantitative evidence," it said. It found "significant weaknesses" in the government's assessment of the benefit-cost ratio as 2.5 to 1. This allocated 80 per cent of the weight to benefits and only 20 per cent to costs, meaning it would likely bias assessment "in favour of higher cost options". It also noted "significant risks" around estimated costs and benefits, and that transport modelling underpinning economic appraisal of the project did not factor in the "inducement of additional traffic as a result of lower costs of travel." The best Infrastructure Australia could conclude was that the benefit-cost ratio would be "better than 1:1."

Government documentation shows that the benefits calculated mainly consist of cost and time savings for freight operators. How many jobs does each plan promise? The government claims Roe 8 will create about 500 direct jobs and Roe 9 will create 1900 direct jobs. WA Labor claims its three immediate roads projects will create more than 1440 jobs. The City of Kwinana claims construction of an outer harbour will create 37,383 direct jobs.

WA is hungry for jobs and there are plenty promised. Credit:James Davies Has this kind of standoff pre-election happened before? Yes  the East West Link in Victoria caused similar confusion in the community and the Napthine government signed a contract immediately before the 2014 state election, knowing the opposition  now government  opposed the project. The project was then abandoned after the election and the federal government, as discussed above, released the funding for other projects. Victorian acting Auditor General Peter Frost later found the business case did not provide a sound basis for the government's decision to commit to the investment and that key decisions during the project planning, development and procurement phases were driven by an overriding sense of urgency to sign the contract before the November 2014 state election.

"This highlights a risk to the integrity of public administration that needs to be addressed," Dr Frost wrote. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews scrapped the East West Link, which attracted controversy and protests. Credit:Pat Scala What did the 2016 Senate inquiry conclude? An inquiry was done in 2016 by a Senate committee consisting of three Labor senators, one Liberal, one National and one Green found the project was flawed and "poorly and hurriedly conceived". The inquiry said the project was likely to exceed the $1.9 billion projected cost and this was proved by the additional Commonwealth funding of $260.8 million to tunnel certain parts of the project.

The inquiry voiced a concern that the project did not incorporate a strategy to improve traffic flows through Fremantle to the port itself and predicted a bottleneck at Stirling Bridge. "Upgrades to bridges into Fremantle alone could add as much as $500 million," it said. "No solution has been proposed as to how the City of Fremantle - which already faces significant traffic flow problems - would handle increased volumes of freight transport through its urban and residential streets." There was also great uncertainty about the proposed toll system and associated costs and revenue. It said all these potential cost increases could vary the economic benefit the Business Case executive summary indicated.

The Stirling Bridge is one of Fremantle's key traffic links. Credit:Google What did the 2017 Senate inquiry conclude? A snap Senate inquiry was called in February after a large volume of complaints, containing time-stamped photographic documentation of fauna being killed and overlooked by contractors, fell on deaf ears at state and federal agencies. It found that clearing at the Roe 8 project site was proceeding in defiance of environmental law and called for a halt in proceedings, which has not eventuated. It recommended that the Australian National Audit Office investigate the Perth Freight Link and whether it represents value for $1.2 billion federal funding, as the WestConnex and East West Link projects were audited.

Liberal members broke ranks to submit a dissenting minority report, seen in the same document. What do councils think? The South West Group of Councils includes Cockburn, Melville, Fremantle, East Fremantle, Kwinana and Rockingham. The City of Melville is the only one to support the link. The others staunchly oppose the Link, with the exception of Rockingham which has stayed out of things altogether.
Clearing at the Roe 8 project site in Coolbellup is proceeding in defiance of environmental law, according to a stinging report handed down by a snap Senate inquiry.

The inquiry was called after a large volume of complaints, containing time-stamped photographic documentation of fauna being killed and overlooked by contractors, fell on deaf ears at state and federal agencies.

The state refused to attend the inquiry and explain why regulators had not deemed this evidence sufficient.

"This is the sharpest language I have ever seen used in any Senate report," said Australian Greens Senator and committee member Scott Ludlam on Monday after the report was published.
Seoul: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has lashed out a North Korean ban on Malaysians leaving North Korea, declaring it an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage".

North Korea announced the temporary ban on Tuesday to "ensure the safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia" amid an escalating row over the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother.

Mr Najib's government swiftly retaliated by banning all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country.

Malaysian police surrounded North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur late on Tuesday, preventing diplomats and staff from leaving the building.
Washington, DC: Multiple fast-attack vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a US Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a US official told Reuters on Monday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came within 600 metres of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to change course.

The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional."

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could not immediately be reached for a comment.
Geneva, Switzerland/ India, Mar 7 (IBNS): Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled three ground breaking new vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show a the Range Rover Velar, Jaguar I-PACE Concept and aProject Heroa a bespoke humanitarian version of the Land Rover Discovery.

The Range Rover Velar and, for the first time in Europe, the Jaguar I-PACE Concept represent major innovations in their segments, sharing a compelling combination of iconic British design and creative engineering.

Project Hero, which has been created by Jaguar Land Rovers Special Vehicle Operations in partnership with the Austrian Red Cross, features innovative drone technology and will be trialled by emergency response teams over the next year.

Ralf Speth, CEO, said: Jaguar Land Rover is a technology company, creating world-class premium cars. Today, we have unveiled two revolutionary new vehicles - the Range Rover Velar and the Jaguar I-PACE Concept. Both are true to our purpose: to create experiences our customers love for life.
Malcolm Turnbull and Indonesian President Joko Widodo pose with fellow Indian Ocean Rim Association leaders, including representatives of Yemen and Iran, both subject to the US travel ban. Credit:AP "No, the President has agreed to honour, continue with, the arrangements entered into with his predecessor," he said. Mr Turnbull deplored the sentiments of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who suggested on A Current Affair that it would be difficult to spot a good Muslim. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi at the Indian Ocean Rim Association summit on Monday. Credit:Tatan Syuflana "I believe there are some that want to live a good life and a quiet life," Senator Hanson said. "But you tell me - you line up a number of Muslims, who's the good one?"

Mr Turnbull said he rejected those sentiments entirely. "In this country we see a country with whom we are building closer ties, we see that democracy, Islam, moderation and tolerance are compatible," he said. "I might say that in the war against terror  our best allies, our most important allies are Muslim leaders like Joko Widodo, the millions and billions of Muslims who are thoroughly committed to peace." Senator Hanson responded to the Prime Minister's criticisms on Twitter, questioning Indonesia's record on women's rights.

Aceh is the only one of Indonesia's 34 provinces that enforces sharia law, putting it at odds with the rest of the archipelago, where the overwhelming majority of the population practises a moderate form of Islam.

Sharia-inspired bylaws in Aceh prohibit adultery and homosexuality, which can be punished by up to 100 lashes of a cane. Asked about joint patrols in the South China Sea, Mr Turnbull said Indonesia and Australia were not going to undertake any actions which would increase tensions in the waterway. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Monday claimed Indonesian President Joko Widodo had never suggested joint patrols in the South China Sea. The Australian newspaper reported ahead of President Jokowi's trip to Australia last month that he saw joint patrols as "very important" provided there was no tension and would raise the issue with Mr Turnbull. Ms Bishop said she had been told he was instead referring to cooperation to ensure freedom of overflight and navigation.

Mr Turnbull did not directly answer a question on whether President Jokowi had raised the issue of joint patrols in the contested waters. "The discussions that we have had, and I am being very careful about this, firstly we are not going to undertake any actions which would increase tensions in the South China Sea," Mr Turnbull said. "Everyone has a vested interest in reducing that. We are certainly determined and have agreed to work more closely together, but that is the limit of what I can say and that is the limit of any discussions. It is a question of further coordination, cooperation in terms of maritime security." The sensitive topics of Papua and the impact of Montara - the worst oil spill in the history of Australia's offshore petroleum fields - were also raised in talks with Ms Bishop on Monday. Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said the "openness of Papua" had been discussed and revealed Ms Bishop had agreed to visit the province later this year.

A NASA image from September 2009 shows the extent of the oil slick created by the 2009 Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea. Credit:NASA/Skytruth He and Ms Bishop had also discussed the 2009 Montara oil spill, which fishermen and seaweed farmers from the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara say devastated their livelihoods. More than 13,000 seaweed farmers have launched a $200 million class action in the Federal Court in Sydney against PTTEP Australasia, a subsidiary of Thai state-owned oil company PTTEP. The Indonesian government is also planning to file a lawsuit against PTTEP Australasia in the Central Jakarta District Court. Rote Island seaweed farmer Nikodemus Manefa with his crop. Seaweed farmers say the Montara spill devastated their livelihoods. Credit:Jewel Topsfield
PHILIPSBURG: ---The Permanent Committee of Petitions, will meet on March 7.

The Petitions Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 11.00 am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point to be discussed is:

Discussion on petition for Parliament to convene a new constitution referendum at the earliest possible date (IS/438/2016-2017 dated January 31, 2017)

This petition was submitted by the President for Independence for St. Martin Foundation, Mr. Joseph Lake as the principal initiator and supported by 30 other citizens.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.
PHILIPSBURG:---- On Friday, March 3, 2017, the civil servants of the secretariat of Parliament took an oath or pledge of office before the President of Parliament, MP Sarah Wescot Williams, during Parliaments first ever oath and pledge ceremony for its staff members. Also in attendance for this occasion were Vice President MP drs. Rodolphe Samuel and MP Perry Geerlings.

With the dismantling of the former Netherlands Antilles and the birth of Country Sint Maarten on October 10, 2010, the new institution of Parliament came into being. This new institution was new and had to be set up from scratch. This growth process has been ongoing for 7 years with tangible milestones and accomplishments.

Part of this growth process was also the acquisition of staff. The secretariat started off with a small staff of 3 to 4 persons back in 2010/ 2011 and has grown to a secretariat consisting of 12 persons. While some of the staff that came from the Government apparatus had taken the oath or pledge in the past, they had to do it once more based on article 43 of the LMA which requires such.

The taking of the oath of office or pledge emphasizes that the position of civil servant within the secretariat of the Parliament of Sint Maarten is a position of honor and integrity. The oath or pledge serves as constant guidance for these civil servants in their daily functioning.

Furthermore the legal status of the civil servants of the secretariat is similar to that of the civil servants of Government. The only difference is that instead of the Governor, the Presidium is the competent authority. This means that the Presidium has the authority to appoint, suspend or dismiss a civil servant of the secretariat.
CUL DE SAC:---- Governor of St. Maarten His Excellency drs. Eugene Holiday recently paid a special visit to St. Maarten Academy as part of his efforts to familiarize students on the role of civic responsibility and pride in St. Maarten.

Governor Holiday arrived at the Academy and was greeted by the principal, drs. Tallualah Baly-Vanterpool, staff and students during a special assembly. He was treated to renditions by the Academy school band and a dance by the CXC examination students who are currently being prepared by the National Institute of the Arts (NIA).

Drs. Baly-Vanterpool in welcoming the Governor to the St. Maarten Academy stated that we are blessed to have a governor who has education close to his heart and that we are left feeling more enriched by his visit as he always imparts some knowledge. Today he would be teaching the CAPE students about civic responsibility.

The Governor shared a message with the student body by encouraging them to know their talents and that their imagination could lead them to success. The lesson for the day was the parable of the talents and third former Kai Morton shared a poem entitled Your imagination can lead to success. The governor saw it fitting to reiterate the messages that both the parable and the poem espoused as he ensured that students were made aware that they all had talents and that they could actualize and visualize their success.

After the special assembly, he was then escorted to the library where he met with the Honour Roll students. Governor Holiday later gave a lecture to the CAPE students about civic responsibility. He shared with them several fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to life; to live in freedom, especially freedom from inhumane and humiliating treatment; the right to privacy and a home; freedom of religion; the right to an education and of association; the right to equal treatment and to vote; and freedom of expression. During the interactive session, he fielded questions from students on various aspects of the topic. He also spoke about how he was able to get selected for the job and his life experiences.

Governor Holiday said the students are the future of St. Maarten and that he was very much impressed at their level of work and enthusiasm for learning as was evidenced by his visits to various departments. He was also impressed by the CAPE Digital Media students on the creation of their website to reduce paper-based information and their photography skills seen in the work displayed. He was treated to a hologram in the CAPE physic class and was also able to see a hair-raising experiment using electricity.

His Excellency subsequently showed his artistic bent by producing a screen printing sample in Art class; this he signed. His talk of being an excellent athlete was also put to the test as he was given the opening serve to start off the exhibition volleyball game between the national representatives for St. Maarten and a male team.

The Governor is the representative of His Majesty the King in St. Maarten. The Constitution gives him certain responsibilities which include oversight for external affairs, defense and internal security, administration of the Courts, and good governance of the country.
PHILIPSBURG: ---- The Ministry of General Affairs hereby informs the general public that on Tuesday, March 7th a number of Government Departments will be closed to the public due to technical difficulties with the ICT Network.

The following departments are affected, Civil Registry, Tax Administration (Inspectorate & Receivers Office), Public Service Center Simpson Bay, Labor & Social Affairs Department, Finance Department & Records & Information Management (DIV).

The general public will be informed once the technical difficulties have been resolved and public services restored. The Ministry of General Affairs apologizes for any inconvenience this closure may cause.
Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where, for the last four decades and without interruption, States have met to debate and commit politically to eradicating gender discrimination and inequality and moving toward guaranteeing the full exercise of womens autonomy and human rights.

Since the first Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Havana in 1977, the region has lived through years of political, economic, social and cultural changes, which have entailed progress for women in the region but have also shown how inequalities persist.

The goal of sustainable development with gender equality, which is born of the synergy between the Regional Gender Agenda and the 2030 Agenda, compels us to set our sights and focus our actions on the structural knots of inequality in our societies.

First, we think about socioeconomic inequality and poverty and about the necessary transformation of the reigning development model toward one that incorporates new patterns of sustainable production and consumption and of the redistribution of wealth, income and time.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 78.1 percent of women who are employed work in sectors that ECLAC defines as being of low productivity, which means worse pay, less contact with technology and innovation and, in many cases, low-quality jobs.

The labor market is the master key to equality and that is where the redistribution of income, and the guarantee of rights, effectively occurs. The regions countries have increased the proportion of women in the labor market; however, in the last 10 years, the rate of female activity in the region has stagnated at around 53 percent, marking a ceiling on womens incorporation into paid work.

In its most recent studies, ECLAC has demonstrated that an increase in the female workforce that is available and inserted in the market would contribute to reducing poverty in the region, with paradigmatic cases such as El Salvador, where poverty could be cut by up to 12 percentage points if women had labor income.

In the region, the proportion of women with no income of their own is approximately 30 percent, which is to say that nearly one in every three women in Latin America and the Caribbean still does not have her own source of income.

On top of this, 26 percent of women above 15 years of age earn less than the minimum wage.

Proposals such as the universal basic income, or the regulation and enforcement of the minimum wage in certain highly feminized sectors that have no legal protection at all today, are tools that would allow for expanding and improving womens access to income.

With regard to time use, figures reveal that if currently unpaid domestic and care work were valued at market prices, approximately one fifth of the wealth that is calculated as part of national accounts today would be produced in households, mainly by women.

In October 2016, the regions governments, gathered at the XIII Regional Conference on Women, reached an agreement to implement the Montevideo Strategy and strive for compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This synergy poses the challenge of implementing gender equality as a fundamental, leading and cross-cutting element in all public policies, with a view to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda.

It is time to pave the way to parity in all its forms and scenarios, to respect and go beyond gender when looking at women, recognizing all our abilities, our comprehensive view of life, and our constant efforts to build a more just society  not just for all women but also for all people.

By Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Transcontinental Inc. Reports on Voting Results Associated to the Election of Directors at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders

MONTREAL, QUEBEC  (Marketwired)  03/06/17  Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B) held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders last Friday. All of the candidates proposed as directors were elected by a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders present or represented by proxy at the meeting:

About TC Transcontinental

Canadas largest printer with operations in print, flexible packaging, publishing and digital media, TC Transcontinentals mission is to create products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers.

Respect, teamwork, performance and innovation are strong values held by the Corporation and its employees. The Corporations commitment to its stakeholders is to pursue its business and philanthropic activities in a responsible manner.

Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B), known as TC Transcontinental, has close to 8,000 employees in Canada and the United States, and revenues of C$2.0 billion in 2016. Website .

Contacts:

Media

Nathalie St-Jean

Senior Advisor, Communications

TC Transcontinental

514-954-3581

/

Financial Community

Shirley Chenny

Advisor, Investor Relations

TC Transcontinental

514-954-4166

/
Pune, Mar 7 (IBNS): Indiaas leading automobile and manufacturing hub Pune and no stranger to shop floor robots, will soon see city hospitals add surgical robots in their operation theatres to bring succour to cancer patients.

A roving da Vinci surgical robot stationed in the city gave hundreds of surgeons, oncologists and physicians a feel of this cutting edge advance in surgery last week.

Scores of surgeons from Pune and around got a much better appreciation of Robotic Surgery and its benefits as they touched and felt the robot and experienced the use of advanced technology to improve outcomes.

The adoption of Robotic Surgery by Indian surgeons in nearly 50 hospitals has encouraged us to showcase this advanced technology for surgery beyond large metros, says Gopal Chakravarthy, CEO of Vattikuti Technologies.

By demonstrating this surgical robot to a large audience of Indian surgeons, Vattikuti Technologies intends to create not only awareness about Robotic Surgery and its contribution in superior patient outcomes, but also its ease of use.

Robotic Surgery scores over conventional surgery as it enables a high degree of precision and minimises blood loss, dramatically reducing post-operative recovery time and costs.

T.B. Yuvaraja, an eminent surgeon at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital shared his experience of performing robotic surgeries on hundreds of urology cancer patients.

Yuvaraja helped demystify questions from prominent surgeons from Ruby Hall Clinic, Jehangir Hospital, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Armed Forces Military Hospital  Cardio Thoracic Centre Pune and Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital among others.



Getting a close-up look at the roving da Vinci surgical robot surgeons and doctors got an understanding of how robotic surgery works.



Maharashtra has about a dozen surgical robots in Mumbai and Nagpur. Cancer patients from neighbouring Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nashik districts will benefit from Robotic Surgeries once Pune hospitals equip themselves with da Vinci Surgical Robot.



Vattikuti Technologies is gearing up to enhance access to Robotic Surgery, covering specialised cancer centers, large government hospitals and small hospitals in non metro cities.

The imperative behind this drive is the quest to conquer cancer. Robotic Surgery has proven superior outcomes in Urology, Oncology, Gynecology, General Surgery and Head and Neck surgery.



Adoption of Robotic Surgery by government hospitals will ensure treatment to people who cant afford private healthcare but deserve the latest medical attention. The government hospitals typically adopt a dual pricing system--charge only those who can afford.
Appointment of Mr. Jean Raymond to the Board of Directors of Transcontinental Inc.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC  (Marketwired)  03/06/17  Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B) announces the appointment of Mr. Jean Raymond to the Corporations Board of Directors. Since 2010, Mr. Raymond has served as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets  Quebec of CIBC World Markets Inc., a business offering products and services aimed at capital markets, securities, brokerage and asset management. With his extensive professional background spanning more than 30 years, Mr. Raymond has solid financial expertise as well as proven experience in mergers and acquisitions.

I am very pleased to welcome Mr. Jean Raymond to the Board of Directors of Transcontinental Inc., said Ms. Isabelle Marcoux, Chair of the Board. In the context of our organizations transformation, it is a privilege to be able to rely on the strategic contribution and wealth of expertise of this seasoned manager. Given the quality and relevance of his career, I am convinced that Mr. Raymond will contribute to TC Transcontinentals long-term growth by creating value for our shareholders. Together with the other directors of the Board, we will continue to guide the organizations strategic shift through the diversification of our assets into packaging.

Mr. Jean Raymond joined CIBC World Markets Inc. in 1996 as Managing Director, Investment Banking before taking on his current position in 2010. Throughout his career, he also worked with other leading institutions, notably as Senior Vice-President and Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department of Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion Inc. (now National Bank Financial Ltd.) from 1988 to 1996, and as a Senior Manager at Thorne Ernst & Whinney (now KPMG LLP) from 1981 to 1987. Mr. Raymond is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV). He is a member of the Board of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and a member of its Investment Committee. He is also a member of the cabinet of the 2016-2020 Major Fundraising Campaign of the Institut Pacifique, the Healing More Better Major Fundraising Campaign of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, and the 2014-2020 Major Fundraising Campaign of the Old Brewery Mission.

About TC Transcontinental

Canadas largest printer with operations in print, flexible packaging, publishing and digital media, TC Transcontinentals mission is to create products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers.

Respect, teamwork, performance and innovation are strong values held by the Corporation and its employees. The Corporations commitment to its stakeholders is to pursue its business and philanthropic activities in a responsible manner.

Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B), known as TC Transcontinental, has close to 8,000 employees in Canada and the United States, and revenues of C$2.0 billion in 2016. Website

Contacts:

Media

Nathalie St-Jean, Senior Advisor, Communications

TC Transcontinental

514 954-3581

Financial Community

Shirley Chenny, Advisor, Investor Relations

TC Transcontinental

514 954-4166
Dome9 Announces New Integration with Google Cloud Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA  (Marketwired)  03/06/17  , a leader in cloud infrastructure security, today announced integration with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) ahead of the Google Cloud Next 2017 Conference in San Francisco. GCP customers can manage security and compliance in new ways across public and multi-cloud infrastructure environments using the powerful control fabric of the Dome9 Arc platform.

As enterprises continue to move their business-critical applications to the public cloud, there is a growing need for comprehensive security solutions that are purpose-built for public cloud environments and simplify management of security and compliance in cloud environments, said Zohar Alon, CEO and co-founder of Dome9. Enterprise cloud customers are looking for a one-stop security platform that will allow them to simplify security operations across different cloud environments from a consolidated control plane.

Dome9s innovative SaaS platform offers powerful capabilities to manage security, compliance and governance in multi-cloud environments. Key features for Google Cloud customers include:

Dome9 Clarity, which allows security and operations teams to visualize and assess the network security posture of their public cloud environments by analyzing network firewalls and tags, and attached network-based assets such as Google Compute Engine virtual machines and load balancers

Ability to review policies and resources across Google Cloud projects and regions

Rapid identification of misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that could lead to downtime or costly breaches, allowing for proactive resolution

Dome9 Compliance Engine automation framework to test conformance to industry best practices and manage compliance

Ability to specify and enforce custom governance policies that are tailored to their business needs

Dome9 Arc uses the security capabilities offered by Google Cloud and combines them with cloud-agnostic policy orchestration. API-enabled support eliminates the need to install and manage agents in highly dynamic cloud environments. Customers can specify and manage security policies uniformly across different cloud services. With the proliferation of platform services such as databases and load balancers where it is not possible to install agents, an agentless approach is the preferred method.

Support for Google Cloud Platform is available immediately to all Dome9 customers. Dome9 is exhibiting at booth #A20 during the Google Cloud Next 2017 Conference. To schedule time with the team, please email .

To learn more about Dome9s native integration with Google Cloud, read the blog:

For more information on Dome9 Arc pricing tiers and purchasing options, please visit:

For a free trial of Dome9:

Dome9 delivers verifiable cloud infrastructure security, compliance and governance to all businesses at all times across all public clouds. The Dome9 Arc SaaS platform leverages cloud-native security capabilities and cloud-agnostic policy automation to bring comprehensive network security, advanced IAM protection and continuous compliance and governance to every public cloud environment. Dome9 offers technologies to assess security posture, detect misconfigurations, model gold standard policies, protect against attacks and insider threats, and conform to security best practices in the cloud. Enterprises use Dome9 Arc for faster and more effective cloud security operations, pain-free compliance and governance, and Rugged DevOps practices. Learn more at .

 2017 Dome9 Security, Inc. All rights reserved. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their holder(s).

925-271-8227
Donat Panic IT Solutions Offers Computer Repair Service to Fort Collins

Fort Collins, CO Garrett Tate, owner of Dont Panic IT Solutions, announced a bevy of new services under their tool belt for Northern Colorado customers. Not only is Dont Panic giving customers the very best service when it comes to [Fort Collins computer repair](http://www.dontpanicit.com/), they are also offering managed IT services, server administration, small business computer repair and support, virus removal, and more.

Over the past 14 years, our services have been expanding, and we always try to stay on the cutting edge of what our customers need, said Garrett. Because of the growing business landscape throughout Fort Collins and Northern Colorado, companies and organizations need more help with not only their networks, but their servers as well.

Dont Panic works with home based users as well as business clients. Some of their home and business users have been extremely impressed throughout the years with their remote and on-site support services

Garrett had his staff not only have a passion for computer repair, they have a passion for customer service, Colan Scheidenhelm, owner of Schure Consulting, said. Their attention to detail is superb, and they are true computer repair experts.

Dont Panics talented team takes a measured approach to every customer problem they encounter, with a focus on asking questions to learn more about what service would best suit each client.

Small businesses want to have systems in place to help them grow, and thats where we come in, Garrett said. We want to take away the pain of having a small business monitor their network and servers so they can concentrate on what they do best.

Computer Repair is Dont Panics specialty, but they also offer [managed IT services in Fort Collins](http://www.dontpanicit.com/managed-it-services.html), on-site visits for home and business users, network upgrades, network support, business support plans, laptop repair, PC repair, laptop keyboard replacement, laptop screen repair, virus and infection repair and removal, Wi-Fi setup, VPN setup and more. Dont Panic serves customers in Fort Collins, Windsor, Loveland, Wellington, Greeley, Longmont, North Denver, and in Cheyenne and Laramie Wyoming.

For more information about Dont Panic IT Solutions, please drop by their storefront location in Fort Collins, visit [www.dontpanicit.com](http://www.dontpanicit.com/) or call 970-226-1577.

Media:

Garrett Tate

Dont Panic IT Solutions

2519 South Shields Street, Ste 1-M

Fort Collins, CO 80526

970-226-1577

http://www.dontpanicit.com/
HPE to Acquire Nimble Storage to Strengthen Leadership in Hybrid IT

PALO ALTO, CA  (Marketwired)  03/07/17  Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE)

The acquisition expands HPEs leadership position in the high-growth flash storage market

Creates comprehensive, leading-edge storage portfolio by bringing together highly complementary solutions

Accelerates growth of Nimble Storage by leveraging HPEs broad go-to-market engine

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nimble Storage, the San Jose, Calif.-based provider of predictive all-flash and hybrid-flash storage solutions. HPE will pay $12.50 per share in cash, representing a net cash purchase price at closing of $1.0 billion. In addition to the purchase price, HPE will assume or pay out Nimbles unvested equity awards, with a value of approximately $200 million at closing.

Flash storage is a fast-growing market and an increasingly important element of todays hybrid IT environment. The overall flash market was estimated to be approximately $15 billion in 2016 and is expected to be nearly $20 billion by 2020, with the all-flash segment growing at a nearly 17 percent compound annual growth rate(1).

Nimbles predictive flash offerings for the entry to midrange segments are complementary to HPEs scalable midrange to high-end 3PAR solutions and affordable MSA products. This deal will enable HPE to deliver a full range of superior flash storage solutions for customers across every segment.

In addition, HPE plans to incorporate Nimbles InfoSight Predictive Analytics platform across its storage portfolio, which will enable a stronger, simplified support experience for HPE customers. For example, InfoSight automatically detects 90 percent of all issues within a customers infrastructure, and resolves over 85 percent of them. This dramatically reduces the amount of time and effort a customers IT team spends on support activities.

Nimble Storages portfolio complements and strengthens our current 3PAR products in the high-growth flash storage market and will help us deliver on our vision of making Hybrid IT simple for our customers, said Meg Whitman, President and CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. And, this acquisition is exactly aligned with the strategy and capital allocation approach weve laid out. We remain focused on high-growth and higher-margin segments of the market.

Nimble was founded in 2007 and has approximately 1,300 employees worldwide. The company delivered revenue of $402 million in its most recent fiscal year, up 25 percent year over year. Nimbles strong application performance in its entry to midrange flash storage solutions is backed by an intelligent, predictive analytics engine that delivers a simplified customer experience. This unique analytics platform goes beyond storage to analyze performance issues across the full data path, from apps to the array, and resolves most issues before they occur. In addition, Nimble has recently introduced multicloud storage services that combine the best of on-premises and public cloud storage capabilities for Hybrid IT deployments.

Key customer benefits of the combined HPE and Nimble portfolio include:

The ability to seamlessly move data and replicate across hybrid flash and all-flash storage to meet unpredictable IT demands

Integrated data protection with application aware snapshots, encryption, replication and integration with leading independent software vendors

Effortless management of storage volumes along with data compaction to reduce capacity costs

Predictive support automation to anticipate and prevent most problems and solve remaining issues in a matter of minutes

Quality of service controls and full stack analytics to ensure predictable performance in hybrid IT deployments

Increased dedicated sales specialist support

A future-proofed technology platform with a rich roadmap to support next-generation storage

Customers deploying hybrid IT not only need the performance of flash storage but are looking for predictive intelligence to optimize their infrastructure, said Antonio Neri, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Enterprise Group, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. With Nimble Storage and 3PAR, we can now deliver on those storage needs and provide more effective on-premises control and performance, at public cloud economics.

By bringing together complementary product portfolios and leveraging HPEs expansive go-to-market capability, partner ecosystem, and leading server platform, HPE and Nimble will be able to significantly accelerate the financial performance of the combined business.

Over 10,000 enterprises are using Nimble Storage because our Predictive Cloud Platform is reliably fast, radically simple, and cloud ready, said Suresh Vasudevan, CEO at Nimble Storage. This acquisition validates our technology leadership in flash and in the use of cloud-based predictive analytics. Were confident that by combining Nimble Storages technology leadership with HPEs global distribution strength, strong brand, and enterprise relationships, were creating expansion opportunities for the combined company.

The deal is expected to be accretive to HPE earnings in the first full fiscal year following the close.

Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of HPE will commence a tender offer to purchase any and all of the outstanding shares of Nimble common stock for $12.50 per share in cash. Nimble stockholders representing approximately 21 percent of Nimbles outstanding shares have entered into a Tender and Support Agreement committing them to tender their shares into the tender offer. The completion of the tender offer is subject to customary terms and closing conditions, including Nimble stockholders tendering a majority of Nimbles outstanding shares in the offer, and receipt of specified regulatory approvals.

Following the successful completion of the tender offer, the agreement provides that Nimble will merge with a subsidiary of HPE and become a wholly owned subsidiary of HPE, and all remaining outstanding shares of Nimble will receive in the merger the same consideration paid to other stockholders in the tender offer.

Following the completion of the transaction, Nimble shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

The tender offer and merger and closing of the transaction are expected to be completed in April, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the offer conditions set forth in the agreement.

Click to read a blog post by Antonio Neri, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Enterprise Group, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

is an industry leading technology company that enables customers to go further, faster. With the industrys most comprehensive portfolio, spanning the cloud to the data center to workplace applications, our technology and services help customers around the world make IT more efficient, more productive and more secure.

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HPE and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding the expected benefits and costs of the transaction contemplated by this document; the expected timing of the completion of the transaction; the ability of HPE, its subsidiaries and Nimble to complete the transaction considering the various conditions to the transaction, some of which are outside the parties control, including those conditions related to regulatory approvals; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected benefits may not materialize as expected; that the transaction may not be timely completed, if at all; that, prior to the completion of the transaction, Nimbles business may not perform as expected due to transaction-related uncertainty or other factors; that the parties are unable to successfully implement integration strategies; and other risks that are described in HPEs SEC reports, including but not limited to the risks described in HPEs Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended October 31, 2016. HPE assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

The tender offer for the outstanding shares of Nimble referenced in this document has not yet commenced. This document is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares, nor is it a substitute for the tender offer materials that HPE and its subsidiary will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). At the time the tender offer is commenced, HPE and its subsidiary will file tender offer materials on Schedule TO, and thereafter Nimble will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, with the SEC with respect to the tender offer. THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. HOLDERS OF SHARES OF NIMBLE COMMON STOCK ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE (AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME) BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT HOLDERS OF SHARES OF NIMBLE COMMON STOCK SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SHARES. The Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, will be made available to all holders of shares of Nimbles common stock at no expense to them. The tender offer materials and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement will be made available for free at the SECs website at . Additional copies of the tender offer materials may be obtained for free by directing a written request to Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, 3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, California 94304, Attention: Investor Relations, or by calling (650) 857-2246. In addition to the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, HPE and Nimble file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports or other information filed by HPE or Nimble at the SEC public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. HPEs and Nimbles filings with the SEC are also available to the public from commercial document-retrieval services and at the SECs website at .

(1) Source: IDC Disk Forecast, December 2016

Editorial contact
MEF17 Networking Event Launches With More Than 30 Initial Service Provider & Technology Vendor Sponsors

LOS ANGELES, CA  (Marketwired)  03/07/17  , the driving force enabling agile, assured, and orchestrated Third Network services, is pleased to announce the first group of sponsors for the MEF17 () global networking event to be held 13-16 November 2017 at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in Orlando, Florida. With a target audience of 1,000+ attendees from 275+ companies and 35+ countries, MEF17 is the worlds premier networking opportunity for communications executives and other senior professionals focused on advancing for the digital economy and the hyper-connected world.

We are delighted by the widespread support that MEF17 has received from industry innovators who are committed to accelerating the transition to a new generation of on-demand services that ultimately can be orchestrated across a worldwide ecosystem of connected networks, said Kevin Vachon, COO of MEF. MEF17 will bring together all of the key players enabling the development and delivery of these services over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO, SDN, NFV, and CE 2.0.

MEF17s initial sponsor list of more than 30 companies includes leading global, national, and regional service providers, technology solutions providers, software services and network consulting firms, and testing companies. One-third of MEF17s current sponsors are service providers.

Platinum Sponsors: , , , and .

Gold Sponsors: , , , , and .

Silver Sponsors: , , , , , , , , , , and .

Bronze Sponsors: , , , , , , , and .

LSO Hackathon Sponsor: .

Activity Sponsor: .

MEF17 also will be supported by dozens of media, industry research firms, and standards and open source organizations. Initial participating analyst firms include: , , and . Media partners include , , , and others to be announced.

MEF17 is focused on advancing Third Network connectivity and cloud services for the digital economy and the hyper-connected world. The event is on pace to be bigger and better than last years popular MEF16 event, with a target of 1,000+ attendees from 275+ companies, 275+ service & technology executives, 120+ expert speakers, 120+ sponsors & event partners, 16+ Proof of Concept demonstrations, and more.

MEFs global networking events have developed a reputation for uniquely empowering industry stakeholders with high-quality program content, extraordinary peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and live demonstrations of cutting-edge services and technologies.

MEF17s program will build upon popular elements of last years event while introducing several new activities. Elements include: world-class Plenaries, Sessions, and MEF Workshops; the 4th Proof of Concept Showcase; a vibrant Networking Hall; the 6th LSO Hackathon; an enhanced Global Media Hub; UNITE Partner participation; and the new MEF Awards Party, Technology Executive Forum, and Training & Certification Workshop.

Sign up now to take advantage of the Early Bird Savings of 10% on Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsor packages and additional sponsorship options. For sponsorship information, please contact Alysia Bennett at .

For more event information, visit .

MEF is the driving force enabling agile, assured, and orchestrated Third Network services for the digital economy and the hyper-connected world. The Third Network concept combines the agility and ubiquity of the Internet with the performance and security of CE 2.0 networks. Third Network services provide an on-demand experience with user-directed control over service capabilities and cloud connectivity. These new services are delivered over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO (Lifecycle Services Orchestration), SDN, NFV, and CE 2.0 (Carrier Ethernet 2.0).

MEF leverages its global 210+ network operator and technology vendor community, builds upon the robust $80 billion Carrier Ethernet services and technology market, and provides a practical evolution to the Third Network with LSO, SDN, and NFV implementations that build upon a CE 2.0 foundation. See for more information.

Stan Hubbard

Director of Communications & Research, MEF
Confirmit Closes Out Milestone Year with Record Sales, Continues Momentum into 2017

London, UK, Oslo, Norway and New York, NY, 7 March, 2017  Confirmit has reported that it achieved the highest annual sales in the companys history for 2016, reaffirming its position as a leading global solutions provider for Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Employee and Market Research. Confirmit celebrated 20 years of business in 2016 with a 60% increase in new business sales over 2015. The expansion of its partner and customer portfolio and innovative product offering promoted this exceptional finish and helped fuel momentum for continued success in 2017.

2016 was a year full of milestones for Confirmit, and we are proud to cap it off with this record revenue achievement and a stunning Q4, said Henning Hansen, Confirmit President and CEO. I am pleased to see successes from every part of the business, from great performance in our established regions of EMEA and North America, to exceptional growth in Australia, just a year after we began operating there. With this added momentum, I am confident that 2017 will bring even more excellent results for not only our company, but also the valued clients using our world-class solutions.

The company recently announced that long-service CFO, Ken streng, will take the role of President and CEO from April, helping to drive continued success into the future.

Global Growth and Customer Success

2016 boasted significant customer wins for the company, including the largest deal ever signed in the Asia Pacific region. Since launching its direct sales presence in the region in 2015, the company has substantially grown its customer base, widening its reach in the Market Research market and driving the growth of VoC in the region.

Confirmits technology solutions continue to drive business success for customers around the world. New customers joining Confirmits ranks during 2016 include: Aldermore Bank, Canada Goose, CUA, Deloitte CE, Ipsos Japan, Magna International, Inc., Metropress Ltd, Scandinavian Hospitality Management, Transport Focus, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, and Woolcott Research. These companies join the ranks of Confirmits established clients who include Grant Thornton, Canon Solutions America, Nielsen, Philadelphia Insurance, Sony Mobile Communications and Virgin Money.

Due to the technology and the consultative partnership with Confirmit, Philadelphia Insurance Companies has been able to realise a significant increase in its retention, overall satisfaction, and NPS Score  moving the NPS score above 60.0 for the first time since the company has tracked these results, said Seth Hall, Senior Vice President, Customer Service at Philadelphia Insurance.

Technology Milestones

For the fifth consecutive year, Confirmit achieved more than 99.9 percent uptime across all of its web-based SaaS environments globally. In that same timeframe, over a billion surveys have been completed on the Confirmit Horizons platform. 2016 featured with the launch of Version 20 of Confirmit Horizons, its award-winning multi-channel software platform. Confirmit Horizons boasts advanced features focused on increased agility, flexibility and mobility for organisations. Later in the year, Confirmit launched the innovative FastTrack for Contact Centers, a comprehensive customer feedback solution that delivers engaging experiences for capturing relevant feedback, role-based dashboards for driving insightful decisions, and real-time case management for triggering immediate alerts and ensuring fast response to customer issues.

In an effort to provide its customers with even more ways to capture and analyse engaging and timely feedback, Confirmit partnered with pioneers in the multimedia space, Affectiva and LivingLens. Affectivas emotion recognition technology and the video intelligence software from LivingLens, enable MR and CX professionals using Confirmit Horizons to harness the power of visual cues by bringing their respondents, their opinions and subject matter to life. The company also saw greatly expanded use of the Confirmit Genius text analytics platform, with 9 million customer verbatims processed using the solution in 2016, more than double compared to 2015.

Company Initiatives

Throughout 2016, Confirmit celebrated its 20th Anniversary with events and initiatives to mark the milestone, including celebrations in the US, UK and Australia. Confirmit put the spotlight on the future and the need for continued innovation, and shared the knowledge and expertise it has gained over the past two decades. This included the launch of the first annual Young Market Researcher Awards to identify and recognise young MR professionals who will drive the future of the industry, as well as the continuation of its Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Awards programme.

Focus on data protection and privacy is increasing in the markets Confirmit operates in. Confirmit Inc. was one of the first companies in the industry to be listed under Privacy Shield (by the US Department of Commerce). Additionally, in 2016 our privacy models were certified by TRUSTe for Enterprise Privacy Certification.

Awards and Recognition

Solidifying Confirmits growth and progress within the industry, the company achieved many industry accolades and awards during 2016. Notable wins include:

 Customer Experience Innovation Award by TMCs CUSTOMER magazine for Confirmit Horizons

 AAA rating by Dun & Bradstreet for the seventh consecutive year

 Best Exhibitor Award at ESOMAR, the annual event for marketing and research professionals from across the globe

 Top 20 Most Promising CEM Solutions by CIO Review for Confirmit Horizons

 CRM Excellence Award by TMCs CUSTOMER magazine for Confirmit Horizons

 2016 Tech Culture Award Recipient by TMCnet

Industry Presence

In addition to the award wins, Confirmit reaffirmed its expertise in the industry while attending and hosting workshops across the globe, including Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Most notably, Confirmit hosted its Third Annual Insurance Summit in New York City, focused on leveraging customer emotion to enhance Voice of the Customer programmes and overarching customer experience strategies. Several winners of the Confirmit ACE Awards were in attendance, including: Asurion, Erie Insurance and The Hanover Insurance Group, who were all recognised for their outstanding work.

Continuing to expand its presence across the globe, Confirmit spoke at MRMW Europe on Internet of Things and its practical applications for Market Research. The companys key thought leaders also took part in 40 webinars on a range of topics from reducing survey fatigue, reaching millennials with multi-media surveys, and the role of emotion in the customer experience.

*All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
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Washington, Mar 7 (IBNS): This summer, an ice chest-sized box will fly to the International Space Station, where it will create the coolest spot in the universe.

Inside that box, lasers, a vacuum chamber and an electromagnetic "knife" will be used to cancel out the energy of gas particles, slowing them until they're almost motionless. This suite of instruments is called the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL), and was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. CAL is in the final stages of assembly at JPL, ahead of a ride to space this August on SpaceX CRS-12.

Its instruments are designed to freeze gas atoms to a mere billionth of a degree above absolute zero. That's more than 100 million times colder than the depths of space, read the NASA website.

"Studying these hyper-cold atoms could reshape our understanding of matter and the fundamental nature of gravity," said CAL Project Scientist Robert Thompson of JPL. "The experiments we'll do with the Cold Atom Lab will give us insight into gravity and dark energy -- some of the most pervasive forces in the universe."

When atoms are cooled to extreme temperatures, as they will be inside of CAL, they can form a distinct state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this state, familiar rules of physics recede and quantum physics begins to take over. Matter can be observed behaving less like particles and more like waves. Rows of atoms move in concert with one another as if they were riding a moving fabric. These mysterious waveforms have never been seen at temperatures as low as what CAL will achieve.

NASA has never before created or observed Bose-Einstein condensates in space. On Earth, the pull of gravity causes atoms to continually settle towards the ground, meaning they're typically only observable for fractions of a second.

But on the International Space Station, ultra-cold atoms can hold their wave-like forms longer while in freefall. That offers scientists a longer window to understand physics at its most basic level. Thompson estimated that CAL will allow Bose-Einstein condensates to be observable for up to five to 10 seconds; future development of the technologies used on CAL could allow them to last for hundreds of seconds.

Bose-Einstein condensates are a "superfluid" -- a kind of fluid with zero viscosity, where atoms move without friction as if they were all one, solid substance.

"If you had superfluid water and spun it around in a glass, it would spin forever," said Anita Sengupta of JPL, Cold Atom Lab project manager. "There's no viscosity to slow it down and dissipate the kinetic energy. If we can better understand the physics of superfluids, we can possibly learn to use those for more efficient transfer of energy."

Five scientific teams plan to conduct experiments using the Cold Atom Lab. Among them is Eric Cornell of the University of Colorado, Boulder and the National Institute for Standards and Technology. Cornell is one of the Nobel Prize winners who first created Bose-Einstein condensates in a lab setting in 1995.

The results of these experiments could potentially lead to a number of improved technologies, including sensors, quantum computers and atomic clocks used in spacecraft navigation.

Especially exciting are applications related to dark energy detection, said Kamal Oudrhiri of JPL, the CAL deputy project manager. He noted that current models of cosmology divide the universe into roughly 27 percent dark matter, 68 percent dark energy and about 5 percent ordinary matter.

"This means that even with all of our current technologies, we are still blind to 95 percent of the universe," Oudrhiri said. "Like a new lens in Galileo's first telescope, the ultra-sensitive cold atoms in the Cold Atom Lab have the potential to unlock many mysteries beyond the frontiers of known physics."

The Cold Atom Lab is currently undergoing a testing phase that will prepare it prior to delivery to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"The tests we do over the next months on the ground are critical to ensure we can operate and tune it remotely while it's in space, and ultimately learn from this rich atomic physics system for years to come," said Dave Aveline, the test-bed lead at JPL.

JPL is developing the Cold Atom Laboratory, sponsored by the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Space Life and Physical Sciences Division of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington manages the Fundamental Physics Program.

Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Image: NASA
Guwahati, Mar 7 (IBNS) : An angry mob on Monday night attacked and torched a police station and police vehicles in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills district after at least three people were critically injured in a police firing incident, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the reports, the violence erupted in the Kaldang area after policemen posted at a checkpoint fired at a vehicle when the driver refused to stop and tried to flee.

In the firing three persons were injured.

Following the incident, an angry mob attacked the police team and burnt down the Resubelpara police station, its temporary barracks and vehicles.

A top official of Meghalaya police said that, the police team was engaged in keeping vigil following the intelligence input about movement of militants in the area. .

The injured persons were rushed to Guwahati for better treatment.

The situation was brought under control with the deployment of security forces in the area.

On March 5, a most wanted criminal, William Sangma and his three aides managed a narrow escape through a police checkpoint at Thapa Darenchi in the hilly district.

Security personnel later recovered arms and ammunition from a vehicle, which Sangma had abandoned near a roadside field.

Militants including those belonging to ULFA (I) and GNLA are active in the Garo Hills districts which also witnessed in the past crimes, including kidnapping and extortion.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Pittsburghs Zoning Board of Adjustment has scheduled the following public hearings of interest to South Pittsburgh residents in the first floor hearing room of the John P. Robin Civic Building, 200 Ross Street, Downtown.

Zone case 93/17 on Thursday, March 9 at 9:50 a.m. is the appeal of Kalamare LLC, owner, and Sandeepa Kaleida (prospective owner), applicant, for 2026 E. Carson Street in the 17th Ward (Zoning District LNC).

Applicant requests renovation of the third story for office (limited)(approximately 5,700 sq. ft.) and new penthouse addition and rooftop deck.

Variance: 914.02: Five on-site parking spaces required.

Special Exception: 914.07.G.2(a) off-site parking is a Special Exception.

Zone case 36/17 on Thursday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m. is the appeal of Air Conditioning Rental & Leasing Inc., owner and applicant, for 1004 Freyburg Street in the 17th Ward (Zoning District NDI).

Applicant requests parking area for parking a boat.

Variance: 926-12.164: Parking area means an open space used for the parking of automobiles.

Notes: Certificate of Occupancy 37968, dated 1/26/1981, permitted occupancy Support facility for machine shop to contain lunchroom and engineering office and storage space.

Zone case 113/17 on Thursday, March 16 at 9:50 a.m. is the appeal of Kevin W. Levy, owner and applicant, for 2725, 2729 Stromberg Street in the 16th Ward (Zoning District R1D-H).

Applicant requests use of 10 parking spaces on lot 13-D-132 as accessory to existing repair shop (as one lot), vehicle/equipment repair (general).

Special Exceptions: 921.02.A.1, 921.02.A.4: Special Exception to change from a legal non-conforming use of vehicle/equipment repair (limited) to vehicle/equipment repair (general), expansion of a non-conforming use.

Variances: 912..04.A, 903.03.D.2: Minimum 15 front setback required and 5 requested.

Notes: Certificate of Occupancy 31128, dated 11/4/1976, permitted occupancy 2-story used for Auto Repair Shop (no body & fender work.

Zone case 123/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 8:50 a.m. is the appeal of Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, owner, and Steven Affeltranger, LLI Engineering, applicant, for 2256 Brownsville Road in the 29th Ward (Zoning District LNC).

Applicant requests costruction of rear addition to house new generator.

Variances: 916.06: Maximum noise level between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is 45 DBA and 55 DBA at all other times, 75 DBA requested; 916.02.A.6: Minimum 30 rear setback required and 20 requested.

Special Exception: 916.09: Special Exeption for Waiver of Residential Compatibility Standard.

Zone case 131/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 9:30 a.m. is the appeal of Glen W. Moss, owner, and ETON, LLC, applicant, for 2309-2313 Sidney Street, 2308-2312 Fox Way in the 16th Ward (Zoning District R1A-VH).

Applicant requests lot subdivision, construct six new three-story single-family attached dwellings with integral parking, rear decks and rooftop decks.

Variance: 903.03.E.2: Minimum 5 front setback required and 0 requested; Minimum 5 interior side setback reqired and 0 requested (primary structures, accessories).

Zone case 119/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 9:40 a.m. is the appeal of Gold Rush Properties LLC, owner, and PVE, LLC, applicant, for Conden Street (13-G-154) in the 16th Ward (Zoning District R1D-H).

Applicant requests subdivide parcel and construct four townhomes.

Variances: 911.02: Use of attached single-family dwellings is not permitted in the R1D zoning district; 903.03.D.2: Minimum 1,800 sq. ft. lot size permitted and 1,759 sq. ft, 1,785 sq. ft. and 1,734 sq.ft. proposed; Minimum 15 front setback required and 5 and 3 requested; Minimum 15 rear setback required and 14.23 requested (on Wellington facing houses); Minimum 5 side setback required and 3 and 0 requested (primary and accessory structures).

Zone case 105/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m. is the appeal of Stonehendge Partners, owners and applicants, for 131 Shiloh Street in the 19th Ward (Zoning District LNC).

Applicant requests use of structure as restaurant (general).

Variance: 914.02.A: Two on-site parking spaces required and 0 requested.

Special Exceptions: 911.04.A.57: Use of restaurant (general) is a Special Exception in LNC zoning district; 916.09: Special Exception for Waiver of Residential Compatibility Standard; 916.04: Dumpsters shall be located a minimum of 30 from a R zoned property, 20 requested; 916.06.06: Noise level can be 55 DBA betweem 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and 45 DBA at all other times, 65 DBA requested from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Zone case 94/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 10:10 a.m. is the appeal of Benjamin P. and Danitza Z. Nicklow, owners and applicants, for 3224 Harcum Way in the 16th Ward (Zoning District R2-L).

Applicant requests two-story addition to existing structure, second level front porch.

Variances: 903.03.B.2: Minimum 30 front setback required and 0 requested (porch); Minimum 30 rear setback required and 10 requested; Minimum 5 interior side setback required and 2 requested.

Zone case 122/17 on Thursday, March 23 at 10:20 a.m. is the appeal of Steel Mill Properties LLC, owners and applicants, for 133 S. 20th Street in the 17th Ward (Zoning District R1A-VH).

Applicant requests two business ID signs for the real estate office.

Variance: 919.01.F: Nonconforming sign review by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Past Cases and Decisions: ZBA 197 of 2013, applicants request as a real estate office on the first floor and as a residential unit on the second floor was approved. ZBA 274 of 2016, applicants request for two business ID signs for the real estate office was denied.

Notes: Certificate of Occupancy 13-b-03837, dated 1/25/2016, permitted occupancy Use of existing 2-story structure as a real estate office on the first floor and as a residential unit on the second floor.

For more information on the City of Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment, go to: http://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/boards/zoning-board.
By Jagdeesh Mann (@jagdeeshmann)

Special to The Post

Two men charged in the fatal shooting of a Surrey man in 2004 pled guilty recently to charges connected to the case. Parminder (Pindu) Singh Basran and Bhabjit (Bobby) Singh Aujla pled guilty to manslaughter and assault respectively on March 3rd in the New Westminster Court.

Basran was charged with second degree murder, while Aujla was facing one count of manslaughter and a second of accessory after the fact.

On Sept. 24, 2004, Bath, 27, was confronted by the two men when he was returning home to the 9100 block of 125th Street. He had spent an evening out with friends

The accused assaulted Bath outside his house, and then pursued Baths vehicle in a high-speed chase, eventually cutting him off, again near his home. Bath, who had no criminal connections, was shot in the head outside of his house while on the phone with the 911 operator.

The re-opening and subsequent convictions in this case are both extremely unusual given this shooting was a cold case for many years.

Basran and Aujla were first charged with murder and manslaughter charges in 2004 but had the charged dropped in 2005. At the time the Crown said that the evidence no longer supported a viable prosecution.

The two men were re-charged in 2013, nine year after Baths killing. Now, thirteen years later, they have been convicted in the case.

IHIT leader Supt. Kevin Hackett said in 2013, the arrests came after the IHIT cold case team, formed in March 2012, took another look at the file and saw new avenues of investigation. He said Baths murder weighed heavily on investigators.

His familys life changed forever, Hackett said. Amandeeps family has shown tremendous patience, trust and faith in us. Hackett said while every homicide investigation is important to IHIT, we have to prioritize. Mr. Bath did not deserve to die that day, he said. It touched a nerve.

Speaking to The Vancouver Sun in 2013 when the charges were laid for a second time, Baths aunt Kamaljit Khela said the family never gave up hope that they would get justice one day.

She described her nephew, who lived at home and worked at an accountants office, as a a very down-to-earth and gentle person.

His loss has left a big hole in our hearts that can never be repaired, Khela said.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 13th at 10am in the New Westminster Court.
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.
Guwahati, Mar 7 (IBNS) : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday directed Additional Chief Secretary V.B. Pyarelal to enquire into the incident of attack on the All Assam Students Union (AASU) office in Silapathar by miscreants on Monday and submit report within one month.

Terming the incident as unfortunate Chief Minister Sonowal said that some elements are making efforts to create rift among different communities of the state and these elements would not be allowed to succeed in their designs.



The Assam CM also called on the media to help in maintaining law and order in the society.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)


Lucknow, Mar 7 (IBNS): The Anti-Terror Squad is attempting to capture a suspected terrorist who is hiding in a house in Thakurganj area of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on Tuesday.

According to media reports, a shootout is going on between the police and the suspect.

The area has been cordoned off.

The neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, police sources told NDTV.

The incident occurred at a time when Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to vote in the last phase of polling on Wednesday.

The result is scheduled to be announced on Mar 11.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
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The leader of Swansea Council says he is confident a 1.3bn city deal is ready to be signed off with the UK government.

Rob Stewart says he believes they could not be in a better position to agree the deal, which could be worth millions more over the next 15 years.

But a transatlantic cable to bring ultrafast broadband to the Swansea Bay region is not part of the deal.

The cable, described as a game changer, would be separate but complementary, said Mr Stewart.

A year ago, Swansea Bay City Regions chairman Sir Terry Matthews described the importance of the communication channel from New York to London via the south west Wales region.

He said the cable would make the Swansea Bay City Deal, unlike those put forward by other areas, deliver for the whole of the UK rather than the region alone.

But Mr Stewart said the Project Jupiter cable was a separate project - and like Tidal Lagoons relationship with the city deals energy projects - would be aligned and complementary rather than directly part of the city deal.

The plan on the table involves 11 different projects ranging from investments of 50m in the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District and 5m for the Yr Egin creative hub project.

The city deal aims to support next generation industries and to apply internet technologies for the regions energy sector.

It also aims for the four council areas stretching from Neath Port Talbot to Pembrokeshire to become a magnet for hi-tech and cloud data firms.

Life science firms would work alongside local hospitals.

Mr Stewart strongly denied the focus had shifted away from the internet coast vision to a more traditional focus of bricks and mortar developments.

And he also denied the focus on buildings could lead to a return of the failed Technium project, claiming the Swansea Techniums had been a success story.

He said: In order to deliver the sorts of economic change we want in this region we have to take forward the fifth generation technologies - the establishment of the test bed.

Weve been very clear about that and Sir Terry Matthews and his business partner from Wesley Clover, Simon Gibson, have been integral in bringing that together.

They can demonstrate though the model theyve successfully rolled out in Canada, theyve created 22,000 jobs there and we believe we can make that sort of economic impact here.

Whilst there are several projects which will have construction as part of it, the real golden threads through the deal are still those new technologies and new industries.

City deals exist to give financial support for councils to work more regionally on big projects - which will stimulate private investment and have a real transformational impact.

Mr Stewart said very positive meetings had been held with the Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and Swansea-born Lord Heseltine, adviser to the communities and local government secretary, and said: As far as were concerned weve answered all the questions posed to us by Treasury officials and others and feel were at the point when were ready to sign.

He said 673m of private investment was ready to come into the region and the bid had substantial support from a wide range from within the private sector.

Its still a unique deal and still a very class-leading deal in terms of what it tries to do, said Mr Stewart.

Some of the comments back from the secretary of state and others is that its a very innovative deal, it does lots of things individually that others are doing but nobody is doing those in the way we are putting this together.

The biggest vote of confidence is if you look at the UKs industrial strategy, recently released by Theresa May, you map that against what our city deal is doing and the two are indivisible. People have caught up with the thinking that our city deal provides.

There are hopes the Swansea Bay deal could be mentioned in Wednesdays Budget from Chancellor Philip Hammond.
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A new Swansea Parkway rail station could unlock the vast, untapped potential of the region, Gowers MP has said.

Byron Davies said he had spoken to Network Rail and the Department for Transport about this idea, and raised it during a House of Commons debate.

A Swansea Parkway station north of the city would, he said, speed up east-west services by having some trains plough straight through from London and Bristol to West Wales, rather than stopping in Swansea.

We should have a seamless (rail) transport system from London down to West Wales, said the Welsh Conservative MP.

We need to be bolder and more daring in our thinking.

Investments in rail infrastructure can have huge pay-offs, such as the doubling of the track and station upgrade at Gowerton four years ago. Passenger numbers at Gowerton rail station the year after the 28 million scheme were 131,000, compared to just 10,600 ten years previously.

Further east, Bristol Parkway gives passengers in the area access to intercity services without having to travel into the heart of Bristol and has opened up a commercial and residential hinterland.

But would Swansea generate the demand for a major park and ride rail station outside of the city?

Transport expert Stuart Cole told the Post that if enough money was available, Briton Ferry or preferably Baglan would be a good location for a new parkway station. He said Baglans proximity to the M4 and the availability of land for 500 to 1,000 parked cars made it a good option.

He added that Baglan already had signalling in place and the capacity to accommodate trains with eight carriages as a result of upgrades for the ill-fated Swanline service between Swansea and Port Talbot.

In addition, Professor Cole favoured a straight through rail station at Landore, which could be called Swansea North. But he said you would need decent public transport linking this station to residential and business centres to mitigate car journeys.

There is an opportunity to build a different kind of station at Landore, he said.

The emeritus professor of transport at the University of South Wales said the idea of a Swansea Parkway station had been around for a while, but pointed out that Swanseas High Street station was a big market for rail operators and had recently undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Is the market big enough (for trains) to avoid Swansea? he said.

Mr Davies, meanwhile, said getting off and then back on a train at Swanseas High Street station to continue a journey west was not attractive for passengers.

Its about making it a pleasant experience  making people say, I want to get on a train, not in the car, he said.

Addressing MPs in the Commons debate, Mr Davies said: I have already spoken to Department for Transport, ministers and others to try and ensure that we look at new solutions to our transport problems such as greater services to West Wales and a complete reconfiguration of rail services with a Swansea Parkway station to unlock the vast, untapped potential in south west Wales.

Mr Davies, who was shadow transport minister while serving as AM for Gower, reiterated that the rail issue was, in his view, part of a wider transport infrastructure problem that needed addressing in Swansea and the Swansea Bay City Region.

He described the road network as slow and ageing, bus services as lacking and accused the Welsh Government of not doing enough to improve the situation.

He said: We cannot rely on the UK Government to keep supporting Welsh infrastructure while the Welsh Government sits back.

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said he was not opposed to any suggestion that improved the transport system.

But he said: Where would it (a parkway station) be located, and how would it connect to the network?

Rail electrification?

New intercity trains that can run on electric and diesel power will serve Swansea in due course, before the line between Cardiff and Swansea is electrified.

A decision on the Cardiff to Swansea electrification is still needed, and the work will only take place in the 2019-2024 rail investment period.

The over-budget Great Western main line electrification project was branded this week by MPs on the public accounts committee as a stark example of how not to run a major project.

Gower MP Byron Davies said the new intercity rolling stock heading to the tracks was a positive point in the Welsh transport infrastructure debate.

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said a decision on electrifying the Swansea section was needed.

We cant even get the Government to commit to that at the present time, he said.

The Post asked the Welsh Government to comment on Mr Davies's criticism of its transport investment but it did not respond at the time of going to press.
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Brian Morris is living proof that life is full of second chances.

Throughout his youth Brian was addicted to heroin and spent five years in prison for smuggling 1 million worth of cocaine into Wales.

He was jailed for 12 years at Swansea Crown Court after being arrested when armed police raided a Swansea hotel where he was found with a kilo of cocaine.

However, while locked up in a cell in Swansea Police Station the 63-year-old decided to place his faith in God, starting a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

As part of BBC documentary Wales in the Nineties Brian spoke of his journey from being a heroin addict in Amsterdam to the Pastor of Oakdale Baptist Church in Caerphilly.

I owed Turkish heroin dealers quite a lot of money and they proposed a deal for me to make that money by smuggling a kilo of cocaine to Wales and Ill be able to pay them back, Brian told the BBC.

I wasnt going to do it ever again because this baby arrived and I brought an addicted child into the world.

It was so shameful. We had the baby for two weeks and then the Turkish dealers came round and they were threatening so I could have lost my life or they could have hurt any of us.

So I agreed to do this deal.

I was going through cold turkey. From hot and cold sweats to stomach aches, to not feeling very well at all.

It was about 12 noon when suddenly the door burst open this is a raid said the police dont move, with guns pointed at us.

It was during his time in prison that Brian decided to turn his life around, motivated by the desire to give his son a better life when he was eventually released from prison.

He said: While I was in the police station cell I just cried out to God to help, then just a little voice came into my head, not audibly, just like an impression you can use this Brian to change your life, you can use this time, you can get educated and you can turn it around.

Just a warmth came over me and I felt hopeful and the despair and fear left me.

From that moment I decided its high time now that you gave your life to god because hes been knocking on your heart for years but you clouded it with drugs for so long.

Not seeing my son grow up really really hurt. I used to spend hours in prayer and spent hours crying saying sorry about that and praying for my son, praying for my familly and hoping theyll forgive me.

While I was in prison I started a prayer group and it grew into 12 people coming into my small cell every day who needed prayer

I knew I was doing good and even helping the officers.

I enjoyed touching peoples lives and seeing people change and giving something back.

It gave me a lift from my guilt and it took that guilt away from the years that Id been a drug dealer so I became a pastor.

Wales in the Nineties aired on BBC One in March and explored the life-changing stories of men and women who faced - and overcame - huge personal challenges stemming from major social issues in Wales.
Lucknow, Mar 7 (IBNS): A shootout is currently underway in Lucknow's Thakurganj area on Tuesday between the Anti-Terror Squad and a suspected terrorist who is hiding in a house, reports said.

The area has been cordoned off.

"The suspect came from outside the state," senior police officer Daljit Chaudhary was quoted as saying by NDTV.

He said another person has been arrested from Kanpur city.

The incident occurred at a time when Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to vote in the last phase of polling on Wednesday.

The result is scheduled to be announced on Mar 11.

Image: India Today TV grab
The collision of two black holes holes  a tremendously powerful event detected for the first time ever by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO  is seen in this still from a computer simulation.

A prototype space-based gravitational wave detector performed far better than expected during its trial run, raising prospects that a follow-on observatory to listen for echoes from the biggest crashes in the cosmos will be launched ahead of schedule.

LISA Pathfinder, which has been in orbit for a little more than a year, was intended to test if two small cubes could be kept in an extremely steady and measurable state of free fall. If successful, scientists could use the technique to detect ripples in space, a phenomenon first envisioned by Albert Einstein 100 years ago.

The ripples, which are called gravitational waves, occur due to massive objects, such as black holes and neutron stars, warping the fabric of spacetime as they move. The first detection of gravitational waves was made last year with the ground-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO.

Putting a system in space would give astronomers a way to detect ripples that oscillate over hours instead of in fractions of seconds, such as the gravitational waves detected by the twin LIGO observatories.

The waves LIGO detected were caused by two black holes, each about 30 times more massive than the sun, colliding to become a single larger black hole more than 1.3 billion light years away.

RELATED: A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole Was Seen Killing a Distant Star

The space-based LISA observatory, by comparison, would be able to detect black holes one million times more massive than the sun that date back to the dawn of the universe.

"It's a different astronomy and very, very rich," astrophysicist Stefano Vitale, with the University of Trento in Italy, told reporters at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.

For LISA to work, the space buoys have to be kept at a level of quiescence equal to one-millionth of one-billionth of the force of Earth's gravity, said Vitale, the lead scientist for LISA Pathfinder.

The goal of the demonstration mission was to get within 10 percent of that mark. To save money, LISA Pathfinder suspends two cubes within one spacecraft, which contributes additional forces. A laser keeps tabs on the distance between the cubes.

The operational LISA would use three satellites, formation flying in a triangle more than 620,000 miles apart and tracked by lasers, to detect gravitational waves.

RELATED: Our Supermassive Black Hole Could Be 'Supercharging' Stars' Magnetism

LISA Pathfinder ended up far exceeding expectations.

"We have done better than the requirement for LISA," Vitale said. "This is a final green light for LISA."

Originally targeted for launch in 2031, scientists are now looking at launching two years earlier, Vitale said.

By then, LISA should have many terrestrial counterparts. The two LIGO detectors are in the process of being upgraded and will be joined this year by a third gravitational wave detector, called Virgo, in Italy.

With three detectors, scientists can triangulate an observation and home in on the location.

For example, If Virgo had been operational when LIGO made its first gravitational wave detection, scientists would have been able to determine where the black holes crashed to within 10 square degrees instead of 600 square degrees, said astrophysicist Gabriela Gonzalez, with Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

In 2020, Japan expects to open its Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector, KAGRA, which is being built more than 650 feet underground in Kamioka, northwest of Tokyo. A fourth detector in India is aiming for a 2024 debut.

WATCH: Do Black Holes Ever Die?

Originally published on Seeker.
An Arianespace Vega rocket launches the Sentinel-2B Earth observation satellite from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on a mission for the European Space Agency and European Commission in this video still from March 6, 2017.

Europe launched its latest Earth-observation satellite tonight (March 6), a spacecraft that will help scientists monitor natural disasters and track land use and water pollution around the globe.

The Sentinel-2B satellite lifted off atop a Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana, at 8:49 p.m. EST tonight (0149 GMT on March 7). If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will settle into a polar orbit about 490 miles (786 kilometers) above Earth.

Sentinel-2B is the second member of the two-satellite Sentinel-2 constellation; its twin, Sentinel-2A, launched into an identical orbit in June 2015. Together, Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B will help researchers keep tabs on the world's forests, changes in land cover and other activities occurring on the planet. [In Photos: Earth 'Sentinel' Satellite Blasts Off]

"The mission mainly provides information for agricultural and forestry practices and for helping manage food security. Satellite images can be used to determine various plant indices, such as leaf area chlorophyll and water content indexes," European Space Agency (ESA) officials wrote in a mission description. "This is particularly important for effective yield prediction and applications related to Earth's vegetation."

An Arianespace Vega rocket launches the Sentinel-2B Earth observation satellite from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on a mission for the European Space Agency and European Commission in this video still from March 6, 2017. (Image credit: European Space Agency)

The duo will also provide useful imagery of flooding, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, and will help monitor pollution in lakes and along coasts, ESA officials added.

Both Sentinel-2 craft are about 11.2 feet (3.4 meters) long and weigh 2,513 lbs. (1,140 kilograms). The two spacecraft will be separated by 180 degrees along their orbital path, allowing the duo to maximize their coverage of Earth. They will systematically monitor land and coastal areas between 84 degrees north latitude and 84 degrees south latitude, using a multispectral imager instrument that covers 13 spectral bands, ESA officials wrote. [How Sentinel-2B Will Deliver Unprecedented Earth Views (Video)]

Each satellite is designed to operate for a minimum of seven years.

Sentinel-2 is part of a larger European Commission Earth-monitoring program known as Copernicus, which will eventually include six different Sentinel "families." Some of the Sentinels are dedicated satellites, whereas others are instruments aboard other spacecraft.

The two Sentinel-1 satellites launched in April 2014 and April 2016, respectively, and Sentinel-3A lifted off in February 2016. All of the other Sentinels are scheduled to launch by 2020 or so.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The Trump administration's budget proposal includes a drastic 17-percent cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of the government's top weather and climate-science agencies, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The cuts would impact both research funding and satellite programs, according to the news report.

NOAA, which is part of the Department of Commerce, is responsible for a wide range of planetary science research and monitoring "from daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, according to the NOAA website. [Photos: Stunning Images of Earth from GOES-16 Weather Satellite]

The budget proposal, outlined by the Office of Management and Budget in a memo to The Washington Post, is for the fiscal year 2018 (starting Oct. 1) and proposes a cut of $126 million (26 percent of its current budget) to its research division and $513 million (22 percent of current funding) to its satellite program, called the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and National Weather Service, also part of NOAA, would experience 5 percent cuts under the budget proposal, according to the Post.

The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is part of the satellite program, and so would presumably experience some of the cutbacks. NCEI researchers conducted a study showing that "warming has continued at a pace similar to that of the last half of the 20th century, and the slowdown was just an illusion," they wrote in the study published in 2015 in the journal Science. The finding, which suggested there was no climate change hiatus (something that skeptics of human-caused warming have used as evidence to support their skepticism), drew harsh criticism from Republicans, including Lamar Smith, the Republican chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Another NOAA program on the chopping block, Sea Grant, could be eliminated. The $73 million program funds coastal research at 33 universities across the United States, according to the Post article.

Scientists involved with NOAA reacted to the proposed cuts. "Cutting NOAA's satellite budget will compromise NOAA's mission of keeping Americans safe from extreme weather and providing forecasts that allow businesses and citizens to make smart plans," said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator under President Barack Obama, as reported by the Post. Lubchenco added that NOAA satellites provide 90 percent of the information needed for weather forecasts.

The financial cuts came from the Office of Management and Budget's so-called passback document, which asks agencies to come up with detailed budgets to submit to Congress. These numbers can change as discussions between the agencies and the White House and others evolve, according to the Post.

The passback also reportedly suggested that NOAA explore the potential for greater use of privately owned commercial satellites beginning in 2018.

NOAA isn't the only environmental agency feeling the heat. Sources told Science Insider that the administration wants to cut spending by more than 40 percent by the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development. The cuts would reduce funding from about $510 million to $290 million, according to Science Insider.

Original article on Live Science.
The JPSS-2 satellite, built by Orbital ATK, will launch on an Atlas 5 in the summer of 2021.

WASHINGTON  NASA awarded a contract to United Launch Alliance March 3 for the launch of the second in a series of next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellites.

The contract for the launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 2 satellite comes among concerns that the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which operates such weather satellites, could be slashed in President Trump's upcoming budget proposal.

The contract covers the mid-2021 launch of the JPSS-2 satellite on an Atlas 5 401 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The contract value is $170.6 million, which covers the launch itself and "other mission-related costs," according to a NASA statement. ULA offers a similar launch, with a "full spectrum" of support services, to commercial customers for $137 million, according to the company's RocketBuilder web site.

NASA did not disclose if it received other bids for the launch. ULA, in a statement, said it won the award "from a competitive Launch Service Task Order evaluation" under its NASA Launch Services contract with the agency. NASA handles satellite and launch procurement for the JPSS and other spacecraft programs for NOAA.

JPSS-2 is the second in a series of new polar-orbiting weather satellites, and the first to be built by Orbital ATK under a contract it won in March 2015 that includes options for two additional satellites. The first JPSS satellite, built by Ball Aerospace, is scheduled for launch this September on a Delta 2. ULA received a $412 million contract in July 2012 that included the JPSS-1 launch and two other Delta 2 missions.

The JPSS-2 launch contract came the same day of news that the Trump administration is considering significant budget cuts to NOAA, the agency that funds the JPSS and other weather satellite programs. A report in the Washington Post said the administration is proposing a 17 percent cut in NOAA's overall budget, based on information provided in a "passback" to the agency from the White House Office of Management and Budget.

According to the report, NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS), which is responsible for weather satellite and related programs, would suffer one of the biggest cuts, $513 million or 22 percent of its current funding.

Such cuts, if implemented, could affect development of future satellites. NOAA's fiscal year 2017 request projected significant increases in 2018 and future years for the Polar Follow-On program, which would fund development of the third and fourth JPSS satellites and their instruments, and the Space Weather Follow On, a proposed spacecraft to continue space weather monitoring currently handled by the DSCOVR satellite.

NOAA's weather satellite programs have enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress, even as its climate science work has been subject to more partisan debate. A continuing resolution passed by Congress in December, funding the government through April at fiscal year 2016 levels, included a provision giving NOAA the flexibility to spend funding at the rate needed to keep the JPSS program on schedule.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Kolkata/Malda, Mar 7 (IBNS): Based on credible source inputs, police on Monday night arrested three suspects in West Bengal's Malda district and recovered Rs. 2000 fake notes with a face value of 1 lakh rupees from their possessions, officials said.

According to reports, three youths- Abdul Rashid, Kashim Sheikh and Sahood Sheikh- were nabbed with fake Rs. 2000 notes worth 1,00,000 rupees from Mohanpur village under Baishnabnagar Police Station limits in Malda.

They were produced in a local court on Tuesday and were sent to police custody for further interrogation.

Earlier on Saturday late night, a middle-aged man, Mukulesh Mian, was held with fake 2000 rupees notes worth Rs. 92,000 from Rathbari area in Malda district.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
North Korea fires missiles, three reach Japan waters







Seoul (AFP) March 6, 2017





Nuclear-armed North Korea fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula on Monday, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters. Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile last month - its first such launch since October - which Seoul said was aimed at testing the response from the new US administration of President Donald Trump. Seoul said several missiles were filed into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, and that South Korea and the US were "closely analysing" tracking da ... read more
Guwahati, Mar 7 (IBNS) : Human rights and social activist Irom Chanu Sharmila will take on Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in the second and final phase assembly poll in the north eastern Indian state on Mar 8.

A total of 98 candidates are contesting in 22 assembly constituencies in the final phase poll spreading across the valley district of Thoubal and hill districts of Chandel, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Senapati.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur office, a total of 19,02,562 voters including 9,28,573 male and 9,73,989 female will exercise franchise in the final phase election.

Among them, 45,642 are new voters and they will cast their votes in 1,151 polling stations.

The voting will start from 7am with amid tight security.

The final phase poll will decide the fate of several high profile politicians including CM Okram Ibobi Singh, Deputy CM M Gaikhangam, human rights activist Irom Sharmila.

The first phase poll covering 38 assembly constituencies, which was held on March 4 last, registered an impressive voter turnout over 85 percent.

In first time, Congress, who ruled the state for 15 years, is facing a stiff challenge from BJP and Irom led newly floated PRJA.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Lucknow, Mar 7 (IBNS): A standoff followed by an encounter is continuing on the outskirts of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh where the Anti-Terror Squad is attempting to capture a suspected militant holed up in a safe house.

The area has been cordoned off to capture the terrorist who could be an ISIS operative and linked to a train blast this morning in Madhya Pradesh in which nine were wounded.

Reports said the terrorist used "chilli bombs" against the cops engaged in the operation in which some 20-odd commandos are engaged. The standoff in Thakurganj area near Lucknow was also confirmed by UP police chief Javeed Ahmed.

Senior police official Daljit Chaudhary told media: "Had received inputs about presence of some suspects in Kanpur and Lucknow."

He said one person has been arrested from Kanpur.

"The suspect inside the building is possibly from Lucknow," Daljit Chaudhary said.

The incident occurred at a time when Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to vote in the last phase of polling on Wednesday.

The result is scheduled to be announced on Mar 11.

Image: India Today TV grab
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Jourova: Which is why this issue it is important for Poland. This is not, of course, something for the current budgetary period, which ends in 2020. But the preparatory work for the next period will begin as early as this year, and we have to discuss the conditions for any further massive funding - funding which is based on solidarity. I have worked for almost 20 years in the field of structural funds, and there have always been conditions, but only related to economic factors or technicalities. We have to look at the basic values again and take them into consideration.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The European Commission cannot make such decisions on its own. The European Parliament and the member states have a say in the budget as well.

Jourova: Of course, but with the UK, as one of the largest net contributors, leaving the EU, we need a reassessment of the mechanisms and the criteria for further funding. There will be two decisive factors. One is the limit which determines when a country is eligible for structural funding. So far, this has been the case when a country's GDP is less than 75 percent of the EU average. But it doesn't have to stay that way. We are going to start from scratch.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Raising the GDP bar could massively influence funding for some member states.

Jourova: Yes, and this is the reason why it must be discussed with the Parliament and with member states.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is the second factor?

Jourova: The amount of money available for future cohesion policy, if there will be one at all.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you saying that the cohesion policy, which ensures the transfer of money from richer EU countries to poorer regions, could end altogether?

Jourova: There could be changes. Look at the White Book the Commission just published. In one of the scenarios, regional policy would be defined as something which could be left to the member states in the future. Or perhaps we will redefine whether future funding will come in the form of subsidies or loans. But for now, this remains a theoretical discussion, of course.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Nevertheless, it could cause considerable alarm in countries whose economies massively depend on the EU's cohesion funds, Poland and Hungary among them.

Jourova: These countries will be sitting at the table as well, so they have a say in it. But they must understand that we have to uphold the EU's core values. These days, people are nervous and uncertain because of security threats. In this kind of atmosphere, fear and hatred are on the rise. We need to safeguard security, but we also have to be vigilant and avoid handing over all power to those who say they are here to ensure security. Fundamental rights are not a given today. We have to protect them.
WikiLeaks claims to have spent several months reviewing the documents. In contrast to past data dumps, WikiLeaks edited and redacted parts of the documents prior to publication.

Active in Frankfurt

WikiLeaks says the CIA has its own cyberwar division and that around 200 experts belonging to the division are able to infiltrate computers around the world using tools specifically developed to steal data. The CIA hackers work at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, WikiLeaks says, but adds that the agency maintains at least one base outside of the United States.

The documents indicate that the CIA hacking experts are also active in the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany, the largest American consulate in the world. According to WikiLeaks documents, the consulate grounds also house a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, a building that is only accessible to CIA agents and officers from other U.S. intelligence agencies. These digital spies apparently work independently of each other in the facility so as not to blow their cover.
Algiers, March 6, 2017 (SPS)  President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, has expressed hope that the US current administration led by Donald Trump will contribute in accelerating a just, lasting and democratic solution in Western Sahara, through the urgent application of the UN and AU settlement plan in 1991.

President Ghali highlighted in an interview with Algerian El Khabar newspaper published Monday that "the US position is principled and consistent with the responsibility of the United States as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we hope the current administration, led by Donald Trump, will contribute to the acceleration of the solution."

He also confirmed that the US position on the issue of Western Sahara has always been supportive of the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy

Regarding the role of the new United Nations Secretary General, Brahim Ghali stressed Antonio Guterres has more information and knowledge on the conflict of Western Sahara than any other UN Secretary-General. We hope this accurate knowledge will be a helping factor, or even decisive in making the new Secretary-General ends the stalemate preventing the solution of the Moroccan-Sahrawi conflict, to complete the decolonization of Western Sahara, enable its people to their right, and put an end to the policy of obstruction, delay and recklessness towards the international organization adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco." (SPS)

062/090/TRA
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Guwahati, Mar 7 (IBNS): Twin IED blasts rocked Manipur on Tuesday evening, a day before the second and final phase of assembly poll in the north eastern Indian state to be held on March 8.

According to the reports, one jawan and a civilian were injured in the blasts exploded in Ukhrul district.

A top official of Manipur police said that, first IED was exploded at around 3-15 pm near Aishi village in the hill district.

Suspected Naga militants triggered the explosion targeting to the ROP of 31 Assam Rifles personnel at the remote area under Kamjong police station.

One rifleman R Vasnet was injured in the blast and he was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital.

The second blast was exploded near a polling booth in the district at around 4 pm.

The IED was exploded just few meters away from the 43, 49 polling station at Ashang Khullen under Kamjong police station.

A civilian, who was engaged with election duty was injured in the blast.

Manipur police said that, suspected Naga militants are behind the both explosion.

The second and final phase assembly poll in the north eastern Indian state will be held on March 8.

A total of 98 candidates are contesting in 22 assembly constituencies in the final phase poll spreading across the valley district of Thoubal and hill districts of Chandel, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Senapati.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur office, a total of 19,02,562 voters including 9,28,573 male and 9,73,989 female will exercise franchise in the final phase election.

Among them, 45,642 are new voters and they will cast their votes in 1,151 polling stations.

The voting will start from 7am with amid tight security.

The final phase poll will decide the fate of several high profile politicians including CM Okram Ibobi Singh, Deputy CM M Gaikhangam, human rights activist Irom Sharmila.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Still revolutionary, lingers as Connecticuts hackneyed tourism slogan, but Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, offered a potential update last week. During a news conference to promote a bill to exempt Social Security benefits from the income tax to help keep elderly residents here, Looney offered a catchy, new marketing cry: Connecticut, a great place to live and a great place to die.

A field promotion

Connecticuts senators get more news coverage at home than in Washington, so it makes sense for U.S. Sens. Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy to have second homes in Room 1-B of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford for one kind of weekly news conference or another. Last Friday, the day after they blasted Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Washington, they held a reprise event for Connecticut-based reporters.

Blumenthal teed off for a while, then introduced the states junior senator as President Murphy. Yikes. Fail. Im auditioning for the nominating speech, Blumenthal chimed.

Voting on the record

State Supreme Court Justice Richard Palmer is expected to win reappointment to the high court on Wednesday, amid some opposition from the more-conservative members of the House and Senate. Capitol leaders and observers are also on the lookout for a potential sour-grapes undercurrent.

Palmer wrote the historic Kerrigan decision in 2008, ruling that the civil-union law was unconstitutional. It forced the General Assembly to write the inclusive marriage-equality law the following year. He authored the 2015 decision that declared the 2012 repeal of the death penalty also applied to the thugs who had been awaiting the syringe on Death Row.

A lesser known ruling of Palmers also occurred in 2015, when he wrote a unanimous, 7-0 decision overturning a Superior Court verdict in a class action suit by the 1,000-member Auto Body Association of Connecticut, who claimed that the Hartford Fire Insurance Company violated the state Unfair Trade Practice Act over appraisal procedures. The trial court awarded $14.8 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages to the body shops, who were represented by attorney David Slossberg of Milford.

Slossberg, who is married to Sen Gayle Slossberg, could have made about $12 million if the Supremes had affirmed the lower court.

My votes have nothing to do with my husband, Sen. Slossberg said when asked last week how shell vote on the Palmer nomination. She was unsure how shed go. Im reviewing the files like everyone else. Many of my colleagues have raised concerns.

Slossberg voted in favor of the so-called gay marriage bill in 2009, the year she also voted to confirm Palmers current eight-year term. During the April, 2012 Senate debate on the death penalty, she was eloquent about the need to repeal it. As Ive confronted this issue and advanced my understanding and thinking, Ive come to the conclusion that both the realities of the death penalty, as it is applied, and the moral issues that it raises, dictates that it be abolished, she said, according to a transcript of the nearly five-year-old debate.

Hate your neighbor?

Whos busier these days than the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups and extremists? The latest copy of the SPLCs Intelligence Report magazine even has a national map, with state-by-state listings. Lets see: Connecticuts hate groups are on the rise, the SPLC says. We have a neo-Nazi group; some White Lives Matter folks; the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense in New Haven; and anti-Muslim groups in Cheshire and elsewhere in the state.

The top states for hate are California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania, the center reports.

Follow the money

Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., D-Branford, got into it with Sen. Mike McLachlan, R-Danbury, co-chairman of the Government Administration Committee, over a bill that would limit foreign-owned companies from participating in state elections. Right now you can have a foreign company set up an LLC and a mailbox in downtown Hartford and spend an unlimited amount of money for or against a candidate for public office here in the state of Connecticut and I think most citizens in our state would find that wrong, Kennedy said.

McLachlan: I, frankly, would be more inclined to support more thorough disclosures in the independent-expenditure realm and perhaps a disclosure that says there is a foreign ownership, but Im having a hard time understanding how we can justify elimination.

kdixon@ctpost.com;
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NEW YORK  For a few moments Tuesday afternoon as they idled near their attorneys outside the courtroom, Lawrence Dilione and Max Gemma were not in the spotlight that has trailed them for months.

Positioned on opposite sides of the Manhattan courtroom entrance, they waited in silence after leaving the afternoons proceedings, which saw the prosecution tell the judge murder indictments in the killing of 26-year-old Stamford man Joseph Comunale could be expected soon.

The two men, former roommates in Jersey City, N.J., did not make eye contact. Both wearing gray suits, Gemma, 29, sat on a bench and tapped his iPhone while Dilione, 28, leaned against a wall with his hands clasped, staring straight ahead.

Dilione and Gemma are charged in connection with Comunales killing, which court documents say occurred at James Rackovers East Side apartment after a drug-fueled night of partying and a fatal argument over cigarettes. Comunales stabbed body was found in a shallow grave near the Jersey Shore on Nov. 16.

Comunale graduated from Westhill High School as a star athlete and worked for his fathers security systems company after graduating from Hofstra University.

The three men are charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. Rackover, 25, and Dilione are also charged with concealing a human corpse. Each has pleaded not guilty.

In court Tuesday, the attorney for Rackover  the lone defendant not free on bail  argued to reduce his clients $1 million bond and asked the judge to accept a $100,000 cash alternative, which was denied.

The events that took place were horrific, I know, Rackovers attorney, Maurice Sercarz, said. I dont know whether or not what took place in that apartment  whether there was a fight with no intent to kill. I dont know what happened in that apartment, but if the (prosecution) has probable cause, we would have received an indictment when we walked into court today.

Proving what happened in Rackovers home appears to be what has hampered the Manhattan District Attorneys office in bringing murder indictments. A motion filed by Gemmas attorney Mark Bederow reveals Dilione told police Rackover killed Comunale. NYPD detectives initially charged Dilione and Rackover with murder, but the DA declined to immediately pursue the charge.

Bederow said the case against his client should be dropped, arguing the DA has scant evidence to tie him to the killing.

Theres no way hes going to be involved in a murder indictment, Bederow said. Its prejudicial for him to sit here and be associated with this if hes not going to be charged with homicide.

Prosecutors believe Gemma was in the apartment with the other men at the time of the murder and have pointed to him changing clothes as evidence, according to court documents.

Prosecutor Peter Casolaro told Justice Charles Solomon he expects a murder indictment within months. Solomon pushed Casolaro for a clearer time frame, and the prosecutor nodded in agreement with the judges request of within two months.

Sercarz returned to arguments he made in previous hearings to reduce Rackovers bail, which was initially set at $3 million. Though he left a trail of criminal activity in Florida  including a burglary, armed robbery and cutting off an ankle bracelet while on probation  Sercarz said Rackover changed his ways after coming to New York City. There, he became the surrogate son to celebrity jeweler Jeffrey Rackover and changed his name.

He is a different individual now, Sercarz said. He had steady employment living in New York City and had built a life for himself.

Transported from Rikers Island, Rackover appeared in court wearing a form-fitting long-sleeve T-shirt in bright white. A tattoo climbs from beneath the back of his shirt up the bottom of his neck.

Mr. Rackover clearly has the most of a criminal record and a record of a flight risk, Casolaro said in his argument against reducing the bail.

All three defendants are scheduled to return to court April 21.

An earlier version of this article misstated the name of Max Gemmas attorney Mark Bederow. It was also Bederows motion, not the district attorneys, that says Dilione told police Rackover killed Comunale.
Kolkata/Murshidabad, Mar 7 (IBNS): The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Tuesday detained two middle-aged Bangladeshi nationals for allegedly taking photos of Farakka Barrage's sensitive portion in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, officials said.

According to reports, two residents of Nawabganj in Bangladesh, Md. Ziaur Rahman and Abdur Razzak, were held by CISF jawans for snapping pictures of Farakka dam, where photography is strictly prohibited.

"We detained two men from Bangladesh for taking snaps of Farakka Barrage near its Gate No. 55, which is a no photography zone, and seized their passports and mobile phones," a senior official of CISF told IBNS.

"As we found several videos of state's rail-routes and their replies could not satisfy us, we handed them over later to the local police," the official said.

However, after taking them to own custody, police from Farakka Police Station have started investigation into the matter and the duo is being quizzed currently.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
P hilip Hammond could never be described as a showman but hell have the rapt attention of the City for nearly an hour tomorrow when he steps up to deliver his first Budget.

Outside politics, Spreadsheet Phil is an astute multi-millionaire businessman. But as Chancellor, he has the unenviable task of steering the UKs public finances through two choppy years of Brexit negotiations.

The tone is crucial; Hammond  a Remainer  will have to strike a balance between fiscal caution over the squalls ahead and enough optimism to keep the suspicious Eurosceptic hardliners on the benches behind him at bay, while dealing with the specific pleadings of hundreds of lobbyists.

So can the Chancellor avoid political landmines and pluck as many feathers as he can from the tax goose with a minimum of hissing? Here, we examine the key issues to watch:

Growth

Hammond has a rare gift in his first Budget: growth figures heading in the right direction. The UK has grown much faster than expected since the Brexit vote and, as a result, Robert Chote of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will be pencilling in growth this year closer to 2% than the 1.4% he predicted in November.

That will trickle down through the public finances, boosting tax revenues as well as cutting the billions that the Government pays out in dole money, for example. Borrowing should be at least 12 billion lower than the OBRs 68.2 billion deficit forecast this year, although Brexit makes the forecasts for later years even less certain than usual.

Tax

Dont expect a giveaway as a result of the higher growth; in fact, smaller businesses may be anxiously patting down their coats after the speech. Despite pre-election commitments not to raise VAT, income tax or national insurance, Hammond has been clear that any extra spending (on business rates relief, for example) will be made up by cuts elsewhere or tax rises.

Putting up national insurance for self-employed workers by 3p in the pound to 12p to match employees has been mooted as part of a wider review into the tax system in the new gig economy. He could increase the dividend tax introduced in April last year, although that risks starting a row with thousands of businesses.

Theresa May announces new schools investment

Brexit fund

The Chancellor is likely to resist calls for a spending spree and instead ensure Britain has reserves in the tank to cushion against the potential economic fallout of Brexit.

He has set aside 27 billion for the next parliament but higher tax receipts and lower borrowing could see that war chest balloon to 60 billion. He has signalled that the windfall will not be diverted to things like the NHS and has highlighted the need to show economic resilience as Theresa May enters divorce negotiations with the EU.

Hammonds key investments are likely to centre on infrastructure, innovation and skills.

Business rates

Changes to the business rates system are expected to be revealed following widespread outcry over Aprils revaluation, and the Chancellor is likely to say he will find new money to help bail out rates losers in London.

Rates expert Richard Wackett of Montagu Evans says: The Chancellor is now sure to respond to backbench pressure for help, although this is most likely to take the form of a one-off giveaway where rateable value increases have exceeded 50% or more at the April revaluation.

Hammond is also likely to signal that the entire system needs a fundamental overhaul to cope with the rise of online retailers.

Technology

Tech experts hope that the Chancellor will give the sector his backing at a time when start-ups are concerned about the status of overseas workers and a lack of home-grown talent. He is expected to unveil a 550 million fund to back emerging areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and a strategy for 5G mobile coverage.

Tech City UK chairman Eileen Burbidge says: Any renewed commitment would be very welcome  particularly if it focuses on our unique strengths and growth areas such as AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or skills. That includes the ability to continue to attract foreign talent as well as to continue development of domestic skills to service those fields.

Credit clampdown

A crackdown on subscription traps is to be launched to protect customers who end up paying for memberships to services after free trials. Hammond will take aim at the confusing small print of offers, forcing companies to make terms and conditions shorter and simpler. Firms deemed to have mistreated customers could face a fine.

The likes of Netflix and Amazon could also be stopped from taking customers credit-card details when they sign up for a free trial.

More than 80% of consumers did not realise they had agreed to a subscription, while two million adults had had a request to cancel a membership declined, a Citizens Advice survey found.

Cigarettes and alcohol

Smoking is likely to be as bad for your wallet as your health after the Budget, in which were likely to hear details of the new tax floor on cigarettes. Previous chancellor George Osborne unveiled plans for the minimum excise rate last year but if Hammond sets it too high  8 a pack  tobacco firms will squeal, and tax revenues could disappear to the black market.

Drinkers may well get some relief if the Chancellor succumbs to the pressure from Camra and others to cut beer duty. At least he wont be hitting motorists with higher fuel duty at the petrol pumps after freezing it for the seventh year in a row last November.

T-levels

British firms are forecast to benefit from a radical overhaul of education in a move that aims to put technological qualifications on an equal footing with academic studies.

Under new plans expected to be revealed by Hammond, teenagers will be able to opt for T-levels rather than A-levels. Students moving into technical professions currently choose from about 13,000 technical qualifications. The Government plans to replace these with 15 standalone courses, including digital technology.

James Wise, a partner at start-ups backer Balderton Capital, says: The biggest challenge to building digital businesses in the UK has been access to technically trained talent, so inspiring students to start training in these subjects early is very welcome.

Fancy a flutter?

For those keen on a bet, theres still plenty to look out for despite Hammonds more measured approach compared with that of chancellors past. Here are the punts on offer:

Mentioned in speech Odds Brexit 1/100 Scottish independence referendum 5/1 Ukip imploding faster than Arsenal 33/1 Said first EU/European Union 6/4 Economy 3/1 Spending 6/1 Sips of water Three or more 6/5 Two 5/2 One 3/1 None 4/1 Budget special To wear a tartan suit 25/1 To lose the budget box 80/1 To paint the budget box blue 500/1

Odds from Paddy Power
Aberdeen shares fell to the same level as before the mega-merger  286p  before recovering to 290p as investors faced up to a big cut to their dividend as a result of the deal.

Analysts have forecast a 23% reduction in Aberdeen shareholder payouts this year.

RBC Capital said Aberdeen investors will also have to stomach a 17% drop next year as the group comes into line with Standard Lifes dividend policy. We believe the dividend cut may cause some of the positivity regarding merger accretion to be overshadowed, RBCs Peter Lenardos said.

Standard Life shares fell 11.4p, or almost 3%, to 388.6p.

The merger has faced a growing backlash over concerns about jobs and fears of outflows. Sir George Mathewson, former RBS chief executive and an influential Scottish businessman, said he regretted the tie-up because it would reduce diversity in the sector.

It hastens the move towards [an attitude] of why bother, we will just invest in an index fund, he told The Scotsman.
S hort-sellers of Mitie were thrown more scraps to feast on today as fears mounted that the troubled outsourcer will breach its banking covenants.

The arrival of new chief executive Phil Bentley in December was swiftly followed by the companys third profit alert in four months and assurances that Mitie was operating within its covenants.

The groups accounts are being reviewed by KPMG and it will no longer be able to book long-term contracts in advance.

Analysts at Jefferies argued its accounting may have flattered profits by between 20 million and 30 million annually for the past three years.

Jefferies Kean Marden said covenant tests this month and in September will be the point of maximum risk.

He added that a reduction in earnings this year of around 20 million from the KPMG review could cause it to breach its covenants. If it does so, Marden believes it will force Mitie into a 60 million rights issue.

Bentley has already sold the healthcare business but the analyst also expects a sale of its struggling property management arm. Short-sellers holding at least 14% of Mities stock will be licking their lips after Jefferies downgraded to underperform. It meant the bears were in the money as the shares dived 16p, or 7.6%, to 194.1p.

A stronger showing from mining stocks lifted the FTSE 100 by 11.35 points to 7361.47.

Intertek hit new highs after strong annual results. The 166p, or 4.6%, surge to 3760p values the product-testing firm, which has long been the subject of takeover chatter, at 6 billion. Payments processor Worldpay was 5.6p cheaper at 269.4p after its annual results underwhelmed.

Ascential, the Cannes Lions festival owner formerly known as Emap, was up a touch at 301.2p even after a discounted 268 million share sale by its former owners, private-equity firm Apax and Guardian Media Group.

The pair offloaded their remaining stakes at 288p per share. The Guardians 100 million windfall will come as a boost for the loss-making newspaper group.

Elsewhere on the mid-cap index, investors were hungry for a piece of Just Eat, which rose 19p to 537p after the online takeaways firms strong results and bullish outlook.

Builders merchant Grafton Group was hoisted 47.5p higher to 654.5p by better-than-expected annual profits.

Shares in natural sweeteners maker PureCircle were up 12p at 319p as it looked to have put its US border issue behind it despite sliding to a first-half loss. The company was cleared by US customs of having used forced Chinese prison labour at the end of January.
T wo teenagers have been stabbed to death so far this year in London; last year there were 14 among the 61 victims of fatal stabbings. Its a grimly dispiriting toll.

The Met already has an operation to reduce knife crime but Scotland Yard is also to launch an initiative which may well prove effective.

As Alf Hitchcock, the chief constable responsible for the nationwide fight against knife crime, says in an interview with this paper, police in London are not just going to target known offenders generally but are to pursue 50 individuals known to be implicated in knife crime, Al Capone-style.

The most famous gangster in history was imprisoned not for organised criminality, but for tax fraud. So the Met will pursue suspects for whatever offences they commit, however trivial.

This perfectly legal approach has already been used to good effect in dealing with gang members, and it is potentially highly effective.

If someone who has repeatedly been involved in knife crime is removed from circulation by police arresting them for some entirely unrelated offence, the impact on communities could be disproportionately big.

Those who commit one knife crime are likely to offend again, and by subjecting known suspects to scrutiny and spot checks it will be impossible for them to carry on business as usual. This is disruptive intelligence-led policing carried to its logical extent.

Of course, this focused approach is only part of the solution; another is to enforce the law banning the sale of blades to young people.

An undercover operation by the Met has found that both small shops and big supermarkets have sold knives illegally to minors; shopkeepers who continue to do so will be prosecuted. Trouble is, knives are readily obtainable in any kitchen, but the effort to restrict their sale is still worthwhile.

Meanwhile, police and teachers must continue to tell young people that they are less safe, not more, if they carry knives for protection, and families must play their part in preventing them doing so. We must all do our bit.

Not a time for an election

The former Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has suggested that now is an excellent time for the Prime Minister to call an election, given that the uncertainties about Brexit mean that she will need as large a Commons majority as possible.

But as he acknowledges, snap elections are now no longer possible, since the passing of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act  a Lib-Dem legacy to the present Government  so any election would have to be preceded by scrapping the Act, which would take time.

Mrs May has already made clear that she does not think that this is a good time for an election, no matter how expedient it may be from a partisan perspective. She is right.

An election next year would suit the interests of the Tories given that Labours electoral prospects have never looked worse, but the upheaval of a general election while the Brexit negotiations are still under way would be damaging.

An electoral mandate may strengthen Mrs Mays hand but it wouldnt be good for the country.

Beautiful show

It is rather wonderful that Carole King feels so positively about Beautiful, the hit musical inspired by her life and work, that she has on several occasions joined the cast on stage for an impromptu singalong at the end of the show.

Last nights audience at the Aldwych Theatre were treated to such an appearance and it is clear the stars hold over audiences is as intense as ever it was.

For audiences, the possibility of a personal Carole King performance is one more reason to go to Beautiful.
W ill it be a Budget for London? And what would such a Budget look like?

Londoners should remember that all recent Budgets have been Budgets for London. They have stoked the London boom. They have supercharged its leading industry, banking, and aided its second, tourism and leisure, with culture subsidies and devaluation. They have sent house prices soaring. They have built megaprojects galore.

Forget George Osbornes Northern powerhouse. It is a tumbledown shack compared with the Southern powerhouse, London.

This is no bad thing. Whats good for London is good for Britain. Half of all UK tax revenue comes from London and the wider South-East. If the capital shut up shop, heaven help the rest of the country. But I always assumed that a government would sooner or later arrive with a determination at least to redress the North-South imbalance, which grows more glaring with each passing decade.

Theresa May implied as much she stood last July on the steps of Downing Street, that plinth to the vacuous pledge. But she promptly did the opposite. She mimicked David Camerons metropolitanism with an expansion of Heathrow, as well as backing Crossrail 2 and giving a go-ahead for HS2, which every economist knows is a further boost for London.

Its the same old story. Modern prime ministers like spending big money only on things that are visible from space  or from the attic of the Treasury.

Tomorrow the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, certainly has London matters to attend to. He must retract the assault on Londons high streets launched by Osborne in his business rates revaluation, granting at least some relief from average retail rises of a quarter. He must also grasp the lack of money for adult social care in the capital before a series of scandals envelopes its ambulances, A&E departments and care homes.

This is mere tinkering. The devolution strategy initiated by Osborne in Manchester has to be given teeth, as the Mayor said so forcefully on this page yesterday.

Real devolution means handing over tax-raising powers. Hammond should seize on the report of Mayor Sadiq Khans London Finance Commission, published in January, and end central control over funding for the welfare system, skills, schools, the health service and much of housing. It should liberate Londons government to develop bespoke policy for its citizens and manage its budget efficiently.

The core proposal is to rationalise Londons now chaotic property taxes, spread across council tax, business rates and stamp duty, and give them all to Londons government as revenue. This would require some form of equalisation, between rich and poor parts of London and rich and poor areas nationwide. But the principle is clear  a universal basic income for local government everywhere, to raise or lower revenue, and to spend as it wishes under statute.

This discretion is enjoyed by all major cities across the world in some form or other. Local government must have an incentive to raise money for its own services and account for them to its voters, even if the result is a degree of local variation, or postcode lottery. London schools are set to be hit under the new Whitehall national funding formula, with no scope to raise their own resources. As for the gap between hospitals and community care for the elderly, the extra three per cent permitted on council tax will nowhere near meet demand.

While Transport Secretary Chris Grayling wastes billions on HS2, the Mayor should at least be able to raise some cash for far more stretched suburban services, and put a stop to the shambles enveloping trains in the South generally. Why are we building a new train route to Birmingham, given the state of the Brighton line?

It is humiliating for London  or Manchester or Birmingham  to have to go cap-in-hand to ministers for investment and service improvements which its citizens want but are not allowed to pay for

It is humiliating for London  or Manchester or Birmingham  to have to go cap-in-hand to ministers for investment and service improvements which its citizens want but are not allowed to pay for. It is not a matter of giving London more money. It is matter of allowing Londons elected leaders to ask their voters if they want to pay for better services.

The capital needs to be prepared for what this means. Four years ago a previous London Finance Commission also recommended delegating property taxes to the capital. It demanded that London be granted autonomy to invest in the capital and increase accountability to residents and businesses.

The sponsor of that report was Boris Johnson, now Foreign Secretary. One outcome was to award London boroughs at least a share of increases in their business tax base. Coupled with the collapse of planning control, that merely led to a plague of empty towers in Southwark and Lambeth, as councils scrambled for the one new source of revenue available to them.

Like exploding revenues from traffic and parking offences, it showed that councils left with random funding loopholes will deliver anarchy.

Hammonds concern is understandably to ready the British economy for Brexit, hard or soft. He worries over the niceties of budget deficits and trade balances. But he must know that a successful economy post-Brexit will remain reliant on the prosperity of the capital. This does not require it to be blessed with more Treasury largesse, or more megaprojects. It simply requires freedom for London to raise its own taxes and make its own decisions on priorities.

After a decade-and-a-half of elected mayoralty, Londons government is vastly more competent than it was at the end of the last century. It has matured and become more transparent and accountable. It is ready to be given more power. If London screws up, let it take the blame.
T here arent many places in London that make you feel as though you can truly escape from the citys hullabaloo. But there is one: the labyrinthine Barbican Centre, which has just celebrated its 35th birthday.

Sit outside in the evening and be cocooned by the Brutalist architecture, surrounded by lakes, fountains and hanging baskets. Go to the theatre and youll know the thrill when the side doors close in unison, shutting out the rest of the world. Or simply wander from its library to the top floor art gallery, letting yourself get lost in its many treasures.

Built as the citys gift to the nation, it offered a transformative, utopian vision for an area of London that had been devastated by bombing in the Second World War. Its the largest multi-arts centre in Europe, and is constantly international in its vision; on one day in their last season you could watch German theatre, see Icelandic art, and watch Spanish cinema.

As the building celebrates 35 years, we delve into the Barbicans history to remember some of its most brilliant and inspiring moments.

Les Mis had its first performance there

The Barbican was originally the London residence of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who, under Trevor Nunn, brought Les Miserables to stage. It was performed for the first time at the Barbican in 1985 - and the critics werent fans. One described it as a lurid Victorian melodrama; its since gone on to become the worlds longest running musical.

It contains the second biggest conservatory in London

(Lee Mawdsley)

The Barbicans mammoth conservatory is second only to Kew when it comes to size, but its a great place to escape for an idyllic afternoon (its only open on Sunday afternoons and Bank Holidays). Theres also over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees, as well as exotic fish - hidden treasures galore.

People queued for six hours to experience indoor rain

In 2012, the company Random International created something of a phenomenon with their indoor Rain Room. Only five people could enter at a time, and people queued for six hours to experience it. Why? It allowed visitors to experience the sensation of controlling rain - you put your arm out and it would stay dry. No one understood it, but everyone loved it.

It had the fastest-selling show in London theatre history...

Two words: Benedict Cumberbatch. When the Batch was announced as appearing in a production of Hamlet, directed by Lyndsey Turner and designed by Es Devlin, tickets disappeared faster than the speed of light. Fans queued through the night to try and get tickets, despite the show receiving mixed reviews.

and hosted the most successful NT Live so far

Johan Persson

Over 550,000 saw the NT Live broadcast of Hamlet, meaning that more people across the world will have been able to see the performance than during the plays entire 80-show run. A justification of the live cinema broadcast if ever there were one.

Grayson Perry had his first major UK show there

Guerrilla Tactics was Grayson Perrys first big show, spanning from his first pot made in 1968 to his present day work. It was just a year before he would go on to win the Turner Prize. The show featured over 60 objects, tackling signature topics such as gender and national identity, as well as the more controversial, including violence and paedophilia.

It held the first ever UK retrospective of Woody Allens films

In 1985, the Barbican held a three-week retrospective of every film Allen had directed or starred in. From Whats New Pussycat? to Broadway Danny Rose, it covered the period he made his absolute classics like Annie Hall and Manhattan, but was only about a third of the films he would go on to make (so far).

www.ronaldgrantarchive.com

Londons first silent disco happened there

In October 2001, an Aphex Twin DJ set with a difference took place. It was in the Barbicans conservatory, and had to be listened to through cordless headphones. The silent disco phenomenon is now a fixture of the festival scene at 3am.

You can watch six hours of Shakespeare in Dutch

Critically acclaimed director Ivo van Hove, who has influenced many British directors and had smash hits in London and New York, is bringing his version of Roman Tragedies back to the Barbican this year. It was first staged there in 2009, and the audience were free to come and go throughout the performance.

Theyve hosted an orchestra like you wont have seen before

In 2013, John Cales band performed alongside Liam Youngs collection of drones, offering a new view of them away from their associations with surveillance and the military. Here, they were choreographed instruments taking part in an immersive performance.
J oudie Kalla grew up in London and Qatar with Palestinian parents, and they would also visit Syria every summer on holiday. In October 2015 she ran her first London supperclub, Palestine on a Plate, for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation and since then she has held around 30 in total, gaining 49,000 Instagram followers in the process.

Having published her first cookbook last year, Kalla is currently working on a second one so people attending her supperclubs in April this year will be able to test out the new recipes from it. Here, she remembers all the dishes that her mother used to cook for her, her father and her four siblings, and how food has become her place of comfort in times of stress.

Growing up at home it was really my mum who would cook and she only made Palestinian dishes as it was all she knew. Shed have the occasional moment where shed experiment and it would be great but generally it was Middle Eastern or other food that shed grown up eating at home, remembers Kalla, whose parents were both from huge families of 20-odd brothers and sisters. The only two from their immediate families who left the Middle East and came to London, Kalla thinks her mum cooked as she was reminiscing. She was very young, under 30 with five kids, and she didnt speak English, and I think she was like oh my goodness, what am I doing? so I think the food and the kitchen was like our den. It was where we would have our meals, where wed just sit and be together for most of the night.

The household was loud, as Kalla is one one of five kids, but we all got on, and family time was really important. It was sort of forced on us but we actually enjoyed it, so my dad never had to shout at us to make it known that we had to be there. Dinner time was at 7pm and then it was family time until bed time."

Food created a special bond between Kalla and her mum, and became something to do if she felt sad or stressed. [When I was younger] it became my place to create stuff and not think about anything, and still I do that today. I became very attached to my mum through cooking. I was the fourth girl, and then my brother came as a surprise to me four years later, and I had a bit of an emotional crisis and I stuck to my mum because I couldnt accept this new little person taking my space. And this is really where it all started - shed keep me in the kitchen to stay away from him, because I was just terrorising him. And we ended up having a really nice bond  shed make batters ready for me to then make cakes, and peel onions, so by default she kind of shaped by future life because I became obsessed with food."

Stuffed food played a big role on the family dinner table. Everything from carrots and potatoes to aubergines and courgettes, and wed have a really different selection. But even though they were stuffed similarly with the same ingredients, the end result was always different. Palestinians love stuffing food of all types. I think its a cultural thing, and it also allows women to gather together and spend time together talking, sharing recipes, and bonding. Thats what it did for me. Growing up with my mother and all my aunties from both sides, adding up to 20, it was an amazing experience learning from them all in different ways."

Warak Inab, or stuffed vine leaves, are stuffed with spiced minced lamb and rice (Joudie Kalla ) / Joudie Kalla

The dish that holds most of Kallas memories is Warak Inab, or stuffed vine leaves. These, she says, are stuffed with spiced minced lamb and rice, cooked slowly for hours with lamb cutlets and stuffed kousa (Middle Eastern courgettes), and tangy due to the lemon used in the final stage of cooking. Kalla explains that no Palestinian home would be a home without this meal being served often. It is a symbol of our land and culture. We all like different parts of it. I like the burnt ones on the top as does my sister Tania, and my eldest sister Lara likes the lemony soft melt-in-the-mouth ones, while Maya my third sister loves all of them. I dont eat the courgettes but like the stuffing in them. and then its a free-for-all to get the last vine leaf and lamb cutlets. Its safe to say this could be the most nationalistic dish of Palestine and it is in every memory for us - birthdays, Eid, Christmas, Sunday lunches, Ramadan, celebrations of any kind. Any excuse and it was on the table."

Stuffed kousa (Middle Eastern courgettes) / Joudie Kalla

Other stuffed things that the family always ate included Jazar mahshi bil Tamer Hindi - stuffed large carrots with tamarind sauce. Its sweet and tart dish", Kalla explains, stuffed with either a mixture of vegetables and rice or meat and rice. The sweet carrot against the tart lemon tamarind sauce is so delicious. [Then] we drizzle it with fried garlic, olive oil and dried mint and there is such a burst of flavours. Wed eat this served with my mothers divine vermicelli Egyptian rice to mop up all the flavours of the sauces and the insides of these fillings, which was just wonderful.

Another comforting dish that was always on the table was Betinjan wa Kousa Mahshi, which is aubergines and kousa (Middle Eastern courgette) stuffed with lamb that has been seasoned with cinnamon salt and pepper, mixed with rice and cooked in a tomato broth. Its also almost better the next day.

2017 cookbooks - in pictures 1 /9 2017 cookbooks - in pictures Scroll to see some of the best books to look forward to in 2017... Shutterstock / sheff Adventures of a Terribly Greedy Girl by Kay Plunkett-Hogge 12.99, Amazon, Pre-order now Zoes Ghana Kitchen by Zoe Adjonyoh 25, Amazon, Pre-order now Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish-Cypriot Kitchen by Selin Kiazim 25, Amazon, Pre-order now Green Kitchen at Home by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl 25, Amazon, Buy it now Prime: The Beef Cookbook by Chef Richard H. Turner 25, Amazon, Pre-order now Citrus by Catherine Phipps 20, Amazon, Pre-order now

All of these dishes were things that Kallas mum would always be there preparing and still does today:

Shes in her sixties now but she cooks from the minute she wakes up, even though everyone has left home. Her freezer is full of things for when the whole family comes back to London. It works well when we cook together because she knows what shes doing and I know what Im doing and then well test and taste each others food to make sure were getting it right.

Kalla says that everything she cooks is about food memories, which she thinks is particularly important to us as a people because it seems that our past is being deleted and this is why I have written my book - not only to reflect on my own short and relatively young memory but to highlight a whole cultures memory and place us hopefully on a culinary map.

Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother's Kitchen by Joudie Kalla is out now (Jacqui Small, 2016, 25); follow her on Instagram @PalestineonaPlate
I t's an uncanny ability to prefigure real-life news that makes Homeland, now in its sixth season, such compelling drama. This series picks up after a terrorist attack on the Berlin transport network, with a President-elect left vulnerable to assassination and rogue agents giving tip-offs to Iranian intelligence. Mandy Patinkin, who plays CIA veteran Saul Berenson, the shows moral compass, says: Homeland holds a mirror up to nature, as Shakespeare said  and when it is at its best it strives to tell both sides of the story.

As the Syrian refugee crisis unfolded, Homeland weaved it into the plot, addressing tensions about global security in the wake of mass displacement. It created a kind of madness in me, says Patinkin, 64, who speaks with the same sage authority as his character. There I was telling a fictional story while the true world was burning around me, with governments saying we should close borders. Even though we were mirroring it and trying to do whatever we could in the story it was creating pain in my heart. I had to do something.

The day filming wrapped, he contacted the International Rescue Committee to arrange a trip to Greek and Serbian refugee camps. That was in 2015 and he still speaks powerfully about the girl in a pink coat who was put into his arms on a beach in Lesbos as her father struggled to get off a boat.

He made a return visit last weekend, and has stopped off in London on his way home to New York to tell as many people as he can about what he calls a tragic nightmare.

I asked one boy from Afghanistan in a camp in Greece who liked making art how he slept, says Patinkin. He broke down in tears thinking about his nightmares. I felt bad asking but I want myself and others to witness the effect of this war. You dont want anyone to suffer like this. Patinkin asked that boy what he wanted to tell the world. I said, My job is to be your voice and he said he wanted kindness: Please tell people to be kind.

Patinkin wears a black fleece, the pocket filled with teabags that were a gift from a refugee, and white New Balance trainers with huge dirty soles. His famous bushel of facial hair is immaculately trimmed and he jokes about making sure the hair I have left on my head looks all right.

Since his first trip, the EU has made a deal with Turkey, closing the borders in March last year to prevent the movement of displaced people. Now more than 70,000 refugees are stranded in camps across Greece and Serbia because the deal has, Patinkin says, trapped them in limbo.

He finished this trip at a town two hours from Berlin, where he saw a family he first met on his trip to Lesbos two years ago.

Mandy Patinkin sits with two refugee children from Herat Province, Afghanistan

When I saw them we wept and held each other, he says. Whistling Dixie, their home was beautiful. The kids are in school and already speaking German, the father wants to get a job taking care of the elderly. When we talk about refugees these are the people we are talking about. I wept because I had just come from camps and met families like theirs who are trapped with no legal means to move forward. Its insanity.

So why are the borders closed? Patinkin, who has immersed himself in the refugee crisis, reading as much as he can about it, says we need to look at the false fear driving political decisions. Perpetuated by President Trump, it builds on natural anxiety.

Best TV dramas 2016 1 /38 Best TV dramas 2016 The Missing The addictive and twisty second series of the BBC's crime anthology series BBC/New Pictures/Robert Viglasky Dark Angel Joanne Froggatt stared as Victorian mass murderer Mary Ann Cotton in this ITV drama ITV Close to the Enemy Stephen Poliakoff's post-war drama thriller BBC/Little Island Pictures Ordinary Lies The BBC anthology drama returns with more twisted tales BBC/Red Productions/Adrian Rogers The Night Of Riz Ahmed stars in HBO's critically acclaimed crime mini-series HBO Cold Feet The classic ITV comedy-drama returns - and it's just as good as it ever was ITV Victoria ITV have given Poldark some stiff competition with this period drama about a young Queen Victoria ITV Poldark The BBC's hit drama returns with more brooding, and less naked scything BBC/Robert Viglasky One of Us The BBC kept everyone guessing with this claustrophobic four-part whodunit Ripper Street The fan-favourite Victorian police drama returned for Series 4 BBC/Tiger Aspect 2016/Bernard Walsh The Secret Agent Toby Jones led the cast in the BBC's Joseph Conrad adaptation BBC/World Productions/Mark Mainz/Matt Burlem The Living and the Dead The BBC's gothic romance debuted in full on iPlayer BBC Preacher AMC's adaptation of Garth Ennis' cult comic book is available week-by-week on Amazon Prime Amazon / AMC Versailles A raunchy royal romp around the court of King Louis XIV, spicing up Wednesdays on BBC Two Canal +/ BBC Locked Up The Spanish prison drama came to the UK thanks to Channel 4's Walter Presents series Channel 4 / Global Series Peaky Blinders The Birmingham-set gangster thriller was more popular than ever in its third series BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky The A Word The BBC gave us a nuanced and emotional take on autism BBC/Fifty Fathoms Marcella Anna Friel stars in ITV's British take on the Scandi-noir thriller ITV Grantchester James Norton is back as the crime-solving vicar ITV / Lovely Day Stag The comedy-thriller from the team behind The Wrong Mans is both hilarious and chilling BBC/Des Willie/Hal Shinnie/Matt Burlem Vinyl Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger present a glossy drama about the Seventies music industry HBO American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson Cuba Gooding Jr leads an all-star cast in a dramatic re-telling of the 'trial of century' BBC/Fox Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire returned as Sgt Catherine Cawood for a second series of the gritty crime thriller BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall The X Files Mulder and Scully return for a brand new set of mysteries War and Peace The BBC's epic adaptation of the Russian literary classic BBC/Mitch Jenkins Call the Midwife The BBC period drama moved into the Sixties for Series 5 BBC/Neal Street Productions/Sophie Mutevelian Dickensian Charles Dickens' most famous characters collide in this historical soap BBC Jericho ITV's British western set in the wilds of Yorkshire Silent Witness The hugely popular detective drama returns for a 19th series

All humans live with anxiety. It is our common ground and to me the greatest cancer, of a worldwide epidemical nature. He smiles as he stumbles at the mouthful of the word epidemical. We are brought up without learning or accepting to be uncomfortable. A child hurts their knee and their Mommy or Daddy says Let me kiss it and make it go away. Patinkin becomes incensed. Dont tell me you need to make it go away. Its OK that it hurts. Hurting is part of being alive. Everything isnt about success and sunny days, if you live in London you know that.

We need to learn to live in comfort with our differences. The solution is to learn the truth and not make up facts. I accept that fear is natural, so you know to take your children and flee if your house is being bombed. But you dont need false fear.

That brings him to the other epidemic  alternative truth. As Polonius would say in Shakespeare thats an ill phrase. Theres no such thing, alternative truth is called a lie.

Mandy Patkin with children from the Metadrasi shelter for unaccompanied children, in the town of Mitilini in Lesbos, Greece

Being in Homeland puts him in a privileged position, with a window on to how much politicians are revealing. The CIA cares a great deal about whether the show represents the truth and Patinkin is friends with a number of agents, including Michael Hayden, who ran the CIA during the George W Bush years. Weve had long dinners and I asked if its true that people cant be vetted securely so we can see if they are a threat to the United States? He said absolutely not. He said the US is the gold standard of vetting right now.

Three million refugees have entered the US since 1975 and not a single terrorist incident has been committed by any of them. They are watched throughout their lives, it never stops. They are the safest people in your country. Thats real information, so what Trump is doing is false fear and thats a crime. Stopping lies has personal significance for Patinkin. One of the things my whole life is about, to a fault almost, is truth. I was told to lie to my father when he got [pancreatic] cancer. My family said if we told him he had cancer he would take his life. So as a 17-year-old I was told, Lie to Daddy, say he has hepatitis. I did and I never got the opportunity to have a truthful conversation with my father about what he was facing.

He continues: I have suffered from this for ever but its given me a gift. I know we cant afford lies. When I hear a lie in my voice I am ruthless with myself. We cant afford these lies that are closing borders, closing dialogue, closing imaginations of our leaders to come up with a safe, secure, legal system for people fleeing the most horrible lives to have a future.

Appearing in Homeland with Claire Danes / JoJo Whilden/SHOWTIME

Pausing for breath, he says: Have I exhausted you? You are not the first to want to get away from me.

Despite political gridlock and its consequences (I didnt want to give the people in the camps false hope, I just told them to stay strong), Patinkin is driven by a positive outlook, inspired by his Homeland character. Saul teaches people to listen better and will never give up being optimistic. He lives to make the world a healthy, healing place, to save all humanity.

Would he be friends with Saul? I am. He is the man I want to be and gives me courage. He is more adult than I am, calmer, less emotional. My wife loves Saul too. She thinks he makes Mandy a better guy to be with.

Refugees leaving the Calais Jungle 1 /13 Refugees leaving the Calais Jungle Refugees surge through a barrier at the camp in Calais Jeremy Selwyn There were chaotic scenes today as thousands of people began to leave the camp Jeremy Selwyn Huge queues formed - it came after violent clashes overnight between riot police and migrants Jeremy Selwyn Work to flatten the camp was due to begin today Jeremy Selwyn The refugees were told to leave the camp or face arrest and possible deportation Jeremy Selwyn Desite chaotic scenes, the refugees were said to be resigned to their fate Jeremy Selwyn The camps residents were today being processed before being bussed to temporary accommodation centres Jeremy Selwyn More than 1,200 police and officials were deployed as the operation to clear the Jungle started Jeremy Selwyn Todays first wave of departures were voluntary Jeremy Selwyn Camp residents, mostly men and male teenagers, gradually streamed out carrying belongings in suitcases and bin bags Jeremy Selwyn

As we speak, he twirls his wedding ring. His wife, the actress Kathryn Grody was in the camps with him and sends me about 10 articles every 30 seconds to read, which she then tests me on.

They are friends with a family of Syrian refugees in New Jersey and take them to the theatre: Their English is getting better, we need to learn more Arabic.

Patinkin and Grody have two sons, Isaac, 35, and Gideon, 32, who told him to face his own fear of social media and broadcast his trips to the camps on Facebook Live  Its been the best way to get the message out.

He compares the dynamic with his sons to Sauls relationship with troubled fellow agent Carrie in Homeland. Carrie and Saul have a mentor/teacher, father/child relationship but, like with my own children, who is the teacher and who is the student constantly shifts. There was a moment where people thought it was sexual with Carrie because she tried to seduce me but she has bipolar disease and using sexual manipulation to get what you want is part of that.

Saul is devoted to Carrie because she has uncanny abilities in terms of a sixth sense of human nature and he believes shes the best bet to make the world a better place.

Homelands reflection of reality keeps it fresh for him. The current plot revolves around a female President-elect. Is this because the writers expected a Hillary Clinton victory? I didnt expect Trump to win, says Patinkin. I dont know about the writers. They were trying to create a conglomeration of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Her gender isnt crucial.

Making a show closely linked to current political events can be exhausting. All humans need a break from reality, some ice cream, a nap. When you do a show like Homeland you never get a break because the minute you walk away from work and look at your phone its what youve been playing all day. Ironically, I work with refugees to recover from my fictional life, which is a fictional hell, which mirrors the real world. My recovery is to visit the refugees to get my humanity back. I recommend it.

Back in the US hes working on a new film and a musical project, singing Randy Newmans political songs.

He has been inundated with messages on social media from people asking how they can help the refugees. Ive said you dont need to be a politician or a celebrity or even have lots of money, you just need to be a human, speak up at work, write to your member of parliament, donate to important organisations helping these people. And most importantly use your imagination. We are facing a tragic nightmare and we have to do better. There are no excuses. I cant live with myself if I dont do something for these people.

Follow Susannah Butter on Twitter: @susannahbutter

rescue-uk.org
W hen you think Barbados, white sandy beaches come to mind, but thats not all the Caribbean island has to offer.

The island is also famous for its rum, with two working distilleries still on the island. The capital Bridgetown is also immersed in history, while the west coast of the island has its pick of 5-star restaurants, where you can taste local specialties such as Mahi Mahi.

Where to stay

Villas are not unusual for Barbados. We stayed in Battaleys Mews very close to Mullins beach on the West Coast. Set in a gated community, the white-washed three bedroom villas come with their own jacuzzis, accommodating living areas and fully furnished kitchens - so if you want to eat in every night, you can.

The villas have a communal swimming pool, where you can get to know your neighbours or just spend time in the winter sun. One of the best things about these villas are the concierges, who can sort out any problems for you. Jennifer, our personal concierge, was a whiz of local knowledge, giving us advice on what restaurants to visit and sorting us out with a hire car.

Buses are an easy way to get from Bridgetown and all the way up the west coast, costing just $2 Barbadian dollars - that's how the locals get around - but if you want to explore anywhere else, it's a good idea to hire a car. Just watch out for the uneven roads and hills.

Where to visit

One of our first stops was Bridgetown, the capital city and the first port of call for the English when they arrived on the island in the 17th century. We joined a walking tour by Tours by Locals, where our guide Victor gave us a detailed account of the island's history: how rum was exported out of the country, how slavery affected Barbados and stories about how Barbadians celebrated their independence 50 years ago.

You cant come to Barbados and not taste the rum. There are two working distilleries still on the island and more than 1,000 rum shops on the island. St Nicholas Abbey, one of the distilleries, is a quaint pink house which still has sugar cane fields surrounding it. It gives you an insight into how the owners used to live, how the sugar canes were turned into rum and of course, a taste. The Mount Gay factory, further down the island in Bridgetown showed us some of their oldest rums.

Rum cocktails from The Cliff restaurant. / Sarah Finley

The east coast of the island is well worth a visit, too. The view point at Cherry Tree Hill is magnificent, as is the drive down the coast. Stop off and watch the surfers go for great waves, but dont try it there yourself if you're a beginner - the beaches in the south are much safer. And if youre still feeling active the next day, then pop along to Pamela Harris yoga class. She leads 7am beach classes and gentle therapeutic yoga classes throughout the week at her studio Sunshine Kula - located right on Sandy Lane Beach.

Theres no shortage of great beaches on the island, either - the west coast beaches seem to go on forever. Walking down the beach from Speightstown, youll pass Mullins, which has a great beach bar, and Sandy Lane beach (where the rich and famous gather). Brighton Beach (not a pebble in sight) had the clearest water and went on for miles. Our favourite, however, had to be Miami Beach on the south coast. The bright blue waters were stunning against the white, sandy beach.

Miami Beach, on the south coast of the island. / Sarah Finley

Where to eat

Along the west coast youll find many five-star restaurants. The Cliff restaurant offers fine dining and lots of celeb-spotting opportunities. Perched on a cliff, it has one of the best views on the island and an amazing array of fresh fish on the menu  including Mahi Mahi  a local speciality that can either be cooked grilled or blackened (with bajan spices on top).

Other spots not to miss are Cin Cin by the Sea and Tides, both of which had a real English-style charm. Cin Cin has a great cocktail selection, one of which was named Ri Ri  after Rhianna herself.

Seaside dining room at Tides restaurant / Sarah Finley

Finally, book in for a beachside lunch at Lonestar. The menu is more relaxed, offering burgers and cocktails before you go out to paddle in the sea. Popular with tourists and locals alike, its a chilled way to spend an afternoon in Barbados.

Details

Thomson flies to Barbados twice a week, and prices start at 219. Three-bedroom villas as Battaleys Mews start at 2,200 for a one-week stay.

Follow Sarah Finley on Twitter: @SarahFJourno
A group of youths stabbed a dog to death in a senseless attack after it went to sniff them on a west London housing estate.

The Staffordshire bull terrier cross, named Chaos, was being walked by his owner through an alleyway on Havelock Estate in Southall.

Eight-year-old Chaos ran up to sniff a group of six to eight youths befored they allegedly attacked him with a flick-knife.

His devastated owner flagged down a nearby car and rushed the dog to the RSPCAs Animal Hospital in Putnye but the dog died before he arrived.

Attack: The dog was being walked down Swift Road / Google Maps

The RSPCA is investigating the incident and is urging any witnesses to come forward.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector broster said: This sounds like a very disturbing incident and a completely senseless attack on a defenceless animal and we are extremely concerned."

The incident happened on March 2 at around 3pm near Swift Road.

Chaos, who had lived with his owner since he was a puppy, was tan coloured with a black muzzle and was often walked around the area.

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.
Srinagar, Mar 7 (IBNS): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday appealed the youth of Kashmir to 'help me restore peace here, I will give you jobs, development and dignity' which have fallen victims to the designs of the vested interests.



Mehbooba, acknowledging that there are issues of unemployment among Kashmiri youth, promised that  restore peace and I will get Prime Minister ( Narendra Modi) here to announce jobs for you.

In her typical gesture of a clinched fist and raised arm, the Chief Minister, during a party seminar in Srinagar, added emphasis to her words:  This is my promise to you all..

You help me in restoring peace; I will get PM here and ask him to end the unemployment of my youth. You live in peace I will give you jobs in tourism (department). That is my promise to you, she said.

She also expressed her concern over stone-pelting protests.

I know you (youth) from before. Today, I have many bodyguards standing behind me, but you were my bodyguards, my police and my security forces when I would visit your villages," she said.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
A gang who stole high-end cars worth nearly 3 million were captured on camera as they queued up for a McDonalds drive thru in one of the thieved cars.

The eight-person gang broke into peoples homes during the night to steal car keys before making off in expensive Range Rovers, BMWs and Mercedes.

The criminals also drove about in minicabs emblazoned with Transport for Londons private hire stickers to steal keyless cars by using technology to spoof the unlocking of the car.

Some of the stolen motors were exported to Africa while others were broken down for parts.

Mugshots: Khuram Zaman and gang ringleader Manjit Sandhu. / Met Police

Police caught the gang after raiding a pub in east Londons Manor Park belonging to the father of the gangs ringleader, Manjit Sandhu, 32, where they found bags of stolen car keys in the basement.

Police also found key programming technology, blank keys and a tool for picking car locks.

Guilty: Sufiyan Mahmood and Faisal Khan. / Met Police

Sandhu went into hiding but police tracked him and his fellow gang members down during raids at their home addresses.

Police discovered the gang had carried out more 120 crimes between March 2015 and August last year, working out as more than seven a month.

Gang members: Heena Bux and Geoffrey Cairns. Met Police car theft gang / Met Police

A dash cam on one of the stolen BMWs caught the criminals on camera as they got in and out of the car while CCTV footage from McDonalds drive thru pictures two of the gang members in a stolen car.

DI Caroline Clooney said: This was an extremely prolific and well-organised criminal gang.

Found guilty: Mohammed Ariful Islam. / Met Police

They brought distress to many victims whose homes they broke into, who not only lost their vehicles but in many cases were traumatised by the thought of someone having been in their house while they slept.

Although the case involved over 120 offences, it is clear that this team were responsible for an even greater number of crimes.

The Met Police DI also issued a warning. She said: Almost all of the houses that were burgled had uPVC front doors that had not been double locked, allowing the offenders to gain entry very quickly using simple tools.

Nicked: Some of the car keys found by police in east London raids. / Met Police

I would urge all householders to ensure that their front door is correctly locked at night - this means not only lifting the handle on a uPVC door, but also using the key to lock it.

Unless it is locked with the key, the door remains vulnerable to the method employed by the criminals in this case."

Sandhu, of Fairlawns Close in Hornchurch, Heena Bux, 21, of Walwood Road in Leytonstone, Khuram Zaman, 20, of Violet Road in Walhamstow and Mohammed Islam, 21, of Knox Road, Forest Gate, were all found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal

Sufiyan Mahmood, 19, of Stracey Road in Forest Gate, and Faisal Khan, 23, of Chestnut Avenue, Forest Gate, both pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit burglary and to steal.

Humzah Bhariwala, 23, of Dunbar Road, Forest Gate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary while Geoffrey Cairns, 55, of Swindon Lane, Romford was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary after having pled guilty to conspiracy to steal.

All eight are due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on April 11 and 12.
T he mother of a graphic designer stabbed by gatecrashers at his nieces 14th birthday party said she can now sleep at night after his two teenage attackers received custodial sentences.

Duwayne Holness, now 26, was knifed six times as he tried to eject hundreds of uninvited teenagers who stormed the house party in Croydon.

He was left for fighting for life and spent more than a week in hospital after being set upon by hooded attackers last January.

Shaquille Badley-Allen, 18, was jailed for 11 years with four years on extended licence for the stabbing.

Shaquille Badley-Allen, 18, was jailed for 11 years

A 14-year-old was sentenced to four years and eight months with a three-year extended licence.

Mr Holnesss mother Cherry Livingstone said she was overjoyed with the outcome, adding: Theres so much of this going in Croydon. This is a lesson that needs to be taught.

I thought what their barrister said was going to sway the judge  my heart left my whole body. But when I heard the sentence I thought thank God, I can sleep at night now.

Some people get less time than that for murder and this is what we should be seeing. It has got more out of control and more violent.

She added: I was in the court every day as soon as the sun was up. It had been a horrible year for my family and now we can move on.

At the time of the stabbing Mr Holnesss sister Shurleene Fraser described scenes reminiscent of a mass murder after her brothers blood was spattered across the floor of the house.

Despite recently returning to work as a graphic designer in the City, his mother said Mr Holness was still carrying the scars of the attack.

She said: Where they stabbed him in the back it was millimetres from reaching his spine, and its still swollen.

Its a slow recovery, and he didnt really want to be out there. We had to tell him, you have to get back out there.

Hes still walking and looking behind him. I worry about him.

The grandmother also described her familys torture on the first anniversary of the stabbing  her granddaughter Tailer Frasers 15th birthday.

She said: It should be a day of celebration, a 15th birthday, but I said I did not want to go out. I did not want to be reminded of a day when my son nearly lost his life. It brought back all those memories.

My granddaughter kept a low profile. She has blamed herself. It is no way for a young girl to feel.

Badley-Allen, of Thornton Heath, south London, was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court of grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

The 14-year-old boy had previously pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

Both were sentenced on Friday.

Detective Inspector David Bowen, from the Trident and Area Crime Command, said: This case highlights the dangers that come from carrying a knife, and the sentences imposed are a reminder that violence of this nature will not be tolerated.
A ranting man was dragged off a bus by a group of passengers after he attacked the ticket inspector who had challenged him for not paying the fare.

The inspector asked the man to leave the bus after he refused to pay for his trip on the Route 149 bus in north London.

The man then allegedly launched an attack on the inspector, repeatedly kicking him in the legs and punching him in the head and chest.

Members of the public travelling on the same bus jumped to the inspector's defence and grabbed the man, forcing him off the vehicle.

As he was pushed off, the man shouted threats at the ticket inspector, saying: "The next time I see you, you will be a dead man."

Assault: The bus was travelling towards Manse Road at the time of the incident / Google Maps

Police appealing for information about the alleged attack have released an image of a man they would like to speak with in connection with the incident.

Officers from the Met's roads and transport unit have asked for witnesses of the assault - which took place on January 5 at 1.20pm near Manse Road - to come forward.

PC Neil Webb said: "We robustly investigate all allegations of assault that occur on the bus network. If you commit such an offence, not only will you be prosecuted, but you may also be banned from being able to use TfL operated services in the future."

A police appeal described the suspect as a stocky black man, approximately 5ft 10ins tall, 40-years-old, with a black moustache and a London accent.

Graham Daley, TfL's head of enforcement and on-street operations, said: "Our staff have the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation.

We are extremely concerned by these allegations and urge anyone with information to come forward to police."

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Neil Webb on 07500 607652 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A pervert has been jailed for filming up womens skirts as they travelled on the Tube.

Aaron Lal, 32, targeted female commuters as they travelled on the London Underground network between June and October last year.

He was caught by officers after a passenger saw him filming up a womans skirt on the Victoria Line on July 15, British Transport Police said.

A second passenger travelling in the same carriage also reported it to police.

Officers arrested Lal, of Dangan Road, Wanstead, and discovered more footage on his mobile phone which showed he had repeatedly been filming up womens skirts on the Tube network.

He was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of outraging public indecency at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police Sergeant Dan Rushall said: I am really pleased that this multiple offender has been brought to justice.

"Behaviour like this will never be tolerated on the transport network and I urge people to report any unwanted sexual behaviour to us so people like Lal can be brought to justice.

Update (28 August 2018): Mr Lals sentence was reduced on appeal from sixteen weeks to eight. We understand he was released from prison after serving four weeks of his sentence.
S cotland Yard has drawn up a hit list of Londons 50 most prolific knife offenders in a new attempt to stem the surge in blade offences across the capi- tal, a chief constable revealed today.

Alf Hitchcock, who leads the nationwide fight against stabbing crimes for the National Police Chiefs Council, said officers in London would use the list of habitual knife carriers to seek out offenders and catch them before they were able to use their weapons.

He added that the Met was also using an Al Capone approach  referring to the use of tax evasion charges to bring the late Chicago gangster to justice - by looking for other offences the prolific knife criminals had committed so officers can re- move them from the streets.

Chief Constable Hitchcocks disclosure, in an interview with the Standard, follows statistics showing that knife crime in London rose by 14 per cent in 12 months.

Stabbed to death: Stefan Appleton / PA

Already this year two teenagers have been knifed to death in the capital  after 13 were fatally stabbed in 2016 among an overall total of 61 blade killings.

The dangers posed by persistent knife carriers was also highlighted by the jailing last year of 17-year-old Blaise Lewinson for hacking Stefan Appleton, also 17, to death with a Zombie Killer machete.

Lewinson was given a life term for manslaughter over the killing in an Islington park. An Old Bailey judge des- cribed him as a dangerous offender who was fascinated by illegal knives.

The court also heard that six months before the killing Lewinson was caught with a lock knife at a McDonalds restaurant, despite having completed a blade crime prevention programme.

While on remand awaiting trial, he was also discovered carrying makeshift weapons in prison.

To prevent further such tragedies, Chief Constable Hitchcock said Scotland Yard had developed an intelligence database of Londons most prolific knife offenders as part its strategy to reduce the peril of blade carriers on the citys streets.

Determined: Chief Constable Alf Hitchcock / PA

The Met has a list of a top 50 people who are habitual knife carriers and that has allowed it to target them, he said.

Officers going out on patrol will seek out those offenders and where there are reasonable grounds to search them they will do so, because they know these offenders  and you already have on the database how many times these people have carried knives and what activities they are engaged in.

The other thing is that if these people have other offences that are outstanding  perhaps warrants for other criminality  officers can target them with almost the Al Capone strategy, by arresting them for other offen- ces not knife-related. That is a disruptive approach.

The key to enforcement is to target these habitual knife carriers. Once somebody has carried once they are more likely to carry again.

So instead of trying to target in a more random way, target in a more focused way those people you have caught once or twice before because they are clearly not getting the message and are going to carry on doing it because it has become a lifestyle for them.

Mr Hitchcock, Chief Constable of the Ministry of Defence Police and a former Met officer, said that most of those carrying knives were not gang members and that education remained the best way to deter most from continuing their dangerous habit.

But he warned that police action remained the only viable response to a minority who were off the moral compass and determined to carry knives to inflict violence on others.

He added: There is a hard-core group who, whatever education you give them, are just not going to respond to it. Theyre the habitual knife carriers. They are going to carry whatever you do. It has become their way of life.

They are a small but significant number. There are groups of people who are off the far right of the moral compass. They seem to think it is acceptable. They will always argue that carrying is for protection.

"The reality is that the majority carrying in these circumstances are not carrying for protection, they are carrying because they are more likely to be of a violent background, to be violent and more likely to commit an offence with it.

The only way to stop them is police enforcement.

Chief Constable Hitchcock said another source of concern was that the peak age for carrying knives was getting younger and now ranged from 14 or 13 to about 17.

He said this was quite worrying and suggested that youve got a group of people probably being influenced by their siblings, by their peer group, and carrying, which is not a good trend.

Todays disclosures come as Mayor Sadiq Khan prepares to unveil a new knife crime strategy for London. He has already promised better prevention measures and tougher enforcement action against those who break the law on knife sales to juveniles.
A swathe of the London Bridge area was evacuated as police investigated a security alert sparked by a suspicious vehicle.

Office workers were told to stay indoors and away from windows and the bus station and part of the train station were cleared of passengers after officers were called to a security alert in London Bridge street on Tuesday afternoon.

The road bridge was also closed to traffic and some buildings including a gym and a cocktail bar were evacuated.

A police disposal robot was deployed at the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.

Security alert: Police stand guard at a cordon outside London Bridge bus station / @ElizabethArgyll

Photos posted on social media show police guarding several cordons.

Witnesses described seeing a swarm of emergency services vehicles descending on the area.

The incident was stood down at 3.30pm after the vehicle was found to be no suspicious, police said.

A bomb disposal robot was deployed / @CloJo26

A woman, who was evacuated from a nearby gym, told the Standard: "The bus station just outside is closed - someone mentioned a suspicious vehicle but that was a bystander rather than a police officer.

"Looks like some of the office buildings may have been evacuated. The rail station is apparently open if you access via the escalator under the Shard.

"There are lots of police vehicles and at least two fire engines are onsite."

Police cleared the area / @ayoungmarketer

In a series of tweets, Elizabeth Argyll, a photographer who was caught up in the evacuation, said: "Police are clearing the area. Trains have been moved out of London Bridge station.

"It's now no longer calm. [Police] rushing people to get away. Only one exit so gridlock."

She later added: "They're extending the evacuation area."

London Bridge evacuated 1 /17 London Bridge evacuated @STiG911 London Bridge evacuated @STiG911 London Bridge evacuated @rhysdurham London Bridge evacuated @rhysdurham London Bridge evacuated @rhysdurham London Bridge evacuated @rhysdurham London Bridge evacuated @CloJo26 London Bridge evacuated @TobyLuckhurst London Bridge evacuated @Simon_J_Bell London Bridge evacuated @ayoungmarketer @STiG911 London Bridge evacuated @STiG911 London Bridge evacuated @Simon_J_Bell London Bridge evacuated @TfLTrafficNews London Bridge evacuated @AMillbery

Journalist Anila Dhami tweeted: "#LondonBridge station evacuated. Loads of security services including police and fire. Large area cordoned off with more police arriving."

Lizzie Pook, a freelance journalist, was evacuated from cocktail bar London Grind.

She wrote: "Just been evacuated from #LondonGrind in #London bridge. Being shouted at a lot by police to hurry up across the bridge."

Paul Vanston wrote: "Best avoid area: Full security alert for #LondonBridge

"King William St sealed off to traffic. Bridge closed to pedestrians #Blackfriars open."

A Met Police spokesman said: We were called to a security alert in London Bridge street at 1.40pm. The bus station and part of the rail station were evacuated as a precaution.

"The incident is was stood down at 3.30pm.

British Transport Police wrote on Twitter: "Specialist officers from BTP are assisting @metpoliceuk investigate a security alert at London Bridge. Station is currently closed."
T his was the moment a pair of brazen thieves carried a safe containing millions of pounds worth of cash and jewellery away from a Knightsbridge home after a Christmas Eve raid.

Police have launched an appeal after struggling to track down the suspects, whose total haul was valued at more than 2 million.

CCTV footage shows three men walking along a paved area in the upmarket west London district at 7.45 on the evening of the theft.

The same camera then catches two men coming back the same way over an hour later, struggling under the weight of what appears to be a huge safe.

Three men can be seen walking towards the house on the evening of the burglary / Met police

With both arms wrapped around the box, they manage to carry it past several luxury cars and towards the road.

Another camera captures the men, both dressed in jeans and coats, drop the safe for a moments rest before continuing onwards.

The CCTV footage of the burglary was played on the BBCs Crimewatch programme on March 6.

Two men can be seen struggling to carry what appears to be a safe / Met Police

A Met spokesman said there had not yet been any arrests in relation to the incident.

They said: Police were called at approximately 09:25hrs on Wednesday, 28 December to a report of a residential burglary in Kensington and Chelsea.

It is beleived that the burglary took place between 19:40 and 21:00 on 24 December 2016.

A large amount of cash, watches and jewellery was stolen valued at more than 2m.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Sean Lyons on 0208 2460311.
T wo women have died after a car ploughed into a group of pedestrians outside a hospital.

The vehicle crashed into pedestrians in a car park outside the hospital in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.

Officers were called to reports of a serious collision at Withington Community Hospital shortly after 2.05pm on Tuesday.

Two women were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and both later died.

Police stand guard at a cordon outside a hospital in Manchester / PA

An 89-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving.

Senior Investigating Officer Sergeant Lee Westhead, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit for Greater Manchester Police, said: "My thoughts go out to anyone affected by this tragic incident.

"An investigation has commenced to establish the circumstances.

The vehicle being towed away from the scene of the crash / PA

"We are in the very early stages of the investigation and I would urge anyone who witnessed the collision, or saw the vehicle beforehand, to contact my team as soon as possible."

A spokeswoman for North West Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 2.05pm to attend reports of a road traffic collision involving a vehicle and pedestrian."

Anyone with information should call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741.
E mergency services have descended on an area outside one of Londons busiest rail stations after two men were stabbed.

Police and paramedics swarmed the streets outside Victoria station on Tuesday ahead of the afternoon rush hour.

Scotland Yard said police were called to reports of a stabbing in Wilton Road at 4.20pm.

Officers arrived at the scene and found two men with stab injuries.

Police cordon off Victoria Station entrance following stabbing

Both men were taken to a central London hospital, police said.

Police vehicles parked outside Victoria station following a stabbing / @bigdaddytoes

Photos showed a swarm of emergency services in the area and bloodied clothing strewn across the floor at the scene.

Wilton Road was cordoned off at the junction with Victoria station as officers carried out their investigations.

Bloody clothing at the scene outside Victoria Station in central London / PA

An alleyway in between a shoe repair shop and a restaurant was also sealed off by police.

A 43-year-old man, who asked not to be named, told the Standard: "I came out of the station and things were calm inside but there were some youths being held by Met police outside and an increasing number of police cars were arriving.

Emergency services outside Victoria Station in central London, where two men were stabbed and taken to hospital / PA

"A medical team was attending to a man sitting down on a stretcher but he was conscious and speaking to an officer.

"One block away on Wilton street there were more police cars.

Police inspect an alleyway in Wilton Road following a stabbing / @bigdaddytoes

"Police at that other scene had cordoned off an alley and seemed to be searching for evidence or someone.

"It seems like there may have been a chase going on because the crime scene was split in these two locations. The cordoned off alley was close to the Sainsbury's on Wilton Road."

Simon Moores tweeted: "Good grief major police incident at Victoria station now."

Police said the men's injuries were not thought to life-threatening or life-changing.

Officers were called to reports of a stabbing near Victoria station / @bigdaddytoes

A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called at around 16:20hrs on Tuesday, 7 March to reports of a stabbing in Wilton Road, SW1.

"Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found two males with stab injuries.

"They have been taken to a central London hospital. We await an update on their condition.

"There have been no arrests and enquiries continue."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101 or @MetCC.
L ondon companies were today warned they face chaos when new business rates are introduced next month after it emerged that more than 250,000 appeals against the last revaluation in 2010 are yet to be settled.

A new wave of appeals is expected to be unleashed on a creaking system still working through challenges lodged by businesses seven years ago or more.

Remarkably, nearly 800 appeals against the valuations from 2005 remain unresolved, revealed the Governments Valuation Office Agency.

Business leaders said the extraordinary backlog would place more pressure on companies facing steep rate rises from April.

Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, which represents thousands of restaurants and hotels in London, said: An already chaotic situation is about to get a whole lot worse. It is clear that, through no fault of its own, the valuation office is underfunded and overrun.

With next months increases and the lack of clarity concerning the new appeal process, thousands of small businesses are faced with huge increases and an uncertain future.

Business rate expert David Shuttleworth, vice-president of specialist surveyors Altus UK, said appeals against 2017 rateable values would be more difficult and costly because the Government was introducing a multi-stage appeal process. He said: There are a lot of challenges and a considerable increase in bureaucracy.

The VOA figures show there were just over one million appeals against the 2010 valuation list, of which a quarter are unresolved. Just over seven out of 10 were rejected.

There were 936,000 appeals against the 2005 valuation list, of which 780 are outstanding.

Paul Easton, head of business rates at consultants Lambert Smith Hampton, said the backlog would take two to three years to clear: The deadline of March 31 will bring about a surge in last minute appeals, which will put the system into tremendous strain.

It is difficult to predict exactly how many will be put forward, but ahead of the last deadline for ratepayers making 2010 appeals, the number rose from a normal monthly total of around 20,000 to around 200,000 in the last three months ahead of the deadline.

For years, rating professionals have been saying that the system cannot cope with the volume of appeals  mainly due to the lack of resources to pay for a large enough skilled workforce  and this under-resourcing will have a big impact on national businesses.

However, a Government spokesman said: The figures clearly show how the appeals process is being clogged up by spurious claims, with over 70 per cent of appeals leading to no change to a businesss rateable value.

Business group Better Bankside, representing employers in SE1, said 96 per cent of its members would suffer an increase, with an average rateable value rise of 49 per cent.

Donald Hyslop, chairman of Better Bankside and Borough Market, said: The increase in business rates threatens to sanitise our neighbourhood and price out the unique and special businesses that give this city its character.
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
A mother diagnosed with cancer just weeks before her daughter today paid tribute to the inspirational 11-year-old who lost her battle with the disease.

Karen Powell, 47, a personal assistant, had just undergone a procedure to remove a tumour on her left kidney when one of her nine-year-old twins, Sophie, was diagnosed with Wilms tumour on her right kidney in 2015.

Sophie, from Eltham, had a similar operation to her mother but her tumour ruptured and she had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The schoolgirl fought the cancer for almost two years before she relapsed and died on January 21.

A fundraising page set up in her memory has already raised almost 20,000 for four childrens charities she was passionate about.

Mrs Powell, whose recent test results have been clear, said she, her husband Steve, 46, and their daughter Emma, 11, had been left devastated and broken-hearted.

She said: Sophie never complained, never wallowed in self-pity. I couldnt have coped with some of the things she went through.

She was really aware of what she was dealing with but she was equally conscious of helping other people. She was quite inspirational really.

She was just a really kind, generous child. She was a lot of fun and had a thirst for knowledge. She had a great personality.

Sophie raised over 3,000 for charity when she was first diagnosed. Despite being seriously ill with cancer and dealing with the effects of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, she wanted to raise more.

At Christmas time she was so poorly but even managed to write all her Christmas cards and wrap all her presents for her friends, family and nurses.

You just cant underestimate how determined she was. She was smart and wise beyond her years. For us our biggest fear was that she would be frightened about the situation she was in. But she just focused on doing kind things. As a family the pain of her loss is unbearable, and we set up the fundraising page in tribute and as a legacy for Sophie.

Sophie dreamed of setting up a holiday home for sick children on the Isle of Wight / PA

One of Sophies dreams was to buy a holiday home for sick children on the Isle of Wight where she enjoyed family holidays. Mrs Powell said: Right now Im not emotionally ready to do it. But Id love to buy that holiday home.

These four charities can support families that have been through the same as us. I know Sophie will be looking down smiling.

Sophie and her twin Emma were both recognised for their bravery by Cancer Research UK.

For more information visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/someonespecial/sophiepowell
A hard-working man killed when a Mercedes ploughed into a group of people at a hand car wash has saved five lives by donating his organs, his grieving family said today.

Romanian national Claudiu Girdoc, 31, died in hospital five days after the horror crash on the forecourt in Bellingham, south-east London, last Sunday.

His devastated mother Elena, 58, had flown over from their home town of Slatina and was with her son when his life support machine was switched off.

A fundraising page has been set up to raise 2,500 to return his body to Romania.

His cousin Raul Popescu, 45, a machinist from Fulham, said Mr Girdoc moved to London nine years ago to fulfil his dreams of working to help his family.

Crash: Police at the scene at Bromley Road / PA

He told the Standard: He came here for a better life. He tried to help his family.

He had just moved in with his girlfriend a few weeks ago and they wanted to go back home to start a family. But now hes going to go home like this.

He added: Claudius last wish was to save lives by donating his organs to those more in need. Now he has helped at least five sick people.

Mercedes: The car ended up in a hedge after ploughing into several people / PA

The Mercedes mounted the pavement and crashed into Mr Girdoc and four others in Bromley Road, Bellingham, shortly before 8.30am on Sunday, February 26.

Dramatic footage captured passers-by desperately trying to help the victims.

Crash: The Mercedes hit pedestrians / Tim Gluckman

The suspected drunk driver was chased down the street by angry bystanders who shouted: Why have you done this?

Mr Popescu added: He was at work, having a chat with his colleagues when a split second later a car drove into him.

He had his back to the road and he didnt know what was happening. He didnt have a chance.

Emergency services at the scene / @tinklyboo

The doctors said he didnt suffer and that he died at the scene. He had no time to react.

Its such a tragedy. He was just a normal guy. He had a big heart. He was there for everyone.

He was popular and all the local people knew him. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My heart goes out to his mum. She had never left her city  can you imagine what she is going through now? We shopped for a suit to bury him in, and she said it should be for his wedding.

A 25-year-old man injured in the incident remains in a critical condition in hospital while a 35-year-old woman is in a serious but stable condition.

A 46-year-old man also remains in hospital where his being treated for a leg injury. A 36-year-old man, who sustained less serious injuries, has been discharged.

Adam Niazi, who set up the Crowdfunder appeal, said: Claudiu and all his colleagues were hard workers - rain or snow, sleet or cold they worked hard to earn a living.

We should all unite communities whether Romanian, English, Turkish or whatever ethnicity, race or religion to show that we do have a sense of humanity, compassion and unity for one another in these sad times.

To donate, visit this link

A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving has been bailed until May.
S adiq Khan today branded the Governments business rate bailout an inadequate sticking plaster as he called for full devolution of the levy to the capital.

The Mayor said Philip Hammond should set out a long-term solution in his Budget tomorrow for London businesses still facing crippling rises.

The Standard revealed yesterday that London will get the biggest share of funds in the bailout, expected to total hundreds of millions of pounds.

Traditional retailers and firms facing increases of 50 per cent or more are expected to get some help, while more regular business rate revaluations are likely.

Mr Khan welcomed the move but accused Mr Hammond of tinkering around the edges. He warned that thousands of businesses in London that do not qualify for help could still close if ministers plough ahead with plans to increase the business rates bill. These measures are nothing more than a sticking plaster on a crisis that could force thousands of London businesses to close and change the face of our high streets forever, he said. The Chancellor needs to acknowledge the current system is unfair. He should agree to ... full devolution of business rates.

Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce, called for transitional arrangements to help small firms and also a fundamental review of the system, as well as a firm commitment to Crossrail 2. Mr Hammond is expected to signal that the entire business rates system needs an overhaul.
M inisters today came under pressure to relax restrictions on how town halls can raise money to build more affordable housing.

The Centre for London think-tank and boroughs across the capital called for the power to use any means at our disposal to help solve the housing crisis.

In an open letter to the Government, it warned that councils were hampered by restrictions on funding in the capital but also the high cost of land.

London is facing a housing crisis that threatens to derail the capitals economy, as house prices and rents spiral out of reach for more and more Londoners, signatories wrote. Without these urgent reforms, Londons councils will struggle to play their part in meeting the citys housing needs.

The signatories, including former civil service head Lord Kerslake, called on the Government to allow local authorities to borrow carefully against rental revenues to build more homes.

They said ministers should cancel reforms such as the forced sale of high- value council homes to provide a more stable environment for borrowing.

Sir Steve Bullock from Lewisham and Julian Bell from Ealing were among town hall chiefs who want restrictions on the use of money raised from right-to-buy to be relaxed.

But their key demand was the freedom to build homes across borough boundaries  particularly between inner and outer London  as demand continues to grow.

Silviya Barrett of the Centre for London said: Increasing the supply of affordable housing in cheaper areas of London could provide better access to jobs and social networks.

If the Government is serious about supporting councils to build more, it must cut red tape attached to how available funding can be spent.

Her report shows that land accounts for more than half of the cost of building a flat in central London  but just a quarter in the cheapest suburb.

It called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to help broker formal borough partnerships to deliver more homes and encourage the collaborative approach with enhanced grants.
T he Government has suffered a second blow to its Brexit bill as the Lords backed an amendment demanding Parliament has a final say on the deal.

Peers voted to alter the Government's proposed bill with a promise for a "meaningful" vote on the Prime Minister's final Brexit agreement.

In a vote on Tuesday evening after three hours of heated exchanges, the amendment was passed with 366 votes to 268

The bill will now go back to MPs who will decide next week whether they accept the proposed changes.

It is the second defeat the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, has suffered in the Lords after the Government's failure last week to block an amendment that guarantees the rights of EU citizens in Britain.

Today's defeat in the Lords - which was the largest vote on record in the House - was by a slightly smaller majority than last week's vote - with a majority of 98 votes today compared to 102.

Brexit Secretary David Davis. / AFP/Getty Images

Brexit Secretary David Davis called the decision "disappointing" and said the Government intends to overturn the result.

He accused peers of trying to "frustrate" Britain's exit from the EU and said: "It is disappointing that the House of Lords has chosen to make further changes to a bill that the Commons passed without amendment.

"It has a straightforward purpose - to enact the referendum result and allow the Government to get on with negotiating a new partnership with the EU.

"It is clear that some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process, and it is the Government's intention to ensure that does not happen. We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons."

Prime Minister Theresa May had previously warned Britain should not commit to a Brexit that would "incentivise the EU to offer us a bad deal".

Tory former cabinet minister Lord Heseltine, a Government adviser, said the UK is facing "the most momentous peacetime decision of our time" as he backed demands for a "meaningful" vote.

Former foreign secretary Lord Hague earlier called for Theresa May to hold an early general election in the hope of securing a "decisive" majority and reduce the risk of further parliamentary stand-offs over Brexit.

But Downing Street indicated the Prime Minister would not go to the country, with a source insisting "It's not going to happen".
D owning Street today rejected a call by former Tory leader Lord Hague for an early general election to enhance Theresa Mays ability to push through a Brexit deal.

The Prime Ministers spokesman said she believed an early election was not in the interests of the country and that there was no public desire to go to the polls again.

No, the Prime Minister has been very clear and consistent on her postilion on an early election, said a No 10 official. She does not think there should be one - and it is not in the interests of the country to have one. She is focused on delivering the Governments agenda.

Mr Hague argued that a general election victory would strengthen the Governments hand at home and abroad. He said a mandate would improve her position in negotiations with other EU leaders, and empower her to face down opponents of Brexit in the House of Lords.

Early election call: William Hague / PA

He used his weekly Daily Telegraph article to argue that Mrs May should abolish the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, which currently puts in law that the next election will be in 2020 unless the Government collapses.

Mr Hague predicted the Tories would crush a Labour in a snap poll - which was angrily denied by a piqued Jeremy Corbyn. We are very confident of the support we can get in order to win an election, Mr Corbyn told the BBC.

Dont underestimate the support there is for the Labour Party, dont underestimate the anger there is out there at the levels of inequality and injustice in our society.

Pressed on whether he was truly confident following polls showing Labour trailing 40 per cent to 24 per cent behind the Conservatives, Mr Corbyn retorted: How many times do I have to tell you? We are taking our case out there to win because we believe we can win.

Senior Tories are divided on the risks of an early election. Proponents say Mrs May would win a landslide if she went against Mr Corbyn, but could be less strong by 2020. They also say she needs a full five-year term to negotiate Brexit and cope with the stresses of withdrawal before seeking her next re-election.

However, opponents point to the referendum and the triumph of Donald Trump as evidence that voters might deliver another shock result or leave the country in limbo.

Mr Hague said he had no doubt Mrs May would get a decisive majority in the Commons, and urged: It is time to question whether a fixed parliamentary term is in the interests of the country as we withdraw from the European Union.
H undreds of peers are standing firm on their promise to rein in the Governments Brexit plans, despite warnings from Theresa May.

The Tories face a second defeat in the Lords today, with up to 20 of their own peers set to back a Labour amendment that gives Parliament the final say on Britains departure from the EU.

Mrs May warned that Britain should not commit to a process of Brexit that would incentivise the EU to offer us a bad deal.

However, Lord Newby, Liberal Democrat leader in the Lords, branded the threat ludicrous and said Labours 202 peers and the Lib Dems 102 members outnumbered the Conservatives 252 peers.

Lord Newby said: The Governments attitude is that any amendment weakens their hand  this is pure rubbish. It strengthens their hand because Theresa May can say to Europe, Youre not just negotiating with us, you are negotiating with Parliament. 

Tory grandee and former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine is expected to give a speech today on why Parliament should have a vote.

Last Wednesday, the Government failed to block an amendment that guarantees the rights of EU citizens in Britain. MPs will be asked on March 13 and 14 if they accept both changes.

Mrs May must face European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday despite the limbo over the bill.

BMG Research for the Independent says twice as many people want the UK to stay in the EU or negotiate a different deal if MPs and peers do not endorse Mrs Mays plan.@KateProctorES
F ormer Tory leader William Hague has urged the Prime Minister to call an early general election to avoid further parliamentary stand-offs over Brexit.

The peer called on Theresa May to repeal the Fixed Term Parliaments Act  which effectively prevents another election being held until 2020.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Hague said "it is time to question whether a fixed parliamentary term is in the interests of the country as we withdraw from the European Union".

He said there was "no doubt" Mrs May would have a better chance of making Brexit a success with a "decisive" majority in the Commons, warning her that different factions in Parliament will inevitably find parts of the exit deal "difficult to stomach".

Election call: William Hague / Dan Kitwood / Getty

Lord Hague, the most senior Tory figure to publicly call for an early election, went on: "We have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues.

Philip Hammond: Post-Brexit Britain won't 'slink off like a wounded animal'

"There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them."

Ahead of the expected clash between peers and the Government over Parliament's role in approving the final Brexit deal, Lord Hague added: "Any deal is bound to be full of compromises which one group or another in Parliament finds difficult to stomach.

Sir John Major criticises Theresa May's Brexit strategy

"As British law needs to be amended countless times to take account of leaving the EU treaties, the Government could face many close votes, concessions or defeats as it tries to implement Brexit.

"That prospect will embolden the EU negotiators, and makes an agreement that is good for the UK harder to achieve.

"It could also lead to a situation where the Prime Minister faces a stand-off with Parliament over a deal that will have taken two years to negotiate and is nearly impossible to change."

Lord Hagues call for an election came after polls suggested support for Jeremy Corbyn among Labour party members has crashed over the past 12 months.

Gina Miller on why Parliament scared to have Brexit debate

More than half of respondents said he should step down before the next general election.
F our in five finance bosses believe candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds fail at interviews because of the way they look, according to a new study.

The YouGov polling, published by education charity the Sutton Trust, found 81 per cent of senior finance industry figures said "presentation" was the main stumbling block for underprivileged people.

It backs up research by the Social Mobility Commission last year which suggested young people from less affluent homes are often locked out of banking jobs because of their clothes, accent and behaviour.

The study compared more than 1,000 senior decision makers from various industries, with financial and accounting firms the most likely to think their industry didnt support disadvantaged young people.

Just over three quarters of the banking bosses surveyed believed school and university results were damaging the job prospects of those from disadvantage backgrounds. While 62 per cent blamed employers thinking the candidates would struggle to fit in with their work culture.

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment, said: Finance and banking offer rewarding careers for talented young people. However, todays research shows that it is very difficult for young people from low and middle income backgrounds to access them.

Our polling shows that the vast majority of senior figures in finance and banking think that the way candidates from poorer backgrounds present themselves affects their job chances  the brown shoes effect.

The Sutton Trust, launched in 1997, is working with Deutsche Bank on a programme to widen access to the banking professions.

Tiina Lee, Head of Global Markets, UK, and Deputy CEO, UK and Ireland, Deutsche Bank, said: We know theres a social mobility problem within the banking industry and that addressing it makes economic and business sense. By reaching students while they are still in school, we hope to encourage more bright young people from poorer homes that a career in finance is open to them.
A young British backpacker was allegedly raped repeatedly, beaten and throttled during a harrowing two month road trip hostage ordeal in Australia.

The 22-year-old woman, from Liverpool, was rescued on Sunday after walking into a petrol station in Queensland visibly injured and crying and "shaking uncontrollably."

She was later pulled in a routine traffic stop after failing to pay for petrol at the garage in the outback about 600km from Brisbane.

According to police she was found "terrified and injured" behind the wheel of the car. She had fractures to her face and strangulation marks to her neck.

A man who appeared to be hiding in the back of the vehicle was arrested.

The man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle, police said / Sarah Dionysius/NRM

She told officers she had met the man at a party in Cairns. He had been holding her ever since, she said.

The many damaged and invalidated her passport, possibly to prevent her escape, police said.

The vehicle stopped by police / Sarah Dionysius/NRM

The man, also 22, from a Cairns suburb is facing more than 20 charges, including four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four of strangulation, two of deprivation of liberty, and one charge of obstruct police.

Officers believe they saved the woman's life after arresting the suspect who was found hiding under clothes in a small alcove in the rear of the vehicle, which they had been travelling around the state in since January 2.

The man was found hiding under a pile of clothes, police said / Sarah Dionysius/NRM

Detective Inspector Paul Hart, of Queenland Police, told a press conference: "Police were really just attending a routine job in relation to a driver that was unable to pay for petrol."

But they noticed she had various injuries and was "overly alarmed" by the officers' presence when they pulled her over in Warrego Highway, Mitchell, around 300 miles from the east coast city of Brisbane.

"She advised that over a period of weeks she had been held against her will by the male person located in the vehicle," the officer said.

Paul Hart speaks during a media conference at the Toowoomba Police Station in Queensland, Australia / REUTERS

"It was established they had previously had a relationship but at some point it had soured and he basically deprived her of her liberty and committed a number of offences against her as they travelled around the state.

"What she has experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police."

The car in which the suspect and the woman were found by police / Sarah Dionysius/NRM

The woman's injuries did not require surgery and police said she has made contact with family in the UK.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British woman following an incident in Queensland and remain in contact with the local authorities."=
New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): Refugees are ordinary people forced to flee war, violence and persecution in their home countries and who remain in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection, the United Nations refugee agency underscored on Monday in the wake of the latest Executive Order signed by the President of the United States on refugee resettlement.

The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a news release, adding that his Office (UNHCR) has long been a partner for the US in finding solutions to refugee problems, and we look forward to continuing this partnership.

Grandi's statement follows the signing earlier on Monday by US President Donald Trump of an Executive order that, according to news reports, would, among other things, suspend the country's refugee programme for 120 days. It would also bar for 90 days travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

On Monday's measure follows a similar Order signed by the US President on 27 January, which barred all nationals from several majority Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen  from entering the US for 90 days. Under that Order, Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely.

In the wake of the new Order, the UN refugee agency reiterated its readiness to engage constructively with the US Administration to ensure all refugee programmes meet the highest standards for safety and security.

Americans have long played a crucial role in promoting global stability while simultaneously exemplifying the highest humanitarian ideals, from support for refugee emergencies overseas, to welcoming some of the most vulnerable refugee families in the United States to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom and dignity, said UNHCR.

This is the gold standard in refugee protection and a powerful model for all countries, it said, adding that at a time of record-high levels of forced human displacement, this kind of humane leadership is needed more than ever.

Photo: UNHCR/S. Hopper

Source: www.justearthnews.com
A former MI6 officer behind an explosive dossier of allegations about Donald Trump has broken his silence after almost two months in hiding.

Ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, 52, fled his Surrey home after he was unmasked as the author of the dossier containing allegations that Russia holds compromising information about the US president.

Mr Steele, who runs London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, said he was returning to work at his firms offices in Belgravia on Tuesday.

Speaking outside he said: "I'm really pleased to be back here working again at the Orbis's offices in London today.

Returning to work: Former MI6 agent Christopher Steele who compiled a dossier on Donald Trump / PA

"I'm now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here.

He thanked people for their support and the kind messages he had received in the last few weeks.

Mr Steele, who was forced into hiding when he was named in January, read a prepared statement and did not wish to answer any further questions.

His company said it remains committed to the "secure provision" of services to clients.

Mr Steele broke his silence after almost two months in hiding / PA

The contents of the politically explosive dossier became public on January 10 when the entire 35-page file was published by BuzzFeed.

It contained claims that Russia was in possession of compromising information - known in Moscow as "Kompromat" - on Mr Trump, which could be used to blackmail or exert pressure on the new president.

The file also detailed allegations that the Trump team had multiple contacts with Russian officials during the election campaign, and that the billionaire tycoon had been cultivated by Moscow over a number of years as a possible presidential candidate, with the aim of encouraging splits within the West.

It also included a lurid allegation about Mr Trump in a compromising situation with prostitutes at a top hotel in the city.

Mr Trump denounced the document as "fake news", and its veracity has been widely questioned, with Vladimir Putin himself saying it contained "obvious fabrications".

It is understood that the contents of the dossier had been shared with a number of Washington journalists but it was not published as outlets were unable to confirm the allegations.

While the existence of the report was mentioned in US media in the run-up to the election, it only became public knowledge when it was reported president-elect Mr Trump and then-president Obama had been briefed on the claims by intelligence chiefs.

Despite efforts by UK authorities to protect Mr Steele's identity, he was named the following day by the Wall Street Journal and quickly fled his home in Surrey with his family - leaving his cats in the care of a neighbour.

Orbis, which was founded by Mr Steele and another retired intelligence officer in 2009, is described on its website as a corporate intelligence consultancy which combines "a high-level source network with a sophisticated investigative capability".

The Trump dossier reportedly arose from an investigation initially funded by Republicans who were seeking to block him from becoming the party's presidential candidate, before being taken over by Democrats after his nomination.

Orbis is understood to have been hired to look into Mr Trump's alleged links with Russia after sources in the country were blamed for hacking the Democrat National Committee website.

Mr Steele is said to have passed his findings onto both US and UK intelligence in the run-up to the election due to concerns about national security for both countries.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the company said: "Orbis Business Intelligence has an established track record of providing strategic intelligence, forensic investigation and risk consulting services to a broad client base.

"The nature of our business, and our high standards of professionalism, dictate that we would not disclose to the public information on any specific aspects of our work. We remain fully committed to the secure provision of our services to our clients and partners worldwide.

The company thanked clients and colleagues for their support in recent weeks.
M alaysia today accused North Korea of taking its citizens hostage by banning them from leaving the pariah state as the row grew over the assassination of its leader Kim Jong-uns half-brother.

Kim Jong-nam was poisoned with the lethal VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur international airport in Malaysia last month.

Malaysia has refused to hand over his body to North Korea which is suspected of being behind the killing as the poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory.

In a dramatic escalation of the diplomatic row between the countries, Pyongyang today banned Malaysians from leaving the repressive state until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The act is a blatant breach of diplomatic protocols and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak responded angrily.

He denounced the travel ban as tantamount to hostage-taking and said his country would hit back by stopping North Koreans from leaving Malaysia.

This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms, he added.

Police briefly cordoned off access to the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

About 1,000 North Koreans live in Malaysia, while there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

Two women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with Mr Kims murder on February 13 which was caught on CCTV camera.

Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank, by putting a handkerchief over his face, and were unaware it was carrying the poison.

Police are hunting seven North Koreans suspected of being involved in the assassination plot.

Three of them, including an official at the North Korean Embassy, are believed to still be in Malaysia.

As tensions escalated, America today started to deploy the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile defence system in South Korea after its northern neighbours latest test of four ballistic missiles.

China has warned that the THAAD deployment will destroy the regional security balance and stressed that it would take measures which would have consequenes for the US and South Korea.

US Pacific Command made the THAAD announcement after North Korean state media said Kim Jong-un personally supervised yesterdays missile launches by an army unit positioned to strike American bases in Japan.

The Scud-type missiles landed in the sea off Japans northwest, angering Seoul and Tokyo, days after Pyongyang promised retaliation over joint US/South Korean military drills.
P oachers broke into a zoo an hour's drive west of Paris and slaughtered a rhinoceros and cut off his horn.

It is believed to be the first incident of poaching from a living animal in captivity in Europe.

The five-year-old male was found with three bullets in his head and his horn severed off at the Thoiry safari park near the French captial on Tuesday morning.

It is thought that the one or two of the poachers forced their way through a gate into the park on Monday night before breaking into the building where three rhinos live.

Slaughtered: Vince the rhino

A source close told Le Parisien newspaper that it is believed the poachers were targeting all three animals but were disturbed and did not have time to kill the other two animals.

According to local media a rhinoceros corn is worth around 40,000 euros or 34,000 pounds on the black market.

The white rhino arrived in the park in 2015.

The white rhinoceros was called Vince and was one of the most popular attractions at the zoo, said park director Thierry Duguet.

Parc de Thoiry, zoo near Paris

He said the murderous attack was unbelievable, adding: Our fellow European park managers are astonished.

Police and soldiers examining the scene were deeply moved, and angry at what had happened, added Mr Duguet.

Officers said it is still unclear what type of gun was used to kill the rhino.

A source told the paper: "We asked to do an X-ray but the animal's skin is so thick it turns out it's too difficult, so we still don't know with what type of gun he was killed with."

The rhino was found dead in its enclosure where it lived with two others

There are around 21,000 white rhinos in the world, many still living in the wild, mainly in South Africa and Uganda, but the species is hugely under threat from poaching.

The white rhino is particularly vulnerable, because it is generally an unaggressive animal with very poor eye-sight.

Rhino horns are highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, where they are ground into a fine powder or turned into tablets to be used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including a loss of libido.

Members of the British royal family have campaigned tirelessly to save the African rhino.

Prince Harry is as a patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana and last year Prince William travelled to Vietnam - one of the world's leading transit centres for trade in animal parts - to campaign to end the illegal trafficking.

Animal lovers took to social media to condemn the killing of Vince the rhinoceros.

One user Jonathan Strike wrote: "It's official....I hate humans. #Zoo #Thoiry #Rhinoceros."

Alexandre Lemerle wrote: "We're in France but people can still kill rhinos for their horns..."

Jerome Leheutre posted: "New proof of human greed! A rhinoceros has been slaughtered and his horn severed at Thoiry zoo."

Max Aghan said: "Murderers/traffickers have just slaughtered a protected animal in our zoos. A rhinoceros has died tonight in Thoiry. Disgusting..."

Morgane L. wrote: "A bunch of a******s broke into Thoiry and killed a rhino to cut his horn off. I'm losing faith in humanity....."

Another user, tweeting under the handle A Perrodet, wrote: "#Rhino executed and horn cut in #Thoiry France. #Shame on the zoo for not protecting the animals. #SaveTheRhino."
G emma Chan has urged people not to turn their backs on Syrian refugees, saying that we need to remain optimistic despite the continuing conflict.

The Humans star, 34, travelled to Lebanon with Save The Children to visit displaced families ahead of the 6th anniversary of the war, where the charity is battling the mental health crisis among child refugees.

Even though I was prepared, how difficult the conditions were was still quite shocking, but then I was shown the kind of differences that the programme had been making on the ground, Chan told The Standard.

For example Save The Children have set up, within these settlement, child friendly spaces, which are kind of like a surrogate school space, theyre still in a tent but when you go inside theyre made completely homely and warm and safe and colourful and the children go there every morning so it gives them structure and a place to go and play.

On the groud: Gemma Chan meets children in the Bekaa Valley / Jamie Baker/Save the Children

Its very serious, the picture, but also I think, you know, the people that Ive met have shown that really that if the right help is provided then its not too late for the damage reversed.

Chan spent time with a family who fled Syria four years ago and now live in the Zahle informal settlement in the Bekaa Valley.

I met an amazing little boy called Kinan, I think hes seven now so hes been in Lebanon for a while, his family came there as refugees.

When the air strikes happened in Syria it was just when he was starting to talk and because of the impact of the air strikes and because he was so terrified it basically stunted the development of his speech so he developed a stutter initially and then his mother was telling me that he stopped speaking all together so by the time they arrived in Lebanon as refugees he wasnt talking at all.

When I met him, the transformation was amazing, he was still quite shy, but he was smiling. Through the psychological support that Save The Children has provided he was actually going to the child early development centre in the morning and was also attending a school in the afternoon and he was talking again, yeah, it was amazing to see.

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Obviously the damage is incredibly bad but its not too late for that damage to be reversed if you get the right support which is what I kind of saw. Yeah, he was so sweet, the family was amazing actually.

The actress says that its incredibly important for people in the UK to get involved in whatever way they can.

There are small things that we can do, whilst we keep pushing our Government to push from an international level for a solution to this, we can still help in small ways, she said.

You know, whether its STC or another organisation on the ground, its relatively easy to do some research on the internet to find an organisation and donate what you can.

I appreciate, you know, times are hard for everyone at the moment, but I think, whatever we can do in whatever small way, its so important.

The big takeaway for me is really to realise how fortunate we are over here and really that we cant, now more than ever, we cant turn our backs on the situation.

We also cant give up, I think its very hard as well, when the headlines are relentlessly negative that were finding hope and feeling like you can do something about it is the thing, I think, still remaining optimistic.

Chans trip comes after the publication of Save The Childrens Invisible Wounds report, based on interviews with more than 450 children, adolescents and adults across Syria.

To help Save the Children continue to protect children in Syria go to: www.Savethechildren.org.uk/Syria-appeal
L ily Collins has said that she forgives her father Phil in a moving open letter addressing their relationship.

The actress, 27, tells the musician that he wasnt the father she expected but says that its not too late to rebuild bridges.

Published in her new book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, Collins writes: I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected.

I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like its too late, its not. Theres still so much time to move forward.

Lily Collins interview

The rising star was just five-years-old when Collins split from her mother, Jill Tavelman, leaving them to relocate to Switzerland for the next two decades.

The mother and daughter then moved to Los Angeles, with the young star only seeing her father during school holidays.

We all make choices and, although I dont excuse some of yours, at the end of the day we cant rewrite the past, Collins writes in the letter.

Phil Collins - In pictures 1 /42 Phil Collins - In pictures hil Collins performing during the First Live Aid concert at the JFK stadium in Philadelphia, US in 1985 Frank Micelotta/AFP/Getty Images British rock group Genesis, from left to right Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, in the back of a limousine on the way to the LA Forum in 1977 Graham Wood/Evening Standard Phil Collins performs on opening night prior to the evening session on Day One of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on 29 August 2016 Elsa/Getty Images Britain's rock star Phil Collins and his ex-wife Orianne Collins look on during a press conference for The Little Dreams Foundation gala concert on 30 May 2016 in Lausanne Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images Phil Collins performs at The Little Dreams Foundation Benefit Gala: Dreaming on the Beach at Fillmore Miami Beach on 11 March 2016 Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images Musician Phil Collins (L) and actress Lily Collins arrive at Relativity Media's "Mirror Mirror" Los Angeles premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on 17 March 2012 in Hollywood, California Todd Williamson/Getty Images For Relativity Media hil Collins and Sir Bob Geldof attend the Glenfiddich Mojo Honours List 2011 at The Brewery on 21 July 2011 in London an Gavan/Getty Images Clive Collins (right), poses with his brother musician Phil Collins, after receiving an MBE from Prince Charles, Prince of Wales for services to art during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 29 January 2012 Dominic Lipinski-WPA Pool/Getty Images Inductee Phil Collins of Genesis speaks onstage at the 25th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria on 15 March 2010 in New York City Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Musicians Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks pose before talking about their band Genesis during a press conference before the dress rehearsal of the 20 city North American leg of their 'Turn It On Again' tour at the Air Canada Centre on 05 September 2007 in Toronto, Canada Darryl James/Getty Images Phil Collins performs with his band Genesis during the dress rehearsal of the 20 city North American leg of their 'Turn It On Again' tour at the Air Canada Centre on 05 September 2007 in Toronto, Canada. Darryl James/Getty Images Singer Phil Collins and his wife Orianne, who is pregnant, arrive at the 58th annual Golden Globes on 21 January 2001 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills Newsmakers/Getty Images British pop singer Phil Collins(R) and awards presenter Cher (L) pose for photographers at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles 26 March 2000. Collins won an Oscar for Best Original Song, for "You'll Be in My Heart" from the film 'Tarzan' in 2000 Hector Mata/AFP/Getty Images Phil Collins performs his song "You'll Be In My Heart," which won the Best Original Song Oscar during the 72nd Academy Awards on 26 March 2000 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The song was heard in the movie "Tarzan." Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Singer Phil Collins hold his Golden Globe award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture for "You'll be in my Heart" from the movie "Tarzan" at the 57th Golden Globes in Beverly Hills on 23 January 2000 Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images Pop music singer Phil Collins is kissed by daughters Lily, 12 (left) and Jolie as he poses with his newly unveiled star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 16 June 1999 Rose Prouser British actor and singer Phil Collins with Orianne Cevey in 1997 Michael Stephens/AFP/Getty Images Genesis Pop Group: Mike Rutherland, Tony Banks and Phil Collins outside the Regal Cinema in 1992 Phil Collins at his Surrey home in 1989 Neville Marriner/Daily Mail Phil Collins stars in the 1988 film 'Buster' with Julie Walters Buster Productions Phil Collins and with son Simon in 1987 David Crump/Daily Mail Phil Collins stars in the 1988 film 'Buster' with Michael Attwell, Larry Lamb and Ralph Brown Buster Productions Diana, Princess of Wales is given tiny tour jackets for the royal children Princes William and Harry when she met Phil Collins who gave concert in aid of the Prince of Wales trust in 1985 James Gray/Daily Mail Best drummer, Phil Collins of Genesis, best female singer, Kate Bush, and best bass guitarist, Mike Rutherford of Genesis at the Melody Maker Pop Awards in 1980 Colin Davey/Evening Standard Phil Collins, drummer and singer with British rock band Genesis, takes a break behind his drumkit in 1977 Graham Wood/Getty Images English singer-songwriter and drummer with rock group, Genesis, Phil Collins, with his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli, and her four year-old daughter, Joely, at their home in Epsom, Surrey on 29 July 1976 Graham Wood/Evening Standard British rock group Genesis, (from left) Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett at London Airport in 1974 Dennis Stone/Express/Getty Images Sting (right) former lead singer with The Police, takes his call with Phil Collins, after performing at the Live Aid concert for African Famine relief at London's Wembley Stadium in 1985 PA Archive/PA Images British rock group Genesis performs on stage during the Live Earth concert held at Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007 in London MJ Kim/Getty Images Musician Phil Collins and Actress Lily Collins attend the after party for Relativity Media's "Mirror Mirror" Los Angeles premiere at the Roosevelt Hotel on March 17, 2012 in Hollywood, California Todd Williamson/Getty Images Musician Phil Collins and family attend the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 29, 2004 in Hollywood, Californi Carlo Allegri/Getty Images Phil Collins poses for a 2016 portrait in New York. Drew Gurian/Invision/AP

Im learning how to accept your actions and vocalise how they made me feel. I accept and honour the sadness and anger I felt toward the things you did or didnt do, did or didnt give me.

In the new book, which is a collection of personal essays, Collins also writes about her battle with anorexia and bulimia.

Many of my deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad, she writes.

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Referencing her fathers divorce from third wife Orianne Cevey in 2008, she adds: I couldnt handle the pain and confusion surrounding my dads divorce, and I was having a hard time balancing being a teenager with pursuing two different grown-up careers.
U niversity Challenge has come under fire for the lack of diversity in its latest set of teams.

The most recent episode of the series, airing on March 6, 2017, saw Birmingham University and Balliol College, Oxford compete in the prestigious BBC quiz.

Both teams consisted of four white male contestants, with no women or ethnic minorities present.

Viewers were quick to notice that all the faces on screen came from the same demographic.

Two all male teams plus Paxman! one wrote on Twitter. 9 white blokes sitting in a row!

Professor Cara Aitchison from Cardiff Metropolitan University also commented online, writing: Zero points for gender equality (again). Hard to believe there are actually more women than men in British universities.

While the show airs on the BBC, the selection process to recruit members for each team is left to the discretion of the universities themselves.

A representative for the BBC told the Evening Standard: "The make-up of each team is determined by the universities themselves and whilst we do encourage them to reflect the diversity of their student population ultimately each university has their own team selection process."

Jeremy Paxman mis-pronounces Don Quixote and Don Juan on University Challenge

A spokesperson for Birmingham University commented: "The University of Birmingham is a diverse community of more than 150 nations. Selection for the University Challenge team involves an open call to all students, across the full range of academic disciplines. The top-performing students in the selection heat are chosen to take part in the programme.

"Care is taken to ensure there is appropriate breadth of knowledge on the panel in accordance with the programme guidelines. Nearly 200 students auditioned for the 2016-17 team and the five students selected (four plus one reserve) had the top scores."

King's College recently announced that they were 'capping' the number of men on their University Challenge team in an effort to reflect the diversity of the student population.

A spokesman for Kings College students union told the Sun: Were keen to make sure our team is representative of our student body and as diverse as Kings students.

This week's episode saw Balliol College pull off a convincing win  as Jeremy Paxman called it  against Birmingham, with a final score of 265- 65.

Evening Standard has also contacted Balliol College for comment.

Oscar Powell's facial expressions on University Challenge 1 /6 Oscar Powell's facial expressions on University Challenge Grin and bear it: Oscar Powell BBC Having a think: Oscar Powell BBC Tough one: Oscar Powell BBC Brain-teaser: Oscar Powell BBC Knew it! Oscar Powell BBC

BBC Two, Monday, 8pm
New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): More than 1,000 delegates from across the Americas will meet this week at a United Nations-backed conference in the Canadian city of Montreal to agree a Regional Action Plan designed to reduce the loss of life due to disasters, both natural and man-made.

Officially known as the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Americas, the three-day event which opens Tuesday 7 March, is the first major conference in the region following up on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted in 2015 in the Japanese city of the same name.

Hosted by the Government of Canada in cooperation with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the Regional Platform will mark the first opportunity for governments and stakeholders of the Americas to discuss and agree on a Regional Action Plan to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework).

Sendai is a development framework, agreed by more than 180 countries, setting global but non-binding targets, to increase disaster preparedness, effective early warning systems and international cooperation, while at the same time reducing the impact of disasters on people, the economy, and the environment.

The platform in Montreal, which concludes on 9 March, will be the first opportunity for countries of the Americas to come together and discuss how they are going to put Sendai into practice.

In Montreal, countries will adopt this Regional Action Plan [and] it will also provide the forum where countries will be able to discuss for the first time, how they are doing said the head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas, Ricardo Mena, in an interview with UN News.

The 2015 Sendai Framework was the first big intergovernmental agreement underpinning the UN-led 2030 development programme, along with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by 193 countries later that year; the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on development finance; and the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Mena said there was a clear link between Sendai and the other pillars of the 2030 Agenda, citing the example of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal, on ending extreme poverty. Disasters usually bring more people into poverty; therefore you can see disasters as a driver of potential conflicts down the road and thats why it becomes so important, so crucial, in having investments in reducing risks.

Montreal Platform will be a big tent gathering for diverse stakeholders

A High-Level intergovernmental meeting on implementing the Sendai Framework across the Americas took place in Paraguay last June, but Montreal will be a bigger tent, said Mena.

Its a meeting where all the stakeholders  private sector, academia, science and technology, local authorities and civil society  are going to be participating in full force, he said.

Noting that there are already some quite positive signs that implementation is well underway across the region, he cited the fact that UNISDRs Americas office is already working with 10 countries on the alignment of national DRR strategies and plans to the Sendai Framework spirit.

In some cases its revising existing strategies and plans, and aligning them to the Sendai Framework, in other cases its starting from scratch, he added.

Mena said that getting national treasuries  and increasingly private sector investors  to think long-term about disaster risk, was the main challenge.

Whatever is put into DRR is going to save money down the road. We know of the positive impact that DRR investments have.

There is much more funding being put for disaster response activities, than for DRR activities [] The issue is how to integrate the DRR lens into every investment that you are about to do, he added.

Minister in charge of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale, said Canada is looking forward to working with our partners across all sectors of the emergency management community both domestically and among our hemispheric partners to develop an interactive and action-oriented agenda.

Montreals mayor, Denis Coderre, said the city is looking forward to playing its part, and welcoming delegates from all parts of the continent. Montreal is also one of the Rockefeller Foundations 100 Resilient Cities and actively integrates the principles of urban resilience in order to better prepare for the challenges of the 21st Century, he said.

Photo: UNISDR

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): The crisis in Africaas Lake Chad Basin is of global concern and action is needed aright now,a the United Nations Security Council on Monday said, wrapping up its four-country tour with the promise of long-term support for the Governments and the people in their fight against Boko Haram.

Neither the military fight against terrorism nor the immediate humanitarian response will solve these protracted crises, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the United Kingdom, who is leading the Council visit as President of the 15-nation body for the month of March, told journalists in Abuja.

He spoke alongside Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, as well as Fode Seck, Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, and Michele Sison, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations.

What is needed in the end is long-term development, Rycroft said, noting the need for jobs, education, human rights, services for displaced people and refugees, and solutions for coping with drought and other environmental challenges.

Those are multifaceted, complex set of problems and require a holistic set of solutions, and we are here to support the Government of Nigeria in finding those solutions, he vowed.

Yesterday, the Council members met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Teacher Village in Maiduguri, in hard-hit Borno state in the north-eastern part of the country. About half of the displaced persons living in the camp are children, with 379 of them infants.

The Council members joined a circle of survivors, many of whom were women whose husbands and children were killed by Boko Haram, and who are struggling to feed themselves and the remnants of families that they have left.

Their accounts of a life in crisis were beyond sobering, Rycroft said.

The displaced camp is in Maiduguri, which is known as the epicentre of the years long Boko Haram crisis, according to Governor Kashim Shettima, who spoke with the Council members.

Some 14 million people are affected by Boko Haram, with 8.5 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

While in Nigeria, the Council also met with womens groups from across the country who called for a greater role in finding solutions to the Lake Chad Basin crisis.

We can pass information faster than the men, one woman told the Council.

The Council members also spoke with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional group of 16 countries, with discussions focused on coordination of response and sharing of information.

The Council also met with Nigerias acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, and other senior political leaders.

After visiting Nigeria, and previously being in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the Council emphasized that barely enough is being done to aid the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.

The scale we have seen is of a growing crisis. Famine is being averted at the moment because of the generosity of donors and the effectiveness of the national responses  but only just, Rycroft said, adding: We urge the international community as a whole to continue to step up before it is too late. And that means right now.

Photo: UK/UN Mission

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles on Monday by the Democratic Peopleas Republic of Korea (DPRK), three of which landed in Japanas Exclusive Economic Zone.

Such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability, Guterres said in a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the DPRK leadership to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations, concluded the statement.

This is the latest in a series of reported missile launches by the DPRK, all of which have been condemned by the United Nations.

After urgent closed-door talks last month, the Security Council, condemning a reported incident on 12 February, issued a press statement expressing serious concern that the DPRK conducted these ballistic missile launches after the 15 April, 23 April, 27 April, 28 April, 31 May, 21 June, 9 July, 18 July, 2 August, 23 August, 5 September, and 14 October 2016 launches, as well as the nuclear test of 9 September, in flagrant disregard of its repeated statements.

UN Photo/Violaine Martin (file)

Source: www.justearthnews.com
London, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): On March 6-7, representatives of Rohingya and Kachin victim groups of Myanmar are presenting first-hand, live and recorded, testimonies about crimes allegedly committed by the Myanmar state against their groups to the Rome-based Permanent Peopleas Tribunal.

They will bring forth the charges that the Myanmar government is committing crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Additionally, expert witnesses from around the world, including Professor Penny Green (QMUL), Dr Mandy Sadan (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), Azril Mohamed Amin (Centre for Human Rights Research and Advocacy, Malaysia), are testifying on specific crimes and/or the historical context of grave violations under international law.

Rohingya lady with fearful and sad eyes

Video-recorded testimonies of Rohingya rape victims, who recently fled to Bangladesh, will also be presented to the Panel of Jury.

The Dalai Lama has issued a formal statement, which will be released during the press conference of the Opening Sessions, on Tuesday 7th March. The Tibetan Buddhist leader disclosed that he has privately communicated to Nobel Laureate ad Burmese leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi about his concerns regarding the persecution of the Rohingya.

Among the initial Panel of Jury, are Prof Daniel Feierstein, renowned genocide scholar & former President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), Dr Helen Jarvis, former Public Affairs Officer at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, and Denis Halliday, UN Assistant Secretary-General (1994-98) and winner of Gandhi International Peace Award 2003.

The inaugural session in London will be hosted at, and webcast live from, the ISCI of QMUL, on 6th March (1000 GMT to 1800 GMT) and 7th March (0900 GMT  1200 GMT).

Rohingya young men with the armed guard

The opening session will end with a press conference at 1200 GMT. An announcement about the full and final session to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be made at the end of Tuesdays proceedings.

The tribunal sessions which are open to public, can be viewed live at http://tribunalonmyanmar.org/ & followed on twitter @MyanmarTribunal, #MyanmarTribunal

The Peoples Tribunal on Myanmar has been endorsed by over 20 Rohingya, Kachin & Burmese organizations worldwide, International State Crime Initiative of QMUL, S. Africas Protect the Rohingya Campaign, Genocide Watch, Burma Task Force USA, Malaysian human rights networks such as JUST and Centhra, and individual genocide prevention campaigners including Youk Chhang of Cambodia.

Rohingya rape victim

Burma Task Force USA said the Tribunal is a peoples initiative, made possible by the generous support of the ISCI, QMUL, individual activists: Mark Sampson, Ko Aung, the Rohingya community in London, and Burma Task Force (USA), and Women collective for people's rights, Lecco, Italy.

All 1.5 day sessions to be webcast LIVE by Oxford Digital Media: https://www.oxforddigitalmedia.com/media-gallery/

Webcast can be viewed on the official Tribunal website at: http://tribunalonmyanmar.org/

Tribunal proceedings may be followed on twitter @MyanmarTribunal #MyanmarTribunal : Contact email: info@TribunalOnMyanmar.org

Images: http://tribunalonmyanmar.org
Dental Care for adults and children

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Your Family Dentist Family Gentle Dental Care Danny Peterson DDS

New Patients Welcome www.dentalgentlecare.com Dr. Dan Peterson wants to welcome you to our family friendly practice located in Gering, which is the "twin city" of Scottsbluff, in Western Nebraska.

We believe comprehensive and preventive dental care provided in a gentle manner can: -Enrich and improve your overall health -Lengthen your quality of life. -Enhance your lifestyle -Can be achieved in a convenient, painless and economical way to help you look great.

At our office you will experience the gentler side of dentistry. Family business since 1975. Reasons to Visit Family Gentle Dental Care Personable Care-Dr. Peterson treats every patient at every appointment. Hospital level sterilization. Computer analysis for thorough diagnosis and treatment planning.

Oral health is a priority-every patient receives individualized treatment and "Care bags". Friendly, comfortable atmosphere. Flexible lunchtime appointments. We handle all paperwork to maximize insurance coverage. Gifts are given for good oral hygiene and because we appreciate you
Tristen Wecker is a thoughtful young lady with a bright future. Shes already been named Miss Old West Balloon Fest, will soon be competing in the Miss Nebraska scholarship pageant and is pursuing higher education at Black Hills State University. She is also a victim of child sexual assault.

Wecker has chosen Speaking out against sexual assault as her platform for Miss Nebraska to raise awareness and help eliminate the stigma and blame that continues to surround victims.

Like many victims of child sexual assault, Wecker was not ready to tackle the issue until she was older. Her hometown of Minatare is a place where everyone knows everyone else. She carried her secret with her for years, but has used the opportunity of pageantry to step into the limelight and share her story.

When she was five or six years old, something happened to Wecker. She wasnt sure what it was. By the time she was in seventh grade, it was several years since anything happened, but she found herself relating incidents of sexual assault to her pastor, who was a mandatory reporter by law.

Counseling was highly suggested and her family has supported her throughout it all. At first, Wecker was against seeking counseling because she didnt want it to come out that someone she knew abused the inherent trust she had given.

It was the most healing part of this process, she said.

The decision to report is not easy

After reading through every piece of paper authorities had given her and taking advice from family, Wecker decided not to report her abuse. She continues to be criticized for her decision.

Lori Rodriquez-Fletcher, licensed clinical social worker at Options in Psychology, said many victims dont speak out because they fear no one will believe them. They also worry about what will happen to their brother, sister, grandfather, etc., if they do say something.

Sometimes, these families dont have a lot of other outside resources for help, so they will wait, Rodriquez-Fletcher said.

Some survivors finally step forward because they are at a point in their lives where they feel safe and are away from the perpetrator, said Tabitha McCloud, client advocate/sexual assault specialist at DOVES. Someone who doesnt understand sexual assault might not understand why a victim might not report it right away.

Some need time to feel safe and strong enough to make a report, McCloud said.

After receiving counseling and moving away to college, Wecker was ready to partner with DOVES, which works with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, to speak publicly about sexual assault. With the publicity of competing for Miss Nebraska, she has seen doors open to tell her story. She is using her platform for Miss Nebraska to raise awareness not only to the stigma of talking about sexual assault but to reduce misconceptions.

"You don't look like a victim"

Even after counseling and trying to move on with their lives, victims of sexual assault often have to explain their own actions again and again. Wecker has heard every stereotype that blames the victim. The one she hears most often is that she doesnt look like a victim.

They say, You dont look like or act like a victim, Wecker said. There is no quote unquote victim.

Shes heard comments that she must have wanted it and she was asking for it to happen again because she didnt report it.

Think back to when you were 8-years old, Wecker said. Youre not thinking about the rest of your life. You just want it to end.

Others have said they arent surprised she was sexually assault by criticizing her clothing.

People say, Look at how you dress, Wecker said. You think how I dress at 20 affected me at 8 years old?

One common theme is to blame the victim for not coming forward.

I have people who said, 'Its so wrong of you let him get away with it and let him do it to other girls, Wecker said.

Wecker knows the guilt that comes with that statement. She has since found out she was not her attackers only victim. She knows of one woman it happened to before her and one woman after. All three women know the consequences of their actions. But they live in a small town and fear recrimination.

Were not ready to face that, Wecker said. We still havent the courage to.

Other survivors Wecker has spoken to have also chosen not to report their assaults. Some tell their friends. Some never say anything. And everyones approach to speaking and reducing the stigma is different.

Even though it happened a long time ago, they need to make sure they are safe, Wecker said. There is still that scariness.

To face your perpetrator in court is a huge step, Wecker said.

Public speaking, breaking barriers

Weckers first time publicly speaking about being sexually assaulted as a child was July 31, 2016.

It was a really hard step to take, Wecker said. I thought I was ready, but I cried a little bit.

At first, she thought people wouldnt take her seriously if she cried, but was reassured she did fine.

I realized people hearing about it is more important than a tear or two, Wecker said.

Wecker has also spoken to younger children, not in-depth but at their level, and with an elementary focus. She speaks in general terms about what is appropriate or if they wanted a hug. She explains sexual assault can happen in groups. Weckers focus with older people is more about what rights they have.

You can report it, but it doesnt have to go to court, Wecker said.

When speaking with people, Wecker said survivors need to be aware of what their needs are and what is best for them. Families are well-meaning, but sometimes overreach.

Everyone has their idea of what to do, Wecker said. It can cause a lot of chaos and accusing.

She didnt feel she could express herself to her family.

There was nowhere for me to vent other than therapy, Wecker said. In my family, you dont talk about things. You fire it out once and thats it.

Because of her platform and public speaking, Wecker has had people come up to talk with her and tell their stories. Some have been made to feel the sexual assault was their fault. Others think the assault should not be reported. Victims have been told they are stupid or must have wanted it.

It tears you down so much and you already feel horrible for the situation, Wecker said. Then on top of it, you are blamed. In a lot of families Ive met, the victim gives up.

Recovery, an ongoing process

Over the years, Wecker was conflicted, doubting herself about whether or not she should say anything or whether it would happen again.

Even today, after counseling, the events still affect her life. She still has nightmares. She is often anxious in public areas.

When Im walking down an aisle in a grocery store and a guy goes down the aisle with me, sometimes, I have panic attacks and feel people are following me, but theyre not, Wecker said. My boyfriend is supportive, but Im not sure if it will ever go away.

Victims of sexual assault often see their life affected if they dont get help. They have difficulty in relationships or depression anxiety.

Treatment becomes more about their feelings and working through the process to have healthy, happy lives, Rodriquez-Fletcher said.

Wecker remembers shes doing all this for a reason. She is no longer silent. She is soft-spoken, caring and determined to educate others.

Im competing in Miss Nebraska, she said, and I am a victim of child sexual assault.
All area seniors are invited to attend an important informational forum regarding proposals by some in Congress that could be harmful to Wyoming residents who have paid into the federal system, including Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid  their entire life.

According to a press release, the AARP Public Policy Institute finds that the proposed Voucher System under Medicare Reform ( also referred to as Premium Support) could end the promise of guaranteed benefits and increase health care costs for Medicare beneficiaries at a time when many seniors across the state of Wyoming, as well as the nation, cant afford to pay more for health care.

Seniors are encouraged to attend the forum to gain greater awareness of proposed legislation and its impact on costs and risks for both current and future retirees.

The free forum will be held Wednesday, March 8, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Goshen County Senior Friendship Center (Activity Room), 216 E. 19th Ave. in Torrington.

Guest speaker will be Sam Shumway, state director of AARP Wyoming. Shumway will address how changing Medicare to a voucher system could lead to reduced access to health care and higher risk of catastrophic out of pocket expenses and how repealing the Affordable Care Act could raise prescription costs and roll back preventative care services.

A free lunch will be provided to all those attending.
A man was flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney Monday night after a shooting at a North Platte residence.

North Platte police were called to the 1100 block of West 11th Street just before 8:45 p.m. Monday. Officers found an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his forehead. Officers provided medical attention until EMTs arrived, Investigator John Deal said in a statement Tuesday morning.

The victim was taken to Great Plains Health and later flown to Kearney. His condition was unknown Tuesday morning.

According to Deal, witnesses told police that a group was playing video games when a man, identified as Christian Vera, 19, produced a handgun to show to the 18-year-old.

During the process of showing off the handgun, Christian negligently discharged one round, which struck the victim in the head, Deal said.

Officers learned that Vera was in the alley behind the residence. He was taken into custody without incident. Police found a mid-sized handgun nearby.
Coffee!

We were winding down Milford Road in Southern New Zealand when Carols exclamation pulled me out of my groggy state and into the parking lot overlooking Monkey Creek. We desperately needed coffee and were overjoyed to find Tina, the owner of the Coffee Cat mobile coffee shop, standing in the rain in her Wellies and pulling espresso shots for another customer.

I ordered a couple of Long Blacks and found out shed been working Fiordland National Park for two seasons. When I told her we might need more coffee, Tina laughed and told me her next stop would be The Chasm parking lot, just a few miles north toward Milford Sound, a popular tour bus stop.

Weve been very lucky two months into our half-year trip. There have been many pleasant surprises just when we needed morale boosters. Later in that day our Milford Sound kayak tour was canceled. Wed planned for months around that one event and a forecast of high winds swept it away.

We were bitterly disappointed, and angry, but our consolation prize was two hours of watching thousands of waterfalls, looking like lightening zigzagging across glacier-wrought cliffs, as we made our way back to Queenstown.

Likewise, in Nelson, New Zealand, our bus would not accept any other bikes, so we were stuck an extra day before we could head south to Fox Glacier. We stayed at an AirBnB with Jon and Sarah, who were not only wonderful hosts and good people, but took time to show us around the city.

During our extra and rare sunny day, Carol and I walked among the crowded Nelson Saturday Market, talking with the vendors, listening to the buskers, and sampling some of the goodies.

Terry Knight, owner of Kiwi Spirits, creates small batch whiskey, and some of his tequilas sell for $1,000 per bottle. His cordials were delicious and at some point he will sell to the States.

Jo Logan and Mike (Wobblie) Duke are the owners of Aroha Chocolate. Wobblie encouraged Jo to be a chocolatier and to follow the passion for chocolates shes had since childhood.

Growing up, my favorite part of Christmas was rolling the truffles, Jo said. And my love for chocolate grew from that.

Truffles are the Aroha mainstay, but shes branched out to the popular Rocky Road chocolates and Hot Chocolates (with chili). Now she ships chocolate all the way to Britain.

After sharing a food truck bowl of Thai noodles, we bought artisan bread, cheese, and heirloom plum tomatoes. Carol even bought an Afghani dungaree, an urban ethnic ware popular, and comfortable, in New Zealand. It was a beautiful day and we capped it off with wine and conversation with Jon and Sarah. The delay to our trip was exactly what we needed to recharge. We left Nelson early the next day to head down the West Coast and soon found ourselves in rain once more.

The West Coast of New Zealand does water very well. It is a rainforest and gets up to 21 feet of rain each year in some places. Rivers, streams, waterfalls all abound here and are beautiful.

We stopped at the end of one day, in the rain, to see the Okere Falls on the Okere River and met Nate, with Rotorua Rafting.

Nate has a degree in adventure tourism and was standing at the viewing platform of a 9-foot fall holding a camera. He said a group had just booked a last-minute rafting tour and would be in view soon. But that there was a 21-foot waterfall they would navigate as well.

We followed him to that viewing platform and waited for the safety guide to kayak over the two-story fall and asked Nate about technique to stay on top of the water.

Oh, theyre going underwater, Nate said. And I asked if they knew that. At that moment the whistle from the raft, just out of sight, alerted him to its imminent arrival.

Well, they know theyre going over the waterfall, Nate said as he lifted his camera for the glory shot.

This trip has been filled with some incredible moments I will cherish for ever. I tend to give too much credence to the three percent of the not-so-incredible moments. My personal mantra during the tough times is I choose to be here. It helps me get up steep roads. It helps me to get through nights when other campers are loud or drunk or both. It helps me when things do not go according to plan.

But, maybe I need a new mantra for the tough times. Maybe I need to understand Ive signed up to go over a waterfall.

Rick Willis is a writer who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with his wife Carol.
By MARK EVANS STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, reported to the county commission last Thursday that temperatures are getting too cold at night for much more asphalt work to be done. He said potholes had all been patched. His crews were working on Bodine Road and made call-ins to locate
President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday praised Romania's Public Prosecution Service for its 2016 activity, insisting that Romania needs the service to be independent and efficient.

"For Romania to be able to protect rights and freedoms, to secure respect for the rule of law and the general interests of the society, we need a public prosecution service that is independent and efficient, a prosecutorial body able to overcome all current challenges. At the same time, improved quality of criminal investigation procedures will only strengthen citizens' confidence in law and justice," Iohannis told a meeting where the 2016 activity report of the Public Prosecution Service was unveiled.

He added that the activity report of the service speaks for itself, as it shows nearly 570,000 cases solved on 47,000 indictments and more than 63,000 defendants sent to court.

Iohannis underscored that the main mission entrusted to the Public Prosecution Service is to guarantee that the law is observed, insisting that this is an essential activity in any consolidated democracy.

"Representation of the general interests of the society and defending the rule of law cannot be conceived without first securing the citizens' rights and freedoms, which are principles clearly defined in the Constitution. From this perspective, strengthening the rule of law in Romania also depends on your capability of carrying out your duties in a balanced way while equally acting to protect public interests and especially civic rights and freedoms. Justice is first and foremost a public service. Consolidating public trust in justice by each passing year is a sign that democracy is getting mature in Romania," said Iohannis.

He added that Romanians are increasingly more vigilant about the slippages from the rule of law as well as more determined to defend their rights and freedoms, all of which are tightly related to their perception over corruption.

"The fact that at the level of an increasingly large part of the society these principles are translated into a way of living means that public expectations from all the components of the judiciary are increasingly higher. All the more reason for you to stay loyal to the constitutional rule that nobody is above the law and to exercise your power objectively and with no influence from the capacity of prosecuted persons, their political affiliation or any other nature," said Iohannis.

He mentioned that caseloads are still heavy despite a slightly falling trend in the last two years.

agerpres.
Romania's fight against corruption is more and more credible, which strengthened the strategic partnership with the United States of America, on Tuesday asserted the US ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm at a seminar on the anti-corruption practices in businesses. We cannot stress enough the contribution the more and more credible fight against corruption of Romania has had upon the force of our bilateral strategic partnership. It's worth highlighted as well, Romania's investment in the international security both here, in the Black Sea region, and in pretty remote battlefields. We recognise the strong economic growth Romania is enjoying currently. Romania's contribution as regards its fight against corruption was truly beneficial to our strategic partnership that it has strengthened. It is recognsied in the US, in the capital cities of the EU member states and I firmly encourage Romania to continue its fight against corruption, the ambassador said, during the event organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) in partnership with the US Embassy in Bucharest and the US General Dynamics company.

According to Klemm, from the perspective of the business risk management, corruption increases business-associated costs and risks, intimidates investments, hampers economic growth, distorts prices, obstructs economic development and corrupts the public procurement processes of the government. In accordance with a survey by the US Department of State, called "Fighting against corruption globally - business risk management" corruption is increasing the cost of a business by at least 20 percent. Therefore, the employees and the honest, efficient citizens are deterred. Corruption starts with petty acts and evolves to broader activities and an increased tolerance of these practices, to punishing the honest and accepting by the society of an incentive program with adverse effects, added Hans Klemm.

The diplomat also said that 40 years ago, the US Congress has passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, that forbids the US companies to pay or promise that they were going to pay foreign dignitaries, foreign political parties or other persons or candidates to jobs in exchange of influencing the actions of a foreign dignitary in exercising their attributions. Mostly, the provisions of this law have functioned pretty well and the representatives of General Dynamics will confirm that the American companies operating abroad know very well the obligations and constraints it levies. The law on corruption practices abroad has created a prevention framework that could be a guide to companies, by hindering them to exceed ethic and legal limits, the US ambassador added.

Agerpres
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu will pay a visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, where he will have a series of meetings with high European officials on the sidelines of the European Council meeting, the Press Bureau of the Executive mentions.

"I will reconfirm, within the meetings with the European officials, the commitment of Romanian authorities for strengthening and re-boosting the European construction, especially in the perspective of the Summit in Rome on 25 March. Romania is interested to actively participate in supporting a strengthened Union, based on cohesion, solidarity and fundamental values' spirit.

The head of the Romanian Executive will have several meetings with European officials, including Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern, Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Bohuslav Sobotka.

Moreover, PM Grindeanu will attend the meeting of the Party of European Socialists (PES), organized for the preparation of the European Council.

agerpres.
The government doesn't support the amendment lodged by PSD (Social Democratic Party, ruling) senator Serban Nicolae to the draft law for the pardon of certain punishments and measures of educational deprivation of liberty, on Tuesday said Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu. "I'm guessing that this morning the Justice Minister has just clarified it. I believe I'll do that too, and emphasise: the government doesn't back the amendment you were talking about. We have submitted a draft law to the Parliament that did not include such things. That amendment is not supported by the government," Grindeanu told a Radio Romania broadcast.

On Monday, senator Serban Nicolae has lodged to the Judicial Committee an amendment to the bill for pardoning certain punishments and some measures of educational deprivation of liberty. It provides among other things that are fully pardoned punishments of up to three years inclusive; punishments of up to seven years inclusive, whose executing has started and the rest remaining to be done is below three years; to be pardoned partially, with three years, the punishments of up to seven years inclusive, whose execution started and the rest remaining to be done is over four years.

Agerpres
ST. LOUIS  A dispute over hot sauce at a local diner involving the son of one of the citys most popular restaurateurs escalated to gunfire, a lawsuit alleges.

In the suit filed Feb. 10 in St. Louis Circuit Court, Anthony Bertoglio claims that James Bommarito shot him in the face about 4 a.m. Dec. 4 in the parking lot of the Eat-Rite Diner. James Bommarito is the son of Tonys owner Vincent Bommarito.

Bertoglio is seeking in excess of $25,000 from James Bommarito.

Bommarito referred questions to his attorney, Jim Martin, who said Bertoglio, 30, was on top of Bommarito, 51, and that Bommarito defended himself by shooting over his shoulder. The shot grazed Bertoglio in the chin.

Martin said his client turned himself in to police a few days after the incident and was booked, but was never criminally charged. Police said they have turned the case over to the city prosecutors office, where charges are under consideration.

Attorneys for both men said the only interaction their clients had before the fight was when Bertoglio asked Bommarito to pass the hot sauce at the diner, which is in the 600 block of Chouteau Avenue.

Bertoglio told police Bommarito had been treating the employees of the business badly before he asked Bommarito to pass the hot sauce. Bommarito then threw the bottle at Bertoglio from across a diner table, according the police report.

Bertoglio told police he then left, and Bommarito approached him in the parking lot. Bertoglio said he and Bommarito struggled on the ground, and, at some point, Bommarito stood up and, while standing over him, fired a 9 mm pistol at him.

Police noted Bertoglio had not been shot, but did have a small laceration to the bottom of his chin and refused medical treatment.

Bertoglios attorney, Matthew Vianello of Jacobson Press & Fields, said his client was on the ground and turned his head to the left when Bommarito fired. The gunshot grazed Bertoglio, and struck the concrete on the ground next to him, leaving him unable to hear for several days, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit also says Bommarito had previously been banned from the Eat-Rite Diner for harassing other customers and loudly referring to a mentally disabled diner employee as retarded.

Whether it is through Mr. Bommaritos bad aim or otherwise, my clients still alive, Vianello said. It was a scary situation for him. He was in shock at the time and still is in shock.

In a letter to James Bommarito and his attorneys in January, Vianello asked him for $1 million.

In addition to the restaurant, Bommarito's father, Vincent Bommarito, also was a member of the citys police commission. He resigned in 2010 after he tried to intervene with the arrest of a nephew on suspicion of drunk driving.

Vianello said he is "hopeful" that James Bommarito will be charged for the alleged attack on his client, but added: I hope his connections arent standing in the way.

Martin said the dispute between the men started when Bommarito slid the hot sauce across the table to Bertoglio, and it struck Bertoglios coffee cup, angering him.

Martin said he was unaware of any kind of ban on his client from the restaurant, and that Bommarito frequently greeted one of the diners employees by saying, Im going to punch you in the teeth and buy you some new dentures, Martin said.

Hes been saying this for years and nobody has said anything, Martin said. The small abrasion Mr. Bertoglio got on his chin looks like he cut himself shaving. This whole thing is all out of proportion. ... Criminal charges have yet to be issued, so Ill let you draw your own conclusions about that.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information about a letter written to James Bommarito seeking $1 million in January.
Most of Missouris educator preparation programs are adequately preparing teachers for the classroom, according to a new ratings system released by the states education department Tuesday.

The first-ever ratings are designed to place added scrutiny on the education of future teachers, using an approach similar to the one used to grade the effectiveness of public elementary and high schools.

Everyones being held accountable, said David Hough, dean of the Missouri State University College of Education. We just live in an age of accountability.

In grading various certification programs offered by Missouri colleges and universities, the state ranked each program it scored into four tiers. The first tier is the best, and the fourth is the worst.

No teaching college in the state had a program that ranked in the worst tier. Only five institutions  Southeast Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State University, William Woods University, College of the Ozarks and Missouri Western State University  had one certification program that was ranked in the second to last tier. Even so, most of those institutions had many other high-ranking programs.

Generally, the universities that produce the most teachers had the bulk of their programs ranking in the top tier.

The Missouri Board of Education will discuss the scores at its monthly meeting next Tuesday.

The criteria

Missouris educator prep annual performance reports are based on two things: the program participants academic performance and how well graduates did in their first year of teaching.

The score for the former is based on program participants average grade-point average and what percentage of students passed certification exams within two attempts.

Scores for the latter are based on surveys of first-year educators and their principals or supervisors. The surveys ask whether educators were adequately prepared to work in schools and whether educators were satisfied with their preparation programs. More weight is given to the academic performance of program participants than the surveys.

Several colleges  including Harris-Stowe University, which had its beginnings as a merger of two teaching colleges  were not given grades because they did not produce enough candidates. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education only gave a program a score for academic performance if it had at least 15 candidates, and it only gave scores for the surveys if a program achieved at least a 60 percent survey participation rate.

As it is, the grading system leaves out any measure of the academic performance of teachers students.

It also only focuses on first-year teachers and doesnt consider whether teachers leave the profession soon after becoming a teacher, a problem that is especially apparent in struggling schools.

About 46 percent of teachers who started teaching in 2011 left the classroom before finishing five years on the job, according to a 2016 state report on teacher recruitment and retention.

There are no consequences this year for programs that score in a low tier, said Gale Hairston, director of educator preparation with the state education department. The department will decide what those consequences would be for next years annual performance reports.

This new annual performance report system for Missouri has been in the works for five years. An updated grading system is expected to roll out in 2019.

The effort is a rare moment of collaboration between higher education institutions and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The department said it worked with a group of about 10 educator program providers to build this grading system.

They have been bold enough to think really hard and engage the universities along the way, said Mary-Dean Barringer, strategic initiative director for education workforce at the national Council of Chief State School Officers, of Missouri. The council is leading the new accountability push for teaching programs.

They have really been one of the few states to get out early with an accountability system, not because it was required by the federal government, she said. They did it because its the right thing to do for teachers.

More accountability

Higher education institutions generally enjoy more independence and less public scrutiny than elementary and secondary public schools. When schools and their teachers are blamed for poor performance, the preparation programs that produced those teachers typically are not.

There wasnt a whole lot of accountability other than the requirements by the federal government, because public institutions get federal dollars, Barringer said.

But now, states are increasingly scrutinizing how teachers are being prepared because the needs of public education have changed dramatically, Barringer said.

Not only have states adopted more rigorous academic standards  whether they are Common Core or variations  but the kinds of students that fill most public schools have changed. More public students are minorities, live in poverty and speak English as a second language. Many have special needs.

Not only has the content changed. The diversity of students that teachers need to be expected to work with fundamentally changed, Barringer said.

Missouri created performance standards for educator preparation programs in 2012. This annual performance report system is the accountability tool that will allow the state to enforce those standards.

Missouri is one of the first states to publicly release a grading system like this one. In the past few years, it has started requiring teaching candidates to pass a performance test, not just content tests, for certification, unlike other states.

Officials at some Missouri teaching programs are also working to increase their rigor by making sure students know how to teach, not just what to teach.

For example, at Missouri State University, a relatively new teacher internship program has students complete a yearlong clinical experience of teaching in schools, not just the state-required minimum of 12 weeks. The program also has competitive admissions standards to attract highly motivated teaching candidates.

The No. 1 criticism of higher education programs is it takes teachers a year or two to be competent on the job, said Hough, who is a member of the Missouri Advisory Board on Educator Preparation. And people want them competent on Day 1.
ST. LOUIS  Six university leaders met with Gov. Eric Greitens for the first time Tuesday for a talk focused on affordability in the wake of recent budget cuts.

Missouri State University President Clif Smart called the meeting very positive.

We talked about how excellence in higher education was his number one priority, and that to have excellent programs you have to be willing to make tough decisions and eliminate other programs so you can focus resources in the areas youre really making a difference, Smart said.

Some college leaders had previously met with members of his policy team, but never with the governor.

The meeting comes on the heels of current-year budget withholds announced by Greitens, the bulk of which were bore by colleges and universities. That was followed by a fiscal year 2018 budget proposal from the governor that included additional cuts to both two- and four-year schools.

Greitens didnt talk about higher education in his State of the State speech shortly after taking office, but has since made comments about hoping schools keep college tuition steady, despite the budget cuts.

His comments have largely been focused on concerns about waste on campuses, most recently referring to an audit of the University of Missouri System this week that highlighted concerns about excessive spending.

In the higher education budget, we asked college administrators and executives to find ways to tighten their belts. They told us that they had done everything they could to cut costs. Then, some of them told us they might need to raise students tuition or fees, Greitens said in a statement about the audit Monday.

He went on to say that Missouri will continue to invest in making universities the best they can be, but affordability and cutting waste will be a priority.

The University of Missouri System, Missouri State University, Missouri Southern State, Northwest Missouri State, Harris-Stowe and Truman State were all represented at the meeting. Missouri Department of Higher Education commissioner Zora Mulligan was there along with Greitens.

The meeting was positive as the governor discussed his vision for higher education and what universities can expect from his administration, Paul Wagner, executive director of the Council on Public Higher Education in Missouri, said in a statement.
The Telanagana Rashtra Samiti won the Munugode bypolls, where it fought a tough battle with the BJP. As TRS widened its margin over the BJP in Telangana's Munugode, party leader and minister KTR said, "We bow our heads and thank the Munugode public for getting us this win. This was not a win for just us, but a verdict that gave a snapping reply to the Delhi bosses Narendra Modi and Amit Shah."
WASHINGTON  Sen. Roy Blunt, who serves on a key committee in the fight over replacing the Affordable Care Act, said Tuesday he is not sure that the bill introduced Monday by House Republicans can pass the GOP-led Congress.

Blunt, like President Donald Trump, approached the plan as an opening offer in what could be a long legislative battle, much of it internecine within the Republican majority in Congress.

More conservative Republicans have expressed concerns that the plan is still too far from the free-market insurance competition theyd like to see, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., mocking it as Obamacare lite.

Blunt, appearing on KMBZ radio in Kansas City, said that "what I don't like is it may not be a plan that gets a majority votes, and let's us move on. Because, we can't stay where we are with the (Affordable Care Act) plan we've got now."

Blunt, R-Mo., is a member of Senate Republican leadership, and he chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. His committee will be among several battling over the replacement of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Two other St. Louis-area legislators also serve on committees that will take the first attempts to pass or reshape the GOP plan. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, is on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Both committees will begin markup of the House legislation on Wednesday, a process in which legislators attempt to amend or revise.

Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Trump tweeted that our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster  is imploding fast!

The key word was negotiation.

"I think the nucleus of the plan is clearly there and the President says it's negotiable and so do House members," Blunt told the radio station. "So, I'll be interested to be a part of that negotiation as we work toward a majority in the House and Senate that puts a bill on the President's desk."

Trump later endorsed the GOP plan in a meeting with House Republican deputy whips at the White House, while acknowledging that tough negotiations could be ahead. Im a politician, but were going to get it done, he said.

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, were among those at the White House meeting.

Blunt is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on medical research funding. That area, and others, such as treatment of mental health, are of great concern in the medical community as Congress attempts to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Missouri is one of eight states about to start pilot projects to incorporate more coordinated and better mental health treatment into its community health centers. Blunt had a hearing on that last month, and some witnesses said they were about what would happen to if the ACA were repealed.

Many in the mental health community say the pilot is part of needed innovations that puts mental health treatment and insurance coverage on the same plane with physical health coverage. The debate over the ACAs replacement wont necessarily affect the pilot already in place in Missouri and the other seven states, but whatever replaces the ACA could.

Brent McGinty, director of the Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare, told the Post-Dispatch that we are absolutely concerned about what may replace Obamacare.

He said he was encouraged by Blunts assertion that whatever replaces Obamacare would address better access to mental health coverage.

Blunt said after that hearing that we are needlessly way behind addressing how untreated mental-health issues tax emergency rooms, law enforcement and other institutions, and he said he would try to make sure any rewrite of the ACA addressed that.

Shimkus praised the House ACA replacement plan as the relief my constituents wanted. He stressed that some aspects of the current law that consumers like will be kept, such as prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Shimkus acknowledged that some are concerned about losing their current coverage, but I want these folks to know that vital patient protections will be preserved under the AHCA.

But many of his House Republican colleagues in the conservative Freedom Caucus, called a press conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday to denounce the plan as too costly, too controlled by the federal government, and too far-afield of a free insurance market. They promised to introduce competing legislation Wednesday.

One Republican governor expressed worries, too.

Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner said Tuesday he's "very concerned" the GOP replacement plan could drive down insurance coverage in his state  though he added he still supports changing the Affordable Care Act.
JEFFERSON CITY  St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay made his way to the state Capitol on Monday to speak out against legislation that would block the city's minimum wage increase, which the Missouri Supreme Court upheld last week.

His fourth and final term as the city's chief executive may be quickly coming to a close  the primary election for his job is on Tuesday  but raising the St. Louis minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2018 remains a potentially elusive goal.

"We're going to stand firm," Slay said Monday. "We're going to fight this thing all the way through."

The city raised its minimum wage in 2015, but was quickly sued by business groups who said the ordinance conflicted with state law.

The state's high court may have sided with the city, but celebrations proved to be short-lived. Less than a week later, advocates and city lawmakers are testifying against proposals from state lawmakers that would nullify St. Louis' increase and ban other cities from doing the same.

Sponsors of those bills, all Republicans, argue one statewide minimum wage  currently $7.70 an hour  makes it easier for businesses to operate.

Owners wouldn't need to worry about cheaper goods and services in a neighboring town with a lower minimum wage, for example. And businesses looking to set up shop in Missouri wouldnt have dozens of different minimum wage ordinances to grapple with.

Fine, Slay said. But if state lawmakers want to set the wage for the sake of consistency, they need to consider raising it, he told reporters at the Capitol.

"Cities all across America are adopting these things on their own because the leadership isn't there at the state level," Slay said.

Bills blocking the St. Louis wage hike were scheduled for hearings on Monday, just days after being filed.

Typically, when state proposals are given a public hearing in a legislative committee, they aren't voted on the same day. But a House panel is set to vote on the minimum wage bills Monday night, directly after public comment.

"It's pretty clear this bill has a jet pack," said Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of Empower Missouri.

If the measures pass out of committee on Monday, it gives the Missouri House time to send them to the Senate this week.

Rep. Jason Chipman, a Steelville Republican sponsoring one of the bills, told the Post-Dispatch on Friday that lawmakers are working quickly so St. Louis businesses don't see an interruption in their operations.

Without quick action, the increase could force businesses to cut workers or hours as they grapple with the change, he said.

"Businesses only have so much to budget towards payroll," Chipman said.

Clay called that argument "ridiculous."

"When people make more money, they spend more money. It goes right back into our economy, and it improves our economy," Slay said.

Chipman said he was confident he had the support of the Legislature, which has moved quickly on a pro-business agenda this year.

A spokesman for Gov. Eric Greitens could not be reached for comment.

Slay joins other advocates, including some of the state's labor unions, to denounce the Legislature's involvement in city politics.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 and Service Employees International Union Local 1 are partnering to campaign against proposals banning cities from raising the minimum wage beyond state levels.

Missourians went to the polls in November and elected a lot of Republicans who ran on platforms of small government and more local control, said UFCW Local 655 President David Cook. Now those same Republicans want to tell each and every city in Missouri what they can and cannot discuss and debate? Thats not small government. Thats not local control. Thats big government taking a decision away from the people."

After hours of debate, a House committee passed the minimum wage measure on a 10-4 vote.
WASHINGTON  Rep. John Shimkus will attend an event here Tuesday aimed at helping military spouses get education and employment.

The event will be put on by ThanksUSA, a non-profit that gives scholarships to military families. The organizations Pathways for Patriots Program solicits donations from companies to help train military family members and fill skills gaps in industries ranging from technology to health care to manufacturing.

Military families move so much that spouses have trouble establishing careers and continuing education. There are roughly 2.9 million family members of current members of the military, including spouses, partners and children

ThanksUSA also sponsors internships and mentoring for family members of active-duty military personnel.

Shimkus, R-Collinsville, will be among congressional leaders attending the event. He is a graduate of West Point and, after five years active duty and 23 years in the Army Reserves, retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2008.

Congress has attempted several measures to help military families as members of a smaller military go on repeated deployments overseas. One, pushed by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., gives families more flexibility in moving to allow children to finish school years.

That was included in a defense authorization bill last year.

ON THE WEB:

http://www.thanksusa.org/ - ThanksUSA web site/

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gateway-to-dc/blunt-others-pushing-more-flexibility-for-transferring-military-families/article_e90bb8b8-ee1c-57ae-9bac-df3802dcbf89.html - Blunt military families bill/

BY THE NUMBERS:

100,000  Number of children of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 17 and 22, prime college age, according to ThanksUSA.

1.1 million  Number of children of 560,000 active-duty personnel.

18  Percent of military spouses unemployed, according to ThanksUSA. Thats compared with 4.4 percent for civilian spouses.

WAGNER VOWS 'TELE-TOWN HALL' SOON

Constituents of Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, are complaining they've not had the chance to talk with her about Congress' plans to repeal and replace Obamacare and other issues, but Wagner's office says a "tele-town hall" meeting is coming.

We are working to get one on the books soon, spokeswoman Meghan Burris tells the Post-Dispatch.

The newspaper has been getting emails from Wagner's constituents after a story about how St. Louis-area members of Congress did not have any in-person town halls during a recent congressional recess, and therefore avoided the angry and raucous protests that colleagues in other states faced. The e-mailers say they have asked Wagner to have a town hall or meet with them, and that she has so far refused.

I have been calling regularly since January, asking when I could meet with her and when she would be holding a town hall (tele, or in-person) and her staff both here and in Washington have told me she is booked out far in advance for personal meetings, and that she has had no plans for any kind of town hall, Cottleville IT professional Sarah Richardson, wrote.

They said if she did decide to hold one, I could find out via her email newsletter. I signed up for that and have received emails, but none notifying me of an upcoming town hall. This past recess she did not hold any town halls, and since the purpose of that recess was to meet with constituents, this is a gross negligence of her duties.

"Tele-town halls" are electronic sessions where members of Congress call often thousands of constituents to discuss issues and take questions, which are sometimes screened. Wagner's spokeswoman said Wagner held them in 2013 and 2015.
Amid allegations of racial and sexual discrimination, University City Council members voted 4-3 last week in closed session to fire City Manager Lehman Walker.

They also fired the citys clerk, Joyce Pumm.

Council members Paulette Carr, Terry Crow, Steve McMahon and Bwayne Smotherson voted Wednesday to terminate the employees. Mayor Shelley Welsch, Michael Glickert and Rod Jennings opposed the move.

All but Welsch then voted to install Charles Adams, former police chief, as acting city manager, Welsch said.

Walker had been suspended with pay by that same majority on Nov. 28. Adams was made acting city manager at that time.

Lehman continued to collect his $130,000 a year salary while suspended.

The four members of the City Council who voted to fire him also had moved late last year to hire special legal representation after Walker threatened possible civil action.

Walkers attorney, David Heimos, notified the four council members in November that his client was considering a defamation of character lawsuit. Heimos offered to waive litigation if the council offered the city manager a $500,000 buyout. Heimos said Monday that he had filed the suit against Carr, Crow and McMahon.

Heimos was defeated in an April election bid to unseat Carr.

Heimos released an 11-page resolution adopted by the council in a closed session Feb. 13. It was passed by the four council members who later voted to fire Walker. It alleged, among other things, that Walker:

 Did not have the proper experience when he was hired and was hired without city officials doing a national search.

 Contributed to a hostile work environment by making harassing comments to employees about African-Americans, women and gays, including comments toward Crow, who is gay.

 Embroiled the city in legal complaints regarding terminations and allegations of racial discrimination.

Welsch said Monday that she was deeply disappointed in the firings.

I feel that we had under Mr. Walkers leadership the most experienced city manager in the history of our community. He came into that job with more than 30 years of experience, Welsch said. I believe this was personal dislike of their employees, and I think they moved forward without thinking about how this will affect their community.

Welsch said the council decided last week to make LaRette Reese interim city clerk. Reese had been serving as secretary to Walker.

Carr, Crow, McMahon and Smotherson did not return calls for comment.
WASHINGTON  St. Louis-area Republicans generally supported and Democrats opposed President Donald Trumps new travel ban, which Trump signed Monday after a first attempt was thwarted in federal courts.

But Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., was still reviewing the new order, which Trump signed in private. McCaskill will judge it on whether it better protects American families and upholds our countrys values, spokesman Drew Pusateri said.

McCaskill had said she had serious questions about Trumps first order, issued in January.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said he supports increasing scrutiny of travelers  though he said he was disappointed about the orders time frame.

Trumps first order called for a 90-day travel freeze while immigration officials worked out increased vetting procedures. The new order renews the freeze for another 90 days.

I would hope that they couldve gotten busy the very minute this all started, finding out what that next step could be, Blunt said Monday afternoon on KMOXs Mark Reardon Show.

The new order takes Iraq off the list of countries from which immigrants will be temporarily banned and removes a provision indefinitely banning Syrian refugees. It also strikes a provision giving religious minorities priority in being considered for refugee status in the U.S. Critics had called that an unconstitutional religious test.

The new order, which takes effect March 16, will not affect those who have valid visas or who are legal U.S. permanent residents who are from the six countries named: Iran, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya and Sudan. The earlier order had created chaos at U.S. entry points and airports, and had been effectively halted in federal courts.

Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said the changes were necessary, and in particular will help in the case of an Iraqi interpreter for American troops his office was assisting. That interpreter had been having problems as a result of the earlier order, Davis said.

Im glad President Trump is taking steps to clarify his executive order, especially the exclusion of those who have already gone through the very lengthy process to obtain legal status, Davis said. I hope there were some lessons learned from last time and the implementation of this new executive order is successful because these are steps needed to secure programs that even Obama security officials admitted were not secure.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, agreed, saying that Trumps use of more precise language regarding which individuals are covered by the travel pauses gave more clarity to the order.

Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, who has supported legislation stopping the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees until each can be determined to pose no threat, said it would be irresponsible to ignore threats that have grown more dangerous, and our enemies more emboldened in the last eight years.

America is an extraordinarily compassionate country, and we should continue to use our unique capabilities to help those in need around the world, Shimkus said, adding that the U.S. has given more than $4.5 billion to help displaced Syrian civilians, more than any other nation.

But, he said, the most immediate way the U.S. can help refugees fleeing Iraq and Syria is to establish and guarantee safe havens within the region where they can receive vital humanitarian assistance.

Newly elected Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said that despite the changes from Trumps first order, the new one plays into our enemies hands by giving them a propaganda tool to spread a false narrative about the United States hating Muslims.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, remains opposed and called the new order cruel, ineffective, and counterproductive to our national security by empower(ing) the extremists who wish to do us harm.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the new plan is unconstitutional and un-American, and predicted that courts would strike it down, too.

Adam Aton of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Mar 7 (PTI) Pakistan army today killed five Taliban militants, who were plotting attacks on educational institutions and judicial complexes, during an operation that also left two soldiers dead in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Two army personnel and five terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation against militants in Malikabad area of Swabi district in the restive province, the army said in a statement.

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The five terrorists were planning to target educational institutions and judicial complexes, it said.

Citing the militarys media wing, Dawn said three of the terrorists have been identified, while the remaining two are "probably Afghans". At least one of the identified militants was a member of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

"Sacrifice of our soldiers will not go waste. Terrorist will be brought to their end and held accountable for their Fasaad (violence)," Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his deepest condolences over the killing of two soldiers while fighting terrorists in Swabi district.

"Our Armed Forces are fighting the menace of terrorism to protect our democratic values, constitution, freedom, and our way of life. We cannot and will not allow our enemies to promote their nefarious designs. Operation Radd-ul-Fassad will continue until our homeland is cleared from the scourge of terrorism," Sharif said.

Six soldiers were killed yesterday in attacks by militants near Afghan border.

Army said that in punitive response at least 15 attackers from Afghanistan were killed.

Pakistan last month launched Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad to clean the country of remnants of militants after dismantling their hideouts in remote tribal region. PTI SH AMS ZH AMS

--- ENDS ---
Donald Trumps recklessness has reached a new high, and thats hard to do. In a series of tweets Saturday morning, the president alleged, without any evidence whatsoever, that President Barack Obama had illegally ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower in New York in the days before the Nov. 8 election.

An Obama spokesman quickly labeled the accusations simply false. Just as quickly, James Comey, the director of the FBI, which would have been responsible for any such wiretapping, asked the Justice Department to publicly repudiate Trumps claim as untrue.

We thus have the president of the United States accusing his predecessor and, by implication, the nations top law enforcement agency of criminal activity. Trumps source for the charges apparently was a story in the right-wing Breitbart News, based on comments by a conservative radio talk show host. There is nothing in the public record to support Breitbarts overheated interpretation of reports in British media.

The Guardian and the BBC say that as part of a multi-agency investigation into Russian interference with the U.S. election, the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court issued warrants allowing communications by two Russian banks to be intercepted. The BBC reported that the court declined to add any U.S. citizens, including any Trump associates, to the warrant.

To make the jump from that to an Obama-ordered wiretapping of Trump Tower bespeaks epic disregard of fact and deep distrust in democratic institutions.

Nothing in Trumps long history of cynical statements quite matches this one. It shocked responsible observers across the political spectrum.

We are in the midst of a civilization-warping crisis of public trust, and the presidents allegations  demand the thorough and dispassionate attention of serious patriots, said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a statement. A quest for the full truth, rather than knee-jerk partisanship, must be our guide if we are going to rebuild civic trust and health.

Peter Wehner, a conservative scholar who was President George W. Bushs top policy strategist, told The Washington Post, We have as president a man who is erratic, vindictive, volatile, obsessive, a chronic liar, and prone to believe in conspiracy theories. And you can count on the fact that there will be more to come.  When people like Donald Trump gain power, they become less, not more, restrained.

Trump may have been trying to distract attention from last weeks news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had lied to a Senate committee about his own pre-election contacts with Russias ambassador.

If so, he may have overplayed his hand. An investigation of these wild accusations will not derail House and Senate committees looking into Russian influence on the election. With Sessions having recused himself from the investigation, pressure will build for a special counsel. Facts will come out, and they wont be alternative facts.
By Press Trust of India: Bengaluru, Mar 7 (PTI) Three contract labourers died of suffocation after they entered a manhole on a road here without any precaution to clear a blockage, police and officials said today.

The incident occurred last night when a labourer first entered the 10 ftdeep manhole without any protective measures and on not hearing fromhim for a long time another also went inside.

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Due to suffocation he shouted for help, upon which the tractor driver who had accompanied them also entered the manhole to rescue them.

All the three might have died due to suffocationbecause of toxic gases inside the manhole, officials said,adding that their bodies were recovered hours later.

The workers were engaged by Hyderabad-based Ramkay Enterprises, a contractor employed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) for the work, they said.

BWSSB officials said the workers were involved by the contractors to clear the clogged line and the board was not intimated before starting the work as per procedures.

Also expressing surprise about the work being undertaken late in the night, they said contractors were supposed to use jetting machine to clean the manhole.

Minister for Bengaluru Development and State TownPlanning K J George and Bengaluru Mayor G Padmavathi who visited the site have assured strict action against those responsible.

"Its an unfortunate incident, it should not have happened. There are both Supreme Court and BWSSB orders that no one should be allowed to enter manhole to either repair or clean it," George told reporters.

He said "...merciless action will be taken against those responsible. Negligence is the main cause, despite laws labourers have been used for this work. Strict action will be taken."

George also said that Rs 5 lakh compensation will begiven from BWSSB, and the contractor will be penalised.

Police said they have registered a case and a probe was on. PTI KSU RA VS KUN

--- ENDS ---
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) had earlier said students will now have to provide their Aadhaar card number to get mid-day meals.

By India Today Web Desk: No one will be deprived of benefits for the lack of Aadhaar card and people can use alternate means of identification, the government said.

The statement comes in the wake of the recent notification of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) that said students will now have to provide their Aadhaar card number to get mid-day meals.

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The Opposition had slammed the move with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee saying this was tantamount to "snatching the rights of children".

HERE IS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAID ON AADHAAR: Till an Aadhaar number is assigned to a person, the benefits will continue based on alternate means of identification. The government has also directed departments to provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities to their beneficiaries under Regulation 12 of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations 2016. In case of mid-day meal scheme and under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), schools and anganwadis will collect the Aadhaar number of the children beneficiaries. If a child does not have an Aadhaar numer, the school or the ICDS functionary will have to get the child enrolled under Aadhaar. Till the time the Aadhaar number is not assigned, the child will continue to get the benefits. Trying to fend off the criticism it received following the HRD Ministry notification on mid-day meal scheme, the government said that "while these orders require beneficiaries of these programmes to give their Aadhaar number, it has also been ensured that no one is deprived of the benefits for want of Aadhaar". Some reports had said that government was planning to make Aadhaar mandatory for all 84 schemes under the direct subsidy benefit transfer programme. Checking leakage and bringing transparency in the delivery system were cited as the reasons by the government for making Aadhaar mandatory for several schemes.

ALSO READ:

Aadhaar card may become mandatory for online train ticket booking

Congress slams govt move to link Aadhaar, midday meal scheme

Don't have an Aadhar card? Be ready to pay 10 times the fee at AIIMS

New passport rules: Aadhaar as DoB proof, Hindu sadhus can apply giving their guru's name

--- ENDS ---
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is on an official visit to Qatar, called on Minister of Defence Affairs, Qatar, Dr Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah on Monday.

Matters of regional security and enhanced bilateral defence cooperation were discussed, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a press release here stated.

The minister appreciated professional standing and performance of Pakistan Army and expressed desire for increased Pakistan-Qatar defence collaboration.

The COAS also met Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanim Bin Shaheen Al Ghanim, Chief of Staff (COS) Qatar Armed Forces.

The COS Qatar acknowledged Pakistan Armys valuable contributions towards regional peace and stability through its fight against terrorism and militancy.

The COAS thanked both dignitaries for their expressions. He said that Pakistan Army greatly values its defence cooperation and collaboration with Qatar.

Responding to desire of increasing Pakistan-Qatar defence cooperation, the COAS said that the proposed enhancement will have positive impact both on bilateral relationship as well as on regional security.
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.
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Mar 7 (PTI) Afghanistan has no "secret agreements" with India on any issue, a top aide of the Afghan president has said, urging Pakistan to not create hurdles in Indias reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.

Citing an example of Pakistans behaviour in creating hurdles, Homayun Qayoumi, chief advisor to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said Pakistan did not allow Kabul to get the gates of a hydro-electric dam from India.

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"...since Pakistan did not allow - did not want to allow - any products from India to Afghanistan to go through Pakistan, it had to be actually air-floated through Iran, and I think some parts of even through Azerbaijan," he said, adding the entire process took nearly six months.

At a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here last week, Qayoumi said Afghanistans ties with India have been a "historic" and "strictly an economic and cultural relationship."

"Afghanistan has no secret agreements with India on any topic. All of our relationship has been very much transparent and very much on economic and regional cooperation," he said.

He said if India, Pakistan, Afghanistan can have "some agreements" it will enhance trade for the three countries. It will also have a major impact on poverty reduction in Pakistan.

"Pakistan has been trying to drag, at least in rhetoric, the issues and challenges that they have with India as Afghanistan being part of that issue," said Homayun Qayoumi, chief advisor to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Qayoumi lauded Indias development projects in Afghanistan. "The hydro-electric dam that was the first dam that closed after 40 years, that was supported by the Indian government. Right now, the package of aid that they have promised Afghanistan is about a billion dollars for a series of projects," he said.

Last year, India waived tariffs helping Afghan export more products, such as fruits.

"Our hope is that Pakistan sees that as stable and prosperous Afghanistan adds to the stability and prosperity of Pakistan, rather than seeing this win-lose situation, which is not helping Pakistan, and not helping the whole area," he said. PTI LKJ ABH AKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---
Commonly grown in Assam, the Black Rice (Kala chavul) is an exotic variety with amazing nutritional parameters like anti-oxidant, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre but the growers lacked the market.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim are a veritable goldmine of organic foodgrains, herbs, spices and fruits.

Despite the uniqueness and amazing health benefits, these foodgrains and herbs remain confined to these states as farmers and growers lacked a marketing platform.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region's initiative to bring the growers and products closer to buyers in north India has proved to be a boon for the farmers of these states, who are now overwhelmed after the buyers thronged their stalls in New Delhi and Chandigarh.

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Commonly grown in Assam, the Black Rice (Kala chavul) is an exotic variety with amazing nutritional parameters like anti-oxidant, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre but the growers lacked the market.

GETTING PRODUCTS TO PEOPLE

However, the ministry's initiative to organise events like Destination NorthEast in New Delhi and Chandigarh has not only introduced these exotic foodgrains to the people but has also created a demand for such products.

"Last year, I exhibited my farm produce like black rice, red rice, black Sesame or herbs and got orders not only from New Delhi but also from Mumbai. People want to buy the black rice which they had never seen. These exhibitions have created a demand for our farm products," says a farmer from Dalok, Goalpara district, Assam Parameshwar Ray.

The stalls from Northeast also exhibited Joha Rice (exotic basmati variety), King Chilli (one of the hottest), bird's eye (smallest chilli), Assam lemon and Malbhog Banana, which is just 2.5 inches long. Bamboo shoot, honey bee wax lip guard, bamboo furniture, spices and medicinal herbs were also a centre of attraction at the Parade Ground in Chandigarh during the 3-day long 'Destination NorthEast'.

ASSAM SILK

Like Parameswar, Kaveri Kacari Rajkumari of Assam also got customers for her organic Muga Silk. Though the silk cloth is priced at Rs 2200 per metre but she was able to attract customers for some cheaper varieties of silk.

"We are getting a good response for Muga Silk, which is also known as the pride of Assam. The price of this fabric depends on the availability and price of raw silk," Rajkumari told India Today.

Besides the common visitors, the farmers from Punjab also visited the stalls and were distributed free saplings of herbs and spices. The Northeastern states also marketed their popular destinations during the event.

"This is the second such event. The farmers are getting a good response and are now able to sell their products outside their home states. The centre of attractions in Chandigarh are the organic and exotic rare varieties of foodgrains," Dr P K Mahanta, Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture, Government of Assam said.

Also read: North east girls trained under Delhi Police, ready for deployment

Also read: Assam: Dhemaji district tense after right-wing group vandalises AASU office over rights for Hindu migrants

--- ENDS ---
According to reports, the NIBBUSS carried out the rally demanding citizenship for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh.

By Indrajit Kundu: Tension grips Assam's Dhemaji district after clashes broke out between police and a mob during a mass rally in Silapathar on Monday.

According to reports, the rally which was organised by the Nikhil Bharat Bengali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NIBBUSS) turned violent after a scuffle between them and members of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) turned ugly.

What happened Several people including police personnel were injured in the clash. Police resorted to lathi-charge and fired teargas shells to disperse the crowd, following which a curfew was imposed in the area. As many as nine NIBBUSS members have been arrested for Monday's attack on AASU office in Silapathar. Army also staged a flag march in the area to prevent the situation from escalating further. According to reports, NIBBUSS carried out the rally demanding citizenship for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh. This demand has been long opposed by groups like the AASU, who feel such a step will affect the rights of the indigenous people of Assam. Condemning the attack, AASU has called for a state-wide protest on today. Several other indigenous organizations are also voicing concerns to safeguard the interests and rights of Assam people. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered a probe into Monday's clash.

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Also Read: How PM Modi turned saviour for ailing 8-day-old child

Also read: Fear of ISIS recruiting : Assam police alerted

Also read: 30 Bangladeshis deported from Assam during BJP rule

--- ENDS ---
SC said it will not accept the discharge of L K Advani & others in the Babri Masjid demolition case merely on technical grounds.

By Harish V Nair: Twenty-five years after the watershed development which altered the Indian political scene, the ghost of Babri Masjid demolition is back to haunt top BJP and RSS leaders L K Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and 15 other leaders with the Supreme Court on Monday asking the CBI why conspiracy charges cannot be restored against them.

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The court will pass a formal order in this regard on March 22.

The CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

It had subsequently added charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the Allahabad HC.

The special court had dropped framing of charges by the Lucknow court on a technical ground that the court was not set up as per a proper notification by the government.

The CBI had on May 21, 2010 challenged in SC the order of the HC dropping conspiracy charges.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW "Something very peculiar is going on in this case. See people cannot be discharged like this on technical grounds. Why don't you file a supplementary chargesheet? We prima facie do not approve of the way these people have been discharged. Anyway, we will decide on March 22. We propose to club both the cases and we may also direct you to file a supplementary chargesheet," a bench of Justice P C Ghose and Justice Rohinton Nariman told CBI while hearing its petition challenging dropping of conspiracy charges against the 20 accused. The bench said it also proposed to club the two trials going on in Raebareli and Lucknow courts to expedite the judicial proceedings. The court earlier expressed concern at the delay in the trial. The leaders were Advani, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Murli Manohar Joshi. The others against whom conspiracy charge was dropped included Satish Pradhan, C R Bansal, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Sadhvi Ritambhara, V H Dalmia, Mahant Avaidhynath, R V Vedanti, Param Hans Ram Chandra Das, Jagdish Muni Maharaj, B L Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save. Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray's name was removed from the list of accused persons after his death. While upholding the special court's order, the High Court had allowed CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and others in a Raebareli court, under whose jurisdiction the case falls. The court was also hearing a separate petitioin filed by one Haji Mahboob Ahmad, president of Mahafiz-Masjid-Wa-Maqabir, and Muddai Babri Masjid which claimed that with the BJP regime and a "participant", Rajnath Singh as Home Minister, CBI - the original petitioner against dropping of criminal conspiracy charges - may not press for its restoration. The SC notice is also a big test for the independence of the CBI as it will be keenly watched if the agency continues to be a "caged parrot" or will stick to its original stand of pressing criminal conspiracy charges against the BJP and RSS leaders with the Narendra Modi government at the helm of affairs. "One accused of the said criminal trial, Shri Rajnath Singh, is a cabinet minister and the leader against whom there is a charge of serious omission. One other accused (Kalyan Singh) is governor of a state. Although CBI is technically under the office of Prime Minister, but for all practical purposes, the home minister is also an important authority," stated Mehboob's petition. Mehboob alleged that due to the change in political scenario, the litigation policy of the Centre and various statutory authorities has changed their stand.

India in the dock

Watch: Chronology of Babri Masjid demolition

--- ENDS ---
On the occasion of Women's Day, a look at the characters who are changing the way women are perceived on TV.

These characters are changing the way women are percieved on TV.

By Shweta Keshri:

Over the years, women characters have gone through a drastic change on Indian television. If there are soaps that show women who are docile and proverbial sacrificial lamb, there are women who are breaking the stereotypes. Here are 5 female TV characters who have broken the mould.

Badho in Badho Bahu

Rytasha Rathore as Badho Bahu in a still from the show. Picture courtesy: ozee.com

Sonakshi Bose in Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi

Erica Fernandes portrays the character of a strong woman in Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi. Picture courtesy: Instagram/teecreations_ejf

Nandini in Chandra Nandini

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Shweta Basu Prasad as Nandini in Chandra Nandini.

Chandra Nandini is a historical love story of Chandragupta and Nandni. This powerful drama captures the untold chapter of Chandragupta Maurya's love life. Princess Nandini is a warrior princess, who is raised like her brothers and is trained in warfare. She sees the fall of her father's kingdom in front of her eyes and marries the person (Chandragupta Maurya played by Rajat Tokas) who destroyed her family, but with a vow to avenge the killing of her loved ones.

Saumya in Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki

Rubina Dilaik as Saumya in a still from the show.

Chakor in Udaan

Meera Deosthalie as Chakor in Udaan. Picture courtesy: Colorstv.com

--- ENDS ---
A ship ordered out of the Port of Tauranga on the weekend will have to have its hull cleared of marine growth before it can re-enter New Zealand waters.

The Ministry of Primary Industries ordered the DL Marigold to leave New Zealand within 24 hours on Sunday, following the discovery by MPI divers of a dense fouling of barnacles and tube worms on the bulk carriers hull and other underwater surfaces.

"The longer the vessel stayed in New Zealand, the greater chance there was for unwanted marine species to spawn or break away from the ship. So we had to act quickly," says MPIs Border Clearance Director, Steve Gilbert,

The DL Marigold arrived in Tauranga from Indonesia on March 4, and was originally expected to remain in New Zealand waters for nine days.

MPI understands the vessel will be cleaned in Fiji, before returning to New Zealand to finish discharging a shipment of palm kernel expeller.

"The vessel wont be allowed back until it can provide proof it has been thoroughly cleaned," says Steve.

It is the first time MPI has ordered an international vessel to leave a New Zealand port for biofouling reasons.

"We were dealing with severe contamination in this case."

New rules will require all international vessels to arrive in New Zealand with a clean hull from May 2018.

During the interim period, MPI can take action in cases of severe biofouling.
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller is encouraged by Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlees announcement today that the implementation of a new nationwide channel for sending alerts about emergencies, such as tsunami warnings, to mobile phones is on track to be up and running by the end of the year.

Cell broadcast alerting is a new way of sending information to mobile phones in a set area without people needing to subscribe to a service or download an app.

The alerts appear in a similar fashion to a text message and are received automatically and for free by all cell broadcast enabled mobile phones in the area.

The system was reviewed by the government following an unacceptable level of confusion that occurred with the inconsistent way the messages were applied following Kaikoura 7.8 quake.

Todd says the announcement is great for a community like the Bay of Plenty, where we have been let down by alerting systems in the recent past.

This system will communicate the risk faster and more reliably than ever before, and is not vulnerable to network overloading meaning alerts can still be sent if networks get busy after a natural disaster.

This is a welcome improvement, but no technology is 100 per cent failsafe, which is why we will continue to use and explore multiple channels to keep our community safe such as radio, television, social media and sirens.

This plan has involved a number of companies such as 2degrees, Vodafone, Spark who are working together to enable this technology for the first time in NZ.

There has also been significant involvement from the Ministries of Civil Defence, Health, Primary Industries, and the New Zealand Fire Service.

Its great to see so many Kiwis come together in collaboration to implement a system to keep at-risk communities safe, says Todd.

Tauranga City Council is also doing some great work with updated tsunami evacuation maps being delivered to all households in the Mount and Papamoa this month, improved evacuation route signage, and the construction of the southern hemispheres first vertical evacuation structure.

When viewed as a whole, our community can rest assured knowing that their concerns have been heard loud and clear, and that both central and local government are working to deliver solutions that work for our residents.
Calls are being made to end the bias against women in the workforce.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller says research from the Ministry for Women shows that there is a conscious and unconscious bias against women in the workplace; this has to stop.

There is no justification in 2017 for paying women anything less than the value of the job. New Zealands gender gap is currently 12 per cent, down from 16.3 per cent in 1998.

Although we are consistently ranked as having one of the lowest gender pay gaps in the OECD, this is still not good enough.

I have had the privilege to work at both Zespri and Fonterra in senior levels in my career and looking back I probably fell into the trap of paying what the market suggested and didnt forcefully test that the proposed remuneration was genuinely fair and blind to gender.

Todd says its important to front the bias that exists so clearly across many of the countrys employers.

Granted the bias might be subconscious, but every woman should be paid what the role is worth, not what we think the woman might accept in salary negotiation.

There is a lot of debate on feminism and its role in todays age, but for me its simple. Until I can look my daughters in the eye and assure them that they will be paid fairly in line with their male counterparts I will continue to be a determined feminist on this issue.

The New Zealand Defence Force is one organisation that says is celebrating equal opportunities for both men and women.

In a statement released today, the Defence Force says more women than ever are serving overseas for the New Zealand Defence Force in war zones, on peacekeeping missions and other international deployments.

While women make up about 16 per cent of the NZDFs Regular Force, the number overseas is about 20 per cent of the 495 personnel deployed.

That is the highest level since the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Act 2007 was passed, removing a provision that allowed the Defence Force to restrict womens involvement in combat and other front-line roles.

And as the world celebrates International Womens Day, some of the women serving overseas say the equal opportunities for training and promotion are responsible for the increasing number of women deployed or serving as commanders.

Of the women deployed overseas, some are serving in the Middle East or in war zones like Iraq, while others are on a six-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific region as crew members of the Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha and replenishment tanker Endeavour.

Seeing an increasing number of women in positions of command and on overseas missions is an inspiration to me, says Able Medic Koryn Berriman, one of three medics on Te Kaha.

Flight Lieutenant Erica Riddle, the Logistics Officer of the NZDFs maritime security operation in the Middle East, says in her 15 years with the NZDF, she has seen opportunities for women improve across the three Services.

I am proud that I work for an organisation where gender is not a factor in decision-making, training or career progression.
This is the Obamas' first appearance after Trump accused the former POTUS of wiretapping the Trump Tower before the 2016 Election results.

By India Today Web Desk: Barack Obama may or may not have wiretapped the Trump Tower as alleged by POTUS, but there's one thing he's definitely guilty of--making the most stylish comeback in the history of American politics.

Spotted exiting the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, the former President looked his casual best in a brown leather jacket that the world hasn't stopped swooning over.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/em_steez

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Not that he'd mind, but stealing his thunder here was former FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, who looked chic in an all-black outfit. Complete with oversized sunglasses and a black shrug, this is reportedly, Michelle Obama's first appearance since the Obamas took off for a vacation post Trump's Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017.

Also Read: Barack Obama is kitesurfing now that he's, you know, free

Also Read: This is the woman who has been running Michelle Obama's Snapchat account

Also Read: Lead by example with hope, never fear: When Michelle Obama delivered her last speech as the First Lady

Pictures of Barack Obama kitesurfing with Richard Branson at the British Virgin Islands broke the internet recently, and now the Obamas are back to make things better.

Good day, y'all!

--- ENDS ---
Hanging out on her porch on a warm April day in 2014 while her husband Travis mowed the grass, Ashley Gilley was likely thinking about the upcoming birth of her first child just two months away.

But those two months disappeared in a flash when Ashleys water broke unexpectedly. Warren Lee Gilley was going to make an early appearance.

Ashley had been experiencing no difficulties with her pregnancy, she said, and there had been no warning signs of premature labor. Her doctor said maybe the barometric pressure had something to do with the premature labor; that it sometimes happened in the spring and fall.

Ashley said Travis at first didnt believe her when she told him her water had broken, and then their Australian shepherd Nala wouldnt let anyone near her.

I think she knew something was going on, Ashley said of Nala. When I was gone for several days she wouldnt eat, but my husband put me on speaker phone and when she heard my voice she was fine.

Travis drove Ashley to the hospital in Bristol, where her doctor was located, and she was then transported by ambulance to Niswonger Childrens Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn. That was on Thursday, she said, and the doctors wanted to postpone labor so she was given shots of magnesium to control contractions long enough to give her steroid shots for several days.

When they took me off the magnesium he was here in six hours, Ashley said.

Warren was born at 30 weeks (full term is 37-40 weeks) on Monday, April 14, 2014, at 6:09 a.m. For a preemie, he had a good weight of four pounds, nine ounces and was 17.5 inches long.

For me, it was my first hospital stay, my first ambulance ride and my first baby all in one whack, Ashley said. But, she kept her cool so well on the ambulance ride that the attendant took her blood pressure 11 times, she said.

He couldnt believe I was so chill, she said. I told him there wasnt anything I could do. It was out of my hands and in Gods hands so there was no reason to panic.

Ashley might have had a bit of panic after she got to the hospital in Johnson City when she said her room went from four people to 30 within five minutes. It was a bit chaotic, she said. When delivery day came everything went well, she said, but so fast there wasnt time for an epidural to take effect.

Thankfully, it was just a few pushes and he was here, Ashley said of Warrens birth. She said she wasnt ready to repeat the painful experience when it was time for second baby WyLee to arrive in October 2016 but, fortunately, he waited 40 weeks and she had plenty of time to prepare for his birth.

Warren had no serious complications from his premature birth, Ashley said, except for having to learn how to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time and having his body learn to keep its temperature up. He spent about 16 days in an incubator until he could do all those things keeping his temperature up for 12 hours at a time.

We didnt get to hold him for two days after he was born, she said. When he was finally able to reach those goals, everyone cheered when he could finally go home, she said. We were very excited about that.

Since his birth, Warren has made excellent progress, Ashley said, and while at first he was a little behind other children his age he is now progressing normally.

Once he turned two you wouldnt know he was early, she said. He definitely wasnt behind by the time he turned two.

At almost three years old, Warren has his own pony, Missy, and loves riding her. He won an award for Best Groomed Pony at the 2016 Rich Valley Fair.

Warrens birth was a miracle for his parents and a blessing for two other people as well.

Ashley said that while her husbands friend Josh Lewis was visiting with them in the hospital, they introduced him to their NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse Blakeley and the two began dating and then married. The Gilleys second son WyLee was born on their friends' one-year anniversary Oct. 10, 2016.

When the family was approached about being the Ambassador Family for this years March of Dimes program in Smyth County, Ashley said she and her family were honored.

Without March of Dimes they wouldnt have known how to take care of children like Warren, she said of her doctors. March of Dimes funds all the research for premature babies. Their training is what helped save Warrens life.

The March for Babies in Smyth County will take place on Saturday, May 13, on the Riverwalk in Marion. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the walk at 10 a.m. Anyone interested in forming a team or joining a team can go online to marchforbabies.org and click on Southwest Virginia March for Babies, or call Nikki Hicks, community director, at 276-274-5097 or Missy Bowman at Mountain Empire Federal Credit Union in Marion at 276-782-9639, ext. 27.
A woman was allegedly groped and molested by two men on a scooter on the night of December 31 in Kammanahalli area of Bengaluru. The act was captured by a CCTV camera nearby.

By Nolan Pinto, Rohini Swamy: Bengaluru Police have filed the chargesheet against the six accused in the Kammanahalli molestation case.The 164-page chargesheet provides details regarding the course of investigation in the case and how the accused have admitted to their crime.

A woman was allegedly groped and molested by two men on a scooter on the night of December 31 in Kammanahalli area of Bengaluru. The assault was captured by a CCTV camera, and the video went viral hours after the mass molestation incident on New Year's eve rocked Bengaluru.

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HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CASE SO FAR: The video of the assault is one of the major evidences cited by the police in its chargesheet which was submitted to the ACMM Court on Monday. The chargesheet includes statements of 32 witnesses. The prime witness is Prashant Francis, owner of the house where the CCTV camera was installed. Prashant was the first person to be approached by the victim and her friend after the incident. The chargesheet also speaks of how the victim, after much persuasion from the police, finally agreed to turn up during the identification parade and identified the accused. The victim, who belongs to Mizoram, was invited to the identification parade twice but relented after she was promised police protection. In the chargesheet, police have provided a detailed background of the accused and their criminal history. The accused have been identified as Aiyappa (19), Leno (20), Sudesh (20), James (20), Somashekar (24) and George (23). All of them are residents of Frazer Town in Bengaluru. On the night of December 31, the victim was on her way home after New Year's celebration when she was attacked by two men on a scooter. The men allegedly groped and molested her. The victim tried fighting them off and even slapped one of them. At this, the molesters pushed her to the ground and fled. The entire act was captured by the CCTV camera installed at Prashant's house. The Bengaluru Police filed the case suo moto under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354A and 354B (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code. Arrests were made in less than 48 hours.

ALSO READ:

Shah Rukh Khan on Bengaluru molestation: Teach boys to respect women

Bengaluru molesters caught on camera had stalked girl for days before New Year eve attack

Bengaluru molestation: Woman who was groped in Kammanahalli area identifies the attacker

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
Syracuse, N.Y. -- A nonprofit housing organization is offering to renovate a long-vacant commercial building on North Salina Street with financial help from the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency.

Under the proposal, the industrial development agency would pitch in $200,000 toward the $665,000 cost of redeveloping the building at 437 N. Salina St.

Then, the housing group Home HeadQuarters, in partnership with the Northside UP urban revitalization collaborative, would buy the building for $50,000, the same amount the development agency paid when it bought the building in January 2016 from the Greater Syracuse Land Bank. Home HeadQuarters would complete the building's renovation using grants from foundations and its own financing.

Dominic Robinson, vice president of economic inclusion at CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, said the first floor of the building would be made into commercial space and the second and third floors turned into a total of two or three apartments. Home HeadQuarters would put the building back on the tax rolls and seek a tenant who would operate a small business on the first floor, he said.

"It may be a family that would own the business and could live upstairs," he said.

Robinson said the building has been vacant for about 10 years and is in poor condition. Among other things, its asbestos-lined roof needs to be replaced, he said.

At just 4,500 square feet, the building is too small to make its renovation feasible without the industrial development agency's financial assistance, he said. Northside UP, a partnership between St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County and CenterState CEO, showed it to private developers, but none was interested in the building, he said.

"Not surprisingly, the consensus was this property is a dog," said Robinson.

Tearing it down is not an option because the building is in a designated historic district, he said. And doing nothing with the building is not an option, either, because it will remain vacant and continue to deteriorate, bringing down the value of other properties on the block, Robinson said.

Robinson presented the proposal to a meeting of the industrial development agency Tuesday morning. The agency could vote on the proposal at its meeting in April. Agency Chairman Pat Hogan said he will support it.

"I think this is exactly what we should be doing," he said. "This is an outstanding idea."

The agency bought the building at the same time it purchased the building next to it, at 435 N. Salina St., for $99,000 from the land bank for use by Onondaga Community College as a restaurant management training center. The center opened in December of last year.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
DeWitt Jewish Community Center threat 1.JPG

DEWITT, NY - The Jewish Community Center of Syracuse in DeWitt is on lockdown for the third time this year after receiving a telephone threat, DeWitt police said.

The center did not have to be evacuated this time. DeWitt police are on the scene; a 911 call regarding a suspicious incident was received.

The center, at 5655 Thompson Road in DeWitt, received two bomb threats in January. The center was among about 100 JCCs receiving similar threats.

An arrest was made in connection with some of the threats, but not the one here.

The DeWitt center was not the only Upstate New York Jewish community center targeted on Tuesday.

The Louis S. Wolk Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester was evacuated Tuesday morning after a bomb threat was made at the Brighton center, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. The Brighton JCC reopened around 10:15 a.m., according to the center's Facebook page.

Another threat was received today in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, according to news reports.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Thousands of people everyday in Syracuse passed near a hand-built, two-room shack where a homeless man lived for nine years, and drivers didn't even know he was there.

The shack is within the city limits where you can hear trucks rumbling past on the interstates. It sits in a wooded area hidden in a swale where water runs through during wet weather.



The wood structure has a foundation, two doors and a window. It's walls are plumb and the boards fit snugly together keeping out the wind and the rain. The slightly sloping roof is covered with tar paper.



It's one of the most unusual living arrangements used by a homeless person the Syracuse Rescue Mission has seen, said Jim Hawley, an outreach case manager for the group. Homeless people tend to live in tents, under bridges or in lean-tos, he said.

"It's sturdy, well built like a camp," Hawley said. "It is amazing. It's not a backyard shed he's made. Even so, he shouldn't live like that."



Hawley and Amber Vander Ploeg, the mission's director of emergency services, took a reporter from Syracuse.com to the shack last week. With the encouragement and help of the Rescue Mission, the man who is in his 50s has moved into an apartment, but he occasionally returns to his former home, Hawley said.

The mission staff declined to put a reporter in touch with the man because they say he has mental health issues and would not be able to speak competently about his experience.



"He just doesn't trust anybody," Hawley said.



The camp where the shack is located looks at first like a collection of roadside trash. (The Rescue Mission asked Syracuse.com to not reveal the exact location of the man's shack to prevent others from using it.)



A set of rusting house keys is stuck on a tree limb. A woman's leopard print scarf waves in the branch of another tree. There's an old tire, an upside down bicycle that's missing a tire. An old mattress, pillows and blankets are wet and exposed to the winter weather. A fishing pole is braced against a tree.



Slightly away from the camp is a foot deep hole that looks like it was used as a fire pit.



It looks as if the builder scavenged doors, window and wood used to make the shack.

The metal white front door is in such good condition it could be used on anyone's house. Inside a windowless main room smells of damp wood smoke. There's a bed built on a frame that lifts it off the floor, a makeshift table, a shelf along the wall and hooks for hanging clothes.



In a way, the shack also has running water. Because it's built on a foundation that allows water to flow underneath, there is an opening cut into the room's floor that allowed the man to scoop out water that he boiled for drinking and cooking, Vander Ploeg said.



A second room in the back has a window in one wall. There is a work bench with chain saws that the man used to cut wood for his fires, Hawley said.



The Rescue Mission became aware of the man and his shack in October when someone reported someone was living in the woods.



Hawley began visiting the man's shack. He is the mission's outreach case manager for Onondaga County. Last year Hawley was able to encourage 51 people living on the streets to move into permanent housing.

How many homeless people are there in CNY? An annual homeless count on Jan. 25 found 22 people living outside in Syracuse and Onondaga County, but people come in and out of being homeless.

"There's more than you think, Hawley said. "These are people who are invisible."

Over months Hawley earned the man's trust. He brought him coffee and food. The men talked and every time before he left Hawley would ask the man if he wanted to move inside.

Every time the man declined.



The man receives Social Security and, on occasion, ate meals at the mission, Hawley said. At Thanksgiving Hawley brought four dinners to the shack.



The men developed a rapport, each visit brought more trust, Hawley said.



"He's very much a gentleman. Anyone who has met him has fallen in love with this guy," Hawley said.



By December, the man agreed to move into permanent housing provided by Catholic Charities. Hawley continues to check on him in his new apartment.



The man who didn't trust anyone? "He made me a set of keys to allow me in," Hawley said.





Contact Charley Hannagan anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2161.
Dr. Bob Corona has several leadership roles at SUNY Upstate Medical University. His main job is chair of pathology and laboratory medicine. He advises residents, teaches pathology and lab medicine, and directs the hospital's pathology lab, employing about 250 people.

"You're operating not just patient care, you're operating a business," he said. "It has about 250 employees, a big information-system infrastructure, logistics, couriers.

"I earned an MBA which was helpful to understand business and balance sheets and all that stuff. The real skills come from the ability to deal with people. You can't forget people are your biggest asset."

His other leadership roles include vice president of innovation and business development. And, he oversees the CNY Biotech Accelerator.

Corona went to work in 1992 at Albany Medical Center after a fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. Before long, he arrived at Upstate and after a couple years was recruited to Welch Allyn. In 2012, after 16 years at Welch Allyn, he returned to Upstate.

Tell me about influences that led you to a leadership role in innovation.

I never formally trained as an engineer, but I always had a curiosity about science and technology. When I got into medicine, I gravitated toward pathology because there was a lot of technology involved with lab instruments and microscopes.

We started to use some primitive Internet technology in the mid-90s. I'm a brain and spinal cord pathologist - a neuropathologist. In Binghamton, they had neurosurgeons, but they did not have neuropathologists. So we rigged up a microscope with a robotic camera and hooked it to a television. Imagery was sent to us.

About 1995, a 15-year-old kid had a diagnosis of a high-grade brain malignancy. On the television screen, we said: Oh no, that's not a high-grade tumor. It's easy to confuse with a high-grade tumor, but it's a benign brain tumor, which changed the entire direction of the operation.

The next thing I knew I was getting calls from Apple Computer and Fujitsu and Sprint and Nynex. We started working with the Air Force Research Lab and doctors in Canada and in the Middle East. We decided to have a conference here about the technology.

I called Dr. Michael Baden, who was the forensic pathologist for the state of New York. I did several consults for the brains when he would do an autopsy. I asked him to be the keynote speaker for our conference.

He said: Yeah, but I'm working on the O.J. Simpson trial. Can I bring the team with me?

They came to Syracuse, and our attendance went from 300 to off the charts. We had to move the venue to the Oncenter.

Bill Allyn from Welch Allyn sat next to me at the conference dinner and asked: Are you responsible for all this technology?

I said: Yeah.

He said: We're trying to move our company to less optical mechanical technology and more processer-based stuff. Would you come work for me?

I was scared because I'd only been in practice two years, and I didn't want to give up my medical career. But it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I got to learn from him and all the legends at Welch Allyn. I spent 16 years there working in product development, testing for FDA clearance, and really enjoyed the run.

I continued to do consultations for brain pathology and teach at Upstate. The head of the search committee for the department chair said: We're looking for a chairman of the department.

I thought: It might be a nice time to come back to apply business and innovation principles. A new world of pathology was developing in digital imaging - moving away from the microscope to reading pathology on computers.

I got the opportunity to take over direction of the Biotech Center, got the opportunity to build a new cord-blood center, which we just launched. Now we're building a new laboratory, the first time since 1964. We're applying all these new technologies and automation to the lab.

Were you in leadership roles growing up?

I was president of my class in my freshman, sophomore and junior year at Oneida High School. I was the class marshal at graduation (1978).

One of the most fun things I did was Oneida city youth court. In lieu of Family Court, you could be defended, prosecuted and judged by your peers. I was a judge in city youth court. Some of the sentences we would issue were if you pulled a fire alarm, you had to work four Saturdays washing firetrucks at the fire department.

In college, I was an R.A. I went to Ithaca College. My major was biology.

Tell me about qualities of good leadership. What advice would you give a new leader?

Be flexible and adaptable. It's hard to predict what opportunities are going to come your way. Had I not been adaptable, I could have never made the transition from academic medicine to industry. When I was about to leave industry to come back to academia, I was told: Nobody's ever done that.

Flexibility and adaptability are key.

So is humility. When things happen good, take less of the credit. When bad things happen, take a disproportionate amount of the credit. Really take the responsibility. Don't just say I'm responsible and not change anything.

Have imagination. I'm a huge Disney fan. I love the idea of not accepting that there's only one solution.

Sometimes, when you have to be really focused on a problem, military-style leadership works. You focus. You have to make decisions that may irritate people, but you have to get that problem solved. When the tension isn't so bad, you have to be softer and use emotional intelligence and get people to buy in and build them a bridge so they have a pathway to the side that you're hoping to get them to.

I tell residents that two-thirds to maybe four-fifths of being successful as a leader comes from emotional intelligence, the soft skills. They're all smart here. They're all going to pick up the technical skills, but sometimes that's all they worry about.

Two thirds or more of leadership depends on the soft skills?



Look on any expense sheet. Labor costs the most, but people are your biggest assets. You need to take the time to get good people in your organization. In tough times, if you don't maintain the investment in people, you're not going to get any better. If you persist and focus and are resilient about keeping your people strong and happy and the morale high, you'll make it through the tough times.

What attributes do you see in poor leadership?

Lack of humility, which is key. Poor leaders fear change, so they protect the status quo. They are revengeful. They're angry.

I tell residents: Get angry and then let it go. Get it out of your system. You won't be productive when you're mad.

When you get angry, you don't make good decisions. Postponing making a decision, usually allows something bad to continue to fester.

Indecisiveness is one of the worst qualities a leader can have.

People generally like the status quo, so how does a leader spark innovation?

If you're really going to innovate, you have to solve somebody's problem.

I often say that you study the problem hard and then look for emotion. When you see emotion attached to the problem, there's an opportunity to innovate.

When people were standing in line, frustrated at a bank, waiting for a teller to do a simple transaction, somebody thought of an ATM machine. I try to really look at people, see where their pain point is, see where they start to get emotional about it. When it comes time to make a product, a device, a software app or whatever, people will pay for it if there is a little emotional component associated with it.

So stretch your imagination. Study problems, and look for that hook.

When I was at Welch Allyn, we got thousands of ideas brought to us during my run. We had a fast feasibility team. Does it make sense financially? Does it make sense technologically? Does it meet a need in the market? Can we protect the intellectual property?

I try to do the same thing here and bring in companies that are really going to make a difference.

What do you mean by bring in companies? Recruit them to the Upstate campus or grow new companies from the bottom up?

The Biotech Center is a regional resource. We take companies from an idea, usually in early phase. We teach them how to protect their intellectual property, write business plans, how to innovate, how to get grants. We try to both incubate and then accelerate them and not encourage them to just squat and stay in our facility. We want them to grow out of our facility, so we can bring in new people.

The biggest reason that a lot of incubators fail is that people come in, don't succeed and then squat there. They don't let new innovations come in.

We get them out. (Snaps fingers)

Our Biotech Center is full. I just met with a company out of California that wants to come and take the last pod. Kathi Durdon runs it, and she's a go-getter.

How does this tie to better medicine?

The backbone of precision medicine is precision diagnostics. If you get the diagnosis right, you're not going to do a lot of therapies that don't work.

Molecular pathology and genomics are the fundamentals of precision medicine.

At the Biotech Center, we built a molecular genetics lab, which is the foundation of precision diagnostics. And a digital imaging laboratory. Did you see the recent news about the big table that can display a digital image of a whole body?

To personalize someone's therapy, knowing the genetics of the tumor and the genetics of the individual will help to know what drugs work and what drugs don't work. We built a state-of-the art molecular genetics laboratory with the ability to target specific abnormalities in the genome and eventually we will sequence the patient's genome, the genome of his/her tumor or the genome of an inherited disorder.

When you have the ability to determine a person's entire genome, it's like throwing all the pieces of the puzzle on the table. What does it mean? OK, we know what your genetic makeup is. It's the bioinformatics or the computational pathology that puts the puzzles together. We juxtaposed the two laboratories. I hired the chief software architect of one of the divisions at Welch Allyn to run that.

That will be the fundamental piece to precision medicine.

A lot of times, drugs are approved specific to an organ - for instance, this is a lung-cancer drug. But now the molecular pathology and genomics testing are allowing us to characterize the tumor based on its molecular and genetic features.

When we isolate a brain tumor, we now talk about: What are the molecular genetics? Does it have certain protein features we can see via the microscope? Does it have a certain translocation of chromosomes?

That helps us personalize the therapy we provide.

You might have seen news at Duke. They're injecting brain tumors with polio virus. They stripped the ability of the polio virus to cause polio, but it still likes to attack the brain-tumor cells. They tag it with a cold virus, so it creates this huge inflammatory response in the brain. That ramps up the immune system to kill the brain tumor as well as the cold virus.

This is what the future of medicine looks like.

We have a stem-cell facility at our Community Campus run by our department.

I was talking to this company from California that wants to take stem cells to do regeneration medicine. Where there's a defect in certain tissue, they'll take the stem cells, hit it with a certain drug that will turn it on and then the stem cell will make replacement tissue.

I'm biased as a pathologist, but molecular pathology and genomics are the foundation of precision medicine: Get the diagnosis right. Or you could be all over the place trying therapies that may not work.

If you're missing a certain enzyme, you're not going to be able to use certain pain medicine.

Organ-specific therapies become gene-specific therapies.

You get your genome checked in the future, and you'll know this.

I'm trying to get some industry rally around it.

"CNY Conversations" feature Q&A interviews about leadership, success, and innovation. The conversations are condensed and edited. Last week, Dave Schneckenburger describes the value of being around other leaders.
NYSYR-20131223-105115-CNY_S.JPG

CNY SPCA's small dog kennel.

(Sarah Moses)

UTICA, NY - Two women have been charged with animal cruelty after Central New York SPCA investigators said they removed 30 cats from one of their apartments in Utica Monday.

John Duby, SPCA cruelty investigator, said one of the women hid the 30 cats in the other woman's apartment to avoid detection by investigators.

Karen Purdy, 56; and Lila Walker, 69; both of 1431 E. Genesee St., Utica will be in Utica city court March 13 to answer the charges, Duby said.

Last week, SPCA officials removed 45 dogs - mostly all Chihuahuas - from Walker's one-bedroom apartment, Duby said. She was issued a code violation at the time for unsanitary conditions, he said.

Investigators returned to the building after being tipped that Walker's friend, Purdy, had numerous cats. When they asked Purdy, she said she only had four cats and had given the rest away, Duby said.

Duby said investigators were suspicious, and checked on Walker's apartment, which had been vacated. There, they found Purdy's 30 cats, he said.

The dogs and cats are now at the CNY SPCA. The cats have runny eyes and noses, but the dogs are in good health. About 75 percent of them have already been claimed for adoption, Duby said.
The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has asked for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cover for its campus.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Recently mired in a 'gender discrimination' controversy, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has asked for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cover for its campus.

The CISF, which is considering the request, said BHU cited "security reasons."

CISF Director General (DG) OP Singh said that "though the proposal was sent to the force, they were reluctant to take over." The final decision, however, lies with the government, he added.

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Sources said BHU Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi recently wrote to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (HRD) asking for CISF cover, especially for the Sir Sundar Lal Hospital and Trauma Centre located in its campus. The request was handed over to CISF for its consideration.

WHY BHU ASKED FOR CISF'S HELP

BHU has sought the help of the CISF because "ordinary security was not able to handle the daily footfall at the 100-year-old university", according to sources.

Presently, around 900 security guards, supervisors and security officers of Uttar Pradesh Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPPSKNL) and private security agencies look after the security of the 1,400 acre varsity campus.

BHU, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country, has been the subject of controversy, with allegations being made of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) influence on the varsity.

The case has been highlighted as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an MP from Varanasi, which goes to the polls in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls tomorrow.

ALSO READ | Has BHU become an RSS fortress? India Today exposes gender divide, moral policing on campus

ALSO WATCH | Campus or Prison: Gender discrimination at Banaras Hindu University

--- ENDS ---
Voting is now open for the CUSU/GU Elections, after the candidates were tested in an intense hustings on Monday evening. With many of the candidates running uncontested, hustings was one of the major opportunities for the candidates to be taken to task over their manifesto pledges.

For the uncontested positions, members of the student press stood in as speakers of the opposition, as CUSU election rules stipulate that one of the options in each election race must be to reopen nominations (RON). Each candidate gave a two minute speech, before the floor was opened to questions.

Hustings for the role of University Councillor will be held tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm. Voting will close on 5pm on Friday.

Click here for TCS' live-blogging of hustings: Tweets by TCSNewspaper .

The Candidates:

CUSU President: Jack Drury, Daisy Eyre, Keir Murison

CUSU Education Officer: Martha Krish

CUSU Access and Funding Officer: Olivia Hylton-Pennant

CUSU Women's Officer: Lola Olufemi

CUSU-GU Welfare and Rights Officer: Micha Frazer-Carroll

CUSU Disabled Students' Officer: Florence Oulds

University Councillor: Joshua Jackson, Umang Khandelwal, Marcel Llavero Pasquina

Hustings: As it happened:

Hustings began with an irate student chastising the attendees for talking too loudly outside the lecture which was taking place at Mill Lane Lecture rooms. Soon after, proceedings began smoothly as Martha Krish began her speech, arguing for why she should be elected Education Officer. Hannah Dawson of The Tab Cambridge played the role of RON.

Krish spoke about shifting styles of learning, the boycott of the NSS and said that the idea that theres widespread student apathy is simply not true. Dawson suggested that the NSS Boycott is pointless as the University can use previous years data for the governments TEF programme.

Olivia Hylton-Pennant stood next, running for the role of Access and Funding Officer. Louis Ashworth of Varsity was RON. Hylton-Pennant referenced the role of an Access visit in encouraging her to apply to Cambridge and said Id like to have more communication with [JCR] access officers. She also suggested that a handover document should be provided for these access officers.

Micha Frazer-Carroll then stood for Welfare and Rights Officer, with Matt Gurtler of The Cambridge Student playing the role of RON. Frazer-Carroll said that her own problems with mental health would help her to relate to students in a similar position.

When it was pointed out by Gurtler that she hadnt served as a JCR Welfare officer, Frazer-Carroll defended her position by saying that being the only candidate to stand in the first round of nominations showed that she was passionate about the role, and that she also had experience on Corpus JCR Committee and as a Student Minds rep.

Lola Olufemi put forward her manifesto for election to the position of Womens Officer, saying, I want this University to be a more bearable space for female and non-binary students. Hannah Dawson (standing again as RON) said that the women's campaign needs to be accessible for women who wouldn't call themselves feminists. Olufemi then expressed her desire to work closely with the Disabled Students Rep (DSO) on the CUSU committee.

Florence Oulds discussed her experience on the Disabled Students Campaign, and highlighted the varying experiences disabled students can have across colleges: Its not at all fair for one student to receive worse care than another just because of their college. She suggested that resources emailed to students and left in pigeonholes, in addition to collaboration with the student press, would contribute towards provoking a broader University-wide dialogue about disabilities.

Oulds also advocated basic information about colleges being given to potential applicants, such as the accessibility of rooms.

After a brief interruption by current CUSU President Amatey Doku regarding the dry topic of the referendum about changes to CUSUs constitution, which will take place alongside the elections, the three presidential candidates took to the stage.

In his opening two-minute speech, CUCAs Jack Drury argued that he was the candidate that offers an alternative trajectory to the one that CUSU is currently on. He added: I will make CUSU work for you, because it can.

Former JCSU President Daisy Eyre outlined her three key priorities  access, mental health, and student workload. She claimed she was running for all the students who are done with accepting all systematic problems.

Keir Murison, formerly President of Student Minds Cambridge, was the final presidential candidate to speak. He stressed his desire to equalise college policy, arguing that he will make sure that we are actually doing the things that students want us to do.

Tension grew as divestment was brought up. While Eyre said that she would take an active stance in supporting divestment, and Murison advocating that CUSU should work with societies like Zero Carbon, Drury argued that divestment comes at a cost. Zero Carbon has since posted a statement on its Facebook page, responding that this response reflects a common misconception about divestment. Theres simply no evidence that divestment has had a negative impactons tudent funding at other universities.

When asked about student engagement with CUSU, Eyre admitted that participation is a stumbling block in allowing CUSU to achieve its full potential. Murison said that CUSU need[s] to talk to people in order to increase student participation. Talking not doing, Drury said, was the way to get students more involved. He took a more polemical stance, asking, I dont know how any one of us can stand up here and not be embarrassed.

Hustings ended with two question from Doku, who drew attention to CUSUs lack of funding compared to other Russell Group universities student unions. He asked the candidates how they would deal with the bad press it would receive when underfunding leads to abandoned policies. Murison replied that bad press is always going to happen, its CUSU, but said that its about [] showing the student body that CUSU is value for money.

Eyre advocated the reform of CUSU, given that its problems are deeply structural. Drury, on the other hand, criticised CUSUs previous incompetent management of funding.
Hari Kunzru's new book White Tears talks about racial politics at a time when the old uglinesses we thought were long dead are once more on the rise.

It's not surprising that Hari Kunzru-the son of a Kashmiri Pandit father and an English mother-finds his richest material where racial streams intermingle. But while the transformation in his debut novel, The Impressionist (2002), is relatively superficial-a brown man impersonating white behaviour in order to 'pass'-in his latest, White Tears, the process is far more visceral.

Seth, the narrator, spends his days wandering New York, listening to and recording the accidental music of the city. On one of these walks, his equipment picks up a stray line of an old blues song, "Believe I buy a graveyard of my own."

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When he plays it for his friend Carter Wallace, who is obsessed with pre-war blues recordings, the two are hooked. But the closer they come to the truth, the more permeable the membrane between past and present becomes. The story drags the reader back to America's Deep South in the 1930s and the blood-stained legacy of the Wallace family's wealth.

"My brother feels guilty for being a rich boy," notes Carter's sister. "That's why his heroes are always poor or black." But she reminds him that a liberal's bleeding heart doesn't count for much against a cracked skull. "Even if you did something... really selfless. Black lives matter or whatever. They [black people] still wouldn't like you."

As racially motivated attacks mount again in Europe and America following Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, Seth and Carter's doomed attempt to transcend their "disabling caucasity" forces us to reappraise racial politics at a time when the old uglinesses we thought were long dead are once more on the rise.

Kunzru is perfect for the job.

--- ENDS ---
Upcoming first-person survival horror game Outlast II will arrive next month in both physical and digital formats, developer Red Barrels revealed on Monday.

In Outlast II, you'll play as husband and wife investigative journalist team Blake and Lynn Langermann as they look into the "impossible" murder of a pregnant woman in Arizona. What you'll apparently find is a "darkness so deep: that no one could shed light upon it and a "corruption so profound" that going mad may be the only sane thing to do. Sounds like fun.

Unlike fellow horror game Resident Evil 7, Outlast II will not feature virtual reality support - at least, not at launch. There also isn't any DLC planned for the new game, Red Barrels said on Twitter.

Outlast II lands on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on April 25 for $29.99. Also available on the same day is Outlast Trinity, a physical collection that consists of the original Outlast, the Outlast Whistleblower DLC and Outlast 2, yours for $39.99.
Don't you hate it when you're excitedly waiting for something to arrive, but then find out there's been a delay, even if it's only for a few days? Impatient fans of Samsung's non-exploding line of Galaxy handsets - the S series - will be disappointed to learn that the upcoming S8 and S8+ have had their release date pushed back, though only by a week.

The highly anticipated smartphones were due for worldwide release on April 21, but according to VentureBeat's Evan Blass, who cites a "person briefed on the company's revised target," the S8 and S8+ will now arrive on April 28. If Blass is right, and he usually is when it comes to mobile rumors and leaks, it will mean a near month-long wait between the unveiling of the S8 phones at the March 29th Unpacked event in New York and their launch.

The Korean company will also be revealing the new and improved Gear VR headset that works with the S8/S8+ at the Unpacked event.

There's been no reason given as to why Samsung wanted an extra seven days before releasing the new Galaxies. Blass speculates that it may be related to the low yields for the devices' 10-nanometer Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895 SoCs. After what happened with the Note 7, Samsung will want an S8 launch without even the slightest hiccup.

The S8 will have some stiff competition from its rivals, especially the excellent LG G6, which took just four days to hit 40,000 pre-orders in Korea (LG's launching the handset in its native country first). Samsung's offering could also face a challenge from Sony's 4K-capable Xperia XZ Premium. Both phones made our Best of Mobile World Congress awards.
Most people tend to associate drones with hobbyists, delivery services, or the military. But UAVs have applications beyond these areas - such as rescue operations. That's the aim of Project Hero, a version of Land Rover's Discovery SUV featuring a quadcopter drone that can take off and land from the top of the vehicle, even when it's in motion.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) has created this amazing version of the Discovery for the Austrian Red Cross. It will be trialed by the organization's emergency response team in the hope it can save lives during disasters by speeding up response times.

The SUV itself is based on the 3.0-litre TD6 engine-powered version of the new Land Rover Discovery. Extra features (other than the drone) include a heavy-duty sliding floor in the rear, specialist communications equipment, and extra LED lighting to aid night driving.

As for that quadcopter, the company says it can land on the speeding vehicle thanks to the world's first self-centering and magnetic retention drone technology.

When in the air, the UAV can send live video footage to emergency response teams, giving them a birds-eye view of areas hit by natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, and allowing the surveying of a scene from a safe distance. The drone can be controlled from the safety of the vehicle using a tablet app that allows the occupants to assess the surrounding environment as they drive.

Other automakers are looking at integrating drones into their vehicles, especially for the purposes of delivering goods. If Project Hero proves successful, don't be surprised if drone-carrying SUVs become a common sight at disaster areas.
Astronomers working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped save the MAVEN Mars orbiter from colliding with the red planet's moon Phobos.

Potential Space Collision

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN), which has been orbiting Mars for two years now, was expected to cross paths with Phobos on March 6. Computer models revealed that the $671 million spacecraft and Phobos would miss each other by a mere seven seconds, raising concern for potential collision.

Mission controllers took preventive action on Feb. 28, firing the orbiter's engine so its velocity would increase and give a relatively safer 2.5 minutes between Phobos and Maven.

The U.S. space agency has already boosted its traffic monitoring, communication, and maneuver-planning in a bid to ensure that the orbiters circling Mars would not get too near each other.

Nonetheless, while NASA has prevented Maven from colliding with a Martian moon, this is not as easy when it comes to preventing space object collisions near Earth.

Satellite Collisions Above Earth

While satellite operators can direct spacecraft orbiting Earth to do a similar maneuver in seconds compared with 13 minutes for spacecraft on the red planet, Earth has far more satellites orbiting it, which makes preventing space collisions more difficult.

Less than 10 spacecraft are currently orbiting Mars. Earth, on the other hand, has more than 1,400 operational man-made satellites.

"Traffic management at Mars is much less complex than in Earth orbit, where more than 1,000 active orbiters plus additional pieces of inactive hardware add to hazards," NASA stated.

CubeSats

Besides the increasing number of Earth's satellites, CubeSats also pose concern. The miniature satellites are relatively low-cost they can be afforded by small companies and universities.

The objects, however, are not maneuverable, which means they cannot be steered to avoid collision with other space objects. As more of these CubeSats get launched into Earth's orbit, experts warn of more frequent space collisions as these may hit and cause damage to other objects in orbit.

In 2014, space debris expert Hugh Lewis, from the University of Southampton, and colleagues used computer models to simulate these small satellites' traffic until the year 2043. They discovered that there will be millions of close calls with CubeSats and a few of these miniature satellites will collide with other space objects over the next three decades.

Space Junk

Space junk is also a problem. About 100 million debris of space junk, which include discarded equipment from satellites, tools, and pieces of rockets are believed to be in Earth's orbit. Many of these pieces are small, but with velocities reaching up to 12,500 miles per hour, they can whiz through space and potentially cause damage to satellites or even space stations.

"Debris hitting debris creates more debris, so you have this cascade effect and end up with so much space debris that it becomes a real danger to operational satellites and new launches," said Steve Gower of the Space Environment Research Center in Australia. "Every time we launch a satellite, we need to plan a path to avoid space junk."

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Over the last three years, Apple has been losing ground in the education sector to Google, as schools shift from iPads and Macs to low-cost Chromebooks.

Google has placed heavy focus on expanding Chrome OS usage in schools, particularly for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. It seems that the company's initiatives are paying off, as Google has consistently been taking away market share from Apple since 2014.

Google Beating Apple In The Education Sector

According to a report by FutureSource Consulting on mobile PCs used in the K-12 education market, sales of laptops and tablets into the sector have increased by 18 percent to 12.6 million units, compared to 10.7 million units in 2015.

Leading the charge in the battle of the operating systems that these laptops and tablets use is Google's Chrome OS, which had a 58 percent market share for 2016. This continues the significant growth of the operating system, from the 50 percent market share that it held in 2015 and the 38 percent market share that it held in 2014.

The percentage of mobile PCs utilizing Chrome OS being sold into the K-12 education market has grown over the past three years at the expense of Apple. For 2016, Apple's iOS and Mac OS only held a collective 19 percent market share in the sales of mobile PCs into the sector, as its hold continues to loosen from a 25 percent market share in 2015 and a 34 percent market share in 2014.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has steadily held about less than a quarter of the market share, now finding itself second behind Google. The company and its Windows operating system held a 22 percent market share last year, similar to the 22 percent market share held in 2015 and just slightly lower than the 25 percent market share held in 2014.

Why Is Apple Losing To Google In Schools?

Apple's iPad tablets and MacBook laptops accounted for around half of the mobile devices that were sold to United States schools in 2013. However, three years later, Google now holds that distinction, with Apple's devices dropping to less than one-fifth of the market and in third place behind Microsoft.

Google countered Apple's iPads and MacBooks with low-cost Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks, with several partners releasing various models over the last few years. Cheap Chromebooks released by brands such as Acer, HP, and Lenovo focused on education helped Google overtake Apple in the sector. Some of these Chromebooks are also sturdy, rugged models, which makes sense as computers for children.

Perhaps the most important factor for Google's rise over Apple, however, is the cloud-based Chrome OS itself. Despite Apple's initiatives that are focused on the education sector, the simplicity of the Chrome OS for students to use and for administrators to manage has allowed Google to beat Apple in the K-12 market.

Google Unveils New HP Chromebook

One such example on why Google is taking away market share from Apple is the new Chromebook model unveiled by HP named the Chromebook x360 11 G1 Education Edition. Launching in the middle of April, the Chromebook will feature a rugged 360-degree convertible construction, USB-C charging, and an optional stylus.

The laptop is nowhere near as powerful as Apple's MacBooks, but its basic features and specifications, leading to a low price, makes it a perfect choice for schools and their students.

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After two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall leading to drought, Somalia is on the brink of another famine as 110 people, mostly women and children, died in the past 48 hours due to starvation and drought-related diseases.

The deaths came from the villages of southwestern Bay region, the ground-zero of this year's drought, while it was not yet established how many people had died in other parts of the country.

Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire announced the impending crises as he spoke before the drought committee. Four days earlier, the drought was declared as a national disaster by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

The prime minister, in a statement released by his office, was warned by the committee "about the humanitarian crises ... that is threatening the lives of the people and their livestock."

Save Somalis From Dying

The severe drought that hit the country has put the lives of more than 6 million Somalis in danger as food and water become scarce with rivers drying up.

The present drought will "cost lives, further destroy livelihoods, and could undermine the pursuit of key state-building and peace-building initiatives," Peter de Clercq, United Nations's coordinator for Somalia, said. The country has been rocked by internal conflict for decades and beset with lack of infrastructure problem.

He sees the urgent need to "scale up the drought response immediately."

Khaire also called on the "business people and everyone to contribute to the drought response efforts aimed at saving the lives of the millions of Somalis dying from hunger and lack of water."

People Needing Assistance Growing

In September last year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, around 5 million Somalis were in need of assistance. The number went as high as 6.2 in this year's drought.

During the famine between 2010 and 2012, the United Nations and the United States Agency for International Development said the death toll had reached up to 258,000.

Somalia is placed along South Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen by UNICEF where an estimated 1.4 million children are vulnerable from the impending famine to hit the region.

Slow Response?

The United Nations and several aid agencies have developed a five-level scale called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) as a guide to classify different phases on food security situations. In Phase 5 of the IPC, a famine or humanitarian catastrophe is declared if more than two people die every day, more than 30 percent acute malnutrition rates are recorded, all livestock have died, food consumption is less than 2,100 kilocalories, and less than 4 liters of water is available for each person.

Based on these criteria, by the time the United Nations declares a famine, there is already a widespread loss of lives.

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Mount Etna had its first volcanic eruption after two years of latency, setting off a spring of lava near the isle of Sicily's eastern coast between Feb. 27 and 28.

One of the most active volcanoes in Europe, Mount Etna has emitted a mass of lava and ashes, consequently forming ash clouds and calling the attention of authorities as well as alarming holiday travelers for possible cancellation and postponements of flights.

Ash Clouds Not A Problem

Mount Etna is deemed as the Italy's highest volcano, approximately 3,330 meters or 10,926 feet tall.

Situated on the isle of Sicily, Mount Etna is as distant as Catania and Taormina's resort town, which is around 30 kilometers away.

Last year, from January 2011 until February 2012, the summit crater of Mount Etna showed recurring eruptions with floating ashes in the air. As a result, Catania airport's operation necessitated a shut down on some occasions.

On Feb. 28, a video from BPEarthWatch uploaded on YouTube referring to Mount Etnas's recent eruption has explained that from the volcano, the upper-level winds will blow the ashes northeast to southwest of Italy, which will then experience the ash clouds' adverse effects such as "minor air delays, poor air quality and haze."

On Express' official website, Gatwick Airport's spokesperson stated that they may be compelled to "alter their flight paths," while others consider that the ashes could even reach Bucharest.

"Mount Etna is erupting today but like it very often does during the course of the year," the British Airways spokesperson explained, countering the previous speculations.

"Sectors are open and fully operational. No impacts on flights are foreseen at the moment," added the British Airway's spokesperson.

European History's Largest Volcanic Eruption

The European history's largest eruption, up to date, happened in Campi Flegrei about 40,000 years ago.

Campi Flegrei, situated in Italy's city of Naples, has one of the largest known volcanic eruptions and is also considered to have caused the annihilation of the European Neanderthals' majority.

On Dec. 20, 2016, a study accounted that this passive volcano, after 500 years, is displaying signs of an inside activity that can almost reach a dangerous pressure point and lead to another catastrophe.

The volcanic ashes spewed out may affect the weather around the globe and cause climate issues such as releasing of toxic gases that would last for years. The potential massive impact of Campi Flegrei's awakening would be a thousand times forceful, similar to Mount Saint Helen's eruption in 1980, justifiable to earn the title of a "supervolcano."

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General Motors has agreed to sell its unprofitable European car businesses Vauxhall in Britain and Opel in Germany to France's Peugeot SA Group.

The deal is worth 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) and will mark GM's exit from Europe, while also creating a new European car behemoth large enough to challenge current market leader Volkswagen.

Under this agreement, GM's Opel/Vauxhall business and the European operations of GM Financial will go under the PSA Group, making it the second-largest automotive company in Europe. PSA Group will have a 17 percent market share.

Opel And Vauxhall Going Forward, Under PSA

"We are proud to join forces with Opel/Vauxhall and are deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround," says Carlos Tavares, PSA Managing Board chairman. "We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities."

"We believe this new chapter puts Opel and Vauxhall in an even stronger position for the long term and we look forward to our participation in the future success and strong value-creation potential of PSA through our economic interest and continued collaboration on current and exciting new projects," adds Mary T. Barra, GM chairman and CEO.

The PSA Group already makes Peugeot and Citroen cars and it will now get a better chance to challenge Volkswagen's dominance with Opel and Vauxhall under its belt. The move is a real gamechanger for PSA, but it benefits GM as well.

Brexit Role In GM Europe Exit

Britain's decision to leave the European Union, widely referred to as Brexit, has taken a heavy toll on the pound value and affected GM's business significantly. Barra acknowledges that Brexit played a part in its decision to strike this deal with PSA, as it prevented the company from reaching its break-even goal for the European business in 2016.

GM is the biggest automaker in the United States, but in Europe it hasn't been profitable for nearly two decades. Brexit dealt another blow to an already unprofitable business, so it's not a great surprise to see GM exiting Europe.

GM Takes $4 Billion Charge In PSA Deal

PSA agreed to pay 1.32 billion euros ($1.4 billion) for GM's Opel and Vauxhall brands, with 650 million euros in cash and the rest in Peugeot share warrants. At the same time, Peugeot and BNP Paribas SA will jointly acquire GM's financial operations in Europe for roughly 900 million euros. However, GM will still be liable for most of Opel's pension obligations.

GM said it will assume a $4 billion to $4.5 billion accounting charge related to the transaction, but the deal will still free up roughly $2 billion in cash. GM plans to use that money to buy back shares.

The deal will also see GM getting warrants to purchase 4.2 percent of Peugeot's capital. Still, these shares won't net GM voting rights, and GM agreed to sell any Peugeot stock it gets within 35 days of receipt.

PSA vows to make Opel and Vauxhall profitable again, but it remains to be seen how things will pan out. PSA is targeting a 2 percent operating margin within three years and 6 percent by 2026, supported by 1.7 billion euros in joint cost savings.

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175 female cadres of BSF will participate in a special parade on Wednesday, showcasing their skill and strength with 40 different formations.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The Border Security Force (BSF) is set to celebrate Women's Day on March 8 in an unique way.

Nearly 175 female cadres of BSF will participate in a special parade on Wednesday, showcasing their skill and strength with 40 different formations.

Rehearsal for the Women's Day parade

What is happening: During a practice session for the same, Inspector General Satwant Atwal Trivedi, who was overlooking the rehearsal met with an accident today. Trivedi fractured her leg when a BSF personnel rehearsing motorcycle formation slipped and ran over her leg. While the officer has been advised rest, the woman soldier on motorcycle escaped with minor injuries. Satwant Atwal Trivedi is a 1996 Himachal Cadre officer. The Phogat sisters- Geeta and Babita will be the the guest of honour for the parade on Wednesday, whereas BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi will be the chief guest.

--- ENDS ---

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With the start of the warm season, health care providers may soon be faced with a soaring number of Lyme disease cases, particularly in northern areas.

According to Rick Ostfeld, disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, this year, we're anticipated to witness a surge in Lyme infestation.

In preparation for a possible impending pandemic, Ostfeld has devised a system of early warning signs based on his studies on mice.

Lyme disease incidence has tripled in later decades, with nearly 300,000 cases reported annually in the United States. The affliction seems to be concentrated mostly in north-eastern regions  with New York and Connecticut on the high-warning list  but transmission rates continue to increase in parts of New England and the upper Midwest as well.

Common Lyme Disease Causes

Also known as borreliosis, Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, typically carried by blacklegged ticks. The size of a poppy seed, these ticks can hide in skin folds anywhere on the body, making them hard to detect.

Kiersten Kugeler, epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains blacklegged ticks usually go for "the scalp, behind the ears, the armpits and in the groin area", so these are the places that deserve a closer inspection.

The important thing to remember about Lyme infection is that it doesn't always occur while hiking or camping, but it can also happen in your backyard. This is true especially for East Coast residents, a region known to be infested with ticks.

"People may be putting themselves at risk every day without knowing it," points out Kugeler, who urges those living in high-risk areas to check their body for ticks on a daily basis.

Tips On Dealing With Tick Bites: When To See A Doctor

Not all blacklegged ticks are infected with Lyme. Therefore, getting bit doesn't necessarily mean you have contracted the disease. Some regions have a higher prevalence of Lyme-infested ticks, whereas in other places, the same ticks don't carry the bacterium.

Usual Lyme disease symptoms include flu-like manifestations and arthritis, along with the tell-tale rash that erupts locally.

If you get bit by a tick, the important thing is to stay calm. The safe way to remove the tick is by tweezers.

"Very carefully, go under the head of the tick with the tweezers and just pull out the mouth of the tick, which is embedded in the skin," says Dr. Brian Fallon, head of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research at Columbia University Medical Center.

When removing the tick, make sure to leave the insect's body intact by not squeezing it to avoid additional infection. Don't try to take the tick out by lighting a match under its body or by using Vaseline and/or cigarette smoke.

To determine whether the tick is infected or not, consult the Lyme map provided by the CDC, which highlights all problematic regions and tracks the high-spread areas.

Once you've identified if your community is safe or potentially at risk, take a picture of the tick and send it to the TickEncounter Resource Center for identification. Another way to go is to save the insect in a bag, dead or alive, and take it to the nearest lab to be tested for Lyme.

Unless you live in a risk area and display the typical Lyme symptoms  fever, rash  you don't need to see a doctor. However, if the specific red rash settles in, seek immediate medical help. Be wary that the rash may not always take the famous "target" (bull's eye) shape. A normal red rash that's continually growing may also be a warning sign.

Keep in mind that it takes around 24 to 36 hours for the pathogen to be released in your bloodstream. Therefore, simply noticing a tick on your body without it being latched to you skin means you're probably safe from harm.

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Apparently, Google Home was having a little trouble telling real news from fake news, suggesting that former President Barack Obama is planning a coup d'etat.

This just goes to show that everybody is better off not believing everything they read on the internet without taking a moment to consider, especially at a time when false information have started to become even more widespread, with topics ranging from iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 bits to bogus election websites in the past.

Google Home Spreads Fake News About Obama

Over the weekend, BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones asked Google Home, "Is Obama planning a coup?"

To which the smart speaker replied:

"According to details exposed in Western Centre for Journalism's exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a communist coup d'etat at the end of his term in 2016," citing the website Secrets of the Fed.

And here's what happens if you ask Google Home "is Obama planning a coup?" pic.twitter.com/MzmZqGOOal  Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) March 5, 2017



How did this happen? Well, it's because Google Home relies on Search's Featured Snippets to provide responses, which picks up fake news websites at times.

However, in Google's defense, the first result below the Snippet box on Search did show an ABC News report that debunked the false information.

For those wondering, Google has already fixed the issue after Cellan-Jones contacted the company about it, so searching for "is Obama planning a coup?" will no longer yield the smart speaker's original answer.

"Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites. Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content," Google responded, apologizing for any offense it may have caused.

Google Home Says Republicans Equals Nazis

As if the pot weren't stirred enough, Search Engine Land cofounder Danny Sullivan found out that when Google Home is asked whether Republicans are fascists or not, it will say that they are equal to Nazis and cite a website called Debate.org.

The Fight Against Fake News

Google has been up and about in preventing fake news from spreading, and one notable example is when it updated Search's algorithm in December 2016 to take down Holocaust-denying results.

The Mountain View company isn't alone on the frontlines either, as Facebook and Apple are also up in arms against false information online.

For instance, Facebook rolled out the "disputed" tag to the social network to flag down fake news articles.

Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook voiced out his opinions, saying that governments should start public information campaigns to put a stop to fake news, which he considers to be "killing people's minds."

The Bottom Line

The internet just plopped an unwelcome serving of fake news on Google's plate, and in response, the company made quick work out of it. If nothing else, this is arguably a small but significant improvement to Google Home and Search.

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Two kids suffered from burn-type injuries in their mouth and throat after drinking tainted apple juice at a Chinese restaurant in Pennsylvania that serves all-you-can-eat buffet.

Richard Zaragoza, Jr. and his 4-year-old half-sister, Ginaya Mendoza, were brought to the hospital after drinking the tainted juice on Friday, March 3. They are still hospitalized but in fair condition days after their visit to the Star Buffet and Grill, where they and their family were supposed to celebrate Richard's 10th birthday.

Lt. Robin Weaver of the East Lampeter Township Police said that the children experienced blistering and were vomiting. Besides them, another child also suffered from stomach discomforts. An adult who tasted the beverage but did not drink it also needed treatment at the hospital.

Apple Juice Served In Cups

The siblings reportedly ordered the apple juice, which was brought by the server in cups. It was not the first time that members of the family visited and ate at the restaurant. They have been going to this buffet for years. The sibling's father, Richard Zaragoza, however, noted that their experience with the restaurant was different on the day of the incident.

Zaragoza said that when servers at the restaurant bring juice to them, they would typically bring a styrofoam cup with ice and the drink, which could later be opened and poured when wanted. This time, the server brought the juice already made.

"As soon as they took a sip of it, they were throwing up and there was blood you know, and all that stuff," Zaragoza said, relating what happened after his children drank the juice.

The children were rushed to Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Concerns For Richard Jr.

Zaragosa was particularly concerned of his son because he has existing conditions. The boy has diabetes and cystic fibrosis, a hereditary condition that causes damage to the digestive system, lungs, and other organs in the body.

The condition affects the cells of the body that produce sweat, mucus, and digestive juices, so sufferers tend to have sticky and thick secretions. Instead of serving as a lubricant, secretions of people with cystic fibrosis plug up their ducts, tubes, and passageways particularly in the pancreas and lungs.

Foul Play?

Star Buffet manager Steve Weng said that he did not know how the incident happened and regrets that it occurred. He said that the juice was from a half-gallon that was bought at a local grocery store. The apple juice in question was recovered and is currently being tested.

Zaragoza said that a test from the Hershey Medical Center showed that methanol, a toxic alcohol used as a pesticide, solvent, and alternative fuel source in industries, was one of the substances found in the apple juice.

An inspector from the state Agriculture Department who was sent to the restaurant on Monday, March 6, did not find imminent risk to public health and safety, and the buffet restaurant remains open.

Authorities are getting help from translators to interview employees at the restaurant who only speak Chinese or Spanish. Weaver said that it is still too early to tell if there is foul play involved in the incident.

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Amid plans for humans to explore and colonize Mars, NASA scientists have proposed a plan that can make the Red Planet habitable.

Magnetic Shield To Protect The Planet From Solar Wind

Scientists proposed launching a magnetic shield into space to protect the planet from solar wind. Doing this may help restore the Martian atmosphere and terraform its environment so liquid water would once again flow on its surface.

Scientists working at the U.S. space agency think that launching a sufficiently powerful magnetic shield into space could serve as a replacement for the Red Planet's own lost magnetosphere, the natural shield that prevents charged particles from reaching the surface of a planet.

Mars's atmosphere is believed to have been damaged by solar winds that destroyed 90 percent of the layer that gave the planet its water and temperate climate more than 3 billion years ago.

Researchers said that an artificially created magnetic shield may speed up the restoration of the Red Planet's atmosphere, which could eventually help make Mars more habitable for future human explorers and colonizers.

"Much like Earth, an enhanced atmosphere would: allow larger landed mass of equipment to the surface, shield against most cosmic and solar particle radiation, extend the ability for oxygen extraction, and provide 'open air' greenhouses to exist for plant production, just to name a few," said NASA's Planetary Science Division director Jim Green and colleagues in a report. "If this can be achieved in a lifetime, the colonization of Mars would not be far away."

The concept may be promising but it is not the only idea that scientists and entrepreneurs have considered in a bid to send humans to Mars.

Injecting Greenhouse Gases Into Mars's Thin Atmosphere

Scientists have mulled on the idea of injecting planet-warming gases into the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. In a 2005 study, for example, researchers found that adding artificially created gases 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide into the Martian air could trigger a greenhouse effect. Jumpstarting global warming in the planet would affect its temperature and melt water ice and carbon dioxide ice.

When frozen water becomes liquid, it would break down latent peroxides and release oxygen into the atmosphere. The initial amount of oxygen that would be released may not be enough to sustain human life but this is enough to grow plants that could boost the supply of oxygen in the planet.

Dropping Thermonuclear Bombs

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has earlier expressed his intention to bring people to the Red Planet, also has an idea that could terraform Mars. He said that dropping thermonuclear bombs on the ice at the planet's pole could transform the arid world into an Earth-like planet. Some scientists said that the idea of nuking Mars to make it habitable is not as crazy as it may seem.

"Exploding bombs on Mars would be perfectly possible, but I don't know what effect it will have. I don't know a lot of about nuclear weapons, but they do have side effects like radiation," said the director of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications Malcolm Macdonald.

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A massive dump of 1.4 billion email addresses spilled online, leaked from a spam operation that used bad backups and exposed its repository.

When databases are breached and passwords are dumped online it's typically the result of a hack, but not in this case. The latest discovery of 1.4 billion usernames, emails and other personal information that made its way online was seemingly the result of a poorly guarded spam operation, according to a security researcher.

A U.S.-based spam-wielding operation called River City Media, based in Jackson, Wyoming, has amassed an extensive database of roughly 1.4 billion records so it could flood those email addresses with special offers, various marketing stuff and other such.

Spammergate Spills 1.4 Billion Email Accounts And Details

MacKeeper security researcher Chris Vickery drew attention to "Spammergate" on Monday, March 6, revealing that he found roughly 1.4 billion email accounts collected by RCM. The accounts in question were directly linked to other personal user info such as IP address, real name and physical address.

"A cooperative team of investigators from the MacKeeper Security Research Center, CSOOnline, and Spamhaus came together in January after I stumbled upon a suspicious, yet publicly exposed, collection of files," Vickery explains. "Someone had forgotten to put a password on this repository and, as a result, one of the biggest spam empires is now falling."

The data was basically kept as a backup, but stored in an rsync-accessible system with meager security. Internal files and chat logs in the repository reportedly show RCM employees discussing schemes to overload mail servers and get them to accept a flood of messages.

RCM presumably collects its data from users who apply for free gifts and online accounts, request credit checks, participate in various prize giveaways and other such online activities. Alternately, RCM could also buy the data from similar data-collection companies.

Free Data

According to Vickery, at least a few records were confirmed to be real, albeit the physical addresses were often out of date. Nevertheless, Vickery says that the repository contains a slew of combinations of real names, IP addresses and military email addresses.

Since the leaked data was accessible to anyone because the remote backup attempt failed, basically anyone could access the company's emails and chat logs, as well as the comprehensive email list.

Despite being featured on the Register of Known Spam Operations, RCM still managed to participate in various marketing campaigns including from high-profile companies such as Covergirl, Nike, Gillette, AT&T and Victoria's Secret. RCM likely managed to infiltrate these campaigns through third-party deals rather than with the companies themselves.

Cue Spamhaus

RCM has not offered any comment on Vickery's discovery. However, anti-spam organization Spamhaus has already moved to action and has blacklisted the entire infrastructure of RCM.

"For their part, Spamhaus will be taking action on all of the IP addresses and other elements connected to abuse stemming from this incident," says CSOOnline. "The problem is, organizations like River City Media use numerous aliases and affiliate programs, so while blocking their infrastructure will hurt, there is no assurance it will put them out of business for good."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After the constant news and updates of the unlimited data plans announced by the top mobile carriers of late has simmered down, Verizon is now turning its attention on its services for the home to make sure it remains the top service provider in this space.

Verizon announced on Monday a new Fios plan that allows customers to pay-as-they-go without having to be locked in to a yearly contract.

Called Fios Prepaid, this is the first time Verizon has offered its TV, home and phone services without a contract. It allows customers to get access to Verizon's 100 percent Fiber Optic Network with the flexibility of choosing the right bundle of Internet, TV and phone that works for their needs.

Along with being able to pay-as-they-go and adjust their bill month-to-month, Fios Prepaid doesn't require a credit check, a deposit, an annual contract, or even a credit card to save on file. All the equipment necessary to bring Fios to their homes will also be included.

Instead, customers simply pay for their bill online with their debit card, or can even pay cash in any Verizon Wireless store.

By paying month-to-month, customers won't see unexpected charges and know exactly what they are paying for their home Internet, TV, or bundles each billing cycle.

Fios Prepaid comes with 25Mbps Internet with upload speeds as fast as download speeds for $60 per month. The Wi-Fi router is included.

Along with just Fios Internet, customers can add TV, Voice or a bundle.

For its Custom TV package, customers pay $40-$50 a month depending on their channels, with over 155 channels available. One set-top box is included with this offer. The Mundo package comes with over 200 channels, including more than 35 HD channels in Spanish.

To add a home phone with Fios Prepaid costs $10 per month.

Verizon is also offering bundles that include: Internet, TV and Voice for $110-$120; Internet and TV for $100-$110; or Internet and Voice for $70 per month.

Just keep in mind that there is a $90 installation fee unless the equipment is installed by the customer themselves.

"Fios Prepaid offers a new way to experience Fios for customers seeking payment flexibility," Susan Retta, VP of Consumer Marketing at Verizon said in a press release. "From students to snowbirds, consumers are looking for service and options on their terms. For those with little or no credit history, Fios Prepaid offers 100% fiber-optic quality Internet featuring upload speeds as fast as download speeds, and crystal-clear TV service with no annual contract, deposit or credit check required-it doesn't get any easier to join the Fios family."

Verizon Fios Prepaid is available where Fios services are available including areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, Boston, Washing DC and Maryland.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Megastar Chiranjeevi visited superstar Mahesh Babu and AR Murugadoss on the sets of their upcoming yet-untitled action entertainer.

By India Today Web Desk: Basking the glorious success of his comeback film Khaidi No 150, Chiranjeevi visited Mahesh Babu and his Stalin director AR Murugadoss on the sets of their upcoming yet-untitled film popularly known as Sambhavami among fans.

According to reports, Chiranjeevi stopped by at the shooting spot and spent some quality time with the team.

Sharing the picture on Twitter, AR Murugadoss wrote, "Look who visited our set today."

Look who visited our set today ??? https://t.co/Xb8R21UZ3H A.R.Murugadoss (@ARMurugadoss) March 6, 2017

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The team is currently wrapping up the remaining portions of the film, which is slated to release on June 23.

Tipped to be an action thriller, the Tamil-Telugu bilingual film will see Mahesh Babu as a stylish police officer, which also stars Rakul Preet Singh and SJ Suryah in pivotal roles. Interestingly, Mahesh, who graduated in Chennai, will dub in his own voice for the Tamil version.

Directed by AR Murugadoss, the film has music by Harris Jayaraj, who has worked with the former in all his films.

Post Murugadoss's project, Mahesh has an interesting line-up this year. He will be joining hands with directors Koratala Siva, Vamshi and Trivikram for Mahesh 24, 25 and 26 respectively.

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi has announced a biopic on freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. Also, megastar and powerstar Pawan Kalyan will be seen together in Trivikram Srinivas's next.

ALSO READ: Chiranjeevi to lend voice for Baahubali 2? NO, says SS Rajamouli

ALSO READ: It's official! Chiranjeevi's Khaidi No 150 rakes in Rs 164 crore worldwide

ALSO READ: After Suchi leaks, Dhanush's sister Vimala Geetha writes an emotional message

--- ENDS ---
The president emphasized that people are voting for Nicaragua and by doing so they are also voting for peace. | Read More
By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Mar 7 (PTI) Political parties, including the Congress, have become "family private limited" companies and hence, a new platform is needed for Tamil youngsters seeking a political career, P Chidambarams son Karti has said.

"They (youngsters) do not have space in any party. They cannot join any traditional party, be it the Congress, DMK, or AIADMK, and come up. There is a need for a platform for them in Tamil Nadu," he said here yesterday.

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Karti was addressing a meeting of G-67, a youth collective launched by him two years ago to mark 50 years of Dravidian rule in Tamil Nadu, alternately by the AIADMK and the DMK after dethroning the Congress, which was in power for 20 consecutive years in the state till then.

"All political parties have become private family properties...the existing parties are family private limited (enterprises). There cannot be any alternative view there. You have to sing peans to the supreme leader and if the leader wishes, one may get some position," he said.

In a couple of tweets today, Karti said, "Yesterday (March 6) marked the 50th year since @INCIndia lost power in TN. We should ponder about this...Every party from the NC, PDP, Akali, SS, RJD, SP, TRS, TD, DMK, AIADMK, BJD and the BJP now with the proliferation of heirs.#G67."

Karti alleged that the "culture of a supreme leader" was being followed by all the political parties. "You cannot criticise the supreme leader or their children or family.

"Opportunities will be given (by a party) only to the heirs of a local, state or national-level leader. Newcomers will not be given opportunities (election tickets). Has any political party ever said that they are giving ticket to a gold medal winner of the IIT?" he asked.

"There is no scope for dissent on a political platform. You cannot criticise the policies or leadership on a political platform," he added.

Karti, son of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram, said educated persons moving away from politics and the evolution of supreme leaders were the "big changes" witnessed over the last 50 years.

"After the demise of a supreme leader, his family capturing the party is what is happening," he said, adding that this was the "reality of politics" in India today.

Under such circumstances, he referred to the ascendance of a "new breed" of leaders in the US, Europe and in Delhi, who used the social media effectively to connect with the people, sans the trappings of a hierarchy-bound traditional party set-up.

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Karti added that US President Donald Trump won the trust of Americans in spite of opposition from the "traditional media and the traditional party". (MORE) PTI VGN VS RC

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The Congress does not want to leave any stone unturned and has asked its top leaders to campaign ahead of the MCD election.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: With the Assembly elections in five states drawing to a close, the Congress is gearing up for its next big battle--the municipal corporation polls in Delhi.

The party has roped in bigwigs for the election campaign. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will kick off the campaign with a rally at Ramlila Maidan.

Delhi Congress leader said the involvement of Rahul Gandhi in the campaign will boost the morale of party workers.

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On Monday, Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Jyotiraditya Scindia released the party's blueprint to make Municipal Corporation of Delhi self-reliant.

The Congress got a drubbing in the Assembly election in 2015 with the Aam Aadmi Party sweeping 67 of the 70 seats. The BJP won the remaining three seats.

The MCD polls are likely to take place in April and with the AAP launching its campaign, the Congress too is building momentum.

The party's poll slogan this time is: "Bahane Kum, Karyengaye Vikas, Anubhav Hai Humare Pass". According to party insiders, Congress' Delhi unit will seek votes in the name of development and the party's past experience in running the city.

The Congress does not want to leave any stone unturned and has asked it's top leaders to campaign ahead of the MCD election.

ALSO READ| MCD polls: Nizamuddin station revamp plan put on hold, votebank politics to blame?

ALSO READ| Will make Delhi look like London on winning MCD polls:Kejriwal

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Here is an inspiring story of a bright, young girl and her daily wager father, and how they struggled their way to get her into a medical college in West Bengal.

By India Today Web Desk: We are not bringing you this story because it is International Women's Day tomorrow. You need to know about this girl and her father because inspiration is good for humanity any day. Maskura Khatun is a first-year students at West Bengal's Sagar Dutta Medical College. Always a bright and top-ranking student, Maskura came into this world when her mother, already having had two daughters, sorely wanted a son.

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Maskura's father, on the other hand, was just as happy to have a third little girl. The only trouble was the struggle of feeding another mouth.

A resident of a small town named Chandrakona in Midnapore, Sheikh Rajab Ali has been a daily wager all his life. Hailing from a poor family and being illiterate, Rajab Ali did not have other choices.

With only a small mud house for asset and three children to feed, life was a struggle for Rajab Ali and his family. Even as his wife Murshida tried to pitch in by making biri, a day without work for Rajab Ali meant a day without food for the whole family. Sometimes, their meals would comprise of rice and its starch water for curry.

Young Maskura, who never shed a tear through such struggles in life, cried when her school teachers told her that she wouldn't be able to handle studying in Science stream, says the Ananda Bazaar Patrika report.

But Maskura, all through her school life, had stood out as a bright student, always coming home with a first-class result. One of her teachers, Bibhashchandra Ghorai, even gave her free tuition to help her, realising her talent.

However, the ultimate person who made sure that Maskura's talent did not die after high school or in an early marriage was her poor father. In fact, Rajab Ali would do odd jobs for her teacher to pay him back for him helping his daughter.

The hard works of Maskura and her father paid back. In 2013, Maskura passed class 10 from Madrasa Board with 95 per cent. Having passed with such good marks, Maskura, with her teacher Mr Ghorai's help, applied for Al-Ameen Mission.

Two years later, Maskura passed higher secondary with 84.4 per cent in Science. That same year, she cleared medical joint entrance with 870 rank and joined Sagar Dutta Medical College to pursue a career as a doctor, like her father had wished.

Earlier, neighbours from Maskura's village would mock her, challenging her that she wouldn't be able to do much by studying so much. Today, one of the brightest students at her medical college, Maskura doesn't really care about what people say.

--- ENDS ---

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Veteran criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who himself is a senior lawyer, had a face-off during the hearing of a civil defamation case against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and four other AAP leaders.

By Sneha Agrawal: The registrar's courtroom in Delhi High Court was witness to something unprecedented on Monday.

Veteran criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who himself is a senior lawyer, had a face-off during the hearing of a civil defamation case against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and four other AAP leaders.

Jethmalani and Jaitley may have come face to face several times. But this time, Jethmalani, who was representing Kejriwal, was cross-examining Jaitley, who had filed the defamation case against the Delhi CM. The examination went on for nearly five hours and will continue on Tuesday.

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The AAP leaders are accused of posting defamatory statements on social media post a CBI raid in the CM's office in 2015.

GOODWILL VS REPUTATION: HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED

Amidst a jam-packed court room, Jethmalani targeted Jaitley on two words-goodwill and reputation. "You (Jaitley) have used the word 'goodwill' in the letter addressed to the deputy registrar. Are you aware about the difference between goodwill and reputation?" he said. The minister replied: "There are over-lapping areas in the meaning of the two words and the counsel's letter dated December 21, 2015, in that sense uses them 'interchangeably'." Jethmalini then confronted Jaitley with a Webster's dictionary and explained to him the difference between the two words. However, the court, as well as Jaitley's counsel, raised objection saying that a witness cannot be confronted with a dictionary. Jethmalani once again grilled Jaitley, asking him whether he agrees that men in power oblige their friends and enjoy goodwill, and reputation does not suffer from such statement as goodwill suffers. The senior counsel also said that goodwill is enjoyed by a crook, who does good things for someone. Jaitley told the court that the statements by AAP leaders were made to deflect attention from the raid and link him to a controversy related to the functioning of DDCA. He added that the leaders could have politically criticised him, but it is for the first time that 'personal imputations' questioning his integrity were made.

Also Read

DDCA defamation case: Arun Jaitely records statement against Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi High Court

WATCH: Arun Jaitley cross-examined in DDCA defamation case

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More than 700,000 public school students would face another freeze in basic state aid under a plan recommended Tuesday by Louisiana's top school board.

The panel, without dissent, voted to send the Legislature a funding proposal that is essentially the same as the current school year amid persistent state budget problems.

The outline for school aid mirrors one spelled out in January by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration.

Backers said that, because of recurring money problems afflicting all state services, a freeze in basic state aid for public schools is the most realistic hope.

"It will keep schools relatively stable," state Superintendent of Education John White said.

Others argued that whatever new money is headed for education -- $18 million at this point -- should be sent to local school districts for educators to spend on their most pressing needs.

Michael Faulk, superintendent of the highly-rated Central school system, said districts statewide face a $38 million hike in retirement costs, among other rising expenses.

"We have to pay it," Faulk told the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Retirement costs are gobbling up nearly $1 for every $3 in new aid for education, officials said.

Under the plan recommended Tuesday, the $18 million in new money would be split two ways.

About $8 million would be used for high-need students.

The other $10 million would be used for dual enrollment, which allows students to earn college or career credits while in high school.

White said that, under current money limits, districts are only reimbursed for about 25 percent of those expenses.

"We know there are these demands," he said.

The recommendation, which won committee approval, is expected to be endorsed by the entire board on Wednesday.

Ten of 11 panel members were on hand for the committee meeting, which often happens on high-profile issues.

The plan is due to the Legislature by March 15.

The 2017 regular session begins on April 10.

Lawmakers can accept or reject BESE's proposal but cannot change it.

The BESE plan runs counter to one endorsed by the Minimum Foundation Task Force, which includes Faulk and others educators.

That panel backed a $35 million increase in basic state aid, which would be 1.375 percent hike in per pupil spending, half of the traditional amount in brighter budget times.

That group said a boost in basic state aid should be the top priority for any new dollars, ahead of high-needs students and dual enrollment.

The vote was 12-6.

Scott Richard, a member of the task force, told BESE the group's recommendations "were very well vetted, very well thought out."

Doris Voitier, a BESE member and superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish School District, said her personal preference would be to seek a hike in basic state school aid.

But Voitier said that, because of state budget problems, she thinks legislators would be more willing to go along with increased spending in targeted areas.

Voiter is an Edwards appointee.

Donald Songy, education policy adviser for the governor, told BESE the administration would gladly back more dollars for public schools if "for some reason" the state's financial picture brightens.

Songy in January told the MFP Task Force that Edwards considered and rejected a $35 million hike for public schools to ensure a realistic budget.

Faulk noted that dollars for public schools, allocated outside of normal channels, were trimmed from $44 million two years ago to $20 million in 2016.

Advocates of other state services have said public schools have emerged better than others by avoiding outright cuts, like colleges and universities have experienced.

State aid for public schools has been mostly frozen since 2009.

The aid goes through a funding method called the Minimum Foundation Program.

Total spending is $3.7 billion for the current school year.
As New Orleans returns to normalcy after Mardi Gras, its easy for those of us who live in Louisiana to remember that whats normal in New Orleans often seems surreal to outsiders.

Or so were reminded by the arrival of South and West, a new book in which the journalist and author Joan Didion recalls her visit to the Crescent City in 1970. The project hits bookstores this week.

Why a decades-old trip to New Orleans has only now bubbled up into a book is a story in itself. All those years ago, Didion, a native Californian, decided to tour the South, taking copious notes about the region so she could write a magazine piece or perhaps even a book about it. But she started in New Orleans, which tends to work against the industriousness of visitors, and her plans fell apart. Her notes presumably ended up in a shoebox, only recently unearthed as the now-82-year-old Didion tries to tidy up her desk.

The notes, now published in South and West, surpass in elegance and clarity the prose of most other writers, journalist Nathaniel Rich observes in his introduction to the book.

When I think about New Orleans, she tells readers, I remember mainly its dense obsessiveness, its vertiginous preoccupation with race, class, heritage, style, and the absence of style. . . In New Orleans they also talk about parties, and about food, their voices rising and falling, never still, as if talking about anything at all could keep the wilderness at bay. In New Orleans the wilderness is sensed as very near . . . The effect is lively and avaricious and intensely self-absorbed, a tone not uncommon in colonial cities, and the principal reason I find such cities invigorating.

And theres this portrait of the city in summer:

In New Orleans in June the air is heavy with sex and death . . . The crypts above ground dominate certain vistas. In the hypnotic liquidity of the atmosphere all motion slows into choreography, all people on the street move as if suspended in a precarious emulsion, and there seems only a technical distinction between the quick and the dead.

Thats New Orleans as seen by Joan Didion in 1970. If she were to return, she might be surprised  or not  by how little has changed.
The victim, who was crossing the road, was thrown a few feet up in the air and landed on his chest.

By Ram Kinkar Singh: A 50-year-old man was critically injured after being hit by a speeding Mercedes near Moti Bagh Chowk in south Delhi on Tuesday evening.

The driver managed to flee from the spot after the incident. According to police officials, the vehicle rammed into an auto rickshaw while fleeing.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW The victim has been identified as Dasarath Yadav, who works at a nearby market. The Mercedes car (Sedan) with registration number (UP 16 TC 1295) came at a high speed from Vasant Vihar and hit Yadav, who was crossing the road. He was thrown a few feet up in the air and landed on his chest. Reportedly, the Mercedes car was being driven at a speed over 100kmph. Police suspect that the driver must have hit another vehicle before the incident and was trying to get away. The traffic cops posted nearby rushed Yadav to Safdarjung hospital where his condition was said to be critical. According to police, Yadav's statement is yet to be recorded. A case under sections of negligent driving and causing hurt due to negligence has been registered against the driver. According to the officials probing the case, the vehicle had a temporary number plate from which the traffic cops noted down the number. Efforts are being made to identify the driver. It appears the vehicle fled towards NCR after the accident.

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ALSO READ | Delhi: Mercedes mows down 17-year-old boy near Paschim Vihar

Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya hits an auto with her car, driver injured

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The federal government has been warned the paralysis confronting energy policy risks exacerbating supply reliability while pushing power prices higher.

In its submission to the Finkel review of the energy sector, the overseer of the country's energy markets, The Australian Energy Markets Commission, pointed to the UK as a "cautionary tale" demonstrating how incompatible policy mechanisms aimed at reducing carbon emissions while ignoring the risks that emerge has both hurt energy reliability and increased prices.

"International evidence suggests emissions reduction policy needs to be implemented in ways that support investment in and operation of the power sector with effective competition," the AEMC noted in its submission. "Otherwise consumers bear the costs of investment risk and ongoing government and regulatory intervention is triggered."

Its comments came as the head of one of the country's dominant energy utilities, Frank Calabria, the chief executive of Origin Energy, reiterated the energy sector's support for putting a price on carbon because this would have the lowest effect on electricity prices and also industry competitiveness, by promoting the winding down of high-emission coal-fired power generation while providing an incentive for further investment in renewable energy sources.
Nine News has received a red card from the media regulator for a two minute report on Ku-ring-gai former Mayor Cheryl Szatow, that was biased and at times unfactual.

The ability of Australia's regulator to crack down on false or fake news broadcast on free to air television stands out in an era when consumers struggle to comprehend what is real and what is politically motivated exaggeration.

Peter Overton was hosting the news the night of the report about Councillor Szatow.

A seven-month investigation found Nine breached two clauses of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, which requires licensees to present news fairly and impartially and clearly distinguish factual material from commentary and analysis.

The report that aired on a Sunday night in July 2016 contained a specific falsehood by reporter Chris O'Keefe in his news item alleging the former Mayor opposed a State Government proposal to merge councils because she wanted to retain the perks of the office. (Ms Szatow subsequently lost a bid for a second term as Mayor but remains on the council.)
Yarraville Truman Corp has bought into Melbourne's up-and-coming western suburbs, investing in an industrial warehouse with offices at 14 Thomas Street for $2.4 million. Colliers International's Stephen Ryan and Stephen Newsham said the vendor was John Stephens. Oakleigh A vacant two-storey building at 10/2-16 Warner Street sold for $500,000 above its reserve at auction. Five bidders pushed the price to $1.7 million, George Kelepouris from Ray White Commercial Oakleigh said. Meanwhile, a vacant industrial warehouse/office about 865 sq m in size at 247 Boundary Road, Mordialloc, sold to an owner-occupier for $1.1 million after being on the market for almost two years with other agents, Ryan Amler and Joshua Colosimo said. Tullamarine

Anthony Carbone from CVA has sold an industrial facility at 4 Aviation Place for about $3 million, a building rate of $1235 per sq m. The warehouse and two-level office was close to Melbourne International Airport, he said. In another deal, Leo Mancino sold a corner industrial site at 1 Venture Drive, Sunshine West, for $780,000. Moorabbin A high-clearance office/warehouse with a showroom at the corner of Keys Road and Kilpa Road sold with vacant possession for $2.7 million. David Garfield, from Nixon Industrial, said there were "few warehouses of this size available in the Moorabbin area". Clayton The Rug Collection has a new head office after buying a 2301 sq m office warehouse at 4/80 Fairbank Road for $3 million, Crabtrees Real Estate's Chris McKenzie said.

Mount Waverley Six bidders fought aggressively at the auction of 305 Stephensons Road, pushing the price to $1.6 million, almost $700,000 over the reserve. Stephen Speck and Stephen Gorman from Gorman Commercial sold the property, held by the same family for over 40 years, on a sharp 2.3 per cent yield. Balaclava Another property to push beyond the reserve was a wellness centre leased to a physiotherapist that was sold by Rodney Morley and Stanley Spicer from Rodney Morley for $2.55 million, $400,000 over the reserve. Mr Morley said 87 Hotham Street was returning $89,842 per annum. Southbank

Retail property is setting record prices. A Freshwater Place shop went under the hammer for $1.38 million, a record rate of $43,125 per sq m, said Fitzroys' Chris Kombi and Mark Talbot. The property is leased to In A Rush Expresso and The Soup Place on a seven x three-year lease on passing net income of $61,000 per annum. LEASES Melbourne Training group ArcBlue Consultancy has signed a three+three year lease over a Flinders Lane office space. Fitzroys' Stephen Land negotiated the lease for suite 401 at 517 Flinders Lane in The Edition building at $78,000 per annum gross plus GST. South Yarra

Lingerie retailer KISSKILL will lease a two-level shop at 509 Chapel Street, Teska Carson's Luke Bisset and Fergus Evans said. The 136 sq m outlet was let at $110,000 per annum net on a five-year term with a five-year option. Melbourne Oracle cloud-technology specialist V-Leader will lease part of level five at 420 St Kilda Road from April. Colliers International's Matt Cosgrave, Vincent Tran and Lucy Martin negotiated the five-year lease on behalf of CES Properties at $330 per sq m for 300 sq m. In another move, Finsure Financial will move from its current tenancy at 480 St Kilda Road to No. 468 later this year after negotiating a lease for 441 sq m on level four on a five-year term at $320-$360 per sq m net. Port Melbourne A 1570 sq m office/warehouse at Unit 3, 344 Lorimer Street, has been leased to retail marketers Australian Fusion Corporation on a five-year term with two options to renew. Colliers International's Lachlan Dornauf negotiated the five+three+two-year deal on behalf of Dexus Wholesale Property at rent believed to be around $220 per sq m. In Campbellfield, national furniture logistics, transport and warehousing company, Designer Transport, has secured part of the ex-TNT warehouse at 209 Barry Road for around $65 per sq m in a deal organised by Marco Sandrin and Brent Glassford. Meanwhile, builders Steller Concepts will remain at 840 Dandenong Road in Caulfield after signing a 10-year lease at the former premises of Glenvill Homes. Damien Adkins, Kevin Tutty and Michael Darvell said the terms were set at $320-$340 per sq m for the 1200 sq m office.

Clayton Chinese import export company Global Trades Melbourne has taken a two+two-year lease on a near new 1305 sq m office warehouse at 2 Torteval Place, said Chris McKenzie from Crabtrees Real Estate. The lease was set at annual rent of $130,000 plus gst. Keysborough Cameron's Angus Clark and Al Armstrong have leased 22 Indian Drive four months prior to completion. Bravo Print and Design took the 2114 sq m warehouse for $190,260 per annum on a seven-year initial term. Moonee Ponds
And this really should galvanise every person who believes in fairness and equality of opportunity, which is what feminism is all about.

This is one of humanity's most terrible failings. Not only because of the consequences, including violence and death, but also because it reflects an unacceptable, widespread lack of decency and respect.

There has been progress, much of it in recent decades. However, women the world over  Australia very much included  continue to suffer, well, manifold inequality and injustice.

The notion of gender equality is irrefutable. It is hard to imagine anyone being uncomfortable with feminism in 2017, yet the ongoing disparities between the circumstances of men and women prove that while feminism has been at the forefront of the struggle for women's rights, there is a lamentably long way to go.

Australians like to boast that our national ethos is the notion of a fair go, but it's clearly not when it comes to gender. Despite making up half the population, women occupy an unduly small proportion of upper level roles in business and politics.

That's not only unprincipled, it's dumb; international evidence shows, for example, companies with gender-balanced boards make better profits.

Women everywhere continue to earn far less than men; in Australia the gap is about 18 per cent. Women accumulate far less superannuation  because they are paid less and they interrupt careers to have children. Women are subjected to far more sexual harassment in the workplace than are men.

In the home, they spend far more time than their male partners caring for children and others, and generally keeping the household running. In the home, too, a place where one should be safe, they face their greatest risks: the leading preventable cause of illness and death for women aged 15 to 45 is violence by a partner or former partner.
Alicia Smith wakes up while it's still dark, eats breakfast in a hurry and makes her way to work. If she's lucky, she's remembered to pack her own lunch before she runs out the door. She gives Boots the dog one last pat.

In less than an hour, 76 children will be pouring through the door of the childcare centre where she works, with anxious parents in tow.

She unlocks the gates at just before 7am and then it starts: conversations with mums and dads, notes about medication, food preferences, behaviours, endless questions. All the worry and all the love bundled into snatches of conversation.

Smith, 38, looks after babies from six weeks to 19 months, and she's second-in-charge at the centre. So on top of dealing with teaching, weeping and wailing, cuddling, teething, pooing, talking, reading, feeding, she's also doing administration.
Health authorities have warned that another case of measles contracted overseas has been brought back to Sydney.

It is the seventh such case in nine weeks.

An infectious person travelled from Bangkok to Sydney on March 2 and then spent time having lunch at a restaurant in Marrickville on March 5.

Authorities are urging people to ensure they are properly immunised against measles and other infectious diseases.
One in five Australians believe men are more capable than women but they are easily outnumbered by those who call themselves feminists.

An international survey on attitudes to gender equality by polling firm Ipsos found 21 per cent of Australians agreed with the statement "men are more capable of doing things in society such as working, earning money, being educated and teaching than women". That was a little lower than the international average of 25 per cent.

Almost one in six Australian women (17 per cent) agreed that men are more capable.

Among the 24 nations surveyed, China had the biggest share of respondents who considered males more capable than females (56 per cent) followed by Russia (54 per cent) and India (48 per cent).
A teenager arrested during a crackdown on Assyrian organised crime has been accused of giving misleading information to a secret NSW Crime Commission hearing aimed at breaking down a wall of silence surrounding his friend's murder.

Korkis Sefo was one of 10 people charged last month over a drug supply ring in Sydney's south-west which police alleged had strong ties to the street gang DLASTHR.

At the helm of the lucrative syndicate was allegedly Alina Antal, a 29-year-old office worker who was working alongside her incarcerated lover.

Police allege Ms Antal recruited teenage boys, including a 15-year-old, to do the syndicate's drug running and packing out of safe houses in Fairfield and Cabramatta.
A manhunt is under way after a woman was found dead inside a home in Sydney's north-west.

It is believed the woman's relative called triple zero on Tuesday afternoon after finding her on the floor of a home in Glenwood, near Quakers Hill.

It is understood the woman was found by a relative, who called triple zero. Credit:Seven News

Emergency services arrived at the house on Glenwood Park Drive about 4.15pm but the woman was already dead.

It is unclear how she died and police are still at the scene.
The owners of St Kilda's notorious Gatwick Hotel have quietly bought several neighbouring art deco apartments, leaving them likely to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars when the boarding house shuts down.

The Gatwick has provided a last resort for some of Melbourne's most vulnerable people for decades, but has also become the bane of residents, traders and police, who denounced the hotel as a magnet for violent crime, drug dealing and vandalism.

Sisters Yvette Kelly and Rose Banks, who have worked at the Gatwick since the 1970s, were quick to recognise the potential for capital growth on Fitzroy Street when the rooming house finally closed its doors.

Within weeks of listing the Gatwick for sale in December 2015, Ms Banks bought a one-bedroom apartment in the building next door for $300,000.
The Union minister added that the government was committed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and that it will talk to other political parties on the issue.

By India Today Web Desk: Benefits under the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and Employees' Provident Fund organisation (EPFO) would soon be extended to the Anganwadi, ASHA and mid-day meal scheme workers in the country, Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Labour Minister said on Tuesday.

The minister was speaking at a conference on the eve of International Women's Day. Dattatreya said that 90 per cent of all Anganwadi workers, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, mid-day meal workers are women and the idea is to give them ESIC and EPFO.

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"They have no social security for them. I have formed a committee comprising Women and Child Development ministry, HRD ministry, our (Labour) ministry and Health ministry. I am pleased to tell you that Finance Minister has also agreed to this," he said.

The Union minister added that the government was committed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and that it will talk to other political parties on the issue.

"Orders have been given to provide 33 per cent reservation in recruiting police constables and seven states have come forward to implement it," he said.

GRATUITY

Dattatreya said that the gratuity they get is Rs 10 lakh. "I am going to increase Rs 20 lakh for all. I have done the tri-partite meeting. In the tri-partite meeting, employer and employee, both of them are agreeing."

The minister asserted that those indulging in gender punishment will be given tough punishment.

Dattatreya added that he would recommend providing loans to women for procuring software tools to work from home. He also said that he would work out on assuring same level of employment for women after maternity.

Also read: Facing Opposition fury over Aadhaar for mid-day meal, government says benefits to continue without card

--- ENDS ---
Police are still hunting for a man who shot at them outside a block of units in Melbourne's south-east, with investigators declaring him a "danger to the community".

Residents on Stud Road in Dandenong North were evacuated from their homes on Tuesday following the dramatic incident that began when police tried to stop a car in the vicinity at about 9am.

The driver did not stop, so police returned to a nearby property on Stud Road where the car had earlier been seen.
A group of Melton primary school students were on their lunch break when they saw a man with unzipped pants masturbating in a nearby playground, police say.

Police have released CCTV footage of the man loitering around the school, possibly with his hands down his pants, one week after the incident.

The Coburn Primary School students were sitting on a bench in the school grounds when they noticed a man in a nearby playground at Blackwood Drive Recreational Reserve, about 1pm on February 23, a police spokeswoman said.

"The man had unzipped his pants and was masturbating," she said.
The lawyer for Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney says he is looking forward to testifying at his defamation trial but it is difficult to relive his experience since his wife's murder 10 years ago.

Mr Rayney is suing the West Australian government for being named by Detective Senior Sergeant Jack Lee in September 2007 as the prime and only suspect in the murder of Supreme Court registrar Corryn Rayney one month earlier.

Mr Rayney is suing the West Australian government for being named as the prime and only suspect in the murder of his wife Corryn. Credit:AAP

Mr Rayney is due to give evidence in the WA Supreme Court trial on Tuesday but remained quiet as he entered the building.

He's going to give evidence today, let him alone, let him concentrate," his lawyer Martin Bennett told reporters.
The top military officials from Russia, Turkey and the US met on Tuesday in a bid to defuse escalating tensions outside a strategic Syrian town.

The meeting follows Turkish threats to attack the northern town of Manbij, which is controlled by Kurdish groups seen by the US as key allies in the fight against Islamic State. The US-led coalition said on Saturday that it had deployed troops outside the town to "deter aggression," a day after Russia announced that Syrian government forces would be stationed near Manbij.

Military officials meet to discuss "regional security" issues: Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, right, and his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Credit:AP

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Turkey's Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar are discussing "joint issues related to regional security, including Syria and Iraq," in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, the Turkish military said in a statement on its website.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country seeks a "trilateral mechanism" to clear the area of "terrorist groups." In Manbij, "the US is raising a flag, Russia is raising a flag nearby, things have turned into a flag competition," Yildirim said in an interview late Monday.
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have stoked the fires of hatred and distrust. Credit:AP Describing their contents as "malware, viruses, Trojans and weaponised 'zero day' exploits", WikiLeaks said the files developed by a CIA unit known as the Engineering Development Group, were designed to harness vulnerabilities in Apple's iPhone, Google's Android software and Samsung TV sets. WikiLeaks said the exploits were capable of bypassing popular encryption-enabled applications like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. "At first glance [the files are] probably legitimate or contains a lot of legitimate stuff, which means somebody managed to extract a lot of data from a classified CIA system and is willing to let the world know that," Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, told The Washington Post. Trump has been infuriated by a torrent of leaks from across government, but especially from within the intelligence agencies on investigations into links between himself and his election campaign team with Russia. In July 2016 WikiLeaks became a controversial player in the US presidential election when it released 20,000 embarrassing emails that had been hacked from Democratic Party computers, creating uproar on the campaign trail.

Speaking at the time from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has taken refuge for years, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied early suspicion that the Russian government or its agents were responsible for the DNC (Democratic National Committee) hacking  but the combined US intelligence agencies concluded that the hacking was part of a multi-pronged Kremlin plot to help Trump win the election and to discredit US democracy. Trump celebrated the leaks, declaring "I love WikiLeaks" as he read from a sheaf of the Democratic emails at a rally in the last weeks of the campaign. For months he refused to accept that Russia was involved  even as he jokingly urged Moscow to mount a search for thousands of Hillary Clinton emails that had been processed through her controversial private email server when she was US secretary of state. On the campaign trail and in office Trump has been repeatedly wrong-footed by leaks on his Russian connections and those of his associates. He was forced to sack campaign manager Paul Manafort after allegations that he had received millions of dollars from pro-Moscow politicians in Ukraine. In February he sacked his national security adviser Michael Flynn after he was revealed to have lied about his dealings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. And last week Attorney-General Jeff Sessions was forced to recuse himself from any Justice Department deliberations on intelligence agency and congressional investigations of the Russian links because Sessions had failed to disclose that he too had met the ambassador.

During a candidates' debate in October, just days after the intelligence agencies' declaration that the Democratic hack was the work of Moscow, Trump pushed back: "They like to say the Russians did it. They think they're trying to tarnish me with Russia. I know nothing about Russia." As the scope of a multi-agency investigation into aspects of Trump's Russia connections became known, president-elect Trump became sharply critical of the agencies  mocking their failures in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and dismissing the need for himself to have a daily intelligence briefing on the grounds that he was "a smart person". The leaks have continued, including indications that the FBI is increasingly confident about the veracity of aspects of a dossier, compiled by a former British intelligence agent, which alleges that Russia had been "assisting Trump for at least five years" and that the Kremlin had recorded a so-called sex tape during Trump's 2013 visit to Moscow which it would use to compromise him as president of the US. Within days of Trump's inauguration there were reports that the agencies were withholding sensitive information because Trump was not to be trusted and might disclose it to Moscow  and in what read as a Trump threat to all the agencies, The New York Times reported that he had enlisted a billionaire buddy with no intelligence experience to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the agencies. Trump's war with the agencies became more fraught on the weekend when senior former and current officials rejected his tweeted claim that former president Barack Obama had ordered wiretaps on Trump Tower during the election campaign  which apparently was based on reports from Trump-loyal conservative media outlets.
Hyundai Press Conference at 2017 Geneva Motor Show - Tuesday 2:10AM EST +VIDEO







Live broadcast of two Hyundai World Premieres - 2:10AM New York Time, 11:10PM Monday Los Angeles Time

GENEVA - March 6, 2017: Watch right here on TheAutoChannel.com as Hyundai introduces the New Generation Hyundai i30 Wagon and its vision for the future in Fuel Cell technology, with an all-new concept car. .

The new member of the i30 family maintains the timeless design of its five-door sibling, adding elegance and versatility in its body style. Designed in Hyundai Motor Europes Technical Centre in Russelsheim, produced in Nosovice, Czech Republic, and tested on the Nurburgring, the third-generation i30 family is built on the infrastructure that Hyundai Motor has developed over the last 25 years in Europe.
By Press Trust of India: Bandaru

Hyderabad, Mar 7 (PTI) The Centre would soon extend benefits under ESIC and EPFO to the Anganwadi, ASHA and mid-day meal scheme workers in the country, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said here today.

"We are going to give all Anganwadi workers, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, mid-day meal workers. 90 per cent of them are women. The idea is to give them ESIC and EPFO. They have been agitating for years now. They have no social security for them. They are serving the government, not private. I have formed a committee comprising Women and Child Development ministry, HRD ministry, our (Labour) ministry and Health ministry. I am pleased to tell you that Finance Minister has also agreed to this," he said.

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Dattatreya was making concluding comments at a round-table conference he held with several prominent women personalities here on the eve of International Womens Day.

Noting that the NDA government has taken several major steps for the benefit of women work force in the country, he said the government is committed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and that it will talk to other political parties on the issue.

Observing that the government has initiated electoral and financial sector reforms, he said it is aware of the 33 per cent quota for women issue as well.

Orders have been given to provide 33 per cent reservation in recruiting police constables and seven states have come forward to implement it, he said.

Formal sector workers would soon be eligible for up to Rs 20 lakh tax-free gratuity as central trade unions have agreed on the proposal in a tripartite consultation with the Labour Ministry last month.

"Gratuity is very important. Gratuity, now they are getting Rs 10 lakh. I am going to increase Rs 20 lakh for all. I have done the tri-partite meeting. In the tri-partite meeting, employer and employee, both of them are agreeing," Dattatreya said.

Asserting that the government would strictly implement the equal remuneration act in all establishments, he said tough punishment would be given to those indulging in gender discrimination.

Dattatreya said he would recommend providing loans to women for procuring software tools to work from home (in the IT industry) and also discuss the issue with Finance Minister.

He said he would work out in his ministry on assuring same level of employment for women after maternity.

On a suggestion from the participants, he said he would talk to Health Minister J P Nadda on opening medical colleges for women, especially in rural areas. PTI SJR RS NRB BAS

--- ENDS ---
LEARN MORE From The Original (1996) Automotive Ranking Tool: Rank By Price Specs, Capacities and Dimensions To Find Your Perfect New Car Match

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 U.S. News & World Report, today announced the 2017 Best Cars for Families. U.S. News selected 18 vehicles that boast a winning combination of top safety ratings and family-friendly features.

Honda Motor Company garnered four wins, more than any other single brand, for the third year in a row. Honda's subcompact HR-V and compact CR-V offer the most cargo and seating space in their respective classes. The Honda Pilot boasts good cargo and passenger space for its class, as well as great crash test scores and accident-avoidance technologies like forward automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. The Honda Odyssey minivan won for the seventh consecutive year.

Two of General Motors' brands, Chevrolet and Cadillac, each won three categories, due in large part to features that make life easier and safer for families. GM winners can be equipped with a Wi-Fi hot spot and Apple CarPlay, and the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Tahoe and Chevy Malibu come with Teen Driver controls. Parents of infants and toddlers can benefit from GM's Rear Seat Reminder, available in the Chevy Malibu and Tahoe, as well as the Cadillac Escalade. The system alerts the driver to check the back seat before exiting the vehicle if the rear door was opened prior to departure, which could prevent an infant or toddler from being forgotten in the back seat.

"Whether it's a built-in vacuum, a flashlight, a cooler or in-car Wi-Fi, automakers are finding new ways to effectively equip vehicles for the demands of family life," said Jamie Page Deaton, managing editor of U.S. News & World Report's Best Cars rankings and a member of the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury. "The 18 Best Cars for Families are the best of what the auto industry offers for all types of families."

Parents of teenagers can take advantage of relatively new technology from a few brands like Hyundai, Ford and Chevy to set speed and audio volume restrictions when an inexperienced driver is behind the wheel and receive report cards on a teen's driving habits or text updates about their young driver's whereabouts.

"All of the features included in our award scoring have either been shown to reduce accidents or make family life easier for our editors when they've tested cars," said Page Deaton. "We cut through the marketing fluff to focus only on features that can really help families."
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court today sought the response of Kerala government within two weeks on a plea of former state DGP T P Senkumar alleging that his transfer was a clear case of "political vendetta".

"Issue notice. File reply within two weeks," a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said while listing the matter for final arguments on March 27.

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Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who appeared for the former DGP told the court that his client has an unblemished career and the state government had not consulted the state security council before transferring him from the top post to be the head of the states police housing corporation.

"DGP has an outstanding and unblemished career. Also the state government did not consult the State Security council before transferring a top cop of the state," Dave said.

The senior counsel also told the court that other than Senkumar, 90 other police officers were also transferred or shifted from their posts after the present government took charge.

"The new government took charge on May 25, 2016 and on May 27, he was removed from his post," Dave told the court.

He also questioned the states report citing the DGPs inaction in the infamous Jisha murder case to remove him from the post.

"Will the Chief Minister then take responsibility of the last nine political murders that have happened in Kerala and remove himself from the post," Dave asked.

Senior lawyer P P Rao, who appeared for state, argued that consulting the state security council was not necessary in Senkumars case. "Consulting the security council was not necessary as he was transferred to another post and not removed or sacked from service," he said.

Rao also said that the file recommending transfer of the DGP was already in motion even before the present government took charge.

The top cop had filed the appeal against the Kerala High Courts verdict that had upheld the Central Administrative Tribunals (CAT) order.

The CAT had not found any fault with the decision of the LDF governments 2016 decision to transfer Senkumar from the post of Director General of Police to the post of chairman and managing director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation. (More) PTI ABA RRT SJK RKS ARC

--- ENDS ---
The Special Task Force arrested Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla from Noida. They are being brought to Lucknow.

By India Today Web Desk: Two more people have been arrested from Noida in connection with the rape case against absconding Samajwadi Party minister Gayatri Prajapati.

Prajapati has accused of raping a woman and molesting her daughter.

The Special Task Force arrested Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla from Noida. They are being brought to Lucknow.

Yesterday, in the first major headway in the case, police had arrested Prajapati's gunner Chandrapal Singh.

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"Chandrapal (Prajapati's PSO) was arrested near Police Lines in Lucknow," Additional Superintendent of Police (East) Shivram Yadav told PTI.

There is still no trace of the whereabouts of Prajapati, who has been at large for over a week.

SP MUST BE TAUGHT A LESSON: VENKAIAH

Meanwhile, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh should be taught a "lesson for not taking action" against its rape accused minister Gayatri Prajapati.

"No action has been taken against the minister. This type of government should be taught a lesson," he said.

Apart from Venkaiah, even BJP chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have lashed out at the Samajwadi Party for not acting promptly against Prajapati.

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
The Gold Star dad who forcefully criticized President Donald Trumps rhetoric on Muslims announced Monday that he was canceling a trip to Toronto because his travel privileges are under review.

Khizr Khan, a Muslim American whose son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2004, was catapulted into the national spotlight after he whipped out a pocket copy of the U.S. constitution during his Democratic National Convention speech. His moving tribute to his son quickly made him a target for conservatives, who tried to paint the Pakistani immigrant as an Islamic extremist.

The Harvard-trained lawyer shuttered his firm and became an outspoken activist. But what exactly happened to force Khan to cancel his Toronto speech is unclear, as is the status of Khans ability to travel.

CTVs Rosa Hwang broke the news Monday afternoon, tweeting that Khan had canceled his planned appearance over a review of his travel privilegesa choice of phrase that immediately incited speculation on Twitter. Hwangs source was Ramsay Talks, a popular Toronto lecture organization, which announced Khans cancellation in a posted statement.

Late Sunday evening Khizr Khan, an American citizen for over 30 years, was notified that his travel privileges are being reviewed, the statement read. As a consequence, Mr. Khan will not be traveling to Toronto on March 7th to speak about tolerance, understanding, unity, and the rule of law.

Ramsay Talks did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment.

Instead, The Daily Beast called Customs and Border Patrol. CBP spokespeople did not explain what happened to Khan, but brushed away the notion that the father was told he could not go to Canada.

We dont do that. Were not going to review no, no, Janice Mosher from U.S. Customs and Border Protection public affairs told The Daily Beast. Its not something we do.

Mosher suggested that the Transportation Security Administration might have more information.

But a TSA spokesman directed The Daily Beast back to CBP. Thats their swim lane, Brian McNeal of the TSA said.

People for the American Way, where Khan is a board member, declined to comment as well. Attorneys at Dulles Justice, the immigration group Khan recently visited at the D.C.-area airport, also said they had no information to share.

A different CBP spokesperson, however, later replied to The Daily Beast by email, saying the agency does not give travelers a heads-up ahead of overseas trips. The agency does not discuss individual cases, he added.

Then, unprompted, he brought up the expedited screening program Global Entry.

With respect to Global Entry or trusted traveler membership, CBPs engagement is about the status of membership in the program, not any particular travel itself, he said. Of course, any U.S. citizen with a passport may travel without trusted traveler status. All individuals are subject to inspection departing or upon arrival to the United States.

Mic reported last month that some Muslim Americans have had their Global Entry status revoked without explanation after Trump took office.

The Daily Beast reached out to Khan to ask whether the cancellation was regarding a Global Entry or Pre Check status.

Thank youno comments, he wrote back.
The effort to marginalize American Muslims from U.S. politics has hit a new low, thanks to Oklahoma Republican State Sen. John Bennett. Sure, Donald Trump has proposed an extreme vetting test that would ban Muslim immigrants who dont share Trumps values. (I guess that means Muslims must also believe its OK to grab women by the genitals and then shame the victims of sexual assault like Trump did.)

But Bennett is now taking it a step further. Hes demanding that American Muslims who want to meet with him must first be subject to extreme vetting about their religious beliefs. You may not have heard of Bennett before, but Ive written about him many times over the last few years. Simply put, Bennett is a right-wing political demagogue who demonizes Muslims for political gain.

In 2014, Bennett declared that Islam was a cancer that must be cut out of the American society. But he was not done there. He told a crowd of about a hundred people in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, that Muslims have worked their way into the government at every level to achieve their goal of the destruction of Western civilization from within. (How come no one told me that was our goal? I better get to work.) Bennett received a standing ovation for his anti-Muslim hate.

Flash forward to this past Thursday. Two starry-eyed Muslim-American high-school students attended Muslim Day at the Capitol to meet their elected officials. Their goal was simply to chat with Bennett and other Oklahoma elected officials in an effort to become more involved in our political system.

But to Bennett, every Muslim is a threat. So his office staff was instructed to hand a questionnaire to any Muslim who sought to meet with hima sheet that was apparently generated by the anti-Muslim hate group Act for America (ACT). As the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented, ACT has pushed to stop public schools from teaching about Islam as part of world religion courses and has worked to pass state laws designed to prevent the nonexistent threat of Sharia being imposed in America.

The questions these teenage high-school students were asked included Do you beat your wife? Another read: Sharia Law says that it must rule over the kafirs, the non-Muslims. Do you agree with this? By the way, Sharia law says nothing because theres no codified version of Sharia, or Islamic law. But ACT is not about educating Americans. Rather its a way for founder Hanan Qahwaji, who uses the alias Brigitte Gabriel, to turn hate into cash. Gabriel has ginned up fears of Muslims with such jaw-dropping comments as [a practicing Muslim] cannot be a loyal citizen of the United States.

As Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, explained, Bennetts questions were truly not about Islam. Its a religious test designed to keep Muslim Americans out of the American political process. I couldnt agree more.

Now if Bennett was vetting every American to assess their religious beliefs, that would be another thing. If he asked Christiansespecially evangelicals who take the Bible literallyif they agree with the biblical passage that calls for women who are not virgins on their wedding night to be brought to the door of her fathers house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death, at least there would be some fairness. It would still be wrong, but at least it would be fair.

But with Bennettor Trump, for that matterforget fairness. These are two men cut from the same cloth of hate; the same type of people who gave birth to the Nuremberg laws in the 1930s, when the Nazis banned Jews from serving in the government simply because of their faith. The Jews were painted by Nazi propaganda as dangerous enemies of the German Reich who were not loyal to Germany. Not very different from how some on the right describe Muslims today.

And we can expect that at some point the Trump administration will follow the same path as Bennett. The president will call for vetting of American Muslims who want to serve in the government. (And it could expand from there to other occupations.) I dont make such a claim to be provocative. I say it because I believe with every fiber of my being that he will do it.

Why? Because the politicians who seek to demonize Muslims for political gain all follow the same hateful playbook of groups like ACT. After all, ACT called for a complete ban on Muslim immigration to the United States four years before Trump announced his demand for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

And alarmingly, ACT has powerful allies in the Trump administration. Theres Steve Bannon, who gave ACTs leader Gabriel a platform to write anti-Muslim garbage when he was the head of Breitbart.com. Bannon has espoused views akin to ACTs with his claim that the best known Muslim-American organizationsthe type that fight for the civil rights of American Muslims and encourage more political engagementare cultural jihadists.

Trump CIA Director Mike Pompeo has a very cozy relationship with ACT. He spoke at the groups 2013 and 2015 events and even reserved the auditorium for ACTs Legislative Briefing on Capitol Hill. And Trumps recently fired national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is on the board of ACT.

Bennetts extreme vetting of Muslim Americans who want to engage in politics is disturbing. But its nowhere near as disturbing as what we can expect from the Trump administration going forward if he continues to follow the anti-Muslim playbook of groups like ACT. I dont even want to imagine where that could lead us.
An Oklahoma sheriff admitted that staff in his jail referred to black employees as n*gronoids, according to bombshell testimony in a Tulsa courthouse Monday.

The shocking allegation came during the wrongful-death trial for Elliott Williamsa 37-year-old Army vet who died at the Tulsa County jail in 2011. He was paralyzed on the floor of his cell and pleading for help for days, a federal lawsuit filed by his family claims.

On Monday, court testimony focused on accusations of systemic failures in the jails health care, and alleged racist practices within the sheriffs office.

Former Sheriff Stanley Glanz testified that he didnt take issue with the racially offensive terms n*gronoids or n*groids, stating that the FBI used them to describe black people in the 1960s or 70s.

Glanz resigned in late 2015 following a two-count misdemeanor indictment (unrelated to the Williams case) relating to abuse of office.

The racist terminology was broached by Dan Smolen, an attorney for Williamss estate who has also represented former employees who sued the Tulsa jail for racial discrimination. (A handful of cases filed by former lockup workers cost the county nearly $1 million to defend and settle, the Tulsa World reported.)

Glanz copped to using the word n*gronoid to refer to African-American staff during a 2015 deposition for a racial-discrimination case, court records reveal. (That case was later dismissed on summary judgment in favor of Glanz, in his individual capacity, and current Sheriff Vic Regalado, in his official capacity, court records show.)

On Monday night, Smolen told The Daily Beast that he first learned of jailers alleged use of the term after obtaining a 2006 memo (PDF) with the letter N marked next to the names of certain employees, along with an M or F to indicate gender.

The memo, filed as an exhibit in multiple federal discrimination cases against the sheriffs office, reveals jail brass would mark an N or a W next to employees names to indicate whether they were black or white.

Smolen said he asked Glanz about the racist lettering during the 2015 deposition, expecting the sheriff to use a different N-word.

A review of deposition transcripts provides a deeper look into the allegations.

How long did the sheriffs office use that coding system to refer to their African-American employees? Smolen asked, according to a review of the deposition transcript. Glanz replied, Yeah, I dont know.

When asked whether using an N might be offensive to an American-American employee, Glanz testified, No, sir.

Smolen then asked, What do you think the N stands for?

N*gronoid, Glanz said, according to the transcript. The sheriff then clarified, Which is a race.

Smolen asked whether the term is commonly used in the sheriffs office. No to describe a white male or a n*gro or n*groid female or male isI dont see anything wrong with it, Glanz said during the deposition.

And do you continue to use, yourself, that terminology at the sheriffs office? Smolen asked, to which Glanz replied, If I was describing a suspect, I probably would, yes. Glanz said he would not, however, use it to describe a black employee. The term, he added, can be chalked up to police lingo.

Messages left for the sheriffs attorneys were not returned as of press time.

The Williams trial began Feb. 22 in U.S. District Court before an all-white jury of five women and four men. The only black juror was dismissed early on to help care for his brother after surgery.

Glanz and the current sheriff, Vic Regalado, are defendants in the case, while the jails former medical provider, Correctional Healthcare Companies Inc., settled with Williamss estate and is no longer named as a defendant.

Williams, who had no criminal record, was arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction charge in October 2011. The veteran was at an Owasso hotel and in the throes of a mental breakdown after his wife left him, his family says.

For days, Williams told detention officers that he couldnt move or reach the water and food trays placed in his cell, a lawsuit filed by Williamss family claims. But nurses told investigators they believed Williams was faking his paralysis. Instead of examining him, medical staff tried to catch him moving inside his video-monitored cell, court papers say.

Williams died of complications from a broken neck and was dehydrated at the time of his death, the medical examiner ruled.

Mondays testimony also focused on systemic problems within the county jail.

Multiple audits and reviews by government agencies and consultants found repeat and widespread deficiencies in the jails medical care as early as 2007.

One audit by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, finished weeks before Williams died, described a prevailing attitude of indifference among the clinic staff.

Glanz testified that he did all he could to provide adequate medical care to inmates. A lot of [deaths] occur because of their lifestyle and the condition that people find themselves in, Glanz said on Monday.

The former sheriff also implied the contracted health provider was responsible for problems with the jails medical care. Theyre the ones who were actually responsible for the standards, Glanz said, adding that he wanted the best care for our inmates.

Last week, experts for Williamss legal team testified that his death would have been preventable with proper medical care.

Yet its unclear how Williamss neck ended up broken. An Owasso cop slammed Williams to the floor while trying to handcuff him inside the jails booking area, according to the officers statements to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The officer told state investigators that he landed on top of Elliotts shoulder and head but that he appeared to be fine with no injuries.

Meanwhile, a fellow inmate claimed Williams rammed his head into his cell door, according to an internal probe by sheriffs Capt. Billy McKelvey. While the sheriffs lawyers have argued Williams was suicidal and therefore caused his own injury, Smolen appeared to question the jailbirds account.

If Mr. Williams was under constant supervision can you explain why the only person who saw how Mr. Williams injured his head was an inmate that was interviewed two months after the fact? Smolen asked Glanz.

Glanz said no, court transcripts show.

Deputies may have also exacerbated Williamss injuries after dumping him in the shower, experts said last week.

Earlier in the trial, McKelvey testified that jailers put Williams on a gurney after he urinated and defecated on himself. Then they dumped him into the shower, where he smacked his head on the concrete floor, according to McKelveys investigation.

One of those officers, Capt. Tommy Fike, estimated Williams was in the shower for 30 minutes, McKelvey said. But Smolen presented McKelvey with a handwritten logbook showing that Fike, and Sgt. Doug Hinshaw, left Williams there for nearly two hours.

When Smolen asked Glanz about the shower incident last week, Glanz said he didnt believe it happened as Smolen stated.

The event, I dont believe, occurred, Glanz testified. He later added that Capt. Fike and Sgt. Hinshaw were questioned about it, and both of them denied that it occurred the way you describe it.

The erstwhile sheriff also testified that Williams was initially placed in a holding cell to cool down because he was acting up.

Glanz stated that Williams didnt receive a mental-health screening, as required by jail policy, because of his alleged behavior.

Security footage of Williams in the booking roompreviously played for jurorsdoes not appear to match this claim. Rather, the video shows that Williams stood up while waiting to be booked into the county jail.

When Smolen asked Glanz whether the jail had policies for a cooling down process, the ex-sheriff said he couldnt recall any.

But Tulsas jail has another policy: requiring mental-health staff to keep constant watch over possibly suicidal inmates, Smolen said. In response, Glanz testified that Williams was under observation because he was in a holding cell with windows.

Then why the mystery on how Mr. Williams broke his neck? Smolen asked, according to court transcripts.

Glanz said he didnt know.

Williams was not placed on suicide watch at the county jail, despite Owasso cops designating him as suicidal, Glanz testified. He said Williams was disruptive and that jailers decision to put him in a holding cell was appropriate. Asked by Smolen if he was troubled by Williamss lack of mental evaluation, Glanz said no.

As The Daily Beast previously reported, Glanz testified that he didnt watch the video of Williamss final hours until one-and-a-half years later.

And when he did see the footageahead of a 2013 depositionhe said he didnt see any indication Williamss health was in danger. (Defense attorneys for the sheriffs office have argued the video failed to capture Williams allegedly moving around, drinking, and eating.)

Glanz testified that his jail staff never asked him to see the footage. If they would have made the recommendations, I would have viewed the video, the ex-lawman said, according to court transcripts.

He later added, If I was requested by my staff to view it and they thought it was important, I would have.

Reporters Ziva Branstetter and Kassie McClung of The Frontier, a nonprofit news startup based in Tulsa, contributed to this report. For additional coverage on the Elliott Williams trial, please visit Readfrontier.org.
What is being described as a hook-up gone horrifically wrong has ended with the rescue of a 22-year-old British backpacker in Australia after two months in brutal captivity.

The unnamed woman reportedly met her would-be captor, also unnamed in accordance with Australian privacy laws, at a bush doof outdoor dance party in Cairns on the Queensland coast two months ago. According to the backpackers friends interviewed by the British press, the two decided to go on a road trip through the Australian outback and left in the assailants white Mitsubishi Pajero around January 2.

Then things went terribly wrong.

According to local media outlets, the man then spent the next two months raping, beating and strangling her, and keeping her captive as they drove 1,360 kilometers through the Australian outback.

Local authorities have charged the man with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation and two counts of deprivation of liberty, according to Detective Inspector Paul Hart in a televised press briefing. They say the man will also face drug charges.

The woman was rescued after driving away from a gas station without paying for fuel on Sunday afternoon. Local CCTV tape caught a glimpse of the woman in the gas station, crying with her face covered with bruises, pleading with the gas station attendant that she could not pay for the gas. A few minutes later, she drove off and the concerned gas station attendant followed her, according to The Daily Mail whose local reporter interviewed the attendant.

The attendant was then able to flag down a local police officer who made the stop. She had two black eyes and marks down the side of her neck, according to the Daily Mail reporters interview with the attendant. She was crying. She was shaking uncontrollably. She had only just come in here and she couldn't pay for the fuel. I was very concerned about her, but I didn't expect her to just walk out, get in the vehicle and drive off. It was as well that she did. If she had been able to pay for the fuel I might not have interfered with her life and she would have gone off and who knows?

The backpacker was seemingly alone in the car, though police were suspicious. After searching the car, they found the suspect hidden under clothing and luggage in the back of the car.

We would certainly say that whats happened to this young lady is quite catastrophic, Detective Hart told reporters. We will allege that the male person was secreted in the back section of the vehicle which made it quite difficult to find him.

The woman, who is now in hospital recovering from injuries that include facial fractures, had been traveling around Australia since 2015, according to her friends interviewed by the British press. Immediately after she met the man, whom her friends described as a clingy man who never left her side, he changed his Facebook status to married.

A week later, the two were on what was clearly a honeymoon from hell for the backpacker.
Visions of apocalypse and dystopia fill popular fiction and film and, these days, even the imaginations of many serious people.

Geniuses including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have called for an escape from the planet. Billionaires are said to be preparing bunkers and remote fortresses.

Its easy to see why, even if you arent worried about our new president having an itchy trigger finger on the nuclear button. Climate change projections of rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and violent conflict all seem to be arriving on schedule.

If things go really bad on planet Earth, could we send people to live on another planet and save the human race?

NASA depicts livable conditions in artist renditions of newly discovered Earth-sized exoplanets circling other stars. Musk promises to send space tourists on a joyride around the moon. How far away could it be before people land and stay?

In a new book co-authored with Dr. Amanda Hendrix, Beyond Earth, weve studied plans for space colonization both seriously and skeptically. And we do believe pioneers will eventually leave and make new homes in space.

But that journey will be no substitute for solving Earths problems. Indeed, solving problems here on Earth may be a prerequisite to settling in space.

It is much harder for human beings to get to another planet and settle there than many people seem to think. The can-do attitude of space boosters is part of the problem.

Underselling the challenges has produced unrealistic expectations about our abilities and weakened our efforts to overcome them. Lacking sustained investment or a long-term vision for human space exploration supported by the public, no human being has gone beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17, in 1972.

Musk and other commercial space entrepreneurs have accomplished amazing technical feats, but they also have the bad habit of overpromising. Musks SpaceX accepted a deposit for the moon orbit before he has orbited people around Earth.

He may well succeed. China may put crews on the moon within 20 years. But these goals arent in the same league as going beyond the moon. And landing to stay is even further off. At the current pace of investment, a space colony will never happen.

Space radiation and the neurological hazards of weightlessness put destinations other than the moon out of reach with current technology. The risk to passengers is too high. We need significantly faster spacecraft and a much better understanding of the health hazards of space travel.

NASA has embarked on these studies, but answers may take decades.

Even with a safe mode of travel, moving many people to another planet would cost an enormous amount, far more than the passengers themselves could afford. No one has identified a space resource that would compensate for that investment, so altruistic Earthlings left behind would have to pay the bill.

If the world falls apart, how willing would they be? A mission to send a few astronauts to Mars for a brief visit could cost a trillion dollars. Would nations struggling with climate disasters, wars, and mass migration pay that muchand far moreto dispatch and support a group of colonists?

On Earth, governments often launched colonial ventures that would become self-supporting and profitable. The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, in North Carolina, is an example of one that didnt, and perished.

The colonys disappearance is relevant. Queen Elizabeth I sanctioned it, but when the Spanish Armada attacked England in 1588, she refused to spare ships for resupply. A modern leader faced by world war might make a similar choice if faced with the expense of supporting a space colony.

Scant opportunities for a self-sustaining space colony exist in our celestial neighborhood.

No place in our solar system is as hospitable to life as Earths least hospitable place. Human beings on Mars would have to live underground for shelter from radiation. Creating a protective atmosphere on Mars would take many lifetimes.

We do not currently know how to build a self-contained, self-sustaining underground habitat on another planet.

An Earthlike exoplanet circling another star could have an atmosphere, and perhaps even oxygen and life. NASA has discovered enough new planets to create confidence that they are ubiquitous in the galaxy. Sheer chance promises some should harbor pleasant human habitats.

But we know little about conditions on particular exoplanets. In February, NASA released lovely landscapes imagined of the seven new planets around the star Trappist-1. Unfortunately, the artists imagination was the most impressive aspect of the pictures. All scientists can really tell us about them is their size and the radius of their orbits.

Soon, new instruments may tell us much more, including the presence and composition of the planets potential atmospheres. But these planets are so far away that getting there would take something like a Star Trek warp dive.

In Beyond Earth, my co-author and I solved these puzzles by proposing a destination where colonists could support themselves on the surface with technology not much beyond our current capabilities. Our destination is Titan, a moon of Saturn with a thick nitrogen atmosphere and essentially limitless supplies of energy and water.

Getting there safely would require building fast propulsion that has only just been conceived of, but not something beyond imagination. We can live on Titan and we will eventually be able to get there. But we wont be able to do it for a long time.

How long it takes depends on unpredictable technology development. Were highly unlikely to live to see our Titan settlement founded.

Saving this planet will have to come before sending a colony to space. Thats good, because the task will be infinitely easier. We already have the technology to transform the energy industry. A strong response to climate change could spawn an economic boom.

Thats just what space exploration needs. A healthy, growing economy can power the rapid innovation that produces transformative technologysuch as the technology for a space colonyas smart people and companies compete in an environment of wealth.

Cold War conflict drove competition to land on the moon. But that rich battle of prestige was much different from the conflict the doomsayers envision. A world descending into chaos due to climate stress and religious war would not dedicate itself to such a triumph.

Humanity is stuck with this planet for a long while yet, for good or bad. There will be no lifeboat. But were OK with that. We would prefer to reach into space as an expression of hope rather than fear.

Charles Wohlforth is author, with Dr. Amanda Hendrix, of Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets, published in November by Pantheon.
The day Donald Trump took office, I wrote a column arguing that what was new and frightening here was that he had no reverence for the civic and governmental institutions of this country. This had never been true of a president before, at least in the modern era. George W. Bushs administration twisted facts to get their war in Iraq. But even Dick Cheney understood that it had to appear as if everything was above board, as if the intelligence agencies were arriving at their conclusions independently.

Trump and the people advising him just dont care. He is interested in our institutions only insofar as they can be used to help Trump. And the flip side was on display this weekend in his reckless Saturday morning tweets about Barack Obama. Hell say anything about anyone without giving the slightest thought to how those words might damage these institutions and demoralize the people within them.

Because not only did he accuse Obama of something terrible and illegal, with no evidence to support the charge, but he also accused the law-enforcement and intelligence communities of colluding with the outgoing president to do something obviously illegal. Only a person with no respect for any of those institutions could make such a charge.

But its time now to focus not only on Trump and his psyche (although just quickly, before I turn away from that topic, I have to note that the most plausible theory I heard all weekend about why Trump did what he did was the hypothesis that he was miffed that the Obamas got that joint $65 million book advance; thats just so Trump in every way).

But lets talk about the Republicans.

When will they stand up to this guy? With one lone exception that I saw, most Republicans responses over the weekend were pathetically weak. Lets start with this especially lame one, from Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. After saying he knew of no evidence to support Trumps claim, it must have struck him that someone in the White House might get mad at him, because he added: It doesnt mean that none of these things have happened, just means I havent seen them yet. Ah. Thanks for that, Tom.

Others sounded less pliant but substantively were little better. Lindsey Graham has built up a lot of cred in this department, and understandably so, because hes been a pretty tough Trump critic at times. But this, at a town hall over the weekend, where he obviously didnt want to face a chorus of catcalls, was from weaseltown: Im very worried that our president is suggesting the former president has done something illegal. Id be very worried if in fact the Obama administration was able to obtain a warrant lawfully about Trump campaign activity with foreign governments. Its my job as United States senator to get to the bottom of this.

No, its your job to say that unless he has evidence that he is ready adduce yesterday, a president of the United States has no business saying anything like this.

And heres erstwhile stand-up comic Marco Rubio: Ive never heard that before. And I have no evidence or no ones ever presented anything to me that indicates anything like that But again, the president put that out there, and now the White House will have to answer as to exactly what he was referring to.

The lamest of all was House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who vowed to look into Trumps claims. Yes, this is the same Devin Nunes who said recently that his committee will not look into any claims that Trump may have spoken with former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn about the latters contacts with Russia. Likewise, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said that while hed seen no evidence to support Trumps claim (thats the part of his comments that was more widely picked up), he also added that his committee would take a hard look at Trumps allegations.

The only statement by a Republican that was even somewhat informed by principle was the one issued by Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse. He used far sharper rhetoric than any of his colleagues to put the onus on Trump to deliver some proof: The president today made some very serious allegations, and the informed citizens that a republic requires deserve more attention. He demanded that if there was a court order authorizing a wiretap of Trump, the president obtain and copy of it and show it to the public or at least to the Senate.

Sasse is getting plaudits for saying what he said, and yes, comparatively speaking, he was a veritable Cincinnatus here. But its pretty pathetic that his statement stood out. What Trump did here was unbelievable. What will he say next about somebody, on the basis of no evidence? Obama is a former president who has millions of people who adore him and will have his back. But what will happen when Trumpthe president of the United States, the most powerful man in the worldsays something unsubstantiated about a judge, or a civil-liberties or immigration lawyer, or a journalist, or who knows, any citizen who gets on his bad side?

This is what despots do. In the olden days, when a despot said X committed a crime, poor X was usually led away to the stockade. That cant happen here today. We think. Or can it? If Republicans dont take a standnot in defense of Obama, but in defense of our civic institutions and normswe may yet find out.
Has there ever been a better time for a show about Russian spies secretly trying to take down the United States of America?

This week, The Americans returns to FX for its fifth season amidst a heightened national interest in global espionage and great uncertainty about the future of U.S.-Russia relations. Coming on the heels of the shows first Emmy nomination for Best Drama and a win at last months Writers Guild Awards, showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg are trying not to let all the unexpected attention go to their heads.

From the beginning, Weisberg tells The Daily Beast, television critics championed The Americans, something he says was always flattering and wonderful and, more importantly, key to keeping the show on the air. They got used to flying under the radar, but that is finally starting to change.

It sure was nice when we started out, thinking this could be a nice, little allegory about what its like to be tribal, to have an enemy, to be an enemy, and to be able to tell that story through a prism of enemies long forgotten, Fields says of the show, which centers on spies Philip and Elizabeth Jennings (real-life couple Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell), who, along with their two children, pose as an everyday American family in the Washington, D.C. suburbs while covertly working for the Soviet Union.

Because the Cold War was behind us as a nation at the start of the shows run, Fields and Weisberg realized audiences were more open to viewing Philip and Elizabeth in a sympathetic light, even if they are actively working against American interests. The U.S.S.R. was gone and Russia was no longer a threat, Fields adds. Now, he worries, the audience might experience the show differently.

Our experience making the show really hasnt changed, he continues. Because we make the show very much in a bubble of the early 80s. Their story is their story by now. But certainly, the audiences experience of watching it is going to change.

Early in the second episode of this season, the Jennings handler Gabriel (Frank Langella) lets them know that their next mission will be in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln. He says of the American people, To think they once had a Lincoln. Now they have a Reagan. One can only imagine what he would think of President Trump.

Fields and Weisberg dont believe viewers watch The Americans, a show set more than 30 years in the past, with an eye toward whats happening in the present. But since almost everything in American culture is now viewed through a political lens, that doesnt mean the show wont educate some people about the fraught history between the U.S. and Russia just as the Trump administration aims to bring the countries closer together. What people absorb on an unconscious level is anybodys guess, Weisberg says.

At its core, The Americans has always been a show about family. Season 4 saw the Jennings start to reveal more of themselves to their teenage daughter Paige (the increasingly impressive Holly Taylor). She knows they work for the Soviet government, but does not yet understand the scope of their frequently violent and deadly operations.

The new season opens with a family, but its not the one we were expecting. Its 1984 and Devos Thats Good is playing. We see a Vietnamese high-school student pick up a tray and sit down in the cafeteria with another new kid named Pasha, whos just arrived from the Soviet Union. When the two boys go back to Tuans house after school, they are greeted by parents: Philip and Elizabeth in disguise.

It just seemed fun to start in this disorienting way and to plop [viewers] in the midst of this different family dynamic, Fields says of the deliberately perplexing opening scene. We soon discover that Tuan (newcomer Ivan Mok) is not, in fact, a regular high-school student, but a covert agent himself who fled Vietnam and is now pulling a 21 Jump Street-style mission to help the Jennings get closer to Pashas father, a Russian dissident who escaped his home country to help the United States.

Over the course of at least the first few episodes of the new season Philip and Elizabeth spend far more time with their pretend adopted childfamily dinners, bowling nightthan they ever do with their own children.

In a way, hes the kid theyve always dreamed of, Fields says of Tuan. Because hes in it with them 100 percent. While Paige is still struggling to cope with her new reality, here the Jennings have found a son who will work alongside them without hesitation.

As for the Jennings real daughter, shes in a tough place at the top of Season 5. Her parents are not happy about her budding relationship with Matthew, the son of their friendly FBI agent neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), worrying that sex could cloud her judgment and lead her to blurt out their biggest secret. Meanwhile, Paige has resorted to sleeping in her closet at night in order to feel safe after witnessing her mother murder a man with her bare hands last season.

As FX revealed to much enthusiasm from fans in the first trailer for Season 5, Elizabeth has begun to train Paige in what she is calling self-defense to help her get past her fears. In addition, as Paige starts to get close to Matthew her parents impart a subtle technique to help keep her emotions in check. The creators are coy when asked where the idea for that techniquethey tell her to rub her thumb and forefinger together to remember where she came fromoriginated. Whether or not the KGB came up with it, everybody should do it, Fields jokes.

Whereas the threat of biological weapons loomed over the events of Season 5, this year focuses on something far simpler: food. The Russian man who Philip and Elizabeth are getting close to through their fake son is an agricultural expert who appears to be advising the U.S. government on ways to wipe out the Soviet Unions wheat crops, potentially leaving millions to die of starvation.

As the showrunners began to research for the new season, they came to realize how food shaped the histories of the U.S. and Russia. In addition to covert attempts by the American government to disrupt the food supply of its enemy, we also get a window into the way Russia attempted to crack down on corruption in its own food system through the eyes of Oleg Burov (Costa Ronin), who is back in Moscow but not yet fully out of the FBIs grasp.

The aftermath of the previous season still hangs over tonights premiere as well, as Philip and Elizabeth are tasked with helping Dylan Bakers scientist William, who dramatically killed himself by exposing himself to the biological weapon sample in last seasons finale, complete one last mission.

This leads to one of the longest and most deliberate sequences in the shows history. For more than 10 minutes at the end of the premiere, barely a single word is spoken as the Jennings and their associates pull off an elaborate heist at Fort Detrick.

Asked what the show is trying to convey with the unusually lengthy scene, Weisberg says, dryly, This is how you dig a hole.

Joes not kidding, Fields adds. We really wanted to convey how grueling it would be to do something like that. In the end, it was FX head John Landgraf who actually encouraged them to make the sequence longer, a note that would be unheard of from most network executives.

Like the disorienting scene that opens the episode, this one cements The Americans refusal to ever hold viewers hands. After four challenging seasons, we can be confident we will be rewarded for our patience.

If there is one message the creators want to send to fans before this season begins, it is to expect the unexpected. This is The Americans, Weisberg says. Assume nothing.
The Settlers, director Shimon Dotans latest documentary, is the type of film you could opine on, or merely attempt to synopsize, for hours. Of course, this richness comes with the territoryspecifically, the West Bank territories in which Israeli settlers stake out dubious claims amidst Palestinian fields and villages. Dotan hones in on some of the most explosive players in this lightning rod debate: the half-million or so settlers who, his film seems to argue, have put their bodies directly in the path of peace in the Middle East.

Biblical both in its aesthetic and its references, the film borrows language from the Tanakh and deals in arresting images of light and darkness. Through timelines and explainers, it gives the basic historical and political context necessary to even begin to comprehend the conflict. But the real strength of the film is its ability to reveal the hearts and minds of the settlers, zealots who have so insistently denied territorial boundaries and, arguably, managed to transcend them.

In a cozy office in downtown Manhattan, Dotan, an Israeli who has lived in New York for years, minces no words: I find the settlement enterprise the most threatening element to the well-being, to the existence of the state of Israel, he tells me. He calls the issue a skeleton in the closet for Israelis, one that has haunted him for years. He turned to it in earnest while making his last award-winning documentary, Hot House, a project that required frequent forays into the West Bank. It was during one such expedition that Dotan encountered soldiers attempting to put up a roadblock, to prevent Israeli settlers from driving into a Palestinian village and creating havoc. He recalls a group of settlers throwing themselves under the concrete block to stop its construction, an image the filmmaker found quite shocking.

This level of zealotry and fanaticism against Israeli institutions was very new to me, he says. Confident that many more Israelis were similarly in the dark about these settlers actions and ideologies, Dotan undertook the ambitious project that would become The Settlers.

As the film explains, prior to 1967 virtually no Jews lived in Judea and Samaria, areas generally referred to as the West Bank. But in the decades since that years Six Day War, around 400,000 Jewish settlers have inhabited this controversial stretch of land. While Dotan notes that around 80 percent of the settlers are motivated by economic concerns, his focus is on the ideologically-inclined minority that is the engine of the settler movement.

Of course, extremists are more sexy on the screen, no doubt about it, he says. And that is their lure, and their power, and we can see now here in America, extremism has some attractive power to it. One of the things that I tried to get in the film is this allure. And its not accidental that I made an effort to film the land and the people in their glory, because thats not only how they see themselves, but how many who are attracted to it see them.

Through interviews with these settlers, Dotan provides a window into a religious extremism that all too often condones anti-Palestinian violence and illegal expansion. One settler describes himself, unapologetically, as racist, while others appear to be confessing crimes committed against Palestinians. Dotan does not attempt to reason with settlers who, say, believe that expanding Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates will hasten the coming of the messiah. Instead, he simply provides space for these subjects to hold forth, offering a stunning glimpse of a religious fervor so resolute that it threatens the existence of the Jewish state itself.

Dotan was born in Romania and moved to Israel in 1959, at the age of nine. I became, overnight, a devout Zionist, he recalls. Israel was a socialist country at the timea society in formation with genuine, real ideas. And it was a society that absorbed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from all over the world, and there was a common good that was seen and that was pursued. After 1967, he says, a terrible break came in the pursuit of that common good. The essence of [this break] is the infiltration of religion into politics, he explains. Once religion takes hold of politics, terrible things happen. And what were experiencing today is the manifestation of that. You justify every act in the name of God.

Criticizing the government of Israel is not merely a right, but a duty, Dotan says. He sees cause for concern not just in the continuation of the settler enterprise, but also in the worldwide ramifications of Trumpismspecifically, in how some Israelis and Prime Minister Netanyahu have been emboldened by Trumps campaign and the early days of his presidency.

In line with [Trumpism], the Israeli parliament passed a terrible law that allows the state to confiscate Palestinian private property in order to allow settlement, he says. How can the parliament pass such a law, which is not only illegal, but immoral? They did it in good part because of the backwind that Trump gave them. Citing Trumps talent for creating chaos, as well as the impression that hes completely divorced from reality, Dotan acknowledges theres no predicting how the president will fall on any one issue, Israel included. Still, he adds, The responsibility isnt upon Trump, its upon us, the Israelis, the government of Israel. We should do what we think is right, not take advantage of a misguided president.

On the topic of Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and the alleged harbinger of peace in the Middle East, Dotan cant help but chuckle. I wish he would! he exclaims. Its like if you ask somebody if they know how to play the pianoand he says I dont know, Ive never tried, maybe! Its the same argument.

Unsurprisingly, The Settlers has faced criticism from a wide-ranging political spectrum. Dotans clear anti-settlement stance threatened his project from day one. Early on, one of the settlers issued an email that spread like fire all over the settlements, he recalls, that Shimon Dotan is making a film about the settlements, dont talk to him, hes a deep leftist. And this email was sent in big, bold, red letters. For months, he faced difficulty in getting settlers to speak with him. I dont know what a deep leftist is, or if I am one, but I do not hide my views, he adds.

Were he to turn the camera around, Dotans efforts would make a fascinating film in and of itself. In a press release for The Settlers, he writes about a group of settlers attacking the crew while they were filming in a Palestinian village; the attackers beat our cinematographer with an iron rod, and stole all of our cameras and sound equipment. While Dotan and his colleagues quickly filed a police report, they were politely informed a month later that the case had been closed.

Other critics of Dotans work have been non-violent but similarly heated. In 2016, The Settlers was invited and then disinvited to screen at a Syracuse University conference titled The Place of Religion in Film. The professor who rescinded the invitation, M. Gail Hamner of the Department of Religion, wrote to Dotan to explain: I now am embarrassed to share that my SU colleagues, on hearing about my attempt to secure your presentation, have warned me that the BDS [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] faction on campus will make matters very unpleasant for you and for me if you come.

At the time, Dotan was disturbed that his work had been rejected based not on its contentHamner confessed that she had not gotten a chance to watch the documentarybut rather in anticipation of backlash from BDS, a Palestinian-led campaign that attempts to put pressure on the Israeli government by promoting boycotts, divestment, and international sanctions.

Now, Dotan has only words of encouragement for campus activists. I think American Jews that have any criticism of the government of Israel should make sure not to be persuaded by [that governments] rhetoric when they proclaim that whoever criticizes [them] criticizes the state of Israel, he insists. Its completely out of line, its pure incitement, and its a classic pattern of mediocre people in positions of power that are trying to silence critics.

We do not need to go too far for examples, he points out. Our new president in America declared recently that all media is the enemy of the American people. Thats the same rhetoric that is coming from the government of Israel. I would suggest that the responsibility of every American Jew, or every Jew for that matter, is if he has a criticism, he should express it.

Dotan is not afraid to critique the Israeli government in his own work, or to present fellow Israelis in an unflattering light. In one particularly memorable interview from The Settlers, a settler openly identifies as racist. When asked if these portrayals could fuel anti-Semitism, Dotan points out that prejudice has a life of its own. Reflecting on recent anti-Semitic threats and attacks in America, he notes that, The role of civilized societies is to keep [anti-Semitism] at bay as much as possible, and we see what happens when it is not kept at bay. So I see it as the responsibility of the world, not of the Jews, to keep anti-Semitism as small a flame as possibleI dont think we can ever put it out.

He continues, The argument that showing a certain side of Israeli settlers or the Israeli government will incite anti-Semitism, I dont think its fair. It is the responsibility of the Israeli government to make sure that the Israeli cause, that the Jewish cause, will be not only mighty but also right. I think that being right is to react in a humane and enlightened way to a reality, to separate between religion and state. And as long as the government does not do that, it has to be called out for it.

The Settlers has also attracted criticism for its tight focusa cinematic virtue that could be perceived as politically problematic. By honing in on the settlers, Dotan sacrifices the stories of Palestinian lives interrupted. One particularly arresting scene shows a Palestinian woman berating settlers for intruding on her orchard, but this is an isolated moment in the documentary. The daily lives of Palestinians, including the controversial checkpoints, fall outside of The Settlers scope.

Dotan is proud to call his film one of the first works to focus almost exclusively on the settlers, and hopes that this perspective can add something important to the larger conversation. I decided that its the most untold story, he explains. I have deep compassion to the other side, but that was not this film. If were trying to understand the phenomenon of the settlers, I believe that its more valuable to focus on the perpetrators than on the victims.

Telling the stories of the perpetrators enters him into ethically murky waters. As much as The Settlers aims to act as an alarm call for action with a clear critique of the settlement phenomenon, it also humanizes its subjects. The question of the political ramifications of humanely portraying an ideological enemy is one that, for Dotan, goes to the heart of the process of representation.

When I sit in front of someone who I am in complete disagreement with, I ask myself, what am I doing here? He considers. Am I here to confront him, or am I here to bring him into my film as he isHopefully if I am successfully doing that, it will be in a way that allows the audience to have a direct dialogue with him, without me filtering the dialogue. Furthermore, as a methodology, Im generally curious to hear what he has to say. And that probably creates some sort of a comfort zone that allows people to speak openly.

I am not there to judge them, thats not my point, he adds. Im there to bring voices onto the screen. Of course, I create context that is judgmental, and I dont believe that there is an unbiased filmit is biased, and everyone is welcome to look at it for what it is.

Of course, now that his interviews with the settlers are long past, Dotan is free to judge. He specifically points to the terrible manipulation of the Holocaust in the Gaza evacuation, with Israelis coopting the language of the Holocaust to bemoan the destruction of settlements and forced removal of Israeli families. My mother wore a yellow star in Romania, he begins, but quickly changes course: Its not just personal, thats not the point. When you have a group of fanatic individuals that are trying to make their point and kidnapping the Holocaust to strengthen the cause, its deplorableI hope that this manipulation will come across as it is, but its possible that some people will see it as something thats real. But its the opposite of real.

By showing zealotry in its natural state, Dotan is trusting that his viewers will see the settlements as he sees them. The film is not a program for how to fight the settlement enterprise, he explains. Its a call for action, for everyone who sees it as a negative trajectory of the state of Israel, to join forces to prevent this tragedy from happening. Its not easy, its not going to happen in a dayI do hope that people will watch the film and take it upon themselves to do something positive.

He pauses, deliberating over his final point: The state of Israel was founded with one purpose, to provide safe haven to persecuted Jews. It was never designed to fulfill Biblical prophecies, or to hasten the arrival of the messiah. Thats Gods business. Our business is to make it a good, humane place to live.
For those who thought hosts like Jimmy Kimmel were wrong to laugh it up with former President George W. Bush last week, Trevor Noah has two words: Donald Trump.

Oh shit! This is the biggest story ever, The Daily Show host said of the current presidents latest accusations that his predecessor, President Barack Obama, tapped Trump Tower. Even bigger than last weeks biggest story ever, when the attorney general was caught lying about his contacts with Russia!

Donald Trump is the only person who thinks the best way to distract from a scandal is to start an even bigger scandal, Noah remarked. But thats exactly what Trump did when he tweeted Saturday morning, Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

If youre going to accuse a former president of committing a major federal crime, Noah said, at least show that you have some appreciation for the gravity of what youre doing. Instead, he added, Trump made his claims on the same place we hashtag about The Bachelor and even managed to misspell the word tap (as tapp).

How are you going to take on a two-term president when you cant even handle a three-letter word? the host asked, adding, The extra p is for pussy.

Noah went on to call this whole story such B.S. because no one needs to spy on Donald Trump, you can just follow him on Twitter. On top of that, he noted, the president is a proven troll.

Most disturbing of all, Noah explained, is where Trumps baseless claims originated: Breitbart News via conservative radio host Mark Levin. Oh, thats comforting, he said. The president gets his news from a right-wing conspiracy website.

How can you be a conspiracy theorist when you are the president? Noah asked, pointing out that Trump has access to more information than anyone else in the country. People make up conspiracies because they dont know the truth, he said. Pretty soon, Trump is going to be covered in tin foil going, The government is spying on me!

The sad part, Noah added, is that less than a week ago, the media was praising the newly presidential Trump. They were like, Dude, you can trick us if you want. Just talk nice! And still he took a pass. With two ps.
An English professor in Ram Lal Anand College, Saibaba was arrested from his residence in 2013 for having links with CPI(Maoist).

By Vidya : The Gadchiroli District Court is set to announce verdict in the 2013 case against Delhi University professor GN Saibaba today.

An English professor in Ram Lal Anand College, Saibaba was arrested from his residence in 2013 for having links with CPI(Maoist).

He was nabbed after a JNU student Hemant Mishra in police custody said that he was acting as a courier between the professor and Maoists holed up in Abujmad forests in Chhattisgarh.

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Mishra along with four others were arrested for waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of banned organisation CPI (Maoist).

While Saibaba managed to get bail on health grounds, three others are still behind the bars and today's order is likely to decide their fate.

Massive security has been deployed outside the court and the entire city has been put on high alert.

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Whoopi Goldberg thinks someone needs to get Ben Carson a history book.

During a speech on Monday, the Trump administrations secretary of housing and urban development declared, There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less, adding, They too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.

Were the slaves really thinking about the American dream? Goldberg asked, incredulously on The View Tuesday morning, live from Walt Disney World. No, because they were thinking, What the hell just happened?! Immigrants, she explained to Carson, travel somewhere in search of a better life.

As Joy Behar added, And its usually voluntary. She also noted that Carson must not think slavery was all that bad because he also once compared it to Obamacare.

Im making jokes about it because I cant believe Goldberg said, unable to finish the sentence. I mean, am I crazy?

For his past, Carson issued a statement clarifying his comments Monday evening. The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences, he wrote. The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that's inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all.

Meanwhile, co-host Jedediah Bila defended Carson as a nice, good-hearted guy who does care very deeply about the plight of people suffering in this country and Sunny Hostin praised him for hosting a dinner for African-American residents at Johns Hopkins hospital.

I have black friends, too! Goldberg said in response to that. How does he miss what slavery is?! How does he miss that no slave came to this country willingly? She suggested Carson watch the miniseries Roots in order to obtain a base-level understanding of what happened in the slave trade.

Goldberg is just the latest African-American celebrity to denounced Carsons comments. Previously, actor Samuel L. Jackson tweeted, OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!! #dickheadedtom.

Filmmaker Ava Duvernay wrote: Their dream? Not be kidnapped, tortured, raped, forced to mate, work for another's gain, torn from family + culture.

And the NAACP went with a more concise response:
The White House on Tuesday would not say on whether it would continue the Obama administrations practice of releasing the names of White House visitors that ethics groups say are crucial to government transparency.

"We're currently evaluating our procedures on that, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in response to a question on the visitor logs. If we have an announcement I will let you know.

A page on the White Houses website says that staff will post records of White House visitors on an ongoing basis, once they become available. That page has remained static for weeks.

Spicers brief statement, which came at the tail end of Tuesdays press briefing, was the administrations first public acknowledgment of calls by ethics groups and Senate Democrats to update and release a full accounting of White House visitors during the presidents first month in office.

Eight Senate Democrats signed a pair of letters addressed to the president and the Secret Service on Monday urging the release of those visitor logs.

It would be a significant setback to efforts to give the public insight into who influences the White House if this policy were to be discontinued or limited, the senators wrote.

Trump critics expect the records to reveal interactions that could fuel criticism of Trumps alleged financial conflicts of interest.

Indeed, given the unique aspects of how President Trump has decided to conduct official business, we believe he needs to do even more just to meet the benchmark of transparency set by President Obama, the senators wrote.

The Obama White House agreed to release months of visitor records in Sept. 2009, seven months into his first term in office after Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning watchdog group, sued to compel their release to compel their release.

Obama insisted that the eventual release of the records was voluntary in spite of those lawsuits. His administration later went to court to prevent the release of some White House visitor information.

The National Archives and Records Administrations online database of White House visitors from 2009 to 2016 went dark in mid-February. The logs had not been updated since September.

Transparency advocates have urged the Trump administration to get back into the habit of regular visitor disclosures.

The White House visitor logs represented a meaningful window, if a flawed one, into what was happening at the White House, according to Alex Howard, deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation.

Howard said Sunlight hoped that the Trump administration will see the value of open government data in the 21st century and continues the standard for disclosure set to date.

In addition to visitor logs, the White House has yet to update pages on its website where it says visitors will be able to find staff salaries and waivers issued to administration officials exempting them from the ethics pledge imposed by a January executive order.

Both of those pages on the White House website also assure visitors that that information will be forthcoming.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) IDFC Bank today launched a digital payment platform Aadhaar Pay that will allow even those without mobile phones to do cashless transactions and is expecting the initiative to win 1 crore customers every year.

The newest bank in the private sector today formally launched the unique identification number-based Aadhaar Pay service, having done a pilot in 16 states three months before.

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"It actually makes cashless transactions possible even for those who do not have mobile phones, but the merchant has to have a mobile phone. All one needs is to get the bank account number linked with Aadhaar. With this, basic banking will come to those not having even mobile phones," IDFC Bank Founder MD & CEO Rajiv Lall said at the launch here.

It is the first bank to launch this merchant solution in the country.

Lall hopes to acquire about 1 lakh merchant sites on this infrastructure in about two years.

"Imagine if IDFC Bank has a network of 1 lakh merchants across the country, each merchant over 1 year is able to acquire for me 100 savings account customers from that village each year. I would have created a network which is capable of acquiring at least 10 million savings account customers for me every year," he reasoned with calculations.

The bank will levy no MDR (merchant discount rate) fee on merchants who come on board the Aadhaar Pay application.

These merchants, mostly located in remote areas, will simply need a smartphone to download the app and an Aadhaar dongle to read biometrics of a customers for a transaction.

IDFC Bank said it will also bear the price of Aadhaar dongles, costing Rs 2,500 apiece for merchants, as recovery can happen by acquiring more savings account customers.

The bank has also started offering public distribution system (PDS) to beneficiaries through Aadhaar Pay.

NITI Aayog Chief Executive Amitabh Kant, who was also present at the launch, said India is at the cusp of a major digital revolution.

"This enables us to reach really at the very bottom of the pyramid where people do not have either GSM or basic phones, which is a significant percentage of our population," Kant said.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary Aruna Sundarajan said: "It is pioneering for the bank to do so. It will be the biggest paradigm change that we will see in banking and financial inclusion goal."

Talking about the security feature of the Aadhaar Pay platform, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said the system by any means is no less secure than any other payment gateway in the country.

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"The merchant-customer transaction is supposed to happen in a small areas/villages where most of the people are known to each other. So even if any fraud happens, a full digital trail will be available to track it down," Pandey added.

IDFC Banks Aadhaar Pay app is developed in association with the Ministry of Information Technology & Electronics, UIDAI and the National Payments Corporation of India. PTI KPM MKJ

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A flight attendant fell unconscious midway on an Auckland-Kuala Lumpur flight, but an Indian doctor saved her life, acting as a guardian angel.

By India Today Web Desk: In a world where some hesitate offering a helping hand, there are some rare people who do believe in helping strangers even without any personal motives.

And that's what Dr Anchita Pandoh did when she was flying from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysian Airlines MH130, with her husband.

Restoring faith in humanity, she helped a flight attendant, who had fallen unconscious midway, on the flight.

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Also read: UnAmerican: Indian harassed, abused by racist American in San Jose; police denies help

The couple noticed that the other flight attendants were rushing to the front compartment with oxygen cylinders. As soon as the flight captain announced a medical emergency requesting for a doctor on flight, Dr Anchita, without flinching for a second, rushed to take control of the situation.

She stabilised the flight attendant using the medical equipment available on the flight.

Proud of what his wife did, Anchita's husband Saurabh shared this heartwarming experience from his Facebook profile.

Here's the original post:

Also watch: Kerala: 6 minor girls raped for over two months in orphanage

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Jameson comes home and opens doors to public

Irish Distillers has announced the reopening of Jameson's home in Smithfield, Dublin. Investment, totalling 11, has seen the new look 'Jameson Distillery Bow St.' officially opened and the company hopes that it will support the Irish Whiskey Tourism strategy target of trebling the number of whiskey tourists visiting the country annually, to 1.9 million by 2025.

As Jameson continues its growth story, with 27 years of consecutive growth, the redeveloped brand home draws on modern technology to complement the historic surroundings of the distillery.

Three fully-guided tours are offered: The Bow St. Experience tasting tour focusing on the stories of Jamesons heritage and innovations while The Whiskey Makers and The Whiskey Shakers experiences provide whiskey and cocktail masterclasses, both including the opportunity to sample whiskey straight from a cask in the distillerys new live maturation house.

Speaking at the opening of Jameson Distillery Bow St., minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD said: Each year, over 600,000 tourists pass through Irish whiskey visitor centres to experience first-hand the heritage behind this time-honoured spirit and hear the stories of established and emerging distilleries. The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy aims to treble this figure to 1.9 million visitors by 2025 and Jameson Distillery Bow St. will undoubtedly play a central role in delivering on this vision. Smithfield and its wider Dublin environs have a rich history and vibrant cultural scene which will also continue to attract and enthrall visitors from near and far.

Jean-Christophe Coutures, chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers says: As the home of Jameson, Smithfield has an incredibly important place in our history. Weve grown up on Bow Street and welcomed over four million whiskey lovers through our doors since the opening of the Old Jameson Distillery brand home in 1997. With this latest investment, we place storytelling at the core of the visitor experience, drawing on state of the art technology to bring the 230-year history of Bow Street to life, with a variety of tour options to cater for everyone  from those who may be discovering Jameson Irish whiskey for the very first time, to long-standing Jameson enthusiasts who are seeking to further their understanding of this much-loved spirit. The success of Irish whiskey is a success story for Ireland and we look forward to welcoming whiskey-lovers from across the globe and sharing our story with them.

Ray Dempsey, who has been general manager at the Jameson brand home in Smithfield since its opening in 1997, adds: We have had the privilege of calling Bow Street home since 1780 and were delighted with our new makeover. Visitors can look forward to immersive storytelling where they will be invited to touch, smell and most importantly, taste Jameson in the original Bow St. Distillery building. As Smithfield continues to experience a cultural resurgence, were incredibly excited to be part of this thriving community and look forward to being here long into the future.

Construction work began in September and was led by BRC Imagination Arts, Dublin based firm TOTP Architects and Flynn Management and Contractors, with approximately 100 people employed as part of the redevelopment work. BRC Imagination Arts specialises in the creation of next generation brand experiences. Founded in 1981, past clients of BRC include the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta; the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam and the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

To book tickets for the Jameson Distillery Bow St., visit www.jamesonwhiskey.com.

7 March 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
What has eight lanes, links Dartford and Thurrock, carries 160,000 vehicles a day, and regularly breaches UK air pollution limits?

Answer: a 'rural road'.

You might have thought the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the M25 motorway, part of the 'Dartford Crossing' over the Thames, as more of a superhighway.

But no. It's a 'rural road' - albeit the most congested and polluted in Britain and the only one with eight lanes.

Well, that's according to the Government, at least. And due to this dubious designation - explained away by officials as an unfortunate 'classification error' - the Government has been exempt from reporting the illegal levels of air pollution that afflict the road, caused by the 50 million vehicles that use the Dartford Crossing every year.

We know that staff and Ministers at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs are swamped with Brexit right now. But at no point in the 15 years preceding the EU referendum, apparently, could the department find the time to reassess the crossing's 'rural road' classification.

That is despite the data the local council was providing showing the persistently illegal levels of air pollution in the area.

But there's no suggestion of foul play

After all, why would Ministers want to deliberately exclude from its air quality reports a congested crossing which carries tens of thousands more cars every day than it was ever designed to from one of the most polluted places in Kent to one of the most polluted places in Essex?

There is certainly no evidence that high-profile legal action against air quality breaches in the areas around the crossing would be detrimental to Transport Minister's case for another, equally polluting, Lower Thames Crossing connecting Kent and Essex.

The Government is simply outrageously incompetent, we are asked to accept - rather than, say, attempting to avoid taking responsibility for a deadly air pollution crisis that unnecessarily claims the lives of 50,000 people in Britain every year - an estimated 1,500 of those lost in Kent and Essex.
A fisherman was killed in alleged firing by Sri Lankan Navy. Sri Lanka has denied the incident took place but has promised a thorough probe.

By India Today Web Desk: New Delhi has taken up the issue of an Indian fisherman being in killed in alleged firing by Sri Lankan Navy with the Colombo, Minister of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

He added that any firing on Indian fishermen is totally unacceptable as per the existing understanding between Sri Lanka and India. He went on to say that Sri Lanka has assured India of a thorough probe into the incident.

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Sri lanka, however, has categorically denied that any such incident took place, "Initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lankan Navy is not involved in this alleged incident," a statement from the country's foreign ministry said.

The statement added that the shooting, if it did take place, is a matter of grave concern and that Colombo will take all possible action to investigate the incident.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The fisherman was killed Monday after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire at a group of Indian fishermen near the Palk Strait.

The deceased has been identified as Britso, a 22-year-old fisherman from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. According to officials, his body had a bullet injury mark on the neck.

His family, meanwhile, has refused to collect his body from the Tamil Nadu hospital where it is currently kept. They have demanded strong action against those involved in the incident.

Also read: Sri Lankan Navy denies shooting Tamil Nadu fisherman, promises probe: 10 developments

Also read: Indian fisherman killed in Sri Lankan Navy firing; Centre can't be mere spectator, says Stalin

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Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Srisena told Ansari he has ordered a "full investigation" into the alleged killing of an Indian fisherman in Sri Lankan Navy firing.

By India Today Web Desk: The matter of the killing of an Indian fisherman in an alleged shooting by the Sri Lankan Navy has been taken up at the highest levels between the two countries.

Vice President Hamid Ansari today raised the issue with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Srisena during a bilateral meeting between New Delhi and Colombo in Jakarta.

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After the meeting, Ansari said that the Sri Lankan president told him that he has ordered a "full investigation" into the incident. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), hours after the incident was reported.

22-year-old Britso died Monday after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire at a group of fishermen in the Palk Strait. Both the Sri Lankan Navy and the Sri Lankan foreign ministry have categorically denied that such an incident took place.

"The president said he had heard about it (the incident) this morning and that he had spoken to the Chief of Sri Lankan Navy who had said that no such incident from the side of the Sri Lankan forces took place," Ansari told the media on board his special aircraft while returning from his two-day visit to Indonesia.

Apart from the Monday incident, as many as 76 Indian fishermen are in captivity of Sri Lanka.

According to news agency PTI, the vice president candidly conveyed to Srisena that something must be done by Sri Lanka about the recurring problem related to the Tamil fishermen as part of confidence-building measures.

Also read: Sri Lankan Navy denies shooting Tamil Nadu fisherman, promises probe: 10 developments

Also watch: Sri Lankan Navy denies shooting Indian fisherman

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Another Indian man was harassed by a racist man in San Jose, but when he called for help he was easily told that help will be sent 'later'.

By India Today Web Desk: Third racial attack within ten days in the US has led to many Indians feeling unsafe in the country. From Kansas shooting to Americans stalking and blaming Indians for taking their jobs, the situation is getting worse day by day.

Shared by RO Khanna, a democrat for US Congress, Khanna talked about yet another Indian man's experience with racism in America.

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Indrajit Banerjee, a physics Ph.D who has been living in America and is an American citizen for 41 years now was verbally harassed by a racist man in San Jose.

Indrajit was in a market when he was harassed by a man sitting in a van, after an exchange of few words, Indrajit decided to call 911 as he could feel the situation heating up. But, he was denied help by the San Jose Police Department saying that they will send someone later.

Also read: Indian-origin man verbally attacked in New Zealand, told to go back to his own country

The question is that if a similar incident like Srinivas Kochibhotla would have happened, who would have been responsible for it?

Condemning hate crimes and calling them 'unAmerican', RO Khanna said that Americans should appreciate that immigrants are contributing to the success of 'their' country. Sharing Indrajit's experience in his own words, Khanna shared an excerpt of what exactly happened with Indrajit.

"Almost every Sunday I go to the Village Square farmer's market to do some shopping and stop at the Evergreen Coffee Shop to chat with some friends. Today was no different, except for the incident, at approximately 11:15AM? When I got out of my car with my shopping bag, I suddenly heard shouts "Hey are you an American" - a few times. I turned around and found the person talking to me. I answered "yes"?the person, in the van continued - "why are you driving a foreign car?" "Why are you not buying an American" car?"

Also read: US man stalks Indian, blames them for snatching away jobs from Americans

I decided to ignore the person and started walking fast out of the parking lot. He pulled the van beside me and continued "Go back where you came from if you don't like America." At this point I was scared, since recently I had read of several cases of people being killed in other states with rhetoric in similar lines. I dialed 911? the person noticed and started asking "do you think I will beat you up?" The operator at the other end of the line asked me a whole lot of questions during which time the van drove away. A while later I received a call from the police department saying that they had no officers available and they could send someone later to my house."

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Also read: Third attack on an Indian in 10 days in US: All you need to know about 'climate of hate'

Watch: Rise in hate crime in US: Third incident in 2 weeks

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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.
The project is crucial for the Navy as it has been asking the government for additional warships to maintain its 'blue water' capabilities, i.e. the ability to carry out operations in the high seas, far away from its waters.

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Seeking to further strengthen the Navy's capabilities, the defence ministry has cleared a proposal worth Rs 20,000 crore to buy four state-of-the-art warships equipped with the deadly BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. Two of these would be built in Russia and the other two in India.

The project is crucial for the Navy as it has been asking the government for additional warships to maintain its 'blue water' capabilities, i.e. the ability to carry out operations in the high seas, far away from its waters.

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GSL chief rear admiral Shekhar Mittal said they have already started working in this direction and are ready for construction of such big warships. "We are already working on the project as our shipyard was recently modified to undertake the construction and integration of such weapon intensive platforms," Mittal told Mail Today over phone.

After approval by the defence acquisition council (DAC) headed by defence minister Manohar Parrikar, the Navy will now move towards preparing a commercial note for the project after getting price quotes from the Russian side and other vendors to be involved in the programme.

Once the commercial and other related negotiations are done, the project will be sent across to the cabinet committee on security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for final approval, sources said.

The vessels would be the follow-on warships of the Talwar class frigates, six of which are already in the Navy and are known as project 11356 in the Russian Navy. Once the project starts, the GSL would take four years to start delivering the ships.

TRIED AND TESTED

The six previous warships of the Talwar class are already serving in the Navy and equipped with potent anti-ship missiles including the Russian Klub and BrahMos. They are Talwar, Trishul, Tabar, Teg, Tarkash and Trikand.

Built fully in Russia, the first three have the Klub as their main weapon, while the rest have Brah-Mos as its major anti-ship arsenal. The locally-built warships will be manufactured by Goa Shipyard Ltd. (GSL) at its Vasco Da Gama facility, while the Yantar shipyard, which has delivered similar vessels for the Indian Navy in the past too, will build the other two warships, defence sources said.

The Yantar shipyard has faced some problems in manufacturing the warships as the engines are built in Ukraine, which is not in good terms with Moscow at the moment.

Sources in the GSL said the major portion of the weapon-intensive platforms would be made in India and more than 50 per cent of it would be built here.

"Surface-to-air missiles, including Shtil-1, would be from Russia, but we are going to involve a lot of equipments such as electronic warfare components from India," they said.

The Navy has also given its mine counter-measure vessels (MCMVs) project worth Rs32,000 crore to GSL. It has tied up with South Korean shipyard Kangnam to build 12 such boats.

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Senior defence ministry sources said Parrikar was a bit hesitant to nominate GSL for the project, but it was the only public sector shipyard available for completing the project.

Others, such as Mazagon Dockyards Limited and GRSE, are busy with other important projects and almost working on full capacity.

Also ReadINS Viraat, Indian Navy's Grand Old Lady, to retire today after 30-year service Indian Navy warship INS Nashak out of action for weeks after freak accident

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A lack of coordination between the CISF and the police has allowed the touts to have a free run at airports, including at IGI airport, and fleece both domestic passengers and foreigners, bringing a bad name to the country.

By Chayyanika Nigam: For many of you who have been harassed or conned by touts at the airports across the country, here is why the menace has multiplied unchecked.

A lack of coordination between the CISF and the police has allowed the touts to have a free run at airports, including at IGI airport, and fleece both domestic passengers and foreigners, bringing a bad name to the country.

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CISF officials say that even though they nab the touts and maintain a strict vigil, lack of action by policemen due to no formal complaints means they are again turned loose and return to dupe passengers. Delhi Police, on the other hand, claims that cops have been deployed outside the airport, which is their jurisdiction.

TOUTS TARGET FOREIGNERS

Officials said that touts mostly target foreigners as they know little about the country and have more spending power.

According to CISF records, as many as 475 touts were apprehended at airports last year, out of which 425 were handed over to the local police while the rest were turned over to the Airport operator. The pace of detentions has not slowed this year with 54 touts all ready being caught by the CISF in January this year.

But a top CISF official, requesting anonymity, said that without a concerted multiagency effort to check the menace, their action would be of no use. "As no formal arrests are shown, they come back again to dupe foreign travelers," he said.

"Foreigners landing at airport get their first interface with these touts. Most of them pose as drivers or travels agents and approach with 'attractive deals', only to later fleece them. We get such complaints, but no formal complaint is received...so can't arrest these touts formally. We simply hand them over to the local police for further action," the official said.

At IGI airport, CISF officials said they are keeping a close eye on the suspicious activities of the drivers and agents. Sources in CISF told Mail Today that in most of the cases, no action has been initiated against these touts as the police have not registered the cases. Non-availability of the complainant and weak law related to anti-touting are the prime reasons that are attributed to non-registration of FIRs.

The source further claimed that even police lets them go free as they do not want cases to get piled up and increase the rate of registration of cases. Delhi Police refuted allegations of a lax attitude. Sanjay Bhatia, DCP (Airport) told Mail Today that CISF has not handed over even a single tout. "The jurisdiction outside the airport falls under the police and the cops are already deployed there to keep an eye on the touts. In the last few months, touting at IGI airport has gone down," Bhatia said.

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Police officials said that at IGI airport, only registered cab services such as Easy, Mega and Meru, and Delhi Police prepaid taxis are allowed to park, but the touts used to pose as family of travelers landing at the airport. If they are caught by the officials, they used to tell them that they are scheduled to pick up clients or relatives.

Also ReadIndira Gandhi International Airport is world's best airport for second time in row IGI Airport theft case cracked; 218 mobile phones, goods worth Rs 21 lakh recovered

--- ENDS ---
STAMFORD  Nestle Waters North America President and CEO Tim Brown has resigned to become the president and chief operating officer of Greek yogurt company Chobani.

The Norwich, N.Y.-based Chobani announced Tuesday Browns hiring. Nestle Waters officials confirmed his departure and said that Brown worked his last day March 3 at the Stamford company

Joining a company like Chobani to partner with someone like (founder and CEO) Hamdi (Ulukaya) and this great team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Brown said in a statement. Ive been following Chobani for years, as they have changed the food landscape in this country. Im thrilled and honored to be coming aboard at a time of such momentum and incredible potential.

Bill Pearson, Nestle Waters North Americas chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO. He and other members of Nestle Waters North Americas executive team will continue to lead the business. About 500 employees are based in Stamford.

Brown had worked at Nestle Waters North America since 1988 and had led the company as chief executive since 2013. He oversaw an organization of some 8,500 employees and a portfolio of brands including Perrier, San Pellegrino and Poland Spring, according to a news release from Chobani. Nestle Waters North America produced more than $4.3 billion in annual net sales under his leadership, according to the release.

Among major undertakings overseen by Brown in recent years, Nestle Waters North America overhauled its Nestea products. In January, the company started rolling out a revamped fruit-flavor line and a new group of brewed teas across the U.S.

Maurizio Patarnello, the global chairman and CEO of Nestle Waters, cited in a notice to employees Browns numerous contributions over his nearly 29-year career to the stewardship and growth of Nestle Waters and Nestles businesses, people and brands, and wished him the very best in his future endeavors, according to a statement Tuesday from Nestle Waters North America officials.

At Chobani, Brown will serve as the No.2 executive. He will oversee Chobanis operations, sales, marketing, legal and finance teams.

Chobanis market share of the spoonable yogurt category is currently 19.8, which equates to a 37.6 share of Greek yogurt, according to company data. Topline sales year-over-year percentage growth is increasing by double digits.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
After more than three decades as a hospice nurse, Lynda Tucker knows better than anyone the intricacies of end-of-life care.

At Hospice of Cincinnati, she helped create StarShine, the pediatric hospice program at Cincinnati Childrens hospital. After moving to Connecticut, she cared for adults on hospice and has long advocated for a residential hospice house for those who are unable to stay at home.

We really have no choice how we come into this world, Tucker said. I think there is a real sense of empowerment when we have some control in how you leave this world, or how a loved one is going to leave this world.

So when it came to opening Connecticuts first residential Hospice House, she knew it would be a complicated uphill battle involving legislative changes, public forums and exceptional planning. After nearly a decade in the works, the Fairfield County Hospice House will welcome its first patients later this year.

Its been a good story of it takes a village, Tucker said.

Located in a residential neighborhood just off the Merritt Parkway in Stamford, the Fairfield County Hospice House will serve families from throughout Fairfield County, particularly those in Norwalk, Stamford, Westport, Wilton, Weston, New Canaan, Darien, Ridgefield and Greenwich, who cannot provide end-of-life care in their own homes.

This is the first residential hospice house in the state of Connecticut and the board of directors are working hand-in-hand with the communities we will serve to help build the house, said Larry Weisman, a board member from Westport.

The 10,000-square-foot house was constructed to feel like a home, providing privacy and comfort in the final months, weeks and hours of life, Tucker said. The facility can house six patients at a time and has additional rooms for families to stay overnight, comforting rooms for family gatherings, a playroom for children, a meditation room and outdoor porches and patios.

This is the next best place to being at home, Tucker said. And in some cases its better than being at home.

The house will offer a 24-hour care, a team of skilled health care professionals trained in end-of-life care, a spa bathroom, dining, laundry and housekeeping services. Volunteers will be there to help and provide ongoing bereavement support to families and friends. People can receive hospice care from their own hospice providers and/or from the hospice house care team.

The mission of the organization is to provide a home for people and their families at the end of life that offers the highest quality of care and life experience, said Janet Nevas, board member and Westport native.

Now in the final months of construction, the board members are visiting the communities FFCH will serve, the organizations founding and board members are taking to the streets to inform the public of the services offered and the specifics of end-of-life care. Because it is the first facility of its kind in the state, they are discussing the legislative changes they advocated for in order to make the facility possible.

Tucker said end-of-life care is different from the care people receive in a hospital because once a patient is stabilized, the focus of care turns to ensuring the patients comfort rather than curing them.

Instead of someone coming to your home to provide hospice care, its a change of address," Tucker said. Not everyone has a place to go when they can no longer stay in the hospital, so this is an alternative to the way we traditionally think of hospice care ... this is like being home and having your visiting nurse come to your house because you are housebound at that time. Its a more peaceful existence than being in a hospital."

kkrasselt@scni.com; 203-354-1021; @kaitlynkrasselt
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NORWALK  Gov. Dannel P. Malloy urged the Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday to repair rather than realign Connecticuts portion of the Northeast Corridor.

The federal agency has proposed rerouting high-speed rail lines through much of Fairfield County and elsewhere to provide faster service between Washington, D.C., and Boston. The plan calls for 29 miles of new rail lines between New Rochelle, N.Y., and Greens Farms, utilizing aerial structures in places and bypassing the existing rail lines. The governors statements come as preservationists begin weighing in the plan, and worry that it would be devastating to this area.

In a letter to the FRA, Malloy said Connecticut will support the federal agencys impending Record of Decision concerning NEC Future  a long-term, comprehensive investment plan for the 450-mile rail line between Boston and Washington, D.C.  provided the decision includes specific improvement, eliminates alternative alignments, has the support of all U.S Department of Transportation agencies, and spells out a simplified environment approval process for critical projects.

Connecticuts support of the Record of Decision is conditioned on the premise that it will: Focus principally on investments that will achieve a Good State of Repair to ensure continuation of existing services and handle the projected ridership demand for the next 10-15 years, Malloy wrote. Connecticut has been clear that investments in the State-of-Good Repair are the necessary foundation for any longer-term high speed rail investment, and will deliver the most cost-effective outcomes.

Malloy asked the federal agency to identify specific projects, such as replacing aging tunnels and bridges, and to table consideration of any new alignment of tracks along the Northeast Corridor.

His letter comes as the FRA prepares to release a Record of Decision, which will complete the first phase of review of NEC Future as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Preservationists alarmed

In December, the FRA released its Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included a preferred design alternative. The design shows 79 miles of new track alignment in Connecticut.

A map provided in the FRA report at www.necfuture.com shows a new segment diverging from the existing rail line in Darien and appearing to follow Interstate 95 to Greens Farms. Trains would run through Fairfield County partly along aerial structures.

The release of the report opened a public comment period, which has brought no shortage of response from the historical preservation community.

From Greenwich to Mystic, these are tightly packed towns right on the shorelines with rail lines that go right through the middle of them, and within the center of towns theres so many historic properties right along the rail lines, said Tod Bryant, Norwalk Preservation Trust president. Look at how difficult it is replace the Walk Bridge, so take that and multiply that by New York to Boston.

The states upcoming replacement of the 120-year-old Walk Bridge, which carries trains over the Norwalk River, threatens to raze the IMAX Theater portion of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and impact more than a dozen other properties.

The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and National Trust for Historic Preservation have called upon the FRA to dump the new track alignments, or at least study them further.

While some would have a minimal adverse effect on historic resources, the portion of the project along the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island would be devastating to historic communities under the preferred alternative, wrote Elizabeth S. Meritt, deputy general counsel to the National Trust, in a March letter to the FRA.

We urge the Federal Railroad Administration to remove from its Tier 1 Record of Decision the portions of the project in Connecticut and Rhode Island that involve bypasses on new alignment and other draconian impacts on historic resources, Merritt wrote. Instead, the agency should conduct more detailed reviews to develop feasible and prudent alternatives that would avoid and minimize harm to these resources.

According to the CT Trust, no state along the entire Northeast Corridor is as significantly or extensively impacted by the NEC Future planning process as Connecticut.

The representative route of the Preferred Alternative identified in the Tier 1 F-EIS directly impacts numerous historic and environmentally sensitive communities, wrote CT Trust Executive Director Daniel Mackay and Director of Special Projects Gregory Stroud in a February letter to the FRA.

Concern in Greenwich

The Bush-Holley House in Cos Cob is but one of numerous historic properties in Greenwich, which could disappear if the FRA implements its preferred design alternative, according to Jo Conboy, Greenwich Preservation Trust chairwoman.

Our concern of the cultural impact to our community and Fairfield is the density of the plan and the impact to our historic cultural and environmental resources, Conboy said. We do recognize the importance of maintaining and modernizing the Northeast Corridor but at what cost? The trains will only save 30 to 45 minutes. Will this plan be outdated by the time it is built. We have to start thinking of new technology that will be more efficient that has no impact or very minimal impacts to our communities.

Conboy named the lower portion of the Greenwich Historic District, parts of Bruce and Cos Cob parks, and homes along Route 1 in historic Riverside and Old Greenwich as areas that would be impacted, based upon maps provided by the FRA. The maps, however, are not accurate and make it difficult to ascertain where the new rails would be placed, she added.

Why are we rushing to finalizing an unstudied project when it isn't among the initial decade-long list of projects included in the draft environmental impact statement? Conboy asked.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) Inox Group firms have entered into agreements to sell their operating wind farms to Leap Green Energy and its subsidiaries, on a slump sale basis, for an undisclosed amount.

"Inox Renewables (IRL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Gujarat Fluorochemicals and Inox Renewables(Jaisalmer) (IRJL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of IRL, both a part of Inox Group, entered into definitive agreements for sale of substantially all of their operating wind farms to Leap Green Energy (LGE) and its subsidiaries, on a slump sale basis, for an undisclosed price," a company statement said.

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According to statement, the transaction is subject to fulfillment of certain conditions precedent, and is expected to complete over the next few months.

IRL (with its arm IRJL) is one of the leading renewable energy companies in India and together they own operating wind farms in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, that have a total capacity of 260MW, it said.

"Inox Group decided to exit wind farming business and focus on its core businesses, including that of wind turbine manufacturing.

This transaction will decrease the leverage of GFL at a consolidated level, by reducing debt of around Rs 800 crores that was attributable to the wind farming business, and free up management time to focus on our core businesses," Deepak Asher, Director and Group Head (Corporate Finance) of the Inox Group of companies said in a statement.

"This acquisition will help increase Leap Greens operating capacity to 762 MW across 4 states, making it amongst the largest independent power producer (wind energy) companies in India. They further added that Leap Green is now gearing itself up to scale its total operating capacity to 2,000 MW (2GW) by 2019," LGE said in the statement.

Inox Group is a USD 3 billion diversified conglomerate. Its business includes industrial gases, chloromethanes, refrigerants, fluoropolymers, multiplexes, wind turbine manufacturing and cryogenic engineering.

Inox Renewables was incorporated in 2010 to hold Inox Groups wind farming business which was started within GFL in 2007.

LGE is an independent Power Producer dedicated to power production through renewable resources. Its promoters are from the PSG Family, a 100 year old reputed business house in India with various philanthropic and commercial interests. PTI KKS BAL

--- ENDS ---
Grand Island resident Stephanie Wedige, who is accused of negligent treatment of children in the Peace Lutheran Church parking lot in November, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to seven charges in Hall County District Court.

She is charged with four counts of committing child abuse negligently with no injury, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

She is also charged with two counts of committing child abuse negligently with injury, which is a Class 3A felony, and one count of first-offense willful reckless driving, which is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Law enforcement said that Wedige, 41, drove her vehicle in the church parking lot on Nov. 11, 2016, while allowing six minors to ride on the outside of the vehicle. When Wedige stopped, two young people fell off and hit their heads on the concrete, causing injury.

The children involved in the case are now 12 to 14 years old.

The incident took place during a middle school teen dance at Peace Lutheran Church.

The penalty for a Class 3A felony is up to three years in prison, a $10,000 fine and nine to 18 months post-release supervision. Those found guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor face up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

At the end of Wediges arraignment, District Judge Teresa Luther scheduled a pretrial conference for 9 a.m. March 20, with a trial part of the jury term that will begin at 9 a.m. April 3.

Wedige is represented by Robert Alexander. The prosecutor is Deputy Hall County Attorney Joe Dobesh.
AURORA  Three of four people involved in a search that caused Aurora schools to lock down on Feb. 17 appeared in Hamilton County Court on Tuesday morning.

Drake Ross, Jeremy Bromley and Muhamed Memic appeared with counsel on Tuesday.

Ross, 22, and Bromley, 26, both of Minnesota, were charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor: conspiracy to commit burglary, burglary, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and obstructing a peace officer. The first two charges are Class 2A felonies, and the third charge is a Class 4 felony.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the Aurora Police Department assisted the Nebraska State Patrol during a vehicle pursuit. Ross and Bromley took off on foot from their vehicle, and police continued to look for them. A homeowner reported that he saw the two men run out from inside his garage. The pair, according to the report, took alcohol from the homeowners garage.

Bromley was found first, but Ross reportedly continued to run away and tried to break into vehicles. He was found the next morning.

Memic, 20, and Emily A. Orellana, 18, also from Minnesota, were charged with being accessories to a felony, which is a Class 4 felony, in helping Ross and Bromley.

Orellana is set for a first appearance at 9 a.m. March 14 in Hamilton County Court.

Merics preliminary hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. April 4 in Hamilton County Court.

Both Bromleys and Ross bond was set at $50,000. Ross preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. March 14, and Bromleys preliminary hearing is set for 3 p.m. March 14 in Hamilton County Court.
Gov. Pete Ricketts is one of three state governors seeking President Trumps assistance in supporting the nations renewable fuel industry.

Ricketts, along with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, leaders of the Governors Biofeuls Coalition, sent a letter to Trump on Monday asking him to support several initiatives to expand the states biofuel production.

The governors wrote Trump that their states are home to over 200 bio refineries that are producing tens of thousands of jobs, sequestering tons of carbon, saving millions of barrels of foreign oil and making enormous financial contributions to our states and the nations economies.

We agree that one of the best ways to meet the nations energy needs is to expand renewable energy production and to continue to harvest its economic and environmental benefits.

The governors called on Trump to direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

n Remove barriers to the use of higher ethanol blends.

n Enforce the Renewable Fuel Standard as approved by Congress.

n Update biofuels life cycle carbon findings, which are a decade old and do not accurately reflect biofuels environmental benefits.

n Correct the motor vehicle emission models mistaken conclusions about ethanols contribution to air pollution.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer introduced legislation to expand the ethanol industry.

Smiths legislation would broaden fuel choices for retailers and consumers by expanding the existing waiver of EPA regulations related to the Reid vapor pressure of motor vehicle fuel, which E10 received in 1990, to include E15. By restricting retailers ability to market the fuel they feel is most competitive, these regulations are impeding the free market and limiting consumers options at the pump, Smith said.

Fischers bill would also extend the Reid vapor pressure waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent. Fischer said this would increase market access opportunities for higher blends of ethanol. It would allow retailers across the country to sell E15 and other higher-ethanol/gasoline fuel blends year round.

The bipartisan legislation we are introducing today would expand fuel options for consumers and remove regulatory burdens that limit the use of E15, Fischer said. It would also ensure a fair playing field for higher ethanol blends, expanding fuel choices and strengthening our energy diversity.

According to the Nebraska Energy Office, the states operating refineries are producing 2.1 billion gallons of ethanol, which is 14 percent of the nations capacity of 15.1 billion gallons. Iowa has the largest operating production at 3.9 billion gallons, which is 26 percent of the nations total.
A red flag warning will continue on Tuesday for Grand Island and much of south Central Nebraska and north central Kansas after conditions on Monday created what the National Weather Service in Hastings described as the most serious day for fire weather that weve seen since October 2012.

The conditions keep firefighters busy in the Grand Island area and around the state.

One fire broke out west of Grand Island area on Monday afternoon. Rural fire departments responded to a grass fire at Capital Avenue and Schauppsville Road at about 3 p.m. Various departments  including Grand Island Rural and those from Cairo, Alda and Wood River  responded.

Grand Island Rural Fire Department also responded to a call about 4:45 p.m. on Seedling Mile Road, where a controlled burn from Saturday rekindled.

The Doniphan Fire Department was also called out to a grass fire shortly before 5 p.m. near Highway 281. Some firefighters were positioned to prevent any possible threats to rural structures.

A red flag warning will remain in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday because high winds, warm temperatures and low relative humidity will create dangerous fire weather, according to the weather service.

Winds are predicted from the west at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts around 45 mph during the afternoon and early evening. The weather service predicts relative humidity to be only 10 percent in some locations on Tuesday.

Because of the conditions on Tuesday, any fires that occur will spread rapidly, be difficult to contain and will exhibit extreme fire behavior. The weather service advises using caution if engaging in activities that could start a fire.

On Monday, Grand Island was in both a red flag warning and high wind warning, along with much of south Central Nebraska and north central Kansas. Winds in some parts of Central Nebraska were close to 60 mph, and Grand Islands temperature climbed to the mid- to upper 70s.

In addition to Hall County, south Central Nebraska counties in the red flag warning area include Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Hamilton, Howard, Merrick, Valley, Greeley, Nance, Polk, York, Webster, Nuckolls, Thayer, Dawson, Gosper, Phelps, Kearney, Fillmore, Furnas, Harlan and Franklin counties.

Although the National Weather Service has issued another red flag warning for Tuesday, temperatures are expected to be a bit cooler, with a high of 56 degrees.

The longer range forecast for Grand Island continues to call for dry conditions until late Friday night and early Saturday morning. The forecast says there will be a chance of rain before 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 1 and 2 a.m., followed by a chance of snow after 2 a.m. The forecast says that the chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Grand Island is only a little behind normal precipitation through March 6, with a total of 1.32 inches for the year so far, compared to the average of 1.41 inches through that date.

Fred Hotz, life safety division chief for the Grand Island Fire Department, noted that the department does not do anything differently on a day when a red flag warning is issued.

He said the red flag warning is used mostly as a common-sense reminder for rural residents, who can obtain burn permits fairly easily, to not do any burning on a day when the danger of uncontrollable fires is so high. He noted that grass fires on prairie land can quickly spread when there are high winds like the ones predicted for Monday and Tuesday.

Hotz said that, while a red flag warning is a reminder not to start any outdoor fires that can get out of control, the weather conditions also mean that any minor sparks from a passing train or someone discarding a cigarette can be much more likely to start a fire.

The Grand Island Fire Department went ahead with its controlled burn training event for Sunday morning, along Highway 281, south of Highway 34, because the humidity level was much higher at that time, Hotz said. Firefighters did a few practice burns in interior rooms that were suitable for the training exercise.

He said firefighters then proceeded to burn down the entire house that morning, before winds became strong on Sunday afternoon.
After Iraqi forces recaptured parts of Mosul, they discovered a tunnel which served as a training camp for ISIS recruits. "Heaven is jihad in the path of God" and "By the will of God, we will conquer Rome," read murals painted on the wall of the tunnel. Discover what else was inside.

By India Today Web Desk: Before ISIS raided a tunnel, trains used to run through it to reach or go out of Mosul. But in 2014, the militant outfit took control of Iraq's second largest city and barricaded both the ends and ripped up the tracks to build an underground training camp.

Now since Iraqi PM Abadi announced the beginning of Battle for Mosul, a military operation to recapture the city from ISIS, the government forces has taken the main government building, the central bank branch and the museum under their control.

Photo: Reuters

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Members of the rapid response forces inspected the tunnel, which is about seven metres (yards) high by five metres (yards) wide, and around half a kilometre in length, and found out a series of obstacles. A member of the Rapid Response Division tried it out and said that "their training is similar to ours".

Photo: Reuters

The terrorist organisation used the camp to train their recruits but now the Iraqi forces have discovered it after regaining control of the hillside. It was the locals who tipped them off about the location of the camp and the insides reveal a lot about ISIS' determination. It is unclear how many recruits passed through the camp but slogans painted along the walls of the tunnel and booklets scattered around the floor depicted the group's uncompromising doctrine.

Photo: Reuters

"By the will of God, we will conquer Rome," read one mural painted on the wall of the tunnel against the background of a blood red sun. A leaflet titled "Types of Idolatry" was found along with packaging of the boots and balaclava headgear the recruits wore.

Photo: Reuters

According to the rapid response forces, physical drills complemented the group's ideological training, as reported by Reuters.

Several backpacks full of sand, which were worn by recruits to weigh them down as they went over the obstacles, to increase the difficulty was also found near the training camp.

Photo: Reuters

"We will prevail despite the global Crusader alliance" read another quote painted on the wall.

Lighting was installed in the tunnel, which was powered by a generator kept in the hillside. There was a medical clinic in a portacabin along with a a place to perform ablutions before prayer in a section labelled "mosque".

Photo: Reuters

"Heaven is jihad in the path of God", was written on one of the walls near an area designated for washing dishes.

Photo: Reuters

(With inputs from Reuters)

--- ENDS ---
Editors note: This is a letter Grand Island Mayor Jeremy Jensen sent to Bobbi Hergrenreter, real estate specialist for the USPS about the proposed move of Grand Islands main post office.

Please use this letter as formal notification that the administration of the City of Grand Island, NE does not support the proposed move of the post office from the existing downtown location to your distribution center on Old Potash Hwy.

Furthermore, I was incredibly disappointed that you didnt listen to the concerns of our citizens at the public meeting that you requested, but rather made an announcement and exited the venue without regard to our residents feedback. In paragraph four of the letter you sent to me it states in part: At the public meeting, the Postal Service will identify the need, outline the proposal to meet the need for relocation, invite questions, Our citizens that attended did not feel like there was any effort to have a meaningful discussion and ask questions, whether it was going to be entered into the formal record or not.

The current post office location serves as an important component of our downtown business district, and more importantly, is accessible to many pedestrians who rely on the ability to walk to the post office from their homes. By relocating to Old Potash Highway, this would no longer be the case for so many people that rely on the ability to safely walk or ride a bicycle to conduct their business.

In addition, the most dangerous and congested intersection of our community is located at Old Potash Highway, and U.S. Highway 281; an intersection that would be passed through for nearly all patrons at your new location who live east of U. S. Highway 281. This corridor is not safe for pedestrians, does not provide adequate sidewalks or crosswalks, and would further congest an already poorly designed area. This area also is set to undergo a resurfacing project that will take up to two years to complete. Keep in mind, this is not a re-design; it is simply a project that is led by the State of Nebraska - Department of Roads that will elongate several turning lanes and resurface the roadway. So not only do we have issues today, when you compound it with construction delays and detours the issues become even more magnified.

The feeling within our community is that this is all governmental theatre, that the decision to move has already been made, and your processes and communication to our community are simple satisfying legal requirements  I hope I am wrong. As I put this letter together, I have yet to have visited with one citizen of Grand Island that is in favor of your proposed move. While I dont dispute there may be a few that do in fact support a potential move, the overwhelming majority of folks do not. Im very hopeful that being a good community partner at the local level is important to the USPS, and these concerns will adequately be considered.

Respectfully,

Jeremy L. Jensen

Mayor  City of Grand Island, NE
Was there a murder 100 years ago at Yardley's Continental Tavern?

Frank Lyons began excavating the basement of the Continental Tavern in Yardley. He found a gun, bloody corset and part of a woman's purse.
Jennifer Winget thinks celebrating womanhood should not be restricted to one day. Picture courtesy: Instagram/jenniferwinget1

By Indo-Asian News Service: Actress Jennifer Winget wonders why there should be just one day to celebrate the spirit of womanhood.

There are reports that Jennifer's character in Sony TV's Beyhadh will soon have a make-over. She met BBLUNT founder and creative director Adhuna Bhabani to talk about it.

"Why should celebrating, acknowledging, appreciating and loving women be restricted to one day? It's great to see so many women grab the world by its lapel, push their limits and shine through it all," Jennifer said in a statement.

Jeniifer Winget with Adhuna Bhabani at BBLUNT.

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She added, "Strong women, I am blessed to know so many of them; Adhuna is a great example -- they are constantly building all of us and contribute so much to our success. They've not only made their mark professionally but are exemplary role models beyond it."

Bhabani supported her views, and said, "I am a firm believer that everyday should be about equality, for male and females alike."

--- ENDS ---
State law enforcement officials announced charges Friday against three area residents for Medicaid fraud.

Marcus Brumfield, 24, Amanda Jett, 37, and Deedra Brown, 44, have been charged in Madison County Circuit Court with vendor fraud and theft. Their cases are pending.

According to the charges, the three conspired to bill the state of Illinois for more than $151,000 in personal assistance services that were not provided.

The scheme allegedly took place between November, 2010, and January, 2016, according to information provided by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Illinois State Police.

Brumfield and Jett were personal assistants for a Medicaid recipient whose name has not been released. Brown had been authorized to act as the recipients power of attorney. In that role, she approved time sheets for the recipients personal assistants, according to a news release.

Brumfield is Browns son. He and Jett are alleged to have submitted fraudulent time sheets to the Illinois Department of Human Resources Division of Rehabilitation Services for personal assistant services they claimed to have provided while the recipient was staying at a nursing home.

According to the news release, Brown allegedly approved the time sheets despite the fact that the recipient was moved into a nursing home in November of 2010.

The three are alleged to have stolen $151,350 in state funds, according to the release.

Personal assistants provide essential services for some of Illinois most vulnerable residents at taxpayer expense, Madigan said in the news release. The defendants abused this critical program and need to be held accountable.

The state polices Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case and referred it to Madigans office for prosecution.

When people commit Medicaid fraud, they are not only stealing from the government, they are also stealing from those in need of legitimate health care services, ISP Director Leo Schmitz said in the news release. The Illinois State Police will continue to aggressively investigate claims of Medicaid fraud. We will also continue to work with Attorney General Madigans office to ensure those who commit Medicaid fraud are brought to justice.

Chris Haddad Scanlon and Steve Swofford, both assistant Attorney Generals in Madigans Medicaid Fraud Bureau, are handling the case.
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Linkedin Hasjim Djalal (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) leaders summit serves as a reminder that there are a lot of factors that could impact and upset the peace, stability and development taking place in the Indian Ocean region, which could require collaborative capacitybuilding to prevent or resolve.

All Indian Ocean nations are members of the United Nations, and therefore they should abide by the UN Charter in managing their relationships with each other.

They are also signatories to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its implementing agreements, either for seabed mining (1994) or migratory fish stock (1995). They should follow the provisions of the agreements while building cooperative relations among themselves, including how to maximize resources and activities of the International Sea Bed Authority (ISBA) in the Indian Ocean.

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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono has promised to improve the organization of the gubernatorial election ahead of the runoff and to demolish hate banners.

Sumarsono conveyed those plans as he greeted administration staff on Monday morning on his first day at City Hall since temporarily taking the reins from Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.

I think [hate banners] should not happen. I call on every Muslim to restore the function of mosques, said Sumarsono, who is also the Home Ministrys director in charge of regional autonomy.

Banners seeking to exploit religious or racial sentiment against Ahok, who is a Christian of Chinese ethnicity and currently running for a new term in office, are still found at a number of mosques across the city.

The banners are emblazoned with messages calling on all Muslims to not perform funeral prayers for deceased Muslims found to have supported Ahok. A funeral prayer is a collective obligation for Muslims.

Forced to take leave ahead of the election runoff next month, Ahok has temporarily handed over the governorship to Sumarsono.
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Muslim group Syarikat Islam has suggested it will throw support behind Anies Baswedan and running mate Sandiaga Uno in the second round of the Jakarta gubernatorial election as the groups head considers Anies the right candidate to lead the city.

During a meeting with Anies on Tuesday, Syarikat Islam leader Hamdan Zoelva said he was a close friend of Anies and familiar with the latters capability.

Anies and Sandiaga are my close friends. I told Anies that I hoped they could use the election to unite Jakarta residents, Hamdan, also a former Constitutional Court chief, said after the meeting at Syarikat Islam headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

He added that he hoped Anies could prevent disunity in the city.

Anies said support from the group would help boost his campaign teams morale ahead of the runoff, saying that he was ready bring better leadership to the city.

The most important is not to change the governor, but to change policy. If I win the election, I will fight for marginalized residents, he continued.

Two gubernatorial candidates are facing off in the second round of the election. Anies and incumbent Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who stood trial over blasphemy allegations on Tuesday, have entered the second campaign period.
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama was unable to campaign on the first day of campaigning for the second round of gubernatorial election on Tuesday as he had to attend his blasphemy trial.

Speaking to journalists after the hearing finished at 2:30 p.m., Ahok said he would not hold any campaign activities that day.

We didnt schedule campaign activities for today because we couldnt predict when the hearing would finish, Ahok said before he left the Agriculture Ministry in Ragunan, South Jakarta, where his 13th hearing took place.

(Read also: Judges refuse to hear testimony of Ahok's Muslim godbrother)

To make up for the lack of campaign activities, Ahok uploaded a video to his official Instagram account to thank and encourage his volunteers and supporters.

Our fight is not yet over, we want to keep on fighting so that we can win the runoff. Once again, thank you, our fight is not over, Ahok said.

During his campaign leave period, Ahok's position at City Hall will again be taken over by the Home Ministrys director general of regional autonomy, Sumarsono. (ebf)
By India Today Web Desk: Even before making her Bollywood debut, Sridevi's elder daughter Jhanvi Kapoor is the media's favourite. As Jhanvi turned 20 yesterday, she celebrated her big day with her mother and sister, Khushi. The trio looked stylish as ever as they headed to a popular eatery in Mumbai.

While the Kapoor sisters chose monochrome for the evening, Sridevi looked gorgeous in a lavender and grey saree. Her saree made heads turn earlier in the day at the Mijwan fashion show.

Photo: Instagram

Photo: Instagram

Photo: Instagram

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On the work front, Sridevi will be seen in Mom, while Jhanvi will make her debut with a Dharma Productions film.

ALSO SEE: These photos of Sridevi's daughters Jhanvi-Khushi in a desi avatar will wipe off your Monday blues

ALSO WATCH: An affair to remember with Sridevi

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

The antidrug agency has seized 48.16 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from China that was allegedly smuggled through Penang, Malaysia, to Aceh and then to Medan, North Sumatra.

Besides crystal meth, the agencys personnel also seized 3,702 ecstasy pills and 454 Happy Five pills, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) head Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The crackdown started when BNN investigators on March 1 arrested suspects identified as MUL, 33, and RIZ, who allegedly worked as drug couriers in Medan. Suspect RZ died after officers shot him when he reportedly resisted arrest.

Officers seized 39.22 kg of meth from the two suspects. The investigators then searched for other suspects including SY, 45, who allegedly acted as a courier coordinator, and AM, 32, the suspected drug receiver, Budi added.

BNN personnel arrested the two suspects at a house in Medan Sunggal belonging to HAB and his brother ZAK, both members of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

(Read also: Indonesian police say drug dealing increasing on Malaysian border)

Inside the house, officers found 12.72 kg of meth along with ecstasy and Happy Five pills.

"We do not yet know the whereabouts of the TNI members. But we have informed the military command and the Army about this," Budi added.

BNN also arrested another suspect identified as HER at his house in Medan Johor, where officers confiscated 8.92 kg of meth. (rdi/rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Red birds-eye chili prices reached Rp 200,000 (US$15) per kilogram in Cianjur, West Java, on Tuesday as the government speculates cartel-like practices in the distribution of the commodity.

The traders said they did not know why chili prices had skyrocketed.

We do not know why chilies are so expensive. I heard the price from farmers is below Rp 50, 000, said Hendi, a chili trader at the Cianjur wholesale market on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co.

(Read also: Chili price reaches Rp 140,000 per kg in Jakarta)

Residents were equally surprised about the jump in chili prices. Gina, a local, said some of her neighbors were opting to use instant ingredients that were cheaper than chilies.

Hendi said the price of bird-eye chilies ranged between Rp 140,000 to Rp 180,000 in the last few days because of the limited supply, while the price of green bird's-eye chilies was only at about Rp 50,000.

Meanwhile, head of the Cianjur Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, Hilman Haris, blamed wholesalers for the chili-price hikes. The prices are different in different markets. We will punish the wholesalers who have played with the prices, he added.

The Agriculture Ministrys horticulture director general, Spudnik Sujono, said previously that the price increase was caused by cartel-like practices in chili distribution. He said only nine wholesalers controlled the commodity in three provinces in Java.

His statement was based on the results of a joint investigation by the National Polices criminal investigation department, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) and the ministry. (bbn)
Anti-tobacco activists have accused three private broadcasters of airing cigarette ads during family viewing hours in another example of just how aggressive tobacco companies can be in advertizing their products.

The Lentera Anak Foundation and the Pembaharu Muda Community filed a report alleging cigarette ad violations to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) on Monday.

They reported 22 violations in which cigarette ads were allegedly aired outside the mandated time window of 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. as stipulated in the broadcasting program standards (SPS).

The report was based on a survey conducted from March 1 to March 3. Many of the ads were packaged in film and music festival promotions, the activists said.

Three TV stations were mentioned in the report: NetTV, TRANSTV and SCTV.

Most of the alleged violations were committed by NetTV, with 18 violations during the three-day study. TRANSTV and SCTV both committed two violations during the same period.

Net Mediatama Televisi (Net TV) spokesman Aditya Wardani was not available for comment on Monday.

A representative of Pembaharu Muda, Citra Demi, said the ads did not warn viewers of the dangers of smoking.

Based on Government Regulation No. 109/2012, cigarette ads have to put warnings into every ad broadcast on television.

KPI commissioner Dewi Setyorini said her team had collected data on the ads reported and would investigate whether there were any violations.

The cigarette elements in the ads are shrouded in promotions. We have handled similar cases in which cigarette ads are hidden inside promotions for cultural programs. We will first investigate before deciding our next move, Dewi said.

Data from the AdsTensity research center shows that cigarette companies spent Rp 6.3 trillion (US$ 470.8 million) on ads in 2016, an increase of 45 percent from the previous year.

Companies now spend more on television ads because the government has banned cigarette ads on billboards in Jakarta and at sporting events across Indonesia.

Currently, House of Representatives Commission I plans to ban all cigarette ads on television in an ongoing revision to the Broadcasting Law.

The report on cigarette ad violations comes as the government mulls whether or not it will continue discussions on the controversial tobacco bill. The government is expected to announce its decision next week.

During a separate discussion regarding the governments decision on the tobacco bill, Hasbullah Thabrany, professor of public health at the University of Indonesia, said health problems caused by smoking would inflict economic losses.

The Health Ministry has calculated that, over the past 10 years, the losses inflicted by tobacco and cigarette production have exceeded the state income from cigarette taxes, Hasbullah said.

Economist Faisal Basri added that the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS) had experienced deficits of 30 percent and these were largely generated by treatments for diseases caused by smoking.

The cigarette industry has been categorized as a sunset industry in which its production keeps decreasing. What the government should do now is prepare workers in the cigarette industry and tobacco farmers for work in other sectors, Faisal said.

Experts generally agree that the tobacco bill only benefits the tobacco industry and is not going to improve welfare of the tobacco farmers because 60 percent of the tobacco used in the Indonesian cigarette industry is imported. (rdi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Depok, West Java  Tue, March 7, 2017

Depok Mayor Idris Abdul Shomad has urged the central government to carry out the revitalization process on some lakes in Depok, a satellite city of Jakarta, in a bid to tackle the issue of flooding in the capital.

"There are 26 lakes in Depok, which are registered at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry. If half of them are revitalized, I am sure we would be able to tackle the flood problem in Jakarta," he said.

Idris said the plan had been proposed during the administration of then Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo. However, its progress was stagnant and could not be realized until today due to unclear regulations at the ministry, tempo.co reported.

"The ministry should have issued a regulation on the management of lakes, because it is no longer the authority of the city administration," the mayor said on Monday.

Depok Development Planning Board head Hardiono said his agency had made several attempts to solve the issue of flooding in Depok and Jakarta, including prohibiting people to construct buildings along the banks of lakes.

"Developing buildings on the lakes' border areas is strictly forbidden," he said. (fac)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

The West Jakarta Police will summon for a second time executives of a company that installed billboards that collapsed after they skipped questioning without explanation.

We will summon them again soon, West Jakarta Police criminal investigation head Sr.Comr. Andi Adnan said on Tuesday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

Two weeks ago, two billboards on Jl. S. Parman in Slipi collapsed during heavy rain and strong wind, injuring five people. No fatalities were reported.

The police have questioned several witnesses to find out whether the incident was caused by negligence.

Separately, West Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) head Tamo Sijabat said there were 32 billboards on three main streets of the municipality: Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Jl. Gajah Mada.

The agency is currently coordinating with the tax office to find out whether the billboards are legal and the owners have paid tax on them. The agency has said it would take two weeks to verify the matter, Tamo added. (wnd)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, March 7, 2017

All people must be free from violence because any violence, including gender-based violence, can weaken security, undermine dignity, slow down economic development and hamper peoples participation in societal life, an envoy has said.

To achieve their full potential, all people must be free from violence. Thats why through the USAID Bersama program, we partner with the Indonesian government and local NGOs to support strategies developed to reduce gender-based violence, said US Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R Donovan during the celebration of the International Womens Day in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday.

The US envoy said gender-based violence was a serious problem in Papua and West Papua, in which its incident rate in both areas was far higher than the global average, reaching 33 percent.

Almost 90 percent of female respondents from Papua and West Papua in the 2016 UNDP Gender Based Violence survey said they suffered physical violence by non-partners. When male respondents in the same survey were asked on their motives to commit violence, 70 percent of them said sexual rights was the main factor, said Donovan.

He further said the survey also revealed 52 percent of female teenagers had suffered at least one form of physical or sexual violence before their 20th birthday. One-third of women and girls with injuries did not get the medical treatment they needed, it further said.

Donovan said the US had allocated US$7.3 million through the USAID Bersama program to prevent and tackle gender-based violence.

LBH APIK Papua director Nur Aida Duwila said the womens rights advocacy group had built justice rapporteur schools in Papua to increase awareness to eliminate gender-based violence. (ebf)
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Linkedin Lorne Cook (Associated Press) Brussels  Tue, March 7, 2017

Europe's top court has ruled that European Union member states aren't obliged to grant humanitarian visas to people who want to enter their territory to apply for asylum.

The decision announced Tuesday came after a Belgian court in October ordered the government to give humanitarian visas to a family in war-torn Syria.

The European Court of Justice ruled that allowing people to choose where to get international protection would undermine the EU system establishing which country should handle asylum applications.

It said that EU law only lays out the procedures and conditions for issuing visas to transit through or stay on the territory of a member state for up to 90 days.

But the Luxembourg-based court said member state courts remain free to rule on visas under national law.

Friends in Belgium had offered to lodge and feed the family, who lived in the besieged city of Aleppo and believed still to be in Syria.

The government fears that granting visas would open the floodgates to more applications and believes that it should be responsible for such decisions and not the courts.

Belgium's immigration minister, Theo Francken, has refused to pay a fine of 4,000 euros (US$4,438) per day for defying an appeal tribunal.

Francken welcomed Tuesday's ruling, even though it changes nothing in Belgium.

"They wanted to open Europe's migratory door, for asylum, via the consulates and embassies of the member states of the European Union throughout the world," he said. "There is the possibility to request a humanitarian visa but it's the government that can decide to give it or not give it. We cannot be obliged to give one."

A lawyer representing the Syrian family, Tristan Wibault, said the ruling was not helpful as it only says that European law does not apply.

"It's very disappointing. The court chose a formalistic argument to avoid the issues in reality. The deeper questions are not analyzed," he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Only 34 out of a total 3,256 people who applied for the Corruption Eradication Commissions (KPK) currently vacant adviser position have passed the administrative selection phase.

The selected applicants have various educational backgrounds, the selection committee said. Of the total, 11 applicants have a law degree and 11 others have a degree in organizational management. Meanwhile, eight applicants have a background in finance and four others have an IT degree.

Selection committee member Rhenald Kasali said the 34 selected applicants would be required to take psychological and health tests on March 11-12.

Because health checkups have been arranged, we ask all applicants, especially those who come from outside Jakarta, to make sure they are ready on the days scheduled, he said as quoted by tribunnews.com at the antigraft bodys headquarters on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, on Monday.

Rhenald said all 34 applicants should get prepared for the tests. He also hopes that all members of society will play an active role by giving their opinion and any information about the applicants during the selection process. We hope they give input and opinion about the selected applicants, he said.

Imam Prasodjo, who heads the selection committee for the KPK adviser position, said there were various reasons thousands of applicants had failed to pass the selection process. Many of them did not fulfil the requirements concerning age, experience and expertise, he added.

Although many applicants failed to pass the administrative selection process, Imam said he appreciated the fact that many people were enthusiastic about joining the antigraft body.

Registration for the position opened on Feb. 11 and closed on Feb. 26. (dis/ebf)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

Public and private sectors from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) member countries were urged on Monday to develop programs to provide women access to banking and finance in support of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

In highlighting IORAs gender empowerment focus, one of the IORA Business Summits discussions was themed, Empowering Women in Business through Innovation, Digital Connectivity and Access to Finance.

The main issues for women are market access, financial access and capacity building for skills development, the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairman for international relations, Shinta W. Kamdani, told The Jakarta Post at the business summit.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

The East Jakarta District Court has declared three leaders of the Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) guilty of blasphemy and sentenced them to years behind bars.

The three judges on the panel, meanwhile, rejected prosecutors charges of treason as they delivered the courts verdict on Tuesday.

Former Gafatar chief Mahful Muis Tumanurung and spiritual leader Ahmad Musadeq a.k.a. Abdussalam were sentenced 5 years in prison, while spokesperson Andry Cahya was sentenced to 3 years in prison under the controversial blasphemy law.

The court found only Islamic values insulted by the movement.

The movement contradicted and offended Islamic values held by most Indonesian citizens, said presiding judge Muhammad Sirad while reading out the verdict.

(Read also: Gafatar is heretical, says MUI)

Among other considerations, the court noted that prayers were not obligatory in the belief of the Gafatar movement, while the religion's holy book said prayers were obligatory.

The judges also pointed to local rejection of the Gafatar movements activities in a settlement they had established in Mempawah, Central Kalimantan, as evidence that their belief was disturbing to other people. (hol/wit)
By Press Trust of India: "History has taught us that battles may be won militarily

"History has taught us that battles may be won militarily but the war cannot be won without securing the ideological front," Tarawneh said.

He said that his country has been supporting the efforts for an Iraqi reconciliation and seeks to prioritise it as a key agenda in the Arab Summit in Amman, scheduled to be held by the end of this month.

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Issues like extremism cannot be countered without having an inclusive political system, he said, adding that groups like ISIS breed on continued incitement and the feeling of injustice among people.

Noting that Jordan shoulders the responsibility of refugees from neighbouring war-torn Arab countries, Tarawneh said at least one in five in Jordan is a Syrian.

"But this should not be taken for granted. Jordan has continued to do whatever it can to stabilise the region and fulfil its responsibilities as a key player. But this is not something that should be taken for granted by the international community," he said.

Referring the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Jordanian official said that the "biggest mistake" was invasion of these two countries.

The official said Iraq was attacked under the pretext that the Saddam Hussein regime had weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

"However, there were no (weapons of) mass destruction (in Iraq). Invasion of Afghanistan created ISIS and it was exported out to the whole world, especially to the Middle East and North Africa," the official added.

The official said that there is no common understanding between the big powers on the definition of terrorism.

Speaking on the Syrian crisis, the official said there was a need for better communication between the US and Russia to resolve it.

Jordan will work toward creating a common minimum ground to deal with the Syrain crisis. PTI PR SMN

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Indonesia has offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to invest in three more oil refineries  in Dumai, Riau; Balongan, West Java; and Bontang, East Kalimantan.

Previously, state-owned energy company Pertamina and Saudi Aramco signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to develop an oil refinery in Cilacap, Central Java.

From the agreement, we will see investment worth US$6 billion [Rp 80.2 trillion], Achmad Sigit Dwiwahjono, the Industry Ministrys chemical industry and textiles director general, said in Jakarta as reported by tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

(Read also: Indonesia plans to export diesel fuel, avtur)

For the chemical industry sector, Indonesia hopes Saudi Arabia will invest between $3 billion and $4 billion, Achmad said.

He said if the offer to invest in three oil refineries was accepted by Saudi Arabia, Indonesia would be able to significantly increase oil production and create up to 10,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the ministrys oil and gas director general I Gusti Nyoman Wiradmadja Puja said the commitment to develop the oil refineries should be followed up regardless of whether there would be investors, as the country needed to increase oil production.

For the investment of Saudi Aramco in the Cilacap refinery, it has been clear and it [has been discussed] for a long time, said the official, adding that a decision was needed on whether the government would invite investors or handle the project itself.

Wiradmaja said the development of refineries was needed to reduce oil imports. He explained that domestic demand for oil reached 1.6 million barrels per day, while the capacity of Indonesian refineries was only 800,000 barrels per day. (bbn)
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Linkedin Hasjim Djalal (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) leaders summit serves as a reminder that there are a lot of factors that could impact and upset the peace, stability and development taking place in the Indian Ocean region, which could require collaborative capacity-building to prevent or resolve.

All Indian Ocean nations are members of the United Nations, and therefore they should abide by the UN Charter in managing their relationships with each other.

They are also signatories to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its implementing agreements, either for seabed mining (1994) or migratory fish stock (1995). They should follow the provisions of the agreements while building cooperative relations among themselves, including how to maximize resources and activities of the International Sea Bed Authority (ISBA) in the Indian Ocean.

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Linkedin Veeramalla Anjaiah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is a man of action. His vision on turning Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelagic state, into a global maritime fulcrum is a bold initiative. He recognized the huge potential of the Indian Ocean, the ocean of the future, long before becoming president. He wanted to make the Indian Ocean a platform for greater regional cooperation.

The chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) came at the right time in 2015 and was in line with Jokowis signature maritime doctrine of global maritime fulcrum.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) visited on Monday the office of the Finance Ministrys Directorate General of Customs and Excise in relation to an investigation into a bribery case implicating former Constitutional Court justice Patrialis Akbar.

A former law minister, Patrialis has been accused of accepting US$20,000 and S$200,000 from beef importer Basuki Hariman in relation to a judicial review on the Husbandry Law he presided over.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Judges presiding over the blasphemy trial of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama refused to hear testimony on Tuesday from his Muslim godbrother, Analta Amir, as the latter had attended a previous hearing.

Presiding judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto made the decision after complaints from prosecutors, who said Analta had attended one of Ahoks previous hearings though it was prohibited for a witness to do so.

Analta admitted that he had once attended an earlier hearing, during which the court heard testimony from witnesses presented by prosecutors.

As the witness has heard testimonies of other witnesses, the judges believe this witness cannot be questioned, Dwiarso said during a hearing held by the North Jakarta District Court at the Agriculture Ministry in Ragunan, South Jakarta.

(Read also: Ex-running mate defends Ahok in hearing)

He added that the courts judges had reminded anyone expected to be presented as a witness in the trial to leave the courtroom before each hearing started.

Dwiarso said Ahoks lawyers should have reminded Analta to leave the courtroom.

He said witnesses could attend some court hearings but not those that featured witness testimony. He added that Ahoks lawyers were allowed to present another witness to replace Analta.

While accepting the judges decision, Ahoks legal team said the court should have heard Analtas testimony. One member of the team said prevailing rules only prohibited witnesses from talking to other witnesses, not their presence at hearings. Analta never communicated with other witnesses, the lawyer said. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bali  Tue, March 7, 2017

The beauty of Indonesia's most popular tourist destination, Bali, has captivated Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the monarch has decided to extend his stay for a few days.

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia said in a notification letter to the Foreign Ministry that King Salman wanted to extend his vacation in Bali until March 12.

King Salman has been in Indonesia since March 1, when he began a three-day state visit in Jakarta. The initial Bali vacation plan was from March 4 to 9. The king and his entourage of 1,500 people booked out the upscale St. Regis Resort Bali and several other upscale hotels in Nusa Dua.

Bali Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengki Widjaja also confirmed the extension, saying that the police had received the information on Monday.

"Yes, it has been confirmed that he will extend his holiday. He loves it here," he said as reported by kompas.com on Tuesday.

(Read also: King Salman, tourists all enjoy Bali beach)

Since his arrival in Bali on Saturday, King Salman had been reportedly enjoying Geger Beach in the beachfront St. Regis hotel. The hotel has erected a bamboo fence at the beach to ensure privacy for the king. The beach remains open to the public.

There have been no reports of the king visiting tourist attractions. Police and military personnel and pecalang (traditional Balinese guards) have been deployed to protect the king and his entourage during their stay. (rdi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Despite tight security and special fencing erected to give privacy to Saudi Arabia's King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud at Geger Beach in Balis Nusa Dua area, other tourists can still enjoy panoramic views of the famous beach.

Several security personnel were seen guarding the beachfront area at St. Regis Resort Bali where the King and his entourage are staying on Tuesday. However, other tourists, both local and foreign, were also seen strolling along the beach and swimming.

From the morning, many tourists have come to the beach and passed by the private area for a swim, snorkel and surf at the beach, Kompas.com reported.

"In the morning tourists can pass by here, but there are usually restrictions in the afternoon. The security is very tight," said Nyoman Nusa, a local tour guide.

An American tourist named Jose told kompas.com that he had visited Geger Beach to surf in the past two days with his friends. He had also heard about King Salman's stay at the lavish resort and said that during the last two days he had not been hindered by any restrictions.

Besides erecting bamboo fencing covered in white fabric, the management of St. Regis have also built special 20-meter-long walkways that go directly to the beach for King Salman.

King Salman has extended his stay in Bali to March 12 from his planned departure date of March 9. The Saudi Arabian Embassy has delivered an official letter to the Foreign Ministry, notifying it of the holiday extension. (rdi/rin)

(Read also: King Salman extends holiday in Bali)
Because it is all about the worlds largest gold mine sitting on their land for 44 years, Papuans refuse to be left out from the ongoing saga involving the government and United States-based mining company Freeport McMoRan.

A group of Papuan tribesmen has travelled all the way to Jakarta, shuttling from one organization to another to convey the grievances of Papuan people in connection with the prolonged contract dispute.

They want to be involved in the negotiations because the future of thousands of Papuans is also at stake.

We are not seeking shares [in the company]. We simply want the government and Freeport to think about the fate of Papuans, whose land has been damaged [by the mining operation], Odizeus Beanal, the director of Amungme tribal council LEMASA, said on Sunday.

The tribal leaders went to the offices of human rights group Imparsial to promote their cause. Previously, they had visited the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

John Gobai, chairman of the Meegabo Traditional Papua Council, echoed the same concerns, saying that if the company ceased operations, it would have a great impact on locals, who had become dependent on the companys operations.

Please let Freeport operate while the government, Freeport and the Papuan customary councils meet to negotiate the companys contract. We do not care who will own the companys shares later, John said.

He added that allowing Freeport to operate would also assure the restoration of areas damaged by mining activities in the countrys easternmost province. Is the government ready to restore this environmental damage? John questioned while showing pictures allegedly depicting environmental damage at the Grasberg gold mine.

The company has reportedly slashed production and temporarily suspended 1,087 of the more than 32,000 workers it has as of Feb. 22, according to the Mimika Manpower, Transmigration and Public Housing Agency, following the row with the government.

According to data from PT Freeport Indonesia, 12,085 of the total workforce are permanent employees, comprising 4,321 Papuans, 7,612 other Indonesians and 152 foreigners.

The local subsidiary of the gold and copper miner has been in a deadlock over its operations as the government demands a conversion of its Contract of Work (CoW) agreement signed in 1991 into a so-called special mining license (IUPK) before extending its export permit.

John is also worried that the thousands of Papuans studying in many regions of the country on Freeport scholarships would be affected by the dispute.

Bisman Bakhtiar, executive director of the Center of Energy and Mining Law, said the government should not belittle the cause of the Papuans.

The 2009 law on mineral and coal mining requires that Freeport build a smelter to get permission to export concentrate again, but President [Joko Jokowi Widodo] could issue a regulation in lieu of law [Perpu] as a solution, he said.

The Perpu should provide a legal basis to allow Freeport to resume operations during the negotiations, while forcing the firm to build a smelter.

Komnas HAM commissioner Natalius Pigai said the commission had received reports on the issue from Papuans, including local leaders.

It is not fair to just think about nationalism while letting many people suffer, Natalius told The Jakarta Post on Monday. The government should protect the rights of Papuans, including their job rights.

Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama could not be reached for comment on Monday.
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Malaysia has called on North Korea to release all Malaysians currently prohibited from leaving the East Asian country amid escalating tension over the murder of the North Korean leaders half-brother.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has condemned Pyongyangs decision to prevent Malaysian citizens from leaving the country in the strongest possible terms. He regarded North Koreas action as holding the citizens hostage and as disregarding international law.

According to the North Korean foreign affairs ministry, Malaysian diplomats and other citizens were prohibited from leaving the country after the murder case was solved but were still allowed to carry out normal activities.

Our hope is for a swift resolution. I call upon the North Korean leadership to immediately allow our citizens to leave to avoid any further escalation, Najib said in a statement on Tuesday.

Najib was quick to respond by summoning an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, during which he issued an instruction to ban North Korean embassy staff members from leaving Malaysia.

I instructed the inspector general of police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea, he said.

Kuala Lumpur recently expelled its North Korean ambassador. (ipa)
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Linkedin Matthew Pennington (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, March 7, 2017

North Korea's latest volley of missile tests put new pressure on a preoccupied Trump administration Monday to identify how it will counter leader Kim Jong Un's weapons development.

North Korea's march toward having a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the US mainland is among the pressing national security priorities President Donald Trump faces. He has vowed it "won't happen" but has yet to articulate a strategy to stop it.

A wide array of options are on the table, but aggressive behavior by Pyongyang in response to US-South Korean military drills that began last week could further shrink chances for diplomatic engagement.

Upheaval in the administration has added to uncertainty in foreign capitals about how Trump's "America First" mantra will translate into foreign policy, and how a new president with no prior experience in government might handle a security crisis.

An administration official told The Associated Press Monday that tougher sanctions, military action and resumption of long-stalled negotiations with North Korea are all under consideration as part of a policy review to provide options for the president within weeks.

The official, who demanded anonymity to discuss the private deliberations, did not anticipate an immediate US response to the North's test-firing of four banned ballistic missiles Monday that South Korean and Japanese officials said flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Three of the missiles landed in waters that Japan, a close US ally, claims as its exclusive economic zone.

North Korea typically reacts during the annual military drills that it considers an invasion rehearsal, although Washington and Seoul say they are routine.

This year's response could be more heated than usual. Victor Cha, a former White House adviser on Asia, said North Korea tends to up the tempo of missile tests during the drills when relations with the US are bad. And next week, the drills shift from table-top exercises to military maneuvers.

"I think there are more tests coming," Cha said.

The US and Japan have requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the latest missile launches. The meeting is likely to take place Wednesday, a UN diplomat said, demanding anonymity to speak before the official announcement.

North Korea, meanwhile, urged the council to discuss the US-South Korea exercises, asserting the drills are driving the region toward "nuclear disaster."

Ri Song Chol, counsellor at North Korea's UN mission, told AP that supreme leader Kim Jong Un has said as long as there are "military exercises in front of the gate of my country," the North will continue to strengthen its military forces and "pre-emptive attack capabilities."

Over the seven weeks of last year's exercises, North Korea conducted nine missile tests, including of submarine-based and intermediate range missiles, but never more than two missiles at once. Five of the tests failed.

Cha said that Trump's hand could be forced by North Korea's provocative actions. The Obama administration relied heavily on sanctions, but the moves failed to stop Pyongyang.

"Right now they don't have any choice. I mean they've already had two sets of missile tests and then the use of a chemical weapon in an airport," Cha said.

North Korea is the prime suspect in the assassination last month of Kim Jong Un's estranged half brother in Malaysia, using what authorities say was VX nerve agent.

David Wright at the Union of Concern Scientists said the missiles launched Monday were likely either extended-range Scuds or medium-range Nodong ballistic missiles that have been tested numerous times before  not an intercontinental missile that threatens America.

"But the tests naturally will increase political pressure on Trump to take a tough stand," said Mark Fitzpatrick at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. "He has a political imperative to show attention to the North Korean security threat, so as to counter the impression of a White House in disarray."

Trump's new national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, spoke by phone Monday with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, and they agreed to boost cooperation to get the North to face more effective sanctions and pressure, according to South Korea's presidential office.

"The United States stands with our allies in the face of this very serious threat," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in Washington.

He said the Trump administration is taking steps to enhance its ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as through the deployment of a missile defense system. Seoul agreed with the Obama administration to place that system on its soil against the objections of China, which is concerned the system's radar will range inside its territory.

The New York Times reported over the weekend that the Obama administration also tried to conduct cyber and electronic strikes against North Korea's missile program.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, who chairs a Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia, told AP he has called for the administration to provide a closed briefing to senators. He said he wants clarity on what has been done and under what authorities, and what the U.S. posture toward North Korea will be in the months ahead.

He also stressed a need to clamp down on Kim's sources of foreign revenue and for China to follow through on its promise to suspend imports of North Korean coal.

___

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Washington and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. (**)
By India Today Web Desk: Kareena Kapoor Khan has made it clear that Hollywood may come calling, but it is Bollywood for her, all the way. While she has praised contemporary Priyanka Chopra for making India proud, Bebo seemed to take a subtle dig at her and Deepika Padukone at a recent media interaction.

"Working abroad doesn't mean anything. If one works abroad and comes back and gets a salary hike is something I don't know. It doesn't matter whether you work in Hollywood or Bollywood, your brand value is based on what and how much you deliver. And this is based on your personality. Brand is all about personality," Kareena is reported to have said when asked if an actor's brand value increases by working in the West.

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While she did not take any names, Kareena's remark is believed to be directed at India's latest exports to Hollywood, Deepika and Priyanka. Deepika recently made her Hollywood debut with Vin Diesel-starrer xXx: Return of Xander Cage, while Priyanka will be seen in Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

PHOTOS: Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone slay at pre-Oscars party

ALSO WATCH: Priyanka Chopra, the 'brand' new attraction

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Tue, March 7, 2017

Security authorities suspect a new group is aiming to carry out terror acts in Central Sulawesi, which was also the home of the notorious East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group.

Indications of a new group were revealed recently when security personnel intercepted a man named Samsuriyadi, aka Sham. He told security officers that several men from Toboli in Parigi Moutong regency as well as Poso and Tolitoli regencies in Central Sulawesi, and Mamuju regency in West Sulawesi, had weapons that could be used to conduct terror attacks.

According to an intelligence report received by The Jakarta Post, the group has been mapping Central Sulawesi over the past month.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi refused to comment on the findings.

He confirmed, however, that Operation Tinombala Task Force members found an M-16 rifle at the bottom of the Puna River in Poso Pesisir. The weapon was believed to be owned by Basri, aka Bagong, one of the top members of the MIT group who surrendered last year.

(Read also: Suspected terrorist arrested in C.Sulawesi)

Meanwhile, Merdeka Military Command commander Maj. Gen. Ganip Warsito said on Tuesday that the military had detected that several people from the southern Philippines had entered the province.

He did not provide details but said the military had heightened security as a precaution.

Poso is a hotbed of terrorist activity and last year hosted a large-scale joint police and military operation with more than 3,500 personnel under Operation Tinombala tasked with hunting for members of the MIT, lead by the late terrorist Santoso, aka Abu Wardah. (rin)
Just a week ago, fuel was often a scarce commodity in the Karimunjawa islands, a national park located 80 kilometers off Central Javas northern coastline. However, this has changed since the governments one-price fuel policy was introduced to the area on Monday.

Residents of the islands are now able to buy subsidized gasoline  locally known as Premium  for Rp 6,450 (48 US cents) per liter and subsidized diesel, known as Solar, for Rp 5,150 per liter. In the past, they frequently saw the price of the two fuels soar up to Rp 10,000 and Rp 8,000, respectively.

The price of Premium is now exactly the same as that on Java. Even a long-abandoned gas station has begun operation again, a Karimunjawa resident named Iwan Setiawan told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The islands, inhabited by 10,000 residents and attracting around 2,000 visitors every week, are one out of 148 locations targeted by President Joko Jokowi Widodo for the one-price policy, which will cost state-owned energy firm Pertamina Rp 800 billion in subsidies yearly.

Pertamina spokesperson Wianda Pusponegoro said the firm had until the end of the year to lower fuel prices in 53 remote areas. So far, Pertamina has successfully implemented the new fuel prices in nine regencies, including the Karimunjawa islands in Jepara.

The other eight regencies are Batu island, North Sumatra; Mentawai islands, West Sumatra; Raas island, East Java; Tanjung Pengaus, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB); Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT); Wangi-wangi in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi; Moswaren, West Papua; and Long Apari in East Kalimantan.

It has to be completely implemented by the end of 2017. In the case of funds, most of the money will come from our business partners as [the program] only requires constructing mini gas stations or gas stations with one to two dispensers, she told the Post on Monday.

Pertamina remains optimistic about fulfilling the task assigned as it plans to cross-subsidize from sales of non-subsidized fuels, which have been experiencing growing popularity as of late. This year, it has been assigned to distribute 610,000 kiloliters of kerosene, 15.7 million kiloliters of diesel and 12.5 million kiloliters of Premium gasoline across the country.

As part of Pertaminas efforts, it has set a target to construct 22 mini gas stations at 22 locations in 14 provinces by the end of this year. It will need approximately Rp 1 billion to construct each gas station. Furthermore, the company will also establish institutions for distribution in remote areas in 45 locations next year.

Locals are hopeful that the governments one-price fuel policy will not be just another empty promise. Hopefully, the times of expensive fuel are truly over, Paulus Lang, a resident of the Tiong Buu village in Long Apari, said.

Gasoline and diesel prices in Long Apari, located 850 kilometers away from Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, have been cut down from Rp 15,000 and Rp 13,000 per liter respectively. However, before the price cuts, fuel could reach Rp 60,000 when distribution issues occurred.

The slashed prices have resulted in consumption growth to 160,000 liters per month for gasoline from 140,000 liters. Most of the gasoline consumed is used for outboard motors on boats.

Residents also hope that the lower prices will lead to lower transportation costs. Agnes Bulan, a high school student, said that it costs Rp 900,000 to take a nine-hour trip by speed boat to Ujoh Bilang, a village located 104 kilometers away from Long Apari.

Despite the governments and citizens enthusiasm for the new one-price policy, experts remain doubtful over the success of the program. Realistically it would take 18 to 24 months because there are geographical factors to consider, which could involve high costs, Executive director of the Institute for Essential Services (IESR), Fabby Tumiwa told the Post.

He noted that one of Pertaminas biggest obstacles would be in the delivery and construction of distribution lines due to the fact that the targeted locations are mostly remote areas. This will not be easy because Pertamina will need to construct storage depots, fuel pumps and other necessary equipment, which takes a lot of time, he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Nine wholesalers have been accused of involvement in a red chili cartel, particularly for red birds eye chilies, which has been blamed for uncontrollable prices of the commodity in a number of regions in Java.

In some markets, chili prices can reach Rp 150,000 (US$11.10), although the price at the farmer level is less than Rp 50,000.

There is no problem with the prices from farmers. The problems start from what I call large wholesalers who operate in East, Central and West Java, the Agriculture Ministrys horticulture director general Spudnik Sujono said as reported by tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

(Read also: Business watchdog smells cartel in chili distribution)

His statement was based on the results of a joint investigation by the National Polices criminal investigations department, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) and the ministry.

He said the nine wholesalers deployed staff in regions to collect the commodity from farmers. Previously, KPPU chair Syarkawi Rauff said the wholesalers had withheld the product, causing a scarcity of the commodity.

The nine wholesalers deploy their men. If I was a wholesaler in East Java [for example], I would deploy my men in Kediri, Blitar and other towns [to buy chilies from farmers], Spudnik added.

He blamed them for increases in red chili prices since December. (bbn)
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Linkedin Edith M. Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Tue, March 7, 2017

North Korea warned Monday that US-South Korean military exercises, which it called "the most undisguised nuclear war maneuvers," are driving the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia toward "nuclear disaster."

The North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Ja Song Nam, said in a letter to the UN Security Council that the US is using nuclear-propelled aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, nuclear strategic bombers and stealth fighters in the joint exercises that began Wednesday.

"It may go over to an actual war," Ja warned of the military drills, "and, consequently, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is again inching to the brink of a nuclear war."

The letter was sent a few hours after North Korea fired four banned ballistic missiles, in apparent reaction to the US-South Korean exercises. Three of them landed in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, South Korean and Japanese officials said.

The United States and Japan, in consultation with South Korea, requested an urgent Security Council meeting on the launches, the US Mission to the United Nations said. The closed consultations will take place Wednesday morning after the Security Council returns from a visit to four Boko Haram-affected countries in Africa, the mission said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the tests, calling them a violation of council resolutions and reiterating his call for North Korea's leaders "to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Ri Song Chol, a counsellor at North Korea's UN mission, told The Associated Press the missile launches were a continuation of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's efforts "to strengthen our self-defensive military forces and pre-emptive attack capabilities" in response to "nuclear threats and blackmails" and the US-South Korean military exercises.

He accused the United States of spurring the North to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile and reiterated a Foreign Ministry statement issued Jan. 8 that an ICBM would be launched "in any time and in any place decided by our supreme leadership."

Ri claimed the current joint military exercises are "for pre-emptive strike to the DPRK"  the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said that is in contrast to previous annual exercises that the US and South Korea called preventive and defensive.

Ja, the ambassador, again urged the Security Council to discuss the US-South Korea exercises and warned that if it ignores North Korea's request, as it has in the past, it will demonstrate the UN's most powerful body is only a "political tool" of the United States.

He said the United States seeks to convince public opinion that the latest joint exercise is a response to North Korea's nuclear weapons, but he said the US and South Korea carried out military drills numerous times before Pyongyang possessed its "nuclear deterrent."

Ja said the main reason North Korea is equipping itself "with nuclear attack capabilities" and strengthening its nuclear deterrent forces is in self-defense against what he called the US "extreme anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmails as well as maneuvers to enforce its nuclear weapons."

North Korea's UN mission also issued a statement denouncing and rejecting a report by the Security Council's panel of experts that monitors UN sanctions against the North.

The experts said North Korea is flouting sanctions by trading in prohibited weapons and other goods and using evasion techniques "that are increasing in scale, scope and sophistication."

The North Korean mission again insisted that UN sanctions "have no legal basis at all" and violate the country's "lawful rights." Furthermore, it contended no international law states that a nuclear test or satellite launch should be considered a "threat to international peace and security."

The mission reiterated its request to the UN secretary-general to organize an international forum of lawyers to clarify the legal basis of the sanctions resolutions. It said the UN Secretariat should not again respond with the "preposterous out-of-date sophistries" that it is up to the Security Council to determine what constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

The North also warned that sanctions resolutions and reports on enforcing implementation will only result in "our stronger self-defensive counter-measures"  and it said the United States, "the major fabricator of these resolutions," will bear all responsibility "for any uncontrolled critical situation over the Korean Peninsula."

Ja also sent a letter Monday to Guterres again seeking "United Nations' urgent measures" to repatriate 12 North Korean waitresses working at a restaurant in China who it says were tricked into defecting in April 2016 by South Korean agents and a woman named Kim Ryon Hui it claims was taken to South Korea in 2011 by deception.

The letter expressed disappointment at the UN failure to take action in these cases of what Ja called "egregious human rights violation" that constitute "a contemporary crime against humanity." (**)
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Linkedin Kim Hyung-jin and Eileen Ng (Associated Press) Seoul  Tue, March 7, 2017

The bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong-un's estranged half-brother escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Pyongyang saying it had banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea.

That was followed quickly by Malaysia saying North Korean embassy staff were barred from leaving its country. Malaysia had already expelled the North Korean ambassador on Monday.

The North's Foreign Ministry told the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it would temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens now in the North, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

It said the exit ban will be valid "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of [North Korea] in Malaysias fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia."

Malaysia is pursuing several North Korean suspects allegedly involved in the killing, including a diplomat at the North's Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has not accused the North of being behind the killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport three weeks ago, but South Korean has.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea: Three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

The North said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before" during the period of the temporary exit ban.

It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, March 7, 2017

A couple and their daughter have been found dead after a fire gutted their house in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, at dawn on Tuesday.

Togu P. Marpaung, 60, his wife Fryda Butarbutar, 58, and their daughter Ceba Asima Rohana Marpaung, 30, were sleeping when the fire started at about 3 a.m., Pematang Siantar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Daniel Siregar said.

The Pematang Siantar Police were still investigating the cause of the blaze, which was extinguished within an hour. But the victims could not be saved; they were found dead in the house, Daniel told The Jakarta Post, adding that five fire trucks were deployed to the scene.

Pematang Siantar Deputy Mayor Hefriansyah said the city would help the victims family members in facing the tragedy. I have instructed related institutions to take necessary steps to help ease the burden on the victims family, he said.

The bodies of the three victims were taken to the Djasamen Saragih hospital for post mortem examinations.
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Linkedin News Desk (Associated Press) Manila  Tue, March 7, 2017

The Philippine House of Representatives has approved a bill to restore the death penalty by hanging, lethal injection or firing squad for drug offenses, despite opposition from the influential Roman Catholic church.

The House said 216 members approved the proposed legislation, 54 voted against it and one abstained Tuesday, bringing nearer to reality President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promise to restore capital punishment for hardcore criminals, especially drug traffickers.

The House bill must be merged with the version being discussed in the Senate and then signed by Duterte before becoming law.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo abolished the death penalty in 2006. Now the deputy House speaker, she voted against its reimposition Tuesday.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly says there must be a paradigm shift in handling people arrested for drug offenses to solve prison overcapacity problems.

The main problem we are facing now is that the number of inmates in our prisons has grown very rapidly. Within only two months, it has increased by 4,000 people, mostly from drug cases, Yasonna said as quoted by kompas.com during the 6th Asian Conference Correctional Facilities Architect and Planners (ACCFA) 2017 in Jakarta, on Monday.

He said drug users arrested by the authorities should ideally be sent to rehabilitation programs instead of imprisoned. While it was expected to provide a deterrent effect, imprisoning drug users would have negative impacts on people in prisons and surrounding areas, the minister said.

Yasonna said a prisoner who was addicted to drugs would use any means to access substances from the outside, including asking friends or relatives to smuggle drugs into the prison or bribing security guards to do so.

This has become a big problem for all of us. Without rehabilitation programs, the number of inmates, especially those jailed for drug cases, will never decline. If we really want to fight against drugs, drug users must be rehabilitated, said Yasonna.

With additional funding, he said, the Law and Human Rights Ministry aimed to develop prisons, which would hopefully facilitate 15,000 people across Indonesia.

Yasonna added that the ministry would continue its redistribution program, in which it transfers inmates from overcapacity prisons to less crowded facilities. (dis/ebf)
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

Indonesia has received wide praise for its ambitious leadership as chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for the past two years, as the host concluded a successful meeting with concrete deliverables that will chart the course of the organization for years to come.

Leading a trio of women leaders symbolizing the organizations novel focus on womens empowerment, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi revealed there was little to fret about at the ministerial level in devising outcome documents that would prepare the nations on the Indian Ocean rim in facing the traditional and non-traditional challenges of today.

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Linkedin Winny Tang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

After booking double-digit growth last year, state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) expects to grow faster than its competitors this year by concentrating on developing its cellular and digital services.

Theres quite a bit of turmoil in the telecommunications business, but we expect to grow above the industrys average [this year], Telkom vice president for corporate communication Arif Prabowo told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

For this year the industry anticipates growth of 8 to 9 percent. Arif, however, did not go into specifics regarding Telkoms own targets.

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A nursing school in Kerala has forbidden female students from locking doors while changing, fearing that they might have sex in secret.

By India Today Web Desk: And we have a new height of homophobia in Kerala!

A nursing school in Kerala's Kollam district has been accused of forbidding its female students to lock doors, even while they are changing clothes.

Why?

Well, reports have it that the principal of Upasana College of Nursing fears her students are having lesbian sex under the pretext of changing clothes.

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The rule has been imposed also to ensure that the students don't use their cellphones in private, which is forbidden in the college premises as well. The students are allowed to only use a common phone in the college on alternate days or once a week.

"The principal says we are closing rooms to secretly use mobile phones or because we are homosexuals," a fourth-year student told The News Minute. "We have been told to just keep a chair near the door, but we can't close it."

#FYI: Kerala Muslim fanatic wants acid poured on woman's face if 'she barks against Islam'

Kollam (Kerala): Students of Upasana College of Nursing protest against college authorities alleging mistreatment & misogynistic statements pic.twitter.com/YCqx1c6r5B- ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

CASTEIST SLURS

Students at Upasana College of Nursing have also accused Principal MP Jessykutty of being a sore casteist, alleging that she ridicules students with discriminatory slurs.

"I have seen her doing this to one of my seniors who belongs to a Scheduled Caste," said a second-year student. "When we complain, she would say that the SC/ST students won't need to face any consequence even if they protest, but students from general category would. She used to dissuade us from protesting."

#FYI: 'Kerala priest raped because of temptations,' church-backed magazine resorts to victim blaming

INTERNET ACCESS BANNED

Access to internet in the college library has been reportedly blocked because the principal fears the student are using it to "only watch porn".

And that's not all. They added that Jessykutty has a habit of taking students' personal diaries and reading out portions from it "loudly before the entire class".

Also read: 7 minor girls in Kerala orphanage raped for 2 months

UNNECESSARILY FINES

Principal Jessykutty is said to impose fines on students for being absent and growing their hair or nails.

There is a fixed deposit account that we have paid for NSA, but we dont know where that money has gone," said a fourth year student. "The principal imposes fines on us, for all kinds of reasons. For taking leave, for growing hair or nails, the reasons are different each time."

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Obviously frustrated, the students have come together to hold a strike against the principal, demanding her resignation. A group of students have been sitting in protest outside the college campus since last Friday.

In response to the strike, the college authority is said to have asked rebelling students to vacate the hostel.

According to a report by The News Minute, a phone call recorded by one such student's parents has a staff member asking them to take their daughter home, saying that the hostel "was not meant for those who protest".

Despite several attempts, the college has refused to speak to the media regarding this issue.

Also read: Kerala: Eight, including five nuns, booked for hiding facts related to rape of minor

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Indonesian rubber farmers have suffered losses from the decline in global rubber prices as their product now sells for Rp 9,000 (67 US cents) per kilogram, from Rp 12,000 previously.

Indonesian Rubber Council (Dekarindo) chairman Azis Pane said the price decline was affected by Thailands plan to release 125,000 tons of its rubber stock after previously releasing 90,000 tons.

Thailand can greatly affect rubber prices in the international market because it produces large amounts of the product.

We have to admit that Indonesia cannot influence the rubber market and its products because we produce less than Thailand, Azis said as reported by kompas.com on Tuesday.

(Read also: Rubber trader gets life for killing taxmen)

Therefore, he called for the establishment of more industries that used rubber as a raw material so that rubber prices would not be decided by the global market. (bbn)
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Linkedin Catherine Lucey (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, March 7, 2017

President Donald Trump has offered to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood if the group stops providing abortions. Its president spurned the proposal and noted that federal money already is not allowed to be used for abortion.

Trump confirmed Monday there had been discussions after The New York Times inquired about what it described as an informal proposal. In a statement to the newspaper, Trump said polling shows most Americans oppose public funding for abortion.

"As I said throughout the campaign, I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in women's health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of nonabortion services such as cancer screenings," he said.

Trump added: "There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of women's health, while not providing abortion services."

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in response: "We will always stand for women's ability to make decisions about their health and lives, without interference from politicians in Washington, D.C."

Anti-abortion activists want the federal government to cut off all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Nearly $400 million in Medicaid money goes to the group and pulling it back would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

In one of his first acts as president, Trump banned US funding to international groups that perform abortions or even provide information about abortions.

Vice President Mike Pence strongly opposes abortion, citing his Roman Catholic beliefs, and the newly confirmed health secretary, Tom Price, has supported cutting off taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood. (**)
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java  Tue, March 7, 2017

A 75-meter stretch of a road connecting Bandung and Cirebon in West Java has collapsed, cutting access for larger vehicles.

The section of road in Cireki village, Sumedang district, collapsed at 8 p.m. on Monday, West Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said.

"The route is temporarily cut off. Only motorcycles can pass along the road," he said in Bandung on Tuesday.

Police have prepared alternative routes for vehicles planning to use the road. They are directing private vehicles from Sumedang heading to Cirebon via Kertajati while trucks and other heavy vehicles are directed to pass Cijelag and on to Subang.

Buses traveling from Bandung to Cirebon must pass through Cikamurang, Cijelag, Tomo and Kadipaten, or another route from Bandung via Subang to the Cipali toll road before reaching Cirebon. (rin)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7 2017

The large amount of trash scattered in the Situ (Lake) Gintung area in South Tangerang, Banten, has raised concerns among residents in Jakarta and Greater Jakarta, leading them to roll up their sleeves and work hand-in-hand to clean up the lake.

By around 7 a.m., as many as 190 volunteers, ranging from elementary school students to private employees, had arrived in the Situ Gintung area to join the Trash Pick-Up Movement event recently. They later picked up trash, mostly food scraps and plastic cups thrown by litterers, as they walked around the edges of the lake.

Situ Gintung is a man-made reservoir built during the Dutch era that has become a tourist destination. Situ Gintung, which accommodates 2 million cubic meters of rain water, broke in March 2009, killing 100 people.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

Garbage volume in Central Jakarta has decreased by 35 percent thanks to waste bank movement, an official said on Monday.

Central Jakarta municipalitys economic and development assistant Bakwan Ferizan Ginting said on Monday that the existence of almost 400 waste banks in the area had contributed to the reduction of garbage volume from 4,500 cubic meters to 1,600 cubic meters at the trash disposal site (TPA) everyday

Our target is a waste bank in every community unit [RW], Bakwan said at Rawasari integrated waste treatment center (TPST), as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

(Read also: Is Waste-to-Energy technology a permanent solution to Indonesias garbage problem?)

He also explained that waste management had to be carried out by citizens so they could get the benefits of the reused waste.

In Rawasari TPST itself, there was a process to recycle organic waste, which could produce up to 100 sacks of organic waste every month.

There are packs of 3 to 30 kilograms of recycled waste and a lot of people buy them. Thats why increasing the number of waste banks has become our priority, Bakwan added.
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Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017

A group of people claiming to be employees of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia has traveled from Papua to Jakarta to rally in front of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, urging the government to immediately resolve its dispute with the company.

Fredrik Magai, one of the protestors, said the dispute with the government had led Freeport Indonesia to lay off 1,525 workers since Jan. 12, when the government imposed a mineral export ban as mandated in the 2009 Mining Law.

"The company has also given long leave to lots of its workers, especially low-level staff. As a result, those workers, who previously relied on overtime pay, have seen their incomes plunge drastically," Fredrik told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

(Read also: Locals need Freeport saga to end soon)

According to Fredrik, a low-level staff member had a basic salary of between Rp 4 million (US$296) and Rp 9 million, with overtime pay amounting to Rp 20 million.

Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of the United States-based mining giant Freeport McMoRan, has been in a dispute with the government following the issuance of Government Regulation No. 1/2017 and two derivative decrees.

The new regulations pave the way for the company to process an export permit for copper concentrates produced at the Grasberg mine in Papua. It is also obliged to convert its contract of work into a special mining license, divest 51 percent of its shares within a decade of production and build a new smelter. (bbn)
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Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq (The Jakarta Post) Depok, West Java  Wed, March 8 2017

The Depok administrations plan to set aside a new lane dedicated to public minivans in Depok, West Java, has been met with opposition from drivers of the minivans, locally known as angkot, who fear the move will further weaken the viability of the decades-old mode of transportation.

The citys transportation agency recently urged motorists to allow the slow lane along the citys thoroughfares to be prioritized for angkots in a bid to ease gridlock.

The planned rule will also ticket angkot drivers who use the fast lane.

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Linkedin Linawati Sidarto (The Jakarta Post) Amsterdam  Wed, March 8 2017

Feminists in Indonesia are battling strong religious conservatism that has started permeating into the urban middle class, author and activist Intan Paramaditha said recently in front of an Amsterdam audience

Author and activist Intan Paramadithas striking appearance  a bright red dress matching her lipstick  might be the first thing noticed by the dozens of people who came to hear her speak about the state of feminism in Indonesia.

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Linkedin Safrin La Batu and Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 8 2017

Bali has so much to offer that one visit is never enough. Hence the saying, once you are in Bali, you will always want to come back.

However, for King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, going through all the diplomatic protocols to make another visit to the magical resort island could be a big hassle.

Hence, the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta announced on Tuesday that the Saudi Arabian monarch would extend his stay by three days on the Island of the Gods.

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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 8 2017

Relations between Australia and Indonesia can be described through the typical depiction of neighbors: friendly, understanding and helpful, if not without its occasional problems. Indeed, both countries hope that through such a relationship bilateral economic ties could be improved through one of their most valuable industries: tourism.

Indonesia, particularly Bali, has been a historically popular holiday destination for Australians of all ages, from schoolchildren to the elderly, as it is one of the closest places where they can escape rainy winters and dry summers for the delight of humid tropics.

Australia is also seen as a popular getaway for Indonesians, particularly for education purposes, due to its proximity and quality of life.

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Police investigation revealed that the girls were lured into the shop by offering candies and then inside they were shown porn videos.

By Jeemon Jacob: Kerala Police has registered 11 cases against six accused persons, nabbed in Kalpatta in Waynad district for raping seven minor girls of an orphanage.

According to Rajpal Meena, Superintendent of Police Wayanad, investigation is progressing and the accused have been arrested.

"We are also probing whether more girls were subjected to rape by the gang", the District Police Chief told India Today.

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HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

All accused are linked to the local shop near the orphanage, where one of the girls was questioned on suspicion by a staffer while coming out.

Police investigation revealed that the girls were lured into the shop by offering candies and then inside they were shown porn videos.

The girls confessed of being raped by the shop owner and his friends repeatedly over two months.

The accused six threatened the girls of dire consequences if they reported the matter.

A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act.

Read the full story here: 7 minor girls in Kerala orphanage raped for 2 months

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Tue, March 7, 2017

An advocacy group claiming to represent 13,000 fishermen and seaweed farmers from East Nusa Tenggara has lambasted an Australia proposal to provide financial assistance in connection with an oil spill that devastated the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers in 2009.

"We dont need charity. What we need is cooperation involving local fishermen to identify the overall losses sustained by local people and the victims, especially fishermen and farmers, who suffered from the environment degradation in the seas of Timor and Sawu, Montara Victim Advocacy Team head Ferdi Tanoni said in East Nusa Tenggaras provincial capital of Kupang on Tuesday.

A map shows the territorial water between Australia and Indonesia near East Timor, where oil spilled from rigs operated by an Australian company in the Montara oil field in 2009.(kompas.com/-)

Ferdi was referring to comments from Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop after a meeting in Jakarta on Monday. Bishop was in Jakarta also to attend the 2017 Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit.

I hope that, as a good partner, Australia can help the victims, Luhut said, as quoted in a statement from the ministry. Bishop responded by reiterating Australias commitment to provide assistance in relation to the case.

(Read also: East Nusa Tenggara people urge Jokowi not to visit Australia)

Not edible -- a dead fish in the heavily polluted Timor Sea.(AP/Charlie Riedel)

The pressure group is also representing fishermen and farmers from the regencies of Rote Ndao and Kupang in a class action lawsuit in Sydney against PTTEP Australasia, a subsidiary of Thai state-owned oil company PTTEP.

Almost 90 percent of Indonesian waters in the Timor sea are polluted. All the productive area has been contaminated, Ferdi said. (bbs)
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Linkedin Alicia A. Caldwell (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, March 7, 2017 10:03 2071 a291276806121264c0bd211cde34b90b 2 News Donald-Trump,travel-ban,#DonaldTrump Free

President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily barring all travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations was in place for just eight days before a federal judge blocked it. Nearly a month later, Trump has rolled out a new order aimed at overcoming the legal challenges but accomplishing the same stated goal: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States.

A look at how the new order compares with the previous one.

___

BANNED FOREIGNERS

Old order: Three-month ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including those who had valid visas but were outside the United States when the ban was signed.

New order: Three-month ban on issuing new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries  Iraqi nationals are no longer banned  and exceptions for foreigners from the other six countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. Citizens of those countries with valid visas will be admitted to the U.S.

(Read also: Trumps travel ban basics: What you need to know)

___

SYRIANS

Old order: Syrian visitors, immigrants and refugees were barred from the United States indefinitely.

New order: Syrians will be treated the same as citizens of the other five countries singled out in the order.

___

REFUGEES

Old order: Four-month halt to refugees entering the United States.

New order: The refugee ban remains in place, though people already approved and on their way to the United States will be allowed in.

(Read also: Apple, Google, Uber join fight against Trump travel ban)

___

TIMING

Old order: The Jan. 27 order was immediately put into place, causing chaos and panic at airports as the Homeland Security Department scrambled to figure out who the order covered and how it was to be implemented.

New order: The new order, signed Monday, won't be affective until March 16. It also revokes the previous edict.
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Linkedin Nedi Putra AW (The Jakarta Post) Probolinggo  Tue, March 7, 2017 09:45 2071 a291276806121264c0bd211cde34a47e 4 Destinations Bromo,edelweiss-flower,Tengger,national-park Free

As one of the iconic plants of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS), edelweiss is increasingly endangered. This white flower of the Javanese species Anaphalis javanica has been sought by many mountaineers and tourists visiting the zone. Growing on the parks mountain slopes at an altitude of about 2,000 meters above the sea, edelweiss is vital to the mountain ecosystem for being capable of surviving in a barren habitat and is therefore under protection. Three of its four species found in Indonesia flourish in the national park.

The parks tourist destination status has made edelweiss a target of visitors and climbers, especially young people who regard the flower as a symbol of eternal love. This popular symbolism of the flower has led many of them to pick the flower for a souvenir or as proof of having climbed one of the mountains.

The plant is also part of ritual offerings of the Tengger ethnic group, who call the flower tana layu because of its neverwithering characteristic. The Sanskrit words represent the communitys value of honoring its ancestors.

In order to save wild edelweiss from the need of young climbers to prove their love and provide balance between conservation and tradition, TNBTS is developing the concept of Edelweiss Village Tourism, in Probolinggo, which was expected to launch in August.

Education: Birama Terang Radityo (left), a forestry field officer from the BB-TNBTS, poses with a tourist at the Edelweiss Education Park set up in Cemorolawang hamlet, Ngadisari village, Sukapura, Probolinggo, East Java.(JP/Nedi Putra AW)

(Read also: Planned cable car network to connect Gede, Pangrango peaks)

This concept is meant to avoid any potential conflict between edelweiss conservation efforts and other interests such as tourism and ritual performances, John Kenedie, the head of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Office (BB-TNBTS), said during an edelweiss planting ceremony in Ngadisari village, Sukapura district, Probolinggo regency, earlier this year.

John said since 2006, BB-TNBTS had been cultivating the plant in a number of villages in East Javas Probolinggo, Malang, Pasuruan and Lumajang regencies, but to no avail.

The cultivation was also aimed at empowering the local village community, he said, adding that he hoped in the future, flowers would no longer be taken from the national park.

BB-TNBTS successfully developed edelweiss cultivation by using seeds in the middle of 2014 and later built Edelweiss Education Park located at the Laut Pasir resort in Sukapura, Probolinggo, which was inaugurated by Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar in March 2016.

Cool air: Tourists enjoy the hilly scenery at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.(JP/Nedi Putra AW)

Initially, they targeted schoolchildren as agents of change in the conservation of edelweiss. Officials at BB-TNBTS made an agreement with the Education Agency of Sukapura district in Probolinggo and a number of schools located near the national park to educate the children on conservation and the environment by building edelweiss parks at the schools.

Birama Terang Radityo, a forestry field officer of BB-TNBTS, said it was important to encourage schoolchildren to care for their environment.

(Read also: The birth of a new living organism: Indonesia's first Earthship)

Due to limited seedling production, planting has only involved a handful of Tengger childrens schools in Sukapura, he said.

Edelweiss Education Park teaches children how to grow and maintain edelweiss in their schools until it blooms. This concept was later developed into Edelweiss Tourism Village, which would involve local residents and open opportunities for the rural economy.

Birama described the cultivation of edelweiss, blooming from April to August, as fairly simple, saying locals should grow it in their homes instead of picking flowers in the protected national park.

Paying their respects: A ritual is held by the Tengger ethnic group in Ngadas, Malang regency. Every year, the community seeks Edelweiss flower for offerings.(JP/Nedi Putra AW)

Locals and tourists would be allowed to pick edelweiss flowers at the Edelweiss Tourism Village and have the opportunity to learn about the the white flower during their stay in the village.

They should plant it first before taking the flowers as souvenirs, Birama said.

He was positive that edelweiss cultivation could boost the local economy.

A study conducted by BB-TNBTS and Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, found that a cultivated edelweiss bunch cost Rp 7,726 (57 US cents), while tourists were willing to pay around Rp 24,000 to 100,000 for them.

Birama said the program would not find immediate success and therefore hoped locals would keep their spirits high and get support from related administrations.
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Tue, March 7, 2017 14:10 2070 a291276806121264c0bd211cde35bbfb 1 Destinations West-Sumbawa,Mantar-village,East-Nusa-Tenggara,tourism,#tourism,destination,#destination Free

The 410-hectare cultural village of Mantar in Poto Tano subdistrict is being promoted as one of the gems of West Sumbawa regency.

Nestled at 640 meters above sea level, it is popularly known as "the village above the clouds" thanks to its breathtaking views. It is also said to always have the same number of albino residents: seven people.

Having been declared a cultural village in 2010, Mantar once served as filming location for the 2012 movie Serdadu Kumbang (Beetle Troops) helmed by artist couple Ari Sihasale and Nia Zulkarnaen. The movie's icon, the pohon cita-cita (aspiration tree) has become a unique attraction for visitors.

"Pohon cita-cita can be found at the highest point of Mantar village. From there, the view is gorgeous; visitors can marvel at the ocean and neighboring islands. At certain times, they can also feel the clouds; this is where the nickname comes from," West Sumbawa Culture and Tourism Agency head I Gusti Bagus Sumbawanto told The Jakarta Post on Friday in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

(Read also: The birth of a new living organism: Indonesia's first Earthship)

A post shared by Zulaikha (@julee_brarian) on Dec 4, 2016 at 4:43pm PST

In the last two years, Mantar's high elevation has provided an interesting option for paragliding events, from festivals to competitions. Its unique culture, especially in relation to the albino residents, also makes it a destination for curious travelers.

"Believe it or not, Mantar always has seven residents with albino skin. If one dies, then one will be born with albinism; this continues to happen until now," said Bagus.

Home to 400 families and 2,000 people, the villagers believe their ancestors came from several ethnicities, such as Javanese, Indian, Pakistani, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai. "This is what makes the local residents have certain physical characteristics; some are white, even albino, some have brown skin, and there are also those who are black," said Bagus.

Legend has it that their ancestors were stranded in Tuananga waters below Mantar village in the 18th century during the Majapahit era. A stone on the closest beach that looks like a boat is said to be a fossil of the ancestors' vessel.

As part of the administration's efforts to develop Mantar as tourist destination, a parking lot is set to be built at the foot of the village, allowing visitors to enjoy horseback riding while enjoying the views.

(Read also: Archaeologists unearth ancient Mataram Hindu temple)

A post shared by Rahma - Dae To'i (@betawikoe) on Jul 11, 2016 at 7:24pm PDT

"There'll be no more rental vehicles going up to Mantar in the near future. The cars will be parked below and visitors can ride a bicycle or horse to reach the village. This will be the recommended tourist package in Mantar: exploring the village above the clouds on a horse."

Other facilities currently being developed in the village include public toilets and homestays offered by locals who reside in the region's traditional staged wooden houses.

Situated around 17 kilometers from the city of Taliwang, the regency capital of West Sumbawa, Mantar is not easy to reach as the 5-kilometer road leading to the village is not yet sealed. But those who are lucky enough to hike to its peak can expect to marvel at the eight breathtaking islets of West Sumbawa, including Kenanga Island.

Bagus added: "When the sky is clear, you can even view the peak of Mount Rinjani on Lombok." (kes)
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Linkedin Almeria Allen (The Jakarta Post) San Marino  Tue, March 7, 2017 13:11 2070 a291276806121264c0bd211cde359a52 4 Destinations san-marino,travel,destination,Europe Free

A friend of mine was organizing a wedding in Florence, Italy. At almost the same time, our common friend was attending a conference in Berlin.

The initial idea was for the three of us to meet in Rome. As the meeting day approached, another idea came up  we decided to take a trip to a place that we previously had not realized was actually a country, San Marino.

San Marino is an independent republic enclosed within Italy, between the borders of Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche regions.

The Republic of San Marino is located in Central Italy, 10 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. It only has road connections with Italy. To reach San Marino by bus, the closest city is Rimini in Italy. The bus fare from Rimini to San Marino is 5 (US$5.31) one way; the trip lasts only an hour.

First we flew down to Bologna, Italy, and took the train to Rimini. The train from Bologna to Rimini costs you 20. That is the fastest one, taking less than an hour. It costs more as it only stops at a few stations. The other train will take you to Rimini in approximately two hours.

(Read also: What your passport color really means)

There is also a shuttle bus from Bologna airport to Rimini that costs between 20 and 25. The journey takes one-and-a-half to two hours. Wi-Fi is provided on the bus.

San Marino is not a European Union country. However, if you already have a Schengen Area visa, you do not need another visa to enter the country. There is no passport control either. You will not think you are crossing a border until you see signs from administrative districts.

Cava Balestieri - The wall of defense(JP/Almeria Allen)

If you are a stamp collector, make sure you buy stamps from one of the citys shops and post your cards in one of the white postboxes before you leave.

History says San Marino was founded in the fourth century by a saint of the same name, Saint Marinus. He left the island of Arba (now Croatia) and went to Rimini. He sought refuge nearby Monte Titano while fleeing religious persecution.

In 1631, its independence was recognized by the pope. Through diplomacy, San Marino managed to hang onto its independence through the centuries, even opting out when Italy was unified in the 19th century.

This is a country of clifftop castles. It offers real versions of the castles in Disney movies  with romantic ruins of fortifications and narrow streets.

The streets of San Marino are full of shops and restaurants. The average prices were very low compared to the country I live in, Denmark.

(Read also: Ten truly remote places where your boss cant track you down)

San Marinos economy relies heavily on tourism, the banking industry and manufacturing as well as exports of ceramics, clothing, fabric, furniture, paint, spirits, tiles and wine.

San Marino is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. It is also considered to have a highly stable economy with the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. It has neither debt nor a budget surplus.

A funny fact is that it is the only country with more vehicles than people.

The house of God: The Cathedral of San Marino.(JP/Almeria Allen)

San Marinos cuisine is extremely similar to Italian food. If you love pasta, you wont have a problem. Try the Torta Tre Monti  a layered wafer cake covered in chocolate. We were served piadina bread by an Indonesian student we met by surprise in San Marino, who was travelling with a student companion from Albania.

The city of San Marino is what most tourists come to see; it is an impressive citadel. Monte Titano is the highest peak. It is located 750 meters above sea level and the wind makes the temperature cooler than the plains below.

The San Marino Historic Centre and Monte Titano became part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2008.

Grand building: A crowd of people pass by Palazzo Pubblico, the city council.(JP/Almeria Allen)

(Read also: Trumps travel ban basics: What you need to know)

Monte Titano has three fortresses perched atop a cliff. When we were there, the sky lift was closed, so we trekked up to the towers.

Guaita is the oldest of the three towers. It was originally a prison for a brief time.

Cesta is the second tower. A museum to honor Saint Marinus was built in 1956 and is located in the tower.

Montale is the third tower. It located on the smallest of Monte Titanos summits. This one is not open to the public. Montale, which was built in the 14th century, was also used as a prison. The only entrance to the tower is a door about 7 m from the ground that was common in prison architecture at the time.

This is one of the least known countries in Europe. Maybe we should keep our mouths shut if we want to have this mysterious country to ourselves.
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Linkedin Julie Bykowicz (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, March 7, 2017 11:33 2070 a291276806121264c0bd211cde350b42 2 News trump,Trump-International-Hotel,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,travel,Hotel Free

At a circular booth in the middle of the Trump International Hotel's balcony restaurant, President Donald Trump dined on his steak  well-done, with ketchup  while chatting with British Brexit politician Nigel Farage.

A few days later, major Republican donors Doug Deason and Doug Manchester, in town for the president's address to Congress, sipped coffee at the hotel with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

After Trump's speech, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin returned to his Washington residence  the hotel  and strode past the gigantic American flag in the soaring lobby. With his tiny terrier tucked under an arm, Mnuchin stepped into an elevator with reality TV star and hotel guest Dog the Bounty Hunter, who particularly enjoyed the Trump-stamped chocolates in his room.

It was just another week at the new political capital of the nation's capital.

The $200 million hotel inside the federally owned Old Post Office building has become the place to see, be seen, drink, network  even live  for the still-emerging Trump set. It's a rich environment for lobbyists and anyone hoping to rub elbows with Trump-related politicos  despite a veil of ethics questions that hangs overhead.

"I've never come through this lobby and not seen someone I know," says Deason, a Dallas-based fundraiser for Trump's election campaign.

For Republican Party players, it's the only place to stay.

"I can tell you this hotel will be the most successful hotel in Washington, D.C.," says Manchester, adding that he would know because he has developed the second-largest Marriott and second-largest Hyatt in the world. Manchester says Trump's hotel will attract people based on its location near the White House and Congress, the quality renovation and the management team.

Then there's also the access.

Although Trump says he is not involved in the day-to-day operations of his businesses, he retains a financial interest in them. A stay at the hotel gives someone trying to win over Trump on a policy issue or political decision a potential chit.

That's what concerns ethics lawyers who had wanted Trump to sell off his companies as previous presidents have done.

"President Trump is in effect inviting people and companies and countries to channel money to him through the hotel," said Kathleen Clark, a former ethics lawyer for the District of Columbia and a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sitting pretty in the Postmaster Suite #suitelife #luxury #hotel #WashingtonDC #TrumpDC : @anobleeventsanddesign A post shared by Trump Washington D.C. (@trumpwashingtondc) on Jan 11, 2017 at 1:43pm PST

(Read also: Trump expected to sign new travel ban order)

She said the "pay to play" danger is even greater than it would be if people wanted to donate to a campaign to influence a politician's thinking. Spending money at a Trump property "is about personally enriching Donald Trump, who happens to be the president of the United States."

The White House strongly disputes there's any ethical danger in Trump's business arrangements.

Trump can see his hotel from the White House. When a Fox News interviewer mentioned that to him recently, Trump responded, "Isn't that beautiful?" But while the interviewer pointed out that he can see the property from his desk in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I'm so focused on what I'm doing here that I don't even think about it."

Still, Trump couldn't resist the short trip over there for dinner on his only weekend night out in Washington since becoming president.

A reporter for the website Independent Journal Review was tipped off about Trump's dining plans and sat at a table near him. He noted the president's dinner fare and companions, who included daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Trump adviser Jared Kushner.

On other nights, the posh hotel is the kind of place where on a mid-February evening, you could bump into Trump television personality Katrina Pierson having cocktails with Lynne Patton, a former Trump Organization executive who's now working at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Trump campaign and inauguration hands Tom Barrack, Boris Epshteyn, Nick Ayers and Rick Gates are among the many who have stayed there in recent weeks.

Rooms start at above $500 most nights, according to the hotel's website and a receptionist. That's up hundreds of dollars from when the hotel first opened, not long before Election Day. Patricia Tang, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, declined to answer questions about how business is going.

The hotel has become a staging area for big political events.

Eric and Donald Trump Jr. posed for dozens of selfies with admirers at the hotel that bears their name before attending their father's White House ceremony in late January to announce Judge Neil Gorsuch as the president's pick for the Supreme Court.

Deason ran into the Trumps and fellow Texas donor Gentry Beach while at a meeting at the hotel that day with Trump's campaign adviser Rudy Giuliani. During inauguration week, when Trump himself repeatedly visited, the hotel was "literally the center of the universe," Deason said.

(Read also: In Bali, Trumps planned six-star hotel risks angering the Gods)

Last Tuesday, as Trump gave his first address to Congress, lobbyists and politicos watched the four large flat screens above the bar, two tuned to Fox news and two to CNN. In what hotel staff said was an effort to avoid some of the obvious politics of the place, the TVs were muted, so people followed along on their own devices.

As Trump wrapped up, applause rose through the lobby and bar. Mnuchin waved to admirers gathered in the bar as he strolled through after Trump's speech.

Mnuchin is one of the New Yorkers working in Washington who call it home during the week. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn is another. Linda McMahon, who heads the Small Business Administration, also has been staying there.

Administration officials "have been personally paying a fair market rate" for their accommodations, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said.

Even Trump's closest friends pay to stay.

Billionaire Phil Ruffin, Trump's partner for his Las Vegas residential tower, said he shelled out $18,000 per night while he was in town for the inauguration, which he said surprised him since he'd given $1 million to Trump's inauguration committee. Ruffin said he lightly complained about the high rate to the president.

"He said, 'Well, I'm kind of out of it.' So I didn't get anywhere, didn't get my discount," Ruffin recalled.

Trump's continued ownership of his hotel and other businesses has spawned lawsuits and ethics complaints, but so far no action on any of them. One accommodation Trump says he is making on the ethics front is to donate profits from foreign governments that spend money at his hotels.

Last week, Kuwait's ambassador, Salem Al-Sabah, and his wife hosted a reception in the hotel's presidential ballroom, in what was one of the first known instances of foreign money changing hands with the hotel division of the Trump Organization since he became president. A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization did not respond to questions about whether the money from the Kuwait Embassy has been or will be donated.

Mnuchin attended.

___

Associated Press White House correspondent Julie Pace and AP writers Bradley Klapper, Jonathan Lemire, Jill Colvin, Catherine Lucey, Vivian Salama and Ken Thomas contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, March 7, 2017 13:18 2070 a291276806121264c0bd211cde359fdd 1 News soekarno-hatta-airport,Soekarno-Hatta-airport-railway,Train,#trains,#airport,traveling,travelers,Airport Free

Travelers will soon have a new way to reach Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (SHIA) in Cengkareng, Tangerang, with a train service connecting Jakarta to the airport scheduled to begin operating in July.

The Jakarta Post talked to Diah Suryandari, the JM Marcomm and public relations officer of PT Railink, a joint venture between state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) II to obtain more detailed information regarding the service.

(Read also: Soekarno-Hatta airport train to start operating in July)

Where to board the train?

Passengers will be able to board the train from five designated stations: Manggarai, Sudirman Baru, Duri, Batu Ceper and SHIA. However, as construction at Manggarai Station may be not yet completed in July, the service is scheduled to start from Sudirman Baru Station, which will be located across the BNI building in Central Jakarta's Jl. Sudirman area, just beside the Ciliwung River, near Sudirman Station.

Where to get off in SHIA?

The SHIA Station will be nestled in an integrated building situated in front of the Main Power System (MPS) building at the airport, approximately 300 meters away from the the AP II building. Passengers will be able to transfer to terminals via an Automatic People Mover System (APMS), a driverless train dubbed skytrain. AP II Corporate Secretary and Legal head Agus Haryadi said the skytrain would be free of charge.

(Read also: Skytrain to connect terminals at Soekarno-Hatta airport)

How many cars will be available?

Eventually, there will be 10 six-car trains servicing the route, however, only four six-car trains will be operating when the serve begins in July. Each train will be able to carry up to 272 passengers. In total, the trains are expected to accommodate approximately 33,000 passengers per day.

How long is the train ride?

The train is expected to take 55 minutes from Manggarai Station to SHIA Station. There will be 124 services per day with a headway of 15 minutes. However, at the beginning of the operation, there will only be 40 trains per day.

(Read also: Airport railway line may also be connected to Kota Station)

How much are tickets?

PT Railink is still considering the price of the ticket, but it is likely to be between Rp 100,000 (US$7.5) and Rp 150,000 per ride. A progressive rate is still being discussed.

Passengers will be able to book tickets through Railinks website or mobile app, as well as selected partners websites. Passengers will also be able to buy tickets on the spot using designated vending machines. All ticket transactions will be cashless, allowing users to use credit, debit or prepaid cards. (kes)
Residents are concerned about an uptick of crime on the Lower East Side. Some blame the bars and clubs. [Channel 5]

A 23-year-old aspiring rapper, turned himself in after attacking a Channel 7 reporter during a live segment on the Lower East Side. [Daily News]

Editorial: The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. must be shut down. [New York Post]

A retail transformation is occurring on the western end of Canal Street. [New York Post]

Jimmy McMillan, the Rent is Too Damn High guy, is running as a Republican for the City Council seat soon to be vacated by Rosie Mendez. [The Observer]

An update on Anthology Film Archives expansion project, which includes a lobby cafe and library. [EV Grieve]

John Zorns avant-garde music space, The Stone, will relocate to the New Schools Glass Box Theater on West 13th Street after closing on the Lower East Side in March of 2018. [Village Voice]
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid was allegedly duped of Rs 59,000 by some persons on the pretext of selling him Maltese puppies through a website.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has launched a probe into the matter after registering an FIR on March 2 on the basis of Khurshids complaint.

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Police said Khurshid came to know about sale of the puppies while surfing through the portal on February 13. The advertisement had quoted the price of two puppies at Rs 12,000 each.

The former external affairs minister contacted over email the accused, Tonny Wallace, who claimed to be in Thekkad, Kerala.

Following the email correspondence till February 19, a representative from Khurshids office started interacting with Wallace, who asked him to transfer the money in the account of one Ankit Badri, also named in the FIR along with him.

After Khurshids representative transferred Rs 59,000 to Badris account, Wallace told Khurshid that he would be available on his US toll free number and on Facebook.

The accused then demanded more money from the Congress leader on the pretext of health checks and health certificate of the puppies and their transportation to Delhi.

Later, Wallace told the minister that the pets will be delivered to Delhi through a pet travel agency - Pacific Pet Re-Locators - but they were never delivered.

Khurshid filed the complaint on February 21 with the Barakhamba Road police station and subsequently the matter was transferred to the EOW.

Police said they have begun a probe in the matter and are trying to identify the accused through the bank account details and the Facebook page link shared by Khurshid.

The former Union minister also alleged in the complaint that the accused "transact in online trading of Bitcoins wherein they lure online purchasers through advertisements on e-commerce websites".

Khurshid said they investigated the matter at their end and have provided all the details to the investigators.

"The cyber world is full of pitfalls and ensuring cyber security is a huge problem. I hope that the police that is engaged in looking after cyber crime will be able to get to the bottom of this," he said.

While the Congress leaders complaint mentions about the Bitcoin trade, the FIR registered by EOW does not mention it.

"Bitcoin trade is a worrisome thing because it is anonymous and because it is used world over for nefarious things. If we are arent alert now, something might happen.

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"It will come out. We are giving them (police) some time," the former Union minister added. PTI SLB DIP ZMN DIP

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Mar 7 (PTI) Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao today received the Prime Minister of Uganda Ruhakana Rugunda and his delegation at Raj Bhavan here.

The Ugandan Prime Minister is on a 3?day visit to the megapolis from March 7 to 9.

Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda stated that there are 27,000 people of Indian origin making handsome contribution to the economy of Uganda.

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He told the Governor that Uganda is keen to enhance its cooperation with India in the areas of oil exploration, energy, tourism, education and healthcare, trade and commerce and others, according to a press release issued by Raj Bhawan.

Welcoming the Ugandan Prime Minister to Maharashtra, the Governor stressed the need for increasing educational cooperation and business delegation visits between India and Uganda, it said.

Honorary Consul General of Uganda in Mumbai Madhusudan Agrawal was also present, said the release. PTI VT NRB SRE

--- ENDS ---
Barack Obama has made his first appearance since Donald Trump claimed the former president of the United States tapped his phones during the presidential election  and he was looking good.

(Jose Luis Magana/AP)

He and his wife Michelle were reportedly clapped and cheered by a small crowd present at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Round of applause and cheers as Obama leaves the National Gallery, becoming a thing apparently  Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) March 5, 2017

I was at the National Gallery of Art today and Barack Obama showed up pic.twitter.com/lUltonl91X  man without pants (@ManWithoutPants) March 5, 2017

Crowd as President Obama leaves the National Gallery pic.twitter.com/lqPSSNrKg9  Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) March 5, 2017

With Trumps sensational and as yet unfounded claims hanging in the air around Obama at the moment the public did what any person in the 21st century who wants to talk about politics would do  talked about his outfit.

Barack got that old man swag: Brown leather jacket, shirt tucked in. I could only hope to be that fresh when I'm 60. pic.twitter.com/RW5pNMp83d  A.T. The Ambassador (@Acquired_Taste) March 6, 2017

President Barack Obama out here living his best life and looking like the next cover of GQ pic.twitter.com/PeD5aUaz9P  Bougie Banton (@_KingNeek) March 6, 2017

The compliments werent limited to Barack.

Michelle really out here rocking that Alexander Wang and Barack stunting with the leather jacket pic.twitter.com/OmidlUJOZ0  Luxary styles (@Luxarystyles) March 7, 2017

Having said that, some felt Obama could have brought out his A-game sooner.

Barack Obama gave us 8 years of "dad jeans" knowing all the while that this was possible. How dare you sir! pic.twitter.com/J1GXgKhqO4  J.A.B. (@MsJamilaAisha) March 7, 2017

The passion.
According to LinkedIn, the social networks purpose is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. It has 450 million members, including 40 million students, so, apart from just connecting with people, how can it help you find your perfect job?

We asked Careers Consultant Graham Philpott from Henley Business School to explain the seven things to bear in mind when using LinkedIn as part of your job search.

Look at who is hiring, both for the job you want now and the one above it.

Linkedin is a really good jobs site, its an excellent place to look to see who is recruiting for the type of job you really want. Its very easy and quick to find a list of companies who have the sorts of vacancies youre looking at.

All you have to do in go to the Jobs section and type in the job title in the search function. You can narrow the results down by location too, e.g. London, to make your list even more targeted.

Remember not to just look for that next job though, look for more senior ones too. Youll want those jobs one day in the future and its really good to know which companies are hiring both at your level and the one above. If a company is only hiring senior positions there is no harm in contacting them to let them know youre available just in case - they may well be planning more junior recruitment soon.

See who currently does the job you want and look at how they got there

How do people get those dream jobs? It neednt be a mystery, just read the career histories of those who have that job now. To find them type the job title in the search box and youll get lots of profiles back of people who have, or have had, that job.

When reading their pages look for trends: What qualifications have they got? Where did they start their career? What jobs have they done in between?These are all things that LinkedIn can tell you, just with a quick search.

Understand whats important to people by joining in the groups and reading the blogposts

LinkedIn has thousands of online groups where people with the same interests can discuss whats going on in their sector.

Many of these groups are open to anyone, so they are a great way for you to be able to see at a glance what topics are hot in your industry. Increasingly people from all walks of life are writing blogs on LinkedIn too, so this is also a great way for you to see whats on the minds of people from your sector.

This sort of contextual knowledge and wider understanding of the current landscape can really make a difference to your eventual job application and interview performance.

Find people you have something in common with



A golden rule of networking is that its much easier to network with people that you have something in common with. The place where you study is as good a place to start as any  so why not find your universitys profile on LinkedIn?

From the universitys LinkedIn page you can see which LinkedIn users studied there too, and crucially what they are doing now. Connecting with relevant people from this list for your job search will provide you with the starting point for a network that could propel your career forward long into the future.

Look at how people doing your ideal job present themselves

It can be difficult to know how to present yourself online, what tone to write in or what sort of profile picture to use on your page. But by looking at other LinkedIn users profiles you can really gauge what is the general style for your sector. Say you want to be a graphic designer, or a mechanical engineer.

Look these people up on LinkedIn and assess how these people are presenting themselves. What language and terminology do they use? What do their profiles contain? Find the similarities and make sure to use them on your LinkedIn profile too.

Follow the companies you are interested in, so that you know what issues they care about

Linkedin isnt just great for people, its good for companies too. Youll find that nearly any company you are interested in will have a LinkedIn page you can follow, which shows not only your interest in them as a company, but also allows you to see the sorts of stories they are sharing.

So building up a list of companies to follow and checking your LinkedIn newsfeed regularly is a really easy way of getting through to a lot of helpful insight in a short space of time  all you need to do is log into LinkedIn and your feed will be there!

Remind companies you are there by engaging with content on LinkedIn regularly

Sure, when you are the biggest success in your field, people will come looking for you. But until then, youll need to remind your contacts that you are there.

LinkedIn makes this really easy  if you read an article online youll often see a little widget you can click on to share the story on LinkedIn.

This has two main effects  it means that youll show up on your contacts newsfeeds, refreshing their memory of you, and it will help prospective recruiters see just how motivated you are about your industry.Liking the posts of your LinkedIn connections also pushes you  and them - to the top of the newsfeed.

Linkedin is a wonderful resource for a job seeker, it has many ways to give you help, you just need to be proactive in how you use it. So make it part of your daily routine!
US president Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on travel which will temporarily halt entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas.

Trumps directive aims to address legal issues with the original order, which caused confusion at American airports, sparked protests around the country and was ultimately blocked by federal courts.

Heres what we know so far.

How is the revised order different?

.@POTUS has signed a new executive order that will keep the nation safe. Read it at https://t.co/XcBwwEJJHF pic.twitter.com/Yx2mikXl2A  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 6, 2017

The new order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas, who can travel freely.

Trump Travel Ban: 90day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen. It doesn't apply to those who already have valid visas  Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) March 6, 2017

Which country was removed and why?

New Exec Order imposes 90-day ban on travelers from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Iraq removed from the list.  Mark Knoller (@markknoller) March 6, 2017

The White House has dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries, following pressure from the Pentagon and state department, which had urged the White House to reconsider given Iraqs role in fighting Islamic State.

A fact sheet obtained by reporters cites negotiations which resulted in Iraq agreeing to increase co-operation with the US government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States.

An Iraqi spokesman said the change marks a positive step and shows Washington and Baghdad have a real partnership.

But is the goal of the order the same?

Trump administration officials said that even with the changes, the goal of the new order is the same as the first: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews the vetting system for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.

According to the fact sheet, the Department of Homeland Security will conduct a country-by-country review of the information the six targeted nations provides to the US for visa and immigration decisions.

Those countries will then have 50 days to comply with US government requests to update or improve that information.

Any other changes to the order we should know about?

President Donald Trump waves as he walks to the Oval Office upon arrival at the White House (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Another change expected is that the order will no longer single out Syrian refugees for an indefinite ban. Syrian refugees will now be treated like other refugees and be subjected to the 120-day suspension of the refugee programme.

The new version is also expected to remove language that would give priority to religious minorities. Critics had accused the administration of adding such language to help Christians get into the United States while excluding Muslims.

So what exactly happens next?

Today's EO-"Effective Date. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., eastern daylight time on March 16, 2017." Pres Trump tweet from Jan 30 https://t.co/14emN9NYC3  Karen Travers (@karentravers) March 6, 2017

In an interview with Fox News, presidential counsellor Kellyanne Conway said the new order will not go into effect until March 16. Thats despite earlier warnings from the president and his team that any delay in implementation would pose a national security risk, allowing dangerous people to flow into the country.

Trumps order suspends the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, though refugees already formally scheduled for travel by the State Department will be allowed entry.

When the suspension is lifted, the number of refugees allowed into the US will be capped at 50,000 for fiscal year 2017.

Is the way Trump signed this order different to before?

Just now: Trump signs revised travel ban order. Unlike other EO signings, no cameras present this time. per WH aide to @PeterAlexander  Ari Melber (@AriMelber) March 6, 2017

Notably, Trump was not holding a public signing ceremony for the new measure.

Instead, several Cabinet secretaries  homeland security secretary John Kelly, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and attorney general Jeff Sessions  planned to discuss the order at an event on Monday.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer was not scheduled to hold an on-camera briefing on Monday either, leading to the appearance that the president was distancing himself from the order, which was a signature issue during his campaign and the first days of his presidency.

Lastly  are there any legal issues with the new order?

From a legal perspective, a lawyer notes, Trump still faces a major hurdle: the copious trail of him targeting Muslims specifically  Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) March 6, 2017

Legal experts say the new order addresses some of the constitutional concerns raised by a federal appeals court about the initial ban. But they say it leaves room for more legal challenges.
Reviews website Yelp has introduced a gender-neutral bathroom finder to its website and app, in response to anti-trans rhetoric sweeping the US.

Rachel Williams, Yelps Head of Diversity and Inclusion, wroite in a blog post: Today weve begun rolling out a new business attribute that helps users identify businesses that offer gender-neutral restrooms to patrons.

What constitutes a gender neutral restroom, you ask? Gender neutral restrooms are accessible to persons of any gender and are a locking, single-stall bathroom.

The tech giant is asking users to gather data by marking LGBTQ+ friendly venues in their settings. Business owners can also edit the Gender Neutral Restrooms attribute.

Last week, Yelp also announced its participation in the amicus brief in support of transgender student Gavin Grimm, whose legal case has reached the Supreme Court.

Grimm alleges that his school has violated human rights laws by denying him access to the bathroom and changing room that assigns to his preferred gender identity. Yelp is among Apple, Amazon, and eBay in signing the brief.

Williams added: At Yelp we thrive on inclusion and acceptance, and we hope that our support for Gavins case and the addition of this new business attribute will help our friends in the LGBTQQIA community.

By introducing the gender-neutral bathroom finder, Yelp is among companies such as Apple in opposing Trumps recent proposal to rescind transgender bathroom privileges to students across the US.
The probe was ordered in response to a query raised in the question hour by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ashish Shelar.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced a probe by SIT (Special Investigation Team) in 432 redevelopment projects under Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The SIT will also probe approval to projects pending from the last 10 years.

The announcement was made by Minister of State for Housing Ravindra Waikar in the state assembly.

The probe was ordered in response to a query raised in the question hour by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashish Shelar. Waikar informed the house that MHADA provides additional FSI (Floor Space Index) to such projects in order to build affordable housing.

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"Apart from 33 projects for which No Objection Certificates have been given, MHADA has given 1,56, 520.41 square meter additional area for 432 projects. Out of this, only 31,319.79 square meter has been handed over to MHADA," said Waikar.

Shelar, who had raised the issue in Lower House alleged that developers are using the scheme to make money using the loopholes and partisan approach by MHADA. "Though some projects have taken off, this has resulted in stalling many projects... The actual beneficiaries for whom these affordable houses are to be constructed are ultimately kept on the waiting list... Will SIT probe these irregularities?" Shelar had asked.

"The total cost of area that has not been handed over to MHADA is around Rs 6,000 crore," Shelar alleged.

Also read: Bombay HC asks MHADA to give info on tenements given to mill workers

--- ENDS ---
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A nurse who was elected president of the National American Arab Nurses Association wants to strengthen existing ties with area health systems and grow new collaborations.

Moe Rustom is the director for multicultural health for four Beaumont hospitals  Dearborn, Taylor, Trenton and Wayne. He served on the board for NAANA for about four years before being elected president in 2016.

Rustom has been a nurse for nearly 26 years and has experience in a variety of disciplines, including the emergency room and critical care. After 14 years in clinical bedside nursing, he moved to an administrative role.

In 2005-06, he began running an award-winning program covering eight hospitals and dozens of satellite clinics that addresses disparities in health care for non-English speakers.

His role was to oversee provision of services at all of the sites and to make sure that deaf and blind patients and patients with limited English proficiency have equal access to health services.

Language is a great concern in patient safety, he said. Studies have shown that provision of language services has a positive impact on adverse effects and health outcomes as these patients go through the health system.

NAANA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for and recognizes the accomplishments of Arab American nurses in a variety of ways. The organization presents cultural competency programs to schools and health systems and awards scholarships so Arab Americans can attend nursing schools. NAANA has given away about $45,000 in scholarships since 2003, Rustom said.

The organization also hosts an annual Angels of Mercy recognition banquet in October that highlights the accomplishments of Arab American nurses from all over the country, though because southeastern Michigan has the largest Arab American community in the United States, many of the winners are from Michigan.

Rustom was instrumental in bringing in the Beaumont Health System as a sponsor for the awards ceremony.

Beaumont has been wonderful as a champion of diversity, he said of his employer.

Rustom said hed like to expand on the Angels of Mercy program and create an all-day conference on cultural competency in health care.

Rustoms other goals for his time as president of NAANA include revisiting the vision of the organization and making sure its keeping up with the times.

He said its too early to tell what impact political efforts to change or eliminate the Affordable Care Act will have on nursing.

We do worry about the impact of whats happening with affordable care, he said. It will directly impact nurses enrolled in school, but its probably too early to see what that impact will be.

Rustom added that the changes are more likely to be felt on the side of access than on enrollment in nursing school.

Overall, Rustoms focus during his presidency will be on partnerships and collaboration.

I want to look at where well be in two or three years in terms of collaborations with local health systems, he said. Ive been able to positively impact the organization by bringing in the support we have from Beaumont Health, and I hope to create more partner-level relationships with other systems in southeast Michigan.

Contact freelance writer Sarah Rigg at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.
Former Minister and Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad has filed a complaint with the Mumbai police alleging she received lewd messages.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Former Minister and Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad has filed a complaint with the Mumbai police alleging she received lewd messages.

Gaikwad is a former Cabinet Minister and presently represents the Dharavi constituency (in Mumbai) in the Maharashtra Assembly.

She has alleged that she received lewd messages on her phone during the recently-concluded municipal polls, and filed her complaint at the Wadala TT Police Station.

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'IF A FORMER MINISTER LIKE ME IS VICTIMIZED, WHAT ABOUT HELPLESS WOMEN?'

"I chose to ignore earlier as I thought this is purposely done to distract attention during election times, but when it continued I decided to lodge a complaint with Mumbai police." Gaikwad told India Today.

"These incidents (of women politicians being targeted) are on the rise in recent times... These people feel that they can intimidate a woman like this.. but I'm not going to let it go....If a former minister like me is victimised what about helpless women ?" she added.

SIMILAR INCIDENTS

Recently, BJP leader and noted fashion designer Shaina NC received obscene and vulgar messages on her mobile phone. Shiv Sena Leader Dr Neelam Gorhe, too, received threats on her phone.

In both these cases, the suspects were nabbed by police.

ALSO READ | Mumbai: BJP's Shaina NC receives vulgar messages, files complaint against stalker

ALSO WATCH | BJP leader Shaina NC files stalking complaint

--- ENDS ---
If women legislators are targeted like this, imagine the plight of girls and women, said Praniti Shinde, MLA from Solapur who received obscene message on her phone.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: After Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad and BJP's Shaina NC complained of receiving lewd messages and threats, more women legislators in Maharashtra are complaining of similar harassment.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and MLC Vidya Chavan lodged a complaint with the Vile Parle police after she received lewd messages. "I had received the message on the night of February 21. The person had sent a lewd and obscene message. I complained to the local police. I am thankful that the culprit was nabbed," Chavan said.

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The disturbing trend has sent the alarm bells ringing in the government. Maharashtra's Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde said sending lewd message is a crime and the "senders should keep in mind that the cyber police is watching them".

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DISTURBING TREND: Former Maharashtra minister and Congress MLA from Dharavi Varsha Gaikwad had filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police after she received obscene messages on her phone. "If a former minister like me is victimised what about other women," she said. BJP leader and fashion designer Shaina NC also approached the police to complain against a stalker who was harassing her by sending vulgar messages. Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe also received threatening and abusive messages. The police traced the number and arrested the sender. "Some people do not like the way we raise questions on the floor of the House... and with a sick mentality they try to threaten us like this... I have a strong feeling that there is a racket that is operational behind these messages and this should be probed," said Sena leader Gorhe. Praniti Shinde, MLA from Solapur and daughter of former union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, received similar threats six months ago. She filed a complaint with the police and the accused was arrested. "I too received obscene messages. I initially chose to ignore them but then I realised that staying silence is not going to help. It is sad that women legislators are targeted like this, imagine the plight of girls and women," Praniti Shinde said. Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said that his department has taken cognisance of these complaints and promised strict action against culprits. "It is a serious issue and the cyber cell will track the culprits," Patil told reporters outside the state Assembly.

ALSO READ:

Maharashtra: After Shaina NC, Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad receives lewd messages

Mumbai: BJP's Shaina NC receives vulgar messages, files complaint against stalker

Also watch| Lewd messages: More Maharashtra women politicians come out to complain

--- ENDS ---
In Thoubal, where Chief Minister Ibobi Singh has won three consecutive terms is being challenged by the main opposition BJP and new entrant PRJA led by Irom Sharmila.

By Indrajit Kundu: All eyes will be on the battle royal in Thoubal on Wednesday as Irom Sharmila makes her political debut against three time Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in the second and final phase of Manipur Assembly polls.

22 seats spread across Thoubal, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong and Senapati districts will be voting in this crucial final phase that will decide who will rule the state for the next five years.

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In Thoubal, where Chief Minister Ibobi Singh has won three consecutive terms is being challenged by the main opposition BJP and new entrant PRJA led by Irom Sharmila.

While Ibobi Singh has welcomed Sharmila's foray into politics stating that in democracy anybody was free to contest, Sharmila maintains her fight is as much against the chief minister as it was against the current political system in the state.

"It is not just symbolic. We are fighting to win. The response is positive and I'm confident," she had told India Today after casting her vote in the first phase of polling last Saturday.

"Our stand against money and muscle power is a big example to the whole corrupted system of electoral politics in Manipur," said Manipur's iron lady.

A total of 98 candidates are contesting in this phase amid tight security across 1151 polling booths. Even on the eve of this final phase, two improvised explosive device (IED) blasts were reported from Ukhrul district in which one army jawan and a civilian got injured.

More than 250 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed along with the Army that is keeping a close vigil on the polls.

Meanwhile, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla has appealed to voters to exercise their constitutional responsibility so that the state came first in the country with the highest voter turnout.

In the first phase of polling that concluded on March 4, a whopping 84 percent voting had been recorded. Results for the 60-seat Manipur assembly is scheduled to be announced on March 11.

Also read:

Manipur election: Irom Sharmila takes on CM Okram Ibobi as BJP looks to firm its grip on NorthEast

--- ENDS ---
Phuket approved new wastewater treatment plant for Patong

PHUKET: A new wastewater treatment centre has been approved for Patong that is expected to see 70% of wastewater from within Patong Municipality to be treated before being released into the sea.

tourismpatongpollutionmarineenvironmentnatural-resources

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 7 March 2017, 12:18PM

Bangkok officials have approved a new wastewater-treatment plant for Patong that is expected to treat 70% of the wastwater generated in the town before it is releaed into the sea. Photo: The Phuket News / file

However, one issue that still remains unresolved is rental of temple land required for the project, and a budget for the project, which has already been approved, cannot be allocated until resolved.

Department of Local Administration Director-General Jarin Jakkapak confirmed approval of the wasterwater-treatment centre at a meeting in Patong on Saturday (Mar 4).

At the meeting were officials from Patong Municipality, Phuket Regional Environment Office 15, Phuket Office of Natural Resources and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, and Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre.

Over the years the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the islands wastewater has changed and this is what has caused the change in colour of the water when the wastewater is released into the sea, Mr Jarin said.

As a short-term fix for the problem, Patong Municipality have been awarded a budget to expand the existing municipality sewerage system. In addition, Patong Municipality will be required to check properties outside of the current system to see if they have their own wastewater-treatment systems.

If these properties do not have their own wastewater systems they should be fully equipped to be linked to the new system before its completion, he said.

In the long-term, in addition to the new wastewater treatment centre in Patong, Kalim, which does not currently have a wastewater treatment system, will join with Patongs new system at Phra Baramee Rd.

This project has already gone through a feasibility study and has the design details but is it now awaiting approval for environment quality management. If approved this will be included in the provincial budget for 2019, he added.

Once complete this new system will be adequate to cover wastewater treatment for the Patong community.

The only problem we have to deal with now is the issue of renting temple land. The budget for the wastewater project has already been approved by the central government, however, this cannot be allocated until this land issue has been resolved, he said.

In addition, Patong Municipality does not know how many laundries are currently connected to the existing wastewater treatment system.

Therefore, they will need to conduct a survey of all laundries in the area and to ensure they are all connected to the system in the future, he concluded.
Phuket Immigration frees Russian fish-feeding criminal, no blacklist required

PHUKET: Chalong Police have confirmed to The Phuket News that Olga Smirnova, the 53-year-old Russian woman arrested for feeding fish at Koh Racha and detained for two days in police detention cells because she could not raise the B100,000 bail required, has not been added to Thailands immigration blacklist.

Russiantourismmarineenvironmentpolice

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Tuesday 7 March 2017, 11:45AM

Olga Smirnova, the 53-year-old Russian woman arrested for feeding fish at Koh Racha and detained for two days in police detention cells because she could not raise the B100,000 bail required, has been been freed by Phuket Immigration and not added to Thailands immigration blacklist. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Phuket Immigration confirmed that Ms Smirnova was not added to the blacklist and she can travel in Phuket until her visa (permit to stay) expires on Mar 18, Chalong Police Chief Col Krittapas Det-intarasorn told The Phuket News this morning. This is most likely because it is not a serious issue, Col Krittapas added. Col Krittapas assured, The bail money posted will be returned to Ms Ratree Raksaart. Ms Ratree nominated herself to the court as a friend of Ms Smirnova and submitted the B100,000 bail to Phuket Provincial Court on Feb 21 in order to secure Ms Smironovas release while awaiting trial. Ms Smirnova was arrested at Koh Racha on Feb 19 for feeding bread to fish. (See story here.) Until yesterday, she was being held in Thailand in order to be sentenced and fined B1,000 for the crime. (See story here.)
Attacking Narendra Modi for his shamshan-kabristan remark, he said it doesn't behove the prime ministers post and termed as "worrying" the BJPs bid to tailor the national discourse to its views.

By Press Trust of India: Manmohan Singh was not a "weak" prime minister, but for some "strange reasons" he decided not to assert himself during the second term of the UPA government, Congress leader Manish Tewari said on Monday.

Responding to questions after a book launch event here, Tewari said, "My personal take is that Manmohan Singh was not a weak Prime Minister."

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"Had he been a weak PM, he wouldn't have gone ahead with the civil nuclear deal. But for some strange reasons, he decided, during the second term of the UPA, not to assert himself."

Attacking Narendra Modi for his shamshan-kabristan remark, he said it doesn't behove the prime ministers post and termed as "worrying" the BJPs bid to tailor the national discourse to its views.

WHAT DID MODI SAY

"I will try and be non-partisan, but unfortunately when you are seeing the Prime Minister of the country bringing down the discourse to shamshan and kabristan, it does not really augur well for the institution of the PM."

"It is one thing when you are campaigning to become the PM and it is another thing when you are the PM," he said.

"Therefore, when you speak as the PM, in every action, every articulation of yours, that statesmanship should come out," the former Union information and broadcasting minister said.

During a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh, Modi had stressed that there should be no discrimination on the basis of caste and religion. "If there is electricity in graveyard and during Ramzan, it must also be available in a crematorium and during Diwali," Modi had said.

Tewari said that he feels that there has been a "concerted attempt" to try and tailor the national discourse to BJPs views after the party came to power.

"What happened in FTII-Pune, what's happening in the censor board, what is being played out in the universities... It's a premeditated, concerted attempt to adjust the national discourse and thats the most worrying tendency," he said.

Also read: Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi like Lal Bahadur Shastri? Former PM's son says yes

Also read: How the Uttar Pradesh verdict will impact Congress thinking on future alliances

Also read: To counter Modi's Mann ki Baat, Congress' Sandeep Dikshit launches Kaam ki Baat

--- ENDS ---
Phuket tourists can bring sun loungers, umbrellas to beaches, say officials

PHUKET: Tourists can bring their own sun loungers and umbrellas to Patong and all beaches in Kata and Karon, The Phuket News has confirmed. However, they must use them inside the 10% zones reserved for vendors.

tourismpatongmilitary

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Tuesday 7 March 2017, 07:39PM

Map of the 10% zones on Karon Noi Beach (in front of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort). Map: Karon Municipality

The sun loungers and umbrellas provided by vendors at Kata and Karon beaches must be in two lines only. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

This applies to expats and Thais, too, of course. They can bring their own sun loungers and umbrellas, and not rent from a vendor, but they must keep them inside the zones, Mayor Chalermluck told The Phuket News today (Mar 7).

Complaints about any incidents with beach vendors about planting your own umbrella or sun lounger inside the zones are to be directed to Patong Municipality, Mayor Chalermluck added.

Please inform our public relations office of any complaints by calling 076-344275. I have already informed them to record all complaints, she said.

The same applies at all beaches in Kata and Karon, confirmed Rachen Phuntarakit, the Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) for Karon Municipality.

This will make it very tight inside the 10% zones, but this is the best we can do for now, he said.

I have spoken to the vendors (at beaches in Kata and Karon) about this, so there should be no problems, Mr Rachen added.

Likewise, any complaints about beach vendors in Kata and Karon are to be directed to Karon Municipality by calling 076-330186.

Please call Karon Municipality and ask the operator to connect you with an officer from our legal division, he said.

The Phuket News notes that the Tourist Police hotline 1155 also has volunteer translators for many languages, including Russian and Chinese.

Later, we might suggest to the provincial beach management committee to allow tourists to bring their own sun loungers and umbrellas and use them outside the zones  but that has not yet been confirmed and will not happen until after this one-month trial has concluded, Mr Rachen explained.

So for now all sun loungers sand umbrellas  even those brought by tourists  must stay inside the 10% zones. New signs will be posted to explain this to tourists, he said.

Vendors renting out sun loungers and umbrellas are permitted to place only two lines of sun loungers on the sand and also must remain within the 10% zones, Mr Rachen noted.

The news comes after sun loungers and beach umbrellas were allowed back at Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Karon Beach and Karon Noi Beach (also called Relax Bay, in front of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, over the weekend.

The rolling out of the return of the sun loungers was conducted under the watchful eyes of soldiers from the Royal Thai Army.

The army will be keeping a close eye on the vendors, and will return to inspect all beaches about once a month, Mr Rachen said.

Mr Rachen still called the move to allow the sun loungers back on the sands a trial, as announced by Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan last Friday (Mar 3). (See story here.)

The trial is scheduled to last one month, Mr Rachen said.

After the trial has concluded, we will present maps showing the 10% zones at all four beaches under Karon Municipalitys jurisdiction to the Phuket provincial beach management committee for ratification, he explained.

The zones and rules might change  that is up to them, he added.

The maps and zones were drawn up by Karon Municipality Public Works Chief Wanchai Saetan, Mr Rachen noted.

These same maps were presented to the army at a meeting on Friday (Mar 3) for their approval before we started allowing the sun loungers back on the beaches, he explained.

Mr Rachen noted there were still many issues to resolve.

Under our old lists (before sun loungers and beach umbrellas were banned in 2014), we have 119 people who are permitted to rent out umbrellas as follows: 15 at Kata Noi Beach, 34 at Kata Beach, 67 at Karon Beach and three at Karon Noi Beach, he revealed.

However, the beach zone maps obtained by The Phuket News (see photos above) show only 10 zones in total at all four beaches in Kata and Karon.

The length of each zone ranges from 50 metres each at Karon Beach to 187.5m each at Kata Beach  but each zone is only 7.5 metres wide.

Mr Rachen did not elaborate on how many people were empowered by Karon Municipality to rent out sun loungers on beaches at Kata and Karon.

The sun loungers were allowed back onto Patong Beach last Monday (Feb 27) only after Maj Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, Deputy Commander of Royal Thai Army Region 4, the military unit responsible for all of Southern Thailand, gave his direct consent without any provincial officials present but during an inspection led by Patong Mayor Chalermluck. (See story here.)

The sun lounger and beach umbrella rentals in Phuket were banned by police in 2014 after high-ranking police revealed details of the cases they had built against Karon Mayor Thawee Thongchaem, who surrendered to police on June 4 that year to answer to a variety of corruption and taxi mafia charges.

Central to the investigation was how officials offered dozens of government concession contracts to allow vendors to work on Kata and Karon beaches, with contracts totalling billions of baht. (See story here.)

The Phuket News has yet to confirm which beaches will be next to have sun loungers on the sand, but photos of sun loungers on Naiharn Beach circulated on social media today.
Scholars urge Buddhism body to defrock ex-abbot

BANGKOK: Buddhist scholars are calling on the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) to initiate a process to have Phra Dhammajayo defrocked after the fugitive monk was stripped of his monastic title.

crimecorruptionpolicelandreligion

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 7 March 2017, 09:05AM

Phra Dhammajayo. Photo: via Bangkok Post

According to a Royal Gazette article published on Sunday (Mar 5), His Majesty the King has agreed to the governments request to demote Phra Dhammajayo for evading charges filed against him.

The step of removing the monastic title, which took effect on Saturday (Mar 4), comes after the former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya repeatedly failed to appear before authorities to answer charges despite a two-week siege of the temple by thousands of state officials led by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Defrocking the former abbot would see him lose all ecclesiastical status.

Buddhism lecturer Mano Laohavanich, also a former disciple of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, said the NOB should set in motion a defrocking process by asking the Sangha Supreme Council (SSC) to consider the issue.

The NOB, which serves as the secretariat to the SSC, should submit a letter written nearly 20 years ago by the late supreme patriarch who said Phra Dhammajayo should be defrocked for serious violations of the monastic code of conduct, said Mr Mano.

He said the late supreme patriarchs letter which was written in 1999 would see Phra Dhammajayo defrocked without having to detain him.

The late supreme patriarchs letter carried disapproving messages at the former abbots possessing expensive assets, and was interpreted widely as an indirect order to purge him from monkhood.

In a letter dated April 26, 1999, the late supreme patriarch wrote that plots of land and assets worth B900 million, held by Phra Dhammajayo, belonged to the temple, not the monk.

The land ownership case caught prosecutors attention and the former abbot later agreed to turn over the land and assets in 2006. Prosecutors withdrew lawsuits against him in August 2006.

According to Mr Mano, the government has done all it can and now the ball is in the SSCs court.

The prime minister has done his part, but the SSC has yet to. The defrocking must be carried out by the clergy so it can proceed without confrontation with the temples followers, he said.

He said the measure will shake the temple to its core.

Mr Mano also said state authorities will have to disperse the crowds gathering near the temple as soon as possible while issuing warrants for the arrests of monks who disobey orders. They would then be able to thoroughly search the temple.

Santisuk Sophonsiri, a Buddhism scholar, said that in addition to initiating the defrocking process the authorities should freeze the assets of those in charge of the financial management of the temple and the foundation.

He said the freeze targets personal assets, not the temples assets which are considered the states.

It isnt the time to look for individuals because theyre moving assets. The monks who are put in charge of finances must be removed and their personal assets must be examined, he said.

Lt Col Pongporn Pramsaneh, the NOBs newly appointed director, said yesterday (Mar 6) that the SSC will be informed of the removal of the monastic title when it meets this Friday (Mar 10).

However, he declined to say if the NOB will initiate a process to have the monk defrocked, saying the matter will be handled in accordance with procedures.

Phra Dhammajayo, then known as Luang Por Dhammajayo, founded the Dhammakaya movement in 1970 with mae ji (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong.

National Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda expressed confidence the removal of the monastic title would help the authorities do their job easily.

He also said the enforcement of Section 44 also facilitated their handling of Wat Phra Dhammakaya dispute while urging human rights activists who slammed the enforcement to be impartial.

Those calling for the scrapping [of the Section 44 order] should review their call. The government has done the right thing, he said.

Wat Phra Dhammakaya declined to comment on the removal of the ex-abbots monastic title while calling on the government to revoke Section 44.

Phra Maha Nopporn Poonyachayo, assistant director of the temples communications office, said the matter was highly sensitive.

The government spent between B60-90 million on this operation to arrest Phra Dhammajayo whose charge carries a fine of B500, he said.

Phra Palat Seksan Attathamo, a monk at Wat Phra Dhammakaya, said that the crowds gathering at Klong Luang central market near the temple appeared thinner yesterday but he could not say why that was exactly.

Read original story here.
Stand Up Mission: Eight SUPers to board from Krabi to Phuket for charity

SUP: The passionate and adventurous crew from Stand Up Projects are back on their boards and Standing Up to save lives for MissionShip.

charityhealthmarine

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 7 March 2017, 05:00PM

The route to be taken by the eight boarders.

The members of Stand Up Projects group during their circumnavigation of Phuket in 2012.

The crew from Stand Up Projects are not new to doing crazy adventurous things to bring awareness and needed funds to community projects. They were the first to circumnavigate Phuket on stand up paddle boards back in 2012, taking them four days to complete the 130 kilometre journey. They were able to raise what was needed to build and see the completion of the Mike Mathews Learning centre, a school for underprivileged Burmese kids in Phuket Town.

Now eight of them plan to stand up paddle on Monday (Mar 13) and Tuesday (Mar 14) from the Thai province of Krabi across the open sea landing on Phuket.

The crew are aiming to do the paddle in two days, sleeping one night on a remote island beach.

With the generous support so far of local businesses Phuket.Net, E-media Asia and Skylas Surf & SUP Club, the crew will leave on a bus with all their boards and equipment on Sunday (Mar 12) to Krabi.

Early Monday morning they will set off paddling West with Phuket in their sights.

They have mapped a couple of potential islands to camp on the first night but it will depend on weather and wind direction to which island they end up camping on.

Luke Remmers, a longtime resident of Phuket and one of the men who circumnavigated Phuket in 2012, said one of the main challenges they could face is a change in wind direction during each day which will chop up the water, creating waves making it bumpy as well as blowing against them rather than behind them which makes it much more difficult to paddle.

Stand Up Projects was created for the main purpose of supporting sustainable community projects that were already started by individuals but needed the support to raise awareness and needed funds, and Tim Campbell, Co-founder of Stand Up Projects, was introduced to a remarkable man who has the vision of MissionShip.

MissionShip is a charity project which aims to build a medical boat that will provide health and medical services to remote island communities. MissionShip aligns its self with UNICEF which is actively trying to reduce the rate of sick people who die every minute from treatable diseases.

As thousands of people suffer and die from preventable diseases, the heart of one man, Captain Patrick Vickers, has set out to fulfill a vision of building a medical boat that will sail around and provide medical services to remote island communities around the globe.

Campbell said, The real heroes are people like Patrick who have dedicated themselves to projects that they know will bring joy to other peoples lives. Im the privileged one to be able to support them in whatever way I can.

Alex Lotz, owner of Phuket.Net said, "Phuket.Net is delighted to support such a worthy cause that will help get vital vaccines and medicine to people of remote island communities."

The boat, named Ixdos, has been living on the grounds of the British International School in Phuket. The school has been very supportive in allowing Patrick to have a place to work on the boat as donations come in.

The students have had opportunities to be hands on with this project as well as experiencing what goes into a project of this size.

The boat is nearly finished and needs $60,000US (B2 million) for the remaining items of sails, rigging & boat electronics.

Once raised the boat will then be sea ready and on its way to saving lives.

The crew from Stand Up Projects are aiming to raise 5,000 pounds (B200,000) for five sails from their paddle this week and they are asking for all of you to spare just a little and help contribute to saving lives.

You can find all the information about the paddle on Stand Up Projects Facebook page. All the information on the boat you can find at www.missionship.com where you can contact Patrick personally and learn more.

Donations can be made directly atwww.GoGetFunding.com/SUP.

Its wonderful to see how everyday people can join together to make a difference.
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Since the time liquor was banned in the state, people in Bihar, still in need of intoxication, have taken up smoking weed, drinking cough syrups and injecting morphine. Close to 7,000 kg weed has already been seized in 2017.

By India Today Web Desk: After Bihar's complete ban on liquor in the state, marijuana consumption has seen an all time high. The prohibition which was once praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has another side to it.

According to Narcotics Control Bureau's zonal officer TN Singh, 'both consumption and illegal import of marijuana' in the state has gone up. Marijuana dealers are more active as per the data the department has come across,' reports BBC Hindi.

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The data says close to 500 kg marijuana was busted in 2016. The flow increased as 6,900 kg marijuana has been seized In 2017 (till February).

FYI || Kerala: Scared of lesbian sex, college forbids women from locking doors while changing ||

Ramjeevan who is an owner of a small shop in a Bihar district, who presently is in a rehabilitation center, started drinking alcohol in 1990. Soon, he was addicted to it. When in 2016 the state government brought in the liquor-ban, Ramjeevan had a tough time. He started abusing weed said the BBC Hindi report.

WHERE FROM

Bihar gets its supply of weed from Odisha's Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Jeypore, Brahmapur, Ramgarh. The strain of marijuana is called Andhra.

The state also illicitly receives its supply of weed from Tripura where the strain is called Manipuri. Bihar also gets its weed from Raipur and Chhattisgarh.

WEED OR WITHOUT IT

Consumption of opium, which once was called 'God's Own Medicine', has also seen growth in Bihar, even after state government's efforts to destroy opium fields for the last five years.

However, according to TN Singh, opium and marijuana are not just two problems the state government have been dealing with lately. One of the newer problems in Bihar is the rise in consumption of cough syrups containing codeine.

FYI || Weed art: Meet this 26-year-old who rolls creative joints for a living ||

Director of one of Patna's rehabilitation centers Rakhi Sharma told BBC Hindi that apart from marijuana, opium and codeine, people have resorted to popping Alprax, Nitrocine, Valium and Proxyone as well, after the prohibition.

Apart from the aforementioned drugs, the state has further seen rise in Fortwin and morphine injections.

Prohibition in the state has compelled people to take up other substances which they can abuse. Officials have raised concern over the growing use of marijuana and other alternatives people can get their hands on, as the state already fights hard to bring down the unlawful consumption of alcohol in Bihar.

WATCH: Bihar minister calls PM Modi 'dacoit', hits his photo with slippers

--- ENDS ---

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After staying under the radar for much of the campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, BSP leader Mayawati is emerging as a decisive factor in eastern UP.

Mayawati is a mystery, a political enigma that pundits fail to fathom and pollsters often underestimate. No one predicted her decisive victory in the 2007 assembly elections (when she won 206 of 403 seats), no one knows how she became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh three times before that, twice with outside support from the Bharatiya Janata Party and once by forming an alliance with the Mulayam Singh-led Samaj-wadi Party. Given her phenomenal bargaining strength with rivals and her uncanny ability to bounce back after a political setback, Mayawati remains the most pivotal player in UP politics. Will she repeat 2007 in 2017?

As elections in UP enter the crucial slog overs with the last two phases, reaching the eastern frontier, the economically backward Bhojpuri-speaking Purvanchal region, where per capita income is half that of western UP, a fierce new political polarisation, something most polling agencies glaringly missed, is becoming evident: a ferocious fight between the BJP and BSP, both brutally battling for the anti-SP, anti-incumbency vote. Purvanchal is poor, Mayawati tells the crowds at her rallies, your children go for jobs to Mumbai. Don't the BJP-Shiv Sena goons humiliate your boys in BJP-ruled Maharashtra? The crowds roar 'yes'. Once elected, Mayawati promises, she will create a separate state for Purvanchal. The message is direct, focused and powerful.

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Graphics by Tanmoy Chakraborty

In the 2012 assembly polls, the SP had swept Purvanchal, winning 50 of the 89 assembly seats, while current alliance partner Congress won 7. The BJP cornered 11 seats, and the BSP 13 (the Quami Ekta Dal, which has recently merged with the BSP, won 2). The crucial question in 2017 is how many of the 57 seats will the SP-Congress alliance manage to retain in a competitive three-cornered contest?

Amidst a shrill campaign, gathering more and more sectarian steam every passing day, a combative Mayawati is taking head on the rhetoric of the BJP while also exposing Akhilesh's poor record in maintaining law and order. If at her 71st public rally, at Champa Devi Park in Gorakhpur on February 26, she dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah as the "guru-chela who always cheat people and have destroyed the country through notebandi and sectarian messages", and mocked the BJP as the Bharatiya Jumla Party, she also equated Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party government with "anarchism, criminalisation, communalism, corruption and jungle raj", contrasting it with her own sterling record in tackling crime and communalism during her four terms as chief minister. "Not a single case of communal violence," she boasted.

Ever since its humiliating no-show in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, a belligerent Mayawati has been busy stitching up a formidable Dalit-Muslim coalition. She has been riding the tailwinds of the silent but fierce Dalit protest, which originated in Hyderabad after Rohith Vemula's suicide in January 2016 and gathered momentum after the brutal assault on four Dalit youths in Una in Gujarat in July. And the more she attacks BJP leaders and highlights the SP's failures in Muzaffarnagar and Dadri, the more she endears herself to the Muslim community-the 20 per cent floating voters in 2017.

With the party fielding Muslim candidates in 99 seats, they have recently flocked to the BSP in their droves, much to the consternation of the SP-Congress alliance. Never ever in the history of the BSP have so many Muslim organisations openly endorsed Mayawati-not even in 2007, when she went on to serve a full five-year term. In the first fortnight of February this year, the All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) , the Gharib Nawaz Foundation, the Rashtriya Ulema Council (RUC), the Muttaheda Milli Majlis, the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys' Association as well as the AMU Students Council and several other Muslim organisations-Sunni as well as Shia-openly declared their support for the BSP.

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Among them is influential Shia cleric and scholar Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, who met Mayawati on February 9 and went on to declare at a press conference the very next day his support for the BSP. Asked why he has switched sides from the SP to the BSP, his response is: "Akhilesh is no Maulana Mulayam. A desperate Akhilesh is too caught up trying to retain the Hindu vote and, therefore, not ready to discuss any of the problems of the minorities. In the process, he is losing the Hindu votes to the BJP and the Muslims to Mayawati."

2017 is witnessing a quiet but significant Muslim wave in favour of the BSP. The AIUMB, an organisation of clerics and scholars representing Sunni Muslims, has decided to hold public meetings in all the 75 districts of UP to get minorities to support the party in these elections. RUC president Maulana Aamir Rashadi Madni, in the presence of BSP general secretary Nasimuddin Siddiqui, announced the withdrawal of the 84 candidates the organisation had previously fielded in favour of the BSP.

Even the historically apolitical AMUSU broke with tradition when president Faizul Hasan and honorary secretary Nabeel Usmani publicly appealed to Muslim voters to vote for the BSP. "At a time when certain ideologies are being imposed on students, of which Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and Najeeb in JNU became victims, the BSP is the need of the hour," says Usmani.

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The Muslim vote in UP, therefore, has got divided between the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP. What is the basis of this division? Class and the rural-urban divide, according to Professor Badri Narayan of Allahabad. "The poorer Azlafs in the countryside, such as the Ansaris, Momins, Pasmanda Muslims are core supporters of the BSP, while the upper class urban Ashrafs have a greater affinity to the SP," he says.

"The BSP's composition has drastically changed since 2014, with greater presence of educated youth from JNU, AMU and UoH, who are connected through social media via almost 40 Facebook groups, tweeting short, crisp messages," says sociologist Vivek Kumar. Vemula's suicide and the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed in Jawaharlal Nehru University in October 2016 have united Dalit and minority students under the aegis of the BSP. The party's Twitter handle now reads #DalitMuslimUnity. From working silently in the past, shunning all publicity, the party has lately upped its public profile and burst on the social media landscape via Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter and other e-mail groups.

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The Dalit-Muslim churn via radical student organisations and digital media has infused life and spirit back into a BSP largely stagnant since 2012. Student activists have helped increase the BSP's youth penetration. "The BSP is back to the centrestage of power politics as a popular movement with 50 per cent student activists," says Vivek Kumar. The activism of the young Dalit and Muslim cadre has been evident in all the mega rallies addressed by Mayawati from 2016, in divisional headquarters such as Saharanpur, Agra, Azamgarh, Lucknow and all the district rallies in 2017. The BSP supremo, who plans to address 75 rallies, one in each district of UP, has already finished 72, with massive crowds of adoring young fans.

The massive loss in 2012 also taught Mayawati a cruel lesson, when 16 per cent of the Jatav vote (core voters of the BSP) and 35 per cent of the non-Jatav Dalit vote deserted her. A section of the Jatavs was alienated by the BSP's overreach toward upper caste voters in the past. Non-Jatav Dalit voters were disaffected because of the overrepresentation of Jatavs in the 85 Scheduled Caste reserved seats. Among these, Pasis, Khatiks and Valmikis had begun migrating to the BJP even in the past but they moved away in greater numbers in 2012 and in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BSP also failed to attract higher numbers of upper caste and OBC voters compared with 2007 despite over-representation in terms of tickets.

However, among all these desertions, the BSP's penetration among Muslims increased with each successive election. According to data gathered by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi, almost 10 per cent Muslims supported the BSP in the 2002 assembly polls, 18 per cent in 2007 and 20.4 per cent in 2012.

Survival in politics dictates changes in political strategy. The BSP began actively stitching an alliance of Dalits and Muslims-constituting over 40 per cent of UP's population-after the 2014 debacle. The Una incident came as a shot in the arm, as did the anti-reservation statements by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in 2015. Mayawati disbanded most of the older organisations of the BSP and began afresh. She used the Bhim Jagrans-late night song-and-dance programmes-to ramp up support among the Jatavs. The All India Backward and Minority Community Employees Federation (Bamcef), a trade union shadow front of the BSP created by Kanshi Ram in 1978, was revived. It assisted with funds to run the Bhim Jagrans and other party activities. The Muslim Bhaichara committee of the BSP was galvanised under trusted and popular minority leaders such as Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Munquad Ali and Mohammed Athar Khan. While Siddiqui concentrated on western UP, the other two focused on Awadh and Purvanchal.

Graphics by Tanmoy Chakraborty

In January this year, the BSP was the first party to declare all its candidates for the 403 constituencies: awarding Muslims 99 seats, Dalits 87 (85 under the SC reserved category and 2 under general seats), upper castes 113 (66 for Brahmins and 36 for Thakurs) while the OBCs ended up with 104 seats. Though the Brahmins got 20 seats less than in 2007, the Brahmin Mahasabha openly endorsed Mayawati as their preferred candidate. Party general secretary Satish Chandra Misra and Ramvir Upadhyaya, two trusted lieutenants of Mayawati, are active in the Brahmin bhaichara committee and key persons in attracting the Brahmin vote. Thakur Jaiveer Singh is a key coordinator of the Thakur Bhaichara committee mobilising the Thakur vote. "Even if the greater representation to Brahmins and Thakurs does not necessarily attract the same proportion of upper caste votes to the BSP, the truth is upper-caste activists influence voting behaviour of other castes as well," says Vivek Kumar.

Yet, the truth is that the BSP has an enormous vote deficit to overcome against a formidable SP-Congress coalition undermining its Muslim push and the resurgent BJP denting its Dalit vote. Dalit scholar Chandrabhan believes that all this activism has pole-vaulted Mayawati to the centrestage of power politics, but accepts that "2017 is not yet 2007 because the BJP post-2014 is a formidable force and the SP-Congress have the alliance advantage".

Will a split in the Muslim vote between the BSP and SP-Congress work in the BJP's favour? "Yes, but in Purvanchal, such divisions are leading to a straight fight between the BJP and the BSP," says Sanjay Paswan, the former national president of the SC cell of the BJP. Eastern UP, the poorest zone in the state, clearly holds the key to Mayawati's prospects. A silent wave of marginalised sections will work in favour of the BSP.

At the February 26 Gorakhpur rally, the mood is enthusiastic-even optimistic. Huge cutouts of Jyotiba Phule, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Narayana Guru and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar-all Dalit icons-grace the venue; those of founder Kanshi Ram and Mayawati flank the lady herself on the dais. "Maya behen ne kasam khai hai, BSP ab sarkar banane aayi hai," roars the crowd. "Abki haathi mast hai, baaki sabki jamanat zabt hai".

In a make-or-break election, Mayawati is fighting an aggressive defence of her turf, trying to consolidate the Dalit-Muslim combination and grow among the upper castes. Given a hung assembly, she will have a tremendous advantage over rivals while bargaining in a post-poll scenario. No wonder, both the Congress and SP have remained largely quiet about Mayawati despite the vituperative attacks from her. Even the BJP attacks the SP-Congress alliance more sharply than it does the BSP. If none of the players ends up with a decisive majority, Mayawati will emerge as a pivotal player, who can bargain with both camps, proving all the pre-poll surveys wrong, and thus having the last laugh.

With Ashish Misra

--- ENDS ---
What county auditors want voters to know ahead of the midterm election

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By Press Trust of India: New York, Mar 7 (PTI) Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking a cup of coffee and chocolate brewed together may improve your attention span, a new study has claimed.

Researchers, including those from University of Georgia in the US, studied the acute effects of brewed cocoa consumption on attention, motivation to perform cognitive work and feelings of anxiety, energy and fatigue.

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"Cocoa increases cerebral blood flow, which increases cognition and attention. Caffeine alone can increase anxiety. This particular project found that cocoa lessens caffeines anxiety-producing effects - a good reason to drink mocha lattes!" said Ali Boolani of Clarkson University in the US.

Participants were made to consume brewed cocoa, cocoa with caffeine, caffeine without cocoa, and a placebo with neither caffeine nor cocoa.

They were then asked to do tests to evaluate both cognitive tasks and mood.

Participants were asked to watch as letters flashed across a screen and note when an X appeared after an A.

They also had to point out when odd numbers appeared sequentially, and they were required to do subtraction.

"The results of the tests are definitely promising and show that cocoa and caffeine are good choices for students and anyone else who needs to improve sustained attention," said Boolani.

The study was published in the journal BMC Nutrition. PTI APA SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) The Army has yet again been hit by allegations of ill treatment of soldiers with a sepoy posting online a video criticising the Sahayak or buddy system and "poor amenities" including food, which he said is only to keep them alive.

Strongly rejecting the allegations levelled by Sepoy Sindhav Jogidas Lakhubhai from Army Medical Corps (AMC), the Army said the matter has been investigated and his charges were found to be false and baseless.

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Lakhubhai claimed that though huge amount of money is given for welfare of soldiers, the facilities provided are just a "facade" and that he approached the PMO, the Defence Minister and the Army Chief seeking justice but to no avail.

The Army said Lakhubhai was posted at Military Hospital (MH) Ranikhet and has never been employed as Buddy of any officer nor has he ever been asked to perform any such a duty.

The four-minute-long video by Lakhubhai, who hails from Gujarat, came a week after Roy Mathew, a jawan who featured in a sting video by a news website against the Armys buddy or Sahayak system, was found dead in an abandoned barrack in Nashik district of Maharashtra.

"I apologise to the citizens of this country and the government. My video will hurt your sentiments and the armys respect. But every soldier wants respect. How long will we tolerate this," he said in the video posted on social media.

The army said his complaints were investigated by a One-Man Inquiry (OMI) and were found to be baseless, adding as per his request, he has been transferred to a military hospital in Leh last month. He is on transit to his new posting.

Slamming the "Sahayak" system, the jawan alleged that some officers in the army treated soldiers attached to them for household work as their servants and they do not have any option but to follow the orders.

"Because those who speak are victimised. They have to face the consequence," Lakhubahi said adding he had to suffer for refusing to follow the orders

He said he faced Court of Inquiry twice.

"The food given to us is only to keep us alive," he said adding, "Nobody hears our voice. I will stick to my position. I hope reform will come to army."

The jawan said he had approached the PMO and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikars office on January 21, 2016 and had again approached the PMO in October last year but there was no reply.

He said he was denied entry into the Sena Bhavan on January 28 and there was no response from the Army Chief to his letter.

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"At the end, I was given a charge sheet for writing against my officers. I have already been punished twice... If we refuse any duty or break a rule, we are punished immediately. But when officers break rules, there are no rules for them," he said in the video. MORE PTI MPB RT

--- ENDS ---
Natalie Portman and her husband welcomed their second child on February 22.

By India Today Web Desk: Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied have become proud parents to a baby girl. Natalie gave birth to the couple's second child on February 22, just four days before the Oscars where she received a Best Actress nomination for Jackie.

Her representative confirmed the news and told People, "Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on Feb 22. Mother and baby are happy and healthy."

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Natalie and Benjamin are also parents to their 5-year-old son Aleph.

Natalie has said in an interview that she plans to return to work "as soon as possible" after the birth of her child.

ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor says he was heartbroken when Natalie Portman asked him to 'get lost'

ALSO WATCH: Saif Ali Khan's next onscreen lady love, Natalie Portman

--- ENDS ---
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has entered into the top 10 global university rankings, according to a new assessment that has three institutions each from France and Italy in the list.

On Tuesday, the Times Higher Education (THE) has revealed the Best Small Universities in the World 2017 in which IISc stood at number 8.

The first position has been grabbed by CalTech of the United States of America while South Koreas Pohang University of Science and Technology is at the third place.

In the 2017 rankings, universities of France and Italian have taken three places in the top 10.

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is at the ninth position.

Last year, in the BRICS and Emerging Economies University Rankings 2017 report, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) had entered the top 15 universities for the first time.

Small universities are defined by the publication as having fewer than 5,000 students and teach and research across more than four disciplines.
Stage is set for the grand finale to the staggered UP Assembly polls as the seventh and the last phase covering 40 seats will be held on Wednesday, with all eyes on the Prime Minister's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.

Three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus.

Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Bhadoi are the other districts going to polls in this phase. Tight security has been put in place in these seven districts.

Counting of votes polled in all the seven phases of the assembly polls will be taken up on March 11. Polling will be held between 7 am to 5 pm in all constituencies, except the Naxal-hit Duddhi, Robertsganj and Chakia seats, where polling will end at 4 pm.

A total of 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 14,458 polling booths.

The BJP is contesting 32 seats and its allies the Apana Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party are contesting on 4 seats each. The BSP has fielded its nominees for all seats.

While the SP is contesting 31 seats, its ally the Congress is in race for the remaining seats.

In the 2012 state Assembly polls, out of these 40 seats, 23 went to the SP, 5 to the BSP, 4 to the BJP, 3 to the Congress and 5 to others.

In all, 535 candidates, including 40 (BSP), 32 (BJP), 31 (SP), 9 (Cong), 21 (RLD) and 5 (NCP) are in the fray.

While the maximum number of candidates (24) are from the Varanasi Cantt seat, the minimum number of candidates (six) are contesting from Kerakat (SC).

For the last phase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent three days in Varanasi, where he visited temples, held a roadshow and attended a number of public events. He also addressed several rallies in the region to give a final push to the BJP campaign.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also matched it with their own campaign blitz in the region.

Joined by Akhilesh's wife Dimple, the two leaders held a roadshow, hours after Modi arrived in the city and paid obeisance at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples with much fanfare.

BSP chief Mayawati, who is seeking a fifth term as chief minister, also addressed a rally in Rohaniya, around 20 km from Varanasi on the same day.

Prominent candidates who are in fray include former Cabinet minister Om Prakash, Parasnath Yadav, Ajay Rai, former MP Dhananjay Singh, Sigbatullah Ansari brother of Mukhtar Ansari and Seema Singh wife of jailed mafia Munna Bajrangi.

Polling in Alapur seat will be held on Thursday. Voting in this constituency was postponed following the demise of a candidate belonging to a recognised political party.

The Election Commission has also postponed telecast of exit polls till 5:30 PM on Thursday, keeping this polling in mind.
UP minister Azam Khan on Tuesday moved Supreme Court against the arrest warrant issued against him by Allahabad HC in a case related to state Jal Nigam.

A Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court had on March 1 issued a bailable arrest warrant against senior Samajwadi leader Azam Khan after he did not appear in a case related to the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, which he heads.

The Court ordered issue of the warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the UP Jal Nigam in 2013. The petition challenged the judgment of the UP Public Services Tribunal in favour of assistant engineer DK Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings for financial irregularities.

A division bench of justices Sudhir Agarwala and RN Mishra passed the order against Khan after rejecting an exemption application moved on his behalf.
Substandard maintenance of water canals has added to water woes of farmers in Kota region of Rajasthan.

Water seepage losses in the area have risen to 35 per cent even as Rs.400 crore have been spent on maintenance. A contractor engineer nexus apparently has been withering away the canal walls.

"It has been noted in several instances the work tender were released at 50 to 60 percent below the estimated cost. What work can be expected at such low rates," Water Resources Minister Ram Pratap has admitted on the question of seepage.

"I have inquired for the tender records of the past five years," the minister said as he admitted that the entire system is in shambles.

Thousands of farmers of the region have to struggle for water on regular basis. The tail end farmers have not yet received the third phase of water this season.

"Each day farmers are agitating in the region for water, despite the fact that if the available water can be saved there is enough water for irrigating every inch of land," Prahlad Gunjal, MLA Kota North, said.

MLA from Kota south Sandeep Sharma shared the same concerns.



"Crops are being destroyed due to scarcity of water, the government must look for immediate relief to farmers," Sharma said.

Meanwhile, an immediate relief is out of sight even as the concerned minister has assured to rapidate the tender process. A sustainable solution to the issue is reclaiming the water being lost in seepage. The government, however, does not have enough funds sanctioned for the purpose.
Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla on Tuesday appealed electorates who will be voting in the second phase of Manipur Assembly Elections 2017 on March 8 to come out in large numbers and exercise their fundamental rights.

The governor appealed the voters to show their constitutional responsibility to make Manipur the first state in the country with the highest number of voter turnout.

Polling will be held in 22 constituencies spread across five districts  Thoubal, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong and Senapati for which 1151 polling stations have been set up.

The first phase of Manipur polls, covering 38 contituencies, held on March 4 recorded a voter turnout of 84 per cent with record polling in the state's valley districts.

The second and final phase of polling will seal the fate of human rights activist-turned-politician Irom Chanu Sharmila and Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh.

Results of the Manipur Assembly elections 2017 will be declared on March 11.

(With inputs from Agencies)
The Donald Trump administration's revised travel ban - which halts entry to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations - doesn't make the US safe, top Indian-American legislators have said.

By Press Trust of India: The revised executive order temporarily halting entry to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations while dropping Iraq from the list, "does not make US safe", top Indian American lawmakers said.

"Make no mistake: this ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk while isolating the Muslim community at a time when we need to address the threat of homegrown extremism. No matter the changes, this executive action remains immoral and fundamentally un-American," California Senator Kamala Harris said.

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Harris, who is the first Indian American US Senator, was joined by other four Indian Americans in the House of Representatives - Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian American woman to be elected to the House.

"While I welcome the decision to omit Iraq from the list of banned countries, the President still has an obligation to provide evidence of a national security threat posed by immigrants and refugees from the remaining six countries," Harris said.

"Omitting one country from the list does not eliminate the need to provide the American people with meaningful evidence supporting this ban. The White House had more than a month to develop their case, and has failed to provide actual justification based on facts," she added.

'UNCONSTITUTIONAL' BAN

Jayapal said, in his new executive order, Trump has been forced to recognize that his original travel ban was both "unconstitutional" and "ineptly" executed.

"The new order recognises that we must honour the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens affected by the ban," she said.

"It also excludes Iraq from the list of the banned countries, another clear sign that such a ban would hurt our coalition efforts for peace in the Middle East. It should not have taken the courts and nationwide protests to stop such an order from taking effect in the first place," she said.

The president was "irresponsible" in "throwing" the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families, she added.

"Unfortunately, however, the president's Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children," Jayapal said.

"It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It continues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment," she said.

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'UN-AMERICAN AND XENOPHOBIC'

Congressman Ami Bera, vice-ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the executive order affecting immigrants and refugees from Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, and Iran targets specific groups and alludes to a specific religion does not enhance the national security "in fact this does the opposite".

"This is a bad second swing at an executive order that is just as un-American and xenophobic as the first version that was struck down by multiple courts. As Americans, we do not close our doors to those who are fleeing persecution, or target people based on their faith," he said.

Congressman Ro Khanna said the Trump administrations repackaging is merely a second attempt to revise his unconstitutional policy.

"This is the same ban, driven by the same hazardous discrimination that weakens our ability to fight terror. Revised language wont change what this executive order is: an act that prohibits people from entering the US based on their religion or refugee status.

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"The public and courts rejected the Trump administration's first attempt at this, and it must do so again," Khanna said.

ALSO READ | President Trump signs revised travel ban order, leaves out Iraq from list

ALSO WATCH | Donald Trump signs revised immigration order, leaves out Iraq from list

--- ENDS ---
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday busted a Bihar-based gang that was leaking question papers of entrance tests for various government jobs across the country.

Terming it a multi-crore scam, VB sleuths have nabbed a local Congress leader from Bihar's Arwal district, the main kingpin of recruitment paper leakage in various states, including Delhi, Punjab and Telengana.

The accused, Kuresh Kumar Diwedi (40) was produced by police in a local court at Mohali on Tuesday.

Sources said, he had helped around 25 candidates to cram the leaked question paper. He had brought together 17 prospective candidates for the 100 posts of sub-divisional engineer (SDE) in the Punjab irrigation department.

He allegedly took original documents of the candidates on the cost of paying Rs.25 lakh after their selections.

The examination was conducted by the Thapar University, Patiala on October 16, 2016. "We have investigated the accused. He is one of the major kingpins of the recruitment paper leaks held in other states like Delhi, Haryana, Telengana etc. There are other conduits in the list who are on the run. We are in the process to nab them also," Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG), VB, Surjeet Singh told The Statesman.

A day before the exam, Kuresh Diwedi, had allegedly called 17 appearing candidates at his brother Jai Diwedi's house in New Delhi to leak the question paper.

Later, the vigilance department on the basis of inputs of paper leak, informed the Punjab government about the paper leak.

Following this, the exam was scrapped and future of hundreds of candidates hanging in balance since then. In yet another similar case, the police has also arrested another conduit, Mushtaq Ahmed (40), who is accused in the leakage of recruitment exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Food Corporation of India (FCI), Delhi police Sub-Inspectors recruitment exam and assistant commandant exams in paramilitary forces.

Sources further said that nearly 70 persons, including about 60 candidates and some conduits from Bihar, Haryana and UP have been arrested in other similar recruitment scams by VB. Two local-level politicians of Punjab are also in the net for collusion involving leakage of test papers and organising special classes for the beneficiary candidates.

VB sources said that the accused charged anything between Rs.10 and Rs.25 lakh per candidate for the question paper. They allegedly run a batch of 25 candidates only eyeing to earn Rs.2 crore at least.
Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh has lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making a mockery of the plight of Indias debt-ridden farmers.

Amarinder dismissed the farmer loan waiver promise to Uttar Pradesh farmers as a poll gimmick with an eye on the votes of the large farming community in the state.

Questioning the timing of Modis promise of waiver of farm loans in UP if his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state, Amarinder accused the prime minister of indulging in electoral politics at the cost of the lives of hundreds of farmers.

"Had the Modi-led Central government been sincere in its concern over the plight of the farmers reeling under debt burdens it would have by now waived off the loans of farmers across the country, including Punjab" said that the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief.

"Modi could easily have announced farm loan waiver on behalf of the Central government, as was done by Manmohan Singh under the UPA regime", Amarinder pointed out, recalling that the Congress had waived off Rs.70,000 crore of farmers loans when it was in power.

"It was evident that the farm debt waiver promise made by the prime minister during electioneering in UP and targeted only at farmers of that state was nothing more than a ploy to garner votes for his party", the Punjab Congress chief ministerial candidate added.

Amarinder reiterated his promise of waiving the loans of all farmers and agricultural labourers in Punjab, with or without the Central governments support, once the Congress comes to power in the state.

Amarinder pointed out that Modi had, even in his New Year eve address to the nation on December 31, 2016, announced only partial relief for farmers, giving a 60-day interest waiver to farmers who had taken loans from district cooperative banks.

"Why did the prime minister not announce a sweeping debt waiver for farmers across the

country then?" asked the PPCC president.
Reality TV personality Kim Kardashian was spotted on "Ocean's Eight" set here, less than two months she and sister Kendall Jenner first appeared in New York City to shoot a few scenes for the female-led spinoff.

The 36-year-old star looked stunning in a Givenchy-designed ensemble, which featured a see-through gown with white lace detailing and a matching fur jacket, reported E! Online.

Kardashian and Jenner will reportedly appear in a scene set at the Met Gala, an annual event both stars are well accustomed to attending.

"Ocean's Eight" also features Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson and Mindy Kaling.

The film is set to release on June 8 next year in the US.
Margot Robbie will star as Maid Marian in a film inspired by the Robin Hood universe .

The "Suicide Squad" actress will feature in the contemporary take of the classic folk legend that focuses solely on the heroic damsel, reported Variety.

In the new version, Robbie as Marian leads the people in war time after the love of her life, Robin Hood, dies.

The character rises to power, charges into a battle that will not only decide the kingdom's fate, but also see Marian don the armour of the man she loved.

Robbie will also co-produce the film which has been written by Pete Barry.

The actress has recently wrapped production on the Tonya Harding biopic, "I, Tonya".
After vigorously campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set for a two-day visit in his home state Gujarat starting Tuesday.

During his visit, the prime minister will be attending programmes scheduled across Surat, Bharuch, Gandhinagar and Somnath.

Addressing a public meeting upon his arrival in Surat, PM Modi will also visit ONGC plant at Dahej and inagurate the cable bridge constructed on Narmada river to ease the traffic on Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway.

Modi will also address a public gathering in Bharuch and lay a foundation stone for a bus port in the town.

The prime minister is also likely to attend a dinner hosted by the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at the Chief Ministerial Bungalow in Gandhinagar.

This is Modis 10th Gujarat visit ever since he became the prime minister in May 2014.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad on Tuesday launched an operation here to flush out a suspected terrorist believed to be influenced by ISIS and having possible links to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast.

At least 10 people persons were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh.

The terrorist was hiding in a house on the outskirts of the state capital.

"The suspect holed up in Lucknow belongs to a localised group, influenced by ISIS and its literature," Additional Director General (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary told PTI.

He said the ATS operation to flush him out was underway till late in the night.

Chaudhary also said that two terror suspects have been held in Kanpur and one in Etawah.

Those arrested in Kanpur might be having some possible links with the person holed up in Kakori Lucknow, he said.

He also said that since the operation was taking place in a restrained manner, it could take some more time.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to UP DGP Javeed Ahmad, who briefed him about the incident and the action taken.

Commandoes of paramilitary forces were being rushed to assist the anti-terror squad and local police in capturing the person hiding here.

The ATS launched the operation to flush out the suspected terrorist following inputs that he may be linked to train blast this morning.

The densely populated neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, police said.

The ATS operation came hours before the final phase of polling in Assembly election covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh. According to locals, around 3.30 PM over 30 policemen started vacating the houses in the locality to corner the suspect.

Local residents said as the suspect got wind of their plans, he started firing at police party and gunshots were fired from both the sides.

IG ATS Aseem Arun summoned elite commandos from Bijnaur police facility. The ATS team is trying to ensure that the suspect runs out of ammunition before barging inside.

IG Lucknow Zone A Satish Ganesh said, "The suspect was not surrendering. Instead he was resorting to firing. Chilli bombs were used to smoke him out."

Arun, who was conducting the operation, said, "When the police knocked the door (of the house where the terror suspect is holed up), he closed the door, and then there was a sound of pistol cocking, which proved that he has weapons."

He said the suspect resorted to intermittent firing. "We have withheld firing from our side. It appears only one person is hiding inside the house," he said.

UP DGP Javeed Ahmed, when contacted, said the UP Police was trying to convince the person holed up in the house to surrender.
The Delhi High Court witnessed an animated battle between Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani as the duo indulged in a day-long session of questions and answers in connection with a defamation suit filed by Jaitley against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Appearing for Kejriwal, Jethmalani cross-examined the union minister with a barrage of questions in a jam-packed court and at one stage, brought out a dictionary in the court room and asked Jaitley to explain the difference between "goodwill" and "reputation".

Despite the onslaught of questions, Jaitley remained calm and answered all questions without losing his cool. Jethmalani, who was expelled from the BJP, wondered if Jaitley's "personal feelings of greatness" were behind the defamation suit.

The finance minister explained that "my view about my own reputation was based on what my friends, well-wishers and other people both privately and in media, had expressed an opinion on this subject."

Several issues were covered by the two senior lawyers including the CBI raid on Delhi government's senior bureaucrat Rajendra Kumar in December 2015 as well as Chetan Sanghi's report on DDCA affairs.

When asked if he made any efforts to reverse the alleged damage, Jaitley replied: "I contradicted the allegations in the media and also in Parliament where echoes of these allegations were raised."

On the Rs.10 crore demanded as compensation by Jaitley, Jethmalani pointed out that the minister didn't seem to have suffered any monetary damage.

The minister responded: "The value I placed, towards loss of my reputation was only a small part of the enormous damage done the loss of my reputation has been partly quantified in terms of money. Loss of reputation causes mental distress to the person defamed, which it did in my case".

"Considering my stature, background and reputation, the loss caused to me and my reputation was so enormous that it was considered unquantifiable," he added.

The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered a thorough probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said after raising the issue with him in Jakarta.

Ansari had a bilateral meeting with Sirisena in the Indonesian capital on the sidelines of the Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), hours after the incident was reported.

"Yes, it was discussed," the Vice President said when asked whether the killing of the Tamil fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy figured in his meeting with Sirisena.

Ansari, during his interaction with the accompanying media persons while returning from Jakarta after a two-day visit, said, "The President said he had heard about it this morning and that he had spoken to the Chief of Sri Lankan Navy who had said that no such incident from the side of the Sri Lankan forces took place."

He said Sirisena told him that he has ordered "full investigation" into the matter.

Sources told PTI that the Vice President had candidly conveyed to Sirisena that something must be done by Sri Lanka about the recurring problem related to the Tamil fishermen as part of confidence-building measures.

The 22-year-old fisherman was shot dead yesterday while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. Fishermen in Tamil Nadu alleged that he was killed by the Lankan navy while another was injured.

Apart from this incident, as many as 76 Indian fishermen are in captivity of Sri Lanka.

The incidents related to the Tamil fishermen have been leading to rise in passions in Tamil Nadu off and on.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the killing of Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy and said that Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the prime minister of the country.

"Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation in to the matter," sources at the MEA said.

A 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead on Monday allegedly by the Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday staged a demonstration at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The fishermen alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait.

They demanded the release of all Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and also the boats seized by them.

The Tamil Nadu government had recently protested the rise in the cases of its fishermen being arrested by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the matter.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had urged the Prime Minister to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan took to social networking site, Twitter, on Tuesday to announce that mineral water bottles could be sold at uniform price India.

Seeking explanation from companies selling mineral water bottles with different MRPs, the minister said that the price of the water bottles should be same at hotels, airports as well as malls.

We received several complaints that companies file separate print rates. The ministry has asked them for a response, Paswan tweeted.

Mineral water bottle will be available at the same rate at airports, hotels and malls, he added.
Donald Trump signed the revised executive order yesterday, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations while dropping Iraq from the list.

By Press Trust of India: Terming President Donald Trump'ss revised executive order on immigration as "immoral and fundamentally un-American", top Indian-American lawmakers have said the move does not make the country "safe".

Trump signed the revised executive order yesterday, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations while dropping Iraq from the list, after his original order was blocked by the courts last month.

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"Make no mistake: this ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk while isolating the Muslim community at a time when we need to address the threat of homegrown extremism. No matter the changes, this executive action remains immoral and fundamentally un-American," California Senator Kamala Harris said.

Harris, the first Indian-American Senator, was joined by four other Indian-Americans in the House of Representatives including Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House.

"While I welcome the decision to omit Iraq from the list of banned countries, the President still has an obligation to provide evidence of a national security threat posed by immigrants and refugees from the remaining six countries," Harris said.

Jayapal said, in his new executive order, Trump has been forced to recognise that his original travel ban was both "unconstitutional" and "ineptly" executed.

"The new order recognises that we must honour the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens affected by the ban," she said.

CHAOS AND FEAR

The President was "irresponsible" in "throwing" the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families, she added.

"Unfortunately, however, the President's Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children," Jayapal said.

"It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It continues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment," she said.

Congressman Ami Bera, vice-ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the executive order affecting people from Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Iran targets specific groups and alludes to a specific religion.

"This is a bad second swing at an executive order that is just as un-American and xenophobic as the first version that was struck down by multiple courts. As Americans, we do not close our doors to those who are fleeing persecution, or target people based on their faith," he said.

advertisement

Congressman Ro Khanna said the Trump administration's repackaging is merely a second attempt to revise his unconstitutional policy.

"This is the same ban, driven by the same hazardous discrimination that weakens our ability to fight terror," he said, adding the public and courts must reject it again.

Also read: President Trump signs revised travel ban order, leaves out Iraq from list

Also read: US advises citizens against travelling to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
Controversial televangelist Zakir Naik has been asked to appear before the National Investigative Agency (NIA) on March 14, officials said on Tuesday.

Earlier reports had suggested that the controversial Islamic preacher would be recording his statement in a case of suspected money-laundering via video conferencing as the atmosphere was not conducive for Naik to return to India.

Naik and his NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), are facing charges under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The NIA has filed cases against Naik under the UAPA for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds, and raided over a dozen offices, residential premises, his Peace TV offices, and other locations, besides freezing a bank account of his NGO.

The ED has already probed certain bank documents and transaction details of the 51-year-old Naik and IRF and may issue summons to him shortly, an ED official said in Mumbai.

On November 15, the Union government banned the IRF for five years after declaring it as an "unlawful association" under the anti-terror laws.

Prior to that, the Union Home Ministry revoked the IRF's permission to receive foreign donations under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and placed IRF Education Trust under a prior permission category for the same.
Countering the complaint by a soldier on social media about the system of batmen or 'Sahayaks' in the Army and what he said was poor quality food served to men in uniform, the Army said an inquiry found that the charges made by Sepoy Sindhav Jogidas Lakhubhai of the Army Medical Corps were false and baseless as he had never been employed as buddy of any officer or JCO nor has he ever been asked to perform such a duty.

The Army said the sepoy, while on duty at the ICU Military Hospital, Ranikhet, refused to obey the instructions of the Duty Nursing Officer to clean the bed pan of a bed-ridden patient at the hospital. It is to be noted that the task which he refused to perform, was a mandated task of his trade of housekeeper, the Army said, adding that for this act of indiscipline, the Sepoy was awarded seven days' imprisonment within the unit.

The soldier said he was airing his grievances in public because his complaints to the Prime Ministers Office and the Defence Ministry had gone unheeded.

Referring to the batman system, called Sahayak duty, he said some officers treated soldiers attached to their residences as their servants.

However, the Army said the individual concerned is employed in AMC in the trade of housekeeper. He has rendered nearly three years of service in the Army.

It said that while he was on his initial posting at Military Hospital (MH) Ranikhet, Sepoy Sindhav was late in rejoining duties after availing leave for 2015. He was awarded pay fine for unauthorised absence from duty.

Subsequent to his release from confinement, while on leave in January 2016, the sepoy submitted written complaints to the PM, Defence Minister and Director General of Medical Services, Army (DGMS-Army) against CO MH Ranikhet and OIC Section Hospital Haldwani.

These were independently investigated through a One-Man Inquiry (OMI) and were found to be baseless. A Staff Court of Inquiry by the Formation HQ also found him blameworthy for having violated the established chain of command and laid down chain of correspondence. He was tried summarily for the act of indiscipline and awarded 14 days' pay fine.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday launched an operation against a suspected terrorist who fired shots at the security forces in the densely populated Thakurganj area of Lucknow, police said.

UP ATS has launched the operation in the afternoon after a tip-off given to it. It is suspected that a terrorist is hiding in the Haji colony of the area," Additional Director General of Police Daljit Chaudhary said.

The police is hoping to take the suspected terrorist into its custody alive, however suspected terrorist have refused to surrender, according to the reports.

"We want him alive. However, he is refusing to surrender," the police said.

The suspected terrorist, named Saifullah, fired shots at security forces, triggering a gunbattle.

Saifullah, who is allegedly linked with the terror group  Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS), has locked himself in a room, which has been surrounded by commandoes.

The forces were deployed to the Haji colony located in Thakurganj after a tip-off was given to the UP police regarding the presence of a suspicious man.

It is suspected that the terrorist is linked to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast which occured in Kanpur and Lucknow on Tuesday which injured nine.
The brief lull between the casting of the last ballots and the exit-poll predictions leading to how the numbers finally crunch is, probably, the best time to dispassionately reflect on events of the last few weeks and how the campaigns in five states played out. For both the thunder of the just-concluded electioneering and the thrills/disappointments at the results are much too emotive to permit the contesting parties and the poll machinery to look within. What is tragically certain, regardless of the voters verdict ~ in UP particularly ~ is that the loser is decency. Seldom has there been such calculated divisiveness manifest, with the result that the national polity has been split wide open and religion, community and caste issues having to face gaps unlikely to be bridged. At least, not by those who played lead roles in elections of which no decent citizen can be proud. It would be an over-simplification to suggest that the screenplay of the 2014 parliamentary poll was merely re-enacted ~ the worst elements of that affair were shamelessly, purposely, exacerbated. And the nation rendered poorer in the process. Since more elections are in the offing it is with distinct trepidation that apolitical citizens await their next date with the EVM.

Apportioning blame is pointless: all entities are guilty of murdering the system for which the Founding Fathers had strived. Yet in all such matters it is the ruling party at the Centre that is required to set the tone. The veterans who had projected the BJP as a party with a difference would hardly be impressed by the difference displayed by the Modi-Shah duo. That the accent was on personality was underscored by the Prime Minister leading a campaign that sold the voter no potential chief minister. It became a case of more for the loser to lose than for the winner to gain ~ and since it was primarily a Modi versus the Rest affair the stakes were dangerously high. The early phases had established that the planks of development, war against black money, and surgical strikes across the LOC were not good enough to ensure victory: so the party played its favourite card ~ no need for any further specification, or listing the poison that was spread. The other parties adopted similar tactics, and the Congress decision to play second fiddle to a divided Samajwadi tells it own sick story. The story in Punjab was only marginally different. To query the functioning of the Election Commission is never salutary, but it proved how far it strayed from Seshan-standard was confirmed by its allowing the kind of campaigning it did ~ that too over seven phases of agony in UP.
In the most recent turn of events in the tussle over domestic subsidies between the United States and India at the World Trade Organisation, the US, on 21 February vehemently opposed Indias plea to formulate a dispute resolution panel. This plea continues the case that India filed at the WTO in September 2016. India alleged that the domestic content requirements and subsidies provided by eight US states contravened WTO law, and are very similar to those under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission (JNSM) that the WTO Appellate Body earlier held to violate WTO law.

The United States argued that Article 3.10 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) makes it clear that in instances where Member States use the WTO for political reasons not founded in law, the defending State has the right to summarily have the case disposed off. The DSU requires that the States use the WTO in good faith and that complaints and counter-complaints [] [in distinct matters] should not be linked.

To find the sweet spot in this chatter, the US and Indias domestic content requirements are similar. Eight US states provide incentives for using solar modules manufactured in their respective states. Similarly, the JNSM provides a requirement to use domestically produced solar modules manufactured in India. Both seem to fall short of complying with WTO law.

India takes issue with 11 US state laws. Three involve tax incentives related to biofuel produced in Montana; two involve renewable energy technology requirements in California; and the remaining six cover a variety of domestic content requirements for electricity production via solar, wind, and anaerobic digestion in Washington, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota.

Anaerobic digestion involves biological processes through which biodegradable materials (waste water and solid waste) break down to form biogas. This biogas can be combusted to generate electricity and heat.

The US victory last year in the dispute against India regarding local content requirements for JNSM will affect the USs ability to defend its own state-level renewable energy programs: The Appellate Body of the WTO held that India's local content requirements violate national treatment obligations under Article III:4 of the GATT. It disregarded all of India's defences.

Considering the similarity between the US and Indian programmes, India should have a perfect precedent to argue its case. WTO members concur that the local content requirements violate core national treatment obligations.

Another defence for the US, though weak, would be under Article XXIV.12 that states all WTO members should take reasonable measures to ensure that the laws made by sub-national or state governments comply with WTO laws. The US may argue that it had taken reasonable measures to ensure compliance. However, there is no precedent for this under WTO practice. Moreover, such an argument would open a Pandoras box for such exemptions and could close the route to challenge another countrys sub-national policies that breach WTO law.

India does not export a significant amount of renewable energy equipment to the U.S. and the state-level programmes in question have virtually no effect on commerce, according to the US. At a time when WTO dispute settlement resources are stretched thin, we regret that India would seek to use WTO resources on such a matter, complained the US.

India, for its part, reiterated arguments made in its 9 September 2016 consultation request. The 11 state-level renewable energy programmes it identified in that request allegedly contain production incentives based on local content requirements, in violation of the agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, Article III of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and Article 2.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures.

Under the DSU, the first request for a dispute settlement panel may be blocked by any member, as the US did on 21 February. A second request may not be blocked. The next DSU meeting is slated for March 21, and the US appears to be out of options.

The writers are, respectively, professor of law and a student at the Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), Sonipat.
As UPs bureaucracy sensing something that the media and pollsters have missed? Residents of Lucknow and NOIDA are surprised to see a flurry of activity at Mayawatis Ambedkar Parks. Suddenly, they are being cleaned and spruced up, damaged statues of elephants are being repaired, statues of Dalit icons are being washed and polished and shrubs and trees are being trimmed.

Bureaucratic circles say the Lucknow Development Authority and NOIDA Development Authority have started the clean up on their own. There were no orders from above. Their explanation is that UPs babudom is taking no chances. Suppose the next chief minister is Mayawati?

Although Mayawati and the BSP seemed to be trailing initially, reports suggest that they have picked up steam in eastern UP while the SP-Congress alliance is going down. Although the BJP maintains an edge, the buzz in the bureaucracy is that Mayawati is catching up. The babus want to be prepared just in case she sneaks past the BJP.

The parks were completely neglected under the Samajwadi Party government. Officials cleverly recognize that in its current mood of wooing Dalits, a BJP government in Lucknow would have no objections to Ambedkar Parks being given a facelift. And if Mayawati wins, the bureaucracy would be spared her wrath for not taking care of her parks.

Interestingly, both Authorities have set a deadline for the contractors of March 10. They want the parks ready the day before the results come out.

Blow hot, blow cold

Residents of Varanasi were both tickled and annoyed by Narendra Modis three-day power show in their city. They were tickled because they got to see the PM up close. Modi is such a star that it was like having a top film actor in their midst. Among the more amusing comments from bystanders who thronged the streets to catch a glimpse of the PM were remarks like the following: hes so fair, his hair shines like silver.

And then there were those who were annoyed by the disruption his three-day sojourn caused. Shops were closed, restaurants shut, business came to a standstill and the police as usual harassed anybody and everybody who came in their way because they were in total panic about the security risk to the PM.

BJP insiders say that this last burst of intensive campaigning by Modi has certainly made a difference. It injected more enthusiasm in listless cadres and added fizz. The downside is that all the workers were so busy with arrangements for the roadshows, visits to temples and his rallies that electioneering work ground to a standstill. An important task that remains unfinished in the hullabaloo is the distribution of voter chits which guides voters to their booth, tells them their serial number in the voters list and familarises them with the party candidate. This is an important part of ground campaigning which BJP workers have not been able to complete in the excitement of hosting Modi in Varanasi.

Destination Varanasi

It was quite a sight to see virtually the entire union cabinet descend on Varanasi to campaign for the BJP. Some of them like Piyush Goyal decided to do a peoples campaign by mingling with common folk. He even sat in a small dhaba to eat the citys famous kachori-aloo. A photo of him sitting on a wooden bench and tucking into the food was published in a local newspaper the next day and became a talking point in the city.

Arun Jaitley surprised everyone by taking the first available flight to Varanasi after landing from a grueling trip to London. He was so anxious to be where the action is that he didnt stop in Delhi for more than a quick breakfast and some freshening up.

His task in Varanasi was to mollify angry traders who are upset by the 30,000 income tax notices that have been sent after demonetisation. Traders attended his meeting hoping to hear some words of reassurance. Instead, they got a lecture about the benefits of demonetization and 7 per cent GDP growth rate despite notebandi.

As Jaitley droned on trying to whip up a feel-good factor, the traders decided that silence was the best policy. Not one opened his mouth to talk about their demonetisation woes, the income hit they have taken and their worries about the tax notices. Many of those who attended the meeting came away dissatisfied. There were also those who stayed away from the meeting as a form of protest.

Wooing boatmen

Remember controversial union minister of state Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti? She had kicked up a storm with her communal campaign in the Delhi assembly election 2015, asking for votes for Ramazada, not haramzada. Her remark led to almost the entire winter session of Parliament being paralysed and the PM was forced to distance the government from the comment. Since then the Sadhvi has kept a low profile.

Well, she was back in action in Varanasi where she was deployed to campaign among her caste folk, the Nishads. This community of boatmen is upset with the BJP on various counts and Jyoti was tasked to try and woo them back. Nishads are an important voter group in Varanasi and depend on the Ganges for a living.

They are upset with the BJP and Modi because of plans to build a jetty at the Dashashwamedh Ghat for visitors to watch the famous evening Arti. Traditionally, boatmen row visitors out on the river to watch the arti. A jetty will finish their livelihood.

Niranajan has no answers to their problem or to their demand to be included in the list of Scheduled Castes instead of Backward Castes. But she is believed to have done what she does best, which is to polarize emotions on religious lines.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 is an important landmark in the bilateral affairs of India and Pakistan. When the country was divided in 1947 no issue seemed more likely to lead to violent conflict than the sharing of the waters of the Indus and its tributaries. For each of the two new countries, the Punjab, already torn and devastated, was the crucial breadbasket, source of food security and repository of hopes for the future, and neither felt it could afford to lose any part of the water supply from the elaborate modern irrigation system of the Indus that had brought prosperity to the expanses of the north Indian plains. But the terms of Partition took little account of this requirement; the boundary line bequeathed by the British made an impossible tangle of the irrigation system of Punjab, with the head works often located in India while the canals were downstream in Pakistan. In the seriously disturbed conditions of the time it was feared that unresolved claims on the waters could drive the two countries to war. In the event, these apprehensions proved unfounded but in the charged situation of the time there was real fear that the issue could spin out of control, which brought the two countries to make a serious effort to come to agreement so as to head off risk of conflict.

The IWT needs to be seen against this background as something more than a water-sharing arrangement, for it has features of a basic agreement aimed at preserving the peace. The gravity and complexity of the issues is such that negotiating the IWT was a long-drawn and immensely complicated process. Apart from the sustained effort of the two principals, it also needed the good offices of the World Bank to bring it to a conclusion, both as a facilitator and as a source of funding for dams and other structures that neither of the countries at that stage could readily provide on their own. To ensure that the agreement would function as envisaged, and that there was no tampering with the agreed arrangements, a bilateral Commission was established to meet regularly and keep a watchful eye on Treaty implementation. It was also decided that in the event of the two countries failing to agree among themselves, neutral experts acceptable to both sides would be appointed to go into the issues, and, eventually, should the need arise, for third party arbitration to decide on conflicting demands and claims. Thus implementation of the IWT is backed by groups of experts who can help maintain agreed procedures and resolve problems of implementation.

Since 1960 when the IWT came into operation, the regular consultation process mandated by the treaty has been maintained, not always smoothly or without dispute, but without any threatening disruption. With this, the IWT has survived decades of the troubled relations between India and Pakistan because both countries continue to find value in what it provides, and also because from the start it has been strongly backed by the World Bank. Meetings of the Commission have helped resolve many complex technical differences that could have threatened the IWT if left to themselves. As the lower riparian, Pakistan has always been very alert to anything that can look like denial by India of its proper downstream share of the water, and from time to time it has indulged in allegations of large-scale diversions by India. However, such suspicions have only reflected the general mistrust that affects bilateral ties and were unsupported by evidence, for it is obvious that engineering works for diversion structures cannot be constructed by stealth or be concealed from view.

Another supposed infringement by India that figured at one stage in Pakistans complaints arose from what were believed to be the military implications of Indias upstream projects. At least two of them, respectively on the Jhelum in Kashmir and Baglihar in Jammu, were held up because military strategists in Rawalpindi feared the storages could be manipulated to cause floods to gain tactical advantage in the event of Indo-Pak hostilities ~ the fears were always fanciful and had no tangible basis but give an idea of some of the hidden fears that may lie within the IWT.

The main challenge to the IWT, now as in the past, is not to be found in its intrinsic complexity so much as in the uncertain relations between India and Pakistan. As has been seen time and again, a downturn in bilateral relations can lead to demands to re-examine the relevance of the IWT, with it being argued that there is no benefit in continuing to remain engaged at times when India is being targeted by terrorists succoured from across the border. Some considerations of this nature seem to have led India to suspend its participation in the IWT Commission after the Uri attacks last September. Though India did not rescind its commitment to the IWT, it showed its unwillingness to maintain even minimum relations owing to these cross border attacks. Thereafter For some months implementation of IWT was suspended but now it seems the World Bank has been active in persuading the two sides to resume engagement and a meeting of the Commission is imminent. This is to be welcomed for the complicated issues of the IWT require attention if they are not to fester and lead to further complications.

It is not the standoff in the IWT alone that could be affected by the limited resumption of contact now planned, and Indias decision to attend the Lahore meeting can perhaps become a small step towards restoring a measure of normality in overall ties. Dialogue between the two countries has been in suspension but maybe some signs of easing are to be discerned, as in Indias readiness to acquiesce in the appointment of a Pakistani Secretary-General to head the SAARC Secretariat. This is not the first time that India has given its support to a Pakistani candidate, and SAARC has always sought to diversify its Secretariat by making room for all member states. Whatever may be its reservations about Pakistans role in South Asia, India has been supportive of SAARC and has tried to enhance its effectiveness by giving it more room for initiative, especially at the level of the Secretariat, so that it can hold its own in a diverse and fast changing world. Bilateral differences within SAARC have thus not been permitted to stand in the way of what can benefit the organization as a whole. The Indian decision to join the consensus in favour of the Pakistani candidate as SG of SAARC can be a small chink to encourage better cooperation in the region and perhaps even help restore some of the presently moribund ties.
Is it that time of the year yet when one wants to skip that monotonous life routine and embrace the winds again? Are those plans of capering across the town crossing the CPU again? If yes, one has landed the doubt-ship at the correct runway! A beautiful tent city, guarded by lush green forest, is the destination. Just a three hour head-out from the clamouring city of Ahmedabad, takes one to the town of Polo, articulated with a roll in the tongue.

Polo Festival

The old Polo city came up around the Harnav stream, an old water body mentioned in the Puranas. It was established in the 10th century AD by the Parihar lords of Idar and was then vanquished in the 15th century by the Rathod Rajputs of Marwar. The name Polo has its origin from a Marwari word "Pol", which implies entrance. The name derives its significance from its location on the fringe of Rajasthan and Gujarat, interfacing the two states. It was placed between Kalaliyo in the east, the most astounding stop in the zone, and Mamrehchi in the west, thought to be sacrosanct by the local adivasis.

The Polo Celebration 2017 was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister on 5 January and showcased social projects at the Polo makeshift camp in Abhapur (Vijaynagar). Polo Festival is celebrated each year by Gujarat Tourism to advance the legacy of Polo backwoods. Polo Festival 2017 was a festival of the rich legacy of Polo backwoods. Green mountains watch this woods and the Harnav River quenches its thirst. The presence of the old remains of Jain and Hindu sanctuaries in this unblemished environment is relieved by interfacing nature with a deep sense of being.

A cultural night showcasing the traditions of the Rajasthani community was the centrepiece of the event. Matching the rhythms of the folk music were the villagers dancing to their hearts' content. Plays were put up that spoke of the customs and traditions of their community. Local people, wearing ethnic dresses, serving traditional food and talking in their native language, is what the Polo Festival is all about. One of the most endearing intrusions during the celebrations came from the surrounding Polo Forest, which is home to more than 200 types of winged creatures, including the jungle fowl. Migratory birds too visit Polo during the celebration time. Their calls resonate each morning in Polo.

The indigenous people living here are descendants of the Bhil warriors, who helped Maharana Pratap. Presence of more than 450 varieties of therapeutic herbs and a bountiful vegetation makes Polo celebration an incredible chance to experience nature at its best.

Polo forest

Not so long ago, this region was not much known and attracted not many visitors. The delightful backwoods zone, close to Abhapur town, is known as Polo forest, situated in Sabarkantha area just 180 km from Ahmedabad. This is the most popular among the week-end getaways near Ahmedabad. With development and improved facilities, the number of tourists has grown significantly in the past couple of years.

The forest sanctuaries date back to 1,500 years. The fig trees are great spots to look for the endangered Gray Hornbill and Brown-headed Barbet that will come to snack on the fruits. Dim Hornbills can likewise be found on a Banyan tree close to the camp ground. On the opposite side of the camp are Woodpeckers and at a specific half-hour in the evening (the time changes with sunset) flocks of birds settle down for the night.

The forest is crossed by a lovely stream, which is so picturesque that it can bring out the best even in a photography-challenged person. A beautiful stepwell, one of the ancient water harvesting structures dotting Gujarat, reflects the artistry of Mother Earth.

Ancient temples

The ancient temples of Polo in Khedbrahma and Vijaynagar taluka stand out for their elegance amid the long tract of forest in the lap of Aravali Hills. These include the imposing Shiva and Jain temples surrounded by untouched beauty of nature. The temples are believed to be from the 14th and 15th century. Their architectural style suggests they are the remains of the Solanki era. However, it seems the temples also contain the heritage of the successors of Idar state of that period. The chief characteristic of these temples is that the Hindu and Jain temples are adjacent to each other.

In a nutshell, this place is a paradise for individuals, who simply meander into nature. Murmuring springs, assortment of trees, simple town dwellers and their little cottages, all these exude a freshness and revive a tired visitor.
More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Iran's veterans' affairs office said today.

"Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the holy mausoleums," Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Shahidi, who is head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran.

The figure was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to Syria.

Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and also organises militias fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Shahidi did not provide details on the nationalities of those killed.

Iran oversees "volunteer" fighters recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The families of those killed in battle are given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.

Tehran refers to the fighters as "defenders of the shrines"  a reference to Shiite holy sites in Iraq and Syria that have been targeted by Sunni extremists.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said she will visit India soon, after her travel plans in December were postponed reportedly due to New Delhi's preoccupation with political challenges over demonetization.

"I'm coming to India," Hasina said on the sidelines of a summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association here when asked about her expectations from the proposed visit.

During Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Dhaka in February, Hasina's Deputy Press Secretary M Nazrul Islam had said the Bangladeshi premier will visit India in April.

She is to travel to India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited her in 2015.

Hasina was expected to travel to India in December, but the plan was postponed, amid speculation that it was not a suitable time for the visit given the Indian government's preoccupation with the challenges thrown up by demonetisation of higher denomination currency notes.

It was believed that since the ties between the Union government and the West Bengal government  a key stakeholder in the Teesta Water sharing issue  had strained over the sudden scrapping of the notes, any agreement, or meaningful discussion, on an agreement was unlikely to materialise.

The two countries have successfully settled their other previously pending issues like the Land Boundary and enclave problem.
Foreign Ministry of North Korea notified the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it will not permit Malaysians staying in North Korea to leave the country.

By Indo-Asian News Service: North Korea on Tuesday issued a temporary ban on all Malaysians from leaving the country, amid a diplomatic row between the two countries over the death of Pyongyang leader's half brother in Kuala Lumpur, a media report said.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in the report said the Foreign Ministry notified the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it will not permit Malaysians staying in North Korea to leave the country until the safety of North Korean diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is "fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case".

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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLD WAR: The report said that Malaysians in North Korea will be able to live normally under the same conditions as they did before, despite Pyongyang's interim ban, Yonhap News Agency reported. In a tit-for-tat response, the Malaysian government has also banned North Korean embassy staff and officers from leaving the country. "We don't mean to do this, but it needs to be done," The Star daily reported citing Malaysian Home Affairs minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying in a media briefing. "The Home Ministry has made a ruling, effective immediately, that not one staff member or officer of the (North Korean) embassy can leave the country... This will be made effective at all immigration exits nationwide," he added. Ahmad Zahid also confirmed that the travel ban only applies to the diplomatic staff, and that regular North Korean citizens in Malaysia will be allowed to leave the country. Immediately after his announcement, police surrounded and cordoned off the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 11 Malaysians including three embassy staff and their families, are stranded in Pyongyang, says Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican. In a statement, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said he condemned in the strongest terms possible, North Korea's decision to prevent its citizens from leaving the country, and has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, The Star daily said. The move came after the Malaysian government expelled the North Korean ambassador on Monday following the murder of Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-Nam who was killed on February 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport using the VX nerve agent. Malaysia also cancelled its visa-waiver programme with North Korea last week and kicked out North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol in reaction to North Korea's "diplomatically rude" remarks.

ALSO READ:

North Korea's Kim Jong-un's half-brother assassinated in Malaysia by female operatives

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Trump: North Korea is a big problem, will deal with it very 'strongly'

ALSO WATCH

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Turkish, Russian and US military chiefs held talks on Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya to discuss regional issues including Iraq and Syria, the Turkish army said.

"Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the army said in a statement, without elaborating further.

The meeting attended by Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

In the past, Antalya hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015.

Moscow also confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned at the event."

The talks come a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to strike Syrian Kurdish militia forces deployed in former Islamic State group (IS) bastion of Manbij in Syria, unless it was in cooperation with Russia and the United States.

"It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised interview.

His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian Kurdish militia  considered "terrorists" by Turkey  unless they withdrew from Manbij.

Turkey had often said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be the flashpoint town of Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group dominated by Kurdish fighters.

Ankara has launched an ambitious military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recaptured several towns near its border from IS including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab.

The Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of an outlawed Kurdish militant group.
The US on Monday issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and said extremist elements are also "active" in India.

"The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens and interests. US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence," the State Department said in its worldwide caution.

"A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan.

"Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh," it added.


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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover all the six reports of the Multi-Agency Group (MAG) constituted by the government to probe the Panama papers case.

The direction came after the Centre told the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra that the Multi-Agency Group has completed the sixth report of its ongoing investigation and the government is prepared to place all reports before the court.

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"We direct the Union of India to file all six reports in a sealed cover within four weeks," the bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Justice M M Shantanagoudar said.

The Centre had constituted a multi agency group consisting of officers of the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate and Financial Intelligence Unit to investigate the Panama case.

Solicitor General (SG) Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the bench should first go through reports of the MAG and thereafter decide whether it could be shared with the petitioner or not.

The submission by the SG came after petitioner advocate M L Sharma said the report should also be given to him so that he can argue the matter further.

At the outset, Sharma argued that the government agencies were not investigating this case properly and they have concealed material facts from the apex court.

To this, the bench said, "How can you say that they are not doing it (probe)? They have said they are investigating the matter and when a stand is taken by respondents (Centre, RBI and others) that they are investigating, how can we say anything at this stage?"

The apex court had on November 24 last year sought a response from the petitioner on the plea of market regulator SEBI that it has been dragged as a party in a PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI probe against Indians whose names have figured in the Panama papers for allegedly holding bank accounts in foreign countries.

The Centre had sought dismissal of the PIL, saying MAG has already been set up to ensure "speedy and coordinated" probe against Indians whose names have figured in the Panama papers.

Five reports have already been submitted by MAG to the apex court-appointed Special Investigation Team on black money which is led by Justice (retd) M B Shah, and in a sealed cover to a Supreme Court bench hearing the black money case. (more) PTI ABA RKS AG DV

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By Press Trust of India: student

New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) A Harvard University student has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to his recent jibe at the renowned US varsity, and said "mocking" economists and credible academic institutions will only "isolate" India from the world.

The letter from Prateek Kanwal, who hails from Chandigarh and is pursuing a Masters Degree course in public policy at Harvard University, has been released online and has gone viral.

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He said that when Modi made these remarks at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh last week, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan was addressing the students at Harvard University and "he specifically asked the university and the students to collaborate with your government".

He said the Prime Ministers remarks will push away Indians like him who wish to return to their country after studying abroad.

Armed with the latest GDP figures, Modi had last week mocked economists and made a veiled attack on his predecessor Manmohan Singh who had said the Centres demonetisation decision would lead to a low growth rate.

"Big scholars, some from Harvard, some from Oxford...some said there will be a drop of 2 per cent in the GDP, others said 4 per cent drop (after demonetisation)... But the country has seen what the people from Harvard think and what hard working people think," he had said.

In his letter, Kanwal said, "To develop a country as diverse as India, you will need the help of people who bring a different perspective to the table. Mocking economists and credible academic institutions will only isolate us from the world."

Calling himself, a "hardworking nationalist", the student said, "We are trained in the evidence-based learning approach, which helps in designing and implementing policies effectively so that disasters such as demonetisation can be avoided."

"While you were making these remarks in Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan was addressing us at Harvard and he specifically asked the university and the students to collaborate with your government," he said.

Kanwal also claimed that Harvard alumni hold important positions in the Modi Cabinet as well as the Prime Ministers Office. PTI GJS SMN

--- ENDS ---
This will be PM Modi's tenth Gujarat visit since he took charge of the PM Office in May 2014. The PM's latest Gujarat tour assumes much political significance. Here's why

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating several projects during his two-day Gujarat visit. (File Photo: PTI)

By India Today Web Desk: After spending three days in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi campaigning for the crucial Assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day tour of his home state Gujarat starting today.

During his visit, PM Modi will be inaugurating several projects apart from a national convention of women sarpanch on the occasion of International Women's Day.

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This will be PM Modi's tenth Gujarat visit since he took charge of the PM Office in May 2014. The PM's latest Gujarat tour assumes much political significance.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Gujarat is scheduled to hold Assembly election later this year. Since 2014, the BJP has been facing one challenge after another as Modi left for New Delhi. The ruling party has had to face the wrath of Patidars and Dalits. Ahead of the Assembly election, the BJP would look for ways to pacify both the communities. Modi had picked Anandiben Patel to replace him as Gujarat CM in May 2014. But Patel had to step down amid infighting in the party. She was blamed for BJP's poor performance in 2015 civic elections in which Congress gained public support. Voices in the party also accused her of failing to control the Patidar protest and alienating the power Patel community from the party. PM Modi is expected to meet Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other senior state party leaders. It is believed that Modi will issue directives to the state party unit to start preparations for the Assembly election. Some reports say that Assembly election can be held ahead of its schedule, however, CM Rupani has denied any such possibility. PM Modi is also likely to meet his mother Heeraben on Wednesday (March 8). Modi's mother stays with her younger son in Gandhinagar and the PM has made it a point to meet her whenever he is in Gujarat.

PM MODI'S 2-DAY GUJARAT ITINERARY

Modi will arrive at Surat Airport from where he will go to Dahej to address an industry meet at ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPAL) petrochemical complex.

Thereafter, he will head to Bharuch, where he will inaugurate a new bridge constructed on river Narmada to ease the traffic woes on Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway.

The Prime Minister will also address a public gathering in Bharuch and lay a foundation stone for a bus port in the town.

Some pictures of the bridge that will be inaugurated tomorrow in Bharuch, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/pIn4QY4A0a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 6, 2017 After that event, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will host a dinner for Modi at his residence in Gandhinagar, where state ministers and MPs are expected to remain present.

On Wednesday, Modi will visit Somnath temple, where he will offer special prayers and attend the meeting of the Somnath Temple Trust.

Modi is the trustee of temple trust, of which former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel is the president.

BJP president Amit Shah and senior party leader LK Advani will also attend the meeting of the temple trust. Both of them are also its trustees.

On Wednesday afternoon, Modi will address the national convention of women sarpanch in Gandhinagar on the occasion of International Women's Day.

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WATCH: PM Modi's blitzkrieg in Varanasi: Sign of nervousness? ALSO READ:

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By Press Trust of India: London, Mar 7 (PTI) Traces of DNA from the family of viruses - between 20 and 45 million years old - that cause a rare type of leukaemia have been found in the bat genomes, filling the "last major gap" in retrovirus fossil record, scientists say.

The findings, by the University of Glasgow in the UK and The Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, represent the first concrete piece of evidence that the Deltaretrovirus group has a truly ancient origin in mammals.

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The results also offer key insights to the characteristics of these viruses and will allow scientists to better understand them in the future.

The Deltaretrovirus group which includes T-lymphotrophic viruses, currently estimated to infect 15 to 20 million people worldwide, can cause a rare type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma called Adult T-Cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATLL).

Infection with this virus is very rare in the UK however, and most people who carry the virus will not develop the disease.

It has long been thought that deltaretroviruses have infected humans since prehistoric times. However, because these viruses had no fossil record, their deeper origins have until now remained a mystery.

"The discovery of this viral sequence fills the last major gap in the fossil record of retroviruses. It provides a means of calibrating the timeline of interaction between deltaretroviruses and their hosts," said Robert Gifford from the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

"Importantly this finding could also be used as a tool for understanding the mechanisms that mammals have evolved specifically to counter the threat from these viruses," said Gifford.

"Understanding the history of these viruses will help scientists to better understand how they affect people and animals now and in the future," he said.

Researchers identified the remnants of a deltaretrovirus in the genome of bent-winged bats.

The sequence was found to be integrated in a range of distantly related Minopterid species, demonstrating that it originated 20-45 million years ago.

Researchers characterised the sequence, and found an unusual - and as yet unexplained - feature of the virus, which is also present in contemporary deltaretroviruses.

The discovery that this characteristic has defined deltaretroviruses for millions of years indicates that it is somehow key to their biology, and could help scientists study them in the future.

The retrovirus fossil record is comprised of DNA sequences that are derived from ancient retroviruses, and have been preserved in animal genomes.

The study was published in the journal PNAS. PTI MHN SAR MHN

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Still Standing: Four the Moments legacy honoured at Nova Scotia Music Week

When a quartet of Halifax women began singing together a cappella in the name of social justice in 1982, there was little in the way of a music industry at play in Atlantic Canada. And even if there had been, its likely that Four the Moment would ...
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday shot a notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and abetting bribery during one of his election rallies recently.

The EC has sought a reply from Akhilesh by Tuesday evening as to why action should not be initiated against him.

Akhilesh, during one of his election meetings at Gyanpur in Bhadohi (Uttar Pradesh) on March 4, allegedly told the public to take money from the rival candidate but keep in mind the "Cycle" Samajwadi Party's election sysmbolwhile voting.

Speaking about the rival candidate, Akhilesh said, "Suna hai ki bahut paisa baant raha hai. Paisa bhi rakh lena aur Cycle ko yaad rakhna (I hear he is distributing a lot of money. Keep the money but remember the cycle)."

Not amused with Akhilesh's remarks, the commission in its notice called it a prima facie violation of the MCC and abetting bribery.

"Whereas bribing and abetment of bribery is an offence under IPC, it is also a corrupt practice under 123 (1) of Representation of the People Act, 1951, and in the Commission's prima facie opinion your aforesaid statement is violative of provisions of sub-para (4) of Para (1) of the Model Code of Conduct," the EC notice read.

"You are hereby called upon to explain latest by 5 pm on March 7 as to why action should not be taken against you, failing which the Commission shall take a decision without any further reference to you," it added.
All eyes will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi as voters in 40 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls' seventh and last phase cast their votes on Wednesday.

Raising the stakes, Modi has done unprecedented level of canvassing in his home turf, which has five assembly seats, by campaigning in the city for three days on the trot.

His rivals, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and his ally Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, have sought to corner the prime minister in the city by carrying out intensive campaign, including taking a big road show.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is hopeful of capturing power in the state after 15 years in the wilderness, virtually functioned out of the holy city as its chief Amit Shah and other top party leaders shifted their base here weeks ahead of the polls.

However, it was Modi who left no stone unturned as he criss-crossed his constituency.

He held two back-to-back road shows, addressed four public meetings, visited an influential ashram and offered tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastriall in a span of three daysas he sought votes for his party candidates.

The BJP holds three and the Samajwadi Party two of the five seats in the outgoing Assembly but the former is making a determined bid to oust rival parties from Modi's turf.

But it has met a formidable challenger in the SP-Congress alliance and a massive road show by Yadav and Gandhi through the heart of the city has sparked some concerns in the saffron camp.

Political observers believe that such a keen contest and campaigning should result in a relatively high polling percentage.

The seats going to polls also include home turf of three union ministersMahendra Nath Pandey, Anupriya Patel and Manoj Sinha.

Pandey, Patel and Sinha are MPs from Chandauli, Mirzapur and Gazipur respectively.

In the last assembly polls, SP had won 23 of the 40 seats, BSP won 5, the BJP 4 and the Congress 3 with the rest won by others.
Three persons died of asphyxiation in C.V. Raman Nagar in Bengaluru on Monday night, after they got down a manhole to fix it. The deceased have been identified as Yerraiah (35), Anjaneya Reddy (34), and Dhavathi Naidu (40). All three were attached to Andhra-based Ramky Enterprises, an agency hired by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB).

Bengaluru development minister K.J. George who visited the spot announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and assured that action would be taken against the contractor. The contractor is reported to be absconding.

We suspect the men arrived late on Monday night and entered the manhole without any protective gear. BWSSB has jetting machines and there was no need for the men to get down the manhole, said Bengaluru Mayor Padmavati.

A case has been filed against BWSSB and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under IPC Section 304 (negligent act resulting in culpable homicide) at the Byappanahalli police station.

The men are believed to have entered the manhole as the BWSSB had sought repair of the overflowing manhole. BWSSB chief engineer Manjunath said, Ramky was hired in 2011 to build the UGD. Last week, we noticed the manhole was congested and the sewage was overflowing into Kaggadasapura lake. We asked the contractor to fix it. But we don't know why they came at night and without any precaution.

While, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavenger and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, was expected to give more steam to the efforts in abolishing the inhuman practice, it continues to exist in Karnataka due to lack of political will. In 2013, the state government had estimated that there were 302 manual scavengers, but the government submitted an affidavit before the High Court stating there were none. The Safai Karmachari Vigilance Committee had noted that the number is in lakhs going by the number of dry latrines in Census 2011.

Last December, Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya, who chaired a meeting of the Manual Scavenging Awareness Committee claimed there were only 5,000 manual scavengers in the state and at least 60 manhole deaths in the last decade. The minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the family of the deceased and a government job to a family member in each case.

However, the question of abolishing manual scavenging has not been dealt with seriously as the state government has under-reported the total number of scavengers, alleges the community, which is now demanding a re-survey. Most importantly, the civic bodies are indirectly encouraging manual scavenging by not allocating budget for mechanised manhole cleaning in the cities and towns.
Opposition Congress in Gujarat on Tuesday claimed that some of its MLAs and party's state in-charge Gurudas Kamat were receiving extortion and threat calls from gangster Ravi Pujari. Opposition leader Shankersinh Vaghela raised the issue in the ongoing session of the state assembly.

[File] Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela | PTI

"Ten MLAs, including Govabhai Rabari, C.K. Raulji, Amit Chavda and Chandrikaben Baria have received threat calls traced to countries like Laos, Algeria, Bolivia, Thailand, Croatia, Bhutan, and Turkey, which is a matter of grave concern," Vaghela told the House.

Raulji, MLA from Godhra, received a text message in Ravi Pujari's name and the message said that he should cough up Rs 10 crore or face consequences.

Borsad MLA Amit Chavda said had received a call threatening him to pay Rs 10 crore or meet the fate of councillor Pragnesh Patel who was shot dead in January allegedly by Pujari's gang.

Vaghela said that Shaktisinh Gohil, another MLA, had told him three days ago about a threat call but he did not want to discuss the issue. Gohil is currently abroad.

 I would request you to ask Central government to verify the calls traced to foreign countries and take the help of secret agencies like RAW to locate the calls. PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) should also be told about that," Vaghela demanded.

In his reply, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said that the police were looking into the claims made by the Congress. He also said a team was sent to Thailand in connection with the probe into the murder of the Borsad councillor.

He said not only the Congress, but the legislators as well as some leaders of the BJP had also received such calls.

Vaghela raised the issue on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day visit to the state.

(With PTI inputs)
A Tamil Nadu fisherman was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea dividing the two countries. As India voiced "deep concern", Colombo promised a thorough probe.

Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Navy targeted them on Monday night, Indian officials said on Tuesday.

Katchatheevu is located in the narrow Palk Straits dividing India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.

Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu against the killing. Another fisherman was injured.

The Sri Lankan Navy promised "a full and thorough probe" into the incident after India took up the matter at the highest level, informed sources said.

India voiced deep concern over the killing. Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, sources said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of the dead fisherman, K. Britso, and a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh for the injured fisherman.

The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation. "They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," Ramadoss said in Chennai.

He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been happening for the past 30 years, leaving more than 800 fishermen dead.

Ramadoss said India and Sri Lanka had agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner. "It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreement," he added.

He said the Tamil Nadu government should put pressure on the Indian and Sri Lankan governments to arrest the Navy personnel who killed the Indian.
After protests from some Hindu outfits in Mengaluru and a death threat from a former RSS leader in Madhya Pradesh, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now facing another threatthis time from a BJP MLA in Hyderabad.

T. Raja Singh has urged the CPI(M) to stop a meeting it organises in the city on March 19, which Vijayan is expected to attend. This meeting is to mark the culmination of the Left party's five-month long Mahajana Padayatra which took off on October 18 from Ibrahimpatnam in Ranga Reddy district demanding social justice and comprehensive development.

Raja Singh has left a video on the Facebook where he was seen saying, "Hindu community is not safe in Kerala." He alleges that several RSS and BJP workers have been killed after the CPI(M) came to power in Kerala.

"The Kerala CM, who is a murderer of Hindus, is invited to the event on March 19 in Nizam College. I strongly oppose this and will not allow the event to happen. I will go to any extent to stop the meeting, he said. He has also warned the Telangana police and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao against giving permission to the event.

If the Kerala CM is not stopped from coming to the meeting, I will also come with my supporters, and conduct a meeting. After that, Telangana police and government will be responsible for any law and order problem, he added.

The CPI(M) Telangana unit was obviously not immune to these threats and Facebook videos. Party leader B.V. Raghavulu said: "Our meeting has got government and police permission. If Raja Singh has guts, let him obstruct the meeting. We know how to deal with the BJP and its leaders like Raja Singh."

Raja Singh's threat came just a couple of days after former RSS leader from Ujjain, Kundan Chandravat, put a bounty of Rs 1 crore on Vijayan's head, blaming the Kerala CM for the alleged murder of 300 Sangh workers in the state. Chandravat was expelled from the RSS after his statement.

And for Raja Singh, this is not the first time the BJP MLA has made controversial comments. Last year, when three dalit boys were assaulted allegedly for skinning a cow in Una in Gujarat, Raja Singh posted a video on Facebook and announced that the dalits were 'galeez' and the beating was a very "good thing to happen." His rants against Muslims are also quite well known. He had accused the All India Majlis Ittehad ul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, of converting Charminar into a 'mini-Pakistan'.

The 38-year-old politician, who was with the Telugu Desam Party has always been a rabble-rouser. After the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Raja Singh had asked the theatre owners in Hyderabad not to screen the film, because it had a Pakistan actor as a side hero.

Though the BJP has always distanced itself from his remarks, the party has not yet taken any action against him.
Launching the Congress campaign for the upcoming municipal elections in Delhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal practiced politics of false promises.

Both Modi and Kejriwal engage in politics of false promises. Modi had made many promises before the Lok Sabha elections, and Kejriwal had promised to do a lot of good things in Delhi. However, they have not kept their promises, Gandhi said addressing a convention of Congress workers at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

He said the ideology of the Congress was different from that of the BJP, the RSS or the Aam Aadmi Party, and that his party believed in listening to the voice of each and every countryman. He charged both Modi and Kejriwal with being authoritarian. Both of them are leading individual-centric governments.

It is crucial for the Congress to have a good showing in the elections to the three municipal corporations of Delhi, which are scheduled to be held in April. The party sees the civic polls as an opportunity to stage a comeback in the capital. The party had failed to win a single seat in the Assembly elections in 2014, and is desperate to be back in the power dynamic of the politics of Delhi.

Accusing both the Kejriwal dispensation and the BJP-ruled MCD with neglecting sanitation in the capital, Gandhi said children had lost their lives due to dengue, something which had never happened when the Congress was in power in Delhi.

He questioned Modis silence on the killing of Indians in the US. Modi ji talks about his 56-inch chest, right? When our youth are being killed, why is he not speaking? It is because India's prime minister is scared of speaking up (to the US)," Gandhi said.
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a revised version of his executive order on immigration, that places a 90-day ban on people from six predominantly Muslim nations.

The new order, which excludes Iraq from the original list of seven countries, will go into effect from March 16. The order bars citizens from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering America for 90 days.

President Trump signed the new order behind closed doors around 11:30 am, NBC reported.

Iraq was removed from the list after assurances from the Iraqi government of increased information sharing with the US, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told reporters on Monday.

Visas revoked because of the original travel ban have been fully restored, according to the State Department.

"To our allies and partners around the word, please understand this order is part of our ongoing efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamic terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after the executive order's signing.

Tillerson, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled the order in front of reporters.

The directive includes a 120-day ban on all refugees.

A three-judge panel from the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals had in early February ruled unanimously to uphold a federal judge's restraining order on the travel ban, delaying the executive order's implementation.

Kelly said the US needed a "rigorous review" of visa and refugee programmes. "We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives," he said.

The earlier order had sparked chaos at airports around the world as airlines refused to let passengers with visas on to flights bound for the US.
In the recent years, there have been all sorts of pop-up restaurant spinoffs, from food trucks to the newest trend of the permanent pop-up. Find out more.

Known for its ephemeral, fryer, fly-by-night novelty, the pop-up restaurant concept has been well and truly woven into the Indian dining scene's ever-dynamic culinary tapestry over the last couple of years. With everything from Mumbai's uber-popular regional food championing pop-up, The Bohri Kitchen 'shape-shifting' everywhere, to Delhi's tapas-serving outfit aptly named The Pop Up flitting from the Asiad Village to its recent perch at PCO, the pop-up restaurant is, rather oxymoronically, here to stay!

But ever since its humble origin as supper clubs in the London and New York of the 1960s, there have been all sorts of pop-up restaurant spinoffs; from food trucks to the newest trend of the permanent pop-up. Brick and mortar places that have cropped up from the germ sowed by their erstwhile pop-up avatars and that are imbued with the same ethos of dishing out-pardon the alliteration-fast, 'frou frou-free' fare intrinsic to the pop-up concept.

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THALASSA

This Greek taverna run by Mariketty Grana has had a rather mercurial trajectory. After starting off as a Goa-based souvlaki delivery service, it became a small moussaka-selling stall at the Anjuna flea market, then a permanent cliffside restaurant in Vagator.

YAKINIKU

Introduced for the first time ever in Chennai in December 2015 for 10 days as a pop-up, Yakiniku has now found a permanent home at the Hyatt Regency Chennai as a dinner-only yakitori restaurant. At the helm of things is chef Shohei Nakajima.

DESI DELI

Lolita Sarkar knew she had a winner on her hands when she began selling desi hot dogs at her pop-up stand at some of Mumbai's most happening weekend flea markets. Soon, her mutton boti kebab-studded jungli dog and chicken 65 burger found a place on the menu at her Bandra outlet, which was soon followed by an Andheri outpost.

QUEIMADA AT THE BAGEL SHOP

Initially planned as a short-term pop-up to celebrate the under-represented cuisine of the local East Indian community of Mumbai, Queimada is now a fixture at Pali Hill's The Bagel Shop. With a menu designed by East Indian chef Lester Pereira and Neale Murray, it serves up an array of neglected classics like mutton kuddi curry.

SWEETISH HOUSE MAFIA

SHM, run and owned by Neha Arya Sethi (who, earlier preferred to go by the moniker 'Miss Sweetish') now has three permanent outlets-in Lower Parel, Oshiwara and Pali Hill. It serves coffees, milkshakes and yes, cookies-but also has counters at PVR Cinemas' snack bars.

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The new, more narrowly tailored temporary travel ban President Donald Trump signed on Monday will be more difficult to challenge successfully in court, legal experts said.

They said since his order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travelers, challengers are likely to have a harder time finding people in the United States who can legally claim they have been harmed, and thus have so-called "standing" to sue.

Trump's first executive order signed on January 27 banned travelers from seven Muslim-majority nationsIran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemenfor 90 days and halted refugee admission for four months, barring Syrian refugees indefinitely. Its hasty implementation caused chaos and protests at airports. The order was hit with more than two dozen lawsuits, many that claimed it discriminated against Muslims.

The new ban, which goes into effect on March 16, removes Iraq and adds categories of people who would be exempt from the order. The Trump administration said the executive order is necessary for national security reasons.

It also lists groups of people that could be eligible for waivers, including travelers who have previously been admitted to the United States for work or school, those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry; infants, young children and adoptees or people in need of medical care, employees of the US government and international organisations among others.

All the exceptions make the new order "a lot harder to attack," said Andrew Greenfield, an immigration attorney with Fragomen law firm in Washington D.C.

Trump had promised to make the new directive harder to fight in court and many of the changes were expected.

"They dotted their 'i's' and crossed their 't's' in trying to anticipate what litigation might result," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor who specialises in immigration. He said opponents might still be able to find plaintiffsa US citizen could potentially sue if the government denies a waiver to their foreign spouse for an arbitrary reason, for example.

'Do our homework'

In a legal challenge to the original order, the state of Washington was successful in preventing it from being carried out. A federal judge in Seattle and then an appeals court in San Francisco ruled that Washington could claim standing, in part because the order adversely affected legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, in the state. More than 100 businesses, including many of the best-known tech companies, filed briefs in court that argued their employees were harmed.

Bob Ferguson, the Attorney General for Washington State said on Monday that he will likely decide on the next litigation steps this week after consulting with state universities and businesses about potential harms.

"We need to do our homework and be thoughtful about this," Ferguson said.

The US Department of Justice, in a filing in Seattle federal court on Monday, said the new order applies "only to those who are overseas and without a visa."

Foreign nationals outside the country who do not have a US visa do not have the same protections under the US Constitution as people already here, legal experts said.

Rosemary Jenks, the director of Government Relations at Numbers USA, a conservative group that favors less immigration overall, said the new order would leave the state of Washington having to argue on behalf of unidentified foreign nationals who have not been screened, vetted or processed yet by US authorities.

"That would be a pretty big stretch," Jenks said. And unlike the old order, the new one lays out with more detail why the specific countries were selected, she said.

Attorneys challenging the ban, including the American Civil Liberties Union said there were still questions about whether or not the ban is justified by national security reasons and the revisions do not address concerns that the order discriminates based on religion.

Adam Lauridsen, a Keker & Van Nest attorney in San Francisco representing students challenging Trump's first order, noted the revised directive still targets Muslim-majority countries.

Stephen Legomsky, chief counsel at US Citizenship and Immigration Services in the previous Obama administration, pointed to statements by Trump about wanting a Muslim ban.

"That evidence is baked in, you can't change the past," said Legomsky. He said, however, that does not mean the inevitable legal challenges will ultimately be successful in the likelihood that they reach the US Supreme Court. "It's not a slam dunk."
Kocho is a small village in Northern Iraq which ISIS had tried to wipe off the map when the militant outfit unleashed the worst kind of terror and brutality on men, women and children in 2014.

It is from here a 15-year-old school girl, Lamia Aji Bashar, was captured by Daesh fighters and kept in captivity for 20 months. Blinded in one eye after a landmine attack claimed the lives of two of her friends while escaping, she recounts with tears and horror, her sordid tale of ISIS captivity.

"I belong to Kocho village. It was August 3 in 2014 . The ISIS came to our village and killed all the men there and held us in captivity. They captured women and children. We were transferred to another place where all women were kept. They had separated the girls from the place where the women and children were being kept. They also took us to a place in Mosul and killed all the older women. Around 400 men and 80 women were killed in one place at a given time. They took me and my sister to Mosul where many Yazidi girls had been kept in captivity. Initially, we were taken to Raqqa in Syria (declared the capital of the caliphate) and kept in a big hall where a Daesh from Saudi came and took both me and my sister. This Daesh fighter then raped both me and my sister and we stayed with him for two days at his place before he brought us back to this hall and took other Yazidi girls. Then another Daesh fighter came and took me away. I tried to commit suicide by cutting my veins because I was in a very bad situation. This Daesh fighter was very bad to me and I stayed with him for around one week. I was tortured and beaten and I tried to escape from there because he was treating me very badly. I was alone in that house with him. Once I managed to escape and went to a Muslim family in the neighborhood but they gave me back to the Daesh fighters. They could not save me. So, again I was tortured and they beat me up and I was chained and locked and not given food for days. Once I tried to jump from the vehicle and escape but they captured me. Since I was in Syria at that time, I did not recognise any place. So even when I was trying to run away and escape, the Daesh fighters used to capture me again. They punished me and put me in an underground prison for several days, without food and water and later sold me to another Daesh fighter in Syria."

"This Daesh fighter brought me to Mosul in Iraq and made me live with his family which used to treat me like a slave. They were very bad to me. He sexually and physically abused me and I escaped again. But they caught me again in Mosul. The next Daesh fighter who bought me used to make bombs and forced me to work with him in making suicide bombs. I was there for four months. Then I escaped again but they captured me and brought me to a Sharia court and wanted to cut me or kill me. The judge decided to cut my hands but one of the Daesh fighters said he will sell me. But I was punished and tortured again. They brought me to the slavery mart then where the Yazidi girls were being kept. The next Daesh fighter who was a physician, a doctor in a hospital in Iraq, was very bad and abused all Yazidi girls. After one year, we tried to escape. I and my two friends escaped and unfortunately on the night we escaped, we were still on our way when we reached a field and we did not know there were mines there. One of my friends stepped on one of the mines which exploded and they got killed. I lost my eye. I was found by a smuggler who took me to the Kurdish-Iraqi border (in the ISIS strongholds) and said that my family should pay $7,500 to free me. One of my uncles paid the money to free me. In April 2016, I was finally freed. I am 18 years old now.

There was no help, no one showed mercy on me. I saw one of the Indian guys in the last place of captivity when I was in Mosul, where he was working as a suicide bomber and wanted to explode himself. There were many Asians as well who belonged to different countries.

Bashar was in New Delhi to participate in the '19th Asian Security Conference - Combating Terrorism: Evolving an Asian Response', an initiative of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis. The Week caught up with her to learn from her the story of ISIS violence in the far lands of Syria where around 23 Indians have fled to join the Isis Jehad. Some of them who had tried to flee were killed.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) India is a victim of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said and dismissed a Pakistani ministers charge that it was creating unrest in the neighbouring country.

The Indian forces never indulge in unprovoked firing on anyone, he said.

"Both India and Afghanistan believe in peace and are victims of terrorism emanating from Pakistan," Rijiju told reporters here.

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His remarks came a day after Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India and Afghanistan have joined hands to create unrest in Pakistan.

Asif said there had been a constant rise in Indias alleged unprovoked firing and violation of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control.

Countering his charge, Rijiju said, "Indian Forces never do unprovoked firing." PTI ACB SC

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The court has accepted the petition and issued a notice to the actor. Hearing in the case is scheduled for the April 21.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Rajasthan Government has filed a petition in Jodhpur district and session court challenging the acquittal of actor Salman Khan in the Arms Act case.

The court has accepted the petition and issued a notice to the actor. Hearing in the case is scheduled for the April 21.

Salman Khan was acquitted in the Arms Act case by Chief Judicial Magistrate Court (Jodhpur district) of Dalpatsingh Rajpurohit on January 18.

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As per the Court, the prosecution failed to prove beyond doubt that the accused had the weapons in his possession without valid licence or used them for hunting on the night between October 1 and October 2 in 1998.

Actor Salman Khan was accused of keeping a revolver and a rifle whose licences had expired in his possession and using them for hunting while he was in Jodhpur in 1998.

The actor, alongwith Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Tabu were in Jodhpur for the shooting of the movie Hum Saath Saath Hain.

Also read:

Blackbuck shooting case: Salman Khan gives no proof to back his statements in Jodhpur court

Indian films, especially those of Salman Khan, are ruining our youth: Pak actor Rabi Pirzada

Sanjay Dutt opens up on Salman Khan, says nothing wrong in being arrogant. Here's what went wrong

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For the past few years, battei midrash that were once empty on Purim night have been filled to capacity, as thousands of men in Eretz Yisrael streamed in to join a special Purim Kollel, for at least an hour of Torah learning, in an intense, Shavuos-night atmosphere. The tefillas rabbim that follows has been compared to Neilah on Motzaei Yom Kippur.

Recently, a young talmid chacham from Yerushalayim, who is now in New York fighting for his life, requested of a visiting friend, Lets bring this idea to America; give battei midrash here a taste of the experience! And so this year we are taking this important initiative all over the world!

Maran Harav Chaim Kanievsky, Maran Harav Aron Leib Steinman and Harav Matisyahu Salomon, among many others, have given this project their enthusiastic endorsement. The Purim Kollel is quickly turning into a movement, as ever more shuls are signing up  in Eretz Yisrael, Europe, South Africa, the USA and Canada.

In addition, the Har Nof Kollel is organizing a Purim Partners program: Everyone who registers for the Purim Kollel in chutz laAretz is invited to submit his (or another persons) name and specific needs for tefillah in the powerful tefillas rabbim that will be held in Yerushalayim on Sunday night, Shushan Purim.

Together we will make this a truly elevated Purim! To sign up  and, if you choose, to partner with an avreich in Eretz Yisrael by having your matanos laevyonim be given to him on Purim  call 718-210- 9737 or email [email protected]
In an embarrassing moment, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been caught plagiarizing, using an address that was given by his predecessor, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.

On Sunday 7 Adar, Lieberman have an address on Har Herzl at a ceremony commemorating members of the armed forces whose burial location remains unknown. A number of families come to the event annually, and they felt that some of Liebermans words were familiar, that they have heard them before, not that long ago.

Channel 10 News decided to probe the matter and reports that Lieberman took portions of the address given by Yaalon as defense minister two years ago, almost word for word, including the opening lines.

There have been no comments on the Channel 10 report at the time of this report.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Rishon LTzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he must do everything in his power to prevent the spread of anti-Semitism in the United States as well as attacks on kevarim in cemeteries around the country.

Rav Yosef approached the Prime Minister during a Foreign Ministry ceremony marking 25 years since the terror attack against the Israeli diplomatic mission in Argentina, calling upon him to do everything within his power.

Rav Yosef explained that they were remembering an act of hate and it was appropriate to use the venue to address the Prime Minister regarding the worrisome events in the USA. Rav Yosef added the eyes of Am Yisrael in the Diaspora are turned towards him, Mr. Netanyahu and he is burdened with addressing this.

Rav Yosef spoke of how he visited Argentina, the site of that diabolical attack, speaking of seeing it first-hand, adding Am Yisrael has been under attack for thousands of years and always knew how to get up, quoting the pasuk

      .

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
After Karnataka state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa called on SM Krishna, the latter is expected to join the party on March 18.

By Rohini Swamy:

Former Congress leader SM Krishna, who was miffed with the party's governance in Karnataka and was feeling sidelined, is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

After Karnataka state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa called on SM Krishna, the latter is expected to join the party on March 18.

The former External Affairs Minister will be formally inducted into the BJP after a meeting with Amit Shah.

RESIGNATION FROM CONG A PAINFUL MOMENT: SM KRISHNA

Announcing his resignation from the Congress, SM Krishna had termed it 'a very painful moment'. He had said, "A situation has now come wherein I have to leave the home in which I resided peacefully for the last 46 years."

This move will definitely affect the image of the Congress and Siddaramaiah's efforts to show solidarity with the party, especially when the state elections are due in 2018.

"SM Krishna has made up his mind to join the BJP. He wanted to respect, while the Congress insulted him," said Yeddyurappa.

KRISHNA'S PRESENCE TO BOOST BJP

He told India Today that a veteran leader like Krishna will boost the image of BJP. He said that PM Modi's governance and Amit Shah's leadership is attracting senior congress leaders.

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Meanwhile, Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that the party is very happy and welcomes Krishna to the BJP.

Also read | SM Krishna to India Today: Karnataka heading towards constitutional crisis

--- ENDS ---
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday 8 Adar, at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, spoke to the heads of Israeli missions in the Asia-Pacific region:

Amid his comments, Mr. Netanyahu said, The largest markets are in Asia. I want this to find expression in the expansion of Israels ties with India and China. I have agreed with Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem to set up two new divisions in the ministry: The China Division and the India Division. This shows the continuing importance that we place on these two major powers.

There is much work to do and there are walls of bureaucracy that must be cracked and this is very, very important. We must continue to tighten these links on the basis of our interest in opening new markets and developing products. A major portion of the worlds population is located in the Asia-Pacific region. This is a rising power. We are moving toward a global market economy and a technological revolution.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Kobi Gideon, GPO)
Taking a step towards decriminalizing marijuana, the cabinet on Monday 8 Adar approved the move. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu quotes experts who say this must be done in a careful and expert fashion, the consensus is to move ahead with decriminalizing pot for personal use, as has already been done in some Western countries.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told his colleagues the time has come to focus on awareness and education, not law enforcement.

Repeat offenders will be fined, but there will be no criminal charges as the law compels today. A fourth violation could however lead to criminal charges. This refers to selling, not the legal amount for personal use.

In the United States, 28 states have legalized marijuana for medical use. Interestingly, Israel is a world leader in research in the field of medical marijuana.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Jerusalem on Sunday in an expression of solidarity with the Jewish community, accompanied by the Orthodox Unions Executive Vice President Allen Fagin.

Following a meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, the Governor announced the creation of a New York-Israel Commission, charged with assisting in the creation and promotion of opportunities for the development of new programs and economic partnerships celebrating the relationship between New York State and the State of Israel. Governor Cuomo appointed Mr. Fagin as co-chair of the Commission.

New York and Israel have always shared a deep cultural, social and economic bond and I am proud that we are working to make our partnership stronger than ever before, Governor Cuomo said. These individuals will help continue to strengthen our relationship with the Jewish community and reaffirm our commitment to Israel, and I look forward to seeing the impacts of this partnership resonate across the state and the globe for years to come.

The positive impact of New York States strong relationship with Israel on each of their respective economies is abundantly evident, ranging from exports to imports to jobs, said Allen Fagin.Through the launch of the New York-Israel Commission, Governor Cuomo is once again working to deliver results for two global powerhouses by further strengthening their economic ties. I applaud the Governor for his leadership, and I look forward to working together with the Governor and others to advance these objectives, including setting a global example for international cooperation.

The Governors Israel visit is only the latest in his efforts applauded by the Orthodox Union.

On February 23, at an interfaith meeting at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Governor proposed a $25 million grant to strengthen security staff and equipment in New York State schools and community centers, an issue which Teach-NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union, has been at the forefront of championing.

On March 1, the Governor spoke to the Orthodox Unions 500-person delegation to Albany, emphasizing his commitment to the equal funding of religious day schools. Teach NYS urged the Governor and the legislature to invest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education funding for all schools  including nonpublic schools  to ensure all students have the tools they need to succeed in a shifting economy.

Addressing the students, parents and supporters at the March 1 rally, the Governor delivered a stirring speech in defense of nonpublic school entitlements, and also announced his solidarity trip to Israel. I aggressively support the religious schools, my budget reflects that, he said. Ive given the religious schools in my budget more money than ever before in history. We did that last year, and well do it again this year, where we propose even more funding than ever before for the religious schools.

We hope that the actions being taken by Governor Cuomo will serve as a precedent for other states nationwide, said Moishe Bane, President of the Orthodox Union. We applaud his recent efforts on behalf of the security of the Jewish community, the interests of the New York State non-public school community, and the State of Israel.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an incident in Boro park, when a man hurled anti-Semitic remarks at NY Supreme Court Judge Noach Dear.

Noach Dear, who is also a former NYC Councilman, was walking near Maimonides Hospital on Sunday morning at around 8:00AM when a man began yelling at him.

Dear ignored the man as he kept screaming, and kept walking to his car. The man seemed upset that Dear wouldnt respond and yelled you [expletive removed] Jew, dont you have a mouth?

Dear closed his car door but noticed the man taking photos of his licence plates. He drove away and called police.

The man was described as white, with gray hair, about 5-foot-10 and wearing zig-zag black pants at the time.

The NYPDs Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident.

(Charles Gross  YWN)
The Trump administration has explicitly warned Israel against annexing parts of the West Bank, saying it would trigger an immediate crisis between the two close allies, Israels defense minister said Monday.

It was the latest indication that President Donald Trump is returning to more traditional U.S. policy and will not give Israel free rein to expand its control over the West Bank and sideline the Palestinians, as many in Israel had hoped.

Speaking in parliament, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said U.S. officials had been clear in their opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank land  a notion that has gained steam in far-right Israeli circles since Trumps election.

We received a direct message  not an indirect message and not a hint  from the United States. Imposing Israeli sovereignty on Judea and Samaria would mean an immediate crisis with the new administration, Lieberman said, shortly before departing for a working visit to the U.S.

The angry U.S. reaction was sparked by comments by Miki Zohar, a junior lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus nationalist Likud Party.

Zohar is among a growing number of coalition members who reject the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state and instead suggested that Israel annex the West Bank.

The two-state solution is dead, Zohar told i24NEWS, an Israeli TV channel. What is left is a one-state solution with the Arabs here as, not as full citizenship, because full citizenship can let them to vote to the Knesset.

They will be able to vote and be elected in their city under administrative autonomy and under Israeli sovereignty and with complete security control, Zohar added.

Israeli doves believe such a scenario would be both immoral and suicidal by threatening Israels Jewish and democratic character.

One state at this moment means apartheid, Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties in parliament, told foreign reporters Monday. I think there needs to be great pressure for a Palestinian state to be established on the 1967 borders.

Lieberman said he received phone calls from the entire world about whether Zohars proposal reflected the governments position.

He called on the coalition to clarify very clearly that there is no intention to impose Israeli sovereignty.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who supports a partial annexation of the West Bank, said she was unaware of any controversy with the Trump administration and that Israel in any case is free to do as it sees fit.

We are not a banana republic. We are an independent and sovereign state, she told Israels Army Radio station. There is a supportive administration in the United States. That administration needs to back up the state of Israel and the governments policy.

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to turn this international consensus on its head, raising great hope among Israels right wing.

Trumps campaign platform made no mention of a Palestinian state. He also promised to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move long sought by Israel.

But since then, he has shown repeated signs of backtracking.

Trump now says the embassy issue needs further study. During a White House press conference with Netanyahu last month, Trump asked the Israeli leader to hold back on settlements.

He also said he was open to either a two-state or one-state solution, as long as it was through an agreement with the Palestinians.

The same week, Trumps envoy to the U.N., Ambassador Nikki Haley, said the U.S. absolutely supports a two-state solution, while his nominee for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, a close ally of the settlers, said he would be delighted with such an agreement.

The mixed signals appear to be creating confusion among Israelis and Palestinians.

Last week, Netanyahu was quoted by local media as telling a closed meeting that his attempts to coordinate settlement construction with the U.S. were not as simple as you think they are. His office declined requests for comment.

Palestinian officials, meanwhile, have barely had contact with the new administration.

Nabil Shaath, President Mahmoud Abbas foreign relations adviser, said the U.S. position regarding settlements on the Palestinian lands is not clear to us.

We need to hear from the U.S. administration, from President Trump, directly about his positions, he said.

Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Settlers Council, said he was waiting patiently for what he expects to be a favorable agreement between Israel and the White House on permissible settlement construction.

I understand that its taking a bit longer than what may have been anticipated by some of my peers, Revivi said. But he said Trump seems to be a man of his word We are still relying on what he promised.

(AP)
A Long Island man accused of plotting to join ISIS or another extremist group was in court Monday as details of the charges continue to emerge.

Prosecutors say Elvis Redzepagic was removed from his home in Commack last week after he tried to cut off his own tattoos with a knife and threatened to behead his mother.

The allegation was included in documents prosecutors submitted to a federal judge opposing bail for the 26-year-old Redzepagic, who was charged Saturday with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. His lawyer, Mildred Whalen, noted that Redzepagic is a citizen and had cooperated with law enforcement. She says her client needs counseling.

We will be working with his family in the hope that the court and the government will see that what he needs is counseling and support, not imprisonment, she said in an email.

The defense did not submit for bail and are said to still be preparing a bail package. The judge granted a permanent order of detention.

Prosecutors say Redzepagic is originally from Montenegro, in the Balkans.

He is being held on terrorism charges after federal authorities said he was prepared to strap on a bomb and sacrifice himself for jihad and persistently tried to join extremist groups in Syria.

He was arrested on Long Island February 2 on an unrelated charge and reportedly told police Im going to leave this country, and Im going to come back with an Army  Islam is coming, according to a federal court complaint.

Authorities have prosecuted a number of people accused of trying to join the Islamic State group and other militants in recent years, though in some cases, the accused havent actually succeeded in traveling overseas.

Redzepagic was persistent in his efforts to join Islamic militants in civil-war-ravaged Syria, making it to Turkey in 2015 and Jordan last year and even getting to the Syrian border, said William F. Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBIs New York field office.

(Source: WABC)
House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obamas health care law, a package that would scale back the governments role in health care and likely leave more Americans uninsured.

House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the years defining battle in Congress.

GOP success is by no means a slam dunk. In perhaps their riskiest political gamble, the plan is expected to cover fewer than the 20 million people insured under Obamas overhaul, including many residents of states carried by President Donald Trump in Novembers election.

Republicans said they dont have official estimates on those figures yet. But aides from both parties and nonpartisan analysts have said they expect coverage numbers to be lower.

The plan would repeal the statutes unpopular fines on people who dont carry health insurance. It would replace income-based premium subsidies in the law with age-based ones that may not provide as much assistance to people with low incomes. The payments would phase out for higher-earning people.

The proposal would continue the expansion of Medicaid to additional low-earning Americans until 2020. After that, states adding Medicaid recipients would no longer receive the additional federal funds Obamas law has provided.

More significantly, Republicans would overhaul the federal-state Medicaid program, changing its open-ended federal financing to a limit based on enrollment and costs in each state.

A series of tax increases on higher-earning people, the insurance industry and others used to finance the Obama overhauls coverage expansion would be repealed as of 2018.

In a last-minute change to satisfy conservative lawmakers, business and unions, Republicans dropped a plan pushed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to impose a first-ever tax on the most generous employer-provided health plans.

Popular consumer protections in the Obama law would be retained, such as insurance safeguards for people with pre-existing medical problems, and parents ability to keep young adult children on their insurance until age 26.

(AP)
Chareidi lawmakers are becoming increasingly concerned with the growing Chilul Shabbos in Jerusalem. Ministers Aryeh Deri and Yaakov Litzman along with MK Moshe Gafne will be meeting on Tuesday evening with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to discuss the situation. This will be their second meeting in about a month, this time to learn what was accomplished since they last met.

Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King resigned from the city coalition in protest over the Chilul Shabbos, frustrated at the willingness of the chareidi parties to remain. It has since been learned the city is going to be funding well over NIS 3 million for chareidi bein hazmanim events in Nissan, perhaps one of the incentives preventing the chareidim from following Kings example.

As bein hazmanim gets underway, there will be a large event for talmidei yeshivos in Binyanei Hauma, with a price tag of NIS 300,000. There will be a second event in the same venue for women and girls costing an additional NIS 300,000. A third event will be sponsored by El HaMayan education network affiliated with the Shas party. The Kabolas Pnei Rabo event will be hosted in Teddy Stadium during chol hamoed, with an impressive price tag of NIS 1.5 million. There will also be local activities in chareidi areas of the capital during bein hazmanim under the auspices of local councils with a budget of about NIS 900,000.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
It is Adar and winter is winding gown in Eretz Yisrael. Unfortunately, it has been another difficult winter regarding rainfall. The experts told Reshet Bet on Tuesday morning 9 Adar that December 2016 started off well but January was already significantly less and February was a disaster.

Experts explain there is sufficient potable water but the real problem is regarding agriculture and that so many areas are drying out. The experts explain that in February for example, the northern area around the Kineret only received 10% of expected rainfall for the month, citing it was the worst February since 1920.

The Kinneret remains below the red line at winters end, another first unfortunately, and the Kineret requires five meters of rainfall to reach the top. The last time this occurred was in 1992.

Rafi Noi, who represents the Water Authority for the Galil Farmers told Reshet Bet that no one is surprised by this. It has been the trend for at least a decade and this is why he and his colleagues continue turning to the Knesset Finance Minister to assist farmers. We are now asking to establish sources for water for farmers rather than reimbursing them for hundreds of shekels but the committee is dragging its feet and has yet to approve the water as they are requesting.

Noi added Areas of the Upper Galil have dried out and this is reality and while we try to avoid this, it is impossible without government assistance. The solution here is not desalinating but the farmers needs must be addressed, which is not the case and it will take years even if the work gets underway today to construct a new water infrastructure for agriculture.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Police on Tuesday 9 Adar release the attached footage showing a violent robbery of a jewelry store located at Kikar Medina. The robbery took place on December 19, 2016, during the evening hours as three robbers entered the store on Hey Iyar Street. The men were masked and held a pistol and a hammer. They threatened the owner and his wife along with an employee. They fled after a few short minutes to a waiting getaway vehicle. BH arrests were made in the case, with police reporting the suspects are from Lod and Rehovot, 27 and 40-years-old.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Press Trust of India: Colombo, Mar 7 (PTI) The Sri Lankan government today ordered a probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy, after India raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Sri Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them.

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The navys reaction comes after India said that a 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.

The Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera wrote to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to carry out an investigation on the alleged shooting.

In his letter, Amaraweera said the navy has denied firing at the fishermen but in order to maintain good relations with India, it was important to launch a probe into the Indian accusation.

Amaraweera said he had spoken with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjith Singh Sandhu and assured that Sri Lanka was keen not to allow the good relations between the two countries hampered by any incident.

There was no response from the Prime Minister Wickremesinghes office on the Indian media reports that New Delhi had taken up the matter with him.

Indian fisherman Bridgo along with others was fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, fisheries department officials in Tamil Nadu had said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot and another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing. Other fishermen who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore. PTI Corr NSA

--- ENDS ---
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Bchasdei Hashem a bomb attack against IDF patrols along the Gaza border was averted when two explosive devices were detected and safely neutralized.

After bomb demolition experts neutralized the devices, they were taken from the area.

The explosive devices were place in an area off-limits to civilians, clearly intended for military personnel.



(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)
Dozens of Jordanians, including some barred from Israel for security reasons, entered using forged permits, which were issued by a travel agent in the eastern capital. However, the criminal case against him was closed by the Jerusalem District Prosecutor, citing a lack of evidence. Immigration officials believe that the illegals have not returned to Jordan, but are living in PA (Palestinian Authority) areas.

This was discovered by immigration officials after a Jordanian woman who was barred from Israel tried getting in. Security officials at the border crossing began questioning the woman, and ran her name in the system and realized she is prohibited from entering Israel for security reasons. They asked how she got a permit, which led to revealing the forged permit operation.

Eastern Jerusalem resident Nasser Jabber and owner of William Tours, allegedly stands behind the forged document operation, having supplied entry permits to persons entering as parts of tourist groups. Despite the severity of the allegations, the charges against Jabber were dropped as the case was closed due to a lack of evidence but the case is being handed over to immigration officials.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Police in New York City are searching for a man who they say assaulted a security guard at a Manhattan museum.

Authorities say the man approached a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday to tell him a painting was crooked. Police say the guard then told the man to bring his concern to the information desk.

Officials say the man smashed a glass bottle on the back of the guards head as he turned away and yelled, Do your job! Police say the suspect left a bloody trail throughout the museum from a cut.

Authorities werent able to find the suspect after following the trail.

The victim was treated at a hospital for a cut on his head.

The Met has released a statement regarding the assault Monday. An investigation is ongoing.

(AP)
The top generals from Turkey, the United States and Russia met Tuesday to discuss tensions in northern Syria, where mutually suspicious forces allied with the three countries are fighting the Islamic State group.

The surprise meeting between Turkeys Gen. Hulusi Akar, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, took place in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.

The talks, announced by Turkey, come amid rising tensions in northern Syria, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters, U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces and Russian-allied Syrian troops are fighting their way toward the IS groups de facto capital, Raqqa.

Turkey, a NATO ally, views the Kurdish group that dominates the Syria Democratic Forces as terrorists and has threatened to drive them from the northern town of Manbij, which the alliance captured from the militants last year with the aid of U.S. airstrikes. Turkey and Syria meanwhile support opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.

The U.S. has a few hundred special operations forces embedded with the SDF and wants the alliance to lead the march on Raqqa, where IS militants are believed to have planned international attacks.

The Pentagon said Monday that U.S. forces have also taken up positions on the outskirts of Manbij to try to keep a lid on tensions.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the meeting would continue on Wednesday.

There is a need for an effective coordination in the efforts to clear Syria of all terror groups because so many countries are involved there, he told reporters. If we cannot establish coordination the risk of a conflict that we would not desire can emerge. Thats the real aim of the meeting.

On Monday, SDF fighters blocked the main road linking Raqqa with the eastern IS-held city of Deir el-Zour. The SDF is now stationed eight kilometers (five miles) north of Raqqa.

Elsewhere in northern Syria, government forces and their allies marched closer to a main water pumping station controlled by IS in Aleppo province, Syrias military and an activist group said.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said troops are now just miles from the station, which supplies the northern city of Aleppo, Syrias largest, with water.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the advance near the town of Deir Hafer, the Jarrah air base and the Khafseh pumping station.

The advance is part of a dayslong government offensive against IS backed by Russian airstrikes. Taking the water station would ease Aleppos water shortage.

In the center of the country, Syrian troops captured the Jazal oil field from the extremists after days of fighting, state TV said, quoting an unnamed military official. The TV said military experts are dismantling explosives left behind while firefighters are working on extinguishing one of the wells that was torched by the extremists.

(AP)
The British government is facing more opposition to its plans for leaving the European Union from Parliaments unelected House of Lords.

The Lords are likely Tuesday to pass an amendment to the governments Brexit bill requiring Parliament  not just the government  to approve Britains exit deal with the EU. The chamber has already voted to promise EU citizens living in Britain that they can stay after the U.K. leaves the bloc.

But the changes may be temporary. Once the bill is passed by the Lords it will go back to the elected House of Commons, where lawmakers may overturn the amendments next week.

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to invoke Article 50 of the EUs key treaty, triggering exit negotiations, by March 31. She cant do that until Parliament passes legislation sanctioning the move.

(AP)
President Donald Trump says 122 vicious prisoners released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have returned to the battlefield.

Trump didnt cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, another terrible decision!

On Monday, U.S. airstrikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a high threat to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.

(AP)
North Korea closed its borders Tuesday to Malaysians who want to leave the country, spurring Malaysia to issue a retaliatory order and drawing hundreds of ordinary people into an increasingly bitter diplomatic battle over the killing of an exiled member of North Koreas ruling family.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak denounced North Koreas order as a violation of international law, calling it an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage. Police have been ordered to stop North Koreans from leaving Malaysia until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea, Najib said in a statement.

The sudden diplomatic escalation came more than two weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Koreas ruler, was killed in a poison attack at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

I cant think of anything like this happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Koreas directive. This is way out of normal diplomatic practice.

But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.

Its the North Korean way of doing things  dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions, said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University who has written extensively on North Korean diplomacy.

Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea: three working at the embassy, two U.N. employees and six family members. About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.

Malaysias investigation into Kim Jong Nams death has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated and demanded the body be turned over to them immediately.

North Koreas surprise order came Tuesday morning, when the official Korean Central News Agency said the country was banning Malaysians from leaving until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case.

It was not clear, however, what would constitute a fair settlement.

North Korea said Malaysias diplomats and citizens may work and live normally during the temporary exit ban.

Malaysia is searching for seven North Korean suspects in connection with Kims assassination, including a North Korean diplomat. Police say three suspects are believed to be in hiding at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a hulking concrete mansion behind a wall streaked with water stains.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia would not raid the embassy, which is protected under diplomatic law, but would wait for the suspects to emerge.

We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out, Khalid said.

Malaysian police briefly blocked the embassy gates Tuesday with a pair of police cars, but within hours embassy cars were again freely going in and out. By late afternoon there were only a pair of Malaysian patrolmen waiting in a police car outside the compound.

Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of killing Kim, though it has said the two women who poisoned him were recruited by a team of North Koreans. Malaysia says Kim was killed with VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that causes convulsions and leaves victims unable to breathe. North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX.

In the attack, grainy surveillance video shows a woman approaching Kim from behind in the airport terminal and reaching around to wipe something on his face. The other woman, who was apparently standing in front of Kim, cannot be seen in the video.

The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, were quickly caught and have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and had reportedly never met younger half brother, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.

(AP)
Prime Minister Netanyahu learned of a street in Israel that was named after terrorist Yasser Arafat, whose claim to fame was through terror attacks that impacted the world.

The Prime Minister and other government officials learned the Israeli Arab village of Jot named a street after Arafat. The Arab municipality is located in the north, near Haifa.

Mr. Netanyahu used the media and Facebook to announce he was unaware of this and that he would not permit having a street named for Arafat in the State of Israel. He also announces he spoke with Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who explained he or the ministry have not approved the name of the street.

Steps are being taken to have the street renamed and the signs removed.

During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, 7 Adar, Mr. Netanyahu stated, Lastly, no street in the State of Israel will be named after murderers of Israelis and Jews. Last Friday I spoke with Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. We cannot allow streets in the State of Israel to be named after Yasser Arafat and Haj Amin al-Husseini and others. We will make the arrangements, including new legislation if need be, so that this does not happen here.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
There is a crisis looming in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital that has led to the resignation of six senior physicians including the head of the pediatric oncology/hematology department. There is grave concern for the future of the unit as the senior staff members have taken leave of the hospital.

Prof. Rothstein insists there are no plans to merge the pediatric and adult units, but now, with the resignations, the move may be required. Rothstein also promises mothers he will not permit any child to be harmed as a result of the decision of the doctors to resign.

Hospital Director Professor Zeev Rothstein told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Tuesday morning 8 Adar From my part I will not agree, not for as long as I am the medical director of the hospital, to harm a child because I do not accept him. I am not fighting for anything today. it is not about ego and not about status or honor, just about the lives of the children.

Galei Tzahal

I understand the doctors refused to accept some children into the unit. If this is true it is most serious. Can you explain?

Rothstein

There are only four beds in the pediatric bone marrow unit and ten children being treated. I think everyone can do the math. I am committed to every child requiring marrow transplant and I will do my utmost to ensure each child receives all the care required.

Galei Tzahal

There was no way to reach a solution to prevent their resignations?

Rothstein

I met with the doctors. I add the letters of resignations occurred with my predecessors too. bottom line is we have until June to address this so the childrens care is not compromised. This is the message and this is what is important. There is a fiscal rehabilitation program and we are moving along and we are healing.

Galei Tzahal

Have you asked to meet with them today? (Rothstein just got back from a trip abroad).

Rothstein

I will meet with them any time as I did in the past. I will not be pressured but I will continue handling affairs as I must.

There are currently move leaves some 30 children with cancer and serious blood diseases in need of high-level care. Prof. Rothstein explains the doctors have not abandoned the children, and they are receiving critical care and the doctors will not permit them to be harmed by their decision.

The department is viewed as among the best in Israel, but the controversy and subsequent resignations has many worried, most of all, the parents of the patients.

Parents are not consoled by Rothsteins words, fearing their childrens care is going to be compromised as a result of the resignations, which the doctors blame on irreconcilable differences with Prof. Rothstein.

Chairman of the Joint Committee of Hadassah Physicians Professor Rafael Yudasin on Sunday addressed the Free Will program headed by Avi Ratzon. He explains the pediatric oncology/hematology unit is the best in Israel and the decision to move it to a non-child friendly environment is a bad one. The children he feels are being moved to buildings in which therapist of bone marrow patients treat adults and this too is not good, for he feels children must be with other children, not adults.

Doctors are under a heavy load and they seek positions that will give them the option to treat children. They make cardinal decisions and it cannot be that the doctors are not a part of these decisions. This is the way one man works [Prof. Rothstein], making decision with his team [to the exclusion of others]. Doctors are not demanding money but they simply want to be given the best possible way to treat the children Prof. Yudasin explains.

One of the leaders to save the unit is Moshe Benita, whose son was a patient and died two years ago. There is a crisis that has been ongoing for over a half year. The two sides stopped talking about three months ago. We are dealing with the good of the children. Prof. Miki Weintraub (Chief of the unit) has been fighting because some of his patients have been moved to an adult unit. There is no place in the world in which adults and children are together. These children are being treated by remote control. The team there (adults) lacks the training to deal with the children, not to mention the atmosphere while in the childrens unit, everyone is happy.

Esther Agassi, whose 6-year-old daughter is being followed in the unit added It is unbelievable that we not come to the unit and see this. We are tired of the machlokes. There is no reason to merge the units.

The doctors who resigned are not walking out the door, but have agreed to remain until June.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
DMK Working President MK Stalin has condemned the killing of an Indian fisherman by Sri Lankan forces, and called for immediate embassy-level talks.

By Pramod Madhav: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Working President MK Stalin has condemned the killing of an Indian fisherman by Sri Lankan forces, and said the Centre can't be "a mere spectator" anymore.

He demanded that the Narendra Modi government hold embassy-level talks at once on the issue, and wants it to warn Sri Lanka that if Indian fishermen are harmed, the island nation will have to face dire consequences.

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''After indulging in the arrest of fishermen and apprehending their boats, they have started to shoot at fishermen and kill them, and the Centre can't be a mere spectator anymore'', Stalin said.

Meanwhile, sources said the Union government is deeply concerned by the killing, and the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Stalin, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, has also requested the AIADMK-run state government government to give the bereaved family a solatium of Rs 25 lakh.

Earlier today, the Tamil Nadu government announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh for the victim's kin.

TN Govt announces Rs 5 lakhs for the dead and 1 lakh for the fisherman injured in shooting by Srilankan Navy ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

22-YEAR-OLD FISHERMAN KILLED; FISHERMEN 'WELL WITHIN INDIAN WATERS'

Stalin's remarks came after a 22-year-old fisherman, Britso, was shot dead near the Palk Strait on Monday, while on a fishing trip.

The young man - who's from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu - was fishing with others near the islet of Katchatheevu, and Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, Fisheries Department Assistant Director Kulanchinathan said.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the naval personnel came to the spot, taking them by surprise.

Lankan navy officials didn't even fire a warning shot, he alleged.

Kulanchinathan said Britso's body has been brought to a Rameswaram hospital, and that a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

Earlier today, Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi workers, too, staged a protest.

Tamil Nadu: Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi party workers climb tower in protest against Sri Lankan Navy in Rameswaram pic.twitter.com/4MUOOiTAao ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

STALIN ACCUSES CENTRE, TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT, OF NEGLIGENCE

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The DMK deputy chief has alleged that both the state and Union governments are negligent when it comes to the Tamil Nadu fishermen issue.

As well, he claimed there's no point in calling Sri Lanka a friendly nation when India's fishermen are being shot dead.

''Fishermen are scared to venture into the sea, and there is no guarantee for their life'', he said.

TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT PROTESTS AGAINST ARRESTS OF FISHERMEN

Yesterday, the Tamil Nadu government protested against the "escalation" in Sri Lanka's arrests of its fishermen, and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the issue.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister E Palaniswami referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by Lankan authorities in the last few days, and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the community of fishermen.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he urged Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.

(Inputs from agencies)

ALSO READ | Indian fisherman killed in Sri Lankan Navy firing off Tamil Nadu coast

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WATCH VIDEO | Sri Lankan Navy kills Indian fisherman, injures four others

--- ENDS ---
Letting agents will impose strict anti-money laundering checks on both tenants and landlords from June, raising workloads and pushing up costs.

The checks, on where both renters and their landlords get their cash and their identities, are being brought in under European legislation designed to clamp down on illegal money laundering through property.

But experts have warned that the administration involved in running the additional checks as well as implementing the changes will drive up costs - which could be passed on to landlords in the form of higher fees and even potentially to tenants with rent rises.

Up to 11,000 letting agents across the UK still have no idea what checks they'll have to do

The new rules are part of the fourth EU Money Laundering Directive which will force stricter anti-money laundering checks across several industries from 24 June this year.

But the UK Government is still to reveal how British businesses will have to implement it - despite promising detailed proposals in January.

It means that up to 11,000 letting agents across the UK still have no idea what checks they'll have to do on both landlords and tenants who sign up for new tenancy agreements after the 24 June 2017.

A spokesman from financial services regulation consultancy Bovill said: 'The transient nature of letting property has been known to enable underlying criminal activity such as drug farms and brothels.

'For instance, criminals seeking to use an agent for scam holiday lets, mortgage or benefit fraud, tenants seeking to launder cash and politically exposed persons relocating to the UK laundering criminal funds through letting properties.

'The fourth EU Money Laundering Directive is a positive step toward limiting these opportunities for criminals. Policymakers must work together with both the regulator and the industry to ensure that all compliance requirements are met.'

Bovill warned that the changes would likely increase the volume of administration landlords and letting agents would have to undertake, which could feed through into higher fees for tenants.

This is hot on the heels of a promise from the Treasury in last year's Autumn Statement to scrap tenancy fees altogether later this year. At the time letting agents warned that this would 'boomerang' back on tenants in the form of higher rents.

This could affect millions of renters who are legitimately looking to secure a home. - Michael Day

Bovill said: 'It is difficult to estimate the exact economic cost of these checks, as the level of due diligence required varies for different client types such as individuals or commercial lettings.

'If landlords are caught within the definition of carrying out lettings activity  which is still to be defined  then potentially yes, this [Directive] could affect a greater number of landlords such as those letting property to students.'

Renters could be affected - but we still don't know how exactly

With the Government still silent on the detail, it remains unclear whether landlords with existing tenants will have to undergo retrospective anti-money laundering checks on all their properties and existing tenants.

It's also unclear what activities carried out by letting agents will be covered by the new checks - for example introductory services, lets only, rent collection, full property management and block management.

Michael Day, of Integra Property Services, said: 'This could affect millions of renters who are legitimately looking to secure a home. It may be particularly problematic for those in professions which are largely paid cash-in-hand.

'Students with weekend jobs to top up their rent, cab drivers, builders - they are all likely to have to show evidence of their income and where it's come from under the new regime. This looks like it's just as much about a tax avoidance crackdown as stopping money laundering.'

Anyone paid cash in hand could find it harder to rent after June

Bovill said it is likely that agents will be required to take a 'risk-based approach', which could also apply to landlords if they are caught by the Government proposals.

This means that individuals who pose a greater financial crime risk, for example, those from higher risk jurisdictions, are more likely to be asked for more detailed documentation and evidence.

Typically, this will include pay slips or evidence of employment, bank statements, photographic ID and proof of existing address. Many lettings agents already ask for some if not all of these documents, however, independent landlords don't always.

The requirements around lettings are likely to apply to those letting commercial properties as well.

Estate agents already run these checks

The third directive brought in strict anti-money laundering checks for all estate agents in 2007, meaning that prospective buyers have to provide proof of identity, address, a credit check and provenance of deposit.

Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, said: 'It seems property is increasingly a target for money launderers. However, reporting of suspicious activity remains extremely low relative to the number of property transactions - apparently only 335 out of around 1.2 million transactions last year, according to recent House of Commons Select Committee findings.

'The significant change for the sector anticipated with the fourth Directive is that not just sales agents but letting agents will be brought into the regulated sector, as they are certainly regarded as fair game for the fraudsters.

'Therefore, it is likely estate agents will be obliged from June 2017 to carry out due diligence on both buyers AND sellers, which could double their workload and costs.'

The fourth directive is set to extend the existing standards placed on estate agents to letting agents and landlords - but agents warn that the Government is 'running out of time' to provide clarity on the rules if the June deadline is to be met.

For example, it's also still unclear whether lettings agents will be required to monitor landlords and tenants' business activity on an ongoing basis throughout their relationship.

David Cox, of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents, said: 'These rules will apply in just four months but we still don't know the detail of how or to whom they'll apply - or whether they'll be retrospective.

'Some letting agents have in excess of 1,000 branches and they need time to implement new processes in order to comply - the Government is really running out of time to provide the detail they need.'

The Treasury, which was due to publish its proposals relating to the money laundering directive by the end of January, failed to respond to requests for comment.
Family of 22-year-old Indian fisherman K Britso has refused to take his body from the hospital in Tamil Nadu and has demanded action against the killers.

Inconsolable relatives of fisherman Britso, who was allegedly killed by Sri Lankan Navy while fishing.

By India Today Web Desk: The Sri Lanka Navy has categorically denied shooting Indian fisherman K Britso while promising a detailed probe into the incident.

"The patrolling boats are clearly instructed to arrest fishermen poaching inside Sri Lankan territorial waters and are subsequently handed over to the Fisheries authorities for onward legal action. Sri Lankan Navy reiterates that there has been no such firing as reported by certain media and press," a statement issued by the Sri Lankan Navy said.

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"However, since there is an allegation of a shooting incident, Sri Lanka Navy is carrying out a comprehensive investigation to find out the veracity of this alleged incident," it added.

The family of 22-year-old Indian fisherman K Britso, who was allegedly shot dead by Sri Lankan Navy soldiers near the Palk Strait on Monday, has refused to take his body from the hospital in Tamil Nadu and has demanded action against the killers.

Meanwhile, India has said it is deeply concerned over the killing of its fisherman and has taken up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, sources in the government said today.

Britso.

10 LATEST UPDATES "The government of India is deeply concerned over the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka", sources said. "The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation", the sources added. However. the Sri Lankan Navy has not admitted to the killing yet. The Defence Ministry said the incident took place on the other side of the International Maritime Boundary Line, which means the fishermen ventured into the Sri Lankan side at around 11 pm on Monday. Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry's statement over killing of Indian fisherman A bullet injury in the neck of the deceased was found. A fisheries department official said Britso died on the spot. Britso from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu was killed while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. Hundreds of fishermen demonstrated at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram to protest the killing. The fishermen have demanded the arrest of the Lankan navy men involved. Tension prevails in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy. The fishermen alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait. The Tamil Nadu government had recently protested the rise in the cases of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lanka. The Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo, it said. Opposition DMK's working president MK Stalin has also condemned the killing and said the Centre can't be "a mere spectator" anymore.

Also read | Indian fisherman killed in Sri Lankan Navy firing; Centre can't be a mere spectator, says MK Stalin

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
When Philip Hammond was Transport Secretary, he was well aware of aviation's value to the British economy.

Now he is Chancellor, he has the opportunity to unshackle the biggest restraint on the industry by abolishing Air Passenger Duty (APD) in tomorrow's Budget.

This is the highest aviation tax worldwide and penalises not only British citizens but those coming to do business or holiday in this country.

Post-Brexit, this country needs more than ever to compete on the world stage. If we are open for business, why do we persist in charging people coming to the UK up to 146 to leave  a figure that will rise to 150 next month?

Clipped wings: Britain's Air Passenger Duty is the highest aviation tax worldwide

APD is simply a revenue-raising tool that suppresses business and tourism by making the UK a less attractive destination.

Accountants PwC recently concluded scrapping the tax would boost GDP by 1.7 per cent and create 61,000 jobs over the longer term.

Successive chancellors have, however, argued this tax is needed to balance the books.

This defeatist attitude has to change. Continuing with APD shows the Chancellor and the Government lack confidence in the economy and its ability to grow after Brexit.

Other countries have seen the light and, when they scrapped the tax, it led to a boom in air transport and tourism. In 2014, Ireland abolished its travel tax after passenger numbers fell 25 per cent over four years.

This resulted in immediate traffic growth with passengers reaching record levels up from 23m in 2012 to 28m in 2016. The Netherlands abolished its tax after one year during which time 1m passengers drove across the border to avoid paying it.

The Dutch government expected to raise around 300million a year in levies, but the cost to its economy was 1.3billion.

By following suit, our Government would stimulate our economy, create jobs and increase revenue from other taxes.

There is a tangible difference that we can make almost immediately if APD is axed.

Boost: IAG boss Willie Walsh points to research by Accounts PwC that suggests abolishing Air Passenger Duty would boost GDP by 1.7 per cent and create 61,000 jobs over the longer term

Last year, British Airways customers paid 652million to the Treasury to leave the UK. Most were foreign visitors.

BA is looking at new routes it would operate if the UK was released from the shackles of APD. These would be to key trading markets and growth economies.

The airline would also have the ability to increase the frequency of flights on existing routes  which is exactly what Hammond wants.

He knows abolishing this out-dated, out-of-control tax will bring a net benefit to the Treasury. This country needs him to make a bold decision and remove this restrictive levy.

If he does, BA will be ready to take immediate action to increase Britain's connectivity to the world so that we can all reap the economic benefits.
As a matter of course, partners in nil premium mergers such as that of Standard Life and Aberdeen seek to sell the deal to investors by promising cost cutting.

This was one of the big justifications for the London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse deal, and is playing heavily in the Peugeot-Vauxhall narrative.

Cost cutting is not a victimless crime. Normally it is shorthand for people losing their jobs when central functions such as IT platforms and distribution systems are brought together.

Standard Life and Aberdeen were predictably shy about this as their bosses toured Scotland seeking to put the brightest gloss on a deal which could cost hundreds of jobs over time.

Done deal: Standard Life boss Keith Skeoch (right) and shakes hands with his Aberdeen Asset Management's Martin Gilbert after the two companies agreed terms

The shyness is understandable. At first blush this ought to be a great deal for Scotland, struggling to prosper during an oil glut which makes the North Sea uncompetitive.

The idea of a new Scottish 660billion financial powerhouse to erase bad memories of Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland (now buried deep within Lloyds) should be as welcome as a Burns Night feast.

That is until one considers that most of the cost savings are likely to be north of the border. Moreover, Standard Life was among those institutions which had planned to move to London should Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish nationalists get their wish of independence.

If Standard Life, Aberdeen and the advisers really wanted to demonstrate their commitment to cut costs, they should have started at the top.

Martin Gilbert of Aberdeen and Keith Skeoch are both in their own right fine leaders who have done wonders for their companies. But no firm requires two chief executives, even if they do enjoy fishing holidays together.

As ridiculous is the doubling up at the very top, with Sir Gerry Grimstone of Standard Life taking the chairman's seat and Aberdeen's Simon Troughton the deputy chairman slot.

Aside from the fact this all looks like jobs for the boys, such arrangements, in the past, have been more disruptive than taking hard decisions at the onset.

Few City veterans will forget the ill-fated merger of Royal Insurance and Sun Alliance two decades ago when the partners ended up fighting like rats in a sack while the merger proved a huge disappointment.

It may be that both companies felt they had little choice. Aberdeen has been pummelled by the emerging markets slowdown and suffered 15 consecutive quarters of outflows.

Standard Life has turned itself into a fund management champion but, like its proposed partner, is suffering from the current trend away from active management to far cheaper passive funds.

There is still a possibility an outsider could crash the party, but it seems unlikely given that Aberdeen's strategic shareholders Mitsubishi, with 17 per cent, and Lloyds, with nearly 10 per cent, apparently favour the deal.

It may be a case of two whisky-soaked Scottish drunks holding each other up in stressful times, but it is far better than letting them fall into a ditch or, even worse, overseas hands, as the positive share price reaction would suggest.

Cash call

Deutsche Bank shares predictably plummeted 8 per cent after British chief executive John Cryan reversed course and plumped for a 7billion rights issue.

That may make Germany's largest bank safer after last year's scare about survival, but the task of rebuilding its investment bank business, in competition with the Wall Street giants, Barclays and others, will be considerable.

Cryan has decided to hedge his bets by retaining an interest in retail banking through Postbank.

The German lender has raised 17.2billion in new capital since the euro crisis in 2010 yet its market value is just 22.4billion.

At least it stands on its own feet, unlike the UK's most sickly child RBS.

The wire

One tends to regard Western Union as a downmarket money transfer service, often to be found in the least-smart neighbourhoods. Not any longer.

As banks have been forced by money laundering and terrorism regulations and fines to close down accounts in the Middle East and other developing regions, Western Union has come into its own.

Remittances from foreign nations to families back home stand at more than $500billion a year and far outstrip overseas development assistance at close to $135billion.

The new order has been a huge revival opportunity for Western Union, which is rolling out 31 currency outlets and transfer services in John Lewis stores across the country.

How upwardly mobile.
No expert: Scotland's former first minister, Alex Salmond

Aberdeen Asset Management's proposed 11billion merger with Standard Life is welcomed by Scotland's former first minister, Alex Salmond, who predicts the deal 'will have the key benefit of creating a world class Scottish investment house'.

Wee Alex, 62, is by no means an authority on such matters. He cheered Royal Bank of Scotland chief Fred Goodwin's disastrous bid for ABN Amro, which ended up sinking the bank. In a note signed, 'Yours for Scotland', Salmond fawningly offered Goodwin 'any assistance my office can provide'.

Re Aberdeen/Standard Life merger, Martin Gilbert's decision to split the chief executive job with his counterpart Keith Skeoch raises eyebrows.

Such power-sharing arrangements usually spell disaster. Gilbert, 61, and Skeoch, 60, have been fishing companions for 30 years. But what price on them still casting a line together by Christmas?

Bouffant-haired ex-Axa boss Henri de Castries is reportedly back in the running for the chairmanship of HSBC.

The Parisian Count, 62, had hoped to enter politics if scandal-hit Francois Fillon became president, but that prospect looks increasingly remote.

Last I heard, outgoing HSBC chairman Douglas Flint, 61, was in no mood to extend a bony hand across the Channel, but it is possible things are now getting desperate.

Former partners from City law firm King & Wood Mallesons, whose European arm collapsed in January amid debts of 35million, have launched a support fund for former colleagues facing financial woe.

Raising money for lawyers, however hard-up, must be a tough gig. Bit like rattling a tin for injured paparazzi.

Goldman Sachs has imposed new regulations on its bankers' use of mobile phones abroad.

The bank will offer a flat 10 fee towards monthly data charges and only reimburse work calls, which have to be itemised and claimed on expenses.

It's the latest drive to cut costs, apparently. Incidentally, Goldman posted profits of just over 6billion last year.
While a person was arrested from Kanpur, security forces have neutralised a suspected militant in Lucknow's Thakurganj.

By India Today Web Desk: Security agencies swung into action after an explosion on a passenger train near Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday morning.

Soon after the incident the several agencies were alerted. Madhya Pradesh IG Law and Order Makrand Devaskar even confirmed that the incident was a terrorist attack.

After the explosion, the police received intelligence inputs suggesting the presence of suspected terrorists in Lucknow and Kanpur. While a person was arrested from Kanpur, security forces have neutralised a suspected militant in Lucknow's Thakurganj.

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With multiple incidents related to terror being reported hours before the last phase of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, reports surfaced that the Thakurganj attack and the ensuing encounter was in wake of the polling on Wednesday.

However, evidence suggesting a link between the spate of terror activities and the polls on Wednesday is yet to be substantiated.

"The suspect is a misguided youth. We hope to arrest him soon and will interrogate thereafter. The suspect inside the building is possibly from Lucknow. we understand that the has weapons," said ADG (law and order) Daljit Chaudhary.

Sources from the forces said that efforts are made to capture the terror suspect alive.

The encounter in Lucknow began hours after blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain train, where at least eight people were injured. Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police said that they are trying to convince the suspect to surrender.

GUNSHOTS HEARD FROM HOUSE

Sources have confirmed hearing gunshots inside the house in Thakurganj where the suspected terrorist is holed up.

Saifullah, the suspected terrorist, is also under scanner in connection with the Bhopal train blast on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh too said that the explosion in the train was a terrorist attack. Police has detained five persons from Piparia in Hoshangabad. Sources from the police have confirmed that three of the arrested accused are linked to the train blast.

It is to be noted that till date 40 incidents including events of sabotage have been reported in year 2017 as compared to 45 incidents happened in the year 2016.

Three incidents are being investigated by NIA and one incident is probed by CBI. After the train blast, Ministry of Railways has beefed up the security.

Also read:

Lucknow terror encounter: ATS corners suspected militant, links to Madhya Pradesh train blast emerge

Bhopal-Ujjain train blast a terrorist attack, says Madhya Pradesh top cop

--- ENDS ---
MBABANE  Renowned South African and international actor Sello Maake Ka Ncube will hopefully take his more than 40-year theatre experience and expertise to the south of the country.

The veteran actor is eager to give an opportunity to those outside Manzini and Mbabane.



This is in line with the strategy of the Swaziland National Council of Arts and Culture SNCAC, to take the arts to all four regions of Swaziland.

It will also speak to the goals of the Regional Administrator of Shiselweni, Themba Masuku, of promoting the Shiselweni region.



Workshop



The two-day workshop is set to take place on April 25 - 26.

Commenting on this, Macford Sibandze, Director of Gmac, the company hosting Sello in the country, said though the actor will have a hectic schedule in the country, he will make sure that he goes to Shiselweni even if its no longer a workshop but to address drama students at Ngwane College and other aspirants in the region.



Sibandze believes that the aspirants will be highly motivated and inspired to be addressed by an icon who is not only an actor of note but someone with academic accolades in the arts such as a Masters Degree.

Sibandze said they will also have another workshop at UNISWA that will cater for aspirants in the other three regions. Sibandze is hoping that the RA for Shiselweni Masuku, REO and SNCAC CEO Stanley Dlamini will also be present.



Interested



Sibandze said part of the topics covered will be acting agencies in South Africa, where Ncube will assist with good agencies for those interested in acting there, as South Africa has opened its doors for everyone in Africa.

Sibandze made an example of Amanda Du Pont, that although she is a foreigner in South Africa she is a main character in highly followed South African soapie and hosts a number of shows on TV.



This according to Ncube shows that the gates are now opened wide in SA and all one needs is to know the right channels to take.

Amanda has shown us that Swazis can act anywhere in the world. After the news about Sello coming to Swaziland, I have been receiving a lot of calls about the show and workshops.

So this is a huge chance for aspiring Swazi actors and actresses, added Sibandze.



Confirmed



Ncube will be in the country on dates to be confirmed to stage a play, House of Truth, about Can Themba, a journalist and teacher who fled South Africa to become a teacher at SCOT and Salesian High School.
Sir,



Most people in the country did not enjoy the latter part of 2016 as a result of the scarcity of water which came with the drought that hit the kingdom. Residents of Mbabane were subjected to water rationing, something they were not familiar with, and would not want to go through ever again if they had it their way.



The Swaziland Water Services Corporation found itself having to run helter skelter trying to find sources of water to alleviate the inconvenience that was being experienced by the residents. That is an effort which I should mention was appreciated but my concern now is what is the parastatal doing to enhance its water conservation initiatives, if any, as a result of the recent rains. In a conversation with a person in the employ of the entity it came to light that there were no steps taken by the corporation in as far as water conservation is concerned and this shook me to the core.

If this is true I am gravely concerned about why the entity is not doing anything to take advantage of the rains. It has been mentioned that weather patterns will frequently be unpredictable, therefore it goes without saying that they should be at the forefront of improving on their water conservation methods. As an entity for the people, it should be informing us to put us at ease on what is being done because water rationing is not an alternative we would like to experience again.



Ntokozo Dlamini
The hectic roadshows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have further convulsed the political discourse in the historic city.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Call it Varanasi, Banaras or Kashi -- the city is little bothered about life around and takes it as it comes. But when it comes to politics, everyone has a strong view on the subject. With voting in the state assembly polls due only days ahead of the Holi festival, the streets of the holy city are abuzz with discussions, rumours, and diverse viewpoints.

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The hectic roadshows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have further convulsed the political discourse in the historic city and the areas around, which go to polls on March 8. Every single paan shop, tea joint and prominent chowks here has groups of people animatedly debating who is going to win and why.

The city's Godolia Crossing, which fell on the route of Prime Minister Modi's road show on Saturday, has several crushed hemp and hemp-mixed "thandai" joints, including Raju Thandai Corner. This popular Corner witnesses a large gathering fiercely debating and exchanging views every evening, that too in the local dialect.

LOCALS VOICING VIEWS

A day after Modi's road show, middle-aged Ram Kumar Yadav said: "Guru, Modi's road show has charged up the atmosphere. There were huge crowds in his road show...looks like Akhilesh-Rahul will be given a run for their money..."

Pat came the reply from Vijay Jaiswal, almost of same age: "O hello, don't under-estimate Akhilesh-Rahul. Did you see the crowd in their road show? It was no less. They had a real impact on the people...or else Modi wouldn't have stayed put in Varanasi for full three days."

Another to join in was Akhilesh Sharma, who added a fresh angle to the debate: "Boss, Bahenji (Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party) is nowhere to be seen, no?"

The fourth participant, Chanchal Vishwakarma, gave an "exclusive information": "Arrey, don't you know? There's a 'setting' between BJP and Behenji...BJP is supporting her wherever they are weak. You take it from me, after polls, they will come out in the open. In Pindara seat, BJP is supporting Behenji. Finally, BSP will support BJP (to form the government)..."

Bharatiya Janata Party's Dr Awadhesh Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party's Babulal Patel and Congress' Ajay Rai are contesting from Pindara constituency of Varanasi district.

Jaiswal jumps in: "Bhai, we are also hearing similar things about Congress and BSP. Maybe, that is why they are not talking harshly of each other's candidates. Don't be surprised if Congress backs Behenji to form the government..."

By now, all the four had gulped down their "thandai" glasses, and so pushed off on their motorbikes.

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POLITICIANS REJECT TIE-UP POSSIBILITIES

Going by the adage "where there's smoke, there's fire", IANS went round to check the talk and rumours about tie-ups flying thick and fast in the city. It contacted a senior Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary.

Preferring anonymity, the RSS leader said: "We have also heard about such talks doing the rounds in Varanasi, but it's baseless...though we are always ready to support good people. It's election time and it's Holi time...so don't trust all that you hear on the streets."

The Congress leaders also rejected such tie-up possibilities. A state-level leader said: "We are hearing about the possibility of BJP-BSP post-poll alliance. But talks of Congress-BSP alliance are entirely baseless. We have a tie-up with Samajwadi Party, and we will stick to that."

So, if you are in Varanasi these days, do keep in mind: Some talks are only for ears, others may be given some thought, while the rest are mere Holi-eve poll gossip -- flowing out of the 'thandai' glass.

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
MBABANE  Maxwell Dlamini has resigned as Secretary General of PUDEMOs youth wing SWAYOCO.



I herby tender my resignation as the secretary general of SWAYOCO with immediate effect. I believe that the decision is in the best interest of the movement. I have been privileged to have been elected and mandated to lead the biggest and oldest youth movement in the country, he wrote to the proscribed party members.



It has been revealed that the letter written by Dlamini on February 21, 2017 was not the first instance where he indicated he wanted out of the hectic office of the PUDEMO youth league.

Last year, a few months after his release from prison, Dlamini posted on Facebook that he was now stepping down from his position as secretary general so that he could concentrate on his academic life as well as improve his employment prospects.



His initial resignation was not accepted by the organisation and he was forced to remain in office.

Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Second Vice Deputy Secretary General Mphandlana Shongwe, when questioned on the matter, revealed that they were aware as an organisation that Dlamini wanted to resign.

We advised him that he should not have announced his resignation on social media but should have used the relevant structures to resign and as such refused to accept it, said Shongwe.

In the letter, Dlamini mentioned that he had, as the Secretary General of SWAYOCO, led campaigns against elections, which, deprived our people their right to elect their own government.



In my 10 years as a leader of SWAYOCO and the movement as a whole I have spent four of those years in prison, shared a cell with comrade Bheki Dlamini, Zonkhe Dlamini and Roland Rudd at Sidvwashini Correctional Services, have shared a police van, shackles and cuffs and a cell with PUDEMOs president Mario Masuku in pursuit of our historical mission of liberation against the government, read parts of the letter.



I have been kept together with our revolutionary friend Amos Mbedzi at Matsapha Maximum Prison in furtherance of our revolution. Such has been an honour and indeed privilege to suffer among cadres of our movement for our people and liberation.

Dlamini reminded his leaders that he had served the movement with love and humility to the best of his capabilities without expecting anything in return.



He said his sacrifices, commitment and courage in the face of total brutality and adversities were inspired by love for justice, freedom and prosperity for the country.

He expressed gratitude to those who believed and supported him at all levels while a leader of the youth league. I remain a member, activist and volunteer of our glorious movement and shall serve the movement in other different levels of our struggle in pursuit of our noble cause.
PIGGS PEAK  Despite that he was also having an extramarital affair, a teacher allegedly assaulted his makhwapheni whom he suspected of cheating.



Juku Nxumalo, who is a teacher at Buhleni High School was arrested for assaulting his alleged makhwapheni Sibusisane Dlamini, whom he said he had since broken up with.

He appeared before Senior Magistrate Siphosini Dlamini, while Sibusisane also appeared later, charged with causing injury to property. Nxumalo reported his girlfriend to the police for damaging property while she reported him for the alleged assault.



Sibusisane alleged that while Nxumalo was assaulting her, he turned on the radio and played loud music so that the neighbours could not hear her scream for help.

It was during the alleged assault that Sibusisane said she ended up damaging the windows. She pleaded guilty to damaging the windows while Nxumalo was not asked to plead as his matter was postponed.

The estranged girlfriend said trouble started when she began receiving several calls that Nxumalo was not happy with and suspected her of cheating on him.



She said the two had been dating for eight years and that he had promised that he would marry her.

Nxumalo also told the court that he had been planning to marry Sibusisane but said he changed his mind.

He accused her of not being wife material.



The magistrate also asked Nxumalo why he was thinking of marrying Sibusisane when he already had a wife.

Nxumalo said he was intending to make Sibusisane a second wife.



My wife would have agreed to that, said Nxumalo. The magistrate said Nxumalo was a bad example, especially since he was a teacher.

Nxumalos matter was adjourned and he was remanded out of custody after being granted bail of E3 000.



The teacher also wanted the court to drop the matter, stating that he had decided to discuss the matter at family level.
MAYIWANE  Police officers had to be roped in at Mavula under Mayiwane Inkhundla during the 2017 Census recruitment exercise.



The exercise is one of many which were taking place in some parts of the country to recruit people who are expected to participate in the official counting of people in the country.

It was announced that 3 000 people would be recruited for the exercise.



The census whose theme is Setsembe wena kutsi ubalwe is expected to run from April 29, 2017 to May 11, 2017.

The two days following the exercise will be used for counting.

Hundreds of residents gathered to try their luck for the job opportunities that are available.



The census is being funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

While scores of residents from the surrounding chiefdoms of Mavula were waiting to be selected, chaos broke out.



Angry residents accused officials of recruiting people from other chiefdoms, which were not under the constituency of Mayiwane.

Nathi Tsabedze, the Bucopho for Mayiwane Inkhundla, who was present during the recruitment exercise, confirmed that residents were furious.

He also confirmed that the police had to intervene in fear that there could be some damage to property.



They were angry that residents from Timphisini were also participating, said Tsabedze.

He said had it not been for the police officersintervention, residents would have become violent.



Tsabedze said the police officers advised that the exercise should then continue today.

According to Muzi Phiri who is the headman for Piggs Peak constituency, a similar exercise yielded positive results in other areas already.
MBABANE  Former Mhlatane High School Head teacher Simeon Makhubu allegedly spent a total of E1.6 million to appease an alleged inkhosikati in return for an ambassadorial position in Kuwait.



The money was allegedly withdrawn from the coffers of the school during his time as head teacher.

This is contained in the summary of evidence to be presented in court in the matter in which Makhubu is alleged to have defrauded Mhlatane High School of money amounting to E1.8 million.

Other amounts of money were allegedly paid to individuals and suppliers.



Makhubu has been co-charged with Chawe Nxumalo, Comfort Zakhele Hlophe and Vusani Hlophe.

According to a member of the school committee Jabulile Tsabedze, Makhubu allegedly informed the committee that the inkhosikati had asked for financial assistance from him and she had sent Temkhitsi Dlamini to collect the money.

Temkhitsi, of Emshingishingini, allegedly impersonated the inkhosikati when calling Makhubu on the phone and he was duped and even sang the Kings praises when receiving the calls.

Makhubu allegedly admitted to the school committee that he withdrew the money from the schools account.



Tsabedze alleged that Makhubu never consulted the school committee about the money he gave to the inkhosikati.

He is alleged to have mentioned that the inkhosikati would repay the money twofold.



Makhubu also allegedly informed the school committee members that Temkhitsi told him that the inkhosikati promised him an ambassadorial post and that the King was making preparations in that regard.

Esther Magagula had also allegedly been conned by Temkhitsi a sum of E40 000, who informed her that the inkhosikati would secure a job for her son if she paid the money.

She allegedly notified Makhubu that he had been conned but he did not listen.



According to the inkhosikatis brother who is a witness in the matter, he heard from his other brother in June 2011 that there were rumours doing rounds in Piggs Peak to the effect that Makhubu was giving money to Temkhitsi who used their sisters name.
dangerous: Some residents of Mganda and MP Sompisi Magagula attempt to cross the Mlumati River. (Pic: Joseph Zulu)

PIGGS PEAK  The swelling Mlumati River has made it impossible for children to cross through when going to school.



This is the situation around Hhelehhele under which Lufafa Primary is situated.

Affected residents also include those of an area known as Mganda, which has completely been cut off.



Even drivers of high powered vehicles are said to be avoiding driving through the river, which though is still shallow, has made it impossible for primary schoolchildren to cross.



During the launch of Lufafa Mine, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport had constructed a bridge nearby but this only linked residents to a specific section leading to the mine.

Residents in other areas such as Mganda as well some parts of Lufafa have to rely on donkeys or even swim across the river.

The affected community is situated under Ntfonjeni Inkhundla where Sompisi Magagula is the Member of Parliament (MP).



Magagula was one of the residents found trying to cross the river to attend a meeting on the other side.

The MP confirmed that he had received concerns that children were failing to cross the river.



He said he had also been informed that some of the pupils at Lufafa Primary School had not been able to cross over for about two weeks.

Though the rain appears to have stopped, this has not stopped the river from continuously swelling. It is difficult to cross even now, said Magagula.

He said the residents usually relied on the rocks that are embedded in the riverbed to cross the river.



The fortunate residents, according to the MP, are those who can afford to use donkeys.

Donkeys are being used to transport some goods such as mealie meal.

Attempts to reach the head teacher of Lufafa Primary school, however, proved futile due to lack of cellular network in the area.
LOBAMBA  Did Members of Parliament (MPs) shoot themselves in the foot when they rejected Minister of Finance Martin Dlaminis 2017-18 budget?



This was the question on almost everyones lips when it was revealed that Section 108 of the Houses Standing Orders clearly stated that a Bill that has been rejected of the same substance shall not be introduced again during the current session.



However, this would mean the country would not have a national budget, which would grind to a halt all government operations including salaries for civil servants.

As a result, the MPs were locked in a caucus which started at 11:15am and dragged well into the afternoon.



The MPs and particularly the executive arm of government as a result, hit a deadlock concerning the changes, if any, that would go into the budget.

Some of the MPs and members of Cabinet suggested that the motion calling for the rejection of the budget should be reversed.



Some of the legislators said the motion should be withdrawn so that the budget can be debated and that the MPs would get a chance to make the changes to the budget during the Portfolio Committee debates, said one MP.

However, the MPs again resolved that the Finance Sessional Committee, which is chaired by Mangcongco MP Patrick Pha Motsa, should meet with the minister and his team to sort out the differences they had.



During the caucus, some members of the finance committee said the minister had in fact given them a piece of paper, which had articulated figures where some of the budget reallocations would be made.

It was at this point that Motsa and Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini were seen running at full speed along the Parliament corridors, allegedly looking for a copy of the meetings minutes from last Friday.



I do not know how this will end because there are clearly two different camps, but the MPs are adamant that they will let the Bill through until some reallocations are made, said another MP.

The motion to reject the budget last Wednesday was moved by Dvokodvweni MP Sitezi Dlamini.



In the motion, Dlamini wanted the Finance minister to be directed to re-budget for the nation and table a revised budget for the 2017-18 year, which would clearly address priority areas that were highlighted by His Majesty in his Speech from the Throne.



This, they said, included issues of potable or clean water, addressing feeder road networks, probase and increasing the allocation to the Ministry of Agriculture to address food security.

They had further suggested that the minister should extensively consult the finance sessional committee and table a revised budget within 48 hours of passing the motion.
Wang, 77, made his long-awaited return to his village on Sunday where he visited his old family home, where his older brother now resides.

By Ananth Krishnan: Thousands of Chinese villagers from across Shaanxi province gathered this past weekend to welcome the Chinese army veteran Wang Qi to his home village of Xiaozhainan, as he returned to his old home after 54 years in India.

Wang, 77, made his long-awaited return to his village on Sunday where he visited his old family home, where his older brother now resides. He had spent the past few days, since his February 10 return to China, in the company of his relatives and recuperating in the nearby town of Xianyang, near the provincial capital Shaanxi, where he was recovering after the exhaustions of his travel.

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"It meant a lot for my father to finally return home," said his son Vishnu Wang, who accompanied Wang Qi to China. "There were more than a thousand people waiting to see him, and the whole village is celebrating."

Xiaozhainan is a dusty small village of corn fields that lies two hours from Xian, sitting at the end of a narrow and muddy road through barren apple orchards.

The village has waited 54 years for the return of its most famous son, who as a young PLA soldier had crossed the border into India in 1963, and then detained. Released from prison in 1969, he was sent to Tirodi village in Madhya Pradesh, where he settled and married a local girl Sushila and raised his Indian family.

His return has made front-page news in China these past few weeks - a feel-good story during the Lunar New Year and a propaganda coup for the government to showcase how it had brought back one of its lost citizens, even if five decades too late.

Wang's family is undecided on their future. Wang, delighted to be reunited with his long-lost brothers and sister having last been in their company as a teenager, wants to spend the rest of his days in China. His son Vishnu, who is in China along with his wife and young son on a two-year visa, says the family isn't yet sure whether they will all settle in China. Vishnu's mother and sister and still in India.

Also read:

Exclusive: 54 years later, Wang Qi returns to homeland in China; mulls return to India

Exclusive: As soldier returns from India, China village offers him a new home

Chinese soldier Wang Qi returns home from India after five decades

--- ENDS ---
By Gina Martinez

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown presented Police Commissioner James ONeill a check for $20,391,864 Monday morning to fund neighborhood policing initiatives in Queens. The announcement was made at a press conference at the New York Police Academy in College Point, where Brown said the main use of the funds would be to enhance ONeills community based police strategy in all 16 precincts in Queens.

In essence, it heralds the return of a familiar figure  the cop on the beat who knows the people and the community he or she serves, Brown said. By forging closer, more meaningful relationships with local business owners, community advocates, religious leaders and residents, it is hoped that a line of dialogue can be opened up between the police and the communities that will result in mutual understanding and an easing of the tension and mistrust that often times exists between the police and many of the communities they protect.

The $20,391,864 given to the NYPD is a portion of the money won in the 2012 HSBC Holdings agreement, the money laundering case the Queens district attorneys office helped with. HSBC agreed to forfeit $1.256 billion as a part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in addition to $665 million in civil penalties. The Queens DAs office received an equitable sharing award of $116 million from the Department of Treasurys program for its contributions to the investigation. According to the Treasurys guidelines, equitable sharing funds must supplement existing resources and be used only for valid law enforcement purposes.

I want to thank Judge Brown for his leadership and for supporting this police department with critically essential funding, ONeill said. The $20 million Judge Brown has allocated for this department will be an important investment in neighborhood policing, our crime fighting strategy. This forfeiture funding will provide our cops with essential tools  like vehicles, technology, and training  they need to do their job. I thank him for this investment in us and helping us keep this city the safest big city in America.

According to the DA, federal guidelines say that shared funds cannot be used to supplement the police departments existing budget but to fund new initiatives from the NYPD. Brown explained the money will be used to purchase supplies for use by officers assigned to the new NYPD Neighborhood Policing model implemented in all Queens precincts. The initiative focuses on localized community-based policing that builds a relationship between community members and officers.

Working in the same area every day and staying within the established sector, Brown added, these teams of officers will be enabled to become fully familiar with and address local conditions, engage with the community, better identify sector specific problems, conduct follow-ups, participate in community meetings and engage in collaborative problem-solving actions with sector residents and business owners.

The model was first introduced in 2015 in select precincts throughout the city but will expand to all areas in Queens, the DA said. The initiative will assign a permanent two-officer team to specific neighborhood sectors in each precinct and on each shift, according to the DA. The sector partners will work with Neighborhood Coordination Officers, who have an idea of the existing problems in the area, in order to foster positive relationships with the community.

ONeill gave a breakdown of where the funds would go: $11,291,214 will go towards 264 new vehicles to be used by officers in the 16 Queens precincts, $1,638,180 will go toward 19,000 upgraded gun holsters, and $1,587,500 will go toward new flashlights for officers who often have to purchase their own after graduation. The rest of the funds will also go toward new tablets, license plate readers and software upgrades, the commissioner said.
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By Patrick Donachie

A city program intended to keep students in the classroom and out of the courtroom for minor infractions is expanding to 34 new high schools on 11 campuses, including several in Queens.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina announced the expansion of the Warning Card program Monday. The Queens schools include Richmond Hill High School, Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, and John Bowne High School, located in Flushing.

Our students belong in the classroom, learning with their peers, de Blasio said. Through our investments in school-based interventions, we are improving student behavior while keeping our teens out of trouble, and the effects are undeniable  crime is at an all-time low and graduation is at an all-time high.

The citys Warning Card Program offers NYPD officers and School Safety Agents greater discretion when encountering students in possession of small amounts of marijuana or engaging in disorderly conduct on school property. Officers and agents may issue a warning in lieu of a criminal summons to students who are 16 years of age or older.

The program began with a pilot at the start of the 20152016 school year at several campuses in the Bronx, and since then there has been a 14-percent reduction in criminal summonses for minor marijuana possession and disorderly conduct at those campuses, according to the mayors office.

The expansion coming this spring will add 34 schools in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, bringing the Warning Card program to 74 schools in total.

The city will also expand the School Justice Project citywide this year, which offers free legal assistance to students with a focus on clearing summonses to reduce unnecessary arrests of students. The program aims to deal with students interactions with the criminal justice system at the outset, to avoid more serious consequences in the future.

The NYPD is actively committed to the safety of our students  whether it is through the actions of our crossing guards, school safety agents or police officers who, each day, dedicate themselves to the protection of the citys children and schools, said NYPD Commissioner James ONeill. We are proud to see this reduction in enforcement activity, and are working to ensure that this trend continues through the expansion of initiatives such as the Warning Card Program.
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By Patrick Donachie

A southeast Queens City councilman is sponsoring legislation to reduce the time commercial trucks can park on streets from three hours to 90 minutes in an attempt to reduce the burden on affected communities.

City Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) said that when he first broached the notion of Council legislation to combat the problem, he found other council members were dealing with similar situations in their own districts.

If I talk to my colleagues in the Bronx, its a problem. Brooklyn, its a problem. In Manhattan, its foreign to them. Its an outer borough problem, he said. We want to make sure it gets the attention it deserves. We have never seen this number of tractor trailers on residential streets.

The preponderance of trucks blocking traffic and idling is a constant source of frustration for southeast Queens residents, both in the commercial corridors of downtown Jamaica and on residential avenues. Int. No. 1473 would revise the law to shorten the amount of time before traffic enforcers or NYPD officers can give an idling commercial vehicle a demand that they move or a fine. Miller said the vehicles are often idling overnight, running their engines for air conditioning in the summer or heat in the winter. Thus, the health of residents can be compromised.

Its been a disaster and its only getting worse, Miller said. If you walk along Springfield Boulevard, you may have five or six in a row.

The legislation was referred by the full Council to the Committee on Transportation and has garnered several sponsors, including Queens Councilmen Donovan Richards (D-Arverne), Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Paul Vallone (D-Bayside). Miller said greater enforcement was needed, recalling trucks usually based in Elmont, L.I., that parked on the Queens side of the border. They were taking advantage of the lax enforcement, Miller said.

They cant park where they reside, he said. We want to make sure we respect and value our community.
US President Donald Trump signed a revised ban on refugees and on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations Monday, scaling back the order to exempt Iraqis and permanent US residents.

With his first attempt frozen by federal courts, Trump signed a second order freezing refugee admissions for 120 days and halting new visas for Syrians, Iranians, Libyans, Somalis, Yemenis and Sudanese citizens.

The White House said Trump  who is embroiled in controversy over his aides\ links to Russia and his own Twitter outbursts  signed the order behind closed doors Monday morning.

The new order comes into effect on March 16 and is meant to address legal problems. It explicitly exempts Iraqis, legal permanent residents and valid visa holders.

"The principles of the executive order remain the same," said White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one of three cabinet members rolled out to present the order in Trump\s absence, described it as "a vital measure" for strengthening national security.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions added that it "provides a needed pause" allowing a review of how America deals with travelers from "countries of concern."

"Three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism," Sessions said, referring to Iran, Sudan and Syria.

He added that others had served as "safe havens" for terror operatives.

Critics questioned the composition of the list, which includes citizens from countries that have never been involved in terror attacks in the United States.

Non-governmental groups accused Trump of covertly pursuing his controversial and possibly illegal campaign promise of a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

The question of Trump\s intent is likely to dominate new legal challenges that are already being flagged by organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union.

"President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU\s Immigrant Rights Project.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the measure should be repealed, adding: "A watered down ban is still a ban."

Trump\s first order had sparked a legal, political and logistical furor.

There was chaos at major airports and mass protests while several district courts moved to block its implementation and lawmakers expressed opposition.

The troubled rollout also dominated the first weeks of the new administration, leaving many with the impression that it was badly planned and badly implemented.

Polls show that American public opinion is deeply divided on the issue. Most indicate a slight majority of voters opposed, with strong support among Trump\s political base.

The Republican president criticized a court order suspending the ban as "a very bad decision, very bad for the safety and security of our country. The rollout was perfect."

But he has now stepped away from a promise to challenge the matter in the courts. The second order repeals the first, spelling the end of any pending legal proceedings.

Whatever the legal outcome, Trump\s new ban is likely to polarize opinion further and be immensely popular with his core supporters.

Iraq\s inclusion in the first order prompted outrage in that country, including from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The US and Iraqi militaries are currently fighting side-by-side in northern Iraq, trying to wrest the city of Mosul from Islamic State control.

The Iraqi foreign ministry on Monday expressed its "deep satisfaction" with the new order, and described it as an "important step" in strengthening relations between Baghdad and Washington.

But the revised travel ban is also likely to sow further confusion about US immigration policies.

On Monday, Nigeria advised its citizens against all but essential travel to the United States, citing the lack of clarity on new immigration rules.

"In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to Nigeria," said special adviser to the president Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

According to a report released Monday by travel data firm Forwardkeys, travel from the United States to the Middle East has also fallen sharply, with bookings for departure in the next three months falling 25.4 percent behind the equivalent time last year.

But the ban is likely to help Trump divert attention from rolling crises on his ties with Russia.

Since US intelligence publicly accused 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.

The last week has seen his attorney general recuse himself from election-related investigations, after it emerged he met the Russian ambassador in Washington twice during the campaign.

It has also seen Trump level unsubstantiated allegations that former president Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on the now president\s phone.

SOURCE: AFP
"It wouldn't surprise me that there are people changing careers - and ending careers - as we speak," one expert said, commenting on WikiLeaks' document dump.

By AP: Julian Assange's WikiLeaks on Tuesday published thousands of documents purportedly taken from the Central Intelligence Agency's Center for Cyber Intelligence, a dramatic release that appears to provide an eye-opening look at the intimate details of America's cyberespionage toolkit.

The dump could not immediately be authenticated and the CIA declined comment, but WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents. Experts who have started to sift through the material said it appeared to be legitimate - and that the release was almost certain to shake the CIA.

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"There's no question that there's a fire drill going on right now," said Jake Williams, a security expert with US-based Rendition Infosec. "It wouldn't surprise me that there are people changing careers - and ending careers - as we speak," he added.

DATA DUMP INCLUDES INFO CIA'S EFFORTS TO SUBVERT iOS, ANDROID

The documents cover a range of topics, including what appeared to be a discussion about how to compromise smart televisions and turn them into improvised surveillance devices.

WikiLeaks said the leaked data also included details on the agency's efforts to subvert American software products and smartphones, including Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows.

A "substantial library" of digital espionage techniques borrowed from Russia and other countries is in the data as well, WikiLeaks said.

WIKILEAKS HAS REPEATEDLY TARGETED US

If it did prove legitimate, the dump would represent yet another catastrophic breach for the US intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks and its allies, which have repeatedly humbled Washington with the mass release of classified material, including hundreds of thousands of documents from the State Department and the Pentagon.

WikiLeaks, which had been dropping cryptic hints about the release for a month, said in a lengthy statement that the CIA had "recently" lost control of a massive arsenal of CIA hacking tools as well as associated documentation.

The radical transparency organisation said that "the archive appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner" and that one of them "provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive."

Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, said: "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents."

Williams, who has experience dealing with government hackers, said that the voluminous files' extensive references to operation security meant they were almost certainly government-backed.

"I can't fathom anyone fabricated that amount of operational security concern," he said. "It rings true to me."

"The only people who are having that conversation are people who are engaging in nation-state-level hacking," he said.

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ALSO READ | Obama shortens sentence of Manning, who gave secrets to WikiLeaks

ALSO READ | WikiLeaks emails reveal preparations for PM Narendra Modi's 2015 Silicon Valley visit

--- ENDS ---
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.
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George Bell has gotten countless phone calls over the last decade about the disappearance of 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker but, until last week, no caller had reported the discovery of a young boy's remains.

When a hiker spotted a skull, partially buried in state wetlands along the Hudson River in Greene County, on Feb. 26, State Police investigators immediately called Bell, the Greenwich-Cambridge police chief, with the news. On Monday, state conservation officials said an examination revealed the skull likely came from a boy between the age 10 and 13.

"I have mixed emotions. If you look outside the box, it all fits," Bell said Tuesday. "But I don't want to draw false conclusions or give false hope."

Bell said investigators told him the remains washed up 5 to 10 years ago into the Vosburgh Swamp in Coxsackie.

Rainwalker vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home in November 2007. Police believe foul play was involved and have scrutinized his adoptive father but no one was ever charged in his disappearance.

Bell, who leads the 10-year-old homicide investigation, said Tuesday that there is no evidence so far that indicates the skull is Rainwalker's.

"We don't know a lot," Bell said, adding he was surprised by the Department of Environmental Conservation's disclosure of the age range of the skull. "I don't have that information."

A forensic anthropologist examined a photograph of the skull before making the age and gender determination, the DEC said Monday. Additional definitive testing will provide a more precise estimation on when the person died.

The development was published in the weekly Forest Ranger Actions report on the agency's website. State Police Lt. Brian Webster said the DEC didn't coordinate the announcement with troopers.

The State Police are sifting the evidence and have not "officially" determined the age, gender or identity of the person whose remains were found last week, Webster said.

Next, forensic examiners will grind the bone and extract whatever marrow is left, Bell said. DNA results could take two weeks, the chief said.

Bell said he hopes the evidence matches Rainwalker's DNA and finally provides closure but he admitted it would be a long shot.

"We're not holding out hope in terms of DNA at this point," Bell said. He also noted the skull could belong to any of a number of missing people.

"There are so many possibilities," he said.

Bell elevated the Rainwalker investigation from a missing person search to a homicide case in 2012. The chief has long complained that the boy's adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, won't cooperate with investigators.

Rainwalker was last seen Nov. 1, 2007, before spending the night with Kerr at a relative's unoccupied home in Greenwich. Kerr said that when he woke up, Jaliek was gone.

In 2012, State Police cadaver dogs searched a Troy property, while divers probed the Hudson River between Troy and Watervliet. Both teams found nothing, although investigators have theorized Rainwalker's body was dropped in the Hudson.

On Feb. 27, one day after a hiker found the unidentified skull in Coxsackie, State Police, Greene County sheriff's deputies and DEC personnel searched the Wildlife Management Area off Four Mile Point Road for clues.

The skull was partially buried in a wooded area, not fully intact and had signs of extreme exposure to the elements, the DEC said. Various items, including clothing, had accumulated in the tidal area around the skull and will be tested, the state agency said.

At the time, sheriff's Lt. Adam Brainard said the remains of people who jumped off Albany and Troy bridges into the Hudson have washed up on shore in this Greene County wetland area before. Police have not yet determined if this is the case in the latest discovery, Brainard said.

In the weeks and months after Rainwalker's disappearance, Bell said he would rush to Troy whenever police pulled a body from the river, only to find it was an adult suicide. At the same time, dozens of concerned citizens mistakenly reported finding bones -- which turned out to be animal remains -- in Washington County.

"I have a box full of deer bones and cattle bones," Bell said.

The wetland path where the unidentified young person's skull was found, part of the state Department of Environmental Conservation network of protected areas, is at the end of Four Mile Point Road and runs along the Hudson River.

Vosburgh Swamp is about 35 miles south of Troy.

Anyone with information is asked to call the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations in Catskill at 622-8600.
Schenectady

A pedestrian is hospitalized with life-threatening head injuries after being hit early Tuesday by a drunken driver on Guilderland Avenue in the Bellevue neighborhood, according to a court papers.

The driver, identified in the criminal complaint as Eric Figueroa of Rotterdam, is charged with felony vehicular assault.

The 50-year-old victim was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital with grave injuries, police said.

Court papers say Figueroa, 25, had a blood alcohol content of 0.13 percent when the 2005 Toyota Corolla he was driving south on Guilderland Avenue struck the man.

"As a result of such intoxication, the defendant did strike a pedestrian causing serious injury, including a serious head injury," the complaint states. State law considers anything over 0.08 percent legally drunk.

Figueroa also faces motor vehicle violations, including driving without a valid registration.

The crash shut down Guilderland Avenue between Ontario and William streets. The Schenectady School District told parents to drop off their children at the rear parking lot of Van Corlaer Elementary School.

Figueroa was arraigned Tuesday morning in City Court and ordered held on $2,000 bail. He is to return to court Friday.

pnelson@timesunion.com  518-454-5347  @apaulnelson
Actor Yami Gautam talks to India Today about her work, childhood crushes and parties.

Yami Gautam, actor, on work, partying and childhood crushes:

Q: What do you like most (and hate most) about acting?

A: I like that I get to earn the love of so many people while pursuing my passion. The worst is that family time takes a hit; it's a very time-consuming profession.

Q: Your latest 'epic fail'?

A: Turning up a day early for a party. I was terribly jetlagged when it happened. It was very embarrassing, but thankfully no one was around to see it.

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Q: The last picture you took with your mobile?

A: My sister made a surprise visit to Mumbai. She got cake and decorated home the way we used to for birthday parties in our childhood. This was for Kaabil's success. I wanted to capture the moment.

Q: If you could do a film with any actor, living or dead, who would it be?

A: Ben Affleck. He was my childhood crush.

Q: What's the one thing you can't do without when you're shooting on location?

A: Chai and makkhan (butter).

--- ENDS ---
U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer are proposing legislation that would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop safety standards for perfluorinated compounds and other unregulated industrial chemicals that have been found in public water systems.

Although some states have set strict safety standards for the chemicals, many others, including New York, have not. The measure proposed by New York's senators calls for the EPA to set legally enforceable standards for the acceptable levels of the chemicals rather than issuing only health advisories.

Perfluorinated compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, were used in manufacturing of heat-resistant and nonstick products for decades until last year. Human health studies have found links between PFOA exposure and six diseases: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension and high cholesterol.

In the Capital Region, concerns about PFOA found in water supplies in Rensselaer County erupted in 2014 when Michael Hickey, a former village trustee whose father died of cancer, sent samples from the Hoosick Falls water system to a Canadian lab that reported levels of PFOA that the EPA had advised were not safe for human consumption.

Last year, the EPA declared that PFOA levels in water supplies should not exceed 70 parts per trillion. Some of the Rensselaer County water supplies tested for PFOA, including in Hoosick Falls, had levels significantly higher than the federal advisory level.

For years, New York followed a standard that did not raise health alarms unless unregulated contaminants such as PFOA exceeded 50,000 parts per trillion in drinking water systems. The legislation proposed by Gillibrand and Schumer would establish a federal standard for the contaminants.

The measure would also include standards for another perfluorinated chemical, PFOS, which has been used in the firefighting industry for decades., and the chemical has been found in ground water and drinking water supplies near military bases and other locations where firefighters have trained with or used the foam that contains the chemical. In addition, the legislation would regulate dioxane, a solvent stabilizer that is known to cause cancer, and perchlorate, another industrial chemical that may cause adverse health effects in humans.

"We've seen very clearly how much damage can happen to our local drinking water supplies when toxic chemicals like PFOA, PFOS, ... dioxane and perchlorate aren't monitored by the EPA," said Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "My legislation would require the EPA to come up with strong and enforceable safety standards for these toxins, so that no other community has to experience what Hoosick Falls, Newburgh, and Long Island have gone through over the last year."

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
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Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is scheduled to be part of the grand opening ceremonies Tuesday morning at the Troy Innovation Garage, a co-working facility in downtown Troy created by Gramercy Communications owner Tom Nardacci.

The event will take place at 10 a.m.

Nardacci took what was a vacant eyesore on 4th Street and turned it into a vibrant, open space office for creative types that can pay to work there with its high speed internet, snack, coffee and a concierge service, paying by the day or the month. He spent nearly $1.5 million on the renovations.

Already the Troy Innovation Garage has 65 members, and Nardacci isn't even done with construction.

The facility, which was partially funded with a state grant, will also include a business incubator, and already Nardacci has been holding networking and other events, making the Troy Innovation Garage a 24/7 place to work for those without an office or startup companies that don't need to be tied down by a long term lease.

A day pass is $25, while a monthly pass is $350, which gives the member access to all of the facility and events.

Hochul previously toured the Troy Innovation Garage back in June, so she knows all about the facility and what Nardacci is trying to achieve. Gramery Communications is the largest tenant of the facility, which also offers 100 square foot "suites" that can be rented by the month for between $800 and $1,100.

Hochul is planning to venture over to Hudson Valley Community College at 11 a.m. where she will talk with students about the state's Excelsior Scholarship Program. She is also planning to tour HVCC's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Lab.
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Albany

Expectations were not high when Dan McCoy became the Albany County executive.

Many dismissed him as a lightweight who had lucked into the job. He was perceived as a machine candidate, a throwback to Albany's legendary political system. He had been, after all, the guy who held Dan O'Connell's old role.

But we underestimated McCoy. We overlooked his compelling biography and the shrewdness that fueled his rise. McCoy has grown into his job, for sure, but he was always more thoughtful and serious than was assumed.

More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

For evidence, look at his two-year campaign to help poor defendants get a fair shake in court. No politician around here has taken on a more important cause.

"I want everyone to be on the same playing field when they walk into a courtroom," McCoy told me last week. "I want everyone to have the same opportunity, poor or rich."

McCoy has been pushing statewide legislation, crafted in his office, that would shift the cost of providing indigent legal services from counties to the state. The bill is needed because many counties can't afford decent representation. Public defenders are often overwhelmed by crushing caseloads.

The result is nobody's idea of justice. Too often, the poor go to jail on circumstances under which the wealthy would walk. It's a mockery of American values.

McCoy's bill, which also would have made more people eligible for indigent defense, sailed through the state Assembly and Senate last year. It had bipartisan support, because criminal-justice reform is backed by thinking people across the political spectrum  from Charles Koch to Bernie Sanders.

But Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed it, a scorn-worthy move.

McCoy is again pushing hard for the bill's passage. Ask him why he has invested so much effort in the legislation, and he'll probably mention Kalief Browder.

You know about Browder, right?

Accused of stealing a backpack, the 16-year-old from the Bronx spent three years in Rikers, including two years in solitary confinement, waiting for a trial that never came. Browder was eventually released but never recovered. Two years ago, he jumped from a second-floor window with a cord wrapped around his neck. He was 22 when he died.

"That just shouldn't happen in this country," said McCoy, adding that he began working on his legal services bill shortly after reading about the teen. Browder was much like many of the people McCoy grew up around.

McCoy's biography is little known. He grew up poor in a Second Avenue duplex near Hoffman Park, often relying on the very county services he now oversees. The neighborhood continues to shape him, he said.

By way of example, McCoy said that at one point growing up, his family's power was shut off because there was no money to pay the bill. The neighbors hot-wired electricity into the apartment.

"That's what people did for you," McCoy said. "It was a community, and that's what Albany means to me. It made me who I am."

McCoy, now 47, went to Albany High and joined the military soon after. He returned, became a firefighter and found politics, rising to lead Albany County's Democratic committee and its legislature. He was elected to his current job in 2011 and easily re-elected four years later.

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Never the smoothest speaker, McCoy can walk into one paragraph and exit another. Barrel chested and broad shouldered, he sometimes looks like Barney Rubble in a suit and tie. He's not going to win many road races.

But if you underestimate McCoy, you are making the same mistake as the high school guidance counselor who told him he was best suited for a job on the Freihofer's assembly line.

None of this is to say that McCoy has been a perfect county executive. If you read this column regularly, you know that.

But he deserves credit when it's due  for pushing for a fairer justice system, fighting for safer oil trains, advocating for public housing residents hurt by pollution and, more than anything, remembering where he came from.

In fact, if Democrats nationally want to return from their self-induced political oblivion and reconnect with blue-collar voters, they should find more candidates like the Albany County executive.

"I'll always fight for the underdog," McCoy said. "I owe it to the neighborhoods I grew up in and ran around in."

Listen to McCoy talk about his love for his city and something becomes obvious: He's in the wrong job. Mayor would be a better fit.

Here's betting that job will one day be his.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
SKIP DICKSTEIN

Kudos to Albany Roman Catholic Bishop Edward Scharfenberger for his courageous condemnation of both abortion and America's largest, best-funded and politically powerful abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.

One need not be religious to agree with the bishop. For if abortion is what science and reason say it is  the deliberate destruction of an innocent human life  then it is hard to think of an evil of our time of moral equivalency.
Raj Singh Arora gives us serious travel goals with his US holiday pics. Picutre courtesy:Instagram/ rajsingharora_actor

By India Today Web Desk: Yeh Hai Mohabbatein's Mihir aka Raj Singh Arora is on a break and is currently holidaying in the United States. The actor who rose to fame with STAR One's Remix has been posting some amazing pictures on Instagram which will make you crave for vacation.

I completely forgot to thank all of you for the all the constant love & appreciation ????????? 150k thank you so much for all the love may it keep flowing your love and love from my heart ?? to each and everyone one of you here on my @instagram from my heart & soul. A post shared by Raj Singh Arora 1 (@rajsingharora_actor) on Jan 23, 2017 at 8:55pm PST

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Raj is visiting family in America and has been there for more than two months now. He has travelled to different parts of the country including Virginia, Hawaii, New Jersey and New York.

Plz say hello to aunty Liberty .... did you know that she was meant to be a gift to Egypt ????.... they did not want such a big statue so the Americans said send her over to US. A post shared by Raj Singh Arora 1 (@rajsingharora_actor) on Feb 22, 2017 at 9:59pm PST

He shared a picture against the Statue of Liberty and also shared a little anecdote on the same. He wrote, "Please say hello to aunty Liberty. Did you know that she was meant to be a gift to Egypt? They did not want such a big statue, so the Americans said send her over to US."

So I guess a lot of people have missed my travel diaries on Snapchat in the past.... So I have made a few videos in recent days trying my best to encapsulate all that I saw and experienced ....I owe it to #snapchat these videos & the ability to save them thou I forget to save videos most of the time but the few I did mange to save or record or capture ( starting to get the hang of videos as a form of expression In addition with my photography but am still new to this art form so am learning ). I will put up for all of you that did NOT get to see my travels across the #usa???? over the next few days enjoy ..... till I decide to lock my Snapchat again..... my Snapchat will only be open when I travel. #RSAtravelstheworld .... A post shared by Raj Singh Arora 1 (@rajsingharora_actor) on Mar 4, 2017 at 6:39pm PST

He also shared a video that encapsulates all that he experienced and saw while travelling across the United States. And it surely will give you serious travel goals.

Major Missing of the Hawaiian life happening .....I want to go back. A post shared by Raj Singh Arora 1 (@rajsingharora_actor) on Feb 19, 2017 at 9:05pm PST

--- ENDS ---
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said reports that up to 80 Post Offices are to be shut down is a bombshell for rural Ireland.

Deputy McGrath was speaking as Charlie Weston, writing in yesterday's Irish Independent, revealed that the government's unpublished review of the future strategy for An Post is understood to recommend the closure of 80, mainly rural post offices: If these indications from the unpublished Kerr Report are accurate, then our worst fears will have been realised.

It will result in increased economic hardship, increased social isolation, and an escalation in the decline of the rural Irish community.

I would remind the government that only last November, it voted in support of a Dail Motion on the future support of the Post Office Network that was put forward by those of us in the Rural Independent Group.

We asked for clear and explicit commitments in terms of seeking out new and innovative approaches to sustaining the Post Offices in rural communities.

The acceptance of the terms of our Dail Motion and the contents of the unpublished Report are going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible to reconcile.

Either the government is committed to the rural Post Office or it is not. So far all the indications are the government will continue to speak out of both sides of its mouth on this issue. We need absolute clarity. We need an acknowledgement that rural Ireland cannot cope with the level and pace of service withdrawal that is going on at present. From our Credit Unions, to our Post Offices, our transport, our roads; everything is converging in what can only be described as a sustained and apparently calculated assault on rural Ireland, concluded Deputy McGrath.
Breanna Garcia and Chef Kevin Proper pose with a newly proposed menu for Yellowstone General Stores. Proper, a Titusville native, found his earliest love for cooking at Papa Carones in Titusville, which has since propelled him to his current position as head chef, overseeing 11 locations and a staff of more than 100 people, spread across a 2.2 million-acre national park.
[March 07, 2017] Runecast Analyzer 1.5 Delivers New Customer Driven Enhancements

LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - Multiple vCenter Support - Enhanced Security Runecast, a leading provider of predictive analytics for VMware vSphere environments, today announced the availability of the latest version of Runecast Analyzer. Runecast Analyzer is a proactive VMware vSphere management solution that installs as an OVA format virtual appliance. Runecast Analyzer uses current VMware Knowledge Base articles and Runecast expertise to analyze the virtual infrastructure and expose potential issues and best practice violations, before they cause major outages. Version 1.5 delivers the ability to analyze and manage multiple VMware vSphere vCenters via one dashboard. vCenter is the central management component of a VMware infrastructure and previous versions of Runecast Analyzer supported only one vCenter connection at a time. With the majority of enterprise customers having several vCenter servers, it meant they needed to deploy and use several instances of Runecast Analyzer. The single point of control that Runecast Analyzer 1.5 delivers means less overhead for hosting and maintaining several Runcast instances.



"Version 1.5 of Runecast Analyzer is a key milestone for our R&D efforts, particularly as this was a frequently requested requirement from our customers," commented Stanimir Markov, CEO, Runecast. "It will provide a major business benefit to service providers, enterprise customers and anyone with more than one vCenter instance." All existing customers will be able to upgrade seamlessly. If the Runecast Analyzer appliance is configured to download the latest update, the upgrade will be automatic. In the case where the appliance is configured for manual updates, customers will have the option of manually triggering the update or performing an offline update where the ISO update file can be downloaded and then copied over into a more secure environment where the Runecast Analyzer appliance resides.

"Runecast Analyzer 1.5 delivers us significant resource savings by enabling management of multiple vCenters via one dashboard," said Stephen Parker of Brigham Young University-Idaho. "Having this enhanced visibility means I can ensure my vSphere environment is operating to maximum performance levels to service the requirements of the University." Other enhancements in version 1.5 include improved security, enhanced log search and filtering and improved Knowledge Base filters. A free trial of Runecast Analyzer can be downloaded at https://www.runecast.biz/register About Runecast Runecast is an innovative provider of actionable predictive analytics for VMware vSphere environments. Runecast Analyzer provides software-defined expertise to mitigate service outages, increase security and compliance and reduce time in troubleshooting. Runecast Analyzer is deployed in VMware environments across the globe within enterprise and SME customers. For more information visit www.runecast.biz. Media Contact

Jane Rimmer

hiviz-marketing

+44-7710-633488

[email protected]



SOURCE Runecast

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[March 06, 2017] Salt Lake Comic Con, Subaru of America, Wasatch Front Subaru Retailers Name the Humane Society of Utah as Official 2017 Charity

Salt Lake Comic Con, Subaru of America, Inc. and the Wasatch Front Subaru Retailers announced the Humane Society of Utah (HSU) as their official 2017 charity. The Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2017 (FanX) will be held March 17-18, 2017 at the Salt Palace Convention Center located at 100 S W Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006267/en/ Pawsplay Photo Contest at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX (Photo: Business Wire) At FanX 2017, fans will have the opportunity to include their pets in official Salt Lake Comic Con events and donate money to the Humane Society of Utah. Specific FanX17 events and donation opportunities include a "Pawsplay" photo contest for pets in costume, discounted admission tickets and an opportunity to donate to HSU with FanX ticket purchase or directly. "We're excited to name the Humane Society of Utah as our official charity of 2017," said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con founder and show producer. "The HSU provides such important services to our community and pet friends, and we want to play a major part in supporting the important work that they do. Our fans have always been supportive of us and the charities we work with; we know that they'll step up to the challenge of raising money and awareness for the Humane Society of Utah." Fans can purchase admission tickets at a 25 percent discount off regular pricing with the promotion code FANX17HS March 5-18, and 15 percent of the purchase will be donated to the HSU. Adoptable pets from the HSU will visit with FanX celebrity guests for a photo op of their own in the celebrity green room during the event. "We like to be actively involved in the communities in which we work, live and play, and the opportunity to partner with and make an impact on the Humane Society of Utah aligns perfectly with our corporate values," said Charles Lamoureux, Subaru of America zone marketing manager. "We look forward to having fun with man's best friends and seeing the creative cosplay at FanX17 and throughout the year." In addition to the "Pawsplay" pet photo contest and other innovative, fun events with pets, FanX17 will allow fans to get closer than ever to their favorite celebrities, artists and authors. "We couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to partner with Salt Lake Comic Con," said Deann Shepherd, HSU director of marketing and communications. "This is an innovative ad positive pairing of our animals with one of the state's largest events that will help support the many lifesaving programs and services that we offer."



"It's important for us to give back to the community and support causes that mean a lot to us and our fans. Since 2013 we have given over $2 million in cash and in-kind donations back to the community," said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con co-founder and chief marketing officer. "In 2017, we'll have a lot of opportunities for our fans to help support the Humane Society of Utah and have fun while doing it. We've set world records for the number of fans in cosplay in one place, and we're confident our fans will deliver at FanX for the Humane Society of Utah in epic fashion." For more information about the Humane Society of Utah's involvement, visit https://www.utahhumane.org/FanX/. For more information about FanX17 or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com/. For more information about Subaru, visit https://www.subaru.com.

About Salt Lake Comic Con: Salt Lake Comic Con is organized by Dan Farr Productions, in partnership with ABC4/CW30 of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group and was co-founded by Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg. Dan Farr Productions is an event and marketing group devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium celebrities and brands in the pop culture arena. Dan Farr Productions is dedicated to producing spectacular celebrations of popular culture that lead the market in providing exceptional and rewarding experiences for our consumers, fans, celebrity guests, vendors and partners. Find out more at: www.SaltLakeComicCon.com, www.abc4.com/. About Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 620 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants, and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. About the Humane Society of Utah The Humane Society of Utah is dedicated to the elimination of pain, fear and suffering in all animals. Since 1960, the HSU has been sheltering homeless animals, fighting cruelty and neglect, and creating an environment of respect, responsibility, and compassion for all animals across the state of Utah. HSU is the largest open-admissions shelter in the state and welcomes any companion animal that can legally be admitted. As a member of the No-Kill Utah (NKUT) Coalition, the HSU works hard to ensure that every healthy and treatable pet that enters the facility will be placed into a loving home. The Humane Society of Utah is a local, private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located at 4242 South 300 West, Murray, Utah, that does not receive any state tax dollars or government funding. HSU is funded by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses and foundations. Read more about the HSU online at www.utahhumane.org. Note to Editors:

Pawsplay Contest Page

http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com/humane-society/

Subaru of America

http://www.subaru.com Humane Society of Utah

http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com/humane-society/ Salt Lake Comic Con

http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com Salt Lake Comic Con Tickets

http://saltlakecomiccon.com/tickets/ Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperiences

http://saltlakecomiccon.com/fanxperiences/ Salt Lake Comic Con Master Guest Schedule

http://saltlakecomiccon.com/guests/ Humane Society of Utah FanX information

https://www.utahhumane.org/FanX View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006267/en/

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[March 06, 2017] Webroot Partners with Kaseya to Deliver Fully Integrated Endpoint Security through Kaseya VSA

BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Webroot, the market leader in network and endpoint security and cloud-based threat intelligence, today announced a strategic partnership with Kaseya, the leading provider of complete IT management solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and mid-sized businesses. Together, Kaseya and Webroot will offer customers the security, efficacy, ease of management and cost savings that endpoint administrators need to protect clients and users from advanced cyber threats. Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection (WSAB) has been tightly integrated as a module into Kaseya VSA, the company's IT management platform, and customers can purchase Webroot directly through Kaseya. The Webroot Kaseya Module gives customers simplified and automated endpoint security management that ensures each individual endpoint is constantly monitored and protected against malware, ransomware and advanced persistent threats. Additional benefits include support for Apple products and access to the Webroot Unity API (Unity), which allows security administrators to access additional Webroot endpoint data and services for more efficient business operations, actionable information and better service delivery to their customers. "Managing an endpoint security solution is an increasingly challenging task for MSPs and small businesses. Issues can include poor efficacy, poor event visibility, poor automation and remediation, high support-desk call rates and increasingly high operational costs. Making matters worse is the complexity of today's security landscape," said Charlie Tomeo, vice president of channel and technical sales at Webroot. "Organizations need endpoint security solutions that are cost effective yet powerful, efficient yet highly secure. The partnership of Kaseya and Webroot offers an automated solution that meets these requirements." The Webroot Kaseya Module includes: Easy deployment management: Intuitive, straightforward GUI-driven install/uninstall

Combined deployment and status dashboard: Single pane-of-glass view to manage Webroot within the VSA dashboard

Powerful search capabilities: Search via Kaseya group, machine ID or other criteria

Deployment flexibility: Mirrored management for Kaseya groups via Weroot groups, or sites with single or multiple keys

Auto-discovery: Automatic recognition and management for already installed Webroot agents via VSA



Mike Puglia , chief product officer of Kaseya. "Our customers rely on us to deliver best-in-class solutions that will enable them to effectively and securely manage their IT infrastructure. The combination of Kaseya's industry-leading IT management platform and Webroot's proven cloud-based endpoint security solution means that our customers can not only offer better protection against threats, but also increase operating margins by significantly reducing the complexities and inefficiencies associated with managing two disparate products. Through this partnership, our customers will have peace of mind in knowing that they can manage, automate and protect all of IT." "The recent epidemic of high-profile breaches has highlighted to businesses the importance of improving their defenses from cyberattacks," said Chriss Rhode, CEO of Orlando-based OrLANtech. "We chose Webroot because it is the premier provider of endpoint security solutions that are easy to deploy and manage. As a customer of both Kaseya and Webroot, we anticipate strong traction among the Kaseya user community as a result of this partnership."

Availability

The Webroot Kaseya Module is now available for the Kaseya VSA platform through the Kaseya Automation Exchange, the company's marketplace. For more information and to register for a free trial of the Webroot Kaseya Module, please visit https://automationexchange.kaseya.com/products/298#details. Webroot, a Gold sponsor of the upcoming Kaseya Connect held in Las Vegas on May 7-11, 2017, will be demonstrating Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection at the event. About Kaseya

Kaseya is the leading provider of complete IT management solutions for managed service providers and mid-sized enterprises. Kaseya allows organizations to efficiently manage and secure IT in order to drive IT service and business success. Offered as both an industry-leading cloud solution and on-premise software, Kaseya solutions empower businesses to command all of IT centrally, manage remote and distributed environments with ease, and automate across IT management functions. Kaseya solutions currently manage over 10 million endpoints worldwide and are in use by customers in a wide variety of industries, including retail, manufacturing, healthcare, education, government, media, technology, finance, and more. Kaseya, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is privately held with a presence in over 20 countries. To learn more, please visit www.kaseya.com About Webroot

Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and network security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world. Our award-winning SecureAnywhere endpoint solutions, BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services, and FlowScape solution protect millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things. Webroot is trusted and integrated by market-leading companies, including Cisco, F5 Networks, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at www.webroot.com. Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook 2017 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webroot-partners-with-kaseya-to-deliver-fully-integrated-endpoint-security-through-kaseya-vsa-300417807.html SOURCE Webroot

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Leaf Group to Participate At The 29th Annual ROTH Conference

Leaf Group Ltd. (NYSE: LFGR), a diversified Internet company comprised of several marketplace and media properties, announced that the company's Chief Executive Officer, Sean Moriarty, and Chief Financial Officer, Rachel Glaser, will participate at the 29th Annual ROTH Conference on Monday, March 13, 2017, at The Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, California.

Mr. Moriarty and Ms. Glaser will be hosting one-on-one investor meetings at the conference.

To arrange a one-on-one meeting, please contact the ROTH meeting coordinator or Leaf Group's investor relations representative at a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow">[email protected]. The company's investor presentation will be made available on Leaf Group's Investor Relations website at ir.leafgroup.com under the Events & Presentations page.







About Leaf Group

Leaf Group Ltd. (NYSE:LFGR) is a diversified Internet company that builds platforms across its marketplace (Society6 and Saatchi Art) and media (Livestrong.com and eHow) properties to enable communities of creators to reach passionate audiences in large and growing lifestyle categories. In addition, Leaf Group's diverse advertising offerings help brands and publishers find innovative ways to engage with their customers. For more information about Leaf Group, visit www.leafgroup.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006395/en/
[March 06, 2017] Marcus Hiles - Secures Full Healthcare Coverage for All Western Rim Employees

As the prominent developer, Marcus Hiles acknowledges the value of a safety net in the time of financial turmoil, he ensures every effort is made to offer all staff members at Western Rim generous medical benefits package at no cost. With President Donald Trump's proposed prioritization of policy changes, Western Rim Property Services is leading the way in business ethics and conscientious responsibility. As the healthcare industry in the United States continues to develop, company subsidized wellness benefits form an integral cornerstone of compensation packages in the labor market. Although the Affordable Care Act requires most businesses to support medical coverage, the number of companies that offer to pay 100% of premiums has decreased since 2001. The emphass on benefits by Western Rim Property Services is an ambitious and concerted effort to prioritize preventive medicine in the United States.



Hiles offers a competitive and comprehensive benefit package to full-time staff that includes medical insurance, dental insurance, and life insurance. Further benefits include paid vacation, holiday, sick days, profit participation, retirement contribution accounts, and tuition reimbursement. Marcus Hiles, Founder of Western Rim Property Services, believes that wellness is important to American job seekers and their families. By providing 100% company paid benefits to its staff members, Western Rim Property Services positions itself as an outstanding model of ethical leadership in business. This value-based decision making is reflected in the quality of services offered to both customers and employees.

Marcus Hiles is a property developer and the Founding CEO of Western Rim Property Services. His dedication to family and community is exemplified by contributing over $2.5 million to K-12 school programs -- including hundreds of brand new Dell (News - Alert) computers donated this year to inner city youth and 59 personal acres of land gifted to the public. About Western Rim Property Services: Western Rim Property Services, Inc. develops, owns, and manages apartment homes in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, New Braunfels, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas. Known to offer a contemporary, high quality and luxurious lifestyle to its residents, the firm's mission is simple: build the highest quality homes in the very best locations, maximizing views with signature amenities, in superior school districts. This assures a rapid lease-up and excellent customer acceptance. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006455/en/

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[March 07, 2017] MoneyOnMobile, PayPal, and E-Park Discuss Consumer Protection During Mobile World Congress 2017

MUMBAI, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Panel Discussed - Impact MobileConnect has on Consumer Protection and Fraud Prevention MoneyOnMobile Inc. announced today that Will Dawson, Executive Vice President, was a featured panelist during Mobile World Congress 2017, along with representatives from PayPal and E-Park. The panel discussed the ways global brands are meeting consumer protection demands and fraud protection and how MobileConnect, a GSMA product, can be leveraged in that effort. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475458/Will_Dawson__MoneyOnMobile_Infographic.jpg )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161026/432722LOGO )

"MoneyOnMobile is excited about working with the GSMA and the India mobile operators leveraging MobileConnect to authenticate users on our payment netwok. This service provides a simple way to validate both our retailers and consumers, which we expect will help us achieve our aim of payments being made easy," commented Will Dawson.



The panel was held in Barcelona, Spain, March 1, 2017, on day 3 of Mobile World Congress 2017. For session information please visit: http://www.gsma.com/personaldata/event/mobile-connect-global-brands-protecting-consumers-reducing-fraud.

About MoneyOnMobile MoneyOnMobile, is a global mobile payments technology and processing company offering mobile payment services which enables consumers to use mobile phones to pay for goods and services or transfer funds from one cell phone to another. It can be used as simple SMS text functionality or through the MoneyOnMobile application or Internet site. MoneyOnMobile has more than 325,000 retail locations throughout India. Website: http://MoneyOnMobile.in. Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoneyOnMobile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoneyOnMobile LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moneyonmobile YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxqO4N1z9acnQmEysjqfBaQ Corporate Communications Contact:

Navaz Damania

[email protected]

+91-9167122661

VP, Corporate Communications

MoneyOnMobile



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By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's sister Nailah Naushad Noorani was summoned by Enforcement Directorate officials for questioning in connection with the money laundering cases against Naik and his NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Noorani reached the ED office at 11 am today with her two relatives. While Naik's sister has earlier been probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), this is the first she will be grilled by ED officials.

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WHY IS NAIK's SISTER UNDER THE SCANNER: The ED had earlier established a money trail of Rs 200 crore to Zakir Naik and his NGO IRF. Of the Rs 200 crore, nearly Rs 50 crore was deposited in Nailah's bank accounts, said sources. Out of this, nearly Rs 25 crore was deposited in the account of Longlast Construction, a real estate company. Naik's sister is a director of this company. She is also an additional director at Right Property Solutions from March 12, 2013. According to the Registrar of Companies (RoC) records, Naik and his wife Farhat Zakir Naik were promoters-cum-directors of these two real estate companies until March 2013. On March 13, 2013, Nailah was appointed as a director in Harmony Media, a production company. Sources said Nailah is a director in at least five shell companies floated by Zakir Naik. She was appointed a director in Majestic Perfumes and Alpha Lubricants on May 22, 2015. ED believes that the money flow from abroad and financial transactions in the bank accounts were handled by Naik's sister Nailah and brother Abdul Naik at a personal level. Some 20-25 bank accounts are under scanner for the alleged transactions. Last week, the Delhi team of NIA interrogated Nailah for two days. Nailah told investigators that she was just a rubber stamp and the companies as well as the NGO were handled by her brother Zakir Naik.

ALSO READ:

ED established money trail of Rs 200 crore in IRF, probes Zakir Naik's Panama link

NIA quizzes Zakir Naik's sister for third time about her role in his companies

ED summons Islamic preacher Zakir Naik under Money Laundering Act

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
[March 07, 2017] NetDragon included in the Hang Seng Composite LargeCap & MidCap Index and Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect

HONG KONG, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited ("NetDragon" or the "Company"; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to announce that the Company was included in the Hang Seng Composite LargeCap & MidCap Index ("HSLMI") and Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect. In view of this, Mainland investors can also trade stocks via Shanghai-HK Stock Connect and Shenzhen-HK Stock Connect. HSLMI is an important constituent of the Hang Seng Index, which aims at reflecting the overall performance of the LargeCap & MidCap sectors. To be eligible for this index, the company must be a reputable listed company in Hong Kong and has to meet standards in the areas of market value, transaction volume, business volume, balance sheet, as well as stock stability. Mr. Dejian Liu, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon, commented: "I am pleased that since it was listed in Hong Kong in 2007, NetDragon has continued to grow and gradually expanded our business from gaming to a much broader platform that includes mobile internet, global online education and other communities. Our revenues and user base continues to grow from strength to strength.We are proud to be included in the HSLMI, Shanghi-HK Stock Connect and Shenzhen-HK Stock Connect, which reflects the confidence of the capital market in our business and will raise NetDragon's profile in the international market.''



About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities. Established in 1999, NetDragon is a vertically integrated, cutting-edge R&D powerhouse with a highly successful track record which includes the development of flagship MMORPGs such as Eudemons Online and Conquer Online, China's number one online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China's most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless, which was sold to Baidu in 2013 in what was at the time the largest Internet M&A transaction in China. Being China's pioneer in overseas expansion, NetDragon also directly operates a number of game titles in over 10 languages internationally since 2003. In recent years, NetDragon has emerged as a major player in the global online and mobile education space as it works to leverage its mobile Internet technologies and operational know-how to develop a game-changing education ecosystem. For more information, please visit www.netdragon.com.

For investor enquiries, please contact: NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited Ms. Maggie Zhou

Senior Director of Investor Relations

Tel.: +852 2850 7266/ +86 591 8754 3120

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Website: www.nd.com.cn/ir To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netdragon-included-in-the-hang-seng-composite-largecap--midcap-index-and-shanghai-hong-kong-stock-connect-300419168.html SOURCE NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited

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[March 07, 2017] Harris Corporation to Provide Taiwan with Advanced Air Traffic Management Communication System

(Harris Stand #426) - Harris Corporation (News - Alert) (NYSE:HRS) has been selected to supply a next-generation, VoIP communication system to support Taiwan's military air defense system. The announcement was made during World ATM Congress being held March 7-9 at the IFEMA Feria de Madrid. Harris will provide Taiwan with its IP-based Voice Communication System for the 21st Century (VCS21). The system modernizes the air defense system by delivering net-centric voice communications that reduce dependency on traditional point-to-point communications, while supporting an efficient transition to IP-based communications. It will be installed at multiple facilities throughout Taiwan and initially include 140 controller working positions that can access radio and telephony sites across the region. "The Harris VCS21 system now supports air defense operations in Asia along with ATM operations in Europe and North America," said Ed Zoiss, president, Harris Electronic Systems. "Harris VCS21 will be a key enabler for countries seeking to odernize and grow their networks to address the worldwide increase in air traffic."



About Harris Corporation Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers' toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems and Electronic Systems. Learn more at harris.com.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005261/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Nokia and VimpelCom sign major five-year managed services contract for management of fixed, mobile and transport networks

Press Release One of Europe's largest multi-vendor managed services agreements

Nokia to manage network operations and field maintenance for majority of VimpelCom's fixed, mobile and transport networks

Draws Nokia's extensive technology and services expertise to transform and simplify operations for VimpelCom in three regions in Russia

March 7, 2017 Moscow, Russia - Nokia and the Russian communications and technology company "VimpelCom" (brand "Beeline") have signed a five-year agreement under which Nokia will become the major supplier of managed services for VimpelCom's fixed, mobile and transport network operations. Nokia, which has been managing services for VimpelCom's network in central Russia, will extend this responsibility to manage VimpelCom's 2G, 3G and 4G networks, provided by a variety of equipment vendors, leveraging its innovative network management tools, processes, and software automation. Field maintenance work will be carried out by Nokia in the Southern, North Caucasian and Central regions of Russia, including Moscow. By consolidating and transforming network operations, VimpelCom will benefit from reduced network and operational complexity, faster time to market and lower total cost of ownership in running multiple networks. In turn, VimpelCom will enhance service quality for more than 58 million mobile and 2.2 million fixed broadband customers in Russia. Nokia will also deliver full network planning and optimization services, network implementation, project management and ongoing network support from its global delivery hub in Voronezh, Russia. Nokia will draw on its extensive understanding and experience of end-to-end service delivery with multiple technologies and vendors to serve VimpelCom's specific network needs and provision of high quality network performance. Martin Skop Executive Vice President for Infrastructure Development PJSC "VimpelCom" said: "Today we are at a dynamic stage in our business transformation. The transition to a new operating model for "Beeline" network management is another step towards a new "VimpelCom" technological reality. The partnership with Nokia enables us to restructure business processes, improve financial performance, keep pace with global trends and drive technological innovations. In addition, smart managed services will help us improve our overall efficiency."



Igor Leprince, head of Global Services at Nokia said: "This agreement highlights the breadth of Nokia's global services and technology expertise across fixed, mobile and transport networks. Working with VimpelCom we will manage network operations and field maintenance with a focus on driving the highest levels of quality and efficiency into operations to enhance network performance and availability. Our innovative service delivery draws from world-class capabilities and the power of extreme automation." Did you know

Nokia is a global service market leader with more than 200 mobile and fixed managed services contracts across the world. Two out of three of these contracts consist of multi-vendor networks.

Nokia Managed Services has a full set of consolidation services to help operators transform network operations, including operations assessment and NOC consolidation services. Resources Webpage: Nokia Managed Services

Webpage: Nokia Consolidation Services Connect with Nokia: Subscribe to receive information on specific areas of interest

Website

Blog

LinkedIn

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Facebook

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Glassdoor About Nokia

Nokia is a global leader innovating the technologies at the heart of our connected world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing. From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Phone: +358 10 448 4900

Email: [email protected]

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[March 07, 2017] Devbridge Group Announces Plans to Move its Toronto Office

Continued growth and focus on Toronto market impetus for move CHICAGO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ -- Devbridge Group, a Chicago-based software design and development company, recently announced its plans to move its Toronto office to 36 Toronto Street this month. The new office is a welcome move for Devbridge Group's Canadian team, which has quadrupled in size within the last year, and continues to grow. Devbridge Group opened its Toronto office in early 2016 based on a market need for Product Thinking, which combines product management and design (UX/UI and user research) with engineering services, working within an agile environment. "The demand for this type of software delivery model is on the rise," said Aurimas Adomavicius, President of Devbridge Group. "It has allowed us to help our clients release products to market much faster than other business models." Since its opening, the Toronto office has helped grow Devbridge Group's North American client base by 40 percent across its three verticalsfinancial services, manufacturing and technology. "Our Toronto team has done a geat job of serving our clients and we look forward to further expanding our relationships in the Canadian market in the years ahead," said Mohan Gulati, Managing Director of Devbridge Group's Toronto office.



In addition to accommodating a growing team, the new office will provide more meeting space to host client workshops/lean requirements gathering sessions as well as general client meetings. The modernized space matches the look and feel of other Devbridge offices, further unifying the firm's global teams. As of the writing of this release, the office continues to recruit top talent with open positions for product managers and a design team lead. Those interested should visit devbridge.com/careers/. The move is expected to be completed by March 10.

Devbridge Group

36 Toronto Street

Suite 260

Toronto, Ontario

CANADA About Devbridge Group

Devbridge Group (www.devbridge.com) is a software design and development company that partners with large enterprises in the Financial Services, Manufacturing and Technology sectors to accelerate digital products to market. Founded on the belief that no software should be mediocre, the company creates superior products that address clients' business challenges through product thinking and agile delivery. Devbridge Group has offices in the United States, Canada and Lithuania. For more information, contact:

Amanda Beto

312-242-1642 (T)

312-675-9221 (M)

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/devbridge-group-announces-plans-to-move-its-toronto-office-300418507.html SOURCE Devbridge Group

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[March 07, 2017] Sitecore Announces Winners of the Sitecore Experience Awards, Americas, for 2016

SAUSALITO, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitecore  , the global leader in customer experience management, today announced the complete list of Americas winners of the Sitecore Experience Awards 2016. Every year, the Sitecore Experience Awards honor Sitecore customers and their partners who thoroughly demonstrate how their Sitecore solution is delivering an outstanding experience for customers and their own organizations. The categories and associated winners for the 2016 awards are: Best Content Strategy: This year's Best Content Strategy award winner, Microsoft, showcased a digital content marketing strategy that transformed its site serving the Microsoft Partner Network. The company wanted its global partners to receive a consistent messaging and brand experience. This required at-scale planning, publishing, and optimization services. The solution involved a move to Sitecore, and Microsoft partnered with Avanade to help with the migration from its legacy SharePoint platform to Sitecore. Now, the new site has a modern, innovative design that emphasizes a simple, personalized, user-friendly experience that is sophisticated enough to meet business goals with measurable results.

This year's Best Content Strategy award winner, Microsoft, showcased a digital content marketing strategy that transformed its site serving the Microsoft Partner Network. The company wanted its global partners to receive a consistent messaging and brand experience. This required at-scale planning, publishing, and optimization services. The solution involved a move to Sitecore, and Microsoft partnered with Avanade to help with the migration from its legacy SharePoint platform to Sitecore. Now, the new site has a modern, innovative design that emphasizes a simple, personalized, user-friendly experience that is sophisticated enough to meet business goals with measurable results. Marketing Agility: The Marketing Agility award winner this year is Procter & Gamble which set out to build a new platform for all of its brands that would eventually become the world's largest digital marketing ecosystem for a single company. Sitecore partner Mindtree developed a multi-tenant and multi-channel digital marketing platform built on Sitecore 7.2. It was comprised of a library of reusable components that could be assembled, configured, and styled quickly to launch digital properties catering to each brand's equity, creative, and marketing needs. In 2016 alone, the company was able to launch 231 digital properties at a rate of approximately one site per business day. This was done across 37 unique brands, 50 unique countries, and 23 unique languages, delivering significantly reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) and improved the time needed to bring a digital property to market.

The Marketing Agility award winner this year is Procter & Gamble which set out to build a new platform for all of its brands that would eventually become the world's largest digital marketing ecosystem for a single company. Sitecore partner Mindtree developed a multi-tenant and multi-channel digital marketing platform built on Sitecore 7.2. It was comprised of a library of reusable components that could be assembled, configured, and styled quickly to launch digital properties catering to each brand's equity, creative, and marketing needs. In 2016 alone, the company was able to launch 231 digital properties at a rate of approximately one site per business day. This was done across 37 unique brands, 50 unique countries, and 23 unique languages, delivering significantly reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) and improved the time needed to bring a digital property to market. Real-time Engagement: The Real-time Engagement award winner this year, American Standard Brands, has led the way in developing innovative bathroom and kitchen products and resetting the standards for healthy and beautiful living. With products in three out of five homes in America, the company's North American site, serving the United States , Canada , and Mexico , was in need of a dramatic design facelift and capability upgrade. Sitecore chose partner Delphic Digital to manage the Sitecore Experience Platform implementation. To accomplish the company's goals of reaching both consumer and professional audiences, they used Sitecore 8.1.2 with xDB Cloud 2.0 to support multiple markets and provide personalized user experiences.

The Real-time Engagement award winner this year, American Standard Brands, has led the way in developing innovative bathroom and kitchen products and resetting the standards for healthy and beautiful living. With products in three out of five homes in America, the company's North American site, serving , , and , was in need of a dramatic design facelift and capability upgrade. Sitecore chose partner Delphic Digital to manage the Sitecore Experience Platform implementation. To accomplish the company's goals of reaching both consumer and professional audiences, they used Sitecore 8.1.2 with xDB Cloud 2.0 to support multiple markets and provide personalized user experiences. Best E-commerce Experience: The Best -commerce Experience award recognizes organizations that are delivering a seamless, integrated e-commerce experience that makes the online browsing, selection, purchasing, and post-purchasing process seamless, helpful, and relevant. Built on Sitecore Commerce, this year's winner, Dow Chemical, was able to create a single data repository and not just focus on individual products but product families, allowing them to better serve site visitors. The company focused its metrics on contact-us form submissions, and the volume and quality of leads and converted leads. By doing this, the company was able to drive closer engagement between its current and future customers and its global businesses.

The Best -commerce Experience award recognizes organizations that are delivering a seamless, integrated e-commerce experience that makes the online browsing, selection, purchasing, and post-purchasing process seamless, helpful, and relevant. Built on Sitecore Commerce, this year's winner, Dow Chemical, was able to create a single data repository and not just focus on individual products but product families, allowing them to better serve site visitors. The company focused its metrics on contact-us form submissions, and the volume and quality of leads and converted leads. By doing this, the company was able to drive closer engagement between its current and future customers and its global businesses. Digital Innovation: The Digital Innovation award winner this year is Herschend Family Entertainment, which uses Sitecore for multiple of its sites including www.Dollywood.com. The company wanted to create a more seamless, connected, and informative digital experience for its visitors. To do this, the company leveraged the Sitecore Experience Platform to refresh its current website with a modern, responsive design. This allowed them to take advantage of the personalization and multivariate testing capabilities of Sitecore. The company anticipates it will be able to calculate the full return on investment in 2017.

The Digital Innovation award winner this year is Herschend Family Entertainment, which uses Sitecore for multiple of its sites including www.Dollywood.com. The company wanted to create a more seamless, connected, and informative digital experience for its visitors. To do this, the company leveraged the Sitecore Experience Platform to refresh its current website with a modern, responsive design. This allowed them to take advantage of the personalization and multivariate testing capabilities of Sitecore. The company anticipates it will be able to calculate the full return on investment in 2017. Best Data-driven Website: This year's winner, ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants (F&L), requires websites that enable its customers to easily navigate their digital purchase journey. F&L has chosen Sitecore 8.0 hosted on Azure as the technology platform. Currently there are projects underway to adopt this platform in over 30 markets around the globe. The sites operate globally, with region-specific features that will enable F&L to leverage the full suite of technologies and capabilities available including xDB, mobile-responsive design, content authoring with page editor, dynamic content presentation, and Sitecore engagement analytics. With Sitecore, the marketing teams can provide customers with personalized experiences throughout their purchase journey while also demonstrating F&L's industry expertise through a modernized omnichannel experience.

This year's winner, ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants (F&L), requires websites that enable its customers to easily navigate their digital purchase journey. F&L has chosen Sitecore 8.0 hosted on Azure as the technology platform. Currently there are projects underway to adopt this platform in over 30 markets around the globe. The sites operate globally, with region-specific features that will enable F&L to leverage the full suite of technologies and capabilities available including xDB, mobile-responsive design, content authoring with page editor, dynamic content presentation, and Sitecore engagement analytics. With Sitecore, the marketing teams can provide customers with personalized experiences throughout their purchase journey while also demonstrating F&L's industry expertise through a modernized omnichannel experience. The Ultimate Experience: This year's Ultimate Experience award winner for the Americas is Benjamin Moore , a premium paint brand with more than 130 years of history and a unique independent dealer business model. Working with Sitecore partner MXM, Benjamin Moore identified key issues with its web site  an outdated design, a cluttered information architecture, a less-optimal mobile site compared to the desktop, and less consumer content on the professional portion than professionals want. To solve this, Benjamin Moore created a new site built on Sitecore Experience Platform 8.1 that focused on high-quality paint, its industry-leading color tools while creating content parity across all screens.



Scott Anderson , CMO, Sitecore. "The depth of innovation, thought leadership and customer-centric thinking was the best yet, and we are excited to see how future winners will harness the true power of context marketing." About the Experience Awards

The Sitecore Experience Awards is an international competition held on an annual basis. Winners are selected in several categories within each region. The nominations list is based on input from partners, customers, the press, analysts, and colleagues. Nominees are asked to submit an application outlining how they are using Sitecore to generate amazing experiences that feel personal to every customer and create a powerful brand halo across every channel that delivers real business results. Winners demonstrate creativity in presentation, integration with rich data sources and applications, an ability to educate, inform and motivate to action, and a compelling overall user experience.

Visit www.sitecore.net/Sitecore-experience-awards to learn more about the awards and how to enter. About Sitecore

Sitecore is the global leader in experience management software that enables context marketing. The Sitecore Experience Platform manages content, supplies contextual intelligence, automates communications, and enables personalized commerce, at scale. It empowers marketers to deliver content in context of how customers have engaged with their brand, across every channel, in real timebefore, during, and after a sale. More than 4,900 brandsincluding American Express, Carnival Cruise Lines, easyJet, and L'Oreal have trusted Sitecore for context marketing to deliver the personalized interactions that delight audiences, build loyalty, and drive revenue. Media Contact

Hotwire PR for Sitecore

Heather Craft

415.917.2227

[email protected] Sitecore and The Sitecore Experience Platform are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sitecore Corporation A/S in the USA and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Sitecore reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice.  2017 Sitecore Corporation A/S. All rights reserved. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sitecore-announces-winners-of-the-sitecore-experience-awards-americas-for-2016-300419243.html SOURCE Sitecore

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[March 07, 2017] Global Agriculture Robotics Market to Grow at a CAGR of 5.5% by 2021: Trends Analysis & Forecasts - Research and Markets

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Agriculture Robotics Market: Trends Analysis & Forecasts to 2021" report to their offering. The global agriculture robotics market was worth USD 845.6 million in 2015 and it is expected to reach USD 2718.8 million in 2021. The global market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period of 2016-2021. Globally, with rise of mechanized agriculture and growing expectations for high yield and profitability among the farmers the demand for agriculture robotics has increased. The agriculture robotics are primarily used of the purposes such as spraying water/liquid pesticides, harvesting, imaging and seeding. Growing awareness about precision agriculture among farmers has significantly contributed to the rowth of demand for agriculture robotics worldwide. Moreover, with the applications of IoTs the agriculture has become more efficient in the developed countries in the recent times.



The global agriculture robotics market is primarily driven by factors such as growing mechanized agriculture to increase yield and profitability among the farmers, growing awareness about precision farming and need for automation to monitor large agriculture lands. Companies Mentioned:

AGCO CORPORATION

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc

Blue River Technology Inc.

BouMatic Robotics BV

GoPro (News - Alert).

Harvest Automation Inc.

Yamaha Motor Corporation

Key Topics Covered: 1.Preface 2 Executive Summary 3 Market Overview And Competitiveness 4 Global Agriculture Robotics Market Infograph 5 Global Agriculture Robotics Market By Type 6 Global Agriculture Robotics Market By Application 7 Global Agriculture Robotics Market, By Geography 8 Company Profiles For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jwmr9c/global View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005878/en/

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[March 07, 2017] USI Insurance Services Selects PlanSource as Preferred Provider of HCM and Benefits Administration Technology

ORLANDO, Fla., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PlanSource announced today that it has been selected as a technology provider of choice by USI Insurance Services, one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the United States. "As health care costs continue to increase and the regulatory environment becomes ever more complex, it is essential to have highly technical benefits expertise," said Anne Burkett, National Practice Leader, HR Technology at USI Insurance Services. "By partnering with PlanSource, we are able to offer our clients a complete HR and benefits technology solution that complements the USI ONE Advantage platform." USI ONE integrates proprietary business analytics with a network of local and national technical experts in a team-based consultative planning process to evaluate their clients' risk profile and identify targeted solutions. Clients then receive tailored recommendations for improving their employee benefits plan through cost reduction and service enhancements. "With technology and benefits so intertwined, it is reassuring to have a partner like PlanSource," said Burkett. "PlanSource's complete solution of HCM and benefits software as well as their dedication to serving the broker community matches perfectly with USI's approach for delivering positive, measurable results through customized risk management and employee benefit programs." Under the new agreement, USI promotes the PlanSource cloud-based platfrm to existing and prospective clients across all industries. PlanSource works with leading insurance carriers and brokerages to provide employers of all sizes with an intuitive employee experience and robust technology tools for human capital management, benefits shopping, enrollment, billing, compliance and administration.



"USI has a visionary approach that is helping thousands of companies optimize their employee benefits decisions," said Adam Hameed, Chief Revenue Officer at PlanSource. "We are excited to work more closely with the USI team to offer their clients technology that lets employees navigate the complex world of benefits, make informed choices and obtain valuable coverage." About USI

USI is a leading local and national insurance brokerage and consulting firm, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk and retirement solutions throughout the United States. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI has over $1.0 billion in revenue, employs more than 4,400 professionals and operates out of 140 local offices serving every state. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities. For more information, visit usi.com.

About PlanSource

PlanSource is a technology company driven to create a better benefits and HR experience for employers and their employees. By offering flexible and intuitive software for benefits administration, insurance exchanges and human capital management, PlanSource's complete cloud-based technology helps nearly 10,000 employers and 3.5 million consumers with benefits shopping, enrollment, billing, compliance and administration. Learn more at www.plansource.com. PlanSource is a registered trademark of PlanSource Benefits Administration, Inc., and PlanSource owns other registered and unregistered trademarks. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usi-insurance-services-selects-plansource-as-preferred-provider-of-hcm-and-benefits-administration-technology-300419149.html SOURCE PlanSource

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[March 07, 2017] Silvaco at TSMC North America Technology Symposium 2017

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHEN:

Santa Clara Technology Symposium, March 15, 2017, 9:30a.m. - 5:45p.m.



Austin Technology Workshop, March 22, 2017, 9:30a.m. - 5:30p.m.

Boston Technology Workshop, April 5, 2017, 9:30a.m. - 5:30p.m. WHERE: Santa Clara Convention Center, Booth 307, 5001 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054



Austin Four Seasons, 98 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, TX 78701



Boston Marriott Burlington, One Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA 018031

WHAT: Silvaco will showcase our TCAD-to-signoff solutions for key verticals including displays, power devices, optical devices, advanced CMOS process development, radiation & soft error reliability, analog and memory design. Silvaco technology experts will be available to discuss and demo the following products: Jivaro and Belledonne for extracted netlist analysis and reduction to spee up the simulation time, increase accuracy and reduce memory footprint

and for extracted netlist analysis and reduction to spee up the simulation time, increase accuracy and reduce memory footprint Smartspice is a proven, comprehensive parallel SPICE simulation solution with industry leading accuracy, for applications including simulation of complex high precision analog and mixed-signal circuits, memory, custom digital design and characterizing cell libraries of advanced semiconductor processes.

is a proven, comprehensive parallel SPICE simulation solution with industry leading accuracy, for applications including simulation of complex high precision analog and mixed-signal circuits, memory, custom digital design and characterizing cell libraries of advanced semiconductor processes. OA iPDK support simplifies access to Silvacos custom design flow which is ideally suited for IoT and analog IP development at advanced nodes

support simplifies access to Silvacos custom design flow which is ideally suited for IoT and analog IP development at advanced nodes InVar Prime for quick IR drop and EM analysis product used during layout to catch issues such as missing vias

for quick IR drop and EM analysis product used during layout to catch issues such as missing vias Variation Manager for variation analysis inclusive of Fast Monte Carlo, Statistical corners and High Sigma analysis for analog and memory designs



To attend the TSMC North America Technology Symposium, please register through TSMC at this link

About Silvaco, Inc. Silvaco, Inc. is a leading EDA provider of software tools used for process and device development and for analog/mixed-signal, power IC and memory design. Silvaco delivers a full TCAD-to-signoff flow for vertical markets including: displays, power electronics, optical devices, radiation and soft error reliability and advanced CMOS process and IP development. For over 30 years, Silvaco has enabled its customers to bring superior products to market at reduced cost and in the shortest time. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Press/Media Contact: Silvaco [email protected]

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[March 07, 2017] The Qtum Foundation Releases Whitepaper Detailing Mobile Smart Contracts Platform

SINGAPORE, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Qtum Foundation has released a whitepaper (https://qtum.org/en/white-papers) detailing the technical workings of the Qtum blockchain stack. Qtum is a smart contract platform for industry use cases, allowing mobile use of smart contracts and employing a Proof-of-Stake consensus protocol. The paper titled, Smart-Contract Value-Transfer Protocols on a Distributed Mobile Application Platform, was authored by the co-founders of the Qtum project, Patrick Dai, Neil Mahi, Jordan Earls and the project's Scientific Advisor Dr. Alex Norta. Mobile Support Qtum's UTXO-based blockchain supports the SPV (Simple Payment Verification) protocol from launch, which will allow lite wallets, running on mobile devices, to engage natively with decentralized applications and smart contracts for the first time. This feature also allows IoT devices to be secured and operated with smart contracts. Lite wallets enable users to interact with the network without having to download and sync with the entire blockchain, permitting low bandwidth/storage access to smart contracts. With SPV support, transactions can be signed by the device itself rather than having to rely on third-party services to relay messages. The Foundation recently illustrated their mobile functionality in a demo video on their website (https://qtum.org/en/videos/qtum-technical-introduction-and-demonstration). "Getting smart contracts to work on smartphones and tablets heralds a new age in the field of decentralized computation. With about half of all Internet traffic being generated by mobile devices, every real-world use case for decentralized applications would massively benefit from mobile support - especially if we're taking the tendencies of developing markets into account." -- Patrick Dai, Co-founder of the Qtum Project Account Abstraction Layer The Account Abstraction Layer, described in the whitepaper, is what allows Qtum's UXTO-based blockchain to seamlessly interat with the Ethereum Virtual Machine and more virtual machines down the line. By enabling smart contract execution on a UTXO platform, contracts are given more functionality thanks to the relative complexity of the UTXO model compared to an Ethereum-account like model. In addition to mobile support for smart contracts and dApps, Qtum's UTXO structure gives users more traceability of smart contracts while offering more privacy with blockchain innovations like Change Addresses (CA) and more privacy enhancements in the pipeline. For more details please review: https://qtum.org/en/lm/account-abstraction-layer-overview



"This whitepaper fills the gap in the state of the art by presenting the Qtum smart-contract framework that aims for socio-technical application suitability, the adoption of formal-semantics language expressiveness, and the provision of smart-contract template libraries for rapid best-practice industry deployment." -- Alex Norta, Scientific Advisor of the Qtum Project Smart-Contract Lifecycle Management

The whitepaper addresses many concerns presented by industry users because of what happened with the case of the Ethereum DAO attack. Smart Contract Lifecycle Management aims to resolve this issue and other potential issues by allowing contract collaboration, negotiation, review, and tracking. Blockchain technology's inherent distributed nature allows for contracts to run without being interrupted; however, change is the nature of life and contracts need updating to reflect new landscapes. With smart-contract management, contracts can evolve according to cross-organizational collaboration. Smart-contract management can help establish trust between businesses with proper security vetting by collaborating parties. Additionally, smart-contract management enables contracts to be more like living documents and when situations changes, (i.e., terms are broken in the contract, such as a delay) parties can determine if they want to amend or close the contract. "Qtum aims to revolutionize business processes and the way that businesses interact with their customers by making smart contract technology mobile and practical. The SPV protocol allows smart contracts to move from servers and laptops, into IoT and mobile devices." -- Jordan Earls, Co-founder of the Qtum Project About Qtum: Qtum is an open source value transfer protocol and decentralized application platform. The development team hails from multiple countries around the globe and is a collection of top experts in the industry. The Qtum Foundation, headquartered in Singapore, is the decision-making body that drives the project development. The Qtum Foundation has engaged one of the world's leading professional service providers, PwC, for project management support. Learn more at https://qtum.org MEDIA CONTACT: John Scianna

PR Manager

[email protected] Related Images image1.png image2.jpg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS_wd_jmJng This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-qtum-foundation-releases-whitepaper-detailing-mobile-smart-contracts-platform-300419218.html SOURCE The Qtum Foundation

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[March 07, 2017] Prager Metis Announces New Affiliate - Prager Metis Technology

NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Prager Metis CPAs, LLC, a leading accounting, tax, advisory, and business consulting firm, announced today it has created a new technology company specializing in cybersecurity, risk intelligence and regulatory compliance called Prager Metis Technology, LLC. The company will be led by Peter Fiorillo, President & CEO. Mr. Fiorillo joins Prager Metis from Madison-Davis Professional Services, LLC (MDPS) where he served as President and CEO. Ira Schechtman of Accounting Firm Search Associates acted as a facilitator in the transaction. Prager Metis Technology was formed in response to the significant regulatory requirements being implemented at both a federal and state level. On December 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA) as part of the 2016 omnibus spending bill. CISA encourages businesses and the federal government to share cyber threat information in the interest of national security. On September 16, 2016, New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) raised the bar for cybersecurity programs, as the first state to release cybersecurity regulations that will go into effect on March 1, 2017. The regulations will affect all entities with a DFS "license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the banking law, the insurance law or the financial services law." Among other things, the regulation requires each entity's Board of Dirctors to file an annual certification of compliance with the Superintendent of DFS.



Glenn Friedman, Co-Managing Partner of Prager Metis, said "We are extremely excited to launch this new company in an effort to continue to provide the necessary and required services and advice to our clients around the world. We also welcome Peter as CEO of Prager Metis Technology, who brings decades of experience in cybersecurity, risk intelligence, and regulatory compliance." On joining Prager Metis, effective March 1st, Mr. Fiorillo stated that "Prager Metis is the third fastest growing company in the Accounting Today 2016 Top 100 Firms Databank, with 43% growth over the previous year. Along with its global presence and eight offices in New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and London, we will now have the capability to serve these growing markets and our international client base on an expanded basis."

On March 9, 2017, Peter Fiorillo will be speaking at the FSO Knowledge Xchange Conference at the University Club in NYC on risk management and cybersecurity resiliency. Peter will discuss how to implement effective cybersecurity risk strategies for financial service companies. As an expert in the field of developing, integrating and delivering technology, professional services, and customized solutions, Peter will address industry concerns about why risk management, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance programs are often too costly, inefficient, and sometimes ineffective. This is primarily because firms have viewed these programs and solutions as merely regulatory compliance activities until now. With the ever increasing requirements placed on cybersecurity resiliency and as regulators tighten their grip, financial institutions, as well as all companies on a global basis, need to have a cost-effective, efficient and integrated cybersecurity, risk management and regulatory compliance program that can respond in hours and days, not weeks and months. As such, Prager Metis Technology and Peter Fiorillo will be providing these programs, technology solutions and subject-matter-expertise to help companies in need of protecting their assets, employees, customers and stakeholders. About Prager Metis CPAs, LLC Headquartered in New York City, and with offices in New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and London, Prager Metis CPAs, LLC, an affiliate of Prager Metis International, LLC, is one of the nation's fastest growing accounting and advisory firms, offering a full range of accounting, audit, tax, consulting, and international services. Media contact:

Sarah Holzberg

(212) 643-0099 x130

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prager-metis-announces-new-affiliate---prager-metis-technology-300419345.html SOURCE Prager Metis CPAs, LLC

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[March 07, 2017] Blackboard Strengthens its Position in Italy

LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard, the leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced a new partnership in Italy with B Human, an Italian systems integration and digital consulting company with proven experience in education. The partnership, which aims to expand Blackboard's presence among universities, public institutions, private organisations and corporate academies, further demonstrates its commitment to investing in Southern Europe and driving market changes. Blackboard's product portfolio is unmatched in the marketplace, spanning teaching and learning, analytics, community engagement, campus transactions and security solutions as well as student services. The company serves more than 16,000 institutions and private organisations in 90 countries around the world, reaching over 100 million users. "Italy is a key market for us and we are looking forward to working with B Human and local institutions and usinesses to drive learners' success," said Lee Blakemore, President of Blackboard International. "Our solutions can be key assets to improve students' retention, course completion rates and, ultimately, enhance students' employability."



"Since its inception, B Human has developed a strong expertise in the education sector and working with Blackboard is for us a natural evolution," said Davide Mantegazza, President of B Human. "Thanks to the depth and breadth of Blackboard's portfolio, their unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, and our knowledge of the Italian market, we will be able to support institutions and private organisations to meet the needs of new types of learners and help them thrive." About Blackboard

Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education's partner in change.

About B Human

Established in 1997, B Human srl is an Italian technology company with deep competences and expertise in software development, system integration, digital and mobile transformation, Internet of Things solutions and digital learning projects. It serves leading private companies in a number of industries, including banking and insurance, telco, manufacturing, fashion and publishing, as well as Universities and education institutions. CONTACT

Massimo Morigi, Blackboard Inc.

+44 (0)20 7534 2063 or [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackboard-strengthens-its-position-in-italy-300419346.html SOURCE Blackboard

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[March 07, 2017] Generational Equity Announces Sale of One Source Communications to Search Fund Accelerator

DALLAS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, One Source Communications, to OSC Midco LLC with capital and support from Search Fund Accelerator. The acquisition closed October 29, 2016. Details were not disclosed. Based in Greenville, North Carolina, One Source Communications provides total communications management and IT service solutions and specializes in telecommunications expense management for small and medium-sized companies. Started in 1996 to serve businesses by offering cost-saving long distance solutions, One Source Communications' primary business involves invoice auditing, contract and device inventory management, bill payment, and help desk services. The company also offers managed IT and virtual CTO services. OSC Midco was created for the acquisition by Search Fund Accelerator, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Search Fund Acceleator (SFA) is a specialty investment firm with a fund of committed capital and an in-house bench of entrepreneurs who want to dedicate themselves full-time to operating the companies SFA acquires.



Tim Meng, one of SFA's in-house entrepreneurs, is One Source Communications' new CEO, and he devotes 100 percent of his time to further the growth and development of the company. Meng has worked for The Boston Consulting Group and ZS Associates, where he advised pharmaceutical and medical technology companies on sales and marketing operations. Generational Equity Managing Director Don Sawyer and Vice President Rebecca Gruman successfully led the deal to a close.

"The team from One Source Communications and OSC Midco both saw the benefits of joining forces quickly and everyone worked diligently to complete the acquisition," said Gruman. About Generational Equity Generational Equity, part of the Generational Group headquartered in Dallas with over 200 professionals located throughout North America, helps business owners release the wealth of their business by providing merger, acquisition and strategic growth advisory services. Their four-step approach features exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, and M&A transactional services. The M&A Advisor recently named the company its 2016 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more, visit http://www.genequityco.com and http://www.gecpress.com. For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/generational-equity-announces-sale-of-one-source-communications-to-search-fund-accelerator-300418808.html SOURCE Generational Equity

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[March 07, 2017] Philips and Phoenix Children's Hospital Sign 15-Year Agreement to Redefine Imaging, Patient Monitoring and Clinical Informatics in Pediatric Care

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) a leading health technology company, and Phoenix Children's Hospital, a U.S. News and World Report "Best Children's Hospital," today announced a long-term strategic partnership with a total value of up to USD 65 million. Phoenix Children's is the first stand-alone children's health system to sign a long-term strategic partnership model with Philips (News - Alert). The partnership develops from a leading collaboration in diagnostic imaging to expand the Phoenix Children's programs and further drive clinical excellence. Phoenix Children's will have access to Philips' advanced medical technologies like imaging systems in CT, MRI and angiography, patient monitoring, clinical informatics, and a comprehensive range of clinical and business consulting services. These technologies and services will help Phoenix Children's expand its high standards of care and integrate its divisions and facilities for a seamless patient experience. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005914/en/ Phoenix Children's Hospital (Photo: Business Wire) "Philips technology provides sophistication in patient diagnosis and strategic foresight that improves the solutions and care our teams deliver," said Dr. Richard Towbin, Division Chief of Pediatric Radiology at Phoenix Children's. "Together, Phoenix Children's and Philips developed technologies such as dose reduction using iterative CT reconstructions and pediatric MRI protocols that are now factory standards worldwide. We also have an advanced 3D print laboratory that constructs life-size models of patients' hearts and other organs, illutrates exact tumor size, and uses post-processing software to study heart and brain physiology using MRI and CT."



Philips and Phoenix Children's have a shared commitment to clinical excellence and connected patient care that can help drive efficiency, while improving the patient experience and outcomes. Through innovation, the two organizations want to make healthcare more sustainable and accelerate solutions and services specifically designed to address the needs of children. "The staff at Phoenix Children's continues to push the boundaries of pediatric care and we want to build on the great work they have done, marrying their deep understanding of children's clinical needs with our leading technologies and research, to create integrated solutions that can support this precious segment of society, " said Brent Shafer, CEO of Philips North America. "Phoenix Children's has helped us to take our innovations in diagnostic imaging to the next level and we look forward to working with them to do the same in the areas of patient care monitoring and informatics, exploring how to apply machine learning and accelerating the transformation of pediatric care."

Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. "Phoenix Children's values working with partners who understand treating children is more complex, and this population shouldn't simply be categorized as 'little adults'," David Higginson, Chief Administrative Officer at Phoenix Children's. "Philips understands the long-term value of investing in pediatric care, even though it is a relatively small subset of the healthcare market, and is willing to invest time and research into the unique needs of pediatric care, which makes us confident in this partnership. Our insights and research paired with the knowledge and scale of a technology leader like Philips will help us jointly develop solutions that can have meaningful impact on global pediatric health." About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter. About Phoenix Children's Hospital Phoenix Children's Hospital is Arizona's only children's hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospitals with rankings in all ten specialties. Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. The Hospital is poised for continued growth in quality patient care, research and medical education. For more information about the hospital, visit http://www.phoenixchildrens.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005914/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Consolidated Tomoka Announces Settlement of Litigation with Wintergreen Advisers

Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. (NYSE MKT: CTO) (the "Company") today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement (the "Settlement") with Wintergreen Advisers, LLC ("Wintergreen") regarding the complaint filed by Wintergreen in February 2017 against the Company and its Board of Directors (the "Board") in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Volusia County, Florida (the "Lawsuit"). Under the terms of the Settlement, Wintergreen's four candidates may stand for election at the Company's 2017 annual meeting of shareholders (the "Annual Meeting"), and the Company will not amend its Bylaws or change the intended size of its Board prior to the Annual Meeting. The Company and Wintergreen will each file their own proxy statements and related proxy materials and bear their own costs in connection with their respective proxy solicitations and the Lawsuit. In addition, as part of the Settlement, Wintergreen has agreed to dismiss the Lawsuit after each of the Company's and Wintergreen's proxy statements have been mailed to the Company's shareholders. The Company issued the following statement: "In order to avoid the disruption of protracted litigation, the Board determined that it was the prudent course of action to settle the Lawsuit and let the Company's shareholders choose the composition of the Board and the future direction of the Company. We believe it's important to note that Wintergreen, by running a slate of four nominees, none of whom are independent of Wintergreen, is seeking to take control of the Company without paying a control premium or making any offer to our other shareholders that is reflective of the value in obtaining control of the Company. " "The Board and our management team are unified in the belief that a hurried sale of the Company or liquidation of its assets, at this time, would be destructive to shareholder value, which is obviously contrary to what is in the best interests of all shareholders. The Company is continuing to successfully execute its business plan, completing value-enhancing transactions in an orderly, deliberate, and effective manner."



"We look forward to engaging with our shareholders regarding the tremendous progress being achieved and value being created by this Board and management team." About Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co.

Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. is a Florida-based publicly traded real estate company, which owns a portfolio of income investments in diversified markets in the United States including approximately 1.8 million square feet of income properties, as well as approximately 8,200 acres of land in the Daytona Beach area. Visit our website at www.ctlc.com. We encourage you to review our most recent investor presentations for year end 2016 pertaining to the results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2016, available on our website at www.ctlc.com. SAFE HARBOR Certain statements contained in this press release (other than statements of historical fact) are forward-looking statements. Words such as "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "will," "could," "may," "should," "plan," "potential," "predict," "forecast," "project," and similar expressions and variations thereof identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they were made. Although forward-looking statements are made based upon management's expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect upon the Company, a number of factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Such factors may include the completion of 1031 exchange transactions, the availability of investment properties that meet the Company's investment goals and criteria, the modification of terms of certain land sales agreements, uncertainties associated with obtaining required governmental permits and satisfying other closing conditions, as well as the uncertainties and risk factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with management's expectations or that the effect of future developments on the Company will be those anticipated by management. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005917/en/

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[March 07, 2017] SEMI-THERM and Future Facilities Announce New Data Center Track Featuring Jonathan Koomey and Bahgat Sammakia

Future Facilities North America (Future Facilities NA), provider of engineering simulation software for data center design and operational planning, and SEMI-THERM, an electronic components and systems show focused on thermal management, announced today the formation of a new set of sessions for the 2017 symposium: the Data Center Track. Held March 13-17, SEMI-THERM 33 will provide a forum for engineers, academics, and executives to learn, exchange ideas, and display the latest in thermal management techniques, products, and services. The Data Center Track of SEMI-THERM 33 will feature a diverse series of sessions dedicated to exploring the impact of IT equipment thermal design on data center performance. As they continue to evolve, challenges like capacity losses, energy inefficiency, loss of resilience and unnecessarily risky business goals are components of today's data center environment that need additional attention. In collaboration with the Northern California AFCOM Chapter, SEMI-THERM and Future Facilities present this opportunity to view the worlds of IT thermal design and operational planning side-by-side. Primary topics covered by the Data Center Track include: Component Design, Data Center Operations, and Data Center Design. SEMI-THERM 33 will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, CA (News - Alert). Jnathan G. Koomey, PhD and Bahgat Sammakia, PhD will deliver substantive addresses for the Data Center Track. Koomey, a researcher, author, lecturer, and entrepreneur who examines climate solutions and the energy and environmental effects of information technology, will open the Data Center Track on the evening of Tuesday, March 14th with his presentation: "A Decade of Data Center Efficiency: What's Past is Prologue!" The lecture will cover data center electricity use, senior management, and how energy performance affects business performance. Vice President for Research at Binghamton University and Center Director of the Center for Energy-Smart Electric Systems (ES2), Sammakia will discuss bringing together workload allocation, thermal management, reliability and availability in a keynote presentation titled "A Holistic View of a Fragmented Data Center Industry" on Wednesday, March 15th.



"Future Facilities is proud to support a collaboration that's fostering increased communication between currently integral but previously separate elements of data center performance at SEMI-THERM 33," said Sherman Ikemoto, Director of Future Facilities NA. "The engineering impact of a data center's operational environment is important to both IT thermal design and operations teams. This event presents an opportunity for both sides to understand how working together can make significant improvements on the performance of a data center." Future Facilities' recent collaboration with ES2 modeled an example of thermal design and engineering simulation working together in a data center, demonstrating the kind of collaborative process emphasized by this track of sessions at SEMI-THERM.

About Future Facilities

For more than a decade, Future Facilities has provided engineering simulation software and consultancy services to the world's largest data center owner-operators and the industry's leading consultancies. With global offices, its software and services are relied on to deliver unique insight into the current and future performance of mission-critical data centers. Additional information can be found at http://www.futurefacilities.com; follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @6SigmaDC. About SEMI-THERM

SEMI-THERM is an international forum dedicated to the thermal management and characterization of electronic components and systems. It provides knowledge covering all thermal length scales from IC to facility level. The symposium fosters the exchange of knowledge between thermal engineers, professionals and leading experts from industry as well as the exchange of information on the latest academic and industrial advances in electronics thermal management. Additional information can be found at http://semi-therm.org/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005932/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Strategies in Light, co-located with The LED Show and Lightspace California, Announce Record Attendance in 2017

TULSA, Okla., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategies in Light, co-located with The LED Show and the inaugural Lightspace California, announced today a record-setting year at the 2017 event, held February 28-March 2 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. With an attendance exceeding 5,500 professionals from nearly 60 countries, Strategies in Light and The LED Show were joined by the first edition of Lightspace California, a new event dedicated to the lighting specification and design sector of the industry. Taken together, the three co-located events spanned the entire lighting supply chain, providing a truly integrated environment for manufacturers, specifiers and designers to learn, collaborate and share knowledge, connections and experiences. "The co-location of these three events under one roof brought together technology, application and inspiration unlike any other event has before in the industry. The concept was overwhelmingly met with positive support which was reflected in the record-breaking attendance number and exhibitor rebooking rate. We focused this year on making significant changes to the event to best fit the changing needs and demands of the market and are extremely pleased that we were able to provide an exciting and successful platform for professionals to share insights, best practices and lessons learned," said Ms. Christine Shaw, Event Director. 215 companies exhibited at the event, with 95% of them rebooking their space onsite for 2018. Over the course of the three days, thousands of attendees visited the exhibit floor to view the latest products, technologies and services. In the conference program, themes such as thriving in a disrupted lighting market, technology innovation to support market growt, the future of connected lighting, and the latest on lighting design and applications, attracted a range of high-level attendees including lighting manufacturers, lighting distributors, end users of LED lighting products, lighting specifiers, facility managers, lighting designers, lighting architects and more.



Strategies in Light, The LED Show and Lightspace California will be hosted in 2018 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, February 13-15. Learn more about Strategies in Light and The LED Show here.

Learn more about Lightspace California here.

Learn more about LEDs Magazine here.

About LEDs Magazine LEDs Magazine is the leading information resource for the global LED and lighting community, serving thousands of readers that specify, design, and manufacture LED-based products for a wide range of end-use applications. Its key value proposition is to offer well-written, unbiased, and informative editorial content to more than 63,000 subscribers. LEDs Magazine provides news and product information on a daily basis in combination with in-depth technical articles, analysis, and case studies. For additional information about LEDs Magazine, visit www.ledsmagazine.com. About PennWell Corporation PennWell Corporation is a privately held and highly diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: Oil and gas, electric power generation and delivery, hydropower, renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment, waste management, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, fiber-optics, aerospace and avionics, LEDs and lighting, fire and emergency services, public safety, and dental. PennWell publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; London, England; Houston, Texas; San Diego and Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia; and Hong Kong, China. For additional information about PennWell Corporation, visit www.pennwell.com. Contact:

Wendy Lissau

Marketing Director

PennWell Corporation

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 918.831.9793 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strategies-in-light-co-located-with-the-led-show-and-lightspace-california-announce-record-attendance-in-2017-300419362.html SOURCE PennWell Corporation

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[March 07, 2017] University of Fredericton celebrates 10th anniversary through the stories of its community

FREDERICTON, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - This April, the University of Fredericton (UFred) will proudly celebrate 10 years of providing fully-online education to students across Canada and around the world. "When UFred was founded, our goal was to create educational programs that people could balance alongside their professional and personal commitments," said Don Roy, President and founding member of UFred. "We all had the experience of obtaining degrees in a bricks-and-mortar classroom, and we see the value there, but we also knew that there needed to be alternative models." This thinking led to the University's current mission, which is to provide a fully compatible, individually centred lifelong learning path for the world's professionals, that enhances individual performance. To kick off anniversary celebrations, the University is launching a campaign titled "UFred10: supporting student success since 2007, fully online." The campaign will tell the history of UFred and the impact of its education through the stories of ten students, alumni, faculty, and staff members. "Over the past couple of years, we've been conducting research with current students and alumni to understand what their experience with UFred has been and how their education has helped to shape their professional and personal lives afterwards," said Sarah Chiasson, Marketingand Communications Manager at UFred.



"What we found was that our community has truly shaped who we've become. Their passion, dedication, and enthusiasm are what drive us, and because of that, we knew that they were the best people to help tell our story." Every Wednesday for the next ten weeks, UFred will release a podcast interview highlighting one of the ten volunteer stories of the campaign. In week eight and nine, the University will also kick off a cross-Canada tour, with events happening in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Fredericton respectively.

"Despite the wide range of backgrounds our students come from, we've found they feel a sense of community in the common experience they've shared through UFred" said Sheri McKillop, Associate Dean at UFred. "We wanted to provide opportunities for these students to come together and share their experiences with one another; we're hoping that the various locations make it possible for students and alumni to make it to one event." The University has steadily been drawing students to its unique online offerings, now toting more than 3000 students across various areas of study. The UFred10 campaign is comprised of volunteers across a range of programs, industries, and locations, representing the diversity of the community. UFred is headquartered in Fredericton's downtown core, and has been since opening its doors in 2007. Roy attributes being located in the city's capital, a burgeoning hub of innovation and talent, as being key to the University's success: "Our staff has tripled over the past several years, and we're projecting we'll have at least 90 in-house staff by 2019. Continuing to hire the exceptional talent we have right here at home is a priority for us, and we're looking forward to continuing to build and contribute to the greater Fredericton community." For more information on UFred10, visit www.ufred10.ca For more information on the University of Fredericton, visit http://getstarted.ufred.ca/ufred10 About the University of Fredericton The University of Fredericton (UFred) is a fully online Canadian University headquartered in Fredericton, New Brunswick. UFred offers certificate, diploma, and degree programs that emphasize leadership development and lifelong learning for upwardly mobile professionals. SOURCE University of Fredericton

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[March 07, 2017] Pat Geraghty Joins Coridian Technologies as Vice President of Sales and Marketing

CHANHASSEN, Minn., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coridian Technologies announces the appointment of Pat Geraghty to the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Geraghty brings more than 25 years of experience working in sales and marketing management for barcoding and labeling companies. Pat will be responsible for leading the companys market growth throughout the world.

VP of Sales & Marketing



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7aa954dd-350d-488f-ac2d-3dd7287ee290



We are excited to welcome Pat to the Coridian team and confident his unique and extensive experience within the label, ribbon, and barcoding marketplace will help us better serve our existing customer base while allowing us to grow and strengthen our business, said Mike Cleary, President of Coridian. Pats experience managing and growing companies uniquely qualifies him to look at our business and provide best practices that will drive Coridian forward. Mr. Geraghty has served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Supplies for Honeywell/Datamax as well as IDENTCO Worldwide.

I am excited about the direction of Coridian and working with an amazing and experienced team already in place. They have made strategic investments into the infrastructure of the company to allow growth of the business for many years to come. Coridians focus is on helping customers grow their businesses and improve their efficiencies, Pat said. I look forward to using my decades of experience to help people and companies achieve their objectives.

About Coridian Technologies Coridian is a labeling and barcode solutions provider headquartered in Chanhassen, MN with an additional sales office in Florida. Coridian specializes in product identification and data collection solutions (AIDC) for the healthcare, manufacturing, and warehouse/distribution industries - partnering with leading manufacturers such as Zebra Technologies, Honeywell and Brady. Coridian has been in business for over 20 years, with more than 250 combined years experience in the industry. For more information on Coridian please visit our website at www.coridian.com or call us at 952-361-9980. Contact Information: Pat Geraghty (952) 227-9147

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[March 07, 2017] Poxel Announces Appointment of Christophe Arbet-Engels, MD, PhD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer and EVP Late Development & Medical Affairs, Based in Boston

POXEL SA (Euronext - POXEL - FR0012432516), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative drugs to treat type 2 diabetes, today announced that Christophe Arbet-Engels, MD, PhD, MBA, has joined Poxel and will serve in a senior leadership role as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President (EVP) Late Development & Medical Affairs. Dr. Arbet-Engels will be based in Poxel's Boston area office. "We are very pleased to welcome Christophe, a seasoned pharmaceutical and biotech executive, who brings extensive experience spanning the spectrum of drug research and development to commercialization, patient access and life-cycle management. In particular, Dr. Arbet-Engels has led development of large-scale registration studies for diabetes drugs and studies for cardiovascular disease and outcome. He is joining us at a pivotal time as we plan for Imeglimin's Phase 3 registration program in Japan," said Thomas Kuhn, CEO of Poxel. "Christophe will work closely with Pascale Fouqueray, MD, PhD, who will be working in the newly created senior leadership role of Chief Development Officer, EVP Early Development & Translational Medicine, focusing on broadening Imeglimin's product profile in diabetes and exploring other indications, the development of PXL770, and assessing other development opportunities for Poxel," continued Thomas Kuhn. "Together, they will continue to advance Poxel's pipeline and strengthen Imeglimin's differentiated profile with a particular focus on potential beneficial properties beyond glucose control, such as for cardiovascular and liver disease." "I am very excited to be joining the talented team at Poxel at such a critical time as the Company plans to advance Imeglimin into a registration program in Japan later this year. Based on published data, Imeglimin may also address a high unmet medical need by showing important cardiovascular benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes," said Christophe Arbet-Engels, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical Offcer and EVP Late Development & Medical Affairs of Poxel. "In preclinical data, it was demonstrated that Imeglimin may have protective benefits in diabetic cardiomyopathy by improving diastolic and endothelial dysfunction. Based on these results, we believe that Imeglimin has the potential to address the underlying abnormalities leading to major cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes, including heart failure. Our plan for this year, in addition to the initiation of the registration program in Japan, is to conduct preclinical and clinical studies that will further differentiate Imeglimin and strengthen its potential benefits on cardiovascular complications for a worldwide development program, which will include cardiovascular outcome studies in the U.S. and the EU."



Dr. Arbet-Engels has more than 25 years of experience in life sciences, academia and industry. He has served in senior leadership roles for programs with a focus in diabetes-metabolism and led programs, in complex global and local settings, ranging from diabetes, cardiovascular-metabolism, neurology, orphan diseases to oncology. Dr. Arbet-Engels' leadership at several large pharmaceutical companies encompasses clinical development and registration, launch and lifecycle management for several innovative drugs for the treatment of diabetes, metabolism and cardiovascular diseases, including Lantus (insulin glargine) and Jardiance (empagliflozin). Most recently, he was Vice President, Worldwide Medical, Collaborative Medical Sciences at Biogen, driving strategy and execution of Phase 3b/4 life cycle management activities across several therapeutic areas ranging from neurology, hematology to rare diseases. In this position, Dr. Arbet-Engels built, developed and led global medical research, clinical operations, biostatistics/analytics, communication, and expanded access program teams to advance the medical sciences in areas of interest to Biogen. Prior to Biogen, Dr. Arbet-Engels worked in senior leadership positions in clinical development and medical affairs, in global or local roles, at pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Merck, Aventis (now Sanofi) and Ligand Pharmaceuticals. In addition, Dr. Arbet-Engels served as a Medical Advisor to MedNest, provided expertise to the Gerson Lehrman Group, and worked as French Foreign Trade Advisor for the French Government to advise and support French or other startup companies develop their business in the U.S. Dr. Arbet-Engels has a medical degree from University of Paris Sud, a PhD in endocrinology/diabetes and metabolism from Paris Descartes (News - Alert) University and a master's degree in business administration from Rutgers University.

About Poxel Poxel uses its development expertise in metabolism to advance a pipeline of drug candidates focused on the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We have successfully completed our Phase 2 clinical program for our first-in-class lead product, Imeglimin, which targets mitochondrial dysfunction, in the U.S. and EU and have fully enrolled a Phase 2b clinical study in Japan. Our second program, PXL770, a direct AMPK activator, is in Phase 1 development. We intend to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. (Euronext: POXEL, www.poxel.com) View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005980/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Cook Pharmica Partners With Ivy Tech Bloomington to Further Rural Biotechnology Education

Ivy Tech Community College (News - Alert) Bloomington was awarded a Perkins Competitive Grant from the Indiana Department of Education in the fall of 2016 to increase rural career and technical education pathways in biotechnology. The $85,000 grant is being used to establish dual credit biotechnology courses through Ivy Tech. Starting in the spring 2017 semester at Brown County, Owen Valley, Eastern Greene and Bloomfield high schools, students have the opportunity to earn dual high school and college credit at no cost to them. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005986/en/ The biotechnology courses are currently taught by an Ivy Tech instructor and the grant will also provide training for high school science teachers to gain credentials to teach the coursework beginning in the 2017-18 school year. An additional $15,000 was provided to Ivy Tech Bloomington by Cook Pharmica to help launch and sustain the program for years to come by providing funding for textbooks that can be reused by the participating high schools. "We have a mission at Ivy Tech Bloomington to help fill the local industry skills gap, and one way we do that is through partnerships like this with Cook Pharmica," said Jennie Vaughan, chancellor at Ivy Tech Bloomigton. "With the help of this grant, high school students can take dual credit classes in biotechnology, developing a clear pathway toward employment in the life sciences, an industry that's thriving in our region."



"We appreciate the work Ivy Tech does to help students in the local community develop the skills they need to enter the workforce upon graduating high school," said Tedd Green, president of Cook Pharmica. "This program is a true community partnership that supports the education of our local youth and the workforce development needs of the growing life sciences industry in South Central Indiana. We are pleased to be a partner in this program." Since it was founded in 2004, Cook Pharmica has grown to 715 employees today. Cook also introduced its new My Cook Pathway education assistance program in 2016 to provide employees the opportunity to continue their education at no cost to them from day one with the company.

About Cook Pharmica Cook Pharmica is a privately held contract development and manufacturing organization that provides services to the global pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Centrally located in Bloomington, Indiana, Cook Pharmica is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cook Group Incorporated. Find out more at www.cookpharmica.com. About Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College (www.ivytech.edu) is the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005986/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Computer Design & Integration LLC's (CDI LLC) Yury Magalif Named a VMware 2017 vExpert

Computer Design & Integration (CDI LLC) announced today that Yury Magalif, practice manager, end-user computing, was named a vExpert 2017 by VMware, a global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility. The VMware vExpert program is VMware's global evangelism and advocacy program that recognizes experts who've demonstrated significant contributions to the virtualization community and a willingness to share their expertise with others. The 2017 vExpert's were chosen for their engagement and personal platform of influence in a variety of VMware communities.



"I am humbled to receive this award four years in a row. VMware has always nurtured its community through VMUGS, webinars and the vExpert program," said Magalif. He added, "I always ask the question, what else can we virtualize and software define?" Magalif is a professional in End-User Computing (EUC), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), Cloud, Storage and Data Center technologies. He is a frequent speaker and presenter at industry events and holds industry certifications from Cisco, VMware, Microsoft (News - Alert), EMC, Hewlett Packard and various other manufacturers.

About Computer Design & Integration (CDI LLC): CDI LLC was founded in 1995, with corporate headquarters in Teterboro, NJ, as well as office locations in New York City, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Atlanta. The firm has been recognized as one of the nation's top 500 IT solution providers offering clients and businesses of all sizes the most up-to-date hybrid IT technology solutions that solve today's most complex business challenges. CDI LLC continually focuses on achieving client satisfaction by developing and implementing comprehensive and innovative technology solutions that enhance day-to-day business workflow processes. As one of the largest solution providers, CDI LLC combines the required experience, exceptional talent, quality assurance and stability that its clients strive to achieve. For more information, visit cdillc.com or call 1-800-234-5531. Follow us for continual coverage on Twitter (News - Alert) @cdillc or via our YouTube Channel. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005019/en/

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Insurance Law Podcast Discusses Construction Defect Litigation

A.M. Best and Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys and Adjusters have released the latest installment of its Insurance Law Podcast, a series that examines timely insurance issues from an attorney's point of view.

This episode features Attorney Terry Lavy from the law firm of Vernis & Bowling, with offices in several states throughout the southeast, including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Mr. Lavy is a board certified specialist in construction law and works in southwest and central Florida. Construction litigation is one of his primary areas of practice.

The podcast discusses construction defect litigation, which relates to damage caused by defects in design, workmanship, materials or systems used on a project that results in failure. The podcast looks at the complexities involved in this type of litigation, including indemnification issues and reviews some active cases that ivolve insurance carriers.







Vernis & Bowling a qualified member of Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys and Adjusters, a claims industry resource that has featured qualified legal counsel, independent insurance adjusting services and expert service providers since 1929.

Listen or subscribe to the Insurance Law Podcast.

A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2017 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006030/en/
[March 07, 2017] Access and Equifax Workforce Solutions Partner to Further Enhance Functionality of Leading Document Management Platform - FileBRIDGE for HR

LIVERMORE, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Access, the largest privately held Records and Information Management (RIM) services provider in the United States, today announced a partnership with Equifax Workforce Solutions, a leader in human resource compliance, analytics and verification services, and a business unit of Equifax Inc. Access will extend the functionality of its leading document management solution, FileBRIDGE for HR, by integrating with Equifax Workforce Solutions Compliance Center, a configurable technology portal that streamlines new hire onboarding. Through process and regulatory update automation, Compliance Center helps employers manage the onboarding process by providing state and federal required notifications for new employees and insight management reporting. "With rapidly changing labor and employment legislation, increased enforcement with growing fines, and increased risk of class action law suits, it is critical for organizations to properly manage all employee records," said Jim Farrell, Senior Vice President of Products at Access. "With this partnership, FileBRIDGE for HR becomes an invaluable tool as it helps employers remain compliant with appropriate regulations, from the hiring process through the long term life of the document." Using Compliance Center within FileBRIDGE for HR, employers gain a standardized, automatic process where required forms are completed and correctly retained to support an audit or legal inquiry. In addition, Compliance Center reduces risk through market leading I-9 Management and E-Verify solutions, turnkey electronic W-4 and state and federal required notifications. Angela Lockman, vice president, Product Management for Equifax Workforce Solutions, shared, "Onboarding employees is far more complicated than handing new hires a stack of paperwork to complete, which becomes error prone and consuming to manage. At the same time, keeping track of nuances at both the state and federal levels would be near impossible without the support of technologies like Compliance Center. Strategic partnerships, such as this one with FileBRIDGE for HR, work to keep organizations current, encourage greater efficiencies across the function and advance the way employers interact with new employees." About Equifax

Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases include employee data contributed from more than 6,600 employers. Equifax Workforce Solutions, an Equifax business unit, is a leading provider of human resource compliance, analytics and verification technology and services. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,400 employees worldwide. Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.com. About Access (InformationProtected.com)

Access is the largest privately held records and information management (RIM) services provider. A trusted partner to clients spanning multiple industries and markets throughout the country and Latin America, Access' complete suite of services includes records storage and document management in physical and digital formats, data protection (electronic computer media), secure destruction, digital document conversion and data breach reporting services. The valuable business services Access provides allow clients to focus on their core businesses while reducing the costs and risks associated with document retention, management, convenient access, and final disposition. Access is backed by growth equity investor Berkshire Partners.







For additional information, contact:



Heidi King 778.374.3619 [email protected] Pam Stevens 314.214.7235 [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/access-and-equifax-workforce-solutions-partner-to-further-enhance-functionality-of-leading-document-management-platform--filebridge-for-hr-300419216.html SOURCE Access

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[March 07, 2017] Europe Market Overview for Dental Lasers 2017 - Research and Markets

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Europe Market Overview for Dental Lasers 2017 - MedView" report to their offering. The dental laser market consists of two main segments: all tissue dental lasers and soft tissue dental lasers. The market for soft tissue lasers is further segmented into diode lasers, CO2 lasers and Nd:YAG lasers. The all tissue laser segment is also further segmented into fiber technology lasers, articulated arm lasers and direct delivery lasers; these lasers are ER:YAG or ER, CR:YSGG lasers which typically have a wavelength of 2,940 nm. Among all segments in the dental laser market, the most promising is diode lasers. This is a significant amount of units sold as lasers are still considered as a luxury item by dentists, and therefore the installed base of diode lasers will increase considerably over the next decade. However, the growth rate for unit sales will remain in the low to moderate range throughout the forecast period. The majority of dentists still see dental lasers as an unnecessary expenditure. Reimbursement policies such as the ones etablished in the Netherlands also contribute to the low level of demand by removing reimbursement payments from procedures performed with lasers.



Since diode lasers are a new technology relative to more traditional instruments such as the drill it is considered outside the scope of regular reimbursement schemes in most European countries, making usage costly for both the dentist and the patient. As dental lasers become more mainstream in dental offices and start to be considered by governments as a necessary part of dental procedures unit sales will improve and the market will grow at a faster pace. Nevertheless, this transition will take a long time, which may pose a challenge to dental laser companies in the upcoming years.

Key Topics Covered: 1. Research Methodology 2. European Dental Lasers Market Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Currency Exchange Rate 2.3 Market Overview 2.4 Trend Analysis By Segment 2.4.1 Soft-Tissue Dental Laser Market Trend Analysis 2.4.2 All-Tissue Dental Laser Market Trend Analysis 2.5 Drivers And Limiters 2.6 Competitive Market Share Analysis 3. Country Profiles 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1.1 Population 3.1.1.2 GDP Per Capita 3.1.1.3 Price Index 3.1.1.4 Number Of Dental Practices Companies Mentioned Biolase

Convergent Dental

AMD (News - Alert) Laser

Fotona

Millennium Dental Technologies

DenMat

Lutronic

Sirona

CAO Group

LaserStar Technologies

Alpha Laser For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wx32gl/europe_market View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006062/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Jim Brady appointed to U.S. Chamber board of directors

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has appointed Jim Brady to its board of directors. Brady currently serves as the chief operating officer at Grant Thornton (News - Alert) LLP and has long been active in the U.S. Chamber. "Brady brings with him a 35-year career providing professional services to Fortune 1000 companies," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "His know-how in auditing large and medium-sized public and private companies will prove tremendously valuable to the U.S. Chamber as we pursue a growth agenda for American businesses." "Our business community faces shifting complexities and changing dynamics," said Brady. "As a board member for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, I look forward to helping companies of all sizes create jobs and enhance our economy." As Grant Thornton's chief operating officer, Brady oversees all business operations both nationally and for the firm's Central and East regions. He plays a key role in the development and execution of the firm's strategic initiatives and champions the integration of its capabilities and operations to create value for clients. In addition, Brady plays an active role on the firm's Public Policy team - steered by its national managing principal of Public Policy. In this capacity, he advocates among lawmakers for tax fairness, especially as it affects businesses organized as "pass-throughs" and medium-sized businesses. He also advocates for solutions to problems of government fraud, waste and abuse. Brady joined Grant Thornton in June 2015 as the fir's Central region managing partner and a member of its Senior Leadership Team.



Brady was previously Deloitte (News - Alert) LLP's national managing partner for U.S. Government Affairs & Public Policy and also served as CEO of the firm's U.S.-India audit and advisory joint venture. Brady also spent several years as regional managing partner building audit and advisory practices in Deloitte's Southeast geography. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Brady is also on the boards of trustees at the Chautauqua Institution and the Graduate Management Admission Council. He serves on the Center for Strategic and International Studies Advisory Board, The Carter Center Board of Councilors and the board of directors for World Business Chicago. He is a member of the Wake Forest University School of Business Board of Visitors and the Committee for Economic Development. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. About Grant Thornton LLP Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world's leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues in excess of $1.6 billion and operates 59 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations. "Grant Thornton" refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another's acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.com for further details. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006067/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Cortera to Attend 2017 DataDisrupt Conference

NEW YORK, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cortera, Inc., a leading provider of business-to-business analytics and cloud-based risk management solutions, is pleased to announce its attendance at the first conference for the financial services data analytics ecosystem.

The DataDisrupt conference is an excellent fit for Cortera, a business that continually keeps B2B credit analytics at the forefront of what they do. Cortera will offer live demonstrations and complimentary business evaluations for commercial finance professionals looking to take their utilization of business intelligence to the next level. DataDisrupt is the premier event focused on the impact of large scale data sets, new data sources, innovative analytic techniques, the latest technologies and the most creative entrepreneurs on the financial services sector, said Ariel Boyman, Co-Founder of DataDisrupt. Jim Swift and his team have created a categor leading financial services focused data analytics company in Cortera, and were excited to feature them at our inaugural event.



In addition to exhibiting during DataDisrupts trade show hours, Cortera CEO Jim Swift will participate in a panel discussion among other financial trailblazers surrounding big data and technology, the value data sets have on businesses, and best practices for monetizing this type of information. Were excited to participate in the DataDisrupt conference. Weve experienced a growing appetite from companies across the financial services spectrum for better data fuel for analytics into businesses, particularly private companies. With some of the smartest and most influential members of the financial services analytics community being involved, DataDisrupt looks to be a valuable forum for the exchange of ideas and innovations, shares Swift.

The event will be held on March 29  30, 2017 at the Metropolitan Pavilion West in New York, NY. Register for the event at http://www.datadisrupt.com/ and visit Cortera at the exhibitor area to learn more about B2B data and analytics. About Cortera Cortera provides analytical and cloud-based workflow solutions that enable companies of all sizes to better understand their customers, suppliers and business partners. Our comprehensive solutions increase visibility into the financial health of your B2B customers while keeping you informed of important changes that traditional credit reporting tools miss. Thousands of companies across diverse industries use Corteras solutions to increase revenue, improve sales effectiveness, and reduce risk. Cortera is privately held with offices in Boca Raton, FL and Quincy, MA. Press & Media Contact: Kerri Byron Marketing Manager (561) 226-9044 [email protected]

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[March 07, 2017] Technology Markets Face Rocky Ride Over Next 18 Months According to IDC Worldwide Black Book

With economic uncertainty and volatility impacting business and consumer confidence, technology markets are in for a rocky ride over the next 18 months, according to the latest Worldwide Black Book from International Data Corporation (IDC). The quarterly review of information and communications technology (ICT) spending in 89 countries found that ICT spending overall will increase by 3% this year in constant currency terms to $3.5 trillion, a slight improvement on last year's 2% growth rate. This is mainly due to improvements in emerging markets and a general pickup in infrastructure spending. IT spending (excluding telecommunications) will also grow by 3% this year. Last year's slow pace represented a significant slowdown from the 5-6% IT spending growth recorded from 2012-2015, and resulted from a slowdown in enterprise capital spending, weak consumer upgrades of PCs, phones, and tablets, and ongoing sluggishness in IT services. Cloud Will Dominate Cloud will continue to drive much of the ICT spending story, as more businesses move to adopt cloud services. This will continue to drive aggressive hardware spending by cloud service providers (CSPs), although the next major upgrade cycle will not begin until later in 2017. From an end-user perspective, infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) spending will increase by 40% this year, accounting for an ever-increasing share of enterprise infrastructure budgets. "The Cloud has come to dominate the ICT market outlook in many ways," said Stephen Minton, program vice president in IDC' (News - Alert) Customer Insights & Analysis group. "It drives capital spending cycles for hardware manufacturers and represents an increasing proportion of the customer base for server and storage vendors. From a software standpoint, software-as-a-service (SaaS (News - Alert)) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) already account for almost 20% of all softwre spending and rising, while cloud adoption is also driving increasing usage of telecom services and investment in network equipment. On the other hand, the cloud also continues to cannibalize from legacy 2nd Platform revenue streams, including traditional Outsourcing services."



Brexit Impacts Business Confidence & Visibility The forecast for this year is partly driven by economic cycles, including Brexit and the gradual recovery in emerging markets. Brexit is impacting business confidence and visibility, and will inevitably have some effect on IT projects during the next 2-3 years as the UK begins the precarious process of negotiating its exit from the European Union. IDC expects weaker infrastructure and IT services spending to result in overall IT spending growth in the UK of just 1% this year (down from 6% in 2016). The rest of Europe remains similarly fragile, and weak consumer spending will drag on growth in many European countries during this extended period of uncertainty.

"Europe is a wild card in terms of downside risks," said Minton. "Brexit carries a wide range of potential scenarios, and our current baseline forecasts don't represent the worst case. There are also downside risks in relation to the U.S., Japan, and China, which could have a negative impact on business confidence, if only because they will lead to an increased sense of caution with regards to major new projects while government policy remains uncertain." BRIC Countries Differentiated by Tech Trends & Market Opportunities IT spending growth in China is expected to slow to 5% this year from 9% in 2016, and will decelerate further in the next 2-3 years as the economy goes through a period of transition and restructuring. Other key emerging markets, however, are expected to show improving growth in 2017, including Brazil and Russia where technology spending was severely affected by economic downturn last year. IT spending in Brazil will rebound from a 4% decline in 2016 to growth of 7% in 2017. Russia will post a decline for the overall market, but this is mainly linked to weak sales of smartphones and PCs. Spending on enterprise infrastructure will rebound from a 5% decline last year to growth of 3% in 2017 before returning to double-digit growth in 2018, assuming the economic turnaround in Russia remains on track. "The BRIC countries are no longer a homogenous grouping in terms of technology trends and market opportunities," said Minton. "In China, infrastructure spending remains extremely strong, driven largely by government investments, but consumer spending has slowed. In Brazil and Russia, recovery will be gradual, in line with the overall economic cycle. India, meanwhile, will bounce back from a weak finish to 2016, when demonetization had a negative effect on tech spending in the fourth quarter, with a return to double-digit growth in 2017." Emerging Markets Recovery Drives Next Wave of IT Spending Opportunities The next wave of IT spending opportunities increasingly lie beyond the BRICs, in emerging markets across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The IDC Worldwide Black Book now covers ICT spending in 89 countries, and the latest forecasts show strong growth projected for the year ahead in countries such as Ghana, Namibia, Pakistan, Ecuador, and Ukraine. Key markets such as Nigeria, Morocco, and Iraq will also show improving trends. For additional information about the new Black Book or to arrange a one-on-one briefing with Stephen Minton, please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or [email protected]. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact [email protected]; reporters should email [email protected]. About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006193/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Inmarsat L-band service wins Mobile Satellite Users Association 2017 Mobility Innovation Award

Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced today that its Wideband Streaming L-band (WiSL) service is the winner of the "Top Government Mobility Satcom Innovation" category in the Mobile Satellite Users Association's (MSUA) 2017 Mobility Innovation Awards. This is the second consecutive year that Inmarsat (News - Alert) has won this award, which recognizes the industry's leading mobility companies at the annual Satellite Conference held in Washington, D.C. Inmarsat's Global Xpress service won the award in 2016. To respond to critical government requirements for ultra-small terminals and high-speed connectivity, Inmarsat has adapted its trusted, highly reliableL-band service into a new capability designed to support airborne, expeditionary and maritime missions. In use today on multiple platforms and missions, government operations are using Inmarsat's worldwide L-band space and ground network through micro antennas, as small as five inches, providing data rates as high as 10Mbps x 10Mbps. Inmarsat's U.S. government customers have access to unprecedented data rates, as well as broad coverage and performance for their connectivity needs, while retaining the ease of use, reliability and low cost of ownership provided by Inmarsat's global network.



"Our government users continue to demand higher throughputs from smaller form factor antennas to meet high-demand ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and PED (Process, Exploitation, Dissemination) needs. We developed WiSL to meet these demands," said Steve Gizinski, Vice President, Special Programs, U.S. Government Business Unit, Inmarsat, Inc. "Inmarsat has been providing trusted worldwide mobility services to the U.S. government for almost four decades. Winning this award for the second consecutive year demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation and reaffirms that we deliver dependable, cost-effective solutions that exceed the requirements of our U.S. government customers." About MSUA

Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of the satellite mobility users and providers worldwide. It serves the interests of the satellite mobility community by fostering communications among and between users, equipment suppliers, satellite operators, applications developers and other market stakeholders. In addition, MSUA gathers and disseminates news, information, analysis, trend data and event announcements critical to the satellite mobility community as well as facilitates member discounts for satellite mobility events. Finally, MSUA assembles mobility user and provider views on system and service concerns, and conveys this information to regulatory and other authorities both in the U.S. and in Europe. About Inmarsat Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com. The Inmarsat press release newsfeed and corporate updates are on @InmarsatGlobal. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005901/en/

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[March 07, 2017] Friday St. Patrick's Day Means More Time To Get Away, Says Cheapflights.ca

Find Your Celebration Destination with Our 17 Affordable Last-Minute St. Paddy's Day Getaways for Canadians TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ -- You don't have to be Irish to enjoy St Patrick's Day, and you don't need to book a flight to Ireland either. There are plenty of North American cities within easy reach that celebrate St. Paddy's Day, and, with March 17 falling on a Friday (and during March Break week for many Canadians), there's no better time to go for the green. Whether you like a non-stop pub crawl, parades with floats, marching bands and step dancing, or wacky local customs  like the greening of fountains and rivers this year's Friday St. Patrick's Day gives you a great opportunity to get in the fun of a destination celebration. To help you get your plans off the ground, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, have compared the fares and found 17 Affordable Last-Minute St. Patrick's Day Getaways for Canadians with a line-up of green-clad fun from Montreal to Miami and Victoria to Halifax. Below are details on just a few of the budget-friendly spots found with plenty of St. Patrick's Day fun on tap, along with the average round-trip airfare for flights departing March 15-17: Boston, Massachusetts , U.S.  $338 (CAD) - Whether you make Boston your sole stop for St. Paddy's Day weekend or combine it with a side trip to nearby Providence, R.I., the main event is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston on Sunday, March 19 . Weekend celebrations also include American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys' concert at the House of Blues on March 16 and walking Boston's Irish Heritage Trail.

- Whether you make Boston your sole stop for St. Paddy's Day weekend or combine it with a side trip to nearby Providence, R.I., the main event is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in on . Weekend celebrations also include American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys' concert at the House of Blues on and walking Irish Heritage Trail. Kelowna, British Columbia  $453 (CAD) - St. Patrick's Day is the perfect holiday to hop on Kelowna's craft beer scene. Swig adventurous flavour profiles at Kettle River Brewing, raise a glass of IPA at BNA Brewing Co., sample German-style lagers with the city's new kid on the block Boundary Brewing, knock back Lebowski Lager from Freddy's Brew Pub and salute the godfather of Kelowna's craft scene, Tree Brewing Co. at their Tree Brewing Beer Institute. Don green garb and head downtown to partake in festive parties at Carlos O'Bryan's, O'Flanigans, Fernando's Pub and Doc Willoughby's Public House.

- is the perfect holiday to hop on Kelowna's craft beer scene. Swig adventurous flavour profiles at Kettle River Brewing, raise a glass of IPA at BNA Brewing Co., sample German-style lagers with the city's new kid on the block Boundary Brewing, knock back Lebowski Lager from Freddy's Brew Pub and salute the godfather of craft scene, Tree Brewing Co. at their Tree Brewing Beer Institute. Don green garb and head downtown to partake in festive parties at Carlos O'Bryan's, O'Flanigans, Fernando's Pub and Doc Willoughby's Public House. Indianapolis, Indiana , U.S.  $488 (CAD) - Indianapolis, Ind. , is so festive even the Central Canal is dyed green. But choosing just one event will be a challenge. Celebrate all things Irish in Indy starting with the fifth annual Blarney Bash at 11:00 a.m. on March 17 . The massive block party features live music, tasty treats and drink vendors lining the boardwalk. Or head over to the St. Patrick's Day Parade at 11:30 a.m. There's a block party there, as well, with entertainment, food and a beer garden from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More live music, Irish food and fun waits at the 20th annual Indianapolis Downtown Irish Fest beginning at noon on March 17 . Cap off the celebration at the sixth annual St. Pats Bar Crawl on March 18 .

- , is so festive even the Central Canal is dyed green. But choosing just one event will be a challenge. Celebrate all things Irish in Indy starting with the fifth annual Blarney Bash at on . The massive block party features live music, tasty treats and drink vendors lining the boardwalk. Or head over to the St. Patrick's Day Parade at There's a block party there, as well, with entertainment, food and a beer garden from More live music, Irish food and fun waits at the 20th annual Indianapolis Downtown Irish Fest beginning at noon on . Cap off the celebration at the sixth annual St. Pats Bar Crawl on . Halifax , Nova Scotia  $498 (CAD) - To get your St. Patrick's Day foodie fix in Halifax , join the best craic in town and indulge in Irish breakfast all day at Durty Nelly's. On the 17th, enjoy dinner and performances by the Nova Scotia Irish Dancers and traditional music at the Festival of St. Patrick Dinner and dance the night away at the Saint Paddy's Dance in Dartmouth . Drink for a cause at the St. Patrick's Day Pub Party at Jenny's Place, which supports the Northern Lights Lantern Festival.

- To get your foodie fix in , join the best in town and indulge in Irish breakfast all day at Durty Nelly's. On the 17th, enjoy dinner and performances by the Nova Scotia Irish Dancers and traditional music at the Festival of St. Patrick Dinner and dance the night away at the Saint Paddy's Dance in . Drink for a cause at the Pub Party at Jenny's Place, which supports the Northern Lights Lantern Festival. Fort Myers, Florida , U.S.  $538 (CAD) - Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a laid-back beach vibe in Fort Myers, Fla. The annual downtown block party on Friday, March 17 , offers music, food and drink from 4-10 p.m. Fitzgerald's Irish Pub hosts one of the area's most popular parties on Friday, March 17 , with bagpipers, Irish dancers, corned beef and cabbage and plenty o' beer. Prep for all this eating and drinking with Gold Coast Runners St. Patrick's Day 5K Fun Run on Thursday, March 16 . See if you can win the Who's the Greenest contest by wearing the most green gear and dance to live Irish music post-race.



St. Patrick's Day events that are worth the journey. To see our full list of picks for fun-filled St. Paddy's destinations that won't bust your travel budget, check out Cheapflights.ca's 17 Affordable Last-Minute St. Patrick's Day Getaways for Canadians at www.cheapflights.ca/news/affordable-last-minute-st-patricks-day-getaways. About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group

Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses  for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group. Follow us on:

Twitter: twitter.com/cheapflights

Facebook: facebook.com/cheapflights

Instagram: instagram.com/cheapflights

Pinterest: pinterest.com/cheapflights To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/friday-st-patricks-day-means-more-time-to-get-away-says-cheapflightsca-300419591.html SOURCE Cheapflights.ca

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[March 07, 2017] Stock This MOBI DualScan Digital Ear & Forehead Thermometer and Confidently Recommend the Best

Designed in America, made to the highest standards, and featuring a medication reminder and flashlight other brands don't offer, the MOBI HealthCheck Ear & Forehead Thermometer is a precision device you can recommend with confidence. It offers in-ear temperature scanning and convenient, non-intrusive forehead scanning as well as bath water and food temperature checking and more. This carefully designed and innovative thermometer for babies, children and adults provides accurate readings in just 1 second. The large display and ergonomic design make taking temperature easier than ever before. A memory log and color-changing fever indicator add to the convenience. The exclusive, patented reminder function is designed to help users remember when to administer medication and do follow-up checks. The patented flashlight makes taking a temperature reading easy, even in a darkened room. "Customers depend on pharmacists and drugstore employees for product recommendations. Our HealthCheck thermometer is a choice you can recommend with total confience," said David Naghi, founder and CEO of MOBI, Inc. "Since fever is an indication of many serious medical conditions, customers need a device on which they can rely for quick and accurate results. We offer it, and you can recommend it."



The HealthCheck thermometer is also a no-contact instrument for measuring the temperature of food, bottles and bath water from 1 to 2 inches away. Measure ambient room temperature by pointing the device toward the middle of the space. "We've tried to include every feature we could imagine while keeping the price point low," Naghi said. "According to our testers, we've succeeded."

MOBI products, including the MOBI HealthCheck Ear & Forehead Thermometer, are available for pharmacies, independent local stores, chains and online dealers. Review Samples & Images are available for journalists and leading bloggers. To learn more about this product, visit http://www.productsbymobi.com/healthcheck. Founded in 2003, MOBI brings products to the marketplace that give families useful, dependable, innovative and modern choices. Its ergonomically designed, full-featured digital thermometers and other products are available at many stores and from online sellers. Based in Beverly Hills, California, the company works with large retailers and one-on-one with independent stores to fill unmet consumer needs with carefully constructed, long-lasting products. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006191/en/

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Russell P. Hintze, Board Certified Tax Attorney, Joins Shutts & Bowen

Shutts & Bowen is pleased to announce that Russell P. Hintze has joined the firm's Orlando office as a partner in the Tax and International Law Practice Group.

Mr. Hintze is a board certified tax lawyer focusing his practice in the areas of joint ventures and transactional tax matters. He has extensive experience in general business tax planning, corporate tax, limited liability companies, partnerships, tax planning for real estate, and mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Shutts, Mr. Hintze was a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig. He has assisted clients with numerous transactions in excess of $1 billion.

"Having known and worked with the attorneys at Shutts & Bowen for many years, I am excited to become part of the team and expand my practice with the incredible network, not only within the tax practice group, but also across all practice areas," said Hinze.







"Mr. Hintze is a highly regarded and talented lawyer who can create effective solutions in achieving the best possible result for our clients," said Micky Grindstaff, firm-wide Managing Partner.

Mr. Hintze earned his LL.M. in taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, his J.D., cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Orange (News - Alert) County Bar Association and is a frequent lecturer on various federal income tax issues, including limited liability companies, joint ventures, tax-deferred exchanges, entity selection and legislature, regulatory and judicial developments. His most recent recognition includes, "Lawyer of the Year" in Mergers and Acquisitions Law by Best Lawyers in America.

About Shutts & Bowen LLP: Established in 1910, Shutts & Bowen is a full-service business law firm with more than 260 lawyers in offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Learn more about Shutts & Bowen at www.shutts.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006286/en/
[March 07, 2017] Authentic Web Announces Financing, led by MaRS IAF.

Financing to fund investments in SaaS technology serving enterprise teams to control and drive brand domain identity performance improvements and innovation. TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Today Authentic Web Inc., provider of enterprise Internet infrastructure and corporate domain registrar services, announced the completion of a financing led by MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund and a group of technology investors. Authentic Web meets the need of large enterprises to more effectively manage their growing domain name portfolios. Managing corporate domain names is painful and costly. New Top Level Domains (TLDs) and the exploding growth of new Generic, Geographic and Brand TLDs are adding to digital footprint management complexity. Enterprises seeking to better manage and innovate with new digital domain strategies require technology designed for the new TLD era. The Authentic Web platform delivers value for enterprise stakeholders across IT, IP, brand, digital, product, finance and digital operations. "We are pleased to announce the completion of this financing and look forward to working with our new shareholders and networks as we continue to build out our world-class SaaS enterprise tchnology," said Peter LaMantia, CEO and Founder. "This is just the beginning of a digital taxonomy shift resulting from ICANNs regulatory change. It is great fun for our expanding team and an exciting time in the industry. This financing will allow us to continue to execute on our vision to bring much-needed domain identity solutions to current and future customers."



Craig Leonard, MaRS IAF Investment Director said, "Authentic Web offers a compelling solution for enterprises struggling with the cost and complexity of domain management during a time of rapid industry change. When we were educated on the TLD expansion program, we saw the business opportunity for Authentic Web to help enterprise teams address cost and change management control, while at the same time providing critical business intelligence to improve digital performance. We are especially encouraged by testimonials from Authentic Web customers on the tremendous value the applications deliver. In addition, the nascent Brand TLD innovation opportunity is an exciting new space and we think Authentic Web is an emerging leader. We look forward to working with and supporting the management team as they drive the next phase of product and market growth."

Authentic Web is based in Toronto, Canada with operations in the UK and currently support several top tier enterprise clients. About Authentic Web Inc. Authentic Web addresses the needs of enterprises to deploy, innovate and scale brand registry ecosystems and to optimize their digital footprint in corporate domain portfolio spaces. Authentic Web's comprehensive toolset enables enterprise teams to address regulatory requirements, drive business growth, reduce total cost of ownership and strategically position brands to win in a changing digital identity landscape. The company also operates brandtld.news, a showcase of LIVE Brand TLD use cases. The company is based in Toronto, Canada with operations in the UK and currently supports several top tier enterprise clients. About MaRS IAF The MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) helps build and strengthen Ontario-based businesses in the cleantech, ICT, and life sciences & healthcare sectors. Funded by the Province of Ontario, the IAF program is managed by MaRS and delivered through the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs. For more information and to apply, please visit marsiaf.com. SOURCE Authentic Web

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[March 07, 2017] A.M. Best Assigns Issue Credit Rating to The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.'s Junior Subordinated Debentures Offering

A.M. Best has assigned a Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of "bbb" to the recently issued USD $500 million floating rate junior subordinated debentures due 2067 of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The Hartford) (headquartered in Hartford, CT) [NYSE:HIG]. The outlook assigned to the Credit Rating is stable. Proceeds from the offering will be utilized to retire existing junior subordinated notes of $500 million with a coupon rate of 8.125% on its June 2018 call date. Holders of the new junior subordinated notes will receive floating rate interest of 3-month Libor plus 212.5 basis points. The notes will mature on Feb. 12, 2067. Following issuance of the new notes, The Hartford's financial leverage and coverage metrics will remain within guidelines for the company's Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relatin to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings.



A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006393/en/

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[March 07, 2017]

EPAM to Host Investor Day on March 14, 2017 in New York City

NEWTOWN, Pa., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM), a leading global provider of product development and software engineering solutions, will host its Annual Investor Day on March 14, 2017 in New York, NY.



In-person attendance is by registration only. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit https://events.epam.com/events/investor-day-2017

This event will be webcast. To access the webcast please visit http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/sjr4u526 and register for the event (approximately 10 minutes before). An archive of the webcast will be available on EPAMs website at http://investors.epam.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=246986&p=irol-IRHome

About EPAM Systems

Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM), has leveraged its core engineering expertise to become a leading global product development and digital platform engineering services company. Through its Engineering DNA and innovative strategy, consulting, and design capabilities, EPAM works in collaborationwith its customers to deliver innovative solutions that turn complex business challenges into real business opportunities. EPAMs global teams serve customers in over 25 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. EPAM is a recognized market leader among independent research agencies and was ranked #8 in FORBES 25 Fastest Growing Public Tech Companies, as a top information technology services company on FORTUNES 100 Fastest Growing Companies, and as a top UK Digital Design & Build Agency. Learn more at http://www.epam.com/ and follow us on Twitter @EPAMSYSTEMS and LinkedIn.







For more information, please visit http://www.epam.com/.

EPAM Systems, Inc. CONTACT: David Straube P: +1 267 759 9000 x 59419 [email protected]
[March 07, 2017] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Commences Investigation on Behalf of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. Investors

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of investors of Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. ("IPG" or the "Company") (NYSE: IPG) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. On December 6, 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating IPG, noting that the Company possibly steered commercial production business to their in-house production units over independent companies by rigging the bidding process. On this news, shares of IPG fell over 3% on December 6, 2016.



Shortly thereafter, on December 16, 2016, The Wall Street Journal disclosed that IPG acknowledged that it was contacted by the Justice Department's antitrust division, which requested documents related to the Company's video production practices. On this news, shares of IPG fell again thereby injuring investors. If you purchased IPG securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006435/en/

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"What I love about this Challenge is that it is so focused on what enterprise customers say they want and need," remarked Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS.com. "It offers enough structure so that teams know what they're shooting for, but enough degrees of freedom to enable creative solutions. Kudos to SAP for taking this step - and we are really excited by this collaboration."

The Challenge will kick off on April 5th and all submissions need be received no later than March 31st. Submissions received before March 13 will be given priority status, and teams will be invited to Innovation Project 2017 on the campus of Harvard University* in Cambridge, MA to meet Payments2CashFlow Challenge team mentors. To learn more about this challenge and apply, visit the Payments 2 Cash Flow Challenge.

About PYMNTS

PYMNTS.com is where the best minds and the best content meet on the web to learn about "What's Next" in payments and commerce. Our interactive platform is reinventing the way in which companies in payments share relevant information about the initiatives that shape the future of this dynamic sector and make news. Our data and analytics team includes economists, data scientists and industry analysts who work with companies to measure and quantify the innovation that is at the cutting edge of this new world.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE:SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 345,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006475/en/
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017
AMD demoed its 64-core/128 thread dual socket Naples server platform against a comparable Intel server at its recent Tech Day but timed the announcement to coincide with the OCP (Open Compute Project) Summit this week. AMD presented a narrow workload that doesn't do much to reveal Naples' broader performance trend, although it does compare favorably against the Intel comparison platform. More importantly, AMD also revealed more details on the architecture and design of its forthcoming server SoCs.

In the past, AMD's desktop PC market penetration has lagged woefully behind Intel's, but a quick glance at its data center share highlights an even larger disparity between the two companies. Intel currently commands ~99% of data center server sockets, and its dominance in the high-margin segment has been a key to its success on many fronts. Intel is leveraging its commanding Xeon lead as a springboard to attack other lucrative segments, such as networking with Omni-Path/silicon photonics and memory with 3D XPoint, but it leverages locked-down proprietary interconnects that have raised the ire of the broader industry.

AMD, by contrast, leverages open protocols where it can and participates in developmental efforts on several new open interconnects, such as CCIX, Gen-Z, and OpenCAPI, so for the broader industry, a competitive AMD represents more than just a cost advantage and second source. Let's dive in.

The High-Level

AMD's Naples brings Southbridge functionality on-die, so there is no need for an I/O hub or chipset. AMD claimed the integrated connectivity will increase performance and reduce cost. For instance, a dual-socket server can support up to 24 NVMe drives without additional hardware, and Naples features integrated Ethernet capabilities, although AMD did not specify performance metrics. The Zen microarchitecture infuses the power of SMT into the Naples platform, and the combination of 32 physical cores and 64 threads provides AMD with 45% more cores than Intel's flagship E5-2699 v4, which features 22 cores.

A single Naples SoC provides 128 PCIe 3.0 lanes compared to Intel's 40, which is another impressive improvement, though Naples loses some of that advantage in dual-socket servers. The generous PCIe lane allocation allows for six x16 connections, which AMD noted is particularly useful for machine learning applications that leverage GPUs. Naples features eight DDR4 memory channels per socket without the use of a memory buffer (such as Intel's Jordan Creek Scalable Memory Buffers), whereas Intel is limited to four channels. Naples' bulky memory provisioning supports up to 170.76 GB/s of throughput and a maximum capacity of 2.048TB of memory per processor, whereas Intel's E5-2699A v4 plateaus at 78.6 GB/s of throughput and 1.54TB of memory per processor.

AMD will release several SKUs with varying core counts and frequencies, but it isn't revealing clock speeds, TDP, or pricing at this time. The company noted that it will provide more information on the product stack when Naples comes to market (obviously). AMD will support a broad range of out-of-band management interfaces, such as IPMI, and although OS compatibility remains undefined, the company is working with a broad range of operating system and hypervisor vendors.

Expanding to two sockets yields an increase to 16 memory channels (32 DIMMs) that support up to 4TB of memory. AMD's Infinity Fabric connects the processors and communicates across the PCIe interface, so it consumes 64 PCIe lanes between the two Naples SoCs in a dual-socket configuration. The two-socket configuration provides 128 PCIe lanes to the host system, which still outweighs Intel's 80 lanes in a dual-socket server. AMD hasn't specified Infinity Fabric's bandwidth capabilities, among many other details. The Infinity Fabric lane requirements prevent AMD from employing Naples in quad-socket configurations, which would consume all of the available PCIe lanes for inter-socket communication. It isn't clear if AMD plans to bring a quad-socket competitor to market.

AMD hasn't released detailed information on its Infinity Fabric, though we do know that it's an updated version of the HyperTransport protocol. AMD did state that it has improved the protocol's QoS, security characteristics, and other key metrics, which helps with VM provisioning and management.

AMD also claimed that the Infinity Fabric provides near-linear scaling up to 64 cores, but as the footnote indicates, the company hasn't validated scaling with working silicon.

The Demos

AMD configured two dual-socket test systems for its live demonstration, and the Naples "Speedway" reference server design enjoys a pronounced advantage in core count, memory capacity, memory speed, and PCIe lanes compared to the Broadwell server.

AMD was light on the details of its custom seismic workload, and although we do know that it employs AVX instructions, it is impossible to compare the results to standardized workloads or provide a detailed analysis of the tests. AMD indicated that the workload is a computationally intensive analysis involving iterations of 3D wave equations that stresses the CPU, memory, and I/O subsystem. We also weren't provided with more detailed system specifications or settings, so take the results with a grain of salt.

The first workload consisted of 10 iterations of a 1 billion sample grid. AMD restricted its core count and memory speed to match the Intel system, yet still managed to complete the workload in roughly half the time.

For the second test, AMD conducted the same test but brought all 64 cores to bear and bumped its memory speed up to 2,400MHz while the Intel system remained at 1,866MHz. Once again, AMD's carefully selected workload completed faster on the Naples system, yielding a 2.5X advantage. It's impossible to derive any useful scalability comparisons between the workload completion time of the 44-core Naples configuration and the 64-core native configuration due to a lack of information on the workload.

Finally, AMD provided a demo specifically designed to highlight its memory capacity advantage. The company increased the dataset to 10 iterations of a 4 billion sample grid, which simply couldn't run on the Intel system due to its memory capacity disadvantage.

The Takeaway

AMD's Naples design is impressive, and although the benchmarks are obviously very limited and designed to cast Naples in a favorable light, our initial Ryzen tests indicate the Zen architecture is well-optimized for HPC workloads. It will be interesting to see the actual Naples silicon in action in a wide range of industry-standard workloads.

Frankly, AMD faces an uphill battle against Intel in the data center. Intel has the advantage of a wide range of server SKUs and a burgeoning portfolio of new technologies at its disposal. Intel is bringing FPGAs on-package with its Xeons, and we expect them to come on-die in the future, which offers a tremendous amount of flexibility. Other emerging technologies, such as silicon photonics and 3D XPoint, are also major differentiators.

Perhaps Intel's greatest advantage in the data center is its long track record of reliable platforms. Data center operators tend to shy away from new architectures until they have proven their trustworthiness in the field, so we may see a slow adoption rate as AMD deploys its solutions. Intel also benefits from a wide range of applications that are almost solely optimized for its architecture, so AMD will have to expend a considerable amount of effort on ecosystem enablement.

AMD's biggest advantage will likely come in the form of its pricing structure. Intel's Xeon portfolio is prohibitively expensive, particularly on the high-end, so any competition is welcome. Unfortunately, most of the Naples story is yet to be told, so we will have to wait until launch in Q2 2017 for more information.
It was the tour that nobody imagined would ever get off the ground, but yes, Guns N Roses did manage to put their personal differences to get the old band back together and head out on a massive world tour.

Well, most of the band, anyway. Original guitarist Izzy Stradlin refused to join the reunion tour, but original drummer Steven Adler was simply left our of the action in favour of current touring drummer Frank Ferrer  although that hasnt stopped him petitioning for another tour with he and Izzy on board.

Still, being good sports, the current lineup (or maybe just Axl) told Adler that he could join them at select gigs and play a few tracks for old times sake. Adler did just that in Argentina and, while he was clearly stoked to be playing with the old band again in front of a massive crowd, things got very awkward very fast.

As reported by Ultimate Guitar, despite his clear desire to go another round, Adler was unceremoniously booted from the stage after his single allocated song. The footage of the gig (around the 1hr 45m mark) shows how they basically pulled the plug on the poor bloke, leaving him sitting alone on a dark stage until he shuffled off and let them get on with it.

By his account, his treatment by management and the band wasnt particularly gentle, either.

Id start playing another fucking song, and theyd tell me to get off, he told Eddie Trunk on his podcast. Theyd say, Okay, youre done. And Id start playing another song, and theyd just turned the sound off. Beat it. Youre done. I was, like, Okay. Cool. I got to do that. Its better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, and I got to rock with those guys.

Despite the seemingly harsh treatment of one of the bands founding members, he doesnt seem to be holding much of a grudge, and is ready to jump at his first chance to play more tracks  even if it means sharing the stage with Ferrer.

Love Classic Rock? Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more JOIN

If we split it, I wouldnt mind sharing the stage with him at all, he said in the same interview. I mean, if thats what it came down to, Im cool with that. Hes a great guy. [But] I cant [just play one or two songs per show anymore]. Its just too hard. Its too hard. I wanna play more, and I want Izzy to be there.

It was the five of us that made magic, and I know we can make that magic again, cause its just who we are. Even though were twenty-five years older, I know if we got in a room together and started playing, it would be fucking magic.
EPIC KANSAS CITY HAIL DAMAGE ACROSS THE METRO REPORTED!!!

Just as we predicted . . . The hot mess weather has made network news unwatchable tonight.Meanwhile . . .And no, social media posts showing off hail balls aren't really that impressive. Ew.Whilst we credit the newsie noobs who have to go out in this rain garbage . . . The constant, hyperbolic updates recycled all night are undoubtedly repetitive and just a bit annoying to most media watchers . . . Even those among us who fondly remember Katie Horner.And so we all pretend thatStill . . .Score one for weather newseis who have now redeemed themselves after Kansas City missed just about every winter storm predicted as we transition into a new era of global climate change as most of usDeveloping . . .
THE MAYOR ABANDONS SUPPORT FOR THE KANSAS CITY $15 MINIMUM WAGE AND HOPES TO FOCUS ACTIVISTS ON MISSOURI POLITICOS IN JEFF CITY!!!

This Thursday, I will introduce a resolution calling for support of a statewide initiative petition to amend state statute and raise the minimum wage in Missouri.





For the last two years, my office has worked with local labor leaders, community, and faith organizations in order to find an effective and meaningful way to amend state law and raise the minimum wage by statewide initiative petition. In my mind its not enough to simply advocate, we have to build coalitions around policies that actually help people make ends meet.





Last year, I began meeting regularly with mayors from across the state. Our meetings are an effort to better understand the needs and challenges among urban and rural communities. I believe a minimum wage increase is something that can have broad support in both urban and rural communities across Missouri.





Increasing the minimum wage in Kansas City has been a journey that began in 2015. I was proud to vote for a minimum wage increase in 2015 when I supported ordinance 150217. This ordinance was the result of open debate, compromise, and most importantly  we believed it was the right thing for Kansas City. However, the ordinance was immediately subjected to a referendum, and repealed.





Two years later  the effort to give deserving men and women a raise has encountered: One law passed by the state legislature prohibiting cities from increasing their minimum wage, one referendum, one initiative petition, two court cases and finally  this week  a new bill introduced in Jefferson City that would strip any right of our city, or any Missouri city, to increase their minimum wage.





Its become apparent: The only feasible solution available to us is to take this to a statewide vote and remove legislative obstruction, ensuring Kansas City, and all Missourians, can vote to raise their wage.





Missouri workers deserve a raise. Families deserve security. And Its time to put politics aside.

MAYOR SLY JAMES SOLD OUT KANSAS CITY FAIR WAGE FIGHTERS AND BETRAYED PROMISES TO HELP THEIR CAUSE AMID THIS RUSH TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATION BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

Mayor Sly is willing to talk a good game about the "Fight For $15" but he won't do anything substantive to help their cause.

Tonight, Mayor Sly James proves that he's all talk and his words of encouragement to the working poor have been nothing more than empty rhetoric.Today . . .Here's the double talk statement that tops the news tonight. Checkit:Beyond the corny and folksy chatter, check the his latest shuffle and pivot on the topic that's sure to anger both sides of the issue:########Translation . . .This is the worst kind of move because it's not going to make anyone happy . . . He's still putting pressure on small biz who feel threatened by this move . . . Yet the milquetoast effort will certainly be defeated at the statewide level and he's basically leading the working poor to the political slaughter.For a more direct look at the legislative deadline crisis behind the scenes of this issue, check a statement from Councilman Quinton Lucas on the topic . . .Nevertheless . . .More than anything, the Mayor's statement from City Hall plays of political hot potato, kicks the can down the road or simply demonstrates a failure of a local leader to admit the facts . . .You decide . . .
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Nicki Minaj offered aas we examine other news links in our smaller corner of the world. Take a peek:And this is thefor right now . . .
The Borgias were a noble family from the years of the renaissance. Although hailing originally from Spain, they rose to great power in Italy and more than one Borgia became a Catholic Pope. However, despite entrenching themselves in religion, they were known for caring little about morality. They made enemies with many powerful noble families, and have been accused of nearly every depravity you can imagine.

10. They Held Prostitute Parties in the Apostolic Palace

While some of the claims about the Borgias are hard to verify, they made no effort to hide their love of wild parties. Many sources are uncertain about the details of any particular party, but some accounts claim that some very audacious ones took place right within the walls of the apostolic palace. Reports claim the Borgias had invited fifty prostitutes to their party, and had a game after dinner where the prostitutes stripped naked and collected chestnuts from the floor while weaving between candles.

After this, with Cesare, Lucrezia, and Pope Alexander VI allegedly looking on, they challenged the party goers to a game where those who could have the most sex with the prostitutes present would win prizes of silk clothing and other finery. It is possible some of these stories were greatly exaggerated by their enemies, but they were hardly known for being prudish about sex either.

9. Cesare May Have Had His Own Brother Murdered

Cesare Borgia had been traveling back to Rome with his brother Giovanni, then the Duke of Gandia, when things took an odd turn. Recently the Duke had been visited by a strange man who wore a mask  a man Giovanni seemed to be totally comfortable with. Upon reaching Rome, the Duke told Cesare he was going to go off and do some business alone, taking only the masked man with him  it would be the last time anyone saw Giovanni Borgia alive.

While there were other possible enemies who could have been involved, many people suspected the intervention of Cesare Borgia himself. He had substantial political gain and accrued more power upon the death of his brother, and apart from the masked man, he was the last person to see him alive. However, even if he was involved, it seems likely he simply ordered others to carry out the assassination. There was certainly not enough evidence to convict anyone, and no historian will ever be sure.

8. Cesare Borgia Wore a Mask to Hide the Ravages of Syphilis

Many of the extant paintings of Cesare Borgia show an incredibly handsome looking face. There are even some rumors that the popular depiction of Jesus is actually modeled after the face of the famous subject of Machiavellis The Prince. However, the truth is that while Cesare was a very handsome young man, he soon lost his dashing good looks to syphilis.

Then known as the French disease, syphilis was starting to cause a lot of trouble in Europe. Cesare was a huge fan of brothels and contracted the disease at the young age of 22. As time passed the disease became worse and it affected his looks, causing awful sores to appear on his face. For this reason, he often wore a mask in public to hide the ravages of the disease, and the shameful spiting of what was once a good looking face.

7. The Controversy Over Whether The Prince was Complimentary or Satirical

Machiavellis The Prince is a book utterly embedded in the consciousness of our society. The book is essentially a treatise on how to get and maintain political power, especially if you want to do so in immoral and sneaky ways and is based on the life of Cesare Borgia. This has led to the expression Machiavellian to describe particularly crafty and evil people, but people may be getting the message of the book entirely wrong.

The truth is that we may have a case of much of the original intent being lost in translation. Some historians have put forward a strong case that Machiavelli had no love at all for the Borgias, and that what many people thought was praise was actually a satirical commentary on the corrupt way the entire family came to power, especially Cesare. While some are still convinced that The Prince was entirely serious, many historians remain doubtful. If it were satirical, it would be ironic how many would-be dictators have read the book for ideas over the years, not realizing it was a manual on what not to do.

6. Accusations of Incest Among the Borgia Brothers and Sisters

The Borgias may have been a powerful noble family who were able to hold onto control far longer than their enemies ever expected, but they were hardly the most socially respected people. There were many ugly rumors going around about them at any given time, and one of the most common was that Lucrezia had slept with more than one of her brothers, especially Cesare himself.

It is hard to say if any of this happened for sure, but it is true that he was extremely close to Lucrezia, and it would not have been the first time she had been accused of being involved in incest. She was known around Rome for being extremely open to having sex with anyone who was interested, which may be how the rumor of incest initially spread. While there is no hard evidence to prove one way or the other, it wasnt entirely uncommon for noble families to inter-marry back in the day, in order to keep power within the family bloodlines.

5. Lucrezia Borgia Was Accused of Poisoning Multiple People

Lucrezia was the sister of Cesare Borgia, and the daughter of Pope Alexander VI  her name is also one of the first that comes up when people think of famous poisoners in history. Lucrezia was known for being with a lot of men, but divorced her first husband, later claiming that he had been impotent. After this, she had two other marriages, both of which increased the wealth and power of the Borgia family.

Some historians now believe that the accusations that she personally poisoned people may only have cropped up due to her connection to the rest of her family, but it is hard to believe she wasnt at least aware of what was going on. Many of the bodies that piled up around the family may not have been poisoned by her, but there is evidence that Cesare and Pope Alexander VI made a habit of using poison to destroy their enemies and increase their own wealth.

4. Alexander VI: The Pope With Many Children, Some Illegitimate

Most people tend to think of popes as being paragons of the most pure in terms of sexuality. People who remain chaste, do not have sex with anyone and refrain from existing within that sphere of life. However, back in the day, these rules were sometimes not paid as much attention to as people might think. And when it came to the Borgias, it was another situation where they cared little what society wanted  they would do what they wanted to do.

Pope Alexander VI had a total of at least ten children. Considering how sexually active he was, and the many rumors about alleged incest, there could be even more children in the mix than those that are actually verified. While many of these children were illegitimate, Alexander VI was still known for caring deeply for them and often going to great lengths to secure their political power and future.

3. Alexander VI was a Cunning Pope but Cared Little for the Dignity of His Office

For Catholics, the reign of Pope Alexander VI was a huge blot on the reputation of their church. He was known for humiliating the office of the papacy by consorting with prostitutes, aggrandizing his family, engaging in bribery and alleged blackmail, murder, and incest. It would practically be easier to make a list of crimes that he was not accused of.

However, the accusation that makes him look worst as a pope is that Alexander VI treated the position more like a ruler than a religious leader. He controlled it tightly and when confronted by enemies, he was a very tough negotiator, concerned chiefly with the sovereignty of the land he was currently ruling. Some sources say that he cared little at all for the dignity of the office of the papacy, and many believe he never cared about the church beyond the fact that it was a path to great power within the borders of Italy. However, considering how much of the world was in conflict during those days, perhaps he was the Pope that was needed at the time.

2. Alexander VI Gave Tacit Permission to Enslave the Natives of the New World

During Alexander VIs reign, he signed a papal bull known as Inter Caetera, which divided up certain parts of the New World and other territories between Spain and Portugal. These areas obviously already had native people living in them, but were not yet explored by Europeans. The papal document gave future dominion of any of these unexplored areas to whichever country fell on the side of the dividing line. This papal order was supposed to ensure the two countries wouldnt fight over the New World, but it wasnt much help for the natives.

While some people argue about the Popes intentions, the document was later used as justification to enslave the natives if they didnt convert to Christianity. Some Vatican scholars argue that the Pope never meant any such thing, but others argue that the words of the document itself are quite damning. It states that not only land, but any villages, or localities found would be under the control of the explorers, as long as the rulers of those localities were not already Christian. However, whether he meant they should able to enslave them, or just rule over them, is another matter entirely.

1. One Member of the Borgia Family was Canonized as a Catholic Saint

While most of the Borgias are known for murderous intrigue of some kind, one member of the family may be the regrettable white sheep. Francis Borgia was always a bit different from the others. While he saw the church as a career path as well, he wasnt interested in the pomp and ceremony of the more gilded positions  he wished to go study to become a monk. At the time his parents did not allow it, and eventually he married and lived a fairly uneventful life until the death of his wife.

It was at this point that he decided he would take on his lifes true dream. He made sure his children would be well accounted for, passed his political position on to his eldest son and went and became a Jesuit. He was known for being incredibly humble and refusing to receive any special treatment due to his noble lineage  some stories claim that the only thing that truly bothered him was being referred to as a noble after giving up the life. While he did his best to stay low in terms of social status, he still ended up being chosen as Superior General of the Jesuits, and increased the presence of the organization around the world.

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European Stability Mechanism (ESM) board member and top executive Rolf Strauch this week warned that Athens will definitely need the Eurozone organization's funding over the summer,

European Stability Mechanism (ESM) board member and top executive Rolf Strauch this week warned that Athens will definitely need the Eurozone organization's funding over the summer, when several loan repayments are due.

"Without a disbursement from the ESM, the liquidity situation will become very tight. For the repayment that comes in July, the ESM money will be needed," Strauch told "Naftemporiki".

Moreover, he emphasized that any decision on whether medium-term debt relief measures are necessary must come after the current adjustment program has been effectively implemented through 2018. The current bailout, the third in a row, ends in August 2018.

Strauch acknowledged that this position is aligned with statements by IMF chief Christine Lagarde made in the wake of her recent meetings with German leadership in Berlin.

The IMF has been increasingly more vocal in its demand for Greek debt relief, as opposed to European creditors.

Strauch, who also serves as the director of research and institutional relations of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), echoed the more austere line by European creditors, namely, that any debt relief should not generate more direct costs in Eurozone member-states' budgets.

"The key point here is that the review is completed, which is a necessary condition and one in which the Greek government can act upon. The rest is part of the judgment that the ECB will need to make," he said, in reference to the Greek government's coveted goal of again including Greek state bonds in the European Central Bank's Quantitative Easing (QE) stimulus program.

Electoral "wave" of anti-memorandum sentiment

In a thinly veiled gibe at the current leftist-rightist coalition, which first came to power in January 2015 on an electoral "wave" of anti-memorandum sentiment, Strauch said Greece had tentatively re-entered international money markets in 2014.

"If you look back at 2014, Greece had started re-entering the market with a 5-year issue. It was possible then ... But right now market access in 2018 is a credible outcome and that is what we are working for," he said.

Failure to re-enter markets in 2018, he added, would merely shift the focus to "other options", he said when queried about the prospect of a new program.

Strauch is also the latest top European official to point to the damage in relations between Athens and its creditors over the first half of 2015, when negotiations on behalf of the Greek side were led by flamboyant former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. His criticism of Varoufakis was followed by kudos for the current Greek finance ministry leadership.

"Obviously what happened in the first half of 2015 under minister Varoufakis was extremely difficult and it caused great rupture. But now its fair to give credit to minister (Euclid) Tsakalotos and deputy minister (Giorgos) Chouliarakis for trying to move the programme ahead, always being conscious about the political situation in Greece. The working relationship with the institutions has improved substantially compared to the 2015 period."

The mercurial Varoufakis has often responded to such high-profile disapproval with his now infamous "I wear the creditors' loathing with pride" quip.

Read more here.

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Mena financial markets will outperform emerging markets (EM) in 2017, but political instability continues to be seen as the main source of risk for Mena markets, according to a survey of international fund managers and institutional investors.



Potential for higher trade barriers (42 per cent of votes) is seen as the key risk to global markets in 2017, the survey by EFG Hermes, a leading financial services corporation in the Middle East and North Africa, said.



The survey was conducted at the opening session of the One on One 2017 conference in Dubai, and it polled 510 international fund managers and institutional investors from 260 institutions, and 147 leading companies from Mena and Frontier on the outlook for the markets.



Within Mena and Frontier, most voters (46 per cent) said Egypt will be the top performing market in US dollar (USD) terms in 2017. Within Mena sectors, most investors (32 per cent) continue to see healthcare as the one with greatest performance potential in 2017. Finally, on Pakistan, 54 per cent of voters said they expect the market to be lower in USD terms one year from now, in line with trends seen in previous EM upgrades.



Most participants expected oil to end 2017 at $50-60/bbl. The audience expected Mena earnings to rise by 0-10 per cent in 2017, which is in line with consensus. "We see low single digit earnings growth for 2017, as we believe that Saudi Arabia earnings are unlikely to grow by 10 per cent in aggregate for the year," EFG Hermes said.



Despite consensus view on lower oil for longer, most participants (61 per cent) believed that GCC pegs will not change by 2020.



About 56 per cent of participants expect that the Fed will hike rates twice this year, but there was no view on whether or not EM funds will see net outflows in 2017 with votes split equally among the 'Yes' and 'No' answers. However, 77 per cent of participants said that passively managed funds will continue to grow at the expense of active AUMs.

Moreover, despite big frontier markets (such as Pakistan, Qatar, and UAE) leaving the frontier index in recent years, 68 per cent of the participants believed that frontier will continue to be a standalone offering, which is good news for Kuwait which most participants (55 per cent) believe will remain a frontier market by 2020.



Finally, very few participants expect Saudi Arabia to join MSCI EM by 2018, with most voters (34 per cent) saying 2019 will be the year when Saudi Arabia gets upgraded. Moreover, most participants (39 per cent) said that Aramcos IPO value will be between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion. - TradeArabia News Service


Euromoney Conferences, the worlds leading organiser of conferences for cross-border investment and capital markets, will hold its annual Euromoney Jordan Conference on March 22.



Co-hosted by the Jordanian Ministry of Finance, this years conference will bring together 300 financiers, donors, investors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and government officials to explore how Jordan can fund its future.



Titled Meeting the Financial Challenge, the upcoming Euromoney Jordan Conference will consist of interactive panel discussions, lively debates and keynote interviews.



During the event, expert panellists will examine the macroeconomic outlook for 2017 and beyond, discussing global economic and geopolitical events and their impact on the kingdom.



The conferences programme will also include an assessment of the health of Jordans financial sector, as well as a review of regulation, bank strategy, de-risking, financial technology (FinTech), and private finance.



Highlights of the event will include keynote addresses from Omar Malhas, Minister of Finance, and Eng Imad Fakhoury, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, as well as Nemeh Sabbagh, CEO of Arab Bank.



The programme will also include a special session on activating financial inclusion in Jordan, as well as a discussion on expanding public-private partnerships in the education, medical and service sectors.



This years Euromoney Jordan Conference will serve as a rare platform for participants to hear directly from a high-level line-up of financial leaders and decision makers, each of whom plays a critical role in shaping Jordans financial future, said Victoria Behn, director of Middle East and Africa at Euromoney Conferences. We look forward to a robust and productive exchange of ideas as we take a deeper look at the role of finance in delivering Vision 2025, Jordans 10-year blueprint for economic and social development. - TradeArabia News Service


Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) has registered a net profit of QR1.54 billion ($422 million) for 2016 compared to QR1.5 billion ($411 million) in the year before.



The company also posted a four per cent growth in its sales which soared to QR3.1 billion last year compared to QR2.99 billion in 2015. Earnings per share (EPS) amounted to QR14.02 in 2016 compared to QR13.64 in 2015.



The results were announced here last night after a meeting of QEWC board of directors chaired by Dr Mohammad bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, said a statement from the Qatar utility firm.



The board adopted the report pertaining to the companys activities and financial results for 2016 and future planned investments and the companys financial position for 10 years .



It also discussed developments in the companys various projects, which are under construction and review including Ras Abu Fontas (A-3) Umm Al Houl Power and Lusail Tower Project, it stated.



The board also discussed QEWCs foreign investments in power and water projects through Nebras Power, in which the utility firm owns a 60 per cent stake.



Nebras Power has already completed acquisition of a few projects and is currently negotiating on additional buys.



The board members also reviewed the status of a solar power project, for which QEWC signed a MoU with Qatar Petroleum to establish a company for building solar power plants in Qatar.



Impressed with the results, the board has decided to offer a recommendation to the general assembly to approve the distribution of cash dividends to shareholders, equivalent to 75 per cent of the nominal value of the shares, same as that of last year.-TradeArabia News Service
Omani and Spanish partners are planning to set up a 70-bed high-end super-specialty hospital in Oman with an investment of RO24 million ($62.33 million), a report said.



Oman and Emirates Investment Holding Company (O&E), a Muscat-based listed company, is the local company involved in the project, said the Oman Daily Observer report.



O&E is promoting this project jointly with Spanish partners and has agreed to invest RO1.845 million and take up a 15 per cent equity stake in the company, Awad Mohammed Faraj Bamkhalef, chief executive officer, was quoted as saying in the report.



Provisional plans drawn up by the partners envisage a 70-bed facility, which is expandable to 100 beds, offering state-of-the-art medical facilities.



The proposed share capital has been fully booked by various institutional investors in Oman and also by the Spanish partner, who will invest 15 per cent, said Bamkhalef.


Verizon has chosen datamena, the carrier-neutral data center and connectivity platform, as a new regional transit hub to serve Verizon customers across the Middle East.



Verizon has deployed a new private IP node in datamena's free-zone datacenter in Dubai, giving its customers in the UAE a direct, secure, high-performance connectivity to the company's expansive global IP network. In addition, Verizon plans to leverage its existing global relationships with major SaaS providers to expand its service offering in the Middle East with new 'as a service' capabilities.



Verizon's Private IP is a network-based virtual private network (VPN) service based on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) technology, enabling customers to effectively communicate over a secure, efficient, and flexible network infrastructure. Private IP is also the critical network cornerstone of Verizon's SDN strategy: connecting users to applications, simply, securely and reliably.



"The UAE is recognised as a hub for communication solutions in the Middle East, so is a natural location for Verizon to focus its connectivity for the region," said Peter Konings, EMEA products director, Verizon. "Our relationship with datamena demonstrates Verizon's continued commitment to expanding access to our global PIP network. Our objective is to ensure we support our customers' current and future communications objectives, offering seamless connectivity to their business-critical applications -- no matter where their operations are in the world."



Launched by du in 2012 and based in the UAE, datamena offers customers a secure ecosystem of space, connectivity, infrastructure, and expertise to help them grow across the Middle East and the world.



Verizon is well-established in the Middle East, supporting the needs of its multinational customers with presence in the region through a mix of local partnerships and infrastructure and pan-regional professional service and customer support capabilities. Verizon also services the region through its investment in the SEA-ME-WE- 3, SEA-ME-WE4 and Europe India Gateway submarine cable networks, which land and serve the Middle East as primary cable systems. - TradeArabia News Service


Cambodian children dance during a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 7. Cambodian residents involved in land disputes in Phnom Penh attended the ceremony, on the eve of the International Women's Day, with demands for the release of human rights workers from prison. EPA/Kith Serey
The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has launched its representative offices in the UK and France in the presence of its CEO Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa and the accompanying delegation.



The launch of the representative offices comes in line with the Authority's strategic outreach and recently launched brand 'Ours Yours' aimed at promoting Bahrain as the ideal tourism destination to the regional and international markets further positioning the Tourism industry as a main contributor to the overall economic growth synonymous to the Economic Vision 2030.



During the launch of the representative offices, BTEA took the opportunity to meet the trade tourism press and trade professionals to introduce the strategy of the kingdom.



The main trade media and trade tourism professionals attended the events to further discover Bahrain as a destination. During the events, they also met BTEAs representatives and the team from the representative offices.



Further commenting on the launch, Shaikh Khaled, CEO of BTEA said: Bahrain has a strong and long standing relationship with the UK and France and it became natural for us, while developing our global tourism strategy, to include the British and French market as a priority inbound market."



"International travellers are eager for new experiences therefore the unique positioning of our destination combining high standards and authenticity will meet their expectations. Were happy to see that the British and French trade actors are very curious about what Bahrain has to offer and willing to work closely with us, which looks positive for the upcoming months and years," he said.



In order to lead its promotion toward trade tourism and media, BTEA appointed the tourism expert agency Interface Tourism and will count on the support of the team in Paris and Hills Balfour to lead its efforts in the UK.



BTEA will also exhibit at the main European trade tourism show ITB Berlin from March 8 to 10 to further promote the kingdom as the ideal tourism destination. - TradeArabia News Service


ON THE MOVE: BTIG Adds Fixed Income Trio; JPM Snags DB Duo

Agency broker BTIG has snagged John Agnew, Drew Hall and Evan Jones, in its fixed income trading group. Agnew onboards as a Managing Director of Fixed Income Credit Trading. He will provide senior-level direction on the firms trading desk, executing transactions in various high-yield securities. Prior to BTIG, Agnew was a Senior Managing Director of High-Yield Securities at Guggenheim Partners. Previously, he was the Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Summit Securities Group. Earlier in his career, he held a number of senior high-yield trading roles at BNP Paribas, Fleet Securities, Schroders, Nomura and Dean Witter Reynolds.

Hall joined BTIG as a Managing Director of Fixed Income Credit Sales. Prior to BTIG, he was a Managing Director of High-Yield Securities at Guggenheim Partners. Hall spent more than ten years as a Managing Director in the High-Yield and Distressed Bonds and Loans Group at Jefferies. Earlier in his career, he held similar roles at Miller Tabak Roberts, Fleet Securities and Citibank.

Lastly, Jones gets the title of Managing Director of Fixed Income Credit Strategy, focusing on high-yield and convertibles. Prior to BTIG, he was a Senior Vice President and Credit Analyst at Jefferies, focused on capital structure opportunities. Earlier in his career, he held similar roles at CIBC, ABN Amro and Bank of America.

All three will be based in New York, reporting into Drew Doscher and Darren Haines, Co-Heads of the Fixed Income Credit Group at BTIG.

If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com

JP Morgan has poached two of Deutsche Banks senior trading technologists, bulking up its electronic trading group. The US lured David Winig as global head of market data services and electronic trading infrastructure, and Leon Sirota to its fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) technology team in New York. Sirota was previously Deutsche Banks global head of algorithmic trading technology for over six years, before departing in January. Winig returns to JPM after serving almost eight years at Deutsche Bank, where he previously served as the CIO of the corporate banking and securities (CB&S) units core trading technology.

Citi has promoted Antonin Jullier to global head of equity sales. Jullier was global head of equity trading strategy at Citi for five years and has held various positions at the bank since 2010. He joined as co-head of trading for EMEA equities before being promoted and has been a managing director with the bank since 2008.

Former global head of trading at AXA Investment Management has joined MarketAxess as head of Europe and Asia. Christophe Roupie has been tasked with driving MarketAxess global expansion and securing new business and product development opportunities. He was previously global head of trading at AXA for ten years and was global head of fixed income trading at Natixis prior to that.

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Owl cafes in Japan are undeniably popular -- it's not every day that you can have a huge-eyed avian as company while you dine. It truly sounds like a fantasy cafe straight out of "Harry Potter," but animal activists dismiss the marketing attraction as dangerous to the animals because reports of carelessness and maltreatment have surfaced.

According to The Mirror UK, animal rights activists in China said many owl cafes lacked the the necessary staff to care for the avian. They also raised the issue that the sleeping pattern of owls is disrupted; owls sleep in the morning as they are natural nocturnal creatures. This might cause the owls to have possible health complications -- which constitute to animal abuse according to Activist Chihiro Okada of the Animal Rights Centre in Tokyo.

Okada added that in any situation establishments or organizations captivate animals, the risk of abuse increases .Most cafes tie the feet of the owls to perches to disable them from flying outside the establishment -- which Okada views as also possible grounds for animal abuse.

According to Reuters, the increasing number of domestic and foreign guests and the shortage of staff members could likely lead to neglect. It reported that some owl cafes allow customers to "freely interact with owls" but most, such as Owl Village Cafe, requires the presence of a trained cafe employee to teach guests how to interact with the owl and make them company during their stay.

Domestic travelers head to Harajuku district's five owl cafes to maximize their luck by the end of the year. The owl in Japan is a symbol of good luck.

Japan's fondness for strangeness leaves them in lists of unique experiences -- food, for example. Cafes that feature other animals such as cats and dogs, goats, and even hedgehogs rival Japan's owl cafes. According to animal rights activists, the captivity of wild animals could only increase with the boom of animal-themed Japanese cafes.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
In response to requiring an American Visa for EU travelers to enter the United States, EU Parliament's lawmakers are pushing for Americans to apply for EU visas when they travel into the continent as part of the ongoing "mini war" involving Visas and tighter immigration rules.

According to Reuters, the European Commission is "pursuing a diplomatic resolution" to the refusal of the US to grant visa-free access to some east European countries formerly involved with Communism including Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania. Cyprus in the Mediterranean is also included in the list. The five countries are pushing the EU Parliament to end US discrimination against them.

According to a US State Department Official, the five countries do not meet the requirements of America's Visa Waiver Program. According to the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, the five countries mentioned earlier do not meet the "security requirements" for the VWP.

By May, the EU Parliament would need to introduce improvements and adjustments to its visas. In two months, it may also reintroduce EU visas for American travelers. According to The Telegraph UK, America had missed a deadline to accept "visa reciprocity" in the last year, allowing the EU to suspend its "Visa Waiver Program."

A letter from ETC Executive Director Eduardo Santander and Network For The European Private Sector in Tourism Secretariat Michael de Blust said the ongoing "visa war" between America and Europe could prove damaging to the tourism industry of both. The letter said the two are "very concerned" about the "economic and political impact brought on by a visa waiver for US nationals."

The letter continued: "The European travel and tourism sector would be deprived of essential value." Both letter authors said the war would "put thousands of European jobs at stake." Along with the US -- the only one to fail to meet the deadline, Japan, Australia, Brunei and Canada have all lifted their Visa requirements for American travelers.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
British street artist Banksy opened The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem near the controversial wall dividing Israel from Palestine, calling it a lodging with the "worst view of any hotel in the world." The 10-room property serves as accommodation, museum, as well as a political or artistic statement of the artist regarding the wall that has the two regions pitting against each other.

The interior decors of the hotel mirrored the current state of Israel and Palestine with its war-themed designs hanging, standing or painted on the walls. The lobby has been decorated with cherubs wearing a mask of an airplane turbulence, while a Greco-Roman bust is seen covering its nose and mouth when spiraled with a tear gas.

The walls of the have controversial artworks: one room mural depicting a US army officer and a Middle Eastern officer fighting with pillows, and another painting shows a girl and her toy clown scribbling on a wall that says "Free Palestine."

The Guardian reports Banksy as saying, "Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before [Donald] Trump made it cool," wanted the hotel to be fully booked while at the same time have the customers leave with a deep sense of thought of the world now.

The new hotel is seen to boost employment and generate income despite being in a place full of crime and political turmoil. The Walled Off Hotel Manager, Wisam Salsaa, invites Israelis to visit the hotel and come up close to the controversial wall. The citizens are banned in visiting Bethlehem and other popular sites.

However, the artist said that since the building is located in an Israeli-military-controlled property, it is still legal for Israelis to visit the site, although, coming there would mean crossing Palestinian-controlled territories. Banksy still believes that though people are worried about safety and security, the place will still invite interested customers.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
In a Dutch-themed park in Nagasaki Sasebo, it seemed like it's possible to sleep in a capsule and wake up the next morning in an all-attraction island. Huis Ten Bosch will be developing a new feature where hotel guests can stay in a two-storey sphere capsule that drifts to another park.

About a maximum of four people can sleep at the capsule and enjoy a slow drift towards on the calm water. Japan Times reported that the theme park wants to generate more foreign and domestic visitors after its launch of the Hennna Hotel or the "strange hotel" in 2015 - the Guinness World Records world's first robot-staffed hotel.

The capsule will be priced between $260 and $350, and construction will begin by the end of the year. Photos online show that Huis Ten Bosch has demonstrated the capsule in the waters of the Nagasaki Prefecture.

The new attraction will have visitors thinking like they have drifted to dreamland and wake up in a new realm. Meanwhile, people can wait before 2018 comes and enjoy various Amusement Attractions like the Fairy-tale Wonder Woods, Sky Castle, or Shooting Star.

For the adventurous-in-heart, they can go to Softy Land, Maze (the world's largest labyrinth), and the Horizon Adventure Plus. Various cafes and restaurants like the Flower Ice Cafe and Count Chocolate's Mansion await visitors as well.

Those who can't wait for the water attraction can enjoy Huis Ten Bosch's Fishing Adventure Game, Ride The De Liefde, ride on the Duck Tour and Canal Station.

Check out their yearly event schedule and updates on their website, as you wait for the new attraction to come to life. Huis Ten Bosch models the park after Holland and serves as the biggest theme park in Japan to hold the Flower Festival.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Coatings for Africa will now be organised by dmg events, starting with the next edition in Johannesburg from May 29  31, 2018. The new acquisition will sit within the companys growing Coatings portfolio, which includes the Middle East Coatings Show taking place in Dubai on March 13 -15, 2017.

The biennial Coatings for Africa event will retain the South African Paint Manufacturers Association (SAPMA) and the Oil and Colour Chemists Association (OCCA) as partners, with both associations pledging their long-term support. SAPMA members make more than 90 percent of all coatings manufactured in South Africa, while many of the individual chemists and technologists who visit the event are OCCA members. As Africa represents 28 percent of the worlds coating production by volume, and South Africa is the continents largest producer, there is no better place for the regions suppliers of raw materials and equipment to meet their market, says dmg events.

Africa is one of the most exciting and rapidly developing continents on earth, said Ian Faux, Vice President  Coatings. As well as supporting the local markets, we are confident that our international client base, familiar with our events in Asia and the Middle East, will be keen to move with us into this new territory and take advantage of the fabulous opportunities available here.

The event will see senior managers and technologists from across the paints and coatings industry come looking for a mix of the latest products, technologies and services. At the same time, they will be able to take part in a developing education program, which will include a three-day conference, plus interactive zones for workshops and live product demonstrations.

Deryck Spence, speaking on behalf of SAPMA and OCCA stated: Both of our associations are extremely excited about our partnership with dmg events. It is a perfect marriage in that we share the vision of uplifting Coatings for Africa as the flagship shows on the African continent and in doing so expand the expertise of the Coatings industry in South Africa, which we represent.

Coatings for Africa joins a coatings-specific portfolio of events that already includes Dubais Middle East Coatings Show, the Asia Coatings Congress, the East African Coatings Congress, the Central Asia Coatings Show, the Asia Pacific Coatings Show and Cairos Middle East Coatings Show. The established event also joins an expanding portfolio of exhibitions being created for the African market by dmg events recently opened South African operation, set up in July of 2016.

The acquisition of Coatings for Africa is the latest in a series of strategic moves by dmg events as we expand our business into key markets on the continent, said Matt Denton, President of dmg events. We have already successfully launched The Big 5 East Africa and INDEX North Africa, while a third geo-cloned event - The Big 5 Construct North Africa - will debut in April 2017.


Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : LA RESIDENCE HUE APPOINTS TWO NEW MANAGERS Industry: Hotels

Two new hires at the award-winning La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel



(TRAVPR.COM) VIETNAM - March 7th, 2017 - HUE CITY, Vietnam - La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa, one of Vietnam's most highly acclaimed hospitality properties, has hired two new managers to head up operations and manage sales.



Adrien Marie has joined the hotel as operations manager, and Huynh Xuan Hanh comes aboard as director of sales. Each reports directly to General Manager Phan Trong Minh. Marie will be based on site in Hue, and Hanh will work out of Ho Chi Minh City.



The additions come at an auspicious time for the Sofitel MGallery property, which in November won placement on a list of Southern Asia's top hotels in Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards.In 2014 and 2015, the hotel also earned top spots on the list of Southeast Asia's top hotels.



Marie relocates to Hue from Beijing where he worked in sales and business development at the Sofitel Wanda. Prior to those appointments, he worked at hotels in his native France and in the United States. He was educated in Paris, Chicago and Berkeley.



Hanh has worked at a number of leading hospitality concerns across Vietnam, including Vinpearl, Sofitel Saigon Plaza and Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon. She also worked a stint as a relationship manager at HSBC Bank. Hanh studied physics and accounting in college.



About La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel



Nestled on the fabled banks of the Perfume River in Hue, La Residence celebrated its grand opening in December 2005 after a painstaking restoration of the 1930-built mansion. The hotel's distinctive bowed facade, its long horizontal lines and nautical flourishes are hallmarks of the streamline moderne school of art deco architecture. Its 122 rooms and suites, restaurants, lounges, bars and conference room are tricked out in complementary art-deco furnishings and decor that evoke both the 1920s and 1950s. The hotel's Le Parfum Restaurant serves Mediterranean and French cuisine, as well as dishes from an expansive Vietnamese menu. Find out more about La Residence at www.la-residence-hue.com. ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Ms. Le Phan Ha My Company: La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel Phone: (84-234) 383 7475 Email: marcom@la-residence-hue.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS
Hasan Suroor

I N case you havent noticed, India and the UK are celebrating 2017 as the Year of Culture: a year-long big-bang celebration of cultural exchange between the two countries. But, I was struck by something else: the festival was kicked off not by the foreign minister or the culture minister, as is the practice on such occasions, but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, perhaps revealing a glimpse of the power play going on within Team Modi. And Jaitley, of course, loved it to bits, though he talked less about culture, and spent more time defending his political alma mater, ABVPs thuggish actions back home, and educating his hosts about the Sangh Parivars notions of free speech and nationalism. Telling them how an imaginary alliance of subversion comprising separatists and the far Left was threatening the unity and integrity of India, and the patriotic ABVP was simply trying to thwart their anti-national plot.

I find this absolutely strange that an argument is being raised that I have free speech to advocate that India should be broken into pieces and those who oppose me are hindering that right to free speech. Well, they too have a right to free speech, he said. Heres a sentence thats riddled with so many misleading suggestions that it should be up there with the joke about the man who was accused of beating his wife when in fact the man in question didnt even have a wife. Theres an old saw about poor diplomats having to lie abroad for their country. Should it now be extended to include senior ministers having to dissimulate abroad to defend their ideological foot soldiers at home?

The India-UK Year of Culture was mooted during Narendra Modis UK visit in 2015, ostensibly to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian Independence. A more cynical reading is that it was conjured up to put a gloss on a rather anaemic visit which achieved little beyond expressions of friendly intentions. The tour was marred by street protests and some scathing media criticism of his and his partys intolerant attitude. Though some routine bilateral agreements were signed (the sort that are dutifully kept ready by civil servants for such occasions) there was no progress on the two big issues that have dogged India-UK relations in recent years: Indias demand for a more generous visa regime, especially for its students, and UK-based Indian companies; and British clamour for a bigger share of the Indian market. It wants India to open up its insurance and legal sectors to British businesses.

As the two countries go to town over their cultural links  according to a breathless Indian newspaper report, Its raining India all over UKs capital  lets step back from the hype and take a more realistic look at the state of play. The two issues, flagged up above, continue to cast a shadow over bilateral relations. Long-simmering tensions over visas, particularly, have escalated. Britains former business secretary Vince Cable has called it the main irritant in their relationship. Indian hopes that Londons post-Brexit desperation to find new non-EU trade partners would give it sufficient leverage on the visa dispute were dashed after Theresa May refused to make any concessions when she visited New Delhi last November. On the eve of the visit, Indian commentators had invoked the image of the British PM coming cap-in-hand begging for a trade deal, and prepared to pay any price for it.

In the event, she remained stubbornly unmoved, making clear that we have, I think, a good system The figures show that we issue more work visas to India than I think the US, Australia and China put together. Those who know her were not surprised. It was she who reportedly wrecked a potential India-EU free trade deal on grounds that it would open the floodgates for Indian immigrants to enter Britain through the back door. Immigration was at the heart of the Brexit vote and May is determined to deliver on it. Given her governments hardline, any concession on the issue is extremely unlikely.

Many from India and other Commonwealth countries were duped into voting for Brexit. They were told that a Britain in control of its own borders would give precedence to skilled workers from outside the EU. Boris Johnson, who is now foreign secretary, even suggested a visa-free Commonwealth migration block invoking Britains historic links with it. Priti Patel, the then employment minister, said the existing visa regime was biased against Commonwealth citizens and promised to replace it with a fairer system. Those who fell for the bait are now discovering they had been victims of an elaborate hoax.

The hype over the Year of Culture is simply a distraction from diplomatic tensions. Cultural diplomacy has its limits, and when the festival is finally done and dusted, it will have done nothing to resolve the hard political issues dividing the two countries. The truth is that on immigration, India is banging against a tightly-shut door: Brits have zero appetite for more immigrants. Heres a country which is willing to forego access to 500-million strong single market and face political and economic uncertainty simply to stop EU migrants. The idea that it will swap them with another set of migrants is fantasy.

Mays entire Brexit strategy is driven by immigration and she would rather give up on a lucrative trade deal with India than give in on immigration. Brexit compulsions apart, she is personally opposed to too much immigration as she believes it poses a threat to Britains cultural identity and is bad for community relations. The best India can hope for is some sort of a sop dressed up as a great favour. One idea being discussed is fast-tracking Commonwealth arrivals at British airports through immigration. Rather than herding them with ordinary Toms, Dicks, and Harrys, they will have a queue of their own  like British/EU citizens. Big deal!

No one should grudge Jaitley some fun time in London but dont expect his foray into cultural diplomacy to fetch more visas for Indians. Soft power is not a magic wand  and the appeal of Indias soft power, particularly, is too limited and lacks enough pizzaz to count as a factor in international diplomacy. But a more serious point about India-UK relations is that, in the absence of any major bilateral dispute, the strength of this relationship has never really been tested. That may be about to change with immigration likely to put Delhi-London ties under pressure to a degree theyve not faced before. We might be seeing the beginning of the end of a rather long honeymoon.
K.S. Pannu

Given the level of environmental degradation faced by the residents of Punjab, a natural question arises as to whether they deserve what they are facing. Although controverted by Punjab, the WHO Urban Air Assessment-2016 included four cities of the state Ludhiana, Khanna, Amritsar and Gobindgarh  in the list of 30 most polluted cities of the world from the view point of fine particulate matter in the air. That is just one extreme example that illustrates the environmental situation in Punjab, encompassing water and soil too.

Farms fouling air

Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh towns were declared critically polluted by the Union Ministry of Environment in January 2010. NASA images at the time of paddy harvest show Punjab enveloped in smog due to unbridled burning of 20 million tonne of paddy straw on 65 lakh acres. Farmers, however, say they have no alternative as the small window for Rabi sowing requires quick clearing of fields. But courts and tribunals do not agree, and insist the practice be banned.

Solution: Both state and Central governments need to invest heavily in new farm waste clearing machinery and technologies, and promote alternative uses of precious farm waste, besides incentivising the farmers for in situ paddy straw management. Although seven biomass-based power plants of 62.5 MW have been commissioned in the state, and three are in the pipeline, these plants have the capacity to consume only 1 million tonne of straw per year, while the availability is 20 million tonne. Similarly, five bio-refineries, each with a capacity of 75,000 kiloliters per year, consuming 1.5 million tone of paddy straw, are proposed to be set up. But the government has to encourage more such units by providing a suitable investment ecosystem. Installing a straw management system costing Rs 1.25 lakh per harvester combine should be made mandatory. Providing machinery such as chopper shredders, rotavators, Happy seeder drills, and straw baling and binding machines at subsidised rates to farmers requires Rs 2,000 crore.

Industrial smoke

Pollution from smoke spewing factories, especially thermal, paper, cement and chemical plants, besides brick-kilns, needs to be put down with a heavy hand because industry owners often deliberately turn off the pollution control devices to save cost, even though effectively installed. Unplanned development has led to industrial units, commercial complexes and residential colonies coming up cheek-by-jowl. This has led to unhealthy living conditions for a large population.

Solution: Air quality measuring stations need to be set up at around 100 places in the state to keep an eye on the pollution. No violation should be allowed to go unpunished. A research project needs to be set up to identify less polluting alternative fuels for the 3,000 brick-kilns, though the Punjab Science and Technology Council is already working on this. Any unit operating without running the installed pollution control devices even for a short duration should be sealed for three months. No diesel vehicles older than 15 years, or overloaded vehicles, should be allowed. Most centres issuing pollution-check certificates for vehicles are not certified. These should come under regulation immediately.

Poisonous water

Degradation of groundwater as well as the rivers because of pollution is serious. But the water needs to be used for irrigation and drinking, because of which it ends up adversely affecting human and animal health. Of the 50 towns identified for discharging effluents into the Beas, Sutlej and Ghaggar rivers, only 28 have yet set up sewerage treatment plants (STPs). Running STPs requires constant monitoring and contingent funds, but this has been woefully inadequate.

Five (STPs) have been installed in recent years to treat 400 million litres per day (MLD), out of a total of 500 MLD of the water flowing in the Budha Nalla in Ludhiana city before pouring into the Sutlej 30 km away. Individual as well as common effluent treatment plants have also been installed for about 250 textile dyeing units. As many as 14 large and medium electroplating units, and 1,525 small units are also supposed to have set up treatment plants, but complaints of discharge of effluents into the sewerage continue.

Similarly, the setting up of 50-MLD STPs for domestic effluents and a common effluent treatment plant for tanneries have failed to protect the Kala Sanghian drain passing through Jalandhar city from tanneries and 56 dairies. In the Dera Bassi area, pharmaceutical industries have been responsible for ruining the Ghaggar river.

Solution: The 22 major towns that are yet to set up sewerage treatment plants must have these within a year. Any city or town disposing of its sewage without treatment must face heavy penalty on the basis of the internationally accepted principle of polluter pays. Similarly, any factory discharging effluents without treatment must face immediate closure and criminal action under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Despite people suffering from serious diseases on account of water pollution, no polluter till now has suffered imprisonment in Punjab, although a large number of cases have been filed against them by the authorities concerned. The lackadaisical approach of the State towards human suffering has to change for that.

Hazardous waste

Hazardous and bio-medical waste contains toxic material that causes many infectious diseases on a large scale. While mechanisms for the disposal of this waste exist, their monitoring is weak. The exact quantity of this waste is anybodys guess. Since the segregation and transportation cost of the waste is very high, these units have a tendency to under-report. The unreported waste, thus, goes into the municipal solid waste.

Solution: Around 3,136 industrial units produce about 5,000 tonne of waste per annum that needs to be incinerated. There is also dangerous storeable waste of about 27,000 tonne per year, which is stored at a common facility near Dera Bassi, set up by the Punjab Pollution Control Board in 2007, with a life span of 15 years. Strict monitoring of this facility as well as vehicles carrying hazardous waste is a must. Bio-medical waste of around 13 tonne per day is generated by 5,863 hospitals in Punjab. This needs to be segregated at the hospital level, and then treated at four common bio-medical waste treatment facilities at Mohali, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Amritsar. Door-to-door collection of this waste and its transportation to treatment centres is a major challenge.

Since this waste is generated by hospitals and high-end industries, owned by educated and influential strata of society, they should receive exemplary punitive action for any violation. But that will require strong political will.

Municipal solid waste

As much as 4,300 tonne of garbage is produced by 163 municipal towns per day. Although the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal are monitoring municipal solid waste management, not much has moved in terms of an effective system. Punjab is divided into eight clusters for managing solid waste, but treatment facilities have been commissioned only at Ludhiana and Bathinda, that too on a trial basis.

Solution: The government needs to overcome resistance from local populations against common treatment facilities, as seen in Jalandhar and Amritsar, where locals forced the authorities to redesign the plans at huge costs and delay. Waste management through clusters has been discussed for 10 years, but little has been achieved. Policy paralysis must end to set up facilities away from dense populations within a year. These can be scientifically managed to produce power and manure.

Electronic junk

The heavy metals that leech into the ground from disposed of electronic waste is a serious cause of concern, but nothing concrete has been set up for its safe disposal.

Solution: Under the Government of Indias E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011, revised in 2016, electronic equipment can only be handled by e-waste collection centres numbering 16 in Punjab. The PPCB facilitated disposal of 2,214 quintal of e-waste in 2016. But awareness needs to be created regarding this. The state has to urgently set up these facilities in view of the large-scale use of electronics. Violators among manufacturers as well as users of electronic goods must be forced to dispose of the waste through such collection centres.

Agro-chemicals

Overuse of agro-chemicals such as pesticides and fertilisers pollutes the soil and water and is a major source of poisoning the food chain. Farmers in the state used 6,300 tonne of technical grade agro-chemicals to control farm insects, weeds and diseases in 2016, which was almost double of 1980. Similarly, they applied 2.5 quintal of technical grade fertiliser per hectare in 2016, as against 1.12 in 1980. This is the highest level in the country.

Solution: Awareness amongst farmers regarding balanced use of fertilisers and chemicals is the key. There is thus a need to revive the system to educate farmers, which seems to have been inoperative for the past 30 years. The burden for the well being of the residents of Punjab must shift to the state government. Every dealer and agriculture development officer should be made accountable for ensuring that only the required quantity and quality of agro-chemical is made available to farmers. Satellite imagery and modern technology could be used to monitor any overuse, and for taking corrective action. Farmers not following advisories should be denied subsidy on fertilisers.

Tackling the monster of pollution is the joint responsibility of the State, vigilant citizens, NGOs and awakened judiciary. Punjab is running against time and running out of options.





The writer is Secretary, Department of Irrigation, Punjab.
Kent, March 6

Fear, hurt and disbelief weighed on the minds of those who gathered at a gurdwara after Friday night shooting of a Sikh man, Deep Rai, who said a gunman approached him in his suburban Seattle driveway and told him go back to your own country.

Editorial: Indians targeted in US

Everybody who is part of this community needs to be vigilant, Satwinder Kaur, a community leader, said as several hundred people poured into a gurdwara in Renton about one mile from the shooting. It is scary, she added. The community has been shaken up.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Authorities said a gunman approached the 39-year-old as he worked on his car in his driveway in the city of Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle. The FBI is helping investigate the shooting, authorities said. Kent police chief Ken Thomas said the department is investigating the shooting as a hate crime. He said no arrests have been made yet after the victim was shot in the arm. This is a top priority investigation, and we are doing everything possible to identify and arrest the suspect, Thomas said, adding that residents in the city of 125,000 should be vigilant but also not let the shooting hurt their quality of life.

The shooting comes after an Indian man was killed and another wounded in a recent shooting at a Kansas bar that federal agencies are investigating as a hate crime.

Many women and men at Renton expressed fear that one of their own was targeted and said theyre scared to go to public places. Some said they have noticed an uptick in name-calling and other racist incidents in recent months. Still others expressed hurt and disbelief at the lack of understanding.

The Sikh Coalition praised police for swiftly moving to probe the incident as a hate crime, even as Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera said crimes motivated by hate are on the rise.  Agencies
People across the land would breathe a definite sigh of relief that at last the absurdly long campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly has come to an end. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues can come back to New Delhi and start attending to the business of governance. Sober and serious observers are still at a loss to explain the Prime Ministers excessive preoccupation and involvement with the campaigning in Varanasi. Never before had a Prime Minister put himself out in an assembly election as Narendra Modi did in Uttar Pradesh. What is more disappointing is that the Prime Minister did not enhance his reputation for dignity; his choice of epithets for his rivals, his preference for loaded metaphors were, to say the least, not very elevating. And, given the fact that the BJP does not have a chief ministerial face, its electoral fortunes have come to hinge very heavily on Prime Minister Modi.

Apart from the implications for the Prime Ministers prestige, the UP campaign assumed its own importance for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Whatever be the outcome, this electoral round seems to have administered a much-needed dose of reality into the Congress calculus. That the Congress managers came to realise and accept that Rahul Gandhi had to play second fiddle to Akhilesh Yadav can only be a different kind of political education. Working with other parties and leaders is a part and parcel of the Indian political realities and a necessary rite of baptism.

The UP vote will also be important for two most important segments of the Indian population-the Muslims and the Dalits. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, not a single Muslim candidate could get elected from the state; in the 2017 poll the BJP chose not to put up a single Muslim candidate. This has implications beyond Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, the Dalits too have to feel reassured about their place under the Indian democratic sun. The UP battle also had another sub-text: the regional parties' ability to sustain themselves against aggressive pan-India parties and leaders. All the shrill and all the ugly campaigning would still be worth it if the vote reaffirms these basic equations.
Finance ministers often use budgets to make political statements. Haryanas Captain Abhimanyu has this time raked up the controversial SYL issue by allocating Rs 100 crore for its construction, promising ten times more if need be, in a provocative signal to Punjab. Though this shift to water is a welcome departure from the earlier focus on the Hindutva agenda, the Finance Minister could have granted more for managing the existing water resources than a mere 13.62 per cent increase. The SYL money may well remain unutilised since indications are Punjab is unlikely to part with any more of its river waters regardless of which party, or combination of parties, forms a government after March 11.

Haryanas fiscal health is sound. Growth at 8.7 per cent  above the national rate of GDP expansion  is almost on track. The opposition Congress has found fault with the rising level of debt, which is a concern, but still is within the prescribed limit. Replacing the Plan and non-Plan division with the new rural and urban categories for making budgetary allocations, the Khattar government has provided 56.69 per cent more funds for rural development, though it can still be accused of having a pro-urban bias. The 33 per cent urban population gets almost as much funds as the 67 per cent rural population. Haryana is a highly unequal society  socially as well as economically. The intermittent eruption of Jat/Dalit unrest is a manifest reminder of that.

Apart from water, education and health too have not received the desired fiscal boost. A CAG report has found in schools deficiencies like lack of drinking water, toilets and desks. The urban-rural divide is nowhere as glaring as in health and education facilities. The budgetary priorities need a rearrangement to correct the imbalance. In the ease of doing business the state claims to lead North India, but growth has to move beyond the GT Road and areas closer to Delhi. Urban Gurgaon may lure the prospective investor but what can turn him off is the kind of violence seen last February, and more worryingly, the government response, or rather non-response, to it.




1) Were the goods put on the market? This requires a determination of what put[ting] on the market" constitutes.



(2) Were the goods put on the market by either (i) the proprietor of the trade mark; or (ii) with his express or implied consent (conditional or otherwise).

Parallel imports are a common concern for trade mark proprietors. As elsewhere, having spent time and money to protect their marks in Singapore, trade mark proprietors do not want to be undercut in terms of price by parallel importers. To the chagrin of trade mark proprietors, however, Singapore has consistently taken the position that it encourages parallel importation on the basis that it is good for consumers. It is therefore rare in Singapore for a trade mark proprietor to succeed in preventing the parallel import of goods, but that is exactly what happened in the recent decision of Samsonite IP Holdings Sarl v An Sheng Trading Pte Ltd [2017] SGHC 18 .The main obstacle faced by trade mark proprietors, when attempting to enforce their rights against parallel importers, is exhaustion of rights.This defence provides that it is not infringement if the use of a registered trade mark is in relation to goods that have been put on the market by the proprietor of the trademark with his express or implied consent, conditional or otherwise (the Exhaustion of Rights Defence). The reason why the Exhaustion of Rights Defence permits parallel importation is that the Singapore courts have long established that the relevant market is the overseas market in which the goods were first traded, and not Singapore. Therefore, if goods had first been put on the (overseas) market with the consent of the trade mark proprietor, he can no longer object to their sale if they are thereafter brought into Singapore by a parallel importer.In this case, An Sheng Trading was a parallel importer that had imported into Singapore a shipment of backpacks bearing trade marks belonging to Samsonite IP Holdings Sarl (Samsonite). These backpacks were not produced by Samsonite for sale on their own. Rather, they were produced under a co-branding agreement between Samsonites Chinese subsidiary company and a third party, Lenovo. Under the co-branding agreement, backpacks manufactured had to bear at least one each of Samsonites trade marks and Lenovos trade marks. Lenovo or its authorised dealers would then give away for free the co-branded backpacks, but only in conjunction with the sale of certain models of laptops in China. It was expressly provided that these co-branded backpacks could not be sold or disposed of independently from the sale of the said laptops.However, some of the authorised dealers had unbundled the co-branded bags and sold them separately to unauthorised dealers, who in turn sold the co-branded backpacks to parallel importers, such as An Sheng Trading, who then tried to import them into Singapore. Samsonite sued, and thereafter sought summary judgment against An Sheng Trading for trade mark infringement, on the ground that An Sheng Trading had used signs that are identical to Samsonites registered trade marks in relation to identical goods. One of the defences raised by An Sheng Trading was the Exhaustion of Rights Defence.The High Court found that there was prima facie infringing use of Samsonites trade marks in relation to the backpacks. The High Court then considered the defences raised by An Sheng Trading, and formulated two substantive questions that had to be determined in order for the Exhaustion of Rights Defence to be made out:For the first question, the High Court held that the expression put on the market must involve the realisation of the commercial and economic value of the trade mark. It refers to the situation where an independent third party had acquired the right of disposal of the goods bearing the trade mark. Such an act includes, but is not limited to, the sale of the goods by the proprietor to the third party. On the other hand, preparatory acts such as offers for sale will not amount to the goods being put on the market. The High Court held that the backpacks in question were never put on the market.The court reasoned that the purpose of the goods being put on the market is to realise economic value, which in this case was to penetrate the Chinese consumer market, to raise awareness of the SAMSONITE brand, and to boost Samsonites reputation by being associated with Lenovo laptops. The commercial value of the SAMSONITE mark would only be realised if a purchaser of the Lenovo laptop received a backpack as a free gift together with the laptop. This of course did not happen, as the backpacks were sold unbundled.It could not be argued that Samsonite had received any monetary benefit from the backpacks. Samsonites Chinese subsidiary did not sell the co-branded backpacks to Lenovo for profit, nor did it receive any profit from any of the sales to the unauthorised dealers. The distribution of the backpacks to Lenovo by Samsonite and from Lenovo to its authorised dealers was insufficient, as these authorised dealers could not be considered to be independent third parties. The authorised dealers subsequent sale of the backpacks to unauthorised dealers did not amount to the backpacks being put on the market, as the profits were never passed on to Samsonite or its Chinese subsidiary.Although it was not necessary for the High Court to make a finding on the second question, the High Court remarked in passing that there is express consent when permission has been explicitly, clearly and unmistakably given, whether verbally, in writing or by conduct. On the other hand, there is implied consent when such consent can be inferred from the proprietors actions, conduct and/or from the facts and circumstances. The High Court also commented that even if the proprietors consent to the first putting on the market was conditional and not unqualified, such consent would still be treated as valid under the Exhaustion of Rights Defence. The High Court opined that on the present facts, Samsonite had never consented to the backpacks being unbundled and sold by some of the authorised dealers to parallel importers such as An Sheng Trading.As such, An Sheng Trading failed in relying on the Exhaustion of Rights Defence, and Samsonite succeeded in obtaining summary judgment against An Sheng Trading for trade mark infringement. While this case represents a rare situation where a trade mark proprietor was able to enforce his rights against a parallel importer in Singapore, it was only able to do so because the parallel importer had obtained the goods in a rather specific manner. While this case does little to alter the longstanding position in Singapore that parallel imports are permitted in Singapore, it does show that it is possible to successfully prevent parallel imports in exceptional circumstances.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 7

The police detained at least 300 Congress workers, including state president Ashok Tanwar and legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry, to thwart their plan to gherao the Assembly today over the alleged land scams.

Several Congress workers were injured, two of them seriously, when the police used force to prevent them from marching towards the Assembly. Ranjit Singh, SHO of the Sector 17 police station, said they were injured after they fell off a police vehicle.

The Congress had announced a gherao of the Assembly over the alleged land scams in Gurugram, including Gwal Pahari and Metro route diversion issues. Party workers started gathering near the multi-level parking in Sector 17 since the morning.

Besides Tanwar, former ministers Capt Ajay Singh Yadav and Subhash Batra, former MLA Naresh Badli, Billu Kadyan and party general secretary Manvir Kaur Gill addressed the workers. They accused the BJP government of involvement in a number of land scams.

The police made elaborate arrangements to stop them near the RBI building, deploying adequate personnel, vehicles and water cannons. The police were caught unawares when the demonstrators briskly marched via an open ground in front of their eyes towards the road separating Sectors 16 and 17.

Later, the police changed their strategy. They stopped a group of Congress workers near Matka Chowk and another bigger group a few metres before. The police cane-charged the demonstrators when they did not relent and insisted on moving towards the Assembly.

The police took them to the Sector 17 police station after arresting them. Kiran, who was not present during the protest, joined the demonstrators in the police station and courted arrest.

A total of 310 Congress workers, including 17 women, were booked under relevant sections of the Criminal Procedure Code. They were let off at 3:45 pm. The SHO said they were produced before an SDM, who issued their discharge orders.

This government has promised transparency in public life, but a nexus of politicians and bureaucrats is busy minting money through land scams in Gurugram. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattars name has been used by a senior bureaucrat to pressurise the Deputy Commissioner to give benefits to private parties in Gwal Pahari, alleged Tanwar.

He mentioned an alleged land scam in Sohna, Metro diversion in Gurugram and several other instances of irregularities. He demanded a probe by the CBI or an independent agency. Asked why Congress MLAs did not join his protest, he said they were raising the same issues in the Assembly.

Capt Yadav alleged that a minister had given on lease prime property of Land Mortgage Bank in Gurugram to his relative for Rs 7 lakh per month though its market rate was Rs 40 lakh.
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Jassia (Rohtak), March 7

Members of the Jat community will gherao Delhi from seven sides on March 20. Transit camps will be set up in areas bordering the national capital three days in advance. Male members of the community will move towards Delhi by tractors-trailers, while the women will sit on ongoing dharnas across the state.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) core committee held here this evening. The committee also decided not to celebrate Holi festival this year and to burn the effigies of the Haryana government at statewide dharnas on March 12.

Samiti leader Yashpal Malik warned the government authorities that if the agitators coming from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were stopped on their way to Delhi, they would start staging protest demonstrations there and then. No talks would be held with the government prior to the Delhi demonstration, he added.
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Jassia (Rohtak), March 7

Members of the Jat community will gherao Delhi from seven sides on March 20. Transit camps will be set up in areas bordering the national Capital three days in advance. Male members of the community will move towards Delhi by tractors-trailers while women will sit in ongoing dharnas across the state.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) core committee held here this evening. The committee also decided not to celebrate Holi this year and to burn effigies of the Haryana government at statewide dharnas on March 12.

Samiti leader Yashpal Malik warned the government authorities that if the agitators coming from Haryana, UP and Rajasthan were stopped on their way to Delhi, they would start staging demonstrations there and then. No talks would be held with the government ahead of the Delhi demonstration, Malik added.
Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar/Bhiwani, March 7

Nearly a month after hailstorm and rain wreaked havoc, the government has ordered special girdawari to assess the loss to mustard and wheat crops in affected villages of Hisar and Bhiwani districts.

The hailstorm and rain occurred on January 25 and 26 and the state government ordered special girdawari on February 27.

The Revenue and Disaster Management Department asked Deputy Commissioners in the two districts to get the survey carried out at SDM level. The girdawari would be carried out in six villages of Hisar and 19 villages of Bhiwani.

They were told to submit a report about the area and extent of damage to the state government along with the bank account numbers of the affected farmers to provide compensation to them.

A preliminary report of the department estimated crop loss on around 5,500 acres in Hisar and 15,000 acres in Bhiwani.

Hisar Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj said the special girdawari was being carried out in affected villages and a report would be submitted to the state government for further action.

Insurance companies had stated that they would compensate farmers who were insured under the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Between 70 per cent and 75 per cent of the affected farmers were not insured under the PMFBY as the scheme was optional for farmers not taking loan.

The farmer union have demanded special girdawari and compensation for farmers who were not insured under the PMFBY.

Ramesh Kumar, a farmer of Sulkhani, said he had suffered loss on 10 acres, but only the crop on 1.75 acres was insured as he had taken loan only for that land.
Bhanu Lomhi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 7

At least four students were injured in an incident of stone pelting at Himachal Pradesh University on Tuesday morning.

As per reports, a clash broke out between SFI and ABVP workers today, which led to stone pelting at the chowk in the university.

The provocation came following Mondays rally in which ABVP workers allegedly attacked SFI members.

Police have been deployed to avoid clashes.

Shimla ASP Bhajan Dev Negi said the situation was tense, but under control.
Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 7

After the completion of the delimitation process, the election authorities are all prepared to conduct the much-awaited panchayat polls in J&K. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, Shantmanu is optimistic that the election process will start in April.

Putting at rest all speculations, the CEO said the panchayat elections will be held in April and the process of polling will take about a month.

The panchayats elected in 2011 had ceased to exist in July last year and there was a lot of pressure on the government to hold polls in the rural areas to strengthen the grassroots democracy. But there is uncertainty as the byelections for the Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies can also be announced anytime this month and it may delay the process of panchayat polls.

The office of the CEO has completed the process of delimitation and the draft proposal will be prepared in a couple of days and will be available on public domain.

The delimitation process has been completed and we are preparing the draft proposal, which will be put on public domain by the end of this week. The final roll will be prepared by March 20, if no serious objection is raised, said Shantmanu.

The notification will be issued after the final roll to conduct the poll process in April, which may take about a month, he added.

He said the elections would not be delayed by a month even if the notification for byelections in two parliamentary seats of the Kashmir valley was issued.

We have to delay the process if the Election Commission of India notifies byelections in two parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir. But we will still ensure to start the panchayat poll by the end of April, he added.

Last time, there was 80 per cent participation of voters in the elections to elect panches and sarpanches despite the backdrop of Kashmir street protests in 2010 that claimed 120 lives. There were doubts about the elections and the participation, but the locals came out in large numbers to cast their votes.

This time the polling will be done for panches only and the sarpanches will be elected by the elected panches.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 7

Several officials engaged under the National Health Mission (NHM) were injured today after the police resorted to lathicharge on them during their demonstration here.

The police used water cannons and batons to disperse the protesting officials, who are seeking regularisation of their services, at Partap Park in Srinagar.

We were not allowed to hold sit-in at Press Enclave on Tuesday morning. The police seized our banners and also arrested 10 persons. Later, they used water cannons, PAVA shells and baton-charged us to disperse us, NHM Association spokesperson Rouf Ahmad said.

Ahmad said the officials were released on bail after spending the whole day in the police station.

Over 13,000 officials, including doctors, paramedics and clerical staff, engaged under the NHM in the state from time to time since 2006 were absent from hospitals. They have been protesting for the past seven days against the salary disparity and delay in regularisation of their services.

Their absence has prompted the government to take feedback from the hospital administration about the healthcare.

I may submit that due to the strike of the NHM employees, our 46 employees were absent from their duties. However, we have put in operation the contingency measures to avoid any patient inconvenience. Our critical care units are functioning normally, the Medical Superintendent of District Hospital, Baramulla, wrote to Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman.

Meanwhile, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has appealed to the doctors across Kashmir to wear black bands on Wednesday in support of the NHM employees.

DAK president Dr GM Mir said the medical employees of the state would wear black bands as a mark of protest against the callous behavior of the government towards the injustice faced by the NHM employees.

It is deplorable that instead of addressing their genuine demands, the government through its police has beaten up these employees brutally, Mir added.

On February 1, the NHM employees had called for a 72-hour pen-down strike. However, they have been extending it after the government failed to respond to their pleas.
Jasmine Singh

If you admire her, if you think she has made a huge difference to your life and if you think she needs to know that you are offering her unconditional support...then be bold enough for a change. And this also is the theme for this years International Womens Day # BeBoldForChange. This # stands to encourage people to step up and take ground-breaking action to help drive gender equality along with many other active hastag feminist campaigns. Making rounds on the social media, these are asking people to respect women and asking women to love themselves a little more than anyone else! Here is a look at some hastag campaigns; maybe you want to lend your support!

#IWillGoOut

How can society judge a woman from the type of clothes she wears? If you find this ridiculous, then be a part of this hashtag supported by women across India, demanding equal rights at public places.

#HappyToBleed

This campaign, which has been running successfully from 2016, finds supporters this year too. This novel campaign encourages women to talk about menstruation, openly. This is a topic that is often spoken about in private between sisters, mothers and daughters, but never in public. But this hashtag sets out to break stereotypes.

#BreakupChallenge

Break up from negativity, break up from stereotypes, break up from monotonous life and make break-up simple. Ladies, this one is certainly for you.

#Futureofwork

It is essential to achieve gender equality at work, but according to a study, women earn on an average 77 per cent of what men do, and it is only in the year 2086 when they will achieve pay equality around the world! So, what is your future at work?

#PinjraTod

Literally speaking, it means break the cage. Started by the students of Delhi University, which further hit the walls of North campuses, Pinjra Tod questions the sexist rules in womens hostels, particularly disallowing women from staying out late. Well, why should guys have all the fun!

#RedMyLips

This campaign was founded to create visibility, demonstrate solidarity and support survivors, and speak out against rape myths and victim blaming. Though this campaign was international in nature, it has managed to create a buzz in India as well. The intention is to have both men and women wear red lipstick as war-paint, instead of make-up.

#DressLikeAWoman

An unnamed source told a news site that US President Donald Trump likes the women on his staff to to dress like women and that even the women who had worked in Trumps campaign field offices - those who spent a lot of time outdoors - felt pressurised to wear dresses to impress him. So came in a #DressLikeAWoman, a massive Twitter kickback at male entitlement, assuming women should dress for men instead of for the job theyve been hired to do.

jasmine@tribunemail.com
Smridhi Chawla

I am a woman who was born at the wrong time.  Paulo Coelho in The Spy

A befitting description of Mata Hari  who was raped at 16; she escaped out of an ill-fated marriage to Paris  penniless; became the most-celebrated woman in the city in a few months; convicted of being a spy for Germans, executed by a French firing squad in 1917. Perhaps, her only crime was being a woman who defied convention!

As 2017 marks Mata Haris 100th death anniversary, let us delve into tales that suggest that the time is now for being the woman you want to be. Here are a few women who have made a mark in their own unique manner.

Road less travelled

She made it to the Limca Book of Records for being the first woman biker to have completed the Leh-Manali trip in 20 hours and 20 minutes at the age of 51! However, Moksha Jatelys (54) journey was the one that involved taking the road less travelled.

She quips, Divorced at 26, for bearing a girl, I decided to be my on my own in this patriarchal society. Earlier, being a divorcee had a stigma attached to it, which might have affected my younger sisters lives. So going back to my parents house in Hoshiarpur was not an option.

She arrived in Chandigarh, served as a chauffeur for a family for a while and then took a job at a hotel for a few years  to be able to provide her daughter with a respectable life. It was in her 40s that she decided to follow her long-suppressed passion for biking. Today, she organises biking expeditions for foreign tourists all over the country, with Save the girl child and Proud to be a woman as their motto.

This Womens Day, she tells women to be their own hero. Celebrate the day with aplomb and revel in the spirit of womanhood.

Religion no bar

In a country where major controversies revolve around religion, Delhi-based Pooja Arora dared to defy a rule  as priests would like to call it  that a woman cannot perform the last rites of her parents. Yes, she lit her fathers pyre in spite of being condemned by relatives and a pandit.

The 41-year-old says, I did not get married so that I could support my parents. They needed my complete attention and I was up for it. When I was the only one to look after my father, how could have I allowed a relative  just because he was a man  to perform my fathers last rites. This is not about religion, but human emotions, which are not gender-specific.

Dont shy away

When actress Sonam Kapoor told the media that she was molested as a teenager and how nothing stopped her from living the way she had wanted to, she  in all her headstrong glory  asked every woman to do the same.

This Womens Day, let us all join the parade to seek the endless possibilities and #BeBold, like each of them, to overcome the impediments to bring about a #Change.

Fight back

Shimla-based Nishas story is one of exemplary courage despite all odds. My husband was committed to his sister-in-law; something I came to know after marriage. They treated me like a housemaid. I faced much abuse before I decided to fight back.

Strong voice

While most of us choose to turn a blind eye to the incidents of eve teasing, Jayotika Kanwar, a student of MCM DAV, Chandigarh, was strong enough to raise her voice against it. Some boys in a car used to chase me regularly. I noted the number of the car and went straight to the cops for help. The boys were taken to task and no one has teased me again, she says.

Dont give in

Aastha Sawant was only 16 when she stood against the troubles faced by every woman using public transport. One of my friends was ill-treated by a bus conductor. That was when I dragged him to a police station. The conductor had to apologise to my friends, says Aastha.
Surat, March 7

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government has streamlined the medical education field and created 4,000 new post-graduate seats in medical colleges which would resolve the problem of lack of doctors.

In our country, in the field of health there has always been a complaint that we do not have enough doctors. This is because we do not have a robust system to produce doctors, Modi told a gathering which included medical students at the Surat airport after his arrival.

If we go to the base of the problem, less number of students can get admission into post-graduate (courses in medical field) due to lack of seats, so only few become professors, he said.

As there are less (number of) professors, it has become difficult to open new medical colleges. The entire system is entangled in these circles, Modi said.

But we have streamlined it. We have increased 4,000 post graduate seats in one year. This is a big step in the country, he said.

Every year 4,000 new post-graduate students (apart from the number of seats already existing) will pass out now who can also become professors.

This means they can impart medical education to thousands of students across the country which will solve the issue of shortage of doctors, he said.

With this we are confident that medical services will be available at village level as well, he said.

The Prime Minister also praised the work being done to make cities and villages free from open defecation.

A big work is being done in the urban development field in the entire country. I would like to congratulate the Gujarat government for making the cities open defecation free, he said.

Now, in the entire country 500 cities have been declared open defecation free. These cities created infrastructure to make it possible, he said, adding that in the villages also the programme is going on in full swing.

Modi is on a two-day visit to the state during which he will attend a number of events and meetings.

He will inaugurate a national convention of women sarpanch in Gandhinagar, address an industry meet of OPAL project of ONGC in Dahej and inaugurate a four-lane bridge over Narmada river in Bharuch.

The PM will also visit the Somnath temple and attend a meeting of the temple trust.  PTI
American foreign policy analysts and military officials have commented upon the current situation by observing that Irans activities have not changed in any significant way since the Trump administration issued its threatening statement in the wake of Irans latest test launch of a nuclear capable ballistic missile. Reports like the one published by Fox News may even suggest that those activities have intensified as Tehran maintains a defiant tone in the face of American criticisms and ultimatums.

The report indicates that the Iranians conducted two more ballistic missile tests over the weekend  these ones involving short-range missiles aimed at naval targets. According to Fox, it was the first test of the given model of ballistic missile to be carried out by the Islamic Republic in two years. However, the previous test of a medium-range weapon makes these the second and third ballistic missile tests to be conducted since President Trump was inaugurated, and also the eighth and ninth to be conducted since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers led by the United States.

The report also notes that these new demonstrations took place approximately a week after Iran successfully tested a portion of the S-300 missile system that was delivered to Iran by Russia soon after such weapons transfers were made legal once again by the nuclear agreement. The ongoing provocations led Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton to comment upon the apparent need for more than mere words as a means of confronting the Islamic Republic and convincing it to cease these types of provocations.

The missile tests do not stand alone in motivating this response. The Fox News report notes, and the New York Daily News provides more detail regarding another incident that occurred this weekend, in which a number of fast attack boats belonging to the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positioned themselves approximately 600 yards away from a US Navy tracking ship and three British vessels that were transiting the Persian Gulf alongside it.

The Iranian vessels reportedly ignored all attempts at radio contact, and the American and British ships were compelled to change course in order to avoid a closer confrontation. The incident occurred only about two days after CBS News reported that a Frigate belonging to the Iranian Navy, which is separate from the IRGC Navy, passed within 150 yards of the same American vessel while both were in the Gulf of Oman. Both incidents were described by US officials as unprofessional, although they stopped short of characterizing either incident as explicitly dangerous.

However, these situations are reminiscent of other close encounters  some of them even closer and more threatening  initiated by Iran. In some such incidents, IRGC fast attack vessels have ignored radio contact along with warning lights and auditory sirens while approaching American warships at a high rate of speed. In those cases, the IRGC vessels only disengaged when warning shots were fired by the Iranians. This, naturally, raises the possibility of a miscalculation leading to actual spontaneous outbreak of hostilities.

Realistically, this is not a threat that the inferior Iranian armed forces are keen to make real, but the IRGC and other Iranian hardliners are certainly attempting to convey the message  to one another and to certain regional audiences  that they are ready for war, even with the worlds leading military superpower. In one noteworthy example of this ongoing propaganda, the Islamic Republic recently released a film titled Battle of the Persian Gulf II, depicting a commander modeled after IRGC Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani leading a small Iranian naval force to victory over a larger American fleet.

The Trump administration has yet to clarify its response to this propaganda and the associated provocations, in line with the recommendations being put forth by Senator Cotton and others. But the White House has initiated the process that could lead to the IRGC being designated as a foreign terrorist organization and therefore blacklisted from most international transactions. Among critics of the Iranian regime, it appears to be widely hoped that this will counteract the effects of economic sanctions under the Iran nuclear deal and diminish the international role and regional provocations of the IRGC.
New Delhi, March 7

Another soldier has taken to the social media to complain about the system of batman in the Army and poor quality food served to the men in uniform.

Sindhav Jogidas of the Army Medical Corps said he was airing his grievances publicly because his complaints to the Prime Ministers Office and the Defence Ministry had gone unheeded.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

I apologise to the people of the nation and the government (because) my video will hurt your sentiments. Every Jawan wants the respect of the Army to be high, Jogidas said, speaking in Hindi.

How long can we tolerate? A lot of wrong things are happening. Referring to the batman system, called Sahayak duty, he said some officers treated soldiers attached to their residence as their servants.

Jawans have to follow orders because those who speak (against it) are victimised. He said he went to Prime Minister Narendra Modis office and the Defence Ministry to complain and again to the Prime Ministers Office.

I did not want the issues related to the Army to come on the social media.

When the reply came, they slapped a case of disciplinary action against me and there were two courts of inquiry. I was harassed for a year but I kept quiet.

I took leave again and came to Delhi... I went to the Sena Bhavan (Army Headquarters) but no one allowed me to go inside. Then I wrote a letter to General Bipin Rawat but there was no reply.

At the end, I was given a chargesheet because I had written against my officers. I have already been punished twice. This time I had to give up 14 days of salary as fine.

Video courtesy: Facebook posted on account of @veteranjawans

If we refuse any duty or break a rule, we are punished immediately. But when officers break rules, there are no rules or regulations for them, he said.

The soldier said because of some officers, the Army is maligned.

It is sad that instead of fighting the enemy, we have to fight within the force. It is true that we take salary for our duty but we are giving the most important years of our life to the Army.

Many brothers are united in this fight and we have been raising our voice time and again.

But no on listens to us... I want to ask if the government is really unaware of these facts or we are just being ignored.

The soldier also alleged that the food given to soldiers was of poor quality.

In many units they send food just for survivalthe cheapest vegetables, fruits and worst kind of food is given. But I have no proof, so I will not say much on this.

The video comes days after Lance Naik Roy Mathew, who was seen criticising the Sahayak system in a sting video, was found dead in a barrack in a Maharashtra cantonment on March 3.

The Army said his suicide could be the result of events triggered by the sting operation.

In January, another soldier, Lance Naik Yagya Pratap, alleged in a video that soldiers were exploited by officers.  IANS
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 7

India today said it had raised at the highest level the killing of an Indian fisherman in the Palk Straits by the Sri Lankan navy. Sources in the government said Colombo had promised a thorough probe after Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The killing comes only a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats under Sri Lankan custody.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Sri Lanka, however, has denied shooting at the fishermen and called it an unsubstantiated allegation. Asserting that its personnel were not authorised to open fire in such situations, the Lankan navy said, Since there is an allegation of a shooting incident, we are carrying out a comprehensive investigation to find out the veracity of this alleged incident.

The incident occurred last night when a fisherman, Bridgo, was fishing close to the Katchatheevu islet and Lankan naval personnel opened fire. He was shot in the neck and died instantly. Another fisherman, Sharon, was shot in his leg. It is also being alleged that the Sri Lankan navy did not fire a warning shot first.

There is a feeling of great anger and resentment in Tamil Nadu over the killing of the fisherman. Tamil Nadu claims Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have traditional rights to fish in both territories. The state is also pushing for the Katchatheevu islet  India had gifted it to Lanka in the early Seventies  to be returned so that Indian fishermen would get more space to fish.
Chennai/Rameswaram/ Colombo, March 7

Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday staged a demonstration in Rameswaram to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami dashed off a letter seeking the Centre's intervention.

Tamil Nadu opposition parties also condemned the killing and sought action from the Centre.

The Sri Lanka navy has been accused of having shot dead a 22-year-old Indian fisherman late n Monday night while he was fishing a short distance off the disputed Katchatheevu islet.

The protesting fishermen at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram and the bereaved family have refused to accept the body of the fisherman unless the central minister visited the island to assure them of ensuring that these incidents would stop, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.

Police said an AK-47 bullet was found on the fishermans neck.

In a letter to the Centre, Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and "the strong feelings of the Government of India and government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms."

Lanka resorting to "such inhuman and barbaric tactics" completely belies all the diplomatic efforts that have been undertaken including the understanding reached in several meetings between the two countries, including the recent one at Colombo, Palaniswami said in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said at the ministerial level meeting in Colombo in January, "it was clearly agreed not to use force against bona fide fishermen at sea."

While the fishermen were fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay, at about 9.30 pm (on Monday), "a fleet of four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded the fishing boat and opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire on the unarmed fishermen," he said.

"Two fishermen received bullet injuries and while Bridgo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in hospital," he added.

"Even as action is taken on longer term issues like retrieval of Katchatheevu (islet) and on diversification to deep sea fishing, under no circumstances can the present escalation of actions by the Sri Lankan side be ignored or tolerated," the chief minister said.

He urged Modi to intervene "personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen".

In another statement, Palaniswami condemned the killing and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the victim's family. He also announced Rs 1 lakh to another fisherman who was injured in the attack and directed that the best medical treatment be offered to him.

DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, MK Stalin, called for diplomatic action by New Delhi on the issue.

Lankan navy promises investigation



The Sri Lankan navy has promised a thorough probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman but denied that it was responsible for his death after India raised the issue with Sri Lanka's prime minister.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry said: "Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (Ranil Wickremesinghe). The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation".

Sri Lankan Navy Spokesman Lieutenant Commander Chaminda Walakuluge categorically denied any involvement of the navy in the fisherman's killing.

The navy does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only make arrests of them, he said in Colombo.

Sri Lankas Ministry of Fisheries said Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had written to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to carry out an investigation on the alleged shooting.

In his letter, Amaraweera said the navy has denied firing at the fishermen but in order to maintain good relations with India it was important to launch a probe on the Indian accusations of shooting, the ministry said.  PTI
Mumbai, March 7

The National Investigation Agency has asked controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to appear before it on March 14 in connection with investigations under anti-terrorism laws.

This comes hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned his sister Nailah Noorani in connection with money-laundering charges against him and some others on Tuesday. Officials said the agency questioned Naik's sister about some transactions from her account and the firms associated with her.

The central investigation agency had registered a criminal case against Naik and others last December after taking cognisance of an NIA complaint filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating suspicions that Naik had laundered money and used the proceeds to promote terrorist activities. Naik, who left the country around the time when his name began to be linked to a terrorist strike that killed 20 people, among them an Indian, in a cafe in Dhaka, has not responded to the summons issued to him.

The agency recently arrested Naik's close aide Aamir Gazdar in this case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had booked 51-year-old Naik and some others associated with his foundation  the Islamic Research Foundation  under anti-terrorism laws.

NIA and Mumbai Police had also conducted searches at 10 places in the megapolis, including residential premises of some of the office bearers of a foundation run by Naik, which was earlier put on restricted list by the Union Home Ministry for receiving funds from abroad.

Naik left the country after investigations found that some people involved in the Dhaka attack had been inspired by his speeches that have often been criticised for being radical and fomenting hatred between religions and even other Islamic sects.

Although some countries, such as the UK and Canada, had banned his programme on Peace TV, his discourses remained popular in Bangladesh.  PTI
New Delhi, March 7

The central government sounded an alert across the country in the wake of a suspected terrorist, having possible links to a train blast in Madhya Pradesh, hiding in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"We are alert. We have sounded an alert all over the country," Union Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir told reporters here.

He said the Uttar Pradesh Police was doing a commendable job to nab the terrorist holed up in a house in Kakori area in the outskirts of Lucknow.

"Terrorists do not have any ideology and create disturbances whenever they get a chance. The police is on the job to nab such elements," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad has launched an operation to flush out the suspected terrorist holed up in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow following inputs that he may be linked to Bhopal-Ujjain train blast this morning.

The densely populated neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, police said.

At least eight people were injured, two of them seriously, in a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, a Railway official said. PTI
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 7

The police today claimed to have got some vital clues in the sensational murder of a young trader at Nirmal Chawani, barely 500 m from the city police station, on Monday.

Amit Dixit (37) was shot four bullets by motorcycle-borne assailants near Nirmala Chawani on Monday evening. He was on the way to his shop near the Mata Mansa Devi road. He hailed from Saharanpur district but was living with his relatives in Haridwar for the past few years.

City Circle Officer Prakash Singh Devli said the investigating police team had got some vital clues but it would be too early to reveal them as it might affect the investigation.

He said the police were yet to have a detailed conversation with the deceaseds family members, particularly his wife, as she is in an inconsolable condition. The police team had also examined the CCTVs installed in the area but no clean image of the bike-borne assailants could be spotted.

We have also asked hotel and other commercial establishment owners to provide us CCTV footages and if any one has spotted the accused, they should inform the city police immediately, Devli said.

The police are also looking into an unknown phone call which Dixit had received a few days ago. The investments made by him recently were also being investigated, Devli added.

As a mark of protest and to express condolence to the family of deceased Amit Dixit, the city traders today closed the market and demanded arrest of the assailants involved in the shootout.

Vyapar Mandal representative Om Prakash Jamdagni said the traders closed their establishments to express sympathy with the bereaved family as well as protest the rising crime rate in the city.
Seoul, March 7

The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced anti-missile defence system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Koreas test of four ballistic missiles, US Pacific Command said, despite opposition from angry China.

The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Mondays missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike US bases in Japan, stepping up threats against Washington as US troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.

Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterdays launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea, US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in a statement, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system.

The move by the US military is likely to deepen the brewing conflict between South Korea and China, which says the THAAD deployment destroys the regional security balance.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China will definitely be taking necessary steps to safeguard our security interest and all consequences resulting from that will be borne by the US and South Korea.

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the launches by the nuclear-armed North during a phone call on Tuesday. Japan and the US confirmed that the latest North Korean missile launches were clearly against UN resolutions , Abe said. Trump also spoke to South Koreas acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn to discuss the Norths launches.  Reuters
Kuala Lumpur/Seoul, March 7

North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as the police investigating the murder of Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur sought to question three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak accused North Korea of effectively holding our citizens hostage and held an emergency meeting of his National Security Council.

The moves underscored the dramatic deterioration in ties with one of North Koreas few friends outside China since the murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns estranged half-brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13.

Malaysia says the assassins used VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

The police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including two of the three believed to be hiding in the embassy - a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employee.

The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman, accused of smearing the victims face with VX. He died within 20 minutes.

North Koreas foreign ministry issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving the country, until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, state-run Korea Central News Agency said. In this period the diplomats and citizens of Malaysia may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before.

Najib denounced the travel ban in a statement as an abhorrent act that was in total disregard of all

international law and diplomatic norms. He said he had instructed the police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.

Najib returned from Indonesia and held an emergency meeting of his National Security Council. There was no statement after the meeting, but the PM addressed Malaysians concerns on social media.

I understand the feelings and concerns of the family and friends of Malaysians held in North Korea. We assure that we are doing everything we can to make sure they come back to the country safely.

Euan Graham, Director, International Security at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, called the latest events a classic own goal of North Koreas making, triggered by the most outrageous public murder than you can image, using a chemical weapon in a crowded international airport. Youd have to go back a long way for this kind of wholesale diplomatic meltdown.

There are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, according to a Malaysian Foreign Ministry official, including three embassy staff, six family members, and two others. Hundreds of North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, most of them students and workers. The focus, however, was on its embassy staff.  Reuters

The unravelling of ties
Kuala Lumpur/Seoul, March 7

North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as police investigating the murder of Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Malaysia was outraged by the murder of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13 by assassins using VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employee - two of the three believed to be hiding in the embassy. The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

As the row escalated on Tuesday, North Korea's foreign ministry issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

All Malaysian citizens in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the state-run Korea Central News Agency said, quoting a foreign ministry official.

In this period the diplomats and citizens of Malaysia may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before.

Hostage-taking

Malaysia reacted swiftly, condemning Pyongyang's action as hostage-taking and responded by barring all North Koreans from leaving the country.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement, adding that he has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Najib said he has also instructed the police "to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea".

Before the murder, North Korea could count Malaysia as one of its few friends outside of China. But Malaysia has since stopped visa-free travel and on Monday it expelled North Korea's ambassador for questioning the impartiality of the murder investigation.

There are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry official, including three embassy staff, six family members, and two others.

Hundreds of North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, most of them students and workers. The focus, however, was on its embassy staff.

"We are trying to physically identify all the embassy staff who are here," deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told reporters outside the North Korean embassy.

He said staff would not be allowed to leave the embassy "until we are satisfied of their numbers and where they are".

By early afternoon, Malaysian police had removed the tape and police car blocking the North Korean embassy driveway in a sign of easing tensions.

No raid

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said three of the North Koreans sought in connection with the murder had holed up at the embassy in the Malaysian capital.

"How much longer do they want to hide in the embassy...it is a matter of time before they come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

"We will not raid the embassy building, we will wait for them to come out. We have got all the time," Khalid said.

Aside from the suspects said to be hiding in the embassy, police have said four other North Koreans left Malaysia in the hours after the murder.

The only North Korean suspect to be apprehended was deported on Friday, released due to insufficient evidence.

US officials and South Korean intelligence suspect North Korean agents were behind the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in Macau under China's protection. He had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept that the dead man is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack.

No next of kin have come forward to claim the body, but the Malaysian police chief said he was confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the murdered man. Reuters
However, a Fox News report last week indicated that the European members of this P5+1 group of nations were planning to present the Trump administration with options for tightening the enforcement of the agreement in order to address some of the White Houses concerns. Some have suggested that the agreement is structured in a way that allows for Iran to violate its obligations. But others have attributed this perception to the overall conciliatory nature of the Obama administrations handling of Iran policy.

In its latest report on the White Houses stance on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Reuters quoted President Trump as saying he wants to police that contract so tough (the Iranians) dont have a chance. Meanwhile, the administrations Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called for a full review of the agreement, with an eye toward strengthening its enforcement to the greatest degree possible.

But these remarks still only characterize the administrations position in broad strokes, without a clear sense of the precise steps it will take toward strengthening the agreement, undermining it, or both. One might expect that some clarity about these plans would have been established last week following the first meeting between Tillerson and officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is tasked with enforcing the JCPOA. However, neither side of those discussions has revealed any of the specifics of what was discussed.

Both Reuters and AFP quoted IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano as saying, The new administration of the United States just started and they are looking at various issues  not just this issue but many other issues, so it is very early for them to give their assessment. Whats more, Reuters suggested that the IAEA had expressed tentative optimism about the administration sticking with the agreement as it currently exists.

Nevertheless, declining to walk away from or dramatically renegotiate the agreement does not necessarily equate to embracing its long-term survival. In fact, it has been suggested that by focusing on other topics of conflict between the US and the Islamic Republic, the Trump administration could exploit Tehrans own wariness and encourage it to cancel the JCPOA on its own accord.

On the Iranian side, the JCPOA was spearheaded by President Hassan Rouhani, who was elected in 2013 on a relatively moderate campaign platform, which helped to secure his reputation as a more pragmatic politician than many of his colleagues. The subsequent nuclear negotiations went forward with the ostensible approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the ultimate authority in all matters of Iranian policy. But Khamenei also ordered his subordinates to avoid all other negotiations with the United States, and after the JCPOA was implemented he began to publicly express skepticism about its value.

There are also other signs that the powers-that-be in Tehran are interested in undermining the agreement or at least distancing themselves from the notion of cooperation with Western powers. One possible sign of this trend emerged months ago when it was reported that one Iranian negotiator in the talks, who also holds Canadian citizenship, had been arrested for reasons that were never made clear. Now, that story has reemerged, with the Associated Press concluding that this dual national was the person being referred to in a report by the Iranian judiciary stating that a member of the negotiating team had been formally indicted.

The incident arguably highlights two simultaneous trends that the Trump administration could utilize to pursue a mutual cancellation or revisit of the agreement. The first is hardliners own antagonism toward the JCPOA, but the other is their ongoing persecution of dual nationals, including several Americans who have recently begun long prison sentences over vaguely defined national security crimes.

This is one area of US-Iran relations that the Trump administration has been urged to take an assertive stance on. And President Trump is certainly interested in following such advice, seeing as his campaign-trail commentary on the Islamic Republic was not strictly limited to the nuclear agreement. The New York Times highlighted both the external pressure and the inherent interest driving the administration toward action on this issue.

Specifically, that report noted that administration officials had been in touch with the family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who is believed to have been kidnapped by regime officials or affiliates while in Iran on the basis of a private investigation in 2007. Some of those family members accused the Obama administration of ignoring Levinsons possibly ongoing plight, and their subsequent contacts with the Trump administration have led them to express confidence that it will take a more direct role in resolving the issue of this and other Western hostages who continue to be detained in spite of the concessions granted to the Islamic Republic under the nuclear deal.
Washington, March 7

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson described slaves as immigrants and argued that the label fits anyone who comes into a country from the outside  even involuntary immigrants, the media reported.

Speaking to department employees in his first full day on the job on Monday, Carson sparked a controversy when he said America is a land of dreams and opportunities, even for immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships and worked even longer, even harder for less, The Hill magazine reported.

But they, too, had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters [and] great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.

Later, on Monday evening, speaking on the Sirius XM radio show of his friend and business partner Armstrong Williams, Carson refused to back away from the remarks. I think people need to actually look up the word immigrant, Carson said.

Whether youre voluntary or involuntary, if you come from the outside to the inside, youre an immigrant. Whether youre legal or illegal, you come from the outside to inside, youre an immigrant. Slaves came here as involuntary immigrants but they still had the strength to hold on.  IANS

New travel ban does not keep US safe: Lawmakers

Make no mistake: this ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk while isolating the Muslim community. No matter the changes, this executive action remains immoral and fundamentally un-American.  Kamala Harris, california senator

Unfortunately, the President's Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children.  Pramila Jayapal, washington congresswoman
Photo: Jim Park

A DOT study apparently has failed to explicitly identify a net benefit from two suspended provisions of the hours of service rules regarding the 34-hour restart.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued hours-of-service regulations in 2013 that featured two controversial restart provisions. They required that the 34-hour restart include two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods, even if the 34 hours had already been reached. It also limited use of the restart provision to once every 168 hours. The trucking industry raised concerns about the rules unintended consequences, such as increased congestion during daytime traffic hours.

In late 2014, as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015, Congress suspended those two provisions and directed FMCSA to conduct a study of the operational, safety, health, and fatigue impacts of these rules.

Although the data collection for that study was completed in 2015, the study has not yet been made public. But a DOT spokesperson told HDT on March 6 that "we are currently in the final stages of review before transmitting the report to Congress."

The law also mandated that the DOT's Office of Inspector General review the study. Last week, in a letter to Congress, the OIG wrote that it found that DOTs study met the acts requirements. We also concur with the Departments conclusion that the study did not explicitly identify a net benefit from the use of the two suspended provisions on driver operations, safety, fatigue, and health.

Drivers from a variety of fleet sizes and operations provided a substantial amount of data during the study period, according to FMCSA. More than 220 drivers contributed data as they drove their normal routes. The data included over 3,000 driver duty cycles captured by electronic logging devices, over 75,000 driver alertness tests, and more than 22,000 days of driver sleep data.

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said the trucking industry was pleased by the news.

"The release of this report closes what has been a long, and unnecessary, chapter in our industry's drive to improve highway safety," Spear said. "We knew from the beginning that these Obama administration restrictions provided no benefit to safety, and in light of the DOT's findings  corroborated by the DOT Inspector General  it is good for our industry and for the motoring public that they will be done away with permanently as specified by language ATA lead the charge on including in the most recently passed Continuing Resolution."

ATA has fought against these restrictions  which limited drivers' flexibility in the use of the restart  since they were first proposed in 2013.

"Congress repeatedly told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that rules of this nature must show a benefit to safety and this report clearly shows there was no benefit," Spear said. "This marks the end of a long struggle, but hopefully the beginning of a new era of inclusive and data-based regulation."

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also was quick to respond to the news. Its not only common sense, its trucker sense, said OOIDA executive vice president, Todd Spencer, in a statement. We have always championed the need for flexibility in the hours-of-service regulations so that drivers can drive when rested and avoid times of heavy congestion or bad weather conditions.

Lane Kidd, managing director of the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, told HDT that the results of the restart study were no surprise, since the Congress set the bar very high that the federal agency had to meet to justify the net safety benefits of the new rule.

The OIGs assessment of the restart study supports what the industry has been saying all along, that requiring two consecutive periods of 1-5 a.m. and limiting the restart to once a week didn't contain any net benefit to the industry, David Heller, the Truckload Carriers Associations vice president of government affairs told HDT.

He added that TCA looks forward to working with the Trump administration on promulgating future rules regarding truck drivers hours of service that make sense for the whole industry.

Joe Rajkovacz, director of governmental affairs and communications for the Western States Trucking Association, told HDT that the group also was "not really surprised by the finding and dont think many others are in trucking, either.

"The whole issue of the 34-hour restart provision had been politicized in our opinion," he added, "and it's nice to see a government agency actually use science appropriately to arrive at the correct result- it's just too bad they sat on the findings for so long."

The Teamsters union has come out strongly against the reports conclusion, contending that DOT fails to recognize the benefit of well-rested truckers to overall highway safety.

"The rollback of these rules is short-sighted and one that could jeopardize the lives of Americans traveling on the nation's thoroughfares, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said in a statement. Truckers, like most of us, do their job better when they get proper rest. That was more likely under the HOS rules originally approved in 2013 that required drivers to take two nighttime breaks during a 34-hour period and only use their restart once a week.

Hoffa added that the consequences of curtailing rest breaks could be quite real. Already, nearly 4,000 lives are claimed each year on U.S. highways in accidents involving tractor-trailers. And in the most recent available numbers from 2013, 97% of vehicle occupants killed in two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck were occupants of passenger vehicles."
Whatever the case, if the phone call was in any way related to Iran it will be easy to regard it as yet another example of growing coordination among Western and Middle Eastern powers as they seek to confront and counteract Iranian ascendancy in the region. Iran News Update has highlighted this phenomenon several times in recent weeks, at times pointing to last months Munich Security Conference as what some foreign policy experts have described as a major turning point in international attitudes toward Tehran following the 2015 nuclear agreement, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

At Munich, a number of regional powers made similarly vituperative comments about Irans regional role, describing the Islamic Republic as a destabilizing force and the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. The contributors to this commentary included both Israel and Saudi Arabia, traditional adversaries who have continually shown more signs of cooperation as Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reach their hands farther into the affairs of surrounding countries, especially war-torn Syria and Yemen.

Notable criticism of Tehran also came from Turkish delegates to the conference, in spite of the fact that Turkey and Iran had been enjoying improved relations in recent months. In this way, the conference highlighted the escalation of tensions among players in the Syrian Civil War  something that might even threaten Irans relationship with its steadfast ally in that conflict, Russia.

This is something that global policy analysts have been speculating about virtually since Russia first became directly involved in the civil war. Iran News Update pointed out last week that the Russian Foreign Ministrys had describing this involvement as being in line with Moscows interests. The article pointed out that such commentary could be interpreted to underscore the widely-recognized possibility of Russian and Iranian interests diverging in this area.

This is a possibility that some of Tehrans longstanding adversaries may be exploring with some eagerness in the aftermath of the Munich Conference. This is arguably the implication of a Reuters report that emerged on Monday and described Mr. Netanyahus plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Israel enjoys good relations with Russia in spite of the steadily emerging alliance between Moscow and Israels bitter enemies in Tehran. Thursdays meeting is expected to provide the Israeli leadership with an opportunity to try to convince Russia that Irans current activities in the region are at odds with Russia interests. Specifically, Netanyahu will highlight the apparent Iranian efforts to gain a permanent foothold in Syria, where Irans clerical regime will continue to inflame sectarian tensions and destabilize the region.

The Reuters report also puts Netanyahus planned remarks in context with broader Israeli criticism of Tehrans steadily increasing influence in the region whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shiite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah. Of course, many other critics of the Iranian regime have been pointing squarely at the same phenomena and encouraging leading world powers like the United States to set policy accordingly.

The Munich Conference provided one example of this broader criticism, but so have other events and statements, including press conferences and distributed briefings by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the leading Iranian opposition group. The NCRIs intelligence gathering was highlighted in a recent editorial at The Hill, which credited the resistance group articulating key details of the region-wide threat posed by the Revolutionary Guards.

The editorial went on to conclude that the international community must send the message that activities like the ongoing development of an IRGC-led terrorist network will bear a heavy price tag. And it appears that this is a conclusion is shared by a growing number of global powers, and that it may lead to highly coordinated action toward that end.
2016 X Factor winner Isaiah Firebrace is the chosen act to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine.

He will perform the ballad Dont Come Easy written by DNA Songs duo David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii, the same team who wrote Dami Ims Sound of Silence.

Firebrace, 17, was revealed at the Paris Cat Jazz Club in the Melbourne CBD today.

Im so proud to be representing Australia as our entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, he said. Even though it has been a dream of mine, never did I think for one minute it would be a possibility. To be able to share this news with my family and friends is unbelievable. I cant wait to go to the Ukraine to perform Dont Come Easy. I will make Australia proud. Thank you to SBS and my label Sony for believing in me and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.

SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said: The theme of Eurovision this year is Celebrate Diversity and we are once again thrilled to be participating in a global event which could not be more aligned with SBSs own purpose. Isaiah is a young artist who beautifully embodies the Australian spirit with his passion, hard work and humility, not to mention immense talent at just 17 years old. We are proud to have him represent our country, and cant wait to see him shine in Kyiv.

Australian Head of Delegation, Director of Blink TV, SBSs Eurovision production partner, Paul Clarke said: It was exciting for all Australian Eurovision fans to come so close to winning last year. We wanted to come up with something totally different for this year, yet just as powerful as Dami. With Isaiah we have an artist who has a unique ability to cast a spell with his voice, and we will build our stage production around showcasing his quite staggering vocals. DNAs composition is a perfect vehicle for Isaiah, and it was such an exciting collaboration to be part of. It literally gave me tingles to hear it completed. We cant wait to present it on the stage in Kyiv.

Firebrace will perform in Semi Final 1, which will be broadcast on Wednesday 10 May Live at 5am on SBS, and in primetime Friday 12 May 7.30pm on SBS. He will still need to qualify for the Eurovision Final.

But he will have big shoes to fill following the second-place by Dami Im in 2016 with Sound of Silence. Australia was previously represented by Guy Sebastian in 2015, with Jessica Mauboy as a special guest in 2014.

Isaiah is not the only Aussie competing with former winner of The Voice Anja Nissen representing Denmark.

SBS is yet to announce its new commentators following the sudden departure of much-loved hosts Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang.

Eurovision Song Contest begins in Kiev from May 9  13.

This post updates.
Screen Australia and ABC have announced a second year of funding Art Bites, for four emerging Australian filmmaking teams to create a 6 x 5 minute documentary series for iview.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason announced the renewal today at the Australian International Documentary Conference in Melbourne.

A total of $240,000 in grants will be available to fund four projects, with ABC TV and Screen Australia committing $120,000 each. Each team will also be supported by a Screen Australia Investment Manager and an ABC Digital Arts Commissioning Editor.

This initiative is designed to unearth up-and-coming creatives with an original and compelling idea for a documentary series that will contribute to the national cultural conversation around art, and in turn secure a broadcasting credit to further their career. The shorts will profile an art subject of the filmmakers choosing.

Last year we were so impressed by the exceptional ideas pitched to us and the resulting series have proven there is an appetite for this type of shareable, snack-sized documentary arts content, said Liz Stevens, Senior Manager of Documentary at Screen Australia. We are so pleased to be partnering once again with ABC TV to offer four new teams the opportunity to share their perspectives on Australias lively and evolving art scene.

The Art Bites initiative has given us the opportunity to uncover some fantastic filmmakers and provide access to ABC iview to present work made for, about and by young people at the cutting-edge of arts and technology, said Mandy Chang, Head of ABC Arts. We are very proud of the current series and look forward to working with Screen Australia on Art Bites 2.

This year all seven of the national state and territory screen agencies have committed to supporting the final projects if any of the successful applicants are from their jurisdictions. Screen Queensland, Screen Territory, Screenwest, South Australian Film Corp, Film Victoria, Screen Tasmania and Screen NSW will contribute up to an additional $30,000 per project, bringing the total per team to $90,000.

In 2016, two teams from Western Australia, one team from Queensland and one from New South Wales were selected. Two of the four series are currently available to view on iview  Home: The Art of Ian Strange from WA, and The Glass Bedroom from NSW. Shock Art from WA will premiere 15 March, and The Wanderers from QLD will premiere 3 April.

The ABC iview Arts channel is where life and culture collide to provide accessible, entertaining and inclusive arts programming. Since launching in 2015, it has tripled program plays across both original and curated content. So far the two series in the current Art Bites programming, The Glass Bedroom and Home: The Art of Ian Strange, have received over 45,000 plays on iview.
The AFL Footy Show returns for its 24th season on Thursday with Craig Hutchison sharing hosting duties with Rebecca Maddern, following the departure of James Brayshaw.

Sam Newman, Billy Brownless, Dave Hughes, Shane Crawford and Damian Barrett are all returning, with Richmonds Alex Rance joining for a brand new regular segment.

Billy Brownless also has a new segment, yet to be revealed.

The first show will kick off with a stellar lineup of the best of the best in AFL talent to discuss the 2017 AFL Premiership Season which is only weeks away. Geelong superstar and 2016 Brownlow Medal winner, Patrick Dangerfield, will be joining the panel alongside the new captain of the reassembled Essendon Bombers, Dyson Heppell, who is returning to footy this year after his one-year doping ban, and Hawthorn vice-captain Isaac Smith

New Sydney correspondent, quirky Greater Western Sydney star Heath Shaw, will be hitting the streets of Sydney to find out how popular GWS really is. Plus the regular segments Almost Footy Legends, Sams Mailbag and What The Foss?

Join the conversation online with Adelaide captain Tex Walker, live tweeting his take on the first show of the year from the AFL Footy Show Player Takeover Twitter account at @playertakeover.

But the question everyone is asking is: Will Sam Newman get along with his new co-host Hutchy? And will Hutchy handle the heat on his Footy Show debut? All this and so much more when the 2017 season of The Footy Show returns on Thursday night.

8:30pm Thursday on Nine (check local guides).
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Published March 6, 2017

MONROE, La. - Students from the University of Louisiana Monroe brought home five awards from the Southeastern Journalism Conference Best of the South competition held last week.

The awards, chosen from 469 entries from 29 colleges, were announced at the SEJCs annual convention, hosted Feb. 16-19 at the University of Mississippi.

John Stevens, of Houston, Texas, won first place for Best Radio Journalist. Olivia Barfield, of Dry Prong, won second place for Best Feature Writer. Cory Thaxton, of Monroe, won fifth place for Best Feature Writer. Sandeep Shrestha, of Madhyapur Thimi, Nepal, won fifth place for Best News Graphic Designer, and Siddharth Gaulee, of Gainesville, Fla., won ninth place for Best Press Photographer.

Im thankful for this team that meshes so well together, said Barfield, editor in chief of ULMs student newspaper, the Hawkeye. Everyone here is consistently trying to improve themselves and the paper as a whole, and its paying off. Im proud to share a newsroom with this staff, and I cant wait to see what we achieve next.

Stevens, a communications major, won top honors for his work with ULMs public radio station, KEDM, supervised by Director of Broadcasting Jay Curtis and Director of News and Public Affairs Cory Crowe.

The SEJC consists of 51 member universities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Dr. Christopher Mapp, who serves as director of student publications, teaches a feature writing class at ULM and had Barfield and Thaxton as students. He said hes not surprised they both finished in the top five in the same category.

Olivia and Cory are great feature writers because they have a great nose for stories, a good ear for dialogue, and a keen eye for details, Mapp said. And they just work hard. If you tell them they need another source for their story, theyll get you three. They just go the extra mile every time.

Mapp added: The same can be said of the entire Hawkeye staff. They pride themselves on their work ethic, and winning awards like these is what happens when you do.
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Published March 7, 2017

Independent journalist and veteran Louisiana political reporter, Jeremy Alford, will hold a guest lecture and book signing at the University of Louisiana Monroe as part of the Political Science programs annual speaker series. The lecture and book signing will be held in the Conference Center on the 7th Floor of the ULM Library at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, March 14.

Alfords lecture will discuss Louisianas dramatic race for governor in 2015 and the lessons his campaign holds for contemporary Louisiana and Southern politics. He will sign copies of his book, Long Shot, co-authored with Tyler Bridges, which is an insiders account of Louisianas 2015 race for governor and how John Bel Edwards managed his improbable victory over David Vitter.

The American Press writes, They have written one of the best political stories  and there have been many  I have read during my 56 years of covering Louisiana politics. The Advocatecalled Long Shot, required reading for understanding Louisiana politics.

There will also be opportunities for questions from the audience. This will be an exclusive opportunity for students, faculty, and the general public.

Alford is the publisher and editor of LaPolitics Weekly, the state's leading trade publication for elected officials, lobbyists, campaign professionals, journalists and others making their way along the backroads of Bayou State politics. His syndicated news and opinion columns appear regularly in The New York Times and he has served as an on-camera analyst for CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

His bylines also run in more than 25 newspapers and magazines throughout Louisiana and produces political news feeds for television stations in the Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette markets. Alford also produces Tuesday Tracker, a weekly political tip sheet, as well as the LaPolitics Report podcast and LaPolitics.com, which serves as the digital hub for all of his work.
With a public debate in full swing in the United States regarding the countrys posture toward refugees, the United Nations Foundation today issued a statement reconfirming its commitment to working with the United Nations to stand with refugees and to champion the values, principles, and international frameworks that help refugees receive life-saving assistance and protection.

UN Foundation Deputy CEO, Elizabeth Cousens, said,

American leadership has been a bulwark of the international refugee regime for 70 years, and the United States has long been seen as a beacon for victims of war, violence, and persecution who have been welcomed to our shores and in our communities for generations. American values are upheld when we help families in their greatest hour of need, and by ensuring every person can live in safety and dignity, we create a safer world for Americans and for all people.

The Executive Order released on March 6, 2017 on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States threatens these values, our reputation as a welcoming nation, and our security. While the new Executive Order is more limited in scope than its predecessor, it suffers from the same flaws. It puts refugees from the countries in question  who like all refugees to the United States are already subject to some of the most extensive vetting procedures in the world  in limbo. In cutting overall refugee admissions by half, it undermines our leadership. In targeting only refugees from certain countries, it encourages enemies of the United States who benefit from seeing the U.S. close its borders to the most vulnerable. As we stated in the article Why American Leadership Means Standing #WithRefugees, U.S. leadership in support of refugees has always enhanced our security: cooperating with other countries to share the task of helping the displaced has been a bedrock of regional and global stability for over 70 years.

As we face the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II with over 60 million people forcibly displaced, the UN Foundation will continue to stand with the UN, with U.S. leadership to support refugees, and against discrimination in all its forms.

Editors Note: On March 6, 2017, the U.S. Administration released a revised version of the Executive Order on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. The new order includes changes such as removing Iraq from the list of targeted countries, but retains the fundamental  and harmful  elements of the original order. The United Nations Foundation continues to stand with refugees and against this Executive Order, as we expressed in the piece here following the signing of the original order.

###

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the worlds most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.
An Iraqi family who fled western Mosul take up residence in their new tent in Hasansham U3 camp, east of Mosul.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, this week opened Chamakor, its latest camp in the Mosul area, to manage the spike in displacement triggered by the recent Iraqi offensive to recapture the western parts of Iraqs second city.

Capacity is rapidly filling in camps to the east, while those to the south are full. Over 195,000 are currently sheltering in the 21 camps built by UN agencies and the government around Mosul, and there is currently space available for up to 109,000 new arrivals in existing camps.

UNHCR is building two additional camps near Mosul (Hasansham U2 to the east, and Hammam Al-Alil 2 to the south) for another 39,000. It is also erecting 19 tented halls in the government-built Hammam al-Alil camp to serve as reception centres and transit area, and is examining expanding capacity in camps north of the city. The biggest challenge remains finding suitable land to build new camps.

Chamakor, east of Mosul, received its first 200 residents Monday. More arrivals are expected Tuesday and through the week. It is ready to immediately receive 6,600 people.

Hunger and insecurity have been cited as key factors in the decision to flee by newly displaced families, who told UNHCR of armed groups attacking areas recently retaken by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), causing sustained civilian casualties.

The newest arrivals are in a desperate condition, visibly traumatized, hungry and dehydrated. Many arrived without shoes and wearing soaking clothes, having walked long distances to reach safety at government checkpoints. Some had left relatives behind, hoping to be reunited once they are able to find safer exit routes from west Mosul. Families recounted surviving on one meal a day  flour and water, sometimes supplemented by bread or tomato paste  over recent weeks.

Currently there are 211,572 Iraqis displaced by the fighting in Mosul, with over 50,000 added since the beginning of the latest operations in west Mosul, launched on 19 February.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
A young boy -- detained with his mother by Hungarian border police for 24 hours -- clowns for visitors.  UNHCR/Kitty McKinsey

UNHCR is deeply concerned at a new law which has been voted this morning at the Hungarian Parliament and which foresees the mandatory detention of all asylum seekers, including many children, for the entire length of the asylum procedure.

In practice, it means that every asylum-seeker, including children, will be detained in shipping containers surrounded by high razor wire fence at the border for extended periods of time.

This new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered.

We already expressed serious concern about the physical barriers Hungary has already erected, together with legislative and policy obstacles, making it nearly impossible for asylum-seekers to enter the country, apply for asylum and receive international protection.

Under International and EU laws, the detention of refugees and asylum-seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate. This requires authorities to consider whether there are less coercive or intrusive measures to achieve these goals, based on an assessment of the individuals particular circumstances. Alternatives to detention should always to be considered first. Failure to do so could render detention arbitrary.

Children should never be detained under any conditions as detention is never in a childs best interest.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Cornell University spearheaded a protest to demand college to begin funding for the illegal immigrant students who are enrolled in or work at the school. Their call out is for the university provide both housing and sanctuary to these students.

The protest was organized by the Cornell Coalition for Inclusive Democracy, and around 250 students and faculty members have joined, Daily Caller reported. What the protesters were asking for was for the university to provide funds for the illegal immigrants, even those that were not protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The protesters also demanded the university to provide safe shelter to international scholars who are trying to escape violent and dangerous situations in their home countries and are warned from traveling overseas, according to HeatStreet.

Professor Russell Rickford said that the endangered community member still do not have the full assurance that the university will be able to protect them.

The group called on the campus police to not release information about illegal immigrant students unless it is really important.

The protesters chanted in chorus saying "no ban, no wall, sanctuary for all".

One professor spoke to the protesters and told them that most people will only be fighting against them, that these students will only find themselves in the minority in protesting their struggles, and that most people will never stand with them.

Prior to these protests, the administration of the university already took measures to address the group's issues. They also have informed them that they planned to honor the DACA and that they will provide legal assistance to the international students when they need it. It also plans on protecting the privacy of student information and records from unauthorized and unlawful intrusion.
The University of Oregon (UO) and Portland State University (PSU) are reportedly considering double-digit tuition increases this fall. This is expected to affect over 24,000 in-state students.

Last week, the University of Oregon's governing board approved a motion to increase in-state tuition for undergraduate students by 10.6 percent this fall. Oregon Live reported that this is the largest increase since the 2010 school year. Moreover, Portland State University could also be having a similar increase.

The increases for both schools would mean that each full-time student would need to shell out hundreds of dollars. A full-time student at PSU would need to pay an estimated $700 a year more for tuition, at $7,722.

Meanwhile, at UO, the annual tuition would increase by $945, making it a total of $9,855. On a positive note, neither tuition increase proposal include a potential costly rise to student fees or to the cost of food or housing.

UO President Michael Schill expressed his regret at the size of the increase. However, he and other presidents said that Salem, the state's capital, should be blamed.

Gov. Kate Brown proposed a budget that would cause flat-funding for the universities, with the same $667 million allocated in the 2015-2017 biennium. Oregon universities have asked for additional $100 million to prevent double-digit tuition increases.

PSU's president, Wim Wiewel, admitted that universities were caught in the middle. He revealed that, if the state would provide the $100 million, the higher education institutions would be able to keep the increase below 5 percent.

According to The Register-Guard, UO Chief Financial Officer Jamie Moffitt described the tuition increase as necessary because the state is still proposing to give the university the same amount as this academic year's. This is even when next year's cost are estimated to increase by $25 million.

One student, Maria Slade, who is a freshman, recounted her discussion about the tuition increase with her parents during winter break. Her father promised her that he would work until he's 70 years old so that she can continue her studies. However, it disheartened her because she does not want her parents to continue making sacrifices to keep her in UO when the institution does not seem to care about how the increase would affect its students.
[March 06, 2017] Eiffel Trading Updates Online Marketplace to Offer Simple and Secure End-to-End Transactions for Used and Surplus Equipment and Material

Eiffel Trading has launched an updated version of the first online marketplace for participants in the heavy civil, marine, and oilfield industries to buy, sell, and rent used and surplus equipment and material. The new platform removes the need for intermediary support during the procurement process for these types of goods, resulting in higher cost-savings for users. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006226/en/ The homepage of Eiffel Trading's updated online marketplace. (Photo: Business Wire) For customers looking to sell or rent inventory, users can list equipment and materials to the online marketplace free of charge and have complete control over the sale process. Sellers can also now use 'Flash Sales,' a standout section on the new platform where users can create a listing and choose to highlight their goods on Eiffel Trading's homepage. For buyers who cannot find what they are looking for, new 'Wanted' listings are available for use. When a match is found on the marketplace, the 'Wanted' customer will be notified immediately of the item's availabiity. Buyers can also use new website filters to more easily sort and identify desired equipment and material.



Whether buying or selling, users will feel secure in the authenticity of their transaction with Eiffel Trading as the new platform also offers users: the ability to schedule equipment and material inspections prior to purchase; a third-party escrow service to hold and release funds upon successful completion of a transaction between parties; and online freight calculators. "The used and surplus equipment market is incredibly fragmented with multiple intermediaries between buyers and sellers. With so many participants in the marketplace, the value to the customer has been replaced by margin proliferation," said Eiffel Trading CEO Zachary Oliva. "Due to the growth of e-commerce over the last decade, it is clear the B2B industry has crossed a threshold where a majority of customers now prefer the online procurement of goods. Eiffel Trading is proud to launch our updated marketplace and provide users the ability to simply and securely transact from end-to-end, while also supporting their need for cost-containment."

Eiffel Trading will be doing live demonstrations in booth number G73412 (located in the Gold Lot) at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG (IFPE) international exhibition taking place March 7-11, 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center or visit the new platform at: www.eiffeltrading.com. About Eiffel Trading Eiffel Trading is an online, business-to-business marketplace for used and surplus equipment and materials. Our platform connects buyers and sellers in the heavy civil, marine, and oilfield construction industries. Buyers can choose from a large selection of quality inventory, and sellers can list their inventory for free. Further, all sellers have the option to rent their inventory. For more information about Eiffel Trading, visit www.eiffeltrading.com, call 1-800-541-7998 and connect via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306006226/en/

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Oct. 26, 2022

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.  Cadets got the unique experience of interacting with and learning from the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2022 at the U.S. Air Force Academy Sept. 27-29. The National Character and Leadership Symposium sponsored the visit and three days of activities.The 12
Norwalk, Conn., March 7, 2017 TMC, a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person and online, announced today the winners of the 2016 Data Center Excellence Award, presented by infoTECH Spotlight.

The 2016 infoTECH Spotlight Data Center Excellence Award recognizes the most innovative and enterprising data center vendors who offer infrastructure or software, servers or cooling systems, cabling or management applications.

Congratulations to the winners of the InfoTech Spotlight 2016 Data Center Excellence Award, said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC (News - Alert). Data centers are critical to the success of any businesses today. Small or large, every business relies on data centers to host their applications and data, either on their own premises or in the cloud. The award recipients are innovators within this space and we look forward to seeing their continued excellence and innovation.

2016 Data Center Excellence Award Winners

Company Product Anord Critical Power, Inc. Anord Modular Product (AMP) Power Distribution Unit (PDU) AMAX (News - Alert) AMAX [SMART]DC Data Center Manager Infomart Data Centers Direct Access (News - Alert) (DA) Power Cypherpath Cypherpath Infrastructure Container System

For more than 20 years, TMC has been honoring technology companies with awards in various categories. These awards are regarded as some of the most prestigious and respected honors in the communications and technology sector worldwide. Winners represent prominent players in the market who consistently demonstrate the advancement of technologies. Each recipient is a verifiable leader in the marketplace.

About InfoTech Spotlight

InfoTech Spotlight brings extensive daily content focused on information technology. Visitors will find free industry news, communities, channels, blogs, feature articles, videos, whitepapers and other resources. The site keeps readers informed about developments across topics including software, hardware, security and networking. InfoTech Spotlight is powered by TMCnet, the leading communications and technology site in the World. Please visit: infoTECH Spotlight for more information.

About TMC

Global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers.

TMCs Marketplaces:

Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking.

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and bolster brand reputations. Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts.

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For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

TMC Contact

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Marketing Director

203-852-6800

[email protected]

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
Gao Recognized as UWs Top Student Musician

Rui Gao

Rui Gao was recognized as the University of Wyomings top student musician during the Dorothy Jacoby Student Soloist Competition last week.

Eight finalists were selected during auditions last fall, and each of the finalists then performed with the UW Symphony Orchestra (UWSO) in front of a panel of judges.

Gao, a pianist from Shenyang, China, performed Franz Liszts Piano Concerto No. 1 with the UWSO.

At age 12, Gao was admitted to the Shenyang Conservatory of Music and studied with Zhang Fang, a famous Chinese professor. Gao has received multiple awards, including second place for Chinese compositions at the Hong Kong Asia Piano Open Competition; second place for Bach compositions at the Hong Kong Asia Piano Open Competition; second place at the First Brahms International Music Festival in Germany; and multiple other international awards for outstanding performances.

After graduating from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in 2015, Gao was admitted to UWs Performers Certificate program and now studies under Theresa Bogard, UW Department of Music chair.

Rafael Ferreira, a graduate flute player from Goiania, Brazil, received honorable mention for his performance of the Flute Concerto by Carl Reinecke.

Rafael Ferreira

The other finalists at last weeks competition were Aaron Boyer, an undergraduate trombone player from Roselle, Ill.; Sean McKay, an undergraduate trumpeter from Parker, Colo.; Heath Richards, an undergraduate viola player from Fremont, Neb.; Zane Romanek, an undergraduate saxophonist from Douglas; Drew Syring, an undergraduate soprano from Cody; and Tyler Treacy, an undergraduate French hornist from Loveland, Colo.

The concert is named after Dorothy Jacoby, a founding member of the UW Symphony Association and a longtime supporter of classical music in Laramie. Her sons, Peter and Michael Jacoby, made a generous contribution in honor of their late mother. That gift, along with contributions from many of Dorothy Jacobys friends, created the endowment for the prize that is awarded at the performance.
By: Dezan Shira & Associates

Editor: Maxfield Brown

Following a general trend of convergence with Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS) guidelines within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam has introduced groundbreaking transfer pricing rules with significant implications for companies conducting related party transactions. Announced February 24, changes outlined under Decree No.20/2017/ND-CP are set to become effective May 1, replacing previously standing guidance stipulated in Circular No. 66/2010/TT-BTC.

Broadly speaking, transfer pricing (TP) rules focus on the monitoring and regulation of transactions between entities deemed to be related to one another, through the ownership of one company by the other. Often, TP regulations are used to prevent companies from utilizing inflated or deflated transaction costs as means of minimizing tax exposure.

For foreign companies choosing to incorporate subsidiaries in Vietnam, the many benefits that these corporate profiles afford often come with the added cost of exposure to TP regulation and compliance. However, with a firm understanding of regulations, it will be possible to understand the law and to ensure compliance effectively.

Given the rapidly changing nature of transfer pricing regulation in Vietnam, it is of utmost importance that investors employ stringent monitoring of Vietnamese legislation and direct questions to the Ministry of Finance or professional service firms operating within the country.

RELATED: Transfer Pricing Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

Related party transactions defined

Pursuant to Article 5.1(a) and (b) of the soon to be implemented transfer pricing decree, company transactions will subject to TP compliance if they are conducted with parties that the company in question participates in the control of, or is controlled by.

Article 5.2 of the decree stipulates that any of the following is to constitute a form of control and thus may be used as a means of tagging transactions between entities for TP reporting and compliance:

Ownership of at least 25 percent of a companys charter capital by the other company*

Both companies own at least 25 percent of the charter capital in a third company

Both companies have at least 50 percent

Ownership of the largest block of charter capital and, directly or indirectly, at least 10 percent of the total shares of the enterprise

Companies controlled by the same parent company

Operations controlled by the same family or extended family

*Note: the ownership threshold has been increased under Decree 20 from its previous rate of 25 percent.

TP compliance: understanding requisite documentation

When transactions of a company have been conducted with parties that meet any of the requirements outlined above, the company will be required to undergo a heightened degree of scrutiny, prescribed under Decree 20, to ascertain if their transactions are in fact being conducted in a manner consistent with prevailing market pricing. While Vietnam has lagged in TP monitoring and enforcement in the past, the increasing emphasis on transfer pricing issues, evidenced by prioritization and rapid passage of Decree 20 in 2017, makes the likelihood of enforcement a significant possibility in the near future.

Pursuant to article 10.3 of decree 20, companies will be required to submit information related to all related entities operating within the country as part of annual compliance. In addition to this, and in accordance with BEPS guidelines recommended by the OECD under Action 13: Guidance on Implementation of Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-Country Reporting, Vietnam has implemented a three-tired system of reporting for those conducting transactions with related entities. Outlined in the appendices of Decree 20, all of which are to be further defined by the Ministry of Finance, companies will be required to maintain information in the following areas:

A national profile containing material transactions of the local taxpayer (Appendix 2)

A profile of the global corporation containing standardized information for all members of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) (Appendix 3)

A country-by-country report containing information relating to the global assets and transactions of the MNE (Appendix 4)

Filing deadlines: All documentation should be completed and submitted before submission of a companys annual tax return.

Note: Decree 20 diverges from previous TP regulation employed in Vietnam in the depth of information that is required as part of the compliance process. For example, companies complying with TP reporting requirements stipulated in Appendix 1 will find that requirements to segment profits and losses by related party transactions to be a significant departure from previous guidance.

TP compliance: qualifying for exemptions

While the majority of companies will be required to comply with TP reporting requirements in the event that their transactions are with entities deemed to be related, any of the following circumstances outlined under Article 11 will allow companies to claim exemption from providing information required in appendix 1:

When total revenue in a tax period is below VND 50 billion and related party transactions are below VND 30 billion.

When the company in question has signed an agreement predetermining the method of determining related party transaction values

When total revenue is below VND 200 billion and the company and achieves industry specific profit margin targets assigned as follows: distribution (5 percent), production (10 percent), processing (15 percent).

Methods for calculating fair market transaction value

One of the most contentious issues between TP regulators and companies alike relates to the calculation of a transactions prevailing market value. While methods of calculation can differ and may require added company compliance, sourcing of information for these calculations is often the area where companies and governments can find themselves at true odds. For companies, the lack of transparent access to government sourcing of transaction data can present a degree of uncertainty that is difficult to mitigate. Furthermore, without a clear picture of government sourcing, it can become difficult accurately respond to government inquiries effectively. To this end, Decree 20 provides the following guidance on the sourcing of information related to TP issues.

Permitted sourcing for companys fair market pricing

Outlined in Article 9.1, Decree 20 sets out the following list of sourcing options that companies may use to determine the prevailing value of their transactions:

Commercial databases organized by business information providers

Information that is publically available on the stock market

Information that is publically available on commodities exchanges

Information that is publically available through government databases

Permitted sourcing utilized by officials in TP investigations

Pursuant to Article 9.2 of Decree 20, government bodies are permitted to utilize the following pricing databases when evaluating a companys adherence to fair market pricing:

All sources available to companies (listed above)

Data provided by partner tax agencies

Database of the Vietnams Tax Agency

Unfortunately, Vietnams ability to utilize proprietary data to review transactions makes it difficult to assess the risk of being flagged or to determine the best way to manage an ensuing TP investigation. While there have been rumors that the Vietnamese government may soon engage a commercial database to evaluate fair market pricing and relations between entities, this remains to be seen. At present, the best way to manage TP risk in Vietnam is closely monitor ongoing developments within the Ministry of Finance and to ensure that all transactions are recorded in a manner consistent with prevailing reporting requirements.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email vietnam@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. 

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.



Managing Contracts and Severance in Vietnam

In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the prevailing state of labor pools in Vietnam and outline key considerations for those seeking to staff and retain workers in the country. We highlight the increasing demand for skilled labor, provide in depth coverage of existing contract options, and showcase severance liabilities that may arise if workers or employers choose to terminate their contracts.
Bribery rates in Asia were highest in India and Vietnam, according to Berlin-based Transparency International. (Photo: AFP/Money Sharma)

The report by Berlin-based Transparency International surveyed more than 20,000 people in 16 countries spanning the Asia Pacific region from Pakistan to Australia. From the results they estimated 900 million people were forced to fork over "tea money" at least once in the previous 12 months.

Bribery rates were highest in India and Vietnam, where nearly two thirds of respondents said they had to sweeten the deal to access basic services like public education and healthcare.

Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia reported the lowest incidences of bribery. Singapore was not included in the report.

Police were the most common demanders of kickbacks, according to the survey, with just under a third of people who had come into contact with an officer in the past year saying they had paid a bribe.

The poor are hit hardest by corruption with 38 per cent of respondents saying they had to pay a bribe, the highest in any income category.

Yet while poorer people were more likely to be targeted in countries like Thailand, India and Pakistan, the reverse trend was found in places like Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

"Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments," Jose Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International, said in a press release. "Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill."

When it came to perceptions of corruption Malaysia and Vietnam got the worst ratings from their citizens, who felt graft was widespread and accused their governments of doing little to fight it.

Corruption scandals have rocked a number of governments in Asia over the past year, dominating news headlines and whipping up protests.

South Korea's President Park Geun-hye was impeached by parliament in December over a major influence-peddling scandal that prompted millions to take to the street for months to call for her resignation.

Malaysia has also been seized by a graft scandal since 2015, with global investigators accusing Premier Najib Razak and his associates of misappropriating billions of dollars through the state-backed 1MDB fund.

A report last year by a corruption watchdog also detailed the enormous wealth accumulated by the family and friends of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

China, meanwhile, has been on anti-corruption drive that has netted more than one million officials, while fellow communist country Vietnam has also jailed a number of former businessmen for graft in its state-run sector.

Thailand's military government has vowed a similar anti-corruption campaign but there have been few convictions so far.
Jin made the statement at a meeting with Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang on March 6.



The AIIB will consider offering preferential financial assistance directly to local private companies operating in the infrastructure sector, he noted.



If Vietnam pursues the current development strategy, the country would continue to be among regional top players in terms of growth, the bank leader said, adding that his agency is willing to provide development projects in Vietnam with preferential loans at equal to or better conditions than those offered by other international financial institutions.



Secretary Thang stressed the southern hubs willingness to cooperate with the AIIB for mutual benefits and regional prosperity.



He said between now and 2030, Ho Chi Minh City will need about 50 billion USD for infrustructure, saying that the banks direct investment in the city or support toward local investors is highly welcomed.
The design of Starbucks cafes in Vietnam is intended to highlight the companys international image and still strike a chord with Vietnamese customers

At the same time, looking at the companys lagging performance in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, Italy, with its long-standing coffee traditions and national pride in domestic brews, might not be the safe bet.

Ambitious reinforcements in Europe?

According to its 2016 annual report, Starbucks had a rather successful fiscal year, with total net revenue increasing 11 per cent on-year, to $21.3 billion. The companys operating income was $4.2 billion, with a 19.6 per cent consolidated operating margin, an 80 basis point increase from the 18.8 per cent in 2015, largely driven by sales leverage and lower commodity costs, partially offset by investments in our partners and digital platforms.

These results were a continuation of positive growth since the fiscal year of 2012, growing in total net revenue from $13.3 billion and doubling operating income from $2 billion, with the exception of 2013, when Starbucks was burdened with a pre-tax charge of $2.8 billion in an arbitration decision in favour of Kraft Foods Global, Inc but even despite the hefty charge, Starbucks only reported a net operating loss of $325 million in 2013.

The fast-coffee giants operations remained centred on company-operated stores, sourcing 79 per cent of its total net revenues from these units.

These numbers seem to align well with the number of Starbucks shops. As of October 2, 2016, the company had 25,085 stores worldwide, with the lions share located in its primary market, the Americas (mainly the United States, Canada, and to a lesser extent, Brazil). As can be seen on the table summarising the figures of Starbucks 2016 annual report, the company had 15,607 stores in the Americas region, making up 62 per cent of the total. The China/Pacific-Asia region, with its 6,443 stores, is the companys second largest market (25.6 per cent of total stores) and the EMEA (Europe, Middle-East, and Africa) closes the file with 2,642 stores (10.5 per cent).

These results show just how much Starbucks performance is lagging in Europe, necessitating expansion in Italy. This need is justified both in the changes in the number of stores (both company-operated and licensed).

Store-numbers-wise, during the 2016 fiscal year, Starbucks reported opening 348 new company-operated stores (COS) in the Americas and 359 in the China/Asia Pacific region. However, there are now 214 less such stores in the EMEA region, although this is largely due to a whole-scale licensing deal in Germany whereby all 144 company-operated stores were transferred to licensees. The companys home market, the United States, and China seem to be the biggest growth engines (321 and 246 new COS, respectively).

The effects of large-scale transferring in Germany can be seen in the growth of the number of licensed stores, however, even with this boost the EMEA region is falling behind: the Americas saw 456, China/Pacific 622 new licensed stores, while the EMEA produced 494 new licensed units, including the 144+3 transferred shops in Germany, where otherwise 4 new licensed stores were put up. The major sources of increase were, again, the US and China with 330 and 325 new licensed stores, while the United Kingdom added 118 new licensed stores (53 of which were a result of a transfer).

The numbers speak for themselves and they seem to be saying that Starbucks is not doing so hot in the EMEA region, which would (could?) necessitate expansion.

But why Italy? Surely, the country reigning as the absolute master of espresso brewing is a difficult target for conquest. And true enough, newswires Forbes and The Local have reported negative sentiments among Italian coffee-drinkers, who resolutely said I will never choose American coffee over an Italian one.

Performance in China/Pacific-Asia

As opposed to its European-Middle-Eastern-African markets, Starbucks is doing rather well in Asia. Based on the companys annual report, the region fetched it a total net revenue of $2.94 billion, a $543 million, or 23 per cent, increase on-year.

The companys total operating income was $631.6 million, effecting a 21.5 per cent operating margin, definitive improvement since 2015s $500.5 million operating income and 20.9 per cent margin.

Starbucks operations in the region are reporting ever-improving figures both in scale and profitability, it is important to see that COS have been mainly responsible for this success: they contributed about 89.8 per cent of the companys regional revenue, $2.64 billion against licensed stores $292.3 million, a solid continuation of last years 88.8-11.0 portions.

According to the annual report, Starbucks performance was mostly due to new company-operated store openings, with 359 new units generating altogether $246 million and its strong presence in Japan ($105 million). Licensed stores, on the other hand, provided a $28 million increase in revenue, despite the huge number of new units622 new licensed stores were opened during the year in the region.

Starbucks in Vietnam

Starbucks has been present in Vietnam since 2013 and now has 25 shops dotted around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. While usually struggling to change tea and coffee-drinkers consumption habits to carve out a slice for the brand, Starbucks found little difficulty joining the multitude of coffee-shops on a well-established market.

However, Starbucks has been aiming to strike a difference between itself and traditional Vietnamese coffee stores.

Being fully in touch with the Vietnamese taste will undermine our identity, said Patricia Marques, CEO of Starbucks Vietnam.

In addition to offering Asian Dolce Latte and Dolce Misto, two products that fall particularly close to traditional Vietnamese coffee, Starbucks has been striving to keep the same-old, long-standing palette it offers all over the world, so that foreign customers can drop by for a taste of home.

This differentiation, at the same time, allowed Starbucks to go up-market. While a regular cup of Robusta at a Vietnamese cafe goes for VND25-30,000 ($1.09-1.31), Starbucks Arabica Coffee Latte is priced at VND70-80,000, similar to domestic competitor Highlands Coffee.

On the other hand, Starbucks has been eager to pick up the advantages of its Vietnamese market and add Da Lat Arabica beans to its international line-up in 2015. Debuting the coffee in its US stores, the company announced intentions to distribute the beans through 21,500 stores in 56 countries.

"When we received a sample of this coffee, we were delighted at the quality," Leslie Wolford, senior coffee specialist for Starbucks, told on the company website, celebrating it as excellent for espresso, brewed coffee, and even cold brew.
French car manufacturer PSA acquires General Motors' European subsidiary, which includes the Opel and Vauxhall brands, for 1.3 billion. (AFP/PHILIPPE HUGUEN)

The move will let PSA regain its position as Europe's second-largest automobile manufacturer, after Germany's Volkswagen, overtaking its rival French firm Renault.

PSA said in a statement it was also buying GM Europe's financial operations for 900 million in a joint deal with the bank BNP Paribas, taking the total value of the deal to 2.2 billion.

The takeover includes six assembly plants and five component-making facilities, and about 40,000 employees.

Plans for the takeover of the Opel division by PSA, which owns the Peugeot and Citroen brands, were unveiled in the middle of February, sparking fears in Germany and Britain that the prospective new owner could cut non-French jobs.

The French carmaker's shares rose 2.7 per cent on the Paris stock exchange on Monday to 19.58. Shares in GM were down around 2.1 per cent to US$37.43 in midday trading in New York.

PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares said the company was "deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround".

"We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support, while respecting the commitments made by GM to the Opel/Vauxhall employees," Tavares said.

Vauxhall employs around 5,000 people in Britain. Opel operates across six European countries, and had 35,600 employees at the end of 2015, of which 18,250 were in Germany.

Founded in 1862, Opel, with its lightning-bolt emblem, is a familiar sight on European roads, but in recent years the company has booked repeated losses, costing Detroit-based GM around US$15 billion since 2000.

Britain, where it sells vehicles under the Vauxhall brand, is Opel's largest European market.

A sharp fall in the pound since Britain's vote to quit the EU last June sank Opel's hopes of getting back into profitability in 2016, and it ended up reporting a loss of US$257 million.

'DIFFICULT DECISION'

Britain's Unite trade union said the productivity of the UK plants and the strength of the Vauxhall brand meant that it "makes sense" for PSA to continue manufacturing there.

Unite boss Len McCluskey also called on the British government to end the uncertainty surrounding trade relations with the EU after Brexit.

"We need every assistance from the government to give this sector a fighting chance," he said. "That absolutely includes committing now to securing access to the single market and customs union."

PSA said the deal would enable substantial economies of scale and savings in purchasing, manufacturing and research, and the company aims to return Opel-Vauxhall to profit in the next three years.

GM's chairman and chief executive Mary Barra said at a press conference on Monday that the sale had been "a difficult decision for General Motors ... but the right one".

In a statement confirming the sale, Barra hailed the move as "another major step" in the company's efforts to improve its performance.

"We believe this new chapter puts Opel and Vauxhall in an even stronger position for the long term and we look forward to our participation in the future success and strong value-creation potential of PSA through our economic interest and continued collaboration on current and exciting new projects," Barra said.

PSA said that all of Opel-Vauxhall's pensions would remain with GM, apart from a German pension pot and some smaller plans which will be transferred to the French manufacturer. GM is to pay PSA 3.0 billion for settlement of these obligations.

GM said that the sale would force it to account for deferred tax assets and pension losses and that it would make a one-time charge of up to US$4.5 billion.
BARRIERS TO WOMEN IN STEM

In an era when women are increasingly prominent in medicine, law, and business, why are there so few women scientists and engineers? And while many sectors have changed to become more representative, the areas of science and technology have lagged behind.

The science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce is crucial to global innovative capacity and competitiveness.

Yet women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the global workforce and half of the college-educated workforce. There is an untapped opportunity to expand STEM employment in developed countries such as the United States, amid wide agreement that the nation must do more to improve its competitiveness.

Technology and engineering suffer from a lower participation rate of women, holding back the pace at which these sectors can advance and their overall contribution to the economy. In the US today, women account for 47 per cent of total employment, but just 27 per cent of manufacturing employment. These percentages are even lower in the engineering and IT sectors, with women encompassing only 14 per cent of all engineers and 25 per cent of IT professionals. This under-representation corresponds to leadership roles as well.

While the world has made significant progress in closing the gender gap in health and education albeit with significant differences across countries and regions the economic gap remains wide, especially in areas that are vital to growing the economy.

Data driven research proves that gender diversity is essential to economic competitiveness. One study found that gender diverse companies performed 53 per cent better than lesser ones, including a 35 per cent increase in return on equity and a 34 per cent increase in total returns. The economists have discovered that a gender shift could increase company revenue by 41 per cent. These are just two, of many, data points that illustrate why gender parity is vital for business, and for the world.

Closing the gender gap would result in a wider pool of highly qualified talent, leading to better teams, more innovation, and higher productivity. To leave the gender gap unaddressed is like leaving money on the table it creates a substantial economic cost. Closing the gender gap increases the probability of finding the best talent for any given job, whether its on a factory floor or in a research lab. And the economic benefits are clear: The World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Gender Gap shows a high correlation between a countrys economic growth and its gender gap. In other words, the greater the contribution of women across industries, the faster living standards can rise.

GE AMBITIONS

Having made efforts to balance the equation, GE currently employs 14,700 women in engineering, manufacturing, IT and product management, representsing 18 per cent of the companys technical workforce. GE is aggressively pursuing a plan to grow their numbers even further by setting goals of having 20,000 women fill STEM roles at the company by 2020 and obtaining 50:50 representation for all its technical entry-level programmes.

It strongly believes a company that changes the world, should reflect the world. GE says this push builds on an already strong foundation. Its most recent Edison Engineering Development Programmes class was 50 per cent female almost three times the national average of women engineering graduates. The 20-year-old GE Womens Network provides knowledge sharing and mentorship for women at all stages of their careers. GE says 50,000 employees are active across the networks 150 active hubs in 50 countries.

Of course, for women to fill these roles, they have to study engineering in the first place. Several female engineers currently employed at GE tell how they were the only woman in their undergraduate engineering classes.

Out of 30 students in a class, there were usually three females and all three of us knew each other, said Amanda Breeden, manufacturing engineering leader at GE Healthcare. So, you know when you go into the field, especially mechanical engineering, that its going to be a male-dominated industry.

Hiring more talented women isnt enough. The best in the field must be recruited and retained. GE has committed to continuing to support STEM education, working with governments and educators to build participation amongst women- and provide opportunities for challenging and fulfilling jobs for women within GE, while making the business case for more inclusiveness.

GE also will continue to benchmark, explore and implement employee programmes and benefits that foster an inclusive culture to enable flexibility for working families and where all employees can thrive, such as family-friendly work, affordable childcare and enhanced parental leave.

CLOSING GAP BRINGS BENEFITS

The digital revolution of industry creates a greater sense of urgency for technology companies to tap into the entire talent pool to realise sustainable, competitive advantage. This is an economic necessity - closing the gender gap could increase GDP by up to 10 per cent and address 2 million job skills gaps in the technical and engineering sector.

Data shows that women are still massively underrepresented, with 13-24 per cent of IT and engineering positions globally held by women, and just 17-30 per cent of these ascending to senior leadership positions.

With GEs ambitious goals of having 20,000 women fill STEM roles by 2020, the strategy will significantly increase the representation of women in the engineering, manufacturing, IT and product management roles at GE  which is necessary for it to fully transform into a digital industrial company for the future.

While efforts have been made within the sector, through education, funded initiatives and the emergence of non-profit discussion, progress has been slow on this issue. Technical and engineering sectors are still male dominated and the pipeline for future talent is currently insufficient to meet future needs.

GE believes that the commercial and socio-economic imperative, coupled with the ongoing challenges of recruiting and retaining top female talent in STEM jobs, means business has a critical role to play in accelerating and intensifying efforts across the technology sector.

Unless we bring more women into technology and manufacturing, there will be a significant negative economic impact on the sector. Businesses must actively address this problem, said Annunziata, GE chief economist Marco.

GEs holistic approach outlines clear actions, including the re-examination of its executive school portfolio to more clearly align with the companys focus on digital industrial capabilities, and the introduction of a Chief Technology Advisory Council to inform future retention strategies, including career advancement and leadership development opportunity.
photo source VOV

This fire happened at 10.45am at the 1,200MW Vinh Tan 4 thermal power plant at its chimney. The fire is controlled at 11.30am and no casualties have been reported. Officials are investigating the cause of the fire according to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

In March 2014, EVN held the ground-breaking ceremony of the VND36 trillion ($1.6 billion) Vinh Tan 4 power project, one of the four designed plants in the 5,600MW Vinh Tan power centre. The power centre will generate power mostly for the southern region.

The construction of Vinh Tan 4 is also carried out by four main contractors, namely Doosan, Mitsubishi Corporation, and domestic Pacific Ocean Engineering JSC and Power Engineering and Consulting 2 JSC. Once completed and fully operational by 2018, this power plant is projected to contribute about 7.2 billion kWh per year to the national grid.
File photo of US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC. (photo source: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

With his first attempt frozen by federal courts, Trump signed a second order freezing refugee admissions for 120 days and halting new visas for Syrians, Iranians, Libyans, Somalis, Yemenis and Sudanese citizens.

The White House said Trump - who is embroiled in controversy over his aides' links to Russia and his own Twitter outbursts - signed the order behind closed doors Monday morning.

The new order comes into effect on Mar 16 and is meant to address legal problems. It explicitly exempts Iraqis, legal permanent residents and valid visa holders.

"The principles of the executive order remain the same," said White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one of three cabinet members rolled out to present the order in Trump's absence, described it as "a vital measure" for strengthening national security.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions added that it "provides a needed pause" allowing a review of how America deals with travellers from "countries of concern."

"Three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism," Sessions said, referring to Iran, Sudan and Syria. He added that others had served as "safe havens" for terror operatives.

Critics questioned the composition of the list, which includes citizens from countries that have never been involved in terror attacks in the United States.

Non-governmental groups accused Trump of covertly pursuing his controversial and possibly illegal campaign promise of a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

The question of Trump's intent is likely to dominate new legal challenges that are already being flagged by organisations like the American Civil Liberties Union.

"President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the measure should be repealed, adding: "A watered down ban is still a ban."

TRAVEL BAN, TAKE TWO

Trump's first order had sparked a legal, political and logistical furore. There was chaos at major airports and mass protests while several district courts moved to block its implementation and lawmakers expressed opposition.

The troubled rollout also dominated the first weeks of his administration, leaving many with the impression that it was badly planned and badly implemented.

Polls show that American public opinion is deeply divided on the issue. Most indicate a slight majority of voters opposed, with strong support among Trump's political base.

The Republican president criticised a court order suspending the ban as "a very bad decision, very bad for the safety and security of our country. The rollout was perfect."

But he has now stepped away from a promise to challenge the matter in the courts. The second order repeals the first, spelling the end of any pending legal proceedings.

Whatever the legal outcome, Trump's new ban is likely to polarise opinion further and be immensely popular with his core supporters.

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER

Iraq's inclusion in the first order prompted outrage in that country, including from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. It risked scuttling cooperation between Baghdad and Washington in fighting the Islamic State group.

The US and Iraqi militaries are currently fighting side-by-side in northern Iraq, trying to wrest the city of Mosul from militant control.

The Iraqi foreign ministry on Monday expressed its "deep satisfaction" with the new order, and described it as an "important step" in strengthening relations between Baghdad and Washington.

But the revised travel ban is also likely to sow further confusion about US immigration policies.

On Monday, Nigeria advised its citizens against all but essential travel to the United States, citing the lack of clarity on new immigration rules.

"In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to Nigeria," said special adviser to the president Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

According to a report released Monday by travel data firm Forwardkeys, travel from the United States to the Middle East has also fallen sharply, with bookings for departure in the next three months falling 25.4 per cent behind the equivalent time last year.

ROILED BY RUSSIA

But the ban is likely to help Trump divert attention from rolling crises on his ties with Russia.

Since US intelligence publicly accused Russia of trying to swing the November election in Trump's favoUr, questions have swirled about whether some in Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.

The last week has seen his attorney general recuse himself from election-related investigations, after it emerged he met the Russian ambassador in Washington twice during the campaign.

It has also seen Trump level unsubstantiated allegations that former president Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on the now president's phone.
An Audi car dealership in Shanghai. (AFP/JOHANNES EISELE)

Blockages in the system "in extreme circumstances could cause a fire in the engine compartment", said a statement on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The recall starting this Friday will affect some types of Audi manufactured both in China and overseas between 2011-2016, it said in the statement.

Dealers would carry out the necessary repairs and replace parts free of charge.

In January, Volkswagen recalled over 342,000 cars in the US for the same problem.

Its business has been under the microscope since 2015, when it was revealed the company had installed software on 11 million cars that allowed them to cheat emissions tests.
CHARLESTON -- City officials are hoping to address health code violations in city liquor establishments with the introduction of new city code.

Since the Charleston police have assumed some of the duties of the state liquor commission, investigators have noticed health violations in the establishments with liquor licenses, such as small bugs in the alcohol or improperly cleaned tap lines, said Deborah Muller, city clerk.

Muller said if enacted, this new city code would allow investigators to cite owners of these establishments should investigators catch them violating these health codes. Otherwise, because health violations are state-related, the city would not be able to cite them.

City council members will be voting on the potential inclusion of this new city code at their meeting at 6:30 p.m. today in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 520 Jackson Ave.

Along with tackling liquor code, council members will also be voting on the potential acquisition of property at 120 N 12th St. Steve Pamperin, city planner, said the house that is on the property is in disrepair, and the owner, Warren Titus of Seffner, Fla., agreed to give the property to the city.

Pamperin said no plans have solidified for the property aside from demolishing the house. Because it sits in a residential zone, future plans might involve selling it to a developer to build a home at that location.

Also on the agenda:

The potential approval of the sale of surplus equipment, namely a 1990 Chevrolet 1/2-ton van and a Farm King 5-foot finish mower.

The mayor's re-appointment of Elisa Roberts to a three-year term on the Historic Preservation Commission.

The mayor's appointment of Julie "Guiliana" Dongu to a three-year term on the Historic Preservation Commission.
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North Korea says its last missile launch was a training drill. The diplomatic row between Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang worsens. Plus, death returns to the Philippines drug war. VOAs Steve Miller has your Asia news, in a minute.
Leaked phone recordings purporting to be back-door discussions between Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Kem Sokha are authentic, the premier said this week.

The recording, posted to the pro-government Facebook page Sei Ha, showed Hun Sen apparently trying to divide the opposition by encouraging Sokha to attack the former Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy.

Hun Sen told local media that the recording had not been edited. Sokha denied the recording was authentic.

In exchange for the attacks on Rainsy, Sokha was to have the charges against him dropped and be allowed to register to vote in forthcoming elections.

You should slap him. You should slap him. You dont have to speak in public, but rather use Facebook. You should say at a certain point in the future that the prime minister requested us to keep calm during [the festival of] Pchum Ben, so there will be no more politicians commenting or giving speeches that contradict the intentions of the people, Hun Sen said in the recording.

Sokha allegedly responded by saying that he would indeed make the post online, but do so anonymously.

I will post that the government and I ask for peace and stability during Pchum Ben. But if anything happens during this period we will not be responsible for the chaos during the festivities, he added.

Hun Sen agreed. Post this, just post this, and I will inspect it, he said.

The prime minister told Sokha that he could not work with Rainsy, but could deal with Sokha.

If you are still attached to him, we will face danger. Im not afraid even if the U.S. attacks us. If you dont believe me, you can put it to the test.

Sokha could not be reached for comment. Opposition spokesman Yim Sovann declined to comment on the recording.

Rainsy on Sunday posted on his Facebook page, urging his followers not to trust the veracity of the recording.

In any circumstance, even if I do not hold a position in the party, Kem Sokha and I are one, he wrote.

Sok Eysan, a ruling party spokesman, said the government had no intention of investigating the leak, which could be unlawful.

Sokha was recently elected as president of the CNRP to replace Rainsy following the promulgation of a revised law governing political parties that could have seen the CNRP dissolved if Rainsy had not stepped down.
Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party officials in the United States and Canada say despite the obstacles they will work together to ensure the party wins at the forthcoming elections.

The CNRP, founded in a merger of Sam Rainsys Sam Rainsy Party and Kem Sokhas Human Rights Party in 2012, has been fraught with internal struggles since its formation.

Similarly, the partys North American branches have also been divided along factional lines, with one faction loyal to Rainsy and another close to Sokha.

Earlier this year, a former city councilor, Uong Rithy, was selected as CNRP leader in the United States.

In an interview with VOA Khmer this week, Rithy said he was committed to working with supporters from both sides of the aisle.

Today, my obligation is to strengthen and expand the CNRP and help find funds to sustain the party in the country, he said. This is an enormous task because when we are engaged in politics, we need three resources: human resources, finance and voters.

We need to separate and clarify. We need to take into account that whatever we do, we do for the nation. We need to uphold the principle of the party and walk along the path toward strengthening the party and toward winning the 2017-2018 elections.

Chea Kimly, a senior CNRP figure in the U.S. and Canada, welcomed Rithys selection.

I hope that policy under his leadership will lead to changes. Secondly, it is a sign we show to the community that we need to integrate to work towards reform in the 2017-2018 elections. I believe that Rithy ... has as much will as myself in this. So we must work together for the interest of our party, he said.

He added that if the party remained divided along factional lines, it will not move forward as we just need a single system to function.

Sos Chandara, the CNRPs general secretary in the U.S., agreed that Rithys selection could lead to a more unified opposition movement overseas.

I have strong optimism because our supporters understand our direction, especially the stage in which we need to change the leader of the nation, he said, referring to the end of Prime Minister Hun Sens rule.

Pretty Ma, another senior CNRP official in North America, said it was necessary to integrate the partys factions ahead of the elections.

We all are mature enough; we can discuss and find a way to strengthen the force overseas in order to help the CNRP, which is under attack in the form of any pressure possible by law or intimidation by the Cambodian government, he said.

Ma claimed that supporters in Canada and cities throughout the U.S. will help give generously to the partys election campaign after having witnessed increasing repression in Cambodia.

Chea Meas, a CNRP official from Philadelphia, praised Rithy as the right man for the job of unifying the party.

I don't see any negative points about him. He is a good person who can lead the party in this mandate and take the party a step further in terms of diplomacy, locally and overseas, he said.

Rithy confirmed that both Rainsy and Sokha had called to congratulate him on his selection.

However, CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said that the party has yet to establish an official leadership overseas, adding that anyone can create a group.
Asias tourism industry is booming, buoyed by rising incomes, low-cost air transport, and Chinas growing outbound market.

But analysts say the rapid expansion is also putting pressure on infrastructure and destinations amid calls to boost spending and better manage tourism flows to ensure long term sustainability.

John Koldowski, a travel industry analyst and lecturer at Thammasat University, said the tourism outlook is strong across several regional markets.

The big areas were looking at, at the moment; Thailand is just booming, its continuing to boom, Koldowski said.

But also Vietnam is showing some solid growth, Cambodia, Myanmar  although the growth rate is dropping its still an area where you are seeing a lot of FDI [foreign direct investment] a lot of construction, a lot more interest and activity going on there, he told VOA.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forecast tourisms direct contribution to regional economies will grow by 5.6 percent over the ten years to 2025 to $528.7 billion. This is 12.6 percent of the regions national output (GDP).

Tourism among the 10 nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) also employs directly or indirectly around 32 million people.

The investment outlook for tourism is also strong, says a report by a senior economist with investment house, CLSA.

CLSA pointed to a feast of investment opportunities awaiting in travel and tourism, including hotel and resort development along with transportation infrastructure, security and environmental protection.

The Council said spending on travel and tourism infrastructure will be key to coping with demand.

The Philippines is planning to invest $23 billion in tourism infrastructure over the next six years, including casino resorts, with the government aiming to double tourisms contribution to the national economy, presently at 10 percent.

Oliver Lamb, of Sydney-based Pacific Aviation Consulting, said regional economic progress has driven tourism growth. The middle class is forecast to grow from 190 million to 400 million people in the coming decade.

The growth of the middle class  the strength of the Asian middle class, the emergence of [air] carriers that are specifically targeted in wealth and well within the Asian middle classes needs and low fuel prices  you are getting a perfect storm of positive dynamics for leisure travel in the Asia Pacific, Lamb told VOA.

Airlines struggle to meet demand

But Lamb said growth has led to other challenges in aviation, including adequately trained ground personnel, support and infrastructure.

Kuala Lumpur based Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) says in 2016 Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 293 million international passengers  up 6.0 percent from a year earlier.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said rapid growth has been evident in aviation, where, by the end of 2019, there are estimated to be close to 11,000 unique city pairs (departure and arrival) operating in the region. This marks a growth of over 20 per cent in 2016 figures.

PATA says on a daily basis there are some 28,600 regional flights scheduled, up from 22,000 in 2012. In key markets, Indonesia reported a 47 percent rise in scheduled flights, Malaysia's air traffic grew 29 percent and rapid growth was seen in Cambodia (52 percent) and Vietnam (75 percent).

The World Travel and Tourism Council said dependence on tourism has been growing, especially with the spectacular growth in Chinas outbound market.

China expanded its approved destination status scheme from 14 countries to 113 by 2012, leading to a 700 per cent increase in outward visits by Chinese tourists, from 10 million in 2000 to 78 million by 2015, the Council said.

Visitors from China account for over a quarter of total international arrivals into Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam  up from five to 10 percent in 2000.

But analysts say while most countries have been eager to promote the China market, other regions, such as Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong, are looking to diversify this dependence on China.

The Council says Asia  including ASEAN  will account for almost 50 percent of total travel and tourism infrastructure spending between 2016 to 2026.

Vietnam has reported robust tourism infrastructure spending. The council said Vietnams substantial forecast investment suggests its [tourism] infrastructure could pull away from other low income economies [Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos], all reported to be investing less.

The council added that Thailands concern lies in infrastructure spending meeting the rising demand. Thailand is the only ASEAN country where the future focus is critical with respect to tourism and travel infrastructure, the report said.

Thailand is expected to see visitor numbers rising from 32 million at present to 50 million by 2021, according analyst Koldowski.

But Koldowski said Asia increasingly needs to focus on the management of tourism rather than simply luring more visitors.

Were entering a new phase and that phase is where there needs to be maybe a little less focus on attracting tourists because they are coming  the momentum is there  its building, he said."The focus now shifts to attracting the right sort of tourist".

The increasing volume will be such that it will force governments and tourism bodies to actually be a little bit more creative in understanding what does it mean, and what can we do to ensure there is sustainability, he said.
In cities across the United States, local communities are hosting dinners for refugees. It is a part of an initiative called Refugees Welcome. The goal is to break barriers by breaking bread together. VOAs Elizabeth Lee attended a dinner in Los Angeles where Syrian refugees shared their experience of settling in the U.S.
2 In Niamey, Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou told the council that his country is coping with the fight against Boko Haram, but also the effects of climate change, the drop in mineral prices, and lost trade revenue with its biggest trade partner, Niger
An Afghan family with special visas that has been detained since arriving in Los Angeles last week will be freed, their lawyer said Monday.

A federal judge had blocked authorities from removing the family from California and said a hearing would be held.

It is unclear why the family was held in custody. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had no comment, other than to say it will comply with the judge's order.

The unidentified family  a father, mother and three children, ages 7, 6, and 8 months  arrived in the United States last Thursday on their way to Seattle, Washington, to resettle, but they were detained at Los Angeles International Airport. They had been granted special immigration visas after going through extreme vetting.

The father worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Their lawyer, Mark Rosenbaum, said he is pleased the family will be freed, but says they never should have been detained in the first place.

"This individual served this country and assisted the military. This is not the recruiting message we should be sending," Rosenbaum said.
Actor Alec Baldwin said that his impersonation of U.S. President Donald Trump on NBC's sketch show "Saturday Night Live" has revived his "dead" comedy career after he wrapped up sitcom "30 Rock" in 2012.

"I didn't realize in the comedy terms that I was dead," Baldwin told Reuters on Monday when asked if he felt he was entering a new era with his comedy.

"Maybe I was in a coma ... now I'm waking up from a coma and now I'm ready to do some comedy."



The actor was promoting his latest film, DreamWorks' animated comedy "The Boss Baby," out in theaters on March 31, in which he voices a suit-wearing baby manager of a corporation for babies who is adopted by a family to undertake a covert mission.



It has been nearly five years since Baldwin, 58, concluded his six-year tenure as the charming corporate boss Jack Donaghy in NBC's quirky comedy series "30 Rock."



Since then, he has appeared in a handful of movies in supporting roles, but the actor saw a new surge in popularity when he took over as Trump on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) last October, ahead of November's U.S. presidential elections.



Baldwin quipped that his comedy career "did die" but that "I'm being reincarnated. As Trump! Oh God!"



Viewer ratings have soared for "Saturday Night Live" since Baldwin started portraying Trump in a series of skits mocking the billionaire reality TV star-turned-politician as a dim-witted commander-in-chief with a short attention span, an oversized-ego and a Twitter addiction.



Trump criticized the NBC show in December, calling it "totally unwatchable" and a "hit-job."



Asked whether he felt playing the president took a toll on him, Baldwin said the challenge of the role was that it would "delight some people and offend other people."



"A large plurality of the country voted for Trump as president, and I think many of them are people that are not fond of the way Trump is treated, not just by 'Saturday Night Live' but the comedy cosmos in general," he said.



"I think for me playing Trump has been, it's been a fun experience because it's like going home when I do SNL."


Members of American Indian tribes from around the country are bringing their frustrations with the Trump administration and its approval of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to the nation's capital.

Tribal members were planning to gather at the National Mall on Tuesday to begin four days of activities culminating with a Friday march on the White House dubbed the "Native Nations March on DC."

Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and speakers. Native American leaders also plan to lobby lawmakers to protect tribal rights.

On Friday, a march of about 2 miles is planned from the Army Corps of Engineers office to the White House, where a rally is scheduled. Organizers didn't immediately have an estimate on how many people or tribes planned to take part.

"We are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us," said Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. "We must march against injustice. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The protest comes as a federal judge in Washington is weighing a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to halt construction of the last section of the Dakota Access pipeline pending the outcomes of their lawsuit seeking to stop the project. The tribes say that section of the pipeline, which will pass under Lake Oahe, a large Missouri River reservoir, will threaten their water supply, sacred sites and religious rights. The judge is expected to rule this week.

Friday's march will begin at the Corps of Engineers office because the agency manages the Missouri River and last month gave the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, permission to finish the project. The company expects to wrap up the work and have oil flowing this month.

The two tribes feel they weren't properly consulted about the pipeline route, which the government disputes. They also maintain their treaty rights were violated when the government changed its mind about doing further environmental study of the Lake Oahe crossing after President Donald Trump took office in January.

"This fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has been the tip of the spear of a powerful global movement calling for the United States government and Donald Trump to respect indigenous nations and people in our right to water, land, sovereignty, and culture," said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network.
The U.S. top general, Joseph Dunford, along with the chief of Russia's general staff, Valery Gerasimov, were hosted by their Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. According to officials, the meeting sought to find ways to avoid potential confrontations among the forces operating in Syria.

"First the de-conflicting issue between Russian and U.S. forces, which are only 10 kilometers apart from each other," suggested former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, "and then the other de-conflicting for the U.S. is their two allies on the ground, the YPG and Turkish armed forces, not to get in touch with each other."

Ankara says the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, is affiliated with the PKK, which is fighting the Turkish state and is internationally designated as a terrorist organization. Washington and Moscow see the YPG as key to defeating Islamic State, and ousting IS from its self-declared capital of Raqqa.

Those differences have come to a head in the Syrian town of Manbij, which the YPG liberated last year from the jihadists. Turkish forces, along with elements of the Free Syrian Army, are marching on Manbij, and already a number of deadly clashes have occurred between the two sides.

To defuse tensions, U.S. forces deployed between the rival groups. A "visible sign of deterrence and reassurance," U.S. Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, described the deployment Monday, adding, "There is not a need for others to advance on it [Manbij] in attempts to 'liberate' it."

Suspected YPG, Assad deal

While Moscow brokered a deal with the YPG to allow Syrian regime forces to create a buffer zone, that deal may have opened a door to a key YPG objective. "In return for turning over outlying areas of Manbij to [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad, Assad promised free access to Afrin canton to the west, so essentially the Kurdish cantons have been linked," said political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.

Such a deal, if confirmed, would be a blow to Ankara. "Turkey will prevent the unity of the PYD [Syrian Kurdish] cantons at all costs. We will continue our struggle," warned Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik on Sunday. The YPG in its war against IS has up until now linked all the Syrian Kurdish cantons except Afrin.

"Until now the Syrian Kurds have played their hand very carefully using both big powers [Washington and Moscow], to their interests. They have shown some deft diplomacy indeed," pointed out former Turkish diplomat Selcen.

Such diplomacy is increasingly isolating Ankara.

"Turkey has been completely abandoned in Syria. Russia does not want us to expand our territory," noted consultant Yesilada. "Our viewpoint [that] the YPG is a terrorist organization has been flatly rejected by everyone involved in the area. The United States does not want us either in Manbij or Raqqa."

Ankara is lobbying Washington to abandon the Syrian Kurds in favor of its forces in Syria in the war against Islamic State; however, analysts say it's widely expected the U.S. will side with the YPG and increase its support of the group as the YPG continues to make advances on Raqqa. Consultant Yesilada says Ankara has few options.

"Either we could limit ourselves to the triangle we've liberated and try to settle some Syrians there," Yesilada said, "or attack the Kurdish cantons directly from our border, and that would create a firestorm in the world community and it would mean war with the Syrian Kurds which may spread to Kurds in Turkey."

The YPG has warned any such attack would compromise its fight against Islamic State.

Upcoming meeting

Syria is expected to top the agenda when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Russia on Thursday. Domestic politics, however, could be the defining factor in Ankara's next move. With Erdogan courting nationalists' votes ahead of a referendum next month to extend his powers, analysts warn he is expected to continue to take a hard line against the Syrian Kurdish militia in what he calls his war on terrorism, whatever the international consequences.

"I expect more pressure on the PKK and by default the YPG," predicted Selcen. "With the referendum in sight and the serious possibility of a 'no' vote winning, definitely internal politics will effect foreign policy, and that includes the military operation in Syria."
Over the past five weeks, the public tributes to Ko Ni - a prominent legal adviser assassinated in Yangon on January 29 - have highlighted his many achievements.

The 63-year-old lawyer was a sharp legal mind, a tireless worker, a constitutional law expert and a staunch supporter of Myanmars transition to democracy after nearly five decades of military rule.

But the praise has glossed over his importance as a high-profile member of Myanmars Muslim community, one of its few remaining voices with any sway or influence in government circles.

While analysts have pointed to his work on reducing the military's influence through changes to the constitution as the most likely motive for the murder, his death has also widened the gap between Muslims and political life in Myanmar, prompting reflection on the shrinking space for civic participation from religious minorities in the largely Buddhist country.

I can say the whole Myanmar history, like before the independence, after the independence, and then also for the changes of the military regime and also the revolution, every sector, Muslims are involved, said 29-year-old Kyaw Htut, who helped organize a memorial in Yangon on Sunday for both Ko Ni and taxi driver Nay Win, who was killed trying to stop the suspected assassin as he fled the scene. But today, U Ko Nis assassination is, I think, it is the notice for all of the Muslims, okay, you better stop from our history. I feel like that. It is really bad.

Though making up only about 4 percent of the population, Muslims in Myanmar have long played important roles in political life. A Muslim politician, Abdul Razak, was assassinated along with Aung San Suu Kyi's father, Aung San, in 1947, and Muslims were active in the pro-democracy uprising in 1988.

But as the country opened up to the world in 2011, Buddhist nationalism flourished at the expense of religious minorities.

More than 120,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims were placed in camps in western Rakhine state after inter-religious violence in 2012 killed hundreds. As Myanmars democratic elections loomed in 2015, election officials rejected the candidacy of a previously elected Rohingya lawmaker, citing dubious citizenship grounds.

Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) bowed to pressure from nationalist groups by not fielding any Muslim candidates for parliament. Those who ran for other parties lost in the wave of support for the NLD.

Today tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh as Myanmars army rounds up anyone with ties to a little-known militant group that attacked a border post in October, killing nine. Rights groups have said abuses committed in the crackdown could amount to crimes against humanity, but Myanmar, which rejects the allegations, has resisted calls for an independent investigation.

As part of the investigation into Ko Nis murder, which is widely believed to have been motivated by politics rather than religion, authorities have arrested three people and are searching for a fourth suspect.

At the memorial on Sunday, which was held at the Royal Rose restaurant in Yangon, writer Htin Lin Oo, who spent more than a year in jail for a speech in 2014 deemed offensive to religion, commented on the slow erasure of Muslims from public life.

In Buddhism, we have to pray for everyone, every single animal, even the water. But nowadays its sad to see that the nationalists want to remove U Ko Ni and U Mya Aye from the list of animals they have to pray for.

Mya Aye is a Muslim member of the 88 Generation, a group of student activists who took part in the 1988 protests.

After the memorial, which involved several speeches, Rohingya activist Wai Wai Nu said Ko Nis murder  which she stressed was not directly tied to religion  was nevertheless an indirect reminder for the Muslim community that if you are outspoken, you will be easily targeted.

Wai Wai Nu herself has to be strategic in what she says online.

Sometimes, I want to post something, I cannot. That can bring a lot of attention to you, she said, adding that it can be the same for many other minority groups, not just Muslims.

But Aye Lwin, an interfaith advocate and one of the only Muslim members of an advisory commission on Rakhine State led by former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan, said up and coming Muslim leaders could look at Ko Nis death another way, even as an inspiration.

This will harden us, he said. Death cannot stop us.
China is trying to implement an ambitious "Made in China, 2025" plan to upgrade technology and product quality in a desperate move to battle rising pollution and falling exports. It is seeking the best technologies from the Western world in areas like new generation Information Technology, semiconductors, robotics, new energy vehicles and medical devices.

Chinese leaders are losing patience with China's image as "factory to the world" for low-end goods. They want local industry to add value by scaling up their capabilities in engineering, designing and marketing by 2025.

It is the methods adopted by China that are causing a lot of concern. Beijing is pushing Chinese companies to grab technology by buying out foreign companies. It is also pressuring foreign companies based in China to hand over their technology in return for market access.

"European business is facing intense pressure to turn over advanced technology in exchange for near market access," Joerg Wuttke, president of European Chamber of Commerce in China, said on Tuesday. The government is subsidizing some areas like robotics, resulting in overcapacity, which in turn poses serious marketing challenges for both Chinese and foreign business he explained.

The 2025 plan is so important that Premier Li Keqiang reported its progress in his annual Work Report to the National People's Congress, the Chinese parliament, last week.

"We took further steps to implement the Internet Plus action plan and the national big data strategy, fully implemented the Made in China 2025 initiative, and implemented and improved policies and measures to encourage people to launch businesses and innovate," he said.

Challenges ahead

But this is one of those challenges that a Communist decree cannot resolve. China is facing resistance from Western countries, whose technology it needs.

The plan is up against some serious challenges, which include a move by three European countries, Germany, France and Italy, to scrutinize attempts by Chinese companies to buy out local companies with the sheer money power behind highly subsidized state-owned companies.

"We don't want state monopolies in our backyard. We want acquisitions to be driven by market forces, not state intervention," Wuttke said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also indicated he wants his administration to closely examine investment proposals coming from China. He has also threatened to impose a high 45 percent duty on Chinese goods on the grounds they are highly subsidized in China.

Chinese takeover bids for high tech enterprises like German robot manufacturer Kuka, machine maker Aixtron or lighting specialist Osram have raised questions about the extent of Chinese state involvement, the Mercator Institute of China Studies (Merics) said in a recent report.

"Investments in industries such as semiconductors are likely to trigger concerns over defense-related uses," Jost Wubbeke, head of program for economy and technology at Merics, told VOA.

There are both positive and negative aspects of Chinese investments, which increased 77 percent in 2016 compared to the previous year.

"The majority of these [Chinese] investments has positive impacts on the target countries. However, the significant increase of state-supported investment in high tech industries could cause a large-scale transfer of critical technology," Wubbeke said.

Internal challenges

China is also facing problems internally because the government prefers using a set of state-owned companies for buying and implementing new technologies. The more dynamic Chinese private sector has little role to play in the effort.

"They [government leaders] do this with the tool box out of the socialist backyard, meaning that they want to steer the companies, they want to subsidize the companies," Wuttke said."We think that China would be better served if they leave this to private Chinese enterprises to drive this forward".

The European Union Chamber of Commerce is worried China is picking the wrong winners, preferring SOEs instead of private enterprises like Alibaba and Tencent. "These are the guys that are really innovative," he said, referring to Chinese private entrepreneurs.

Transition problems

Much of Chinese industry uses low and medium range technologies, and the transition to digitalization and robotics may not be easy. Most industries still rely heavily on manual labor and low-level automation. The share of robots is very low.

"China still has a long way to go before it achieves the same level of productivity as industrial countries. State-owned enterprises perform less well in this regard, while foreign-invested enterprises generally have a higher level of production technology," Wubbeke said.

Opportunities vs threats

Despite concerns, analysts point out that Beijing's technology acquisition drive opens up a wide range of opportunities for foreign companies, which may not be available in any other country on the same scale as China.

"Made in China 2025" offers enormous opportunities for foreign businesses in the short term as China needs critical core components and advanced manufacturing equipment from abroad.In the long term, however, "Made in China 2025" seems to be a substitution strategy with the aim of replacing foreign products with Chinese products, Merics said in its report.

"Europe needs to find a way to keep the door open for positive investments, but at the same time screen the problematic ones," Wubbeke said.
A Chinese telecommunications company has agreed to pay $892 million for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, settling a case that resulted in increased tension between the U.S. and China.

ZTE Corporation, one of the world's largest telecommunications gear makers, pleaded guilty to signing contracts to sell hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of hardware and software from U.S. technology giants, including Microsoft, Intel and Qualcomm.

The penalties are among the largest ever imposed in a sanctions case.

"ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them, and remains committed to positive change in the company," Chairman and Chief Executive Zhao Xianming said Tuesday in a statement.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement the company violated sanctions that are designed to "keep sensitive American technology out of the hands of hostile regimes like Iran's."

"This plea agreement holds them accountable, and makes clear that our government will use every tool we have to punish companies who would violate our laws ... and jeopardize our national security," Sessions added.

The settlement allowed ZTE, the fourth-largest smartphone vendor in the U.S., to avoid a cutoff of U.S. components that had been imposed by the Commerce Department in March 2016.

Without key components from U.S. technology companies, ZTE would have been at risk of needing to file for bankruptcy.
The president of CNN says it is "shocking" to watch the political establishment's silence regarding President Donald Trump's attacks on the media, calling it an abdication of their responsibility.

Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, told the INTV media conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday that Trump's labeling of the media as the enemy of the state was dangerous and that "words can have consequences." He also said he was stunned politicians had not spoken out fiercely against the assault on the free press. He singled out Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham as two of the only ones to have the courage to stand up for their convictions.

Since taking office, Trump has lashed out repeatedly at CNN as "fake news." He's upbraided its reporters publicly and attacked Zucker personally.
This is not Somalia's first drought and it likely won't be its last.

The government announced Saturday that 110 people had died in a two-day period due to drought-induced famine, particularly in the Bay and Bakol regions, highlighting the need not just for rapid emergency response to this crisis, but also long-term solutions to prevent food insecurity.

And some aid groups say ongoing conflict in Somalia has left it more vulnerable as long-term resilience programs are more challenging to properly implement there.

Daniel O'Malley, deputy head of the Somalia delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross, argues that Kenya and Ethiopia are also suffering from drought, but in those countries there is a social safety net.

"I mean, it's a country that's in conflict," O'Malley said of Somalia. "It's a country that we have intra-clan conflict. We've had conflict between different regions and, obviously, we cannot forget that, especially in the center and south. We have a big presence of non-state actors, which do have an influence on the possibility of longer-term projects or development [plans]."

Hassan Noor Saadi is the country director for the Somalia office of Save the Children. He says that while Ethiopia's drought last year affected almost 20 million people, that country fared much better because a lot of resilience work has been taking place under a certain level of stability, which has not been the case in Somalia.

"So with the current level of instability, in terms of conflict and in terms of social services that are available, any resilience work can be quite challenging," Saadi said. "But I would also not want to completely say that it would not matter because in the last five, six years, a lot of resilience work has been done in Somalia and that work has allowed the populations to withstand at least medium-sized shocks."

Mercy Corp's regional program director for East and Southern Africa, Darius Radcliffe, agrees that resilience programs work best when there isn't conflict, but says that doesn't mean they don't work when there is. And, he adds, not all of Somalia is conflict-ridden.

"Well, all of Somalia isn't under the control of al-Shabab, so there's definitely several, a lot of pockets of areas that are somewhat stable," Radcliffe said. "These are areas that you could work in, and you could apply those resilience approaches."

The ICRC, Save the Children, and Mercy Corps are all working in Somalia on various projects involving livelihoods, water, irrigation, health and education, among others.

Famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan only, but the World Food Program has projected that 20 million people are at risk of dying from starvation in the next six months in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and northern Nigeria.
Members of the Danish parliament's foreign policy committee have been asked to leave smartphones, tablets and computers at home during a visit to Russia at a time of increased security concerns.

"Goodbye smartphone," former Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard of the Social Liberal Party said in a post on Facebook.

"On the way to Russia with the Foreign Policy Committee, where we have been advised not to bring gadgets for the sake of safety," Lidegaard wrote.

During his time as foreign minister, Lidegaard said the European Union should prepare for more hybrid warfare from Russia.

Nick Haekkerup of the Social Democrats, Denmark's main opposition party, said on Facebook he would have to manage without internet, mails and social media for a week

"I'm traveling with the Foreign Policy Committee and have for security reasons been asked to leave everything like iPhone, iPad or similar at home," Haekkerup said.

Danish ministries have been attacked several times in 2015 and 2016 by a foreign, state-sponsored hacking group, a cyber security unit within the defense ministry said in a February report.

The unit declined to specify which country had sponsored the hacking group but said in the report that Russia and China have extensive capabilities to carry out cyber espionage.

The threat from cyber crime against Danish authorities and companies continues to be "very high", according to the report.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democrat emails during the 2016 presidential election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Republican Donald Trump's favor. Russia has denied the allegations.

Danish authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for further information.
At least 30 people died during fighting in Laukkai Monday between Myanmar army forces and armed fighters from ethnic groups.

Tension between the central government and ethnic militias in the northern region near China's Yunnan province erupted early Monday morning. Witnesses told VOA of hearing artillery and small arms fire in Laukkai, capital of the Kokang special region and an important trading town on the Salween River, which forms Myanmar's border with China.

Officials said the attack targeted three Laukkai locations including police and military posts. At least five traffic control police and five civilians were killed. Authorities also reported finding 20 burning bodies which could not be identified. Myanmar says there were no casualties among the security forces.

Worst violence since 2015

The latest attack comes amid efforts by Myanmar's de facto leader, Noble Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, to bring all ethnic armed groups into the government-sponsored peace process through the signing of a nationwide cease-fire agreement. Monday's violence is among the worst to hit the Kokang region, in the northern part of Shan state, since 2015.

Aung San Suu Kyi's office blamed the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) for the attack, saying in a statement, According to initial information, many innocent civilians including a primary school teacher  were killed because of attacks by the MNDAA armed group.

The statement added that four police officers were taken hostage and said there was a suspicion that groups other than the MNDAA were involved.

Ta Bone Kyaw, secretary general of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and a senior commander of its armed unit, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) told VOA the attack was carried out primarily by the MNDAA after a decision by the Northern Alliance. The group includes the MNDAA, TNLA, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the Arakan Army (AA). Aside from the KIA, we were all in there, he said.

The fighting is along the border," he said, adding the fighting began around 1 a.m. Monday. "There was heavy fighting in two or three places."

Retaliation behind attack

An officer from the MNDAA's Division 211 told VOA the Laukkai attack was in retaliation for a recent government attack on the Moi Taik region.

Social media videos appeared to show areas of Laukkai on fire on Monday afternoon. An army source told the AFP news agency that the fighting was ongoing as darkness fell.

A Laukkai woman told VOA that artillery shelling and gunshots began around 1 a.m. The shooting continued until about 8 a.m., and the shelling until 11 a.m. or noon.

I didn't dare move around, she said. I could not escape to China, because the border is closed, she said, adding that fleeing to another location in Myanmar was just as impossible.

The Northern Alliance and government forces have clashed repeatedly in other northern areas of Shan State. Government authorities have blocked roads leaving Laukkai.

The Northern Alliance is led by the KIA, which includes the MNDAA. Members of the alliance have yet to join Myanmar's National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Complicating matters, Myanmar's military officials refuse to speak with representatives of the MNDAA for reasons that are unclear.

Some groups missing from talks

Talks called by Aung San Suu Kyi at the end of August were attended by representatives of 17 of the 20 major ethnic groups, including the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, who together make up 40 percent of the country's population. But groups involved in Monday's fighting  the Ta'ang, also known as the Palaung, the Kokang minority's MNDAA, and the AA  did not take part in those talks.

The ethnic Kokang group controlled Laukkai and the surrounding area until 2009, when the government ousted the group's leader, Phon Kyar Shin, who is also known by his Chinese name, Peng Jiasheng. In February 2015, he orchestrated attacks on Laukkai, which triggered several months of deadly clashes between government and rebel forces in the border area.

This report originated on VOA Burmese.
Etihad Airways is advising some passengers to check with U.S. diplomatic missions before traveling after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order banning visits by nationals of six Muslim-majority nations.

Monday's order, which takes effect on March 16, keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning about 60,000 people whose visas were revoked by the previous order will now be permitted to enter.

Etihad, based in the United Arab Emirates, said it was strongly encouraging nationals of the listed countries "to consult with their nearest United States embassy or consulate to ensure they are legally entitled to enter the United States."

Fellow UAE carrier Emirates said it was aware of the new order and would adhere to it.



"Emirates will comply with the guidance provided to us by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection," an airline spokeswoman said by email.

The carrier was forced to reschedule flight crew on some U.S. flights to comply with the original ban.

Trump's original Jan. 27 executive order, suspended on Feb. 3, caused chaos and confusion at airports worldwide, with the airline industry complaining about a lack of clear and direct communication from U.S. officials.

Hours before Monday's order was signed, a Qatar Airways spokeswoman told Reuters it had not received guidance from the U.S. government about the new ban.
A former British spy who compiled an explosive and unproven dossier on President Donald Trump's purported activities in Russia has returned to work.

Christopher Steele said Tuesday he is "really pleased" to be back in his London office after a prolonged period out of public view. He went into hiding in January after his name was published in connection with the dossier.

The 52-year-old runs London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, a private security firm. He made a statement outside the firm's central London office.

"I'm now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here," he said without addressing the Trump dossier.

He thanked the public for its support and said he won't be making any further comments.

Trump has described the lurid reports in the dossier as "phony allegations" concocted by his political opponents.

The dossier was reportedly produced as opposition research for the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

It contains unproven allegations of coordination between Trump's advisers and Russians on hacking the emails of prominent Democrats and claims about sexual activities.

The 35-page dossier was circulated in political and media circles in the United States but was not published for some time because the information could not be verified.

The entire contents became public in January when it was published by BuzzFeed.

The Associated Press has not authenticated the claims.
Authorities in Iran have handed over keys for dozens of apartments to families of Afghan Shi'ite fighters killed fighting on behalf of Iranian forces at the Syrian front.

Access to more than 30 free flats was given to Afghan families in a ceremony last week attended by a number of high-ranking officials, including Ayatollah Raeisi, the head of a state-run endowment fund promoting Shi'ite cause.

The units are being given to relatives of "exemplary Afghan fighters" killed supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war, officials said.

The Astan Quds Razavi endowment "built these units and handed them over to the glorious families of Afghan fighters," said Raeisi.

The free housing is part of an increased campaign on Tehran's part to laud the increasing involvement of Afghan Shi'ites in its military aims.

After at first covertly sending thousands of Afghan refugees to fight on the Syrian front, Iran now is trumpeting their sacrifice with increasingly public funerals for the fallen, along with giant rallies and gift-like lodging for fallen soldiers' relatives.

Fatemiyon Brigade

Authorities in Kabul and human rights groups have roundly criticized the Iranian government for sending Afghans living in Iran to Syria to fight alongside forces of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in support of the Assad government.

Thousands of Afghans from Iran are in the Fatemiyon Brigade, the second-largest group of foreigners fighting for Assad. Western media estimate their numbers at 10,000 to 12,000. Many of the Afghans reportedly were sent against their will, Human Rights Watch reported, or agreed to fight because of economic remuneration to their families.

Roughly 3 million Afghans live in Iran. Most settled there after fleeing war and conflict in their homeland. Many Afghans in Iran lack basic rights and live without a formal status. About 950,000 are classified as refugees.

Tehran said its forces were in Syria to protect the Zeinab Shrine in Damascus, a Shi'ite holy site. Iranian-backed forces have been a major backer of the Assad regime in its war with rebel groups across the country. And the escalating honoring of Afghan fighters has been on religious grounds.

The multibillion-dollar Astan Quds Razavi is a tax-free charitable endowment dedicated to overseeing the assets belonging to the shrine of the eighth Shi'ite Imam, Imam Reza. The group owns subsidiary institutions, industries and holdings throughout the country.

Grander quarters

The apartments donated to Afghans are quite lavish by Iranian standards.

"These units are built in an area of 1,080 square meters and are built with the best possible materials for the magnificent families of Fatemiyon fighters," said Mohammad Amin Tavakolizadeh, a public relations officer at the Razavi foundation.

There is no official count of the number of Afghans from Iran who have been killed in Syria. Analysts say the number ranges between 600 and 1,000. The public displays and housing giveaways are designed to make more Afghans come forward to fight on behalf of the Iranian military cause, experts say.

"The Iranian regime decided to raise the profile of Afghan combatants in order to encourage more Afghan refugees and economic migrants living in Iran to participate in the Syrian conflict," Ahmad Khalid Majidyar, director of the Iran Observed Project at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told VOA.

Afghan lawmakers have strongly condemned Tehran for sending refugees to Syria and have demanded that the issue be thoroughly investigated.

Viewed as 'conspiracy'

"I will ask the relevant senate committees to gather information about the issue and thoroughly investigate it," Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Afghan Senate, told Radio Liberty last week. "We will press the [Afghan] government to help prevent this national and international conspiracy."

The Afghan foreign ministry has not commented on the senator's request.

Experts say sending Afghan refugees to fight on the Syrian front has long-term implications for Afghanistan and the region at large.

"Once these battle-hardened Afghan militants with poisonous sectarian beliefs return home, they will pose a grave threat to the stability and Sunni-Shiite harmony in Afghanistan," analyst Majidyar said.

The indoctrination of thousands of Afghan Shi'ites will allow Iran "to further its influence and sectarian agenda at the expense of Afghanistan's stability and the interests of the United States and its allies in the region," he said.
Panamanian former dictator, CIA spy and convicted cocaine trafficker Manuel Noriega was in a coma on Tuesday after suffering a hemorrhage from an operation to remove a benign brain tumor, representatives for the 83-year-old said.

"He has a major brain hemorrhage and is in serious condition," his daughter Lorena Noriega told reporters outside the Santo Tomas hospital where he was operated on, describing his state as "critical."

The ex-Panamanian leader underwent a second operation that stopped the bleeding, his lawyer Ezra Angel said, adding that his client was in an induced coma.

Noriega ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, spying for the Central Intelligence Agency before the United States invaded in 1989, toppling his brutal regime and ending a drug trafficking career that associated him with Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Angel said the second operation in eight hours was carried out with "open skull" and that Noriega's high blood pressure may have contributed to the hemorrhage.

Noriega was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992 and is currently serving time for murder in Panama. Judicial authorities had granted Noriega a period of house arrest until April 28 to undergo the operation.

As military ruler of the Central American country, Noriega made world headlines as his relationship with Washington soured, prompting the United States to send in nearly 28,000 troops to seize Panama City and capture him in a house-to-house hunt.

Noriega orchestrated the disappearance of scores of opponents, some of whose bodies later turned up in exhumations at the former Tocumen military base, bound and showing signs of torture.

"I hope that one day the country will know the truth about General Noriega, and the families who lost their loved ones can be free, close this chapter and move on," Panama's current President Juan Carlos Varela said on Tuesday.
IOC member Frank Fredericks has stepped down from his role overseeing the 2024 Olympic bidding process after a $300,000 payment from a banned track official was revealed.

Fredericks says "Paris and Los Angeles are presenting two fantastic candidatures and I do not wish to become a distraction."

The Namibian sprinter, a four-time Olympic silver medalist, says stepping aside as IOC evaluation chairman is "in the best interests" of the bidding process.

Fredericks would have led an April 23-25 visit to Los Angeles.

He also will skip the September hosting vote.

Last Friday, Fredericks said he contacted the IOC Ethics Commission ahead of French daily Le Monde reporting that a company linked to him was paid $299,300 on Oct. 2, 2009, the day Rio de Janeiro won 2016 Olympic hosting rights.

Fredericks denies wrongdoing.
A Kyiv court set bail Monday for the former head of Ukraines tax service who had recently been named a suspect in a major corruption case involving the embezzlement of approximately $74 million.

The case against Roman Nasirov is seen by some as the first real test of the countrys new National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).Nasirov's bail has been set at $3.7 million.If he doessn't pay he'll be held in pre-trial detention for two months.

The case is unique as it is first time since independence of Ukraine when such a high official in office is being charged for corruption, said Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of Ukraines Anti-Corruption Action Center.

The state fiscal service for decades used to be a source for dirty cash and after revolution of dignity remains probably the most unreformed agency in Ukraine, Kaleniuk said in reference to 2014s Maidan Revolution.

She said that NABUs willingness to issue a warrant for Nasirov shows that they are serious about prosecuting officials for corruption even if they are close to the president.

On Sunday, civil activists gathered outside the courthouse due to fears that Nasirov, who claimed to have had a heart attack after being removed from his post, might be released without being charged. The protesters brought tents and vowed to camp outside the courthouse in order to prevent Nasirovs release.

Maxim Eristavi, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, was present at the demonstration on Sunday night. Like Kaleniuk, he, too, said the case is a historic precedent and the most important development in post-Maidan Ukraine.

The first major anti-corruption arrest, first major case for newly created NABU, and the first time such a close ally of [Ukraine President Petro] Poroshenko is facing jail time, Eristavi said.

According to Eristavi, the possibility of Nasirov's being released also showed the massive problem of an unreformed justice system in Ukraine.

He described the crowd outside the courthouse as reminiscent of what he experienced three years ago on Maidan. All familiar faces, key anti-corruption fighters, reformists, independent journalists, he said.

Leftists and far-rights, queer people shoulder to shoulder with homophobes. All feuds were on pause because the crowd shared the feeling that this the key moment for the future of the country. Remarkable unity," Eristavi said.

Nasirovs legal team of nine attorneys is currently appealing the charges.

Pre-trial investigation is expected to be completed in May.

Jim Kovpak is an American writer who recently moved from Moscow to Kyiv, and who runs the Russia Without BS blog.
Migration is the "Trojan wooden horse" of terrorism and the current lull in the migrant flow is only temporary, Hungary's prime minister said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants. Orban says the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, are a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.



Orban said the migration issue would remain as long as its causes in the countries of origin were not dealt with and its potential risks were not recognized.



"Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism," Orban said at a swearing-in ceremony for a new group of border guards, called "border hunters" by the government. "The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living.''



Orban said the migration pressure on Hungary's borders would continue as millions of people were planning to come to Europe in hope of better lives.



"We are still, at this moment, under siege," Orban said. "The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defense."



As Orban was speaking to the 462 new border guards, lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party approved new rules which further limit the rights of asylum seekers and give police more power to send migrants back to Serbia.



During a state of emergency due to migration, recently extended until Sept. 7, all asylum seekers will kept at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests.



The decision is in line with Hungary's intention to close all other refugee reception centers around the country, some of which were shut last year.



Police will also be allowed to return to the Serbian border any migrants caught anywhere in the country who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometers (miles) of the border could be sent back to Serbia.



The new legislation was strongly criticized by human rights advocates, who said asylum seekers' rights to legal assistance would be severely limited.



"There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country," said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including Amnesty International Hungary, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. ``The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda."



The United Nations refugee agency said it was "deeply concerned" about the detention of asylum seekers.



"This new law violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered," the UNHCR said in a statement. "The detention of refugees and asylum seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate."



Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 150-kilometers (93 miles)-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1.



While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones. Experts fear even fewer will be allowed to apply as the new rules are applied.



In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.
The world's most famous sled dog race started Monday with 71 mushers setting off from the heart of Alaska and embarking on a nearly 1,000-mile trek across the wilderness.



The grandson of a co-founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was the first competitor on the trail.



Ryan Redington, 33, of Wasilla led the other mushers out of the chute in Fairbanks nearly a half-century after his grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., helped stage the first race in 1973.



The contest has a staggered start so fans, including 2,600 schoolchildren, can cheer on the mushers, who leave every two minutes.



One race rookie, 53-year-old Roger Lee, threw his fist in the air as he took off from the chute.



Lee was born in California to British parents and grew up near Liverpool, England, listening to the Beatles and harder rock groups. He has seen AC/DC in concert 157 times in 16 countries, according to his race biography.



Lee spent 10 years with the British Army Air Corps before moving to America, where he serves with the Air Force. He took a one-year sabbatical to train for the Iditarod.





The fan-friendly ceremonial start of the race was held Saturday in Anchorage.



The competitive start is normally held a day later in Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. But that start would have taken mushers over the Dalzell Gorge, where a lack of snow has left alders exposed on the trail and open water in places that normally would be frozen this time of year.



Winter conditions were not a concern in Fairbanks, where the temperature was minus 35 degrees Monday morning. The start was delayed a day to give mushers times to drive their dogs 360 miles north to the city of about 100,000 in interior Alaska.

Eighty-four mushers signed up for the race, and 13 scratched. The latest was Otto Balogh, a 40-year-old rookie from Budapest, Hungary, who cited health concerns when dropping out of the race two hours before it began.



Dallas Seavey, 30, has won four out of the last five races. He feels no pressure to get a record-tying fifth win, and is fully cognizant that winning streaks can only go for so long.



"And I'm truly OK with that, as long as I can look back on the race and know I ran my team to the best of their ability, and we all had a good run,'' Seavey said.
The Trump administration's revised executive order temporarily suspending travel by people from six predominantly Muslim countries could affect an estimated 15,000 international students.

Of those, about 12,000 come from Iran, which is one of the countries named in the ban.

Students who have valid visas are not expected to be affected.

"The new order signed today ... [applies] only to foreign nationals outside the United States who do not have a valid visa," said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly. "It is important to note that nothing in this executive order effects current lawful permanent residents or persons with current authorization to enter our country."

"If you have a current valid visa to travel, we welcome you," Kelly wrote in a release from DHS.

However, it remains unclear what impact the order will have on students who will need to renew their U.S. visa to continue their studies.

Peter Asaad, an immigration attorney and partner at Quarles and Brady in Washington, advised that "although the executive order purportedly will not automatically invalidate current unexpired visas, individuals from the six countries should be advised to refrain from exiting the U.S. when possible."

"And those outside the U.S. should seek to enter as soon as possible until there is greater clarity," Asaad said.

There are more than a million international students in the U.S., a number that has nearly doubled in the past decade.

Several well-known universities pushed back against the original executive order announced in January, which was later suspended following legal challenges.

Some 17 universities filed legal papers February 13 against the first travel ban, calling it "serious and chilling" to international education. They included Brown, Columbia, Harvard, John Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Yale.

"The new travel ban will surely get litigated," Asaad said. "The court will look at whether there is a rational basis for the travel ban, which may again stop the president's action under the same rationale as the Washington District Court's nationwide ban."

Students took to social media to air their opinions.

"There have been more deaths from vending machines falling over than from the nationals of 6 Muslim-majority countries," tweeted Ali Nazari, a student at the University of Texas-Dallas, in response to the latest executive order.

The U.S. green card is available to international students who show exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business, and who can certify that they have a job offer. The U.S. limits those EB-2 visas to 40,000 holders each year. Students may obtain a green card through family channels, as well, by being the spouse, minor child, married or unmarried son or daughter, or brother or sister of a U.S. citizen who is 21 or older.

They may also be priority workers through an EB-1 visa if they have extraordinary abilities or are outstanding professors or researchers on a tenure track position.

In addition to green card holders, those excluded from the new restrictions are dual nationals using passports from unaffected countries; persons with valid U.S. visas or other travel documents; persons on diplomatic or similar passports; and persons who have been granted asylum in the U.S.

Consular officers may also make exceptions on a case-by-case basis for individuals with business, study or family connections to the United States. Individuals already in the United States are also excluded.

The new order includes a temporary halt to refugee admissions and approval for admissions for 120 days. Some exceptions are possible, but they are limited. The order also calls for refugee admissions for all of 2017 to be capped at 50,000. This could be called a "refugee cap" or "refugee limit."

Last year, international students added $32.4 billion to the U.S. economy.
On the same day that your newspaper published the editorial of the Bloomington Pantagraph entitled Rauner right to hold firm on budget WILL broadcast Stranded by the State. The connection? The editorial praises the Governor for insisting that Illinois needs a balanced budget, and structural change to achieve that. It avoids mentioning the devastating effects his intransigence is having on the economic health of the state and the lives of many Illinois citizens, notably including Coles County, RIGHT NOW. The TV program depicts, with fairness, accuracy, balance and precision some of those effects on Eastern Illinois University, its students, and this community.

The story behind the story, of why we are in this budget mess, why public higher education in Illinois is being particularly hurt, and what to do about it was well explained in EIUs Buzzard Hall on Feb. 2 by a panel entitled Higher Education: Collateral Damage in the Budget Battle. Bottom line: the state has been cutting public funding for higher ed steadily, under both parties, since the 1980s, with the result that with the fifth richest economy in the USA we now rank 47th in support of our colleges and universities.

Why this dramatic disinvestment, whose devastating effects on the economy of Coles County are happening before our eyes? Not primarily, as Gov. Rauner and the Pantagraph editorial would have us believe, because of the selfish old-fashioned politicking of Madigan and other Democrats. Primarily because of an outdated, unfair, and perverse fiscal system founded on the FLAT STATE INCOME TAX, and the largely untaxed modern service sector. If Governor Rauner will join with Democrats and Republicans in reforming that, our state can put its fiscal house in order, provide its people the services they deserve, and our economy can recover its potential for growth. End the flat tax, and let the rising fiscal tide lift all our boats.

Bailey K. Young, Charleston
More developing countries urgently need insurance to cushion their farmers against weather extremes that can worsen poverty, but it is no magic bullet to ward off the escalating impacts of climate change, experts say.

The burning question of how to stop drought becoming a major crisis  especially in Africa  has caused many to eye insurance as a possible answer.

"People think sometimes that insurance is the solution for everything. It is not correct," said Mohamed Beavogui, director general of the African Risk Capacity, an African Union agency that helps states plan for natural disasters and climate change, and provides them with insurance through its company, ARC Limited.

"Insurance is ... [for] when you have done everything you can and there is still a risk you cannot cover," Beavogui said.

Planning for those risks  such as the number of people a government would be unable to help in a crisis  is vital, he told Reuters.

As climate change bites harder, bringing with it worse droughts and floods, demands on donors' purse strings are likely to grow, and experts say development gains  especially in Africa  are at risk of being rolled back.

Last year, southern African states appealed for $2.9 billion in aid when the region was hit with its worst drought in 35 years, affecting 39 million people. Now, drought in the continent's east is pushing millions into hunger.

Insurance can be triggered more quickly than international aid, which can take months to fund. ARC's cover is based on a pre-agreed plan for how the government will use the payout.

Since ARC Ltd began issuing policies in 2014, eight nations have taken out insurance and four  Senegal, Mauritania, Niger and Malawi  have received payouts totaling $34 million.

The index-based insurance offers maximum coverage of $30 million per country per season for drought events that occur with a frequency of one in five years or less.

But while drought last year left 6.5 million people in Malawi in need of food aid, Malawi did not receive an ARC payout until January.

Malawi took out insurance based on a crop  long-cycle maize  that, as it turned out, most farmers did not grow in the 2015/2016 season. Long-cycle maize survived the drought, while the short-cycle maize most farmers grew did not.

In the end, ARC's member states agreed to an $8.1 million payout for Malawi  the amount it would have received had the government requested short-cycle maize as the base.

"It means that we shouldn't rely only on data the government gives us," Beavogui said. ARC will now also check what farmers are growing with research centers and extension services, among others, he added.

Jury still out

Insurance companies that pay out directly to farmers are still few and far between in many developing countries, and they offer limited services.

Where they do exist, they mainly serve commercial farmers because the poorest cannot afford to pay premiums without help from a donor or government, said Andrew Shepherd, director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, based at the Overseas Development Institute, a London-based think tank.

"The jury is still out" on whether insurance can make the poorest farmers more resilient to drought, but it can play an important role in preventing wealthier farmers from becoming impoverished, he said.

"All the focus by governments, and often donors, is on getting people out of poverty, and not on preventing people from falling into poverty," he said.

India is one of the few developing countries with a national insurance scheme for farmers, including those with as little as one cow or buffalo, which works through local agents, said Shepherd.

Senegal has two kinds of insurance  macro-insurance through ARC, and micro-insurance  both of which paid out when bad drought hit in 2014.

The Compagnie Nationale d'Assurance Agricole du Senegal (CNAAS)  set up by the government, insurance companies and international agencies  targets most farmers in rain-fed crop areas with index-based insurance products.

In 2014, Senegal's ARC payout reached people and livestock with aid, getting help to herders within three months, said Mathieu Dubreuil, micro-insurance adviser at the World Food Program (WFP).

"It was a good match" between ARC which pays out in a crisis and micro-insurance schemes that pay out more often, he said.

WFP, which offers small-scale insurance for farmers, is also exploring taking out ARC insurance, which would give an additional payout to countries, disbursed either by WFP or through the government.

Vicious cycle of hunger

In Malawi, farmers are waiting for the April maize harvest to bring an end to months of food shortages.

"If we are not careful, we will have a vicious cycle of hunger," said Wycliffe Kumwenda of the National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi, representing more than 100,000 farmers.

Uninsured farmers are condemned to line up for food aid  time taken away from cultivating their fields  while hunger saps their energy, he said.

There is some insurance for Malawian tobacco farmers, but many do not know about it. Premiums are a problem too, as is the ability to make a claim, Kumwenda said.

"We need to install proper instruments that can capture weather parameters like rainfall [and] temperature," he said. "Most of the met stations are not reliable."

That makes claims hard to justify, putting off potential insurance providers, he added.

As climate impacts are expected to worsen in the coming years, potentially pushing up the cost of premiums, ARC is developing an Extreme Climate Facility (XCF) which will give countries access to finance for climate change adaptation.

"You have to insure what you cannot cover, and at the same time you have to prepare and adapt," said Beavogui. "My real fear is we don't do it quickly enough."
Iraq's military said Tuesday its forces recaptured control of the main government buildings in western Mosul from Islamic State militants.

The advance is part of an offensive, supported by airstrikes from a U.S.-led coalition, to take back what is the last major city in Iraq still held by Islamic State.

The militant group swept into Mosul in mid-2014 as it took control of large areas in northern and western Iraq, as well as eastern Syria.

Iraq took back eastern Mosul in January after several months of fighting.Now the focus is across the Tigris River, where the new offensive began two weeks ago.

Bridges connecting the two sides of the city have been badly damaged or destroyed, but the Iraqi military says it now controls the western side of two of the bridges, raising the prospect they could be used to more easily move troops and supplies.

The fighting in Mosul has raised humanitarian concerns for the hundreds of thousands of people living there, and aid organizations have reported several thousand people fleeing each day.
In a move likely to anger neighboring Serbia, Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci on Tuesday filed a draft law to convert the country's lightly armed security forces into a national army.

Calling the militarization of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) a normal step of a sovereign and independent state, he issued a statement saying the initiative aims at protecting territorial sovereignty and integrity, preserving peace and defending the Republic of Kosovo's interests and also contributes in building up and protecting regional and global peace and stability.

In an exclusive interview with Voice of America's Albanian Service, Thaci called for the support of parliament's ethnic Serb minority, which, he says, is under intense pressure from Belgrade to oppose the move.

The Serbian List has stated very clearly that it will never vote for the establishment of the Army of Kosovo, he said, referring to Kosovo's parliamentary ethnic Serb party. Its attitude is directly orchestrated by the Belgrade government.

However, Kosovo's fate is not tied to that of (Serbia), he said. We are an independent and sovereign state. I want to believe that even if the Serbian List is not willing to vote for the establishment of the Kosovo Army, (it will become a reality). This will be an army not only of the Albanians, but a multi-ethnic army in the service of all.

'Serbia will never agree'

A series of incidents in recent months has exacerbated long-simmering tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. The move has been recognized by 114 countries, but not by Belgrade.

Serbia will never agree with the formation of Kosovo's army, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said at a rally in Mladenovac on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

We know what Serbia is and what we will never give to anyone, said Vucic, who is a candidate for president in elections next month.

According to Belgrade-based public broadcaster RTS, Vucic phoned Thaci to harshly confront him on the plan, which he said would only further destabilize the region. Both men agreed to continue talks so that the situation would not escape control."

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Belgrade will use all political means available to prevent the formation of a Kosovo army. The official Tanjug news agency quoted Dacic as saying Pristina has been making unilateral moves fueling instability in the region.

NATO, which has some 4,500 soldiers stationed in Kosovo, said the plan raised serious concerns.

"I made clear that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful," the Atlantic alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement after talks with the territory's president and prime minister.

The U.S. embassy in Pristina said adoption of the amendments "would force us to re-evaluate our ... longstanding assistance to Kosovo's security forces."

Transformation, expansion

Thaci's plan would boost the KSF's regular forces by 1,000 members to a total of 5,000, and its reserve forces by 500 members to a total of 3,000.

Creation of the new army, he said, is integral to Kosovo's aspiration to join NATO.

There can be no NATO membership for Kosovo without an army, he said. I believe this issue will bring together the political spectrum of Kosovo regardless of their ethnicity or party. All along we have had support from the United States and NATO, but the establishment of the army has become impossible simply because the Serbian List and Belgrade do not allow it. Serbia has threatened the List not to vote in favor of a Kosovo army.

Citing the army's role as a factor in peace, stability and good neighborliness, he said efforts to normalize relations with Belgrade will continue regardless of how parliament votes.

Kosovo Army is not being established as a threat to anyone, no one needs to feel threatened. On the contrary, he said. The dialogue with Serbia will continue and we will work to normalize relations. I also want to hope that this will be a very good message that Kosovo is being consolidated as an independent and sovereign state.

With domestic political volatility delaying EU membership prospects for some Western Balkan nations, Thaci says Kosovo can't continue to depend exclusively on foreign militaries.

Because of these EU [enlargement] delays, which are purely technical and bureaucratic, various (kinds of) extremism and nationalism are being born, and there also is a so-called extension of Russian influence in the whole Western Balkans, he said. So, Brussels should quicken the pace for the region to be integrated from a strategic point of view.

Thaci said some 4,500 troops from 31 countries deployed in Kosovo since 1999 will remain. Those international troops arrived after NATO's 78-day air campaign to stop a bloody Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

Presence of troops assured

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, assured Kosovo in separate visits to the country that the military alliance will maintain troops in the country for as long as it's necessary.

Thaci's draft law is expected to be submitted for a parliamentary vote no later than next week.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Albanian and Serbian Services. Some information is from AP and Reuters.
The trauma of a perilous boat journey to Greece still fresh in her mind, Tolay performed a ritual she'd felt too unsafe to undertake for the previous three months.



"When I put on my makeup, I was crying," Tolay, said a transgender woman from Iraq in one of her first acts on European soil to reclaim her identity.



"It was like I was dreaming."



For the 26-year-old, as for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex refugees and migrants who have found themselves in Greece, the promise of Europe is not just of safety, but acceptance, amid the challenges of having to adapt to a new way of life.





Now, efforts are gathering pace to build support systems and a sense of community for those unable to move on from a country that has been home to around 62,000 refugees since border closures early last year.



Fighting for a decent life



Tolay's story includes a period of happiness in Damascus, Syria, where she found a sense of peace.



It was a peace that did not last, however, and she eventually fled the Middle East after her abduction and gang rape at the hands of a militia in Iraq.



Having made it to Greece, Tolay recently attended her first "LGBTQI+Refugees Greece" fundraiser and party, a chance for people to have fun and be themselves. Tolay, a former dancer, said it was "like oxygen coming back into my body."



The group meets regularly on a more formal basis to discuss everything from theatrical projects to allocating funds to members. It was set up last June by Suma, a transgender woman.



In 2015, Suma fled a Middle Eastern country she doesn't want to identify when a trans friend died after being tortured in police custody. But she found little assistance or sympathy in Turkey, where she lived for a year.



Fleeing to Greece by boat, she escaped a refugee camp there, fearing for her safety. She went to Athens but found little in the way of support from refugee-focused organizations.



So she decided to create a group that now has around 25 members and places an emphasis on involving all in decision-making.



"No one seemed to consider us as vulnerable cases," said Suma. "No one will give us safety and a decent life, so we should ask, and sometimes even fight, for it."





More getting involved



It appears the work by such grassroots networks is resonating more widely as more aid organizations become involved.



The U.N. refugee agency already seeks to identify LGBTQ refugees and migrants. It has backed a new campaign by Greek NGO "Solidarity Now" that offers LGBTQ-specific assistance, including psychological support and housing.



Identifying members of a community that has learned the hard way it can be better to pass unnoticed, remains one of the biggest challenges.



"How can we help them if we don't know they exist?" asked Solidarity Now's Margarita Kontomixali, who is coordinating efforts.



Kontomixali was also quick to point out discrimination is not limited to communities from which refugees and migrants have fled.



"We are not Germany, or the Scandinavian countries, we are far behind," she said, referring to acceptance of the LGBTQ community in Greece."Things are changing here, but only very gradually."



A new start?



In the case of Suma, this has proven all too true. Having set up the group and facing continuing discrimination, she smuggled herself to Sweden in November.



Those remaining in Greece face the discrimination that comes with their LGBTQ status, along with the daily stress of life in a country they never intended to make their home; but, for some, there is now the sense that a new start may be possible.
Militias in Libya who recently captured two key oil terminals around Benghazi say they want to extend their fight to try to capture the entire city of Benghazi.

"Our main goal is to return our city," said Col. Mustafa Alsharksi, the leader of the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB), which includes Islamic militants and former rebels.

The BDB took control of the key oil terminals of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, which also includes an airport, on Friday from the eastern-based Libyan National Army, or the LNA.

The LNA said Monday they are preparing a large counteroffensive to retake the oil terminals. The group has been carrying out airstrikes on BDB positions since losing the oil terminals, but have not succeeded in repelling them.

Efforts to take over Libya's oil ports raise the prospect of increased violence in the region.

After the LNA seized four ports in September, Libya's oil production sharply increased, presenting a challenge to the authority of the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli.

The internationally backed Government of National Accord controls part of Tripoli, while rival powers compete for other parts of the country.

Libya descended into chaos after a 2011 uprising led to the toppling of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Macedonia's president appealed Tuesday to international leaders to condemn demands by minority ethnic Albanians for enhanced constitutional rights that he says threaten his country's existence.

President Gjorge Ivanov argued that a common platform signed in Albania in January by three of his country's ethnic Albanian parties endangers Macedonia's sovereignty and independence.

The platform implies changes to the constitution of the Republic of Macedonia that would jeopardize the unitary character of the state, he said in a letter to the European Council, NATO and the U.S. and Turkish presidents.

Macedonia is in a deepening political crisis, sparked by a massive wiretap scandal two years ago that put the two main political parties at each other's throats.

An internationally brokered attempt to ease tensions through an early election in December left neither former prime minister Nikola Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE conservatives of the main opposition Social Democrats with the support to govern alone.

The three ethnic Albanian parties want Albanian designated as Macedonia's second official language as a condition for joining any coalition government. It is already recognized as an official language in northwestern minority-dominated areas.

Gruevski's party rejected the demands, while the Social Democrats tried to form a coalition with the Albanians but were refused a mandate to govern by Ivanov, the president, who accused them of trying to destroy Macedonian independence.

VMRO-DPMNE on Tuesday advocated fresh elections as a way out of the impasse.

Albanians are about one-fourth of Macedonia's population, and have had a rocky relationship with the majority Macedonians since the country gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1999. In 2001, the country narrowly avoided civil war after an uprising by armed ethnic Albanian groups seeking greater rights.

The language demand has triggered daily protests in Macedonia's main cities for more than a week.

Also Tuesday, vandals damaged a museum dedicated to the Albanian alphabet in the southwestern city of Bitola. Police said the front door and windows were broken, while petrol bombs were thrown inside, causing little damage. No arrests have been made.

Macedonia's main parties condemned the attack, with the main opposition Social Democrats accusing VMRO-DPMNE of provoking violence and creating divisions among citizens.

Albania's Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for calm and restraint.

We believe such attacks are actions from a small group of people motivated by extreme nationalist feelings, fear, lack of information and the recent damaging rhetoric, it said.

We call on all the sides to preserve calm and stop rhetoric against Albanians which only distracts attention from the country's real problems, [and] damages inter-ethnic relations in the country.
Malaysia is barring all North Koreans, including diplomats and embassy staff, from leaving the country, while North Korea is banning all Malaysians from leaving its territory, as the two nations continue a diplomatic battle kicked off by last month's killing of the half-brother of North Korea's leader.

The decisions Tuesday followed earlier moves to expel each other's ambassadors.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said North Korea is "effectively holding our citizens hostage" and that he hopes the decision is reversed immediately in order to prevent further escalation.

The North Korean move was announced by state television, saying its ban would be in place until the safety of its citizens in Malaysia is guaranteed.

Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of Kim Jon Un, was attacked February 13 at an airport in Kuala Lumpur with what Malaysian investigators say was VX nerve agent.He died 20 minutes later.

Malaysian authorities have charged a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman with murder, saying they were the ones who rubbed the substance on Kim's face.Police are still seeking several other suspects they believe are connected to the killing, including several North Koreans.One North Korean suspect was detained for several weeks before being deported.

North Korea has not confirmed the dead man is Kim Jong Nam, and has rejected the Malaysian investigation in the case and any suggestions that it was behind the killing.

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.
In a pediatric ward at Queen Elizabeth Central hospital, the largest referral health facility in Malawi, mothers look frustrated because of a long wait for a nurse to check on their children. A visit to other outpatient wards reveals more packed waiting rooms.

Such is the situation in public hospitals across Malawi where 65 percent of nursing positions remain vacant.

The shortages leave the countrys public health system in dire need of nurses, and recruiting trained staff remains difficult as many registered nurses prefer the higher pay and better working conditions they can find in private hospitals or abroad.

Malawi's National Association of Nurses and Midwifery president, Dorothy Ngoma, says its a matter of economics.

They quit on us because we cannot pay them well. Most of them are joining the NGOs or to private [hospitals]. So they go where they are paid a bit more money and also where they have more incentives.

Ngoma said incentives can include housing allowances and overtime pay, and private sector salaries can be double what public hospitals offer.

Health ministry spokesman Adrian Chikumbe says the government cannot afford to pay more.

The government purse now is constrained, and we have not only health workers to provide for. We also have other cadres in the civil service.

Well below international standards

Government statistics show that Malawi has three nurses per 10,000 people. That is well below the World Health Organization recommendation of 10 nurses for every 10,000 people.

But efforts are underway to plug the shortage.

To fill vacancies, the health ministry says it has more than tripled the number of students in its nurse training institutions from 40 to 150 per class.

A U.S.-based NGO, the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, has also been trying to address the gap. GAIA sponsors education for nursing students in Malawi who commit to work in public hospitals for the first four years after they graduate.

Scholarship program project officer Chimwemwe Mwangonde explains the incentive program.

Throughout, we support their tuition and also their upkeep. At the end of their program in the fourth year we also pay their license examinations for them to work anywhere in the country, be it in the hospital or in the community.

The program has supported more than 500 registered nurses since its inception in 2005. GAIA is now seeking funding to double the programs annual intake to as many as 80 students a year.

Statistics from the recent program evaluation report show that 93 percent of the graduated nurses have honored their public service commitment. And of those nurses who have met the requirement, nearly all of them have continued to work in the public hospitals.

One of them is Patricia Siyabu. She says her decision was driven by a commitment to service.

Now it is hard to work in government considering the amount of money that we get comparing to the people in NGOs. But I still love working in the government because it is my desire to serve the government. So I have no dreams of going to the NGOs yet. Not now.

And its the not now part that is causing the concern. Recruiting new nurses to work in public hospitals is one challenge, retaining them over the long term is another one entirely.
The secret to better job satisfaction may be as easy as having a healthy sex life, a new study suggests.

According to researchers at Oregon State University, married employees who prioritized sex at home were better workers and enjoyed work more.

On the other hand, the research showed that people who bring work-related stress home impinges on employees sex lives, leading researchers to recommend leaving work at the office.

The reason sex helps workers enjoy work more is that it releases dopamine and oxytocin, both of which are mood enhancers the effects of which can last into the next day. They added that the effects can last for at least 24 hours and worked equally among men and women.

"We make jokes about people having a 'spring in their step,' but it turns out this is actually a real thing and we should pay attention to it," said Keith Leavitt, an associate professor in OSU's College of Business and an expert in organizational behavior and management. "Maintaining a healthy relationship that includes a healthy sex life will help employees stay happy and engaged in their work, which benefits the employees and the organizations they work for."

"This is a reminder that sex has social, emotional and physiological benefits, and it is important to make it a priority," Leavitt said. "Just make time for it."

For their study, researchers followed 159 married employees for two weeks and had them fill out two brief questionnaires each day. Those who had sex reported better moods the next day, particularly in the morning, which allowed them to be more engaged.

"Making a more intentional effort to maintain a healthy sex life should be considered an issue of human sustainability, and as a result, a potential career advantage," Leavitt said. Employers [in the U.S.] can steer their employee engagement efforts more broadly toward work-life balance policies that encourage workers to disconnect from the office," he said.

The French recently enacted a law that bars after-hours email and gives employees a right to disconnect.

"Technology offers a temptation to stay plugged in, but it's probably better to unplug if you can," he said. "And employers should encourage their employees to completely disengage from work after hours."

The study was published this month in the Journal of Management.
The Oklahoma City bombing nearly 22 years ago was an act of domestic terror by U.S. military veteran Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols. The bombing destroyed one third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people and injuring 680 others. In his documentary, Oklahoma City, filmmaker Barak Goodman revisits the bombing as the first major domestic terrorist attack in the United States on April 19, 1995.

It was the number of civilians killed - especially the 15 children, four of them infants, crushed inside the building's day care center - that made this terrorist attack by a massive fertilizer bomb so heinous for many Americans. Many films have recounted the story, but Goodmans documentary treats the Oklahoma City bombing as a springboard to examine the roots of America's ultra-right militia and to analyze the makeup of homegrown American terrorism.

History of suspicion

It goes all the way back to the founding of the Republic, the filmmaker told VOA. "The Republic was founded on the suspicion of government." Goodman says many of these extreme separatists believe in white supremacy and in unregulated freedom to keep and bear arms so that they can protect themselves from outsiders and the government.

In the documentary, former militia member Kerry Noble explains the ideology. The government is an enemy of the people, and in this war its an all or nothing. Were either gonna win as the white race or were gonna lose.



Oklahoma City points to two events in the late 20th century that bolstered separatist ideologies: The Ruby Ridge incident on August 21, 1992, and the Waco siege in Waco, Texas, between February 28 and April 19, 1993. In both cases, federal and local government agents clashed with American separatists. The deadly incidents were fueled by the authorities' demand to search the premises for illegal firearms.



The Waco siege was particularly deadly. The compound belonged to a group known as the Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh. When federal authorities sent in armed agents and armored vehicles to end the standoff, a fire engulfed the compound, killing 82 people, including David Koresh. Sixty-two of the victims were women and children.

Birth of an extremist

Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran disillusioned by the government during his tour in Iraq, was among those who went to witness the siege. According to the documentary, McVeigh was radicalized by those events and by an extremist publication called The Turner Diaries.



Its a Talisman for the far right, even to this day, but especially back in the '90s and '80s it was the Bible of this movement, says Goodman. Its a novel about a small group of patriots, white patriots who retake the government from the Jews and blacks who have infiltrated it, essentially. Its a racist creed and as I said, it is very poorly done. Intriguingly though, it describes the bombing of the FBI, the culmination of the novel, and it really lays out a recipe on how to build a bomb like this."

That bomb is very similar to the one McVeigh used in Oklahoma City.

"McVeigh was deeply, deeply influenced by this book," Goodman adds. "He sold it in gun shows, he quoted it, when he was arrested he had several pages of it in a folder beside him in a car. And it wasnt just McVeigh, it was all through this movement. People were really exorcised, impassioned, inflamed by this novel."

The documentary shows McVeigh obsessed with his guns and with the idea that the government was going to take them away. The film also points out that his exposure to the war in Iraq accelerated his feeling of mistrust of the U.S. government.

The way he put it made it sound he was emphatic towards the dead Iraqi soldiers that he killed. I really dont think thats the case, says Barak Goodman. Instead, says the filmmaker, it was McVeighs mistrust of the U.S. government, how it had blundered into Iraq and his idea of the U.S. government as a bully, and McVeigh, says Goodman, hated bullies. The Ruby Ridge and Waco stand-offs reinforced that idea in his mind.



Homegrown extremism

According to the documentary, there are 500 militia organizations in the U.S. today. Goodman believes they are as radicalized as ever. Some of them have gotten rid of their camouflage outfits and put on suits and ties, but really the rhetoric has been virtually the same for 100 years or more. Its a whites-only country, it should be a whites-only country, the federal government is in the hands of Jews, blacks, its a conspiracy.'

Goodman says it is a misconception to believe that this is a movement of white poor disenfranchised people. Certainly, he says, many are, but there also many professionals feeling a loss of entitlement, a loss of privilege and power. The filmmaker stresses that these people operate outside political parties and share a deep mistrust of the Washington political establishment.

But Goodman cautions these extremists are not de facto terrorists. He says it takes a confluence of opportunity and a warped personality, often a lone individual, to commit a terrorist act of a scale such as the Oklahoma City bombing.

McVeigh was a shock to most people in the FBI. It would be less of a shock today. But its very hard to prevent these things. One of the takeaways from our film and audiences who have seen it have been amazed at how really easy it was to do this. It cost about $6000, it was one guy, reading some literature, says the filmmaker.

Goodman says in a politically polarized America, the possibility for future domestic terrorist attacks is high.

If you talk to people from the Southern Law Poverty Center, which tracks these groups, they are pounding on the wall, they are ringing the bell, they are saying, This is an ongoing threat, its threat level midnight, it's rising, it's whatever the highest color is on the chart,' he says.

The SPLC reports, the number of hate groups in the United States rose for a second year in a row in 2016 as the radical right was energized by the candidacy of Donald Trump. The most dramatic growth, it states, was the near-tripling of anti-Muslim hate groups  from 34 in 2015 to 101 last year. Also, a wave of bomb threats and vandalism has rattled Jewish institutions around the country, but especially in the South. Right now, minorities feel particularly threatened, says the Oklahoma City filmmaker.

There is a very big difference between even hard gun rights activists and terrorists. I want to make that clear, says Goodman. I would take issue with the idea that they have infiltrated the administration. But it is a little galling to see the really mono focus on terrorists from abroad, terrorists influenced by ideas from abroad, whatever those ideas might be, and not on any real discussion about home-grown terrorism which has always been with us and which is not going away and which is actually -- if you look at the numbers of the incidents -- rivaling or exceeding those by that other group, he adds.

Goodman hopes his film, Oklahoma City, will call attention to this rising threat and contribute to the conversation on the inherent dangers of domestic terrorism.
The Homeland Security Department is considering separating children from parents caught crossing the Mexican border illegally, Secretary John Kelly said Monday.

Kelly said such a move would be part of a broader effort to discourage families from making the dangerous trek across Mexico to the U.S. border.

He confirmed during an interview with CNN Monday that he's considering the action. The plan had previously been reported by several news outlets.

Tens of thousands of parents and children fleeing violence and poverty, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, have been caught crossing the border illegally in recent years. Generally, the families are detained for a few days or weeks before being released into the United States to wait for an immigration judge to decide their fate.

"I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America getting on this very, very dangerous network ... going through Mexico," Kelly said during his television interview.

Homeland Security officials have been trying to curb the flow of families since 2014 when a flood of both children and families overwhelmed immigration officials. The department launched a public relations campaign in Central America to warn about the dangers and advise families that there would be no free pass into the United States.

The Obama administration opened multiple detention centers that year, in part to deter others from crossing, to house families while immigration judges and asylum officers heard their cases.

But a federal judge in California later ruled that detaining children violated a long-standing agreement that bars the government from detaining children in a jail-like setting, even if they are with their parents. That ruling prompted the government to start releasing families into the U.S.

With a backlog of more than half a million cases, it can take years for a case to be completed in federal immigration court.

Leon Fresco, who led the Justice Department's Office of Immigration Ligation under President Barack Obama, said the government has been considering such a move since that federal court ruling.

Kelly said if families are separated at the border, the children will be "well-cared for" by government officials.
The White House has reopened public tours for the first time since President Donald Trump took office.

The line of visitors erupted in cheers as President Donald Trump himself greeted them at the White House door. At the front of the line, 10-year-old Jack Cornish of Birmingham, Alabama, who got the thrill of a lifetime, posing with the president as the network TV cameras rolled.

The president offered the visitors a bit of advice.

"Work hard, everybody. Work hard," Trump advised.

The tours had been suspended temporarily during the presidential transition, prompting some complaints from members of Congress, who have the sole privilege of distributing the tickets to constituents and others visiting the Capitol.

Tickets are free, and can be requested up to three months in advance.
Iraq, now removed from U.S. travel restrictions, praised the new executive order President Donald Trump signed Monday, while Sudan, still included in the ban, reaffirmed its opposition to the measure.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal, in comments to the Associated Press, said the revised U.S. order removing Iraq from the ban list will "enhance" U.S.-Iraqi cooperation in the fight against Islamic State extremists.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Iraq's removal followed a State Department review on improving vetting of Iraqi citizens in collaboration with the Iraqi government.

The order's 90-day ban on the issuance of new visas applies now to citizens of six majority-Muslim countries  Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.

African leaders express disappointment

The Sudanese foreign ministry issued a statement Tuesday expressing regret and disappointment at Trump's order.

"Khartoum is furious because it is involved in a process that was supposed to lead to all U.S. sanctions being lifted," said Mohamed Naji, managing editor of the Sudan Tribune news website in Paris. "This long negotiation began under President George W. Bush. ... In this context, Khartoum is wondering if there has been a setback in the process, especially given that President Trump's executive order lists Sudan among states sponsoring terrorism."

In Nigeria, the government released a travel advisory suggesting people to postpone any plans to go to the United States until the Trump administration's immigration policy is clear.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior special assistant on foreign affairs and diaspora to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, said the advisory is about telling people to be cautious.

"Just in the last few weeks, we had a few cases of people that were sent back from the airport, basically visitors coming into America, sent back from the airport to their country," he said. "So we are saying that if your trip is not that essential, maybe you should just watch and see."

Republicans laud ban, Democrats criticize

Back in the United States, several key congressional Republicans congratulated the Trump administration for its revisions to the order, while a leading Democrat and several human rights organizations sharply criticized it as "racist and anti-Islamic."

The split had House Speaker Paul Ryan praising the new order, saying it advances "our shared goal" of protecting the United States. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he believes the new directive, unlike the earlier order, will not be seen as a religious ban and will pass legal scrutiny. The previous executive order was suspended following legal challenges and the revised version was aimed at overcoming those objections.

Graham said he believed the new order to be "a ban on individuals coming from compromised governments and failed states."

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders voiced sharp disagreement with his Republican colleagues, describing the new ban as singling out Muslims in "an attempt to divide us up."

"This isn't about keeping America safe," Sanders said."A president who respected our traditions of religious freedom would not have resorted to hateful, anti-Islamic rhetoric to justify [the] ban."

Refugee organization calls ban 'gift for extremists'

The International Rescue Committee, which provides humanitarian aid to 40 countries and resettles vetted refugees in 28 U.S. cities, described the new order as a threat to 60,000 already-vetted refugees left stranded in crisis zones.

"This ban doesn't target those who are the greatest security risk, but those least able to advocate for themselves," the IRC said in a statement. "Instead of making us safer, it serves as a gift for extremists who seek to undermine America."

The IRC also touted the U.S. resettlement program, saying it is regarded as "the world's most successful and secure." It said there has not been a deadly terrorist attack by a refugee since the U.S. resettlement program was launched in 1980.

Amnesty International described Trump's replacement order as "the same hate and fear with new packaging." An Amnesty statement also warned that the order will generate "extreme fear ... for thousands of families by, once again, putting anti-Muslim hatred into policy."
From lasers that cut denim at a factory, to drones that irrigate crops, its not a new story that machines are doing more work than ever. But people have long feared that robots are coming for their jobs, so technology evangelists now are calling on their peers to build a future in which the impact on human is lessened.

Tim OReilly, the founder of OReilly Media, a technology consulting company, thinks the solution is a hybrid, mixing humans and machines. He sees that happening already. OReilly says most software, for example, is actually a service that depends on human beings in the background to keep it updated and running.

This could be a paradigm shift for Silicon Valley acolytes. Out with the old: a reputedly cold, relentless push for efficiency through algorithms and automation, no matter the consequences for the working class. In with the new: innovation with a human face.

Its so important that we have to think about not using technology to replace people -- but to augment them, to do something that was previously impossible, OReilly said last week in Ho Chi Minh City at Apricot, an annual summit organized by the Asia and Pacific Internet Association and APNIC, the regional registry for domain names.

With more skills, people can work alongside robots. Lyft and Uber rely on software thats intended to make drivers more productive. Theyre not completely different from airplanes, which are flown mostly by computers, but there might never be a day when passengers feel comfortable flying without at least one human at the helm.

Jonathan Brewer, a trainer at the nonprofit Network Startup Resource Center, believes the next stage of development should improve on the one before it, when the exploding numbers of factories and machines left so many people with undrinkable water and unbreathable air. Now, he said, technophiles must consider how their inventions help people.

At an Apricot workshop, Brewer described sensors that alert residents an hour before a mudslide will hit, for example, and other life-saving devices that cost very, very little money.He says there doesnt seem much point in having droids to clear tables and dig up copper ore if humans arent in a position to use the results of their labor.

OReilly illustrated the hybrid approach with the so-called Mechanical Turk. Not Amazons tool to outsource small tasks, but the 18th-century machine that seemed to beat humans at chess. In fact, there was a man inside all along, and that is the point. Looking out over an audience of programmers, engineers, and other operators building the internet, OReilly compared them to the Mechanical Turk: The world needs workers powered by blood, not just those powered by batteries.

All of you, in some sense, are inside the internet. You go away, it stops working, he said. It's not like a piece of software in a PC era where if you had a copy of Microsoft Windows running on your personal computer, it would keep running without the original programmers. Almost all of the software we depend on today is a service that depends on the work of people like you.

There may be some wishful thinking, too, in technologists' optimism that humans will thrive in the robot future. In 2015, consulting firm McKinsey projected that automation could eliminate 45 percent of today's occupations. That's why more people in the technology sector are warming to the idea of a universal basic income, which shares the benefits of innovation by giving each citizen a small monthly check.

But Brewer holds out hope in cooperation between people and machines. Many advancements don't just make lives easier, such as thermostats that adjust the temperature to a dweller's liking. He said there is technology, for example, that lets city employees know when street lights go out, or trash cans are full, so they don't have to drive around checking manually, which many local governments do. But once the notice is sent, a human still needs to respond and ensure services are delivered.

For technology, conference-goers said, early adopters first embraced the inexorable, unsympathetic march of change as an indisputable benefit. But in this next phase, people are rethinking disruption, or at least wondering how to soften the blow on humans.
On March 8, 100 years ago, a revolution erupted in Saint Petersburg that ended the monarchy in Russia and set up a provisional government that was overthrown by the Bolsheviks just months later. That led to the rise of the Soviet Union and the spread of communism globally.

But there are still Russians today who defend the monarchy as sacred, and a few who even hope for its return.

Once loyal subjects of the Tsar, factory workers revolted over corruption as World War I took a toll on living standards.

Some 30,000 workers from the Putilov Plant, now called the Kirov Factory, joined the uprising.

The workers of the Putilov Plant, like all other Petrograd [Saint Petersburg] workers, took part in the strikes and riots caused by their dissatisfaction at the economic situation in the country, says Kirov Factory Museum director Igor Savrasov.

It was the third year of the war. There was not a big difference among the workers. There was a shortage of bread for everyone.

Russia's "February Revolution", which took place in March according to the Gregorian calendar, saw Tsar Nicholas the Second abdicate in the face of a popular uprising.

When the Bolsheviks seized power from a provisional government, aristocratic and wealthy families fled.

But some returned to join the new regime.

My parents did not become truly Soviet, but my sister and I were more assimilated, says Ivan Artsishevskiy, whose father was from a line of military nobles. I served in the Soviet army, so I fully went through the system. In my family, we all believed in being with Russia whether it's for good [times] or for bad.

Respect for monarchy remains

Artsishevskiy helped in the reburial protocol for Russia's last royal family, the Romanovs, who were executed by the Bolsheviks after the revolution and canonized in 2000.



A descendant of nobility, he teaches etiquette to Russias next generation.

As the result of the Soviet achievements, a huge part of our genetic pool was destroyed, and the selection was of negative character. So now, we must correct it, says Artsishevskiy.

A century after the Russian monarchy fell the Russian Imperial House, keepers of the Romanov legacy, wants legal recognition.

We continue to stick to our monarchical convictions. And we continue to believe that monarchy for Russia is a historically natural mode of existence, says director of the Russian Imperial House Alexander Zakatov. Russia was a monarchy for more than a thousand years before the revolution, which brought us a lot of misfortunes.

Zakatov acknowledges there is no present condition for the monarchys restoration in Russia - a grand understatement for most Russians.

Defend Saint Nicholas

But underscoring the sensitivity about the monarchy, a Russian film titled "Matilda," about the last Tsars affair with a ballerina, is being criticized even before its release later this year.

Judging by the images that I have seen in the trailer, we may say that it doesn't correspond to real history, says Zakatov. It gives a twisted image of Tsar Nicholas the Second, and in many aspects it is blasphemous, because he is a saint ascribed to sainthood.

Monarchist and Orthodox groups have deemed the film insulting. Natalya Poklonskaya, the former Kremlin-appointed Crimean prosecutor-general and current State Duma deputy, argues the film will upset religious feelings and in November called for a criminal investigation.

A group called Orthodox State-Holy Russia called for a ban and allegedly threatened to set fire to cinemas that show the film, earning a rare rebuke from the Kremlin.

This organization is not registered with the Justice Ministry. So, in fact, this concerns the threats by anonymous extremists," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the TASS news agency. "Such actions are absolutely inadmissible, he added. The president said that the state will respond harshly to these manifestations.

As Russia marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution, few will mourn the loss of the Russian monarchy.

But many will remember the Bolsheviks who seized power, the destructive civil war that followed, and the Soviet empire they established.
Last week, just days after the southern Caucasus nation of Georgia celebrated its newly awarded visa-free travel access to 30 EU countries, Russian news outlets began reporting a different story.

Georgia's visa liberalization wasn't the result of Tblisi's successful, long-planned reforms targeting European integration, Russian outlets said, but part of a seedy quid pro quo that would require the former Soviet republic to build camps for displaced Syrian refugees on its own soil.

The Russian news outlets, along with their pro-Russian counterparts in Georgia, based their claims on one source: German newspaper Bild's interview with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, who expressed support for the idea of building camps in Georgia and the West Balkans.

"We need refugee centers outside the EU, which are run jointly with the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said Kurz, without elaborating on exactly where the camps would go.

Denials from both sides

Both EU and Georgian government officials, however, have denied any deal involving refugee camps.

The distribution of refugees based in EU has never been discussed on an official level," said a statement released by Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze. "Neither had it been raised during Mr. Kurzs visit to Georgia, or in any other official formats.

And speaking to Georgian media outlet Netgazeti, Arad Banko, Austrian Ambassador to Georgia, confirmed that building camps in Georgia, although voiced by Kurz, "was never a part of any official discussion.

Russian state news outlets such as Gazeta.ru, NTV and RT promoted Kurz's comments on refugee encampments, describing them as part of deal for visa-free liberalization.

Some Russian and Georgian lawmakers took it a step further, openly discussing it as an established fact on social media. Russian Duma member Aleksei Pushkov, for example, took to Twitter, where wondered whether Georgia could still deny the EUs offer.

But a spokesperson for EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told VOA's Georgian Service, The visa liberalization with Georgia is based on a detailed action plan, presented to the Georgian government in 2013, which contains a number of criteria to be fulfilled before visa-free travel is granted in areas such as the rule of law and justice reforms."

"The Commission has been monitoring progress made by the Georgian authorities since the visa liberalization dialogue was launched and concluded in December 2015, that all benchmarks under this Action plan were met," said the EU official. "The fulfillment of the criteria in the Action Plan, and these criteria only, is the basis on which the Commission proposed to grant visa free travel to Georgian citizens for short stays."

Analysts: Visa story part of wider propaganda effort

For Giorgi Meladze, professor of media law at Ilia State University, the disinformation news cycle is a part of a broader propaganda effort orchestrated by the Kremlin and Russias intelligence agencies that eventually penetrates Georgian media.

Russian propaganda is not based on identified propaganda media such as RT, but rather is trying to use well-established, traditional European publications like Bild to enhance anti-western messages," Meladze told VOA. "The aim of disinformation is to portray Europe as an institution undermining Georgia.

Meladze also worries that Russia is seizing the moment while Western nations are missing strategies to counter Kremlin propaganda.

Donald Jensen, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, tells VOA that blaming the West is a standard Kremlin strategy.

What is Putin going to do? You blame the West, you invade a country like Ukraine, you use information warfare to pretend Russia has enemies, when it really doesnt," said Jensen, a former State Department official. "You divert attention; you create external enemies.

The increase of Russian propaganda inside of Georgia is something international organizations are watching closely.

The number of online campaigns launched by activists and civil society members has significantly increased over the past years," reads Freedom Houses "Freedom on the Net 2016" report. "However, unreliable and politically biased content, including anti-Western propaganda, also proliferated online.

European integration

Brussels February 28 decision to ratify Georgia's visa liberalization is viewed as a significant geopolitical achievement among officials and civil society activists who have been strong voices for European integration.

Russia, however, has openly expressed concern over Georgia's EU and NATO aspirations, describing the country as part of its backyard. Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the Munich Security Conference that security officials from both countries plan to initiate talks on easing visa restrictions soon.

A recent public opinion poll by Caucasus Research and Resources Center showed that 56 percent of Georgians identify as European.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Georgian Service.
The family of the late Justice Antonin Scalia will donate his personal papers to Harvard Law School's library, the school announced Monday, but it could be years before the public can see documents that offer a glimpse into high court deliberations.

The school said that the collection would include Scalia's writings from his tenure on the Supreme Court as well as his time as a federal appeals court judge, law professor and government official.

A statement from the school says the collection will be available for research on a schedule agreed upon by the Scalia family and the library. Papers from Scalia's work as a justice and appeals court judge will start being accessible in 2020, but material related to specific cases won't be opened during the lifetime of other justices or judges involved in the case, the school said.

Rules of review differ

That means it could be years or decades before researchers can view documents that might shed light on the secretive deliberations behind many of the court's landmark cases. For example, a scholar looking for insight on the Supreme Court's 1992 decision upholding abortion rights would have to wait until the deaths of five other current and former justices who were part of the decision.

There is no law governing what happens to the personal papers of Supreme Court justices after they leave the court or when they can be made public. The papers of former Justice Thurgood Marshall, for example, were released immediately after his death in 1993. Marshall had left those instructions two years earlier when he designated the Library of Congress to handle his papers.

But that didn't sit well with some of Marshall's former colleagues on the high court. Then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote a sharply worded letter to the Library of Congress saying it should have consulted with other justices before releasing the papers.

Scalia served almost 30 years

On the other hand, former Justice William Brennan said some of his papers should not be made public until 20 years after his death.

Scalia served on the court for nearly three decades before he died last year during a hunting trip in Texas. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960 and met his wife, Maureen, while he was a law student there and she was an undergraduate at Radcliffe College.
A renegade South Sudanese general says President Salva Kiir is destroying the East African nation and must be overthrown.

General Thomas Cirillo Swaka spoke to VOA's South Sudan in Focus from an undisclosed location Monday, soon after announcing the launch of a new rebel group, the National Salvation Front.

"Kiir is killing our people, Kiir has betrayed the aspiration, the hope of our people," he said. "So it is a must for the people of South Sudan ... to come out at this historical juncture to see into it that Kiir is not there."

South Sudan has been mired in war since fighting between pro- and anti-Kiir factions broke out at the end of 2013. The war has displaced more than two million people from their homes and triggered ongoing food shortages in many areas.

Cirillo said his group will "use every means possible" to bring down Kiir, but was evasive about the size of his forces.

"My army is our people who love peace. My army is our people who love to be together, who love to be in unity," he said.

Cirillo, a veteran of South Sudan's two-decade battle for independence from Sudan, was the army's deputy chief of staff for logistics before resigning his position last month. In a manifesto released Monday, he accused the Kiir administration of seizing power and property for the president's own Dinka tribe at the expense of other ethnic groups.

Cirillo said he holds other opposition leaders in high regard and expressed hope they can come together to, in his words, "rescue the nation."

Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a peace deal in August 2015, but the agreement has made little progress since fighting in the capital, Juba, last July killed 300 people and forced Machar to flee the country.

The power struggle between President Kiir and his former deputy Machar broke out in December 2013, after the president accused Machar and 10 others of attempting a coup d'etat.
Swiss firms from food and beverage giant Nestle to banking groups UBS and Credit Suisse pledged new goals on Tuesday for supporting and promoting women.

While Switzerland has Europe's second-highest proportion of women in the workforce, it trails global standards on gender diversity in boardrooms and in management positions.

Consultancies EY, Deloitte and PwC and staffing agency Adecco all committed to increase female leadership in their Swiss businesses to between 20 and 35 percent by 2020.

This follows a recent survey by EY that found Swiss firms with at least 20 percent women in top management rated their financial situation as better, while studies by UBS have found companies with greater gender diversity consistently outperform.

Women represent just 6.7 percent of Swiss executives, according to Credit Suisse, compared with a global average of 13.8 percent and European average of 12.6 percent. They occupy one out of eight board seats, half the European average.

Hiring plans

Swiss women-in-business initiative Advance has spearheaded the move, with Credit Suisse's domestic business saying it would strive for equal hiring in campus recruitment, while Nestle committed to grow the proportion of women in management positions worldwide every year.

Siemens Switzerland pledged to reach equal pay in the next three years, while IKEA Switzerland improved its paid paternity leave to two months.

Switzerland was the second-to-last European country to embrace women's suffrage in 1971, more than half a century after Norway, Germany, Canada and the United States. And it took two decades more for the Swiss supreme court to force one canton to let women take part in local votes in 1990.

IKEA Switzerland head Simona Scarpaleggia, one of just four female CEOs out of 78 in Credit Suisse's study, helped found Advance in 2013 and says the Swiss system needs to change to make things more straightforward for working mothers.

"Either you give up your time, which happens most often, or you get private support, which is very expensive. It wouldn't be so complicated to change this system, as many other countries are doing," said Scarpaleggia, who also co-chairs the U.N. High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment, said.

Policy positions

The Swiss government hopes women will help fill a growing shortfall of skilled labor, but it eschews many policies, such as quotas and more parental leave, that promote women elsewhere.

It is among the handful of developed countries that give new fathers no time off, meaning infant care falls largely on women.

High child care costs mean many new mothers opt out of their professions or return part time, generally not returning to full time until children reach age 9, statistics show.

Many women step off the ladder later in their careers, tired of being pigeonholed and passed over for promotions.

"Companies are surprised that, if they look at the statistics, it's often women between 45 and 50 who are leaving," said Nia Joynson-Romanzina, who left UBS in 2015 to found consultancy iCubed.

The Advance initiative is seeking to "change Switzerland one company at a time," Citi Country Officer Kristine Braden said.

"I'm quite optimistic because, despite the conservative approach, Swiss people are very pragmatic," Scarpaleggia said.
The U.S. deployed the first elements of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to South Korea Tuesday, one day after North Korea launched at least four ballistic missiles, three of which landed within 350 km of the Japanese mainland.

Last year, Washington and Seoul agreed to expedite the U.S. missile shield deployment in the face of North Koreas accelerated testing and development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterdays launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea, Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement.

Harris said the THAAD elements were deployed to honor alliance commitments to South Korea and to help defend U.S. troops in the region, U.S. allies and the American homeland.

The THAAD system could be operational as early as April, according the South Korean military.

Like the Patriot missile system, THAAD uses missiles to shoot down incoming missiles. THAAD is a battery of 48 missiles on mobile erector launchers that uses powerful radar and infrared technology to intercept missiles within a range of 200 km, while they are in their descent phase.

Kim Jong Un

The THAAD announcement came as North Koreas state run news service, KCNA, said leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the launch of the medium-range ballistic missiles Monday, three of which flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed only 300-350 km from Japans Oga Peninsula in the Akita prefecture.

KCNA said Mondays missile launches were a part of a drill to test artillery capabilities to target U.S. military bases in Japan.

Pyongyang had earlier repeated its usual threats to take "strong retaliatory measures" after South Korea and the United States began annual joint military drills last week that test their defensive readiness against possible aggression from the North.

Trump offers support

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to South Korea's acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn by phone after the missile launches, to reiterate U.S. support for its ally and reportedly emphasized the need to take strong measures to deal with North Koreas continued breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

In 2006, the U.N. Security Council banned North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and has since imposed a number of increasingly severe economic sanctions on Pyongyang for continuing to violate these restrictions.

The Council will meet Wednesday at the request of the U.S. and Japan to discuss North Koreas continued violations of Security Council resolutions. In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned North Koreas most recent ballistic missile tests that he said, seriously undermine regional peace and stability.

Trump earlier called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to reaffirm the U.S. alliance with Japan and condemn North Korea's tests as a threat to regional security.

"President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."

THAAD opposition



Chinas strong opposition to THAAD has sparked concerns in South Korea.

On Tuesday China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing remains resolutely opposed to THAAD.



Beijing objects to the advanced U.S. weapons system as an unnecessary and provocative military escalation, and says the powerful radar the system uses to track incoming missiles also poses a potential threat to China.

The South Korean government is considering filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization against China for allegedly retaliating against some of its companies and canceling performances by Korean artists in response to the Seoul governments decision to deploy THAAD.

In the last month, China has reportedly rejected applications by some Korean carriers to add charter flights between the two countries, ordered tour operators in China to stop selling trips to South Korea, and closed nearly two dozen retail stores belonging to the Korean Lotte Group.

"We will actively consider whether China's action is in violation of the South Korea-China free trade deal, while stepping up efforts to minimize damage on South Korean industries," said Lee Hyun-jae, chairman of the ruling Liberty Korea Party's policy committee.

While the South Korean ruling party strongly supports THAAD as a vital national security measure, public support is divided and some opposition party leaders have come out against it.

Opponents point out THAADs limitations, that it cannot defend against a short range attack on the Seoul region, where nearly half the countrys population resides, and that in the event of a major attack THAADs 48 interceptor missiles will do little to stop the more than 1,000 missiles North Korea could fire.

And they argue that the limited military advantage is not worth the cost of damaging relations with China.

To be honest, deploying THAAD will hurt both us and China. No one will gain anything from it. The starting point of THAAD is wrong, so we have to reconsider it completely. Otherwise, our future will be gloomy, chaotic and insecure," said Lee Jae-myung, the Mayor of Seongnam City and presidential candidate with the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
Only two states have a wider gap between what immigrants make and what U.S-born workers make than Nebraska, according to a report.

Personal finance website NerdWallet released the report, entitled "What Immigrants Earn in Each State and How Much They Send Abroad," on Monday.

According to the report, which used data from the Census Bureau, foreign-born workers in Nebraska earned a median income of $38,783 in 2015, nearly $18,000 lower than the $56,498 that U.S.-born workers earned.

Only two states, Wyoming and North Dakota, had wider gaps in income between foreign- and U.S-born workers.

Nebraska also had the third-lowest median income for foreign-born workers of any state, trailing only New Mexico and South Dakota.

David Drozd, research coordinator at the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said he doesn't have definitive data on why the income gap is so large in Nebraska, but he did point to statistics that show Nebraska has the second-lowest percentage of Hispanics ages 25 and older with at least a high school diploma.

"Education tends to drive work opportunities and wages," Drozd said.

The report also showed which immigrants sent the most money to their home countries. At the top were Guatemalan immigrants, who remitted more than 30 percent of their income in 2014 to their home country. Honduran immigrants were next with 26 percent of their income going home while Chinese immigrants remitted the third-highest percentage of income.

To see the full report, go to: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/what-immigrants-earn-in-each-state-how-much-they-send-abroad/.
Sixty-six years ago today, the famed espionage trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg opened in a federal court in New York. The couple stood accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russians at the height of the Cold War.

A series of developments after the end of the World War II created the belief the Soviet Communists were working toward global domination and that the Soviet Union posed a threat to the United States. Perhaps the most alarming took place in August 1949, when the Soviets conducted their first successful test of the atomic bomb, shocking those who operated on the belief that the Russians were years away from attaining the bomb.

The crime of the century

The Rosenberg trial was sparked by the arrest for espionage of the British atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs in England in February 1950.

During its probe, the Federal Bureau of Investigation found his courier, Harry Gold, in Philadelphia, who in turn led the FBI to David Greenglass, a U.S. soldier who had worked at the atomic bomb facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Greenglass testified at the trial of the Rosenbergs that he had given notes and sketches of the atomic bomb to his brother-in-law, Julius Rosenberg.

He went on to say Rosenberg's wife, Ethel, typed them and turned them over to the Russians.

The prosecutions case against the Rosenbergs rested primarily on the testimony of four witnessesDavid and Ruth Greenglass, Harry Gold, and Max Elitcher. Elitcher, a classmate of Julius Rosenberg and Morton Sobell at the City College of New York in the late 1930s, was the only witness to name Sobell as a member of the Rosenberg espionage ring.

David and Ruth Greenglass provided the only testimony linking the Rosenbergs to espionage.

The case became a cause celeb among American leftists, who argued the case was an extreme overreaction by the government and an inaccurate stoking of hysteria over Soviet infiltration in the American democratic political system. The reaction to the Rosenberg trial was often referred to by supporters of the couple as more evidence of a Red Scare or McCarthyism, referring to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), famed for his claims that large numbers of Communists had infiltrated the U.S. State Department.

The trial lasted nearly a month, finally ending on April 4, 1951 with convictions for all the defendants. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death row on April 5. Sobell received a 30-year sentence. Greenglass got a reduced term of 15 years for his cooperation.

The Rosenbergs were executed in 1953.

The Rosenberg legacy

In 1995, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. National Security Agency released intercepted cables, which, along with declassified documents from the Soviet archives, confirmed that Julius Rosenberg did spy for the Soviets throughout the 1940s and was part of a larger spy ring within the United States.

As many suspected given the scarcity of evidence against her, Ethel Rosenberg, while likely an accessory, was almost certainly not a spy. A Soviet cable from 1944 stated that Ethel was sufficiently well developed politically and that she knew about her husbands espionage activities, but noted, in view of delicate health [she] does not work.

In 1960, David Greenglass was released from prison and rejoined his wife and children, who were living under assumed names. In 2001, Greenglass publicly admitted committing perjury on the stand in order to save Ruth from prosecution. Morton Sobell was released in 1969 and maintained his innocence until 2008, when he admitted in interviews that he had been a Soviet spy.

However, in 1983, Ronald Radosh, with Joyce Milton, wrote the book "The Rosenberg File," in which he argued that Julius was indeed a spy, and that Ethel was not an innocent victim; rather, that she actively assisted her husband.

In 2013, Radosh backed up that assertion based on the release and examination of additional information that has been made public since the publication of his book.
Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the Guatemalan capital on Tuesday to demand the resignation of President Jimmy Morales, whose popularity has dropped since his brother and elder son were caught up in a graft investigation.

Jimmy Morales, a former comedian, was elected president in 2015 on pledges to clean up Guatemalan politics. He came to power after protests over a widespread corruption scandal that toppled his predecessor, retired General Otto Perez, who remains in jail.

The predominantly rural protesters, who headed to the main Constitution square, said they had been tricked by Morales.

"About a year ago, Jimmy Morales won with his slogan, 'Neither Corrupt, nor a Thief,'" said Estuardo Batz, one of the leaders of the march called by the Committee of Rural Development. "He lied to us, so he has to go."

There was no official tally of the protesters, but a Reuters reporter estimated the crowd size at about 15,000.

In September, a judge barred Morales' older brother and adviser, Samuel "Sammy" Morales, and son, Jose Manuel Morales, from leaving the country, pending an investigation into suspicious payments linked to the mother of Jose Manuel's girlfriend in 2013.

In January, both were arrested. They say they are innocent.

At the time, Morales said he would support his family, but also respect the law.

Last month, speaking at an event at the presidential palace, Morales rejected rumors of a possible coup, but gave no details and left the event without taking questions.

Morales, who had a 71 percent approval rating in January 2016, had a 56 percent approval rating in January this year, according to a CIG/Gallup poll.
The United States is rallying regional allies and partners to take urgent steps to address the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threat, with Secretary of the State Rex Tillerson soon to embark on his first Asia trip as the top U.S. diplomat.

Experts said Secretary Tillerson is facing an immediate challenge to bring China on board with the deployment of a controversial U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, the so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Tillerson is scheduled to have talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to several Asian media reports.

The State Department has not confirmed this trip.

We are not going to share the details of our diplomatic engagement, a State Department spokesperson told VOA on Monday.

We remain prepared  and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness  to defend ourselves and our allies from attack, and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat, the spokesperson added.

Missile launches

Earlier on Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles, three of which flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed in Japanese waters.

The United States and Japan, in coordination with South Korea, have requested urgent United Nations Security Council consultations on North Korea's most recent ballistic missile launches.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday that such launches are provocative behavior.

The Trump administration is taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as through the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea, Spicer said.



China voiced strong objections, however, to the planned installation of THAAD anti-missile system.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday that such deployment would undermine the strategic balance of the region and the security interests of countries, including China.

China's opposition is unlikely to change in the near future, according to analysts.

China has every incentive to keep the status quo on the Korean peninsula intact for the foreseeable future, Harry Kazianis from the Center for the National Interest told VOA on Monday.

China desires stability and a friendly regime in Pyongyang to act as a buffer from a South Korea allied with the United States. While the status quo is certainly not pretty  as witnessed with the recent North Korea missile tests of late  it does work for Beijing, Kazianis added.

Boycott sought

China's state media are calling for a boycott of South Korean goods and sanctions after Lotte Group, a Korean conglomerate, approved a land swap deal at home that paves the way for the THAAD deployment.

Washington said the deployment of the anti-missile system is to counter threats from North Korea and to defend U.S. allies in the region.

Last year alone, Pyongyang tested two nuclear devices and carried out nearly two dozen rocket launches in continuing efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs.



The State Department declined to update the status of an ongoing comprehensive policy review on North Korea, ordered by the White House soon after President Donald Trump took office, to look at all the options Washington has for its future dealings with Pyongyang and the Kim Jong Un regime.

But some Democratic lawmakers have proposed steps that include coercive diplomacy, enforcement of sanctions, and a strengthened regional military deterrence posture with allies.

In a letter sent to President Trump and Secretary of State Tillerson, Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Al Franken argued only a comprehensive approach that couples pressure with active diplomatic engagement will achieve the goal of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

It has become evident that sanctions, without negotiations, will not induce the Kim regime to unilaterally constrain its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, according to the congressional letter.





Six-party talks



The United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South and North Korea are members of the so-called six-party talks, a series of multilateral negotiations held intermittently since 2003 for the purpose of dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.



Under a 2005 joint agreement , North Korea agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing programs in exchange for economic aid, security guarantees and improved diplomatic ties.

But Pyongyang failed to live up to its commitment and has since conducted several nuclear and missile tests.
President Donald Trump lashed out again at his predecessor, using Twitter Tuesday to criticize former president Barack Obama for allegedly releasing 122 "vicious prisoners" from the Guantanamo Bay military detention center who "returned to the battlefield."

Trump did not disclose the source of his allegation but appears to be citing a semi-annual report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which said that as of July 2016, 122 former detainees had returned to terrorism.

But the updated version of the report, released later Tuesday, found that of the 182 detainees released after Obama took office only eight, or 4.4 percent, reengaged in terrorist activities. Another 13 detainees, or 7.1 percent, are suspected of rejoining terrorist groups.

Overall, ODNI found that of the 714 detainees released from the Guantanamo Bay facility, 121 returned to terrorism (16.9 percent) with another 87 (12.2 percent) suspected of reengaging in terrorist activities.

Of the 714 detainees that have been released from Guantanamo Bay, 532 were released by the administration of president George W. Bush.

Trump's Tuesday morning tweet came shortly after a news report on the "Fox & Friends" television program about a U.S. airstrike in Yemen that killed a former Guantanamo detainee. The report credited the Trump administration with killing the former prisoner and reported he was "released by Barack Obama."

This is the second time in recent days Trump has publicly attacked Obama. On Saturday, Trump posted a series of unsubstantiated tweets accusing Obama of wiretapping his presidential campaign at Trump Tower in New York City.

Obama considered closing the controversial prison on a U.S. military base in Cuba. Trump has said he would keep the base open, stop the release of prisoners and possibly send new prisoners there.



VOA's Wayne Lee contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump says a new Republican plan to overhaul the country's national health care system is "wonderful," but its fate in Congress is uncertain.

Trump, in Twitter comments Tuesday, claimed the current law, championed by former President Barack Obama, "is a complete and total disaster" and "is imploding fast!"

The new president said he is working on a system to promote competition among drug manufacturers to cut the price of expensive medicines and allow health care insurance to be sold across state lines in hopes of lowering the cost of insurance premiums.

"Pricing for the American people will come way down!" Trump vowed on drug prices.

Republicans have long sought to repeal the U.S. health law, the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare; however, the new proposal advanced by Republican congressional leaders drew immediate attacks from conservative Republicans in both the House of Representatives and Senate, along with derisive comments from Democratic lawmakers who want to keep Obamacare.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price defended the proposal at a White House news conference, saying, "We want health care where patients and doctors are making the decisions, not the government." He said current government health care regulations that "harm patients or raise costs" will be eliminated.

Price said that under Obamacare, many people have bought insurance policies, but then not been able to afford medical care because of the high cost of insurance deductible payments for each procedure they need.

'Obamacare Lite'

Republican critics of their own leaders' proposal mocked it as "Obamacare Lite," saying it is too much like the law they promised voters they would repeal.

"I don't see any significant change here," said Congressman Jim Jordan, one of the conservative Republican critics of the proposal. "This is Obamacare by a different form."

Republican critics especially voiced opposition to the proposal to give tax credits to low-income Americans to help them buy insurance, calling it a new government "entitlement program" that could prove costly in the years to come.

"This is a Republican welfare entitlement," one conservative congressional group said. "Writing checks to individuals to purchase insurance is, in principle, Obamacare. It does allow more choices for individuals, and is more patient-centered, but is fundamentally grounded on the idea that the federal government should fund insurance purchases."

Surcharge, but no requirement to buy

The new proposal would rescind Obamacare's chief component, a requirement that all Americans buy health insurance or pay a penalty if they do not  a provision Republicans say has been an unwarranted overreach by the national government into peoples' personal lives.

The new proposal, however, would have a similar penalty  a 30 percent surcharge against those who let their insurance coverage lapse and then decide to buy a new policy. Both the surcharge and Obama penalty are aimed at encouraging people to buy insurance before they become sick and need health care.

The Republican proposal also would retain two of Obamacare's most popular provisions: allowing young people to stay on their parents' insurance policies until they are 26, and blocking insurance companies from refusing to insure Americans with pre-existing medical conditions that are costly to treat.

Obamacare has added insurance coverage for 20 million previously uninsured people, but critics such as Trump say the cost of insurance for the individuals who buy policies under Obama's law has risen so fast that it is no longer affordable for many people.

In the United States, about half of the workforce obtains insurance through employers. A third of the country  senior citizens and poorer people  gets coverage through government programs, with the remainder buying policies on their own or through Obamacare, or being uninsured.

Democrats say the Republican plan would leave more Americans without health insurance.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump, in criticizing Obamacare, "doesn't even have the faintest idea of what he's talking about."

She added, "Republicans have decided that affordable health care should be the privilege of the wealthy, not the right of every family in America."

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer tweeted, "Trumpcare doesn't replace the Affordable Care Act  it forces millions of Americans to pay more for less care."

Schumer said the new plan will "force Americans to pay more so insurance companies can pad their bottom line."
The House Intelligence Committee will probe Russian interference into the U.S. election in public for the first time during a hearing March 20, committee chair Representative Devin Nunes announced Tuesday.

Among those invited to give public testimony are James Comey, the current director of the FBI who has been at the center of the controversy regarding his involvement in influencing the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails; Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency; and John Brennan, former CIA director.

"I want to conduct as many of these hearings in the open," Nunes told reporters. "Because of the seriousness of the accusations involved on all sides of this issue, we want to make sure we hold as many of these hearings out in the public."

Nunes said the list of seven people invited to testify  including former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper  would be expanded upon or modified as needed. The list had been agreed upon on a bipartisan basis.

Fired National Security adviser Michael Flynn is invited to attend the hearing but was not included on the list of witnesses considered to have "direct" information on the investigation, Nunes said.

President Donald Trump heightened the firestorm surrounding the Russia investigation when, late last week, he tweeted that phones at his New York high-rise building had been wiretapped at the behest of former President Barack Obama, a charge labeled "simply false" by an Obama spokesman.

"He's the president of the United States, not me, so he can do what he likes," Nunes said of Trump's tweets over the weekend.

"I think its a valid question  if it was a question. Look at General Flynn  why was he being recorded? Was it incidental like we all assume or was it something else? Was there any other additional recording going on?" Nunes said, noting the House Intelligence Committee planned to looked into the broader issue of phone surveillance during the election even before the White House request.

Nunes said he did not plan to subpoena Trump's unreleased tax returns as part of the committee's investigation, citing concerns about the precedent that move would set for the privacy rights of all Americans.

Senate Russia probe

A Justice Department nominee who would oversee a federal investigation of Russian meddling into last year's U.S. election declined to commit to appointing a special prosecutor to probe contacts between Moscow and Trump's inner circle.

U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, tapped by the president to serve as deputy U.S. attorney general, told a Senate panel Tuesday he would have to examine the case before making a determination, but that he would be willing to appoint a special counsel whenever one is appropriate.

During his confirmation hearing, Rosenstein found himself at the center of partisan crossfire at the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats insisted that last week's recusal by Attorney General Jeff Sessions from the Russia probe did not go far enough to ensure the absolute independence of the probe.

The investigation into Russia's interference could very well involve officials in the Trump administration, said the committee's top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California. As has been done in the past, a special prosecutor should lead this investigation.

I believe it should be a respected prosecutor, someone free of any partisan or political background, someone who has a reputation for integrity and impartial decision-making and who is independently selected not by the attorney general, Feinstein added.

Republicans push back

Any talk of a special counsel is premature at best, said the committee's chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. More importantly, any insinuation that Mr. Rosenstein lacks the impartiality or professionalism necessary to handle these matters is out of line. He's a career civil servant who has served with distinction in both [the] Bush and Obama administrations.

While not ruling a special prosecutor in or out, Rosenstein did speak in general terms about how he would approach the matter, if confirmed.

As far as I'm concerned, every investigation conducted by the Department of Justice is an independent investigation, he said. I know this [Russia probe] is the issue du jour [of the day] on Capitol Hill, but I anticipate that if I were the deputy attorney general we'd have a lot of matters coming before the department over time and I would approach them all the same way. I would evaluate the facts and the law.

Graham asks about wiretap

Trump's tweeted claims of phone wire-tapping were also a focus at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked Rosenstein if he knew of any way that Obama could have ordered a wiretap without a court's approval.

No, I do not, the nominee responded.

As a matter of fact, he [Obama] could not, Graham continued. No president can just unilaterally say, 'Go wiretap that American citizen,' right?, without court approval.

I would hope and I would agree with you that that would not happen, Rosenstein responded a moment later.

Democrats pressed the point, saying that if the Department of Justice can clear up the matter for the American people by confirming or denying Trump's allegation, it should do so.

I would assume that, if the president is not telling the truth about this, those who know the truth would say what the truth is, said Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

Has served since 2005

Originally tapped by former President George W. Bush, Rosenstein has been a federal prosecutor in Maryland since 2005. His service continued during the Obama administration, making him the longest-serving current U.S. attorney.

Last week, Attorney General Sessions, a close Trump confidant, recused himself from the Russia probe after news broke that he had met with Russia's ambassador to the United States last year. In such situations, the task of overseeing an investigation falls to the deputy attorney general  a post Rosenstein would assume if confirmed by the Senate.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a long telephone conversation Monday about strategic threats posed by Iran.

The two leaders spoke at length about the dangers arising from the nuclear deal with Iran and Iranian aggression in the [Middle East] region and the need to work together to deal with those dangers, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers that went into effect in January. The Israeli leader has said the deal does not go far enough and when some of the clauses of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years, it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb.

The president had told Netanyahu when the two met at the White House last month that the nuclear agreement was one of the worst deals he had ever seen.

The two leaders on Monday also discussed the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S., including bomb threats and cemetery vandalism.



PM Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for @POTUS's strong statement against anti-Semitism during his speech before Congress last week, Netanyahu spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeted Monday.

After failing to quickly and publicly decry the anti-Semitic attacks in a series of public appearances, Trump last week opened his joint address to Congress by mentioning the threats and vandalism against Jewish cemeteries.
President Donald Trump has offered to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood if the group stops providing abortions. Its president spurned the proposal and noted that federal money already is not allowed to be used for abortion.

Trump confirmed Monday there had been discussions after The New York Times inquired about what it described as an informal proposal. In a statement to the newspaper, Trump said polling shows most Americans oppose public funding for abortion.

"As I said throughout the campaign, I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in women's health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of nonabortion services such as cancer screenings," he said.

Trump added: "There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of women's health, while not providing abortion services."

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in response: "We will always stand for women's ability to make decisions about their health and lives, without interference from politicians in Washington, D.C."

Anti-abortion activists want the federal government to cut off all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Nearly $400 million in Medicaid money goes to the group and pulling it back would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

In one of his first acts as president, Trump banned U.S. funding to international groups that perform abortions or even provide information about abortions.

Vice President Mike Pence strongly opposes abortion, citing his Roman Catholic beliefs, and the newly confirmed health secretary, Tom Price, has supported cutting off taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood.
U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to knock down reports that his White House is engulfed in turmoil.

"Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin.," Trump wrote in a comment on his Twitter account Tuesday. "We are getting along great, and getting major things done!"



Trump offered his commentary after several days of accounts in major U.S. news outlets that he was angry at his staff for their handling of controversies that have erupted around him.

It was Trump's latest broadside against mainstream U.S. publications and television networks, which have published or aired numerous stories depicting behind-the-scenes accounts of Trump's White House, often based on anonymous accounts or leaked documents.

Trump has assailed the stories, repeatedly calling them the product of "fake news" and what he claims are fictitious, unnamed sources.

Much of the conflict has centered on Trump's own actions or those of his aides, who then have been left to defend Trump's unsubstantiated claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower headquarters in New York last year and contacts his aides have had with Russians in the run-up to the November election and since then.







Caught on camera



Through a window, a CNN television camera captured pictures, but no sound, of a heated exchange last Friday in the White House Oval Office between Trump and aides.

The accounts of White House turmoil have reported Trump was particularly incensed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions removed himself from oversight of the Justice Department's probe into the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion Russia meddled into last year's U.S. presidential election in an effort to help Trump win.

Trump had said he did not think Sessions needed to recuse himself, but the attorney general did just that, leaving Trump angered at his aides for their handling of the controversy.

Sessions, a vocal Trump supporter last year, had been asked at his Senate confirmation hearing in January whether he had had any contacts with Russians during the campaign and he said he had not. But it came to light, after Sessions had taken office as the country's top law enforcement official, that he had met twice last year with Moscow's ambassador to Washington.

Since then, Sessions says that he had met with Sergey Kislyak in his capacity as member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not as part of Trump's presidential campaign.







Unproven wiretapping allegation



Trump sparked more controversy with his claim that his predecessor, Obama, had wiretapped him in the weeks before the election.

The publisher of the Newsmax Media website, Christopher Ruddy, a friend of Trump's, wrote Sunday the president told him, "This will be investigated. It will all come out. I will be proven right."

Ruddy said he has never seen Trump as angry as he was over the handling of the Sessions matter and then complaints from both opposition Democrats and Republican colleagues of Trump that his wiretap claim was unfounded.

Trump has denied any links to Russia, but several of his aides have met with Kislyak.

Trump ousted his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after just 24 days on the job after he lied to Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak.
A former Guantanamo Bay detainee was among several al-Qaida operatives killed in recent U.S. airstrikes on terror targets in Yemen, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday.

Yasir al-Silmi, who was held at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from 2002-2009, was killed in an airstrike on March 2, according to Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.

The U.S. military has carried out more than 40 airstrikes in Yemen during the past five days targeting members of al-Qaida branch in the country, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Latest airstrike Sunday

The latest strike in Yemen's Abyan governorate on Sunday targeted seven AQAP operatives, Davis said.

He said the latest round of airstrikes were meant to deny AQAP operatives "freedom of movement."

The Pentagon spokesman announced that two other top AQAP militants were killed in strikes on March 2 and 3, including explosives expert and district leader Usayd al-Adani, and al-Adani's communications intermediary, Harithah al-Waqari.

Many detainees return to battlefield

Al-Silmi, a native Yemeni, was repatriated by former President Barack Obama in December 2009.

The Pentagon has estimated that at least 30 percent of transferred Guantanamo Bay detainees have returned to the battlefield.

There are 41 detainees left at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) CEO Jeff Immelt's annual letter to shareholders outlines what investors should expect from the company in the coming years. While Immelt usually addresses analysts and the professional investment community during presentations, the annual shareholder letter is a chance to directly speak to ordinary shareholders. If you own or are considering buying shares in the company, it's worth taking the time to see what he has planned. In that vein, let's take a look at five key takeaways from Immelt's letter.
A federal judge rejected a request Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of an oil pipeline through Native American lands in North Dakota  the latest federal decision in a hotly contested case that has persisted for nearly a year.

Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a request from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe asking for an injunction to withdraw permission issued by the Army Corps for the last link of the oil pipeline to be built under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

On the same day, protesters  some of them from the Standing Rock tribe  set up teepees near the Washington monument in the nation's capital, where they plan to stay until Friday when they will march to the White House.

"They want us to believe the fight is over  but we can still win this. We can unite in peaceful, prayerful resistance against this illegal pipeline," Chairman Dave Archambault II of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe told Native News Online. "Now, we are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us. We must march against injustice  Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

Native Americans and environmental activists had lived at a camp on the site since August fighting construction of the pipeline, which they say threatens the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's water resources and disregards the land's sacred status.

At the height of the protests, thousands lived at the site, but its population dwindled to just a couple of hundred as the pipeline battle moved into the courts. The camp was completely evacuated on February 22.

The 1,885-kilometer (1,171-mile) pipeline, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, is mostly complete, except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir in North Dakota formed by a dam on the Missouri River. It is designed to transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois.

The protests have been led by Native American tribes, particularly the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux, whose reservations are downstream from the construction site.

In September, the Obama administration temporarily blocked construction in hopes of conducting a review of the project, but a federal court later ruled the project could continue.
The U.S. military has deployed a small number of forces in and around Manbij, Syria, to "deter" different parties from attacking each other and ensure that all groups focus on the fight against Islamic State militants, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that this effort was a new kind of "reassurance and deterrence" mission that started last week.

We want to have a visible show that we are there in order to deter all parties from fighting anybody other than ISIS and to reassure that ISIS has been driven from Manbij, Davis said, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group.

"Manbij is liberated,and there's no need for further fighting there, he added.

A 'common enemy'

The U.S. troops are not carrying out an offensive operation in Manbij but do have the ability to defend themselves if attacked, Davis said. The troops include both U.S. special operations forces and conventional forces operating under the special operations task force.

Davis said the common enemy is Islamic State, whose forces lie south of Manbij and southeast of the Syrian city of al-Bab.

A VOA videographer in Manbij captured video of U.S. troops in eight-wheeled Stryker combat vehicles. One vehicle was filmed driving down a road flying an American flag on the back of the Stryker.



US role in Manbij unsure

A local council member in Manbij told VOA that U.S. troops were there to broker talks between Kurdish and Turkish forces. Although U.S. officials at the Pentagon told VOA on Monday they were not ware of any talks, discussions among the U.S.'s top general and his Russia and Turkish counterparts were announced Tuesday.

We [have] hope in the [U.S.-led] coalition and we believe that this coordination will continue and that they will not abandon us, Shervan Darwish, a member of the Manbij Military Council, told VOA. According to our alliance, protecting Manbij is their onus as well.

Kurdish and Turkish forces in the area have engaged in skirmishes in recent days.

According to some Turkish press reports, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have shelled Turkish military positions with mortar fire near the town of al-Bab. Four Turkish soldiers have been wounded and taken to various Turkish hospitals in Gaziantep and Kilis.

But a Kurdish commander says Turkish troops are attacking them.

Turkey has increased its attacks on us in the past two days, Kurdish commander Ahmed Hemo told VOA. But our forces have foiled at least three attacks.

VOA's Kasim Cindemir and Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report along with VOA's Kurdish service.
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The West is currently going through an unprecedented systemic change  powerful forces are progressively orienting the totality of media in a single direction. At the same time, the content of the media is mutating only last year, they were still logical, and tended towards objectivity. They offered one other mutual contradiction in a spirit of healthy competition. Now they act in gangs, basing their coherence on emotions, and becoming vicious when they are facing people they condemn.

The idea of an Entente between the media is an extension of the experience of the International Consortium for Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), which does not unite the media, but only individual journalists. It made itself famous by publishing information stolen from the accounts of two law firms in the British Virgin Islands, and from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the bank HSBC, and the Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca. These revelations were mainly used to discredit the Russian and Chinese leaders, but also, once in a while, to shine some light on genuine offences committed by the Westerners. Above all, under the honourable pretext of the struggle against corruption, the violation of the confidentiality of lawyers and banks seriously damaged thousands of their honest clients without any reaction from public opinion.

Over a period of approximately forty years, we have been witnessing the progressive grouping of media within certain international trusts. Currently, 14 groups share more than two thirds of the western Press (21st Century Fox, Bertelsmann, CBS Corporation, Comcast, Hearst Corporation, Lagardere Group, News Corp, Organizacoes Globo, Sony, Televisa, The Walt Disney Company, Time Warner, Viacom, Vivendi). From now on, the alliance operated by Google Media Lab and First Draft is forging links between these groups, which already enjoyed a dominant position. The presence in this Entente of the three most important Press agencies on the planet (Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters) guarantees it hegemonic power. This is without any doubt an illicit entente, established not with the goal of price-setting, but mind-setting, the imposition of an already dominant thought.

We may have noticed that all the members of the Google Entente - without exception - have already, over the last six years, given unequivocal visions of the events that occurred in the Greater Middle East. And yet there had been no prior agreement between them, or at least, none of which we were aware. It is intriguing to note that five of the six international television channels which participated in the NATO propaganda cell are part of this Entente (Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, France24, Sky, but apparently not al-Arabiya).

In the United States, France and Germany, Google and First Draft assembled the media present locally in the countries concerned, and others present on the international scale, to check the veracity of certain arguments. Besides the fact that we do not know who is hiding behind First Draft, and what political interests may have influenced a commercial company specialised in computer science to finance this initiative, the results achieved have little to do with a return to objectivity.

First of all because the allegations are not chosen for the place they occupy in the public debate, but because they have been quoted by individuals that the media Entente intends to vilify. We might imagine that these verifications enable us to get a little closer to the truth, but that is not the case at all  they reassure the citizen in the idea that the media are honest, while the people they are condemning are not. This approach is not aimed at better understanding the world, but at beating down the people to be sacrificed.

Next, because an unwritten rule of this media Entente stipulates that only allegations from sources outside the Entente should be checked. The members agree not to use any critical faculty in the mutual appreciation of their work. They agree to reinforce the idea that the world is divided in two - we who tell the truth, and the others who are liars. This approach is damaging for the principle of pluralism, a precondition for democracy, and opens the way to a totalitarian society. This is not a new phenomenon, because we saw it at work during the coverage of the Arab Springs and the wars against Libya and Syria. But for the first time, it is aimed at a Western line of thought.

Finally, because the allegations that have been qualified as false will never be envisaged as errors, but always as lies. The point is to charge the others with Machiavellian intentions in order to discredit them. This approach damages the presumption of innocence.

That is why the functioning of the ICIJ and the Entente created by Google and First Draft violates the Munich Charter adopted by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (Title II, articles 2, 4, 5 and 9).

It is no coincidence that certain absurd legal actions have developed against the same targets as those in the sights of the media Entente. In the United States, the Hogan Law has been dragged out for use against the Trump team, despite the fact that this text has never, absolutely never, been applied since its promulgation two centuries ago. And in France, the Jolibois Law has been revived for use against the political tweets of Marine Le Pen, despite the fact that jurisprudence had limited the application of that law to the distribution of a few ultra-pornographic magazines lacking a plastic wrapping. Since the principle of the presumption of innocence for scapegoats has been eradicated, it is now possible to put anyone on trial for any legal pretext. Furthermore, the legal actions mounted against the Trump team and Marine Le Pen, in the name of the laws named above, should also be be brought against a great number of other people  but they are not.

Moreover, citizens no longer react when the media Entente itself broadcasts false allegations. Thus, in the United States, they imagined that the Russian secret services had a compromising dossier on Donald Trump and were blackmailing him. Or, in France, this Entente invented the idea that it is possible to employ a fictitious parliamentary assistant, and went on to accuse Francois Fillon.

In the United States, the large and small media which are members of the Entente went after the President. They garnered their own information from the wire-tapping of the Trump team which had been illegally ordered by the Obama administration. They work in coordination with the magistrates, who are using them to block the actions of the present government. This is without doubt a Mafia system.

The same US and French media are attacking two candidates for the French Presidential election - Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen. To the general problem of the media Entente is added the false impression that these targets are victims of a Franco/French conspiracy, whereas in fact, the instigator is a US citizen. The French notice that their media are rigged, wrongly interpret the conspiracy as being directed against the right wing, and continue erroneously seeking the manipulators in their own country.

In Germany, the Entente is not yet effective, and probably will not be until the general elections.

During Watergate, the media claimed to represent a Fourth Estate, after the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary. They affirmed that the Press exercised a function of control over the government in the name of the People. We can ignore for a moment the fact that President Nixon was charged with a similar offense to that of President Obama  bugging his opponent. We know today that the Watergate source, Deep Throat, far from being a whistle-blower, was in reality the Director of the FBI, Mark Felt. The treatment of this affair was a battle between a part of the administration and the White House, in which the electors were manipulated by both sides at once.

The idea of a Fourth Estate supposes that we recognise the same legitimacy for the 14 corporate trusts which own the great majority of the Western media as for the citizens. This is to affirm the substitution of an oligarchy for democracy.

The remains one point which needs clarification  how have the targets of the Entente been chosen? Tthe only obvious link between Donald Trump, Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen is that all three hope to re-establish contacts with Russia, and fight with her against the breeding ground of jihadism  the Muslim Brotherhood. Although Francois Fillon was the Prime Minister of the goverment implcated in these events, all three of them represent the train of thought which contests the dominant vision of the Arab Springs and the wars against Libya and against Syria.
World Book Week St Pauls First School Gingerbread House

During World Book Week at St Pauls First School, Mrs Mahtani and her Reception class were delighted to receive a full sized gingerbread house from the mother of pupil Nathaniel Leon.

It had taken Mrs Leon three weeks to make and was covered in different varieties of sweets, making it extremely visually appealing to the children. Many classes were taken to see the gingerbread house during the week and the children in Mrs Mahtanis class all took home some wrapped up sweetie sticks from the basket of sweets accompanying the house.

Nathaniel Leon dressed up as Hansel and his friend Lauren Muscat dressed up as Gretel. Mrs Mahtani read the Hansel and Gretel story with a picture book and the gingerbread house brought the story to life.

The children are now using the gingerbread house for role-playing. St Pauls First School would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Leon for the time and effort she put into sharing her creativity with the Reception class.
A Fistful of Dollars, Logan, and Children of Men.

The first clue that Logan isnt your typical superhero movie can be found in its trailer, which begins with the delicate acoustic guitar of Johnny Cashs cover of Hurt. The songs not actually in the film; probably because it didnt need to be. Once youve seen it, theres no room for confusion left.

Really, Logan is a superhero picture only in the fact that its protagonist, Hugh Jackmans Wolverine, used to be an X-Man in his previous life. And like last years Deadpool, Logans decision to veer from the genre has been met with heaps of praise, not to mention an outstanding box-office run. But while Logan does part ways with the tropes and beats of what is currently the dominant form of contemporary mainstream cinema, James Mangold  whose past credits include Cop Land, Cash biopic Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, and 2013s The Wolverine  hardly leaves cinema behind in the process. Mangold is a noted film buff, and thanks to the directors deep knowledge of the medium, Logan is more defined by its influences and predecessors than your average tights-and-capes epic, drawing extensively from genres like the Western, the American road movie, and dystopian sci-fi.

Here are a few of the movies that seem to have their DNA in Logan; all would be worth checking out for any fans of Mangolds film whod like to learn more about where it came from.

Shane

George Stevenss landmark 1953 Western hangs heavy over Logan, to the point that Mangold includes a scene of it in the film, alongside an explanation of its themes by Charles Xavier to the child-mutant Laura. Its clearly one of the directors favorites, as he also referenced its influence back in 2013, prior to the release of The Wolverine. Like Logan, Shane follows a titular protagonist who functions as a relic of the bygone past, a samurai whose code has grown outdated. Like Logan, Shane must leave his surrogate child and potential protege at the end of the film, signaling the close of an era. While Shane seems to signal the possibility that the younger generation could grow up into a world less violent and savage than before  there are no more guns in the valley  Logan is less conflicted about the violence that becomes its stock in trade: The films child mutants have a chance to build a new life for themselves, but theres little doubt that that life will include fighting, persecution, and death.

Sergio Leones The Man With No Name trilogy and Akira Kurosawas Yojimbo

By 2029, the year in which Logan takes place, our hero has become an alcoholic, grizzled depressive, an old warrior fleeing from the world. While he takes care of his elderly mentor Charles Xavier, he also seems to have no other guiding purpose in life. In that way, he resembles two of the more legendary protagonists in film history: Toshiro Mifunes masterless ronin Sanjuro in Akira Kurosawas Yojimbo, and the iconic spaghetti-Western character who sprung from that, Clint Eastwoods The Man With No Name, protagonist of the (uncredited) Yojimbo remake A Fistful of Dollars, as well as its follow-ups For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Like those men, Logan doesnt talk much, and hes also initially motivated by money. Unlike those men, though, Logan eventually discovers a higher purpose, and the ultimate conclusions of the films are very different. (Before The Wolverine, Mangold cited as an influence Eastwoods The Outlaw Josey Wales, as well as another role of Toshiro Mifunes in Hiroshi Inagakis Samurai Trilogy. After all, what is Wolverine besides a samurai  a wandering, rootless warrior defined by his skill with a very sharp blade?)

Unforgiven and The Wrestler

Jackman himself seems to have gravitated toward a later Clint Eastwood project when conceptualizing his role. During the Logan press tour, Jackman said he discussed Eastwoods 1992 Western Unforgiven  which he told USA Today slightly subverted Clints history and what people knew and expected of him  while hashing out the character with Mangold. He also compares Logans version of Wolverine to another of cinemas great muscle-bound middle-aged guys: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, a man Jackman said still has his desires and ambitions but the weight of everyday life and his past seem to be getting the better of him.

Alfonso Cuarons Children of Men, George Millers Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and James Camerons Terminator 2: Judgment Day

In all three of these movies, an older man in a decaying dystopian world must protect the youth that holds the key to a more promising future. In Children of Men, its the only pregnant girl in the world; in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, its a group of orphaned children; in Terminator 2, its the leader of the human resistance, John Connor. Logan mirrors each of these films in different ways: The films world bears significant resemblance to the subtly altered future of Children of Men, its tribe of young mutants seem like the inheritors of the cargo cult of Mad Max, and its killing-machine protagonist and his seemingly indestructible doppelganger adversary are working from the same blueprint as T-800 and T-1000 of Terminator 2.

Leon: The Professional

Of course, in none of those films are the children as deadly as they are in Leon: The Professional, in which Jean Renos assassin teaches young Mathilde, played by Natalie Portman, how to kill. While Logans Laura hardly needs tutelage in the art of combat, both characters fit on pop cultures spectrum of violent little girls, alongside Eleven in Stranger Things and Game of Thrones Arya Stark.

Terrence Malicks Badlands and Bob Rafelsons Five Easy Pieces

Logan is a movie that takes place on the American road, and particularly in a part of the country thats rural, burnt-red and orange. With that color scheme, its hard not to think back to the great road pictures of the New Hollywood era, in particular Badlands and Five Easy Pieces, which each have other strange parallels with Logan. Badlands also features a killer male-female pairing bringing death wherever they go, though the violence is pitched at a much different tenor than Logans, while Jackmans Logan shares some of the cynicism and hopelessness of Jack Nicholsons Bobby Dupea in Pieces, one of the great characters in American film. Luckily, Logan has better manners toward service-industry employees.
Photo: Will Heath/NBC

Laugh it up while you still can: According to Alec Baldwin, the Alec Baldwin impersonation of Donald Trump is not a forever gig. Speaking to Mario Lopez on Extra, Baldwin tore into President Trump, declaring that the leader overwhelmingly lacks any kind of sportsmanship and that the maliciousness of this White House has people very worried. Because of peoples anxiety, Baldwin told Lopez, Thats why Im not going to do it much longer, the impersonation. I dont [know] how much more people can take it.

Watch a supercut of Baldwins best moments doing Trump here:

Baldwin, who was on the show to promote his movie Boss Baby (no, thats not a nickname for the 45th president), also addressed the rumors that he might play Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I dont think thats going to happen, Baldwin said, adding that he thought that the planners had another idea in mind for handling the presidents absence during the occasion. If they wanted me to do it Id probably do it, but Im not sure they do, the actor said. Sounds like its your move, correspondents.

Watch the interview here.
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Perhaps in an attempt to somehow subvert the original films underlying Gaslighting! On The High Seas! premise, or just because its 2017 and were mixing it up, Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez will reportedly star in a gender-swap remake of Overboard. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell starred in the original 1987 Garry Marshall comedy. According to Variety, Derbez  the writer and lead of 2013s Instructions Not Included, the most successful Spanish-language film to ever open in the United States, as well as the upcoming comedy How to Be A Latin Lover  will star as a Mexican playboy who develops amnesia after toppling from his yacht. Anna Faris will assume the movies Kurt Russell role, this time conceived as a single mother who convinces a discombobulated Derbez he is actually her husband. It remains to be seen if and how a gender switcheroo will effect the film, but no matter the gender of the characters, theres still one important part of the classic that remains unchanged: superrich people falling off boats and getting serious head injuries.
Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Somewhere, James Bond just took a sip of his martini and did a massive spit take. In 1990, author John le Carre published The Secret Pilgrim, his eighth and heretofore final novel to include the exploits of his most well-known character, George Smiley, a British spy inspired in part by le Carres experience working for Britains Security Service and Secret Intelligence Service. Smiley has also seen the big screen in several film adaptations including The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy. Now, Viking has announced the return of Smiley in the authors new book, A Legacy of Spies, due out September 5. Tending to provide a somewhat less glamorous look at espionage than, say, 007, Smiley and his colleagues will now receive new scrutiny about their Cold War years with British intelligence and face a younger generation that knows little about their history. Its no invisible car hurtling across Iceland, but you know, not every spy needs that type of thing.
The bank that celebrates a century this year opened at 48th Street and Prescott Avenue on Feb. 28, 1917, but no one at the bank today knows for sure why Farmer's State Bank changed its name.

But in 1935, it did.

Two decades later, Union Bank moved a few blocks north before being purchased by a Lincoln family named Dunlap in 1965.

And someone who is at the bank today -- CEO Angie Muhleisen -- does know a lot about that.

A lawyer contacted our family and told us there was a kiting scheme at Union Bank and they were worried it was going to go under if we didnt buy it, she said.

And we bought it.

At the time, her father, Jay Dunlap, helped run a small bank in Milford with his brother -- the second generation of Dunlaps in the banking business.

When Angie Dunlap, who married Dan Muhleisen after her junior year of college, was in high school, she began doing her part to carry on the tradition, working summers at Union Bank & Trust Co.s first two branches -- at 22nd and Nebraska 2 and at 48th Street and Normal Boulevard -- in the mid-1970s.

My favorite thing was being a teller, she says. You get to talk to people all day. Its fast-paced and you have a little bit of pressure on you.

She became CEO in 2003.

Muhleisen attributes the banks people-first, community-minded philosophy to her father, who still visits the bank nearly every day.

The way weve been successful is the culture we have, she said. We care about each other, we care about the customer and we care about the community.

Its something they talk about often, she says.

The banks first vice president of marketing agrees.

Angie certainly has high expectations as far as putting the customer first, said Kevin Keller. But as an employee, one of the values of working here, is although you work hard, employees are urged to not make work their primary purpose.

And that seems to foster commitment.

Faith, family, friends, work, in that order, Muhleisen said. It doesnt mean work isnt important, but when you have values like that, employees work harder for you.

The bank is a careful steward of its customers money, she said, but it also considers itself entrepreneurial, for a bank.

Making calculated risks, she says, with quality as its first priority.

She gives an example.

Back in the '80s, no one would touch an ag loan and we went and hired a number of people and opened an ag division. It was a nice part of our business and it still is.

When the Dunlap family bought the bank (no kiting scheme was ever uncovered), Union Bank had 26 employees and $10.6 million in bank assets. Today, it has 36 locations in Nebraska (16 branches in Lincoln) and Kansas; 800 employees and $3.6 billion in bank assets, and more than $20 billion in combined bank and trust assets.

We just kept growing, said Muhleisen. You never even imagine your business could grow to the size it is.

The banks newest location is on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, and while its headquarters is now near 70th Street and Pioneers Boulevard in southeast Lincoln, the bank at 48th and Calvert streets is still operating.

Union Bank will spend 2017 celebrating its 100 years in business.

Its nice to look back," Keller said, But our theme is The Next 100 and we will be celebrating that with a number of different events.

There will be big parties -- like a community celebration at Union Plaza in August. (Union Bank was the lead contributor to the campaign to create the sprawling, inner city park along Antelope Creek north of O Street.)

And smaller gestures, too, like sharing special gifts with the 30-plus bank customers who are 100 or older.

Bank employees will share in the centennial celebration, too, with gifts from a prize vault throughout the year.

There will be three community gifts announced in March and August, Keller said. Our hope is those will be catalysts for others to donate to those causes.

Leadership giving, Muhleisen calls it.

We dont do it because we have to. We love doing it. The community has made us successful. Why wouldnt we give back?
Chance the Rapper. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Chance the Rapper may have donated $1 million to Chicagos public schools out of the goodness of his big, caring heart, but surely gaining a flattering shout-out from former FLOTUS Michelle Obama was an added perk to that good deed. After Chance announced his personal attempt to help the citys schools during a press conference on Monday, Obama  also a Chicago native  tweeted her appreciation for the rappers initiative. Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much, Obama wrote. You are an example of the power of arts education.

Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.  Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 6, 2017

During the week prior to todays announcement, Chance had a disappointing meeting with Illinois governor Bruce Rauner regarding state funding for the citys schools.
Okay, but whos playing Nick? Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Answering the riddle who could convincingly make an actress like Constance Wu uncomfortable with her mere presence? Michelle Yeoh has joined the cast of Crazy Rich Asians. Directed by Jon M. Chu and based on Kevin Kwans novel, the film stars Wu as Rachel Chu, an American-born economics professor who goes to her boyfriend Nicks friends wedding in Singapore and meets his crazy rich family. Yeoh, best known for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, will play Nicks mother Eleanor Young, who is very powerful and doesnt take kindly to Rachel. Yeoh recently appeared in Netflixs Crouching Tiger sequel and season two of Marco Polo, and has booked a role as a starship captain in Star Trek: Discovery. Let the Yeohaissance begin.
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Russias culture ministry has announced that Disneys new Beauty and the Beast  in which Gastons notorious sidekick LeFou is gay  wont be banned. Instead, the live-action adaption will come with an age restriction so only audiences over 16 can be privy to the movies exclusively gay moment. A representative for the culture ministry said the movie will otherwise be released normally. We are issuing an exhibition license to the movie without any problems, Vyacheslav Tyelnov, head of the culture ministrys film department, told KinoPoisk.ru according to The Hollywood Reporter. Tyelnovs decision comes on the heels of criticism of the live-action movies interpretation of LeFou: Another Russian legislator, Vitaly Milonov, pushed the culture ministry to make sure the movie doesnt break a Russian law that prohibits gay propaganda against minors. In a letter to Tyelnov, Milonov said the government should not allow the release of this musical on the screen under any guise, according to the Guardian. Whatre the odds Jeff Sessions discussed a Beauty and the Beast ban in his secret meeting with the Russians?
Keri Russell. Photo: Patrick Harbron/FX

Its already difficult to watch TV without being reminded of Donald Trump, but the fifth season of The Americans in particular strikes a nerve. Even though the FX series is a period piece, set in the 1980s, with no actual mention of Trump himself, the story of KGB spies trying to undermine the U.S. government feels timely, given real-world allegations that Russia attempted to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

That certainly wasnt imaginable when the cast and crew set out to make the show, and so shooting this season felt a little odd, especially when certain actors were dressed as Russian spies, standing on a Soviet Union set, getting news alerts about Putin and Trump in between takes. At the shows fifth-season premiere, Vulture caught up with the showrunners and cast to find out what they think of it all.

Joe Weisberg (co-showrunner)

The politics of it are just bizarre, and not that great for the show, we dont think, because the show was intended to help look at the former enemy, not our current enemy! [Laughs.] Its weird to have this stuff talked about  its something weve been dealing with and doing in the show for years  and for it to suddenly be the main item in the news, thats just bizarre. Theres really a firewall between the political discussions in the office, which are ferocious and intense and pretty much only at lunchtime, and the writing of the show, which exists in 1984. But we get the news alerts, and were like, WTF?! All the time. Our set is probably no different than everywhere else, except that our actors are dressed up as Russian spies. And sometimes were shooting in KGB headquarters when we get those alerts. That is odd. But its also a little awesome.

Joel Fields (co-showrunner)

I always like to say, some of the most outlandish things we do on the show are the real things, and now it seems that those outlandish things are dominating the headlines. I mean, they figured out a way to interfere with the election of the United States? That would have been a good plot for Philip and Elizabeth. It probably would have been too outlandish for us, actually. But then again, if you read this weeks New Yorker, the Russians did try to prevent Reagan from getting elected. So who knows? In fairness, Philip and Elizabeth did help prevent World War III right after Reagan was shot. I think we could have done it.

Keri Russell (Elizabeth Jennings, KGB operative)

We talk about it on set and its depressing. This is just too much! I hope we dont get physically infiltrated! I dont know. I dont know. Its a weird time. I mean, what can I say?

Noah Emmerich (Stan Beeman, FBI agent)

I never thought wed be this relevant in a contemporary political climate. We were making a period piece, and now its contemporary all of a sudden. So its unfortunate. Its upsetting. Its worrisome. And its fascinating. I think its the topic of many conversations on set, but its weird that its like our story line, albeit 30 years ago. James Comey is on my radar.

Costa Ronin (Oleg Burov, KGB bureaucrat)

Its not that I think its stranger than fiction, but it is strange. But I dont think its like what happened during the Cold War, or even close. I think we are a lot warmer now. We, as people, are warmer to each other. We woke up to whats going on, and I think were realizing more and more that we have the same problems, and its bringing us together. And information is exchanged much quicker now. So I dont think were in the same situation. I think part of the reason people like the show is that its not a show about Russia, its not a show about spies, its about people. What is it like to be a human being in these circumstances. I was born in and grew up in Russia, and I moved here six years ago, and Ive lived in Los Angeles and New York. But I cant speak for Russia. I dont know enough about whats happening, and I dont want to know.

Margo Martindale (Claudia, KGB handler)

It doesnt influence the show at all. It will make it more interesting to watch, because people are going to look at it through different eyes. It also has made me smarter, from watching and knowing more, knowing how it works. Many things can be going on behind closed doors, and because of the show, I know more. Being on the show gives me a different perspective. But who knows what is really happening? We have a similar situation this season, but I cant say what it is yet.

Holly Taylor (Paige Jennings)

Its really crazy! Its so cool, I kind of hope in a weird way itll motivate some people to watch the show. But I think its really interesting and I think its a sign of how history always repeats itself, here and there. So its very educational to watch. Its just weird, watching the news. Its a very weird time for everybody.

Keidrich Sellati (Henry Jennings)

Its interesting, because you see the news and its a mess. Back then, it was a little more organized, especially counterintelligence. At least we knew what was going on. Now, the public doesnt know that much.

Peter Jacobson (Wolfe, FBI agent)

Obviously, Joe [Weisberg] and Joel [Fields] knew this was going to happen, when they created the show. [Laughs.] Theyre prescient in that way. Theyre very smart boys. It just adds another twist when youre on the set. We talk about it a lot on the set. Everybody is so plugged in, so a story will come out and everybody between takes is on their phones. Someone will be like, This story just came up on Twitter, or This story just came up on Facebook, and well talk about it. I get a kick out of it when its about the FBI. Our FBI, we have more sideburns than James Comey does. I think he should try them. It might help. That will be the headline! Actor Says Comey Should Get Sideburns. My personal opinion is that the FBI could use a little help. Its a wonderful coincidence for us. I mean, its not wonderful whats happening  obviously there is tension and stress and concern and worry  but from us on the artistic side, it heightens the experience for us. If its making people think and talk, then thats a really good thing.
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings, Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings. Photo: Patrick Harbron/FX

If you wait long enough, every plot will become relevant again.

The Americans, which returns to FX tonight, was a 1980s period piece when it debuted five seasons ago, and unless you read its core concept in terms of metaphor, it didnt make modern sense. The Cold War ended in the early 90s; post-9/11 paranoia was about Middle Eastern sleeper agents living among us, not Russians. And now here we are in 2017, living amid accusations that Russia interfered in the presidential election to favor Donald Trump, a candidate sympathetic to their political ambitions and business interests. The Americans plugs into all those news reports in a general (albeit accidental) way, by building on its core story of married spies, Philip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell), who pose as suburban travel agents while committing acts of sabotage, surveillance, and assassination. But as the first few episodes of season five unfold, The Americans connects in subtler, more disturbing ways. (If you dont want to know anything else about the plot, bail out now.)

Showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields have thrown a lot of plot or structural curveballs since The Americans began, but season five, which is set in 1984, begins with one of the most brazen yet: Rather than go back to the Soviet Union, as the couple were told they might have to do in season four, theyve created a second family identity, posing as an airline pilot and flight attendant who got married and adopted a teenage Vietnamese boat person (Ivan Mok). Phillip and Elizabeth maintain this cover remotely, with the kid, a vehement anti-capitalist, turning lights on and off to make people think they all live together in the same house.

The KGB has the couple investigate a U.S. plot to destroy the Soviet Unions grain crop and befriend a dissident Soviet agriculture expert who has become an adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The dissidents denunciations of his former homeland are so stinging that we can see Elizabeth and Philip, normally cool customers in an undercover situation, struggle to keep calm and reply in character. I dont know how you guys let a piece of shit like that get out, says their pretend son. You shouldve put a bullet in his head a long time ago.

But theres more going on here than a variation on the shows narrative usual. Weisberg and Fieldss drama has always been obsessed with how ideology affects daily life, and it seems to have doubled down on that obsession in season five. The stress fractures in the Jennings marriage have always been mainly ideological: Philip maintains a certain idealism about the United States even as he works to undermine it, while Elizabeth is a true believer who thinks the American version of capitalist democracy is evil and must be destroyed. But the political discussions between Philip and Elizabeth  as well as between the Jennings and their allies, bosses and objects of deception  are ultimately about how to implement ideology: how far you go to achieve your objectives. Elizabeth seems unmovable and can be shockingly ruthless, but her purity is attractive, in a way. Shes politically uncomplicated and does not see nuance, but at least she isnt continually second guessing and doubting herself. Philip is more pragmatic but also more optimistic and sentimental, and for all his lethal skills, there are times when he seems just a bit too nice to be doing this job.

These differences come to a head in the new season. In articulating them, The Americans echoes conversations that are occurring in the United States about the fate of this country. A surprisingly large portion of the new season takes place in the former Soviet Union, where Oleg (Costa Ronin) has taken a job with a KGB task force thats trying to eliminate corruption in Soviet government and business. Olegs superior blames the endemic corruption for the current food crisis, and for other problems as well; its surprising to think of the KGB as the only honest organization in the Soviet Union, but strange times make for strange labels. Olegs discussions with his superior officer and his contacts with people on the street drive home the idea of Russia as a cesspool of corruption that runs on theft, bribery, favor-trading, and intimidation. The country is rotting from the inside out.

Funny thing, though: The more time you spend in 1984 Moscow on The Americans, the more you feel as though youre reading current headlines in American newspapers about the Trump administration, which has christened a private country club in Florida the winter White House and doubled its membership fees, and which still maintains a stake in NBCs Celebrity Apprentice (where Trump is executive producer) as well as innumerable private construction and hotel projects in countries that have official business with the Trump administration. Trump, of course, is merely the most visible and repugnant emblem of how things have always been done in communities across the United States. To watch The Americans is to ask how different we truly are from the nations weve labeled as enemies, regardless of what kind of government they practice or in what time period the story is set.

On a more intimate level, Philip and Elizabeth are stymied by the relationship between their daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) and neighbor Matthew (Danny Flaherty), the teenage son of divorced FBI agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). This is truly a Romeo and Juliet situation: The Jennings are afraid that their daughter is literally sleeping with the enemy, but when they try to push her away from Matthew, it only drives her closer. Stan, too, is more tightly entangled with Philip and Elizabeth than ever before. He watches their kids when theyre out of town and is becoming a shadow second father to them. It seems only a matter of time before he figures out that these travel agents arent what they appear to be, and that hes been a fool for not figuring it out sooner.

The new season feels even more dire and tense than season four, and thats saying a lot. Even daylight scenes have a middle-of-the-night feeling, because so much of the action is furtive and dangerous. There are many images of decay and rot (one of which attains an almost David Cronenbergian level of horrible beauty) that connect with whats happening to the characters and the governmental structures they serve. But here, as always, The Americans does complex work that never calls attention to its complexity. The associations and connections are there if you care to make them, but the show maintains plausible deniability as a good spy should, walking briskly from scene to scene as if its just here to get the job done and get out.
After weeks of just being the hot, blonde, comically unfeeling new doctor on The Mindy Project, Anna finally gets her big moment this week  and it works out pretty well!

Anna serves as a perfect foil for Mindy, who has curiously been functioning without one, despite her extreme personality. Now that Anna is getting divorced and bunking with Mindy, theyre getting plenty of forced intimate time. Mindy makes Anna hang out with her and wear matching pajamas  amazing pajamas, as usual for Mindy. (The pajamas, Mindy explains, used to be Dannys. Youre the same size. I appreciate the joke as well as the fact that were not pretending Danny never existed.) Mindy even calls in sick for Anna so they can spend more quality time together.

And by quality time, I mean sharing internet porn time. In another nice nod to consistency in the Mindy universe, Sploderzz makes a triumphant cameo return to help Anna loosen up during her divorce recovery. If you dont recall, back in ye olden days of 2014, Mindy had to fight with Sploderzz to get them to take down a sex tape she made with her old boyfriend (the one played by Bill Hader). Anyway, Mindy encourages her new roomie to explore whatever her kink is: Youre far too uptight to not have a kink  Mine is biracial job interviews. Annas kink, FYI, turns out to be hairy backs. Very surprising! She finds the video Armenian Restaurant Owner Breaks in New Cook quite satisfactory. Its a strangely cute bonding moment, so never say Mindy has nothing to offer the world.

In a slightly less peaceful roommate situation, Colettes new girlfriend, Karen, is driving Morgan crazy by doing such things as playing ukulele in his closet. She also sings, with a voice that Colette describes (lovingly) as like Carole King with real bad allergies. Morgan has a date with Dina from the cafeteria, so hed like to be able to bring her back to his place. Unfortunately for him, Colette and Karen are celebrating their three-week anniversary: Were gonna go to fifth base. Its a lesbian thing. Its super-important. Suffice to say, there are many conflicts afoot at the Colette-Morgan household.

At the office, Jeremy is explaining his own version of the Jersey Shore GTL time: While the original version was gym/tanning/laundry, his is gin/tonic/lacework. As he shares this window into his private time with Mindy, Anna comes in with a scone for him. And people wonder why I always carry a small jar of currant jam on my person, he says, happily accepting. Now Mindy knows that Anna is into Jeremy! She encourages him to ask Anna out, but he balks that it would be inappropriate since they work together. Mindy states the obvious: Everyone here is inappropriate. Literally, at that exact moment, Colette and Karen are making out in the middle of the office, so  yeah.

It turns out Jody wants to ask Anna out, too. In fact, as Mindy once again obviously states, pretty much every dude wants to ask Anna out. I mean, look at her! (I can hear Leonardo DiCaprio turning his yacht around as we speak, Mindy says.) Time is of the essence for Jeremy, so he informs Jody that he would like to ask Anna out. He explains that they have history; after all, she kissed him in last weeks episode. Jody is ready for that one: So? She kissed me, too. (Remember? She did, in the Leland Breakfast episode.) Jody calls dibs, but Jeremy is not having that. Hes not going to give up: Just because my best friends are a piano and a bird doesnt mean Im the beta. I prefer the way he says Anna with that bit of an R sound at the end because of his British accent, so I call dibs for Jeremy.

Jeremy preps by asking Tamra for advice on where he should take Anna. She suggests a few places in RhombInTri  obviously, the rhombus under Tribeca  rather than his idea of a perfect date, apple crumble at Serendipity. While hes distracting with all those choices, Jody just goes and asks Anna out! He got her dads permission and everything, Tamra explains. Jeremy does an end run around Annas impending date with Jody by showing up unannounced at Mindys (and Annas) place that night, bearing prosecco, strawberries, and clotted cream. (If she doesnt want this date, Ill take it!) He texts Jody to brag that hes already with Anna, which feels like a move that might backfire.

Over at Colette and Morgans, Morgan has brought Dina home with him, and theyre making out on his top bunk when Karen emerges from the closet. A startled Morgan promptly throws Dina to the floor. She not only breaks up with him, she also bans him from the cafeteria. Colette comes home to yell at Morgan for scaring Karen away, and they have an amazing physical fight. I cant afford steroids like you! Morgan shouts. Colette is heartbroken, because Karen is the first girl shes liked in a long time.

Anna and Jeremys non-date is going only slightly better. She seems intrigued that he brought with him a Doors of Rochester, New York puzzle  thats her hometown! But he spills prosecco on the paperwork shes doing, which turns out to be her divorce papers. Soon shes crying, despite having shown almost no emotion on her face during her entire time on this show so far. (This is a compliment; its freaky how well the actress, Rebecca Rittenhouse, keeps her face totally neutral, then conveys legitimate emotion here.) The date soon turns around, as Jeremy helps Anna with her papers, just as he once did for his mother. This sweet moment is interrupted by Annas pager calling her to the hospital.

When she gets there, surprise! Its not a delivery  its an impromptu romantic picnic with Jody. He takes a photo to brag to Jeremy, but the whole thing goes downhill fast. Anna does not appreciate being tricked; she had even called her patients husband in Afghanistan. Plus, she says, Do you have any idea how much placenta must have been tracked on this floor?

At the office the next day, Karen and Morgan make up when she apologizes to him with a song called When Morgans Cry. Although he doesnt want to hear the song, they do bond over what its like to be weird. Jeremy makes a real move on Anna, who rejects him, then storms into the reception area to announce that shes not planning to date any of them. Theres something very wrong with this office! she fumes. But we do see her happily doing the Doors of Rochester puzzle afterward, so she is not done with Jeremy yet.
Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes had some good news to give to the Legislature's Appropriations Committee Monday.

The York Community Foundation has proposed a donation of more than a half million dollars to the parenting program at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women to construct a building to expand services.

"We are humbled by this amazing show of support from the York Community Foundation, and I am submitting the paperwork to the committee today so that the Legislature can formally approve this donation," Frakes said in testimony to the committee.

Frakes was testifying in front of committee about the Department of Correctional Services budget request.

But he also briefed them on the recent disturbance at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. A critical incident report of Thursday's riot, from a team provided by the National Institution of Corrections, is expected to be completed by June 1, he said. And updates on the criminal investigation will be provided when available, he said.

The Department has requested a significant increase in its budget of $24 million divided over the next two years for staffing, programs and equipment.

The budget includes recommendations to remove county jail funding of $4.6 million each of the next two years, and to add close to $5.35 million in the first year and $10.2 million the second year for staffing, $1.5 million for information technology and radios, and $6.4 million for special pay adjustments made in December.

In addition, the Appropriations Committee is recommending funding for phase one of a $75 million reception and treatment center project.

Frakes said the money would fund staffing, security and programming initiatives that would contribute to the department's ability to implement criminal justice reforms and increase public safety.

Doug Koebernick, Nebraska Inspector General for Correctional Services, told the committee he was encouraged the department requested money to add to staffing over the next three years.

"With that said, I do think it is also important to note that this budget request is not a silver bullet," he said.

The Legislature can fund a thousand new positions, but if the department can't recruit and retain those employees, it doesn't solve the prisons' problems, he said.

Retention is the biggest problem, he said. Employees have told him that despite the department's intentions, retention will continue to be a significant issue, especially because longevity pay and a tiered pay system have not been achieved.

A tiered pay system was one of Koebernick's recommendations last year when he issued his annual report. Since then, he has also recognized the need to adjust the pay of mental health staff and possibly increase the number of reentry staff.

But the prison system also has needs other than staffing, he said. Crowding in the prisons impacts the quality of life for inmates. The Nebraska State Penitentiary has 1,400 inmates, for example, and one small gym to serve all of them.

A correctional system that has been starved for 20 years, understaffed and overcrowded will take time to turn around, he said.

This budget proposal is just a first step to a significant overhaul that is needed, he said.
Senators who are trying to tackle prison crowding are going after the state's mandatory minimum sentencing laws again.

Some members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee would like to see an end to mandatory minimum sentencing for some crimes, and Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, who has carried a version of the bill in the past, is sponsoring a slimmed down variant this session.

"I know that the Attorney General's Office and others are working assiduously to keep this bill from even being discussed," Chambers said. "Maybe they will succeed, maybe they won't."

But it's an important matter, he said, that bears on the disturbance that happened at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution Thursday, he said.

Tuesday's morning session got swallowed up with discussion of the bill (LB447), and a lot of angst over how few members were in the chamber for that debate. Some of the legislative committees were holding executive sessions during the time.

The bill would eliminate the mandatory minimum sentences for Class IC and ID felonies. Those minimum sentences of three or five years must be served before any good time can be counted against a sentence.

Class IC felonies include use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, possession of certain amounts of illegal drugs, and distribution and manufacture of hazardous drugs in a school zone. Class ID offenses include possession of certain illegal drugs (10-28 grams), assault on a police officer or health care professional, some hate crimes, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense or by a prohibited person, and manufacture or distribution of child pornography.

Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, asked conservative senators to pay attention to the bill, rather than tuning out because they think it's a "Chambers bill."

"As Sen. Chambers alluded to, there are some who have sort of a knee-jerk reaction to this content," she said. "But I think it's important that we give it its due, and let the chips fall where they may."

During the hearing for the bill, the only opponents were the Nebraska Attorney General's office and the Nebraska County Attorneys Association.

Chambers said prosecutors use mandatory minimums to try to procure plea bargains and guilty pleas.

"By holding this over somebody's head, they are often able to obtain a plea bargain, and they do not look beyond that aspect of it," he said.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said she's heard from judges that they need discretion to sentence people, based on what they hear at trial. They said there have been cases they did not want to sentence a person to a mandatory amount of time but had to do it anyway.

"That's shackling our judges," Pansing Brooks said. "That's deciding that our judges and our judicial system is not capable of making the determination of what is the most appropriate sentence."

Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, who opposed the bill last time it was introduced because it would have eliminated habitual criminal sentences, favors it this time.

The bill transfers power from prosecutors to judges, he said. Now, prosecutors can decide sentences by determining charges and plea bargains.

Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers opposed the bill.

"It's overbroad. These are significant felonies we're talking about," he said. "You're talking about a wide variety of very serious crimes."

There are excellent judges, he said, but there's a lot of pressure to keep people out of jail because of the costs.

He would favor some sort of compromise to give judges some discretion, he said.

From 2012-16, according to the fiscal note attached to the bill, Nebraska prisons averaged 126 admissions per year for class IC and ID felonies, which represent 5.3 percent of the average daily population over the same time period.

If judges and prosecutors did not change their charging or sentencing practices, the proposed changes would enable inmates to reach their parole eligibility dates and tentative release dates approximately 2.3 years sooner than under the existing penalty structure, the fiscal note said.

The reduction in population would result in reduced costs to the Department of Corrections of $182,685 to $259,605 in fiscal year 2019, based on the current per diem rate of $9,615 per year.

If adopted, the bill would take effect in August and apply to offenders who commit crimes after that date.

Debate is scheduled to continue Wednesday.
A Lincoln police officer has resigned after being arrested and accused of driving drunk through downtown Lincoln at 67 mph, officials said.

Brian R. Nicholson, 30, resigned Feb. 13 following a traffic stop about two weeks prior, Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said.

Nicholson was stopped in his Nissan Juke for speeding at 2:13 a.m. Jan. 29 near Ninth and H streets and ticketed on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Col. Tom Schwarten.

Officials didn't divulge Nicholson's speed or blood-alcohol content test results initially, but a criminal complaint indicates his BAC was more than twice the legal limit to drive of .08 percent.

The trooper reported Nicholson was driving 67 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors charged him March 2 with driving under the influence .15 percent or more, speeding and failure to stay in lane.

Nicholson, a patrolman for Lincoln police since 2014, was not on duty at the time of the stop, Bliemeister said.

He is now working in a part-time capacity in the department's dispatch center.
A ceiling fire near the North 48th Street Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's bathroom has been ruled an arson, according to an incident report from the Lincoln Police Department.

The fire was reported just after 7 p.m. at the fast food restaurant at 48th and Vine streets. Firefighters said it was under control about half an hour later.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews reported seeing light smoke inside the restaurant upon their arrival.

Battalion Chief Leo Benes said firefighters had the fire under control quickly.

All of the employees and the customers evacuated safely and no one was injured, he said.

Damage is estimated at $12,000. The restaurant remained closed Monday but will reopen their drive-thru Tuesday.

Benes said the restaurant's ventilation system helped to minimize damage.
The replacement travel ban order signed Monday by President Donald Trump will trigger a new blackout period for refugee resettlement in Nebraska and throughout the U.S.

If it passes legal muster, the order will halt new refugee arrivals for 120 days, until mid-July. It also reasserts Trump's plan to allow no more than 50,000 new refugees into the U.S. this federal fiscal year, less than half what the Obama administration accepted last year.

"I think we all expected this," said Kathy Bigsby Moore, interim director at Omaha's Refugee Empowerment Center, one of three refugee resettlement agencies in the state.

The new order was crafted in hopes of withstanding legal scrutiny that doomed Trump's previous travel ban.

A federal judge in Washington state suspended much of the original order Feb. 3, and a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later upheld the freeze.

In interviews with national media outlets, Democrats and civil rights groups said the new executive order is still prejudicial.

This is a retreat, but lets be clear  its just another run at a Muslim ban, said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups that sued to stop the first order.

At its core, the second order looks very similar to the first, and I expect it will run into the same problems from the courts and the public that the first one did," Jadwat told the New York Times. "They cant unring the bell.

White House officials have said the ban is a necessary step as they re-evaluate whether the immigration system is secure enough to weed out potential terrorists.

Unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake, said John F. Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security.

The new order's approach to refugees is substantially similar to the first, but there are some differences in the document Trump signed Monday.

It excludes Iraqi nationals, current visa holders and lawful, permanent U.S. residents from the original temporary ban on travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries. The new ban also won't take full effect until March 16, giving people time to adjust their plans.

At that point, entry by most nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen will be suspended for 90 days. All refugee arrivals will be halted for four months.

Nebraska's resettlement agencies say none of their immediate plans will be dashed by the 120-day freeze.

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska and Catholic Social Services of southern Nebraska said the latest landings they have planned are Friday, which is before the new ban takes effect. Refugee Empowerment Center has no arrivals on its calendar.

But the 120-day freeze could deepen the overall crunch those organizations are experiencing.

Lutheran Family Services and Refugee Empowerment Center had already announced staff cuts in response to Trump's 50,000-refugee limit, which lasts through September.

Funding for Refugee Empowerment Center's resettlement division might dry up entirely by June without new refugees to help, possibly forcing deeper cuts, Bigsby Moore said.

Ruth Henrichs, president and CEO at Lutheran Family Services, said in a statement that while Trump's new order corrects "some of of the most glaring flaws" in the first order, the agency still opposes limiting arrivals during what she called the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Catholic Social Services has already exceeded its allotment for new refugees during the first half of the fiscal year, which started in October, said director Curt Krueger. He doesn't anticipate any cuts as a result of the order.

However, Krueger said, "Whatever the president is looking for, I hope he finds it quickly."
Waco Founder Lions Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 14 at the Waco Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St.

Jimmy Ross, past Lions International president, will be the guest speaker.

The Waco club, one of 26 original clubs around the world, is thought to be the oldest.

For tickets, visit www.wacofounderlions.club/centennial or call Melinda Baldwin at 776-5341 or Lori Roller at 709-0918.

Library hosting GRO

Julios Sanko, a professor at Dallas Baptist University, will speak at a meeting of the Global Revive Organization at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave.

Sanko, of Uganda, will talk about connecting agricultural organizations with Uganda.

The meeting is open to the public.

Public safety fair

Dewey Community Center, 925 N. Ninth St., will host a free Public Safety Fair for ages 5 to 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Guests can learn about the many services offered by local law enforcement services and other local agencies and how to access those services.

For more information, call 750-8677.

Artists to meet

Central Texas Watercolor Society will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive.

Joy Schuhmacher will present a program about Perspective. Guests are welcome to bring their own paints and brushes and ask questions.

The program is free to first-time visitors. A light lunch will be provided.

For more information, call 296-3776.

Kiwanis Seniors

Waco Kiwanis Seniors will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Golden Corral, 618 N. Valley Mills Drive.

Mike White, professor at McLennan Community College, will speak.

Visitors and those interested in membership are welcome to attend.

For more information, call Dick Rood at 399-0072.

Whitney auditions

Lake Whitney Arts will hold auditions for The Last Round-Up of the Guacamole Queens at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the LWA Theatre, 500 S. Bosque Blvd. in Whitney.

Four men and eight women, ages 18 to 70, will be cast for the third and final comedy in the Verdeen Cousins Texas Trilogy.

The show opens April 22.

For audition times or more information, call Ed Sanders at 817-357-5957.
The downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board approved more than $4 million in development assistance Monday for a big hotel project, a bank and a startup East Waco brewery.

The lions share  more than $3.5 million  will go to West Village at Interstate 35 and Cleveland Avenue, where Shane and Cody Turner plan to create a 9-acre complex of stores, restaurants and two hotels valued at $36.6 million.

A block away, The First National Bank in McGregor got the nod for $301,345 in TIF funds for a two-story downtown bank at South 10th Street and Cleveland Avenue. The bank is planning to invest $3.5 million in the property.

Both West Village and the bank would get infrastructure improvements and lighted, landscaped sidewalks from the downtown fund, with Waco City Council approval.

> MORE: Land sale to bring new hotels to area booming with development

The TIF program is intended to reverse blight in the core of Waco by reinvesting a portion of downtown property taxes into downtown developments.

Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs behind Brotherwell Brewing are hoping to make a big impact on East Waco with the help of their TIF award of $216,863.

Jacob Martinka and David Stoneking told the TIF board Monday that they plan to create a microbrewery at the old Rubel Junk Co. building at 400 Bridge St., a block off historic Elm Avenue. The TIF funding would allow them to install new storefront windows and a handicap-accessible ramp leading to a tasting room. It would pay for a lighted, tree-shaded sidewalk on Bridge Street and around the corner on Factory Street, connecting with Elm Avenue. The board also approved the applicants request for a decorative perimeter fence for the property at a cost of about $10,000, which staff had not recommended.

Stoneking said the tasting room and periodic events at the brewery would be a magnet for the neglected Elm Avenue corridor, though the business wont live or die based on that traffic.

This is a unique opportunity for us to be an anchor business, he said. We can provide a public space that really gets the ball rolling and starts to open up that area.

The Rubel building is within a block or two of Lula Janes Bakery and the future ArtPlace, Milo restaurant and Pokey-Os ice cream shop.

In an interview between a TIF board tour of the brewery site and the official meeting, Martinka and Stoneking explained their plans for the 5,400-square-foot building.

We bit off more than we could chew at our first stab at it, Martinka said. So weve been paring it back to find the right balance between what we really want to do and what we feasibly can do.

> MORE: New projects breathe life into faded Elm Avenue corridor

The partners plan to spend $180,000 on a system that can make 15 barrels, or 475 gallons, at a time, and will be prepared to expand as needed.

Initially, they plan to brew about 30 barrels a week, supplying kegs to local bars and restaurants while running their own tasting room three days a week.

Were hoping our customers will be every bar in Waco, Martinka said. Well start off small.

The partners, who share a friendship and an interest in homebrewing, have been trying to get started in the business for several years but only recently acquired adequate financing of about $400,000.

They are planning to rent the Bridge Street space from property owner Sam Brown.
With news reports indicating President Trump will cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities as a gesture of supposed fiscal responsibility, its depressing for many of us working and teaching in these fields.

That these agencies are run on extremely small portions of the national budget underlines the extent to which all this is for show . Except, of course, it will have an effect. Apart from pandering to those suspicious of the value and political inclinations of artists and scholars, and demoralizing those who place great value in the importance of the humanities and culture, the dismantling of these federal programs would bring to an abrupt end the extraordinarily important work they perform in advancing research, scholarship and culture.

Such prejudiced thinking is at odds with valuing and appreciating the extraordinarily broad range of projects supported by NEA/NEH. Federally supported initiatives such as these are not in existence to support or challenge the political leanings or biases of the presidency, Congress, Senate, Supreme Court or whatever. Instead, these grant-awarding bodies exist to provide much-needed and much-appreciated funds for academic research and cultural provision. Simply put, much of this activity and provision would not otherwise exist were it not for the fundamentally important bodies of the NEH/NEA. Its a scandal that for the vital work they do, they are allocated budgets noticeably frugal and completely inadequate.

Given that cutting the NEH/NEA will do nothing to positively impact the nations deficit, this planned axing represents a serious diminishment in the cultural and educational life and health of the nation. Doubtless we would all agree that the nation continues to grapple with monumental problems on a great many fronts, but the continued operating of these agencies are most assuredly not among these problems. Quite the reverse.

It might perhaps be more fruitful to assert or remind ourselves that the varied projects funded by NEH/NEA are vital to the cultural and educational health of the nation. Educated children, and educated adults, are all better equipped to live more fulfilled lives. Access to cultural institutions such as museums and galleries is a right Americans should safeguard and defend. Learning and the offerings of higher education are vital routes to betterment for countless Americans. It would be self-defeating if important sources of funding for cash-strapped teachers and workers in the cultural sector were summarily and punitively withdrawn. Perhaps unbeknownst to some politicians, the most active faculty of our universities encourage, among one another and the students in their classes and seminars, reasoned arguments, critical thinking and enquiring research  vital to the intellectual and cultural health of our nation.

From award-winning documentaries viewed by tens of millions of Americans to numerous Pulitzer Prize-winning books and music, the work of the NEH/NEA is unquestionably vital to the literary and cultural state of the nation. And though vindictive politicians have long been skeptical of the existence of the NEA in the face of prejudice that panders to base ignorance, the organization has continued to work to support creativity across a wide range of communities. It does so not only by providing material assistance to artists but, equally as important, supporting opportunities for arts participation by diverse groups. Lets hope wiser heads prevail and the NEH/NEA will not be used as whipping boys  punitively blamed or punished for the faults, incompetence or inadequacies of others.

Moving forward, those of us committed to the existence of independent, federally funded agencies that support research in the humanities and funding for the arts must join together with the millions of Americans who realize the importance of the arts in their lives and the lives of their children. We must do what we can to defend the existence of the NEH/NEA and, indeed, support increases in their budgets. Now, as much as at any time, the arts and humanities are essential. The folly of axing funding for the NEH/NEA would leave our nation significantly diminished.

Eddie Chambers is a professor of art and art history at The University of Texas at Austin.
Here is what Attorney General Jeff Sessions should have said when he stepped up to the podium and addressed reporters last week at the Justice Department: At long last, have you no sense of decency?

Sessions is the victim of the type of McCarthyite character assassination that the left used to condemn. Remember when accusing people without evidence of coordinating with the Kremlin was frowned upon? No longer, apparently.

In fact, what Sessions faced may be worse than McCarthyism. At least McCarthy was right when he claimed that there were Russian spies in the State Department (see Hiss, Alger, among others). On Meet the Press this weekend, former Obama director of national intelligence James Clapper declared that the U.S. intelligence community he headed till a few weeks ago had found no evidence of any collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence. No evidence.

The suggestion Sessions was colluding with the Russians and tried to cover it up is preposterous. Sessions was asked during his confirmation hearings by Sen. Al Franken, a Democrat, about allegations contained in an unsubstantiated dossier that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.

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 did not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it.

He was clearly referring to the allegations Franken had just cited of a continuing exchange of information between the Russians and Team Trump. His answer was truthful. He was later asked in a written question from Sen. Patrick Leahy: Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day? Sessions answered No  which, again, was truthful.

In hindsight, he could have clarified that he had met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his Senate office in his official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But why would he? A host of Democratic lawmakers  including then-Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sens. Maria Cantwell, Bob Casey, Amy Klobuchar, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and Claire McCaskill  have also met with Kislyak. Thats not surprising. Its their job. Sessions was not asked about official meetings.

Then the Wall Street Journal breathlessly reported that Sessions had in fact met with the Russian ambassador at the GOP convention.

This could be the biggest non-story of the year. To clarify: Then-Sen. Sessions traveled to a political event  the Republican National Convention  using campaign money, not taxpayer money, as the law requires. The Russian ambassador was there as one of about 80 ambassadors participating in an official diplomatic program, coordinated with the Obama State Department. He and Sessions met at a public event where Sessions spoke.

How, exactly, is this a scandal? Answer: Its not.

But that has not stopped leading Democrats from calling for Sessions resignation. Please. And is it really just pure coincidence that the Sessions story broke right after Trump delivered a widely acclaimed address to Congress?

Marc A. Thiessen is a former speechwriter to President George W. Bush.
Less than a week ago we praised President Trumps assumption of a more mature, dignified pose during his address to Congress, going so far as to suggest that if this truly marked a new phase of civility, inclusion and gravity, his administration might rate optimism and support. After all, the start of his four-year tenure has been mired in conflicting statements, incoherent rants and childish tweets well beneath the dignity of any U.S. president.

We also demonstrated the healthy skepticism that all citizens should display regarding government in a constitutional republic. To quote Thursdays editorial: But if this president reverts to cheap shots via Twitter and the narcissistic, fact-free, mean-spirited rants that he has employed in post-inaugural campaign rallies, the skepticism of many citizens may explode into unadulterated cynicism.

Barely did the nation have time to catch its breath after the presidents impressive address than he reverted to cheap shots and questionable accusations, including a bizarre lambasting of former action star Arnold Schwarzenegger. More alarming, Trump accused his presidential predecessor of wiretapping Trump Tower communications before the Nov. 8 election while offering no evidence for the claim.

This is an astonishing, unprecedented accusation for a president to make. The fact it comes from the president, however, means it must be taken seriously, so lets look at key facts, including a Sunday interview on Meet the Press with James Clapper, the unruffled former director of national intelligence.

His two points: While intelligence reports indicate the Russians indeed sought to subvert the 2016 presidential election, theres no credible evidence thus far confirming rumors of actual electoral collusion between Donald Trump, his team and Russian officials. Second, Clapper said he knew of no ordering of any wiretap by any court of Trump Tower.

That said, the Obama White House might have had probable cause to seek a wiretap if it believed Trump campaign contacts with the Russians would reveal a conspiracy to throw the election to Trump. But, again, did this wiretap occur? Clapper says no. The former president says no. Would it have been justified even if it did not occur? And could it have been an illegal wiretap? And what does the U.S. Department of Justice have to say about all this?

Trump has put down cards accusing the Obama administration of wiretapping Trump Tower. Fair enough. Now is the time for investigations to broaden, covering charges of Russian meddling as well as the wiretap allegations Trump is betting his presidential credibility on. The FBI should be allowed to complete its investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee should review all findings, then an independent, outside prosecutor tapped if necessary to pursue any charges.

This nation has far too many pressing problems for such distractions to continue without resolution. Republicans must lead in bipartisan investigations to get to the bottom of all this. To fail means allowing other matters to spiral out of control, including a nuclear threat to our nation from North Korea. We may not get the chance to destroy ourselves.
BRUNO  In the 1980s, Herman Ostry of Bruno struggled with his barn flooding after road construction diverted water his way. So his son, Mike, measured the barns boards and ran some calculations.

Mike Ostry discovered that, theoretically, a group of people could pick up the 16,000-pound barn and take it to higher ground. With 344 people lifting at once, each person would be responsible for carrying only about 58 pounds.

So on July 30, 1988, hundreds of people grasped onto a steel frame fitted into the barn and pulled up. Not only did the barn come off the ground, but volunteers moved it more than 100 feet up an incline.

Everyone was kind of in awe because no one knew what to expect, said Chris Dvorak, Herman Ostrys daughter.

Now that story has been reimagined in a childrens book benefiting foster care initiatives.

The Bruno story resonated with Jason Weber, the national director of Foster Care Initiatives for the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

The Texan doesnt remember where he heard the tale, but it stuck with him.

Hed been looking for ways to unify people in tackling issues with foster care. It will take many people banding together to address the problems of the roughly 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, he said.

Just as it took all those people to move the barn.

Weber wrote out the text for Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn in a day.

The next step was visiting Herman Ostry and his wife, Donna. While at a conference in Lincoln, Weber made the hour-long drive to Bruno and pitched his story to the couple.

They were on board. But Weber had one more idea.

The best way to tell a story about 344 people working together is getting 344 people together to illustrate it,  he said.

From the Ostrys, he was hoping for a drawing of a sun.

Donna Ostrys face lit up when Weber suggested this. Decades ago shed drawn a sun that became a sort of logo for the barn move. It was even on the side of the barn.

I felt good about that, Donna Ostry said. He needed a sun and I could draw it.

I wanted to represent in this book this constant presence of God, he said. We dont always see it, but His presence is always there.

Dvorak and her two daughters pitched in images of a cat, a boot and a light bulb. Other drawings came from children, foster parents, the Christian band Jars of Clay and John Luke Robertson from Duck Dynasty.

It took several years and some convincing, but the book was eventually completed with images from 344 people and the help of illustrator Kaylinn Strock. The books royalties benefit the National Foster Care Initiative, an advocacy group within the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

The Ostrys arent sure what to make of the continued interest in their story. The barn moving was conceived to fix a problem, not to start a legacy, Herman Ostry said.

I probably wouldve torn it down, but we came up with this idea, and thats where its still going, I guess, he said.

Religious groups and companies have reached out throughout the years for permission to use the story to inspire their congregations and staffs.

But the childrens book is something different. And the Ostrys said theyre just happy that people are still benefiting from their story.

Dvorak said the book, and the Bruno barn move story, touches on a universal message.

When people can come together to accomplish a goal, it really appeals to people, she said.

Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn is available at the Wahoo Public Library.
One woman's desire to have such freedom of choice  so she can decide against vaccinating her children  is another family's death, time spent in hospital, time spent coughing and spotty and extremely unwell. Time spent spreading disease.

One politician's insistence that equal marriage will lead to bestiality leads to so much more than that. We now have evidence that state-sponsored support of equal marriage prevents suicide. How do we know? Research conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that, when US states passed legislation in favour of equal marriage, high school students in those states were 7 per cent less likely to try to take their own lives. The biggest decline in suicide attempts was among students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Get that? Suicide rates drop when we legalise equal marriage.

So you voted for a freaking plebiscite that was going to be a platform for hatred and, fortunately, we never got that far. Because we don't need more space for lunatics to spread hate. Speaking of hate, which this Coalition of misfits promotes, here's another stage for it to play out.

You voted for a government that would choose to spend its time (and our money) putting together a parliamentary joint committee inquiry into freedom of speech. Which found nothing. The inquiry into the Racial Discrimination Act recommended no major changes be made to the section of the act that covers freedom of speech. But you voted for senators who thought changes to the act were an awesome idea. Please don't ever do that again. The ensuing disruption and waste of taxpayer's money was vast, never mind the fear you helped spread across the community when you voted for these people.

You voted for a group of political interests that would come together to cut the company tax rate, even though those companies look to be doing a fine job of ensuring they pay as little as possible already. They don't need your help. Or the government's help. They are just dandy without paying even less tax than they already do.
From Leeming to Cottesloe to Kalamunda, Perth drivers were targeted with protest banners on Tuesday asking the Barnett government to 'please explain' how Western Australia's mining boom resulted in 'massive debt'.

During the peak hour rush a group of protesters in red wigs unfurled banners over major roads and freeways with slogans like 'boom = debt, please explain,' and 'biggest boom ever, billions in debt, please explain.'

Perth drivers got a political message with their morning commute.

The protesters said the banners were well received by motorists who tooted as they drove past.

In a statement to WAtoday, one wig wearing protester speaking anonymously said that people have had enough of the 'horrendous' economic mismanagement by the Barnett government.
WA State Election live day one: Campaigns ramp up as election countdown begins

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Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka has announced he wants to change legislation to permit a ban on foreign officials making speeches in Austria if human rights or public order were threatened, a move aimed at Turkish politicians.

Sobotka told ORF radio he would not allow foreign politicians to bring their domestic battles to Austrian soil and that he was sending draft legislation to legal experts before presenting it to the cabinet.

Tensions rise as political rallies in Germany cancelled: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting in Istanbul. Credit:AP

Austria's move comes at a time of Turkish fury over the cancellation of several political rallies in Germany aimed at drumming up support among for President Tayyip Erdogan's plans to overhaul the constitution.

Sobotka said the new legislation would apply to Turkish campaigning on its constitutional referendum.
At the invitation of Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations Office for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya attended the opening session of the High-Level Meeting for the Euro-Asia Region on Improving Cooperation on Transit, Trade Facilitation and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 7 to 9 March 2017.

The aims of the meeting include analyzing and assessing the key issues in transit cooperation and trade facilitation in the Euro-Asia region and offering recommendations on how to improve transit issues for increased trade potential of both the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and the transit countries.

Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam opened the meeting. He stated that cooperation between transit countries and LLDCs is crucial to transform LLDCs to land-linked countries. Other high-level speakers including Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya and His Excellency Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, president of the UN Economic and Social Council underscored the importance of the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), including the harmonization of Customs procedures, in the enhancement of the economic prosperity of LLDCs.

In his opening remarks, Secretary General Mikuriya highlighted WCO's efforts to support economic growth of LLDCs and appreciated that the meeting consisted of special sessions focusing on Customs administrations. He announced that the WCO Transit Guidelines would be launched at the WCO Global Transit Conference to be held on 10-11 July 2017. He emphasized that the implementation of the WTO TFA was one of the most important topics to ensure economic development not only for LLDCs but also for transit countries. In this context, the WCO has already produced a wide range of instruments and tools for trade facilitation such as the Revised Kyoto Convention. The WCO launched the Mercator Programme in 2014 and already delivered around 210 technical assistance missions to more than 70 countries in the past two years. The WCO is committed to strengthening the support for LLDCs by delivering tailor-made capacity building under the Mercator Programme and enhancing cooperation with all stakeholders.

The Secretary General of the WCO took the opportunity to attend a series of bilateral meetings with heads of international organizations, including a meeting with the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Mr. Mukhisa Kituyi to discuss ASYCUDA and other matters of mutual interest.

Dr. Mikuriya also met with Mr. Do Hoang Anh Tuan, Vice-Minister of Finance of Vietnam and Mr. Nguyen Van Can, Director General of the General Department of Vietnam Customs to review the progress of Customs reform and discuss the way forward. Vietnam Customs confirmed its experience in coordinated border management by hosting the National Committee on ASEAN Single Window and Trade Facilitation as well as the National Committee on Anti-Smuggling.
The annual February congressional recess period in which all federally elected officials are obligated to talk to their constituents in public town hall meetings has just passed. However, none of the five people we hired to represent Nebraskans in the federal government have held town halls this week.

Why don't they want to meet with the public? Are they worried they will be asked to answer to the people who pay their salary for their own actions? Are they afraid of their constituents, who elected each and every one of them by very healthy margins? Congressman Jeff Fortenberry decided to spend the week outside the country. What are Deb Fischer's, Ben Sasse's, Don Bacon's and Adrian Smith's excuses?
BROWNVILLE  Federal regulators will inspect Cooper nuclear power plant next week to determine why a key heat-removal system and its backup were both offline at the same time last month.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will conduct a special inspection at the plant owned by the Nebraska Public Power District to determine what led to the error.

Regulators say that Feb. 5 workers discovered a problem with a system that would help remove heat from the plant during an accident. That system may have been offline for months.

During the time that system was disabled, workers did maintenance work on a back-up heat-removal system, and it was offline for about 72 hours.

Cooper sits along the Missouri River in southeast Nebraska near Brownville, about 80 miles south of Omaha.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Mar. 07, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 07, 2017 | 12:30 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Authorities have made an arrest in a 2014 burglary at a McCracken County Country Club.



The McCracken County Sheriff's Department says detectives began investigating a burglary at Rolling Hills Country Club that occurred in Nov. 2014. During the burglary suspects stole cash and alcohol, and did thousands of dollars in damage to the building.



Detectives collected DNA evidence at the scene, and forwarded it to the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab to be analyzed.



The state crime lab contacted deputies the following November, saying they had obtained a hit on the DNA submitted through the Combined DNA Index System. Detectives identified the match as belonging to 24-year-old Jake Dean of Metropolis, IL.



Detectives located Dean in February, and obtained a DNA swab that confirmed the DNA left at the scene at the time of the burglary belonged to Dean. An arrest warrant was obtained for Dean, who was already serving time in a Posey County, IN detention facility on unrelated charges.



The warrant was served Monday, and Dean has waived extradition. Deputies said he will be taken back to McCracken County to face charges of 3rd degree burglary, theft by unlawful taking over $500.00, and 1st degree criminal mischief.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Mar. 06, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 06, 2017 | 10:41 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Two Paducah men were arrested Sunday evening after police say missing teens were found inside their home.



The Paducah Police Department says officers got a report Sunday afternoon about two 13-year-old juveniles whose parents reported them missing earlier that morning. One of the teens was located at around 5:00 p.m. walking along Husband Road. Police said the teen told them the other missing juvenile was at a home on Vassuer Avenue.



Police went to the home and knocked, but didn't get an answer. After hours of waiting, officers saw a light being turned off, and movement inside.



A search warrant was obtained for the home, and officers found the missing teen hiding underneath mattresses in a bedroom. Another 16-year-old juvenile was also found in the home.



Police said 52-year-old Blaine Disler and 42-year-old Michael Meeks were both questioned, and they reportedly told police they didn't know the teens were inside the home.



Both men were arrested for custodial interference and cited for possession of synthetic drugs.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 07, 2017 | 03:24 PM | FULTON, KY

A man who escaped from the Fulton County Jail over six months ago has been caught in Texas.The Kentucky State Police issued a press release Tuesday saying that 35-year-old Frederick T. Bristol was captured by the San Antonio Police Department on Friday.Police say his arrest was the direct result of information they received after their press release last week, which indicated they were still looking for Bristol, along with a person who may have helped him escape.That man, 32-year-old Michael Stinson of Paducah, is still being sought on a warrant for 2nd degree escape (complicity).State Police say when Bristol was caught, he was additionally charged by San Antonio Police for failing to identify himself when detained or arrested. Bristol will be extradited to Kentucky after his court appearances in Texas. He faces a felony charge of escape 2nd degree from August 15, 2016 in Fulton County.Anyone with information on Stinson's whereabouts is encouraged to contact Kentucky State Police at 270-856-3721 or 800-222-5555.

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By The Associated Press Mar. 06, 2017 | 11:32 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

A bill headed to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's desk is designed to protect religious expressions in public schools but has LGBT advocates worried it will give student groups a license to discriminate.

Senate Bill 17 passed the state House of Representatives by a vote of 81-8 on Monday. It would prohibit school officials from punishing students for wearing religious messages on their clothes and expressing religious or political beliefs in homework, artwork and speeches. It would also prevent school officials from regulating student organizations, including the selection of members and "doctrines and principles."

Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said the bill would allow student groups to discriminate against LGBT students "under the guise of religion." Republican state Rep. John Blanton said the bill just guarantees students First Amendment rights.
Its being claimed that Romelu Lukaku has agreed terms on a mammoth new contract at Everton and will sign it later this week.

Talks have been churning away for weeks over a new deal, with the Belgian strikers agent Mino Raiola recently confirming that an announcement was very close.

According to TalkSPORT, who have been in contact with Raiola, the finer details have now all been agreed on an improved five-year contract and both camps are just waiting for the chairman to get his cheque-signing biro out.

The deal will be signed off later this week  all that is left is for Everton chairman Bill Kenwright to add his signature to the paperwork. An announcement could be made by the Merseyside club as soon as Wednesday.

Stay tuned.
Oral health is good health, and the Malone Community Center is committed to preventive health care in all aspects our lives, says Regina Sullivan, community health worker at the Malone Community Center.

As a supporter of the Partnership for A Healthy Lincoln, the Malone Community Center is sponsoring a Dental Health Screening Event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday (March 11) at the Malone Community Center, 2032 U St. The event is free to the public.

The screening is in collaboration with the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Oral Health Advisory Board, Creighton University College of Dentistry, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry and Nursing. Attendees will receive a free dental health screening, oral hygiene kits, and referrals to sharing clinics throughout the Lincoln and greater areas of Nebraska.

Dr. Brown from UNMC College of Dentistry, a dentist from Peoples Health Center, and Dr. Charles F. Craft, dental health director at the Division of Public Health, in the DHHS, will conduct the screenings, provide information on good oral health, and make referrals. They will be assisted by dental hygienists and nurses from UNMC.

For more information, contact Regina Sullivan, at rs@malonecenter.org or (402) 326-8534, or see the website or Facebook pages.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A Union Grove woman has reportedly admitted to embezzling $86,339.27 from Walmart, 3049 S. Oakes Road, and the Walmart on Greenfield Avenue in West Milwaukee from 2013 through 2016.

Kris A. Campbell, 55, of the 1300 block of West Street, Union Grove, has been charged with felony theft exceeding $10,000, a charge that could see her serve up to five years behind bars. According to the criminal complaint, Campbell admitted to stealing the funds because she was having financial difficulties and was delinquent on her taxes.

Court records show that Campbell has yet to make her initial appearance, even though charges were filed on Feb. 21. Jail records do not show her as being in custody either and her criminal complaint indicates that a court summons was issued Tuesday.

Police said that Campbell was improperly compensated by the company for bereavement, jury duty and other benefits totaling 4,418.17 hours over the course of more than three years. She failed to file any supporting documentation for those hours, police said.

Campbell told investigators that she did not receive assistance from other people in receiving the unauthorized funds, but curiously denied entering the improper hours herself, police said.

According to the complaint, Campbell said she wanted to obtain legal counsel before participating in the interview, but investigators have yet to hear from Campbell or her attorney.
RACINE  Racine Lutheran High School will dedicate its newly created Veterans Project on at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, at the school, 251 Luedtke Ave.

The Racine Lutheran High School Veterans Project honors the alumni who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The VFW will provide the color guard and 21-gun salute. Racine Lutheran High School musicians will perform patriotic pieces, and a reception will take place immediately after the ceremony. All are welcome.

Two members of the class of 1965, Bruce Canny and David Nass, were instrumental in launching this project. Cannys poem, Vietnam, They Ask, So What Was It Like? was written about his tour of duty in the former Republic of Vietnam.

The poem has already appeared nationwide, including as part of the Highground Veterans Memorial Park exhibit near Neillsville. The dynamics of the poem struck a chord with Nass, and he used his musical talents to transform the poem into a powerful piece titled Good-Bye, Good-Bye. Both men will be in attendance and recognized at the dedication ceremony.

The Racine Lutheran High School Veterans Project plaque, which includes the names of alumni who have unselfishly served our country, will be unveiled during the dedication ceremony. The school welcomes assistance in gathering the names of former students who served for their enlistment term (or were shortened due to injuries) in peace or war, as well as those who were wounded, killed in action or died as a result of wounds sustained while serving our country.

Information can be sent to Racine Lutheran High School, 251 Luedtke Ave., Racine, WI 53405, or emailed to klong@RacineLutheran.org. Include the name of the veteran and year of graduation, branch of service, duty station  U.S. or other, years of service and WIA, KIA, POW, if applicable.

Donations to the Racine Lutheran High School Veterans Project are welcome. Limited copies of the Good-Bye, Good-Bye CD are available through the school for $10.

Additional information on the Racine Lutheran High School Veterans Project is available at www.RacineLutheran.org or by calling 262-637-6538.
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This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg biotech company, Kane Biotech, has struck its first commercial arrangement that could eventually be worth tens of millions of dollars to the company over the next decade.

Kane has entered into an exclusive licence and distribution agreement with the North American subsidiary of U.K.-based Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc for Dechra to exclusively market, distribute and ultimately manufacture Kanes oral care and dermatology products to the North American veterinary market.

Kane has previously launched its veterinary oral pet care product as StrixNB and was just in the process of launching it in the United States.

Kane CEO Mark Ahrens-Townsend said it is exciting news for the company, which has been active in the research and development sector for most of its 15 years.

It is the first commercial agreement the company has ever signed, said Ahrens-Townsend. Kane is a small biotech company and that is what we want as our focus. These guys (Dechra) have all the distributors lined up and 40 salespeople on the street in North America. We have a small team that has done a great job in marketing and branding our product, but these guys give us instant access to a huge market.

StrixNB has been shown in several studies to reduce plaque and tartar in companion pets.

Dechra has also licensed Kanes dermatology technology, called DispersinB, which does not yet have a commercial application.

Dechras deal with Kane is for the two companies to work together to develop dermatology applications with DispersinB for the companion pet market.

Dechra, which generated revenue in 2016 of $406 million, is a leader in both the veterinary dermatology and oral care markets  two of the largest veterinary pharmaceutical categories.

Dechra will rebrand the oral care product and will launch it in the United States under a new name and eventually phase out the StrixNB name in Canada.

Mike Eldred, president of Dechra North America, said the company is looking forward to adding Kanes clinically-proven, innovative technology that is safe and efficacious to its offerings.

New technology is always needed to continue to grow our product lines, Eldred said.

It will be very important for us to integrate these two technologies into our product line. Those two market segments are very important for us to continue to grow the business and help us further differentiate ourselves from the competition.

There are about 30,000 veterinary offices in the U.S. and Dechra will soon start to include its new oral care product in its pitch to vets.

Kane will continue to market its bluestem brand of oral care products to over-the-counter pet product stores and will continue to seek partnerships in distribution in that sector.

It will also continue to manufacture bluestem in Winnipeg. Ahrens-Townsend said that while it is able to manufacture small quantities it would not be able to handle larger volumes and in time Dechra will also take over manufacturing.

Ahrens-Townsend said it is an exciting opportunity for Kane.

Over the 10 years of the agreement this could be worth tens of millions of dollars to our company, he said.

We have started with North America but there are opportunities for other products and other technologies and other things we can do with them where our technology can have applications.

Kane has more than 60 patents and patents-pending.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
SOMERS  University of Wisconsin-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford will be sticking around campus a while longer.

After interviewing and becoming a finalist to be president of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, the university on Monday announced that Cheryl B. Schrader, chancellor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, had been named Wright States seventh president and its first female leader.

Wright State officials spent nine months looking for a new president and, in early February, Ford visited the campus and met with several groups of students and faculty.

On Monday, Ford sent an email to UW-Parkside faculty and staff informing them of the outcome.

I believe everything works out for the right reasons and I am grateful for your support and to have you as colleagues. Thank you for your continued focus on providing top-quality educational experiences for our students, Fords email read. My focus remains on advocating for investment by the State of Wisconsin in UW-Parkside, sustaining the positive momentum we have across campus, being a champion for the UW-Parkside Civic Action Plan, launching the planning process for our 50th Anniversary year and celebrating student success as we live our mission.

During the selection process for Wright State, Ford indicated that she sought the job in part to be closer to her family in Louisville, Ky. For now, she plans to remain at UW-Parkside.

Ford is the sixth chancellor of UW-Parkside and began her tenure in the post in 2009.

According to Wright State, Schrader emerged from a nine-month national search and a diverse pool of 61 candidates.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Diamonds have been discovered in Manitoba for the first time in the provinces history, ending decades of speculation and opening up the possibility of a resurgence of diamond exploration.

An informal group of prospectors called the Lynx Consortium has found small micro-diamonds  less than one millimetre in diameter  in the Knee Lake region near Oxford House.

The discovery comes after a brief flurry of diamond exploration in the province 15 years ago came up empty.

WD Lab Grown Diamonds They're not as polished as this in their natural state, of course, but micro-diamonds less than one millimetre in diameter have been found in the Knee Lake region near Oxford House.

Ruth Bezys, the president of Manitoba Prospectors and Developer Association and the wife of Mark Fedikow, one of the prospectors who found the diamonds, said it is an exciting development.

They are all geologists and over the years they have been hunting for a diamond play in the Knee Lake region, she said. Mark used to work with the Manitoba Geological Survey and he knew the data. There was a diamond rush but it never went anywhere.

Bezys said what is particularly exciting is that the small diamonds were discovered in the bedrock, not in the loose till that the receding glaciers pushed all over the place.

They found it in the actual rock, she said. It is diamond in bedrock. It has not moved. It is there.

The news comes a week after the annual release of the influential Fraser Institute survey of mining companies, which ranked Manitoba as the second-most-attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining.

Cliff Cullen, Manitobas minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade, was at the association conference in Toronto where the diamond discovery was announced.

The worlds mining sector is taking notice of Manitobas mineral resource potential and our business and investment-friendly environment, he said. Our government is very pleased by these recent developments and will continue to create the welcoming conditions necessary for the attraction of investment in our mineral resources.

The prospectors find does not mean there will be a diamond mine any time soon but it does confirm that there are diamonds in Manitoba  something that has been suspected for many years.

Diamonds have been discovered in Saskatchewan, northwest Ontario and Nunavut in the past 20 years.

Although results from kimberlite indicator-mineral (KIM) surveys in the past 20 years have been promising, a 2003 study done for the province said, no discoveries of diamondiferous kimberlite have been announced in Manitoba.

Diamondiferous kimberlites have been discovered in the adjacent provinces of Saskatchewan and Ontario, as well as in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and there is no fundamental geological reason to expect that kimberlites should not be present in Manitoba.

DeBeers, the global diamond leader, staked a large claim in Manitoba about 15 years ago.

Exploration for diamonds peaked in Manitoba in 2003 when about $3.5 million worth of exploration was conducted.

Bezys said the prospectors who found the diamonds do not have the financial resources to take it to the next step, which may mean optioning the claim to a larger mining company.

Its very exciting for the province, not just for the prospectors, she said.

It will help everyone, not just one company; (it will help) the coffers of the province if you get a mine out of this, First Nations, you name it.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The court-appointed receiver for the partially-completed D Condo project hopes to find another developer to purchase and complete the Assiniboine Avenue tower.

A vice-president in the Winnipeg office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Inc. said Monday the company has advertised the project nationally in hopes of attracting offers from either local or out-of-province developers.

The deadline for offers to be submitted is March 31, Josh Thiem added.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES D Condo is a 24-storey condominium tower at 390 Assiniboine Avenue, with views of the city, the Assiniboine River and the Manitoba Legislative Grounds.

When it was revealed last month month that PwC had been appointed receiver, Thiem said PwC would be overseeing the completion of the project and would be would be working closely with the current construction manager, Accel Construction Management Inc.

Its not that plans changed, he explained on Monday, noting PwC is continuing to oversee construction while the building is being marketed.

But we think that a dual-track process will provide the opportunity of the most positive outcome for stakeholders, he added. If that process yields an acceptable offer, then well go down the path of selling the project. And if it doesnt, then the receiver will complete the construction.

Thiem wouldnt say if PwC would be willing to extend the March 31 deadline if an acceptable offer isnt received.

A Winnipeg developer called 390 Assiniboine Avenue Inc.  and a related company, Sandhu Developments  already had framed and poured 17 of the concrete towers 24 stories when PwC took over the project.

Caisse Financial Group, the primary lender for the project, had asked the Manitoba Court of Queens Bench to put PwC in charge because the project had been delayed for three years and the cost had jumped from $33.5 million to $47.5 million. It said it no longer had faith that 390 Assiniboine Avenue Inc. and Sandu Developments could successfully complete it.

Thiem said the court also gave PwC the go-ahead to try and find another developer to purchase and complete the tower, and approved the sales process that is being followed.

He said his most recent information is that 58 of the 91 condos in the complex have been pre-sold. But the focus for now is on seeing if another developer is interested in purchasing the entire the project and completing the work, he added.

PwC has not said how long it thinks it will take to complete the tower, which is under construction at 390 Assiniboine Ave.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The federal NDP needs to become the party marginalized people turn to in Canada, rather than letting a Donald Trump-like movement gain any traction here, the newest entrant into the NDP leadership campaign said Monday.

Niki Ashton, 34, will launch her leadership bid in Ottawa today. It is her second go around at running, having finished last in the 2012 contest.

The MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski told the Free Press in an interview Monday she feels the NDP lost its way in the last election, with promises such as the plan to balance the budget, and needs to get back to doing what it does best.

Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press Files MP Niki Ashton says she wants the NDP to become the party of the Canada's marginalized.

We need to see ourselves as a movement again, Ashton said, adding the party doesnt have to abandon its principles in order to win government.

We need to be principled but sticking to our principles can lead to power, she said.

It means, she said, offering an alternative to the politics of fear and division, of xenophobia and racism that she says are erupting in the Conservative leadership race.

Her focus will be on providing plans to create and maintain good-paying jobs for young people and working Canadians, and focusing on the threat of climate change.

She called herself the polar opposite of Kellie Leitch, the Conservative MP and leadership candidate whose campaign has mimicked many aspects of Trumps, and who has been accused of being xenophobic and anti-immigrant because of her promise to screen immigrants for anti-Canadian values.

Ashton said the unequal distribution of wealth, the loss of value-added jobs, the foreign ownership and trade deals that are selling us out, are similar to the conditions that led to the rise of Trump politics in the United States and are behind the support of politicians such as Leitch here.

As we lose ground it creates the type of insecurity the right is capitalizing on. The question is what vision are we as the NDP putting forward to take on those two challenges?

Ashton has spent the better part of the last 18 months touring Canada gathering intel on the insecurities Canadians have in finding permanent, full-time jobs that pay a decent wage. She said that work, which came out of her role as the NDP critic for jobs, employment and workforce development, helped underscore her campaign focus.

Ashton will be the fourth entrant into the race, joining just before the race kicks into gear with the first debate scheduled for Ottawa next week. Ontario MP Charlie Angus, B.C. MP Peter Julian and Quebec MP Guy Caron have already signed up to run. She registered with Elections Canada last week and will leave her duties in the shadow cabinet today.

She is thus far the only woman and the youngest entrant. In her first campaign in 2012, Ashton acknowledges she felt a lot of sexism and agism. She was not yet 30 years old and says she knew a lot of people didnt take her seriously. She has learned from that experience but says it energized her to get around the country and talk to people from all walks of life.

Ashton said the federal NDP needs to mobilize with movements on the ground, womens groups, indigenous groups and environmental groups to build a plan that addresses inequality.

Canada and the NDP are both at a crossroads, she said.

Thats why Im running.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 06/03/2017 (2071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Saskatchewans private sector is building 18 new schools in Regina and Saskatoon with a 30-year warranty at a cost the province says is $100 million lower than government could do it.

And Manitoba Education Minister Ian Wishart has taken notice.

We involve the school divisions, the parents, the students in the design of the schools. There are 90 permanent child-care spaces at each site. Theres a tremendous amount of innovation and difference at each site, said Rupen Pandya, CEO and president of the SaskBuilds infrastructure Crown corporation.

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Files In fall 2015, the NDP promised to build schools in the Waterford Green neighbourhood of the Winnipeg School Division.

Theyre 130 days away from delivery.

Pandya said that Saskatchewan has embraced public-private partnerships (P3) in every infrastructure project where taxpayers will benefit.

SaskBuilds extensive due diligence concluded that the P3 schools could be built at a cost of $635 million, compared to $735 million for traditional long-term public borrowing. The figures include construction and major maintenance for 30 years.

There are 18 kindergarten to Grade 8 schools being built on nine sites  one public and one separate (Catholic) at each location.

Private-sector consortiums placed winning bids to construct the schools in high-growth neighbourhoods in Regina, Saskatoon and two bedroom communities near Saskatoon. About 72 per cent of the jobs come from within the province.

The province owns the schools from day one, he said.

Its not a leaseback, he said.

SaskBuilds doesnt spend a penny until the schools are ready to open. It pays the private consortiums over 30 years, during which time the private sector is responsible for major maintenance such as heating and ventilation systems, exterior walls and rehabilitation.

After 30 years, the province takes over a facility in like-new condition.

The private consortium is completely responsible if the project goes over budget or past the deadline.

If the private sector doesnt hold up its end, or major players go out of business, the province owns the schools and makes no further payments, Pandya said.

And if Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall thinks the program works, its worth a look here, Wishart said.

Pandya said there are about 220 P3 capital projects underway across Canada. Alberta has saved $225 million building new schools, he said.

Wishart said, however, that legislation passed by the former NDP government makes it difficult for the private sector to build schools here. However the Tories are making changes to various pieces of legislation imposed by that government.

Youll have to wait and see, Wishart said with a smile.

In fall 2015, the NDP promised to build schools in the Waterford Green neighbourhood of Winnipeg School Division, and in the south end of Brandon.

Growth not seen in decades is fuelling demand for more public schools in Neepawa, Winkler, Steinbach and Niverville. Facilities are needed in Winnipegs Sage Creek neighbourhood, the area around the Kapyong barracks and in the citys northwest.

Winnipeg School Division board chairwoman Sherri Rollins said she suspects Wishart is leaning towards P3 schools.

For sure, Im watching what goes on in Saskatchewan a little more closely. Policy comes in trends, said Rollins, adding school trustees are aware that Manitoba Tories look to their western neighbour as a model of conservative government.

Rollins also pointed out that the Pallister government  which has yet to approve a single education capital project promised by the NDP  is not going ahead at this time with $1 billion of health-care capital projects the NDP promised.

In health care, they were told to reimagine their projects, said Rollins, whos trying to figure out what reimagining a Waterford Green school might mean.

Full details of Saskatchewans P3 school projects are available at

http://www.saskbuilds.ca/projects/18%20Elementary_Schools.html

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

wfpvideo:heo7P21u:wfpvideo

The cost of Manitoba Hydros Keeyask generating station under construction in northern Manitoba continues to soar, growing by $2.2 billion in the past three years.

The Crown corporation and its four First Nation partners revealed Tuesday the total price is now forecast cost to be $8.7 billion.

Further, it will take an additional 21 months to build the dam than the Crown corporation last estimated in 2014. The in-service date is now projected to be August 2021.

Supplied Keeyask powerhouse in February, looking down.

The new cost estimate is also $900 million higher than calculated last fall by a private consultant hired by Hydro at the direction of its new Progressive Conservative-named board to review the corporations operations.

Hydro said Tuesday it was premature to predict what impact the latest cost projections will have on the rates Manitobans pay for electricity.

That will ultimately be determined by the Manitoba Public Utilities Board. Previously, the Crown corporation had warned it required double-digit rate increases.

Manitoba Hydro president and CEO Kelvin Shepherd said in an interview unexpected problems were found last summer when dam constructors dug down into bedrock at the site along the Nelson River. At the same time, the output expected when calculating labour costs turned out to be much lower than forecast.

We could see the level of progress we were making was off-plan, Shepherd said. Some of it was geotechnical-related  they werent revealed by previous testing. Were working on a riverbed, too.

Shepherd said the Hydro board has kept the provincial government in the loop about the rising costs. The provincial cabinet was told of the latest projections two weeks ago.

Labour output costs were based on the Limestone megaproject of the 1990s, Shepherd said. Those estimates are clearly insufficient, he said.

Shepherd said the project still has to explore 25 per cent of the bedrock required for the project, though he is confident the Keeyask site itself is safe.

As one example of an unexpected problem, bore testing did not catch a hole beneath the bedrock. That required a reconfiguration of the project around the problem area, he said.

Its under the river. In the middle of the central dam area, there was a huge hole, much deeper than we expected, Shepherd said.

Premier Brian Pallister laid the blame for project cost overruns on the previous government. He accused the NDP of ignoring repeated warnings under its watch about rising costs.

Its a sad day for Manitobans, as the owners of Manitoba Hydro, he told reporters.

Pallister deflected questions about the $900 million in extra cost projections that have occurred under his watch.

But he said he wants to know a lot more about geotechnical issues the megaproject has faced, as well as the previous governments acceptance of forecasts of labour output that have not panned out.

NDP critic James Allum said it is always a concern when project costs go up, and he accused the premier of politicizing an issue that appears to be technical in nature.

Really, if the premier was doing his job, hed be out selling hydroelectricity contracts to our friends in the United States and to jurisdictions to the east and west of us to help keep the rates lower for Manitobans, he said.

Supplied Keeyask powerhouse in February, shot of powerhouse looking upstream.

The Keeyask Generating Station project is owned by Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (KHLP), a partnership of Hydro and four northern Manitoba First Nations: Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Fox Lake Cree Nation, York Factory First Nation and War Lake First Nation.

Lorne Midford, chairman of the KHLP board, said the Crown corporation and its partners are evaluating the impact of the cost and schedule changes on each of the owners. He said the examination includes assessing the potential impact on project benefits, including employment and business opportunities for each partner.

I havent had a chance to read it since it was released, said Robert Garson, a band councillor at Tataskweyak Cree Nation in Split Lake, referring to the new projections.

Garson said he couldnt comment further until he discussed the matter with the First Nations chief and other council members.

Were probably going to talk about it tomorrow, Garson said, adding the northern community was dealing with a severe blizzard Tuesday and some members of council were stranded in Thompson.

I dont think well have an official statement until later, he added.

The potential for the increased cost estimate was first identified in the Hydro boards review of capital projects last fall.

The analysis, conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, identified costs for Keeyask were expected to rise to $7.8 billion from a 2014 estimate of $6.5 billion.

The revised budget comes after a more detailed review conducted by Manitoba Hydro, the corporation said.

Shepherd said Keeyasks cost overruns and delays are not unusual for such megaprojects. While he was not with Hydro when the former NDP government approved Keeyask, Shepherd said the province would have understood and accepted there are such risks.

If project bids forced contractors to accept responsibility for all potential risk, he said, bids would be much higher.

Ultimately, the actual cost of the project is borne by Manitoba Hydro. Ultimately, Manitoba Hydro bears the risk, Shepherd said. These are not unusual risks for a hydroelectric project.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.canick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One by one, the class of refugees from Syria and Africa stood, stated their name and home country, and told a bit about themselves to visiting media.

The students are part of a new program that began last week by Red River College to teach English to new refugees and provide work experience in construction jobs. The Pallister government initiative was prompted by the influx of Syrian refugees last year.

Many of the Syrians are coming in with virtually no English, said RRC president Paul Vogt.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Farhan Alfaraeij (right) introduces himself in English Tuesday during his English language class as part of the new construction skills pilot program.

Their introduction to the media was not only a good exercise practising their new language, but in presenting themselves and showing confidence.

When one student slightly mispronounced electrician as his previous work experience, the teacher stepped in with the proper pronunciation. Weve been working on that word, the teacher explains.

The province brought together employers and refugee agencies to brainstorm on what was needed for newcomers to succeed, and the program is the result.

At the end of the four-month course, students will participate in a paid month-long, full-time work placement to refine skills and obtain on-the-job experience. The one-month placements will be in areas of drywalling, masonry, and flat-top roofing.

Students stand a good chance of finding employment. The employers involved are not just in the program for training but are seeking new employees, said Vogt.

Gregorie Bomay, 48, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was the equivalent of a conservation officer in his home country, and then was a truck driver when he relocated to Uganda. Farhan Alfareij, 37, was a farmer, painter, and livestock transport driver in Syria. Wasel Alanis, 38, worked as a home decorator, electrician and tanker truck driver in Syria.

None have been able to find work here due to their limited English skills and lack of work experience in Canada.

I thank God because of this opportunity, said Bomay.

For us, its just exciting. Were hopeful in the future it will be scaled up to include all immigrants, said Vicky Sinclair, executive director of Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MAMSO).

Sinclair said students pick up language quicker when learning occupation-specific language.

Vogt said refugees in the United States crossing the border at Emerson could be eligible for the program but may be over-qualified. In many of those cases, the people have lived in the U.S. for up to 10 years and have a higher level of English language skills. This program may not be for them, Vogt said.

The refugees are studying at the RRC campus in the upstairs of the historic VIA Rail building on Main Street. Another 20 students will start a new program in the fall. The cost for the two programs is $225,000.

The program was developed in partnership with the Winnipeg Construction Association, Alpha Masonry, Allies Roofing, Econo Wall and Ceilings Ltd., Immigrant Centre Manitoba, Manitoba Start, and the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If youre driving with illegal drugs and more than $200,000 of ill-gotten gain, the last thing you should do is put the pedal to the metal while cruising through Manitoba on the countrys main highway.

But RCMP say thats what happened last Thursday when traffic officers pulled over a 2017 Dodge Durango driving 150 km/h in a 100 km/h zone west of Carberry.

In addition to the cash, a small amount of marijuana was found inside the vehicle, RCMP said Tuesday.

Winnipeggers Justin Poitras, 28, and Lea Murrell, 30, and Darren Gurniak, 50, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., have been charged with drug possession and proceeds of crime over $5,000.

RCMP Insp. Ed Moreland, who is in charge of traffic services in Manitoba, said attempting to transport proceeds of crime on our roadways is a costly proposition.

Proceeds gained from criminal acts have no safe passage in Manitoba as we will enforce the laws to the fullest extent.

The investigation is ongoing.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has promised to deliver some tough measures next month in its 2017 budget. A study released Monday urges the province to go even further.

The report said the province is carrying some 35,000 excessive public-sector employees compared to the national average among the 10 provinces and massive cost savings could be found in shedding workers without affecting services delivered to citizens.

For Manitoba reducing the number of public-sector employees and restraining their wages will become necessary  even if undesirable  in the years to come, said the authors of The Size and Cost of the Public Sector in Western Canada, published by Winnipeg-based think tank Frontier Centre for Public Policy and the Halifax-based Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.

According to the report, 2015 data collected by Statistics Canada showed Manitoba and Saskatchewan had 111 public-sector employees per 1,000 residents, the most among the 10 provinces. Ontario had the lowest (73), with British Columbia close at 75. The national average was 83.

As a percentage of all jobs, 21.6 per cent of Manitoba employees were in the public sector, second highest in the provinces behind Newfoundland (25 per cent), the report said. Alberta was lowest at 14.1 per cent, with Ontario at 14.2 per cent. The national average was 18.4 per cent.

According to the report, Manitobas cost of salaries for public-sector employees in 2015 was $2.2-billion more than if it had employed the national average of 83 per 1,000 residents. However, the provinces average salary for that group was also the lowest in Western Canada  $62,141  compared to $81,141 in Alberta, $69,561 in B.C. and $68,299 in Saskatchewan.

The studys figures include municipal and provincial-level public servants paid directly by the government (health-care workers, educators, bureaucrats and police, for example). The numbers do not include employees of the federal government nor Crown corporations and private industry that is subsidized by the provincial government.

However, the reports numbers do not tell the whole story, said David Camfield, associate professor of labour studies and sociology at the University of Manitoba.

What this report is doing is trying to encourage people to see a problem where no problem exists by suggesting the public sector in Manitoba is bloated, he said Monday. They are treating the public sector as if it is fundamentally a negative thing, (then) a larger public sector must be a bad thing.

(The public sector is) providing public goods its not waste, its providing services that provide to the quality of peoples lives, the environment in which businesses operate and so on.

The study is pretty shallow, Camfield said, as it does not delve into reasons behind each provinces numbers, such as economy of scale and past privatization. Larger provinces are going to have, all things being equal, smaller percentages of people in the public sector because you have to run a certain set of government ministries whether you are talking about a small province or a large province.

Manitoba labour leaders were also dismissive of the think tank report.

The study looks only at the number of employees in each province without looking at the different demands or levels of service in each province. That, combined with the fact that it lumps together municipal and provincial workers, makes it difficult to base any useful recommendations on it, Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, the largest union in the province, said in an email.

Manitobans enjoy many public services that other Canadians dont  for example, we have one of the most comprehensive home-care programs in the country. Yes, delivering quality public services requires people to deliver them. Cutting or privatizing jobs is not the answer. That would only hurt the services Manitoba families count on.

The report lumps in municipal with provincial  an area where the provincial government has no jurisdiction. The report also makes no attempt to investigate the level and types of services provided by the respective governments, nor public satisfaction with the services provided, agreed Kelly Moist, president of CUPE Manitoba.

The report confirms what we know: provinces with larger populations tend to have lower ratios of public employees to residents than do provinces with lower populations, he said. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have the disadvantage of having smaller populations in very large provinces Further, the report does not take into consideration Manitoba and Saskatchewan are home to very large, young Indigenous communities. We know that due to the legacy of colonialism and residential schools that these communities have larger demands on government services.

The Frontier Centre report suggests if the public sector could be reduced by two per cent a year (through moves including a hiring freeze and attrition), Manitoba could decline to the national average in eight years, freeing up some $2 billion a year for other use.

Emails requesting comment Monday from Manitobas finance minister and deputy finance minister were not returned.

However, citing the example of B.C. privatizing the work of thousands of health-care support employees in the 1990s, Camfield said any potential large-scale cutting exercise must be viewed in more than financial terms. Was that a good move for society? Do you want to have worse-paid, probably less-motivated people doing those essential sometimes invisible jobs that keep the public health-care system running?

Camfield also expressed concern studies such as this may have undue influence on public perception.

Its fundamental assumption, the way the study is presented, is to encourage people to see these statistics as evidence of a problem Theyve been encouraged to see the public sector as the source of a problem, he said.

Manitoba is not Greece, Camfield said. Yet we are being encouraged to think we are on the edge of a debt crisis in Manitoba It is important for people to know that so they dont get scared into supporting public-policy options that might not be the wisest.

According to the 2016-17 budget, Manitoba expected to spend $874 million (up $44 million from the year before) to service its debt with revenue of $15.23 billion and expenditures of $16.3 billion.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Siloam Mission has dropped its opposition to a historical designation to its Princess Street building.

Floyd Perras, executive director of Siloams strategic initiatives, said the agency dedicated to feeding and caring for the homeless was initially concerned the designation would complicate its multi-million-dollar expansion and possibly even increase the price tag.

However, Perras said Tuesday that after talking with local heritage advocates and the citys planning staff, he no longer has those concerns.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The city wants to designate 300 Princess St. as a heritage building.

Two years ago we really had no idea what the heritage status would mean, Perras told reporters following a meeting of councils property and development committee, adding Siloam officials and its architect saw their expansion plans will not be compromised by a historical designation.

Siloam has had an up-and-down path towards redevelopment and expansion of its Princess Street property. The agency proposed an ambitious, $60-million project in 2014 that included expanded facilities and 160 new beds for the homeless, but by March 2016, that was scaled back to a $15-million project with 60 new beds.

Perras told reporters its now a $17-million project and details on what will be constructed wont be released until the summer.

Perras said Siloam is still hoping to secure $3 million each from city hall, Ottawa and the provincial government. However, Ottawa has only committed to $700,000, while council approved a tax incremental financing grant (essentially an annual refund of property taxes) up to $700,000. Perras said the Pallister government hasnt made a commitment towards the project and hes waiting to see if its included in the April 11 provincial budget.

The committee broke from its procedures during the meeting and allowed Perras to address the councillors when the designation was being considered.

Through the work with (the citys) administration it was a very collaborative process, very reasonable, Perras said of the experience dealing with civic planners. Our common goal of keeping it as a heritage building has been reached and our goals, as far as being able to expand and care for the folks that we look after, is also being recognized.

Coun. John Orlikow, chairman of the committee, told reporters Siloams experience with the historical designation process is typical of the development community. While there might be an initial reluctance to a designation, Orlikow said, once building owners meet with civic-planning staff and understand how the process will affect their project, opposition usually disappears.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kelsey School Division in northern Manitoba closed its five schools for the first time in 30 years due to blizzard conditions Tuesday.

Located in The Pas about 625 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Kelsey School division serves 1,600 students.

Northern folks can power through just about any weather and there have been plenty of winter storms over the years, but this one has distinguished itself with its duration and intensity, said superintendent Julia McKay.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun A storm Monday and Tuesday closed highways throughout the province and led to the first closure of schools in The Pas in three decades.

She said safety of students, staff and their families was behind the historic closure of Ecole Opasquia School, Kelsey Community School, Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute, Mary Duncan School and Scott Bateman Middle School.

We dont normally close schools because we worry about students showing up and if the schools are locked, where do they go? So its always been a policy that we keep the schools open, but when the storm hit yesterday (Monday), we realized that just wasnt going to work, she said, noting its been about 30 years since the school division closed all of its schools due to inclement winter weather.

McKay said the storm started Sunday night, but buses were still able to run Monday morning and schools operated normally. By Monday afternoon, it was a different story.

By lunch time, it was so bad that we sent the buses out to take the students home and made the decision, that yes, we werent going to be open today. Considering our highways are all closed, it was a good call, she said in a telephone interview.

Our driving force was the fact that we wanted to make sure that everybody stayed safe. We thought that this was too risky.

Tuesday afternoon, McKay confirmed the schools would be closed again Wednesday.

While inclement winter weather is part of living in Manitobas northern communities, McKay said The Pas seldom gets the weather definition of a blizzard.

Environment Canada had continued its blizzard warning for The Pas and surrounding area Tuesday and into Wednesday. Overnight, a snowfall amount of about two centimetres was expected along with blowing snow and whiteout conditions with winds from the northwest at 50 km/h gusting to 70 km/h.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On March 19, 1911, International Womens Day was marked for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than a million people attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded womens rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job. More than a century later, women are still fighting for these rights in many countries around the world.

The story of womens struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights, says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem.

Yes, the world has changed since 1911. Since then, women around the world have taken to the streets to demand justice in one form or the other. These protests, sustained by women in the global south, have opened doors for all women all over the world, giving rise to the gains made on issues concerning women.

This strength is echoed from Manitoba in 1916, when this province became the first to advance the vote to women, to the southeast of Nigeria where, in 1929, women went on the street to demand a review of taxes on market women, popularly known as the Aba Women Riot, and to the rural areas of the world where women otherwise would not have been reached.

From education of the girl child to access to maternal health, jobs and empowerment to political leadership positions, in all areas, women have made gains that continue to speak to the unit of purpose. Even under the most oppressive regimes, women standing alongside each other have continued to impact these governments to make some changes that address the rights of women. All of society has benefited.

There are female prime ministers, there are female astronauts, there are more women in the boardrooms, more female CEOs.

The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally, womens education, health and the violence against them is worse than that for men. International Womens Day is a day to bring attention to these disparities and promote action that accelerates gender parity.

It is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is a day to celebrate the achievements of women in the workplace, political field, research, education, humanitarian activities and other fields of work and life. It is a day dedicated to women and their role in our lives and in shaping the future. It is a day for all women around the world to feel proud of who they are and what they can achieve to promote gender parity.

As women, we all want to be able to say we are strong, we have dreams, we are brave, we are positive, we are concerned for women around the world, we are concerned for our aboriginal sisters, we support womens rights and human rights and we seek justice for all.

We need to take action to ensure all women are able to experience this.

There were 3,000 women, men and children marching on Jan. 21 this year to support the Womens March in Washington, D.C. As Manitobans, lets continue to set the pace for gender parity.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada and another opportunity to commit ourselves to gender equality in the workplace, education, politics and business.

The Institute for International Womens Rights  Manitoba (IIWR-MB), founded to generate education, awareness and action to promote womens human rights both locally and globally, is actively supporting the IWD Theme Will you be #BoldForChange to help forge a better working world free of gender violence and a more inclusive, equitable working world where womens rights are respected.

Some of the actions that are important to IIWR-MB include: equal pay for equal work, an end to violence against women in the home and community, equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs, an end to using rape as a weapon of war, more women at peace-talk tables, recognition of the importance of womens unpaid work and equal access to education for the girl child.

There will be many events held throughout the world to mark International Womens Day: a women-only dinner in Portugal, keynote presentations on leadership and lunches in Australia, the Women of the World Festival in London, and women authors in the Emirate Airlines literature festival, to name a few.

There will be many events during International Womens Day and Week in Winnipeg, too, and we encourage everyone to participate as they are able, to advance respect, dignity and gender parity for women of all ages, cultures, religions and colours.

For a full list of events happening in Winnipeg please visit: iiwrmb.ca/events and humanrightshub.ca/events/category/all-events/public-event.

Nancy Cosway and Florence Okwudili are co-chairwomen of the Institute for International Womens Rights  Manitoba.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Provincially, few things necessitate action more than Manitobas $1-billion budget dilemma. So, wheres the invention?

In place of innovation, Manitobas budget debate features a pendulum swinging between austerity and largesse  with lots of movement but no advancement. Both approaches have failed to elevate Manitoba to its full potential.

Beyond the impetus of our current budget crisis, Manitoba requires a re-envisioning of government purpose and a reimagining of government as an enabler of service rather than sole provider.

Budget 2017 must mark the start of that creative pathway.

The provincial government is right to pursue efficiencies and cost savings across the board.

Some low-hanging fruit is ripe for the picking, such as the amalgamation of regional health authorities and public school boards. Winnipeg boasts six public school boards, compared with one in Calgary and four in Toronto, both of which have significantly higher populations and, provincially, are achieving stronger educational outcomes.

But these relatively straightforward measures will neither deliver a balanced budget nor create the Manitoba miracle championed by the premier at his inaugural state of the province address.

Likewise, the governments review of public-sector collective agreements is merited. However, a preoccupation with salary schedules and benefits could cause someone to lose sight of the forest for the trees.

The greatest issue in those agreements is their rigidity. They lack the capacity to enable a new model of public services, one marked by creative modes of service delivery where results  not the machinery of government  become our defining metric of success.

Thats where our opportunity for invention sits.

In 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a paper on public-sector innovation, noting: The development of new sets of organization forms, governance structures, funding mechanisms, policy approaches, partnerships and accountability structures blur traditional distinctions between public and private to look for novel solutions At the same time, technological progress is advancing at a speed never seen before, opening great opportunities for governments to incorporate new tools and approaches.

Manitobans dont have to look far to catch a glimpse of more evolved, efficient service delivery.

In his Feb. 27 op-ed (Social solution to budget woes: A job instead of prison), Shaun Loney articulates the transformative power of social enterprise as an alternative model that government can embrace in meeting citizens needs.

The social enterprise sector receives $6 million annually from Manitoba Housing to deliver programming and support, generating an economic return of $1.70 for each dollar of public support.

Loney adds: Manitobas social enterprise community has offered to partner with the government to increase jobs fivefold, reaching 1,000 within just five years. This strategy would dramatically lower costs in many areas of government, most notably justice and social assistance.

Last week, Teluss Josh Blair addressed a Winnipeg gathering of community groups during which he noted the impact of Telus Health in British Columbia.

Through a partnership with government involving post-care for heart attack patients, the integration of Telus Health technology and support resulted in public savings of $17,000 per patient.

Remarkably, the partnership also delivered a 76 per cent reduction in participants post-care visits to emergency facilities.

These two examples of the social sector and private sector engaged in service delivery  to tremendous effect  are just the tip of the iceberg.

More exist in other jurisdictions; still more exist here in our province, waiting to be born in this moment of necessity.

Manitobas budget deficit is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.

Its time Manitobans from all sectors see themselves not only as funders and users of public services, but also as essential inventors and drivers of more effective public services.

If we embrace this mentality and the innovation underpinning it, well stop the budget pendulum and move Manitoba forward.

Loren Remillard is the president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 07/03/2017 (2070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

U.S. President Donald Trumps second ban on Muslim migrants may actually withstand a court challenge this time around. The executive order issued Monday is his second attempt to impose a travel ban and in it, Mr. Trump tried to respond to many of the objections to the Jan. 27 order that died in court.

Manitobans have been waiting for the United States to make up its mind about refugees from war-torn parts of the Middle East because a steady stream of them, fearful of official Islamophobia in the U.S., have been turning up at Emerson seeking asylum. Canadas federal government has also been waiting for the U.S. to take a stand.

The new version of the ban may still be subject to attack in court. Like the earlier one, it arises from Mr. Trumps wish, announced Dec. 7, 2015, for a total and complete shutdown of all Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on. That purpose is hard to square with the constitutional requirement for equal treatment before the law.

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS Border crossing near Emerson

The new version of the ban, however, allows holders of valid U.S. visas and green cards  permission to live and work in the U.S.  to enter the country. It drops Iraq from the list of banned source countries. It allows U.S. universities and employers to continue teaching and employing people from the banned source countries. It imposes the freeze two weeks hence, allowing people already in transit to complete their journeys. It allows people with medical appointments in the U.S. or family connections or service records with the U.S. armed forces to enter the country.

For these reasons, the new ban is likely to be better received by the courts and better supported in the country. This policy, or something very like it, expresses the considered opinion of the Trump administration and is likely to be enforced. To that extent, the fog has lifted. Canada and Manitoba have something to work with.

Winnipegs shelters for refugees, operated by volunteers and non-profit agencies, are chock-a-block with border-crossers from the U.S. because the traffic, though small, is more than before. The refugee determination board, which decides who should be granted asylum, needs to speed up its schedule of hearings in Winnipeg. The Manitoba and federal governments between them should ensure that the non-profit agencies have the support they need to house and feed the refugee claimants who are already here and start them down the path to employment and self-sufficiency.

Canada should co-operate closely with U.S. authorities to ensure any peaceable asylum seekers on this side of the border  or those that can be sheltered in one country or the other  are examined for refugee status. That may be complicated for the next few months because the new travel ban aims to block admission of all refugees to the U.S. for 120 days. But it would be absurd to deport people back to a war zone just because Mr. Trump and his colleagues think they need another 120 days to figure out what is going on.

After the 120 days, U.S. policy is likely to be pretty much what it was before. There is no evidence that Muslim migrants are a source of danger in the U.S. Most terror attacks and hate crimes in the U.S. are done by Americans. Thats something Mr. Trump should keep in mind.
The sixth annual Promoting Modern Agriculture event has been scheduled for March 23 at the Riverport Inn in Winona, where farmers and farm groups will work together to educate the public about how efficient farming practices benefit everyone.

This years featured speaker is Mike Pearson from Market to Market. His topic will be Whats Driving Agriculture in the Year Ahead? Get ready to laugh and learn with Mike Pearson as he takes the audience on an entertaining journey- a look ahead at the outlook for the farm markets- and global trends impacting these markets. Pearson keeps viewers informed as host of the Weekly Journal of Rural America. Mike grew up on a farm in central Iowa, where his family raises grain and livestock.

Speaking also will be scholarship winners.

The event committee has helped the community in several ways in the past, including:

Awarded $1,000 scholarships in conjunction with Winona County Farm Bureau, Southeast Minnesota Ag Alliance, Minnesota Soybean Growers, Minnesota Pork Producers, and Winona County Corn Growers;

Worked on connecting high-school students with the history and value of agriculture through farm tours and activities;

Been involved with the Winona Chambers annual Family Night on the Farm, where 2,500 people visited a dairy farm; and

Provided book bundles to area schools.

Farmers have significant challenges today and yet have managed to become one of the most adaptable sectors of the economy. In 1945 there were 24 million dairy cows. Today, there are 9 million, and in spite of the fact there are fewer cows, the country is able to be feed not only its own people but can export dairy products to other countries. Modern agriculture proves that farmers are efficient and care deeply about the land and animals.

This event is sponsored by farm families and agribusinesses. The public is encouraged to help through sponsorship. For more information, call Duane Wirt at 507-523-2860 or email duanewirt@hotmail.com.
During last weeks address to Congress, President Trump earned a standing ovation for once again declaring that, in place of Obamacare, Americans should have the freedom to purchase health insurance across state lines.

Heres the dirty little secret: Obamacare already gives Americans this freedom.

Dirtier still: When Republicans propose across state lines legislation, theyre really talking about reducing states sovereignty to make their own regulatory decisions. So much for states rights.

Filthiest yet: The best-case scenario for Trumps proposal would be that nothing happens; worst case, lots of people lose access to health care.

Despite the flip sloganeering, this is complicated stuff. (Nobody knew health care could be so complicated, amirite?) So first, heres some background on how the system works today.

Since 1945, the federal government has delegated the regulation of individual health-insurance plans to the states. That means states have decided what benefits insurers must cover (diabetes screening, in vitro fertilization, acupuncture, etc.); how much insurers can adjust premiums based on age, gender, past illness, occupation and other characteristics; and lots of other kinds of regulations, such as how plans can be marketed.

Then the Affordable Care Act came along.

Among many other provisions, Obamacare raised the floor for what services insurers had to cover, though states can still require benefits above the federal minimum. For example, the ACA says plans must fully pay for certain types of preventive care that not all states required previously.

The law also placed restrictions on how much insurers can adjust premiums based on age and other characteristics (though again, states can limit this further) in the individual and small group markets. The law says insurers cant charge you more just because you once had cancer or because youre female, both practices that almost all states used to allow.

And, apparently unbeknownst to Trump and other Republicans, Obamacare also encouraged the sale of insurance across state lines.

The law set up a framework to help states develop health care choice compacts with one another to allow plans to be sold across borders, conditional on mutually agreed-upon rules. Several states have started the process of creating such compacts. But to date, none has materialized.

Why is ... complicated.

Lots of state regulators dont want to give up turf, according to Georgetown University Health Policy Institute professor Sabrina Corlette. (Theres that state sovereignty thing again.) Plus, insurance companies havent exactly been clamoring for the right to sell across state lines.

The barriers to selling plans in a new state turn out to be less about regulatory red tape and more about the colossal costs associated with setting up networks and negotiating rates with new doctors and hospitals.

What, then, are Republicans proposing?

When Republicans talk about allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, this is shorthand for a bigger suite of deregulatory proposals. What theyre usually referring to is (A) lowering or eliminating the federal minimum standards for all states, and (B) allowing insurers from one state to sell a product that undermines anothers laws.

In other words, they want to allow a company in, say, lower-regulation Alabama to be able to sell insurance in higher-regulation Massachusetts, without having to follow Massachusettss laws about pricing or coverage.

At first blush this idea sounds like it has merit. It might give consumers more options.

But lets game out what happens.

Just as credit card companies tend to domicile in South Dakota, and many other companies wanting to minimize their tax liabilities incorporate in Delaware, every health insurer would have an incentive to park in the state with the least-restrictive regulations.

They could then cherry-pick the youngest, healthiest patients in the higher-regulation states who dont expect to consume much health care, according to Urban Institute senior fellow Linda Blumberg. That would leave behind older, less-healthy people in those relatively higher-regulation states, driving up average costs and making premiums less affordable.

In time, those sicker, older consumers would be forced to either drop their insurance altogether (causing costs for remaining patients to rise even further) or buy less-generous out-of-state coverage themselves. Any struggling insurers left in those high-regulation states would also pressure regulators to loosen coverage requirements to push prices down.

In other words, a race to the bottom. People either lose their coverage because they can no longer afford it, or they end up buying plans that dont cover much of anything.

Its hard to see the upside, which is why even conservative and free-market-oriented health experts have decided this unkillable across state lines proposal is junk. It sure sounds nice to those who dont know much about health care policy. Just ask our president.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is considering adding a visitors fee and cordoning off a section of Pewits Nest State Natural Area that has become a popular spot for diving.

The DNR is seeking public input on its proposed management plan for the property.

The proposal for the local natural hotspot off Highway W west of Baraboo also would create an official hiking trail from the propertys parking lot to two scenic areas overlooking the cliff gorge and Skillet Creek. DNR officials hope to construct a stairway to the top of the gorge as well.

DNR conservation biologist Thomas Meyer said the proposed changes at Pewits Nest came with plans to manage 12 other State Natural Areas that share similar characteristics. Pewits Nest was included because its unique features  including steep cliff faces and a 30 to 40 foot gorge  have made the site a popular tourist destination on social media, and the increase in visitors has led to problems with overuse.

What was once a local secret for enjoying the areas natural beauty has become something of a phenomenon, Meyer said. Public use has soared over the last few years, and with that comes some issues of public overuse.

DNR Southwest ecologist Nate Fayram, who is in charge of managing Pewits Nest, said the plan is intended to reduce illegal activities, protect wildlife from further damage and restore the area for its original purpose.

The main thing is its supposed to be a place where people can go for research and education and aesthetically go there and more passively check the site out, he said. Its not meant to be used as intensively as it has been recently.

Meyer said the DNR has noted issues with visitors littering, vandalizing natural features, staying after the areas operating hours and jumping from the cliff face into the creek at the bottom of the gorge. Although no incidents have proven fatal, cliff jumping has been responsible for several serious injuries in recent years. The high volume of visitors has caused soil compaction and erosion at the property as well.

It has become kind of a mud-packed cattle trail more or less, Meyer said. What we want to do is channel public use so that we have an opportunity to have the forest vegetation recover, and to prevent people from climbing the walls of the gorge and jumping in.

While cliff-jumping is illegal at Pewits Nest, Meyer said park rangers and conservation wardens who oversee the property believe its rules are too lenient to issue citations in many situations. The new plan will establish a closed area and more clearly spell out the rules and regulations of the property.

This proposed restriction will give them a firmer sense of being able to issue citations for people who are in the closed zone, Meyer said. The purpose there is to make it clear to the public that there shall be no public access to that area at all, and if you are in that zone you are subject to a citation.

The closed area will be separated by a low, rustic fence, blocking a few dangerous sections around the gorge. Swimming in the creek will still be allowed, but climbing the cliffs and entering restricted areas will be prohibited.

An admission fee for Pewits Nest is included in the DNRs plans as well. Visitors who dont have a year-round state park sticker will have to purchase a daily pass, similar to the self-service stations at Devils Lake State Park.

Meyer said restricted areas could be fenced off as soon as the proposal is approved by the governor and state Legislature. Other measures that would require state funding, including the proposal to charge park fees and construct new facilities, could take up to two years.

Derrick Mayoleth, who owns Skillet Creek Media and regularly writes about state parks, said hes happy the DNR is addressing issues at Pewits Nest without closing the area entirely. But he also noted a few reservations about whether the new rules will be enforced.

If they put in an overlook, and it is not in the one place that 99 percent of photographers use, they might hop around the overlook and shoot anyways, he said.

While the DNRs law enforcement staff has been subject to budget cuts in recent years, Meyer said he hopes news of the rules at Pewits Nest will spread in the same way the natural area gained popularity through social media.

Our enforcement staff is spread somewhat thinly, he said. Once citations are issued and the word gets out, our hope is that once enforcement starts, it will have a snowball effect.
At the University of Wisconsin Colleges, we believe the idea that theres only one path to college is an antiquated one.

Wisconsin faces a significant workforce shortage, particularly in rural areas. Even in the manufacturing sector, where one might assume there is less demand for employees with bachelors degrees, the workforce is shifting toward a higher level of education as manufacturers shift to greater automation, lean processes and quality improvement efforts. It is estimated 60 percent of jobs will require postsecondary training by 2020.

This is where UW Colleges plays a critical role for our state: to open doors to careers and financial stability. A recent study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that today nearly half of the four-year college graduates nationally started at a two-year college. Its no longer the alternative path to a college education, but the launch many see as the best way to start a four-year degree.

Whether returning to college after a break, starting college later in life, going to college right after high school or taking college classes while in high school, the makeup of the UW Colleges student body is nontraditional. Their stories are varied  about making false starts, working, self-funding college and being in their home community.

Faced with limited job prospects and no college degree, Kyle Hagemeier took advantage of the collaborative degree program between UW Colleges and UW-Platteville and earned his bachelors degree in electrical engineering from UW-Platteville in December 2013. A Kohler Co. employee, Hagemeier started his studies at UW-Sheboygan in 2008 and eventually moved into the UW-Platteville degree program, which is offered on the UW-Sheboygan campus without the need to commute.

As a result of his coursework and degree in engineering, Hagemeier was then hired as an engineering analyst in the Cast Iron Engineering group. I was able to complete my degree in five years and did not have to travel hours a day to do so, Hagemeier said. Without this collaborative degree program in place, I am not sure if I would have been able to do it. I have a wife and four children which take a large amount of my time, and if I would have had to travel to complete my degree, I may not have done it.

Thousands of students around Wisconsin, like Kyle, are tapping into the numerous pathways UW Colleges offers. Whether its through online classes, traditional classrooms, competency-based courses, bachelor completion programs or guaranteed transfer agreements with Wisconsin Technical College System institutions, Wisconsin private nonprofit colleges/universities, and UW System institutions, individuals can make their career goals a reality, while staying in their hometowns.

Our students want a smaller, more personal educational environment to start  with University of Wisconsin coursework, taught by University of Wisconsin teachers. Some want to get acclimated to college and learn better study habits. Some want to get more hands-on help to ensure success in their careers. Others want the reassurance of an environment where they wont get lost.

The UW Colleges are the choice for grounded, practical, career-minded Wisconsinites. Not only do UW Colleges students who transfer within the UW System have a 20 percent higher graduation rate than students who transfer from the Wisconsin Technical College System, only 36 percent of our students take on any debt, compared to 64 percent of students at other UW institutions.

To learn more about the impact we have throughout the state, visit uwcx.org.
MAYVILLE  The Mayville City Council wants the Wisconsin Attorney General to charge suspended Police Chief Christopher MacNeill with misconduct in public office.

After a closed session meeting that lasted a more than an hour, the council authorized Mayor Rob Boelk to file a formal complaint with the Mayville Police and Fire Commission against MacNeill and to request the Attorney Generals Office to bring a charge against MacNeill.

MacNeill has been on leave since Feb. 9 after city officials learned of an unspecified allegation against him on Feb. 6.

Watertown Police Department was asked to investigate the matter and provided the results of that investigation to Mayville officials late last week.

Capt. Ryan Vossekuil, who has been heading the police department in MacNeills absence, was present for the meeting Monday and participated for a short period in the closed session.

We believe the Mr. MacNeill violated the policies and rules of the Mayville Police Department, Boelk said, but added he could not disclose what rules or policies were violated at this time.

He said contact with the attorney general and the PFC would take place soon and mentioned that Mayville Police and Fire Commission has authority over disciplinary matters involving the police and fire departments. That means any decision about ending MacNeills employment would likely be made by the PFC.

Misconduct in public office is a Class I felony and includes a wide variety of potential conduct including refusing to perform duties mandated by law, exceeding legal authority, falsifying records, exercising discretionary power to gain advantage for yourself or someone else and bribery.

MacNeill has served as Mayvilles Police Chief since 2011. He has worked in the department since 2000.
Students at Beaver Dam High School learned about the need for clean water throughout the world Monday morning after a Thirst Project representative visited the school.

The Thirst Project began in 2008 with a group of college students from southern California who became aware of the problems with people around the globe having access to adequate drinking water. The group became bigger and bigger and has a mission of building a socially conscious generation of young people to end the global water crisis.

Kellen Brewer spoke to a group of students at Beaver Dam High School. Brewer is going across America talking to students about the global water project.

Our planet is 70 percent water, but less than 3 percent is available as fresh drinking water, Brewer said. 663 million people do not have access to clean drinking water.

As a result of the lack of drinking water, horrible things happen throughout the world, Brewer said.

4,100 children will die today as a result of drinking contaminated water, Brewer said.

It may be hard for children in America to realize that there are places out there where people walk miles in order to get contaminated water to help their families to survive, but that is the reality for many people.

Brewer said currently they are working on projects in Swaziland to help provide clean water to those living there. Their goal is to create wells to provide everyone with clean water.

We employ local drillers to drill fresh water wells, Brewer said.

Bringing fresh water into communities reduces disease rates as well as child mortality.

Brewer said they gain support from students around the country and hope that the students in Beaver Dam will come up with unique ways to support them as well.

We will be the generation to end this crisis, Brewer said.

To find more about the Thirst Project visit www.thirstproject.org.
Fight  Friday at 10:20 a.m., someone reported that two groups of women were fighting in the 100 block of Frances Lane. One woman was cited with battery.

Vandalism  Friday at 1:29 p.m., a man reported that a rock was thrown through a door in the 100 block of Front Street.

Accident  Saturday at 11:30 a.m., someone backed his or her vehicle into a squad car in the 1500 block of North Spring Street.

Theft  Saturday at 10:31 a.m., a woman told police that her front license plate was stolen in the 800 block of Park Avenue.

Vandalism  Saturday at 5:22 p.m., an 18-year-old man reported damage to his property while he was moving items from his apartment in the 100 block of East Mill Street.
The classrooms at Fort Winnebago Elementary School are no longer filled with students and teachers, but fond memories still burn bright for Bill Schroeder 55 years after he attended the old school in rural Portage.

Schroeder, who has lived in the Portage area his entire life, attended the school when it opened in 1962. He watched his children go through school at Fort Winnebago and his granddaughter attended it for a short time until the Portage School District decided it no longer could use the facility in 2013. For the Schroeders, three generations passed through the halls of the old school.

We always had a very active parent-teacher organization and there was always events going on there; they treated the kids well, Schroeder said. The school brought a lot of the community together. We had winter programs and school picnics and you lose some of that when you move away from the community and push everybody into another school.

Lasting impact

Fort Winnebago joined a list of several small rural schools in the area that were forced to close in recent years. While school districts close these buildings for various reasons, the effects can impact small communities for years to come. Closing a school takes a piece of the communitys heart that will never be replaced.

In the early 60s, four one-room schoolhouses consolidated into one, forming Fort Winnebago. Back then, the school housed children in grades 1-8 and Schroeder attended for three years, starting in 1962. In the late 60s, the building turned into a first-sixth grade school and remained that way until it closed four years ago.

The Portage School District eventually added on, putting in a gymnasium, a library and two other classrooms, Schroeder said. The school seemed to be doing well.

Caledonia Elementary was also shuttered in 2013. According to Schroeder, the Portage School District decided to bring sixth graders into its middle school and didnt see the need to continue operating the two rural facilities. Portage administrators believed students in sixth through eighth would coexist and function well, but Schroeder said its been a failed experiment.

Once they moved them into the middle school, the sixth graders now come in through the back side of the school and the seventh and eighth graders come in through the front side and they never really mix, Schroeder said. Its like theyre segregated.

Portages decision was met with fierce criticism from community members in Fort Winnebago and Caledonia. The district did decide to keep one rural school  Lewiston Elementary  open, despite it being smaller than Fort Winnebago.

Everyone wondered why and they said its kind of in-between Caledonia and Fort Winnebago, which is a farce, really, Schroeder said. But one of the school board members lived in Lewiston.

When open enrollment led to greater school choice, Schroeder said parents from Fall River, Columbus, Poynette and even as far as Marquette County were sending their children to Fort Winnebago. The small rural school was a popular education destination.

People were traveling 20, 30 miles to bring their kids to Fort Winnebago, Schroeder said. Yet they closed the school down and none of us were thrilled about it. I guess weve adjusted to it.

When school wasnt in session, the Fort Winnebago town board used the school for government meetings and elections. In 2015, the Portage School District sold the building to Cooperative Educational Service Agency 5 to teach students with alternative needs. But, if CESA 5 decides to sell the building, the town can no longer use it.

Schroeder said children who attended Fort Winnebago often had success in high school and beyond.

When you looked at the honor roll and watched the kids who were doing well, once they moved into Portage for high school, you always saw a lot of kids with a higher grade-point average, Schroeder said. They were given individual attention, had good teachers and they did a good job teaching them and that followed through. I dont think they had the discipline problems like they do now in town. Now you see police coming in to handle even the little kids; you never saw that in the rural school. Teachers handled their problems and there were no big issues.

Forming deep bonds

Perhaps no other community in the area was as connected to its small school as Rock Springs.

Rock Springs Elementary, which housed K-6 students, was built in the 1960s, but Reedsburg Area School District decided to close it following the 2008-09 school year. Jean Holtz, a Rock Springs resident since 1977, said the school had deep ties to the community, especially the local library. Holtz serves as president of the Rock Springs Library Board.

What a school does for a community... you get to know one another like a family, Holtz said. Its like losing connection with your family. Even if you didnt have children going there, there was still a connection with the school. Today, taking all of these rural schools out of communities is like breaking apart a family.

Holtzs husband, Marvin, attended school in Rock Springs before the newest facility opened and the couples children also attended the school. Since Rock Springs Elementary had a tight budget, the library often lent a hand by providing current reading material for students.

We worked together as a community to provide that service, Holtz said. You get to know the students and theyre all kind of familiar faces. You would drive by, see the children, see the buses and you would know there was activity in the community.

Holtz believes closing Rock Springs Elementary made the Reedsburg School District less accessible to rural students. In 2012, the school district sold the building for CESA 5 instruction.

School districts desire to break up classes into smaller age groups often leads to school closures. When Marvin Holtz attended Rock Springs, the elementary taught students up to eighth grade.

Its unfortunate because when you have so many age groups together you learn and work like a family, Holtz said. Little children are always going to be watching the older children and youre going to be held more accountable as you get older. When you get all that same age group together with larger numbers, its a much harder group of children to control.

While the school has been closed for several years, memories of what the school provided for tiny Rock Springs live on. Holtz said there was a lot of grieving in the community after it closed.

While the building has been used for instruction for a few years, Holtz said the number of students is far less than the student body that flowed through the halls for nearly five decades. For many years, the school had around 120 students.

As the building aged, infrastructure repairs piled up. In addition, enrollment throughout Reedsburg was dropping. The remaining students at Rock Springs were merged into other elementary schools and Reedsburg pulled the plug.

I believe Loganville and La Valle (schools) are going through the same thing and theyre considering closing those schools as well, Holtz said.

If those schools close, Reedsburg may have to pass a referendum to build another school to house students from the shuttered facilities.

I dont envy the school districts position because they have to be fiscally responsible, Holtz said. Its a tough decision, but theyre not always easy to take.

Fond meories

Lynne Rudy has taught in the Royall School District for more than 40 years. Rudy has seen plenty of changes and a major one came in 2011 when Royall closed Kendall Elementary School.

The school stands abandoned and while there is new playground equipment behind the building, very little remnants of the schools identity remain. Rudy, a fifth-grade teacher, taught in Kendall for more than a decade. She began her career at the school teaching special education.

The old Kendall school housed children in grades K-8. In those days, the school district accepted kids from Elroy, Kendall and Wilton. Due to travel concerns, Wilton seceded from the district to join Brookwood. After Wilton left, Kendall was reduced to grades 4-6 for about 10 years. Eventually, Royall decided keeping Kendall alive wasnt feasible.

The district figured it could save a lot of money by busing the kids to one location and you wont have to pay what we call windshield time, Rudy said.

While classes no are longer taught there, Rudy left with plenty of memories.

It was a lovely little building and it had a sense of family, Rudy said. The big kids would help the little kindergartners put their boots on an off in the winter and you knew you were going to get that kindergartner in your room in a few years. You knew the families. It was a very close-knit little community.

Rudy said the school had a bird cage in the hallway and children enjoyed feeding birds and watching babies hatch.

They loved to watch them come out of the shell and hold them, Rudy said.

Rudy also recalls Sue Ann Thompson, wife of former governor Tommy Thompson, teaching in Kendall.

One time she had her husband come for Veterans Day  we always did a big Veterans Day program that filled the gym, Rudy said. He came in a helicopter with a National Guard general from Wisconsin and landed it on our playground. But that wasnt as big of news as the governor marching up and kissing his wife right there in front of the whole school. It was amazing.

With small, aging playground equipment, parents in Kendall raised about $30,000 for replacements. Despite the schools closure, the equipment is still used, but not as frequently.

Everybody kind of knew the school wouldnt last, Rudy said. They kept it open as long as they could, but there comes a time when the well runs dry. There is no more money.

Changing hands

In many cases, school districts will close a small rural school because of the distance from its other buildings.

In 2005, Baraboo made the difficult choice to close Fairfield Elementary. School board member Doug Mering wasnt on the board back then, but recalled why the district closed the school. The district had one principal overseeing multiple schools and since Fairfield was north of the city, traveling made the job even more strenuous.

Problems do occur when youre offsite at another building, Mering said. The district decided it was best to move those kids from Fairfield into the Baraboo city district where the other schools are located. A large portion went to East Elementary.

Mering said the district received some opposition to the closing, but most residents believed it was a good decision. Baraboo hasnt closed any other schools since 2005, despite tight budgets.

Anytime a school closes, youre going to have concern, especially if you are a parent who has children in that area, Mering said. We try as best we can to minimize those instances, but we also have to consider costs. Sometimes when you make those decisions, there are going to be groups who dont like it, but you have to go with the hand youre dealt with as far as finances.

Similar to other local schools that were closed, CESA 5 used the building for alternative instruction for several years and rented it from the Baraboo School District. Mering said CESA 5 was a suitable tenant, but the district could no longer maintain the building.

We were just breaking even with what we had, so we decided to put the building out for bids, Mering said. We did get two bids back, one from CESA 5 and the other from Community Christian School, which was the higher bidder. Theyve been in there the past few years.

Joining forces

Not all closed schools in the area have seen a dire fate.

In Sauk Prairie, administrators found creative ways to keep buildings open. A couple years ago, the district closed Black Hawk Elementary and merged students into Tower Rock Elementary by expanding the school with funds from a referendum.

Prior to the merger, Black Hawks student population was about 125, 130 students, while Tower Rock was about 120, said Sauk Prairie Superintendent Cliff Thompson. What the community and district decided to do was bring all of those children together to form the new Tower Rock, so we have about 239 students there, 4-year-old kindergarten to fifth grade.

Classes at the school with a combined student body have retained an agricultural focus. The new Tower rock also has focused on art and Spanish language learning.

Its not a charter school, but it is an elementary learning facility in a rural setting, Thompson said.

From 2003-2005, Thompson served as principal at three schools, splitting time between Black Hawk, Tower Rock and Merrimac Elementary.

It made it challenging to be available to support students, staffs and families, but it was an incredible opportunity for me to be a part of three thriving elementary learning communities that had a smaller student population than the learning communities in town, Thompson said. In my last year doing that I was at each school every day; I drove over 400 miles every week. The staff wanted me there for a short time every day, but in reality we needed to adjust it.

About 10 years ago, Thompson helped the school at Merrimac develop a charter, transforming it into Merrimac Community Charter School. The school, which teaches children in grades K-5, has grown steadily and attracts students from both Sauk and Columbia counties.

Trying to remain

While discussion has swirled for years whether to close Neenah Creek Elementary, the school remains safe, for now.

The Briggsville school is more than 12 miles east of the Wisconsin Dells School District. It remains a true outlier, but according to Superintendent Terry Slack, the district has no plans to shut it down.

In 1993, the district shuttered both Big Spring and Briggsville elementary schools, forming Neenah Creek.

About a year ago, we had been working through a building process and the architectural firm put an option out there that we might want to consider closing that school from the standpoint of its operating efficiency, Slack said. The board has never talked about that, it only came from an outside perspective. It angered some people and got them worked up, but weve had no further discussion about closing Neenah Creek.

Slack said the district is considering building a school in Lake Delton to address an enrollment increase in that area.

While Slack is confident Neenah Creek will remain open, other Dells residents are skeptical. Jim Rodwell served on the school board for nine years, from 2006-2015. Rodwell is a fierce supporter of keeping rural schools open, especially Neenah Creek.

Neenah Creek used to be one of the best performing schools in our district and theyve backed off from that because we dont have a good, solid anchored teacher there anymore and theyve kind of let things go to hell, Rodwell said. Strategically, I think its done by the school board to let the school fail so its easier to close it down.

Rodwell said a new school in Lake Delton could prompt the district to close Neenah Creek. If thats the case, Rodwell would like to see it used as a charter school so it still thrives in rural Briggsville.

The community is behind that school, Rodwell said. Even if there arent enough kids in that school, the community would do something with it. In the long run, closing it would hurt the school district more than helping it. The people out there wont allow it.

There are three sides to this and it includes the people out in Briggsville, the people in Lake Delton and the ones in the Dells and everybody has to get a little piece of the pie or nothing is going to fly.
A state law that preempts local municipalities from enacting gun ordinances that are stricter than state law also bars cities from enacting rules that prohibit guns on public transportation, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

In a 5-2 decision, the court overturned an appeals court decision that allowed a Metro Transit policy to ban firearms on Madison city buses, saying it did not conflict with a state law that bars municipalities in Wisconsin from enacting ordinances or resolutions that restrict firearms more than state law.

Justice Daniel Kelly wrote the opinion for the majority. Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Shirley Abrahamson dissented.

John Monroe, who represented Wisconsin Carry, which brought the lawsuit that led to the courts decision, said he and Wisconsin Carry are pleased with the decision.

The Supreme Court gave a thorough analysis of why the city of Madison lacks the authority to ban carrying guns on city buses, Monroe said. We are pleased with this decision and look forward to putting an end to Madisons enforcement of its illegal rule.

We are very disappointed by the courts ruling, which we believe fails to adequately acknowledge the citys legal authority to control its own property and to protect users of our transit system, Madison City Attorney Michael May said.

We anticipate the courts ruling means that other carriers who may not discriminate among their passengers  Greyhound, Van Galder, taxis and the like  will be subject to the same rule, May added. The city will of course comply with the ruling, while examining its other options.

In a statement, Metro Transit said it has a great deal of concern about the opinion that allows loaded guns on our buses.

Metro Transit General Manager Chuck Kamp said the policy remains in effect for now, but likely within a few days those with concealed carry permits can carry firearms on buses.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said he intends to ask the state Legislature to amend the law to clarify that cities do have the ability to prohibit firearms on buses, just as they have the ability to prohibit guns in public buildings.

We see no reason why it should not be permissible under the Constitution for us to do something incredibly reasonable, Soglin said.

He said he believes such legislation would have a very good prospect of getting through the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Policy or ordinance?

The city had argued that the Metro policy was not the same as an ordinance or resolution imposing stricter local gun controls, something that is barred under the state law.

But the court said there was no action the city could take that would not be considered as an ordinance or resolution, given the authority it grants to the city Transit and Parking Commission, which created the rule.

Consequently, if a statute removes the authority of a municipalitys governing body to adopt an ordinance or resolution on a particular subject, the governing body loses all legislative authority on that subject, Kelly wrote. Thus, the plain meaning of the Local Regulation Statute is that the Legislature withdrew from the citys governing body all authority to legislate on the subjects it identifies.

The only exception would be if the rule were no more stringent than the state law which regulates possession of guns or knives.

Because a municipality cannot delegate what it does not have, the city is entirely powerless to authorize any of its sub-units to legislate on the subject, Kelly wrote.

In her dissent, Bradley wrote that the issue was one of statutory interpretation, one that she believes both Dane County Circuit Judge Ellen Berz and the state 4th District Court of Appeals got right. Both found that the Metro policy barring weapons aboard buses was not an ordinance or a resolution.

A majority of this court, however, fails to exercise the same restraint, Bradley wrote. Discarding seminal rules or statutory interpretation, the majority slips into legislative mode, and ignores the plain meaning of the words chosen by the legislature. It rewrites the statute in a manner it wishes the legislature had chosen, a manner chosen by several other states, but not Wisconsin.

Law-making

as comedy

But Kelly wrote that the Supreme Court is not merely arbiters of word choice. Instead, he wrote, the court must apply the plain meaning of the statute, emphasizing the word meaning, which he wrote is found in the statutes text, context and structure.

If a citys governing body thereby loses authority to legislate on that subject, Kelly wrote, we must then consider whether a citys sub-unit can nonetheless legislate on that subject when authority is denied to the governing body itself.

It cannot, he wrote.

The commission has no authority but for what it received from the city, Kelly wrote, and the city has no authority to legislate contrary to the boundaries established by the Local Regulation Statute. This means that if the rule is more stringent than a state statute, then to that extent the city no longer has authority to enforce it.

As to whether the Legislature should have included the word rules in the pre-emption law if it meant to bar cities from making rules, as opposed to ordinances and resolutions, Kelly wrote that it would require the Legislature to list every possible label for a legislative act that it intended to withdraw from municipal authority.

But this is law-making as comedy, with a hapless Legislature chasing about a wily municipality as it first enacts an ordinance on a forbidden subject, and then a policy, then a rule, then a standard, and on and on until one of them wearies of the pursuit or the other exhausts the thesaurus, Kelly wrote.

Kelly also rejected the citys argument that the city rule is no more stringent than a state law. The law allows individual owners of vehicles to bar guns from their vehicles, but Kelly said the city cant argue that about buses. The citys ownership of buses doesnt allow it to exclude lawful passengers, Kelly wrote.

Soglin differed, saying that as owner of the buses the city should have the right to dictate behavior aboard them, including the possession of weapons.

But he said that change may rest with owners of other, private bus companies that run routes across state lines, because they would have standing to take the issue to federal court if they dont want firearms on their buses.
Cutting off Medicaid payments from Planned Parenthood for a year, as outlined in the House bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, would devastate essential health care access in Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said Tuesday.

Other parts of the bill could cause some of the 242,000 people in the state who get insurance on the health laws exchange to lose coverage and result in cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health program for the poor that covers nearly 1.2 million state residents, advocates say.

About 50,000 of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsins 60,000 patients are eligible for Medicaid, spokeswoman Iris Riis said. Medicaid brings in about $11 million a year, accounting for nearly half of the organizations $24 million budget, Riis said.

Planned Parenthoods 21 clinics in the state provide birth control, cancer screening, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Two of the clinics  in Madison and Milwaukee  also provide abortions, for which Medicaid funding cant be used.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, of Janesville, has said other providers  namely, federally qualified health centers  could take over the non-abortion services now offered at Planned Parenthood.

Wisconsin has 17 of the health centers. Most of them, including Access Community Health Centers in Madison, have multiple delivery sites.

Some of the centers could take on more patients, said Lisa Olson, director of policy and programs for the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, which represents the centers.

But other centers have waiting lists, and many dont serve the same counties as Planned Parenthood does, Olson said. The centers face their own potential budget cuts through a repeal of the health law, she said.

This uncertainty makes it difficult to predict future ability to take on new patients, Olson said.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin also gets $3.5 million a year through a federal grant, about $700,000 of which is shared with La Crosse-based Essential Health and Janesville-based First Choice Health Center.

The three-year grant expires early next year, and Planned Parenthood plans to apply to continue it, Riis said.

The House bill appears to keep giving Planned Parenthood access to the grant, she said. But a bill passed by the Wisconsin Legislature two years ago requires the state Department of Health Services to compete with Planned Parenthood for the grant.

In 2011, the state blocked state funding from Planned Parenthood, leading the organization to close clinics in Beaver Dam, Chippewa Falls, Fond du Lac, Johnson Creek and Shawano in 2013 and 2014.

Other aspects of the House bill to unravel the Affordable Care Act could impact people who get insurance on the exchange or through Medicaid.

The bill would replace income-based subsidies on the exchange with age-based tax credits to buy insurance on the individual market, which could make coverage unaffordable for people with lower incomes, said Jon Peacock, research director for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families.

By shifting federal funding for Medicaid from an open-ended entitlement to a per-capita payment, the bill would force the state to spend more on Medicaid or make cuts, Peacock said. It will result in rationing of Medicaid services, he said.

For the vast majority of people under age 65 who get health insurance through their employers, the House bills elimination of a requirement that large employers offer insurance wont have much effect in the Madison area, said Brad Niebuhr, director of employee benefits in the Madison market for M3 Insurance, a brokerage firm.

I dont believe well see large employers in south-central Wisconsin dismantle their medical plans, Niebuhr said. Before the ACA, there wasnt an employer mandate, and they still offered plans.
Wednesday is the annual International Womens Day, but participants have declared this year's event A Day Without Women.

In Madison, some activists are claiming it as a return to the days socialist roots, others are calling for a strike and others plan to use the day to encourage young girls.

Multiple Wisconsin groups originally planned separate events around these disparate causes, but a spate of sponsoring organizations will come together to host a day full of activities at the state Capitol, including a march, rally and lobbying activities.

We had a lot of disparate events going on at the same time, all at the Capitol, said Sarah Smith, one of the organizers. (We) incorporated everything we want to do.

Smith helped bring Wisconsinites to the Womens March on Washington in January, and in cooperation with the Womens March organizers, is calling for a general strike of women on March 8. She created a Facebook page for the event.

Marching is great, but we need to stop marching in circles and get in front of our elected officials at town hall meetings and in their offices and make sure they're doing their job for us, she said.

But Smith started seeing other Facebook events for the day, from organizations like the International Socialist Organization and Womens March on Madison. As organizers saw each other's events on Facebook, they met to combine their various activities into one event.

Now, its an intergenerational, multi-focus event, Smith said.

Its quite varied, she said.

Organizers are asking for women to strike from paid or unpaid labor, to wear red and to shop only at immigrant-owned or women-owned businesses.

The day will start with at 8:45 a.m., as girls in kindergarten through fifth grade can come to the Capitol for an alternative day of learning, including a kid-friendly tour of the building, craft-making, a mock voting session, a parade around the Capitol and a chance to meet state Reps. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, and Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, and Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson.

UW-Madison and Madison East High students will begin marching from Library Mall at 11:30 a.m., in order to arrive at the Capitol by noon. A large number of East High students and teachers have expressed interest in the event, Smith said.

A rally at the Capitol at noon will feature speakers from the various sponsoring organizations, including UW-Madison student organizations and high school students. The noon time was intentionally set so women who cannot strike can visit the Capitol on their lunch hour.

Each sponsoring group and speaker has a slightly different focus, Smith said. Some will speak about encouraging young girls to study math and science or support of public schools. For her, its direct action to affect legislation that relates to women in the workplace.

Specifically, she wants to encourage the reinstatement of Wisconsins Equal Pay Enforcement Act and the passage of the Healthy Babies, Working Mothers Act, which would require employers to provide space for breastfeeding mothers, she said.

After the rally, she plans to lead an effort to lobby legislators from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Participants can meet in the rotunda to receive lobbying tips and literature, then will be sent out in groups to start knocking on office doors.

I know a lot of people have never done this before, and I want to make sure it seems accessible, Smith said. Im interested in taking us from just marching  into direct action and going into the Capitol and telling our elected officials what we expect from them.

The last event of the day has an even more radical focus: at 7 p.m., Madison Socialist Alternative and Socialist Students of Madison are hosting an event titled International Womens Day Against Trump in the George L. Mosse Humanities building at 455 N. Park St. The Facebook page for the event points out that the day was originally organized as a day of socialist and militant working class causes.

Sexism is fostered by capitalist politics and economics, the page said, and speakers include socialist organizers and activists will discuss a socialist strategy to address sexist policies.

Speakers include Darletta Scruggs, an organizer with Chicago Socialist Alternative and Movement for Black Lives, and Lupe Salmeron, an Edgewood college student who is a DACA recipient.

Join this International Womens Day to say loud and clear - WE CAN DEFEAT TRUMP's SEXISM!, the page said.

The days emphasis on President Donald Trump will vary by group, Smith said, but shes been trying to turn the focus of the Womens March to the state.

We have plenty to do in Wisconsin that we can impact much more directly than whats going on in DC, she said. Obviously, as we live in Madison, so its very easy for us to talk to and impact our legislators.

Better state laws will put Wisconsin in a much better place to withstand everything thats going to come from the Trump administration, she said.

As a low estimate, Smith said organizers expect 300 to 400 people.

Sponsoring organizations include Womens March: We March Forward, the International Socialist Organization, Socialist Alternative, the Madison chapter of the National Organization for Women, Student Coalition for Progress, and students from UW-Madison and East High School.
When the attorney general asked about jail procedures dealing with inmates suffering opioid withdrawal, he received a straightforward answer, but in the process he opened a much larger can of worms.

You have to have a court order for someone to get mental health care and were usually on a waiting list of a month or two months for that person to get in, said Columbia County Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy Darrel Kuhl, comparing it to a situation of an inmate coming off opioids, in which resources are readily available with a standard procedure.

So if they dont have charges, why do you have them? Brad Schimel, the states top law enforecement officer, asked in a follow-up during a Friday listening session at the Columbia County Law Enforcement Center.

Because were generally called to a location on a complaint, said Kuhl. And once we get with them, if there is somebody who is unable to take care of themselves, we cant just walk away, so its our call to the human services department or mental health department: Where can we get this person placed?

There are no beds available for in-patient psychiatric treatment in 51 of 72 Wisconsin counties. Although it creates an ongoing issue for Columbia County law enforcement officials, they are far from having the most challenging territory in this respect, particularly when compared to the sparse medical resources of Northern Wisconsin.

Do you take them to Winnebago? asked Julie Laundrie, media coordinator for state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton.

We take them pretty much everywhere, said Kuhl. If there are criminal charges, then Mendota.

In the spring of 2014 the Mendota Mental Health Institute stopped accepting patients for non-forensic cases, who are not in the state correctional system.

Once there is a court order  it depends on the kind of order  then you get on that waiting list and if you dont call back, generally, they wont remember youre on the list, said Kuhl. So you call back every few days to remind them and theyre usually pretty upfront and say, Its going to be 45, 50, 60, 70 days or whatever.

Columbia County Circuit Court Judge W. Andrew Voigt jumped into the conversation to confirm the situation from the judicial side of the equation.

If you dont start down that road until 60 or 70 days after Ive issued an order, said Voigt, there are some things that require a report back to me in 90 days. If they dont leave the jail for two-thirds of that time, whats the point?

District Attorney Jane Kohlwey brought up another frustration in terms of the limitations to care in the jail, with psychotropic medications not being allowed in the facility.

So the person just disintegrates horribly in the jail, said Kohlwey,when if they were in a mental health facility they, very likely, could be functioning out in the community again.

If there is a severe mental health crisis and no (criminal) charges, where do you take them? asked Schimel.

That is one of our biggest problems right now, with the constraints against us and how long it takes to get something like this done, said Lodi Police Chief Scott Klicko. Were looking at between six and 14 hours of time every time someone has to be detained, afterward and trying to find a bed for them somewhere.

Sheriff Dennis Richards added a reminder that when someone is brought to a mental health facility, it falls on the Sheriffs Office to bring them back later.

And depending on the disability of the person involved, or any other drugs on board, or the circumstances, said Portage Police Department Lt. Keith Klafke, stepping into the conversation, one hospital may say yes until they find out more and then they wipe their hands and say, We cant take him now. Then the transport has to turn around and find a new place to go.

And the victim in this case has now been suffering tied up in the hospital for six to eight hours waiting for clearance getting irritated and its an officer safety issue, said Poynette Police Chief Eric Fisher, who previously had been a quieter member of the group. Now were calling in officers from other departments if there are issues with safety. The whole system is broken in my opinion.

We have some people in Columbia County with severe mental health problems and well have them in and out and in and out, said Kuhl.

Would it be helpful if Mendota opened to emergency detentions again, they havent been for two years, would it be helpful if they did? asked Laundrie.

That would save us two hours one way and if they opened up some more beds, said Klicko, that would be helpful to get something a little bit closer.

I think we need to reassess law enforcements involvement in the whole process, said Columbus Police Chief Daniel Meister. I think my colleagues will agree that the majority of the people we come in contact with when were doing an emergency detention, are usually cooperative and are non-violent, and theres no reason for law enforcement to be there in the first place.

When Im in a squad car, Im usually in the front seat, but it seems like that back seat may not be the best place to be in a mental health crisis, said Schimel. It seems like things could get worse, when youre talking about an awful lot of time that theyre going to spend back there before someone starts providing them some kind of help.

Rep. Dave Considine, D-Baraboo, who attended with Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi, and Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, found no coincidence in how law enforcement priorities surfaced during the meeting.

Were making some progress, there are mental health things in the budget, but the other part that came out of this meeting is how fast we transitioned to mental health, said Considine after the meeting.

And really, I think that is where the funds need to be spent  on the early end and as we do that, that will also lessen the demand for drugs. Just help kids deal with all the stresses they have in their lives. Thats another way.

Gov. Scott Walker increased spending on mental health services by $29 million for the 2013-2015 budget, more than any Wisconsin governor in 25 years.

The Wisconsin chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness praised the move, while also criticizing Walker for rejecting expansion of Medicaid coverage of mental health services under the Affordable Care Act.
Herbert E. Feil

Herb Feil, 78, went home to his lord and savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, March 5, 2017, after living with Alzheimers disease.

Visitation for Herb will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church, 335 Jones Dr., Randolph, and from noon to 2 p.m. on March 13.

Funeral service will be held beginning at 2 p.m. Monday, March 13, at the church, with the Rev. Daniel Schumann officiating. Burial will follow at Randolph Cemetery with military honors provided by Randolph VFW Post 9510 Honor Guard.

Randolph Community Funeral Home (www.randolphfh.com) is serving the family.
Some things in life take careful organizing and planning. Thats what Muskego resident Joal Derse-Dauer does for a living; she helps people get organized. But one day she stumbled upon a rescue dog that would change her life  and upend many of Derse-Dauers carefully laid plans. That dogs name is Sadie.

Derse-Dauer and Sadie will share a message of acceptance and anti bullying during a March 15 presentation at the Ruth Culver Community Library.

An 8-year old Australian shepherd mix, Sadie was shot between the eyes and in the back and left for dead in the Kentucky mountains. She was found, brought to a vet, and by chance ended up in a no-kill shelter in Wisconsin. Thats where Derse-Dauer first saw her.

I was delivering a bunch of blankets to the local animal shelter and on my way out, I saw her, she said. I asked what her story was and our story goes from there. The stars were aligned. It was absolutely meant to be.

Sadie does not have the use of her hind legs due to the bullet and shrapnel still inside her. Shes confined to a wagon when she travels and otherwise gets around in a special cart.

I dont know what it was; call it divine intervention that I brought those blankets out that day, Derse-Dauer said. But I knew that day she was my dog and she was going to one day walk again.

Ruth Culver Community Library childrens librarian Beth Hays said the presentation is unlike any other the library has hosted.

This is kind of a unique program, Hays said. Theres a short video that talks about Sadies journey and you can hear the sound of a gunshot in it. But sometimes you have to look at what a problem is before you can overcome it.

Derse-Dauer said Sadies message is about kindness.

She is a living, breathing animal and we talk about being kind to every living creature, she said. Ultimately, I am hoping to change kids attitudes.

Since Sadies rescue, Derse-Dauer has written two books about her  one about her life, due out in September, and the other, a childrens book, called Sadie and the Superstars.

Its about acceptance of people with special needs, she said.

The presentations Sadie and Derse-Dauer offer are for anyone, but she tailors each discussion to the audience.

When we are at a nursing home it encourages people to think about the things they can do, instead of focusing on what they cant do  like Sadie, she said.

The presentation in Prairie du Sac will focus on acceptance and have an anti-bullying.

Derse-Dauer said she now has two full-time jobs now because she is also helping spread Sadies message.

This was never on my bucket list of things to do, it just happened, she said. I certainly never thought Id be rehabbing a dog with special needs.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. provides early education and child care, back-up care, educational advisory, and other workplace solutions services for employers and families. The company operates through three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Care, and Educational Advisory and Other Services. The Full Service Center-Based Child Care segment offers traditional center-based child care and early education, preschool, and elementary education services. The Back-Up Care segment provides center-based back-up child care, in-home child and adult/elder dependent care, school-age camps, virtual tutoring, and self-sourced reimbursed care services through child care centers, school-age campuses, and in-home caregivers, as well as the back-up care network. The Educational Advisory and Other Services segment offers tuition assistance and student loan repayment program administration, workforce education, and related educational consulting services, as well as college admissions advisory services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,014 child care and early education centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and India. The company was formerly known as Bright Horizons Solutions Corp. and changed its name to Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. in July 2012. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts.
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Tableau Software, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides business analytics software products. It offers Tableau Desktop, a self-service, powerful analytics product with data; Tableau Server, a business intelligence platform for organizations; Tableau Online, a hosted software-as-a-service version of Tableau Server; Tableau Prep, a data preparation product for combining, shaping, and cleaning data; and Tableau Public, a cloud-based platform for analyzing and sharing public data. In addition, it offers Visual Query Language (VizQL) for databases, which is a computer language for describing pictures of data, including graphs, charts, maps, time series, and tables of visualizations; Live Query Engine that interprets abstract queries generated by VizQL into syntax understandable by database systems; and Hyper, an in-memory data engine technology that helps customers to analyze a range of data sets by evaluating analytical queries directly in the transactional database. Further, the company provides support, maintenance, training, and professional services. It serves organizations in various industries, including business services, energy and telecommunications, financial services, life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing and technology, media and entertainment, public sector, and education, as well as retail, consumer, and distribution industries. The company sells its products directly, as well as through indirect sales channels, such as technology vendors, resellers, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendor, and distributors in the United States, Canada, and internationally. Tableau Software, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.




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Amano highlights IAEA efforts to bolster safety

07 March 2017

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will look to strengthen its activities to bolster nuclear safety around the world, the agency's director-general Yukiya Amano told its board of governors yesterday. He also informed the board of progress in the IAEA's other work.

Amano addresses the board meeting (Image: IAEA)

Addressing the board at its meeting in Vienna, Amano said: "We will consider ways of further strengthening our work in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety. We will continue to focus on regulatory effectiveness, safety culture and capacity-building." He added, "Efforts to strengthen global nuclear safety in light of the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident continue as we approach its sixth anniversary."

Amano said a number of important nuclear safety and security documents had been presented to the board. The Nuclear Safety Review 2017, he said, provides an overview of IAEA activities in 2016 and of global trends in nuclear safety. "It also presents priorities for 2017 and beyond," he said.

He told the board that the first draft of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan 2018-2021 has been circulated for discussion and informal consultations have begun. "It is intended to guide our work in providing support to Member States over the next four years ... Our focus is on concrete measures which will be of practical value to all countries as they work to strengthen nuclear security ... Radioactive sources offer many benefits in such areas as medicine, industry and agriculture. But they pose risks to human health and the environment if not managed safely and securely."

The disposal of radioactive sources is an important issue for many Member States, especially developing countries, he said. "I hope a solution satisfactory to all Member States can be achieved."

LEU Bank

Construction of the IAEA low-enriched uranium (LEU) storage facility in Kazakhstan is proceeding on schedule, Amano said. He noted the LEU Bank is expected to be completed and ready to receive LEU by this September. This will be a physical reserve of LEU - the basic ingredient of nuclear fuel - and act as a supplier of last resort for the IAEA's Member States in case they cannot obtain LEU on the global commercial market or otherwise.

"You have before you for approval an agreement between the IAEA and China for the transit of LEU to and from the LEU Bank," Amano informed the board. "It is similar to the agreement with the Russian Federation which you approved in 2015." He said the IAEA continues to work on the LEU Procurement Plan and aims to have the LEU acquisition contract in place before the end of this year.

Verification and monitoring

The IAEA has been verifying and monitoring Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for more than a year. He said the IAEA in January verified the removal of excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow fuel enrichment plant to the Natanz enrichment plant, where they are now stored under IAEA monitoring. The agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its safeguards agreement, he added.

However, Amano remains "seriously concerned" with North Korea's nuclear program. "It is deeply regrettable that the DPRK has shown no indication that it is willing to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions adopted in response to its two nuclear tests last year," he said.

He presented the board with a draft safeguards agreement with Pakistan concerning units 2 and 3 of the Karachi nuclear power plant. These are planned to be Chinese-designed Hualong One units.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Japanese utilities enhance nuclear safety cooperation

07 March 2017

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Three Japanese utilities - Chubu, Hokuriku and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) - have agreed to collaborate on improving their nuclear safety through technical cooperation.

Tepco's seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant (Image: Tepco)

They own and operate the same types of reactors: boiling water reactors (BWRs), including Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs). Chubu owns the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka prefecture, Hokuriku owns the Shika plant in Ishikawa prefecture and Tepco owns the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture.

They announced today the signing of an agreement through which they will collaborate in improving nuclear safety. They will cooperate in areas such as improving operator skills, including through exercises in training simulators. They will also share operating experience, including information on operation management and benchmarking.

"The geographic accessibility among these three companies also allows them to cooperate on accident recovery and evacuation of residents in the event of a nuclear accident," Tepco said.

Through the agreement, the utilities will send their engineers to the other partners' facilities in the event of an accident and provide assistance in recovery measures. The companies will also participate in joint nuclear emergency drills.

It will "enhance the effectiveness" of the Cooperation Agreement Between Nuclear Operators for Nuclear Emergencies, which was signed by Japan's ten electric power companies, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited and the Japan Electric Power Development Corporation (J-Power) in October 2014.

The three companies said they will "continue to make every effort to ensure further safety and reliability as nuclear operators".

In April 2016, four electric power companies operating in neighbouring areas in western Japan - Chugoku, Kansai, Kyushu and Shikoku - agreed to extend their existing cooperation in responding to nuclear emergencies as well as cooperating in the decommissioning of reactors.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
66 water projects incomplete for want of budget

Construction of 66 drinking water projects in Parbat district has been left incomplete due to lack of budget. People in many VDCs are facing shortage of drinking water as a result.
Chitwan taking measures to check bird flu

The District Livestock Services Office (DLSO) of Chitwan, the poultry basket of the country, has started taking precautionary measures to control possible outbreak of bird flu virus after H5N1 influenza was detected at the poultry farms in Pokhara.
In an inhuman action, Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart of the right-wing Les Republicains (LR) signed an order on Thursday, March 2, prohibiting the distribution of meals to migrants.

After the brutal dismantling by police of the La Jungle camp, at the orders of President Francois Hollandes Socialist Party (PS) government last October, and the dispersion across France of some 6,000 refugees wanting to go to Britain, at least 700 still live near Calais, in deplorable conditions. Several new migrants arrive daily in Calais, mostly from the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

85,000 people sought asylum in France in 2016, mostly from Sudan, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Albania. Almost two-thirds of their applications were rejected. The actual number of undocumented migrants is certainly higher.

During the visit to Calais by PS Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux on Wednesday, Bouchart said she wanted to prevent the formation of magnets for migrants and also to keep new gathering points from reappearing in Calais. Le Roux agreed, saying he also would firmly oppose any gathering point. Just for form, he added that we will not prevent the distribution of meals, which did not prevent Bouchart from signing her barbaric order the next day.

Bouchart said she was personally opposed, even if it is humanly difficult to say, to any humanitarian provision in Calais, whether it be meals or showers set up by Catholic Relief.

The legal argument of the municipal order is based on the prohibition of gatherings within a defined perimeter of the city. It prohibits the abusive, prolonged and repeated occupation of the industrial zone of the Dunes and asserts that the distribution of meals for migrants is likely to disturb public order, safety and security.

Sarah Arrom, who works for the charity Utopia56, reported that police used tear gas on Thursday to prevent volunteers from providing breakfast to 30 teenagers: Tear gas has never been used before when we tried to distribute meals.

Some leaders of the charities said they would not comply with Boucharts reactionary order. We have been distributing food both day and night for two months, and we will continue to do so for a simple reason: people are hungry, said Gael Monzy of Utopia56.

Renke Meuwese of Refugee Community Kitchen and Help Refugees, told the media that kitchens were cooking about 400 meals a day, compared with about 50 during the previous month.

A Catholic Relief official, Vincent de Coninck, said he was amazed that a politician could forbid children to wash and eat.

However, aid volunteers in Calais are powerless to stop escalating attacks on the democratic rights and humanitarian conditions of the refugees. Closely connected to the petty-bourgeois social milieu of the parties and trade unions which operate on the periphery of the PS, they cannot and do not try to mobilise the working class to defend the rights of immigrants.

Faced with increasing attacks on immigrants by the PS and LR, the charities argue above all that their actions facilitate the police and health authorities defence of public order.

They stressed that food distributions make it possible to avoid deaths on the streets, to ensure the safety of the people of Calais by avoiding theft and possible attacks and to identify medical problems, in particular the possible spread of infectious diseases. They also point out that the charities do this work because the state and public authorities do not carry out their own obligations, both legal and humanitarian.

Only a broad and politically independent mobilisation of workers across Europe can stop the escalation of attacks on refugees and immigrants.

On November 23, Pierre-Alain Mannoni, a teacher-researcher at Nice Sophia Antipolis University, was tried for taking three wounded Eritrean girls to the doctor in his car. On January 4, at the Nice court the public prosecutor called for an eight months suspended prison sentence for the farmer Cedric Herrou, 37, for helping migrants near the Franco-Italian border.

These actions by the authorities are part of a wider strategy by all EU governments to discourage people in the Middle East and Africa from fleeing the imperialist wars that have devastated their countries for more than 15 years. Extreme right-wing attitudes, which would have been identified with the positions of the National Front, have become commonplace in mainstream French and European bourgeois politics.

Political parties and the media have long been campaigning against migrants in order to poison the political atmosphere and divide workers along ethnic and religious lines.

The Stalinist CGT (General Confederation of Labour) union confederation participated in the far-right demonstration on September 5 of last year calling for the dismantling of the Jungle. It thus contributed to the anti-immigrant hysteria whipped up by the candidates in the April-May 2017 French presidential elections.

Indeed, the CGT and its political allies, the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) and the Left Front alliance of the French Communist Party and Jean-Luc Melenchons Left Party, defend the proxy wars in Syria and Libya with the help of Islamist forces as well as the anti-immigrant policies of the Socialist Party, which they supported during the 2012 presidential elections.
Individuals from more than 50 countries have registered to participate in the International Committee of the Fourth Internationals online lecture series to commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution.

There is widespread interest in the lectures, with workers, students, retirees and others signing up through the World Socialist Web Site, on social media and in campaigns by Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality supporters at campuses and workplaces. Registrations have come in from all continents of the globe, excluding Antarctica.

A video interview with WSWS International Editorial Board Chairperson David North has been viewed more than 65,000 times on Facebook, with a shorter clip viewed more than 35,000 times. North will be delivering the first lecture in the series, Why Study the Russian Revolution? this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. EST (10:00 p.m. in London, 11:00 p.m. in Berlin, and 9:00 a.m. on Sunday in Sydney: Time Zone Conversions).

I want to hear about an event that shaped the world in the 20th century, wrote M from Turkmenistan, upon registering through the WSWS. The revolution in the Russian Empire changed everything around the world, and it is truly a historic event, wrote Bakhytzhan from Kazakhstan.

Rigel from Mexico wrote, I am looking to understand the Russian Revolution under Trotskys light. In my country, Marxism is too distorted by Stalinist and Castroist dogmas.

Iwan from the Netherlands wrote that he registered to attend the lectures because it is necessary to learn from the past in order to be better prepared for the next revolutionary situation.

Rashard from Flint, Michigan, in the United States, explained, I'm attending this series to get a better understanding of the importance of this movement, how it connects to whats currently taking place today, and finally, what the working class does to help bring about another revolution of this magnitude around the world.

A registrant from Turkey wrote, Im a Trotskyist metal worker who is fighting for building a Turkish section of the ICFI. We must prepare new October Revolutions.

An IYSSE team spoke to students at San Diego State University about the Russian Revolution and the politial situation in the United States (see video).

San Diego students speak on the centenary of the Russian Revolution

Over the weekend, an SEP campaign team spoke to workers at the Fiat Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. They distributed the latest WSWS Autoworkers Newsletter as well as a leaflet publicizing the Russian Revolution lecture series.

Bob, a second-tier worker at the plant, said that he was interested in hearing about the Russian Revolution and saw elements of the same conditions that produced it present in the world today.

These are serious times. Me and my buddies talk about it all the time in the factory. They are increasing the military and talking about bringing back the draft. Something is up.

I think in their world we are only one protest away from martial law. It could be caused by civil unrest, a natural disaster or the use of some other cover. They could stage it or let it happen naturally."

A retired worker from the Delta GM plant in Lansing, Michigan, said after a discussion on the origins of the Russian Revolution, It goes to show how little has changed. The dynamics at that time are similar to today.

Trump will embolden the police, the worker added. There will be a lot more repression and killings. It is becoming clearer to people that we live in a plutocracy. We are still fighting the same things they fought out 100 years ago. Some of the greatest minds were communistsMarx and Trotsky. I didn't learn any of this in school. Peoples eyes need to be opened."

Chris in Los Angeles, California, wrote upon registering with an SEP supporter, The world of 2017 may be technologically advanced when compared to 1917, but socially 2017 looks a lot like the 1890s. As capital exploits workers on a truly global scale, the time is ripe for a truly revolutionary restructuring of society on the scale of the Russian Revolution.
What a fine thing capital punishment is! Dead men never repent; dead men never bring awkward stories to light. The prospect of the gallows, too, makes them hardy and bold. Ah, its a fine thing for the trade! Five of them strung up in a row, and none left to play booty or turn white-livered!Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens, 1838

Fast-forward to April 2017. The state of Arkansas plans to execute eight men, four white and four black, over the course of ten days next month. Condemned to die by lethal injection are inmates Bruce Ward and Don Davis (April 17), Stacey Johnson and Ledell Lee (April 20), Jack Jones and Marcel Williams (April 24), and Kenneth Williams and Jason McGehee (April 27). All eight were convicted of murders occurring between 1989 and 1999. Their executions would be the first in the state since 2005.

If Arkansas keeps to this timetable, it will be a rate of executions unmatched by any state since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1977. The rush to execution, prompted by the expiration of one of three toxic chemicals to be used in the mens lethal injections, is indicative of new depths of ruthlessness and barbarism plumbed by the political establishment in 21st century America.

As the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has rightly noted: This planned mass execution is grotesque. If Arkansas authorities are successful in executing this assembly line of death, it will undoubtedly arouse popular revulsion. At present, however, it has received only perfunctory attention in the media and from politicians in the two big business parties. That the state killing of eight inmates in ten days is considered normal is indicative of the diseased state of the ruling elite.

The Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, authorized the executions after the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by nine Arkansas death row inmates challenging a state law forbidding disclosure of the companies supplying drugs used in lethal injections, the states method of capital punishment.

Hutchinson said it was necessary to schedule the assembly line executions because the expiration date for the states supply of midazolam would pass at the end of April. Midazolam, a sedative, has been used in a number of horrific botched executions in other states in recent years, as other drugs have been in short supply. The European Union and a number of US pharmaceutical companies have restricted the use of their drugs for lethal injection, in part due to the controversy provoked by these cases.

In Arkansas, the governor has executive authority to grant clemency to prisoners sentenced to death. For Hutchinson, howevera former federal prosecutor and career government bureaucratthis is not even a consideration. Among his long line of official posts is first undersecretary for border and transportation security at the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under George W. Bush. He also served as an administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency under Bush.

Under President Obama, Hutchinson served on The Constitution Projects Guantanamo Task Force, telling the media he believed the prison camp was something important for our national security and our war on terrorism. Deeply embedded in the government-military-police apparatus, he will not lose any sleep over his distinction of authorizing a rate of executions unsurpassed in modern US death penalty history.

At a news conference last week announcing the rapid-fire executions, the governor lamented, I would love to have those extended over a period of multiple months and years, but thats not the circumstances that I find myself in. He added, And, again, the families of the victims that have endured this for so many years deserve a conclusion to it. Such statements have the ring of a concentration camp guard who is simply carrying out orders.

The same US Supreme Court that refused to hear the Arkansas inmates appeal issued a ruling in June 2015 upholding the use of midazolam, despite substantial evidence that the drug can cause excruciating and prolonged pain when used as part of a lethal injection cocktail. Experts speaking on behalf of plaintiffs in Glossip v. Gross argued that the sedative could not be relied upon to maintain adequate anesthesia and, as a result, prisoners could end up writhing in pain as subsequent drugs paralyzed them and shut down their life functions.

Most notorious was the case of Clayton Lockett in April 2014 in Oklahoma, who gained consciousness as he was being executed and sought to rise from the execution gurney before eventually dying of a heart attack 43 minutes after initial sedation. His last words were reportedly, My body is on fire.

Arkansas has its own gruesome history of executions gone wrong. One of the most notable was that of Ricky Ray Rector in January 1992, who was sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of a police officer. Rector was convicted of shooting the officer in the back and then turning the gun on himself. The attempted suicide effectively resulted in a frontal lobotomy, rendering Rector incapable of comprehending his death sentence.

Bill Clinton, then a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, flew home mid-campaign to ensure that Rectors execution went forward as scheduled. The future president stated at the time that the Democrats should no longer feel guilty about protecting the innocent, and voiced his strong support for the death penalty.

It took Arkansas prison staff more than 50 minutes to find a suitable vein for Rectors lethal injection. Witnesses to the execution reported that they could hear Rector moaning behind the curtain blocking the view to the execution chamber. An administrator of the state department of corrections medical program said, The moans did come as a team of two medical peoplethat had grown to fiveworked on both sides of his body to find a vein. That may have contributed to his occasional outbursts.

President Clinton would go on to sign into law the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), which severely limited the federal writ of habeas corpus for death row inmates. It is estimated that as a result of AEDPA, and the Supreme Courts interpretation of it, the reversal rate of state courts in death penalty cases has been reduced by about 40 percent.

The Obama administration continued to uphold the Democrats support for the death penalty. Obama commented after Clayton Locketts particularly heinous execution that while he found the incident deeply troubling, he felt, There are certain circumstances in which a crime is so terrible that the application of the death penalty may be appropriate. This came from the president who asserted and exercised the right to order the targeted assassination of thousands of people, including US citizens.

Newly installed President Donald Trump has ushered in an even more open escalation of state violence. His administration has vowed to take the shackles off of immigration police, essentially targeting every undocumented immigrant living in the US for apprehension and deportation. Longstanding US residents are being snatched from their families and either jailed or deported, fostering an atmosphere of terror and fear in immigrant communities and outrage within the wider US population.

Trump has proposed a $54 billion budget increase for the Pentagons war machine, the intelligence agencies and the Department of Homeland Security, to be offset by savage cuts to social programs and services and the gutting of regulations on big business and the banks. Even as police across the country carry out daily shootings of unarmed and often mentally ill individuals, he has touted his support for the police as part of his law-and-order agenda.

In an interview in May 2015 following the shooting deaths of two Mississippi police officers, Trump affirmed his support for the death penalty, commenting on the suspects in the killings: I dont know. They say its not a deterrent. Well you know what? Maybe its not a deterrent, but these two will not do any more killing, thats for sure.

Such statements exemplify the ruling elites outlook on capital punishment, which is one of retribution and vengeance against societys most vulnerable. This has nothing to do with justice, but rather is aimed at acclimatizing the population to the daily murder and brutality of the capitalist state.

Eight men put to death in the space of ten days in Arkansas? Thats the social reality in America. Get used to it!

The ease with which the ruling class engages in such barbarism as the normal state of affairs in 2017 must stand as a warning to the working class. The band of sociopaths occupying the White House is prepared to utilize the brutality meted out against immigrants and condemned death row inmates against the population at large.
A recent forum in Melbourne, featuring speakers from the pseudo-left parties Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance, provided an insight into their ongoing shift to the right in the wake of US President Donald Trumps election.

The event, entitled The populist right and the anti-globalisation backlash: how should the left respond? was organised by the New International Bookshop in February. While it was billed as a debate among the left, any impartial observer could have been excused for mistaking it as a gathering of the economic nationalist right.

The New International Bookshop was established in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the subsequent closure of the Stalinist Communist Party of Australias International Bookshop in 1990. The shop is now run by various pseudo-left, anarchist and Stalinist groups that function as satellites orbiting the Labor Party, the Greens and the trade union bureaucracy.

The panel featured Louise OShea, a leading staff member of Socialist Alternative; Sue Bolton, a member of Socialist Alliance and a councillor in the Melbourne electorate of Moreland; Graham Dunkley, a retired former economist at Victoria University, and Aaron Gare, a professor of philosophy at Swinburne University.

The two academics Gare and Dunkley are overt nationalists. Dunkley has worked on policy development with the Australian Labor Party and trade unions for many years. His economic theory is based on opposition to globalisation from the standpoint of nationalist protectionism.

In the course of the meeting, Dunkley declared that opposition to globalisation and neo-liberalism had obliterated the distinction between the traditional right and left, and claimed that Marine Le Pen, the leader of Frances neo-fascistic National Front, is almost left of centre now. He denounced those who were afraid to come out and say you have to have protection..., and insisted that, immigration is a complicated thing because there is some case for border control. He called for a moratorium on trade agreements, and for curbing the flow of people and capital across national borders.

Gare, a longstanding post-modernist philosopher, opposes the scientific world outlook of Marxism and its political orientation to the working class. Drawing on the reactionary traditions of 20th century irrationalist philosophy, he wrote in his 1993 book, Beyond European Civilisation: Marxism, Process, Philosophy and the Environment, that his perspective of developing an environmentalist movement necessitated a new nationalist ideology, which is required to recreate the sense of community and personal identity required for effective action, to overcome the rootlessness of people which is depriving them of the will to struggle for anything. In the course of his opening remarks at the forum, Gare complained that, For some reason the left regard it as politically incorrect to invoke any kind of nationalism. Thats one of the reasons why theyre failing.

Neither Bolton of Socialist Alliance nor OShea of Socialist Alternative disagreed with or differentiated themselves in any way from these positionswhich are the provenance of the extreme rightdespite having ample opportunity to do so. And this was no accident. Within this milieu, Gares and Dunkleys positions are accepted as a legitimate contribution to left discourse. The aim of Bolton, OShea and their respective organisations is to subordinate the working class to one or another political wing of the Australian ruling elite under conditions of the deepening crisis of Australian and world capitalism and the growing drive toward world war.

Moreover, the Australian pseudo-left organisations have promoted the very political forces that have created the conditions for right-wing demagogues such as Trump to posture as an ally of the working class.

As the World Socialist Web Site has explained, the election of Donald Trump in the United States, and the emergence of other far-right political tendencies including in Europe and Australia, have not been produced by a rightward shift in the working class. Trumps ability to win support by presenting himself as an anti-establishment outsider was most directly the result of the big business policies of the Obama administration over the previous eight years, continuing and accelerating those of successive Republican and Democratic governments during the past several decades. These have included presiding over an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the working class to the financial elite, expanding US imperialisms wars across the Middle East, and attacking the democratic rights of the American population.

Claims that the working class has shifted to the right are belied by the fact that millions of people, particularly the youth, supported the Democratic primary campaign of self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, because of his calls for a political revolution against the billionaire class. Sanders role, however, was to direct the mass discontent in the working class behind the political dead-end of the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton. Sanders played a significant role in ensuring that opposition to the Obama administrations policies and the status quo could be channelled behind Trump and his populist demagogic promises to make America great again.

Sanders has since pledged to work with Trump and has promoted the latters fraudulent claim that his America First nationalism, with which Sanders fundamentally agrees, can defend the interests of the American working class.

At the forum, Bolton and OShea unsurprisingly made no mention of Sanders, whom their parties have repeatedly supported. On February 29, 2016, for example, Socialist Alternatives Redflag website published an article by Daniel Lopez entitled, Why I am feeling the Bern. Lopez gushed: If Australia were the 51st state in the Union, Id vote for Bernie Sanders in the primaries and for president.

Socialist Alternative is oriented to the trade union bureaucracy and to establishing positions of privilege inside the leaderships of the union apparatuses. The unions, which have functioned for the last three decades as an industrial police force for imposing cuts to workers wages and conditions, are directly responsible for the conditions that have allowed Trump and far-right demagogues in Australia, including Pauline Hansons One Nation party, to win support among socially distressed and alienated layers of the working class. The unions are the most virulent promoters of economic nationalism, including calls for tariffs and bans on visas for immigrant workers, to cover up their own collusion with major corporations and businesses and to divide workers in Australia from their counterparts across Asia and internationally.

OShea made clear that Socialist Alternatives concern was to maintain the unions straitjacket over the working class. National union membership rates have plummeted to somewhere between 15 and 17 percent, expressing the hostility and suspicion with which the vast majority of workers now view the trade unions. OShea blamed the decline in membership not on the corporatist program of the unions, but on the workers who have been so thoroughly betrayed by them. She declared the main issue the left faces now is the extreme passivity of the working class, reflected in the drop of working-class people out of their traditional organisations that give them some power over society.

OShea proceeded to underscore Socialist Alternatives role as the political defender of anti-working class organisations by raising the experience of Syriza in Greece, which came to power in January 2015 by exploiting mass anti-austerity sentiment in the working class. In Greece, the left actually did win power, OShea asserted. Because it didnt have a solid base in the grassroots of society, in the working class ... it wasnt able to mount, in terms of its political commitments, a challenge to Europe.

The claim that Syriza was not able to oppose the dictates of the European powers and the International Monetary Fund because it did not have a solid base in the working class is a lie aimed at whitewashing Syrizas historic betrayal and laying the blame for it on the working class.

Syriza was elected in January 2015 on the basis of its pledge to oppose the austerity dictates of the troikathe International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bankwhich had previously been imposed by both establishment parties, Pasok and New Democracy. At the time, Socialist Alternative hailed Syrizas election as a direct challenge to the neoliberal agenda that has dominated western capitalism over the last 30 years.

Syriza rapidly junked its pre-election commitments and, within four weeks of being elected, imposed another austerity package on the working class. In an effort to blackmail the working class into accepting further devastating cuts to its conditions, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipiras called a referendum in June 2015 on whether to accept yet another austerity package, calculating that the threat of an economic catastrophe would ensure that the yes vote succeeded.

To Syrizas shock and horror, 61 percent of the Greek population voted against austerity. In other words, far from Syriza having no solid base in the working class for opposing austerity, millions of Greek workers delivered an unequivocal mandate to Syriza, demanding that it end the cuts.

Syriza responded by rejecting the No vote and imposing the troikas demands, regardless. Its response was determined, not by the failure of the working class to place enough pressure on Syrizas leader Tsipras, but by Syrizas commitment to its capitalist program and its constituency among affluent sections of the Greek middle class and capitalist elite, whose wealth was based upon Greece maintaining its membership in the European Union, by further impoverishing the Greek masses. Moreover, the No vote raised the spectre of a revolutionary mobilisation of the Greek working class, appealing to workers across Europe for support against austerity and war, which Syriza feared above all else.

Socialist Alternatives apologetics for the unions and for Syriza are aimed at preventing any understanding of the source of their betrayal, and any lessons being drawn, by the working class and youth in Australia. OShea declared that for the left, getting elected is not enough. You should get elected at some point, but youve got to have basic organisations and networks built within the rank-and-file that can hold the leadership of any left representative to account. In other words, according to Socialist Alternative, workers in Australia must be confined to the bankrupt perspective of trying to pressure pro-capitalist parliamentary parties that fraudulently posture as left-wing or even socialist.

The discussion at the February forum took place under conditions of immense class antagonisms in Australia, and a growing geo-strategic and political crisis for the ruling elite which has only intensified since the US election. Trumps bellicose America First program has strengthened the efforts by the major European powers, notably Germany and France, to advance their own interests in opposition to Washington. Trumps dressing down of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, during a 25-minute phone call on January 29, likewise prompted a series of appeals in the Australian corporate media for a more independent stance from the US in order to better prosecute the strategic and commercial interests of Australian capitalism.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale, representing these corporate interests, has called for a renegotiation of the US alliance, seeking to channel legitimate popular hostility to Trumps chauvinist and militarist agenda into Australian nationalism. Both Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance promoted the Greens at recent demonstrations against Trumps immigration ban. (See: Greens and pseudo-lefts promote Australian nationalism at anti-Trump protests)

In an article published on Socialist Alternatives Redflag website, on the day that details of Trumps phone conversation with Turnbull were leaked, Tom Bramble put forward essentially the same position as the Greens, complaining that while other world leaders have been doing their best to distance themselves from the right-wing lunatic now in charge of the White House, Australias prime minister and his cabinet have been sucking up to Donald Trump...

The character of the forum at the International Bookshop was yet another indication that the pseudo-left organisations will be more than prepared to support the Australian nationalist and economic protectionist agenda of the Greens, the trade unions and other right-wing tendencies, in order to block the development of a genuine socialist and internationalist movement in the working class.
Before yesterdays summit of German, Italian, Spanish, and French officials in Versailles, Francois Hollande gave an extensive interview to Le Monde and other papers of the Europa consortiumSuddeutsche Zeitung, La Stampa, the Guardian, La Vanguardia, and Gazeta Wyborcza. The French president outlined the deeply pessimistic perspectives predominating in the layers of the European bourgeoisie closest to Berlin and the European Union (EU).

Hollande unambiguously indicated that the EU is on the brink of collapse, in particular because a National Front (FN) victory in the April-May French presidential elections would install in Paris a neo-fascist government that could blow up the EU. However, having pointed to the bankruptcy of the French and European capitalist regimes, the only perspective he could offer was to develop the EU as a massive military and police-state machine.

Asked about an FN electoral victory, Hollande said: The threat exists. The far right has never been as high in the polls for more than 30 years. He added, if somehow the National Front candidate were to win, she would immediately launch a process of exit from the eurozone, and even from the European Union. This is the objective of all the populists, wherever they are: to leave Europe, to close themselves to the world, and to imagine a world surrounded by barriers of all kinds and borders defended by watchtowers.

Hollande posed as a defender of the EU and democracy against the danger of the far right. My last duty is to do everything to keep France from being convinced by such arguments, or to take such drastic action, Hollande declared, adding: But France will not give way. First of all, because it is France and it is conscious of the fact that the votes on April 23 and on May 7 will determine not only the fate of our country, but the very future of European construction, as well.

These democratic pretensions are rank hypocrisy. The possibility of an FN victory and the disintegration of the EU is now very real, and this is above all an indictment of the reactionary policies of austerity and war pursued by the EU across Europe and, in particular, by Hollandes own Socialist Party (PS) government in France.

The EUs relentless austerity offensive after the 2008 Wall Street crash bled the working class white, most obviously in Greece, and Hollande imposed over 100 billion in austerity measures against the working class in France. The European ruling elites response to growing social anger was to boost police powers and stimulate ever more anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment to divide the working class along racial lines.

The PS imposed and continuously extended a state of emergency in response to terror attacks carried out in France and Belgium. It initially concealed and then dismissed the significance of the fact that these attacks were carried out by Islamist terror networks that France and other NATO powers relied upon to wage their proxy war in Syria. Instead, it passed a reactionary mass electronic surveillance law and joined a media firestorm warning of religious war and demanding stepped up policing, aimed above all against Muslims.

This policy not only created the judicial and surveillance infrastructure of an authoritarian state in France, but paved a way for the neo-fascist FN to fully integrate itself into the bourgeois political mainstream and aspire to take over state power, exploiting anger with the PS on a populist basis.

The claim that the French people would reject an FN government due to its attachment to the EU is a political fraud. Not only is the EU broadly unpopular in Francein one poll last year, only 23 percent of the population thought EU membership helped Francebut the EUs own positions on war and the persecution of immigrants and refugees are increasingly indistinguishable from those of the FN.

Indeed, the political agenda Hollande then laid out for a post-Brexit EU to a large extent consisted of carrying out on a European scale the policies that the FN proposes for France: to build up the EU as a major military power and police-state apparatus, based on appeals to so-called European community of spirit.

What Europeans demand, is that the EU be able to protect them more, he declared, that European sovereignty protect their borders, ward away the terrorist threat, and finally preserve a way of life, a culture, and a community of spirit.  Today, Europe can find a second wind by concentrating on defence. On the one hand this would ensure its own security, but on the other it allows it to act in the world, to seek solutions to conflicts that threaten it.

The danger of the coming to power of the FN, like Brexit or the election of Trump, reflects a deep breakdown of the relations and structures of international capitalism as they developed after World War II and after the Stalinist bureaucracy dissolved the USSR in 1991. After the election of Trump, Hollande made clear, the purpose of the EU military machine would be to rival, and perhaps eventually threaten, the United States, as well as to pursue a harsh line against Britain after Brexit.

Hollande again stressed his wariness of Trump: We now know the basic lines of his policy: isolationism, protectionism, anti-immigrant policies and budgetary irresponsibility. So one has to worry in the face of this uncertainty, and the euphoria of the financial markets strikes me as quite premature. As for his misunderstanding of what the EU is, it forces us to demonstrate to him its political cohesion, its economic weight, and its strategic autonomy.

Asked what he would say if Britain wanted to keep the advantages of EU membership after Brexit, Hollande bluntly replied, That it is impossible and that it will thus have to become an outsider to the EU. Here is the problem of the United Kingdom: it thought that by leaving Europe, it could develop a strategic partnership with the United States. But it turns out that America is closing itself to the world. The United Kingdom made the wrong choice at the wrong time. Sorry.

The EUs advocates are abandoning any ideain line with claims at the EUs founding in 1992 that it would prevent the re-emergence of a third world war between the European powersthat the EU would equally respect the rights of all its member states. As shown by the four-power format of the Versailles summit, which decided not to issue any formal statement to minimize opposition from other EU states, Berlin and Paris aim to deal with rising tensions in Europe by sidelining smaller countries and moving to a so-called multi-speed Europe.

Lets be frank: some member states will never join the euro zone. Face up to it. And let us not wait for them to deepen the economic and monetary union, Hollande declared. Because if you want to do everything with all 27 member states, the danger is that you will do nothing at all.

Finally, on Russia, while he adopted a hostile line, Hollande indicated differences with sections of the US foreign policy establishment that pursued an aggressive line against Moscow under Obama, to the point of risking a military clash with Russia in Syria or Ukraine.

Russia, Hollande said, is affirming itself as a power. It tests our resistance and measures power relations at every point. At the same time, Russia uses all possible means to influence public opinion  with strategies for influence, networks, and very conservative views on lifestyle issues. It also has pretensions that it will defend Christianity from Islam. Let us not exaggerate anything, but let us be vigilant.

He added, People often ask me, Why dont you speak more often with President Putin? But I never ceased speaking to him! Or with the [German] chancellor either, by the way. And that is good.

Amid this escalating collapse and drive to war of the world capitalist system, both the defenders of the EU and the reactionary Trump administration and its allies within Europe, like the FN, face the international working class as enemies. The only way forward is to mobilise and unify workers around the world in struggle against austerity, war, and police-state measures.
Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four

The World Socialist Web Site spoke to immigrants and leaders of non-profit organizations about the disastrous impact of Trumps immigration policies on tens of millions of undocumented workers living in the US.

The migrant working class lives under constant fear of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] officers, who sweep into communities and workplaces making mass arrests. One such sweep took place earlier this month in Austin, Texas. The World Socialist Web Site spoke to Cristina Parker, immigrations programs director of the non-profit organization Grassroots Leadership.

There are two ways in which ICE raids happened recently. Either they knock on peoples doors at home or they follow them from home or work in their cars, pulling them over under the guise of a traffic stop.

WSWS reporters, in fact, witnessed local police joined by border patrol agents pulling over a car in what otherwise appeared to be a routine traffic stop.

Parker said that ICE officers are usually not in uniform, so all over they will try to trick or otherwise manipulate people into opening their doors. She continued: They will lie about why theyre there. A famous example came from Atlanta last year, where ICE agents in collaboration with police would hold up a photo of a black man, say there was a dangerous criminal in the house, and arrest all those without papers inside. Families only find out after a person has been detained, so people often come home from school or work to find that their parent or spouse isnt there.

The apparatus that Trump is now building his deportation machine on was built originally by the Obama administration. One of the most egregious examples was family detention and is something that will mark Obamas legacy. He opened these giant for-profit family detention centers where they exclusively hold women and children seeking asylum, and he didnt close them before handing the keys over to Trump. So everything were seeing weaponized right now was built by Obama.

These conditions did not emerge in a vacuum. Rather, they have been prepared over decades by the US ruling classs attempts to address the declining position of American capitalism through military adventures abroad, particularly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. As David North wrote in the preface to A Quarter Century of War: The US Drive for Global Hegemony 1990-2016:

The belligerent response of the United States to the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union reflected the weakness, not the strength, of American capitalism. The overwhelming support within the ruling elite for a highly aggressive foreign policy arose from the delusion that the United States could reverse the protracted erosion of its global economic position through the deployment of its immense military power.

Over the course of this historical period, the nationalist and xenophobic run-off from the virtually unbroken series of US wars has come to dominate bourgeois politics. Immigrants provide a convenient scapegoat for a financial aristocracy that has plundered workers wages and living conditions to pay for its wars.

The language of the war on terror has provided the lexicon for the attack on immigrants, who are barred because they pose a threat to national security. In the process, billions of dollars will be diverted from social programs and regulatory agencies to fund the deportation machine.

The Democratic Party has been a primary champion of the attack on immigrants, bolstered by the AFL-CIO, which uses nationalism to turn workers against their class brothers and sisters of other nationalities. The Democrats are responsible for the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 and the Secure Fences Act of 2006. They are also responsible for the mass deportation program of the Obama administration.

Moreover, last month 37 of 48 Senate Democrats voted to confirm the architect of Trumps anti-immigrant program, Gen. John Kelly, to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The attack on immigrants is an attack on the working class as a whole. Workers should have the right to travel freely in search of economic and physical security without facing harassment, deportation or hardship of any kind. Under the auspices of border security, the government is building the framework for a police state that will impact all elements of political, social and cultural life for immigrants and non-immigrants alike.

The nighttime raids, the mass detentions without trial, and the phony due process of immigration court proceedings all bear the markings of dictatorship. These are the methods that will be used in the near future against those who oppose the policies of the government, regardless of immigration status. Striking workers, student demonstrators and all those who engage in social protest will be labeled threats to national security and be targeted for state repression.

The attack on migrants is not only politically reactionary, it is also irrational. Leon Trotsky wrote in May 1940:

The world of decaying capitalism is overcrowded. The question of admitting a few hundred extra refugees becomes a major problem for such a world power as the United States. In an era of aviation, telegraph, telephone, radio and television, travel from country to country is paralyzed by passports and visas. The period of the wasting away of foreign trade and the decline of domestic trade is at the same time the period of the monstrous intensification of chauvinism, and especially of anti-Semitism. Today decaying capitalist society is striving to squeeze the Jewish people from all its pores; seventeen million individuals out of the two billion populating the globe, that is, less than one percent, can no longer find a place on our planet! Amid the vast expanse of land and the marvels of technology, which has also conquered the skies for man as well as the earth, the bourgeoisie has managed to convert our planet into a foul prison.

How all the more true this is today! In a world of instantaneous global communication, the human race is interconnected to a degree that would have been unimaginable just 30 years ago, let alone in 1940.

Advances in technology continue to facilitate human travel and international shipping, linking economic supply lines that deliver goods produced in dozens of different countries to every corner of the globe. Through the use of cellular phones, the residents of even the most isolated villages and hamlets can communicate with friends and relatives located in world metropolises and learn of world events at the swipe of a finger.

Even personal relationships are of an increasingly international character, with family trees commonly branching out across multiple continents. In 2011, 21 percent of US married couples included at least one foreign-born spouse. In 2006, data from the European Union showed eight countries where more than 15 percent of marriages involved spouses from two different countries (Belgium, Estonia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Sweden), and seven more where between 10 and 15 percent involved mixed national couples (Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Lithuania and Malta). These figures have undoubtedly increased in the intervening years.

The world is pulsing with billions of people whose lives are burdened by the weight of decades of economic exploitation and war and yet are restricted from moving freely across the planet. At the root of this dilemma is the outdated nation-state system, which stands as a central obstacle to the rational organization of the world economy and the free flow of the worlds inhabitants.

Socialists stand irreconcilably opposed to the present division of the world into nation states. We call for bringing the geographical organization of the world into harmony with the international character of the globalized economy. In this manner, humans will be given the freedom to travel as they see fit without visas, border patrol, passports or fear of harassment. Families living in different countries will not be barred from visiting or living with one another simply on account of where people happened to be born or where they happen to live. As the 18th century philosopher Montesquieu said, I am necessarily a man, only accidentally am I French.

The abolition of the nation-state system requires the overthrow of capitalism, which entails nationalizing under public ownership the major international banks and corporations, placing control of production in the hands of the working class, and redistributing the worlds resources to meet the needs of the human race. It is on this basis that the fight against Trumps immigration program must be carried out.
India is to become a major service and repair hub for the US Seventh Fleetthe armada that is at the center of US war preparations against China.

Last month the Pentagon awarded a contract, said to be worth up to $1.5 billion over the next five years, to a shipyard in Gujarat to maintain the Seventh Fleets warships and patrol and service vessels.

This is a strategic move aimed at giving flesh and blood to last Augusts agreement opening Indias military bases and ports to routine use by the US military for the resupply and repair of its warplanes and warships.

The transformation of India into a hub for the Seventh Fleet marks a new stage in Indias integration into US imperialisms military-strategic offensive against China.

The Seventh Fleet is at the very center of US plans to wage war on China. It has responsibility for the western Pacific and the eastern stretches of the Indian Ocean up to the India-Pakistan border. US strategy calls for the Seventh Fleet to impose an economic blockade on China by seizing control of the Straits of Malacca and other Indian Ocean/South China Sea chokepoints and to spearhead a massive bombardment of Chinese military installations, cities and infrastructure in what the Pentagon calls its Air-Sea Battle plan.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Washington has worked assiduously to harness New Delhi to its predatory agenda and to build up India as a counterweight to China. The Pentagon and US military-intelligence think tanks have long coveted India as a geopolitical prize because of its size, its large nuclear-armed military and its strategic location. India, or so the strategists of US imperialism calculate, can serve as Chinas soft southern underbelly. It also provides the best vantage point from which to dominate the Indian Ocean, Chinas and the worlds most important commercial waterway.

Under Narendra Modi and his Hindu supremacist BJP government, New Delhi has dramatically expanded its already extensive military-strategic cooperation with Washington. In addition to the basing agreement, India has expanded bilateral and trilateral military-strategic ties with Americas principal Asian-Pacific allies, Japan and Australia. In January, the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, revealed that the Pentagon and Indian military are sharing intelligence on Chinese submarine and ship movements in the Indian Ocean.

The grave threat the Indo-US alliance represents to the people of Asia and the world is underscored by the advent of the Trump administration. It has denounced China as a currency manipulator, dismissed the Obama administrations anti-China Pivot to Asia as weak and ineffective, and threatened to deny Beijing access to Chinese-controlled islets in the South China Seaan act that would be tantamount to a declaration of war.

Trump has criticized Obamas foreign policy on many fronts. But when it comes to India, Defense Secretary James Mad Dog Mattis has vowed that the Trump administration is determined to build upon the recent tremendous progress in Indo-US defense cooperation.

The Indian government, opposition and corporate media are all complicit in keeping Indias workers and toilers in the dark as to the extent to which India is being transformed into a frontline state in Washingtons drive to thwart Chinas rise and assert US hegemony over Eurasia. This drive, if not stopped through the revolutionary mobilization of the international working class, leads inexorably to war between the worlds nuclear-armed great powers.

Indias emergence as a hub for the US Seventh Fleet is so striking a change, however, that even Indian media reports could not avoid mentioning that during the Cold War, the Seventh Fleet was used by Washington to bully and threaten New Delhi on several occasions. The Times of India wrote, The US Seventh Fleet, which was sent to the Bay of Bengal in December 1971 by then-American President Richard Nixon  to pressure India during the Bangladesh liberation war, will now ironically be maintained by an Indian company.

Because of New Delhis strategic and commercial ties with Moscow, Washington treated India as an adversary for most of the Cold War.

Newly independent India had been eager to establish warm relations with Washington. But New Delhi balked at US imperialisms attempts to bully it into subordinating its foreign policy to Washingtons strategic offensive against the Soviet Union.

Washington responded by recruiting Pakistan, the rival state created through the communal partition of the subcontinent that had accompanied independence, to serve as a linchpin of its Cold War alliance system. With the US arming Pakistan, India turned to the Soviet Union for arms purchases and strategic support. It also became one of the founders and the principal leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Soviet support also helped New Delhi counter the economic pressure the US exerted on India because of its use of import substitution and state ownership to strengthen the Indian bourgeoisies position vis a vis international capital. Jawaharlal Nehru and his Congress Party government were also mindful of the assistance the Soviet Stalinist regimes support could play in integrating the Stalinist Communist Party of India (CPI) into bourgeois politics so as to use it to contain working class opposition.

Indias non-alignment policy had nothing to do with genuine opposition to imperialism. It was a stratagem of the Indian bourgeoisie to strengthen its class rule. When the rug was pulled out from under its state-led capitalist development strategy by globalization and the Stalinist bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it quickly junked its anti-imperialist rhetoric and began to fashion a more direct and slavish relationship with Washington.

This shift was spearheaded by Nehrus Congress Party heirs. It was a Congress-led government that forged the global Indo-US strategic partnership that served as the antechamber for Indias transformation under Modi into a veritable frontline state in Washingtons anti-China offensive.

Yet the CPI, its Stalinist sister party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and their Left Front continue to promote non-alignment as anti-imperialism and claim that the Indian bourgeoisie can play a progressive role in world politics.

The Stalinists maintain that the imperialist world order can be pacified and the interests of the Indian bourgeoisie best advanced if New Delhi curtails its strategic ties with Washington and opposes US unilateralism by advocating multi-polarityi.e., a greater role in regulating world affairs for the other imperialist ruling elites, the Indian bourgeoisie and the oligarchs who now rule Russia and China.

That the Stalinists openly support the great power ambitions of the Indian bourgeoisie is underscored by their support for the expansion of Indias military and nuclear arsenal.

And for all their claims to oppose Modis embrace of Washington, they have failed to alert the working class to how the Indian bourgeoisies alliance with US imperialism is emboldening New Delhi in its drive to impose itself as South Asias regional hegemon.

The Stalinists applauded when India carried out illegal, cross-border military raids inside Pakistan last September, plunging South Asias nuclear-armed rivals into their most serious war crisis since at least 2003.

Pakistans reactionary elite has responded to Indias increasingly menacing posture by threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons in the event of a larger Indian attack and by deepening its longstanding strategic partnership with Beijing.

US imperialisms reckless drive to harness India to its offensive against China has transformed South Asia into a geopolitical powder keg. The Indo-Pakistani and Sino-Indian conflicts have become enmeshed with the US-China confrontation, adding to each a massive new explosive charge, with potentially calamitous implications for the people of the region and the world.

South Asia is thus a pivotal front in the development of a working class-led global movement against imperialist war and the capitalist system out of which it arises. Such a movement, uniting workers and toilers in India, Pakistan and across the subcontinent with the Chinese, American and international working class, will emerge only through a merciless exposure of the criminal role being played by the Stalinist CPM and CPI.
EC seeks operational plan from security agencies

The Election Commission on Monday asked the security agencies to submit detailed security operation plans for the upcoming local level elections.
Since December of last year, 5,000 doctors employed in public hospitals across Kenya have been on strike, citing low pay and dreadful working conditions. The strike has highlighted the sharp crisis afflicting the health care system in the East African country.

The strike was called by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to demand the implementation of an agreed-upon 2013 collective bargaining agreement with the Ministry of Health, which guarantees a 300 percent pay increase for doctors as well as funding for new medical equipment and new facilities. The Kenyan government claims there are no funds to implement the 2013 agreement.

Striking doctors have described via social media the horrid conditions afflicting public-run hospitals. These include power outages during surgeries with patients still on operating tables, not being able to run proper protocols in post-exposure prophylaxis, preventing the spread of HIV due to lack of equipment and being made to stand by helplessly while critically wounded patients die due to a lack of ambulances to take them to another hospital specializing in intensive care. Doctors also described being forced to work without drugs, gloves and other instruments critical in delivering care to patients.

For many years, Kenyas public health care system has been starved of funding from the annual budget and beset by corruption in the Ministry of Health. The last several years have seen an exodus of medical personnel to the private sector due to the appallingly low pay in the public-run system. Many Kenyans must use the public-run medical system because they cannot afford the high cost of private care.

Also afflicting public hospitals is the lack of funding for new medical equipment essential for delivering adequate care. Shortages in funding for neglected facilities have left public hospitals in a dilapidated state, posing serious sanitation risks to patients and staff.

Dr. Judy Karagania, an ophthalmology resident at Kenyatta National hospital in Nairobi taking part in the strike, described the horrid conditions to the Guardian in an interview last month: The machines break down frequently, the doctors are overwhelmed. The patients, they are so many that they are lying on the ground.

Another participant in the strike, Dr. Cynthia Waliaula, told the Kenyan Daily Nation of the heart-wrenching experience of losing a newborn infant, due to the hospital at which she was employed in the town Isiolo having only two oxygen tanks. I think every Kenyan doctor has had to decide who gets oxygen. You are forced to play god, Waliaula lamented.

In February Dr. Davis Ombui, spokesperson for the KMPDU, expressed the health care catastrophe to Voice of America: We know many Kenyans are losing their lives. Even us as doctors, we have relatives, we have friends, we have family and it has affected us all. But the narrative we are sticking to is that we cannot go back and supervise deaths as it were.

In the more than three months since the strike began, public hospitals across the country have seen delivery of medical services come to a standstill, leaving millions without health care. The Kenyan media has resorted to a campaign of blackguarding the doctors, blaming them for the crisis sparked by criminal underfunding.

Despite the efforts of the media, there is broad favorable sentiment within the Kenyan masses for the doctors grievances. The government is widely perceived and despised by the masses as the guilty party for its refusal to adequately fund the health care system.

The government of President Uhuru Kenyatta is keen to put an end to the strike, fearing a wider explosion of social outrage by workers throughout the country. On February 13, the government jailed seven union officials for a month for refusing to end the strike. This provoked a 48-hour solidarity strike by medics in the private sector. A Kenyan appeals court ordered the release of the union officials to carry negotiations.

In a statement to the press in January, Kenyatta denounced the striking doctors: I have noted, with deep concern, the suffering of Kenyans as a result of the ongoing strike by health workers in government facilities. This strike is totally unacceptable and goes against the Hippocratic Oath and basic principles of humane consideration for fellow Kenyans.

This cynical appeal to principle is particularly offensive, given the record of the Kenyan governments refusal to increase government spending for health care.

Overseen by the Ministry of Health, public hospitals accounted for around 4 percent of government spending. The Kenyan government budget for the 2016 fiscal year was nearly $20 billion, of this a mere $228 million was allocated to Kenyas public health care system. This paltry amount allocated for the health care of a nation of 46 million underscores the depth of the current crisis.

In addition to the paltry amount of funding for the public health care system Kenyas government is beset by nepotism and corruption. An internal audit of the Ministry of Health leaked last year revealed that nearly $50 million was looted by Ministry of Health officials, accounting for a whopping 21 percent of the entire funds earmarked for the 2016 fiscal year.

The auditors stressed that the amount may be just a fraction of the total stolen, as the audit had not yet been completed for the entire account of the Ministrys transactions for 2016. According to Business Daily Africa, the audit report to Secretary of Health Cleopa Mailu explained, The small sample covered is an indicator that there could be a wider scheme wherein the ministry incurred huge losses to the detriment of service delivery to the public.

The current crisis underscores the fact that capitalism cannot provide decent and humane health care to the Kenyan masses.

Kenya is home to some of the wealthiest Africans, including current President Kenyatta, who is worth $500 million. While the total accumulation of wealth by the top 10 richest individuals in the country totals nearly $3 billion dollars, the majority of Kenyans survive on only $2 or less a day.

According to UNICEF, some 44 percent of the Kenyan population lives below the poverty line, and access to decent health care is a luxury that they cannot afford. Kenya has one of the African continents worst HIV rates at 7.8 percent. Infant mortality stands at an appalling 74 out of every 1,000 births.

The cutting of basic services for the Kenyan masses fits with the broader overall pattern of governments worldwide in the wake of the crisis of capitalism which manifested itself with the economic breakdown in 2008, which are busy rolling back hard-won social gains attained by the working class over decades of struggle. Their aim is to make the worlds working class pay for the crisis of the capitalist system.

By comparison with the budget for health care, Kenya gave far more of its annual budget to its military, some $2.6 billion; 12 times the annual budget amount allocated for the public health care system.

A strike by university lecturers has deepened the governments political crisis ahead of parliamentary elections in August. While the KMPDU has limited its appeals to the government, the courts and oppositional parties, the strike, above all, poses the need for the political mobilization of the working class against the demands of the international banks and their domestic servants.

Kenya is carrying out a nearly five-year proxy war in Somalia on behalf of Washington, which has resulted in a catastrophic famine and refugee crisis. The aim of this brutal invasion is to subjugate Somalia under the control of US imperialism, as a significant portion of the worlds ship borne oil supply passes its eastern coast moving from the Middle East through the Red Sea and into the Gulf of Aden.

The Kenyan strike is part of the growing wave of class struggle in Africa. On February 20, at least five people were killed in Guineas capital of Conakry during protests sparked by a three-week teachers strike against the governments decision to dismiss or cut the salaries of many junior teachers after the latest civil service exams. Many students in the West African country took to the streets to defend their teachers.
The main beneficiary from the March 2 elections to the Northern Ireland assembly was the Irish bourgeois nationalist party, Sinn Fein. For the first time since Ireland was partitioned in 1921, in the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence, pro-British Ulster unionist parties have lost their combined absolute political majority in the regional government.

Although the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Arlene Foster remains the largest party, with 28 seats, in the assembly based in Belfasts Stormont House, the party now only has one more seat than Sinn Fein.

Sinn Feins total vote was only 1,186 short of the 225,413 won by the DUP out of a total number of votes cast of 812,783, on a relatively high turnout of nearly 65 percentup by 10 percent on last year. The DUPs first preference votes were down 1.11 percent on last years Assembly vote, with Sinn Feins up 3.89 percent.

This means that together with the 10 seats won by the Ulster Unionist Party, one Traditional Unionist Voice seat and one independent unionist, the combined forces of pro-British unionism can only muster 40 seats in a reduced 90-seat assembly.

At the last elections, held less than a year ago, the combined unionist seats amounted to 55 of 108 then available.

On the nationalist side, Sinn Feins 27 seats, added to the Social Democratic and Labour Partys 12, gives the Irish nationalists 39 seats. But these, combined with 8 seats won by the cross community advocates of economic liberalism, the Alliance Party, 2 for the Greens and 1 for the pseudo-left People Before Profit Alliance, mean that non-unionist forces amount to 50 seats.

Negotiations for a new power-sharing government will therefore take place with Sinn Fein much strengthened. But the party has previously insisted that it would not re-enter government with the DUP led by First Minister Arlene Foster, pending the outcome of a public inquiry into the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI) scandal, so-called cash for ash, and with outstanding Irish language and deeply contested Troubles legacy issues unresolved.

If a new arrangement between the two parties cannot be found, under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, another round of elections must be held or the Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire can re-impose direct rule from London.

Brokenshires predecessor, Theresa Villiers, has suggested that Westminster could legislate to give the Northern Ireland parties more time to come to terms. The Conservative government in London is seeking to avoid adding to its intractable problems in the aftermath of last years referendum vote to leave the European Union (EU), by including direct rule of Northern Ireland among them.

The March 2 poll was triggered by the resignation of the deputy first minister, Sinn Feins gravely ill Martin McGuinness. McGuinnesss resignation and Sinn Feins refusal to immediately nominate a successor meant that, under the complicated constitutional rules surrounding Northern Irelands administration, new elections were obligatory.

In response, Foster promised a brutal election. Throughout her campaign, she warned hysterically of the dangers of a victory for Sinn Fein and its longtime leader and unionist bogeyman, Gerry Adams. She repeatedly presented McGuinnesss eventual replacement, Michelle ONeil, as installed by Gerry Adams and...instructed by Gerry Adams.

As a consequence, the outcome, although marking a shift towards Sinn Fein, is also deeply polarised. Despite being in government for 10 years, it is notable that the DUP vote did not collapse, but rather its rival (and self-proclaimed moderate), UUP, lost 5 of its 15 seats and will see a leadership contest next month after the resignation of Mike Nesbitt.

Fosters aggressive rhetoric also tended to encourage nationalist voters to turn out for Sinn Fein; otherwise the party might have been expected to suffer from popular anger at the corruption and swindling that has characterised the assemblys operations during Sinn Feins years in power with the DUP.

Overhanging the election was the steadily deepening crisis surrounding Britains departure from the EU. Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU by 55 to 45 percent, reflecting the fact that significant farming, infrastructural and cross-border subsidies have found their way from the EUs coffers to Northern Ireland agricultural and business interests.

Brexit, besides disrupting the flow of subsidies, will transform the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic into an external boundary of the EU.

Imposed by the British Army and maintained by anti-Catholic pogroms in 1921, the border barricaded the wealthy Northern industrial heartlands of the Ulster Protestant capitalist class from the impoverished and turbulent Catholic south. During the twentieth century and particularly during the Troublesthe dirty war between the British Army and Irish republicans between 1969 and 1998the border was heavily militarised.

The Good Friday Agreement mostly brought an end to armed conflict in the north by laying the basis for republicans to join the Stormont Assembly, under complex and sectarian power-sharing arrangements. These, reflecting the long-standing loss of influence by Ulster capitalists bound up with the destruction of heavy industry, amounted to a joint unionist and republican effort, overseen by the British and Irish governments, to attract global mobile investmentwhile relying on sectarian divisions to police the working class.

Today, the border is almost invisible, and is crossed daily by commuters, travelers and considerable amounts of commerce and trade. British, Irish and Northern Irish politicians of all stripes have insisted that border controls will be kept to a minimum under Brexit, but no one has yet explained what this means or how it can be achieved. Proposals from both the Irish government and Northern politicians, including Sinn Fein, that some form of special status could be created to allow Northern Ireland to retain EU membership or single-market access have been proposed, but have been rejected by both the DUP and London.

The issue is becoming one of a lengthening list of disputes between powerful rival pro- and anti-Brexit factions of the ruling class, and between the pro-Brexit British government and the EU over the terms of Brexit.

The hard-right DUP is firmly in the Brexit camp and functioned as a conduit for funding from dubious sources for the Leave campaign across the UK. According to the pro-EU OpenDemocracy web site, the DUP accepted cash from the hitherto unknown Constitutional Research Council, fronted by a Scottish-based former Conservative party candidate, Richard Cook. Cook reportedly has links to former Saudi intelligence figures and royals seeking to benefit from a Brexit-induced fall in the value of sterling.

Sinn Fein, by contrast, sees the threat of Brexit as an argument for a border poll referendum on Irish unification, a provision for which is in the Good Friday Agreement, and a position that is gaining a hearing from the Irish government and the EU. Commenting on the election outcome, Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny, fresh from talks with Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, and EU President Donald Tusk, stated, If the people by consent were to form a united Ireland, that could be a seamless transfer as happened in the case of East Germany and West Germany when the Berlin Wall came down.

Kennys remarks were endorsed by EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who said, Ireland must ensure that its economic links to the UK are protected, and secondly, ...it must ensure that the terms of the Good Friday Agreement which has given peace in Northern Ireland are included in any future agreement between the UK and the EU.
North Korea yesterday launched at least four ballistic missiles from its west coast, not far from the border with China, at around 7.30 a.m. local time. The missiles flew about 1,000 kilometres and, according to Japanese officials, three splashed down within Japans exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles or about 370 kilometres.

The missile launch took place amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the US and South Korean militaries started their annual Foal Eagle war games. The joint exercises over the next two months reportedly involve at least 320,000 South Korean and American military personnel backed by a US aircraft carrier and its strike group, and advanced US fighters and bombers.

Pyongyang last week branded the drills as preparations for nuclear war and warned that new types of strategic weapons will soar if the Foal Eagle drills proceeded. David Wright from the Union of Concerned Scientists suggested to the Washington Post that the missiles were either of the extended-range Scuds or medium-range Nodong type, which have been tested before, indicating other missile tests could be pending.

North Koreas militarist response to the threats posed by US imperialism and its allies is utterly reactionary and plays directly into Washingtons hands by providing a pretext for the expansion of US forces in Asiadirected against Pyongyang and Beijing. Far from defending the North Korean people, the regimes bellicose and nationalistic posturing sows divisions between workers in North Korea and South Korea, Japan, the US and internationally.

The US nuclear arsenal is capable of obliterating North Koreas military machine and industrial infrastructure many times over. Last week the US defence secretary repeated the threat of an effective and overwhelming response if Pyongyang ever attempted to use its nuclear weapons.

The US and its allies immediately condemned yesterdays missile tests by North Korea. Acting South Korean president Hwang Kyo-ahn branded the launch as a direct challenge and grave provocation. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe declared that the tests demonstrated that Pyongyang had developed a new threat and said Tokyo would strongly protest to North Korea.

The US and Japan have called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the latest missile tests. A similar session was convened following North Koreas launch of a new medium-range missile last month, but no punitive measures were taken. Washington will undoubtedly exploit the gathering to intensify the pressure on Beijing to impose crippling economic measures on its North Korean ally.

The North Korean missile launches take place as the Trump administration is engaged in a review of US strategy towards North Korea, which, since the end of the Korean War in 1953, has been one of unremitting hostility. The Obama administration has been heavily criticised in US foreign policy and military circles for not taking more aggressive action to halt the North Korean nuclear and missile programs.

In January, Trump, as president-elect, reacted to an announcement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that his country was preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by tweeting that it wont happen. Details of the White House review leaked to the Wall Street Journal last week indicated that regime-change and pre-emptive military strikes against North Korea were under active consideration.

In a detailed article last weekend, the New York Times revealed that the US military under the Obama administration had engaged in an aggressive cyberwarfare campaign against North Koreas missile systems following its nuclear test in 2013. The newspaper admitted that it had withheld details at the request of the military and security establishment. It was publishing the story now as it was becoming evident that North Korea had become aware of the cyber-attacks that appeared to be causing a high rate of missile launch failures.

The American cyber and electronic strikes against North Korea are a reckless act of war, which threaten to plunge the region into conflict. They recall the methods used by the US and Israel against Iran to undermine its uranium enrichment capabilities using the Stuxnet worm to cause gas centrifuges to malfunction. The cyber-attack was part of a broader Israeli campaign of assassination and sabotage against Irans nuclear programs.

The New York Times explained that Obama was prepared to go to any length in his efforts to halt North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. With only a few months left in office, it wrote, he pushed aides for new approaches. At one meeting, he declared that he would have targeted the North Korean leadership and weapons sites if he thought that would work. The administration concluded, however, that the difficulties of military strikes were too great, and the risks of missing were tremendous, including renewed war on the Korean Peninsula.

The Trump administration is now considering all options in its bid to prevent North Korea from building a nuclear-tipped ICBM capable of reaching the US mainland. Its measures will not be aimed just at Pyongyang but also Beijing, which Trump has repeatedly threatened with trade war measures and military action in the South China Sea. He is accelerating the military build-up in Asia in preparation for war with China in a bid to ensure US supremacy in the region and the world.

A senior Trump official confirmed to the New York Times that the White House was looking at pre-emptive military strike options, in spite of the tactical difficulties involved. Putting American tactical nuclear weapons back in South Koreathey were withdrawn a quarter-century agois also under consideration even if that step could accelerate an arms race with the North, the newspaper stated.

The reinstallation of US tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula would threaten to dramatically raise tensions not only with North Korea, but also with China, which would quickly conclude that it was the real target. It could trigger a nuclear arms race involving South Korea, where some lawmakers have already called for building nuclear weapons, and Japan.

While Trump has also reportedly considered renewed negotiations with the Pyongyang regime, the White House is under growing pressure to act against North Korea. The danger that it will opt for militarist measures, including an attack on North Korea, is heightened by the political warfare in American ruling circles over foreign policy in relation to Russia in particular. As it attempts to extricate itself from a worsening crisis, the Trump administration is quite capable of initiating a reckless provocation against North Korea as a diversion.
In the run-up to Mexicos 2018 election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (popularly known as AMLO), the head of the Movement of National Regeneration (Morena), has been on a speaking tour to prepare his presidential candidacy, appearing across Mexico and traveling to seven US cities. Having already spoken in Los Angeles and Chicago, he is appearing this week in El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2006, AMLO was the candidate of the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which was itself a split-off from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico without interruption from 1929 to 2000. He lost the 2006 presidential election to Felipe Calderon of the right-wing National Action Party (PAN) due to widespread electoral fraud. AMLO, again as the PRD candidate, also claims that fraud cost him the 2012 presidential election, which saw the return to power of the PRI under President Enrique Pena Nieto after 12 years of PAN rule.

AMLO founded Morena as a political party in 2014 to serve as a vehicle for his personal candidacy and to disassociate himself from the PRD, which was discredited by its corruption and support for the Pact for Mexico, which led to a series of right-wing reforms, attacking public education and paving the way to privatization of Mexicos state-run oil corporation, PEMEX.

Pena Nietos approval rating has sunk this year to as low as 12 percent. For months, AMLO has been leading in the polls for likely candidates in the 2018 presidential election. One poll in January had him at 45 percent, compared to candidates of the PAN (15-25 percent), PRI (a dismal 7-10 percent), and PRD (an abysmal 2-5 percent).

On his current tour, AMLO is asking Mexicans, regardless of their class position, to sign on to his Political Agreement of Unity for the Prosperity of the People and the Renaissance of Mexico, which consists of a handful of sentences filled with empty patriotic appeals and platitudes about a rebirth for Mexico.

AMLO and Morena call for uniting all sectors of society, women and men, poor and rich, religious and free thinkers, as long as they dont participate in the corruption endemic to the Mexican ruling class, which he calls Mexicos main problem.

Thus, billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, ranked as recently as 2013 as the worlds richest man, with a net worth of $55 billion or 6 percent of Mexicos GDP, and who acquired Mexicos national telephone company Telmex for a song, is welcome to participate in AMLOs unity campaign. In Morenas eyes, he is an honest businessman, rather than part of what AMLO calls the corrupt mafia in power who traffic in influence.

This in a country whose four wealthiest billionaires control as much wealth as the bottom half of the populationthe 65 million that live in poverty (which includes 13 million living in extreme poverty)and where the top 10 percent as a whole accounts for 67 percent of Mexicos national wealth.

The threadbare nationalist program advanced by AMLO and Morena makes not even a pretense of challenging this grotesque social inequality and the capitalist property relations that are the source of the corruption that it condemns. Nor does it make any mention of imperialismthis despite the domination of the country and its economy for over a century by its northern neighbor, the United States.

Instead, Morena, in the more nationalistic pre-1980 tradition of the Mexican bourgeoisie, seeks better terms for Mexican business when dealing with US capital. AMLO stresses that the largest plants installed in Mexico belong to American investors or businessmen who export merchandise and their profits to the United States and leave very few jobs or taxes in Mexico.

Morenas official program calls for cooperative development with US businesses and for higher competition internally and competitiveness externally.

With its invocation of universal civic, social and democratic values and vague moral appeals, AMLO and Morena orient themselves to Mexicos middle class, which they claim has a profound desire for liberation, to make justice a reality. But much of the 9 percent under the top 1 percent in Mexico that constitutes Morenas real social base, views the masses of workers and poor as a threat to their wealth and privileges. This layer includes the trade union operatives, academics and state bureaucrats.

Calling for a moral and cultural revolution, AMLO and Morena clearly oppose a social revolution and are determined to prevent Mexicos working class from forging its political independence and fighting for power.

The so-called reforms currently put forward by AMLO are at best flaccid, and in many cases reactionary.

AMLOs current flagship proposal is to guarantee the right to education (a right already enshrined in the Mexican constitution) by paying 300,000 youth a paltry $120-a-month scholarship to study. At the same time, AMLO proposes to guarantee an additional 2.3 million young people a $225-a-month salary for job training. AMLO absurdly claims that this will guarantee full employment for young people and remove the temptation of antisocial behavior, that is entering the drug trade.

The second proposal AMLO is highlighting is to establish a 12-mile-deep free or open zone along the 1,800-mile border with the United States, which would include all of Mexicos border cities with the US, such as Tijuana and Juarez, in order to promote growth in this this region of Mexico. Under this proposal, incentives will be given, taxes will be lowered, gasoline prices will be lowered and job creation will be encouraged. The 11 percent-16 percent value-added tax previously imposed in the border area would be repealed.

More generally, while Morenas program calls on the state to promote the national economy, AMLO insists that Mexican development is to be accomplished without increasing taxes on the wealthy, by freeing up funds lost to corruption and by the government acting with austeritythat is, not spending significantly on social programs or infrastructure. The country, AMLO says should no longer be indebted.

This is a right-wing program. Mexican economic development will continue on as it has under the counter-reforms implemented through Pena Nietos 2013 Pact for Mexico, which is grounded on increasing exploitation of Mexican workers and poor peasants by the Mexican ruling class.

Last year, AMLO sold out the struggles of teachers in poor southern Mexico states who were opposing education reform, that is attacks on their wages and rights, pushing them to sit down with intransigent federal officials who were heading up these attacks.

When masses of Mexicans protested a 20 percent hike in gas prices in January, AMLO attacked some who blocked refinery facilities or looted stores for employing fascist strategies. Order, he said, had to be brought to such chaos. Any and all violence had to be avoided in order to assure a peaceful and democratic road to change, despite the ever-increasing violence of the Mexican state and its military and police agencies against the population.

In the speech he gave in Los Angeles last month, AMLO attempted to reason with Trump against the latters threats to impose vindictive tariffs on Mexico exports to the United States, rewrite the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in favor of the US and deport millions of Mexicans to Mexico.

In response to Trumps attempts to whip up anti-immigrant chauvinism, AMLO called on American academicians and intellectuals who hold civic, social and democratic values to draw up a plan to convince and persuade workers and the middle class in the United States that migrants are not their enemies. He said that Morena would work with such academicians and social leaders to create committees in the US to spread the message of reason and fellowship among the U.S. population.

AMLOs ideology, which, like Trumps, proceeds from nationalist and patriotic appeals, can offer no solution whatsoever to the very real problems he raises. Workers in both countries must reject the nationalism and fake left populism of AMLO and Morena.

At AMLOs speech in Los Angeles, the WSWS interviewed Juan Rivera, a retired Mexican worker who came to the US in 1968 to work in the fields. After hearing AMLO speak, Rivera put forward an entirely different perspective. He said that the unity of Mexican and American workers presented the way forward; that the day is not far off when the working classes of both those countries will make capitalism collapse and fall.

Rather than making appeals to academics and social leaders, that is, to layers who are invariably tied to the Democratic Party, what is needed is for Mexican and US workers, who are already united in terms of production chains, to unite through an independent political struggle on a program against capitalism and for socialism.
Around 100 people protested on the steps of the US Immigration Court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday against the abduction and detention of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez. Romulo was pulled over and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in front of his 13-year-old daughter Fatima as he dropped her off for school last week. Fatima captured the arrest on her mobile phone and the video has been viewed more than 600,000 times.

When I saw the video and the young girl and her father being taken away it broke my heart, Jung Hee, a mother of two from Romulos neighborhood of Highland Park, told WSWS reporters. I cant even imagine what its like to be that young girl and see one of her parents get taken away, she said. Jung said she came to the protest because she wanted to stand up for certain communities that are being targeted right now and say, Thats not right, thats not the country I want to live in.

Jocelyn Avelica, Romulos 19-year-old daughter, addressed the demonstration. Were not leaving, she said. Were bigger than Trump! Were bigger than ICE, all of us together! Protesters chanted, Fuera Trump! Fuera ICE! (Get out Trump! Get out ICE!)

Mondays demonstration is only the latest in a wave of protests in opposition to the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants. A series of executive orders signed by Donald Trump, and a memo from Department of Homeland Security Director John Kelly, place millions of immigrants in imminent danger of detention and deportation. Trump told a press conference last month that the assault on immigrants and refugees was a military operation which is getting bad dudes out of this country.

In fact, immigrants like Romulo are being targeted as part of a campaign of fear and terror being waged by the Trump administration against the entire working class. Romulos criminal history consists entirely of a drunk driving arrest more than 10 years ago and vehicle registration forgery more than two decades ago. A 48-year-old Mexican-born restaurant worker, Romulo has lived in the US for over 25 years and is the father of four daughters, all US citizens. He was the main source of income for his family, sometimes working 60-70 hours per week.

I work in the fields, said Ricardo, a farm worker who came to the demonstration from Santa Barbara. It is bad what they are doing with the immigrants because we immigrants are the ones who contribute to the country. We work hard for a future. We are the ones who work hard in the sun, in the cold. Theres ice and we are still putting our hands in. It is very difficult in the fields and we the workers are the ones who put up with all of it. We dont deserve the treatment that we are getting.

Romulo has now spent a week in an ICE detention center in Adelanto, California, and is threatened with deportation if his visa extension is not approved. The facility is under quarantine for a measles outbreak and his family has not been allowed to visit him.

Outside the ICE headquarters, people carried handmade signs that read, Free Romulo! Sanctuary, not Deportation! Stop terrorizing my neighbors, No ban. No wall and Muslims in solidarity with Romulo. The last two refer to two of President Trumps executive orders, which call for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border, as well as banning citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

St. Claire Adriaan, the principal of Fatimas school, told the crowd that on the day of Romulos arrest, Our eighth graders were going to the Museum of Tolerance because they are reading The Diary of Anne Frank . He continued, When Fatima came to school that morning, when I had to meet a traumatized 13-year-old crying because she has no idea if she is going to see her father again, I was mad.

I was mad as an educator that politicians would allow ICE to do this to our children. They are tearing our families apart. But we will stand by our children and our families. Because an injury to one is an injury to all.

Adriaan recalled to the WSWS his childhood growing up in Apartheid South Africa and having to go to segregated restaurants and schools and beaches. We have the same blood running through our veins, he said. No human being should make any other human being feel inferior or dehumanized, and what Im seeing here is exactly the same.

Sara, one of the demonstrators, said, Everyone is an immigrant, they just dont talk about it that way. My ancestors came over from Eastern Europe, from Russia and Poland, and they came before World War II and Im Jewish, so who knows what would have happened to my family line if they werent welcomed here?

The attack on Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez is part of a pattern of egregious actions by ICE in recent weeks designed to strike fear into the immigrant population.

 On the Friday, 27-year-old Juan Carlos Coronilla-Guerrero was snatched up by ICE at the Travis County courthouse in Austin, Texas.

 On March 1, 22-year-old Daniela Vargas was detained by ICE agents after speaking at a press conference against the detention of her father and brother. She now faces deportation to Argentina, the country she left at age seven.

 On March 2, Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia, a father of three US citizens who came to the US 20 years ago, went to his appointment at an ICE office to discuss his request for asylum. He never came home, having been deported to Mexico, leaving his 23-year-old daughter Yennifer as sole guardian of her younger brother and sister.

These unprecedented moves will have the effect of frightening undocumented people from showing up in court, thus criminalizing them. The list of these horrors is growing daily, and the protests continue.
There were 3,533 attacks on refugee shelters and individual refugees in 2016 in Germany, indicating a massive increase in right-wing violence directed against a vulnerable group of people who have experienced war, persecution and poverty.

The growth of such deliberate violence can only be understood against the background of the refugee baiting conducted by the establishment parties, the media and sections of the academic milieu. In 2015, when many refugees from Syria and other war zones came to Germany, there was an outpouring of solidarity in the population. But since then, the most right-wing sections of society have been mobilized against them with various threatening scenarios.

Of the 3,533 registered attacks, those on refugee shelters (inhabited and uninhabited) account for 988. These included attacks (66 arson attacks and four involving explosives), propaganda offences (211 cases), property damage (371 cases) and other assaults. While compared to the previous yearthe highpoint of the refugee influx, when 1,031 attacks on refugee homes took placethis number has decreased, violence in every other category is on a sharp rise.

There were 2,545 registered cases of violence involving direct attacks on refugees outside their accommodations (due to lack of data there are no comparative figures for 2015). In total, 560 people were injured, including 43 children. Added to this are 217 attacks on aid organizations and their volunteers.

The figures are derived from a response by the Interior Ministry to a parliamentary question quoted by the Funke Media Group at the beginning of the week. Since no official statistics have been released, the figures are only preliminary and may rise.

Violence against refugees had risen to around 200 offences from 2014 to 2015. In May 2016, the Federal Criminal Police then reported an increase of 44 percent over the same period the previous year. Thus it could already be foreseen that politically motivated crime and violence by right-wing groups and individual perpetrators against refugees would take on a massive scale. The number of attacks rose yet again, while the number of refugee shelters and refugees has decreased. The figures for 2016 mean that 10 attacks took place every day last year.

In autumn 2016, Der Tagesspiegel reported an increase in the brutality of the violence by far-right groups and neo-Nazis. The number of attempted homicides has risen from one (2014), to four (2015), and 11 in 2016.

Attacks occurred throughout the country, and the number of successful prosecutions is generally low. The media only report particularly brutal cases, such as those in Clausnitz and Bautzen.

In Bautzen at the end September 2016, after an aggressive provocation, around 80 right-wing extremists chased 20 young asylum seekers through the city because they had refused to leave a public square. One refugee was injured with a knife. The far-right hooligans threw stones at an ambulance, which could only continue to take the youth to hospital under police protection. In another incident in the same city, an asylum seekers residence was set on fire, while right-wing onlookers stood by and applauded.

In Clausnitz in the state of Saxony in February 2016, an angry group of right-wing demonstrators surrounded an incoming bus of refugees and abused the terrified occupants with xenophobic slogans. The police responded by violently forcing the refugees from the bus into their hostel.

Most assaults are only reported in the regional press or not at all. For example, the Berlin police only issued a press release about 15 of the 57 attacks on refugees in 2015. In 2016, there were just seven press releases on some 60 attacks on refugee homes. The situation is similar in Bavaria. Police issued press releases on just two of the 30 attacks on refugee accommodation or individual refugees in Munich.

Assaults by refugees, however, whether fictitious (as the recently alleged sex mob in Frankfurt) or grossly exaggerated (as in New Year's Eve 2015 in Cologne), are exploited politically and by the media to stamp refugees in general as being potential perpetrators of violence. There is a systematic effort to stigmatize refugees as sex offenders, social parasites or potential terrorists.

The statistical data of the Federal Police tells an entirely different story, however. As of June 2016, crimes against sexual self-determination as well as the general crime rate have not grown proportionately.

In November 2016, criminal psychologist Ulrich Wagner told broadcaster SWR, The fact is that in 2015, more than a million people came to Germany, and this did not lead to a corresponding increase in crime. He pointed out that the sense of security in the general population is influenced greatly by the detailed media coverage.

The massive violence against refugees takes place against a background of a political turn to the right internationally. In the US, Donald Trump and his fascistic adviser Stephen Bannon have made nationalist and racist action against migrants the official state doctrine.

In Europe as well, nationalist and xenophobic views have gained ground in the political establishment with the rise of the National Front in France, UKIP in Britain, and the far-right Alternative for Germany. Official social discourse has moved clearly to the right.

Germanys Left Party also bangs the drum for a strong state and the arming of the police. Its parliamentary leader Sahra Wagenknecht, the supposedly left figurehead of the party, stirs up particularly offensive sentiments against refugees. At times, she calls for upper ceilings on the number of refugees; at others, she criticizes Merkels chaotic policy of uncontrolled border openings or demands that refugees who abuse German hospitality be deported.

Jorg Baberowski, professor of Eastern European history at Humboldt University in Berlin, has denounced refugees in numerous interviews and newspaper columns as a burden on the welfare state and as potential perpetrators of violence.

Against the backdrop of this intellectual incitement, right-wing forces feel encouraged to move from public expressions of anti-refugee hatred to carrying out actual deeds. While refugees are criticised for their supposed readiness to commit violence, in actual fact there is a massive rise in right-wing violence against the refugees themselves.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was the keynote speaker at a rally Saturday in Canton, Mississippi where the United Auto Workers (UAW) is campaigning to win recognition at the local Nissan auto factory. Having lost more than 1 million members since 1979, the Mississippi campaign is the latest effort by the UAW to boost its dues revenue by reversing the string of defeats at manufacturing plants in the southern US.

While Sanders and the unions have blamed right to work laws and Republican state officials, the chief reason for the defeats is the perfidious record of the unions and their decades-long collaboration with the corporate-government attack on the jobs and living standards of workers. Sanders, who enjoys close relations with the unions, has very deliberately sought to conceal the real record of the UAW.

Bernie Sanders told the rally, If you are a member of a union in America, you are going to make 27 percent more than a non-union member. If you are a member of a union, youre far more likely to have paid family and medical leave. If you are a member of a union, the likelihood is that you will have better health care and a better retirement plan than non-union members, Sanders said.

To the extent that such a differential still exists, this represents the residual of the mass struggles of workers between the 1930s and 1970s. The UAW and other unions long ago abandoned any struggle against the employers adopting the corporatist outlook of labor-management partnership. Over the last four decades, the unions have suppressed every form of resistance by workers while handing over the hard-won gains of generations of workers in the name of making US corporations more competitive and profitable.

Today conditions in UAW-organized GM, Ford and Chrysler factories in the North, not to mention auto parts plants, increasingly resemble those at the Mississippi Nissan plant where an estimated 40 percent of the 6,400-person workforce are temporary employees and wages are on a tiered system, ranging from a meager $12 per hour to $24 at the high end.

Actor and Democratic Party activist Danny Glover, along with NAACP President Cornell Brooks and UAW President Dennis Williams, sought to tie the unions efforts to increase its base of dues-paying members with the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The basic thrust of the argument was that poor wages and conditions at Canton, with its 80 percent African American workforce, are thereby civil rights and human rights issues.

The day before the Mississippi rally, the UAW sanctioned the layoff of 1,300 workers at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Most of the workers thrown into the streets with the connivance of the UAW were African American temporary workers, including young black women.

The effort of the unions and Democrats to wrap the Nissan campaign in the mantle of the civil rights movement is aimed at concealing the class division that exists between the working class on the one side, and the union executives like Williams who function as well-paid tools for the auto bosses.

It is also part of the historical record that the South became an anti-union haven because the then CIO unions abandoned the struggle to organize Southern workers in the late 1940s and 1950s. The then CIO unions ended Operation Dixie to establish even closer ties to the national Democratic Party whose southern representatives enforced the brutal Jim Crow laws against blacks. This coincided with the purge of the socialists who pioneered the building of the CIO in the 1930s and the organizations merger with the AFL in 1955.

The UAWs recent efforts to organize the European and Asian-based transplants in the South have chiefly been based on appeals to the employers, not the workers. In 2010, former UAW President Bob King urged employers to re-examine their instinctive resistance to the notion of unionization, and consider some of the advantages of a positive, productive relationship with a union. Unions can and should play a positive roleand the results show the UAW is doing exactly that.

Indeed, the Detroit automakers are reaping record profits due to the decades of concessions imposed by the UAW, the suppression of all strikes, and the abandonment of the most elemental interests of the working class. As a reward, the UAW controls billions in corporate stocks, seats on corporate boards and enjoys a myriad of labor-management business schemes.

The march follows a rejection by Boeing workers in South Carolina of union representation, a major blow to the labor bureaucracys push into the region, which is experiencing a boom in manufacturing. Production workers at Volkswagens Chattanooga plant likewise rejected a UAW drive in February 2014despite or perhaps because the company openly campaigned for UAW recognition.

Prior to the Chattanooga vote, the UAW reached a neutrality agreement with the VW plant promising that any future contract would be committed to maintaining and where possible enhancing the cost advantages and other competitive advantages [Volkswagen] enjoys relative to its competitors in the United States and North America.

The march, which garnered little support, specifically demanded that Nissan sign a neutrality agreement in advance of a union recognition vote at the Canton plant.

Workers at another Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee rejected the UAW in 1989 and 2001 votes. No election has been held at the Mississippi plant in Canton. The union has been trying to pressure Nissan through the French governments ownership stake in Nissans business partner, the Renault Group.

Why should workers at Nissan or anywhere else pay dues out of their hard-earned salaries to organizations that function as tools of management and the Democratic Party?

Workers at the Nissan factory certainly need organizations to fight. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined Nissan $21,000 for safety violations at the Canton plant that led to a worker losing three fingers in a July 2016 accident. In November, a production worker at Nissans Smyrna, Tennessee plant died from a crushing blow to the head, which could have been prevented if safety measures during routine maintenance met industry standards. OSHA also cited the Nissan Smyrna plant for similar violations in 2013 and 2015.

To wage a struggle against unsafe conditions, speed-ups, low wages and the lack of job security, workers will have to build new organizations, democratically controlled by rank-and-file workers themselves, and based on the methods of class struggle, not class collaboration. They must be thoroughly committed to the interests of workers, not the profits of the corporations. Moreover, these rank-and-file committees must reject any support to the two parties of big business and the fight for the broadest mobilization to defend the social rights of all workers.

Nissan workers in the US should also forge the closest ties with workers in Japan and throughout the world to wage a common fight against the efforts of the global corporations to force workers into a race to the bottom. That means rejecting all forms of nationalism, which is used by the corporations and the government to divide US workers from their international class brothers and sisters.

Sanders has had long and close relations with the UAW and works with the unions to divert social anger down the reactionary path of economic nationalism. During the 2016 primary election campaign, before telling his supporters to back the Wall Street shill Hillary Clinton, Sanders stopped at UAW Local 600 in suburban Detroit. This was just months after UAW officials rigged the vote to push through a sellout contract at Ford.

Sanders so-called political revolution has now morphed into open support for Trumps America First economic nationalism.
US President Donald Trump issued a revised executive order banning travel from six majority-Muslim countries and halting all refugee entry into the United States for the next 120 days. The order revokes and replaces Executive Order 13769, signed by Trump January 27, which was struck down as unconstitutional by several federal courts.

The revised order targets six of the countries named in the previous orderIran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemenbut exempts the seventh country, Iraq. This was after objections from the Pentagon, which feared widespread popular anger in the country where 6,000 US troops are deployed alongside tens of thousands of Iraqi army and militia forces in the ongoing conflict with Islamic State guerrillas.

The order omits several of the most flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional provisions of the earlier order, including a specific preference for minority religious groups, which in the context of Muslim-majority countries meant overt discrimination against Muslims.

Unlike the first order, the travel ban is prospective only: it freezes new applications for visas for the next 90 days, but has no effect on current visas, or on US legal residents (green card holders) coming back from visits to one of the six targeted countries. There will be no mass cancellation of visas, as was the case under the initial draft of the order.

That said, the reactionary and anti-democratic character of the order remains, with the main immediate effect felt by refugees, who will make up the vast majority of those denied entry to the United States, rather than travelers.

Trump cuts the number of refugees to be admitted from 117,000 for the current fiscal year to only 50,000. Given that there is a 120-day freeze on all refugee admissions, which begins when the new order takes effect March 16 and lasts until July 14, it is highly unlikely that even 50,000 refugees will be able to enter the US during the remainder of the period ending September 30.

The impact on travelers could be much larger going forward, since the executive order commissions the secretary of homeland security, in consultation with the secretary of state and the attorney general, to make recommendation on extending the travel ban, and to draw up additional lists of countries whose citizens should be excluded, based on an assessment of whether these countries have provided information on their own citizens demanded by the US government. In other words, the temporary ban on the six countries could well become open-ended, and Washington will bully foreign governments into collaborating with its anti-terrorism policies, on penalty of being added to the travel ban.

The language of the new executive order bristles with Trumps hatred for the judicial review process that resulted in the effective overturning of the earlier order, and his contempt for the issues of democratic rights and constitutional norms that were raised in the numerous legal challenges. It reiterates the claim of near-absolute presidential power to bar the entry of broad classes of foreigners at the discretion of the White House.

Immigrants rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union denounced the new travel ban as just as anti-democratic and unconstitutional as the first order, even though scaled back to apply to somewhat fewer people. Lawsuits will be filed even before the new order takes effect on March 16.

The supposed anti-terrorist rationale for the travel ban is belied even by the agencies responsible for enforcing it. The Department of Homeland Security itself admitted, in a report made public last month, that country of origin was not a meaningful variable in assessing the likelihood of any individual mounting a terrorist attack.

According to an analysis by Charles Kurzman of the University of North Carolina, cited in Mondays New York Times, of the 36 Muslim extremists who have engaged in terrorist attacks inside the United States since 2001, 18 were born in the US and 14 migrated here as children, and so would have passed any vetting procedure. None came from the six countries targeted by the travel ban.

The Times concluded: Muslim extremists have accounted for 16 out of 240,000 murders in the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The newspaper could have addedbut chose not tothat during that period far more Americans have been killed by former soldiers traumatized and brutalized by the wars conducted by US imperialism in the Middle East than by any terrorists, Muslim or otherwise.

These facts did not stop Trump from claiming, in his address to Congress last Tuesday, The vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. That lie was followed by a brazen appeal to fear: We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America. This was in reference to refugees from Syria, mainly women and children, victims of a brutal civil war instigated by the United States and the oil-based monarchies of the Persian Gulf.

Congressional Democrats for the most part postured as critics of the revised travel ban, but they have focused all their attention on denouncing Trump as insufficiently aggressive towards Russia, effectively downplaying any objections to his attacks on democratic rights.

The issuance of the new order came in the midst of a mounting political crisis of the Trump administration over charges and counter-charges relating to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and alleged contacts between Trump aides and Russian intelligence agencies. No actual evidence of such interference or such contacts has ever been made publiconly an endless series of anonymous leaks from officials in the military-intelligence apparatus opposed to Trumps apparently softer foreign policy towards Russia.

On Saturday, Trump retaliated with a series of tweets claiming President Obama had ordered wiretapping of his Trump Tower offices during the election campaign, claiming that this represented a scandal as serious as Nixon and Watergate. Like his critics in the anti-Russian campaign, Trump did not offer a shred of evidence to back up his extraordinary claims.

Reaction to these charges in the media and official political circles was overwhelmingly hostile, with congressional Republicans distancing themselves from the White House, agreeing only that the question of wiretapping should be looked into by the intelligence committees that are investigating the charges of Russian interference.

White House officials avoided all interaction with the media during the issuance of the executive order establishing the revised travel ban, apparently to avoid further questions on the wiretapping issue. Trump signed the order behind closed doors, rather than welcoming television cameras to the Oval Office as he did when he signed the first order.

The formal issuance of the order came at a joint White House appearance of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, at which each official read a short statement. All three then left without taking any questions. A scheduled televised press briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer was held off camera and behind closed doors.
The authorities in several German cities have prevented appearances by Turkish government officials who wanted to advocate a yes vote in the constitutional referendum of April 16. About 1.4 million Turkish citizens live in Germany who are entitled to vote in the referendum.

The bans were justified on technical grounds. For example, the city of Gaggenau refused to allow an event with the Turkish justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, arguing that parking and access roads would not cope with the expected visitor numbers.

The city of Cologne refused to allow an appearance by the Turkish Economics Minister Nihat Zeybekci at the Porz town hall on the grounds that there was no hiring agreement for this event, because a publicised theatre event had been recast as an information session. And the city of Hamburg banned a planned appearance of the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday on the pretext that fire protection measures were insufficient.

In reality, the bans are for political reasons. They are taking place against the backdrop of a hysterical campaign to ban all Turkish politicians who support the new constitution, sought by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to strengthen his rule.

Bavarian state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), Horst Seehofer, told the Suddeutsche Zeitung that Turkish politicians were abusing their right to hospitality when they promote anti-democratic measures in their country. CSU domestic affairs expert Hans-Peter Uhl told the Bild newspaper such meetings should, if necessary, be disbanded by the security authorities.

In the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerks Deutschland, Free Democratic Party (FDP), leader Christian Lindner railed against systematic Turkish state propaganda on German soil. He called on the federal government to call a halt to it.

Even federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas (Social Democratic Party, SPD) spoke out against Erdogan himself being allowed to promote the constitutional amendment in Germany. With reference to the German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel currently sitting in Turkish custody, Maas told an SPD event in the Saarland, I think with what is happening there, we are at a point when the time to keep quiet has to be over.

The most aggressive calls for a general ban on appearances by politicians from the Turkish ruling AKP have come from representatives of the Left Party. In Berlin, Left Party leader Bernd Riexinger demanded, that the next promotional show for Erdogan not take place.

The Turkish despot is leading the government around by the nose, he said, with barely concealed chauvinism.

In the Rheinische Post, Left Party parliamentary leader Sahra Wagenknecht accused the government of cronyism with the Turkish autocrats.

The demand for a ban on appearances by Turkish politicians is undemocratic and reactionary.

Proponents of such a ban say it is justified because Erdogan is suppressing his political opponents and that the proposed constitutional amendment has authoritarian characteristics. Therefore, as Heribert Prantl wrote in the Suddeutsche Zeitung, freedom of speech for Erdogan (and his governmental campaigners) in Germany means aiding the elimination of fundamental rights and liberties ...

This argument is essentially false. Such prohibitions do not defend democracy and freedom of expression in Turkey, but suppress it in Germany. Leading politicians and journalists presume to prescribe to Turkish citizens living in Germany what they may think about, whom they may listen to and who not. In place of political debate comes bans and censorship. In this way, a precedent is created for the suppression of all dissent. The state will determine what may and may not be said in public.

If the AKP (which after all, won 60 percent of the vote among Turkish citizens living in Germany in the last election) may not express its views in Germany, what about members of socialist parties, which the ruling elites accuse of being anti-constitutional? Or what about Muslims, whose faith some right-wing politicians claim is incompatible with the constitution?

That the discussion is going in such a direction is shown by another argument that the proponents of the ban cite against the appearance of Turkish politicians: fundamental rights only apply to Germans.

In its weekend edition, the Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote, citing the Freiburg law professor Ralf Poscher, arguments for a general ban on assembly were legally feasible because Article 8 of the constitution (All Germans have the right to assemble peacefully and unarmed without prior notification or permission) was a German fundamental right.

On Monday, Heribert Prantl repeated this shameful argument. Pointing to earlier appearances by Erdogan in Germany, he warned that Turkish government politicians should not be given the impression that their campaign speech rights in Germany are a kind of customary right.

The government had permitted such appearances in the past, even if the right of assembly is really only a German fundamental right. This was an act of diplomacy  because one and a half million Turkish voters live in Germany and because German-Turkish friendship should be strengthened in this way. But now the question arises, whether the German state was not only entitled, but even obliged to stand firm against this promotion?

In this way, the basic democratic right to freedom of assembly for hundreds of thousands of Turks living in Germany is made dependant on arbitrary state decisions. No events with elected Turkish politicianseven completely peaceful onesare to be permitted if their politics do not suit the German state. And this in a country that only 80 years ago denied millions of people all rights under the Nuremberg Race Laws because of their Jewish religion.

When it comes to their own interests, the German political elite use very different standards. Completely forgotten is the campaigning by Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) in spring 1990 in East Germany, then still a sovereign state, where he promised blossoming landscapes if they supported reunification. And in 2014 on the Maidan, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed his solidarity in person with the right-wing forces that organised the overthrow of the elected Ukrainian government. In both cases, representatives of the German government were not discussing domestic German politics among expatriate Germans but were directly intervening into the affairs of other countries.

If it serves their interests, the German government has no problem dealing with autocrats and despots. For example, just last week, Chancellor Merkel visited the Egyptian ruler al-Sisi, who acts far more harshly against his political opponents than Erdogan, and assured him of Germanys interest in the stability of Egypt.

Merkel has agreed a dirty refugee deal with Erdogan himself, which prevents refugees from the war zones in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan from making the onward journey to Europe. Merkel wants to continue this deal, and for this reason, she, like foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, has been cautious in speaking about the bans on Turkish politicians.

However, there are fierce conflicts among German politicians about how to deal with Turkey. From the start, Merkels refugee deal met with criticism in her own camp because a section believed German imperialism was binding its hands in the Middle East if it tied itself too tightly to Turkey. Above all, the CSU and the Left Party have for some time been demanding that Germany should act with more self-interest towards Turkey. And the defence ministry has invested much effort in the arming and training of the Kurdish peshmerga.

In the meantime, German-Turkish relations have reached a low point. Last week, the Turkish foreign ministry in Ankara summoned the German Ambassador Martin Erdmann and conveyed to him its unease about the actions of the German authorities. On Sunday, Erdogan accused Germany of Nazi practices, which met with an indignant backlash in Berlin.

The defence of democratic rights and the struggle against Erdogans authoritarian measures cannot be left to the German government and the bourgeois state. They require the mobilisation of the Turkish and international working class.
Latin America

Mexican university professors strike over medical and pension issues in third week

A strike at the Antonio Narro Autonomous Agrarian University (UAAAN) by members of the UAAAN Academic Workers Syndicate (SUTAUAAAN), which began February 16, entered its third week March 2 with no end in sight. The educators voted to walk out after one of several meetings with the UAAAN rectory failed to resolve issues regarding funding for medical services and pensions.

SUTAUAAN secretary general Roxana Cuevas Flores told reporters on that day that, despite months of negotiations, They have made a lot of promises, but an astonishing budget deficit exists in the pension fund and in practically all the branches of social security; the money remains to attend to the issue of retirement and pensions for workers for two years. Therefore nobody can retire, because  the funds are reduced, and nobody would have enough.

The union has petitioned the Treasury Secretariat, the Chamber of Deputies and the state government, in addition to the UAAAN rectory, to no avail. Last year they met with Section 38 of the SNTE national teachers federation and the state government, who promised to make an actuarial study of the Pension and Medical Service Institute, to be released in July 2016. To date the results are not known.

As of March 3, the rectory and government agencies had still not responded to the crisis.

Salvadoran microbus drivers strike to protest gang extortion

Microbus drivers for route 11-C, which carries passengers to and from El Salvadors capital San Salvador and the municipality of San Marcos five miles southeast, stopped work on March 1 to protest harassment by gangs, who demand extortion payments.

According to the drivers, a group of gang members had demanded that the drivers pay an amount of money as rent for the privilege of operating in the area. When the drivers continued working, the gang members threatened them with death, saying, If you dont pay the rent, youll end up in the newspapers, a driver quoted one of the gang members.

Protest against Puerto Rican governors State of the Commonwealth austerity message

Some 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Puerto Rican Capitol February 28 to protest the austerity agenda expressed in Governor Ricardo Rossellos State of the Commonwealth speech before the House of Representatives. Various union officials demagogically denounced what they called the wealthys agenda of across-the-board cuts to education, services and benefits, as well as privatizations, school closures and attacks on employees rights demanded by the fiscal control board.

Various unions and social groups called the protest. Puerto Rican Workers Central (CPT) executive board member Victor Villalba complained to caribbeanbusiness.com that We made some proposals for budget cuts, but that Rossello ignored the unions attempts to get a seat at the table. He repeated the CPTs willingness to engage in dialogue for the islands well-being.

Jamaican nurses hold sickouts over hospital air quality crisis

Nurses at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, Jamaica began calling in sick on March 1. The nurses held the sickout to protest the inadequate response of the Ministry of Health to their complaints about the noxious fumes permeating most of the hospital, the largest in western Jamaica.

Some of the nurses have gotten ill from the fumes. Although one news outlet, nationwideradiojm.com, reported, The hospital has been impacted by noxious emissions from its dysfunctional air conditioning unit since last October, another, rjronline.com, calls it a decades-old issue.

On March 2, as the number of sick calls increased, representatives of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) and the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association met for talks with the Health Minister, which continued the following day with the Medical Association of Jamaica joining in.

The government declared a national crisis and started relocating services, calling in the Jamaica Defense Force and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Winston De La Haye said that the crisis was equivalent to a hurricane passing through the country. According to De La Haye, Operation Cornwall will take nine months to a year to fix the problems.

But in what nationwideradiojm.com called some good news, De La Haye said that based on the meetings with the union reps, he did not expect the staff at Cornwall to continue their strike. After the March 3 meeting, NAJ president Janet Coore-Farr called on nurses to return to work, saying that she was satisfied with the Ministrys response to the nurses concerns. She added that the NAJ sympathizes with its members in this difficult period.

The United States

Pennsylvania nurses strike over deteriorating staffing levels

Some 370 nurses walked off the job March 5 on a two-day strike at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The nurses, members of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), are protesting the deterioration of staffing levels at the hospital that have worsened since the leveraged buyout last year of the facility by Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.

Angela Neopolitano, a nurse with 36 years at the hospital, told CBS news, We used to have five patients to one nurse on the floors. Now theyre giving us up to seven and eight. Theyve also cut our nurses aides. We used to have two for 20; now we have one for 20.

Maureen Sullender, whose husband died of pancreatic cancer last year, complained of 10-hour delays moving her husband from emergency to a room and similar delays in providing medications. They didnt have the staff. It was really, really bad. The nurses, the people were really, really wonderful but there wasnt enough of them You see them running around like crazy Theyre overloaded. They have too many patients.

Nurses voted to unionize with PASNAP last year and are negotiating their first contract. The union has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging the company illegally changed employee health insurance rates. The NLRB last week ruled on an earlier complaint alleging hospital management improperly withheld documents detailing Prospects purchase of Crozer-Keystone Health System, which owns Delaware County Memorial Hospital.

Canada

Ottawa University set to strike

One thousand instructors and 1,800 teaching assistants at Carleton University in Ottawa could be on strike this week after a weekend of mediated negotiations failed to yield a settlement in their dispute over a new contract.

It would be the first strike of its kind for these workers who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The main issues according to union negotiators are wages and job security, with the school offering salary increases that do not even cover cost-of-living increases.

The university has said that any job action would not disrupt classes and that they are confident a deal can be reached.

Ontario Hearing Society faces strike action

At least 220 counselors, interpreters, instructors, audiologists and support staff at 25 Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) offices across the province went on strike Sunday night after working without a contract for over four years.

Negotiators for CUPE, the union representing CHS staff who provide services for the deaf and hearing impaired, say that they are fighting against measures instituted in recent years to move the agency towards a profit-based model and away from a focus on social service. In addition, union negotiators say they are fighting rollbacks to health benefits and deteriorating working conditions.

Talks with a government-appointed mediator are ongoing, but the situation is describe as unpredictable.

Toronto area university workers look to strike

Some 240 maintenance and trades workers at the University of Guelph, half an hour west of Toronto, will be in a strike or lockout position next week if a deal isnt reached before then.

The workers are members of CUPE and voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action in January. The union has identified pensions, wages, contracting out and other matters related to job security as central issues in negotiations.

Mediated talks are ongoing this week and school administrators say that school activity will continue uninterrupted in the event of a strike.
From safe motherhood to safe womanhood

I met Dilmaya in 1973 in her village in Gulmi. With a twinkle in her eye, her first words to me were Pant lauda laj hunna? In the many intimate chitchats that followed,
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Officials at the University of Central Florida temporarily suspended a fraternity after a member was accused of holding the barrel of a gun to the head of a blindfolded pledge.

The Orlando Sentinel reports an anonymous student emailed the university's police department on Feb. 9 about an Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brother who "took out a rifle and racked it" as blindfolded pledges lay on the floor.

The email says that one of the pledges made a comment about the gun not being real.

The newspaper reports that the student who alerted authorities appears to be in the same fraternity and heard about the incident secondhand.

Police forwarded the email to the school, which suspended the fraternity. They may continue to hold chapter meetings with school staff monitoring. An investigation continues.
Gathabandan gives 7-day ultimatum to govt, warns of withdrawing support

The Sanghiya Gathabandan, a federal alliance of Madhesi and Janjati forces, has given a seven-day ultimatum to the government to roll back its decision to hold local level elections and to endorse the revised constitution amendment bill.
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Govt, donors hold meeting

The 16th donor group meeting on Aid for Trade (AfT) has reviewed the implementation of the action matrix of the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy (NTIS) 2016.
Govt starts door-to-door drive

A day after the two-day polio vaccination campaign ended amid obstruction by agitating health workers, the government on Monday launched door-to-door polio administration drive in 15 districts of the country to ensure that children are not deprived of regular immunisation.
An amendment to a law designed to prevent entry to Israel by those who publically call for boycotts against Israel passed its second and third readings in Knesset plenum on Monday, potentially delivering a blow to the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS).

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The bill passed with 46 MKs voting in favor of it and 28 against after drawn-out deliberations and a stubborn fight was put up by the opposition and the bills detractors.

The amendment to the state entry law dictates that no visa or residency permit of any kind will be granted to a person who is not a citizen or permanent resident in Israel, if he, or the organization or body for which he works, knowingly and publicly calls to boycott Israel or who participated in a boycott against Israel.

Nonetheless, the Minister of the Interior will keep the authority to grant such permits under special circumstances.

"In the last few years the calls to boycott Israel have been growing," the bill proposal reads. "It appears that this is a new front in the war against Israel for which the state was so far reluctant to prepare. This amendment aims to prevent people or representatives of companies, associations or organizations who publically call to boycott Israel from actively working within state territories to promote their agenda."

The opposition viciously opposed the general initiative. MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) slammed the bill as one which opposes freedom of expression, serves as political censorship and is designed to silence dissent.

Zandberg claimed that the amendment was disguised as being against people who call to boycott Israel but fails to differentiate between Israel and the settlements, thereby serving the BDS agenda.

"The bill's purpose is to prevent entry from supporters of peace and human rights that object the occupation by portraying them as supporters of the boycott, she contended.

Not even a hundred laws like this will reduce the criticism against Israeli occupation and settlements and calls to ban products from the settlements, but will have the opposite effect by proving that Israel does actually silence opposition."

MK Dov Khenin (Joint List) also chimed in, asking "who today doesnt oppose the settlements? Take a look at the UN, at the European Union, at what's happening in the international community. You want to ban all people from these organization from entering Israel? The whole world thinks that the settlements are illegal.

"You're basically saying that 'if the world objects to Israel's policies then we will ban the world.' A nation that bans the world is a nation that isolates itself. You're basically promoting an initiative which will strengthen the boycotts against Israel," he concluded.

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), who is one of the MK's who proposed the bill, defended it during the deliberations, saying "what pains me is how, while disputing the bill, you lose a bit of yourself as a people and a state. I hear from the left revulsion at, and alienation from, the very core of our ancestral home."

"What is this amendment about, all told?" Smotrich continued. "The most natural thing for a healthy person who loves his friends and hates his enemies, not to turn the other cheek. A nation with common sense which does not want to aid those who harm it, and does not allow them to use our infrastructures against us."

MK Roy Folkman (Kulanu), another one of the MK's who proposed the bill, added that "we can feel national pride and also believe in human rights. We can defend Israel's name and honor, and there's no shame in it."

In the plenum, the Knesset also passed a bill in its second and third reading, which will enable the courts to prevent a citizen's entry to Israel and annul his citizenship without his presence is he is suspected of terrorism.
North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as police investigating the murder of Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

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Malaysia was outraged by the murder of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13 by assassins using VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Security guard outside North Korean embassy (Photo: AFP)

Police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employeetwo of the three believed to be hiding in the embassy. The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

As the row escalated on Tuesday, North Korea's foreign ministry issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

Photo: AFP

All Malaysian citizens in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the state-run Korea Central News Agency said, quoting a foreign ministry official.

In this period the diplomats and citizens of Malaysia may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before.

HOSTAGE-TAKING

Malaysia reacted swiftly, condemning Pyongyang's action as hostage-taking and responded by barring all North Koreans from leaving the country.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement, adding that he has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Photo: AP

Najib said he has also instructed the police "to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea".

Before the murder, North Korea could count Malaysia as one of its few friends outside of China. But Malaysia has since stopped visa-free travel and on Monday it expelled North Korea's ambassador for questioning the impartiality of the murder investigation.

There are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry official, including three embassy staff, six family members, and two others.

Hundreds of North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, most of them students and workers. The focus, however, was on its embassy staff.

"We are trying to physically identify all the embassy staff who are here," deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told reporters outside the North Korean embassy.

He said staff would not be allowed to leave the embassy "until we are satisfied of their numbers and where they are".

By early afternoon, Malaysian police had removed the tape and police car blocking the North Korean embassy driveway in a sign of easing tensions.

NO RAID

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said three of the North Koreans sought in connection with the murder had holed up at the embassy in the Malaysian capital.

"How much longer do they want to hide in the embassy...it is a matter of time before they come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

"We will not raid the embassy building, we will wait for them to come out. We have got all the time," Khalid said.

Aside from the suspects said to be hiding in the embassy, police have said four other North Koreans left Malaysia in the hours after the murder.

Photo: Reuters

The only North Korean suspect to be apprehended was deported on Friday, released due to insufficient evidence.

US officials and South Korean intelligence suspect North Korean agents were behind the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in Macau under China's protection. He had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept that the dead man is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack.

No next of kin have come forward to claim the body, but the Malaysian police chief said he was confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the murdered man.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a telephone call from US President Donald Trump at the Prime Ministers Office Monday evening, while in the middle of being questioned as part of an ongoing investigation against him.

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Netanyahu apologized to his investigators for having to abruptly leave the room and take the call, during which the two leaders discussed for several minutes the dangers emanating from the Iran nuclear deal signed under Barack Obamas leadership and Tehrans aggressive posturing in the region.

PM Netanyahu and President Trump (Photo: AP)

The PMO issued a statement after the conclusion of the investigation about the phone call. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to again thank the President for his warm hospitality during his recent visit to Washington and expressed his appreciation for the President's strong statement against anti-Semitism during the President's speech before Congress last week, the statement read.

The two leaders spoke at length about the dangers posed by the nuclear deal with Iran and by Iran's malevolent behavior in the region and about the need to work together to counter those dangers, it continued.

A White House spokesperson confirmed that Iran and regional threats were the subjects of the phone conversation and added that the prime minister thanked Trump for his steadfast stance against anti-Semitism.

Netanyahus associates claim that while the call was not planned in advance, past experiences have taught that telephone calls of such a kind are not made as a surprise, causing some to wonder as to the the precise timing of the telephone conversation.

Investigation team arrives at PM's office (Photo: Amit Shabi)

President Trump has already signalled his intention to take a tougher stance on Iran, particularly given its recent testing of ballistic missiles

In September 2016, a US Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after a fast-attack craft from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 100 yards of it in the central Gulf.

More recently, the Trump administration interpreted Irans launching of naval drills at the mouth of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean as yet another example of flaunting its aggression, despite President Trump recently warning that Tehran was "on notice."
When Maj. Gen. (res.) Dan Harel, the director general of the Defense Ministry during Operation Protective Edge, was still the GOC Southern Command, he wanted to experience Hamas's tunnels in person and insisted on crawling into one of the tunnels in the Gush Katif area.

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The senior officer had a rope tied around his waist, but after several dozens of meters of crawling, the officers waiting outside noticed the rope stopped moving, panicked, and pulled him back out.

It may or may not have something to do with this incident, but until Protective Edge the top military brass was uncomfortable sending regular soldiers into the tunnels. Robots were a different matter.

In the decade that preceded the 2014 operation, the tunnel threat was mostly the concern of engineering officers and the Southern Command's senior officers rather than the IDF's top brass and the Defense Ministry. In fact, it was only after Operation Protective Edge that the fighting inside, above and at the entrance to tunnels has taken center stage.





Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades fighter in one of Hamas's tunnels (Photo: Reuters)

A part of that process is the construction of the new obstacle on the Gaza border , the main feature of which is an underground wall going dozens of meters deep. When construction is complete in about a year and a half, a Palestinian tunnel digger will have to break through the obstacle to cross the border.

This is just the start of the changes being made to address the shortcomings in this field, to which the state comptroller dedicated a significant part of his report on the operation.

The obstacle being built on the Gaza border was proposed by the Southern Command almost 20 years ago, when it was dealing with the smuggling tunnels on the Philadelphi Route on the Gaza-Egypt border. But the cost presented at the time was astronomicalsome NIS 21 billion ($5.68 billion)and the project was scrapped. In hindsight, it turned out these price estimations were exaggerated and were not closely examined. It turns out the same result could have been achieved for much cheaper.





Construction on the obstacle project (Photo: Roee Idan)

Just like any other major change in the IDF, the change to the battle against the tunnels began with tactics and technology, and only then did the top brass sit to figure out what should be the operational policy.

Since Operation Protective Edge, the IDF has formulated operational plans, created new units, acquired new measures, and drilled the soldiers. But it's safe to assume that some of the comptroller's notes are still valid. Such as, for example, whether it's really necessary to go into a tunnel to destroy it, and at what stage of the fighting should the tunnels be dealt with, among others.

The process to acquire the capabilities needed to fight the tunnels is already in motion, moving ahead at full speed. The mistakes will be corrected later, in accordance with the notions that will be adopted. This is an organizational mentality that an army almost 70 years old should have kicked a long time ago: improvisation.

The leading division

The developments in the Middle East don't stop. In its annual intelligence assessment, the Military Intelligence Directorate (MID) asserted that at present, Hamas has no intention of violating the status quo and launching another round of violence. Similar statements were made by the MID chief, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, when he appeared in front of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week.

But those once bitten in 2014 are twice shy in 2017. It's safe to assume the high level of alertness in the IDF at the moment is due to the possibility of Hamas's special Nukhba force infiltrating into Israel through offensive tunnels.

An entry into one of Hamas's tunnels found by the IDF (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

In the last third of 2016, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot presented a series of "strategic designs" that would dictate the direction that army should take to increase its strength. The tunnel threat should be at the top of this list.

During a closed-session conference of major generals in reserves last week, the IDF chief stressed to the attendees that the military will no longer enjoy warnings far in advance that would allow it to narrow gaps, complete training, and so on. The change to the nature of the threat has all but erased the term "long warning time."

That is why the IDF chief instructed the different commands to be prepared for a conflict breaking on any of the fronts, particularly on the Gaza front, which is the most volatile.

This means the forces should be at the ready and could be moved within short periods of time, in levels the army has not known before.

Eisenkot has also demanded reports every two or three weeks about the progress of the obstacle project and the preparedness of the forces on the Gaza front. In January, the Southern Command was the first to conduct a final drill to test preparedness for a surprise attack by Hamas, with an emphasis put on Nukhba fighters infiltrating Israel through the tunnels.

Construction on the obstacle project (Photo: Roee Idan)

To bolster the IDF's offensive capabilities in Gaza, the military introduced some structural changes. In January 2016, the 162nd Division was moved from the Central Command to the Southern Command and put in charge of the attack plan that would see Israel taking over large areas of the Gaza Strip. Unlike before, the defense plan can now also include a chapter on the tunnels, as the IDF now has real capabilities on the ground and in the air which have been acquired since Protective Edgeto destroy tunnels.

The state comptroller report criticized the Israel Air Force (IAF) for not being prepared to attack the tunnels in Gaza. Furthermore, it turned out the Air Force was training, acquiring capability and procuring weaponry to fight a subterranean threat completely different to the one in the Gaza Strip. This led to a situation in which the IAF entered Operation Protective Edge as a major player without having the abilities to provide the results that could lead to a real achievement.

During the operation, the Air Force had to set up its own dedicated intelligence gathering system, but was only partially successful at this venture. So by the end of the operation, the Air Force didn't know how to deal with this threat any better than the ground forces. It's safe to assume, however, that the next report will not include a similar paragraph about the Air Force's lack of preparedness.

On February 27, 2017, Hamas failed to stop the firing of a rocket at Israel, providing the Air Force with an excellent reason to return to Gaza and hit two infrastructure targets vital for Hamas. What should have surprised the terror group is not just the fact Israel knows about these projects that it had invested hundreds of millions of shekels and years of work in, but that the dozens of very heavy bombs being dropped on them from the air have so far caused no fatalities.

The Yahalom unit

The Air Force is also working on techniques to combat drones. Hamas plans to use some of its drones as accurate bombs to be dropped on strategic targets or communities in Israel. A drone, like the simpler multicopters Hamas has been using, is a measure that larger and faster aircraft would have trouble dealing with.

On February 23, a Hamas drone was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea. The Air Force is trying to develop a system to hit drones, either using surface-to-air missiles or aircraft. It's safe to assume the IDF will find the appropriate answer to Hamas's drones as well.

Engineering forces blowing up Hezbollah tunnels on the Lebanon border (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

In November 2004, the Gaza Division's tunnels team commander, Capt. Moshe Taranto, was killed when a tunnel collapsed on top of him. Several months earlier, his predecessor, Capt. Aviv Hakani, was killed when an APC (armed personnel carrier) blew up during operations along the Philadelphi Route. The trauma runs deep to this very day, but over the 12 years that have passed since, the IDF's anti-tunnel apparatus grew significantly and great resources were invested in it.

In the ground forces, the engineering support unit Yahalom was entrusted with coordinating the effort against the tunnels: developing fighting techniques, developing and using different measures, and training the dedicated manpower. This support force includes two sub-units, the combat engineering reconnaissance unit and the Samur ("weasel") unitwhose expertise is underground warfare and whose number increased exponentially since Operation Protective Edge.

An entry into one of Hamas's tunnels found by the IDF (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

This means that there will be a lot more engineering troops who specialize in underground warfare among the infantry and armored forces entering the Gaza Strip than there were during Protective Edge. The skilled engineering troops would no longer have to run from one tunnel entry to the nextas they did during Protective Edgewhile the other forces won't have to stop and wait for them.

One of the topics Yahalom has specialized in is robotics. The unit is both developing and procuring measures to destroy tunnels faster. This field is unusual even among the world's armies, as the troops specialize both in locating the tunnels and in destroying them using heavy engineering machinery. To this end, the IDF procured heavy equipment and hundreds of mechanical tools like drills, diggers and others. The engineering units are also in charge of the training grounds that were built after Protective Edge, where the infantry units drill fighting in battlefields filled with tunnels. Familiarizing themselves with the tunnels should make it easier on the troops when they first encounter them inside the Gaza Strip.

Engineering forces blowing up Hezbollah tunnels on the Lebanon border (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

The Chief Engineering Officer, Brig. Gen. Oshri Lugasi, is a member of the IDF chief of staff's monitoring team and is required to update Eisenkot every few weeks on progress made in developing these measures, in training and in the knowledge the corps acquired in the field.

Analysis done at the General Staff and at the Southern Command after Protective Edge led to the conclusion that the rounds of fighting against Hamas may have created deterrence, but only for a limited time.

Protective Edge was longer than planned, included excessive use of firepower, and what appeared to the public as an offensive ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip was actually a defensive move.

Furthermore, the manner of operations the IDF chose may have caused losses among Hamas's military branch, but the organization's military structures did not crumble, kept fighting, and their recovery time after the war was relatively fast.

A considerable part of Hamas's middle- and junior-level command disappeared underground during the fighting, into what the comptroller calls "defensive tunnels." These tunnels are part of a tangled network about 100 kilometers long, which according to the comptroller was not investigated by Israel's intelligence agencies at all.

The IDF will not be able to ignore these tunnels in the next round of fighting, as they are being used by Hamas units that disappear underground and then reappear suddenly in front of the maneuvering IDF forces. The new military plan being formulated by the Southern Command is supposed to provide an answer to that threat, and allow the troops to reach those units at their hiding places.

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades fighter in one of Hamas's tunnels (Photo: Reuters)

It's safe to assume that some of the defensive tunnels are physically connected to the offensive tunnels. This, in turn, means Israeli intelligence agencies will have to invest a greater effort in investigating this network of tunnels because of the threat of Nukhba fighters popping up inside an Israeli community and near an IDF force.

This means it's not only the operational plan that ought to be different; the extent of investment in intelligence should also be quite different than what it was on the eve of Protective Edge. And even then great resources were invested in intelligence.

And, indeed, since Protective Edge there have been organizational changes in the IDF, with dedicated teams focusing solely on the underground threat. Hundreds of investigators in the MID and Southern Command are now studying the tunnels.

The entry shafts into tunnels that were found inside Israel were exposed almost by chance. The Goddess of Luck just happened to pass by. The technological efforts and routine military patrols in the area only marginally contributed to finding these tunnels.





The IDF searching for tunnels on the Gaza border (Photo: EPA)

In May 2014, two months before the operation, then-GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman conducted a division-wide exercise to examine, among other things, the command and control capabilities in the fight against the tunnels. His conclusion was that he didn't know where the tunnels were or how to get inside.

Only several weeks before Protective Edge, a breakthrough was finally made that allowed to locate tunnels. This breakthrough spurred the ground maneuver and led to the discovery of 32 tunnels inside the strip. The knowledge and technology Israel obtained, right at the cusp of war, are the basis on which the knowledge serving the troops today is being established.

Today, two and a half years after Protective Edge, this equation between the Goddess of Luck and the capabilities to locate and deal with the tunnels is finally starting to change.

The State of Israel is currently investing almost NIS 3 billion in the battle against the tunnels, which also includes the building of the obstacle around the Gaza Strip. Now, there is a plan, and the effort is visible. The question that remains is what will happen when the IDF is put to the test next.
A full investigation on daycare abuse by Yedioth Ahronoth, which is set to be published Friday, paints a shocking and horrifying picture of verbal abuse, systematic violence, safety negligence and humiliation.

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In recent months, dozens of mothers across the country have contacted Yedioth Ahronoth with stories and evidence of shocking behavior their children have been subject to at daycares.

Photo evidence of alleged abuse

In Israel, there are currently 400,000 children from the ages of 0-3. A quarter of that number, or roughly 100,000 children, are provided daycare services by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Service. The rest are spread out among private or unlicensed daycares.

In one daycare sponsored by the NA'AMAT organization, a parent put a tape recorder on their child which picked up a conversation between two supervisors who were recorded calling a child "a bitch." In another daycare sponsored by the Emunah organization, two supervisors were recorded discussing a child they had forgotten, but noted that "his dad found him."

"We couldn't keep silent"

During the course of the investigation, Yedioth spoke with many daycare employees who described their work environment, the people they work with and the things they have seen.

"I was the oldest one on staff," says 21-year-old Hani. "There were two other girls with me that the supermarket wouldn't have even hired, they were so bad. What I found to be the worst thing was the lack of responsibility they displayed. They would hit the children, scream at them and go outside to smoke while leaving the children unattended."

One daycare employee described an employee that had been released from a psychiatric facility six months prior to being hired and would "suddenly disappear."

Yedioth previously did a story about experience in private daycares, but daycares under the auspices of organizations such as NA'AMAT and Emunah are distressing and apparently require no experience or training to begin working.

An attempt by a Yedioth journalist to get a job ended with a phone interview and the daycare manager saying, "I need you right away, can you be here in an hour?"

Responses

A spokesperson for Emunah issued a statement, saying, "The claim is comprehensive and inclusive, and if it is true, the exception proves the rule. The rule indicates that each exposed case needs to be handled immediately and with the utmost severity.

"However, this general description hurts many employees, who are professional and dedicated and whose work is extremely important on a daily basis. It is also inconsistent with the fact that hundreds of families and their children are on waiting lists and are knocking on the doors of the daycares.

"Emunah has won the Israel Prize for achievements in this field. The shortage of manpower in daycares is well known and it is possible that here and there cases where employees did not act according to the goals and rules. These are isolated cases, meaning, none of them are on the management's agenda."

NA'AMAT also issued a statement, saying, "It is difficult to relate to these claims as general procedure. We would be happy to address each specific claim. In general, we can say that NA'AMAT treats all claims about inappropriate treatment of infants with the utmost seriousness and in any case where the staff is found to have acted contrary to rules and appropriate care, NA'AMAT will act quickly and decisively.

"We want to note that at every NA'AMAT daycare, there is rigorous supervision, but as this is a massive system with thousands of employees that is suffering from a manpower shortage, malfunctions and adverse events can occur. The quality of the system is measured by how these exceptions are dealt with."
US-backed Iraqi forces were fighting their way through a government complex in the heart of western Mosul after storming the buildings in an overnight raid, and were facing fierce counterattacks Tuesday from the Islamic State group.

According to Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, the troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood earlier in the morning, hailing the federal police units behind the taking of the area as heroes.
BEIRUT -- The Syrian army has advanced to the outskirts of an Islamic State-held village in northern Syria, where a key water pumping facility for Aleppo city is located, a monitor said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said the army and allied forces made gains east of Aleppo, as Syrian government and Russian warplanes pounded the areas.
The Military Advocate General on Tuesday filed an appeal against the lenient sentence given to IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter after shooting dead a wounded Palestinian terrorist in Hebron.

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"The proseuction will argue that according to the law, the respondent (Azaria) should receive a harsher sentence, and his punishment should be 36 to 60 months, or the punishment determined by the minority opinion at the military court (30 months)," the appeal stated.

The military court sentenced Azaria to 18 months in prison, with a majority of two judges. The minority opinion held by the third judge argued to hand out a much harsher sentence. The 18-months sentence is half of what the prosecution demandedno less than three years.

Azaria with his parents in court (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"The ruling fails to continue on the important path paved by the verdict," the military prosecution wrote in its appeal. "The respondent received a lenient sentence that is not in line with his actions and the severity of these actions, is not in line with the level of punishment common in similar cases, and furthermore, is not in line with the level of punishment common in less severe cases.

"The court itself considered the respondent's actions gravely, placing them at the highest level of severity. In its sentencing, the court should have expressed the important moral, public and social message that must be taught to IDF soldiers and society at large."

The appeal went on to note that: "In its verdict, the military court delivered a decisive and clear message about the sanctity of life and the purity of arms, and emphasized that the needless killing of a person, even if he is a terrorist, is illegal, morally wrong and goes against the IDF's values."

Initially, the military prosecution was leaning towards settling for the lenient sentence as it came alongside a harsh conviction. But Azaria's own appeal of his sentence, alongside the resignation of most of his defense team, led the prosecution to reconsider.

Three of Azaria's four lawyersincluding leading counsel Besserglick, as well as Ilan Katz and Karmit Scheibertended their resignation last week after the soldier and his family decided to appeal the sentence against the advice of the three litigators, who favored asking to mitigate his sentence or requesting pardon from the president.

Azaria's remaining lawyer, Yoram Sheftel, leveled harsh accusations against the Military Advocate General, claiming that Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek "threateningly blackmailed" the defense time.

"What led to the dramatic change in the position of the other litigators was a meeting with the head military prosecutor on Sunday, in which we were told 'if you don't file an appeal, neither will the IDF,'" Sheftel claimed in a press conference on Wednesday.

He attacked the tit-for-tat proposal, saying, "This is an outrageous assertion with a moral aspectthreats and extortion."

Sheftel appealed the manslaughter conviction on behalf of Azaria last week, claiming there was evidence the judges had allegedly ignored, as well as claiming the investigation by the IDF's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was biased in a way that established the suspicions against Azaria.
Businessman Arnon Milchan testified for the second time in a week in connection with a case alleging he provided Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu illicit gifts worth thousands of Shekels.

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When he was in Israel for Shimon Peres' funeral, Milchan testified for the first time that he gave the Netanyahu's cigars and champagne for years. In recent weeks however, police have sought to further depose Milchan in the US and James Packer in Australia.

Arnon Milchan (left) and PM Netanyahu (right) (Photo: Getty Images)

A week ago, Milchan provided testimony in the US in which he refuted a portion of Netanyahu's statements. Moreover, Milchan reinforced his statements on the supplies of cigars and other gifts, including a necklace for Sara Netanyahu.

Investigators confronted Netanyahu with Milchan's testimony during a fourth round of questioning with the prime minister Monday. Additionally, police said due to Netanyahu's remarks, it may be possible to begin a further round.

Police interviewed Netanyahu for three hours Monday about the Arnon Mozes affair and Milchan affair before the interview was interrupted by a phone call from US President Donald Trump.

Commissioner Roni Alsheikh discussed the prime minister's interview and said, "We will be completing the investigation soon. We are in the final stages, but there are some constraints. Let us work and do our duties and we will inform the public when we reach a decision."
An Israeli attorney filed a petition on Monday at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, accusing him of war crimes against Palestinians.

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The petition, filed by Calev Michael Myers on behalf of the Israel-Li (Israel to Me) movement he chairs, and the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, charged that during the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Haniyeh's terror organization "consistently used civilians as 'human shields.'"

"This crime manifested in launching of rockets and mortar shells out of crowded population centers, (frequently) encouraging civilians to remain in areas that constitute potential attack targets for the IDF, and storing rockets and mortar shells in structures used as schools, hospitals, mosques and other civilian facilities," Myers wrote in his petition.

Ismail Haniyeh (Photo: AFP)

He further noted that "During the fighting, the Hamas fighters fired the rockets indiscriminately. The (trajectory of the) rockets cannot be controlled and aimed strictly at military targets, particularly as the rockets are being launched from civilian population centers. These rockets are forbidden for use according to international law."

The petition claims that the ramifications of the war crimes Haniyeh has perpetrated were particularly harsh and were among the main reasons for the death of over 2,100 Gazans during the conflict.

"Needless to say, the perpetrators of these crimes created fear among Gaza's citizenry, the result of putting their lives in real danger against their will," the petition notes.

Myers went on to say that the ICC at The Hague was established exactly for this purpose, "to protect civilians who fall victim to regimes that brutally trample on basic human rights, through investigation, prosecution and bringing the individuals responsible for these terrible crimes to justice."

Concerning Haniyeh himself, the petition states that he played a central role in committing the aforementioned crimes. Haniyeh personallyand all the more forcefully through the government he ledencouraged the citizens of Gaza to remain in their homes and did not let them leave despite repeated warnings from the IDF to leave the buildings as they were to be bombarded."
Industry Min to follow up on investment pledges

The Industry Ministry will be following up on investment pledges made during the Nepal Investment Summit 2017 held from March 2-3 in Kathmandu.
President Donald Trump says "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba "have returned to the battlefield."

Trump didn't cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, "another terrible decision!"

On Monday, US airstrikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.
A 40-year-old resident of Beitar Illit came to a checkpoint for medical treatment after being stabbed in the shoulder by a Palestinian man who was driving with him.

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MDA paramedics tended to the man and his condition is listed as stable and lightly wounded.

The victim

According to the victim's testimony, he took his car to get serviced at a garage in al-Walaja, near Jerusalem. After the he finished, he picked up a Palestinian hitchhiker, who stabbed him in the shoulder before the two arrived at a checkpoint.

Beitar Illit residents frequently enter nearby Arab villages, such as Husan, to make use of goods and services, despite warnings from the IDF and police.

Police are investigating the incident and are not ruling out any motive, whether it be criminal or nationalistic in nature.
A teacher at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish girls' school in Tel Aviv confiscated a drawing by an eighth-grader on Monday because it showed two male cartoon characters' faces perilously close to each other.

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The administration of the Beit Yaakov School told the girl's mother that her daughter had no place in their school if she were to draw such pictures.

The drawing, executed in the Japanese Manga tradition that tends towards androgyny in its characters, was interpreted by the school as showing two men considering kissing each other.

The offending picture that the mother uploaded to Facebook

The pupil, a daughter of a secular mother and an ultra-Orthodox father, carried out the drawing a few months ago. On Monday during a break during the school day, her friends asked to look through her binder of drawings.

A teacher spotted the offending sketch at one point and insisted that the girl hand over her binder. The pupil refused, and the teacher threatened to expel her, so the girl partially acquiesced and gave her the drawing.

The mother of the daughter posted a photo of the drawing to Facebook and wrote that her daughter was a prolific artist and that drawing was a part of "her essence." She added that her daughter "cried all day because she felt that they had trampled her honor."

A source in the Ministry of Education told Ynet that there is no intention of suspending or expelling the pupil and the reason for the drawing's confiscation was to prevent its "circulating amongst pupils at the ultra-Orthodox institution."
A new round of threats against Jewish community centers across the United States forced the facilities to be placed on lockdown or evacuated on Tuesday, the groups said, and all 100 US senators asked the federal government to help them enhance security.

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A new round of threats against Jewish community centers across the United States forced lockdowns and evacuations on Tuesday, and all 100 US senators asked the federal government to help them enhance security.

Police search a Jewish Community Center after a bomb threat was reported in the Rochester suburb of Brighton, New York, U.S., March 7, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Threats were phoned in or emailed to JCCs in states including New York, Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida overnight and early on Tuesday.

Federal authorities have been investigating a surge of threats against Jewish organizations, including more than 100 hoax bomb threats in five separate waves in January and February against JCCs in dozens of states.

Tuesday's incidents appeared to be unconnected to the majority of previous threats , according to the Secure Community Network, which provides security expertise to Jewish groups.

"Bomb threats tactics are evolving; copycats incidents appear to be on the rise," the company said on Twitter.

A letter signed by all 100 US senators was sent on Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey requesting they assist Jewish groups to enhance security.

"We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs," the letter said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the nationwide probe, was not immediately available for comment.

One arrest was made last week, when former journalist Juan Thompson , 31, was charged in St. Louis with using fake email accounts to threaten to bomb Jewish sites while posing as his ex-girlfriend. But he is not believed to be responsible for the majority of threats.

In Chicago on Tuesday, police responded to a called-in bomb threat at a private Jewish day school at around 9:10 am, according to department spokeswoman Michelle Tannehill.

Following an evacuation, the school was declared safe by police and students were allowed to return, Tannehill said.

Other targeted institutions included the Louis S. Wolk Jewish Community Center near Rochester and the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse, both in upstate New York; the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Milwaukee; and the day school of the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie, Florida.

There has also been a rash of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries since early January.

The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, also said it received bomb threats at multiple locations.

"Law enforcement personnel are responding," the group said on Twitter.
MK Nachman Shai (Zionist Camp) slammed the government on Tuesday for displaying indifference to the wave of anti-Semitism that has swept the United States in recent weeks, in contrast to Israels history of standing up for Jewish communities under threat in other places.

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The rebuke comes on the same day as a new round of threats across the United States, which forced Jewish community centers to be placed on lockdown or evacuated. All 100 US senators asked the federal government to help them enhance security.

"We have seen dozens of terrible incidents in recent times, including vandalism, defacing of Jewish cemeteries, threats against Jewish community centers and more. But despite our long-standing practice of coming to the defense of threatened Jewish communities, when it comes to the United States, we are silent, said Shai.

Nachman Shai (Photo: George Ginsberg)

Jews have always fought for the rights of minorities, Shai told Tazpit Press Service (TPS) by email. I call on the Israeli government to put the theory of being the leader of the Jewish people into practice by standing up for Jewish communities in the United States. We must defend them, like they have done for us so many times.

Shais statement came on the heels of Tuesdays stormy emergency session of the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs about the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the United States.

Monday, a swastika was carved into the door of a synagogue in Ohio. Over the past two weeks Jewish cemeteries in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Rochester and St. Louis have all been vandalized and dozens of Jewish community centers in 12 states have received approximately 90 bomb threats since January.

For many years there was a sense that the United States was the safest place for people of all religions and ethnic groups, a place with tolerance for any religion or race. Unfortunately, this has changed by 180 degrees, said committee chairman MK Avraham Neguise (Likud).

Commentators and politicians have been quick to blame the attacks on the heated rhetoric of US President Donald Trump.

I do not think you can ignore the connection between the inauguration of a president who ran a campaign of xenophobia and the slew of organizations convening anti-Semitic rallies that would be worthy of Nazi Germany, said Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg.

Israels political alliance with the American government has led the Israeli government to turn a blind eye to the hatred as long as it was directed toward Muslims in the United States, Zandberg continued.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) statement catalogs unprecedented efforts by white supremacists on US campuses to spread their message. Without explicitly blaming the president, the report argues that groups like Identity Evropa and American Renaissance have been emboldened by the 2016 elections. Notably, ADL chairman Jonathan Greenblatt warned in a tweet during the election season that some of Trumps statements came dangerously close to historical anti-Semitic tropes.

The spike in anti-Semitism did not begin in 2017. Rather, the rise can even be traced back to Obama years. An ADL audit from 2016 reported that anti-Semitic assaults on American college campuses nearly doubled during 2015, an increase of about 3 percent over 2014.

President Trump has condemned the anti-Semitic attacks, statements that have been acknowledged by President Reuven Rivlin.
Israeli television reported on Tuesday evening that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a practicalif amusingclaim in his defense to the Israel Police investigating him for allegedly receiving illicit gifts.

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In the affair, dubbed "Case 1000" by the police, Netanyahu allegedly received and pink champagne for his wife and cigars worth hundreds of thousands of shekels from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan.

Investigators arrive on Monday (Photos AFP & Amit Shabi)

It was reported that that the prime minister claimed that he could not possibly have smoked such large quantities of cigars "due to a problem in his nasal cavity."

Allegedly, there are several months a year when he cannot smoke at all. He reportedly offered interviewing his personal physician for confirmation.

According to a report on Channel 10, Netanyahu was questioned by the police exclusively in relation to Case 2000 , which concerns conversations between Netanyahu and the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, Arnon Mozes.

"In his questioning, Netanyahu said that his personal attorney, David Shomron, knew about the intention to record Mozes ahead of time and even gave him personal legal advice on the matter," it was reported.

"Today, Netanyahu announced that he would give up attorney-client privilege so that police investigators would be able to question Shomron." It was also reported that Netanyahu told the investigators that "if he had lost the election and if the law (the Israel Hayom Law) would pass, he was considering making use of the recordings, but since he won and the law was shelved, he gave up the idea."

Arnon Mozes is the publisher and owner of Yedioth Ahronoth Group, which includes Ynet.
Several prominent government officials attended an education conference hosted by Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet on Tuesday, discussing matters pertaining to high-schoolers, teachers, and Israeli society in general.

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During the conference, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon raised the possibility of postponing the draft for high-schoolers so they could potentially finish their undergraduate degree faster.

Minister Moshe Kahlon (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Some high school students who excel in their studies get the opportunity to begin their undergraduate degree while still in high school.

Minister Kahlon's suggestion was that such students would go on for another year of high school while finishing their degree at the same time. This would require postponing their draft, to which the IDF's chief of staff responded that the IDF could handle it.

"This idea is still in its diapers. The education system must be fully on board for such an endeavor," said Kahlon.

Education Minister Bennett interrupted

At the same conference, non-tenured teachers interrupted Education Minister Naftali Bennett during his speech, toting signs and hurling accusations: "Not giving teachers tenure is a crime."

'No second-class teachers' (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

One of the teachers stood up and said: "You are not responsible for the phenomenon, but this is your watch! You said, 'Let's talk,' but then you refused to meet with us."

The teachers were protesting their employment conditions, demanding they be given immediate tenure.

President Rivlin on equality and common ground

President Reuven Rivlin took the opportunity to discuss the need for unity amongst the various sectors of Israeli society, claiming that "every Jew knows what Yom Kippur is yet they're not interested in Ramadan. Arabs are (obviously) familiar with Ramadan, whereas they're uninterested in Yom Kippur."

President Rivlin (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"Unfortunately, Israel's Independence Day is a day of controversy because we see it as the first day of our redemption, the Jews. Arabs within the country perceive it as the Nakba (translated as Day of the Catastrophe). We need to find things that we have in common," said Rivlin.

He proposed, for example, that the country more warmly embrace the Russian tradition of Novy God, which is the celebration of the Gregorian new year and that the large Russian-speaking population in the country already regularly fete.
Smugglers are ramping up the flow of drugs like marijuana and opioids into the blockaded Gaza Strip, posing a challenge to the Islamist group Hamas and its security forces, who are promising to crack down harder on those caught.

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In January this year, Gaza police seized as many drugs in one month as the whole of 2016, underscoring just how rife the problem has become, officials said. Eight major dealers were arrested in one of the biggest police stings to date.





Confiscated drugs in the strip (Photo: Reuters)

The smuggling is carried out by Palestinian and Egyptian gangs who mostly move marijuana and an opioid painkiller called Tramadol from Egypt into Gaza, where two million Palestinians live in a territory about 45 km long and up to 12 km wide.

In their latest raid, police seized more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, worth as much as $5 million on the streets of Gaza, and 250,000 tablets of Tramadol, which sells for between 130 and 170 shekels ($35-$45) for 10 pills.

An incarcerated drug smuggler in Gaza (Photo: Reuters)

Until 2013, most of the smuggling was through a network of tunnels Palestinians and Egyptians had built under the border and that were used to shift everything from food and consumer goods to cars, cattle and rockets.

But Egypt either blew up or flooded the tunnels during 2014 and 2015, determined to crack down on the trade. Since then, smugglers have found new ways of shifting merchandise.

Seized Tramadol (Photo: Reuters)

In some cases, drugs are moved inside cooking gas canisters or washing machines. Sometimes, small quantities are thrown or catapulted from Egypt into Gaza. There are kilometers-long narrow tube tunnels used to move small packages, and in other cases drugs are shipped inside goods imported from Israel.

Qidra said reduced court sentences for drug dealing may have helped spur a resurgence in activity. He and others are now calling for tougher sentences to deter the industry.

Yehya Al-Farra, an aide to Gaza's attorney general, said the courts needed to go back to sentences in the past, recalling that in 2009 one dealer got 15 years in prison.

Gazan drug smuggler (Photo: Reuters)

"A murder can be done by different means: (a murderer) can use a gun, a knife, hanging or drugs to kill people. Therefore, the law has stated that punishment can be up to a death penalty, because this dealer is considered to be a killer of the soul," Farra told Reuters.

He and Qidra want more recruits to the anti-drug squad and more medical facilities to treat addicts.

With unemployment over 40 percent, many young Gazans turn to drugs out of despair.

"They think Tramadol will change the reality and will make them feel at peace," said Fadel Abu Heen, a psychiatrist. "They want to lose awareness and any feeling of reality."

Inside a Gaza prison, convicts urged men to reject drugs. A 26-year-old barber said he started taking half a Tramadol a day after a friend offered him some. Soon he was addicted.

"I urge everyone to not do drugs and not get close to it because at the end of the road there is either prison or destruction," another prisoner said.
Broken Bow is nestled in the foothills of Nebraskas picturesque Sandhills in the middle of everything  our state and our country.

In many ways, its a community that represents a cross section of the Cornhusker State. Its a rural town where Main Street is thriving thanks to the states largest industries: agriculture and manufacturing. Employers ranging from feedlots to a major medical supplier provide good-paying jobs for families in Broken Bow and the surrounding area. Theyve opened a new hotel, new restaurants, and a new judicial center in the last few years. Its a shining example of a community on the move. None of this happened by accident. It happened because people are engaged in their community, local schools, and churches. The citizens of Broken Bow rolled up their sleeves and worked together to grow their community.

Understanding Broken Bows success can help us understand Nebraska, and why our state has become the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family the past 150 years. March 1, 2017 marks the 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial, of President Andrew Johnson signing the presidential proclamation declaring Nebraskas statehood. This week, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the work of generations of Nebraskans not only in Broken Bow but in every community across our state. Their persistence and hard work are what have made Nebraska the Good Life for 150 years.

From the early days when Native Americans roamed the plains in search of buffalo and pioneers broke the prairie sod to build shelter, Nebraska has long been a land of abundance and great opportunity. In recent years, the innovative work of many Nebraskans has led to exciting economic success. In 2015, Nebraska reached a historic job creation level with 1 million non-farm jobs. This is due in part to one of the highest labor force participation rates in the nation. Our population has also flourished. Last year, Nebraskas population growth reached a record 1.9 million for the first time, outpacing national trends.

Nebraskas top three industriesagriculture, manufacturing, and tourismhave been key to growing our state. In the area of agriculture, Nebraska has been leading in the areas of value-added agriculture, biotechnology, and food processing. Nebraskas manufacturers export equipment worldwide, and are helping producers feed the world with cutting edge ag and irrigation technology. While we may not have mountains or oceans, Nebraska has worked tirelessly to develop other tourism opportunities with one of the top zoos in the world, agritourism attractions, and wine and craft brewery industries.

This work has resulted in national recognition. Forbes magazine ranks Nebraska the third best state in the nation for business in part because we have the best regulatory climate. Our business-friendly environment has attracted entrepreneurs, who have helped create Silicon Prairie, the Midwest hub for tech startups. Nebraska is not only a great state for business, but also for families. Just recently, the American Conservative Union ranked Nebraska fourth best in the nation in their Family Prosperity Index, which measures several economic and social health indicators.

My wife Susanne, along with a group of dedicated Nebraskans, have been working hard planning events and initiatives to help the entire state celebrate the sesquicentennial birthday throughout the year. In addition to activities at the State Capitol on Statehood Day, several other programs are underway. The Nebraska 150 Challenge is encouraging Nebraskans to do 150 miles of physical activity throughout 2017. The Nebraska Impact Initiative is building teams to volunteer for causes around the state. One of my personal favorites is Now You Know Nebraska, a series of video shorts designed to help students learn more about our states rich history.

For full details on these initiatives and much more, please visit www.ne150.org. I hope you will join in the celebration and choose one or two events and activities in which to participate. Lets keep the celebration going all year long! If you have any questions about the 150th anniversary celebration or any other matter, you are always welcome to contact my office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2244. Happy birthday, Nebraska!
Attending the ceremony were President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to go back to the drawing board on the Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS, was Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., who praised the Trump adminstration for listening to the concerns of farmers and ranchers.

Smith said when the Obama administration finalized WOTUS in 2015, Smith introduced the House resolution to block the rule using the Congressional Review Act, or CRA. The Senate version of the resolution passed both chambers of Congress but was vetoed by President Obama.

Nebraskas farmers and ranchers are committed stewards of our natural resources and take many steps to keep our water sources clean, Smith said. You cant tell me a bureaucrat in Washington can do a better job ensuring water quality than those who use and benefit from our water every day.

Smith characterized WOTUS as a dangerous overreach, giving the EPA the power to dictate local land use decisions and farming practices nationwide. Since the rules introduction, Nebraskans have expressed deep concerns about federal agencies having control over the water puddles and irrigation ditches on their properties, he said. Local officials have told me about infrastructure projects, such as cleaning and widening a drainage ditch, which have been needlessly delayed due to WOTUS red tape.

Smith said the Obama administration refused to listen to the concerns of agriculture producers.?

His (Trump) order to reset WOTUS is a victory not only for farmers and ranchers but for all Americans eager for regulatory relief, he said.

Smith is the founder and co-chairman of the Modern Agriculture Caucus.

Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau and speaking on behalf of Common Sense Nebraska Coalition, said Trumps WOTUS reset was a victory for Nebraskas farmers, ranchers, homebuilders, small businesses, counties, and landowners.

This proposal was flawed from the start and proved to be little more than a federal land grab to take away private property rights under the guise of protecting water quality, Nelson said.

He said the Common Sense Nebraska Coalition has long called for a common-sense approach to this rule and President Trump delivered that by putting the concerns of citizens ahead of government bureaucracy and federal overreach. We will remain vigilant to ensure any revised measure brought forth by the EPA meets the needs of Nebraskans.

Common Sense Nebraska is a diverse, Nebraska-based coalition consisting of organizations and entities that have united in response to the EPAs WOTUS rule.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., The EPAs unconstitutional water rule will die and Nebraskas farmers and ranchers wont shed a single tear. Everyone wants clean water but the bureaucrats at the EPA were out-of-control, writing new laws to regulate puddles and ditches from Washington. Nobody cares more about land and water than Nebraskas producers but nobody here at home voted for these absurd regulations. This is excellent news for the rule of law and Nebraska agriculture.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, also joined Trump at the White House for the signing of an Executive Order to roll back the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

Over the past four years, Ive sounded the alarm about the harmful effects WOTUS would have on all Nebraskans, Fischer said. The American dream of owning a home would have been out of reach for many more families, due to the higher costs associated with these regulations. Taxpayers would have seen increased costs for road maintenance, and ag producers would have faced expensive permitting requirements. Today, President Trump is taking a concrete and much-needed step to unravel WOTUS and put Nebraskans back in charge of decisions affecting our states precious water resources.

Earlier this year, Fischer and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Neb., introduced a resolution that expressed the need to vacate the Obama administrations WOTUS rule. The resolution signified the senators intent to continue working with the Trump administration to scrap the harmful rule altogether.

Fischer has worked on additional legislative efforts to stop WOTUS. Last Congress, she helped introduce the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, which would have required the Obama administration to consult states and stakeholders before imposing federal regulations on state-owned water resources. She also helped introduce the Defending Rivers from Overreaching Policies (DROP) Act. This bill targeted the flawed science used by the EPA to expand the definition of water.

In March 2015, Fischer chaired a field hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in Lincoln to hear firsthand from Nebraskans about the effects of WOTUS.

The courts have also questions the legality of WOTUS. In October 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a stay blocking the implementation of WOTUS nationwide. In January 2017, the Supreme Court decided to take up the dispute over which courts have jurisdiction to hear challenges to WOTUS.

Gov. Pete Ricketts thanked Trump for taking steps to end this rule which, he said, could cause irreparable harm to Nebraskas ag producers and small businesses.

Rolling back WOTUS is key to reestablishing limits on the power of federal agencies, so we can protect families and businesses from unnecessary, job-killing regulations, Ricketts said.
Limi-Lapcha road reaches simikot

Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla, has been connected with Tibets Limi-Lapcha road via Hilsa, the border between Nepal and China.
Reinke has recognized Plains Equipment Group, with locations in York, Seward, Osceola, McCook and North Platte, Neb., as one of the top ten highest selling dealerships throughout the United States and Canada, in acknowledgment of the companys marketing year success.

Plains Equipment Group was also recognized as one of the highest selling dealerships in the East Central Territory, and company locations received Diamond and Gold Reinke Pride awards. The dealership was honored during Reinkes recent annual convention held in Orlando, Fla.

We congratulate Plains Equipment Group n on this well-deserved recognition, said Reinke Vice President of North American Irrigation Sales Mark Mesloh. We appreciate their ongoing commitment to Reinke and to their agricultural community.

Reinke dealerships from across the United States and Canada gather each year to attend the companys sales convention. The convention awards ceremony recognizes select Reinke dealerships for their hard work and dedication to sales and marketing throughout the past year.

The Reinke Pride awards are determined as part of an incentive program that distinguishes superior achievement levels according to an evaluation based on a dealerships exterior and interior housekeeping and maintenance, indoor and outdoor displays, safety, retail environment, merchandising, professionalism, promotions and event participation, and market share.

Reinke Manufacturing Company, Inc. is the worlds largest privately held manufacturer of center pivot and lateral move irrigation systems. Family owned since 1954, and headquartered in Deshler, Neb., Reinke develops products designed to increase agriculture production while providing labor savings and environmental efficiencies.

Reinke is a continued leader in industry advancements as the first to incorporate GPS, satellite-based communications and touchscreen panel capabilities into mechanized irrigation system management. For more information on Reinke or to locate a dealership, visit www.reinke.com or call 402-365-7251.

Cornerstone Bank appoints officers

The Board of Directors of Cornerstone Bank has announced the appointments of the following officers of the bank:

Danielle Cox was named Depositor Services Officer at Cornerstone Bank in York. Danielle started with Cornerstone Bank in September of 2014, and has been in the Depositor Services Department since that time. She earned her Business Administration Degree from Doane College. Danielle and her husband, Jerry, live in Henderson.

Sandi Osentowski was named Assistant Vice-President Trust Operations Manager for Cornerstone in York. Sandi started with Cornerstone in 1997 in the Trust Department, and most recently has worked in the Audit department. Sandi is a native of York and a graduate of York High School. She had her husband, Allen, have two grown children and reside in York.

Cornerstone Bank is a $1.5 billion bank with 40 banking facilities in 31 communities including: Albion, Aurora, Bartlett, Bradshaw, Central City, Clay Center, Columbus, Davenport, Edgar, Geneva, Glenvil, Grand Island, Guide Rock, Hampton, Harvard, Henderson, Hildreth, Marquette, McCool Junction, Monroe, Murray, North Loup, Polk, Rising City, St. Edward, Shelton, Stromsburg, Sutton, Waco, Wilcox and York. Cornerstone Bank is owned by First York BanCorp of York, Nebraska.

Holiday Inn & Suites wins IHG 2016 Torchbearer Award

The Holiday Inn & Suites York has received the IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group) 2016 Torchbearer Award, the companys most prestigious award.

The Holiday Inn & Suites York is one of 337 properties within the Americas chosen from the IHG system of more than 5,000 hotels for achieving the highest levels of excellence in all aspects of operation  from quality to customer satisfaction.

It is my pleasure to award the Holiday Inn & Suites York as one of the top-notch hotels in our industry, said Elie Maalouf, CEO  IHG, The Americas. This hotel embodies the heart of our brand promise and continues to make IHG properties known and admired throughout the world, continuing our mission to deliver on great brands and great hotels guests love.

A 2016 Torchbearer trophy, the companys symbol of top excellence, will be on permanent display at the hotel. The Holiday Inn & Suites York is owned by Pair A Dice Properties and managed by Lincoln Hotel Group.

Im very proud of the efforts and services our exceptional team provides to ensure the Holiday Inn & Suites York continues to be an award winning hotel, said Tracy Travis, general manager of the York hotel.

What the Heck?

My bride and I had the opportunity to take a little vacation last week to the Dominican Republic and guess who we ran into. Pirate Jim. Pirate Jim has helped out with the York News-Times Treasure Hunt promotion the past 29 years. He said hes excited to come back to York again this year for the 30th hunt which will take place this summer.

He had his ride parked a hundred yards or so off the beach and from the looks of things when we took the accompanying photo, he likes to party. You just never know who youre going to meet when you get out of the state.
The Air Force Reserve prides itself on holding Citizen Airmen to the highest standards. There are some individuals though, who surpass even those heights.

The 910th Airlift Wing holds an annual awards banquet to honor and commemorate some of those hardworking, selfless Airmen.

The Community Activity Center here played host to more than 175 individuals at this years banquet on March 4, 2017, and welcomed a distinguished guest speaker who has a rich history in the Air Force.

Retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force (CMSAF) Robert D. Gaylor was the fifth CMSAF from 1977 to 1979. As the guest speaker, Gaylor spoke of three main qualities that make a winner: opportunity, aptitude and attitude.

Gaylor challenged the attendants to ask themselves what they are doing to prepare for the future, whether they are willing to try new things, and whether theyre a pleasure to be around.

Mentoring others to achieve more than what they thought they were capable of is what Chief Gaylor does, said Chief Master Sgt. Bob Potts, command chief of the 910th Airlift Wing. He inspires Airmen to greatness.

Several of those inspired Airmen subsequently received their recognition.

The First Sergeant of the year award went to Master Sgt. Joel Commins of the 910th Security Forces Squadron.

The Airman of the year award went to Senior Airman James Read of the 910th SFS.

The Noncommissioned Officer of the year award went to Tech. Sgt. William Unverdorben of the 76th Aerial Port Squadron.

The Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the year award went to Master Sgt. Marvin Hall of the 910th Medical Squadron.

The Company Grade Officer of the year award went to Capt. Nicholas Megyesi of the 910th SFS.

We have fantastic Airmen doing fantastic things around the wing, said Potts. This gives us an opportunity as leadership to recognize those spectacular performers.
After more than 50 years of faithful service and rescue missions spanning the globe, King 52, the first HC-130 configured for Air Force rescue in 1964, retires March 6, 2017.



Accompanied by its 920th Rescue Wing dedicated crew chiefs and a nostalgic aircrew, the aircraft, Tail number 4852, heads to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, from Patrick AFB, Florida, where it has been stationed since mid 2015.



It was about to retire when we acquired it from Moody Air Force Base, said Tech. Sgt. Norberto Nieves, 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron expeditor and former crew chief to King 52. It was a work horse; thats for sure.



Its sad to see it go, the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native continued. As crew chiefs, we dedicate a lot of time, sweat, and sometimes blood to these aircraft. They become a part of us.



King 52s current dedicated crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Matthew White, also with the 720th AMXS, said while the aircraft was out of commission with a major maintenance issue for a good portion of the time he had it, hes still upset to see it retire.



Like Nieves said, these aircraft become a part of you and its tough to see something youve worked so hard on go into retirement, said the Spokane, Washington, native. The most rewarding part of being a dedicated crew chief is seeing the aircraft you spent so many hours on takeoff and come back home safe and sound.



During its time at Patrick AFB, King 52 flew local training missions as well as missions to Key West, Florida, and across the country to Davis-Monthan AFB.



Maj. Nick Philpitt, the 920th Rescue Wing Inspector General Inspections chief and an HC-130 navigator, said he flew King 52 a handful of times and is honored to be part of the aircrafts final flight.



I haven't flown a lot of missions with #52; however, it is somewhat sentimental to be flying her to retirement denoting it's the end of an era, said the Orlando, Florida, native. Like a classic car that you've owned and driven, an airplane become an extension of you. Putting it to bed for the last time is moving."



King 52's career ends with the Air Force Materiel Commands 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, where it will be stored in the boneyard with other retired military and government aircraft.



As for the 920th RQWs HC-130P/N maintenance crews, they continue to work hard at home and abroad ensuring the fleet is rescue-ready.

The HC-130P/N is the only dedicated fixed-wing combat search and rescue platform in the Air Force inventory.

The mission of the HC-130P/N "King" is to rapidly deploy to austere airfields and denied territory in order to execute, all weather personnel recovery operations anytime, anywhere. King crews routinely perform high and low altitude personnel and equipment airdrops, infiltration/exfiltration of personnel, helicopter air-to-air refueling, and forward area refueling point missions. When tasked, the aircraft also conducts humanitarian assistance operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation, casualty evacuation, and noncombatant evacuation operations.




Madhesi Morcha cadres vandalise vehicle in Nepalgunj

Cadres of agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha vandalised a vehicle near the Dhambojhi Chok in Nepalgunj on Tuesday.
As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More
Morcha cadres torch UML party office in Lahan

Cadres of the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) torched the Lahan-based CPN-UMLs party office in Siraha district on Tuesday.
Morcha cadres enforces banda in Saptari, clash with police [Update]

Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha has enforced a banda in Saptari district in protest against the death of its cadres in Mondays police firing.
NC rival faction criticises Deuba, prime minister

The rival faction of the Nepali Congress led by Ram Chandra Poudel on Monday held a separate meeting and criticised the activities of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
As Belgium has already banned the oppressive Islamic veil Burqa and France is all set to follow suit, we in the third world are wondering if these countries are going to declare bikini as their national attire. <br><br> There is no denying the fact that European women are a gorgeous lot and bikini suits them to the hilt, but does it mean that a nation should ban all its women from covering themselves up? I wonder! <br><br> When I was in school, a seemingly frustrated, middle-aged English teacher, who was a self proclaimed custodian of Indian culture once told me that he fails to understand the concept of semi-clad women being considered modern and progressive, after all, human beings used to be naked before the advent of clothes. So going back to nudity cant be considered progress! <br><br> At that time, it was all Greek for an eighth standard student, but now I can easily make out the inherent meaning of his words and couldnt but empathize. <br><br> The above mentioned views might be considered typical of a middle class Muslim, so I want to give a simple logic to support my argument. <br><br> The preachers of democracy across the world propagate freedom of expression as one of the most important needs of human life. The way one dresses up is purely a matter of personal choice and a way of expression. How can you terminate the most basic fundamental right in the name of liberating people from oppressive customs? <br><br> Another point that I want to put forward is that if forcing a woman to wear Burqa against her will is a crime (now punishable under new laws in Belgium and France), dont you think forcing a woman not wear something against her will should also be considered a crime. <br><br> I just fail to understand the logic behind banning Burqa; after all how can a country deny the most basic right of a woman - to cover herself up? <br><br> I have grown up in a pretty conservative middle-class Muslim family of Bihar, where we followed all Islamic customs religiously. But even then, I never came across a single incident when anyone forced the women in the family to wear Burqa; it was always a matter of personal choice for them. <br><br> It is a matter of personal choice and freedom and governments should not interfere in it. <br><br> I must admit that I am not complaining though. After all, France is a country where even the President can have an extramarital affair and the First Lady can roam around in a bikini. We, in the third world, are too underdeveloped to understand such progress. <br><br> And, having said all, which man wouldnt like the sight of a bikini-clad Carla Bruni? <br><br> We too, the poor and deprived people of third world, love women in bikinis!
NMB Banks GABV meet from today

NMB Bank and members of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) is hosting the 9th GABV annual meeting in Nepal from March 7-9 (Tuesday to Thursday).
On the home front

Sunita (name changed), the wife of a migrant worker from Khotang district, said, People in the village started gossiping that I had an extra-marital affair with a man I had hired to help me with farm work.
Govt recalls Saptari CDO, police chiefs

The Home Ministry has recalled Saptari Chief District Officer and chiefs of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force.
Sherchan launches bid to reclaim oldest Everester record

Age doesnt matter when you have a passion to succeed. Min Bahadur Sherchan, 86, is living proof of that.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan is taking part in the annual high-level meeting of the Worlds National Human Rights Institutions in Geneva, the Ombudsmans Office told Armenpress.

During the first day of the meeting, Arman Tatoyan presented the regulations of the Constitutional Law on Human Rights Defender, as well as the new legal solutions aimed at increasing the institutional influence level of the Ombudsmans institute in Armenia. The international partners attached importance to those changes, including the changes related to the work with the civil society organizations.

Within the framework of the event, Arman Tatoyan will hold meetings with a number of UN high-ranking officials, as well as with Ombudsmen and leaders of national human rights institutions of other states.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. The European Union will hold an aid conference on Syria on April 5 in Brussels, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said, reports TASS.

The EU will host Syria aid conference on April 5 in Brussels which will be co-chaired by the UN and the governments of Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and Britain, she said, adding that the conference will be held aimed at supporting the future of Syria and the region.

During the conference we will discuss the support of the entire international community aimed at building the future of Syria and the region. I hope the Geneva talks will end with a positive result, and then we will start planning what assistance we can provide for the countrys future, Mogherini said.

The first aid conference was held in London on February 4. During that time the participants collected more than 10 billion USD for Syria.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. President of Kirgizstan Almazbek Atambayev held a meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan and other PMs of EEU member states in Bishkek, ahead of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Councils (EIC) session, the governments press service told ARMENPRESS.

Kirgizstans President welcomes the delegates in Bishkek and mentioned the EIC is a productive platform for developing dialogue between EEU states, deepening integration and discussion of issues of mutual interest.

Atambayev assured that Kirgizstan, within the framework of chairmanship in EEU structures in 2017, will put maximum efforts for progress in the abovementioned directions.

Prime Minister Karapetyan thanked the President on behalf of the Armenian governmental delegation for the warm reception and organizing the session on high level. In PM Karapetyans words, this session marks the launch of events of the Kirgizstan chairmanship in EEU, which will boost the further deepening of Eurasian integration processes.

Several issues of the EEU agenda were discussed during the meeting.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the working visit in Kyrgyzstan, Armenias Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan had a private meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Bishkek, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

The sides discussed issues related to the process of implementation of agreements reached during the Armenian PMs official visit in Russia in January, 2017, in particular, the creation of Armenian-Russian investment fund, attracting the Russian companies in Meghri free economic zone, as well as supply of agricultural machinery.

A wide range of issues related to the Armenian-Russian economic agenda were discussed.

The Armenian and Russian PMs reaffirmed their readiness to continue expanding the Armenian-Russian allied partnership, as well as the trade-economic relations both in bilateral format and within the EAEU.
SLMM flays incident, calls on all for peace

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) on Monday condemned police firing in Saptari district, which resulted in deaths and injuries. Morcha leaders have also called on all sides to exercise restraint.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenias governmental delegation led by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on March 7 participated in the session of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

During the narrow and extended format sessions, issues related to the integration mutual cooperation between the economies of the EAEU member states and the further development of economic relations were discussed. In particular, the session participants discussed the major directions on taking measures over the sectors within the EAEU that have integration potential, as well as their use, implementation of the digitization process within the EAEU until 2025 and etc.

The process of holding EAEU-third countries trade talks was among the session agenda issues, over which the Armenian side reaffirmed Armenias readiness to be actively involved in it and move forward EAEU-Iran negotiation process.

In his speech Armenias PM thanked Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the invitation to visit Kyrgyzstan and for the reception. Our first session of this year was held in a constructive atmosphere, and this is a right platform where issues related to intensifying the economic ties and eliminating the barriers are being solved. We must move forward towards this path. I am more than convinced that we are not still fully utilizing the potential that the Eurasian Economic Union has. Armenia tends to carry out consistent and coordinated work on this path, Karen Karapetyan said.

The next session of the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council will be held on May 26, 2017 in the city of Kazan.

At the end of the session a number of documents summarizing the discussion results of the agenda issues and the mutual partnership of the EAEU member states were signed.

The Armenian delegation will arrive in Yerevan on March 7.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Davit Pakhchanyan, chairman of the Armenian defense ministrys state military-industrial committee, and Russias deputy director of the federal service of military-technical cooperation Vladimir Drozhov  Co-Chairs of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission of military-technical cooperation, held a meeting on March 6 in Armenias Defense Ministry.

Issues related to the work of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation were discussed at the meeting.

The sides also discussed ongoing issues and prospects of the bilateral military-technical cooperation, agreements in the defense field, and were pleased to note the process of implementation.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. In accordance to the 2017-2018 cooperation plan between Armenias national security council secretariat and Russias security council staff, and at the invitation of Armenias national security councils secretary Yuri Khachaturov, Secretary of Russias security council Nikolai Patrushev visited Armenia March 6-7.

On March 7 Khachaturov and Patrushev held talks, where a wide range of issues related to security was discussed.

The sides namely exchanged ideas on the situation in South Caucasus, focusing on the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Artsakhi-Azerbaijani line of contact.

The parties were pleased with the current process of the military-technical and defense cooperation within the frameworks of the allied partnership between Armenia and Russia. Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

A protocol was signed as result of the talks.

During the visit, Patrushev was received by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

On the same day, prior to the meeting of the Secretaries, expert consultations of the security councils of the two countries were held, with participation of stakeholder ministries and agencies.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Women in Business program launched in Armenia which aims to provide finance and consultation to small and medium enterprises, reports Armenpress.

The program will be implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union and Sweden, as well as through Ameriabank and ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank. Ararat Bank as well will join the program soon.

Mark Davis  Head of the EBRD Yerevan Office, delivered a welcoming speech, stating that women can do many things in the economy. He said, in terms of risks, the business run by women is more reliable than that of the men.

In case of womens participation, the possible economic growth will undergo major changes. The talk is about the 14% GDP growth rate. Moreover, the businesses run by women are less risky than that of men, he said. Mark Davis informed that in 2016 the EU has provided 5.7 million Euro to the Eastern partnership countries within the framework of this program, Sweden provided 4.5 million Euro and the EBRD partners 600 million Euro.

Mark Davis said Armenia is ranked 105th among 142 countries in terms of gender equality in the business environment, which is the lowest figure in the region.

Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski said the women potential in Armenia is the least used, that's why the EU finances this program.

I am very happy that Armenia is among the countries that uses this multi-million program. The EU will assist attracting financial resources in Armenia, and this program enables women to more actively work in the business field. Thanks to the EBRD women will be able to use the opportunities provided by the IT sector, Switalski said. Commenting on the election period, the EU Ambassador said the EU carried out active work towards raising the role of women in politics. Women, be active, make a right choice and do not be afraid of politics and business, he said.

Women in Business program coordinator Zara Ohanyan said the loan terms will be more beneficial for women, and the loan resources will not only include loans, but also non-financial services, such as the EBRD consultation.






YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the Bright Border volunteer initiative, the homes of residents of 8 villages of Armenia and Artsakh have already been equipped with LED energy saving lamps. Residents received 8 thousand LED lamps.

Hayk Harutyunyan, deputy minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources, told a press conference in ARMENPRESS the purpose of the initiative is to sooth the burden of electricity charges for residents of bordering villages and present smart solutions of savings.

We calculated that we can achieve significant saving by installing LED lamps in village communities. When I installed LEDs in my apartment, I saw that energy expense was decreased by 30-40%. The program was presented to the government back in 2015, and a decision was made to realize pilot programs. We had an objective to maximally involve the public sector, Harutyunyan said.

The pilot program was launched in Astghashen village, Artsakh, all residents of the village were provided with LED lamps. Calculations showed that 30-40% energy saving occurred. The first positive signals were grounds to continue the process by visiting other village locations.

The process created a Snowball Effect. 21 million drams were raised till now, every two weeks a visit to any bordering community is schedules where LED lamps are provided. Our aim is to provide LED lamps to 36 bordering villages of Armenia and also all villages of Artsakh, the deputy minister said.

Hayk Shekyan, coordinator of the Bright Border initiative and director of Stigen, highlighted this initiative and said in addition to technical issues these visits have great importance for the village communities in terms of being under attention.

Our latest visit was to Chinari village, Tavush province, which is just meters away from military positions. The residents were really touched by the visit. Not only did we change the lamps, but we also got the chance to talk to the people. We felt that the program is demanded not only in terms of energy saving, but also from a psychological perspective, he said.

Bright Border is a volunteer initiative aiming to sooth the burden of electricity charges and showcasing the possibilities of affordable electricity to the public of Armenia by means of installing free of charge LED technology enabled bulbs in the remote communities of border villages of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. At the invitation of Speaker of the Parliament (the Knesset) of Israel Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Artak Zakaryan  Chairman of the Armenian parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Head of Armenia-Israel inter-parliamentary friendship group, departed for Jerusalem on March 6-8 to take part in the international seminar entitled Fatherland-Diaspora relations.

Artak Zakaryan delivered a speech at the seminar.

Armenpress presents the full text of his speech:

Distinguished colleagues,

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Knesset of the State of Israel, to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Jewish agency for Israel for the organization and hosting of this representative event. It should be noted, that such kind of events are considered as an effective platform for the discussion of multispectral issues, as well as the exchange of opinions and experiences.

Dear Colleagues,

The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia has its unique and significant role in the context of comprehensive state activities aiming at developing relations with Diaspora, solving the issues related to Diaspora, as well as consistent approaches and potential of introducing the Armenian identity to the world. The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, in the context of its defined inter- parliamentary policy, emphasizes the importance of developing the relations with Diaspora, as well as the role of Diaspora structures regarding the evolvement of relations with partner countries.

During the last years, the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, in the context of state defined priorities, tried to have its own contribution in elaboration of pan-Armenian projects regarding Diaspora, evolvement of Armenia - Diaspora cooperation, as well as development of potential of Armenia-Diaspora-Nagorno Karabakh interaction.

The committee cooperates with the Ministry of Diaspora, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aiming at revealing efficient solutions related to the development of relations with Diaspora, as well as cooperation with the Diaspora structures.

Dear colleagues,

Todays discussions regarding Diaspora have great importance in my country and they are always active for us. As you know, the Armenian Diaspora is one of the largest in the context of geography and involvement of human resources. Currently, in different parts of the world live more than ten million Armenians, one third of which inhabits in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

The history of formation of the Armenian Diaspora goes back to the Middle Ages. The formation of modern Armenian Diaspora is a consequence of the Armenian Genocide, committed by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. In this period about 1.5 million Armenians, living in their ancestral homeland, were systematically exterminated by the Ottoman government, thousands were displaced from their homes and dispersed throughout the world. As a consequence, in different parts of the world were formed Armenian communities. The next enlargement of the Armenian Diaspora was related to massacres, persecutions and crimes committed by Azerbaijani authorities in 1988. Today, the Armenians are dispersed in more than 120 countries of the world.

At all times the core issue for the Armenian Diaspora has been and is the issue of preservation of Armenian identity. As an important precondition for the preservation of the Armenian identity is considered the unity and self-affirmation of Armenian Diaspora, as well as the joint activities regarding education, religion and culture. In 1991, after the independence of Armenia, relations between Armenia and the Diaspora intensified and reached a new level of cooperation. The existence of vital relations between Homeland and Diaspora, the nutrition of the vein linking Diaspora with Armenia, as well as the continuous and comprehensive relations between two Armenian segments served as a basis for the evolvement of new qualitative relations with Diaspora.

In that period, the experience of the past and the advent of new challenges required the new level and quality of national self-governance. We appeared in a new reality, which was related to the existence of the Armenian State. This new reality created both for Armenia and Diaspora new rules of cooperation. With the advent of new challenges we had to feel the pulse of new time as well as processes.

We conceived and today we still know how much Armenia has to do for Diaspora and how supportive Diaspora has always been to Armenia in all its initiatives.

In this context, in 2008, on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Armenia, was established the Ministry of Diaspora. This decision intended to give an impetus to the development of Armenia-Diaspora relations, to allocate state sufficient resources and mechanisms for the promotion of these relations. The Ministry is in charge of drafting and implementing the policy of the Government of the Republic of Armenia aimed at the strengthening of ties between Armenia and the Diaspora, development of cooperation with non-governmental organizations, preservation of Armenian national identity, revelation of potential of the Diaspora, drafting of the repatriation programs and work in other fields reserved for the Ministry under the supervision of the President of Armenia.

Dear colleagues,

As an important mechanism of cooperation may be considered the establishment of so-called Hayastan all Armenian fund, as well as the establishment of educational "Luys" foundation, which grants a loan or scholarship to Armenian students worldwide to study at the world`s top universities. Another important step is the adoption of dual citizenship. As a result, today, thousands of people living abroad, received the Armenian citizenship. This is considered to be an effective means aiming at keeping the Diaspora-Homeland link alive.

Another important and effective mechanism in Armenia-Diaspora relations is the establishment of Armenia-Diaspora Forum. The 5th Armenia-Diaspora representative forum was held in 2016. During the past five forums the representatives of Armenia and Diaspora discussed the vital issues related to Armenia, Diaspora and Nagorno Karabakh.

An important achievement in Armenia-Diaspora relations is the activation of educational system. In Yerevan State University the Department on Diaspora studies has been established. The alumni of this department after graduation possess the appropriate knowledge on Diaspora issues, as well as skills and abilities to work with Diaspora structures. Armenia attaches great importance to the promotion of Armenian language in Diaspora communities. In this regard, various projects are being implemented with the institutions and organizations of Diaspora, aiming at encouraging the youth and making the teaching of the Armenian language in Diaspora more accessible and affordable. In the context of this priority, the summer school called "Diaspora" is functioning in Yerevan State University. The courses of the summer school are mainly focused on key areas such as the intensive study of Armenian language, the training of Armenian language teachers and the organizers of Educational Missions, as well as journalists, young leaders and organizers of community activities.

Dear colleagues,

We attach great importance to the systematic development of Diaspora communities. For this purpose, in the state level, the training course for young leaders and organizers of community-activities is being conducted. In the framework of this project we are aiming at contribution to the mutual recognition, the establishment of stable relations with homeland, introduction to the domestic and foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the activities of the Ministry of Diaspora. We try to work with each community and region separately aiming at conceiving their priorities and discussing the opportunities for cooperation.

The unique role and popularity in Homeland - Diaspora relations has the project entitled "Ari tun or Come back home". This project was successfully launched in 2009. During the past 7 years in the framework of this project more than 6000 Armenian young people from 54 countries of the world visited Armenia. The aim of the project is to introduce the youth of Diaspora to the cultural, social life of Armenia, as well as the religion and family traditions. The project aimed at contribution to the formation of sound relations with homeland, strenghtening national identity, as well as establishment of warm relations between Armenian and Diaspora.

Dear colleagues,

Today the global challenge for Armenians is related to the issues of Syrian Armenians. We have a large community in Syria. Due to the war in Syria, thousands of Syrian Armenians had to leave their habitats and find shelters in different countries of the world. Thousands of them expressed desire to move to Armenia. Till today Armenia has received thousands of Syrian Armenians. Despite the scarcity of the state fundings, tasks were issued by the President of the Republic of Armenia, to solve the existing problems of our compatriots.

Dear colleagues,

The Republic of Armenia in state level is emphasizing the promotion of the investment policy in Armenia. In this endeavor the great importance is attached to the increased cooperation with Diaspora. In state level the necessary measures have been taken aiming at promotion of the cooperation with Diaspora investors. Such measures include the creation of favorable business environment, provision of state support, increase of competitiveness in business sector. Great efforts are made for the analysis of investment potential of Diaspora, as well as elaboration of cooperation mechanisms.

Dear colleagues,

We will continue keeping the interaction between Armenia-Diaspora and Artsakh alive and will do our best to nourish better the link which bonds all Armenians all over the world. Thank you for your attention.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenia undergoes social-economic development, Armenpress reports oppositionist Talysh blogger, participant of Talysh freedom movement who has found asylum in Armenia, Shahin Mirzoev posted on his Facebook page as a response to the myth propagated in Azerbaijan at a state level that Armenia will die of hunger.

Armenia really undergoes social-economic development. One should see all these by his own eyes, but not by the eyes of AzTV run by the family of Ilham Aliyevs regime, Mirzoev wrote, adding that he will expose the lie propagated by Azerbaijani TV channels.

The Armenian MFA on February 11 announced that the Armenian leadership received a request from Shahin Mirzoev for temporary asylum, since as a member of Talysh Cultural Council, Talysh freedom movement, journalist at the Tolishi Sado newspaper, he was obliged to flee from Azerbaijan due to the persecutions against ethnic and religious minorities and gross violations of their rights, and to arrive to Armenia with his family. Armenian leadership reacted positively to the request of Shahin Mirzoev.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. Armenia exported mineral products amounting to 43 million and 251.4 thousand USD in January, 2017. Armenpress reports, citing the data released by the National Statistical Service, mineral products amounting to 30 million and 698.7 thousand USD were exported in January, 2016. This means that in 2017 the exports grew by 40.9%.

At the same time Armenia imported mineral products worth 78 million and 332.5 thousand USD, while the number in 2016 amounted to 62 million and 831.1 thousand USD. The rise of import amounted to 24.7%.

In January 2017 Armenias exported amounted to 121 million and 471.4 thousand USD. The number stood at 89 million and 737.6 thousand USD in 2016. Exports rose by 35.4%. At the same time products worth 237 million and 224.8 thousand USD were imported to Armenia in January 2017. The number stood at 156 million and 718 thousand USD in January 2016. The increase of imports amounted to 51.4%.
The ideal transition

The regional and domestic challenges that Nepal has confronted in recent years clearly confirm that applying the correct method for a favourable transition is key to making democracy, stability and economic feasibility a lasting reality.
THE VALLEYAccording to an article in the New York Post, online manufacturer/retailer British Condoms is about to offer a condom ring that does more than simply help men keep their erections: It may also help protect them from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Despite being advertised as "i.Con, the World's First Smart Condom," purchasers of the i.Con will need to buy the latex part themselves: "i.Con is not an actual condom; its a ring that will sit over a condom at the base, which you can use over and over again," the company's website explains.

But what a ring! Fitted with a rechargeable nano-chip and sensors, the i.Con will reportedly be able to "catalog numerous variables during sexincluding penis girth, the 'average velocity' and total number of thrusts per session. It will also log other info pertaining to ones health, such as calories burned and average skin temperature."

The gadget should work for 6 to 8 hours after charging through its micro-USB port.

Like some recent vibrators, the i.Con will download its recorded data to a smartphone or computer through the i.Con app, at which point "users will have the option to share their recent data with friends, or, indeed the world," the website suggests, while promising that all data will be kept confidential unless the user specifies otherwise. "You will be able to anonymously access stats that you can compare with i.Con users worldwide," the site adds.

Even better, according to an article on Mashable.com, "The developers behind the i.Con claim it doubles up as an STI indicator, but this additional status is in the final stages of medical testing and is yet to be confirmed ... the device has an 'antibodies filter,' which sends an alert to the smartphone when it detects proteins or antigens found in STIs." (That particular claim isn't on the company's website, however.)

The i.Con isn't ready for sale yet, though the company expects development to be finished sometime this year, at which point it will be available on the company website. Those wishing to be informed of the release date can sign up on the website. Its projected cost is 59.99 (about $74).

In other contraception news, condom manufacturer Trojan is about to score a television first: Its new XOXO condom line will be the first ever to be allowed to be advertised on broadcast TV. The ad, which has been described as "relatively tame for condoms," will debut in April, and will be aimed at women, since they buy one of every three condoms sold.

"XOXO condoms come in a travel pack discreet enough to look like a travel compact, and apparently to get past network standards monitors," an article on AdAge.com assured.



Condom ads have long been a staple on cable, with Trojan having purchased more than $15 million in ad time on such cable networks as Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" late-night programming block.

Finally, in an announcement that's likely to drive condom advocates bonkers, researchers are developing an injectable male contraceptive that, according to an article on the ZME Science website, "works by blocking the vas deferens ... It forms a flexible, spongy, hydrogel material which allows fluids to pass but holds back sperm cells like a net."

The material, called Vasalgel, has been successfully tested on male rhesus monkeys, 16 of which were "housed for a full breeding season with three to nine fertile females. This was done in a free-living environment to ensure a free, unrestricted interaction between the sexes. Seven of the males were housed with the females for up to two years. During this time, none of the groups couplings resulted in pregnancy. The monkeys didnt show any complications or adverse reactions to the treatment."

And the best part? Vasalgel is easily reversible by a doctor flushing the seminal canal with a safe solvent.

The company that developed Vasalgel, the nonprofit Parsemus Foundation, is now preparing to conduct human trials.

"This is not just another early-stage lead; were so close on this one," said Parsemus executive director Elaine Lissner last year. "Its time to finish the job weve started."

Hooray! Sex can be fun again!
Above, TEA Show host Madison with dancers; photo by Chris King/ReelSeduction.com

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.With Madison in the drivers seat at the Avalon nightclub, where the winners of the 2017 Transgender Erotica Awards were announced last night, boredom was the last thing the audience had to fret about. The outspoken star, known for her site BigDickBitch.com, was a highlight of last years TEA Show, when event sponsor Grooby and its founder, Steven Grooby, gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award.

But first to grace the stage at the March 5 awards show was curvaceous songstress Hudsy Hawn, who did a number riffing on Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, complete with a latex mermaid costumeand accompanied by Juanito Blanco dressed as a scantily clad sub. A regular asset at the TEA Show, Hawn ably assisted Madison throughout.

Madison also made a splashy musical entrance, surrounded by men wearing togas. The performer was bigger than life in a flamboyant wig, sweeping cape and black unitard with gold accents. For her opening volley, Madison put the crowd on notice to show due respect: We are the motherfuckers who introduced trans people to heterosexual goddamn people. ... I am sick of all these people who try to shame the sex worker.

The first award of the evening, Best DVD, went to a crowd-pleasing choice: Real Fucking Girls, directed by Mona Wales for Grooby and distributed by Exquisite. Wales and eight of her cast members came up to accept the award for Real Fucking Girls, which also won Best Transsexual Movie at the 2017 AVN Awards.

Next up was Best Photographer, with Bob Maverick of BobsTgirls.com taking the prizeand giving thanks to all the models Ive shot for the last 18 years.

During a slight delay while Madison completed her first costume change, Hawn filled in to announce the winners of the Best Trans Man Scene: Eddie Wood and Michelle Austin in FTM Fucker (TSMichelle.xxx).

Madison emerged, wearing a long blonde wig and a sparkling dark green mini-dress, to reveal the Best Scene winners: Aubrey Kate, Will Havoc and Phoenix Marie. Alas, the always-lively Marie was not in the house.

Of course, Madison was more than lively enough to make up for any absentees as she emitted a stream of professional-grade profanity before the Best Scene Producer award was presented to Damien Kane.

Next, though now-retired Jonelle Brooks was not present to celebrate her win for Best Solo Site, the jet-setting trans star sent in a bilingual video message from Thailand to give thanks for the accolade given to JonelleBrooks.com.

Before Best Internet Personality was announced, Madison interjected, It hurts me so bad that I never win. Indeed, the winner in the categoryannounced by sponsor Robbi Racks, who said, Were from Las Vegas, representingwent to Miran, which turned out to be one of two awards for the slender Asian beauty.

Introducing the presenters for Best Non-TS Performer (Female), Madison said the outcome interested her because "I want to know the best female performer to break my virginity." Presented by Aiden Starr and Isabella Sorrenti and sponsored by Evil Angel, the trophy went to cisgender adult performer Amarna Miller. The pale, delicately pretty redhead sent in a video from her home country of Spain, and it was a big hit with the crowd. This is my first award in the U.S. and I feel extremely proud, Miller said, adding, You are all fighters and I feel proud of you."

The irrepressible Madison was ready with a quip: Aint no pussy like some foreign pussy. I used to get it in Dade County all the time. Foreign pussy with balls attached.

The ceremony took a turn for the poignant when it came time to announce the Best Non-TS Performer (Male), sponsored by Flirt4Free and presented by Karly and Kimmy, representatives from the live chat pioneer. Bestowed posthumously on beloved performer Alexander Gustavo, who took his own life late last year, the award was accepted by Gustavos father, Mitchell. Alexander enjoyed his occupation very much. Unfortunately he made a very unplanned decision in his life that he cannot take back," Mitchell said as the crowd quieted down to pay honor to Gustavos memory.

One of his best friends, Dusty would also like to say something, Mitchell said. The young woman standing next to him shared some eloquent words about a dear friend who left too soon. "He just loved to be loved, Dusty said. He was one of the most caring and happy people I ever met, and of course we wish he could be here tonight."

A popular performer in both gay and trans genres, Gustavo was also remembered at Januarys AVN Awards, when Transsexual Performer of the Year Aubrey Kate expressed her sadness at his passing.

But since the show must go on, the next award was presented by director Buddy Wood, who named Natalie Mars as the Grooby Girl of the Year.

The next two categories got Madison started again. 'I love me some foreign pussy," she leered. Award sponsor Josh Stone of Trans 500 announced the Best International Performer (West). Winner Mia Maffia was clearly overjoyed, bobbing her head of long pink hair as she chanted, Thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you.

The Best International Performer (East) title, sponsored by Ladybody Gold, was presented to Megumi by Tarantino XXX and Sunshyne Monroe while Madison continued her running commentary on the parade of hot performers. "Bitch, you look GOOOOD. ... I'm turning gay this evening," she said as Monroe walked off the stage. Sunshyne, you fine as hell. I'm thinking about it.

A bit of levity was introduced with the Transcendence Award, presented by sponsor Dr. Alexander Sinclair with previous recipients Tori Mayes and Gia Darling to a performer who lifts us to a new level of awareness." Darling blurted out the winner: LaLa Land.

Really, though, the prize went to Stefani Special, who had plenty to say to the industry crowd. We had a really scary year last year with Prop 60, and because there was a vigilant team of workers we were able to beat it, Special said. I wouldnt be here right now and we wouldnt have been able to beat it if it wasn't for Siouxsie Q.

Called up on stage, the Free Speech Coalitions director of policy and industry relations added her thoughts about the Prop 60 fight. I could text at 9:30 at night and [Stefani] would be ready to go at 9 in the morning and have her talking points, Siouxsie Q said of the Transcendence Award recipient, adding that Special had given talks to many groups of potential voters. She is an incredible advocate and we were lucky to have her, Siouxsie Q said. Blood, sweat, tearsyou put it all out there.

For the BobsTGirls.com Model of the Year, photographer Bob Maverick and reigning BobsTgirl Domino Presley announced this years model, and Miran came up on stage to collect her second trophy.

Before a short intermission, audiences enjoyed performance by Sonique, an alumna of RuPaul's Drag Race. The blonde quickly discarded a modest black dress to reveal a bikini with elaborate fringe, rhinestones and sequins. The outfit wasn't the only flashy action on stageand soon the crowd was cheering Soniques graceful splits and other acrobatic moves.

Madison came back on stage in a short and sassy hairdo and an even shorter and sassier off-the-shoulder peach-colored mini dress. After Madison got the crowd to quiet down to a low rumble, Madeline Marlowe and Mona Wales came out to present Kinks Kinkiest TGirl Domme. Honey Foxxx came onstage as Madison channeled Rick James: "She's a very kinky girl that you dont take home to mother." Foxxx thanked her fans, saying, I have to give my love to my honey bees."

Best Transman Model went to Eddie Wood, last years FTM Best New Face; the Ms. Unique title was conferred on Mara Nova; and the Best Industry Professional honoree was Al Tom.

The Stroker of the Year contest turned out to be a tie, with the trophies presented by SheMale Strokers director Sammy Mancini and last years winner, Sasha Skyes. Casey Kisses and Korra Del Rio shared the title, not heeding Madisons demand for a tie-breaking stroke-off.

Then it was time for the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Awards, with the first award sponsored by Grooby. Kelli Lox introducing a tribute video to inductee Wendy Williams and thanked the redheaded Southern belle for taking me under her wing.

For the second Lifetime Achievement award, sponsored by Wicked Sensual Care, Jessica Drake came out with two big TS stars: Foxxy and Morgan Bailey. I've been in the industry for some time and I've seen lots of changes on both sides of the industry, the Wicked contract girl said. There will be more changes on both sidesuntil there are no sides. Coming on stage to accept, Natassia Dreams gave her own tribute to her presenters. "These ladies behind me, I have so much respect for them and I'm so glad to be on stage with them and to have them present this award."

Dreams added, "I love all you guys. Pursue your dreams because it can happen." To help Dreams realize hers, Wicked Sensual Care provided her with $500 to donate to the charity of her choice.

Madison added her own praise to the elegant Dreams, who was wearing a truly spectacular gown with an Art Deco flair: "Say yes to the dress."

Among the other big winners were Chanel Santini, named Best New Face, and Domino Presley, selected for the Fan Choice Award. Presley joked, Thanks, Mom, Dadyou support me even though Im a whore.

With just two more awards to go, a bit of drama rocked the proceedings. After the competitive Best Solo Model trophy went to Kylie Maria, resplendent in thigh-high boots and a jumpsuit with strategically placed rhinestones, another nominee came up on stage. Visibly angry, Salina Samone yelled at the crowd. After Samone stormed off, Madison said, "That was the highlight of my evening right there. My sister don't play"but even that seemed to set Samone off all over again.

Finally the time came for Best Hardcore Performer. Sponsored by ICM Registry, the award was presented by a sartorially splendid trio: Natassia Dreams, Yasmine Lee and Soldier Boi. Lee worked in a topical comment: "Your rights are being taken away for you.  We need to stick together and fight that fucker. Is it appropriate to call him a fucker?" she asked, clearly speaking about our current POTUS. The crowd seemed to agree it was appropriate.

Picking up the award was Aubrey Kate, also a big winner at Januarys AVN Awards. It's been a fucking amazing year, she said. It's funnymy ex told me I was terrible in bed and then I got a call from Kink asking me to shoot a scene. And now Im the fucking Hardcore Performer of the Year. Then came thanks to her supporters, including Sheena Ryder, whom Kate credited with getting her into the business, and new publicist Kristel Penn, the Grooby staffer who just started her own PR business.

Before turning the crowd loose, Madison reiterated the call for solidarity among the trans community. I'm not standing for any more sex worker shaming, she said. Keep getting that goddamn money.

And with that, Hudsy Hawn came back to entice the crowd up on stage for one last dance, set towhat else?Kool and the Gangs Celebrate!

Among other presenters were Dan Hogue of TransErotic, Jamie Jameson of TGirl Nights, Michael of Hubstars, Douglas Richter of Shemale.com, and performers Alexa Scout, Annabelle Lane, Ashes Wednesday, Athena Addams, Bailey Love, Becca Benz, Beth Bell, Jesse, Lena Kelly, Magdalene St. Michaels, Rob Yaeger and Tyra Scott.

For a complete list with just award sponsors and winners, click here.
Canadian citizen Manpreet Kooner was on her way to a day spa in Vermont when she was stopped at the US border. The 30-year-old Montreal resident, who works at a science lab, was held for six hours before being denied entrance into the US.

Kooner, who was born and raised in Canada by parents who come from India, was told she needed an immigrant visa. The two friends she was traveling with, both white, did not have a problem.

"I'm speechless," Kooner said to CBC news. "There are no answers."

According to CBC:

Kooner's story is the latest in a string of recent tales involving Canadian travellers scrutinized or turned away by U.S. border agents. Last month, for instance, a woman from the Montreal suburb of Brossard said she was denied entry after being fingerprinted, photographed and questioned in detail about her religion and her views on Trump. Kooner was reluctant to attribute her situation to racism, but said friends who have reached out to her say that could be the case. "People have said we need to take that into account here, because unfortunately, yeah, my skin colour is brown," she said.

This actually wasn't the first time Kooner was stopped at the border. Last December she was pulled over at the border for a random check, and then turned away because of a computer problem. She was allowed in the US the following day. Her mother was also turned away last summer, without any apparent reasons.

Kooner says the idea of crossing the border now makes her sick.

Read the full story here.

Photo: Jeff Nelson
Iris has the reputation of being a cold and austere note. Obtained from the roots of iris pallida, rather than flowers, it smells of its sourcemore like a sliver of frozen woods than petals. (This is why iris in perfumery is not quite a floral note, and its classified separately, between woods and violets.) And yet, its my favorite scent for winter. It fits so perfectly into the wintery panorama of scents that I can hardly imagine these cold days without an opaline sillage of iris. On the other hand, a beautiful perfume is beautiful all year round, so Im slowly transitioning to spring with my bouquet of irises.

The indisputable gold standard irises are Chanel No 19, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, and Annick Goutal Heure Exquise. Hermes Hiris is another notable fragrance, often referred to as a cult favorite, whatever that means. Although I enjoy No 19, Iris Silver Mist and Hiris, my personal iris cult is more varied, a testament to the allure of this ingredient.

Courreges Blanc

A wispy, gauzy blend of iris, rose and musk, Blanc is an ideal introduction to those who think that iris is the powdered Habsburg royalty of the fragrance world. In Blanc, it adds a touch of elegance, while offsetting the brightness of lychee and pepper.

Parfums DelRae Mythique

If Blanc proves that iris can be lighthearted, Mythique shows that it can also be sumptuous. Folded into the layers of jasmine, patchouli and sandalwood, iris is as baroque as it can be in this exceptional perfume. The contrasting accord of crushed mandarin peel keeps the balance from tipping into complete decadence.

Ann Gerard Cuir Nacre

One of the most natural pairings for iris is not with flowers, but with leather and woods, which shows that its olfactory bloodline is more complicated than it appears at first. Ann Gerard is a jeweler, who understands a thing or two about facets, which is why her collaboration with perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour has been so successful. In Cuir Nacre they explore all facets of iris, while setting it in soft leather. Elegant but with a dark twist.

Armani Prive Pierre de Lune

Pierre de Lune is a cologne version of an iris, with green notes emphasizing its cool, lithe form. A touch of violet, on the other hand, brings out the floral layers of this complex note, reminding us of the link between the root and the blossom. An ethereal fragrance that lingersanother surprise.

Yardley Iris and Lavender

Fun, easy to wear and easy to like. Iris and Lavender is a riff on Yardleys trademark lavender colognes, but with a trendy touch of pink pepper. If youre looking for a symphony in your perfume, then look elsewhere, but if you need a simple, clean cologne, its a good choice.

The Red Sphinx by Alexandre Dumas

Not long ago Amber, one of my reader, sent me several quotes from her favorite novels that includes scent references, and the mention of letters sprinkled with iris powder in The Red Sphinx by Alexandre Dumas caught our fancy. The idea seemed so delightful, even though the only letters I seem to write are to Belgian bureaucrats. Incidentally, Dumas spent a few years in Brussels after Louis-Napoleons coup detat in 1851. The real reason was not political, however, but rather prosaicDumas was trying to escape debt collectors.

The Red Sphinx is a sequel to The Three Musketeers, but it was never finished by Dumas. It was published in France only in 1946 and in English last year. Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and DArtagnan dont appear in this story, but the scheming cardinals, iris redolent queens and handsome counts will be plenty for an entertaining read. The Red Sphinx can be read as a standalone novel.

Alone in her room, Anne of Austria listened to the receding footsteps of Gaston dOrleans and of her mother-in-law. When the sound had completely faded, she slowly rose, pushed her petite feet into her Spanish slippers of sky-blue satin embroidered with gold, and sat down next to her vanity. From a drawer she took out a small canvas bag containing iris powder, a perfume she preferred for her clothes above all others, and which her mother-in-law had brought her from Florence. This powder she sprinkled on the blank second page of the letter from Gonzales de Cordovajust as, by different means, the same result was obtained from the note from Christine to Gaston, and from that of Charles-Emmanuel to the queen mother. Under the powder, letters soon appeared on the sheet sent from Gonzales de Cordova to the queen.

Id love to hear about your favorite iris fragrances.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin
Do you have a question about your taxes? Email them to us at moneyquestions@yahoo.com

If you have questions and concerns about filing your taxes, youre not alone. The IRS receives more than 100 million phone calls, 10 million letters, and 5 million visits at its walk-in sites from taxpayers each year, according to IRS.gov. But if youre unable to resolve your question or issue with the IRS, theres another resource affiliated with the IRS that offers free help for your tax problems: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).

Nina Olson is the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate for TAS. According to Olson, TAS handles between 200,000-250,000 cases each year and resolves 80% of them. Olson shared four common problems taxpayers face and the best ways to solve them.

#1: Taxpayers cant reach the IRS

Olson says a common problem she hears from taxpayers is an inability to actually reach a person at the IRS. What I hear from taxpayers a lot is just frustration about being able to get through to the IRS on the phone, Olson said.

Long wait times and getting automatically disconnected after a certain period of time, what IRS lingo has called a courtesy disconnect, leave taxpayers frustrated and without the answers they need. While Olson said the IRS has improved and has a dedicated phone number for tax law questions, she said taxpayers should be prepared to wait. The IRS is doing better this year than they did last year, but theres still a fair amount of frustration.

Sometimes taxpayers call with basic questions about their filing status, or they may have more complicated issues to address like identity theft. There are times when you really have to talk to the IRS to find out whats going on and you just have to suffer through those phone calls, Olson said. I like to tell people to do other work while youre on the phones. Olson also recommends calling at off-peak times, such as first thing in the morning, before lunch or in mid-afternoon.

Story continues

#2: Taxpayers dont understand the notices the IRS sends

When people receive notices from the IRS, many times they have no idea what to do. Usually, their first instinct is to call the IRS, repeating the cycle of call backlog and frustration.

Sometimes, its not clear what they need to do or why theyre getting the notice [from the IRS] in the first place, Olson said. So the taxpayer will call and say, I got this notice, what is it telling me to do? So there youve lead to more phone calls and a lack of clarity.

Another major problem is decoding tax speak. Tax law is complicated, and Olson says its difficult for the IRS to put notices into language a layperson can understand. Thats very frustrating for the IRS and for the taxpayer. So then the taxpayer writes. But in the meantime, youre sitting there waiting for a response, so then you call back again. You can see how that builds up, Olson said.

TAS can be a helpful resource for people in these situations. When a person calls TAS, theyre assigned to one representative to work with him or her from start to finish, without the dreaded courtesy disconnect.

Were able to cut through some of the red tape, get an answer, figure out the steps that need to be done and get the process underway, Olson said.

Olson also said TAS is working on a website that would have a resource for each kind of IRS notice. Every IRS notice has a number, and [taxpayers] can put that number in [the site] and we will have a plain language page on what this notice is about, what they need to do, what it is trying to say, and what their rights are in respect to that notice, Olson said. TAS plans to have the site up by the end of the year.

#3: Identity Theft

Identity theft is rampant in the United States. The Bureau of Justice reported that 7% of Americans experience at least one incident of identity theft each year. The IRS has cracked down on tax-related identity theft, such as when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return for a fraudulent refund. In 2016, the IRS reported a staggering 50% drop in the number of people who filed cases saying they were victims of identity theft. They also reported a 50% drop in the number of fraudulent tax returns filed with the IRS.

To do your part to help limit identity theft, Olson says to avoid giving out your Social Security number. Anytime you put your Social Security number out there, theres a risk to it being compromised, Olson said. So be very careful about where youre putting it out there. Its one little measure you can take.

Olson said there are many times where businesses do not need a Social Security number. Unless its for something tax related, theres a lot of things where they dont need it, Olson said. People should have the reflex to say, Why do you need that?

For victims of tax-related identity theft, the IRS has established a program in which they issue an Identity Protection Pin, a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers that helps prevent the misuse of their Social Security number on fraudulent federal income tax returns.

In addition to your social security number, you put the IP pin on your income tax return, and this tells the IRS this is a legitimate return from the taxpayer, Olson said.

While the program is currently only for victims of tax-related identity theft, Olson said the IRS is piloting this program in Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia for any taxpayer who wants the additional security.

Thats something you can look at to protect yourself and your identity, Olson said.

#4: Taxpayers dont pick reputable tax preparers

Many issues taxpayers face could be avoided by picking more reputable tax preparers to prepare their returns, according to Olson.

People need to be very careful about who they pick to do their returns, Olson said. There are up to 1.2 million return preparers we have in our system, and most of them are what we called unregulated preparers. Theyre not attorneys or CPAs or enrolled agents, so they show up all over the place.

Some of these preparers can make emptyeven dangerouspromises. When we see real danger is when theyre going to folks and saying, I can get you the biggest refund possible, or I do better than everyone else in getting refunds, and it doesnt quite make sense, Olson said. Those are things where the taxpayers are going to be harmed, and often times theres a refund fraud scheme where a preparer maybe skimming off a part of your refund.

Olson suggests hiring licensed tax preparers who are educated in tax law. Go with someone who is licensed, like an attorney or a CPA or a licensed agent, Olson said.

WATCH MORE

Why wait? Tips for filing your tax return early

5 tax changes you need to know about for the 2017 filing season

The best way to spend your 2017 tax refund
Pharmacueticals 16-9

With another earnings release in the rear-view mirror, shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc. (TSX:VRX)(NYSE:VRX) have declined once again, this time to under $18 per share. The question is not if the company will go under (or be sold off into tiny pieces), but when will it happen.

The company was in positive cash flow territory, but the reality is the loss still amounts to $1.47 per share, making things even worse from last year?s loss of $1.04 per share. Cash flow from operations (CFO) was $2.087 for the year, but it decreased by $170 million from the previous year.

Although certain costs can be contained, it is extremely difficult for a company to hide the bad news with declining revenues. For fiscal 2016, revenues declined by approximately 7.4%, while the debt saga continued. For a large number of pharmaceutical companies, the percentage of revenues going to fund R&D and interest expenses combined is often upwards of 15%, but in the case of Valeant, the reality is that 2016 interest expenses alone were closer to 18%. In 2015, interest expenses accounted for a reasonable 12%.

Although management has pounded the table about paying down an additional $5 billion in debt, only $1 billion has been repaid so far. As of December 31, 2016, the company had debt on the balance sheet close to $30 billion. Assuming the company is successful in paying down the $5 billion, another $25 billion will still remain. If Valeant cuts 2016 interest expenses by 17% (one-sixth), the total interest expense would work out to approximately $1.43 billion, or 14.8%, of 2016 revenues.

Although this may seem reasonable to long investors, there are a few things we must remember. First, the company must repeat 2016 revenues, which is not a sure thing given the sell-off of several drugs over the past few months. The potential for revenues to decline still wouldn?t solve the interest expense problem, even after paying off $5 billion of debt.

The second and more important thing to consider is the mix of interest expense vs. R&D when looking at this 15% metric. When a company invests a portion of their revenues in R&D, it is a sign of things to come. New drugs are being developed and moving through the pipeline. Although not all of these drugs will be profitable, the ones which generate positive cash flows will most often cover those which do not become profitable.

Story continues

Looking at the situation of Valeant, however, the red flags go up in conjunction with the ringing of a bell. If the entire 15% of revenues is going to interest expenses and none is going to R&D, then the question becomes, ?what?s in the pipeline?? Clearly, without new cash-generating drugs under development, the company is taking 15% of revenues to pay off what was already purchased. The long-term survival of this company may be in jeopardy.

This may take a long time to play out. Be very careful on this one!

36-Year Old CEO Bets Over $300 Million on 1 Stock

Iain Butler, Lead Adviser of Stock Advisor Canada, recommended this little tech darling to thousands of loyal members last March... and those that followed his advice are up 127.7% (they've already made 2X their money!).

Not to mention this tiny Eastern Ontario company has already been recommended by both Motley Fool co-founders, David and Tom Gardner, because of its amazing similarity to an "early stage" Amazon.

Find out why Tom Gardner was recently on BNN's Money Talk raving about this company, and how you can read all about it inside Stock Advisor Canada. Click here to unlock all the details about his Canadian rule breaker!

More reading

Fool contributor Ryan Goldsman has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tom Gardner owns shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool owns shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

36-Year Old CEO Bets Over $300 Million on 1 Stock

Iain Butler, Lead Adviser of Stock Advisor Canada, recommended this little tech darling to thousands of loyal members last March... and those that followed his advice are up 127.7% (they've already made 2X their money!).

Not to mention this tiny Eastern Ontario company has already been recommended by both Motley Fool co-founders, David and Tom Gardner, because of its amazing similarity to an "early stage" Amazon.

Find out why Tom Gardner was recently on BNN's Money Talk raving about this company, and how you can read all about it inside Stock Advisor Canada. Click here to unlock all the details about his Canadian rule breaker!

Fool contributor Ryan Goldsman has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tom Gardner owns shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool owns shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
broker stock market crash

Over the past several weeks, the Canadian banks have released their quarterly earnings to close out the year. While most exceeded expectations and some banks increased dividends, many of these institutions failed to experience substantial increases in value.

In the case of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSX:CM)(NYSE:CM), shares rose to a 52-week high following an earnings beat and an increase in the dividend, but they have failed to sustain the momentum. Since the earnings release, shares have remained relatively flat. It is important to note many of Canada?s major financial institutions were already trading at or near 52-week highs.

Shares of Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) have traded up slightly since exceeding earnings in the most recent quarter. Additionally, Bank of Montreal has followed of earnings with an announcement to execute a share-buyback program. On the same day, shares of Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS)(NYSE:BNS) declined in value after failing to wow investors.

What?s happening?

Given the recent earnings releases and market reactions, it is clear the market is reaching a point of higher expectations which can?t be beat. In the past, investors have experienced these kinds of cycles; the ending is all too familiar. Eventually, the expectations, along with the earnings multiples, are simply too great that companies can?t clear the bar.

Although, in this case, investors are seeing momentum run out of the financials sector, the truth is that the banking sector may be viewed as a leading indicator to gauge the rest of the economy. As at least one of the banks has increased their loan loss provisions, the reality is, without a continued increase in lending, the message sent to the rest of the market is that of a slowdown.

With shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX:TD)(NYSE:TD) currently yielding less than 3.5% and Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) offering only a little more than 3.5%, the action that should be taken by shareholders is obvious: sell!

Story continues

When evaluating the question, ?What am I giving (paying) and what am I getting??, the answer becomes obvious to some investors, but clearly not all investors. At current levels, shares of Canada?s biggest financial institutions may not be providing the excellent returns that have been available in the past.

Arguably, the only opportunity for a resurgence in today?s market are shares in Canadian Western Bank (TSX:CWB), which is one of Canada?s smallest banks operating exclusively in western Canada. It currently yields close to 3%, so investors have the opportunity to purchase shares in a company trading at 1.2 times tangible book value. The upside is, the company is smack dab in the middle of the oil patch which, after the past two years, may be primed for a comeback.

As an investor, it is important to look for companies with proven track records of profitability in addition to the potential to grow earnings in the future. Looking at Canada?s banks, there may be only one diamond in the rough.

How to Find Great Dividend Stocks

Over a nearly 30-year period, dividend-paying stocks earned about 18X more than their non-dividend counterparts!

Yet incredibly, it's only one part of the story.

To find out how these same stocks had 45% less volatility (and how you can try to take advantage!), click here to read this exhaustive report.

More reading

Fool contributor Ryan Goldsman has no position in any stocks mentioned.

How to Find Great Dividend Stocks

Over a nearly 30-year period, dividend-paying stocks earned about 18X more than their non-dividend counterparts!

Yet incredibly, it's only one part of the story.

To find out how these same stocks had 45% less volatility (and how you can try to take advantage!), click here to read this exhaustive report.

Fool contributor Ryan Goldsman has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The purse strings

Ram Kumari of Samshergunj, Banke has lately been engaged in seasonal vegetable farming.
Uber has weathered no fewer than five scandals in the last two weeks, including allegations of sexual harassment and developing secret software to outsmart local authorities. But it doesnt look like CEO Travis Kalanick will relinquish the reins anytime soon.

He definitely has my confidence, he has the boards confidence, Arianna Huffington, a member of Ubers board of directors, said last Friday at the YPO Edge conference in Vancouver. I have talked to dozens of employees one-on-one, and they see, from the actions that have already been taken, that  this is not about apologies, this is not about words. This is about changes within the company  which are happening every day.

Ubers board of directors is a collection of highly influential members in tech and investing.

Huffington is one of eight members who sit on Ubers board of directors, elected as representatives of shareholders to assess the overall direction and strategy of the $70 billion ride-hailing business. It also means the board could find a way to oust Kalanick, if it wanted to, although the more likely route is hiring a chief operating officer, according to a company blog post Uber published on Tuesday.

Heres a look at Ubers board of power players, who either declined or didnt respond to Yahoo Finances request for comment.

Arianna Huffington

David Orrell | CNBC. Huffington is a member of Ubers board.

Huffington remains the most high-profile member of Ubers board, having co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post news site and written 15 books, including The Sleep Revolution. Last November, she launched Thrive Global, a content and e-commerce site focused on well-being and performance. The Uber board member was also brought onto the investigation team formed this February to investigate claims of sexism and sexual harassment alleged by former Uber engineer Susan J. Fowler.

Ryan Graves

Believe it or not, Kalanick wasnt always Ubers CEO. Graves actually served a short stint as chief executive before becoming the ride-hailing companys head of operations. In a blog post last August, Kalanick described Graves current role as Ubers resident entrepreneur and builder, which includes bringing his unique brand of optimistic leadership to our People Operations, helping to build uberEVERYTHING (EATS, RUSH, and others).

Story continues

Garrett Camp

Camp is Ubers more stealthy co-founder, relatively speaking, and a serial entrepreneur whose efforts included co-founding and running StumbleUpon, the social media site focused on serendipitous content discovery, and more recently, a startup incubator called Expa.

Bill Gurley

Bill Gurley general manager of Benchmark speaks at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California October 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Gurley is considered one of the top venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, with investments over the last two decades that include OpenTable, Zillow (Z), GrubHub, and the online video service Vudu, acquired by Walmart (WMT) in 2010. Gurley also spent four years as a top research analyst covering companies such as Amazon (AMZN), Dell (DVMT), Compaq and Microsoft (MSFT)

David Bonderman

David Bonderman, Founding Partner, TPG, takes part in Private Equity: Rebalancing Risk session during the 2014 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California April 29, 2014. REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian

The 74-year-old billionaire is the founding partner of TPG Capital, which has invested in tech companies such as Airbnb and Box (BOX), and profited from a series of takeovers including Burger King Holdings Inc. and J. Crew Group Inc. Last May, The New York Post announced Bonderman had taken a more hands-off role at TPG and was no longer involved in day-to-day operations.



Yasir al-Rumayyan

The investment banker acts as managing director of Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, which invested $3.5 billion  yes, billion  in Uber last year. He is apparently credited with taking Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans ideas and turning them into actionable proposals.

Cheng Wei

The founder and CEO of Chinese Uber rival Didi Chuxing joined Ubers board late last year after Kalanick officially surrendered a hard-fought battle for riders in China to Ubers homegrown competitor. Announced last August, Uber sold its China operations to Didi Chuxing in exchange for Didi Chuxing investing $1 billion in Uber. The move wasnt surprising given Uber burned through $2 billion in China in the two years leading up to the deal.

Correction: An earlier version of this story included Shervin Pishevar as a board member. In fact, he is an advisor to the board.



JP Mangalindan is a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

More from JP:

Frys Electronics: How this tech retailer has survived the fall of brick-and-mortar

Why experience can hurt tech workers in Silicon Valley

Why AI could be Silicon Valleys latest micro bubble

Surprise and disgust: What 6 Silicon Valley CEOs said about Trumps ban

Qualcomm president: Apple is behind regulatory attacks

Amazon is now worth more than the 8 largest retailers combined
Canada's trade surplus rose to $807 million in January, the third month in a row that the country exported more to the rest of the world than it imported.

Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that exports increased 0.5 per cent from the month earlier, led by higher shipments of motor vehicles and canola.

Strong demand from China pushed Canadian canola exports to a record high of $845 million, up 38.4 per cent and more than double October's figure.

Exports of motor vehicles and parts rose by 7.7 per cent. Exports to the U.S., where three quarters of everything Canada makes ultimately goes, grew by 2.3 per cent during the month, pushing Canada's surplus with the U.S. alone to $4.52 billion from $3.82 billion.

"Strong U.S. demand  stemming in part from an expected uptick businesses investment  combined with the Canadian dollar hovering in the mid-70 US cent range throughout the year, should bode well for Canadian-made goods," TD Bank economist Dina Ignatiovic said. "Of course, the potential for protectionist measures to be implemented south of the border presents some downside risk to this outlook."

Exports surged, while imports decreased by 0.3 per cent.

Three straight months of surplus is the longest streak since 2014, before the devastating collapse in oil prices pulled the rug out from under the Canadian economy.

"Canada's trade picture has improved meaningfully in recent months, with a welcome return to surpluses after a couple years of consistent deficits," BMO economist Benjamin Reitzes noted.
GENEVA (Reuters) - PSA Group's (Paris:UG.PA - News) purchase of General Motors' (NYSE:GM - News) Opel division will cause no immediate problems for Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) core autos division, which is undergoing major restructuring, VW Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said.

PSA is buying Opel in a deal valuing GM's European arm at 2.2 billion euros ($2.33 billion), creating a new car giant in the region to challenge market leader VW.

"Opel and PSA will have had their reasons" for the transaction, Mueller told Reuters late on Monday on the eve of the Geneva auto show. "It has no influence on our plans initially. We have our own ideas and thoughts and will thoroughly work with them."

Asked whether the VW brand will face greater competitive pressures after PSA, by acquiring Opel, becomes Europe's second-ranked carmaker by sales, Mueller said: "We took Opel and PSA seriously as competitors in the past. These were two brands and now they're under a single roof. I don't believe that a great deal will change there."

The VW brand and PSA-Opel will be competing in a European market that analysts have said will become even tougher as emissions rules tighten, demand is near its peak and young customers turn to ride-hailing services rather than buying a car.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Less than a year after the landmark nuclear deal came into effect, Iran was on the verge of another unlikely diplomatic breakthrough.

But these lesser-known Iran talks have led nowhere. And one of the country's most powerful arsenals remains locked away deep in the bowels of a dimly lit state-owned building in Tehran, hidden from the world's eyes.

Some might call that a tragedy.

Because by any measure, the collection held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is exceptional, the greatest outside the West.

Warhol and Picasso, Renoir and Degas, Bacon and Monet form the cornerstones of a collection featuring some 1,500 precious modern art pieces that have been absent from the wider art world for more than four decades.

Some of the pieces, like Warhol's Portraits of Mao and Picasso's The Painter and his Model, are widely recognized. Others, like Jesus Rafael Soto's Canada, are less so.

American Jackson Pollock's Mural on Indian Red Ground is the most valuable, estimated by the Tehran museum at $400 million US.

And yet all the works have mostly been sitting in the museum's vault for more than a generation, hostages of circumstance and kept far from the places where they were created.

It has been a challenge to even show the pieces in Tehran.

The country's Islamic revolution meant the collection fell out of favour  and was best kept out of view  with a leadership that eschews anything Western.

And because of conservative Islamic law, putting some of the pieces on display would be the artistic equivalent of publicly reading Lolita in Tehran.

But at a time when Iran is opening up to international investment and tourism following the nuclear deal with world powers, the collection could easily be a mighty instrument of soft power abroad.

That such an instrument has never been fully deployed is not for lack of trying.

'We had to cancel the contract'

In what would have been a fine display of art diplomacy, 30 of the pieces were set to travel to Berlin late last year, then on to Rome, for the first major exhibition from the collection in a Western capital. The shows, which would have also included 30 of the 1,500 or so Iranian pieces held in the same vault, had been in the works since 2015.

Story continues

"This was the first time we wanted to send so many pieces from our own vault to another country," said Hassan Noferesti, who speaks for the museum.

But after extensive negotiations to set the terms, the initial December start date came and went. A later date was set. But still nothing.

"Everything was finally solved except the export licence," said Dr. Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and organizer of the show in Berlin.

"But it was not signed  We had to cancel the contract."

And so the pieces stayed locked away in their vault, inside which we were given a brief look during a visit last month.

Near the end of a dark, spiral walkway and through a single velvet rope, the multibillion-dollar treasure is hidden behind a heavy door that requires a key and a combination lock to open.

It took an escort of four men, in the presence of a museum security guard, to allow us a glimpse  no cameras allowed. The entrance was stacked with pieces, giving way to a large space with sliding racks full of mostly 20th century art.

"I want to reassure you that we're doing our best to preserve the art. It's a national treasure," said Noferesti, who has been one of the collection's custodians for 20 years.

Complicated relationship

The collection speaks as much of a once-deep connection to the Western world, as it does now of the possibility of mending it.

The fact that it mostly sits in a vault illustrates the complexity of Iran's relationship not just with the West, but with its own pre-revolution past.

Most of the collection was put together in the 1970s by buyers acting on behalf of Farah Pahlavi, Iran's empress and a lover of modern art Andy Warhol even visited and made a portrait of her. The museum was built expressly to house the growing collection.

As the revolution erupted, Pahlavi's portrait was destroyed. The ruling Shah and his wife were exiled, and the paintings were stowed in the museum's vault for safekeeping.

The only Western art permanently displayed is the outdoor exhibition of sculptures that includes pieces by Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore.

The only other permanent display is of paintings of Iran's two post-revolution ayatollahs, perched high on the museum's wall.

Some of the paintings in the vault have been seen outside Iran, and every instance is complicated by the circumstances, and sometimes politics. There's always concern about theft or damage or legal claims for the pieces.

In the case of Germany, there were intense negotiations. German officials travelled many times to Tehran for talks. Restorers also travelled there to prepare the paintings. Iran would receive 2.8 million euros for restoration, insurance and travel costs, and a portion of the ticket proceeds on top, says Parzinger.

A major obstacle emerged last May when Iran hosted a cartoon contest about the Holocaust condemned around the world  and the head of the Tehran museum gave out the award.

Parzinger said German officials told Iran's foreign minister "there are red lines" and that "we cannot continue to co-operate."

"It was a moment where I really thought the project was dead."

Iran eventually responded by switching the head of the museum with another official to represent the country in dealing with the Berlin show, Parzinger says.

It's not clear why President Hassan Rouhani, who may be running for a second term in elections in May, ultimately didn't sign the export permits for the show.

Parzinger says it could have paved the way for a lucrative and beneficial display of cultural diplomacy for Iran and the rest of the world.

"To use this opening, in the Rouhani period  to go forward  this is something that at least we have to try," he said.

Leaders in the arts and culture have some "responsibility to try ... a dialogue, to try bringing people together."

Previous shows have been less ambitious. Pollock's masterpiece made it as far as Tokyo for an exhibition in 2012. Picasso's The Painter and his Model was shown in Rome and later, Zurich in 2010. On its last trip, it was insured for $100 million US, and made it back intact.

Inside Iran, the museum tries to accommodate requests from foreign dignitaries.

"About 99 per cent of politicians and officials who come from other countries put in a request to see the vault," Noferesti said with a smile.

Lack of space

Every now and then Iranians get a glimpse of their collectively owned treasure. Selections from the collection are occasionally exhibited at the museum and it always makes headlines. The displays have to be vetted by the authorities.

In those rare instances, Noferesti looks at the displayed paintings several times a day.

"I'm blessed to be able to  see so many pieces that others can't see."

Pieces like Renoir's Gabrielle with Open Blouse, for example, would normally stay in the vault because it would offend the country's conservative laws.

"But we don't want to get rid of these pieces because they have value," said Noferesti.

He says only a tenth of the paintings are kept out of view because of conservative mores. The main issue, he says, is the lack of space.

In an effort to share the treasure with the rest of the world, the museum is in the midst of digitizing the entire collection, piece by piece.

"We wish we had enough suitable space to showcase all the art," Noferesti said, "because we're eager for people to come see."
Canada is officially extending its military training mission in Ukraine until the end of March 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Monday in Ottawa.

"The purpose of the UNIFIER operation is to support Ukraine forces by providing military instruction and capacity building in order to maintain the sovereignty of Ukraine," Freeland told reporters.

"Ukraine is a very important partner to Canada and we will continue to support its efforts for democracy and economic growth," she added.

Freeland said that Canada's mission in Ukraine has seen the forces of both countries work together in a professional way that has helped improve their respective militaries.

Sajjan said the focus is on training Ukraine's forces. Specifically, Canadian forces will be helping with small team training, explosive ordnance disposal, military policing, medical training and modernizing Ukraine's logistics system.

"I am proud of the talented and dedicated women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces who contribute to a more stable world, as we demonstrate our reliability as a partner to our allies and our commitment to European security," Sajjan said in a statement issued to reporters.

The renewed mission will involve 200 soldiers, the same number mandated by the former Conservative government.

Asked whether further helping Ukraine would put Canada in Russia's sights, Sajjan said that Russia's actions were what caused Canada to step in and help Ukraine in the first place.

Attempting to discredit Canada

Freeland was asked if the Russian regime is attempting to discredit her after a number of articles appeared on pro-Russian websites alleging her maternal grandfather was a Nazi collaborator in Ukraine during the Second World War.

The minister said she is a fan of Russian culture and language, which she speaks, and has many friends who still live in the country.

Story continues

"I think that it is also public knowledge that there have been efforts, as U.S. intelligence forces have said, by Russia to destabilize the U.S. political system," said Freeland.

"I think that Canadians, and indeed other Western countries, should be prepared for similar efforts to be directed at us. I am confident in our country's democracy and I am confident that we can stand up to, and see through, those efforts."

Mission 'counterproductive'

Later Monday, the Russian Embassy in Canada issued a statement denouncing the extension of the mission in Ukraine.

The "Canadian government's decision to extend the military mission in Ukraine is counterproductive and does not facilitate intra-Ukrainian political process, including direct dialogue between Kyiv and Donbass, as prescribed by the Minsk accords," said Kirill Kalinin, a spokesperson for the embassy, in a statement.

The Minsk accords were supposed to stop the conflict between Ukrainian forces and combined Russian-separatist forces in the eastern districts.

"Canada should exert pressure on the authorities in Kyiv to implement their obligations under the Minsk accords and concentrate on reaching a peaceful solution instead of pursuing military ventures," he said.

Ukraine ambassador approves

On the opposite side, the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada was elated with the news.

"It is a sign of solidarity with Ukraine, a powerful signal of deterrence to Russia and a strong sign of Canadian leadership in dealing with global challenges," said Andriy Shevchenko.

Military training, he said, was one avenue of defence co-operation between the two countries.

"It is about brotherhood-in-arms and brotherhood-in-values."

There was, however, no word on Monday whether Ukraine would be added to the Automatic Firearms Country Control List, which is something the government in Kyiv has lobbied for since the Conservatives were in power.

Getting on the registry is the first step in allowing Canadian manufacturers to ship arms to the embattled country, where since the beginning of the year there has been renewed fighting in contested eastern districts.

The plan, first broached in 2015, is opposed by human rights groups.

The Conservative Opposition in the House of Commons Monday criticized the Liberal government for not renewing an arrangement where Canadian satellite images were shared with Ukrainian authorities.

"Our fears that the Liberal commitment to the defence of Ukraine is fading became reality today," said Conservative MP Peter Kent.

"After ignoring appeals from Ukraine for almost a year, we now have an 11th-hour bare-bones extension of Operation UNIFIER, but this extension does not speak to the recent deadly surge in the Russian-backed war. It does not respond to Ukraine's request for an expansion of Operation UNIFIER, or to the appeal for defensive military weapons."

As CBC News reported last fall, the Liberal government gave its assurance privately to Ukrainian officials that the deployment, which was due to expire this month, would be extended.

A fresh rotation of Canadian troops, who have been providing combat training, first aid and roadside bomb defusing skills to Ukraine soldiers, departed recently for the multinational instruction centre in Lviv.
COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Maldivian government said on Tuesday a planned multi-billion dollar, Saudi-funded investment project on one of its atolls will focus on high-end tourism, and it rejected opposition claims that the islands would be sold to the government of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's King Salman is scheduled to make a visit this month to the chain of tiny Indian Ocean islands, which have been mired in political unrest since Mohamed Nasheed, its first democratically elected leader, was deposed in 2012. Nasheed's opposition party last week said the project would effectively give a foreign power control over Faafu atoll in a form of colonialization by the Saudi government. There have been public protests about the project, over the suspected land sale it involves. President Abdulla Yameen's office said in a statement that Faafu is part of a "wider, multifaceted program to finance a major, multi-billion dollar investment project encompassing mixed development, residential and high class development, and several tourist resorts and airports". It added: "The administration categorically rebuts allegations that the atoll has been 'sold off' to a foreign entity." It also said it was working with a range of international investors to implement its economic development agenda. The Maldives Independent website reported that police had cracked down on a protest on Friday by Faafu atoll residents and detained some of them, who demanded details of the project. Last month local media and websites quoted Yameen as saying Saudi rulers had a special interest in Faafu, which is over 100 kilometers southwest of the capital Male and comprises 26 islands in a chain roughly 30 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide. Opposition officials say Faafu residents have vowed to protest Salman's visit to oppose any seizure of their land. Yameen's administration has arrested most of the opponents who might challenge him in 2018. The opposition claims the administration is trying to cover up corruption including money laundering, all of which the government denies. Nasheed, in exile in Britain after being allowed out of jail to go there for medical treatment, formed the Maldives United Opposition in June with the aim of toppling Yameen. Despite its reputation as a tourist paradise, the largely Muslim island chain of 400,000 people is struggling with a large number of radicalized youths enlisting to fight for Islamic State in the Middle East. The opposition says allowing Saudi influence in the country would result in more radicalization. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Three protesters killed in police firing in Saptari

At least three persons died in Maleth of Saptari district on Monday after police resorted to firing after a clash between them and protesters of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).
Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier says people who have used KPMG to avoid taxes by setting up shell companies on the Isle of Man could face criminal charges.

Lebouthillier made the comments in an interview with Radio-Canada host Anne-Marie Dussault after a tough day in the House of Commons, in which the minister and prime minister faced opposition demands for the federal government to crack down on tax evaders.

The calls for action came after a report last week by CBC's the fifth estate and Radio-Canada's Enquete revealed that several prominent and wealthy Canadians appear to be linked to a secret tax dodge on the Isle of Man.

The minister was asked if there could be criminal proceedings against those individuals, to which she replied, "Yes, yes. Because it's criminal to commit tax fraud."

The minister said that even in cases where people have voluntarily repaid any taxes owed, charges could still be laid.

Opposition MPs demanded the federal government crack down on tax evaders during question period in the House earlier Monday.

"The prime minister talks about how much he wants to go after tax fraud, but how are Canadians expected to believe him when he refused to investigate this scandalous deal made by Revenue Canada," NDP Leader Tom Mulcair asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"How are Canadians expected to believe that this prime minister is serious about going after tax evasion when he refuses to go after tax evaders," he added.

Trudeau responded by insisting his government is serious about going after tax evaders, evasion in general and tax fraud.

"That's why we invested over $440 million in budget 2016 so that the Canada Revenue Agency can continue to press against any tax frauders [sic] or evaders," Trudeau said.

"We will continue to work very hard to make sure that that everyone pays their fair share of taxes, that's what Canadians expect, that's what we expect."

Story continues

That answer was not enough for NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice, who mocked the federal government's efforts to crack down on the cheats.

"Four hundred and forty million dollars and yet no charges. I am sure that white-collar criminals are very scared," Boulerice said. "When will the Liberal government grow a spine, stand up for everyone, get rid of loopholes, renegotiate bilateral agreements and punish people who commit fraud."

'Sham' tax scheme

The MPs were responding to the latest in a series of investigative reports that revealed how accounting firm KPMG, in its internal marketing pitches, solicited Canadians with a "minimum" of $5 million to invest in an "offshore company structure," charging clients $100,000 simply to start it up. KPMG also guaranteed confidentiality.

The tax dodge was based on a simple  if fictitious  idea that "high net worth" clients give away their fortunes to an Isle of Man shell company. The money would be invested offshore and would be returned back to Canada, again untaxed, as a so-called gift.

The scheme was later described by the Canada Revenue Agency as a "sham" in court documents.

The CRA eventually offered a secret amnesty to some of the accounting firm's clients who had been using the scheme.

Now some clients, and the process by which the offshore shell companies were set up, have been exposed and the opposition wants the government to take action immediately.

'Cancel KPMG contracts'

Interim Bloc Quebecois Leader Rheal Fortin said in the House that KPMG has received more than $92 million in federal contracts since 2006  all the while advising its clients on how to evade taxes.

"As long as there is no light shed on these schemes, can the government at least cancel its contracts with KPMG or are we to understand that there's no problem dealing with a company that encourages tax evasion?" Fortin asked.

Lebouthillier said that it was the CRA that discovered the KPMG tax haven.

"The case of KPMG is before the courts right now and we continue to pursue action against KPMG," said Lebouthillier. "We will see this to the end as Canadians have asked us to do."

Boulerice tabled a motion in the House asking the government to tackle tax havens, tighten the rules for shell companies and end the "current practice of penalty-free amnesty deals for individuals suspected of tax evasion."

The House of Commons will vote on the NDP motion Tuesday.

Correction : An earlier version of this story said NDP MP Pierre Dionne Labelle tabled a motion in the House calling on the government to crack down on tax evasion in Canada. In fact it was MP Alexandre Boulerice who tabled the motion. (Mar 06, 2017 9:13 PM)
Residents of Flint, Mich., continue to suffer the physical and emotional effects of a tainted water crisis, and now there's fresh insult to their injuries: climbing water bills.

The state had subsidized the bills after mismanagement of the water supply sickened thousands. But that program came to an end last week, and now residents are paying sky-high rates for water they don't trust and won't use.

"It just feels disgusting because you have people who are using bottled water for their daily needs and then they're getting this monthly bill, super-high water rates, and then they're forced to pay for it," says Nayyirah Shariff, director of the community group Flint Rising.

Sarah Conn is one of those people. Even though recent tests show the water now meets federal guidelines for lead content, her faucet, with its brand new filter, sits untouched. Cases of bottled water flow into the house and get stacked up beside the refrigerator. She won't even give tap water to the dog.

"It's just like kind of become clockwork for us now. Just normal things like brushing your teeth, or trying to make food or even giving water to your pets, everything is bottled water," Conn said, pointing out tap water is used for dishes and nothing else.

CBC News first caught up with Sarah and her son Casimir last year, during the height of the Flint water crisis. He had just been tested and the results came back showing high levels of lead in his system from drinking untreated water.

The challenge for Sarah, and for thousands of other parents in Flint, is that the test doesn't make clear how much lead exposure Casimir had during a year or so of drinking tainted water; lead only stays in the body for three months.

"I get really emotional about it, because I have no idea about the effects it will have," Conn said. "He could have cognitive problems and behavioural problems when he gets older and I won't know for sure if the lead is why, or not, and it makes me really sad."

Story continues

The problems began in the spring of 2014 when the city of Flint, under the direction of state-appointed emergency managers, switched its water supply from Detroit's system to the Flint River to save money. The city didn't properly treat the more corrosive river water, causing lead from the aging pipes to leach into the system.

Residents immediately began reporting discoloured, foul smelling water, rashes and reactions. Nothing was immediately done and, as was later revealed, state and local agencies blamed each other for what ended up nearly 18 months of inaction.

The story garnered national headlines but much of the damage had already been done. A total of 13 state and local officials have been criminally charged. Residents have also launched a $722-million US class action lawsuit.

Thousands of children were affected by tainted water in Flint. The lawsuit estimates there were nearly 30,000 children, age 0-19, living in Flint during the 2015-16 school year.

A special school for the poisoned

The very existence of Cummins Community School is a sad testament to how life in Flint has changed. The only requirement for admission is to be a child poisoned by lead.

Teachers here are trained to look for signs of lead exposure in how the kids act and learn, keeping an eye out for changes in behaviour. Lead is a neurotoxin, and the young are the most vulnerable as their brains are still developing. The biggest challenge for teachers like Sharneese Magee: trying to figure out if a child acting out is a part of normal childhood development or the lead effect.

"The earlier that you can catch that, the more that they will be successful in the future," said Magee who, on this day, was working in a class of two- and three-year-olds.

Next door, Conn's son Casimir is in a class with children his age. His mother is confident the school's approach is helping.

"He'll come home and he has new skills that I notice all the time, like problem-solving skills" Conn said. "He'll put his finger up and be like, 'I have an idea!'"

There are children here who weren't even born when the crisis began. They were exposed to lead in the womb.

The school, which is a partnership between Flint Community Schools and the University of Flint-Michigan, is also essentially a research laboratory.

Some of the classrooms are equipped with observation windows, where researchers can watch the students without being seen. The school also provides free fresh meals because the nutrients help reduce the absorption of lead in children's bodies.

"We're really in the forefront of the research here because this has never happened before on this scale," said Bob Barnett, dean of education at the University.

In a town where school enrolment is declining, Barnett has a waiting list. They've already broken ground on a second location.

"On the one hand, it's some of the greatest work that I've ever been involved with, and we're helping kids who would not otherwise have a chance at getting the kind of help we're offering," Barnett said. "But knowing what caused this, how can you not help but be angry at a system where the trust has been eroded."

State of mistrust

Flint switched its water supply back to the Detroit system in October 2015.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed the Flint Water Relief Act in February 2016, giving residents a 65 per cent credit on their bills. Then, at the beginning of February this year, the governor's office informed Flint officials that the subsidy would stop at the end of the month.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said Snyder would not budge from his decision.

"The governor feels he has fulfilled his obligation," Weaver said at a news conference last month. "He stated that Flint's water now meets the same quality standards as other communities in Michigan and meets the federal quality standards and in his opinion the water is good. And I told him that I disagree."

So do many residents who still refuse to drink the water. There is a lot of mistrust in Flint, aimed at every level of government.

Then there's the slow and painstaking process of replacing the aging lead pipes at the heart of the problem. So far, the city has done around 800 homes. The goal is to replace another 6,000 lead-tainted pipes this year. Some estimates say it will be 2020 before the work is complete.

Now that the state subsidy has ended, advocacy groups worry that residents unable to pay their bills will face shutoffs, which could have a domino effect.

"If you don't have an active water account, you're ineligible to get a pipe replacement," Shariff, of Flint Rising, said.

Flint residents are instead placing their trust in each other, hoping the solutions to their problems will come from within.

Magee, who was born and raised in Flint, feels a sense of responsibility to bring hope to its families.

"We just want them to know: you can trust us, you can trust us with your child," she said. "They trust us with their education, and as long as we're having that relationship together, and that partnership, we'll be good."

Conn hopes that's true. And while she has to remain optimistic for her son's sake, like so many parents in this city, there is always a nagging doubt.

"Sometimes I wish I never moved here," Conn said. "Sometimes I blame myself for not realizing what was going on, even though that sounds pretty irrational, but nobody knew."

That doubts ebb and flow for many Flint residents. The only constant is the question hanging over their children: How heavy a burden will they carry with them? Experts say the answer won't come in months, weeks or years but rather decades.

"I don't know for sure, and I'll never know for sure, the rest of his life or my life  and that's one of the hardest things," Conn said.
When asked how biodiversity is changing in the North, Yukon botanist Bruce Bennett has a ready answer  "rapidly."

"Things are happening so rapidly and we are at the forefront, especially of species' range expansions," he said.

Bennett spent the weekend in Whitehorse at a biodiversity forum talking with botanists, biologists and other people who study and track northern species. The forum is an annual gathering, where Yukon researchers share their work.

A big emphasis in the last few years has been updating and adding to the list of species known to occur in Yukon, which is maintained by the Yukon Conservation Data Centre ("kind of like a library on biodiversity," Bennett says.)

This past year, a whopping 1,973 species of plants, insects and animals have been added. Some of it is simply catch-up work  for example, Bennett says they added a number of "lesser-known groups, including beetles, micromoths, and true bugs" to the list, this past year.

Other newer additions track recent changes  like the appearance of cattails in Yukon.

They're a common wetland plant in southern Canada, but Bennett says they're novel in Yukon and their range is expanding rapidly.

"People from southern British Columbia or Ontario are very familiar with them and may not think anything of it, but currently there's only about 10 sites that we know of cattails [in Yukon]," he said.

Two of those sites were new, last year.

Other recent additions to the Yukon species list include the brown thrasher (a bird), the navigator water shrew (a mammal) and plant species such as a variety of goosefoot and Alaskan Jacob's ladder.

Walrus in Yukon

Mammals make up a tiny fraction of Yukon's known species list, so it's significant when another is added.

This year, the walrus is added, in addition to the shrew.

Bennett says people have talked of seeing walrus on Yukon's northern coast in the past, but there was never any definitive documentation. He says he was in Inuvik recently and mentioned that to a local woman he knew.

Story continues

"She said, 'oh, I've got a photo of a walrus from Yukon,' and picked up her phone and showed me a walrus that was from Moose Channel, in Yukon."

That sighting was not necessarily odd or shocking; Bennett says some species have just been poorly reported in the past.

'Things are changing so violently'

A stranger recent sighting in Yukon was the willow ptarmigan, found breeding in an area burned by forest fire, "many, many kilometres from where we would expect ptarmigan," said Dave Mossop, a professor emeritus at Yukon College.

"Ptarmigan are a tundra bird and this is a population that's occupying a valley bottom that's burned. So it was shocking ... being a skeptical biologist, I simply didn't believe it at first," he said.

Mossop says researchers are "perplexed" and need to do further work to figure out how many of the birds are there and whether breeding is a common thing there now.

"It's one of those things that is troubling  in the North, things are changing so violently, it's amazing," he said.

"The old idea that there is some kind of debate about climate change  there's no debate in the North about climate change, there's no question it's happening. And some of these changes are actually quite troubling."

Critical details to track change

Bennett says maintaining and updating the Yukon species list is crucial for tracking ongoing change, such as "shrubification, loss of lands, change of ranges, species using novel habitats."

He says all Yukoners can help, by reporting any unusual or unexpected plant or animal sightings to the Yukon Conservation Data Centre.

Some of the most interesting and valuable information, he says, is the first and last known sightings of a particular species in a given year.

"Those sort of details, those are going to be really critical for the future as we follow the changes of climate change," he said.

"People are interested in the land, people are seeing the land change, and we are there to try and at least capture some of your observations," Bennett said.
TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease claims nearly twice as many American lives annually as it did just 15 years ago, a new report shows.

"And that's frankly alarming," said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer's Association, which produced the report.

"Now, a lot of people will think it's because we're living longer," he added. "And there is some truth to that. But there's also an assumption that we should just expect to get Alzheimer's disease as we get older. And that's not true.

"Most people do not get Alzheimer's, even if they live into their 80s or 90s. It's not normal. It's not something that we should accept. We've definitely got to do something about it," Fargo said.

The report also found that more than 5 million American seniors aged 65 and older now live with the memory-robbing disease.

That represents approximately 10 percent of all the nation's seniors, and that number is projected to jump to nearly 14 million by 2050. In fact, nearly half a million seniors are expected to develop the disease in 2017 alone.

Another 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 also struggle with the disease, the report found.

And those statistics come with a hefty price tag: It costs $259 billion a year for Alzheimer's care. That amount is expected to reach $$1.1 trillion by 2050, the report estimated.

Dr. Anton Porsteinsson is director of the Alzheimer's Disease Care, Research and Education Program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y. He said the rising numbers likely reflect a number of different factors in play.

"Partly, it is due to increasing numbers of older individuals, partly due to success in treating other leading causes of death, and partly due to increasing awareness that AD [Alzheimer's] is a lethal disease," Porsteinsson said.

Among the report's additional findings: Alzheimer's is now the fifth leading cause of death among seniors; the sixth leading cause of fatalities among all Americans; and the only disease among the nation's top 10 biggest killers for which there is no prevention, no way to slow progression and no cure.

"And the costs are now completely out of control," added Fargo, with the total annual cost for Alzheimer's and dementia care in excess of a quarter trillion dollars.

Another highlighted concern: the "especially burdensome" ordeal Alzheimer's caregivers experience while attending to the needs of loved ones as the patient suffers across-the-board mental and physical decline.

In 2016, more than 15 million Alzheimer's caregivers provided just over 18 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at $230 billion.

And those caregivers suffer their own health consequences: More than a third (35 percent) report their health has worsened since assuming caregiver duties, compared with 19 percent of caregivers for older people without dementia. Depression and anxiety also plague dementia caregivers more often, the report found.

Still, the report was not entirely bleak, spotlighting growing efforts to identify telltale signs of developing disease.

The goal is to hone in on neurological signs -- including changes in brain size, shifts in spinal fluid content, and/or the growth of nerve plaques in the brain -- that could allow rapid detection of pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's.

"It's a window into the future," Fargo said. "If you ask where Alzheimer's disease research is headed, that's where it's headed."

"We believe that in the coming years we'll have tests that you can do in the doctor's office that will let you know your risk for Alzheimer's," he noted. And that, he suggested, "could open the door for prevention."

Fargo noted that, even in the absence of effective treatments or a cure, early diagnosis would be a boon for research and would give patients a head start on planning for their future.

Yet, Porsteinsson suggested that the future of these telltale signs, known as biomarkers, remains unclear.

"Biomarkers are particularly important when it comes to research and development of future potential treatments," he said.

On the other hand, he stressed that "the utility of biomarkers in current care is intensely debated.

"The biomarkers are expensive," Porsteinsson noted. "And it is a question how much a positive or negative finding will change approach to care.

"Having said that," he added, "it often matters greatly to patients and their families to know exactly what they have and what to expect."

More information

Visit the Alzheimer's Association for more on Alzheimer's.
MONDAY, March 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Survival rates for children who get kidney transplants have improved significantly over the last half-century, a new study finds.

"The outlook for infants and children with end-stage kidney disease was once dismal, with poor survival rates after transplant. There has been great progress in pediatric kidney transplantation, and now the patient survival rate is almost 100 percent," said the study's principal investigator, Dr. Srinath Chinnakotla.

Chinnakotla is an associate professor of surgery at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, where the study was done.

Since 2002, 97 percent of children who had kidney transplants at the hospital were alive a year later. That compares to 85 percent 40 to 50 years ago, the study showed.

Long-term outcomes have also improved. Only 42 percent of kids who got a new kidney between 1963 and 1983 still had a functioning transplant 10 years later. That compares to 58 percent who had transplants between 1984 and 2001, and 70 percent since then, the researchers found.

The study was recently published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

"Thanks to advances in immunosuppressive [anti-rejection] medications including steroid-free drugs, better surgical technique, and improved management of infections after kidney transplant, children ages 10 years and younger now have the best long-term graft survival of all ages," Chinnakotla said.

Kidney transplant is far less common in infants and children than in adults, he noted. Fewer than 720 of the nearly 18,600 kidney transplants performed in the United States in 2015 were in patients under age 18, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about kidney transplants.
Trump signs new travel ban directive

President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order placing a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations.
MONDAY, March 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to secondhand smoke in the first few weeks of life could boost the risk that kids will develop food allergies, a new study suggests.

"Early life exposure to secondhand smoke is a well-established risk factor for asthma and, in some studies, for allergic sensitization and eczema in children," said study co-author Anna Bergstrom. She is from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

"However, no studies have prospectively looked at its impact on the risk of pediatric food-related symptoms," Bergstrom said in a news release from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

In the new study, researchers followed the health of almost 3,800 Swedish children between 1994 and 1996.

Researchers followed the kids' health until they were 16. The researchers periodically surveyed the parents about whether or not kids showed any signs of food allergies. Children also were tested to see if they reacted to certain types of allergens found in food.

The researchers found that kids whose parents smoked when the children were 2 months old were more likely to develop signs of food allergies, especially to eggs and peanuts. However, the test findings didn't definitively confirm that food allergies existed.

In addition, the study did not prove the exposure to secondhand smoke definitively caused the potential food allergies. It only showed a link between these factors.

The findings were scheduled to be presented Monday at the AAAAI annual meeting, in Atlanta, and published simultaneously in a supplement of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

For more about food allergies, try the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
JAKARTA, NETRALNEWS.COM  Indonesias National Narcotics Agency (BNN), in collaboration with the Directorate General of Customs, has managed to thwart drug trafficking carried out by a China-based international network that transported the drugs from Penang, Malaysia, to Aceh and Medan.





BNNs chief, Police Commissioner General Budi Waseso, said on Tuesday (3/7) that the seized narcotics consisted of 48.16 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3,702 ecstasy pills and 454 Happy Five pills.





A total of 11 people were named as suspects, one of whom was shot dead for resisting attempted arrest. The drugs that we seized are equivalent to saving the lives of 345,000 people,he said.





Budi Waseso said it took some time for BNN to uncover the case. Disclosure of this case was done in four different arrest locations. On March 1, 2017, in the first location, BNNs team arrested suspect Meriadi (33) and Rizwan (36) who were alleged drug couriers.





They were arrested at Jalan Medan-Binjai. Rizwan was shot dead as he tried to fight the police officers. From the hands of these two suspects, officers seized 38 packs of shabu-shabu weighing 39.22 kilograms.





At the second location, officers raided a house in Gang Langgar, Medan, North Sumatra. Three people were captured: Saiful, Andri Maulana, and Zakaria. The seized evidence consisted of 12.72 grams of methamphetamine, 3,702 ecstasy pills, and 454 happy five pills, Budi Waseso said.





According to him, the arrest of three offenders were done at house of HAB, Zakarias brother, who is also a soldier. However, HAB had fled before the raid.





Budi Waseso said BNN immediately developed the case following the arrests. BNN officers then arrested 21-year old Heriza. The drug user and seller was captured in Johor Permai residential area in Johor, Medan.





BNN confiscated 7179.13 grams of shabu and 18 small packs of shabu weighing 1750.07 grams from the arrest of Heriza. Officers further developed the case and captured another suspect with the initials of DED Debang residential area in Tamansari, Medan.





Currently, the perpetrators are held in custody at BNN headquarters in Cawang. The suspects will be charged with Article 114 paragraph (1) and subsection 112 (1) Jo Article 132 paragraph (1) of Law No. 35 Year 2009 on Narcotics with the maximum punishment of death penalty or life imprisonment.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Netral News, March 7, 2017
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is again citing corporate investments planned before he took office as evidence that his policies are growing jobs and business.

"We are already winning again, America!" he tweeted Monday after Exxon Mobil announced the latest details of an expansion initiative that actually began in 2013. "Buy American & hire American are the principals at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS," he said in another tweet thanking Exxon Mobil for the announcement.

It's the latest in a string of corporate announcements about jobs and investments that date back to plans companies largely made when Barack Obama was president.

The Exxon chairman and CEO, Darren Woods, said the company will spend $20 billion over 10 years on refineries, chemical and liquefied natural gas plants along the Gulf Coast in an investment plan that responds to the rising supply of natural gas. The work would create 12,000 permanent jobs and 35,000 temporary construction jobs. Woods replaced Rex Tillerson when he left the helm of the company to become Trump's secretary of state.

Trump also tweeted a video giving himself credit. "This is something that was done to a large extent because of our policies and the policies of this new administration," he said in the video. "I said we're bringing back jobs. This is one big example of it."

A statement released by the White House quoted Woods as telling a petroleum conference in Houston that private sector investment is "enhanced" by Trump's support for a "stable regulatory environment."

But the statement also acknowledged that Exxon's "Growing the Gulf" program involves investments that started in 2013 and are expected to continue through 2022 at least.

Trump has credited his policies for a variety of corporate announcements  by Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Intel and more  that reflect decisions made before his presidency.

Story continues

___

Find all AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures
CPN-UML demands action against guilty of Saptari incident

The main opposition CPN-UML on Tuesday has demanded action against the guilty of Saptari incident.
By Olzhas Auyezov ALMATY (Reuters) - The EBRD's return to Uzbekistan would be a victory for reformist President Shavkat Mirziyoyev but some of his other plans, such as a currency float, have been held up by disagreements with the powerful security chief, diplomatic and business sources say. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) [EBRD.UL] is expected to signal this week that it is ready to resume operations in the Central Asian nation after last year's death of President Islam Karimov whose authoritarian leadership and poor human rights record effectively pushed the lender out. But two diplomatic sources say the EBRD's return, which could help Mirziyoyev modernise the economy with new loans, comes despite opposition from security chief Rustam Inoyatov, with whom he shares powers. An EBRD source also confirmed the re-engagament had faced opposition from Inoyatov. The sources say a push by Mirziyoyev to introduce a free floating exchange rate, abolish visas for tourists from 15 countries and resume passenger flights to neighbouring Tajikistan have all been held up due to infighting. The delays come as the major exporter of cotton and natural gas tries to modernise after the three-decade rule of Karimov, who was reluctant to impose potentially painful market reforms, and as the country tries to define its relationship with Russia, China and the West. "Mirziyoyev is trying to show the West that he is a reformer, especially when it comes to the economy and the financial sector," one diplomatic source said. "But the security chief, Inoyatov, has a different position - he is against swift reforms." Former prime minister Mirziyoyev won a presidential election in December after Karimov's death but in a move aimed at avoiding a conflict over succession, he did not assume his predecessor's absolute powers. He shares them with Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov and Inoyatov. The predominantly Muslim nation's stability is seen abroad as important because it fought an Islamist insurgency in the 1990s, thousands of Uzbeks are believed to have joined Islamic State militants fighting in Syria and Iraq and because of its natural resources. Mirziyoyev and Azimov are seen as reformers who pushed for a free float of the managed Uzbek currency, the sum, which trades at about half its official value on the black market. The government published the draft order outlining the liberalization of the foreign exchange regime in November and it was due to be enacted on January 15. But nothing has happened and the sources said Inoyatov is pushing against such a change, which could weaken the state and some of its powerful civil servants who control foreign currency flows through existing regulations. Officials in Miriziyoyev's office did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment. Azimov and Inoyatov deal with foreign press through the foreign ministry where officials did not respond to requests for comment. FRACTIOUS DECISION-MAKING The diplomatic and business sources told Reuters the trio often disagree and that decision-making has become fractious and unpredictable as a result. "There are tensions in the decision-making process on all matters between the three key figures, Mirziyoyev, Inoyatov and Azimov," said the diplomatic source. Tashkent pursued an isolationist foreign policy under the late Karimov and had strained ties with both its former Soviet overlord Russia and the West, as well as most of its neighbours. Mirziyoyev has spoken of the need for economic reform as well as steps to improve foreign ties, raising hopes of a thaw. Reform and greater openness could bring greater wealth for Uzbekistan's 32 million people. It sits on transit routes for natural gas shipped to China and Russia yet its gross domestic product is roughly half of that of neighbouring Kazakhstan whose economy is more open and has attracted significant foreign investment. Disagreements within the ruling triumvirate threaten to stymie Mirziyoyev's ambitions however. "No one knows how any particular issue will be resolved as a result of these discussions," the source said. The second diplomatic source said the three men could not agree on the direction and pace of reforms. "There is a common agreement to implement reforms but they still don't know which ones and they cannot agree on which ones," that source said. VISA-FREE TRAVEL POSTPONED On Dec. 2, just before the presidential elections, Mirziyoyev issued an executive order abolishing entry visas for tourists from 15 countries, mostly wealthy Western and Asian nations starting from April 2017, a move met with enthusiasm at home and abroad as it could boost tourism. But less than three weeks later, Mirziyoyev amended his order, postponing the introduction of visa-free travel for those countries until 2021. The sources said this and other delays were due to internal bickering. Uzbekistan and its neighbour Tajikistan, long at odds over matters such as shared water resources, agreed in January to renew passenger flights for the first time in a quarter of a century, signalling a potential rapprochement. Tajikistan's Somon Air performed one test flight from Dushanbe to Tashkent, but abruptly cancelled the first regular flight on Feb. 20 just hours before its scheduled departure. Both Somon Air and its Uzbek counterpart have since said in official statements that the Tajik company had failed to provide some required documents in advance. But two Tajik industry sources involved in arranging the flight told Reuters the service had been cancelled due to the intervention of Uzbekistan's state security service even though the cabinet had given its blessing. (Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi, Lidia Kelly in Warsaw and Nazarali Pirnazarov in Dushanbe; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Anna Willard)
NEW YORK, March 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHI Group, a U.S. diversified holding company engaged in mergers and acquisitions, investing in special situations and providing M&A advisory services to international clients (www.phiglobal.com) (OTCMarkets:PHIL), announced today that the Company had signed a definitive contract to acquire a 408-acre farm in Holmes County, Florida, U.S.A. for its model organic farming program.



According to the commercial contract, the Company will pay $1,500,000 for the farm, which includes 408 acres of land, buildings, barns, fixtures, certain equipment and water pumping rights for irrigation. The final closing is scheduled on or about July 3, 2017.

Abundant Farms, Inc., a subsidiary of PHI Group, Inc. plans to use a combination of proprietary enhanced bioavailable nutrient and natural symbiotic immune systems without chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, to initially grow select plants that can be used for medicinal purposes including bitter melon (momordica charantia), turmeric (curcuma longa), Ming aralia (polyscias fruticosa), xao tam phan (paramignya trimera), drumstick tree (moringa oleifera) and others that command higher profit margins than regular vegetables. This is designed to meet growing demand of large Asian customers, particularly in China.

Abundant Farms also plans to raise premium organic poultry and other livestock and to develop a model organic farming program, which can be replicated and licensed to other farmers on a global basis.

Abundant Farms will continue to purchase and lease more farmland to increase its capacity and also complete the required procedures to provide opportunities for international investors to participate in its organic farming project through the EB-5 Investor Visa Program https://www.uscis.gov/eb-5.

Henry Fahman, CEO of PHI Group, said, We are pleased to move forward with the purchase of the Holmes County farm and look forward to starting our first planting season in the next few months. We are confident this operation will produce revenues and profits for the Company in the coming quarters.

About PHI Group

Founded in 1982, PHI Group primarily focuses on acquisitions as a principal and invests in energy, natural resources and special situations that may substantially enhance shareholder value. In addition, the Company also provides merger and acquisition advisory services through its wholly owned subsidiary PHI Capital Holdings, Inc. (www.phicapitalholdings.com) and earns revenues in forms of cash and equity for services rendered.

Safe Harbor:

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such forward-looking statements pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Emmen, Switzerland, March 7, 2017

ALSO and Media Markt are expanding their cooperation in Switzerland. Beyond support for the online store, ALSO will take over Media Markt's main warehouse in the middle of 2017 to service its retail stores across the country.

"This order is another milestone in our long-term partnership. We are making a key contribution to our partner's omni-channel strategy and are making lasting improvements to customer value. In the course of this cooperation, we are further expanding our service business," said Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).

"We are delighted to deepen our long-standing cooperation with ALSO. As we re-orient our supply chain, ALSO is the ideal partner to assume responsibilities for Media Markt's main warehouse and logistics services," said Karsten Sommer, CEO / CPO of the Media Markt Group Switzerland.

In the future, ALSO will manage procurement and distribution processes for Media Markt. The Swiss logistics service provider ALSO has been Media Markt Group Switzerland's exclusive e-commerce partner since November 2011 and is responsible for all logistics processes for the retailer's online store from the management of interfaces to product returns.

Direct link to the press release: http://www.also.com/goto/20170307en

Contact person:

Brunswick Group GmbH

Dr. Marc Langendorf

Tel: +49 89 80 99 02 517

ALSO Holding AG (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 188 000 articles from some 500 vendors. The Group has around 3 520 employees throughout Europe (annual average 2016). In fiscal year 2016 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.0 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 188 000 articles from some 500 vendors. The Group has around 3 520 employees throughout Europe (annual average 2016). In fiscal year 2016 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.0 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at http://www.also.com

Droege Group

(Major shareholder)

Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent consulting and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made restructuring programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with own equity in corporate subsidiaries and medium-sized companies in "special situations". The motto of "The Art of Implementation" has made the group a pioneer of hands-on implementation-oriented corporate development. Droege Group demonstrates its implementation excellence daily within its own portfolio. The entrepreneurially platforms of the Droege Group are aligned to current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, shopping 4.0, future work). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines our actions. In this way Droege Group has successfully gained a position in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries.

Media Markt has been present in Switzerland for 21 years and is the most popular company in the Swiss electronics market, according to the latest representative survey conducted by the Zurich-based market research company Marketagent.com. Today, Media Markt Group Switzerland has a total of 27 retail stores in various parts of the country as well as an outstanding online shop. Media Markt employs over 1 250 people in Switzerland. More information: has been present in Switzerland for 21 years and is the most popular company in the Swiss electronics market, according to the latest representative survey conducted by the Zurich-based market research company Marketagent.com. Today, Media Markt Group Switzerland has a total of 27 retail stores in various parts of the country as well as an outstanding online shop. Media Markt employs over 1 250 people in Switzerland. More information: http://www.mediamarkt.ch

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.
MADRID, Spain, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XM Group (Trading Point Group), a leading FX and CFD Broker, today has officially announced that it has signed an agreement with Academia de Mercados (ADM) in which ADM will be delivering webinars and seminars to XM clients in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.



The agreement which was signed by CEO of XM Group, Constantinos Cleanthous and CEO of Academia de Mercados (ADM), Humberto Toro has been announced today by both brands.

The cooperation will include daily webinars available on the XM site in Spanish and Portuguese and land based seminars focusing on the use of technical analysis, reading and understanding charts, money management and trading psychology.

The first land based seminars will be taking place in the beginning of May in Spain and will cover all major cities including Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

For more information about ADM visit http://www.academiademercados.com/en/home

For more information about XM visit http://www.xm.com/



About Academia de Mercados

Academia de Mercados (ADM) is the training division of the OSTC group. ADM teaches basic, intermediate and advanced courses in technical analysis focusing on the Forex market, the Equities market as well as the fixed income and futures markets.

Courses are delivered both online and in land based seminars. It is the first company in Spain offering specialized training in this sector with major experience arising from its own efforts in training and forming traders over the years for the OSTC group, a multinational prop-trading company specialized in investing its own capital in different markets worldwide.

Under the motto "we are traders that form traders", the objective of ADM is that its students learn from their solid experience in the sector.

About XM Group

XM the official trading partner of the Fastest Man in the World Usain Bolt is an award-winning Forex and CFD Broker serving over 1,000,000 clients.

XM is a brand name of Trading Point Holdings Ltd which wholly owns Trading Point of Financial Instruments UK Ltd (XM UK), Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd (XM Australia) and Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (XM Cyprus).

XM UK is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reference number: 705428), XM Australia is licensed by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Reference number: 443670) and XM Cyprus is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Reference number: 120/10).

Risk Warning

Forex and CFD Trading Involve a significant risk to your invested capital. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.

XM Global Address Book:

UK: Citypoint Building 1 Ropemaker Street EC2Y 9HT London, UK

AUS: Level 13, 167 Macquarie House, Macquarie Street Sydney 2000, NSW, Australia

CY: 12 Richard & Verengaria Street, Araouzos Castle Court, 3rd Floor, 3042 Limassol, Cyprus
Dublin, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Latin America Advanced Farming Technique Market 2016-2022" report to their offering.



The Latin America advanced farming market is expected to reach $541.8 million by 2022.



The Latin America Advanced Farming Market is estimated to witness a CAGR of 15.8% during the forecast period 2016-2022.



The market is growing due to the growth of population and uncultivated land in the Latin America region. The increase in the population will force the farmers to come up with a good yield of crops and thus, using advanced farming helps in improving the productivity with a different set of technologies.



Advanced farming is termed as an IT based farming management to analyze, manage, and identify the variability in the fields for projection, optimum profitability, and sustainability of the land resource. Advanced farming provides benefits for both environment and economic sectors such as reducing the use of fertilizers, water, pesticides, and herbicides by using the farm equipment. Some of the major drivers are monitoring the plant and soil, saving time and cost in the production of crops, providing better information for management decisions, and reducing the use of excess run-off water.



Some of the players included in the report are Raven Industries Inc., Trimble Navigation Ltd., AGCO Corp., Deere & Company, and AgJunction Inc. The advanced farming market is segmented by technologies, applications, services, deployment model, and countries.



The High Precision Positioning Systems (HPPS) is expected to reach $75.3 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 15.8% during the forecast period 2016-2022. In farming, HPPS is used for collecting, storing, processing, and offering data to manage the farm. In addition, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) provides accurate information and allows farmers to work in low visibility of field conditions such as fog, dust, rain, and darkness.



The countries included in the report are Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia. Brazil holds the largest share of the market whereas other countries are projected to have great opportunities in the market in the coming years.



The study covers and analyzes the Latin America Advanced Farming market. Bringing out the complete key insights of the industry, the report aims to provide an opportunity for players to understand the latest trends, current market scenario, government initiatives, and technologies related to the market. In addition, helps the venture capitalist in understanding the companies better and take informed decisions.

Market Characteristics



Market Trends



Increase in Livestock Farming

Robotics Farming

M2M and IoT in Agriculture

Market Dynamics



Demand for farm management software

Convergence of modern technologies

Growing food requirement

Increasing use of precision agriculture

Restraints



Lack of internet connectivity for M2M farming

Changing climate conditions and increasing population

Improper IT infrastructure for farming

Opportunities



Drones and robots for managing farms

Increasing M2M applications

Increase in the use of connected farms in developing economies

Companies Featured



8villages

AGCO Corp

AqDNA

AqJunction

Aqribotix

BovControl

Deere & Company

FTI Pty Ltd

IBM

Microsoft Corp

Raven Industries

Smart Fertilizer Management

Strider

Trimble Navigation

Valmount Industries Inc

Yara

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/h42d8w/latin_america




ST. LOUIS, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ButcherJoseph & Co. (ButcherJoseph) served as the exclusive financial advisor to Helicopters, Inc. (Helicopters or the Company) on its sale to the Helicopters, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Headquartered in Cahokia, IL, the Company is the largest lessor of helicopters to the domestic electronic news gathering industry.



Helicopters, Inc. founder Stephen Lieber commented, Helicopters, Inc. has been around for more than 35 years. Many of the employees and members of our management team have over 25 years of tenure with the Company. It was important for me to create a succession plan that would allow me to step away from the day-to-day operations while rewarding the folks who helped me build the business.

ButcherJoseph Managing Director Alberto del Pilar stated, It was an honor to work with Steve and his team at Helicopters, Inc. on such a momentous transaction. It is particularly meaningful for the ButcherJoseph team to be part of an ownership succession event that will allow the Company to maintain its legacy as a national industry leader headquartered in our community. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of yet another St. Louis area business and its employee owners.

As part of the transition to employee ownership, Parker B. Condie Jr. has joined the Company as President & CEO. A native of St. Louis, Parker most recently served as President of Coin Acceptors, Inc., a position he held since 2004. In addition to his executive experience, Parker has an extensive track record of successfully spearheading product development and marketing on a global scale. As an active member of the St. Louis community, Parker serves on a number of business and charitable boards. Condie earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Electrical Engineering from Brown University in Providence, RI.

Stephen Lieber added, I could not be more thrilled to have found such a high-caliber leader like Parker. He is the right person to guide Helicopters, Inc. and its employee owners into the future.

Condie shared, Over the years, Helicopters, Inc. has established itself as the leader in its industry. This is reflective of a dedicated and talented group of employees. Although I have been fortunate in my career to have been part of great teams, I have never before had the opportunity to lead a team of employee owners. Im truly excited to work with everyone in writing this next chapter in the history of Helicopters, Inc.

Regarding the transaction experience, Lieber shared, ButcherJoseph and the team of professionals we worked with facilitated a very thorough process that allowed me to truly achieve the objectives established for the Company, our management team, and all of the Helicopters, Inc. employees across the U.S.

About Helicopters, Inc.

Founded in 1981, Helicopters, Inc. (HI) is the largest lessor of helicopters to the domestic electronic news gathering (ENG) industry. In addition to ENG, Helicopters, Inc. also provides services to other customer segments such as utilities and the U.S. Army. Based in Cahokia, IL, the Company employs more than 300 people in over 36 metropolitan locations across the U.S.

About ButcherJoseph & Co.

ButcherJoseph & Co. (ButcherJoseph) is an investment bank headquartered in St. Louis with a presence in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Charlotte, NC. ButcherJoseph provides investment banking advisory services to middle market companies. With more than $7 billion in successfully completed Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) transactions, ButcherJoseph & Co. is known as a leader in the ESOP field.
English Icelandic

Reykjavik, 2017-03-07 15:44 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The results of a series of measures undertaken by Orkuveita Reykjavikur (OR; Reykjavik Energy) since early 2011, known as The Plan, exceeded expectations. The goal was to improve the cash flow of OR by approximately ISK 50 billion. According to the attached final progress report, cash flow improved by ISK 60 billion through year-end 2016.

ORs Board of Directors today approved the consolidated annual financial statements for year 2016. Profits from operations are in line with previous years but in 2016 the appreciation of the Icelandic krona also contributed to profits which were ISK 13.4 billion for the year, or 12.0% return on equity.

The Plans final progress report

Since ORs ownerswhere The City of Reykjavik is predominantand ORs BoD agreed on the Plan in March 2011, the company has published a progress report on a quarterly basis. According to the final results, issued today, the Plans measures improved ORs cash flow by ISK 60.2 billion. The original target was set at ISK 51.3 billion. The success of The Plan was first and foremost due to internal actions which exceeded targets by 20%. The Plans external measures a subordinated loan from owners and increased tariffsexceeded targets by 13%. Of the Plans total returns, the tariffs were responsible for 18%.

Reductions in operating cost for the Plans duration returned ISK 8.0 billion, surpassing original targets by 60%.

Lower real-term expenses than in 2010

The consolidated annual financial statements, released today, reveal stable and good operational results. EBIT amounted to ISK 15 billion, an increase of 3.7% from previous year. Revenues increased by ISK 1.1 billion between years 2015 and 2016 and expenditures by ISK 880 million. Wages increased considerably in accordance with collective bargaining agreements. Furthermore, utility-related undertakings have increased in line with mounting activities in the construction industry and changes in operations, as previously outsourced utility metering services have been taken in-house, resulted in increased revenues and expenses.

However, when ORs operating cost is measured at year 2016 price levels, it materializes that real-term operating cost in year 2016 were lower than in year 2010. This is due to the rationalization of operations introduced through The Plan and good control of expenses since. For the foreseeable future, OR and the subsidiaries will benefit from the culture of cost-awareness and practicality implemented with The Plan. The groups customers benefitted directly from the success of The Plan as tariffs were lowered in the beginning of year 2017.

Effects of exchange rates on bottom-line results

ORs financial items of the year 2016 were positive for the first time for several years mostly due to the appreciation of the Icelandic currency as it decreased the fair value of loans denominated in foreign currencies. Exchange rate differences amounted to ISK 8.5 billion in the income statements.

OR has gradually serviced its loans and net debt has decreased by almost ISK 100 billion since year 2009. Simultaneously, equity ratio has almost tripled.

Bjarni Bjarnason, CEO

It is important that The Plan worked out and that we managed to utilize it for improvements in multiple other aspects of our operations than finances alone. The solidarity between ORs owners, BoD, and staff during the years of The Plan has also been gratifying.

Foresight, efficiency, and integrity are the core values of OR and the subsidiaries. I think that the final report on The Plans progress published today clearly shows the companys operational efficiency and we are determined to keep it that way. We are faced by continuous changes and our foresight will continue to be tested when we aspire to seize the opportunities these changes bring. Among them are the introduction of e-mobility in Iceland and the implementation of cost effective smart-technologies for the power grid and district heating services. In accordance with the track record of The Plan, we will continue to focus on taking long term operational decisions based on scrutinized analysis and be prepared to implement them in a timely manner. As before, we will be transparent by informing the public on ORs operations and the challenges we are facing.

Managers overview

All amounts are at each years price level 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Revenues 37,905 39,209 38,526 40,357 41,423 Expenses (12,861) (13,126) (13,681) (15,183) (16,062) thereof energy purchase and transmission (4,866) (5,402) (5,335) (6,400) (6,205) EBITDA 25,044 26,084 24,845 25,174 25,361 Depreciation (10,371) (8,927) (9,152) (10,747) (10,392) EBIT 14,673 17,157 15,693 14,428 14,968 Result of the period (2,295) 3,350 8,871 4,176 13,352 Cash flow statement: Received interest income 138 210 742 677 461 Paid interest expense (5,411) (4,967) (4,293) (3,948) (4,146) Net cash from operating activities 18,935 20,033 22,084 21,815 21,324 Working capital from operation 19,880 19,675 18,881 22,563 20,240

Note: In corresponding tables in recent releases accompanying ORs financial statements, the values for interest income and interest expense for years 2012 and 2013 have been misstated as they have represented income and expenses from income statements instead of cash-flow.
ELMSFORD, N.Y., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Party City Holdco Inc. (NYSE:PRTY), the leading vertically integrated party goods company in North America, today announced that it has acquired a majority interest in Granmark, S.A. de C.V., a leading privately held manufacturer and distributor of party supplies, gift wrap and stationery items based in Monterrey, Mexico.



Founded in 1985, Granmarks portfolio of licenses includes Disney, Dreamworks, Mattel, Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Televisa, Tycoon, Warner Bros., Marvel and Lucas. Under the terms of the agreement, Party City purchased an 85% interest in Granmark valued at approximately $22 million, with an agreement to purchase the remaining interest over the next three to five years.

Jim Harrison, CEO of Party City, said, The acquisition of Granmark represents continued execution of our growth strategy, and substantially strengthens our presence in Latin America with a manufacturer that has a trusted name, a loyal customer base and broad retail and licensing partnerships. We are extremely pleased to welcome Granmark and its almost 800 employees to the Party City family as we build our retail store base in Mexico and expand our distribution reach into Latin America.

As part of a strategy to expand its global retail presence, Party City, along with its strategic franchise partner Grupo Oprimax, opened its first three stores in Mexico during 2016. As previously announced, plans call for the company and Grupo Oprimax to open a total of 80 Party City stores in Mexico over the next 10 years.

Harrison continued, While this acquisition gives us sourcing directly in the market to support a growing franchise base there, it also gives us an opportunity to broaden Granmarks product line and export our U.S.-manufactured party supplies across the region.

Harrison concluded, Latin Americas festive culture represents a prime market for party supplies. Our alliance with Grupo Oprimax allows us to be the first to bring the party superstore concept to Mexico. Now, with the acquisition of Granmark, we have local manufacturing and wholesale capabilities that will support this store base.

About Party City

Party City Holdco Inc. is the leading party goods company by revenue in North America and, we believe, the largest vertically integrated supplier of decorated party goods globally by revenue. The Company is a popular one-stop shopping destination for party supplies, balloons, and costumes. In addition to being a great retail brand, the Company is a global, world-class organization that combines state-of-the-art manufacturing and sourcing operations, and sophisticated wholesale operations complemented by a multi-channel retailing strategy and e-commerce retail operations. The Company is the leading player in its category, vertically integrated and unique in its breadth and depth. Party City Holdco designs, manufactures, sources and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic and latex balloons, Halloween and other costumes, accessories, novelties, gifts and stationery throughout the world. The Companys retail operations include over 900 specialty retail party supply stores (including approximately 160 franchise stores) throughout North America operating under the names Party City and Halloween City, and e-commerce websites, principally through the domain name PartyCity.com.
Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade.
wouldbecrazy wrote:

Thank you very much for sharing this great news.



Some of the things are quite tempting and truly important to me such as

class average age and maturity

internship option

18 months programme

probably ease in visa ..although it depends whether you stay back in that country or not.



I do not attach too much importance to ranking, brand value or alumni network ... probably I have already crossed those.



Can you please share something about the following please?



1. Current class size, class mix, average age and average experience

2. I guess the school is not full with Indian IT Male and Asians (I myself is Asian), please confirm

3. Language issue if any

4. How comfortable for family, specially for kids

5. You roughly mentioned about placements, but can you plese share about the quality of the internship and placements, like some of the company names, average salary, whether most of the class got an offer, etc.

6. Outlook of jobs for Asians?

7. Although not a crucial point but still nice to know roughly about cost of living

8. Any other things that you would like to share



Sorry, I have already asked too many questions but hope to get some genuine reply. ... and please .. no "it depends" answer please.

*******************************************************************************************************************************Sure dude. When I started by search for schools I had soo many questions in mind and hardly anyone to answer. So I think I should answer all the questions what I can.Also - You will stay back in this country bcoz - economically very strong, people are soooo good, hardly any crime, GOOD WORK CULTURE - I have no reasons to go away from this place.. Alumini is very very strong . Now to your questions:-1. Current class size - See it is a dynamic class- in the sense all the full-time and part-time students don't participate in all the classes. So generally the class size would be 10-20 students. This is a small school and so don't enroll many students every year. Now there are almost 50-60 students which include part-time, specialized certificate courses and full-time students. So the thing is only good students are enrolled.Class mix - There are a wide range of students - my classmates - phd students of other technological subjects, people who have worked in the navy/airforce for 18 yrs, CIO's, Advisors of some companies and to the government, entrepreneurs with successful and unsuccessful business, fresh graduates who have some special talent in them, audit/tax consultants, few people working in IT @ project management level, people who worked in NGO's as pm.Class is amazing - i would say.Class age - Since we have a mixed class of full time, part time and certificate courses students - age of the class is 21-45, average age is around 35 bcoz young candidates are quite less. So your network would be superb - you name the company, you will have a good contact there.Average experience - I would say around 6-7 years.2. School hardly has indian and asian students. I personally don't want many asian students to come because it will disturb the diversity.Last year I was the only indian student to have got through. Since the class size is small - the admissions committee is only looking for good candidates which bring diversity. Presently I would say few asians, more europeans, few americans. I had a good IT background and then started my own business,so I had a good experience and also a good gmat score. Then I had an interview. They will clearly see what value you bring to the class. It is not a school like, most of the other schools which only focus on GMAT and work experience. So I personally feel that if you bring good value and diversity and a decent gmat, I think you have a very very good chance to join the class.One more thing. If you are looking for a school which pumps you with classes and makes the course very hectic. I think this is not the place to come. You can find any school that can deliver that to you. Here when you work in the morning fulltime for a company and when you have classes in the evening and preparation during weekends for your classes, it becomes hectic automatically. I personally know a lot of students who study for 18-20 hrs a day during their mba and don't enjoy life at all in other schools . If that is what you are looking for please don't come here.3. There will be no language issue because English is spoken a lot and also at work. And since all the people here knows french , german and luxembourgish, it gives you a good opportunity to learn other languages and use it. I am learning French.4. Dude! one of the best places to live in the world. You will never regret for what you are reading now. Hardly any crime. People are soo friendly and multi-cultural. Very good education facilities and good transportation. Yes, generally living cost is expensive here because it is one of the richest countries in the world, but trust me every penny is worth spending. I would say only the housing cost is high, rest all are very cheap. Cheaper than in most of the asian countries.5. Since it is a mixed class, most of the students already have a very good job, but for young candidates or people who are looking for a shift they take the internship offer. I cannot mention the names of the companies because I shouldn't do that.I can tell about that incase we have a personal conversation.People work for the big four, some people work in very good banks because it is the financial city - you have a very high concentration of banks, some people are working in top consulting firms, some good insurance companies, good automobile firms, research institutions, government firms, european investment firms, some supply chain companies, myself working in consulting and marketing, few entrepreneurs are present.6. Dude!, in my batch there was 100% internship placement. The internship lasts for 9months-1 year. How do you think your chances would be. Ofcourse, the company would employee you provided you are able to do a good job. Even if that company didn't hire you for a permanent position which I don't think will even happen - you have a work permit and you can still try. Unemployment in the country is 4-6%, which is very very low. If you are sooo bad, nobody will employ you. I personally had 3 internship offers.7. This is a good question. It is based on your living style but still the cost is majorly for the apartment. Rest all are cheap. Housing I would say for rent 600 - 1400 euros . If you can buy an apartment here, I would say you can live with 500 euros. Food items to buy from supermarket is very cheap, alcohol and cigars are cheap, bus and train for monthly is cheap, for contract phones it is cheap, clothes are cheap. I would say the housing is the costliest. You can manage all the other things very easily.8. From my side, if you are looking for a very hectic schedule like 18-20 hrs of study everyday, please don't come here. Another thing, since this is maintained as a small school don't expect for a huge campus and huge infrastructure - this is purely a practical mba program were people work for most of the time. But you can also enjoy that since the school has an exchange program and students go to the big campus in US for 1-2 semesters.I think this is worth for the ROI. Later in your career you can shift to any other country close by. With the visa you get here- Schengen visa, you can travel to a lot of countries - Germany , france , switzerland, croatia, czech......i think anybody who comes here will have a beautiful time......If you are able to invest here in some future point in your career, i feel the returns would be very good and also the exchange rate of the currency....Good luck to all the Candidates.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
United Nations sad over Saptari incident

The United Nations has expressed its sadness over the loss of life and injuries which occurred in a violent clash between cadres of Madhesi Morcha and police in Saptari district on Monday.
US concerned over violence in Saptari

The United States of America has expressed its concern about rising volatility in Nepal.
Withdraw guns from public: Home Ministry

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday issued directives to the District Administration Offices to collect weapons issued to the general public in view of the upcoming elections.
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
Remember last year when it looked like the United States government was going to block ZTE from obtaining components from US suppliers?

Instead the Chinese smartphone maker has agreed to plead guilty to charges that the company violated US sanctions by selling products with American-made technology to customers in Iran and North Korea.

As part of the deal, ZTE will pay a $892 million fine.

The good news is that this means after paying the fine ZTE will be able to continue acquiring components from US suppliers. That means ZTE phones will continue to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, among other things.

As Reuters reports, ZTE is pleading guilty to charges that the company shipped $32 million worth of items from the US to Iran over a 6 year period, including chips, routers, and servers. According to the US Justice Department press release, ZTE also created an elaborate scheme to hide the data related to these transactions.

There were also shipments to North Korea.

The agreement also includes an additional $300 million penalty on top of the $892 million ZTE has already agreed to pay but the additional penalty has been suspended so that ZTE will only pay it if the company violates its settlement agreement with the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security.
I have a serious question for you. I know in the past, the GOP used to be the party of fiscal responsibility and lower taxes. With maybe some conservative social issues thrown in. But they actually cared about this country and helping it move along in a positive direction. But during the Obama years and more recently, the only ideas I see proposed from Republicans are ideas that would literally hurt people. Things like rolling back Clean Water Regulations and huge cuts from social programs with nothing to replace them. Not to mention replacing Obamacare with a bill that will actually take away millions of peoples health insurance and lower the quality of care for millions of others. Do you see ANY positive ideas coming out of the GOP? It boggles my mind that almost half this country has bought into their lack of ideas.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Algerian authorities to immediately release and drop all criminal charges against Marzoug Touati, an editor of the news website Al-Hogra.

Algerian security forces arrested Touati at his home in the coastal city of Bejaia on January 18 and have since held him in administrative detention on treason and incitement charges.

Touati was interrogated about his publication on Jan.9 of a video interview conducted via teleconference with Hasan Kaabiah, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman. In that interview, the official said Israel has had a liaison office in Algiers since before 2000.

Algeria and Israel do not have full diplomatic relations, and Algerias government is frequently critical of Israeli actions.

A court in Bejaia on January 22 maintained Touati in administrative detention on charges of talking to the agents of a foreign power with the intention of causing harm to Algerias army, diplomatic relations, and financial interests, and inciting citizens to carry weapons and gather illegally.

According to Algerias penal code, the first charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the second charge is punishable by death. In Algeria, administrative detention can be renewed for up to 44 months.

Touati denies the charges. CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said the Algerian journalist engaged in a basic journalistic exercise. He conducted and published an interview. He does not deserve to be jailed for this, and he certainly doesnt deserve to be executed as a traitor for this.

We call on Algerian authorities to release Touati without condition or delay, said the CPJ official.
From left: The two researchers, Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui and Torben Petersen, and the project supervisors Parisa Gazerani, Associate Professor, and Jeppe Nrgaard Poulsen, PhD student. Credit: Aalborg University

Many people suffer from pain when they fly but that may soon be a thing of the past. A new study from Aalborg University may have discovered the mechanisms responsible, opening the door to developing a cure.

A getaway to the southern sunshine should be a treat but according to a study done at Aalborg University last year, for one out of twelve people a flight means a severe headache. Now, the same research group is the first in the world to investigate the cause of the problem, and they have a preliminary explanation.

"The major changes in cabin pressure at take-off and landing may cause tissue damage and inflammation in the sinuses. This releases the substance PGE2, which can make the blood vessels in the brain expand and thus cause head pain," says Master's student Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui.

Torben Petersen and Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui conducted the study as part of their studies in Medicine with Industrial Specialization (MedIS) at Aalborg University along with their supervisor, Parisa Gazerani, Associate Professor. The group's results have just been published in the Journal of Headache and Pain.

Tests in flight simulator

The two Master's students put subjects in a pressure chamber that simulates the pressure changes during a flight. During the "trip" they took regular saliva samples to measure the levels of PGE2 and the stress hormone cortisol. Both substances were prominent in people who suffer from headaches when flying.

"The elevated cortisol level indicates that these people are very stressed when they fly. We have already seen that some airline passengers develop anxiety and stress when they travel, which may also trigger a headache. It is a vicious cycle." says Master's student Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui.

The research group at Aalborg University has identified PGE2 and cortisol as causes of airplane headache, but the case is far from closed. Although the study examines airline passengers, it is still only a pilot project and the results are not written in stone.

"Clearly there is more work to be done. Our study is the first of its kind in the world on airplane headache, and that is why we need more and larger studies that can repeat the experiment and see if our conclusions are accurate," says Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui, AAU.

Treatment on the way

"We are presenting the first finding on the cause of airplane headache, and thus we are also taking the first step towards being able to develop a treatment," says Master's student Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui.

Although more data is still needed, Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui is moving forward to the final stage of his three-stage research project. After having first mapped the extent of airplane headache, and then investigated the cause of the problem, he has more clues to work with. He is now starting on his Master's thesis at AAU where he will examine potential treatments for airplane headache.

"There has already been success with using the migraine medication triptans for airplane headache as these prevent the blood vessels in the brain from expanding. In my thesis I will measure the biological effects of triptans using saliva samples from passengers while they are traveling," says Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui.

More information: Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui et al. Simulated airplane headache: a proxy towards identification of underlying mechanisms, The Journal of Headache and Pain (2017). Sebastian Bao Dinh Bui et al. Simulated airplane headache: a proxy towards identification of underlying mechanisms,(2017). DOI: 10.1186/s10194-017-0724-3
Studies have shown that hazardous waste sites have the potential to adversely affect human health and disrupt ecological systems. Florida has the sixth highest number of hazardous waste sites, known as Superfund sites, in the United States. In 2016, the state was projected to have the second largest number of new cancer cases in the country. Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the University of Florida studied cancer incidence rates in relation to Superfund sites and found a possible association. Researchers believe this discovery could help direct public health efforts in the state.

"We reviewed adult cancer rates in Florida from 1986 to 2010," said Emily Leary, Ph.D., assistant professor at the MU School of Medicine and co-author of the study. "Our goal was to determine if there were differences or associations regarding cancer incidence in counties that contain Superfund sites compared to counties that do not. We found the rate of cancer incidence increased by more than 6 percent in counties with Superfund sites."

Florida is home to 77 sites that currently are or have been classified as Superfund sites by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Using cancer incidence data collected by the Florida Department of Health, the researchers looked for cancer clusters, or "hot spots," of cases that were higher than normal. Because pediatric cancers often are genetic and not attributed to environmental factors, only adult cancers were included in the study. The researchers did not distinguish between different types of cancer.

"The findings show spatial differencesas well as gender differencesacross Florida in adult cancer incidences," Leary said. "This work is novel because it is another piece of evidence to support an environmental cause of cancer. While it would be premature to say these differences are attributed to Superfund sites, there does appear to be an association. More research is needed to determine what this relationship is and why it exists, but identifying that a difference exists is a necessary first step."

"Our results can help public health agencies adjust policies and dedicate more efforts to areas with cancer hot spots," said Alexander Kirpich, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida and co-author of the study. "These results support the link between toxic environmental waste and adverse health outcomes, but more efforts are needed to better understand this link and what it means for residents in these counties."

The study, "Superfund Locations and Potential Associations with Cancer Incidence in Florida," recently was published online in Statistics and Public Policy. Research reported in this publication was supported by the University of Florida and the University of Missouri School of Medicine. The researchers have no conflicts of interest to declare related to this study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agency.
Direct-to-consumer telehealth servicestouted as a convenient and less-expensive way to get care for minor ailmentsappears to prompt new use of medical services and thus may drive up medical spending rather than trimming costs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Analyzing the behavior of more than 300,000 people who had generous medical benefits that included coverage for direct-to-consumer telemedicine, researchers estimate that just 12 percent of the telemedicine visits replaced visits to doctor's offices or emergency rooms, while 88 percent represented new use of medical services.

While direct-to-consumer telemedicine services do increase patients' access to convenient health care, researchers say new strategies such as higher co-pays or targeted marketing may be needed if telehealth is to fulfill its potential as a cost-saving strategy. The findings are published in the March edition of the journal Health Affairs.

"Like some other new patient care models that promise to cut costs and reduce the hassle of receiving medical care, it appears that in some cases, direct-to-consumer telehealth may increase spending rather than trimming costs," said J. Scott Ashwood, lead author of the study and an associate policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

Several direct-to-consumer telehealth companies offer patients with minor illnesses around-the-clock access to physicians via telephone or videoconferencing on their smartphone, tablet or laptop computer. Use of such services has been growing rapidly, with more than 1.2 million visits reported in 2015. A recent survey of larger employers indicated that 90 percent expected to offer such services to their employees during 2017.

Direct-to-consumer telehealth companies argue that they save money for health plans, employers and patients by replacing costly visits to physician offices and emergency departments with a $40 to $50 telehealth visit. Patients also save the time and travel costs associated with in-person care.

RAND researchers examined claims information from 2011 to 2013 for 300,000 beneficiaries enrolled in a health plan through CalPERS, a larger California public employee benefit organization that began offering direct-to-consumer telehealth services to members in 2012.

Researchers focused on care for acute respiratory infections, a group of ailments such as sinus infections and bronchitis that are the most common reason people seek care from direct-to-consumer telehealth providers. They examined the records of enrollees who sought care for an acute respiratory infection from telehealth providers, as well those who sought care for the same conditions from a physician's office or a hospital emergency department. A total of 981 enrollees received care from a direct-to-consumer telehealth provider for acute respiratory infection during the study period.

The study determined whether telehealth visits represented substitute care or new use of medical services by focusing on the change in the volume of care received for acute respiratory infections through visits to physician offices and emergency departments relative to the change in telehealth visits.

Researchers' findings conflict with claims from operators of telehealth services, who say that surveys of telehealth patients suggest that just 10 percent of appointments represent new medical utilization. However, results from post-care surveys generally are seen as being less accurate than analysis of clinical care records, according to researchers.

The study found that for each episode of acute respiratory infection, the cost of telehealth services were about 50 percent lower than a physician office visit and less than 5 percent the cost of a visit to an emergency department.

However, the savings from substitution was outweighed by increased spending on the new use of medical services. The study estimates that net annual spending on acute respiratory illness increased by $45 per telehealth user.

Members of the same RAND research group last year reported similar findings about retail clinics, another new venue for care that has been touted as reducing costs and increasing convenience. In that case, researchers estimated that 58 percent of visits to retail clinics for low-severity illnesses were new uses of medical services, rather than substitutes for visiting a doctor's office or emergency department.

"Given that direct-to-consumer telehealth is even more convenient than traveling to retail clinics, it may not be surprising that an even greater share of telehealth services represent new medical use," said Lori Uscher-Pines, co-author of the new report and a policy researcher at RAND. "There may be a dose response with respect to convenience and usethe more convenient the location, the lower the threshold for seeking care and the greater the use of medical services."

Researchers suggest that if insurers want to increase the proportion of direct-to-consumer telehealth that substitutes for higher-cost care, they may want to consider raising the cost of co-pays for the service. Another strategy would be to develop better tools to encourage people who are high users of emergency department care to use telehealth services instead.
Partners In Health Survivor Program staffer Gibrilla Sheriff conducts home visits to Ebola survivors in Freetown, Sierra Leone on Sept. 9, 2015. Credit: Rebecca Rollins/PIH

West Africa. 2014. The height of the Ebola outbreak sweeping the region. A person experiences sudden onset of fever, vomiting, diarrheatextbook early symptoms of Ebola.

But there's a catch. A person with those symptoms is just as likely to have malaria as Ebola, creating a potentially deadly dilemma, said the authors of a newly published essay in The Lancet Global Health. Someone with malaria has a 1 in 500 risk of dying if they choose to avoid treatment, while someone without Ebola seeking care at an Ebola treatment unit at the time would have a 1 in 5 chance of getting infected and perishing from the virus.

The 64 percent mortality rate in treatment units, the authors said, stemmed from the fact that many Ebola units were ill-equipped to provide even the most rudimentary resuscitative care like intravenous fluids. What this meant, the authors add, is that even a person already sick with Ebola would be only marginally more likely to survive by seeking what then passed for treatment in such a poorly staffed and stocked facility.

Impossible Choices

In the absence of effective therapy, the authors argue, the choice between going to a clinic and staying home represents a higher-stakes version of the so-called prisoner's dilemma, a game theory model of collaboration and betrayal that tries to tease out the rational basis for cooperation and altruism.

"You hear this notion that Ebola was driven by selfish 'superspreaders' who were unwilling to seek care," said lead author Eugene Richardson, HMS instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "But the reality is that there was very little effective care available for most people, because of the region's catastrophically underdeveloped health systems."

"What's more," added Paul Farmer, the Kolokotrones University Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at HMS, "many of the 'superspreaders' were caregivers, most of them traditional healers working in precisely those settings bereft of nurses and doctors."

They nursed the sick and were involved in last rights and burial of the dead, he said.

"These are the main acts of caregivingincluding its final act," Farmer said.

Beyond a deconstruction of the impossible clinical and moral choices facing people with symptoms of Ebola, the essay is a call to action for policy makers, global health organizations and international development institutions to reframe and rethink the persistent misconceptions that the authors say have hamstrung an effective response to the suffering caused by Ebola.

Diverse Perspectives

The authors of the essay represent a diverse group that includes frontline clinicians who treated Ebola during the outbreak and researchers who conducted extensive studies of the clinical, biological and social aspects of the disease.

Farmer, who is also co-founder of Partners In Health, is senior author on the commentary. Other authors include faculty and leaders at HMS, Brigham and Women's, Partners In Health, governmental and nongovernmental agencies in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and other institutions.

Some of the survivors who shared their stories with the authors talked about the heart-rending struggle to care for their loved ones in a place where the already strained health infrastructure was so overwhelmed by Ebola that clinics and hospitals were amplifying the outbreak instead of healing the afflicted, Richardson said.

In most cases, the afflicted sought help from caregiversprofessional caregivers if they were available and lay caregivers if they were not. It bears noting, the authors added, that the three most affected countries were also the world's most medically impoverished. There were, in other words, few professional caregivers. And so, the disease was transmitted from patient to caregiver, spreading not just from patient to family members but to nurses and doctors, as well. The story of Ebola in West Africa, Farmer has said, is the story of a "caregiver's disease in a clinical desert."

In other cases, people sought help but had to wait days for an ambulance to come. At that point, Richardson said, their choice was to stand back and watch their sick family members suffer or to try their best to care for them and keep them clean.

"They knew about Ebola, knew how it spread, and they knew their mothers, their brothers, their children were probably infected," Richardson said. "They weren't going to sit there and watch their loved ones suffer. It's a basic human response."

Discerning Solutions

Ebola doesn't have to be just about making impossible choices between watching your loved ones suffer without helping or choosing to help and risking a horrible death yourself, Richardson said, adding that the 70 percent mortality rate seen at some points during the epidemic would be more like 5 percent if all patients had access to the kind of intensive resuscitative treatment available with modern health care.

It doesn't even need to be all that modern. The authors point out that since 1832 intravenous fluids have been known to prevent death from hypovolemic shock, but Richardson said there are still some in the global health community who debate whether IV fluids should be considered part of the standard of care for Ebola, a disease that kills by sending some people into shock due to loss of blood and fluids.

"Not all people who die of Ebola die of hypovolemia," Farmer said. "With this virus, sepsis kills people without volume loss, too. But the fact that some of those who die do so of shock is good news because there's a straightforward, easy to implement way of providing effective care. The Ebola suspect's dilemma arose because that almost never happened in West Africa, alas."

Any solution that leaves out fundamental clinical aspects of treatment while ignoring the social context where it must function is unlikely to work, the authors said. Blaming patientswho choose to avoid dangerous medical facilities or who choose to take care of their sick loved onesfor the spread of the disease while focusing on attempts to contain Ebola through isolation without providing effective treatment in quarantine is like watching the shadows on the wall of Plato's cave, the authors argued.

"It is an illusion to believe that any one discipline can deliver a simple solution to a problem as complex as Ebola," Farmer said. "Understanding the daily lives of the people who have lived with the disease and its aftermath, as well as acknowledging the political, historical and economic forces that shaped those lives and the contours of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, is every bit as important as understanding the pathophysiology of the disease or identifying new ways to deliver care."

More information: Eugene T Richardson et al. The Ebola suspect's dilemma, The Lancet Global Health (2017). Eugene T Richardson et al. The Ebola suspect's dilemma,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30041-4
Many low-income girls in the U.S. dont feel prepared for puberty. Credit: www.shutterstock.com

My colleagues and I have conducted research focused on understanding and addressing the gap in menstrual support in countries around the world for over a decade.

Sometimes the problem is that girls don't have access to toilets or clean water. But sometimes it's that girls haven't been given a lot of information about menstruation. Girls we've spoken to in Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Cambodia have described the fear and shame they experienced with their first periods. Some said they feared they were dying or had a terrible disease.

In response, we worked to develop puberty books for girls  and boys  ages 10 to 14 in many countries to help them understand what is happening to their bodies. We have helped distribute over one million books since 2010.

As these books gained attention, we received requests to develop a puberty book for low-income girls in the U.S. I hesitated. I assumed that girls in the U.S. likely felt adequately supported and informed.

But I heard so many requests that my colleague Ann Herbert and I along with students at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health decided to review the research to find out whether low-income girls in the U.S. really feel prepared for puberty.

What we learned was eye-opening. Across the research we reviewed, many girls reported negative experiences of and lack of preparation for puberty, and of menstruation in particular.

How did we find this out?

We examined qualitative research (research designed to explore a population's experiences, behaviors and perspectives) on the pubertal experiences of low-income girls growing up in the U.S. from 2000 through 2014, focusing on studies that had been conducted with girls who went through a normal (earlier than average or delayed) pubertal experience.

This let us capture girls' actual experiences and stories as they told them, rather than the numbers or statistics that may reflect pubertal change but not the rich details of their thoughts and perspectives.

We ultimately included 20 qualitative research articles for deeper analysis. Given the decades of attention that adolescent girls' sexuality and related topics have received in research, advocacy and public health, the relatively small amount of literature on puberty was surprising to us. This means there are gaps in what we know about low-income girls growing up in the U.S. today.

Most of the articles that we found focused on samples of low-income urban girls in the northeast U.S. Studies of African-American and Hispanic girls tended to focus on sexuality and sexual behavior. For studies conducted with Caucasian girls, the onset of menstruation was usually the focus.

These differences in focus shape and limit our understanding of the broad spectrum of low-income girls' pubertal experiences today.

What did we find?

Many girls reported feeling scared, traumatized and embarrassed at the arrival of their first period, along with feeling dirty and "gross." This is similar to findings from low-income countries.

In general, the more negative descriptions were associated with girls feeling underprepared, not knowing what would happen with their first menstruation, or feeling they did not know enough about how to practically manage the blood flow and related discomfort that can arise with menstruation. There were also some neutral or ambivalent responses, although this included one girl suggesting she felt "scared and relieved."

How do girls feel about puberty? Credit: www.shutterstock.com

Some of the studies that assessed girls' level of understanding of menstruation found that they did not always understand what was happening with their bodies. Across many of the studies, girls reported feeling that they had not received enough information or support to cope with menstruation, or feeling like the information they did receive was too little and too late. For instance, one girl reported believing she might be raped and get pregnant after she was told by her mother that "now [having started menstruating] she could have babies."

More positively, girls reported feeling that the messages they received about menstruation made them feel like they were growing up.

Most of the studies were not designed to systematically capture girls' level of puberty and menstrual knowledge. This limits the conclusions that can be drawn from the studies about what girls do and don't know about these topics.

There was much less written about breast development, with only some of the studies describing girls' experiences. However, for the girls who did mention how they felt about their breast development, their comments were generally more positive than about menstruation. But some girls reported wearing baggy clothing and avoiding activities such as running that would make their breast development more obvious.

Girls across sampling categories (Caucasian, Hispanic, Arab, African-American) reported receiving messages about "becoming a woman" and the sense that they were becoming part of a female club whose members were able to share experiences. For some girls, these messages felt like a rite of passage. But for girls who perceived menstrual onset to be linked to rules that restricted their behavior, such as no longer being allowed to play freely with their male friends, the experience was more negative.

They described being told to dress more "girly" or "not being able to swim or do anything again."

Factors influencing girls' pubertal experiences

Starting menstruation at an earlier age was associated with more negative experiences. Celebrating the arrival of menstruation, particularly when gifts were received, was described by some girls as a more positive experience. However, other girls reported feeling that their mothers' enthusiastic reactions were exaggerated and embarrassing. Girls reported mothers as their primary sources of information, but mothers in return reported feeling inadequately prepared to speak with their daughters, and uncomfortable with this role.

In contrast, the onset of puberty and menstruation appears to create a distancing between many girls and their fathers.

Peers were found to be helpful sources of support and information. But they can also convey misinformation about the body changes happening to girls. And male peers were sometimes reported to be sources of bullying and teasing that could increase girls' discomfort with menstruation.

Why does any of this matter?

For one, puberty is a critical period of development that lays the foundation for future sexual and reproductive health.

Just as girls (and boys) need to understand how their lungs and breathing works and the importance of not smoking tobacco, or how their food is digested in their bodies and the importance of good nutrition, they need to understand how their reproductive processes are developing and functioning.

Two, a key step in building girls' (or boys') confidence and self-esteem about their changing bodies is helping them feel supported and prepared as new, and often, confusing changes happen emotionally and physically inside of them.

All girls growing up in the U.S. today should be encouraged, informed and confident about their changing bodies, developing sexuality and future reproductive health. There is an urgent need for new research that focuses on the diversity of low-income girls' experiences of puberty in the U.S. today, but also new programs that will better support both them and their parents at this critical developmental stage of life.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Autism will be better understood thanks to a substantial investment from a US philanthropic foundation to the University of Edinburgh.

The Simons Foundation has pledged 20 million for pioneering studies into the biological mechanisms that underpin changes in brain development associated with autism.

Researchers say the investment could eventually lead to new treatments for people with autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders affect approximately 75 million people worldwide. Key symptoms include altered social interaction, communication and restricted and repetitive behaviour. The disorders are often associated with intellectual disability or impaired motor control.

The Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain will be based at the University of Edinburgh's Patrick Wild Centre for Research into Autism, Fragile X Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities.

Experts will use advanced techniques to probe brain development in the presence of DNA changes that are known to cause autism.

They will investigate how variations in the wiring of the brain can impact on way the brain processes information, which ultimately underlies our intellectual and social abilities.

The initiative will enable brain scientists to work more closely with clinical teams that care for children and their families and will facilitate the development and testing of new therapies.

Professor Peter Kind will serve as Director of the new Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, and also of the Patrick Wild Centre, established by private donations from families affected by Fragile X Syndrome and other forms of autism.

Professor Kind said: "This is an amazing opportunity to bring together a range of scientific and clinical expertise at the University with the aim of understanding how the brain develops on multiple levels, including molecular biology, neural circuitry, genetics, behaviour and cognition.

"By combining these approaches, we will learn how a healthy brain matures and gain valuable insights into the developmental origins of autism.

"Using this knowledge, we aim to deliver new diagnostic tools, better therapeutics and new interventions to the clinic that will address the causes and consequences of autism."

Louis F. Reichardt, director of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative said, "The Patrick Wild Center has already made seminal contributions to understanding how RETT and Fragile X genes control brain development, and they have even identified promising approaches to treatment. We hope the foundation's support will enable them to apply these types of studies to other conditions on the autism spectrum."

"Professor Kind and his colleagues have been doing outstanding, innovative work, both in the lab and in their clinical studies," said Marilyn Simons, president of the Simons Foundation. "We are proud to support this further exploration into the biology of the developing brain."

Jim Simons, chair of the Simons Foundation, added, "We are confident that the great scientists already in place, coupled with the comprehensive facility being developed, will accelerate understanding of autism and hasten the development of meaningful treatments."

Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, Principal of the University of Edinburgh said: "We are tremendously grateful to the Simons Foundation for their generosity and vision. Their investment is a landmark commitment amidst an on-going effort from donors at all levels to deepen our research programmes and accelerate progress in medical science."
Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

Researchers have shown that mindfulness therapy had significant positive effects on depression, anxiety, and rumination in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and Nei Yang Gong therapy had a significant positive effect on self-control in children with ASD. These findings were reported in a review of 16 studies of mind-body therapies used to treat autism, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The article is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website until April 7, 2017.

In the article entitled "Autism and Mind-Body Therapies: A Systematic Review," Sarah Hourston, ND and Rachel Atchley, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University and National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR, reviewed the medical literature to identify the types of mind-body interventions being used to treat adults and children with ASD and for what purposes. The authors reviewed studies that targeted behaviors, psychological symptoms, emotional and mental health, and quality of life for affected individuals and their parents. Most of the studies were uncontrolled and included small numbers of subjects.

"Mindfulness practices that decrease aggressive and disruptive behaviors and self-control issues are important learnings for any of us," says The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com, Seattle, WA. "That such outcomes were found in multiple trials with these ASD populations suggests that there is not only a strong rationale for larger studies, as the researchers concluded, but also for more rapid present application by parents, teachers, and healthcare workers in these communities."

More information: Sarah Hourston et al, Autism and MindBody Therapies: A Systematic Review, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2017). Journal information: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Sarah Hourston et al, Autism and MindBody Therapies: A Systematic Review,(2017). DOI: 10.1089/acm.2016.0336
Aaron Becker, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston, is leading a project to develop millimeter-sized robots that can deliver drugs and other medical interventions noninvasively. Credit: University of Houston

Invasive surgical techniques - cutting through the breastbone for open heart surgery or making a large incision to inspect an abdominal tumor - allow physicians to effectively treat disease but can lead to sometimes serious complications and dramatically slow healing for the patient.

Scientists instead want to deploy dozens, or even thousands of tiny robots to travel the body's venous system as they deliver drugs or a self-assembled interventional tool. Researchers from the University of Houston and Houston Methodist Hospital are developing control algorithms, imaging technology, ultrafast computational methods and human-machine immersion methods to harness the force from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to both image and steer millimeter-sized robots through the body.

"We want to move from science fiction to science feasibility," said Aaron Becker, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH and principal investigator for a $608,000 Synergy Award from the National Science Foundation to develop prototypes for testing.

To tackle this unprecedented challenge, the award involves two additional investigators: Nikolaos Tsekos, associate professor of computer science and director of the Medical Robotics Laboratory at UH, who has expertise in MRI and computational methods, and Dipan J. Shah, a cardiologist and director of cardiovascular MRI at Houston Methodist Hospital, who brings expertise in clinical MRI and focusing the effort to find solutions that are clinically necessary and valuable.

While MRI has traditionally been used for noninvasive diagnosis, the next frontier is its use as a tool to offer noninvasive or minimally invasive treatment.

The milli-robot development and control work is an outgrowth of Becker's previous research, which was funded in part with an NSF CAREER award and demonstrated the theory behind the proposal. This grant, awarded through NSF's Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) program, will fund work to build a prototype suitable for animal testing. The MRI control and computational methods follow a previous CPS award in image-guided robotic surgeries led by Tsekos and Shah.

Their current models are up to two centimeters; Becker said the goal is robots that range from 0.5 millimeters to two millimeters. The average human hair, in comparison, is about 0.08 millimeters wide.

MRI provides enough magnetic force to steer the robots through the body's blood vessels but can't penetrate tumors or other tissue. This project is working with two designs, both powered by the MRI scanner, to address that problem, one based on the principle of mechanical resonance and the second modeled after a self-assembling surgical tool, a Gauss gun.

A key issue is real-time control, Becker said, noting that blood vessels move around in the body, making it crucial to be able to see both the anatomy and the robot as it moves in order to keep it moving correctly. Even the fastest current MRI scans are too slow for such control and have a time lag before the information is available. Developing such a system is a multidisciplinary task that must seamlessly integrate sensing with the MRI scanner, milli-robot control and close the loop by controlling the scanner to drive the milli-robots.

Ultimately, Becker said, the goal is to use the power of an MRI to steer large numbers of robots throughout the body. While one milli-robot could target a single lesion, delivering chemotherapy or another intervention, that isn't practical for a late-stage cancer, for example.

"Targeting delivery with dozens of microsurgeons is my goal," he said. In this case, those "microsurgeons" would be robots, guided by a physician.
Among Swedish women, being overweight or obese early in pregnancy was associated with increased rates of cerebral palsy in children, according to a study appearing in the March 7 issue of JAMA.

Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has increased from 1998 through 2006 in children born at full term. Few preventable factors are known to affect the risk of cerebral palsy. Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of preterm delivery, asphyxia-related neonatal complications, and congenital malformations, which in turn are associated with increased risks of cerebral palsy. It is uncertain whether risk of cerebral palsy in offspring increases with maternal overweight and obesity severity and what could be possible mechanisms.

Eduardo Villamor, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a study that included women with children born in Sweden from 1997 through 2011. Using national registries, children were followed for a cerebral palsy diagnosis through 2012.

Of 1,423,929 children included (average gestational age, 39.8 weeks), 3,029 were diagnosed with cerebral palsy over a median 7.8 years of follow-up. Analysis of the data indicated that maternal overweight (body mass index [BMI] of 25 to 29.9) and increasing grades of obesity (BMI 30 or greater) were associated with increasing rates of cerebral palsy. Results were statistically significant for children born at full term, who comprised 71 percent of all children with cerebral palsy, but not for preterm infants.

An estimated 45 percent of the association between maternal BMI and rates of cerebral palsy in full-term children was mediated through asphyxia-related neonatal complications.

The authors note that although the effect of maternal obesity on cerebral palsy may seem small compared with other risk factors, the association is of public health relevance due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese. "The number of women with a BMI of 35 or more globally doubled from approximately 50 to 100 million from 2000 through 2010. In the United States, approximately half of all pregnant women have overweight or obesity at the first prenatal visit. Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the continued rise of its most severe forms, the finding that maternal overweight and obesity are related to rates of cerebral palsy in a dose-response manner may have serious public health implications."
A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) reveals that type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with a 26% increase in the risk of death from cancer in Asians, as well as increases in the risk of death from site-specific cancers that can be even greater.

The research conducted by Dr Yu Chen (Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Department of Population Health at New York University School of Medicine) and colleagues, as well as researchers from institutes across America and Asia, looked into the relationship between T2D and cancer deaths across cohort studies conducted in 7 Asian countries.

There is increasing evidence of an association between T2D and an individual's risk of developing cancer or dying from the disease. Most of the studies into this relationship have looked only at Western populations, but with diabetes becoming increasingly prevalent throughout Asia, it is important to understand whether the risk of developing cancer in Asians with T2D is similar to that seen in the West, or whether they face different, and possibly greater risks than white western populations. Earlier research had suggested that at any given body mass index (BMI), Asians are more susceptible to developing insulin resistance, and go on to have a higher prevalence of T2D in comparison with people of European extraction.

Although there have been previous studies of diabetes and site-specific cancer risk in East Asian populations, the authors note that the majority only considered one or a few cancer types, included only a small number of patients with diabetes, or didn't control for other important risk factors such as obesity.

Data for this new study were drawn from the Asia Cohort Consortium (ACC), an international effort which combines 29 cohorts to examine the relationship between genetics, environment, and disease in a population of more than 1 million people. From that, 19 cohorts were chosen and further refined, resulting in a study population of 658,611 East Asians and 112,686 South Asians from China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, India and Bangladesh. Participants averaged 53.9 years of age at the start of a study, and 37,343 cancer deaths were identified during a mean follow-up time of 12.7 years. A major strength of this study was its large sample size of diverse Asian populations, which allowed for a detailed analysis that could take into account differences in factors such as sex, age, smoking status and alcohol consumption. It was also the first study of its kind to investigate the influence of T2D on cancer in South Asians.

The authors found that having T2D led to a 26% increase in the risk of dying from any form of cancer, even when taking into account factors such as BMI, alcohol consumption and smoking. They also found statistically significant links between T2D and the risk of death from specific cancers, with data consistent with that reported in Western countries showing increased risk of death from cancers of liver, pancreas, bile duct, colorectum, and breast associated with T2D. The strongest association was observed for cancers of the liver, thyroid and kidney (double the risk in each case), and endometrium (2.7 times increased risk) and breast (1.7 times increased risk), relative to individuals who did not have T2D.

For certain site-specific cancers including kidney, thyroid, and prostate cancer, there was evidence that T2D has a greater effect on risk in Asians than in people of European extraction. In addition, the risk of death from cancer in general was higher in individuals with T2D who were under 60 years old at the start of a study.

The authors found that: "These data together suggest that the influence of T2D on the risk of death from overall cancer, digestive cancers and breast cancer is largely similar in Asians and in developed Western countries."

They add: "Taken together, given the magnitude of the associations and the consistent data across different studies and populations, T2D should be considered as a risk factor for cancers in Asians, especially for liver cancer which has a high incidence in Asians"

The authors conclude: "The findings indicate a potential need for appropriate cancer screening among individuals with T2D, and a greater emphasis on lifestyle modifications to prevent T2D and reduce cancer mortality, not only in Western populations, but also in Asians."

More information: Yu Chen et al. Association between type 2 diabetes and risk of cancer mortality: a pooled analysis of over 771,000 individuals in the Asia Cohort Consortium, Diabetologia (2017). Journal information: Diabetologia Yu Chen et al. Association between type 2 diabetes and risk of cancer mortality: a pooled analysis of over 771,000 individuals in the Asia Cohort Consortium,(2017). DOI: 10.1007/s00125-017-4229-z
Quinn, an autistic boy, and the line of toys he made before falling asleep. Repeatedly stacking or lining up objects is a behavior commonly associated with autism. Credit: Wikipedia.

Concrete links between the symptoms of autism and synaesthesia have been discovered and clarified for the first time, according to new research by psychologists at the University of Sussex.

The study, conducted by world-leading experts in both conditions at Sussex and the University of Cambridge and published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that both groups experience remarkably similar heightened sensory sensitivity, despite clear differences in communicative ability and social skills.

Two previous studies had found an increased prevalence of synaesthesia in autistic subjects, suggesting that although they are not always found in conjunction, the two conditions occur together more often than would be expected by chance alone. However, this is the first study that has attempted to draw a definitive symptomatic link between the two.

Synaesthesia and autism seem on the surface to be rather different things, with synaesthesia defined as a 'joining of the senses' in which music may trigger colours or words may trigger tastes, and autism defined by impaired social understanding and communication.

The new research shows that both groups report heightened sensory sensitivity, such as an aversion to certain sounds and lights, as well as reporting differences in their tendency to attend to detail. However, the synaesthetes tended not to report difficulties on the traditional communicative symptoms that usually define autism. While the research shows that there are certainly links between the two conditions, these appear to be sensory rather than social.

The study was led by Professor Jamie Ward, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Co-Director Sussex Neuroscience group, alongside Sussex Psychology colleague, Professor Julia Simner; and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Autism Research Centre.

Commenting on the research, Prof Ward said: "Synaesthesia has traditionally been considered more of a gift than an impairment, whereas the opposite could often be said of autism. Our research suggests that the two have much more in common than was previously thought, and that many of the sensory traits that autistic people possess are also found in those who experience synaesthesia.

"Though further research is required, our understanding of autism in the context of synaesthetic abilities may help us unlock the secrets of some of the more positive aspects of autism, such as savantism, while also uncovering further neurological links between the two conditions."

Another research paper by the group of researchers, looking more closely at the question of savantism in people with autism, is also due to be published soon.

Reinforcing their initial research, it shows that synaesthesia tends to be particularly prevalent in people with autism who also have unexpected 'savant' abilities, such as superior abilities in arithmetic, memory and art.

Prof Ward added: "Though some theories propose a causal link between increased sensory sensitivity and impaired social functioning in people with autism, our research so far demonstrates the value of considering synaesthesia on the same spectrum as autism from a sensory point of view.

We hope in future to be able to continue to explore the relationship between perceptual, cognitive and social symptoms and abilities in autistic and synaesthetic people."

More information: Jamie Ward et al, Atypical sensory sensitivity as a shared feature between synaesthesia and autism, Scientific Reports (2017). Journal information: Scientific Reports Jamie Ward et al, Atypical sensory sensitivity as a shared feature between synaesthesia and autism,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep41155
Neonatologist Gurvir Khurana had only read about it in textbooks. Seeing it in real life has been a shock: baby after baby born severely anemic, lungs filled with fluid, bodies covered with rashes. Some only lived minutes; others died within days or weeks.

The cause: congenital syphilis.

They are all born to mothers with syphilis. Many of the mothers arrive at the hospital to give birth never having had prenatal care, unaware they have the disease - let alone that they could pass it along to their unborn babies. The infants who survive carry an elevated risk of long-term health problems.

"It's been an absolute explosion," said Khurana, who works at four hospitals in California's Central Valley. "It's just spreading very, very quickly. Kern County has a huge public health problem on its hands."

The Central Valley - a vast agricultural and mostly low-income swath of California - has seen an unprecedented spike in congenital syphilis over the last few years. It's part of an overall rise in syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases across California and the nation.

Health professionals fear rates could rise even further if President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress repeal the Affordable Care Act and people lose access to reproductive health care.

"STD rates aren't going to just stop," said Natasha Felkins, a health educator for Planned Parenthood in Bakersfield, the main city in Kern County. "When health coverage goes away or when things are cut, we are going to see numbers increase and that's going to affect all of us."

Across the U.S., sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of syphilis among women increased 27 percent from 2014 to 2015, and congenital syphilis increased by 6 percent. Preliminary data show the trend continued into 2016, with syphilis among women rising another 21 percent and congenital syphilis 4 percent.

The rise is worrisome, especially given that syphilis had almost disappeared by about 2000, said Gail Bolan, director of the CDC's division of sexually transmitted disease prevention.

"There was great hope for syphilis elimination in the United States," Bolan said. "Unfortunately, our national data now show that syphilis is thriving."

Bolan said CDC officials are closely monitoring the epidemic of syphilis around the nation, urging states to explore the roles of poverty, limited health care access, drugs and incarceration and to address those factors. They are watching with particular concern the spike in cases among women, and encouraging more testing, treatment and education.

"Rises in women, especially women of reproductive age ... are a bellwether for when we are going to start seeing more congenital syphilis," Bolan said.

In California, about two-thirds of syphilis cases are still among men who sleep with men, but the number of cases among women between the ages of 15 and 44 quadrupled from 2011 to 2015, according to the state Department of Public Health. And cases of congenital syphilis increased threefold over that same time period.

In 2015, nearly half of them were in Fresno and Kern counties. Kern County had 28 cases of congenital syphilis in 2015, up from one in 2011. Nearby Fresno County had 40 in 2015, up from two four years earlier. The rates in both counties dwarf others around the state.

California's rate of syphilis among newborns is the second highest in the U.S. after Louisiana, and the state ranks third after Louisiana and Georgia for syphilis among women, according to the CDC.

Louisiana stepped up its response to the increase about four years ago, working with the CDC to expand testing sites, raise public awareness and increase education for OB-GYNs. Over the past year, the state also started nine regional STD task forces to address the problem. And the state passed legislation mandating syphilis testing twice during pregnancy.

Congenital syphilis cases now are starting to decline, said DeAnn Gruber, director of the infectious diseases bureau for the Louisiana Department of Health.

"We needed to do something," she said. "And this wasn't just a health department issue. It was something that everybody needed to work on." The department is collaborating with local politicians, health providers and community groups to combat the problem, she added.

Georgia, too, is working to reduce its syphilis rates. Its health officials are encouraging people to "know their sexual health status" by getting tested for other STDs at the same time they are tested for HIV. The state health department is working with night clubs and with health providers around the state to increase testing.

State and local health officials and medical providers around the U.S. are uncertain of the precise reason for the sharp rise in such cases, but they believe one contributing factor is that many women get prenatal care too late, or not at all.

They also attribute the problem to poverty, drug use that leads to risky sexual behavior, and lack of awareness of the risks of syphilis and other STDs. Also to blame, they say, are changes in sexual behavior, including reduced condom use and a tendency to have more partners.

At the federal level, CDC officials say the rise in syphilis and other STD cases is due in part to budget cuts in state and local STD programs that have resulted in diminished access to care.

Many sexually transmitted infections are asymptomatic and go undiagnosed until they really start to cause damage. Untreated, they can lead to serious health problems, including blindness and infertility.

"We see very, very severe complications," said Heidi Bauer, chief of the STD control branch at the California Department of Public Health. "And as we see these rates increase, we are inevitably going to see ... these complications increase and have devastating health consequences."

California recently awarded $5 million to counties around the state in an effort to reduce STD rates.

In Bakersfield, as many as 40 people a day now visit the county-run health clinic for STD testing and treatment, said Denise Smith, the county's director of disease control. For those who are at high risk, the clinic sometimes doesn't wait for the test results and just treats the patients as if they were infected. When people test positive, clinic staffers send home medication for their partners, too.

The Kern County Public Health Services Department has embarked on an information campaign with the slogan "Know Your Risk." Staff members have posted billboards around the county, distributed fliers and produced public service announcements. Many feature an image of a pregnant woman with the words: Syphilis. A Silent Killer.

"Babies were dying," said Michelle Corson, spokeswoman for the department who helped design the campaign. "That was the heart of the crisis."

The department is also working with health clinics and others to get the word out about the risks, she said. "This is something that public health cannot do alone."

Renee Nichols, 22, said she regularly comes to Planned Parenthood for birth control and STD testing. About four years ago, Nichols was treated for syphilis, which she contracted while she was addicted to methamphetamine. Nichols, who is now clean and studying to be a physical therapist, said that at the time, STDs were the last thing on her mind.

"You're just busy thinking about drugs," said Nichols, who lives in Bakersfield. "You're not thinking about if I have sex with this person that I might get a disease."

All states require pregnant women to be tested once for syphilis during pregnancy, but CDC officials say that to minimize the risk, they should be tested a second time in the third trimester. The best way to prevent congenital syphilis is to prevent the women from getting the disease - and to treat them quickly if they do, Bolan said. The problem is that some women are not in prenatal care, and some doctors don't recognize the risks.

Vyn Wayne, a nurse practitioner at the Bakersfield site of Clinica Sierra Vista, a community health center, has seven pregnant patients with syphilis. Girls as young as 16 or 17 are showing up pregnant and with syphilis, Wayne said. "We've just been floored. It's terrifying."

One afternoon in February, Wayne saw 18-year-old Serenity Thomason, who wore slippers with hearts on them. Wayne ordered a syphilis test for Thomason, who was six months pregnant.

She explained to Thomason that syphilis is contracted through sex and can be treated. But people often don't know they have it, and it can be "deadly to babies," she said.

"That's scary," said Thomason as she rubbed her stomach. "I never heard about syphilis."

2017 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Quinn, an autistic boy, and the line of toys he made before falling asleep. Repeatedly stacking or lining up objects is a behavior commonly associated with autism. Credit: Wikipedia.

The newest study from the Autism Speaks MSSNG project - the world's largest autism genome sequencing program - identified an additional 18 gene variations that appear to increase the risk of autism.

The new report appears this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience. It involved the analysis of 5,205 whole genomes from families affected by autism - making it the largest whole genome study of autism to date.

The omitted letters in MSSNG (pronounced 'missing') represent the missing information about autism that the research program seeks to deliver.

"It's noteworthy that we're still finding new autism genes, let alone 18 of them, after a decade of intense focus," says study co-author Mathew Pletcher, Ph.D., Autism Speaks' vice president for genomic discovery. "With each new gene discovery, we're able to explain more cases of autism, each with its own set of behavioral effects and many with associated medical concerns."

To date, research using the MSSNG genomic database has identified 61 genetic variations that affect autism risk. The research has associated several of these with additional medical conditions that often accompany autism. The goal, Dr. Pletcher says, "is to advance personalized treatments for autism by deepening our understanding of the condition's many subtypes."

The findings also illustrate how whole genome sequencing can guide medical care today. For example, at least two of the autism-associated gene changes described in the paper were associated with increased risk for seizures. Another has been linked to increased risk for cardiac defects, and yet another with adult diabetes. The findings illustrate how whole genome sequencing for autism can provide additional medical guidance to individuals, families and their physicians, the investigators say.

The researchers also determined that many of the 18 newly identified autism genes affect the operation of a small subset of biological pathways in the brain. All of these pathways affect how brain cells develop and communicate with each other. "In all, 80 percent of the 61 gene variations discovered through MSSNG affect biochemical pathways that have clear potential as targets for future medicines," Dr. Pletcher says.

Increasingly, autism researchers are predicting that personalized, more effective treatments will come from understanding these common brain pathways - and how different gene variations alter them.

"The unprecedented MSSNG database is enabling research into the many 'autisms' that make up the autism spectrum," says the study's senior investigator, Stephen Scherer, Ph.D.

For instance, some of the genetic alterations found in the study occurred in families with one person severely affected by autism and others on the milder end of the spectrum, Dr. Scherer notes. "This reinforces the significant neurodiversity involved in this complex condition," he explains. "In addition, the depth of the MSSNG database allowed us to identify resilient individuals who carry autism-associated gene variations without developing autism. We believe that this, too, is an important part of the neurodiversity story."

Dr. Scherer is the research director for the MSSNG project and directs The Centre for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), in Toronto. MSSNG is a collaboration between the hospital, Autism Speaks and Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), which hosts the MSSNG database on its cloud platform.

Traditional genetic analysis looks for mutations, or "spelling changes," in the 1 percent of our DNA that spells out our genes. By contrast, the MSSNG database allows researchers to analyze the entire 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up each person's genome.

In their new study, the investigators went even further - looking beyond DNA "spelling" variations to find other types of genetic changes associated with autism. These included copy number variations (repeated or deleted stretches of DNA) and chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomes are the threadlike cell structures that package and organize our genes.

The researchers found copy number variations and chromosomal abnormalities to be particularly common in the genomes of people affected by autism.

In addition, many of the copy number variations turned up in areas of the genome once considered "junk DNA." Though this genetic "dark matter" exists outside of our genes, scientists now appreciate that it helps control when and where our genes switch on and off. The precise coordination of genetic activity appears to be particularly crucial to brain development and function.

Through its research platform on the Google Cloud, Autism Speaks is making all of MSSNG's fully sequenced genomes directly available to researchers free of charge, along with analytic tools. In the coming weeks, the MSSNG team will be uploading an additional 2,000 fully sequenced autism genomes, bringing the total over 7,000.

Currently, more than 90 investigators at 40 academic and medical institutions are using the MSSNG database to advance autism research around the world.

More information: Whole genome sequencing resource identifies 18 new candidate genes for autism spectrum disorder, Nature Neuroscience (2017). Journal information: Nature Neuroscience Whole genome sequencing resource identifies 18 new candidate genes for autism spectrum disorder,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/nn.4524
The Right2Know Campaign (R2K) and the Democratic Alliance on Tuesday lashed out at State Security Minister David Mahlobo, who at the weekend said the regulation of social media in SA was being discussed at government level.

At a justice, crime prevention and security cluster media briefing on Sunday, Mahlobo indicated that the African National Congress led government was contemplating regulating South Africas social media space.

In a statement on Tuesday, R2K said this would be an abuse of power that undermined democracy.

R2K has already raised concerns that South Africas state security structures have abused their surveillance powers and shown a disregard for democratic process.

R2K said members of the state security cluster had tried to paint their critics as threats who must be targeted.

Now, out of thin air, we have state security proposing to regulate social media. This is a clear move by state securocrats to try [and] clamp down on freedom of expression and increase their powers to censor the internet.

Cyber bullies

R2K said the call from Mahlobo came on the back of a range of existing and deeply problematic censorship policies.

Regulation of social media already exists. [Platforms] like Twitter and Facebook have added self-regulation measures to empower users to take action against online harassment and cut down on the spread of fake news and propaganda.

Meanwhile, DA spokesperson on telecommunications and postal services Marian Shinn said the call from Mahlobo was worrying.

Such statements pose a direct threat to media and internet freedom in SA. Instead of making such irresponsible threats, our government should rather distance itself from the continents despots when it comes to developing policies and regulations for internet behaviour.

Shinn said Mahlobos concerns about false news and scams needed to be looked at against the backdrop of the pending 2019 general election and the increasing denial of digital rights by African governments feeling threatened by the citizen empowerment that the world wide web facilitates.

Shinn highlighted how the SA government, along with cyber bullies such as Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and India, had voted against the United Nations Human Rights Councils declaration that access to the internet was a human right.

News24

Now read: The FPB wants to regulate your WhatsApp chats
Minister: Britain's government faces tough decisions

Boris Johnson from fighting for Conservative Party leader over fears of losing income

Greece slams Turkish authorities' temporary ban on Greek official's entry

Scientifically proven: EU is inscrutable

OPEC: To avoid unrestrained volatility we need to invest in oil

Turkmenistan becomes regional energy center

Kishida pledges to strengthen Japan's naval and military capabilities

Germany and eight other EU member states plan to expand sanctions against Iran

NYT: Kyiv plans total evacuation in case of power outage

Iran reveals new air defense missile

IRGC neutralizes terrorist group in southwestern Iran

Bahrain to continue building relations with Israel after Netanyahu's victory

Iran says it confiscated a large batch of U.S.-made munitions

Iran successfully launches Ghaem 100 rocket, making the US nervous

U.S. sends warplanes to Iran

Washington Post: US privately urges Ukraine to show willingness to negotiate with Russia

Parisien: French man wins  160 million in European lottery

U.S. decides to block number of seats on planes because of the increase in passenger weight

BMW M4 turned into a pickup truck

Blinken calls on Israel and Palestine to urgently de-escalate tensions

Romania signs deal with Norway for purchase of over 30 F-16 fighters

Stoltenberg: The alliance has no plans to change nuclear positions and deployments

Tagesschau: Nearly 200,000 people took part in strikes at industrial enterprises of Germany

Teenagers hacks Uzbekistan senate website

Artsakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis fired at tractor in Khramort village of Artsakh

Rally participants' statement: Artsakh can't be a part of Azerbaijan

Person accused of arson in Russia cafe confesses

Fars: Iranian Foreign Ministry reported UAV deliveries to Russia a few months before the start of the UAS

Bayramov: Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders next meeting will take place in Brussels this month

Unity rally of participants start march in downtown Yerevan

North Korea launches 4 ballistic missiles

Council of Border Guard Troops commanders discusses situation at CIS external borders

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan joins rally in downtown Yerevan

Russia oil, natural gas companies plan to collaborate with Iraq

Armenia army intelligence troops 30th anniversary is solemnly celebrated (PHOTOS)

Rally of unity in support of Karabakh kicks off in downtown Yerevan

Pentagon announces sending 8 NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine

Armenian Apostolic Church Supreme Spiritual Council meeting ends, Armenia and Artsakh security discussed

Tropical Storm Nalgae death toll climbs to 155 in Philippines

Artak Beglaryan is appointed advisor to Artsakh Minister of State (PHOTOS)

US House committee extends deadline for Trump to produce documents on Capitol attack

Over 200 elephants die in Kenya amid drought

13 dead in cafe fire in Russia

Armenia Security Council chief to head for Poland, Netherlands, Lithuania

Rishi Sunak: State cannot fix all problems

Newspaper: To what extent Armenia adheres to sanctions on Russia?

Biden accuses Twitter of spewing lies

Newspaper: There are active political processes in Karabakh

Qatar FM slams hypocrisy of calls to boycott World Cup

France, Singapore and Switzerland begin joint testing of experimental digital currencies

Oil war is Biden's biggest mistake

Japan considers possible deployment of hypersonic missiles by 2030

Germany to install better air defense system over Defense Ministry buildings

Erdogan and Stoltenberg discuss war in Ukraine

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire in direction of Armenian positions

True cost of Europe's rejection of Russian gas

White House tries to explain Biden's statement about freeing Iran

Former Pakistani Prime Minister: Either we will have a peaceful revolution or a bloody one

Aramyan: Why are police officers' salaries increasing, while defense officers' are not?

Pentagon and U.S. weapons manufacturers to discuss Russia, human resources and supply chain

Ankara says U.S. may approve sale of F-16s to Turkey within few months

IMF: Turkey should tighten monetary policy and give the Central Bank more independence

Pope urges religious leaders to keep the world from brink of abyss

Putin awards Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II with Order of Honor

U.S. says G7 countries realize need for coordinated response to China

Round-the-clock curfew is introduced in Kherson

Borrell says they can't put China and Russia on same level

Olaf Scholz calls on China to influence Russia

G7 foreign ministers express 'unwavering commitment' to protecting Ukraine, criticized PRC and IRI

Political technologist explains why Pashinyan was elected chairman of board of ruling party in Armenia

Erdogan signs up for TikTok

China's army is constantly preparing for war amid provocative U.S. actions

Kalin: Armenia is constructive about normalization of relations

Poland asks EU to suspend fines

Putin: Situation in Ukraine was deadly for Russia

Portugal to test a four-day workweek

US embassy in Armenia issues statement ahead of November 5 protests in Yerevan

Dollar, euro go up in Armenia

Baku authorities once again refuse to allow PFPA to hold protest rally

Iranians commemorate anniversary of US embassy seizure

Richard Kauzlarich: Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs meeting in Washington 'will send message to Putin'

Russia ratifies protocol on requirements for length of service of EEU bodies' employees for pensions

Armenia deputy defense minister in Russia, discusses military cooperation

Yerevan receives proposal to hold Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan interparliamentary talks

Health minister: We will work with fallen Armenia detainees relatives one more time after which bodies will be buried

Putin allows mobilization of citizens with unexpunged criminal record for serious crimes

Arnika, NESEHNUTI NGOs of Czech Rep. issue joint statement on plan to expand gold mine in Armenias Karaberd

Putin urges to evacuate civilians living in Kherson from the war zone

Iran parliament speaker to visit Armenia

Ruling force MP: Canada is opening embassy in Armenia because we are one of worlds most democratic countries

Girl with Armenian roots ends up in Vladimir orphanage

Erdogan says he has agreed with Putin to supply grain to needy countries for free

Armenia President, UK envoy agree to continue cooperation, close contacts

Armenia FM receives EU Monitoring Capacity

Spanish MPs don't approve agreement with Baku as a sign of solidarity with Armenia

Japan says North Korea may go ahead with nuclear test

Armenia government to allocate about $5M to Karabakh refugees support program

Belarusian border service: Border guards intercepts Ukrainian training drone

President appoints Ruben Vardanyan as Karabakh Minister of State

US embassy expresses concern about human rights violation in Azerbaijan
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic and Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Michael Georg Link condemned the sentencing of Azerbaijani blogger and chair of the media NGO Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety Mehman Huseynov and called on authorities to release him, contact.az reported.

I call on the authorities to release Mehman Huseynov, Mijatovic said. I am hopeful that this decision will be overturned in the appeals process.

Mijatovic reiterated her call that authorities fulfil their longstanding promise to decriminalize defamation in Azerbaijan.

In turn, ODIHR Director Link noted: Any allegations or reports of torture or other ill-treatment should be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities. The courts decision in this case is cause for concern.

It should be noted that on 3 March Huseynov was sentenced by the court in Baku to two years in prison on defamation charges. The case stems from Huseynovs detention by police on 9 January. Following the detention, the blogger claimed he had been subjected to torture. Despite existence of traces of violence on the blogger's body the prosecutor's office refused to bring criminal case upon tortures.
YEREVAN.  Several banks in Armenia are already providing more affordable loans to women entrepreneurs, and the European organizations are ready to assist in this matter.

Mark Davis, head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) office in Armenia, on Tuesday stated the abovementioned, as he introduced the women entrepreneurship support project.

He added that women-led businesses are more trustworthy, and these enterprises repay loans more diligently.

In Daviss words, the women entrepreneurship support project is carried out in all six Eastern Partnership countries.

And, to this end, the EBRD has allocated US$44 million, which shall be used for providing affordable loans.
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who is on an official visit to France, on Tuesday met with Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Michaelle Jean, at the organizations headquarters.

The President stressed that this meeting is first of all a good opportunity for summing up the achievements of previous years and determining further actions, considering that next year marks the 10th anniversary of Armenias membership to the OIF.

At the meeting, President Sargsyan noted that in the cooperation with Francophonie, Armenia has never ceased exerting efforts towards promoting the organizations values and disseminating French. Apart from this, thanks to the support of the OIF, a complete education cycle starting from kindergarten to university operates in Armenia.

According to the President, the cooperation with the organization has not only contributed to the dissemination of the French language and culture in Armenia, but also served as a platform for strengthening the bilateral ties with the member and observer states and expanding international cooperation.

In this context, Sargsyan stressed the role of holding the 31st Ministerial Conference of the OIF in Armenia in 2015.

The President and OIF Secretary General both attached importance to the close cooperation established between Armenia and the partner institutions of OIF. Referring to this, the sides noted the cooperation with the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), as a result of which a number of schools of the republic created conditions for advanced learning of French. Besides, a number of music and art schools, as well as libraries have been renovated.

Reference was also made to the pressing issues regarding the Francophonie family. The interlocutors exchanged views on Armenias participation in the peacekeeping missions carried out in the OIF member and observer states. The Armenian President thanked for the balanced stance of the organization and that of personally Ms Jean on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairsthe only specialized format dealing with the issueis a support to the establishment of peace and stability in the region.

Furthermore, the interlocutors touched on the work carried out ahead of the OIF 2018 Summit to be held in Armenia. In Sargsyans words, the decision on holding such an authoritative summit in Armenia not only indicates the countrys commitment to the values of the organization but also the high level of confidence towards the country. The President stressed that this is very obliging, and Armenia is willing to ensure the success of that important event.

Moreover, Sargsyan briefed the Secretary General on the preparatory work ahead of the summit, noting that an interagency commission has been formed under the chairmanship of the Armenian Prime Minister, while the countrys MFAalong with the organizationis already engaged in drawing up the action plan of preparations. He proposed to focus the main attention on sustainable development, innovation, as well as information technologies and youth affairs.

At the OIF office, the President also made a note in the Honorary Guest Book.

By the end of the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan and Michaelle Jean made statement before the media, recapping the results of the meeting. The Armenian leader thanked for the meeting and warm reception and invited the Secretary General to visit Armenia before the summit.

Ms Jean, for her part, stressed that Francophonie is rich by its diversity and the legacy born by its members, as well as the message and future vision, which the organization is able to transmit to other members. She assured that the OIF is looking forward to the Armenian Summit, which, according to her, is a good opportunity for the country to show its great will and inexorability of surviving and creating.
IS Releases 7th Issue of Rumiyah Magazine, Calls to Kill Targets in Germany and Austria
Saudi Arabia will only agree to limited intervention by OPEC in oil markets, Saudi minister of energy, industry and mineral resources Khalid A. Al-Falih said on Tuesday.

OPEC's December 2016 agreement with non-OPEC members to cut oil production by 1.8 million barrels a day to decrease oversupply has resulted in greater OPEC alignment than ever before, Al-Falih said at the IHS CERAWeek conference in Houston.

However, "history has also demonstrated that intervention in response to structural shifts is largely ineffective, and I believe we in the organization have learned that lesson. That's why Saudi Arabia does not support OPEC intervening to alleviate the impacts of long-term structural imbalances," he said.

How should investors play Trump's tax plan? Click here for a game plan from Jim Cramer and four of our top experts.
Britain Requiring Police to Publish Data on Use of Tasers

The Home Secretary announced March 2 that departments will have to begin publishing data on all of their use of force starting next month.

Amber Rudd, Britain's Home Secretary, announced March 2 that UK police forces will be required to collect and publish detailed data on all of their use of force, including their use of Tasers, beginning in April 2017. Her announcement came as the Taser X2 was authorized for use by police forces in England and Wales.

This decision adopts the recommendations of the David Shaw review into police use of force; Rudd said officers will have to record the location and outcome of all connected energy device usage, along with the ethnicity and age of those involved, with the first set of data being published locally by forces this summer. She said the new rules allow increased safeguards and transparency required for the introduction of the new Taser X2; all police use of force, including physical restraint, will be captured in the new statistical publications to be collected from April 1 and published by forces from July onward.

"We ask the police to put themselves in harm's way to defend us, and the use of force is a vital part of their powers," Rudd said. "But when the police take the difficult decision to deploy force, it is also vital that the people they serve can scrutinize it. These new rules will introduce unprecedented transparency to this important subject and reinforce the proud British model of policing by consent."

The government said in 2014, then-Home Secretary Theresa May asked Chief Constable David Shaw, former National Police Lead for Conflict Management, to lead a review into what data should be recorded and published. Work has been done by police forces to implement the new data collection system recommended by the review by April 1, 2017. Departments will publish the information locally on a quarterly basis and provide an annual summary of the key information collected to the Home Office as part of the Annual Data Requirement for 2017/18.
"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is brought to you by Miller Brewing Company, calling Milwaukee home since 1855. For the entire month of March, we're serving up fun articles on bars, clubs and beverages  including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

Chicago wine and food writer Tom Hyland celebrates the cuisine of Italy's Piemonte region in "The Wines and Foods of Piemonte." On Saturday, March 11, Ristorante Bartolotta fetes the book with a special lunch featuring Piemontese food and wine pairings.

This is a region that's close to my heart  it's where some of my great-grandparents emigrated from when they came to America  and so I'm always eager to see it get some much-deserved attention.

Though most foodies know Barolo and Barbaresco, the food of Piemonte  hearty and rich  has a lower profile here. Hyland's book is wine-heavy, which comes as no surprise, but also includes interviews with chefs from this northwestern region of Italy, helping to open the door to folks who want to learn more about the culinary delights of Piemonte.

In advance of the lunch at Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa on Saturday, from noon until 2:30 p.m., we caught up with Hyland to ask him about his book and his passion for Piedmont.

Admission to the four-course lunch, with three wine pairings, is $85 and includes a copy of Hyland's "The Wines and Foods of Piemonte," which sells for $40.

OnMilwaukee: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get into writing about food and wine?

Tom Hyland: I had more than 15 years experience in the wine business, in retail and wholesale. I was tired of that, but wanted to continue in the industry and expand my knowledge, so I started to travel and write.

Of all the interesting and delicious places in the world, how did you discover Piemonte?

Enough trips there convinced me of the greatness of the wines as well as the beauty of the land. It was a region that was not as well publicized as other Italian regions, especially Tuscany, so that immediately drew me there.

What especially captivated you about the region?

The variety of the wines  red and white, the quality of the wines, and the fact that these are second, third and fourth generation farmers growing the grapes and producing the wines.

Why don't more Americans know about this region, especially considering what a paradise it is for food and wine?

Simple, not enough people travel there. Everyone goes to Rome or Venice or Florence.

If someone wanted to visit for the first time, what places and foods should they be sure not to miss?

I wouldn't name one or two things. I'd say to make sure they eat in a local trattoria or osteria to truly appreciate the excellence and value of the local cuisine and wines.

Surely, there are other regions in Italy with low profiles here but with serious eats. Any advice for the curious?

Umbria has a superb cuisine, but doesn't get the attention is deserves. Friuli is great, especially if you love seafood.

What can folks expect at your event here at Ristorante Bartolotta? Will you give a presentation, what's on the menu, etc.

An honest lunch with Piemonte cuisine and representative Piemonte wines. I think those attending will get a good understanding of how these wines and foods work together.

The menu

Here is the complete menu and pairings, as provided by Ristorante Bartolotta:

Vitello tonnato: Classic Piemontese veal carpaccio with tuna sauce

Nervi Bianco, Erbaluce di Caluso

Agnolotti di fonduta di fontina al sugo darrosto: traditional Piemontese pasta filled with fontina cheese fondue served with roasting meat jus

Michele Chiarlo, Barbera d'Asti "Le Orme"

Spezzatino al Barolo: beef stew braised in Barolo wine on soft polenta

Guidobono, Barolo "Le Coste di Monforte"

Semifreddo alle nocciole Piemontese IGP: Semifrozen Piemontese hazelnut mousse

Tickets

Tickets to the lunch can be purchased here.
It looks like the President will have the opportunity to order up a well-done Wisconsin steak, near his new home, beginning this fall.

Noble Chef Hospitality, owners of Wisconsins Rare Steakhouse, signed a lease with the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) in January and is planning the opening of a new Washington, D.C. location in September.

The steakhouse, which will be located just blocks from the White House, will occupy 9,500 square feet in the recently expanded historic building at 1595 Eye St. NW. Unlike Rare locations in Wisconsin, the D.C. venue will feature a 163-seat upscale tavern on the first floor with a 174-seat dining room on the second floor.

It will also operate and provide catering services for a new private event space on the ninth floor of the building, which features picturesque views of Lafayette Square and the White House.

"We are very excited and honored to have been selected by LiUNA." said Jack Sosnowski, president and CEO of Noble Chef Hospitality, in a press release. "We look forward to bringing our flagship brand to the Nations Capital. We are confident that Rare Steakhouse will become a new destination for residents and visitors alike in the greater DC Metro area."

In keeping with its other locations, Rare D.C. will offer USDA Prime, dry-aged steaks, an extensive wine list and an emphasis on service. Steaks  including a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye, 24-ounce porterhouse, 24-ounce tomahawk chop and 28-ounce double bone-in filet  will be seared in a custom-built 1,800-degree Montague infrared broiler.

Washingtonians will also enjoy many Wisconsin-sourced specialty items on the menu, including Strauss Family Farms free-range veal and grass-fed beef; cheeses from the 100-year-old Carr Valley Cheese Company; world famous Nueskes smoked bacon from Wittenberg, Wisconsin and sodas from Sprecher Brewing, made in-state with local honey.

"We are excited to help bring a taste of Wisconsin to Washington," said Terry OSullivan, President of LiUNA. "When we decided to include space for a restaurant build-out in the renovation of our historic building, we knew the concept had to be special and reflect the highest levels of service and quality, both of which come with the Rare Steakhouse brand.

"While they may be the newest entry into the Washington restaurant scene, we are confident they will quickly become a go-to downtown destination."
Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas proudly presents the ultimate of local and traditional cuisine Jewel of Phukets Cuisine prepared by Chef Anurak Kannittharat at Bubbles restaurant every day.

Enjoy an authentic set menu of Phuket cuisine which combines original local dishes such as Yum Hua Plee, Goong Thod, Mee Hoon Gaeng Poo, Pla Yang Ka Min, Moo Hong, Phad Pak Mieang, Khao Hom Mali and a popular Phuket dessert, O-Aew. We use all ingredients that could be found in Phuket fresh market and seafood from the Andaman sea.

The highlight of this set menu is not only its innovative use of great and fresh flavours but it will be well received by local residents who are always welcome at Bubles Restaurant, Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas. Price is THB 1,200 per couple (price is inclusive of tax and service charge). We recommend you to make a reservation 3 hours in advance.

For more information or reservation, please call +66 76 231 999 or email h8109@accor.com and GrandMercurePhuketPatong.com
Argonne postdoctoral researcher Ed Barry wrings out a sheet of Oleo Sponge during tests at Argonne. Credit: Mark Lopez/Argonne National Laboratory

When the Deepwater Horizon drilling pipe blew out seven years ago, beginning the worst oil spill in U.S. history, those in charge of the recovery discovered a new wrinkle: the millions of gallons of oil bubbling from the sea floor weren't all collecting on the surface where it could be skimmed or burned. Some of it was forming a plume and drifting through the ocean under the surface.

Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have invented a new foam, called Oleo Sponge, that addresses this problem. The material not only easily adsorbs oil from water, but is also reusable and can pull dispersed oil from the entire water columnnot just the surface.

"The Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials and a fellow of the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering.

We already have a library of molecules that can grab oil, but the problem is how to get them into a useful structure and bind them there permanently.

The scientists started out with common polyurethane foam, used in everything from furniture cushions to home insulation. This foam has lots of nooks and crannies, like an English muffin, which could provide ample surface area to grab oil; but they needed to give the foam a new surface chemistry in order to firmly attach the oil-loving molecules.

Previously, Darling and fellow Argonne chemist Jeff Elam had developed a technique called sequential infiltration synthesis, or SIS, which can be used to infuse hard metal oxide atoms within complicated nanostructures.

Credit: Argonne National Laboratory

After some trial and error, they found a way to adapt the technique to grow an extremely thin layer of metal oxide "primer" near the foam's interior surfaces. This serves as the perfect glue for attaching the oil-loving molecules, which are deposited in a second step; they hold onto the metal oxide layer with one end and reach out to grab oil molecules with the other.

The result is Oleo Sponge, a block of foam that easily adsorbs oil from the water. The material, which looks a bit like an outdoor seat cushion, can be wrung out to be reusedand the oil itself recovered.

At tests at a giant seawater tank in New Jersey called Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, the Oleo Sponge successfully collected diesel and crude oil from both below and on the water surface.

"The material is extremely sturdy. We've run dozens to hundreds of tests, wringing it out each time, and we have yet to see it break down at all," Darling said.

Oleo Sponge could potentially also be used routinely to clean harbors and ports, where diesel and oil tend to accumulate from ship traffic, said John Harvey, a business development executive with Argonne's Technology Development and Commercialization division.

Elam, Darling and the rest of the team are continuing to develop the technology.

"The technique offers enormous flexibility, and can be adapted to other types of cleanup besides oil in seawater. You could attach a different molecule to grab any specific substance you need," Elam said.
Life male holotype of Pristimantis attenboroughi. Credit: Dr. Edgar Lehr

While there are already a number of species named after famous British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, including mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants, both extinct and extant, not until now has the host of the BBC Natural History's Life series been honoured with an amphibian.

A new fleshbelly frog, recently discovered in the Peruvian Andes, is formally described as Pristimantis attenboroughi, while commonly it is to be referred to as the Attenborough's Rubber Frog. The new species is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Scientists Dr. Edgar Lehr, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Dr. Rudolf von May, University of Michigan, spent two years (2012-2014) surveying montane forests in central Peru, in order to document the local amphibians and reptiles, and evaluate their conservation statuses. Their efforts have been rewarded with several new species of frogs and a new spectacled lizard.

Each of these discoveries, including the Attenborough's Rubber Frog, prove how beneficial it is to take into account both morphological and the genetic data, while looking for species new to science. For example, the authors report that when they spotted the P. attenboroughi frog for the first time, both of them were sure that they had found a species of another genus.

The Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located at elevations between 3400 and 3936 m a.s.l. in central Peru. The adult males reach size of 14.6-19.2 mm in length, while the females are larger measuring between 19.2 and 23.0 mm. Their ground colour ranges from pale to dark gray, or reddish brown to brownish olive with dark gray scattered flecks. Meanwhile, the juveniles are paler (yellowish to reddish brown) with contrasting dark brown flecks and distinct stripes.

Female Attenborough's Rubber Frog (Pristimantis attenboroughi) guarding eggs in a moss pad. Credit: Dr. Edgar Lehr

Due to the amphibian being known from fewer than ten localities, spread across less than 20,000 km2, the species should be deemed either Vulnerable or Endangered, according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. However, the authors suggest that the Attenborough's Rubber frog should be listed as Near Threatened instead, since the Piu Piu forest is formally protected and still largely unknown, so it is likely that there are more additional populations of the new species. On the other hand, factors such as fungal infections, climate change, pollution, and man-made fires continue to be threats for many Andean amphibians even inside protected areas.

"We dedicate this species to Sir David Frederick Attenborough in honor for his educational documentaries on wildlife, especially on amphibians (e.g., Life in Cold Blood, Fabulous Frogs), and for raising awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation," explain the authors.

In the present study, the scientists note that there are more terrestrial-breeding frogs from the surveyed montane forests that will be described in the near future.

Among the numerous namesakes of Sir David Attenborough to date, there are a rare genus of beautiful flowering plants, a rare butterfly species, commonly known as the Attenborough's black-eyed satyr, a flightless weevil species, as well as a number of extinct species.

Type locality of Pristimantis attenboroughi in the upper Tarhuish valley at Laguna Udrecocha, Puna at 3,936 m a.s.l. Credit: Dr. Edgar Lehr

More information: Lehr E, von May R (2017) A new species of terrestrial-breeding frog (Amphibia, Craugastoridae, Pristimantis) from high elevations of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru. ZooKeys 660: 17-42. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.660.11394 Journal information: ZooKeys
CC0 Public Domain

From compasses used in ancient overseas navigation to electrical motors, sensors, and actuators in cars, magnetic materials have been a mainstay throughout human history. In addition, almost all information that exists in contemporary society is recorded in magnetic media, like hard drive disks.

A team of researchers at the Brazilian Center for Physics Research is studying the motion of vortex domain wallslocal regions of charge that collectively store information via their configurationdriven by magnetic fields in ferromagnetic nanowires, which are configured in a straight line with an asymmetric Y-like branch. They discuss their work in this week's Journal of Applied Physics.

The question posed by the group was: What happens to the vortex wall when it meets the branch? Does it changes it direction or not, or could it be split in two walls?

"To make a simplistic parallel, if we imagine that the vortex wall is a tornado and the tornado is running on a straight road and encounters a cross-road, what happens next; can it split into two tornados?" said Luiz Sampaio, a researcher at the Brazilian Center for Physics Research in Rio De Janeiro.

Generally speaking, magnetic fields can be used to change the magnetization of a magnetic material, much like a bar magnet can magnetize an otherwise nonmagnetic sewing needle, and can even reverse its magnetization completely in some cases.

The process involved in magnetization reversal sometimes exhibits the nucleation and movement of these domain walls, which constitute the transition between two regions of charge magnetized in different directions. Domain wall motion has been widely explored in ferromagnetic nanowires due to their high potential for applications in spintronic devices, those that use the quantum spin properties of electrons.

The control and manipulation of these domain walls is crucial for successful realizing magnetic memory, logic and sensors devices. By modifying the nanowire geometry, scientists hope to acquire a higher control of the domain wall motion and set a route towards achieving reliability in switching magnetization in ferromagnetic nanowires. The team devised a study using two steps.

"First, we fabricated samples using electron-beam lithography, magnetron sputtering and lift-off techniques," said Sampaio. After the nanometer-scale fabrication, they then measured the switching magnetization behavior mediated by the domain wall propagation.

The second step was to carry out micromagnetic simulations to guide and interpret the experimental results. "These two tools allowed us to study in detail the processes of vortex domain walls at the branch entrance," he said.

Moving forward, the team wants to understand whether the angle between the nanowire and branch can increase the asymmetric behavior at the branch entrance. This would increase the likelihood of observing only one type of vortex domain wall, clockwise or counterclockwise. This will require varying the nanowire angles with the branch to select the vortex chirality.

Understanding the dynamical aspects of vortex domain walls opens a route to better control of their motion and trajectory. This may be important for producing logic gates, which can be based on the domain wall motion in line with such branches. The magnetization in the branches can be oriented in two different directions along the nanowire axis, where each direction would serve as the "0" and "1" necessary for data storage and processing.

"To provide the reliability needed for these applications, a higher degree of control in the magnetization switching is required, but to enhance the efficiency of the processes involved in the magnetization switching, the vortex domain wall seems to be a promising candidate," said Sampaio.

More information: "Trajectory and chirality of vortex domain walls in ferromagnetic nanowires with an asymmetric Y-branch," Jeovani Brandao, Alexandre M. Silva, F. Garcia, Luiz C. Sampaio. Journal of Applied Physics March 7, 2017. DOI: 10.1063/1.4976967 Journal information: Journal of Applied Physics
The new minerals were found in a tiny fragment of the Khatyrka meteorite, seen here in a backscattered electron image. Credit: Chi Ma/Caltech

Researchers led by mineralogist Chi Ma have identified three new minerals in a tiny sample of the Khatyrka meteorite. The meteorite, recovered in pieces from the Koryak Mountains in eastern Russia in 1979 and 2011, made news in recent years for containing the first three natural quasicrystals ever found. (A quasicrystal is a phase of solid matter with symmetries previously thought to be impossible).

Ma, the director of the Geological and Planetary Sciences division's Analytical Facility at Caltech, and his colleagues have discovered 35 new minerals to date, including 32 in meteorite samples. Out of more than 5,000 known minerals approved and cataloged by the International Mineralogical Association, which confirms new minerals, about 430 are from meteoritesmeaning that Ma can be credited with discovering roughly 7 percent of the minerals sourced from meteorites.

The new mineralsdubbed "stolperite" (after Edward Stolper, the William E. Leonhard Professor of Geology and Caltech's provost); "hollisterite," in honor of Princeton geologist Lincoln Hollister (PhD '66); and kryachkoite, for Valery Kryachko, who discovered the original samples of the Khatyrka meteorite in 1979contribute to the nascent field of nanominerology, the study of rock samples at nanoscales.

Nanomineralogy usually uses a technique called high-resolution analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in which a beam of high-energy electrons is focused onto a polished sample's surface. Various emitted signals, produced from the interaction of the electrons and atoms in a sample, allow scientists to observe the mineral down to a 1-nanometer resolution and to analyze its chemical composition and crystal structure at a submicrometer scale.

The newly dubbed stolperiteso named in recognition of Stolper's "many fundamental contributions to petrology and meteorite research, and support for natural quasicrystal research," Ma saysis an alloy of metallic aluminum and copper (chemical formula: AlCu). Structurally, stolperite is arranged in a cubic form, with each copper atom at the center of a cube with aluminum atoms at all eight corners (and, likewise, each aluminum atom sits at the center of a cube of eight copper atoms).

"Normally we don't observe such aluminum-rich metal in space rocks because the aluminum would have reacted to form aluminum oxide," Ma says. This means that the likelihood of finding other stolperite samples is low. In fact, the Khatyrka meteorite is the only meteorite ever found that contains metallic aluminum; the meteorite fragment hosting the trio of new minerals is now in the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, which maintains a catalog of more than 600,000 specimens.

The three new minerals and names have been confirmed by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association, which was established in 1959. To name a new mineral, a researcher must demonstrate that its chemical composition and crystal structure make it unique. A few months ago, Ma also had a mineral named in his honor, an aluminum-titanium-oxide mineral (Al2Ti3O9) called machiite by Sasha Krot at the University of Hawaii, was also found in a meteorite. This one formed by condensation in the solar nebula, making it one of the oldest solids to have formed in the solar system.

More information: Chi Ma et al. Hollisterite (AlFe), kryachkoite (Al,Cu)(Fe,Cu), and stolperite (AlCu): Three new minerals from the Khatyrka CV3 carbonaceous chondrite, American Mineralogist (2017). DOI: 10.2138/am-2017-5991
New research shows that electrons passing through a narrow constriction in a piece of metal can move much faster than expected, and that they move faster if there are more of them  a seemingly paradoxical result. In this illustration, the orange surface represents the potential energy needed to get an electron moving, and the valley at center represents the constricted portion. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A new finding by physicists at MIT and in Israel shows that under certain specialized conditions, electrons can speed through a narrow opening in a piece of metal more easily than traditional theory says is possible.

This "superballistic" flow resembles the behavior of gases flowing through a constricted opening, however it takes place in a quantum-mechanical electron fluid, says MIT physics professor Leonid Levitov, who is the senior author of a paper describing the finding that appears this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In these constricted passageways, whether for gases passing through a tube or electrons moving through a section of metal that narrows to a point, it turns out that the more, the merrier: Big bunches of gas molecules, or big bunches of electrons, move faster than smaller numbers passing through the same bottleneck.

The behavior seems paradoxical. It's as though a mob of people trying to squeeze through a doorway all at once find that they can get through faster than one person going through alone and unobstructed. But scientists have known for nearly a century that this is exactly what happens with gases passing through a tiny opening, and the behavior can be explained through simple, basic physics, Levitov says.

In a passageway of a given size, if there are few gas molecules, they can travel unimpeded in straight lines. This means if they are moving at random, most of them will quickly hit the wall and bounce off, losing some of their energy to the wall in the process and thus slowing down every time they hit. But with a bigger batch of molecules, most of them will bump into other molecules more often than they will hit the walls. Collisions with other molecules are "lossless," since the total energy of the two particles that collide is preserved, and no overall slowdown occurs. "Molecules in a gas can achieve through 'cooperation' what they cannot accomplish individually," he says.

As the density of molecules in a passageway goes up, he explains, "You reach a point where the hydrodynamic pressure you need to push the gas through goes down, even though the particle density goes up." In short, strange as it might seem, the crowding makes the molecules speed up.

A similar phenomenon, the researchers now report, governs the behavior of electrons when they are hurtling through a narrow piece of metal, where they move in a fluid-like flow.

The result is that, through a sufficiently narrow, point-like constriction in a metal, electrons can flow at a rate that exceeds what had been considered a fundamental limit, known as Landauer's ballistic limit. Because of this, the team has dubbed the new effect "superballistic" flow. This represents a great drop in the electrical resistance of the metalthough it is much less of a drop than what would be required to produce the zero resistance in superconducting metals. However, unlike superconductivity, which requires extremely low temperatures, the new phenomenon may take place even at room temperature and thus may be far easier to implement for applications in electronic devices.

In fact, the phenomenon actually increases as the temperature rises. In contrast to superconductivity, Levitov says, superballistic flow "is assisted by temperature, rather than hindered by it."

Through this mechanism, Levitov says, "we can overcome this boundary that everyone thought was a fundamental limit on how high the conductance could be. We've shown that one can do better than that."

He says that though this particular paper is purely theoretical, other teams have already proved its basic predictions experimentally. While the speedup observed in flowing gases in the analogous case can achieve a tenfold or greater speedup, it remains to be seen whether improvements of that magnitude can be achieved for electrical conductance. But even modest reductions in resistance in some electronic circuits could be a significant improvement, he says.

"This work is careful, elegant, and surprisingall the hallmarks of very high-quality research," says David Goldhaber-Gordon, a professor of physics at Stanford University who was not involved in this research. "In science, I feel phenomena that confound our intuitions are always useful in stretching our sense of what is possible. Here, the idea that more electrons can fit through an aperture if the electrons deflect each other rather than traveling freely and independently is quite counterintuitive, in fact the opposite of what we're used to. It's especially intriguing that Levitov and co-workers find that the conductance in such systems follows such a simple rule."

While this work was theoretical, Goldhaber-Gordon adds, "Testing Levitov's simple and striking predictions experimentally will be really exciting and plausible to achieve in graphene.  Researchers have imagined building new types of electronic switches based on ballistic electron flow. Levitov's theoretical insights, if validated experimentally, would be highly relevant to this idea: Superballistic flow could allow these switches to perform better than expected (or could show that they won't work as hoped)."

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
Researchers investigated Tulasnella calospora as both a free-living mycelium and in symbiosis with the photosynthetic orchid long-lipped serapias. Credit: Ziegler175, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Orchids are an example of an experimentally tractable plant that is highly dependent on its relationship with its mycorrhizal fungal partners for nutrient supply. In this recent study, researchers for the first time identified some genetic determinants potentially involved in nitrogen uptake and transfer in orchid mycorrhizas.

This study provides a model system amenable to experimental manipulation, for plant-fungi nutrient exchanges on a symbiotic level and offers insights into how host plants benefit from the mutualistic relationships formed with soil fungi which can expand their habitat range. Understanding these vital relationships may shed light on microbial symbioses applicable to growing bioenergy feedstock plants.

Orchids, like the majority of terrestrial plants, form symbiotic relationships between their plant roots and soil fungi, known as mycorrhizal association. However, unlike other terrestrial plants, orchids rely on their mycorrhizal fungal partners for nutrient supply during the feed germination and development stages. Following this stage, most orchid species develop leaves and are capable of self-nourishment whereas some species continue to rely on their fungal partners for an organic carbon supply. In this study, published in the January 2017 issue of New Phytologist, a team led by University of Turin researchers investigated the orchid mycorrhizal fungus Tulasnella calospora as both a free-living mycelium and in symbiosis with the photosynthetic orchid long-lipped serapias, or Serapias vomeracea. For the first time, researchers looked at the fungal genes that may have been involved in both the uptake and transfer of nitrogen to the host plant. RNA sequencing for the project was performed at the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, as part of the 2013 Community Science Program portfolio.

The team also used the DOE JGI fungal genome database MycoCosm to identify fungal genes coding for proteins that were involved in nitrogen uptake and transfer. They found that the Tulasnella calospora genome has two genes coding for ammonium transporters and several genes coding for amino acid transporters, proteins that play roles in the nitrogen nutrient pathway. Overall, the orchid mycorrhizal fungi's use of nitrogen may broaden the habitat ranges of orchids, allowing them to grow in a variety of soil types. Of more general interest to the DOE, this study provides important insights for this process, and furthers understanding of plant-microbial symbioses that are vital for plant health and may inform understanding of microbial symbioses relevant to bioenergy feedstock plants.

More information: Valeria Fochi et al. Fungal and plant gene expression in the-symbiosis provides clues about nitrogen pathways in orchid mycorrhizas, New Phytologist (2017). DOI: 10.1111/nph.14279 Journal information: New Phytologist
Lead author, Phil Sibson in the lab. Credit: University of Bristol

Scrambled and indecipherable messages are the back bone of the internet as we know it.

Complex cryptography protects our bank accounts and identities from fraud, allowing us to safely buy and sell online without ever leaving the comfort of our living rooms.

But the potential introduction of ultra-powerful quantum computers renders our personal information vulnerable to direct attack.

Now researchers at the University of Bristol's Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QETLabs) have developed tiny microchip circuits which exploit the strange world of quantum mechanics and provide a level of security enhanced by the laws of quantum physics.

These devices distribute cryptographic keys using the quantum properties of entanglement, superposition and the absolute randomness provided by quantum behaviour, which is reproducible by no other means.

Principal investigator Professor Mark Thompson said: "The system we have developed allows information to be exchanged using single photons of light in a quantum state.

"If an eavesdropper hacks your transmission, they will collapse the fragile quantum states and the system will immediately alert you to their presence and terminate the transmission."

Silicon render - Quantum Key Distribution between silicon chips. Credit: University of Bristol

This work, published in the February issue of Nature Communications, has demonstrated the world's first chip-to-chip quantum secured communication system, using microchip circuits just a few millimetres in size.

This international collaboration, including researchers from Bristol, Glasgow and NiCT in Japan, used commercial semiconductor chip manufacturers to make their devices - in much the same way as Intel pattern silicon to make the latest central processing units (CPUs).

However, instead of using electricity these miniaturised devices used light to encode information at the single photon level, providing encryption keys with an unlimited lifetime.

Lead author Philip Sibson, added: "Our research opens the way to many applications that have, until now, been infeasible.

"The technology is miniaturised for handheld devices, has enhanced functionality for telecommunications networks, and employs cost-effective manufacturing to feasibly deploy quantum key distribution technology in the home."

The Bristol team has continued developing this technology, demonstrating an innovative design that allows the same functionality in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible process, appearing in the February issue of Optica.

Chip based render - Indium Phosphide QKD transmitter. Credit: University of Bristol

While the first devices used a more expensive and complex manufacturing approach, these next generation devices are fabricated in standard silicon, paving the way for direct integration with microelectronic circuits.

This will ultimately lead to integration in every day electrical devices, such as laptops and mobile phones.

Dr Chris Erven explained: "As part of the UK Quantum Communications Hub, we are in the process of deploying these devices throughout the heart of the Bristol City fibre-optic network, allowing us to test out these ultra-secure communications systems in real-world scenarios."
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University are working to engineer single-cell organisms that will seek out and eat bacteria that are deadly to humans.

Their work combines the fields of biology and engineering in an emerging discipline known as synthetic biology.

Although the work is still in its infancy, the researchers' engineered amoeba cells could be unleashed one day in hospitals to kill Legionella, the bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease, a type of pneumonia; or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria associated with various infections and other life-threatening medical conditions in hospital patients.

Because amoeba are able to travel on their own over surfaces, the engineered cells also could be used to clean soil of bacterial contaminants, or even destroy microbes living on medical instruments. If the scientists are successful at making the cells perform tasks, it also could have important implications for research into cancer and other diseases.

"We're using this as a test bed for determining do we understand how cells work to the point where we can engineer them to perform certain tasks," said Douglas N. Robinson, a professor of cell biology and a member of the Hopkins team. "It's an opportunity to demonstrate that we understand what we think we understand. I think it's an opportunity to push what we're doing scientifically to another level."

The five-member team's work began in October after it received a four-year, $5.7 million federal contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA.

Douglas said they want the engineered cells to respond to dangerous bacteria the way a human might respond to the smell of a freshly baked plate of cookies - to immediately crave a cookie, walk into the kitchen and eat some.

Engineering cells to perform such tasks remains a work in progress.

"In practice it hasn't gone terribly well," said Pablo A. Iglesias, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a member of the Hopkins team. "People manage to do things but it takes huge amounts of effort and it's more or less random. There has to be a lot of iterations before it works."

David Odde, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota, hailed the research as exciting, especially since antibiotic resistance is on the rise. He said the team would face many challenges.

"I think getting the cells to sense the bacteria robustly might be a challenge, and I'm sure they're aware of that," he said. "The cells have to sense something that the immune system has failed to sense."

The research could lead to new discoveries beyond what the team is focusing on, Odde said. They could learn more about how amoeba sense the bacteria and how that signals to them that they should move forward and eat, he said.

"How does the signaling inform the eating parts?" he said. "They might make new discoveries about how these cross systems talk to each other which will be really valuable for this project and many other projects."

The amoeba they are using, Dictyostelium discoideum, is commonly found in damp soil and naturally eats bacteria after sensing the biochemical scent of it. Since the amoeba eats bacteria, the researchers must program it to go after the kind of bacteria that they want it to eat, instead of other types of bacteria.

Robinson, the cell biology professor, will study how the amoeba's "legs" power movement. Peter Devreotes, another cell biology professor on the team, will study what happens in the amoeba's "brain" once it senses the bacteria nearby. Iglesias, a computational biologist, has expertise in control systems, once designing airplane controllers, and he will help design the biological controller used to steer the amoeba in the right direction.

The other two team members, Tamara O'Connor, an assistant professor in the Hopkins department of biological chemistry, and Takanari Inoue, an associate professor of cell biology, will try to ensure the amoeba go after the right bacteria and link the amoeba's "brain" and "legs."

Andre Levchenko, a professor of biomedical engineering at Yale University, said it might take a lot to "foolproof" the mechanism and that unexpected problems may arise, such as mutations in the cells.

"What would be interesting to see is how stable their new engineered organisms are. With anything that is alive and adaptable and dynamic, it's always a concern when you engineer it," Levchenko said. "I've been very impressed with this particular proposal. It's risky, but it does have a lot of elements that make me think it'll be very successful."

Dennis Discher, director of the National Cancer Institute's Physical Sciences Oncology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said "the time is right" for this type of research.

"It's intriguing to not just think about cells in your body, but amoeba that usually are sort of good for nothing except basic biological science and repurpose them for other uses," he said.

Robinson said it may be hard to get the amoeba to move properly toward the bacteria they want it to eat because the controller could cause it to overshoot and end up too far away.

Iglesias said that under the contract with DARPA, the team will have to meet benchmarks every six months. The first benchmark was to prove that the amoeba's controller can be inserted successfully, which Iglesias said they have done.

The task was difficult because the amoeba are the size of a micron, or about one-tenth of the width of a human hair. They can also move fairly quickly, Iglesias said.

DARPA "wants you to think big and do something big, and I think in that respect it's pretty exciting," Iglesias said.

2017 The Baltimore Sun

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, pictured in September 2016

The lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water has declined to its lowest level in a hundred years, an Israeli official said Tuesday.

The Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake, has suffered from four consecutive years of rain shortages, Amir Givati of Israel's Water Authority told military radio.

"The situation is serious," he said. "The lake has fallen to its lowest level for a century."

The level is 20 centimetres below what experts consider acceptable, the so-called "red line," he added.

The "regional drought affects the whole of the Middle East," Givati added.

The shortage of rainfall is affecting agriculture, the environment and animal life in the nearby area, he added.

The rest of Israel is spared from shortages thanks to five seawater desalination plants built along the Mediterranean coast.

They pump water through a pipeline system to homes throughout the country except for an area in northern Israel that is supposed to be supplied by the Sea of Galilee.

"A project to supply this entire part of northern Israel is under consideration. It is a challenge for the years to come," Givati added.

Three-quarters of the drinking water consumed by Israeli households comes from these desalination plants.

The Sea of Galilee covers roughly 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and is located 200 metres (656 feet) below sea level.

It is also an important Christian and Jewish pilgrimage site.

Christians believe the lake to be the site of a number of Jesus's miracles, including walking on water.

 2017 AFP
High costs of production and labor, combined with high rates of technological change, often cause manufacturers in developed countries to take their production offshore to lower-cost sources.

Dr. Kathryn Stecke, Ashbel Smith Professor of operations management, recently studied a production system called seru that is used by the electronics industry that creates an exception to this trend.

The study, published online in the Journal of Operations Management, describes seru as a cellular assembly approach. The system, used by companies including Canon and Sony, appears to offer promise for manufacturing in dynamic, high-cost markets, Stecke said.

"Seru is like going back to trade manufacturing, before Henry Ford's assembly line innovation. A focus is on extremely highly trained workers, emphasizing both speed and quality," said Stecke, who teaches operations management and flexible manufacturing strategies in the Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas.

This type of cellular manufacturing is distinguished by the ability to configure the cells quickly and its use of the cells for assembly, packaging and testing rather than only fabrication.

Seru uses highly skilled and flexible workers to achieve the responsiveness required by the changes in demand and the fast development of an innovative product. Its strategy also prioritizes responsiveness over cost reduction.

The study analyzed Canon's and Sony's histories, the factors that led to the development of seru systems and their successful implementations.

The researchers conducted studies of nine sites of Sony and Canon, interviewed managers at both companies, participated in industrial seminars and meetings, and reviewed company documents and handbooks, as well as published research.

Seru is not new, Stecke said. A 1992 Wall Street Journal article discusses the system, but most of the world outside of Japan has not been aware of this electronics assembly innovation.

"Many companies in Japan, mostly electronics, have applied seru to improve productivity, quality, efficiency and flexibility," Stecke said. "Seru is an example of production remaining competitive in a high-cost environment."

For example, the production of Sony's PlayStation 2 console was moved from an assembly line of 19 workers in a 700-square-foot space to a set of serus staffed by 10 workers in a 484-square-foot space. The total cost of production was reduced, and PlayStation 2 volume increased 200 percent.

The study found that competitiveness and productivity increase when the focus is on using precisely the resources needed to respond to actual customer demand.

"Although seru mostly has been used in electronics, its use can be expanded to other appropriate industries in the future," Stecke said. "Non-electronics companies currently using seru production systems include Denso (machining) and Yamasaki (motorcycle assembly)."

More information: Yong Yin et al. Lessons from seru production on manufacturing competitively in a high cost environment, Journal of Operations Management (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.jom.2017.01.003
A study led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory subjected tungsten to low energies, akin to normal operations of a fusion reactor (left), and high energies emulating plasma disruptions (right). The study provides new knowledge needed to design robust fusion materials. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Dept. of Energy

A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gascalled plasmaburns, that heat is transferred to water to make steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. The superheated plasma poses a constant threat to the reactor wall and the divertor (which removes waste from the operating reactor to keep the plasma hot enough to burn).

"We're trying to determine the fundamental behavior of plasma-facing materials with the goal of better understanding degradation mechanisms so we can engineer robust, new materials," said materials scientist Chad Parish of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is senior author of a study in the journal Scientific Reports that explored degradation of tungsten under reactor-relevant conditions.

Because tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, it is a candidate for plasma-facing materials. Owing to its brittleness, however, a commercial power plant would more likely be made of a tungsten alloy or composite. Regardless, learning about how energetic atomic bombardment affects tungsten microscopically helps engineers improve nuclear materials.

"Inside a fusion power plant is the most brutal environment engineers have ever been asked to design materials for," Parish said. "It's worse than the interior of a jet engine."

Researchers are studying the interaction of plasma and machine components to make materials that are more than a match for such harsh operating conditions. Materials reliability is a key issue with current and new nuclear technologies that has a significant impact on construction and operating costs of power plants. So it is critical to engineer materials for hardiness over long lifecycles.

For the current study, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, bombarded tungsten with helium plasma at low energy mimicking a fusion reactor under normal conditions. Meanwhile, researchers at ORNL used the Multicharged Ion Research Facility to assault tungsten with high-energy helium ions emulating rare conditions, such as a plasma disruption that might deposit an abnormally large amount of energy.

Using transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron nanocrystallography, the scientists characterized the evolution of bubbles in the tungsten crystal and the shape and the growth of structures called "tendrils" under low- and high-energy conditions. They sent the samples to a firm called AppFive for precession electron diffraction, an advanced electron crystallography technique, to infer growth mechanisms under different conditions.

For a few years scientists have known that tungsten responds to plasma by forming crystalline tendrils on the scale of billionths of a meter, or nanometersa tiny lawn of sorts. The current study discovered that tendrils produced by lower-energy bombardment were slower-growing, finer and smootherforming a denser carpet of fuzzthan those created by higher-energy assault.

In metals, atoms assume an orderly structural arrangement with defined spaces between them. If an atom is displaced, an empty site, or "vacancy," remains. If radiation, like a billiard ball, knocks an atom off of its site and leaves a vacancy, that atom has to go somewhere. It crams itself between other atoms in the crystal, becoming an interstitial.

Normal fusion-reactor operation exposes the divertor to a high flux of very-low-energy helium atoms. "A helium ion is not hitting hard enough to do the billiard ball collision, so it has to sneak into the lattice to start forming bubbles or other defects," Parish explained.

Theorists like Brian Wirth, a UT-ORNL Governor's Chair, have modeled the system and believe the material that gets displaced from the lattice when bubbles form becomes the building blocks of tendrils. Helium atoms wander around the lattice randomly, Parish said. They bump into other heliums and join forces. Eventually the cluster is big enough to knock a tungsten atom off its site.

"Every time the bubble grows it pushes a couple more tungsten atoms off of their sites, and they have to go somewhere. They're going to be attracted to the surface," Parish said. "That, we believe, is the mechanism by which this nanofuzz forms."

Computational scientists run simulations on supercomputers to study materials at their atomic level, or nanometer size and nanosecond time scales. Engineers explore how materials embrittle, crack, and otherwise behave after long exposure to plasma, on centimeter length and hour time scales. "But there was little science in between," said Parish, whose experiment filled this knowledge gap to study the first signs of material degradation and the early stages of nanotendril growth.

So is fuzz good or bad? "Fuzz is likely to have both detrimental and beneficial properties, but until we know more about it, we can't engineer materials to try to eliminate the bad while accentuating the good," Parish said. On the plus side, fuzzy tungsten might take heat loads that would crack bulk tungsten, and erosion is 10 times less in fuzzy than bulk tungsten. On the minus side, nanotendrils can break off, forming a dust that can cool plasma. The scientists' next goal is to learn how the material evolves and how easy it is to break the nanotendrils away from the surface.

The ORNL partners published recent scanning electron microscopy experiments that illuminate tungsten behavior. One study showed tendril growth did not proceed in any preferred orientation. Another investigation revealed that the response of plasma-facing tungsten to helium atom flux evolved from nanofuzz only (at low flux) to nanofuzz plus bubbles (at high flux).

The title of the current paper is "Morphologies of tungsten nanotendrils grown under helium exposure."

More information: Kun Wang et al, Morphologies of tungsten nanotendrils grown under helium exposure, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep42315 Journal information: Scientific Reports
Credit: WWF

This World Wildlife Day, March 3, Project AWARE, WWF and The Manta Trust are pleased to release Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism: A Guide to Best Practice, the world's first-ever guidelines for shark and ray tourism operators. The Guide aims to provide practical, science-based guidance to help tourism operators, NGOs and local communities develop and maintain well managed tourism operations that help conserve shark and ray species, raise awareness for their protection, and benefit local communities.

Unsustainable exploitation of sharks and rays  mainly driven by overfishing  is widespread with one in four shark and ray species now threatened with an increased risk of extinction. Yet across the globe, shark and ray tourism is increasing in popularity. Currently, around 400 well-established tourism operations focus on interacting with species of sharks and rays, and it's estimated that this number could more than double over the next twenty years, generating over 780 million USD in expenditures around the world.

Dr Andy Cornish, WWF says, "Shark and ray focused ecotourism has great potential as a conservation strategy. If properly designed and managed, it can provide alternative direct and indirect economic benefits to local communities and economies. Yet sadly there's limited practical guidance out there."

Industry, researchers, authorities and the non-profit community largely agree that best-practice guidance is urgently needed to ensure that tourism sites are established and operated in a manner that benefits sharks and rays, and local communities, while also inspiring awe, respect and a greater appreciation of the need to conserve these animals.

Isabel Ender, Manta Trust, adds, "Lack of best practice guidance can often leave operators confused about how to assess the impact and improve the sustainability of their operation. We sought advice from scientists and the industry to help bridge that gap and deliver a best practice guide  the first of its kind in the world."

To support operators seeking to commit to best practice, a full suite of free, downloadable tools is available on all of the organizations' websites.

"We're excited to launch the guidance on this United Nations, World Wildlife Day," adds Ania Budziak, Project AWARE. "Operators now have access to the latest science based guidance and practical, hands on tools like performance scorecards and checklists. We're looking forward to helping local communities lead the transformation to responsible shark and ray focused tourism around the world."

Provided by WWF
TAIPEI, Taiwan & RATINGEN, Germany(BUSINESS WIRE)Posiflex Technology, Inc., a global leading brand in the design and manufacture of POS solutions and peripherals, will unveil its newest products at EuroShop 2017, including KK Series new kiosk line, RT Series POS terminal and MT Series MT-4310W mobile POS.

Owen Chen, President and CEO at Posiflex Technology, Inc. comments, Our agility has kept us ahead of the competition, and developed the new industry-changing technologies. From hybrid mobile POS solutions to the acquisition of KIOSK Information Systems, the leading expert in the market of interactive kiosks, Posiflex has built up the strongest product portfolio in the global POS market. We are pleased to be at EuroShop this year to demonstrate these newest solutions, which are built upon our 30+ years of experience in retail industry.

Posiflex will be showcasing the following new products:

KK Series  Self-Service Kiosk

Available in 21.5 (KK-2130 Series) or 32 (KK-3200 Series) touchscreen display, the KK Series provides the flexibility to configure a unique kiosk to meet each unique business and environmental needs. It has multiple mounting options: free-standing pedestal or countertop for the KK-2130 Series; pole or wall mounted for the KK-3200 Series. The unit can be customized with integrated options including EMV payment devices, scanners, receipt / ticket printers, and more. Applications include restaurants, hospitality, retail, cinemas, and transportation.

RT Series  Clutter-free Fanless POS Terminal

From the look, the RT Series radiates in its unique design with sleek contours, ultra-slim body, and clean rear cover surface to create a truly clutter-free POS station. Featuring a bezel-free true-flat touchscreen, the RT Series offers 15 or 15.6 display options; for the processor, it employs Intels Apollo Lake CPU or Intel Skylake-U from Celeron to Core i7 CPU to deliver the scalable performance. Advanced cable management design provides easy maintenance and frees up the counter space. And its stylish look greatly enhances the store decor and sets the brand image apart from the others.

MT Series  Patented Hybrid Mobile POS (U.S. Patent 9436226 B2)

New to EuroShop this year, the MT-4310W is a 10 Wintel tablet that is built tough with Gorilla Glass touch panel, and optimized for outdoor use with sunlight readable feature. It can also add optional built-in EMV chip card reader to take electronic payments. A U.S. patent has been granted to MT Series for its unique hybrid design- transforming a tablet into a pistol grip barcode reader, then an all-in-one POS. The MT Series is ideal for line-busting, inventory management, mobile payment and customer engagement.

Posiflexs products are designed and manufactured in-house and have proved to be robust, as they are specifically designed for highly demanding and fast-moving retail industry. For more information on these solutions from a Posiflex sales representative, please stop by Hall 7a/F07.

About Posiflex:

Posiflex is a designer and manufacturer of POS/industrial touch terminals and peripherals with installations globally since 1984. For more information: www.posiflex.com

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Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

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As a sex therapist, I get this question a lot: How to have a sexual connection that is fulfilling  and more importantly lasting  even after the initial stage of the new relationship energy has passed.

The answer is what I am sharing in this post.

Couples in long-term relationships who enjoy healthy, fulfilling and vibrant sexual connection have certain skills in common that help them bypass the sexual boredom that occurs because of a higher level of familiarity between partners over time.

Here are 5 skills for a healthy sex life

1. Clear Communication

Clear and ongoing communication is the foundation for a long-lasting sexual connection. It consists of how often do you and your partner communicate about sex, your needs, desires, and fantasies.

It also includes the manner in which you communicate  without blame, criticism, and ridicule.

During sex, if you or your partner want a different type of touch or sensation, how is that communicated through verbal or nonverbal cues. One way to improve your sexual communication is to get into the habit of checking in with each other after every sexual encounter.

Go back and share the highlights of your experience. Ask your partner what felt good and what did not, what you could do differently next time; which positions felt good and the ones that your partner could do without. Give each other compliments and show appreciation!

2. Flexibility

Many couples develop rigid ways of having sex, driven by sex-negative sexual scripts and messages they picked up growing up and in past relationships. The rigidity usually manifests in the form of having a set routine for foreplay, arousal, and orgasm.

Usually, one partner takes on the role of the initiator and it is very difficult for the couple to swap roles of initiating and responding. The passivity of the non-initiating partner frustrates the partner with the unwanted responsibility of initiation, which doesnt make for a satisfying sexual connection. Flexibility is a very important sexual skill  being able to take turns initiating, discovering new ways of getting aroused and reaching climax without being dependent on the context, position or fantasy.

3. Pleasure trumps performance

Even though in some instances, sex serves a reproductive function, pleasure rather than performance should be the focus of any sexual experience.

Exposure to unrealistic portrayals of sexual prowess in porn and media, rigid sexual scripts emphasizing performance, and misconceptions about what sex should be are all contributing factors to a host of sexual issues: erectile dysfunction, performance anxiety, and premature ejaculation. Couples that focus on pleasure are able to have a sexual experience even if there are glitches. Its similar to signing up for a dance class to get some cardio in  when you are dancing, you are having so much fun that you forget that you are exercising.

4. Penetration is overrated

Thanks to our social and cultural influences, sex without penetration is not considered real sex.

Every couple goes through a period when penetration is not possible or desired for various reasons, including pregnancy, post-childbirth, age-related sexual dysfunction, illness/disability or just plain fatigue.

Its during these inevitable periods when couples who are penetration-focused experience a steep decline in sexual intimacy resulting in relationship conflict. On the other hand, couples who are open to helping each other reach orgasm through manual or oral stimulation rather than intercourse are able to maintain their sexual connection during these periods. They are able to overcome barriers resulting from injuries, illnesses or disabilities by being comfortable with non-penetrative sex.

5. Variety is sexy

Couples who enjoy long-lasting fulfilling sexual connection take an active interest in adding variety and stepping outside the box.

They are open to trying new positions, new sensations, and even new places for having sex. Trying new bed sheets, lingerie, scents, sensual oils, positions, places, and routines. Sprinkling in some vacation or weekend getaway sex and if a staycation is a better option, experimenting with different rooms and find new sensual avenues within the house.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 file photo, a state flag of Mississippi is unfurled by Sons of Confederate Veterans and other groups on the grounds of the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. A long-running feud over the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag is moving onto a new legal battlefield. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday, March 7, 2017, over reviving a 2016 lawsuit filed by an African-American attorney, Carlos Moore. He contends the flag is state-sanctioned hate speech. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  In the latest legal wrangling over one of Mississippi's most prominent symbols, a lawyer for a man who objects to the state's flag said Tuesday the Confederate-themed banner sends a message of "white supremacy."

The comments by Michael Scott came during a federal appeals court hearing on a long-running feud over the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag.

African-American attorney Carlos Moore, who is suing the state, contends the flag is "state-sanctioned hate speech." His 2016 lawsuit says it sends a message that black residents are second-class citizens.

"The message is one of white supremacy," Scott, who represents Moore, argued to the three-judge panel in a New Orleans courtroom.

A federal judge in Jackson dismissed Moore's complaint in September, saying Moore lacked legal standing to sue because he failed to show the emblem caused an identifiable legal injury.

But Moore has argued in court filings that he's often exposed to the state flag which causes him to suffer "physical and emotional injuries." As a lawyer who regularly goes into courthouses where the flag is flying, he says he faces a hostile work environment. He also says his 5-year-old African-American daughter is harmed by being exposed to the flag at her public school.

Mississippi's state flag is the last in the nation to prominently feature the Confederate battle emblem  a red field topped by a blue X dotted with 13 white stars. In a 2001 referendum, voters chose to keep it.

Like other Confederate symbols, the Mississippi flag has faced increased scrutiny since the June 2015 killings of black worshippers in South Carolina. The white man convicted in 2016 in that case had posed with the Confederate battle flag in photos published online. Several cities and counties and seven of Mississippi's eight public universities have stopped flying the state flag.

The hearing before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals centered mostly on Moore's legal standing to pursue the case. Scott insisted Moore has standing, but attorneys for the state argued he doesn't. The district judge dismissed Moore's case without holding a trial on the arguments he makes. Moore wants the appeals court to order such a trial.

Story continues

The judges Tuesday repeatedly pushed Moore's attorney on the issue of standing, asking him to cite case law to back up his position.

The lawyers and judges also sparred on what the flag means.

At one point when Scott argued that "flags are the embodiment of the society," Judge Rhesa Barksdale pushed back, asking whether California's flag  which features a grizzly bear  really embodies that state.

"It's a bear," the judge emphasized.

A lawyer for the state shied away from describing what Mississippi's flag is supposed to represent. When Judge James Graves asked about the flag's purpose, Assistant Attorney General Douglas T. Miracle said it "means different things to different people."

When pushed on whether it's supposed to represent Mississippi's people, Miracle said: "I cannot speak to what the flag is supposed to mean."

Judge Stephen Higginson pushed Moore's lawyer on why the state flag couldn't be changed through a political process, citing a decision in New Orleans to remove four Confederate-era monuments. Higginson was part of an appeals court decision Monday that allowed the city to move forward with the monuments' removal over objections from supporters who wanted to keep the monuments up.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said repeatedly any reconsideration of the flag should be done by the voters, not lawmakers or the courts.

The appeals court judges gave no indication of when they will rule.

__

Follow Rebecca Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.
AFP News

The UN's COP27 climate summit kicked off Sunday in Egypt with warnings against backsliding on efforts to cut emissions and calls for rich nations to compensate poor countries after a year of extreme weather disasters. Just in the past few months, climate-induced catastrophes have killed thousands, displaced millions and cost billions in damages across the world. Massive floods devastated swaths of Pakistan and Nigeria, droughts worsened in Africa and the western United States, cyclones whipped the Caribbean, and unprecedented heatwaves seared three continents. The conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh comes in a fraught year marked by Russia's war on Ukraine, an energy crunch, soaring inflation and the lingering effects from the Covid pandemic. But Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change executive secretary, said he would not be a "custodian of backsliding" on the goal of slashing greenhouse emissions 45 percent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late-19th-century levels. "We will be holding people to account, be they presidents, prime ministers, CEOs," Stiell said as the 13-day summit opened. "The heart of implementation is everybody everywhere in the world every single day doing everything they possibly can to address the climate crisis," he said. Current trends would see carbon pollution increase 10 percent by the end of the decade and Earth's surface heat up 2.8C, according to findings unveiled last week. Promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement would, if kept, only shave off a few tenths of a degree. "Whilst I do understand that leaders around the world have faced competing priorities this year, we must be clear: as challenging as our current moment is, inaction is myopic and can only defer climate catastrophe," said Alok Sharma, British president of the previous COP26 as he handed over the chairmanship to Egypt. "How many more wake-up calls does the world -- and world leaders -- actually need?", he said. In a dire warning, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, with an acceleration in sea level rise, glacier melt and heatwaves. "As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement. - 'Loss and damage' - The COP27 summit will focus like never before on money -- a major sticking point that has soured relations between countries that got rich burning fossil fuels and the poorer ones suffering from the worst consequences of climate change. The United States and the European Union -- fearful of creating an open-ended reparations framework -- have dragged their feet and challenged the need for a separate funding stream. Delegates agreed on Sunday to put the "loss and damage" issue on the COP27 agenda, a first step toward what are sure to be fraught discussions. Inclusion of the agenda item "reflects a sense of solidarity and empathy for the suffering of the victims of climate induced disasters," said COP27 president Sameh Shoukry of Egypt. "We all owe a debt of gratitude to activists and civil society organisations who have persistently demanded the space to discuss funding for loss and damage," he said to applause. Shoukry also noted that rich nations have not fulfilled a separate pledge to deliver $100 billion per year to help developing countries green their economies and build resilience against future climate change. He also lamented that most climate financing is based on loans. "We do not have the luxury to continue this way. We have to change our approaches to this existential threat," he said, calling for solutions that "prove we are serious about not leaving anyone behind". - US-China tensions - After the first day of talks, more than 120 world leaders will join the summit on Monday and Tuesday. The most conspicuous no-show will be China's Xi Jinping, whose leadership was renewed last month at a Communist Party Congress. US President Joe Biden has said he will come, but only after legislative elections on Tuesday that could see either or both houses of Congress fall into the hands of Republicans hostile to international action on climate change. Cooperation between the United States and China -- the world's two largest economies and carbon polluters -- has been crucial to rare breakthroughs in the nearly 30-year saga of UN climate talks, including the 2015 Paris Agreement. But Sino-US relations have sunk to a 40-year low after a visit to Taiwan by House leader Nancy Pelosi and a US ban on the sale of high-level chip technology to China, leaving the outcome of COP27 in doubt. A meeting between Xi and Biden at the G20 summit in Bali days before the UN climate meeting ends, if it happens, could be decisive. One bright spot at COP27 will be the arrival of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose campaign vowed to protect the Amazon and reverse the extractive policies of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro. bur-lth/fz
AFP News

The UN's COP27 climate summit kicked off Sunday in Egypt with warnings against backsliding on efforts to cut emissions and calls for rich nations to compensate poor countries after a year of extreme weather disasters. An alarming UN report said the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, with an acceleration in sea level rise, glacier melt, heatwaves and other climate indicators. "As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement, calling the report a "chronicle of climate chaos". Just in the past few months, floods devastated Pakistan and Nigeria, droughts worsened in Africa and the United States, cyclones whipped the Caribbean, and unprecedented heatwaves seared three continents. The conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh also comes against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine, an energy crunch, soaring inflation and the lingering effects from the Covid-19 pandemic. But Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change executive secretary, said he would not be a "custodian of backsliding" on the goal of slashing greenhouse emissions 45 percent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late 19th-century levels. "We will be holding people to account, be they presidents, prime ministers, CEOs," Stiell said as the 13-day summit opened. "The heart of implementation is everybody everywhere in the world every single day doing everything they possibly can to address the climate crisis," he said, noting that only 29 of 194 nations have presented improved plans as called for at COP26 in Glasgow last year. Current trends would see carbon pollution increase 10 percent by the end of the decade and the Earth's surface heat up 2.8C, according to findings unveiled last week. Promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement would, if kept, only shave off a few tenths of a degree. Britain's Alok Sharma, who handed the COP presidency to Egypt, said that while world leaders have faced "competing priorities" this year, "inaction is myopic and can only defer climate catastrophe." "How many more wake-up calls does the world -- and world leaders -- actually need?" he said. - 'Loss and damage' - The COP27 summit will focus like never before on money -- a major sticking point that has soured relations between countries that got rich burning fossil fuels and the poorer ones suffering from the worst consequences of climate change. The United States and the European Union -- fearful of creating an open-ended reparations framework -- have dragged their feet and challenged the need for a separate funding stream. After two days of intense pre-summit negotiations, delegates agreed on Sunday to put the "loss and damage" issue on the COP27 agenda, a first step towards what are sure to be difficult discussions. Stiell said inclusion of loss and damage on the agenda after three decades of debate on the issue showed progress. "The fact that it is there as a substantive agenda item I believe bodes well," he told reporters. COP27 president Sameh Shoukry of Egypt said it would be unproductive to speculate on what outcome the negotiations will lead to, "but certainly everybody is hopeful." "Anything that we do effectively has to be on the basis of our common efforts and that we leave no one behind," he said. Shoukry also noted that rich nations have not fulfilled a separate pledge to deliver $100 billion per year to help developing countries green their economies and build resilience against future climate change. He lamented that most climate financing is based on loans. "We do not have the luxury to continue this way. We have to change our approaches to this existential threat," he said. - US-China tensions - After the first day of talks, some 110 world leaders will join the summit on Monday and Tuesday. The most conspicuous no-show will be China's Xi Jinping, whose leadership was renewed last month at a Communist Party Congress. US President Joe Biden has said he will come, but only after legislative elections on Tuesday that could see either or both houses of Congress fall into the hands of Republicans hostile to international action on climate change. Cooperation between the United States and China -- the world's two largest economies and carbon polluters -- has been crucial to rare breakthroughs in the nearly 30-year saga of UN climate talks, including the 2015 Paris Agreement. But Sino-US relations have sunk to a 40-year low after a visit to Taiwan by House leader Nancy Pelosi and a US ban on the sale of high-level chip technology to China, leaving the outcome of COP27 in doubt. A meeting between Xi and Biden at the G20 summit in Bali days before the UN climate meeting ends, if it happens, could be decisive. One bright spot at COP27 will be the arrival of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose campaign vowed to protect the Amazon and reverse the extractive policies of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro. bur-lth/mh/lg
MAWLAMYINE, Myanmar (AP)  On the stairway rising to Moulmein's great Buddhist shrine, the visiting British writer Rudyard Kipling was inspired to pen one of the most anthologized poems of the English language.

"By the old Moulmein pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea/There's a Burma girl a-settin,' and I know she thinks o' me.," go the opening lines of "Mandalay," verses imbued with nostalgia for the wind-swept palms and twinkling temple bells the young poet left behind for the gray skies of England.

Today, 128 years later after Kipling's infatuation, the Kyaik Than Lan pagoda remains a prime attraction for pilgrims and tourists. Its soaring, gilded stupa gleams on a ridge overlooking a city of greenery and watery expanses which has retained links to the British colonial past that Kipling chronicled. The Burmese women he noticed can be seen there too, some wearing the traditional sarongs long discarded in most of Asia, some chatting on smartphones as they circumambulate the stupa in proper Buddhist fashion.

Despite the intrusions of modern technology and being Myanmar's fourth largest city, Mawlamyine (as Moulmein is now officially spelled) still maintains an air of distance from the world's mainstreams, in part because of its geography. It's a long, 300-kilometer (186-mile) road journey from Myanmar's international gateway of Yangon, the other options being a rickety train ride or sporadic flights.

For decades, foreigners were banned from the area due to an insurgency. Tourists are still few compared to an influx to other areas of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, that followed the end of military rule in 2011 and the electoral victory of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last year.

Our party recently took the most scenic route to Mawlamyine: by car from Yangon to Hpa-An, the pleasant capital of Myanmar's Karen State, and from there by hired boat down the Salween, one of the world's longest, still free-flowing rivers. Before it empties into the sea, the Salween enhances Mawlamyine's charm, flowing past its Strand Road where families stroll to view the sunset across the broad stream.

Story continues

Mawlamyine wasn't always a byway. After the first Anglo-Burmese war, the British made it their capital between 1826 and 1852, building government offices, churches and a massive prison. They started business enterprises and the country's first newspaper.

Many of these relics of the British Raj remain along with mosques, Hindu temples and even a slice of Americana, reflecting Mawlamyine's great diversity.

One of the earliest American missionaries to foreign lands, the legendary Adoniram Judson, built the town's First Baptist Church in 1827, going on to write an English-Burmese dictionary and translate the Bible into Burmese during his nearly 40 years in the country. Nearby stands the St. Mathew's Anglican church, erected in 1887 and still in use, although like many of the city's heritage buildings in a state of picturesque decay: Vegetation sprouts from peeling brick walls and the tower clock is perpetually set at 6:54 p.m.

Given Mawlamyine's numerous Buddhist temples, one can succumb to pagoda fatigue. But aside from "Kipling's," said to date back to 875 and enshrine a hair of the Lord Buddha, the Yadarbon Myint Monastery is a must although rarely visited. The monastery's small palace contains some of Myanmar's most exquisite carvings, commissioned by Queen Sein Don, one of 45 consorts of the Mindon, the penultimate king of Myanmar.

The queen came here after Mandalay was seized by the British in 1885, bringing with her craftsmen from the royal capital. What they created has special value since Mandalay's royal palace and most of its artistic treasures were destroyed in World War II.

While Mawlamyine's Buddhist shrines will surely be preserved, the colonial heritage along with the city's unique character, is imperiled. Dr. Tin Soe, a longtime resident, says the fledgling local government lacks expertise, the still powerful military has sold public land to line its pockets and the public sees little value in the old buildings.

"The government has not time, no budget and no brains," he says.

But a glimmer of hope comes from Yangon where the Yangon Heritage Trust is spearheading a generally successful campaign to save the city's magnificent colonial architecture from the bulldozer and decay.
Ernie, a K-9 officer with the Covington Police Department, sits with his handler outside the Kentucky State Capitol, Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Frankfort, Ky. Ernie was shot and wounded in the line of duty but under current state law the accused can only be charged with a misdemeanor due to the dog being able to return to duty. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Daleon Rice shot Ernie twice, right in front of a police officer, but he'll never serve a day in prison for the crime.

That's because Ernie, a German Shepherd police dog, made a full recovery and returned to work. Under Kentucky law, assaulting a police dog is only a felony if the dog dies or can't resume his duties. Otherwise, it's a misdemeanor that often carries no jail time.

Rice ended up being sentenced to a 40-year prison sentence on other charges, but it irked Officer Mike Lusardi and Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders that Ernie's assault would not be punished. They lobbied the state legislature to change the law. A bill did not pass last year, but a new one sponsored by Republican Rep. Diane St. Onge sailed through the Kentucky legislature this year.

The state Senate gave the bill final approval Monday and sent it to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin for his signature.

Kentucky is one of six states that consider it a misdemeanor to harm a police dog, according to the United States Police Canine Association. Twelve states make it a felony to harm or kill a police dog regardless of the circumstances, while the penalties in 23 states depend on how bad the dog was harmed.

"Most of the states are falling in line with protections human beings would have as well," Ferland said.

While police dogs have special bonds with their handlers, they also require a serious financial commitment from a police department. When you combine the cost of purchasing, caring for and training the dog, it ends up costing more than a police car, according to Lt. Col. Brian Steffen of the Covington Police Department.

Covington Police were unfamiliar with Kentucky's law until Ernie was shot.

"I didn't understand it. To me, he's a partner, he's a police officer," Lusardi said. "He's saved my life several times."

One of those times was in April 2015. Police were looking for Rice after he stabbed his mother in the head several times with a knife. Lusardi spotted Rice on a street in Covington and tried to arrest him. Ernie was there, too, and Lusardi released him to stop Rice from fleeing.

Story continues

But when Rice turned around, he had a gun pointed at Lusardi. Rice fired, but Lusardi said he was distracted, mostly because Ernie was attacking him. The delay gave Lusardi time to take cover and return fire. Rice then shot Ernie twice, once in the front left leg and once in the back right leg. Yet Ernie only stopped fighting when Lusardi called him back.

"I knew he was hurt because I heard the big yelp, but he was still fighting through it. It was amazing," he said.

Lusardi rushed Ernie to a veterinarian, who performed surgery to remove the bullets. One bullet is still in Ernie's leg, resulting in a slight limp when he walks.

Ernie isn't the only police dog to be wounded on the job. In 2014, a Kenton County Sheriff's Dog named Santo was sent into a trailer to try and resolve an eight-hour standoff, according to Kenton County Sheriff Charles Korzenborn. The man stabbed the dog and choked the animal until it lost consciousness, resulting in another deputy entering the trailer to stop him.

"The dog woke up and the dog went back to work," Korzenborn said. "Between the two of them, they got him subdued."

The suspect in that case also received no jail time for the assault, but was later arrested on other charges, according to Sanders.

"It makes no sense that a criminal's punishment is determined by whether or not the victim returns to work," Sanders said.
Cash is not always king. As our society steadily moves towards becoming more digitalized and reliant on technology, we are seeing less physical money exchange hands.

However, keeping up with the times is not the only reason to upgrade your small businesses payment system. Here are just some of the advantages accepting credit cards will have on your bottom line:

Increase in overall sales

Improve customer service

Broaden your customer base

Save time with fewer trips to the bank.

So if you are ready to take the plunge and provide more value to your customers, here are four of the best credit card processing solutions for small business owners.

1. Terminal Processing

A payment terminal, also known as a point of sale terminal, is a device that allows customers to make payments with their credit cards in store. It is a reliable and secure method of accepting credit and debit payments.

Advantages

The main benefit of credit card terminals for small business owners is its direct link to improved customer satisfaction. With a card machine payment option, you will be able to reduce wait times with faster checkout, give your customers a secure way to pay for their purchase and more options to pay that suit their needs such as contactless payments and digital wallets.

There are also a few vendors that give small business owners a free terminal processing system on sign up. This value add helps to reduce initial setup costs and is something to look into if your budget is tight.

Disadvantages

The downsides to accepting cards are minimal, but most of them can be avoided. While credit card fraud is still a common problem, merchants can train their staff to spot a fake debit or credit card. Another disadvantage is the unavoidable cost. However, business owners should look at it simply as a cost of doing business and realize the device will pay itself off in no time.

Its easy to see that the cons associated with terminal processing are minimal and can be easily avoided. The benefits will not only help your business grow but drive customer loyalty and deliver a positive in-store experience.

2. Mobile Processing

Mobile credit card processing also referred to as mPOS (mobile point of sale) gives small businesses the ability to accept card payments with a phone or tablet instead of a terminal or point-of-sale (POS) system.

Advantages

The main benefits of choosing a mobile credit card processor are its versatility and the low-cost factor. For small business owners that attend local farmers markets or trade shows, this option lets you accept credit cards wherever you are. This capability can also benefit stationary business owners who can mobilize their sales team by adding more checkout lines without purchasing additional registers.

Mobile processing companies also tend to charge fewer fees than traditional credit card processors and take the guesswork out of tipping by providing preset percentages for customers during checkout.

Disadvantages

There are two main concerns that small business owners should consider before purchasing a mobile credit card processor is how it will negatively affect customer service and getting a robust estimate on costs.

If you choose not to add a printer with your mobile processor, it will take extra time to capture an email address to send the receipt electronically. Depending on how busy your shop is or if your customer is in a rush, this might lead to some dissatisfaction.

While mobile credit processors are less expensive than standard credit card terminals for small business owners, they do come with a bunch of small costs that add up. Before biting the bullet with a vendor be sure to inquire about the fees that will be charged per transaction, per day, per month and even year so that you can get a holistic cost estimate.

Mobile credit card processing for small business owners are ideal for merchants who are on the go and want an affordable solution. The disadvantages above can easily be avoided with some careful planning, and there are numerous ways to lower your mobile credit processing costs if you are prepared to negotiate your rates and ask the right questions.

3. POS Processing

POS credit card processing for small business owners is a reliable, affordable and flexible way to manage POS operations. It transforms an ordinary tablet into an all-in-one payment solution that can complement a range of add-on applications as well as cash drawers, scanners, printers and more.

Advantages

One of the key advantages of a POS processing system is the ability for small business owners to access their sales data no matter where they are. By using a cloud-based system, you can see real-time inventory levels and customer information as you go about your day.

A POS processing system also lets merchants take advantage of a cloud-based integration and offer services that are not possible with a traditional POS platforms. Besides allowing payments to be processed anywhere on the business premises, business owners can also use this system to set up check-splitting, loyalty programs and integration with external accounting platforms.

Disadvantages

Before you make the big switch to a POS processing system, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, it is important to remember that as your POS system is hosted in the cloud, it is only as good as your internet connection. Do your research and make sure you either choose a vendor that offers offline services or that you have a backup plan in place in case your connection goes down.

By embracing cloud computing technology like POS and setting up systems to combat possible downtime, small business owners can operate just as efficiently as bigger organizations.

4. Online Processing

It is not enough to just have a brochure, these days you have to sell online to stay relevant, and that means accepting credit cards. An online processing system lets merchants accept online payments from buyers worldwide. It is a safe, reliable and seamless way to manage payment processing while you focus on making the best possible product or service.

Advantages

Online payment systems give your customers a convenient way to place an order with your business. Instead of having to drive to your storefront, an online POS lets them shop from the comfort of their own home. By offering this functionality on your website, you can easily increase sales by not giving your customer the chance to look at a competitor that does offer online sales or forgetting about visiting your store altogether.

Disadvantages

With an online payment system, you will be dealing with sensitive information such as credit cards numbers that be stolen or altered. As a result, you need to make sure you have adequate security to protect your customers details as well as your companys reputation. Before choosing a vendor, find out what systems they have in place to minimize fraud and their guarantees on data protection.

In short, an online processing system is a necessary payment option for small business owners who want to remain relevant and competitive. By ensuring your business partners with a service provider that complies with high-security standards, you can increase your revenue and take your business to a global market.

Conclusion

Before you decide which of the four credit card processing solutions is the best decision for your small business, make sure you weigh up all the factors and consider which service vendor will be the best fit for not just you, but for your customers as well.
There are more than 25 million startup businesses in the US and they are responsible for US job market growth.

According to the Small Business Administration, small-scale companies added 1.4 million new jobs in the year 2014 and 39% of those jobs were added by very small firms.

Despite such impressive statistics, a large number of small businesses are destined for failure. Experts believe as many as 96% startups will fail within first 10 years. A smart entrepreneur is one who fights against all odds and becomes successful.

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

How do they succeed? They follow the below-listed smart tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur:

Social Media for Networking

Networking is invaluable in business, especially when it comes to small business success. Industry insiders have been there, done that. If you can forge a network with them, your chances of success will greatly escalate.

The best way to create a network is attending industry meetings, tradeshows and business summits. However, small businesses lack the privilege of sitting next to the big guys in business summits. Hence, they have to depend on referrals and testimonials from previous clients.

Using social media is the smart way to build a network with industry influencers. LinkedIn is the defacto meetup place for professionals. A premium membership can give you access to the CEOs and CFOs profiles. You can send them add request upfront or at least get their contact details and then proceed to build a network with them.

Besides LinkedIn, Twitter also helps. Visit the Twitter profile of successful entrepreneurs, comb through their followers list and notice how they interact with them.

Someone said it right, to become wealthy you need to connect to wealthy people. Social media does this for you.

Discover Wealth-building Secrets

The unsaid rule is nobody wants to share their secrets with you, especially when it comes to building wealth. Very few reveal their strategies. One of them is Sam Ovens. Hes from New Zealand and he explained with great details how he overrode frustration and obstacles to become wealthy.

Sam is not alone. The promised boat came for all those who patiently waited, faced their fears, had a vision, had realistic goals and relied on teamwork. Yes, there have been entrepreneurs who failed despite ticking all these checkboxes. They failed because they couldnt build their brand.

This is the best kept secret to building wealth. All the top brands including Google, KFC, Starbucks, Walmart, Amazon, Apple have a human-like persona. They have donned the humane avatar, which is compatible with the human-era in branding. Brand building can hook audiences and finally lead to wealth-building.

Arrange VC Funding

Securing VC funding is critical to small business success. Venture capitalists not only pour money but offer mentorship. But in order to be a candidate for venture funding, your business needs to have a strong proposition.

The 2015 Product Hunt Singapore Meetup produced some innovative strategies for startup firms. One of these strategies was deliberately letting a product fail, only to identify its shortcomings. Small businesses can adopt the same approach when they seek VC funding.

Dont expect the first VC firm to usher in all the money your business needs. Expect refusal instead. When your businesss candidacy is refused, identify the reasons that led to the candidacy being declined. Uniqueness is an important requirement. Make sure the product/service you are offering is not a copycat and a degree of innovation is involved.

Embrace Automation

An entrepreneur can become wealthy in two ways  by making sky-high profit or by cutting down the business operating cost. The benefit of embracing automation is he doesnt have to choose one. Automation ensures both.

Automation lowers cost in more ways than one. Cloud-based application eliminates the need to have a physical office. If you find that extreme, at least you can hire staff from different parts of the world. It doesnt end there. You can even eliminate the need to have physical computers and WiFi access point.

Automation fast tracks your marketing efforts. Despite a surge in adblocker usage, Ads are still the marketing driver. Automation brings entrepreneurs programmatic advertising, letting them zero in on the most targeted demographics and impress them with customized action statements.

Put simply, not embracing automation is a grave mistake for aspiring entrepreneur. Automation falsifies the adage that lowering cost and innovation dont go hand in hand, ultimately benefiting startups.

Overcoming Mobility Challenges

Enterprise mobility is an umbrella term. It lists all the challenges that a wannabe entrepreneur is likely to face. Among the 7 key mobility challenges, I discussed earlier, small businesses are most ill-equipped for IoT and lead nurturing.

See Also: Beef Up Customer Experience with These 4 Tips

IoT technologies, especially machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions are quite expensive. So, small businesses have valid reasons for not adopting it. But the BYOD agenda can be a harbinger of IoT as different employees may bring different devices and syncing and integration between them may force the business owner to migrate to IPv6.

Harnessing automation helps in these areas, but here are two things that are even more important:

The entrepreneurs willingness to set up a mobility-driven environment at work. A small business needs to have a vibrant atmosphere. Mobility ensures vibrance.

Whats even more important is an open environment where information are shared quickly among the employees, barring classified information about the company. Information sharing has its benefits and leads to entrepreneurial success.

You can adopt a mobile-first approach just in case you prioritize enterprise mobility.

Summing Up

Everyone dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. But very few actually put in the effort. Dreams turn into reality when one acts upon those dreams. The five tips discussed here makes the job a little bit easier.
If you are a small business owner, your telephone number may well be part of your community identity, especially if you have already invested in advertising and business cards.

But if you want to change telephone carriers, do you need to lose your phone number?

No.

As long as your business remains in the same geographic area, the Federal Communications Commission guarantees your right to keep your telephone number even if you switch carriers. The process is known as porting.

How to Switch Phone Carriers and Keep Your Number

Here are things you should know and steps you should take if you want to change telephone carriers without losing your phone number:

1. Find the carrier that meets your needs, says David Weitzner, a member of the channel management team at Nextiva, a VoIP telephone services provider. Select a reputable phone service provider who can provide your business with the features and options you need within your budget.

2. Check the contract with your current carrier to make sure you arent obligated to remain with them for more service time. If you are, you could be obligated to pay early termination fees.

3. Similarly, if you currently are bundling services with telephone, such as internet and cable television, you may want to check how a switch may affect your service agreement or fees, Weitzner says.

4. A common mistake many customers make is to contact their current provider and terminate service before acquiring new service, Weitzner says. Do not do this.

5. Instead, contact the service provider to which you intend to switch and provide them with the telephone numbers you wish to switch and any other information that is required, according to the FCC.

6. You must send a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to your current telephone carrier to inform them of your decision to have the numbers ported to a new carrier. Some providers will send customers the necessary documentation to help you write the letter, Nextivas Weitzner says.

7. Companies are permitted, under FCC rules, to charge you for porting your number. However, you can negotiate with the provider to waive the fees. Most large carriers do not charge. Also, companies may not refuse to port your number even if you have not paid for the service, according to the FCC.

8. Once you request service from a new company, your old company cant refuse to port your number, even if you owe money for an outstanding balance or termination fee. However, you are still obligated to pay any unpaid balances or fees.

9. The FCC recommends that you ask your new provider how 911 services might be affected during the transition. Generally, 911 calls should go through, but location and callback services may not be available.

10. Similarly, you should ask your new provider about long distance services, which will not move with you in the switch.

11. During the porting process, there may be a period of time when you have two different telephones with the same number.

12. FCC rules require simple ports, which generally do not involve more than one line or more complex adjustments to telephone switching equipment, to be processed in one business day. More complex adjustments, such as a wireline to wireless port, could take as long as 10 days.
Rates may rise only marginally for some types of insurance, but others could increase by 15 percent or more, experts say.

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As of the beginning of 2017, prices of some non-life insurance products, mainly vehicle and travel insurance, have started to increase in Slovakia. Insurance companies are responding in this way to a new 8-percent levy that the state now applies to every new premium.

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The Finance Ministry introduced an amendment to the act on insurance in late 2016 to boost revenues to the state budget as the sector had not been subject to taxes on such products before. However, economic analysts see only a small amount of new revenue flowing to the state budget, not even percentage points of total state expenditures, in comparison with the extremely negative impact the levy may have on the market. In the economy, nothing like a free lunch exists, says Robert Chovanculiak of the Institute for Economic and Social Studies (INESS) think tank.

If politicians increase taxes on certain products, either the consumer will pay them via higher prices, or the provider will provide the consumer with lower quality service, Chovanculiak told The Slovak Spectator.

The new act extended the levy at a rate of 8 percent of the premiums that insurance companies receive from compulsory car insurance (PZP) to all sectors of non-life insurance: real estate, liability, travel, accident insurance products, among others. For example, clients who pay 100 per year for home insurance will send 8 of the sum straight to the state treasury.

Though insurance companies should already be putting part of the gained premiums aside, the ministry will not see that money until late 2017. For the period between January and November, insurance companies will pay levies in December 2017 and for December in January 2018.

Instead of VAT

Before the amendment was passed, the ministry estimated that the state could earn up to 80 million by introducing the 8-percent special levies to compensate for the lack of VAT in the insurance sector. The tax also is included in the prices of significantly more sensitive items like food, medical devices and drugs that people buy on a voluntary basis, said Finance Ministry spokesperson Alexandra Gogova.

Not only in Europe, but elsewhere in the world it is quite standard to introduce other indirect instruments on insurance services, Gogova told The Slovak Spectator, adding that the amount of the levy oscillates in various countries and sectors between 1 and 30 percent.

However, during the approval process of the amendment, the Slovak Insurance Association (SLASPO) argued that such a non-systematic solution will take part of insurers sales without a chance to take the costs into account similarly to taxes, and mainly will covertly burden their customers. The levy does not serve for rehabilitation of the insurance market or dealing with its problems, as opposed to the existing bank levy, said SLASPOs general director Jozefina Zakova.

Disputed price growth

One of the most discussed negative impacts of the levy is the rise in costs of non-life premiums. Since the act came into force, Slovak insurance companies have started increasing the premiums for some types of non-life insurance products, PZP, travel insurance, liability insurance of employees and insurance for real estate and households, according to Maros Ovcarik, executive director of the Financny Kompas website.

Some of the policies became more expensive only by a few percent, however, other premiums increased by 15 percent and more, Ovcarik told The Slovak Spectator.

SLASPO does not consider the price growth to be revenge but rather a response. The new act on insurance obliges insurance companies to set premiums in a way to be able at any moment to meet all their commitments, said Zakova. Though Slovak customers are sensitive to price changes, such serious interference into the economics of insurance companies will be reflected in the prices in the near future.

While the law has been effective for more than a month, we can only estimate that a potential increase will impact mostly non-life insurance policies like property, car accident and liability insurance, Zakova said.

Impact on insurers

While Zakova argues that there are several factors that have caused price growth, Ovcarik sees the dominant factor to be the introduced levy. The insurance companies have not suppressed the rise in prices and some of them have justified the step for customers by citing the introduction of the levy, he said.

Pricing of individual products is fully in the scope of insurance companies subject to the rules of actuarial factors and legislation, said Zakova. Insurance companies follow their insurance stock, which specifies amounts and types of insurance contracts, and development of the burden of losses in individual insurance segments.

Insurance companies strategically take into account all insurance stock and final pricing policy is a reflection of their current business situation and expectations for the future, Zakova said.

There are options to deal with levies, include reducing profits, optimising activities by cutting costs or responding to competitors prices, according to Gogova.

No ex post facto law

At the last minute during the approval, the parliament narrowed the validity of the levy down to only new contracts valid from 2017. If anyone wants to replace an old contract with a new one, there will be a new price which takes into account the new levy. But existing customers can extend their current policies without the price being affected.

SLASPO considers such retroactiveness to be inappropriate, regressive and unconstitutional interference into the economy of insurance companies that could immediately send many of them into a loss, with subsequent consideration of abidance in the market. From the beginning, they have suggested that this change means a hidden tax which is ultimately directed to the customers, according to Zakova.

The price growth will most likely occur sooner or later in all segments of non-life insurance, Zakova said.

Fallout from the retroactive decision caused people who were planning to insure themselves in 2017 to do it to a greater extend at the end of 2016 when the tax was not yet collected, Chovanculiak said.

Other impacts

If the levy is reflected in increased prices, the situation will automatically lead to lower demand for insurance products and a subsequent increase in risks for many households, according to Chovanculiak.

Zakova points to the threat of stagnation and reduction of insurance coverage in Slovakia, adding that the government should even consider a possible increase in the number of people depending on the state as more may ask for state compensation in cases such as natural disasters.

The motivational and educational role of the state towards citizens received a significant blow in the introduction of the levy, Zakova said.
Special Prosecutor Dusan Kovacik has not submitted any criminal lawsuits in 61 cases he has been supervising during eight years in the post.

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When General Prosecutor Jaromir Ciznar was reading the report about his offices activities in July 2015 in front of members of parliament, he suddenly stopped. He reached the part about the work of the Special Prosecutor's office led by Dusan Kovacik which was poor, according to Ciznar.

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Sadly, Special Prosecutor [Kovacik] wrote it and I claim that he is responsible for it, Ciznar told MPs. To some extent, it is a dishonour to the people who are working at this prosecutor's office.

Ciznar went on to say that the Special Prosecutor's office has poor results in investigating corruption, but Kovacik fails to explain the reasons for this.

The opposition, anti-corruption NGOs and others have been criticising Kovacik since he assumed the post in 2009 for halting investigations of the most sensitive cases in Slovakia.

He stopped criminal prosecutions in cases which seemed to me that they could be successfully finished, former interior minister Vladimir Palko told the Sme daily.

In early 2017, the Dennik N daily showed the scale of his practice by revealing that Kovacik has not submitted any criminal lawsuits in the 61 cases he has been supervising over the past eight years in the post, despite the fact that he chairs an important body that should fight corruption and other serious crimes.

Kovacik has been in the office since 2004 and submitted 12 criminal lawsuits between 2004 and 2008, according to the Tyzden weekly.

I have to have proofs that I can show, Kovacik responded to criticism during a debate of the private broadcaster TA3. Just to know is enough for a journalist.

Read also:

Read also: Kovacik re-elected for 3rd term Read more

Kovaciks work

Statistics concerning 61 cases published by media are deceiving. Charges were pressed in only 16 cases, therefore, criminal lawsuits could be submitted only in these 16 cases. The prosecutor can file a lawsuit only if the results of the investigation give him a sufficient reason to bring the accused person to court, according to Kovacik.

He added that four of those cases are still active and a criminal lawsuit will likely be submitted.

However, even if charges were not pressed in the remaining 45 cases, it does not mean that Kovacik could not work on them. In such cases the prosecutor may decide whether criminal prosecution is launched or a specific person is charged, according to Dennik N daily.

To compare, prosecutors who deal with corruption file 30 criminal lawsuits per year. Even those who deal with complicated economic cases file at least lawsuits yearly. Prosecutors who investigate organised criminal groups file about two criminal complaints per year, according to aktuality.sk news website.

When it comes to organised crime, economic criminality or corruption by people who are not part of top political structures, the special prosecutor's office is not ineffective, according to Stop Corruption NGO.

The problem is that cases involving constitutional officials and political party representatives are not investigated and punished, reads the Stop Corruption statement. This is heavily related to the fact that prosecutor Dusan Kovacik has been head of the special prosecutor's office since it was created.

Another issue is that Kovacik has the power to assign cases to himself and thus can decide which cases he will supervise. He can also remain in the office for three terms which should be reduced to just one term, according to former prosecutor Eva Misikova.

Also, the Prosectuor Generals Office opines that a special prosecutor should manage the office, and not allocate criminal files to himself.

Read also:

Read also: Prosecution in excessive VAT refunds case launched Read more

It began with Basternak

Media recently checked Kovaciks work after an anonymous group of people claiming to be police officers filed a criminal complaint against him for his investigation of the Basternak case in September 2016.

One of the biggest now-ruling Smer scandals started after the assistant of opposition MP, Jozef Rajtar of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Filip Rybanic, took documents from the Tatra Banka bank in mid-2016 which show that a sum of 260,000 was transferred to Interior Minister Robert Kalinaks (Smer) account from the B.A. Haus company. Similar payments were also made to the account of former transport minister Jan Pociatek (Smer) who left politics in mid-April.

The firm was operated by tycoon Ladislav Basternak who has been suspected of tax fraud involving VAT refunds since October 2013. The police investigator who is basically Kalinaks employee, however, refused the criminal complaint against Basternak without even checking into it.

In its press release, the anonymous group asked how it is possible that Kovacik bears no responsibility for stopping the investigation of the case. They also pointed out that he has not filed a criminal complaint since 2008, which turns out to be true.

Oh come on, I will not respond to this, Kovacik responded when journalists asked him about the criminal complaint in September 2016.

Later, in a TA3 debate, he explained that he approved halting of the investigation because a tax inspection revealed that Basternak received VAT refunds lawfully. He, however, did not explain why he ignored the suspicions of the Financial Administrations criminal office which questioned the results of the tax inspection, according to Dennik N.

Top scandals without results

Besides Basternaks case, Kovacik has stopped some of the most serious scandals in Slovak history. For example, he halted the investigation into the case of Smer party funding. The case involves an audio recording dating back to the election campaign before the 2002 parliamentary elections featuring a voice deemed to be similar to PM Robert Fico boasting about securing 75 million Slovak crowns (almost 2,5 million) for the party.

Media have not disclosed the source of the recording. However, it is probable that it was one of Smers founders Bohumil Hanzel, who refused to testify. Kovacik then explained the reasons why he has not finished the investigation in the case.

However, he could launch a criminal prosecution and send the recording to experts for analysis of its authenticity. Therefore, the public could know if it really was the voice of the prime minister, according to Dennik N.

The investigator correctly decided not to do so, according to Kovacik.

She evaluated it in accordance with the law stating that even if a criminal prosecution was launched, it would be statute barred, Kovacik said during the debate, adding that this was a criminal act with statute-barred period of five years.

Regarding Smer funding, Kovacik also stopped the investigation of an alleged 2002 contract between Smer and now deceased businessman Lubomir Blasko, published by the Sme daily. Both sides agreed that Smer would place Blaskos people in state firms after the elections and Blasko would pay 32 million Slovak crowns (1.06 million). There were signs of Fico and then-Smer campaign manager Fedor Flasik.

Kovacik stopped the investigation after both of them denied their involvement. He did not even need an expert analysis of those signs, Sme wrote.

Read also:

Read also: Investigation indicates corruption in Gorilla case Read more

Gorilla case

Kovacik also dealt with the leaked Gorilla file which started one of the most serious corruption cases in Slovak history. A document which purports to describe conversations covertly recorded by the countrys SIS intelligence service between 2005 and 2006 which suggest that corrupt links may have existed between senior politicians, government officials and business people.

Then-Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic of Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) created a special team under Kovaciks supervision. The investigation has brought no significant results so far.

When investigators wanted to interrogate the alleged author of the file Peter Holubek, who could officially confirm authenticity of the file, Kovacik blocked it. When explaining his decision he stated that the goal of the investigation is not to reveal the author of the file, but to find out whether the events described in the file really took place.

The way he approaches Gorilla and many other politically sensitive cases shows that Dusan Kovacik truly wears a red tie [Smer trademark] and sadly, we will have to deal with it, journalist Marek Vagovic investigating Smers founding said in a 2015 debate of private broadcaster Radio Expres.
Slovakia and Iran could cooperate in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, Slovak's visit to the latter country shows.

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There is scope for cooperation between the Slovakia and Iran, Economy Minister Peter Ziga said on March 6 after meeting Iranian vice-president and head of Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran, the TASR newswire wrote.

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Ziga is on an official working visit to Iran along with a Slovak delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Information Peter Pellegrini.

This was not their first meeting, Ziga noted, adding that Salehi came to Slovakia last year in order to start talks on how the two countries could cooperate in nuclear power.

The Iranian side knows very well that Slovakia has more than 50 years of experience with nuclear power, the economy minister said. Maybe we are one of the few countries that has experienced every phase of the nuclear circuit  planning, construction, operation and even decommission of a nuclear power plant.

Iran is interested in specific projects in this area and the first contacts have already been made, the Slovak minister said. To develop such relations, more time is needed, he added, noting that Iran still has some problems due to the long lasting international sanctions that were in force until 2016.

Their banking system is still not functioning properly, and there is no connection to international structures, Ziga pointed out. But I think that in the course of time, these things will be unblocked and well be able to do business in a traditional way as we do with other countries in the Middle East. Iran has the potential for cooperation, he summed up.
The Finnish mobile phone maker, Nokia is planning to give another good reason to Indian consumers to purchase the product. As the parent company, HMD Mobiles India Vice President Ajey Mehta said that they will try to make all of the iconic Nokia 3310 handsets in India. He further revealed that currently, the company has stuck with a 10-year brand licensing agreement.

If all goes as per the expectations, a new version of 17-year old Nokia 3310 will launch in India during April-June with around 3500 units. Besides, the company also has plans to launch its Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 smartphones in the country within the same duration.

Like other phone makers, Nokia has also joined hands with Foxconn as manufacturing partner in India. The Taiwanese electronic company is already being making some featured phones in India of the company, while, sources revealed that both the partners are looking forward to make feature 4G phones targeting the Jio era in the country.

We are evaluating all opportunity in the market, Mehta said, adding India is very important market for HMD Global. All consumer requirements are fed up to the product team at our company which then develops the final product, Mehta said.

Unlike Motorola and Xiaomi, HMD Global will not depend solely on online sales and it will make the handsets available in both e-commerce and local retail markets. Whichever channel will help reach us to consumers, we will go with that. We will be channel agnostic both offline and online. We currently cover close to 80,000 retailers but we plan to increase that in the future, Mehta said.

Nokia 3310: Whats all the hype about?

The iconic candy-bar phone by the once-extremely-popular tech giant, Nokia is all set to make a comeback after 17 long years. The announcement for its second innings was made at the Mobile World Congress 2017, Barcelona and so far, the specifications and other details of this legacy device look pretty good. In India and other countries of this region, the actual launch would be made sometime in the April-June quarter of 2017.

The new Nokia 3310 would come with a colour display, unlike its previous black-and-white screen. As expected Nokia has kept up with its promise for long battery life of the device, that could last you for another ice-age or so (Not literally, of course!). To be the bare minimal phone that it used to be and at the same time, to be enticing for todays customer, Nokia 3310 will also have a basic camera as well. For those, who were a fan of the very addictive snake game on this devices older version, can take a little nostalgic trip as the snake game would be in bright new colours and will have some other improvements made to it.

HMD Global, the brand collaborating with Nokia for the manufacture of this feature phone, has stuck with the band frequencies that the older version operated in. According to the maker, it will be crucial for the long lasting battery life and a few other features that keep the phone truly retro.

Unfortunately, this would be the cause for the New Nokia 3310 to NOT work in countries like Canada, US, Australia, and Singapore, which have signed off the 2G band frequencies. The new Nokia 3310 supports the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies and hence the manufacturer would be focusing on the Asia Pacific markets only, where these bands are still in use.

For those who grew up before the time the smartphones started becoming ubiquitous, would know this device as the one with the snake game or as one with the super long battery life. So popular was Nokia 3310 that it sold over 126 million units all over the world and that too when it was just the beginning of the mobile phone revolution.
Habitability of Mars is an age-old concern for astronomers and scientists. Since long, the attempt to make the Red Planet habitable is going on, and soon scientists seem to achieve the hoary sci-fi fantasy. One of NASAs scientists has proposed a new tactic through which the habitability of the Red Planet can be brought back. According to one of NASAs senior scientists, the employment of a giant magnetic shield around Mars may make it habitable, and the entire scientist and astronomer community has gone gaga over this announcement.

At the latest training hosted by NASAs Planetary Science Division (PSD) in Washington, Jim Green, Director of NASAs Planetary Science Division has put forward his revolutionary view that placement of a magnetic dipole shield at the Mars L1 Lagrange Point can make it habitable for human life. While putting his speech at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop, going on at the NASAs headquarters in Washington, James Green, NASAs Planetary Science Division Director presented his surprising scheme to deploy a magnetic shield in the region of Mars to reinstate its habitable atmosphere. However, the proposal is now subjective to multiple further experiments and tests, he confirmed.

Mars now is believed to be one of the universes coldest deserts. As suggested by scientific theories, the planet in its juvenile stage used to have a magnetic shield which in due course of evolution disappeared, and now it has no magnetic field. The freezing temperatures and thin radiation-prone atmosphere of the Red Planet are not allowing the formation of liquid water on the planets surface. But the scenario can be changed and the breakthrough to modify this situation has already proposed by NASAs Gems Green in the latest workshop. According to the reports, the cold and thin atmosphere of Mars is not inherent.

The Red Planet once had a thick atmosphere, which was supportive to liquid water, and a moderately warmer and potentially inhabitable climate. However, later, due to the collapse of the protective magnetic field with an unidentified celestial object some billions of years ago, the magnetic field eventually made the climate of Mars what it is today  frigid and arid.

In a proposal, presented at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop in Washington, DC last week, Gems Green proposed the potentiality of introducing a large magnetic shield around the Red Planet. As suggested in the proposal, the deployment of the magnetic field into space between Mars and the Sun might assist the Red Planet to bring back its habitable atmosphere and make it accommodating for scientists ambition to colonise planet in the near future. The US-based space agency firmly believes that an incredibly powerful magnetic protector, launched into space between Mars and Sun could serve up as a substitute to the lost magnetosphere of Mars, making it habitable again.
Every year the GSM Association organises the world most grand exhibition for mobile phones along with a conference to entertain significant mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from across the world. This event is basically known as Mobile World Congress or MWC. Recently the MWC was organised at Barcelona between 27 February to 2 March 2017 and is expected to be organised at Mobile World Congress Shanghai between 28th June 2017 to 1st July.

Now India has got this golden opportunity to host the Mobile World Congress in September 2017 for the first time. The MWC in India may be organised from 27 September 2017 to 30 September 2017 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This MWC is primarily intended to reach out the South East Asian markets.

Although this year it was organised at Barcelona and still, a mini version of the event is about to be organised at Shanghai, the outreach of the event to the South East Asian markets was not up to the mark. So the Cellular Operators Association of India claimed that India is growing at a faster pace in the telecom industries so it could be an ideal place to organise such an event and also showcase its potential. It is really awesome that the Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Electronics and IT have also put in their maximum efforts for the success of the MWC in India.

We have held the meeting with official representatives of other governments as well as Indian mobile operators, Facebook, Huawei, Ericsson, Cisco etc are likely to participate in the mobile congress, said COAI Director General.

The COAI has also requested other Indian business association to come together and be part of it. The MWC conference will be focused the basic principles of Make in India and Digital India promoting the sharing of the latest advancement in technology and the startup areas. The MWC in India would not only showcase the potential in Indian Markets or advancements in technology but it could also provide an opportunity to boost up these things in India.
School Safety

A Year After Law Passed, NJ School Buses Still Don't Have Safety Monitors

More than a year after a law was signed requiring them, child-detection sensors are still not installed on most new school buses in New Jersey because regulations on how to implement it have not been approved, according to the Associated Press and the Press of Atlantic City.

Gov. Chris Christie signed Abigail's Law in January 2016. It requires that all school buses manufactured after July 17, 2016, come equipped with child detection sensors that would sound an alarm if a child were to run in front of or behind the bus.

The law is named after 2-year-old Abigail Kuberiet, who was killed while crossing in front of a school bus in 2003. Earlier bills failed largely due to the lack of technology at the time, but the final bill in 2015 earned widespread support.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that the Department of Education (DOE) sent a memo to school district administrators in May saying it was working with the state Motor Vehicle Commission to develop the regulations, and until then, manufacturers should "comply with the statute's requirements as they see fit."

The state Board of Education proposed regulations in September, which were published for public comment. But no further action has been taken.

The proposed regulations call for sensors that can detect the presence of a person or object in the front and rear of the bus.

Schools also can add them on the sides, but that is not required. The system must include an audible and visible alert signal in the driver's compartment.

The estimated cost is $1,750 to $2,500, depending on the system and the type of bus.

State DOE spokesman David Saenz wrote in an email that the department is still reviewing the comments received during the public comment period and expects the regulations to go back to the state Board of Education at a future meeting.

Meanwhile, local school officials are cautious.

Warren "Skip" Fipp, transportation coordinator for the Egg Harbor Township School District, said they will not install the sensors until the state comes up with final wording in the specifications.

"We do not want to spend $2,000 per bus and install a system that doesn't meet code," he wrote in an email to the Press of Atlantic City.

A spokesperson for the Motor Vehicle Commission, which inspects the buses, said it cannot act on the law until the regulations from the DOE are in place.

If regulations pass in the next few months, there could be a mad rush to install them over the summer.

Joseph Callavini, transportation coordinator for the Vineland Public Schools District, said he has ordered 10 new buses for 2017-18 and built in the cost of the sensors.

He expects companies will hold off until the last minute so they can try to deliver them with the sensors installed.

He said another question is how the state will address buses manufactured after July 16, 2016, already on the road without the sensors, since districts would need time to retroactively install them, if required.

Michael Gaborcik, national sales manager for Rostra Precision Controls, which makes a student detection sensor system, said the company has been in contact with manufacturers and is ready to install the sensors.

He said a few bus manufacturers are installing systems based on the proposed regulations, but others are waiting.

"What I foresee is that we will have a busy summer in New Jersey," Gaborcik said. "School districts will want it done so they can be ready for the new school year."

For more on this story, visit the Press of Atlantic City.
TokyoGirls'Update

Get Wild in Hawaii! Nana Asakawa (SUPERGiRLS) is the Cover Girl for Playboy

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Asakawa Nana (SUPERGiRLS), the once in 1,000 years baby-faced huge breasts (dougan kyonyuu) idol, appears on the magazine Weekly Playboy (release date : March 6) as a cover girl!

Nana Asakawa shows cuteness and dignified strength in the photos taken in Hawaii, surrounded by beautiful nature.

She expresses her gratitude being a cover girl for the magazine on Twitter, stating Becoming cover girl for Playboy has been my dream and Im really happy for it!.

She was also awarded as grand prix of Cover Girl 2016 in comic magazine category by Cover Girl executive committee, on March 4. Nana Asakawas hot streak as a gravure idol never seems to stop!

More photos from Playboy are available on Shupre net. Check it out!

Related links

Shupure net : http://shupure-net.shueisha.co.jp/

SUPERGiRLS official site : http://supergirls.jp/index.html

Nana Asakawa Titter : https://twitter.com/SG_NANA_avex

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Author Ayaya Been working in girls fashion magazines for a long time and am now the chief editor of Tokyo Girls Update. I have more expertise in Japanese teen fashion than anyone else (probably)! Im a huge fan of the Revolutionary Girl Utena and Bakemonogatari animes.

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1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process.

2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive.

3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents.

4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance.

Vote

View Results
BayWa AG / Key word(s): Joint Venture 07-March-2017 / 08:29 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BayWa AG sets up a joint venture in the United Arab Emirates BayWa Aktiengesellschaft Disclosure of insider information pursuant to Art. 17 MAR of the Market Abuse Regulation Munich, 7 March 2017 Today, BayWa AG has entered into several agreements with Al Dahra Agriculture LLC and Al Dahra National Investments LLC ("Al Dahra"), having their seats in Abu Dhabi, in connection with the foundation of a joint venture company in Abu Dhabi ("Transaction"). Al Dahra is a leading company in the agriculture industry. The joint venture company is meant to build greenhouses in the Arab country in order to market premium fruit vegetables such as tomatoes in the United Arab Emirates in the future. The joint venture is part of BayWa group's specialty strategy. With the production of agrarian specialties, BayWa extends its real net output ratio in order to tap into international growth markets for agrarian specialties. BayWa AG will provide a loan amounting to approximately 30 million Euros for the project. The completion of the Transaction is, inter alia, subject to the approval of the competent authorities in the United Arab Emirates. BayWa AG Management Board BayWa Aktiengesellschaft, Arabellastrae 4, 81925 Munich, www.baywa.de WKN 519406 // ISIN DE0005194062; WKN 519400 // ISIN DE0005194005 Contact: Contact: Marion Danneboom, BayWa AG, Head of PR/Corporate Communications/Public Relations, tel. +49 (0)89/92 22-36 80, Fax +49 (0)89/92 22-36 98, e-mail: marion.danneboom@baywa.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07-March-2017 CET/CEST The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: BayWa AG Arabellastrae 4 81925 Munchen Germany Phone: 089/ 9222-3691 Fax: 089/ 9222-3698 E-mail: marion.danneboom@baywa.de Internet: www.baywa.de ISIN: DE0005194062, DE0005194005, WKN: 519406, 519400, Indices: SDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Munich; Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange End of Announcement DGAP News Service
By Simon Jessop and Carolyn Cohn

LONDON (Reuters) - Bankers in Britain have a phrase for chief executives who share control of a company: "co-head, you're dead".

The use of co-CEOs at major companies has a chequered history, with personality clashes and governance concerns meaning the model is rarely used for prolonged periods of time.

Standard Life (SL.L) and Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN.L) are hoping to buck that trend, with respective CEOs Keith Skeoch and Martin Gilbert planning to share control if an 11 billion pound ($13.5 billion) tie-up goes through.

But they face scepticism.

Shore Capital analyst Eamonn Flanagan said he had "grave concerns", citing his negative experience of a similar structure when insurance firms Royal Insurance and Sun Alliance merged in 1996. The two bosses of the merged firm had both gone within two years, following culture clashes and poor company performance.

"To us, a single CEO calling the shots and retaining overall responsibility is critical in all such (merger) transactions ... we wait to see how the chemistry between Skeoch and Gilbert develops," Flanagan said in a client note.

The co-CEO model is rare in Britain, with only seven companies across the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 using it, data from corporate governance adviser Manifest shows.

"It's rare but not unknown, and usually it's for a specified period of time or to cover a particular issue," said Manifest CEO Sarah Wilson, citing previous power couples at retailer Sainsbury, real estate investor Hansteen and food supplier Cranswick.

Globally, it's been more common with the likes of Google, SAP, Oracle and Deutsche Bank all trying it.

At Deutsche Bank, Juergen Fitschen and Anshu Jain ran the bank together between 2011 and 2015. But their tenure was a troubled one and the pair abruptly resigned following criticism from shareholders and regulatory problems.

A co-CEO structure put in place at Barclays' fund arm Barclays Global Investors in 2002 only lasted three years before one, Andrew Skirton, left as part of a restructuring.

Story continues

However, the partnership between Goldman Sachs International co-heads Michael Sherwood and Richard Gnodde lasted 11 years before Sherwood's retirement last year and was generally seen as effective.

FISHING FRIENDS

Gilbert and Skeoch said on Monday their 30-years of friendship - the pair go fishing together - should help them find a way of working effectively.

They follow in the footsteps of peers at smaller rivals Henderson Group (HGGH.L) and Janus Capital (JNS.N), which agreed to merge last year and are also planning to split the top job when their deal goes through.

At the heart of both power-sharing exercises is a concern that the all-important client assets against which management fees are charged - a fund firm's chief source of income - could walk to a rival unless continuity is maintained.

But some analysts and shareholders remain to be convinced.

"We note that this is not a concept that has generally worked in previous mergers; so the precise areas of responsibility between the two should certainly be the subject of questions," said Deutsche Bank analyst Oliver Steel.

Gilbert and Skeoch declined to specify on Monday how their roles would be organised.

Some analysts suggested it could be a short-term measure, with both Gilbert and Skeoch in their 60s and nearing retirement age.

Despite both of Aberdeen's two main shareholders - Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking and Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) - backing the deal, smaller Standard Life investors spoken to by Reuters were unconvinced.

"It's highly dysfunctional ... for my mind, it doesn't make for good corporate decision-making," Liontrust fund manager and Standard Life shareholder Jamie Clark said. "It must be very difficult for two figures of prominence to share the mantle."

(Additional reporting by Anjuli Davies; Editing by Mark Potter)
DGAP-News: SYGNIS AG / Key word(s): Market launch





The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Press Release

SYGNIS AG launches TrueAdvance amplification service to address

quality needs in next-generation sequencing

- Amplification and validation service based on SYGNIS' proprietary

DNA amplification technologies TruePrime and CovCheck - Targeting single cell and liquid biopsy NGS applications - Supporting NGS users with upstream sample preparation and

validation - Unique service facilitating wider customer access to NGS

Madrid, Spain, and Heidelberg, Germany, March 7, 2017 - SYGNIS AG (Frankfurt: LIO1; ISIN: DE000A1RFM03; Prime Standard) today announced the launch of the DNA amplification and validation service TrueAdvance. Aim of the new service is to support and enable single cell and liquid biopsy applications and reinforce SYGNIS' position in the NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) market. TrueAdvance is targeting to support the initial workflow steps of NGS users. Through this newly launched service SYGNIS will provide customers both with a high quality amplification service, based on the patented TruePrime technology, as well as a sample validation service, based on the CovCheck technology, confirming the amplified DNA is of highest quality and suitable for NGS. Only validated samples will be returned to the customer for NGS analysis. SYGNIS' goal is to extend and enhance the support of customers with single cells or liquid biopsies needs and address not only DNA amplification, but also NGS and bioinformatics data analysis needs, ensuring the highest quality of the results at every stage of the work flow. In oncology and other clinical applications, to secure that the DNA sample has been properly amplified and the data has been properly analyzed is highly relevant as clinical decisions will be taken based on these data. One of the main market needs is to support end users during the entire work flow, especially in single cell and liquid biopsy. In this case, the amplification step is an important barrier for many DNA researchers due to the complexity and sensitivity of the process. TrueAdvance breaks that barrier and enables all DNA researchers to enter into the single cell and liquid biopsy approach. In January 2017 SYGNIS had launched its bioinformatics platform TrueHelix to support customers with the complex NGS data analysis, the final step in the NGS workflow. The first tool was a contamination checker, which identifies foreign DNA in a given sample. Dr. Heikki Lanckriet, Co-CEO/CSO of SYGNIS said: "Single cell and liquid biopsy are truly challenging fields at the cutting edge of science. Through this new service we are offering world class expertise in these areas to our customers. In combination with our recently launched bioinformatics platform TrueHelix, we aim to support and add value for customers at every step in their work flow from sample collection to final data analysis. We are aiming to become partners of our customers and a reference Company for all NGS users."

For further information, please contact:

SYGNIS AG

Dr. Heikki Lanckriet

Co-CEO/CSO

Phone : +44 1223 873 364

Email: heikki.lanckriet@sygnis.com



Pilar de la Huerta

Co-CEO/CBDO

Phone: +34 91 192 36 50

Email: pdelahuerta@sygnis.com

MC Services AG

Raimund Gabriel

Managing Partner

Phone: +49 89 210228 0

Email: raimund.gabriel@mc-services.eu

About SYGNIS AG: www.sygnis.com SYGNIS AG is specialized in the development and the commercialization of proprietary technologies and offers a wide range of different commercial products addressing key challenges in molecular biology. With the acquisition of Expedeon Holdings, Ltd. based in Cambridge, UK, SYGNIS has added a complementary proteomic product portfolio. Resulting from this significant expansion, SYGNIS' product portfolio now covers the entire workflow of molecular biology. The products are sold through a direct sales force and several distribution partners in Europe, the US and Asia. SYGNIS AG has offices in Germany, Spain and the UK, production sites in the UK and the US as well as sales offices in Asia. The company is listed on the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt in the Prime Standard segment (Ticker: LIO1; ISIN: DE000A1RFM03). ### This publication is intended for information only and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor an invitation to buy securities. Some statements included in this press release, relating neither to proven financial results nor other historical data, should be viewed as forward-looking, i.e. not definite. Such statements are mainly predictions of future results, trends, plans or goals. These statements should not be considered to be total guarantees since given their very nature they are subject to known and unknown risks and imponderability and can be affected by other factors as a consequence of which the actual results, plans and goals of SYGNIS AG may deviate greatly from the established conclusions or implied predictions contained in such statements. SYGNIS does not undertake to publicly update or revise these statements in the light of new information or future results or for any other reason.###

07.03.2017 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


The crunch point in the Brexit debate is in late 2018 to early 2019. Thats when Article 50 talks end without a deal, with a bad one or with politically explosive transitional arrangements. Thats when the effect of currency devaluation will be felt in peoples pockets and manufacturing firms might start upping sticks to Europe if they think tariffs and non-tariff barriers are about to hit. Thats the weak spot in the Brexit plan.

Brexit is unlikely to be stopped. The chances are that itll go through and well be out the EU in March 2019. But there are a variety of ways it could be reversed or softened. Perhaps the Commons would vote against the deal Theresa May brings back from Brussels. Perhaps she will instead die of a thousand cuts, her authority stripped away by countless smaller defeats in the Commons on treaties or aspects of the great repeal bill.

Thats why all the real debate now is about putting in place advantageous democratic structures for 18-months time. The Lords will vote this afternoon on what happens if MPs reject that final deal. Does it mean the UK falls out of the EU onto WTO rules, with no transitional arrangements in place? This is the cliff edge, an act of national hara-kiri which would cost probably hundreds of thousands of jobs and Britains international reputation. Downing Street demands this is the only option because they know no sane person would choose it. It therefore follows that whatever deal she brings back, MPs will back it. The Lords amendment alternative is to demand the approval of parliament before the deal is concluded and also the approval of any decision to leave the EU without an agreement. It will probably pass, with the support of a few Tory rebels in the Lords.

Mays plan is to stand firm. She has told the Lords that the amendment would incentivise the EU to be tough in negotiations. Actually, as Lord Kerr told the Lords a few days ago, democratic accountability at home helps rather than hinders negotiations. The Americans in particular are adept at telling partners I hear you, but Congress would never accept it. This wont affect Mays position. She doesnt really care about negotiation dynamics except in so far as she can reduce any obstacles to her autonomy in pursuing them.

Story continues

This morning there were also attempts to bolster Mays position on the second front  the death from a thousand Commons votes. Writing in the Telegraph, William Hague advised that she repeal the Fixed Term Parliaments Act to neutralise this disadvantage.

Hague believes that May has a nuclear option when these votes start: she can call an election. After all, Labour under Jeremy Corbyn look set to go down to perhaps just over a hundred seats and May currently enjoys a healthy poll rating.

Except she cant go to the country because of the Act, which demands she either pass a vote of no-confidence in her government and give the opposition time to put together an alternative, or get two-thirds of the Commons to back another election. Labour MPs are unlikely to back that option because they know they are heading for the abyss. So May would be stuck: unable to get crucial votes through, but unable to trigger an election. A lame duck, trapped in the gears of a crucial historical moment.

Hague is right to be worried. Despite their silent obedience over Brexit, there are signs of life in the only opposition that really matters: the Tory benches. Conservative MP Heidi Allen has introduced an amendment on child refugees which has the backing of moderates in her own party like Anna Soubry and Nicky Morgan. Senior ministers have written to Tory MPs to stave off a rebellion on business rates. An amendment to the children and social care bill tabled by MPs David Burrowes and Maria Miller succeeded in making sex and relationship education compulsory last week. Its perfectly possible Tory moderates will eventually throw a spanner in the works of Theresa Mays grammar school plans. That tiny majority suddenly looks really quite vulnerable to friendly fire.

If you are critical of the governments approach to Brexit this is undoubtedly a good thing, but Brexit supporters who have maintained their sense of national responsibility will greet it positively too. The country has no functioning opposition. The great repeal bill hands ministers incredible powers, through statutory instruments, over nearly half a century of law. There is a real and present danger of over-mighty government, driven by a supportive press, at a moment of acute political change.

Into that vacuum have come three oppositions: the currency, which is making its own views clear about government policy, Europe, which will do so shortly, and now, hopefully, Tory moderates, who appear to be slowly finding their voice.

Some of these oppositions may appear disastrous. The currency, for instance, will hammer British living standards. But the message they are delivering might help prevent actions which would be even more catastrophic. Many in the currency markets believe that the prospect of falling onto WTO rules  if it becomes real rather than a threat - could trigger another catastrophic decline in the value of sterling.

As those repercussions become more and more real, opposition will become more and more widespread, both in the country and in parliament. Thats why Mays supporters and hard Brexit ideologues are trying to limit the forms of accountability and democratic control which can be wielded in 2019, both through a take-it-or-leave-it Commons vote and a repeal of the Fixed Term Parliament Act.

Hague is right when he says that real trouble is coming in 2019. The decisions taken now will help define how many safeguards the British people enjoy from its worst effects.

Ian Dunt is the editor of Politics.co.uk. His book - Brexit: What The Hell Happens Now? - is available now from Canbury Press.
Cambodia - woman protesting

REUTERS/Pring Samrang

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 4,800 people in a two-month-old campaign against drugs and that number could more than double, the country's drug czar said on Tuesday.

The campaign in Cambodia has drawn parallels with the drug crackdown in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, but Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that in Cambodia it will not lead to bloodshed.

Giving the latest arrest figures at an event in Phnom Penh, Deputy Prime Minister Ke Kim Yan said there were officially estimated to be more than 12,000 drug users in Cambodia, but the real number could be much higher.

"There are other drug users who do it quietly and their parents hide them from authorities so the number could be twice or triple that," said Kim Yan, who also chairs the National Authority for Combating Drugs.

"In just two months, more than 4,000 people were arrested so the arrests may reach 10,000," he said.

Kim Yan did not say how many people had been charged.

Those arrested for drugs offences are taken to rehabilitation centers, the condition of which has been criticized by human rights groups.

Kim Yan said the government would build two more centers for long term drug addicts. He said they would be treated there and could also find work on nearby pig farms or palm oil plantations.

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul)

NOW WATCH: Public policy expert: Here's how you can deregulate LSD and other hallucinogens safely

See Also:
Europe has successfully launched its latest Earth observation satellite. The Sentinel-2B lifted off atop a Vega rocket from Europes space port in French Guiana. It is part of the European Space Agencys (ESA) multi-billion euro Copernicus programme to provide images of our planet. Congrats to J. Aschbacher & the #ESA team on #Sentinel2Go mission to advance our knowledge of Earth and its vegetation which benefits many Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) March 7, 2017 With its twin, Sentinel-2A which is already in place, the two satellites will orbit 786 km above Earth on opposite sides of the globe. Together, they will be able to cover all of Earths land surfaces, large islands, inland and coastal waterways every five days, providing more up-to-date images and at higher resolution than have been available. The Copernicus project is described by the European Space Agency as the most ambitious Earth observation program to date. The European Union and the ESA have committed funding of more than 8 billion euros to it until 2020. Success ! AE Team spirit from Washington Satellite ESA_EO EU_Commission Avio_Group AirbusDS pic.twitter.com/PBGyU4UUFp Stephane Israel (@arianespaceceo) March 7, 2017 Watch a replay of the #Sentinel2 launch  liftoff occurred at 02:49 CET #Sentinel2Go https://t.co/1Pf4OZ9d7G ESA (@esa) March 7, 2017
GENEVA (Reuters) - Fighting between rival people-smuggling gangs on Libya's Mediterranean coast has killed 22 people, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. The dead were thought to be migrants rather than smugglers because they were sub-Saharan Africans, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said. More than 100 people were wounded, he told a news briefing in Geneva, citing information from colleagues in Libya. The latest deaths come in addition to the 140 bodies found on Libyan beaches so far this year, while there have been 477 deaths at sea on the route from Libya. So far this year 15,760 migrants have arrived in Italy, up from 9,101 in the same period of 2016, while almost 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and brought back to Libya, Millman said. The number of migrants setting off for Italy by boat from Africa has risen more than 50 percent so far this year, after half a million people arrived during the past three years. Italy is promising to send more migrants who do not qualify for asylum back home, either by force or with their consent. "This is creating all kinds of activity in the smuggling industry, and apparently that activity has reached the level of violent shootouts that left 22 killed in the last couple of days," Millman said. He also said 62 Syrians also showed up among migrants arriving in Italy. Syrian refugees have mainly gone to Europe via Turkey and Greece, a route which was effectively blocked last year by a deal between the European Union and Turkey. Fewer than 200 Syrians made the trip from Libya to Italy last year. "So with 62, obviously we're not setting records, but it could be a shift showing that that traffic has come back across North Africa, maybe coming to Libya again," Millman said. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Lidia Kelly and Pawel Sobczak WARSAW (Reuters) - In trying to prise former Polish prime minister Donald Tusk out of one of the European Union's top jobs, the ruling conservatives in Warsaw may have another battle in mind: the 2020 presidential election in Poland. The eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party said last week that Tusk, 59, was unfit to serve another term as European Council president, responsible for chairing EU summits. It has proposed another Pole, European Parliament member Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, to replace him. Few diplomats expect the PiS to succeed in thwarting Tusk's reappointment, to be decided at an EU summit this week. Some political analysts say its real goal is to tarnish his image at home sufficiently to prevent him from ever threatening its rule. Tusk's Civic Platform (PO) defeated the PiS in elections in 2007 and 2011 before being unseated by it in 2015 - struggles that have given rise to a bitter rivalry between him and PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. "Kaczynski correctly sees Tusk as his most dangerous enemy," said Jaroslaw Flis, a sociologist at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Kaczynski, 67, who holds no government post but is seen as Poland's main decision-maker, views Tusk as morally responsible for the death of his twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, in a plane crash in Russia in 2010. Investigators have cited pilot error but Kaczynski has said negligence on the part of the government, in which Tusk was prime minister, was at least partly to blame. On the economic front, the nationalist-minded PiS has accused Tusk's pro-business centrists of neglecting national interests for the sake of better relations with Germany and foreign corporations."There are two mechanisms here," said Aleksander Smolar, a liberal political analyst with the Stefan Batory Foundation, describing the conservatives' efforts to block Tusk's EU job. "One is revenge. The other is the desire to prevent Tusk from returning to Poland on a white horse, unifying the opposition and eventually winning over the PiS. It's about diminishing his value," he said. ELECTION CALENDAR If Tusk wins another 30-month term as EU Council chairman, his mandate would finish around the end of 2019, just months before the 2020 presidential election -- convenient timing if he wanted to run. A parliamentary vote is due in late 2019. He enjoys wide support among EU leaders, including Poland's allies in central Europe, who see him as a safe pair of hands at a time when the bloc is struggling with challenges like Brexit and the migration crisis. Kaczynski has branded Tusk the candidate of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and blamed him for failing to work out a compromise deal with Britain that might have dissuaded the UK from voting last year to leave the EU. Tusk further upset the government back home in Warsaw by criticising it in December over its plans to limit media access to parliament and a controversial reform of the constitutional court. He had decided then to "ostentatiously support the opposition", Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski told the private TVN24 television on Monday. Kaczynski has hinted ongoing parliamentary and criminal investigations could lead to Tusk facing charges over an investment scam in which thousands of people lost money while he was prime minister. A new probe has also been launched into the 2010 plane crash in Russia. Tusk has accused the PiS and Kaczynski of trying to exploit the tragedy for political reasons; his party, the PO, says the government wants to turn the case into a show trial. PiS remains popular in Poland despite mounting accusations at home and abroad of authoritarian tendencies in its push to increase control over state institutions. It has benefited from the lack of a charismatic leader of the centrist opposition since Tusk's departure to Brussels in 2014. "Kaczynski remembers that when Donald Tusk was in Poland he was regularly losing all elections," said Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, deputy speaker of parliament and a member of the PO party. "He is ready to blame Tusk for everything." (Writing and additional reporting by Justyna Pawlak; editing by Mark Trevelyan)
RIYADH/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia denied on Tuesday claims by Pakistani activists that two transgender women from Pakistan were beaten to death in police custody after being arrested in Saudi Arabia along with more than 30 other members of the community. Reports of the deaths had been carried in Pakistani media and decried in an activists' media conference on Monday. However, a statement from the Saudi interior ministry early on Tuesday said the reports were "totally wrong and nobody was tortured". The ministry acknowledged that one Pakistani had died in custody after the arrests. "One 61-year-old person suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital after being treated," the interior ministry statement said. "The Pakistani embassy looked into this case and another one. Procedures have started to send the body back to his country," it said. Saudi media reported last week that police had arrested around 35 people after they raided a party where men were dressed as women and were wearing make-up. The Saudi outlets did not use the word transgender, nor say anyone had been killed. In Pakistan, transgender activist Farzana Riaz told a news conference on Monday that sources in the transgender community in Saudi Arabia had told her the two Pakistanis were beaten to death with sticks. "We are deeply saddened by the deaths of these two innocent trans persons in Saudi Arabia," Riaz, a leader of the group Trans Action Pakistan, said in Peshawar. Riaz showed journalists several photos of those still in custody that she said had been sent to her by contacts in Saudi Arabia, along with messages sent via cellphone. Qamar Naseem, a rights activist from the Blue Veins group, told the same news conference he had shared available information about the incident with members of Pakistan's parliament. The Pakistani Interior Ministry was not available for comment on Monday. Saudi Arabia has no law against transgender people, but the kingdom has carried out arrests for cross-dressing and ordered the imprisonment and flogging of men accused of behaving like women, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. In Pakistan, transgender people are often shunned by their families and forced into begging or prostitution to support themselves. Recently, however, a nascent transgender activist movement has gained attention and legal rights. In January, a Pakistani court ruled that transgender people would be counted in the national census for the first time. In 2012, the Supreme Court declared equal rights for transgender citizens. They were guaranteed the right to vote a year earlier. (Reporting by Mehreen Zahra-Malik, Jibran Ahmad, William Maclean, Aziz Elyaakoubi; Writing by Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Editing by Alison Williams and Paul Tait)
While development programming is increasingly politically savvy, and women and girls are high on the agenda, its bizarre how often gender is overlooked as one of the key determinants of who gets what in the world.

In our research weve been looking at what happens when gender analysis is placed more squarely at the heart of governance work. For example, can it improve our ability to understand how change happens?

There is a growing movement to do development differently by working in more politically informed ways in order to deal with the world as it is, and not as wed like it to be.

That means asking who gets to set the rules, who has power and who is excluded. It means thinking about how social groups mobilise and how coalitions of civil society organisations, for example, successfully achieve the change they seek. This is how governance really works.

Meanwhile, advocating for women and girls within development is pretty popular right now. The UK women and equalities minister, Justine Greening, stated last International Womens Day that the world cannot wait for womens empowerment, while Australias minister for womens affairs, Julie Bishop, pledged to put gender equality and womens empowerment at the heart the countrys aid and trade strategies. Similarly, the folks at Davos, the World Bank and World Economic Forum are all putting gender on their agendas. Recently, even the Economist magazine has been waxing lyrical about gender budgeting.

While this is all great news, development programming often has a tendency to be either politically informed or gender sensitive, rather than doing both.

Attempts to address gender-based violence in India, for example, run up against powerful laws. If you are seeking to reform the rules on owning land in a developing country, you need to consider whether women fear making a claim for their land rights because of the threat of social sanctions and backlash from their husbands.

Meanwhile in Tonga, womens groups have had a hard time getting their government to sign up to the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. If your central focus is womens empowerment, you need to work politically and get your opponents on side to avoid backlash from those who disagree with you. For example, in Tonga, a lack of political consensus resulted in major public demonstrations led by religious leaders.

Story continues

Weve recently been conducting a review of multiple programmes that succeed in placing gender at the heart of their analysis, at the same time as taking politically informed approaches. The results suggest that doing both at once contributes to a programmes overall effectiveness, not just better results for women and girls.

In Bangladesh, a project involving some of the worlds largest ready-made garment producers and retailers sought to reduce friction among factory workers by making sure they had both men and women as supervisors, which helped strengthen communication with female workers. The programme also helped challenge gender norms by making new career paths explicit for women.

Thinking and working politically challenges the idea that there is a Western blueprint of laws, courts, parliamentary systems, and so on that can bring security and prosperity to developing countries. It strikes out against the idea that outside actors can just rock up and unpack a development plan, IKEA-style. Unsurprisingly, when this has been tried, existing entrenched ways of doing things win out. The people who already have power circumvent the rules and undermine reforms. Thinking about gender on top of this might sound like extra effort, but it might also make development work better for everyone.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Orlanda Ward receives funding from receives funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

David Hudson receives funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
DENVER  Strong winds from a cold front are kicking up dust across the Eastern Plains and delaying some flights at Denver International Airport.

Frontier Airlines canceled a handful of flights Monday because of the winds, which have been gusting up to 60 mph, in the eastern half of the state.

Theyve fueled grass fires in Colorado Springs, Aurora and La Junta. Low visibility from dust and smoke from a fire 20 miles east of Sterling shut down Interstate 76.

The system is also bringing snow to parts of the mountains. Vail Pass was temporarily shut down because of accidents in the morning.
The man charged in the rape and murder of 10-year-old Victoria Martens was attacked by another inmate at the county jail last month, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

A corrections officer reported that, on Feb. 12, Fabian Gonzales, 32, was walking back to his cell after a short break when Carlos Cabrera-Alonso, 32, managed to open his cell, ran across the top tier and physically attacked him.

Cabrera-Alonso punched Gonzales multiple times before an officer was able to break it up, according to the complaint. Cabrera-Alonso was charged with petty misdemeanor battery four days later.

Nataura Powdrell-Moore described the incident as a fight and not as an attack, and said it lasted nine seconds. She said Gonzales wasnt seriously hurt and he wasnt taken to the hospital.

Cabrera-Alonso had been held at the county jail since July 30, 2016, on numerous charges, including battery against a household member, aggravated burglary and failing to appear in other cases, according to jail records. Last March, he was charged with abuse of a child and criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to online court records.

Gonzales is being held at the jail while he awaits trial in the rape and murder of Victoria last August. Police say Gonzales was dating Victorias mother, Michelle Martens, and he  along with Gonzales cousin Jessica Kelley  raped the girl before killing and dismembering her. All three face charges in the killing.

Gonzaless booking photo shows him with a black eye, which he had when he was booked into the jail last August.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Idaho House came to a surprise halt Monday after far-right lawmakers took aim at bills to bring the state's notary public procedures in line with other states  measures they fear could erode the nation's and Idaho's sovereignty.

That faction of Idaho's GOP tends to be suspicious of bills from the Uniform Law Commission  a group of roughly 300 attorneys, judges, professors and legislators who draft model laws to ease interstate and international interactions  because they worry the bills could promote a global planning agenda.

Other lawmakers have said those concerns are unfounded. Nevertheless, two years ago Gov. C.L. Butch Otter had to call a special legislative session after the same small group of far-right wing favorites tanked a child support bill because of its ties to the commission. Despite being chided by legislative leaders, those fears have failed to stop swirling inside the Statehouse.

I do not think that we as Idaho legislators should be abdicating our responsibilities to a group of lawyers who believe in centralized planning for the entire country and for foreign government, said Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. And so for that reason alone, I'll be voting against this bill.

But before the House could vote on the update bill on Monday, freshman Rep. Priscilla Giddings of White Bird objected to a routine request to skip the reading of the entire bill. Lawmakers in the past have done this as a sign of protest, but the state's newest far-right wing members say they want the bills read to improve transparency and show voters their lawmakers know what they're voting on.

However, the House retaliated against Giddings by voting to force her read the 21-page bill in front of the entire body. Just eight lawmakers opposed having Giddings, not the House clerk, read the bill.

House Majority Leader Mike Moyle also took advantage of a separate House rule that barred all 70 House members from leaving the floor while the bill was read out loud.

It took Giddings more than an hour to read the full proposal, which then led to a short debate.

The purpose behind this was to allow electronic notaries, said Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise. And as the Secretary of State was looking at this, they felt this was a good time to update our notary law.

States aren't required to adopt the model laws, but they usually do because they address uniform codes, such as commercial practices or child custody. This bill would recognize electronic signatures and electronic document transfer, but it does not allow remote notarizing.

HB 209 passed 63-7 and now goes to the Idaho Senate.

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Albuquerque Cab Co., one of the Duke Citys oldest and largest taxi businesses, closed its doors on Monday, laying off about 70 people, including cab and airport shuttle drivers, mechanics, and administrative staff.

The company, which formed in 1974, has dominated the Albuquerque market for nearly four decades, alongside the citys other long-standing service, Yellow Checker Cab. But those two firms now face a lot more competition following efforts by state officials in recent years to open the local market to more competition.

Today, five cab companies are operating in Albuquerque, plus three airport shuttle firms, said Albuquerque Cabs director of administrative services, Jeree Tomasi. Thats in addition to ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft.

The transport industry has gotten more and more challenging because state regulators and legislators decided to de-regulate the market, Tomasi told the Journal. The competition has taken a huge portion of our market share, and we just couldnt survive. Uber and Lyft in particular put the final nails in the coffin.

Albuquerque Cab has always operated as a family business. Shawkeet Hindi, who took over the business from his brothers in 1998, ran the company until his death in 2015. His wife, Lois Hindi, has run it since then, along with her daughter, Jeree Tomasi, and other relatives.

The company operated nearly 50 vehicles, including cabs and shuttle buses. As of Monday, a recording told callers that Albuquerque Cab is no longer in operation, referring customers to Yellow Checker.

Our drivers were all very loyal and good workers, but they couldnt make a living anymore, Tomasi said. We did the best we could and invested all we had. Seventy people have lost their jobs. Its devastating.
SANTA FE  Raul Ojeda took a minute to compose himself Monday morning before speaking about his daughter AnaMarie, who was murdered in October 2014 only because, police and prosecutors say, her boyfriend owed the wrong guy drug money.

I cant hold my baby in my arms, or watch her accomplish her goals in life, Ojeda said. The pain I feel is the worst pain any parent should go through, and its always there. It doesnt go away. My babys gone and shes never coming back.

Ojeda spoke in a Santa Fe courtroom shortly before a judge gave Ricardo Martinez, 22, two consecutive life sentences for killing AnaMarie Ojeda, 13, and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Venancio Cisneros.

Inmates with life sentences are eligible for parole from prison after 30 years. Martinez must be paroled out of his first sentence before he can start his second one, meaning hell be imprisoned for at least 60 years unless his conviction or sentence is changed on appeal.

Martinez, Cisneros and AnaMarie Ojeda were sitting in a parked car in the Valle Vista subdivision just south of Santa Fe on Oct. 24, 2014, when the execution-style homicides took place, according to the case that prosecutors laid out in a three-week trial last month. Martinez was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors maintained that Martinez carried out a plan to kill Cisneros because Cisneros owed him money for cocaine. Cisneros was said to have driven Ojeda and Martinez to a secluded area off East Ramada Way, where, from the back seat, Martinez first shot Ojeda once in the back of the head and then killed Cisneros with three shots, also to the back of the head.

On Monday, Raul Ojeda asked Judge T. Glenn Ellington to make Martinezs two life sentences run consecutively  one after the other  instead of at the same time.

He doesnt deserve to be on the streets anymore, even though I forgive him, because thats what my daughter would want me to do, he said.

But Olympia Martinez, Ricardo Martinezs mother, said her son wasnt the monster that prosecutors and the media have made him out to be and she asked Ellington to run the life sentences concurrently. What hes been accused of is not who he is, she said. A lot of the youth in the community look up to him. I, too, have lost my son and my best friend. I beg you to give him a chance to have a better life.

Judge Ellington acknowledged violence is common in the drug underworld, but told Ricardo Martinez, who didnt speak at the sentencing hearing, that killing a child went too far and ruled that he must serve consecutive life sentences. You became more than a murderer, Ellington said. You became a child abuser.

Cisneros mother, Rosa Cisneros, said in Spanish through a court interpreter that her son had a lot of potential and that Martinez had cut his life too short. I miss my son so much, she said through tears. He had lots of dreams, and they were taken away from him. His birthday was in February and all I could bring him was flowers.
Dorothy Rice, a federal economist whose research on the financial toll of illnesses and disabilities had a profound effect on health care in the United States, leading in part to the creation of Medicare in 1965 and to a more than $200 billion settlement with the tobacco industry, died Feb. 25 at a hospital in Oakland, California. She was 94.

She had recently fallen and broken a hip, said a son, Ken Rice.

The daughter of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Mrs. Rice was for many years a nationally recognized health-care economist and statistician, first in government and then in academia as a professor at the University of California at San Francisco.

Rice never attended graduate school, but she developed methods of economic analysis that are still in widespread use today  and that rely on a bevy of health data that she helped bring about.

As an analyst with the Social Security Administration, Rice wrote a revelatory 1964 report that found that about half of the U.S. elderly population, or 8.5 million people, did not have health insurance. Those 65 and older who were most in need of health insurance, she noted, were also the least likely to have it  persons in poor health, the very old, those not employed and those with low incomes.

Today it is inconceivable that 50 percent of the population would be uninsured, said Karen Davis, a health-policy professor at Johns Hopkins University. Rice, she said, was instrumental to the enactment of the Medicare program, which guarantees health insurance to people 65 and older, and to its subsequent refinement through the collection of data on all aspects of health care for the elderly.

At federal health agencies including the National Center for Health Statistics, which Rice led beginning in 1976, she established new statistical standards and spearheaded studies that provide data on health expenditures across the country.

Perhaps most significantly, Rice was among the first researchers to rigorously analyze the costs that a particular illness inflicts on society, in terms of individual hospital bills and the productivity lost when a bricklayer  or homemaker  is forced to take time off work.

With a colleague, Barbara Cooper, Rice became the first to place an economic value on the work of a homemaker, a job she knew well from having taken 11 years off work to raise her children.

She looked at all the things a housewife did during the week and how many hours she spent doing it and looked at the market for each of those components, said Rices brother, Thomas Rice, a health-policy professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

She wasnt just taking stuff off the shelf, her brother said. She and Barbara Cooper were inventing solutions to problems that others hadnt dealt with before.

Mrs. Rice led studies on a range of ailments, including Alzheimers disease and AIDS  you name a disease, I did a study on it, she once said  and did much of her research after leaving the federal government in 1982, when she became frustrated by health-research funding cuts under the Reagan administration.

In the late 1980s, she and Wendy Max, a colleague at UCSF, began studying the cost of smoking-related illnesses, work that was crucial to a 1998 settlement between 46 states and the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies agreed to pay the states at least $206 billion over 25 years, a figure that was reached in part through calculations performed by Rice.

Stanton Glantz, a UCSF professor who studies the health effects of smoking, said Rice was unassuming but intensely dedicated to performing research that had a direct effect on peoples lives. She was always steadfast, he said, putting the facts out there in a pleasant and unflappable way but not cowed by people who didnt want to hear what she had to say.

Dorothy Pechman was born in Brooklyn on June 11, 1922. Her father was a tailor and a first cousin of her mother, a homemaker. Neither parent graduated from high school.

Rice studied at Brooklyn College for a year and a half before her older brother suggested she transfer to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he had been awarded a $2,000 fellowship  enough money to support the two of them, he said.

She took him up on the offer, later describing her move to Madison as the best thing that ever happened to me. She studied labor economics under Edwin Witte, one of the fathers of Social Security, and took statistics courses under Milton Friedman, the free-market economist. She graduated in 1941 and moved to Washington, where she worked as a statistical clerk for the Labor Department and other federal agencies before the birth of her children led her to place her career on hold in 1949.

Rice was undaunted by critics, mostly male, who thought women were more suited to typing than to economic analysis. (I never took typing, she said in a 2004 oral history, because I didnt want to be a typist.) She never said anything about a glass ceiling, Max recalled. She saw it as an opportunity. The sky was the limit if you were smart and knew how to go about things.

The brother who helped her to Wisconsin, Joseph Pechman, was an expert on tax policy and director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He died in 1989. Rices husband of 63 years, Jim Rice, died in 2005. Survivors include three sons, Ken Rice of Oakland, Thomas Rice of Culver City, California, and Don Rice of Makawao, Hawaii; two sisters, Shirley Cohen of Alexandria, Virginia, and Rochelle Novins of Tarrytown, New York; and four grandchildren.

Health statistics  patient totals, median costs and even average wait times  seemed ever on her mind. Years before Rice broke her hip while at home in Oakland, she suffered the same injury in Washington, D.C., while preparing for a speech on health care.

The wait time for a D.C. Fire Department ambulance, she told The Washington Post in 1978, recovering in her hospital bed, was far too long: At least a half-hour, which surprised me very much.
In a state with one of the highest DWI rates in the nation, House Democrats are continuing their regrettable pattern of killing off promising bills that crack down on drunken driving.

Basically, our lawmakers are making the Land of Enchantment an easy place to drink, drive, and not lose much.

Last week, the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee killed a bill that would have increased penalties for repeat drunken drivers who cause great bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In 2015, there were over 500 people convicted in New Mexico courts who had four or more DWI convictions on their records, said Rep. Tim Lewis, R-Rio Rancho and sponsor of House Bill 337. Everyone agrees that there are too many repeat DWI offenders who refuse to change their behavior.  I am disappointed the committee did not use this opportunity to work with me on developing a solution to protect New Mexicans from these repeat DWI drivers.

According to a recent report by CarInsuranceComparison.com, New Mexico is the eighth-worst state in the nation for alcohol-involved fatalities. Last year, the state had 166 alcohol-related traffic deaths.

Lewis bill, tabled on a 3-2 party-line vote, would have made these increases:

 Fourth conviction, from 18 months to 30 months, 18 months of which shall not be suspended, deferred or taken under advisement.

 Fifth conviction, from 2 years to 3 years, 2 years of which shall not be suspended, deferred or taken under advisement.

 Sixth conviction, from 30 months to 42 months, 30 months of which shall not be suspended, deferred or taken under advisement.

 Seventh conviction, from 3 years to 4 years, 3 years of which shall not be suspended, deferred or taken under advisement.

A bill with similar language passed the House on a bipartisan 52-12 vote last year, but the provisions contained in Lewis bill were stripped out by the Senate which, like the House, has a Democrat majority.

Voting against Lewis latest bill were committee Democrats Eliseo Alcon of Milan, and Patricia Roybal Caballero and Deborah Armstrong, both of Albuquerque.

Five days earlier, the same House committee  on an identical vote  killed a proposal that would have made it illegal for drivers convicted of a second DWI offense to buy or consume alcohol for a year.

HB 271, introduced by Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert, R-Corrales, would have imposed a lifetime alcohol ban on the third DWI conviction, with a chance to appeal after a decade.

In tabling that bill, Armstrong said treatment was the answer  not regulating someones behavior that had nothing to do with driving. Except the bill targets those who have exhibited a pattern of first getting drunk and then driving. Fellow Democrat Alcon, the committees chairman, said he didnt see how the statute could be enforced, even though Powdrell-Culberts bill would have required affected drivers to obtain the vertical licenses issued to people under the age of 21.

Meanwhile, legislation that would limit the ability of local governments to seize property from people accused, but not convicted of, a crime passed the Senate on a 40-0 vote.

If passed by the House and signed by the governor, Senate Bill 202, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto of Albuquerque and Republican Rep. Bob Wooley of Roswell, would force the city of Albuquerque to change its controversial vehicle seizure program, which allows police to seize vehicles of people arrested for drunken driving, even before conviction.

The Journal has suggested previously that the city revisit its ordinance because of its cumbersome and lengthy appeal process, which appears driven by financial gain rather than deterring drunken drivers. From 2010 to 2014, the city collected $8 million by seizing cars and selling them at auction or charging the owners steep fees to get them back. But, overall, the Journal supports the idea of such an ordinance, which is based on the premise that a suspected drunken driver presents a danger to public safety, and his/her vehicle represents a nuisance.

Taken together, action on these three bills makes it painfully clear that too many of New Mexicos lawmakers are not hearing the publics demand that repeat drunken drivers be forced to belly up to the bar of accountability.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
SANTA FE  With the clock ticking toward the end of this years legislative session, the top budget official in Gov. Susana Martinezs administration says theres still plenty of time for lawmakers and the Governors Office to strike a budget deal.

Meanwhile, a key Senate committee debated Monday  but did not vote  on a budget scenario to cut $156 million from a House-approved spending plan.

Some top-ranking lawmakers said Martinezs vow to veto any tax increases approved by the Legislature before the session ends March 18 has frustrated them and made additional spending cuts likely.

Clearly, what is left (as a budget-balancing option) is devastation  you cant define it any other way, said Senate Finance Committee Vice Chairman Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa.

The budget scenario debated Monday would largely spare public schools and Medicaid from being cut but would impose a nearly 5 percent spending reduction on most other agencies and programs, including universities, state-run prisons and state-affiliated law enforcement agencies.

Under the proposal, community colleges might have to scrap programs, according to a legislative staffer.

But Finance and Administration Secretary Duffy Rodriguez, the Martinez administrations top budget expert, indicated in a recent interview that additional spending cuts might not be a foregone conclusion.

She cited Martinez-backed maneuvers such as reducing the take-home pay of state workers  by increasing how much they have to pay into their retirement accounts  and doing away with a state subsidy for certain cities and counties as possible budget-balancing steps.

In addition, while Martinez has vowed to veto any tax increases, the two-term Republican governor might be open to tax measures that level the playing field within sectors of the economy, Rodriguez said.

That definition could open the door to a House-approved provision that calls for removing some tax deductions for nonprofit hospitals and other health care providers.

A lot can happen in two weeks, Rodriguez told the Journal. I think there is room for middle ground.

She also said many of the budget proposals backed by the Martinez administration have been on the table since a special legislative session last fall.

New Mexico lawmakers have been grappling with budget problems for two years as revenue levels have fallen, due largely to low oil and natural gas prices.

As a result, the states top bond rating has already been downgraded once and cash balances have been nearly depleted.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, said Monday that legislators have seen little willingness from the governor to compromise on budget-balancing efforts, and described himself as offended that several invited Cabinet secretaries did not attend Mondays committee hearing.

This is not the time you should be holding your cards; this is the time we should be sharing and working together, Smith said.
La Promesa Early Learning Center claims a PED deputy secretary made many false, disparaging and defaming statements during a recent Public Education Commission meeting, which swayed a 5-3 vote to move forward with a charter revocation hearing against the school.

On Monday, La Promesas governance council sent Education Secretary Hanna Skandera a letter arguing that Paul Aguilar misled the commission and violated ethics standards when he testified about the schools fiscal and academic issues on Feb. 10.

But several commissioners told the Journal they believe Aguilar, the PEDs deputy secretary of Finance and Operations, was doing his job.

My feeling was he was making the comments based on his assessments and his understanding, said James Conyers, commissioner for District 5, the northwest corner of New Mexico. Thats what he does.

Conyers  one of the three commissioners who voted to keep La Promesa open  said he did not think any of Aguilars statements were out of line.

Commission Chairwoman Patricia Gipson was hesitant to comment ahead of the April 5 charter revocation hearing, but said the deputy secretarys testimony wasnt unusual.

I didnt find his reporting (on La Promesa) any different than any other reporting he has done, Gipson said. He is deputy secretary for finance, so his information is what we rely on because he is the expert. Its not just him casually coming in to offer an opinion about the school.

Aguilar did speak out against La Promesa in strong terms, arguing that the dual-language K-8 charter school is so poorly managed it should be closed.

He cited a fiscal year 2016 audit, released by the Office of the State Auditor, which shows a pattern of overpayments, missing and inaccurate invoices and other bookkeeping problems.

PED took over La Promesas finances in August and forced it to improve through steps such as hiring a new business manager and restructuring payroll, Aguilar told the commission.

The school has not acted on their own initiative to solve these problems, Aguilar said.

In the letter, La Promesas governing council disputed that conclusion and defended executive director Chris Jones, who took over from the schools founder, Analee Maestas, this fall. Maestas, an Albuquerque Public Schools board member, was forced out after the state auditor determined that she doctored a $342 invoice to receive improper reimbursement.

Since Oct. 18, 2016, Mr. Jones has been diligently working to correct the many problems and issues he inherited from the former administration, the letter states. Mr. Aguilar has no personal knowledge about the extent of actions taken by Mr. Jones.

PED spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell said La Promesas governing council is just trying to distract attention away from the schools problems.

Their finances were in such disarray that we had to take control of their spending to ensure that students werent getting shortchanged, she said in a prepared statement. Because of their troubling history, their baseless attacks have zero credibility.

In addition to the financial and academic issues, La Promesa is the subject of a lawsuit that claims staff did not properly vet or supervise a substitute teacher who inappropriately touched a first-grader and exposed himself to other students.
In an attempt to reach more people in less time, Albuquerque Public Schools is hosting its first-ever radio call-in program to answer questions about how the states budget crisis is affecting the classroom.

The program will air Wednesday on KANW-FM (89.1). Screeners will field phone calls and write down the questions, which will then be answered on air by the APS trio of Superintendent Raquel Reedy, Board of Education President David Peercy and APS Chief Financial Officer Tami Coleman.

Weve had dozens of public meetings, and at many of those weve had more staff than members of the public, APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said Monday. People are busy. They work, have activities, children. Theres only a limited amount of leisure and free time in a persons life.

The call-in program format will allow people who have never had the luxury of time to attend a meeting to ask questions about the districts budget and related concerns, she said.

An APS website posting about the call-in show explained that the states current economic woes will translate into more cuts for APS.

Weve been working on budget adjustments for months and have a strategy were confident will have the least impact in our classrooms for the rest of this school year. Now were asking for your help in designing the long-range budget for our district, the posting said.

For the 2017 fiscal year, APS lost $25 million in state funding  $12.5 million that was cut during a special legislative session held before the school year began and another $12.5 million cut during the current legislative session, Armenta said. We dont know what we are facing in cuts for fiscal year 2018 but, with oil and gas revenues still down, we do know there will be additional cuts.

New Mexico is a key oil- and gas-producing state. Industry revenues provide about a third of total funds captured by state government, which in turn provides most of the states public education operating budget.

Oil prices have plummeted since 2014 because of global oversupply and sluggish demand, which has decreased oil profits and royalties for New Mexico and other oil-producing states. Natural gas prices have also been depressed for years.

Most people dont understand that these cuts are progressive, meaning that the lost money is never coming back and the funds are not being replenished, Armenta said. With each round of cuts, you just get further behind.

That will hopefully be clarified during the call-in show, as will the confusion about how APS spends its money, she said.

People see new schools and other buildings being constructed, and they want to know why we continue to spend money if we dont have it. We hear that all the time.

School construction projects are capital improvements, which are largely funded by taxpayer bonds. APS operational budget, funded by legislative allocation, is whats on the chopping block. The law does not allow us to comingle those funds, Armenta said.

APS total budget is about $1.3 billion, of which $687 million is its operating expenses. About 90 percent of the operating budget is in salaries and benefits.

At some point, if you cut everything you can from all the other areas of public education, eventually you have to look at cutting beloved programs and instructional time, Armenta said. Weve been forthright in telling our employees that everything is on the table.

She noted that the Cobre Consolidated School District in southern New Mexico recently announced that it will cut costs by going on a four-day school week starting in August.

Call-in radio show

Albuquerque Public Schools call-in program about the states budget crisis is Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on KANW-FM (89.1). The call-in phone number is 253-0000.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump on Monday issued a revised travel ban on six Muslim-majority nations and declared that the U.S. would again temporarily stop accepting refugees.

It was a sharp departure from his original Jan. 27 travel ban, which created havoc at airports and was soon struck down in court.

Trumps new executive order blocks the issuance of visas for citizens of six Muslim-majority nations for 90 days starting March 16. The order also suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and caps the number of refugees to be admitted at 50,000 per year, compared with 110,000 admitted per year during the administration of then-President Barack Obama.

The new order also provides an opportunity for would-be travelers to seek waivers from the ban based on work or familial obligations.

This executive order responsibly provides a needed pause, so we can carefully review how we scrutinize people coming here from these countries of concern, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a public event announcing the ban, which Trump did not attend.

The revised order specifies that a 90-day ban on people from the six countries does not apply to those who already have valid visas or people with U.S. green cards. The new version also removes language that would give priority to religious minorities. Critics had accused the administration of adding such language to help Christians get into the U.S. while excluding Muslims.

A similar effort by the Trump administration more than a month ago was rejected in federal court as unconstitutional, and the White House hopes the new executive order, which eliminates some of the most contentious aspects, will withstand expected legal challenges. The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but bans would-be visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Trumps initial order triggered panic at airports around the country as Homeland Security officials scrambled to interpret how it was to be implemented and travelers were detained before being sent back overseas or blocked from getting on airplanes abroad. The order quickly became the subject of several legal challenges and was ultimately put on hold last month by a federal judge in Washington state. That ruling was upheld by a federal appeals court.

Reaction to the presidents new immigration order broke largely along party lines on Capitol Hill, with Republicans voicing at least qualified support and most Democrats opposed. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said the order advances our shared goal of protecting the homeland, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York decried the revised ban as mean-spirited and un-American.

New Mexicos congressional delegation mirrored the partisan divide. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said the new order struck a fair balance.

Todays revised executive order ensures legal citizens and visa holders are still allowed in, while giving our Department of Homeland Security time to conduct a proper threat assessment to see where we have gaps and vulnerabilities in our system, Pearce said. Im confident after this revised order that the Trump administration is working to uphold our nations integrity while keeping our nation secure.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., called the order misguided and said it would not help prevent terrorist attacks.

Sen. Tom Udall, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that even with revisions, the executive order was poorly conceived and offensive.

This order plainly represents the culmination of President Trumps anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant policies, which he staked out during the campaign, Udall said. It sends a message that America is turning its back on refugees fleeing from terrorism and violence, and risks creating an impression that the United States is not welcome to those who practice the Islamic faith. Instead of making us safer, the order only fuels terrorist propaganda about the United States and the West.

The White House dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries after pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which had urged the White House to reconsider, given Iraqs key role in fighting the Islamic State group. Syrian nationals are also no longer subjected to an indefinite ban, despite Trumps instance as a candidate that Syrian refugees in particular posed a serious security threat to the United States.

According to a fact sheet distributed to reporters, the Department of Homeland Security will conduct a country-by-country review of the information the six targeted nations provide to the U.S. for visa and immigration decisions. Those countries will then have 50 days to comply with U.S. government requests to update or improve that information.

Additionally, Trumps order suspends the entire U.S. refugee program for 120 days, though refugees already formally scheduled for travel by the State Department will be allowed entry. When the suspension is lifted, the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. will be capped at 50,000 for fiscal year 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FOR THE RECORD: James Hallinan, Communications Director for Attorney General Hector Balderas, sent the Journal this statement via email after deadline: There are a number of ongoing cases challenging the first unconstitutional executive order and our office will continue to fight against further illegal actions by President Trump. The Trump Administration recognizes that attempting to ban certain populations based on their religion is a losing battle and is now attempting to take a second bite at the apple.

New Mexico critics of President Trumps restrictions on immigrants called his revised executive order Monday an attempt to outflank legal challenges without substantially changing the ban on migrants from Muslim-majority nations.

But Attorney General Hector Balderas called the revision a victory for states that removes some provisions contested in legal challenges by New Mexico and other states.

Faisal Nabulsi, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said the revised travel ban does little to mitigate the distrust U.S. Muslims have for the Trump administration.

Its really a matter of trust here, Nabulsi said Monday. The first order reflected exactly their wish. What they are trying to do now is some damage control, but the damage has happened already.

Trump signed the new travel ban Monday; it imposes a 90-day ban on the issuance of new visas for citizens of six Muslim-majority nations, but excludes Iraq.

Administration officials said they hope the revision will end legal challenges to a Jan. 27 executive order that included Iraq.

Nabulsi said the revised order doesnt change the fact that the travel ban targets people from Muslim-majority nations.

We know that they are trying to manipulate the system to get their way, but they still target a particular religious group, he said. It is very obvious.

Peter Simonson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said the ACLU will continue to fight what he described as an illegal ban on Muslims.

But by and large, this is just the same ban, but with some cosmetic changes largely designed to assuage the concerns of the courts, Simonson said. The new order still attempts to bar people from this country based on a religious litmus test.

Balderas was one of more than a dozen attorneys general who filed briefs opposing the restrictions in Trumps Jan. 27 executive order.

After our continued legal challenges to President Trumps illegal travel ban, the White House has removed many of the provisions we contested in litigation, Balderas said in a written statement.

The statement said his administration is reviewing the new order and will take any actions necessary to protect the state. Officials in his office could not be reached Monday for additional comment.
A new ranking of the worlds best countries is out  and the results dont look good for America.

Switzerland takes top nation honors, according to the second annual Best Countries ranking from U.S. News & World Report, the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School and global brand consultants BAV Consulting. Just behind the Swiss are Canada and Britain, second and third, respectively.

The United States ends up in the seventh spot, just edging out Australia but also lagging Germany, Japan and Sweden.

Perhaps more worryingly for Americans, global perceptions of their country seem to have turned more negative over the past year, the study found, resulting in a drop from fourth place in the 2016 rankings.

The 2017 Best Countries rankings are based on a survey, conducted after the U.S. presidential election, that asks 21,000 business leaders, informed elites and general citizens what their views are of certain aspects of different countries. The rankings are designed in a similar way to other U.S. Newss rankings of colleges, hospitals and cars.

We wanted to capture how tumultuous political change can affect a countrys perceived standing in the world, Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News, said in a statement.

According to the rankings, perceptions of the United States in a number of areas have dropped over the past year. The United States dropped in rankings for business, citizenship, adventure tourism, education, transparency and headquartering a corporation. Nearly 75 percent of survey respondents said they had lost some respect for U.S. leadership after the 2016 presidential election  echoing a global pessimism that found 50 percent of survey respondents saying that the world had gotten worse in the past year.

John Gerzema, chairman and CEO of Y&Rs BAV Consulting, said the ranking reflected a global anxiety. Our data captured widespread global concern for the social and geopolitical changes that cast many nations into uncertainty and turmoil, he said in a statement. The new rankings reflect peoples desire to restore some sense of order by rewarding nations they perceive as championing neutrality, stability and diplomacy.

The United States isnt the only country to face a drop. Germany, which topped last years inaugural ranking, fell three spots in the overall ranking. The country, which suffered a string of terrorist attacks last year, dropped in three categories: open for business, citizenship and quality of life.

Other countries had strong performances. Britain held onto its third-place position, suggesting that any negative impact of the vote to leave the European Union had not had an impact on its international reputation, while Japan moved up two spaces  a move the rankings authors attributed to its stability.

There is one bright spot for the United States: It is still perceived as the most powerful nation on earth, running ahead of Russia, China, the United Kingdom and Germany. Notably, countries that perform lower overall often have their strongest sub-ranking performance in power: Iran is ranked 79th overall, for example, but 14th in power.

A total of 80 countries were ranked in the 2017 list, up from 60 last year, with respondents asked questions to help researchers ascertain 65 country attributes. These 65 attributes were then scored and grouped into nine broader categories, which were weighted based on correlation with prosperity, measured using the International Monetary Funds 2014 per capita gross domestic product purchasing power parity.

A total of 21,372 individuals from 36 countries in four regions  the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and Africa  gave their opinions through an online survey system. The published methodology notes that of this number, 12,396 were considered informed elites  meaning they were college-educated, middle- or upper-class individuals  and 6,489 were business decision-makers. The rest belonged to the general public. All participants were said to be broadly representative of the global population.
WASHINGTON  When President Donald Trump signed his first travel ban with scant warning and little planning seven days into his presidency, he meant to signal he was a man of action. After the lawsuits, chaos at airports and international criticism, Trumps rewritten travel ban sent a different message: The White House has learned some lessons.

The Trump administrations unveiling of its revised restrictions on travel and refugees was deliberate and cautious, an implicit acknowledgement of some of the unforced errors from the first rollout. The executive order was announced by Trumps Cabinet officials, some of whom felt cut out of consultations on the earlier version. It does not go into effect immediately, giving the world time to assess its impact.

The White House took weeks of consultation with agency heads about how best to withstand expected legal challenges.

The scaled-back order will still face fire from critics. It bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down Americas refugee program, affecting would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

Department of Homeland Security intelligence analysts have questioned the rationale behind it, concluding that citizenship is an unlikely indicator of terrorism threats to the United States.

But the new ban does eliminate many of the original orders most contentious elements. It removes Iraq from the list of banned countries  at the urging of U.S. military and diplomatic leaders  and it makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted. It also removes language that would give priority to religious minorities  a provision some interpreted as a way to help Christians get into the U.S. while excluding Muslims.

Trump signed the order without fanfare in a closed-press ceremony in the Oval Office.

Legal experts say the new order addresses some of the constitutional concerns raised by a federal appeals court about the initial ban but leaves room for more legal challenges.

Its much clearer about how it doesnt apply to groups of immigrants with more clearly established constitutional rights, said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. Thats a really important step.

Trump officials say the goal hasnt changed: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews vetting systems for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.

It is the presidents solemn duty to protect the American people, and with this order President Trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a brief press announcement, where he, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions served as the public faces of the rollout.

The original travel ban led to instant chaos at airports as Homeland Security officials scrambled to interpret how it was to be implemented and some travelers were detained before being sent back overseas or blocked from getting on airplanes abroad. The order quickly became the subject of several legal challenges and was put on hold last month by a federal judge in Washington state.

This time, there was none of that chaos. The new order wont take effect until March 16, despite repeated warnings from Trump and his aides that any delay would put national security at risk by allowing the entry of bad dudes who want to cause harm to the country.

Press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at the White House that Trump approved the final details of the revised executive order on Saturday night after meeting with Kelly, Sessions and members of his legal staff and policy team.

Trumps new order reinstates his four-month ban on all refugees from around the world and keeps in place his plan to reduce the number of refugees to be allowed into the United States this budget year to 50,000. Syrians are also no longer subjected to an indefinite ban, despite Trumps insistence as a candidate that they pose a serious security threat.

Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, said the group will try to block the new order from taking effect, either by amending the existing lawsuits that blocked Trumps original ban or seeking a new injunction.

The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban, said Omar Jadwat, director of the project.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose state won a court order blocking the travel ban, said the new travel ban is more legally palatable than the old one but that it still poses concerns and could prompt further court challenges from the state.

Bottom line is the president has capitulated on numerous key provisions that we contested in court about a month ago, Ferguson said at a news conference in his Seattle office. This is a very significant victory for the people of the state of Washington.

___

Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at http://twitter.com/acaldwellap and Jill Colvin at http://twitter.com/colvinj
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  One day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties, Malaysia said Wednesday that it wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite an increasingly bitter dispute over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Koreas ruler.

Malaysia has said two female attackers wielding VX nerve agent killed Kim on Feb. 13 at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysias investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated.

The dispute took a surprising turn on Tuesday, when North Korea announced that it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving the country until the dispute is resolved. Malaysia responded in kind and barred North Koreans from exiting its soil.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday that Malaysia is willing to negotiate.

So far, we believe they are going to act rationally, he said. We believe what is important for us is to maintain our diplomatic relationship with them because I think what is important is the safety of our citizens in Pyongyang.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has denounced North Koreas order an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage and a violation of international law.

I cant think of anything like this happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Koreas directive. This is way out of normal diplomatic practice.

But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.

Its the North Korean way of doing things  dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions, said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University who has written extensively on North Korean diplomacy.

Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea: three working at the embassy, two U.N. employees and six family members. About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.

North Koreas surprise order came Tuesday morning, when the official Korean Central News Agency said the country was banning Malaysians from leaving until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case.

It was not clear, however, what would constitute a fair settlement.

North Korea said Malaysias diplomats and citizens may work and live normally during the temporary exit ban.

Malaysia is searching for seven North Korean suspects in connection with Kims assassination, including a North Korean diplomat. Police say three suspects are believed to be in hiding at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a hulking concrete mansion behind a wall streaked with water stains.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia would not raid the embassy, which is protected under diplomatic law, but would wait for the suspects to emerge.

We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out, Khalid said.

Malaysian police briefly blocked the embassy gates Tuesday with a pair of police cars, but within hours embassy cars were again freely going in and out. By late afternoon there were only a pair of Malaysian patrolmen waiting in a police car outside the compound.

Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of killing Kim, though it has said the two women who poisoned him were recruited by a team of North Koreans. Malaysia says Kim was killed with VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that causes convulsions and leaves victims unable to breathe. North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX.

In the attack, grainy surveillance video shows a woman approaching Kim from behind in the airport terminal and reaching around to wipe something on his face. The other woman, who was apparently standing in front of Kim, cannot be seen in the video.

The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, were quickly caught and have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and had reportedly never met younger half brother, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.

___

AP writers Tim Sullivan in New Delhi and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
With Congress moving forward to repeal and replace Obamacare, it is no surprise that the laws advocates are worried about their Washington-centered approach to health care being scrapped. It was surprising, however, to see former congressman Henry Waxman take up his pen to decry potential reforms to the Medicaid program  especially since the policies he criticized were ones he once supported.

In a recent opinion piece for The Washington Post, Waxman lambasted the idea of curbing federal spending on Medicaid by adopting a per-capita allotment reform. Waxman said it would be an unprecedented abandonment of federal responsibility that would pass the buck to the states and deny care to the most vulnerable among us. He claimed that imposing a per-capita cap or block grant would rip health-care coverage from the most vulnerable and dramatically shift the burden of costs to the states.

The policy idea behind a Medicaid per-capita cap is that the federal government would continue to provide matching funds for each individual enrolled in a states Medicaid program, but unlike in the current arrangement, the federal government would set a limit on the maximum allowable amount per enrollee. There would be spending limits per state in each of the main Medicaid eligibility groups: the elderly, people with disabilities, children, and nondisabled, nonelderly adults. These caps would be based on each states historical average cost for an enrollee in each eligibility group.

Itis true that this change would significantly change Medicaids financing, but Waxmans critique of adopting a per-capita cap rings hollow. Although congressional Republicans support this idea, it also gained traction two decades ago with a Democratic president. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton proposed putting federal Medicaid spending on a more sustainable path by adopting a per-capita cap reform. And when a Democratic president proposed them, Waxman applauded per-capita reforms.

At a 1996 congressional hearing, Waxman noted that under a per-capita cap reform, the federal government would maintain its commitment to sharing in the costs of providing basic health and long-term care coverage to vulnerable Americans. He correctly pointed out that states would have both the incentives and the tools to manage Medicaid more efficiently, and the continued federal commitment would help when states face cost increases for reasons beyond their control, including recessions, regional economic downturns, natural disasters, and outbreaks of contagious disease.

We know how the Clinton-era effort ended: Thepresident and Congress failed to pass reforms that would restrain Medicaids growth. As a result, todays Medicaid program is about three times larger than it was when Clinton proposed his reforms. The program consumes about 1 in every 6 state dollars. Next year, overall Medicaid spending is projected to be larger than the entire defense budget, and by the end of a decade, federal and state spending on Medicaid will total roughly $1 trillion each year. The program is projected to continue to grow at a rate faster than the economy or incoming revenues, an objectively unsustainable path

Modernizing Medicaids financing by putting the program on a budget isnt draconian, its common sense. The fever-pitched fear-mongering against any effort to constrain Medicaid spending shows just how far to the political left Waxman, and the Democratic Party, have drifted. If more spending and more government were the answer, Medicaid patients would have access to world-class health care. Yet, research from an array of scholars has shown that too few providers accept Medicaid patients to meet existing needs and that Medicaid coverage often fails to improve health outcomes for many patients. We must focus on modernizing this Great Society program so it can offer real access to providers and improved health outcomes for decades to come.

No single bill will fix all the challenges Medicaid faces, but Congress and the president have a historic opportunity to adopt permanent reforms. Working together with governors and state Medicaid reformers, we can empower states with new statutory flexibilities. We can modernize the waiver process so states can focus on managing their programs based on the needs of their patients, not managing paperwork for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We can create better tools and incentives for states to reduce costs, boost quality and improve health outcomes.

The basic architecture of Medicaid has remained largely unchanged over the past 50 years. We now have an opportunity to improve and modernize the program so it remains strong for the next 50 years. In the meantime, Democratic attempts to score political points by manufacturing fear of per-capita cap reforms not only are misguided, they are hypocritical.



Guthrie, a Republican, represents Kentuckys 2nd District and serves as vice chairman of the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
CAIRO  The Latest developments on President Donald Trumps new travel ban and the reaction from around the world (all times local):

9 p.m.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria says theres no need for Nigerians to cancel travel plans to the United States and says suggestions of a policy change negatively affecting Nigerians are incorrect.

Spokesman Russell K. Brooks responded to an Associated Press request for comment after a Nigerian government statement Monday said some Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas have been barred entry and put on the next plane home.

Earlier Tuesday, Nigerias Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project said Nigerias government must stand up to Trump and defend Nigerians internationally recognized right to freedom of movement.

Possessing a visa has never automatically guaranteed entry, Brooks notes, but Nigerians with a valid visa and a legitimate purpose are certainly welcome to visit the United States.

He says we encourage all visitors to be clear and consistent about their purpose and cooperate fully with U.S. immigration authorities.

Nigeria is not part of President Donald Trumps revised travel ban. Half its 170 million citizens are Muslims and its battling Boko Harams Islamic uprising in the northeast.

___

4 p.m.

Nigerias Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project is urging acting President Yemi Osinbajo to tell U.S. President Donald Trump that Nigeria will not tolerate any harassment and unfair treatment of Nigerians with valid U.S. visas.

A Nigerian government statement Monday said some Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas have been barred entry, had their visas cancelled and been put on the next plane home, without explanation.

The rights group says Nigerias government must stand up to Trump and defend Nigerians internationally recognized right to freedom of movement, as Iraqs government did in ensuring its citizens were taken off the obnoxious executive order list.

Nigeria is not on Trumps revised travel ban. Half its 170 million citizens are Muslims and its battling Boko Harams Islamic uprising in the northeast.

___

2:20 p.m.

A Yemeni political analyst has denounced the new U.S. travel ban as hypocritical because it doesnt affect other Gulf and Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, for example, which he says had many citizens involved in terror attacks.

Hassan Al-Wareeth, who is also a journalist at the Yemeni News Agency Saba, says the move only hits the weak countries that dont have direct relations with the U.S.

Yemenis on the streets of the capital, Sanaa, appeared unfazed on Tuesday by the new ban, having lived under nearly three years of fighting in their countrys civil war.

Mohamed Hameza says its better for us not to travel to America  what will we do there?

Ahmed al-Wageih agreed and said this decision will not affect us.

___

1:25 p.m.

An Iranian traveler bound for Los Angeles says he feels lucky that he and his wife are already on their way to America  before the new U.S. travel ban takes effect.

The 67-year-old retired oil industry engineer says the couple was flying via Amsterdam on Tuesday to visit their son and daughter-in-law. He says that, luckily, me and my wife have Green Cards but wonders how other Iranians would be able to visit their family in the U.S.

He told The Associated Press the two of them bought their tickets several weeks ago. As with many U.S.-bound Iranians, he spoke on condition of anonymity fearing possible negative repercussions on his relatives in the United States.

Amir Vahdat in Tehran.

___

1:10 p.m.

Somalias new president is criticizing the revised U.S. travel ban, telling journalists that definitely he would prefer it be lifted and reminding the United States that it has a large Somali community.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who holds both U.S. and Somali citizenship after having lived for many years in the United States, spoke on Tuesday during a visit by the United Nations secretary-general.

Mohamed says Somalis in the U.S. have contributed to the U.S. economy and the U.S. society in different ways, and we have to talk about what the Somali people have contributed rather than a few people who may cause a problem.

Somalias president also acknowledged his countrys security challenges and says his government must address the root cause, which is the security situation here and how to defeat al-Shabab extremists.

___

1 p.m.

Cairo airport authorities say they allowed six Sudanese refugees to board a flight bound for New York because they have yet to receive any instructions from the United States on President Donald Trumps new travel ban.

An Egyptian statement on Tuesday says airlines operating out of Cairos international airport, including flagship carrier EgyptAir, have no new information about the ban, which was announced on Monday.

The revised ban applies to citizens of six Muslim majority countries who apply for new visas  Libya, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan. It has dropped Iraq from the list due to concerns over security cooperation.

The new ban also suspends the entire refugee program for four months to allow for a security review, and reduces the maximum global number of refugees the U.S. is willing to absorb in 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000.

___

12:45 p.m.

Irans deputy foreign minister says Irans retaliatory decision over Trumps initial travel ban is still in place.

The semi-official ISNA news agency is quoting Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-e Ravanchi as saying that the measures Iran implemented over the initial Trump executive order in January on U.S. entry is still in force and that there is no need for a new decision.

Iran had previously said it would reciprocate by banning Americans from getting visas to Iran.

Ravanchi spoke a day after Trump signed the new order, which includes Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries.

The Iranian minister added that currently we are witnessing a chaos in both domestic and foreign policies in the United States.

This time around, the executive order does not go into effect immediately and wont take effect until March 16, giving the world time to assess its impact.

___

10:15 a.m.

President Donald Trumps new travel ban comes without the chaos the old one touched off.

It doesnt go into effect immediately, giving the world time to assess its impact. And it comes after weeks of consultation with agency heads over legal issues and implementation.

The scaled-back order still faces critics who question whether it actually will make the U.S. safer in the long run.

The new order bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down Americas refugee program, affecting would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

But the new ban eliminates many of the original orders most contentious elements. It removes Iraq from the list of banned countries and makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted.
This is very good year to graduate from college. Its a good year to graduate from high school, too.

The 2017 job market for entry-level workers could be the best in 15 years, according to tracking by CollegeGrad.com.

Its a job seekers market, said Brian Krueger, CEO of the job website, adding that now  not after graduation  is the time to search.

One of the strong points about this years opportunities is that they exist for workers of all education levels, all skills and all interests. Case in point: remodeling jobs.

A recent report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies noted that two big generational shifts in housing preferences are fueling high demand for remodelers. Boomers are remodeling their houses to age in place and millennials, as first-time homebuyers, are remodeling affordable homes to better suit their preferences.

In addition, an economic development (or redevelopment) boom in many cities has created high demand for commercial construction workers. Welders, plumbers, carpenters, masons and others are desperately needed. Labor unions and construction firms are sponsoring training for high school graduates interested in the fields.

Health care opportunities also abound for high school graduates who are willing and interested in pursuing further training for hands-on jobs in nursing, elder care and laboratory assistance.

As usual, the best-paying jobs are begging for college graduates. In many industries and organizations, a bachelors degree is the minimum qualification for consideration.

Whats slightly better this year than in recent years past is the willingness of employers to provide on-the-job training for otherwise inexperienced workers. In the last deep recession, the in-house training industry took a mighty blow, but many human resource officers say its finally back.

The renewed maxim is that employers are willing to hire for attitude, train for skills.

Thats a bit too simplistic, of course. Skills  and the right degrees  are crucial to be considered for many positions. Computer science, engineering and accounting degrees open up worlds of opportunities not available to some arts degrees, for example.

But the especially good news about the 2017 job market is that in many U.S. cities there is practically a 1-to-1 relationship between the number of unemployed job hunters and the number of advertised job openings.

While that ratio offers a gilded path to employment for new graduates, it also helps mid-career workers interested in job changes. What more mature workers lack in a particular college degree, they may make up for in workplace experience.

But theres danger when a job market approaches the warm body stage  when employers are forced to hire people they otherwise wouldnt consider. The danger is that job hunters become too complacent, too lazy about working hard to take the right classes or develop the right skills.

Its time to haul out grandpas advice: Nobody owes you a job. You have to earn it.



ABOUT THE WRITER

To reach Diane Stafford, call 816-234-4359 or send email to stafford@kcstar.com. Follow her online at kansascity.com/workplace and twitter.com/kcstarstafford.



2017 The Kansas City Star

Visit The Kansas City Star at www.kansascity.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
MINNEAPOLIS  Saru Jayaraman, director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California at Berkeley, advocates abolishing restaurant tipping in favor of a $15-an-hour minimum wage as the best way to economically uplift the working poor.

She recently spoke to about 200 labor activists, students, restaurant owners and others at the University of Minnesota business school. She said that tipping is rooted in a time when women and minorities were not entitled to fair wages and relied on the gratitude of customers.

Employers should pay workers, not customers, said Jayaraman, a Yale Law graduate who worked in restaurants as a student and gained renown for a 2014 book, Behind the Kitchen Door. Restaurant industry workers reject this feudal system.

Holly Hatch-Surisook, a Minneapolis restaurant owner, said she agrees but doesnt like a sledgehammer approach. And she cant afford $15 an hour yet.

Hatch-Surisook is co-owner with her husband, Joe, of the Sen Yai Sen Lek Thai restaurant. They mortgaged their nearby house to open the restaurant in 2008. Hatch-Surisook quit a job as an academic adviser at the University of Minnesota to be an entrepreneur in a resurgent part of the city.

Making employees rely on tips for fair wages should be changed, but I also feel strongly that we must  at the same time  address the vast pay inequities that a tipping system creates between those who carefully prepare the food we eat, and those who serve it, Hatch-Surisook said. All staff should be compensated fairly for their work, and a tipping system takes away an employers ability to structure pay equitably.

The Hatch-Surisooks are business and community builders. Their kids go to local public schools.

Sen Yai Sen Lek employs 25 and generates $1 million in annual revenue.

The business pays all workers at least $10.50 an hour starting wage except for servers, who make $9.50 minimum wage plus tips.

The servers share a percentage of tips with kitchen staff. Takeout-related tips are given to the kitchen staff, which amounts to $1-plus per hour. And there is profit-sharing, mostly to the kitchen staff, of several hundred dollars a year.

There is so little turnover among the staff, that Hatch-Surisook just hired her first new worker in two years.

We hire you at $10.50 and I will pay you for as many sick days as (you) need, she said. Everyone who works for us works hard. Yet someone with fantastic cooking skills and years of service may never get to make what a 21-year-old part-time server will who gets a lot of tips.

The drive for $15 an hour in the Twin Cities has stimulated an ongoing discussion about fairness and economic competitive between Minneapolis and St. Paul, which are considering their own minimum wages, and the restaurant industry association.

The best restaurateurs are paying more in a good, employee-hungry economy and encouraging servers to share tips.

Tom Vogel, marketing director at Seward Co-op and its remodeled Seward Co-op Creamery Cafe in Minneapolis, likes its no-tip policy.

The resulting higher prices do present a challenge, he said. Our patrons seem to accept moderately higher prices in order to pay a living wage for staff, which we have done at our co-op grocery stores for 10 years. The beginning wages ranges from about $10.28 to $11.57.

Customers who want to leave something in appreciation of good service goes in a jar that amounted to $6,000 for local nonprofits last year.

Other restaurateurs who are abandoning tipping will put out a jar for donations that will be shared with all employees.

The restaurant-food service industry is the single biggest employer of near-minimum-wage workers, with 3.75 million people, or about 18 percent of workers, followed by grocery stores with fewer than 1 million, according to the Pew Research Center.



2017 Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Mexico legislators are racing against time  and Colorado  to have the first specialty license plate featuring chiles.

Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55), who sponsored House Bill 393, said the bill was amended to include an emergency clause to ensure that the plates are available to New Mexicans before being produced in neighboring Colorado. An emergency clause means that the bill will become effective immediately after it is signed by Gov. Susana Martinez.

According to the Colorado General Assembly, House Bill 17-1012 would create a Pueblo chile license plate. The bill has already passed Colorados House of Representatives and will go to their Senate Finance Committee for a vote.

New Mexicos House of Representatives passed HB 393, the Chile Plate Bill, with a 58-1 vote on Saturday. It will now make its way to a Senate committee, where Brown said, she hopes the bill will be quickly considered.

Whats behind the rush? Brown said chile is a major New Mexican crop and has ties to not only the states cuisine, but the culture.

According to 2014 New Mexico Agricultural Statistics published by the Department of Agriculture, New Mexico ranked No. 1 in acreage planted with chile in 2014. There were 8,000 acres of chile planted that year.

The competitive juices are flowing, Brown said, laughing. Its our time to claim first. I believe that we should be the first state to recognize chile. Our acreage in chile production is far bigger than Colorado. We have a New Mexico trademark.

Brown said she sponsored the bill as a way to embrace the pepper.

Im quite a fan of chile. I thought that it was something that we should do, Brown said. That (chile) is just iconic. Its a source of pride.

Brown said if passed, the plates would be designed by the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces under the supervision of the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department.

Craig Massey, spokesman for the the museum, said three designs have already been drafted. The suggested graphic designs, which were created by exhibit designer Rafael Torres, include red and green chile peppers and the Zia symbol.

Weve done one before  the farm and ranch heritage plate, Massey said. Its a privilege and an honor for the museum to be included in this program.

Torres said he spent about four days crafting the designs, which were conceptualized by Torres, museum director Mark Santiago and other staff members. He said he was focused on making sure that the designs were not too complicated.

Torres said the designs are not finalized and will be revamped for a final draft to be approved by the state Motor Vehicle Department, if the bill passes.

Its a a big privilege to work on a project, to see something like this out there, Torres said. Its going to be real beneficial to the museum.

Educational programs at the museum would be funded by $25 or the $35 plate fee, and $10 would be distributed to the state Motor Vehicle Department to fund the making and issuing the plate.

Brown said in addition to a first-time fee, the specialty plate would have to be renewed every year, bringing more revenue to the museum. Brown said she also believes that the new specialty plates would increase sales in license plates by an estimated 50 plates a year.

It will be a really good form of advertisement for New Mexico and to see these plates on our vehicles, Brown said. What I hope is that we can do it. Weve got to get there first.

DeJanay Booth can be reached at 575-628-5546, dbooth@currentargus.com and @DeJanayBooth on Twitter.

Click here to take the poll.

Online

Vote for your favorite chile license plate design by visiting currentargus.com/news.



2017 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
PHOENIX  A Mesa plumber has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding his employer of thousands of dollars that he had customers pay him directly.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced Michael Duane Mullet of convictions for theft and dozens of counts of fraud.

The state Attorney Generals Office says the Mullet used a loophole in a computer software program to steal more than $16,700 in 2014 while working for Lawson Family Plumbing, described as a small family-owned business.

Mesa police investigated after a concerned customer called the business to report suspicious activity by Mullet.
WASHINGTON  Chinese cellphone equipment maker ZTE Corp. will plead guilty and pay the United States nearly $900 million for shipping sensitive U.S.-made technology to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

The corporation violated export controls that are designed that keep sensitive American technology out of the hands of hostile regimes and lied to federal investigators about their actions, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.

ZTE pleaded guilty to three felonies and also settled charges with the Commerce and Treasury departments. It has also agreed to pay another $300 million, suspended during a seven-year-period, if it does not meet the terms of the agreement, which includes the appointment of a corporate compliance monitor.

The settlement marks the largest civil fine ever imposed in a Commerce Department export control case. An official who requested anonymity to discuss the terms of the agreement said it was also largest Justice Department criminal fine in an export control or sanctions case.

The Trump administration sought to portray the settlement as a sign it intended to get tough on those who violate sanctions.

Those who flout our economic sanctions and export controls will not go unpunished, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

But much of the investigation was conducted under the Obama administration. The departments of Justice and Homeland Security started looking into reports of illegal conduct by ZTE in 2012.

Its a big deal  it sends a really strong message, said Amanda DeBusk, chair of the international department at the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed. The U.S. isnt going to be shy about going after companies connected to the Chinese government.

Several of ZTEs top shareholders are corporations owned by the Chinese government.

According to court documents, ZTE obtained the banned goods, including cellular network equipment, over a six-year period and shipped them to customers in Iran, knowing that the sales violated the sanctions. The company also made 283 shipments of cell phone equipment to North Korea in violation of U.S. embargos in that country, the Commerce Department said.

ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them, and remains committed to positive change in the company  We are committed to a new ZTE, compliant, healthy and trustworthy, ZTE CEO Zhao Xianming said in a statement.

Officials from the departments described an elaborate scheme by the company to ship about $32 million worth of U.S.-made equipment to Iran while lying to federal investigators. ZTE hid the data related to the transactions from a forensic accounting firm.

Founded in 1985, ZTE is based in Chinas southern province of Guangdong. It is one of the worlds biggest telecommunications companies with subsidiaries in the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America.
SANTA FE  New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is backing a proposal to tap into the states land grant permanent fund to raise money for early childhood education and other services.

The resolution would amend the state Constitution to increase annual distributions from the fund to 6 percent, up from the current 5 percent. If approved by the Legislature, the idea would go before voters in 2018.

The extra percentage point would generate about $150 million a year in new revenue  much of which would go toward services aimed at helping young children before theyre old enough to go to school, such as home-visiting programs to help new parents.

About 15 percent of the money, however, would go to the standard beneficiaries who already receive revenue from the fund, such as universities and hospitals.

Balderas said it would be a wise investment.

The keys to happy, healthy, successful children, he said in a written statement, include strong families and strong schools.  It is unacceptable for New Mexico to be at the top of all the wrong lists as our children pay the price.

The proposal has been on the House calendar for action for about a week, but it hasnt been brought up for a vote yet. It faces a narrow path to approval.

To advance to the Senate, House Joint Resolution 1 must win approval of 36 of the 70 members of the House.

The bill failed to pick up any Republican support during committee debates, which means that almost unanimous Democratic support is necessary to keep the proposal moving.

Democrats have had 37 members present for most of the session. Just two defections or absences would be enough to sink the bill, unless it draws some GOP support.

The Senate is another challenge. Some Democrats there  particularly some members of the Senate Finance Committee  have repeatedly expressed skepticism about the wisdom of tapping into the fund.

Opponents say the increased distribution would weaken the permanent fund, which is already a crucial source of revenue for the state. It produces hundreds of millions of dollars a year, or about 11 percent of the state budget.

A larger annual distribution, opponents say, would slow the funds growth and, consequently, the annual revenue available to future generations. And in bad economic times, it could even eat into the funds principal, they say.

New Mexicos permanent fund is supported primarily by investment income and taxes on oil and natural gas.

House Joint Resolution 1 is co-sponsored by Democratic Reps. Antonio Moe Maestas and Javier Martinez, both of Albuquerque.

To take effect, the proposal would have to be approved by the Legislature and voters. Gov. Susana Martinez cant veto proposals to amend the state Constitution.
SANTA FE  You can forget about vaping indoors if a Senate-approved bill becomes law.

New Mexico senators voted 30-10 Tuesday to add electronic cigarettes and marijuana to New Mexicos prohibition on indoor smoking, with limited exceptions.

Senate Bill 318 now heads to the House. The proposal also would remove an exception to the law that allows smoking in enclosed areas in restaurants or hotels for private events.

The goal is to limit restaurant workers exposure to secondhand smoke and chemicals in electronic cigarettes, said Sen. Cisco McSorley, an Albuquerque Democrat and sponsor of the bill.

Opponents said the bill could have unintended consequences. Electronic cigarettes, they said, can help people wean themselves off smoking.

Making it harder to use e-cigarettes could cause some people to turn back to regular cigarettes, opponents said.

All 10 no votes were cast by Republicans.

RAPE EVIDENCE: The Senate passed a measure Tuesday that would establish a new deadline for the testing of evidence after a rape is reported.

Senate Bill 475, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque, would require law enforcement agencies to submit the evidence to a laboratory within 30 days for DNA analysis that could help identify the offender.

The legislation comes after State Auditor Tim Keller estimated that, per capita, New Mexicos backlog of untested evidence kits is the worst in the country. Each kit represents a case in which a victim participated in a forensic examination by a nurse to collect DNA or other evidence.

The bill passed 38-0 and now heads to the House.

CHILD ABUSE: A proposal aimed at toughening child abuse penalties is headed to the Senate after passing the House 55-8 this week.

House Bill 45, sponsored by Sarah Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque, would expand the age range for intentional child abuse resulting in death to include older children, as well as younger ones. That would mean people who kill a child would face a life sentence, even if the child isnt under 12.

Every child is precious and should be valued regardless of the childs age, Maestas Barnes said in a written statement. The age distinction in the current law is arbitrary and unfounded.

BIRTH CONTROL: As Congress debates changing or repealing the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the state House is looking at new health care rules for New Mexico.

A proposal to require health insurance companies to cover contraceptives at no cost  similar to whats already required under Obamacare  won approval on a 39-29 vote in the House this week. It now heads to the Senate.

House Bill 284 covers a variety of measures aimed at ensuring health coverage for contraception, including provisions intended to make contraceptives equally available to both men and women.

It had nearly two dozen co-sponsors, though Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, served as the lead sponsor when it was debated Monday night. For every dollar spent on contraception, Armstrong said, theres $7 saved in health care costs.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com
Last weekend, President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama  without any evidence  of ordering Trumps phones to be wiretapped during last years presidential campaign. It was only the most recent in a bewildering number of conspiracy theories the president and his circle have embraced over the past year. In 2017, having the president of the United States openly disregard the truth for short-term political gain is the new normal. And that is not normal.

This is a dangerous time for democracy. Less than two months into the administration, the danger is no longer that Trump will make conspiracy thinking mainstream  that has already come to pass. Conspiracy theories, rumor and outright lies now drive the news cycle, as the weekend demonstrated once again. (Earlier examples included Trumps false claim about widespread voter fraud and his misrepresentations about a Navy SEAL raid in Yemen.) Far worse, such untruths may now be driving government policy in realms as disparate as immigration policy and civil rights. In the long term, the damage done to trust by the normalization of untruth may threaten the social contract on which democracy itself rests.

Hostility toward facts is at the core of Trumps governing style. Trump and his advisers do not innocently repeat conspiracy theories about the subjects they choose, whether its largely imaginary voter fraud or the false claim that Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. By now, its hard not to be suspicious that a pattern of repeatedly bringing up untruths and rumors is more than a coincidence. Judged strictly on results, Trumps methods have proven incredibly effective. As University of Miami political scientist Joe Uscinski pointed out last year, if anything, voters rewarded Trump for running a campaign that rejected facts.

How did conspiracy theories come to pose such a challenge to truth? The long-term decline in general trust played a crucial role. As political scientists Joanne Miller, Kyle Saunders and Christina Farhart observe, to believe in a successful conspiracy, one must first believe that powerful actors are willing to conspire against the public  hardly the position of someone who believes that elites make the best, or at least good, choices. As more people came to mistrust authority, they became susceptible to stories about how good people like them were being betrayed by nefarious elites.

Growing political polarization provided the second necessary ingredient. As voters have become more and more likely to identify with strongly and vote for their preferred political party, they have also become more closed off from other viewpoints. The creation of partisan echo chambers on social media and in other institutions has accelerated the growth of conspiracy thinking. As Norbert Schwarz, Eryn Newman and William Leach note in Behavioral Science and Policy, people judge whether they should believe an argument not through rigorous fact-checking but through criteria, such as coherence, familiarity and plausibility.

Polarization generates closed loops in which believing untruths about the other side becomes more plausible than seeking out information that might challenge those ideas, as The Washington Posts Ishaan Tharoor suggested Monday. Thus, conspiracy theories can come to seem more plausible than objective sources, even if only just through repetition. Similarly, Schwarz, Newman and Leach suggest that brains judge coherence by whether a claim tells a good story. Ironically, that means that unfalsifiable conspiracy theories, in which everything can be explained as evidence of a sinister design, lends them a coherence that reality, full of coincidence and randomness, can never have.

To be fair, Trump did not create the conditions for the rise of untruth. Through luck or design, however, he has exploited it. Moreover, his embrace of fringe thinking has led to a reversal of a usual pattern. Before 2017, conspiracy thinking was a feature of the party out of power. Now, however, Republicans have continued to embrace ideas like DeepStateGate even though they control almost the entire edifice of government, from the White House and Capitol to two-thirds of state legislatures.

The damage to the foundations of a fact-based discourse has seeped to both sides. Last week, liberals and Democrats crowed about Attorney General Jeff Sessionss admission that he had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 campaign. The subtext  and sometimes text  was that Sessions may have helped coordinate a Kremlin-based plot to steal the election. The evidence supports no such assertion; as Ryan Lizza wrote in the New Yorker, so far this appears to be a cover-up without a crime. Yet the echo chambers of Twitter resounded with liberals eagerly sharing the news and hoping that Sessions would resign for a highly visible  but still undefined  transgression.

In the longer term, the feedback loop of lies begetting rumor will threaten the foundation of democracy. Democracy requires trust  including the fundamental trust that losing an election does not mean losing power forever. Not only do conspiracy theories feed on mistrust of authority, they also promote mistrust. If a substantial fraction of Americans believes that their political opponents have become their enemies, then the basis for compromise and accommodation that democratic institutions produce will collapse. Through his actions, Trump is bidding for that to be his most lasting legacy.

 Musgrave is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father whose impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention in July called on Americans to reject a ban on Muslims entering the United States, claimed that his travel privileges are being reviewed by U.S. authorities, forcing him to cancel a scheduled speech in Toronto.

The announcement on Monday coincided with President Donald Trumps rewritten order to temporarily ban entry of citizens from six Muslim-majority nations to the United States. Khan has been a U.S. citizen for more than 30 years and was born in Pakistan, which is not one of the six nations.

Ramsay Talks, the organizer of the event Khan was to speak at, seemed to take Khan at his word on Monday and included a statement from him in a cancellation post on Facebook. This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad, said Khan, according to the post. I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.

The claim, which does not state which U.S. agency contacted him, immediately raised doubts about how it was possible that a U.S. citizen was being prevented from traveling abroad.

On Tuesday, Bob Ramsay, who runs Ramsay Talks, said he didnt know the specifics of Khans predicament. I dont know exactly who conducted the review, but in speaking with Mr. Khan, it was certainly U.S. authorities, Ramsay said. Thats all I know.

As questions about his motivations for making the claim swirl, Khan has refused to elaborate on his initial statement to The Washington Post and other publications. A more detailed request for clarification did not receive an immediate response Tuesday afternoon.

It is unclear whether Khan has previously traveled outside the United States since he was naturalized.

U.S. citizens dont need visas to enter Canada, or even the electronic travel authorizations required of all other foreign visitors there. As a general rule, the United States cannot prevent passport-holding citizens from traveling if they have not been charged with a crime. Public records indicate that Khan has no criminal history, either at the federal level, in Charlottesville, where he lives, or in Silver Spring, his previous place of residence. Furthermore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Politico that, as a rule, it does not contact travelers before their trips.

The Canadian foreign ministry also denied issuing any review of Khans ability to travel there.

We are unaware of any restrictions regarding this traveler, said Camielle Edwards, spokeswoman for Canadas Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.

Khans son Humayun was killed in 2004 while in Baqubah, Iraq. He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for saving the lives of other soldiers. Since the convention in July, Khan has appeared widely on television and at public events in which he has spoken against the Trump administration and its immigration orders.



The Washington Posts Alan Freeman contributed reporting from Ottawa. Julie Tate contributed reporting from Washington.
BISMARCK, N.D.  When an angry farmer was ticketed for not feeding a parking meter, he launched a one-man crusade that made North Dakota the nations only state that bans the meters on all public streets.

Now the governor is quietly trying to end the nearly 70-year ban in hopes of revitalizing downtowns, and the farmers granddaughter is fighting to uphold her familys legacy.

Howard Henry, who grew wheat near the town of Westhope, a few miles from the Canadian border, received the fateful ticket in the 1940s in Minot. He quickly concluded that parking meters were mechanical bandits that were unneeded in a wide-open state.

By reintroducing meters, Gov. Doug Burgum and his allies in the Legislature hope to encourage more parking turnover, leading to more sales for businesses and more tax revenue for communities and the state.

If Henry were still alive, he would be very upset, said his granddaughter, former state Sen. JoNell Bakke of Grand Forks. Hed be ready to go out and do another initiative. He was so passionate about this and everything he did.

Meters were outlawed in 1948. The ban withstood court challenges. When the Legislature repealed it in 1951, Henry led another successful referendum to reverse the decision.

He made it a populist thing and urban versus rural, said Burgum, a Republican and onetime software executive turned philanthropist who helped rebuild the downtown of Fargo, the states largest city, with a population just over 100,000.

The state Senate has endorsed legislation that would allow communities to install parking meters on their streets if they choose. The proposal is awaiting action in the House.

GOP Sen. Jessica Unruh, from the town of Beulah, with a population of about 3,000, said her community does not need any meters. But she sponsored the bill because she was asked to do so by the state Transportation Department at the request of Burgum, who kept his support of the bill mum until The Associated Press asked about it.

If the ban is repealed, Bakke said she will lead another effort to prohibit meters in her grandfathers memory.

Parking meters are allowed on state or private property, and some of North Dakotas colleges have them in parking lots. Instead of using meters, many cities enforce parking limits by chalking vehicle tires.

The states two biggest cities, Fargo and Bismarck, have long supported repealing the ban, even arguing once that chalking tires can cause shoulder and elbow injuries for enforcement officers.

Orlyn Wanstron, who owns Bismarck Barber Shop on the citys Main Street, said its probably best to leave parking meters in North Dakotas history.

The downside I see is people running out filling the meters to keep their parking spots, Wanstrom said. Then you have to pay people checking the expired meters, and that will be more costly for the city.

They got rid of them for a reason, he said.

Henry, a Democrat, gained statewide recognition for defeating the meters, but he failed to parlay the achievement into elected office, losing bids for governor and Congress, despite crisscrossing the state and dropping campaign leaflets from airplanes. He was elected to the state House but died during his term in 1971.

Bakke, also a Democrat, said her grandfather obtained a parking meter that had stood along the Minot street where he got that long-ago parking ticket while chatting with a fellow farmer on the sidewalk. She now keeps it in her living room as a reminder of her feisty relative.

He just didnt feel it was right to have to pay to park and shop in North Dakota, she said. And I dont either.
PORTLAND, Maine  A coalition of commercial fishing groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to challenge the creation of a national monument off the coast of New England.

President Barack Obama created the monument in September using executive authority under the Antiquities Act. The monument is called the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, and it is made up of nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains.

The creation of the monument closed the area to most commercial fishing and has been opposed by fishing groups for months. A coalition of the groups filed their lawsuit Tuesday in federal court.

The groups said creation of the monument was a unilateral action by Obama that is bringing economic distress to fishermen and their families. They want it ruled an unlawful use of the Antiquities Act.

The Northeast Canyons and Seamount National Marine Monument purports to designate a monument in the ocean 130 miles from the nations coast. This area of the ocean is not lands owned or controlled by the federal government, says the lawsuit, filed by the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation. Therefore, the Antiquities Act does not authorize the President to establish the Northeast Canyon and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Groups signing onto the lawsuit include the Massachusetts Lobstermens Association, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and the Rhode Island Fishermen Alliance.

Environmental groups have rushed to defend the monument, which conservationists have touted as a way to protect habitat for whales and sea turtles.

The president has the authority to declare national monuments, and we believe he did so properly here, said Brad Sewell of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Also Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican and the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling for the removal of all marine monument fishing prohibitions. He called the prohibitions a clear example of federal overreach.
Disability advocates and state lawmakers are questioning why Maryland is sending teenagers with a mix of intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders to a facility in Massachusetts that has been the subject of complaints over disciplinary practices.

In January, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a three-year, $2.7 million contract to house five teenagers in the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts, after child welfare officials said they couldnt find facilities in Maryland willing to accept them. The contract bars the center from using mechanical restraints or an electric shock device meant to deter bad behavior.

The use of aversion shocks, defended by Rotenberg officials as a last-resort tool for the most difficult-to-control students, has drawn scrutiny from state agencies, the U.S. Justice Department and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed banning the device.

Disability advocates note that the center can administer shocks to students at any time, so the teens from Maryland could see the punishment even if they dont experience it, which advocates said they find troubling.

They also pointed to other troubling parts of Rotenbergs track record  including assaults by staff and the ouster of a co-founder who was accused of destroying evidence of abuse.

Given their past of using what I consider, frankly, to be abusive and inhumane policies, I dont trust them to do a good job of taking care of Maryland children, said Del. Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery.

Maryland state welfare officials said social workers are checking in every month on the teens who were sent to the center. They said they turned to Rotenberg because it was the only facility willing to take the teenagers, who are prone to violent outbursts.

We are not talking about little small children; we are talking about full-grown people . . . who, based on their size, layered with their behavior challenges and aggressiveness, require a substantial staff-to-youth ratio in order to meet their needs and make sure they are safe and safe with themselves and also with others, said Rebecca Jones Gaston, executive director of the state Social Services Administration.

Rotenberg charges up to $900 daily to house, treat and educate students, and it has a staff-to-student ratio of nearly 4 to 1. Center officials said their critics are distorting a track record of accepting students from 15 states, including Maryland and Virginia, many of whom have been rejected from other facilities and can be aggressive, self-mutilating or mentally ill. One of the Maryland students was sent there in September.

We have always been the facility that takes students that really nobody else will, said Glenda Crookes, the executive director of Rotenberg. What is out there on the Internet, and what self-proposed advocates say, is not an accurate picture of who and what we are.

The center includes both school-age children and longtime adult residents. Just less than 20 percent of the 260 residents are authorized for shock therapy, including one school-age resident. Those who are subjected to shocks typically receive one two-second jolt a week, Crookes said.

Nancy Weiss, a disability advocate and longtime critic of Rotenberg who first visited it in the early 1980s, said the problems go beyond shocks. Over the years, she said, the center has become notorious for other disciplinary methods, including depriving residents of food for acting out and limiting how much they can speak.

Its not a humane place to be whether or not you are getting electric shock, said Weiss, director of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware. Their approach is just cruelty and control.

Crookes said much criticism of Rotenbergs practices are outdated or inaccurate. She said the centers disciplinary approach centers on granting and revoking privileges, such as mall visits and time to listen to music, based on behavior. Many of the centers critics have never been here and dont have understanding of how the treatment works, she said.

Leslie Margolis, managing attorney at Disability Rights Maryland, said more Maryland institutions would be willing to take extremely troubled and severely disabled teens if they were paid on par with what Rotenberg gets, or if the state pressed them on what resources they would need to do the job.

Its really problematic to take kids away from their families, away from their communities and stick them in residential placements  often really far away, said Margolis, who flagged the Rotenberg contract to lawmakers.

Jones Gaston, the state social services official, said Maryland goes to great lengths to try to keep juveniles in-state, including by offering centers additional funding to hire extra supervisory staff. She said her agency is working on efforts to expand its roster of local providers willing to accept the most difficult children.

Luedtke, the state delegate, said the bigger problem is the lack of services available to better serve the most troubled and vulnerable children at home, rather than in institutions. He is weighing whether to ask a legislative committee on children and families to convene a hearing on the matter over the summer.

These kids are easily forgotten, Luedtke said. Its almost like its easy to ignore the needs of these kids and just lock them away.
On March 5, 2017, Miss Malini announced that she was officially going offline and then mysteriously dropped out of social media with the #GiveHer5. Within a few minutes several other women had gone dark too. Five hours later, the world learnt why.

#GiveHer5 is a social movement conceived by Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi to draw attention to the five days over 350 million girls in India (nearly 80 per cent of the country) miss every month, just because of their period. In fact studies show that 1 in every 5 girls in India is forced to drop out of school just because she misses five days every month. #GiveHer5 helps give her five of those days back, so she never misses out on school, her dreams, or her life. All it takes is Rs 150.

Kickstarted by Ashok Kurien and the Ammada Trust, and powered entirely by women (and men) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, #GiveHer5 seeks to crowd source funds to give her Saafkins  the worlds first reusable, 12-hour menstrual protection. A proprietary disinfecting treatment called Livinguard Technology makes each Saafkins anti-microbial, and washable. Now finally, there is an affordable solution for the millions housebound every month during their period.

Within hours thousands had come together to share, like, retweet and pledge their support on social media and www.giveher5.org. And by the end of the day, celebrities like Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor and Rahul Khanna had joined the list of people pledging to #GiveHer5.

Commenting on the launch, Ashok Kurien, Founder/ Executive Trustee, The Ammada Trust, said, 80 per cent of Indian women cannot afford sanitary napkins, so they use unhygienic cloth. 20 per cent of the girls drop out, or miss five days of school every month. The Saafkins were invented to put these millions of underprivileged girls back in school and help them complete their education. A unique world class technology product for just Rs12 a month. We owe this to our girls!

Delna Sethna, Chief Creative Officer, Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi, commented, We so have the luxury as urban women to ignore our period 80 per cent of the female population find their lives coming to a literal standstill for 2-5 of those days We wanted to focus our efforts and impact the lives of the young school going girls, who more often than not drop out of school, rather than deal with the embarrassment (lack of sanitary protection, bathrooms, you name it), of their period The math, when you put it out there is hard to refute: Rs 150 Keeps one girl in school For one whole year! How can we sit back and do nothing, especially the next time we sit down to order a tall latte, please?

Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJNhqp4-z3g
MediaMath, a leading independent programmatic company for marketers, has commenced its operations in India. The company has signed on Zirca Digital Solutions as its exclusive partner in India and already has clients set to launch marketing campaigns in 2017.

India marks the 42nd country of operation for MediaMath and represents a significant growth opportunity for the company. MediaMaths clients include some of the largest brands and agencies in the world, many of which view India as a critical growth market.

Working with clients in India has always been a near-term goal for MediaMath, said Rahul Vasudev, Managing Director, MediaMath in Asia-Pacific. Digital ad spend in India will surpass $1 billion in 2017 and we want to help our clients drive the best outcomes for the business with every dollar. MediaMaths global reach and industry-leading platform means we can solve the biggest challenges for marketers.

MediaMath is already working with Interactive Avenues in India. Amardeep Singh, CEO of Interactive Avenues, added here, It is our endeavour to apply the best technology to solve our clients marketing challenges. Working with MediaMath, we have been able to access an integrated DMP & DSP solution that helped us drive significant ROI improvements.

MediaMath chose Zirca as its reseller in India because of Zircas local market expertise and leadership with programmatic marketing. Zirca will manage all sales outreach, contracting, campaign management and creative services for MediaMaths clients in India.

MediaMaths robust infrastructure powers digital advertising for more than 4,000 advertisers globally and the company has moved the programmatic industry forward in exciting ways, said Zirca CEO Neena Dasgupta. Were delighted to bring this amazing ad-tech platform and its intelligence to the Indian advertising ecosystem because we know programmatic is set to witness an exponential growth in the country. Our deep partner network and our service-oriented work ethic will support MediaMaths mission of increasing its presence in India.

MediaMath plans to expand its offerings in India throughout 2017 and leverage the strategic position to continue expanding throughout Southern Asia.
Celebrating one million #FarmDosts, Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) extended its Be a #FarmDost initiative to the city of Mumbai inviting citizens to join the journey of Cultivating the World! Aimed at bridging the gap between farmers and the urban population, thousands of citizens from all walks of life and all ages got a chance to live the farm experience - complete with farmers and tractors - where they enjoyed a unique augmented reality farm experience.

Excited visitors also got a chance to interact with farmers and show their respect and appreciation towards the farming community, a community responsible for feeding and sustaining the nation. The mall-goers and the farmers were quizzed on how they spent their Sunday, where they go for vacation, how they celebrate their birthdays and it was amazing to watch them respond.

Prior to the event the TAFE #FarmDost team ran a #scarecrowchallenge around Mumbai city, where the travelling #FarmDost brigade urged citizens to pledge their gratitude and support towards the farming community, and join the movement.

In their endeavour to create an environment of admiration and respect towards the farming community, TAFE has been encouraging citizens to adopt in-home farming since 2015. To enable in-home farming, TAFE has been supporting FarmDosts with a complimentary DIY Farm Dost seed kits along with an instruction manual.The thought being, once people realize the effort required to take care of just a single crop, in one square foot of land, they would truly realize what the average farmer has to go through, day in and day out.

Commenting on the success of the initiative Mr. T. R. Kesavan, President and COO, TAFE said, TAFEs vision of Cultivating the world takes us beyond farming and through TAFEs #FarmDost initiative we have been able to actively engage with the community at large. We have always been committed towards empowering the farming community; expressing gratitude to our famers who help in sustaining and nourishing the nation is the core of this initiative. It is through #FarmDost that we have been able to create a platform where the common man is able to understand, appreciate and respect the contribution of Indian farmers. We have crossed the one million milestone on Facebook and the large number of FarmDosts is a validation that we have been able to sensitize the citizens and the younger generation about the importance of farmers. Weve only just begun and have miles to go in our journey of cultivating the world.

Navnath Praji Thawre, farmer from Indrapur Taluka, Maharashtra, Third generation farmer said,FarmDost is unique in every sense. Im glad that someone thought of this beautiful concept. TAFE has proved that its not just in products, but also in its heart to care for farmers. I want my FarmDost friends in Mumbai to know that we as farmers are touched and want to thank them for being our Dost.

#FarmDost is a humble and meaningful initiative by TAFE that highlights the work and life of farmers to the common man thereby bringing farmers to the forefront and celebrating them in the public sphere.
WATConsult, Indias leading and most awarded digital and social media agency, a part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, has won the social media mandate of Belgiums largest airline, Brussels Airlines.

WATConsult will be involved in the digital media strategy planning for the brands Indian presence along with the content creation and design across its social media platforms.

Speaking on the same, Rajiv Dingra, Founder and CEO of WATConsult, said, As an avid traveller, I have always seen Brussels Airlines as one of the best airlines in the world. It is exciting to have partnered with them and bringing this world class brand to India.

Social Media, and digital in general, has become a very important marketing channel for Brussels Airlines over the last few years. As we enter the Indian market for the first time, it is important to have a strong partner in order to raise awareness about the Brussels Airlines brand. We firmly believe that WATConsult is the right partner for us to do just that, says Patrick Roofthooft, Brussels Airlines Director Commercial Development India.

WATConsult, which recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary, is headquartered in Mumbai with branch offices in Delhi and Bangalore. Now a part of Dentsu Aegis Network, it has received more than 100 awards and recognitions in the field of social media marketing. These include the prestigious global DMA echo in San Diego, The most progressive digital agency award at CMO ASIA Singapore, The social media agency of the year 2014 at Socialathon Delhi, Boutique Media Agency of the year at Media Ace Awards, Mumbai, the Campaign Agency of the year India (Bronze) at the Campaign Asia Awards and the Digital Agency of the year at DOD awards 2016.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 07.03.2017 - Ambassador Benno Battig, Secretary General of the FDFA and head of the Swiss delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), today took up the office of chair of the IHRA for a period of one year. The priorities of the Swiss chairmanship include teaching and education, young people and social media. The IHRA, which has 31 member states, aims to promote research and education about the Holocaust and to bear its victims in remembrance through commemorative celebrations and memorials.

Ambassador Benno Battig, head of the Swiss delegation to the IHRA and Secretary General of the FDFA, took over the chairmanship of the IHRA from Romania at an official ceremony held at the Swiss embassy in Berlin. At the handover ceremony, the new IHRA chair indicated that various activities were planned to reach young people and to ensure that the past remains part of the present.

Switzerland has declared teaching and education, young people and social media as the priorities for its IHRA chairmanship. It aims to use modern communications technology to convey knowledge about the Holocaust to young people and to bear in remembrance the crimes committed by the Nazi regime against Jews, Roma, Sinti and other minorities. It is our responsibility and duty to give young people, who are the citizens of the future, the skills to distinguish between what is important and that which is not and between reality and the virtual world, remarked Ambassador Battig.

As part of its chairmanship, Switzerland will organise international seminars on education at the University of Teacher Education in Lausanne which will cover information and teaching about the Holocaust. This conference aims to provide ideas on how to convey this complex topic appropriately and successfully in teaching. A plenary meeting of the IHRA will also take place in both Geneva and Bern during the Swiss chairmanship as well as an IHRA conference at the University of Teacher Education in Bern on the massacre carried out by the Nazi regime on people with disabilities.

The IHRA is an intergovernmental organisation with 31 member states. It aims to promote research and education about the Holocaust in the member states and to hold the victims in remembrance through commemorative ceremonies and memorials. The IHRAs institutional partners include the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and UNESCO. Switzerland has been a member of the IHRA since 2004 and has been actively committed to the organisations objectives since its accession as its 2015 report to the IHRA underlines. For example, it organised an IHRA international conference on educational research about the Holocaust in Lucerne in 2016 where the findings of the latest research on teaching and learning about the Holocaust from all over the world were discussed. The results of this conference were published in a book that was presented at todays ceremony in Berlin (Research in Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust, published by Monique Eckmann from Geneva). Switzerland is also supporting the publication of a collection of memoirs by Holocaust survivors as well as two touring exhibitions.



Since Switzerland joined the IHRA, the FDFA has met with key partners from federal government, the cantons and non-governmental organisations in the context of an advisory group. This group was involved in planning and determining Switzerlands future IHRA chairmanship. Close cooperation with the group will also be a key part of Switzerlands work during its IHRA chairmanship. Switzerland will hand over the chairmanship of the organisation to Italy in March 2018.

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Today Google has announced the launch of Android Pay in Belgium, which has now become the tenth country where the companys mobile payment solution has been made available thus far. Starting today, Android smartphone users in Belgium can make in-store payments using their devices at more than 85,000 retail locations throughout the country, including shops like McDonalds, Carrefour, Media Markt, Medi-Market, H&M, and Quick.

At the moment, Android Pay in Belgium is compatible with MasterCard and VISA credit cards issued by BNP Paribas Fortis, Fintro, and Hello bank. However, Google claims that support for debit cards from the aforementioned card issuers as well as banks including CBC/KGC will be coming soon. In order to ensure wider compatibility with Android Pay in the country, Google teamed up with a handful of leading payment platforms, tech providers, and processors, including Braintree, Stripe, First Data, and CyberSource. However, as far as end users are concerned, Android Pay is compatible with a wide variety of Android smartphones, as long as they operate under Android 4.4 KitKat or higher and take advantage of NFC connectivity. Eligible Android smartphone users in Belgium can make use of the new service by downloading the Android Pay application from the Google Play Store on their phone, and link an eligible MasterCard and/or Visa credit card from the aforementioned banks/credit card issuers. Android Pay not only gives users in Belgium the possibility to pay contactless at over 85,000 point-of-sale terminals but also allows customers to purchase online via supporting applications including Deliveroo, TransferWise, Fancy, Vueling, Hotel Tonight, Sit, Uber, Touchnote, and Showroomprive.com, with the list of supporting apps continuing to expand.

Android Pay was first released on September 10, 2015, in the United States, and the service continued to expand throughout 2016 in eight additional countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Poland, New Zealand, Ireland, and Japan. Belgium is now the 10th country to support Android Pay, and the first region to accept the service in 2017. However, by the end of the year, Google is also expected to widen the availability of Android Pay into Russia, and will hopefully announce their plans for expansion into more regions throughout the rest of the world.
Lenovo continued the Moto G lineup with great specs and low prices, a great recipe for success.

Lenovo typically has plenty of surprises up their sleeves for Mobile World Congress, although in the last few years, they had left their Moto brand out. Not this time. Lenovos Moto team debuted two new smartphones, the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus. Both of which leaked out plenty before the actual announcement in Barcelona, so there wasnt a whole lot of surprises here. But perhaps the biggest surprise is the fact that the US is getting the Moto G5 Plus while the rest of the world gets the Moto G5, as opposed to last year where the entire world got three models: the Moto G4 Play, Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus.

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The Moto G5 Plus continues the trend that the Moto G lineup has had for the past four iterations, and that is putting out a pretty basic smartphone with great specs and at a great price. Now the Moto G5 Plus is going to be selling for $229 when it is available later this month, it does still sport some rather beefy specs for that price point. Theres a 5.2-inch full HD display, powered by the Snapdragon 625. This is the upgraded version of the Snapdragon 617 which was in the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus last year, not to mention the Moto X Play. That is paired with either 2GB or 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, of course there is also a micro SD card slot included. That is all powered by a beefy 3000mAh battery, which should last for quite some time with the power sipping Snapdragon 625.

With Motos smartphones, weve begun to see a bit more of Lenovos hands in their hardware design with each iteration after the Chinese manufacturer bought them. And its definitely clear with the Moto G5 Plus that Lenovo had a hand in the design. Many didnt like how it looked in the leaks, but in real life, it actually looks fairly decent. But its also important to remember that at this price point, many people arent buying a smartphone based on the looks. And most people slap a case on it anyways, so its not a huge deal. Its good to see that Moto stuck with a rather small screen, opting for a 5.2-inch display here. There are plenty of people out there looking for a smartphone that size, and now they have a pretty good option.

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Much like many of the smartphones announced in Barcelona this past week, the Moto G5 Plus does also come with Google Assistant on board. Meaning that youll be able to say OK Google or long-press the home button to get to Google Assistant and ask it all kinds of questions, or even have it control things in your home. Which is always nice. The Moto G5 Plus really stood out because it offers great specs in a small package and at a pretty low price, it also comes with Android Nougat, which is another feather in its cap. So its no real surprise to see that it has won Best of MWC 2017 from Android Headlines this year.
Several images of a Chinese Galaxy S8 knockoff have emerged online on Tuesday. The device in question is depicted in four real-life pictures and a single GIF, all of which can be seen in the gallery below. The handset is obviously trying to replicate the rumored design of the Galaxy S8 thats said to sport extremely thin top and bottom bezels. It does so in a manner thats less than stellar, as evidenced by the newly uncovered images. The alignment of its front sensors isnt perfect, the bezels seemingly arent any thinner to those featured on the Galaxy S7 Edge, and the rear camera looks extremely oversized. While this Chinese knockoff is missing a physical home button that the actual device is also said to be scrapping, it replaces it with a Samsung logo that seemingly isnt even properly centered. Furthermore, the fake Galaxy S8 is missing a dedicated button for Samsungs artificial intelligence (AI) assistant Bixby and generally doesnt look similar to virtually every possibly legitimate Galaxy S8 leak that has been uncovered so far.

Theres no word on what kind of hardware this obvious knockoff is sporting, but the real thing is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and the Exynos 8895 system-on-chip (SoC) in certain territories, as well as 4GB of RAM. The base model of the Galaxy S8 is said to ship with 64GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. Recent rumors suggest that the Galaxy S8 will boast a 5.7-inch screen while the Galaxy S8 Plus will feature a 6.2-inch one, though their actual screen sizes will likely be a bit smaller once rounded display corners are accounted for. Despite offering more screen real estate, neither device should be significantly larger than the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge as both handsets are expected to feature an impressive screen-to-body ratio thanks to their extremely thin top and bottom bezels.

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will almost certainly run some version of Android Nougat and are expected to ship with the aforementioned voice-enabled digital assistant. Samsung previously confirmed it will unveil its next-generation flagship on March 29, so more information on the device is bound to follow soon.
Facebook is now labeling fake news stories posted on its social network as being disputed. The flag denoting content that independent sources have proven to be inaccurate or outright false started appearing several days ago. Initial reports suggest that the label is currently only appearing in peoples News Feeds, meaning that knowingly searching for fake news on Facebook wont present you with the same label. An example of this functionality in action can be seen below. The Seattle Tribunes story on President Trumps unsecured Android device being a source of some recent White House leaks has been proven as false by Snopes and Politifact, and Facebook clearly highlights that fact below the articles title. While the label doesnt show up if you search for this same story on Facebook, articles from Snopes and Politifact disputing it are still presented in Facebooks search results right under the original story.

Facebooks decision to label fake news as disputed instead of untrue is in line with the companys careful approach to the controversy that started in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election in the United States. While the social media giant acknowledged the issue, it was reluctant to aggressively combat the dissemination of fake news as it wasnt keen on being accused of censorship. The new label denoting disputed news stories was originally announced back in December along with some other measures designed to highlight factually inaccurate stories without outright censoring them. A related set of features was also rolled out in early February and more similar updates are expected to follow in the coming months.

Facebook previously revealed that the disputed tag will only be attributed to stories that independent organizations have verified as being false, meaning the companys system wasnt designed to tackle dubious news pieces in real time. While most industry watchers agree that state of affairs is far from ideal, the new additions to Facebook still indicate that the social media company is taking some steps to combat false news stories, even though its critics are calling for it to do much more. Facebooks anti-fake news features follow shortly after Google introduced its own mechanisms for combating the dissemination of false information. Among other things, Facebooks rival decided to start banning fake news websites from participating in its advertising network.
According to a tweet by Motorola India earlier today, the Moto G5 Plus will be available for purchase in the country from the 15th of March, exclusively on leading e-commerce portal, Flipkart. There is no mention, however, of the Moto G5, so it will be interesting to see if the smaller device will also be put up for sale on the same day. Lenovo had earlier sent out media invites for the India launch of the Moto G5 Plus, but there was no mention of the Moto G5 back then either. The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus were launched exclusively on Amazon last year, so Lenovos decision to go with Flipkart this time around certainly represents a break with tradition.

As a refresher, Chinese tech giant Lenovo, the parent company of Motorola Mobility, launched the two new Moto-branded mid-range smartphones at the Mobile World Congress tech show in Barcelona last week. The devices are an upgrade over the fourth-generation Moto G devices, and get a fresh new look with upgraded hardware. While the two devices look relatively similar to each other, they do have quite a few differences when it comes to their hardware specifications. While the standard-issue Moto G5 features a 5-inch display panel, the more expensive Moto G5 Plus comes with a larger 5.2-inch screen. Both displays, however, have the same 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, so at least in theory, the cheaper Moto G5 actually has a sharper display with more dots-per-inch (dpi).

As for the rest of the specs, while the Moto G5 is powered by the Snapdragon 430, the Moto G5 Plus comes with the more capable Snapdragon 625 under the hood. While the former will be offered with just the 2GB or 3GB of RAM, the latter will also have a 4GB model that will be offered only in some regions. Internal storage will be restricted to just 16GB or 32GB on the former, while the latter will come with 32GB and 64GB options. Both devices will ship with Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box, but the smaller handset will carry a 2,800mAh battery, while its stable-mate will draw power from a 3,000mAh unit. Meanwhile, much like many of the other smartphones announced at the MWC 2017 last week, both Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus will ship with Google Assistant, as was announced by the Lenovo-owned brand in a blog post published recently.
Wearable maker Jawbone denied accusations of abandoning customers after a number of people who previously purchased the companys products took to social media to complain how the firm stopped supporting them. Some of the companys customers are claiming that the firm isnt answering their emails while calling Jawbones UK support line simply plays a pre-recorded message saying customer service support isnt available anywhere in the European Union at the moment. Finally, Jawbones official Twitter profile and the companys Facebook page havent been updated since early February.

A spokesman for the company told the BBC that Jawbone hasnt abandoned its customers, adding how a customer service program will be back online in a matter of days. Regarding the reason why Jawbone suddenly ceased all support for its products, the spokesman said that the company is currently in a transition period but hasnt elaborated on the matter. Jawbone previously confirmed its plans to exit the market for consumer electronics and focus on creating products and services designed for the healthcare industry. However, the companys consumer-grade products are still widely available for purchase despite the fact that no support is being offered for them, which caused an outrage among the general public.

The San Francisco-based wearable maker has reportedly been struggling in the market for years and its financial woes even prevented it from keeping its inventory stocked last fall. Jawbone allegedly tried selling itself over the summer but failed to find a suitable suitor and its problems have apparently only worsened in the meantime. While the firm is now planning to exit the consumer market and refocus its efforts and diminishing resources on the healthcare industry, market watchers are skeptical about its future endeavors. Not only is Jawbones reputation currently enduring heavy hits from the general public, but analysts also dont believe the company has something unique to offer to the healthcare industry. Even if it does, the fact that its decline is common knowledge by now certainly wont help its chances to negotiate a good deal with a potential major client in the future. An update on the situation is expected to follow shortly.
Xiaomi once again reiterated their plan to expand their offline distribution in China. Xiaomi was focused solely on online sales ever since the company was founded back in 2010, and theyve slowly started opening offline, physical stores in China a while back. Xiaomi had opened up 51 physical stores in China last, and this year, though that number will grow considerably in the future, as the company plans to open up 1,000 physical stores by 2020.

Now, Lei Jun actually revealed some more info regarding Xiaomis plans in 2017 during a press conference in Beijing. According to the companys CEO, Xiaomi plans to open up 250 new offline stores in China this year, as part of the bigger picture, and the companys plan in the next couple of years. Lei Jun strongly believes that the company has a great plan for New Retail, which essentially puts focus on Xiaomis very own stores, instead of buying off small business in China. Xiaomi believes that opening such stores will help them increase their sales, as they see offline sales as a very important component when it comes to sales in general. OPPO and Vivo are currently the second and third smartphone manufacturer in China, at least in terms of sales, and they have been selling their products via offline channels for quite some time now, and the same can be said for Huawei, who is currently, by far, no. 1 smartphone manufacturer in China.

Xiaomis CEO believes that the company can keep prices low, even though they need to factor in labor costs. Lei Jun plans to optimize the manufacturing process, and analyze the market properly in order to keep costs low. All in all, Xiaomi is planning to become one of Chinas top smartphone manufacturers when it comes to offline sales, though that would take some time, it seems. Its also worth mentioning that Xiaomi plans to increase offline sales in India to 25% this year, which will also be interesting. Lei Jun did not say anything about Xiaomis global expansion during this press conference, his speech mostly focused on offline sales in China, just in case you were wondering.

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Alphabet boasts an advantage in potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, according to a recent report published by Edison Investment Research. The firms analyst Richard Windsor claims that consumer-grade AI applications are finally becoming a reality, adding that the Mountain View-based tech giant has the best chance to win the AI race in terms of potential applications and related revenue. Apart from Alphabet, Windsor also stated that Baidu and Yandex  the largest Internet search giants in China and Russia, respectively  have an excellent chance of making their AI endeavors profitable in the long term.

The 51-page report explains how the largest Internet search engines on the planet already have a vast database of user data that they can use to improve their AI solutions and teach machines to be more useful and desirable. Coincidentally, major providers of search engines have also invested more time and resources into developing this emerging technology than their competitors, which is another factor that could possibly tip the scales in their favor, Windsor claims. According to Edison Investment Research, Internet giants are the only companies that could realistically improve their AI offerings to the point where they start making money from them in the not too distant future.

Tech giants are still considering potential AI applications that would make business sense in the long term and while many related challenges still havent been resolved, Windsor thinks that if anyone is able to solve them soon, the likes of Alphabet, Baidu, and Yandex are. The report also reflects on Amazons Alexa voice-enabled assistant and related products like the Echo connected speaker as the analyst claims Amazons offerings still arent able to provide a quality user experience and will therefore struggle to be successful in the future as better and cheaper products and services enter the market. Windsor still believes that Alexa-enabled products will be an attractive proposition to Amazon Prime subscribers but doesnt think that will be enough for Amazon to become the first company with a profitable AI business. The latest report from Edison Investment Research can be read in its entirety by following the source link below.
The Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Homes, or Connected Homes, are all the same thing that mean filling your home with smart devices that work via the internet and that use your smartphone as a sort of controller. They are sleek, fast, responsive, engaging, can make life easier, offer convenience and a certain wow factor, and are not selling past the early adopters according to a recent survey by Gartner. After an online survey of 10,000 people from the US, UK, and Australia, Gartner discovered that only about 10 percent of households are reaping the advantages of a connected house. Gartner uncovered that only those people that are in a particular category called early adopters are buying and using the products  after that, interest wanes.

It is no surprise that more developed countries have a faster adoption rate, but they are nowhere near, what the manufacturers would like to see. Alarm systems are the number one connected home solution at 18 percent, and that makes sense since many users already have a home security system and is an area where the cost can be justified. Home monitoring is up there as well with 11 percent. With both parents working, it pays for itself as a child monitor or as a means to keep an eye on your house while you are at work. Home automation  door locks, garage door, lights, etc.  or energy management comes in at 8 percent. In the US, about 59 percent pay a monthly fee for some form of a monitoring system.

When asked about their feelings toward the value of these devices, 75 percent said they were okay with manually adjusting controls around their home, including lights, sound, and the temperature. To go further, 58 percent said they prefer separate, unconnected devices. While many are starting to see the value of some home solutions, they specified that name recognition is a major factor. Manufacturers and developers have to realize that these devices, while convenient, are expensive and many families are unable to spend the money for them no matter how helpful.

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There are actual financial benefits to using some connected home solutions  Nest just received the coveted Energy Star rating from the EPA for its home thermostat control after studies showed it could save a household between 10  12 percent in their heating and cooling bills. Insurance companies are more than willing to give you a break on your premiums if you have a home security system installed. Having a doorbell with a camera can often prevent an unwanted visitor or home invader. These benefits can often outweigh the cost of the system or an assorted monthly maintenance fee.
Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is currently calling the shots for Sprint, and there are indications that he may be looking to leverage the Trump administrations leniency in regulating the tech sphere to merge Sprint with another player, as just one possibility. A number of high-ranking Softbank executives reportedly had talks with members of the Trump administration last month about possible moves that Softbank could make in the US, including changes revolving around Sprint. In the wake of news that Trumps FCC will likely not give any review or other impedance to a proposed deal between AT&T and Comcast, along with reports that show that T-Mobile US would likely be better off merging with somebody in the near future, all eyes are turning to Sprint as a possible merger, with T-Mobile and Comcast as some of the most popularly cited potential partners.

In the past, mergers in the wireless world  especially among the big four  have proven an unpopular topic on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, with regulators pointing out the very clear connection between dwindling competition and dwindling consumer benefit in the space. Competition in the wireless space, as T-Mobile has proven in recent years, does not just spell better services and lower bills for consumers, but also stimulates the economy in the form of wireless carriers investing in things like network equipment, advertising, and spectrum. If two major carriers merge under this furious climate, they could end up being quite a force together, at the expense of other carriers, and thus competition.

Softbank is on the move in the unique worldwide economic climate created by Trumps rise to power, as evidenced by their recent acquisition of Intelsat through their OneWeb telecommunications arm. Son and his people have made their plans mostly clear, and have explained in some detail why it is imperative for the United States to maintain its competitive position in the world wireless space. Plans to merge with T-Mobile or Comcast are almost entirely speculation at this point, but both have clear pros, cons, and market tells, which means that analysts and strategy specialists are already weighing out the potential deals.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and Foreign Minister of Mongolia Tsend Munkh-Orgil on February 21 exchanged messages on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, press service of the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

The Armenian FM said in his message that the mutual partnership between the two countries serves as a firm base to further expand and strengthen the friendly relations through joint efforts.

Foreign Minister of Mongolia in his message expressed confidence that the traditional friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries will further develop and deepen in sectors of mutual interest for the benefit of the two peoples.
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Joining the Euro-spec Stinger grand tourer on the shows scene, the third-generation Picanto is slated to arrive at dealers across the Old Continent in the second quarter of 2017. Especially the two-tone GT-Line model, the Picanto is a far better-looking car than its forerunner.Speaking of which, a friend of mine had a second-generation model. Not that I would remember it for how neat it was, but for a far simpler reason than that: since the battery went flat, I pushed the car for him to start it. People know, however, that Kia has a world-class reliability record, and the all-new Picanto stays true to the carmakers promise.Even if something were to go wrong, the South Korean company would soothe your fevered brow with a 7-year/150,000-kilometer warranty, whichever of the two comes first. Considering that the all-new model is expected to start from less than 10,000 when it goes on sale in Europe, thats mighty impressive.And if you thought that the exterior looks a-OK, the cabin is similarly neat. The Hyundai i30-esque floating infotainment system, small-ish gear lever, chunky steering wheel, oval outer air vents, and nicely laid outcontrols make life behind the wheel far more interesting than in the case of my friends second-generation model . Legroom in the rear may not be adequate for taller guys, though, but then again, such a drawback is to be expected from a vehicle as petite as the Picanto is.While on the subject of size, the Picanto is the same length as the model it replaces, but it has shorter front and rear overhangs. This comes courtesy of a longer wheelbase, which pays dividend in the comfort department. As far as engines are concerned, the one to choose is the 1.0 T-GDI. 100 PS and 172 Nm in a 993-kg (2,189 lbs) urban dweller sounds like a fun proposition.
Instead, the 2017 Ruf CTR, which borrows the look of the original, makes use of a carbon fiber monocoque with steel front and rear crash structures.The crushingly-analogue piece of machinery comes with a dry weight of 2,640 lbs /1,200 kg (the curb weight hasn't been announced), which, combined with the monstrous output of its twin-turbo 3.6-liter engine, delivers sweet performance.The heavily massaged flat-six occupying the rear section of latest CTR model delivers 710 hp at 6,750 rpm and a peak torque of 649 lb-ft (880 Nm) between 2,750 and 4,000 rpm. The gearbox? A six-speed manual, of course.The rear-wheel-drive monster will complete the 0 to 62 mph sprint in under 3.5 seconds, while being able to play the 0 to 124 mph game in under 9 seconds. If the driver keeps accelerating, the coupe will hit 225 mph.The 2017 model talks to the road via double-wishbone arms, featuring a pushrod configuration for both axles. We're dealing with 19-inch forged alloy wheels, which are shod in 245/35 tires up front and 305/30 rubber at the rear. As for the stopping power, this comes from carbon-ceramic hardware.The minimalist cabin is an Alcantara temple, while the seats are built from carbon fiber. The driver is spoiled with analog gauges.Only thirty examples of the 2017 Ruf CTR will be built. Thos who are in the market for such a rear-engined animal and haven't made the necessary arrangements yet will be reminded that such machines sell even quicker than they drive.Company founder Alois Ruf and his wife Estonia have unveiled the 2017 CTR in Geneva, as you can see in the first piece of footage below. When it comes to the video at the bottom of the page, this tells the story of the original Yellowbird, all with a Nurburgring sideways twist.
The obvious one is that that it's white and doesn't have a roof. But that just puts the interior in clear view for everybody to study and salivate over. Burgundy color leather in combination with aluminum is just the tip of the design iceberg.Between the digital dashboard stretching a la Porsche 918 and the boat-like steering wheel with a bit chopped from the top, this looks like Captain Nemo 's car of the future past. Maybe the burgundy leather is extinguished with vampire blood or something.Other noteworthy design details include the cameras replacing the wing mirrors. They were designed after the fuselage of a stealth aircraft. The taillights, meanwhile, look like afterburners. Overall, the EXP 12 would make a really cool alternative to the Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

Bentley believes that all its vehicles should get electrified, but only when the same effortless power delivery we know from their gas-powered models can be offered. And for the ultimate aristocratic expression, the EXP 12 Speed 6e doesn't need its owner fiddling with cables or touching dirty nozzles. Its battery recharges wirelessly.Mum is the word when it comes to range, power or speed. We don't even know if they have plans to make one. But if Bentley got Porsche's help for the next Conti GT's platform, we doubt they can't ask for the 911 architecture or that used by the Mission E."The EXP 12 Speed 6e is a concept to show that Bentley is defining electric motoring in the luxury sector, with the appropriate technology, high-quality materials and refinement levels you'd expect from a true Bentley. This concept enables us to engage with luxury customers and gather feedback on our approach," said Bentley Motors boss Wolfgang Durheimer.
A massive dump of software vulnerabilities by WikiLeaks has sent security experts scrambling. Top engineers at Apple, Google and Microsoft are poring over the documents now, sources told Axios.

However, because of the number of vulnerabilities, it is expected to take hours or days to figure out if they vulnerabilities are all real, what has and hasn't been patched, and of the newly discovered issues, which need the most urgent attention. Developing and releasing the actual patches could take weeks or even months.

All three companies were wading through the files, sources said, though none yet has offered up a public comment. Google may end up with the biggest headaches given the fact that so many Android devices are stuck on older versions of the operating system, so millions of devices could be vulnerable even to already plugged holes.

Why this matters: If real, all these exploits are now in the hands of every hacker in the world, rather than just the CIA.
Alphaville's Matthew Klein points to some depressing data from Nevada that show the state has a long way to go to heal from the aftermath of the housing bubble: "Adjusting for changes in population, Nevada's real output is a staggering 21 per cent below its 2006 peak, and more than 10 per cent below its level from two decades ago  a performance only comparable to Greece."

Nevada's unemployment rate has fallen from close to 14% in 2010 to just above 5% today, but much of that has been the result of workers leaving the labor force altogether.

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Nevada's younger-than-average population long allowed it to have a higher share of its population employed than the rest of the U.S. But the recession set Nevada's young workforce back on its heels, and its recovery over the past decade has been depressingly weak.
Four senators from states that expanded Medicaid on Monday said they won't support a bill that takes the same approach to the program as a leaked Obamacare repeal and replacement bill did. This means the House bill set to be released tonight could be dead on arrival.

Sens. Rob Portman, Shelley Moore Capito, Cory Gardner and Lisa Murkowski wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell:

"The February 10th draft proposal from the House does not meet the test of stability for individuals currently enrolled in the program and we will not support a plan that does not include stability for Medicaid expansion populations or flexibility for states."

But Politico reported shortly before the letter was released that the new version of the House bill will still phase out Medicaid expansion and will transition to a per-person cap on federal Medicaid funding. It will also spend less money over time on the program than under the old version of the bill. This is highly unlikely to solve the senators' problems with the bill.

What the Feb. 10 House bill does:
WikiLeaks released more than 8,000 documents it says originate from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence that reveal its hacking capabilities and programs between 2013 and 2016, including malware, viruses, Trojans, malware remote control systems, and weaponized exploits. That amounts to several hundred million lines of code and more pages than were published in the first three years of the Edward Snowden leaks.

They're calling it "Vault 7." The main findings:

The CIA has turned iPhones, Android devices, Windows operating systems, and Samsung TVs into covert microphones , known as "zero day" weaponized exploits.

, known as "zero day" weaponized exploits. "Weeping Angel," which infests Samsung smart TVs, was developed with the UK's MI5/BTSS, and turns the TV in a "Fake-Off" mode to route audio over the Internet to a covert CIA server.

The CIA has also developed attacks to remotely control popular smart phones so they send geolocation, audio, and text communications, and activate the phone's camera and microphone. The CIA either made these attacks or obtained them from the Government Communication Headquarters in the UK, the NSA, or the FBI, or purchased it from arms contractors. (Note, that bypasses the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide, and Cloakroom.)

The CIA has developed malware attacks and control systems for Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, Linux, and more.

The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt operates as a covert CIA hacker base, covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. WikiLeaks disclosed instructions the CIA hackers use to get through German Customs.

CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu told the AP: "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents."

Why this matters, according to WikiLeaks:

"Serious vulnerabilities not disclosed to the manufacturers places huge swathes of the population and critical infrastructure at risk to foreign intelligence or cyber criminals who independently discover or hear rumors of the vulnerability. If the CIA can discover such vulnerabilities so can others."

Also: In not disclosing the vulnerabilities to the companies at risk, the CIA may have violated the Vulnerability Equities Process that Obama enacted in 2014. And the malware revealed is able to penetrate and control both the Android and iPhone software that runs or has run presidential Twitter accounts. The U.S. made these cyber spying codes unclassified, which means the weapons can be "pirated" easily.

Wikileaks source: The source was former U.S. government hackers and contractors who circulated the documents without the authority to do so, one of whom handed them off to WikiLeaks. The source said the motivation was to allow the public to debate whether the CIA's hacking capabilities exceed its mandate.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

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The winners of Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition 2017 were announced on Sunday at the Google European Head Quarters in Dublin.



A 26-year-old physiotherapist from Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown who developed an app that is transforming the lives of thousands of people with Parkinsons disease all over the world has been named as Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE).

Ciara Clancy of Beats Medical wins a 45,000 investment fund through the Local Enterprise Offices after winning the title at the IBYE national final.



Ciara, who is passionate about improving healthcare through technology for people with neurological conditions, is providing individually tailored physiotherapy, speech and language and occupational therapy exercises through mobile phones in 40 countries.

Her aim is to continue supporting more and more people with Parkinsons around the world, as an estimated 10 million people currently live with the disease. She is also developing digital treatments for other neurological conditions such as MS, Stroke, Dyspraxia and Cerebral Palsy.



Other winners on the day included Alvan Hunt (age 26) of Hexafly in Meath who won the Best Business Idea category while the winner of the Best Start Up Business category is Samuel Dennigan (age 31), of Strong Roots in Dublin City.

Hexafly uses cutting-edge biotechnology to find smart ways to feed the planet using the by-products of insects, while Strong Roots is providing new healthy alternatives in the frozen food sector.

The Best Promotion of Business On-Line Google award went to Richard Barrett (age 27) of Pundit Arena in South Cork. The three category runners-up were Damien Mason (age 35) of Flexibod in Clare in the Best Business Idea category, Roisin Hogan (age 35) of HIRO by Roisin in Louth in the Best Start-Up Business category and Heinrich Anhold (age 35) of StableLab in Sligo in the Best Established Business category.



The judging panel was chaired by Paddy Flynn, Director of Trust and Safety with Google while Broadcaster Claire Byrne acted as MC. The other members of the judging panel were:

 Eugene Forde (Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation)

 Orla Martin (Head of Enterprise, LEO Offaly)

 Niall O Donnellan (Enterprise Ireland)

 Brian Crowley (CEO TTM Healthcare)

 Sarah Doyle (CEO Kinesense)

Already through the competition, 180 entrants have won investments of between 3,000 and 15,000 each from their local LEO. Sundays winners and runners-up will share 100,000 in investment funding.

The IBYE national final takes place on the opening day of Local Enterprise Week, which runs nationwide through Local Enterprise Offices until March 10th.

Speaking on Sunday, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell OConnor said, "I want to congratulate and say a hearty 'well done' to Ciara Clancy of Beats Medical in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown on winning this year's IBYE title. It is a superb achievement. That said, all of our finalists here today are winners, having taken their ideas and concepts through a tough

and rigorous process to make them market ready. Seeing their projects come to fruition is enormously gratifying and is testament to the huge effort they have invested."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

Source: www.businessworld.ie
During President Obamas eight years in office, the debt owed by public-worker retirement systems blasted from $650 billion to roughly $1.3 trillion. Even so, in the last year of his administration, Obama cleared the way for states to start operating new retirement systems for private-sector workers, too. Now advocates for these plans are leading a furious struggle to preserve them in the face of an effort by congressional Republicans to block the move by states into the market for private retirement systems. Some promoters of these new planswhich would automatically enroll private-sector workers without pensions in 401(k)-style accountsare invoking the concept of states rights to argue that local governments are entitled to offer pensions free from Washington interference. Its a dubious proposition at best from governments that have largely bungled their own worker-retirement systems.

About four years ago, state politicians began claiming that they could help solve Americas private-pension crisis by setting up plans for private-sector workers. California governor Jerry Brown has said that such plans will enable more people to live with dignity in their retirement years. In 2012, Brown signed a bill letting the state enroll workers at private firms that dont offer pensions in a state-run system. California would automatically deduct contributions from paychecks unless the workers chose not to go into the plan. Since then, seven other states have enacted similar legislation; lawmakers have introduced comparable bills in about half of all states.

But California and other states also said they wouldnt go ahead with these plans unless they got an exemption from the federal law that governs private pensionsThe Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, which sets minimum standards to which employers must adhere in designing and operating retirement plans. States wanted to be free to design their own rules and procedures, and so they petitioned the Obama administration, which, last August, granted state-government-run plans so-called safe harbor from ERISA.

Heres whats worrying. State-worker pension plans are already exempt from ERISA, which applies only to private employers, and states have made a mess out of their retirement plans. Most state pension plans, for instance, use accounting standards that allow them to make far more optimistic calculations of their assets and liabilities than private plans can do under ERISA. One result: virtually all state pension plans have wound up overestimating their investment returns and hence have piled up debts. Indeed, three of the first states to pass legislation to set up new private-pension plansCalifornia, Illinois, and Connecticuthave among the most deeply indebted government-worker retirement systems in the nation, collectively owing nearly $900 billion. Despite this mismanagement, the Obama administration said that it was confident that state governments could be expected to administer these new private plans.

Advocates argue that the proposed new retirement systems will be less risky than current government-employee pensions, which are largely defined-benefit plans that guarantee workers a certain annual income upon retirement. But many of the most indebted state-worker pensions were also originally designed to be safe. Californias pension law governing its state-worker systems, for instance, initially prohibited investments in risky assets like stocks and real estate. Over time, however, politicians changed the plan designs so that they could promise employees bigger retirement checkseroding the protections originally built into them. Theres nothing preventing the same thing from happening with the new state-run retirement systems.

That some states told the Obama administration they wouldnt create these new private-worker retirement systems unless they got an exemption from ERISA illustrates precisely why average citizens should be concerned. Among the requirements ERISA imposes on private employers: they can be legally liable to workers for mismanagement of their pensions. State politicians wanted safe harbor from ERISA so that they wouldnt be subject to potential lawsuits from workers over these new plans.

The states ERISA exemption will almost certainly make them the biggest players in the American private-worker pension system, adding to the nearly $3.5 trillion in public-worker pension assets that states already control. An early study of Californias proposed private plan estimated that the Golden State alone would collect $7 billion in worker contributions in its first year. Many smaller firms that might otherwise offer pension plans to workers will almost certainly defer to the state plans rather than bearing the cost of starting their own.

With these concerns in mind, the House of Representatives has already passed a measure that would roll back the Obama administration rule. The fight now moves to the Senate, where supporters of the state plans are pressing Republicans to vote against repeal on the grounds that Congress shouldnt undermine states rights to provide their own solutions to the retirement crisis, as Virginia representative Robert C. Scott argued on the House floor. But it hardly amounts to interference with states rights to demand that government-run retirement systems be held to the same standards that businesses must follow.

Washington has better alternatives than handing over much of the market for private pensions to state governments. Instead, it could change current retirement laws to make it easier for private firms to offer pensions. One option is to reform the so-called SIMPLE IRA, designed for firms with fewer than 100 employees, by reducing or eliminating the requirement that businesses must match up to 3 percent of employee contributions. (By contrast, IRAs in the proposed state-run plans impose no such requirement, making them more appealing to businesses that dont want to be forced to make these payments.) The government could also consider ways to offer firms that implement their own IRAs greater tax credits to defer more of the administrative costs associated with these plans.

The Obama administration took the exact opposite approach. Even as it was telling states that they didnt have to observe rules required of private employers, the administration imposed new strictures on financial advisers that are likely to raise the cost of running private-sector retirement plans. Its almost as if Obama wanted to drive a big chunk of the countrys private-retirement system into the hands of government. Congress and President Trump should reverse course.

Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images
A survey conducted by the IoF of its members found that 90 per cent of respondents believe that conducting research on prospective donors enables fundraisers to enhance the experience offered to donors.

Some of the top line results of the survey, which is likely to be published in April, were presented by Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and research at the IoF, at the fundraising membership bodys Major Donor Giving conference held in London yesterday.

Fluskey said that the survey had around 300 respondents, 90 per cent of whom said that conducting research enabled them to enhance the experience offered to donors. 90 per cent of respondents also said conducting research reduces the number of unwanted or irrelevant communications that they send out.

Some 89 per cent of respondents said conducting research enables them to produce communications that are tailored to suit the interests and needs of individual donors better.

ICO guidance

The survey was conducted in response to recent ICO guidance around fundraising charities use of techniques including so-called 'wealth screening' and tele-appending.

Richard Marbrow, group manager of corporate governance at the ICO, recently said that while such practices were not unlawful, they must "provide fair processing information to donors.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Beth Breeze, director of the Centre for Philanthropy, at the University of Kent.

Breeze, who also spoke at the conference yesterday, said she found the announcement of the recent ICO investigations so distressing that I cant really have a serious conversation about them.

'This isn't just a technical, legal issue', says Fluskey

In presenting the findings, Fluskey said the IoF hoped they could convince the Information Commissioners Office that research, conducted lawfully and within the scope of the Data Protection Act and coming GDPR legislation, would be beneficial both for the public and for charities.

This isnt just a technical, legal issue. Its about peoples experience and about giving people a great experience in fundraising, said Fluskey. And understanding why research  being able to identify potential major donors and make appropriate communications with them  is in everybodys interest.

Beth Breeze, who spoke after Fluskey, pointed to research she conducted with major donors in 2013 that said 78 per cent of donors found that better research before they are approached by a non-profit is the most significant area of improvement in fundraising in the past 10 years.

Mike Smith, head of media and public affairs, said that the survey was part of an ongoing piece of work by the IoF to understand and explain why doing research as part of fundraising is so important, not just for the charity, but because it can improve donors experiences, which is vital.

"We think it is really important that that point isnt lost in the important conversation of ensuring that research is also done in a way that is both fair and lawful.
In January and February the Pacific Venus sailed 47 days using Yokohama and Kobe as turn ports on a Pacific-circle style voyage, with calls in Japan, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, American Samoa and multiple ports in Hawaii. Overnight port stays include Honolulu and Papeete.

The ship returned to Japan service following the big trip, with short cruises to domestic ports the main draw, from summer festivals to music cruises. For the new-to-cruise, Venus is also offering one-night teaser trips.
CUNA continued its efforts to achieve faster payments last week, participating in a 2-day meeting of the Federal Reserves Faster Payments Task Force in Atlanta. The task force released the first part of its final report in January, and last weeks meeting discussed the forthcoming second half of the report.

The first part of the final report details the current landscape and challenges regarding development of a faster payments system in the U.S.

The second part, scheduled to be published in mid-2017, will cover the assessment of faster payments solution proposals, challenges and opportunities for achieving faster payments in the U.S.

It will also address and the task forces recommendations and suggestions for industry action.

CUNA has been a member of the task force since its inception in 2015, actively involved to ensure the perspective of credit unions is adequately represented among the membership of financial institutions, associations, fintech firms, consumer groups, and government representatives.
A former CEO of a West Virginia credit union who embezzled more than $156,000 over three years was sentenced to one day in jail, while a teller who worked for an Alaskan credit union for few months and stole more than $100,000 will serve one year in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge James E. Seibert in Wheeling, W. Va., who sentenced Kathleen Gramlich, 65, to one day in prison on Feb. 24, also ordered her to pay $156,342 in restitution and to serve five years of supervised release.

Soon after Gramlich departed the $5.1 million Ohio County Public Schools Federal Credit Union in Wheeling in March 2016, the FBI launched an investigation following discrepancies that had been uncovered by an employee during a routine reconciliation of accounts.

The FBI investigation revealed that between June 2013 and March 2016, Gramlich stole $156,342 from the credit union to pay personal debts.
Will a new real-time, person-to-person payments network give Venmo a run for its money? This question was in the news recently, and though Early Warnings new Zelle network isnt the first to try to unseat Venmo, backing from the nations largest banks and multiple payment networks  including CO-OP  make Zelle a contender to watch.

This is a great time for us to move [person-to-person payments] from Millennials to mainstream, Lou Anne Alexander, Early Warnings group president for payments, told Bloomberg. The use of mobile banking apps is expanding exponentially, creating many more opportunities for people of all ages to send and request money. Any place we see checks and cash, thats our target, she said.

What sets Zelle apart from its Millennially-driven rival, Venmo? Here are a few features:

Because financial institutions are behind Zelle, movement of money directly from one account to another is direct, instead of flowing into a third-party account like Venmo.

Zelle may be able to capitalize on the trust factor: Because it belongs to a consumers financial institution, users might be quicker to deploy it for larger transactions and a broader range of uses.
1. Anakinra does not improve fatigue severity in women with chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M16-2391

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

The anti-inflammatory biologic drug anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) does not reduce fatigue severity in women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The findings of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

CFS is characterized by severe, persistent, and disabling fatigue. In order to fulfill the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for CFS, patients have to report at least four of eight accompanying symptoms in addition to fatigue (headache, muscle plain, etc.). Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been associated with CFS in some studies. There is extensive experience with blocking IL-1 in a variety of diseases with the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra. Several studies in inflammatory and non-inflammatory illnesses have assessed the effect of IL-1 inhibition on fatigue severity, and most have found positive effects of this intervention.

Researchers from Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effects of anakinra injections versus placebo on fatigue severity in patients with CFS. Since CFS typically affects women, the researchers included only female patients to investigate a homogeneous group. Fifty women with severe fatigue leading to functional impairment were randomly assigned to receive daily anakinra injections (100 mg) or placebo for 4 weeks, followed by an additional 20 weeks of follow-up after treatment.

Fatigue severity, the primary outcome, was assessed via questionnaire at 4 and 24 weeks. The secondary outcomes of level of impairment, physical and social functioning, psychological distress, and pain severity were assessed at 4 and 24 weeks. The researchers found no clinically meaningful difference in fatigue severity with anakinra. They also found no statistically significant differences between groups for secondary outcomes. They conclude that if IL-1 plays a role in CFS, blocking it with anakinra has no effect.

Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview the author, Megan Roerink, MD, please contact nieuws@radboudumc.nl

2. Disrupting the flow of international medical graduates to the U.S. will have a negative effect on patient care

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-0505 URL goes live when the embargo lifts

A commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that disrupting the flow of international medical graduates who come to the United States to complete their training will have a negative impact on patient care.

Currently, internationally educated physicians account for approximately one quarter of the practicing physician workforce in the U.S. They come to the U.S. for many reasons, including the desire to engage in care that, based on their home country resource constraints, is not available. While international medical graduates enter many different medical specialties, internal medicine is by far the most common. Over the past decade, there have been calls for the U.S. to train its own physicians and stop relying on economically underdeveloped nations to augment the workforce. However, there is no clear path to self-sufficiency. International graduates are needed to fill practice gaps left by U.S. graduates who may not choose careers in certain specialties or practice in undeserved areas.

In his commentary, William W. Pinsky, MD, President and CEO of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), located in Philadelphia, describes the current vetting process for international medical graduates and outlines their importance to quality healthcare delivery in the U.S. and the subsequent contribution to the safety of the country.

Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview the author, William Pinsky, MD, please contact Liz Ingram at eingraham@ecfmg.org or 215-823-2108.

###

Also new in this issue:

Developing Recommendations for Evidence-Based Clinical Preventive Services for Diverse Populations: methods of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS; Evelyn Whitlock, MD, MPH; Tracy Wolff, MD, MPH; Quyen Ngo-Metzger, MD, MPH; William R. Phillips, MD, MPH; Karina W. Davidson, PhD, MASc; Alex H. Krist, MD, MPH; Jennifer S. Lin, MD, MCR; Carol M. Mangione, MD, MSPH; Ann E. Kurth, PhD, CNM, MSN, MPH; Francisco A.R. Garc?a, MD, MPH; Susan J. Curry, PhD; David C. Grossman, MD, MPH; C. Seth Landefeld, MD; John W. Epling Jr., MD, MSEd; and Albert L. Siu, MD, MSPH

Research and Reporting Methods

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M16-2656
A study led by Ravi Bansal, PhD, and Bradley S. Peterson, MD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has found structural differences in the cerebral cortex of patients with depression and that these differences normalize with appropriate medication. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry on March 7, is the first to report within the context of a randomized, controlled trial, the presence of structural changes in the cerebral cortex during medication treatment for depression and the first to provide in vivo evidence for the presence of anatomical neuroplasticity in human brain.

"Our findings suggest that thickening of the cerebral cortex is a compensatory, neuroplastic response that helps to reduce the severity of depressive symptoms," said Peterson, director of the Institute of the Developing Mind at CHLA and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. "Patients off medication have a thickened cortex, and the thicker it is, the fewer the symptoms they have. Treatment with medication then reduces the severity of symptoms, which in turn reduces the need for biological compensation in the brain - so that their cortex becomes thinner, reaching thickness values similar to those in healthy volunteers."

The investigators acquired anatomical brain scans at baseline and again at the end of the 10-week study period for 41 patients with chronic depression, while 39 healthy volunteers were scanned once. This study was conducted with adult patients treated at Columbia University, when Peterson and Bansal were faculty members.

Patients were randomized to receive active medication duloxetine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or placebo. During the trial, patients receiving medication experienced significant improvement of symptoms compared with patients receiving placebo. In medication-treated patients, cortical thickness declined toward values found in healthy volunteers while placebo-treated patients showed a slight thickening of the cortex. According to Bansal, a researcher at CHLA and professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, this finding suggests that placebo-treated patients continue to require compensation for their ongoing symptoms.

"Although this study was conducted in adults, the methodology developed - pairing a randomized controlled trial with MRI scanning - can be applied to many other populations in both children and adults," said Bansal. "Also, our observations of neuroplasticity suggest new biological targets for treatment of persons with neuropsychiatric disorders."

###

David J. Hellerstein, MD, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons also contributed to the study. Funding was provided in part by NIH grant K02-74677, Eli Lilly, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's hospital in California and among the top 10 in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog at http://researchlablog.org/.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 7, 2017--A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gas--called plasma--burns, that heat is transferred to water to make steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. The superheated plasma poses a constant threat to the reactor wall and the divertor (which removes waste from the operating reactor to keep the plasma hot enough to burn).

"We're trying to determine the fundamental behavior of plasma-facing materials with the goal of better understanding degradation mechanisms so we can engineer robust, new materials," said materials scientist Chad Parish of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is senior author of a study in the journal Scientific Reports that explored degradation of tungsten under reactor-relevant conditions.

Because tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, it is a candidate for plasma-facing materials. Owing to its brittleness, however, a commercial power plant would more likely be made of a tungsten alloy or composite. Regardless, learning about how energetic atomic bombardment affects tungsten microscopically helps engineers improve nuclear materials.

"Inside a fusion power plant is the most brutal environment engineers have ever been asked to design materials for," Parish said. "It's worse than the interior of a jet engine."

Researchers are studying the interaction of plasma and machine components to make materials that are more than a match for such harsh operating conditions. Materials reliability is a key issue with current and new nuclear technologies that has a significant impact on construction and operating costs of power plants. So it is critical to engineer materials for hardiness over long lifecycles.

For the current study, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, bombarded tungsten with helium plasma at low energy mimicking a fusion reactor under normal conditions. Meanwhile, researchers at ORNL used the Multicharged Ion Research Facility to assault tungsten with high-energy helium ions emulating rare conditions, such as a plasma disruption that might deposit an abnormally large amount of energy.

Using transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron nanocrystallography, the scientists characterized the evolution of bubbles in the tungsten crystal and the shape and the growth of structures called "tendrils" under low- and high-energy conditions. They sent the samples to a firm called AppFive for precession electron diffraction, an advanced electron crystallography technique, to infer growth mechanisms under different conditions.

For a few years scientists have known that tungsten responds to plasma by forming crystalline tendrils on the scale of billionths of a meter, or nanometers--a tiny lawn of sorts. The current study discovered that tendrils produced by lower-energy bombardment were slower-growing, finer and smoother--forming a denser carpet of fuzz--than those created by higher-energy assault.

In metals, atoms assume an orderly structural arrangement with defined spaces between them. If an atom is displaced, an empty site, or "vacancy," remains. If radiation, like a billiard ball, knocks an atom off of its site and leaves a vacancy, that atom has to go somewhere. It crams itself between other atoms in the crystal, becoming an interstitial.

Normal fusion-reactor operation exposes the divertor to a high flux of very-low-energy helium atoms. "A helium ion is not hitting hard enough to do the billiard ball collision, so it has to sneak into the lattice to start forming bubbles or other defects," Parish explained.

Theorists like Brian Wirth, a UT-ORNL Governor's Chair, have modeled the system and believe the material that gets displaced from the lattice when bubbles form becomes the building blocks of tendrils. Helium atoms wander around the lattice randomly, Parish said. They bump into other heliums and join forces. Eventually the cluster is big enough to knock a tungsten atom off its site.

"Every time the bubble grows it pushes a couple more tungsten atoms off of their sites, and they have to go somewhere. They're going to be attracted to the surface," Parish said. "That, we believe, is the mechanism by which this nanofuzz forms."

Computational scientists run simulations on supercomputers to study materials at their atomic level, or nanometer size and nanosecond time scales. Engineers explore how materials embrittle, crack, and otherwise behave after long exposure to plasma, on centimeter length and hour time scales. "But there was little science in between," said Parish, whose experiment filled this knowledge gap to study the first signs of material degradation and the early stages of nanotendril growth.

So is fuzz good or bad? "Fuzz is likely to have both detrimental and beneficial properties, but until we know more about it, we can't engineer materials to try to eliminate the bad while accentuating the good," Parish said. On the plus side, fuzzy tungsten might take heat loads that would crack bulk tungsten, and erosion is 10 times less in fuzzy than bulk tungsten. On the minus side, nanotendrils can break off, forming a dust that can cool plasma. The scientists' next goal is to learn how the material evolves and how easy it is to break the nanotendrils away from the surface.

The ORNL partners published recent scanning electron microscopy experiments that illuminate tungsten behavior. One study showed tendril growth did not proceed in any preferred orientation. Another investigation revealed that the response of plasma-facing tungsten to helium atom flux evolved from nanofuzz only (at low flux) to nanofuzz plus bubbles (at high flux).

The title of the current paper is "Morphologies of tungsten nanotendrils grown under helium exposure."

###

DOE's Office of Science provided support through an Early Career Research Program Award to Parish. DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy provided instrumentation. ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development funds supported a portion of the work.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://www.science.energy.gov -- by Dawn Levy

CAPTION/CREDIT: A study led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory subjected tungsten to low energies, akin to normal operations of a fusion reactor (left), and high energies emulating plasma disruptions (right). The study provides new knowledge needed to design robust fusion materials. Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Would you ride in a driverless ambulance? In three separate studies, about half of 1,028 U.S. adults were significantly less willing to be lifted into an automated ambulance, compared with a conventional one, researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Florida Institute of Technology reported on March 6.

Women were generally less willing than men to ride in a driverless ambulance, despite the promise of receiving care from two paramedics rather than one, said Joseph Keebler, an assistant professor of human factors at Embry-Riddle who presented the research team's findings at the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Women presented with the hypothetical prospect of riding in an automated ambulance were more likely to react with anger, which reduced their willingness to climb aboard, whereas the same scenario tended to provoke either fear or happiness in men, which made them less or more willing to accept driverless assistance, respectively.

"Our results showed that consumers were fairly positive toward the idea of the traditional ambulance configuration, while they had mixed feelings about the autopilot configuration," said Stephen Rice, an Embry-Riddle associate professor of human factors. "About half of the consumers were negative toward the autopilot."

Rice added that "the novelty of the concept likely heightened people's emotional responses to it because ambulances on autopilot aren't a part of our everyday lives at this point."

In an emergency, predictability tends to be important to people, said Scott R. Winter, an assistant professor of aviation science at Florida Institute of Technology. "If you're having a heart attack and all of a sudden a driverless vehicle shows up, that would be an unexpected event, which could cause you additional stress," he noted.

As emergency medical service agencies in many major U.S. cities struggle to meet increased demands for care and autopilot technology continues to improve, "It is likely that automated emergency response vehicles may soon be a reality," Embry-Riddle's Rice and Keebler said, in a paper written with Winter as well as Rian Mehta of Florida Institute of Technology.

The researchers proposed that automated ambulances could improve care because two paramedics would work as a team to attend to each patient. Frequently, one paramedic or emergency medical technician cares for the patient while the other one drives the ambulance. "Having additional healthcare providers in the back of an ambulance promotes teamwork and helps to improve patient outcomes," said Keebler. "An automated ambulance would allow patients to get to the hospital much more quickly and smoothly while receiving care from two providers instead of one. Automation could be especially important in many regions where emergency medical services are insufficiently funded."

The researchers conducted three studies with online participants who were presented with two hypothetical scenarios, or conditions. In one scenario, participants were asked to imagine that they had called 911 for help with a medical emergency and an ambulance arrived with a driver in the front and a paramedic in the back. In the second scenario, participants were asked to envision the arrival of an ambulance on autopilot, with two paramedics offering care. An initial study involving 102 men and women with a mean age of about 36 revealed that participants were less likely to want to ride in the automated ambulance.

In a subsequent study, 134 men and women were assessed to determine their level of emotion or "affect." A higher level of emotion tended to reduce willingness to accept an automated ambulance. In a third study, 792 participants were presented with the prospect of an automated ambulance ride and then asked to match their emotional state to one of six facial expressions indicating anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness or surprise. Women were more likely to react to the hypothetical situation with anger, which made them less willing to board the pilotless ambulance. Men were more prone to respond with fear of the automated ambulance option - which made them less willing to go pilotless - or with happiness, which made them more willing to climb aboard.

The authors acknowledged that limitations of their study included the use of hypothetical scenarios, which could influence how patients might respond in a real-world situation, and the use of online study participants. Still, they said, the work offers important insights to public perceptions of automation, which could affect healthcare as automation becomes more and more pervasive. "It may be possible that education and awareness could work to offset this emotional response of consumers" to the prospect of driverless ambulances, they noted.

"As technology continues to advance at a rapid rate," Rice said, "patients and consumers need to have a voice at the table. Giving people a say in the technologies being presented to them is a key reason for this type of research."

###

Winter served as primary author of the team's paper, titled "Patient Perceptions on the Use of an Auto-piloted Emergency Medical Transport: An Affective Perspective," presented at the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care conference. Additional authors were Rice and Keebler, who served as the chair of the conference and is the co-author of a forthcoming book, Human Factors and Ergonomics of Prehospital Emergency Care, and Mehta, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida Tech.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 80 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv

About Florida Institute of Technology

Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast. PayScale.com ranks graduates' mid-career median salaries in first place among Florida's universities, and lists Florida Tech among the top 20 universities in the South--both public and private. The university has been named a Barron's Guide "Best Buy" in College Education, designated a Tier 1 Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, and is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the Fiske Guide to Colleges. In 2016, Times Higher Education ranked Florida Tech one of the top 20 small universities in the world and named it one of the top universities in the United States. Florida Tech offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, cybersecurity, psychology, communication and education. Find additional information at http://www.fit.edu.

Media Contacts:

Ginger Pinholster

Embry-Riddle

386-226-4811 (o) / 571-382-0537 (m)

pinholsv@erau.edu

Adam Lowenstein

Florida Institute of Technology

321-674-8937

adam@fit.edu
For most people, the drip, drip, drip of a leaking faucet would be an annoyance. But for Georgia Institute of Technology Ph.D. candidate Alexandros Fragkopoulos, what happens inside droplets is the stuff of serious science.

In the laboratory of Alberto Fernandez-Nieves in Georgia Tech's School of Physics, Fragkopoulos is studying how toroidal droplets - which initially take the shape of a donut - evolve into spherical droplets by collapsing into themselves or breaking up into smaller droplets.

Work with droplets has implications for the life sciences, where biological materials, including cells, undergo shape changes reminiscent of droplet behavior. And the findings could improve industrial processes ranging from fuel injectors to chemical processes that depend on droplet formation. In the work, researchers in the Fernandez-Nieves lab have developed a new understanding of the processes that control the evolution of unstable, donut-shaped droplets, helping them clarify the complex interplay of forces relevant to the problem.

"Surface tension drives the evolution of the droplets," said Fragkopoulos. "Fluids tend to minimize their surface area for a given volume because that minimizes the energy required to have an interface between different fluids. Spherical shapes minimize that energy, and as a result, toroidal droplets want to evolve to become spherical. We're studying how that transition occurs."

Using a sheet of laser light to observe the scattering from polystyrene particles placed into droplets formed within thick silicone oil, the researchers have observed in detail how droplets change shape - and which factors set the droplets on the path to either collapse or breakup. The research, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, was reported March 1 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The viscous forcing as the torus collapses exerts stress on the interface, which causes it to both have a circulation inside the torus and deform its surface," said Fragkopoulos. "We need to take into account these stresses to completely understand the evolution of the droplets."

The impetus for the experimental work was inconsistencies between theoretical predictions and computer simulation of toroidal droplet transitions. What the Georgia Tech researchers found tends to back up the simulation results. "However, the earlier theoretical work was essential in guiding the theory efforts and in illustrating what the problem was in order to correctly describe the experimental results," said Fernandez-Nieves.

"Parameters such as the aspect ratio - the overall dimension of the torus divided by the dimensions of the tube - determine whether the toroidal droplet can break up, or if it will simply collapse into itself," said Fragkopoulos. "We found that the toroidal droplet deforms a lot from the donut shape as it collapses. It flattens as it develops, which was initially unexpected. We had expected the torus to be symmetrical and nicely circular, which is not what we found."

The breakup or collapse of ordinary raindrops is known to involve the formation of a donut-like rim. However, the process is rather uncontrolled and takes place quickly, so quickly that only high-speed cameras could see it. To allow detailed study of the transition and imaging the flow field within the drops, Fragkopoulos dramatically slowed down the evolution by creating droplets within a type of silicone oil that is six times more viscous than honey. Instead of ordinary water, he used distilled water into which polyethylene glycol has been mixed to further slow the dynamics.

The water is introduced into a rotating bath of the silicone oil using a tiny needle injector. By controlling the pumping rate and where the needle inserts the water, the researchers can control the geometrical parameters of the toroidal droplets, specifically the thickness of the ring and the relative size of the hole inside it. The droplets they study range in size up to about a centimeter in diameter. "This simple strategy affords exquisite control," said Fernandez-Nieves.

Polystyrene beads in the water allow the researchers to use particle image velocimetry (PIV) to see the flow fields within the droplets, showing how the cross section deviates from circular over time.

"We are using the difference in viscosity to generate the torus," Fragkopoulos explained. "We are using viscous forces to generate the droplets, because it's important to slow down the dynamics of the torus collapse so we can have enough time and resolution to see the flow fields developing inside it."

Research into droplet formation has tended to be applications-focused. Now Fragkopoulos and Fernandez-Nieves are using their experimental and theoretical work to address other science problems.

"We are now using the methods for creating toroidal objects made from different materials to study problems in condensed matter and bioengineering," said Fernandez-Nieves. "We started working on toroidal droplets with the idea of studying how topology and geometry affected how ordered materials are affected by these aspects, and later to address how curvature affects cell behavior. We wanted to make nontrivial geometries so we could study how this affects behavior," added Fragkopoulos.

The next step in the work is to study electrically-charged droplets, which are widely used industrially. The electrical charges add a new wrinkle to the flow fields and change how the toroidal droplets transform. In addition to those already mentioned, the research included former graduate and undergraduate students in the Fernandez-Nieves lab, Ekapop Pairam and Eric Berger, and Prof. Phil Segre at Oxford College, Georgia.

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The research was supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

CITATION: Alexandros A. Fragkopoulos, et al., "The shrinking instability of toroidal droplets," (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619073114
A small subset of the most intense droughts move across continents in predictable patterns, according a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters by researchers in Austria and the United States. The study could help improve projections of future drought, allowing for more effective planning.

While most droughts tend to stay put near where they started, approximately 10% travel between 1,400 to 3,100 kilometers (depending on the continent), the study found. These traveling droughts also tend to be the largest and most severe ones, with the highest potential for damage to the agriculture, energy, water, and humanitarian aid sectors.

"Most people think of a drought as a local or regional problem, but some intense droughts actually migrate, like a slow-motion hurricane on a timescale of months to years instead of days to weeks," says Julio Herrera-Estrada, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering at Princeton, who led the study.

The researchers analyzed drought data from 1979 to 2009, identifying 1,420 droughts worldwide. They found hotspots on each continent where a number of droughts had followed similar tracks. For example, in the southwestern United States, droughts tend to move from south to north. In Australia, the researchers found two drought hotspots and common directions of movement, one from the east coast in a northwest direction, the other from the central plains in a northeast direction.

What causes some droughts to travel remains unclear, but the data suggest that feedback between precipitation and evaporation in the atmosphere and land may play a role.

"This study also suggests that there might be specific tipping points in how large and how intense a drought is, beyond which it will carry on growing and intensifying," said Justin Sheffield, a professor of hydrology and remote sensing at the University of Southampton. Sheffield was Herrera-Estrada's advisor while serving as research scholar at Princeton.

While the initial onset of a drought remains difficult to predict, the new model could allow researchers to better predict how droughts will evolve and persist.

"This study used an innovative approach to study how droughts evolve in space and time simultaneously, to have a more comprehensive understanding of their behaviors and characteristics, which has not been possible from previous approaches," says Yusuke Satoh, a researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), who also worked on the study.

The study also raises the importance of regional cooperation and of sharing information across borders, whether state or national. One example is the North American Drought Monitor, which brings together measurements and other information from Mexico, the US, and Canada, creating a comprehensive real-time monitoring system.

The researchers said the next step for the work is to examine why and how droughts travel by studying the feedback between evaporation and precipitation in greater detail. Herrera-Estrada also said he would like to analyze how drought behavior might be affected by climate change.

Herrera-Estrada worked on this project as a participant in the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program.

###

Reference

Herrera-Estrada JE, Satoh Y, & Sheffield J (2017). Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Global Drought. Geophysical Research Letters: 1-25. DOI:10.1002/2016GL071768. http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/14387/
Projected increases in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves in the desert of the southwestern United States are putting songbirds at greater risk for death by dehydration and mass die-offs, according to a new study.

Researchers used hourly temperature maps and other data produced by the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) -- a land-surface modeling effort maintained by NASA and other organizations -- a long with physiological data to investigate how rates of evaporative water loss in response to high temperatures varied among five bird species with differing body masses. Using this data, they were able to map the potential effects of current and future heat waves on lethal dehydration risk for songbirds in the Southwest and how rapidly dehydration can occur in each species.

Researchers homed in on five songbird species commonly found in the desert southwest: lesser goldfinch, house finch, cactus wren, Abert's towhee and the curve-billed thrasher.

Under projected conditions where temperatures increase by 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit), which is in line with some scenarios for summer warming by the end of the century, heatwaves will occur more often, become hotter, and expand in geographic range to the point where all five species will be at greater risk for lethal dehydration.

Birds are susceptible to heat stress in two ways, said co-author Blair Wolf, a professor of biology at the University of New Mexico. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Wolf investigated heat tolerance for each of the five species in the study as well as for other bird species in Australia and South Africa. "When it's really hot, they simply can't evaporate enough water to stay cool, so they overheat and die of heat stroke," he said. "In other cases, the high rates of evaporative water loss needed to stay cool deplete their body water pools to lethal levels and birds die of dehydration. This is the stressor we focused on in this study."

What happens is at about 40 degrees Celsius [104 degrees Fahrenheit], these songbirds start panting, which increases the rate of water loss very rapidly, explained co-author Alexander Gerson, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. At the time of the study, he worked with Wolf as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New Mexico. He added, "Most animals can only tolerate water losses that result in 15 or 20 percent loss of body mass before they die. So an animal experiencing peak temperatures during a hot summer day, with no access to water, isn't going to make it more than a few hours."

As expected, they found that the small species are particularly susceptible to lethal dehydration because they lose water at a proportionately higher rate. For example, at 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit], the lesser goldfinch and the house finch lose 8 to 9 percent of their body mass to evaporative water loss per hour, whereas the larger Curve-billed thrasher only loses about 5 percent of its mass per hour. By the end of the century, the number of days in the southwest desert where lethal dehydration poses a high risk to the lesser goldfinch increases from 7 to 25 days per year. For larger species, those days will also increase, but will remain rare.

Despite their physiological disadvantage, house finches and lesser goldfinches might actually fare comparatively better, the researchers noted, because they can survive in a number of ecosystems and they have a more expansive range. But desert specialists such as the curve-billed thrasher and Abert's towhee have more specific habitat needs and so have a more limited range, restricted in the United States mostly to the hot deserts of the Southwest. That means that a greater proportion of their population is at risk for lethal dehydration when severe enough heatwaves occur.

"When you get into a situation where the majority of the range is affected, that's where we start to become more alarmed at what we are seeing," said lead author Tom Albright from the University of Nevada, Reno, noting that this increases the risk of lethal dehydration affecting a large proportion of the population.

According to the researchers, given this warming scenario, climate refugia -- microclimates such as mountaintops, trees and washes with shade that allow songbird body temperatures to cool to safe levels -- might prove very important in management plans for certain vulnerable species. "Using this type of data, managers identifying the best refugia can have a better idea of the temperature profile that will be suitable for these birds," Gerson said.

###

This research is part of a global effort among researchers from the US, South Africa and Australia to more thoroughly understand the physiological responses of birds to increasing temperatures, with the goal of broadening our understanding of how rising temperatures will affect individuals, populations, and community structure. A three-year, $350,000 NASA New Investigator award also funded University of Nevada, Reno-based modeling aspects of this research.

To read the paper, visit:

http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2017/02/07/1613625114

For more information about NASA Earth science research, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earth
The Trues beaked whale is a deep-diving mammal so rarely seen that it often defies recognition at sea by researchers. As a result, we have little data about its distribution, abundance and calving rate - information essential for its conservation. Scientists have now found a new coloration pattern in the species and obtained the first images of a calf along with the first underwater video of these whales - helping to reveal the secrets of this species.

Beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae, the second largest family of cetaceans (which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises), however many of the 22 species of beaked whales are among the least known or understood mammals in the world. This lack of knowledge is highlighted by the fact that three new species of beaked whales have been discovered in just the last two decades.

To see beaked whales at sea is such a rare event that many researchers devoting their life to study cetaceans have never seen one. Living in deep waters, usually far offshore, these creatures spend some 92% of their time underwater, invisible to humans. Beaked whales break diving records, feeding at depths that can reach three kilometers and last up to 2 hours. After these diving feats, they rest, performing shorter and shallower dives with brief surfacing intervals. These behaviors, together with the fact that beaked whales live in small groups, are not usually attracted to boats, and do not perform aerial acrobatics as much as dolphins, mean that beaked whales are not easy to detect at sea. Moreover, many beaked whales have variable color patterns that may be shared by other ziphiid species, challenging the identification of beaked whales at the species level during sea encounters, when often only a short glimpse of their body is achieved.

Although Trues beaked whales occur in the North Atlantic and in the Southern Hemisphere, there is a surprisingly large gap in their distribution between these regions. This gap may be real, or might be an artefact of our lack of data. In a paper published today, scientists show that the Azores and to a lesser extent the Canary Islands (areas which represent the southern limit of the known distribution of Trues beaked whales in the North Atlantic) may actually be a hot-spot for the study of Trues beaked whales. The steep bathymetry of these oceanic archipelagos mean that deep waters occur close to shore, facilitating studies of deep-water dwelling species.

The study gathered stranding data and sightings performed by scientists, whale watch companies and educational teams in Azores and Canary Islands. These data include the first underwater video of the species and photos of a very young calf, as well as a stranded whale confirmed genetically as a Trues beaked whale but showing a coloration pattern never observed before in this species. These data are highly valuable to learn more about recognizing Trues beaked whales at sea, something which is essential for studies of their distribution and abundance. It is also the first time that this species has been identified with molecular data in this region, allowing definitive links between coloration and species to be made.

Beaked whales are vulnerable to human impacts: mass strandings occur in relation to naval exercises using intense sonar signals to detect submarines. Also, whales appear on the beach with plastic inside their stomach, entangled in fishing gear or suffering cuts from boat propellers. If these impacts happen offshore and whales dont reach the beach, we cannot detect them. Accurate species identification therefore allows us to learn more about where animals are and how many they are, information which allows us to monitor the status of the populations and act for their conservation.

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Clonorchiasis, a neglected tropical disease usually acquired by eating undercooked freshwater fish, affects an estimated 15 million people around the globe. More than 85% of cases are concentrated in China. Now, researchers have produced high-resolution risk maps for clonorchiasis in China. Their results, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, identified provinces with the highest risk and important predictors for clonorchiasis. Moreover, the risk of the disease has been profiled for areas without survey data.

The causative agent of clonorchiasis is the liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis. Manifestation of clonorchiasis ranges from asymptomatic to causing liver disorders and can increase the risk of cholangiocarcinoma. Efforts have been launched to combat the disease in China, through treatment, education, and environmental modifications. However, no high-resolution country-wide maps have been previously available to help officials and disease control managers to target interventions in areas with the highest risk.

In the new work, Penelope Vounatsou, of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and colleagues systematically reviewed existing literature on clonorchiasis in China to find all survey data on the disease collected between 2000 and 2016. They then collected socioeconomic and environmental information on each location referenced in the surveys and used Bayesian geostatistical analysis to determine the association between infection risk and disease predictors and to predict the risk of infection across all areas of China at high spatial resolution.

The researchers obtained clonorchiasis survey data from 633 unique locations across China. They found that the prevalence of infection had risen from 2005 onwards and estimated that 14.8 million people in China were infected in 2010. They showed that elevation, distance to the nearest body of freshwater, and land cover type were all associated with infection risk and mapped the risk throughout China. Three provinces--Guangdong, Guangxi, and Heilongjiang--were found to have the highest risks of clonorchiasis.

"Large-scale control activities are currently lacking in most endemic provinces, as control plans are difficult to make when the epidemiology is only known at provincial levels," the researchers conclude. "Our high-resolution infection risk estimates provide important information for targeted control."

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0005239

Citation: Lai Y-S, Zhou X-N, Pan Z-H, Utzinger J, Vounatsou P (2017) Risk mapping of clonorchiasis in the People's Republic of China: A systematic review and Bayesian geostatistical analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(3): e0005239. doi:10.1371/ journal.pntd.0005239

Funding: YSL received financial support of the China Scholarship Council (CSC, http://www.csc.edu.cn). This study received financial support from the UBS Optimus Foundation (project no. 5879, https://www.ubs.com/global/de/wealth_management/optimusfoundation.html) and from the European Research Council (project no.323180, https://erc.europa.eu/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
While there are already a number of species named after famous British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, including mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants, both extinct and extant, not until now has the host of the BBC Natural History's Life series been honoured with an amphibian.

A new fleshbelly frog, recently discovered in the Peruvian Andes, is formally described as Pristimantis attenboroughi, while commonly it is to be referred to as the Attenborough's Rubber Frog. The new species is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Scientists Dr. Edgar Lehr, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Dr. Rudolf von May, University of Michigan, spent two years (2012-2014) surveying montane forests in central Peru, in order to document the local amphibians and reptiles, and evaluate their conservation statuses. Their efforts have been rewarded with several new species of frogs and a new spectacled lizard.

Each of these discoveries, including the Attenborough's Rubber Frog, prove how beneficial it is to take into account both morphological and the genetic data, while looking for species new to science. For example, the authors report that when they spotted the P. attenboroughi frog for the first time, both of them were sure that they had found a species of another genus.

The Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located at elevations between 3400 and 3936 m a.s.l. in central Peru. The adult males reach size of 14.6-19.2 mm in length, while the females are larger measuring between 19.2 and 23.0 mm. Their ground colour ranges from pale to dark gray, or reddish brown to brownish olive with dark gray scattered flecks. Meanwhile, the juveniles are paler (yellowish to reddish brown) with contrasting dark brown flecks and distinct stripes.

Due to the amphibian being known from fewer than ten localities, spread across less than 20,000 km2, the species should be deemed either Vulnerable or Endangered, according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. However, the authors suggest that the Attenborough's Rubber frog should be listed as Near Threatened instead, since the Piu Piu forest is formally protected and still largely unknown, so it is likely that there are more additional populations of the new species. On the other hand, factors such as fungal infections, climate change, pollution, and man-made fires continue to be threats for many Andean amphibians even inside protected areas.

"We dedicate this species to Sir David Frederick Attenborough in honor for his educational documentaries on wildlife, especially on amphibians (e.g., Life in Cold Blood, Fabulous Frogs), and for raising awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation," explain the authors.

In the present study, the scientists note that there are more terrestrial-breeding frogs from the surveyed montane forests that will be described in the near future.

Among the numerous namesakes of Sir David Attenborough to date, there are a rare genus of beautiful flowering plants, a rare butterfly species, commonly known as the Attenborough's black-eyed satyr, a flightless weevil species, as well as a number of extinct species.

###

Original source:

Lehr E, von May R (2017) A new species of terrestrial-breeding frog (Amphibia, Craugastoridae, Pristimantis) from high elevations of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru. ZooKeys 660: 17-42. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.660.11394
Rochester Institute of Technology continues to broaden its reach across the globe, formalizing an agreement to become an associate partner with the Excellence in Analytical CHemistry (EACH) program. The goal is to further facilitate cultural exchanges for analytical chemistry faculty and students with Europe.

Todd Pagano, professor of chemistry and associate dean for Teaching and Scholarship Excellence at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, was the first faculty member from RIT -- and the first U.S. scientist -- to participate in the EACH program as a visiting scholar last month at Uppsala University in Sweden.

The EACH program -- which educates specialists in analytical chemistry who are qualified to work in laboratories and industry in fields such as food, pharmacy, environment, health, materials and chemical technology -- is a joint graduate endeavor among universities in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and France. Pagano said EACH, which is co-funded by the European Union and the Erasmus Mundus program, admits some of the world's brightest analytical chemistry students.

During his weeklong academic visit, Pagano spent time at an environmental field station on Lake Erken in Northern Europe teaching graduate students about fluorescence spectroscopy and his work in advancing the understanding and the quality of reported fluorescence data in fields from biomedical to environmental analyses. He also discussed analytical chemistry techniques that he developed to measure specific chemical species in water.

"The brilliant students with whom I worked during my time in Sweden were from Estonia, Ukraine, China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Greece and Nepal, among others," said Pagano. "This is a great example of how teaching has a dual focus. It's crucial to consider both our extensive knowledge of a particular subject, chemistry in this case, in addition to how we communicate that material to different audiences."

According to the EACH website, the program invites a few international visiting scholars each year who are "outstanding experts in their respective fields." Selection is competition based and prospective scholars must submit an application focusing on their expertise and research in analytical chemistry.

In 2012, Pagano was named "U.S. Professor of the Year" by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

"The formalization of this agreement between RIT and EACH will hopefully continue the exchange of scholars and scientists, and continue to encourage RIT students to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that come with international travel and study--one of the hallmarks of the RIT brand," added Pagano.

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Regeneration is an inherent property of life. However, the potential to regenerate differs across species: while fish and amphibians can re-grow appendages such as limbs, tails, and fins, mammals, including humans, cannot restore injured organs to their original shape and function. Therefore, elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying the amazing regenerative capacity of lower vertebrates can show approaches to restore complex organs in humans, which is a clinical goal of the future.

An international team of scientists led by Associate Professor Atsushi Kawakami from Tokyo Institute of Technology have disclosed a mechanism regulating regeneration of the caudal fin in zebrafish. To identify key molecules responsible for tissue repair, they compared gene transcription in the larvae of the wild-type and mutant zebrafish deficient in fin regeneration. They found that some inflammatory mediators, especially cytokine interleukin 1 beta (Il1b), were upregulated in the mutant and remained there for a long time after amputation of the larval tail. The mutant zebrafish also lacked myeloid cells such as macrophages, necessary to prevent programmed cell death (apoptosis) of the regenerative cells. The scientists therefore suspected a link among the increase in Il1b, absence of macrophages, and death of regenerative cells.

Il1b is considered to be mostly produced by myeloid cells. Surprisingly, after fin amputation, Il1b was primarily observed in epithelial cells surrounding the site of injury where it caused inflammation and apoptosis of the regenerative cells and inhibited the extension of the fin fold. However, if macrophages come to action, they could suppress Il1b expression, attenuate inflammation, and promote survival of the regenerative cells in the fin, thus behaving as critical regulators of inflammation during tissue repair.

All these data point to the negative effect of Il1b on the regenerative processes taking place after fin amputation. Yet, it is not that simple. By creating an Il1b-deficient zebrafish, the researchers found that transient, contrary to prolonged, presence of Il1b activated the expression of regeneration-induced genes and was essential for cell proliferation at the amputation site and regeneration of the injured fin.

Thus, the study of Dr. Kawakami and his colleagues revealed an unexpected association between regeneration and inflammation which acts as a double-edge sword: while acute inflammation is necessary to initiate tissue repair, chronic inflammation blocks further regeneration (Figure 2). As Il1b is evolutionary conserved in vertebrates, it remains to be determined whether similar mechanisms can function in mammals, including humans, as well as to identify anti-inflammatory factors released by macrophages.

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Among Swedish women, being overweight or obese early in pregnancy was associated with increased rates of cerebral palsy in children, according to a study appearing in the March 7 issue of JAMA.

Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has increased from 1998 through 2006 in children born at full term. Few preventable factors are known to affect the risk of cerebral palsy. Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of preterm delivery, asphyxia-related neonatal complications, and congenital malformations, which in turn are associated with increased risks of cerebral palsy. It is uncertain whether risk of cerebral palsy in offspring increases with maternal overweight and obesity severity and what could be possible mechanisms.

Eduardo Villamor, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a study that included women with children born in Sweden from 1997 through 2011. Using national registries, children were followed for a cerebral palsy diagnosis through 2012.

Of 1,423,929 children included (average gestational age, 39.8 weeks), 3,029 were diagnosed with cerebral palsy over a median 7.8 years of follow-up. Analysis of the data indicated that maternal overweight (body mass index [BMI] of 25 to 29.9) and increasing grades of obesity (BMI 30 or greater) were associated with increasing rates of cerebral palsy. Results were statistically significant for children born at full term, who comprised 71 percent of all children with cerebral palsy, but not for preterm infants.

An estimated 45 percent of the association between maternal BMI and rates of cerebral palsy in full-term children was mediated through asphyxia-related neonatal complications.

The authors note that although the effect of maternal obesity on cerebral palsy may seem small compared with other risk factors, the association is of public health relevance due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese. "The number of women with a BMI of 35 or more globally doubled from approximately 50 to 100 million from 2000 through 2010. In the United States, approximately half of all pregnant women have overweight or obesity at the first prenatal visit. Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the continued rise of its most severe forms, the finding that maternal overweight and obesity are related to rates of cerebral palsy in a dose-response manner may have serious public health implications."

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2017.0945; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story This link will be live at the embargo time: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2017.0945
Changing the composition of the mitochondrial calcium portal helps match the energy needs of tissues to the energy output, and may also help explain why organs fail

PHILADELPHIA (March 7, 2017) -- A heart beat begins with a rush of calcium into the heart cell followed by a burst of energy from the resident mitochondria. These two events occur with each beat. Yet these events are not confined to heart cells and in fact occur in the cells of many other organs. A fundamental question researchers have asked is how different patterns of calcium intake can be linked to the very different energy needs of, for example, an incessantly beating heart cell compared to a liver cell that receives less regular calcium signals.

Now, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have shown that the composition of the mitochondrial calcium portal (the protein that regulates when and how much calcium enters) is different depending on the organ in the body, and this difference allows mitochondria to tune their energy output by decoding a pattern of amplitude and/or frequency of calcium oscillations inside a cell. The results, published March 7 in the journal Cell Reports, could shed light on our basic understanding of organ health and disease.

"The mitochondria have to adjust the energy production to meet the metabolic needs of the tissue, whether it's in the heart, the liver, or the muscle," says Gyorgy Hajnoczky, M.D., Ph.D., the Raphael Rubin Endowed Chair and Professor of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Thomas Jefferson University and Director of the Jefferson MitoCare Center.

Dr. Hajnoczky and colleagues Gyorgy Csordas, M.D. and Erin Seifert, Ph.D., faculty at the MitoCare Center, looked at the composition of the mitochondrial calcium portal in three tissue types of mice: heart, liver and skeletal muscle, and noticed that the ratio of the main channel protein, called MCU, and a regulator protein, called MICU1, varied across tissue types. They and others had previously shown that MICU1 is a calcium sensing master switch that both seals the channel until a threshold is reached then expedites its activation.

Strikingly, the group found that the liver contained a high amount of the regulator protein relative to the amount of the channel protein, whereas the heart had a lower ratio of regulator protein. This meant that liver cells have mitochondrial calcium channels that are more likely to be under the control of the regulator, while heart cells have less guarded mitochondrial calcium channels.

How might changing how the level of portal "guarding" or regulating influence the energy production of mitochondria? The regulator protein, MICU1, sets the threshold of how much calcium must accumulate before the channel opens. But once open, MICU1 also helps to accelerate the flow of calcium through the channel. What the group's new study shows is that in heart-cell mitochondria, having less of the MICU1 regulator relative to the channel protein creates the opportunity for the very high-frequency calcium signals to enter the mitochondria and to stimulate energy production in order to maintain the ongoing beating of the heart. In comparison, the slower calcium oscillations in liver obey the master switch resulting in improved transfer and decoding of each individual calcium spike by the mitochondria. This also means that the calcium outside mitochondria needs to reach a higher level to gain access to the mitochondria, meaning that liver mitochondria, compared to heart mitochondria, are more discriminating in whether they increase energy production in response to calcium.

To test if heart mitochondria can be as discriminating as liver mitochondria, the researchers looked at mice that were experimentally treated to produce more of the MICU1 regulator protein in their heart cells. As a result, the heart became weaker, and had more characteristics of a failing heart. This suggests that having a relatively unguarded mitochondrial calcium channel in the heart is crucial for the proper functioning of the heart, and that this is likely because the unguarded channel allows enough calcium uptake into the mitochondria to match energy production to the energy needs of the heart.

"It is enticing to wonder whether an aging or failing heart may be one whose calcium uniporter [portal protein] is also failing, causing its mitochondrial function to slow to the point that it is unable to keep up with the energy demands," says first author Melanie Paillard, Ph.D., who completed the research as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Hajnoczky's lab, and is currently at CarMeN laboratory, team 5-Cardioprotection in Lyon, France.

Interestingly, in a previously published study by the same group, when the researchers performed the reverse experiment -- reducing the regulator protein in liver cells, which normally have higher levels -- the liver cells became more heart-like. The threshold for opening and creating a calcium spike was lower, which meant that the liver mitochondria was exposed to more calcium than normal. "As a result," says Dr. Hajnoczky "the liver was more susceptible to damage and injury because the mitochondria were exposed to too much energy."

"These studies give us insight into the basic physiology and how those protein-level players may be involved in normal and disease states," says Dr. Hajnoczky. "Future work will delve further into how changes in these mitochondrial proteins affect disease."

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The study was funded by an NIH grant (RO1 GM102724). The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Article reference: M. Paillard, et al., "Tissue-specific mitochondrial decoding of cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals is controlled by the stoichiometry of MICU1/2 and MCU," Cell Reports, DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2017.02.032, 2017.

About Jefferson

Jefferson, through its academic and clinical entities of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, including Abington Health and Aria Health, is reimagining health care for the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Jefferson has 23,000 people dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educating the health professionals of tomorrow, and discovering new treatments and therapies to define the future of care. With a university and hospital that date back to 1824, today Jefferson is comprised of six colleges, nine hospitals, 34 outpatient and urgent care locations, and a multitude of physician practices throughout the region, serving more than 100,000 inpatients, 373,000 emergency patients and 2.2 million outpatients annually.
A fault system that runs from San Diego to Los Angeles is capable of producing up to magnitude 7.3 earthquakes if the offshore segments rupture and a 7.4 if the southern onshore segment also ruptures, according to an analysis led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.

The Newport-Inglewood and Rose Canyon faults had been considered separate systems but the study shows that they are actually one continuous fault system running from San Diego Bay to Seal Beach in Orange County, then on land through the Los Angeles basin.

"This system is mostly offshore but never more than four miles from the San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles County coast," said study lead author Valerie Sahakian, who performed the work during her doctorate at Scripps and is now a postdoctoral fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey. "Even if you have a high 5- or low 6-magnitude earthquake, it can still have a major impact on those regions which are some of the most densely populated in California."

The study, "Seismic constraints on the architecture of the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault: Implications for the length and magnitude of future earthquake ruptures," appears in the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research.

The researchers processed data from previous seismic surveys and supplemented it with high-resolution bathymetric data gathered offshore by Scripps researchers between 2006 and 2009 and seismic surveys conducted aboard former Scripps research vessels New Horizon and Melville in 2013. The disparate data have different resolution scales and depth of penetration providing a "nested survey" of the region. This nested approach allowed the scientists to define the fault architecture at an unprecedented scale and thus to create magnitude estimates with more certainty.

They identified four segments of the strike-slip fault that are broken up by what geoscientists call stepovers, points where the fault is horizontally offset. Scientists generally consider stepovers wider than three kilometers more likely to inhibit ruptures along entire faults and instead contain them to individual segments - creating smaller earthquakes. Because the stepovers in the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon (NIRC) fault are two kilometers wide or less, the Scripps-led team considers a rupture of all the offshore segments is possible, said study co-author Scripps geologist and geophysicist Neal Driscoll.

The team used two estimation methods to derive the maximum potential a rupture of the entire fault, including one onshore and offshore portions. Both methods yielded estimates between magnitude 6.7 and magnitude 7.3 to 7.4.

The fault system most famously hosted a 6.4-magnitude quake in Long Beach, Calif. that killed 115 people in 1933. Researchers have found evidence of earlier earthquakes of indeterminate size on onshore portions of the fault, finding that at the northern end of the fault system, there have been between three and five ruptures in the last 11,000 years. At the southern end, there is evidence of a quake that took place roughly 400 years ago and little significant activity for 5,000 years before that.

Driscoll has recently collected long sediment cores along the offshore portion of the fault to date previous ruptures along the offshore segments, but the work was not part of this study.

In addition to Sahakian and Driscoll, study authors include Jayne Bormann, Graham Kent, and Steve Wesnousky of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Alistair Harding of Scripps. Southern California Edison funded the research at the direction of the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission.

"Further study is warranted to improve the current understanding of hazard and potential ground shaking posed to urban coastal areas from Tijuana to Los Angeles from the NIRC fault," the study concludes.

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Orange, Calif., March 7, 2017 -- University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a specific mutation that allows melanoma tumor cells to remain undetected by the immune system. The finding may lead to the development of better immunotherapies and more effective methods to identify patients that would respond to these new therapies.

The study, "ATR Mutations Promote the Growth of Melanoma Tumors by Modulating the Immune Microenvironment," is published March 7 in the journal Cell Reports.

"Cancers develop not only because they acquire mutations that promote their growth but also because they are able to prevent the immune system from recognizing and removing them," said Anand K. Ganesan, MD, senior author and associate professor of dermatology at the UCI. He explained that researchers identified a mutation in the ATR gene, a protein that normally recognizes and repairs UV-induced DNA damage, in melanoma tumors. Cancers with this ATR mutation suppress the body's natural immune response.

"Understanding how developing tumors interact with the immune system to promote their continued growth is a key to developing effective immunotherapies," he said.

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2017, it's expected that more than 87,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 52,170 in men and 34,940 in women) and that about 9,730 people are expected to die of the disease.

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Participants in the study include Chi-Fen Chen, Rolando Ruiz-Vega, Priya Vasudeva, Francisco Espitia, Sebastien de Feraudy, Anand K. Ganesan, Jie Wu, Chad P. Garner, Tatiana B. Krasieva and Bruce J. Tromberg from the University of California, Irvine and Sharon Huang and David S. Hoon from the John Wayne Cancer Institute, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica.

This research was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute (1R01CA151513-01), the American Cancer Society (121540-RSG-11-128-01-CSM), the National Science Foundation (DGE-1321846), the Ford Foundation National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Dissertation Fellowship and the Stanley Behrens Fellowship. The multiphoton microscopy studies were supported by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering award P41EB015890. The genomic sequencing was performed by the UC Irvine Genomics and High Throughput Facility, which is supported in part by National Cancer Institute award P30CA062203.

UC Irvine Health comprises the clinical, medical education and research enterprises of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UC Irvine Health at physician offices throughout Orange County and at its main campus, UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., a 417-bed acute care hospital that provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation. U.S. News & World Report has listed it among America's Best Hospitals for 16 consecutive years. UC Irvine Medical Center features Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, and is the primary teaching hospital for UC Irvine School of Medicine. UC Irvine Health serves a region of more than 3 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.
LAWRENCE --The Trump administration in late February withdrew Obama administration federal protections for transgender students that would allow them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

Transgender activists protested outside the White House. With two presidents essentially taking opposite stances on the issue within a year, it is obvious how polarizing transgender rights policies have become, said a University of Kansas researcher of partisanship and American politics.

"For as hotly contested as transgender rights are for some people, we don't know a lot about how Americans think about this set of issues and what shapes those attitudes," said Patrick Miller, a KU assistant professor of political science. "We don't have a very rich understanding about how average people think about transgender rights."

Miller was lead author of a new study measuring attitudes on transgender rights issues that found significant support for protection of general civil rights for transgender people -- like equal access to military service, employment and housing non-discrimination laws. However, public opinion is more divided on policies that relate to the body and gender roles, such as people being able to choose which public restroom to use based on one's gender identity or the ability to change one's sex on a state-issued driver's license.

"On traditional civil rights debates, people are more liberal on those issues when it comes to transgender people," Miller said. "On policies that are more body-related, such as physical changes and physical presentation of gender, all of which are more specific to the transgender community, more Americans seem to differentiate those and can be more conservative on those questions. People don't see all transgender rights questions equally."

The journal Politics, Groups, and Identities recently published the study online. The article, "Transgender politics as body politics: effects of disgust sensitivity and authoritarianism on transgender rights attitudes," includes Don Haider-Markel, chair and professor of the KU Department of Political Science, as a co-author, and the research team has completed a series of studies on transgender politics that will appear in a variety of journals this year.

Miller said regarding body-centric policy questions -- such as questions about public restroom choice, or whether Medicare or health insurance companies should be required to pay for gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy -- those most opposed are people who report having a higher tendency to feel disgusted in general, though not specifically about transgender people. Also, more opposed are those who score higher on a psychological trait called "authoritarianism," which represents a higher need for order or to see the world in black-and-white terms. These individuals may place greater value on conforming to traditional social norms.

The researchers found those traits outweighed factors such as partisanship, ideology, and demographics in shaping attitudes about transgender rights, he said.

The findings would make sense given that much of the controversy surrounding debates at the federal level and in state legislatures have centered around transgender rights policies such as public restrooms, identity on driver's licenses, and coverage for medical procedures.

"For many Americans, when they think about transgender people, their mind is on the body and how that defines transgender people in some ways, and maybe how that makes them different in some ways," Miller said.

The study could provide insight for transgender rights advocates. Oftentimes it is communicated that it is taboo or offensive to discuss issues surrounding the body and transgender people, such as how someone dresses or how someone is undergoing medical transformations to their body.

"Certainly, I understand people have the attitude that it is 'none of your business' or 'why would you ask that?'" Miller said. "But I think the implication of our research is that the evidence points toward the body being a major consideration that people have. So, if you want to lead society in a more accepting direction on things like the bathroom debate, you might be doing yourself more harm than good to not engage with questions about the body and to shut down those questions and discussions."

Researchers consider the transgender population to be around 0.5 percent of the American population, and it's likely most people won't have direct contact with a transgender person, he said. However, as mass media news coverage and depictions of characters in popular culture becomes more common, that could influence how people think about the minority group. That also could spur more people to become curious and ask more questions about the transgender community, spurring some of those conversations that might be seen as taboo, he said.

"That's an area where engagement may be uncomfortable for some people," Miller said, "but it could be beneficial if you want people to be more sympathetic and understanding of the experiences that transgender people have."

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DALLAS - March 7, 2017 - Could lung cancer be hiding in kidney cancer patients? Researchers with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center's Kidney Cancer Program studied patients with metastatic kidney cancer to the lungs and found that 3.5 percent of the group had a primary lung cancer tumor that had gone undiagnosed. This distinction can affect treatment choices and rates of survival.

"Kidney cancer spreads primarily to the lungs making the detection of a primary lung cancer difficult. Lung cancer is typically more aggressive than kidney cancer. Undetected, lung cancer may spread and eventually kill the patient," said Dr. James Brugarolas, Director of the Kidney Cancer Program and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Mel Moffitt, an Army veteran who survived serving in Vietnam, is among those now fighting both lung cancer and kidney cancer.

Mr. Moffitt, 70, was initially diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2008, leading to removal of one of his kidneys. By 2012, the cancer had spread to his lungs and lymph nodes. Before coming to UT Southwestern, he had been told he had less than a year to live. In 2015, a new primary tumor was found in his lung.

"It was like we turned around, and the cancer said 'By the way, I'm over here too,'" said his wife of 47 years, Kennon Moffitt, whom he met at the officer's club in El Paso before shipping off to Vietnam.

"I will keep fighting," pledged Mr. Moffitt, who has been through molecularly targeted drug therapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, and is combating his latest lung and kidney cancer diagnosis with immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.

Still, he said, he is grateful to have survived so many years since his initial diagnosis, years that included the birth of his three grandchildren, now ages 8, 6 and 4, and the chance to restore a 1969 red Corvette, which the couple plans to drive in a Fourth of July parade this summer.

Watch Mr. Moffitt's story.

Nearly 400,000 Americans are now living with a diagnosis of kidney cancer and more than 60,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with kidney cancer this year, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Five-year survival rate averages range from more than 80 percent for stage 1, when cancer is contained in the kidney, to about 53 percent for stage 3, when it has spread beyond the kidney, to just 8 percent for stage 4, when the cancer spreads to more distant parts of the body or other organs.

Texas has the fifth-highest rate of this cancer in the U.S. and it is the fourth most common cancer treated at the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, where survival rates for patients with stage 4 kidney cancer are double national benchmarks, noted Dr. Brugarolas, a Virginia Murchison Linthicum Scholar in Medical Research at UT Southwestern.

In this retrospective study of 151 patients at the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, investigators identified 85 people who had kidney cancer metastasized to the lungs, and three who had a primary lung cancer. Investigators found only four previous cases described in the literature, leading them to suspect the incidence of lung cancers in kidney cancer patients may be underreported.

Because UT Southwestern is a tertiary care referral center, investigators noted that rates could be different in the general population. Up to 6 percent of patients with metastatic kidney cancer also may have a lung cancer, investigators noted in the study, published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer.

"Our report raises an important flag for medical oncologists and radiologists to be on the lookout for a hidden lung cancer," said Dr. Brugarolas.

###

The study was supported by a SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) award from the NCI, only the second such award for kidney cancer in the nation. The SPORE investigators are working to better understand how kidney cancer develops and spreads, as well as to develop new therapies targeting adult and pediatric kidney cancer. UT Southwestern also leads a 20-year, multi-institutional SPORE grant in lung cancer that is the largest thoracic oncology effort in the U.S.

UT Southwestern researchers involved in the current study included Dr. Ivan Pedrosa, Chief of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Associate Professor of Radiology and of the Advanced Imaging Research Center, and a Co-Leader of the Kidney Cancer Program, who holds the Jack Reynolds, M.D., Chair in Radiology; Dr. Payal Kapur, Associate Professor of Pathology and Urology; and Dr. Isaac Bowman, a hematology-oncology fellow, who is first author on the study.

UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas and one of just 47 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center includes 13 major cancer care programs, and its education and training programs support and develop the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is among only 30 U.S. cancer research centers to be designated by the NCI as a National Clinical Trials Network Lead Academic Participating Site.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty includes many distinguished members, including six who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. The faculty of almost 2,800 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year.

This news release is available on our home page at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom.

To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email, subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews.
Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduced the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and death in pregnant women with twins and who have a short cervix-- a risk factor for preterm birth-- according to a meta-analysis of individual patient data by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Detroit Medical Center, and other institutions in the United States and abroad.

Births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy are considered preterm. Preterm birth increases the risk for infant death and long term disability. Twin pregnancies present a five- to six-time increased risk for preterm birth.

In preparation for birth, the cervix (lower part of the uterus) thins and shortens during pregnancy. In some women, the cervix shortens prematurely, as early as the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. The natural hormone progesterone (also called the "pregnancy hormone"), inserted in the vagina either as a gel or tablet has been shown to decrease the risk for preterm birth associated with a short cervix in women with a single fetus in previous conducted by NIH and WSU investigators.

The new study, "Vaginal progesterone decreases preterm birth and neonatal morbidity and mortality in women with a twin gestation and a short cervix: an updated meta-analysis of individual patient data," was published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. An accompanying video explaining the study's findings can be viewed at http://www2.med.wayne.edu/prb/progesterone.htm.

"The findings represent persuasive evidence that treatment with vaginal progesterone in women with a short cervix and a twin gestation reduces the frequency of preterm birth, neonatal complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, and importantly, neonatal death," said the study's first author, Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Romero emphasized that individual patient data meta-analyses represent the "gold standard" in the hierarchy of scientific evidence to answer clinical questions.

"Currently there is no treatment for the prevention of preterm birth in twin gestations," said Sonia Hassan, M.D., a co-author of the study. Dr. Hassan is the associate dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health at WSU, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the School of Medicine, and director of the Center for Advanced Obstetrical Care and Research for the NIH's Perinatology Research Branch, hosted at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center.

The meta-analysis included the results of six studies, encompassing 303 women pregnant with twins, all of whom had a cervical length of 25 mm or less in the mid-trimester. Of these, 159 women received vaginal progesterone and 144 received a placebo or no treatment. Women who received vaginal progesterone were 31 percent less likely to deliver before 33 weeks of pregnancy (31 percent for those receiving vaginal progesterone, compared to 43 percent for those who did not). Vaginal progesterone also reduced the rate of preterm delivery before 32 weeks and 34 weeks. All results were statistically significant.

Infants born to patients who received vaginal progesterone had a 30 percent reduction in the rate of respiratory distress syndrome, the most common complication of prematurity (from 47 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 33 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), a 46 percent reduction in the rate of mechanical ventilation (from 27 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 16 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), and a 47 percent reduction in the risk of dying in the neonatal period (from 22 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 11 percent in the vaginal progesterone group). These results were all statistically significant, as well.

The authors conclude that the results of this individual patient data meta-analysis represents strong evidence that vaginal progesterone in twin gestations with a short cervix reduces preterm birth, neonatal complications and neonatal death. This is the first intervention to successfully reduce both preterm birth and neonatal death.

"One of the most serious complications of multiples in pregnancy is premature birth. In 2014, the Michigan rate of preterm birth due to plurality was over 60 percent," said Kara Hamilton-McGraw, Maternal Child Health director for the March of Dimes. "Discovering a successful intervention to address premature birth in multiples could largely impact the rate of babies born too soon and those that, sadly, do not live to see their first birthday."

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About Wayne State University School of Medicine

Founded in 1868, the Wayne State University School of Medicine educates more than 1,000 medical students annually in Midtown Detroit. In addition to undergraduate medical education, the school offers master's degree, Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs in 14 areas of basic science to about 400 students annually. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @waynemedicine | Facebook/WayneStateMedSchool. Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 27,000 students.

About the Detroit Medical Center

The Detroit Medical Center operates eight hospitals and institutes, including Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Sinai-Grace Hospital, and DMC Heart Hospital. The Detroit Medical Center is a leading regional health care system with a mission of excellence in clinical care, research and medical education. The Detroit Medical Center is proud to be the Official Healthcare Services Provider of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. For more information, visit http://www.dmc.org. "Like" us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/dmcheals, follow us on Twitter at @dmc_heals or check out our YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/DetroitMedicalCenter.
A new lawsuit alleges the Alere INRatio blood monitoring system used by patients taking blood-thinners like warfarin, produces erroneous results, which can lead to serious injury or death.

A group of plaintiffs from across the U.S. filed the lawsuit against Alere Inc., Alere Home Monitoring Inc., and Alere San Diego Inc. in San Diego County Superior Court, alleging their personal injuries and wrongful death stemmed from inaccurate readings produced by Alere INRatio blood monitoring products. The Alere lawsuit seeks damages based on the following allegations:

Fraud Negligence Negligence Per Se Breach of Warranty Strict Liability  Failure to Warn Strict Liability  Manufacture and Design Unfair Competition Laws Loss of Consortium Wrongful Death

What is the Alere INRatio Blood Monitoring System?

Alere manufactures and sells INRatio PT/INR Monitors, INRatio PT/INR Test Strips, INRatio2 PT/INR Monitors and INRatio2 PT/INR Test Strips. Initially developed in the 1990s and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, these products are used in the home to measure a patient's blood clotting ability, which is expressed as an International Normalized Ratio (INR).

Accurate INR readings are essential to ensuring that patients taking an anticoagulant blood thinner medication, like warfarin (also known as Coumadin) receive the proper dosage, as there are serious health implications for both quick and slow blood clotting times.

A high INR (indicating a relatively slow blood clotting time) can lead to excessive bleeding, among other serious health risks, and generally indicates too high of a blood thinner dosage. A low INR (indicating a relatively quick blood clotting time) can lead to stroke, and generally indicates too low of a blood thinner dosage.

In both cases, the consequences of having an irregular or erroneous INR can lead to serious injuries and death. For these reasons, many patients who take blood thinners constantly monitor their INR to ensure they are receiving the proper dosage of their medication.

Injuries and Wrongful Death Based on Alere INRatio Erroneous Results

Plaintiffs in this case allege they sustained injuries and were hospitalized after relying on erroneous results produced by the Alere INRatio blood monitoring system.

One of the plaintiffs from Kentucky lost her husband after relying on erroneous results from INRatio products, the lawsuit alleges. The decedent was admitted to a Florida hospital while on vacation in February 2016 due to headache and confusion that had been occurring for three or four days. At the hospital, a CT scan revealed that the decedent had a large right hemorrhagic lesion (intracerebral hematoma) in the brain with surrounding edema and shift.

According to the Alere INRatio lawsuit, the hematoma was related to warfarin use. The decedent passed away in hospice care just a couple weeks after the initial diagnosis.

A plaintiff from Pennsylvania alleges she was hospitalized after suffering a stroke due to an erroneous reading from INRatio products. A diagnosis revealed that she had a subdural hematoma. Prior to her injury, her INRatio blood monitoring system produced a "normal reading," the complaint states.

Another plaintiff from Maryland alleges his warfarin dosage was increased after receiving low readings from his INRatio blood monitoring system. A little over a week later, he was hospitalized after a fall in the middle of the night. Lab work performed at the hospital showed a high INR reading, according to the complaint. The plaintiff says he was diagnosed with gastro intestinal bleed, weakness secondary to gastrointestinal bleed, anemia secondary to gastrointestinal bleed, and coagulopathy secondary to Coumadin.

Other plaintiff injuries detailed in the Alere lawsuit include serious bleeding incidents, scrotal hematoma and hemopericardium, which required emergency surgery to drain excess fluid from around the heart.

Lawsuit Alleges Alere Knew About INRatio Defects but Failed to Warn the Public

According to the lawsuit allegations, almost immediately after Alere made its INRatio blood monitoring system available to the public, the company began to receive numerous complaints from consumers. Between 2002 and 2014, Alere received over 18,000 complaints from consumers over malfunctions with INRatio products.

Some consumers found that the INR results differed from the results they obtained when they sent blood from the same samples to independent labs for testing, the complaint states. These deviations between the INRatio results and the lab results were considered "clinically significant."

The Alere lawsuit states that in most cases, the INRatio monitoring system's INR results were incorrectly low, although in numerous other instances, the INRatio system produced results that were incorrectly high. Some of the consumer complaints indicated that malfunctions either caused or were likely to have caused serious injuries or death (including three malfunctions which did, in fact, result in deaths), according to the lawsuit.

Alere also received multiple warning letters from the FDA, admonishing the company for failing to file adverse event reports concerning erroneous INRatio results, and failing to properly investigate, evaluate and review consumer complaints.

Despite the many thousands of complaints and multiple warning letters from the FDA, Alere failed to submit false event reports and failed to advise consumers and the medical community about the FDA's admonishments and the defects plaguing the INRatio products, the Alere lawsuit alleges.

Instead, Alere withheld this material information from the public and continued to sell its INRatio products unabated, and marketed and advertised them to patients and the medical community, including its INR monitor, as "accurate," "convenient," "effective," "reliable," "optimal," and "safe," according to the allegations.

Alere INRatio Recall

In 2014, Alere issued a voluntary recall notice to healthcare professionals for its INRatio2 Test Strips, citing the disparity between the product's results and the results obtained in laboratory settings.

By singling out the INRatio2 Test Strips, Alere made a partial representation while suppressing material facts, the lawsuit alleges. In particular, the Alere lawsuit claims that the Alere INRatio2 recall failed to disclose what the company had known for years: the defective qualities of the INRatio products were not limited to the INRatio2 Test Strips.

At the time of the recall, Alere knew that the INRatio PT/INR Monitors, the INRatio 2 PT/INR Monitors and the INRatio PT/INR Test Strips all produced false and erroneous results, according to the complaint. By directing consumers to substitute the INRatio2 PT/INR Test Strips for the earlier INRatio PT/INR Test Strips, the plaintiffs claim Alere knowingly misrepresented to consumers and healthcare professionals that both systems worked properly, when in fact, they both caused false and erroneous results.

Alere Lawsuit Allegations

The plaintiffs in this lawsuit used the Alere INRatio blood monitoring system, believing it would allow them to safely and accurately monitor their INRs. According to the plaintiffs, Alere engaged in the following:

Misrepresented INRatio monitoring system as safe and effective.

Omitted, suppressed and actively concealed the fact that Alere knew its INRatio products produced erroneous INRs.

Failed to disclose that INRatio products contained specific defects which produced false and erroneous results.

Failed to timely remove INRatio products from the market.

The plaintiffs in the Alere lawsuit are seeking general damages, specific damages including but not limited to past a future medical expenses, loss of earnings and loss of earning capacity, restitution and disgorgement of profits, punitive and exemplary damages and statutory damages as allowed by law.

Plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages against Alere, based on allegations that Alere willfully, maliciously, fraudulently and knowingly promoted and continued to sell and distribute Alere INRatio products with reckless indifference to the safety and welfare of Plaintiffs and the general public and with the specific knowledge that the devices were defective and could potentially cause serious or even fatal injuries to all patients using the products. Were it not for this misrepresentation, Plaintiffs would not have used INRatio products.

"Believing the results produced by INRatio products to be accurate, patients and medical professionals relied on erroneous blood monitoring results and improperly adjusted blood thinner dosages, increasing the risk and likelihood of serious bodily injury or death," states Bijan Esfandiari, a partner of the law firm Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the Alere INRatio lawsuit.

"Because of Alere's defective INRatio products, our clients and thousands of other vulnerable and unsuspecting patients may have been seriously and permanently injured or lost their lives."

The lawsuit is captioned Otto, et al. v. Alere Inc., et al., case no. 37-2017-00007021-CU-PL-CTL, filed in the San Diego County Superior Court.

About Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman

The law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, PC, has successfully handled thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases across the nation, securing over $1.5 billion* in verdicts and settlements for their clients.

Since the late 1980's the firm has handled cases against some of the largest pharmaceutical and medical device companies in the world, including Alere Inc., Alpha Therapeutic, Armour Pharmaceutical Co., Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Bayer, Eli Lilly, Forest Labs, GSK, Medtronic, Pfizer, Schering-Plough, Stryker Biotech, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, among others.

*Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
The International Trade Committee's has said the Government must act quickly to bolster confidence and put the UK in the best position to forge new trading relationships after 2019.

The Committee's first report identifies central issues for the Government to resolve as it prepares to trigger Brexit negotiations.

Committee Chair Angus MacNeil commented: "The Government is about to embark on a process that will transform our trading relationships in Europe and across the globe. They must set out their vision for UK trade after Brexitand provide reassurance that contingency plans will be in place for the eventuality that we don't get an agreement with the EU.

"We are entering uncharted waters. The trading relationship we have had with Europe for almost 50 years will be transformed. World trade is often in a state of change, for example from 1948 to 1973 UK-Commonwealth trade fell from 38% to 18% of both parties' total trade; that trading network was in decline long before the UK joined the EU.

"The National Farmers Union foresee a possible fall in farm incomes of 17,000 a year, if combined with the full abolition of direct support."

European Free Trade Association

The Committee has called on the Government to publish a White Paper about the possibility of the UK re-joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

This is a group of countries outside the EU to which the UK belonged before it became a member of the EUs predecessor in 1973. EFTA has 27 Free Trade Agreements, covering 38 countries, which the UK might stand to benefit from if it were to re-join the Association.

The Government says that "no deal for the UK is better than a bad deal for the UK".

This means that, if the Government doesn't get the agreement it wants from the EU, the UK will default to trading with the remaining EU members under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules at the point of Brexit in 2019.

The Committee points out that this will mean certain industries, such as agriculture, face steep tariffs and many goods exporters facing non-tariff barriers.

The Committee urges the Government to set out as clearly as possible the likely consequences of this scenarioand to ensure it makes contingency plans for that eventuality.

'Potentially devastating'

Rural organisation the CLA said without the right Free Trade Agreement with the EU there will be 'potentially devastating' implications for the rural economy.

CLA President Ross Murray said: We welcome the reports focus on the importance of the agrifood sector.

The Committee is right to highlight the downturn in farming if the Government gets the post-Brexit trade deal wrong. Agriculture must be seen as one of the UKs priorities when entering into trade negotiations. Without the right Free Trade Agreement with the EU in place there will be potentially devastating implications for the rural economy.

We look forward to working with the Committee and the Government to ensure a positive outcome for agriculture in the future trading relationship the UK has with the EU.
Arla Foods, a farmer-owned dairy company, has announced that its owners will receive 31 million as their 2016 year-end bonus.

Arla is owned by 12,000 dairy farmers across Europe, 2,500 of whom are British and make up almost a quarter of all British dairy farmers.

Once a year, Arla distributes its profits equally between all of its farmer owners in its so-called supplementary (13th) payment.

This will be paid as a cash bonus this Friday, 10 March. 7 million of the windfall will be invested into each farmers individual savings accounts for each farmer to build up a lump sum should they decide to leave the cooperative.

The 13th payment is equally distributed to all farmer owners; proportionate to the amount of milk they supply rather than based on their equity investment in Arla. This year, the 13th payment is equivalent to an average of almost 9,000 to each Arla farmer across England, Wales and Scotland.

'Increasing strength of British farming'

The bonus was agreed by the companys Board of Representatives, which is almost wholly comprised of elected farmer owners and includes 20 British farmers.

In 2017, this will increase to 23 British farmers, which the company says reflects the increasing strength of British farming within the dairy cooperative.

Farmer owner and Arla Foods Board Director, Jonathan Ovens, said: The 13th payment is one of many important benefits for farmer owners like me and is particularly welcome as we begin to come out of a difficult year. It enables us to invest in our farms, and also save for the future.

Its an annual benefit and a return on my investment that I couldnt achieve elsewhere. Its good to work together with Arla to back British dairy farming.

As we need to increase the countrys milk production to meet growing demand, its also reassuring that Arla promises to collect every drop of milk I produce at the Arla price.
Farming Minister George Eustice has confirmed a 15 million boost for UK lamb exports, which will re-open a trade route set to benefit UK farmers and producers.

British lamb will soon be back on dinner plates across Kuwait following the new deal.

The re-opened trade route was announced during the ministers visit to the Gulf to promote British food, and to strengthen the UKs trading relationship with the rapidly growing market of the Gulf states.

Three major UK suppliers are already set to benefit from the five-year deal - with shipments prepped to leave soon.

The UK exported 625 million worth of food and drink to the region last year, including 80 million of cereal and 22 million of cheese.

'Fantastic reputation'

George Eustice said: "British lamb has a fantastic reputation around the world for its taste and quality and Im delighted this export success will now be available for diners in Kuwait.

"This move to re-open the market for UK-produced lamb is another example of how we are working hard to tap into international markets and build stronger relationships with trading partners around the world.

"Total lamb exports from the UK reached 330 million in 2016, up from 300m the previous year, and this latest deal is a further boost to governments commitment to open more international markets.

The trade mission included a visit to Gulfood in Dubai, where cereal brand Mornflake from Cheshire and a mozzarella producer from Durham were among around 100 UK food and drink companies exhibiting at the worlds largest annual trade show.

'High level of appetite'

Jean-Pierre Garnier, head of export trade development at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said: "We have found for some time a high level of appetite from Kuwaiti importers and distributors for British lamb and are delighted to be able at last to supply this market.

"We are committed to expanding sales of meat and dairy products in the Gulf region and support the Governments export work. Our presence at the important Gulfood exhibition with meat and dairy stands testifies our willingness to grow sales and open new markets."

As part of the ministers visit he witnessed the signing of two Memorandums of Understanding allowing greater collaboration between the UK government and Gulf on projects in aquaculture, fisheries, climate change and marine environments.

The first was with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the second was with the Gulf-wide Regional Organisation for Protection of the Marine Environment.
Farmers are calling on the Chancellor to help UK businesses in the rural sector that are currently feeling 'high levels of unease'.

While retailers and commercial occupiers have been vocal on the impact of the 2017 business rates re-evaluation, the changes that are scheduled to come into effect in April will increase the strain on some rural businesses, says Tim Jones, head of rural at Carter Jonas.

"This is particularly relevant where farmers have diversified, such as opening a farm shop, and are now facing very significant rate rises," he said.

Landowner organisation the CLA said businesses across the countryside are facing a hike in their tax bills as a result of a 'flawed' rates system that is in 'urgent need of review.'

Tim Price, NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist, said: "Farmers who have diversified and now use their premises for commercial, tourism or retail enterprises are being hit by higher business rates, which is adding to the pressures on farmers incomes at a time of low profitability for many farming sectors.

"Were hoping that the Governments promise to look at this issue will result in the immediate implementation of full planned rises being delayed."

'Major cost to farm businesses'

It is 'vital' Brexit does not impact negatively on the UK's ability to make long-term business decisions for the rural economy

Tim Jones said there remains an issue with unoccupied property as landlords are required to pay business rates on the properties, even if they are unlet.

"This is a major cost to farm businesses at a time when they can least afford to pay," he said.

"An announcement to fundamentally change the system is unlikely, but we have already been told that the Chancellor is in listening mode so any procedure to lessen the impact on the worst affected, and ease the introduction of new rates, would be positively received."

Mr Price said: "Until Brexit plans are confirmed, UK farmers are currently unable to make long-term investment because of uncertainty about future agricultural support and export opportunities.

"To help farmers through this transitional period we are urging the Chancellor to support farmers and the rural community  by simplifying both business and inheritance tax rules and avoid introducing measures that could add more financial stress to rural businesses."

Mr Jones said Brexit continues to draw ever nearer, but it is 'vital' that the next stage of the process does not impact negatively on the UK's ability to make long-term business decisions for the rural economy.

"Whilst funding for direct support at current levels is confirmed in some format until 2020, we need assurances that the Government will back a new fully-funded agricultural policy for food production and the rural environment to safeguard the growth potential of this part of the economy beyond the next three years."

Broadband

In December last year, the government announced plans to bring superfast broadband to some of the countrys most remote communities, and farmers say they would like to see further detail on these plans tomorrow.

"The benefits would be significant enabling businesses in remote parts of the country to compete with their urban counterparts," said Mr Jones.

"Levelling the playing field between 'more accessible' rural areas and those that are currently less connected will spread economic prosperity, which is a central goal of Theresa Mays administration."

The chancellor will unveil a new 5G strategy on Budget day, setting out steps for the UK to become a world leader in the next wave of mobile technology.

The plans are part of a 1billion investment in research and development in the UK to 'Brexit proof Britain' after the country has left the European Union in two years' time.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Tory MP who chairs a parliamentary rural broadband group, told the Telegraph: "Every party in the UK has been saying this needs to be rolled out as fast as possible. It is hugely important and absolutely vital.

"The percentage of people who now work at home in rural areas is going up massively. Small businesses nowadays have to have high-speed broadband. You cant run a business without it."
Origin Enterprises plc has announced that it has reached agreement to acquire the fertiliser activities and certain assets of Bunn Fertiliser Ltd.

Based in the UK, Bunn is a provider of prescription fertiliser blends and nutrition management systems servicing the arable, grassland and horticultural sectors.

Bunn, which enjoys a brand heritage of over 200 years, markets an extensive range of technically based nutrition applications and has an established business-to-business and retail customer franchise.

Bunn extends Origins existing fertiliser blending activities, as well as its customer service capabilities.

Under the terms of the transaction, Origin will acquire the business on a debt free and cash free basis, for a consideration of 14.2 million payable in cash on completion.

The total enterprise value of the transaction, inclusive of estimated average working capital is expected to be 18.2 million, approximately. Bunns turnover for the year ended 31 December 2016 was 127.7 million and maintainable earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) is circa 2.8 million.

Commenting on the announcement, Origin Chief Executive Officer Tom OMahony said: Bunn is an excellent business with a dedicated commitment to addressing the crop yield, quality and soil fertility requirements of primary producers. Bunn advances the Groups capacity to manage supply chain complexity as well as providing complementary customer and product channel access.
Farmers have said they would like to see further details on superfast broadband plans in the Chancellor's spring budget announcement tomorrow.

In December last year, the government announced plans to bring superfast broadband to some of the country's most remote communities.

Now, internet speeds are set to improve for millions as part of a major push by ministers to roll out 'super fast' 5G mobile phone coverage.

But last October, the NFU said the current rural broadband roll-out is 'not sufficient' to meet the needs of most farmers.

"I employ four people and in 50% of the farm we cant get in contact with each other over the mobile," said one farmer.

"We sometimes have no connection, but on average have between 0.3 and 0.6 Mbps.

"Our biggest hurdle is not being able to attract potential tenants to our converted sheds to offices, as the connection is too weak," said another respondent.

Tim Jones, head of rural at Carter Jonas said: "The benefits would be significant enabling businesses in remote parts of the country to compete with their urban counterparts."

Economic prosperity

The plans are part of a 1 billion investment in research and development.

Mr Jones said 'levelling the playing field' between more accessible rural areas and those that are currently less connected will spread economic prosperity.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Tory MP who chairs a parliamentary rural broadband group, told the Telegraph: "Every party in the UK has been saying this needs to be rolled out as fast as possible. It is hugely important and absolutely vital.

"The percentage of people who now work at home in rural areas is going up massively. Small businesses nowadays have to have high-speed broadband. You cant run a business without it."

The government is expected to offer incentives to invest in full-fiber networks by offering vouchers to local businesses to encourage take-up where new networks are built and upgrading connections to public buildings, such as schools and hospitals.

'Major breakthrough'

CLA Deputy President Tim Breitmeyer said: "The Governments commitment to a broadband universal service obligation was a major breakthrough for those of us who have campaigned for an end to the discrimination felt by those that live and work in the countryside.

"The day this legal right to a superfast broadband connection becomes law cannot come a day too soon and we support the MPs challenge to government to see if it can be brought in earlier than the current target of end of 2020.

"MPs have challenged Government and BT to rethink their longstanding strategy of targeting the easiest to reach premises first and their reliance on the existing copper wire network rather than fibre-optic, mobile or other wireless connection methods.

"MPs are right to point out the risks of this strategy in failing to end the digital divide between our towns and countryside.

"Rural communities and small alternative providers need immediate clarity from Openreach as to the extent of their roll-out plans for fibre, so that other solutions can be chosen if required."

'Cut costs'

The NFU said there are social, economic and environmental benefits' of connecting the final 5%, especially for the delivery of a sustainable and productive agricultural sector.

The group said: "We need to be able to use the technology to farm more efficiently to meet the needs of our growing population and compete in the international markets.

"Farmers with poor connectivity cannot use the full range of agricultural technology.

"They spend time traveling back and forth to signal hot-spots and have to outsource their management of online finance and regulatory systems.

"Online compliance can cuts costs for both the government and farmers."
IT services provider, Empired Ltd, has been picked as a subcontractor to supply cloud based information and communications technology (ICT) to the Western Australian government.Back in January, the WA government signed contracts for a $3 billion technology overhaul, known as the GovNext-ICT Program. This will involve more than 60 state government data centres and server rooms being consolidated, and the roll-out of a whole of government data and communications network.The state signed five-year contracts with Atos, Datacom and NEC, and the state expects to save $650 million in IT costs over 10 years. There is also an option for the state to extend the contract by an additional 5 years.Empired says it will have an exclusive role within the scope of the contract, as part of the NEC Consortium, to provide core collaboration functions in a cloud environment across the whole WA government.
General Motors (GM 1.27%) has recently been getting some attention from investors attracted by its strong dividend yield, currently hovering around 4%.

That's certainly a good reason to take a look at GM. But there's also an argument to be made -- and I've made it, more than once -- that CEO Mary Barra has GM on a path that could lead to significant profit growth over the next several years as well.

That profit growth has already begun to happen as GM executes on a growth plan put in place by Barra a couple of years ago. The plan itself is complex, but the thinking behind it isn't.

In fact, in a presentation earlier this week, GM president Dan Ammann showed a chart that explains GM's approach to profit growth in a single graphic.

The chart that shows how GM is boosting its profitability

Barra, Ammann, and CFO Chuck Stevens held a conference call on March 6 to explain the deal to sell Opel to French automaker Peugeot SA. As part of that presentation, Ammann explained why GM decided to sell Opel -- and as part of that explanation, he showed this slide:

The magic of this slide is that it shows in one chart how GM's management team thinks about the opportunities in its global business portfolio, and about maximizing the profitability of its business as a whole.

Past GM management teams thought in terms of size and scale. The result was that GM was for years the world's largest-selling automaker, and is still in the top three (at least until the Opel sale is completed). But it wasn't nearly as profitable as its global peers.

Barra and company have been changing that by thinking in terms of maximizing return on investments. Put simply, Barra doesn't care if GM is the biggest-selling automaker in the world. Instead, she wants it to be the most profitable.

So let's look at the chart. We have "profit potential," which might be more accurately thought of as profitability potential, on the horizontal axis. "Franchise strength," or the relative strength of the business relative to the competition, is on the vertical axis.

As you can see, GM is boosting its investments of money and time in businesses that have high profit potential, very strong franchise strength, or both, shown in green:

South America is a region where GM has recently been losing money. Steep recessions in key markets have put a damper on new-car sales across the industry. But GM has a strong competitive position that makes the region worth ongoing effort as the market recovers.

GMF is GM Financial, the company's profitable and growing financial-services arm.

Commercial vehicles like trucks and vans are a good business and a growth opportunity for GM in the U.S. and China.

NA Truck/SUV are GM's highly profitable lines of pickup trucks, big SUVs, and crossover SUVs in North America. They're all well-regarded and sell in big numbers.

China is the world's largest new-car market, in which GM is the second-largest-selling automaker. It's a big source of profit and will likely grow bigger and more important over time.

AV/TaaS includes self-driving cars ("autonomous vehicles") and "transportation as a service," including GM's Maven car-sharing subsidiary and its investment in ride-hailing start-up Lyft.

Cadillac is GM's luxury brand, which is in the midst of an $11 billion overhaul intended to make it globally competitive with the German luxury-car giants -- and a major long-term profit center for GM.

On the flip side, GM is rolling back its investments in the opportunities shown in red:

Select GMI Markets are international markets where GM doesn't have a strong competitive position or a clear path to good profitability.

NA Car is GM's car models in North America. GM isn't giving up on sedans and coupes. In fact, it recently completed the launch of a slew of all-new car models, built on brand-new architectures. Those architectures, which represent the bulk of the engineering investment GM made in those models, are intended to last for a couple of generations, until 2025 or later. What GM is saying here is that it can now dial back investments in its cars for the next several years.

And finally, the businesses shown in black are the ones where GM has concluded that it doesn't have a good path to what it considers acceptable profitability, so it won't invest any further. As of Monday, Opel (and its sibling brand, Vauxhall) joined that list.

The upshot: A complex profit-boosting plan in one chart

To make a long story short, that chart explains Barra's plan to boost GM's profitability. GM will make big investments in the things that are working well (trucks, SUVs, China), invest in opportunities that could turn out to be very profitable in time (Cadillac, self-driving vehicles), and reduce or end investments in areas that don't have a clear path to profit, like Opel.

The goal of this plan is to get GM's operating profit margin into the 9% to 10% range, sustainably, by "early next decade." Last year, that margin was 7.5%, up from 7.1% in 2015.

That's progress. But note: Without Opel, it would have been 8.6% last year. That's more progress.
Oil and gas majors like ExxonMobil Corporation (XOM 1.09%) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDS.B) have had a rough run since mid-2014. But these two industry giants are making the changes needed to deal with today's difficult energy markets, just like they've done time and time before. You could worry, but you really don't need to. Here are their bonafides.

The stalwart

Exxon has gotten a lot of bad press recently. It's being investigated by several states over its disclosure practices when it comes to the impact of global warming on its business. And it just pulled 3.3 billion barrels of oil from its reserves, an unusual occurrence for this conservatively-run company. But business doesn't move in a straight line -- it's a sine curve. And since mid-2014, oil has been a tough business.

Which is why you have to look at its background. For example, it has 34 consecutive years of dividend increases, as the oil giant has historically focused on returning value to shareholders in good and bad markets. Industry leading financial and performance metrics are further proof that it's a top player in the oil space. Notably, Exxon is at the head of the pack when it comes to return on invested capital, so it not only returns value to shareholders via dividends, it manages shareholder money prudently as well in getting solid returns.

Well-run, and a long history of returning value to shareholders... that's a story that's hard to beat. And one that will let you sleep well at night, even during an industry downturn. I should know -- I own the stock.

What about the debt?

Royal Dutch Shell, meanwhile, might seem like an odd juxtaposition here. Like Exxon, Shell has struggled during the downturn; that's to be expected. But it did something that no other oil major has, making a major acquisition -- $50 billion to acquire BG Group -- that materially increased its debt burden right when low oil prices were pressuring its top- and bottom-lines.

So Shell is in a more precarious financial position than Exxon and, indeed, many other oil companies. But this investment is meant to shift the company more heavily toward natural gas, an fuel that is expected to provide a bridge between carbon fuels and clean energy. Shell has now begun to sell other non-core assets to pay off its debt, with a goal of $30 billion in divestitures in coming years. Those sales, meanwhile, will further hone the company's natural gas focus.

Here's the thing: Recent headlines might cause a little trepidation, but it's unlikely that Shell is going out of business anytime soon. In fact, even after a huge increase in debt, long-term debt only makes up around 30% of the capital structure (Exxon's long-term debt, for reference, sits at around 15% of its capital structure -- that's at the low end of the industry). Shell also happens to have around $19 billion in cash offsetting some of the roughly $83 billion in long-term debt on its balance sheet. More important, the moves it's making, while bold, are strategically positioning it for the future.

Summing it up, although it seems like risk has moved up in the near-term at Shell, this is a company that's looking into the future, and preparing now. If you take the long view, too, the risk increase may bt less than it seems. In fact, this is the type of thing you want to see the company doing, as the business environment changes. And as for the debt, the company has a plan to address it, and it's already paying off as noted above.

A good time to buy? Looks like it may be

Both Exxon and Shell have proven they are long-term survivors. Although the headlines appear to highlight increased risks, a deeper dive shows that the troubles really aren't as big as they seem. This pair really are companies you can buy and hold without having to babysit.

The most exciting thing, however, is that both trade with yields near the high end of their historic ranges today. So not only are they stocks you don't have to babysit, but now could be a good time to jump aboard if you are looking for income growth.
Last month, General Motors (GM 1.27%) confirmed that it was negotiating the potential sale of its European operations to PSA Group, owner of the Peugeot brand. Last weekend, GM pulled the trigger.

PSA will buy the Opel and Vauxhall brands, as well as GM's European financing operations. This will leave General Motors with just a token presence in Europe, selling some pricey but low-volume Chevrolet and Cadillac models.

After factoring in payments related to Opel's pension plans, the General is actually paying PSA to take Opel and Vauxhall off its hands. Nevertheless, this is a savvy, shareholder-friendly move by GM. The key to this deal is its impact on General Motors' cash flow.

Europe is a tough market

General Motors has been on a long losing streak in Europe. The last time it earned a profit there, it was still the twentieth century!

Since 2000, GM has lost nearly $20 billion in Europe. It had initially expected to reach breakeven in Europe during 2016, but the negative impact of Brexit caused it to post a $257 million loss. Due to the ongoing impact of Brexit, General Motors previously disclosed that it would lose money in Europe again in 2017 before hopefully reaching profitability in 2018.

Pundits often contrast GM's perennial losses in Europe to Ford's (F 1.88%) recent recovery in the region. Yet Ford isn't making money hand-over-fist there. While Ford Europe earned a record profit during 2016, its 4.2% operating margin was nothing to write home about. Furthermore, a change in Ford's pension accounting has played a big role in its return to profitability in Europe.

Like GM, Ford expects to face significant Brexit-related headwinds in 2017, leading to a year-over-year earnings decline in Europe. Even in a best-case scenario, Ford hopes to generate a 6% to 8% operating margin in Europe in the long run. By contrast, GM and Ford have often earned double-digit margins in North America in recent years.

In short, Europe is an extremely tough market, even for well-positioned automakers. For an automaker like General Motors that is struggling there now, there isn't much potential upside.

GM dumps its money-losing division

Given the strong profitability and massive scale of GM's operations in North America and China, the company doesn't "need" to maintain a presence in Europe. Thus, after its latest setback in Europe, the General decided it was time to exit the market.

In theory, PSA is paying about $1.6 billion for GM's automotive operations in Europe. About $700 million of that total will come from warrants to buy PSA shares. Meanwhile, General Motors will sell GM Financial's European arm to a joint venture of PSA and BNP Paribas for about $1 billion.

Offsetting these cash inflows, GM will contribute $3.2 billion to the portion of its European pension plans that PSA will assume. Therefore this transaction will actually result in a net outlay of cash.

Cash is king

Even though GM will spend more to shore up its European pensions than it will receive from PSA, the transaction will free up about $2.6 billion of cash. (This total doesn't include the potential proceeds from selling the PSA warrants that General Motors will receive.)

First, GM will issue $2.8 billion of debt to cover most of its $3.2 billion pension contribution. Management feels comfortable doing this because underfunded pensions are just another form of debt. Second, GM is reducing its target cash balance from $20 billion to $18 billion, to reflect the fact that it will be a smaller and more profitable company going forward.

General Motors will use most of the excess cash for an accelerated share repurchase after the transaction closes.

It will also produce higher free cash flow on an ongoing basis. Even if Opel/Vauxhall reaches breakeven or modest profitability in the next few years, it could still burn cash due to heavy capex requirements. In recent years, Opel/Vauxhall has required more than $1 billion in annual capital expenditures. That could rise going forward as the brands need to reorient their focus from small cars to more desirable crossovers.

By selling off Opel/Vauxhall, GM is abandoning the hope that its European operations could one day generate modest profits like Ford Europe. However, it will free up some cash in the short run and generate about $1 billion more in annual free cash flow for the foreseeable future.

Beyond this cash flow boost, GM will reduce its risk by exiting the ultra-competitive European market. This gives General Motors stock ample upside relative to its current bargain valuation of just six times earnings.
Honda's various pre-season engine problems are putting 'maximum' strain on their relationship with McLaren, according to the teams racing director Eric Boullier.

After several power unit issues curtailed their running at the opening pre-season test in Barcelona, McLaren were slowed again on the opening morning of this weeks second test as an electrical issue forced an engine change on Stoffel Vandoornes car.

Asked by reporters in Spain how much of a strain the ongoing problems had placed on the McLaren-Honda partnership, Boullier replied. Maximum. Obviously we are in F1, we are racing, and we have to perform.

"The pressure is obviously huge. We put the maximum pressure on all of our relationship with Honda, and the same for them. We can't put a step wrong - we need to be able to deliver the best car as well, so this is both sides."

Despite having just three more days of testing before the first race in Australia, Boullier insisted he is not yet overly concerned with McLarens position heading into the new season.

I think we have our jobs to understand and develop the car, and validate some parts, he said.

The process today is more generating as much data as we can, and feeding back to a machine in Woking, which shows that correlation is working.

Obviously we would like more laps, but the correlation is good so we can take decisions. So not concerned yet. For the rest we need to make sure Honda investigate properly, address it properly - we have to rely on our partner.

"The one thing is we are running the same spec as last week so obviously that doesn't mean there are any changes in this block or any modifications done.

"I think, the next spec will have addressed part of this problem, or most of this problem."
Cryptocurrenncy mining is finally available in Mexico through CoinSpace

CoinSpace Mexico announced the availability of their new encriptions currenncy mining Service beginning from now on. More information can be found at http://www.coinspacemexico.com/.

--

Customers looking for the latest cryptocurrency news will soon be able to get involved with CoinSpace Mexico. Today Luis Enrique Rivera and Victor Rivera independent business owners of CoinSpace Mexico release details of the new cryptocurrency mining Service being stablished.

CoinSpace has a team of leaders in Mexico and Latin America dedicated to promoting the growth and success of the organization of the people who announce this service. This is a great unique opportunity for network users, investors or anybody looking for a real option to earn income without any activity or worries. The cryptocurrency mining service is designed to appeal specifically the "to make money or die" enthusiasts. Besides the mining opportunity by buying a mining license and making money without the need of any other action, there is the network marketing part of the business, wich will help people make money in different ways. For example:

Affiliation bonus - CoinSpace Mexico made sure to make this part of the mining service development as give bonus to costumers. CoinSpace costumers will likely appreciate this because they will have the opportunity to build a huge income from direct commissions, binary bonuses, bonus equalization, a program of shares and receive shares of the company. Plus, CoinSpace offers as commission 20% of the gross investment of each person indicated during the first 45 days of use.

License for mining the main cryptocurrencies - This was made part of the service, since makes costumer's life easier: this resource will facilitate the mining of crypto-coins wherever the costumer is, using the CoinSpace's S-coins.

This is the latest offering from CoinSpace Mexico and Luis Enrique Rivera Montenegro is particularly excited about this launch because with crypto currency mining people can make money in the same day they start, and this is an amazing new concept of profit: "Crypto currency mining is revolutionizing the financial industry, and you can be part of it today!".

Contact Info:

Name: Luis Enrique Rivera

Organization: CoinSpace Mexico

Address: 495 Avenida Santa Fe Col. Cruz Manca, Ciudad de Mexico 01219, Mexico



Source: PressCable

Release ID: 175037

For more information visit r



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Haiti - NOTICE : Call for proposals of the Disability Rights Fund





The Disability Rights Fund is a grantmaking collaborative that provides grants to disabled persons organizations (DPOs) to strengthen their participation in the advancement of human rights and disability-inclusive development.



The Disability Rights Fund has two funding rounds per year: Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are publicized in February (Round 1) and July (Round 2). Each round addresses a different set of countries. For some countries, there is a two-step process that requires a Letter of Interest be submitted for review before organizations are asked to submit a full proposal.



2017 Countries



Round 1 countries: Ghana (by invitation only), Haiti, Indonesia (by invitation only), Malawi, and Myanmar.



A Letter of Interest (LoI) process was opened on January 5, 2017 to applicants from Indonesia who did not receive any DRF or DRAF funding in 2016. Successful LoI applicants from Indonesia, current Indonesian grantees, invited DRF/DRAF grantees from Ghana, and any DPOs from Haiti, Malawi, and Myanmar can submit full proposals following publication of the Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 9, 2017. Information about the RFP is described in more details bellow.



Deadline for submission of an application for funding is March 16, 2017.



Interested organizations are invited to read the eligibility criteria and all the details of the application as soon as possible on the Fund's website : https://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/for-grantseekers/



All questions about the application process should be directed to : info@disabilityrightsfund.org



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Rene Preval, 6 days of national mourning





Yves Germain Joseph, Secretary General of the Presidency announces to the Nation that the national funeral of President Rene Preval will be celebrated on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The exhibition will take place at the Museum of the Haitian National Pantheon (MUPANAH) on Friday, March 10th.



Pending publication of the Official Protocol of the State funeral of the late President Rene Preval, the President of the Republic, Jovenel Moise decrees 6 days of national mourning worked in memory of this illustrious fighter from Monday, March 6 to Saturday, March 11, 2017.



During this period, the national flag already at half-mast since Saturday 4 March at the Presidency, will also be on all public buildings.



Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11, radio and television stations will broadcast music of circumstance interspersed with testimonies on the life and the work of this eminent statesman.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : Money laundering, Haiti targeted by State Department





In Volume II, "Money Laundering and Financial Crime" of the report "2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report", the US Department of State indicates "Haitian criminal gangs are engaged in international drug trafficking and other criminal and fraudulent activity. While Haiti itself is not a major financial center, regional narcotics and money laundering enterprises utilize Haitian couriers, primarily via maritime routes. Much of the drug trafficking in Haiti, as well as the related money laundering, is connected to the United States. Important legislation was adopted over the past several years, in particular anti-corruption and AML laws, but the weakness of the Haitian judicial system leaves the country vulnerable to corruption and money laundering.



On June 8, 2016, the CFATF issued a public statement asking its members to consider the risks arising from the deficiencies in Haitis AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism ) regime. The statement follows CFATFs acknowledgement that, although Haiti had made improvements in non-legislative areas, it had not made sufficient progress in fulfilling its action plan to address its serious AML deficiencies including legislative reforms. On November 9, 2016, the CFATF reaffirmed its stance, although noting Haitis recent progress and efforts to introduce new legislation, including a new law designed to grant administrative autonomy to the Central Financial Intelligence Information Unit (UCREF), Haitis FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit).



Most of the identified money laundering schemes involve significant amounts of U.S. currency held in financial institutions outside of Haiti or non-financial entities in Haiti, such as restaurants and other small businesses. Foreign currencies represent 63 percent of Haitis bank deposits as of October 2016. A great majority of property confiscations to date have involved significant drug traffickers convicted in the United States [...]



Haiti has seven operational FTZs. There are also 157 licensed casinos and many other unlicensed casinos. Online gaming is illegal.



The AML legislation passed in 2013 was further strengthened by amendments in 2016. In 2014, the Executive signed a long-delayed anti-corruption bill. Banks and financial companies, wire transfer agencies, credit unions, insurance companies, cooperatives, casinos, lawyers, accountants, notaries, and real estate agents must comply with KYC rules and report suspicious transactions to the UCREF.



Haiti is a member of the CFATF, a FATF-style regional body.



The weakness of the Haitian judicial system and prosecutorial mechanisms as well as judges and prosecutors lack of knowledge of the recently adopted legislative amendments continue to leave the country vulnerable to corruption and money laundering. Haiti is not a member of the Egmont Group, but is currently applying for membership.



The government remains hampered by ineffective and outdated criminal codes and criminal procedural codes, and by the inability or unwillingness of judges and courts to address cases referred for prosecution. Draft criminal codes and criminal procedural codes that would address these deficiencies are expected to be considered by parliament over the next few months.



The government should continue to devote resources to building an effective AML regime, to include continued support to units charged with investigating financial crimes and the development of an information technology system. The 2013 AML/CFT law and its 2016 amendments, despite strengthening the regulatory framework to combat financial crimes, undermine the independence and effectiveness of Haitis FIU.



Haiti also should take steps to establish a program to identify and report the cross-border movement of currency and financial instruments. Casinos and other forms of gaming should be better regulated and monitored. The Government of Haiti should take steps to combat pervasive corruption at all levels of Haitian government and commerce.



The Government of Haiti continues to take steps, such as training staff and coordinating with the nations banks, to implement a better AML regime. In September 2016, the National Assembly added missing elements to the 2013 AML/CFT law to bring it up to international standards, although deficiencies still remain. In order for Haiti to fully comply, however, the criminal code will have to be updated.



After years of delay, passage of the 2014 anti-corruption law constituted a positive step to try to address public corruption, but implementation issues remain. Frequent changes in leadership, fear of reprisal at the working level, rumored intervention from the Executive, and a lack of judicial follow-through (prosecutions) make implementation particularly difficult. Frequent changes in the judiciary also make it difficult for cases to be followed by prosecutors.



The UCREF has continued to build its internal capabilities and to do effective casework. The UCREF forwarded six cases to the judiciary in 2016. Continued issues in the judicial sector mean the UCREFs progress is not yet reflected in conviction rates. Once a case is received, an investigating judge has two months from the arrest date to compile evidence, but there is no limit to the timeframe to schedule court dates, communicate with investigating agencies and prosecutors, and track financial data. There were no convictions or prosecutions for money laundering in 2016."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19237-haiti-economy-haiti-temporarily-escapes-financial-sanctions.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18760-haiti-flash-the-laws-on-money-laundering-and-ucref-passed-in-the-senate.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18688-haiti-economy-the-fbi-and-the-world-bank-come-to-help-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-18528-icihaiti-economy-financial-threat-on-the-country-an-international-affair-not-american.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18514-haiti-notice-towards-the-cancellation-of-the-international-financial-centre-of-la-gonave.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18482-haiti-politic-two-important-bills-passed-in-urgency.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18491-haiti-economy-gloomy-financial-perspective-for-haiti-if.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18457-haiti-flash-the-situation-is-critical-transfers-and-haitian-banking-system-threatened.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18441-haiti-flash-us-threat-on-money-transfers-to-haiti.html



SL/ HaitiLibre
























Haiti - Rene Preval : Special Statement of the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance





"The countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) deeply regret the death of former President of the Republic of Haiti Rene Preval.



They recognize that former President Preval was a fervent fighter for the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean and in particular for reintegrating the country into the international context, through the joining to a mechanism like PetroCaribe, seeking to eliminate social inequalities and promote quality of life with the effective participation of the Haitian people.



The ALBA-TCP countries remembers the participation of former President Preval as a special guest at the 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government, held on 27 and 28 April in the city of Tintorero, Venezuela, where he left the imprint of his integrationist spirit and his commitment to the values and principles of international law for the benefit of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.



Rene Preval was an eminent figure of the Republic of Haiti, who served honorably as President for two terms, in which he led with determination, passion and strength, under the responsibilities entrusted to him through the free and sovereign vote of his people.



Many are the merits and achievements that can be distinguished from the political life of Preval and the management of the Government of Haiti, in which he undertook economic reforms, he carried out a strong work of international recognition of the institutions of the Government and the capture of aid following the earthquake of January 2010.



The ALBA-TCP countries wish to transmit their sincere condolences to his family, friends and all the people of Haiti in general during this difficult period."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Education : Nesmy Manigat, re-elected at the head of the GPE Governance and Ethics Committee





The outgoing Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles welcomed with pride the re-election of Nesmy Manigat, former Minister of National Education, at the beginning of the month, to the Presidency of the Governance & Ethics Committee of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for the next two years.



"At this particular moment in national life, the Jean-Charles Government is pleased to have officially supported this candidacy, which maintains the visibility of Haiti at the international level and its ability to influence the educational agenda at the level of international bodies."



While congratulating Nesmy Manigat for the trust placed in him at the highest governing body of this organization, Prime Minister Jean-Charles on behalf of the resigning Government, believes it is necessary to recall the country's commitment to continue playing its role as an active member of the Global Partnership for Education to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).



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






















Haiti - Rene Preval : Condolences of the Prime Minister of Quebec





The Prime Minister of Quebec, Philippe Couillard and Christine St-Pierre, Minister of International Relations and Francophonie, pay tribute to the former President of the Republic of Haiti, Rene Preval, who died at the age of 74 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20253-haiti-flash-rene-garcia-preval-passed-away-this-friday.html



"It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Rene Preval. A deep friendship unites the Quebec and Haitian peoples, and our relationship with Haiti is based on lasting ties. We will remember that it was under the presidency of Rene Preval that Quebec greatly intensified its collaboration with Haiti. It was at his side that Quebec undertook to help rebuild the country in the wake of the tragic earthquake that had plagued Haiti in January 2010. My thoughts go to his family, to the entire Haitian population, in particular the one established in Quebec, to whom I wish to express, on behalf of the Government of Quebec, my deepest sympathy," Philippe Couillard.



"I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the Haitian people and to the entire Haitian diaspora present in Quebec. Quebec and Haiti are bound by several agreements, but also and especially today by the heart. The solidarity and commitment of Quebec to Haiti express themselves with particular force in these days of mourning," Christine St-Pierre.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Theft of a Dominican boat:

The Haitian authorities arrested several individuals in the community of Fort Liberte after they stole a boat used by the Dominican Navy for patrols in Manzanillo Bay, Montecristi province. According to the authorities' report the boat was stolen to the pier in front of the Navy Detachment by individuals who frequent the region in flagrant violation of Dominican territorial waters...



PM appointed seek a parliamentary majority :

Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant began negotiations with the various parliamentary groups with a view to securing a majority in Parliament for the ratification of his General Policy Statement. He is also working on the composition of his ministerial cabinet.



FUSION wants to start from scratch :

After the failure of the candidate Edmonde Suppice Beauzile (6th with 0.64% of the vote) and president of the Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats (Fusion), "the party wants to start from scratch," says its President stating "The Fusion of Social Democrats must turn to youth, by starting work at the base"



Rene Preval Messages of condolence



Petrocaribe / Caracas :

"The Executive Secretariat of Petrocaribe on behalf of its member countries presents its most respectful greetings to the brotherly people of the Republic of Haiti, the opportunity to express our sincere grief, following the disappearance of the Honorable Rene Preval [...] The physical disappearance of Rene Preval is a sad loss not only for Haiti but for the entire political community of the Caribbean region [...] The Executive Secretariat of Petrocaribe would like to express to parents, friends and all its sincere words of condolence for the irreparable loss of former President Rene Preval, who was a consistent fighter and defender of the social and political rights of his country."



President du Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega :

The Commandante President Daniel Ortega Saavedra, of the Republic of Nicaragua sent a message of condolence to President Jovenel Moise, following the died Friday of the former president of this nation, Comrade Rene Preval. "[...] This afternoon, we learned with great sadness of the death of Comrade Rene Preval, former President of the Republic of Haiti. I wish to express to you on behalf of the people, the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua, the Companera Vice-President Rosario Murillo, and in my name, our sincere condolences, asking you to transmit them to the family of Companero Preval, and to the brotherly people of Haiti."



Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles :

Prime Minister resigned Enex Jean-Charles salutes the memory of former President Rene Preval "[...] With the death of this patriot, it is a library in the political history of the country that caught fire andthe current generation has just been deprived of a good source. In this painful situation in which the Nation loses a worthy son, an eminent statesman, Prime Minister Jean-Charles presents the most saddened condolences of the resigning Government to the grieving family and the Haitian people as a whole."



Ambassade dHaiti (Vatican) :

The Embassy of Haiti to the Holy See (Vatican) bows to the remains of the former President of the Republic Rene Garcia Preval. While saluting the memory of this statesman who marked the national life by his culture of compromise, simplicity and humility, the Embassy ensures the family and loved ones of the departed of its most sincere compassion in this difficult ordeal.



Michel-Ange Gedeon (PNH) :

"The Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), Michel-Ange Gedeon, salute the memory of former President Rene Preval and sends his heartfelt condolences to his family and relatives."



Consulat dHaiti en RD :

"The Consulate General of Haiti in Higuey, very moved by the sudden departure of President Rene Garcia Preval presents his sympathies to the family Preval et allied his political family and all those grieved by this mourning," Jean Tholbert Alexis, Minister-Counselor.



Ministry of Culture :

"[...] By his disappearance, Haiti has lost a great figure in national political life, a simple, modest man, who during his two terms has marked the Haitian Presidency. The Ministry of Culture and Communication is bowing to the departure of this Great Man [Rene Preval] and conveys his sympathies to his family, friends and family, to his former collaborators, comrades and all those who are afflicted by this loss."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20278-haiti-rene-preval-special-statement-of-the-countries-of-the-bolivarian-alliance.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20273-haiti-flash-rene-preval-6-days-of-national-mourning.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20272-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20269-haiti-rene-preval-statement-by-the-prime-minister-of-canada-justin-trudeau.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20268-haiti-rene-preval-condolences-of-the-president-of-france-francois-hollande.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20264-haiti-rene-preval-ultimate-tribute-of-senator-latortue.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20262-haiti-rene-preval-messages-of-sympathy-arrive-from-everywhere.html

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



Joe Damas : Sympathy Messages :

Following the death of Joseph Damas aka "Joe Damas" former music presenter at Radio Metropole died of cancer at the age of 65 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20272-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html Many people express their sadness https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20277-haiti-social-radio-loses-one-of-its-famous-radio-host.html



President Jovenel Moise :

"I salute the departure of an experienced promoter of Haitian culture. The death of the host Joe Damas is a great loss for Haiti"



Deputy Gary Bodeau :

"Joe, we'll miss you. That your soul rest in peace. My condolences to Radio Metropole, your family and your fans," Gary Bodeau



Senator Dieudonne Luma :

"I salute the departure of a valiant representative of culture. Joe, you will remain for eternity the cultural icon of the nation. Go in peace !"



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Softscribe Inc., a leading hotel tech PR agency, will attend HITEC 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada June 26 to 29 with a group of its best in class clients.

Will you attend HITEC? These valuable travel tips make your trip more successful.

6 Tips Smooth Your Travel to Toronto

For a smooth trip across the border, consider these six travel tips, courtesy of long-time Softscribe Inc. client Warren Dehan, President of NORTHWIND Maestro PMS. The company is based in Markham, Ontario, a Toronto suburb.

Mr. Dehans insights:

1. Be sure to bring your passport. This is the most efficient form of ID to get you across the border to Canada, and back into the U.S. http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html.

2. Exchange US cash for Canadian dollars. You can pre-order Canadian cash from your local back with sufficient advance notice.

When in Toronto, exchange US cash for Canadian dollars at the airport, banks and most hotel front desks.

Credit and debit cards are generally accepted everywhere.

Alert your bank to your travel plans. This could protect your credit card.

3. Toronto has an excellent public transit system (Toronto Transit Commission or TTC). It is affectionately known as the Red Rocket. Buses, streetcars, and a subway system are included. Uber and taxis are abundant in Toronto.

4. HITEC will be near the Lake Ontario lakefront.

A train service direct from Pearson International Airport to Union Station (Union Pearson Express) is available.

Tickets are around $12 one direction for an adult ticket. https://www.upexpress.com/Home/Index.

Union Station is a 5-minute walk to the convention center and several of the HITEC hotels.

5. Toronto is a city of 6 million people and has the restaurants, museums, art galleries, theater, music and sport venues expected of a world class city.

6. June is generally a warm and pleasant month in Toronto, averaging between 65-72 degrees Fahrenheit with little rain.

Tech Companies: Would You Like Help Preparing for HITEC? Call Us Now at 404-256-5512 to set up a meeting.

Exhibiting at HITEC 2017? Prepare for the show! Please call or email Michael Squires, President of Softscribe Inc., at 404-256-5512 or mbs(at)softscribeinc.com to help your marketing team prepare.

Travel well to Toronto in June. We will see you there!

Resources: Travel Specific Document Requirements

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html

Union Pearson Express (Transit to and from Pearson International Airport)

https://www.upexpress.com/Home/Index

About Softscribe Inc.

Achieves Significant Business Growth for Clients.

Softscribe Inc. is an award-winning hotel tech PR agency that specializes in B2B public relations, branding and market consulting.

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CONTACT:

Softscribe Inc.

Julie Keyser-Squires, APR, CEO

609 SW 8th St. #600

Bentonville, AR 72712

Phone: 404-256-5512

Email: julie(at)softscribeinc.com

Twitter: @Juliesquires

Instagram: juliekeysersquires

www.softscribeinc.com




Want more conversations with decision makers and influencers at senior levels? Want to engage the people who have the authority to sign your agreements and accelerate your sales cycles? Then youll have to enter the Statusphere. Consider the perspective of celebrated author and journalist Tom Wolfe, a keen observer of the status anxieties and ambitions that motivate human behavior. In his book The Right Stuff, he wrote about the status hierarchies associated with military pilots, suggesting that astronauts were by no means at the apex of this highly competitive pyramid. In Bonfire of the Vanities, he addressed the challenges facing social strivers in 1980s Manhattan. In Back to Blood, Wolfes latest novel set in Miami, he addresses the status struggles of Cuban-Americans, Russian plutocrats, Haitian immigrants, wealthy patrons of modern art, a psychiatrist focused on porn addiction, a Yale-educated editor of the Miami Herald, a mayor and a police chief. I think every living moment of a human beings life, unless the person is starving or in immediate danger of death in some other way, is controlled by a concern for status, says Wolfe. While hes exaggerating a bit, I think hes essentially right. In fact, Ill never forget the time, rushing to catch my flight, I asked an airline staff member which security line I should enter. Her response: Do you have status? I was stunned. Good question. One I...
For people working in human resources and compliance, predicting  and avoiding - the next land mine is always part of the job. This year, the rise and dominance of social media will shape how you reach and influence employees  and how you plan and execute an effective compliance program. The Rise of Social Media in Compliance The rise of social media is hardly new news  but the statistics are mind bending. In a world of 7.3B people, there are 2.3B active social media users  an increase of 176M last year alone. Social media is also changing the way your audience expects to find, digest and validate information. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of U.S. adults  62%  gets news from social media while Adweek says that more than 90% of retailers use multiple social media outlets to deliver polished, media-driven marketing messages. Compliance Organizations Need to Keep up Prediction No. 1: From Rules-Based Compliance to Media-inspired Messaging At some level, compliance has always been and will always need to be about following the rules. There are simply some kinds of behavior that are not acceptable, and compliance programs need to clearly identify those behaviors. However, compliance professionals are more than policemen, and there will never be enough compliance professionals to police all of the employees al...
We work towards an equitable,

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We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

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Lifestyle Ten Things to do in Rangoon This Week

Markets, jazz, art exhibitions, and childrens dream homesall in Rangoon this week.

International Womens Day | March 8

Akhaya Women gathers with civil society, authorities and the business sector to celebrate International Womens Day with music, theater, exhibitions and more.

March 8, 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Peoples Park. Free Admission.

Stories on Cassette Tape | March 4-12

This event is part of the My Yangon, My Home art festival and will feature creative displays and music of old cassette tapes.

March 4-12, 9:30am to 4:30pm. National Museum.

Rangoon Collective Summer Market | March 11

Independent businesses will have fresh produce, home goods, decorative items, fashion accessories and more for sale.

March 11, 8am to 12pm. Yangon Bakehouse. No. 30, Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 09-254 016 679

Yangon Photo Night and Dominic Nahrs Exhibition Opening | March 11

Burmese photographers will compete for the best photo story awards, and the night will feature an exclusive exhibition of Swiss photographer Dominic Nahrs South Sudan: Fractured State.

March 11, 5pm to 9pm. Institut Francais de Birmanie, No. 340, Pyay Road, Sanchaung Tsp.

Building Blocks | March 1-12

Children from a school in Thanlyin Township shared their visions of an ideal home with architects, who then combined the drawings and ideas into a structure, which will be on display.

March 1-12, all day. Thakhin Mya Park.

Jazz Under The Stars | March 1-12

One of Rangoons favorite blues and jazz groups  the Bamboo Trio  performs at Atlas Rooftop Bar. Reservations can be made at [email protected].

March 8, 8pm to 10pm. Atlas Rooftop Bar & Lounge, No. 84 Pan Hlaing Road, Sanchaung Tsp. Free admission.

Living with Crows | March 4-10

In his fourth solo exhibition, artist Aung Kyi Soe will showcase 10 acrylic paintings depicting crows, which are a familiar sight for every Rangoonite.

March 4-10, 10am to 6pm. Nawaday Tharlar Gallery, No. 304 Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 09-43 097 918

Watercolors | March 9-19

Veteran artist U Ba Wins solo exhibition will feature around 50 watercolor paintings.

March 9-19, 9am to 5pm. Lokanat Galleries, No. 62 Pansodan St, 1st Floor, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 09-51 382 269

Train Stations | March 9-13

Hla Htun Aungs exhibition will showcase 64 paintings depicting train stations from different perspectives around Rangoon.

March 9-13. Hninzi Myaing Gallery, Hninzigon Home for the Aged, Kabar Aye Road, Mayangone Tsp.

Tri | March 11-14

The trio exhibition of Win Myint, Zaw Lwin, and Nan Da will showcase around 30 oil paintings and acrylic works.

March 11-14. Gallery 65, No. 65, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp.
Asia North Korea Bars Malaysians from Leaving as Murder Row Boils

Police cars block the entrance of a sealed off North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Mar. 7. / Lai Seng Sin / Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR/SEOUL  North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as police investigating the murder of Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

Malaysia was outraged by the murder of the North Korean leaders estranged half-brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13 by assassins using VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employeetwo of the three believed to be hiding in the embassy. The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

As the row escalated on Tuesday, North Koreas foreign ministry issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving, in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

All Malaysian citizens in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the state-run Korea Central News Agency said, quoting a foreign ministry official.

In this period the diplomats and citizens of Malaysia may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before.

Hostage-taking

Malaysia reacted swiftly, condemning Pyongyangs action as hostage-taking and responded by barring all North Koreans from leaving the country.

This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement, adding that he has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Najib said he has also instructed the police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.

Before the murder, North Korea could count Malaysia as one of its few friends outside of China. But Malaysia has since stopped visa-free travel and on Monday it expelled North Koreas ambassador for questioning the impartiality of the murder investigation.

There are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry official, including three embassy staff, six family members, and two others.

Hundreds of North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, most of them students and workers. The focus, however, was on its embassy staff.

We are trying to physically identify all the embassy staff who are here, deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told reporters outside the North Korean embassy.

He said staff would not be allowed to leave the embassy until we are satisfied of their numbers and where they are.

By early afternoon, Malaysian police had removed the tape and police car blocking the North Korean embassy driveway in a sign of easing tensions.

No Raid

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Malaysias police chief said three of the North Koreans sought in connection with the murder had holed up at the embassy in the Malaysian capital.

How much longer do they want to hide in the embassyit is a matter of time before they come out, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

We will not raid the embassy building, we will wait for them to come out. We have got all the time, Khalid said.

Aside from the suspects said to be hiding in the embassy, police have said four other North Koreans left Malaysia in the hours after the murder.

The only North Korean suspect to be apprehended was deported on Friday, released due to insufficient evidence.

US officials and South Korean intelligence suspect North Korean agents were behind the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in Macau under Chinas protection. He had spoken out publicly against his familys dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept that the dead man is leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack.

No next of kin have come forward to claim the body, but the Malaysian police chief said he was confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the murdered man.
Burma Analysis: Fractious Peace Process Lies Behind Kokang Clash

Some 36 families displaced from fighting in Laukkai arrive in a Buddhist monastery in Lashio Township, Shan State. / State Counsellor Office Information Committee / Facebook

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi asked the ethnic Kokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) to cease armed attacks and instead join the negotiating table for national peace, in a statement released Tuesday. It came one day after MNDAA attacks in Laukkaithe administrative capital of the ethnic Kokang region of Shan Stateleft at least 10 dead.

Such armed conflicts cant bring any good benefits and are devoid of any meaning for all the ethnic nationalities and Union citizens residing in the Union, read the statement.

They make the ethnic tribes, local ethnic nationalities and Union citizens living in the areas drown in a sea of sorrow, it added.

The MNDAA attack on Laukkaithe first in the town since a large offensive in February 2015killed at least five policemen and five local residents and sent thousands fleeing across the border to China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called for an immediate ceasefire in response to the hostilities and said that China was providing assistance on humanitarian grounds on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

He urged both sides to adopt peaceful means in resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation.

The State Counselors statement said that progress had been made in a meeting between ethnic bloc the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)s Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) and representatives of the governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) on March 1.

At that meeting, the NRPC representatives and the UNFCof which the MNDAA is a memberagreed in principal to allow the MNDAA, the Arakan Army (AA), and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to participate in the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Union peace conference, according to a statement from the DPN on Friday last week.

Burma Army General Mya Tun Oo, however, had previously said at a press conference on Feb. 28 that the military would not invite the three armed groups to join the peace process.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the MNDAA said that it had launched Mondays attack for two reasons: Gen Mya Tun Oos comments that it would be forbidden from joining the upcoming peace conference, and the fact that the Burma Army has deployed many troops in MNDAA-controlled areas.

The Burma Army itself said that it had clashed with the MNDAA 56 times between Jan. 19 and Feb. 11 this year in a statement condemning the attack on Tuesday.

The attack on the town of Laukkai was unavoidable, said the MNDAA statement. We did it alongside our brothers in other ethnic armed groups.

Fighting has been ongoing in other areas of northern Shan State, where the Northern Allianceto which the MNDAA, AA, TNLA and the Kachin Independence Army belongand the Burma Army have clashed.

MNDAA troops also attacked other five Burma Army bases near the town, according to their statement.

With this attack, we taught a lesson to the Tatmadaw who have destroyed peace in the Union for over half a century, said the statement.

The statement also referred to a three-day meeting of seven ethnic armed groups in Panghsang, the capital of the Wa region in eastern Shan State, hosted by The United Wa State Army (UWSA) prior to Gen Tun Mya Oos comments last month.

The UWSA urged ethnic armed groups to shun the NCA and put itself forward to head a political team tasked with negotiating with the central government.

Gen Tun Mya Oo obviously refused to accept our ethnic armed groups effort in our meeting in Panghsang and our agreement to work for peace, by insisting groups sign the NCA before joining political dialogues, the statement said.

In the statement, the MNDAA accused the Burma Army of cutting off political dialogue between the National League for Democracy-led government and ethnic armed groups.

The MNDAA said the NCA was unfair and that the Burma Army was forcing ethnic armed groups to sign it by attacking them.

The Burma Army told the MNDAA, TNLA and AA that the groups could join the peace conference if they first announced they had abandoned their armed struggle, according to the statement.

The Ministry of Defense reported in their statement that Burma Army found 20 burned bodies of the MNDAA soldiers and 13 kinds of weapons including two RPGs and related ammunition.

There were deaths and injuries of Burma Army soldiers, including officers, according to the statement.

The Ministry of Defense also labeled the attack as an attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the country and the state and cause panic among the people.
Burma Ministry to Open Workplace Nursery Schools Nationwide

Children play at an amusement park in Naypyidaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYIDAW  Burmas Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is taking steps to open workplace nursery schools across the country for the convenience of working parents.

Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye announced the initiative to the press on Tuesday. If we dont have a sufficient budget, well accept contributions from foreign investors, foundations and donors as was said by the State Counselor yesterday. As they [the employers] are eager to do this, well initiate this scheme, said the minister.

Daw Win Win Tint, a prominent business leader and chairwoman of City Mart Holdings Ltd., suggested the idea of workplace nursery schools during talks between prominent businesswomen and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Monday.

Workplace nursery schools are necessary for working mothers to ensure more women have a say in decision-making processes, she said.

The government must adopt a standard system of childcare in which the private sector can participate, the navigator of successful retail chain told The Irrawaddy.

Dr. Win Myat Aye said that his ministry could provide childcare training and arrangements for private businessmen.

We can provide help for them [businessmen] if they want to open [workplace nurseries]. Well cooperate, said Dr. Win Myat Aye.

Dr. Aung Thurein, a staff officer with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, said that the ministry would help other ministries in Naypyidaw with opening workplace nursery schools for children under three.

Our ministry has already started workplace nursery schools. Children are taken care of by certified nurses and teachers. Well provide technical assistance if other ministries want to open them, said Dr. Aung Thurein.

The government also provides 500 kyats per day for pregnant women and children under two years old in Chin and Arakan states and in the Naga Self-Administered Region as part of social safety scheme.

We give 500 kyats to them so that they can take nutritional supplements for the children. We also educate them about prenatal care, so more pregnant women come and see doctors, said Union Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
Burma Nationalists Oppose NGOs Curriculum for Including Religious Education

Educational materials published by the Center for Diversity and National Harmony (CDNH) / CDNH / Facebook

RANGOON  Nationalists in Burma have opposed a local NGOs civic education curriculum that introduces the fundamental values of four major faiths, labeling it an attempt at Islamization of the country.

The curriculum was independently designed and published in December 2015 as a resource for the government and civic educators by the Center for Diversity and National Harmony (CDNH), a local initiative that promotes racial and religious diversity.

A section called Introduction to Religions is integrated into a module for third and fourth grade students, covering four major faithsBuddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

Burmas hardline Buddhist nationalist monk U Wirathuan infamous member of the controversial Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Thatook to social media over the weekend and said the move was an attempt at Islamization and that there was no need to include religious education in curriculums and if so, only Buddhist teachings were appropriate.

Only one popular faith is urged to be included instead of outlining all [four] religions, U Wirathu stated in his Facebook post on Saturday.

The education ministry is currently redrafting school curriculums for basic education.

According to the 2016 religion census figures, Buddhists constitute 87.9 percent of the countrys population, Christians 6.2 percent, Muslims 4.3 percent, animists 0.8 percent, and Hindus 0.5 percent.

One of Ma Ba Thas supporters, the National Development Party chaired by former presidential advisor U Nay Zin Latt, issued a statement on Sunday denouncing the CDNH civic textbooks.

Civic education is a guideline for the public and should not be religious instruction, the statement read.

We strongly condemn any government or non-government organization that incorrectly publishes such inappropriate provisions in curriculums instead of focusing on teaching our own culture of race and religion.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the countrys leading opposition party, also issued a statement on Saturday regarding the curriculum that stated education and religion should not be mixed up.

In such a sensitive situation regarding religious tolerance, such a curriculum provision is unacceptable, the statement said. Such an attempt will make the situation more complicated and the Ministry of Education must be transparent with the public about drafting curriculums.

The USDP expressed concern that the Ministry of Education might use the CDNH materials in the government curriculum for primary school students.

CDNH issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that the contents were aimed at promoting knowledge for children regarding different faiths, adding that its materials are designed by collecting suggestions from civic trainers, specialists, and relevant interfaith leaders.

CDNH said in the statement that its civic textbooks were distributed to educators and the education ministry for reference. CDNH has never urged any schools or organizations to use its civic textbooks mandatorily, it read.

The statement also highlighted the fact that CDNHs civic provisions are adjustable based on the context of individual regions, and urged the public to conduct constructive criticism by analyzing the content published in the textbooks.

The director-general of the Ministry of Educations Department of Myanmar Education Research Bureau Dr. Khaing Mye said that the national curriculum committee has yet to draft detailed contents for third and fourth grade curriculums.

In drafting national school curriculums, we always review suggestions and recommendations of stakeholders involved in the education sector, Dr. Khaing Mye said.

When asked if the education ministry is considering integrating CDNHs civic curriculums in its national primary curriculums, he declined to comment further.

Dr. Khin Zaw Win, head of the Tanpadipa Institute think tank, commented on the controversy and social media debate regarding CDNHs civic curriculums by saying that such provisions of basic knowledge about religion are very important in teaching children about diversity.

As much as he welcomed the culture of expressing ones opinions freely, he highlighted that criticism by nationalist groups regarding the CDNHs civic education contents was wrong.

It is sad to see that diversity has become something to criticize instead of something to celebrate in a transition to democracy, he said.

According to CDNH, the center has published a total of 17 civic textbooks for basic educationfrom kindergartens to 10th grade, including handbooks and guidebooks for teachers.

CDNH said in the Sunday statement that it has introduced its civic materials to educators in Rangoon and Mandalay, seeking suggestions and discussions from civil society organizations as well as private and monastic schools.
Burma Sagaing Labor Protesters Sentenced Under Peaceful Assembly Act

A court in Sagaing Township sentenced seven workers from a plywood factory in Sagaing Industrial Zone for labor protests.

MANDALAY  A court in Sagaing Township on Tuesday sentenced seven workers from a plywood factory in Sagaing Industrial Zone for labor protests they participated in last April.

Ko Khaing Min, one of the factory labor leaders, Ma Sein Lei Khaing and five others, were found guilty.

Ko Khaing Min and five others received one month imprisonment for blocking the factory entrance during the protest, while he and three others received four months imprisonment under the Peaceful Assembly Act, said Hnin Aung, one of the laborers who was at the court hearing on Tuesday.

About 100 workers began protesting in April in front of the factory. They later marched to Naypyidaw and were arrested in Tatkon just outside of the capital in May. Some were released, while the leaders of the protest had to face trial.

In July, the court in Tatkon sentenced 11 protesters to one-month imprisonment and 15 protesters had to pay a 5,000-kyat (about US$4) fine. Ko Kaing Min and Ma Sein Lei Khaing were among the imprisoned laborers.

Although they were released after their prison terms were fully served, they still had to face trial in Sagaing Township, where the police sued them under the Peaceful Assembly Act and the factory owner sued them under Article 341 of Burmas Penal Code for blocking the factory and interrupting business.

Four months imprisonment under Article 18 [of the Peaceful Assembly Act] is too much as they were only protesting for their rights, said Hnin Aung.

We question whether the government is truly democratic when workers protesting for their rights are sent to prison, he added.
Burma Suicide Attempts in Refugee Camp Linked to Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Mae La refugee camp, 2013. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  A growing number of suicide cases in a Burmese refugee camp in Mae La, Thailand has raised concerns with camp authorities.

Saw Honest, the chairman of Mae La camp which hosts around 40,000 refugees, told The Irrawaddy that there were 54 reported suicide attempts in 2016, in which the majority died.

It is alarming, so we tried to find out what was behind it, said Saw Honest.

Community leaders and camp authorities said alcohol and drug abuse were key factors in the rise, along with cases of domestic violence.

Saw Honest said between 20 and 30 of the cases were tied to domestic violence, brought on by drug and alcohol abuse.

Camp authorities said the most commonly abused substance was alcohol, but methamphetamines and marijuana were used as well, despite drug and alcohol use being banned in camps along the Thai-Burma border. Mae La is situated in Thailands Tak Province near the Thai town of Mae Sot, where authorities say drugs and alcohol are traded.

There are nine refugee camps along the border, with Mae La reporting the highest number of attempted suicides.

Naw Blooming Night Zar, a spokesperson for the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC), told The Irrawaddy that the victims are both men and women, old and youngand that most of the suicide attempts occur in the camps Zone B.

Naw Blooming Night Zar said depression and underage marriage were additional causes.

We educate the refugees in hopes of preventing these attempts. We organize forums and show educational videos to raise awareness, she said.

Camp leaders have said that in their opinion, resettlement is not a leading cause of suicide, but that drugs and alcohol are the pertinent issues.

The KRC along with other community-based organizations such as the Karen Womens Organization (KWO) have provided education and awareness training.

Blooming Night Zar said two suicide cases have been reported thus far in 2017one in Mae La camp and another in Mae Ra Ma Luang camp in Thailands Mae Hong Son Province.
News Displaced Families Receive E-wallet Payments

A child wraps up against the cold in a camp for the displaced in northern Kachin State in 2016. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

Families in three camps for internally displaced people in Myitkyina Township, Kachin State, have received small electronic cash payments in a pilot program launched by the World Food Program (WFP).

The scheme will deliver a monthly payment of between 9,000 and 13,000 kyats (about US$7-10) per person to vulnerable people who have been displaced by conflict.

A total of 112 families received the first payment via mobile phones at the end of February. Previously the recipients had received the aid in bank notes.

The families can use the phone cash to purchase food and basic items in local shops.

When food is available in the markets, WFP provides cash assistance rather than distributing food, said WFP country director Dom Scalpelli in a statement.

Using mobile phones can make the money transfer process faster, safer and more convenient for recipients, he said.

In March, a further 172 families  bringing the total to 284 households or 1,400 people  will receive transfers under the e-wallet pilot, which the organization said is the first of its kind in Burma.

WFP is working with Wave Money  a joint venture between Yoma Bank, FMI and the Telenor telecoms company  to electronically credit the money to the private account of each head of household.

The recipients receive an SMS notification of the transfer and can then withdraw the cash at the nearest authorized Wave Shop. The WFP provided mobile phones, SIM cards and training in the new system to recipient families.

After April, the WFP will evaluate the trial program based on feedback from participants and on technical grounds, and will decide whether to continue and expand the system or otherwise.

Around half a million people in Burma affected by conflict, intercommunal violence and natural disasters are in need of assistance in Burma, according to a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report in January 2017.

The figure includes 218,000 internally displaced people, of whom 80 percent are women and children who are living in camps and host communities in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine [Arakan] States. Another 307,000 vulnerable people still live in their home communities but need humanitarian assistance, OCHA said.

Access to deliver humanitarian aid remains severely restricted in many areas, including Kachin, Shan and Arakan states.
Specials Saving Gandhi Hall

Mahatma Gandhi Hall building on Bo Aung Kyaw Street. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  With rusty accordion gates, broken windows and pigeon droppings dappled down the facade, the three-story building standing at the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw and Merchant Road in downtown Rangoon is a shadow of its former self. Though it has been locked for years, street vendors have reclaimed its grounds, above them a faded sign on top of a gate in English and Burmese: Mahatma Gandhi Hall.

Built in early 1900, when Burma was under British colonial rule, the building used to house The Rangoon Times, one of the countrys English-language newspapers. It is within walking distance of the Secretariat building and the downtown areas home to the citys Indian community.

The current, sorry state of the building belies its past glory. It played an important role in the heady friendship of the 1950s between India and Burma, when the Burmese Prime Minister U Nu and Indian Ambassador M.A Rauff bought the structure to turn it into a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi. They founded a trust to run it, and U Nu was on the board until ex-dictator Gen Ne Win ousted him in a military coup in 1962.

The Mahatma Gandhi Hall is also part of the countrys modern politics. When the military government refused to honor the National League for Democracys landslide victory in the 1990 election, all 392 candidates gathered at the hall on July 28 under the heavy presence of security troops to discuss their next move. The following day they issued the Gandhi Hall Declaration, urging the then-government to call Parliament within two months. But their request fell on deaf ears; most of the candidates were arrested.

The board that was trusted to run the building in the 1950s reportedly pushed to demolish it in 2013 in place of a 12-story apartment complex. But conservation groups criticized their plan because of the halls historical significance and proximity to the downtown heritage zone, a stones throw away. The Irrawaddy was informed that the development plan is still pending and that the case has been submitted to the Rangoon divisional government.

Yangon Heritage Trusts director Daw Moe Moe Lwin said the Mahatma Gandhi Hall building should be preserved not only because of its role in international relations and its political significance but also for its century-old architecture.

Its important for India-Burma relations as well as for the National League for Democracys movement as part of the countrys modern democratic history. Plus it has a more than a 100-year-old urban heritage. It has to be preserved.
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By Robert Costanza | (The Conversation) |  

President Donald Trump is making it less likely the United States will meet the emissions targets it agreed at the 2015 Paris climate conference. These targets are themselves insufficient to meet the Paris Agreements overall goal of keeping global warming well within 2.

But there is another possibility for those who want action. The idea is called claim the sky and it would involve a global movement, working together with the most affected countries, to claim ownership over our atmosphere.

Trump has promised to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, appointed the former chief executive of oil giant Exxon as his secretary of state, and is planning huge changes to Obamas Clean Power Plan and the Environmental Protection Agency.

It is true that the cost of renewables like solar and wind energy is dropping rapidly. Its therefore conceivable that economic factors alone will drive the shift away from fossil fuels. But if nothing more is done, and America and other countries continue to dish out billions in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, it may take far longer than necessary to achieve the goals of Paris, if they can be met at all.

Claim the sky

Claiming the sky could help reduce emissions more quickly. At the same time it would assist with adaptation, poverty reduction and public perception, and counter policies of the Trump administration and other countries that support fossil fuels.

It involves establishing a trust to collect fees when damage is done to the atmosphere. That money can then be used to reduce poverty, rebuild communities and restore the atmospheric commons.

After all, the atmosphere is a community asset that belongs to all of us. The problem is that it is an open access resource  anyone can emit carbon dioxide with very little direct consequence for themselves, despite the huge cumulative consequences for everyone.

Charging companies and individuals for the damage their emissions cause  for example through a carbon tax or trading system  would encourage lower emissions. However, despite some interesting regional experiments, implementing such a system at a global scale has proved to be next to impossible.

Global civil society could change this, if it claims property rights over the atmosphere. By asserting that we all collectively own the sky, we can begin to use the legal institutions that uphold property rights to protect our collective property, charging those who damage it and rewarding those who improve it.

A public trust

The Public Trust Doctrine is a legal principle that holds that certain natural resources are to be held in trust as assets to serve the public good. Under this doctrine it is the governments responsibility to protect these assets and maintain them for the publics use. The government cannot give away or sell off these public assets. The doctrine has been used in many countries in the past to protect water bodies, shorelines, fresh water, wildlife and other resources.

Several court cases have confirmed this responsibility. Just before the Paris talks, a Washington state judge ruled that the government has a constitutional obligation to protect the publics interest in natural resources held in trust for the common benefit of the people. Earlier in 2015, a New Mexico court recognised that the state has a duty to protect the states natural resources  including the atmosphere  for the benefit of residents. The same year, a court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to cut the countrys emissions by at least 25% within five years.

The time has come to expand this principle to cover all of the natural capital and ecosystem services that support human well-being, including the atmosphere, oceans and biodiversity.

Creating a trust

Holding climate polluters accountable for their damage is more straightforward than it might seem. Just 90 entities are responsible for two-thirds of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

I and several colleagues wrote an open letter asking nations to establish an atmospheric trust on behalf of all current and future generations. The proceeds could fund restoration projects or expedite the transition to non-nuclear, renewable energy. In addition, governments could charge for ongoing damage via a carbon tax or other mechanisms.

Many of us already know or have experienced the benefit of a trust. There are private land trusts, such as the Nature Conservancy in America, or water trusts like the Murray-Darlings Environmental Water Trust in Australia. The Alaska Permanent Fund and the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund are examples of trusts that put aside royalties from fossil fuel extraction for public benefit.

Just as governments individually levy fines in the event of an oil spill or other environmental damage within their borders, the creation of a trust is an opportunity to do this on a wider scale. The trust will maintain transparency through the internet, publishing financial carbon accounts of projects funded by polluters.

In addition, all governments need not agree in order to create the atmospheric trust. As all governments are co-trustees in the global atmospheric asset, a subset of nations could create the trust and bring the claims.

But given that governments have not acted on their own, pressure from civil society will be required to compel them to act and to counteract the inevitable corporate resistance. In other words, a concerted effort to claim the sky as a public trust on behalf of all of global society, in combination with the solid legal framework provided by the Public Trust Doctrine, may just do the trick.

As US Senator Bernie Sanders has said, When millions of people stand up and fight back, we will not be denied. It is time to claim our right to the atmospheric commons and a stable climate.

We need a broad coalition of individuals and groups to claim publicly that the atmosphere belongs to all of us and our descendants, and to demand that polluters pay for damage done and for restoring and maintaining our climate.

The fossil fuel era is coming to an end. The industry is making a last-ditch attempt to sell off its assets before these become stranded, aided by government policies and subsidies. This will cause severe and lasting damage to our atmospheric commons.

But if we can claim the sky, create an atmospheric trust and bring damage claims against the biggest polluters, we can further tip the economic scales against fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources. We can speed up the transition to the 1.5-degree world that the Paris Agreement aims for, and that current and future generations of humans claim as our common asset.

Robert Costanza, Professor and Chair in Public Policy at Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Sky News [Yes!]: Climate Change: What Happens If The World Warms Up By 4C/ 7.2 F?

Note: 45 C. is 113 F., which would be apocalyptic in London.
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The Watchers : Watching the World Evolve and Transform |  

110 people have died from hunger in the past 48 hours in just one region of Somalia as severe drought gripped the country, causing hunger crisis. The death toll was announced by prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire today and it comes from the Bay region in the southwest part of the country alone. Humanitarian agencies report worrying similarities to the 2011 famine, in which nearly 260 000 Somalis lost their lives. Somali elders say they have never seen drought as severe as this one.

On Tuesday, February 28, 2017, just a week after his inauguration, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has declared the drought a national disaster. The declaration comes amid an ongoing war with al-Shabab and is expected to be a trial for all those involved in Somalias struggles. It will test the international communitys response, the governments ability to assist, and the strength of security provided by the African Union forces, Al Jazeera explains.

In the far north of Somalia, three years with little rain has had increasingly disastrous effects for a population reliant on the land. The parched earth has failed to produce food for the camels and goats that the people depend on for their income, meat, and milk for their children.

Critical health services are needed for 1.5 million people currently affected by drought conditions and a worsening food crisis, according to the WHO.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate, the organization said, and there is a high risk that the country will face its third famine in 25 years. More than 6.2 million people  half of the total population  are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, including almost 3 million facing a food security crisis. Nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of contracting waterborne diseases, more than half of whom are women and children under 5 years of age.

Acute drought in many parts of Somalia has reduced the availability of clean water sources, and the food crisis has given way to malnutrition. More than 363 000 acutely malnourished children and 70 000 severely malnourished children are in need of urgent and life-saving support, it said. According to United Nations estimates, if the current situation food and security continues, these numbers are estimated to double in 2017.

Drought conditions have also increased the spread of epidemic-prone diseases such as acute watery diarrhea, cholera, and measles. In the first 7 weeks of 2017, over 6 000 cases and 65 deaths by acute watery diarrhea/ cholera have been reported, and a total of 2 578 cases of suspected measles were reported as of September 2016.

Somalia is now at a critical point as a result of this drought and environmental hazards and lack of basic services, said WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Mahmoud Fikri.

We named this (2017) drought Odi Kawayn, which is Somali for something bigger than the elders. None of our elders has ever seen a drought as severe as this one, said drought victim Halima, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

Somalia, however, is not the only African country currently dealing with severe hunger crisis, Ethiopia and Kenya are too.

These three countries in the Horn of Africa are currently suffering a severe drought that is threatening the lives of more than 11 million people.

Unfortunately, the international community is responding very reluctantly. People dont have any reserves left, as in recent years their harvests have failed and animals died because of the lack of water and fodder. Every donation helps us save lives, said Till Wahnbaeck, Welthungerhilfe chief executive officer.

According to UN figures, more than 20 million people in Africa are dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.

Via The Watchers



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Al Jazeera English: Famine warning as drought devastates Somalia
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Whether or not the new Trump Executive Order banning visas for citizens of 6 Muslim-majority countries for a 90 day period and likewise excluding all refugees for six months stands up in the courts, it is still a piece of sordid bigotry.

The rationale for the EO as articulated by Attorney General and notorious racist Jeff Sessions is that the countries affected by the ban are in a state of disarray and so cannot effectively vet their citizens for emigration to the US. Or, he says, the country is a supporter of terrorism. But Iraq, which has been dropped from the list, is the most fragile of fragile states and half of one of its major cities is in the hands of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). And the fact is that one of the countries on the list, Iran, is Americas best friend in the fight against ISIL in Iraq. So the geopolitics of all this are screwy and inconsistent (i.e. hypocritical).

The way you can tell that the list is generated by prejudice rather than security concerns is that there are plenty of states that are in worse shape than some of the 6 named but which are not Muslim-majority.

For instance, take South Sudan, which is mostly Christian. The US conspired to detach it from Sudan proper, and succeeded in 2011, but then the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups promptly fell into a civil war with one another. The country is on the verge of mass starvation because of the disruptions of this civil war. Government officials have been accused of corruption by George Clooneys organization and of being implicated in war crimes. South Sudanese wanting to come to the US could no more be vetted by the government than they could be provided with unicorn milk. As for violence and terrorism fears, fighters on both sides of the civil war have committed killings, rapes and gang rapes, beatings, looting, and harassment, often along ethnic lines. Any former fighters who tried to come to the US might well be recommended by cronies in the government, but they might be war criminals. Why is South Sudan not on the list? Over 60 percent of its citizens are Christian. Another 32 percent practice traditional African religion, and only 6% are Muslim.

I am not arguing for excluding South Sudanese. I am saying that there is no criterion that, if uniformly applied, could account for banning Muslim Somalis but not Christian South Sudanese.

Or take the Central African Republic, 80% Christian, which has seen substantial civil strife and where Muslims are sometimes currently persecuted, in reprisal for an attempted coup by a militant faction in 2013. I wish President Faustin-Archange Touadera well, but it is highly unlikely that he can efficiently vet emigrants from his country, where there has been a lot of civil violence.

Dont get me going on the Congo, D.R. Or even down the Fund for Peace fragile state index, places like Nepal or Cambodia.

Again, I dont think anyone should be excluded. But by Sessionss stated criteria, there would be more exclusions than 6. And the further countries banned would not be Muslim-majority.

The argument that most Muslims in the world are unaffected by the ban is mere pro-Trump propaganda. If you forbade African-Americans resident in North Carolina from voting, but allowed members of that ethnic group to vote in all the other states, most African-Americans would be unaffected by the ban. But if only African-Americans were denied the franchise in North Carolina, it would still be a racist exclusion.

Besides, we know why Trump and President Bannon are instituting this ban, and it has nothing to do with fragile states or terrorism. The Department of Homeland Securitys own report disputed the need for or efficacy of this 6-nation ban.

Trump, Bannon and Miller are white supremacists and pretty much view Muslims the way Hitler did, as painted half-apes that ought to feel the whip.

Trump said during the campaign that he wanted a Muslim ban.

And Rudy Giuliani let the cat out of the bag on live t.v.: Ill tell you the whole history of it: When he first announced it, he said Muslim ban. He called me up, he said, Put a commission together, show me the right way to do it legally.

So thats what this whole thing is, a legally correct piece of racist garbage. It violates the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which forbids discrimination against people on the basis of their nationality. It might stand up in the courts. Slavery stood up in the courts. Jim Crow stood up in the courts. The Chinese Exclusion Act stood up in the courts. The internment of Japanese-Americans stood up in the courts. Court-sanctioned racist bigotry is a big part of American history.

It is shameful, and will cost America in science, medicine, engineering and entrepreneurship, i.e. the fields that contribute to US geopolitical power. It will also cost us incoming tuition dollars and tourism. A 3,000-person conference just switched from Philadelphia to Mexico City to protest the New American Racism. It isnt so much that immigrants from the 6 countries are crucial for us as that many people will boycott us on the grounds of our racism. And it is hard to argue against them.



Related video:

Al Jazeera English: Trump signs new immigration order excluding Iraq
Vancouver, BC / TheNewswire / March 7, 2017 - Golden Reign Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: GRR)(the "Company" or "Golden Reign") is pleased to report positive drilling analyses from a hydrological test hole completed at its pre-development stage San Albino Gold Deposit, located on the San Albino-Murra Gold Property (the "Property"), Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.

A diamond drill hole, SA16-GEOT-4020, drilled for hydrological testing purposes was logged, assayed and returned uncut values of 6.0 metres averaging 13.94 g/t gold and 142.7 g/t silver. Recoveries in the mineralized intersection were poor. The drill hole is comprised of the following intervals:

From (m) To (m) Width (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 44.60 47.50 2.90 6.20 126.0 47.50 49.10 1.60 34.30 71.4 49.10 50.60 1.50 7.20 251.0

This drill hole is situated roughly 40 metres from metallurgical drill hole SA16-MET-02, cored in 2016, and four high-grade holes completed in 2012 (see attached map). The results from drill hole SA16-GEOT-4020 correlate well with results from SA16-MET-02 and the 2012 drill holes:

SA16-MET-02 3.8 metres averaging 22.51 g/t gold and 31.5 g/t silver (see news release dated May 12, 2016) SA12-45 0.6 metres averaging 14.54 g/t gold and 58.8 g/t silver (see news release dated April 4, 2012) SA12-46 3.6 metres averaging 31.53 g/t gold and 24.4 g/t silver (see news release dated April 4, 2012) SA12-47 3.6 metres averaging 5.38 g/t gold and 11.6 g/t silver (see news release dated April 4, 2012) SA12-48 3.9 metres averaging 13.74 g/t gold and 21.5 g/t silver (see news release dated April 4, 2012)

The mineralized intervals shown above utilize a 1.0 g/t gold cut-off grade, whereas intervals originally reported on April 4, 2012 were not subject to a cut-off grade and were thus reported differently.

The 2016 infill drilling successfully confirmed continuity of the gold bearing system and improved confidence of finding additional high-grade mineralization at the northwestern end of the proposed West Pit. The San Albino Gold Deposit remains open at depth and in all directions.

Permitting Update

The Company's permitting activities are on-going. It is working closely with the Nicaraguan regulatory authorities, namely the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources ("MARENA") and Ministry of Energy and Mines ("MEM"), in order to advance towards receiving the requisite approvals to move the project forward.

The hydrological test work undertaken forms part of the comprehensive geotechnical study supporting Golden Reign's environmental permit application for the San Albino Mine Project.

PDAC 2017 - Golden Reign Presenting

Dr. Rael Lipson, Director, and Zoran Pudar, VP Exploration, will be co-presenting "San Albino: A high-grade, free gold, Macraes analogue in Nicaragua" from 10:50 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at the Prospectors & Developers Association Conference in Toronto, Canada, as part of the technical sessions on New Discoveries and Developments. We encourage all access pass holders to attend.

QA&QC Procedures

The Company followed industry standards in its QA&QC procedures. A certified standard sample, or a blank or a field duplicate sample is inserted every 10 samples before the set of samples are sent to the Laboratory. This procedure is applied to all drill and trench samples.

Qualified Person

John M. Kowalchuk, P.Geo, a geologist and qualified person (as defined under NI 43-101) has read and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Kowalchuk is a senior geologist consulting to the Company.

About Golden Reign:

Golden Reign Resources Ltd. is a publicly listed (TSX-V: GRR) mineral exploration company engaged in exploring the San Albino-Murra Property and the El Jicaro Property, both of which are located in Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.

The Company's prime objective is to bring its San Albino Gold Deposit into production quickly and efficiently, building cash flow to further advance a number of its other highly prospective exploration targets.

The Company's land package comprises 13,771 hectares (138 km2) of highly prospective ground. Hundreds of historical mines and workings exist within the Corona de Oro Gold Belt, which is approximately 3 kilometres wide by 20 kilometres long and spans the entirety of the Company's land package.
Vancouver, Canada / TheNewswire / March 7, 2017 - Nexus Gold Corp. ("Nexus" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NXS, OTC: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce initial assay results from its phase one diamond drill program conducted on the 178-square kilometer Niangouela exploration permit located approximately 85 kilometers north of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The first phase diamond drill program was designed to test anomalous rock samples collected from underground artisanal workings and anomalous Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drilling completed by the company in December 2016. This initial program successfully intersected gold mineralization in eight of the first nine holes drilled on the concession. The mineralization was contained in a silicified shear zone occurring in the host granite, associated with the shear was primary quartz veins.

Significant gold mineralization was encountered in four of the eight holes reporting gold intercepts. NGL-17-DD-008 returned 26.69 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold over 4.85 metres (including 8.50 g/t gold over 0.62 metre, and 120.00 g/t gold over 1.03 metres). Hole NGL-17-DD-006 returned 4.00 g/t gold over 6.20 metres (including 20.50 g/t gold over 1.00 metre). NGL-17-DD-009 returned 2.61 g/t gold over 4.00 metres (including 5.92 g/t gold over 1.00 metre), and NGL-17-DD-003 returned 1.80 g/t gold over 5.10 metres (including 6.14 g/t gold over 1.10 metres).

The assay results from the phase one program are tabled below:

Hole ID Azimuth Dip FROM (m) TO (m) INTERCEPT (metres) Au gram/tonne NGL-17-DD-001 10 -50 76.00 87.00 11.00 0.32 INCLUDES 83.00 84.00 1.00 1.21 NGL-17-DD-002 190 -60 84.50 85.50 2.00 1.05 104.50 105.50 1.00 1.32 NGL-17-DD-003 185 -50 86.40 91.50 5.10 1.80 INCLUDES 86.40 87.50 1.10 6.14 NGL-17-DD-004 185 -60 121.00 124.00 3.00 0.75 INCLUDES 122.00 123.00 1.00 1.23 NGL-17-DD-005 185 -70 NO SIGNIFICANT RESULTS NGL-17-DD-006 180 -50 65.00 71.20 6.20 4.00 INCLUDES 70.20 71.20 1.00 20.50? NGL-17-DD-007 180 -60 102.00 109.20 7.20 1.01 INCLUDES 104.00 105.00 1.00 2.34 AND 106.20 107.20 1.00 1.92 NGL-17-DD-008 180 -50 57.00 61.85 4.85 26.69 INCLUDES 58.35 58.97 0.62 8.50 AND 58.97 60.00 1.03 120.00? NGL-17-DD-009 180 -60 74.50 78.50 4.00 2.61 INCLUDES 76.50 77.50 1.00 5.92?

1. Denotes metallic screen analysis

2. Denotes gravimetric fire assay analysis

Note all assay results represent intercept lengths and are not true widths

The drill program tested the shear zone for over 200 metres along strike and intercepted the zone to depths of 105 metres below surface. The shear zone remains opens along strike and to depth. Additional artisanal workings have been discovered occurring along strike of the shear zone another 800 metres to the east of the drill area.

"We're very pleased with the early assay results, with eight of the first nine holes returning gold mineralization," said president & CEO, Pete Berdusco. "We've been able to follow up our excellent sampling results now with high grade drill intervals. These are the first ever drill holes at Niangouela, and we're already seeing intercepts with potential economic promise. This is very encouraging, given how early we are in our exploration program, and how open the mineralized zone is. We will continue to drill the target areas in the coming months to identify further mineralized zones along the strike length."

"These results are encouraging and complement our earlier sampling program extremely well," said Senior Geologist Warren Robb. "The first samples we reported established the presence of high-grade gold in the quartz vein. Of the first nine holes we drilled, three have returned visible gold. We have now established additional high-grade mineralization, not only in the quartz vein, but also in the shear zone. Given that the shear and the quartz both show significant grade, our drill efforts will now focus on delineating additional mineralized zones up and down the strike length, and the higher-grade shoots that could be contained within it," continued Mr. Robb.

The sampled core was delivered to the independent Actlabs laboratory in Ouagadougou where the samples underwent analysis by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. If samples returned values greater than 10 ppm gold the sample was reanalyzed by gravimetric fire assay. Samples with identified visible gold were analyzed using a fire assay metallic screen analysis. The Company employs a QA/QC program of inserting standards, blanks and duplicates into the samples stream as a supplement to the internal checks employed by Actlabs.

The Company has now drilled 1470.5 metres of a planned 2000 metre phase one diamond drill program at the 178 square kilometer Niangouela exploration permit. The first phase is designed to test the primary quartz vein and associated shear zone at depth and along strike. The current program is targeting areas of gold anomalies identified from rock samples and Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drilling that was conducted by the Company in December 2016. The Company plans on completing the phase one diamond drill program later this month before planning and commencing a follow up drill program.

About the Niangouela Gold Concession

The 178 sq km Niangouela gold concession is located on the Boromo Greenstone Belt (as is the Company's Bouboulou Gold Concession), and is proximal to the Kalsaka deposit and the Sabce Shear Zone. It is accessible by road and has one major orpaillage (artisanal workings).

In December 2016 the Company conducted an 802m rotary air blast (RAB) drill program that delineated an approximately 1,000-metre (1km) quartz vein and a 500-metre secondary strike, running oblique to the main vein. This vein has now been identified in trenches, artisanal workings and through RAB drilling. It remains open in all directions.

A total of 11 rock chip and grab samples were taken during the initial exploration phase. Eight of the 11 samples returned values of 1 gram-per-tonne ("g/t") gold or better. Best results of the 11 include sample NG005, taken directly from the primary quartz vein at 46m depth (accessed via an artisanal mining shaft), which returned a value of 2,950 g/t gold. Sample NG006 was collected from the artisanal dumps of the sheared intrusive and returned a value of 23.9 g/t gold. Sample NG007 contained coarse visible gold, and was taken from material extracted from the eastern shaft from a depth of approximately 60m, returned values of 403 g/t gold. Sample NG008 was taken from the western shaft, 10 to 12 metres west of the eastern shaft, and consisted of a single large piece of primary quartz vein containing host rock inclusions and a cluster of visible gold. NG008 returned values of 49.8 g/t gold.

About Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation, located in West Africa. It covers an area of roughly 274,000 square kilometres and has an estimated population of more than 16 million people. The country has a stable political setting with a pro-mining and foreign investment stance. Burkina Faso is the fastest growing gold producer in Africa, and was the 4th largest gold producer in Africa in 2012. Eight new mines have been commissioned there over the past six years. The country has excellent geological potential. The Greenstone Belts that host all of the major deposits in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire continue northward into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 15 years of modern mineral exploration, remaining under-explored in comparison to neighbouring Ghana and Mali; both of which host world-class gold mines in the same belts of Birimian rocks.

About the Company

Nexus Gold Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company operating in some of the world's premier mining districts. The Company is currently concentrating its efforts on two gold projects located in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Bouboulou gold concession is a 38-sq km advanced exploration target where previous drilling has confirmed multiple zones of gold mineralization. The Niangouela gold concession is a 178-sq km project featuring high grade gold occurring in and around a primary quartz vein 1km in length and associated shear zone. For more information on these projects, please visit the Company website at www.nexusgoldcorp.com.

Warren Robb P.Geo., Senior Geologist is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.
VANCOUVER, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Zinc One Resources Inc.(TSX-V: Z) ("Zinc One") and Forrester Metals Inc. (TSX-V: VEM.H) ("Forrester") are pleased to announce, further to their news release on February 1, 2017, that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the "Agreement") whereby Zinc One has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Forrester (the "Transaction") and complete a private placement financing of $10,000,000 (the "Private Placement Financing"). Zinc One's acquisition of Forrester is based on a positive outlook for the zinc price and the attractiveness of the zinc assets contained in the Forrester portfolio.

Jim Walchuck, CEO of Zinc One, stated "We are pleased that the due diligence process was completed in a timely manner to the satisfaction of both parties. A much deeper understanding and increased confidence level has been obtained on the projects, particularly the Bongara Project. Management is now, more than ever, confident in its decision to pursue the acquisition of Forrester and looks forward to advancing the Bongara Project as quickly as possible."

Bill Williams, CEO of Forrester, commented, "This transaction will provide Forrester shareholders an attractive premium and a substantial ownership position in a well-financed company with growth potential in the zinc space."

Details of the Arrangement

The Transaction will be effected by way of a court approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). Under the terms of the Agreement, each shareholder of Forrester will receive 1 common share of Zinc One ("Zinc One Share") for every 5.5 common shares of Forrester ("Forrester Shares"). Assuming completion, exercise of all convertible securities of Forrester and completion of the Debt Settlement (as defined below), Zinc One anticipates that it will issue a total of up to 30,759,729 Zinc One Shares to the shareholders of Forrester.

As set out in the news release dated January 31, 2017, the 5.5 to 1 conversion ratio represents a premium of 119% of Forrester's volume weighted average price for the period comprising the 30 trading days ended on January 30, 2017.

Following the completion of the Transaction and the Debt Settlement, Zinc One will have issued and outstanding shares of up to 87,534,969 Zinc One Shares.

All outstanding options, warrants and convertible debentures of Forrester will remain outstanding (if not exercised prior to closing of the Transaction) and will be adjusted to give effect to the Transaction in accordance with their respective terms or pursuant to the Agreement. Prior to closing of the Transaction, Forrester will be permitted to issue up to 27,040,000 Forrester Shares at a deemed price of $0.125 per share to settle outstanding indebtedness of approximately $3,380,000 (the "Debt Settlement").

Each company's Board of Directors unanimously approved the terms of the Transaction and recommends that their shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. Forrester Directors and Officers signed support agreements that commit their shareholdings to be voted in favour of the Transaction.

The Transaction will require the approval by at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast on the special resolution by Forrester shareholders who are present in person or represented by proxy at the shareholder meetings.

The Transaction is subject to shareholder approval, applicable regulatory and TSX Venture Exchange approvals and satisfaction of customary provisions. The Transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

The Agreement includes customary deal protection provisions, including a break fee of $1,000,000 payable by a breaching party, and a right to match and non-solicitation provision in favour of Zinc One.

Management Team and Board of Directors

On closing, the management team will continue to be James Walchuck (CEO and President) and Natasha Tsai (Chief Financial Officer), and the board of directors will be James Walchuck, Greg Crowe, W. Barry Girling, Gunther Roehlig and Bill Williams (the CEO of Forrester). Dr. Williams, who will be the representative of Forrester on the board, is an economic geologist with extensive experience in South America. He is the former CEO and President of Orvana Minerals Corp. and since leaving that company in 2013, he has been a consultant in the mining industry. Prior to joining Orvana Minerals, he was a Vice President for Phelps Dodge Exploration. He holds a PhD, Economic Geology from the University of Arizona.

Private Placement Financing

In connection with the Transaction, Zinc One will complete a non-brokered private placement financing of 16,666,667 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.60 per Unit for gross proceeds of $10,000,000 (the "Private Placement Financing"). Each Unit will consist of one Zinc One Share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional Zinc One Share at a price of $0.90 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issue.

Zinc One will also have an overallotment option, for a period of 30 days from closing of the Private Placement Financing, to offer an additional 15% of the number of Units at $0.60 per Unit, solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

The proceeds from the private placement will be used for exploration on the high-grade zinc Bongara and Charlotte Bongara properties and for general working capital purposes.

Subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, Zinc One may pay finders a fee in cash and/or share purchase warrants in connection with the Private Placement Financing and issue a finder such number of shares of Zinc One equal to approximately 5% of the value of the Transaction.

About Bongara Zinc Mine and Charlotte Bongara Zinc Project

The Bongara Zinc Mine zinc-oxide mineralization was discovered in 1974 and since then various companies have completed exploration programs across the area. The mineralization is concentrated along and proximal to a NW-trending anticlinal axis over approximately 2.5 kilometres. From the southeast edge of the project, the Mina Grande, Mina Chica and Bongarita mine areas were subject to sampling from pits and trenches as well as shallow drilling over a distance of approximately 1.2 kilometres. This zinc-oxide mineralization appears to continue to the northwest into an additional exploration area known as Campo Cielo, where additional high grade, zinc-oxide mineralization in historical pits and trenches.

The adjacent Charlotte Bongara Zinc Project was explored by Solitario Resources in 1994. Cominco Ltd. later completed five drill holes for 592 metres within the property, two of which encountered near-surface, high grade zinc oxide mineralization. Between 2007 and 2011, Rio Cristal Zinc optioned the project and eventually drilled 95 drill holes for a total of 7,722 metres on the Cristal and Charlita prospects. Rio Cristal drill results included 29.5% Zn across 15.5 metres, 26.1% Zinc across 12.5 metres, 29.7% Zinc across 11.5 metres (the cited intervals are drill-intercept widths and true widths are unknown).

About Forrester Metals Inc.

Forrester Metals is a Canadian mining company focused on the exploration and development of Peru's mineral potential. Forrester has six projects including two zinc properties, Azulcocha West and the Bongara Zinc Mine and the Charlotte Bongara Zinc Project.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by James Walchuck, CEO and director of Zinc One, and Bill Williams, CEO and Director of Forrester, each a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 6, 2017) - African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX VENTURE:AGG) ("AGG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that is has agreed to a private placement into the Company whereby Forbes & Manhattan Resources Inc. ("Forbes") and certain other investors who will subscribe to a private placement of units (the "Unit") at a price of $0.09 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to approximately $7.0 million (the "Private Placement"). The subscription price represents a premium of approximately 38.7% to the last trading price of AGG common shares on March 6, 2017.

The net proceeds raised from the Private Placement will be used to advance the Company's Kobada Gold Project in Mali and to bolster its working capital position.

Each Unit will comprise one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share of AGG at a price of $0.12 per share for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date of closing. However, the Warrant exercise period may be accelerated if the common shares of the Company trade at $0.22 or higher for a period of 20 consecutive trading days.

Declan Franzmann, AGG's President & Chief Executive Officer, stated: "We are very excited about this opportunity and our future involvement with Forbes and our Kobada project. Forbes brings significant financial depth as well as technical expertise that will be required going forward. Furthermore, their past success in Mali through Avion Gold bodes well for the future of the Company."

Stan Bharti, Chairman of Forbes, stated: "Forbes and its team are excited to once again being involved in Mali, a country where we have had tremendous success creating significant shareholder value. Forbes has a long track record of identifying and unlocking value in gold projects globally such as Avion Gold in Mali, Sulliden Gold in Peru, and Desert Sun Mining and Belo Sun Mining, both of which are in Brazil. We are excited to be involved in a project such as Kobada and look forward to bringing our expertise to unlock value for all AGG shareholders."

Three officers and directors of the Company (the "Purchasing Insiders"), intend to participate in the Private Placement and subscribe for approximately $2 million of the Units to be issued. The Private Placement was considered and approved by the board of directors of the Company, with the directors who are purchasing Units under the Private Placement declaring a conflict and recusing themselves from voting on the Private Placement Pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), the purchase by the Purchasing Insiders is a "related party transaction" but the Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the Private Placement.

After having given effect to the Private Placement but prior to giving effect to the exercise of the Warrants, Forbes and certain other investors will in the aggregate own approximately 17.0% percent of the outstanding common shares based on the current outstanding common shares of 251,276,600. After giving effect to the exercise of the Warrants, Forbes and certain other investors will in the aggregate own approximately 29.1% of the outstanding common shares.

Board and Management Changes

As part of closing of the Private Placement, Mr. Brett Richards will be appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of AGG. Mr. Richards is a well-known mining executive with over 30 years' experience in mining and metals and has focused primarily on projects in Africa over the past 10 years. Mr. Richards has acted or advised on a multitude of corporate M&A projects, and has extensive mine project development, mine financing and senior level operations experience. Mr. Richards was appointed the CEO of African Thunder Platinum in 2016, and was previously the CEO of Octea Limited from 2012 to 2015 and the CEO of Avocet Mining from 2009 to 2012. Mr. Richards stated: "Kobada represents a great opportunity for AGG to establish a high-quality gold operation in West Africa and I look forward to working with the Board to create a new leading West Africa-based gold producer."

In addition, upon closing of the Private Placement, four of the existing board members of AGG will step down. To replace the departing board members, Forbes intend to nominate Mr. Stan Bharti and Mr. Bruce Humphrey; and AGG intends to appoint Mr. John Begeman and Mr. Stephan Theron to the board of AGG.

Closing of the Private Placement, which is anticipated to occur on or about March 22, 2017 is subject to the entering into of a definitive subscription agreement in respect thereof which will include the agreed terms and conditions and other customary conditions, representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities and other agreements of the parties.

GMP Securities L.P. acted as financial advisor to AGG in connection with this transaction.

The securities to be issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a regulatory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. The Private Placement remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of requisite regulatory filings.

About African Gold Group

African Gold Group is a Canadian exploration and development company with its focus on West Africa. African Gold Group is focused on the development of the Kobada Gold Project in Mali, a low capital and operating cost gold project with potential to produce more than 50,000 ounces of gold per annum. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com.
Edwin Feulner, founder of the Heritage Foundation, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Manila, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation



Heritage founder predicts Trump will play hardball on North Korea



By Kim Hyo-jin



MANILA  U.S. President Donald Trump is unlikely to comply with North Korea's demand for direct talks over the latter's nuclear program, according to Trump's top security adviser.

"I think President Trump and his national security team will want to engage with all the principle parties but he will do it in close collaboration with Seoul and Tokyo," Edwin Feulner, founder of the Heritage Foundation, said in an interview on March 1.



Feulner, who served as a senior adviser to Trump's transition team, visited the Philippines to attend the Global Peace Convention hosted by the U.S.-based civic organization Global Peace Foundation.



"If the North's leader Kim Jong-un assumes the Trump administration is going to be friendly and more willing to engage in direct dialogue, it's badly mistaken," he said. "And that will be the coherent ally position among the people involved and all three on our side."



The adviser forecast that Trump will put more pressure on China  the sponsor of North Korea, he believes, being the main reason of its continued development of nuclear capabilities and missile defense delivery system.

Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported recently that Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are coordinating a schedule to meet in April. Amid high speculation on a bilateral summit, Feulner said Trump could call for China's action on North Korea directly.



"I think President Trump will talk to the Chinese leadership very specifically about what other points of pressure China can apply to the DPRK," he said.



Feulner presented imposing secondary sanctions on Chinese entities doing business with the North as one of the possible options against Beijing, saying, "If it became necessary, Trump would not hesitate to do that."



He also said the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea will be on the agenda in their summit, if realized.



"When President Trump and his team meet with Xi there will be a robust defense of THAAD," he said.



"There will be a strong representation to China that this is a defensive system and this is not something for China to be annoyed with Korea about. This is in everybody's interests. If China properly had reined in the DPRK, we wouldn't need THAAD because the DPRK wouldn't have missile delivery system."



Touching upon the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS FTA), Feulner said the Trump administration is likely to re-evaluate the five-year-old pact at some point. He believes it needs to be updated to reflect the change of structures and technologies.



"There are questions of interpretation in terms and interpretation of how this could be improved and clarified," he said.



"KORUS FTA is not something I think Trump will throw out but somewhere, sometime, he is going to say to his team that this is something that should be looked at and that makes good sense."



Feulner is a noted pro-Korean scholar who has a wide human network in South Korea, and is considered a top candidate for Trump's ambassador to South Korea.





The following is the full text of the interview.



Q. How high do you think the possibility is that the Trump administration will engage through direct dialogue with North Korea?



A. I think President Trump and his national security team will want to engage with all the principal parties but he will first want to do it in close collaboration with the government in Seoul, and secondly with the government in Tokyo. In given occasions, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo must be that close, they must all be close when they are talking about North Korea so I think if Kim Jong-un assumes the new administration is going to be friendly and more willing to engage in direct dialogue with the DPRK, he will be badly mistaken and he will face coherent allies among the people involved of all three on our side.



Q. When North Korea launched a missile, Trump's reaction was he could not accept it and it's going to be a big problem. Does it mean anyhow that direction or policy toward North Korea will change?



A. I've just watched a reply of Trump's speech to Congress today. He did not mention Korea but he did not mention Russia either, nor did he mention China. He mentioned radical Islamic terrorism and the War on Terror but other than what President Trump said to the first member of his Cabinet, Secretary of Defense Mattis, he said I want you to go overseas. He did not say go to NATO. He said go to Korea and go to Japan. So Mattis went first to Seoul and then to Tokyo. This shows that President Trump understands fully a need to have a close relationship with Seoul and with Tokyo. I think he knows his military advisers and diplomatic advisers and Secretary Tillerson are already taking action, such as the Tillerson discussion with the Chinese foreign minister on what new restrictions should be put on North Korea, the restrictions on coal exports from North Korea to China. So the U.S. policy will be strong, will be tough and will be, I think, coherent and consistent with what our allies expect in both Seoul and Tokyo.

I understand from today's newspaper that a state counselor from Beijing and his party of five others visited Washington Tuesday and Wednesday. And on Tuesday they had a meeting with National Security Council members at the White House. And they said briefly hello to the president. And on Wednesday today they meet with state department officials. This is preparatory to a meeting between President Xi and Trump to be arranged wherever it will happen.

I'm sure the question of North Korea will come up in those discussions that will be high on the agenda when President Trump meets with the president of China.



Q. What do you think the Trump administration expects from China in dealing with North Korea's nuclear programs and how do you think it plans to get China's support?



A. As a candidate President Trump said several times during his campaign that he did not think China was doing everything it could in terms of reining in Kim Jong-un and the regime in North Korea in terms of making them act in a responsible way as members of the U.N. and as a government in the civilized system of the world. So I think President Trump will talk to the Chinese leadership very specifically about what other points of pressure China can apply to the DPRK and I believe that I would recommend to him that if it became necessary for secondary boycotts of Chinese entities doing business with North Korea that if it became necessary before the United States unilaterally imposes more restrictions on ships into and out of North Korean ports that Mr. Trump would not hesitate to do that. Because I believe he knows and certainly his advisers know the continued development of nuclear capabilities and the missile defense delivery system by North Korea is not acceptable.



Q. When Kim Jong-nam was assassinated in Malaysia, the Trump administration hinted at a possibility of placing North Korea back on a list of nations that support terrorism. Do you think the U.S. will deal with the matter alone or use U.N. power? How do you think he will approach it?



A. One of the things Mr. Trump said consistently when considering questions like that is never assume anything is off the table. In other words, all options would be available to him. I don't think what options he might think of in that regard. But I know that actions like assassinating somebody in a third country is not acceptable in international behavior and Mr. Trump and people around him would view it not acceptable in international behavior and so any option like beyond the table whether it would be with the U.N or unilateral declaration of additional sanctions.



Q. Trump recently graded his presidential performance so far an A in a recent interview with Fox News. But we know his public approval rating is not so high. How do you view of his anti-immigration and America-first policies? Would you still support Trump even when the cost of protectionism in trade and nationalist policy is passed onto customers?



A. He gives himself A for the content and C for his communicating. Watch his speech to the joint session of the Congress because I think he became A+ in communicating. It was one of the most sincere and high level presidential speeches I've heard in the past 35 years. It was a very, very good speech and it sets a new standard for him to be able to work with the Congress and to work broadly on policies together.

President Trump has said several times that I would put America's interests first. I have the honor in my many years of working with Korea and visiting Korea and personally with every one of the seven presidents of Korea going back to Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, and Kim Dae-jung _ every one of them put the interests of Korea first. Every president that I've known, going back to Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan they all put America's interests first and that is for a leader expected to do for his own people and now you interpret that in different ways. I think as the president said before the Congress he believes in free trade but he also believes in fair trade. And fair trade means as he said Harley Davidson motorcycles on the front lawn of the White House and the countries where Harley Davidson motorcycles comes in as a 100 percent import duty and that was not fair I think. When it gets to the details of trade negotiations of whether the KORUS FTA has to be reevaluated, I think those are second- or third-tiered questions that they will get to eventually and I think we can worry about that a bit later.

Let us look then at agreements that are signed in the past that are more simple and straightforward. The U.S. free trade agreement with Singapore basically says free trade and no import barriers on either side, two simple pages. That's easy. The other sides of agreements are NAFTA: very complicated, three countries involved and labor, environment inclusions involved. In 25 years, all of Mexico's energy was controlled by one company, PEMEX. 25 years ago, basically there was no internet. Clearly negotiations with NAFTA are something that needs to be reevaluated, reconsidered, hey we should change this and update that _ we could simplify the other things.

In between the simple straightforward one with Singapore and the very complicated and old one with NAFTA, is something like KORUS FTA. It's been in place now for five years. I'm a strong supporter of the FTA _ you probably know that. But since the FTA came into effect five years ago I've been back to Korea 17, 18 times; when I talked to Korean-American businessmen and people in the Korean government and in the American Embassy, there are questions of interpretation in terms and interpretation of how this could be improved and clarified. So KORUS FTA is not something I don't think Trump will throw out but somewhere, sometime he is going to say to his team that this is something partly that should be looked at and that makes good sense.

But I think that's not going to be a high priority for President Trump or Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross who is apparently going to be in charge of all these negotiations, or for the U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer.

One of the other things on the agenda when President Trump and his team meet with Xi and his team, there will be a robust defense of THAAD. And there will be a robust defense of THAAD for three reasons. One, they should not be opposing it. Two, because it is a defensive system. And that's why South Korea and the U.S. agreed to it. And three, if China had been more firm in its dealings with DPRK there will be no need for THAAD because there would not be any NK capability of launching ballistic missiles which South Korea has defended itself against.

In Washington, virtually everyone across the political spectrum, left and right, progressives and conservatives, believes the Chinese government can control government in Pyongyang. And therefore it was up to China to really rein in DPRK in terms of why THAAD would not be necessary if they had controlled North Korea's missile system.



Q. What do you think of the possibility of Finlandization of South Korea?



A. Korea and the U.S. have built in blood over 60 years a bilateral bond that means the U.S. will not let South Korea Finlandize. Beyond that I think it's something we have seen in progress in the last few years; Japan is increasingly, I believe, willing to admit that Korea can be a positive partner in that therefore Korea, the U.S. and Japan can be all together on the strategic questions.

Korea is a G-20 member and is a significant partner as close allies of the U.S. and heavily dependent between Korea and Japan on U.S. troops located in Japan for the defense of the ROK. The three together, it's virtually impossible to think of South Korea's being Finlandized.

Just 25 years ago, I remember when Donald Rumsfeld was secretary of defense and he was confronted by hostile people in Seoul about why you don't withdraw U.S. troops. He told the people who said this to him if you push on that door, there will be no resistance on the U.S. side. If you want, we will leave. I think we've come a long way together in terms of we need each other and we need Japan very close with us. So I think Finlandization is not an issue anymore.



Q. The issue in Korea is China's economic retaliation against its business operations. How do you think South Korea should respond to this pressure?



A. I'd hope when the U.S. has further meetings with PRC I assume my conversations with military commanders in theater and senior military who are still serving now under President Trump, THAAD deployment is going ahead and it will happen in Korea and there will be a strong representation to China that this is a defensive system and this is not something for China to be annoyed with Korea about. This is in everybody's interests. If, as I mentioned before, China properly reined in DPRK, we wouldn't need THAAD because DPRK wouldn't have a missile delivery system.



Q. Ever since he criticized allies for not sharing enough of the burden in defense costs there are concerns he might make a push at some point. Do you think there's a possibility the Trump administration would ask South Korea to pay a bigger share of the expenses?



A. I think burden-sharing is under a constant review but the fact that Secretary of Defense Mattis made his first stop and overseas trip to Seoul to reaffirm the mutual defense treaty was a sign that it's basically in good order. I'd not worry about that.



Q. Koreans are concerned about Trump's America-first policy given that they have an export-driven economy. How do you think they should view it?



A. Economies exist to serve the people. Economic growth means there are more people at every income level, not just people at the top. With a revitalized, altered Korean economic structure, there will be more economic growth and opportunities for everybody up and down in the Korean structure. This will take time. I'm not saying the chaebol system will be overthrown or anything like that.

Now there are new opportunities for intellectual properties for opportunities to remake and to alter the economy for the future to make it possible for many more people to do so much more. The old economy is changing.

I reminded people when during the campaign at one time that Senator Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general of the United States and one of the earliest and closest political advisers, and when Trump was talking at one point that cheap Korean and Japanese cars are coming in. I reminded people in the campaign that Hyundai cars are mostly made in Senator Sessions' home state of Alabama they are not being made in Korea. With the innovative economy, intellectual property that starts in Korea that ends up in Alabama and both Korean people develop the intellectual property and Americans assemble it, it's a net plus-plus for everybody. And that is what people close to Mr. Trump want to find and they want to find what the plus is for the Americans as you ask your President what's the plus for Koreans.



Q. Owing to the presidential corruption scandal, Samsung CEO Lee Jae-young was imprisoned and other corporate executives are being grilled by the prosecution. The Financial Times recently commented that it would fuel hopes of corporate reform _ the long-held political risks, collusive ties between chaebol and politicians. What's your view on this?



A. Jay Lee is a young man whom I've known for a very long time and whom I admired greatly. The chaebol system in Korea is the one that I've studied and examined for more than 40 years and as I look at it, I see signs it is changing and the Korean economy is opening. There's more transparency and there are more opportunities for SMEs that there is more potential down the line for a more vigorous competitive Korean economy at all levels, not just the top 10 or 20 chaebols.
The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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PulteGroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West, and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods brand names. As of December 31, 2021, it controlled 228,296 lots, of which 109,078 were owned and 119,218 were under land option agreements. In addition, the company arranges financing through the origination of mortgage loans primarily for homebuyers; sells the servicing rights for the originated loans; and provides title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to homebuyers. PulteGroup, Inc. was formerly known as Pulte Homes, Inc. and changed its name to PulteGroup, Inc. in March 2010. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of Rite Aid: 1515 West State Street Boise Idaho LLC, 1740 Associates LLC, 4042 Warrensville Center RoadWarrensville Ohio Inc., 5277 Associates Inc., 5600 Superior Properties Inc., Advance Benefits LLC, Apex Drug Stores Inc., Ascend Health Technology LLC, Bartell Drugs, Broadview and WallingsBroadview Heights Ohio Inc., Design Rx Holdings LLC, Design Rx LLC, Design Rxclusives LLC, Drug Palace Inc., EDC Drug Stores Inc., Eckerd Corporation, Edgehill Drugs, Elixir Holdings LLC, Elixir Insurance Company, Elixir Pharmacy LLC, Elixir Puerto Rico Inc., Elixir Rx Options LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions of Nevada LLC, Elixir Savings LLC, Envision Pharmaceutical, First Florida Insurers of Tampa LLC, GDF Inc., Genovese Drug Stores Inc., Gettysburg and Hoover-Dayton Ohio LLC, Grand River & Fenkell LLC, Harco, Harco Inc., Health Dialog, Health Dialog Services Corporation, Hunter Lane LLC, ILG  90 B Avenue Lake Oswego LLC, JCG Holdings USA Inc., JCG PJC USA LLC, K&B Alabama Corporation, K&B Incorporated, K&B Industries, K&B Louisiana Corporation, K&B Mississippi Corporation, K&B Services Incorporated, K&B Tennessee Corporation, K&B Texas Corporation, LMW  90B Avenue Lake Oswego Inc., Lakehurst and Broadway Corporation, Laker Software LLC, Maxi Drug Inc., Maxi Drug North Inc., Maxi Drug South L.P., Maxi Green Inc., Munson & Andrews LLC, Name Rite LLC, P.J.C. Distribution Inc., P.J.C. Realty Co. Inc., PCS Health Systems, PDS-1 Michigan Inc., PJC Lease Holdings Inc., PJC Manchester Realty LLC, PJC Peterborough Realty LLC, PJC Realty MA Inc., PJC Revere Realty LLC, PJC Special Realty Holdings Inc., PJC of Massachusetts Inc., PJC of Rhode Island Inc., PJC of Vermont Inc., Perry Distributors Inc., Perry Drug Stores Inc., RCMH LLC, RDS Detroit Inc., READs Inc., RediClinic, RediClinic Associates Inc., RediClinic LLC, RediClinic US LLC, RediClinic of DC LLC, RediClinic of DE LLC, RediClinic of Dallas Forth-Worth LLC, RediClinic of MD LLC, RediClinic of PA LLC, RediClinic of VA LLC, Richfield Road  Flint Michigan LLC, Rite Aid Drug Palace Inc., Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp., Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Funding Inc., Rite Aid Lease Management Company, Rite Aid Online Store Inc., Rite Aid Payroll Management Inc., Rite Aid Realty Corp., Rite Aid Rome Distribution Center Inc., Rite Aid Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Rite Aid Transport Inc., Rite Aid of Connecticut Inc., Rite Aid of Delaware Inc., Rite Aid of Georgia Inc., Rite Aid of Indiana Inc., Rite Aid of Kentucky Inc., Rite Aid of Maine Inc., Rite Aid of Maryland Inc., Rite Aid of Michigan Inc., Rite Aid of New Hampshire Inc., Rite Aid of New Jersey Inc., Rite Aid of New York Inc., Rite Aid of North Carolina Inc., Rite Aid of Ohio Inc., Rite Aid of Pennsylvania LLC, Rite Aid of South Carolina Inc., Rite Aid of Tennessee Inc., Rite Aid of Vermont Inc., Rite Aid of Virginia Inc., Rite Aid of Washington D.C. Inc., Rite Aid of West Virginia Inc., Rite Investments Corp., Rite Investments Corp. LLC, Rx Choice Inc., Rx Initiatives LLC, Rx USA Inc., The Bartell Drug Company, The Jean Coutu Group PJC USA Inc., The Lane Drug Company, Thrift Drug Inc., Thrifty Corporation, Thrifty PayLess Inc., and Tonic Procurement Solutions LLC.

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Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 218,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,481.5 megawatts of generation capacity and 8,892 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. The Gas Utilities segment distributes natural gas to approximately 1,094,000 natural gas utility customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming; owns and operates 4,732 miles of intrastate gas transmission pipelines; 41,644 miles of gas distribution mains and service lines; six natural gas storage sites; and approximately 50,000 horsepower of compression and 515 miles of gathering lines. The company also constructs and maintains gas infrastructure facilities for gas transportation customers; and provides appliance repair services to residential utility customers, as well as electrical system construction services to large industrial customers. In addition, it produces electric power through wind, natural gas, and coal-fired generating plants; and coal at its coal mine located near Gillette, Wyoming. The company was incorporated in 1941 and is headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
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07.03.2017 LISTEN

Prophetically, this season we are soaring on higher ways! You will mount up with wings like Eagles, fly and not be weary... I believe it, I see it coming through, NOW is your turn & time to SOAR.

Time to soar lyrics and music was conceived during the Assemblies of God Apapa District Youth Confab 2012; with credit to Chuks Okwege for his assistance.

Minstrel Akan is a friend of God, highly-concentrated, deeply-involved, divinely energized praise and worship minister. A member of The Pillaz (An Exceptional Veteran accapella gospel group). He has pioneered and led in various leadership positions; has also won several awards as Best Praise&worship Leader, honorary & distinguished awards, among others.

A graduate of Mathematics and Computer Science from Delta State University, Abraka, currently pursuing a master degree in Information Technology. He is happily married to his best friend Tochi and they are blessed with Godly goodly children.

Download Link : http://www.filedropper.com/timetosoar

#timetosoar

#edemamusic

#higherways2017
An exhibition of some of Ghana's finest and oldest Kente fabrics has been held at the Peduase Valley Resort at Aburi in the Eastern Region.

The fabrics are a collection by Amadu Baba, a Ghanaian artifact collector who has been gathering the materials over the past four decades.

Most of the Kente cloths exhibited were over a 100 years old, some of which had been used by famous traditional leaders of the Volta and Ashanti regions.

The event, dubbed, weaved with love and pride was held on Saturday, 4th March 2017, as part of series of Ghana at 60-related events organized by the resort.

Roots Hospitality International, managers of the hotel said the theme of the celebration Weaved with pride & love was aimed at celebrating the Ghanaian culture by creating a nostalgic atmosphere to embrace the country's heritage.

The Managing director of Peduase Valley resort, Hussein Fakhry, in his address said Ghana must identify key elements of its culture including the Kente and capitalize on them to promote the Ghana brand.

MD, Peduase Valley Resort; Mr Hussein Fakhry

Today, branding Ghana should be the mission and vision of every one of us, of every entrepreneur, businessman, parent, teacher, doctor, artiste and farmer. This branding can only happen by identifying our strength, then building on through it, he said.

(R) Amadu Baba

Ghana's cultural heritage should be one major element of this exercise which can lead definitely to an environment with identity and character where the returns on all levels are surely significant, he added.

Curated by Mrs. Rima Fakhry, this is the exhibition is the first of its kind at the 4-star hospitality facility.

Rima Fakhry told citifmonline.com that she believed the Kente pieces were such a national treasure that needed to be exhibited and showed to the public to cherish and admire original Ghanaian arts.

She said it was important for such materials to be preserved as important historical artifacts.

Dignitaries present at the exhibition included the Dean of the School of Information and Communications studies at the University of Ghana, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo; and former Miss Ghana winner, Ina Patty.

The event featured poetry performances from Poetra Ama Asantewaa.

Other activities lined up by the resort to celebrate Ghana's diamond jubilee included a Kente weaving workshop for interested Ghanaians to try their hands on the craft, and a recreational family event that featured local games such as Oware, Ampe among others.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @jnyabor
As part of activities lined up to commemorate Ghana's 60th independence anniversary, the Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa has teamed up with partner organisations to organise the African Diaspora Home Coming Conference.

This landmark conference which will end on March 11, 2017 at the Labadi Beach Hotel seeks to evoke the spirit and memory of 1957, when Ghana's independence was attained.

President Akufo-Addo is expected to be accompanied by the Speaker of Parliament, the chief justice, the minister for Tourism, Culture and the Creative Arts and other important dignitaries, including Members of Parliament and key state officials, to open the conference today.

The conference will hold panel discussions with panelists from varied backgrounds in academia, the creative arts, scientific, innovation, entrepreneurship, among others, both local and international.

It will also offer the opportunity to participants to reflect on Ghana's achievements over the past six decades, celebrate Ghanaian excellence at home and abroad and a form common vision for the progress of people of African descent.

The conference will also offer the opportunity for participants to build networks for trade, commerce and investment on the continent.

Organisers of the conference will also treat participants to a gala night which will include a fashion show, featuring Mina Evans, Joan's Closet and Chocolate, a dinner and a musical concert featuring stars such as Becca, M.anifest, E.L, among others.

Participants will also have the opportunity to embark on tours of key historical sites relating to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Among the speakers at the two-day conference which will take place today to March 8, 2017, will be Rt Hon Lord Paul Boateng of the British House of Lords, Nicole Amarteifio of 'An African City' and Patrick Awuah of Ashesi University and many important speakers.
Yvonne Okoro

07.03.2017 LISTEN

Ghana did not shine at the 2017 edition of the Africa Magic Viewer's Choice Awards (AMVCAs), as the country's movie industry failed to pick an award at the African event which was held in Lagos over the weekend.

Hopes that beautiful Ghanaian actress and producer Yvonne Okoro's Ghana Must Go' will save Ghana as the only movie nominated from Ghana did not materialise.

Months ago, Yvonne had called on Ghanaians to vote for her to win, as the award ceremony is based on voting.

According to her, Ghanaians love to praise but they barely support when it comes to voting.

Her movie got six nominations for Ghana at the fifth AMVCA, but it didn't pick a single award, an indication that, indeed, Ghanaians did not vote as the award-winning actress envisaged.

'Ghana Must Go' got nominations in Best Director category for Frank Rajah, Best Actor In Lead role category for Blossom Chukwujekwu, Best Supporting for Nkem Owoh and Kofi Adjorlolo and Best Art Director, Tony Prince Tomety, but none got enough votes to win.

The 2017 AMVCA event was held at the Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos on Saturday, March 4.

Funke Akindele won two awards, while the Trailblazer Award went to Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama and Chika Okpala, aka Chief Zebrudaya, took home the Industry Merit Award.

The movie titled '76' stole the show with five awards, winning Best Movie, Best Actress, Best Costume Designer, Best Art Director and Best Director.

By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected] )
06.03.2017 LISTEN

Half-Assini, (W/R), March 6, GNA - As the Country marks its diamond Jubilee, Ghanaians have been told that the celebration is not only to remind them of their past but most importantly to renew their pledge to the services of the nation's development.

The Acting Jomoro District Chief Executive, Mr Boffour Ahmed Haruna, said this at Half-Assini Senior High School (HASCO) Park in the Western Region on Monday.

He was delivering the Presidential Address at a parade of School Children, Security men, Workers, Voluntary Organisations, and the General Public on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Ghana's Independence.

The event under the theme, "Mobilising for Ghana's Future" was also attended by traditional rulers in the area.

The acting DCE said the celebration was to mark the nation's freedom from the clutches of British imperialism and the final achievement of the struggle of successive generations of Ghanaian Patriots to establish a free and sovereign Ghana.

He urged all to mobilise for a happy and prosperous Ghana, in which the youth, women and the vulnerable in society would have equal opportunities to harness their potential to build lives of dignity.

Earlier, the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Paul Essien, urged Ghanaians to be mindful that "Freedom" was a living flame to be constantly fuelled, adding that the District should therefore undergo a total transformation.

He said the next 60 years of independence would see the District modernised, especially the various health centres to meet the current ailment of people in the area.

The MP thanked God for a peaceful election and smooth transfer of power in which Ghanaians rose to the occasion and made the nation the object of world admiration once more.

He commended his predecessors, former DCEs and political heads in the District who have held the fort till this time for their dedication and commitments to service and duty, which has brought the District this far.

Mr Essien also expressed his profound gratitude to traditional rulers in the area for their role in ensuring peace and tranquillity in the district and the constituents for the confidence reposed in him as their new MP.

Half-Assini Catholic JHS and Half-Assini Christian Academy were adjudged the best schools in the march past.

They received plague and certificate each from the Assembly.

The most disciplined schools of the ceremony were Half-Assini Catholic Primary and JHS, Peace International and Nzemamaanle Complex, both of Half-Assini.

The Ghana Armed Forces also honored Ayebie Amihere JHS and Nzemamaanle Complex both of Half-Assini, as best Cadet Corps in the area for passing Cadet drill in Asiema Technical School, Ellembele District recently.

They each had Certificate of honour from Ghana Armed Forces.

GNA
06.03.2017 LISTEN

By Mohammed Abdul Rashid, GNA

Accra, March 6, GNA-The paraphernalia of the various political parties, according to a cross section of Ghanaians, has more patronage than the national colours.

Mrs Raamatu Mohammed, a trader told the GNA in an interview that the paraphernalia of political parties were getting more patronage during the elections than the colours of the nation that come in different types of paraphernalia as well.

She said ''the business of selling national colours was slower than party colours during the campaign season'' even with the same prices.

Miss Dzifa Agbeshie, a trader at the Tema station said business was normal but the political part paraphernalia had more patronage than the nation's colours when the two were compared.

But they testified that, even though the political party paraphernalia had more patronage than the national colours during the campaigns ''today as Independence Day when both were displayed, they were buying more of the Ghana colours than the party colours''.

Mr Mensah Badu who was dressed in national colours from top and down with his two sons heading towards the Black Star square said he was '' a patriotic Ghanaian'' but was rather sad that most people were more attached to their diverse political parties than the country'' 'It is bad for the culture and history of our country'.

He added that Ghanaians should be patriotic by dressing locally to portray the good image of Ghana to the outside world to ''help to preserve the rich culture of the country and to lift the flag of the country higher''.

GNA
06.03.2017 LISTEN

By Mohammed Abdul Rashid, GNA

Accra, March 6, GNA - The people of Ghana poured out to the Black Star Square, to celebrate the 60 years anniversary of the country in the national colours.

In an interview with the GNA, Mr Godwin and Godfred, twin brothers who appeared in both the Ghanaian colours and that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) indicated that it felt like Ghana was born today with a very bright future under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo`s administration.

They said they were very proud of being Ghanaians and most especially at the time when the future of Ghana was glowing and promising under the NPP.

They said the peaceful nature of the December 7, 2016 general election was something that every Ghanaian should be proud of wherever they went in the world.

Mr Kojo Emmanuel who also dressed in both the Ghanaian and the NPP colours said: 'I dressed in these colours to show my patriotism of being a Ghanaian and at the same time acknowledging the head of the affairs of the country,' who is currently responsible for the successful delivery of the country.

Meanwhile, some foreigners were also spotted garbed in Ghana`s Red, Gold and Green colours manouvering their ways through the number of people just to have glimpse and experience of the activities.

In speaking to GNA, two men who said they were from Norway on a mission at the Ghana Statistics and wanted to remain anonymous, they said they were very happy to receive the message of coming to Ghana, just about two ago, because the country was very peaceful and the people were very free to live and interact with.

GNA
By Ken Sackey, GNA

Accra, March 6, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday paid homage to Ghana's forebears, expressing optimism that their struggle, vision and dreams that gave the nation independence would be achieved.

'I am confident that we can achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will be worthy inheritors of this land.

'Let us mobilise for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise our potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful.'

President Akufo-Addo expressed the optimism when he delivered his speech at the Black Star Square in Accra to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Ghana's independence.

The theme for the anniversary is: 'Mobilising for Ghana's future.'

The programme was attended by foreign Heads of State including President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, Prime Minister of Mali, Madiba Keita, Vice President of the Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang and Zambian Vice President Inonge Mutukwa Wina, as well as former Nigerian Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

There were also delegations from Algeria, Morocco, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Guinea.

Also in attendance were Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira, the Speaker of Parliament, Mike Aaron Ocquaye, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief of Staff, Frema Opare, former President Rawlings and his wife, Nana, the Chairperson of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, members of the diplomatic community, members of parliament, and senior government officials.

President Akufo-Addo noted that though Ghana's forebears won the country political freedom with the expectation that the country would develop rapidly, that prospect had not yet materialised.

He observed that the economic dividend that should have accompanied the freedom that independence brought had been elusive, stating: 'We have run out of excuses and it is time to set Ghana to rights and get our country to where it should be.'

'The challenge before us is to build our economy and generate a prosperous, progressive and dignified life for the mass of our people. Hard work, enterprise, creativity, discipline and a consistent and effective fight against corruption in public life would bring the transformation we seek,' he said.

President Akufo-Addo said for Ghana to achieve those goals there ought to be unity of purpose by all and sundry, saying: 'We must take pride in our diversity by all means, but the Ghanaian must always rise above the ethnic or sectional interest.'

'We have a bright future, and we must mobilise all our resources and all our strengths, here and in the Diaspora, to get to that promised land of prosperity faster.'

The President used the occasion to also draw attention to the need to protect the environment from degradation, as the country's water bodies, varied trees, plants and fauna were being largely wiped out.

'It is turning out to be a constant refrain, I know, but, on a day like this, we cannot ignore the state of our environment. We are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forebears bequeathed to us.

'Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted.

President Akufo-Addo said: 'It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn.'

He said though Ghanaians had the right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers. 'But we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes.'

He said there was no better homage to give the nation's forebears than to dedicate the 60th independence anniversary to protecting the environment, and regenerating the lands and water bodies.

GNA
Ashaiman (GAR), March 6, GNA - The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly has honoured eight private and public schools for their excellent performance and smartness at the 60th Independence Day parade.

The schools are Don Bosco Senior High, Ashaiman Senior High, Eagle Foundation Junior High, Nuru Mustapha Junior High, Ashaiman 'No2' Junior High, Peace Paradise Primary, St Augustine Primary and Leading Light Primary Schools.

They received plaques and 500 exercise books each as their awards.

Mr Joshua Adams Asihene, the Municipal Coordinating Director congratulated the schools for their high level of performance at the parade and urged them to keep it up.

The dignitaries at the parade were Mr Ernest Norgbe, Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Nii Adzor, Regent of Ashaiman, Mrs Fati Assan, Ashaiman District Director of the Ghana Education Service, among others.

GNA
MTN Ghana the leading telecommunication network have taken a kind step to empower women economically by establishing an ultra-modern facility for women engaging in palm oil production at Juaso in the Asante Akim south district of the Ashanti region.

The facility is to present new module of extracting oil from palm to boost output production as well as empowering the women to adapt to new skills of operation.

Juaso is a community with palm oil production as it major economic activity producing locally at the area. The work, mainly done by women to take care of their children, is confronting with diverse social challenges which possess risk on their health.

Despite the work station exposed to direct sunshine, it is also few meters from a school which cark teaching and learning, as well as exposing student to danger.

In response to an appeal made by local authorities of Juaso to MTN to help curtail some challenges, the company responds to their call last year to construct modern edifice that would house the workers to enhance their production.

A tour by MTN executives to inspect to ongoing project, the company cooperate service executive Mr. Sam Koranteng hinted that MTN foundation is eager to support Ghanaians to gain sound economic freedom, trough one percent contribution from staff salary.

This forms part of MTN cooperate social responsibility by given back to the society. He emphasized.

He mention health, education and economic empowerment as prior areas the foundation is focused to provide needed assistance to support the growth of the individuals and the country.

According to him, the project worth Ghc 200,000 will enable transforms the lives of beneficiaries, as well as providing sound working environment to increase production.

He said, over 200 women who will benefit using the facility, will as well receive adequate training on safety measures and basic management skills to prepare them adequately.

He noted that, setting the cottage industry help curb poverty at the area.

On his part, Nana Asafoakaa Akyei Tabi II applauds the MTN for such kind gesture. He reiterated his outfit will continue and ready to offer any assistance to Mtn to support the community.

He called on other stakeholders emulate same to the development of the country.
07.03.2017 LISTEN

As students of history we can learn to honour great men and women without shutting our eyes to their faults. Perhaps these human imperfections make their achievements all the more heroic.

-Michael Stanford, A companion to the study of history, p.41

This 6th March, 2017 marks the 60 years since Ghanas independence, which kindled waves of African independence smuggles across the continent. Dr Kwame Nkrumah was a pivotal figure in those rowdy struggles of that epoch. It was a period entangled with cold war tensions.

My interest in freedom fighters and wars of Liberation had been ignited and rekindled much by the South-African struggle for the elimination of the policy of apartheid and the establishment of racial equality. I followed the erstwhile developments keenly, admiring the heroism displayed by the South-Africans. I am one of the countless millions of people who draw inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life.

One thing that fascinated me most was when at his trial, he explained his vision for his country, by saying that: I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. I learnt of Nelson Mandela and the struggles that took place in South Africa and it stirred something in me. It incited me up to my responsibilities and it set me on an implausible expedition.

Without any equivocation, I must confess that it is an arduous task to write about an eminent person about whom, so much has been written about; it is a herculean task to find something novel or worthy to say. So let me say, to rephrase Groucho Marx that if you have heard any of the subsequent analysis before, please dont stop reading, for I myself would like to read it again!

Let me state emphatically that, I do not have anything to do with the CPP (Convention Peoples Party). I just sympathize very much with their African Liberation Agenda. I will never allow myself to be chained by doctrine as not to be appreciative or acknowledge good ideas, whatever the source. Both the socialist and liberal democratic systems serve certain ends of the values I wish to see established, which does not preclude, discipline, patriotism, devotion to duty, clean politics devoid of throwing verbal salvos at individuals personality, integrity, respect for human rights, and Africa. Despite the fact that, I despise abuses of Human Rights. I share the apparition of Kwame Nkrumah, and the likes of Rawlings, and I also admired and appreciated the fortitude, courage, and resilience of the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Muammar Gaddafi, Malcom X, Karl Marx and Fidel Castro-quite a dogmatic political icons.

PATRIOTEER TRAILBLAZER

Given the sweep of Dr Kwame Nkrumahs life, the scope of his feats on the political strata, the adoration that he so rightly and legitimately earned, its tempting to think to remember Dr Kwame Nkrumah as an ironic, tranquil, detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men.

Born in the small village of Nkroful, in the far southwest of the Gold Coast, a boy raised by a single Mom (Nyaniba) from cradle, son of a gold smith. Tutored by the catholic missionaries. Defied all odds to become an ironic figure as the most renowned and celebrated African political figure of the last century and obviously beyond. Through the defiant restless ambition, he demanded self-government now from the British. He ignited pride and lifted up the self-esteem of the black race.

In the arc of Dr Kwame Nkrumahs life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, astuteness and persistence. He tells us what is possible not just in the pages of history books, but within our own lives as well, we have awakened, and we will not sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the World. That new African is ready to fight his own battles and show that after all, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs.

And we know that he shared with millions of Africans and Ghanaians the anger born of, we are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our own foundation-our own African identity.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah was not only a leader of a movement, but a dexterous politician, true to his vision of liberating us from the hands of the colonial masters. Notwithstanding the authoritative tone of his regime, Nkrumahs positive feats of guiding Ghana to independence and helping other African colonies to achieve the same are incontrovertible and irrefutable. He further went on by supporting nationalist movements in other African colonies and to champion total African independence and the union of the entire continent as the United States of Africa.

Nkrumahs Pan-Africanist vision has survived into the twenty-first century and shaped the thinking of a new generation of what Ali Mazrui refers to as Africans of the soil and Africans of the blood as one of Nkrumahs greatest critics, Mazrui acknowledges, Nkrumahs greatest bequest to Africa was the agenda of continental unification. No one else has made the case of drama than Nkrumah. Although most African leaders regard the whole idea of a United States of Africa as wholly unattainable in the foreseeable future, Nkrumah even after his death has kept the debate alive through his book and through the continuing influence of his ideas. The first time the AFRICA UNITE was published, cynics, critics, pessimists and the sceptics thought that Nkrumah was embarking on mission impossible, It is certain they can no longer doubt his statesmanship. In the words of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to suggest that the time is not yet ripe for considering a political union of Africa is to evade facts and ignore realities in Africa today. Here is a challenge which destiny has thrown to the leaders of Africa.

Kwame Nkrumahs speech at the founding of the OAU has since become a classic, even ionic. In front of 31 other African heads of state who met in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 24th May 1963, Nkrumah appealed, cajoled, and did everything in perhaps his greatest speech ever to convince his colleagues to go the hog and create a strong continental union. Sadly, they decided otherwise. A very historic opportunity that slid by and changed the spiral of African progress downwards.

SYNOPSIS OF EPOCH FEATS

During Dr Kwame Nkrumahs junta, in the year 1962, they adopted what was known as the Party's Programme of Work and Happiness, which asserted their fundamental objective as the building of a socialist state devoted to the welfare of the masses. The concrete programme of action for this was worked out in their Seven Year Development Plan launched on the 11th of March 1964. In presenting the Plan to the National Assembly he emphatically stated that their main tasks was first, to speed up the rate of growth of the national economy; secondly, to enable them to embark upon the socialist transformation of the economy through the rapid development of the state and co-operative sectors; thirdly, to eradicate completely the colonial structure of the economy. The Plan embodied measures aimed to achieve a self-sustaining economy founded on socialist production and distributionan economy balanced between agriculture and industry, providing sufficient food for the people and supporting secondary industries based on the products of our agriculture. Ghana was to be as soon as possible a socialist state. The people, through the state, would have an effective share in the economy of the country and an effective control over it. Thus the principles of scientific socialism would be applied to suit our own particular situation.

In his Seven Year Development Plan he recognised the value of foreign investment in the private sector, particularly in the production of consumer goods, the local processing of Ghanaian raw materials and the utilisation of Ghana's natural resources in the areas of economic activity where a large volume of investment was required. But he welcomed foreign investors in a spirit of partnership. In the first ten years of his administration, his government drew up the First and Second Five Year Development Plans (1951-1956 and 1959-1964), and the Consolidation Plan, which covered the two-year gap between these Plans (1957- 1959). Under these Plans the foundations were to be laid for the modernisation and industrialisation of Ghana. A skilled labour force was to be trained and an adequate complement of public services built up such as transport, electricity, water and telecommunications.

In the year 1951, before Dr Kwame Nkrumah took office there was no direct railway between Accra and Takoradi, in those days their main port Passengers and freight had to travel by way of Kumasi. This was because Kumasi was the centre of the timber and mining industries, both of which served foreign interests and were therefore well supplied with the necessary communications. There were few roads, and only a very rudimentary public transport system. For the most part, people walked from place to the other. There were very few hospitals, schools or clinics, social amenities to be precise. Most of their villages at that time lacked piped born water supply. The condition of Ghana in 1964 showed that his first two years Development Plans had been carried out with a high degree of feat. They had one of the most modern network of roads in Africa. Takoradi harbour had also been extended, and the great artificial harbour at Tema, the largest in Africa, built from scratch.

Moreover there were large extensions of the supply of water and telecommunication networks had been constructed, and further extensions were under construction before his overthrow. The agricultural sector was being diversified and mechanised. Above all, the Volta River Project, which was designed to provide the electrical power for agricultural and industrialisation programme, was almost completed.

In education, progress was equally impressive. In ten years of his administration, he had achieved more than what was achieved in the whole period of the colonial rule- can you believe that? The figures below show the great increase in the numbers of children in primary and middle schools, and of students in secondary and technical schools and in colleges of higher education as at that time. The building of schools and colleges was given top priority in his development plans. He took the unprecedented step in Africa of making all education free, from primary to university level. So to the novice, the purveyor of the ideology of free education in Ghana was started by Dr Kwame Nkrumah. In addition, textbooks were supplied free to all pupils in primary, middle and secondary schools, as is being done currently by the contemporary government. In the 1964-65 school year there were 9,988 primary and middle schools with an enrolment of 1,286,486. There were 89 secondary schools with 32,971 pupils; 47 teacher training colleges with an enrolment of 10,168; 11 technical schools and 3 universities. This wholly, in a population of 7,500,000 placed Ghana in the lead in the midst of independent African states. At the same time, a mass literacy crusade or campaign made Ghana the most literate country in the whole of Africa.

Before his Party came to power in 1951, all imported goods were in the hands of a few big foreign firms, especially the monopolist United Africa Company, part of the Unilever complex. Foreign firms dominated Ghana's trade and virtually controlled the economy. By 1965, however, the hold was being broken. The nationalised Ghana National Trading Corporation was distributing 32 per cent of all imports. His government also broke through the stranglehold of the big international banking houses. In 1958, foreign banks held one-third of Ghana's foreign currency reserves; in 1965 they held none, so fascinating right.

Afore the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, the government was making an investment of 25 million annually in manufacturing sector, and the country's main exports, which were; cocoa receiving 680 million cedis annually, Timber receiving 31.2 million cedis annually and Minerals also receiving 48 million cedis annually, which were providing a sound basis for profitable industrial enterprise. On an average, Ghana annually imports about 264 million cedis on semi-finished and finished products consisting mainly of food and drinks, textiles and clothing, construction materials and capital equipment et al. Annual exports average some 254.4 million cedis of primary produce, mainly cocoa, timber, gold, diamonds and manganese. There was a tremendous growth in industries which were to make possible a cut in imports, particularly of consumer goods, and an increase in our exports, not only of primary produce but of our own locally-manufactured products.

And taking a look at the orientation of Ghana's investment policy during recent years throws further light on the direction in which Ghana was moving. In 1951-1959 90 per cent (ie. 127.8 million) of government expenditure was allocated to provide social services and to create the infrastructure of economic growth, while 10 per cent (13.4 million) went to the productive sector.

Undeniably, during Nkrumahs administration the Ghanaian economy was not without its glitches and hitches. The Ghanaian economic situation. In the words of kwame Nkrumah, to implement the various Development Plans it was necessary to borrow considerable sums of money, but it was borrowed on the basis of building capital assets such as the Volta dam, and over 100 industries established in Ghana since independence. The government made sure that the international agreements signed were based on economic feasibility, and that the money borrowed could create something lasting and beneficial not only for us in our lifetime but for the generations to follow, but is this not true of all national economies, and particularly those of developing countries in the context of the growing gap between rich and poor nations? In any event, these difficulties were not determinant. It was no despicable feat that in January 1965, after five years as a Republic, Ghana had 63 state enterprises and a budget of 200 million, including a supplementary budget, for its population of nearly eight million; while Nigeria, richer in national resources and with a population of 55 million, had a budget of 78 million.

Trendy in Ghana, before 24th February 1966, joblessness or unemployment was virtually unknown. All salaries were paid on regular basis and new jobs were continuously being created as the Seven Year Development Plan was being implemented. It was estimated that more than one million new workers were needed to fill the new jobs which were created, and also to replace those who left the labour force during the Plan period. More than 600,000 of them were employed in industry and agriculture, and another 400,000 were also needed in government services, commerce and construction. The rest were to be employed in transport, mining and the public utility services. In fact, I can foretell that plans were being made to import labour.

Nkrumah in fulfilling his promise on his government's policy of linking Ghana's progress with Africa's total development, he made sure that provisions were made in the Plan for the economic co-operation with other African states. Like he said categorically in his address to the National Assembly on 11th March 1964: "While we wait for the setting up of a Union Government for Africa, we must begin immediately to harmonise our plans for Africa's total development. For example, I see no reason why the independent African states should not have common shipping and airlines in the interests of improved services and economy. With such rationalisation of our economic policies, we could have common objectives and thus eliminate unnecessary competition and frontier barriers and disputes." On the day he inaugurated the completed Volta River Project on 23rd January 1966, he said that: "We are ready and prepared to supply power to our neighbours in Togo. Dahomey, Ivory Coast and Upper Volta. As far as I am concerned this project is not for Ghana alone. Indeed, I have already offered to share our power resources with our sister African states."

CONCLUSION

One of the reasons why we cant seem to get over Dr Kwame Nkrumah is that, Ghanas development slowed down after his departure. The show boy us he was affectionately called, gave us the Tema Motorway and Akosombo Dam, among the other national monuments and societal edifices, but he owned no personal property. Meanwhile after 60 years of independence, a number of Ghanaians live a bare-bone existence in stinky abject poverty, struggling to afford one square meal a day. Financial independence also seems to have side-stepped us. That is why Nkrumah by some is uniquely and exclusively missed.

By examining the trajectory of Nkrumahs life, the political, social and cultural views he held, without any equivocation, Dr Kwame Nkrumahs epoch feat on the political strata was really a mammoth and unprecedented, which was obvious in the various sectors of the economy. Usually, politicians in this part of our wold tend to make magnificent promises in their quest so solicit for votes and for power. And when they get into government, they furtively run away and stop talking about those goals and heaven on earth promises upon which premise, they got the peoples mandate. This is a claim that, every follower of African politics and in particular Ghana politics can attest to without any hesitation. Dr Kwame Nkrumah is by far the, the one and only President who has amply proven that he is an exception to that norm. His political and ideological worldview was in the end product of the times he lived in. His epoch feat is a blue print on the political strata. Nkrumah wasnt just a freedom fighter but a unifier and a prophet as well. In examining Nkrumahs life, one detects an impatient man fundamentally driven by his ideals, conviction, and ambitions for Africa. He was a man of colossal self-assurance and self-belief in his mission to develop Ghana and Africa.

As a new generation, African people have emerged on the African continent and in the diaspora and the cold war has ended, Nkrumahs social, political, and cultural thoughts need to be reassessed and understood in the context of the time in which he emerged and the goals and vision he sought to realize. Why he did or did not achieve those goals need to be appreciated. While he continues to be revered as a founder of modern Ghana to Ghanaians across the ideological spectrum and beyond, it is necessary to place him in proper historical perspective. With a more sober understanding of both his positive and negative contributions, it is evident Nkrumah continues to have a relevance to contemporary and African and social thought (Ama Biney, 2010)

As far as I am concerned, I am in the knowledge that death can never extinguish the torch which I have lit in Ghana and Africa. Long after I am dead and gone, the light will continue to burn and be borne aloft, giving light and guidance to all people in deed Dr Kwame Kofi Nkrumah never dies. He continues to remain a potent natural metaphor in politics today. He serves as a powerful symbol that many lay claim for their own political and cultural purposes of mobilization, even as a talisman to win natural elections.

Long live the African Revolution- Kwame Nkrumah

The humble perspectives of an agog and avid follower of Political ideology and a citizen of GHANA NOT A SPECTATOR.

Your friend

Joshua N. Batsa

(Nkrumahist)

Bibliography

National Archives of Ghana (NAG).

Nkrumah, Kwame, Papers. Moorland- Spingarn Research Center. Howard University.

Mazrui, Nkrumahs legacy.

Nkrumah, Autobiography.

Nkrumah and Nkrumahism.

The journal of Pan African studies.

AUSTIN, Politics in Ghana.

Newspapers

African Morning Post (Accra).

Ashanti Times (Accra).

The Daily Graphic (Accra).

The Evening Times (Accra).

The Ghanaian Times (Accra)

The New York Times.

Peoples Daily Graphic (Accra).

The West African Pilot (Lagos).

Magazines

Africa Confidential.

New African Magazines.

Ghana Today.

Books

Ama Biney, The political and social thought of Kwame Nkrumah

Afari- Gyan, K. Nkrumahs Ideology. In Arhin, Life and Work.

Kwame Nkrumah, I speak of freedom

Kwame Nkrumah, Dark Days in Ghana

Appiah, J. Joe Appiah: The Autobiography of an African Patriot. London: 1990.

Obed Asamoah, Political history of Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah, class struggle in Africa

Asante, S. K. B. Ghana and the Promotion of Pan- Africanism and Regionalism. The J. B.

Danquah Memorial Lecture Series 40. Accra: March 2007.

Theses

Afari- Gyan, K. The Political Ideas of Kwame Nkrumah. PhD diss. University of Ghana, 1974.

Vincent Dodoo,  Kwame Nkrumahs Mission And Vision for Africa and the World. Department of History and Political Studies Social Sciences Faculty, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. Kumasi, Ghana.

Websites

www.kwameNkrumahCentenary.org


The United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres has (March2, 2017) affirmed that Ghana will continue to be a dependable partner in world affairs.

Speaking during a courtesy call on him at the UN Headquarters in New York by Ghanas Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Mr. Guterres described Ghana as a model country on the African continent.

Mr. Guterres stated that Ghana is a game-changer and therefore hoped that more countries will learn from her example. He recalled the leading role the country (Ghana) played in welcoming refugees from Liberia, Togo and Ivory Coast when he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

We are looking forward to Ghanas support in peace and security in ECOWAS. Ghana will always play an important role in the ECOWAS. Preventive actions in the region are very important, and we are counting on your support, said the Secretary General.

In this vein, he praised the work being done by Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the UNs Special Representative in West Africa to solve regional problems.

On her part, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey conveyed greetings from Ghanas President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to the Secretary General and also congratulated him (Mr. Guterres) on his new role as Secretary General.

She lauded the UN for the transparent and inclusive manner in which the Secretary General was selected this time round.

The Ghanaian Foreign Minister was equally glad that Mr. Guterres had selected a woman from ECOWAS as his deputy and moved on further to appoint another woman as Chef du Cabinet, a true reflection of his Gender Parity agenda.

Extolling Ghanas democratic credentials, she noted that The Ghana government stands for the rule of law, true democracy, peace and security. We have seen and given a good example of what we get when we entrench democracy. Ghana has shown a clean example of that.

On the ECOWAS front, the Minister said Ghana continues to play a yeomans role in peace and security as reflected in the part the country played in the resolution of the recent Gambian crisis. She also expressed gratitude to the UN Secretary General for the commendation given to Ghana's son, Dr. Chambas, for the good work he was doing in ECOWAS.

In this connection, Ms. Botchwey assured the world body that Ghana will play her part in the UNs effort for world peace, especially when it comes to peace keeping.

The Minister told the Secretary General that Ghana has not taken lightly the issue of terrorism, cyber security, climate change and will do everything to support the UN in that direction.

The Minister was hopeful that the SGs rich experience in refugees and other matters will be an advantage in his present assignment.

Present were Ambassador Martha Pobee, Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Philbert Johnson, Deputy Permanent Representative, Mr. R. Harry Reynolds, Head of Information and Mr. Theodore Yeboah, First Secretary, all of the Ghana Mission, New York.

Earlier had interaction with the staff of the Ghana Mission and the UNSRC, an association of Ghanaians working with the UN.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 6, 2017  Officials of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR) held discussions with some 50 power regulators from across Africa during the 13th Annual AFUR and Annual General Assembly (AGA) Conference, which took place from February 27 to March 2, 2017 in Abidjan. The meetings focused on the regulatory environment required for the development of power infrastructure, the improvement of quality service and supply, and the promotion of access to energy in Africa.

The meetings were timely as global investors are showing strong interest in burgeoning African power sector, but with very small investments being realized due to transparency and regulatory environment issues.

Power regulation is a key flagship of AfDBs New Deal on Energy for Africa. According to Wale Shonibare, AfDBs Director of Energy Solutions, Policy and Regulation, Africas energy potential is enormous. He added that Africa has vast solar potential (10 TW), abundant hydro resources (350 GW), wind (110 GW) and geothermal energy sources (15 GW). Africa currently holds more than 8 percent of the worlds proven oil and gas reserves. However, lighting and powering the continent has been a challenge, he added.

AfDB has, for instance, supported initiatives in Angola update of cost reflective power tariff; Tanzania  reinforcement of regulatory capacity; and Egypt  establishment of a legal framework for the liberalization and regulation of the gas sector, Shonibare said.

He said that AFUR is a valuable partner of the New Deal, and there is need to focus on setting up appropriate tariffs and regulations as well as on increasing the efficiency of the national electricity companies.

For his part, Moctar Toure, Director General of Malis Commission de Regulation de l'Electricite et de l'Eau (CREE) and AFUR Chairperson, said, AFUR has key role to play in coordination of support to regulatory agencies and has requested financial support to public service regulatory agencies.

AfDB and the New Deal on Energy for Africa

Africa constitutes only about 16 percent of the global population, but 53 percent of the global population is without access to electricity. Per capita consumption of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) is 180 kWh, compared to 13,000 kWh in the United States and 6,500 kWh in Europe. Over 700 million Africans do not have access to clean cooking energy, and 600,000 African women and children die annually due to indoor air pollution arising from use of carbon-based fuels (e.g. charcoal) for cooking. This situation has to change if Africa is to realize the SDGs.

The African Development Bank is implementing the New Deal on Energy for Africa, to Light up and power Africa, with the aspirational objective of achieving universal access to energy by 2025. The Bank will invest US $12 billion in the power sector over the next five years and aims to leverage US $45-50 billion from the private sector. Recent developments in the off-grid sector are promising, but an effective and relevant regulatory environment is needed to coordinate the rollout of decentralized solutions and grid expansion.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 6, 2017  The African Development Bank provides significant financial resources to reach small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including through its non-sovereign operations. In 2016 alone, the AfDB Board of Directors approved over US $400 million in new lending to financial institutions (FIs) for Africas SMEs.

AfDBs funding is expected to help SMEs access new loans, enabling them to invest in expanding their productivity capacity and ultimately to grow their business, increase their revenues, create new jobs and play a key role in Africas inclusive growth story. However, financing is only one component of what is required to support Africas SMEs. Are we doing enough to help African financial institutions to better reach SMEs on an effective, efficient and sustainable basis?

This was the key topic of the Technical Assistance (TA) Learning Forum hosted by the Financial Institutions and Inclusion Division (PIFD1) of the African Development Bank on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in Abidjan.

In 2013, the AfDB launched the Africa SME Program  a US $125-million envelope to provide smaller, local FIs with both financial resources and technical assistance. The Fund for Africa Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) provided generous support through a grant to support co-financing of TA and capacity building programs.

So far, in partnership with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and with the funding from FAPA, TA needs assessments have been undertaken with 14 different institutions, spread across 12 different countries in Africa. Full TA programs have been provided to sevennn institutions in three languages  Portuguese, French and English.

Participants at the Learning Forum discussed approaches to identify TA needs, including through SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. They looked at key areas for TA interventions, such as SME market and business strategies, risk management, information technology and mobile banking and environmental and social management systems. Case studies from various countries were presented and lively debates were held.

This learning forum comes at a time when the Bank is operationalizing its High 5 priorities and seeking to expand its on-the-ground presence. Speaking at the event, Peter Ide, Chief Technical Assistance Officer, welcomed participants on behalf of the FAPA secretariat and donors, and noted, This programmatic approach, linking investment and lending operations, is highly innovative and relevant to us in the context of the Banks new Development and Business Delivery Model.
07.03.2017 LISTEN

As the efforts to forge a greater economic cooperation between the South South and South East billed for April 2017 gathers momentum,there is need to point out dangers in the approach emerging. This is not a political platform for any body and should not be seen as a cover for separatism or political victimisation of any group or even ascendency of anyone because it would play us into the hands of the devil itself.

What we are gathered here to do is establish a framework for greater economic union of the two neighbour zones in Nigeria. Whatever we propose must be workable under the present imperfect political configuration. So the economic union is to be seen as a temporary solution geared to giving the area better livelihood to enable it pursue better political positioning in the Nigerian context.

Political changes are to be undertaken as laid down under the Nigerian context not outside it. What we are doing is only relevant under the existing political configuration. We have to work within it not outside it if we are to get to an end in this exercise. Political considerations must then be secondary especially if it anticipates fundamental changes outside the popular demand for true Federalism.

In that case this platform cannot be used for separatist pursuits for it defeats the whole objective from the outset. It should also not be used for destructive criticism because it may detract from the solution framework that we have started to pursue. If things were not horrible we wouldn't have come together. So we need solutions within this framework rather than recalling unduly the past that is about to pass away. Spiritually it saps the creative energy we need to move forward here.

So if I have to suggest,let us go forwards to suggesting how an economic union can bring back the power that was this region historically and I dare say that all other things will be added unto that. When the Region can benefit from her resources,when she can invest within not without to further strengthen what she has then she can no longer be just a political bride as she is today but a source of that political strength as well needed to lift Nigeria and Africa.

The major challenge we face is that the present economy does not proportionally benefit these areas because of wrong economic realignment arising because of the civil war,something that has never been attended to up till now.

This wrong alignment gives the South East and South South the wrong impression that they need not work together to be prosperous.With the illusion of revenue allocation already laid to rest by today's depression the two zones are beginning to understand that they are shortchanging themselves working at cross purpose economically. Instead of the States building highways to link themselves, they prefer to fund highways linking them to the North or West since financial allocation on which the artificial economy is dependent comes from these areas.

In the same vein we invest there as if we do not have deep sea ports and expertise within. So we end up spending all the allocation trying to keep afloat awaiting the next payout under heavy taxation. That is the challenge we face today. If we can develop our joint regions and make it self sufficient economically then we can have something to reposition our political placing as well.

nworisara
Somewhere in 2012, then as a Public Relations intern with Infocus PR Consultancy. One of the earliest lessons I learnt was that in periods of crisis it is better to be seen as the victim rather than the villain.

A very short statement yet profound. It invariably underscore the posture that companies should take in periods of crisis and how their Crisis response or Communications Strategy works to their advantage or otherwise.

When news of the Marwako debacle broke, I was inundated with calls on the need to join the boycott Marwako movement on social media. Interestingly, I had friends who questioned why I refused to use my social media timelines to join the campaign. They unfortunately do not understand how we in the PR industry work.

Indeed, it is not and will never be in our interest to join the bandwagon in seeing the downfall of any organization nor be the frontiers of such campaigns when we also manage Public Relations for our brands. This is not to say that the issues raised are not genuine but I am looking at the PR perspective of it. Every organization I must say is susceptible to crisis and every PR professional knows this.

The Marwako debacle I must say is very unique. Indeed, it is one that requires a specialized understanding of not only the communications pitfalls and opportunities, but also the complex operational nuances that are inherent in the hospitality industry.

I recall telling my good friend Benjamin Alpha that I am watching keenly to Marwakos response strategy before I comment extensively on the matter when he aptly analyzed the incident and its emerging backlash. That was on 4th March, 2017.

The following day March 5th 2017, Management of the restaurant eventually released a statement where they among other things suspended Jihad Chaaban, the supervisor at the center of the incident. That to me was indicative of managements resolve to reduce the impact this crisis may have on their brand.

Good as this move may be, it fell short of giving a firm commitment from management in seeing to the resolution of the matter. One of the immediate steps would have been to fire the supervisor (Not suspend) and completely disassociate the brand from the supervisor by refocusing on the brand and what their brand really means to the consumer and the general public. The failure of management to clearly separate the brand Marwako from the person Jihad Chaaban is partly a reason why most Ghanaians totally rejected managements explanation.

Secondly, Marwakos response was slow. In the world of PR, timing is very critical. The incident happened on Sunday February 26, 2017, the victim reported the matter to the police on February 28, 2017 and management publicly responded to the issue on March 5th, 2017.

Management of Marwako failed to appreciate the staggering reality that restaurants are susceptible to a PR crisis due to the volume of traffic and consumer-facing nature of these hospitality brands. I am tempted to believe that management was actually trying to adopt the traditional PR model of ignoring the incident and hopes it disappears into thin air.

That I must say will not happen with todays consumer. They have proven to be more active especially with the emergence of social media. Marwako failed to monitor social conversations and media mentions of the incident. Responding swiftly (not reactionary) to the issue would have been more appropriate in this case.

Also, management failed to equip their front line staff. I was totally shocked to hear the Kitchen supervisor of the Abelenkpe branch defend Jihad Chaaban on City FM hours after management of the restaurant issued a press statement. This in my opinion makes the matter murkier and has the potential to worsen their already bad ratings.

This was needless! Organizations must understand that every level staff could be a media resource because my colleagues in the Journalism profession will not stop been nosy. They would always want a different angle to the story.

Organizations must not just equip their senior management with prepared statements and talking points. Every front-line employee like waiters, line managers among others should be educated a lot on the crisis response protocol. That is critical, otherwise you will have employees giving different perspective to the issue and further worsen your plight.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Marwako debacle I must say is not a hopeless case. In fact PR Professionals will tell you that NO PUBLICITY IS BAD PUBLICITY and that has proven to be true in many instances.

1. They should set up a crisis management team- the committee which will be led from the top will have access to all sections of the company and will centralize all sources of information. During crisis this group will provide actionable feedback to senior management.

2. Set up a communications outfit or outsource the management of communications to an external PR- I noticed they dont have a PR outfit. They can immediately set up a PR outfit or outsource the management of Public Relations to an outside PR Agency which will be tasked with the responsibility of drawing up a robust Communications Strategy which includes a Crisis Management plan.

3. They should reshape the narrative by reinforcing their brand messages.

4.They should also set up a social media monitoring strategy to monitor and quell the boycott Marwako campaign since these platforms has suddenly become avenues for people to express their discontent.

5. They should develop an internal communications strategy that does not neglect their internal stakeholders.

These recommendations are not exhaustive. There are so many ways of handling the issue depending on the angle the PR Professional want to look at the crisis.

-Steve Kubate Salifu

Advertising and Media Relations Manager at B Branding Solutions, a Brands and Digital Marketing Consultancy.
Picture shows Lawyer Okyere Darko (L) receiving a commemorative gift from Dr. Boafo with Dr. Asiedu looking on.

07.03.2017 LISTEN

On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Ghanas Independence, Lawyer Okyere Darko was invited by the Kwakwaduam Association Inc. of New York as a Guest Speaker at a Lecture. The theme for the Lecture was Being a Good Ambassador of Ghana

In his submission Lawyer Okyere Darko admonished the members of the Organization to live by the tenets of the laws of the US and to pay attention to the nuances that leads to Living the American Dream. He said America is a great nation and the land of opportunity but he stressed that America is also a land that respects and enforces its laws. He said America rewards hard work and suggested that it is the land of equal opportunity and we should take advantage of that opportunity. He took the advantage to explain the implications of Immigration Laws. He gave an insight into the current immigration trends and how to navigate them successfully.

He said we should be proud Ghanaians, showcase our heritage and at every opportunity present Ghana as a beacon of Africa, land of peace and a Business and Tourist Attraction.

The President of the Organization, Mr. Mark Saforo said that he expects the Leadership of Ghana to engage the Diaspora in a collaborative atmosphere so that the Diaspora can be of meaningful use to National Development. On his part Mr Stephen Sackie was of the opinion that after all said and done Home Sweet Home

Dr Asiedu a Private Practitioner of the famous Oman Clinic in New York said he was impressed by the foresight of Kwakwaduam Association in organizing such a lecture.

The Vote of thanks was given by Dr. Alex Boafo, a Gynecologist at the Albert Einstein Medical School. He said Lawyer Okyere Darkos presentation was excellent and that it motivated the membership of the Organization and hoped that he will oblige future invitations.

It was an interactive value added evening with a lot views and opinions expressed.

Visit Kwakwaduam on the web at www.Kwakwaduam.Org
07.03.2017 LISTEN

Arise Ghana Youth For Your Country composed by JMT Dosoo as his contribution to the idea and cause called GHANA.Together with Ephraim Amus Y3n Ara Asaase Ni and God Bless Bless Our Homeland Ghana by Philip Gbeho,these Patriotic Songs sought to endear We,The Sons and Daughter of Black-Star-Land to Our-Beloved Country,and to instill in us a sense of Pariotism and Love for the Nation and Love for Each-Other.His Excellency,Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo,President,The Republic of Ghana and Current Occupant of the Precious-Black-Star-Throne.God Bless Him.HE Alhaji Dr. Mahamadu Bawumi,Vice President and Future-President of Our Republic. IN SHA ALLAH! KOKROKOO;Otiko-Djaba,She Is A Star,Ghana-Black-Star!Madam Hajia Samira Ramadan Bawumia,Shes A Revelation and A Ghana-Black-Star! May God Protect Them And Especially Dr and Mrs Bawumia from those who tried to Eliminate Dr Bawumia in 2013 and 2016 and others who may still harbor such intentions both within and outside the NPP.For We All Know That Some of the mans enemies are parading the Corridors of Power even as I type.

There are those within the NPP who think that Alhaji Bawumia jumped the line of succession as if the party is an inheritance.After all Judas like Jesus was a Jew.The Romans may have crucified Jesus of Nazareth his betrayal through a Jew.May God Protect Alhaji Bawumia from every potential Judas in the party for the man has suffered a lot; personally, professionally and for the party in order to get to his current position of Vice President. The Battle Is For The Lord!2 Corinthians 20:15b.In the words of a great author Viktor Frankly for his book Mans Quest For Meaning, What Is To Give Light Must Endure Burning.SELAH.

Sixty years in anybodys life regardless of the persons sex,race,creed,tribe,ethnicity is monumental therefore 60yrs in Ghanas Life/Existence Must Be Celebrated in Style;After all We are the Sons and Daugthers of the Gold Coast;Land of Black-Gold and the Black-Star.Official celebration of Kwame Nkrumahs Ghana commences March 6th,2017 and continues hopefully till December 31st 2017 through such efforts as volunteering for the handicapped and disabled.By Style though I dont mean just throwing money about indiscriminately like the Charles Wereko-Brobbey led [email protected] committee in 2007.What Im referring to hear is deepening the sense of Patriotism and Love for the Nation that has been on the decline for sometime now.By style,I mean mobilizing the youth to step our game up and actively partake in the continuous growth of our-beloved-country.

Like Kwame Nkrumah did back in the era of independence and its immediate aftermath,the youth must once again DREAM, and feel like The Nation, whether or not she Rises to attain its promise depends on us. The President started this effort through his inaugural speech which unfortunately got tainted by allegations of plagiarism.Unlike Nkrumah,however, the youth must know that Respect for our elders must be Fused on with any sense of Vibrant-Activism. I am a personal admirer of Kwame Nkrumah for what he together with the Big Six and other Pioneers contributed to the cause of Self-Governance and outright rejection of Dominion and Domination regardless of the perks that came with it.

I am also a fan of his for his achievements both National in Ghana and Internationally in AfriKa until he decided to turn the Nation into Mao Zedongs China with a decree for a one party state with him Nkrumah as the sole occupant of the Black-Star-Throne. As we celebrate 60years of progress albeit slow progress compared to other counties which embarked on this exercise of self-governance around the same period ; President NADAA whose kinsmen along with the relatives of many others in the NPP,NDC,PP,CPP,. participated actively in the fight for independence must know that gaining the opportunity to self-rule doesnt equal progress.He must also know that having relatives in the early governments of our republic doesnt necessarily Translate into being a Great Head of State Onaapo Mahama has shown us.

Above All, His Excellency, The President must learn from the mistakes of the previous NPP government under Ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor that personnel equals competence equals success and having the right people in the right positions in the right organizations is vital for the success of his administration.In my opinion, the two most outstanding governments of Ghana so far were the Kufuor and Nkrumah administration,that is before Nkrumahs decension into Pharoahism forgetting that Ghana was the Land of Black-Stars and not Mummies.Personnel with executive and management defects like Charles Wereko Brobbey must be eschewed for competent ones with sharp executive acumen like Paa Kwasi Nduom.Charles Wereko-Brobbey,before the coming of Onaapo Mahama and Opuni of Cocoaboard fame was the single most incompetent executive I had known about in this world and God knows Ive been around.

The man is as brillian as it comes but as defective as it gets in the running of any organization let alone one as Volta River Authority.From Casely-Hayford to Kalitsi to Kirk Kofie; Tarzan as Monsieur Wereko-Brobbey is popularly called is the most unproductive CEO,VRA has ever had.Personally,my administration for his intelligence and activism especially under the Rawlings regime is enormous but I wouldnt hire the man to run a Toy-Store let alone a prominent organization like VRA and the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat as President did.The man is a policy-wonk and an ideas man but belongs no where near anybodys business.He belongs in a Think-Thank where his brains could be tapped but make him head like Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI and you are guaranteed a rapid decline in its fortunes.

Unfortunately,Dr Wereko-Brobbey whose uncle Victor Owusu mentored a young JA Kufuor in his law chambers and whose mum is rumored to have to have been a prominent educationist in the Ashanti Region during Mr Kufuors childhood had become a tick in the flesh of the Kufuor Administration.Everybody recognized his ineffectiveness and inefficiency as CEO but little could be done about it since his ties to the President Kufuor and his family both personally and professionally run so deep. Salvation would come later in the Kufuor Administration through his firing from VRA by none other than Dr. Paa Kwasi Nduom (Edwumawura) who had become the minister of the sector only to resurface years later as CEO of Ghana @50 celebrations.Good Riddance! Somebody Please tell Ex President John Dramani Mahama that his first born is on the streets of Hartford and Southington in need of serious medical help.Happy Independence To Us All.God Bless Our Homeland Ghana!.

Fiifi ofori aka Sowee
07.03.2017 LISTEN

I cannot believe am about to say this, but the Dictator was right about one of very few things. He was right about the tribal ting of the United Democratic Party (UDP). This is even more apparent when you analyze the words and actions of some senior members of this so-called largest party in The Gambia. The GMC, a splinter group built around a single personality is in fact an inalienable part of the UDP. They are terribly miscalculating their political base. They seem to believe that since 40% of the Gambian population is Mandinka or speak Mandinka, they have that much support base as a starting point. When the fact of the matter is, 64% of the Mandinka population of the Gambia, representing roughly 26% of the population is the true core support base. The rest are political marriages of convenience; those who did not see a real and viable alternative until now.

The truth is most Gambians are not tribal and by extension, most Mandinkas are not tribal. This is thanks to strongly meshed up communities made up of multi-linguistic households and intermarriages that guarantee a strong, inter-dependent and united social structure. This enviable foundation of our nation is a major guarantor of peace and social cohesion. This is what makes a kid with the last name of Joof, Jatta, Bah or Coker growing up in Bundung or Kafuta to take Mandinka as their daily means of communication and sometimes associate more with the Mandinka sub-culture than their patriarchal lineages. Every Gambian must jealously safeguard this precious gift from Allaha harbinger of so much good and goodwill in our society.

For 22 years, the biggest opposition party in the Gambia headed by a 68yr old soon to be septuagenarian, lead this party to multiple elections without success. Where they tried many times and failed, the Coalition Alliance (the true tactical alliance) prevailed in the November 2016 Presidential Elections. I understand that some will like to conveniently argue that the past elections were not free and fair and as a result, the UDP and its allies like the GMC did not benefit from a level playing field under the dictatorship. But the fact of the matter remains, no election is absolutely free and fair in any part of the world, especially in continental Africa. Any party can claim some amount of unfair treatment or the field of play not being level. Case in point (although tangentially) is the 2016 American Presidential Elections. The coalition contested the November election under similar circumstances.

The point being, there cant be any more of a viable tactical alliance than what we the majority (slim as it is) have in the Coalition Alliance. If any party or groups of parties, for whatever reason, decide to break away from the alliance, they will in essence be a rogue party or a bunch of rogue parties. They cannot and will not be representing the interest of the majority of the Gambian people; no matter how cute a verbiage or phrase use to describe their effort. Furthermore, all the points of reason they articulated were no different from what is entailed in the MOU all the parties signed and the selection criteria for candidates will be very similar. The only difference is the narrow view of these leaders for the need of their parties to be visible to the Gambian electorate. This is a ridiculous argument, since all these three parties are prominently represented in Cabinet and Gambian people know which parties they belong to. Does any supporter of these leaders and their parties want to tell the Gambian people that we cannot adequately and appropriately give credit where due when any member of their party excels in a position? If Ousainou Darboe as a Minister of Foreign Affairs excels and brings glory to The Gambia and its people, The Coalition and the UDP undoubtedly benefits, politically. He will be seen to be competent and by extension, his party. The only party that can conceivably be negatively affected is the one not in cabinet. In fact, that will cease to be the case if Halifa and members of the PDOIS under the Coalition umbrella are elected in the national assembly. So, that was a misleading argument at best, and grossly dishonest.

Indeed, the UDP, NRP and even GMC will better guarantee a fair and proportionate representation in the Assembly under the coalition umbrella without unnecessarily causing division and weakening the Coalition Government. The very government they are an integral part of and claim to support. I will not be surprised if this half-hazard effort and rogue decision was taken with less than adequate consultation within their individual parties.

This is the only paragraph I will dedicate to Hamad Bah and the NRP. The truth, I was glad when he was appointed the minister of Tourism. I genuinely thought his management and other experience in the Tourism sector makes sense for him to man that position. But frankly, Hamad Bahs comportment and behavior these past couple of months has left much to be desired. His unprofessional outburst when a journalist asked a very uncomfortable but pertinent question during the signing ceremony of the EU Aid package to The Gambia and total disrespect and humiliation of the moderator of yesterdays press conference are unbecoming and needing total rebuke. I also believe that his alliance with the UDP and its GMC ally is short-sighted and is as a result of Mama Kandeh and the GDC partys purging of his political base. Dont ask me to elaborate.

In summation, the tomfoolery of the NRP and the attempt at amateurish politics by the terrible two (UDP and NRP) is a total betrayal to all those who worked so hard and many that paid the ultimate price (including their supporters) to dislodge the dictatorship and the APRC from power. The only sure way for the APRC to resuscitated itself and reclaim their terrible dominance is a fragmented 2016/2017 Coalition. None of the intended reforms necessary to safe guard against a one party dictatorship and make sure justice is served for the victims of the 22yrs dictatorship is accomplished. This ill-conceived effort by this group is therefore a threat to the New Gambia we collectively heralded barely 2 months ago. I am convinced that those party members that paid the ultimate price will be highly disappointed at the premature usurpation of our new political dispensation. Therefore, I strongly urge the President make every effort in order to indulge on these individuals perpetuating this chaos to come back to the Coalition fold.
In my work as a lawyer, I have come across several heartbreaking stories of injustice: battered wives, abused children, innocent people incarcerated. But one story that has stuck with me is the story of a lesbian who was beaten to death in Accra. The media hardly covered her story and no one spoke up for her after she was gone. And yet, she too, was someones child.

Last week, as calls were made to jail and kill LGBTs (lesbians, gays etc.), I remembered her story. And, I wondered why people are so obsessed with LGBTs? LGBTs are not the reason why youth are hawking goods in our streets, why school children do not have chairs or why many cannot afford one square meal a day. How exactly does 2 grown women or men being attracted to each other affect the price of kenkey? People keep panicking about gay marriage. Which gay person in Ghana has ever asked to get married?

It is sad that discussions about LGBTs are often riddled with myths. People insist that sexual orientation is a choice. But, if it is a choice, why would anyone choose to be gay in Africa where they can be killed? No one wakes up in the morning and decides to be attracted to the opposite sex or the same sex for that matter. It is something that comes naturally to everyone by the time they hit puberty. I have known since I was a child that I am bisexual. People claim LGBTs are recruited and yet no one recruited me. People allege LGBTs are paid. So why am I struggling to finance my studies? On the contrary, writing openly about these issues may endanger my career and life but I must speak up for people like me who are persecuted.

People insist that homosexuality is alien to our culture and yet we have always had gays, lesbians etc. among us. We called them names like kojobesia. Centuries ago, anthropologists who visited Africa discovered homosexuals living here. And yet we all lived together in harmony. So why the sudden urgency to kill off our own brothers and sisters? Armed robbers rob people, Pedophiles rape children but how does a relationship between 2 mature, consenting adults harm you personally? Christianity, Islam, English and suits are alien to African culture. Yet people who love all these insist on stigmatizing homosexuals because of culture. Historically, some African societies used to kill albinos, twins and the disabled. Shall we revert to that also because of culture?

People claim to have a cure for homosexuality and this is simply not true. Why are they unable to explain exactly what this cure entails? Where is the proof of their cures success? Scientists in the US and Europe spent centuries electrocuting LGBTs and injecting them with harmful hormones until they discovered that there is no cure for homosexuality because there is nothing wrong with it in the first place. Alan Turing, the father of computer science, was repeatedly injected with hormones to cure him till he took his own life prematurely. We lost one of the best brains in the world for no reason except that someone thought he needed to be fixed.

I almost died because of all the people that claimed I was an abomination. I remember all the deliverance and counseling sessions I attended for years, all the time spent weeping and praying for God to make me different. I remember the two suicide attempts that got me hospitalized. And I am so grateful to God for making me realize that I am loved and perfect just as I am. Once I accepted myself, the depression and suicide wishes vanished completely.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuality. The mere fact that you personally find it abhorrent does not make it abnormal. I cannot demand that everyone should abstain from okro soup just because I personally hate it. Countless reputable scientific, medical and psychiatric organizations have stated that homosexuality is natural and not a disease. This includes WHO and APA, which publishes a document used as a standard for classifying mental health diseases. The Ugandan National Academy of Sciences recently discovered, after intensive research, that homosexuality is normal. Meanwhile, over a 1500 species of animals engage in homosexual acts and a simple google search produces video clips of animals of the same sex mating. So why do people keep insisting even animals dont do it?

Then there are those who want to jail homosexuals based on the Bible. The same book that calls homosexuality an abomination also called eating shrimp and wearing mixed fabrics abominations- something many Ghanaians enjoy doing. Interestingly, Jesus never mentioned homosexuality but you know what he discussed at length? Adultery. Adultery is also listed in the 10 commandments while homosexuality is not. We know that in Africa, the rates of married men committing adultery is so high that wives have higher rates of HIV infection than single women. So why are there no campaigns to jail men who commit adultery? It is even more hilarious when some men who cheat on their wives hypocritically insist that LGBTs are unacceptable.

People of different sexual orientations have always been on this earth. Jailing us is ridiculous. How will locking up a gay man, in a place where there are only men, turn him straight? Killing us off will not make us vanish because there are children being born, even today, who are LGBT. Will you kill your child just because he/ she is gay, lesbian etc? My sexual orientation does not prevent me from working, paying taxes, assisting the underprivileged or helping Ghana become a great nation. Maybe it is time for us to practice tolerance and acceptance for those who are different from us instead of preaching divisiveness.
Facebook, beyond doubt is the most powerful SOCIAL MEDIA in today's world.

Even I found lots of my 'lost' friends & relatives through Facebook & needless to mention a lot of new connections.

But, as we know, a contact in Facebook doesn't necessarily mean a friend. Ones who already were friends is a different topic altogether. But new connection(s) that we get through Facebook can be termed as ACQUAINTANCE, but not a FRIEND.

I know its good to make FRIENDSHIP between people; its good to promote friendship. But, forcing people for anything against their WILL is nothing less than OPPRESSION (?!) Also, there is something called decorum that must be observed in the civilized world.

In country like Bangladesh, India & Pakistan, where BANGLA, HINDI and URDU is officially our STATE LANGUAGE, in these countries, there are three terms for addressing someone--- TU, TUM & AAP (both in case of Hindi & URDU) while for BANGLA its TUI, TUMI & APNI, which means just YOU. But, according to our culture, we use these subcontinental YOU as per status. For instance, one cannot address his/her superior as either TU/TUM or TUI TUMI but must address as AAP or APNI. This is an important part of our culture.

Also, there's an important issue and that is terming contacts as friend. In Facebook it is observed that as soon as somebody becomes a connection, he/she (in case of senseless ones) starts sending message in HI PAL OR HI DUDE type of subcontinental language, which not only do I but many people find awkward or irritating.

I request Facebook through MODERN GHANA to please keep an option like on being connected, a member may choose to be a friend; not under compulsion; please !!!

A J MAHIN CHOUDHURY

FBID: MAHIN CHOUDHURY

DHAKA, BANGLADESH
07.03.2017 LISTEN

If my children would listen to me, I will plead with them to do me this favour. I hate corruption, they know. I detest it, unfortunately not all of my children turned out good. Every neighbourhood has its brat, remember. And whenever I hear people say apple doesnt fall far from the tree, I get upset. The reason, some of my children fell or have fallen far from the tree. I didnt raise them to become looters or lootees God knows that and hes my witness.

They no better but I think its an alien disease or a syndrome theyve acquired ----through peer pressure and self-indulgence.

We are many, I know. I know I have lots of children. Sixty years ago we were a little over 6 million (6.041.000)today that number has more than quadrupled, coupled with peoples or nationals from far and near (Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe) who are trooping in almost by the day in search of greener pastures.

Why, because weve found Black Gold?

Indeed having many doesnt mean having maniacs. Some of them have developed long hands, artificially that are capable of reaching any pockets and coffers. But I can tell you they didnt inherit it from me neither from their father. They just dont get it. Thou shalt not steal simply means rubbish to them. Of course that language is alien too. And anything alien is alien.

There are some with covetous eyes. They are so jealous so envious and so mischievous. They are greedy and stubborn. They are never satisfied with their booty and loot. They dont love the nation and never have her at heart. They are selfish and impish. Theyve no regrets of pillaging her.

But who gets called? Its me-- Ama Ghana. I get labeled and ridiculed by the west as a corrupt nation. A nation endowed with oil, gold, bauxite, manganese, tin, cocoa, cashew, timber and many more why must my children be impoverished?

Why must my people be terrorised by hunger and killed by disease?

Why must they find themselves in the jaws of poverty?

So heres my answer to your question:

I would like to be celebrated as a corrupt-free nation. A nation that takes care of its people and not the one that steals from them to pay Paul outside. Celebrate me as beautiful, kind, hardworking and a courageous woman. Celebrate me as a virtuous woman, because my candle never goes off, my children must never go hungry in the midst of plenty. I challenge you, you leaders of today and tomorrow to use the resources wisely and take care of my people. This is how I would like to be celebrated.

Who doesnt want to be serenaded? I like pomp. I like to see my people make merry and dance. But that shouldnt be a nine day wonder. That shouldnt be only for the rich few or the aristocrats. That culture of opulence by the wealthy few must cease. Let my people rejoice in their sweat and toil .Let them be happy everyday happy every time. They must be happy in the morning, happy in the afternoon and happy in the evening and be happy year after year.

Today means a lot to me. And I am glad Im 60 years old. I thank God for everything and how far hes brought us. I thank God for my children. Some of my friends and neighbours who joined us to celebrate this memorable anniversary were taken aback. So soon? one of them queried.

Time flies, I remember when I was here in those early days of your independence Ama, said President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

On this occasion, countrymen and women, my heart grieves for the loss of my departed illustrious sons and daughters. Their voices echo deep into the walls of this proud nation. Their tears flow like rivers from the high mountain of Afadjato. They arent happy about the state of the nations economy.

After independence wed a good start. I knew where we were going. Wed the prime minister of Singapore premiere Lee Kwan Yew visited our nation. Apparently, our giant strides had caught attention from the outside worldChina, South Korea including Malaysia envied our robust move. But that audacity would soon dissipate into oblivion.

Our GDP stood neck to neck with Singapore and probably same with South Korea at the time. However, as at December 2015 our GDP was worth 37.54 billion US dollars (which represents 0.06 per cent) of the world economy while Singapores and Malaysias stood at 297.74 billion US dollars and 296.28 billion US dollars respectively.

Paradoxically, these nations today have turned their economies around. Theyre manufacturing and exporting while we continue to import and depend largely on raw materials such as cocoa, timber and minerals.

Historian Walter Rodney offered some reason for this slow growth or bad performance: Rodney argues that by removing Africas most valuable human resource, the slave trade robbed the continent of unknown invention and innovation and production.

Again Rodney contends that the slave trade fueled a process of underdevelopment, whereby African societies came to rely on the export resources which were crucial to their own economic growth. This practice in the long run excluded local development of those resources, he argues.

Even though the continents woes could partly be blamed on what Rodney posited, leaders of these countries and their peoples are responsible for the bulk of the problems bedeviling them. Therefore one cannot use that as a yardstick to make a case for Africas and for that matter Ghanas economic slow growth after independence. Ghanas first President Kwame Nkrumah had an ambitious plan to put the nation at a plinth. His plan to move Ghana after independence from a primarily agricultural economy to a mixed-agricultural-industrial one catapulted her. We were flying. Kwame told me, Mama forward ever backward never.

But the brats aided by the west jolted our forward march.

From, our heroes to heroines of the past, Kwegyir Aggrey, Paa Grant, Yaa Asantewaa, Theodosia Salome Okoh, Ephraim Amu, Kuntu Blankson to Sir Aku Korsa, and all of them, I could hear their voices billow below the tombstones.

I could hear the voices of the Big Six. My son Kwame Nkrumah wept so bitterly. Mama I told you so, he said to me. Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, Ebenezer Ako Agyei, Edward Akufo-Addo and William Ofori-Atta (Paa Willie) all together condemned the coup detats that resurrected those days . They chastised all former military leaders. They blamed them for our woes and as a mother I couldnt agree with them more.

I spoke with my son Kofi Atta Mills. He was as usual the man of peace. I spoke with Hilla Limann another proud son of our dear nation. I told everyone I still love them. Afrifa, Kotoka, Ankrah, Acheampong, Akuffo, Ollenu, Busia all came through with their phone calls later.

And all of them were optimistic about the new direction of the country. They believe our number one problem is corruption. Surprisingly it was my son Kutu Acheampong who said that.

So I wish you all God blessings as we mark this 60th anniversary of our great nation.

God bless our homeland Ghana.
06 March 2017, Johannesburg.  Russian Nuclear Corporation Rosatom announced that it has a number of bursaries available for African students to study towards a nuclear profession at one of its world renowned universities. The announcement was made at this years Working World Exhibition, the most comprehensive and cutting edge career forum for school leaving students. More than 15 000 students are said to attend the three day event and Rosatom representatives were offering guidance on how to apply for a free tertiary education in the nuclear sphere.

Viktor Polikarpov, Rosatom Regional Vice-President for Sub-Saharan Africa, noted that Russia, is one of the global leaders in scientific development. We offer a broad range of educational opportunities for foreign students and young specialists to gain relevant knowledge in different scientific fields. There is currently an opportunity for 60 African students, including ten South African students, to study for a Bachelors degree in nuclear-related subjects at one of our cutting edge learning institutions. This is a great opportunity for foreign students who want to become a part of unique learning experience which has been gained over decades. The Russian nuclear industry celebrated 70 years last year.

South African Masters student at the Department of Teoretical and Experimental Physics of Nuclear Reactors in MEPhI, Blessed Raphotle, says that he feels esteemed and privileged to study at one of the worlds leading research universities, especially in the field of nuclear technology. The future nuclear engineer highlighted that the educational process in MEPhI corresponds to highest standards and the main approach of lectures is to stimulate students into acquiring more knowledge. I will take all the knowledge I have gained back to South Africa with the hope of inspiring a set of values and ideals towards a productive society. Everything in the University is based on the principles of openness, internationalism, and innovation, noted Raphotle.

With over 70-years experience in the industry, Rosatom believes with certainty that nuclear technology has a critical role to play in the enhancement of modern society, not just through the production of clean sustainable energy but also through the further advancement of medicine, including; diagnostics, imaging, scanning and analysis.

Rosatom views education as a vital aspect of its collaboration with potential partner countries and therefore plays an active role in the development of South African educational system.

The company has thus far granted a number of student scholarships, holds competitions with trips to Russia as main prizes and gives local schools the equipment needed to conduct laboratory tests. Rosatom also launched a number of exciting competitions during this years Working World Exhibition, in the hopes of inspiring young South African to pursue a career in nuclear.

Polikarpov concluded that: These young students are our future, and it will be the job of these young minds to use science to improve the world, there is so much to still to learn about the possibilities of nuclear energy. I hope that the experience they have gained at this forum has fostered some excitement towards the sciences. Hopefully one day in the near future we will be welcoming them to one of our top universities in Russia to learn more about this fascinating field.
"Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere", and let me say that, injustice by political office holders is a serious threat to justice everywhere in our national life. The world in itself demand justice in the protection of government purse. This has occasioned the idea for the establishment of the office of special prosecutor to crack down wrongdoing in the public space and hence, reduce corruption to the lowest bearing.

Even though, governments around the world have expressed strong concerns on the daylight looting and siphoning of state resources to the detriment of the ordinary citizen who goes through hustle and bustle to make ends meet. In the wake of this troubling situation, Countries such as Japan,France, Great Britain, Australia, Scotland among others have successfully established an office of special prosecutor to deal with scandalous and issues of embezzlement of funds among public officials.

In Africa , a major cause of poverty and inequality is corruption. Indeed, reports from the world bank suggests that, more than a half of of the funds received in aid to Africa finds its way back to the west through the corrupt activities of political leaders, government officials mismanage and misappropriate funds in the full glare of the public. This has prompted calls for the establishment of workable institutions and mechanism to clamp down on these political and social evils within the public domain.

In the Ghanaian setting, our story is not different, corruption and mismanagement of public funds persist. This obviously has the potential of further widening the inequality gap and ultimately plaguing the country's economy into backwardness. In the light of this, the current government has been compelled to make an unequivocal pledge to establish the office of special prosecutor to investigate into some of this alleged awkward public practices.

Though, this initiative has been welcomed with mix feeling within the political divide and the general public us a whole. As The largest opposition party, the NDC have in particular, *perceived this as a political witch hunt by the incumbent government, it would be compromised based on the appointments of it's personnel. Some also argue that it is duplication of institutions; establishing another white elephant which would be a drain on the state treasury. They have also questioned the independence of the independent special prosecutor since like the Attorney General, he is going to be appointed by the incumbent government.

Though the first gentleman of the land has allayed the fears of critiques and the general public with regards the above,we can only wait to see how things turnout in the execution of this manifesto pledge. Thus,whether we are going to see an astronomical drift from the normal political gimmicks to politics of integrity, where the words of the the first gentleman of the land wouldn't be compromised because of political inclination.

According to his 2016 Manifesto pledge, An act of Parliament shall establish the office of special prosecutor and it shall work separately from the executive and as his famous adage goes "Ghana would work again. "More so,Ghana has been touted as being a beacon of hope in Democratic practices in the entire continent. Hence, It's high time we mature as a people in practicing modern Democratic values.

In effect,it would therefore be a huge indictment on our hard fought reputation if we execute this particular lofty initiative according to one's party whims and Caprices instead of the supreme interest of the state.

Notwithstanding the many expressed divergent views on the establishment of the office of special prosecutor, it's worth noting that, if this office is well resourced,and properly constituted devoid of any political colouration and allowed to work independently without any political influence,it would surely go a long way to unravel some of the mischievous and mysterious vanishing of state funds and other dubious acts by political officeholders and politicians as a whole.

Happy Diamond Anniversary countrymen....

And may God bless our homeland Ghana....

By ANANPANSAH ISAAC

University Of Ghana,Legon.

0200316691/[email protected]
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudan expressed "deep regret and discontent" on Tuesday over US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban barring its citizens from travelling to the United States.

"The ministry of foreign affairs expresses its deep regret and discontent over the executive order issued by the American president," a statement said.

On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations, among them Sudan.

It came after a first ban was frozen by US federal courts.

The new executive order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and halts new visas for travellers from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. Iraqis who had been targeted by the original ban were not included.

Sudan said it renews its "condemnation" of the order as it comes despite Khartoum engaging in talks with Washington on fighting regional and international terrorism.

"These negotiations confirmed that Sudan plays a big role as a partner in fighting terrorism that endangers people of both countries and of the world," the foreign ministry said.

Urging Washington to drop Khartoum from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said the US adminstration should review the "harsh decision" taken against Sudanese citizens.

"Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," the statement said.

Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist.

Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

Washington believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but has kept sanctions in place because of the scorched-earth tactics it has used against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots -- Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as the Darfur region -- had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted.

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the Darfur conflict erupted in 2003.

Veteran President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to the conflict in Darfur. He strongly denies the charges

Khartoum said it was keen to improve relations with Washington.

"Sudan renews its commitment to continue a bilateral dialogue in order to reach full and normal relations between the two countries in the interests of their peoples," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The Member of Parliament for the Keta constituency, Richard Quashigah has called for stringent application of the country's labour laws as a measure of preventing abuse of any form and character at workplaces.

He contends that when such is done it will help in curtailing the wanton abuse of Ghanaian workers by their foreign employees in the country.

His comments come on the back of alleged assault on a staff of Marwako Restaurant by her Lebanese supervisor who dipped the face of his victim in hot pepper. There have also been instances where human right abuses have been visited on some Ghanaian employees by their bosses.

But in a Citi News interview, Richard Quashigah said it's high time, the labour laws were applied appropriately.

Where we have laws in this country as far as labour issues are concerned, how people should be treated at their work places, the rights that they have under the laws ought to be obeyed, he said.

The legislator added that, the labour act 651 2003 spells out clearly what the rights of a worker is, so if somebody engages a Ghanaian to work for him or her, being a Ghanaian or a foreigner, you must understand what the laws of this country are and work within that remit.

Meanwhile, Gender Minister, Afisa Otiko Djaba has given assurances that justice will be served to the 25-year-old Ghanaian waitress, Evelyn Boakye. In a Facebook post yesterday, she said the Ministry is in collaboration with the appropriate security agencies and are putting in place the necessary measures to address the issue.

In a related development, the Lebanaese supervisor at the centre of the issue, Jihad Chaaban in an apology to the victim has I wish very sincerely to personally apologize to you for the incident of 26th February 2017 at our Abelenkpe place of work.

He has however denied reports that the victim was locked up after the incident, explaining that he rather tried to get help for her.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @jnyabor
President Akufo-Addo and wife Rebecca taking the national at 60th Independence parade

President Akufo-Addo yesterday paid glowing tribute to the gallant men and women whose individual and collective efforts led to Ghana's independence 60 years ago, expressing disappointment about the gains made so far.

According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana can no longer hang on excuses to remain poor 60 years after independence.

Eulogising the founding fathers of the country at the 60th independence anniversary parade at the Black Stars Square in Accra, the president noted that after the nationalists successfully fought against colonial rule in order to take charge of their own destiny, we have run out of excuses for failing to provide a dignified life for the mass of our people.

Sixty years on the economic dividend that was meant to accompany our freedom has still not materialised.

Tribute

President Akufo-Addo honoured the memories of John Mensah Sarbah, Joseph Casely Hayford, J.W. Sey, J.P. Brown, Thomas Hatton-Mills, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo and Kwame Nkrumah for championing the struggle to self-rule.

The list also included George Paa Grant, R.S. Blay, Cobbina Kessie, J.W. de Graft Johnson and Francis Awoonor Williams, the famous three ex-servicemen  Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey  who were shot dead by the British colonial police in their effort to present a petition at the Osu Castle; Ephraim Amu, composer of Ghana's Twi National Anthem; Dr Kwegyir Aggrey; Philip Gbeho, composer of the English National Anthem; Theodosia Okoh, designer of the National Flag and Amon Kotei, designer of the country's Coat of Arms.

Also on the list were Kofi Antubam, the artist who first put Ghanaian art on the map; Saka Acquaye, the poet, writer, sculptor and musician who wrote the first African folklore; J.A. Braimah, the Gonja scholar and statesman who wrote insightful publications about the Gonja people; Apaloo, the poet who immortalised the philosophy and music of the Ewe language; E.T. Mensah; King Bruce; Jerry Hansen and the others who popularised traditional highlife music which has become an enduring identity of Ghanaian music as well as musicologist, Prof J.H. Nketsiah, touted as the unrivalled authority on African music.

Then came the turn of the former Asantehene, Prempeh I, who waged a heroic battle against the British and retained his dignity even in exile; Yaa Asantewaa, the woman of valour who led the Ashanti resistance to British imperialism; Nana Ofori Atta I, who saw the wisdom in investing in the education of the young; Nii Kwabena Bonne III, Osu Alata Mantse, who organized the boycott of goods of European traders and triggered the mass resistance that led to the 1948 riot.

President Akufo-Addo did not leave out Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong, the first Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana; Dr Oku Ampofo, sculptor and physician who encouraged confidence in traditional arts and medicine; Akua Asabea, a political activist; Evelyn Amarteifio, social welfare pioneer; Esther Ocloo, pioneer industrialist and entrepreneur whose food processing enterprises under the Nkulenu label changed Ghanaian habit of food preparation; Dede Ashikisham and Akua Shorshorshor, famous market queens who helped finance Kwame Nkrumah and the nationalist movement from their successful businesses.

Komla Agbeli Gbedema, the organisational genius of Nkurmah's Convention People's Party (CPP); Kojo Botsio, the party's theoretician and strategist and those in the opposition at independence, like Joseph Boakye Danquah; Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey; William Ofori-Atta; Simon Diedong Dombo; Kofi Abrefa Busia; Baffuor Osei Akoto; Victor Owusu; R.R. Amponsah; Joe Appiah; S.G. Antor; Modesto Apaloo; Ashie Nikoi; Attoh Okine and others were also given special mention by the president.

Disappointment

After extolling the virtues of these great men and women who laid down their lives for the country's independence, President Akufo-Addo expressed disappointment about how far the country has come in terms of development.

He recalled, The popular slogan was to seek first the political kingdom and all other things would be added.

We assumed and, indeed, we expected that rapid economic development would follow the political freedom that we had won.

Sadly however, he indicated, The economic dividend that was meant to accompany our freedom has still not materialised.

Instead, Nana Akufo-Addo noted, Sixty years after those heady days, the mass of our people are still poor.

We have run out of excuses, and it is time to..get our country to where it should be.

Belief

For him, The challenge before us is to build our economy and generate a prosperous, progressive and dignified life for the mass of our people and that Hard work, enterprise, creativity, discipline and a consistent and effective fight against corruption in public life would bring the transformation we seek.

We will achieve these goals when we move and act as a united people. We must take pride in our diversity by all means, but the Ghanaian must always rise above the ethnic or sectional interest.

President Nana Addo observed, We have a bright future, and we must mobilise all our resources and all our strengths, here and in the Ghanaian Diaspora, to get to that promised land of prosperity faster.

Concern

The president equally expressed concern about the environment, saying, It is turning out to be a constant refrain, I know, but, on a day like this, we cannot ignore the state of our environment.

We are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forebears bequeathed to us. The dense forests that were home to varied trees, plants and fauna have been largely wiped out. Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted.

He had this for Ghanaians, It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn. We have a right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers, but we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes.

For him, There is nothing we can do better to pay homage to those who fought to free us from bondage than to dedicate this 60th independence anniversary to protecting our environment, and regenerating the lands and water bodies whiles noting with emphasis I am confident that we can achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will be worthy inheritors of this land. I urge that we wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride.

Clarion Call

President Akufo-Addo charged, Let us mobilise for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise our potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid.

Present were Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and wife, Samira; First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo; Speaker of Parliament Prof Mike Oquaye and wife; Chief Justice Georgina Wood; former President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.

Former Presidents John Kufuor and John Mahama graced the occasion alongside leaders of other African countries, including Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe and Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe and many more.

There was splendid display of Ghanaian culture and tradition during the celebration yesterday.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has reportedly frozen the bank accounts of Daniel Ohene Agyekum, former Board Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) during the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.

A source at EOCO told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that the action had been taken as part of efforts towards the investigation of alleged financial irregularities during the tenure of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD.

Mr. Ohene Agyekum, who was Ghanas former Ambassador to the United States and former Ashanti Regional Minister, was appointed board chairman of COCOBOD in January 2014.

Recently, the assets and bank accounts of Dr. Opuni were also frozen by EOCO as part of a similar investigation into some contracts the ex-COCOBOD boss reportedly signed during his tenure and financial irregularities uncovered by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

Specifically, government intends to probe some supposed fraudulent multi-million dollar contracts he's believed to have signed before leaving office.

EOCO, under its new Executive Director, ACP KK Amoah, recently sent invitations to some businessmen who won some contracts from COCOBOD.

One of them is Seidu Agongo, who was invited in connection with an ongoing investigation into shady COCOBOD contracts about which so much has been published in the media in recent times.

Ali Seidu and Kofi Job were the first to be invited by EOCO regarding the contracts awarded them during the NDC regime because of their supposed links with former President John Dramani Mahama and his brother Ibrahim.

The COCOBOD contracts to construct roads and supply fertilizers were sole-sourced and in a manner thought to have breached value for money principles, with a chunk of the contracts going to the three individuals.

Dr. Stephen Opuni is at the centre of the alleged instances of financial impropriety at the national cocoa management institution and under whose aegis many contracts were awarded in breach of best procurement practices.

In the next few days important details of the investigations, it is believed, would be made public, considering the grounds covered by the investigators so far, a source has hinted.

Many calls had been made on the government of President Nana Akufo-Addo to without delay take action on the many instances of shady contracts at COCOBOD.

It is alleged that some of the fertilizers supplied under one of the contracts turned out to be ironically killer inputs which caused enormous anguish to farmers.

Dr. Opuni was on January 12, 2017 asked to vacate office barely a week after the NPP government was inaugurated.

The former CEO of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) was appointed by former President John Mahama on November 30, 2013 to head COCOBOD.

Since then the sector has never been the same again, with cocoa production alarmingly dropping under his tenure as well as allegations of malfeasance leveled against him.

Currently, issues of alleged corruption in the cocoa sector are being investigated and he can be brought before the court of law if EOCO finds any concrete evidence of financial malfeasance against him.

There have been calls for probe into the administration of the former COCOBOD boss since the New Patriotic Party, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, took office about six weeks ago.

Some staff of COCOBOD alleged that Dr. Opuni awarded contracts without following laid-down regulations and that fertilizers meant for cocoa farmers were also alleged to have been smuggled into neigbouring countries.

The workers claimed Ghana lost more than $10 million because of the alleged dealings of Dr. Opuni.

Managers Sacked

About 11 top managers of COCOBOD were also directed by the government to proceed on leave after the dismissal of Dr Opuni.

The directive, which was contained in a letter signed by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, asked the affected managers to proceed on leave effective January 30, 2017.

The managers included Deputy Chief Executive (Finance & Administration), Deputy Chief Executive (Agronomy & Quality Control), Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) and the Director of Finance.

The rest were Deputy Director of Finance, Deputy Director of Audit, Director of Civil Works and the Procurement Manager.

At the Cocoa Marketing Company Ltd, the Managing Director (MD), Deputy MD, Director, Legal Services, Deputy Director and the Finance Director have reportedly been asked to go home.

By William Yaw Owusu
Until a couple of days ago it was difficult to tell whether we really appreciate the footprints in our local history. It did not look like we were interested in telling the story of yesterday to our children who would inherit the mantle of leadership when we are done with our contribution.

It was relieving, therefore, that the former Christianborg Castle  at a later time Government House but now Castle  has been designated a Presidential Museum.

The preservation of the relics of our past is something we have not been able to do well. Such relics have fallen into various stages of dereliction across the country, some of them almost buried under the surface of the earth waiting for archaeologists to bring them to the surface.

Countries which are not as endowed as ours make do with the little historical artifacts that they have in a manner we can learn from. It was good the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) stepped in with the designation of some of our many relics as world heritage sites.

This way we would accord such rare spots the deference and care they deserve.

The Museums and Monuments Board charged with managing such relics and sites is one agency hardly heard about, the reason being that Ghanaians are sadly not interested in local tourism.

Our historical spots are largely patronized by foreigners who spend their hard-earned cash just to come and set eyes on such important sites in our part of the world.

It is necessary to whip the interest of school children in local tourism so that with time the current negative trend would reverse. School authorities can organize such trips and make them compulsory so kids can travel outside their regions to other parts of the country on excursions.

We cannot continue on this tangent of ignorance about our country's history: we must appreciate the contributions of our forebears to our current state of nationhood; and what better way to do this than raising the standards of our museums and even building new ones.

The addition to the limited number of museums in the country as represented by the Presidential Museum at the Castle, Osu, in Accra, is a fantastic development.

Those who thought the plan out must be congratulated on their vision.

The history represented by the structure itself is enough tourist attraction, let alone the stuff related to the past presidents which would be kept within it.

It is our wish that the necessary funds needed to keep the museum going would not be withheld by officialdom but rather released when needed so that the vision of creating the presidential museum would not be in vain.

The research facilities that would be provided in the Castle are worth the trouble. Many students doing research are handicapped in some instances by the want of relevant stuff. Scholars and writers are unable to trace important materials required in their various academic endeavours. This, the museum would address to a certain extent in as much as they relate to our past presidents.

It would be worthwhile to include our past colonial governors such as Gordon Guggisberg, Rowe, Rodgers and others.

The British Government would be kind enough to help us in this direction.

This important change in status of the Castle is the best that has ever happened to the former slave hold and later Government House.
The Red Cross assisting an officer who was feeling dizzy

07.03.2017 LISTEN



About 23 persons at Ghana's 60 years' independence anniversary parade in the Volta Region collapsed, claims the Regional Red Cross.

The parade, which was superintended by the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archiebal Yao Letsa, saw four out of the 23 being security personnel; two police officers and two prisons officers.

The Volta Regional Manager of the Ghana Red Cross Society, Gershon Dzokoto, told DAILY GUIDE that most of the people who collapsed suffered for dizziness. He added that some of them suffered from excessive heat, dehydration, poor fitness, fatigue, among others.

In all, over a 100 volunteers were on duty for the Red Cross Society and the National Ambulance Service; and they were in-charge of first aid at the parade ground. They were drawn from OLA Senior High School, Mawuko Senior High School, Mawuli Senior High School, Ho Nursing Training College and Ho Technical University.

Mr. Dzokoto advised that in future events the Red Cross should be resourced with enough water to be able to supply the contingents on parade to reduce dehydration. He also advised that persons who partake in such parades, especially students, should eat well before they show up.

He also stressed adequate exercising by persons on parade as poor fitness contributed to the collapsing of some of the members of the contingents. The supervisors must ensure that very fit people partake in the parade, because if you are not fit you will grow tired easily, he charged.

Some of the student volunteers who spoke to DAILY GUIDE expressed excitement that they had been able to put their skills to work and also learned from more experienced people.

This year's independence anniversary was under the theme, '60 Years On: Mobilizing for Ghana's Future.'

From Fred Duodu, Ho ([email protected])


FOUR PEOPLE were feared dead following an inferno that flattened about 15 wooden structures in Kumasi at the dawn of Ghana's 60th independence anniversary.

A 37-year-old woman, her two children and her fiancee were said to have been trapped in one of the rooms during the blaze.

The calamity reportedly occurred at Breman Kontwima, a suburb of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, at about 1:00 am, sources told this paper.

The intervention of fire fighters helped to prevent the inferno from traveling into other wooden structures on the compound.

Most of the people that rushed to the disaster scene suspected arson, as they gave various narrations concerning the outbreak of the fire.

Some of them alleged that they could smell petrol all over the place and so they believed someone intentionally set the place on fire.

They also alleged that the four persons were trapped in their room and got burnt because an unknown person had locked the door from outside.

Even though there was no evidence of people having been burnt, the people still maintained that four people were trapped in the room by the fire.

One Gabby, who claimed he was at the scene, insisted that the fire was intense so the four people were burnt into ashes.

He said that other people managed to escape from their rooms but the four people could not escape because the door to their room had been locked from outside.

According to him, the depressing issue had been reported to the police, who had initiated investigation to unearth the cause of the fire.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi




HEAD PORTERS, popularly known as kayayei in the local parlance, were the toast of the huge crowd that witnessed Ghana's 60th independence anniversary parade at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, yesterday.

Carrying head pans of various sizes, the kayayei, who were led by their National President, Adiza Zongo Pioneer, majestically marched at the parade ground to the admiration of all the dignitaries, traditional rulers and other people present. Some of them were seen nodding their heads in admiration as the head porters marched past.

It was the first time that head porters  mainly made up of young people that have migrated from the northern parts of the country  were taking part in the 6th March independence parade in Kumasi. It happened a few days after the market toll they had been paying over the years had been abolished by Nana Akufo-Addo's New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

Later in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Adiza Zongo Pioneer stated that they decided to take part in the parade to show their appreciation to President Akufo-Addo for scrapping the levy.

According to her, the levy, over the years, had had an adverse effect on the coffers of the poor head porters and so they were grateful to the NPP administration for removing it.

Adiza Zongo Pioneer stated that President Akufo-Addo's government has demonstrated that he has the concerns and the wellbeing of the head porters at heart and we shall also support the government to succeed.

In his succinct remarks, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, charged people in the region to be time conscious and work hard to help accelerate the developmental agenda of the region.

According to him, the NPP government has the development of the country at heart and urged the people to unite to move the country forward within a short time.

The minister also reiterated his vision of making the region clean to help prevent the outbreak of diseases.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed worry that 60 years after political independence, many Ghanaians are still wallowing in poverty.

This, he says, is unacceptable and has therefore called for a concerted effort to fight poverty and deprivation in the country.

The president said this yesterday during the national commemoration of Ghana's 60th independence anniversary.

In the Brong-Ahafo Region, the day was marked at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani with over 1,200 pupils and students taking part in the march past. In attendance were two contingents from the Ghana Police Service, one each from the Ghana Army, Prisons Service, CEPS, Fire Service and Immigration Service.

The Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremey, took the anniversary salute on behalf of the president.

According to President Addo, after political independence in 1957, the expectation for the country was that it was going to grow economically but that was not the case as many Ghanaians find themselves in abject poverty.

The president was also worried that Ghanaians are destroying the environment to the extent that even timber (wood) has to be imported to meet the nation's wood demand saying, Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing and those that still exist are all polluted.

To reverse that and build a prosperous economy for the citizens to live a dignified, President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo called for hard work, enterprising spirit, creativity and consistent fight against corruption. He asked Ghanaians to eschew sectional or tribal sentiments so that with a united front, resources could be mobilized for economic development. He dedicated this year's anniversary to protecting the environment for future generations.

Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremey used the occasion to thank traditional authorities for the warm welcome accorded him when he visited their palaces saying, he had been encouraged and motivated to work harder for region.

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani

[email protected]


Accra, Ghana  6 March 2017  Microsoft is confirming its commitment to digital transformation in the public sector in Africa, by bringing together government decision makers from across the continent, at an event in Nairobi, Kenya.

The event will address Microsofts mission to empower sectors like agriculture, health, justice, transport, public finance and shared services, through digital transformation. Microsoft will unveil some of the key solutions on offer in the transformation of these verticals.

Changing demographics, with a youth bulge in Africa and the rise of millennial workers, mean a greater demand for better, more streamlined services. Most governments and nations in Africa are at the very early stages of digital maturity, but they also have an opportunity to leapfrog ahead as they can invest in cloud and not have to worry about legacy infrastructure, Kunle Awosika, Country Manager, Microsoft Kenya. It is vital that the private and public sectors come together to ensure Africas most pressing issues, in areas including health, education and the environment, are addressed through digital transformation.

Kenya will host a two-day event that will explore how cloud-based solutions allow African governments to make sure their infrastructure can not only handle their burgeoning populations, but also actively improve economic health and quality of life for citizens. The discussion will focus on using cloud for social good and how the wave of innovation being unleashed by cloud computing can benefit everyone and ensure nobody is left behind.

Microsoft representatives from across the Middle East and Africa will also focus on transformation within specific sectors, while attendees will have the opportunity to discuss challenges, opportunities and best practices for services such as payments of taxes and bills, applying for government benefits, drivers licences and registration of names.

Working sessions will address a number of successful case studies from governments and public services throughout the world:

Agriculture

Agriculture remains an important industry in Africa and with growing populations and food shortages; theres an opportunity for Africa to make use of its uncultivated, arable land and become the worlds bread basket. There is, however, a persistent need for futuristic agriculture solutions that empower farmers with the capabilities to improve production outputs while minimising cost and preserving resources.

Nour Shwaky, CEO of Agrar Smart Agricultural Solutions, will introduce his smart solutions in this field. These comprehensive and integrated solutions are designed for agriculture commodity utilisation, risk management, market analysis and forecasting.

Transport

Public transport in any city is an ecosystem. In emerging cities this ecosystem is complex and requires the coordination of many different stakeholders. Devin de Vries from WhereIsMyTransport will be showcasing his unique transport solution.

By adopting a single, cloud-based platform that can accept data in any format, for any mode of transport, WhereIsMyTransport provides an integrated approach to facilitating real-time communication and engagement between cities, transport operators and passengers. With all data in a single place, cities are able to leverage analytics and reports to optimise their systems. WhereIsMyTransport operates in Africa and other emerging markets and currently has data for over 20 cities in the region.

E-services

Another successful digital transformation story is that of Botswana Postal Services (BotswanaPost). BotswanaPost upgraded its entire IT infrastructure with the help of Microsoft Services. In just 18 months, they deployed a private cloud infrastructure, upgraded core infrastructure software and deployed new communications solutions. This resulted in efficient, single-point access to broad expertise, improved employee productivity and a dramatic increase in revenue for BotswanaPost through new services.

By 2020, 25% of the worlds economy will be digital, Awosika says. A digitally transformed government will help support informal employment, attract foreign direct investment, improve two-way communications with citizens and automate information sharing in parliament. It is up to government leaders and policy makers across the continent to harness the power of cloud, to transform peoples lives for the better.

Digital transformation represents the application of Microsofts ambitions  the opportunity for government organisations to think and operate like digital companies in the way they engage their citizens, empower their employees, optimise their operations and transform their products.
The Northern Region Minister, Salifu Saeed has tasked patrons of Citi FMs Heritage Caravan to repackage what he calls the image of the region to attract investors to that part of the country.

He made the call when he hosted participants of the Heritage Caravan at a cocktail party last night.

The Heritage caravan started from Accra, moved to Kumasi after touring the Kumasi Fort and Military Museums and the Komfo Anokye sword site.

From Kumasi the caravan embarked on another exciting 9 hour journey, to Tamale, Northern Regional capital.

The convoy drove through popular cities and towns like, Techiman, Tuabodom, Kintampo, Dawadawa, Fufulso junction.

Patrons we amazed by the changing countryside scenes as we drove through the Savannah lands of the Northern Region.

They were also excited after we crossed the Black and White at Buipe and Yapei.

The caravan will spend two days in this part of the country.

As part of day three the caravan will visit the Paga Crocodile pond.

After that kind gesture from the Northern regional Minister, Mark Danso Addison of HFC Bank, thanked the Minster on behalf of the patrons on the Citi Heritage Caravan.



By: Kojo Agyemang/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Photos by: Nii Darku
President Nana Akufo-Addo

07.03.2017 LISTEN

The National Chairman of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah, has accused President Akufo-Addo of dishonesty in his speech during Mondays Ghana at 60 anniversary celebration.

Some of the things that they put in there [[email protected] brochure] were not only inaccurate but were disingenuous, he told Francis Abban on Morning Starr Tuesday.

In what many described as a comprehensive history of the countrys independence struggle, Akufo-Addo chronologically narrated the struggle to independence.

He recounted the formation of the first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and events that led to the invitation of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to join the struggle.

The founders of the UGCC, then, met to demand independence from the British and 70 years after that event, one still marvels at the clarity of thought and the passion that they displayed. Some of the names of that momentous day have survived in our written history and folk memory.

Five of them are on our Ghanaian currency: Joseph BoakyeDanquah; Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey; William Ofori-Atta; Ebenezer Ako-Adjei; and Edward Akufo-Addo. Kwame Nkrumah, the sixth of the Big Six on the currency, was to join them later, he said.

In his reaction, however, Mr. Monarh said the icon of the movement [Dr. Nkrumah] is what we hail. It doesnt mean others did not play any role, adding that others did not lead the revolutionary push to ensure that we had independence as Dr. Nkrumah did.

But I can understand from where I stand that this attempt is not just to give us the true reflection of our history but to come and use it as a basis to say that there is no founder in our nation, but there are founders so that they would be able to tamper with the founders day celebration and incorporate in it others who they claim had played some significant role in the struggle for independence. I think that is the purpose of this Independence Day speech that president Nana Akufo-Addo gave, he added.
Antananarivo (AFP) - Tropical cyclone Enawo struck Madagascar on Tuesday, buffeting the island with powerful winds, heavy rain and high seas and threatening to cause chaos in the capital, the country's weather agency said.

"Enawo made landfall and struck... with terrible winds of 210 km/h (130 mph) with some gales of 290 km/h" from around midday (0900 GMT) Tuesday, according to the head of the Madagascar's Weather Service, Samueline Rahariveloarimiza.

She warned that the capital Antananarivo was in "imminent danger" with the cyclone expected to reach the city of 1.4 million people on Wednesday.

The entire north of the island nation, which lies 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of mainland Africa, is on "red alert", Rahariveloarimiza told AFP.

Reports of injuries or damage caused by the cyclone's arrival were not immediately available.

Strong winds and heavy winds have been battering Antalaha and Cape Masoala in the country's northeast since Monday. The island's north is particularly exposed to extreme weather systems.

Residents in Enawo's path have been advised in recent days to evacuate low-lying areas, seek shelter and stock up on on food and water.

Rescue teams were deployed across the island ahead of Enawo's arrival.

Madagascar's storm season normally runs from November through February and claims dozens of lives every year.

In 2012, tropical storm Irina and tropical cyclone Giovanna claimed more than 100 lives.

The Indian Ocean island has suffered severe drought and food shortages since 2015, with the southern region the worst affected.
The decision by the government of Ghana to allow mining in forest reserves has been described as awful since it is beginning to have serious effect and negative impact on the natural formation of the climate and inhabitants in and around the forest zones. It is also having effect on food production, and contributing to food insecurity in and around the country.

So far, companies like Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa; Newmont Akyem mines Perseus mining company at Wasa Akropong and AngloGold Ashanti are seriously engaged in mining in forest reserves with the knowledge of the government of Ghana. These multinational companies have been granted license to operate in the forest enclaves that were preserved for the future.

These forest sites were reserved to also help stock , preserve and increase the number of wild animals and water bodies and tree species that have existed for centuries . However, these reserves are today threatened by the activities of these companies that are mainly multinationals.

The Technical Director in charge of mining at the Ministry of Lands, and Natural Resources, Simon Atapira, revealed in an exclusive interview with The New Crusading Guide that there is no clear cut policy or Legal Instrument(L I) backing mining in forest reserves.

Giving the background to what led to forest mining, he said in 1992 about 30 mining companies applied for license to mine in the forest and were granted. Subsequently, government realized the dangers to mining in forest reserves and attempted to revoke all the licenses since they were granted without legal backing or support. However, government was informed that most of the companies had already invested heavily in their concessions and revoking their licenses would precipitate legal tussles and judgment debt payments.

He added that based on this, government decided to release only 2% of the total forest reserves for mining with plans for reforestation during mining and reclamation after mining.,  As a result, the 30 licensed companies were trimmed to 17 and a committee was thus set up to determine the level of investment and the quantity of gold in the licensed areas which formed the bases for the release of the 2% forest reservehe said . This was just a verbal directive. Subsequently, a memo was sent to cabinet for approval on the decision and that was all, he noted.

So there is no clear cut law or legal instrument that supports mining in forest reserves. This is what has metamorphosed into what we are experiencing now, he indicated.

Meanwhile the Environmental Protection Agency has a committee that monitors the operations of these companies mining in forest reserves. They are made to pay a sum of US$2Million into a special account to be used to reclaim the land should they refuse to do the reclamation after completing their operations. This money is also invested by government and the interest is realized for other obligations. He said

He admitted that these mining companies sometimes experience spillover of mine and toxic chemicals into nearby streams communities and the atmosphere. When this happens, they are penalized and also fined. They are also made to pay compensation to the affected people and communities.

Interestingly, a visit to the mine site of Goldfields Ghana limited at Tarkwa reveals the severe damage that mining has done to Ghanas rain forest in the western region. Despite the effort by the mining firm to do what it called responsible mining in the forest zone, the company is still facing a huge challenge of how to manage its mining wastes. Waste rocks that have already been processed with cyanide and mercury are heaped at a particular area to form a mountain and whenever it rains , the little particles and elements of these cyanide are washed by the rain water out of the rocks into the nearby rivers and streams flowing in the forest . These rivers flow through nearby communities where they are used by inhabitants for cooking and other household activities.

Mr. Michiel Van der Merwe, General Manager of the Tarkwa Gold Mine of Goldfields Ghana LimitedHas described mine wastes as of the of difficult elements to manage or deal with in their concessions. he says the company generates about 8 million tons of mine wastes (that is wastes rocks)every year and these are heaped up to form mountains since they are of no use. He indicated that though some construction companies have expressed interest in purchasing and processing the rocks for other activities in the construction sector these companies are yet to acquire the needed equipments to process the wastes which are full of chemicals like mercury and cyanide. So until this is done , the alternative will be to pile them up , no noted.

A tour of the mining concession at Tarkwa reveals that most people living in the communities surrounding the mine concession have developed several health complications, including skin diseases from their reliance on polluted rivers and streams that float through the forest reserves. The inhabitants drink from these rivers and streams and also use them for cooking, washing and other household chores.

Weak health conditions of farmers coupled with the warm climatic conditions experienced in the area as a result of the depletion of the forest reserve serving as the natural cover against the sun rays has drastically reduced the rainfall rate in these communities, and has severely affected food production.

In the case of Newmont Akyem Mines, almost half of the Ajenua Bepo forest reserve has been depleted by the mining company. This has affected the natural flow of most of the rivers, streams and springs in the forest. Most of them have been severely polluted. The company is currently working on a reforestation project to restore the forest to its natural form. This is likely to take more than a century if possible.

The Newmont Akyem Mine is undertaking surface mining operations in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve while AngloGold Ashanti has a lease to mine in Kubi Forest. There are plans to permit surface mining in Tano Suraw Forest Reserve; Obonsam Bepo Forest Reserve; Atiwa Range Forest Reserve; Fure; Tano and Offin Forest Reserves, which are part of Ghanas 30 Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas, WACAM alleged.

Mrs Hanna Owusu Koranteng, head of WACAM reveals that the Government has granted mining leases to multinational mining companies to undertake open cast mining in forest reserves. According to her the Newmont Akyem Mine, for instance, has been approved to undertake surface mining operations in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve while AngloGold Ashanti has a lease to mine in Kubi Forest.

Besides ,Permission has been granted for surface mining in Tano Suraw Forest Reserve; Obonsam Bepo Forest Reserve; Atiwa Range Forest Reserve; Fure; Tano and Offing Forest Reserves, which are part of Ghanas 30 Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas,,.

She notes that that the Minerals and Mining Act, does not have important provisions such as the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), which would empower host communities to reject or accept a mining project based on the knowledge of the benefits and negative effects of mining on their livelihoods and pollution of the environment among other things.

Mrs Owusu Koranteng has thus requested government to revoke the mining rights granted to companies whose concessions are in forest reserves. She said mining in forest reserves contravenes certain provisions in the National Land Policy.

Opaning Kwabena Manu, Chief cocoa farmer at Wassa Akropong near Ayamfuri where pursues mining operates has described the situation as appalling, According to him the rainfall pattern has changed . It has drastically reduced. Last year , that Is 2016 we experienced only eight heavy rainfalls which is far below the annual rainfall pattern of two months continuous rainfall in the forest region, he said

Last year I harvested only 20 bags of cocoa against my annual average production rate of 120 bags of cocoa on a 10 acre land. Personally I am against mining in forest reserves and in my opinion that is what is causing the cocoa production rate to fall in the country, he added .

The omanhene of Sankubaase, a mining town within the Atiwa Forest in an interview with the New Crusading Guide described mining in forest reserves as the most dangerous thing ever to happen in the 21st century likening it to Illegal mining which is popularly called Galamsey. He called on government to as a matter of urgency order all these companies in the reserves to cease operation. He said there is a need for immediate cessation of mining to help save and protect our forest reserves.

He said mining in forest reserves is adversely affecting water bodies , vegetation , wild animals , human health and safety and ought to be stopped immediately since there is no legal instrument backing it.

The law enforcement agencies in mining have failed to function and this gross negligence has contributed to the current state of environmental degradation. Legally, the section of the mining regulation which charges mine owners to be responsible for the operation (including closure) seems to have been deleted!

The forest reserves are sources of medical treatment for about 40% of the population who still depend on traditional medicine as their only source of health care. Around the same percentage of Ghanaians depend on streams for their domestic water requirements  for drinking and cooking. Such streams either start as aquifers from rocks in the forest reserves, or are protected by the shade of the forest as they meander towards the sea. They also serve as the natural habitat of thousands of endangered species, which would otherwise have been extinct. Due to erosion, land fertility is decreased, leading to reduced agricultural production. Deforestation results in high poverty and mortality rates, and increased school dropout rate.

Our research indicates that the current Minerals and Mining Act, Act 703, 2006, provided adequate protection for the multinational mining companies but not the surface rights of affected mining communities.

Section 4.5(a) of the National Lands Policy states that \"to ensures the conservation of environmental quality, no land with primary forest cover will be cleared for the purpose of establishing a forest or tree crop plantation or mining activity. Section 4.4(b) said: \"All lands declared as forest reserves, strict nature reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and similar land categories constitute Ghana\'s permanent forest reserves and wildlife estates, and are fully protected for ecosystem maintenance, biodiversity conservation and sustainable timber production.\"

It is estimated that the total forest cover of Ghana has been reduced from 88,000 kilometers in 1938 to between 15,800 and 17,200kilometres presently. It said in 2002, World Bank study indicated that populations of wildlife species within the Savannah have dwindled as a result of increased human activities such as bush burning and deforestation.
An ultra-modern fitness club and laundry has open in Accra.

The club, Olivans fitness club and laundry, provides services such as fitness training, aerobics, laundry, body building, special body training and has a smoothies bar.

The General Manager for the club, David Jonah, told Citi News that Ghanaians must be more disciplined in their approach to fitness and staying healthy.

You will definitely be transformed if you make a choice to discipline yourself and adopt a healthy eating lifestyle to complement your exercise. Olivans is eight months old and it is doing well, we have good prospect to capitalize on, we are doing our best to build a brand so we can reach out to a large number of Ghanaians. So far we have about 150 members. The target of the club is to register over ten thousand people and we have all the space and equipment to take care of every one, he said.

He added that, Ours is a state of the art fitness facility boasting of ultra-modern equipment. Our programmes, ranging from monthly to annual membership packages are designed to help you achieve physical and mental wellness to get you on top of your health, social and career life.

Olivans fitness club and laundry, which is located at Agbogba in Accra, opened to the public on July 1, 2016, but was officially inaugurated by the General Overseer of the Charismatic Evangelistic Ministries (CEM), Rev. Steve Mensah.



By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
A book A Holistic History Of Islam In Central, West Africa was launched last Saturday at the headquarters of the Ahlinsuna Wal Jamaa Headquarters in Nima, Accra.

The author of the publication, Sheikh Osman Bari academician and former diplomat said the work was intended to fill the gap that exists in relation to research materials on the subject for academic and other works.

I was motivated to write the book to fill a vacuum and to address a historical deficiency he told his audience when he passed a brief remark before the book was launched.

He had kind words for various organizations which supported him in the Herculean task.

The Chairman of the occasion Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim encouraged all to grab copies of the rare work because of the knowledge it contained.

The invitation was amply subscribed as the hall was filled to capacity.

An auction for copies of the publication attracted GH21,000. The guest of honour for the occasion was Hon Boniface Abubakar Saddique Minister for Inner Development and Zongo Affairs who is also MP for the Madina constituency.

By A.R. Gomda
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has challenged African countries to strive for economic independence.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the African Diaspora Homecoming Conference today [Tuesday], Dr. Bawumia said there should be a more conscious effort between Africans and the diaspora community for development.

He said Africa should look at countries such as Japan and China which have evolved with economic development by combining resources and energies.

In Africa, we also have to understand that the way we are looked at both in the diaspora and on the continent is very linked and the underlying link is the economic development of Africa, and we have to make sure we combine our resources, our energies to make sure that Africa becomes developed economically and self-dependentYou look at how perceptions in Japan and China have evolved and I think they have also evolved with economic development and you cannot deny that

We have to move beyond aid dependency and that is why when we are looking at how to manage our economies, the issue of building self sustaining independent economies is key for all of us and I think we cannot do it individually. We need to come together.

Govt will fix Ghanas economy

The Vice President's comment comes days after he indicated that, his government is working on modalities to fix Ghana's economy.

According to him, government is hopeful to turn things around with support from the private sector.

This is our sixth week in government but we have already started doing some things we believe are going to turn around this economy and all what we are doing is focusing on private enterprises, private investments and protecting the public purse making sure that we have value for money for what we do, he said.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The final list of validated customers of DKM Microfinance Company is to be released tomorrow (March 8, 2017) at the eight designated branches of GCB Bank.

This is according to the Registrar General's Department which is the Official Liquidator for DKM Microfinance.

Customers who have investments below GHc10,000 will receive all their monies while those with investment above GHc10,000 will receive GHc 10,000 followed by arrangements to claim the rest later.

In an interview with Citi Business News, the Principal Company Inspector for DKM Microfinance, Jones Nathaniel Ansah explained that the final list contains not less than ten thousand people who can go and claim their investments.

. It has finally come to an end with the final list that is to be released tomorrow, per the information I gathered from PWC, the final list has about ten thousand creditors, specifically the people who have not had their names on any of the previous lists, he said.

Meanwhile investigations into the alleged reports of bribery against workers and security personnel of GCB bank by DKM customers are still ongoing and is expected to be completed soon.

It will be recalled that some DKM customers made allegations against officials of the GCB Bank as well as security personnel at the various payment stations saying that officials would demand between GH200 and GH500 before paying customers their locked up cash.

So far a total of sixty thousand customers have received payment for their locked up investments.



By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Local Textile workers will on Thursday (March 9, 2017) embark on a protest to express their displeasure over what they say is the Trade Ministry's inability to stop the smuggling of pirated goods onto the local markets.

According to the workers, the development has rendered local textile companies uncompetitive while they have also been compelled to lay off thousands of workers.

The protest will comprise workers of GTP, ATL, and Printex.

Ebenezer Asumadu, Chairman of the Concerned Workers of the Textile Industry who spoke to Citi Business News about the development said they expect the Trade Ministry to address the issue immediately.

This is not the first time we are embarking on such a protest. We have written to the sector minister, we wanted to meet him so that we iron the issue out. There was a task force put in place by the previous administration that had been checking the influx of these pirated designs on the market. For some time now, the task force has not been working. Their reason being that there has been a change of government so the people are taking advantage of that and importing pirated designs into the market which is killing our industry, he lamented.

Government in August 2010 introduced a task force to rid the markets off pirated goods.

Since then, over 10,000 pirated Ghanaian textiles have been seized and destroyed.

Meanwhile the Deputy Communications Manager at the Trades Ministry, Nasir Ahmed Yartey says the Ministry is developing new ideas to eliminate the pirated goods on the local market.

The issue of the piracy is what we are fighting through the task force and members of the textiles industry form the bulk of the membership of this task force. They know the industry, they know what people are doing to harm the industry so it is their expertise that the ministry relies on to try to fight this menace and so we are working with them.

We have a very cordial relationship with them and we are hopeful that with the coming in of our new minister (Alan Kyerematen), practicable or new strategies will be brought on board, he asserted.



By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana.
The Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, has rejected assertions that the President is trying to skew Ghana's history to favour his father, Edward Akufo-Addo, and uncle, J.B. Danquah, who also played a key role in the fight for Ghanas independence.

Some Ghanaians have berated the President's Independence Day address, claiming it undermined the efforts of Ghana's first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the struggle for independence.

But the Information Minister on the Citi Breakfast Show said there's no deliberate attempt to change the history of the country and that indeed, J.B Danquah and Edward Akufo-Addo played various important roles in the fight for freedom.

Mustapha Hamid

It is the history as it is. People didn't even know that there were women who fought for our independence. Even for me, that was the first time I heard about the [Akua] Shorshorshor woman, beautiful name like that who sacrificed her every penny. Every nation has what it calls founding fathers. If you go to America, they talk about John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson among others as the founding fathers of America, even though at the same time Washington had a pride of place in American history.

He argued that certainly, it cannot be the case that only one person founded this Ghanaian nation, hence it was important that contributions of other persons are acknowledged.

It is important that we acknowledge the contributions of people who started the struggle even in the 1800s all the way till 1946, 1947 before even JB Danquah and Nkrumah and the rest came on board. So the president is simply trying to say that a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for, and we should go back and start acknowledging all the heroes and heroines who helped to establish the Ghanaian nation. It is something that we ought to do if we have to excite the patriotism of our people so that tomorrow we are assured that if we were to do something heroic for this nation and go away, this nation will remember us. That is the motivation that will get you to do the extra that you have to do to get this country working again, he added.

Mustapha Hamid also hinted that, the Ministry of Education will soon roll out a revised curriculum which will instill a sense of pride in young Ghanaians.

This thing may look like it is intangible, but it is important for us instill this in our young people that this land is a rich land. We are capable and able to live here as young people and to make the best of lives for ourselves. It's like the so called American dream. It simply means excelling and being independent and creating wealth and prosperity for yourself.

And therefore when I wake up every day and say I am Ghanaian, it should go beyond mere citizenship, which is what the president has been saying. Merely holding a passport shouldn't be what should make you a Ghanaian. What should make you a Ghanaian is self-belief. Self-belief that this land is where you can make the best of your talents, that this land is a land that creates an opportunity for people to be able to exercise their talents and to excel, he added.

Nkrumah was the best African leader  Mugabe

Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, who was in Ghana for the countrys 60th anniversary, has described Ghana's first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as a true revolutionist who fought for the emancipation of Ghana and Africa.

The 93-year old President made the remark while addressing the media at Ghana's seat of government, the Flagstaff House on Tuesday.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Ben Guerdane (Tunisia) (AFP) - The battle against jihadists in Ben Guerdane a year ago was a "turning point" for Tunisia, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Tuesday during a visit to commemorate the anniversary.

Jihadist groups mounted a coordinated assault on security installations in the town on the border with Libya last March 7, aiming to win over residents and establish an "emirate" of the Islamic State jihadist group, according to Tunisia's authorities.

At least 55 assailants were killed, along with 13 members of the security forces and seven civilians.

The Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane has a population of 60,000 people who rely on cross-border trade with Libya

Tunisia, which was the target of several IS attacks in 2015 in which 72 people were killed -- 59 of them foreign tourists -- has since been spared any major jihadist violence.

"March 7 is no longer an ordinary day in Tunisia. It has a symbolic value," the prime minister said at a ceremony held under tight security.

"To the inhabitants of Ben Guerdane, the town of resistance, your victory in the March 7 battle, the victory of security agents, of our soldiers, marked a turning point in the struggle against terrorism," Chahed said.

An analyst with the International Crisis Group, Michael Ayari, said residents and security forces in Ben Guerdane had shown "resilience, but that doesn't mean Tunisia is immune" to the jihadist threat.

Tunisian special forces keep watch on March 7, during the first anniversary of the 2016 terror attacks in the border town of Ben Guerdane

The attacks in 2015 and on Ben Guerdane in 2016 were followed by stronger security cooperation with Tunisia's Western allies, especially in military equipment and on supervision of the 500-kilometre (300-mile) border with Libya.

Defence Minister Farhat Horchani backed up Chahed's point.

"We showed that terrorism has no future in Tunisia... So long as the state is united, that the population is united, we will defeat this scourge," he told AFP.

Tunisia says 75 people were killed in 2016 clashes with jihadists in the southern border town of Ben Guerdane

During his visit, the premier announced several projects for Ben Guerdane, which is in southern Tunisia that has suffered neglect by central authorities.

The town of 60,000 inhabitants lives off trading, mostly smuggling goods across the border with chaos-strewn Libya.

"I have a message for our politicians: they haven't delivered on even one percent of their promises," said a brother of Abdelatti Abdelkarim, a victim of last year's attacks, echoing local distrust of the authorities.

"What we did (on March 7, 2016), that was to protect our country, our children, not for you," he said on Shams FM radio.
07.03.2017 LISTEN

The newly-appointed Ashanti Regional Minister has declared war on indiscipline in the region. According to him, people who litter indiscriminately for the State to hire and pay people to clear their mess, will have to pay for their indisciplined acts.

Simon Osei-Mensah explained that litter bins would be placed on the streets, when they rollout measures against indiscipline in Ashanti region.

The former Bosomtwe legislator wondered why people have to litter and go scot free for government to spend the scarce resources to get rid of trash in the region.

In his maiden meeting with the media in Ashanti region, Mr. Osei-Mensah urged Ghanaians to embrace can-do spirit in our national development mentality. He emphasized that we cannot move Ghana forward with Ghanaians clinging to pessimistic mindset as a country.

Announcing his objectives for Ashanti region, he revealed that Security, implementation of government projects, policies/programmes, review and continuation of on-going and abandoned projects, organisation of annual investment forum to attract investment for job creation and fight against indiscipline and insanitary conditions in Ashanti region would be his focus.

Regional minister Osei-Mensah reiterated: I intend to review the contract regarding the Press Centre, which has been abandoned, and make sure we complete it as soon as possible for use.

He said: I am somebody who does not believe in wasting national resources, especially when it comes to projects that will benefit majority of the people, and I am fully committed to continue all on-going and abandoned projects that were started by previous governments.

Responding to a question on the neglect of Asem cluster of schools wall, the minister promised to review the project for implementation.

Addressing the congestion at the Central Business District, he indicated that as of now, government cannot drive traders and drivers away because of the Kejetia lorry terminal development.

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Kumasi
From 24 to 26 October 2017, Ghana will host its first-ever aerospace and aviation exhibition for Africa at the Kotoka International Airport.

The first-ever aero expo is expected to bring together aviation industry players, stakeholders and the general public to appreciate different opportunities available in the sector, and Africa as a whole.

The three-day exhibition would be organised under the auspices of the President and the Ministry of Aviation on the theme Connecting professionals across all areas of the industry with the African market.

Exhibitions of such nature are aimed at exposing the country to the international world, in order to succeed on its vision of becoming an air transportation hub in West Africa.

It anticipated that domestic airlines like Starbow, Antrack, and Africa World would have the opportunity to acquire more knowledge to build on their capacities, as it is estimated that the industry could provide 6.7 million jobs, and contribute US$67.8 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The expo is also to position Africa to do exploits, since it has been predicted that there would be 67 million passengers flying in and out of the continent with 256 airlines, 1,302 aircraft, 762,000 flights and from 371 commercial airports.

The expo was also to prepare Africa towards 2040, where all airports on the continent would be expanded or supplemented by additional infrastructure to handle the anticipated growth of 350 percent to 600% over the current air passenger level in traffic.

Ellis Tamakloe, Director of Aviation, on behalf of the sector Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, said at a press briefing in Accra last week Thursday, that the fair hoped to create awareness about air transport within the Africa Continent.

Stakeholders would be given the forum to interact with prospective investors on how to develop and add value to the country's aviation infrastructure and services. It will ensure that stakeholders in tune with the dynamics of the industry can share their experience, findings and new investments among others.

He said Ghana was chosen to host the fair due to its political stability and the access it gives to nationals of the sub-region and the continent in general.

By Bernice Bessey
The National Media Center wishes to congratulate its Advisory Board Member, Nana Aba Anamoah, for being appointed as the News Editor for GhOneTV.

Nana Aba, a Broadcast Journalist, who previously worked with TV3 network, and who is also the Co-Founder of SN Media Learning Tree, was last week reported to have been appointed as the news Editor of GhOneTV. She has been with the EIB Network owned station since December 2015.

In an interview with the media, James Kofi Annan, the President of the National Media Center, said I am delighted that Nana Aba has kept rising. I have believed in her since I came to know her, and we at the National Media Center are proud to have her on our board.

Last year the distinguished Broadcaster co-founded what promises to be one of the biggest complementary Journalism schools in Africa, the SN Media, and together with some renowned media persons, have been training young and prospective Journalists from their Accra-based school.

Nana Abas quest for social justice made her accept to be a member of the Board of the National Media Center for Social and Economic Justice. The National Media Center, for short, is an independent, non partisan Ghanaian based non-profit media organization dedicated to the promotion of free, fair, just, informed and developed individuals and society where governance institutions and their leaders are held accountable and responsible for their actions and inactions.

As a non-partisan non-profit media group, we work across the political spectrum and deny partisan polarization of public office wrongdoing.

Our purpose is to advance the dignity and legitimate interest of Ghanaian individuals and society, and we do not discriminate against any group, institution or individuals regardless of religion, race, gender, believes, sexual orientation, or moral standing.

We achieve our aims by working with an extensive network of media practitioners and other experts who share our ideals.

Journalists and other media practitioners who wishes to be part of the National Media Center may contact [email protected] , or WhatsApp only to 050 1399 496 / 020 387 5386

Philip Boafo

(Corporate Communications Manager)
Freetown (AFP) - Since he accused Sierra Leone's parliament of diverting public funds from some of the world's poorest people, including Ebola crisis victims, Abdul Fatoma's life has taken a dark turn.

Fatoma has become the largest thorn in the side of Sierra Leone's politicians for demanding greater transparency about public finances in a country riddled with corruption, just over a year before elections.

The sharp-suited rights defender, who is in his 30s, risks being charged with serious offences, lawmakers have warned, although the government's own auditors have found grave inconsistencies in spending by members of parliament.

"I have been harassed, threatened, spat upon, abused, lampooned and vilified for my organisation's legitimate right to ask questions of those who have been entrusted with the future of Sierra Leone," Fatoma told AFP.

The campaigner appeared on a January 31 radio show in which he challenged the government and the anti-corruption commission to do more to make authorities accountable, in a system that he says answers only to itself.

Since then Fatoma has been arrested, bailed without charge, and summoned twice to parliament to answer questions -- yet denied an audience when he showed up.

Fatoma, a Sierra Leonean national, divides his time between his country and Britain, where his family reside.

His Britain-based non-profit organisation, the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), was behind a report released last year that found 120 billion leones ($16.1 million, 15.1 million euros) was spent by parliament in the last five years, with no clue as to where exactly it went.

"There is no supporting evidence to show how these monies were spent," he told AFP, adding that the opaque nature of the legislature's activities carried a high risk of fraud.

Ebola funds unaccounted for

Polling firm Afrobarometer found last year that four fifths of Sierra Leoneans consider their economic and living conditions "very bad". A similar percentage thought government efforts to narrow the wealth gap were not working.

With presidential and legislative elections expected in March 2018, politicians are nervously watching their backs for allegations of misbehaviour.

Fatoma's passport has been seized, leaving him unable to return to Britain, a move his lawyer thinks is a deliberate strategy to wear him down.

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai said that while parliament had told the campaigner his problems would stop if he simply apologised, he advised his client to refuse.

"It also violates the rights of citizens to hold their elected officials accountable," Abdulai told AFP.

Cyril Juxon-Smith, parliament's chief press officer, told local media that Fatoma was "recklessly casting aspersions" and had grossly overestimated funds given to MPs.

Furthermore, he said, the government's own audit would give lawmakers a clean bill of health, though previous internal assessments have been far from squeaky clean.

In 2015, government auditors found that just 29 percent of recommendations were followed by eight ministries and departments being monitored.

In addition, 30 percent of Ebola funds under parliament's control could not be accounted for, they said, amounting to $5.7 million.

More than 3,500 people died in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak that hit in 2014, overwhelming a creaking health system and shattering an already fragile economy.

Opposition MP Frank Kposowa has claimed that demands for financial help from lawmakers meant that their allowance could barely cover costs, in spite of discounts on travel, fuel and food.

"The culture in Sierra Leone is that people approach you for help with their marriage and funeral ceremonies, school fees and hospital bills," he told journalists.

'Absolute poverty'

Kposowa warned that Fatoma's actions could leave him open to the charge of seditious libel, under an arcane law long used against investigative journalists and supposedly under reform.

The British government has described the law's use as "denting Sierra Leone's international reputation as a modern, democratic country."

A child born today in Sierra Leone can expect to live an average of 48 years, 70 percent of youth are unemployed or underemployed and almost two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations development agency.

"I believe that the absolute poverty under which the majority of Sierra Leoneans live at the moment is the greatest violation of their rights as human beings," Fatoma said.

In a country riddled with corruption, most Sierra Leoneans consider their living conditions "very bad"

The daily grind imposed by hardship "compromises their capacity to be effective citizens and makes them vulnerable to bad governance and corruption," he added, playing down threats to his mission.

"This is a lifelong commitment to make Sierra Leone a better place and nothing will stop us."
07.03.2017 LISTEN

The Managing Director of Access Bank Dolapo Ogundimu, has been voted the Most Reputable Ghanaian Bank CEO in a ranking poll led by South African based Reputation Management Agency, Reputation Poll and leading PR and Rating Agency, Avance Media.

The ranking poll which featured all 34 distinguished leaders of Class 1 Banks in Ghana, had Mr. Dolapo Ogundimu emerging the Most Reputable Bank CEO with 17% of votes from the over 3,000 voters who participated in the polling exercise.

Dolapo is a seasoned banker with over three decades of high-level professional banking experience in the sub-region. He has been recognized as a change manager and contributor to the development of the financial services industry in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana.

He is the first Managing Director to have won the coveted Ghana Banking Awards Bank of the Year with two different Banks, an accolade he still holds among his peers. Until his appointment in 2012 as Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana, Dolapo pioneered Guaranty Trust Bank to become one of the most successful banks in the industry.

Forbes ranked entrepreneur and founder of Reputation Poll, Barr. Rex Tonye Idaminabo admonished all the Bank CEOs in Ghana and urged them to use their experiences to mentor young people to become better business leaders across the continent.

Access Banks growing reputation has come at no surprise, given its recent achievements in the Ghanaian banking industry. Access Bank in December last year, became the first Bank with Nigerian heritage to list on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

A few weeks ago, the Bank also retained its leadership position as the Most Influential Bank on Social Media for 2015 and 2016. These strides, according to many industry watchers fits perfectly with its vision of becoming one of the Most Respected Banks in Ghana.

Reputation poll is a South African research-based, global performance-management consulting company. Avance Media is Africas Leading Media and Public Relations Agency focused on creating varied contents for the Global Market.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
07.03.2017 LISTEN

The quest of our forefathers to liberate us from social, political and economic slavery was fought selflessly and relentlessly. Their motivation was to secure Africa for Africans and for that matter, Ghana for Ghanaians.

The domination of Africa by Europeans was transformed from Merchant Capitalism to slavery and eventually, colonialism. Almost all the naturally gifted African States were colonized by the Europeans and the kind of treatment they ushered on the indigenous people was very distasteful and inhumane.

Karl Marx - the medieval philosopher defined Slavery as "the commercial hunt for black skin". While colonial experience took a milder way in West Africa, it was very horrific in the Central Africa. For instance, in the Central African territory, the whole of the Congo Basin was a property of the Belgium King Leopard hence this territory was administered as though it was a feudal fiefdom. Africans in this territory were treated like a glorified mammals that were in absolute servitude to the Europeans. In Kenya, the Whites forced the Blacks off the best land. The few who kept their lands were forbidden to grow cash crops. Also in Kenya, colonial masters made all Africans to carry identification cards, imposed taxes on them and restricted where they could live or travel.

The situation was very different in West Africa particularly Gold Coast. The indigenous people own lands and grew crops of their choice. However, the prices of farm produce were determined by the British. Also, the educated Africans were excluded from the Legislative and Executive councils.

The struggle to liberate Gold Coast from European domination started early in the 19th century. However, it became very clear in 1897 after the formation of the Aborigines Right Protection Society (ARPS). The ARPS was formed to protest against the sedition of the Land Bill. After the formation of the ARPS, it was not until 20th March 1920 that 50 delegates from the Four British colonies in West Africa namely The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Gold Coast, met in Accra to form the National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA). This was the first cross-nationalist movement formed in British West Africa. NCBWA was a stepping stone for most African political giants including Dr. J. B. Danquah - the Doyen of Ghanaian politics.

In 1925, another inter-territorial movement was formed by the West African Students studying in Britain - the West African Students Union (WASU). This movement had Dr. J. B. Danquah as its Vice President. In 1930, the West African Youth League was formed. This movement sought full participation in the political administration and the Legislative Assembly.

The most vibrant of the youth associations was the Gold Coast Youth Conference. The first meeting of the group was held at the Achimota School in 1930. The leading nationalist of the movement included Dr. J. B. Danquah, Nanka Bruce and de Graft Johnson. The conference aims were to bring about reconciliation between the chiefs and the educated elites and also to fight for political and economic reforms in the colonial system by removing all sorts of discriminations and intimidations in the public service.

It must be noted that all the nationalist movements formed before the UGCC were "Proto Nationalist" - they did only agitated for their inclusion in the Legislative and Executive Councils. The formation of UGCC brought a new enthusiastic spirit towards the quest for independence. All the Big Six except Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was not a founding member of UGCC. Nkrumah was at the later part of 1947, invited from Britain to become the secretary of UGCC. The founding members of UGCC were British trained and legal minded hence they didn't use radical means to fight for independence. They chose the motto "Self-government in the shortest possible time".

On 26th February 1948, a boycott of European and expatriate goods was organized by Nii Kwabena Bonne III - Chief of Osu Alata. Two days after thus on 28th February 1948, a group of unarmed ex-service men were matching on the street of the Christianburg Castle to present a petition to the governor. Shooting was ordered on these men which led to the death of three namely Sergeant Adjetey, Private Odartey and Corporal Attipoe.

This brought unmeasured tension into the State. The Watson Commission was formed to investigate the cause of the riot and in June 1948, the commission finalized its report attributing the causes of the riot to social, political, economic, injustice, unemployment, high prices of imported goods etc. It must be noted that before the commission's report, Six leading men of the UGCC were arrested for allegedly masterminding the riot. They were later released after the report from the Watson Commission.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who believed in the socialist ideologies, broke away from the UGCC to form the CPP in 1949 choosing the motto "self-government now".

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah won the 1951 election and became the leader of government business and eventually, in 1952, he became the Prime Minister.

Nkrumah won the 1954 election and any other elections held before Ghana became a republic. On midnight of 5th March 1957, the British Queen signed to grant Gold Coast independence. The name Gold Coast which was given by the Europeans was dumped for Ghana - a name of it ancestral descent. The name Ghana was proposed by the Historian Dr. J. B. Danquah.

In 1958, Nkrumah passed the Preventive Detention Act - a law deliberately passed to cripple his political opponents. On 1st July 1960, Ghana became a Republican State. In 1964, Nkrumah turned Ghana to One Party State. Nkrumah arrested Dr. J. B. Danquah and detained him in Nsawam Prison till he died in 1965. Many were chased on exile. Obetsebi Lamptey was on exile in Togo but returned home hiding in bushes and eventually died miserably. Nkrumah's demigod nature and high incidence of corruption that characterized his reign gingered the Armed Forces and the Police to collaborate to overthrow the Nkrumah's CPP on 24 February 1966.

The National Liberation Council which overthrew the Nkrumah government after governing for three (3) years, drafted a new constitution to usher Ghana into a civilian rule. On October 1st, 1969, the NLC handed over power to the Progress Party under the leadership of Dr. K. A. Busia. Busia who was the chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education under the NLC, popularized himself with the masses hence won the 1969 election overwhelmingly.

The Progress Party is a product of the U.P tradition hence traces its root from the UGCC.

The Second Republican constitution adopted a Parliamentary system of government hence Dr. K. A. Busia became the Head of Government (Prime Minister) and Justice Edward Akufo-Addo became the Head of State (Ceremonial President).

After 27 months reign, the National Redemption Council under the chairmanship of Gen. I. K. Acheampong overthrown the PP government. The NRC metamorphosed itself to Supreme Military Council 1&2. SMC 1 was under I. K. Acheampong while SMC 2 came under the chairmanship of Gen. F. W. K. Akuffo after a successful palace coup to overthrow SMC1.

On 15th May 1979, junior rank military officers attempted a coup but was not successful. This led to the arrest of Flt, Lt, J.J. Rawlings but released after few days.

On 4th June 1979, flt, Lt, Rawlings organized some junior rank military officers to stage a successful coup to overthrow the SMC 2. The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council initiated the "House cleaning exercise". By this exercise, former coup makers and some high rank senior military and police officers were persecuted through firing squared on 16th and 22nd June 1979.

After three months reign, the AFRC drafted a new constitution for civilian rule. This brought to power Dr. Hilla Liman (President of the third Republic).

On 31st December, 1981, J. J. Rawlings made a u-turn to overthrow the Liman's government. The second coming of J. J. Rawlings was named the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC). After being under military rule for ten (10) years, Chairman Rawlings and his PNDC drafted a new constitution for civilian rule. This was due to internal and external pressure demanding for a Democratic system of government for Ghana.

The 1992 constitution came into being and candidate Rawlings won the 1992 elections as well as 1996.

The 4th Republican constitution is the longest serving constitution in Ghana after independence was attained.

It has had seven (7) successful elections bringing to power five (5) Presidents namely J.J. Rawlings, J. A. Kuffour, J. E. A. Mills (the late), J. D. Mahama and the incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

[email protected]

The Star of Africa (Ghana) is at its retirement age. The youthful years of Ghana was characterized by political instability. The adolescent years of Ghana was characterized by autocratic rule and the adult years of Ghana has been characterized by massive corruption. Ghana is looking forward to be productive at its retirement years.

The President of the Republic has assured Ghanaians of his commitment to fight corruption to the brim, embarking on industrialization drive to move the state from the Guggisburg agrarian economy to value added economy as well as judicious usage of the national resources to the benefit of all.

Ghana's 60th anniversary is an anniversary for HOPE. The match to wipe off the tainted image of mother Ghana. The match to social and economic liberation. The match to restore confidence in the Ghanaian economy. The match to the promise land which our forefathers dreamt about.

Ghana is sixty but it is not late.

Ghana can work again.

Let's all hands come on deck to build our motherland.

Arise Ghana youth for your country.
Lagos (AFP) - Nigeria's transport minister Rotimi Amaechi said Tuesday that "everything is ready" for the closure of the airport serving the capital Abuja, despite worries about limited capacity at the alternative hub.

Starting Wednesday, flights are being redirected from Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the northern city of Kaduna for at least six weeks.

But all international airlines serving the city except one -- Ethiopian Airlines -- are refusing to go along with the plan, and have cancelled their flights instead.

Passengers heading to and from Abuja will have to travel about 190 kilometres (120 miles) on a road where there have been a number of kidnappings, or take a train.

But speaking to AFP at the launch of a railway project in the commercial hub of Lagos, Amaechi said there was no cause for concern.

"We have set up the roads, the railway, the buses and everything is ready," he said.

"There are no security issues. We have enough police, enough soldiers, enough air force," he said.

He added that the airport closure would not last more than the planned six weeks.

The aviation ministry has said the airport needs work because the runway, which was built in 1982 with a 20-year lifespan, was "dilapidated" and "unsafe".
07.03.2017 LISTEN

Harare, Zimbabwe, March 7, 2017  The NEPAD-IPPF (Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility) has approved US $3.88 million in grants to the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique and Zambia to finance completion of regional projects preparations.

The two Regional Interconnectors  Kolwezi (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Solwezi (Zambia)  received US $1.98 million and Zambia-Mozambique US $1.9 million, excluding US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) co-financing worth US $0.8 million. The NEPAD-IPPF grants are to help fund full feasibility studies, including detailed design and tender documents of the proposed high-voltage direct current (HVDC) 330-/400-kV transmission lines within two years. The projects have already attracted downstream financing interest from donors in the region and other financial institutions.

The two interconnectors are amongst the key corridors in the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) network architecture within the regional grid, to assure region-wide provision of quality, reliable and secure electricity, to commercial and economic centres (such as the Katunga and Kalumbila copper mines). In the long term, they constitute the building blocks to connect the north-south and east-west Southern African Development Community (SADC) power grid.

Both interconnectors will increase the transmission capacity within the SAPP as well as enhance energy security for the respective countries. In addition to reinforcing and building resilience in the current grid, the interconnectors will significantly help to increase trade flows, deepen power trading markets in the region and in Africa as a whole.

The interconnectors will help to create an enabling environment for private-sector participation by assuring a ready regional offtake of power generated. The most immediate environmental benefit would emanate from increased use of existing hydropower plants over fossil fuels, crowding out fossil fuels to a large extent, along with increased efficiencies in generation. By helping to direct power from cleaner sources to deficit states, the projects will mitigate risks from climate change-induced droughts as these droughts triggers power deficits and force countries to seek short-term carbon-intensive solutions. The projects directly support the African Unions Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

Tonia Kandiero, African Development Bank Director General, South Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office, said, The two interconnectors lay the building blocks to further the Banks High 5 agenda, especially Light up and power Africa, Industrialize Africa and Integrate Africa. She added that, They are part of critical infrastructure that, when developed, would lead to job creation and economic development besides mitigating climate-induced droughts in the region.

Judith Kateera, the AfDB Alternate Executive Director for Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, said adequate supply of power is at the heart of socio-economic transformation of member states. It is also an imperative in private-sector development, as industry relies on it for production of goods and services, she said.

The project has been welcomed by the beneficiary countries as well.

Eric Mbala Musanda, Managing Director of Societe nationale delectricite (SNEL) in the DRC, said, The Kolwezi-Solwezi Interconnector project will contribute enormously to the stability of both the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) and SNEL networks, especially in the southern part of the DRC. SNEL attaches great importance to this second interconnector between the two utilities networks by increasing the power transit capacity between the two countries and the volume of energy trade between SNEL and ZESCO, on the one hand, as well as with other SAPP members on the other hand.

Zambia, as intermediate country for both interconnectors, will enable power interchange, contributing to energy security and SAPP trading.

The energy crisis that Zambia has experienced is very painful, said Webster Musonda, Director of ZESCO, Transmission. But even more painful is that we could not import available power at times from the SAPP because of transmission path constraints. The MozambiqueZambia Interconnector project will go a long way to mitigate the congestion in the SAPP network. The KolweziSolwezi interconnection will support the SNEL network in the Katanga area and also provide additional transmission capacity for exports from Zambia and other SAPP member countries to DRC, and the other way round when the tide changes. We are grateful to NEPAD-IPPF, AfDB and SAPP for supporting the two utilities to carry out the cross-border feasibility studies for the transmission line.

The signing ceremony took place on March 6, 2017 at the AfDB offices in Harare, Zimbabwe, which is located in the Southern African Development Community region. The signing was witnessed by Mary Monyau, Officer-in-Charge for the AfDB Country Office in Zimbabwe, who gave a vote of thanks to the SAPP Acting Coordination Centre Manager, Alison Chikova, for the long-term partnership between the Bank and the SAPP.

NEPAD-IPPF is a multi-donor special fund that supports African countries to translate major continental initiatives such as the African Unions Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) as well as Regional Infrastructure Master Plans of the Power Pools into bankable, investment-ready projects. The special fund is currently supported by the AfDB as host institution, Canada, Germany, the UK, Denmark, Norway and Spain. The replenishment for the new financing cycle for the five-year period, 2016-2020, is ongoing. As the demand for infrastructure projects increase so as to bridge Africas infrastructure gap, AfDB is inviting more donor partners to join the fund. Participation in the special fund is open to donors, institutional funds and other special infrastructure funds.
Palmer Buckle

07.03.2017 LISTEN

The attention of the Planning Committee of the Ecumenical and Inter-Faith Prayer Service had been drawn to news circulating in the Media that the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Gabriel Palmer-Buckle has sacked Journalists of the Presidential Press Corps from the Holy Spirit Cathedral during the Service on Saturday, March 4, 2017

The headline of story sourced to ultimatefmonline.com and published on ghanaweb.com on March 4 reads: Archbishop Palmer Buckle sacks journalists from Church. The story itself reads:

Presidential Press corps abandoned [email protected] anniversary church service attended by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Archbishop Gabriel Palmer Buckle sent them packing out of the holy spirit cathedral for setting up their cameras next to his own camera. The Archbishop told the presidential press corps that the Cathedral was his and he calls the shots and that he determines the position his camera should be positioned. EIBs Wilberforce Asare reported that the disappointed press team respectfully packed out of the church before the service started.

The headline of another publication on ghanaweb.com sourced to starfmonline.com reads: Presidential press corps abandons Akufo-Addo at Church. The story itself reads:

Press corps abandoned the President after they were treated rudely by Palmer Buckle. The Presidential press corps on Saturday abandoned the President at the Holy Spirit cathedral in Accra after they were treated rudely by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra.

Archbishop Gabriel Palmer Buckle reportedly ordered the media to move their cameras from the frontal of the church where they had set up to cover the president because the cameras obstructed his personal one which had been mounted in front of the church. According to Starr News Presidential correspondent, Wilberforce Asare, the Archbishop told the pressmen that the church was his and he must remain in control. The pressmen who were shocked, packed their accoutrement and left the premises even before the service could start.

President Akufo-Addo attended the service which was being held at the instance of the Ghana at 60 Committee.

We wish to state that since the Ecumenical and Inter-Faith Prayer Service was a solemn liturgical service taking place in a Catholic Cathedral, the Archbishop only dispassionately explained to the cameramen to position themselves at a usual reserved place for the media during liturgical functions in the Cathedral to avoid distractions.

The Archbishop as the Chief Shepherd of the Archdiocese with the Cathedral as his seat, also reminded the Media that it was a service of prayer, hence the need to observe the solemnity of the programme. We want to place on record that, it was never and had never been the intention of Archbishop Palmer-Buckle to sack any journalist from the Cathedral as purported by the above reports but he was giving a liturgical directive to protect the sacred ambience of the liturgical space.

In a Catholic liturgical service, it is inappropriate to distract the Service and the people with movements with cameras. This has always been the norm in the Catholic Church according to its liturgical norms.

Again, we wish to correct an erroneous impression in the reports that Archbishop Palmer said their cameras obstructed his personal one which had been mounted in front of the church. On record, the Archbishop drew the attention of the Media that their cameras were distracting and obstructing the faithful who were to participate fully, knowingly and actively in the liturgical service.

If in any way, the Media misconstrued the Archbishops explanation, we, members of the Planning Committee, would like to render an unqualified apology and wish to assure the Media that the Catholic Church will continue to collaborate with them in the discharge of their duties.

Issued by:

The Planning Committee

c/o Department of Social Communications

National Catholic Secretariat, Accra.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017.
Vancouver, British Columbia March 7, 2017 - Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE/ FRANKFURT:1A9/OTC:ASGOF) ("Asante or the Company") announces that it has appointed Eric Ewen as a consultant and advisor to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Ewen is a professional prospector. He graduated from the Haileybury School of Mines in Ontario in 1972, and has spent his entire career exploring for and finding gold and base metals in Canada, and West Africa.

In 1999, Douglas MacQuarrie, President grubstaked him with $2,000 to see what properties in Ghana were available for acquisition. As a result, Goknet Mining Company Limited was incorporated in 2000 with Mr. MacQuarrie as Chief Executive Officer and CEO, together with its Managing Director Godfried Kesse, MSc. geologist and former Director of the Ghana Geological Survey, and Thomas Ennison LLB, a London and Accra based Barrister and Solicitor.

By 2002 Goknet had acquired interests in eight contiguous prospecting licenses located along the lesser known Asankrangwa gold belt. These properties were ultimately vended into PMI Gold Corporation. Mr. Ewen was the initial exploration manager on these concessions. PMI Gold under the direction of Douglas MacQuarrie, President, and with the assistance of Goknet went on to acquire the Kubi, former Obotan, and an additional four prospecting licenses. PMI Gold was acquired by Asanko Gold (formerly Keegan Resources) in 2014 for $173 million in shares.

Mr. Ewen was the Managing Director of Keegan Resources Ghana from 2005 to 2010. During this period he was instrumental in acquiring for Keegan, the Bonte Gold mining lease  a former alluvial gold mining operation located just north of Obotan. He commenced wide spread soil sampling lines prospecting for the bedrock source of the alluvial gold  and is credited with discovering and drilling off the Esaase gold deposit which is the subject of the Phase 2 expansion of the Asanko Gold mine (Obotan). The geological resource base for the two projects is circa 11 million ounces of gold.

The Company welcomes Mr. Ewens keen prospecting talents to its Advisory Board as we continue to explore and develop the southern former PMI Gold Asankrangwa properties, plus our 2 highly prospective Keyhole and Betenase options, and our Kubi Gold joint venture with BXC Company Ghana Limited. Mr. Ewen is resident in Accra, Ghana.

The Company also announces the granting of 200,000 incentive options to Mr. Ewen at a price of $0.20 per share for a term of 5 years.

On behalf of the Board,

"Douglas R. MacQuarrie"

President and CEO

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante and BXC Company Ghana Limited have agreed to form a 50:50 Joint Venture to develop the Kubi Mining Leases in Ghana as a potential near term underground mine; and Asante is exploring the Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase concessions, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 7, 2017  The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds Forest Investment Program (CIF FIP), have signed a US $24-million loan agreement with Form Ghana Ltd., opening the door to commence the implementation of an innovative project on Public-Private Partnership for the Restoration of Degraded Forest Reserve through Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Plantations.

Form Ghana Ltd., a forest plantation management company that contributes to large-scale reforestation of degraded forest areas in Ghana, was engaged by AfDB, FIP and the Government of Ghana (GoG) to undertake this innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project in its forest sector. Approved in September 2016, the project will be backed by a US $10-million concessional loan from the FIP and supplemented by US $14 million in co-financing from the AfDB. The project is Ghanas first forest sector PPP due to a tripartite Benefit Sharing Agreement signed between GoG through the Forestry Commission of Ghana with Form Ghana acting as project sponsor and traditional land owners.

Ghanas forests, which once covered a third of its 24-million-hectare landmass, have been degraded at an alarming rate by excessive and often illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, mining and quarrying, and fuelwood collection. The project aims to help reverse this trend by restoring and expanding an existing 5,000 ha forest plantation to nearly 12,000 ha of sustainable commercial forest plantation made up of 10% indigenous tree species and 90% teak. Importantly, the program will conform to both Forest Stewardship Council and Verified Carbon Standard certification standards.

As a premier development partner for Africas forest-rich countries, we feel it is incumbent on us to help establish pathways for partnerships with innovative private investors to revitalize the forest sector at the nexus of climate change and development. Africas forests are important gateways to green growth and sustainability, potentially providing both sustainable livelihoods and carbon sinks. Todays loan agreement helps pave that pathway for Africa, stated Anthony Nyong, AfDBs Director of Climate Change and Green Growth.

Developed under the CIFs competitive set-aside program to engage the private sector, the project is a first of its kind for the AfDB. Todays loan agreement signs into action the Banks first-ever private sector project in Ghanas critical forest sector, and we applaud the Government of Ghana and its partner Form Ghana Ltd. for leading the way, stated Leandro Azevedo, AfDBs Senior Climate Finance Officer and project co-task manager.

The project is designed to support a new business model that will serve as an example to other investors, producing wood products which have the quality and sustainability stamp that will help meet increasing market demand while avoiding pressure on natural forests.

In line with CIF and AfDB standards, the project has been structured through extensive engagement with all stakeholders throughout the country. Expected outcomes from the project include: net greenhouse gas sequestration potential of around 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2) over 40 years (a long-term average of 70,103 tCO2 per year); 11,700 hectares of sustainably managed forest plantation with FSC and VCS certification; and 400 direct full-time jobs and 600 direct seasonal jobs. The project includes ensuring that, in this heavily male-dominated industry, 40% of the jobs generated through the project will be held by women.

The project will help meet Ghanas overarching FIP goals by addressing the underlying drivers of deforestation and catalyzing transformational change through up-front investment to support the countrys strategy on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancing forest carbon stocks.

First disbursement of the loan is expected to take place in the first half of 2017.

About the Climate Investment Funds (CIF)

Established in 2008, as one of the largest fast-tracked climate financing instruments in the world, the US $8.3-billion CIF provides developing countries with grants, concessional loans, risk mitigation instruments, and equity that leverage significant financing from the private sector, MDBs and other sources. Five MDBs  the African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and World Bank Group (WBG)  implement CIF-funded projects and programs.
Mr. E-B. Asare-Asiedu, Charge D'Affaire of the Embassy of Ghana, Washington DC has expressed the gratitude of the Ghanaian Government and people for the hand of friendship extended to the country by the United States of America (USA), for the support and cooperation the country has enjoyed over the years.

Mr. Asare-Asiedu said this, when he commissioned the Honorary Consulate of Ghana for the Delta Region in Little Rock, Arkansas on Saturday, February 17, 2017.

The Acting Head of Mission of the Embassy of Ghana pointed out that, appointing Mr. Sherman Banks as the Honorary Consul, the Government of Ghana took due cognizance of his stature and deep commitment to the development of all men, especially the advancement of Ghanaians he has for so many years been associated with.

During his two-year tenure as the first African-American elected President of Sister Cities International, Mr. Banks co-led peace missions to Egypt and Morocco and worked for the realization of his dream of conducting the first ever Sister Cities International Islamic Summit  Citizen Diplomacy in the 21st Century Mr. Asare-Asiedu added.

Mr. Banks has also worked with elected officials to develop agricultural, economic, tourism, trade and political programs in Italy, England, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, among others.

On Ghana US relationship, Mr. Asare-Asiedu noted that the relation has grown from strength to strength through cooperation in wide-ranging fields such as power and infrastructure, oil and mineral resources, environmental protection, agricultural mechanization and Human Resource Development.

Mr. Banks appointment, he said, is therefore of great significance as it reflects Ghanas desire to enhance her bilateral relations particularly in the economic and commercial spheres.

We have no doubt that with his many years of public service and human development record, Mr. Banks stands ready to help attract the relevant skills and investment so required to Ghana, he added

Mr. Asare-Asiedu, reassured development partners of Ghanas continued hospitality and support in providing the necessary environment to facilitate the establishment of business ventures and investments in Ghana.

The Acting Head of Mission congratulated Mr. Banks and wished him every success in this very important assignment and assured him of all the necessary support from the Embassy.
Leaders of the two dominant political parties in Parliament have urged the Special Investigative Committee to release its report on the bribery allegation.

At a joint press briefing in Accra Tuesday, leaders of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament said they want finality on the bribery claim.

Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, said they are awaiting the Committee's report latest next which would inform how to handle the issue.

Although he wants an immediate release of the report, Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the Committee deserves to be given the necessary space and time to come out with a complete report.

The Committee's investigation into the bribery allegation made by Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga has come to an end because its four-week duration expired over the weekend.

Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko is alleged to have given the money to First Deputy Speaker Joe Osei Owusu who is said to have given them to some MPs.

Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka whose name was also cited in the issue has denied receiving any money from Mr Osei Owusu.

Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu

Sections of Ghanaians are surprised at the Tuesday's joint press conference by the Minority and Majority considering the acrimony that has characterised their work in the past.

Mr Kyei Mensah Bonsu told Evans Mensah on Joy FM's Top Story programme that the NPP and NDC are not significantly different in terms of political ideology.

He explained their joint action which would be taking place every week is in line with their belief that they cannot remain antagonistic towards each other at the expense of the country's interest.

Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu

But NDC Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidohu said the party has not sanctioned any "cozy" relationship between the MPs of the two parties.

"The party has taken no decision," he said adding they are not against any form of collaboration so far as it does not compromise the position of the NDC.

"What was done today has to do with post-budget [and] it is nothing that has come to stay," he said.

"This is a one-off thing."

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Introduction

As the World marks Women Day tomorrow March 8, Rev. Sr. Margaret Mavis Ankamah, SMMC, Co-ordinator of Gender and Development at the Ho Diocesan Development Office, in the Volta Region, is one of the many Catholic Nuns in Ghana, who have specialized in the area of advocating for women empowerment and Gender equality in Ghana through her Office.

Gender inequality as a matter of fact, remains one of the central challenges of the 21st century in spite of all the progress the world has made. Statistics from international studies indicates that two-thirds of all illiterate individuals worldwide were women and they own only one per cent of global assets.

Globally, women are poorer than men. As the main caregivers of children, poverty hits them the hardest of all. For women living in extreme poverty, every day is a struggle to survive. Consequently, they do not have the means or education to adequately consider negative repercussions on their environment, or the advantages of sustainable living.

The feminization of poverty is a change in the levels of poverty biased against women or female headed households. More specifically, it is an increase in the difference in the levels of poverty among women and men or among female versus male and couple headed households. It can also mean an increase of the role that gender inequalities have as a determinant of poverty.

To ensure that explicit, implicit, actual and potential gender biases are removed, there is need to embark on Gender and Development (GAD) as a priority programme in any meaningful and sustainable development work.

As a Catholic Nun, Sr. Ankamah feels that The Church has the duty to contribute to the recognition and liberation of women, following the example of Christs own esteem for them...Giving women opportunities to make their voice heard and to express their talents through initiatives which reinforce their worth, their self-esteem and their uniqueness would enable them to occupy a place in society equal to that of men...Bishops should encourage and promote the formation of women so that they may assume their proper share of responsibility and participation in the community life of society and ...of the Church. Women will thus contribute to the humanization of society.

Gender and Development

The African Womens Decade was launched in 2010 to advance gender equality by accelerating implementation of Dakar, Beijing and AU Assembly Decisions on Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment at the top and grassroots.

In the general field of development studies, the need to focus attention on issues of gender has become increasingly clear in recent decades. There are some reasons for this. First, poverty itself is not gender-blind. The situations of men and women in the poorest countries are often different, so that by most measures development outcomes are consistently worse for women than for men.

Secondly, interventions to promote development do not necessarily serve women and men equally. Projects which seem to have nothing to do with gender may benefit men more than women because of the way societies and economies are structured.

Gender and Development (GAD) is a development perspective that recognizes the unequal status and situation of men and women in society, and as an approach, GAD seeks to equalize the status and condition of and relations between them. Gender and Development (GAD) is concerned with women and men, their specific roles, responsibilities and expectations in the society.

It also analyzes the nature of mens and women's contribution within the context of work done both inside and outside the household and reflects the public/private dichotomy that undervalues the work done/ role played by men and women. GAD focuses on the principle that development is for all.

Everyone in society, female or male, has the right to equal opportunities to achieve a full and satisfying life. Gender refers to the specific set of characteristics that identifies the social behavior of men and women and the relationship between them. Gender alludes not simply to women or men but the relationship between them and the way it is socially constructed. Since gender biases exist and these biases prevent people from attaining their full potentials, development is impeded.

Projects focusing on women and girls bring enhanced benefits for families and society as a whole so also is Gender, Children and Social Developments programmes in the right directions towards gender equality. A 2012 World Bank report articulates a now widely accepted view that gender equality, as well as being intrinsically important, contributes to a range of key development outcomes more broadly.

Women formation

When Damian Avevor, the News Editor of the National Catholic Weekly in Ghana, The Catholic Standard caught up with Sr. Ankamah in her office in Ho in preparation for the Mothers Day celebration on May 8, this year, she said that giving women the opportunity to make their voices heard and to express their talents through initiatives which reinforce their worth, their self-esteem and their uniqueness, would enable them to occupy a place in society equal to that of men.

She called on the Church in Ghana to encourage and promote the formation of women so that they could assume their proper share of responsibility and participation in the community life of society and of the Church.

For Sr. Ankamah, she feels women should be able build up their self-esteem and be proud of themselves, since they had an important role to play in society to enhance the growth and development of the Church and the nation as a whole.

Advocating for support for women to play important roles in the Church, she said women have all it takes to contribute effectively to the humanization of society, noting that they formed the nucleus of society; beginning from the home.

She said when given the opportunity, many more women could equally deliver like other women who have taken up the challenge and are making significant sway or impact in the Church and society.

Sr. Ankamah said the Catholic Church in the past did a lot develop women and is continuing to empower them in the various fields of their endeavours, lamenting that most of the leadership positions being held by the laity in the Church and the country were male-dominated.

She, therefore, appealed to women to prepare and avail themselves of opportunities for Church and public leadership, stating further that the Government and other stakeholders should develop policies to reverse the trend through affirmative actions and by paying attention to strategic gender needs of women.

When women are given the chance, they could play effective roles in national development just like their male counterparts, and even more. Women have more potential of developing themselves to contribute to the development of the Church and nation.

To affirm her point with Holy Scriptures, she said, there were scriptural examples which clearly show strong, competent and God-fearing women fulfilling important roles just as men do.

Giving two examples in the Bible, she cited in the Old Testament, the role of Debora when she served as a judge in Israel (Judges 4 and 5). Thus, we find in Judges 4:4-5 that the children of Israel  not just the women, came to Debora for judgment (counsel).

In the New Testament, Priscilla worked together with her husband, Aquilla, in several ways, including taking the role of teaching the Scriptures to individuals (Acts 18:26), she added.

She said gender equality is both a goal in itself and a pre-requisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that empowered women could bring new ideas and perspectives to decision-making and increase the chances of education and employment for the next generation.

The Ho Diocesan Gender and Development Co-ordinator said the womens rights and empowerment and girl-child education were the priorities of her Office, recalling that the sensitization on girl-child education in 30 communities formed part of one of the five major areas under the six-year project of the Diocese entitled: Enhancing Human Resource for Growth and Development at Community Level.

In addition, a five-day teaching and learning session in Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science and Social Studies was also held at the Mater Ecclesiae School at Sokode-Gbogame for 210 girls of selected basic schools in the Ho Diocese in 2015. She called for strategic ways of developing programmes for women for their spiritual, economic, social and physical growth.

On the forthcoming elections in November, Sr. Ankamah advised women to guard against electoral violence and malpractices since women were the bedrock of society, calling on them to discourage their husbands, brothers and children from similar acts.

She indicated that provocative words inflamed hearts and generate into violence, and appealed to all Ghanaians, especially her fellow women, to be charitable in their speeches.

She noted that when there is violence in a country, women and children suffer most, urging women to crusade against violence and to pray for a peaceful and violent-free election before, during and after the 2016 elections.

She advocated for the organization of peace marches and peace fora for women so that they would put Ghana first in whatever they do.

Sr. Ankamah encouraged Political Parties to ensure that women were exclusively involved in decision-making at the District levels and partake in Inter-Party Advisory activities to build their confidence and ensure that the party structure did not discriminate against women.

She said when women have access to finance, credit, technology and markets, they were more likely to expand their businesses and contribute effectively to the upkeep of the home as well as the growth and development of the nation.

Therefore, investing in women and mobilizing them to participate in the socio- economic development of Ghana `was not only the right thing to do but a good one which would inure to their own benefit and that of the nation as a whole, she added.

Sr. Ankamahs role as Gender Development Co-ordinator

As the Co-ordinator of Gender and Development (GAD) Office of the Ho Diocese, Sr. Ankamah highlights that GAD Plans and designs programmes to empower women and address gender inequality towards achieving development for all, men, women and children. Originally the task of the GAD is to catalyze and facilitate the Institutionalization of gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment within the development office.

While GAD Office is clearly responsible for implementing programmes, activities and projects addressing women, it is the GAD Coordinator who advocates for, coordinates, guides and monitors the development and implementation of GAD plan and GAD-related programs and projects in the diocese.

Over the years however especially since 2008, the development policy of the Ho diocesan Development office of which the GAD OFFICE IS PART has changed in line with that of our partners, that of the national catholic secretariat and our own local needs. Instead of each office having specific programmes, the new approach was to have one big diocesan development programme with different thematic areas addressing the needs of the people (men, women, youth, children, people with disability and aged) in a more holistic way.

Another shift in policy was instead of targeting purely Catholics for our interventions, it has to be broaden to community based approach since development issues affects everybody in the society irrespective of sex, age and religion.

Hence, the GAD Office and the Diocesan development office develops and implement one main diocesan programme. The task of the GAD Coordinator is to design, implement and evaluate projects that addresses the needs of our people particularly women.

Except for Infrastructural projects like building projects, the GAD Coordinator has been one of the driving force leading development activities with the diocesan development coordinator in the Ho Diocese. With her background, the job description of the GAD Coordinator as she has come to experience includes the following.

Mobilizes Resources for developmental programmes that will benefit (men, women, youth, children and minority groups) in the Ho Diocese

Provide technical support for projects identification, design, implementation and monitoring & evaluation

Provide technical support in project design, implementation and evaluation.

Organize programmes, seminars, workshops for women and coordinates women irrespective of their religion or social status.

Network with other organizations as a means of learning and championing the cause of women on behalf of the diocese at regional, national and international level or forum.

In charge of gender and development and ensures gender is mainstreamed in organizations programme.

Undertake programmes development, capacity development activities in the area of social and economic development focus on gender equality and social inclusion.

Develop own capacity through networking and interacting with other officers, associations, organizations, training and short course local, national and international to update oneself for gender and development work.

Be ready to work with other teams responsible for networking, and champions the course of gender and development and women in general at all levels.

Carry out any other assignment given by the diocesan development coordinator.

Accept and perform any other responsibility given by the diocesan bishop

Work closely with the Catholic women association and provide technical support to the programmes.

Laurels chalked by Sr. Ankamah

Sr. Margaret Mavis Ankamah (SMMC) holds a Masters Degree in Development Studies, BSc; Clinical Nutrition and Food Science, Post-Graduate Certificate in NGO Management, Post-Graduate Certificate in Office Management, and Post-Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

She has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Research and Post Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the Ghana Business School of the University of Ghana respectively.

She has rich experiences in Rural and Community Development; Gender and Development and Socio-economic Research. She has extensive knowledge in Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation, Strategic Planning; Logical Framework Analysis.

She as well has a practical skills in Development Project/Programme Identification, Planning/Design, Appraisal, Monitoring & Evaluation (Project Cycle Management), Nutrition, Agriculture and Food Security, Peace Building and Conflict Resolution. She equally has skills in training and facilitation, presentation (training cycle management), conducting needs assessment, participatory methodologies and visualization of participatory programmes (VIPP); developing organizational/institutional assessments.

She has worked with and is a member of civil society networks and alliances, at local, regional, national and international levels. She has championed several social and womens interventions in communities in the Volta Region and in the Catholic Diocese of Ho with a strong team work spirit.

Sr. Ankamah has a maximum of 15 years experience in gender and social development as well as CSOs Networking; knowledge and skills on integrating GESI (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion) programme planning and monitoring; demonstrate skills in training management and experience in capacity building relating to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion and has experience and strong capacity to influence all stakeholders for GESI sensitivity.

Workshops facilitated and attended

She has facilitated many workshops on Gender Issues including the training of Religious Leaders in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in 2014. As a Gender Advocate, she has attended several workshops and seminars both locally and internationally including Society of Africa Women in Africa and HIV/AIDS (SWAA) Forum in Burkina Faso. January 2009; Africa Lead/USAID, West Africa Leadership training programme for Champions for Change, Accra, Ghana. May 2010; IV World Catholic Congress on Rural Life, Rome (Italy) June 2012 and Post BUSAN Interfaith Consultation on Aid Effectiveness. Nairobi, Kenya July 2012.

Others were Africa Union Consultative Forum on Africas Green Revolution. Arusha, Tanzania, May 2013; STAR Ghana Leadership Development Programme Learning Workshops, Takoradi, Ghana 2014  2015; Global Forum on Agricultural Development. Berlin, Germany. January 2015; Women in Extractives Advocacy Training programme. Johannesburg, South Africa. March 2015; Biosafety and Biosecurity training workshop for Farmers / CSOs, Accra. Ghana. January 2016; Stakeholders Review School Feeding Forum, Accra, January 2016.

With the rich experience of Sr. Ankamah in championing the rights and empowerment of women especially in the Volta region of Ghana, she has this to say Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.
Citi FMs Heritage Caravan on Tuesday donated a branded sign post to the Paga Crocodile pond in the Upper East Region.

The donation forms part of activities marking Citi FMs annual Heritage Month celebration which takes place every March.

The new sign post was mounted at a vantage position to serve as a guide for tourists visiting the area.

As part of the celebration, the Heritage Caravan, which has a number of Ghanaians on board is deployed to tour Ghana.

The Caravan has since its take off last Sunday, March 3, 2017, toured parts of the Greater Accra Region, Ashanti, Northern, before heading to the Upper East Region.

Managing Director of Citi FM, Samuel Atta Mensah, during the handing over ceremony, explained that the gesture was a token from the station to the development of the pond.

For his part, the caretaker of the pond, Issahaki Manama lauded Citi FM for the gesture.

He said that It was very difficult reading the inscription on the previous sign post.

About the Paga Crocodile pond

Located in the north-eastern border of Ghana, Paga is a sacred crocodile sanctuary.

Although crocodiles are considered as wild creatures, the Paga crocodiles are friendly and coexist with humans.

The friendly relationship between the crocodiles and humans continue to baffle the minds of many. This is in contrast to the perception of crocodiles as dangerous.

It is a customary offence to harm, kill or show any sign of disrespect to the crocodile of Paga.

It is not uncommon to find children and or visitors sitting at the back of or holding the tale of a crocodile without any harm, after a sacrifice of fowl.

This is normal for the people of Paga but a mystery to visitors.

Other tourist attractions in the area include the Paga-Nania slave camp, the mystery dam of Kayoro called Kukula and the Nasaga Game Reserve, eight kilometers away from Burkina-Faso and Paga.

Heritage Caravan trip so far

The Heritage Caravan started from Accra, moved to Kumasi where the team toured the Kumasi Fort and Military Museums, and the Komfo Anokye sword site.

From Kumasi, the caravan embarked on another exciting 9 hour journey, to Tamale, Northern Regional capital.

They convoy drove through popular cities and towns like, Techiman, Tuabodom, Kintampo, Dawadawa and Fufulso junction.

Patrons were amazed by the changing countryside scenes as they drove through the Savannah lands of the Northern Region.

They were also excited after they crossed the Black and White Volta at Buipe and Yapei.

The caravan will spend two days in this part of the country.

The 2017 trip, which has Vodafone Cash, HFC Susu Plus Account and Top Oil as sponsors, has been packaged to give patrons an experience of a lifetime.



By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Employment Minister has ordered a comprehensive audit into the labour history of Markwako Fast Food whose supervisor is being investigated for an alleged assault of a female worker.

Ignatius Baffour Awuah gave this directive to the Ministrys Labour Department after he visited the company to interact with some of the workers.

Speaking to Dzifa Bampoh on Joy FMs Newsnite programme Tuesday, he said although the police have initiated investigations into the matter, the ministry is also interested in finding out a worker of the company was assaulted by her supervisor.

Alleged victim, Evelyn Boakye

We are asking our labour department to do a labour audit for us to see...I have given them one week within which to get the report to us, he said.

Jihad Chaaban, 26, who is a brother-in-law of the owner of Marwako Restaurant in Accra was arrested by the police following claims that he had dipped the face of a worker, Evelyn Boakye, into a pepper sauce for working slowly on February, 26.

He is reported to have sustained the alleged victim's face in the pepper sauce for more than 10 minutes while he squeezed her neck, a colleague has said.

Abelenkpe branch of Marwako Fast Food where the incident took place

Mr Chaaban was arrested and granted police inquiry bail pending conclusion on investigation. He was supposed to have been arraigned Tuesday, but that did not take place.

The issue has sparked heated controversy about treatment of Ghanaian workers by their expatriate bosses. Social media has been awash with outrage with sections of Ghanaians calling for a boycott of the restaurant.

Some human rights activists are also spearheading an online petition collecting signatories that is calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to clamp down on foreign nationals who abuse Ghanaian employees.

Gender Minister, Afisa Otiko Djaba

Gender Minister, Afisa Otiko Djaba has assured the nation justice will be served the 25-year-old Ghanaian waitress who is said to have suffered the assault.

"Justice will surely come to play," she said.

Mr Baffour Awuah said some action has been taken by the Ministry to address the issue, adding the owner of the restaurant has condemned the action of the supervisor and promised to support with investigation.

He said the Employment Ministry would be investigating the labour history of the other companies in the country because the Marwako incident might not be an "isolated issue."

"It is possible that it may happen in Ghanaian companies [and] as part of the work they [labour department] will conduct labour audit into that," he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | [email protected]
Non-bank financial institution, Ivory Finance, has dismissed reports that it has been paid in full, the 91 million cedis owed it by insurance firm SIC.

The two have been in a long standing legal and board room battle over the debt which came up after SIC guaranteed a 14 million cedi Italconstruct project for 19.3 million cedis in 2013, but Ital, a construction company, failed to pay its lenders, Ivory Finance.

Ivory Finance subsequently secured a court order, empowering them to access SIC's bank accounts to take out the monies owed them which at the time of going to court had hit 91 million cedis due to interest accrued.

SIC subsequently also hit the courts calling for a stay of execution, while other matters it had raised on the matter are dealt with, and in the interim abide by a high court ruling which ordered it to pay 19 million cedis without the interest accrued.

However new reports had indicated that SIC had settled the 91 million cedis.

Speaking to Citi Business News, the CEO of CDH Group- which owns Ivory Finance, Mr. Emmanuel Adu-Sarkodie said his company had not received any money from SIC apart from the 19 million cedis paid earlier.

We want to state emphatically that apart from the 19.3 million that we have received which was paid to the high court in order for us to get it, we have not received a pesewa from SIC, we therefore urge the public and especially the media to disregard the information that is going round that SIC has paid us 91 million cedis and we are still pursuing them in court. In fact if they had paid us any money what would we be doing before the Supreme Court of Ghana.

ITAL construct had earlier sued Ivory Finance and SIC for fraud.

ITAL in the suit claimed, the money it owed Ivory Finance would have been far less than the amount the finance company was claiming had SIC paid the amount upon first demand.

It maintained that Ivory Finance also used its legal counsel to unduly put pressure on the directors of ITAL to sign an unconscionable terms of settlement document without the companys counsel in the matter, and its counsel was only served with the signed and filed copy of an already prepared and signed document indicating that on or about 20th November 2015 Ivory Finance consented to judgment.

According to ITAL, the consent judgment dated 20th November, 2014 was procured by fraud and that all attempts by Ivory Finance to sit and to review the terms of the consent judgment proved futile, with some personnel of the finance company assuring that it would not move into execution until the review process is done  only for notices of Garnishee proceedings to be served on ITAL Garnishing all of its accounts for the total sum when oral communications (all of which were audio recorded) confirmed that nothing would be done until the consent judgment terms arc amended accordingly.

But Mr. Emmanuel Adu-Sarkodie reacting to the issue of fraud said the claims were untrue.

There was no fraud and so SIC should pay as we speak now the matter is before the Supreme Court.

As at 2015 the debt had hit 232 million cedis, including a principal of 14 million cedis and interest calculated since 2013.

Citi Business News understands the debt with interest accrued over the years is now hovering around 500 million cedis.



By: Vivian Kai Lokko/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Cairo (AFP) - Dozens of Egyptians protested across the country on Tuesday because they were unable to get their share of subsidised bread, police said.

The protests followed a supply ministry decision to limit the number of subsidised loaves bakeries can sell people who do not yet have digital cards introduced under a new distribution system, Supply Minister Ali al-Meselhy said.

The new system, which the government launched in 2014, replaces paper documents, and is designed to allow stricter state control and oversight to ensure no subsidised flour is stolen by bakeries.

Protests were reported on Tuesday in the provinces of Alexandria, Kafr el-Sheikh, Minya and Assiut, with a small demonstration also taking place in Cairo, officials said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.

In Alexandria, angry protesters gathered outside the ministry's offices.

Meselhy said at a press conference later in the day that the ministry had limited to 500 the number of loaves that could be distributed by each accredited bakery to non-digital card holders.

He said data on people still using paper documents for their subsidised bread will be collected so they can be issued with digital cards within a week.

Until then, the minister promised citizens who did not get bread on Tuesday that the problem will be resolved within 48 hours.
07.03.2017 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, March 7, GNA - The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has held an open day as part of activities to mark the nation's 60th Independence Day Anniversary in all military garrisons throughout the country and the Jungle Warfare School.

The Day gave an opportunity for school children and the public to interact with the Armed Forces as well as have access to their facilities, which are not often open to the public.

Lieutenant Colonel Eric Aggrey-Quashie, the GAF Director of Public Relations, told the Ghana News Agency that the open Day activities had become part of the Independence Day celebrations.

He said activities for the day included Photo Exhibitions, Demonstrations and Equipment Displays, briefings, Horseback riding, Air and Sea experiences, as well as fun games.

'It is also to clean the doubts in the minds of the public concerning the way the Military operates,' he added.

The Director said it was expected that between 2,500 and 3,000 kids and adults would take part in the activities lined-up for the day.

He said Military units in Accra and other garrisons across the country were made accessible to the public. Many people toured the Air Force Base and the Naval Base.

Children and the public were given the opportunity to fly in helicopters, coppers and Fokker 27, while others were given a treat in armoured vehicles and on horseback.

Equipment for the forces such as military aircrafts, and armoured vehicles just to mention a few were put on display for the public.

GNA
Antananarivo (AFP) - Tropical cyclone Enawo slammed into Madagascar on Tuesday, killing three people and displacing hundreds as it buffeted the island with hurricane-force winds and pounding rain.

The national disaster management agency BNGRC, in a preliminary toll, said 468 people had been displaced in the northeastern district of Maroantsetra, and a landslip there had killed three people, including two children, injured six and damaged four schools.

Videos on social media showed flattened trees, flooded roads and corrugated sheeting that had been ripped from roofs.

Enawo made landfall in the northeast of the country in the Antalaha area with winds gusting up to 290 kilometres (180 miles) per hour, the country's weather service said.

The cyclone weakened as it advanced inland at five kph, but at nightfall was still blowing at 165 kph, with peak gusts of 200 kph.

The entire north of the island nation, which lies 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of mainland Africa, is on "red alert", Samueline Rahariveloarimiza, the head of the weather service, told AFP.

Up to 700,000 people could be affected by the cyclone, according to the Red Cross, which has deployed 500 volunteers.

Strong winds and heavy rain have been battering Antalaha and Cape Masoala in the country's northeast since Monday.

The cyclone is expected to leave Madagascar on Thursday, but there are fears it will leave widespread flooding and deadly landslides in its wake.

Residents in Enawo's path had been advised to evacuate low-lying areas, seek shelter and stock up on food and water.

Madagascar's storm season normally runs from November through February and claims dozens of lives every year.

In 2012, tropical storm Irina and tropical cyclone Giovanna claimed more than 100 lives.

The Indian Ocean island has suffered severe drought and food shortages since 2015, with the southern region the worst affected.
- Northerners will not allow an Igbo man rule Nigeria, says Ralph Uwazuruike

- The Leader of Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) says the idea of an Igbo president should be totally jettisoned

- Uwazuruike says all hope should be focused only on the actualization of Biafra

- The founder of Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), says that every attempt by Igbos to rule the nation, will eventually be thwarted

Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, founder of the Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), and leader of Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), has called on the Igbo political class to practically shed aside the idea of having a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction in the face of the current Northern conspiracy against Igbos.

He recalled that the same level of conspiracy was used to scuttle the presidential ambition of some prominent Igbo personalities such as former vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, a trustee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Reacting in an apparent sympathy to a statement credited to Ekwueme that his three-time presidential ambition was scuttled by the Nigerian military, Uwazuruike stated that Ndigbo should no longer focus their hope on the Nigerian project but on the emergence of a new Biafra.

READ ALSO: Immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu and 4 other NEVER SEEN demands Soludo, Utomi, others made from FG

Biafra Agitation: Northerners will not allow an Igbo man to rule Nigeria - Uwazuruike

A press statement issued on Monday, March 6, quoted Uwazuruike who spoke through the Biafra Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha at Umuaka in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo state, as sympathizing with Ekwueme and other Igbo leaders who had in the past put up relentless fight, courage and determination to become president but failed to realize such an ambition, just because they were victims of the civil war which ended on the note of reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation but turned out to be retaliation, isolation and maximum hatred for Ndigbo.

Quoting Ekwueme as saying in the statement that: I was Vice President until December 1983 and going by the old NPN order, I would have contested for the number one position in 1987, but the military intervened in 1983 and the civilian regime was cut short.

I tried again in 1998 and Obasanjo was released from prison and he came and won, supported by his colleaques in the military. I tried again in 2003 and the same thing happened.

I therefore pray that the other people (Igbo) can take it up from there and make progress, Uwazuruike noted that Ekwueme failed to give Ndigbo any reason or assurance that the same treatment meted on him in successive elections would not be revisited on our younger generation.

He recalled that the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo did not hide his feeling how he thought the Igbo should be treated in the country when he visited Imo State during his first official outing as Head of State in 1978 and told them to thank their god for the generosity of the Nigerian leaders, for not lining them up for execution after the Nigeria  Biafra civil war which ended with no victor, no vanguished.

The BIM/MASSOB leader reminded Ekwueme and Iwuanyanwu how their efforts to emerge as Presidential candidates of their various political parties were thwarted when two Igbo sons were sponsored by the Peoples Demoratic Party, PDP and All Peoples Party, APP to frustrate the chances of Ndigbo from producing a Presidential candidate.

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According to him, the anger which led me to demand the resuscitation of Biafra republic had to do with the soiled relationship between Ndigbo and the rest of Nigerians since the January 15, 1966 Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu-led military coup.

The Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba conspiracy against Ndigbo is real and that was why the former Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd) could also not hide his own feeling and hatred for Ndigbo when he made an open declaration that he would go into exile than allowed Dr. Ekwueme to be President of Nigeria.

Through MASSOB/BIM, the world has heard clearly the marginalized voice of the Igbo man which wasonly heard in quiet, grumbling and murmuring tone before I started the struggle for Biafra in 1999 and today, the world is waiting for the emergence of the new Biafra Nation.

Through me, the world which probably thought that all was well with Ndigbo in Nigeria now knows the Prison wall of injustice the Igbo man is hemmed in Nigeria.

My observation is that if the American fathers of Independence who fought the British colonialism status quo in 1775, had allowed themselves to be derailed out of their vision through patronage and settlement, they would have died and their names forgotten few years afterwards."

Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused south-east governors of frustrating the release of their leader Nnamdi Kanu.

A zonal coordinator of IPOB, Emeka Mbamarah, who made the allegation in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, said the south-east governors had been sabotaging their agitation, Vanguard reports.

Mbamarah however, maintained that the youths would continue with the Biafra struggle until Nnamdi Kanu is released.

He said despite the non-interest of the governors in securing Kanus release, the IPOB leader would non-interest of the governors in securing Kanus release, the IPOB leader would surely come out with Biafra flag

Source: Legit.ng
United States President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order bordering on immigration on Monday, March 6.

The new travel ban blocks six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US.

This comes six weeks after the original executive order came under harsh criticisms. Some said it was an attempt by Trump bar Muslims from entering the country.

The order was later blocked by federal courts.

Heres what you should know about the new executive order.

1. This new executive order takes effect from March 16.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Donald Trump bans six countries, excludes Iraq

2. Unlike the previous one, Iraq has been taken off the banned list because its government has boosted visa screening and data sharing.

3. The six countries affected are Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iran. Citizens from these six countries will be subject to a 90-day travel ban.

4. Permanent residents and current visa holders from the named countries will not be affected.

5. It still seeks to curb the number of refugees allowed into the United States as not more than 50,000 will be allowed in in 2017.

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6. The new order suspends admission of refugees including those from Syria into the US for 120 days. However, refugees already approved by the State Department can enter the US.

Watch traders lament over the dollar rate below.

Source: Legit.ng
Editor's note: In this piece, Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri, a lecturer and head of department of Mass Communication at the Delta State University Abraka writes on the activities of the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo since assuming office.

Ufuophu-Biri is of the opinion that Osinbajo has exhibited some attribute that portrays him as a non-Nigerian.

A lecturer has said that the acting president seems not to be a Nigerian

After watching the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo in Benin City, Edo State, on TV live during his fact finding meeting with the good people of Edo state, I realized that he is totally not a Nigerian. He listened to all speakers with rapt attention and concentrated interest.

One could see him practically and personally experiencing the pains of the abandoned and abused people of the Niger Delta. Even when there was a mini riot in the hall he remained calmed and probably prayerful as an ordained man of God.

If the mild drama of mini riot that played out in the hall had happened in a situation where even a local government chairman was in charge, the chairman would have ordered the security men to shoot at sight.

READ ALSO: Tension in Niger Delta: Osinbajo blames elites for South-south crisis

If the person in charge was a state governor or a president, he would have ordered a massive arrest and inglorious shot at perception and at sight, but the learned and erudite scholar and legal luminary of international acclaim did not do any of that.

Rather when he responded he said he equally shared the grievance of the aggrieved Niger Delta people.

This is un-Nigerian.

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For a leader to share in the pains of the people and not to deal with them for daring to engage in mini riot in his presence shows that the goddess of pride, the delusion grandeur and megalomania tendency usually associated with the average Nigerian leader at virtually all levels are not in the acting president.

For him to order all the oil companies to move their headquarters to the Niger Delta is a wonderful act of justice and healing of the age long injury inflicted on the Niger Delta people.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo assures Edo oil communities of FG's continued support

That he visited the Niger Delta states differently and interacted directly with the people and even visited the creeks to personally access the horrible situation is worth more than commendation.

No Nigerian leader at his level has acted like this.

This is the reason I doubt if Acting President Yemi Osibanjo, SAN, is a Nigerian. Probably he is a Moses in the making to the Niger Delta people.

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Source: Legit.ng
- The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday March 7, inaugurated Justice Walter Onnoghen as the 17th Chief Justice of Nigeria

- The swearing-in ceremony was conducted inside the council chambers of Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja with the president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; former CJNs members of the Federal Executive Council; Justices of the Supreme Court and his family members present

- Osinbajo also decorated Onnoghen with the second highest national honours of the Grand Commander of Order of the Niger

Justice Walter Onnoghen on Tuesday, March 7, was inaugurated as the 17th Chief Justice of Nigeria by acting president Yemi Osinbajo.

Present at the inauguration was the president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; former CJNs members of the Federal Executive Council; Justices of the Supreme Court and his family members.

Osinbajo decorated Onnoghen with the second highest national honours of the Grand Commander of Order of the Niger shortly after taking his oath of office.

The acting president said he spoke with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, March 6 and the president sent his good wishes to the CJN.

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In his remarks, Onnoghen promised to lead the judiciary and ensure the independence of the arm of government.

He urged all to adhere strictly to the rule of law and solicited the continued cooperation from all the Justices of the Supreme Court.

The Presidency had in February, confirmed that the Acting President had sent Onnoghens nomination to the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.

President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently on extended medical vacation in London had on November 10, 2016 inaugurated Onnoghen as acting CJN following the retirement of Justice Mahmud Mohammed at the attainment of the mandatory 70 years retirement age.

Onnoghen was born in 1950 at Okurike, Biase Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State, and was appointed to the Supreme Court bench in 2005 (12 years ago).

Source: Legit.ng
- Islamist militant group Boko Haram has caused severe damages in the North-east

- The United Nations (UN) has released the financial cost of the insurgency in the region

- $9 billion of damage has been done since 2009

The United Nations say the financial cost of Boko Haram damage in the North-east is about $9 billion since 2009.

President Muhammadu Buhari has since set up a committee to rebuild the North-east

The terrorist group has been destroying homes, schools, bridges and roads, according to the United Nations, Bloomberg reports.

Borno state alone suffered losses worth $6.2 billion, Matthew Rycroft, the president of the UN Security Council, told reporters on Sunday, March 5 in Maidugiri.

READ ALSO: Army recovered weapons, vehicles from Boko Haram terrorists

The UN is stepping up support to the region as many who fled Boko Haram violence are now facing a humanitarian crisis even as attacks on their communities abate, he said.

The number of displaced is shocking, the number of children suffering from malnutrition is alarming, Rycroft said. It is like suffering twice.

Boko Haram has waged an eight-year campaign, capturing towns and razing villages in a bid to impose its version of Islamic law in Nigeria.

The United Kingdom will contribute more money to help tackle a crisis thats struggled to attract donor funds, said Rycroft, whos also the British permanent secretary to the UN. He didnt specify how much.

On his part, foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama told reporters that Nigeria had spent $4 billion on the region, without giving further details.

Norway last month pledged $189.7 million over three years to Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad basin thats been affected by the violence.

READ ALSO: OPINION: Issues UN Security Council mission must confront about Boko Haram

Meanwhile, Major-General Lucky Irabor, the Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-east, has said the increased wave of attacks by Boko Haram in the region was a sign that the military was winning the war against terror.

He said that the attacks were frusrated attempts by the insurgents to show that they still had some powers.

Source: Legit.ng
The Nigerian Senate has blocked the Nigeria Customs Service from going ahead with the proposed plan to collect duties on all vehicles in the country, including old ones.

Senate says Customs should suspend all actions on the policy until after its boss has appeared before the lawmakers.

The Senate resolved that the Customs should drop the move until its Comptroller-General Hameed Ali has appeared before the lawmakers to explain the idea behind the collection of the old duties.

The motion was moved by Deputy senate majority leader Bala Ibn Na'Allah, who was seconded by Kogi senator Dino Melaye.

READ ALSO: Senator Omo-Agege decamps from Labour party to APC

Na'allah said it was a tough task for people to start searching for zonal offices of areas where their cars were bought several years before.

He noted that in cases where the cars were bought from dealers, it was unfair to make people suffer for the mistakes of such dealers if the proper custom duties were not paid initially.

On his part, Melaye said if the vehicles failed to pay the import duties initially yet managed to leave the ports, then that this is the Service's fault and concluded that "We should not pay for the incompetence of the Nigeria Customs".

Recall that the Nigeria Customs had in a statement from its Acting Public Relations Officer, Joseph Atta, told owners of vehicles, who did not pay Customs duty to do so between March 13 and April 12.

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The statement read in part: All persons in possession of such vehicles should take advantage of the grace period to pay appropriate dues on them, as there will be an aggressive anti -smuggling operation to seize as well as prosecute owners of such smuggled vehicles after the deadline of April 12.

For the avoidance of doubt, all private car owners who are not sure of the authenticity of their vehicles Customs documents can also approach the zonal offices to verify with a view to complying with the provision of the law.

This policy has generated mixed reactions across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng
For a long time, Nigeria had been a country known to favor those in power as they have the immunity provided by the posts they hold puts them out of reach.

However, all that has started to change with the rate at which prominent politicians who have skeletons in their cupboards are being exposed.

Some state governors are facing trial for alleged money laundering and fraud; although they all pleaded Not guilty at the court of law, their cases are being investigated and seriously worked on.

The general perception in this part of the world is that you can get away with anything in as much as you are immensely rich and in power. Nigerian politicians have stolen from the coffers of the country while serving; they use the stolen treasure to travel the world in expensive jets and send their kids to the most expensive schools ever.

Nigeria, although rich in natural resources, has begun to lose her position in Africa because her resources are being plundered and wasted. It is not unusual for one to find a politician in this nation with landed properties and fleets of cars. A call to serve has been translated to mean an opportunity to accumulate wealth and deprive the poor of their rights.

The declaration of assets launched by President Muhammadu Buhari bared so many secrets; prominent politicians who had bitten more than they could chew were exposed and that was presumably, the beginning of the money laundering series.

With the most recent trial involving some former state governors who were alleged to have been involved in money laundering and fraud, this piece is juicy.

Find below the former state governors that are being tried:

1. Orji Uzor Kalu

Former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu is being re-arraigned by EFCC.

The former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, has gotten himself into some serious mix. He, along with udeh Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited, was re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 34 counts of laundering N3.2 billion from the states treasury while he was in power.

Kalu was said to have purportedly diverted the funds in bits between August 2003 and January 2005. Kalu and his abettors pleaded not guilty at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Slok Nigeria Limited was accused of working hand in hand with one Emeka Abone to help Kalu keep the stolen funds in its accounts. Emeka Abone is yet to be found.

READ ALSO: These points prove that Nigeria has the best healthcare system in the world

2. Rashidi Ladoja

File photo of Rashidi Ladoja, the former governor of Oyo state.

Oyo state former governor Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja is also under the radar of EFCC for ostensibly converting N4.7billion from the Oyo state treasury to that of his personal use.

He was re-arraigned 8 years after his first prosecution. He was charged on 8 counts of money laundering and unlawful conversion of public funds along with Waheed Akanbi.

3. Sule Lamido

Sule Lamido, the former governor of Jigawa state who is being charged by EFCC.

Sule Lamido, the former governor of Jigawa state is also part of the former governors being tried for money laundering. Lamido is being charged on a 27-count charge with his sons, Aminu and Mustapha.

He allegedly awarded contracts to some companies of interest using his sons as a front; this was said to have made him abuse his governorship position between year 2007 and 2015.

4. Gabriel Suswam

File photo of Gabriel Suswam, the former governor of Benue state.

The former governor of Benue state and Mr Omodachi okolobia, a commissioner of Finance in his administration, are on trial for money laundering charges.

They are being tried at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged diversion of N3.1billion stolen from the proceeds of the sale of shares by the Benue state government.

5. Ahmadu Fintiri

Ahmadu Fintiri, the former Adamawa state governor who is being probed by EFCC.

The former Adamawa state governor is on trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja is facing a 5 count charge of money laundering.

Fintiri, along with Mayim construction and properties limited, was arraigned in June 2016 for supposedly laundering about N2.9million through his naira and dollar accounts.

He was also said to have made a large cash payment to buy a property at Maitama in Abuja while he was the governor.

6. Jolly Nyame

The former governor of Taraba state, Jolly Nyame, is being charged by EFCC over alleged money laundering.

Jolly Nyame, the former governor of Taraba, is being charged by the EFCC on a 41 count charge of criminal misuse of about N1.64billion state funds. He is being tried at the FCT High court in Gudu.

7. Murtala Nyako

Murtala Nyako, the former governor of Adamawa state, and his son are being probed by EFCC.

The former governor of Adamawa state, Senator Abdul Aziz Nyako, his son and Zulkifikk Abba are on trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

They are being charged before Justice Okon Abang on a 37 count charge for criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, stealing and money laundering to the tune of N29billion. They were said to have used five companies to commit the fraud.

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8. Joshua Dariye

File photo of Joshua Dariye, the former governor of Plateau state.

Joshua Dariye was the former governor of Plateau state; he is being charged by the EFCC on a 21 count charge which entails breach of trust and diversion of N1.162billion of the ecological fund.

Source: Legit.ng
Nobody is above scandals, not even tongue speaking, fiery pastors. Many Nigerian pastors have been involved in one scandal or the other. The most rampant is sex scandals.

One has to be careful when jumping from church seeking counsel because of those addressed as men of God are wolves in sheeps clothing.

There are still pastors out there who are fulfilling their calling.

The careers of most men even pastors have been destroyed by women. It did not start today and will not end today. Do not forget that Samsons downfall was because of a woman.

READ ALSO: Lady who claimed to be romantically involved with Apostle Suleman arrested

Over the years, some Nigerian pastors have been victims of sex scandals. Here is a list of some of them who were at one time or the other accused of engaging in illicit affairs.

1. Apostle Johnson Suleman

Stephanie Otobo claimed she was intimate with Apostle Suleman

The latest pastor to be accused of having an intimate relationship with a lady is Apostle Suleman, the founder of Omega Fire Ministries. Social media went into a frenzy on Monday when a lady identified as Stepahnie Otobo called out the fiery pastor, claiming he impregnated her and later dumped her. She alleged that they both spent time alone in a hotel where they had intercourse among others practices.

Apostle Suleman has denied the allegations which he said were false. According to him, he has never met with the lady before even though they had discussed about her plight in 2016.

2. Pastor Chukwuma Nkwocha

Nkwocha was arrested for defiling under-aged girls

Nkwocha, the General Overseer of Tongue of Fire Restoration Ministry, was arrested in 2016 for allegedly camping and defiling about 30 under-aged girls. The Lagos state command spring into action after receiving a report that the pastor with a church situated on Jacob Taiwo Street Oshodi was harbouring some young girls and freely having unlawful canal knowledge of them.

3. Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo

Ese said she decided to come out with the truth because her conscience was killing her

In 2013, a blogger identified as Ese Walter boldly came out to accuse Pastor Fatoyinbo of COZA (Common Wealth Of Zion Assembly) of having an affair with her. Ese, who was also a member of the church claimed the man of God had an affair with her while in the UK. As if Eses accusations were not enough, another lady, Franca E. who claimed to be a victim also accused Fatoyinbo of the same thing. Addressing the scandal, the man of God said he was well aware of the accusations and subsequent uproar on social networks but that he would be ignoring it.

4. Sunday Adelaja

Pastor Adelaja denied the allegations against him

In 2016, the founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of God, an evangelical-charismatic megachurch in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev was enmeshed in an adultery scandal following allegations that he had extramarital affairs with at least 20 women in his church.

Adelaja denied the allegations levelled against him which he said was an attempt by some people to take over the church from him.

5. Dr Sign Fireman

In 2014, reports surfaced that the churchs General Overseer of Perfect Christianity Mission, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, Ofuche Ukoha aka Dr. Sign Fireman, was involved in an alleged sexual assault and killing of a 12-year-old girl in Badagry. The incident made him popular and almost tarnished his ministry.

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6. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

In 2014, it came as surprise when report surfaced that the founder of Believers Love World Ministry aka Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris and his wife, Anita Oyakhilome, were getting divorced. Anita who filed for divorce was said to have cited irreconcilable differences bordering on alleged adultery and unreasonable behaviour.

However, the pastor, according to an elder of the church, denied allegations of adultery and believes his wife was being influenced by bad friends who were intent on destroying their home.

READ ALSO: Apostle Suleman saga: Stephanie Otobo releases snapchat video screenshots

7. Chris Oyakhilomes brother, Rev. Ken

Nigerian pastors that have been involved in scandal

Not long after the Pastor Chris divorce saga, there was another report that his brother Rev. Ken, allegedly impregnated a South African lady who was a member of the Church in Randburg, Guateng, which is the headquarters of Christ Embassy, South Africa. His reported affair with the lady was said to be an "open secret" among the parishioners. When the news about the woman's pregnancy started making rounds, church officials reportedly fudged the issue to prevent scandal. Also, the pregnancy was reportedly aborted with the knowledge of church leaders, report says.

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Obasanjos assets

- Fayose alleges that Obasanjo looted Nigerian treasury while in government

- The governor says Obasanjo lacks the moral standing to dish out advice on corruption because he is corrupt

Governor Fayose has alleged that Obasanjo looted Nigerian treasury while in government.

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has said former president, Olusegun Obasanjo should be sent to prison because he is corrupt.

READ ALSO: Fayose destroying our party - PDP leaders cry out

Fayose, speaking in an interview with The Sun, asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Obasanjos assets before he became a civilian president and after he ruled for eight years.

The governor who alleged that Obasanjo looted Nigerian treasury while in government, queried whether all his assets were products of his salaries for eight years as president.

The governor maintained that Obasanjo lacks the moral standing to dish out advice on corruption because he, Obsanjo, is corrupt.

He said: Look at somebody talking about corruption, when Obasanjo just returned from the prison, they should go and bring his picture and his asset, what was his worth when he was in prison and what happened after eight years when he looted the treasury.

READ ALSO: Call Fayose if you are alive - Group dares Buhari

All those assets he now has in Obasanjo library and university and all that, are they products of his salary? So when they talk in this country we want to be able to listen and evaluate what they are talking about.

Obasanjo should be behind the bars. The money that he used to bribe members of the National Assembly during his botched third term agenda, where did the money come from? Was it from his holier than thou presidency, or what?"

Governor Ayodele Fayose also shocked Nigerians with the revelation that Olusegun forced him and others to donate N10 million each to his presidential library.

Fayose asked the former president to refund his own part of the donation for the construction of the library that was commissioned recently as part of the activities to mark Obasanjos 80th birthday.

Source: Legit.ng
Audu Maikori, Chocolate City boss, has just collapsed at the on-going 2017 Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) event holding at the Muson Center, Lagos.

BREAKING: Audu Maikori collapses at Muson Center while taking selfie

It was not clear what the immediate cause of his collapse was, but we can confirmed that doctors at the venue were able to revive him and he has since been taken to St Nicholas hospital for further medications.

READ ALSO: 5 major times Chocolate City president Audu Maikori showed he is too ajebutter for prison life (photos)

Audu had just finished moderating the Q and A sessions with Mo Abudu and was taking selfie with fans before he collapsed.

Recently, the Choc City boss was put under pressure, following a series of tweets credited to him, over the saddening development in Southern Kaduna.

Often, he shared gruesome photos of what he alleged to be corpses of people killed in the mayhem.

However, some twitter users called him out saying those photos were not from Southern Kaduna.

One twitter user even went as far as asking the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to arrest him because he was posing a threat to peace in the country.

The DSS arrested Audu and kept him in detention for almost 24 hours, after which he was released, following the intervention of some top Nigerians.

It was later revealed how the Choc City boss was misinformed by his driver.

Legit.ng reported that the driver lied to him about the Kaduna state College of Education killing by Fulani herdsmen, a development which made Maikori publicize the killings trusting his driver.

He had to tender an apology to Kaduna state governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai over the false tweet that five students of Kaduna state College of Education, Gidan Waya, were killed by Fulani herdsmen. But for the statement issued by the school authority and Kaduna state government, Maikori would have been fighting a baseless cause.

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Excerpt of Maikoris statement read:

"My driver Simon Joseph had travelled to the village to attend his younger brother's burial and on his return on Monday, the 30th of January 2017, I asked him for pictures from the burial, the ID card of his brother and also pictures of the casket so I could submit to the authorities and he told me that he had phone issues so he could not store pictures on his phone.

He told me, however, that his sister had the pictures on her phone and I proceeded to give him money to go to Ikeja to get the pictures from his sister, so I could present these to clear my name. He didnt return till evening, and when he did, it was without the said pictures.

At this point, I began to strongly suspect foul play. I again questioned him about the veracity of his story to which he swore on the bible that his brother was dead and even began to shed tears."

Audu has a strong influence on the young people and people do not just follow him, they identify with his brand, we can only hope that the cause of his slumping at the Muson Centre, are not fatal.

We wish him speedy recovery.

Do share your thoughts and prayers for the Choc city boss.

Source: Legit.ng
- The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu who recently gained freedom on Friday had earlier rejected conditions given to him

- Kanu said he was not begging the federal government to release him from the prison without due process

- Kanu also said he will not accept any legal process short of what has been provided by the 1999 Constitution as amended

Nnamdi Kanu has said he wants to be released through the legal process that threw him into the prison

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has given condition under which he must be released.

Legit.ng gathered that Kanu said he is, however, not begging the federal government to release him from the prison without due process.

Replying to questions thrown to him by the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Chukwuma Soludo who led a delegation of South-East and South-South leaders under the aegis of Nzuko Umunna, Kanu said his release must be legal.

"I am not begging to be taken out of this place (Kuje Prison); but if I must be released, it must be clean.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Jubilation as Nnamdi Kanu defeats Buhari's government again at ECOWAS court

He said if at all he will be released from prison, he would not accept anything short of the legal process as constituted by the law.

My release from this place must be through the same legal process that brought me here (Kuje Prison), Kanu said.

In his response, Soludo said, from Kanu's comment the major issue is federal government's obedience to previous court orders made on his (Kanu) bail and an unconditional release ordered by the court.

He said if at all he will be released from prison, he would not accept anything short of the legal process as constituted by the law.

Speaking on issues of hate speech, Kanu said, he believes he has never hateful in any of his speeches.

He however, informed Soludo and the other delegates of Nzuko Umunna that, he is not the kind of person who shies away from opposition.

He said: "I don't think at any point, I went far I did not go far enough and I will say more when I come out.

"If you hate me, Ill hate you more; if you love me, I love you more, I am not a pacifist, Kanu said.

"The Biafran people are loving people, they are peace loving people," he said.

READ ALSO: Immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu and 4 other NEVER SEEN demands Soludo, Utomi, others made from FG

It could be recalled that some notable Nigerians on Tuesday, February 28, visited the IPOB leader and three others in Kuje Prison.

The group led by the former governor of CBN said the visit was in solidarity with Kanu and his co-accused  Benjamin Madubugwu, Chidiebere Onwudiwe and David Nwawuisi - who have been in detention at the Kuje Prison.

READ ALSO: Igbos can only be presidents of Biafra  Prof Nwosu lists 4 countries Igbos need their support to achieve Biafra

Soludo also said the visit was aimed at consulting with the IPOB leader on his agitation for Biafra and the way forward in liberating and ensuring sustainable development in the South-East and South-South region.

I don't think at any point, I went far I did not go far enough and I will say more when I come out.

The Nzuko Umunna group also blamed the consistent agitation on the corruption ravaging the country through looting by elites who have failed to address various major issues in Nigeria.

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Soludo while speaking at a press conference on February 28, said, no citizen of Nigeria deserves the kind of the treatment meted to Kanu and his co-accused.

He further called for their immediate release.

Among the group of individuals that visited was Economist, Pat Utomi; Ferdinard Agu; the national secretary of the Alliance Democracy Udenta Udenta, Emeka Ugwu, Tony Nnadi, Law Mefor and head of public affairs for the Nzuko Umunna, Collins Steve-Ugwu.

Watch this Legit.ng video of Nnamdi Kanu in court on Tuesday, April 25, below:

Source: Legit.ng
Geoffrey Onyeama, Foreign Affairs Minister says no Nigerian with full valid entry visa has been denied entry to the U.S. as being widely spread.

Onyeama, who stated this while fielding questions from newsmen over the issue, said Nigerians were free to travel to U.S. as the country was not on the ban list.

The minister said he was constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there was no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S.

On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the U.S., this is not the case.

I am in touch with the U. S. Embassy and the Ambassador said no, there was nothing of such nature.

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I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that.

We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back, he said.

According to him, if government is speaking on any external relations, it will be heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency as any other source is not from the government.

He said Nigeria had embassies in almost 114 countries across the world and the ministry relied on their reports.

The U.S. Government has been reaching out to Nigeria.

The U.S. president took all the trouble to call our president and to offer the hand of cooperation to see how he was doing.

And, to congratulate him on the efforts he is being making and expressing the respect that he had for him, his leadership and his government, he said.

READ ALSO: Community leader criticises high cost of burial ceremonies in Igbo land

According to him, the U.S Secretary of State called to echo exactly the same thing and our cooperation with them is exemplary.

Nigeria is on no list and Nigerians are on no list ban by the U.S. Government and it is always business as usual and very good business with the U.S. Government.

Anything you hear in respect of the U.S. is incorrect, so any one that has valid document to go to the U.S. or any other country should please proceed to do so, he said.

Recall that U.S President Donald Trump had on Monday signed a new executive order which bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from Januarys previous order, and reinstated a temporary blanket ban on all refugees.

The new travel ban comes six weeks after Trumps original executive order caused chaos at airports nationwide before it was blocked by federal courts.

It removed language in the original order that indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and called for prioritising the admission of refugees who are religious minorities in their home countries.

That provision drew criticism of a religious test for entry and would have prioritised Christians over Muslims fleeing war-torn countries in the Middle East.

The new ban, which takes effect March 16, also explicitly exempts citizens of the six banned countries who are legal U.S permanent residents or have valid visas to enter the US.

This included those whose visas were revoked during the original implementation of the ban, senior administration officials said.

Meanwhile, in the video below, Federal Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi says Buhari ministers are busy working on the streets.Do you agree with him?

Source: Legit.ng
- A federal court in Lagos has ruled against former Abia state governor

- Orji Uzor Kalu is on trial on a N3.2 billion money laundering charge

- The court rules that a prosecution witness would be allowed to give evidence

Orji Uzor Kalu / File Photo

Former Abia state governor, Orji Uzor Kalu has suffered a setback as a federal court in Lagos made a vital ruling against him.

Onovai Oghenevoh, a prosecution witness in the corruption trial will be allowed to give evidence against him.

According to Premium Times, initially, Uzor Kalu's defence counsel had objected to his evidence because his statement was not front-loaded in the proof of evidence.

READ ALSO: Orji Uzor Kalu praying for witnesses to die - EFCC

The former governor is facing a 34-count charge of money laundering amounting to N3.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the embattled former governor, on Tuesday, January 3, visited the parents of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

During the visit, Legit.ng gathered, the former governor discussed the need for the release of Kanu with His Excellency Eze I. O Kanu and his wife Ugoeze Sally Kanu.

Sources within the family said Uzor-Kalus visit to the palace of Eze Kanu was met without much difference from the reply the former governor got from the IPOB leader in Kuje.

Watch a video of people speaking on IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu:

Source: Legit.ng
Babachir David Lawal, the secretary to the government of the federation, has come under heavy attack following claim that Christians are fueling rumors about President Buharis health.

In a report on Vanguard, Christians in Nigeria have admonished Lawal to tread softly to avoid incurring the Gods wrath, following his comment.

Buharis health: SGF under attack over comment against Christians

The President, Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Engr. Daniel David Kadzai said Lawal did not need to sell his people of same faith cheap for political gain.

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He said: Though the church or Christian leadership may out of grace not excommunicate the SGF, the entire Christian youths frown at and dissociate themselves from the misleading claims by the SGF that, Christians are fueling rumors about President Buharis health.

The SGF does not need to play to the gallery in pleasing his mentors and political sponsors by denying his kit and kins of same faith.

Christians must not be taken for granted. For the benefit of doubt, it might interest Mr. Babachir and his likes to know that ALL Christian leaders, Churches, Ministries and Para-church organisations have been praying for the health of Mr. President (Buhari) both in Sunday worship services, midweek fellowships and night vigil worships.

We wonder what the SGF, Babachir seeks to achieve by claiming that Christians are responsible for fuelling the rumours concerning Presidents health? Babachir as a Christian knows the Bible instruction to Christians, to pray for ALL those in position of authority.

Let us remind the SGF that ours is not a religion that imposes leadership or compulsive followership and that He that troubleth his house shall inherit winds(Prov.11:29).

Recall that Lawal had warned Christians to desist from what he described as pull him down syndrome.

He claimed Christians were the ones fueling rumours about President Muhammadu Buharis health on social media, warning them to stop, The Nation reports.

Lawal, in a statement issued by head of media of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), accused Christians of criticizing Muslims for pursing their agenda instead of them to pursue their own agenda.

Source: Legit.ng
The Nigerian Air Force launched an attack on a secret base used by Boko Haram terrorists after they tracked some of the terrorists to the location.

In a statement released by the air force accompanied by a video, it said the location was possibly an ammunition or fuel dump used by the terrorists.

The attack generated a huge inferno which also confirmed the success of the engagement with the terrorists.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Air Force graduates 4 instructor pilots to boost chances against insurgents

Read the statement below:

"The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has successfully destroyed a logistics base concealed by fleeing Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in Sambisa. Two fleeing terrorists were tracked by NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to the concealed location where they had gone to retrieve some items before fighter aircraft were called-in for strike. The coordinated attack was carried out by a formation of two Alpha Jet and an F-7Ni fighter aircraft while the ISR aircraft remained overhead the target location to guide the attacking aircraft as well as provide battle damage assessment. The huge inferno generated by the attack suggests that the target location was either a fuel or ammunition dump as can be seen from the declassified footage of the air strike.

"The latest air strike is another major feat in the renewed air effort by the NAF to neutralise the fleeing terrorists as well as decimate their capability to regroup for attack on own surface forces and people within the nearby communities."

Source: Legit.ng
Probiotics supplements remain a strong driver of growth within the supplements industry in the United States and across the world. The retail market value of probiotics supplements sold in pharmacies and mass channelsexcluding online, multilevel and the natural health shopsin the United States reached US$920 MSP (manufacturer selling price) in 2015, up 17 percent from 2011, according to estimates from the database DB6 of Nicholas Hall Group of Companies. The United States held the largest share in value sales at 33 percent thanks to increased consumer awareness of probiotics and a highly visible presence at the points of sale at pharmacies and natural health food stores.

Innovation in the United States focuses on specific need by type of consumer considering age, gender, stage of life, lifestyle or medical condition. This segmentation creates new possibilities of revenue generation that benefits firms in a highly competitive environment.

Other interesting developments point to the launch of combinations with functional ingredients such as omega fatty acids to promote heart health, lactase to enhance digestion, vitamin B to promote energy, and vitamin C to boost immunity.

Looking ahead, the advent of at-home microbiome testing is generating curiosity and disrupting the marketplace. uBiome, for example, offers DNA-sequenced microbiome screening to help consumers understand the status of their health as related to their lifestyle, other people, and time progression.

Learn more about the probiotic supplement market in INSIDERs Probiotic Ingredient Science Digital Magazine.

Monica Feldman will be offering more information on market opportunities, including examining consumer buying patterns and trends, at Probiotics Marketplace, a day-and-a-half event on April 18 and 19 as part of Ingredient Marketplace in Orlando. Probiotics Marketplace is produced with the International Probiotics Association (IPA), the premier underwriter is Nutraceutix, and additional support is provided by BIO-CAT, Sabinsa Corp., Unique Biotech and Viva 5 Corp.

Monica Feldman is the global director of client services at Nicholas Hall & Co. Her past 25 years of experience include executive marketing positions and consulting work at leading multinational companies, consulting firms and trade organizations. She has been a speaker at major consumer health events, and is regularly quoted in leading trade press. Feldman is an active international advocate in business trade expansion for the life sciences and wellness industries. She works with other thought leaders and members of academia to further opportunities in consumer health. Monica holds a Masters of Business Administration in international marketing and finance from DePaul University in Chicago and is a current member of the Advisory Council at the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing.
As camera lights flashed, President-elect Donald J. Trump strode across the lobby of Trump Tower with Masayoshi Son, the colorful Japanese entrepreneur, in December.

This is Masa of SoftBank from Japan, Mr. Trump said before boasting that Mr. Sons SoftBank  which is in the process of amassing a giant $100 billion fund  had pledged to invest $50 billion in the United States and would create 50,000 jobs here.

Hes one of the great men of industry, so I just want to thank you very much, he told Mr. Son, who was an early investor in Yahoo and Alibaba. Just last month he bought the Wall Street firm Fortress Investment Group for $3 billion.

The photo op was intended to be part of Mr. Trumps America First campaign.

Yet unmentioned that day  and largely unremarked upon  is that Mr. Sons $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund could reasonably be described as a front for Saudi Arabia and perhaps other countries in the Middle East.
For the countrys most prominent political spokesman, Sean Spicer is not spending a whole lot of time in front of the camera.

Monday was the seventh straight day that Mr. Spicer, President Trumps press secretary, declined to hold a televised White House press briefing, an unusually long drought for someone whose role is traditionally to be the most visible face of a presidential administration.

Instead, Mr. Spicer  who since the inauguration had become a highly rated, if often-parodied, staple of daytime television  conducted a question-and-answer session with no cameras allowed, over the objections of the White House Correspondents Association.

The briefing was certain to be contentious. For the first time, Mr. Spicer addressed explosive and unproven allegations Mr. Trump made over the weekend that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower during the presidential campaign.
 Paris Fashion Week, the final leg of the four-part fashion extravaganza that takes place twice a year in New York and Europe, began last Tuesday. Today was the final day.

 Karl Lagerfeld had his mind on space travel at Chanel.

 Rihanna channeled youthful rebellion in her new collection for Fenty x Puma.

Karl Lagerfeld built a rocket in the middle of the Grand Palais.

It didnt fly to space, but it did fly to the top of the Grand Palais, emitting faux sparks and smoke and serving as a backdrop to a collection full of space age references.
The courtroom was packed with dozens of police officers and their union leaders, who had been there every day of the deliberations in a show of support for their fallen comrade. Several hugged Mr. Holder as Mr. Howard was led out in handcuffs.

Image Officer Randolph Holder Credit... New York Police Department

After the verdict was read, the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., shook hands with and embraced the president of the Patrolmens Benevolent Association, Patrick J. Lynch, who said, Well done.

Outside, Mr. Vance thanked the jury for a decision that I think is both thoughtful and comports with fairness and justice in this case.

This is a tragic case and a sad day, but we cant thank our police officers enough for putting their lives on the line every day, Mr. Vance said. This case reinforces the importance of what illegal guns mean to New York City and the danger they put our city in, as well as our officers.

During a monthlong trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Mr. Howard was involved in a gunfight that broke out at 8:30 p.m. between rival gang members on 102nd Street in East Harlem on Oct. 20, 2015. He dropped a backpack and fled up the promenade toward 120th Street, stealing a bicycle along the way, according to prosecutors.
City and state officials in New York have agreed to pay two men who were wrongfully convicted of setting a fire in 1980 in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn about $31 million to settle their claims of being unjustly prosecuted. The early-morning blaze caused the death of a woman and her five children.

The two men, Amaury Villalobos and William Vasquez, spent almost 33 years in prison on charges of murder and arson before their guilty verdicts were overturned in 2015 in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on the recommendation of the Conviction Review Unit of the Brooklyn district attorneys office. A third man convicted in the blaze, Raymond Mora, was also cleared by the ruling, but he died in prison in 1989.

According to a statement by Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, who has the power to settle claims, the city will pay Mr. Villalobos and Mr. Vasquez $9.7 million each. Officials in the office of Eric T. Schneiderman, the state attorney general, said the state had agreed to pay each man $5.75 million.
Getting shares to rise is an understandable preoccupation of G.M. executives, including President Dan Ammann, a former Morgan Stanley managing director, but in todays market its not necessarily a healthy one. Viewed as terminally unsexy compared with tech stocks, the companys shares have remained, like most automobile outfits valuations, depressed for years, even in 2016, when G.M. posted record profits. But explaining the Opel sale (which makes PSA the second-biggest company in Europe after Volkswagen), G.M. cited the regulatory climate, which the company notes with understated accuracy has changed. This had led it to now focus resources on the American and Chinese markets, which  it doesnt mention but might as well  are more profitable. The idea here is to be more profitable whatever the cost.

One immediate problem with the plan to jettison Opel and Vauxhall, however, is that the market is not impressed, at least not yet  following the announcement on Monday, G.M.s share price fell 1 percent. The Wall Street Journal fretted that G.M. will become the only top five automaker without a European presence and, matters of prestige aside, will seriously diminish cash flow as it loses sales in the many markets it is quitting, thus becoming less cheaply and easily able to underwrite its profitable consumer finance and other operations elsewhere.

But if anything seems shortsighted about the sale, it is the self-inflicted loss of passenger- and small-car engineering smarts that Opel represents. With the Trump administrations avowed intention of rolling back Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards and frontal assaults on the Environmental Protection Agency and other air-quality regulators, G.M. has seemingly forgotten all the earnest statements it made back in 2009 when it was seeking a federal bailout. Back then, it just couldnt wait to get the Chevy Volt into production, and it promised it was going to be a responsible partner in cleaning up the environment it helped pollute. Now it wants to sell more gas-guzzling Chevy Suburbans, which are so much cheaper to make and more profitable to sell than ordinary-size Chevy Cruzes and Buick Regals that, well, they just cant help themselves.

The last time gas prices soared, G.M.s lack of competitive passenger cars helped, along with a failing economy, push it into bankruptcy. And giving up on Opel (whose models are rebadged as Vauxhalls for the British market) is a big step in the direction of not having competitive passenger cars. Opel is a key center of G.M. excellence, competing with high credibility in the tough German market, where cars with superior safety, economy and driving dynamics are expected, unlike in the United States and China. In Opel therefore one finds what is arguably G.M.s finest assemblage of experience, knowledge and smarts in the world of passenger and small car design. Many of todays most dynamic G.M. passenger-car offerings  its best Buick sedans, for instance  are rebadged Opels. Moreover, the loss figures claimed for Opel and Vauxhall in Europe dont account for the revenue generated by these vehicle designs worldwide when sold under G.M. nameplates.
President Trump was center stage when his administration hastily rolled out a sweeping travel ban targeting Muslims in late January, vowing it would ensure we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas.

He was out of sight on Monday as administration officials unveiled a downscaled, but still pernicious, version of the ban, which targets refugees and travelers from six predominantly Muslim nations. Its not hard to see why. The Muslim Ban Lite is an implicit acknowledgment that the Trump administration stumbled spectacularly in its first major attempt to deliver on a campaign promise.

And yet, as administration officials made the case on Monday for the revised measures, there was no hint of contrition and plenty of reckless fearmongering. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the president was exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe. Attorney General Jeff Sessions warned, without providing context or evidence, that more than 300 people admitted to the United States as refugees had been investigated by the F.B.I. for possible terrorism links. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, meanwhile, lamented that our enemies often use our own freedoms and generosity against us.
SANTA ANA, Calif.  After more than four days in detention, five members of an Afghan family with special immigrant visas were released on Monday, allowing them to travel to the Washington town where they intend to settle.

The father had worked for the American government in Afghanistan for a decade and received the visas based on his work.

Federal officials said that they would meet with the family on April 5 to review their visa documents and that they would be free without any limitation of their liberties until then.

This is a real victory in terms of the government acknowledging that the family does not pose a threat, said Mark Rosenbaum, a lawyer with Public Counsel, who helped with the case. But we should have never had to go to federal court to make this happen. This is not a way to thank someone for their service.
With President Trump recasting his executive order banning the entry of migrants from certain predominantly Muslim countries, it may be a moment to recall Dick the Butcher. Reaction to the new restrictions seems destined to reprise that to Mr. Trumps original order in January, and it echoes the Butchers oft-quoted line from Shakespeares Henry VI, Part 2. There is a crucial one-word change, though. This version goes: The first thing we do, lets call all the lawyers.

Thats what opponents of the travel ban did in January. In short order, legal teams formed to represent immigrants who were suddenly detained at airports, with nowhere to go. Their challenge to presidential authority was sustained by federal judges, and their motivation underpins this short video from Retro Report, a documentary series that mines the past for guidance as to what may lie ahead. The focus is on a network of current and former students at Yale Law School who helped draft a legal petition that became part of the pushback that stopped the first Trump order in its tracks.

For Michael J. Wishnie, a Yale law professor involved in that effort, what happened in January was familiar. It was very much a replay of what I had seen, he told Retro Report.

As a Yale law student in 1991, Professor Wishnie was part of a team that worked on behalf of Haitians who had fled their country by boat after a coup there. They sought asylum in the United States, but instead were sent to the American naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and held behind barbed wire. Ultimately, a federal judge ordered that more than 150 Haitians be released and allowed to enter the United States.
Some photographs show female Marines posing topless in their dress uniform slacks, or with their camouflage blouses open, in pictures they thought would forever be secret. Others show private moments swiped from their personal social media sites.

In one photograph, surreptitiously taken in February, a female corporal from Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, is shown bent over from behind. The image, once posted online, was flooded with derogatory comments, including suggestions that she should be raped.

Now the Defense Department has opened a criminal investigation and the Marine Corps is facing its latest unwanted controversy after it was revealed over the weekend that a secret online Facebook group of active-duty and veteran Marines shared thousands of naked and private photos of Marine Corps women.

The invitation-only group, called Marines United and made up of more than 30,000 active duty Marines and veterans, built online dossiers on Marine women without their knowledge or consent, listing dozens of womens names, ranks, social media handles and where they are stationed.
School districts in Virginia and North Carolina are telling students to stay home on Wednesday, on a nationwide day of protest called A Day Without Women, because so many staff members do not plan to show up for work.

In Alexandria Public Schools in Northern Virginia, more than 300 staff members have asked for the day off, prompting district officials to take the extraordinary step of canceling class. In a note on its website, the superintendent said its 18 schools would not have enough teachers on Wednesday.

This is not a decision that was made lightly, the superintendent, Alvin L. Crawley, said, adding that it is not based on a political stance or position.
WASHINGTON  House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market.

The bill sets the stage for a bitter debate over the possible dismantling of the most significant health care law in a half-century. In its place would be a health law that would be far more oriented to the free market and would make far-reaching changes to a vast part of the American economy.

The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated.

People who let their insurance coverage lapse, however, would face a significant penalty. Insurers could increase their premiums by 30 percent, and in that sense, Republicans would replace a penalty for not having insurance with a new penalty for allowing insurance to lapse.
WASHINGTON  President Trump on Monday morning approved a new travel ban executive order, replacing the one he issued in January that had spawned chaos nationwide and was blocked by federal courts. The new order bars entry of some people from six predominantly Muslim countries  Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for 90 days and suspends entry of some refugees for 120 days. But it carves out many exceptions and is less sweeping than the original. The administration hopes that the narrower order will survive court challenges.

Here are some excerpts from the executive order, with comments by The New York Times. The full text of the order is available here.

It invokes a vague threat of terrorism.

The screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) play a crucial role in detecting foreign nationals who may commit, aid, or support acts of terrorism and in preventing those individuals from entering the United States. It is therefore the policy of the United States to improve the screening and vetting protocols and procedures 

This is toned down from Mr. Trumps original order, which invoked the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, even though none of the 19 hijackers were refugees or nationals of the countries targeted by the directive, which had also included Iraq.

It defends the previous order against accusations of religious discrimination.

Executive Order 13769 did not provide a basis for discriminating for or against members of any particular religion.  That order was not motivated by animus toward any religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities  whoever they are and wherever they reside  to avail themselves of the USRAP in light of their particular challenges and circumstances.

During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump flatly proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States. That evolved into his original order, which permanently barred Syrian refugees and temporarily barred entry of nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, while prioritizing admission of refugees who are persecuted religious minorities  an exception that many understood to be an implicit reference to welcoming Christians from the Middle East. One of the federal judges who blocked the original order, citing its history and context, ruled that it likely amounted to unconstitutional religious discrimination.
Ben Carsons first full week as secretary of Housing and Urban Development got off to a rough start on Monday after he described African slaves as immigrants during his first speech to hundreds of assembled department employees. The remark, which came as part of a 40-minute address on the theme of America as a land of dreams and opportunity, was met with swift outrage online.

Mr. Carson turned his attention to slavery after describing photographs of poor immigrants displayed at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. These new arrivals worked long hours, six or seven days a week, with little pay, he said. And before them, there were slaves.

Thats what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity, he said. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.
WASHINGTON  President Trumps allegations that former President Barack Obama tapped his phone and his assertions that the bureaucracy is leaking secrets to discredit him are the latest signs of a White House preoccupation with a deep state working to thwart the Trump presidency.

The concept of a deep state  a shadowy network of agency or military officials who secretly conspire to influence government policy  is more often used to describe countries like Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, where authoritarian elements band together to undercut democratically elected leaders. But inside the West Wing, Mr. Trump and his inner circle, particularly his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, see the influence of such forces at work within the United States, essentially arguing that their own government is being undermined from within.

It is an extraordinary contention for a sitting president to make. Mr. Trump, who last year angrily dismissed the conclusion of intelligence officials that the Russians interfered in the presidential election to boost his candidacy, has now asked both his staff and a congressional committee investigating Moscows influence on the election to turn up evidence that Mr. Obama led an effort to spy on him.

How the White House and its allies see the deep state threat

What President Trump is discovering is that he has a huge, huge problem underneath him, and I think hes shocked that the system is as hostile as it is, said Newt Gingrich, a top adviser to Mr. Trumps campaign who said he has spoken with Mr. Bannon many times about his suspicion of the deep state and what he sees as its pernicious influence.
WASHINGTON  President Trumps accusations that President Barack Obama spied on him have stirred another tempest in his early months in office.

Mr. Trump offered no evidence to support his claims that Mr. Obama wiretapped his phones and rejected the assertion by the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, that the wiretapping claim was false, according to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman.

Here is an assessment.

Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, complained of news outlets using anonymous sources that did not produce credible stories

Theres been a malalignment for so many months and yet not a shred of single truth has actually come that shows any evidence has existed except anonymous source after anonymous source after anonymous source.

False. The White House has criticized the use of anonymous sources in reporting, yet has offered its own anonymous sources to support claims or policies. Mr. Spicers suggestion that articles citing unnamed officials have turned up nothing is wrong.

In recent weeks, Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser after news reports with unnamed sources revealed he had been in contact with Sergey I. Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the United States. Similarly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into Russia after journalists found he had also spoken with Mr. Kislyak, based on conversations with anonymous sources.
WASHINGTON  When last they saw each other six weeks ago after the ceremonial passing of power, President Trump and former President Barack Obama parted with smiles and handshakes. But it did not take long for the surface bonhomie to degenerate into a fierce and public clash unlike any other in modern times.

While Mr. Obama has remained quiet for the most part, some of his closest loyalists moved into opposition mode, leading what some only half-jokingly call the resistance. Mr. Trump, convinced that Obama holdovers still in government are trying to sabotage his presidency, took the conflict nuclear over the weekend by accusing his predecessor of bugging his telephones last year.

Mr. Trump provided no proof, and the charge was quickly dismissed by intelligence veterans and, indirectly, the F.B.I., but that did not make it any less sensational or any less historic. Never in recent generations has the natural friction between current and past presidents spilled over into such a public spectacle. If sustained, it could fray the institution of the presidency, further erode the publics already low confidence in the nations leadership and leave both allies and enemies with the impression of an America at war with itself.

Perhaps it should be no surprise that it came to this between the 44th and 45th presidents. During last years campaign, Mr. Obama called Mr. Trump a con artist and a know-nothing who could not be trusted with the nuclear codes. Mr. Trump called Mr. Obama the worst president in the history of the United States after spending years questioning whether he had been born in the United States. They put that rancor aside for a cordial meeting after the election, but that barely veiled the chasm between them in terms of personality, politics and policy.
WASHINGTON  Known as a no-nonsense, even-keeled prosecutor, Rod J. Rosenstein was expected to sail through Senate confirmation to be the Justice Departments second-in-command. But that process has become enmeshed in the drama surrounding questions about President Trumps campaign ties to Russia.

Mr. Rosenstein faces the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as the presidents nominee for deputy attorney general. In that post, he would oversee investigations into Mr. Trumps campaign and Russia, because Attorney General Jeff Sessions removed himself from any such cases after the disclosure last week that he had misled Congress about meeting twice with the Russian ambassador.

Democrats who have otherwise expressed confidence in Mr. Rosensteins prosecutorial skills said they were skeptical that he  or anyone besides an independent outside counsel  would not be subject to political pressure while overseeing such an investigation.

Rosenstein has a good reputation as a career prosecutor, but this is going to test him, and I worry about the integrity of the Justice Department, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, a Vermont Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a telephone interview Monday.
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., the head of the United States Pacific Command, announced the start of the deployment, saying that continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterdays launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy Thaad to South Korea.

The developments come as South Korea is consumed by turmoil over the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, whose administration agreed to the Thaad deployment. But with the president facing possible removal from office over a corruption scandal, the fate of the system had been in doubt. Its accelerated deployment could make it harder, if not impossible, for her successor to head off its installation.

Moon Jae-in, an opposition leader who is the front-runner in the race to replace President Park, acknowledged that it would be difficult to overturn South Koreas agreement to deploy the system. But he has insisted that the next South Korean government should have the final say on the matter, saying that Ms. Parks government never allowed a full debate on it.

Last year, thousands of people in Seongju, a rural southern county in South Korea, protested when it was announced that a Thaad battery would be established there. They said they feared that the system would harm their agricultural livelihoods. Many South Koreans also worry that any expansion of military ties with the United States could worsen already festering tensions with North Korea and China.

Under its deal with Washington, South Korea is providing the land for the missile system and will build the base, but the United States will pay for the system, to be built by Lockheed Martin, as well as its operational costs.

The United States military statement said that the first elements of Thaad were deployed on Monday, the same day as the Norths missile launchings.

A C-17 cargo plane landed at the United States militarys Osan Air Base, about 40 miles south of Seoul, on Monday evening, carrying two trucks, each mounted with a Thaad launchpad. More equipment and personnel will start arriving in the coming weeks, South Korean military officials said.
BERLIN  Germany and Turkey have been locked in an intensifying war of words over the past week, as campaigning heats up before an April referendum in Turkey on a new Constitution that would expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr. Erdogan, whose critics cast him as ever more authoritarian, badly wants a victory in the vote. With the referendum on a knife-edge, he and members of his Justice and Development Party, known as A.K.P., are desperate to campaign in Germany among the 1.5 million Turks who are eligible to vote.

There is a need for the A.K.P. to secure as many votes as possible from the Turks living in Germany  thats the basic ingredient, said Marc Pierini, a former European Union ambassador to Turkey and a scholar at Carnegie Europe, a Brussels-based think tank.

The yes vote is now in jeopardy, therefore votes in Germany are of course very important, he added.
The Islamic State appeared to suffer an important setback on Monday when American-backed militia fighters in Syria seized the main route that connects Raqqa, the Islamic States de facto capital, to its territory in southeastern Deir al-Zour Province.

The development essentially severed the last remaining access for supply deliveries to Raqqa and may have eliminated an escape route for Islamic State fighters.

Syrian government forces lost control of Raqqa in 2013 to the opposition, and the Islamic State captured the city later that year. Raqqa was the Islamic States most important territorial triumph at the time, and the extremist movement regards the city as the center of its self-proclaimed caliphate.

The seizure of the Raqqa exit route on Monday by the American-backed militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, was confirmed by a Pentagon spokesman, Capt. Jeff Davis, and by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. The Syrian Observatory said the militia fighters were just five miles outside the Raqqa city limits.
According to the New America Foundation, all 13 jihadist terrorists who have killed people in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, were American citizens or permanent residents. None had ties to the seven countries first singled out by Mr. Trump in January. A federal appeals court, rejecting that order, said his administration had produced no evidence linking citizens from the seven affected nations to terrorist acts in the United States.

Among citizens in the banned countries, the sense of injustice is compounded when they look at richer or more powerful neighbors, like Egypt or Saudi Arabia, whose citizens have carried out major attacks in the United States, yet which have escaped Mr. Trumps censure because their governments are harder to push around.

You know what they say: When the wife commits adultery, hit the maid, said Abdel Bari Taher, a Yemeni political analyst speaking by telephone from the war-ravaged countrys capital, Sana. They are punishing Yemen and others because they are the weak ones. Meanwhile, all the Gulf states that funded terrorism carry on as usual.

Mr. Taher said he had little doubt Mr. Trumps ban was driven by domestic political considerations. He is going after us just to please his right-wing supporters at home, he said. Nonetheless, he added, it stung.

In Iraq, the initial ban had been taken as a grievous insult from an ally it was supposed to be partnering with in the fight against the Islamic State. When the ban was announced in January, it prompted calls from some officials in Baghdad for Iraq to reciprocate with a ban on Americans entering Iraq, putting the American-backed prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, under political pressure to act.

The plight of military translators who had worked for the United States government and been promised resettlement in the United States provided a further focus for popular outrage.

Mr. Abadi, however, ultimately decided not to impose any restrictions on Americans and instead worked through back channels to have the ban overturned. On Monday, relieved officials said their approach had been vindicated.
WASHINGTON  For a fifth consecutive night, American warplanes and drones on Monday pummeled suspected Qaeda targets in Yemen as the Pentagon said an earlier attack in the country had killed a former prisoner held at the United States detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said an airstrike last Thursday  the first night of a larger Pentagon campaign to roll back gains made by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or A.Q.A.P.  killed the former detainee, who was using the name Yasir Ali Abdallah al Silmi. While at Guantanamo, he was held as Detainee No. 679 and went by the name Mohammed Tahar, according to military records.

Including an airstrike overnight on Monday that Captain Davis said killed seven Qaeda fighters, the United States has conducted more than 40 attacks across central and southern Yemen in the past week. By comparison, the military carried out 41 strikes in all of 2012, the most in a single year against the Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.

Soon after taking office, President Trump authorized the stepped-up air campaign against the Qaeda branch, one of the deadliest in the world, at the same time he approved the ill-fated Special Operations raid in January that left one member of Navy SEAL Team 6 dead and three others wounded. An estimated two dozen civilians were killed in that raid.
When Bob Mankoff announced last week that he was stepping down as cartoon editor of The New Yorker after 20 years, some people reached for the obvious, if not necessarily New Yorker-worthy, jokes.

Huge news for refrigerators everywhere, one blogger wrote. Other fans hailed a last laugh.

But while Mr. Mankoff, 72, may be leaving the magazine, hes hardly retiring. He will be teaching a course about humor and communication at Fordham University. Hell continue to consult on the Cartoon Bank, a licensing platform he founded in 1992. Hell also be working on Botnik Studios, a company hes creating with the comedy writer Jamie Brew that explores using artificial intelligence to augment creativity. (Mr. Mankoff, a former graduate student in experimental psychology, has already collaborated with a Microsoft researcher on an algorithm that can sort through the flood of entries to the magazines weekly cartoon caption contest.)

And of course Mr. Mankoff  the de facto star of the 2015 documentary Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists  will be contributing to the magazine, though hes already bracing himself for brutal competition from the many younger cartoonists he has mentored.

Ive gotten some very nice emails from some of them saying, Now that youre submitting, you are my mortal enemy, Mr. Mankoff said in a telephone interview. I think I might have to steal all the ideas that have been sent to me over the years.
Shortly after the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933 the family of a prominent newspaper publisher there fled to France, leaving behind an eclectic art collection that included Benin bronzes, Egyptian antiquities and 20th-century realist paintings. The works were confiscated, many were auctioned and most have been presumed lost.

Now a partnership including German museums, university researchers and the descendants of the publisher, Rudolf Mosse, will search for the plundered works as part of a two-year contract that the Mosse heirs have signed with the Freie Universitat Berlin.

The project, called the Mosse Art Research Initiative, will be partly funded by the German Lost Art Foundation, which was formed in 2015 by the federal and state governments in Germany to find and identify cultural artifacts seized by the Nazi regime. Officials at the Lost Art Foundation said that this was the first time they had financed a plan to track down a set of works that had belonged to a particular family. The application for help from the initiative stood out, the foundation officials, said, because it included heirs and public institutions that were willing to work together on researching and supporting the project financially.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. What do you think of it? What else are you interested in? Let us know: thearts@nytimes.com.

Pure Distraction?

Think its hard to avoid the constant news flash that is the Trump presidency? When youre the host of a news show, its impossible. But on The Late Show on Monday, Anderson Cooper admitted that he has taken extreme measures to keep the president out of his Twitter feed. While Mr. Trump on Saturday was tweeting unsupported accusations that President Barack Obama had tapped his phone, Mr. Cooper was happily oblivious.
Like Kahns buildings, too, Lessers book has its penetralia, core elements to which one is only gradually led. Kahn had terrible scarring on the lower part of his face, for example, from a childhood accident. He didnt talk about these scars. Few people knew the whole story. Lesser doesnt tell us, either, until near the end of her book. This reticence allocates some drama, and suggests what it was like to know the reticent Kahn.

Lesser is the founder and editor of The Threepenny Review, a well-regarded literary magazine based in Berkeley, Calif., and the author of many nonfiction books, including Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and His Fifteen Quartets (2011).

Her biography is not the first we have of Kahn, but it is notable for its warm, engaged, literate tone and its psychological acuity. Lessers prologue is almost too tasty, an intellectual fanfare.

Its the kind of sharp summary that has a double-edged effect. It tantalizes. It can also make you think: That was a perfect primer. This cant get much better. Time to exit through the gift shop?

The biggest of Kahns secrets, one that in recent years has threatened to swamp more nuanced discussion of his work, was a sociosexual one. He had a daughter with his wife, Esther, to whom he remained married until his death. He also had children with two other women.
Some two million Americans are enrolled in for-profit colleges, up from 400,000 in 2000. Those students, most of them working adults getting short-term certificates, are disproportionately nonwhite and female. They graduate with more debt than students who have attended public and nonprofit institutions, and are more likely to default on their loans. It is taxpayers who are financing the expensive and often academically inferior education that for-profit colleges provide. Ninety-four percent of for-profit students pay tuition with federal student loans.

Image

The Obama administration worked doggedly to regulate this sector. Its gainful employment rule led to the collapse of hundreds of for-profit colleges whose graduates performed poorly on the job market. In response, the industry complained that it was being punished for attempting to educate so-called low-status students: single mothers on welfare, high school dropouts with G.E.D.s and graduates of underperforming public schools who lack basic math and reading skills. Now for-profit colleges may find an ally in President Donald Trump, founder of Trump University. The incoming Department of Education could easily overturn Obamas regulations.

There are other books, like Degrees of Inequality, by the political scientist Suzanne Mettler, that better explain the lobbying and legislating that empowered this industry and allowed it to expand far beyond its humble roots as a provider of certificates in fields like hairdressing and auto mechanics. But Cottom has written the best book yet on the complex lives and choices of for-profit students, who, she shows, are often quite savvy about the trade-off theyre making by attending a low-prestige, high-cost institution. Unlike many traditional colleges, for-profits seek to accommodate the needs of busy working parents like London. Enrollment officers are available by phone and in person virtually around the clock. Classes begin throughout the year and meet at night.

Part of Cottoms wisdom comes from personal experience. Before she earned her Ph.D., she worked for two for-profit colleges. Some of the most disturbing parts of Lower Ed concern her training to become an enrollment officer at a technical school, where she was taught how to close students, meaning sign them up at any cost. Officers were encouraged to isolate potential students from loved ones, like parents, who might urge caution before taking on debt. They presented recruits with misleading data on the number of jobs available in fields like cosmetology or tech support.

Cottom also conducted fascinating field research. She interviewed for-profit college executives and over 100 students who enrolled in degree programs. She argues persuasively that the growth of the for-profit sector is a rational response to a service economy in which there are fewer living-wage jobs, and employers invest less and less in training their work forces. Panicked workers, having absorbed Americas educational gospel, believe the only way to ascend into the middle class is to engage in credentialing, returning again and again to school in an often fruitless quest to find stable work.
Separately, we look at how a rural road in New York State has become a trail for migrants to reach Canada in hopes of obtaining asylum.

 The Supreme Courts busy day.

The justices ruled 5 to 3 on Monday that jury secrecy does not apply if evidence emerges that deliberations included remarks indicating racial or ethnic bias.

The court also said it would not decide whether a transgender boy, Gavin Grimm, could use the boys bathroom at his high school in Virginia.

Related to that issue, the website Yelp is tracking restaurants and stores that have gender-neutral bathrooms.

 Rise in nuclear concerns.

The U.S. has started to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles on Monday. China says the U.S. system is a threat to its security.

And in Europe, there is serious talk about using Frances arsenal to establish an E.U. nuclear weapons program.

 War of words between Germany and Turkey.

A Turkish referendum that would expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is at the heart of the dispute.
 President Trump and his allies have for years accused China, Japan and others of protectionism. Our correspondents analyze that claim and what the Trump administration might do to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, which rose 9.6 percent in January to a four-year high.

 ZTE, the Chinese tech giant, agreed to pay the U.S. $1.19 billion for selling electronics to North Korea and Iran, the largest criminal fine in a U.S. sanctions case.

 China releases trade data for February, and Japan announces its regular G.D.P. revision.

 Beijings $300 billion plan to make China self-sufficient in a range of industries, from planes to computer chips to electric cars, is raising alarm among international companies.

 Almost half of Masayoshi Sons $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund is made up of Saudi money, prompting our financial columnist to urge a broader discussion of the funds plans to invest $50 billion in the U.S.

 Saudi Arabias oil minister said the initial public offering of state-owned Saudi Aramco was on track for 2018. The Saudis plan to offer 5 percent of the company, which could raise $20 billion to $100 billion, but questions remain about transparency, privatization and profit-sharing.

 Wall Street was lower, but oil was up. Heres a snapshot of global markets.
BEIJING  China has charted out a $300 billion plan to become nearly self-sufficient by 2025 in a range of important industries, from planes to computer chips to electric cars, as it looks to kick-start its next stage of economic development.

But big companies in the rest of the world worry that it is more than that: an unfair advantage in Chinas home court, and perhaps elsewhere.

A report by a European business group on Tuesday said the Made in China 2025 program, which calls for enormous Chinese government assistance to 10 industries, would force out competitors from abroad and lead to government-subsidized global players that would compete unfairly. Indeed, the Chinese governments plan says Chinese industries that benefit should own as much as 80 percent of their home market in just eight years.

The Chinese make it clear that they want to be the global champion and are trying to carve out market share now, said Joerg Wuttke, the president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, which wrote the report.
African legislators have expressed concern over their security in South Africa which threatens to derail the deliberations of the fourth parliaments extra ordinary plenary session.

This follows an attack on a delegation of Mps from Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania on Sunday night by thugs who had trailed them from OR Tambo airport to their hotel and robbed them at gun point.

The thugs made off with the legislators personal property including money, passports and bags and injured the Kenya delegations interpreter whom they hit on the head.

Hon. Jacquiline Amongin (Uganda) said the issue of security takes precedence over other items on the agenda of the House proposing that the MPs be provided police escorts to and from the airport with guards manning the hotels.

The president of PAP Roger Nkodo said the issue of security was the responsibility of the host country and not the speaker adding that the police and government of South Africa had given assurance that such incidences would not happen again.

This is not the first attack on legislators in South Africa. In August last year, four Uganda legislators were attacked by armed robbers on arrival at the gate of their hotel, KariBou-Inn Guest House, in Johannesburg where they were robbed of money and travel documents.
Consumer groups cheered a Supreme Court decision in 2015 that upheld the use of a legal theory called disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act, though the court included some limits on its application. The theory says that business standards or practices can in some cases be considered discriminatory if certain groups are negatively impacted, even if unintentionally.

But with the change in administration and a focus on deregulation, the banking industry is looking for a swing back. The Justice Department will be a lot more selective in the cases that they pursue, and its unlikely they will get involved in cases unless theres out-and-out evidence of discrimination, said Alan Kaplinsky, a partner specializing in consumer financial regulation at Ballard Spahr.

A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment on the agencys enforcement plans.

Stuart Rossman, director of litigation at the National Consumer Law Center, said that consumer advocates had been discussing the implications for enforcement of the countrys fair lending laws since the November elections, when Republicans won the White House and secured both chambers of Congress.

We are watching with great interest and concern, he said.

Lisa Rice, executive vice president at the National Fair Housing Alliance, said that she had measured hope for the incoming administration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions did say that he was going to vigorously enforce the law, Ms. Rice said. We will be holding his feet to the fire and we will be pushing and making sure that he lives up to the promise that he made during his confirmation process and that he fully enforces all of the components of the Fair Housing Act.

For now, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remains a bright spot for advocates. The agency has pursued a host of fair lending cases under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act since its founding in 2011, often in conjunction with the Justice Department. The bureau signaled in December that it would focus on redlining, unfair treatment in mortgage and student loan servicing and discrimination in small business lending this year. It said in April that it obtained $108 million from financial institutions for fair lending violations in 2015.

In the coming years we will continue to build on our record of steady and vigorous enforcement of the fair lending laws, Patrice Ficklin, head of the consumer agencys fair lending office, said in a statement. Discrimination in mortgage lending continues to be a key priority, and we have focused in particular on redlining risk.

Still, the fate of the consumer agency under the Trump administration is unknown. It is not clear whether its director, Richard Cordray, will be allowed to serve out the rest of his term, which expires next year, or whether lawmakers in Congress will succeed in replacing the single director with a commission or in limiting the agencys enforcement powers. If the bureau were to take a back seat on fair lending, observers predicted that individual states could move in to help fill the void.
Snap shares have tumbled for the first time since their soaring debut last week.

They fell 12 percent on Monday and closed below their $24 opening price as several analysts issued sell recommendations.

Not all analysts are able to give recommendations, because those who work at the banks involved in the initial public offering are prevented from doing so for a set period. Of the seven analysts who have started covering Snap, five had sell ratings and two had neutral ratings.

Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research who issued a negative rating, gave Snap a $10 price target and said it was priced too high considering the significant risks, according to The Financial Times. Ali Mogharabi, an analyst at Morningstar, gave a price target of $15, Bloomberg reports. We think they are going to be able to monetize and theyve shown it but we dont think its going to be as effective as the valuation is implying, he said.
HOUSTON  Saudi Arabia has often been a place of mysteries and intrigue, and its promised initial public offering of the kingdoms crown jewel  the national oil company Saudi Aramco  is only the latest puzzle.

As investment bankers and Saudi officials plan the trading debut, there are more questions than answers: Is the company worth $2 trillion, as the Saudis insist, or a small fraction of that, as argued by bankers and international oil experts? Will members of the royal family, with their secret oil payments, allow the kind of transparency that investors are demanding? Can the Saudis pull this off by late next year, as promised, especially if oil prices decline again or tensions heighten around the Persian Gulf?

Khalid A. al-Falih, Saudi Arabias energy minister and chairman of Saudi Aramco, brushed aside many of those concerns before global energy executives here on Tuesday, seeking to build confidence that the Saudi Aramco offering would be the richest ever.

The process is proceeding on time, on schedule, everything is green, Mr. Falih said at CERAWeek, an annual industry conference. It will be a great addition to many portfolios. And it will unleash the company to do more globally.
The post at the center of the dispute, which has been shared at least 940 times on Facebook since it was first posted Dec. 27, claims that Mr. Modamani was one of three men suspected of setting fire to a sleeping homeless man in Berlin. It shows a copy of Mr. Modamanis original selfie with the chancellor, alongside images of the three men. Above the pictures, in German, the post reads: Homeless man set alight in Berlin. Merkel took a selfie with one of the perpetrators.

The post remains in circulation on Facebook, although Mr. Jun said that he had reported it as recently as Monday through the channels the company provides. In response to a request to take down the photograph, Facebook replied that it did not violate user guidelines, the lawyer said.

We appreciate that this is a very difficult situation for Mr. Modamani, Facebook said in a statement. Regarding the ruling, we are pleased that the court shares our view that the legal action initiated was not merited or the most effective way to resolve the situation.

We quickly disabled access to content that has been accurately reported to us by Mr. Modamanis legal representatives, the statement added, and will continue to respond quickly to valid reports of the content at issue from Mr. Modamanis legal representatives.

Mr. Jun had previously tried to file a separate suit against Facebook for violating a German law that prohibits publication of seditious comments by extremists. A court in Hamburg rejected that suit last year, but a court in Munich is examining it.

Mr. Jun said that one goal of the trial was to find out and demonstrate whether it is possible, under existing laws and Facebooks approach to compliance, to effectively protect personal privacy.

The German Constitution guarantees a right to the free development of the individual, which is understood to include the right to personal privacy and to determine the extent to which a person appears in public. Mr. Jun has argued that Facebook is failing to uphold German law, instead adhering only to its own guidelines.
Headliner

KAZUNORI, THE ORIGINAL HAND ROLL BAR Having established the Los Angeles fixture Sugarfish in New York, Kazunori Nozawa and his company are ready to open this newer concept specializing in freshly made hand rolls called temaki. The restaurant, styled in bare, polished wood with black accents, has a sweeping 24-seat counter with stools in the front half and another 12-seat counter beyond. Reservations will not be accepted. There are several set menus, $13 to $28, with three to six rolls, each featuring a different kind of seafood, including salmon, bay scallop, blue crab, yellowtail, toro, lobster and snapper, all made with the companys signature crisp nori and warm rice. Other hand rolls, including shrimp, cucumber and mountain yam (yamaimo), are also available, as are a couple of sashimi. Only soft drinks, teas, beer and sake will be served. Among those running this branch of the Los Angeles original is Tom Nozawa, a son of the founder. (Opens Thursday): 15 West 28th Street, 347-594-5940, kazunorisushi.com.

Opening

BB.Q CHICKEN You may think youve already seen every possible iteration of crisp Korean fried chicken in the Koreatown section of Manhattan; Flushing, Queens; and elsewhere, but a new Goliath has just arrived. Genesis BBQ, with thousands of franchises in South Korea and other countries, is bringing its signature chicken, billed as fried in extra-virgin olive oil, and beer menu to New York. The ground floor of the two-level restaurant is for takeaway, with communal tables. But the lower level is full service, offering various styles of chicken and other Korean dishes, some set meals, craft beers, wines and the like: 25 West 32nd Street, 212-967-8093, bbqktownnyc.com.

PICCOLA CUCINA ESTIATORIO Philip Guardione, who owns two Italian restaurants in SoHo (Piccola Cucina Enoteca and Piccola Cucina Osteria), is opening a third, emphasizing seafood with inflections from Sicily, Southern Italy and Greece. Seafood is sold by the pound, and preparations reflect those at various ports of call along the Mediterranean. There are also some meat and vegetable dishes. Mr. Guardione designed the intimate restaurant with his wife, Monica Monfasani, who helps to run it. (Wednesday): 75 Thompson Street (Broome Street), 646-781-9183, piccolacucinagroup.com.
PARIS  For 30 years, the French couturier Christian Lacroix spent every fashion week sequestered in a studio in Paris, diligently conducting last-minute fittings and approving final looks for a runway show. This week, he has spent his days in the Opera Bastille, carefully studying the costumes and sets he has designed for a different kind of production: the Paris Opera Ballets new staging of George Balanchines A Midsummer Nights Dream, which is scheduled to open March 9, just as the Paris collections come to an end.

You know, the butterfly wings have to be the right height to the millimeter so the dancers dont hit them, Mr. Lacroix said. And the dancers have to be able to move. If something is uncomfortable or doesnt work, we have a week to fix it for opening night.

Nearly a decade has passed since Mr. Lacroix retired from fashion following the bankruptcy of his namesake couture house. It was awful at first, he said. But since then, I have taken a path that is far more personal. All these passions of my childhood and youth are now my occupation in adulthood.
James LaForce

Age 60

Occupation President, LaForce

Are you the only guy in the office who wears a bow tie?

Yes, I have an exclusive on bow ties. Its not an everyday thing. I want them to keep asking for more.

How do you balance the mix of patterns youre wearing?

I try to balance it and then push it one step out. If it was up to me it would be all solids, but I feel like I have an obligation to the young people here to bring some life to the party.
Hunched over 50-year-old sewing machines in a workshop in central Paris, milliners diligently stitch together straps of straw that grow into a spiral that grows into a hat. The boaters, adorned with a black grosgrain band, will join the rabbit-felt fedoras, cloches and other bonnets made in the cramped atelier of Mademoiselle Chapeaux, a six-year-old brand at the forefront of a millinery renaissance.

Another is Maison Michel, one of the largest and fastest-growing high-end hat brands, which opened an in-store boutique in the department store Printemps here last month. Fans include Pharrell Williams, Alexa Chung and Jessica Alba.

The hat is a new means of expression. In a way, it is the new tattoo, said Priscilla Royer, the artistic director at the Chanel-owned brand.

Back in the 1920s, there were milliners on nearly every street corner in Paris, and no self-respecting man or woman left the house without a hat. Hats were not only status symbols, but a gateway to the fashion world: Famous milliners who turned into full-blown fashion designers include Gabrielle Chanel (better known as Coco), Jeanne Lanvin and (two centuries earlier) Rose Bertin, Queen Marie-Antoinettes seamstress. But after the May 1968 student riots, hats fell out of favor as French youth ditched their parents sartorial habits as a symbol of their newfound freedom.
Not that anyone expects everyone to go to everything (breathe a sigh of relief). Rather, with widely varying levels of success, these smaller weeks represent attempts by peripheral countries to participate in the design process of fashion instead of simply occupying their traditional roles as textile producers, assemblers or consumers  as well as engage in some national marketing. The shows become steppingstones into the global conversation.

Valerie Steele, director and chief curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, who curated the exhibition Global Fashion Capitals, in 2015, said: Its globalization. These events help to build the brand of a place. People can realize, oh, Mexico City, for example, is a young vibrant place, with an active creative community.

For the countries themselves, the weeks are often part of an attempt to climb the slippery ladder into rich, developed-country status. If in the 20th century developing countries often thought the key to catching up with global economic leaders was industrialization and heavy industry, today the buzzword is branding: building a countrys image in an effort to attract the producers of luxury or high-profit goods. In many cases, governments provide direct or indirect backing for the fashion weeks, which are a lot less expensive than building a steel mill or power plant.

Fashion as an industry has low barriers to entry, as it requires relatively little capital and investment, said Luca Solca, head of global luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas. My sense is that setting up a fashion week is an attempt to put a foot in the door in the sector. If successful, it creates not just employment, but an image benefit. Now, I can hardly think of country which does not have a fashion week.
How to explain the blue-footed boobies on the front and home page of The New York Times  amid stories about presidential smears, conspiracy theories, sexist attacks and a setback for transgender rights?

Yes, it is mating season for the blue-footed booby, a marine bird that nests on the Galapagos archipelago. Their delightful, doddering temperaments make them terrific profile subjects: The birds, as the science writer Natalie Angier writes in her story, move with comic grace, like Fred Astaire and Judy Garland as hobo swells in oversize shoes. But the quality of the yarn itself accounts for just part of the reason that the bird is mentioned along the bottom of the front page. (The main story begins on D1.)

The boobys placement there is also meant to optimize variety in what journalists call the mix, or the days selection of stories. (It has also received time on The New York Times websites landing page.)

Were looking for a mix that is reflective of our entire report, said editor Michael Owen, who is responsible for selecting the stories on the home page. Nodding to a news climate and the weighty, substantive stories that drive it, Mr. Owen said it was important not only to readers but also to Times editors to surface stories that offer a change in mood and engage different parts of the brain.
By Dhamali Mukhaye

The Member of Parliament for Mukono municipality Betty Nambooze has showed up at CID Headquarters in Kibuli to show her support for Makerere University research fellow Stella Nyanzi.

Nyanzi was summoned to appear before CID for attacking the minister of education also first lady Janet Kataha Museveni on social media using abusive language after she had informed parliament that the government does not have money to buy sanitary pads for girls in schools.

Speaking to the media, Nambooze said that since tomorrow is womens days, it should be respected because every woman has a right to express herself on issues affecting other women in the country.

She has instead asked the government to appreciate Nynazi boldness in fighting for the less privileged girls in rural parts of Uganda who cannot access sanitary pads.

Nyanzi is currently being interrogated by CID officials.
From Huffington Post: By many accounts, its a great time to be L.G.B.T., writes one astute observer, Michael Hobbes. The Supreme Court recognizes same-sex marriage, polls show increasing acceptance and movies like Moonlight win best picture. Still, even as we celebrate the scale and speed of this change, he writes, the rates of depression, loneliness and substance abuse in the gay community remain stuck in the same place theyve been for decades. This sensitive, nuanced story looks at the enduring problem known as minority stress, and asks those in the community to figure out how to be better to each other.  John Schwartz, science reporter

_____

Personal Space
How often do you see someone panhandling, or begging for money? Do you want to give? Do you think about what they will use the money for, if you do give? Or, do you think the request for help is a scam? Do you try to get away as fast as possible?

What thoughts run through your head when you see a person asking for money on the street? And, if you dont tend to encounter panhandlers, what do you think would cross your mind if you did?

In  The Pope on Panhandling: Give Without Worry, The New York Times Editorial Board writes:

New Yorkers, if not city dwellers everywhere, might acknowledge a debt to Pope Francis this week. He has offered a concrete, permanently useful prescription for dealing with panhandlers. Its this: Give them the money, and dont worry about it. The popes advice, from an interview with a Milan magazine published just before the beginning of Lent, is startlingly simple. Its scripturally sound, yet possibly confounding, even subversive. Living in the city  especially in metropolises where homelessness is an unsolved, unending crisis  means that at some point in your day, or week, a person seeming (or claiming) to be homeless, or suffering with a disability, will ask you for help. You probably already have a panhandler policy. You keep walking, or not. You give, or not. Loose coins, a dollar, or just a shake of the head. Your rule may be blanket, or case-by-case. If its case-by-case, that means you have your own on-the-spot, individualized benefits program, with a bit of means-testing, mental health and character assessment, and criminal-background check  to the extent that any of this is possible from a second or two of looking someone up and down. Francis solution eliminates that effort. But it is by no means effortless.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us:

 Do you agree with Pope Franciss reasoning for giving money to panhandlers? Why or why not?

 In some cities, giving money to panhandlers is illegal. Would the illegality of giving make it easier for you not to give, if you didnt want to? And would the reverse be true? Would you be more apt to give money to those on the street, knowing it was legal to give? Does the status of the law have any bearing on your decision to give, or not? Why or why not?

 What is your criteria for giving, or not giving, money to people asking for it on the street? How do you make your decision, and what factors come into play when you decide?
Every month or so, a small band of New York history buffs visits a stately apartment in a decaying but majestic group of buildings on Lafayette Street called Colonnade Row. In Apartment 2R, they take their drinks from a punch bowl, commenting on the tall ceilings with rosette moldings, and lamenting the closing of old restaurants. Then they take their seats on folding chairs for the main attraction: a lecture about the crumbling building they are in.

Wearing a suit and clicking through slides of old renderings of Colonnade Row one recent afternoon was Michael W. Rayhill, 24, who wrote his thesis on the building in interior design school. Carriages used to wait outside to take you to the Astor Opera House, Mr. Rayhill said, gesturing to a screen.

Of a nearby building, he said: It was destroyed unceremoniously in 1875. It was now a Walgreens, he revealed, to gasps.

Eventually, he tried an anachronistic joke: Tell a merchant you live on Bond Street and you will have no problem getting credit. The dry one-liner was actually received well by his audience, most of whom were born before Lyndon B. Johnson was president.
No such raids have been documented so far, and the Department of Homeland Security has declared schools off limits. But under the Trump administration, immigration policies have changed sharply and without much warning. Districts say they want to be prepared.

If youre sitting there in math class wondering if someone is going to burst through the door and pick you up, youre not going to be learning math well, said William Clark, chief operating officer of the New Haven Board of Education in Connecticut. The kids should not be worried about this. Theyre here to learn.

For the moment, much of what school systems are offering is guidance, and whether it is written by the Connecticut public university system, the New York City Education Department or the State of Virginia, many of the recommendations are similar. Schools often say student information must not be shared without a court order or subpoena. They instruct that if an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer comes looking for a student, the school officials should demand to see a warrant and review it carefully to find out what exactly it permits.

The law does provide protections for students, and there are limitations of what law enforcement can do, said Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman of New York. Were doing our best to fill in the background and to tell them that students have a lot of rights.

Many guidance documents also offer advice on how to prepare for raids that might happen outside school.
In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan asked me to return to Washington to run the Environmental Protection Agency. I had been the E.P.A.s first administrator, from 1970 to 1973, and over the agencys first 10 years, it made enormous progress in bringing the countrys worst pollution problems under control despite resistance from polluting industries and their lobbyists. A worried and outraged public had demanded action, and the government responded.

Yet the agency and its central mission came under attack during the 1980 presidential campaign. The Clean Air Act was criticized as an obstacle to growth. The agency was seen as bloated, inefficient, exceeding its congressional mandates and costing jobs. The Reagan administration and its new administrator were going to fix that. Sound familiar?

The E.P.A. I returned to in the spring of 1983, some 28 months into President Reagans first term, was dispirited and in turmoil. Its administrator, Anne M. Gorsuch, had been cited for contempt of Congress. Its budget had been reduced by almost 25 percent, with more cuts promised. Staffing had been slashed.

There were internal conflicts, resignations of key officials, complaints of documents being destroyed and reports of secret meetings with officials from companies under investigation by the agency. One political appointee, Rita Lavelle, was facing accusations of lying to Congress, for which she would later be convicted. And voters were taking notice. President Reagan discovered that government backsliding on protecting Americans health and the environment would not be tolerated by an awakened, angry and energized public.
We put up with these costs because we imagine them as unavoidable human imperfection. We are willing to make some changes, like wearing seatbelts and driving sober, which have caused deaths to decline gradually for decades. But we assume there is no cure. Weve accepted the deitys offer: modernity in exchange for 1,000 lives, again and again and again.

The digital revolution, however, is changing the calculation.

It is both making the problem worse and creating a potential solution. First the bad news: Vehicle deaths are surging, up 14 percent in the last two years. Its the first significant rise in a half century, which qualifies as a public-health emergency. The recent increase, by itself, exceeds the entire annual toll from skin cancer.

The only plausible cause is the texting, calling, watching and posting that people now do while operating a large piece of machinery. Insurers understand that, as The Wall Street Journal reported, and are raising rates.

The stories of individual deaths  and I read many while reporting this column  are awful. They make you think of your family, your friends and, guiltily, your own distracted driving.
Antiwar protesters contended that declining foreign activism might be a step in the right direction, and they surely had a point. By any measure, the United States, lulled into a false sense of confidence by the material and political power it wielded, had overstretched its monumental capabilities by the mid-1960s. As this reality set in, a turn away from John F. Kennedys 1961 pledge to pay any price, bear any burden to uphold American principles everywhere in the world was perhaps inevitable, even if without a conflict in Vietnam.

But with the benefit of hindsight, its clear that the abrupt turn away from activism and idealism in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America amounts to one of the little-noticed tragedies of the Vietnam War.

Most obviously, the war inhibited American leaders from taking the lead in addressing major problems that arose after 1965, including the dramatic acceleration of Arab-Israeli tensions. Absent the Vietnam War, might the Johnson administration have been able to head off the fighting, or helped to design a settlement that might have pointed the region in a more peaceful direction over the long term? Might the United States have dealt more effectively with southern Africa, where the Johnson administration was mostly passive in the face of soaring racial tensions that provided a seedbed for radicalism? In South Asia, might the Johnson administration have had more clout to ease tensions between India and Pakistan, which broke into open war in 1965 and simmered thereafter? Its impossible, of course, to answer such questions, but they tantalize nonetheless.

Whats more certain is that the Vietnam War undercut American influence throughout the developing world by leading governments and publics alike to lose confidence in the United States as an ambitious proponent of development and democracy. As American bombs rained down on North Vietnam, leaders in India, Egypt, Algeria and many other post-colonial nations denounced Washington for waging a brutal war against a people striving for independence, and moved closer to the Communist bloc. By the 1970s, much of the Afro-Asian world had shifted away from the relatively warm relationships of the early 1960s and grown vocally hostile to the United States. Americas loss was the Soviet Unions gain.

Washington sought to bolster its position in an increasingly hostile world by forming or, more often, tightening its partnerships with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and other regional powers that could be counted on to serve its interests in return for American political support and military supplies. This approach made good sense to leaders increasingly attuned to the limits of American power, and in 1969 the Nixon administration codified its reliance on reliable regimes as the Nixon Doctrine. The problem was that Americas partners were usually right-wing, authoritarian regimes that used American aid to maintain their power and coerce their own populations.

By the mid-1970s, these trends had converged in a perfect storm of problems for Washington. Anti-Americanism reached new heights in many places, and new social movements within the United States and around the world challenged Americas reliance on unsavory partners such as the shah of Iran and Gen. Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Fidel Castros Cuba, the Palestine Liberation Organization and other radical movements were energized by the Communist victory in Vietnam and mounted insurgencies against Western interests. America would struggle with these developments for many years to come, and the country never recovered the influence it had wielded in much of the Third World during the early 1960s.
Many such voices are missing from the national conversation, as they fear repercussions on campus and beyond in such a tense political time. At least one protester decided not to publish her opinion because she is afraid such a controversial issue might affect her application for U.S. citizenship.

Sophie Vaughan

Im still confused about my actions during the protest, but one thing I dont regret is the conversations the protests have ignited. We students were fighting speech that perpetuates stereotypes and inequality, but in the process we discovered we were promoting another form of injustice  checks on free speech and a more closed environment of intellectual discourse. This has created tension on our campus, but I think it is tension of the best kind  the kind that will push us to engage more deeply both with issues of racial oppression and the parameters of our campus dialogue.

Phil Hoxie

What happened at Middlebury is no longer about Murray or his work. Its not just a story about college campuses. Middlebury is not unique. In the United States, we have reached a point where nobody is willing to engage with viewpoints that dont conform to their own. In order to move forward, as a community and as a country, we must engage in tough and challenging conversations. The only way to do that is to preserve free speech, which often means defending the rights of those you disagree with, or even hate.

Alessandria Schumacher

Murrays ideas have real, tangible outcomes, which is why those who want to engage with and challenge them must be allowed to do so. Theoretically, it would be nice to discount his ideas and have them go away; pragmatically, they are not going anywhere, and if we want to fight them, at least some of us have to face them. That doesnt mean that those who feel targeted by his work should have to sit there and listen. Not all of us need to push for progress in the same way.

Elizabeth Siyuan Lee

As Americans, we are lucky to be able to talk about our political beliefs without legal consequence. The government cannot throw us in jail or punish us for the words we write or the things we say. This is our Constitutional right. But that does not mean that individuals or institutions must offer all ideas a stage, a microphone, and a large space for an audience. It does not mean that academic institutions or students must guarantee every individual 45 minutes of unchallenged and broadcasted speech, no matter how harmful. Student protesters were not violating Mr. Murrays First Amendment rights when they spoke out against him. They were changing the terms of the discussion.

This is not to say that students ought not to engage with Mr. Murrays ideas at all. Given the controversial nature of his work, colleges must take into account the implications of the format of guest lectures so students can meaningfully evaluate the topic at hand.

Edward OBrien

This weekend, I read these headlines Student protesters turn violent at Middlebury College and College administrator and staff assault students  two seemingly contradictory reports. Going forward, we have to be able to hold complex truths together, or we are only fueling the polarization of our society.

We cannot allow anyone to threaten or call into question the humanity of people on our campus, but we cannot threaten people who do so either. We can only protect one another and try to understand one another. We need to complicate our truths  regardless of whether we use the language of intersectionality or the language of traditional American values. We have to be willing to listen to one another through our buzzwords and despite our ideological differences.
On March 8 women around the world will be abstaining from work and rallying in the streets as part of the International Womens Strike, with the aim of starting an international feminist movement that challenges the sexual, physical and economic exploitation of women. The organizers of the wildly successful Womens March have thrown their support behind the strike, and there are more than 40 rallies, walkouts and events planned across the United States that are affiliated with the international demonstration.

As a proud and outspoken feminist who champions reproductive rights, equal pay, increased female representation in all levels of government and policies to combat violence against women, I would like to feel there is a place for me in the strike.

However, as someone who is also a Zionist, I am not certain there is.

Although I hope for a two-state solution and am critical of certain Israeli government policies, I identify as a Zionist because I support Israels right to exist as a Jewish state. Increasingly, I worry that my support for Israel will bar me from the feminist movement that, in aiming to be inclusive, has come to insist that feminism is connected to a wide variety of political causes.

This insistence can alienate feminists, like myself, who dont support all the causes others believe should be part of feminism. For example, some who identify as feminists may not agree with the organizers of the International Womens Strike when they call for a $15 minimum wage. Nor do all feminists necessarily join the strike organizers in supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters.
While Ms. Le Pen confidently blazes ahead, staying on script and making progress among women, farmers and disillusioned middle-class voters, the mainstream party on the right offers the most disconcerting spectacle that any election has witnessed. Faced with charges that he gave his wife and children fake jobs to the tune of nearly a million dollars on Parliaments payroll, Francois Fillon, a conservative former prime minister who is now the Republican candidate, has stopped campaigning. All his energy is spent fighting those allegations and vowing again and again to fight on. Back-room negotiations involving party barons have failed to produce an alternative candidate, nor to persuade Mr. Fillon to quit. Senior aides and allied politicians have deserted him. Increasingly desperate, he has taken on the judges investigating his case, accusing them and the press of carrying out a political assassination and trying to kill the presidential election. France, he claims, is in a state of quasi civil war.

So Marine Le Pen can stay put: Mr. Fillon does the job for her. She has judicial worries of her own over fake jobs for National Front aides at the European Parliament, but who cares when so much attention is focused on her rival?

The party of the traditional right used to be Mr. Sarkozys well-oiled, ruthless political machine. It now looks like a ruin in a war zone. As Mr. Trump would put it: This is a mess. He would love it.

As for the left, reflecting the crisis of social democratic parties in Europe, it is so divided and weak that it may not reach the second round. The environmentalists have disappeared as a political force. If polls are to be believed, the candidate most likely to face Ms. Le Pen in the second round is Emmanuel Macron, 39, who represents no political party and has never held elective office. This charismatic former economic minister and onetime Rothschild investment banker surfs on a neither-left-nor-right progressive wave that is attracting pro-European Union, pro-globalization voters disenchanted with the mainstream parties but firmly opposed to the rise of populism and nationalism. His reformist, adamantly pro-Europe, radically transformative agenda, as he describes it, emphasizes individual responsibility while helping workers adjust to a globalized economy. In this chaotic 2017 French political landscape, a nationalist-internationalist divide seems to be overtaking the traditional contest between left and right.

This is the great political battle for the heart and soul of Europe. With the approach on March 25 of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the founding document of European unity, Frances partners in the European Union are anxiously watching every step of this campaign. In Berlin, the anxiety borders on panic: Never have the stakes been higher for the future of the European project. Despised by the American president, attacked by Russia, abandoned by Britain, the European Union, with France and Germany as its pillars, needs to regroup for a new start. The election in France of a far-right, Europhobic president vowing to leave the eurozone would kill that dream. Luxembourgs foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, told Der Tagesspiegel last week that a Le Pen victory would bring the E.U. to the edge of the abyss.

Will France stop the wave of populism? This is what this election is about. Some experts are already speculating that if the National Front leader is elected, she will not be able to muster a majority in Parliament in the June election. The most likely result would then be a cohabitation, in which a President Le Pen would have to work with a center-right or center-left prime minister and government. In that case, the two blocs would have to negotiate a compromise on some crucial issues; the first would be saving the euro.

This is where we are. As the saying goes, lets hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
By Ruth Anderah

The High Court in Kampala has ordered the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to pay its former Executive Director Terry Kahuma 260 million shillings for wrongful dismissal.

This after Justice Lydia Mugambe ruled that Kahuma was condemned un heard by a commission of inquiry that was set up to investigate his alleged mismanagement of the bureau.

The Judge observed that Kahuma was never given an opportunity to understand the actual accusations against him, face his accusers, be legally represented or vigorously defend himself, hence condemning UNBS to pay him costs of the suit.

Justice Mugambe then quashed the findings of the commission basing in the above violation of Kahumas right to a fair hearing.

The judge reached the 260 million shillings award basing on the senior position Kahuma had held for ten years, his academic qualification as a PHD holder plus the embarrassment and inconvenience he suffered as a result of his termination.

Kahuma who is currently the Dean Faculty of Science and Technology at Victoria University filed this case in 2012 against UNBS and Attorney General.
This was, unfortunately, a false sense of security. After that seven-week period, the school board held a meeting  a public conversation about my genitals and restroom usage  without notifying me first. My mother and I found out by chance less than 24 hours before the meeting was to happen. An old friend of my mothers had noticed a post going around Facebook, a rallying cry by adults in my community urging people to show up to the meeting in order to keep that girl out of the boys room.

I went to the meeting, in November 2014, and spoke at it. Family and a few friends stood by me, but nothing could have prepared that insecure 15 year old for what was to come. People speaking out against me made a point of referring to me with female honorifics and pronouns. They warned me that I was going to be raped or otherwise abused. They suggested that boys would sneak into the girls room and harm their children. At a second meeting, a month later, the rhetoric was even more inflammatory. Word had spread throughout the community and people turned up in droves. After each frenzied remark, clapping and hollering reverberated throughout the room. I sat while people called me a freak. I sat while my community got together to banish a child from public life for the crime of harming no one. I sat while my school board voted to banish me to retrofitted broom closets or the nurses restroom.

And then it was over. At least it felt like it, back then. I was back to being exiled. I heard sneers and whispers about me in the hallways. My school board had invalidated me in perhaps the most humiliating way possible.

But two years later  two crazy, stressful, busy, breathtaking, rewarding, beautiful, fantastic years later  I stand stronger and prouder than ever. I stand not only with my family and friends, but with millions of supporters who stand with me. I stand with so many wonderful people at the A.C.L.U. that I proudly call my family. I know now what I did not know then; I will be fine. Regardless of what obstacles come before me, regardless of what hatred or ignorance or discrimination I face, I will be fine, because I have love on my side.

This case will not be resolved until after I graduate. But this fight is bigger than me. I came to realize that very early on, and it is truer now than it ever has been. This fight is for other trans youth in my high school. It is for other trans youth in Virginia. It is for all trans youth who are in school or one day will be. It is for the friends and loved ones of these youth, who want these children to be happy and healthy, rather than at risk and in danger as so many trans people are.
To the Editor:

Re The Met Needs to Connect Art to Life, by Holland Cotter (Critics Notebook, March 2): I couldnt agree more that the Metropolitan Museum of Art needs to connect art to life. Indeed, during Tom Campbells tenure as director and chief executive, the Met has long been on track to fulfill Mr. Cotters recommendations.

Mr. Cotter suggests we mix things up. With Mr. Campbells encouragement, visitors now regularly encounter art of different periods and cultures meaningfully juxtaposed throughout the Met. A recent favorite, Plain or Fancy: Restraint or Exuberance in the Decorative Arts, challenged viewers to examine their tastes. My own Ink Art featured contemporary Chinese artworks in our traditional Chinese galleries.

Mr. Cotters prescription to start telling the truth about art perfectly describes what Mr. Campbell implored the Mets curatorial team to do, as reflected in exhibitions covering Pergamon, Greece; Diane Arbus; Middle Kingdom, Egypt; Kingdom of Kongo, Africa; and Deccan, India, to name a mere few.

And then there is last years opening of Met Breuer, reflecting a bold commitment by Mr. Campbell to modern and contemporary art.
The truth about refugees is complicated. Sweden offers a kind of laboratory in that regard: Almost all the non-Europeans in the country arrived as refugees. The Chileans, Iranians, Kurds and Bosnians have done very well; Eritreans and Somalis, less so. Labor-force participation and educational attainment among non-European immigrants are far lower than among native Swedes. Yet Sweden has one of Europes strongest economies.

The question that cannot yet be answered is how well the 100,000 or so Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan and other refugees who will be granted permanent residence in the country will integrate. Will they embrace Swedens extremely secular, extremely progressive culture? Probably not. Polls find that Muslim immigrants are vastly more conservative than native Europeans on matters of sex, family and the role of religion in public life.

We already know what the political effect has been: The right-wing politics that has convulsed virtually every northern European country, including Sweden, feeds upon public fear of refugees and immigrants. In the Netherlands, which will hold elections this month, mainstream parties have adopted a sharply anti-immigrant line to blunt the appeal of the nativist Geert Wilders; in France, Marine Le Pen, head of the anti-immigrant National Front, is expected to win the most votes in the first round of voting, in late April.

The answer to xenophobia cannot be xenophilia. For mobile, prosperous, worldly people, the cherishing of diversity is a cardinal virtue; we dote on difference. Thats simply not true for many people who cant choose where to live, or who prefer the familiar coordinates of their life. That was the bitter lesson that British cosmopolites learned from Brexit. If the answer is to insist that the arrival of vast numbers of new people on our doorstep is an unmixed blessing, and that those who believe otherwise are Neanderthals, then we leave the field wide open to Donald J. Trump and Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen.
To the Editor:

Re Trumps New Ban Halts Travelers From 6 Nations (front page, March 7):

The Trump administration does not have a leg to stand on here. It cannot believe that the ban is truly necessary to protect the United States from a terrorist attack; otherwise it would not have delayed the announcement of the revised ban to allow positive press from the address to Congress to sit for a few days. This ban cannot be about public safety either. Study after study shows that the immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans.

To see this order as anything other than a Muslim ban is willful blindness. This is just another tragic example of this astonishing lack of empathy for anyone the administration believes is different.

STEVEN RASHIN, NEW YORK

To the Editor:

While there can be reasoned objections to President Trumps revised executive order excluding six heavily Muslim countries from entry into the United States, the Op-Ed essay by Farhana Khera and Johnathan Smith (Dont Be Fooled, Trumps New Muslim Ban Is Still Illegal, nytimes.com, March 6) degenerates into an emotionally charged denunciation of the order as an all-out assault on Islam and Muslims. They lose all credibility with that indictment of Mr. Trump.

Among the countries not included in the ban are Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. All of them are predominantly Muslim states, and Saudi Arabia in particular is an avowedly Islamic theocracy with a very strict brand of Sunni Islam at the core of its official identity. So how, pray, is President Trumps visa ban an assault on Islam and Muslims as such?
Polina Aronson spent her first 16 years in Russia. There, people tend to regard love as a sort of divine madness that descends from the heavens. Love is regarded, as the sociologist Julia Lerner put it, as a destiny, a moral act and a value; it is irresistible, it requires sacrifice and implies suffering and pain. Russians measure one another by how well they are able to bear the upheaval love brings, sometimes to an absurd degree.

But when she was in high school, Aronson moved to America, and stumbled across an issue of Seventeen magazine. She was astounded. In America she noticed that people tended ask: Does a partner fulfill your needs? Do you feel comfortable asserting your rights in the relationship? Does your partner check the right boxes?

Aronson concluded that she had moved from the Russian Regime of Fate to the American Regime of Choice.

The most important requirement for choice is not the availability of multiple options, she writes in Aeon magazine. It is the existence of a savvy, sovereign chooser who is well aware of his needs and who acts on the basis of self-interest.
 A slow-paced television drama about a bygone era in Russian-American relations has suddenly taken on a whole new urgency and relevance. We talk about the new season of The Americans with James Poniewozik, the chief TV critic for The New York Times.

Background reading:

 Who is barred and who is not under Mr. Trumps new travel ban.

 Mr. Poniewoziks review of Season 5 of The Americans, which suddenly feels less retro.

Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Tweet me at @mikiebarb. And if that isnt enough, we can even text.

How do I listen?

If you dont see an audio player on this page or to subscribe to The Daily for free, follow the instructions below.

On your iPhone or iPad:

Open the preloaded app called Podcasts; it has a purple icon. If youre reading this from your phone, tap this link, which will take you straight there. (You can also use the magnifying glass icon to search; type The Daily.)
Justin Levinson, a former reporter who became frustrated by the high turnover in the East Village, decided the best way to call attention to the issue was visually, with a map.

The result, Vacant New York, which he introduced in September, is more a snapshot in time than a dynamic database. But its findings have led him to a meeting with city officials, he said, as well as talks with a real estate brokerage.

Its really easy to point fingers, to say its someones fault, like greedy landlords, Mr. Levinson said. But no one is really talking about solutions. For his part, Mr. Levinson would like to see a law creating a registry for all stores that have been vacant for a year.

Shopping habits may be harder to change. As long as people keep buying clothes, books and groceries online, from sites like Amazon.com, bricks-and-mortar retailers may continue to have a hard time, said Mr. Evans of Walker Malloy.

Along Columbus, where Mr. Evans frequently works, the vacancy rate is about 10 percent, even though the stretch was nearly fully occupied in 2013, he said. And in late February, Rain Africa, which sold natural lotions and soaps at 294 Columbus, shuttered its store after just three years.

But the 920-square-foot corner space, at West 74th Street, is close to being leased to a new tenant, as are two other empty stores nearby, Mr. Evans said, adding that a wine bar is also scheduled to open, in the vacant 322 Columbus.

It looks like things are finding a balance, he said.
In 1884, Georges Seurat strategically placed dots atop a canvas, leading people to believe they were looking at an image of park-goers lounging along the Seine River in France. The technique was known as pointillism, and it seemed new at the time. But 38,000 years ago, people living inside caves in southwest France were doing something similar, according to findings published last month in Quaternary International.

Their skills speak of a very high ability to observe in detail what surrounded them and reproduce it with great economy of means, said Vhils, a Portuguese street artist who is known for his own chiseling of dots and lines into walls, and was not involved in the study.

These pointillist creations of early modern humans were recently discovered when scientists revisited Abri Cellier, a cave site in Frances Vezere Valley. There, they found 16 limestone tablets left behind by a previous excavation. Images of what appear to be animals, including a woolly mammoth, were formed by a series of punctured dots and, in some cases, carved connecting lines. Combined with previous images from nearby caves in France and Spain, the tablets suggest an early form of pointillism, and a very early point on art historys timeline.
This month, Kit Kemp, who is both the co-owner and chief interior designer of Firmdale Hotels, will open the Whitby Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. With eight properties in London, all featuring Kemps quirky English eclecticism, this is only the groups second in New York, after Crosby Street Hotel. The Whitby seems poised to be a bit more adult in attitude, but no less full of decorative flourishes. One of the most fascinating of these is a collection of 52 traditional baskets hanging over the lobby bar.

Image Credit... Gareth Hacker/the New Craftsmen

Brought together by basket maker Hilary Burns on behalf of the London shop the New Craftsmen, they convey a rural history of the British Isles. Each design is specific to a purpose and locale and, though most havent changed in hundreds of years, they are the fruits of what has become an endangered skill set, as our fish-mongering and flower-selling habits have declined while our use of plastic has increased. But think how nicely the purselike Wide Plait Frail, a shape that dates back to the 12th century when it functioned as an earthy lunch pail for field laborers, could hold sunscreen and a good book.
Googles Android, the most widely used smartphone operating system, seemed to have received even more attention. By 2016, the C.I.A. had 24 weaponized Android zero day software programs.

Did the C.I.A. directly target encryption software?

The C.I.A. focused on smartphone operating systems in large part to intercept messages before they could be encrypted, according to the WikiLeaks documents. So by targeting the phones underlying software, the C.I.A. was looking to bypass the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo and other smartphone communications applications.

They did not appear to find a way into the apps themselves.

Were other kinds of devices targeted?

The C.I.A. also targeted Microsofts Windows personal computer software, other internet-connected computers, and home and industrial devices running the Linux operating system, according to the documents.

There was a specific program to penetrate and take control of Samsung smart TVs. The program, code-named Weeping Angel, was intended to convert new digital televisions into covert microphones. The malware was developed in cooperation with the British spy agency MI5, according to the documents.

The Weeping Angel program puts the target TV in a fake off mode, according to the WikiLeaks documents. Then, with the owner believing the TV is turned off, the set works as a clandestine recording device, picking up conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a C.I.A. server computer.

And in October 2014, according to the documents, the C.I.A. was exploring technology to penetrate the vehicle control systems of cars. The documents do not detail the goal of the vehicle hacking program, but WikiLeaks speculated that it would permit the C.I.A. to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations.

Has encryption software changed how the C.I.A. behaves?

The leaked documents indicate that the broad use of encryption has pushed the C.I.A. to become one of the worlds foremost creators  and buyers  of malware. Much of the cache released by WikiLeaks appears to show how the agency has created or acquired a variety of tools to thwart tough encryption or intercept messages before encryption tools make them useless to the intelligence agency.
As Uganda prepares to join the world in commemorating womens day tomorrow, President Yoweri Museveni has outlined six areas that have to be implemented to end violence against women and girls.

Museveni listed ideology, education, economic empowerment, legislation and sensitization as the major issues those activists must deal with first to combat violence against women.

He says many female victims fear to report to police because the men who beat them are the ones that feed them and they have no other means of survival.

He says this can only stop once the women are empowered economically.

The president was speaking during the annual general meeting at the sixth Kigali International conference Declaration in Kampala.

The conference is aimed at understanding the role of security agencies to combat violence against women and girls.
SAN FRANCISCO  Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber, is seeking a No. 2 executive to lend him a hand after a bumpy start to his year.

Mr. Kalanick issued a one-sentence statement on Tuesday saying, Were actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey.

An Uber spokesman declined to comment beyond the statement.

Mr. Kalanicks search for a chief operating officer follows several blows to Uber this year that have raised questions about the ride-hailing companys workplace culture and business tactics. Some of the concerns have extended to Mr. Kalanicks character, and Tuesdays announcement shows how he intends to restructure the executive suite to get more help, while continuing to lead the company.

Mr. Kalanick said last week that he needed to change as a leader and grow up, adding that I need leadership help, and I intend to get it. He spoke as part of an apology for berating an Uber driver in February, an incident that was captured on video and made public.
The days of hoarding airline miles may be coming to an end. Increasingly, they can be frustrating to use, expire more quickly and devalue more sharply, sometimes without notice. Value seekers in recent years have gravitated toward points attached to credit cards as opposed to miles tied to a particular carrier: Points are more flexible and can be transferred to different airline partners, hotel groups, or even redeemed for cash. But what is the most efficient use of a stockpile of points? Here is a look at three of the more popular programs  Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards  and a breakdown of how to get the biggest bang for your point.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase has one of the best rewards programs out there thanks to its flexible Ultimate Rewards program. (It also recently ended a generous sign-up bonus campaign for its Sapphire Reserve credit card, leaving many cardholders with 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points.) Points can be redeemed for cash at a rate of one cent per point, or at a 50 percent bonus (for Sapphire Reserve cardholders) when redeemed for travel through Chases own travel portal. A $300 plane ticket, for example, would cost only 20,000 points  points that are worth $200. Points can also be redeemed at a 1:1 ratio with a number of airline and hotel programs, including British Airways Avios, United MileagePlus, Korean Air Skypass, Hyatt Gold Passport and Ritz-Carlton Rewards.

Redeeming points for cash technically provides the worst value of all of your options. Getting 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points for $1,000 is nothing to sneeze at, however, and may be the best option for those who dont travel frequently or simply dont feel like working out the minutiae of squeezing more value from the points.

If you do a reasonable amount of traveling, however, redeem the points through the travel portal (which functions like Kayak or Expedia and, from what Ive seen, shows the same range of prices). That $1,000 worth of points instantly becomes good for $1,500 in flights, hotel rooms or rental cars.
Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who came to national attention in 2015 for masquerading as an African-American while serving as an N.A.A.C.P. leader, has changed her name to one with African roots. According to court papers filed in Spokane County, Wash., a name-change petition by Ms. Dolezal was approved last year. She is now Nkechi Amare Diallo.

It was a search for a new job that helped her arrive at a new name. My name had become poison in the business world, she said in an interview this week from her home in Spokane.

A member of the Ibo tribe in southeastern Nigeria reached out to Ms. Dolezal in January 2016 with an unusual offering: the gift of a new name. (Nkechi means gift of God; Amare, possessing great strength; and Diallo, bold.) The person who gave me the name really thought that I was a gift of God to spark conversation about race, she said.

News of the change was only recently reported online; it is not clear who made the discovery. I was kind of hoping to keep my name private, she said. But now that it is out, she feels comfortable discussing it.
Some White House officials insist that Mr. Trump will be directly engaged in persuading lawmakers to back the bill.

But many of the factions that provided financial and political support to back Republicans who vowed to wipe out the Affordable Care Act are nowhere near satisfied with the option rolled out on Monday.

This is not the Obamacare repeal bill weve been waiting for, said Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, who was joined by a constellation of conservative groups, including the Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America and Charles G. and David H. Kochs Americans for Prosperity. It is a missed opportunity and a step in the wrong direction. We promised the American people we would drain the swamp and end business as usual in Washington. This bill does not do that.

The Republican bill would scrap the mandated coverage in the Affordable Care Act in favor of tax incentives to coax people to purchase health care. But the legislation maintains many of the acts mandates and basic benefits, including prohibiting insurers from denying policies for pre-existing conditions or capping benefits in a year or a lifetime.

Some conservatives have labeled the House plan Obamacare lite, saying it is nearly as intrusive in the insurance market as the law it would replace. In particular, they dislike the delay in getting rid of the laws Medicaid expansion. They also dislike the tax credits in the Republican plan, which can exceed the amount a consumer actually owes in federal income taxes, meaning that the Internal Revenue Service would be issuing checks to cover insurance premiums. The House plan also maintains many of the demands on insurers that the Affordable Care Act has, including a defined suite of essential benefits that all insurers must offer.
WASHINGTON  Charles Peters, the renowned Washington Monthly editor, is going on 91, does not get around very easily and was disgusted enough by President Trumps address to Congress to let loose a few profanities in his gentle West Virginia drawl.

But Mr. Peters remains an optimist, believing that salvation is still possible if the country returns to the true faith of his New Deal youth.

Maybe Im old, he said in an interview in his living room here last week, but Im forever hopeful about the Democratic Party.

Mr. Peters has spent much of his life in and around politics. He was once a young state legislator who thought he wanted to be governor. Then he felt the tug to the nations capital, where he was one of the first executives of the Peace Corps.
WASHINGTON  Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Tuesday for the appointment of a special counsel to lead the criminal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying the appointment was necessary to shield the inquiry from the appearance of political interference by the Trump administration.

This is about more than just one individual, said Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the panels ranking Democrat. This is about the integrity of the process and the publics faith in our institution of justice.

But the Republican chairman of the panel, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, said he saw no need for the appointment of a special counsel as the panel took up the confirmation of Mr. Trumps nominee to be deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein.

There are times when special counsels are appropriate, Mr. Grassley said. But its far too soon to tell here. And even if there were evidence of a crime related to any of these matters, once confirmed, Mr. Rosenstein can decide how to handle it. I know of no reason to question his judgment, integrity or impartiality.
Probably because on Monday the Pentagon announced that an American airstrike in Yemen several days ago, which targeted Al Qaedas Yemen branch, killed a former Guantanamo Bay detainee. The ex-detainee, known as Mohammed Tahar at the time he was imprisoned in Cuba, had been repatriated to Yemen in December 2009, under the Obama administration.

Why did most of the so-called recidivists come from Bush-era releases?

One reason is that most of the former Guantanamo detainees in the world departed the prison under Mr. Bush: 532 of the 714 former detainees who left the prison alive departed under Mr. Bush. That is because Mr. Bush decided in his second term that, as he wrote in his memoir, the detention facility had become a propaganda tool for our enemies and a distraction for our allies, and he started trying to close it.

But it is also true that in terms of percentages, Bush-era releases have been more likely to cause problems than Obama-era releases: About 35 percent of Bush-era transfers are confirmed or suspected of causing problems, while about 11.5 percent of Obama-era transfers fall into one of those two categories, according to the intelligence directors office.

The difference is because the Bush administration struck diplomatic deals to repatriate large batches of prisoners to countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan in bulk, and many recidivists come from those batches. By contrast, the Obama administration developed an individualized review process by six agencies to determine whether to recommend transferring each detainee. Over time, it also developed more careful diplomatic and monitoring plans with receiving countries to ease their reintegration into society that reduced, but obviously did not eliminate, the risk of recidivism.

Who is left at Guantanamo?

Mr. Obama made a late push to get the number of men on a list of those recommended for transfer  many of whom were low-level Yemeni prisoners who languished with that status for years because Yemen was in chaos and there was no good place to send them  resettled in stable countries. By the time of Mr. Trumps inauguration, there were just 41 prisoners left. Of those, 10 are facing charges or were convicted in the military commissions system; 26 are being held in open-ended wartime detention; and five are on the list of those recommended for transfer.
WASHINGTON  Days after the Senate confirmed him as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference and was asked about addressing a group that probably wanted to eliminate his agency.

I think its justified, he responded, to cheers. I think people across the country look at the E.P.A. the way they look at the I.R.S.

In the days since, Mr. Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general who built a career out of suing the agency he now leads, has moved to stock the top offices of the agency with like-minded conservatives  many of them skeptics of climate change and all of them intent on rolling back environmental regulations that they see as overly intrusive and harmful to business.

Mr. Pruitt has drawn heavily from the staff of his friend and fellow Oklahoma Republican, Senator James Inhofe, long known as Congresss most prominent skeptic of climate science. A former Inhofe chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, will be Mr. Pruitts chief of staff. Another former Inhofe staff member, Byron Brown, will serve as Mr. Jacksons deputy. Andrew Wheeler, a fossil fuel lobbyist and a former Inhofe chief of staff, is a finalist to be Mr. Pruitts deputy, although he requires confirmation to the position by the Senate.
WASHINGTON  President Trump has no regrets. His staff has no defense.

After weeks of assailing reporters and critics in diligent defense of their boss, Mr. Trumps team has been uncharacteristically muted this week when pressed about his explosive  and so far proof-free  Twitter posts on Saturday accusing President Barack Obama of tapping phones in Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.

The accusation  and the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and the former national intelligence director, James R. Clapper Jr., emphatically deny that any such wiretap was requested or issued  constitutes one of the most consequential accusations made by one president against another in American history.

So for Mr. Trumps allies inside the West Wing and beyond, the tweetstorm spawned the mother of all messaging migraines. Over the past few days, they have executed what amounts to a strategic political retreat  trying to publicly validate Mr. Trumps suspicions without overtly endorsing a claim some of them believe might have been generated by Breitbart News and other far-right outlets.

No, thats above my pay grade, said Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary and a feisty Trump loyalist, when asked on Tuesday at an on-camera briefing if he had seen any evidence to back up Mr. Trumps accusation. The reporters kept at him, but Mr. Spicer pointedly and repeatedly refused to offer personal assurances that the presidents statements were true.
The White House reopened to public tours on Tuesday for the first time since the inauguration, and President Trump celebrated by popping out from behind a wooden screen to surprise a group of schoolchildren.

The children erupted in cheers and screams of delight as Mr. Trump emerged from behind the screen with his mouth and arms wide open. He personally greeted a fifth grader from Birmingham, Ala.

Thousands of people visit the White House each year. The tours were on a seven-week hiatus, allowing the new president and his staff to settle in.

In an odd turn of events, Mr. Trumpss surprise took place in what appeared to be the White Houses ground floor, where tours typically start, in front of a portrait of his opponent in the election, Hillary Clinton, dressed in a black pantsuit and smiling radiantly as first lady in the 1990s. It was not clear if that was intentional. Pool reporters were present at the time, but were told they could not ask President Trump any questions.
Should you visit Londonderry, N.H., about 45 miles northwest of Boston, you would be greeted by a friendly, roadside Welcome to Londonderry sign that pays tribute to its many apple orchards.

Should you search for Londonderry New Hampshire on Google, you would be greeted by an image of five women holding long guns, with a man folding his arms at the center, beside a map of the town.

At least, you would have been until Google relented to requests from local officials that the tech company remove the not-so-welcoming image from a knowledge panel box appearing at the top of search results. Local officials made several attempts in February to contact someone at Google but received no response.

They had resigned themselves to the likelihood that the search giant would never concern itself with the issue, but the image was removed from the knowledge panel on Tuesday. (The map of the town remains.)
As family members watched  Ms. Fosters parents and sisters, her husbands mother and other relatives  Ms. Rogers guided the couples hands, immersing them in a bucket of gel to create a mold. When the gel set, she helped ease their hands out. Then she poured plaster into the mold to create the cast.

A week later she presented the cast, mounted on a wood plaque, to Ms. Foster.

Image Joined hands of Jennifer and Christopher Foster. Credit... Jennifer Foster

It looks exactly like his hand, Ms. Foster said. Everything is the same. I highly cherish it.

She keeps the cast on a shelf in her bedroom where she sees it every day, alongside a photograph of her husband and the urn containing his ashes.

When the accident happened and I went into the hospital room where he was, I grabbed his hand and told him Id never let it go, Ms. Foster said. And now Ill truly never let it go.

Ms. Rogers still has vivid memories of making her first cast, from the hand of a young woman who had been ill for a long time.

I remember thinking, Man, I need a bucket underneath my eyes, because I just bawled, Ms. Rogers said. For a while, I would cry at every one. Then, instead of crying I would just profusely sweat. Now I dont, because I know what this means for families.

She has never made a cast of a member of her own family.

I think thats part of what drives me to do it, she said. I wish I had one of my mother. Her mother died in 1996, long before she began making the casts.
MOGADISHU, Somalia  The secretary general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, arrived in Somalia on Tuesday and appealed for $825 million in aid to address drought and cholera in the East Africa nation on the brink of famine.

Mr. Guterres said the money was needed to help 5.5 million people, about half of Somalias population, survive the next six months.

A former prime minister of Portugal who was picked in October to lead the United Nations, Mr. Guterres announced his visit on Twitter.
We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the United States, he said. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives.

Altogether, the United Nations referred more than 100,000 refugees from around the globe last year for resettlement in the United States. The Obama administration accepted nearly 85,000 of them in the 2016 fiscal year, before raising the ceiling considerably for 2017. Now Mr. Trumps order will effectively leave tens of thousands of families in limbo, all vying for the sliver of seats still available.

Veronica and her sister  whose last names are being withheld to protect their identities  have been waiting to find out whether they will be among the chosen. They and their father have been interviewed a total of four times, but months have passed.

Members of El Salvadors most notorious gang, MS-13, have made menacing phone calls suggesting that more killings are coming, the family says. So the girls, their father, aunts and uncles abandoned their houses and ran. But in a country the size of Massachusetts, there are only so many places to hide. They have already moved twice.

Officials and immigrant advocates in Central America fear that as the Trump administration cites the danger of admitting potential terrorists cloaked as refugees from nations like Syria, it is disregarding the tens of thousands of people here who are being terrorized by street gangs that actually originated in the United States.

In 2014, the Obama administration began setting up a program to offer refugee status or special entry for some Central American children, hoping to stanch the tide of minors making the dangerous journey to the United States on their own.
Compassion International executives learned early last year, from an item in an Indian newspaper, that their group had been added to the list of organizations whose transfers required prior permission by the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Stephen Oakley, Compassions general counsel.

By summer, $600,000 in donations was stuck in an Indian bank account awaiting permission that did not come. In November, two of the groups main affiliates  in Chennai and Kolkata  were denied authorization to use foreign funds.

In the United States, Mr. Mellado was pressing, with an increasing sense of urgency, for an opportunity to plead his case with Indian officials.

But the only interlocutors they could find were through unofficial channels. In October, a Washington-based representative of the R.S.S., Shekhar Tiwari, reached out to John Prabhudoss, who heads an umbrella organization of Indian-American Christians and has a long association with Compassion International and its leaders, Mr. Prabhudoss said.

Mr. Mellado said he was puzzled by the indirect outreach, but decided to give it a try.

We are trying to navigate through understanding of the dynamics on the Indian side, he said. We understand that the B.J.P. and the R.S.S. are tied together somehow, so it seems to us that we also need to be talking to the R.S.S.

Through Mr. Prabhudoss, Mr. Tiwari put forward a proposal: The government might view Compassion International more favorably if the charity routed a portion of its $45 million in annual charitable donations away from churches and through non-Christian aid groups, including Hindu ones.

They were asking me, How do you think we can solve this problem? Mr. Tiwari said. I told them, instead of having all your partners Christian, have some Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikh organizations.
As a peace-loving nation, Malaysia is committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries, Mr. Najib said on Tuesday. However, protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened.

Mr. Kim, the elder half brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, was killed when two women rubbed poison on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the Malaysian police said. The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been arrested and charged with murder.

The Malaysian police, who conducted an autopsy of Mr. Kims body over North Koreas objections, concluded that he had been poisoned by VX nerve agent, a banned chemical weapon known to be in North Koreas arsenal. North Korea has suggested that he died of heart failure and accused Malaysia of working with other countries to defame North Korea.

Once it denied responsibility for the assassination, North Korea had no option but to push back in a tit-for-tat escalation, Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea, said on Tuesday. Offense is the best defense for the North.

Preventing the Malaysians from leaving North Korea would also give the government continuing leverage over Malaysia. If the Malaysians had been free to leave, Malaysia could have broken off diplomatic relations without any significant political cost.

That would have led to the closing of the North Korean Embassy, with at least one suspect who has taken refuge there no longer safe from arrest.

The suspect, Kim Uk-il, an employee of the state-owned North Korean airline, Air Koryo, could be arrested if the embassy were closed. A second suspect who the police say may be hiding at the embassy, Ri Ji-u, also known as James, would also be subject to arrest.
YANGON, Myanmar  Thirty people were killed during a rebel groups attacks on a town in eastern Myanmar on Monday, the government said, in an escalation of a long-running conflict that had already forced tens of thousands of refugees to flee into neighboring China.

The office of Myanmars de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said in a statement Monday evening that the rebel group, known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, had attacked a hotel, casinos and police and army posts in the town of Laukkai, in Shan State. The group is composed of fighters from the Kokang, an ethnic Chinese group that has strong linguistic and trading ties to China.

Based on initial information, many innocent civilians, including a primary-school teacher, were killed because of attacks by the M.N.D.A.A., the statement said, using the rebel groups initials. It added that 20 of the 30 bodies were badly burned and therefore unidentifiable, and that the other victims were civilians and traffic police officers.

In a separate statement on Monday, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi said, I would like to strongly urge all the armed groups to abandon armed attacks that can bring about nothing but sorrows and sufferings on the innocent local tribes and races, and to join the dialogue for national peace.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  Pakistan temporarily reopened its border with Afghanistan on Tuesday, 18 days after sealing it over security concerns.

More than 2,000 Afghans have so far moved across the border, Shamsul Islam, an official at the border crossing at Torkham, said by telephone.

Thousands of others are waiting to be allowed exit into Afghanistan, he said. There are long queues. Clearance and immigration take time.

Pakistan announced late Monday that it would open the border for two days on humanitarian grounds to allow Afghans stranded in Pakistan to leave for home.
For days, the official Chinese news media has warned that deployment of Thaad could lead to a de facto break in relations with South Korea and urged consumers to boycott South Korean products. The Chinese authorities recently forced the closing of 23 stores owned by Lotte, a South Korean conglomerate that agreed to turn over land that it owned for use in the Thaad deployment, and hundreds of Chinese protested at Lotte stores over the weekend, some holding banners that read, Get out of China.

Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, warned that Thaad will bring an arms race in the region, likening the defensive system to a shield that would prompt the development of new spears. More missile shields of one side inevitably bring more nuclear missiles of the opposing side that can break through the missile shield, it said.

But in another article, the news agency rebuked North Korea, saying it must face the reality that it can neither thwart Washington and Seoul nor consolidate its security in a breeze with its immature nuclear technology.

The United States decision to deploy the missile technology brought new scrutiny to Chinas policies toward North and South Korea and suggested that its attempts to please both countries in hopes of averting a crisis had fallen short.

To put it bluntly using a common Chinese expression, it has wanted to have a foot in two boats, said Deng Yuwen, a current affairs commentator in Beijing who has sharply criticized North Korea.

Yang Xiyu, a former senior Chinese official who once oversaw talks with North Korea, said China was worried that the deployment of the system would open the door to a broader American network of antimissile systems in the region, possibly in places like Japan and the Philippines, to counter Chinas growing military as much as North Korea.

China can see benefits only for a U.S. regional plan, not for South Koreas national security interest, he said.
Under constitutional law, asylum seekers can be detained for a reasonable period for specific purposes, such as while they are being deported or awaiting visa approval. But Mr. Nicholson said some asylum seekers flown into Australia for medical treatment from offshore camps have languished for years in detention.

The case, filed in the state of Victoria, involves an unidentified mother and daughter from Iran. They were transferred from Nauru to Australia for medical treatment in 2014. In Melbourne, the mother was treated for osteoporosis and the daughter for removal of a breast lump. They have both also been treated for health issues arising from their detention, including anxiety and panic disorder.

They remained in detention for two years while they were being treated and were only released into so-called community detention, which allows for some freedom of movement but has curfews and other restrictions, after the first submissions in their case were filed.

The point is they are not brought here to have their refugee status determined, Mr. Nicholson said.

If the challenge to detention is successful, it would be mean those brought here for medical treatment from offshore processing centers  where Australia has been confining hundreds of asylum seekers intercepted at sea since 2012  could not be incarcerated while being treated. Generally, only the most seriously ill asylum seekers are brought to Australia for medical attention. About 70 are in the country now.
When the police pulled over a car in the small Australian town of Mitchell, it was for what they believed was a straightforward matter: The driver was accused of filling the vehicles tank with gasoline and then leaving the station without paying for it.

What they found, however, was by no means routine. Behind the wheel on Sunday was a 22-year-old woman from Britain in a distressed state with visible facial injuries. In the back of the sport utility vehicle was a man hiding under clothes and other items.

The police said that the man, identified only as a 22-year-old from Cairns, in northeastern Australia, had kept the woman captive for two months, raping and assaulting her as they traveled for hundreds of miles across the state of Queensland.

Detective Inspector Paul Hart of the Queensland Police said on Tuesday that the woman, a British citizen who reportedly came to Australia in 2015 but who has not been publicly identified, had been held against her will after a brief relationship with the suspect soured.
LONDON  Europes simmering backlash against immigration came into sharp relief on Tuesday when the Hungarian Parliament approved the detention of asylum seekers in guarded and enclosed camps on the countrys southern border, in what human rights advocates called a reckless breach of international law.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary justified the measure on the grounds that it would secure the European Unions borders from migrants and act as a powerful deterrent against migration, which he called the Trojan horse of terrorism.

Mr. Orban is a vocal supporter of President Trump, who on Monday signed an executive order that bars people from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.

We are under siege, Mr. Orban said on Tuesday at an induction ceremony for border guard officers. The flood of migration has slowed down but has not stopped. Laws apply to everyone. This includes those migrants who want to cross Hungarys border illegally. This is the reality, which cannot be overruled by charming human rights nonsense.
PARIS  One or more poachers shot and killed a 4-year-old white rhinoceros in a wildlife park near Paris, sawed off one of its horns and then escaped, officials at the park said on Tuesday.

Thierry Duguet, the head of the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, told a local radio station that he and his staff were extremely shocked.

There has never been a case like this in a zoo in Europe, an assault of such violence, evidently for this stupid trafficking of rhinoceros horns, Mr. Duguet said.

The wildlife park, which is about 30 miles west of Paris, said in a statement on Facebook that the rhinoceros, a male named Vince, was found dead by one of his caretakers Tuesday morning with gunshot wounds to the head.
LONDON  Theresa May, who became Britains prime minister last year, has resisted any and all efforts to constrain her freedom to steer the country on its unpredictable journey out of the European Union.

But on Tuesday, Mrs. May encountered a significant new obstacle, when the House of Lords voted 366 to 268 to approve an amendment giving Parliament a much greater say over the outcome of talks on exiting the bloc.

The vote sets the stage for a tense battle next week in the House of Commons, which has the ultimate authority to set aside the actions of the House of Lords, an unelected and largely appointed body.

Michael Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister, supported the amendment in the Lords, calling Parliament the custodian of our national sovereignty.
WikiLeaks did not identify the source of the documents, which it called Vault 7, but said they had been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

WikiLeaks said the source, in a statement, set out policy questions that urgently need to be debated in public, including whether the C.I.A.s hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers and the problem of public oversight of the agency. The source, the group said, wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons.

But James Lewis, an expert on cybersecurity at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, raised another possibility: that a foreign state, most likely Russia, stole the documents by hacking or other means and delivered them to WikiLeaks, which may not know how they were obtained. Mr. Lewis noted that, according to American intelligence agencies, Russia hacked Democratic targets during the presidential campaign and gave thousands of emails to WikiLeaks for publication.

I think a foreign power is much more likely the source of these documents than a conscience-stricken C.I.A. whistle-blower, Mr. Lewis said.

At a time of increasing concern about the privacy of calls and messages, the revelations did not suggest that the C.I.A. can actually break the encryption used by popular messaging apps. Instead, by penetrating the users phone, the agency can make the encryption irrelevant by intercepting messages and calls before their content is encrypted, or, on the other end, after messages are decrypted.

WikiLeaks, which has sometimes been accused of recklessly leaking information that could do harm, said it had redacted names and other identifying information from the collection. It said it was not releasing the computer code for actual, usable weapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the C.I.A.s program and how such weapons should be analyzed, disarmed and published.

The codes names used for projects revealed in the WikiLeaks documents appear to reflect the likely demographic of the cyberexperts employed by the C.I.A.  that is, young and male. There are numerous references to Harry Potter, Pokemon and Adderall, the drug used to treat hyperactivity.
BAGHDAD  Iraqi forces trying to reclaim Mosul penetrated the western part of the city on Tuesday, retaking a bridge and several public buildings during heavy clashes with the Islamic State militants, officials said.

Civilians reported that the bombardment and gunfire were the heaviest since Feb. 19, the beginning of the operation to retake the western part of the city  the countrys second-largest, where roughly a million people are trapped and living in desperate conditions.

Soldiers recaptured a branch of the central bank, an archaeological museum that jihadists ransacked after taking the city in 2014, and the Hurriya Bridge, which crosses the Tigris River in the center of the city, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, a military spokesman, said by phone.
See this story for details about how Mr. Trumps first travel ban affected refugees.
Russia 7.8% Canada 4.2% E.U. cojntries 5.1% Japan 4% U.S. 3.5% China 9.9% S.Korea 14.9% Mexico 7.1% India 13.4% Indonesia 6.9% Australia 2.5% Brazil 13.5% Average tariff in each country 0 4% 10% 15% 34% Russia 7.8% Canada 4.2% European Union countries 5.1% United States 3.5% Japan 4% China 9.9% South Korea 14.9% India 13.4% Mexico 7.1% Indonesia 6.9% Australia 2.5% Brazil 13.5% Average tariff in each country 0 4% 10% 15% 34% Russia 7.8% Canada 4.2% European Union countries 5.1% United States 3.5% Japan 4% China 9.9% South Korea 14.9% India 13.4% Mexico 7.1% Indonesia 6.9% Australia 2.5% Brazil 13.5% Average tariff in each country 0 4% 10% 15% 34% Russia 7.8% Canada 4.2% European Union countries 5.1% United States 3.5% Japan 4% China 9.9% South Korea 14.9% India 13.4% Mexico 7.1% Indonesia 6.9% Australia 2.5% Brazil 13.5% Average tariff in each country 0 4% 10% 15% 34% Russia 7.8% Canada 4.2% European Union countries 5.1% Japan 4% United States 3.5% China 9.9% South Korea 14.9% India 13.4% Mexico 7.1% Indonesia 6.9% Australia 2.5% Brazil 13.5% Average tariff in each country 0 4% 10% 15% 34% Source: World Trade Organization

President Trumps advisers and allies are pushing an ambitious idea: Remake American trade.

They are considering sweeping aside decades of policy and rethinking how the United States looks at trade with every country. Essentially, after years of criticizing China and much of Europe for the way they handle imports and exports, these officials want to copy them.

This approach could result in higher barriers to imports that would end Americas decades-long status as the worlds most open large economy. This could lead to slightly higher prices in the United States for everything from Chilean grapes to iPhones to gasoline. But it could also provide a boost to companies and workers who make things in the United States and sell them abroad.

Will it happen? Mr. Trump has hinted at the issue, having told Congress that other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes, but we charge them almost nothing. The discussion, if translated into action, could affect national economies and regular households alike  and create big problems for countries like China that depend heavily on exports to the United States.

Putting Up Barriers

First, it helps to understand how the United States and other countries currently treat trade.

The most visible layer is tariffs, or taxes on imports. The World Trade Organization, the global trade adjudicator, has allowed developing countries to impose far higher tariffs than industrialized countries, while they build up industries at home. China has been counted as a developing country.

But many countries have additional taxes. For example, China and other countries, but not the United States, also charge a steep value-added tax, which is a kind of national sales tax on imports and home-produced goods alike. Exports are exempt from value-added taxes.

Once value-added taxes and sales taxes are included in an international comparison, Americas taxes on imports are much lower than those of almost every other country.

Germany 24% Russia 26% Canada 17% Britain 25% France 25% U.S. 9% China 27%+ Japan 12% India 31% Mexico 23% Australia 13% Brazil 31% Value-added tax (VAT) plus the average tariff in each country 7% 15% 25% 30% 43% Most American states and some Canadian provinces charge sales tax, not VAT. Germany 24% Russia 26% Canada 17% Britain 25% France 25% United States 9% China 27%+ Japan 12% India 31% Mexico 23% Most American states and some Canadian provinces charge sales tax, not VAT. Australia 13% Brazil 31% Value-added tax (VAT) plus the average tariff in each country 7% 15% 25% 30% 43% Germany 24% Russia 26% Britain 25% Canada 17% France 25% United States 9% China 27%+ Japan 12% India 31% Mexico 23% Most American states and some Canadian provinces charge sales tax, not VAT. Australia 13% Brazil 31% Value-added tax (VAT) plus the average tariff in each country 7% 15% 25% 30% 43% Germany 24% Russia 26% Britain 25% Canada 17% France 25% United States 9% China 27%+ Japan 12% India 31% Mexico 23% Most American states and some Canadian provinces charge sales tax, not VAT. Australia 13% Brazil 31% Value-added tax (VAT) plus the average tariff in each country 7% 15% 25% 30% 43% Germany 24% Russia 26% Britain 25% Canada 17% France 25% United States 9% China 27%+ Japan 12% India 31% Mexico 23% Most American states and some Canadian provinces charge sales tax, not VAT. Australia 13% Brazil 31% Value-added tax (VAT) plus the average tariff in each country 7% 15% 25% 30% 43% Sources: World Trade Organization (tariffs); New York Times calculations and reporting; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. (worldwide value-added tax rates); Tax Foundation (U.S. sales tax average); New York Times calculations and reporting

Rethinking Trade

Mr. Trumps advisers and some lawmakers dont like this arrangement.

For starters, they question why Chinas average tariffs are about three times as high as those in the United States  and its tariffs on manufactured goods, which involve a lot of jobs to produce them, are far higher still. Those levels are allowed because when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, it was clearly a developing country. Lower American trade barriers have helped China increase exports to the United States, while importing fairly little.

$600 billion United States total annual trade with China EX- PORTS 500 400 China enters the W.T.O. 300 IMPORTS FROM CHINA 200 100 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 $100 billion U.S. annual trade deficits with China 200 Exports minus imports 300 400 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 $600 billion United States total annual trade with China EX- PORTS 500 $100 billion 400 U.S. annual trade deficits with China China enters the W.T.O. 300 200 IMPORTS FROM CHINA 200 China enters the W.T.O. Exports minus imports 300 100 400 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 $600 billion EX- PORTS 500 United States total annual trade with China U.S. annual trade deficits with China  $100 400 China enters the W.T.O. 300 Exports minus imports  200 IMPORTS FROM CHINA China enters the W.T.O. 200  300 100  400 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 $600 billion 500 EXPORTS TO CHINA United States total annual trade with China U.S. annual trade deficits with China  $100 billion 400 300 China enters the W.T.O.  200 Exports minus imports IMPORTS FROM CHINA China enters the W.T.O. 200  300 100  400 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 Source: Census Bureau

Today, Chinas designation as a developing country is more debatable. China is the worlds second-largest economy and the biggest producer of steel and cars.

Still, China trails most developed nations by some measures, and Chinese officials argue that it is still developing and does not yet qualify as industrialized.

The United Nations Human Development Index 1.0 United States VERY HIGH 0.9 0.8 China HIGH 0.7 MEDIUM 0.6 0.5 0.4 LEVEL OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: 0.3 0.2 LOW 0.1 0 80 85 90 95 00 05 10 14 Index factors, 2014 LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH EXPECTED YEARS OF SCHOOLING AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING INCOME* PER PERSON $52,947 79 years 16 years 76 years 13 years 13 years 8 years $12,547 China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. *Gross national income per person, in 2011 purchasing power parity dollar The United Nations Human Development Index 1.0 Index factors, 2014 United States VERY HIGH LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH EXPECTED YEARS OF SCHOOLING AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING INCOME* PER PERSON 0.9 0.8 $52,947 China HIGH 0.7 79 years 16 years 76 years MEDIUM 0.6 13 years 13 years 0.5 0.4 LEVEL OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: 0.3 8 years 0.2 $12,547 LOW 0.1 0 China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. 80 85 90 95 00 05 10 14 *Gross national income per person, in 2011 purchasing power parity dollar The United Nations Human Development Index 1.0 Index factors, 2014 United States VERY HIGH LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH EXPECTED YEARS OF SCHOOLING AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING INCOME* PER PERSON 0.9 0.8 China HIGH 0.7 79 years 16 years $52,947 76 years MEDIUM 0.6 13 years 13 years 0.5 0.4 LEVEL OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: 0.3 8 years 0.2 LOW $12,547 0.1 0 China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. 80 85 90 95 00 05 10 14 *Gross national income per person, in 2011 purchasing power parity dollars The United Nations Human Development Index Index factors, 2014 1.0 United States LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH EXPECTED YEARS OF SCHOOLING AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING INCOME* PER PERSON VERY HIGH 0.9 79 years 16 years $52,947 0.8 76 years China HIGH 0.7 13 years 13 years MEDIUM 0.6 0.5 0.4 8 years LEVEL OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: 0.3 0.2 $12,547 LOW 0.1 China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. China U.S. 0 80 85 90 95 00 05 10 14 *Gross national income per person, in 2011 purchasing power parity dollars Source: United Nations Development Program

Chinas economy is still roughly two-thirds the size of the American economy, even though China has four times as many people. Average incomes in China are still one-fifth to one-quarter of levels in the United States, and much of Chinas interior is still underdeveloped.

We still hold the developing countries standpoint, said Li Gang, the deputy dean of the Commerce Ministrys research unit, the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

When China joined the W.T.O. in 2001, the expectation was that its tariffs would later be adjusted lower during global trade talks, known as the Doha Round. But those talks fell apart for a variety of reasons.

How Tariffs Hit Industries

While Chinas average tariffs are higher, they vary widely by industry, and that has contributed to big industrial shifts.

Consider cars. Chinas tariff on imported cars is 25 percent of the wholesale price, which is one reason General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen set up huge factories in China. By contrast, tariffs in the United States are just 2.5 percent for imported cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles. So automakers make in China almost all the cars that they sell there, while many cars in the United States are imported.

Share of car sales that are imported Tariff on imported cars 7.6% 0% JAPAN Though Japan has no tariffs, it has many non-tariff barriers. SOUTH KOREA 16.7% 8.0% Tariffs are on cars and most family vehicles, 10 percent on some light- duty trucks. EUROPEAN UNION 15.2% 9.8% Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles 4.2% 25.0% CHINA Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles U.S. CARS 26.0% 2.5% U.S. PICKUP TRUCKS 0% 25.0% Tariffs apply to imported cars, vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The tariff level is zero if the vehicle comes from Mexico or Canada because of Nafta. Tariff on imported cars 0% 8.0% 9.8% 25.0% 2.5% 25.0% JAPAN SOUTH KOREA EUROPEAN UNION CHINA UNITED STATES CARS UNITED STATES PICKUP TRUCKS 26.0% Share of car sales that are imported 16.7% 15.2% 7.6% 4.2% 0% Though Japan has no tariffs, it has many non- tariff barriers. Tariffs are on cars and most family vehicles, 10 percent on some light- duty trucks. Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles Tariffs apply to imported cars, vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The tariff level is zero if the vehicle comes from Mexico or Canada because of Nafta. Domestic sales in the U.S. include Mexico and Canada because of Nafta. Tariff on imported cars 0% 8.0% 9.8% 25.0% 2.5% 25.0% JAPAN SOUTH KOREA EUROPEAN UNION CHINA UNITED STATES CARS UNITED STATES PICKUP TRUCKS 26.0% Domestic sales in the U.S. include Mexico and Canada because of Nafta. Share of car sales that are imported 16.7% 15.2% 7.6% 4.2% 0% Though Japan has no tariffs, it has many non- tariff barriers. Tariffs are on cars and most family vehicles, 10 percent on some light- duty trucks. Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles Tariffs are for imported cars and other family vehicles Tariffs apply to imported cars, vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The tariff level is zero if the vehicle comes from Mexico or Canada because of Nafta. Source: LMC Automotive

To be sure, automakers have many reasons to build factories in China, including proximity to low-cost suppliers as well as to customers in a big new market.

Trade Redo

Some of Mr. Trumps advisers and Republicans in the House of Representatives want to replace Americas current taxes on corporate profits with a system that raises the costs of imports while helping exports.

Companies currently deduct practically all of their costs, including imports, from their sales revenue, and then pay taxes on the profits that are left. The new idea, sometimes called a border-adjusted tax, essentially involves ending the deductibility of imports so that they would be taxed. At the same time, profits on exports would no longer be taxed, and the overall tax rate would be cut. Big beneficiaries would be domestic factory owners and workers and big exporters like Boeing. But other countries might retaliate, and some Senate Republicans worry it could violate the rules of the W.T.O.

A border-adjusted tax would mean a trade war not only between China and the U.S. but across the whole world, said Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese vice minister of commerce. China is firmly against it.

The idea nonetheless has support among House Republicans, in addition to some of Mr. Trumps supporters, although the president himself has called it too complicated. It has also divided businesses, with big importers opposed.

Rising Protectionism

Even before Mr. Trump took office, Americas taste for free trade was fading. While China protects many more of its industries than the United States does, China has also been moving faster to liberalize.

Share of sectors affected by investment discrimination India 84 % Indonesia 75 China 55 Saudi Arabia 39 France 24 Australia 21 Germany 21 Argentina 15 Mexico 15 Brazil 12 Italy 7 South Korea 7 Russia 7 United States 7 Canada 3 Japan 3 Britain 3 South Africa 1 Turkey 1 Share of sectors benefiting from investment liberalization India 63 % Russia 61 Turkey 37 Indonesia 34 China 27 Brazil 22 South Korea 18 Canada 7 United States 7 Argentina 3 3 Australia Japan 1 Mexico 1 Saudi Arabia 1 South Africa 1 France 0 Germany 0 0 Italy Britain 0 Share of sectors affected by investment discrimination Share of sectors benefiting from investment liberalization India 84 % India 63 % Indonesia 75 Russia 61 China 55 Turkey 37 Saudi Arabia 39 Indonesia 34 France 24 China 27 Australia 21 Brazil 22 Germany 21 South Korea 18 Argentina 15 Canada 7 Mexico 15 United States 7 Brazil 12 Argentina 3 Italy 7 Australia 3 South Korea 7 Japan 1 Russia 7 Mexico 1 United States 7 Saudi Arabia 1 Canada 3 South Africa 1 Japan 3 France 0 Britain 3 Germany 0 South Africa 1 Italy 0 Turkey 1 Britain 0 Share of sectors affected by investment discrimination Share of sectors benefiting from investment liberalization India 84 % India 63 % Indonesia 75 Russia 61 China 55 Turkey 37 Saudi Arabia 39 Indonesia 34 France 24 China 27 Australia 21 Brazil 22 Germany 21 South Korea 18 Argentina 15 Canada 7 Mexico 15 United States 7 Brazil 12 Argentina 3 Italy 7 Australia 3 South Korea 7 Japan 1 Russia 7 Mexico 1 United States 7 Saudi Arabia 1 Canada 3 South Africa 1 Japan 3 France 0 Britain 3 Germany 0 South Africa 1 Italy 0 Turkey 1 Britain 0 Data are for countries in the G-20 since the height of the global financial crisis in November 2008 | Source: Global Trade Alert

Global Trade Alert, a nonprofit based in Zurich that tracks and opposes protectionism, has documented 1,066 discriminatory American measures since the height of the global financial crisis in November 2008, including bailouts and subsidies for American companies, Buy America measures, tariff increases and other moves. Those are more measures than in any other country, although that may be partly because it is easier to document such measures in the United States, said Simon Evenett, the projects leader. The American measures are also extremely narrow, affecting a small share of trade.
We Did It! Now's Our Chance!

Everybody out to oppose war at the next meeting!

At the March 6, 2017, meeting of the Charlottesville City Council, (video here) three members of the council proposed to put on the agenda for a future meeting a vote on a resolution opposing the increased military spending proposed by President Donald Trump. If even just those three (Kristin Szakos, Wes Bellamy, and Bob Fenwick) vote in support of the resolution it will pass. The views of the other two City Council Members (Mike Signer and Kathy Galvin) are unknown.

We are currently assuming, and will confirm as soon as possible, that the vote on the resolution will come at the March 20th, 7 p.m., meeting. We need to be there in large numbers!

We also need to sign up in large numbers ahead of time for 3-minute speaking slots. Please do that here: http://bit.ly/cvillespeech (Of fifteen slots, ten go to online sign-ups, five to early arrivals in person.)

Thus far, these organizations have endorsed the resolution: Charlottesville Veterans For Peace, Charlottesville Amnesty International, World Beyond War, Just World Books, Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, the Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club, Candidate for Commonwealth's Attorney Jeff Fogel, Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America, Indivisible Charlottesville, heARTful Action, Together Cville,

We need to reach out to other organizations and ask them to sign on. We'll add them here: http://bit.ly/cvilleresolution





"For Department of Defense, taxpayers in Charlottesville, Virginia are paying $112.62 million, not including the cost of war. Here's what those tax dollars could have paid for instead:

1,270 Elementary School Teachers for 1 Year, or

1,520 Clean Energy Jobs Created for 1 Year, or

2,027 Infrastructure Jobs Created for 1 Year, or

1,126 Jobs with Supports Created in High Poverty Communities for 1 Year, or

12,876 Head Start Slots for Children for 1 Year, or

11,436 Military Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care for 1 Year, or

2,773 Scholarships for University Students for 4 Years, or

4,841 Students Receiving Pell Grants of $5,815 for 4 Years, or

41,617 Children Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for 1 Year, or

99,743 Households with Wind Power for 1 Year, or

23,977 Adults Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for 1 Year, or

61,610 Households with Solar Electricity for 1 Year."

And here's a chart of the percentage of federal discretionary spending going to militarism each year. It hasn't topped 60% since the Cold War ended. Trump is proposing to put it back up there.



chart

(Image by davidswanson.org) Details DMCA



Cities that have passed resolutions in favor of reducing military spending in recent years are numerous and include Charlottesville as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Already this year, New Haven has passed one

The most common objection to local resolutions on national topics is that it is not a proper role for a locality. This objection is easily refuted. Passing such a resolution is a moment's work that costs a locality no resources.



Americans are supposed to be directly represented in Congress. Their local and state governments are also supposed to represent them to Congress. A representative in Congress represents over 650,000 people -- an impossible task.Most city council members in the United States take an oath of office promising to support the U.S. Constitution. Representing their constituents to higher levels of government is part of how they do that.

Cities and towns routinely and properly send petitions to Congress for all kinds of requests. This is allowed under Clause 3, Rule XII, Section 819, of the Rules of the House of Representatives. This clause is routinely used to accept petitions from cities, and memorials from states, all across America. The same is established in the Jefferson Manual, the rule book for the House originally written by Thomas Jefferson for the Senate.

In 1798, the Virginia State Legislature passed a resolution using the words of Thomas Jefferson condemning federal policies penalizing France.

In 1967 a court in California ruled (Farley v. Healey , 67 Cal.2d 325) in favor of citizens' right to place a referendum on the ballot opposing the Vietnam War, ruling: "As representatives of local communities, board of supervisors and city councils have traditionally made declarations of policy on matters of concern to the community whether or not they had power to effectuate such declarations by binding legislation. Indeed, one of the purposes of local government is to represent its citizens before the Congress, the Legislature, and administrative agencies in matters over which the local government has no power. Even in matters of foreign policy it is not uncommon for local legislative bodies to make their positions known."

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From The Nation

Every member of the Trump team should be pressed on the question of whether they will respect the First Amendment to the Constitution they have sworn to uphold.

Donald Trump's nominee to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations had an easy ride through the confirmation process, as Democratic senators generally joined Republican senators in abandoning their constitutionally mandated duty to thoroughly review the nomination of Nikki Haley. But there was one essential -- and instructive -- exchange when Haley appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine steered the discussion toward the role of a free press in any democracy -- but especially in this democratic republic.

"Authoritarian nations around the world are cracking down on freedom of the press. And that is a freedom that is part of the 1947 UN Declaration on Human Rights," explained the 2016 Democratic nominee for vice president, who, unlike many members of the Trump team, actually has substantial experience dealing with international issues. Noting that "even nations that are allies, for example Turkey and Egypt where we have significant alliances, have seen real declines in press freedom," Kaine asked, "What can be done through the UN to promote a free press around the world?"

Haley replied admirably.

"Well, you know," she said. "I think the United States has always promoted freedom of the press. And while those of us that have been in elected office may not always like it, it is the way it's supposed to be. The press has a job to do and we should allow them to do it. And so I think, again, that goes in with American values that we should talk about that. And that's something that I'd be happy to express."

Kaine carried the discussion forward: "So you agree that efforts to restrict the press would be a clear violation of not just the UN Charter but American values."

"Absolutely," said Haley.

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Bottom-Up is a direct and logical look at how we live our lives, conduct our business, manage our societies, and, most importantly, communicate with each other. Author Rob Kall explains it all in plain English. But don't let the readability of this book fool you into thinking that it's not important. Kall cuts to the heart of the most critical issues in communication today. This book is as important as game theory. And people will take notice."



John Kiriakou, former CIA officer and author of The Reluctant Spy and Doing Time Like a Spy
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"You have something special and important here. Somehow you manage to teach and suggest and introduce the reader to concepts in a way that feels inclusive. Like, we're thinking about it together. Partly it might be because the subject, bottom-up, is innately understood by all of us and so it feels like you're stirring up stuff we already know. But also I think it's because you truly are practiced at connection consciousness and so it's natural for you (I'm guessing) to write about it with a desire to include us. As a reader I was learning more because it feels like you're inviting me to think with you."



Tsara Shelton, author
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
From Daily Kos

The president signed the Muslim Ban Executive Order in hiding and released the photos to the media. CNN did not fall for the trap. They are maintaining their recent stance (Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer) on holding the president accountable.

CNN made sure Trump did not control the message that Americans saw. The discriminatory ban is one of Trump's signature promises to those that were instrumental in him winning the electoral college.

It was clear that Trump would want a photo op. He intended to talk about fulfilling his promises to his base. But his actions stepped on the event he had scheduled for today. The media, who cannot seem to cover multiple events of consequence simultaneously, are hyper-fixed on his tweet accusing President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower.

So he had the signing of his signature bill in private, in hiding. Following, he released the photos. CNN threw a wrench in his gears. They did not acquiesce to Trump's cowardliness and refused to air any of the pictures. CNN's John King, in this excerpted video, called out Trump appropriately, "The fact that," John King said. "We won't show you the picture of the President signing the Executive Order. It is incredibly important to his administration. It is a very important policy debate in our country. We won't show you the picture because we have a policy that you can't have canned press release pictures from a White House. You have to let the reporters in. The President is a big boy. He doesn't have to answer questions if they are shouted at him. But they wouldn't let anyone in because of the other issue front and center today. That is the President saying that he believes his predecessor somehow wiretapped him somehow during last year's campaign."
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"The most effective ways to create a more inclusive, fair-for-all future will be from the bottom up. Rob Kall's book lays out how that would look with a hopeful, pragmatic vision that will change the way you see the world."



Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation, a columnist for The Progressive, and the author of eight books on the politics of sports, including What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States and A People's History of Spo
President Donald Trump Monday issued a new Muslim ban executive order that will temporarily halt entry to the U.S. for people from six Muslim nations who are seeking new visas, though allowing those with current visas to travel freely.

According to the Associated Press, Trump's new order aims to address legal issues with the original order, which caused confusion at airports, sparked protests around the country and was ultimately blocked by federal courts. "President Donald Trump on Monday signed a new version of his controversial travel ban, aiming to withstand court challenges while still barring new visas for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries and shutting down the U.S. refugee program," the AP said.

The revised Muslim ban order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but still affects would-be visitors from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya."

The Washington Post reported that even before the ink was dry Democrats and civil liberties groups asserted that the new order was legally tainted in the same way as the first one: It was a thinly disguised Muslim ban. That seems to portend more litigation -- though how soon remains unclear. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who had successfully sued to have the ban blocked, said in a statement that the rescinding of Trump's first ban showed it was "indefensible -- legally, constitutionally and morally." He said the state was reviewing its next legal steps and noted the president had "capitulated on numerous key provisions blocked by our lawsuit."

The Washington Post reported that even before the ink was dry Democrats and civil liberties groups asserted that the new order was legally tainted in the same way as the first one: It was a thinly disguised Muslim ban. That seems to portend more litigation -- though how soon remains unclear. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who had successfully sued to have the ban blocked, said in a statement that the rescinding of Trump's first ban showed it was "indefensible -- legally, constitutionally and morally." He said the state was reviewing its next legal steps and noted the president had "capitulated on numerous key provisions blocked by our lawsuit."

State Department, Homeland Security and Justice Department officials defended the new order as a necessary measure to improve public safety, the paper said adding: They said the countries implicated -- Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Syria and Yemen -- were either state sponsors of terrorism, or their territories were so compromised that they were effectively safe havens for terrorist groups. Iraq was omitted, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, because it is an "important ally in the fight to defeat ISIS," and its leaders had agreed to implement new security measures. U.S. officials declined to specify the countries of origin of the 300 refugees now being investigated in terrorism cases, and they declined to detail those people's current immigration status.

Immigration advocacy and civil liberties groups have vowed to fight the new Muslim ban. In a statement sent to reporters following Trump's announcement, Matthew Segal, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts said, "President Trump's original executive order stranded travelers, upended families, disrupted businesses and institutions globally, and faced many federal lawsuits. The ACLU of Massachusetts will closely monitor this new Executive Order and assess its validity."

Tom Perez, Chair Democratic National Committee, described the new Muslim ban, like the last one, as unconstitutional. Perez was confident that the courts will rule against Donald Trump again soon.

Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat from Connecticut, also described the new Muslim ban order "as much of an un-American, moral abomination as the first version we beat in the courts several weeks ago." He pledged to introduce legislation "to block this unconstitutional atrocity from going into effect." The new order is scheduled to come into force after two weeks. He went to say: "I know that my outspoken approach on issues like this makes me an enemy of the White House. It's why the media reported that Steve Bannon had his political department "looking into" me. That's fine, I take it as a compliment. Because at the end of the day, they are no match for millions of us fighting together. We're proving that in our protests, and we'll prove it when we win elections like mine this cycle."

Charles Kurzman, a sociology professor who studies violent extremism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying that since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, there have been no fatalities caused by Muslim extremists with family backgrounds in the six countries covered by the new ban.

The new order will be more defensible in court.

According to Washington Post, the revisions to the order will make it more defensible in court -- limiting the number of people with standing to sue -- though the changes might not allay all the concerns raised by judges across the country. The three-judge panel with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, for example, said that exempting green-card and current visa holders from the ban would not address their concern about U.S. citizens with an interest in noncitizens' travel. The administration, too, will have to wrestle with comments by the president and top adviser Rudolph W. Giuliani that seemed to indicate the intent of the order was to ban Muslims from entering the United States, which could run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The Washington Post recalled that:

On the campaign trail, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." After the election, Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, said: "So when [Trump] first announced it, he said, 'Muslim ban.' He called me up. He said, 'Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.' "

A federal judge in Virginia referenced those comments in ordering the ban frozen with respect to Virginia residents and institutions, calling it "unrebutted evidence" that Trump's directive might violate the First Amendment.

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This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

From Counterpunch

In the age of right-wing populism we currently find ourselves in, multiculturalism has come to be identified with the liberal elite, with liberalism, and identity politics, identified with "swarms" of poor, unwashed refugees and migrants from the Third World invading the West to deracinate and desecrate everything sacred about Western civilization. Multiculturalism is, the right argues, synonymous with globalization, globalism and a global elite that is intent on destroying something they refer to as "Judeo-Christian civilization."

It's the sort of end of days verbiage you may, until recently, have associated with far right websites, blogs and magazines, produced by Hitler freaks and tobacco-chewing gun nuts and militia types. But now, today, it's in the mainstream, spouted by none other than Trump's chief political adviser, his brain, Steve Bannon.

In 2016 Bannon delivered a speech to a gathering of US conservatives, during which he excoriated the EU for allowing "the complete collapse of the Judeo-Christian West in Europe."

It also happens to be the sort of rhetoric embraced by Norewegian neo-Nazi mass murderer, Anders Brevik, who in 2011 went on a killing spree. Setting out his warped ideology in a comprehensive manifesto titled "2083," Brevik justified the slaughter of over 70 people in Norway on the basis of the threat posed by "the rise of cultural Marxism/multiculturalism in Western Europe," along with "the Islamic colonization and Islamization of Western Europe."

Trump's "Muslim travel ban," his attacks on migrants and minorities, is no accident. It is driven by the ideology of the far right, which, as with the newly installed President's inauguration speech, paints a doomsday scenario in which the Judeo-Christian West is being swamped by "the other" -- by swarms of people carrying with them the bacteria of alien cultures, religious beliefs, and races. It is precisely why progressive forces in the US and throughout the West need to make a stand in defense of multiculturalism.

Specifically, a fresh offensive is required against the rise and spread of Islamophobia, which thanks to the policies of Western governments and the poison spouted daily by right wing commentators over many years, has become the accepted form of racism among polite society.

The inference they have successfully drawn among large swathes of people is that Islam is a regressive religion, practiced by people of an alien culture, wherein fundamentalist ideas are the norm and where terrorist acts carried out against the West are not only accepted but supported by Muslims at home, the enemy within.

9/11 came as a shot across the bows of the received truths that had prevailed in the West for so long. The North-South hemispheric divide had seen the consumer boom enjoyed in the West paid for in the despair and unremitting poverty suffered throughout the developing world. The West's role in supporting and subsidizing corrupt regimes throughout the Arab world, the continuing injustice and humiliation suffered by the Palestinians, the years of suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of the sanctions, had resulted in the growth of fundamentalist ideas motivated by a growing sense of grievance throughout the region.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed 9/11 resulted in a further increase in radicalization throughout the Muslim and Arab world, and the concomitant emergence of Islamophobia at home, with terrorist attacks such as 7/7 2005 attack in London and the attack in Madrid one year later producing a wave of revulsion by many non-Muslims towards Islam and its adherents.

In recent times, what with the rise of Daesh, Nusra, and Salafi-jihadism in the Middle East, leading to a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe and the US, those voices on the right, and even some on the left, which have asserted that there is a tendency towards radicalism within Islam, drawing the conclusion that the regressive impulses within the religion and its culture are incompatible with Western society, have succeeded in painting multiculturalism as a failed and indeed dangerous concept.

It is not. Instead multiculturalism embraces the working class of our time, and as such it provides the locus of the only potential resistance that offers hope of a desperately needed alternative to either the nativist bigotry of Trump or the Clintonian liberalism that paved the way for Trump.

The working class is not a product of race, religion, culture or creed. There is no white working class. In fact the very words are an insult to those who understand only two possible options when it comes to the working class -- i.e., as either a class in itself or a class for itself.

As Marx reminds us, what is required is "not political change, but a human transformation carried through by a class outside and beneath existing society, a class with only a human title."

"Human title," the man said -- not racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural but human.
A swing Senator who caucuses with Democrats, the Independent Angus King of Maine, as a former lawyer, cannot plead ignorance of the historic importance of his decision on the fateful filibuster to deny Trump's far-right, "friendly fascist," nominee, Neil Gorsuch, confirmation as a Supreme Court justice in the next several weeks.

If Democrats display even a fraction of the backbone that McConnell's Republicans did with respect to the Merrick Garland nomination for this same historic seat, they can easily stop Gorsuch. At minimum they would force the revocation, or legitimate a work around, of the anti-democratic filibuster rule as the price extracted for his appointment.

Democrats only need 41 Senators like King out of 48 to support the filibuster by rejecting cloture for the personable, pedigreed and talented Judge Gorsuch that Trump dredged up from the political Swamp he promised to drain.

The vote for cloture that King is contemplating would deny that having Gorsuch on the Court would be worse for the country than not having any new judge on the Court at all. This is the choice Republicans made about Garland, and thereby established a new standard. The new standard, which Republicans applied to a fairly popular president without suffering any backlash in the 2016 election, does not require any Supreme Court appointment to be made that is not good for the country, even if it is good for the party in power. Trump is not even very popular. But Senators like King are already nervously spying an exit from applying the same standard to Gorsuch.

There has never been at any previous time in American history a nomination that would be worse for the country than Gorsuch would be right now. And none that would be better for the plutocratic duopoly.

The Roberts 5 were a menace to American democracy for a decade, as the most plutocratic, right wing majority ever. Their profound damage to the Constitution in cases like Shelby County's evisceration of the Voting Rights Act and their line of pro-corruption cases was only interrupted by Justice Scalia's death last year. The current 4-4 deadlock on the Court has provided the only bright spot in the failed politics of 2016. The ideologically neutralized Supreme Court has created space for the ideologically balanced lower federal courts to furnish some respite for relative sanity compared to the rest of the federal government. This modest little flame of checks and balances holding forth in the descending political darkness will be extinguished if Trump is allowed to fill the Scalia seat with yet another extreme right-winger straight out of the plutocratic Swamp.

Gorsuch is even worse than Scalia and probably even worse than Roberts too, because smarter, a better writer, and personally more polished and likable in service of his right wing ideology. It would be difficult to find a worse nominee to join this Court at this time.

Any Senator who votes for cloture needs to understand in advance that they are going to be removed from office at the next primary or general election on the basis of this single vote. It can be safely predicted that no other vote prior to the 2018 election, short of another Supreme Court nomination or war, will be more consequential than the Gorsuch cloture vote.

Even Trump knows that, aside from national security, "the most important decision a president of the US makes is the appointment of a Supreme Court justice." This is exponentially more true of this particular appointment. Other Republicans reflect the same knowledge of the unusual importance of Gorsuch, which will determine whether the Swamp's systemic plutocratic corruption will be perpetuated, most likely for decades. Among his other outstanding qualities for the plutocracy, Gorsuch is also relatively young at 49.

Trump complains that "Courts seem to be so political." But he hypocritically nominated a thoroughly politicized right wing judge to the Supreme Court whose extreme politics have not changed since he was in high school. Because lower courts tend to follow precedent, and judicial supremacists on the Supreme Court do not, Gorsuch has not even begun to really put his predictably right wing political views into action from the bench. He was chosen because there is very little room for guesswork about what Gorsuch will do on the Supreme Court.

Progressive voters who punished Democrats in 2016 for nominating a plutocrat like Clinton to lead them, especially, need to let it be known that a cloture vote for Gorsuch will be a similar deal-breaker with the Senate Democrats in 2018. The impact of a Gorsuch appointment on corruption will be even greater than electing Clinton would have been. There are Democratic Senators from an unusually vulnerable 25 states up for reelection in 2018. Those Independents who fled from Clinton, thinking Trump was a better bet to drain the Swamp, should do the same for the Republicans, now that Trump has revealed his true Swamp colors. Progressives should make it clear they will not just stay home this time, as is reported to have been a decisive factor in 2016, but give notice they will vote in the primary and general election to get rid of any Senator who fails to filibuster Gorsuch. This is too important a point in history to use half measures.

Voting for cloture is the most significant possible way for corrupt politicians of either party to keep filling the Swamp and drowning democracy. The right vote to allow democracy to emerge from the Swamp is "no" on cloture of the Gorsuch filibuster.

Senator King is one of those up for reelection in 2018. On March 5, he faced a town hall crowd critical of his vacillation about preventing Gorsuch from becoming the fifth horseman necessary to resume the ride of the Roberts Court toward apocalypse. The Roberts' Courts' serial violations of the constitutional separation of powers in its series of pro-corruption decisions overturned a variety of state and federal anti-corruption laws. These decisions that impose a corrupt plutocracy on the country remain. They will either rise -- to inflict even worse damage on the country -- or fall, to rescue the country from plutocracy, depending on whether the Senate approves what the Republicans still like to call a "strict constructionist" to take Scalia's seat.

The Republicans' contrarian, if not incoherently subjective, definition of "strict construction" is the opposite of its historic meaning when Nixon started using the term in the 1960's to presumably invoke justices like Oliver Wendell Holmes, or Felix Frankfurter, who followed venerable constitutional rules such as the "the doubtful case" and "political question" doctrines to maintain proper democratic deference to the elected, political branches of government when exercising the Court's judicial review powers.

Whether or not Nixon and virtually every Republican after him who used the term for their judicial nominees were familiar with these separation of powers rules, they define the intricate boundaries between legitimate judicial review of legislation and illegitimate judicial supremacy on constitutional matters that, like elections and political corruption, fall outside the scope of the judicial powers properly assigned by the Constitution to the Court. These rules provide the only legitimate source for giving any objective legal meaning to the concept of "strict construction." The phrase and its various cognates can only meaningfully refer to the rules denying constitutionally illegitimate political powers to the judiciary, even though Republican appointees like Scalia, Roberts and their intellectual predecessors have been exercising such political powers since 1976. For 40 years Republicans have failed to find an accurate replacement for Nixon's "strict constructionist" term from a different era to describe their now changed criteria for selecting justices. If they were honest that term would now be "plutocratic judicial supremacist." Questioning of Gorsuch should probe this paradox to determine which term best fits his judicial philosophy.

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From Consortium News

The intensifying hysteria over Russia has pushed Official Washington over the edge into outright madness. On one side of this asylum, you have the Democrats, neoconservatives and mainstream media, while on the other, you have the embattled Trump administration. Both sides have been making grave allegations with little or no evidence to support them.

The Democratic/neocon/MSM side has pushed the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russians to put the real-estate mogul in the White House, but there is, as yet, no evidence that such a thing happened.

Even one of the top advocates feeding this Russia frenzy, New York Times correspondent Thomas L. Friedman, acknowledged on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that "I agree, there is no evidence," but then added: "which is why we need a special prosecutor or an independent commission to get to the bottom of it."

But that is not how investigations are supposed to work. You're supposed to have evidence of wrongdoing and then examine it in the investigative phase to see if the evidence withstands scrutiny. What Friedman is suggesting is more like a "fishing expedition" or a "witch hunt."

The drip-drip of this investigative water torture finally got to President Trump last week as he flew down to his winter home at Mar-a-Lago. He joined the crazy melee early Saturday morning by sending out a flurry of tweets accusing President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower in New York City in the weeks before the Nov. 8 election. Trump also offered no evidence while demanding an investigation to get to the bottom of this.

By contrast, in all the major investigations that I have handled as an investigative reporter, such as Oliver North's secret White House paramilitary operation; the related Nicaraguan Contra drug trafficking scandal; Richard Nixon interference with President Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam peace talks in 1968; and Ronald Reagan's campaign sabotage of President Jimmy Carter's Iranian-hostage negotiations in 1980 -- there was substantial evidence from eyewitnesses and documents supporting the suspicions before the story was published.

At no point would I have argued that just because Oliver North met a Contra leader that it was time to investigate whether he and his Reagan administration superiors were breaking the law. I first found multiple insiders, including people in the U.S. government and the Contra movement, describing how North was running his back-channel war. In some of these investigative situations, we had two dozen or so sources describing detailed aspects of these operations before we made any allegations in print.

Now the argument is that because some people suspect something, even without evidence, major investigations are warranted. That is usually what a conspiracy theory sounds like. Someone claims not to understand how something could have happened a certain way and thus a full-scale inquiry is needed into some highly unlikely and speculative scenario.

Opening Salvos

In the case of the Russia investigation, the opening salvos came from President Obama's intelligence agencies, which alleged that Russia had "hacked" Democratic emails and slipped the contents to WikiLeaks, but the agencies offered nothing in the way of U.S. government evidence to support that supposition.



President Barack Obama meets with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, Nov. 15, 2015. National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice listens at left.

(Image by (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)) Details DMCA



The two reports that were issued were heavy on the word "assesses" -- which in intelligence jargon usually means "guesses" -- but short on anything that could be checked out or verified.

The Jan. 6 report, issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, admitted as much, saying, "Judgments are not intended to imply that we have proof that shows something to be a fact. Assessments are based on collected information, which is often incomplete or fragmentary, as well as logic, argumentation, and precedents."

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks representatives denied getting the two batches of Democratic emails from Russia, suggesting that two different American insiders had leaked the material.

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"World War III will be a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation." - Marshall McLahun

I noticed it during the 2016 election. My Twitter and Facebook accounts were awash in anti-Hillary comments. Many comments seemed to piggy-back on my own reservations about her. Other comments were wildly inaccurate and mean-spirited.

I was a Bernie supporter and not happy with the way the DNC and Democratic leadership conducted the primaries. Still, Hillary Clinton seemed the better choice in my view.

When anti-Hillary tweets and messages mirrored my concerns I sometimes "liked" the comments or added my own to support of my views. But then there were many outrageously false anti-Hillary claims. I mostly ignored these, but sometimes took issue. This often led to debate with some implacable troll on social media. I engaged them not to change their minds (impossible), but to make sure others would be exposed to a reasonable set of facts.

During these internet encounters I noticed a lot of respondents chiming in with "likes" or retweets supporting the opposition side. The longer the debate, the greater the number of these silent opposition supporters. sometimes as many as 20 or 30 different accounts. Some mute retweeters even continued to pile on days after the conversation ended, and they latched on to randomly stupid or other statements made by the original Hillary hater.

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We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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In last November's election, Maine voters approved a ballot issue that directs future major office elections in Maine to be conducted using ranked voting. Although the campaign surrounding Question-5 rarely (if ever) mentioned the name IRV (Instant-Runoff Voting), it seems clear from the wording of the issue that IRV was the particular system of ranked voting to be adopted. Specifically, the wording of the Question-5 defined ranked-choice voting as "the method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which last-place candidates are defeated and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected".

But in common usage, "ranked-choice voting" refers to any of the many possible systems in which voters are asked to list the candidates in order of preference. Clearly IRV is such a system but IRV defines the vote, counting only one of many possible alternatives. However, IRV has been promoted so widely that it is widely assumed there is only one system of ranked-choice voting.

If we can assume that the objective of a voting system is to accurately assess the wishes of the voters there are a number of things that seem perverse or at least odd about IRV. Some of these have been discussed in earlier articles of this series:

In this article we return to this topic to examine yet another aspect of IRV that is particularly interesting and revealing, not just about IRV but about other systems of voting as well. To describe this peculiarity, imagine that you were unfamiliar with IRV but you wanted to simulate a series of elections in which one (or perhaps more) candidates were to be eliminated with each iteration of counting. How would you decide which candidates to remove (keeping in mind that you want the decision to be a democratic one)? To make this simpler, just consider what the the best way would be to decide which of the candidates to eliminate first. Would it occur to you to ask voters which candidate they like the most?

Maybe instead would you ask yourself what you want to know from the voters and ask them for that. You are going to remove one candidate from contention so why not simply ask the voters how you should proceed? Thinking democratically, you would surely ask each voter which candidate the voter would choose to remove first. With an open-minded approach, would it not seem really odd to instead ask a voter which candidate she likes the most?

This line of thinking leads to something closely resembling IRV, but in a critical way it is the opposite of IRV. Voters are asked to rank the candidates, starting with the one they would most like to have removed from contention and second the one that the voter would most want removed after the first listed is removed -- and so on down at least to include all candidates that the voter views as unacceptable.

The first candidate to be removed will be the one that the most voters want removed. In the subsequent rounds, ballots will be counted as if the eliminated candidates were removed from their ballots and counted as a vote against the first candidate on their ballot that has not yet been eliminated. If ties (or near ties) occur then more than one candidate could be removed at a time, but the recounts would continue until only a single candidate remained as the winner.

It will be convenient to have a name for this alternative system of ranked voting, so let's call it IRRV (Instant-Runoff-Removal Voting) since voters are asked to rank candidates according to their preferred removal order. At first glance, it might seem that a voter would construct exactly the reverse order for IRRV as she would for IRV and that is a useful way to conceptualize it -- but that is an overly simplified view that is apt to be only approximately the case. Pollsters have come to realize that the phrasing of their questions will influence their answers and that lesson probably applies to elections as much as it does in polls. Some examples may be in order.

With ten candidates in a race, if you ask a voter to list the candidates in order of preference you may possibly get a list of ten candidates back, but it is likely that there will be candidates left off of some lists -- particularly candidates that the voter does not know. But the last candidate on the list is very likely to be the candidate that the voter likes least. With IRV such a shortened list will be counted in a way that is at odds to the voter's likely wishes. Unfortunately, if that last-place name on the list is ever counted it will help that candidate to win election. Putting that name last on the list does, however, give the voter the illusion of expressing what great opposition the voter feels about that candidate and that is why a voter is apt to include that name.

However, if instead you ask a voter in what order would he like candidates to be eliminated, the first on the list is apt to be one that the voter particularly dislikes but all of the candidates the voter knows nothing about are apt to make it onto the list. Since the voter does not want his favorite candidate to ever be eliminated, that favorite candidate (and maybe several favorite candidates) will not be on the list at all. Leaving the candidate off the list of those to be removed from consideration is clearly the best way for the voter to express how she feels about that most-favored candidate. But more importantly, with IRRV this intuitive idea of what the voter feels his vote means is in concert with the way the vote is actually counted.

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This is all very touching but completely misguided. I watched the four videos making up one movie at https://ivansprayerforjustice.org/ and read the accompanying materials at https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-ivan?source_location=petition_nav and signed the petition. Then I watched them again carefully, and read the accompanying material carefully, and researched the case from online court documents, and now I realize that I and many others have been duped. Teleguz may or may not deserve the death penalty but the evidence shows overwhelmingly that he did hire Edwin Gilkes and Michael Hetrick to murder his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Stephanie Sipe. Moreover, the claim of his attorney that Gilkes falsely testified that he saw Teleguz commit a murder that never happened is both false and a gross distortion. Gilkes may have made such a statement to an investigator, and it was excluded by the court as too inflammatory. But Teleguz's attorney had Gilkes explicitly deny making such a statement and he did deny it in the only testimony that the judge and jury heard, so that claim that such false testimony is responsible for his death sentence is simply false propaganda. See the opinion of appeals court Judge Jones below for details.

The videos are designed to make it seem as though Teleguz had nothing to do with any of the men who testified against him at trial, Edwin Gilkes, Michael Hetrick, and Aleksey Safanov. The movie leaves unexplained how Safanov led the police to the killer Hetrick whose blood was found at the murder scene and makes it seem that the police simply gave him and the other men Ivan's name in order to put him into the picture. They make it seem as though the police had found Hetrick on their own and then could not give up their unfounded zealous conviction that Ivan was behind it all and simply coerced the men who did the crime into implicating Teleguz. In fact Ivan Teleguz knew and met with both Gilkes and Hetrick and contracted with them to kill his ex-girlfriend. It is a thoroughly dishonest and deceitful documentary that takes advantage of the trust and goodwill that people knowledgeable about police and judicial corruption are willing to offer to someone pretending to defend the innocent yet unjustly accused and convicted. Gilkes' recanting affidavit in particular struck me as inculpatory rather than exculpatory, especially #3, which reads:

"During questioning, police told me that the Russian guy from Massachusetts [Safanov] was the one who told them about me. Since I only met that guy once [and did not talk about the murder with him], I figured Teleguz was the one who told that guy about me. That made me really angry at Teleguz. It was easier to make stuff up about Teleguz, because I believed that Teleguz threw me under the bus by telling police."

In the movie this goes by quickly and seems to explain why Gilkes--a black man--vengefully make up testimony against Teleguz, but if you stop and read it slowly it also clearly implicates Teleguz as knowing about Gilkes' role in the murder. In giving Gilkes' motive for revenge--because he inferred that Teleguz had also given him up to the police--it also reveals the involvement of Teleguz. Judge Jones, in assessing the credibility of Gilkes' recantation by affidavit drew the same conclusion and noted:

"The recantations contained in Gilkes' affidavits are incomplete at best and at worst are contradictory. While Gilkes retracted his trial testimony implicating Teleguz, he failed to provide any explanation why he and Hetrick traveled to Harrisonburg to murder Sipe, who drove them there, or how they ultimately located Sipe."

Furthermore, during his initial interview with Whitfield, Gilkes denied any involvement in the murder but still implicated Teleguz with purported second-hand information from Rymarenko. Tellingly, in his second affidavit, Gilkes stated,

(Pet'r's Ex. 34 3.)"Thus, after all of his supposed recantations, I infer from this statement that, at a minimum, Teleguz had sufficient prior knowledge of the murder for Gilkes to suspect that he had led police to his door.

"For these reasons, I find Gilkes' affidavits unreliable."

And by the way, the murder was pretty clearly a contract hit. The video shows that Hetrick was violent against women and makes it seem like a crime of passion, but another unconnected part reveals that Hetrick knocked on Sipe's door pretending to be a stranded motorist so he could gain access to her apartment, and then attacked her. The "stranded motorist" ploy indicates that she was the target of a contracted murder.

I go further. The neat handwritten affidavit of Gilkes that appears in part in the video was probably not written nor composed by Gilkes. The script is almost calligraphic proletarian. The likely conclusion is that the text was composed artfully by defense counsel with Gilkes' cooperation and handwritten by a secretary in block print to make it seem genuine. Too many details of legalistic phrasing that I will not pursue here about just what Gilkes affirms ooze concern about avoiding the charge of suborning perjury, and in exposing Gilkes' motivation to get even with Teleguz, the affidavit revealed that Teleguz knew that Gilkes had participated in the murder of Sipe, inculpating Teleguz, not exculpating him.

The judge's account of the "recantation" by Safarov is equally compelling. In contrast to the video propaganda that leaves a complete mystery how Safarov identified Gilkes except by the police feeding him information, Safarov initially provided information about the identity of Gilkes--whom he had met just once, and this is what convinced Gilkes that Teleguz must have opened his big mouth and told Safarov about the murder--that was not known to any of the state investigators:

Even assuming the authenticity of his affidavit, the reliability of Safanov's recantation is suspect, given that it fails to explain how Safanov possessed information necessary to rejuvenate the stale investigation. Before speaking with anyone related to the investigation of Sipe's murder, Safanov provided information to [Deputy Marshal] Nelson, an uninterested party, which information was neither publicly available nor provided to him by any law-enforcement officer. In particular, Safanov gave Nelson information that was unknown even to investigators assigned to the Sipe homicide -- that "a Russian male hired a black male from Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Pennsylvania to kill his wife."11 (Hr'g Tr. 143:9-10, Nov. 13, 2013.) A few days later, Safanov reported to Nelson that "the black male from Lancaster, PA, lives on the same one-way street as the Lancaster County Jail." (Resp't's Ex. 3, at 1.) A cross-reference of the Lancaster County Jail address with Teleguz's phone records led law enforcement to Gilkes, who in turn implicated Hetrick as the murderer.

As for the supposedly prejudicial "testimony" by Gilkes that he saw Teleguz murder another Russian in front of the Ephrata Recreational Center; this testimony is a fiction and an investigation of the murder indicates that Teleguz was involved in it. I excerpt from the option of Judge Jones, below:

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Of course, we should all pray for The Donald

Barring the "Presidential" address to Congress*, these last eight days have been very bad for Trump and his administration:

Feb. 25: Trump cancels White House Correspondents dinner.

(Did anyone seriously think that Trump would be part of good-natured ribbing aimed at himself?)

Feb. 26: Trump declares (on Twitter) that all news about Russia is "fake news" (Translated: the pressure is getting to him.)

Feb. 26: Philip Bilden withdraws as nominee for Secretary of the Navy (as a security investor and philanthropist, Bilden's lack of experience in Naval affairs was questionable)

Feb. 28: Former President George W. Bush speaks out on rise of racism since Trump took office. (Bush never spoke out during the Obama admministration)

Mar. 1: Disclosure that Sessions met with Russian Ambassador twice

Mar. 5: Russian Hackers Said to Seek Hush Money From Liberal Groups. Liberal non-profit groups have been victims of extortion (with implications that monies went to the payment of anti-Trump protestors)

According to some Trump's supporters, however, his bad bad week was due to witchcraft.

World Net Daily

It's not just a political battle anymore. It's spiritual warfare now. Exorcists, witches and occultists "in a number of magical groups" are announcing plans for a ritual designed to "bind Donald Trump and all who abet him." It's to happen Friday at midnight at a variety of locations across the nation, and again every month until Donald Trump is no longer in office.

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This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.



(Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA



Reprinted from www.thefeministwire.com with author permission.

The International Women's Strike/US on March 8, 2017 hopes to be a catalyst for the liberation of all women, cis and trans--of every color, sex, gender, class, nation, and identity--from every kind of exploitation. "We" have an opportunity in this moment that we should not ignore. There is a long labor history to the celebration of women on March 8. A strike for women is more complex and multiple than the usual notion of strike. So much of the work women do takes place outside the factory or restaurant or daycare unit, and is not paid at all. There are as many ways to strike as there are ways that women labor.

Women always need to be imaginative and inventive with the political language that exists. So a strike for us, the "big inclusive" us, means in part to reinvent the meaning of strike. In established discourse, a strike happens at one's place of work, and work means a waged-labor site like a factory or a service job. And, a great many women, especially women of color, work at these sites. But work is happening elsewhere all the time, and most women do it whether they are working a traditional job or not. So, the IWS/US intends to strike in new ways that recognize the multiple and differing and complex forms of labor that all women do. So, there are many kinds of actions--recognizable and newly formed--that will be taking place throughout the country from California, to New York, to Wisconsin, to Washington, D.C., to Illinois.

The purpose of a strike is to stop the usual work being done and to make sure that people acknowledge that the work is not getting done. And it is not getting done because the worker says no, that the labor is unfairly taken, stolen, un-remunerated, and so on. For women, our labor is never paid its worth. And there is a raced hierarchy to the exploitation. Often the labor is not paid at all. Almost all women labor as domestics in their own homes for no pay, and when women, particularly women of color, labor in someone else's home, it is for super-exploitive wages.

Women also labor as the major consumers of necessities like food and clothing. This consumer work is dispersed and chaotic. The emotional work of family life is a full-time job, but most women have other jobs as well. Women routinely multitask, so a triple day of labor is a matter of course: reproductive, productive, domestic, and consumer laboring goes on simultaneously. So, the IWS/US asks women to refuse, or strike, on March 8, in new creative ways that reflect their complex lives. These actions will amplify the already on-going mobilizations planned by women workers in the workforce. These unions and work groups are also planning with new strategies that protect workers who cannot afford to be fired; so there will be partial work stoppages, the use of vacation and sick days, etc.

The guide to "us" all is to make our labor visible, especially if it seems invisible to the larger world. As a friend suggested to me: maybe instead of refraining from the invisible caring work that we do for our families we can make it visible: make a Facebook post and/or a Tweet describing the labor of the day. And, tell others to do it to. "Today I made 3 breakfasts, did 2 loads of laundry, shopped for dinner, went to the office for 4 hours, came home, made dinner, comforted a distraught child and"" The national planning committee is hoping to set up a log-on to the IWS/US website so women can keep a labor tally for the day, and collectively.

And for whatever part of your labor you refrain from on March 8, publicize it in as many ways as you can. With the time this frees you up from your work, we hope you will join with other women to: support each other, listen to each other, organize against what feels tyrannical to you. There is no action that is too small. Hold a sign outside your place of work or supermarket. All you need is two people to do this. Our work is dispersed to multiple sites so our resistance will be as well. Build small and large communities with others that you will trust and resist with. This is what an anti-racist/anti-capitalist revolutionary process looks like.

The International Women's Strike/US and the Women's March initiated on January 21 share similar commitments for March 8, with the Women's March campaign to highlight "a day with out a woman," along with recognizing the multiple forms of labor, paid and not paid. We are coordinating together when possible, and also may have autonomous commitments. We are doing what women do: partnering, sharing, endorsing, and embracing one another, and across difference. We all are hoping to grow our coalitions while at the same time many of us have uncompromising commitments to anti-racism, anti-colonialism, anti-misogyny, and anti-neoliberalism. Out of this unknown mix of commitments, we are growing a new feminism for the 99 percent. Do not be too ready to say that this cannot work. Give us a chance to make it work.

It is urgent to find and build the camaraderie that develops as coalitions across differences of race and class and gender and sexual identity become possibilities. All of these actions taking place before and on March 8 are getting us ready to confront and dismantle the present political regime."We" are getting ready for whatever is coming."We" are building a revolutionary resistance. March 8 is not an end to itself. It is a process of mobilizing new alliances and coalitions involving risk and trust.

If you think sexual violence towards women is part of everyday life, especially in places of work, if you are ready to dismantle white supremacy, if you want a living wage, if you want to have access to contraception and abortion facilities, if you believe in universal and affordable health care, if you want to end the wars everywhere, if you want to end all deportations of immigrants, if you want to welcome refugees until the wars end, if you want your city to be a sanctuary in this unsettled time, if you want to build schools rather than prisons, if you want guns controlled and then eliminated, if you want Palestinians to be free and equal, if you want to save the planet from environmental devastation, if you want every woman who needs an abortion across this globe to be able to get one, if you want to end hunger and poverty"you want to strike with "us" on March 8. All you need to do is to decide on one action related to the labor(s) that you do, and share it with others.

Women are already readying to do this. A doctor in Miami, Florida says she will be standing with IWS/US while she treats her uninsured and undocumented patients. A friend from South Africa says he will invite a speaker to his university on March 8 who will speak about "women, race and revolution." In Poland, women write that they will take no more abuse and denial of their rights to their bodies. They say they have the best weapon available to them in order to win: their solidarity. Tocan a una, tocan a todas. They say their rulers should be scared of them. I say, let us join our Polish sisters.

In Washington D.C. on March 8, women workers from around the country will join together in a massive rally along with women of One Billion Rising who rise against all violence towards any women--they demand an end to sexual violence and all its iterations--at work, at home, in war, against the earth. They will surround the Department of Labor with their bodies. They--the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), Jobs with Justice, the National Nurses United, National Domestic Workers Alliance, OUR Wal-Mart, along with V-Day activists--will demonstrate and rally and say no to exploitation, to work place violence, and yes to a living wage, paid leave, and labor rights at work. These women of all colors express the solidarity "we" all wish to achieve. Their rally will be done in solidarity with women around the world rising for racial, sexual, economic justice. Join them if you can.

Women will rally in Washington Square Park, New York City to publicly stand together for a feminism against the cruelty of neoliberalism and deportations and criminalization of Black and Brown people. They will be organizing a feminism of and for the 99 percent.

Nawal el Saadawi is standing with us from Egypt. Years ago, when US women asked her how we could support the revolution in Egypt during the Arab Spring, she said: "Make your own revolution, and free the rest of the world from your imperial government." And that is what "we" will hopefully begin to do now.

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[This was emailed to me and other Utahns by Senator Orrin Hatch. It came out on January 27, but I post it here to give a sense of this politically powerful individual's sense of priorities. He's been a Senator since 1974, after moving here from Pennsylvania. He speaks well enough for himself, and this one is fully in line with the rest of his output over the years. I could do an article or even book on the bacon this boy brings home, which is how he has stayed in office. His election was pre-determined, based on my observations and others who ran against him last term. Bringing home the bacon is of course politically important, even good, but I wish it weren't always rancid. I cite the NSA, parked a short drive from my home, as an example of the kind of thing you're paying for, assuming you're lucky enough to have a job, so you might give thanks to Senator Hatch.]

Dear Friend,

On Thursday, President Trump asked me to meet with him in the Oval Office. In our wide-ranging discussion, I was able to engage the President on two issues of critical importance to Utah: Bears Ears and the Supreme Court.

On Bears Ears, the President listened intently as I relayed the fears and frustrations of thousands in our state who have been personally hurt by the Obama administration's lame-duck, last-minute monument designation. I explained the urgency of repealing this devastating measure, and I asked for his help in doing so. By locking away over one million acres of public land, this decision is a gut-punch to the Utah families who depend on this region and its resources for their very survival. I was encouraged that--unlike his predecessor--President Trump actually took the time to listen and understand the heavy toll of this overreaching action. Our President even assured me that he stands ready to work with us to fix this disaster.

Later in our conversation, President Trump solicited my advice on the Supreme Court vacancy. As the senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have devoted the greater part of my life to preserving the integrity and independence of our nation's courts. That's why I was eager to share my thoughts with President Trump regarding the strengths of various potential Supreme Court nominees. I was especially grateful that he would hear my perspective on the current shortlist of candidates. Once the President announces his nomination, I intend to play a leading role in confirming a justice who upholds the Constitution and our laws.

I am working hard to ensure that our new President respects our values and stands with our interests. Utahns should take heart at the progress we have made. In the months ahead, I look forward to working closely with President Trump to effect meaningful change for all Americans.

Sincerely,

Orrin
The American working class has discovered that it has among Trump's government no larger a constituency than have the Russians. Having been told by corporations, which are spending billions of dollars buying back their own stock, that they are too poor to pay US wages, Trump has found that the path to economic security for the workforce lies in corporate tax reduction. Identity politics marches for open borders for Muslims and Hispanics and for trans-gendered toilet facilities, not for bread and peace, and wants Trump impeached because he is not yet at war with Russia.

Trump's Russophobic appointments, such as McMaster, Mattis, and Fiona Hill are actually worse than Obama's Victoria Nuland, Samantha Power and Susan Rice. Just as Hillary and Nuland brought regime change to Ukraine, Tillerson at the State Department has signaled regime change of the democratically elected government in Venezuela. Ecuador and Bolivia won't be far behind.

Washington has never supported governments that put the interests of their peoples ahead of the interests of those who rule the US. From Africa to South America to Indonesia to Cuba to Vietnam to Iran to Egypt, Washington has always misrepresented the forces for change as communist. Washington overthrew the first democratically elected government in Iran, the first in the Congo, the first in Egypt, and a large numbers of others. Read Stephen Kinzer's The Brothers. Read General Smedley Butler who said that he and the US Marines made South America safe for the United Fruit Company and investments of the New York Banks. Read John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Washington opposes democratic change with an iron fist. Now Marine Le Pen, the favored candidate for the presidency of France in the upcoming election, is in the process of being destroyed by Washington.

Marine is not on Washington's approved list. The reasons are:

(1) she speaks to French interests, not to Washington's or the EU's, (2) she opposes the Trans-Atlantic Partnership, which gives US global corporations immunity to French laws against GMOs, and French labor, safety, and environmental standards, (3) she supports French opinion that the French are French and not "European" and wants out of the European Union, and, (4) she wants France out of NATO, which uses France as a tool for American aggression.

Washington first attacked Marine via its surrogates in the French press and government, who managed to nullify her parliamentary immunity. With this achieved, she is now accused of "misuse of EU funds."

The charge, of course, is a hoax, a frame-up. The charge, if it proves effective, will rely on the French presstitute media's portrayal of Marine as a "fascist" for representing French nationalism. Today, if a European person is loyal to his or her own country and not to the EU, the person is considered to be a "nationalist," a term that has been merged with "fascist." The consequence is that anyone in France who wants to represent the French is a "fascist."

Marine Le Pen lost her parliamentary immunity because she posted photos of ISIS victims on Twitter. The photos she posted were accurate and correct, simply the truth. But the charge is that to tell the truth about ISIS means that you are anti-Muslim, which today is like being anti-Jew, anti-black, anti-homosexual and anti-transgendered. The protection of Identity Politics now extends not only to the Muslim refugees from America's wars who are overrunning the Western world but also to ISIS. The accurate and truthful photos violated Identity Politics.

The consensus of those few in Europe who reside outside the Matrix created for them by Washington and the American presstitutes is that the CIA will not permit Le Pen to become President of France. She is a threat to Washington's empire. If she cannot be destroyed with scandal and false charges, like Dominique Strauss-Kahn, she will be assassinated.

Democracy cannot function without an honest media. Nowhere in the Western world does an honest media exist. There are a relatively few sites on the Internet media that are independent of ruling elites and speak the truth to the extent that they can find it. But the very shadowy PropOrNot website, likely a product of the CIA or George Soros, has declared those who understand that good relations between thermo-nuclear powers are essential to be "Russian agents."

One dozen Russian Satan 2 ICBMs are sufficient to destroy the United States. One is sufficient to destroy France, the UK, or Texas. Why is Washington and Washington's European, Canadian, and Australian puppets inviting such an outcome with continuous false accusations against Russia (and China)? No person with any intelligence can possibly regard the thrice elected president of Russia as "the new Hitler," "a Mafia Don," "a thug."

By orchestrating Russophobia in the West, Washington has put all of humanity at risk. The Russians have watched Washington's false accusations against Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Yeman, Pakistan, Iran and against Russia herself -- "invasion of Ukraine." False accusations have in the 21st century always been Washington's set-up of the target country for invasion or bombing.

These provacations issued daily by the idiot Western press, the idiot Western governments, and the idiot commentators have prepared the groundwork for a misunderstanding that can result in thermo-nuclear war and the end of life on earth.

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The Trump administration has suspended a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to improve an existing barrier to the entry of Asiatic carp from the Mississippi Valley watershed to the Great Lakes system. This suggests it is possible history will remember Trump as the president "who let the carp in" to ruin the Great Lakes, hitherto something that has made America great as well.

Of course the action is short-sighted. That's a businessman's nature. It's one of the many reasons voters should not elect businessmen who want to run the country like a business. The people's business is not just another business.

Both these propositions, so far merely asserted, really ought to be proven by argument. For now, I'll just try to show how they're connected to a single principle: the public good.

I won't start by defining the concept right now except by extension, that is, by giving examples. It's beyond dispute, isn't it, that the waters and the airs don't belong to anybody. That is, they cannot become private property any more than the animals of the woods or the fish of the lakes and streams. Of course, hunters and fishermen appropriate these creatures and reduce them to private property, according to regulations lawfully established. But until then they belong to no one private person, but rather to the whole public as a public good.

It's metaphorical to say they belong to God, Mother Earth, or the Great Spirit, and moreover unnecessary to the argument. The governments of every state treat wild creatures as a natural resource of the people as a whole -- except when politics obtrudes. I could give examples of this phenomenon local to Wisconsin but there's no need to digress.

Just so, even though the waters and the airs are even more clearly a public good, a human good, when private enterprise wants to appropriate them to private uses, politics may obtrude.

Consider again the Asiatic carp. They live and breed in the waters of the Illinois River, which are connected to those of the Great Lakes by the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal which through which the Chicago River is diverted out of the Great Lakes basin. The river "flows backwards," and has since the beginning of the 20 th century. I won't try to prove the proposition that the carp will ruin the Great Lakes if they find a way in through these corridors. I'll just say that people everywhere have seen or heard of the damage that invasive species of plants or animals can do. So I'll assume, again in order to avoid digression, that the claims scientists make on this point are valid.

Now: why suspend a project designed to minimize this risk? Well, the project would inconvenience the barge traffic in the ship canal. More precisely, it would add to the regulatory burden on this private use of the public waters of the canal and river. No need to explain how; it's enough to know the purveyors of this service oppose the project in question.

The technology of barges and canals is not new. The latest "revolution" it went through, I suppose, was the 19 th century steam engine. Why, contrary to the public good, should government accommodate an industry like this? Twenty-first century technology created intermodal transportation, from ship to railcar to truck and the reverse. Is it too much to ask the barge industry to participate? It would cost a lot to replace the connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi by an intermodal facility. A lot of capital that a mature industry working on slim margins can neither accumulate nor borrow.

That's just another way of saying that the antiquated barge industry only serves commercial needs that are equally old -- but, to be fair, still exist.

So rather than impose a burden on the way a narrow private interest uses the public waters, the Trump administration would put the interests of every user of the Great Lakes, drinker of their waters, and dweller on their shores at risk. I won't even put the private interests of commercial fishermen, sport fishing charters, etc. into the scales.

What's difficult about the public's interest in this public good is measuring it. It's the sum of many millions of more or less marginal interests of individual citizens. It's also complicated by questions about the probabilities that those interests will be affected at all, or in what degree.

Advocates for the Great Lakes sometimes try to qualify those interests and put a dollar figure on them. Then they can compare them to the costs the barge industry, etc., will more predictably incur.

This tactic is a mistake. Progressives must insist on the principle that public goods of this kind are not commensurable with private goods. Certainly not in dollars. Further that such public goods enjoy a presumption of validity that can only be overcome by a showing that private use of them creates yet other compensating public goods.

How this principle of public good is also a progressive principle remains to be demonstrated. Until then, I'll return to my other proposition about public goods. It's that government in general and public servants in particular are, or should be, best suited to make accommodations between public and private goods, and especially between competing public goods. This is not a businesslike process. It requires consultation with all such interests, and consensus and compromise in the result. That's not how businessmen like to operate.

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Daniel S. Rodman

Contact

Shannon Tatro

statro@swlaw.com Shannon Tatro

End

-- Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Daniel S. Rodman, a partner in the firm's Orange County and Las Vegas offices, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America.The induction ceremony at which Rodman became a Fellow took place on March 4, 2017 at the 2017 Spring Annual Meeting of the College in Boca Raton, Florida.Founded in 1960, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship is extended by invitation, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Membership is limited to only those trial lawyers who are unquestionably and eminently qualified, in addition to being regarded as the best in their state or province. Additionally, to be considered for Fellowship lawyers are required to be actively engaged in trial work as their principal activity for a minimum of 15 years.The College strives to improve and elevate the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the trial profession. Although there are currently approximately 5,800 Fellows in the U.S. and Canada, membership can never be more than 1% of the total lawyer population of any state or province. The College's Fellows are carefully selected from among advocates who represent plaintiffs or defendants in civil proceedings of all types, as well as prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers. The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the administration of justice. More information about the College is available online at https://www.actl.com/ At Snell & Wilmer, Rodman has a trial practice concentrated in product liability litigation, with principal emphasis on defending motor vehicle manufacturers and suppliers against claims of wrongful death or catastrophic injury in California and Nevada. More information about Rodman's practice is available online at https://www.swlaw.com/ people/dan_rodman Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing in nine locations throughout the western United States and in Mexico, including Orange County and Los Angeles, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.swlaw.com.
Personnel Staffing is a Woman Owned Business since 1981. Specializing in Light Industrial, Clerical, On-site Management & Direct Hires.

By: Personnel Staffing, Inc.

cierra belser

Contact

Aletha Pickett, Director of Human Resources

***@personnelstaffing.com

256-456-0243 Aletha Pickett, Director of Human Resources256-456-0243

End

-- Personnel Staffing, Inc. welcomes Cierra Johnson-Belser as their new Birmingham Diversity Relations and Business Development.Cierra is from Montgomery, AL where she attended Huntingdon College as a communications major with a minor in performing arts. Since graduating she has worked as the outreach coordinator for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Associate Director of Admissions for Virginia College. At her last positon, also a woman-owned staffing firm, Cierra was the Business Development and Diversity Relations Manager for their Montgomery Alabama Location. Cierra will serve as an ambassador for the Hoover Chamber, the program chair for the Montgomery society of human resource managers, she is also a member of the Birmingham Rotary club and sits on the Board for the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education.Cierra's key role with Personnel Staffing Inc. will be new business development for our Birmingham Location. Cierra will also be heading our Supplier Diversity initiative by developing national accounts through our affiliations with Organizations such as WBENC, AAMA, TAMA, and GAMA and companies that are looking to expand their diversified supplier base.Cierra invites companies who are looking for qualified workers and applicants looking for employment to contact PSI Birmingham at 205.380.6455 or any of their locations at www.personnelstaffing.com
Following recent coverage by UK, US, Swiss, German, and Russian news outlets, Mountain Air from Switzerland gains global media attention for website and one-of-a-kind product.

By: Mountain Air from Switzerland

Media Contact

Owner, John Green

johng@doubleyourwellness.com Owner, John Green

End

--is a unique venture delivering genuine Swiss mountain air to wherever you may be in the world. This light-hearted and slightly quirky idea comes from London-born turned Swiss resident John Green and his site Mountain Air from Switzerland. Since it's launch just over a week ago it has received worldwide attention, with coverage by the Mirror, New York Post, RT and dozens more plus offers of TV and radio interviews.Green told the Mirror, "Swiss and German media has gone mad about it," adding that,"Whilst it's a light-hearted idea it's actually founded on principles of good health and vitality which I am passionate about'Although the site takes a light-hearted approach toa portion of every purchase of theofis donated to World Vision, Green, and his girlfriend's favorite charity.The pair wanted to make the business sustainable, while allowing customers to feel they are also helping others when making their purchase, with 25% of all sales going to help provide clean water to disadvantaged children and adultsso far they've been able to donate nearly $1,000 since the site's launch.The Swiss air in offered in branded bottles costing from $97 for 500ml, $167 for one liter and $247 for three liters, worldwide shipping included. Each jar purchased comes with signed certificate of authenticity and the GPS coordinates of exactly where in the Swiss Mountains it was collected. GPS coordinates are kept private, so only purchasers will know where their jar of air was collected.Green adds, even though I think some in Europe think I'm a bit of a crazy Brit for setting up Mountain Air from Switzerland, I'm delighted to see the crisp air of the Swiss Alps getting the attention it deserves, and to be able to bring it to people around the world."To purchase aor to learn more about Mountain Air from Switzerland, please visit: www.mountainairfromswitzerland.com . (http://www.mountainairfromswitzerland.com/)About the founder:John Green is an English native who made his way to Switzerland 20 years ago for work but also for the outdoor, mountain lifestyle. Now at 64 years old, Green is a wellness and fitness expert, who helps others to lead a healthy and positive life through his business. He currently resides in Basel with his girlfriend and two dogs.Green launched Mountain Air from Switzerland in late February 2017 to make the fresh mountain air accessible to anyone, launching MountainAirfromSwitzerland.com. The website offerscollected in a private location in the Swiss Alps; Switzerland is lauded as having some of the highest-rated air quality in the world.For media inquiries regarding, individuals are encouraged to contact founder and owner John Green directly at +41 79 467 3518 or via email at johng@doubleyourwellness.com. To learn more about the company, please visit:www.mountainairfromswitzerland.com.
ISA Expo 2017

Contact

Andy Danihel

***@tekra.com Andy Danihel

End

-- Tekra, A Division of EIS, Inc. has just announced that they will be showcasing their digital films and adhesives for the first time at booth #600 at the International Sign Expo 2017 in Las Vegas, NV April 20-22, 2017."The world of printing continues to evolve towards digital and the sign marketplace is no different," states Andy Danihel, Director of Marketing for Tekra, A Division of EIS, Inc. "Sign manufacturers are increasingly purchasing wide-format latex, UV, and solvent inkjet printers, so it became a natural fit for Tekra to showcase our digital films for these inkjet presses at the ISA show."Tekra will be showcasing their line of JetView plastic films for UV inkjet, Solvent inkjet, and Latex inkjet presses. In addition, Tekra will be launching some unique digital films at the ISA Expo. "We will be focusing on educating sign manufacturers on the unique polyester and polycarbonate films we have to offer for wide-format inkjet printing. The coatings we apply to these films offer enhanced ink anchorage which is a great benefit to printers," states Rebecca Fuhrman, Market Development Manager - Digital Films for Tekra, A Division of EIS, Inc. "We will also have samples of our new digital films, with unique benefits, that we are offering in 2017 at the show for printers to evaluate. These new films will help our customers differentiate themselves from their competition while driving growth and profitability."To get a preview of these new film offerings, follow Tekra at their Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+ social media sites as they are announced in the upcoming weeks leading to the show. When at the ISA Expo 2017, visit Tekra at booth #600 and pick up a free sample.
Author Elvatrice Parker Belsches will be available to sign copies of book

End

--Richmond, Virginia boasts a proud legacy of achievement among its African-American residents. Known as the birthplace of black capitalism, Richmond had at the turn of the 20th century one of the largest black business districts in America. Medical pioneers, civil rights activists, education leaders, and enterprising bankers are listed among the city's African-American sons and daughters. As individuals these men and women made their mark not only on Richmond's, but also the nation's, history. As a community, they have endured centuries of change and worked together for the common good. In their determined faces and in unforgettable scenes of the past, we celebrate and pay tribute to their history.Elvatrice Parker Belsches is the co-founder of the Central Virginia African-American Genealogical and Historical Society. A documentary filmmaker, she has lectured nationally on genealogy and slavery. In Black America: Richmond, Ms. Belsches offers a lovingly crafted and meticulously researched history to share with all those who call Richmond home.Barnes & Noble11500 Midlothian TurnpikeRichmond, VA 23235Saturday, March 18th, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com
The turnover growth of Allee tenants reached almost double (8.9%) of the national retail average. Moreover, the number of visitors exceeding 17.6 million, the almost 100% utilization of the center and the 8 new shops provided an efficient year for Allee Shopping Center in Budapest.

Continuous inc...

[]
Hot on the heels of its advance into North America, SPI International/FILMBOX is turning its attention to Latin America to distribute its HD channels in the region.





To achieve its aims, SPI has announced a multi-year capacity agreement with satellite operator SES, taking C-band capacity of NSS-806, located at the prime orbital position 47.5 West, which saw use transmitting the 2016 Olympics Games from Rio de Janeiro to the rest of the world. The craft covers the entire region in one single beam and is said to be capable of reaching about 90% of all pay-TV subscribers in South America.From NSS-806, SPI will broadcast its premium content to cable operators and DTH providers from the US, bringing up to ten HD channels to the region. These will include FightBox HD, FashionBox HD, DocuBox HD, Fast&FunBox HD, 360TuneBox HD, FilmBox Art House, Gametoon, NatureVision TV, Erox HD and Eroxxx HD. The SPI channels are expected to move to SES-14, which is scheduled for launch this year and will replace NSS-806.For over 25 years, we have been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international market and, with SES expertise , we will be able to get closer to our target audience in Latin America, said Loni Farhi, president of SPI International/FILMBOX Channels Group. As one of the largest aggregators of native Ultra HD content in the world, we expect that in the near future our partnership with SES will enable us to expand our HD offering in Latin America with content in the new TV format.
5 Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children wearing costumes march in line during their school Purim celebration ahead of the official holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem. The carnivallike Purim holiday is celebrated with parades and costume parties to commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to exterminate them in the ancient Persian empire 2,500 years ago, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)
Pininfarina has taken wraps off the stunning Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo concept at 2017 Geneva Motor Show today. We had the privilege of having a closer and leisurely look at the car during its private unveiling last week in Torino, Italy.

The low-slung supercar concept which derives its design inspiration from shark marks the launch of Fittipaldi motors which, as the name suggests, is a brainchild of the double F1 and Indy500 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

While Pininfarina was responsible for creating the brand identity (something the Italian design firm has never done before), design and aerodynamics, Germany-based motorsport specialist HWA worked on the chassis, suspension, and powertrain. Of course, the legend validated the car himself.

Underpinned by a lightweight two-piece carbon fibre monocoque which exceeds FIA safety regulations, EF7 Vision GT is powered by a specially made mid-mounted 4.8-litre flat crankshaft V8 engine which produces a heady 600 PS. Transmission option is not clear as of now but expect the track-focused concept to send all that power to the rear wheels.

EF7 Vision GT is suspended by double wishbone at all the corners. The supercar has a very low centre of gravity, and at a target weight of 1000 kg, will have a weight-to-power ratio of 1.66 kg per PS. Engineers have managed to achieve a near-perfect front to rear weight distribution ratio of 48:52.

Its been 2 years since Pininfarina, HWA and Emerson Fittipaldi had their first meeting. Almost 1.5 years was consumed in planning on what sort of a car is to be developed. Pininfarina managed to start from a blank sheet and build the final styling prototype in a matter of just 6 months.

Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo concept by Pininfarina will make its virtual debut in the popular Gran Turismo Playstation4 video game.
Renault has packaged its electric and autonomous tech in the Trezor concept shown at the ongoing Delhi Auto Expo. The two door Renault Trezor looks new altogether, unlike anything the French automaker offers now and could very well indicate what the companys future styling features could revolve around.

No doubt Renault Trezor looks sharp, but its the tech that drives the concept thats sharper. Power comes from the electric motor used in the Renault Formula E race car to deliver 350 hp and 380 Nm torque. Trezor goes from 0 to 62 mph (100 km) in less than four seconds. The car uses two batteries and a brake-operated energy recovery system. In all, Trezor weighs in at 1,600 kg (3,527 pounds).

On the outside, theres ample carbon fibre body work that embodies fluidic design. Smooth lines stretch across the car. The quintessential face of the car is missing. Doing away with a front grille, youre looking right at air intakes that cool the brakes. The end to end windscreen is prominently red.

Being future ready, the concept shows off a fully-autonomous driving mode. So much so, the steering wheel stretches out so the operator is offered a panoramic view of the dashboard and central screen.

The central screen found uses OLED tech with Corning Gorilla Glass. The slightly curved offering isnt dependent on back-lighting, resulting in improved contrast and colours. Renault looks to offer hands-off/eyes-off autonomous features in the next decade.

Stay tuned to Rushlane as we cover 2018 Auto Expo LIVE from India Expo Mart in Greater Noida.
SsangYong Motors expands its SUV range with the XAVL concept at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The 7-seat concept could fit in the mid or large SUV segment, which sees it rival the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour.

The eXciting Authentic Vehicle Long SUV  SSangYong XAVL Concept is a build up from the smaller XAV concept shown at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The company says XAVL is Inspired by the classic Korando and combines off-road SUV styling with multi-purpose MPV practicality.

In its concept stage, XAVL is angular and robust, and sharper than the companys current design front. Of course, production variants generally tone down on many of its concept angles and lines. The inside is spacious, and replete with a digital instrument display behind the steering wheel.

The dashboard houses a 10.15 colour LCD infotainment screen. With Internet of Things connectivity being big nowadays, the screen and air conditioning controls are smartphone operated. XAVL features automatic emergency braking, lane change and keep assist. Theres also the high beam assist, and blind spot detectors. The vehicle is being shown as a FWD as of now.

Currently, SsangYong uses a monocoque frame for Tivoli and a ladder-frame platform for the bigger Rexton SUV. At Paris Motor Show, a newer Rexton and LIV-2 concept were showcased. Production variant of both XAV and XAVL could be a reality before the decade turns.

SsangYong Motor Company, part of the Mahindra Group, recorded its highest ever annual sales since 2002 in 2016 with 155,844 units sold. At the time, Choi Johng-sik, CEO of SsangYong Motor Company said, In 2017, we will further strengthen our status as a prestigious global SUV maker by launching a large premium SUV successfully in addition to No.1 compact SUV Tivoli brand.

In 2016, Tivoli exports grew by 54.7% over 2015 owing to its popularity in Europe, Central and South America, and Iran. SsangYong has expanded its export market to include Southeast Asia, and has resumed shipping to Russia. Iran was SsangYongs top export market in 2016.
Environmental scientists and policymakers value long-term research to an extent that far outstrips the amount of funding awarded for it, according to a new study.

Graduate students and faculty members in the Oregon State University College of Science were part of a collaboration that evaluated the perceived benefits of long-term ecological and environmental studies -- known as LTEES -- to both researchers and those who determine environmental policy.

The issue is particularly important because support for LTEES by agencies such as the National Science Foundation is declining even though such research is disproportionately valued in comparison to the one- to five-year studies the agencies tend to support.

The OSU group was among 36 researchers who collectively analyzed the perceived value of LTEES, which can run for multiple decades, in research published in BioScience. The evaluation noted the policymaking and scientific communities' growing appreciation and demand for studies that last much longer than the ones typically being funded.

Specifically, the scientists found:

The greater a scientific journal's impact factor -- the frequency with which its articles are cited in other scholarly articles -- the higher its percentage of articles dealing with long-term studies;

The longer a study lasts, the more an article about it is cited;

In the policy-informing ecological reports of the U.S. National Research Council, long-term environmental studies have representation that's greater than their frequency in scientific journals;

The authors of those reports expressed more demand for LTEES than they did for short-term research.

"For a long time, 'monitoring' has been a word you never put in a grant proposal, simply because if you did your work was perceived as not being hypothesis-driven research," said Mark Novak, assistant professor of integrative biology at Oregon State.

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"But many environmental scientists have long known from personal experience that you can't know the value of new events unless you've studied a system long enough. The relative investment in LTEES by ecologists and funders needs to be seriously reconsidered, because LTEES advance our understanding of ecology the most, and contribute disproportionately to informing policy."

The collaboration also found that among the comparatively few long-term studies that do exist, most are limited to single species or pairs of species.

"It's not that short-term research isn't important," said Bruce Menge, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State. "Both short- and long-term are really valuable. A shorter term can give you a more mechanistic understanding of long-term patterns. But the longer time series you have, the more power you have to understand changes.

"Ideally short- and long-term should go hand in hand," Menge said. "We're hoping to provide a prod to funding agencies, and give at least those in an agency who do appreciate long-term research some ammunition for reconsidering the allocation of funds."

Menge has been studying intertidal rocky zones at numerous sites on the Oregon coast for more than three decades, analyzing ecological processes and patterns of community structure. The intertidal community includes sea stars, whose population was nearly wiped out three years ago by an epidemic of sea star wasting disease.

"One of the consequences of the disease was a huge influx of baby sea stars after the peak of the wasting was over," Menge said. "We wouldn't have really known the significance of that if we hadn't been keeping track of how abundant sea stars were over the last 20-some years. The influx would have been remarkable, but we'd have had no idea how remarkable it truly was."

Species studied by another of Menge's OSU colleagues, assistant professor Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, are rockfishes, important commercial fishes whose long lifespan is a challenge for researchers being funded for only a few years.

"Rockfish can live for more than 100 years," she said. "Three years doesn't do it for us. If we want environmental research that effectively informs policy, that means we need funding cycles -- and funding agencies -- to help build that long-term storehouse of science. That's how we can meet the demand for policy-relevant data."
Tomorrow's tires could come from the farm as much as the factory.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that food waste can partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century.

In tests, rubber made with the new fillers exceeds industrial standards for performance, which may ultimately open up new applications for rubber.

As Katrina Cornish explains it, the technology has the potential to solve three problems: It makes the manufacture of rubber products more sustainable, reduces American dependence on foreign oil and keeps waste out of landfills.

Cornish, an Ohio Research Scholar and Endowed Chair in Biomaterials at Ohio State, has spent years cultivating new domestic rubber sources, including a rubber-producing dandelion. Now she has a patent-pending a method for turning eggshells and tomato peels into viable -- and locally sourced -- replacements for carbon black, a petroleum-based filler that American companies often purchase from overseas.

About 30 percent of a typical automobile tire is carbon black; it's the reason tires appear black. It makes the rubber durable, and its cost varies with petroleum prices.

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Carbon black is getting harder to come by, Cornish said.

"The tire industry is growing very quickly, and we don't just need more natural rubber, we need more filler, too," she explained. "The number of tires being produced worldwide is going up all the time, so countries are using all the carbon black they can make. There's no longer a surplus, so we can't just buy some from Russia to make up the difference like we used to.

"At the same time," she added, "we need to have more sustainability."

That's why she and her team are getting eggshells and other food waste from Ohio food producers.

"We're not suggesting that we collect the eggshells from your breakfast," Cornish said. "We're going right to the biggest source."

According to the USDA, Americans consume nearly 100 billion eggs each year. Half are cracked open in commercial food factories, which pay to have the shells hauled to landfills by the ton. There, the mineral-packed shells don't break down.

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The second most popular vegetable in the United States -- the tomato -- also provides a source of filler, the researchers found. Americans eat 13 million tons of tomatoes per year, most of them canned or otherwise processed.

Commercial tomatoes have been bred to grow thick, fibrous skins so that they can survive being packed and transported long distances. When food companies want to make a product such as tomato sauce, they peel and discard the skin, which isn't easily digestible.

Cindy Barrera, a postdoctoral researcher in Cornish's lab, found in tests that eggshells have porous microstructures that provide larger surface area for contact with the rubber, and give rubber-based materials unusual properties. Tomato peels, on the other hand, are highly stable at high temperatures and can also be used to generate material with good performance.

"Fillers generally make rubber stronger, but they also make it less flexible," Barrera said. "We found that replacing different portions of carbon black with ground eggshells and tomato peels caused synergistic effects -- for instance, enabling strong rubber to retain flexibility."

"We may find that we can pursue many applications that were not possible before with natural rubber," Cornish added.

The new rubber doesn't look black, but rather reddish brown, depending on the amount of eggshell or tomato in it. With doctoral student Tony Ren, Cornish and Barrera are now testing different combinations and looking at ways to add color to the materials.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the power behind most modern portable electronics, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, fitness trackers, and smart watches. However, their energy density -- that is, the amount of energy stored within a given amount of physical space, or mass -- will need to be improved for these batteries to see widespread use in smart grid and electric transport applications.

In contrast, the energy density of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is five times higher than that of Li-ion batteries. That advantage, combined with low cost, suggests that this alternative technology shows promise for high-energy storage applications.

But the use of Li-S batteries is limited by a different problem: rapid capacity fade, which means that the amount of charge these batteries can deliver at the rated voltage decreases significantly with use.

Bingqing Wei, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware, explains that this problem stems from a phenomenon known as the polysulfide shuttle effect, in which the spontaneous formation of polysulfides inhibits performance.

Now, Wei and colleagues have demonstrated a new polysulfide entrapping strategy that greatly improves the cycle stability of Li-S batteries.

The work is reported in the scientific article "Ferroelectric-Enhanced Polysulfide Trapping for Lithium-Sulfur Battery Improvement" published recently in Advanced Materials. The authors include researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Shenzhen University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China.

Wei explains that the addition of ferroelectric nanoparticles into the battery cathode anchors the polysulfides, preventing them from dissolving and causing the loss of active materials at the cathode.

"While the mechanism underlying the trapping of polysulfides is unclear at this point, we're optimistic about the potential of this approach to high-performance lithium-sulfur battery applications, as it not only solves the problem of the polysulfide shuttle effect but also can be seamlessly coupled to current industrial battery manufacturing processes," Wei says.
Aquaculture, or fish farming, is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture in the world today. However, farmers in the United States who wish to capitalize on this momentum face regulatory hurdles when dealing with fish waste. But new research shows that a simple, organic system can clean aquaculture wastewater effectively and inexpensively.

Researchers built bioreactors -- long containers filled with wood chips -- to treat wastewater from a fully operational recirculating aquaculture system in West Virginia. The idea is simple: water from the fish tank enters the bioreactor at one end, flows through the wood chips, and exits through a pipe at the other end. Along the way, solids settle out and bacteria housed in the wood chips remove nitrogen, a regulated pollutant.

Laura Christianson, assistant professor of water quality at the University of Illinois and lead author of the study, is a bioreactor expert. Her research has shown just how effective they are at removing excess nitrogen from tile-drained agricultural fields across the Midwest. But this project was a different kettle of fish.

"The bioreactors that we usually promote in Illinois are for taking nitrogen out of tile drainage," Christianson explains. "Wastewater from a fish farm is a lot gunkier. It looks brown and can be smelly. We wanted to see if we could get a bioreactor to take the nitrogen out of that kind of water without the bioreactor clogging up with solids."

The team set up four identical bioreactors, varying only in retention time, or the amount of time it takes for water to travel from end to end. "Retention time varied from 12 to 55 hours in the four bioreactors. If you're trying to treat a lot of water, you want a lower retention time so you can keep it moving through. But the more time you give those bacteria to take the nitrogen out, the more effective they are. We were trying to find a balance between moving water through quickly and making sure it's staying in there long enough to get treated properly," Christianson explains.

Solid waste in the water presented another complication. At high flow rates, more solids were entering the system, settling out, clogging the spaces between wood chips, and impeding flow. The researchers found that the optimal retention time to both treat the water and avoid immediate clogging was 24 hours.

"The long and the short of it is that the bioreactors worked great," Christianson says. "They worked as a filter for the solids and took nitrates out. But for systems that need to move a lot of water in a short amount of time, we recommend an additional microscreen filter to settle some of the solids out before they enter and clog up the bioreactor."

At face value, a study about clogging potential of aquaculture bioreactors might not seem revolutionary, but the results could play a part in the evolution of the agriculture industry.

"In the U.S., we import more than 80 percent of our seafood -- mostly from southeast Asia and China -- so it's an important industry. If we want to increase our food security, especially around this great source of protein, we should raise more fish domestically. But to do that in an environmentally responsible way, dealing with the wastewater from fish farms will be really important," Christianson says.

The article, "Denitrifying bioreactor clogging potential during wastewater treatment," is published in Water Research.
A small subset of the most intense droughts move across continents in predictable patterns, according a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters by researchers in Austria and the United States. The study could help improve projections of future drought, allowing for more effective planning.

While most droughts tend to stay put near where they started, approximately 10% travel between 1,400 to 3,100 kilometers (depending on the continent), the study found. These traveling droughts also tend to be the largest and most severe ones, with the highest potential for damage to the agriculture, energy, water, and humanitarian aid sectors.

"Most people think of a drought as a local or regional problem, but some intense droughts actually migrate, like a slow-motion hurricane on a timescale of months to years instead of days to weeks," says Julio Herrera-Estrada, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering at Princeton, who led the study.

The researchers analyzed drought data from 1979 to 2009, identifying 1,420 droughts worldwide. They found hotspots on each continent where a number of droughts had followed similar tracks. For example, in the southwestern United States, droughts tend to move from south to north. In Australia, the researchers found two drought hotspots and common directions of movement, one from the east coast in a northwest direction, the other from the central plains in a northeast direction.

What causes some droughts to travel remains unclear, but the data suggest that feedback between precipitation and evaporation in the atmosphere and land may play a role.

"This study also suggests that there might be specific tipping points in how large and how intense a drought is, beyond which it will carry on growing and intensifying," said Justin Sheffield, a professor of hydrology and remote sensing at the University of Southampton. Sheffield was Herrera-Estrada's advisor while serving as research scholar at Princeton.

While the initial onset of a drought remains difficult to predict, the new model could allow researchers to better predict how droughts will evolve and persist.

"This study used an innovative approach to study how droughts evolve in space and time simultaneously, to have a more comprehensive understanding of their behaviors and characteristics, which has not been possible from previous approaches," says Yusuke Satoh, a researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), who also worked on the study.

The study also raises the importance of regional cooperation and of sharing information across borders, whether state or national. One example is the North American Drought Monitor, which brings together measurements and other information from Mexico, the US, and Canada, creating a comprehensive real-time monitoring system.

The researchers said the next step for the work is to examine why and how droughts travel by studying the feedback between evaporation and precipitation in greater detail. Herrera-Estrada also said he would like to analyze how drought behavior might be affected by climate change.

Herrera-Estrada worked on this project as a participant in the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program.
The True's beaked whale is a deep-diving mammal so rarely seen that it often defies recognition at sea by researchers. As a result, we have little data about its distribution, abundance and calving rate -- information essential for its conservation. Scientists have now found a new coloration pattern in the species and obtained the first images of a calf along with the first underwater video of these whales -- helping to reveal the secrets of this species.

Beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae, the second largest family of cetaceans (which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises), however many of the 22 species of beaked whales are among the least known or understood mammals in the world. This lack of knowledge is highlighted by the fact that three new species of beaked whales have been discovered in just the last two decades.

To see beaked whales at sea is such a rare event that many researchers devoting their life to study cetaceans have never seen one. Living in deep waters, usually far offshore, these creatures spend some 92% of their time underwater, invisible to humans. Beaked whales break diving records, feeding at depths that can reach three kilometers and last up to 2 hours. After these diving feats, they rest, performing shorter and shallower dives with brief surfacing intervals. These behaviors, together with the fact that beaked whales live in small groups, are not usually attracted to boats, and do not perform aerial acrobatics as much as dolphins, mean that beaked whales are not easy to detect at sea. Moreover, many beaked whales have variable color patterns that may be shared by other ziphiid species, challenging the identification of beaked whales at the species level during sea encounters, when often only a short glimpse of their body is achieved.

Although Trues beaked whales occur in the North Atlantic and in the Southern Hemisphere, there is a surprisingly large gap in their distribution between these regions. This gap may be real, or might be an artefact of our lack of data. In a paper published today, scientists show that the Azores and to a lesser extent the Canary Islands (areas which represent the southern limit of the known distribution of Trues beaked whales in the North Atlantic) may actually be a hot-spot for the study of Trues beaked whales. The steep bathymetry of these oceanic archipelagos mean that deep waters occur close to shore, facilitating studies of deep-water dwelling species.

The study gathered stranding data and sightings performed by scientists, whale watch companies and educational teams in Azores and Canary Islands. These data include the first underwater video of the species and photos of a very young calf, as well as a stranded whale confirmed genetically as a Trues beaked whale but showing a coloration pattern never observed before in this species. These data are highly valuable to learn more about recognizing Trues beaked whales at sea, something which is essential for studies of their distribution and abundance. It is also the first time that this species has been identified with molecular data in this region, allowing definitive links between coloration and species to be made.

Beaked whales are vulnerable to human impacts: mass strandings occur in relation to naval exercises using intense sonar signals to detect submarines. Also, whales appear on the beach with plastic inside their stomach, entangled in fishing gear or suffering cuts from boat propellers. If these impacts happen offshore and whales dont reach the beach, we cannot detect them. Accurate species identification therefore allows us to learn more about where animals are and how many they are, information which allows us to monitor the status of the populations and act for their conservation.
As much as we complain about air travel, the fact is, flying has gotten considerably cheaper, safer, faster and even greener, over the last 60 years.

Today's aircraft use roughly 80 percent less fuel per passenger-mile than the first jets of the 1950s -- a testimony to the tremendous impact of aerospace engineering on flight. This increased efficiency has extended global commerce to the point where it is now economically viable to ship everything from flowers to Florida manatees across the globe.

In spite of continuous improvements in fuel burning efficiency, global emissions are still expected to increase over next two decades due to a doubling in air traffic, so making even small improvements to aircrafts' fuel efficiency can have a large effect on economies and on the environment.

This potential for impact motivates Joaquim Martins -- an aerospace engineer at the University of Michigan (UM) who leads the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory -- to develop tools that let engineers design more efficient aircraft.

"Transportation is the backbone of our economy. Any difference you can make in fuel burn, even a fraction of a percent, makes a big difference in the world," Martins says. "Our goals are two-fold: to make air transportation more economically feasible and at the same time to reduce the impact on the environment."

Using the Stampede supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, as well as computing systems at NASA and UM, Martins has developed improved wing designs capable of burning less fuel, as well as tools that help the aerospace industry build more efficient aircraft.

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"We're bridging the gap between an academic exercise and a practical method for industry, who will come up with future designs," he says.

Novel wing designs for more efficient flight

Improvements in wing design have the potential to improve efficiency up to 10 percent, lowering costs and pollution. Moreover, in areas where new technologies are being applied -- such as for wings made of composite materials or wings that morph during flight -- improved design tools can provide insights when intuitive understanding is lacking.

Presenting at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Forum in January 2017, Martins and collaborators Timothy Brooks (UM) and Graeme Kennedy (Georgia Tech) described efforts to optimize the design of wings built with new composite materials and emerging construction methods.

Today's airplanes feature 50 percent composites materials, but the composites are placed in a relatively simple way. New automatic fiber placement machines, however, can place composites in complex curves, creating what are known as tow-steered composite wings.

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"That opens up the design space, but designers aren't used to this," Martins says. "It's challenging because there isn't a lot of intuition on how to utilize the full potential of this technology. We developed the algorithms for optimizing these tow-angles."

They found that tow-steered composites can reduce the structural weight of an aircraft by 10 percent when compared to conventional composite designs while reducing the fuel burn by 0.4 percent. NASA is in the process of building a prototype of a tow-steered wing box for a scale test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Another area of study is morphing wings that change shape to maintain maximal performance regardless of flight speed, altitude and aircraft weight.

Martins, David Burdette and Gaetan Kenway (all from UM) presented results for a morphing design that has the potential to burn 2 percent less fuel than current designs at the 2016 AIAA SciTech Forum. Martins also published a chapter in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering on "Fuel Burn Reduction through Wing Morphing" describing potential designs ideas and optimization methods in this area.

"Research on new materials and morphing mechanisms will make morphing systems lighter, more energy efficient, and more economical," he wrote. "It is just a question of time before we see aircraft wings that exhibit morphing capabilities that seem impossible today."

A third area of investigation involves new, high aspect ratio wings that have a much larger span than those in use today.

Martins presented designs for such a wing at the 15th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference in 2014. Boeing has adapted that model and will build a prototype to test at NASA Langley Research Center's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel later this year.

Multidisciplinary design optimization

Designing aircraft using computer models isn't new, but in the past, studies either used low-fidelity models or confined themselves to a single area of investigation -- the aerodynamics of the wing or its structural integrity. These studies were passed between groups of engineers, leading to designs that were more efficient than those they supplanted, but not necessarily optimal.

Martins uses a different approach, called multidisciplinary design optimization, that combines many factors and high-fidelity models into a coupled computational optimization problem. This approach can lead to greater improvements than the single-study method, he says, but it requires the application of massive parallel supercomputers, capable of running complex calculations that account for hundreds or even thousands of design variables, all considered in tandem.

"Our problems require 100s or 1000s of processors and we try to get each simulation to be on the order of a few minutes, and the optimization to converge within eight to 48 hours," Martins says.

He runs these calculations not once, but hundreds of times to arrive at the best possible solution and to test the integrity of the new design in likely flight conditions.

"Computational fluid dynamics and computational structural mechanics are demanding," he says. "To solve our problems, we absolutely need a supercomputer like Stampede."

Stampede, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is currently the 17th fastest supercomputer in the world, according to the most recent Top500 list, which ranks high performance computing systems. Later in 2017, TACC will debut Stampede 2, which will be roughly twice as powerful as its predecessor.

Boeing and NASA are both testing prototypes based on wing designs suggested by Martins' optimizations, but the impact of his research goes beyond any one design. Martins' algorithms provide a means to combine the many complicated factors that go into a design into a single computational process. He is currently working with Embraer to evaluate the algorithms he has developed for use in production. He has also discussed the practicality of his algorithms with Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing.

"Wing design is of critical importance to the aircraft manufacturing industry to achieve optimum performance and affordable designs," said Frode Engelsen, a Technical Fellow at Boeing Research and Technology. "Professor Joaquim Martins has advanced the state of the art by building a multidisciplinary design optimization framework using high fidelity aerodynamic and structural models simultaneously in wing design."

Ultimately, applying Martins' algorithms to an industrial process would require additional elements -- for instance, the use of a greater range of flight conditions to assure the safety of the aircraft, and integration with manufacturing costs to confirm the more efficient aircraft can be constructed economically.

The effort is worthwhile, however, because the impact -- on commerce and on people's lives -- is substantial.

"If you think about it, it's incredible that you can fly across the U.S. for a few hundred dollars," says Martins. "Ticket prices have gone down dramatically over the last several decades and that allows people to go visit their families for Thanksgiving. And it's been enabled by more efficient aircraft."

The research is supported by grants from NASA. Stampede was generously funded by the NSF through award ACI-1134872.
Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduced the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and death in pregnant women with twins and who have a short cervix -- a risk factor for preterm birth -- according to a meta-analysis of individual patient data by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Detroit Medical Center, and other institutions in the United States and abroad.

Births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy are considered preterm. Preterm birth increases the risk for infant death and long term disability. Twin pregnancies present a five- to six-time increased risk for preterm birth.

In preparation for birth, the cervix (lower part of the uterus) thins and shortens during pregnancy. In some women, the cervix shortens prematurely, as early as the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. The natural hormone progesterone (also called the "pregnancy hormone"), inserted in the vagina either as a gel or tablet has been shown to decrease the risk for preterm birth associated with a short cervix in women with a single fetus in previous conducted by NIH and WSU investigators.

The new study, "Vaginal progesterone decreases preterm birth and neonatal morbidity and mortality in women with a twin gestation and a short cervix: an updated meta-analysis of individual patient data," was published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. An accompanying video explaining the study's findings can be viewed at http://www2.med.wayne.edu/prb/progesterone.htm.

"The findings represent persuasive evidence that treatment with vaginal progesterone in women with a short cervix and a twin gestation reduces the frequency of preterm birth, neonatal complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, and importantly, neonatal death," said the study's first author, Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Romero emphasized that individual patient data meta-analyses represent the "gold standard" in the hierarchy of scientific evidence to answer clinical questions.

"Currently there is no treatment for the prevention of preterm birth in twin gestations," said Sonia Hassan, M.D., a co-author of the study. Dr. Hassan is the associate dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health at WSU, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the School of Medicine, and director of the Center for Advanced Obstetrical Care and Research for the NIH's Perinatology Research Branch, hosted at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center.

The meta-analysis included the results of six studies, encompassing 303 women pregnant with twins, all of whom had a cervical length of 25 mm or less in the mid-trimester. Of these, 159 women received vaginal progesterone and 144 received a placebo or no treatment. Women who received vaginal progesterone were 31 percent less likely to deliver before 33 weeks of pregnancy (31 percent for those receiving vaginal progesterone, compared to 43 percent for those who did not). Vaginal progesterone also reduced the rate of preterm delivery before 32 weeks and 34 weeks. All results were statistically significant.

Infants born to patients who received vaginal progesterone had a 30 percent reduction in the rate of respiratory distress syndrome, the most common complication of prematurity (from 47 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 33 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), a 46 percent reduction in the rate of mechanical ventilation (from 27 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 16 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), and a 47 percent reduction in the risk of dying in the neonatal period (from 22 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 11 percent in the vaginal progesterone group). These results were all statistically significant, as well.

The authors conclude that the results of this individual patient data meta-analysis represents strong evidence that vaginal progesterone in twin gestations with a short cervix reduces preterm birth, neonatal complications and neonatal death. This is the first intervention to successfully reduce both preterm birth and neonatal death.

"One of the most serious complications of multiples in pregnancy is premature birth. In 2014, the Michigan rate of preterm birth due to plurality was over 60 percent," said Kara Hamilton-McGraw, Maternal Child Health director for the March of Dimes. "Discovering a successful intervention to address premature birth in multiples could largely impact the rate of babies born too soon and those that, sadly, do not live to see their first birthday."
Fire departments and their municipalities could be shorting their budgets by hundreds of thousands of dollars since limited resources are keeping them from accurately counting firefighter injury data, according to new research out of Drexel University.

Combining data from four different databases to look at injury occurrence and reporting in the Philadelphia Fire Department, researchers from the Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) program of Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health discovered that, once injuries were more accurately coded, the difference in workers' compensation costs was as much as $1 million for some injuries.

"It is very important for fire departments to understand causes and cost of injury in order to ensure their limited budget is being properly distributed," said Shannon Widman, project manager at FIRST and lead author on the study published in Injury Prevention. "If departments can accurately pinpoint specific injuries that lead to specific costs, they are empowered to prioritize decisions when considering prevention."

In the study, researchers from FIRST linked data from the Philadelphia Fire Department's human resources records, dispatch data, workers' compensation records, and the records of the first report of firefighter or paramedic injuries. By doing so, they were able to track injuries across the datasets, which allows for more accurate counting and classification.

The issue is that information in any of the four databases could be incomplete or contain discrepencies. Linking them allowed for resolution of the discrepancies and yielded a more complete picture of the injuries. Across three of the databases, researchers were able to track 88 percent of injuries and developed new metrics on which to create prevention strategies.

Widman and the team, which included FIRST principal investigator and associate professor Jennifer Taylor, PhD, found that the most costly injuries to firefighters and paramedics were strains, falls and burns. With the ability to link all of the data, they found that workers' compensation due to burn injuries was undervalued by $750,000, while strain injuries were undervalued by $1 million.

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Getting such precise data could save municipalities that fund fire departments money by allowing them to better allocate funds for prevention and training.

"The cause of injury resulting in the most numerous claims may not result in the highest costs," Widman explained. "A smaller number of more serious injuries may result in higher costs to departments and municipalities."

Linking all of the databases also provided for the creation of a new factor that could help when it comes to better allocating resources for injury prevention: years of experience.

Most data just took into account what age a firefighter or paramedic was when they were injured. But not everyone in the fire service starts at the same age.

"Now, with the years of experience variable, we can more adequately explain where risk occurs," Taylor said. "For example, in our study, we saw that the first 15 years of a firefighter's tenure, regardless of their age, was the time for which they were most at risk for injury. Injuries during that time period represented over 70 percent of total costs incurred."

As a firefighter became more experienced, the data showed they were less likely to get hurt. Although it seems like common sense, there were never hard numbers to back that before. Having those numbers is important because it provides statistical justifications for funding.

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However, putting together all the data that the FIRST team did isn't easy.

"Most fire departments collect data on a regular basis, but lack resources to analyze them," Taylor said. "Work like this is very resource-intensive and requires specialized skills, so we need to find continuing resources to building these data architectures."

Since FIRST has developed data systems like these not only for the Philadelphia Fire Department, but also for the Boston Fire Department and the State of Florida, the good news is that the system they've developed is "ready to be reproduced throughout the entire fire service," according to Taylor.

In addition to the ongoing injury research, the FIRST team, including graduate student Genevieve Adair and co-author Loni Philip Tabb, PhD, an assistant professor, from the Dornsife School of Public Health, is continuing to analyze more closely different aspects of the dispatch data collected through geographic information systems, also known as mapping.

"Some of the analyses we are working on now, with additional years of data, include maps showing where different causes and types of injuries are occurring, where pockets of increased numbers and rates of injury are throughout the city, where different types of calls occur, and on which type of call specific injuries occur," Widman said. "Such activities will give us better insights into how to keep Philadelphia Fire Department members safe, as well as assessing the needs of the Philadelphia community."
High costs of production and labor, combined with high rates of technological change, often cause manufacturers in developed countries to take their production offshore to lower-cost sources.

Dr. Kathryn Stecke, Ashbel Smith Professor of operations management, recently studied a production system called seru that is used by the electronics industry that creates an exception to this trend.

The study, published online in the Journal of Operations Management, describes seru as a cellular assembly approach. The system, used by companies including Canon and Sony, appears to offer promise for manufacturing in dynamic, high-cost markets, Stecke said.

"Seru is like going back to trade manufacturing, before Henry Ford's assembly line innovation. A focus is on extremely highly trained workers, emphasizing both speed and quality," said Stecke, who teaches operations management and flexible manufacturing strategies in the Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas.

This type of cellular manufacturing is distinguished by the ability to configure the cells quickly and its use of the cells for assembly, packaging and testing rather than only fabrication.

Seru uses highly skilled and flexible workers to achieve the responsiveness required by the changes in demand and the fast development of an innovative product. Its strategy also prioritizes responsiveness over cost reduction.

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The study analyzed Canon's and Sony's histories, the factors that led to the development of seru systems and their successful implementations.

The researchers conducted studies of nine sites of Sony and Canon, interviewed managers at both companies, participated in industrial seminars and meetings, and reviewed company documents and handbooks, as well as published research.

Seru is not new, Stecke said. A 1992 Wall Street Journal article discusses the system, but most of the world outside of Japan has not been aware of this electronics assembly innovation.

"Many companies in Japan, mostly electronics, have applied seru to improve productivity, quality, efficiency and flexibility," Stecke said. "Seru is an example of production remaining competitive in a high-cost environment."

For example, the production of Sony's PlayStation 2 console was moved from an assembly line of 19 workers in a 700-square-foot space to a set of serus staffed by 10 workers in a 484-square-foot space. The total cost of production was reduced, and PlayStation 2 volume increased 200 percent.

The study found that competitiveness and productivity increase when the focus is on using precisely the resources needed to respond to actual customer demand.

"Although seru mostly has been used in electronics, its use can be expanded to other appropriate industries in the future," Stecke said. "Non-electronics companies currently using seru production systems include Denso (machining) and Yamasaki (motorcycle assembly)."
A fault system that runs from San Diego to Los Angeles is capable of producing up to magnitude 7.3 earthquakes if the offshore segments rupture and a 7.4 if the southern onshore segment also ruptures, according to an analysis led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.

The Newport-Inglewood and Rose Canyon faults had been considered separate systems but the study shows that they are actually one continuous fault system running from San Diego Bay to Seal Beach in Orange County, then on land through the Los Angeles basin.

"This system is mostly offshore but never more than four miles from the San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles County coast," said study lead author Valerie Sahakian, who performed the work during her doctorate at Scripps and is now a postdoctoral fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey. "Even if you have a high 5- or low 6-magnitude earthquake, it can still have a major impact on those regions which are some of the most densely populated in California."

The study, "Seismic constraints on the architecture of the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault: Implications for the length and magnitude of future earthquake ruptures," appears in the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research.

The researchers processed data from previous seismic surveys and supplemented it with high-resolution bathymetric data gathered offshore by Scripps researchers between 2006 and 2009 and seismic surveys conducted aboard former Scripps research vessels New Horizon and Melville in 2013. The disparate data have different resolution scales and depth of penetration providing a "nested survey" of the region. This nested approach allowed the scientists to define the fault architecture at an unprecedented scale and thus to create magnitude estimates with more certainty.

They identified four segments of the strike-slip fault that are broken up by what geoscientists call stepovers, points where the fault is horizontally offset. Scientists generally consider stepovers wider than three kilometers more likely to inhibit ruptures along entire faults and instead contain them to individual segments -- creating smaller earthquakes. Because the stepovers in the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon (NIRC) fault are two kilometers wide or less, the Scripps-led team considers a rupture of all the offshore segments is possible, said study co-author Scripps geologist and geophysicist Neal Driscoll.

The team used two estimation methods to derive the maximum potential a rupture of the entire fault, including one onshore and offshore portions. Both methods yielded estimates between magnitude 6.7 and magnitude 7.3 to 7.4.

The fault system most famously hosted a 6.4-magnitude quake in Long Beach, Calif. that killed 115 people in 1933. Researchers have found evidence of earlier earthquakes of indeterminate size on onshore portions of the fault, finding that at the northern end of the fault system, there have been between three and five ruptures in the last 11,000 years. At the southern end, there is evidence of a quake that took place roughly 400 years ago and little significant activity for 5,000 years before that.

Driscoll has recently collected long sediment cores along the offshore portion of the fault to date previous ruptures along the offshore segments, but the work was not part of this study.

In addition to Sahakian and Driscoll, study authors include Jayne Bormann, Graham Kent, and Steve Wesnousky of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Alistair Harding of Scripps. Southern California Edison funded the research at the direction of the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission.

"Further study is warranted to improve the current understanding of hazard and potential ground shaking posed to urban coastal areas from Tijuana to Los Angeles from the NIRC fault," the study concludes.
American employers increasingly rely on large datasets and computer algorithms to decide who gets interviewed, hired or promoted.

While these data algorithms can help to avoid biased human decision-making, they also risk introducing new forms of bias or reinforcing existing biases.

Pauline Kim, Daniel Noyes Kirby Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, explains that when algorithms rely on inaccurate, biased or unrepresentative data, they may systematically undermine racial and ethnic minorities, women and other historically disadvantaged groups.

"When this happens, the result is classification bias -- a term that highlights the risk that data algorithms may sort or score workers in ways that worsen inequality or disadvantage along the lines or race, sex, or other protected characteristics," Kim said.

According to Kim, an expert on employment law, "we must fundamentally rethink how anti-discrimination laws apply in the workplace in order to address classification bias and avoid further entrenching workplace inequality."

In a recent article, "Data Discrimination at Work," published in the William & Mary Law Review Volume 58, Kim explains how existing employment discrimination laws must adapt to meet the challenges posed by algorithmic decision-making.

"Rote application of our existing laws will fail to address the real sources of bias when discrimination is data-driven," Kim said.

"Because data algorithms differ significantly from traditional discriminatory practices, they require a different legal response adapted to the particular risks they raise. Focusing on classification bias suggests that anti-discrimination law should be adjusted in a number of ways when it is applied to data algorithms."

The report can be accessed at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2801251
Countries & Areas

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The U.S. Army is once more upgrading its MGM140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) artillery rockets. The ATACMS is a 610mm ballistic missile that fits in the same size container that normally holds six 227mm MLRS rockets. The new upgrade is because it was realized that ATACMS has sufficient range to reach ships far offshore and that the U.S. pioneered the development of terminal guidance systems ballistic missiles in the 1970s (the Pershing mobile missile). Since then the U.S. has developed similar guidance systems so that high-speed missiles can hit moving targets. So it is not a difficult feat to develop a terminal guidance system for ATACMS that searches for a certain size ship and heads for it while moving at more than a thousand meters a second (faster than a very speedy bullet).

Most current ATACMS are armed with a 227 kg (500 pound) high explosive warhead. The U.S. used over 700 ATACMS in Iraq and Afghanistan and was satisfied with their performance. Nearly 4,000 ATACMS have been built since the mid-1980s and about 70 percent are still available for another upgrade. ATACMS currently use GPS guidance to hit targets up to 300 kilometers away. This makes ATACMS sort of like the popular 500 pound JDAM smart bomb used by the air force but not requiring an aircraft to deliver it.

All the new ATACMS needs is the GPS coordinates of the moving target (which can be on land or sea). Since max flight time (at max range) is only a few minutes it is easy to predict where the moving target will be based on aerial, satellite or sonar detection. It takes less than a minute to update the guidance system and launch. If nothing else this will give potential naval foes something more to worry about and be a popular export items as well.

When the U.S. Army first introduced ATACMS in the late 1980s it designed fancy warheads that distributed lots of smaller bomblets. While these worked, there was always a problem with some of the bomblets not self-destructing and later going off when civilians, or American troops, came along. Not a popular weapon. Then, when a version with GPS guidance and a single 500 pound high explosive (or "unitary") warhead was introduced, it proved very popular. These rockets cost about $1.2 million dollars each. A 500 pound JDAM costs about $40,000, although you can add a few thousand dollars more to cover the expense of operating the jet bomber that delivered it.

Another advantage of ATACMS is the ability to quickly move it and its launcher by air to anywhere in the world. This is because of HIMARS. Only costing about $3 million each, these smaller, truck mounted MLRS (HIMARS) rocket launcher systems carries only one, six rocket (or one ATACMS) container (instead of two in the original MLRS vehicle). But the 12 ton truck can fit into a C-130 transport (unlike the 22 ton tracked MLRS) and is much cheaper to operate. The first HIMARS entered service in 2005, about a year after GPS guided rockets did. HIMARS proved more effective and popular than expected.

The army is already developing a new, smaller, longer ranged ATACMS that will enable two in a container that currently holds one. But this new ATACMS wont be available until the mid-2020s.
Inside Mosul ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) forces are shooting on sight any civilians who try to leave. At the same time ISIL fighters have been ordered to keep civilians away from the wreckage of buildings just bombed because they were used by ISIL Thats because ISIL knows local civilians are still able to get information out of the city and ISIL does not want the attacking forces to know how effective the air or artillery strikes are. By early March 4,000 people a day were getting out of Mosul and nearly 210,000 had fled the city since the offensive began in October 2016. But over half a million civilians remain in Mosul and ISIL seems intent on preventing the attackers from finding out what is going on in ISIL controlled Mosul.

Actually, its not a secret. Intel analysts, taking all available data (refugee reports, prisoner interrogations, Internet chatter, aerial surveillance and captured documents) are pretty certain that ISIL has shifted most of its personnel into or towards Syria and the ISIL capital Raqqa. From there ISIL is trying to get a lot of their veteran operatives out of Syria. ISIL leaders are telling their followers to prepare for setbacks and a shift to clandestine operations (and lots of terror attacks) rather than administering territory. This is not great for morale since a lot of people joined ISIL by answering a call to live and work in an Islamic State. The state is disappearing and the new ISIL announcements appear to be one response to that because ISIL can either try to catch and execute all the recent ISIL recruits deserting or let them go with instructions on how to continue the battle back home. This worries Western nations who have noted lots of their Moslem citizens going to Syria to join ISIL. Rather than being killed in combat (or executed for deserting) these foreign volunteers are now encouraged to go home and continue the fight. Not all who return are full of fight and some go to work for the police (often when the alternative is prison) to catch the true believers before they can do some damage.

For the troops and militia seeking to liberate Mosul this could be very good news because it means the current rapid advances (especially in the southern portion of west Mosul) are not part of a deception (to lead complacent attackers into a trap) but confirmation that ISIL is not going to use a lot of their dwindling fighters to make a bloody last stand in Mosul.

Iraqi commanders have apparently accepted this new assessment and are making the most of it. Foreign advisors (especially the Americans who call in air and artillery strikes) have been allowed, since the end of 2016, to operate as close to the fighting as they thought practical. As a result the guys calling in the smart bombs and artillery are delivering this firepower as quickly as they would for American troops and the Iraqi special operations personnel (many of them trained by Americans) are taking advantage of that to use all that firepower like the Americans do. That means warning civilians in the area to get out and then blasting any opposition they encounter. Refugees report that the ISIL defenders are terrified of these tactics because few who are on the receiving end survive to report details. With all this this in mind Iraqi forces continue to advance into west Mosul and now expect to control the entire city by the end of April rather than the end of the year. ISIL can still inflict casualties; mainly using suicide bombers and hidden explosives (mines and booby traps), but it is obvious that ISIL has pulled their best fighters and battlefield commanders out of Mosul. With on-call air and artillery fire the diehard ISIL fighters can be quickly eliminated by the advancing Iraqis.

The Agony Of Anbar

In western Iraq (Anbar province) the tribal militias are taking advantage of the fact that ISIL is less able to threaten them with force. That means the tribal gunmen now go looking for a fight confident that they will probably win it. The tribesmen are now able to visit many remote areas where ISIL had long prevented anyone from getting near. This new freedom has led to the discovery of several suspected but never located ISIL facilities in remote areas. This includes rural compounds used for bomb making or training. Some of these, especially the ones devoted to supporting bomb attacks in cities, are only being discovered now that tribesmen are able to revisit remote areas ISIL had sealed off for a year or two. But this newfound freedom to travel is not without risk. ISIL has been using intimidation teams (or death squads according to the locals) to attack civilians (especially unarmed ones) trying to leave rural areas still technically controlled by ISIL. These ISIL teams tend to back off if fired on and are apparently under orders to concentrate on intimidation not confrontation. These teams are also useful for obtaining information. The information is generally not good, at least according to those teams that check in. A growing number of these teams just disappear and ISIL leaders suspect some of those teams deserted rather than fought to the death. Iraqi media have been reporting more ISIL surrenders in Mosul.

Suspicious Minds

Despite being allies, Turkey and Iran are now feuding in the media over public accusations by senior Turkish leaders that Iran was attempting to destabilize Syria and Iraq in order to increase Iranian influence in those countries. While many people in those countries, both pro and anti-Iran, would agree, the official Iranian line is that their military efforts in Syria and Iraq are simply to help fight ISIL. Turkey is largely Sunni and has been trying to improve its relations with all Moslem majority nations in the region since 2000. That is proving difficult with the growing struggle between Shia (led by Iran) and Sunni (led by Saudi Arabia). Turkey has tried to stay out of this conflict but that is proving impossible.

ISIL Attrition

The U.S. believes that ISIL currently has only about 12,000 armed members in Syria and Iraq. That means ISIL has lost about 40 percent of the armed personnel it had a year ago. About half the ISIL fighters appear to be in Iraq where about 2,000 are defending Mosul while the rest are in smaller concentrations along the border trying to keep roads open to Syria. A thousand or more are in still smaller groups in or near cities to plan, prepare and carry out terror attacks.

In Syria ISIL is under heavy pressure and being forced, by advancing government and rebels forces, to concentrate around Raqqa, the ISIL capital and largest city in eastern Syria. While there are few new recruits for ISIL in Iraq the situation is different in Syria. As the rebels continue losing ground in Syria many of the most fanatical rebels are joining ISIL. Many of the less fanatical rebels are quietly deserting the cause and trying to get out of Syria. Foreign recruits are not as abundant as they used to be because hostile governments control all the borders of Syria and Iraq and are, for the moment, very strict with their border control. Those tight border security not only keeps new recruits out, the bad news about ISIL and what happens to foreign recruits means fewer foreign recruits are coming. This blockade has also sharply cut (by at least half) income from smuggling out oil, antiquities or whatever. That means ISIL has less cash to buy (on the black market) essential supplies (like food, ammo, weapons) or pay key staff. Being on the defensive means theres a lot less loot. ISIL has been trying to move key people (and their families) out of Syria and Iraq since early 2016 and that has become increasingly difficult. Even getting key people moved fr0m Mosul to Raqqa (where the final battle will be) is becoming more dangerous and difficult. Soon it will be impossible because Iraqi forces have surrounded Mosul and the few routes still available are dangerous and often not usable at all. Morale is declining as well and paranoia among the leadership (about who is still trustworthy and who is not) is causing problems. More ISIL members are accused of deserting (or preparing to) or, even worse, being disloyal (backing rival leaders or providing target information to the enemy). Thus there are more executions which hurts morale even more because a growing number of those executed are innocent. This sort of thing is common in situations like this and speeds up the disintegration of the organization, at least in Syria and Iraq. Survivors will go on to help form the next outbreak of Islamic terrorism a cycle that has been around for over a thousand years.

In Syria Aleppo back in hands of the government the war is concentrating on destroying ISIL, which is now rapidly shrinking. A year ago over 2,000 foreigners a month were joining ISIL in Syria. That is down over 90 percent and falling. In both Syria and Iraq more painfully accurate attacks (usually from the air) are killing key ISIL personnel and important facilities (headquarters, ammo storage, training areas, bomb building workshops). In part this is because it is more dangerous to travel, especially across borders. Thats because the professional smugglers are generally anti-ISIL and now assist the government or their own tribe militia, to stage ambushes, usually at night, for ISIL movements. ISIL leaders are a particularly lucrative target because these men usually have more expensive electronics and weapons with them. The government and Americans also pay cash for valuable and timely tips. Another reason for more dead leaders that there are more deserters and refugees are available for questioning and the U.S. has moved in additional aerial ELINT (electronic intelligence collecting) aircraft and satellites. Improved data analysis software has increased the quantity and quality of potential targets. ISIL and al Qaeda are openly (via the Internet) complaining about the loss of so many veteran senior people. Fear is a two way street and ISIL is increasingly on the receiving end.

Safety In Scrupulous Screening

Although Iraqi forces screen civilians who got out of Mosul (over 200,000 have left so far) over half of them heading north to the safer Kurdish controlled areas. The Kurds screen again and so far have identified over 2,000 possible ISIL members among the refugees trying to get into Kurdish territory. Iraqi forces are concerned about their inability to screen as carefully as the Kurds and refugees already report ISIL preparations to leave sleeper cells behind. A growing number of these sleepers are being encountered in east Mosul neighborhoods that were already screened and cleared.

Iran And The Americans

The U.S. is not happy with how Iraq has quietly disbanded the Iran Section in the Iraqi equivalent of the CIA. This organization was set up after 2004 with $3 billion in American cash and CIA trainers and advisors. Since the American troops left in 2011 Iran has pressured Iraqi officials to shut down the Iran Section and in early 2017 that was quietly done as the last few hundred personnel assigned to the Iran Section were fired or transferred. This has many Iraqis worried. While about 60 percent of Iraqis are Shia most of them do not want Iraq dominated by Iran. The security forces are now dominated by Shia but many of those generals do not want any of the 80-100,000 or so Iran backed Shia militia fighters involved in retaking Mosul. The Iraqi Shia that control the Iraqi government and military do not trust Iran and believe the Iran controlled Shia militias are being prepared to support an armed takeover of the current Shia controlled government. Many of the Shia militia are from Baghdad and there are growing fears that Shia cleric Ayatollah Muqtada al Sadr, an open fan of the Shia religious dictatorship in Iran, is planning to use his anti-corruption campaign in Baghdad as justification for an armed takeover of the government. In response a lot of Shia pro-government militias are forming. This reinforces the point that most Iraqis, including most Iraqi Shia, do not want to be dominated by Iran. All this has led to more controls being placed on what the pro-Iran Shia militias are allowed to do. Currently that means staying out of Mosul and behaving in Anbar (where pockets of ISIL resistance still exist).

Oil

Iraq, as a founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, had agreed to reduce its oil production by over 1 million barrels a day to help increase the world price for oil. But instead Iraq production increased three percent so far in 2017. Iraq has ten percent of the world's oil reserves and these recently increased by 10 billion barrels. That makes 153 billion barrels, which more than a third larger than it was after the resumption of oil exploration a decade ago. Iran has reserves of 158 billion barrels, Saudi Arabia 266 billion and Venezuela 300 billion. These four nations have the largest reserves which are about 60 percent of the world total. What is keeping the world oil price low is fracking. That new American technology is making much more oil and gas available and it is expected that the U.S. and Canada will soon have proven reserves equaling a third of the current world total. The fall in oil prices since 2013 (from over $100 a barrel to as low as $30) has cut foreign currency reserves to $49 billion. In mid-2016 the reserves were $53 billion.

March 6, 2017: In the northwest (Mosul) advancing troops reached another of the five bridges over the Tigris River that separates east and west Mosul. The first such bridge was seized a week earlier (the 27th). Although all five bridges have been destroyed it is important to capture the eastern side because it allows engineers to examine the damage more carefully and see if any unexploded bombs still remain in the wreckage.

March 5, 2017: In southwest Mosul Iraqi forces continue to advance and reported that troops could see (from upper floors of buildings) downtown Mosul. There is not a lot of resistance and apparently ISIL forces are under orders to withdraw to the city center. West of Mosul fighting flared up in Tal Afar.

March 2, 2017: In Mosul ISIL launched a night counterattack on advancing Iraqi forces. This took place during a storm, which limited American air or artillery support. The Iraqi troops defeated the attackers, who withdrew before daylight.

In February 392 civilians and 26 police were killed by Islamic terrorist related activities compared to 382 civilians and 21 police in January. The civilian deaths were down about one percent from December. Nearly half (49 percent) of the civilian deaths were in or near Mosul (Nineveh province), Baghdad suffered nearly as many dead while Salahaddin province (between Baghdad and Mosul) and western Iraq (Anbar province) amounted to less than ten percent of the losses. Most of the deaths in Nineveh province were related to the effort to drive ISIL out of Mosul. Baghdad was usually where most civilian deaths took place and it still a major target for suicide bombing efforts, usually in Shia neighborhoods. ISIL has largely been driven out of Anbar in the last year but because Anbar has a lengthy Syrian border and is south of Nineveh province, it remains active. As usual there was few if any civilian deaths in the Kurdish north or the Shia dominated south (Basra).

Data on military losses stopped being provided in December. This apparently had to do with fear of how bad it would be for morale (and the prospects of reelection for politicians) if the extent (higher than expected) military losses have been since late 2016, when the offensive against ISIL went into high gear. The government did continue to report civilian losses. For 2016 total civilian deaths were 6,878, which was less than 2015. In early December it was revealed that terrorism related deaths rose in November, especially for the security forces. Overall losses in November were 2,885 dead which was 61 percent more than October. Most of the 1,959 November deaths among soldiers, police and militia were from the fighting in and around Mosul. These losses were more than triple security forces deaths in October, when there 1,792 Iraqi deaths (civilian and security forces) from terrorist (mainly ISIL inspired) violence. The government underestimated the public outcry over the losses among military personnel involved in the Mosul campaign. Total deaths for 2016 were expected to be 10-20 percent lower than the 13,400 in 2015 but instead the 2016 losses were 5-10 percent higher. Losses in 2014 were15,600. Until 2013 when 8,900 died, the Islamic terrorist problem seemed under control. It wasnt and since 2014 it has been an uphill struggle. While 2015 was 14 percent less deadly than 2014 both years were much less than the worst year. That was 2007 when nearly 18,000 died. Then as now the main cause of the mayhem and murder was Sunni fanatics who want to run the country as a Sunni dictatorship.

March 1, 2017: In northwestern Mosul Iraqi forces took control of the last major road out of Mosul. Sneaking in or out is still possible but high speed movement in or out on a good road is no longer an option for ISIL.

February 27, 2017: In the north (near Kirkuk) four bombs went off along an oil pipeline that was shut down for maintenance. In the northwest advancing forces reached a one of the five bridges over the Tigris River that separates east and west Mosul.

February 25, 2017: In Mosul ISIL apparently fired a shell that contained some kind of deadly chemical. Twelve civilians were found to be injured by this and were moved to Kurdish territory for better care and closer examination. It was soon revealed that ISIL was again using the crude mustard gas that has been showing up a lot more since 2015. In late 2015 Russia revealed that its chemical warfare experts collected mustard gas samples from a dud shell fired in September 2016 by ISIL forces in Aleppo. The Russians also found evidence of ISIL shells filled with chlorine. ISIL is believed to have used chlorine and mustard gas bombs and shells at least 60 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014.

February 24, 2017: Iraqi warplanes, for the first time, hit ISIL targets inside Syria. The airstrikes were in Boukamal and Husseibah, two Syrian towns on the Iraqi border that have long been controlled by ISIL. Iraq made these attacks because ISIL continues to carry out terror bombings against civilians in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq (especially Shia religious shrines and Shia neighborhoods). In Mosul advancing troops have taken the first territory in west Mosul. This includes the airport in southwest Mosul, taken after two days of fighting.

In the southwest (Anbar) a large ISIL force attacked some of the Iraqi troops guarding the Karameh Border Crossing (the main route into Jordan). Using a suicide car bomb and gunmen attacking from several directions fifteen Iraqi soldiers were killed but the attack was repulsed. ISIL has been unsuccessful in establishing a presence in Jordan.

February 22, 2017: In the Kurdish north local and American intelligence analysts both noted increased Iran intel activity in autonomous Kurdish northern Iraq. Iran will only admit that it is interested in keeping track of Iranian Kurds in Iraq, especially members of PJAK (the Iranian Kurdish separatist group long based in Iraq). In 2016 the Iranian artillery fired on suspected PJAK camps in Kurdish controlled northern Iraq. In mid-2016 Iran launched another offensive against PJAK operating on both sides of the border. Dozens of civilians fled the area where the shells were landing but there were apparently no casualties.

February 21, 2017: In the far north, on both sides of the Turkish border Turkish air strikes hit PKK bases and killed at least 17 PKK members.

February 19, 2017: The army resumed its offensive to take Mosul. In west Mosul that was announced by more than twice as many airstrikes at day. That comes to as many as a hundred airstrikes a day, about half of them by American warplanes. In the last few days thousands of leaflets had been dropped on west Mosul warning that the battle was resuming and providing advice on how to deal with the advancing Iraqi forces. The attack force had halted at the east bank of the Tigris River on February 7th to give the troops a rest and bring up supplies and reinforcements as well as time for clearing explosive devices and rubble blocking roads. This is the second halt in the offensive, which began in mid-October. The advance was resumed in mid-December and that one ended when ISIL was driven from Mosul east of the Tigris River. The offensive will resume in about a week or so with troops eventually crossing the river in boats (or helicopters) to establish an enclave on the west bank so combat engineers to create temporary bridges over the Tigris.

February 15, 2017: U.S. intelligence believes ISIL has lost at least 60,000 personnel since mid-2014. The late 2016 estimate was 50,000 and the sharp increase is largely because of the recent offensives to take Mosul (and a similar attack in Syria on ISIL held parts of Aleppo). ISIL leadership has taken heavy losses and the U.S. believes ISIL is done and that by the end of 2017 will be much less of a presence. Precise data on ISIL losses is hard to come by but that is less of a mystery as more ISIL territory is taken and more deserters and prisoners can be interrogated. The U.S. is also deliberately going after ISIL leaders in Iraq and Syria with commando raids to grab documents (usually on laptops, smart phones, and USB drives) that accompany these men. Compiling all the captured data gives the most accurate estimates of enemy losses. This means that since 2013 (when ISIL first appeared) the group has lost over 60,000 personnel to combat, disease, accidents and desertion. Most of the losses have been suffered in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Its believed that ISIL currently has only about 15,000 fighters available, mostly in Syria and Iraq. There are a few thousand more in northern Libya, eastern Afghanistan and Egypt. In all five countries ISIL is under heavy attack and ISIL recently lost its only major Libyan base (the coastal city of Sirte). Defending the city cost them the loss of some 3,000 personnel (dead, captured and deserters).

February 13, 2017: In the north, near the Syrian border Iraqi warplanes bombed ISIL targets in the town of al Qaim. The air force reported about 13 ISIL leaders and over 60 ISIL fighters died when a compound was hit where ISIL was sheltering a convoy of vehicles from Raqqa carrying the ISIL leaders to Iraq.

February 11, 2017: In Baghdad a large demonstration by pro-Iran Shia turned violent as the people tried to force their way into the Green Zone. Seven were killed and over 300 wounded as police fought to halt that move. In the past pro-Sadr demonstrations had gotten into the Green Zone. Later someone fired several rockets into the Green Zone.
Oil tanks seen at the Saudi Aramco headquarters during a media tour at Damam city November 11, 2007. REUTERS/ Ali Jarekji/File Photo

By Celine Aswad and Andrew Torchia

DUBAI (Reuters) - Fund managers and institutional investors expect oil giant Saudi Aramco to have a market capitalization of $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion when it sells shares to the public next year, a survey by regional investment bank EFG Hermes showed on Monday.

The valuation of Aramco , the world's biggest oil firm, has been the focus of intense speculation since the Saudi government last year announced plans to sell up to 5 percent of it and list the shares in Riyadh and at least one foreign stock exchange.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees the kingdom's economic policy, has said the sale is expected to value Aramco at $2 trillion or more, making it by the far the world's largest initial public offer.

The EFG Hermes survey, conducted at an investment conference organized by the bank in Dubai, found 39 percent of respondents predicted the market would value Aramco at between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion.

Thirty-six percent expect a valuation below $1 trillion, and 24 percent a figure above $1.5 trillion, the bank said.

EFG Hermes said it polled 510 international fund managers and investors from 260 institutions at the conference, as well as 147 other companies. It did not say how many of them had replied to the question on Aramco.

The company's ultimate valuation will depend on decisions that are expected to be made by Saudi authorities in coming months, including the tax rate that Aramco will pay as a public company, and the portion of Aramco's huge and diverse array of assets that is included in the listed entity.

Saudi officials have given no concrete indication of how they will decide these questions, so any estimate of Aramco's value remains tentative.

The EFG Hermes survey suggests a higher valuation than some estimates by private analysts. Last year Foreign Reports, a Washington-based oil industry consultancy, calculated Aramco could have a market value of $250-460 billion, excluding the value of refining assets and guaranteed access to oil and gas.

Aramco's valuation is important for Saudi Arabia because it will determine how much money the government makes from the IPO and the size of foreign fund flows that are expected to enter the country to buy the shares.

The huge IPO looks likely to strengthen the case for Saudi Arabia to join the emerging markets indexes of international index compilers such as MSCI, a step which could attract tens of billions of dollars of fresh foreign money to the kingdom.

The EFG Hermes survey found 16 percent of respondents expected Saudi Arabia to join MSCI's emerging markets index next year, 34 percent in 2019, 22 percent in 2020 and 27 percent at a later date.

(Editing by Louise Heavens)
As expected, General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and PSA Group (Paris:UG) today announced an agreement under which GMs Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary and GM Financials European operations will join the PSA Group in a transaction valuing these activities at 1.3 Bn and 0.9 Bn, respectively.

With the addition of Opel/Vauxhall, which generated revenue of 17.7 Bn in 20161, PSA will become the second-largest automotive company in Europe, with a 17% market share2.

Creates sound European foundation for PSA to support its worldwide profitable growth

We are proud to join forces with Opel/Vauxhall and are deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround, said Carlos Tavares, chairman of the Managing Board of PSA. We respect all that Opel/Vauxhalls talented people have achieved as well as the companys fine brands and strong heritage. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities. Having already created together winning products for the European market, we know that Opel/Vauxhall is the right partner. We see this as a natural extension of our relationship and are eager to take it to the next level.

We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support, while respecting the commitments made by GM to the Opel/Vauxhall employees, continued Mr. Tavares.

Advances GMs Transformation and Unlocks Value

We are very pleased that together, GM, our valued colleagues at Opel/Vauxhall and PSA have created a new opportunity to enhance the long-term performance of our respective companies by building on the success of our prior alliance, said Mary T. Barra, GM chairman and chief executive officer.

For GM, this represents another major step in the ongoing work that is driving our improved performance and accelerating our momentum. We are reshaping our company and delivering consistent, record results for our owners through disciplined capital allocation to our higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are enabling us to lead the future of personal mobility.

We believe this new chapter puts Opel and Vauxhall in an even stronger position for the long term and we look forward to our participation in the future success and strong value-creation potential of PSA through our economic interest and continued collaboration on current and exciting new projects, Ms. Barra concluded.

Strengthens Each Company for the Long Term

The transaction will allow substantial economies of scale and synergies in purchasing, manufacturing and R&D. Annual synergies of 1.7 Bn are expected by 2026  of which a significant part is expected to be delivered by 2020, accelerating Opel/Vauxhalls turnaround. Leveraging the successful partnership with GM, PSA expects Opel/Vauxhall to reach a recurring operating margin3 of 2% by 2020 and 6% by 2026, and to generate a positive operational free cash flow4 by 2020.

PSA, together with BNP Paribas, will also acquire all of GM Financials European operations through a newly formed 50%/50% joint venture that will retain GM Financials current European platform and team. This joint venture will be fully consolidated by BNP Paribas and accounted under the equity method by PSA.

The transaction is another step in GMs ongoing work to transform the company, which has delivered three years of record performance and a strong 2017 outlook, and returned significant capital to shareholders. It will strengthen GMs core business, support its continued deployment of resources to higher-return opportunities including in advanced technologies driving the future, and unlock significant value for shareholders.

By immediately improving EBIT-adjusted, EBIT-adjusted margins and adjusted automotive free cash flow and de-risking the balance sheet, the transaction will enable GM to lower the cash balance requirement under its capital allocation framework by $2 Bn, which it intends to use to accelerate share repurchases, subject to market conditions.

GM will also participate in the future success of the combined entity through its ownership of warrants to purchase shares of PSA. GM and PSA also expect to collaborate in the further deployment of electrification technologies and existing supply agreements for Holden and certain Buick models will continue, and PSA may potentially source long-term supply of fuel cell systems from the GM/Honda joint venture.

See additional information on following page

Additional Information

Terms of the Agreement

Opel/Vauxhall automotive operations will be acquired by PSA for 1.3 Bn. GM Financials European operations will be jointly acquired by PSA and BNP Paribas for 0.8 times their pro forma book value at the closing of the transaction, or approximately 0.9 Bn.

The transaction has a total value of 2.2 Bn, for Opel/Vauxhall automotive operations and 100% of GM Financials European operations.

The transaction value for PSA, including Opel/Vauxhall and 50% of GM Financials European operations, will be 1.8 Bn.

In connection with this transaction, GM or its affiliates will subscribe warrants for 0.65 Bn. These warrants have a nine-year maturity and are exercisable at any time in whole or in part commencing 5 years after the issue date, with a strike price of 1. Based on a reference price of 17.34 for the PSA share5, the warrants correspond to 39.7 MM shares of PSA, or 4.2% of its fully diluted share capital6. GM will not have governance or voting rights with respect to PSA and has agreed to sell the PSA shares received upon exercise of the warrants within 35 days after exercise.

The transaction includes all of Opel/Vauxhalls automotive operations, comprising Opel and Vauxhall brands, six assembly and five component-manufacturing facilities, one engineering center (Russelsheim, Deutschland) and approximately 40,000 employees. GM will retain the engineering center in Torino, Italy.

Opel/Vauxhall will also continue to benefit from intellectual property licenses from GM until its vehicles progressively convert to PSA platforms over the coming years.

In connection with the transaction, GM will take a primarily non-cash special charge of $4.0-4.5 Bn.

Ongoing Pension Fund Commitments

All of Opel/Vauxhalls European and U.K. pension plans, funded and unfunded, with the exception of the German Actives Plan and selected smaller plans will remain with GM. The obligations with respect to the German Actives Plan and these smaller plans of Opel/Vauxhall will be transferred to PSA. GM will pay PSA 3.0 Bn for full settlement of transferred pension obligations.

Closing Conditions

The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and reorganizations, and is expected to close before the end of 2017.

Warrants

The issuance of the warrants is subject to the vote of shareholders at PSAs General Meeting of May 10th, 2017. The three main shareholders of PSA (the French State, the Peugeot family and DongFeng) representing in aggregate 36.6% of the share capital and 51.5%7 of the voting rights of PSA have undertaken to vote in favor of the resolution related to the issuance of the warrants to GM. In the event the warrant issuance reserved to GM and its affiliates is not approved by PSAs General Meeting, PSA will settle the 0.65 Bn in cash over five years.
P. Kevin Chase has joined Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) as its chief information officer, the company announced today.

In his new role, Chase, 48, will provide corporate-wide governance, policy and strategic direction for information and related technologies.

"We are pleased to add Kevin Chase to our executive team," said G. Joyce Rowland, senior vice president and chief human resources and administrative officer for Sempra Energy. "Kevin's significant experience in information technology and the energy industry will help keep our company at the forefront of the best technology practices."

Previously, Chase served as the chief information officer and senior vice president of technology and supply chain at Dallas-based Energy Future Holdings from 2011 to 2016. He was chief information officer and vice president of TXU Energy, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings from 2008 to 2011.

Prior to that, from 2005 to 2008, Chase was a vice president of Black & Veatch, a global engineering, consulting and construction firm, overseeing the company's technology and strategic consulting practice. In 2005, Black & Veatch acquired Fortegra, a management consulting and technology services firm co-founded by Chase six years earlier. Previously, he was a senior manager at Accenture, leading enterprise and customer system implementations for some of the largest energy companies in North America from 1993 to 1999.

Chase serves on the advisory committee for the CIO Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

Chase has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with honors. He also completed the Wharton School's Advanced Management Program.

Sempra Energy is comprised of two operating groups. The Sempra Utilities group includes Southern California Gas Co., San Diego Gas & Electric and Sempra South American Utilities. The Sempra Infrastructure group includes Sempra Mexico, Sempra LNG & Midstream and Sempra Renewables.
RIYADH/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia denied on Tuesday claims by Pakistani activists that two transgender women from Pakistan were beaten to death in police custody after being arrested in Saudi Arabia along with more than 30 other members of the community.

Reports of the deaths had been carried in Pakistani media and decried in an activists' media conference on Monday. However, a statement from the Saudi interior ministry early on Tuesday said the reports were "totally wrong and nobody was tortured".

The ministry acknowledged that one Pakistani had died in custody after the arrests.

"One 61-year-old person suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital after being treated," the interior ministry statement said.

"The Pakistani embassy looked into this case and another one. Procedures have started to send the body back to his country," it said.

Saudi media reported last week that police had arrested around 35 people after they raided a party where men were dressed as women and were wearing make-up. The Saudi outlets did not use the word transgender, nor say anyone had been killed.

In Pakistan, transgender activist Farzana Riaz told a news conference on Monday that sources in the transgender community in Saudi Arabia had told her the two Pakistanis were beaten to death with sticks.

"We are deeply saddened by the deaths of these two innocent trans persons in Saudi Arabia," Riaz, a leader of the group Trans Action Pakistan, said in Peshawar.

Riaz showed journalists several photos of those still in custody that she said had been sent to her by contacts in Saudi Arabia, along with messages sent via cellphone.

Qamar Naseem, a rights activist from the Blue Veins group, told the same news conference he had shared available information about the incident with members of Pakistan's parliament.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry was not available for comment on Monday.

Saudi Arabia has no law against transgender people, but the kingdom has carried out arrests for cross-dressing and ordered the imprisonment and flogging of men accused of behaving like women, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.

In Pakistan, transgender people are often shunned by their families and forced into begging or prostitution to support themselves.

Recently, however, a nascent transgender activist movement has gained attention and legal rights.

In January, a Pakistani court ruled that transgender people would be counted in the national census for the first time. In 2012, the Supreme Court declared equal rights for transgender citizens. They were guaranteed the right to vote a year earlier.

(Reporting by Mehreen Zahra-Malik, Jibran Ahmad, William Maclean, Aziz Elyaakoubi; Writing by Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Editing by Alison Williams and Paul Tait)
(Reuters) - Appliances and electronics retailer hhgregg Inc and its Gregg Appliances Inc unit filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, as they continued to struggle with declining sales for about four years.

Hhgregg listed assets and liabilities of up to $50,000 in its Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Indiana, and said it signed a term sheet with an unnamed party to purchase its assets.

Gregg Appliances listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in a separate filing.

Hhgregg said it expected to emerge from the process in about 60 days.

"Through these strategic steps, we plan to come out of this debt free and more agile as we serve our valued customers and vendor partners," Chief Executive Robert Riesbeck said in a statement.

The company's 132 stores would operate normally throughout the restructuring process. It said last week it would shut 88 stores.

Hhgregg hired Stifel Financial Corp last month, to advise it on strategic and financial transactions.

(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
By Daniela Desantis

HERNANDARIAS, Paraguay (Reuters) - When toymaker Estrela decided to move manufacturing capacity back to Latin America from China, it sank $2 million into a new factory not in its native Brazil - the region's largest economy - but in its tiny southern neighbor Paraguay.

The plant, which opened this month in the border town of Hernandarias, stands near a 4,500 hectare (11,000 acre) industrial park filled with Brazilian companies making everything from autoparts to clothing.

The dark-blue electric scooters assembled by 20 workers at the Estrela factory, known as a "maquila", will be shipped across the border to Paraguay's giant northern neighbor under a Paraguayan system that allows hefty tax breaks for exporters.

For Carlos Tilkian, chief executive of Manufatura de Brinquedos Estrela SA, it was an easy decision to open the assembly plant in the landlocked nation of just 6.8 million people sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina.

Paraguay has important competitive advantages: cheap energy, labor flexibility and low social charges on wages, he said in an interview before the factory's inauguration. "In Brazil, this would be much more expensive."

Brazilian companies increasingly have been flocking to Paraguay since the election of former-businessman turned President Horacio Cartes in 2013, when he steered his nation to the right after the impeachment of leftist Fernando Lugo. In a bid to create jobs, Cartes built on a 1997 reform that allowed foreign exporters to pay taxes in the low single figures and excluded them from customs tariffs with additional pro-business measures. Though more than 90 percent of its manufactured goods go to Brazil, Paraguay's Mercosur trade bloc membership also gives exporters easy access to Argentina and Uruguay.

Since Cartes's election, the number of foreign manufacturers in Paraguay has nearly tripled, according to government figures, also spurred by Brazil's worst recession on record. The economic downturn has forced manufacturers to cut costs to remain afloat amid onerous taxes and bureaucracy. Of the 126 foreign manufacturers now in Paraguay, four-fifths are Brazilian.

The move by Brazilian companies southward is sparking outrage among Brazilian unions.

Anthony Lisboa, secretary for international relations at Brazil's umbrella union federation, denounced the "maquila" system, saying it relied on "slave labor." He said he was trying to galvanize opposition in Paraguay - which lacks Brazil's tradition of organized labor.

"The U.S. auto industry has the same issue with Mexico: they are simply moving production to a country where laws permit worse working conditions," Lisboa said.

Brazilian businesses and economists say jobs created in Paraguay are replacing jobs in China, not Brazil, and that Brazil benefits from a more prosperous neighbor.

"As China gets more expensive, it becomes viable for some industries to produce closer to home and Paraguay is close to home," said Thomaz Zanotto, foreign trade director for Sao Paulo's powerful business chamber FIESP.

"This is not going to rob Brazilian industry - Paraguay is not big enough for that - but ... it shows we could be more cost competitive in Brazil if we had better economic policies."

'BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE'

Hernandarias' residents are overwhelmingly in favor of the Brazilian factories. The town of 80,000 has long been overshadowed by its neighbor Ciudad del Este, the second-largest city in Paraguay and home to a giant street market hawking everything from contraband perfume to televisions and assault weapons.

Convenience store worker Fabiola Vargas, 22, said the factories offer an option to residents who relied on part-time or informal jobs in Ciudad del Este as Paraguay tries to shed its reputation as a hub for illicit trade and finance.

"We won't have to travel so much and will have a better quality of life," she said.

Brazilians invested $101 million in Paraguay in 2015, according to the most recent Paraguayan central bank data, more than one-third of the total foreign investment of $260 million.

After posting China-paced growth as recently as 2010 amid a commodities boom, Brazil now has the highest unemployment ever among its 207 million inhabitants. By contrast, Paraguay saw GDP growth of at least 4 percent last year, helped by the manufacturing boom.

Eduardo Almeida, the Inter-American Development Bank representative in Paraguay, said a 2015 law guaranteeing foreign companies investing more than $100 million a stable tax rate for 20 years had provided vital stability.

Brazilian meat packer JBS SA, the world's largest, said Paraguay's stability was important to its decision to double output there this year and lift national revenues to $550 million.

"Paraguay is an economy that grows, has clear policies, and stable monetary policy," its local director Felipe Azarias told Reuters.

In Brazil, ranked among the world's most expensive nations to do business, benefits and taxes inflate workers' salaries by 40 to 60 percent, according to Rio de Janeiro-based think tank FGV.

Labor costs are on average 45 percent less in Paraguay than in Brazil, while companies pay average taxes of around 3.5 percent in Paraguay, compared to 36 percent in Brazil, Almeida said.

Cartes' government says it created 21,333 manufacturing jobs between August of 2013 and December of 2016, generating $900 million in exports.

DISCONTENT

In Paraguay, some academics say Cartes' policies are depriving the government of revenue for long-term development, particularly in infrastructure.

"The more exceptions and exemptions we have on manufacturing, the more we deprive the treasury of something foreign investors themselves need - financing for infrastructure," said Fernando Masi, director of the Asuncion-based Center of Analysis of the Paraguayan Economy.

A source at a large Brazilian infrastructure company said Brazilian builders had mostly left Paraguay due to concerns the government did not have the money to provide support for private investment in bridges, dams, airports and other projects.

Paraguays Commerce and Trade Minister Gustavo Leite told Reuters that Cartes is committed to the low-tax policy and has no plans to seek more revenue from Brazilian companies.

"If jobs are so important, why wouldn't we take care of employers," Cartes said at the Estrela factory opening. "This is the Paraguay I believe in: we take care of those who provide jobs."

(Additional reporting by Caroline Stauffer and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Christian Plumb and Ross Colvin)
By Aleksandar Vasovic

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused Albania, NATO and the European Union on Thursday of trying to impose a pro-Albanian government on Macedonia, gripped by political crisis.

A day earlier Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov refused to allow a coalition of Social Democrats and parties representing the country's big ethnic Albanian minority to form a government because of their pledge to allow wider official use of the Albanian language.

Ivanov's move, made during protests of Macedonians against the coalition in the capital Skopje and towns where ethnic Macedonians are a majority, was criticized by the European Union.

"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," a statement by the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

It alleged that such a move was testimony to Albania's claims over "wide regions" of Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece as part of a project to create a so-called Greater Albania.

Russia refuses to recognize the 2008 independence of predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo from Moscow's ally Serbia, and strongly opposes neighboring Montenegro's NATO membership.

Tensions between Macedonia's Slav majority and ethnic Albanian minority reached the brink of civil war in 2001, before diplomatic intervention by the EU and other powers defused the situation.

In a December snap election, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE narrowly beat the Social Democrats, but neither was able to form a government without parties of ethnic Albanians, who make up a third of the population.

After months of talks, Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev last week won the support of three ethnic Albanian parties and conceded some of their demands.

One was for a bill allowing wider use of the Albanian language, a request backed by ethnic Albanian parties from different Balkan countries when they met in the Albanian capital Tirana after the December election.

Macedonian nationalists including former prime minister Nikola Gruevski say the Albanian demand would lead to cantonisation of the country along ethnic lines.

Moscow's statement on Thursday also accused Kosovo of meddling in Macedonian affairs and said the West wanted to bring "the defeated opposition" to power.

"It is necessary to stop external intervention in Macedonia's internal affairs," it said.

(Editing by Andrew Roche)
File Photo: Truck driver Randy Walker fills his rig's tanks with biodiesel fuel at a gas station in the town of Nevada, Iowa, December 6, 2007. REUTERS/Jason Reed

By Chris Prentice

(Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday denied that President Donald Trump planned to issue an executive order to change the national biofuels program, after the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said Trump's team had informed the group an order was pending.

Trading in U.S. refinery shares, fuel futures and corn prices was turbulent on the news of the pending order and its subsequent denial, as investors puzzled over what it would mean for the price of gasoline, ethanol and shares of companies that produce them.

The RFA issued a statement early on Tuesday that said a member of the Trump administration had called to inform the group the president intended to sign an executive order that would shift the onus on combining biofuels with gasoline away from refiners. The order would require companies further down the supply chain, such as retailers who sell gasoline, to shoulder that load.

Refiners have long requested this change, saying the biofuels program has hammered their profits.

White House spokeswoman Kelly Love, however, said on Tuesday afternoon "there is no ethanol executive order in the works."

Ethanol and fuel retail groups reacted quickly to the reports. Trumps regulation adviser, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, is majority owner of CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), a refining company that would benefit from the change. That stock is up 80 percent since Trump's election in November.

Even after the White House denial, RFA Chief Executive Officer Bob Dinneen stuck by his statement, saying there is "certainly something in the works, but they're not going to confirm it until they are ready to roll with it." He declined to identify who in the Trump administration contacted the association.

"Despite our continued opposition to the move, we were told the executive order was not negotiable," Dinneen said.

The Renewable Fuel Standard requires fuel companies to use increasing amounts of biofuel blended with gasoline and diesel. Former U.S. President Barack Obama expanded the rules, which started under his predecessor, George W. Bush, when gasoline prices were near records.

Refineries without operations designed to blend biofuels such as ethanol into gasoline have to pay for renewable fuel credits, known as RINs, to meet U.S. environmental standards to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cost for refiners has increased sharply in the last few years; nine major publicly traded refiners paid $2.5 billion in 2016 for RINs costs, a 78 percent increase from 2015.

Among those that have pushed for the change is Icahn, who holds an 82 percent stake of CVR. That company's shares jumped on Tuesday before paring gains after the White House denial; they ended up 3.5 percent on the day to $22.92 a share, on heavier-than-usual trading volume of 1.7 million shares.

Icahn was unavailable for comment, and CVR declined to comment.

Emily Skor, CEO of biofuel trade group Growth Energy, expressed concern about any role Icahn may have played in planning changes to the program.

"I assure you this is no deal for anyone but Carl Icahn," she said. "If we had been approached with this deal, we would have flat-out rejected it."

Seven Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, sent a letter to the White House this month, saying Icahns role as an adviser to Trump created financial conflicts of interest and called for a review.

Shares of U.S. refiner Valero (NYSE: VLO), which would also benefit from the changes, ended up 1 percent on Tuesday to close at $67.95 a share.

'BACKROOM DEAL'

Biofuel organizations and groups representing fuel retailers and integrated oil companies like the U.S. units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc (NYSE: BP) have opposed the change, which they say will complicate managing the program.

One source said the RFA was told the executive order would include incentives for ethanol and biodiesel in a tradeoff for the blending shift.

Those changes could include a waiver to allow greater volumes of ethanol to be blended into gasoline in the summer, a review of how the Environmental Protection Agency estimates emission impacts of biofuels, and support for a congressional tax credit for domestic producers of biodiesel, the source said.

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures ended up about 1.7 percent. CBOT soyoil , which is used for biodiesel, rose 4.8 percent.

Compliance credits used to meet the annual biofuel blending standards traded around 43 cents on Tuesday from 47 cents to 48 cents previously, paring big morning losses.

(Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Michael Hirtzer, Emily Flitter and Jessica Renick-Ault; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Chizu Nomiyama)
AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
Intertek Group plc provides quality assurance solutions to various industries in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Products, Trade, and Resources. The Products segment offers assurance, testing, inspection, and certification services (ATIC), including laboratory safety, quality and performance testing, second-party supplier auditing, sustainability analysis, products assurance, vendor compliance, process performance analysis, facility plant and equipment verification, and third party certification. This segment serves a range of industries, including textiles, footwear, toys, hardlines, home appliances, consumer electronics, information and communication technology, automotive, aerospace, lighting, building products, industrial and renewable energy products, food and hospitality, healthcare and beauty, and pharmaceuticals. The Trade segment provides cargo inspection, analytical assessment, calibration, and related research and technical services to the petroleum and biofuels industries; inspection services to governments and regulatory bodies to support trade activities; and analytical and testing services to agricultural trading companies and growers. The Resources segment offers technical inspection, asset integrity management, analytical testing, and ongoing training services for the oil, gas, nuclear, and power industries. This segment also provides a range of ATIC service solutions to the mining and minerals exploration industries covering the resource supply chain from exploration and resource development, through to production, shipping, and commercial settlement. The company also offers cyber security services. Intertek Group plc was founded in 1885 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
Morgan Stanley is the 6th largest financial institution in the US. The company is ranked 61st on the Forbes Fortune 500 list and is the 39th largest bank in the world. A financial holding company, Morgan Stanley provides a full range of financial services to clients around the world.

Morgan Stanley was formed in 1935 as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act. Glass-Steagall separated commercial and investment banking in a way that forced the then-largest bank J.P. Morgan & Co to split into two groups. J.P. Morgan & Co. chose to retain the commercial side of the business while partners Henry S. Morga, grandson of J.P., and Harold Stanley took the investment end. In its first year, Morgan Stanley did 24% of the IPO business and maintains a lions share of the market to this day.

The original company existed and grew through acquisitions until 1987 when it merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co. The new Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover & Co existed for 14 years until 2001 when the name was shortened back to Morgan Stanley.

The bank is credited in part with both beginning and ending the financial crisis of 2007/2008. The Process Driven Trading unit lost $300 million in one day due to a short-squeeze that popped the bubble in the housing market. After teetering on the brink of failure Morgan Stanley agreed to become a bank holding company regulated by the Federal Reserve, a key factor in the original decision to split from parent J.P. Morgan & Co. Ironically when given the chance, present-day J.P. Morgan refused to buy Morgan Stanley but that was for the better.

Today, Morgan Stanley operates through three segments via offices in 41 countries and employs more than 75,000 people. Revenue in 2021 topped $49 billion and total assets topped $1.15 trillion.

The operating segments are Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. The Institutional Securities segment is by far the largest and most profitable. It offers a range of services and products for businesses, institutions, and entities that include capital raising, strategic advisory, underwriting, advice on M&A, restructuring, and real estate. The Wealth Management segment provides brokerage and investment advisory services for individuals and employers. The services include brokerage, financial planning, company stock-plan administration, insurance, mortgage loans, lines of credit, and retirement planning. The Investment Management segment provides investment products to a range of institutions, organizations, corporations, and governments.
Ek Park was driving to her mother's home in Dangjin, Korea, when she took a wrong turn and found herself at a dog meat farm. Park, the founder of Free Korean Dogs, an organization that rescues dogs from Korean meat farms and rehomes them in North America, had actually been to this farm before, although this visit was unintentional. She got out of her car to have a look around, and heard someone crying.

Nimo shortly after being rescued | Free Korean Dogs

"When I went to the owner's house located right beside the dog farm, I found this little kitten - so tiny, about my hand size," Park told The Dodo. "I could tell he was so hungry and starved, but he was very scared, so he was just crying." The kitten, whom Park later named Nimo, was eating dirt, according to Park. "He was so hungry when I saw him, he was eating dirt, maybe trying to eat worms," she said. Park picked the kitten up and started petting him. Then the owner stormed out of his house.

Nimo shorly after being rescued | Free Korean Dogs

"He came to me and asked what I was doing," Park said. "I said that I was passing by and saw the kitten. He said that the kitten was his." When Park said that Nimo needed to see a vet, the man scoffed at her. "He believed that taking an animal to the vet was a total waste of money," Park said. Nimo wasn't the only animal who needed vet care. Park could see over 100 dogs cooped up in tiny cages on the man's property, many of them sick and malnourished. The dogs would eventually be brutally killed and sold for their meat. When Park broached the subject about taking some of the sick dogs to the vet, too, the man got angry.

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The dog meat farm where Park found Nimo | Free Korean Dogs

"Suddenly he looked at me differently and said that I didn't look like a dog buyer," Park said. "He said, 'Why are you here? Are you an animal activist? I hate them.'"

The dog meat farm where Park found Nimo | Free Korean Dogs

Fearing for her safety, Park decided to leave. But first, she managed to talk the man into allowing her to take Nimo with her.

Nimo shortly after being rescued | Free Korean Dogs

Now that Nimo was in her care, the last thing she wanted to do was leave him. But in two short days, Park had to head back to her hometown of Toronto, Canada, and she couldn't take Nimo with her right away. To be able to enter Canada, Nimo would first need to get a rabies vaccination and health certificate. So Park took Nimo to Mrs. Jung, a Korean woman who's opened her home to hundreds of dogs rescued from the streets and meat trade, and asked her for help.

Free Korean Dogs

"She [Mrs. Jung] introduced me to Jiyoon Yi, who became Nimo's foster parent for three months in Korea," Park said. "Jiyoon had five puppies whom she rescued from a dog tonic shop at Chilsung market in Daegu. I promised her that I would find good homes for the puppies in return."

Free Korean Dogs

Park kept her promise - she transported Yi's five puppies to North America, and found them homes in New York City and Toronto. Then, several months later, Park returned to Korea to work on a documentary film about the dog meat trade. When it was time for her to go back to Toronto, she took Nimo with her.

Nimo's carrier for his trip from Korea to Canada | Free Korean Dogs

By this time, Nimo had gotten bigger and healthier, and he managed the journey well. "He stayed with me in the cabin, so it was better," Park said. "He didn't make a sound. He was so happy, slept the whole way, and I was very impressed."

Free Korean Dogs

Nimo arrived in Canada last Friday, and he's already found himself a home with Park's good friend.

Free Korean Dogs

"From the first day, he was a big snuggler and right away he ran straight to my friend and she took him to her house," Park said. "He wasn't shy at all - he just looked around and he jumped up on her bed, and since then he stayed there with her."

Free Korean Dogs
The white rhino was shot in the head several times. When he fell to the ground, poachers revved up a chainsaw and sliced off one of his horns. While the rhino's killing is shocking enough, the worst part is where it happened - a zoo. On Monday, poachers broke into Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, a small zoo near Paris, France, and murdered Vince, a 4-year-old white rhino who's never lived a day in the wild.

The poachers apparently tried to saw off Vince's second horn, but stopped. "The criminals were either interrupted or their equipment was defective," the zoo said in a press release published on Facebook. "Our entire staff is in a huge state of shock. A police investigation was launched early this morning." This is the first time poachers have killed an animal in a European zoo, according to Julie Matondo, an education and communication officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

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The zoo had security measures in place and staff living on site, according to the zoo's statement, so it's still unclear how the poachers broke in. Further details have not yet been released. The zoo could not immediately be reached for comment. "This is poaching on a whole new level," Azzedine Downes, the president and CEO of IFAW, told The Dodo. "Wild rhinos have been in the sights of poachers for many years. It's horrifying to imagine a captive rhino falling prey to poachers' bullets."

"Rhino horn simply does not have any magical or medicinal qualities and to think of these magnificent creatures being killed for their horns is utterly abhorrent," he added. The good news is that the two other white rhinos at the zoo - a 37-year-old female named Gracie and a 5-year-old male named Bruno - survived the attack.

"Rhinos are in real crisis," Mark Jones, a veterinarian and associate director at the Born Free Foundation, said in a statement. "Thousands have been brutally slaughtered by poachers over recent years, to supply horn into illegal markets mainly in Vietnam and China. The killing of Vince at Thoiry zoo near Paris marks a new low for these beleaguered ancient and noble creatures, and undermines the considerable efforts being made to protect remaining rhinos from poachers and reduce demand in consumer countries through public education programs." "It is vital that every effort is made to apprehend the poachers and bring them to justice, and to prevent the horn entering the illegal trade," Jones added. "Any trade in rhino horn fuels demand, encourages poachers and traffickers, and puts more rhinos at risk."
They're called "great tuskers" - the African elephants whose tusks are so magnificently large, they nearly reach the ground - and one of these rare and majestic animals was recently found shot to death by poachers. Conservationists from the Tsavo Trust were flying over Kenya's Tsavo National Park in January when they spotted the body of an elephant. This week, it was revealed that the animal lying lifeless in the park was Satao II, a 50-year-old elephant who was one of the last of about 25 great tuskers in all of Africa.

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"The loss of Satao II is a tragedy, not only to the remaining great tusker population of Africa, but also a loss to the entire world of yet another iconic elephant," Paul Oxton, founder and director of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, told The Dodo. "Every great tusker killed by poachers is an irreplaceable loss to the gene pool and does irrevocable damage to the ancient knowledge carried forward from these sentient beings." "I am pretty gutted really," Richard Moller, cofounder and CEO of the Tsavo Trust, told The Guardian. "This particular elephant was one that was very approachable, one of those easy old boys to find." Satao II's tusks, each of which weighed over 100 pounds and could be worth at least $100,000 in the ivory market, were still attached to his body. It is unclear why the tusks were left, though some say poachers didn't have time to remove them before fleeing.

Two weeks after the elephant's body was found, authorities captured the people suspected of killing Satao II. The two men were found with an AK-47, bows and 12 poison arrows. It's believed that a poison arrow is what killed Satao II. Satao, another great tusker after whom Satao II was named, met the same fate in 2014, shot by poachers with poison arrows. When people found his body, his face had been mutilated where his tusks had been hacked off. These are just some of the more visible victims of the ivory trade. But it's estimated that as many as 100 African elephants are killed each day to feed an insatiable demand for ivory. "The death of Satao II shows that the threat to elephants - even those who are well-known and well-studied - remains tragically pervasive across the elephant's range," Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, told The Dodo. "The thirst for ivory persists, despite widespread awareness of the plight of elephants and the risks to their long-term conservation." Even though China, where much of the demand for ivory lies, has taken steps to shut down its ivory trade by the end of this year, closing the first ivory carving factories this month, progress just didn't come fast enough to save Satao II. RIP.
A neglected senior dog named Shelby recently found the perfect forever home when she was adopted by an elderly couple in Ossipee, New Hampshire, this year. The 10-year-old Labrador coonhound mix was nearly euthanized due to a treatable skin condition. Now, Shelby is learning what love is - possibly for the first time in her life.

Shelby | Kellsey Libby

One week before Christmas in 2016, Cecelia Blake, cofounder of Connect A Pet New England (CAPNE), received a startling phone call from a former coworker. "She had happened upon a dog whose family had apparently given up on her," Blake wrote on CAPNE's Facebook. "The family stated she needed baths every other day and a $200 medication. It was too much work and too much money."

Shelby | Cecelia Blake

The woman asked Blake about euthanasia options for Shelby - the dog was in such poor condition from neglect that the woman thought Shelby was dying. So, Blake asked the coworker for more information and, upon learning that Shelby's condition could likely be treated, took the dog to get medical care.

Shelby | Cecelia Blake

Vets confirmed that Shelby's skin condition was treatable, as were a host of other medical issues stemming from a lack of care. The malnourished dog was nearly 20 pounds underweight, infested with parasites and suffered from infections in one eye, both ears and a tooth. Through it all, Shelby proved to be a super sweet dog who was starving for attention - and food. "She is eating and drinking," Blake wrote on Facebook shortly after taking Shelby under the rescue organization's wing.

Dodo Shows Comeback Kids Family Stops At Nothing To Help Their Great Dane Run

Shelby | Cecelia Blake

Fortunately, those days are behind Shelby now. Blake fostered Shelby and nursed her back to health until she was well enough to find a forever home.

Shelby wearing a skin treatment and footie PJs | Cecelia Blake

Lillian and Red Bibber had recently lost their border collie to cancer and were missing canine companionship when their granddaughter, Kellsey Libby, saw Shelby's story on Facebook.

Lillian and Red Bibber with Shelby | Cecelia Blake

"My grandparents are in their eighties," Libby told The Dodo. "Their personalities just seemed so similar, it just felt like it made sense. That needed to be her forever home!"

Shelby barking with excitement on the day she was adopted | Cecelia Blake

Lillian Bibber has always had dogs. She received her first one at the age of 5 and named him String Bean. Since then, Bibber has been a lifelong dog owner, adopting two more before Shelby. "We like to give them a second chance," Lillian Bibber told The Dodo.

Shelby in her favorite spot on the couch | Cecelia Blake

Now, Shelby is spoiled rotten with love and attention. She loves to "talk" and have conversations with the couple each day. "She makes us happy," Bibber said. "I would be lost without a dog."

Lillian and Shelby | Cecelia Blake

Because Shelby is an older dog, she spends a good amount of time doing her favorite activity - sleeping. "She sleeps a lot, but is also very loving," said Blake, who still visits Shelby in her new home. The senior pup loves to watch old Western movies with her owners while relaxing on the couch.

Shelby | Cecelia Blake

Shelby also enjoys watching the neighborhood dogs and cats through the window. "If we say 'Shelby, where's the kitty?' she perks up and knows to look outside," Bibber said.

Bibber makes a weekly batch of biscuits and Shelby is always around to watch. "She is starting to follow me into the kitchen while I cook," Bibber said. "She sits and watches." Shelby also gets a special breakfast once a week of one piece of bacon and one egg. Libby likes to visit Shelby with her children and they take the dog out for walks together.

Shelby with Libby's stepson, Cole | Kellsey Libby

"She is sweet as pie and is just an old soul looking to rest," Libby said.

Shelby | Cecelia Blake

Blake originally thought Shelby would be with her family for the rest of her life, because senior dogs can be difficult to adopt out. However, the Bibbers knew Shelby would be a perfect fit for their family, and Shelby is now living comfortably and loved - just as she should be.

Shelby | Kellsey Libby
Michael Jackson went to extremes to hide his kids from the public, but now they are going public like never 
CSX Corp. appointed Hunter Harrison as chief executive officer effective immediately, entrusting the industry veteran with the task of turning around North Americas least efficient railroad. Hell stick around as long as shareholders are willing to meet his pay demands.

Harrison will resign after the 2017 annual meeting unless shareholders accept his request for $84 million to cover forfeited pay from his old job plus the assumption of a related tax indemnity, CSX said in a statement. Hell join the board along with ally Paul Hilal, the founder of activist fund Mantle Ridge, and three others with their backing.

Read more:Is a CEO worth $200 million? Shareholders think former CP Rail CEO is

The CSX appointment sets up a new challenge for Harrison, 72, who in a five-decade career made Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. into a top performer, solidified Canadian National Railway Co. as the leanest North American railroad and overhauled Illinois Central. Hes taking on his latest job less than two months after resigning as CEO of Canadian Pacific, where he used his precision railroading approach to transform the company with cost cuts and speedier service.

The board is united behind a shared goal  creating value for shareholders and all stakeholders by implementing the Precision Scheduled Railroading model at CSX, Hilal said in the statement Monday. Together, we have created the conditions for success. Now the real work begins.

CEO Mike Ward will retire effective immediately and become a consultant to CSX. Edward Kelly will take over Wards role as chairman of the board, while Hilal will become vice chairman.

CSX said shareholders should vote on whether to accept Harrisons $84 million request. Mantle Ridge already agreed to protect Harrison on an interim basis with respect to that sum. While an annual meeting has yet to be scheduled, it has typically been held in May, said Gary Sease, a spokesman for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company.

Four years is a reasonable time frame for Mr. Harrison to execute precision railroading at CSX and achieve substantial operating improvements, Walter Spracklin, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in Toronto, said in a note to clients. He predicted Harrison would more than double annual profit to $4.02 (U.S.) a share by 2020.

A stock surge of more than 30 per cent since CSX said it was evaluating a push by Harrison and Hilal to take management control has driven the company to this years third-biggest gain on the S&P 500 Index.

The railroad was the worst performer last year among major North American carriers on an efficiency gauge known as operating ratio, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The benchmark measure, in which a lower number is better, was more than 69 per cent. Harrison should be able to reduce the number to 58 per cent by 2020, Spracklin estimated.

Jason Seidl, an analyst at Cowen & Co., predicted Harrison will expand CSXs current effort to eliminate 1,000 management jobs to include rank-and-file workers.

Mr. Harrisons proverbial playbook of cutting fat and running a scheduled railroad may not seem complicated but his methods are time-tested, Seidl wrote in a note.

Harrison developed the concept of so-called precision railroading while at Illinois Central, running shipments and carloads on fixed timetables to ensure reliable deliveries.

In his four years as CEO of Canadian Pacific, Harrison cut staff, stored locomotives and pushed the railroad to run longer and faster trains to reduce fuel and labour costs. He also closed several hump yards  used to separate and sort rail cars  and intermodal terminals in cities including Chicago and Milwaukee to trim operating costs and set the stage for potential land sales.

Canadian Pacifics annual operating ratio plunged to less than 59 per cent last year from 83 per cent in 2012, the year Harrison joined the Calgary-based carrier. Net income more than tripled during the same period to about $1.6 billion last year from $484 million in 2012.

While at Canadian Pacific, Harrison twice tried to acquire CSX  first in 2014 and again last year.

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And here Kathleen Wynne thought the Hydro file was her biggest headache.

The premier should cast her gaze down toward the soon-to-be-sunny climes of Ontarios tomato growing region while theres still some slim chance a bloody red mess can be put right.

The marketing board has been fired. A trustee has been named. Allegations of racial bias are flying. The happy outcome in the wake of Heinz packing up in Leamington seems a distant memory. A group of farmers has filed a statement of claim against Thomas Canning seeking $2.9 million for breach of contract. Its ugly.

Readers of this column recall the fracas last summer when the provinces Farm Products Marketing Commission announced changes to Regulation 440, calling an end to the tomato price contracts negotiated by the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG).

That move lit a firestorm among tomato growers who feared an imbalance of pricing power in favour of processors. In August, it looked as though the Wynne government at least understood that the lack of transparency and consultation around effectively killing the marketing board in an instant reflected badly. Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal called a halt to the unravelling and in an interview with the Star said all-party engagement was paramount. This really is a partnership between producers, processors and ultimately the consumers of Ontario who appreciate high-quality food on their table each and every day, he said.

Leal ordered the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission to undertake what he described as a thorough economic analysis of the proposal. Angry growers expressed relief that there would at least be due process. That analysis has yet to land.

Fast forward to last week and what the ministry of agriculture describes as an impasse in negotiations between OPVG and the three processors chosen to negotiate terms of this years contract: Conagra, Sun-Brite Foods and Highbury Canco, the company that took over tomato processing in the old Heinz plant.

On Friday the OPVG board was turfed and ordered to clear out. Former agriculture minister Elmer Buchanan has been appointed trustee for the growers group. It is apparent that the industry has reached a critical point where it appears that rational and constructive dialogue amongst stakeholders is no longer possible, Deputy Agriculture Minister Greg Meredith said in a note to members.

The impasse was that the processors did not come to the table, says Dave Epp at Lycoland Farms. All three did not come on the final day, on March 1, the tomato deadline. Highbury, who was driving this agenda, did not participate at all.

Highbury CEO Sam Diab confirms that he did not bring his company to the table. It was not an impasse in negotiations, Diab says. There were no negotiations between us and the OPVG. Diab goes on to describe what he says have been ongoing challenges with OPVG, a deteriorating relationship that culminated in Highbury requesting an organization we could negotiate with without fear or bias.

That bias, Diab believes, is made apparent in a February email sent to one grower that refers to the tomato profits being earned by Wynnes East Indian friends, which has been taken to mean Highbury co-owner Pradeep Sood. When we received a copy of that letter, what it did for me is to put together all the pieces and all of the things weve been dealing with for the last three years, Diab says. A lot of the treatment that in my opinion was biased toward us. . . We wrote a letter to the ministers office and asked for some help to fund a solution where we could negotiate our requirements without having to work through this board.

Those allegations are serious. Yet a wholesale rout of the board seems unusual. The agenda here is not the 2017 season, Dave Epp says. The agenda here is to remove orderly marketing, remove collective bargaining from producers.

Some of those producers are still hurting from last year when, as its alleged in a statement of claim filed Monday, Thomas Canning, a processor based in Maidstone, accepted only a portion of contracted tomatoes, leaving a group of farmers badly out of pocket. Bill Thomas, company CEO, could not be reached for comment. In 2014, Thomas Canning received $3 million in provincial funding to help it pursue a global expansion strategy.

Thats a key point. The premier has made her intent known to boost the brand and profile of Ontario agriculture. Thats not going to happen, at least not well, unless all parties are working together.

jenwells@thestar.ca

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Inside a New York warehouse that has been converted to office and design space are the seeds of a new type of collaboration between the hospitality and retailing industries.

There, West Elm, a division of Williams-Sonoma that sells modern furniture and accessories online and in nearly 90 stores nationwide, has created model hotel rooms. Next year, it expects to begin opening boutique hotels in five cities, including Detroit; Charlotte, N.C., and Savannah, Ga.

Its more-approachable travel coming to life, said Peter Fowler, vice-president for hospitality and work space at the company. Room furnishings will be similar to those in stores, but are expected to be more durable to withstand repeated cleaning.

Fowler said the company was also looking to create a network of local artists at each location who would display their work at the hotels.

The hotel business is diversifying. More travellers are seeking homey surroundings at Airbnb and HomeAway and turning to boutique hotels for their non-cookie-cutter designs. (According to STR, a hotel research firm, domestic occupancy rates in boutique hotels rose to 75 per cent in 2015 from 67 per cent in 2010.) That is one reason some retailers and designers see an opening for their hotel concepts.

At the same time, traffic has declined at retailers with brick-and-mortar stores, forcing them to look for new ways to sell their wares.

As online channels steal business from retailers, hotels provide a retailer with a unique, direct and immediate environment to interest consumers, Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Travel Group, said in an email.

Travellers, particularly leisure travellers, are also shoppers. According to the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group in Washington, shopping was the second-most-popular activity among leisure travellers, after visiting relatives.

Still, retail hotels are in their infancy and can be a high-risk and expensive undertaking. Its not as simple as people check in and you clean the room, said Bjorn Hanson, a professor of hospitality and tourism at the Tisch Center of New York University.

But, he added, opening a hotel creates a halo effect. The brand has a whole new sense of importance.

Several hotel brands and chains, among them Westin, Marriott and Hilton, already sell beds, linens and accessories.

Westin also sells its Heavenly Bed at Pottery Barn, a separate Williams-Sonoma division. Linens and bedding are available at Nordstrom.

It was driven by customer demand, Brian Povinelli, senior vice-president and global brand leader for Westin. Since 2000, he said, the brand has sold 100,000 mattresses and 175,000 pillows, worth $150 million.

The convergence of hotels and merchandise started, perhaps unsurprisingly, at luxury properties. Almost two years ago, Baccarat, a French crystal manufacturer, opened a 50-storey building with a hotel and apartments across the street from the Museum of Modern Art, six blocks from its Manhattan flagship store.

Crystal designs are displayed in public areas. Guests can order from the display and have their purchases shipped to their homes, saving time and a trip to the retail store. Select guest-room entrances exhibit art inspired by crystal pieces.

It allows the guests to interact with the brand in their experiences in the hotel, said Hermann Elger, managing director at the property.

Bulgari, an Italian designer of jewelry, watches and leather goods, has properties in Bali, Milan and London. Hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and Dubai are expected to open by the end of the year. The hotel website links to an online store.

Stephani Robson, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell, said retail companies that open hotels have to work with companies that have hotel experience. You need partners and financing, she said.

Bulgari, for example, uses the Marriott reservations system, but does not participate in its loyalty program.

Tommy Hilfiger, whose designs include apparel, luggage and linens sold at Macys, Kohls and online, purchased the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach in 2014 and is developing it in conjunction with the Dogus Group, a Turkish conglomerate. Hilfiger is scouting a second location in Los Angeles.

The symbiosis between the two industries makes sense to him. Retail and hospitality are both dealing with disruption, Hilfiger said.

Although his name will not be identified with the property, he said he planned to create a line of Raleigh products that would include home and bath goods, fragrances, shampoos, sun creams and beach attire sold only at the property. It has to be special and exclusive, he said.

Design hotel properties are likely to be small. West Elm properties are expected to range from 100 to 200 rooms. Hilfiger is anticipating 88 rooms. Robson, of Cornell, said about 120 rooms were the sweet spot, requiring only two elevators and providing sufficient revenue while keeping expenses low.

As projects move ahead, municipal regulations may affect them. Restoration Hardware trademarked the name RH Guesthouse and applied to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Department of Buildings to convert a building in the meatpacking district that is designated a landmark. The site has active permits requiring review by the landmark commission and the local community board.

The company filed another application with the Department of Buildings in late June for interior renovations and a proposal to use the building as a hotel. That application was not complete by the time the plan was ready for review and was disapproved. Restoration Hardware may resubmit the application if it wishes to proceed with the plans. The company had no comment.

Current West Elm customers are not sure what to expect. Danielle Lundberg, a photographer in Northern Virginia, said that she appreciated the West Elm esthetic but that her decision to stay at a property would not be limited to considering furnishings.

She prefers hotels that accept pets and said she would evaluate star ratings and prices, then whittle down a selection. She is also guided by neighbourhood and parking.

Boutique hotels feel a little more personalized, she said. You dont have the exact same room as everyone else.

Susan Chancey, a stylist and designer in Asheville, N.C., said she had purchased West Elm pieces for clients and her stepdaughter. She said the ambience at a hotel was important to her.

Robson said she expected that West Elm was hoping to reach beyond existing customers. A brand like West Elm can signal our brand is experiential  reinforce positioning for customers not familiar with the brand, she said.

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As the worlds biggest mining convention gets underway in Toronto this week, Alexandra Horwood puts on her heels and starts digging.

The annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada event draws more than 20,000 mining-industry types from around the world who are looking for the next big thing in gold, nickel, copper and platinum.

As director of wealth management and a portfolio manager at Richardson GMP, Horwood is prospecting for her own gold, namely new clients. Over the last few years, she has carved out a niche managing miners money, particularly executives of resource firms who need help with their personal finances.

The investment expert says she first got invites in 2011 to hospitality suites at the massive networking event. I thought the people I was meeting were hysterical because theyre just really outgoing and fun, says Horwood, 29, recalling the tall tales she was told over a few beverages.

The convention draws people from all walks of the mineral exploration business, from the folks who stake claims in the bush to bankers, investors, geoscientists and executives from more than 100 countries, with Toronto renowned as the mining business capital of the world.

The next morning, I followed up with everyone I had met and offered them to come meet with us to look at their financials, she says with a smile.

While the resource game is an international business, its also a small world, so she naturally got more clients through word-of-mouth. Then she decided to drill deeper, and three years ago she bought a booth amid the 1,000 other exhibitors on the convention floor.

Shes says its the best $4,000 shes ever spent. Now, more than half of her client roster includes resource-company executives with portfolios averaging $900,000.

The cyclical mining industry has been struggling through a downturn in recent years and many mining executives  who are typically invested heavily in resource stocks  have seen their liquid net worth plummet, she notes.

Many have made millions and lost it all, made millions and lost it again. I make sure that when they make it, we sell what we can and diversify completely out of mining (except for company stock), so that they can preserve capital and grow their wealth, and (are) not living off welfare when they retire, she explains.

Horwood said that shes surprised at how many people in the mining business tell her they are diversified investors, and they have 10 different junior gold stocks.

Miners also often travel to dangerous countries as a natural part of the business, so they have specialized financial needs.

Youd think that people who are flying to god-knows-where every other week would have a will and insurance. Seventy-five per cent of (her clients) did not have a will or any life insurance, and they are between 45 and 65 years old, she says.

Horwood  who gave birth to her first child Mason last November  has come a long way in a short time at Richardson GMP, starting out as an assistant to her parents, who are longtime wealth managers, to become the youngest director at the firm in less than five years. Now she has her own team and handles about 100 high-net-worth clients and their families, the majority of which are in the mining game.

I worked my butt off building my business. It is such a grind at the beginning but I love it, she says, tending to Mason as she continues to work out of her home office since having the baby three and a half months ago.

She was working from her hospital bed after she gave birth, says her friend Ian Ball, chief executive of mining firm Abitibi Royalties Inc.

Horwood is back at the booth this week, seven hours a day through Wednesday with her associate Ghinel Bozek, making their golden opportunity pitch to prospective clients and touching base with current ones, who travel a lot and are rarely in the same place at the same time like they are this week.

Every year, we get a few new clients who are colleagues of existing clients. Theyre all families. As a woman, I think its very important that both spouses are involved and have a say in whats going on with their finances. Wives and mothers have very different goals from husbands and fathers, Horwood notes.

Her business is fee-based, and most of her accounts are discretionary, meaning she is authorized to make investment decision on her clients behalf, which works well in the industry since they dont have to sign off on every investment decision when theyre in the depths of a mine in Ecuador.

One thing I love about mining executives is they are so fast to get back to me; they organize, they delegate, theyre fun, they have a lot of risks because of their job, so theyre more assertive investors. They just know they need help.

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Jimmy Buffett, the mastermind behind "Margaritaville" cafes and restaurants, has announced he will be opening a series of retirement home communities with the same theme.

The first community, Latitude Margaritaville, named after Buffetts best known song, Margaritaville, is being planned in Daytona Beach, Fla., and will be built through a collaboration between Canadian developer Minto Communities and Buffetts company, Margaritaville Holdings.

According to the website, the community will be an escape to paradise. The plans will include walkable neighbourhoods, a fitness centre and food and drinks from a Margaritaville restaurant. There will also be a focus on music and the community will include a stage for live performances.

Construction has started and the village and sales centre are expected to open in fall 2017. Model homes will be available for viewing in 2018. Prices start from the low $200s.

With files from the Associated Press

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LA CROSSE  James Lee Havlicek, passed away Thursday, March 2, 2017. He was born in La Crosse, Dec. 4, 1934, to Edward and Alice (Bruha) Havlicek.

Dad took an apprenticeship for tool and die making at Machine Products after graduating from Aquinas High School in 1953. He was drafted into the Army in 1956, and finished his apprenticeship after serving for two years in the military, one year of which was in Germany with the Redstone missile program. When he was granted leave time during his stint in the army, he traveled Europe by train extensively, taking more pictures than any Russian spy plane of the day. Later, after converting these pictures into several filmstrips, this reconnaissance proved completely effective at helping his children to fall asleep at night. After completing his apprenticeship, he went on to work as a tool and die craftsman for 20 years at Iland Tool & Die, Northern Engraving, Lake Center Switch and Luxco. He then made a career change to teach tool and die making at Western Technical College in La Crosse for 20 years, before he retired in 2001. While working at WTC he attended Winona State College and received his BS degree in education at the age of 50.

In 1988, he purchased 66 wooded acres near Black River Falls and began his dream project of building a retirement log cabin. He spent countless hours with family and friends constructing the cabin, and then added a major addition in 2005, with Joanne by his side. He loved to deer hunt, having several tree stands and one highly successful Lazy Boy recliner, but mostly he loved to simply watch the deer as they wandered near the cabin.

After marrying Joanne, Dad started his second career as a gifted silversmith making, selling, and often simply giving away handmade sterling silver jewelry in Wisconsin and Sun City West, Arizona. Dad was an active member of the Toy-Ki Silver-craft club. Dad and Joanne enjoyed many years of being snowbirds between Sun City West and Black River Falls.

He spent the last 14 years with the constant companionship of his loving wife, Joanne, with whom he again traveled extensively, including returning to Europe. In 2010, Dad and Joanne traveled to the Czech Republic, including visiting our namesake city Havlickuv Brod, the Eagles Nest in Austria, and Munich, Germany.

He married Lois Stachowitz in 1960, and was pre-deceased by her in 1999.

He is survived by three children, Andrea, Penn Valley, Calif., Jim, La Crosse, John, La Crosse; 12 grandchildren, Kyle, Elma, Wash., Amy, Calif., Philip, Portland, Ore., (currently in Fort Lee, Va., with the National Guard), Alex, Carina, Teresa, Anthony and Cecily, all of Penn Valley, Jason, Park City, Utah, Nick, Madison, Wis., Ben, La Crosse, Madalyn, La Crosse; and recently, his first great-grandchild, Aria Fae, seven months, Penn Valley.

A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 25, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Black River Falls.

Donations may be given in memory of James to St. Josephs Catholic Church, Black River Falls. Please join Jamess family in sharing memories, pictures or videos on his tribute wall at www.caminodelsol.com.
OTTAWA  Canadas military has a new second-in-command to take the place of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, who has been sidelined under a cloud.

Lt.-Gen. Alain Parent was named acting vice-chief of defence staff Monday by Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff.

Parent is currently is the deputy commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, a position he has held since July 2015. He will assume his new role on May 30.

Norman was abruptly removed from his post in January and Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, has tapped to do the vice-chief job, too. Mondays announcement allows Lloyd to return to his navy job full time.

Vance has been tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding Normans sudden departure, saying only several weeks ago that it was the right thing to do.

High-profile Toronto lawyer Marie Henein is now representing Norman and last week, she issued a statement declaring that the long-time navy veteran, looks forward to being cleared and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.

Parent joined the air force in 1979 and went on to fly helicopters before rising through the ranks in a series of command roles.

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OTTAWAThe father of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq has cancelled a speech planned for Toronto on Tuesday, with the event organizer suggesting Khizr Khan was concerned about travelling outside the United States.

In an email to ticket holders on Monday, organizer Bob Ramsay said Khan was notified that his travel privilege (sic) are being reviewed Sunday evening.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me, but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad, Khan said, according to Ramsays statement.

I have not been given any reason as to why.

Its not clear what review Khan was referring to. While the Trump administration continues to try to implement a travel ban for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries and deport illegal immigrants, neither initiative would apply to Khan, who became a U.S. citizen in 1986.

The State Department issued a brief statement Monday saying that any U.S. citizen with a valid passport can enter or leave the country. Khan, Ramsay, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency did not return requests for comment.

Khan was scheduled to appear at a luncheon and Q&A session Wednesday, focusing on what he calls a message of unity and equality before the law.

Khan rose to national prominence in 2016 when he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention, and has been a harsh critic of the Trump administrations ban on immigrants from Muslim countries.

Read more:

Trump signs new refugee and travel ban, excluding Iraq this time

Why does Trump think Obama tapped his phones? A point-by-point investigation

Washingtons Trump Hotel is the citys new political hub

Khans son, Capt. Humayan Khan, was killed in a suicide-bombing attack in Iraq in 2004. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, and is credited for saving his troops from the bomber.

Speaking with the Star last week, Khan said he has had several international requests since his speech at the Democratic convention.

I get offers outside the U.S. I have invitations to go to Sweden, Germany, Oxford. Japan television has been four times to our home, Khan said.

When asked if he was concerned for his safety, Khan said he intends to continue to speak out.

We have taken precautions and we are very, very careful, Khan said. But we have to take some risks.

Read more about:

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REGINAThe former deputy premier of Saskatchewan, who resigned from the government caucus after being charged with drunk driving last August, is back.

Don McMorris asked to rejoin the Saskatchewan Party caucus and members voted Monday to allow him to return to the government benches.

McMorris says he wants to help prevent drunk driving.

I think I can have some input that will help government moving forward, McMorris said Monday when the spring sitting of the legislature started in Regina.

Its going to be a challenging year, absolutely, and if my experience can help this government through those challenging times, Im glad to be able to offer that up.

McMorris has been sitting as an Independent member of the legislature since he was pulled over by police in a construction zone on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Regina on the morning of Aug. 5.

He pleaded guilty in September to having a blood-alcohol level over .08, was fined $1,820 and lost his licence for a year.

But the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving says its too soon for the government to welcome McMorris back.

He deserves the right at redemption. He made a poor choice last year. I just dont believe that right now is the time for that, said Wendell Waldron with MADD in Regina.

Waldron notes that Saskatchewan enacted tougher drunk driving laws in January, so he says the caucus move sends a mixed message about how seriously impaired driving is taken in Saskatchewan.

On one side of the equation, we say that we dont like impaired driving. On the other side of the equation, were willing to accept someone back into the party that seven months ago was driving impaired two times over the limit at 11 oclock in the morning, said Waldron.

Its not the message that we want to send to this province. Very dangerous precedent.

But Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall disagreed.

He is still paying a huge price for this terrible mistake that he has made. He is not in the cabinet. He is not a deputy premier. Hes part of a government caucus, Wall said Monday.

The premier says McMorris has learned his lesson and wants to help prevent drunk driving.

This has been a passion of his and I think we want that passion inside of government, said Wall.

Statistics Canada says Saskatchewan had the highest rate of police-reported impaired driving among all the provinces in 2015. There were 575 incidents per 100,000 people in Saskatchewan, nearly twice as high as Albertas 314 per 100,000, the province with the second-highest rate.

The national rate was 201 incidents per 100,000.

The new law that kicked in Jan. 1 includes a three-day vehicle seizure for drivers who are caught for the first time with a blood-alcohol content between .04 and .08.

It also extends mandatory ignition interlock for repeat drunk drivers and applies it to those who refuse to provide a breath sample.

McMorris says he was eligible to have an interlock device put on his car after three months and it has changed his perspective.

I think its a great program and I think it could be expanded, he said.

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OTTAWASensing the same disaffection in Canada that helped lift Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton pulled from the populist phrase book to launch her decidedly left-wing bid for the federal NDP leadership.

The fourth MP to enter the race to succeed Thomas Mulcair kicked off her campaign Tuesday with a speech that denounced unfair trade deals and vowed to challenge the power of Canadas elites.

But she made clear that  in her policy proposals and ideological inclinations  shes more Bernie Sanders than Trump. She described herself as a proud democratic socialist who will fight for free post-secondary tuition, institute universal child care, and nationalize assets like the deep sea port in Churchill, Man.

It is time to call out a system that is rigged to benefit the few at the expense of the many. Its time to take back our country, Ashton told an assembly of journalists and campaign workers at a downtown Ottawa community centre.

We must challenge the power of Canadas elites, the rich and powerful who are benefitting from growing inequality in our country, she said.

Ashton, 34, ran unsuccessfully for the NDP leadership in 2012, when she argued that the party would be wrong to drift to the centre in an attempt to broaden its appeal. In an interview with the Star on Tuesday, Ashton said the party needs to reconnect with progressive-minded voters who turned out in the last election but didnt support the NDP.

To do so, she said the party must be bold in its proposals to fight climate change, address economic disparities and push for womens and LGBTQ rights and racial equality.

There are so many people out there that are fighting for social justice, for environmental justice, and for economic justice in different ways that weve lost touch with as a party, she said.

Ashton blamed decades of cutbacks and misguided trade deals for a host of problems, including manufacturing job losses, a rise in contract work without benefits, record levels of student debt, and third world conditions in indigenous communities.

These issues need to be tackled head on through strong government regulations to protect the environment, ensuring that large infrastructure projects and airports are publicly owned, and investing in the creation of high-quality jobs and green projects, she said.

The status quo has gotten us to where we are, the neo-liberal status quo, and what we need is a bold, progressive vision to challenge the system thats holding us back.

At the same time, she said that some Conservatives are trying to appeal to people who feel left out of the economy, and that the NDP must offer a hopeful message and position itself as the party for working people looking for a better shake.

The kind of economic insecurity that we saw in the American election exists here at home, and thats something that we here in the NDP needs to take seriously, and put forward bold ideas to tackle that inequality, she said.

Ashton also pledged to pursue electoral reform, extend health care to cover pharmaceuticals and mental health needs, and oppose resource development projects that dont meet environmental standards or dont have the approval of indigenous communities.

The MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski was first elected in 2008, and entered politics to vie for the NDP nomination in her riding at 23, after her local candidate voted against same-sex marriage. She speaks four languages  English, French, Spanish and Greek  and has served as the NDPs critic for Indigenous Affairs, status of women, youth and employment and workforce development.

Ashton joins fellow MPs Peter Julian, Charlie Angus and Guy Caron in the race to replace Mulcair at a leadership convention in October.

The first debate of the campaign is scheduled for Sunday in Ottawa.

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MONTREALThe RCMP officer killed in the line of duty in Quebec this week was remembered Tuesday as a gentle giant who was fulfilling a lifelong dream by working for the federal force.

Const. Richer Dubuc, 42, a seven-year veteran of the force, had only been stationed in Quebec since early this year, the Mounties said in a statement.

The married father of four died from injuries after a crash Monday night between his RCMP vehicle and a farm tractor in Lacolle, near the U.S.-Canada border.

A native of Joliette, Que., Dubuc began his career with the Codiac detachment in New Brunswick in November 2009. In January, he joined the Integrated Border Enforcement Team based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

The great RCMP family is deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague, the force said. We offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Richer.

Supt. Paul Beauchesne, the officer who oversees the Codiac detachment where Dubuc began working upon graduating from the RCMP training academy, said his former colleague had achieved a lifelong ambition.

Richer was known as a man of large stature with a personality that matched, Beauchesne said in a statement. His co-workers called him the gentle giant because he was very tall and always in good spirits.

We are all feeling his loss.

Beauchesne said Richers permanent smile and his willingness to stand up for others and lend a hand is how he will be remembered. His contributions to the New Brunswick communities he served wont be forgotten, he added.

Prior to becoming a member of the RCMP, Richer was a paramedic and served as an emergency medical technician with the tactical and emergency response units in the province, said Larry Tremblay, commanding officer of the RCMP in New Brunswick.

A Quebec provincial police spokesman said the tractor driver suffered minor injuries and that the circumstances of the crash were under investigation.

The collision occurred on Highway 202 near Roxham Road, an area frequently used by migrants crossing into Canada on foot from the United States.

RCMP officers have been dealing with a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving this way in Quebec and Manitoba.

A moment of silence was held in the House of Commons on Tuesday to mark Dubucs death.

In Montreal, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale also expressed his condolences to Dubucs family.

This is a great tragedy, Goodale said as he attended an event. An officer on duty, serving the public safety of Canadians, doing his job ... In the course of a police officers responsibilities, they expose themselves to very real risks and dangers.

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An Oshawa man was surprised last week to learn that his social insurance number may have been compromised after it was printed on the outside of an envelope containing his tax form.

Jodi Harrison, a former Molson Coors employee, said he received a letter in the mail Thursday from Ceridian HCM, which handles other companies payrolls.

The letter informed Harrison that his social insurance number may have been erroneously printed on the outside of your revised 2015 T4 tax form.

It was a surprise to get that in the mail, said Harrison, who stopped working at Molson Coors this past year.

I honestly thought it was going to be like a T4 or something to do with my termination but then I get that and its like, what the hell? 

Ceridian apologized for the error and said the incident was the result of human error affecting fewer than 70 employees at one company.

As soon as Ceridian was made aware of the issue we took steps to notify the customer and worked with them to take all steps possible to protect the personal data of any affected individual, including providing credit monitoring and protection services, chief marketing officer Kristina Cleary said in a statement.

We sincerely regret this error occurred and any inconvenience it has caused our customer and the affected individuals.

In the letter to Harrison, dated Feb. 23, the company said it believes the risk of identity theft is low.

It is offering those who may have been affected one year of free credit monitoring through an arrangement with Equifax Canada.

Rest assured the protection of your personal information is top priority and we ensure that it is treated accordingly, the letter states.

Harrison said the offer does little to satisfy his concerns.

Everything about me was out there. Its in my hands now but who knows how many hands it changed through before it got to me, he said. Really I dont think theres much I can do. I dont know if theres anything I should be doing.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada warns on its website that social insurance numbers can be used for identity theft.

Along with other personal information, someone may be able to use your SIN to apply for a credit card or open a bank account, rent vehicles, equipment, or accommodation in your name, leaving you responsible for the bills, charges, bad cheques and taxes, it states.

The privacy commissioners website also advises the public to shred documents containing their social insurance number.

If someone suspects their number is being used fraudulently, they should contact police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, one of Canadas national credit bureaus and their bank.

Harrison said hes angry with Ceridians response considering how much of his information may have been exposed.

Obviously my name and my address was on that envelope as well because it was addressed to me, he said. Theyve got quite a bit of info. Everything but my drivers license, pretty much, which Im sure they can probably get.

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After a rare motion calling for a high-ranking Toronto police officer to be removed as the adjudicator from the upcoming Neptune Four hearing, that same officer has cleared himself of appearing biased and ruled he can oversee the high-profile disciplinary hearing set to begin this summer.

The decision, released by Insp. Richard Hegedus on Friday, comes four months after Toronto police Const. Adam Lourenco filed an unusual motion to see Hegedus removed as the hearing officer  effectively, the tribunal's judge  on the case, alleging that Hegedus recently committed misconduct himself and that Toronto police let him off the hook.

The disappointing decision is being held up by top police lawyer Peter Brauti, who represented Lourenco at the hearing on the motion in December, as a clear case for independent adjudication of police tribunals, something he calls a necessary reform.

The perception of the public is that the fix is in and police officers get off easy because they are being judged by their own colleagues. Rank and file police officers believe the fix is in because the management gets to (lay) the charges, pick the prosecutor and pick the hearing officer to decide the outcome of the case, Brauti said in an email Monday.

Either way the general perception is that the tribunal is a tool to serve the ends of management and not the ends of justice.

Brauti says he has instructions to appeal.

The allegations contained in Lourenco's motion, denied by Hegedus in his ruling, stem from a separate case where Hegedus was found by Ontario's Civilian Police Commission to have given an unlawful order to a subordinate to change, on an official document, who was at fault in a vehicle collision.

Lourenco, one of two officers facing misconduct charges in connection to the 2011 Neptune Four case, alleged in his motion that there is a reasonable perception that Hegedus would not decide the case in an impartial manner.

That is in large part because of the potential perception that Hegedus could harbour animosity against his lawyer, Lawrence Gridin, who in a previous tribunal hearing represented the cop who was ordered to change the accident document, and called Hegedus' order unlawful, outrageous and criminal.

Lourenco's motion was argued at a Toronto police tribunal in December, with Hegedus adjudicating.

In his 78-page decision, Hegedus concludes that Lourenco's motion failed to show that there are enough grounds to justify his own removal from the case because of the possible perception of bias.

I have made no comments and have taken no action which could be construed as indicating a bias to any of the parties, Hegedus writes.

Regarding potential hard feelings Hegedus may have towards Gridin, Hegedus said Lourenco's motion did not demonstrate that my actions towards him or Mr. Gridin have given rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias.

The assumption that I would harbour animosity towards Mr. Gridin is just that, an assumption, Hegedus writes, adding he accepts Gridin's prior criticisms of him were made in the process of providing a vigorous defence defending for his client.

Lourenco's motion was brought forward last fall, before the beginning of the hearing into the controversial gunpoint arrest of four black teens, an incident that has become known as the Neptune Four case.

The boys  three of them 15 years old at the time, one 16 years old  were walking along Neptune Dr., though a public housing complex on their way to a mentoring session for kids in at-risk neighbourhoods when they were stopped by Lourenco and Const. Scharnil Pais, both from the now-defunct Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) unit.

It is alleged that the interaction became violent after one of the boys attempted to exercise his right to walk away  that one officer threw punches and drew his gun, backup police cruisers were called, and the four boys were arrested and charged with assaulting police. All charges were later dropped.

The province's Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) investigated the incident and found the stop violated the boys Charter rights. As a result of the OIPRD probe, the two officers now face a total of four misconduct charges under Ontarios Police Services Act.

Peter Rosenthal, the lawyer for three of the four boys, now adults, said Monday that his main concern has been the delay caused in proceeding with the charges against Lourenco and Pais. He said he will be arguing that Lourenco should be dismissed from the force, in part for drawing his gun, which he's alleged to have done.

In my view, his continued presence on the force represents a danger to the public because of both the possibility of Lourenco's using lethal force and the message his presence gives to other officers, Rosenthal wrote in an email Monday.

The misconduct case at the heart of Lourenco's bias motion stems from a 2013 accident between a police scout car and a civilian vehicle. Hegedus was acting unit commander at 33 Division, where the accident took place, and one of Hegedus subordinates, Const. Kevin Drake, probed the collision.

Drake concluded the civilian driver was at fault, which he stated in an official Ministry of Transportation Motor Vehicle Collision Report. Later, Hegedus ordered Drake to change that finding and conclude the police officer was at fault  something Drake refused to do because he did not believe that to be true.

As a result, Drake was charged with insubordination for failing to follow Hegedus' orders.

At the disciplinary hearing, Gridin, then representing Drake, alleged Hegedus had engaged in deceit and possibly the criminal offence of obstruction of justice by ordering Drake to change the result of his investigation.

Drake was found guilty, but appealed to Ontario's Civilian Police Commission, which overturned the finding, ruling that Hegedus ordered a subordinate to falsify an official record.

Toronto police did absolutely nothing, then Hegedus was appointed as the sole permanent hearing officer, Lourencos lawyers Gridin and Brauti wrote in the motion, adding the optics are appalling.

Responding to the allegation that his appointment as a hearing officer could bring the reputation of the Toronto police into disrepute, Hegedus said in his ruling that his order to Drake to change who was at fault in the collision was given to correct an error pointed out to him by traffic experts.

Since the context for my actions does not support a suggestion of misconduct, then the reputation of the (Toronto police) has not been brought into disrepute as a result. That argument cannot hold, Hegedus wrote, in a decision released Friday.

Rosenthal said that despite the delay caused by the motion, he agrees that there is institutional bias built into the police disciplinary system, including that the chief of police appoints the hearing officers and the prosecutors.

He expressed hope that the ongoing review of police oversight in Ontario, led by Justice Michael Tulloch, recommends procedures that provide independence from the police of adjudicators and prosecutors in police disciplinary proceedings.

Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, has previously said the union also supports independent adjudication at police tribunals.

The Neptune Four hearing is scheduled to begin in August.

Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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Friends and family are mourning a 37-year-old Thornhill real estate agent killed last month in an accident at a Las Vegas racetrack.

Craig Sherwood was killed Feb. 12 after losing control of the white Lamborghini he was driving at the SpeedVegas racetrack.

Witnesses told police they watched a vehicle going at a high rate of speed enter into one of the tracks turns and crash into a barrier wall, at which point the vehicle caught fire, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesperson Laura Meltzer.

Sherwood died from burns, according to a spokesperson for the local coroners office. An instructor in the passenger seat, Gil Ben-Kely, 59, of Nevada, also died from chest injuries. The cause of the crash was ruled accidental.

A funeral service was held last Friday for Sherwood. He had been in Las Vegas for a real estate conference along with colleagues from Keller Williams Realty, the company he worked for.

We had lobster Benny that morning at the Encore in Las Vegas and he was having a great day, we were laughing, said Mark Timmons, Sherwoods coworker at Keller Williams.

Timmons said the two of them started working at the company six years ago. He watched his energetic colleague quickly rise through the ranks and build a successful team.

He just soared. Where the rest of us are still making average money, he quadrupled it, Timmons said. He kinda just hit his stride in terms of building his team and his system and his customer service and getting everything in place and then this happened.

Timmons described Sherwood as a family man. He said the two were work buddies and always roomed together at out-of-town conferences, including this one.

Sherwood was known around the office for his positivity. He came to work every day with his chin up and ready to go, according to Timmons.

He was on it and always positive. I had never seen him down, never seen him really upset longer than 30 seconds, really. He was an inspiration, said Timmons.

But he was constantly so humble. He came from humble beginnings and always maintained that, he said. (He) would always take the time to help other people. He was a big deal, a really big deal.

Timmons said he last saw his friend around 11 a.m. that day when Sherwood and another colleague caught a shuttle to the speedway. The two texted a few times while Sherwood was at the track and planned to meet later in the day at a conference event. He found out around 5 p.m. about the crash.

In a statement last month SpeedVegas chief executive officer Aaron Fessler said the company was cooperating with investigators.

We are devastated by this tragic event and extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families and to our team members who have lost a beloved colleague, he stated.

Timmons called Sherwoods death a massive loss.

The situation is just not right, its a complete tragedy, he said. To have his personality filling the room, and just to, kind of, for lack of better words, be reduced to ash, its just like hes left this big void in my life. He was a rising star.

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The provincial government has announced a sweeping new plan for tackling systemic racism that includes Ontarios first anti-racism legislation, $47 million for black youth, and a framework for collecting race-based data  something community activists have long demanded.

The pan-government strategy  developed over the last year by the provinces still-fledgling anti-racism directorate  was unveiled Tuesday at a crowded news conference attended by the Attorney General and several cabinet ministers.

In his remarks, Minister of Children and Youth Services Michael Coteau, who heads the directorate, promised concrete steps to end systemic racism in government institutions.

One of these steps is proposed legislation to be introduced this spring  which, if passed, will mandate the collection of race-based data across multiple sectors, including child welfare, education, health and justice. Another is a new framework to apply an anti-racism lens to future policies and programs.

The A Better Way Forward strategic plan highlighted specific barriers faced by black youth, who will become the beneficiaries of a four-year, $47-milllion action plan aimed at reducing disparities and helping them succeed. I want black youth in this province to know that their lives matter, Coteau said.

The plan also calls for education initiatives and public awareness campaigns  something Coteau believes is especially needed when we talk about Islamophobia.

Our government is ready to take responsibility and to make change, Coteau said. Its taken us decades to get to this point. And I believe that its never too late for us to correct our course.

The anti-racism directorate was formed to address racism in all its forms in February 2016  10 years after the Ontario government first passed legislation that enabled them to create an office for tackling systemic racism.

The directorate fills a long-time void left by the provinces former anti-racism secretariat, which was killed in the mid-1990s by the Progressive Conservative government at the time.

In February 2016, Premier Kathleen Wynne said the need for an anti-racism directorate had sharpened in recent times, pointing to ongoing issues like police carding and the debate over Syrian refugees.

Arguably, the need has since become more acute. In the hours before the anti-racism strategy was unveiled, news broke of bomb threats made against Jewish community centres in Toronto and London.

Tuesdays threats come on the heels of several other, troubling events: the Quebec City mosque shooting in January; last weeks bomb threat against Muslim students at Concordia University; and a string of racist and anti-Semitic vandalism attacks, to name a few.

The anti-racism directorate has spent the past year holding a series of emotionally-charged public meetings across Ontario, meeting with community members everywhere from Toronto to Thunder Bay.

Last July in Toronto  where the first of 10 meetings was held  a crowd of more than 1,000 people packed Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park. Some criticized the province for only allocating $5 million to the anti-racism directorate and the crowd periodically broke out into chants of black lives matter.

Attendees expressed frustration over what they described as an endless cycle of proposed  and failed  initiatives to address systemic racism in Ontario.

There hasnt been a time in the last 50 years when we have not marched on the streets of Toronto calling  calling out, calling out, calling out  to put an end to racism, said Akua Benjamin, a longtime black activist and professor with Ryerson University.

There hasnt been a time when we have not faced (policymakers)  whether it is the Liberals, whether it is the NDP, whether it is the Conservatives  around this issue of racism. And so here we are again.

On Tuesday, some community members again expressed skepticism of the new strategy, especially with a provincial election looming.

But the mood was markedly more optimistic. While Avvy Go was disappointed by the strategys lack of focus on employment inequities, she was heartened by the strategys embrace of race-based data collection.

The collection of disaggregated data is foundational to the success of any anti-racism strategy, said Go, a founding member of the Colour of Poverty campaign and director of the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.

Without such data, we simply cannot properly measure the progress over time of any plan that the government might choose to adopt and implement.

Donna Harrow, executive director of the Alexander Park Community Centre, also stood up to thank Coteau for his work with the directorate.

Harrow has seen many government promises come and go in her 40-some years of black activism. But this new strategy, she believes, is different.

This is the first time that they have actually named systemic racism (and committed) funds to African-Canadian young people who have not had an equitable chance in our society, she said.

For the first time, I can say that someone from the Ontario government has listened and has acted for a specific group of people  my specific group of people.

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Toronto is on pace for a record number of mumps cases this year, with two more cases confirmed, one each at two local schools on Tuesday. The total confirmed cases now stands at 28.

(The last largest mumps outbreak on record was in 2009, according to public health officials, when 33 cases of mumps were confirmed in the city.)

Shari Schwartz-Maltz, a spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, confirmed on Tuesday that two students had the mumps. The affected students attend King Edward Junior and Senior Public School and Hodgson Senior Public School.

A letter was sent home to students at both schools, urging parents to ensure the vaccination of their children, and the record of it, are up to date.

A task force is being sent to both schools to disinfect all high contact surfaces, including counters, desks, railings and water fountains.

Ontario students are required to be immunized against mumps. Of the 344 students at Hodgson, just one had an exemption from the immunization requirement. The exemption rate at King Edward is unknown.

The announcement of the two new cases comes the day after TDSB confirmed that one of its students was hit with a case of mumps.

The total number of cases at schools now stands at three.

Dr. Vinita Dubey, an associate medical officer with Toronto Public Health, said two of the three students had an inadequate immunization history. The third students immunization record was unknown.

Dubey said all three students did not catch the highly contagious virus at school.

None of the cases got mumps at the school, she said. All three cases were contacts of confirmed cases of mumps. They either had household contacts or other contacts and thats how they got mumps.

Toronto Public Health is currently investigating the mumps outbreak in the city.

Despite the cases found in the three schools, Dubey said the virus has predominantly affected 18-to-35-year olds who frequented west-end bars in the city, specifically west of Yonge St., east of Lansdowne Ave. and south of Bloor St. W. Some of the cases are related to travel.

Dubey said the newest cases indicates a community outbreak of mumps.

The initial set of cases has spread mumps to other individuals in the city, which is maybe the second wave. Now, well probably get another wave as well, she said.

Toronto normally averages about four cases of mumps per year, according to health officials.

The highly contagious virus spreads through coughing, sneezing and coming into contact with a persons saliva.

Symptoms include swollen saliva glands, loss of appetite, tiredness and headaches.

Dubey is urging both parents and children to check their immunization records and ensure they are up to date on their vaccinations. Two doses of the mumps vaccine are recommended for all individuals born 1970 or later. Those born between 1970 and 1992 may have only received one dose. Public health officials recommend that anyone who is unsure is of their record receive a booster dose.

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BLACK RIVER FALLS  Mary Ann McDonald, 88, of Black River Falls passed away March 3, 2017, at Mayo Clinic Heath System in La Crosse.

She was born in Sparta, Jan. 6, 1929, the daughter of John R. and Mary M McDonald.

She graduated from Black River Falls High School in 1946 and from Mount Mary College, Milwaukee in 1950.

Mary Anns parents preceded her in death. She is survived by her brother, John R. McDonald II (Mary) La Crescent, Minn.; nephew, John R. McDonald III (Molly), St. Paul; four nieces, Anne McDonald, Eagan, Minn., Elizabeth Johnson, Eden Prairie, Minn., Sarah Rabbitt (Michael), Chicago and Mary Allen (David), Loretto, Minn.; and 12 great-nieces and nephews.

After graduating from college Mary Ann worked in La Crosse for two years in accounting. She then returned to Black River Falls, where she lived the rest of her life.

During her years in Black River Falls, she owned and operated a home decorating store, several antique stores and several Country Kitchen Restaurants in Wisconsin and Florida, all while managing the family rental properties under the firm name of McDonald Realty.

From the time Mary Ann was in grade school until a few months before her death she spent her spare time raising, training and riding quarter horses, which as her friends and family know, were the joy of her life.

The funeral Mass will be held for Mary Ann at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at St Josephs Catholic Church in Black River Falls. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. immediately before the Mass at the church. It is especially fitting that the celebration of Mary Anns life be at the church her father built in the early 1940s and which was such an important part of her life.

Memorials are welcomed as a contribution to St. Josephs Parish for the new stained glass windows in the church.
Education Minister Mitzie Hunter cannot yet say how many Ontario schools are on the chopping block.

Im not going to provide with you with an arbitrary number based on the question youve asked, Hunter told reporters Tuesday at Queens Park.

Its very important that school boards provide an opportunity for input from the community and thats what the Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline helps them to do, she said, before walking away from a media scrum.

Later, the ministers office said school closures are a strictly local process and any information provided to the government by the board is not final.

We need to wait until the board completes a final accommodation review and a final decision is made by the school board trustees to receive reliable data.

Once we receive this data, we will be pleased to share it with you.

The issue was top of mind at the legislature because Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown is calling for a province-wide moratorium on all school closures.

It is believed that more than 600 schools across Ontario are threatened with shuttering.

Brown wants a review of the flawed guidelines education boards use to determine what facilities to keep open.

School closures have a devastating impact on our communities, the Tory leader said.

While most of the endangered schools are in rural areas, there are some in urban Ontario.

This isnt just about rural school closures anymore. The threat of closures are devastating families in cities as well, including right here in the GTA, Brown said.

Despite the inefficiency of a province funding public and Catholic English- and French-language schools, Brown has no intention to push for a single school system, he said.

Thats not what todays about. Its not a debate or a conversation that Im starting, he said.

Hunter similarly refused to discuss the controversial matter of public funding for Catholic schools.

In the House, the Tories shifted their focus from soaring hydro bills, which had dominated the legislative proceedings until Premier Kathleen Wynnes plan to cut electricity rates 25 per cent last week, to the issue of school closures.

After 13 years of waste, and scandal after scandal, the Wynne Liberals are trying to balance the books on the backs of our students by fast-tracking school closures, said Brown.

His pressure forced Hunter to announce that her department is launching an engagement on new approaches to supporting education in rural and remote communities.

The minister noted that, since 2003, the Liberals have spent more than $16 billion in school infrastructure, opening 810 new schools and renovating an additional 780.

Of those, nearly 450 new or revamped schools are in the countryside.

Hunter dismissed Browns call for unilateral action from the government.

Patrick Brown has no plans on how to build up our education system in rural Ontario, she said.

His arbitrary moratorium on school closures would limit locally elected school boards from collaborating with their communities and implementing creative solutions based on the needs of their students and their communities.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the closings are a problem, but skirted a question about the cost to taxpayers of keeping partially empty schools open, particularly in rural areas.

Urban schools are important, too, and the school closures are out of hand here in Ontario, said Horwath.

There needs to be a real look at what this government is doing to small towns and to neighbourhoods. Its not right.

With files from Rob Ferguson

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WASHINGTONU.S.President Donald Trump does not accept the contention of FBI Director James Comey that Trump falsely claimed that former president Barack Obama had him wiretapped, a White House spokesperson said Monday.

The New York Times reported Sunday that Comey had asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject Trumps assertions. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is untrue and must be corrected, but the department has not released any such statement.

A White House spokesperson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was asked early Monday on ABCs Good Morning America whether Trump accepted Comeys contention. I dont think he does, she said.

Read more:

Why does Trump think Obama tapped his phones? A point-by-point investigation

FBI director asks Justice Department to reject Trump accusations wiretaps by Obama

Trump alleges Obama wiretapped his phones, cites no evidence

I think he firmly believes that this is a storyline that has been reported pretty widely by quite a few outlets, said Sanders. She went on to cite several media reports about the FBIs investigation into links between Trumps associates and Russia.

George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News host interviewing Sanders, pointed out that the stories Sanders cited did not back up Trumps claims that Obama had Trump Tower wiretapped the month before the election.

Trump started the controversy on Saturday when he made a series of posts on Twitter that said he had just learned that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in October.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory, Trump said. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

Trump added: This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

The White House has not officially said what led Trump to make the claims.

But administration officials have acknowledged that it was primarily based on unverified claims by Breitbart News and conservative talk radio hosts that secret warrants were issued authorizing the tapping of the phones of Trump and his aides at Trump Tower in New York.

On Sunday, the White House said in a statement that Trump had demanded Congress investigate whether Obama had abused the power of federal law enforcement agencies. The White House said at the time that it would have no further comment on the matter.

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KENT, WASH.A Sikh man who says a man shot him in the arm and told him to go back to his country is recovering from his wound at home in suburban Seattle and is encouraged by an outpouring of support, community leaders said Monday.

Hira Singh said he has talked to the 39-year-old Indian man and his family by telephone and they are getting back to normal.

The victim is shaken up and concerned about the safety of his family, but he felt really, really blessed that he has survived with very little suffering and that hes received an enormous amount of support, said Jasmit Singh, another community leader.

Read more: Sikh community shaken after shooting of man who was told, go back to your own country

Police in the city of Kent are investigating the Friday night shooting as a hate crime and the FBI has joined the investigation. No arrests have been made so far, police Cmdr. Jarod Kasner said.

The shooting has rattled members of the Sikh community, which numbers about 50,000 in Washington state.

At the Sikh temple in nearby Renton, where the victim has worshipped for about a decade, leaders told their faithful to keep calm and pray, said Harminder Singh, president of Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington.

He said the victim, who is married and has three children, works in the construction industry and is a nice guy. While the shooting shocked everyone, the positive responses from the FBI, police and others have been reassuring, he said.

That sent a positive message to the whole congregation, Harminder Singh said.

Kent police have not identified the victim or released other information about him. But Indias foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, named him on Twitter, saying, I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai, a U.S. national of Indian origin.

Rai told police a man he didnt know came up to him Friday night as he worked on his car in his driveway. They argued, with the suspect telling Rai to go back to his homeland, then shooting him in the arm, authorities said.

He described the shooter as 6 feet tall and white with a stocky build, police said. He said the man was wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face.

All of the information that I have available at this time suggests that the information provided by the victim is credible, Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas wrote in an email Sunday.

Police in a Seattle suburb were looking for a gunman who shot a man in the arm and told him to "go back to your own country," the Seattle Times reported on March 5.

The FBIs Seattle office said it is committed to investigating crimes that are potentially hate-motivated.

The shooting comes after an Indian man was killed and another wounded in a recent shooting at a Kansas bar that federal agencies are investigating as a hate crime after witnesses say the suspect yelled get out of my country.

This hateful incident echoes the disturbing pattern of anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-Muslim attacks in our state, and across the country, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said a statement Sunday night. These acts of violence are hateful, detestable, and un-American.

Many in the Seattle-area Sikh community fear that one of their own was targeted and said theyre scared to go to the store or other public places. Some said they have noticed an uptick in name-calling and other racist incidents in recent months. Still others expressed hurt and disbelief at the lack of understanding and ignorance.

Jasmit Singh urged other Sikhs to be aware of their surroundings and be open about having those conversations with the broader community. He also called on those who arent Sikh to address such violence.

This is not a Sikh-American issue, a Muslim-American issue or a Jewish-American issue. Its really an American issue, he said. What do we want America to look like and what are the values that it should reflect?

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The organizers of the massive post-inauguration womens marches have called on female workers to stay home from work on Wednesday, raising concerns among some supporters of the burgeoning feminist movement that the burden of the protest will fall too heavily on the poor.

The debate about A Day Without A Woman has been simmering on social media and flared in North Carolina last week, when the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools superintendent decided to cancel classes for March 8 because so many staff members plan to participate.

While some applauded the school districts decision, which they praised as a gesture of support for its overwhelmingly female staff, others criticized it for suddenly forcing many parents to either stay home to care for their children or find  and pay for  backup care.

Read more:

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Deborah Gilgor, 57, a home-based daycare provider in Chapel Hill, said she will not be taking the day off even though she is a passionate supporter of the new womens movement and has taken part in five protests in five states since the presidential election. She said that choosing not to work would have a direct impact on some of the parents who send their children to her centre.

If I dont work, they dont work, and if they cant work, they dont get paid, Gilgor said. I just thought I would have a bigger impact being here for the kids than not.

Organizers anticipated concerns about the event, which is planned to coincide with International Womens Day and is designed to draw attention to the critical role women play in the labour force. It also aims to create pressure for policies such as equal pay for equal work and paid family leave.

To make it more inclusive, they urged women to take the day off only if they feel they can, and they are encouraging alternate actions, such as wearing red in solidarity on the day of the strike and refraining from spending money except at women-owned businesses.

Linda Sarsour, national co-chair of the Womens March, said the strike is also a way to continue the momentum the marches created. More than a million people gathered in Washington and around the country the day after U.S. President Donald Trumps inauguration, and many participants said it was their first time protesting.

Organizers wanted to introduce those who are newly politically active to different protest strategies, including sending post cards to legislators and hosting huddles or informal conversations about their activism goals.

The idea of the strike  its another strategy, Sarsour said. It was not going to be comfortable for everyone.

Historically, the people at the forefront of labour strikes have not been from among the most privileged, she said, citing hourly pay workers who have fought to raise the minimum wage and farm workers who have left the fields to fight for worker protections.

They risked their jobs, and they had big wins, Sarsour said.

Similar strikes have been carried out in recent weeks by bodega workers and taxi drivers in New York, and for a Day Without Immigrants, which saw some schools and businesses close or work with skeleton staffs as immigrant workers took the day off.

But the chasm between the haves and have-nots is creating tension within the feminist movement. A half-century ago, women were uniformly shut out of many careers. The decades since have seen widening inequality between educated women who have benefited from new career opportunities and a growing class of low-wage workers who have not.

Among the goals of the new wave of feminist activism are the expansion of worker protections that many professional women already have, including a living wage, paid family leave and fair schedules.

On Twitter, some said they plan to strike for those who cant.

#IStrikeFor my grandmother who cant be there . . . she was a maid for many years who didnt get the benefit of promotions and raises, one person tweeted.

Another wrote: #IStrikeFor all the unrecognized ways women drive our economy. @domesticworkers & caregivers take care of us; who cares 4 them?

Others said they would not be striking because they work in health care or do not want to leave their employers in a lurch. They instead pledged to wear red or otherwise show their solidarity for the strikers.

Mercy Morganfield, regional leader of the Womens March on Washington D.C. said it is not just low-wage workers who feel unable to strike. Many Washington area residents who took part in the Jan. 21 march are federal employees and are nervous about the prospect of a strike.

A lot of people are afraid of what this administration will do, especially for protesters, she said. There is such fear around this issue.

The group told march participants in a letter not to worry if they cant strike. This is for people who can afford to do it and people who are not afraid of losing their jobs, Morganfield said.

For restaurant workers, who live on tips, the only way to get paid is to go to work, so missing work is difficult, said Saru Jayaraman, co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which represents 25,000 restaurant workers.

She said hundreds are planning to attend a Women Workers Rising rally outside the Department of Labor on Wednesday afternoon, organized by her group and others, including unions representing teachers and domestic workers.

I have never seen workers so motivated to participate in these kinds of actions, she said.

In Chapel Hill, the schools superintendent told parents that his decision to close schools was not politically driven. A school district spokesperson said Jim Causby polled his principals in advance of the strike and got a shock: approximately 400 of the districts 2,000 employees are planning to participate.

While Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools values and supports its female employees, the decision to close schools is not a political statement, Causby wrote in a letter to parents. It is entirely about the safety of students and the districts inability to operate with a high number of staff absences.

Alyssa Minshall, 38, whose two children attend Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools and who owns her own toy-making business, said she supports the strike and appreciates the school districts decision to close. She noted that some parents have offered free child care for others who cannot take the day off.

I completely understand the ones who have a really difficult time. But at the same time, I look at it as we have snow days and other things that come up that are unexpected, she said. I love all the women that work in the school and they make such a huge sacrifice, so I was so glad the school district supported their voice and didnt make it hard for them.

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WASHINGTONIf Donald Trump wants to know whether he was the subject of surveillance by the U.S. government, he may be uniquely positioned to get an answer.

In a series of weekend tweets, the president accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of ordering wiretaps on his phones but offered no proof to back the claim. The White House then called on Congress to investigate the allegations.

But former government lawyers say Trump hardly needs Congress to answer this question.

The intelligence community works for the president, so if a president wanted to know whether surveillance had been conducted on a particular target, all hed have to do is ask, said Todd Hinnen, head of the Justice Departments National Security Division during the Obama administration and a National Security Council staff member under George W. Bush.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

The latest storm began Saturday when 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 followed up with: How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

The Justice Department, not the president, would have the authority to conduct such surveillance, and officials have not confirmed any such action. Through a spokesman, Obama said neither he nor any White House official had ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Obamas top intelligence official, James Clapper, also said Trumps claims were false, and a U.S. official said the FBI asked the Justice Department to rebut Trumps assertions.

Why turn to Congress, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer was asked Monday.

My understanding is that the president directing the Department of Justice to do something with respect to an investigation that may or may not occur with evidence may be seen as trying to interfere, Spicer said. And I think that were trying to do this in the proper way.

He indicated that Trump was responding to media reports rather than any word from the intelligence community. Other officials have suggested the president was acting on other information.

Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Monday that Trump needs to give more information to the American people and Congress about his wiretapping accusations. The dimensions of this are huge, McCain said. Its accusing a former president of the United States of violating the law. Thats never happened before.

As for the genesis of a possible wiretap, it is possible the president was referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a 1978 law that permits investigators, with a warrant, to collect the communications of someone they suspect of being an agent of a foreign power. That can include foreign ambassadors or other foreign officials who operate in the U.S. whose communications are monitored as a matter of routine for counter-intelligence purposes.

The warrant application process is done in secret in a classified process. But, as president, Trump has the authority to declassify anything. And were such a warrant to exist, he could theoretically move to make it public as well.

If the president demands to know what happened, the Justice Department can decide whats appropriate to share and whats not, said Amy Jeffress, another former Obama administration national security lawyer.

The Justice Department applies for the warrants in a one-sided process before judges of the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Permission is granted if a judge agrees that theres probable cause that the target is an agent of a foreign power. Though the standard is a high bar to meet, applications are hardly ever denied.

Targets of wiretaps are not alerted that their communications are being recorded. Defendants later charged in the criminal justice system may ultimately learn the government intends to use at trial evidence collected through a FISA warrant, but they are not presented with the actual application for a warrant.

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Unfortunately, the public has never seen an actual FISA application over nearly 40 years, so we dont know exactly how the FISA Court has applied or interpreted the probable cause standard in this context, Patrick Toomey, an American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney specializing in national security, said in an email.

Trump also could have been referring to wiretapping authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Justice Department can obtain a warrant for that surveillance by convincing a judge that theres probable cause to believe the target has committed or is committing a crime.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz says its possible that federal employees could have used tactics other than a phone wiretap. He noted that stingrays  suitcase-sized devices that imitate a cellphone tower  allow police to zero in on a phones location. The phones dont have to be in operation, and some versions of the technology can even intercept content, like texts and calls, or pull information stored on the phones.

There are other ways and other tools at the disposal of the federal government that have been used in the past, he told Fox News on Tuesday.

For Congress, getting to the bottom of this should not be difficult, said Dan Jones, a former Senate investigator and currently president of the Penn Quarter Research and Investigations Group. If there was no such warrant, he said, the next step would be to ask the president why he made the claim.

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An idea, once unthinkable, is gaining attention in European policy circles: a European Union nuclear weapons program.

Under such a plan, Frances arsenal would be repurposed to protect the rest of Europe and would be put under a common European command, funding plan, defence doctrine, or some combination of the three. It would be enacted only if the continent could no longer count on U.S. protection.

Though no new countries would join the nuclear club under this scheme, it would amount to an unprecedented escalation in Europes collective military power and a drastic break with U.S. leadership.

Analysts say that the talk, even if it never translates into action, demonstrates the growing sense in Europe that drastic steps may be necessary to protect the postwar order in the era of a Trump presidency, a resurgent Russia and the possibility of an alignment between the two.

Even proponents, who remain a minority, acknowledge enormous hurdles. But discussion of a so-called Eurodeterrent has entered the mainstream  particularly in Germany, a country that would be central to any plan but where anti-nuclear sentiment is widespread.

Jana Puglierin of the German Council on Foreign Relations said that a handful of senior European officials had for sure triggered a public debate about this, taking place in newspapers and journals, radio interviews and TV documentaries.

She added: That in itself is remarkable. I am indeed very astonished that we discuss this at all.

A nuclear Plan B

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Polands former prime minister and now the head of its ruling party, provided the highest-level call for a European Union nuclear program in a February interview with a German newspaper.

But the most important support has come from Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker and foreign policy spokesman with Germanys ruling party, who gave the nuclear option increased credibility by raising it shortly after President Donald Trumps election.

In an interview in the German Bundestag, Kiesewetter, a former colonel who served in Afghanistan, calibrated his language carefully, providing just enough detail to demonstrate the options seriousness without offering too much and risking an outcry from German voters or encouraging the U.S. withdrawal he is hoping to avoid.

My idea is to build on the existing weapons in Great Britain and France, he said, but acknowledged that Britains decision to leave the European Union could preclude its participation.

The United States bases dozens of nuclear warheads in Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands as both a quick-reaction force and a symbol of its guarantee to protect the Continent. Kiesewetter said his plan would provide a replacement or parallel program.

This would require, he said, four ingredients: a French pledge to commit its weapons to a common European defence, German financing to demonstrate the programs collective nature, a joint command and a plan to place French warheads in other European countries.

The number of warheads in Europe would not increase under this plan, and could even decrease if the United States withdraws.

Its not a question of numbers, Kiesewetter said. The reassurance and deterrence comes from the existence of the weapons and their deployability.

He envisioned a program designed to deter nuclear as well as conventional threats  a clear nod to Russias military superiority.

This would require a doctrine, he said, allowing Europe to introduce nuclear weapons to a non-nuclear conflict. He compared it to the Israeli program, which is believed to allow for a nuclear strike against an overwhelming conventional attack.

These are political weapons. Their use must be unpredictable, he said. Smaller nuclear powers often maintain vague doctrines to deter more powerful adversaries.

The goal, he said, would be to maintain Europes defence, seen as crucial for its internal unity, as well as its international diplomatic standing.

German lawmakers across the political spectrum worry that Trump could strike a grand bargain with Russia that excludes Europe, a potential first step toward Washington and Moscow dictating Europes future. Kiesewetter believes a European nuclear program would allow Europe to preserve its autonomy.

A political minefield

Mostly, Kiesewetter said he hoped to spur Trump to end doubts over U.S. security commitments to Europe, rendering unnecessary the nuclear Plan B.

For now, Kiesewetters intention is merely to trigger a debate over addressing this silent, gigantic problem.

It has worked. A small but growing contingent of German analysts and commentators have endorsed versions of a European nuclear program.

Kiesewetter said he had heard interest from officials in the Polish and Hungarian governments, at NATO headquarters in Brussels and within relevant German ministries, though he would not say which.

But any European nuclear program would face enormous hurdles.

The public is totally opposed, Puglierin said, referring to German anti-nuclear sentiment, which has at times culminated in nationwide protests against the weapons.

In practical terms, the plan would change the flag on Europes nuclear deterrent from that of the United States to that of France. But this would risk making a U.S. exit from Europe more permanent.

Oliver Thranert, a German analyst with the Switzerland-based Center for Security Studies, warned in a white paper that any plan would not only be expensive, but also a political minefield full of undesirable potential political consequences.

The biggest challenge may be who controls the French arsenal and where it is based.

The United States currently shares warheads with allies like Germany, whose militaries are equipped to deliver the weapons, granting the program credibility as a Pan-European defence.

But France has shown no willingness to share its weapons, much less put them under a joint European command. If Paris maintains final say over their use, this might cause an adversary to doubt whether France would really initiate a nuclear conflict to protect, say, Estonia.

France and a special responsibility

These sorts of problems are why Bruno Tertrais of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris said, In other times I would have told you dont bother, theres no story here.

Similar proposals have been floated before, including by the French government, and always rejected as politically risky and strategically unnecessary. But, he said, that calculus appears to have a potential to change with Trump.

Theres already a bit more interest in Berlin and in Paris, Tertrais said, though he emphasized that this talk would become action only if there were a serious loss of trust in the U.S. umbrella.

But a joint European command or funding scheme would most likely be impossible, he warned. The French government would insist on maintaining the final decision to use nuclear weapons.

That is also U.S. policy in Europe, which is why Tertrais believes a more workable plan would be for France to reproduce American-style practices of basing its warheads abroad, while keeping them under French control.

While most French warheads are lodged on submarines, a few dozen are fitted to air-launched cruise missiles that could be housed in, for example, German airfields. These are smaller, shorter-range tactical weapons  exactly the American capability that Europe most fears losing.

French policy already allows for, though does not require, using nuclear weapons in defence of an ally.

With Britains exit from the European Union, the French might feel they have a special responsibility as Europes sole nuclear power.

Vipin Narang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who studies regional nuclear powers, was initially skeptical but came to see such a plan as both technically and politically feasible.

For France, he said, it extends their frontier, making it likelier that a nuclear conflict would be fought far from French soil. For Germany and other European states, it would increase the credibility of the forward deployment against Russian aggression.

An insurance policy

Some observers believe that official shows of support are intended only to pressure Trump into maintaining the status quo, which Kiesewetter emphasized is his preferred outcome.

But Narang said that, regardless of intentions, there is a blurry line between mere signalling and actually pursuing a fallback nuclear option.

Nuclear scholars call this insurance hedging, in which a protectee comes to doubt its protector and responds by taking steps toward, but not actually completing, its own nuclear program. This is meant to goad the protector into staying, and to prepare in case it does not.

Japan, for instance, has quietly developed latent capabilities that are sometimes figuratively described as a screwdrivers turn away from a bomb.

Because Europes primary challenges are political rather than technical  France already possesses the warheads  sparking public discussion and exploring options makes those challenges more surmountable and the option more real.

In order for it to be credible there has to be some sort of workable option, Narang said.

I Never Thought We Would See This Again

Kiesewetter hopes the United States will come around. He puts particular faith in Jim Mattis, the defence secretary, whom he met in Afghanistan and Brussels while both were military officers.

But Mattis has echoed Trumps warnings that the United States could lessen its support for Europe, saying in a recent speech in Brussels, I owe it to you to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States.

If Europeans grew more serious about a nuclear program, Tertrais said, you would not necessarily see it. Negotiations would most likely remain secret for fear of giving Trump an excuse to withdraw  or of triggering a reaction from Russia.

Narang said he was reeling from the seriousness of the discussion, the first since a failed and now-forgotten effort in the 1950s for French-German-Italian nuclear co-operation.

I never thought we would see this again. I never thought there would actually be this concern, he said. But, he added, You can see where the debate is surfacing from. There is a logic to it.

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BUDAPEST, HUNGARYHungary adopted tough new rules on Tuesday allowing authorities to detain all asylum-seekers, including women and children fleeing war and poverty, in border camps built from shipping containers. Human rights groups said the decision was a flagrant violation of international law.

In the eyes of Hungarys combative prime minister, Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, migrants are a Trojan horse of terrorism, putting his country under siege. He considers the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, as a threat to Europes Christian identity and culture.

According to rules adopted Tuesday by lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party, all asylum-seekers will be detained at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests. Hungary intends to close all other refugee reception centres around the country.

Police will also be allowed to expel to the Serbian side of the border fence any migrants who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometres of the border could be sent back to Serbia.

The developments alarmed human rights advocates.

Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isnt a refugee policy  its avoiding one, Amnesty International said, denouncing the Hungarian moves as a flagrant violation of international law. It called on the European Union to step up against Hungarys illegal and deeply inhumane measures.

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The United Nations refugee agency said the new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered.

Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for 462 new border guards, called border hunters by the government, Orban again focused on migration as a major threat.

Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism, Orban said. The people that come to us dont want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living.

Orban said the migration pressure on Hungarys borders would continue.

We are still, at this moment, under siege, he said. The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defence.

In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, migrants waited at an abandoned warehouse for a chance to continue their journey toward Western Europe.

For us, everywhere is difficult, because here we are homeless, we are innocent, said Hamid Khan, a migrant from Pakistan. My friend told us that on Hungary border, they beat us and by dogs they bite us, thats why I dont try.

While the Hungarian government has repeatedly denied any reports of border officers mistreating migrants, humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders said beatings and abuse were systematic, not just isolated incidents.

There seems to be a kind of welcome to the EU package of abuse thats provided by the Hungarian border police, Christopher Stokes, general director of the groups Belgian operations, told The Associated Press. It involves at a minimum beatings, practically systematically the application of tear gas at very close range and some sprays in the eyes.

He said migrants, mostly Afghans and Pakistanis  some of them injured  reported being forced to remove shoes or clothing, with border police obliging people to go back to Serbia in the snow and in the cold.

The new rules expected to be enforced within days are linked to the state of emergency due to migration which has been extended by decree until Sept. 7.

There are hardly 400 asylum-seekers in the country, said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda.

Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 150-kilometre-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1.

While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum-seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones.

In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum-seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum-seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.

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We have one enemy on this side and one behind our back. Robert a blockader, referring to the political establishment in Kyiv

BAKHMUT, UKRAINEOne month ago, on the edge of this small city in eastern Ukraine, 15 men and women dressed in camouflage began blocking train tracks, seeking to cut off trade running across the front line into territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

The small protest launched a new flashpoint in Ukraines simmering war. The enemy: the countrys powerful oligarchs.

At night, half a dozen people stand over a fire burning in a rusty oil barrel, smoking cigarettes and warming their hands. These protesters were part of the 2013 revolution launched in Kyivs Maidan square, which brought down the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. Many became volunteer combatants in Ukraines ad hoc military effort in which citizens self-organized into paramilitary groups to fight separatism in the countrys east.

Oleksandr, 18, one of those who stopped the train, has since returned to school, but each day, I go home (from school), change my clothes, and come here, to the protest, he said. Some protesters live in canvas tents set up next to the tracks with military, national and regional flags from across Ukraine hanging outside. They have also blocked two other railway lines in an attempt to stop all trade with separatist territories and with Russia.

Since protesters set up their tent camps, they say there have been multiple attacks by police and titushkas (paid hands hired to attack protesters), including an incident on Tuesday that resulted in 37 arrests and landed three in the hospital. One protester defended himself with a chainsaw; some now carry weapons. The blockaders say soldiers with the Ukrainian Army stationed nearby have promised to come to their aid in the event of an armed altercation with the government.

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The protesters, who now number a few hundred, are calling the economic relationships that straddle the front line a trade in blood, accusing corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs of effectively subsidizing the separatist economy and allowing the war to continue.

The protests, said Vitalii Cherniavskyi, one of those co-ordinating the action, aim to return Ukrainian prisoners of war and forbid all kinds of trade except humanitarian aid, urgently needed goods, and food, and to adopt a law which regulates occupied territories  to call them occupied officially and to call Russia an aggressor.

The blockade is impacting the entire country and could cost Ukraine $2 billion a year should it continue, said the countrys president, Petro Poroshenko. Some economists estimate this figure could rise to $3.5 billion.

A big part of the economic disruption is a halt in coal shipments from the east, which powers industry in the west but is also a major source of income for the Russian-backed eastern republics. The blockade has precipitated a state of emergency in Ukraines energy sector and the government is warning of rolling blackouts, job cuts and economic consequences. Production at several coal mines, mills and factories has already been halted.

Putin wants us to finance the war he started, Volodymyr Parasiuk, a member of parliament and one of the movements leaders, told the New York Times in a telephone interview, referring to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. He wants the republics to finance themselves, by selling coal.

The separatist-controlled region has also been affected economically by the blockade. On Wednesday, separatists, responding to the protests, seized factories and businesses in Donetsk that are registered in Ukraine, including those owned by Rinat Akhmetov, the Donbas regions biggest oligarch and one of Ukraines richest men.

In targeting trade, protesters are actually attacking those they see as enemies on both sides of the line: in Kyiv, those oligarchs enriching themselves at the countrys expense, and in the east, the separatists fighting Ukraine using funding from the west.

We have one enemy on this side, said Robert, a volunteer during the war in Ukraine, a former soldier in the coalition military effort in Iraq and most recently a special forces police officer, and one behind our back, referring to the political establishment in Kyiv. Most protesters asked that their full names not be used.

A train driver supervising the locomotive stuck indefinitely on these tracks, a local from Donetsk, had run coal from separatist territories to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, but was frustrated by the impact it was having.

I lose something as well, but we should have [stopped trade] in the first days [of the war], he said. If we had done it in the beginning of the war, [the conflict] would have ended a long time ago.

Polarizing people

Bakhmut, 500 kilometres east of Kyiv, was, until last year, known by its Soviet name, Artemivsk. But a Ukrainian decommunization law reinstated the citys original name. Some of the buildings still show damage from fighting that took place here when the city was retaken from separatists by pro-Ukrainian forces two and a half years ago.

The protest has polarized the region, magnifying the gap between Ukraine and the separatist-occupied east as well as that between ordinary Ukrainians and the countrys establishment in Kyiv.

It has highlighted the corruption still endemic to Ukraine, a problem that has not been solved since the revolution on Maidan; however, in trying to address it, protesters have further isolated the separatist-held regions in the east, making their reintegration according to the Minsk II peace agreement less likely.

As post-Maidan reforms in Kyiv have stagnated and the war on the front line has dragged on  leaving more than 10,000 dead  many have grown frustrated.

After he finished singing late in the evening in one of the protesters canvas tents, Igor Bereziuk, a musician travelling the front line playing for volunteers and soldiers, told those gathered that the future of Ukraine is being decided  at the blockade in Bakhmut.

As the protest drags on into its third month, pulling in more and more people from across Ukraine and receiving increasing pushback from separatist forces and Ukrainian establishment, Bereziuk may be speaking the truth.

With files from The New York Times

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KUALA LUMPURNorth Korea barred Malaysians from exiting its borders and Malaysia followed suit Tuesday, turning ordinary citizens into pawns in the diplomatic battle surrounding the investigation into the bizarre death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother.

The tit-for-tat directives come as relations between the two countries disintegrate over the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.

This is way out of normal diplomatic practice, Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Koreas decision. He could not recall anything similar in recent years, where so many everyday citizens were pulled into a diplomatic standoff.

Although there is growing speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack, Malaysia has never directly accused Pyongyang. Still, North Korea has slammed the investigation as flawed and called into question Malaysias autopsy report that found VX nerve agent  a banned chemical weapon  killed Kim.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that Pyongyang was banning Malaysians from leaving the country until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia.

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Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects. Three of them, including an official at the North Korean Embassy, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysias national police chief, said the three are probably holed up inside the embassy.

We will not raid the embassy, Khalid said. . . . We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out.

Soon after North Korea announced its travel ban, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak issued a strong condemnation and said he was barring North Koreans from leaving.

This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms, Najib said in a statement.

I have also instructed the Inspector General of Police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea, he said.

Malaysian officials had initially said the ban would affect only North Korean Embassy staff and officials, but later expanded it to include all North Koreans. Police briefly cordoned off access to the embassy.

About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be working in Malaysia. Before diplomatic ties broke down, Malaysia had been one of the few places in the world where North Koreans could travel without a visa. As a result, for years its been a quiet destination for North Koreans looking for jobs, schools and business deals.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there were 11 Malaysians in North Korea: three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

North Korea said Malaysian diplomats and citizens may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before during the period of the temporary exit ban.

It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.

Malaysias finding that the nerve agent VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea was behind 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.

The attack was caught on grainy surveillance camera footage that showed two women going up behind Kim as he waited for a flight and wiping something across his face. According to Malaysian investigators, the substance was VX and Kim was dead within 20 minutes.

Two women are charged with murder in the death of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on March 1. (The Associated Press)

The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

North Korea has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Nam or a relative of Kim Jong Un. Instead, it refers to him as Kim Chol, the name on the diplomatic passport he was carrying when he died.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and was estranged from his younger half-brother, the North Korean ruler.

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As a Texas couple was moving into their new home in Houston on Saturday, they made an unpleasant discovery: Bones, visible through a space in the attic wall.

It was possible the bones were the remains of the previous owner, who vanished two years ago. Along with the mortal remains, the new homeowners found red eyeglasses, of the type the houses previous owner was known to wear.

But who, if anyone, hid the bones  or why they were in the house  remained a mystery, according to local authorities.

The bungalows previous owner, Mary Cerruti, went missing in 2015. She was 61. To the Houston Chronicle, neighbours described Cerruti as kind and introverted.

She ceased to pay her mortgage in 2014. The grass began to grow high around the house, a 1930s bungalow worth $400,000 ($540,000 Canadian). Her mail began to accumulate. Neighbours notified the police that they had not seen her; a missing-person report was filed in 2015.

One day that year, firefighters arrived to clear out the house.

When the fire trucks were there, they said the smell was so bad in the house, a neighbour, April Lidell, recalled to news station KHOU. They figured it was from the cats, because God knows how long they had been in there without food or water.

By the middle of 2016, the bank began the process of foreclosing on the house. Ultimately it was sold to the couple.

On Saturday, the new homeowners discovered the skeleton. The bones showed signs of animal disturbance, police said. According to the Chronicle, the owners expressed surprise that various parties who had entered the house previously  animal control to catch Cerrutis cats, police looking for the missing woman, renovators to replace the roof  somehow did not discover the bones.

The couple was concerned about the bodys discovery. Was it someone who was killed and stuffed in the wall, or did they accidentally pass away by ending up in the wall? said Jason Fay, a Houston police detective, the Associated Press reported.

Authorities extracted the remains, but the owners declined to spend Saturday night in the house.

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Jaclyn Dahl flashed her trademark smile and sharp wit during the supremely bittersweet moment of her high school graduation Monday, saying, You know Im valedictorian, right, Dad?

Her dad, Jack, who is not expected to live long enough to see his 18-year-old graduate with her De Soto High School classmates May 26, was the first to laugh, but was joined quickly by the 60 to 70 people attending the specially arranged early graduation ceremony at Gundersen Health System.

The event was a cooperative venture of Gundersen, where Jack has been hospitalized for three weeks after a year of off-and-on treatments there and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and De Soto School District administrators and staffers.

The ceremony, which evoked tears several times and laughter at others, featured a De Soto High School commencement program  except that the date was March 6. The De Soto High Wind Ensemble played Pomp and Circumstance as Jaclyn, wearing cap and gown, walked down steps from Gundersens lobby to the lower level.

She embraced, kissed and took a seat next to her dad, who is 62 and is suffering from metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that affects the bile ducts and is known for very low survival rates and short life expectancy after diagnosis. Sitting in a recliner, Jack was tethered by tubes and wires to medication and monitoring devices next to him.

Class President Sierra Tully delivered the welcome, declaring that the ceremony was a recognition of the seniors hard work and dedication. Sixteen of Jaclyns 44 classmates attended the event, which included relatives, friends and Gundersen staffers.

Vocal music teacher Craig Pierce addressed the commencement crowd, beginning by quoting Sharon Ralls Lemon, author of The Ultimate Horse Book, to acknowledge one of the key bonds between Jack and Jaclyn.

The quote  The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom  is a reflection of Jaclyns attributes, Pierce said.

He chronicled many of her characteristics, as other teachers had passed on to him, including the fashion sense one of the schools cooks mentioned, the perpetual smile a science teacher admires and a gym teachers praise of her sharp wit, with the occasional touch of humorous sarcasm. Other traits include a strong devotion to and defense of her friends, and her own personal strength and thoughtfulness.

Jaclyn truly loves her dad, Pierce said. We have all seen Jaclyns care for her dad, which included giving up many of her high school activities to drive him to treatments.

Ive learned from Jaclyn that we can all be strong, Pierce said.

After the De Soto High School Choir performed Tim McGraws heartwarming Humble and Kind, social studies teacher Tim Fergot and school board member Rick Pedretti presented Jaclyn with her provisional diploma.

Stepping to the microphone, Jaclyn choked up bit as she acknowledged that she hadnt planned or prepared to deliver remarks herself.

Then followed the joke she aimed at her dad about being valedictorian before she said, emotionally, Thank you all for coming. It means a lot. Its been a tough road  and I couldnt have done it without you  especially my dad.

After a pause, she told Jack, You made me the girl I am today, pausing ever so slightly again before adding with a smile, and I think I turned out pretty awesome.

The comment that evoked laughter and applause through the crowd.

Superintendent and principal Linzi Gronning also spoke before declaring Jaclyn a graduate and granted her permission to move the tassel from one side of the mortarboard to the other.

Jaclyn played the role to the hilt, tossing her cap high into the air.

Gronning smiled at Jacklyns valedictory joke, adding that technically, she was, indeed, valedictorian for a day  being the only graduate Monday.

When Gronning asked whether anyone else wanted to comment, before the two cakes decorated with Congratulations, Jaclyn were cut and the party began, Jack spoke up firmly, saying, I do.

He praised school officials, students and Gundersen personnel  in particular the nurses, staff and doctors who had worked so quickly to pull off the event since the idea came up last week.

Earlier, Gundersen staffer Sue La Crosse had explained during an interview that the event reflected Gundersens slogan: We Practice Love + Medicine.

What is best for our patients sometimes goes above and beyond, La Crosse said.

This is incredible, Jack said. Ive got a big family, and Jaclyn has a lot of great friends. I hear about them all the time, although I dont know all of them.

In the days Ive got left, he said, this will be a good memory.
BILOXI, MISS.A freight train smashed into a charter bus in a coastal Mississippi city on Tuesday, pushing the bus 91 metres down the tracks and leaving at least four people dead, authorities said. Rescuers spent more than an hour removing passengers, cutting through the buss heavily damaged frame to extract the last two.

The bus could be seen straddling the tracks, with a CSX Transportation locomotive pushed up against its left side. The bus was apparently stopped on the tracks when the 52-car train, pulled by three locomotives, slammed into it, said Biloxi Police Chief John Miller.

Were not sure why, Miller said. We dont know if there were mechanical issues or what was taking place.

Miller said passengers on the Echo Transportation bus had come from Austin, Texas, carrying passengers to one of Biloxis eight casinos. Ameet Patel, senior vice-president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said the bus was travelling from the Hollywood casino to the Boomtown casino at the time of the crash.

Its a terrible tragedy, Miller said. I know theres a lot of families that are going to be impacted here.

There were conflicting reports of the number killed in the crash. Officials initially said four people died and then revised it down to three. But Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city of Biloxi, later said after consulting with the coroners office that four were killed.

Creel emphasized its a very fluid situation.

Any time you have a major incident like this, the information can change, he said.

The names of the dead have not been released.

Michelle Crowley of the Biloxi fire department said 40 people were injured; of those, seven were in critical condition.

A woman who lives about a block from where the train and bus finally came to a stop after the train crashed into the bus says she heard a loud boom and knew immediately what had happened.

Cecelia McDonald said she ran out of her house and saw a scene of carnage.

Witnesses told the Sun Herald of Biloxi that the bus was stuck on the tracks for about five minutes before he saw the train hit it. Mark Robinson said some people were getting off the bus as the driver tried to move it, and at least one person was shoved under the bus when the train hit. A nearby car was used as a stepladder after the crash to get people off the bus, and emergency workers pulled passengers through windows.

Robinson said he thinks the train track, which is on an embankment, poses safety issues.

In addition to bells, warning lights and crossing arms, the crossing has yellow signs warning drivers that it has low ground clearance.

Its too steep there, Robinson said.

Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney says rescuers needed one hour and four minutes to clear everyone from the wreckage. Two people had to be cut out of the bus.

Creel, the city spokesman, said 48 passengers and the driver were on the bus; a bus manifest had listed 50 passengers but two of them did not make the trip.

Medical workers from a hospital blocks away set up a triage area at the scene, and helicopters carried some of the passengers to other hospitals.

The train was headed from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, at the time of the crash, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. He said the train crew was not injured. The single track is the CSX mainline along the Gulf Coast, passing through densely populated areas of southern Mississippi.

Federal Railroad Agency records show 10 trains a day typically use the track, with a maximum speed of 45 mph. Records show there have been 16 accidents at the crossing since 1976, including in 1983 and 2003, each of which involved one fatality. A delivery truck was also struck at the same crossing in January, WLOX-TV reports. No one was injured in that crash.

The bus was marked as belonging to Echo Transportation, which Texas corporate records show is a unit of a company called TBL Group, based in Grand Prairie, near Dallas.

We cant confirm anything at this point, said Elisa Fox, a lawyer for the bus company. Were trying to mobilize to assess the situation.

Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said the agency is sending three inspectors to investigate, while Mississippi is sending one. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is also investigating.

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BEIRUTThe top generals from Turkey, the United States and Russia met Tuesday in Turkey to discuss mutual suspicions over northern Syria military operations, as Russias military announced a two-week long ceasefire between rebels and the government in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The Russian military said a ceasefire has been in place since Tuesday, March 6, and will extend until March 20, for the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, but activists reported a number of airstrikes and artillery strikes by government forces, killing two civilians.

The White Helmets search-and-rescue group said they dug up the bodies of a child and an adult from the rubble of the strikes on Harasta, inside the rebel-held Ghouta pocket.

Government forces have intensified their siege against the civilians and rebels there since February in an effort to secure a surrender that would see part of the population sent to exile. The UN has denounced other such arrangements as forced displacement and war crimes.

The Siege Watch monitoring group says around 400,000 people are trapped under the constant bombardment.

The surprise meeting between Turkeys Gen. Hulusi Akar, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, was called to address reciprocal mistrust between Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, and Russian-allied Syrian government forces, fighting their way toward Raqqa, the de facto capital of Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Turkey, a NATO ally, views the Kurdish group that dominates the Syria Democratic Forces as terrorists and has threatened to drive them from the northern town of Manbij, which the alliance captured from the militants last year with the aid of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. Turkey and Syria meanwhile support opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing a campaign rally in the Turkish capital Ankara, reiterated his readiness to confront the Kurdish forces.

We can clear Manbij together, then we can clear Raqqa together, he said.

The U.S. has a few hundred special operations forces embedded with the SDF and wants the alliance to lead the march on Raqqa. The Pentagon said Monday that U.S. forces have also taken up positions on the outskirts of Manbij to try to keep a lid on tensions.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the meetings would continue on Wednesday.

There is a need for an effective co-ordination in the efforts to clear Syria of all terror groups because so many countries are involved there, he told reporters. If we cannot establish co-ordination, the risk of a conflict that we would not desire can emerge. Thats the real aim of the meeting.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a terse statement that the military chiefs talked about the current situation in the fight against terrorist organizations in Syria in the context of raising the efficiency of confronting all terrorist organizations in the future.

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It said they underlined the importance of taking additional steps to prevent incidents during operations.

On Monday, SDF fighters blocked the main road linking Raqqa with the eastern of Deir el-Zour, which is split between Daesh and the Syrian government. The SDF is now stationed eight kilometres north of Raqqa.

Elsewhere in northern Syria, government forces and their allies marched closer to a main water Pumping Station controlled by Daesh in Aleppo province, Syrias military and an activist group said.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said troops are now just miles from the station, which supplies the northern city of Aleppo, Syrias largest, with water.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the advance near the town of Deir Hafer, the Jarrah airbase and the Khafseh Pumping Station.

The advance is part of a daylong government offensive against Daesh backed by Russian airstrikes. Taking the water station would ease Aleppos water shortage.

In the centre of the country, Syrian troops captured the Jazal oilfield from the extremists after days of fighting, state TV said, quoting an unnamed military official. The TV said military experts are dismantling explosives left behind while firefighters are working on extinguishing one of the wells that was torched by the extremists.

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WASHINGTONWikiLeaks released thousands of documents on Tuesday that it said described sophisticated software tools used by the CIA to break into smartphones, computers and even Internet-connected televisions.

If the documents are authentic, as appeared likely at first review, the release would be the latest coup for the anti-secrecy organization and a serious blow to the CIA, which maintains its own hacking capabilities to be used for espionage.

The initial release, which WikiLeaks said was only the first part of the document collection, included 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments. The entire archive of CIA material consists of several hundred million lines of computer code, it said.

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Among other disclosures that, if confirmed, would rock the technology world, the WikiLeaks release said the CIA and allied intelligence services had managed to bypass encryption on popular phone and messaging services such as Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. According to the statement from WikiLeaks, government hackers can penetrate Android phones and collect audio and message traffic before encryption is applied.

The source of the documents was not named. WikiLeaks said the documents, which it called Vault 7, had been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

WikiLeaks said the source, in a statement, set out policy questions that urgently need to be debated in public, including whether the CIAs hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers and the problem of public oversight of the agency. The source, the group said, wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons.

WikiLeaks published thousands of documents on March 7 revealing scores of secrets about CIA hacking tools used to break into computers and cell phones. "It's just a rude awakening and for all of us," said cybersecurity expert Varun Badhwar.

The documents, from the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence, are dated from 2013 to 2016 and WikiLeaks described them as the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency. One former intelligence officer who briefly reviewed the documents Tuesday said some of the code names for CIA programs, an organization chart and the description of a CIA hacking base appeared to be genuine.

A CIA spokesperson, Dean Boyd, said, We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.

WikiLeaks, which has sometimes been accused of recklessly leaking information that could do harm, said it had redacted names and other identifying information from the collection. It said it was not releasing the computer code for actual, usable cyberweapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIAs program and how such weapons should be analyzed, disarmed and published.

Some of the details of the CIA programs might have come from the plot of a spy novel for the cyberage, revealing numerous highly classified  and in some cases, exotic  hacking programs. One, code-named Weeping Angel, uses Samsung smart televisions as covert listening devices. According to the WikiLeaks news release, even when it appears to be turned off, the television operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the Internet to a covert CIA server.

The release said the program was developed in co-operation with British intelligence.

If CIA agents did manage to hack smart TVs, they would not be the only ones. Since their release, Internet-connected televisions have been a focus for hackers and cybersecurity experts, many of whom see the sets ability to record and transmit conversations as a potentially dangerous vulnerability.

In early 2015, Samsung appeared to acknowledge the televisions posed a risk to privacy. The fine print terms of service included with its smart TVs said the television sets could capture background conversations, which could then be passed onto third parties.

The company also provided a remarkably blunt warning: Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

Another program described in the documents, named Umbrage, is a voluminous library of cyberattack techniques that the CIA has collected from malware produced by other countries, including Russia. According to the WikiLeaks release, the large number of techniques allows the CIA to mask the origin of some of its cyberattacks and confuse forensic investigators.

Stephanie Carvin of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University says Canadian material risks being exposed, since Canada and the U.S. are members of the five-country group of intelligence-sharing countries known as the Five Eyes.

Vulnerable Canadian secrets could include details on the tools and methods Canadian intelligence agencies use to conduct digital snooping.

Because of the sharing between the Five Eyes, if Canada is using some of those tools, yes, our capabilities would be hurt as well, Carvin said Tuesday.

Secondly, if for some reason, theyve been able to get access to some of our documents through Five Eyes sharing, then even some of our methods could be released as well. But we dont know what they have.

There was scant mention of Canada in the WikiLeaks files disclosed Tuesday, but one file suggests intelligence agencies took part in a summer 2015 workshop in Ottawa dubbed Triclops.

A memo associated with the event notes an apparent effort to remotely control an iPhone without the user knowing.

Assuming the release is authentic, it marks the latest in a series of huge leaks that have changed the landscape for government and corporate secrecy.

In scale, the Vault 7 archive appears to fall into the same category as the biggest leaks of classified information in recent years, including the quarter-million diplomatic cables taken by Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. army intelligence analyst, and given to WikiLeaks in 2010, and the hundreds of thousands of documents taken from the National Security Agency by Edward Snowden and given to journalists in 2013.

In the business world, the so-called Panama Papers and several other large-volume leaks have laid bare the details of secret offshore companies used by wealthy and corrupt people to hide their assets.

Both government and corporate leaks have been made possible by the ease of downloading, storing and transferring millions of documents in seconds or minutes, a sea change from the use of slow photocopying for some earlier leaks, including the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

The NSA and the militarys closely related Cyber Command have the most extensive capabilities for breaking into foreign communications and computer networks and, if required, destroying them. But the CIA maintains a parallel set of programs, mainly for gathering information.

A set of NSA hacking tools, evidently leaked from the agency or stolen in an electronic break-in, was put up for auction on the web last summer by a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers. Those tools were among the NSAs arsenal for penetrating foreign computer networks. At first glance the Vault 7 programs appeared to be aimed at smaller, individual targets rather than large networks.

With files from The Canadian Press

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The Conference Board of Canadas new report, Canadian Tax Avoidance: Examining the Potential Tax Gap, has concluded that up to $47 billion worth of taxes is not being collected by the Government of Canada.

Think of what could be accomplished if that money was actually collected by the federal government; the programs it could fund, the benefits it could offer to citizens, the improvements to health care that would be possible. The federal deficit could be eliminated. Moreover, collecting this $47 billion would demonstrate to all Canadians the federal government is working hard to ensure everyone pays their fair share, no more and no less.

The Conference Board has done sterling work in its efforts to measure the tax gap, but that does not absolve the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) from its own longstanding obligations in this matter. In October of 2012, I wrote to then Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) Kevin Page, asking him to investigate the economic impact of overseas tax evasion. That investigation evolved into an effort to determine the tax gap.

After diligent effort, his office determined it is indeed possible to estimate the tax gap (as done by a number of other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom), and approached CRA to secure the Agencys cooperation in its study.

Unfortunately, neither he nor his successors saw much cooperation from the CRA, as it put obstacle after obstacle before the PBO, unwilling to let this inquiry proceed. An initial refusal by CRA to estimate the tax gap subsequently became a refusal to provide data that would enable the PBO to provide its own estimate.

At one point, CRA held out the possibility of providing the data requested by the PBO  information the agency is required by law to share  but only at considerable expense to the Budget Office. It also imposed such conditions as to make the information almost unusable. And even then, the information still has not been released.

In April of last year there was a glimmer of hope, when the Minister of National Revenue announced a series of measures to combat overseas tax evasion, including beginning work to estimate the tax gap, so that Canadians and Parliamentarians have confidence in the fairness of the tax system.

Unfortunately, the subsequent report of the CRAs Offshore Compliance Advisory Committee dealt mainly with the idea of estimating the tax gap, and the specific aspect of the gap that was examined dealt with the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax, the low-hanging fruit of tax gap analysis, and a far cry from overseas tax evasion. And the CRA still refuses to provide the PBO with the information he has requested.

In the 2015 federal election, the Liberal Party platform contained a commitment to directing CRA to immediately begin an analysis and stronger enforcement of tax evasion, or what the OECD calls the tax gap.

Calculation of the tax gap would not only focus the attention of Canadians on the nature and scale of the problem of overseas tax evasion, but would also, as the Conference Board report notes have important implications for policy-makers since it could act as a potential guide for public resources and policy priorities devoted to increasing tax compliance. Even so, the CRA still refuses to commit to such an analysis despite the change in government.

In his mandate letter to the Minister of National Revenue, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated explicitly:

We have also committed to set a higher bar for openness and transparency in government. It is time to shine more light on government to ensure it remains focused on the people it serves. Government and its information should be open by default. If we want Canadians to trust their government, we need a government that trusts Canadians.

Now is the time for the prime minister to order the Canada Revenue Agency to get with the program and provide the Parliamentary Budget Officer with the required information, so Canadians will know the actual amount of taxes owed, but not collected, and what resources the CRA needs to collect those taxes. Only then will the CRA meet the standard of openness and transparency set by the prime minister.

Percy Downe is a senator from Charlottetown.

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As people fearful of living in Trumpland straggle to our border through bitter cold and deep snow trailing suitcases behind them, they seem reminiscent of an earlier time.

A time when some aboriginal people had to gather all their possessions and walk to the piece of land that had been deemed their new home.

Of course, those people werent walking to the kind of freedom the current U.S escapees are hoping to find. They were walking to confinement and in some instances starvation.

This is exactly what happened to Doug Cuthands ancestors. The Saskatchewan writer and film producer evoked that era recently in a thought-provoking piece for the CBC.

He detailed how his people originally lived in the Cypress Hills in what is now southeastern Alberta near the U.S border. After signing Treaty 6, their chief wanted a reserve there but the government had other ideas and they were sent much further north to the Fort Battleford area.

It is a story that resonates across the Prairie Provinces where once nomadic peoples such as the Cree, Blackfoot, and Sioux were forced to abandon ways that had sustained them for thousands of years to live in a much smaller world where food was scarce and disease was plentiful.

Too bad, as the joke goes, the First Nations didnt have an immigration policy at the time so they could slow the onslaught of settlers who were pushing them aside and taking over their land.

 ... its kind of odd as an Indigenous person to sit and watch refugees cross the border into Canada, writes Cuthand. Its kind of late to complain about immigration. There are 35 million people in Canada and only 1 million of us are members of the original First Nations. What difference will a few more make?

That First Nations were so brutally pushed aside after they had in fact worked with French and British explorers, fur traders, and buffalo hunters was perhaps the worst indignity. Without the sure knowledge of how to survive in the northern wilderness, how to find and trap fur-bearing animals, how to track the vast herds of buffalo, the newcomers might have given up and gone home. It might have been well past 1867 when Canada started to come together as a country.

So when are we actually going to formally recognize that Canada has three founding peoples  Indigenous, French, and British  not just two?

The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that the oath of Canadian citizenship include a promise to honour Indigenous treaties. It also recommended that government information packages designed for newcomers include Indigenous history.

The government is already following through. Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus mandate letter for new Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen lists making the change to the citizenship oath as one of his key priorities. Consultations between bureaucrats and Indigenous representatives are already underway.

Talk about squaring the circle: Hussen is a former refugee from Somalia. Perhaps refugees understand the isolation and humiliation of Canadas Aboriginal Peoples better than anyone else.

Philosopher and author John Ralston Saul asserts that Canadas story is one of a Metis Nation, as all Canadians sit within the circle of the aboriginal people who inhabited this land first and whose descendants are still here.

Kathleen Mahoney, a law professor at the University of Calgary, wants to take the recognition of Canadas Indigenous roots even further.

She would like to see Indigenous people recognized in the Canadian constitution as one of the founding peoples. Of course, there were no aboriginal people at the table when the Fathers of Confederation came to an agreement and called it Canada. Some treaties between Indigenous groups and the colonizers had already been signed at the time but technically Aboriginal Peoples are not considered founders.

As we celebrate the 150th year of Confederation surely it is time to recognize that Aboriginal Peoples are intrinsic to what we are as a country.

It would be a symbolic gesture but it would go a long way to recognizing and embracing the idea that First Nations have always been much more than refugees in their own country.

Gillian Steward is a Calgary writer and former managing editor of the Calgary Herald. Her column appears every other week. gsteward@telus.net

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No one becomes who they are in isolation.

These wise words open Canadian filmmaker and activist Deepa Methas latest movie, Anatomy of Violence, which retells the true story of the atrocious gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus in 2012.

The film calls attention to the sexual assault pandemic that plagues the globe, and reminds us that we are all, individually, the product of our collective relationships. Of course genetics influence who we become, but environmental factors  how we are raised, and the shared values of the community and country in which we have grown up  have a substantial impact on the development of our true selves and the ways we relate to each other.

Discrimination is learned. It is a conditioned perspective, intention, and behaviour. That is why we must teach our daughters  and our sons  from an early age that every person is equal and has the same value. Only then can we prevent the countless acts of violence against women, and build a gender-inclusive society in which we respect differences while breaking through needless polarities and constraints. Our economic and cultural future depends on it.

As advocates for gender equality, we wanted to write to you on International Womens Day to celebrate the profound steps our society has taken toward a more gender equal world, while restating that  at current rates  gender equality will not be achieved in our lifetimes.

The truth is that at least half of the worlds population may be afraid to walk at night, in the dark, or alone. The truth is that women continue to be denied opportunities to lift themselves, their families, and, in some cases, their entire communities out of poverty; from paths to become leaders, creators, and decision-makers; and the shot to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face as a world.

The structures that limit what women can do, say, or wear do not only limit women. They also prevent men from hearing countless opinions and perspectives that could improve any conversation or decision. Only when we fully respect and are respected can we reach our fullest potential.

Much of the progress we have made toward gender equality is thanks to the efforts of women, on behalf of women. But this work cannot be up to women alone. We must change power relations by educating boys and men through programs like Plan Internationals Champions of Change, which builds the capacity of boys and young men to be peer educators in the gender equality process and engages them in reframing healthy definitions of masculinity.

Furthermore, we need community and political leaders to promote dignity, collaboration, and love between citizens. We must engage male leaders and female leaders, who have influence over community beliefs and behaviours, in the design and implementation of culturally acceptable innovations to foster harmony and greater gender equality. And we need boots on the ground in every sphere of society to keep a vigilant eye out for misogyny in all its obvious and subtle forms.

Fellow Canadians, we are at a tipping point in this country where we can move forward with vision, compassion, and connectedness. As we all walk towards the future together, we must let go of our emotional armour and realize that men and women do not exist in separate realms. We need to face the challenges before us as equal partners, rooted in our shared humanity. We are all spiritual beings longing to be whole. We know that the human soul has no gender.

To honour International Womens Day, we invite you to become a champion for equality by celebrating those who devote themselves daily to a more equal and just world.

As global ambassador for Plan International Canada, Sophie is asking Canadians to #ChangetheStory about how harmful gender stereotypes influence our lives.

Sophie also wants Canadians to join the movement for equality #TomorrowInHand by posting a picture of yourself holding hands with a man or boy who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with women and girls.

Today, and every day, let us walk together on the same path and work on behalf of those who cannot walk with us.

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau is a global ambassador for Plan International Canada. Caroline Riseboro is president and CEO of Plan International Canada.

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You wouldnt know that the abortion pill, RU-486, was approved for use by Health Canada way back in July 2015.

Thats because of a host of obstacles that have made it almost impossible to access what is marketed as Mifegymiso in Canada.

Some of the roadblocks, including initial manufacturing problems, couldnt be helped. But others must be cleared away quickly so that the 100,000 women who choose to have abortions in Canada each year can do so by taking a simple, safe medication rather than having to travel to a hospital or clinic for a surgical procedure.

On International Womens Day in Canada in 2017  29 long years after the drug first became available in France  its long past due.

The first step is for Health Canada to change the approved prescribing process so that pharmacists can dispense the pill. Under current rules only physicians are allowed to dispense it, which means doctors must stock and sell the medicine themselves. Most find that so complicated that they dont bother with it at all.

Its so problematic, in fact, that doctors in Ontario and British Columbia have done a workaround by prescribing it in a so-called off-label manner  not how it is intended to be used  so that pharmacists can dispense it. That requires a lot of jumping through hoops, something that isnt required for any other legal prescription drug.

Another roadblock: physicians must complete a six-hour online course before they can prescribe it.

As a result, experts say doctors who take the course and stock the pill tend to be those employed at abortion clinics. And that means women who live in rural areas must still travel long distances to access the pill.

Worse, while surgical abortions are covered under provincial health care plans, the $325 cost of the abortion pill is not. That means many poor women cant afford it.

An advisory body called the Canadian Drug Expert Committee is currently deciding whether to recommend that provinces cover the cost of the abortion pill. They should. This is a drug, after all, which is on the World Health Organizations list of essential medicines. And it will save provincial health plans money if women take a pill rather than undergo a more costly abortion.

This is a drug that millions of women in more than 60 countries have safely taken. Its effective in 95 per cent of all cases. And it can save the one-in-three women in Canada who will have an abortion in their lifetime from having to travel to a hospital or clinic for a surgical procedure.

But for some unknown reason, most Canadian women still cant get access to it.

Its high time that changed.

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Theres a chill along the border between Canada and the United States, and it has nothing to do with the weather. Fallout from the Trump administrations crackdown on asylum seekers and its travel ban on people from half a dozen Muslim countries risks making crossing the border more difficult and certainly more worrisome for many Canadians.

The Trudeau government needs to make clear to Trumps Homeland Security secretary, John Kelly, the importance of easy cross-border travel when he visits Ottawa this week.

And it should encourage Americans, especially those in neighbouring states that also value good cross-border relations, to speak out against the Trump administrations misguided policies that are throwing unnecessary roadblocks in the way of Canadians trying to travel south.

One of the most troubling developments is an emerging pattern of Canadians being denied entry to the United States for no apparent reason other than their ethnic background.

So far about half a dozen cases have become public  a tiny number among the tens of thousands of Canadians who cross the border on an average day. But they raise questions about whether U.S. border agents have taken Trumps aggressive language toward outsiders (and especially Muslims) as permission to get tough on anyone with brown skin.

The cases include that of Yassine Aber, a Canadian-born Montrealer of Moroccan origin who was questioned for five hours and then turned back at the Quebec-Vermont border when he tried to cross with his university track team. Another Montrealer, Fadwa Alaoui, said she was quizzed about her religion and views on Trump before being turned away at the border. She is also a Canadian citizen with a valid passport.

And this week another Canadian-born Montrealer, Manpreet Kooner, reported she was denied entry to Vermont. Of Indian origin, she was using a Canadian passport but was told she needed a visa and wonders why the two white friends she was travelling with had no border problems.

Theres nothing in Trumps immigration policies that should cause problems for her or the others who were stopped. But its no stretch to ask if they were effectively profiled by border guards emboldened by Trumps incendiary language to single out some Canadians only because of their race or religion. Indeed, Kooner says she was told by a U.S. border agent: I know you might feel like youre being Trumped.

Incidents like this  even if they are few and random  send an ominous message to millions of Canadians. The government should make clear to Kelly that while the U.S. has the right to control its own border, it is unacceptable for it to allow its officials to discriminate simply on the basis of ethnic or religious background.

Trumps revised travel ban, issued on Monday, raises a host of questions as well. Hes scaled it back a bit and put in a number of exemptions to make it less objectionable than his first effort from a legal point of view. But the new version raises the possibility that permanent residents of Canada may be denied entry to the U.S.

The new order specifies that Canadian permanent residents from any of the six countries subject to the 90-day travel ban must apply for a waiver that may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Thats worrisomely vague, and the government must urgently seek clarification from U.S. authorities on how this will be interpreted and applied.

Theres only so much the Canadian government can do in the face of Trumps fear-mongering. But it can make clear to American authorities that the U.S. will be shooting itself in the foot if it turns the border from a model of international cooperation into a place of needless fear for too many Canadians.

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General Wireless Operations, the successor to RadioShack, allegedly is preparing for bankruptcy to once and for all shut down the electronics retailer.

The Fort Worth company is expected to file a Chapter 11 petition within a matter of days, and it likely will result in liquidation, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

General Wireless, which does business as RadioShack, was formed through the partnership of Sprint (S) and New York hedge fund Standard General in summer 2015, when it acquired the assets of RadioShack out of bankruptcy.

The bankrupt retailer agreed to sell its intellectual property to General Wireless in May 2015 for $26.2 million, while Standard General in April 2015 won approval to acquire a major portion of RadioShack's stores for $142.09 million. The IP sale closed in June 2015.

General Wireless did not respond to a request for comment, and Standard General declined immediate comment.

RadioShack closed about half of its 4,000 stores in its Chapter 11 case, filed Feb. 5, 2015, in the Wilmington, Del., bankruptcy court. Standard General, a creditor in the case, purchased 1,700 locations and created General Wireless with Sprint.

The debtor's estate, renamed RS Legacy, on Oct. 8, 2015, completed a wind-down after its liquidation plan won confirmation just a few days earlier. The plan gave RadioShack's largest secured creditor, Salus Capital Partners, a $58.2 million cash payment on a $250 million term loan. Salus waived its deficiency claims under a settlement with other lenders.

RadioShack, amid a decline in mall traffic and a consumer shift to e-commerce, filed for bankruptcy after falling behind on payments it owed to Salus. In its petition, RadioShack reported $1.2 billion in assets and $1.39 billion in liabilities as of Nov. 1, 2014.

A General Wireless petition would come alongside a general decline in retail and as electronics giant Best Buy (BBY) , in particular, struggles to generate sales. Last week, the company posted a fourth-quarter revenue miss and a same-store sales slip of 0.9% in North America.

For the past few years, Best Buy has failed to drive significant revenue growth, and the company is only expecting a meager 1.5% sales increase in the first quarter of 2017.

General Wireless sells RadioShack products online and at its 1,743 stores, primarily located in outlets alongside Sprint shops.

This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.
After weeks of squabbles, CSX (CSX) on Monday evening agreed to install railroad veteran Hunter Harrison as its chief executive as part of a long-awaited -- but still blockbuster -- settlement with activist investor Paul Hilal and his newbie fund, Mantle Ridge.

The activist hedge fund has been hounding CSX for weeks to install Harrison as CEO as well as a handful of dissident director candidates to the railroad company's board and the two sides have been squabbling over the length of Harrison's contract, the size of his pay and the number of Mantle Ridge-backed directors that would get installed.

In the deal, CSX agreed to install Harrison with a four-year contract and appoint five new directors that were approved by both CSX and Mantle Ridge, including Harrison, Hilal and three others. In addition, three incumbent directors are expected to step down before the 2017 annual meeting, bringing CSX's board size to 13.

"I am proud to join the dedicated and talented railroaders at CSX," Harrison said in a statement.

As CEO, Harrison said he will focus oversee and implement an operating approach he pioneered-and is famous for-known as precision scheduled railroading, a strategy that allows the railroad company to schedule shipments in a precise way by knowing how trains move between customers and interchanges. "Together, we will implement Precision Scheduled Railroading - a model proven to improve safety, create better service for customers, produce a proud and winning culture for employees, and generate exceptional, lasting value for shareholders," Harrison said.

Also, CSX shareholders will have a chance to vote on parts of Harrison's compensation package, at the railroad company's 2017 annual meeting. The shareholder vote will be nonbinding. However, a strong negative vote could have the impact of pushing a renegotiated compensation package.

The settlement came after CSX late last month announced plans for the resignation of its chief executive, Michael Ward. Also, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad also announced that roughly 1,000 management positions are expected to be eliminated at both the company's headquarters and field operations.

A key sticking point had involved the number of Mantle Ridge supported directors that could join the board. In a letter on Feb. 16, Hilal suggested that if the board could agree to a four-year contract for Harrison, he would agree to a deal that only involved the installation of himself, Harrison and three other directors to what would be a reconstituted 14-person board. Hilal's previous proposal had sought six seats on the CSX board, including seats for himself and Harrison.

Some directors could be good targets for replacement. The company's current 12-person board has at least six non-executive directors that have served for terms of more than ten years, according to relationship mapping service BoardEx, a service of TheStreet. For example, CSX directors David Moore Ratcliffe, Edward Joseph Kelly III, and Donald James Shepard have all served more than 13 years on the railroad company's board.

Hilal, an ex-partner at activist fund Pershing Square Capital Management LP, recently joined forces with Harrison, who in January quit his position as CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) . The duo, together with Pershing Square's Bill Ackman, are well known for engineering a spectacularly successful insurgency in 2012 that led to Harrison's installation as CEO at Canadian Pacific and a turnaround that helped Canadian Pacific's Toronto-listed shares climb nearly 190% during his tenure.
On Monday, Hannah Young saw for the first time clay being processed by foot.

The first-year-University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student was at a workshop in her ceramics class conducted by Kevin Lips. Hedemonstrated the method and asked some students to try it out. Lips, a traditionally trained, wood-fired ceramicist and mixed media artist from New York, visited the class share some of his methods, including ways to work with clay without the aid of machines.

I like to watch the old ways of working, he told the students. It influences how I work with clay now.

Lips slapped the clay down on a tarp on the floor and used his feet to work the material until it was smooth and shiny. He circled the mound, working the clay in one direction before switching things up and going around again in the opposite direction.

Its something Id definitely like to try, Young said after watching Lips. He seems to be very creative and has his own way of doing stuff.

Lips showed the students how to roll out large coils of clay into circular forms. Instead of slowly working on a pottery wheel, Lips technique allowed students to quickly build up their work by rolling out the clay using the power of their hands.

Lips has lived and worked near the historic ceramic village of La Borne, France, and has trained with ceramic artists and potters in Southeast Asia. At La Borne, potters making functional stoneware in the 1700s baked huge numbers of thrown clay pots at one time in large kilns the size of semi-trucks, Lips said, and as their skill improved, they took more liberties with their work.

A lot of the work was done by laborers whose job was to make their employers as much money as possible by making any many pots as possible. By the end of the week, they were just looking to get as many items in the kiln as possible and would make functional, if inelegant, pieces that Lips said he is really fond of.

I love the pots from that area. They are not fussy, he said. I call it a casual lack of care. It is like jazz. Once you know your material and technique it frees you up to improvise.

Lips methods were new to Nick Kress, a UW-L junior studying biology. Theyre a little more abstract, he said, and a lot faster than using a potters wheel, which allows for a new perspective on how to do the work.

Thats the goal of visits like that of Lips, the class professor Karen Terpstra said. She first met him when he was a freshman at the University of Iowa in the mid-1990s and she was a graduate student there. Both enjoyed wood-fired ceramics, and Lips workshop on Tuesday was the first time he been back to at UW-L since his college days.

We try to bring new faces into the department every semester, she said. It is always good to see what other artists are doing. It gives students a whole new perspective on their art.
Editors' pick: Originally published March 7.

Amazon.com (AMZN) dropped its fight against a search warrant for it to turn over audio recorded by one of its Echo devices near an alleged murder in Arkansas after the defendant gave permission for the company to hand the recording over to law enforcement officials.

Defendant James Andrew Bates is accused of murdering his friend, former Georgia police officer Victor Collins, in Bentonville in November 2015. Collins was found dead in a hot tub in Bates' home, but Bates has pleaded not guilty and alleged that Collins died of accidental drowning. Near the tub was Bates' Amazon Echo that was playing music and recording sounds from its surroundings at the same time. This recording could hold clues as to how Collins died, according to law enforcement.

While Amazon turned over subscriber and account information for the device, it fought against the request for it to turn over the Echo audio because it argued that doing so would be a violation of Bates' First Amendment rights. Authorities had requested audio froma 48-hour period from Nov. 21 to 22, 2015. Amazon asserted that the commands that users speak to the voice-activated installed helper on the device, Alexa, as well as the responses of the artificial intelligence to those requests, should be protected.

However, when Bates said in a document filed last Monday that Amazon could hand the audio over, the company dropped the fight and handed the recording over on Friday. A hearing will take place this Wednesday to determine if information in the recording is relevant to the case at hand.

The Amazon Echo contains seven microphones that can pick up sound from anywhere in a room even if music is playing, the company said. While audio from its surroundings is not stored directly on the device, that audio is stored in Amazon's cloud, as well as on the Alexa mobile app for Android, iOS and Amazon Fire devices. (Amazon noted that users can review the recordings and delete them using the Alexa phone app, but the relevant recordings in this case had not been deleted.)

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has estimated that Amazon has sold 5.1 million Amazon Echo devices since the product was first introduced in late 2014.

Despite this case showing how the Amazon Echo could potentially be used against its owner, this story will most likely not have an effect on sales of the device, Benchmark analyst Daniel Kurnos said. "The reality of the situation is that people already think Big Brother is watching anyway," he said.

If the case had received more attention in the press and gone viral, then there might have been some implications, Kurnos said. However, so far, this seems to be an isolated incident. "It takes a certain level of personal outrage for the viral effect to happen," he explained.

For most Amazon Prime members, the convenience of having an Echo device to get information and order products and services with just a simple voice command outweighs the downside, Kurnos claimed. "It's a little creepy if you think about it and some people may decide to do something like throw a towel over it when they're not using it, but most people won't give it much thought," he said.

While this case was limited, it does bring up several other important questions for users. First, what other companies, such as Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google or Apple (AAPL) , are also recording data from devices onto the cloud, and what kind of access could authorities have to them? And second, what would happen if a cloud services provider to one of these digital assistants, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), was hacked? "It's possible," Kurnos said.

Notably, AWS experienced an outage last Tuesday, temporarily bringing down many websites, attributing the problems to human error. "Until something big like a hack happens, [a story] doesn't have the social momentum," Kurnos noted, however.

Apple and Alphabet are holdings in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL or GOOGL? Learn more now.
Facebook (FB) has won the dismissal of a lawsuit regarding a post about German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a Syrian refugee.

A German court in Wuerzburg rejected a case brought forth by 19 year-old Anas Modamani who wanted Facebook to block any post featuring the picture of Merkel and the refugee.

The case called into question the social network's responsibility to remove racist or hateful posts by its users. The judge dismissed the case because Facebook is not subject to Germany's media law, and that lawmakers would need to amend the current law.

(Facebook stock is held in Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of Cramer's holdings with a free trial.)

Read more about Trump and tech stocks from TheStreet's Jim Cramer's roundtable discussion.
Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the U.S. in order to avoid penalties resulting from a dispute over shipment rates, Reuters reports. Mexico places some blame on the fact that there are empty positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The document obtained by Reuters detailing the canceled exports did not mention the broader political issues dogging the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. However, it did describe the current issue as "absurd."

"Because the Ministry cannot resolve the issue with the DOC, since officials in charge of making decisions have not been appointed, Economy Ministry attorneys in Washington insisted on sending a statement to the DOC acknowledging the problem and canceling existing exports, so that they can be re-issued as of April 1," the document said, according to Reuters.
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Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., German American Capital Corporation, Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer LandstraBe GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Miesbaden LuisenstraBe/Kirchgasse GbR, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF l Manager S.a.r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul lnkasso GmbH, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo lll Initial GP Limited, MEF I Manager. S. a r.|., MIT Holdings Inc., Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgagelT Inc., MortgagelT Securities Corp., OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentIe", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, PADUS Grundstcks-VermietungsgeseIlschaft mbH, PB Factoring GmbH, PB Spezial-lnvestmentaktiengesellschatt mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Plantation Bay. Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank lmmobilien GmbH, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, RREEF, RREEF America LLC., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisers Private Limited, RREEF Management LLC., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables. LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermielungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sharps SP l LLC, Stelvio lmmobiliare S.r.l., Suddeutsche Vermeigensvewvaitung Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung, TELO Beleiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Umited, VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., lmmobilienfonds BuroCenter Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, lmmobilienfonds Wohn- und Gescheftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, and norisbank GmbH.

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The state Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to allow possession, with a doctors approval, of CBD oil, a marijuana extract used to treat seizures that does not produce a high.

The vote sends the bill, which already passed the Senate, to Gov. Scott Walker, who said this month that he supports it.

I share ... the hopes of thousands across Wisconsin that Gov. Walker will sign the bill quickly, said the bills Senate sponsor, Van Wanggaard, R-Racine.

Also Tuesday, the Senate voted largely on party lines to eliminate the elected office of state treasurer. That tees up a final Assembly vote later this week that could place the proposed constitutional amendment before voters next year.

The Senate also passed a bill requiring juvenile corrections officers to report child abuse.

The Assembly also voted on a bipartisan basis to pass a so-called right to try bill giving certain terminally ill people who exhausted other treatment options access to certain drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

The CBD oil measure passed on a 98-0 vote, despite concerns from some Democrats who said it doesnt do enough to ensure families who need CBD oil can obtain it. Some doctors contend the oil is successful in treating severe epilepsy and other seizure disorders, especially in children.

Lawmakers passed Lydias Law, a measure meant to give access to the oil, in 2014. But Wanggaard said that law didnt do enough  in part because the oil, like marijuana, remains classified under federal law as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

Some Democrats said the state should create dispensaries to enable families to safely obtain the oil.

But the bills Assembly sponsor, Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, said families in other states that legalized the oil have not had problems getting it, despite the federal prohibition.

Mandatory reporting

of abuse

The Senate also passed a bill that would force guards at Wisconsins troubled Lincoln Hills youth prison to report child abuse.

The Senate approved the measure on a voice vote Tuesday. Bill sponsor Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, calls the proposal a first step to fix what she says is a broken juvenile justice system. Its the first action the Legislature has taken to address problems at the states juvenile prisons.

The FBI is investigating allegations of widespread abuse of juveniles at the prison near Irma in north central Wisconsin. Inmates have filed two federal lawsuits challenging conditions at the prison and demanding improvements.

The bill would make guards at juvenile prisons mandatory child abuse reporters, a move that would protect them from being fired for reporting incidents.

Workers in nearly 30 professions are mandatory reporters under Wisconsin law.

Treasurers office

The Senate voted 18-15 to approve a resolution to amend the state Constitution to eliminate the treasurers office.

If the Assembly OKs the measure on its scheduled vote Thursday, it would send the measure to a statewide vote in April 2018.

Republican supporters of the measure, such as its Senate sponsor, Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, say it eliminates an office that no longer has any real duties.

Democrats said it would eliminate independent oversight of state finances and give Walkers administration greater control of the state public lands board, on which the treasurer currently serves. The measure approved by the Senate would instead place the lieutenant governor on that board.

The current state treasurer, Republican Matt Adamczyk, ran for the position in 2014 on a platform of eliminating it.

Right to try

The Assembly also voted 85-13 in favor of the right to try bill, sending it to the Senate. Drugs eligible for use under the law would have to have successfully completed a phase one FDA clinical trial and be under investigation  or pending approval  by the FDA.

Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, spoke on behalf of the bill by speaking about his father-in-laws battle with pancreatic cancer, which ultimately claimed his life.

For someone who is dying, there is no such thing as false hope, Kleefisch said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Canada is officially extending operation UNIFIER, its military training mission in Ukraine, until the end of March 2019.

Defence Minister of Canada Harjit Sajjan announced this on Monday in Ottawa, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to Sajjan, Russia's actions were what caused Canada to step in and help Ukraine.

"Crimea, Ukraine and some of the other actions that they have taken. So that's something we always have to put into context. It is their actions that are making us to respond in this manner, he said.

The Canadian minister also said that the Canadian forces will be helping with small team training, explosive ordnance disposal, military policing, medical training and modernizing Ukraine's logistics system.

In addition, Sajjan expressed his support for those changes being taken place in Ukraine.

iy
Combat engineers of Ukraines Defense Ministry during last weeks mine clearance operations cleared 1.5 hectares of land in the ATO zone in Donbas.

Defense Ministrys Spokesperson Colonel Viktoria Kushnir stated this at a press briefing on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"In the ATO zone, military engineers cleared more 1.5 hectares of land, having detected 45 explosive devices, Kushnir said.

The colonel also noted that since the start of ATO, Ukrainian sappers cleared 2,823 hectares of land in Luhansk and Donetsk regions and destroyed about 144 thousand explosives.

iy
Talk about the luck of the Irish Catholics: The relative rarity that March 17 falls on a Friday this Lenten season has prompted a dispensation from the traditional abstinence from meat on that day, which happens to be St. Patricks Day.

The dispensation, which also is good for German, French, Swedish and Catholics of any other ethnic persuasion on a day when many ethnic groups claim to be Irish for the day, comes courtesy of a decree from Wisconsins bishops, including Bishop William Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse.

So those who have are yearnin for the traditional Irish dish of corned beef and cabbage can feel free to partake on the day. But those who opt to adhere to the Friday observance or who dont like to miss a good fish fry still will find some parishes, such as St. Patrick in Onalaska, putting on their Friday fries.

Its relatively uncommon for March 17 to fall on a Friday; the most recent time was in 2006 and the next time will be in 2023.

Callahans decree, like those from Winona and many other and dioceses and archdioceses in the country, underscores the significance of fasting and abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence as penitential practices on Fridays during Lent.

Through our penitential practices, both individually and as the Church, we unite ourselves to the sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and renew our lives more closely to Him, according to the decree, which Callahan issued on Feb. 14.

With the feast of St. Patrick falling on a Friday, because of the time-honored celebration of this memorial by some parishes, groups and individuals within the Diocese of La Crosse, I hereby dispense  (them) from the required observance of abstinence from meat on Friday, March 17, the decree says.

The only hitch is that Callahan decreed that those who eat meat on St. Patricks Day choose another day that week to abstain from meat.

I also encourage those who are to celebrate this memorial (of St. Patricks Day) to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on that day or at least to participate in some other pious action, such as the praying of the Rosary, whether individually, as a group or as a family.

Bishop John Quinn of the Winona Diocese urged that those who take advantage of the dispensation perform an alternative act of penance or charity that day.

Madison Bishop Robert Morlino issued a statement saying that Catholics should exercise due moderation and temperance in festivities and celebrations of the memorial of St. Patrick, in keeping with the solemnity and honor that is due to so great a saint and his tireless efforts to inspire holiness in the Christian faithful, according to Catholic News Service.

In Omaha, Neb., Archbishop George Lucas granted a dispensation but decreed that those who eat meat on St. Patricks Day must abstain the next day, according to the CNS report.

It is unknown whether any dioceses declined to lift the requirement, but conflicting policies in past years have resulted in spirited disagreements. For example, when one diocese did not lift the ban but the neighboring one did, the debate focused on whether a resident in the banned region should be allowed to cross diocesan lines to eat meat or remain under home rule.

In Onalaska, Monsignor Steven Kachel said St. Patrick Parish still will host its weekly Lenten fish fry. Attesting to the popularity of the meal, served from 5 to 7:30 p.m., with carry-outs available, is the fact that it sold 630 dinners on its first Friday in Lent last week, the pastor said.

Even though its our feast day, were still going to have the fish fry, Kachel said, laughing heartily.
Olena Zerkal spoke at a hearing in the ICJ on application of provisional measures in case of Ukraine vs Russia.

This has been reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine.

Mr. President, distinguished Members of this honorable Court. It is a great honor and exceptional privilege to appear before the principal judicial body of the United Nations on behalf of Ukraine.

Ukraine has come before this Court to defend the basic human rights of its people, faced with the Russian Federations violations of international law. Today, I ask the Court to indicate provisional measures to prevent those rights from being irreparably harmed while this case is pending.

Thousands of innocent Ukrainian civilians have already suffered deadly attacks, and millions remain under imminent threat. Their peaceful and simple day-to-day routines have been ruined, and their fundamental rights have been blatantly violated by one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the Russian Federation.

The Russian Federation continuously violates international law and abuses human rights. The Russian Federation continues to supply deadly assistance to illegal armed groups in Ukraine that have committed numerous terrorist attacks. In occupied Crimea, the Russian Federation wholly disregards human rights, while implementing policies of cultural erasure and pervasive discrimination. These actions are unacceptable to the international community: They have been denounced by the United Nations.

The Russian Federation implements its foreign policy without regard for human life, and uses any available tool to impose its will. The Russian Federations tactics include support for terrorism and acts of racial discrimination, as well as propaganda, subversion, intimidation, political corruption, and cyber-attacks. This is the reality that we are facing in Ukraine. The Russian Federation has continued to engage in this conduct for three years, and all this time it continues to deny its multifaceted aggression against Ukraine.

Today, I stand before the World Court to request protection of the basic human rights of the Ukrainian people. We seek justice and accountability under international law, while the Russian Federation continues to demonstrate disregard for its obligations under international treaties. As a result, the people of Ukraine are facing an ongoing campaign of terror and cultural erasure. The situation is truly dire.

Even in the last few weeks, the stakes have been raised. Russian-backed armed groups have again escalated their attacks and intimidation of civilians. In the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, just within the week between 29 January and 5 February 2017, independent OSCE monitors have confirmed at least 8 deaths and 30 injuries among civilians. As a result of indiscriminate shelling, the city has suffered widespread destruction of residential buildings and critical infrastructure, leaving civilians without electricity, water supplies, and even heat at harsh temperatures far below zero. In just two months, since the beginning of 2017, the amount of ammunition used to shell Avdiivka is estimated at almost 15,000 pieces. This amount is equivalent to 14 cargo railway cars fully stocked with ammunition. Meanwhile, the official spokesperson of the Russian president publicly expressed hope that Russian proxies will not run short of ammunition. Can there be any doubt about where all this ammunition comes from? No. It is from the Russian Federation.

The attacks on Ukrainian civilians are the logical conclusion of the Russian Federations support for groups that engage in terrorism. The destruction of Flight MH17 with a Russian Buk system did not stop Russian financing of terrorism. With that continued support, we suffered an attack on a bus at Volnovakha. A mere two weeks later, Mariupol was bombarded, and Kramatorsk a few weeks after that. In Kharkiv, a peaceful population was terrified by a string of bombings. These were not isolated incidents, but the result of Russias sponsorship of terrorism.

While in the east of Ukraine civilians continue to suffer indiscriminate attacks, in occupied Crimea the Russian Federation continues to implement a Soviet-style approach to human rights, suppressing groups it sees as its enemies. Just recently, eleven Crimean Tatars who were peacefully protesting against arbitrary searches were forcefully detained. This is yet another example of how the Russian regime silences those it disfavors.

In this case, Ukraine seeks relief for Russias continuous violations of two treaties: the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Ukraines counsel will explain in detail the nature of our claims, and the reasons why provisional measures are so urgent. Before they do so, I wish to briefly provide historical context to show that current events in Ukraine are not occurring in isolation.

Since the re-establishment of modern Ukraines statehood after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the people of Ukraine have sought to embrace democratic values, placing human life and dignity as the highest priority of both the government and society. Unlike many other post-communist states, Ukraine has never been known for ethnic tensions. The Constitution of Ukraine and relevant legislation provides a fundamental system of protection of ethnic groups rights, as verified by UN and EU monitors. Horrifying news of terror against civilians seemed to be something that was happening far away from us.

Ukraines transformation and strengthening of ties with the European Union became a particular source of Russian anger. The Russian Federation threatened to destroy Ukraines economy by imposing punitive unilateral trade restrictions, attempted to freeze Ukraines people by withholding gas supplies during the harsh winter season, and called Ukraines territorial integrity into question.

Over the last decade Russias interference in Ukrainian affairs has steadily escalated. It reached dangerous new levels in 2014. Russia decided to intervene in Ukraine militarily; sponsor illegal groups that commit acts of terrorism on Ukrainian soil; and violate the human rights of millions of people of Ukraine. Including, for too many, their right to life. This conduct reflects a broader pattern of Russian behavior that sadly we are all familiar with.

As Deputy Foreign Minister, I have dealt with all of these issues. But today I am here as Ukraines Agent, and in that capacity, my interest is in the law, not politics. For almost three years, I have personally pursued negotiations with the Russian Federation on these legal disputes. I admit that it has been very difficult. Time after time, Russia brushed aside Ukraines protests of treaty violations. Our objections were not taken seriously, and we were repeatedly told that we did not have a real dispute. Then I would return home and see with my own eyes Russia continuing its campaign against the Ukrainian people. After many efforts, it was finally time to say that enough is enough.

That is what finally brings us here to the World Court. At this trying time, we must place our faith in the institutions of international law for protection. This case will send a message about whether the international legal order can stand up to powerful countries that disregard the law and disrespect human rights.

At the same time, our request today is very modest. All we seek is a measure of stability and calm, in an unpredictable and dangerous situation. Mr. President, Members of the Court, in light of the imminent threat facing the people of Ukraine, I urge you to order provisional measures. Ukraines distinguished counsel will explain the reasons why the Court should grant us this protection.

First, Professor Harold Hongju Koh will provide an overview of Ukraines claims and our request for provisional measures.

Second, Ms. Marney Cheek will explain the need for provisional measures relating to the Terrorism Financing Convention, and will demonstrate that all criteria for the indication of provisional measures are satisfied.

Third, Mr. Jonathan Gimblett will explain the need for provisional measures relating to the CERD, and will demonstrate that the criteria for the indication of provisional measures under that Convention are also satisfied.

Thank you, Mr. President and honorable Members of the Court. I now ask you to give the floor to Professor Koh to continue the oral pleadings of Ukraine.
With one of the warmest winters on record in the books, the spring storm season arrived a little early in La Crosse.

A strong storm system was moving across the Coulee Region Monday evening bringing, hail, high winds and a risk of tornadoes.

The National Weather Service reported a 50 mph gust of wind and quarter-inch hail around 8:45 p.m. in La Crosse.

Winds downed a traffic light at West Avenue and La Crosse Street in La Crosse, there were reports of trees down over the road in the town of Barre, and power was out for more than 2,300 Xcel Energy customers across the Coulee Region.

Downed power lines hindered firefighters battling a house fire at 920 Pine St. La Crosse Fire Division Chief David Snow said the fire was extinguished around 9:30 p.m. but firefighters had to evacuate the house until utility crews could disconnect power.

The Weather Service reported three-quarter-inch hail, strong wind and torrential rain in Lewiston, Minn.

A wind advisory remains in effect through Tuesday as wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph are expected to make travel hazardous for high-profile vehicles.

Stormy weather is common in the spring and late summer, when the jet stream brings cold and warm air together.

You get that cold front with mild, humid air theres always the possibility of severe weather, he said. Normally we may get it a little later.

March tornadoes are rare in Wisconsin. The National Weather Service has documented just 14 in the past 67 years, including just two in the Coulee Region.

An F1 tornado touched down March 31, 1967, near Westby, traveling about 2 miles and causing less than $50,000 in damage. On March 27, 1968, a tornado injured one person and destroyed several barns near Whitehall.

According to local records dating back to the 1850s, there are no March tornadoes on record for La Crosse, Monroe, Houston, or Winona counties.

The earlier-than-usual storm warnings come as La Crosse concluded the seventh warmest winter on record. The average temperature at the La Crosse Regional Airport during December, January and February was 26.7 degrees, 6.2 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal.

February saw the largest departure, with an average temperature 10.8 degrees above normal for the fifth-warmest February on record.

This year is the third in the current decade to crack the top 10, coming in just ahead of last year and just behind 2011-12. Five of the 10 warmest winters have occurred since 1997-98.

The 34.2 inches of snow recorded at the airport was 4 inches more than normal, but the 6.05 inches of precipitation made it the sixth-wettest winter on record. Normal precipitation for the winter is 3.5 inches.

It was the second winter in a row to break the top 10 for precipitation. Nearly 6.6 inches of precipitation fell last year, making it the second wettest on record.

The storms are the product of a strong low pressure system is moving out of the Great Plains, bringing a cold front into contact with what Schmidt calls full bore Gulf humidity.
The Trump administrations first budget proposal this month will not include any specific changes to the tax code or big programs like Medicare and Social Security, an administration official said, focusing instead on boosting defense spending and cutting other programs that are annually authorized by Congress.

This budget proposal is expected to be released around March 16. Other budget proposals will come at a later date, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson official said.

Unveiling the budget in this way will be a break from the comprehensive budget package that the Obama administration released at the beginning of its first term.

This means Congress and the public wont have a clear picture about what President Trumps budget package would mean for the deficit and debt until sometime later, but the delay also gives the White House more time to negotiate changes with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The Obama administration proposed its first budget  complete with tax changes  in late February of his first year, but his budget plans often ran into political buzz saws on Capitol Hill, and the Trump administration seems to be deploying a different strategy.

The upcoming budget plan will call for new appropriations for the partial creation of a wall along the border with Mexico and also additional money for the White Houses education initiative, which is intended to expand school choice options, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said in a radio interview Monday on The Hugh Hewitt Show.

Combined with the proposed increases in defense spending, this will be more than $54 billion in new spending.

The administration will offset all of these costs with cuts in other programs, Mulvaney said, saying the targets would be things that werent considered Trumps priorities.

The White House releases a budget proposal each year that includes tax and spending proposals for the following fiscal year, and this budget package is composed of numerous elements. The Trump administration appears to be breaking these elements out into pieces that will come separately.

The first piece, which will be released around March 16, will be a series of spending increases for defense programs and cuts in other parts of the budget that are known as discretionary spending, which must be authorized each year by Congress. This represents 31 percent of the 2017 budget, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

CBO has projected that the government will spend $3.963 trillion in the current fiscal year and bring in $3.404 trillion in revenue, leaving a deficit of $559 billion.

Later this year, the White House will propose changes to mandatory spending, which are things such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This is a much larger portion of the budget, although Trump promised on the campaign trail not to make changes to Medicare or Social Security.

The White House has not said when it will propose specific changes to the tax code, only that it wont be part of the March 16 budget.

This is and has always been a sequential budget, the OMB official said. The March budget will just be discretionary spending, with mandatory spending coming later as part of the larger budget.

The tax code changes could have the biggest impact on the budget. Trump has proposed steep cuts in the corporate and individual tax rate, which would expand the deficit starkly if they arent offset by the elimination of tax loopholes or other measures to increase revenue. Trump advisers have said the tax cuts will lead to so much economic growth that it will create new revenue, but these sorts of forecasts are controversial because they are very difficult to anticipate.

If the slimmed-down budget comes on March 16, it will arrive the same day Congresss suspension of the debt ceiling expires. In 2015, Congress suspended the debt ceiling until March 15, 2017. So on March 16, the Treasury Department will have to use whats known as extraordinary measures to avoid falling behind on government obligations. It will likely be able to use these extraordinary measures, such as delaying pension payments, only until August or September, budget experts have said. After that time, if Congress doesnt intervene, they estimate the government will begin falling behind on its debts.

The White House and Congress face another near-term deadline. Congress has funded government operations only through April 28, which means lawmakers will have to reach a new spending agreement by that date to avoid a partial shutdown of the government. Many conservatives want the White House to pursue steep spending cuts this year, but Democrats and a number of Republicans have raised concerns about this approach. This could expedite a fiscal showdown between the White House and Congress next month, likely while they are still working to craft a tax proposal and before they put out a plan for any changes to Medicaid.
Carmen Agra Deedys The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! (Scholastic, ages 4-7) is perfect for a rowdy read-aloud. This tale of a bold gallito  a rooster  who brings music back to a tiny village will stir up plenty of audience giggles and participation. As the book opens, the streets of La Paz ring with song from morning till night. Illustrator Eugene Yelchins vibrant folk-art illustration expresses this cheerful proliferation of sound and activity in bright, silly, nearly chaotic profusion. Everyone and everything had a song to sing in La Paz until the mayor is fired and Don Pepe, the candidate promising silence, is voted into office. He cracks down not only on loud singing, but also all singing. Even the teakettles were afraid to whistle. Seven quiet years later, a rooster finds the sweet mango tree just outside the mayors window and begins to do what roosters do any time of day  he sings. The mayor tries to contain the birds exuberance by cutting down the mango tree, putting the gallito in a cage away from food and from his hen and chicks, covering the cage in a dark blanket  all to no avail. How can I keep from singing? asks the rooster. Whether its a spirited child or a determined teen, every family has its own noisy rooster: insistent, persistent, exasperating at times, and with a song that must be sung  and should be heard.

 Kathie Meizner

"Alice Paul and the Fight for Women's Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment," by Deborah Kops (Calkins Creek)

Many young readers may be familiar with the name Susan B. Anthony, but lesser known, and equally important, is Alice Paul, the activist who helped women earn the right to vote in 1920. With Alice Paul and the Fight for Womens Rights (Calkins Creek, ages 11 and older), Deborah Kops focuses on Paul (1885-1977), who was raised as a Quaker and spent her adult life furthering the Quaker ideal of equality between men and women. Drawn into womens suffrage activism while studying in England, Paul returned to the United States determined to build on a movement that seemed to have stalled. She threw herself into drawing news media attention to the universal suffrage movement and putting pressure on President Woodrow Wilson and Congress to support it. Paul and her allies (almost all of them female) started with parades and petitions but soon moved on to picketing the White House. Their banners and signs drew hostile crowds and prison sentences. Kops doesnt ignore the divisions, rivalries and missteps of the suffrage struggle and subsequent legislative battles. But Paul emerges as a devoted and ingenious fighter for justice  and an inspiring role model in her devoted and ingenious fight for justice.

 Abby McGanney Nolan

"Hello, Universe," by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow )

In a single eventful day, the paths  and stories  of four middle-school students cross in Hello, Universe (Greenwillow, ages 8-12), a charming, intriguingly plotted novel by Erin Entrada Kelly. As a gentle, lonely introvert in a boisterous family, Virgil Salinas feels closest to his guinea pig, Gulliver, and his storytelling Filipina grandmother. When he tries to rescue Gulliver from the neighborhood bully, Chet Bullens, Virgil and his pet become trapped in an abandoned well. His friend, an amateur psychic named Kaori Tanaka, is sure something has happened to Virgil and sets out to find him. Meanwhile, a young nature lover, Valencia Somerset, visits the stray dog she has been secretly feeding in the woods and joins Kaori in her search for Virgil. But there is no trace of him. Hes like a character in one of his grandmothers stories, like the boy who was swallowed by a stone. As Virgil sits, terrified, for hours in the quiet, dank darkness, he remembers bits and pieces of these old stories and they calm and strengthen him. As she skillfully intercuts these four narratives, Kelly builds suspense and fosters empathy for her characters, from the fiercely independent, hearing-impaired Valencia, who insists that solo  its the best way to go, to mean-spirited Chet, who yearns for approval from his intolerant father. As the connections deepen, it seems that this big, mysterious, fickle universe might harbor friendship and self-awareness for each.
Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor, owners of Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta. (Jang Choe/Heirloom Market BBQ)

Jiyeon Lee, a South Korean expat, doesnt serve Korean barbecue at her Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta. She and her husband, the Texas-born Cody Taylor, serve American barbecue with Korean touches. Example: pungent gochujang-marinated pork, smoked over oak and hickory wood and served as a sandwich crowned with kimchi coleslaw.

In Austin, Miguel Vidal has mated the ingredients of his Mexican ancestry with those of his Texas upbringing at his celebrated Valentinas Tex Mex BBQ. Think house-made corn tortillas with smoked brisket, guacamole and tomato serrano salsa.

Ready or not, change has come to Barbecue Country. Often viewed in black and white, the world of slow-smoked Southern barbecue is being transformed by the immigrants of contemporary America.

A lot of the cultures coming here have something they call barbecue, says Thomas W. Hanchett, retired staff historian of the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. They are now becoming part of the South and using this language of barbecue. What had been foreign, international traditions are becoming American traditions.

Of course, from its earliest days, Southern barbecue has been a polyglot cuisine. Its origin combined Caribbean and Native American techniques of indirect smoking with European meats (pork and beef, mainly) and African American flavorings. More than a century ago, Mexicans in California and Texas contributed a style known as barbacoa in which cow heads are roasted in a pit in the ground. Germans are generally believed to have created the mustard sauce of South Carolina.

The German influence, along with Polish and Czech, is also big in Texas, where in the 1880s and 1890s those immigrants meat markets were the ones selling barbecue, says Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn.

Apparently, such culinary influences were not always appreciated. Vaughn emailed me a link to an archived copy of a 1875 front page of the Dallas Daily Herald that showed a strain of anti- immigration that persists through American life to this day. A German sausage factory has been established in Austin, one item in a column entitled The Heralds Compress reads. It may not be amiss to remind our city authorities that this is a splendid opportunity to dispose of our surplus dog crop.

Objections aside, those immigrant groups affected barbecue culture all over the state. But in central Texas it became a signature barbecue style, characterized by slow-smoked beef and coarse-ground, spicy sausage.



Charlie Vergos, left, and his father behind the bar at Charlie Vergos Rendezvous in Memphis in the 1950s. (Charlie Vergos Rendezvous)

Greeks have influenced American barbecue as well, with the most famous example being Charlie Vergos, a son of immigrants. He founded the famous Memphis barbecue restaurant Charlie Vergos Rendezvous where, in the late 1950s, he concocted a spice rub for pork ribs that combined Greek herbs, such as oregano, with traditional barbecue spices. Dabbed with vinegar while cooking, the creation became known as the Memphis dry ribs style, so called because theyre not sauced (or wet).

In its multicultural history, stretching back before the formation of the country, barbecue might be the one true indigenous American cuisine. Curiously, barbecue is viewed as unchanging. But, from the foods we smoke to the way we smoke them, barbecue is constantly evolving.

What we think of as barbecue today would have been unrecognizable to eaters a century ago, Robert Moss, author of Barbecue: The History of an American Institution, told First We Feast. We dont need to redefine barbecue in America; its already busy redefining itself, and the new flavors of immigrant communities are an important part of that evolution.

Cultures around the world enjoy some kind of fire-cooking tradition. But for the most part, theyre different from what weve come to expect when we walk into a Southern barbecue restaurant. Korean barbecue is thin-sliced meats grilled quickly over a direct (typically, gas) fire, while the Indian tandoor uses a clay oven, and Sichuan duck is smoked over tea leaves, then frequently fried. Southern barbecue is big meats such as beef brisket, pork shoulder and ribs slow-smoked using an indirect fire of hardwoods.



Korean influences go into what otherwise looks like a traditional tray of barbecue at Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta. (Jang Choe/Heirloom Market BBQ)

Heirloom BBQ Market, opened in 2010, represents a melting-pot approach to barbecue. The brisket, for example, is injected with a Korean version of miso before bathing low and slow in smoke inside an all-wood cooker imported from Texas.

Drawing on the Korean little-plates tradition of fermented and pickled vegetables, Lee, who was a pop star in South Korea, saw an opportunity. Its a really good pairing with the heavy meat dishes, with all the pickles and vegetables, she says. At first, it was, Is this a barbecue restaurant? But people in Atlanta, its a melting pot and very diverse, and people are open-minded about trying something new.

Taylor said Heirloom experienced some initial resistance from barbecue purists but overcame it with glowing press attention. He says the idea behind what appears exotic is actually simple. We decided to just go with what we brought from our house, ingredient-wise and feeling-wise, Taylor says. Just be yourself. Thats what barbecue is all about.

While the fusion trend inhabits a very small corner of the barbecue firmament, similar cultural mash-ups are occurring nationwide. At Kimchi Smoke in northern New Jersey, owner Robert Cho, a Korean American, smokes the kimchi that tops the smoked pork, which he piles onto a flour tortilla. He calls the creation a Korean Redneck Taco. In Charlotte, the husband-and-wife team of Tim Chun and Lisa Kamura at the Seoul Food Meat Co. turn out meats marinated in Korean flavorings and served with pickled radish and sides of Sriracha cracklins, ramen mac-and- cheese and soy-pickled deviled eggs.

At the food truck Honky Tonk Kid BBQ in Waco, Texas, David Gorham serves a rotating menu of global fusion, which combines traditionally smoked Texas meats with an international flair. Its recently concluded Italian menu featured a smoked meatball sub with a fire-roasted marinara sauce, plus side dishes such as citrus and fennel coleslaw.

I just want to introduce people to different flavors and different cultures, Gorham says. I just want people to know there are other flavors out there, and we can all get together, and thats what barbecue should be.



Aqui Es Texcoco's Francisco Perez cuts huitlacoche from an ear of corn for television host Andrew Zimmern. The restaurant specializes in lamb barbacoa. (Aqui Es Texcoco)

In New York, Hometown Barbecue offers a lamb belly banh mi alongside traditional pulled pork sandwiches, Izzys Smokehouse and Main House BBQ serve kosher barbecue (beef, chicken; no pork), and pastrami is on barbecue menus all over town.

We have so many great barbecue restaurants that they have to distinguish themselves, says Eater critic Robert Sietsema. We have a universal constituency that loves sweet and sour flavors. The flavor palette is being preserved with a smokiness that people long for.

In Texas, smoked meats such as brisket and pork are finding their way into tacos instead of the more traditional white bread. Whether serving [barbecue] as tacos rather than sandwiches or with beans and rice and stuff like pico de gallo as a garnish instead of pickles and onions, were seeing the Mexican influence a lot more, Vaughn says.

In Southern California, pastrami tacos have long been a thing. But recently, restaurants have emerged that specialize in a form of lamb barbacoa popular around Mexico City.

In Mexico, a wood fire burns hot and long in a hole in the ground, and the retained heat cooks marinated lamb. At his two Aqui Es Texcoco restaurants  one outside San Diego, the other in Los Angeles  Francisco Paco Perez simulates the process using a gas oven and, to provide a semblance of smoke and a hint of bitterness, maguey leaves, which smolder. He seasons the meat traditionally, with chile de arbol, guajillo, onions and garlic.



Barbacoa tacos at Aqui Es Texcoco in California. (Aqui Es Texcoco)

Aqui Es Texcoco uses maguey leaves to help impart flavor to its lamb barbacoa. (Aqui Es Texcoco)

People want to know traditional dishes, says Perez, who is originally from Guadalajara and began cooking the dish at a restaurant in Tijuana owned by his mother. I think my food represents my culture, and so I want to introduce Americans to that.

Barbecue has functioned the other way as well  as a cuisine that immigrants and their descendants use as an entry point to claim America. Chinese American Robin Wong and his brother Terry, who grew up in a diverse Houston suburb called Alief, operate barbecue pop-ups in Houston with a Vietnamese childhood friend named Quy Hoang. Although they sometimes experiment with Asian flavors, to Wong, barbecue is a unifying food in a diverse world. Our normal menu is straight Texas barbecue, he says.

Tyson Ho, a Chinese American, smokes classic Carolina whole hog in his Brooklyn restaurant, Arrogant Swine. This is my tiny part of preserving American history and creating my spot in the American story, Ho says. When you grow up neither white nor black in the U.S., it is hard to find a piece of America that is yours. It is hard to find something that youre heir to. So, cooking barbecue is my way of grabbing hold and saying, This is mine. 

Shahin is an associate professor of journalism at Syracuse University. He will join todays Free Range chat at noon: live.washingtonpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jimshahin.
The European Parliament voted to repeal visa-free travel for Americans planning to visit the 28-country bloc. If the U.S. allows five E.U. countries to enter without the document, the issue could go away. (Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg News)

On most packing lists, travelers bound for Europe jot down  and check off  such essentials as a passport, international charger and sensible shoes. A recent proposal from across the pond could add a new mandatory item that will jump to the top of the page: a visa.

Last week, members of the European parliament voted to repeal visa-free travel for Americans planning to visit the 28-country bloc. The legislators were responding to a U.S. rule requiring citizens of five European Union countries to obtain visas to enter the country. The exclusion of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania from the visa-waiver program violates the reciprocity agreement  basically, if we dont make your people procure the document, you dont make ours. It also challenges the E.U.s core principle of equal treatment for all its nations.

I have heard that threat before. It comes up anytime there is an issue with visas, said Barbara Bodine, director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. But this time, it has more salience.

[European lawmakers threaten visa rules for Americans in spat over travel policies]

The U.S. requirement for the five E.U. nations is not new; it predates the Trump administration by several years. Nor is the United States the only government to single out these countries. Australia, Canada, Brunei and Japan followed a similar protocol, but they changed their policy in response to Europes concerns.

Bodine says the directive from Europe carries more weight in the current environment. One factor: President Trumps initial travel ban, which ensnared many Europeans, including a British Muslim teacher who was en route to New York last month but was denied entry.

It adds an extra twist to the concern European members have about our visa and travel regulations, the former diplomat said.

The European parliament recommended that the European Commission revoke Americans visa-free privileges within two months. But dont start swapping Quebec City for Paris just yet: The vote is nonbinding. In addition, Bodine says the European parliament does not have the authority to set national laws.

[American and United unveil a new low-fare category. Is it worth the sacrifices?]

This is more of an advisory, she said, but it does put down a marker.

Justin Chapman is cautiously optimistic. The director of sales at VisaHQ, which assists travelers with visa applications, calls the vote a warning shot. However, if the E.U. proceeds with the plan, Chapman expects the document will resemble the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the e-form that visa-waiver countries (38 in all) must submit before visiting the United States. The application costs $14, a price tag Chapman says the E.U. might replicate. He estimates a processing time of at least five business days.

Most likely, the extra time and expense will not stop Americans from vacationing in Europe. But the visa requirement could curb a more impulsive and romantic travel urge.

It would really slow down the, Gee, why dont we go to Paris for the weekend?  type of travel, Bodine said.

More from Travel:

To attract international visitors, Argentina is refunding its tax on all lodgings

When Americans land in trouble abroad, these expats step in

The best time to buy airline tickets and other travel advice for 2017
D.C. Council members David Grosso (I-At Large), left, and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) are part of the majority of council members who want Congress to phase out private school vouchers in the District. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

A majority of the D.C. Council is urging House Republicans to phase out the federal school voucher program, splitting with D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser over the system that lets low-income families in the city use federal dollars to pay private school tuition.

A congressional committee is slated to take up legislation Wednesday to renew the D.C. voucher program.

The divide between the council and the mayor comes as city leaders struggle over how to deal with intervention into local affairs by congressional Republicans.

Bowser on Tuesday reaffirmed her support for the only federally funded voucher program, which gives money to 1,100 students each year to leave low-performing public schools for private schools.

In a letter sent Tuesday to House Republicans, the council majority argued that there is no evidence that private school vouchers have resulted in better academic outcomes for students and that the program amounts to an inappropriate use of tax dollars.

We have serious concerns about using government funds to send our students to private schools that do not adhere to the same standards and accountability, said the letter signed by eight of 13 council members. We call on you to respect the wishes of the Districts elected officials on the quintessentially local matter of education.

The council members also pointed out that public education in the District has improved markedly since Congress created the voucher program in 2004 and that parents can choose among traditional neighborhood schools, public charter schools or out-of-boundary schools through a city lottery.

The letter amounted to a reversal from a year ago, when eight council members joined Bowser to support a continuation of the voucher program.

Observers said that with Bowser fighting off congressional interference into city marijuana laws, gun control and other measures, the mayor saw little benefit to fighting the voucher program, which is a priority for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). The voucher program also brings in additional federal dollars for D.C. public schools and charter schools.

Its a delicate balance in the District that I think is a model for choice across the nation, Bowser said.

But council member David Grosso, chairman of the councils Education Committee, blasted the House bill filed by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) to continue the voucher program for another five years.

Grosso (I-At Large) called the bill an affront to the citys improving public school system and a potential vehicle for President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a longtime advocate for school choice, to make good on a promise to expand private school vouchers, beginning in D.C.

[New bill shows how Washington could expand vouchers across the U.S.]

A bill filed last year by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) would turn the District  where Congress has ultimate authority  into an entirely voucher-based district.

Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who hosted a town hall meeting last month that drew over 700 people opposed to congressional interference in local matters, urged D.C. residents Tuesday to call Chaffetz and other lawmakers to register their opposition to the voucher program.

I dont think vouchers work, and I dont think its right to take public tax dollars and put them into private religious schools, he said. And I think everybody agrees that we should not be having Jason Chaffetz and House Republicans serve as the local school board.

A Washington Post review found that hundreds of students use their voucher dollars to attend schools that are in unconventional settings, such as a family-run K-12 school operating out of a storefront and a Nation of Islam school based in a converted Deanwood residence.

[Quality is a blind spot when it comes to D.C. voucher program]

Along with Grosso and Allen, the letter was signed by council members Anita Bonds (D-At Large); Jack Evans (D-Ward 2); Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7); Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1); Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) and Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8),

Those who did not sign the letter were Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and council members Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3); Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Brandon T. Todd (D-Ward 4); and Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large).

With the exception of Robert White, all of those who did not sign on had expressed support a year ago for continuation of the program. In an interview, White said he supported a limited voucher program but would have serious concerns about expansion.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, or SOAR, as the voucher program is known, provides tuition support for about 1,100 students. Serving Our Children, the organization that administers the program, announced last week that it expects the program to expand by hundreds of new students for the 2017-2018 school year.

Michael Musante, director of government relations for FOCUS, which advocates for school choice, said that since 2004, SOAR has provided over $675 million to the District, split equally between public schools, charter schools and vouchers.

He said in an email that it was hard to fathom why any Council member would put at risk a future $225 million dollars in federal funds over five years given to the District alone with little to no strings attached.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the Districts nonvoting delegate, has given conflicting guidance to her Democratic colleagues on the House Oversight Committee ahead of Wednesdays vote.

Last week, she sent members a letter laying out a nuanced position on the bill. She opposes private school vouchers, she said, but would stop short of vigorously fighting the bill because it also contains funding for public schools and public charter schools that she supports.

Norton said the voucher program lacks civil rights protections and is particularly unnecessary in D.C., where about half of students already attend charter schools and three-quarters attend out-of-boundary schools they have chosen.

In light of the District governments understandable concern about the potential loss of the public and charter school funding, which it has received for more than a decade, I will not offer any amendments to the bill, and will not ask for a recorded vote, she wrote. I respectfully request that you not offer amendments or ask for a recorded vote, either. If there is a recorded vote, however, I will vote NO.

But on Tuesday, her office sent Democrats on the committee an email reversing her request that they refrain from offering amendments.
Not long ago, Gavin Grimm was an unknown transgender teen in a small Virginia town, quietly waging a fight to use the boys bathroom at Gloucester High.

I am just a human. I am just a boy. Please consider my rights when you make your decision, Grimm told the school board in 2014. I dont want to be a trailblazer, but here I am in this position. Still, they banned him from the boys bathroom.

Two and a half years later, Grimms lawsuit against the school board has made him a poster boy for transgender rights. He was featured in a National Geographic documentary produced by Katie Couric, and transgender actress Laverne Cox gave him a shout-out at the Grammys. His name is part of a social-media rallying cry for transgender student rights, #StandWithGavin.

Grimm learned Monday that the Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear his case at the end of March, is instead remanding it to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, disappointing him and other transgender students and advocates. The decision came after the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era directive for public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms of the gender they identify with, regardless of what is on their birth certificates.

[Supreme Court sends Virginia transgender case back to lower court]

For now, the 17-year-old is no longer Gavin Grimm, the Supreme Court plaintiff.

His case still could shape how schools in the 4th Circuit  which includes Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolinas  accommodate transgender students. The legal battle  and the poise he demonstrated before the school board and national media  has made him a lasting symbol for transgender students fighting to live normal lives.

Eliza Byard, executive director of the national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, said Grimm has emerged as an important figure for transgender teens, who research shows are more prone to bullying, mental-health problems and suicide.

For them, Gavin Grimms fight for recognition has taken on incredible importance, Byard said. These students were devastated, she said, that the Supreme Court would pass on Grimms case. It is a missed opportunity to have his rights vindicated at the highest level.

Grimm said the case has changed his life in strange ways. People recognize him everywhere: at a hole-in-the-wall diner in North Carolina, at Union Station in Washington, at the new Petco near his home in Gloucester, where he shopped Sunday for dog shoes that he plans to put on his pet pig, Esmeralda.

Those who have approached him have always done so with words of support, but Grimm sometimes worries that someone who recognizes him will have ill intentions.

Im a recognizable person, and thats something Im not quite used to yet, Grimm said.

[Gavin Grimm just wanted to use the bathroom. He didnt think the nation would debate it.]

Celebrity has done little to alter how he is treated at school, where he uses the nurses restroom. In hallways, Grimm said he still encounters sidelong glances, whispers and stares.

Being in the spotlight has been time-consuming. Big developments in his case have filled his days with news conferences and interviews. The day before the Trump administrations action on transgender student rights, Grimm was rallying outside the White House.

It is a role that can be draining, he said. There is less time to socialize, less time with friends, less time just being a teenager. But Grimm embraced the role.

Im just so honored to be able to carry the voice of such a wonderful community and so honored to be able to contribute to the positive conversation and whatever positive legal or social change that I can, Grimm said.

Grimm, a senior, is waiting on college applications and is considering careers in teaching or genetics. He said he is also thinking about pursuing full-time activism.

His case is unlikely to be resolved before he graduates from high school, but Grimm said he is still glad he challenged the school board.

This doesnt signify a loss, Grimm said of the high courts decision to pass on the case. Were just going to keep moving forward as vehemently as we have been so far.
THE DISTRICT

Public forums on police chief designee

The first of three public forums ahead of a D.C. Council confirmation vote for Peter J. Newsham as the Districts police chief is scheduled Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Southeast Washington.

The meeting will be at the RISE Demonstration Center at 2730 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. It is being held by the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. Newsham has served as interim chief since his selection last month by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and must be confirmed by the council.

The Tuesday roundtable and a second scheduled for 7 p.m. March 20 at the Kipp DC Shaw campus, 421 P St. NW, will accept public testimony.

The public and Newsham are set to speak at a third roundtable scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 24 in Room 500 at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

 Peter Hermann

76-year-old man dies

in SE apartment fire

A man killed in a fire Friday night in Southeast Washington was identified Monday as a 76-year-old who lived in the apartment that burned, police and fire officials said.

Police said Samuel Bryant of the 3800 block of V Street SE died at a hospital shortly after the 10 p.m. fire. Fire officials had initially said the victim was 74; police later said he was 76.

The fire was contained to a second-floor apartment. A cause has not yet been determined, according to a fire department spokesman.

MARYLAND

Ex-liquor board leader

seeks jury trial on DUI

The former chairman of the Prince Georges County liquor board arrested in December on drunken driving and other traffic-related charges outside of the MGM National Harbor Casino has requested a jury trial.

Charles W. Caldwell III, 73, was scheduled to appear in traffic court in Prince Georges County District Court in Hyattsville on Monday, but the request moves his case to the countys circuit court.

Caldwells attorney appeared in court briefly Monday to inform the judge of the change. His attorney declined to comment after the hearing.

Caldwell was charged with DUI, reckless driving and other traffic offenses after a crash that involved two other vehicles as he was leaving the opening-night festivities at the new casino Dec. 8, according to police. A police report from the incident indicated he failed a field sobriety test.

In a telephone interview with The Washington Post, Caldwell denied he was intoxicated. He blamed failing the field sobriety test on his age and being unsteady on his feet.

 Lynh Bui
THE DISTRICT

Five arrested at travel ban protest

Five people were arrested Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington during a protest over President Trumps new travel ban.

The protest, organized by the D.C. Justice for Muslims Coalition, took place at the building at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

Five people were arrested after causing a disruption to government operations at the facility and were charged with unlawful entry to a federal facility, according to an email from a Federal Protective Service official.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

One of six shot on same street has died

One of six people shot on a single street in seven days in one Southeast Washington neighborhood died over the weekend, according to D.C. police, who continue to search for a reason behind an apparent neighborhood feud.

Andrew McPhatter, 28, of Southeast, was wounded about 10:50 a.m. on March 1 in the 3500 block of Wheeler Road in Congress Heights. He was found shot in the drivers seat of a Buick GS 350 in the middle of the road. Police said he died Sunday.

 Peter Hermann

MARYLAND

Politician seeks to end handgun permit board

A Democratic state senator wants to abolish the states Handgun Permit Review Board, which gun control advocates say has become too willing to overturn state police recommendations about who can carry concealed weapons.

A bill proposed Monday by Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) would dissolve the board, which is staffed with gubernatorial appointees, and transfer the power to review permit denials to administrative judges.

 Fenit Nirappil

Police investigate homicide in Suitland

Police in Prince Georges County said Tuesday they were investigating a homicide in Suitland after a man was shot.

Police were dispatched to the 3900 block of Southern Avenue about 2:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a shooting. The victim was an adult male, police said.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

VIRGINIA

Suspect in stabbing will be extradited

A man who allegedly stabbed a security guard to death at the Potomac Mills shopping center in Prince William County on Saturday was arrested Tuesday, police said.

Police said the suspect, Jamel Carlos Kingsbury, 35, was arrested in the District and will be extradited to Virginia.

Prince William police had been searching for Kingsbury since Saturday afternoon, when they say he stabbed 44-year-old Larry Donnell Drumgole during an altercation outside a Burlington Coat Factory store.

 Justin Wm. Moyer
Teddy bears hang on a tree on Wheeler Road SE between the 3300 and 3900 block, where six shootings happened in seven days. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

In the search for causes of gun violence in the District, you cant go wrong by blaming the gun.

This is our number one problem in the District of Columbia. Illegal guns, acting police chief Peter Newsham said at a community meeting on crime in Southeast Washington on Monday.

Hundreds of residents nodded in agreement. They had gathered at the Eagle Academy Public Charter School in the Congress Heights neighborhood, many of them angry and afraid. Six people had been recently shot along a seven-block stretch of the thoroughfare where the school is located. One of them died.

[Six people shot in seven days on a single D.C. street]

The number one motive of shootings is petty disputes, minor petty beefs, Newsham said. And the reasons those interactions are becoming fatal is because of these right here. On a large projector screen was a photograph of some of the guns that police had confiscated.

To hear police tell it, youd think the gun had somehow turned a petty dispute into a homicide. But the gun did not pull its own trigger or compel a person to pick it up and shoot somebody.

Ward 8, where the shootings occurred, is predominantly black and has the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, premature deaths and crime in the city. Years ago, low-income black people were pushed out of Georgetown and Southwest Washington and herded into poorly constructed public housing in Southeast.

Violence escalated amid despair, hopelessness, inequality and neglect.

Now residents are being pushed again  displaced to make way for more expensive housing and luxurious amenities for people with more resources.

People are being moved into neighborhoods where they have long-standing beefs with people already there, said Anthony Muhammad, a longtime resident of the ward. See whats happening in Barry Farm, he said, referring to the public housing complex. Residents there are being moved into Congress Park, so problems are being created because of that type of move.

What appears to the police to be little more than petty disputes may actually be desperation, anger and fear born of poverty, joblessness, mass incarceration and fraying social networks.

We can spend $5 million on dog parks and $300 a day to incarcerate a juvenile at the [Department of Youth Services], said Trayon White, who represents the area on the D.C. Council, but we cant get funding for after-school programs that cost $75 a child.

White has proposed an after-school program that would offer additional academic enrichment, but he has yet to gain enough support to get it off the ground.

Do dogs matter more than black lives? It can sometimes feel that way. Residents in Southeast should no more tolerate such perverse priorities than they would these killings.

Shootings are guaranteed to fill a community meeting. But residents also need to get excited about addressing the problems that lead to violence. Post-traumatic stress disorder is epidemic in the city. Walter Reed Army Medical Center, also located in the city, has experts who know how to treat it. Why arent some of them being invited to community meetings?

Regis Bryant, commander of the 7th Police District, announced that he was holding a private meeting with Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, so we can all be on the same page. But what about a meeting with some global business leaders who know how to create jobs for chronically unemployed people?

Newsham noted that he was all for long-term solutions, but he emphasized that confiscating guns was a top priority.

In one week, from Feb. 27 to March 6, D.C. police seized 27 firearms. The guns included a sawed-off Mossberg shotgun; a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic handgun; .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun; and a 9 mm Iwi Uzi semiautomatic pistol with an extended clip.

The availability of such high-quality firearms indicates the presence of a robust gun trade in a city with some of the strictest gun-control laws in the country.

And the market shows no sign of disappearing, even though the District has been confiscating guns by the thousands for decades. Whether gun violence goes up or down has little to do with how many they seize. It has to do with how hopeful people are, how much opportunity they have, and how much help they receive managing pain, anger and rage.

If you see someone in our community carrying one of these, let us know, Newsham said of the firearms. We will come and get it. We have 3,700 officers who will be happy to come and take these out of our community.

As if the gun were public enemy No. 1.

To read previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/milloy.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogans nominee to the State Board of Education withdrew his name from consideration on Tuesday, the governors office said, a day after a Senate committee questioned whether he was qualified to join the policymaking board.

The Executive Nominations Committee grilled Brandon F. Cooper on Monday night about his legal and financial troubles, which include a drunken-driving charge, a 2010 bench warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of driving with a suspended license and liens for thousands of dollars in unpaid state taxes and unpaid rents.

Some lawmakers also asked Cooper tough questions about his position on education policy, including testing, vouchers and underperforming schools.

You didnt pay your taxes to the state of Maryland; how can you take a position with the state of Maryland? Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said.

Cooper, the 28-year-old chairman of the Prince Georges County Republican Central Committee, told Miller that he is on a payment schedule for the unpaid taxes. The delinquency, he said, stems from a time when he worked as an independent contractor and taxes were not deducted.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) delivers his third State of the State address. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Cooper, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, introduced himself to the panel Monday night as an Ohio native raised by a single parent, a product of public schools and a Howard University graduate who is not perfect.

A Suitland resident, Cooper is in law school at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. He told the committee that he was a founding board member for the 100 Black Men of Prince Georges County, a volunteer mentoring program, and that he served as the Baltimore activism manager for the Institute for Justice, an advocacy group that promotes school choice. His LinkedIn page says he has worked as a political consultant for the past eight years.

The Maryland Democratic Party criticized Hogan (R) for not vetting Coopers background more carefully, noting that the governor called for background checks for nominees to fill vacancies in the General Assembly after one nominee was indicted on campaign-finance charges.

A spokeswoman for Hogan did not immediately return a call Tuesday about Coopers background or the vetting process.

The nomination also drew strong opposition from the state teachers union.

The chair of the nominations panel, Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore), said he did not think that Coopers financial issues or brushes with the law disqualified him, noting that everybody deserves a second chance.

What concerned me was a lack of experience in education policy, Ferguson said.
A Democratic state senator from Maryland wants to abolish the states Handgun Permit Review Board, which gun control advocates say has become too willing to overturn state police recommendations about who should receive a concealed-carry permit.

A bill proposed Monday by Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery) would dissolve the review board, which is staffed with gubernatorial appointees, and transfer the power to review permit denials to administrative judges.

Jen Pauliukonis, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, welcomed the legislation as stripping politics out of gun safety. She says the review board has overturned more recommendations from state troopers to deny permits since Gov. Larry Hogan (R) took office and reshaped the panel.

Hogan, a moderate who has largely refrained from weighing in on gun rights debates in the legislature, has appointed all five members of the handgun review board with the approval of the Democratic-majority state Senate.
On Feb. 8, a group of Latino men were leaving an overnight hypothermia shelter at Rising Hope Mission Church in Alexandria, Va., when they were surrounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, arrested and taken away in vans.

The churchs pastor, Kerry Kincannon, worries that ICE is now targeting churches, abandoning long-standing ICE guidelines that treat houses of worship, hospitals and schools as sensitive areas to be avoided when rounding up people for deportation.

They are making people fearful of coming to church, Kincannon told a local TV station. They are making people fearful of coming in, to get out of the cold, to get help in a shelter, and we are not going to stand for it, we are absolutely not going to stand for it.

Kincannon is not alone. Religious leaders across the country are increasingly concerned about new immigration policies that have taken the shackles off ICE agents, in the words of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Of course, large numbers of undocumented immigrants were deported under the Obama administration. But Obama-era guidelines focused ICE on serious criminals and gang members; this directive appears to be vanishing under President Donald Trump. According to news reports from several states, people with no criminal history or with misdemeanor convictions are now being swept up in ICE raids.

Houses of worship are pushing back by declaring themselves sanctuary churches  an act of conscience that many sanctuary activists believe is rooted in biblical admonitions to welcome the stranger. At various times in American history, churches have given sanctuary to the vulnerable, most famously harboring fugitive slaves as part of the Underground Railroad in the 19th century. In the 1980s, many churches gave sanctuary to Central American refugees fleeing civil conflict.

According to USA Today, there are now more than 800 sanctuary houses of worship in 45 states, a number that spiked dramatically after the presidential election.

Earlier this month, to cite just one example, the First Unitarian Society of Denver gave sanctuary to Jeanette Vizguerra, a mother of four described by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock as an active community member who has persistently pursued legal status through the proper channels.

To be clear, religious and civic leaders like Kincannon and Hancock are not arguing that the government turn a blind eye to the presence of more than 11 million undocumented people in the United States. Nor do they oppose ICE taking action against people who have committed serious crimes and endanger the community.

But sanctuary leaders are standing up for undocumented people who they believe have been betrayed by a government that has long refused to fix the problem, and big business that has long profited from the labor of undocumented migrants. Instead of taking responsibility for creating and sustaining a broken immigration system, many Americans now demand mass deportation and unworkable walls. For the sanctuary movement, this is a classic case of blaming the victim.

Against this backdrop of dysfunction, hundreds of religious individuals and communities involved in the sanctuary movement see their actions as acts of religious conscience protected by the First Amendment. For many Christians, protecting the vulnerable is more than social justice; it is a command of the Gospel.

Thus far, however, the religious freedom defense has not prevailed in the courts. Under current law, ICE may enter places of worship to arrest undocumented people. And religious leaders themselves risk being charged with harboring people not authorized to be in the U.S.

Exactly which actions by religious leaders could violate the law is murky, given that lower courts differ on whether harboring means concealment or simple sheltering. But we do know that religious clergy and laypeople were arrested and convicted for their work in the sanctuary movement in the 1980s.

Since the law may not protect them, churches and other places of worship must rely on public opinion and moral suasion to keep ICE agents from entering their sanctuaries. The ICE sensitive areas guidelines are an acknowledgment that the optics of raiding churches would be morally repugnant  and a public relations nightmare.

But if houses of worship become fair game for ICE under Trump  which is precisely what Pastor Kincannon fears  the only recourse for many people of faith is civil disobedience through nonviolent resistance.

Civil disobedience is not, of course, one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. But a sixth freedom  the act of following the dictates of conscience in pursuit of justice  has been at the heart of social justice movements throughout American history.

From the Underground Railroad to the womens suffrage movement, from the civil rights movement to ACT UP, courageous Americans have defied what they believed were unjust government laws and policies  and willingly accepted the consequences, including physical assault, arrest and incarceration.

There are just laws and there are unjust laws, wrote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from his cell in the Birmingham jail. I would agree with St. Augustine that an unjust law is no law at all...One who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly...I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.

Welcoming the stranger in the current climate requires courage and carries risk. But in the face of injustice, the voice of conscience cannot be denied.
A committee of the Maryland Senate, above, on Monday grilled one of Gov. Larry Hogans nominees to the state Board of Education about his brushes with the law, his unpaid state taxes and his stance on school choice. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

A Maryland Senate committee on Monday grilled one of Gov. Larry Hogans nominees to the state Board of Education about his brushes with the law, his unpaid state taxes and his stance on school choice.

You didnt pay your taxes to the state of Maryland; how can you take a position with the state of Maryland? Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) asked Brandon Cooper, a Hogan appointee from Prince Georges County.

The Senate Executive Nominations Committee delayed action on Coopers nomination on Monday night.

Cooper introduced himself to the panel as a native of Ohio, a public-school product and a Howard University graduate who is not perfect.

Sen. James Brochin (D-Baltimore County) asked Cooper about charges filed against him for driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended registration and driving with a suspended license.

Cooper said he made mistakes and has learned from them. But Brochin said his main concern was failure-to-appear charges filed against the nominee.

Cooper said he moved a lot, did not receive notice of a court date for driving a motor vehicle on a suspended license, and was unaware of the failure-to-appear warrant. The issue was resolved, he said.

Asked about his position on school vouchers, Cooper said he supports parents being empowered to find the best educational option for their children. But, he said, given that he is a product of public schools, he is an advocate for public schools.

A spokeswoman for Hogan (R) did not immediately return a call for comment about Coopers background or the vetting process. This year, Hogan proposed legislation that would require people who were nominated to fill vacant seats in the General Assembly to undergo background checks.

The governor called for the background checks after Gary Brown Jr., an aide to Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh (D), who was selected to fill a vacant seat, was indicted on charges that he violated campaign finance laws.
A demonstrator waves an American flag in front of the Supreme Court during a protest in January over President Trump's executive orders. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Montgomery County is set to hire the former director of immigration for the Department of Homeland Security as special counsel to help officials sort through the legal and political challenges posed by the Trump administrations immigration policies.

Leon Rodriguez also served as Montgomery County attorney from 2007 to 2010. Most recently he was director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the Obama administration. The 18,000-person agency is charged with administering all immigration policies, including visa and asylum applications, the vetting of refugees and the granting of U.S. citizenship.

Rodriguezs appointment, which is expected to be approved Tuesday by the Montgomery County Council, underscores the level of uncertainty faced by local officials in liberal jurisdictions in light of President Trumps declared intention to arrest and deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants.

Localities such as Montgomery are struggling to maintain the trust of large foreign-born populations in school systems and other institutions while trying to avoid being targeted for federal enforcement.

The tumult has thrust local government attorneys onto the unfamiliar terrain of federal immigration law. In Arlington County, the public school system recently retained the D.C.-based Hogan Lovells law firm to provide advice as needed with immigration matters.

The Rockville City Council held a public hearing Monday evening on a proposal to adopt limits on the cooperation that police, corrections personnel and other city employees can extend to immigration authorities. The Howard County Council voted 3 to 2 to uphold County Executive Allan H. Kittlemans veto of a similar measure. The fourth yes vote was required to reverse the veto.

In Montgomery, County Attorney Marc Hansen found himself scrambling last week to craft amendments ordered by the County Council in response to the Maryland Trust Act, which is before the General Assembly.

The bill would impose more sweeping restrictions on cooperation with federal authorities than what is the practice in Montgomery. County officials would like to push the bill closer to its more moderate policies.

As county officials continue to navigate such issues, Hansen said, Rodriguezs unusual background in both county and federal immigration law made him particularly qualified to play a role.

The immigration landscape seems to be very fluid, Hansen said. Its very unclear what, if any, significant changes may be made by the federal government. Montgomery clearly has a stake in how these laws are implemented.

Rodriguez, 54, is a partner in the D.C. office of the law firm Seyfarth Shaw. He declined to comment Monday.

Hansen said it was not certain how many hours Rodriguez would work. His hourly fee is still under negotiation.

Officials had thought he would help draft amicus briefs the county was planning to file in support of lawsuits brought by the New York and Washington states challenging Trumps January executive order banning travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries.

But Hansen said that those plans are uncertain in light of the revised executive order that Trump issued Monday. For the most part, Hansen said, the decision to retain Rodriguez is more of a protective move than a response to any immediate need.

Local supporters of Trumps immigration policies expressed skepticism Monday about the countys need for legal advice.

I guess my first reaction is that its awful easy to spend other peoples money, said Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Dick Jurgena. Unless youre going to defy immigration law, it doesnt seem to be a real complicated issue.

Rodriguez is the grandson of Jewish refugees who came to Cuba to escape anti-Semitism in Europe. His parents emigrated from Havana to Miamis Cuban enclave in 1961. He has told interviewers that his familys story leaves him with a deep understanding of the desperation many immigrants feel.

I think about my grandparents; I think about my parents, he told the Jewish newspaper the Forward in 2015. Nobody comes here because all they want to do is go to the beach.

Patricia Sullivan contributed to this report.
Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), right, speaks during an open-data conference at the Gaylord National Resort. To the left is Jim Coleman, executive director of the Prince Georges Economic Development Corp. In the center is Carla Truitt, CEO of Be-Clean Cleaning Services. (Arelis R Hernandez/TWP)

Data from the Prince Georges County government became easier to access this week after the county relaunched a website that gives the public the power to probe, download and search data sets about everything from building permits to crime.

The county rolled out a major upgrade of Data Prince Georges, an open-source website, during a conference at the Gaylord National Resort sponsored by the tech company Socrata, which created the software that allows users to visualize and filter public data on the websites of Prince Georges County and other local governments.

Its about empowering the community to make the changes, said County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), who was invited by Socrata to speak at the conference. Having the data available online will feed right into that. Its greater access to information and transparency to help solve problems at a neighborhood level.

Several state and local governments in the Washington region have adopted open-data policies in recent years  including the District, Montgomery County and the state of Virginia.

While each portal offers different types of data, most include searchable maps, charts and spreadsheets that developers, researchers or entrepreneurs can download and use.

Everything from tree trimming to government spending is available to the most curious of residents.

Baker places an extremely high emphasis on using and giving the public access to basic data about government services. That approach was part of his signature Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative, which launched in 2012 and used data indicators to identify six areas of the county struggling the most with crime, poor health, slow economic activity and other issues.

The initiative helped convince skeptics across county government that collecting data, analyzing it and making it publicly available could make individual agencies operate more efficiently, county officials say.

It was a laboratory for government, said CountyStat manager Ben Birge.

Since 2014, officials have been building the open-data portal by collecting data sets from agencies and their CountyClick 311 service  where residents call and file online requests for services such as filling potholes.

This weeks relaunch of the portal eliminated many glitches and includes new technology that will automatically upload 311 and public safety data, Birge said.

Baker told his audience Monday that both internal and external data sets have helped his government target services where they are most needed.

For example, by tracking requests for code enforcement, the government realized that demand was higher in poorer, more densely populated neighborhoods inside the Beltway, and redeployed inspectors who had been spread evenly throughout the county.

A CountyStat team mapped data from domestic violence calls and showed that a large number of calls were coming from the southern part of Prince Georges. But the services that help families affected by domestic violence were located primarily in the northern portion of the county.

The analysis convinced the government to give higher priority for grants to organizations and nonprofits willing to serve those southern communities.

The county executive said he hopes more citizens will start to use the revamped data portal as a clearer window into county operations.

This is how innovation in government is going to happen throughout the country, Baker said.
The Senate on Monday night gave preliminary approval to a bill that would remove the governor from the process of appointing the members to the Prince Georges County Board of Liquor Commissioners.

The measure was proposed by the Prince Georges County Senate Delegation after several liquor board officials were charged in a long-standing federal corruption investigation.

The bill would require the county executive to nominate the members to the panel and the local senators confirming the members.

The Senate bill is one of three measures proposed this session to reform the liquor board nomination process. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) and Gov. Larry Hogan (R) have separate pieces of legislation.

A bill proposed by Baker would allow the county executive to essentially assume control of the Board of Liquor Commissioners, and remove the governor and local senators from the process. The measure had a hearing in the House Economic Matters Committee last month, but no further has been taken.

Under Bakers bill, which was sponsored by the House delegation, Baker would appoint the five-member panel, its chair and the boards administrator.

Under Hogans bill, the party committees would be removed from the process in any jurisdictions where he is tasked with making the appointments, and would require liquor-board nominees to undergo criminal background checks. He also said that liquor-board commissioners would have to adhere to state ethics rules.

Also on Monday, the Senate gave final approval to a resolution that to repeal Marylands call for a constitutional convention.

The measure passed 34-13.
Family members of a security guard at Burlington Coat Factory who was fatally stabbed Saturday say they are left wondering how a minor shoplifting incident escalated into a lethal assault.

Larry Donnell Drumgole, who was working as a security guard, was fatally stabbed while confronting a shoplifting suspect at the retailers Potomac Mills mall location in the Woodbridge, Va., area on Saturday afternoon, the county police said.

Its so sad he was taken away just like that, over something that couldnt have been worth it, Nora Clinton, Drumgoles mother, said Monday.

According to Prince William County police, Drumgole was stabbed after he and another security guard confronted a man who had been observed shoplifting inside the store. The guards approached the man who was walking toward the parking lot, where a tussle broke out, the police said.

Drumgole, 44, of Rappahannock Academy, died of his injuries at a hospital shortly after, according to police.

Police said Jamel Kingsbury is a suspect in a fatal stabbing of a security guard at a Burlington Coat Factory store at Potomac Mills mall. (Courtesy of Prince William Police department)

The other guard was unharmed, police said.

The suspect managed to run away from the busy shopping center.

Prince William County police on Monday continued to search for the suspect, Jamel Carlos Kingsbury, 35, of no fixed address. Police issued a warrant for Kingsbury after they said they identified him through an unrelated domestic violence call earlier Saturday.

[Security officer fatally stabbed by theft suspect at Potomac Mills]

Drumgole had a wife, Lisa, an 11-year-old son and two adult stepdaughters, Clinton said.

Clinton said the family has been touched by how many people reached out to express condolences. She said it reflects the caliber of a man her son was.

He [was] a friend to everyone, Clinton said. He didnt care if he knew you or not. If he was down to his last two pennies, hed give you one.

Clinton said that her daughter-in-law is devastated by the loss of her husband and that the family hopes police can find the man responsible before he hurts someone else.

They need to get this guy off the streets, she said.

Clinton said that her son had worked for Burlington Coat Factory for more than 10 years and that the company had reached out to offer its support since his death.

Employees at the companys Fredericksburg location, where Drumgole worked for the majority of his time with the company, were brought to tears by the news of his death, said Saji Kahn, the stores assistant manager.

He was always helpful, always smiling  a dependable employee, Kahn said. Everybody is shocked.

In addition to the warrant for the alleged events at the store, police said they obtained arrest warrants for Kingsbury for a criminal complaint for domestic assault and battery against a family member for an incident that happened about 11 a.m. Saturday, said Officer Nathan Probus, a Prince William police spokesman.

Probus said we believe he is still in the area, but he also has ties to the Richmond area.

Jennifer Jenkins and Clarence Williams contributed to this report.
A man who allegedly stabbed a security guard to death at the Potomac Mills shopping center in Prince William County Saturday was arrested Tuesday, police said.

[Security officer fatally stabbed by theft suspect at Potomac Mills]

Police said the suspect, Jamel Carlos Kingsbury, 35, was arrested in the District and will be extradited to Virginia.

Prince William police had been searching for Kingsbury since Saturday afternoon, when they say he stabbed 44-year-old Larry Donnell Drumgole during an altercation outside a Burlington Coat Factory. Police said Drumgole had confronted Kingsbury, who was suspected of shoplifting at the store.

Kingsbury, of no fixed address, fled after the incident, police said. Drumgole, of Rappahannock Academy, Va. died of his injuries at a hospital.
Police in Prince Georges County said Tuesday afternoon they are investigating a homicide in Suitland after a man was shot.

Police responded to the 3900 block of Southern Avenue at around 2:30 p.m. for the report of a shooting, the department said in a Twitter message.

On Wednesday, police identified the man as Lafeal Sinclair, 29, of Maryland Avenue in the District. Police found him in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police said they are trying to figure out a motive and a suspect or suspects in the case. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for any information in the case.
An IT worker at The Washington Post impersonated a federal law enforcement officer in Northern Virginia and was seen wearing a ballistic vest bearing the label ICE across the front, according to police allegations filed in Montgomery County District Court.

Itai Ozderman, 35, of Gaithersburg was suspended by The Post on Monday, his attorney Thomas Degonia said.

Ozderman has not been charged with impersonating a federal officer, Degonia said. But the FBI continues to probe his actions, according to police officials in Falls Church, Va., and to Maryland court records.

As part of the investigation into Ozderman, a Montgomery County SWAT team and FBI agents searched his home two weeks ago just before 6 a.m. They found a cache of guns, including two M4 assault rifles, court records show. Officers also searched a Volkswagen Jetta used by Ozderman and found a loaded Sig Sauer semiautomatic handgun, as well as a Baltimore County police badge, a police radio and tactical vests, court records show.

Those alleged discoveries led to two charges against him: transporting a loaded handgun and possession of the police badge while not being a Baltimore County officer, the court files state.

Itai Ozderman, 35, of Gaithersburg. (Montgomery County Police Department)

Kris Coratti, vice president for communications and events for The Post, said, We are aware of it and are looking into it.

The case against Ozderman was reported earlier Monday by WJLA-7 in Washington.

At this point, all indications are that the weapons were purchased and possessed legally, Degonia said.

He declined to comment on the police assertions about impersonating law enforcement. At this point these are allegations, and he enjoys the presumption of innocence, Degonia said.

After his arrest two weeks ago in Montgomery County, Ozderman listed his occupation as an IT Engineer at The Post and said he had worked there for two years, according to the court records.

Authorities in Northern Virginia became concerned about Ozdermans alleged activities going back to late last year, according to court records. Susan Finarelli, a spokeswoman for the Falls Church Police Department, said officers there determined Ozderman was impersonating an ICE officer and turned the matter over the FBI. She declined to comment further.

An arrest warrant filed Feb. 22 in Montgomery District Court describes some of the events leading to Ozdermans arrest.

In the warrant, a Montgomery detective said his agency was contacted by the FBI, asking for help putting together a search warrant for Ozdermans residence in Gaithersburg.

An investigation determined that Itai Ozderman was impersonating a federal law enforcement officer and a local law enforcement [officer] in the Falls Church, Va., area, Montgomery police wrote in court papers. Ozderman was seen wearing a ballistic vest with an ICE placard across the front of his chest. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. . . . Ozderman was also seen with a Baltimore County Police badge. It was also reported that Ozderman was enforcing or attempting to enforce criminal laws.

A Montgomery detective determined Ozderman had never been a Baltimore County officer. Ozderman also told detectives he had never been a law enforcement officer with any agency, court records show.
A 34-year-old activist admitted in court Tuesday to discussing a plot to disrupt an inaugural ball for Trump supporters with an acid attack inside the National Press Club in downtown Washington.

Scott R. Charney, of Northwest Washington, pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to conspiracy to commit assault, a misdemeanor. In an agreement with prosecutors, the criminal record will be expunged if he performs 48 hours of community service.

The arrest of Charney hours ahead of the Jan. 19 DeploraBall attracted national attention, with police saying they had successfully foiled a dangerous plan to spread butyric acid through the press clubs ventilation system the night before Trump was inaugurated as president.

The crux of the police case was a conversation secretly recorded by associates of conservative activist James OKeefe, who caught Charney and two others discussing the plot over beer at a pizza restaurant in December. OKeefes operatives took the video to D.C. police and posted portions of it on the Internet.

[Group run by James OKeefe infiltrates Trump protesters ahead of inauguration]

Protest leaders maintained that Charney, who works at a local nonprofit group, and two others at the restaurant never considered carrying out an attack. They said the group knew it had been infiltrated and that the conversation was a ruse to distract from their real plans to identify the operative.

Charneys attorney, Shan Wu, said his client had not intended to injure anyone in any way. He said his client did not have any acid and added, I certainly think the plea offer with no criminal conviction or record correctly reflects the innocuous nature of this offense. Wu said Charney apologized to the court, to law enforcement and to any other who might have been alarmed by his statements.

Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office for the District, declined to comment beyond the plea agreement offered in court. Two other associates of Charneys were also arrested in the same case; both pleaded guilty earlier and were also given 48 hours of community service.

Charneys arrest was among the first by police trying to head off or confront protesters who tried to disrupt the presidential inauguration.

The day Trump was sworn in, a small group of protesters rampaged through a four-block area of downtown near Franklin Square, armed with hammers and crowbars, burning a limo and breaking windows of shops and cars. Rocks were thrown at riot-gear-clad police who countered with pepper spray and explosive sting grenades. Police arrested more than 230 people on charges of felony rioting. Prosecutors dropped charges against some, and a grand jury indicted 214 as authorities connected them to black bloc tactics of premeditated violence.

[Inauguration protests turn violent]

Charneys plea agreement identifies him as a member of the D.C. Antifascist Coalition/DisruptJ20 Movement, an umbrella organization representing a variety of groups that came to the District to protest Trump.

In a statement released after his plea was entered in court, Charney called the charges political and said his arrest was more about silencing dissent in Trumps America.

I have apologized in court and taken responsibility for carelessly speaking in a way that alarmed others, the statement says. But the far greater causes for alarm are the real acts of violence being perpetrated against Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, and others targeted by Trumps policies.

OKeefe said in an interview last month that the discussion his operative captured on video was part of a real plot and that the arrests by police prevented groups from carrying out other even more disruptive attacks, such as chaining Metro cars to cripple the citys transportation system.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for Project Veritas noted that evidence provided by the group was key to the prosecutions but said the group is absolutely not satisfied with the sentences.

The video shot by OKeefes operative shows a detailed discussion of how to best create havoc at the DeploraBall. Charney and two others settled on butyric acid, which can damage skin and eyes. This stuff is very efficient, its very smelly and lasts a long time, Charney is heard saying. One of his associates added, If you get it into the HVAC system, it will get into the whole building.

The plea agreement signed by Charney said the defendants engaged in a conversation about how they could conceal the acid into the event, suggesting water bottles, water guns, beer bottles, and other receptacles. They talked about how much the acid would cost to purchase and how much it would cost to get into the event. . . . Finally, they discussed dispersing the acid as eventgoers were exiting the National Press Club.

Police also learned that one of the conspirators had purchased tickets to the ball.

The plea agreement states that the evidence indicates the defendants did not want to hurt any person or eventgoer, but rather discussed only plans to disrupt the event.
Sunlight shines through a well worn US flag as Native American tipis are erected on the Monument grounds in advance of a march by Standing Rock members against the pipeline on March 07, 2017 in Washington (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Members of Indian tribes from across the country began to arrive in Washington Tuesday for four days of protests, prayer and demonstrations to assert rights and raise awareness of issues affecting American Indians.

The Native Nations Rise movement will bring a teepee encampment along with speakers and cultural workshops to the National Mall next to the Washington Monument. An interfaith service is planned for Thursday at the National Cathedral, and the weeks events will culminate Friday morning with a march on the White House and rally in Lafayette Square.

The march, which is being led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Native Organizers Alliance, follows a years-long battle by the Standing Rock Sioux and environmentalists against construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Protests against the pipeline last year drew Indians from hundreds of tribes to the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota and sparked a resurgence of the indigenous rights movement.

The tribe had opposed the 1,172-mile pipeline, saying that it crossed sacred burial grounds and threatened its water supply where it crosses the Missouri River a mile from the tribes reservation.

In December, President Barack Obama temporarily halted the $3.8 billion project. But President Trump greenlighted its completion with an executive order soon after taking office in January.

Trumps move angered tribe leaders, who say they have not been adequately consulted on the pipeline project. Standing Rock Sioux chairman David Archambault II traveled to Washington last month expecting to meet with a White House official to make his case for stopping the pipeline but learned that a final decision to go ahead with it had been made while he was en route.

While construction on the final phase of the pipeline continues, tribes remain hopeful they can stop it in court. On Tuesday, a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction request by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to halt construction on religious grounds. Now the Cheyenne River Sioux and the Standing Rock Sioux tribes will wait for a judges decision on a lawsuit the tribes filed jointly. That ruling is expected in April.

While they await that decision, they plan to make their case on Americas front lawn. Last week, Archambault called on other Native relatives and allies to join the protest.

We must march against injustice, he said in a statement. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim.
Metro will move forward with a previously announced plan to increase fares and reduce service as part of an effort to balance its operating budget for the coming fiscal year.

In a statement released Monday, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld acknowledged that the austere budget is tough medicine for the region but said its necessary to keep the transit agency out of dire financial straits.

The Metro board is expected to approve Wiedefelds revised spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The proposal will be voted on by the boards finance committee Thursday and will go to the full board later this month.

Board Chairman Jack Evans said at a meeting last week that he plans to support the fare increases and service cuts because he sees no other options to close a $290 million shortfall.

This is one of those budgets where nobody gets everything they want, but at the end of the day, its a responsible budget, Evans said.

Wiedefelds final budget proposal is largely the same as the one he floated late last year: peak-period rail fares would increase 10 cents, with $2.25 as the new minimum and $6 as the maximum one-way fare. Off-peak fares would increase a quarter; bus fares also would increase 25 cents, to $2.

[Oct. 2016: Budget proposal paints grim portrait of Metros future]

But the revised $1.8 billion operating budget includes a few small-scale changes to placate riders who voiced concerns at a public hearing early this year. Weekly bus passes will remain at the current price, $17.50. Wait times between trains will be reduced to eight minutes during peak travel periods, but headways will remain the same during off-peak times. (Originally, Wiedefeld proposed that off-peak headways could grow to as much as 15 minutes.)

And officials have decided to restore $5 million for bus routes that had been slated for elimination. Metro originally proposed to save $17 million by altering or eliminating up to three dozen bus routes.

Though some buses will still be cut, Metro said those cuts will not affect users of the MetroAccess paratransit service.

Officials said they also intend to add some lifeline bus service to help riders previously dependent on late-night trains. That will cost the agency about $2 million.

Metro listened very carefully to our customers who said they would prefer to pay a little more than lose key rail and bus services, Wiedefeld said in a statement.

But even with those revisions, the upcoming budget will probably be seen as draconian, particularly to riders who have already suffered under nine months of SafeTrack-related delays and service reductions. Ridership has declined significantly in the past year, and Metro board members remain concerned that a new round of fare increases will further encourage customers to abandon the system.

[Ridership losses, exacerbated by SafeTrack, push Metro to financial tipping point]

Evans said its painful to increase fares for riders who have already endured so much; months ago, he had even vowed to veto the fare hikes. But he said he is hopeful that the dramatic measures the board is taking now will prepare the region and federal government to move toward finding a dedicated revenue source for the transit agency that would kick in for the subsequent fiscal year.

We raised fares. We cut service. We downsized staff. We tightened operations, Evans said. We did everything they asked of us. Now its up to the three jurisdictions and the federal government, in the 2019 budget, to give us more money. Period. Theres nowhere else to go.

We need a dedicated funding source. There is no other conversation to have.

And although ridership has dropped dramatically since the start of the SafeTrack maintenance program, Evans said he is optimistic that improvements in on-time performance and reliability will help win back riders, regardless of the price increase.

I think that this will not have a major impact on ridership, Evans said. Ridership will be far more impacted when we get this thing to operate more reliably.

Board member Christian Dorsey praised the modified budget proposal as the consensus opinion of the region.

These are not the preferred positions of all the various parties, but in terms of forging a consensus, this was what everyone was comfortable with, he said.

He said that fare hikes are an unavoidable reality but that he hoped by delivering on promised service levels in the coming year, Metro could keep more riders from fleeing the system.

The whole idea that you would over-promise and under-deliver has far too long been Metros unofficial operating mantra, Dorsey said. So lets actually deliver what we say we can.

Metro also did some behind-the-scenes budget reshuffling, scaling back some of its service reductions by shifting $23 million in rail-car parts needs to the capital budget.

According to board member Michael Goldman, chair of the panels finance committee, the breakdown of the freed up funds is as follows: $7 million to restore off-peak rail service, $7 million to meet unanticipated Federal Transit Administration safety-training requirements for rail employees and bus operators, $5.5 million to restore selected bus routes, $2 million for supplemental late-night bus service and $1.5 million to keep the seven-day bus passes priced at $17.50.

Goldman said he expects the amended budget plan to pass largely as proposed. He said Wiedefeld heeded concerns riders expressed at the January hearing and that the amended budget reflects their testimony.

By the end of the month, we should have an operating budget and a road map to move forward, he said.
Dorothy Rices research on the economic costs of aging paved the way for the creation of Medicare. (Ken Rice Photography)

Dorothy Rice, a federal economist whose research on the financial toll of illnesses and disabilities had a profound effect on health care in the United States, leading in part to the creation of Medicare in 1965 and to a more than $200 billion settlement with the tobacco industry, died Feb. 25 at a hospital in Oakland, Calif. She was 94.

She had recently fallen and broken a hip, said a son, Ken Rice.

The daughter of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Mrs. Rice was for many years a nationally recognized health-care economist and statistician, first in government and then in academia as a professor at the University of California at San Francisco.

Mrs. Rice never attended graduate school, but she developed methods of economic analysis that are still in widespread use today  and that rely on a bevy of health data that she helped bring about.

As an analyst with the Social Security Administration, Mrs. Rice wrote a revelatory 1964 report that found that about half of the U.S. elderly population, or 8.5 million people, did not have health insurance. Those 65 and older who were most in need of health insurance, she noted, were also the least likely to have it  persons in poor health, the very old, those not employed and those with low incomes.

Today it is inconceivable that 50 percent of the population would be uninsured, said Karen Davis, a health-policy professor at Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Rice, she said, was instrumental to the enactment of the Medicare program, which guarantees health insurance to people 65 and older, and to its subsequent refinement through the collection of data on all aspects of health care for the elderly.

At federal health agencies including the National Center for Health Statistics, which Mrs. Rice led beginning in 1976, she established new statistical standards and spearheaded studies that provide data on health expenditures across the country.

Perhaps most significantly, Mrs. Rice was among the first researchers to rigorously analyze the costs a particular illness inflicts on society, in terms of individual hospital bills and the productivity lost when a bricklayer  or homemaker  is forced to take time off work.

With a colleague, Barbara Cooper, Mrs. Rice became the first to place an economic value on the work of a homemaker, a job she knew well from having taken 11 years off work to raise her children.

She looked at all the things a housewife did during the week and how many hours she spent doing it and looked at the market for each of those components, said Mrs. Rices son Thomas Rice, a health-policy professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

She wasnt just taking stuff off the shelf, her son said. She and Barbara Cooper were inventing solutions to problems that others hadnt dealt with before.

Mrs. Rice led studies on a range of ailments, including Alzheimers disease and AIDS  you name a disease, I did a study on it, she once said  and did much of her research after leaving the federal government in 1982, when she became frustrated by cuts in funding for health research under the Reagan administration.

In the late 1980s, she and Wendy Max, a colleague at UCSF, began studying the cost of smoking-related illnesses, work that was crucial to a 1998 settlement between 46 states and the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies agreed to pay the states at least $206 billion over 25 years, a figure that was reached in part through calculations performed by Mrs. Rice.

Stanton Glantz, a UCSF professor who studies the health effects of smoking, said Mrs. Rice was unassuming but intensely dedicated to performing research that had a direct effect on peoples lives. She was always steadfast, he said, putting the facts out there in a pleasant and unflappable way but not cowed by people who didnt want to hear what she had to say.

Dorothy Pechman was born in Brooklyn on June 11, 1922. Her father was a tailor and a first cousin of her mother, a homemaker. Neither parent graduated from high school.

Mrs. Rice studied at Brooklyn College for a year and a half before her older brother suggested she transfer to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he had been awarded a $2,000 fellowship  enough money to support the two of them, he said.

She took him up on the offer and later described her move to Madison as the best thing that ever happened to me. She studied labor economics under Edwin Witte, one of the fathers of Social Security, and took statistics courses under Milton Friedman, the free-market economist. She graduated in 1941 and moved to Washington, where she worked as a statistical clerk for the Labor Department and other federal agencies before the birth of her children led her to place her career on hold in 1949.

Mrs. Rice was undaunted by critics, mostly male, who thought women were more suited to typing than to economic analysis. (I never took typing, she said in a 2004 oral history, because I didnt want to be a typist.) She never said anything about a glass ceiling, Max recalled. She saw it as an opportunity. The sky was the limit if you were smart and knew how to go about things.

The brother who helped her to Wisconsin, Joseph A. Pechman, was an expert on tax policy and director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He died in 1989. Mrs. Rices husband of 63 years, Jim Rice, died in 2005. Survivors include three sons, Ken Rice of Oakland, Thomas Rice of Culver City, Calif., and Don Rice of Makawao, Hawaii; two sisters, Shirley Cohen of Alexandria, Va., and Rochelle Novins of Tarrytown, N.Y.; and four grandchildren.

Health statistics  patient totals, median costs and even average wait times  seemed ever on her mind. Years before Mrs. Rice broke her hip while at home in Oakland, she suffered the same injury in Washington while preparing for a speech on health care.

The wait time for a D.C. fire department ambulance, she told The Washington Post in 1978 while recovering in her hospital bed, was far too long: At least a half-hour, which surprised me very much.
A donkey, rescued before its owners were about to send it to the Giza Zoo to feed lions because of its old age, stands at the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals shelter in Saqqara, south of Cairo. The society shelters more than 700 cats and dogs. It has experienced a hit in the struggling economy, and is in jeopardy of closing. (Nariman El-Mofty/AP)

ISRAEL

U.S. warning suggests backpedaling by Trump

The Trump administration has explicitly warned Israel against annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, saying it would trigger an immediate crisis between the two allies, Israels defense minister said Monday.

It was the latest indication

that President Trump is returning to a more traditional U.S. policy and will not give Israel free rein

to expand its control over the

West Bank and sideline the Palestinians, as Israeli nationalists had hoped.

Speaking in parliament, Avigdor Lieberman said U.S. officials had been clear in their opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank land.

We received a direct message  not an indirect message and not a hint  from the United States: Imposing Israeli sovereignty on Judea and Samaria would mean an immediate crisis with the new administration, the defense minister said, before departing for a visit to the United States.

Judea and Samaria is the biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 war. The Palestinians seek the West Bank as the heartland of a future state, a position that has wide international backing.

The angry U.S. reaction was sparked by comments by a junior lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus party who rejects the idea of a Palestinian state and wants Israel to annex the West Bank.

For two decades, the international community has backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to turn this international consensus on its head. But he has since shown repeated signs of backtracking.

 Associated Press

NORTH KOREA

Malaysians banned from leaving country

The bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Uns estranged half brother escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Pyongyang saying it had banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea.

That was followed quickly by Malaysia saying that North Korean Embassy staff were barred from leaving its country. Malaysia had expelled the North Korean ambassador on Monday.

The Norths Foreign Ministry told the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it would temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens in the North, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

It said that the exit ban will be valid until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of [North Korea] in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia.

Malaysia is pursuing several North Korean suspects allegedly involved in the killing, including a diplomat at the Norths embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has not accused the North of being behind the killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpurs airport three weeks ago, but South Korea has.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at Parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea: three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

Kim Jong Nam died less than 20 minutes after two women wiped VX nerve agent on his face at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, authorities say. The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with murder.

North Korea has denied any role in the killing and accused Malaysia of conspiring with its enemies. North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol rejected a Malaysian autopsy that found Kim was killed with VX, a banned chemical weapon.

 Associated Press

Top party officials back Fillon candidacy: An emergency meeting of the French conservative partys leadership unanimously backed Francois Fillon as candidate for the presidential election, Senate leader Gerard Larcher said, despite a scandal over alleged misuse of public funds. The leader of the Republicans confirmed the deal, saying the party had reunited and was re-launching Fillons campaign. Fillon was the front-runner in polls until the scandal hit.

Syrian fighters cut road linking Islamic State-held areas: U.S.-backed Syrian fighters cut the main road between the northern city of Raqqa, which is controlled by the Islamic State group, and the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, which is partly held by the Islamic State, as they press into the extremists territory in Syria. The fighters, from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, are stationed just five miles north of Raqqa.

 From news services
The March 4 editorial A gamble of a tax-reform plan, discussing a border adjustment tax on the millions of products imported from overseas, missed the mark. Many of these foreign exporters are American multinational corporations that have moved their manufacturing operations overseas because of cheaper labor costs. Instead of simply taxing these corporations imported products, taxes should be based on the percentage of American citizens the businesses employ in the United States. Corporations employing a higher percentage of overseas workers in manufacturing their products would pay a higher tax. Conversely, corporations employing a very high percentage of American workers would pay dramatically lower taxes.

A progressive tax system based on the number of American workers might persuade corporations to bring factories home. By contrast, all foreign corporations would pay a uniform tariff on products they export to the United States. This uniform tariff would replace the current complex tariff scheme, which treats foreign-manufactured imports differently and unfairly. Motivating American corporations to create jobs in this country should be the primary consideration in any tax-reform plan.

Kevin Hluch, Frederick
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.

March 17, 2017 President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

Wow, we went from no drama to all drama in the blink of an eye. An embattled President Trump spent the weekend raging in frustration at his inability to control events  and his administration is just in its second month. How will he make it through a year? Let alone four?

And how long before Trump campaign insiders whose names have surfaced in reports about Russian contacts start lawyering up? How long before nervous political allies start backing away? How long before Republicans in Congress start putting self-interest  and, one dares to hope, the national interest  above party loyalty?

According to widespread news reports, Trump was furious that any momentum he gained from his speech to Congress was halted in its tracks by revelations about Attorney General Jeff Sessionss meetings with the Russian ambassador. Sessions had testified in his confirmation hearing that I didnt have  did not have communications with the Russians, which turned out to be what my grandmother used to call a lie.

The next morning, according to The Post, Trump exploded in anger. The day after that he simmered with rage, the newspaper reported, as he summoned his senior aides to chew them out. Trump was apparently irate that after he had said publicly that there was no need for Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into the Russia connection, Sessions had gone before the television cameras to do just that.

The attorney generals recusal was obviously a necessary and proper step, but necessity and propriety do not seem to matter to the president. Sessions had wussed out, in Trumps view, and he appears to consider wussing out a cardinal sin.

(Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

What happened is not hard to grasp: Sessions bowed to reality. But Trump won the White House by creating his own reality, built on what adviser Kellyanne Conway called alternative facts. He has not learned that actual facts do not just go away, even if the president tries his best to ignore or deny them.

Im assuming here that Trump can tell the difference between real facts and the ones he makes up. If he cant, then were really in trouble.

Id suggest that Trump reflect on this fact: The Post and other news organizations apparently had no trouble getting inside sources to dish about the presidents mood swings. While Trump fumes about leaks from the intelligence community and the entrenched federal bureaucracy, his closest aides are bending journalists ears with self-serving narratives.

After he and others were taken to the woodshed by Trump on Friday, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus reportedly spent more than an hour calling reporters and trying vainly to convince them  on a not-for-attribution basis, of course  that no woodshedding had taken place.

On Saturday morning, at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump fired up his Twitter account to make an unprecedented  and apparently wholly unfounded  allegation: that then-President Barack Obama had ordered wiretapping of the Trump campaign. The White House press office later doubled down by demanding a congressional investigation of this alleged snooping.

Trump must be unfamiliar with the adage about being careful what you ask for.

A spokesman for Obama denied there was any wiretapping, as did Obamas director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., who was in a position to know. FBI Director James B. Comey reportedly pressed Justice Department officials to issue a statement denying the presidents unsupported claim  which Justice has so far declined to do. If Sessionss recusal was enough to make Trump mad, imagine what a public statement refuting the presidents angry tweets would do to his blood pressure.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

What if Congress grants Trumps demand, however, and launches an investigation? Any serious inquiry, it seems to me, would necessarily have to look into the alleged reason for the alleged wiretapping: contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians. A congressional probe would take as its starting point the consensus of the U.S. intelligence community that the Russian government meddled in our election with the aim of boosting Trumps prospects of victory.

Trump has put himself in a no-win position. If the Republican leadership in Congress denies his request for an investigation, he suffers an embarrassing public rebuke. If the request is granted, however, Trump sets in motion a process he will not be able to control.

It is one thing to take office determined to disrupt traditional ways of doing things. It is quite another to flail wildly at imaginary enemies, wounding oneself in the process. What on Earth will the third month of the Trump presidency be like?

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Nicholas Burnss March 4 op-ed on the Trump administrations proposed drastic budget cuts to foreign affairs agencies, Trump needs diplomats as well as soldiers, was spot-on. Such cuts, if they came to pass, would greatly harm the countrys effectiveness worldwide and make us less safe. Equally shortsighted are the proposed cuts to foreign aid.

U.S. foreign aid, less than 1 percent of the federal budget, provides a lifeline to the worlds poor. The proposed cuts would place even greater strain than usual on vital nongovernmental organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, CARE, Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders.

But those who are inclined to minimize the importance of humanitarian assistance might well look at the potential effects of the cuts on U.S. security. Starvation, disease and lack of education are at the root of the instability that haunts the United States directly and indirectly and that drives the need for ever larger defense budgets. The administrations own defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said it succinctly when he told members of Congress in 2013 , If you dont fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.

Richard Sheres, Alexandria
The most famous special prosecutor remains the first one: Archibald Cox of Watergate fame. After Cox got sideways with President Richard Nixon in 1973, the president ordered Cox fired, which led to the Saturday Night Massacre and then to Leon Jaworski, and then to . . . well, you remember.

Now, though, Democrats are lined up demanding a special prosecutor into Russias interference with our election. They may have visions of Cox and Jaworski dancing in their heads, but they should be careful what they wish for. Democrats assume only Republican oxen will get gored by a special prosecutor, but the record suggests they would get caught up too.

After Watergate, Congress got into the special prosecutors business, passing the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to create the office of the independent counsel. But Capitol Hill soon found that special prosecutors investigations tend to expand beyond their original brief. After more than a dozen wild rides that included Lawrence Walshs endless inquiry into Iran-contra and Ken Starrs work that began with Whitewater and later metastasized into Monica-land, Congress let the office and its procedures to lapse in 1999. There is no law governing special prosecutors today despite what you may have heard some elected officials say on air in recent weeks. The attorney general can name a special prosecutor if he wants (or the deputy attorney general if Jeff Sessionss recusal extends to even considering whether a special prosecutor is needed). But if either Sessions or Rod Rosenstein, Trumps nominee for deputy attorney general, declares the need for a special prosecutor, the key will be: What is the scope of the investigation with which the special prosecutor is charged?

Republicans routinely demanded special prosecutors in the era of President Barack Obama and Attorneys General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Loretta E. Lynch. There were calls for one to investigate Hillary Clintons private email server, the Internal Revenue Services alleged abuse of power regarding tea party-named groups, and the gun walking scandal known as Fast and Furious. But there were no special prosecutors appointed during the Obama years. The Democrats knew better than to set a seasoned prosecutor with subpoena power loose when political intrigue is afoot.

So I would sound a note of caution to Democrats pounding the lectern for a special prosecutor. Still, if one is to be appointed to look into the election of 2016 and all illegal activity surrounding it, I am in favor of going for the cathartic approach and putting everything on the table.

Lets be clear: It seems obvious that Russia did in fact meddle with our process and used WikiLeaks to do so. I and other conservatives said as much repeatedly during the election. And if any American cooperated with that active measures campaign against us, he, she or they should be prosecuted under the appropriate espionage statutes.

But any special prosecutor appointed to look into the alleged Russian connection should also be given a scope of inquiry that includes the handing of the investigation into Clintons server, the slow-walking of document delivery to the Congress and the courts concerning Clintons administration of the State Department as well as alleged Obama administration leaks of classified information from the first campaign debate forward. I think the abuses at the IRS clearly have a nexus to shenanigans in 2016, so you can even add that to the list of appropriate subjects for the special prosecutor. (Everything is alleged, including Team Trump ties to Russia, until proven or abandoned.)

Of course that special prosecutor will have to look at every application for surveillance,e in connection with either candidate for the presidency made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Long ago I reviewed those applications from the FBIs counterintelligence pros before they went to the attorney general. Their contents are detailed and usually lengthy, and very classified, and so the new special prosecutor and his or her staff are going to need full FBI background investigations, which argues for a former prosecutor and/or a former federal judge who has already undergone the arduous process of clearance background investigations. That person will also need a reputation as a straight shooter, because when he or she begins to get close to touching Democratic nerves the politics of personal destruction will return with a vengeance.

Its certainly possible to find the right person for the job. Back when the independent counsel statute was in effect, I served for a year as clerk to the special panel of three judges who selected the counsel (because my judge, George MacKinnon, was the chair of the panel). When choosing an independent counsel to investigate allegations against Attorney General-designate Edwin Meese (allegations eventually proved false and cleared before Meeses confirmation), the judges debated how to find a lawyer who would move quickly and who would not fall in love with the spotlight. They succeeded when they selected Jacob Stein, who moved efficiently to an end product.

But the point is that special prosecutors are immune from any constraint. You may get a Stein, or you may get a Walsh. Either way, special prosecutors go where they want and when they want. Buyers beware.

If Sessions or Rosenstein decide on a special prosecutor, every big newspaper and network is going to have to assign a few reporters to a new beat  one we ought to brand with hashtag #PutinsBigWin to describe its impact.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

The new president isnt going to unleash the hounds on just his campaign. If the hunt is to be had, everyone connected to the election is the fox. The old KGB colonel at the top of the Kremlin must be smiling indeed. His campaign against the legitimacy of everyone and everything in American politics is bearing fruit every day.
IT WAS always sad that a simple request by Virginia transgender student Gavin Grimm to use a bathroom matching his gender identity ended up on the docket of the nations highest court. After all, as Mr. Grimm once so eloquently wrote, this was a matter of common sense that should have been resolved quietly and privately. But even sadder than the prejudice and ignorance that turned this into a federal case is the fact that Mr. Grimm will graduate from high school still waiting for the justice that he and other transgender people need to protect them.

The Supreme Court had been set to hear arguments March 28 in Mr. Grimms case against the Gloucester County School Board. Monday, in a one-sentence order, the court announced it would not hear the case but instead was sending it back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond. The order comes on the heels of the Trump administrations decision to change the federal governments position by rescinding school guidance protecting transgender students.

In withdrawing the directive issued during the Obama administration advising schools to allow students to use the bathroom of their gender identity and not biological birth, Education and Justice department officials said they needed to further and more completely consider the legal issues involved. Never mind, as was spelled out in an amicus brief filed by former members of the Obama administration, that there was painstaking review and analysis over several years before the conclusion was reached that federal anti-discrimination laws apply to transgender students.

Never mind, either, the real-life experiences of schools and states that followed the guidance: Allowing students to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity has not caused problems . Mr. Grimm in fact was first permitted to use the boys bathroom at his high school and did so for almost two months without incident until adults made political hay of the issue and a cowardly school board abandoned common sense. Forcing transgender students to use facilities based on the sex listed on their birth certificates subjects them to teasing, bullying and worse.

Lawyers for Mr. Grimm are disappointed in the Supreme Courts decision, but they dont view it as a final defeat; they plan to press the case in the appeals court. Hopefully the process will not lose sight of the real people whose lives are at stake and who, as one transgender man wrote in a brief supporting Mr. Grimm, just want to live in peace as who we are.
Lost in the din of Donald Trumps Twitter rampages was the report last week that the White House is fiercely divided over Trumps campaign promise to cancel the Paris climate accord. The news came as the president is planning to launch his climate-denial offensive, including an executive order to begin repealing former President Barack Obamas climate plan, gutting the budgets of various agencies engaged in climate work such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and potentially withdrawing from the Paris accord.

The White House divide is said to pit Trumps Rasputin, chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, against his daughter Ivanka Trump and hapless Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Yes, in the carnival mirror that is the Trump White House, the climates best defender is the former chief executive of ExxonMobil, an anomaly akin to Hannibal Lecter espousing vegetarianism.

Tillerson argued in his confirmation hearings that its important that the United States maintains its seat at the table about how to address the threat of climate change, which does require a global response. For the United States to abandon its commitments under the Paris accord embraced by virtually every country in the world would devastate Tillersons credibility. As the respected career diplomat Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, put it: In international politics, trust, reliability and keeping your commitments  thats a big part of how other countries view our country. I cant think of an issue, except perhaps NATO, where if the U.S. simply walks away, it would have such a major negative impact on how we are seen.

But the secretary of state is playing a weak hand. Trump once scorned climate change as a Chinese hoax. Bannon, the ex-Breitbart publisher who featured such conspiratorial tripe, is pushing Trump to keep his campaign pledge to tear up the Paris accord. Trump isnt likely to value the credibility of the United States over his own campaign rhetoric.

Missing in action is a broader sense of what is at stake. Put aside that catastrophic climate changes could render the world uninhabitable. Trump simply dismisses that threat. But given that he pledges to make America great again, to bring back jobs and make the economy hum, he needs to learn one key thing about the future: The country that captures the lead in building the technologies and energy systems needed to deal with climate change will dominate the growth industries of the 21st century.

U.S. economic preeminence in the past 150 years was built on its strength in the fossil-fuel industries that were the foundation of the industrial revolution. Rapid development of oil and coal in the United States gave this country a real advantage. And when our needs outstripped our production after World War II, we made certain  for better or worse  that we controlled the seamless supply of oil, priced in dollars, from our neighbors to the South and from the Middle East.

No matter what Trump is saying, climate change is already a clear and present danger. And renewable energy  wind, solar, water, nuclear  plus energy efficiency will fuel growth in this century.

Trump would certainly hear this view if he asked some of the Goldman Sachs alumni in his administration, starting with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, who stepped down as Goldmans president and chief operating officer to head the National Economic Council. Goldman officials understand that climate change is real and its economic effects are profound. They are already figuring out how to profit from it. Sadly, it seems Mnuchin and Cohn are too focused on cramming through banking deregulation to join a debate central to our economic future. Or have they just decided not to take on Bannon, who after all had his own Goldman Sachs sojourn?

Its not just Goldman: China understands this as well. Its leaders recently announced plans to invest more than $360 billion in renewable energy through 2020. Their National Energy Administration projected the creation of more than 13 million jobs in renewable energy by 2020. The country is the fastest-growing market for electric vehicles  vehicles that the government ensures are made in China.

Trump can dismiss the threat of climate change, but China is pushing to dominate the renewable energy industry across the globe. And that leadership will have far wider implications. If Trump disavows the Paris climate agreement, Chinas influence and voice are likely to increase, senior Chinese climate change official Zou Ji noted, which will then spill over into other areas of global governance and increase Chinas global standing, power and leadership.

The United States isnt out of the running yet. We still have significant advantages. Were better at innovation  inventing the batteries, the efficient appliances, the LED light bulbs and the more productive solar and wind applications. Obama created the beginnings of an industrial policy  investment in R&D, fuel-efficiency standards, appliance-efficiency standards, renewable energy requirements at the state level, tax breaks and credits  that demonstrated the potential of green energy industry in the United States.

As Forbes magazine summarized, clean energy industries employ 2.5 million Americans. Trump boasts about green-lighting the Keystone XL Pipeline, but solar installation alone has created more jobs than oil and gas pipeline construction and crude petroleum and natural gas extraction combined since 2014. Solar is adding workers at a rate nearly 12 times faster than the overall economy.

But the president now plans to go after all this with a meat cleaver. His early budget plans calls for disemboweling the EPA with a 25 percent budget cut, including reducing its staff by 20 percent, and chopping 42 percent off the agencys research and development office. He plans to truncate the budget of NOAA by 17 percent, eliminating among other things the funds for coastal resilience, which aids coastal areas to withstand major storms and rising seas. It would cut one fifth of the funds for NOAAs satellite program, which is critical to weather forecasting.

A staple of Trumps campaign stump speech was his complaint that We dont win anymore. And his central promise, as he repeated to the Conservative Political Action Conference after his election, is that Were going to win big, folks. Were going to start winning again, believe me. If Trump continues his assault on common sense about climate change, the outcome is clear: The United States will export less, innovate less and lose out big-time on the fastest-growing markets and sources of jobs across the world. America is going to lose and lose big.

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter.
David Kris was assistant attorney general for national security from 2009 to 2011. He served as a national security adviser to the Clinton campaign in 2016.

The presidents wiretap tweetstorm on Saturday produced the expected reactions, some of them inaccurate. Here are three points about the legal questions in play and three broader questions about what is really going on.

First, the U.S. government needs probable cause, signatures from government officials and advance approval from a federal court before engaging in wiretapping in the United States. There are some narrow exceptions, for things such as short-term emergencies, which are then reviewed by a judge promptly after the fact. This is not something that the president simply orders.

Under the law governing foreign intelligence wiretaps, the government has to show probable cause that a facility is being used or about to be used by a foreign power  e.g., a foreign government or an international terrorist group  or by an agent of a foreign power. A facility is something like a telephone number or an email address.

A U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien cant be an agent of a foreign power unless he or she, for example, knowingly engages in clandestine intelligence gathering activities for or on behalf of a foreign power, which activities involve or may involve a violation of the criminal statutes of the United States. There are other ways that Americans can be agents of a foreign power, but all of them require criminal conduct. For a visiting foreigner such as the Russian ambassador, the standards are different: He can be an agent of a foreign power simply because he is acting as the officer of a foreign government.

Second, there is no requirement that the facility being wiretapped be owned, leased or listed in the name of the person who is committing the offense or is the agent of a foreign power. In other words, a wiretap of Trump Tower does not require probable cause that President Trump was committing a crime. If I am a spy, and I use a phone in some building to call my handler at the Russian Embassy, then the government can wiretap that phone even though its owner may be entirely innocent and unaware of my clandestine intelligence activities.

Third, government officials, including the president, dont normally speak publicly about wiretaps. Indeed, it is in some cases a federal crime to disclose a wiretap without authorization, including not only the information obtained from the wiretap, but also the mere existence of a wiretap with an intent to obstruct it. With respect to intelligence wiretaps, there is an additional issue: They are always classified, and disclosure of classified information is also generally a crime. The president enjoys authority over classified information, of course, but at a minimum it would be highly irregular to disclose an intelligence wiretap via Twitter.

Beyond those three legal points, what is really going on here? As usual, Trumps motives are hard to discern. Maybe he was trying to seize a news cycle and shift attention away from Attorney General Jeff Sessionss recusal from any investigation into Russian attempts to influence the election and related issues. Maybe Trump concluded that a congressional investigation into his Russia connections is inevitable and wanted to enlarge its scope to address something, anything, about the Obama administration. I have even heard the theory that he wanted to promote the investigation to give his team an excuse to defer public comment pending its outcome, although that is certainly not his M.O. so far. Maybe he was just venting.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Whatever his motives, the effects of the presidents tweetstorm are coming into focus. First, he has increased congressional, media and public demand for information. It seems more likely than ever that there will be some form of independent investigation into the Russia connection, even if it also embraces the question of whether President Barack Obama ordered a tap on Trump Tower (which should not take long to resolve).

Second, Trump also may be understood by the Justice Department and the FBI as signaling a policy shift toward disclosure rather than secrecy in ongoing investigations. This is not unprecedented, and perhaps FBI Director James B. Comey will take him at his tweet and provide the desired information, at least to Congress, whether it involves wiretaps of Trump Tower or other wiretaps and investigative measures.

Third, Trump is spending at a terrific rate the accumulated credibility capital of the office he occupies. There may come a day when he needs to speak seriously, and to be taken seriously, at home or abroad. On his present course and speed, that will be a hard day. If this were House of Cards, it would all be very entertaining. As it is, existing institutions, both domestic and international, are going to have to adapt to this new feature of our world.
President Trump has no evidence for his incendiary claim that Barack Obama ordered wiretaps on Trump Tower, and denials have come not just from the former president and his director of national intelligence but from Jim Comey  the man Trump has showered with praise and retained as his FBI director.

But Trump has something more powerful to him than any evidence, no matter how compelling: He believes. Firmly.

The president firmly believes that the Obama administration may have tapped into the phones at Trump Tower, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared on NBCs Today show Monday morning. But what about all the credible people saying it didnt happen? I think the president firmly believes that it did.

ABCs George Stephanopoulos tried a more direct question on Good Morning America on Monday: Does President Trump accept the FBI directors denial?

You know, I dont think he does, Huckabee Sanders said. I think he firmly believes that this is a story line that has been reported pretty widely.

The reports mostly say that Trump had made a groundless claim, but never mind that. The White House defense isnt that what Trump said was true. The defense is that I think he firmly believes it.

[The predictable pattern behind Trumps wiretapping claim]

The Trump White House is the ultimate faith-based initiative  and The Donald is the deity. Things arent true because they can be proven via the scientific method or any other. They are true because Trump believes them to be true.

His advisers contacts with the Russians? He doesnt believe it: I saw one story recently where they said nine people have confirmed. There are no nine people. I dont believe there was one or two people.

His fabricated claim that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally, causing him to lose the popular vote? It was a comment that he made on a long-standing belief, White House press secretary Sean Spicer explained. An official White House statement called this a belief he maintains.

He maintains beliefs  herbs in a garden.

Among those attempting to bestow the divine power on Trump to declare absolute truths is Ann Coulter, who last year published the book In Trump We Trust. She tweeted after a meandering media appearance by Trump: Trump is already head of state. After that press conference, in my eyes, hes now head of church.

1 of 83 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See what President Trump has been doing since taking office View Photos The beginning of his term has featured controversial executive orders and frequent conflicts with the media. Caption The beginning of the presidents term has featured controversial executive orders and frequent conflicts with the media. March 17, 2017 President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Trump, in this position as head prelate, directs us to believe any number of things: that manufacturers are returning to the United States, there will be a massive military expansion, that he inherited a mess from Obama and that his Supreme Court nominee is a great writer. Trump asked listeners to believe me seven times in a single speech last month, saying, I will never, ever disappoint you. Believe me.

The Yemen raid was a success because the president believes it. The courts may have struck down Trumps first travel ban, but its legal because we believe it is. We are not going to let the fake news tell us what to do, how to live or what to believe, Trump told supporters at a rally last month.

Clearly. When Trump expressed his belief that news organizations werent reporting on terrorist attacks, Spicer attempted to document this falsehood with a list of 78 terrorist attacks, most of which had been widely covered.

When Trump expressed his belief that 1.5 million people came to his inauguration, he leaned on the National Park Service to find evidence to support the falsehood and dispatched Spicer to furnish what another Trump aide, Kellyanne Conway, called alternative facts.

[Trump may regret asking for an investigation into wiretapping]

Its not clear, as Ive written, whether Trump knows the difference between fact and fiction as he makes up statistics about crime and jobs, alleges he never feuded with the intelligence community, alludes to mysterious happenings in Sweden, insists he opposed the Iraq invasion and claims there was bright sunshine during his rainy inaugural address. Survivors of the Bowling Green Massacre know some Trump aides have the same problem.

But look closely and you can sometimes see Trump aides squirm when called upon to defend his beliefs.

You said the president believes that there was voter fraud, Spicer was asked at one news briefing. I wonder if you believe that?

Spicer explained that saying so wasnt my job and that Trump believes what he believes based on the information that hes provided.

That was quite similar to Huckabee Sanders saying on Monday that the president firmly believes that Obama wiretapped Trump  without saying she believed it.

Likewise, Huckabee Sanders, pressed by ABCs Martha Raddatz on Sunday about Trumps wiretap claims, attempted to demur. I will let the president speak for himself, she said.

Youre his spokesperson, Raddatz reminded her.

And that could test anybodys faith.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Matt Witt is a writer and photographer who lives in rural Oregon.

My problem with the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court is not political. Its personal. Its about my father and mother. And its about one of our most sacred rights as human beings.

As The Post recently reported, Gorsuch wrote a book in 2006 opposing state laws that allow people with terminal illnesses to decide the timing and terms of their final days.

In the book, he laid out why he believes judges should be able to prevent families such as mine from making our own choices, arguing that all human beings are intrinsically valuable and that legal recognition of a dying persons right to make end-of-life decisions could create a slippery slope to legalization of sadomasochist killings, mass suicide pacts or even the sale of ones own life.

Gorsuch certainly is entitled to apply that view to his own life, but given the experience of families such as mine, he should not be elevated to the Supreme Court, where he could impose his personal beliefs on those who do not share them.

My father was in his 90s when he was diagnosed with a fatal disease that would make him progressively less able to function. The news made him fearful  not so much of death, but of spending an extended time confined to a chair or bed, enduring increasing pain and being unable to do the things that, to him, made life worth living.

He decided to move in with my wife and me in rural Oregon, a state that for 20 years has recognized that end-of-life choices should be made by the individual, not the government. Under Oregons Death with Dignity Act , when my father had less than six months to live he had the right to ask his doctors to prescribe medication that would end his life at his discretion. He knew his doctors would respect his wishes (although under the law they had the right to refer him to other doctors if writing that prescription would violate their own beliefs).

My father died before he needed to use his Death with Dignity rights. But knowing he had access to such medication gave him great peace of mind and allowed him to focus on enjoying his final days instead of worrying about what was to come.

His experience is typical of many others in our state. While an average of only 59 people per year in Oregon have ended their life under the Death with Dignity law, countless others find comfort in knowing they are in control, even if they never have to take that step.

Gorsuch writes in his book that while he would not allow people such as my father the right to take end-of-life medication, he would graciously permit patients to refuse food or medicine that would prolong their life. My family, unfortunately, has experience with that too.

When my mother was in her late 80s, she was hospitalized after a risky surgery. When it became clear that she was not going to recover, she told her doctor and family that she wanted to spend her remaining time at home.

By law at that time in California, where she was living, she could ask her doctor for painkillers  but not medication to end her life. Instead of leaving that decision to her, the state dictated that she had to continue to live, regardless of the pain she would suffer.

Deprived of that choice, my mother took the only path she saw open. She refused to eat and spent her final days enduring the devastating effects of starvation.

If Gorsuch chooses not to go that route when it is his time, that should be up to him. But he should not be in a position to dictate what such people as my mother can and cannot do as they are dying.

As I enter old age, I dont know what terminal condition I will someday face, but I too take comfort knowing that I live in a state where I can have some say over the terms and timing of my final days. Unless, of course, Gorsuch and a new Supreme Court majority take my rights away. Or unless death-with-dignity opponents in Congress such as Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) figure out a way to override the end-of-life rights that an increasing number of states protect.

For decades, we have heard conservative public figures rail against what they say is too much government interference with individual liberty. But it it turns out they only want to protect individual liberties that are consistent with their own religious beliefs. The arrogance of Gorsuchs position on this issue alone ought to disqualify him from serving on our nations highest court, which has the sacred duty to ensure liberty and justice for all.
Donald Trump, clever guy that he is, has come up with a new reality show. Its called President for a Day and the way it works is that, every so often, maybe once a month, Trump acts presidential, gives a speech in which an aide is not standing by with meds, and many in the media and politics hug themselves and roll around on the floor, praising the president for his very presidentialness and cheering the emergence of the man who has been there all along but no one in the media or the creepy deep state seemed to notice. Thank God, thats over. He has arrived!

This happened last week after Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress. All over Washington, people fell off their chairs in shock that no one had been insulted, no brazen lies were uttered and no weird conspiracy theories had been advanced. My former Post colleague Ronald Kessler told Newsmax TV that the speech showed the real Donald Trump. It was such a relief to learn that whoever it was who had insisted Barack Obama was born in Kenya and who had called Mexicans rapists and who had disparaged the heroism of Sen. John McCain was not the guy in the Oval Office. Had he been, I know Kessler and others on the right would not have supported him.

At the Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan treated the speech like it was a hypodermic: He normalized himself. Just like that, roll up your sleeves, Mr. President, this wont hurt and it will block eruptions of narcissism and self-pity. This allowed Noonan and others to suggest  nay, to hope  that Trump may have a capacity to grow into the office. Let us pray.

But within days, the normalization drug had worn off. Trump was having Oval Office tantrums. He was furious that Jeff Sessions had recused himself from investigating the relationship between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The attorney general would have had a clear conflict of interest, but that is nothing compared with allowing some special prosecutor from within the deep state to get at the truth, which would have been fake news anyway. The ranting and raving was so intense that word of it got to reporters. In many condo communities, this sort of behavior is not allowed.

By Saturday morning, the unreal Trump, the un-normalized one, was back on Twitter. Good morning, America  Barack Obama has had my phone tapped. This is Nixon/Watergate, he tweeted. Bad (or sick) guy! A still-sleepy America had trouble taking it all in. The New Trump, Mr. Pivot Man, was saying that the then-president of the United States had, during the campaign, tapped his phone. (This is the way those Kenyans are.) Was it possible?

(Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

No, said the former presidents spokesman. No, said the director of the FBI. No, said the former director of national intelligence. No, said everyone familiar with the procedures for obtaining a wiretap, such as getting permission from a special judge. In other words, no, no, no and no.

But these were some of the same people who denied that 3 million or so illegal immigrants, taking a day off from rampant crime, had somehow cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton, accounting  as anyone can see  for her popular-vote margin. This was the deep state at work again. Ask Stephen K. Bannon. He knows. He was once at Breitbart.

I know whats happening. Ive been reading a lot lately about the infatuation some leftists once had with communism. Many felt they lived in an either-or world  either you were a communist or you were a fascist. They could not be the latter so they chose the former. Besides, the reds were the only ones around who fought racism and anti-Semitism.

Somewhat the same thing is happening now. Many conservatives have gone over to Trump because they hate his enemies more than they do him. They see Trump as the un-liberal, the un-PC person, the un-programmed pol who eschews talking points and identity politics. For too many people, their best and only reason for voting for Trump was that he was not Clinton. They had a point.

But being president for a day is not enough. And sticking with Trump out of a refusal to admit a mistake is hardly wise. One day a month or so, America has a decent president. The rest of the time its Romper Room in the White House. Recant, Trump supporters. I wont forgive you, but history might.

Read more from Richard Cohens archive.
Political scientist Charles Murrays account of his frightening experience at Middlebury College last week reminds me of stories told by the Little Rock Nine about the shouting, shoving mob they faced during their effort to desegregate Little Rock Central High in 1957. This comparison will aggravate many who, like me, hold up the Little Rock Nine as moral heroes.

Murray, best known as co-author of the The Bell Curve, has written extensively about racial disparities in the mean (or average) of IQ distributions within groups, and I am a critic of his work. Yet last week he won my admiration for how he, along with his hosts, displayed courage in the face of violent campus protests.

[Protesters at Middlebury College shout down speaker, attack him and a professor]

As the day of his lecture drew near, word of anticipated protests built. The college administration commendably developed a plan to make sure the event would go forward, even in the face of protests. It prepared a video studio from which, if necessary, Murray could live-stream his remarks to the audience that wished to hear them. During the event, Murray and his faculty host, Professor Allison Stanger, accompanied by the colleges vice president for communications, Bill Burger, were obliged to retreat to that studio.

The foursome of Murray, Stanger, Burger and Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton, alongside two security guards, are also to be commended for their fortitude. They came out to meet a full house in a 400-seat auditorium, where according to Murray half of the audience appeared to be protesters. After the event, Murray, Stanger and Burger, along with the guards, had to make their way on foot, and then by car, through groups that were physically attacking them in order to keep a date for dinner with students.

Democracies and academies have, historically, risen together. Ancient Athens, where formal democracy first flowered, was also where, after the injustice of the execution of Socrates, Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum nonetheless bloomed. When the democracy succumbed to the geopolitical dominance of the Macedonian Alexander the Great, the cities new leaders shrank the size of the voting citizenry and once again sought the expulsion of philosophers.

In the young American republic, many in the founding generation recognized the importance of education to a democratic citizenry. The remarkable network of liberal arts colleges such as Middlebury, now scattered throughout the country and most densely in the Northeast, reflects that generations expectation that sacred groves of higher learning can improve and anchor a healthy democratic culture. Abraham Lincoln renewed that national commitment when he signed the 1862 Morrill Act, which gave us the land-grant public universities throughout the country.

But what does it take to preserve those sacred groves? How can colleges and universities meet their responsibility to nourish the intellectual life of a democracy generally? In a democracy, where freedom of association and speech are core rights and should be rigorously defended, the ethics of protesting should be defined by a commitment to embody in the protest itself the very norms that sustain democracies.

Democracies are necessarily contentious but can survive only if they can channel contestation into peaceful forms of behavior. Hence the importance of the first rule of protest  that it be nonviolent.

Second, protest on a college campus should have the goal of making a college the best it can be. The supreme academic aspiration is to defeat bad arguments with better ones. Rather than shouting down Murray, the protesters should have read his work and figured out how to critique it. Theres lots of room for that. I have many disagreements with how scholarship that focuses on the question of IQ, as Murrays often does, organizes even its core concepts  for instance, its overemphasis on the mean within a distribution, a weakness that Plato pointed out about a related set of views millennia ago when he challenged ancient Greek assumptions that male intelligence was superior to female intelligence. Imagine how powerful a protest would be when one after another protester calmly and civilly puts a question to the speaker that reveals the holes in his argument.

Finally, to protect the sacred groves of academe, and the wellsprings of contentious but peaceful and intellectually rigorous debate in a democracy, those of us committed to the academy should step up to defend our campuses as places where two things are both true: Free speech is protected, and members of a campus community recognize their responsibility to prove themselves trustworthy to one another.

Proving ourselves trustworthy means that it is wrong to fling insults and to swear at one another, even in cases where those things dont add up to a legally prohibited threat or harassment. It also means that it is better to pursue argument with the other side than disdainful mockery of its views and to argue on the merits rather than make ad hominem attacks. This goes for both left and right.

Our civic culture is badly debilitated. Colleges and universities need to replenish their capacity to defend the intellectual life of democracies. The Little Rock Nine were heroes for embodying in their own behavior the best of democratic aspirations as they tried, simply, to go to school. At Middlebury last week, Murray and his hosts were also trying, simply, to keep school open. In this moment, they, too, were heroes.
Anthony Beilenson, a California Democrat who spent 10 terms in Congress, where he forged an independent path on thorny issues such as tax cuts and immigration and even anodyne matters such as National Grandparents Day, died March 5 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84.

The cause was a heart attack, said a son, Peter Beilenson. The congressman also had a home in Chevy Chase, Md.

Mr. Beilenson was a Harvard-educated lawyer from the New York outskirts who settled in Southern California in the late 1950s to work for a cousins entertainment law firm. His ambition was to enter politics, and he attributed his civic awakening to a lecture at Harvard where then-Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas (D-Calif.) spoke about the plight of migrant farm workers.

You are in a position to help a lot of people when you are in public office, he later told the Los Angeles Times.

The lanky and bespectacled Mr. Beilenson was elected to the state Assembly in 1962 and the state Senate four years later. He was credited with writing more than 200 state laws, including major consumer and environmental legislation.

U.S. President Bill Clinton hands a pen to Rep. Walter Tucker, D-Calif., during an Oval Office ceremony where he signed legislation to provide $8.6 billion to aid victims of the California earthquake in Washington in 1994. Looking on are Rep. Harold Volkmer, D-Mo., and Rep. Anthony Beilenson, D-Calif., right. (Joe Marquette/AP)

In 1967, he introduced a bill, signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan (R), that decriminalized abortion in cases where the mothers mental or physical health was gravely imperiled. It was the first liberalization of the states abortion laws in a generation.

The Sacramento media corps named Mr. Beilenson best all-around senator, and his peers dubbed him most effective senator. He parlayed the attention to national office, winning an open U.S. House seat in 1976 that represented Beverly Hills, Westwood, Bel Air, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Thousand Oaks and parts of the San Fernando Valley  one of the wealthiest districts in the country.

In Washington, he was a workhorse on the powerful House Rules Committee, which decides which bills reach the floor. He also chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he sought to curb the sprawling intelligence budget in the waning years of the Cold War and advocated reductions in covert aid to proxy war hot spots such as Nicaragua and Afghanistan.

His voting pattern was consistently left of center on abortion rights, gun-control measures and conservation. He voted against oil drilling off the California coast and worked to protect the endangered African elephant by restricting U.S. imports of elephant ivory. He was legislative co-sponsor of an act to establish the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which preserved a sprawling patchwork of land in greater Los Angeles.

But Mr. Beilenson also had a maverick streak, and he defied easy categorization from those who sought to define him as a liberal.

He became known for his expertise on the federal budget and advocated  sometimes combatively  for tax increases over borrowing to address the swelling budget deficit, even if it meant cutting spending for veterans and the elderly. He once shouted down an impassioned constituent who took issue with his views on the deficit.

He generally opposed capital punishment but voted in favor of it during a debate on a drug bill in 1986, saying he could favor it for drug salesmen who act above the law and are comfortably ensconced making millions of dollars.

I have moral problems with the death penalty, he added, but Im not a purist.

He initially backed a hard-line proposal in the mid-1990s that would have denied automatic citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. He supported the measure in part because of what he called enormous welfare, food stamp and Medicaid costs associated with immigration.

He also supported cuts in legal immigration because of his larger concerns about population growth, competition for jobs and changes to quality of life in the United States. He did not back another measure that sought to deny public schooling for children of illegal immigrants.

Mr. Beilenson, a longtime civil rights supporter, was accused by Latino groups of toughening his views to appeal to an influx of conservative voters in his district, which was redrawn in 1990. He denied the charge and spent his final years in Congress voting in unpredictable ways. He was an ardent ally of the North American Free Trade Agreement, despite opposition from many labor groups that traditionally support Democrats.

Mr. Beilenson was so safely ensconced in his district that he rarely spent much if any money on reelection. He was one of a handful of politicians who refused to accept political action committee funds. He told the Times that he found the extremes other politicians went to to collect money were distasteful and very unpleasant.

Anthony Charles Beilenson was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., on Oct. 26, 1932. His parents started a book publishing company, Peter Pauper Press.

He graduated in 1950 from the private Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and received a bachelors degree in American government from Harvard University in 1954. He completed Harvard Law School in 1957.

In 1959, he married Dolores Martin. In addition to his wife, survivors include his children, Peter, of Towson, Md., Dayna Berger of Atlanta and Adam Beilenson of Encino, Calif.; a brother; a sister; and nine grandchildren.

Mr. Beilenson declined to run for reelection in 1996, citing an ideological and often mindless atmosphere of bilious partisanship after the GOP took control of the House after the 1994 midterm elections.

He served on a congressionally appointed commission involving nonproliferation issues and on the board of the National Portrait Gallery and the advisory council of J Street, a moderate Jewish advocacy group.

Mr. Beilensons votes of conscience on foreign and domestic affairs were sometimes fodder for opponents. Even members of his family said he could take the notion of a principled legislator to extremes, as when his was one of eight dissenting votes cast against National Grandparents Day in 1978 because he saw it as a sop to the greeting-card industry.

Such unorthodox decisions barely seemed to dent his popularity. Members of Congress, he told the Times in 1987, all got here on our own so we dont owe anything to the party. Youre secure as long as youre not outrageous.
The White House on Monday attempted to defend President Trumps unfounded claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower near the end of the presidential campaign, sending out several administration officials  both on and off camera  to reiterate the assertion without providing supporting evidence.

In tweets over the weekend, Trump claimed he had just learned that Obama wiretapped his midtown Manhattan skyscraper, where he lives and which housed his presidential campaign  accusing the former president of a potentially illegal act and writing that Obama was a bad (or sick) guy.

Trump has since provided no proof to back up his assertion, which has been rebuffed by Obama, FBI Director James B. Comey and former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. On Monday, senior administration officials contorted themselves trying to defend the presidents claims, which seemed to emanate largely in response to a rant on conservative talk radio and in an article on Breitbart News, the conservative website that Stephen K. Bannon, Trumps chief strategist, formerly led.

Speaking to reporters from the White House briefing room without cameras present, White House press secretary Sean Spicer referred reporters to his weekend statement calling on the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate the wiretapping charges as part of their broader probe of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He refused to add clarity or context to Trumps Twitter missives, saying neither the president nor the White House would comment further until the congressional investigations are completed.

Im just going to let the tweet speak for itself, Spicer said. I think the president speaks very candidly.



(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

[Inside Trumps fury: The president rages at leaks, setbacks and accusations]

Spicer, citing news reports, said there was sufficient evidence to warrant further investigation at the congressional level.

I think that theres no question that something happened. The question is, is it surveillance, is it a wiretap or whatever? Spicer said. But theres been enough reporting that strongly suggests that something occurred.

Asked whether he could unequivocally say that Trumps tweet was based on more than a talk radio report and the Breitbart article, Spicer declined, again referring to his calls for the intelligence panels to take the lead.

Asked about the specific sourcing behind the presidents tweets, Spicer said there were several options: It could be FISA, it could be surveillance, he said, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, under which a secret court can issue warrants for electronic surveillance on potential spies or terrorists. If there was a FISA wiretap of Trump during the campaign, it would mean that the court had found there was probable cause to believe he was acting as an agent of a foreign power, as the law requires.

In perhaps the clearest sign of the uncomfortable situation the presidents tweets created for his aides, the normally media-

hungry White House went largely dark Monday. Although several top officials did defend Trump in TV interviews, Spicer did not allow cameras into the briefing room for his news conference Monday, and Trump signed an executive order for his revamped travel ban in private.

Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, Clapper did provide the White House with a bit of cover, saying there was no evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia during the campaign. But he also undercut the presidents assertion that Obama had wiretapped him, saying, There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign.

President Trump and former president Barack Obama at the Capitol on Inauguration Day. On Monday, the White House attempted to defend Trumps claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. (Pool photo by Jack Gruber/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Spicer urged reporters to note Clappers comments about an apparent lack of collusion, but gave less weight to his remarks rebutting Trumps claims of wiretapping. Asked about the difference, Spicer said, He said that he wasnt aware of anything. I take him at his word that he wasnt aware, but that doesnt mean that it didnt exist.

[Daily 202: Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted  but may backfire]

This reverse-engineering of evidence has happened before, as when the president declared erroneously that his inauguration crowd was the largest in history and when he claimed without evidence that at least 3 million undocumented immigrants illegally voted for Hillary Clinton in the general election.

The public face of this latest effort has mostly been deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was dispatched to a Sunday news show  even though Spicer and chief of staff Reince Priebus usually take that task  and to two Monday morning talk shows.

Huckabee Sanders admitted that she had not discussed the matter with the president, and she lacked answers to questions. When asked Monday by ABC Newss George Stephanopoulos whether the president accepted that Comey had refuted his tweets, she responded: You know, I dont think he does.

Like Spicer, Huckabee Sanders claimed Trumps accusations are supported by news media reports, even though a list of such articles provided by the White House contained no such evidence. She also attempted to recast the presidents words with a softer tone.

Look, the president firmly believes that the Obama administration may have tapped into the phones at Trump Tower, Huckabee Sanders said on NBCs Today show on Monday. This is something that we should look into. Wed like to know for sure.

Huckabee Sanders repeatedly urged that the news media and others give the president the same benefit of the doubt that they seemed to be giving to those accusing the Trump campaign of coordinating with the Russian government.

[Upheaval is now standard operating procedure in the White House]

Look, she said on the Today show, I havent had the chance to have the conversation directly with the president, and hes at a much higher classification than I am, so he may have access to documents that I dont know about, but I do know that we take this very seriously.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway followed a similar script Monday on Fox Newss Fox & Friends, saying there have been numerous media reports that there was politically motivated activity all during the campaign and suggesting that there may be more there.

Hes the president of the United States, Conway said. He has information and intelligence that the rest of us do not. And thats the way it should be for presidents.

At times, it seemed that even West Wing officials had not coordinated their responses with one another. Asked about Conways comment Monday, Spicer said he hadnt talked with her about what she meant.

I cant specifically respond to you in terms of what she was referring to, whether she was referring to the exact nature of this charge or whether generally speaking he is given information, Spicer said.

Ultimately, the White House all but stated that the best person to explain or defend the presidents claims was the president himself. Asked by a reporter how it was appropriate for Trump to make an explosive statement and then send out his aides to clean it up, Spicer again referred back to Trumps social media feed.

The presidents tweets, he said, speak for themselves.
Rod J. Rosenstein is, by most accounts, about as good a nominee for deputy attorney general as Democrats could hope for.

And if the Trump administration gets its way, he could soon be the man handling the most politically charged investigation in the nation.

The U.S. attorney for Maryland has sterling bipartisan credentials stretching back to the Clinton administration. The longest-serving U.S. attorney, Rosenstein was unanimously confirmed to his post, based in Baltimore, in 2005 after being nominated by then-President George W. Bush and winning support from the states two Democratic senators.

He kept the job in 2009 when President Barack Obama arrived, and on Tuesday, after the new Republican administration nominated Rosenstein to the No. 2 post in the Justice Department, Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) happily introduced him to the Judiciary Committee.

Yet Rosenstein might receive little Democratic support, and some have signaled that they intend to slow-walk his nomination and stretch out the confirmation process through the rest of the month because they want a special prosecutor to take charge of DOJs investigation of Russias meddling in the 2016 election and Trump associates links to the Kremlin.

Thats because, in recusing himself from any investigations of President Trumps 2016 campaign, Attorney General Jeff Sessions handed the case to whoever will be his No. 2  meaning Rosenstein, if he is confirmed.

The situation has left Democrats wrapped inside their own paradoxical box: The price of their support for a speedy confirmation is Rosenstein promising to appoint a special prosecutor.

If Mr. Rosenstein is unwilling to commit to naming a special prosecutor, or says that he needs to be confirmed and in his position before he can make an assessment  that is insufficient, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech Tuesday morning. The need for a special prosecutor is clear enough today to make that call.

Justice Department nominee at center of partisan battle over Russia allegations

A little more than an hour after Sessions announced last week that he would recuse himself from any Trump-related cases, Sen. Richard J. Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he would use every possible tool to block Rosensteins confirmation until the nominee committed to naming a special prosecutor.

But that is the type of commitment that almost no nominee would ever make. That sort of answer would seem to prejudge a case before someone has reviewed the investigative material. It is typically considered a big no-no for judges and other executive branch nominees to key positions to tip their hands in confirmation hearings, leading to decades of answers by nominees with well-rehearsed lines about upholding the law without taking a formal stand.

Thats exactly what Rosenstein did Tuesday, deflecting questions about his view of the case by promising to follow the advice of Justice Department experts.

I would evaluate the facts and the law [and] consider the applicable law, he told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa).

He promised to use my best judgment in handling the Russia investigation and vowed to take the right course of action. He noted that he has not been allowed to review the case because he has not been confirmed.

The standoff over Rosenstein sets up a scenario in which Democrats will continue to demand the appointment of a special prosecutor in a Trump-related Russia inquiry. Yet they will be holding up the confirmation of the one person who might actually make such an appointment.

Republicans are in what may be an even stranger position. They have almost uniformly rejected calls for a special prosecutor, saying that an investigation can be dealt with in the normal ranks of the Justice Department and in the congressional intelligence committees.

Grassley began the hearing by highlighting Rosensteins record handling sensitive cases, including a leak investigation in the Obama administration, and reminded Democrats of how a special prosecutor was not called to direct the investigation of Hillary Clintons treatment of classified information when she served as a secretary of state.

Yet in calling for Rosensteins speedy confirmation, Grassley and Republicans may be demanding the appointment of an official who might disagree with them and decide to set up a more robust, independent investigation of alleged Russian ties to the Trump 2016 campaign.

[Veteran prosecutor in line to oversee Russia probe]

Thats the view of someone who has watched Rosenstein up close.

Cardin, a former member of the Judiciary Committee, recommended in 2009 that Obama retain Rosenstein as the states top federal prosecutor, telling the panel Tuesday that a broad cross-section of Marylands legal community supported him.

This was a welcomed nomination by President Trump, Cardin told the panel, recounting the totally nonpartisan professional manner Rosenstein adopted in his investigations.

Like his fellow Democrats, Cardin thinks a more vigorous investigation is needed in the Russia case, with an independent commission being his preferred body. Unlike many Democrats, he is willing to support Rosenstein without his public guarantee of calling for such an inquiry.

I think that Mr. Rosenstein is the right person at the right time for deputy attorney general, Cardin told his colleagues. He predicted that the nominees record would lead to decisions that Democrats will applaud.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, agreed that Rosenstein is well-qualified but she highlighted the conflicts within the Justice Department in the early days of Trumps presidency. After Trump issued his first travel ban, which prevented all refugees as well as visitors from seven Muslim-majority nations, then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates refused to defend the executive order and was fired by Trump.

This is about the integrity of the process, Feinstein said, noting that she feared Trumps West Wing would exert influence over the investigation. There is a real danger, I believe, that the Justice Department could become politicized.

Blumenthal and other Democrats pointed to the 1973 confirmation of Elliot Richardson as attorney general, during which he vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the Watergate investigations. They want a similar pledge from Rosenstein  and are prepared to delay his confirmation as long as they can.

This situation is extraordinary, Blumenthal said, and he is a professional career prosecutor who knows that there is a need  who should know, should know  there is a need for independence and protection from political influence here.

Read more from Paul Kanes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
The new leader of the United Nations visited Somalia on Tuesday to issue a global appeal for aid as the war-torn nation teeters on the brink of its second famine in a decade.

It was Antonio Guterress first field visit as U.N. secretary general, a position the former Portugal prime minister assumes during a time of historic humanitarian crises. South Sudan recently declared a famine, and three other countries  Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria  are on the cusp of similar disasters.

Conflict, drought, disease  the combination is a nightmare, Guterres said Tuesday.

More than 6 million Somalis, about half of the countrys population, are grappling with severe food shortages, according to the United Nations. At least 110 people, mostly women and children, died of malnutrition or a related disease in a two-day period in just one region earlier this month, according to the countrys prime minister.

[Trumps plan to slash foreign aid comes as famine threat is surging]

Somalias hunger crisis is the result of two major factors  droughts that have badly damaged the countrys agricultural production and a protracted conflict that has obstructed humanitarian access to affected areas. Further complicating matters is the recent spread of cholera, which left 38 people dead last week.

Somalia has been in a near-constant state of turmoil since civil war broke out in 1991. Nearly 1 million Somalis have fled the country, and another million are internally displaced.

In 2011, famine consumed much of the Horn of Africa, killing nearly 260,000 people in Somalia alone, according to the United Nations. The international community subsequently determined that more must be done to prevent a similar disaster in the future. Yet as one of the U.N. officials briefing Guterres on Tuesday made clear, a lack of funding last year to help Somalis affected by drought contributed to the current crisis.

With more resources last year, we would have been infinitely better off today, said Peter de Clercq, the deputy special representative of the secretary general for Somalia. In 2016, the United Nations fell $240 million short of its $885 million funding goal for Somalia.

Now, Guterres is lobbying for a massive response to the worsening hunger crisis  $825 million in the first six months of 2017.

Without that support, we will have a tragedy that is absolutely unacceptable, he said.

So far, only $105 million has been received.

The situation in Somalia has not yet been declared a famine  a designation meaning that at least 30 percent of a population

is acutely malnourished and 2 adults or 4 children per every 10,000 people are dying each day. But de Clercq told Guterres that the situation was rapidly deteriorating.

During a trip to the crumbling southwestern city of Baidoa, scarred by years of fighting, the U.N. leader saw proof of that need. Hundreds of people had moved to an informal displacement camp after leaving drought-affected parts of the country, including some areas where Islamist al-Shabab militants were blocking the delivery of humanitarian supplies.

Their tents were made of whatever they could find  torn mosquito nets, bedsheets and towels. Inside, families of eight to 10 huddled, waiting for assistance. But little has arrived.

Guterres, wearing a white button-down shirt and a black bulletproof vest, walked from tent to tent asking people why they had fled their homes, whether al-Shabab was based near their villages and whether they had been fed in the camp.

Ugudow Mohammed Noor, a 52-year-old woman with a long thin face, left her village near the southern city of Kismayo last month with her seven children. They traveled mostly on foot for 15 days in the stifling heat to reach Baidoa.

But there is still no food distributed, she told a reporter, adding that she had taken to begging for scraps. Two days earlier, she said, her brother had died of cholera, an easily treatable disease caused by consuming contaminated food or water.

Of the four current hunger crises in Africa and the Middle East, Somalias is the most closely linked to environmental factors. Noor explained that as the drought intensified, she watched her six cows die one by one. Food for her family became increasingly hard to find, or afford.

Al-Shabab militants have made the situation worse. Checkpoints run by the group stop food from reaching those in need. Other times, insurgents levy a heavy tax on those distributing the rations.

Similar tactics led to thousands of deaths during the 2011 famine. This time, U.N. officials are hopeful that al-Shabab might be more willing to allow private food suppliers or humanitarian workers to pass.

Last time there was a clear decision by al-Shabab to be obstructive, said Michael Keating, the top U.N. official based in Somalia. This time, there isnt.

[Somalis flee famine along roads of death]

In other countries dealing with famines or near-famines, aid workers have also struggled to reach the hungry. In South Sudan, the government has created administrative and bureaucratic impediments for humanitarian groups, said Stephen OBrien, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In northeastern Nigeria, aid workers have been unable to reach desperate people because of military restrictions and the threat posed by Islamist Boko Haram fighters. In Yemen, clashes between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels have made it difficult for aid groups to travel.

Across the four countries, the United Nations estimates that 20 million people are caught up in hunger crises.

In modern world history, weve never confronted the prospect of four major famines in four countries, OBrien said.

But with the Trump administration planning to propose large cuts to foreign aid, the United Nations cannot count on its largest donor to help fill the massive funding shortfall.

Guterres visited a day after President Trump introduced a revised travel ban that would temporarily bar Somalis and people from five other countries linked to terrorism from entering the United States. The new U.N. chief said that extremists will benefit if the international community neglects this country.

To address in an effective way the risk of famine is to support the stabilization of Somalia, he said. Its the best way to address the root causes of terrorism.

Last month, Somalia elected a new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who quickly declared the drought a national emergency. We know many animals will die, Mohamed said at a news conference Tuesday, and of course people will follow.

Read more

Exclusive: U.S.-funded Somali intelligence agency has been using kids as spies

A breakaway region of Somalia begs Trump for travel-ban exemption

They survived Boko Haram. Now millions in Nigeria face starvation.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
A view of the Lotte Department Store in Shenyang in northeastern Chinas Liaoning province on March 3. Four stores of South Korea's Lotte Group were closed in China by authorities, according to news media reports on March 6. (Li Lin/European Pressphoto Agency)

China warned Tuesday of consequences for South Korea and the United States over the deployment of a U.S. antimissile system, further raising regional tension and posing a challenge to the Trump administration.

The stern words came a day after North Korea launched four missiles that landed off the Japanese coast  an exercise, the North Korean government said, designed to practice for an attack on U.S. military bases in Japan.

American and South Korean officials say the continuing missile launches by the North Koreans demonstrate why the new antimissile system is necessary as a defense against Kim Jong Uns regime. The U.S. military began deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea on Monday.

But Beijing sees the system as a threat to the Chinese military and evidence of U.S. meddling in East Asian affairs.

I want to emphasize that we firmly oppose the deployment of THAAD, Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday at a daily news briefing in Beijing. We will resolutely take necessary measures to defend our security interests.

(Youtube/Osan AirBase)

All consequences entailed from this will be borne by the U.S. and the Republic of Korea.

Geng did not provide details on what consequences are in store for either country, although South Korean officials said they expected retaliatory moves against companies doing business in China.

The stepped-up tensions in East Asia create a potentially difficult and multipronged problem for the United States, involving: South Korea, in the midst of internal political turmoil; North Korea, often unpredictable; Japan, a steadfast U.S. ally with a weak economy and an ambition to expand its military footprint; and China, far and away the most powerful country in the region, both a U.S. rival and a key trading partner.

At the same time, a diplomatic battle between North Korea and Malaysia after the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half brother in Kuala Lumpur escalated sharply Tuesday as Pyongyang banned all Malaysians from leaving its territory, prompting the Malaysian government to accuse it of hostage taking.

Malaysia retaliated by banning all North Koreans from exiting its borders and warning the Kim regime that it was inviting further international opprobrium. China was angered by the Feb. 13 murder, which the Malaysians say employed VX nerve agent, and some analysts suggest the North Korean missile launch was secondarily designed to provoke Beijing.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner reiterated U.S. criticism of North Korea and the missile launches. Theyre increasingly becoming a pariah through this kind of behavior, he said. Were pursuing tougher and tougher sanctions, but were also looking at other means to make that message clear to them.

Chinas Foreign Ministry did not specify any actions against the United States on Tuesday, but Beijings displeasure over the antimissile system marked an abrupt change in tone after a generally cautious approach until now toward the new American president.





Although some Chinese initially welcomed the idea of Donald Trumps presidency, convinced a seasoned businessman would take a practical approach to politics, Trumps early moves on Taiwan spooked Beijing.

Since the inauguration, Chinese officials have taken a careful approach, playing up the positive and playing down areas of disagreement, including Trump administration comments on the South China Sea. That is, until Gengs statement on Tuesday.

Plans to deploy the THAAD system, which predates the Trump presidency, have long been a source of tension between Seoul and Beijing.

In the run-up to the deployment, China has taken aim at South Korean businesses in China. Beginning on Friday, it has been warning would-be Chinese tourists against booking trips to South Korea.

[U.S. military deploys advanced defensive missile system to South Korea]

Although some travel agencies have already stopped selling tickets and tours to South Korea, Chinas National Tourism Administration has officially ordered travel agencies to stop all tour groups and cruise ships by March 15, the South Korean official said.

The new measures would also shut down duty-free shops run by Lotte, the South Korean conglomerate that helped Seoul secure land for THAAD, according to the South Korean official.

A representative of Chinas Tourism Administration said by phone that the agency has indeed advised travel agencies not to sell South Korea tours or tickets.

The South Korean official and the Chinese tourism representative spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give information to the news media.

Three large Chinese travel agencies confirmed the order from the Tourism Administration. Two said they have already stopped selling packages; the other said it would stop selling by March 15.

After Lotte helped the South Korean government secure land for THAAD, it was denounced and threatened in Chinas Communist Party-controlled press. Nearly two dozen of the companys retail outlets were subsequently shut down by Chinese authorities for alleged safety violations.

[North Korea says it was practicing to hit U.S. military bases in Japan with missiles]

China recently rejected applications by Korean airlines to add charter flights on popular tourists routes, a move interpreted in South Korea as a warning on the missile system.

There have also been scattered efforts to implement a pop-culture blockade, with South Korean television programs pulled from Chinese websites, calls for boycotts of South Korean cosmetics and canceled K-Pop (Korean pop) shows.

Politically motivated attacks on foreign business are strikingly at odds with Chinas recent calls to protect globalization and free trade, most notably President Xi Jinpings keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

On Monday, South Korea said it was considering filing a World Trade Organization case against China, according to the local news media.

Joo Hyung-hwan, South Koreas trade minister, said Seoul would seek international action against possible violations of the World Trade Organization and the Seoul-Beijing free trade agreement.

He also pledged to help South Korean companies deal with any discrimination they face.

The South Korean official called Chinas moves regrettable, noting that curbing business will hurt Chinese vendors, too.

North Koreas missile launch on Monday further complicates the tensions. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said the four missiles were intended as practice for an attack on the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan. After a flight of about 600 miles, they all fell into the Sea of Japan; three of them came down inside Japans exclusive economic zone.

The United States has about 54,000 military personnel in Japan.

Anna Fifield in Tokyo, and Congcong Zhang and Jin Xin in Beijing contributed to this report.
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders looks toward journalists as he launches his parliamentary election campaign in Spijkenisse on Feb. 18. (John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

On the brand-new political news website, the headlines could have been ripped from a speech by President Trump: Immigrants commit more crime, Syrian refugees are raping girls, and Muslim education is taking over the school system.

But the two-month-old Gatestone Europe website is based in the Netherlands; the contributors are Dutch. And their aim, their editor says, is to swing the debate ahead of European elections this year to deliver a tide of anti-

immigrant leaders to office in the Netherlands, France, Germany and elsewhere.

Websites that focus on the perils of open borders, immigration and international alliances are expanding in scope and ambition in Europe, seeing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to harness the energy from Trumps win to drive deep into a continent where traditional political parties are struggling. Some of the websites are registered in Russia. Others, like Gatestone Europe, are being supported by Americans with ties to Trump.

In the Netherlands, some online activists are backing a handful of anti-Muslim candidates, including the fiery Geert Wilders, who is running in a dead heat against the ruling party ahead of March 15 elections. In France, news blogs are spreading innuendo about the rivals of the anti-immigrant Marine Le Pen, who is the most popular presidential candidate in the lead-up to the election in April and May. And in Germany, some of the outlets have spread false stories about refugees raping people that were repeated by the Russian foreign minister. Fed by public anger about refugees, the Muslim-bashing Alternative for Germany party is poised to seize seats in Germanys Parliament in September.

Theres quite a lot of news, quite shocking, often with rape or violence and immigrants, said Timon Dias, 29, who started Gatestone Europe last month after several years of writing for a different anti-establishment website in the Netherlands. We want people to learn whats happening in Europe and vote accordingly, especially ahead of elections this year.

Supporters of Wilders hold leaflets bearing his image and a slogan that translates as "Make Netherlands ours again." (John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

Although many of the sites are small  the Amsterdam-based Gatestone Europe has only four writers, and no office  they do not need to be well established to score big on Facebook or Twitter. A spicy individual post can go viral with little regard for the history of the outlet.

Its a crowbar in the system, Dias said. The main line is highly vigilant, highly critical about what the effects are of having a significant Muslim minority in the inner cities.

The project is funded by the New York-based Gatestone Institute, which is chaired by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, who was a finalist in Trumps search for a new national security adviser. Contacted for comment, the Gatestone Institute made available one of its board members, retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who said that the organization is nonpartisan and that its aim is to move the debate to the center. Bolton did not reply to a request for comment.

As with other similar sites, many of Gatestones posts are based on true events, spun aggressively to feed the narrative that mainstream, pro-European Union politicians are selling out their countries to immigrants. The site does not support any one candidate in the Dutch elections, but the anti-E.U. leader of the small Forum for Democracy party, Thierry Baudet, is a contributor.

We report the news to our readers in a directed way, Dias said.

Although Wilders is likely to face trouble forming a coalition and Le Pen is forecast to lose the second round of Frances presidential election, both candidates have had success in shifting debate in their nations onto

more anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic ground. Far-right websites are often their megaphone.

In the Netherlands, similar news outlets have already made successful forays into Dutch political life.

A referendum last year on whether the Dutch government should ratify a trade deal with Ukraine was triggered by a far-right news site, GeenStijl.

The eventual rejection of the trade deal turned into an embarrassing defeat for the Dutch government, which was forced to backpedal on its commitment to Ukraine. Opponents of the trade deal, including GeenStijl, cited an opposition to E.U. expansion and a desire not to antagonize the Kremlin as reasons to vote it down.

Pro-Ukraine-deal campaigners say they suspect that the Kremlin put a finger on the scale by supporting activists and pro-Russian trolls online, although no link has been proved. The activists, including GeenStijl, deny any connection.

But even absent ties to Russia, the news sites demonstrated a powerful ability to disrupt the pro-E.U. agenda of the Dutch mainstream, creating a political headache for Dutch leaders and feeding Western disunity that coincides with Kremlin efforts.

The Ukraine referendum has shown what kind of mayhem they can cause, said Cas Mudde, a Dutch scholar of far-right movements at the University of Georgia. What impressed a lot of people was their ability to mobilize people who were commenting on websites to go out and actually vote for a cause. People werent expecting that.

Now GeenStijls political arm, GeenPeil  Dutch for no poll  has spun off into a political party and is contesting the parliamentary election on the promise to hold Dutch leaders accountable.

Until my generation, everybody had a better life than their parents. That has stopped, said Jan Dijkgraaf, 54, a former journalist who is now the leader of GeenPeil.

He said he did not consider himself a far-right politician, but he seized on immigration as a major focus for Dutch voters.

Dijkgraaf said he could understand if a mother of three needed temporary refuge from war. But when there are boys of 25 with these kind of muscles, you have to think, are they really victims of a war, or do they have plans to get rich, or to do something like in Brussels or in Paris?

The Ukraine referendum sparked a number of political parties, most of which have struggled to break through Wilderss lock on anti-immigrant discourse in the Netherlands.

Wilders was using Twitter to spark outrage and publicity long before Trump turned to electoral politics. A tweet last month of a leading political opponent, Alexander Pechtold, Photoshopped into a pro-sharia demonstration in London dominated political coverage for days. Wilders later acknowledged that the photo was fake but said Pechtold had recently been to a similar demonstration.

They dont care about what is really true, what is a little true, or what is fake, Pechtold said. And thats of course what we have seen in the United States.

In the far-right Web universe, the faked picture caused no uproar.

Its a way of speaking to people, said Bert Brussen, editor of ThePostOnline, another far-right website where headlines on recent articles have included Iraqis on Trial for Gang Rape in Vienna and Massacre by Islamic terror was again prevented in Germany.

A lot of what Wilders says, its Internet language, Brussen said. The Internet makes them stronger, and they make the Internet stronger.

In other countries with elections this year, far-right sites are also thriving, attracting the attention of some of the American outlets that helped propel Trump to victory. Last year, Breitbart News  whose former head, Stephen K. Bannon, is now Trumps chief strategist  said that it would take the plunge into the French and German markets, although there is so far little sign that it is readying to open.

But anti-establishment activists in those countries may need little help.

In France, where far-right candidate Le Pen wants to take a hard line against Muslim immigration, hold a referendum on E.U. membership and embrace relations with the Kremlin, far-right news sites have taken aim at whichever candidate appears most likely to challenge her in the final round of the presidential election, due to be held May 7. (Le Pen is expected to win the first round.)

For months, that was center-right candidate Francois Fillon. More recently, a surge from the centrist Emmanuel Macron has drawn a volley of darts from rumor-mongering websites, some of them branches of Russian state media. Macron recently took on the rumors, joking that his apparent ability to have gay affairs puzzled his wife, who is usually by his side.

And in Germany and Austria, experts say roughly 30 German-language alternative websites are currently operating. Many have existed for years, but they have transformed into machines to undermine traditional politicians, especially since the start of Europes refugee crisis.

The majority of them, experts say, tend to have opaque ownership structures, making it difficult to ascertain who is behind them. They are almost universally pro-Russian in tone, and some of the German-language sites are operated from Russian servers, though direct links to the Russian government are hard to find.

They publish stories with a true core, building their own atmosphere around this core, what we call hybrid fake,  said Andre Wolf, a spokesman for Mimikama, an Austria-based fact-checking website.

Many stories seem aimed at undermining German Chancellor Angela Merkels bid for reelection on Sept. 24. But as a center-left challenger, Martin Schulz, rose in the polls in recent weeks, along surged a flurry of fake reports  including one by the website AnonymousNews.ru falsely claiming that his father once ran a Nazi concentration camp.

Across Europe, Dias said, the possibility of change is alive.

People feel the epicness of the times theyre living in, he said.

Annabell Van den Berghe in Amsterdam, Anthony Faiola in Berlin and James McAuley in Paris contributed to this report.

Read more:

In trip to Brussels, Pence tries soothing anxious leaders with pro-E. U. message

Pence and Merkel embrace NATO but differ on transatlantic partnership

German defense chief hits Trump attitudes on torture, Russia and Muslims

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Iraqi forces claimed to have recaptured Mosuls main government compound from the Islamic State on Tuesday, marking a strategic and symbolic advance into the northern city at the heart of the militant groups self-proclaimed caliphate.

In a surprise pre-dawn raid, elite police units seized the government buildings in the Bab al-Tob neighborhood of western Mosul, including a central square where the militants carried out public executions. Commanders said that they faced limited resistance and that the groups grip on the city is crumbling, although there were reports of intense counterattacks.

Mosul, home to more than a million people, is the last major city that the Islamic State controls in Iraq and the biggest population center it seized during a large-scale land grab in 2014. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces have waged a bitter campaign since mid-October to retake the city, suffering heavy casualties as the militants have launched car bombings and other attacks.

The pace of the Iraqi advance has picked up in recent weeks after police forces led a push into the citys western side, but the human toll also is mounting as the fighting moves through densely populated neighborhoods. The government estimates that about 10,000 people are fleeing each day.

Airwars, a Britain-based organization that tracks allegations of civilian deaths in the fight against the Islamic State, said Tuesday that such casualties appear to have escalated this month, with hundreds reported killed in what it described as a bloody harbinger.





And despite the gains for Iraqi forces, the battle is far from over. Around half of the western side of the city is still held by the militants, said Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul, a spokesman for Iraqs joint operations command. That includes the packed and narrow streets of the old city. The eastern half of Mosul was recaptured earlier this year. The city is split into two by the Tigris River.

Reaching here is a message to the people of Mosul that the enemy that used to suffocate them is officially finished, said Brig. Gen. Abbas al-Jubory, chief of staff of the Iraqi polices emergency response division, which led the attack toward Bab al-Tob. He denied there had been any counterattack, but the Associated Press reported that troops had become cut off inside the compound after an initial rapid advance.

He compared retaking the square there, the backdrop to many Islamic State execution videos, to the Americans reaching Firdos Square during their 2003 invasion of Iraq, when a towering statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down.

[ISIS dumped bodies in a sinkhole. It may be years before we know how many.]

Col. John L. Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad, which has been closely supporting the fight with airstrikes and expertise, said retaking the Mosul government buildings provides Iraqi forces with a staging area to launch an assault on the old city. Some of the streets are too narrow for vehicle traffic, he said. That sets them up for a tough fight.

Islamic State militants have been blocking side streets with booby-trapped cars to channel the Iraqi advance in the direction of their choosing, Dorrian said. However, suicide car bombings have been less ferocious than earlier in the offensive, he said. They dont have many of the Mad Max-style up-armored vehicles, he said.

Jamming equipment also has helped eliminate the threat of grenade-dropping drones, he said.

Although individual drone attacks had limited impact, the sheer number of them was waylaying forces. There were 73 Islamic State drone attacks on the first day of the offensive targeting the western side of the city, according to Lt. Gen. Sami al-

Aridhi, a commander with Iraqs counterterrorism forces.

The government estimated that about 750,000 civilians remained in the western half of the city when the offensive began, with the militants preventing many from leaving their homes. Around 50,000 people have fled in the past two weeks, according to the United Nations, which says it is ill-equipped to support them.

People are arriving in camps with only the clothes they were wearing, said Wolfgang Gressmann, country director in Iraq for the Norwegian Refugee Council. They are cold, exhausted and hungry  crying from either exhaustion or trauma or both, he said. We fear what will happen as the wave continues.

Read more:

Away from Iraqs front lines, the Islamic State is creeping back in

Reinforced Iraqi units resume offensive to retake Mosul

Iraq has never seen this kind of fighting in its battles with ISIS

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
A foreign activist argues with Israeli soldiers during a protest in the West Bank city of Hebron on Feb. 24. (Mussa Issa Qawasma/Reuters)

Vocal supporters of boycotting Israel and its institutions linked to the occupation of the West Bank may now have trouble visiting the country  or, by extension, the Palestinian territories.

On Monday, Israels parliament passed a law that denies entry visas to foreign nationals who publicly back or call for any kind of boycott  economic, cultural or academic  against Israel or its West Bank settlements.

The goal of the measure is to battle the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which has found growing support in Europe and the United States in recent years.

BDS activities, which range from discouraging the purchase of goods produced in Israeli settlements to pressuring international companies not to conduct business in Israel and urging celebrities not to visit or perform in the Jewish state, are increasingly seen by Israel as a threat.

The new law says Israel will not grant entry or requests for permanent residency to people who have issued a public call to boycott the State of Israel or pledged to participate in the said boycott.

The law, however, does not define what a public call might be or say whether it includes statements on social-media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. It also does not specify how the ban will be enforced.

We have not yet formulated the mechanisms to implement this law, but we have been working closely with the Interior Ministry in recent months to prevent those behind attempts to boycott Israel from entering the country, Gilad Erdan, Israels minister of public security, told The Washington Post.

Until now, three-month travel visas were given automatically to those arriving in Israel, and the interior minister decided on a case-by-case basis whether to bar entry by individuals involved in the boycott. The new law will allow Israel to expand that ban.

One of the measures sponsors, lawmaker Roy Folkman, told the Knesset: We can feel national pride today and also believe in human rights. We can defend the reputation and the honor of the State of Israel, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Naftali Bennett, leader of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party and a minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government, wrote on Twitter that the law was necessary and logical, adding that it lets Israel defend itself from those who wish it ill.

But Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, said the draconian new law showed the face of Israels regime of occupation, colonialism and apartheid. He compared it to Trump administration efforts to ban entry to Arabs and Muslims.

Far from slowing down the impressive growth of BDS globally, by passing this patently repressive law, Israel may be scoring an own goal of sorts. Human rights defenders worldwide who support Palestinian freedom through BDS will clearly not stop their activism if denied entry; if anything, they will have even more motive to escalate it, he said.

Daniel Sokatch, chief executive of the New Israel Fund, a U.S. organization that donates around $25 million a year to about 100 progressive and civil society organizations in Israel, also said the Israeli law was reminiscent of President Trumps Muslim ban.

On the same day President Trump signed a new racist, Islamophobic executive order, the Knesset has shown that it, too, will make it a matter of law and policy to use discriminatory tests to decide who may enter Israel.

Read more:

Israel can fend off militants rockets. But can it stop international boycotts?

Revised executive order bans travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from getting new visas

Rolling Stones to perform in Israel despite pressure from Pink Floyd members to cancel

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
In this Dec. 29, 2016, file photo, released by the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency, an S-200 missile is fired in a military drill in the Iranian port city of Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf. (Amir Kholousi/AP)

Swift-moving Iranian vessels came dangerously close to a U.S. Navy surveillance ship in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, U.S. officials said Monday.

The apparent harassment of the USS Invincible on two occasions, on Thursday and Saturday, came amid Iranian state media reports that Iran had tested its newly acquired S-300 missile air defense system that is designed to intercept incoming missiles.

In addition, Fox News reported that Iran had test-fired a pair of ballistic missiles that destroyed a floating barge over the weekend, but that could not be independently confirmed.

Iran fired a medium-range ballistic missile last month, apparently violating a U.N. Security Council resolution. The Trump administration responded with its first economic sanctions, placing 12 businesses and 13 people on a list that prohibits Americans from dealing with them.

The February test led President Trump to tweet, Iran is playing with fire  they dont appreciate how kind President Obama was to them. Not me!

[Trump wants to push back against Iran, but the country is more powerful than ever]

Taken as a whole, the incidents form a pattern suggesting Tehran and Washington could be squaring off for a more direct confrontation. Trump came to office condemning the Obama administration for being what he characterized as weak on Iran, and he has vowed to be tougher. Iran seems to be testing whether Trump means what he says.

In the incidents involving the Invincible, an Iranian frigate came within 150 yards of the Navy ship on Thursday, a Pentagon spokesman, Capt. Jeff Davis, told reporters. On Saturday, a number of smaller boats approached the U.S. ship, closing to within 600 yards, Davis said.

Surveillance ships like the Invincible are typically equipped with scientific instruments and radar that allow them to monitor missiles and rockets from their launching to the point that they land.

A Navy official condemned the Iranian actions as unsafe and unprofessional.

British and U.S. warships patrol the regional waters, and three ships from Britains Royal Navy were reportedly accompanying the Invincible. State Department officials said they were aware of reports that Iran had tested an air defense system but could provide no further information.

But a key Senate Republican called for more than tough words in response to what he described as Iranian provocations.

These provocative tests are just the latest example of Irans dangerous actions that demand a coordinated, multifaceted response from the United States, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). The administration has already begun to push back in the way that we should, and I look forward to working with them as we prepare to introduce bipartisan legislation to deter Irans threatening behavior on all fronts.
Under insistent questioning from Democrats, deputy attorney general nominee Rod J. Rosenstein refused to commit Tuesday to appoint a special counsel to oversee investigations of Russian meddling in the presidential election  though he stressed that he did not yet know the facts of the matter.

At a tense Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours, Rosenstein said that he was not aware of any reason he would not be able to supervise such probes.

You view it as an issue of principle, that I need to commit to appoint a special counsel in a matter that I dont even know if its being investigated, he told Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who had vowed to try to block his nomination should he not make such a commitment. And I view it as an issue of principle that as a nominee for deputy attorney general, I should not be promising to take action on a particular case.

[Justice Department nominee at center of partisan battle of Russia allegations]

Rosenstein is a respected prosecutor who has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations. But on Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans essentially turned him into a lightning rod, pressing him for answers on how he would handle any probes of Russian meddling in the U.S. election or Trump associates.

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he was recusing himself from any campaign-related investigations after The Washington Post reported that he had met with the Russian ambassador twice during that campaign and had not disclosed that fact at his own confirmation hearing. That would mean supervision would fall to Rosenstein if he is confirmed.

Rosenstein said he would handle it the way I would handle any investigation.

Asked whether he had any contact with Russian officials, he said that throughout his career, he has spoken to lawyers and judges visiting from foreign countries at events, and that its certainly possible there may have been Russian officials there. But he said he did not recall any such meetings with Russian officials. He also said he has not talked with Sessions about Russian contacts, and he sought to assure legislators that he would act in the best interests of the United States.

I dont know the details of what, if any, investigation is ongoing, but I can certainly assure you if its America against Russia, or America against any other country, I think everyone in this room knows which side Im on, he said.

Perhaps the most heated exchange came after Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) lambasted Sessions for not disclosing his meetings with the Russian ambassador. It was Franken who asked Sessions at his own confirmation hearing in January what he would do if it was found that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign had communicated with the Russian government.

Sessions responded, I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians.

Franken posed the same question to Rosenstein, who responded, If there is predication to believe that such communication was in violation of federal law, Senator, I would ensure an appropriate investigation. The Minnesota Democrat then criticized Sessions for his response and suggested that his letter to the committee Monday insisting it was correct was inadequate.

He answered a question I didnt ask, and for him to put this in his letter as a response is insulting, and he should come back and explain himself, Franken said.

[In update to Congress, Sessions insists he was correct to say he had no communication with Russians in campaign]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) fired back that Franken had asked a gotcha question, eventually pounding his gavel to cut Franken off.

It was not a gotcha question, sir, Franken exclaimed.

It was, from the standpoint that he didnt know what you were asking about, Grassley said.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) grilled Rosenstein about Trumps weekend tweet accusing then-President Barack Obama of wiretapping him before the election. Rosenstein responded: I dont think its appropriate for me to share my reaction, Senator. It has no bearing on my work.

He later added, If the president is exercising his First Amendment rights, thats not my issue.

[Meet Rod Rosenstein, the official poised to oversee probe into Russian interference in 2016 race]

Grassley opened the hearing by declaring that any talk of a special counsel was premature and that Rosenstein was well equipped to handle sensitive investigations.

There are times when special counsels are appropriate, Grassley said. But its far too soon to tell at this time. And even if there were evidence of a crime related to any of these matters, once confirmed, Mr. Rosenstein can decide how to handle that matter. I know of no reason to question his judgment, his integrity or his impartiality.

Grassley and others, including Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), repeatedly brought up Loretta E. Lynch, the attorney general during the Obama administration, noting that she did not recuse herself from an investigation into Hillary Clintons email practices, even after reports about a tarmac meeting she held with Bill Clinton.

My Democratic friends have nothing to say about that, Hatch said. He added: This kind of double standard makes it look like partisan politics.

Although Lynch stopped short of recusing herself, she did agree to accept recommendations in the Clinton probe from the career prosecutors and FBI agents leading that investigation.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the committees ranking Democrat, said that a fully independent investigation on Russia was needed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

To be clear, I do not say this because I question the integrity or the ability of Mr. Rosenstein, Feinstein said. I do not.

She later warned, There is a real danger, I believe, that the Justice Department could become politicized.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who introduced Rosenstein, said that he had conveyed to Rosenstein that if FBI Director James B. Comey had asked the Justice Department to issue a statement rebutting Trumps claim that Obama had ordered a wiretap of him before the election, then the Justice Department has a duty to let the public know the truth.

Under later questioning from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rosenstein declined to address those particular events, though he said he would certainly consider the FBI directors views in whether to issue a public statement.

Thelongest-serving U.S. attorney, Rosenstein, 52, has worked on sensitive cases in the face of political pressure, according to attorneys he has worked with during his nearly three decades in the department.

A bipartisan group of 127 former U.S. attorneys, who were appointed by and served under various presidential administrations, sent a letter Monday to the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting Rosensteins confirmation.

He began working as a trial attorney in the public integrity section of President George H.W. Bushs Justice Department in 1990 after graduating from Harvard Law School and clerking for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Soon afterward, President Bill Clintons deputy attorney general hired Rosenstein to be his counsel.

During the Clinton administration, Kenneth W. Starr tapped Rosenstein to be his associate independent counsel on the investigation into the business dealings of the Clintons and their associates in the Whitewater Development Corp. Rosenstein stayed on into the George W. Bush administration, and in 2005, Bush appointed him U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, where he remained through the Obama administration.

Senators also considered the nomination of Rachel Brand on Tuesday to serve as associate attorney general, the third-highest position in the Justice Department.
Proposed cuts to a federal agency that operates weather satellites and maintains vast data sets on the environment could hit Wisconsin through reduced funding for more than 150 researchers, including those working to improve weather forecasting and conditions on the Great Lakes.

Proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also could affect some of the roughly 20 climate change researchers at UW-Madison who receive federal funding, but Wisconsin relies on agency dollars more heavily in the other areas.

NOAA provides $20 million annually for 145 weather researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies and an additional 25 at the Sea Grant Institute, which finds ways to improve shipping, fishing and other activities on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

The two institutes provide data that are crucial to farmers, air traffic controllers, municipalities, businesses and others, said Steve Ackerman, who directs the meteorological institute in a 15-story building crowned by satellite dishes on West Dayton Street.

While its being labeled as a climate agency, thats a very small part of what they do, Ackerman said. Its really the weather and ocean agency.

Seven NOAA scientists work alongside UW-Madison personnel in an arrangement that encourages prompt sharing of data between Madison and Washington. The federal agencys satellites produce raw data, and researchers here and at other universities use it to deepen understanding of complex weather systems.

Any time you look at a weather forecast you are looking at NOAA, Ackerman said. They collect the data and weather prediction models and make it easy to access.

President Donald Trumps budget office has proposed a 17 percent cut to NOAA, which operates the nations weather satellites and compiles research on weather, climate, the oceans and the Great Lakes, The Washington Post has reported.

NOAA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will have an opportunity to respond to the initial budget plan before a final spending plan is written, the newspaper reported.

In addition to its weather research, NOAA provides funding for study of related longer-term climate patterns. About 20 UW-Madison researchers regularly are engaged in this type of work, Ackerman said.

They receive funding from a variety of federal sources, said Dan Vimont, director of the universitys Center for Climatic Research.

The budget proposal calls for elimination of the 50-year-old Sea Grant program, which operates 33 institutes, including the one at UW-Madison.

The Wisconsin program has conducted research that helped protect shipping harbor pilings from costly corrosion, install wave monitors to warn kayakers of imminent bad weather around the Apostle Islands, and find ways to protect the Great Lakes from too much commercial fishing, said director Jim Hurley.

The Sea Grant Institute aided in the startup of Superior Fresh, a Northfield business that plans to raise salmon and hydroponic greens in a symbiotic indoor environment.

Its part of an effort to address the seafood deficit, said Hurley, who is president of the national association of Sea Grant institutes.

The nation imports 90 percent of its seafood, he said.

In Wisconsin, the institute is also working on a sensor system to warn swimmers about potentially deadly rip currents in Lake Michigan near Port Washington, Hurley said.

Hurley said NOAA also funds the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 28 reserves in the country where long-term research on resources provided by coastal areas and how they support human populations. UW-Extension is a partner.
A diplomatic battle between North Korea and Malaysia following the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half brother escalated sharply Tuesday as the North banned all Malaysians from leaving its territory, prompting the Malaysian government to accuse it of hostage taking.

Malaysia retaliated by banning all North Koreans from exiting its borders and warning the Kim regime that it was inviting further international opprobrium.

They cannot act at their whims and fancy, violating the international law to hold Malaysians hostage, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday before convening an emergency meeting of his national security council. It is indeed unacceptable not only by Malaysia, but also the world.

The tit-for-tat moves underscored the sudden breakdown between two nonaligned nations that, until a month ago, enjoyed a pragmatic relationship free from ideological judgments. But the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged older half brother of the North Korean leader, with VX nerve agent in a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport terminal last month has changed all that.

This could result in adverse effects for North Korea, an international pariah that had taken advantage of its visa-free access, now revoked, to conduct a significant amount of business through Malaysia.

I think this is likely to escalate further, said Andrea Berger, a North Korea expert with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Malaysia's newfound focus on North Korean activities on its territories could lead it to uncover illicit activities.

The breakdown in relations with Malaysia will also compound neighboring Singapore's moves last year to make it harder for North Korea to conduct business there. Singapore revoked visa-free access for North Koreans last summer and has also cracked down on transshipments through its ports following new international sanctions imposed in the wake of last year's nuclear and missile tests.

Together, Singapore and Malaysia had formed a haven for North Korea's illicit activities, Berger said. This could have a fusion effect."

[Under fire but defiant, N. Korea sends envoy to Malaysia over killing of Kim Jong Nam]

Relations between Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang have deteriorated sharply since the Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong Nam. North Korean diplomats strongly objected to Malaysia's insistence on carrying out an autopsy on the body and denounced the finding that he was killed with a weapon of mass destruction. Malaysia has refused to release the body without DNA identification from next of kin, and no family member has come forward to provide the match and claim the body.

North Korean diplomats insisted that the man, whom they have not identified as being the leader's half brother, died of a heart attack. The Norths ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, accused Najib's government of conspiring with South Korea to make Pyongyang look bad.

Malaysia responded by expelling the ambassador. He left Monday evening, flying in a middle seat in economy class on a Malaysia Airlines flight to Beijing after having checked in a Philips TV. North Korea consequently said it would expel Malaysia's ambassador, although he had already returned to Kuala Lumpur for consultations soon after the attack.

But the standoff escalated suddenly Tuesday when North Korea announced that Malaysian citizens were temporarily barred from leaving the country.

The Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang informed the Malaysian Embassy that they could not leave until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of [North Korea] in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia, the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The statement did not say what North Korea would consider a fair settlement.

Eleven Malaysians are known to be in Pyongyang: three embassy staff, six family members and two others who work for the United Nations World Food Program.

Malaysian officials said they were safe. There is no threat to their lives. Let us not come to that point yet, said Reezal Merican, the deputy foreign minister.

[North Korean leaders half brother suffered a very painful death, Malaysian officials say]

Najib, the prime minister, denounced the move as an abhorrent act and said he had instructed authorities to prohibit all North Koreans from leaving Malaysia  not just diplomats, as some of his officials had previously stated  while Pyongyang was effectively holding our citizens hostage.

Malaysian police surrounded the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur with tape and armed officers Tuesday.

The Malaysians have accused three North Koreans still in Malaysia of involvement in the plot to attack Kim Jong Nam. They include a diplomat and an employee of the North Korean state airline, both believed to be hiding out in the embassy. Malaysias police chief suggested he would be willing to wait five years for them to come out.

Hundreds of other North Korean citizens remain in Malaysia. Because North Koreans were able to travel to Malaysia visa-free, the country had been a popular destination for North Koreans involved in trade and business. About 170 North Koreans are also believed to be working in mining and construction in the Sarawak region, sent there by the regime as part of its efforts to earn hard currency through labor exports.

North Korea and Malaysia had enjoyed friendly relations for more than four decades, opening embassies in each others capitals in 2003 and allowing each others citizens to travel visa-free  a privilege that North Korea does not enjoy even with neighboring China.

In 2013, Help University in Kuala Lumpur conferred an honorary doctorate in economics on Kim Jong Un. And just three days before the attack on Kim Jong Nam, North Korea and Malaysia signed an agreement to promote links in culture, arts and heritage, according to NK News, a specialist website.

But there have also been widespread suspicions that North Korea was taking advantage of its access to Malaysia to skirt U.N. sanctions. North Korean intelligence agents had been running a front company called Glocom out of Kuala Lumpur, offering to sell radio systems for military and paramilitary organizations, Reuters news agency reported last week.

Read more

Kim Jong Uns half brother was killed by VX nerve agent, Malaysian police say

Malaysia arrests North Korean man in connection with death of Kim Jong Uns half brother

For Kim Jong Nam, a sad ending to a lonely life

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
A man walks past a screen showing a TV news on North Korea's missile firing, in Tokyo on Monday. North Korea on Monday fired four banned ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone, South Korean and Japanese officials said, in an apparent reaction to annual military drills by Washington and Seoul that Pyongyang insists are an invasion rehearsal. (Koji Sasahara/AP)

North Korea was practicing to strike United States military bases in Japan with its latest barrage of missiles, state media in Pyongyang reported Tuesday, and it appeared to be trying to outsmart a new American antimissile battery being deployed to South Korea by firing multiple rockets at once.

Kim Jong Un presided over Mondays launch of the four missiles, feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in a statement that analysts called a brazen declaration of the countrys intent to strike enemies with a nuclear weapon if it came under attack.

If the United States or South Korea fires even a single flame inside North Korean territory, we will demolish the origin of the invasion and provocation with a nuclear tipped missile, the KCNA statement said.

The four ballistic missiles fired Monday morning were launched by the elite Hwasong ballistic missile division tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan, KCNA said. The United States has numerous military bases and about 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, the legacy of its postwar security alliance with the country.

Three of the four missiles flew about 600 miles over North Korea and landed in the sea, within Japans exclusive economic zone off the Oga Peninsula in Akita prefecture, home to a Japanese self-defense forces base. The fourth fell just outside the zone.

[U.S. military deploys advanced defensive missile system to South Korea, citing North Korean threat]

North Korea did not say what kind of missiles it had fired, but after poring over photos released by state media, analysts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California said they were extended-range Scuds capable of flying more than 600 miles.

North Korea has tested these types of missiles before, so the point of Mondays launches was not to see if the rockets would fly, but to test how quickly the unit could set them up and deploy them  classic training for a wartime situation, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute.

They want to know if they can get these missiles out into the field rapidly and deploy them all at once, Lewis said. They are practicing launching a nuclear-armed missile and hitting targets in Japan as if this was a real war.

[North Korea launches more missiles; 3 land in Japanese waters]

North Koreas extended-range Scud is halfway between a traditional short-range Scud and the medium-range missile known as the Rodong. But they can be produced much more cheaply than the Rodong, Lewis said, meaning that North Korea could fire them with more abandon.

KCNA reported that the four missiles were launched simultaneously and that Kim commented that they are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation.

This appeared to be a further challenge to the United States and South Korea, which said Tuesday that it had started deploying the advanced antimissile battery called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, designed to protect the region against North Koreas rockets. The first parts of the THAAD system arrived Monday at Osan Air Base south of Seoul, South Koreas Defense Ministry said.

But THAAD would have difficulty intercepting four missiles launched at the same time, analysts said.

Furthermore, Osan Air Base is less than 300 miles from the missile launch site in North Korea  another apparent message to Pyongyangs enemies.

The launches coincided with joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, drills that take place every year and that North Korea views as preparation for an invasion. After the missiles were launched Monday, the U.S. Strategic Command said it had determined that the missile launch did not pose a threat to North America.

But KCNA reported that the 33-year-old Kim had ordered the strategic forces to be on high alert, as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime, and get fully ready to promptly move.

North Korea has been making clear progress on its missile program and has a declared goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States. It has also conducted five nuclear tests and claims to be able to miniaturize a warhead so that it could be fitted onto a missile.

However, it has not yet proven the ability to either attach a warhead to a missile or to be able to deliver a missile to a target  something that would involve mastering the difficult step of reentry.

[Did North Korea just test missiles capable of hitting the U. S.? Maybe.]

The launches also appeared designed to send a message to both President Trump and the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Joshua Pollack, editor of the Nonproliferation Review.

We might infer that the choice of Japan as a target might be based on a desire to do something new compared to last year  raising the stakes of the exercises  but also on Abes visit to the U.S. and joint appearances with Trump, Pollack said.

North Korea launched a medium-range missile last month  its first since Trump was elected  while the president was hosting Abe for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

Trump spoke by phone with Abe and South Koreas acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, Tuesday morning.

Both Japan and the U.S. confirmed that this North Korean missile launch was a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and was an obvious challenge to the region and the international community, Abe told reporters in Tokyo, repeating his assertion that the North Korean threat had reached a new stage.

In New York, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he condemned the actions, which violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability.

Read more

North Korean regime is finding new ways to stop information flows, report says

North Korean leaders half brother suffered a very painful death, Malaysian officials say

Ex-diplomat: Ive known that there was no future for North Korea for a long time

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Heather Locklear rocks a bikini in Hawaii while vacationing with her daughter and ex-Richie Sambora. (Photo: Mega Agency)

Heather Locklear knows there is nothing better than some Hawaiian fun in the sun to enrich and better your life.

The Melrose Place star was photographed relaxing on the Big Island of Hawaii. She was rumored to have checked into rehab after suffering a breakdown over the holidays; however, she looked happy and healthy during the family getaway. Heather, 55, was snapped lounging by the pool and walking around the grounds of the luxury property.

Related: Heather Locklear Returns to Rehab to Tie Up Loose Ends Regarding Certain Issues

Locklear is on vacation with her 19-year-old daughter, Ava Sambora; ex-husband Richie Sambora, 57; and Richies 32-year-old musician girlfriend, Orianthi Panagaris.

Richie Sambora and his girlfriend, Orianthi Panagaris, walk on the beach in Kona, Hawaii. (Photo: Mega Agency)

Talk about a modern family!

Goodmorning from Hawaii ???????? hope everyone has a wonderful day ! New music will be coming soon .. ????  orianthi (@orianthi) March 6, 2017

Ava has also been documenting her trip on social media.

Back and sunburnt as ever A post shared by Ava Sambora (@avasambora) on Mar 4, 2017 at 6:47pm PST

As has Heather.

Hawaiian goodnight A post shared by Heather Locklear (@heatherlocklear) on Mar 2, 2017 at 8:48pm PST

This isnt the first time the friendly exes have gone on vacation together. In 2015, Heather and Richie  who divorced in 2007 after 11 years of marriage  took a trip to Bora Bora before Ava headed off to college. The trio also celebrated Avas 16th birthday together in Hawaii years ago.

Related: Ava Sambora Is Genetically Predisposed to Being Swimsuit-Ready

The family trip comes just two months after it was reported that Locklear entered rehab again  her fifth time in nine years. While the actress neither confirmed nor denied reports, she did issue a statement regarding her well-being.

I am feeling great and am taking steps to enrich and better my life, the TV star told Yahoo Celebrity in a statement. Currently I am working on tying up some loose ends regarding certain issues so I can hit 2017 full steam ahead.

Story continues

Locklear has battled an addiction to alcohol and prescription pills over the years and has been treated for anxiety and depression. However, the actress is certainly hitting 2017 full steam ahead. She recently guest starred on ABCs Fresh Off the Boat, where she poked fun at her past.

At least shes kept a sense of humor about it all.





Read more from Yahoo Celebrity:
In a new podcast searching for the truth behind Richard Simmons disappearance from the public eye, his friend and former masseuse contends again that his housekeeper, Teresa Reveles, is holding Simmons hostage.

Mauro Oliveira, who worked for Simmons as an assistant and masseuse for about a year, and also became a close friend  traveling with him to London, Paris, Venice and Oliveiras hometown in Brazil  previously told the New York Daily News that Reveles is the reason Simmons has not been seen in 1,098 days. He repeated those claims in the new podcast, Missing Richard Simmons.

Dan Taberski created the podcast as one of the many former friends of Simmons who are now concerned about his disappearance, which started in Feb. 2014. In the most recent episode, Taberski spoke to Oliveira about the last time he saw Simmons, and asked him why he believes Reveles is holding Simmons hostage.

It was 6 p.m., and I went into his house. He was sitting in the living room, and he was very weakly, physically and mentally. He was trembling. He said, Mauro. I called you here because we cannot see each other anymore. Im just going to stay here,  Oliveira recalls of their last face-to-face interaction in May 2014, three months after Simmons stopped teaching his fitness classes and cut off contact. I thought of the worst. I thought the worst was going to happen. I thought he was suicidal.

Oliveira says he tried to get Simmons to go upstairs to his massage room so they could talk further, but Reveles stopped him.

She realized that I was in the house, she started screaming like a witch, No no no no, get out, get out! I dont want him here! Richard looked at me and said, You got to go. I said, Really? Is she controlling your life now? and he said yes. And that I have to leave.

Oliveira hasnt seen him since that day, and neither have any of Simmons other former friends. Taberski talked to several of them, all of whom said they cant get past Reveles to see Simmons.

Story continues

Simmons rep, Tom Estey, told PEOPLE in March 2016 that he is not missing, and Simmons called in to the Today show two days later to echo that statement.

As I have stated in the past, these claims are untrue and preposterous, Estey said. Richard, after 40 years of being in the spotlight, is now simply taking a break from the public eye and working behind the scenes to continue to help those millions of people worldwide in need of his assistance and on several projects to be announced soon.

Taberski says Oliveiras account holds up, except for his contention that Reveles is holding Simmons there through witchcraft. According to Oliveira, witchcraft is something that make sense to someone like himself and Reveles, who are from Brazil and Mexico, respectively.

And Taberski adds that Oliveira doesnt have much to gain from telling his side of the story.

I come from a good place. My only hope is for Richard to get help, and be a happier person, because for the past three years, he has not been a happy person, Oliveira says. All the money, all the fame, all the resources, for what? Hes pretty much locked in his home.
MADRID  Chiles Los Perros and Argentinas Hunting Season and The Desert Bride are set for Frances 31st Toulouse Cinelatino Fest Films in Progress showcase, which has often proved a gateway to big festival selection, beginning with Mays Cannes Festival.

Of Toulouses six entries last year. The Blind Christ and The Winter went on play in competition at Venice and San Sebastian respectively; Dont Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! was selected for Sundance.

Running March 23-24, Films in Progress will host four films from women directors and five debuts. That said, some titles are already currying expectation given the pedigree of their producers.

Lead-produced by Frances Cinema Defacto (As We Were Dreaming) and Chiles Jirafa Films (Much Ado About Nothing, The Blind Christ), Los Perros marks the anticipated second feature from Marcela Said whose fiction debut, The Summer of Flying Fish was selected for Cannes Directors Fortnight and proved one of the two first movie acquisitions made for Latin America by AMCs new Sundance Channel in Latin America.

Argentinas REI Cinema, Germanys Augenschein Filmproduktion and Portugals Terratreme Filmes co-produce a title which may prove polemical, as it charts the sexual attraction between and upper-class woman and her horse-riding instructor  despite his being prosecuted for his part in the Pinochet regimes torture and murder of dissidents.

Also produced by Argentinas REI Cine, a company behind Lucrecia Martels Zama, along with New York.-based Gamechanger Films, Germanys Augenschein Filmproduktion, Frances Les Films de lEtranger and Qatars Doha Film Institute, Hunting Season is a Patagonia-set father-son drama which reps the first feature from Argentinas Natalia Garagiolia, whose short, Sundays, opened Cannes Directors Fortnight.

Hunting Season also underscores a pioneering investment outside by the U.S. by Gamechanger, which exclusively finances feature films directed by women. It turns on Nahuel (Lauturo Bettoni), who after his mother dies, is forced to go and live with his estranged father, a hunter in Patagonias forests. There, Nahuel will discover love, and his capacity to kill.

Story continues

The first feature of Argentine filmmakers Cecilia Atan and Valeria Pivato, The Desert Bride stars Paulina Garcia, a Berlin best actress winner for Sebastian Lelios Gloria, as a 54-year-old woman who works as a live-in maid in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is obliged to take a job in the town of San Juan, a provincial capital surrounded by arid plains.It proves her salvation.

The Desert Bride is produced out of Argentina by El Perro en la Luna, Sebastian Mignonas label, and Haddock Films, producer of Academy Award-winning The Secret in Their Eyes. Eva Lauria, Raul Aragon and the directors also produce. Based out of Chile, Ceibita Films, which presented Las hijas de Alonso at last years San Sebastian, co-produces.

Selected for San Sebastians 2014 Europe-Latin American Co-production Forum, Chiles Sanfic Industry Lab and Australab-FicValdivia, Marilyn is produced by Maravilla Cines Buenos Aires-based Paula Zyngierman, production manager on standout Argentine films such as Adrian Caetanos Chronicle of an Escape and Lucia Puenzos The Fish Child. It is co-produced by Chiles Don Quijote and Rampante, both run by Giancarlo Nasi (Land and Shade, Jesus), and Uruguays Cordon Films, the production label of actor-director-producer Daniel Handler and Micaela Sole.

Argentine Martin Rodriguez Redondos feature debut, Marilyn is based on the true story of Marcelo B, today called Marilyn, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting dead his mother and brother with a shotgun in 2009 and then became a partner in Argentinas first gay marriage in prison.

Two more Toulouse Films in Progress titles turn on broken families: Jasmines in Lidice, from Venezuelas Ruben Sierra Salles is an ensemble drama, set at a conflictive birthday party, turning on a mother and two daughters who all mourn the murder of their sons. Influenced by the films of Naomi Kawase, Jasmines in Lidice is inspired by a stage play by Venezuelas Karin Valecillos, who adapted her work for the big screen, tutored by Arturo Ripsteins scribe, Paz Alicia Garcidiego.

Half Brother, the feature debut of Rio de Janeiro-based Eliane Coster (A Boca do Mundo), tracks a teen girl who, after her mother disappears, seeks out her half-brother. She discovers he is being threatened not to leak a video he made on his phone of a homophobic attack on a friend hes secretly attached to.

Related stories

Gael Garcia Bernal on 'Neruda,' Mexico's 'Tres Amigos' Tradition, Filmmaking's Rewards

Film Review: 'Your Name.'

San Sebastian: Chile's Jirafa, Italy's Alba Team for Francisca Alegria's Debut 'The Cow That Sang Its Song' (EXCLUSIVE)
With festival season around the corner, music fans everywhere can indulge in island fun with the inaugural Fyre Festival in the Exumas, Bahamas.

The festival recently announced the addition of Migos, Lil Yachty, Blink-182, Matoma and Le Youth to its lineup. Previously announced acts include the G.O.O.D. Music family, Major Lazer and a DJ set from Disclosure.

The festival also unveiled a partnership with Zero for the curated "Pirate's Cove" stage to feature a deep house and electronic set from sunset to sunrise on both Fridays of the festival. The stage will also feature other performances throughout the weekend from the likes of Tensnake, Daniel Cowel, Lovecraft, Bo, BLOND:ISH, Bedouin, Rampue and Lee Burridge.

"We are very excited that The Exumas have been selected as the home of Fyre Festival," the Bahamas' minister of tourism, the Honorable Obediah H. Wilchombe, M.P., says in a statement. "This music festival will bring to The Bahamas one of the largest events ever hosted in our destination, and we are delighted to welcome all attendees to our island."

The inaugural Fyre Festival will take place on the weekends of April 28-30 and May 5-7. General admission to the festival is sold out with VIP tickets remaining. For more information, visit fyrefestival.com.
The revised executive order dropped Iraq from the immigration ban of six countries.

By Michael Saponara

Forty-five signed a revised executive order restricting immigration access to the United States from six countries Monday (March 6). Iraq was noticeably dropped from the new travel ban. The updated order comes six weeks after Trumps initial Muslim ban, which was eventually shot down in federal court, covering Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

We cannot compromise our nations security by allowing visitors entry when their own governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly, or when those governments actively support terrorism. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday.

In his new travel ban executive order, President Trump says his earlier ban was not motivated by animus toward any religion. pic.twitter.com/W8VrP3EiSL  Brad Heath (@bradheath) March 6, 2017

President Trump stated within the new ban that the former was not motivated by any animus toward religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities, and will be implemented on March 16. The newest version does not include current visa holders and drops the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, which has been reduced to 120 days.

Iraq was removed from the ban because government officials worried it would undermine the stability of the United States-allied government. The United States welcomes this kind of close cooperation, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. This revised order will bolster the security of the united states and our allies.

This post President Trump Signs Updated Travel Ban Into Executive Order first appeared on Vibe.
The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.

For some students, dorm life is a major part of the college experience. And it doesn't always come with a hefty price tag.

Among the 1,022 ranked colleges that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average cost of room and board for the 2016-2017 school year is $10,692. In this case, room and board refers to a shared room and either 19 meals per week or the maximum meal plan.

The average fee at the 10 colleges where 2016-2017 room and board costs the least is $5,326.

[Learn more about paying for college.]

College applicants will generally find schools charging the least for room and board in the South, with three schools on the list in Mississippi and two in Alabama, along with others in Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi.

Most of the schools on the list are also either Regional Colleges -- which focus on undergraduate education but offer fewer than half of degrees in liberal arts disciplines -- or Regional Universities, which offer a wide range of undergraduate programs and some master's but few doctoral programs.

On the other side of the spectrum, the three schools where room and board is the most expensive for 2016-2017 were all in New York: The New School, charging $18,420; Pace University, at $18,280; and New York University, at $17,578.



[Discover the schools with the highest and lowest tuition in each state.]

Two schools on the list -- Rust College and Blue Mountain College, both in Mississippi -- are also among the private colleges with the lowest tuition.

Below are the 10 ranked colleges that charge the least for room and board in the 2016-2017 school year. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

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* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.

Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find room and board data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2016 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The room and board data above are correct as of March 7, 2017.

Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.


Warning: This post inevitably contains spoilers, if you consider anything studios purposely show journalists before release a "spoiler."

The new Wonder Woman movie is due for release in June and unsurprisingly there's a huge amount of speculation around it. If the trailers weren't enough to satisfy your appetite, we have a little bit more to keep you going until it hits cinemas.

SEE ALSO: Behind the scenes of the new badass, blockbuster 'Wonder Woman'

Mashable got a sneak peak of some unfinished sequences of the movie during post-production in London. Here are a few things we learned:

1. It opens in Wonder Woman's place of origin

The film opening is set on the fictional island of Themyscira. Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is an Amazon warrior who was made from clay by her mother and brought to life by the God Zeus. Themyscira is a place where its inhabitants live in a very green way. There are no doors, for example, as they build into natural structures. This stunning island is abruptly disturbed by German soldiers who enter into a fierce battle with the Amazon warriors.

2. There is no invisible plane

When U.S. fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes in Themyscira, you'd think that would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the much loved invisible plane that has been a fixture of the Wonder Woman story in DC comics since it started out 75 years ago. Not so. Trevor crashes a plane that the eye can see. Sorry.

3. The film takes place during World War I

Interestingly this film is set during the First World War as opposed to the World War II which has featured in previous Wonder Woman storylines. The year is 1918, so the war is in the final stages. More on how that came about here.

4. It was over 10 years in the making (well, sort of)

Director Patty Jenkins first floated Wonder Woman by Warner Bros over a decade ago. For one reason or another, including getting pregnant in 2008, the timing wasn't right. Jenkins had a few offers, almost ended up directing Thor (some would say she dodged a bullet) and by the time Wonder Woman came around again, it felt right. "I had been making short films and then went on to make Monster and suddenly I was, like, super dark director. But people who knew me were, like, of course you're making Wonder Woman. Thats the irony," says Jenkins.

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5. Wonder Woman's costume remains a mystery

In the movie, there is a moment where Diana acquires her costume. But we aren't told exactly where the costume came from. "We believe it is a mystical gift from the gods," says Anna Obropta, production liaison for Wonder Woman. The different parts of the costume have powers but ultimately it's because Wonder Woman is wearing it that it works. Diana engages in many brave battles in the film, all the while discovering her powers. She can deflect bullets with her bracelets and her shield, she has a lasso to capture enemies and force people to tell the truth. She can jump to great heights, shes super fast, she speaks hundreds of languages and shes got superior strength.

6. Etta Candy and Steve Trevor are just friends

Steve Trevor and Diana are the clear-cut love interests in this film. In previous iterations, Wonder Woman's BFF Etta Candy is romantically linked and even married to Steve. Not in this movie. "There have been a lot of different versions of Etta and this is the version that works for Steve," says Jenkins. "She becomes the humorous woman entrenched in this period of time where the world is sexist, but shes got a great way of handling and navigating all of that, and she adores Diana."

7. Think Superman meets Casablanca meets Indiana Jones

This is intended to be a classic film. To quote director Patty Jenkins: "We care about humor, we care about heroism, we care about the arc in the story, we want to make it elegant. Go for it, dont hold back. If it's Indiana Jones or Rick from Casablanca meets Wonder Woman, Im in."

8. There will be another trailer

The official trailer for the movie was released in November. And we have it on good authority that there will be another trailer before the film is released. Some reports say it's expected this week.

9. There's a companion novel

Apparently there is a graphic novel being released in May to compliment the release of the movie. YES! Music to the ears of so many Wonder Woman fans.

10. Hype around the music in the film is justified

Cellist Tina Guo, who played the theme for Wonder Womans scene in Batman v Superman, tweeted a video of herself playing a metal version of the song, which is expected to feature in Wonder Woman. "Recording #ElectricCello for my new #WonderWoman single ... coming soon!" she wrote. Let's be honest about it, it's pretty electrifying.

11. There are so many rumors it would require a separate post

The rumor mill is in overdrive ahead of the film's release. For example, who are really the evil forces in the film? Is the villainous German General Erich Ludendorff (played by Danny Huston) really Ares, the God of War? The makers will not tell us but it's a logical deduction. "I don't think we set out to be mysterious about who the villain is," says Jenkins. "But that what it's turned into now so I don't want to comment."

Many of the rumors also relate to Batman and the Justice League. We already know that Diana receives a 100-year-old photo from Bruce Wayne, which overwhelms her with memories and takes us back to her roots. As for whether there will be an appearance by Batman later on in Wonder Woman, the jury's out.

"Its interesting there have been real and not real spoilers," says Jenkins. "I just want everyone to give the movie a chance and get to see it. Dont ruin the experience for people."
On Wednesday, women from across the United States and beyond will participate in a historic strike, protesting on behalf of all the marginalized groups currently threatened by the Trump administration.

The strike offers a unique opportunity for women-identified people to potentially disrupt the flow of capitalism, if only for a day, and share a powerful message of dissent.

It'll also allow strikers to send delightfully righteous messages to their coworkers that they'll have no choice but to accept.

SEE ALSO: What to do when you're so overwhelmed by the Trump presidency you can barely move

If you're planning to take the day off on Wednesday, here's a list of out-of-office replies you can send to everyone on staff, letting them know just how historic this moment is and/or just how clever you are.

1. Ill be out of the office all day Wednesday in solidarity with women worldwide. You should take a screenshot of this email as it's now a piece of history. Thanks!

2. I will be out of office all day Wednesday fighting for social justice. I'll be returning to the office to fight for the same thing but harder on Thursday, March 9.

3. I will be out of the office all day Wednesday striking on behalf of women everywhere, because come on now why do you even need a because.

4. Please forgive any delays in my response time. I'm out of office today at the Women's Strike and will have access to email but have pledged not to check it until I return. Of course, I will very likely check my email because this whole strike thing makes me very nervous but I will maybe not respond to your email until Thursday morning, assuming I don't I freak out first. Thanks! Don't email any more!

5. I will be out of the office on Wednesday, March 8 to participate in the Women's Strike. If you need immediate assistance, find your nearest benign man and ask him to do it instead.

6. I will be out of office beginning Wednesday March 8 for the Women's Strike and will do my best not to return.

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7. Thank you for your email. Your email is important to me but not nearly as important as striking for women, which is what I'll be doing today.

8. I will be striking on Wednesday March 8 on behalf of women. If you need to know why I can't help you so please email someone else.

9. I will be out of office Wednesday, March 8, for the Women's Strike. If you need me I'll be wandering around town surrounded by raging older women in pussy hats, so for your own safety, please just contact my boss.

10. I will be out of the office on Wednesday, March 8 in order to destroy the patriarchy. I will return to work to tragically uphold it again on Thursday, March 9.

11. I will be out of office today out of solidarity with all oppressed groups. I will respond to your message when it becomes as important as this.

12. I will be out of the office on Wednesday, March 8, to participate in the Women's Strike. Please don't email me because I will feel really compelled to reply because I'm a woman who does her job.

13. Thank for you your message. I will be out of the office on Wednesday, March 8 to make history. If you need me, come join me! We need you there.
LAUDERHILL, Fla. (AP)  Authorities say a 7-year-old boy who was playing with a cigarette lighter started a fire at a South Florida apartment complex.

Assistant Lauderhill Fire Chief Jeff Levy says no injuries were reported but the Monday night fire displaced 15 residents.

Levy tells the Sun Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2mAdKEU ) investigators questioned the child, who admitted playing with the lighter. He says the boy tried to put the fire out with water from the kitchen, but the room was quickly consumed by flames.

The American Red Cross is assisting residents who need help with temporary housing.

Levy says the child is being referred to a juvenile fire-setter program administered by the Broward Sheriff's Office.

'

___

Information from: Sun Sentinel , http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Tehran (AFP) - More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Iran's veterans' affairs office said on Tuesday.

"Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the holy mausoleums," Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Shahidi, who is head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran.

The figure was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to Syria.

Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and also organises militias fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Shahidi did not provide details on the nationalities of those killed.

Iran oversees "volunteer" fighters recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The families of those killed in battle are given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.

Tehran refers to the fighters as "defenders of the shrines" -- a reference to Shiite holy sites in Iraq and Syria that have been targeted by Sunni extremists.
HINESVILLE, Ga. (AP)  Police in southeast Georgia are investigating after two soldiers were found dead in an apartment outside Fort Stewart.

Hinesville police Capt. James C. Reid said Tuesday that an anonymous tip made to a police department in another city led officers to the bodies late Sunday. Reid called the deaths suspicious, saying there were injuries to the bodies, but declined to give further details about the deaths. He said autopsies were scheduled to be performed Tuesday.

Reid said the soldiers were identified as 23-year-old Spc. Marquez S. Brown and 21-year-old Pvt. Malika D. Jackson.

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson confirmed the men were active-duty soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart, the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. He said the Army is cooperating with local authorities.
The revelation on Monday that the White House had copied parts of an ExxonMobil press release in its own official statement thrust President Donald Trumps team, once again, into the plagiarism spotlight.

Here are three times Trumps team has dealt with plagiarism-related controversy.

Melania Trump at the Republican National Convention

Melania Trumps RNC speech quickly became known for borrowing heavily from First Lady Michelle Obamas 2008 convention address.

From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life: that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise; that you treat people with respect, Melania Trump said in her speech in July. It was one of the lines that most closely mirrored Obamas words.

Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say youre going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, Obama said in 2008.

In the days after the speech, the Trump campaign cycled through a series of defenses before Meredith McIver, a writer for the Trump Organization, admitted that it had been her mistake. Donald Trump continued to praise his wifes speech, and he brushed off McIvers error. She made a mistake, and you know, people make mistakes, he said at the time. We all make mistakes.

Donald Trump Jr.s plagiarism dismissal

In the wake of Melania Trumps convention controversy, critics initially raised questions about Donald Trump Jr.s RNC speech, pointing out that some of his sentences were similar to those published in a May article in the American Conservative.

But the author of that article, law professor F. H. Buckley, turned out to have also been the writer behind Trumps convention address. I was a principal speechwriter for the speech, Buckley said at the time, dismissing any accusations of plagiarism. So its not an issue.

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Monica Crowleys book and dissertation

Pundit Monica Crowley, who Trump had selected to be senior director of strategic communications for the National Security Council, backed out before the inauguration amid accusations of plagiarism.

In January, CNN identified more than 50 examples of plagiarism in Crowleys 2012 book, What the (Bleep) Just Happened, accusing her of copying passages from news articles, columns and Wikipedia without proper attribution. Days later, Politico reported that Crowley had plagiarized more than a dozen passages in her Ph.D. dissertation.

Trumps team initially defended Crowley, who later announced that she would not accept the national security post, withdrawing without addressing the plagiarism charges.

The White Houses ExxonMobil announcement

On Monday, an official White House statement about an ExxonMobil manufacturing investment included a full paragraph that was copied directly from Exxons press release.

Exxon, which was recently run by Trumps Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, released its statement about 30 minutes before the White House. The following White House announcement praised the oil company for creating more jobs with its investment.

In a statement to CNN, a White House official said they had used information from Exxon.

The expansion program has many different components to it, and we went straight to the source for some of our information, the statement said.
Paul Ryan Mitch McConnell

((L-R) U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell address the media during the 2017 "Congress of Tomorrow" Joint Republican Issues Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., January 26, 2017.REUTERS/Mark Makela)

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday, Republican Sens. Rob Portman, Shelley Moore Capito, Cory Gardner, and Lisa Murkowski laid out concerns regarding the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, in what could be the beginning of serious trouble for the GOP's plan to overhaul the healthcare law.

The four senators wrote that they were specifically concerned with the leaked draft version of the House GOP's Obamacare repeal and replacement bill as it pertains the expansion of the federal Medicaid program.

Under Obamacare, states were allowed to expand their Medicaid program to include Americans that make up to 137% of the federal poverty line. So far, 34 states and the District of Columbia took funding from the federal government to expand the program, leading to coverage for over 11 million people who otherwise would not have had insurance.

The senators wrote they were concerned that the changes to funding in the leaked House legislation would leave states stretched to keep such people covered. All four senators come from a state that has expanded Medicaid.

"While we support efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and make structural reforms to the Medicaid program, we are concerned that the February 10th draft proposal from the House of Representatives does not provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states," the letter to McConnell said.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The House GOP bill would shift the current funding structure and would put more of the funding onus on the states, which may be difficult to sustain given already stretched state budgets.

Story continues

In the letter, the senators advocated for more "flexibility" for states that want to expand Medicaid and urged a longer timeframe for the transition of Medicaid programs.

"As the largest payer of mental health and substance use services in the United States, it is critical that any healthcare replacement provide states with a stable transition period and the opportunity to gradually phase-in their populations to any new Medicaid financing structure," the senators wrote.

The senators suggested they would not support the draft plan in its current form. It would represent a significant blow to GOP efforts to repeal and replace the law, as the loss of four votes would almost certainly kill Republican efforts to pass legislation.

"However, the February 10th draft proposal from the House does not meet the test of stability for individuals currently enrolled in the program and we will not support a plan that does not include stability for Medicaid expansion populations or flexibility for states," the letter said.

In another sign of worry for GOP leadership, three more conservative-leaning GOP senators  Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee  have pledged to vote against the House GOP bill because it does not go far enough in repealing the ACA. If those three senators vote against the bill, it would also out the GOP under the 50-vote threshold absent Democratic defections.

NOW WATCH: 'It's a lie': Jake Tapper calls out Trump during a fiery interview with Kellyanne Conway



More From Business Insider
In today's news: a five-year-old is better at spelling than you.

Edith Fuller just made history by becoming the youngest person to ever qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee at only 5 years old, after expertly out-spelling more than 50 competitors at the 2017 Scripps Green Country Regional Spelling Bee in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

SEE ALSO: These twins battled each other for 58 words in the final round of a spelling bee

After correctly spelling the word 'jnana,' a term for knowledge in Hinduism according to Merriam-Webster, Fuller was guaranteed a spot in the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C this May, where she will compete against kids from across the country as old as 15.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is very proud of all of its spellers who advance and win their regional bee to qualify for the national final, a Scripps spokesman told ABC News. We certainly look forward to welcoming Edith Fuller and all of our more than 280 national spellers who will come to National Harbor in May to compete and enjoy a memorable Bee week.

Edith's mother Annie Fuller said the family discovered their 5-year-old's knack for spelling last summer while quizzing the kids while they were out to dinner. Edith spelled 'restaurant' without having been taught the word, and the parents knew they'd discovered something exciting.

We knew there was something special there, Fuller told Tulsa World, before explaining Edith prepared for the competition by studying words with her family. Anytime she misspelled a word, she would look it up and learn its definition and spelling.

Learning the words was so educational," the proud mother continued, "She was able to learn about different countries and cultures and different kinds of food," which probably came in very handy with her winning word.

Making it through four hours and 18 rounds, Edith's mother's greatest surprise wasn't her daughter's spelling prowess, but rather her impeccable behavior.

Story continues

She likes to move around, she revealed. Im surprised she sat still for so long. She's only 5 after all.

Before Fuller's stunning achievement, the youngest spellers to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee were 6, the spokeswoman said, noting that there is no minimum age to compete in the competition.

The National Spelling Bee will begin May 31.
97-year-old twins died after falling in freezing temperatures

Twin sisters Martha Young Williams and Jean Young Haley, both 97, died together tragically on the same day, just about 25 feet from each other, after they both fell and became stranded in freezing temperatures outside Haleys Rhode Island home.

The Barrington Police Department said that the 97-year-old twin sisters, both found unresponsive on Saturday morning, in freezing temperatures, outside twin sister Haleys home in Rhode Island, appeared to have died overnight, according to Providence Journal.

Police said Williams was found lying face down on the driveway while her sister was found lying on the ground inside the garage, CNN reports.
Photo credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News/SCNG

From Popular Mechanics

One of the Air Force's most secret aircraft was recently seen over the skies of Southern California, sporting new equipment that points to new secret missions. The RQ-170 Sentinel drone was photographed flying over Vandenberg Air Force Base by photographers there to cover a satellite launch.

Developed in secret by Lockheed Martin, the RQ-170 Sentinel was dubbed "The Beast of Kandahar" in 2009 when it was photographed for the first time at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Highly classified, the sighting was the first indication the RQ-170 even existed.

The Air Force has reportedly operated the RQ-170 near Iran and North Korea, using it for so-called "national collection missions" to collect secret intelligence. A Sentinel was flying over Osama bin Laden's compound in 2011 when Navy SEALs killed him, and in 2011 Iran reported one crashed on its territory. The Air Force acknowledged the loss of an RQ-170 and asked for it back but Iran refused.

Photo credit: Atta Kenare / Getty

According to AW&ST, the aircraft was sighted on February 28th by photographers visiting Vandenberg to cover the launch of NROL-79, an Atlas V rocket and its package of two Naval Ocean Surveillance Satellites. The RQ-170 photographed at Vandenberg differs from previous Sentinel sightings. According to AW&ST, the drone appears to have a large air data sensor probe, and black wing panel that points to an "active electronically scanned array surveillance (AESA) and tracking radar system."

The RQ-170 reportedly flew over North Korea as early as 2009, likely to observe North Korea's ballistic missile program. Primarily a missile launching base, Vandenberg Air Force Base doesn't have much secure flyover airspace--the closest place a high altitude, long endurance drone can stretch its legs is the Navy's nearby Pt. Mugu testing range, a 36,000 square mile stretch of water off the California coast.

Interestingly, the U.S. Navy launched four Trident II D-5 submarine launched ballistic missiles from the Pt. Mugu testing range during a three day period in mid-February. It is possible the RQ-170 was in the area to observe NROL-79 and the Trident launches with its new AESA radar as a test before being sent overseas to observe North Korean (and Iranian) ballistic missile launches.

Story continues

Read more and see the photos at Aviation Week & Space Technology

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Is Airbnb's CEO running for president of the world?

Like Mark Zuckerberg, Brian Chesky will embark on a tour to meet the people who use his service. While Zuckerberg's 2017 tour was domestic, renewing rumors of his political aspirations, Chesky's will be international.

Chesky will travel to six cities over the next two weeks to meet Airbnb hosts in different parts of the world. Chesky announced the project at his first stop, which didn't exactly require going too far  a meeting with San Francisco Airbnb hosts at the company's headquarters.

Chesky will stop in London, New York, Cape Town, New Delhi, Beijing and Shanghai, an Airbnb spokesperson said. Airbnb is under a lot of pressure in New York, where lawmakers are trying to counter Airbnb's growth in the city. Meanwhile, the home-rental company is growing fast in China.

SEE ALSO: Airbnb, Twitter latest tech companies to raise big money to fight Trump's travel ban

Airbnb hosts listings in more than 65,000 cities in more than 190 countries, so quite a few cities didn't make the cut for the two-week trip.

The CEO will also add "head of community" to his title, and promised to invite Airbnb hosts to one board meeting a year, offer quarterly live chats with hosts from different parts of the world, expand a host advisory council and create 1,000 host clubs. Those clubs have so far been used by hosts to exchange tips and organize in cities where anti-Airbnb sentiment prompts it.

The company has been trying to build a more supportive base of users, since customers who stay in Airbnbs aren't exactly too helpful when it comes time to lobby legislators who only care about their own constituents.

Time for vacation!
It was fun while it lasted.

Although Alec Baldwin has captured America's attention with his impression of President Trump, it seems like the actor will be taking a step back from it after the current season of Saturday Night Live.

SEE ALSO: Alec Baldwin is co-writing a parody Donald Trump memoir and Trump probably isn't so thrilled

Baldwin sat down for an interview with Extra's Mario Lopez Monday, where the two discussed his upcoming movie Boss Baby and the future of his guest appearances on SNL.

During the interview, Baldwin revealed that he plans to retire from his Trump impression soon.

The maliciousness of this White House has people worried," he said, "...thats why Im not going to do it much longer, the impersonation, I dont know how much more people can take it.

A post shared by Alec Baldwin (@iamabfalecbaldwin) on Jan 21, 2017 at 2:28pm PST

The actor also explained his personal feelings about the President.

Trump just overwhelmingly lacks any sportsmanship, he remains, bitter and angry and you just want to look at him and go, You won!'

It could probably be assumed that Baldwin's Trump will remain for the rest of this current SNL season, but any episode might mark the last of his squinty, pouty impression.
Alex Radita child abuse life sentence murder

Alex Radita was one of eight children, a diabetic boy who died a horrific and painful death in 2013 from starvation and complications brought on by his untreated diabetes. His death ended years of neglect and isolation at the hands of his cruel parents.

Social worker who applied to have Alex removed from Radita home calls for 'Alex Alert' https://t.co/drH0tJGpVc pic.twitter.com/RIfGD9yscK  NEWS 1130 (@NEWS1130) February 25, 2017

The New York Daily News reported that Alexs Canadian parents have been found guilty of first-degree murder. According to the Alberta Court of Queens Bench Justice Karen Horner, 60-year-old Emil Radita and 54-year-old Rodica Radita were equally responsible for the death of their son.
The Daily Beast

GettyIt only took a few hours after Russias Vladimir Putin hailed his mobilization as a sparkling success Friday for a torrent of humiliating reports to emerge that suggest the war effort has been more successful in turning the country against him than defeating mythical Nazis in Ukraine.The most staggering contradiction to the Russian presidents boastful claims came perhaps in Kazan, where dozens of drafted troops were captured on video late Friday berating military leadership outside a colle
Cairo (AFP) - Arab League foreign ministers adopted a resolution Tuesday against any attempt to move diplomatic missions to Jerusalem, following Donald Trump's presidential campaign pledge to move the American embassy in Israel.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, later annexing east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

The League "considers setting up any diplomatic mission in Jerusalem or moving it to the city an explicit attack on the rights of the Palestinian people and all Muslims and Christians", Tuesday's resolution read.

The resolution, which did not explicitly mention Trump or the United States which has its Israel embassy in Tel Aviv, was adopted unanimously adopted by the 22-member bloc.

Moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem would be "a serious violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, and relevant Security Council resolutions," it said.

The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.

Departing from Washington's long-standing position, Trump promised while campaigning to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the American mission there, drawing a fierce rebuke from Palestinian officials and concern from the European Union.

Last month Trump said he would "love to see that happen", and on January 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump to keep his promise.

On Sunday, US Congressman Ron DeSantis, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, met Israeli leaders to examine the possibility of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli officials said.

Israel's deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely, who met DeSantis, said she was "optimistic" it would happen.

The League resolution asked states and Arab League missions to "monitor and follow up on any move to breach the Security Council resolutions and international law regarding moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem."

The foreign ministers also tasked the Arab Group of States in New York "to study effective measures to counter any such move through the United Nations, including the security council".
Buenos Aires (AFP) - Argentina's ex-president Cristina Kirchner fended off corruption allegations in court on Tuesday, claiming she was the victim of "judicial persecution" at a politically delicate time for the recession-hit country.

Kirchner, 64, filed written testimony to a court investigating her for alleged illicit association and fraudulent administration in real estate dealings.

She is suspected of favoring a construction magnate for public contracts. Her family's real estate company Los Sauces is suspected of involvement in bribes.

Hundreds of supporters rallied in her support as she arrived at the tightly guarded court to answer a summons by federal judge Claudio Bonadio.

"I am the target of judicial and media persecution which is unprecedented in this country's democracy and which also extends to my children," she said in an online message.

Bonadio on Monday had summoned Kirchner's daughter Florencia, 26, and son Maximo, 40, over their roles in Los Sauces.

Bonadio now has 10 days to decide whether to put Kirchner on trial or dismiss the case.

It is the fourth case against Kirchner to reach court since she left office in 2015, and the third in which she faces formal charges.

The case comes at a delicate time for Argentina, Latin America's third-biggest economy.

Mid-term legislative elections in October pose a key test for President Mauricio Macri, who succeeded Kirchner in December 2015.

Tens of thousands of people joined a mass demonstration in central Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the second day of a strike by teachers and hospital staff.

They are demanding pay rises and protesting job cuts and price rises under Macri's economic reforms.

"If you raise my utility costs, I will raise your political costs," read signs waved by the protesters.

Macri's Production Minister Francisco Cabrera said the protests were driven by "political motivations in an election year."

Despite the recession, he insisted the economy was creating jobs.

Union leaders at the demo called for a general strike at the start of next month.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday that his country aimed to work more closely with Indonesia over maritime security, but there was no plan for the neighbors to hold joint patrols in the South China Sea. In an interview with the Australian newspaper last month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he would like to see joint patrols and intended to raise the idea with Turnbull, but only if it did not further inflame tensions with China. "We are not going to undertake any actions which would increase tensions in the South China Sea," said Turnbull, when asked by a reporter whether Indonesia had raised the prospect of conducting joint patrols. "Our commitment is to increase our cooperation with each other in terms of maritime security. So we talk about more collaboration, more coordination, but it has not been taken any further than that," added Turnbull, who is in Jakarta to attend a summit meeting of the 21-member Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, also said after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Monday that he did not envisage joint patrols though there were other areas to cooperate on. "I don't know whether it necessary for us to do join patrols over there, but for sure, for economic activity, we can do," Pandjaitan said. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea. Indonesia has traditionally taken a neutral position on the South China Sea, acting as a buffer between China and fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that have the most at stake, the Philippines and Vietnam. But Jakarta was angered after China said the two countries had "overlapping claims" to waters close to Indonesia's Natuna Islands and staged large-scale exercise on the edge of South China Sea in October. Australia - which says it takes no sides on South China Sea disputes but has supported U.S.-led freedom of navigation activities in the region - has been rebuilding ties with Indonesia after a recent spat over military. (Reporting by Ben Weir in SYDNEY and Cindy Silviana in JAKARTA; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Michael Perry)
ZEBULON, N.C. (AP)  An 18-year-old man decapitated his mother and then walked out the front door of her house holding her head in his hand while wielding a knife in the other, authorities said.

The suspect was charged with first-degree murder Monday after he called 911 to say he had killed his mother, according to a news release from the Franklin County Sheriff's office. Authorities say he was arrested without offering resistance, and his 35-year-old mother's body was found inside the home.

District Attorney Mike Waters said officials were seeking a mental evaluation of the suspect. His public defender, C. Boyd Sturges III, said he spoke with him for an hour in the Franklin County jail.

"It does appear there's some substantial mental health issues involved in this case," Sturges said. "I'm not a doctor, so I can't really elaborate. He's a pretty profoundly disturbed young man."

Waters said due to the suspect's apparent mental state, "this is something that's going to take weeks and months for us to get some answers as to why this happened."

Waters said the suspect was being transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 14.

Two young girls in the home were not hurt. A fourth child was in school when the attack occurred. Deputies were searching the home hours after the body was discovered.

The exact names of the suspect and his mother were unclear. Local court records list the suspect's name as Oliver Funes Machada, Sturges said. Federal records list his name as Oliver Funes Machado, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox. In a news release, Cox said the suspect was from Honduras and was in the country illegally. Franklin County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Terry Wright gave the mother's name as Yesenia Beatriz Funez Machado, citing a spelling given to authorities by her 14-year-old son.

Neighbor Leona Smith told WRAL-TV she was still trying to come to grips with such a horrible crime happening so close by.

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"It's very hurtful to know something like this can happen in your own neighborhood with such a quiet family with the standard white picket fence, trampoline, playground in the back," she said. "To see the two younger children sitting in the ditch crying, it was heartbreaking."

Neighbor Randy Mullins, who was leaving his house minutes after the first deputy arrived, said he saw the woman's head lying in the front yard about five feet in front of the porch. The deputy appeared to have just handcuffed the suspect and seemed rattled when Mullins approached to ask if he needed help.

"You could see in his face he had a lot of concern. I'm not saying he was scared, but you could tell he was concerned," Mullins said of the deputy. Mullins then went back to his house across the street and told his 91-year-old mother to stay inside. He said a half-dozen more law enforcement vehicles arrived within minutes, and a deputy covered the woman's head.

"I couldn't believe it. Things like that don't happen," said the 59-year-old Mullins, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years. "You can't believe somebody would do that. You hear about that, but it never happens across the street from you."

Mullins said the family had moved to the neighborhood sometime around June. He didn't know them well, but he and his mother said they seemed friendly.

"If they were outside, they always waved at you," said Clearsy Mullins.

On Tuesday, a group of people could be seen at the house, loading a stroller and other belongings into two minivans. A neighbor who had stopped by to offer his condolences told a reporter that the people in the group didn't want to talk, and they left after about 20 minutes.

Randy Mullins said the suspect appeared placid as he sat handcuffed and the deputy was kneeling down to comfort the two younger children.

"He was sitting there like he didn't have a care in the world. He didn't appear to be upset. He didn't appear to be crying."

___

Foreman reported from Charlotte.

___

Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/jonldrew and Foreman at www.twitter.com/skipforeman1

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the suspect's last name is Funes.
Indonesian prosecutors Tuesday demanded a one-year jail term for an Australian businessman on trial for allegedly using hashish on the resort island of Bali.

Giuseppe Serafino, 48, was arrested with British former Reuters journalist David Fox, who said he was using hashish to relieve stress caused by covering conflicts.

The pair are charged with using, possessing and transporting hashish after allegedly being caught in possession of small amounts of the drug in October.

Serafino, who ran a bar in the Bali resort area of Sanur, told the court he had been using hashish for nine years to help alleviate the symptoms of mouth cancer.

The Australian could have faced several years in jail for breaking Indonesia's tough anti-drugs laws.

But prosecutor I Gede Wiraguna Wiradarma recommended a lower sentence because Serafino was a first-time offender who had admitted his wrongdoing.

He called on the judges to "declare the defendant to be convincingly guilty of using drugs and sentence him to one year in prison, reduced by the period he has served in the detention".

The court is expected to hand down a verdict and sentence next week.

A one year jail term would likely see Serafino freed from jail in a matter of months as the sentence would include time already served in detention.

Prosecutors last week also recommended a one year sentence for Fox, who is being tried separately.

Judges do not have to follow prosecutors' sentence recommendations but they often do.

Authorities raided Serafino's house and found about seven grams (a quarter of an ounce) of hashish, after which Serafino said Fox had helped him buy the drugs.

Indonesia imposes the death penalty for drug-trafficking but Fox and Serafino will escape capital punishment as they face less serious charges.
Survivors of acid attacks strutted down the catwalk at a fashion show in Dhaka Tuesday in an effort to stamp out prejudice against victims of these brutal assaults.

Shonali Khatun, a 14-year-old student, who had her face reconstructed after being attacked with acid just days after her birth, led the charge down the runway wearing clothes designed by Bangladeshi supermodel-turned-designer Bibi Russell.

"I feel wonderful to be here. I feel emboldened," the seventh-grader told AFP before she led a rookie crew of 15 acid survivors on the catwalk during the show hosted by the British charity ActionAid.

Khatun was 17 days old when a man poured acid over her face while she was asleep at her home in Tala on the country's southwestern coast.

The attacker, a neighbour, had a dispute with her parents over property.

She spent nearly three years after the attack in hospital where she underwent eight operations to treat the burns on her face and arms.

Khatun said she now aspires to be a doctor despite facing daily scorn from villagers and relatives.

"I'll achieve my goal one day. This pain has taught me to be tough."

Russell, who came from a humble background before going on to become a supermodel featured in the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, said she hoped the show would bring more recognition to the acid survivors.

"This is something really close to my heart," said the designer.

"I want them to have recognition. Let them have life as a part of this world," she said.

Acid attacks have been a major menace in Bangladesh, with rural women being the main targets. Last year there were 44 reported cases, down sharply from the hundreds of attacks in the 2000s.

According to the Acid Survivors' Foundation, the number of attacks has declined over the years owing to tough laws that allow for the death sentence.

But the group said acid survivors still face social ostracisation and discrimination due to their physical deformities in the conservative country.
Dr. Ben Carson is walking back the comments he made Monday where he suggested slaves came to America as immigrants.

Read: FBI Director Asks Justice Department to Refute Trump's Claims of Wiretapping: Reports

In his first speech as President Trump's secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Carson left social media boiling with outrage after suggesting immigrants "came in the bottom of slave ships."

"There were other immigrants who came in the bottom of slave ships, who worked even longer, even harder, for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land," Carson said.

Hours later, Carson took to Facebook to clarify his words.

He wrote: "The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders.

"The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy.

"The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that's inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all."

Carson, a brain surgeon and former GOP presidential candidate, was addressing employees at the government department when he made the original comments.

House and Urban Development spokesman Brian Sullivan tried to clarify Carsons remarks later on saying, "Nobody here believes he was equating voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude."

Reaction was swift, with many eager to criticize Carson for his comments.

Michael Eric Dyson appeared on CNN Monday night saying: "This is one of the most atrocious acts of historical revisionism."

Story continues

Read: Video Emerges of Trump's Purported Tirade Against Steven Bannon, Reince Priebus

On Twitter, Chelsea Clinton posted: "This cant be real."

This can't be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017. https://t.co/8CuUvnR2Mf

 Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 6, 2017

The Wire actor Wendell Pierce jabbed at Carson via social media, tweeting an image of a slave that was whipped with the words, "An immigrants dream, @SecretaryCarson?"

Perhaps the most heated comment online came from actor Samuel L. Jackson who posted: "OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAF***** PLEASE!!!"

Watch: Single Dad of 3 Deported to Mexico: 'He's Not a Drug Dealer and He's Not a Murderer'

Related Articles:
Ben Carson attempted to quell the outrage that erupted online after he referred to African slaves as immigrants during a Monday speech on the U.S. as the land of dreams and opportunity.

During his debut speech as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Carson discussed immigrants who entered the U.S. through Ellis Island to pursue a better life, and then he turned his attention to slaves forced to come to the country against their will.

There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less, the retired neurosurgeon said. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.

The NAACP was among those who were shocked by Carsons comments.

After immense pushback, Carson appeared on The Armstrong Williams Show, which airs on SiriusXM Urban View every weekday evening, in an attempt to clarify his controversial comments.

When you use the term immigrant, what youre saying is that anybody whos come from a foreign place is an immigrant, suggested conservative radio host Williams, who advised Carson during his presidential campaign.

Of course they are, Carson replied. And everybody in that auditorium was with me. They knew exactly what I was saying. Its only those people who are always trying to stir up controversy.

Carson expressed frustration that the national conversation hasnt focused on the good things about his speech, such as people standing in line for taking pictures or asking intelligent questions.

They dont cover that. They say, Ah, he said that slaves were immigrants and thats a terrible thing to say and hes out of contact with reality. Hes crazy. Its really kind of sad what the media has degenerated into, he said.

Story continues

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson speaks to HUD employees in Washington, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

Carson also defended his comparison through a series of posts on social media:

You can be an involuntary immigrant.

Slaves didnt just give up and die, our ancestors made something of themselves!

An immigrant is a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.

Late Monday night, however, Carson released a longer statement in which he acknowledged that slaves and immigrants had two entirely different experiences that should never be intertwined. He did not apologize for his words but expressed pride in the courage and perseverance of African-Americans.

Here is Carsons complete statement on the controversy:

Im proud of the courage and perseverance of Black Americans and their incomprehensible struggle from slavery to freedom. Im proud that our ancestors overcame the evil and repression that we know as slavery. The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders. The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy. The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America thats inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all. We should revel in the fact that although we got here through different routes, we have many things in common now that should unite us in our mission to have a land where there is liberty and justice for all. Dr. Ben Carson

Secretary of HUD

Read more from Yahoo News:
Bernie Sanders Call Donald Trump Travel Ban

Donald Trumps revised travel ban is here, and according to Bernie Sanders, it is a racist and anti-Islamic attempt to divide America.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a long-awaited revised travel order temporarily blocking travel for immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries. The revised executive order imposed a 90-day ban on travelers from Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Iran, and Somalia. Trumps new immigration ban also suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and subsequently the U.S. will not be accepting more than 50,000 refugees in a year.

Only Iraq has been dropped out from the earlier released list.

[Image by Erik S. Lesser-Pool/Getty Images]

After President Trump signed the revised executive order, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the administration is continually going to re-evaluate the system in order to protect the nation.

Many of the senior politicians have condemned Donald Trumps latest immigration orders.

Click here to continue and read more...
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has finally revealed how its upcoming New Glenn rocket will launch and then reuse a rocket stage by landing it back on Earth. The process, detailed in a computer animation on Tuesday, sure looks familiar, and not just because the creepy animated humans were used in the company's last video.

SEE ALSO: Forget about Mars for a minute: Let's talk about these rad moon missions

It clearly resembles the same process that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket goes through for that company's launches. SpaceX has successfully landed a rocket stage both on land and at sea multiple times in order to demonstrate reusability, which Elon Musk and Bezos see as the key to lowering the costs of spaceflight.

Maybe the Blue Origin video will give Elon Musk a chance to shoot a zinger at Bezos in their battle of one-upmanship?

The New Glenn would be one of the most powerful rockets ever built, with about 3.85 million pounds of thrust, and may compete with a more powerful version of SpaceX's Falcon 9, known as the Falcon Heavy.

Blue Origin is now focusing on its first launch, scheduled for 2020, and its first customer payload for France's satellite operator Eutelsat, currently scheduled for 2021 or 2022.
HAVANA (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales will return to Cuba in early April for an operation to remove a nodule in his vocal cords, Cuban state media said. The leftist former coca farmer went to Cuba for treatment on Wednesday after a sore throat robbed him of his voice, causing him to cancel public appearances. The state outlet Cubadebate reported that Morales met Cuban media before leaving the country and told them he had been diagnosed with a virus and was now recovering. Doctors had also detected a small nodule that they could only remove once he was off medication, in an operation that would last no more than 15 minutes, he was cited as saying. "The doctors detected a small nodule in the vocal cords that they could have removed now but given I am currently on medication it will be in around a month," Cubadebate quoted him as saying. Morales took office in the Andean country in 2006 and was elected to a third term in 2014. He said last year he may run for a fourth consecutive term in 2019 elections despite losing a referendum that would have reformed the country's constitution to allow him to run again. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Stephen Eisenhammer BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's federal environmental agency, Ibama, launched on Tuesday a centralized database to track timber from source to sale, a vital step in the fight against illegal logging in the Amazon. The system, known as Sinaflor, allows individual trees to be electronically tagged and monitored as they are cut down and pass through the supply chain, with regulators able to check the database via their cell phones while on patrol. With built-in satellite mapping, timber being sold as legal can be checked against the exact area of licensed commercial production it is claimed to originate from. The system marks a step change from the current system, which environmentalists criticize as being open to fraud and human error as databases are isolated, poorly managed and cannot be easily accessed to verify documentation attached to timber. "The new system offers a much more comprehensive process of control," Suely Araujo, president of Ibama, said in an interview in her office in Brasilia. "What's not in Sinaflor will be illegal timber." The system is the result of four years of work and was envisioned under the forest code passed into law in 2012, which gave the federal government power to create and manage a national system to regulate the supply chain of timber. Illegal logging is one of the greatest threats to the preservation of the Amazon. In the year until July 2016, Amazonian rainforest six times the size of Los Angeles was cut down. That was the second rise in two years, ending a 10-year period in which deforestation was dramatically reduced. Brazil's Environment Ministry, under which Ibama falls, has vowed to reverse the trend. Sinaflor has already been piloted in the state of Roraima and is being introduced this week in Rondonia. The states are legally obliged to use the system, and Araujo expects to have it up and running across the country by the end of the year. "When we manage to implement it in the whole country, I think it will be a step change in terms of control," Araujo said. (Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Leslie Adler)
A 22-year-old British tourist was repeatedly raped and assaulted by a man who deprived her of her liberty for weeks, Australian police said.

The womans harrowing ordeal ended Sunday afternoon when police officers pulled over the car she was driving in Mitchell, a small rural town more than 340 miles west of Brisbane, after she failed to pay for gas.

The overly alarmed woman with noticeable injuries told the officers that she was being held against her will by a man located in the vehicle. After searching the car, police found a 22-year-old man hiding in the rear, underneath clothing and other items. The two had been in a relationship that at some point had soured, Detective Inspector Paul Hart of the Queensland Police Service said during a press conference.

The woman, who has not been identified, was described as having facial fractures, scratches and abrasions to her neck area as well as other bruising. They are very serious offenses and would have been quite traumatic for the young female involved, Hart said. She had not been reported missing.

The man was charged with offenses including four counts of rape, eight counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, four counts of strangulation, as well as counts of willful damage, deprivation of liberty, possession of dangerous drugs and police obstruction. One of the willful damage charges refers to the alleged offender damaging the victims passport. The man, who has not been identified, will appear in court in about a week, Hart said. The investigation is ongoing.

Rural Queensland is a fantastic place to live and for our police to work, we have great community spirit and this kind of incident does rock the community, he added.
SOFIA (Reuters) - A Bulgarian man who posted a video showing three Afghan migrants lying tied up on the ground near the Turkish border was acquitted on Tuesday of illegally detaining them, after a court ruled there was insufficient evidence against him. Petar Nizamov, 31, nicknamed Perata, was arrested last April after posting the video on social media. It showed two men lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. A third man lay flat on his stomach, restrained with long plastic cable ties, while an unidentified voice shouted in English: "Go back. Back Turkey. Now. No Bulgaria, go Turkey immediately". All three men were later found by border police, no longer tied up, and were taken to an accommodation center for migrants. The video was included as evidence but the regional court in Burgas said it could not confirm Nizamov's participation since witnesses said they could not remember who tied up the migrants. National television bTV reported that Nizamov thanked the judge, who he said was "one of the few courageous judges who oppose the organized trafficking of migrants". He also told the court he intended to continue to patrol at the border. Prosecutors plan to appeal against the court's decision. Tough measures to restrict asylum seekers and migrants are supported by all political parties in the Balkan country, which has built a wall along its border with Turkey. Figures from Bulgaria's Interior Ministry show the number of people officially detained at the Turkish border dropped to 64 in January, compared to 712 in January 2016. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Julia Glover)
Ottawa (AFP) - Canada kicked off 2017 with a third trade surplus in a row in January, the government statistics agency said Tuesday.

Canada's trade surplus with the world rose to Can$807 million (US$602 million) in January, Statistics Canada said.

Analysts were expecting a slightly higher surplus.

The gap in December was Can$447 million (US$333 million), which was revised downward since the last reporting.

According to the government agency, strong auto parts and canola exports pushed up total exports by 0.5 percent, while imports were dragged down 0.3 percent mainly by lower imports of unwrought gold.

Total exports rose to a record Can$46.5 billion (US$35 billion) in January, despite declines in several sectors.

In addition to auto parts, record foreign sales of agricultural, fishing and other food products were the largest contributors to the increase.

Chinese demand also drove increased Canola exports, which have doubled since October 2016.

Exports of consumer goods, meanwhile, as well as metal and non-metallic mineral products fell in the month.

In the other direction, imports edged down to Can$45.6 billion (US$34 billion).

Statistics Canada also noted higher imports of auto parts mostly from Britain and the United States.
By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ben Carson, the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), on Monday referred to slaves brought to the United States against their will as "immigrants," drawing quick condemnation from civil rights groups who cast his remarks as offensive. It was Carson's first address to the staff at HUD. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week. By way of introduction, Carson shared anecdotes from his past career as a neurosurgeon and praised immigrants who worked long hours to build a better life for their children. "There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less," said Carson, who is African-American. "But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land," he said. Enslaved Africans did not voluntarily come to the United States and were denied freedom for hundreds of years. "This is as offensive a remark as it gets," said Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. The remarks sparked outrage on Twitter, including from the actor Samuel L. Jackson. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also criticized Carson. A HUD spokesman later called the tempest "the most cynical interpretation of the secretary's remarks to an army of welcoming HUD employees. No one honestly believes he equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude." Carson was well received by the hundreds of HUD employees in the room and got a standing ovation at the close of his remarks. As housing secretary, Carson is in a position to play a leading role in reviving poor neighborhoods, as Republican President Donald Trump has promised. Carson occasionally stumbled as a Republican presidential candidate, such as when he said he did not believe a Muslim should be president. After dropping out of the race, Carson threw his support to Trump, who named him housing secretary after winning the November election. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan and James Oliphant; Written by James Oliphant; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Jonathan Oatis)
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The casino industry asked Congress on Tuesday to retain gambling disorders as a serious public health matter in any changes it makes to President Obama's signature health care law.

Industry representatives in a letter urged congressional leaders and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to recognize gambling disorders as an issue that merits inclusion in any replacement to the Affordable Care Act.

The letter came a day after House Republicans released their long-awaited plan to unravel the law.

"Today, gambling disorders are recognized under the ACA's essential health benefits," the representatives wrote. "We believe this recognition, which did not exist prior to the passage of ACA, is critical not only to enable adequate funding for research, but also to ensure necessary resources and treatment facilities are available."

The letter was signed by the leaders of the American Gaming Association  the U.S. casino industry's main lobbying group  National Indian Gaming Association, National Council on Problem Gambling and Association of Gaming Equipment Manufactures.

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, established 10 categories of essential health benefits, which include mental health and substance use disorder services. The American Psychiatric Association's in 2013 updated its key reference book for mental health professionals, replacing as an addiction what was previously called pathological gambling as an impulse-control disorder.

Problem gambling now takes its place among substance-related and addictive disorders.

The plan released by House Republicans would scale back the government's role in helping people afford coverage and could leave more Americans uninsured.

The plan would repeal the statute's unpopular fines on people who don't carry health insurance. It would replace income-based subsidies provided to help millions of Americans pay premiums with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes. Those payments would phase out for higher-earning people.

Story continues

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat whose district includes the Las Vegas Strip, strongly criticized the Republicans' proposed plan.

"I oppose the Republicans' disastrous health care plan and will fight any effort to roll back or eliminate coverage for behavioral health, mental health, preventive care, women's health, and other programs that insurance companies must now cover thanks to the ACA," she said.

___

Follow Regina Garcia Cano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/reginagarciakNO / More of her work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/ReginaGarciaCano .
Moscow (AFP) - A ceasefire has been declared in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, a rebel bastion near Damascus, to run from midnight last Sunday to March 20, Russia's defence ministry said.

"A 'regime of silence' has been introduced from 00:01 on March 6 to 23:59 on March 20 (Damascus time) in the area of Eastern Ghouta," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It added that "no violations" had so far been reported.

The Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam), a powerful rebel faction, is headquartered in Eastern Ghouta, the last opposition stronghold near Damascus.

The district has faced a blistering army offensive in recent months and is near opposition-controlled areas of Damascus increasingly targeted by the government.

Hamza Bayraqdar, a spokesman for the Army of Islam, told AFP that the faction had not been notified about the ceasefire, but would not "reject any agreement to stop the bloodshed and suffering of our people".

Syria's Al-Watan daily, which is close to the government, on Tuesday quoted a "source close to the state's efforts to conclude national reconciliation in flashpoint areas" as saying he did not have "any information" on a new agreement in eastern Damascus and Eastern Ghouta.

The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, reported that raids on Tuesday hit many towns in the Eastern Ghouta district as well as rebel districts in east Damascus, killing three civilians.

But the raids stopped in the afternoon after the Russian ceasefire announcement, it said.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people since 2011. Russia began a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September 2015.
As House Republicans begin to roll out their proposed replacement for Obamacare, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah suggested that poor Americans could pay for plans by prioritizing health care over smartphones.

Americans have choices, and theyve got to make a choice, said Chaffetz in a Tuesday interview with CNN, so maybe rather than getting that new iPhone they just love and spending hundreds of dollars on that they should invest in their own health care. Theyve got to make those decisions themselves.

According to the 2016 Millman Medical Index, the average annual cost of health care for a typical American family of four was $25,826, or just over $2,100 per month. For a standard two-year plan on Verizon with no special deals, the iPhone 7 would cost $27.08 a month. A 30-month plan with AT&T with no special deals costs between $13 and $25 for different models of the iPhone. There are additional avenues via websites like Amazon, where its a one-time cost of $364.98 for an iPhone 6.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

The proposed bill offers age and income-dependent tax credits of between $2,000 and $4,000 for individuals making less than $75,000 per year.

Chaffetz said later Tuesday morning in a Fox News interview that his iPhone versus health care comment wasnt made as smoothly as it could have been.

Well, what were trying to say  and maybe I didnt say it as smoothly as I possibly could  but people need to make a conscious choice, and I believe in self-reliance. And theyre going to have to make those decisions.

As a member of Congress, Chaffetz is eligible to receive health care and a smartphone from the government.

When Chaffetz was asked by CNN about how access did not equal coverage for lower-income Americans, the congressman replied, Were getting rid of the individual mandate; were getting rid of those things that people said they dont want.

While the proposed new GOP health care bill removes the individual mandate that required all Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty to the IRS, it does allow insurance companies to impose a 30 percent surcharge to anyone who buys a policy after a gap in coverage of two months or more.

Story continues

Chaffetz has been under fire for the last two months in his role as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, as constituents chanted, Do your job! at a February town hall meeting. Chaffetz said the majority of those in attendance were paid outsiders.

The proposed bill has a long road to potentially replacing Obamacare, as four Republican senators have already voiced concern about the bills protection of the Medicaid expansion and the libertarian CATO Institute is calling it a train wreck waiting to happen.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Karl Lagerfeld captivated the fashion world once again with the French luxury label's fall/winter 2017-2018 show, held Tuesday, March 7 in Paris. And while attendees reveled in the label's new collection, it was above all the show's theatrics that caused a sensation, concluding with a huge rocket blasting off from the middle of the French capital's Grand Palais.

The French luxury label and its creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, once again succeeded in surprising the hundreds of guests gathered for the label's fall/winter 2017 catwalk show -- and that's no mean feat in the fashion world. The buzz soon spilled over onto the internet following the fashion house's grandiose show at the Grand Palais exhibition center.

Chanel brought a futuristic vision to the new season, channeled both through its FW17-18 collection and the show's theatrics. Most notably, the show featured a giant rocket installed on a stage, around which the models walked. This then proceeded to blast off from its launchpad at the end of the show. It may have only soared a few meters, but that was enough to captivate the show's audience.

Back to the future

While the French label's fall/winter 2017 collection had a decidedly retro vibe -- with boots, skirt suits and pant suits seeming straight out of the 1960s -- it also transported the audience into Chanel's very own space-age. The collection's materials and colors notably highlighted this futuristic feel, with shiny boots in shades of white, pink and silver, for example. Some models even walked the runway draped in quilted space blankets.

Tweed was evidently present, but this season saw the label's signature fabric twisted to give the new wardrobe a futuristic edge. It came matched with tights, big sweaters or bags, shimmering in shades of silver or black. As well as shiny details, the collection nodded to an interstellar theme with constellations of hundreds of beads and gemstones on various dresses and ensembles, covering them totally or partially, along with lunar motifs and astronauts.

The show's models -- including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Lineisy Montero, Kendall Jenner and Camille Hurel -- also sported futuristic hairstyles. With hair pulled back, and just enough volume to create a "back from space" look, they wore wide headbands finished with gemstones and beads.

After taking the fashion world to an airport terminal, couture ateliers, a data center, a supermarket and a Parisian brasserie, Karl Lagerfeld can now boast of having transported his audience to the moon and back.
By Lisa Fernandez

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The former mayor of Stockton, California, pleaded not guilty to embezzlement, grand theft and money laundering on Monday, charges that were in addition to an earlier arrest for allegedly playing strip poker with minors at a youth camp, prosecutors said.

Bail for Anthony Silva, 42, was set at $1 million by a Superior Court judge, who said he posed a potential flight risk in the case.

Silva was ousted as mayor of Stockton, located in California's San Joaquin Valley breadbasket, in November after his arrest for allegedly playing and recording a game of strip poker with teens at a camp in Amador County east of Sacramento. A hearing in that case is set for Tuesday.

On Monday, San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau charged Silva with two counts of embezzlement by a public officer, two counts of grand theft and one count of money laundering, in relation to his role as a former executive director at the Stockton Kids Club. The club, formerly associated with the Boys & Girls Club of America, lost its charter in 2013 and Silva resigned under pressure.

At a news conference following Monday's court hearing, Himelblau said Silva masterminded a double dipping scheme from 2010 to 2014, taking a salary for himself out of grant money that was meant for employees of the Stockton Unified School District hired to mentor children at the club.

Silvas salary was supposed to come from private donations, Salazar said. Prosecutors believe the payments totaled at least $75,000, but the investigation is ongoing and the amount could be much higher, Himelblau said.

Silva's lawyer, Allen Sawyer, said his client had donated just about the same amount to the club that he is accused of taking.

Silva was arrested on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport when he touched down from a vacation in Colombia.

In August, Silva was arrested for recording the strip poker game on his cell phone, contributing to the delinquency of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors at the youth camp.

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Sawyer, who accused prosecutors of overreaching in both cases, said he would seek dismissal at Tuesday's hearing, to be conducted by telephone, of the charges related to the strip poker game. Silva pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges in that case as well.

A spokesman for the current mayor of Stockton, Michael Tubbs, had no comment on the case.

(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Leslie Adler)
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A senior Chinese nuclear power executive has said the country needs to accelerate the construction of new nuclear power plants if it is to meet targets to boost its use of nuclear energy, lower pollution and cut reliance on traditional fuel sources. He Yu, chairman of state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) said the country needed to build between four and six nuclear reactors each year until 2020, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday. China is trying to boost its use of nuclear energy. One of its biggest state reactor builders has said the country's total installed nuclear capacity could rise to 120-150 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 from 28.3 GW in 2015. However, China's ambitious nuclear plans have been subject to repeated delays, including a suspension of the approval process for three years from 2011 as the country carried out safety reviews in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster. Without a faster roll-out of new third-generation nuclear reactors, He said China would fail to meet government plans to reduce emissions amid a broad crackdown on pollution. "The pace of nuclear power projects in recent years is not in accordance with this target, and it's necessary to make sure the nuclear industry is back on track," He said at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing. The decision to move to safer but mostly untested "third-generation" nuclear reactor technology has meant several key projects have been repeatedly postponed due to design flaws. (Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Richard Pullin)
China said Tuesday it would "resolutely" defend its security interests as the US began deploying the THAAD missile-defence system in South Korea that Beijing fears will undermine its own military capabilities.

"We are firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD in the Republic of Korea by the US and the ROK," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"China will resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interests. All consequences entailed from this will be borne by the US and the ROK."

The US Pacific Command said Monday its military had begun deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea, which is aimed at defending the US ally from a North Korean attack.

The latest tests by nuclear-armed North Korea came Monday when it launched four missiles that it said were part of training for a strike on US bases in Japan.

Three of the missiles came down in waters provocatively close to Japan.

Beijing has railed against the deployment of THAAD, while the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group has come under pressure in China for providing land to host the system.

Geng, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, did not specify what measures China would take.

"We strongly urge relevant parties to stop the deployment and not to travel down that wrong path, he said.

Chinese protesters have held demonstrations denouncing Lotte, which also faces multiple threats of consumer or business boycotts.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday that Chinese authorities had shut down 39 of Lotte's retail outlets in the country, citing fire-safety concerns.

The THAAD system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.
One of Youzu's games in China.

Youzu Interactive has opened an office in Pune, India, as part of a global expansion. The move shows that Indias growing smartphone market represents an opportunity for game companies.

Shanghai-based Youzu appointed Anuj Tandon as CEO of the Indian subsidiary. Indias mobile game downloads are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 58 percent over the next five years, growing from 1.6 billion downloads in 2016 to 5.3 billion in 2020, according to Indias National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom).

Founded in 2009 by Mr Qi Lin, Youzu Interactive is a developer and publisher of online and mobile games. Last year, Youzu Interactive acquired Germanys BigPoint, maker of online and mobile games. Youzu is valued at about $3.7 billion in Chinas stock market.

Anuj Tandon, CEO of Youzu India.

Above: Anuj Tandon, CEO of Youzu India.

Image Credit: Youzu

Tandon will establish and grow Youzu in India in the coming years. He joined Youzu India after heading mobile game publishing and market at Nazara Technologies  one of the largest Indian game publishers. Previous to Nazara, Anuj was co-founder of Rolocule Games which was funded by Blume Ventures and Mumbai Angels.

Youzu is dedicated to grow globally and India is a mobile gaming market which is maturing fast, Tandon said in a statement. We are looking to create and publish local as well as international content for Indias growing smartphone population.

Youzu India plans to make investments in the Indian game market.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Democrats pushed Tuesday for a special prosecutor to examine the Trump administration's potential ties to Russia, using a confirmation hearing to urge the No. 2 pick at the Justice Department to consider handing over any such investigation to an independent overseer.

"We need steel spines, not weak knees when it comes to political independence in the Department of Justice," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat.

The remarks came during a hearing for Rod Rosenstein, a longtime federal prosecutor tapped for deputy attorney general, which instead became a referendum on Russian meddling in the presidential election.

As deputy, Rosenstein would assume oversight of a federal investigation into Russian influence following the recusal last week of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said he would step aside from any probes into the Trump campaign after revelations of unreported contacts with the Russian ambassador last year.

Though repeatedly pressed by Democrats, Rosenstein would not commit to appointing a special prosecutor and said he was unaware of a basis to do so at the moment.

Rosenstein responded in lawyerly fashion to hours of questioning, saying he had no direct knowledge of any Russia-related investigation and had not read the intelligence community's formal assessment that Russia interfered during the campaign on behalf of President Donald Trump. That review, from the country's intelligence agencies, concluded in January that Russian intelligence agencies were behind the hack of Democratic National Committee networks and had worked to harm Hillary Clinton's chances of election.

He promised to handle that investigation like any other if evidence of criminal wrongdoing emerged.

"I don't know the details of what if any investigation is ongoing, but I can certainly assure you, if it's America against Russia or America against any other country I think everyone in this room knows which side I'm on," Rosenstein said.

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That commitment was not enough for some Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he could not support Rosenstein's nomination  despite his apolitical reputation and service as a U.S. attorney under presidential administrations of both parties  unless Rosenstein could commit to recusing himself and appointing what some have taken to calling a special prosecutor  though special counsel is technically the correct title.

"I say so with some sadness and regret because of my respect for you, but this issue of principle is so profoundly important. Only you  only you  have the power to appoint a special prosecutor," said Blumenthal, D-Conn.

He added: "We are in an extraordinary time, careening toward a constitutional crisis with the intelligence agencies in complete agreement that the Russians launched a massive attack on our democracy."

The committee chairman, Sen. Charles Grassley, said such calls were premature and that the appointment of a special counsel was not the best way to ensure transparency.

"There is no mandatory public report or other finding at the end of the investigation if no charges are filed. The investigations can just disappear into a black hole without the public ever understanding what the facts were," said Grassley, R-Iowa.

Rosenstein passed up opportunities to criticize Trump for his unsubstantiated assertions on Twitter that President Barack Obama had ordered his phones tapped during the campaign, though Rosenstein did say that any such action would have to be done through a court order and with ample probable cause.

Asked about any of his own contacts with Russian officials, Rosenstein said he had not knowingly had any such interactions, though he did acknowledge that as U.S. attorney, he has had meetings with visiting lawyers from abroad.

"Over the course of my career from time to time, I have spoken to groups of visiting lawyers and judges from foreign countries," Rosenstein said. "It's certainly possible there may have been Russian officials there. But I don't recall any such meetings, no."

The deputy attorney general is responsible for day-to-day operations and oversight of the Justice Department's law enforcement component agencies such as the FBI.

Rosenstein has served as U.S. attorney for Maryland since 2005, having been appointed by President George W. Bush and then serving for the duration of the Obama administration.

Rachel Brand, another former Justice Department attorney, also faced a confirmation hearing Tuesday for the job of associate attorney general, the department's No. 3 position.

___

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Question: Why does sophisticated food always have to be complicated? Answer: Trick question; it doesn't.

Case in point, these pork chops. You quickly sear the chops up, and finish by making a rich, creamy, leek pan sauce in the same skillet you used to brown the chops in. The seared chops then finish cooking in the sauce, and you have a one-dish meal that you might be pleased to have served up to you at a restaurant.

If you don't have fresh rosemary or thyme, use half the dried amount of each. And if there is a border of fat on the chops, use a knife to score it (cut vertical lines across the sides of the fat, without cutting into the meat itself) so the chops stay nice and flat as they cook. When you sear meat, try to avoid moving it around and flipping it frequently, which prevents that great caramelized crust from forming. Peek when you need to, but don't keep fussing around with it.

Madeira is a slightly sweet, fortified wine that keeps for months and months once opened, so don't worry if you can't use up the bottle right away.

Serve this dish with mashed potatoes, rice, or a grain salad, and a fluffy pile of lettuce dressed with a punchy vinaigrette to play off the creamy sauce.

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PAN SEARED PORK CHOPS WITH MADEIRA AND LEEK CREAM SAUCE

Serves 4

Start to finish: 25 minutes

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4 large, bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops (about 3 pounds total)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 cup sliced leeks (white and light green parts only), well rinsed

1/4 cup Madeira wine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream

Hot cooked mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa or other grains to serve

Chopped freshly parsley to garnish (optional)

___

Bring the pork chops to room temperature and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and sear the chops without moving them until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side (they will not be fully cooked, but still pink in the middle). Transfer the pork chops to a plate, and tent with foil to keep warm.

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Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the shallots and leeks to the pan. Saute for 10 minutes until they are tender and golden brown. Turn the heat back up to medium-high, add the Madeira, thyme and rosemary, and scrape to release any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer, then return the pork chops to the pan, nestling them into the sauce among the leeks, and continue to simmer until the pork is just cooked through, with a hint of pink in the middle, to an internal temperature of 145 F, about 3 more minutes. The sauce will have reduced and thickened a bit.

Let the chops sit in the sauce for a couple of minutes off of the heat. Serve them with the starch of your choice, with the leek sauce ladled over the top of the pork. Finish with a sprinkle of parsley, if desired.

___

Nutrition information per serving: 655 calories; 378 calories from fat; 42 g fat (20 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 213 mg cholesterol; 238 mg sodium; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 55 g protein.

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Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, "Dinner Solved!" and "The Mom 100 Cookbook." She blogs at http://www.themom100.com/about-katie-workman/
Lucy Gonzalez Parsons (1853-1942)

Of Native American, African American and Mexican heritage, Lucy Gonzalez Parsons was a revolutionary activist fighting for workers rights and womens rights, and against racism and homelessness. Arrested numerous times for giving public speeches and leading demonstrations, the Chicago Police Department called her more dangerous than a thousand rioters. Parsons wrote for many publications, and in 1905 she became one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World, an organization that believed all workers should unite as a single class. She also encouraged a different kind of strike. Instead of walking out, workers would occupy a building, an action that would later be called a sit-in. In 2004, the city of Chicago named a park in her honor.

Ruth Maurer

(1871-1945)

Ruth Maurers husband thought she was crazy when she started making face creams and powders in a double boiler in her basement. However, Maurer earned enough money through mail orders that in 1912 she had to move her business to a separate building on Fifth Avenue South in La Crosse. She used the name Marinello Co. for her business, and by 1920 she needed a printing plant to handle the number of brochures necessary for her company. Ahead of her time, Maurer had above average concern for her 150 employees and gave them a clubhouse for recreation as well as free medical care. By 1925, Ruth Maurer had annual sales of $3 million, which would equal $41 million today.
WASHINGTON (AP)  After a federal appeals court unanimously refused to immediately reinstate his travel ban last month, President Donald Trump tweeted a warning: "SEE YOU IN COURT. THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

The courts never did get to decide the full merits of that case before Trump replaced the travel ban Monday with a much narrower version  one supporters say is well within his authority, but which critics say is more palatable but still problematic.

"Bottom line is the president has capitulated on numerous key provisions that we contested in court about a month ago," Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who led the legal challenge to the initial ban, told a news conference Monday.

But the original ban was motivated in part "to target predominantly Muslim countries," Ferguson said, adding, "We still have concerns about that intent."

The new ban temporarily bars new visas for citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries  one fewer than the original, with Iraq removed from the list. It also suspends the entire U.S. refugee program.

The measure applies only to refugees who are not already on their way to the United States and people seeking new visas. It removes language that gave priority to religious minorities. Critics said the language was designed to help Christians get into the U.S. and to exclude Muslims.

Ferguson and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, both Democrats, said they were evaluating whether to bring further legal challenges before the new order takes effect March 16. Although the order is scaled back, "it still sends a horrible message to the world, to Muslim-Americans, and to minority communities across the country, without any demonstrable benefit to national security," Herring said.

The American Civil Liberties Union promised "to move very quickly" to try to stop the order.

Nevertheless, the changes will make it "much, much tougher" for a federal judge to block the ban, said New York immigration attorney Ted Ruthizer.

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Courts could find it compelling that the order does not cover all Muslims from all countries, he said. And judges have a history of upholding portions of immigration law that discriminate on the basis of race and nationality when national security is an issue.

"There's still the argument that, when you take down all the window dressing, it's still a religion ban, but these are the kinds of nuances that the courts will look at," Ruthizer said.

Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University Law School, said that even if the new order is on more solid legal footing, it "will not quell litigation or concerns."

"U.S. relatives will still sue over the inability of their loved ones to join them in the United States," he said. "U.S. companies may sue because they cannot hire needed workers from the six countries. And U.S. universities will worry about the impact of the order on international students' willingness to attend college in the United States."

Top Republicans welcomed Trump's changes. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said the revised order makes significant progress toward what Hatch called for after the first version: to avoid hindering innocent travelers or refugees fleeing violence and persecution.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said the order "advances our shared goal of protecting the homeland."

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who supported the court challenge, described the updated ban as "a clear attempt to resurrect a discredited order and fulfill a discriminatory and unconstitutional campaign promise."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who backed the first ban, said in a statement that the president had the authority to secure the nation's borders "in light of the looming threat of terrorism."

A spokesman for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a Seattle judge's restraining order in the Washington case, said the court was evaluating the new executive order's effect on the existing case. The Justice Department filed papers Monday in federal court in Seattle arguing that the restraining order should not block the new ban from taking effect.

Critics said the new order failed to address their concerns that the measure attempts to enact the Muslim ban Trump advocated during his campaign. Washington state, joined by Minnesota, argued that the original order violated the First Amendment's separation of church and state.

The 9th Circuit's ruling did not deal with that argument, but the court said it would evaluate it after further briefing. The states' claims "raise serious allegations and present significant constitutional questions," the judges wrote.

Larry E. Klayman, a founder of and lawyer for the conservative group Freedom Watch, supported the original ban when it was before the appellate court and called the new version "quite modest."

"Right now, we're in a state of war with certain countries, and this is a reasonable approach to it," Klayman said.

Additionally, a question remained over whether the new ban conflicted with federal immigration law, said Jorge Baron, executive director of the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. His organization filed a class-action complaint over the initial ban and said it would amend its arguments in light of the new one.

"Our immigration laws specifically say you cannot discriminate on basis of nationality in this process," Baron said. "The president can't rewrite the law by executive order."

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in Washington, Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and Matthew Barakat in McLean, Virginia, contributed to this report.
MCALLEN, Texas (AP)  Prosecutors say a Cuban man living in South Texas must serve 18 months in a U.S. prison for impersonating a Border Patrol agent to scam other immigrants.

Eugene Agustin Munoz-Canellas was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in McAllen, Texas.

Investigators say the 55-year-old man is a permanent U.S. resident who lived in Mission, Texas.

Authorities say Munoz-Canellas falsely portrayed himself as a Border Patrol agent in 2015 and 2016 to solicit bribes from people seeking legal status in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in November to impersonating a law enforcement officer.

Prosecutors say Munoz-Canellas has a history of theft and fraud. He faces deportation after serving his prison term.
Tag Heuer has signed up rugby player Dan Carter to be its newest ambassador.

The Swiss brand took to Instagram to reveal the sportsman's new role, posting a photo of the New Zealander on the field alongside one of its luxury men's watches. Further campaign details have yet to be announced, but the accompanying caption included the hashtag #DontCrackUnderPressure!'

Carter is the latest big name signing for the brand, which snapped up supermodel Bella Hadid as its newest female face last month.
Suspected Islamist militants hurled bombs at a prison van in a daring attempt to free Bangladesh's most-wanted militant leader from death row, police said Tuesday.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man at the scene and launched a hunt for his accomplices after the gang threw bombs at the van carrying Mufti Abdul Hannan in the town of Tongi just outside Dhaka on Monday.

"Their aim was to snatch Mufti Hannan," local police chief Firoz Talukder told AFP, referring to the high-profile ringleader of the Harkatul Jihad Al Islami group.

Several of the bombs went off but the van was able to return to prison with Hannan and 18 other prisoners, he added.

Police recovered a range of weapons from the scene, including a grenade and molotov cocktails, along with a pistol and butcher's knife.

The man captured following the brazen attack was a former student at an Islamic boarding school, police said.

In a separate incident Tuesday, two men described as Islamist extremists attacked a police checkpoint in the eastern town of Chandina.

"They shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) and hurled two homemade bombs at police during a routine check," local police chief Nasiruddin Mridha told AFP.

"We fired back with shotguns and arrested both as they tried to escape," he said, adding the pair were injured in the firefight.

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 in some cases but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has pinned the blame on local outfits.

Security forces launched a crackdown on extremists following a shooting at a Dhaka cafe last year in which 22 people, including 18 foreign hostages, were killed by gunmen.

Police have since arrested scores of suspected extremists and killed several top leaders of homegrown militant cells.

Hannan was sentenced to death in 2008 for his role in several atrocities, including a grenade attack that wounded the then-British high commissioner, and could be executed within months.

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He led a campaign of deadly bombings in Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, masterminding attacks on churches, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects.

By the time he was arrested in late 2005, more than 100 people had been killed in attacks he orchestrated across the moderate Muslim-majority nation.

Hannan fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan before returning to join Harkatul Jihad Al Islami, a group founded for jihadists who fought in that war.

It was the first Islamist militant outfit to emerge in Bangladesh, and rose to prominence as Hannan escalated its deadly operations under his leadership.
David Dastmalchian cant wait to play DC villain Abra Kadabra in Season 3 of The Flash.

A few hours after DCComics.com broke the news of his casting, Dastmalchian took to Twitter to express his excitement about his new role. See his tweets below:

Dastmalchian will make his debut appearance as Abra Kadabra later this season. Dastmalchians version of the character is described as a criminal from a distant future whose advanced technological powers seem like magic. The time-traveling baddie also holds a secret that The Flash (Grant Gustin) will stop at nothing to discover.

In the comics, Abra Kadabra is a magician from the 64th Century who travels back to the present only to find himself repetitively at odds with the Scarlet Speedster. While Abra Kadabra is a stage magician, the magic he uses to impress his audiences and fight The Flash is actually 64th Century tech. Although he has no actual magical powers, theres one notable storyline in the comics, in which he temporarily gains powers through a deal he made with the Green Lantern villain Neron.

Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, Abra Kadabra first appeared in The Flash #128 back in 1962.

Although Dastmalchian is the first actor to play a live-action Abra Kadabra, Jeff Bennett has voiced the character on Cartoon Networks animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice. Abra Kadabra has also a non-voiced cameo appearance in Justice League Unlimited.

Dastmalchian is no stranger to the DC Comics world. Just this January, the 32-year-old actor made his debut appearance as Jerome acolyte Dwight Pollard on FOXs Gotham. He also played as one of Jokers thugs in Christopher Nolans 2008 superhero crime thriller The Dark Knight.

Do you think Dastmalchian would make a great Abra Kadabra? Sound off in the comments below!

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An all-new episode of The Flash (Season 3, episode 15) airs on Tuesday, March 7 at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.

David Dastmalchian

Photo: Reuters/Danny Moloshok

Related Articles
A Pennsylvania day care worker was arrested after she allegedly pushed a young girl down a flight of stairs, an act that was caught on a security camera installed a half hour before the incident, officials said.

Sarah Gable can allegedly be seen approaching the 4-year-old girl from behind and shoving her down the stairs at the Child Care of the Future at about 5:15 p.m. Friday, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told reporters.

The 52-year-old day care worker watches as the child barely makes contact with about five steps before she hits a wall and tumbles onto a landing, he said.

After following the tot down the steps and standing her up, Gable appears to realize the incident had been filmed, looking squarely at the camera before delicately leading the child down the rest of the staircase, the video shows.

The little girl suffered an injury to her knee, but was extremely shaken up and afraid to return to the day care, Chitwood said.

Read: Mom Says Daycare Worker Made Her Baby Sick By Breastfeeding Him

"When parents give their kids to day care centers, the expectation is that their children are going to be taken care of," Chitwood said Monday.

Day care administrators watched in real time as the incident unfolded and immediately confronted Gable, fired her, and called the police, Chitwood said.

"The camera caught it all," he said, noting that had it not been for surveillance footage, it would have been the word of a 4-year-old, versus a 52-year-old.

"Its a betrayal of trust and luckily were not dealing with a child who is seriously injured," he said of the incident.

Read: Toddler Dies Days After He Stopped Breathing During Naptime at Daycare

Gable was charged with simple assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police said they will seek charges of recklessly endangering another person as well.

She was freed on $25,000 secured bond, which Chitwood criticized as an amount not fitting the crime of which she is accused.

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"Excuse my expression  its like pissing in the wind," he said. "It shouldve been more. Its a slap on the wrist."

She is due in court on March 16, officials said.

Child Care of the Future did not return a request for comment by InsideEdition.com.

Watch: Picabo Street: I Pushed My Dad Down the Stairs Because He Grabbed My Hair

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The upcoming A Day Without a Woman protest has already started to have an impact. The Alexandria City Public Schools system in Virginia announced Monday it was canceling classes Wednesday at its schools due to the protest, according to a statement on its website. The school division, located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., has more than 15,000 students.

"It has come to our attention that as of today, more than 300 staff members have requested leave this Wednesday, March 8 ... Consequently, ACPS has decided to close schools for students for the day," read Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley's statement explaining Wednesday would be a teacher workday. "This is not a decision that was made lightly."

A Day Without a Woman, timed to coincide with International Women's Day, was a continuation of the Jan. 21 women's marches that mobilized more than 2.6 million people to protest against President Donald Trump and his stances. The organizers of Wednesday's demonstration suggested three ways for activists to get involved: take the day off from work, avoid most shopping or wear red in solidarity.

"We join together in making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system  while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity," the event planners wrote online.

Alexandria wasn't the first district to close its schools Wednesday as a result of the planned demonstration. A preschool in Brooklyn, New York has decided to cancel classes, according to the Huffington Post. North Carolina's Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system, which has about 12,000 students, has also declared it a teacher workday.

"While Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools values and supports its female employees, the decision to close schools is not a political statement," Superintendent Jim Causby wrote in a blog post. "It is entirely about the safety of students and the districts inability to operate with a high number of staff absences."

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These closings and others could indicate Wednesday's protest will hit schools particularly hard.

About 76 percent of public school teachers are female, according to 2011-2012 data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Another study, this one from the National Education Association in 2009, found that about 785,000 teachers in elementary and secondary schools were male. About 2.4 million were females.

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A particularly deadly strain of avian flu, currently found in China, has infected more people there this flu season than it has in any season since the virus was identified, a new report finds.

From October 2016 to February 2017, 460 people were reported infected with the H7N9 virus, according to the report, which was published today (March 3) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This season is considered to be the fifth annual epidemic of the virus, which was first identified in early 2013.

During the first epidemic, which occurred in early 2013, 135 people were infected with the virus, according to the report. In the next epidemic, in 2013 to 2014, 320 people were infected; in the 2015 to 2016 epidemic, 226 people were infected; and in the 2015 to 2016 epidemic, 119 people were infected, according to the report. [The 9 Deadliest Viruses on Earth]

During those first four epidemics, 88 percent of the people who were infected with the H7N9 strain developed pneumonia, and 68 percent were admitted to the intensive care unit, according to the report. Forty-one percent of the patients died, the researchers found.

Indeed, the CDC says that most of the reported cases of the H7N9 virus have resulted in "very serious illness," though there have been a small number of milder cases reported.

Symptoms of the viral infection start with a high fever and cough, according to the CDC. In many cases, the illness progresses, and people can develop severe pneumonia, fluid in the lungs, septic shock and multiorgan failure, which can lead to death, the CDC says.

In the new report, the researchers noted that most of the infected people contracted the virus through contact with infected poultry. Although there have been several instances in which the virus hopped from one person to another, this "human-to-human spread" has been limited, as in, spreading from a sick person to someone in very close contact with that person, such as a caretaker.

Story continues

For a virus to become pandemic, "sustained" human-to-human spread is necessary, the CDC says. In other words, a pandemic virus must be able to spread from one person to another, and then to another, and so on. The H7N9 virus is not currently spreading that way, although it is possible that the virus could mutate in a way that would give it the ability to spread easily from person to person, according to the CDC. Health officials are closely monitoring the virus for any of these changes, the CDC says.

The H7N9 virus has not been detected in humans or birds in the U.S., and therefore, the current risk to people in the U.S. is "considered to be very low," according to the CDC. However, CDC noted that it is possible that the virus could spread in the U.S., most likely via a traveler from China.

Originally published on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations
By Clodagh Kilkoyne WARRENPOINT, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Mussel fisherman Brian MacDonald shares many of the concerns about Britain's divorce from the European Union that are felt by tens of thousands of people who earn a living along the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. However the native of the Northern Irish harbor town of Warrenpoint has an additional headache on top of the prospect of tariffs and trade disruption - the waters in which he fishes are the subject of a territorial row that stretches back decades. Carlingford Lough - an estuary that forms part of the border between the county of Down in British-run Northern Ireland and Louth in EU member Ireland - is one of two waterways that present particularly complex issues as Britain removes itself from the EU over the next two years. "No one can define who owns what. Neither of the two governments have defined the border here and nobody can say where is the North and where is the South," said MacDonald. "It's two fiddlers playing two completely different tunes and we're stuck in the middle and nobody wants to talk to us about it." Talks are ongoing between the Irish and British governments relating to the jurisdiction of Carlingford Lough and the unresolved ownership of Lough Foyle, which lies to the west between Donegal and Londonderry, the Loughs Agency, a cross-border body overseeing both areas, said in a statement. Across the water from Warrenpoint in Greenore, fellow mussel fisherman Brian Cunningham fears Brexit could lead to a doubling up of paperwork such as trawler registrations and add costs that would hurt the industry. He said most boats based in Northern Ireland normally fish off the coast in the Republic of Ireland. "When Brexit comes, what's going to happen? We're going to have to jump through hoops that by the time the paper work is sorted out our mussels will be dead," he said. "They are landed live, processed live and sold live to the customer. It's a live animal, its no different than the cattle, sheep or pig. So, it's going to be very, very difficult." Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said it is of "vital national interest" that no physical barrier or customs controls be put back on the border, winning initial EU backing. But the fishermen of Carlingford Lough fear their long-standing concerns will not be a big priority. "It's vitally important to us that ... we have an equal footing to try and make a living as we have done for numerous years now," said MacDonald. "But because we are not a big voice in the grand scheme of things nobody wants to talk to us and that's it." Click here to see The Wider Image http://reut.rs/2lSevF5 (Writing by Padraic Halpin; editing by Richard Lough)
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March 7 is election day for Angelenos. The city will be voting on a host of issues, including who will be our mayor, a sales tax increase aimed at funding services for the homeless, and how the city treats land development over the next two years and beyond. The latter issue, on the ballot as Measure S (a.k.a. "that terrible NIMBY ballot measure"), maybe be one of the most existential issues facing city voters in recent history.

According to Ballotpedia, Measure S will create "a moratorium on construction that increases development density for up to two years," and will permanently prohibit project-specific amendments to the city's general planmeaning, if a developer wants to add density to a lot not zoned for higher density, the developer cannot petition the city to "up-zone" the lot for that specific project, but must wait for the city's general plan itself to be updated.

The measure was created and written by the Coalition to Preserve LA, which has received almost exclusive funding (some $4.6 million worth) from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. If you're questioning the non-profit's connection to urban planning issues, so are we. When LA Weekly posed the question to Michael Weinstein, founder of AHF, and father of Measure S, he responded in a particularly dodgy way.

"We're a corporate citizen," Weinstein began at his office in Hollywood. "This is our international headquarters. Why not? Why are we being asked the question and not all the business groups and the people who want to build anything they want? Why is it somehow less valid for us to be concerned about what happens in a community that we've invested in?"

Some have suggested that Weinstein's involvement was sparked by the two-tower Palladium Residences project that was proposed across the street from the AHF buildingthe towers would block Weinstein's office's views of the Hollywood hills. Weinstein has denied the claims.

Regardless of Weinstein's or the AHF's involvement, the ballot measure has brought the city to a crossroads: continue down the path of urbanization, or keep the city's current level of density.

As we've reported before, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the entire L.A. County Board of Supervisors have already reached their decision on the measure. They (as well as us here at LAist) urged Angelenos to vote no on Measure S.

Los Angeles is a city that welcomes everyone, and we never want to turn our backs on our residentsbut thats what Measure S would do, Garcetti wrote in a press release. Measure S will raise rents and will stymie our work to house the homeless."

Proponents of Measure S have painted the issue as a strike back against corruption at City Hall, and a panacea to gentrification. However, limiting construction of new housing stock would increase the speed of gentrification (which is already an incredibly complex issue), not decrease it.

The L.A. Times editorial board, which sided against Measure S, says that, "The measure would do nothing to create more affordable housing or to protect existing affordable housing." This goes without saying that we need to facilitate the building of more units, as we're mired in a crushing housing crisisa recent report said the Southland will need to build 68,000 new homes a year to keep up with demand. The Times also notes that it's unreasonable to stop all amendments to the general plan, as "the existing citys land-use plans are so out of date and so riddled with inconsistencies that its not unusual to need a zone change to build a simple apartment building in a row of existing apartment buildings."

As for the corruption claim, we're still waiting to hear from Weinstein and the AHF on why millions of dollars of AHF money should be spent on this ballot measure, and not sticking to the foundation's mission statement of ridding "the world of AIDS through a network of pharmacies, thrift stores, healthcare contracts and other strategic partnerships."

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, with the threat of Measure S passing, the city council has approved a measure to update the LA's community plans more rapidly than in the pasta strategy that would cost the city $10 million a year, or $5 million more than it already does.

The plan for accelerated revision will help alleviate some of the concerns about Measure S, which is not to do as many general plan amendments, not to do as many zone changes as we have in the past," said Councilman Jose Huizar.

Oh, and for the record, the Weinstein and the AHF were also vehemently opposed to Measure M, which increased funding for mass transit projects around the county.

Don't worry, Michael Weinstein. We'll keep building Los Angeles into the world-class metropolitan it is, and we'll leave some space in it for you, too (we just can't promise a view of the hills).
On February 17, Chinas Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping announced what he called the two guidances. Beijing should now guide the international community to jointly build a more just and reasonably new world order, Xi said in an important national security meeting, and guide the international community to jointly maintain international security. Those are the most assertive public statements Xi has made so far about Chinas role in shaping the international system. As Trump declares that Washingtons new strategy is an isolationist America First, is Beijing moving away from a reactive foreign policy strategy? If so, how will  and how should  Beijing try to shape the new world order? The Editors

Paul Haenle, Director, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center:

Since Xis elevation to power in 2012, Chinese scholars at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center have been discussing their concept of a new international order. While China acknowledges that it has benefited enormously from the post-WWII international order, the rules of the existing order were made without it at the table. Now that China is more powerful, it wants greater influence, and to reform the system to better suit its interests. To this end, Chinese experts say that the country is beginning to take a more proactive approach to foreign affairs, and shifting from a focus of integrating into the international system to shaping it. This idea is not necessarily a Trump phenomenon. Indeed, during the Obama administration, China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and One Belt, One Road initiative in this vein.

Xis remarks at the seminar on national security were more or less in keeping with this trend. He said that Chinas goal is not to replace the existing order but to play a more proactive role in guiding and reforming the international system. Whereas in the past, Chinas foreign policy was primarily defined by what China opposed  i.e. hegemony, interference, and aggression  going forward Chinese scholars say it will be defined by what China supports. This raises the question: what are the changes or new norms that China would like to see guide a new international order?

On the one hand, nervousness about Trump may be pushing China to defend the rules and norms that the United States has for years hoped it would embrace. Xis speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January was less a signal of Chinas desire to supplant U.S. leadership, and more an expression of Chinas reluctant willingness to defend globalization and other international efforts in which China now has a stake, like global trade and climate change. As the Council on Foreign Relations Liz Economy recently pointed out, China has a long way to go before it can credibly be seen as the defender or leader of globalization. Moreover, Beijing has yet to demonstrate an interest or capacity to lead on costly, protracted international security challenges. In making the case for globalization, China sees an opportunity to defend its domestic economic and security interests and burnish its international image.

At the same time, Chinas leaders recognize the void created by President Trumps questioning of Americas traditional global leadership role, and are beginning to fill it. As the United States withdraws from the trade agreement the Trans-Pacific Partnership and awaits the appointment of key policymakers who will help set the vision for the new administrations approach to the Asia-Pacific, China is moving forward with its own agenda. Even if President Trumps Asia policy comes to reflect relative continuity with the frameworks of past U.S. administrations, this will not be a sufficient substitute for strong U.S. leadership on the global stage. The strength and power of our alliances and partnerships depends on Americas clout around the world. In the absence of U.S. global leadership, there will be more room for Xis China to step in.

Shen Dingli, Professor, Fudan University:

Over the past 25 years, there have been three major changes in the world order: the Soviet Union has disappeared; U.S. economic output has shrunk from one-third of the world total at the turn of the century to roughly one-fifth; and China has risen.

In areas such as manufacturing, international trade, foreign currency reserve, energy consumption and pollutant emission, China is already a quasi-superpower. Much of this comes from globalization. Due to Chinas low wages and willingness to suffer pollution over the past three decades, it has successfully attracted a large volume of foreign investment and technology transfers, and has built itself into a world-class economic engine.

Yes, Chinas economy is only roughly 60 percent of the size of the United States, per official exchange rate, while its per capita GDP remains less than one-sixth of that of the United States. By most measures, the United States is the sole superpower, and will remain so for at least the next one or two decades. But the world order is in fact changing, and China is seeking a more prominent role.

The world needs new leaders for international norm, and China has offered its leadership globally before. For example, Chinas heroic role during World War II led to its permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council. In the 1950s, China and India jointly codified the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, a leading global campaign of de-colonization. In the 1960s, China help build international support for the American civil rights movement. And in the 1970s, China vehemently condemned apartheid in South Africa. Since Beijing launched its reform and opening movement in the late 1970s, China has accumulated a vast amount of development resources, both financial and technology, and it is now ready to export them to help shape a fairer and more secure world.

Obviously, globalization affects China, both positively and negatively. Still, China needs further growth through globalization. Moreover, China has to improve its own development model to earn more respect from the world community.

That said, Xis notion of two guidances indicates Chinas increasing willingness to shape an improved world order and international security framework. This is likely to be accepted, as long as China partners with other powers  including the United States. On the one hand, the United States will never relinquish its leadership. Sooner or later the Trump type of America First will swing back to a more traditional internationalism, due to its strong domestic checks and balances. On the other hand, the world is not currently ready to accept a China-centric world order. If China maintains a humble while ambitious stance, it could reemerge as a major global player.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Professor, Hong Kong Baptist University:

Xi is clearly taking advantage of Trumps America First and potentially isolationist policy to try to elevate China as the new moral authority that can guide (yindao) the world, in two ways: by creating a new, more open, and more equitable world order, and by establishing a new, supposedly safer  although ill-defined  international security system. What is most striking is that China no longer seems satisfied with shouldering more international responsibilities. Now, it wants to take the lead: and it expects other countries to follow.

Xis initiative also underscores the growing attractiveness not only of Chinas economy but also the China model. Many developing countries dream of imitating Chinas success story, and would not object to instilling a stronger dose of authoritarianism to speed up their economic development. And quite a number of developed nations  particularly within the European Union, because of many of its member states antipathy towards Trump  are tempted to move closer to China, and to start establishing new international norms with her.

Can China deliver?

There are at least two problems with Xis proposal: the first is that the model of international order and security that he is proposing is not as open, transparent, and inclusive as it looks at first glance. Moreover, there is a large distance between what Xi professes and how China behaves as a trade partner and W.T.O. member. In the last few years, Chinas non-trade barriers have increased instead of decreased, foreign investors are less and less welcome in China, and powerful Communist Party-led state-owned enterprises still control, and in some case monopolize, significant chunks of the economy.

The second problem is that Xi is trying to restore a neo-Westphalian order which gives sovereign states a prominent role. The world-order that he proposes is a state-centered and state-controlled order, not a society-based and people-accountable one. Beijing wants to impose this model throughout the world, in areas including counter-terrorism, and cybercrime, and use these tools to crush political opposition or separatist forces. Although many governments, particularly in the developing world may be tempted by these proposals, will Western nations go along?

Finally, despite the uncertainties surrounding the future and longevity of the Trump administration, the United States may reveal itself less isolationist and protectionist than it currently seems. And U.S. leadership may prove resurgent: after all, the United States will remain the top economy and military power in the world for a long time, especially as Chinas economy slows. The United States is a much more established and credible security guarantor that China is or will be tomorrow, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. And in the longer run, its political system is more resilient than the Party-led, still largely opaque, and allergic-to-reform Chinese political system.

Xis China is full of ideas and is not any more shy to make them known, but look at its deeds, not its words, and look at its domestic problems, not only its outside strengths.

Bjorn Jerden, Asia Program Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs:

International leadership depends on social recognition. Threatening or buying off other countries can achieve a lot, but coercion and transnationalism are not sufficient tools for a great power that wishes to transform itself into a global leader. China needs acceptance from its peers in order to guide the international community to jointly maintain international security and build a more just and reasonable world order. A strategy for international leadership is more likely to succeed if China manages to stay clear from a number of pitfalls that otherwise might hurt its legitimacy.

First, some other countries at occasion perceive that China disregards the international rule-based order. Chinas refusal to participate in the South China Sea Arbitration case brought by the Philippines got support from a number of friendly states, but also led to widespread worries about what the decision says about Beijings general attitude toward international rules and norms. Few states are fully compliant with the rule-based order, and a great power might get away with more than others might. Nonetheless, even the American superpower saw its legitimacy plunge when it ignored international opinion and invaded Iraq in 2003. If China creates the perception that it stands above international law, it risks alienating democratic and non-democratic countries alike.

Second, smaller countries sometimes feel that China acts in an overbearing manner toward them. A retired senior Singaporean diplomat, for example, argues that, On occasion, Chinese diplomats even seem to have perversely gone out of their way to accentuate rather than assuage anxieties.  [their] behavior is  illustrating the passive-aggressive style and the positing of false dilemmas to force acceptance of Chinas inherent superiority as the natural normative order of East Asian international relations. Non-great powers might be more likely to recognize Chinese leadership if they feel that Beijing does not look down on them.

Third, the Chinese leadership is at times exceedingly sensitive to international criticism. To protest Liu Xiaobos Nobel Peace Prize, for example, Beijing in effect shut down political relations with Oslo for over six years. Americas attitude might in fact offer some helpful clues for China. Although the United States receives so much condemnation that anti-Americanism has engendered its own research program, the U.S. government does not throw a fit every time someone points out its imperfections. A great power will attract more attention and thus more disapproval. It might facilitate Chinese legitimacy if the leadership in Beijing finds ways that are more constructive to handle foreign criticism.

A majority of the international society would probably welcome a China that exercises a self-confident and responsible global leadership. Without some behavioral adjustments, however, it might be difficult for Beijing to gain wide acceptance for its aspired status.

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
On International Womens Day this year, the organizers behind the Womens March on Washington are aiming for another national demonstration of solidarity  this time in the form of a day without a woman.

Organizers have called on women to take the day off from paid and unpaid work on March 8, avoid shopping and wear red to show support. Those who participate will follow the precedent set by generations of women who previously spent a day  or weeks  on strike for various causes.

Here are some of the issues that have previously led women in the U.S. to strike  and what they accomplished by doing so:

Uprising of the 20,000 in 1909

In what became known as the Uprising of the 20,000, New York City garment workers led a weeks-long strike beginning in November of 1909, calling for better working conditions and higher wages. The strike, led mostly by young women, came out of a meeting of workers from different garment companies. Male union leaders were hesitant because they did not believe that women could be trusted with a strike, as framed by the Harvard librarys special collection on women at work, but one young female union member, Clara Lemlich, stood up and demanded a strike among workers across the industry.

What followed was the largest strike by women to date in American history, according to the Jewish Womens Archive, which estimated that 70% of those striking were women. Some wealthy progressive women threw their support behind the strike, absorbing its concerns into the broader fight for suffrage and womens rights.

The strike  which demanded a 20% pay raise, a 52-hour workweek and overtime pay, according to the AFL-CIO  achieved some gains in the way of higher pay and shorter hours. But a devastating fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 soon proved that more safety improvements were necessary.

Story continues

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Women Strike for Peace in 1961

Concerned by the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, an estimated 50,000 women in cities across the country and around the world went on strike to protest nuclear testing on Nov. 1, 1961.

Women walked out of their kitchens and off their jobs in a one-day womens strike for peace, wrote Amy Swerdlow, author of Women Strike for Peace: Traditional Motherhood and Radical Politics in the 1960s. Swerdlow, who was a founding member of Women Strike for Peace (WSP), said activists urged other women to suspend their regular routine of home, family, and job and march on government offices to demonstrate their concern.

The girls are only beginning to feel their power, WSP founder Dagmar Wilson said at the time, according to the New York Times.

Organizers of the strike received a letter of support from First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, as well as the wife of Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev. As mothers, we cannot help but be concerned about the health and welfare of our husbands and children, Kennedy wrote, according to the Times.

The march also earned the attention of President John F. Kennedy, who called the women extremely earnest. When he signed the nuclear test ban treaty in 1963, it was, in part, a credit to their protest.

Womens Strike for Equality in 1970

On Aug. 26, 1970, the Womens Strike for Equality brought an estimated 50,000 women onto New York Citys Fifth Avenue during rush hour.

Sponsored by the National Organization for Women and organized largely by Betty Friedan, the march put forth a feminist agenda that included access to free abortion, round-the-clock childcare centers and equal opportunities in work and education. Organized around the slogan, Dont iron while the strike is hot, the march was originally intended to result in a national work stoppage among women, as Friedan aimed to demonstrate the unequal burden of domestic labor.

No one knows how many shirts lay wrinkling in laundry baskets last week as thousands of women across the country turned out for the first big demonstration of the Womens Liberation movement, TIME wrote in its Sept. 7, 1970 issue. The strike, on the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the womens suffrage amendment, drew small crowds by antiwar or civil rights standards, yet was easily the largest womens rights rally since the suffrage protests.

The strike  which took place at the end of the working day in an effort to boost participation  made the womens movement a household word, Ruth Rosen, author of The World Split Open: How the Modern Womens Movement Changed America, told the New York Times in 2006. As TIME noted in 1970, the march won new support and undoubtedly new awareness among both men and women of the case for female rights.

While the strikes symbolic impact was clear, the womens movement continued to push its agenda with varied results. The 1972 passage of Title IX and workplace policies banning sexual harassment were steps toward equal opportunities in work and education for women. Abortion rights advocates made strides when Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, but the issue is still hotly contested today. And affordable childcare remains a goal among womens rights activists.

But Friedan viewed the strike as a success. It exceeded my wildest dreams, she said at the time. Its now a political movement; the message is clear. The politicians are taking heed already.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Diplomats from six Eastern European countries appealed to U.S. senators on Tuesday to help them stand up against interference from Russia, including cyber attacks, and insisted that sanctions imposed on Moscow should not be lifted anytime soon. The foreign minister of Ukraine as well as the ambassadors to Washington from Poland, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia appeared at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on Russian activity in their countries. "Until Russia gets off Ukrainian land, there should be no easing up of sanctions. If anything, they should be increased," said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. Other diplomats agreed, describing efforts within their countries and others to lessen their dependence on Russian natural gas for their energy needs. "We really think about diversification," said Piotr Wilczek, Poland's ambassador to Washington. Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the subcommittee overseeing the State Department and foreign aid, called the hearing amid concerns that President Donald Trump might not stand up to Moscow, including talk that he might lift sanctions imposed after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea. Graham signaled that he supported continued aid, calling it important to U.S. security. "The safer you are, the safer we will be," Graham said. Trump has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for improved relations with Moscow while Graham has been one of the most vocal congressional critics of such statements. 'HYBRID WAR' Graham also noted concern over Russian cyber attacks seeking to intervene in the 2016 U.S. election won by Trump. Graham said he did not believe Russia changed the election outcome. Members of congressional appropriations committees will soon be setting out spending plans for next year, and the Trump administration has already discussed steep cuts in foreign aid as well as to the State Department. Graham said he wanted a better relationship with Russia, but that would not happen until Russia changed. He spoke shortly after having lunch with Trump, and told the diplomats he expected the new president would be a good ally. Several members of the subcommittee asked which type of assistance was most useful. The diplomats said military assistance, including defensive weapons. The United States in January began its largest military reinforcement of Europe in decades, when 2,700 troops arrived in Poland. The region requested U.S. and NATO troops after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. The diplomats described Russia's behavior as "hybrid warfare," combining cyber attacks and propaganda with the threat or use of force. For example, Georgian Ambassador David Bakradze described Russian broadcasts that discouraged Georgians from supporting the country's efforts to join the NATO alliance. Moscow backed two breakaway regions in the 2008 war with Tbilisi and one-fifth of Georgian territory remains under the control of pro-Russian separatists. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by G Crosse)
Some people might feel iffy talking about their day-to-day beauty habits, but not Beauty and the Beast star Emma Watson.

The actress revealed to Into the Gloss that baths are her guilty pleasure and that she loves taking them so much that she can have two to three in a day. Nothing terrible is going to happen in the bath, so I always find time for that, she wrote. I'll take phone conversations in the bath, anything.

To enhance her bathing experience, Watson would use Epsom salts and oils and even eucalyptus and peppermint and bark and Echinacea and ginger.

Watson decided to get really candid about her revelation, sharing, I've been bleaching my top lip since I was nine. I don't do it very often, but I do it! There's that, and I use Fur Oil. I'll use that anywhere from the ends of my hair to my eyebrows to my pubic hair. It's an amazing all-purpose product.

Not everybody feels comfortable talking about how they groom their pubic hair or other private parts, but Watson said its time people change this. There's still so much shame around the things you do to get ready while you've got a towel wrapped around your head. It's important to me not to edit that out.

Watson really has a lot of inspiring views. She earlier told Vanity Fair that shes through taking selfies with fans, but its not because she is being anti-social.

For me, its the difference between being able to have a life and not. If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds theyve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters, she said. They can see what Im wearing and who Im with. I just cant give that tracking data.

Watson, who shot to fame after starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has always striven to be a good role model to girls everywhere. The actress hopes her character, Belle, from Beauty and the Beast will be the same. Thats the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice. Theres this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact that she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her, she told Total Film.

Story continues

Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon, will hit cinemas on March 17.

Emma Watson

Photo: Reuters/Paul Hackett

Related Articles
By Robert-Jan Bartunek and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states do not have to admit people on humanitarian grounds, even if they are at risk of torture or inhuman treatment, the EU's top court ruled on Tuesday, cutting off a possible channel for asylum seekers into the bloc. The decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) goes against advice from its advocate general, who said last month that such visas had to be issued under EU law. It spares EU states a new big headache at a time when they are pushing to stem immigration by cutting off asylum seekers and labor migrants alike after taking in some 1.6 million people arriving across the Mediterranean in 2014-2016. The court ruled on the case of a Syrian family from the city of Aleppo who applied for a visa to stay with acquaintances in Belgium in October. Belgian authorities had refused the visa, leading to a court battle. "Member States are not required, under EU law, to grant a humanitarian visa to persons who wish to enter their territory with a view to applying for asylum, but they remain free to do so on the basis of their national law," the court said. While EU member states can now issue such visas if they choose, an EU-wide legal obligation to do so would have paved the way for many new applications they would then have been unable to reject. Some European lawmakers, as well as aid groups, have called for such a solution, saying EU embassies and consulates outside of the bloc should handle such requests. "NGOs (non-governmental organizations) wanted to move the EU border to the embassies but the ECJ has reined them in. A good thing," said Belgium's migration minister, Theo Francken. EU states have struggled to accommodate the migrants and refugees who made it into the bloc, ensure sufficient security screening and agree between themselves on how to share out the responsibility. They have waged bitter political battles over that for some two years now, with no sign of agreement emerging on the horizon. The bloc has hence increasingly started to turn to countries south and east of the Mediterranean to have them block people on their way to Europe and be able to send them back more easily. "Had the court ruled otherwise, it would have been a huge, a massive problem," said a diplomat in Brussels who is involved in EU migration policies. Other politicians and NGOs criticized the verdict, saying it ignored the EU's commitments to human rights and continued to put refugees in harm's way. "Today's verdict is a sad day for the protection of refugees and a day of celebration for fortress builders and human traffickers," said Karl Kopp of Pro Asyl, a German rights group. (Additional reporting by Tom Koerkemeier; Editing by Gareth Jones)
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union's highest court has upheld rules that prevent member countries from applying reduced rates of value-added tax to many electronic books, newspapers and magazines.

The European Court of Justice's ruling Tuesday came after Poland's constitutional court, which had doubts about the validity of the tax rules, sought its opinion.

Under an EU directive, countries are allowed to apply reduced VAT rates to printed publications but must charge the full rate on digital publications  except digital books sold in physical form such as a CD-ROM.

The court found that the European Parliament should be granted "broad discretion" in approving tax measures. It said that, because of "constant developments" in electronic services, it had been deemed necessary to apply "clear, simple and uniform rules" to avoid confusion.
Beijing's plans to use "staggering" subsidies to create national champions in high-tech industries would further skew China's business playing field and worsen trade frictions, a European lobby group warned Tuesday.

The EU Chamber of Commerce said in a report state subsidies of hundreds of billions of dollars and foreign technology transfers in 10 sectors were "highly problematic" and urged China to stop interfering in the market.

"We see that Chinese market players are entering the global marketplace, whereas we are still here in front of the Great Wall of China," the group's president Joerg Wuttke told reporters ahead of the release of the report on Beijing's China Manufacturing 2025 plan first announced in 2015.

The report said subsidies for industries including new-energy vehicles, information technology and robotics had "already created problems for both China's economy and European business".

"We think China would be better off not picking winners and deciding who's doing what in the future," said Wuttke.

"The recommendation we have there is, 'stay away, let the market pick the winners'."

European electric carmakers face "intense pressure to turn over advanced technology in exchange for near-term market access", and IT companies have seen their market access shrink, the report said.

The Chinese plan's emphasis on self-sufficiency is "particularly concerning -- it suggests that Chinese policies will further skew the competitive landscape in favour of domestic companies".

This could cause a new flood of overcapacity in those industries, as happened previously in the steel and solar sectors, and exacerbate tensions with China's international trade partners, the report said.

China's Communist-controlled parliament is holding its annual 10-day session in Beijing, in which delegates approve growth targets and the national budget.

Story continues

Beijing has urged its companies to enter markets abroad in search of higher returns and advanced technologies to make them more competitive in a range of high-value sectors from aerospace to agribusiness and robotics.

China ranked 84th globally -- behind Saudi Arabia and Ukraine -- in the World Bank's ease of doing business index for 2016, and second to last in an OECD report on the restrictiveness towards foreign investment.

Since President Xi Jinping took over in 2012, the government has moved away from liberalisation on several fronts, strengthening state-owned enterprises, increasing capital controls and tightening restrictions on free exchange of information and ideas online.

In a report released in January by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, a record 80 percent of 462 US businesses who replied to a survey said they felt that foreign companies were less welcome than in the past.
Cayenne (AFP) - Europe launched a fourth satellite Tuesday for its Copernicus Earth-monitoring project to track changes in forest cover and air pollution, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced.

The 1.1-tonne, "colour-vision" Sentinel-2B satellite blasted off on a Vega rocket from Europe's space port in Kourou, French Guiana, overnight, and was successfully placed in Earth orbit, it said.

In about three days, controllers will start calibrating instruments to commission the satellite, which is to start operations in three to four months.

"With this launch we are taking another step toward advancing the Copernicus programme, which is the most sophisticated Earth observation system in the world," ESA director general Jan Woerner said in a statement.

Two more satellites are to follow in the coming months.

Sentinel-SB, a twin of Sentinel-2A launched in June 2015, will zoom in on changes in the Earth's land mass and coastal zones -- forest cover and pollution in lakes and coastal waters, for example.

Between them, the Sentinel-2 pair will cover the Earth's entire surface in five days. They are placed in the same orbit, on opposite sides of the planet, 180 degrees apart.

"Each Sentinel-2 satellite carries an innovative high-resolution multispectral camera with 13 spectral bands for a new perspective of land and vegetation," the agency said.

"The combination of high-resolution, novel spectral capabilities, a field of vision covering 290 kilometres (180 miles) and frequent revisit times will provide unprecedented views of Earth."

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.

Future satellites will focus on ocean data and Earth's atmosphere.

By mapping areas stricken by flood or earthquake, Copernicus will also help emergency teams identify worst-hit areas and locate passable roads, railway lines and bridges.

Copernicus, a programme of the ESA and European Commission, 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.
On the eve of the French presidential election, the future of France not only hangs in the balance but also that of Europe. Or, at least, a certain idea of Europe  namely, one based on the institutions and laws of the European Union. Marine Le Pen, the candidate for the extreme right-wing National Front party, has centered her campaign on the recentering of France as a sovereign nation. At a press conference last month devoted to her foreign policy, Le Pen announced to no ones surprise: Its time we finished with the European Union.

But does this mean Le Pen is finished with, well, other ideas for a unified Europe? The blueprints for one alternative Europe can be found in her partys ideological basement. Were she to venture there, Le Pen would discover  or rediscover  the writings of thinkers associated with Frances so-called Nouvelle Droite, or New Right. While these thinkers never held  or, at least, held for very long  prominent positions within the National Front, they were there at the partys beginnings and have left their imprint on its evolution. Scorning the universal values of the Enlightenment that underpin the EU, these thinkers instead propose a united Europe bound together by what, in their eyes, are the irrefutable and irresistible claims of race and ethnicity.

Among the many individuals who have circled around the dark sun of ethno-nationalism, few have followed a more bizarre orbit that Jean Thiriart. As a young self-described leftist in Nazi-occupied Belgium, Thiriart joined Les Amis du Grand Reich Allemand, a collaborationist organization that, as its name suggests, thrilled to the prospect of a unified Europe under Nazi control. Imprisoned after the war for collaborationism, Thiriart kept mostly quiet until the early 1960s, when he co-founded Jeune Europe, a movement that initially found common ground with members of the Organisation Armee Secrete, the French paramilitary and terrorist group opposed to Algerias independence from France.

Story continues

After the publication in 1964 of his political testament, Un empire de 400 millions dhommes: LEurope, Thiriart militated for a centralized continental-wide party, working toward the unification of Europe. Claiming the existence of a single and Caucasian community from Narvik to Cape Town, from Brest to Bucharest, Thiriarts group glommed onto a position found in nearly every organization falling under the umbrella of the New Right: The clear and present danger to Europe was not communist Russia but capitalist America. Through the several iterations of Thiriarts groups  a chameleon-like trait common to organizations at both extremes of the political spectrum  they were all aimed, in Thiriarts words, at forming a global front against U.S. imperialism.

The political scientists Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg, who retrace this idiosyncratic life in their indispensable account Far-Right Politics in Europe, note that Thiriart eventually reached out to Arab countries in his quest for a global front against America. Having begun his career in the company of white supremacists, Thiriart ended it in the company of Arab nationalists. His hope was to form international brigades that would carry on the struggle not just against the United States but also its partner in global crime, Israel. When he died in 1992, he apparently left behind several unfinished manuscripts arguing, in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, that the battle against the United States was even more imperative.

While Thiriarts place in the far-right solar system resembles an exoplanet, not so for the rather Jovian Alain de Benoist, the founder of GRECE, a French ethno-nationalist think tank. With GRECEs creation in 1968, so too was born the term New Right. Just as the latter term is a catchall for a great variety of movements, the work of the think tank also tends to be eclectic. Benoist would be the first to reject comparisons between GRECE and, say, the American Heritage Foundation. The traditional division between left and right, he argues, is obsolete. By the right, Benoist announced in his book Vu de droite (The Right View), he means the attitude that considers the diversity of the world, and as a consequence the related inequalities necessarily produced by it, to be a good, and the gradual homogenization of the world, advocated and realized by the 2,000-year-old discourse of egalitarian ideology, to be an evil.

With this claim, Benoist challenged the entire spectrum of traditional political parties in France. Conservatives no less than progressives, Gaullists no less than Socialists, found little common ground with the territory staked out by Benoist. A small number of political figures tied to GRECE, most notably Alain Madelin, who served as a minister in the Jacques Chirac era, eventually slipped into mainstream conservatism. Tellingly, many others drifted in the 1980s and 1990s toward the National Front, most importantly men like Jean-Yves Le Gallou, Pierre Vial, and Yann Blot.

Not surprisingly, given his institutions acronym, Benoist locates the proper European heritage in ancient (and pagan) Greece. While he portrays this as a cultural legacy, racism is never far from the surface. As the scholar Anne-Marie Duranton-Crabol observes, GRECE (if not ancient Greece) tends to exalt racial values, which presuppose racial differences. Like a Gallic Charles Murray, Benoist plays with words as he plays with fire, skillfully fudging the line between race and culture, value and difference. His scholarship gives a gleam of respectability to what his critics insist, quite simply, is a racist ideology.

While Benoist avoids such blunt language, this is not the case with those like Jean-Marie Le Pen who turn to him as an intellectual guarantor of their racist worldview. In a sulfurous interview he gave two years ago to the extreme right-wing paper Rivarol, Le Pen declared that France had to collaborate with Russia in order to save boreal [northern] Europe and the white world. By invoking the toxic claim that Europeans descend from an arctic or Aryan race, the elder Le Pen, and indeed Benoist, is not alone. Writers like Jean Raspail (one of Steve Bannons favorite authors), Eric Zemmour, and Renaud Camus all warn against what Renaud has described as le grand replacement  namely, the threat that immigration and globalization pose to the racial character of Europe.

Like Murrays reputation, Benoists public status is, to say the least, controversial. In 2015, the best-selling leftist French intellectual Michel Onfray declared that he preferred to read a valid analysis written by Benoist than an invalid analysis written by, say, fellow celebrity philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy. Then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls quickly accused Onfray of legitimizing not just Benoists ideas but by extension those of the National Front. In response, Onfray declared that only a cretin would judge a claim on the politics of its author and not the merits of its argument.

While Onfrays reply was just, Vallss provocation was not entirely unjust. Onfray, who places himself on the far-left, and Benoist, who is placed, despite his protests, on the far-right, share a common ideological ground. Both thinkers are appalled by the rise of religious extremism and are attracted to a post-religious, or pagan, basis for society; both thinkers identify American capitalism and popular culture as two of Europes principal foes. Benoist declares that the ideologie du meme, or ideology of the same, flows from America, leveling everything in its path. For Onfray, consumerism is the rot at the heart of the West. In his just published book, Decadence, he asks: Today, who would give his life for the gadgets of consumerism that have become cult objects in the religion of capitalism? No one.

At the end of the day, according to Benoist and Onfray, the West is lurching toward the end of its day. Benoists prognosis is grim: The world seems to have entered an implosive, in fact terminal, stage.

In their survey, Camus and Lebourg cite Onfrays positions as a measure of Benoists success. They emphasize the New Rights key role in the irruption in intellectual debate of ideas in France  ideas that careen from the critique of anti-monotheism (especially in regard to Islam) and embrace of communitarianism, the lambasting of consumerism and the normalization of discussions about the respective share of the innate and acquired in individual aptitudes. While not all of their concerns overlap, GRECE and the National Front continue to share deep affinities.

Though these individuals did not stay, the same cannot be said for their ideas. From her embrace of French sovereignism to her admiration of Vladimir Putins Russia, from her emphasis on national preference to her attachment to a strong central state, Marine Le Pen has made GRECEs ideas her own. While she rejects the European Union, Le Pen praises a free union of European nations. Though she would never use the term employed by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who repeatedly called for the union of boreal peoples, Le Pen nevertheless shares the same apocalyptic vision of the conflict between East and West found in the writings of Benoist (as well as those of the essayist Eric Zemmour and novelist Michel Houellebecq.) And its on the basis of this vision of an unavoidable civilizational conflict that Le Pens party believes Europe should be united, the formal degree to which is still to be determined.

What had begun as an apparently quixotic effort in the 1960s to influence the ideas of political and cultural leaders on the subject of Europe is now, a half-century later, an increasingly widespread and toxic worldview. It is an image of todays united Europe cast in a dark mirror of apocalyptic and racialist thinking. In the case of France, voters will decide in less than two months whether or not those ideas will move from intellectual discourse to state policy.

Photo credit: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images
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Supporters and activists joined the family of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez in Pershing Square on Monday afternoon to rally against his deportation. Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican national who has lived in this country for more than 25 years, was arrested by immigration authorities on Tuesday morning while dropping his daughters off at school. A video of his arrestfilmed by his sobbing 13-year-old daughter Fatima Avelicahelped bring widespread attention to the case.

The 48-year-old father of four American-born daughters was ordered deported in 2014, likely because of a decade-old DUI conviction, according to The New York Times.

This man was not an immediate danger to the community. The situation is very scary and alarming for so many of our families and there are a lot of implications for that. I think the federal actions are deliberate and they are trying to send a message," L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis told the Times.

Activists and family members worked to deploy a rapid response network to make calls to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials in the immediate aftermath of Avelica-Gonzalez's arrest, and were successful in receiving a stay of deportation that Tuesday night. Avelica-Gonzalez is now awaiting his fate at a privately-owned detention facility about two-and-a-half hours northeast of Los Angeles in Adelanto. The high desert immigrant detention center where Avelica-Gonzalez is housed is run, like many other immigrant detention facilities, by GEO Group, the nation's second largest for-profit prison operator. (This is your daily reminder that private prisons are going to make ungodly amounts of money off human suffering, as the Trump Administration ramps up the American deportation machine).

Family members and supporters of Avelica-Gonzalez gathered in Pershing Square at 3 p.m. on Monday, directly across the street from a building that houses a local ICE field office and some immigration courts. The family's lawyer, immigration attorney Alan Diamante, decried ICE's decision to detain Avelica-Gonzalez in front of his young daughter, calling it "not just illegitimate, but immoral."

"I think the state, whether it's the state of California or the United States, should always consider the best interest of children [when acting]," Diamante said. "We have to send a message to the government that this is inappropriate."

Peter Greyshock, another one of the family's attorneys at Diamante Law, said that chances of success for Avelica-Gonzalez's case were "slim", but that they would continue to fight. According to Greyshock, the attorneys are trying to obtain a U visa for Avelica-Gonzalez, which would allow Avelica-Gonzalez to remain in the country. U visas are nonimmigrant visas granted to victims or witnesses of crimes (and their immediate family members) who assist law enforcement with their investigations. Citing privacy concerns, the attorneys declined to go into further detail about the circumstances that would allow for the U visa, beyond clarifying that a family member, not Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez himself, would be the direct recipient of the visa.

You can contribute to a fundraiser for Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez's family here.
Warsaw (AFP) - The head of Poland's ruling rightwing party on Tuesday called EU President Donald Tusk, a fellow Pole vying for a second term, "Germany's candidate" whose re-election would sow crisis.

Known for anti-German rhetoric, Jaroslaw Kaczynski also said that "Germany is too weak a state to play the role of EU leader."

"It lacks the adequate economic or military clout" to lead the continent, Kaczynski told the nationalist Gazeta Polska weekly in an interview published by the Polish PAP news agency a day before the magazine hits newsstands on Wednesday.

Kaczynski also insisted that "Germany's current dominance of the EU is an artificial situation resulting from economic relations and the incredible opportunism of elites in Brussels."

The former Polish prime minister also insisted that the arrangement was "doomed to catastrophe, and the election of Tusk to a second term will be yet another move bringing the entire Union closer to an even greater crisis."

Kaczynski's governing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party surprised many at the weekend by suddenly proposing Euro-MP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski instead of Tusk, its long and bitter foe.

Now, a row over Poland's bid to replace Tusk threatens to overshadow a summit this week that was meant to focus on post-Brexit unity.

The two-day summit starting Thursday risks being consumed by splits along old east-west lines as Hungary as signalled support for the rival candidate proposed by the eurosceptic Polish government.

Kaczynski also accused Tusk, whom he sees as his arch-rival in Polish politics, of violating rules on neutrality for EU presidents by allegedly "openly siding" with his former liberal Civic Platform (PO) party.
LONDON (AP)  A former British spy who compiled an explosive and unproven dossier on President Donald Trump's purported activities in Russia has returned to work.

Christopher Steele said Tuesday he is "really pleased" to be back in his London office after a prolonged period out of public view. He went into hiding in January after his name was published in connection with the dossier.

The 52-year-old runs London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, a private security firm. He made a statement outside the firm's central London office.

"I'm now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here," he said without addressing the Trump dossier.

He thanked the public for its support and said he won't be making any further comments.

Trump has described the lurid reports in the dossier as "phony allegations" concocted by his political opponents.

The dossier was reportedly produced as opposition research for the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

It contains unproven allegations of coordination between Trump's advisers and Russians on hacking the emails of prominent Democrats and claims about sexual activities.

The 35-page dossier was circulated in political and media circles in the United States but was not published for some time because the information could not be verified.

The entire contents became public in January when it was published by BuzzFeed.

The Associated Press has not authenticated the claims.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  A court in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca has convicted a former municipal police commander in last year's murder of a local journalist.

The Oaxaca State Attorney's Office says in a statement that Jorge Armando Santiago Martinez was sentenced to 30 years in prison at the conclusion of a weeklong trial.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists applauded Friday's verdict but is calling on Mexican authorities to find the crime's mastermind.

The case involved the slaying on Jan. 21, 2016, of Marcos Hernandez Bautista, who was a reporter for the newspaper Noticias, Voz e Imagen de Oaxaca. He was shot outside a bar he owned in Jamiltepec township.

A statement Monday from the Committee to Protect Journalists says his colleagues reported Hernandez had received threats.
By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - A former suburban New York development corporation director pleaded guilty to defrauding investors on Tuesday, marking what prosecutors said was believed to be the first-ever conviction for federal securities fraud in connection with municipal bonds.

Aaron Troodler, 42, former executive director of the Ramapo Local Development Corp in Ramapo, New York, pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel in White Plains, New York, according to prosecutors.

Troodler is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18. The securities fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Joseph Poluka, an attorney for Troodler, declined to comment.

Troodler was charged last April along with Christopher St. Lawrence, Ramapo's elected supervisor. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara at the time said the case was the first criminal securities fraud case over municipal bonds.

Prosecutors said Ramapo and the development corporation, which was established and owned by the town, together sold more than $150 million of bonds while Troodler and St. Lawrence concealed the town's deteriorating finances.

The town's financial woes were largely due to a $58 million minor league ballpark project, prosecutors said. The park, originally called Provident Bank Park and now Palisades Credit Union Park, is home to the Rockland Boulders.

Although Ramapo residents rejected a plan to guarantee bonds used to finance the park in a 2010 referendum, and St. Lawrence told residents that no public money would be used to pay for the project, Ramapo ended up paying more than half the cost, according to prosecutors.

Troodler and St. Lawrence falsified the town's finances to help sell the bonds, including by putting millions in fake receivables on its books, prosecutors said.

St. Lawrence is scheduled to go to trial in April. He and Troodler also face civil claims by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Story continues

The probe of the finances of Ramapo, which is 28 miles northwest of New York City and had 126,595 residents as of the 2010 census, began with a whistleblower complaint, according to Bharara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Ramapo's municipal offices in May 2013 after an audit by New York's state comptroller criticized the funding of the stadium and the cost to taxpayers.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's former dictator, Manuel Noriega, remained in a critical condition on Wednesday following surgery to remove a benign brain tumor, one of his daughters told AFP.

"We have no news. Everything remains the same from last night's bulletin," said Thays Noriega.

Manuel Noriega, 83, was in an induced coma in the intensive care unit of the public Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City. He was under observation and not receiving visitors.

Noriega's lawyer, Ezra Angel, confirmed to AFP that there have been no changes to 83-year-old's state since late Tuesday.

Noriega underwent two operations on Tuesday: one to remove a benign meningioma -- a tumor on membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord just inside the skull -- and another to stop a brain hemorrhage.

Angel said doctors had managed to stop the cerebral bleeding, but that Noriega remained in a "delicate" condition.

Noriega in January received a temporary medical release from El Renacer prison -- where he was serving three 20-year sentences for the forced disappearances of opponents during his 1983-1989 rule -- to have the surgery.

He is expected to return to that penitentiary if he recovers.

Panama's media gave front-page coverage of the ex-dictator's health emergency, but offered no editorials on it. Major television stations maintained regular programming.

Manuel Noriega was a military intelligence officer who long worked for the CIA and ruled his Central American country with increasing brutality until US forces invaded in 1989 to topple and capture him.

Relations between Noriega and the United States had deteriorated as he defied pressure to stand down, and as he appeared to shift allegiance to the then-Soviet Union in the waning years of the Cold War.

After his ouster, Noriega was taken to the United States, where he was tried and imprisoned on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

In 2010, Noriega was sent to France, where he was convicted on money laundering charges, then extradited to Panama in 2011, where he was sentenced for the disappearance of political opponents during his time in power.
By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - A disaffected South Sudanese army general who quit his position last month announced on Monday that he had formed a new anti-government rebel group, underscoring mounting resistance to the rule of incumbent president Salva Kiir Lieutenant General Thomas Cirillo Swaka, formerly deputy head of logistics, resigned after he accused Kiir of turning the country's military into a "tribal army." The military, police and other security branches, he said, heavily recruited from among the Dinka, Kiir's tribe. Swaka was one of three top military officials who quit in February amid accusations of tribalism, nepotism, corruption and other abuses levelled against Kiir's government. In a statement on Monday, Swaka said his new rebel group, The National Salvation Front (NSF) "is convinced that to restore sanity and normalcy in our country, Kiir must go; he must vacate office." NSF would "fight to eradicate the malady that has badly tarnished the image of South Sudan," he said. Oil producing South Sudan, Africa's youngest nation, was plunged into its first war in 2013 after Kiir sacked his then deputy and political rival, Riek Machar. An ensuing two-year conflict was ended by a peace pact in 2015 and Machar, who had left the capital Juba at the start of the war, returned in April last year and was handed the same position. Festering tensions between the two men, who hail from rival tribes, exploded into military confrontation again in Juba in July, kicking off the latest wave of fighting that has spread to several parts of the country since. Machar now lives in South Africa after fleeing South Sudan at the start of the latest conflict. The rebel group will be a new source of instability in a country where escalating violence has already uprooted an estimated 3 million people, devastated the agriculture sector and the throttled the broader economy. Famine has been declared in parts of the country. South Sudan's military spokesman, Brig-Gen Lul Ruai Koang, told Reuters he had no immediate comment on the formation of the new rebel group and needed time to read Swaka's statement. In the document Swaka said an "above-the-law culture and mentality" prevailed among top officials in the military and blamed that for rampant crime, including robberies, rapes, embezzlement of public funds. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ken Ferris)
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- The ex-wife of a man who has donated tens of millions of dollars to a Massachusetts university wants some of that money back.

The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/2mwZ2hJ ) reports that Janet Foisie says in a federal lawsuit filed Friday against Worcester Polytechnic Institute that her ex-husband concealed $4.5 million from her during divorce proceedings in 2011 and then gave that money to WPI.

Her ex-husband, Robert Foisie, is not named as a defendant.

Robert Foisie is a 1956 graduate of WPI who in 2014 donated $40 million to the school. The university is constructing a new academic building that will be named after him.

WPI in a statement credited the Foisies for their generosity and said it has no knowledge of any improper conduct alleged in the lawsuit.

___

Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com
By Brad Brooks SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The entire Brazilian state of Espirito Santo is now considered at risk for yellow fever transmission, the World Health Organization says, raising concerns the deadly virus could spread to the nation's biggest cities. An ongoing yellow fever outbreak has so far been limited to rural areas, where it is mainly spread to humans by two rural species of mosquito that likely bit infected monkeys, according to Brazilian health officials. But there are growing concerns the virus could spread to urban centers like Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Vitoria - areas where tens of millions live and where the WHO said the virus could likely start spreading in a human-to-human cycle via the Aedes aegypti mosquito. That mosquito, common in many tropical and subtropical cities, also carries the dengue and Zika viruses. In a 2013-17 risk assessment, the WHO advised travelers get vaccinations if they were visiting all but eight Brazilian states - six in the northeast, along with Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. The WHO list now includes northern Rio de Janeiro and all of Espirito Santo, according to WHO guidance updated this week. Brazil's Health Ministry said Tuesday that since December, when the yellow fever outbreak was first detected, there have been 127 confirmed deaths, with another 106 under investigation. Out of a total 1,500 suspected cases, 371 have been confirmed, 966 are still being examined, and the rest ruled out. The number of suspected and confirmed cases is Brazil's highest since 2000. Vaccination against yellow fever fell in Brazil's southeast in recent decades because the virus had in large part been eradicated from the region. Now, though, the health ministry is rushing to vaccinate people, sending nearly 15 million extra doses to the newly affected areas. A viral disease found in tropical Africa and the Americas, yellow fever mainly affects humans and monkeys. It is often asymptomatic or mild in humans, but is deadly for monkeys. A sharp increase in the number of dead monkeys found in Brazil's southeast first raised alarm the virus is spreading, especially after a few confirmed cases in monkeys occurred near Belo Horizonte and Vitoria. It is not yet clear what sparked the outbreak. Brazil's health officials are investigating whether it is related to a tailings dam collapse in 2015 at an iron ore mine owned by BHP Billiton and Vale SA. The accident, Brazil's worst ever environmental disaster, could have disrupted monkeys' habitat and food supplies. (This version of the story corrects the final paragraph to reflect mining disaster in 2015, not 2016) (Reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by Frances Kerry)
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Tuesday he wanted to change legislation to permit a ban on foreign officials making speeches in Austria if human rights or public order were threatened, a move aimed at Turkish politicians. Sobotka told ORF radio he would not allow foreign politicians to bring their domestic battles to Austrian soil and that he was sending draft legislation to legal experts before presenting it to the cabinet. Austria's move comes at a time of Turkish fury over the cancellation of several political rallies in Germany aimed at drumming up support among for President Tayyip's plans to overhaul the constitution. Erdogan accused Germany of "fascist actions". Sobotka said the new legislation would apply to Turkish campaigning on its constitutional referendum. "With the agreement of the federal government, the Interior Minister can... forbid a foreign politician from taking part in an event... if this serves to protect the human and basic rights enshrined in the European human rights convention," Sobotka said. The minister added this could mean travel bans, a ban on campaigning appearances or the cancellation of events. When asked whether this could mean a travel restriction for Erdogan, Sobotka said cancelling an event should be sufficient and that Erdogan was welcome in Austria on state visits, but not to whip up tensions within Austria's Turkish community. "If necessary (it could mean) a travel ban, the security forces have to decide this. There are several possibilities how you can reach the aim (of not having) foreign politicians making campaign appearances." Constitutional lawyer Theo Oehlinger told ORF radio that banning campaigning by foreign politicians would be "very difficult" unless it was likely to stir up violence or threaten democratic order. Around 116,000 Turkish nationals live in Austria, a country of around 8.7 million. This compares with around 1.5 million Turkish citizens in Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday there were deep differences with Ankara over issues such as freedom of the press. Merkel said Berlin would continue to allow Turkish politicians to campaign in Germany for its constitutional referendum provided their visits were announced in a transparent and timely fashion and respected German laws. (Reporting By Shadia Nasralla; editing by Richard Lough)
Wurzburg (Germany) (AFP) - A German court was due to rule Tuesday on a dispute between Facebook and a Syrian refugee whose post of a selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel fuelled fake news linking him to terrorism.

Online trolls have repeatedly posted doctored images and wrongful statements that accuse 19-year-old Anas Modamani of having committed Islamist attacks or violent crimes, including setting fire to a homeless man in Berlin last Christmas.

Modamani wants the US social media giant, represented by Facebook Ireland Limited, to stop the spread of such defamatory posts, which have been shared countless times.

He is represented by German lawyer Chan-jo Jun, who has previously launched legal action against Facebook, demanding it stop the spread of racist hate speech and other content illegal under German law.

Modamani and Jun have demanded Facebook actively search out and take down all defamatory posts using the famous selfie images -- not just those they have flagged to the company.

Facebook lawyers have argued this would require a "miracle machine" that had not yet been invented, said Jun.

The lawyer has argued that Facebook can automatically identify and take down, for example, pornography and copyrighted music.

The court hearing starts at 1230 GMT in the southern German city of Wurzburg.

- Right-wing fury -

Modamani arrived in Germany in 2015, along with tens of thousands of other refugees and migrants.

When Merkel visited his Berlin refugee shelter in September that year, he took two selfie images with her in jubilant scenes also captured by news photographers.

Since then, those images have been reposted in different contexts countless times, as right-wing fury has flared online against Merkel's liberal stance on refugees.

Users have cut and pasted Modamani's picture into "wanted" posters and on fake news reports, typically alleging that the refugee made famous by the Merkel selfie had turned out to be a terrorist.

Story continues

Modamani, who is now taking German language courses and working in a fast food restaurant, said the hateful posts had had a damaging impact on his life.

Asked about the case, Facebook has told AFP it is "committed to meeting our obligations under German law in relation to content which is shared by people on our platform".

The company and other web giants pledged in December 2015 to examine and remove within 24 hours any hateful comments spreading online in Germany, in particular over the mass influx of 890,000 migrants that year.

Jun last year launched legal action against Facebook in Munich, accusing its executives of condoning incitement of hate and violence.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas, who has been negotiating with social network chiefs, has also warned that Facebook and others could be punished if they do not comply with German law.

In January, in the wake of the US presidential election when Facebook was attacked for its role in the spread of fake news, the company announced it would introduce measures to take down "unambiguously wrong reports" being shared on its platform.

It said it would offer a simpler reporting process for users to flag suspected fake news, display warnings next to statements identified as false by independent fact-checking organisations, and cut off advertising revenue to fake news sites.
Wurzburg (Germany) (AFP) - Facebook clinched victory Tuesday in a German court case brought by a Syrian refugee whose selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel had made him the target of racist trolls.

The court ruled that the US social media giant was not obliged to actively search out and delete defamatory posts, like those that had falsely linked the claimant to Islamist attacks and violent crimes.

Anas Modamani, 19, had sought an injunction demanding that the company, represented by Facebook Ireland Limited, stop the spread of such slanderous fake news, which have been shared countless times.

Modamani and his lawyer Chan-jo Jun had demanded that Facebook actively search out and take down all libellous posts using the famous selfie images -- not just those they had flagged to the company.

They argued Facebook could use its algorithms to automatically identify them, just as it does to take down copyrighted music or images with nudity.

The court however judged that Facebook had not "claimed ownership" of the posts in question -- suggesting primary responsibility lies with those who wrote and posted them.

In cases of "serious personal injury", it was justified to demand an "increased search effort" by Facebook, the court in the southern city of Wurzburg found.

However, it also said it was unclear whether Facebook could reasonably conduct such pro-active searches "without major technical hurdles".

The court said this question may have to be settled by another court hearing that could ask IT experts to testify.

- 'Difficult situation' -

Jun, the IT lawyer, declared himself "disappointed" and said he would not pursue the case further as he had himself become the target of personal threats on social media.

He also said that if German law could not prevent such online vitriol against his client, then "we need new laws".

Jun has demanded stiff fines in cases where Facebook spreads content illegal under German law, such as incitement of racial hatred, arguing that "it must become more costly to break the law".

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Facebook voiced sympathy for Modamani's "difficult situation" but greeted the court's position that legal action was "not the most effective way to resolve the situation".

It said that, just as it had blocked previously reported hate posts targeting the Syrian man, "we will continue to respond to all legitimate reports by Mr Modamani's legal representatives".

A Facebook spokesman added that, "in terms of the content people share on our platform, we are continuing to comply with our obligations under German law".

- 'Xenophobic fury' -

Modamani arrived in Germany in 2015, along with a mass influx of almost 900,000 refugees and migrants.

When Merkel visited his Berlin refugee shelter in September that year, he took two selfie images with her in jubilant scenes also captured by news photographers.

Since then, those emblematic images have been reposted in different, often false, contexts, at a time when xenophobic fury flared online against Merkel's liberal stance on refugees.

Often anonymous users have cut and pasted Modamani's picture into "wanted" posters and fake reports, typically alleging that the refugee made famous by the Merkel selfie had later turned out to be a terrorist.

Other posts have falsely linked Modamani -- who is now taking German language courses and working in a fast food restaurant -- to delinquents who tried to set fire to a homeless man in Berlin last Christmas.

A surge of far-right and other hate speech on Facebook and other social media in Germany has raised political heat on the companies in recent years.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas has warned they could be punished if they do not comply with German law.

Facebook and other web giants pledged in 2015 to examine and remove within 24 hours any hateful comments spreading online, in particular over the mass influx of migrants.

This January -- in the wake of the US presidential election when Facebook was accused of helping the spread of fake news -- the company pledged measures to take down "unambiguously wrong reports" being shared on its platform.

It also said it would offer a simpler reporting process for fake news, display warnings next to statements identified as false by independent fact-checking organisations, and cut off advertising revenue to fake news sites.
(Reuters) - A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was found in a chicken breeder flock on a Tennessee farm contracted to Tyson Foods Inc, the first discovered in the United States this year. Officials have also reported an outbreak of a low-pathogenic strain in a turkey farm in northwestern Wisconsin. During an outbreak in 2014 and 2015, dozens of countries imposed total or partial bans on U.S. poultry and egg imports. The latest outbreaks have prompted import restrictions by numerous countries, including all top five buyers. Following are facts about the U.S. poultry market from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Census Bureau, industry groups and company filings. TOTAL U.S. POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCT EXPORTS, INCLUDING EGGS, IN 2016: $4.65 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. TOP FIVE U.S. POULTRY PRODUCING STATES Georgia: 1.340 billion broiler chickens in 2015 Alabama: 1.083 billion Arkansas: 962 million North Carolina: 823 million Mississippi: 723 million Tennessee ranks 15th at 185 million U.S. total: 8.687 billion TOP 5 U.S. POULTRY AND EGG MARKETS AND THEIR IMPORT RESTRICTIONS 1. MEXICO ($1.13 billion in U.S. imports in 2016) Mexico has banned poultry imports from Tennessee, according to its agricultural ministry. Mexico still bans imports of frozen poultry and poultry products from birds originating from, slaughtered or processed in 15 states before specific dates linked to a previous outbreak of avian flu, according to the USDA. 2. CANADA ($662 million) Banned imports of live birds and unprocessed animal products from Tennessee, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Once a quarantine control zone is established, trade outside the zone can resume, CFIA said. Banned imports of raw poultry and products produced in or near affected counties in 15 states between certain dates linked to outbreaks of avian flu in past years. Also barred imports of certain processed products. 3. HONG KONG ($472 million) Banned imports of poultry meat and products raised, processed, slaughtered or shipped from Lincoln County, Tennessee, and Barron County, Wisconsin, on or after March 4. Imports from birds raised, processed, slaughtered or shipped from some counties in 18 other states are also banned, in connection with cases of avian flu in past years. Fully cooked or heat-treated products exempt. 4. TAIWAN ($132 million) Banned imports of poultry meat and products from birds slaughtered before March 6 in Tennessee and before March 4 in Wisconsin. Egg products shipped before those dates also banned. Imports of poultry and poultry products slaughtered or processed in states with high or low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks are banned. 5. JAPAN ($119 million) Banned imports of poultry that passed through or was slaughtered or processed in the entire state of Tennessee and within a 10 km radius of the infected farm in Barron County, Wisconsin, on or after Feb. 9. Imports of poultry and products raised, processed, slaughtered or shipped from some areas of 21 states on certain dates linked to past cases of avian flu are banned. Fully cooked products in hermetically sealed containers exempt. TOP U.S. CHICKEN MEAT COMPANIES Tyson Foods: Capacity to process 39 million chickens per week. Major supplier to Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which represented 17.5 percent of Tyson's 2016 consolidated sales. Supplied products to 115 countries in 2016 worth $4.1 billion. Pilgrim's Pride Corp : Majority-owned by meat packer JBS SA. Capacity to process more than 36.7 million birds per week. Sanderson Farms Inc : Capacity to process more than 10.6 million birds per week. TOP POULTRY BROILER MEAT EXPORTERS 1. Brazil: 4.110 million tonnes exported in 2016 2. United States: 2.978 million tonnes 3. European Union: 1.250 million tonnes 4. Thailand: 670,000 tonnes 5. China: 395,000 tonnes (Compiled by Karl Plume and Tom Polansek in Chicago and Adriana Barrera in Mexico City; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
GENEVA (Reuters) - Fighting between rival people-smuggling gangs on Libya's Mediterranean coast has killed 22 people, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. The dead were thought to be migrants rather than smugglers because they were sub-Saharan Africans, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said. More than 100 people were wounded, he told a news briefing in Geneva, citing information from colleagues in Libya. The latest deaths come in addition to the 140 bodies found on Libyan beaches so far this year, while there have been 477 deaths at sea on the route from Libya. So far this year 15,760 migrants have arrived in Italy, up from 9,101 in the same period of 2016, while almost 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and brought back to Libya, Millman said. The number of migrants setting off for Italy by boat from Africa has risen more than 50 percent so far this year, after half a million people arrived during the past three years. Italy is promising to send more migrants who do not qualify for asylum back home, either by force or with their consent. "This is creating all kinds of activity in the smuggling industry, and apparently that activity has reached the level of violent shootouts that left 22 killed in the last couple of days," Millman said. He also said 62 Syrians also showed up among migrants arriving in Italy. Syrian refugees have mainly gone to Europe via Turkey and Greece, a route which was effectively blocked last year by a deal between the European Union and Turkey. Fewer than 200 Syrians made the trip from Libya to Italy last year. "So with 62, obviously we're not setting records, but it could be a shift showing that traffic has come back across North Africa, maybe coming to Libya again," Millman said. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Sophie Louet and Mourad Guichard PARIS/ORLEANS (Reuters) - France's Francois Fillon sought to put his presidential campaign back on track on Tuesday after a rebellion against his candidacy fizzled out, but the reluctance of key allies highlighted the difficulties he faces in rallying his camp behind him. Fillon had been favored to win the presidency until reports in January prompted a judicial probe over whether he used public cash to pay his wife for work she did not do, leading to a sharp drop in polls and an exodus of campaign staff. The 63-year-old called for his much-divided camp to get over six weeks of doubts and criticism over the financial scandal, in which he denies any wrongdoing. "I'm now calling for all of us to rally together, to be mobilized, to take action! I'm calling all the components of my political family to get their acts together and forge ahead for France!" he told an evening rally in the central France city of Orleans. His backers took to the airwaves to say a page had been turned after, on Monday, former prime minister Alain Juppe decided not to challenge him and his conservative The Republicans confirmed he was their candidate. But after delivering a scathing critique of Fillon on Monday at the same time he was ruling himself out as a replacement, Juppe turned down a proposal for a meeting with him and former president Nicolas Sarkozy, which Fillon's camp had planned as a show of unity, party sources said. The smaller centrist UDI party, which has been so split on how to handle the Fillon case that officials feared the party could implode, on Tuesday decided to reserve judgment on backing him. After the UDI suspended their participation in Fillon's campaign last week, its executive committee said on Tuesday evening that they backed Fillon's manifesto and were still keen on an agreed deal for the June parliamentary ballot that follows the April-May presidential elections. But they added that they wanted to see Fillon take concrete steps to bridge divisions before rallying back behind him for the presidential races. As in all his recent rallies, a small group of left-wing activists banged pots and pans near Fillon's Orleans rally. UNITY? The scandal looked set to keep dogging him. The weekly Le Canard Enchaine, which first reported on the allegations that Fillon's wife was paid for ghost jobs, wrote in its latest edition that investigators are now also looking into an undeclared 50,000-euro loan Fillon received from Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere, a businessman who employed Fillon's wife. Fillon's lawyer told Le Canard the loan was fully reimbursed. In 2010, Ladreit de Lacharriere received France's prestigious Legion d'Honneur award, after a recommendation from Fillon. Fillon now faces the prospect of being knocked out in the first round on April 23, leaving centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen to contest a run-off two weeks later. Investors have been unsettled by the possibility of a win for Le Pen, who wants to take France out of the euro zone. Le Pen, bidding to match the anti-establishment shocks of Donald Trump's U.S. presidential victory and Britain's vote to leave the European Union last year, is tipped in almost all polls to win the first round of the election. But they universally show her losing the head-to-head run-off to Macron, a former economy minister, or to Fillon, were he to make it that far. Key members of The Republicans party, who thrashed out the deal to rally behind Fillon on Monday, secured a pledge that he would temper his attacks on the judiciary and media, sources close to the party told Reuters. Senate leader Gerard Larcher, one of the group of right-wing politicians behind Monday's pro-Fillon announcement, called for unity, saying failure would open the doors of power to Le Pen. "I cannot resign myself to the idea of a second round where it's Le Pen versus Macron," he said. Fillon has upset some members of his party and the UDI by complaining that the investigation amounted to a "political assassination" by the justice system and the media. Juppe said such talk had brought Fillon's campaign to a dead end. "Things are very complicated for the Right," said Ifop pollsters' Jerome Fourquet. "Some voters and officials might come back ... but it is an illusion to think the whole (political) family will unite behind him." (Additional reporting by Brian Love and Chine Labbe; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Brian Love; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
When her husband died suddenly and unexpectedly from a massive heart attack, "Mary" -- who asked that her real name not be used due to the sensitive nature of her story -- was devastated and began spiraling downward.

He was only in his late 60s and in relatively good health, she recalls. Mary fell into a severe depression after his passing. "I withdrew. I isolated myself," says Mary, now 70, who lives in Playa del Rey, California. In addition to her abject despair, she believes the antidepressants she was taking contributed to suicidal thoughts. She attempted suicide -- overdosing on powerful painkillers she had for treating her arthritis, she says. She was hospitalized in 2015 and admitted into an inpatient rehab facility to recover.

Mary had previously appointed her daughter as trustee under a family trust and agent under powers of attorney to manage her finances if she was ever unable to do so herself. And it was during this time that -- due to Mary's psychiatric issues -- her daughter's authority under the POA and trust became effective. Mary had been financially supporting her daughter, who was living in Mary's home along with her daughter's son. But instead of acting in her mother's best interests, "she ran up $120,000 in credit card debt, which I only recently found out about," Mary says -- money spent on everything from online shopping to food delivery. She purchased a new car in her mother's name, a new refrigerator and three new computers, all with her mother's money and without permission; she rented out her mother's bedroom to bring in more income for herself; and she failed to pay property taxes on Mary's home.

According to research funded by the U.S. Justice Department, about 1 in 20 older adults report being financially abused by a family member in the year prior. Though definitions vary, elder financial abuse is generally considered to be financial exploitation, such as stealing money or taking over assets without permission, of an older adult -- 60 or 65 and older -- by a family member, caregiver or another trusted person, like a financial advisor. By one estimate from the San Francisco-based financial services firm True Link Financial, seniors lose nearly $36.5 billion to financial abuse annually. A previous widely cited estimate from MetLife put the figure at less than one-tenth of that -- still a high loss, at $2.9 billion; but many experts say that's most certainly a gross underestimate, given how very few financial exploitation cases ever see the light of day. "That's based on only cases that got media coverage, which must be some tiny fraction of 1 percent of all elder abuse cases," says Kathleen Quinn, a senior advisor and past director of National Adult Protective Services Association.

[See: 6 Ways to Age Well and Save Money Doing It.]

More Than Money

Money lost is only part of the profound price paid by seniors who are financially exploited. Quinn says that some people lose their homes, and notes -- based on research of the issue in Utah -- an estimated 9 percent, or nearly 1 in 10, of those who are financially exploited go on Medicaid as a direct result.

Because the perpetrator is typically a family member or caregiver, experts say being financially exploited can deeply undermine a person's ability to trust others, and lead them to withdraw and become isolated, which can make a person more vulnerable to re-victimization. Studies show financial abuse can increase hopelessness and risk for depression and raise suicide risk. "This is obviously about more than just money," says Sarah Barnard, a social worker who manages an elder abuse prevention program at WISE & Healthy Aging, a nonprofit social services organization in Santa Monica, California. Going from a place of stable financial footing to no longer having money needed for daily expenses can be "psychologically devastating," Quinn says.

After Mary's condition stabilized, she was transferred to an assisted living facility. "I really wanted to come home, but my daughter said I couldn't come home," she says. So instead she languished for six months at the facility, paying $2,000 a month to be there, before finally coming home. Eventually, Mary notes that her psychiatrist called Adult Protective Services, who reported the issue to local law enforcement. Mary also enlisted Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles -- which provides legal assistance and advice in elder abuse cases, including financial abuse -- to revoke her daughter's power of attorney and regain control of her finances.

That's proved an involved affair, as her daughter had been withholding her driver's license, medical insurance cards, credit and debit cards and other money, says Dominique Sanz-David, a staff attorney at Bet Tzedek. Instead, Mary's daughter generally just used Mary's money for her own benefit, Sanz-David says.

Not having access to her own financial means or identification did more than rob Mary of money. "I was basically a faceless person," she says. "She had me totally isolated." Mary notes that she couldn't even talk to her doctor without her daughter's permission. The ordeal has not only taxed her financially, but it's taken a toll on her mentally. "I was depressed," Mary says. "I was hopeless."

[See: Am I Just Sad -- or Actually Depressed?]

Outside Help

Experts say the scenario Mary found herself in is a familiar one, where an adult family member exploits a supportive relationship, such as when the perpetrator is already living in the home. Often those who are financially abused have recently lost a spouse and may otherwise be alone.

That makes it incredibly important -- while also often being exceedingly difficult -- for the individual experiencing the financial abuse to seek outside help. That includes contacting Adult Protective Services and law enforcement to put pressure on the perpetrator to cease the abuse. Though it can be difficult in many cases to recoup money lost -- since frequently it's spent and perpetrators commonly have limited monies of their own -- experts still often advise filing a civil lawsuit as well.

Mary says Sanz-David has been instrumental in helping her regain control of her finances, while huge hurdles remain. Mary has worked with a debt consolidation attorney to begin paying down a lower negotiated amount on the credit card debt. She's looking to return to the workforce -- a difficult prospect, given her age, she says. And she's planning to sell her house when she's able and relocate, possibly out of state, she says, so that her property tax burden is lower. It's all together a monumental undertaking.

It remains unclear what repercussions -- including any criminal charges -- her daughter will ultimately face as a result of Adult Protective Services reporting the issue to local law enforcement. Experts say victims -- particularly older parents -- are often unwilling to take action, like contacting law enforcement, against family members who've taken advantage of them.

Similarly torn, Mary still allows her daughter to live with her. Sanz-David advised Mary to get her daughter out the home, and told her she could get a restraining order against her because of the financial abuse. She also advised her to take civil action. But Mary has declined to do so. "Mothers and grandmothers do not want to hurt their children and grandchildren even at their own expense," Sanz-David says; she adds that she's advised Mary to contact her if she changes her mind.

A reluctance to take action -- as well as shame and embarrassment of having been exploited -- is frequently used against victims of financial abuse by those perpetrating the abuse, experts say, to not only conceal it, but to re-victimize.

Mary, for one, says she is firmly back in control of her finances -- if still struggling mightily to pay for damage done by her daughter. "She doesn't have the durable power of attorney, so she can't commit any financial obligation to me without my permission," Mary says, while acknowledging that some patterns continue.

"She's told me that she's sorry, and she's going to get a job, but she isn't looking for a job. So I'm looking for a job -- a part-time or a full-time job to help pay the property taxes," she says. As for not putting distance between herself and her daughter, she sees no choice in the matter. "She's my daughter, and I do have unconditional love for her. She has nowhere to go. She has no income ... she would be homeless," Mary says; in which case, she adds, her daughter wouldn't be able to take care of her 10-year-old son. "So I wouldn't do that."

[See: 7 Surprising Things That Age You.]

But even though Mary has opted not to take legal action against her daughter as advised, she echoes elder abuse experts in emphasizing that outside intervention is absolutely critical to combat financial exploitation -- even if it's perpetrated by next of kin. "If you don't, it just becomes a quagmire. It's like one of the sinkholes in Los Angeles," she says. "It just appears out of nowhere, and suddenly you're in the sink hole, and you feel hopeless -- you feel like there's no way out.

This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from New America Media, the Gerontological Society of America and the John A. Hartford Foundation.

Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. He covers a wide array of topics ranging from cancer to depression and prevention to overtreatment. He's been reporting on health since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com.
Turkmenabat (Turkmenistan) (AFP) - Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Tuesday unveiled a statue of his feared predecessor during his first official trip abroad to neighbouring Turkmenistan.

Mirziyoyev replaced Islam Karimov late last year after his death from a stroke following some 27 years of iron-fisted domination over the Central Asian nation.

"This is the first monument to Islam Karimov and a worthy tribute to the first president of Uzbekistan," he said at an event with Turkmen strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

Mirziyoyev, who served as prime minister for 13 years, has shown signs that he might be willing to open up the country's political system, but a transition to democracy seems highly unlikely.

Since he took over, several prominent political prisoners have been released and efforts made to smoothen ties with other countries in the region.

Observers are watching to see if Mirziyoyev moves away from Karimov's foreign policy balancing act that saw strategically located Uzbekistan play Russia, China and the West off against each other.

There was some speculation that Mirziyoyev would make his first trip abroad a symbolic visit to Moscow but instead he opted to head to nearby gas-rich Turkmenistan.

The two leaders also opened two strategic bridges worth almost $500 million connecting the countries with new road and rail links.

The newly built rail link between the two countries is part of a larger link that will extend through Oman, Qatar and Iran.
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine police killed four suspected drug dealers in three separate incidents on Tuesday, a provincial police commander said, just hours after a relaunch of anti-drugs operations that the national police chief said he hoped would be "less bloody".

The incidents were the first reported deaths of drug suspects since Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa announced the restart of operations he hoped would be less bloody "or even bloodless".

About 8,000 people had been killed since President Rodrigo Duterte declared war on drugs upon taking office on June 30, more than 2,555 in what the PNP says were shootouts during raids and sting operations.

The PNP insists it had no involvement in the rest of the killings and deny activists' allegations that many of the deaths, most unsolved and in mysterious circumstances, were assassinations of drug suspects with police complicity.

Three suspected drug peddlers were shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday when they resisted arrest after selling packets of "shabu" methamphetamine to undercover officers in two towns in Bulacan, north of Manila, according to Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat.

A fourth man was killed when he confronted police manning a checkpoint, he said, adding three handguns and drugs were recovered.

The PNP's reinstatement came just over a month after a furious Duterte pulled police back from his crackdown in the wake of the killing by rogue drugs squad police of a South Korean businessman.

Dela Rosa said "clean, dedicated and patriotic" officers would form the new drug enforcement unit under his command.

The PNP has defended its role in the drugs war, amid growing criticism from human rights groups that they have operated with impunity and systematically abused their power.

The crackdown is an issue of concern among Western governments and the United Nations.

The PNP points to some 40,000 people it has arrested in drug operations and more than a million drug users and peddlers that have surrendered and volunteered to undergo drug rehabilitation.

Story continues

Duterte recalled the police for the campaign because the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) lacked manpower to stem what the PNP says are signs of drugs returning to the streets.

Related Video:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

(This story was refiled to insert country in headline.) (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Martin Petty and Michael Perry)
Fox 29 viewers havent seen Mike Jerrick since mid-February, and the anchor now tells fans that his absence has been due to him battling depression at a wellness retreat down south.

I am at a wellness retreat down south in the Carolinas, Jerrick posted on Facebook Tuesday. I call it a rehab for the mind, body, and soul.

The Good Day Philadelphia co-host explained in the post that for the last 13 years, he has been fighting a building depression that stems from losses [he has] not addressed with the help of mental health professionals. Over the last couple years, Jerrick added, medication and alcohol have not done it for me and a combination of the two certainly has not been helpful.

The retreat, Jerrick says, is working beautifully and that it was time to finally confront the negative feelings.

Jerrick Facebook Embed.

Last week, fellow Good Day Philadelphia co-host Alex Holley told viewers that Jerrick had been off the air to deal with a personal family issue. Jerrick, meanwhile, said on Twitter last month that he hopes to return to Fox 29 in a few weeks. In his latest posting, Jerrick says he will be back with you soon, I promise.

Holley also shared Jerricks Facebook note with viewers on-air Tuesday morning, eliciting a number of supportive responsive for the anchor:

@AlexHolleyFOX29 Thanks for the update in @MikeFOX29 . Hoping you guys post his letter so we can get the word out. Beautiful segment! pic.twitter.com/W8HvtsH2YW  Roger Lee  (@leesmileyman) March 7, 2017

@MikeFOX29 @AlexHolleyFOX29 so proud of him. Depression is not easy, I suffer from this terrible disease also. In tears I know it's not easy  Iwhorship @comega1 (@iwhorship) March 7, 2017

@MikeFOX29 we love you Mike! Hold on tight and know we miss you! pic.twitter.com/AWrPL7k6w0  Inarawulf (@inarawulf) March 7, 2017

@MikeFOX29 yassss! It takes courage to admit when u have a problem. Take all the time u need then get ur a** back to Philly. Love u mike   Nette (@Net_nitty) March 7, 2017

Sorry about your depression. I battle with it myself. I pray that you get the proper healing that you need. Just don't leave @MikeFOX29  Niema (@Niema_is_ni) March 7, 2017

Jerricks latest absence comes following a January suspension over his use of an expletive to describe White House counselor Kellyanne Conways style of public speaking. That suspension lasted a week, with Jerrick returning to Fox 29 later that month to apologize to viewers and ask weatherperson Sue Serio to flash viewers as a way to distract from his situation.

Story continues

This show is different than every other show, and I like to take all of our subject matter right up to the line," Jerrick said at the time, adding that Serio should do something so inappropriate to get me off the hook like flash us right now.

An exact date for Jerricks return to Fox 29 has not yet been set. A spokesperson at Fox had no further comment.

Most Popular on Philly.com
PARIS (Reuters) - France's centrist UDI party hinted on Tuesday it could back Francois Fillon's presidential bid, but said it first wanted to see him take concrete steps to unite his much-divided camp. Earlier on Tuesday, a top UDI lawmaker said the party - which last week suspended its participation in Fillon's campaign over a financial scandal and called for a change of candidate - would rally behind Fillon. But the final statement from the UDI was much more guarded. "We take note of Francois Fillon's ... decision to continue his campaign and his pledge to take initiatives to bridge divisions with the UDI.... We are waiting to see those initiatives," the UDI's executive committee said. The statement also said the UDI, a much smaller party than The Republicans, would stick by an electoral deal of alliance with them for the parliamentary elections in June that follow the April-May presidential vote. Fillon on Monday successfully fought off a rebellion within The Republicans that had threatened to end his candidacy for the presidency, as party leaders swung behind him. (Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
PARIS (France) (AFP) - Centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron told AFP in an interview Tuesday that he will be the defender of France's middle classes, which he says have been ignored by left and right.

Macron, a 39-year-old former economy minister, has made swift progress in the campaign after founding his own political movement only in April last year.

He is pitching his message to the centre ground, seeking to break the traditional left-right stranglehold on French politics.

Although veteran rightwinger Alain Juppe described him as "politically naive" this week, Macron's approach appears to have struck a chord.

Polls currently show the former investment banker would reach the second round of the election, where his opponent is forecast to be far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The first round of voting takes place on April 23. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two go into a runoff on May 7.

Macron claimed that both the outgoing Socialist government under President Francois Hollande -- in which he served -- and their rightwing opponents have let down the middle classes, failing to feel their pain of job cuts and their increasing tax burden.

- 'Forgotten' -

"The contract with the middle classes, which are both the political and economic bedrock of our democracy, has been broken," Macron said.

"The right talks about the France that is succeeding, the left talks about the workers who are struggling the most," he added.

"They have forgotten the middle classes which are working for France, the France that is fighting to succeed."

Macron told AFP that snubbing middle earners had been the spark which led to Britain's Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory in the United States.

"Democracies that have succeeded economically by depending only on the classes that succeed... while forgetting the middle classes, are shattered by the rise of extremes," he said, adding: "It's what happened with Brexit, it's what happened with Trump."

Story continues

Macron suffered a blow to his campaign on Tuesday when he confirmed a report by the daily Le Monde that a member of his team had resigned over an apparent conflict of interest.

Jean-Jacques Mourad, a cardiologist, is said to have made nearly 60 business visits and appearances at conferences between 2013 and June 2016, paid for by the Servier pharmaceutical company, during which he ran up tens of thousands of euros of expenses.

Mourad was a member of a working group on health issues in the Macron campaign.

Speaking after a campaign event in the Paris suburbs, Macron also said he had asked his party's ethics committee to ask all contributors to working groups to flag any possible conflicts of interest.

Le Canard Enchaine newspaper, which revealed the expenses scandal that almost derailed the campaign of conservative candidate Francois Fillon, also points the finger at Macron in its Wednesday edition.

The investigative paper alleges that a watchdog is probing accusations that favouritism was involved in the choice of public relations giant Havas to organise an event for Macron and French entrepreneurs at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas in 2016, when he was economy minister.

The paper said Havas was awarded the contract without bids being sought from other companies.

Denying the claims, Macron said Tuesday, "My ministry, when I was its minister, always respected rules on the bidding process and on public contracts."
GENEVA (AP)  IOC member Frank Fredericks has stepped down from his role overseeing the 2024 Olympic bidding process, days after a $300,000 payment from a banned track official was revealed.

Fredericks announced his withdrawal Tuesday, hours before the IOC executive board met to discuss his case.

The IOC said its ethics commission had recommended provisionally suspending Fredericks from his Olympic roles, including taking his right to vote for the 2024 host in September.

"Paris and Los Angeles are presenting two fantastic candidatures and I do not wish to become a distraction," said Fredericks, the four-time Olympic silver medalist from Namibia, in a statement.

Stepping aside as IOC evaluation chairman was "in the best interests" of the bidding process, said the former sprinter, whose company received the disputed payment on Oct. 2, 2009. That day, Rio de Janeiro won 2016 Olympic hosting rights.

Fredericks, who won his Olympic medals in the 1990s, would have led an April 23-25 visit to Los Angeles. Paris will be evaluated by an IOC team on May 14-16.

"(I)t is essential that the important work my colleagues are doing is seen as being carried out in a truthful and fair manner," Fredericks said, adding he would waive his right to vote on Sept. 13 when the IOC meets in Lima, Peru.

The IOC said it appointed Swiss member Patrick Baumann, the secretary general of basketball governing body FIBA, to lead the evaluation panel.

Fredericks also will not take part in July meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland, that are a key stage in the voting contest. IOC members will hear from city campaign leaders and about the evaluation visits.

Fredericks has denied wrongdoing after his integrity  and the 2016 Olympic hosting vote  was questioned by French daily Le Monde last Friday.

Fredericks said last week he contacted the IOC Ethics Commission ahead of Le Monde revealing that a company linked to him was paid $299,300. The cash was transferred by Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack, a disgraced former IAAF president and former long-time IOC member.

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The elder Diack is in France where state prosecutors are investigating alleged corruption in the IAAF. His son, who has been banned for life by the IAAF, is evading questioning and thought to be in his native Senegal.

Le Monde reported that Papa Massata Diack's marketing company received $1.5 million from a Brazilian businessman days before Rio's victory in a four-city contest. Fredericks, a senior IAAF official, has said he had a marketing contract with Papa Massata Diack's agency, Pamodzi Sports Consulting, from 2007-11.

"I reiterate that I was never involved with any vote manipulation or for that matter any other inappropriate or illegal practice," said Fredericks, who joined the IOC in 2004 as an athlete representative and was a member of the IOC executive board at the time of the Rio vote.

"The articles do not only target me, they target the integrity of the International Olympic Committee bidding and elections process for host cities altogether," he said. "This is why I have been and am still actively cooperating with the IOC Ethics Commission in order for them to conduct a proper and independent investigation."

The IOC said Tuesday that its board "emphasizes the presumption of innocence."

The Olympic body is cooperating with French authorities as a civil party in their investigation, which spun off claims that senior IAAF officials extorted money from Russian athletes to cover up doping cases.

On Monday, Fredericks was removed by the IAAF from a five-member task force overseeing the process of Russia's efforts to regain its status in world track and field. The IAAF suspended Russia in November 2015 when the scale of the extortion conspiracy was detailed.
Paris (AFP) - A French drug squad officer goes on trial on Tuesday, accused of stealing around 50 kilograms of cocaine from police headquarters in Paris in a case that has shaken the high-profile force.

The 36-year-old suspect, Jonathan Guyot, will appear in court along with nine other people, including his wife, his policeman brother and two other officers.

They face a range of theft, drugs and money-laundering charges over a 2014 heist within the premises of Paris police headquarters, known as 36 quai des Orfevres, made famous in French-language detective novels.

With an estimated street-value of two million euros ($2.12 million), the 50-kilo (110-pound) haul of cocaine went missing on July 24, 2014 from a safe three weeks after it was seized.

Footage from security cameras on that night shows Guyot entering the police building, and guards patrolling the entrance also say they saw him leave with two bags, according to prosecutors.

Guyot, who had been in the anti-drugs squad since 2010, maintains his innocence, but has presented alibis deemed "extravagant" by an investigating magistrate.

A code for the safe where the drugs were held was found on his mobile phone, prosecutors say.

- Cocaine unaccounted for -

Guyot, owner of a portfolio of properties in Paris and in southern France, was also carrying more than 24,000 euros in cash at the time of his arrest on August 2, 2014 -- which he says he won from online gaming.

He is suspected to have handed over a total of 400,000 euros to two childhood friends, one of them a policeman.

Suspected drug dealer Farid Kharraki is believed to have sold the stolen drugs but denies any involvement in the affair, despite evidence that the two men were in touch before and after the night of the theft, according to prosecutors.

The missing cocaine remains unaccounted for to this day.

Guyot's brother, also a policeman, admitted to disposing of 150,000 euros in a lake in the suburbs of Paris, and giving 50,000 euros long-hidden in a bush nearby to a third party.

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The trial is expected to last until March 17.

Among the 10 defendants is a fraudster called Christophe Rocancourt, known for tricking celebrities with his false identities, who is suspected of helping Guyot retrieve some of his money. They were both in jail at the same time.

The Paris criminal police department has been at the centre of various scandals that have tarnished its reputation in recent years.

In April 2014, two elite officers were accused of raping a Canadian tourist inside 36 quai des Orfevres in a case that shocked France. The case did not go to trial and the two policemen were not sentenced.

The department suffered another blow in February 2015 after a top boss was suspended over suspicion that he leaked information about another top official under investigation for giving fake documents to illegal immigrants.
Paris (AFP) - Embattled French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon received an interest-free, undeclared loan of 50,000 euros ($53,000) from a billionaire friend in 2013, according to the Canard Enchaine weekly.

The conservative candidate "did not deem it necessary" to report the loan from Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere to a state transparency watchdog, the weekly said in its edition to appear Wednesday.

The investigative and satirical newspaper, the source of the fake jobs scandal that has threatened to derail Fillon's candidacy, reported that his lawyer Antonin Levy had confirmed the loan had been repaid in full.

Ladreit de Lacharriere, whose magazine La Revue des Deux Mondes once had Fillon's wife on its payroll, was given France's highest state honour by Fillon in 2011.

The Canard Enchaine also said investigators were also looking into a consultancy firm called 2F Conseil that Fillon set up in 2012 after he left office as prime minister, which the paper says has paid him hundreds of thousands of euros.

Fillon has denied any wrongdoing with his consultancy work.

Once the frontrunner to become France's next president in May, he has had to battle to stay in the race because of revelations in January by the Canard Enchaine that he had paid his wife Penelope hundreds of thousands of euros from public funds, allegedly for fake jobs.

The 63-year-old former prime minister faces embezzlement charges later this month.
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Journalists in The Gambia on Tuesday urged the country's new leadership to uphold their pledge to respect media freedom after a violent public assault on a reporter by President Adama Barrow's supporters.

Kebba Jeffang, a journalist for Foroyaa newspaper, was hit, scratched and insulted at a press conference on Sunday held by ministers from three parties who joined together to form Barrow's new coalition government.

Barrow has made press freedom a pillar of his reforms since taking power this year from Yahya Jammeh, whose authoritarian 22-year rule was marked by arrests and intimidation of reporters.

"We condemn the attack on Kebba Jeffang and call on the leaders of the three political parties to take appropriate action," said Gambia Press Union (GPU) Secretary General Saikou Jammeh.

"Now is the time for (Barrow) to put words to action by publicly condemning the unwarranted conduct," said a GPU statement released later on Tuesday.

Witnesses said Jeffang was attacked for asking pointed questions to the ministers about whether their parties would continue to maintain their coalition in The Gambia's legislative elections, a thorny topic just a month before the vote.

"The journalist's only 'offence' (was) to ask questions to Ousainou Darboe and Mai Ahmad Fatty, the respective leaders of United Democratic Party (UDP) and Gambia Moral Congress (GMC)," said Amadou Bojang, who saw the attack take place.

The press union called on Fatty, who is also the interior minister, to help the police in identifying the perpetrators.

Members of UDP, GMC as well as the National Reconciliation Party -- all member parties of the coalition that brought Barrow to power -- are alleged to have taken part in the assault.

Barrow had been a member of the UDP until he resigned to stand as the coalition candidate in a December election that unseated President Jammeh from power.

He won largely because the broad backing of every Gambian opposition party except one, but it is now unclear whether the parties who joined him will run again as a coalition on April 6.

In a sign of the president's desire to lower the simmering tensions within the coalition and also with supporters of Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reconstruction and Conciliation, representatives from all major political groups signed a pact late Tuesday.

Barrow said he hoped the agreement would "encourage dialogue and cooperation", and made clear it would "restrict them from using offensive language, violence, intimidation and undue use of power for political purposes."
By Will Boggs MD (Reuters Health) - Genetic changes in the cells lining the inside of the nose might someday help doctors diagnose lung cancer, a recent study suggests. The idea that you don't have to sample the disease tissue but can diagnose presence of disease using relatively accessible cells that are far from the tumor . . . is a paradigm that can impact many cancers, Dr. Avrum Spira from Boston University School of Medicine, a member of the study team, told Reuters Health by email. The layer of cells that covers the surfaces of the body and lines the cavities is known as the epithelium. Researchers found that distinctive changes in gene activity in the nasal epithelium of lung cancer patients closely parallel the changes seen in lung epithelium and can distinguish between benign lung disease and cancer. "I think the most interesting finding was the genomic changes in the nasal epithelium of lung cancer patients mirror so closely those found in the lower airway, Spira said. The researchers thought the nose would be a reasonable surrogate for the field of injury in the bronchial airway, he added, but the surprisingly strong concordance between the nose and lower airway gave them the encouragement to develop a nasal biomarker for lung cancer detection. Pulmonary nodules represent a growing diagnostic dilemma in the U.S. as we have started to screen for lung cancer, Spira said. A nasal swab that is highly sensitive for lung cancer in this setting would enable physicians to avoid unnecessary invasive biopsies in nodule patients who are unlikely to have lung cancer. Past research has found that gene expression profiles from normal bronchial epithelial cells can distinguish smokers and former smokers with lung cancer from individuals with benign lung disease, and that nasal and bronchial epithelium respond similarly to tobacco smoke. Spiras team sought to determine whether cancer-associated gene expression in the nasal epithelium might be useful for detecting lung cancer in current and former smokers. They identified 535 genes that had different activity patterns in the nasal epithelium of patients with lung cancer versus those with benign disease. Cancer-associated gene changes correlated significantly between nasal epithelium and bronchial epithelium samples, and the genes that were more active in nasal epithelium of patients with lung cancer were among the genes whose activity was most increased in bronchial epithelium of patients with cancer. When researchers compared models doctors might use to determine the likelihood of lung cancer, nasal gene activity was more accurate than clinical risk factors alone for diagnosing lung cancer, according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute report. The combination of clinical factors and gene activity score accurately predicted cancer 91 percent of the time, compared to 79 percent for the model based on risk factors. The combined model also had 85 percent accuracy differentiating lung cancer from benign disease, compared to 73 percent. One of the big-picture messages for physicians is that molecular tests like this one are emerging as part of precision medicine approaches for early cancer detection, Spira said. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2mdEWcl Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online February 27, 2017.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - Industrial orders in Germany plunged 7.4 percent in January, preliminary official data showed Tuesday, troubling a largely bright picture of recovery in Europe's largest economy.

New orders -- a closely watched indicator of future economic performance -- had increased 5.2 percent in December, adjusting for price, seasonal and calendar effects, federal statistics office Destatis confirmed.

Analysts surveyed by Factset had predicted a much smaller fall in January of 2.5 percent.

"Today's disappointing data is a good reminder that German industry is having more problems returning to full speed than buoyant sentiment indicators have been suggesting," said economist Carsten Brzeski of ING Diba bank.

January's drop in new orders was the largest since 2009, he noted, following on from months of "almost unprecedented" fluctuations in the indicator since last summer.

But the government said there was no cause for alarm.

"The strong increase in orders in the final quarter of 2016 makes a weak start to the new year manageable," the federal economy ministry in Berlin commented in a statement.

Comparing December plus January to October plus November showed a fall of just 0.4 percent in orders, the civil servants pointed out.

Berlin also highlighted strong confidence surveys among industrial firms, suggesting a pick-up in business in the coming months.

"Given the very positive sentiment indicators to date, this is probably an outlier," agreed analyst Ralph Solveen of Commerzbank.

"The trend in industrial production should still point upwards in the coming months."

Both the economy ministry and Commerzbank pointed out that much of the drop was down to large contracts -- a volatile item that can see large swings from month to month.

Excluding large orders, January's data showed a smaller fall of 2.9 percent.

Heightened uncertainty has weighed on business since June 2016, when Britain voted to quit the EU, and been sustained by Donald Trump capturing the White House on a protectionist platform, as well as upcoming elections in the Netherlands, France, and Germany in which anti-globalisation parties stand to make strides.

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With deep economic connections to both Britain and the United States, Germany stands to lose out if new barriers to trade spring up in the English Channel or the Atlantic.

For now, January's fall in domestic demand for German industrial firms' products was much sharper than for foreign orders, at 10.5 percent compared with 4.9 percent.

Orders from the eurozone contracted faster than those from countries outside the single currency area.

The biggest fall came for capital goods makers, who saw 9.9 percent fewer orders, while producer goods firms lost 4.0 percent and consumer goods 2.0 percent.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's finance minister says Russia is conducting a "propaganda war" through fake news to try to garner influence abroad, and it has to stop.

Wolfgang Schaeuble told a group of foreign correspondents in Berlin on Tuesday that Kremlin-funded Russia Today produces "false reports from morning to evening," which "is not acceptable and needs to end."

Schaeuble says there is a "constant and unbelievably deceitful" barrage of Russian propaganda.

Schaeuble didn't specify any reports, but last month Lithuanian authorities quickly debunked a story that a German soldier serving as part of a NATO mission there had raped a teenage girl.

Lithuanian authorities suggested Russia may have invented the claim to discredit the new NATO force on its borders.
Berlin (AFP) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Tuesday he would host US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin next week, their first meeting, ahead of a gathering of G20 ministers.

"I asked him to have a bilateral meeting before. It will be held next Thursday in Berlin," Schaeuble told journalists.

The face-to-face talks with Mnuchin would follow Chancellor Angela Merkel's first meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington next Tuesday.

It also comes just ahead of the March 17-18 gathering in Germany of central bankers and finance ministers from the G20 group of developing and developed nations.

Schaeuble said talks with Mnuchin will be "a good preparation" for the G20 meeting, and that "all the subjects that finance ministers are concerned about will be raised".

Germany's massive trade surplus is expected to be among issues raised by Mnuchin, after a top economic adviser to Trump accused Berlin of exploiting an undervalued euro to take advantage of its trading partners.

Peter Navarro, who advised Trump during the campaign and heads the White House's new National Trade Council, said in an interview with the Financial Times in January that Germany "continues to exploit other countries in the EU as well as the US with an 'implicit Deutsche mark' that is grossly undervalued."

Schaeuble rejected the criticism again on Tuesday, saying "no one can claim that we achieved this surplus through any form of manipulation".
GM said today it will sell its European Opel division to PSA Peugeot Citroen, the French parent of the Citroen, DS and Peugeot brands, for 2.2 billion euros (approximately $2.33 billion).

Among the questions surrounding the salewhich includes the U.K.-market Vauxhall brandis where the change in ownership leaves Opel's electric-car plans.

General Motors has controlled Opel for more than 90 years, but under CEO Mary Barra, it has focused relentlessly on profit over sales volume. The Opel division has lost almost $20 billion over the past two decades.

DON'T MISS: Strong demand for Opel Ampera-e in Norway moves up launch date

Currency fluctuations due to Brexit kept Opel from reaching its 2016 breakeven goal. It lost $257 million, after the previous year's $813 million loss. Opel provided one-tenth of GM's global salesbut represented 18 percent of its workforce.

The deal between GM and PSA could put Opel's ambitious electric-car plans in limbo.

Months before the talks between GM and PSA began, Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann began working on a plan to convert the brand entirely to electric cars by 2030, German business publication Manager Magazin reported last month.

Opel Ampera-e

Neumann was concerned the Opel division would not have the resources to develop both electric and internal-combustion cars in the coming years, according to the report.

With a German proposal in Opel's home market to end sales of new internal-combustion cars within 15 years, Neumann reportedly felt it more important to prioritize electric cars.

Opel is just launching sales of a rebadged Chevrolet Bolt EV as the Ampera-e, and Neumann apparently planned to adapt that vehicle's platform to other models.

CHECK OUT: 2017 Opel Ampera-e (nee Bolt EV) to debut at Paris Motor Show (Aug 2016)

As GM's first mass-market, long-range electric car, the Bolt EV/Ampera-e is an important carand it might not seem that it would want to license its marquee technology to a future competitor.

Story continues

On the other hand, Opel would be damaged by the abrupt withdrawal of its anticipated all-electric car.

Indeed, last month Automotive News (subscription required) reported that GM may allow PSA to license its electric-car technology if the sale of Opel went through, also citing Manager Magazin.

Electric Odyssey: Citroen C-Zero around the world

News reports this morning indicate that the two companies will work together on future electrification, and PSA may source hydrogen fuel-cell systems from a GM-Honda joint venture.

PSA has no battery-electric cars of its own design. It sells versions of the aging Mitsubishi i-MiEV as the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero.

It has sold tens of thousands of Peugeot and Citroen through-the-road plug-in hybrids, using the diesel engines popular in Europe.

Combining Opel with PSA is expected to generate annual savings of 1.7 billion euros by 2026 from such synergies as shared R&D, manufacturing, and procurement.

PSA and Opel deliveries together totaled 4.3 million vehicles last year, giving the merged automaker 17 percent of the European market, second only to VW Group.

We respect all that Opel/Vauxhalls talented people have achieved as well as the companys fine brands and strong heritage," said PSA CEO Carlos Tavares in a statement.

"We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities."

The buyer, PSA, is backed both by the French government and state-owned Chinese automaker Dongfeng.

2017 Opel Insignia Grand Sport

Before the sale, German politicians sought assurances that Opel would remain a German company. They expressed concerns over the security of jobs at German Opel factories, as did U.K. officials over Vauxhall jobs.

The U.K. decision to leave the European Unioncommonly referred to as "Brexit"was thought to be a motivating factor in GM's decision to sell its European operations, to to the increased uncertainty it creates for the European market.

Prior to discussing a possible sale, GM and PSA entered into an agreement to jointly develop small cars for the European market.

The first of those cars will be unveiled at this week's 2017 Geneva Motor Show.

_______________________________________________

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This morning, General Motors confirmed that it has sold both its Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary and its European financial arm to Paris-based PSA for a total of 2.2 billion ($2.3 billion).

Naturally, GM has pitched this as a win-win for itself and for PSA (formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroen), but is it?

Only time will tell, but on the face of it, the deal definitely seems to be a boost for GM.

That's not just because of the company's $2.3 billion payday or the ongoing revenue GM will receive from PSA, which will license GM's patented technology for use on Opel and Vauxhall vehicles in the near future. Beyond that, the spin-off slims down GM's portfolio--a practice that, paired with a controversial restructuring, has helped the automaker recover from the Great Recession.

Perhaps most importantly, the sell-off of Opel/Vauxhall gives GM more freedom to focus on its current priorities, like electric vehicles, autonomous technology, mobility offerings, and growing auto markets like China. Whether GM is taking a risk by backing out of Europe is a matter for debate.

As for PSA, it's a slightly different story.

On the plus side, the acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall makes PSA the second-largest automaker in Europe behind Volkswagen, giving the company 17 percent of the European market. That certainly offers PSA some degree of bragging rights and an enlarged footprint. PSA will also see additional revenue from loans and leases brokered through GM's former financial services arm.

However, like the European auto market, Opel/Vauxhall is in a period of recovery and transition, and it's not much of a money-maker at the moment. PSA expects Opel/Vauxhall to achieve a profit margin of two percent by 2020 and six percent by 2026, at which point economies of scale with other PSA brands could save the company some 1.7 billion per year ($1.8 billion).

Those seem like a number of big "ifs", though, especially in light of uncertainties about growth in the economically and politically fragile European market. Add to that the trouble PSA may have in distinguishing between Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel/Vauxhall for consumers, and it seems like GM may have gotten the better deal.
Last week's deadly outbreak of 34 tornadoes in eight states is a warning to all consumers: Now's the time to check whether you're fully covered by your homeowners insurance.

The period between March and August is peak season for tornadoes. Wildfires tend to flare up in spring and summer, and the Atlantic hurricane season starts in June.

"This will be the most dangerous and destructive year for hurricanes since 2005," when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, warns David Dilley, senior meteorologist for Global Weather Oscillations, an Ocala, Fla., firm that provides long-range cyclone forecasts to insurance companies and businesses.



Yet most homes are underinsured, according to Norrine Brydon, head of research for CoreLogic, which provides risk data to major insurance companies. She says that about 60 percent of homes are underinsured by about 20 percent.

7 Steps to Full Coverage

To properly figure the replacement cost of your home, don't rely on Zillow estimates or what you paid for your house when you bought it.

"Market value is not comparable to construction cost," says Brydon. Market value includes the cost of the land and depends on things like your home's location, the economy, and the price you could sell it for. The cost of new construction to replace your home could be very different.

So Brydon recommends that you make a date with your insurance agent. He'll have software that can estimate the replacement cost of your home. To make sure you get the most accurate replacement cost, follow these steps:

Review your home's vital statistics as listed in your policy. Make sure the policy includes correct information about your home's square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, its age, and the structural materials it's built with. Also check that the type of flooring listed in the policy is accurate.

"If you've added a second story to the house or remodeled with top-of-the-line upgrades, keep your agent in the loop," says Chris Hackett, senior director of personal lines at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, a trade group. Such a change would make a big difference in how much insurance you need.

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Get a "new-policy" quote. Even if you're renewing your policy, ask your agent to recalculate your home's reconstruction value using the most current construction cost data and updated property details. A "new policy" estimate will likely be more precise than a "renewal" quote, which may be based on less up-to-date info.

Request a copy of the reconstruction valuation report. Review it for accuracy and make any corrections necessary. Ask the agent if you have any questions.

Repeat this process every year or two. One reason so many are underinsured is inertia. Homeowners buy insurance when they buy their home, then they forget about it. Rising construction costs can quickly outdate your policy limits.

Buy the extended replacement cost endorsement. Most homeowners insurance provides for replacement cost up to specified limits. Hackett says you want extended replacement cost coverage, which will typically pay up to 25 percent above your limits. That costs more, but it's especially important when natural disaster strikes and the sudden large demand for construction labor and materials causes price spikes.

Protect against other perils. Another reason homeowners can find themselves underinsured is because standard homeowners insurance policies don't cover everything. Youll need additional policies for flooding and earthquakes. You might also need separate policies for hurricanes, wind, and hail if you live in a high-risk zone.

Consider getting a "floater" to your policy. If you own unusually valuable furs, jewelry, silverware, or artwork, a floater could cover the full value of those items. If you live in an older home, consider adding an ordinance or law endorsement (an extra feature), which will help pay the higher cost of bringing plumbing, wiring, or other key systems up to current codes when rebuilding.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S.
Back when the iPhone was a mere twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye, "culture" didn't mean all that much in Silicon Valley. Now, it means even less.

While a fair and equitable work community is worth striving for, endlessly mentioning your company culture is a tired marketing ploy, and one that many women in tech have known to be only lip service for some time now.

The c-word is invoked to provide cover. It's a box to tick. It may be tech's favourite buzzword, but it's time to give it up.

SEE ALSO: Uber's Travis Kalanick: Yep, I'm a jerk, basically

Just how insincerely "culture" is used has become clear in the wake of Uber's most recent set of scandals concerning its allegedly top-to-bottom bro workplace, not to mention the endless drip of lawsuits brought by women and people of colour at companies from Tesla to Tinder.

Some companies are quietly equitable, but at this point, we all know that tech "culture" is most often a byword for the type of workplace meritocracy that functions only because everyone looks the same.

Companies certainly walk a fine line when talking up their workplace culture suggested Kai Riemer, a professor at Sydney University's business school. After all, what's ideal for some may be considered too demanding and exploitive by others. While things are improving, the low number of women and people of diverse backgrounds in technical roles at most major tech companies will give you a good idea of just who the culture is working for.

"They create a pressure-cooker environment in many cases to get the most out of the talent they're attracting, and they pay them back with a lot of perks and a kind of inclusive, feel-good culture," Riemer said. "I think it's no secret that the workplaces are demanding and what is portrayed as image may not always hold up on closer inspection."

Men crowd around a new car during a technology news conference.

Image: John Locher/AP/REX/Shutterstock

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Of course, some companies can be set apart. "Uber as an example might be a special case, because they haven't quite sailed on the wave of being a force for good or a positive employer," Riemer added. "Uber has always had the image to be quite ruthless when it comes to dealing with competitors, policy and being ignorant of anything that stands in their way. I think that was kind of deliberate because they wanted to be seen to be a disrupter."

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's recent remarks about "creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything," suggest he may wish he'd invested earlier in that culture capital.

Natasha Hawker, founder of human resource consulting film Employee Matters, is not quite ready to give culture up, although she admits people are increasingly cynical about the term.

"People know at the moment they need to talk about culture  it's a sexy word  but I don't think people define culture the same way," she said. In her view, a good workplace is one with strong communication  a diverse, flexible business where wins are celebrated. "It doesn't have to be complicated," she added.

You do, however, have to earn the right to claim company culture as an asset. "I think it needs to be evidence-based. If they can back their claims with evidence and they articulate that culture through advertising and the interview process, then OK," Hawker explained.

So, what does someone who still seems mostly fond of the word think? Julio Avalos, chief business officer at GitHub, acknowledged Silicon Valley has more to learn while in Sydney visiting local startups. "I think the Valley has had issues with some of that, where there is a natural kind of utopian mindset that sometimes has gotten ahead of itself," he said.

Of course, the San Francisco-based code management platform has faced accusations of gender-based harassment itself in recent years. Avalos argued the company is now better placed to be sensitive to the concerns of employees and users, pointing to the company's dedicated community and safety team, among other initiatives. "I think GitHub has learned a lot over the last several years around how to be more of a grown up organisation," he said.

While he used the word culture freely  "What is the GitHub culture? How do you maintain that culture?"  Avalos suggested the aim was not to impose the company's ethos where it doesn't fit. "It's not about exporting a cookie cutter model to the rest of the world ... I don't think it's about thinking we have all of the answers and that we have all the solutions," he added.

That would suit Riemer: "I think Australian tech companies by and large are known to have pretty good work conditions as it is, so I don't think we need any lecturing to by American companies," he said.

And that's the crux of it: Silicon Valley's soft power message about the halcyon beauty of its workplaces feels increasingly disingenuous to the rest of the world, even hypocritical. Ending the c-word abuse and simply building a better workplace would go a long way towards restoring faith.

In other words: We look forward to reading all your diversity reports. And hearing nothing more about your great culture, thank you so much.
Warsaw (AFP) - Hollywood stars on Tuesday hit the red carpet in Warsaw for a gala screening of a film about a Polish couple who risked their lives to hide hundreds of Jews in a zoo during World War II.

Based on actual events, "The Zookeeper's Wife" tells the story of then zoo director Jan Zabinski and his wife Antonina, who together saved nearly 300 people, mostly Jews smuggled out of the city's ghetto, by providing them shelter in their villa basement.

Thankfully, the Nazi Germans occupying Poland never found out.

"Antonina and Jan were ordinary people who risked everything -- their safety and the safety of their children -- to save others. They fostered hope in a time that was so dark," Oscar-nominated US actress Jessica Chastain, who plays Antonina, told reporters ahead of the screening.

"What Jan and Antonina did was so extraordinary. But they did it for one very simple reason: because it was the right thing to do," director Niki Caro, who was born in New Zealand, told reporters in the Polish capital.

Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre later recognised the Zabinskis as Righteous Among the Nations, an award bestowed upon non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust.

The movie, which hits theatres worldwide in late March, is based on a book of the same name by American author Diane Ackerman, who relied heavily on Antonina's own memoirs from the 1960s.

Caro said she never "really wanted to do a Holocaust movie, but this one was so different."

"You know, most of our war movies are about men. But this is one that was about a woman and children and animals and all of those things interest me very much," she said.

- Secret tune -

While her husband was out most days working with the Polish underground resistance, Antonina took care of their secret guests as well an eclectic collection of pets including a piglet, an otter and a badger.

Danger was ever present, as the Nazi Germans were constantly milling around the zoo. Helping Jews -- even offering them a glass of water -- was punishable by death in occupied Poland.

Story continues

Whenever the Nazis approached, Antonina would warn her secret guests by playing a special tune on the piano and they would escape outside via a tunnel in the basement.

The movie also stars German actor Daniel Bruhl and Belgian-born Johan Heldenbergh, who along with Caro and Chastain said they would join a Warsaw march on Wednesday to mark International Women's Day.

Historical records show that six million European Jews died in the Nazi German genocide during World War II. All but two of the people hidden by the Zabinskis survived.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly confirmed he is considering an initiative that would separate immigrant children from their parents if they enter the U.S. illegally.

During an interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer, Kelly said he would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico and to the United States.

When pressed by Blitzer about whether DHS personnel would separate undocumented immigrant children from their parents, Kelly confirmed he was considering such protocol.

Yes, I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that, he said. They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents.

DHS Secretary says he's considering separating immigant children from their parents to deter illegal immigration https://t.co/VI7iRONztC  The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) March 6, 2017

Reuters reported on Saturday that the DHS policy under consideration would permit the government to hold parents in custody and put children in protective custody until they can be put in the care of a U.S. relative or a state-sponsored guardian.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Mark and Jennifer Swartz moved into their first home in November. On Tuesday, only a section of floor was left of their three-bedroom, two-bath house in Oak Grove, Missouri, after a storm system that dropped more than 30 tornadoes across the Midwest tore it apart.

"It's all we got left, just a slab," Swartz said as he surveyed the damage to his home in the town about 25 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri. "Right now, I'm in total shock. We're blown away, figuratively and literally."

Despite the destruction, Swartz said he and his wife felt blessed by God because they were eating dinner at a restaurant Monday night when the storm hit. Their home had no basement, so they would have had nowhere to hide.

"If we'd been here, we'd be dead," he said, adding, "We'll try to pick up the pieces and move on."

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said dozens of tornadoes struck overnight in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. The National Weather Service was assessing the exact number and strength of twisters Tuesday. The same storm system brought huge hailstones and powerful winds as far south as the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and as far north as Wisconsin.

The Swartz house was one of 483 homes and 10 to 12 commercial buildings with some type of damage in Oak Grove, said Sni Valley Fire Protection District Chief Carl Scarborough. Twelve people were treated for injuries that weren't life-threatening, he said.

"It looks like the injuries are minimal so, based on some of the damage I've seen, it's rather amazing" that no one died, Oak Grove Mayor Jeremy Martin said in a Tuesday morning news conference.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens declared a state of emergency and surveyed the damage in Oak Grove on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that the Oak Grove tornado was an EF3, with an estimated peak wind of 152 mph.

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In Smithville, Missouri, an EF2 tornado with peak winds of 132 mph, damaged or destroyed between 60 and 70 homes, Police Chief Jason Lockridge said. The damage will be "well north of seven figures" in the town of around 9,000 residents about 25 miles north of Kansas City. No serious injuries were reported.

A suburban Kansas City airport was hit by straight-line winds averaging 80 to 85 mph, not a tornado, the weather service said. The Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, reopened to limited air traffic but remained closed to the public Tuesday. Nine public and three private hangars were damaged, with one demolished, and officials were still working to determine how many airplanes were damaged.

About 46 homes sustained some damage, with a handful having major damage, in the nearby suburb of Leawood, Kansas, said Johnson County spokeswoman Sharon Watson. No injuries were reported in Olathe or Leawood.

Police said several homes, barns and sheds were damaged in rural areas near Plattsburg and Lathrop in Missouri, and four people were treated for minor injuries.

EF1 tornadoes, with wind speeds of 86 to 110 mph, were reported in three Missouri communities: the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit, Macks Creek in west-central Missouri and Wentzville near St. Louis.

In northeast Missouri, Shelby County canceled classes after winds damaged several school buildings. And in Odessa, about 40 miles east of Kansas City, people were told to boil their water because the city's water treatment plant was damaged.

In Iowa, where hurricane-force winds were reported, the National Weather Service in Davenport confirmed three injuries and 80 homes damaged in Muscatine from a tornado that traveled nearly 2 miles leaving a swath of damage 200 yards wide. The EF2 tornado struck Monday night with peak winds of 115 mph.

Another EF2 tornado swept along 25 miles through Blue Grass, northwest Davenport and Eldridge damaging a home, farm buildings, trees and power poles. A suspected tornado also damaged a school in the south-central Iowa community of Seymour.

Minnesota got hit with two tornadoes Monday evening  the earliest twisters to ever strike the state. Forecasters say one damaged buildings and took down trees and power lines near Zimmerman, about 35 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The second caused damage in Clarks Grove, about 15 miles north of Albert Lea in southern Minnesota.

The storm system was weakening as it moved to the east but the Storm Prediction Center said parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama could see severe thunderstorms Tuesday.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Suhr contributed to this story.
Female students need curfews to protect them from their own "hormonal outbursts", India's women's minister has said, sparking ridicule on social media.

Many Indian universities inflict curfews on women while allowing their male students freedom to stay out at night, a policy that critics say is sexist and outdated.

Asked about the practice on a television talk show, Manekha Gandhi said it was necessary to protect young women from their own hormones.

"To protect you from your own hormonal outbursts, perhaps a certain protection, a Lakshman Rekha (red line) is drawn," she said in comments broadcast on the NDTV news channel Monday.

"You can make it (the curfew) six, seven or eight, that depends on college to college but it really is for your own safety," she told the studio audience of college students during a special show to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday.

Gandhi said a similar deadline should be put in place for male students, but many social media users ridiculed her for her comments.

"You know what would be safest? Lock hormonal men in, instead of denying women the right to lead a full life," tweeted one critic.

Gandhi, who is the sister-in-law of opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, is no stranger to controversy.

Last year she angered women's rights campaigners arguing for a law against marital rape by saying that could not apply in India because society viewed marriage as sacrosanct.

She has also said schizophrenia sufferers shouldn't work, and called for mandatory tests to determine the sex of unborn children -- a practice illegal in India due to the risk of female foeticide.

In 2015, women students in Delhi launched a campaign against the curfews under the name Pinjra Tod ("Break the Cage").

University residences generally justify the rules with concern for the safety of young women in a country where sexual violence is widespread.
The stakes couldnt be higher for Americas hospitals in the debate over the GOP replacement for Obamacare. Heres a quick breakdown of the top issues to watch and how they could impact providers across the country.

Medicaid, Medicaid, Medicaid

Hospitals could face a huge financial hit from the Medicaid overhaul as they grapple with lost payments and reduced volume. Republicans would freeze the expansion in 2020 (11 million people have gained Medicaid coverage under Obamacare) and impose block grants, or per capita limits in state funding, by 2020.

Safety-net hospitals are particularly worried right now. Americas Essential Hospitals, an organization that represents those providers, warned that the cuts would have consequences for hospitals that are already operating on thin margins. Our hospitals could not sustain such reductions without scaling back services or eliminating jobs, its statement said.

The GOPs proposal would restore disproportionate share payments that were cut under Obamacare in exchange for increased volume expected from the Medicaid expansion. This would provide a measure of increased financial support for safety-net hospitals. But that is cold comfort to many providers who could face increases in uncompensated care costs.

Repealing Obamacares insurance subsidies

The GOP replacement could also expose hospitals to greater financial risk from patients who buy insurance in the individual insurance market. The proposal would replace the current subsidy program by 2020 with age-based tax credits. Robert Huckman, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said the change would broaden financial assistance across the income scale, but provide less assistance per person than Obamacare to the people most in need.

It takes from the most poor, to give to the less poor, he said. For hospitals, that could mean higher levels of uncompensated care, particularly for those that serve larger low-income populations who might either not be able to afford available health care plans nor be eligible for Medicaid. There is a greater level of concern now about how much support those patients will have in paying for their care, he said.

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A different kind of safety net

The Republican plan includes a new patient and state stability fund that would provide money, directly or indirectly, to hospitals to help pay for the care of patients with significant health needs but limited insurance coverage. The provision would allow states to create high-risk pools or reinsurance programs to help pay for their care.

It would provide $15 billion in funding to states in 2018 and 2019, and $10 billion annually from 2020 to 2026. But how that money would trickle down to hospitals  and whether it would truly cover the cost of uncompensated care  remains to be seen.

Huckman said the switch to such a system  along with per-capita allotments under Medicaid  is going to shift more risk onto hospitals and increase competition among them for scarce dollars. This could magnify the benefits of being a large provider relative to a smaller competitor, he said. The potential is certainly there for greater consolidation.

Read more: What you need to know about the big Obamacare fight: Medicaid

A new cost equation for seniors

The GOP plan would shake up coverage for older Americans by allowing insurers to charge them five times more in premiums than younger, healthier people. Insurers have long bemoaned the current 3-to-1 premium ratio as unworkable, leaving them with unmanageable losses. While this change could help stabilize the insurance market, it could also force seniors to pay more out-of-pocket, potentially leaving hospitals with more people who are not able to afford the full cost of their care.

Eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund

Hospitals and public health workers would lose a funding source aimed at combatting Americas epidemic of chronic disease. By fiscal year 2019, the GOP plan would eliminate this nearly $1 billion allocation, which helps pay for public health initiatives, such as cancer screenings and immunization programs, and funds pharmaceutical research and opioid treatment.

Read more: Obamacare repeal and Trumps spending plan put CDC budget in peril

More than 300 groups, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Preventive Medicine, recently signed a letter warning of the dire consequences of the funds elimination. The overall financial impact on providers is unclear, as the GOP could still reroute the funding through other channels. But the president has said he will cut domestic spending, so its not clear where the funds would come from.

The known unknowns

The GOPs proposal focuses on repealing certain financial and tax provisions associated with the Affordable Care Act. What we dont know is how Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration will alter data-reporting requirements and performance penalties focused on hospital readmissions. The president signed an executive order saying regulations need not be enforced if they impose financial burdens on entities like hospitals involved in the Affordable Care Act. That could be a significant silver lining for providers. Many hospital leaders have criticized federal penalties as unfair to those that treat the sickest patients and low-income populations with fewer resources to stay healthy and ward off complications.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee said on Tuesday he had seen no evidence to support President Donald Trump's allegation he was wiretapped by then-President Barack Obama during the 2016 presidential campaign. Republican Representative Devin Nunes told reporters that if Trump's assertion were true, the leaders of Congress and the chairman of its two intelligence committees, known collectively as the "Gang of Eight," should have been briefed. "I have not seen that evidence," Nunes said when asked about Trump's charge. "I think the bigger question that needs to be answered is whether or not Mr. Trump or any of his associates were in fact targeted by any of the intelligence agencies or law enforcement authorities." "At this point, we don't have any evidence of that," he said. Trump made the accusation in a series of early morning tweets on Saturday, without providing any evidence. A spokesman for Obama said it was not true. Trump has since pressed the House and Senate intelligence committees to expand already planned probes into allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. election to look into his charge. Nunes previously said his panel would examine the evidence. "We are supposed to be kept up to speed on any pertinent counterintelligence investigation," Nunes said of the Gang of Eight. "If Trump or any other political campaign, or anybody associated with Trump, was under some type of investigation, that clearly should have risen to the Gang of Eight level." Nunes said his committee planned to hold a series of public hearings as part of its Russia probe, beginning with a session on March 20 at which FBI Director James Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, had been called to testify. He said former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates were also among those invited to appear. "At this time, we are not going to subpoena anyone for that March 20th hearing," Nunes said. "But if we have to, we will subpoena all information that is pertinent to this investigation if people either ... don't want to appear or if the appropriate agencies do not provide the information we ask for." (Reporting by Timothy Ahmann; Editing by Peter Cooney)
House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., opens a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Feb. 28, 2017, in the U.S. Capitol, before President Trumps address. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  House Republicans released their replacement for the Affordable Care Act on Monday night, backing off some ideas that caused controversy in their caucus, such as taxing high-dollar health benefits that employees obtain through their employers.

The bill, which Republicans will continue to revise in committee, repeals Obamacares individual mandate. Instead, people who do not make sure they are covered for two months or more in the year before they want to buy health insurance will pay 30 percent higher premiums for a year. This penalty is intended to encourage people to maintain insurance coverage without the mandate. The bill also doles out age-based tax credits to people making less than $75,000, to help them purchase insurance, instead of the income-based subsidies allocated under Obamacare.

The bill retains two popular features of Obamacare: one requiring insurance companies to insure people with pre-existing conditions, and another allowing young adults to remain on their parents insurance plans until they are 26 years old.

But the bill repeals most of the taxes imposed under Obamacare, including one on medical devices and another on indoor tanning services, which raises the question of how the bill will be paid for. The bill also avoids the Cadillac tax on premium employer health plans, after conservatives complained about any bill that creates new taxes.

Republicans compromised on the hot-button issue in the bill: Medicaid expansion. The 31 states that expanded Medicaid access under Obamacare will be allowed to continue to enroll new people until 2020. They will then be required to stop offering expanding Medicaid, with the hope that some people will leave the program and that it will shrink. States that did not expand Medicaid will receive $2 billion.

The bill faces a potentially rocky road ahead, with conservatives in the caucus sure to raise questions about how the bill will be paid for, and Democrats protesting that some Americans will lose coverage.
Geneva (AFP) - Gathered on the shores of Lake Geneva for Europe's biggest annual car show, leading automakers expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday about the industry's prospects for 2017, despite the climate of political uncertainty.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to the Swiss city as the 87th Geneva International Motorshow opened its doors to experts and the media ahead of a public opening on Thursday.

As the doors opened, the show was abuzz with talk of Peugeot-owner PSA's acquisition of Opel, the European subsidiary of General Motors, a 1.3-billion-euro ($1.4 billion) deal that will create the continent's second-biggest carmaker.

With European sales almost back to levels last seen in 2008, carmakers are celebrating the end of a crisis which saw the global financial meltdown inflict deep dents on the industry.

Despite a wave of political uncertainty and the persistent shadow of the 2015 emissions scandal, executives were largely upbeat about the prospects for the coming year.

"What we see in 2017 is a market which is more stable, with slight growth, it's a situation which suits us just fine," PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares told AFP a day after signing the deal which saw the French auto giant resuming its position as Europe's largest carmaker after Volkswagen.

"What is important is to preserve the profitability of the business... to be in a situation in which we can absorb any fluctuations in the market," he said, adding: "For the moment, we don't see any."

Juergen Stackmann, head of VW brand sales, had a similar outlook.

"We are expecting a stable European market this year, in all likelihood with regional challenges," he said, in a nod toward the uncertainty over the impact of Britain's vote to leave the EU.

- In good spirits -

GM's sale of its European brands comes at a time of political upheaval following Donald Trump's arrival in the White House, and key elections due in Germany, France and The Netherlands, with the uncertainty potentially crimping growth and consumer confidence.

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But Fiat Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne urged the industry to keep things in perspective.

"To describe the Old Continent as offering geopolitical risk to a multinational, I think we're stretching (it) a little bit out of proportion," he said in a veiled reference to GM's justification for exiting Europe.

But Toyota's European president and CEO Johan van Zyl took a more sober outlook.

"We are facing many factors of uncertainty on the European market... which are going to have a negative effect," he predicted, with figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) suggesting growth in the sector will be almost flat this year at just one percent.

Leading carmakers, however, appeared to be in good spirits after a year in which 14.64 million vehicles were sold within the EU, a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year.

- Glitz and glamour -

It is a far cry from last year's show, when the industry was under a cloud following Volkswagen's admission it had installed software in 11 million diesel engines worldwide to circumvent emissions tests, a scandal that is set to cost it billions in fines and compensation.

The scandal has focused attention on emissions and the challenges facing automakers in building cars to meet ever-tougher pollution rules.

Carmakers are now having to steer toward engines that emit no more than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre by 2021 to meet European requirements, compared with 130 grams in 2015.

But even with the greater emphasis on fuel economy, the Geneva show is unlikely to disappoint in terms of glitz and glamour, with Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Bentley all set to present new models.

But the greatest buzz may come from so-called "crossover" vehicles, or CUVs, which combine features of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with those of passenger cars.

Some 180 companies are present at the 10-day show, which last year attracted 687,000 visitors.
Budapest (AFP) - Hungary's parliament approved Tuesday the systematic detention of all asylum-seekers in container camps, in a move that Prime Minister Viktor Orban said will make all of Europe safer from terror attacks.

Calling immigration the "Trojan Horse of terrorism", Orban said: "If the world sees that we can defend our borders... then no one will try to come to Hungary illegally."

The legislation will see asylum-seekers entering Hungary as well as those currently in the country confined in camps at Hungary's southern borders while their applications are processed.

Anyone who passed through a "safe third country", including the main entry point Serbia, will be refused. Appeals against rejections will be fast-tracked in three days.

Migrants whose applications are unsuccessful may also have to cover the costs of their own detention. Unaccompanied minors under 14 will be placed in care as before.

EU member Hungary previously systematically detained all asylum applicants but suspended the practice in 2013 under pressure from Brussels, the UN refugee agency and the European Court of Human Rights.

The UNHCR said Tuesday that the new legislation "will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered."

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee said it was the "last stepping stone in completely disregarding (Hungary's) asylum obligations under EU and international law and trampling the rights of asylum seekers."

"We are urging the EU to step up and show Hungary that such illegal and deeply inhumane measures have consequences," Amnesty International said.

- Razor wire -

The Tunisian suspect in the December 19 truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead was an asylum-seeker whose application had been refused.

But most other recent attacks in Europe were carried out by people who were born and/or grew up in Europe. Some of those in the 2015 Paris attacks had however posed as refugees.

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Hungary's government says the new camps will comprise converted shipping containers built onto existing "transit zones" erected in 2015 at the southern border with Serbia.

EU member Hungary's border is also an external frontier of Europe's border-free Schengen zone.

As well as building militarised razor wire fences on its borders with Serbia and Croatia in 2015, Hungary has handed thousands of migrants expulsion orders for "illegal border-crossing" and even jailed some.

It has also gradually been closing down its network of refugee camps, while allowing only a trickle of asylum-seekers into the existing transit zones.

Hungarian prisoners are also building a second "smart fence" complete with night cameras and heat and movement sensors.

- Temporary lull -

At the height of Europe's migrant crisis in 2015, over 400,000 people, many fleeing the Syrian civil war, passed through Hungary on their way to western Europe.

This has since slowed dramatically, with 1,004 people applying for asylum in Hungary this year and 105 people crossing the border illegally, according to the government.

But Orban said Tuesday that this was just a temporary lull.

"The pressure on the border will not end in coming years, as there are still millions of people preparing to step out on the road in hope of a better life," he said.

The 53-year-old Orban, a strong admirer of US President Donald Trump, has long taken a hard line on immigration.

He has said that a large influx of Muslim migrants into Europe poses a security risk and endangers the continent's Christian culture and identity.

Budapest has refused to take part in an EU scheme to share around the EU the hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the bloc in recent years.

"Those readying for the journey do not want to live according to our ways and culture but according to their own -- only with a European quality of life," Orban said Tuesday.
(Reuters) - The Hungarian parliament approved on Tuesday measures to tighten border controls and put migrants in camps along its border, the state news agency MTI reported. Hungary plans two or three camps along its southern border, where migrants will be kept while their applications for asylum are processed, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said last month. Migrants whose applications are not immediately approved will not be allowed to move freely around Hungary but will be detained in the camps, Lajos Kosa, the parliamentary group leader of Orban's Fidesz party, said earlier last month. Hungary has been a focal point of Europe's migration crisis, with hundreds of thousands passing through in 2015 in often chaotic scenes on the frontier with Serbia - the external border of the EU's passport-free Schengen area - and a Budapest rail terminus. (Writing by Larry King)
Ridiculous. Idiotic. Inexplicable.

Thats how Police Commissioner Richard Ross described a disruptive flash mob that descended upon Center City Monday night, as hundreds of teenagers caused chaos around City Hall at about 5:30 p.m.

Ross said Tuesday that some estimates pinned the number of participants around 1,000, most of whom seemed to show up because of information circulating on social media. About 20 teens were cited for disorderly conduct, Ross said, while at least four were being investigated for assaulting about a half-dozen other teens in the group.

I dont know why you would want to come down to Center City and act that way, the commissioner said. Just to be clear, [Im] not indicting everyone that came, but nonetheless, enough of these young people came down there and wreaked havoc.

Police did not identify any of the participants or those who were cited, and Ross said any potential criminal charges had not yet been approved. He said the four allegedly involved in the assault on 15th Street beat the victims with their hands and feet, and that there were allegations that some people used pepper spray.

Investigators were still sorting out what exactly incited the group to come together. An early dismissal from school Monday could have been a factor, officials said, along with chatter that spread across social media.

The flash mob phenomenon, unfortunately, is nothing new in Philadelphia. Violent gatherings began to pop up in the city in 2009 with the growth of social media, and at least three such incidents have happened here within the last six months.

Ross said police have even detailed officers recently to Center City in an effort to squash the mayhem before it erupts, though he lamented having to deploy additional manpower to try and prevent such trivial behavior.

We do have other things to do, he said. We have a whole host of other responsibilities, and devoting resources to something that really doesnt have to be is ridiculous.

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Last year, on Dec. 27, an estimated 400 teens used the social-media app Snapchat to organize a gathering at the Philadelphia Mills Mall. It took nearly two hours for authorities to clear the area. Four teens were arrested for causing a disturbance and assaulting police.

In November, six civilians  including an off-duty police officer and his wife  were injured in a flash mob attack that began around 16th and Walnut Streets in Center City. Two 16-year-old boys were arrested for the violence.

An estimated 150 teens participated in a violent October flash mob on Temple Universitys North Philadelphia campus that was organized over Instagram, police said. At least six civilians, one police officer, and once police horse were assaulted in that incident. Four juveniles, ages 14 to 17, were arrested.

Ross acknowledged that the police response Monday was slower to react than he hoped and may not have worked for us the way we wanted.

But he said the police would continue to monitor Center City and patrol for such activity  particularly as the weather gets warmer  and he encouraged parents and residents to help prevent kids from attending these types of events, and to quickly report suspicious behavior to police.

We will have the requisite number of people down here, he said.

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President Donald Trumps significantly revised immigration ban executive order has narrowed the types of immigrants and foreign nationals subject to a travel ban, but also eliminated earlier language about newcomers supporting the Constitution and founding principles.

The original executive order was signed on January 27, 2017 and replaced by the second order, signed on March 6, 2017. Missing from the new order was a paragraph in the January 27 order, in a section called Purposes, that said potential immigrants shouldnt be admitted to the United States if they opposed the countrys Constitution.

In order to protect Americans, the United States must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles. The United States cannot, and should not, admit those who do not support the Constitution, or those who would place violent ideologies over American law, the original order said. In addition, the United States should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred (including honor killings, other forms of violence against women, or the persecution of those who practice religions different from their own) or those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation.

The original orders Purposes section also focused on post-9/11 terror instances caused by foreign nationals who entered the United States after receiving visitor, student, or employment visas, or who entered through the United States refugee resettlement program.

The new orders Purposes section focuses on arguments about six Middle Eastern countries (excluding Iraq) lacking adequate screening processes for its immigrants to the United States and the constitutional ability of the President under immigration law to as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.

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But it does contain a reference to publicizing acts of gender-based violence against women, including so-called honor killings, in the United States by foreign nationals as well as publicizing information regarding the number of foreign nationals in the United States who have been charged with terrorism-related offenses while in the United States.

In all, the new order adds more classes of people directly exempt from temporary immigration bans, provides for case-by-case waivers and gives people affected by the ban 10 days notice before the bans provisions go into effect on March 16. The order also recognizes that all green-card holders, dual citizens and current valid visa holders are exempt from the travel ban, and Syrian nationals are included in a 120-day refugee ban.

It is also clear that the new order was crafted to counter arguments in several federal courts that the original bans intent was to target Muslim-majority countries.

That order was not motivated by animus toward any religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities  whoever they are and wherever they reside  to avail themselves of [refugee programs] in light of their particular challenges and circumstances, the new order reads.

With the new order signed, more legal challenges are expected. The American Civil Liberties Union said on Monday it will contest the new order. The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws, said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project. The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban.

Cases in the Ninth Circuit and other courts could also be altered by the new executive order.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.

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By Michael Erman and Caroline Humer NEW YORK (Reuters) - The House Republican health insurance plan suggests health insurance after Obamacare will be less affordable, investors, insurers and industry sources said on Tuesday, raising questions about future enrollment and insurance company participation. The draft legislation, released on Monday night, rolls back some of the key tenets of former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, known as Obamacare, including the individual mandate and the expansion of Medicaid. In addition to eliminating the requirement that most Americans obtain medical insurance, it creates a system of new tax credits to coax people to purchase private insurance on the open market. The bill has the support of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to repeal and replace the 2010 law. But some Republican lawmakers whose support is needed for the final legislation - and Democrats - said they wanted details on how it would affect U.S. consumers. Under the draft legislation, Obamacares income-based and location-based tax credits are replaced by credits with fixed amounts up to a maximum income level. Because the bill has just been proposed and aims mostly to repeal the existing law rather than introduce new policies, it is unclear exactly how future changes could make the plan affordable and draw insurers into the market. But some initial reaction, particularly from hospitals, was critical. The American Hospital Association said in a letter to Congress that it could not support the draft legislation in its current form. The BlueCross BlueShield Association, which represents BCBS insurers across the country that cover the vast majority of the about 10 million people enrolled in 2017 Obamacare plans, said the insurers were glad to see the extension of many Obamacare aspects into 2019. But it emphasized the need for the replacement to be affordable. "It is important that the tax credit for 2020 creates a marketplace that enables people to get the coverage they need at a price they can afford," BCBSA Senior Vice President Alissa Fox said in statement. The Association for Community Affiliated Plans, which represents health plans serving Medicaid for the poor and other public health programs, said it was concerned the structure would raise costs for people currently in the marketplace. Because insurance costs, healthcare costs and incomes vary so dramatically around the country, the new tax credit would affect some people more than others. "I think there's a reasonable concern that people in high-cost states who are lower income will have a hard time finding affordable care," said Paul Howard, director of health policy at the conservative Manhattan Institute. But the draft legislation also sets up a $100 billion fund over 10 years that states could use to structure subsidies for their members and offset some of that, he noted. Insurers have also asked to be able to offer plans with fewer benefits that could be sold at lower prices, Howard said. Since the draft removes the mandate requiring people to have insurance, the impact on enrollment from that measure is not clear. Standard & Poor's estimated that the draft plan would reduce individual enrollment, now at around 10 million, by 2 to 4 million people. Steve Brozak, managing partner at WBB Securities, said he believed that under the Republican package, "people will be forgoing insurance." He also said that, as it is currently designed, insurers will have difficulty attracting people who do not have an immediate need for healthcare, like younger, healthy people who are less expensive to insure. Still, Brozak expects that this draft is only a first step and likely to change. It is expected to be voted on this month in the House before moving to the U.S. Senate. SHARES FALL The draft plan, along with Republicans' proposed restructuring of the Medicaid program for the poor and the loud opposition from some Republican lawmakers, created uncertainty that drove down shares of hospitals and insurers. Republicans will need the buy-in from BlueCross BlueShield insurers like Anthem Inc, particularly after UnitedHealth Group Inc , Aetna Inc and Humana Inc exited most of the states where they sold individual insurance plans under Obamacare. Shares of hospital operators sold off, with Community Health Systems down more than 8 percent and Tenet Healthcare off 7 percent. Reaction in health insurer stocks was more subdued. Molina Healthcare fell 1.3 percent and Cigna dropped 1 percent, while Humana gained more than 2 percent and Anthem was little changed. The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association, which represents doctors, declined to comment on the draft legislation. Support for government-run health insurance has risen over the past five years, according to the Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll. Between February and March, 47 percent of Americans said the government should have at least a major role in providing health insurance. That was up from 39 percent who answered the same way when the poll first asked the question in January 2012. The Reuters/Ipsos poll is conducted online in English in all 50 states. The latest poll ran from Feb. 25 to March 6 and included responses from more than 2,700 American adults. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points. (http://polling.reuters.com/#poll/PV4/dates/20170225-20170306/type/overall) (Reporting by Michael Erman, Lewis Krauskopf, Caroline Humer, Rodrigo Campos and Charles Mikolajczak in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran said Tuesday it would continue its retaliatory measure of barring US visitors in response to President Donald Trump's updated travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries.

"Our earlier counter-measure against Trump's previous order is still in place," said deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi at a conference entitled "What to do about Trump's America".

"There is no need for a new decision," he said, according to the ISNA news agency.

Iran's foreign ministry announced in January it would ban Americans from entering the country in response to Trump's "insulting" order restricting arrivals from Iran and six other Muslim states.

It called the decision "illegal, illogical and contrary to international rules".

The White House re-issued the ban on Monday -- this time excluding Iraq but still targeting Iranians -- following legal challenges.

Trump's ban was halted by a federal court in February, allowing an Iranian archery team into the US. Iran reciprocated by allowing entry to an American wrestling team for a competition.

Iranians have been the most affected by the ban since more than one million live, work and study in the United States.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Washington this month, the White House said Tuesday, a fence-mending meeting as the two countries fight the Islamic State group in Mosul.

Press secretary Sean Spicer said Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany will visit next week and "the following week, the president will welcome the prime minister of Iraq."

Tensions between Washington and Baghdad have built since Trump introduced a ban on Iraqis visiting the United States.

That measure was later frozen by the courts and after fierce lobbying from inside and outside the administration, Iraqis were excluded from his new travel ban unveiled Monday.

The Iraqi government hailed the country's exemption as an "important step" that strengthens relations between Baghdad and Washington.

"The Iraqi foreign ministry expresses its deep satisfaction with the executive order issued by President Donald Trump which includes an exemption for Iraqis from the ban on travel to the United States of America," spokesman Ahmed Jamal said.
By Isabel Coles and John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured the main government building in Mosul, the central bank branch and the museum where three years ago the militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues. A Rapid Response team stormed the Nineveh governorate complex in an overnight raid that lasted more than an hour, killing dozens of Islamic State fighters, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi said. The buildings, already in ruins, were not being used by Islamic State, but their capture is a landmark in the push to retake the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq, now restricted to the heavy populated western half of Mosul. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew into to Mosul to visit the troops fighting to oust Islamic State from the city in which it declared its sprawling caliphate in 2014. "Iraqis shall walk tall when the war is over," Abadi told state TV as he arrived. Islamic State snipers continued to fire at the main government building after it was stormed, restricting the movements of the soldiers, and forces pushing further into western Mosul came under rifle and rocket fire. "The fighting is strong because most of them are foreigners and they have nowhere to go," said the head of a sniper unit for the Rapid Response, al-Moqdadi al-Saeedi. Some of Islamic State's foreign fighters are trying to flee Mosul, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Matthew Isler said. "The game is up," Isler told Reuters at the Qayyara West Airfield, south of the city. "They have lost this fight and what you're seeing is a delaying action." Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), which spearheaded the assaults that won back east Mosul, was on Tuesday moving into the western half of the city, the final and trickiest battleground in the nearly five-month campaign due to the dense civilian population living in its narrow streets. STREET BY STREET The CTS forces had fought their way well into the Mansour neighborhood and were trying to advance street by street, sending heavy fire on IS sniper positions, a Reuters correspondent visiting the special forces' front lines reported. Federal Police units arrived at a house that CTS forces were stationed in but had to move out, one-by-one, to a neighboring building as IS rocket fire hit homes nearby. One CTS operative on the ground said he thought it would take a few hours to retake Mansour, one of Mosul's biggest neighborhoods which lies southwest of the old city and could serve as a base to advance into the historic center. U.S. special forces were seen walking between buildings in the same area, some carrying assault rifles with scopes and silencers. Helicopters attacked targets just to the north and thick smoke filled the sky from various explosions. Dozens of civilians streamed out of the Mamoun district toward the CTS troops as machinegun fire rang out in the background, adding to a wave of people displaced from Mosul that now numbers 211,000, 40,000 of whom fled last week alone, U.N. agencies say. Some 750,000 people were estimated to live in west Mosul when the offensive began on Feb. 19. Among the symbolic buildings retaken overnight was one that had served at Islamic State's main court, known for sentences including stonings, throwing people off roofs and chopping off hands, reflecting the group's hardline ideology. The militants looted the central bank when they took over the city in 2014 and took videos of themselves destroying archaeological artifacts. Traffic in antiquities that abound in the territory under their control, from Palmyra in Syria to Nineveh in Iraq, was one of their main sources of income. The number of Islamic State fighters in Mosul was estimated at 6,000 at the start of the offensive on Mosul on Oct. 17, by the Iraqi military which estimates that several thousands have been killed since. Lined up against them is a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iranian-trained Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups. (Writing by Maher Chmaytell; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
MOSUL, Iraq (AP)  U.S.-backed Iraqi forces were fighting their way through a government complex in the heart of western Mosul after storming the buildings in an overnight raid, and were facing fierce counterattacks Tuesday from the Islamic State group.

According to Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, the troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood earlier in the morning, hailing the federal police units who stormed the compound as heroes.

By noon, troops on the ground said the complex has not yet been fully secured and that they are battling a wave of intense IS counterattacks.

Sgt. Azam Ibrahim of the federal police was one of the first troops to storm the Mosul government complex. His unit then pulled back to a base on the edge of Mosul's Tayran neighborhood, saying the clashes were still underway at the complex later Tuesday.

"We were pulled back because we had killed and wounded," Ibrahim told The Associated Press. "The (Iraqi) forces there are surrounded, the Humvees cannot reach them, nor can the ambulances."

The consistent advance  more than two weeks since the new push started to clear Mosul's western side of IS militants  has been a major blow to the extremists who once controlled nearly a third of Iraq.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October

Yar Allah, who commands the army operations in Ninevah province, where Mosul is the provincial capital, said the troops now also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River, known as the Hurriyah Bridge.

Last week, the troops reached the first bridge from the south in western Mosul, known locally as the 4th Bridge. U.S.-led airstrikes disabled all of Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Hours after announcing Tuesday's advance, Iraqi state TV said Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi visited the troops in Mosul. Al-Abadi was shown descending from a military plane at the city's airport and meeting with senior military officers. It was unclear if al-Abadi visited the western part of Mosul.

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"They have two choices, first either they surrender and they will have fair trial and the second choice they will be killed," al-Abadi told reporters in Mosul as he was clad in a black counterterrorism forces uniform. "Some are escaping but even the escape path is closed and they have no hope, so that is why they should surrender."

He called upon Mosul residents to cooperate with the security forces, vowing to rebuild their city and to restore services.

Private broadcaster Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen aired live footage from inside western Mosul, with thick black smoke rising from different areas as gunfire rattled. The TV footage also showed what it said were explosions from two suicide attacks carried out by IS militants against the security forces.

The footage also shows the city's iconic 840-year-old "Crooked Minaret," which leans somewhat like Italy's Tower of Pisa.

Unlike other heritage and archaeological sites in and around Mosul, the Islamic State militants couldn't destroy it as residents formed a human chain around it to protect it when they came to blow it up.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the United Nations said that by Sunday, it had registered that about 42,000 people fled their homes in western Mosul since the start of the operation last month. The U.N. Office for Humanitarian Coordination, OCHA, said in a statement that 13,350 people fled to government-run areas in one day alone.

The troops expect to encounter far more fleeing civilians once they enter deeper into the more densely populated part of the city. The U.N. estimates that about 750,000 civilians are still trapped in their houses on Mosul's western side.

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city, and its western half  the Tigris divides the city into an eastern and a western sections  is the last significant urban area held by IS in the country. Mosul fell to IS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq.

___

Salaheddin reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Bassam Hatoum in Baghdad contributed to this report.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces on Tuesday captured the central bank's main branch in Mosul, which Islamic State had looted when it overran the city in 2014, a military spokesman said. Rapid Response soldiers also seized a building that housed Islamic State's main court of justice, Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi, a spokesman for the elite interior ministry units, told Reuters. The court was known for delivering harsh sentences, including stonings, throwing people off building roofs and chopping off hands, reflecting Islamic State's extreme ideology. The central bank branch and the justice court are in the same area as the main government buildings complex that Rapid Response stormed overnight. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi security forces recaptured the Mosul museum, where Islamic State group militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artefacts, police said on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces "recaptured the archaeological museum," Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying when this occurred.

The museum was on a police list of sites recaptured from IS during an ongoing offensive to reclaim Mosul, along with the central bank building, which was looted by the jihadists.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the Rapid Response Division, the special forces unit that usually spearheads operations with the federal police, also confirmed the museum's recapture, saying it was retaken on Monday.

IS "stole the artefacts and completely destroyed the museum," Mohammedawi said.

The jihadist group released a video in February 2015 of militants destroying ancient artefacts at the museum, after overrunning the city of Mosul the previous June.

The five-minute video shows militants at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces.

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city.

IS also smashed stone carvings and detonated explosives at the site of Nimrud near Mosul, and vandalised sculptures at Hatra, another ancient city located in north Iraq.

The destruction at the museum and the archaeological sites has drawn widespread condemnation internationally and inside Iraq.

While IS has cast its destruction of Iraqi heritage as a religiously mandated removal of idols, the jihadists have had no qualms about selling smaller artefacts to fund their operations.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since recaptured most of the territory they lost.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul on October 17, first recapturing its eastern side and then setting their sights on the west in a push launched last month.
(BAGHDAD)  U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought their way on Tuesday into the heart of western Mosul, capturing the government complex in this part of the city from the Islamic State group (ISIS), a senior Iraqi military commander said.

The advancing troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood and hailed the federal police units behind the taking of the area as heroes, said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah.

The consistent advance  more than two weeks since the new push started to clear Mosuls western side of ISIS militants  has been a major blow to the extremists who once controlled nearly a third of Iraq.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul fully liberated in January after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October

Yar Allah, who commands the army operations in Ninevah, where Mosul is the provincial capital, said the troops now also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River, known as Hurriyah Bridge.

Last week, the troops reached the first bridge from the south in western Mosul, known locally as the 4th Bridge. U.S.-led airstrikes disabled all of Mosuls five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Private broadcaster Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen aired live footage from Mosul, with thick black smokes rising from different areas as gunfire rattled. The TV footage also showed what it said were explosions from two suicide attacks carried out by IS militants against the security forces.

The footage also shows the citys iconic 840-year-old Crooked Minaret, which leans somewhat like Italys Tower of Pisa.

Unlike other heritage and archaeological sites in and around Mosul, the Islamic State militants couldnt destroy it as residents formed a human chain around it to protect it when they came to blow it up.

Mosul is Iraqs second-largest city, and its western half  the Tigris divides the city into an eastern and a western sections  is the last significant urban area held by ISIS in the country. Mosul fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq.
Jerusalem (AFP) - A new Israeli law banning entry to foreigners who support boycotting the country came under fire Tuesday from human rights groups and the opposition, who called it "thought control" harmful to Israel's international standing.

The approval of the law late Monday was defended by government ministers and supporters as a necessary response to the movement that calls for Israel to be boycotted over its 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Israel sees the boycott movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism -- a claim activists deny, saying they only want to see the occupation end.

The law follows other recent measures seen as targeting left-wing NGOs, and human rights groups said it could affect their work.

Israel has been faced with boycott calls for decades, but the movement known as BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) has raised its profile in recent years with help from famous backers such as Roger Waters.

In response, Israeli politicians have become more combative under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current coalition government, seen as the most right-wing in the country's history.

Last year, Israel budgeted 118 million shekels ($32 million, 30 million euros) to fight the movement.

The bill, which passed by a vote of 46 to 28, means visas and residence permits will not be given to those who have "knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel or pledged to take part in such a boycott," a parliament statement said.

It applies to those who are not Israeli citizens or permanent residents, and includes those who are members of organisations calling for a boycott, it said.

"We think that border control should not be used as thought control," Hagai El-Ad, executive director of prominent Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, told journalists.

He moted that Israel also controls who enters the Palestinian territories, apart from through one border crossing into Gaza from Egypt, and said the law could "absolutely" affect his group's work.

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- Invoking Trump -

The law defines boycott as "deliberately avoiding economic, cultural or academic ties with another person or body solely because of their affinity with the state of Israel, one of its institutions or an area under its control, in such a way that may cause economic, cultural or academic damage."

The reference to "an area under its control" means the law also applies to activists' calls to shun dealings with Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended the law on Tuesday, saying "every country has the right to determine who enters its borders."

He called it "another step in our struggle against those who seek to delegitimize Israel while hiding behind the language of human rights, and they do it from time to time."

But Jewish Voice for Peace, a US human rights group supporting BDS, went as far as to compare the law to US President Donald Trump's revised ban on refugees and travellers from six Muslim-majority nations.

"Israel just passed its own discriminatory travel ban barring supporters of nonviolent tactics to end Israelus violations of Palestinian rights," its executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson said in a statement.

"My grandparents are buried in Israel, my husband and kids are citizens, and I lived there for three years, but this bill would bar me from visiting because of my work in support of Palestinian rights."

Anti-settlement NGO Peace Now called the law "neither Jewish nor democratic."

It said it "will not prevent the boycott but just erode Israel's standing in the world and lead us toward international isolation."

Those who supported the bill however said it was simply a matter of self-defence, saying Israel should not open its doors to those they allege want to harm the country.

"If someone demeans me, I do not let them into my home," said David Amsalem, a lawmaker from Netanyahu's Likud party, according to the Jerusalem Post.

MP Manuel Trajtenberg, of the main opposition Zionist Union alliance, said he believed constructive engagement with the boycott lobby was a better option.

"For 10 years I've repeatedly confronted BDS and I have brought some of them here to show them that they are mistaken," he said during Monday night's debate.
The United States isnt the only county pulling up the drawbridges: Israel just passed a law that bars entry to foreigners who support boycotts of Israel or the territories it controls.

The law, which passed Israels Knesset Monday on a 46-28 vote, could block many self-described Zionists and even some American rabbis and tour operators from traveling to Israel, depending on how broadly it is applied. It drew condemnation from several U.S. pro-Israel groups, who warned that quashing free speech would play into the hands of Israels opponents.

Israel should never take actions that reinforce the Far Lefts claim that Israel and its supporters use the power of the state to violate the freedom of speech of their opponents, said Kenneth Bob, president of Ameinu, which describes itself as a progressive Zionist organization in New York.

The law sends a message that as far as the Israeli political establishment is concerned, legitimate political expression is verboten, Debra DeLee, CEO of Americans for Peace Now, said. The Washington-based pro-Israel group has publicly supported boycotts of Israeli settlements.

The new law bars entry to anyone who makes a public call in support of cultural, academic or economic boycotts of Israel or areas it controls. Its supporters say it is aimed at the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, the global campaign to apply political and economic pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and comply with other demands. But critics say its true aim is to silence people who support Israel but who do not agree with its settlements policy.

The law comes as Israeli politics have shifted increasingly rightward after the election in 2015. Last month, Israel passed another law allowing the seizure of Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank for construction of settlements. Palestinians have asked Israels Supreme Court to strike down the law.

The entry law would apply to advocates of boycotts of Israeli settlements and could possibly sweep in people who have merely voiced opposition to settlements, depending on how it is applied.

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Truah, a North American rabbinical human rights group, doesnt support boycotts, but stands against any further investment in the settlement construction, according to the groups executive director, Jill Jacobs. She said shes waiting to see whether it will affect people who have signaled a level of opposition to the settlements short of actually calling for boycotts  such as her organizations 1,800 rabbis, or tour operators with policies of not traveling to the occupied territories.

Israeli authorities will also have to sort out what constitutes a public call for a boycott and whether social media posts  such as someone liking a Facebook post advocating a boycott  would trigger the ban.

Jacobs said she was less concerned with the mechanics of the law than the message it sends about Israels stance on speech.

Really, what Im concerned about is the future of Israel and Israels democracy, she said. Its not just that it doesnt look good, its fundamentally destructive to everything that the Jewish state should stand for.

Photo credit: DAVID SILVERMAN/Getty Images

Correction, March 7, 2017: Debra DeLee is the CEO of Americans for Peace Now. A previous version of this article misspelled her name.
ROME (Reuters) - Italian farmers from regions ravaged by earthquakes brought sheep to central Rome on Tuesday to protest what they say are serious delays in reconstruction efforts. More than 10,000 farm animals have been killed or injured by quake damage and subsequent freezing weather, farmers' association Coldiretti said. Outside parliament, a makeshift paddock housed three sheep rescued from areas struck by tremors while farmers waved flags and banners reading "Bureaucracy is more deadly than earthquakes". Thousands of farming businesses are housed in the central regions of Lazio, Marche, Abruzzo and Umbria where tremors have rumbled since August. Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has approved a draft law to help people affected by the quakes, including 35 million euros ($37 million) to compensate farmers for lost income. The law also aims to make it easier for regional governments to buy temporary stalls. Farmers say about 85 percent of their livestock need shelter. "Breeders still don't know where to put their surviving cows, pigs and sheep, which are either stuck out in the cold, at risk of death and disease, or in derelict buildings," the farm association said. Stress caused by cold and fear has reduced milk production in the region by 30 percent. Local crops like lentils are also at risk as seeds cannot be sown on fractured land, it added. The agriculture ministry said the process of releasing emergency funds to farmers was under way. ($1 = 0.9458 euros) (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Julia Glover)
President Trump ponts at former President Obama

CNNs Jake Tapper took on the latest controversy emanating from the Twitter postings of President Donald Trump  the four tweets fired off Saturday morning that accused former President Barack Obama, without any verifiable substantiation, of wiretapping Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The postings touched off a firestorm of conjecture and speculation on social media and on the 24-hour news services, with many questioning the presidents sources but also debating the veracity and the validity of the claims. Within hours, the sources had been tracked to a trail of conservative media outlets that had been speculating on what kind of information (and how it may have been obtained) the Obama administration had on the Trump camp during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The big question, of course, where did the president get this latest conspiracy theory from? Tapper asked, anchoring CNNs The Lead on Monday.

Click here to continue and read more...
WASHINGTON (AP)  A judge is allowing former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois to end supervised release early.

Jackson, the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, was given a 2 -year prison sentence for spending $750,000 in campaign money on personal items. Attorney John Colette had argued in a court filing that Jackson had successfully completed approximately 18 months of supervised release, about half of what he was ordered to complete, and "abided by all terms and conditions of his supervised release."

The government did not oppose the request.

An online court docket shows U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington granted the former congressman's request Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kiekert AG, which makes car locks and door latches for auto makers, has agreed to plead guilty to bid rigging and to pay a $6.1 million fine, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Kiekert was part of a conspiracy to rig bids for parts sold to Ford Motor Company between mid-2008 and mid-2013, the department said.

The company will plead guilty to one criminal count in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the department said.

Kiekert did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz)
As the fallout from the assassination of Kim Jong Nam continues, more details are emerging about what sparked his murder, with possibly grave consequences for other members of North Koreas ruling family.

On Tuesday, North Korea banned Malaysian diplomats from leaving North Korea in response to the investigation into the death of Kim Jong Nam, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother, who police say was poisoned with VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13. The North Korean embassy has slammed the probe as political.

A source close to the North Korean regime tells TIME that Ministry of State Security (MSS) officials met with Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia in a bid to persuade him to return home to Pyongyang with his family. This intervention was apparently spurred after officials learned that the 45-year-old had been repeatedly approached about leading a government-in-exile.

Kim Jong Nam declined those approaches but also refused to return to his homeland, perhaps owing to the fact that he is believed to have several families scattering across Asia. Kim Jong Nam declined to go back to Pyongyang and thats why the hit order was given, the source tells TIME.

This version of events is supported by Kim Joo Il, a North Korean defector living in the U.K. who set up the International North Korean Association for Human Rights and Democracy. He tells TIME that he made three approaches to Kim Jong Nam about establishing an alternative government.

The last time we contacted him was in June 2016  in Singapore, says Kim Joo Il via email. He again rejected our proposal but with more detailed reasons [than previously]. He said: I am really not interested in politics in North Korea. However, I am against North Koreas third hereditary succession and I am one of those who want North Korea to open up and reform.

Kim Joo Il says that he doesnt know for certain why Kim Jong Nam was killed, though he think[s] that it is because the confidential information that he had contact with North Korean refugees regarding a government-in-exile had been leaked.

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Kim Jong Nam was especially threatening to the regime because his status as a member of the Kim dynasty  the so-called Baekdu bloodline, named after the fabled mountain considered the birthplace of the Korean people  would give a vital boost to any alternative government.

Unsurprisingly other direct descendants of North Koreas communist founder Kim Il Sung are now looking over their shoulders. Most prominent among these is Kim Pyong Il, half-brother to Kim Jong Uns father, former leader Kim Jong Il. The 62-year-old has served as the Pyongyangs ambassador to the Czech Republic since 2015, after performing the same role in Poland for 16 years.

Kim Pyong Il has reportedly spent 38 years outside his homeland in all, following a power struggle with his elder half-sibling. He apparently remains popular in the country owing to a resemblance to Kim Il Sung, still much revered as the Sun of the Nation.

South Korean media reports that an MSS delegation has been dispatched to Prague to keep a close watch on Kim Pyong Il, while TIMEs own regime source says he has in fact already been summoned back to Pyongyang. Although Kim Pyong Il remains ostensibly close to the regime, and never criticized it in even the mild manner that Kim Jong Nam did on occasion, his family credentials make him both a valuable and dangerous commodity.

We do have a plan to contact Kim Pyong Il  regarding the government-in-exile, says Kim Joo Il.

Another possible target would be Kim Jong Nams eldest son, 22-year-old Kim Han Sol, who is reportedly a student in Eastern Europe. He has previously appeared on social media criticizing the regime of his uncle and has a reputation as intelligent and erudite. His whereabouts following the death of his father have not been confirmed.

Two women  Siti Aisyah, 25, from Indonesia; Doan Thi Huong, 28 from Vietnam  have been charged with Kim Jong Nams murder after CCTV footage allegedly shows them wiping his face with what may have been a toxin-soaked cloth. He immediately fell ill and died en route to hospital.

In total, eight North Koreans have been named in connection with the investigation, though Malaysian police say four fled the country immediately after the attack, and the only one to have been detained has now been released for lack of evidence.

The death of Kim Jong Nam comes at a time when Pyongyang is ramping up missile tests in its bid to develop a nuclear-armed ballistic missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Four rockets were launched into the sea by Japan on Monday, while another was tested just the day before Kim Jong Nams assassination.

Commentators are split over what the recent flurry of action indicates about Kim Jong Uns position. This has every indication of playing to a regime that is very stable, says Ken Gause, a Korea expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, a nonprofit research and analysis organization located in Arlington, Va.

Kim Joo Il disagrees, saying the regime is on the verge of collapse.

We believe it is just Kim Jong Uns last-ditch effort, he says. Since Kim Jong Un came to the power, the regime has started to crumble.

 With reporting by Stephen Kim / Seoul
Kim Kardashian bares in a sheer dress for her Hollywood debut with Oceans Eight

Kim Kardashian bared in a sheer dress for her Hollywood debut in a cameo role in the highly-anticipated film, Oceans Eight. Kim will act as the intended target for a jewelry heist at a pseudo-Met Gala event. Together with her sister Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian bared enviable figure in a sheer lace dress as she arrived at the set of Oceans Eight.

Kim Kardashian adds another job to her resume

The 36-year-old can finally add actress to her ever-growing resume. Kim arrived at the set of Oceans Eight bringing her own trailer van. She will play the role of a jewelry heist victim at a fake Met Gala event which is very ironic to what happen to her a year ago when she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. Therefore, to appease her role as a rich socialite, the reality star wore an eye-catching yet revealing outfit for her Hollywood debut.

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WASHINGTON  Medicaid emerged Monday as perhaps the singular issue on which the Republican bid to overhaul the Affordable Care Act will live or die.

House Republicans unveiled their official plan to repeal and replace much of the health care law, including dramatic changes to Medicaid, the insurance program that covers low-income Americans and that was expanded under Obamacare. Republicans want to convert the program from the open-ended entitlement it is now to a program with a hard spending limit.

Only hours earlier, however, a critical group of Senate Republicans released a letter rejecting earlier leaked versions of the House plan because of the Medicaid provisions. They each represent states that chose to expand Medicaid under the health care law, after the US Supreme Court made the expansion optional instead of mandatory in a 2012 ruling.

Why Medicaid is so politically important

That letter  from Senators Rob Portman of Ohio, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia  exemplified why the Medicaid issue is so tricky for Republicans. Their states and two dozen others have expanded the program under Obamacare, and more than 10 million Americans have been covered that way through the law.

Read more: A boy who cant speak depends on Medicaid. What happens to him if its cut?

The senators werent satisfied with the leaked GOP plans, which would have ended the generous federal funding that has made the expansion possible. Portman and Capito also represent two states that have been devastated by the opioid crisis, and recovery advocates worry that ending the Medicaid expansion could cut off coverage for many people seeking treatment for drug addiction.

As the largest payer of mental health and substance use services in the United States, it is critical that any health care replacement provide states with a stable transition period and the opportunity to gradually phase-in their populations to any new Medicaid financing structure, the senators wrote in their letter.

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Republicans cant afford to lose those four votes. Under the complicated Senate rules that they need to use to pass a bill without any Democratic support, they need 50 votes to pass their plan in the upper chamber. There are 52 Republicans in the Senate, so their margin for error is slim.

What Republicans want to do to Medicaid

GOP leaders have long said that they believe Medicaid is fiscally unsustainable and a spending cap is necessary *to cut federal spending* and fix its finances. The bill released Monday finally puts those ambitions into official, detailed legislative language.

Starting in 2020, the Republican plan would change how the program is financed. Right now, the federal governments commitment is open-ended, depending on how many people are enrolled and how much care they receive. (Currently, upwards of 70 million people are covered by Medicaid.) States are required to match a certain percentage of those federal funds.

Under the GOP plan, states would receive a set amount from the federal government for each person eligible for the program. Any costs above that cap would fall on the states. States would receive a different amount for different populations; they would receive more money for each blind and disabled person, for example. The federal spending cap would increase ever year through a formula that is based on overall health care costs.

The new plan does appear to include an olive branch to senators in expansion states worried about their constituents. It would maintain the generous federal funding for that population established by Obamacare  but only if the people are enrolled by 2020 and as long as they never go more than a month without being eligible for Medicaid.

The Republican bill includes some other provisions aimed at doctors and hospitals in the states that did not expand Medicaid under Obamacare, providers who have therefore not seen the same increase in insured customers.

Those states would receive a boost in federal funding, which they can use to increase payments to providers that treat Medicaid patients. The bill would also immediately undo Obamacares cuts to Medicaid payments for hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of poor and uninsured patients. For states that did expand Medicaid, those cuts would not be repealed until 2020.

So is the problem solved?

Portman told reporters Monday that if the GOP plan found a way to continue the Medicaid expansion population, then it would be a step in the right direction.

Sen. Portman says if Medicaid expansion in new house bill grandfathers in enrollees, that would be a "step in the right direction."  Tarini Parti (@tparti) March 6, 2017

Does the new Republican bill do enough to assuage those concerns? It seems like an opening bid to bring reluctant senators onboard. That will be perhaps the question for GOP leaders going forward.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The Latest on migration to Europe (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Greece's coast guard says 113 migrants have been rescued from a boat that ran into trouble in rough seas in the Ionian off the western coast of Greece.

The migrants were found sailing 32 nautical miles (36 miles; 59 kilometers) west of the islands of Paxos and were picked up by a nearby cargo ship, the coast guard said.

The cargo ship was heading to the western port of Patras, where the migrants would disembark. No information was immediately available on their nationalities or where they had set sail from.

Greece has been the main point of entry of hundreds of thousands of migrants heading into the European Union. Since an EU-Turkey deal limited new arrivals on Greece's eastern Aegean islands, many have been seeking alternative routes.

___

5:20 p.m.

Humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders says border officers in Hungary are systematically beating and abusing migrants trying to enter from Serbia.

General director of the group's Belgian operations, Christopher Stokes, said Tuesday that "there seems to be a kind of 'welcome to the EU' package of abuse that's provided by the Hungarian border police."

Stokes told The Associated Press that it "involves at a minimum beatings, practically systematically the application of tear gas at very close range and some sprays in the eyes."

He said migrants, mostly Afghans and Pakistanis  some of them injured  have reported being forced to remove shoes or clothing, with border police "obliging people to go back to Serbia in the snow and in the cold."

Stokes said the abuse is systematic and not just isolated incidents.

"I don't know on what level this is being authorized but it is clearly being authorized," he said.

___

2:50 p.m.

A boat carrying 24 Syrian migrants which landed in a remote area of Cyprus' northwestern tip had set sail from Mersin, Turkey, a Cyprus police spokesman said Tuesday.

Story continues

Spokesman Nicos Tsappis told the Associated Press that the eight men, five women and 11 children had departed from the Turkish coast Monday.

Tsappis the migrants appear to be healthy and are currently being taken to the nearby town of Polis before being transferred to a migrant reception center outside the capital Nicosia.

___

2:30 p.m.

A court in southern Germany has dismissed a case brought against Facebook by a Syrian refugee who wanted the company to seek and delete posts falsely linking him to crimes committed by migrants.

Anas Modamani was one of several asylum-seekers who took a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. These started appearing in Facebook posts following high-profile crimes in Germany where migrants were identified as the perpetrators.

Modamani wanted an injunction forcing Facebook to actively identify and remove such posts, rather than wait for users to flag them.

German news agency dpa reports the court in Wuerzbuerg has ruled that Facebook hadn't made the slanderous posts its own and therefore couldn't be forced to abide by a cease and desist order.

___

1:30 p.m.

A Cyprus police spokesman says a boat carrying 25 people believed to be Syrian migrants has landed in a remote area off the northwestern tip of the east Mediterranean island.

Nicos Tsappis told The Associated Press that authorities are in the process of transferring the group, which includes women and children, to the town of Polis where they will receive a medical check-up.

Tsappis said it's unclear where the boat set sail from.

Tuesday's arrivals came a month after another boat loaded with 93 Syrian migrants  including 42 children landed on the island's northwestern shore.

Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos said last month that up to 700 migrants could have been on their way to the island on smuggling trips from Turkey.

___

1:05 p.m.

Migrants trying to reach the European Union from Serbia are worried because Hungary has imposed even tighter asylum rules for people fleeing war and poverty.

A 19-year-old migrant from Afghanistan, Fajaz Khan, said Tuesday that "we are going to Europe because we have many problems" back home.

Khan has been squatting at an abandoned warehouse in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, looking for an opportunity to cross either to Hungary or Croatia, both EU member states.

Many migrants have made several attempts to cross and failed. Some have accused Hungary's border guards of beatings.

Hamid Khan from Pakistan says "for us, everywhere is difficult: here we are homeless and we are innocent."

Graffiti on the warehouse wall reads: "Open the border of Hungary!"

___

11:10 a.m.

The European Union has adopted new rules to tighten checks at EU borders to the outside world to better track people who might have travelled to fight in war zones like Syria or Iraq.

The rules adopted Tuesday oblige EU countries to check everyone leaving or arriving in the bloc against customs, crime and visa databases. Until now, EU nationals have been exempt from such ID checks.

Malta's interior minister Carmelo Abela, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said they will help "address potential risks to internal security, including that posed by foreign terrorist fighter returnees."

Fears that foreign fighters might return and create havoc in Europe have grown acute since the Iraqi government-led attack on the Islamic State group stronghold in the northern city of Mosul.

___

10:55 a.m.

Hungary's prime minister says migrants are keeping his country "under siege" and he expects the current lull in the migrant flow to be temporary.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of President Donald Trump, has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants. Orban says the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, are a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for a new group of border guards known locally as "border hunters," Orban said that Hungary could only count on itself for protection.

While Orban attended the ceremony, lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party approved new rules which further limit the rights of asylum-seekers and give police more power to send migrants back to Serbia.

___

10:25 a.m.

Europe's top court has ruled that European Union member states aren't obliged to grant humanitarian visas to people who want to enter their territory to apply for asylum.

The decision announced Tuesday came after a Belgian court in October ordered the government to give humanitarian visas to a family in war-torn Syria.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that allowing people to choose where to get international protection would undermine the EU system establishing which country should handle asylum applications.

But the Luxembourg-based court said member state courts remain free to grant the visas under national law.

Friends in Belgium had offered to lodge and feed the family, believed still to be in Syria. The government fears that granting visas would open the floodgates to more applications.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  The Latest on the sentencing of a citizen of India who pleaded guilty to conspiring to plot terror strikes in his home country while living in northern Nevada (all times local PST):

2:30 p.m.

A 41-year-old citizen of India has been sentenced to 15 years in a U.S. prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiring while living in northern Nevada to plot terror strikes in his home country on the border with Pakistan.

U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks in Reno also ordered Balwinder Singh on Tuesday to remain under lifetime federal supervision.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan says a federal immigration judge will determine whether Singh will be deported following his prison term.

Prosecutors say Singh worked with two groups to try to establish an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region. They say he sought asylum in San Francisco using a false identity to elude Indian authorities.

Authorities say the plot was foiled in December 2013.

Defense attorney Michael Kennedy says Singh was tortured by Indian government officials and never posed a threat to the United States.

____

12:05 p.m.

A citizen of India who received U.S. asylum and lived in Nevada is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to plot terror strikes in his home country on the border with Pakistan.

Balwinder Singh's sentencing is scheduled Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Reno.

Prosecutors say he worked with two groups trying to establish an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region.

They say he sought asylum in San Francisco using a false identity to elude Indian authorities when traveling back to his home country.

The government is seeking the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison with the possibly of lifetime supervision upon his release.

Singh's lawyers say he was tortured by Indian government officials and was never a threat to the U.S.
CAIRO (AP)  The Latest developments on President Donald Trump's new travel ban and the reaction from around the world (all times local):

9 p.m.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria says there's no need for Nigerians to cancel travel plans to the United States and says suggestions of a policy change negatively affecting Nigerians are incorrect.

Spokesman Russell K. Brooks responded to an Associated Press request for comment after a Nigerian government statement Monday said some Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas have been barred entry and put on the next plane home.

Earlier Tuesday, Nigeria's Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project said Nigeria's government "must stand up to Trump and defend Nigerians' internationally recognized right to freedom of movement."

Possessing a visa has never automatically guaranteed entry, Brooks notes, but "Nigerians with a valid visa and a legitimate purpose are certainly welcome to visit the United States."

He says "we encourage all visitors to be clear and consistent about their purpose and cooperate fully with U.S. immigration authorities."

Nigeria is not part of President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Half its 170 million citizens are Muslims and it's battling Boko Haram's Islamic uprising in the northeast.

___

4 p.m.

Nigeria's Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project is urging acting President Yemi Osinbajo to tell U.S. President Donald Trump that Nigeria will not tolerate any harassment and unfair treatment of Nigerians with valid U.S. visas.

A Nigerian government statement Monday said some Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas have been barred entry, had their visas cancelled and been put on the next plane home, without explanation.

The rights group says Nigeria's government "must stand up to Trump and defend Nigerians' internationally recognized right to freedom of movement," as Iraq's government did in ensuring its citizens were taken off "the obnoxious executive order list."

Story continues

Nigeria is not on Trump's revised travel ban. Half its 170 million citizens are Muslims and it's battling Boko Haram's Islamic uprising in the northeast.

___

2:20 p.m.

A Yemeni political analyst has denounced the new U.S. travel ban as hypocritical because it doesn't affect other Gulf and Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, for example, which he says had many citizens involved in terror attacks.

Hassan Al-Wareeth, who is also a journalist at the Yemeni News Agency Saba, says the move only "hits the weak countries that don't have direct relations with the U.S."

Yemenis on the streets of the capital, Sanaa, appeared unfazed on Tuesday by the new ban, having lived under nearly three years of fighting in their country's civil war.

Mohamed Hameza says it's "better for us not to travel to America ... what will we do there?"

Ahmed al-Wageih agreed and said "this decision will not affect us."

___

1:25 p.m.

An Iranian traveler bound for Los Angeles says he feels lucky that he and his wife are already on their way to America  before the new U.S. travel ban takes effect.

The 67-year-old retired oil industry engineer says the couple was flying via Amsterdam on Tuesday to visit their son and daughter-in-law. He says that, "luckily, me and my wife have Green Cards" but wonders how other Iranians would be able to visit their family in the U.S.

He told The Associated Press the two of them bought their tickets several weeks ago. As with many U.S.-bound Iranians, he spoke on condition of anonymity fearing possible negative repercussions on his relatives in the United States.

Amir Vahdat in Tehran.

___

1:10 p.m.

Somalia's new president is criticizing the revised U.S. travel ban, telling journalists that "definitely" he would prefer it be lifted and reminding the United States that it has a large Somali community.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who holds both U.S. and Somali citizenship after having lived for many years in the United States, spoke on Tuesday during a visit by the United Nations secretary-general.

Mohamed says Somalis in the U.S. "have contributed to the U.S. economy and the U.S. society in different ways, and we have to talk about what the Somali people have contributed rather than a few people who may cause a problem."

Somalia's president also acknowledged his country's security challenges and says his government must "address the root cause, which is the security situation here and how to defeat al-Shabab" extremists.

___

1 p.m.

Cairo airport authorities say they allowed six Sudanese refugees to board a flight bound for New York because they have yet to receive any instructions from the United States on President Donald Trump's new travel ban.

An Egyptian statement on Tuesday says airlines operating out of Cairo's international airport, including flagship carrier EgyptAir, have no new information about the ban, which was announced on Monday.

The revised ban applies to citizens of six Muslim majority countries who apply for new visas  Libya, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan. It has dropped Iraq from the list due to concerns over security cooperation.

The new ban also suspends the entire refugee program for four months to allow for a security review, and reduces the maximum global number of refugees the U.S. is willing to absorb in 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000.

___

12:45 p.m.

Iran's deputy foreign minister says Iran's "retaliatory decision" over Trump's initial travel ban is still in place.

The semi-official ISNA news agency is quoting Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-e Ravanchi as saying that the measures Iran implemented over the initial Trump executive order in January on U.S. entry is "still in force" and that there is "no need for a new decision."

Iran had previously said it would reciprocate by banning Americans from getting visas to Iran.

Ravanchi spoke a day after Trump signed the new order, which includes Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries.

The Iranian minister added that "currently we are witnessing a chaos in both domestic and foreign policies in the United States."

This time around, the executive order does not go into effect immediately and won't take effect until March 16, giving the world time to assess its impact.

___

10:15 a.m.

President Donald Trump's new travel ban comes without the chaos the old one touched off.

It doesn't go into effect immediately, giving the world time to assess its impact. And it comes after weeks of consultation with agency heads over legal issues and implementation.

The scaled-back order still faces critics who question whether it actually will make the U.S. safer in the long run.

The new order bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program, affecting would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

But the new ban eliminates many of the original order's most contentious elements. It removes Iraq from the list of banned countries and makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted.
ZEBULON, N.C. (AP)  The Latest on a man accused of decapitating his mother (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

A federal official says an 18-year-old man accused of decapitating his mother was in the country illegally.

The suspect was charged with first-degree murder Monday after authorities say he called 911 to say he had killed his mother. He is being transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh, and his next court appearance is scheduled for March 14.

Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a news release that the suspect was from Honduras and was in the country illegally. Cox said that federal records list his name as Oliver Funes Machado. His public defender, C. Boyd Sturges III, said his second last name is listed as Machada in local court records.

3:45 p.m.

The attorney for a man accused of decapitating his mother says his client has "some substantial mental health issues."

A judge on Tuesday assigned attorney C. Boyd Sturges III of Louisburg to represent 18-year-old Oliver Funes Machada. Sturges said he spoke with Funes Machada for about an hour in the Franklin County jail.

Sturges said while he's not a doctor, he could see that Funes Machada was "a pretty profoundly disturbed young man."

Funes Machada was to be transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh under a safekeeping order. Sturges said the prison is in a better position to help people with mental health issues.

___

3:15 p.m.

The North Carolina man accused of decapitating his mother has been assigned an attorney.

Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters said 18-year-old Oliver Funes Machada made his first court appearance on Tuesday. Waters said a judge signed a safekeeping order that would lead to a transfer for Funes Machada from the county jail to Central Prison in Raleigh.

The judge also assigned Funes Machada an attorney. Waters said Louisburg attorney C. Boyd Sturges III would represent Funes Machada. Sturges wasn't immediately available for comment.

Story continues

Also, Waters said he is reviewing the 911 tapes to determine how much of them could be released without violating the defendant's right to a fair trial.

___

11:30 a.m.

North Carolina prosecutors will seek a mental evaluation of an 18-year-old man charged with decapitating his mother at a home east of Raleigh.

Eighteen-year-old Oliver Funes Machada was charged with first-degree murder Monday after a deputy responding to a 911 call saw the man walk out of a home in Zebulon with his mother's head in one hand and what appeared to be a large knife in the other hand.

Deputies found the body of 35-year-old Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado in the home.

Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters told WRAL-TV (http://bit.ly/2lAtCb7 ) on Tuesday it could take weeks to months to determine Funes Machada's mental state.

He was ordered held on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled March 14.

Sheriff Kent Winstead said two children in the home were not hurt.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the suspect's last name is Funes Machada
BILOXI, Miss. (AP)  The Latest on a train-bus crash in Biloxi, Mississippi (all times local):

8 p.m.

A bus hit by a train in Mississippi  killing four people  was carrying people on a trip organized by a Texas senior center.

A flier for the tour says some passengers boarded Sunday in Austin, Texas, and others boarded about 30 miles east in Bastrop, Texas. Bastrop Senior Center President Barbara Adkins tells Texas media that 22 of the tourists were members, who describes as "family."

The tour group was transferring Tuesday from a casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to one farther east in Biloxi. Travelers were scheduled to visit New Orleans later and return home Saturday.

In 2013, a bus with passengers from the Bastrop Senior Center hit a pickup truck in southwest Louisiana on another casino trip. Of the 46 people on that trip, 12 were taken to a hospital, mostly with minor injuries.

___

7:30 p.m.

At least one witness to a bus-train crash in Biloxi says the railroad crossing there poses a problem for vehicles because of a steep climb on each side to get over an embankment.

Mark Robinson tells the Sun Herald of Biloxi on Tuesday that many vehicles have gotten stuck at the crossing.

Federal records show 16 accidents have occurred at the crossing since 1976. Accidents in 1983 and 2003 each involved one fatality. A delivery truck was struck at the same crossing in January, WLOX-TV reports. No one was injured in that crash.

The Main Street crossing has warning lights, bells, a crossing arm and a sign warning of low clearance.

The city announced last month that it and railroad CSX Transportation have agreed to close six of Biloxi's 29 crossings, citing in part vehicles that get stuck on inclines. The Main Street crossing wasn't marked for closure.

___

The company that owns the tour bus involved in a Biloxi crash that killed four people and injured dozens has a "satisfactory" safety rating from a federal agency.

Story continues

Over the past two years, Echo Transportation only had one injury-causing crash and no fatalities, according to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Five other crashes resulted in tows.

Only two of the company's 113 vehicle inspections resulted in a bus being taken out of service.

Safety records show Echo based in Dallas, while corporation records list a mailing address in nearby Grand Prairie. Elisa Fox, a lawyer for the company, says it's mobilizing to assess the situation.

Motor Carrier Safety Administration spokesman Duane DeBruyne says the agency will help inspect the bus and investigate the driver's record.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it's sending investigators Wednesday.

___

6:45 p.m.

A city official says authorities are raising the death toll in a bus-train crash to four.

Officials initially said four people died in the Tuesday crash and then revised it down to three. But Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city of Biloxi, now says after consulting with the coroner's office that they can confirm that four were killed in the incident.

Creel emphasized that it's a "very fluid situation." He said "... Any time you have a major incident like this, the information can change."

__

An official says 48 passengers and a driver were on the bus hit by a train in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city, says a bus manifest had listed 50 passengers but two of them did not make the trip.

A freight train smashed into the charter bus Tuesday, pushing the bus 300 feet down the tracks.

Michelle Crowley of the Biloxi fire department says 40 people were injured. Of those, seven were in critical condition.

Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney says rescuers needed one hour and four minutes to clear everyone from the wreckage. Two people had to be cut out of the bus.

__

6 p.m.

Authorities are lowering the death toll in a bus-train crash in Biloxi, Mississippi. Fire Chief Joe Boney says three people died and 35 people were injured and taken to area hospitals after Tuesday's crash. Earlier Boney had said that four people died, three of them at the scene and a fourth after being taken from the scene. He did not immediately explain the discrepancy.

___

5:55 p.m.

A woman who lives about a block from where a train and bus finally came to a stop after the train crashed into the bus says she heard a "loud boom" and knew immediately what had happened.

Cecelia McDonald says she ran out of her house and saw a scene of carnage.

A freight train smashed into a charter bus in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Tuesday, pushing the bus 300 feet down the tracks and leaving three people dead.

___

4 p.m.

A spokesman for CSX Transportation says the freight train that hit a tour bus in Biloxi, Mississippi, was headed from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, at the time of the deadly crash. Gary Sease says the train had three locomotives and 52 cars. He says the train crew was not injured.

The bus belongs to Echo Transportation, a Grand Prairie, Texas-based company. A lawyer for the company said officials were mobilizing to respond, but he declined to comment further. Biloxi Police Chief John Miller has said that three people were killed after the train hit the charter bus Tuesday before 2:15 p.m. in the Mississippi Gulf Coast city.

He says the bus was carrying passengers from Austin, Texas, and appears to have been stopped on the tracks at the time of the crash. He says the bus had up to 50 people and that a majority of the other passengers were also injured.

___

3:15 p.m.

A train has collided with a charter bus in Biloxi, Mississippi, causing an unknown number of deaths and injuries.

Biloxi city spokesman Vincent Creel says emergency responders were still removing injured people from the bus more than 30 minutes after the crash Tuesday.

Creel says a CSX train headed eastbound hit the bus at a crossing in downtown Biloxi just before 2:15 p.m., pushing the bus about 300 feet down the tracks.

He says a nearby hospital is setting up a triage unit at the site to treat the injured.

Creel says as many as 50 people were on the bus. He said there are deaths and injuries, but he could not immediately quantify them.

Charter buses often carry patrons to casinos in Biloxi, but Creel says he doesn't know where this bus was headed.
By Elizabeth Pineau VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) - The leaders of the euro zone's four biggest economies threw their weight behind a multi-speed Europe on Monday as the European Union ponders a future without Britain. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain met at the palace of Versailles to prepare for a March 25 EU summit in Rome marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for European integration. The event has been overshadowed by a series of crises for the EU, including Britain's shock vote to leave, financial trauma and how to handle migration flows. EU founder members France, Germany and the Netherlands all hold elections this year in which anti-EU and anti-immigration parties hope concerns over security and immigration will help them to gains that could reshape the continent's politics. French President Francois Hollande called for unity among the remaining 27 EU members in the wake of Britain's vote to leave, but said this did not mean uniformity. He called for new forms of cooperation to allow some EU countries to push ahead more quickly in areas such as defence, deepening of economic and monetary union or tax harmonisation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing alongside the other three leaders, said the EU risked running into trouble unless it allowed members to participate at varying levels of intensity. "We need to have the courage for some countries to go ahead if not everyone wants to participate. A Europe of different speeds is necessary, otherwise we will probably get stuck," Merkel said. "If Europe gets stuck and doesn't develop further, then this work of peace may run into danger faster than one might think," she said. EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker, who last week presented options for reforming the bloc that will be discussed at the Rome summit, has spoken positively of some states pushing ahead more quickly with integration. But some governments, especially in the poorer east, fear this could entrench divisions to their disadvantage. Speaking in Versailles, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni also backed different levels of integration to allow Europe to provide different responses to different ambitions. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Spain was ready to go further with integration "with all those that wish to pursue that integration". "In my opinion, it is necessary to complete the banking union ... it is essential to deepen the coordination of economic policies to make our economies more competitive, he said. (Additional reporting by Michelle Martin in Berlin, Jesus Aguado in Madrid, Isla Binnie in Rome; Editing by Adrian Croft and Alison Williams)
From Popular Mechanics

Google's smart speaker device is a promising personal assistant even if it needs a little more work before it's really indispensable, but when it comes to simple search results, you'd expect it to be infallible. Well, perhaps you shouldn't.

Here is an example of the device spouting completely fake news from an unreliable source as to whether or not Barrack Obama may be planning a coup (there is zero real evidence to suggest he is):

And here's what happens if you ask Google Home "is Obama planning a coup?" pic.twitter.com/MzmZqGOOal - Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) March 5, 2017

If you couldn't quite make it out, that was:

According to details exposed in Western Center for Journalism's exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese but Obama may in fact be planning a Communist coup d'etat at the end of his term in 2016!

Captured by BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, the mistake is alarming, but not entirely new. Google's algorithm featured incorrect election results and lies about the Holocaust in its top slot results in the past. In this case, Google Home is simply going further to read excerpts of the bad data, which evidently made the cut as one of the "featured snippets" it can read aloud.

Google said the following in a statement to the BBC:

"Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites. Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content. When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused."

The problem has since been fixed, but who knows how many people it might have mislead before it was attended to. The fact that this could happen at all is just another troubling instance of how optimizing algorithms are susceptible to being tricked and promoting information no sane human would let slide. In a world where fake news is a booming industry and political tool, it's never been more important to view the first thing you see with a critical eye. The machines sure don't.

Story continues

Source: BBC, Rory Cellan-Jones

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Average life expectancy for men and women in the U.S. has reached the mid-80s and the Social Security Administration estimates that one in four 65-year-olds will live into their 90s. Living longer means having more time to do the things you enjoy in retirement but there's something else to think about -- how you make your savings stretch.

"As people are living longer than ever before, it's essential that they plan on their money lasting longer as well," says Dan White, a chartered financial consultant and founder of Daniel A. White & Associates in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.

As your time horizon for retirement increases, it may be necessary to look at your investing strategy through a different lens. Longevity planning offers a solution. Creating your longevity plan begin with assessing your current financial situation and your future retirement needs.

Check your income streams. One of the keys to longevity planning is having varied sources of income in retirement and the more options you have, the better says Eric Hutchison, a managing partner with United Capital in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"Having multiple sources of income is often the norm for many retirees," Hutchison says, with many seniors drawing income from Social Security, 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), taxable investment accounts and traditional savings accounts.

"All these income sources can work together to provide the positive cash flow needed to meet living expenses in retirement," Hutchison says. Beyond ensuring that you're able to meet cover your expenses, multiple income sources can also be beneficial from a tax standpoint.

[See: 7 Tips for Finding the Best Target-Date Funds to Buy.]

"If people have qualified money, non-qualified money and tax-free Roth money, they can integrate tax-efficient withdrawals, which would reduce their taxes and make their money last longer," White says.

Joseph Roseman, managing partner of O'Dell, Winkfield, Roseman & Shipp in Charlotte, North Carolina, says longevity-minded savers should start by identifying existing sources of guaranteed income.

Story continues

"Most likely, the first two are Social Security and pensions," Roseman says. From there, investors should look for opportunities to create additional income avenues.

"You can turn most assets into an income stream but if you turn a portion into a guaranteed lifetime income stream it allows you to be flexible with the remainder of your assets," Roseman says. Once you have reliable income in place, you can be ultra-aggressive or ultra-conservative with your other investments.

Ken Nuss, CEO of AnnuityAdvantage, points to annuities as a means of stabilizing your income base in the face of increasing life expectancies.

"Annuity contracts are the only financial instrument which can guarantee lifetime income, no matter how long you live," Nuss says.

Deferred income annuities allow you to make an investment today with guaranteed lifetime income starting at a later date. Nuss says that depending on the length of the deferral period, these types of annuities may pay out more income than other investment options.

A reverse mortgage is another path for creating income in retirement but pre-retirees should consider them carefully, says Lisa Hutter, senior director of Wells Fargo Private Bank in Austin, Texas.

"Reverse mortgages are beneficial in terms of the income stream they can provide but before applying for one, you should read the fine print and compare your options," Hutter says.

Hutter says that reverse mortgages can have higher up front closing costs than a traditional home equity loan, as well as higher fees. While reverse mortgages don't require monthly payments, the amount that must be repaid grows as interest accumulates.

Decide if working longer is an option. If you're not able to diversify your income streams beyond Social Security or an employer's plan, staying on the job past your normal retirement age may be an alternative to consider.

"Working longer allows pre-retirees to continue growing their retirement accounts, while deferring Social Security to obtain maximum benefits," White says.

That can be helpful if Social Security features heavily in your long-term retirement income strategy, says Fred Creutzer, owner of Baltimore-based Creutzer Financial Services.

"I strongly suggest leaving Social Security benefits alone as long as you can, and use your 401(k) plan to cover expenses while your future Social Security benefits grow," Creutzer says.

If working full-time isn't feasible, putting in reduced hours can allow you to bridge the income gap and potentially make the eventual transition to retirement down the line easier, says Scott Mann, president of Mann Financial Group in Houston.

[See: 9 Stocks to Buy for the Aging Baby Boomer Market.]

"If an investor finds themselves in a situation where they need to delay Social Security and compensate for putting it off, a part-time job could be a great option," Mann says.

Cover your insurance bases. Life insurance and long-term care insurance are integral parts of longevity planning for pre-retirees.

"Long-term care and life insurance should certainly be a consideration if longevity is in the cards," White says. "The longer one lives, the more likely they'll require care at some point, which will be expensive."

Medicare can help to shoulder the burden of things like doctor visits or ongoing treatment for health conditions but it doesn't extend to long-term care. Medicaid will pay for long-term care but seniors are forced to spend down their assets to qualify.

Hutter says that if you're considering life insurance or long-term care insurance, the time to buy is sooner rather than later.

"Long-term care insurance, like life insurance, is generally less expensive the younger and healthier someone is," Hutter says. "The optimal time to obtain long-term care insurance is before serious health issues arise."

Long-term care insurance can allow you to leave a legacy of wealth for future generations if you're not having to use your assets for health care during your lifetime. Life insurance ensures that your spouse is able to meet their immediate financial needs should you pass away first.

[See: 6 Strategies To Avoid Working in Retirement.]

Lacey Manning of LTG Financial in Ocala, Florida, says life insurance can also be an important source of income for retirees.

"Life insurance is one of the few tax-free income opportunities you'll have in retirement," Manning says, likening it to the "Swiss army knife" of retirement planning.

"Life insurance can be drawn out at any age without restrictions, unlike Social Security, a reverse mortgage or an annuity," Manning says, allowing retirees to supplement their income in their early retirement years while deferring other benefits until they absolutely need them.

Manning says that beyond insurance, investors need to keep their spending in mind when tackling longevity planning.

"I like to have my clients visualize their retirement during the planning process," Manning says. "Creating a budget for expenses and guaranteed income will help create a realistic picture of whether they may outlive their money.

Rebecca Lake is a freelance Investing & Retirement reporter at U.S. News & World Report. She's been reporting on personal finance, investing and small business for nearly a decade and her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, CBS News and Investopedia. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter or email her at rlake0836@gmail.com.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appeared within striking distance to clinch re-election as leader of America's second-largest city on Tuesday against 10 lesser-known challengers, most of them lacking significant financial support. Garcetti, 46, a former City Council member and urban planning expert seeking his second term as mayor, needs to win at least 50 percent of the vote plus one in order to avoid a May run-off race with the second-place finisher. A recent Loyola Marymount University poll found Garcetti backed by 50.1 percent of registered voters, compared with 7.9 percent for his closest rival, Mitchell Schwartz, a political operative of former President Barack Obama during his first White House campaign. But the telephone-and-online survey of 950 people, conducted in January and early February, showed 38.5 percent were still undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus just over three percentage points. Schwartz, 55, has seized on the city's rising crime rate and soaring housing costs, while warning of a looming pension fund crisis, in his bid to unseat Garcetti. The mayor has touted his successful support for a measure to raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles and pointed to the city's employment gains in the aftermath of a nationwide recession. Garcetti enjoys a significant funding advantage, reporting his campaign has amassed more than $3.8 million as of March 1, while Schwartz, the only other candidate to have raised substantial cash, is expected to have spent $790,000, a spokesman said. Schwartz was previously best known as the California state director of Obama's presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008. Before that he served as director of communications at the State Department during President Bill Clinton's first term in office. Garcetti, who defeated then-city Controller Wendy Greuel in a run-off four years ago, is the son of former prosecutor Gil Garcetti, whose office tried O.J. Simpson for murder, and lost, while serving as Los Angeles County district attorney. Drawing almost as much attention, and far more money, in Tuesday's municipal elections was the highly contested ballot Measure S, aimed at limiting development by halting "spot zoning" amendments to the city's General Plan for two years. Measure S supporters say spot zoning permits granted to wealthy real estate interests have spurred runaway construction of high-rise office space and other costly developments that increase congestion and drive up housing costs. Opponents say the measure would go too far and actually undermine city efforts to create more affordable housing. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Although House Republicans are touting their new healthcare bill as an improved replacement for the Affordable Care Act, several prominent conservative groups and Senators disagree.

Those who have disavowed the bill include Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul, as well as major conservative groups like Club for Growth and Heritage Action. Their reasons for rejecting the bill all differ, but none are satisfied with the proposed legislation.

This is Obamacare Lite, it will not pass, Paul said this morning on Fox and Friends. Conservatives are not going to take it. Paul was specifically objecting to the fact that Republicans retained Obamacare taxes and an individual mandate to purchase insurance, but the penalty is paid to the insurance companies instead of the government.

Heritage Action, a sister group of the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, echoed Paul, writing in a statement that Americans will notice no significant difference between this bill and the Affordable Care act.

Pauls colleague, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, didnt mention similarities to Obamacare, but called the bill a missed opportunity, said there are still too many unknown factors.

We dont know how many people would use this new tax credit, we dont know how much it will cost, and we dont know if this bill will make healthcare more affordable for Americans, Lee said in a statement.

Lee also noted the proposal is exactly the type of back-room dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for, and it is not what we promised the American people.

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative organization backed the Koch brothers, also came out against the bill, with its president even rallying on Capitol Hill. We have spent tens and tens of millions to fully repeal Obamacare, and well commit whatever resources a spokesman for the group told USA Today.

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Club for Growth President David McIntosh said today he could not support the bill because it doesnt include the option of selling health insurance across state lines.

If this warmed-over substitute for government-run healthcare remains unchanged, the Club for Growth will key vote against it, McIntosh said in a statement. Republicans should be offering a full and immediate repeal of Obamacares taxes, regulations, and mandates, an end to the Medicaid expansion, and inclusion of free-market reforms, like interstate competition.
Malaysia will wait to question suspects in the Kim Jong-Nam killing believed to be holed up in Kuala Lumpur's North Korean embassy "even if it takes five years", the country's police chief said Tuesday.

A police cordon was set up outside the embassy after Pyongyang announced it would ban Malaysians from leaving North Korea, prompting an immediate tit-for-tat move from Kuala Lumpur.

The travel bans are just the latest twist in a heated diplomatic row over the Cold War-style assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader in Malaysia last month, which has seen Kuala Lumpur expel Pyongyang's envoy and vice-versa.

"We will wait, if it takes five years, we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said at a press conference in Penang, adding that he believed three people wanted in connection with the murder were in the building.

"This morning the deputy prime minister issued instructions not to allow any North Korean embassy staff to leave the country," Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told journalists outside the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

"At the moment we're trying to ascertain their numbers and their movements."

Prime Minister Najib Razak later said all North Korean citizens in Malaysia, not just embassy staff, would be barred from leaving the country.

Police set up a barricade with cars blocking both ends of the street leading to the North Korean embassy shortly after noon, an AFP journalist said.

Around a dozen armed officers wearing bulletproof vests were stationed at each end of the road.

They rolled out yellow ticker-tape reading "do not cross" and initially denied a request from an embassy official to remove the barricade so a car could leave the compound.

Shortly afterwards the tape was removed and two cars were allowed to leave. The police presence was scaled down but officers remained patrolling the road and were seen recording movements out of the embassy in a ledger.

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Around 100 journalists and photographers were also gathered outside.

The embassy, a two-storey neo-colonial house with a North Korean flag fluttering, is situated in Kuala Lumpur's well-heeled Bukit Damansara district, known for its hipster cafes and restaurants.

The nascent stand-off has already been compared to the Julian Assange case, which has seen the founder of the secret-spilling Wikileaks website holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012.

Two women -- from Indonesia and Vietnam -- have been charged with the killing, but Malaysian police have also named several North Korean suspects, including the embassy's second secretary and an employee of North Korea's national airline.
The diplomatic row between Malaysia and North Korea over the death of Kim Jong Nam escalated Tuesday after Pyongyang temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the reclusive country. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak slammed Pyongyang, saying it is "effectively holding our citizens hostage."

Malaysia announced that 11 of its citizens currently in North Korea are affected by the ban, which was imposed in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia. In response to Pyongyang's move, Malaysia prevented North Korean diplomats from leaving the country. Both Malaysia and North Korea have already expelled each other's ambassadors.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Najib said in a statement, adding that he has called for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. He also said that North Korean citizens will not be allowed to leave Malaysia "until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea."

The diplomatic row between the two nations began after Malaysia accused North Korea of being involved in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam on Feb. 13, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Two women are believed to have poisoned Kim Jong Un's half-brother with VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. However, North Korea claimed that the cause of death was a heart attack.

Malaysian police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employee. So far, only a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman have been charged in the case.

Kim Jong Nam murder

Photo: Reuters/Royal Malaysia Police

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"When we are confronted with a country that has breached international diplomatic norms and ethics, we have no choice," Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tuesday, adding that Malaysia was forced to act because Pyongyang had "manipulated what we call a murder case."

The body of Kim Jong Nam remains with Malaysia as no next of kin have come forward to claim it. Pyongyang has not yet confirmed that the body is of Kim Jong Nam, but Malaysian police said they are confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the victim.

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KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI (Reuters) - Malaysia said on Tuesday that suspected militants from Yemen arrested late last month ahead of a visit by Saudi King Salman had been planning an attack on Arab royalty. A senior Malaysian police source said the four suspects belonged to Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi movement, which hails from a Shi'ite Muslim sect and has been fighting other Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition for two years. Malaysian police had previously said the men were suspected of links to militant groups including Islamic State, which is Sunni Muslim and known by the Arabic acronym Daesh. A Saudi source said that it was still not certain whether the suspects supported the Houthis or Islamic State, but that the arrests showed why security "represents the bulk of the entourage in foreign official trips". "It is no doubt a terrorist act. Should it be Daesh or Houthis supported by Iran, this is what the local Malaysian investigation will reveal," the Saudi source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media. The king arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 26 with a 600-strong delegation for a four-day visit at the start of a month-long Asia tour. On Tuesday he was in Indonesia. Between Feb. 21 and Feb. 26, Malaysia arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners - the four Yemenis, one Indonesian and one East Asian - for suspected links to militant groups including Islamic State, police had said in a statement on Sunday. Speaking on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said the four Yemenis were plotting an attack on Arab royalty. "Four Yemenis, apart from their role involving in producing false travel documents they are also involved in distributing drugs... and they are also planning to attack the Arab royalties during the visit in Kuala Lumpur, so we got them in the nick of time," Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters. The Yemenis were arrested in Serdang and Cyberjaya - near the capital Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police had said on Sunday. Police seized multiple international passports from the four, along with 270,000 ringgit ($60,000) in different currencies which police said they suspected were intended to be channelled to insurgents. Police have said the Malaysian and the Indonesian who were arrested in late February were planning to launch a large-scale attack using a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device". Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people with suspected militant links during recent years. The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since suicide bombers and gunmen linked to Islamic State launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016. A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in June last year wounded eight people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. ($1 = 4.4450 ringgit) (Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi, Rozanna Latiff and William Maclean; Editing by Nick Macfie, Simon Cameron-Moore, Ken Ferris and Peter Graff)
COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Maldivian government said on Tuesday a planned multibillion dollar, Saudi-funded investment project on one of its atolls will focus on high-end tourism, and it rejected opposition claims that the islands would be sold to the government of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's King Salman is scheduled to make a visit this month to the chain of tiny Indian Ocean islands, which have been mired in political unrest since Mohamed Nasheed, its first democratically elected leader, was deposed in 2012. Nasheed's opposition party last week said the project would effectively give a foreign power control over Faafu atoll in a form of colonialisation by the Saudi government. There have been public protests about the project, over the suspected land sale it involves. President Abdulla Yameen's office said in a statement that Faafu is part of a "wider, multifaceted programme to finance a major, multibillion dollar investment project encompassing mixed development, residential and high class development, and several tourist resorts and airports". It added: "The administration categorically rebuts allegations that the atoll has been 'sold off' to a foreign entity." It also said it was working with a range of international investors to implement its economic development agenda. The Maldives Independent website reported that police had cracked down on a protest on Friday by Faafu atoll residents and detained some of them, who demanded details of the project. Last month local media and websites quoted Yameen as saying Saudi rulers had a special interest in Faafu, which is over 100 kilometres southwest of the capital Male and comprises 26 islands in a chain roughly 30 kilometres long and 25 kilometres wide. Opposition officials say Faafu residents have vowed to protest Salman's visit to oppose any seizure of their land. Yameen's administration has arrested most of the opponents who might challenge him in 2018. The opposition claims the administration is trying to cover up corruption including money laundering, all of which the government denies. Nasheed, in exile in Britain after being allowed out of jail to go there for medical treatment, formed the Maldives United Opposition in June with the aim of toppling Yameen. Despite its reputation as a tourist paradise, the largely Muslim island chain of 400,000 people is struggling with a large number of radicalised youths enlisting to fight for Islamic State in the Middle East. The opposition says allowing Saudi influence in the country would result in more radicalisation. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
The man accused of a terrifying attack on a female hotel employee in Nebraska has been slapped with charges of attempted sexual assault and false imprisonment during a court appearance.

Read: After Clerk Foils Hotel Prowler, How You Can Fight Off a Surprise Attacker

Zachary Person, a registered sex offender, appeared Tuesday in an Omaha courtroom following his arrest in the harrowing ordeal that was captured on surveillance video.

Alia Conley, a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald newspaper, told Inside Edition: "There was a gasp in the courtroom when the prosecutor said that this person had exposed himself to the hotel worker."

The female night clerk at the Home2 Suites was followed into the ladies room by the predator where he attacked her at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. The employee was able to break free after fighting back and ripped his mask off, which caused the coward to flee.

The shaken clerk was able to get to a phone and calls the cops. But her attacker was not yet finished, as he reappeared just seconds later, this time trying to shield his face with a sweater.

In a video of the incident, the clerk can be seen running for her life one more time. Another fierce struggle ensues  and once again the assailant is fought off.

Read: Parents Arrested for the Alleged Assault of Their 3-Week-Old Baby

Cops say they were able to identify Person, who police say has two prior sex offenses, after surveillance video caught his face unmasked.

During the court appearance Tuesday, the prosecutor said: This defendant does have an extremely extensive history of this type of behavior.

Person is being held on $1 million bail.

Watch: Woman Attacked by Astronaut in Love Triangle: I Still Struggle With Trauma 10 Years Later

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A New York man busted for using a student subway pass has been charged with rape and murder after his DNA matched evidence from a 1999 cold case, authorities said.

Curtis Batchelor, 41, was charged last week with manslaughter, murder, rape and sexual abuse in the stabbing death of 56-year-old Elsa Grullon.

Read: Arrest Made in Cold Case Murder of Georgia Beauty Queen After Tip Leads to Suspect

The woman was found by her son-in-law, who checked Grullons Bronx apartment after not seeing her for several days. She had been stabbed multiple times and was covered by a blanket, police said.

After Batchelors arrest for fare evasion, police discovered a previous court order for a DNA sample and forced the suspect to give one.

That ordered had stemmed from a drug-selling charge in 2013 to which Batchelor pleaded guilty, police said. But Batchelor did not comply with the demand to submit a sample for New Yorks criminal database, authorities said.

Read: Mother Convicted of Killing Her 5-Year-Old Son in 1991 Cold Case Gets Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

Batchelor lived in Grullons building at the time of her murder, according to the New York Daily News.

The genetic sample taken after Batchelors January subway arrest matched semen specimens taken from Grullons body, according to the Bronx County criminal complaint filed against him last week.

He is being held without bail. He has not entered a plea.

Watch: Man Convicted in 1979 Cold Case Disappearance of Etan Patz

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A Philadelphia man who threw a Wawa coffee cup filled with gasoline at his girlfriend in a Bensalem motel last spring and set her on fire, killing her, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.

Kevin Lamar Small, 46, of Philadelphia was given life plus 68 to 136 years in prison by a Bucks County judge after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Melissa Bacon Smith, 46.

Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty, but dropped that plan in exchange for Small's guilty plea, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

The couple was at the Lincoln Motel in Bensalem late on the night of May 14 when they began arguing: Smith wanted to end the relationship. Small had called her numerous times that night at the beer store where she worked, from which he had been banned for harassing her, prosecutors said.

At the hotel, Small became angry, went to Wawa, filled a coffee cup with gasoline, and purchased matches. He returned to the motel room and flung the gasoline on Smith, who was smoking. Her face caught fire, and she was found dead by emergency responders after Small had fled.

Guests were evacuated, but no one else was injured. The blaze gutted the motel and caused $1.8 million in property damage, prosecutors said.

Small was also charged with two counts of arson, one count of risking a catastrophe, 42 counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one count of possessing an instrument of crime.

Smith left behind four children, the youngest age 22, the DA's Office said.

For him to have no remorse, there are no words for that because she was our mother. She gave birth to us, said her daughter, Shaina White, at the sentencing, according to a news release from the DA's office.



Small did not speak at the sentencing, but his public defender said he knew Smith's death was his fault and had previously told his mother he would "pay a price in the afterlife."

Story continues

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LYON, France (Reuters) - No one was killed in an avalanche that swept past several skiers on Tuesday in Tignes, authorities in the French Alpine resort said. The avalanche was triggered shortly before 10 A.M. (0900 GMT) in an off-piste area of the vast resort and swept across a relatively easy "blue" slope often used by inexperienced skiers and children. "Several skiers have been shaken up and taken care of by resort personnel. Emergency staff were deployed immediately. After the search operations, there are no victims to report," a statement from the resort said. First aid workers had initially told Reuters that many skiers had been swept away by the avalanche. Snow was falling, visibility was poor and the avalanche risk was rated high at four on a scale of five at the resort on Tuesday. Conditions made it hard for rescue workers from outside the area to fly in by helicopter. Skiers were evacuated by resort staff and police, while pistes were temporarily closed. The resort said later that the station remained open, though some areas were off-limits. Four people were killed in an avalanche at Tignes on Feb. 13. (Reporting by Catherine Lagrange and Pascal Rossignol; writing by Adrian Croft, editing by John Irish and John Stonestreet)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps condemned the use of a secret Facebook page by some Marines to share nude photos of women, including female Marines. And he urged victims to come forward if they have been harassed or abused, including over social media.

Gen. Robert Neller, in a sharp video message released Tuesday, said Marines should be focused on preparing to fight, "not hiding on social media participating in or being aware of actions that are disrespectful and harmful to other Marines. It's embarrassing to our Corps, to our families and to the nation."

The nearly four-minute video, distributed on various Marine websites and social media pages, represents the first expansive comments Neller has made about the jarring controversy that has triggered an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Nude photographs of female Marines, veterans from across the military, and other women were shared on the Facebook page "Marines United," and the accompanying posts included obscene and threatening comments. The photos, which have now been taken down, showed women in various stages of undress, and some were identified and others were not. The site was touted as being for men only.

It's not clear how many active-duty Marines and other service members were involved or are under investigation. A Marine Corps official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss personnel matters by name, said at least one government contractor was removed from his job after he posted a link to the photographs.

An internal Marine Corps document obtained by The Associated Press said a former Marine maintained the Google Drive where the photos were shared, and that it had a following of about 30,000. Two active-duty female Marines filed complaints about the photos, leading to the NCIS investigation. But it's not known how many more may step forward as victims in the coming days.

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In the video, Neller talks at length about Marine Corps values and the need for service members to treat each other with dignity and respect.

"It appears that some Marines may have forgotten these fundamental truths and instead have acted selfishly and unprofessionally through their actions on social media," he said.

In addition to encouraging victims to come forward, Neller said commanders must make sure that all Marines understand the rules governing their conduct, including on social media. And he said that officers must protect victims who come forward from any retaliation, harassment or abuse.

Neller ended by saying that if "changes need to be made, they will be made." And he warned: "If you can't or are unwilling to commit to contributing 100 percent to our Corps' warfighting ability by being a good teammate and improving cohesion and trust, then I have to ask you, 'do you really want to be a Marine'?"

The ongoing investigation is likely to involve a tangled web of legal questions about privacy and online activity -- including who can be held liable or criminally responsible if a photo that was willingly taken is then shared publicly. And there may be questions about the Marines who knew about the site, but never reported it.

In addition, Marines who made comments on the photos  including threats of violence  could face punishment.
London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a second defeat in the House of Lords on whether to give parliament the final say on leaving the EU but her timetable for triggering Brexit by the end of the month remains on track.

The bill empowering May to start the exit process has already been held up by a week after peers voted on March 1 for an amendment guaranteeing the rights of European citizens living in Britain.

Members of the unelected upper chamber are on Tuesday expected to back a second change that would give parliament a vote on the final withdrawal deal and any future trade ties with the European Union.

May is confident the bill will pass in time to meet her deadline of triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which begins the two-year withdrawal process, by the end of March.

But a second defeat would be blow to the Conservative leader, potentially bind her hands in the forthcoming negotiations, and further delay the bill by setting up a stand-off between the House of Lords and the elected lower House of Commons.

It would also be a further sign of the domestic opposition she could face as she negotiates Brexit, prompting calls from some Conservatives for a snap election to increase her currently slim majority in the Commons.

"The government could face many close votes, concessions or defeats as it tries to implement Brexit," former party leader William Hague wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

The Conservatives are currently well ahead in opinion polls, but changing the law to bring the election forward from 2020 would not be easy, and for now Downing Street is publicly ruling it out.

- 'Incentive for a bad deal' -

May has repeatedly urged the Lords not to amend the two-clause bill, saying it is designed only to implement the June referendum vote for Brexit.

But a source from the opposition Labour party told AFP it expected to win "handsomely" on the issue of a final vote thanks to cross-party support.

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EU leaders have signalled that the upcoming negotiations will not be easy, amid fears that other member states could follow Britain out the door.

May says she is optimistic about the talks but is willing to walk away without any agreement rather than accept a "bad deal".

Opponents fear this would cause chaos, as all trade deals and contracts between Britain and its 27 former EU partners would become void overnight.

The Lords amendment demands that parliament, not the prime minister, makes the final call.

"Engaging parliament throughout the process can only but help improve the prime minister's negotiating hand," said Labour's Brexit spokeswoman in the Lords, Dianne Hayter.

"A vote at the end will, I am sure, be conducted in the best interests of our country."

May's spokesman has warned however that such a move could "incentivise the EU to offer us a bad deal in the hope that it stops us leaving".

"The prime minister wants an unamended bill," he said.

- 'Parliamentary safety net' -

Peers voted last week for an amendment demanding ministers protect the rights of more than three million European citizens living in Britain after Brexit.

The change dashed May's hopes of securing approval for the bill this week, as it must now return to MPs for deliberation, likely on March 13.

Ministers will seek to overturn the change in the Commons, and if successful, the bill would return to the Lords in a process known as parliamentary "ping-pong".

If the Lords back Tuesday's amendment, this too must be reviewed by the Commons -- where reports suggest May could face a rebellion from up to 20 of her Conservative MPs.

Among them is former minister Anna Soubry, who warned at the weekend: "If we are faced with a potentially catastrophic 'falling off a cliff', the least we can do is provide a parliamentary safety net."

A new poll for the Independent newspaper found that only 25 percent of people would support leaving the EU without a deal, which business leaders have said would be like opening a Pandora's box.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The Mexican foreign minister says Mexico's government has informed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of its concern over a proposal to separate immigrant parents from their children in detention.

Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray says the measure could cause "irreversible harm" to many families.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Monday that it was being considered as a way to dissuade families from making the dangerous journey from Central America to the U.S. with children.

Clarissa Martinez is vice president of the National Council of La Raza and said at a Tuesday news conference that the measure would not make sense because of the cost of housing detainees.

In general, Central American immigrant families have been briefly detained together, processed and released to await their court date.
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico has objected to the United States about a potential plan to separate immigrant children from their parents if they try to illegally enter the US, an official said Tuesday.

If the United States pursues that idea, "many families" will suffer an "irreversible damage," said Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said at a news conference.

"We immediately made known to the (US) Department of Homeland Security our grave concern if that were to happen," he said.

"We hope that the opinion of the Mexican government will be taken into consideration when the final decision by the US government is made about this possibility, which was announced in a worrying manner," he said.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly said Monday that the department was weighing an initiative that would split children from their parents if they were caught trying to enter the United States illegally.

"I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico into the United States," Kelly said in a CNN television interview.

"We have tremendous experience in dealing with unaccompanied minors," he said, noting the DHS turns them over to the Health and Human Services department, which puts the children in foster care or links them with parents or family members in the United States.

Kelly is one of the most fervent supporters of US President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies.

Trump, who took office on January 20, ran on a platform arguing that mass immigration by unskilled workers costs US taxpayers billions of dollars and depresses wages and job opportunities.

The Republican businessman-turned-president vowed to build a wall on the US southern border with Mexico to stem illegal immigration and keep out migrants he branded drug-dealers, murderers and rapists.

Federal agents in recent weeks have launched sweeps across the country to round up undocumented immigrants.

On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugees and on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, effective March 16.

With his first executive order rejected by federal courts, the new, scaled-back order freezes refugee admissions for 120 days and halts new visas for Syrians, Iranians, Libyans, Somalis, Yemenis and Sudanese citizens for 90 days.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico is concerned by a U.S. government proposal to separate migrant mothers and children at the southern U.S. border, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday, while recognizing that at this stage it was only a possibility.

Luis Videgaray also said the Mexican government was helping deportees from the United States to retain their U.S. assets.

(Reporting by Josue Gonzalez)
Michelin inspectors have promoted a dozen restaurants into the two-starred club and given 51 new restaurants their first star in the latest edition of the gastronomic red guide for Europe.

For the 36th edition of Michelin Guide Main Cities of Europe, inspectors were dispatched to dine in 44 cities in 20 countries to differentiate the dining destinations worth consumers' money, from those that are lackluster.

This year a dozen restaurants like Amador in Vienna, were promoted to the two-starred club, a category that denotes "excellent cooking, worth a detour."

Set within an elegant, vaulted stone cellar with a unique view of wine barrels behind a glass window, dishes at Amador include the "Berlin, Paris, Vienna" plate, featuring liver, calf shoulder and Perigord truffles from France.

The "Parfum de Siam" meanwhile is composed of carabineiro (a shellfish that resembles langoustine), milk calves and green curry.

"The young but experienced chef creates sophisticated, intensely flavored, artfully presented dishes crafted from top quality ingredients," said editor Rebecca Burr in a statement.

The newly added restaurants bring the total of two-starred restaurants in the guide to 91.

Of the 386 one-starred restaurants featured, 51 are also new additions. A restaurant designated with one star denotes "a very good restaurant in its category."

While there are no new three-starred restaurants, that category features 20 dining destinations that offer "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

The Michelin guide Main Cities of Europe 2017 is out March 9 in hard copy and as an app.
Former First Lady and education activist Michelle Obama praised fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper after he announced a $1 million donation to Chicago Public Schools.

Yesterday, Chance held a press conference at Westcott Elementary School on Chicagos South Side, where he spoke about a call to action to help support arts education in Chicagos schools. Last week, Chance met with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to discuss education funding, but the Grammy award-winning rapper left the meeting frustrated. Our kids should not be held hostage because of political positioning, Chance said in his press conference.

The rappers news was met with positivity across various social media platforms  most notably from Michelle Obama herself. In a tweet, she thanked Chance for being an example of the power of arts education. Chance also contributed to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree with the Obamas in December.
By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new round of bomb threats against Jewish community centers across the United States and in Canada forced lockdowns and evacuations on Tuesday, and all 100 U.S. senators asked the federal government to help them enhance security. Threats were phoned in or emailed to JCCs in states including New York, Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida overnight and early on Tuesday. Centers in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario also said they were threatened. U.S. federal authorities have been investigating a surge of threats against Jewish organizations, including more than 100 hoax bomb threats in five separate waves in January and February against JCCs in dozens of states. The Trump Administration denounced the newest round of threats "in the strongest terms," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing. "As long as they do continue, we'll continue to condemn them and look at ways in which we can stop them," Spicer said. Tuesday's incidents appeared unconnected to the majority of previous threats, according to the Secure Community Network, which provides security expertise to Jewish groups. A letter signed by all 100 U.S. senators was sent on Tuesday to top U.S. law enforcement officials asking that they help Jewish groups enhance security. "We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs," the letter said. One arrest was made last week, when a former journalist was charged in St. Louis with using fake email accounts to threaten to bomb Jewish sites while posing as his ex-girlfriend. But he is not believed to be responsible for the majority of threats. Threats came in to Jewish centers and day schools on Tuesday in cities including Chicago, Milwaukee and the greater Rochester area in upstate New York. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, also said it received bomb threats at four of its locations. In addition to violent threats, some Jewish organizations received harassing phone calls. At the East Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn, police said, an anonymous caller threatened to spray the center's synagogue with pig's blood. "Weve never seen such a period of concentrated threats against the Jewish community," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference. "The last few weeks are more troubling than anything Ive seen in many, many years." (Additional reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)
President Donald Trump is facing his biggest foreign policy challenge yet after North Korea fired a ballistic missile salvo in a supposed training run for an attack on US bases in Japan.

Pyongyang blasted at least four missiles across the ocean toward its eastern neighbor on Monday, and three of the rockets splashed down into waters within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The latest tests mark the end of what had been a quiet spell in North Korean weapons testing -- with little activity since Trump's election in November -- and propels the long-simmering issue to the White House front burner.

Trump in January had tweeted that North Korea's stated goal of building a long-range nuclear missile to hit the US mainland "won't happen" -- but he never provided details.

After North Korea said the missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, where about 50,000 American troops are stationed, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump spoke by phone and warned the threat from North Korea had "entered a new stage."

Trump must now define what exactly that means, and what America's response will be.

"We are in a very tenuous situation with not a lot of leverage, not a lot of initiative in terms of negotiations," a senior defense official told reporters recently.

"So as you might imagine we are preparing for contingency operations to the degree we need to," the official said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is traveling to South Korea, Japan and China next week, his first visit to the region.

He will discuss "strategic coordination to address the advancing nuclear and missile threat from North Korea," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said.

"Given North Korea's continuing provocative behavior and actions, the US is actively engaged with its partners and allies in the region to address the threat posed," he added.

- Anti-missile technologies -

Story continues

Further ramping up regional tensions is the deployment of an American anti-ballistic missile battery called THAAD, a successor to the Patriot system.

China is furious about the move, even though the interceptors can only be used for defense and cannot directly engage Chinese missiles.

Beijing worries THAAD's radar system will give the United States precision tracking capabilities of China's own missiles, and weaken its deterrence against America.

"This is somewhat exaggerated as a threat but the full capabilities of the THAAD system are classified so it can't be entirely discounted," said John Schilling, an aerospace expert and consultant at the 38 North program of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Experts say Pyongyang's simultaneous firing of at least four missiles is possibly an attempt to overcome anti-missile systems by overwhelming them.

The Patriot system could supposedly stop up to 16 missiles at a time, and THAAD is thought to only build on that number. But trying to stop a missile with another missile is far from infallible.

North Korea analyst Joseph Bermudez said Pyongyang potentially has enough mobile launchers to fire at least 36 ballistic missiles of various types at the same time.

Monday's missiles were either enhanced extended-range Scuds or medium-range No Dong ballistic missiles that date back to the 1990s and can't reach mainland America.

- Fresh start -

Privately, the North Koreans had been sending signals they wanted a fresh start with the Trump administration, said Joel Wit, a co-founder of the 38 North program.

But the start of US military drills with Seoul this week ended that chapter.

"That posture wouldn't last forever and the US-(South Korea) joint exercises that are taking place now were signaled as possibly ending that quiet period," Wit said.

Anthony Ruggiero, a North Korea expert from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the deployment of the THAAD system is an important development, but it doesn't do anything to address North Korea's ballistic missile program.

"To roll it back, we need to be sanctioning more North Korean entities outside North Korea," he said, suggesting that the Trump administration should more aggressively target international banks that do business with North Korea.

"There should be no reason why legitimate, reputable foreign banks need... to conduct business with North Korean banks," he said.

The Obama administration slapped heavy sanctions on Pyongyang businesses, agencies and individuals, but most are confined to North Korea so the impact has been limited.

Ruggiero also noted that although Monday's missiles weren't particularly sophisticated, the simultaneous firing towards Japan marked an aggressive turn.

On leaving the White House, Obama warned Trump the threats from Pyongyang would likely be the most urgent he would face.

The Obama administration had implemented a slew of sanctions, backed by numerous UN resolutions, while maintaining openness to dialogue.

The New York Times reported that the United States also attempted cyber attacks designed to disrupt missile launches.
A long-running battle to establish a database to monitor for prescription drug abuse in Missouri  the only state without one  is about to hit a boiling point.

On one side is Republican state Senator Rob Schaaf, who once said that when people die of overdoses that just removes them from the gene pool.

Schaaf, who is a physician, has squashed legislation in the past six sessions to establish a prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP. But sensing urgency that the legislation might pass this session, Schaaf introduced his own bill to set up a PDMP thats unlike those in any other state  a proposal that medical experts have called a sham.

In a surprise move, the state Senate passed it in late February.

Now, the House is considering Schaafs proposal. At the same time, the Senate and House are both considering another bill, introduced by Representative Holly Rehder and Senator Dave Schatz, both Republicans. Their previous efforts have been filibustered by Schaaf.

Read more: Who treats you matters: Some ER doctors three times more likely than others to prescribe opioids

Our medical community all over the state is begging for a way to help address the opiate epidemic, said Rehder.

But with conflicting pieces of legislation vying for approval, a PDMP may again elude Missouri this year.

Why doesnt Missouri already have a PDMP?

Efforts to establish a PDMP have been repeatedly crushed by a small group of legislators led by Schaaf. The senator filibustered a measure in 2012 and has threatened to do so in other sessions in the past six years. Even that threat, Rehder said, is enough to keep a bill from being brought up in the Legislature.

Every other state has a drug monitoring program. The power of those programs varies, but they all require doctors and pharmacists to enter prescriptions into a database. The programs are designed to stop patients from being able to doctor shop, bouncing from one prescriber to the next to get painkillers.

Story continues

Doctors in the region say such a database is needed; there were 1,066 overdose deaths in Missouri last year. Even Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals  which manufactures oxycodone and is based in St. Louis  has expressed support for the legislation introduced by Schatz and Rehder.

This is definitely something that our doctors here in my district, and parents of addicted children, and families, are just clamoring to have, said Rehder. Its extremely frustrating that Dr. Schaaf continues to filibuster.

Counties in Missouri, frustrated by a lack of legislative action, have started efforts to launch regional drug monitoring programs. St. Louis County established its own PDMP in 2016.

Whats the issue with Schaafs bill?

Schaafs bill wouldnt set up a PDMP like others around the country, which give registered medical professionals direct access to a patients narcotic history.

Rather, Schaafs proposal would force doctors to send to the state health department the names of each patient theyre considering prescribing painkillers. The state PDMP would automatically alert the prescriber to any troubling patterns in that patients prescription history. Then, it would be up to the prescriber to make a decision about whether to dole out the medication.

Read more: This dentist broke his own opioid habit. Can the dental profession do the same?

Its unlike anything any other state has done, said Jeff Howell, the director of government affairs at the Missouri State Medical Association. In other states, a physician or prescriber can just get on and see what the prescribing history has been.

The association has sharply criticized Schaafs proposal, and supports the legislation introduced by Rehder and Schatz.

Howell said he is concerned that having a vastly different system will make it all but impossible for the Missouri database to be used in tandem with the databases of surrounding states. With two of the states biggest cities  Kansas City and St. Louis  sharing a border with other states, its crucial that the systems be able to communicate, Howell said.

Schaaf did not respond to requests for comment. In the past, he has said his objection to PDMPs stem from patient privacy concerns.

They dont work. And its an infringement upon peoples privacy, Schaaf said in an October 2016 interview with local television station KSHB. Most people dont want the government to have that information and have it on a database in which many people can get it.

Schaaf has cited a 2009 case in Virginia in which a hacker claimed to have accessed 35 million prescription records through the states drug database.

Read more: Opioid crisis drives record number of US overdose deaths

But others argue his bill will put what should be a medical decision  determining whether a patient is at risk of abuse  out of a doctors hands.

You are charging [the bureau] with making a medical decision and that doesnt make any sense to me, Larry Pinson, who serves on the board of the National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities.

How are they going to know if there is a true medical reason for that patient to need a narcotic? said Pinson, who also serves on the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy, which controls the states PDMP.

What comes next?

The House is now considering both Schaafs measure and Rehders legislation. Rehder is confident her bill can get support in the House, which has passed it in two previous sessions.

But Schaaf told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he intends to filibuster that version of the legislation if it makes it to the Senate floor. Id just as soon not have a PDMP. Would they rather have a database that protects privacy or no database at all? Schaaf said in a recent interview.

Read more: 4 things governors can do to help combat the opioid epidemic

The senator said he has already compromised on setting up a PDMP at all, and is calling on Rehder and Schatz to compromise, too  by supporting his legislation.

I appreciate the momentum. I appreciate him agreeing that theres a problem, Rehder said. But she made clear she will not back down from her opposition to Schaafs bill.

The most important part of being able to spot addiction is on the front end, she said. Without physicians having that access, its really just putting a Band-Aid on it.
What is going on?

They dont teach about it in school anymore, but in the late summer of 1921, 10,000 coal miners in the southern fields of West Virginia took up arms and waged war against their masters. The fighting lasted for five days. The miners had numbers but no other advantage, arming themselves with their own rifles and marching uphill against 2,000 entrenched strikebreakers who fired down on them with heavy guns and flew private airplanes overhead, dropping homemade bombs and poison gas on the incipient union. The two sides fired 1 million rounds between them, killing 10 strikebreakers and 100 miners. On Sept. 2, President Warren Harding ordered in the army. The union retreated. Over the following days, law enforcement arrested nearly 1,000 miners, indicting them for conspiracy, murder, and treason against the state of West Virginia. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest and most violent political uprising the United States had seen since the Civil War. It still is.

Nothing in the age of Donald Trump is truly unprecedented, except this: There is no longer any such thing as American subtext. We deal exclusively in text now. Before, the mainstream of our discourse confined questions of political violence to code and circumspection. In a country that ordinarily presumes itself too civilized for such things, the routine outbreak of bloodshed and arson was regularly and necessarily transformed into a distant sociological matter, a curious pathology of black and poor people or otherwise into a purely theoretical possibility entertained by fringe political actors. Now, the New York Times strokes its chin and asks if its OK to punch Nazis. You can hear Trumps predecessor intoning, Thats not who we are. It isnt yet. But after decades of superficial peace, even the mainstream wonders if its who we are becoming once again.

Perhaps owing to the fact that comfortable Americans do not consider political violence to be a national constant, its renewed visibility has come to them as a shock and an aberration, as a precipice we are about to cross without enough consideration. The black bloc decks Richard Spencer. Anti-fascist (antifa) radicals in California light fire to Berkeley. Student protestors block Charles Murrary in Middlebury, Vermont, roughing up a professor in the process. Protestors across the country block streets and airports and highways, often coming into confrontation with police  how long, the stupefied observer asks, until somebody gets killed? Is this really what we want? Political times are dire, but should we really normalize violence and destruction? Is it called for, is it helpful, and is it right?

The questions are muddled and obscure. They ask after different things, produce contradictory answers, and sort invariably along class and party lines. This confusion is not surprising; many of these people are being called to seriously consider the question of political violence for the first time in their lives. But no matter the cause, the consequence has been circularity and confusion.

If we are to make any progress at all toward finding an answer to the question of political violence, we must first get the question right. What, in the face of all this, are we asking? For all the press theyve gotten, all the mainstream moral panic, we are still in the early days. The violence weve seen so far is small. A punch, a fire, a minor riot. But in each there appears to be a new, subterranean malevolence, a sense that these are not just scattered outbursts, that all this is escalating somewhere. Will we soon find ourselves once again watching exploitation become confrontation, reading of armed men charging up a mountain to their deaths, without any sense of how we got there? What is at the heart of all this?

Stills from an Australian Broadcasting Company video show Richard Spencer being punched by a masked man in Washington, D.C., during an interview on Jan. 20. (Photo credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Is it right?

The Times formulates political violence as a moral question. Is it OK to punch Nazis? Do ethics permit it? This is a natural impulse and in my observation the most common angle by which the question is taken up, but I suppose I should tell you now that this strikes me as the most wrongheaded way to go about asking. The trouble is not so much with the question itself, which is as profound as any, but with the answers it elicits, which are invariably useless or cheap. I read a thousand takes and tweets, condemning white nationalism but reminding readers that this is America and it is never acceptable to strike somebody because of their political opinion. I am reminded, over and over, that in a free society we shut down bad ideas with debate, not riots. We peacefully assemble. We call our representatives. We dont smash the windows of a Bank of America. When we do that, are we any better than the illiberal forces were protesting? No, the answers come.

Perhaps this is the virtuous answer, but it does not escape my notice that those who are most eager to give it are not subject to the dilemma in bodily terms. There were two Reigns of Terror, Mark Twain wrote of the French Revolution. The one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other had lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the horrors of the minor Terror, the momentary Terror. Perhaps the saints in heaven know that the blood spilled at Blair Mountain could not be pardoned, but they would judge the perpetrators of exploitation, too. They would see not only the five days of battle but also the evictions and assassinations and theft carried out for years against the residents of company towns. The mine operators broke mens backs in exchange for a pittance; they left families to die in the cold. It is easier to declare a moral prohibition on political violence when your children are not starving.

This is not to say that absolute damnation of violence is illegitimate. But if the answer to the moral question is absolute, then it very quickly becomes useless. Violence persists in the face of a simple no. What can the saint say to this? Go to church, all of you? Perhaps we should, but there is violence in churches, too.

It is, at any rate, uncommon to find a respectable contemporary American truly dedicated to the idea that political violence is always on the wrong side of moral life. Shortly after midnight on June 28, 1969, police raided New York Citys Stonewall Inn, and the ensuing riot gave birth to the queer liberation movement. Today, good liberals celebrate it as if it were a pride parade, with all the requisite city permits in order, before turning around to ask if they really have to remind everyone that violence and looting  even against somebody as loathsome as Donald Trump, even in response to police brutality, even when all ordinary political recourse has failed  are, well, just wrong. It makes you as bad they are. This moral absolutism is the far more common type; it is also the type that lacks the virtue of sincerity. It is the hypocrisy of strivers who wish to signal allegiance with historical good causes and then retreat to vague paeans and sputtering rectitude when asked for a verdict on the uncertain present.

As it happens, the ethical question is backward under any circumstances. It presumes that politics are played out only after a moral consensus has been reached and not the very mechanism by which our moral claims are contested. Answers to the moral question stake out political positions. They do not illuminate their origins. The most fruitful and honest answer, therefore, is only conditional, which is to say, it is only the midwife of more questions. Perhaps it was OK what happened, but tell me more. Who committed the violence? In the name of what cause? Against whom? To what extent and to what effect? Was it a fist or a shove? A bullet, a riot, or a bomb? What was achieved?

Left: Logan Country deputies defend against striking coal miners on Sept. 10, 1921, at Blair Mountain in West Virginia. Right: United Mine Workers of American officers show an undetonated bomb they say was dropped over miners camps on Sept. 11, 1921. (Photo credit: Charleston Gazette)

Is it wise?

Mary Harris Mother Jones was at the Battle of Blair Mountain, although she counseled against it. Earlier that August, the socialist and radical organizer appeared at a rally, urging the miners to hold off their march. Mother Jones had been in shooting wars between organizers and ownership before, had spent time in prison, and was in the words of a former West Virginia district attorney the most dangerous woman in America. She was not skittish about violence for just ends. But Mother Jones believed that the union in Logan County was not trained or armed to defeat local law enforcement, much less the Pinkertons and federal troops that were likely to appear. She feared that the battle would be lost and with it any hope of unionizing the county. Nothing broke morale like a violent defeat.

The miners ignored Mother Jones, but she was right. After the battle was lost, union membership in southern West Virginia dropped from 50,000 to 10,000. The coalfields would not be organized until the New Deal.

Those who are unsatisfied by moral considerations of political violence and those who are uninterested in anything but the brute practicalities of political life tend to turn to the tactical question of violence. It doesnt ask if political violence is permissible, only whats to be gained by it. Will it work? Will it bring about the desired outcome at an acceptable cost? Will it turn sympathies against us, provoke a backlash, or cancel out our gains entirely? Even in the early days of our consideration, these questions are near as common as the moral ones. Their answers are more varied and less prone to the vague posturing of moral declaration. But they are equally prohibitive  and no less confused.

For some, the tactical question still leads to an absolute prohibition on violence. This tends to come in two forms. The first is only a cynical version of the moral prohibition: Perhaps we know violence is not a mortal sin, but others dont. Using violence just plays into our opponents hands. Refusing it is how we win the moral high ground. But we should not fail to notice that even this is a violent metaphor. The high ground is what the strikebreakers held at Blair Mountain, too, and it proved itself superior in dirt and rock to any abstract incarnation.

The Sept. 1, 1921, front page of the Washington Times features a top story on the Battle of Blair Mountain. (Photo credit: Library of Congress)

The second form of the tactical prohibition is more pragmatic. Its crux is not whether or not a political cause looks good by refusing violence but the futility of political violence in the modern world. The leftist critic Fredrik deBoer provided perhaps the most pointed rendition of this argument, writing:

Whenever people debate the morality of left-wing political violence, I always ask: what targets are you going to hit? Who exactly is going to be waging this violence? Whats the specific tactical purpose of your first attack? Whats the broader strategic plan? Where are you getting your munitions? Do you have a plan to establish supply lines? What ability do you have to set up medical facilities? Who will care for the children of your fallen comrades? Theres no answers to these questions, of course, because they know they cant come up with them. Not in their wildest dreams. Again, the fixation on the morality of violence represents a means to avoid talking about the tactical irrelevance of violence.

He goes on, but the argument is clear enough  the moral question obscures the tactical one, and on that front the present United States is like nothing the world has ever known. It is not France in 1790, Cuba in the 1950s, or even Logan County in 1921. The police alone are sufficiently militarized to crush any uprising, and the response to any sufficiently serious uprising would not end with the police.

But even deBoers stab at a totalizing answer does not really settle the tactical question. Political violence will not overthrow the government, but tactics are measured by objectives, and overthrowing the whole apparatus of the state is not the only objective on offer. It is rarely the objective at all. While Blair Mountain failed, the coal wars at large, fought in fields and mines and factories, provoked the political courage of the whole working class, forcing concessions and culminating in the National Labor Relations Act. And the triumphs need not be so superlative. Often, political violence only wants to make a point, to serve as agitprop, to achieve a single destructive goal and be finished. You do not need supply lines or medical facilities in order to show that these new white nationalists cant take a punch. You do not need to defeat the Marine Corps in order to turn a thousand television cameras on your town and make the nation ask what conditions would inspire you to burn it. Riots succeed as often as they fail. Backlash is inevitable, but the real trouble is that there is no historical consistency to when that backlash proves stronger. Is this violence tactically sound? can be predicted, but it cannot be known. It cannot, at any rate, settle the larger question.

There are of course plenty who answer the tactical question in more conditional terms. They point that if you are after, for example, a wholesale transformation of the economic structure of society, then history dictates the necessity of plague, war, or revolution. For them, violence may be dangerous and undesirable, perhaps even futile, but, they say, no matter the risks, violence is far from unwise; it is tactically necessary. Between these and the prohibitionists, there is every other shade of conditionalist, too, examining each outbreak of violence, each situation where it has been proposed, and scrutinizing probabilities and outcomes, like armchair colonels with their own secret checklists. But what I cannot avoid is the suspicion that no matter how it is answered, the tactical question is as practically useless as the moral one. Even if a consensus were reached among theorists  a prohibition or even an agreeable checklist  then how, precisely, would it be implemented? Where does the revolutionary army assemble to take its orders, and where do they come from? Antifa kids in Berkeley do not listen to magazine writers; for the latter to condemn the former is an act of vanity. Protestors in the streets of Baltimore do not check Twitter for a tactical update before deciding if they ought to torch a car. There is no central committee for American radicalism, and indeed what is being contested in radical politics is precisely whose authority constrains us. A tendency toward violence, if it is evidence of any disposition, is evidence that its perpetrators are not terribly respectful of the current answer to that question or its dictates.

Another frustration to the tactical lens: Political violence is not always planned, its date set and its objectives clear, emerging from rallies and meetings and strategy sessions. More often it emerges in the heart, in terror or in anger. A peaceful protest turns violent in an instant. An individual crazed with frustration or grief stakes out on their own. A small group sees a chance and takes it. A provocation brings dozens or hundreds or thousands of people into the street; leadership is unclear; and soon the city is burning. A universal tactical resolution cannot change this. Even if political violence is a sin, it is, like all sins, largely committed in impulse, contrary to the best intentions of foresight.

Police and demonstrators clash after a limo was set on fire on K Street NW following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images)

The phenomenology of extraordinary violence

The failure of the questions that we have tried so far is that they ask, in one way or another, whether or not political violence is warranted or wise. Should we do it? Does it work? Is it OK? The limitation of such questions is made plain by even the most cursory examination of reality. There is political violence. We are not in a position to decide if there ought to be.

I have no moral verdict for political violence nor any tactical advice to give about it. What I am interested in is its phenomenology and circumstance. There are Nazis. There are men in black hoodies punching them in the streets. Why? For all but the most zealous, political violence is a risk seldom worth taking, even when it is as mild as a single punch. For all the conviction in the world, for all the moral and tactical certainty, it is still too much for most people under most circumstances to imperil their freedom and their bodies in service of a cause. As the reach and power of the state have grown, so has the danger. There are always, at any rate, plenty of luxuries and distractions. Yet violence persists in spite of all this. Why? This is the phenomenological question, and it seems to me the only sensible one to begin with, for if we cannot say why political violence occurs, theres little sense coming to moral or tactical conclusions about it. We dont yet even know what it means.

The cheapest answer is found in the savagery of the human heart, but it is not sufficient. Perhaps we are always looking for a license to kill and burn and break; perhaps it is an inextinguishable constant that political disputes settled in words and laws are temporary but conflicts settled in blood are permanent. Bellum omnium contra omnes. If so, then the curious feature of society is not that political violence occurs but that we have so thoroughly contained it. But I do not believe this, and I doubt that many do. Moreover, I know that even if this were so, then it would not answer why political violence in the Western world is rising or why it feels as if it is. Even if Leviathan is only leaking, we still must know where the leak is coming from.

Phenomenology is, at least, a good method for finding the right question. If we want to make sense of political violence, we must know why it happens and why it is happening now. Ill give a provisional answer for our present moment. If political violence is a risk and is therefore rare, then its increasingly frequent outbreak must reflect some intolerable pressure, circumstances sufficient to overcome every prohibition we have put in place to prevent it. This is perhaps what is meant by the curse of living in interesting times.

With the ascension of Donald Trump, the United States finds itself in an uncertain place, and this uncertainty is felt most acutely among the poor and oppressed. Perhaps it should not surprise us that under such circumstances, more and more people are convinced that the official channels of political redress have broken down, that the system is not working and therefore extreme measures must be taken. For two years, mainstream American media has called Trump a fascist. I dont believe that, but for those who do, what strategic conclusion can they reach? You dont fight a fascist the same way that you fight a standard stock reactionary. You certainly dont fight him by calling your Congressmen and writing sternly worded takes. The more dire the stakes, the more inadequate the sanctioned and encouraged avenues of redress, and this, perhaps, is the great power that violence has over its commissioner. Even in small doses, it seems to honor the seriousness of his circumstances. We have made great progress, in this country, confining political violence to the place beyond the pale. In ordinary discourse, it is beyond even the uncivil and unwise; there is no recourse that provokes more ready condemnation. But this only heightens its significance. If violence is an extraordinary recourse, then its use signifies extraordinary circumstances, affirming the abnormality and urgency of its conditions. A voice calling in the wilderness may not be heard. It is difficult to ignore a forest fire.

On Inauguration Day, black bloc protestors smashed the windows of banks and coffee shops in Washington, D.C. They painted a golden A on a limousine and set it on fire. Perhaps this was immoral. Perhaps it was tactically wrong, useless in the best case. But if the calculus of political violence converts fear and pressure into flames, then there is no sense insisting that the product is wrong. It just is. They preferred the invention because this invention expressed and corroborated their hates and fears so perfectly, James Baldwin wrote of the dubious causes of a riot in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. It is just as well to remember that people are always doing this. The effect, in Harlem, of this particular legend was like the effect of a lit match in a tin of gasoline. The mob gathered before the doors of the Hotel Braddock simply began to swell and to spread in every direction, and Harlem exploded.

Violence does not come from its immediate causes, and it is immune, in every case, to corrective lecturing. The intolerable pressure of a hateful and fearful world is always waiting to explode.

Demonstrators protest the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 16, 2014. (Photo credit: JOE RAEDLE/Getty Images)

Ordinary Violence

Is political violence on the rise in the United States? We have gone so far supposing that it is, but we should stop a moment to be certain. What have we seen lately? A few punches and petty looting, a few fires. Hot crowds. Even in the more than three-year history of the Black Lives Matter movement, which perhaps represents the focal point of civil discontent in this decade, only two or three cities have hosted a sustained uprising. The recent presidential campaign did not produce much either. Chicago saw a single night of unrest. In June, protestors at a Trump campaign rally in California assaulted several attendees, throwing fists and eggs but hospitalizing no one. The press called it a riot, but it wasnt. Several weeks later, Micah Xavier Johnson assassinated five police officers in Dallas, acting, we are told, from political conviction, but it is more surprising that he has been the only one so far. Is this all? It is nothing even approaching the 1960s, when the president of the United States was assassinated; when Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed; when race riots and anti-war riots rocked every major city and even the Democratic National Convention became a running fight between protestors and the police; when the Weather Underground bombed buildings and a man won the California primary, gave a speech, walked outside, and was shot in the heart. We are even further from Blair Mountain. In this century, it is heartening to see even a peaceful strike of a thousand workers for a single day.

It is tempting to suspect that the phenomenology we should be after here is not that of renewed political violence but of the clouded looking glass that has deceived us into thinking were teetering on the brink of a new era at all. It would be comforting  and it would ring true enough, as far as it goes  to say that we have gained a distorted sense of our moment, something owing to the amplifying effects of social media, and it would be a simple matter to produce charts that show political violence is at its lowest level in decades. But charts bear their own distortions.

Political violence is not declining, but it is not rising, either. The fact of the matter is that political violence has never left us. It has only undergone a shift in the balance of its forms.

In Ferguson, Missouri, Darren Wilson opened fire on Michael Brown, leaving his body in the street for hours. Thousands of immigrants languished in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, while in Arizona their countrymen were held in prison tents in the summer heat by a thrifty sheriff. In the name of global security, drones whistle their impersonal homicides in the skies above Pakistan. Federal marshals return runaway slaves. Strikebreakers fire down the mountain at miners.

This, too, is political violence. How can we call it anything else? When worried pundits ask if we are in a new era of political violence, they are speaking only of the unsanctioned kind, the kind prohibited by convention and law, which tempts the dangerous and instant retribution of the state. They ask after only a small part of our subject, and they find it alien, like a great whale launching suddenly out from beneath calm water and crashing back down to disrupt our ordinary peace. But sanctioned brutality is the constant ambience of our republic and our empire. It is with us all the time. The whale disrupts the sea, but the sea is far larger and it is never calm.

If unsanctioned violence is the product of intolerable pressure, does sanctioned violence deserve to even share a name with it? There is no identifiable pressure behind nor any clear prohibition in the way of the sanctioned violence that constitutes the vast majority of the worlds political violence and which is itself the very cause of grinding pressure in individual lives. Anarchists burn limos because limo owners burn the planet. The miners strike because the company robs and breaks them. The streets of Ferguson explode because the city of Ferguson loots and kills the streets.

What is so terribly difficult to understand about the clutched pearls of our present day is how readily those most eager to condemn the incivility of burning cars and punches overlook the most basic fact about their home. This is America. We do not resolve our disagreements with debate here; we do not respect all views, settle differences at the ballot box, and live calm and dutiful in civil peace except when we are interrupted by callous and unjustifiable outbursts of violence. The continent was cleared by guns and smallpox, the nation built up by the whip. A police baton and a jail cell prop up our civil life, and this is not simply a matter of who struck first. Political violence is a violation of our status quo, even one indulged by both sides of some political struggle. It is the essential mechanism. We have been examining what we took to be a feature of the landscape but instead discovered a foundation, deep and essential to the stone.

In May 1920, 13 agents dispatched by the Stone Mountain Coal Company arrived in Matewan, a town in the West Virginia coalfields. Their purpose was forcible eviction, but the first family on their list did not cooperate. The agents threw the contents of the home into the road, forcing a mother and her children out at gunpoint, their things scattered all around them. Word spread quickly, and when the agents were leaving town, the local police chief and a group of deputized miners stopped them. The chief attempted to arrest the agents. The agents produced a warrant for the chiefs arrest. The mayor intervened. We are not sure what happened, but 10 men  seven from the agency and three from the town  were shot and killed in the rain. Even then, the Battle of Blair Mountain might still have been averted, but it cannot escape our notice that violence did not merely interrupt the ordinary operation of the coalfields. Violence is how the coalfields operated at all.

Left: A mob burns the remains of Will Brown in Omaha, Neb., after he was accused of assaulting a white woman in September 1919. (Photo credit: Chicago Tribune); Right: Dylann Roof appears via video uplink at Centralized Bond Hearing Court on June 19, 2015. (Photo credit: GRACE BEAHM/Pool/Getty Images)

The Violence of the Right

On Sept. 26, 1919, a 41-year-old black man with acute rheumatism named Will Brown was accused of viciously assaulting a white woman in Omaha, Nebraska. We do not know if he was guilty because before he was arrested, he was dead. The night of the alleged attack, a mob gathered outside Browns home, forcing dozens of police officers to escort him to the county courthouse. The crowd followed and grew. Despite nearly 50 officers kept on for crowd control, they could not stop the thousands of people who surrounded them. The mob looted nearby stores, stealing guns and firing into the courthouse windows. They lit the building on fire next. When firefighters arrived, they were stopped from extinguishing the flames.

The policemen and other officials escaped somehow, either let go or exchanged for Brown, who could not escape. The mob stripped him and tied him to a lamppost. They hoisted him into the air, hanged, and shot over and over. When they were done, they tied his body to the back of a car and drove it downtown. Then they burned what was left of Will Brown.

Somewhere between sanctioned and unsanctioned brutality, there is a liminal kind, officially condemned but operating in the service of sanctioned power. What are we to make of it? Two men beat an immigrant on the street, making America great again. George Zimmerman stands his ground. Dylann Roof walks into a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and murders nine people in prayer. If we are speaking of political violence today, then surely these right-wing acts are among its most visible terrors, but how can they be classified?

Zimmerman stood trial. Roof was even found guilty and will be put to death. In the strict sense, lynching was never entirely legal, but if we attempt to call it unsanctioned, to make hate crimes commensurable with strikes and slave revolts, our conscience invariably rises up to contradict us. If neo-Nazis burn down the block, their riot is not Martin Luther Kings language of the unheard. The right-wing killer operates outside the strict boundary of the law but in accordance with the structure of power. He is not rising up against his oppressor. He is beating and killing those over whom he already has dominion.

Of course, this hardly matters to the psychology of the situation. Zimmerman believes a skinny black teenager means to kill him. Disgruntled white workers believe immigrants are stealing their food and raping their daughters. Roof believes that America is facing a white genocide and acts accordingly. Motivations are not frequently subject to fact-checking. But psychology cannot make sense of the organized campaigns of right-wing terrorism that followed the end of Reconstruction nor the perverse sport that persists into our own time of provoking queer Americans into confrontations and beatings. Individual psychosis does not explain this unless every Klansman carried out a century of terrorism in a fugue.

The liminal violence of the right exists within a framework of the permissible: a nation that implies through its rhetoric and its legal habits that while it isnt saying this is allowed, take care not to get caught, or be too obvious, and you stand a good chance of getting off.

It would insult the intelligence of evil men to say that they do not understand this, that they are not, at least, cognizant on some level that they do not risk life and limb quite so fully as violent actors on the left. Although many may be suffering in their own ways, growing restless under the strain of economic and demographic forces they do not fully understand, their violence is not the result of intolerable pressure; if it honors the seriousness of its commissioners circumstances at all, it honors only a sublimation. Neither unsanctioned nor sanctioned, this liminal violence is a third kind, the unsanctioned violence of pure will. Its actors see a world slipping away or changing, a state insufficiently committed to their preferences. Their violence is political, but it is not for or against official power. It is for their own power, of which there is never enough.

The Violence of the Whole World

Have we got the question right yet? I set out to make sense of political violence, of a moment in our history when it appears to be on the rise. But even settling on the right avenue has produced too many answers. The phenomenology of violence is the explosion of pressure. It is the churning mechanism of the republic and the electric wrath of a reactionary will to power. It comes from every side and every angle, from some calculus that is adding new variables all the time. It is no longer difficult to see the causes of political violence but to find some area untouched by its effects.

For all this, we are afraid of violence. We dislike it and rightly prefer in almost every case to see it gone. We hate to be reminded of it, and thats what all the worry is right now. But despite this, it is everywhere, in the miner charging up the mountain, the policeman murdering a child, in the burning car and the burning cross and the burning city street. It is everywhere because although we hate it, we do not hate it half as much as the terrible gulf within our hearts between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be. This is the secret. What we are seeing now and what we have always seen is only this fury and desire projected outside our bodies. We are social animals. Politics is the art of deriving an is from an ought, and no matter our self-deception, we have never done this with words alone. Political violence is redundant. I believe that. Political violence is politics by degrees.

Politics are the channels of power, and violence is the byproduct of their imbalance. The world changes violently, and violently it tries to hold itself together. It works toward equilibrium but cannot find it. Power breeds violence in its obligations and in its absence, in the lust it inspires within the wicked and the yearning it summons in the oppressed. The question is not how politics became violent. It is whether we can conceive of a world where it is not. Weve never seen one. The world is not as it should be, and the chasm grows wider with every tectonic upheaval; the problem of political violence, then, is the problem of turning continental plates. Is this an impossible task? If it is not, then we have our final question: What is to be done?

Top photo credit: AP/Getty Images/Charleston Gazette/Foreign Policy illustration
Muhammad Ali's son and ex-wife declared a "showdown" over religious freedom against President Donald Trump a month after they were detained by immigration officials in a Florida airport.

Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother, Khalilah Camacho Ali, are headed to Washington Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the issue and their experience. They are also calling for an end to Trump's travel ban and are launching a "Step Into the Ring" campaign, drawing on support of former boxing greats including Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes and Roberto Duran. They are framing the effort directly as a fight against the president, using the hashtag #AlivsTrump.

Trump has shown admiration for Ali in the past, calling Ali a "truly great champion" when the boxer died of Parkinson's disease in June. Trump also singled out an Ali exhibit during a recent visit to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington.

The Alis were invited by Democrats to a forum organized by members of the House subcommittee on border security. The Alis will address lawmakers and push to testify at a formal hearing.

"There shouldn't be a travel ban," said Khalilah Camacho Ali. "If I don't speak up now, they're going to keep harassing us."

The mother and son, both born in the United States, were returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica on Feb. 7 when they were detained and questioned at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. They said they were asked if they were Muslim and explained their relationship to the former heavyweight champion repeatedly.

"I'm paranoid. I'm just waiting for somebody to mess with me. That's not a good feeling when you have to travel," Khalilah Camacho Ali said when asked how the incident has affected her.

The experience left them convinced that they were targeted because they are Muslim and have Arabic names. Khalilah Camacho Ali, who was born and raised Muslim, said she has always fought for religious rights, and pushed her former husband to use his fame to do the same.

Story continues

"We, as a family, have been fighting this for a very long time," she said. "We are going to continue to fight for religious justice."

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection has said Ali Jr. was held for questioning, but not because of his name or religion.

Trump signed his first travel ban a week into his presidency. The executive order sparked confusion across the country, causing chaotic scenes at airports and prompting lawsuits.

This week, he announced a revised version that bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program. It also removes Iraq from the list of banned countries and removes language prioritizing religious minorities that some viewed as a way to help Christians get into the United States while excluding Muslims.

The new order is set to take effect on March 16.

Muhammad Ali, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion, also fought for civil rights. He refused to enter the military draft during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector after converting to Islam. The decision cost him his heavyweight title and he was convicted of draft evasion.

The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled in his favor.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  One day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties, Malaysia said Wednesday that it wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite an increasingly bitter dispute over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea's ruler.

Malaysia has said two female attackers wielding VX nerve agent killed Kim on Feb. 13 at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated.

The dispute took a surprising turn on Tuesday, when North Korea announced that it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving the country until the dispute is resolved. Malaysia responded in kind and barred North Koreans from exiting its soil.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday that Malaysia is willing to negotiate.

"So far, we believe they are going to act rationally," he said. "We believe what is important for us is to maintain our diplomatic relationship with them because I think what is important is the safety of our citizens in Pyongyang."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has denounced North Korea's order "an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage" and a violation of international law.

"I can't think of anything like this" happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Korea's directive. "This is way out of normal diplomatic practice."

But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.

"It's the North Korean way of doing things  dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions," said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University who has written extensively on North Korean diplomacy.

Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea: three working at the embassy, two U.N. employees and six family members. About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.

Story continues

North Korea's surprise order came Tuesday morning, when the official Korean Central News Agency said the country was banning Malaysians from leaving "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case."

It was not clear, however, what would constitute a "fair settlement."

North Korea said Malaysia's diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally" during the temporary exit ban.

Malaysia is searching for seven North Korean suspects in connection with Kim's assassination, including a North Korean diplomat. Police say three suspects are believed to be in hiding at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a hulking concrete mansion behind a wall streaked with water stains.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia would not raid the embassy, which is protected under diplomatic law, but would wait for the suspects to emerge.

"We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," Khalid said.

Malaysian police briefly blocked the embassy gates Tuesday with a pair of police cars, but within hours embassy cars were again freely going in and out. By late afternoon there were only a pair of Malaysian patrolmen waiting in a police car outside the compound.

Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of killing Kim, though it has said the two women who poisoned him were recruited by a team of North Koreans. Malaysia says Kim was killed with VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that causes convulsions and leaves victims unable to breathe. North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX.

In the attack, grainy surveillance video shows a woman approaching Kim from behind in the airport terminal and reaching around to wipe something on his face. The other woman, who was apparently standing in front of Kim, cannot be seen in the video.

The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, were quickly caught and have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and had reportedly never met younger half brother, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.

___

AP writers Tim Sullivan in New Delhi and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
Nuclear-armed North Korea said Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, as global condemnation of the regime swelled.

Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

In separate phone calls, Trump -- whose rhetoric on the campaign trail had raised doubts about the issue -- reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea.

The US will demonstrate to Pyongyang that there were "very dire consequences" for its actions, the White House said in a statement.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday after a request by Washington and Tokyo to discuss additional measures following the launch.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world "won't allow" North Korea to continue on its "destructive path".

But six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

- 'Feasting his eyes' -

Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, the North's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets", he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.

"The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said," the agency added, referring to Kim.

The military units involved are "tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency", KCNA said.

The Korean version of the KCNA report said the North's missile launch demonstrated its readiness to "wipe out" enemy forces with a "merciless nuclear strike".

A series of photographs published by the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the missiles rise into the air and another of him smiling gleefully, clapping with other officials.

Story continues

Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.

It regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but Monday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.

The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region.

Choi Kang, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the launch was a warning to Tokyo.

"North Korea is demonstrating that its target is not just limited to the Korean peninsula anymore but can extend to Japan at anytime and even the US," he said.

Trump has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly".

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday the administration was taking steps to "enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles".

The New York Times reported at the weekend that under former president Barack Obama the US stepped up cyber attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off.

- Beijing frustrated -

The US military has begun deploying the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to South Korea to protect against threats from the North, US Pacific Command said, with its first elements arriving on Monday.

Pyongyang wants to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland -- something Trump has vowed would not happen.

It has undoubtedly made progress in its efforts in recent years, although questions remain over its ability to master re-entry technology and miniaturise a nuclear weapon sufficiently to fit it onto a missile warhead.

The THAAD deployment has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its ways, and it has imposed several steps seen as economic retaliation against South Korea.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday that Beijing remained "firmly opposed" to THAAD and will "resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interests".

Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities, and last month announced a suspension of all coal imports from the North until the end of the year -- a crucial source of foreign currency.

The North's missile launch could have been an attempt to distract attention from the murder of Kim Jong-Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last month, South Korea's acting president Hwang Kyo-Ahn said Tuesday.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the killing of the half-brother of the North's leader by two women using VX nerve agent.

With diplomatic tensions soaring, Pyongyang announced Tuesday it was banning Malaysians in North Korea from leaving the country, prompting a similar response from Kuala Lumpur. Both had already expelled the other's ambassador.
Pyongyang's travel ban on Malaysians leaving North Korea sharply escalated the already-high tensions with Kuala Lumpur -- but is only the latest episode of the isolated country's diplomatic brinkmanship.

The authoritarian, nuclear-armed state has a long history of using foreigners -- especially American tourists or missionaries -- as bargaining chips in its nuclear and aid negotiations with the US.

The reclusive nation has also occasionally shut its borders in the face of external health threats, or in protest at times of military tension with the South, despite the potential consequences.

Here are some of its most notable measures:

- American hostages -

A number of Americans have been arrested and jailed for crimes including hostile acts and illegal religious activity, sometimes for years.

Many were released after visits by high-profile US figures including ex-presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, but with relations between Pyongyang and Washington in the deep freeze two remain in the North.

Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student, was last year sentenced to 15 years' hard labour for stealing propaganda materials. Kim Dong-Chul, a Korean-American pastor, has been jailed on spying charges.

- Ebola scare -

The North receives a tiny number of overseas visitors, but closed its borders to foreign tourists for more than four months from October 2014 in a bid to keep out the Ebola virus -- when no cases had been reported in Asia.

It went so far as to enforce a 21-day quarantine period on anyone entering the country, including foreign diplomats and businessmen.

Tourism is a crucial source of hard currency for the impoverished nation, but the country, notorious for weak medical infrastructure and chronic lack of medicines, appeared willing to take a financial hit.

When South Korea suffered from the world's largest outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, in summer 2015, the North reportedly prohibited its diplomats and workers overseas from returning to their homeland for months to prevent the spread of the virus.

Story continues

Pyongyang also suspended foreign tours for three months due to fears over SARS in 2003.

- South Koreans in joint project -

The Kaesong industrial complex -- where more than 100 South Korean firms employed over 50,000 North Korean staff in a reconciliation project -- suffered several political setbacks after it was set up in 2004, eventually closing in 2016.

Pyongyang abruptly withdrew all its workers in April 2013 in protest at joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, and ordered all South Korean managers to leave immediately.

Most South Koreans managed to depart, but seven were ordered to stay until remaining wages for North Korean workers were paid, stoking fears that they would be held as hostages.

The group were eventually allowed to return home nearly a month later, after Seoul sent a convoy carrying more than $10 million in cash across the border.

The complex resumed operations in September 2013, but last year Seoul declared the project would shut down to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests.

The North responded a day later by expelling all southern managers and freezing all South Korean assets in the zone.
Paris (AFP) - Snazzy men's style suits, lots of shiny leather, hats galore and navy blue... Here are the big womenswear trends on the Paris catwalks as the autumn-winter shows end late Tuesday:

- Suits you, Madame -

Just as in New York and Milan, the designers in Paris could not stop themselves from raiding men's wardrobes for ideas.

Everyone from relative newbies Aalto to Celine, Lanvin and Valentin Yudashkin were putting women in natty men's suits, from pinstripes to smoking jackets, with ties also making several appearances.

Mugler's fearsome power suits had turned-up padded shoulders while Stella McCartney's high-waisted tailored country tweeds channelled aristocratic insouciance. Only at Saint Laurent, were you would most expect them, were men's suits absent, save for one cut-off dinner jacket.

- Hell for leather -

Nothing emphasises the new tailored trend more than the abundance of sharply cut shiny leather on the podiums. And as McCartney proved Monday, it no longer has to be the real thing.

But the new, and to some, excessively sexy Saint Laurent wanted skin.

Designer Anthony Vaccarello -- who got into trouble over what some called his "degradingly sexist" ad campaign -- wrapped his 1980s Saint Laurent vamps in tight rippling leather outfits, while Chloe dusted off a brown patent 1970s mini dress that Mary Tyler Moore might have worn in one of her racier moments.

Lanvin, now under the classy Bouchra Jarrar, went for a full patent black suit while Olivier Theyskens chilled and thrilled with a full-length black Gestapo-style leather coat.

Hermes used leather more subtly to shift its new look up a gear, but Y/Project stopped the traffic with a red leather coat and baggy trousers.

- Thigh-high boots -

If you thought thigh-high boots were a temporary blip of bad taste, think again. They have been around for three seasons now and show no signs of walking.

Pop star-turned-designer Rihanna walked her Puma boots all over the tables of France's national library, and Balmain looked as though a dragon had been skinned for theirs.

Story continues

But not all were so in-your-face. Celine's were almost understated, as were Alexis Mabille's despite being gold, while Esteban Cortazar's red and white creeper-patterned boots were as subtle as they were sexy.

- In a blue mood -

Dior was categorical, Chanel less emphatic, but a dozen other houses including Lanvin, Celine, Mugler and Yohji Yamamoto took blue as their big colour for autumn/winter.

Maria Grazia Chiuri produced an almost monochrome navy blue collection at Dior; Guillaume Henry at Nina Ricci mixed blue and black for a retro sensuality; and Vaccarello at Saint Laurent went for shiny wrapping-paper blue.

- Hats -

Paris has fallen head over heels for hats. This week has seen an unprecedented sprouting of headwear on the runways, from turbans to Dior's Black Panther leather berets.

The American iconoclast Rick Owens created a whole gallery of mitres, crowns and veils for the "contemporary ceremonial" of his show, making alien burqa creations from sweatshirt sleeves.

And caps were doffed to Jacquemus for its stylish riff on vaguely Spanish black felt headgear, from jaunty bicorne Picasso monteras to stovepipe 1950s numbers.

Japanese label Undercover, however, topped everyone with a procession of wild plumed fascinators.

- Cosmic handbags -

With life on Earth looking increasingly bleak, Chanel rocketed us off to the Moon in its space-themed show, while Indian designer Manish Arora's joyous collection promised nothing less than "cosmic love" with "heavenly bodies aligning in glittering galaxies".

His Saturn handbags and shooting star and sunburst belts bedazzled the front row.

Dior too found room for astrological embroidery in its far more austere show, while Issay Miyake embraced the Aurora Borealis.
Snazzy men's style suits, lots of shiny leather, hats galore and navy blue.

.. Here are the big womenswear trends on the Paris catwalks as the autumn-winter shows end late Tuesday:

- Suits you, Madame -

Just as in New York and Milan, the designers in Paris could not stop themselves from raiding men's wardrobes for ideas.

Everyone from relative newbies Aalto to Celine, Lanvin and Valentin Yudashkin were putting women in natty men's suits, from pinstripes to smoking jackets, with ties also making several appearances.

Mugler's fearsome power suits had turned-up padded shoulders while Stella McCartney's high-waisted tailored country tweeds channelled aristocratic insouciance. Only at Saint Laurent, were you would most expect them, were men's suits absent, save for one cut-off dinner jacket.

- Hell for leather -

Nothing emphasises the new tailored trend more than the abundance of sharply cut shiny leather on the podiums. And as McCartney proved Monday, it no longer has to be the real thing.

But the new, and to some, excessively sexy Saint Laurent wanted skin.

Designer Anthony Vaccarello -- who got into trouble over what some called his "degradingly sexist" ad campaign -- wrapped his 1980s Saint Laurent vamps in tight rippling leather outfits, while Chloe dusted off a brown patent 1970s mini dress that Mary Tyler Moore might have worn in one of her racier moments.

Lanvin, now under the classy Bouchra Jarrar, went for a full patent black suit while Olivier Theyskens chilled and thrilled with a full-length black Gestapo-style leather coat.

Hermes used leather more subtly to shift its new look up a gear, but Y/Project stopped the traffic with a red leather coat and baggy trousers.

- Thigh-high boots -

If you thought thigh-high boots were a temporary blip of bad taste, think again. They have been around for three seasons now and show no signs of walking.

Pop star-turned-designer Rihanna walked her Puma boots all over the tables of France's national library, and Balmain looked as though a dragon had been skinned for theirs.

Story continues

But not all were so in-your-face. Celine's were almost understated, as were Alexis Mabille's despite being gold, while Esteban Cortazar's red and white creeper-patterned boots were as subtle as they were sexy.

- In a blue mood -

Dior was categorical, Chanel less emphatic, but a dozen other houses including Lanvin, Celine, Mugler and Yohji Yamamoto took blue as their big colour for autumn/winter.

Maria Grazia Chiuri produced an almost monochrome navy blue collection at Dior; Guillaume Henry at Nina Ricci mixed blue and black for a retro sensuality; and Vaccarello at Saint Laurent went for shiny wrapping-paper blue.

- Hats -

Paris has fallen head over heels for hats. This week has seen an unprecedented sprouting of headwear on the runways, from turbans to Dior's Black Panther leather berets.

The American iconoclast Rick Owens created a whole gallery of mitres, crowns and veils for the "contemporary ceremonial" of his show, making alien burqa creations from sweatshirt sleeves.

And caps were doffed to Jacquemus for its stylish riff on vaguely Spanish black felt headgear, from jaunty bicorne Picasso monteras to stovepipe 1950s numbers.

Japanese label Undercover, however, topped everyone with a procession of wild plumed fascinators.

- Cosmic handbags -

With life on Earth looking increasingly bleak, Chanel rocketed us off to the Moon in its space-themed show, while Indian designer Manish Arora's joyous collection promised nothing less than "cosmic love" with "heavenly bodies aligning in glittering galaxies".

His Saturn handbags and shooting star and sunburst belts bedazzled the front row.

Dior too found room for astrological embroidery in its far more austere show, while Issay Miyake embraced the Aurora Borealis.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Almost 400 people have fled their homes in Colombia's northwestern Choco region in fear for their lives, after a criminal gang entered the area, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Some 200 members of the Autodefensas Gaitanistas, classed by the military as a criminal gang which includes former right-wing paramilitaries, arrived in Pena Azul over the weekend, the human rights group said in a statement. "According to witnesses, the paramilitaries entered the locality looking for members of the ELN guerrilla group, which obliged 399 people (128 families) who feared for their lives to flee," Amnesty said. "Eight families are still unaccounted for." The rights group said the incident is evidence that Colombia's armed conflict is far from over, despite a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebel group and peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, guerrillas. Paramilitary groups in the country officially demobilized more than a decade ago, but many former members joined crime gangs and have continued to participate in violence and drug trafficking. The country's armed conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Helen Murphy and Leslie Adler)
Premiere Of Netflix's 'Bloodline' - Arrivals

Fans of Netflix Bloodline will be disappointed to hear that Season 3 will be the series finale of the gripping story of the Rayburn family in Key West, Florida. And not only will Netflix Bloodline have to wrap up all of the tangled storylines in one last season, but Season 3 will only contain 10 episodes instead of the intended 14. It seems like a conflict between Netflix and Sony has caused the suspenseful series to wrap up sooner than expected.

Netflix has been the home for several suspenseful series in addition to Bloodline, says the Inquisitr. The Netflix series The Fall, set in Ireland was a mix of suspense and violence, as Gillian Anderson, a police investigator, tracks a serial killer, played by Jamie Dornan, as he terrorizes Dublin. Much like the series Bloodline, it is hard to tell the good people from the bad.
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria will close the capital city of Abuja's airport at the end of Wednesday for six weeks of scheduled runway repairs, an aviation ministry spokesman said, after airlines threatened to stop flying there. Passengers will be diverted to Kaduna airport, about 160 km (100 miles) north of the capital. They will then be transported on guarded buses to Abuja, along a road where kidnappings have taken place in recent years. Kaduna airport has primarily been used for domestic flights, with Abuja airport handling 4,859 domestic flights in December compared with the 171 that flew in or out of Kaduna. The government, which announced plans for the shutdown in December, hopes international carriers will use Kaduna as an alternative during the closure. But on Monday workers were still needing to fit electrics, seating and toilets in the new terminal there. Airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and South African Airways have refused to fly into Kaduna. Ethiopian Airlines has said it will use the alternative airport. Aviation ministry spokesman James Odaudu confirmed the closure would begin Wednesday after some confusion over when the shutdown would start. On Monday, Nigeria's aviation minister said the country will open up its government-owned airports to private investment, in a bid to improve their operation. (Reporting by Felix Onuah and Paul Carsten; editing by Julia Glover)
Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on North Korea to immediately release Malaysian citizens after Pyongyang banned them from leaving the country.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Najib condemned what he referred to as North Koreas abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage and called on the countrys leadership to release Malaysians to avoid further escalation. According to the Associated Press, there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea including three embassy workers, two U.N. staff and six family members.

Najib also said that hed instructed police to prevent North Koreans from leaving Malaysia until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.

Tuesdays travel bans are the latest ratcheting of diplomatic tensions in the wake of the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader, at Kuala Lumpurs airport on Feb. 13. Speaking hours after Pyongyangs ban was announced by North Korean state media, Malaysias Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told AP that North Korea had manipulated what we call a murder case.

According to Agence France-Presse, the official Korea Central News Agency said Tuesday morning: All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved.

On Monday, Pyongyang expelled the Malaysian ambassador from the country, reciprocating Malaysias order for the North Korean envoy there to leave within 48 hours.
Global concern over North Korean nuclear capabilities has spiked again, as the nation appears to have fired four ballistic missiles that traveled about 1,000 km. (more than 600 miles) into waters near Tokyo on Monday morning, according to reports from the South Korean military and Japanese officials. The tests are merely the latest in a string of hair-raising launches, including a reportedly successful test in February of a new kind of nuclear-capable missile and actual nuclear tests in 2016.

But, though that concern is high recently, it is decades old.

The history of North Koreas nuclear program can be traced back to the Cold War, when the Korean War convinced leader Kim Il Sung  who ruled the nation from 1948 to 1994  that the country needed to protect itself from the U.S., and the Soviet Union helped its fellow communist nation get the resources to do just that. (Are you short of arms? Stalin is said to have asked Kim when the conflict began in 1950. Well give them to you. You must strike the southerners in the teeth.)

In the 1950s, Kim Il Sung began working to amass an arsenal potent enough to deter a feared U.S. attack, even after a 1953 ceasefire ended the Korean War, according to TIMEs Jan. 13, 2003, cover story on North Korean nuclear ambitions. As that story explained, the end of the war followed implications from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who took office in 1953, that nuclear weapons were on the table as a way to bring the conflict to an end. Even though the war did end that year, the idea that nuclear weapons might be necessary made its mark on North Korea. In the wake of the armistice, the Soviet Union helped North Korea begin the research that would be needed to eventually achieve nuclear capability.

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In 1963, TIME reported that North Korea was one of the only countries that had announced that they would not sign the nuclear test-ban treaty that was President John F. Kennedys attempt to get the genie back in the bottle and slow the global nuclear arms race by banning testing in the atmosphere, in space and underwater. In fact, North Korea continued on its path and got its first nuclear reactor  a small one designed for industrial research  two years later.

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As the conflict in Vietnam escalated, so did North Koreas aggression toward the U.S. And, as a 1969 TIME article explained, the nation and its leaders were not comfortable counting on Soviet or Chinese assistance:

In part, Kims virulent animosity toward the U.S. can be traced back to the early days of the Korean War when North Korean troops, after scoring startling initial victories, were chased all the way north to the Chinese border by American and allied forces. The North Koreans were rescued only by the late-1950 infusion of hundreds of thousands of Chinese volunteers. Now Kim sees the U.S. as the great obstacle to his hope of reunifying Korea on Communist terms. Beyond this, Kim seems to be a great congenital hater; the path to his present power is strewn with the bodies of once-trusting comrades Kim makes a fetish of self-reliance, and North Koreas relations with its two great Communist neighbors have been spotty at best. The Soviet Union liberated Kims domain from the Japanese, yet North Korean textbooks barely mention the Russian role. In 1950, Chinese Communist troops rescued Kims forces from probable extinction at the hands of the U.S., but a war museum in Pyongyang gives the briefest mention of Chinese assistance. Between 1953 and 1960, Sino-North Korean relations were much warmer, and Peking extended an estimated $590 million in aid and grants to the war-ravaged country. In the early 60s, however, friendship turned to resentment, largely because of Chinese pressure on North Korea to side with Peking in the Sino-Soviet split. In 1965, Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin stopped off in Pyongyang on his way home from a visit to Hanoi. Apparently he struck a bargain with Kim II Sung, for Soviet aid increased sharply and Kims policies began to lean away from Peking. In 1967, Soviet military aid to Kims regime amounted to $75 million, and in the following year rose above that.

Over the half-century that followed, the subject of North Korean nuclear capabilities would go in and out of the headlines, but the story that began in the 1950s has not yet come to an end.

In fact, by the early 1990s  after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Americas victory in the first Gulf War and the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994  experts say North Korea believed nuclear weapons would be the only way to one-up the U.S.
North Koreas launch of four ballistic missiles Monday was a part of drills targeting U.S. military bases in Japan, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday. The country fired the missiles off its east coast in an apparent retaliation to the joint military drills by the U.S. and South Korea that began last week.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the drills that were carried out by Hwasong artillery units of Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA), according to KCNA. The missiles flew about 620 miles before splashing into the Sea of Japan and, on Monday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said three missiles fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The KCNA report stated the Norths artillery units were tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency. Quoting Kim, the news agency said the simultaneous missile launches were so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation.

The leader also ordered the KPA Strategic Force to be on high alert in case any war breaks out and get fully ready to promptly move, take positions and strike so that it can open fire to annihilate the enemies once the Party Central Committee issues an order.

On Monday, North Korea, which is barred from testing any ballistic missile technology under U.N. resolutions, launched the missiles from the Dongchang-ri long-range missile site in North Pyongan Province. The move triggered condemnation from the U.S., South Korea, Japan and Russia.

Seouls military said the missiles appeared to be developed with technology similar to that of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

Last Thursday, Pyongyang threatened to carry out merciless military counter-actions if Washington and Seoul provoked the reclusive country. The comments came after last Wednesday's annual U.S.-South Korea joint military drills in the Korean Peninsula to counter threats from North Korea. The isolated nation had carried out a missile test last month, the first since Donald Trump assumed office as the U.S. president.

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By James Pearson and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced anti-missile defense system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles, U.S. Pacific Command said, despite angry opposition from China. The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike U.S. bases in Japan, stepping up threats against Washington as U.S. troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea. "Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in a statement, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system. The move by the U.S. military is likely to deepen the brewing conflict between South Korea and China, which says the THAAD deployment destroys the regional security balance. The four ballistic missiles fired by North Korea landed in the sea off Japan's northwest, angering Seoul and Tokyo, days after Pyongyang promised retaliation over the military drills that it sees as preparation for war. U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the launches by the nuclear-armed North during a phone call on Tuesday. "Japan and the U.S. confirmed that the latest North Korean missile launches were clearly against U.N. resolutions and a clear provocation against the regional and international community," Abe told reporters. "(North Korea's) threat has entered a new phase." Trump also spoke to South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn to discuss the North's missile launches, Hwang's office said. "MERCILESSLY RETALIATE" Reclusive North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of United Nations resolutions, issued a typically robust statement on state news agency KCNA after the missile launches. "In the hearts of artillerymen ... there was burning desire to mercilessly retaliate against the warmongers going ahead with their joint war exercises," KCNA said. It said Kim ordered the Korean People's Army's Strategic Force "to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out any time, and get fully ready to promptly move, take positions and strike so that it can open fire to annihilate the enemies". The missiles North Korea fired on Monday were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), South Korea said, which can reach the United States. They flew on average 1,000 km (620 miles) and reached an altitude of 260 km (160 miles). Some landed as close as 300 km (190 miles) from Japan's northwest coast, Japan's defense minister said earlier. South Korean military and intelligence officials said on Tuesday the four North Korean missiles appeared to be an upgraded version of the Scud type - Extended-Range Scud. North Korea is mired in a separate diplomatic row with Malaysia over the killing of Kim's estranged half-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport last month. The two countries have expelled each other's ambassador from their capitals and on Tuesday announced tit-for-tat bans on departures of each other's nationals, sharply escalating tensions between two countries that, until the killing of Kim Jong Nam, had maintained rare close ties. DIPLOMATIC STANDOFF The United States and Japan have requested a United Nations Security Council meeting on the latest North Korean missile launches, which will likely be scheduled for Wednesday, diplomats said. The planned installation of the U.S. anti-missile defense system has led to a diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea. Chinese authorities have closed nearly two dozen retail stores of South Korea's Lotte Group, which approved a land swap with the country's military last week to allow it to install the system. On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang repeated China's resolute opposition to THAAD, saying the country would take the steps necessary to protect its security interests. "The consequences of this are on the shoulders of the United States and South Korea. We again strongly urge the relevant sides to stop the deployment process and not keep going down the wrong path," he added. China's state-run Global Times warned the possibility of war on the Korean peninsula was growing because of the U.S.-South Korean military drills and the North Korean missile launches. "The Chinese public is angry that Pyongyang's nuclear program has provided an excuse for Seoul to deploy THAAD," the tabloid said in an editorial. "Pyongyang blindly believes nuclear weapons are the greatest guarantee of its national security regardless that the reality is the opposite," it said.China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only at curbing North Korean provocations. The Yonhap news agency said the THAAD deployment could be completed in one or two months. (Additional reporting by Daewoung Kim in SEOUL, Kaori Kaneko in TOKYO and Phil Stewart in WASHINGTON, Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it has temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the country to ensure the safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia amid an escalating row over the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother. The North's foreign ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the measure and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia, the North's KCNA news agency reported. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
PENANG,MALAYSIA (Reuters) - Two North Koreans wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother, Kim Jong Nam, are hiding in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's police chief said on Tuesday. "How much longer do they want to hide in the embassy...it is a matter of time before they come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters at a press conference. Khalid said that North Korean authorities were not cooperating with the investigations. Kim was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13 by assassins using VX nerve agent, classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
WASHINGTON  Republicans are intent on repealing a public health fund created by the Affordable Care Act  but with President Trump also pursuing a dramatic reduction in domestic spending, lawmakers admit they dont know if they could make up the losses at one of the nations most critical health agencies.

The latest version of the GOP health care bill would end the laws Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides nearly $1 billion annually, in 2019. Those dollars have become an integral part of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions budget, accounting for one-eighth of its funding and providing more than $300 million for immunizations alone.

Assuming the fund is repealed, the CDC would have a big hole to fill. But Trump has also signaled he wants to boost defense spending and reduce spending for domestic programs by the same amount, potentially more than $50 billion.

Congressman Tom Cole, a Republican who leads a key panel that oversees CDCs budget, said it was too early to tell what would happen or whether his party could do anything to make the agencys funding whole. He was waiting for more specific direction from the administration.

Until we actually get a top-line number, were not in a position to rule anything in or out, he told STAT last week.

But he later acknowledged that, given the scope of the cuts being considered, almost every agency would likely be affected. If that happened, everybody is going to be impacted.

The Oklahoma congressman warned of the consequences of deep cuts to CDC, even if he is at the same time supportive of increased defense spending.

What CDC does is probably more important to the average American than, in a sense, the Defense Department, he said. Youre much more likely to be killed in a pandemic than you are in a terrorist attack, so you need to look at it that way. Those investments are extraordinarily important for the protection of the country.

The prevention fund, created in 2010 by the ACA, provided $932 million for public health programs in 2016.

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The CDC received almost all of it, $891 million, or 12 percent of its overall budget. The funds included $324 million for immunization programs, $160 million in block grants for preventive health services, and $126 million for awareness programs focused on the harms of tobacco use.

Nonetheless, other Republicans are happy to get rid of the prevention fund, long a target of their criticism. Whether the latest version of the health care bill sees more changes or becomes law as written, the fund seems beyond saving.

Look, its a slush fund, said Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland, a Republican physician who sits on the House appropriations health subcommittee. Its been used by the secretary [of health and human services] for whatever the secretary wants. Its a misnomer to call it the Prevention and Public Health Fund, because its been used for other things, and its about time we eliminated it.

Like Cole, Harris left open the possibility of filling the funding gap, though at the same time, he suggested states  which are often the recipients of the CDCs grants  might need to pick up some of the slack.

If you want to put money into the CDC or somewhere else, put it into the CDC or somewhere else, Harris said. At some point, we have to say that its not unreasonable to turn over some of these costs to the states, because theyre not running a deficit, and we are.

A CDC spokesperson declined to comment, saying the agency cannot speculate about the impact of repealing the fund until it has a budget.

The vast majority of the health care debate so far has focused on health insurance, which has led public health groups to sound the alarm.

Read more: 5 takeaways from the leaked Republican bill to repeal Obamacare

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials sent a letter to congressional leadership in January warning of the consequences for its repeal. The Trust for Americas Health followed up with its own statement after Politico published an early version of the legislation that confirmed fears about the funds elimination.

We were concerned that core public health funding  the PPHF and other good public health elements in the ACA  might get thrown out, a baby with the bathwater kind of thing, said ASHTOs executive director, Mike Fraser. Theres so much more to ACA than just health insurance.

ASTHO leaders had already planned a lobbying trip to Washington for early March, and now will spend two days in the capital this week urging Congress to make up for lost health care funding either through a long-shot effort to preserve the fund or smaller measures to make up for individual items that are cut.

Other public health advocates worry that the prevention fund cuts are the tip of the iceberg, and that agency budgets beyond just prevention fund dollars are also at risk.

Until somebody tells us otherwise, said Richard Hamburg, an executive vice president at TFAH, if close to $1 billion per year [in prevention fund money] is threatened and were hearing that the defense discretionary budget may be an increase of 10 percent, one would have to assume thered be some across-the-board-cuts in other agencies.

Dylan Scott contributed reporting.
As Republicans struggle to repeal and replace Obamacare, they can find useful ideas in unexpected places: countries that have adopted socialized medicine. While the U.K.s National Health Service and other health bureaucracies may seem to be the wrong place to seek guidance for a private-market plan, they offer approaches to cost-effectiveness that Republicans will need to embrace if they hope to implement a new health care reform without getting hammered in 2018.

The core problem for Republicans is that progressives have won the philosophical debate by persuading the public that health care is a right. Polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the government should ensure universal access to health care. Although conservatives and libertarians make the point that so-called positive rights, like a right to health care, can only be provided through some form of compulsion, this argument no longer resonates. A system that fails to guarantee access to essential care regardless of ability to pay is no longer politically feasible.

Related: Why Trump Wont Touch Entitlement ReformYet

Once we recognize that Americans have bought into a fundamentally socialistic idea, the fiscally responsible approach is to fund universal service in the most cost-effective way. Relative to other advanced nations, the United Kingdom offers an especially inexpensive model for providing health care. In 2015, health care spending in the U.K. was only $4,003 per person, less than half the $9,451 per person we spend in the U.S. Despite its sharply lower spending, the U.K. enjoys higher life expectancy at birth than the U.S.  81.4 years versus 78.8 years here. While violent crime, accidents, poor nutrition and lack of exercise contribute to relatively low life expectancy in the U.S., it is hard to believe that we would significantly outperform the U.K. even if these factors were somehow equalized.

To understand why the U.K. gets better results (at least in terms of longevity), we need to take a brief detour into budgeting theory. Governments use two methods to spend money: appropriations and entitlements. In the U.S., most federal agencies are funded through appropriations, meaning Congress assigns them a fixed budget each fiscal year. Agency leaders must then manage within their budgets, implementing cost-saving measures during the year if they are at risk of running out of money. But most medical care is funded through entitlements. Under Medicare and Medicaid, health providers can be reimbursed for whatever services they provide, with no predetermined limit (although there are some exceptions). Because entitlements are unmanaged, they are more subject to escalating costs. As reimbursement rules change, providers find ways to maximize their revenue, while program administrators have no incentive to push back.

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Related: New Report Warns Millions Could Lose Health Care Under GOP Plan

In the U.K., most medical care is provided by the National Health Service through appropriations. Due to budgetary pressure, health authorities make trade-offs that are now unthinkable in America, but that dont greatly impact broadly measured health outcomes. Mammograms are generally not available to women under 50 because the benefits of earlier testing usually do not justify the risks of undergoing the procedure. The NHS also does not offer routine colonoscopies, and provides far fewer circumcisions for newborn boys.

The NHS and other large health care bureaucracies engage in a practice economists call non-price rationing: doling out a scarce resource through government mandate rather than by a market process. While this approach is normally maligned by free-market economists, it is preferable to the alternative we have here in the U.S., which is basically no rationing whatsoever.

Perhaps the worst manifestation of U.K. rationing is the long waits for surgical procedures. Although the NHS officially limits waiting times for elective surgery to 18 weeks, patients often must wait far longer. That said, the U.K. does provide a couple of mechanisms that limit this problem. First, the media and opposition political figures have the freedom and the incentive to embarrass the government into improving patient outcomes. Patients suffering or dying due to long waits can become the focus of news stories and at Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament.

Related: How 3 GOP Senators Could Stop Obamacare Repeal in its Tracks

Also, Britain has a robust private health care system that can take some of the weight off of the NHS. About 10 percent of U.K. residents have private health insurance  paid directly or through an employer  that provides access to consultations and procedures over and above what they can get through the NHS. Although progressives might complain that allowing a private market results in a two-tier system, they should realize that total health care equality is a pipe dream.

Non-price rationing produces some bad outcomes, but it has little impact on the U.K.s overall results because a lot of the medical procedures are unnecessary. Research shows that, beyond a certain basic level, additional care provides little or no benefit. Indeed, research on doctor strikes show that death rates either remain the same or fall when physicians deny access to their services.

Tight NHS budgeting is also associated with lower drug prices, more modest salaries for doctors and more deliveries of babies at home by midwives. By contrast, the combination of pervasive third-party payment arrangements and limited cost controls in the U.S. enriches health providers and encourages waste. TV commercials encourage patients to demand brand-name prescription drugs for conditions that could be treated by generic or over-the-counter medications  if they require pharmaceutical intervention at all.

Related: The Medical Technology That Could Save the US Billions Each Year

Twenty years ago, a case of heartburn might have been handled by rest or a few Tums; now, its diagnosed as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and treated with prescription Nexium. While a one-month supply of Nexium retails for $250, a similar quantity of generic Omeprazole can be had for $17 and over-the-counter Prilosec costs only $18. The main reason doctors prescribe and patients demand the branded prescription drug is that third-party payers cover most of the bill  often with government subsidies.

Hospitals also benefit from generous third-party payments. Sutter Health, a not-for-profit hospital chain in Northern California, paid its CEO $7.5 million in 2015. Eighteen other executives received compensation in excess of $1 million each, yet Sutter still reported net income of $81 million. About 60 percent of the organizations revenue came from state and federal sources. In other words, California and U.S. taxpayers helped the hospital chain and its executives make millions.

Congress can fund universal care without breaking the federal budget by squeezing drug companies, hospitals and other health care providers. House Speaker Paul Ryans plan to introduce block grants for Medicaid, which will effectively oblige states to implement non-price rationing, may be the first step in this direction.

Related: Trumps Lofty Vision of Renewal Comes with a Huge Price Tag

The block grant approach could be extended to individuals now receiving large subsidies on Obamacare exchanges and those with costly-to-insure pre-existing conditions. States could respond by giving hospitals fixed annual grants for attending to patients not carrying private insurance, thereby compelling these providers to economize. States could also negotiate lower prices with drug providers and/or migrate patients to generic and over-the-counter remedies. While lobbyists make it difficult for legislators to implement such policies, transitioning away from the entitlement model to one based on appropriations is the way forward.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Tom Allard and A. Ananthalakshmi KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - If hunger pangs hit in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, a ravenous resident could hail a taxi, head to a supermarket and stock up on Maggi noodles, Milo and Julie's biscuits - all produced in Malaysia. The snacks, and the North Korean taxi manufactured by the Southeast Asian nation's carmaker Proton, exemplify the close relations - both legal and illegal - between the two nations over the years. Those ties have unraveled spectacularly in barely three weeks after the lethal poisoning of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, with the highly toxic VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport. Angry exchanges over allegations North Korean agents orchestrated the murder and the expulsion of North Korea's envoy in Kuala Lumpur escalated on Tuesday into a temporary ban on all Malaysians leaving North Korea. Among the 11 Malaysians in the country hit by the ban are three embassy officials and their six family members, a clear breach of the Vienna Convention that governs diplomacy, according to professor of international law at the Australian National University, Don Rothwell. "I'm not aware of situations where other states have retaliated like North Korea has today," said Rothwell. THIRD WORLD CHAMPION Malaysia established diplomatic relations with North Korea's totalitarian regime in 1973. Ties greatly expanded under former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad. "At that time the U.S. and other Western nations were active in criticizing him about human rights," said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. "He tried to deflect that by presenting himself as champion of the Third World ... he didn't care about the ideology of these countries. North Korea, Cuba, Libya - it didn't matter." Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which still rules Malaysia, begun forging links with the Workers' Party of Korea during the 1990s, said Mustapha Ya'akub, then a secretary in UMNO's youth wing. Even as international sanctions tightened amid growing alarm at North Korea's nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile programs, Malaysia remained relatively sanguine. While neighbor Singapore ended its visa-free arrangement for North Koreans last year after the latest, toughest round of United Nations sanctions, Malaysia maintained the deal. In exchange, Malaysians were free to travel to North Korea without a visa, the only nation given that privilege by the reclusive communist dictatorship. In recent years, North Koreans have worked in mines and construction projects and set up businesses in Malaysia. Scores of North Korean students attended Kuala Lumpur's HELP University, which bestowed an honorary doctorate in economics on Kim Jong Un in 2013 for "untiring efforts for the education of the country and the well-being of its people." Little over three months ago, the chief executive of Malaysia's External Trade Development Corporation, Dzulkifli Mahmud, boasted that North Korea was "now looking at using Malaysia as a gateway to Southeast Asian markets". That looks problematic now. Malaysia's cabinet was set to discuss trade relations with the North on Friday in the wake of the deterioration in ties. ILLICIT BUSINESS Two-way trade was a tiny $4 million in 2016, according to Malaysian figures. The data, however, likely masks the true figure. Much of the trade to North Korea goes through intermediaries in China, say experts. And illicit business activities don't register in the trade figures. A U.S. state department cable obtained by Wikileaks revealed two senior officials traveled to Kuala Lumpur in 2009 to warn its banks that sanctioned North Korean arms firms Tanchon and KOMID held accounts in Malaysia. Last week, Malaysia said it would investigate North Korea front companies after a Reuters report showed that North Korea's spy agency was running an arms network in the country. "I don't think Malaysia went out of its way to help North Korea circumvent these sanctions," said Oh. "Essentially we just gave them a lot of leeway doing business. Unless a western intelligence agency gave us a concrete list (of illicit companies in Malaysia), then we let them do business here." Now, says Oh, Malaysia's approach to North Korea is not so laissez-faire. "We are on the brink of a total break in diplomatic relations." (Additional reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
One of the last "giant tusker" elephants named Satao II was killed by poachers Monday at Tsavo national park in Kenya, according to a conservation group that protects the nearly endangered group of Africa's oldest elephants.

The Tsavo park rangers found Satao II's body along the border of the national park while they were on their routine checks in the morning. The park, which measures 16,000 square miles, makes it difficult for the rangers to patrol the entire area efficiently every morning. Last month, two rangers were killed while they tried to restrict poachers from entering the park.

When they found the body, it was implanted with a poisoned arrow. The authorities in the park believed that Satao II died of that arrow, however, his cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

Fifty-year-old Satao II was named after another famous giant tusker elephant who was also killed by poachers in 2014.

"Luckily, through the work we do with the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), we were able to find the carcass before the poachers could recover the ivory," Richard Moller, head of the Tsavo Trust, told Agence France-Presse.

"This particular elephant was one that was very approachable, one of those easy old boys to find. Many are the others are much more difficult to see. He has been through lots of droughts and probably other attempts at poaching," Moller added.

According to the wildlife authority, the incident happened just two days after a KWS officer had been killed at the hands of poachers while trying to restrict them from entering the park. A similar incident involving the killing of an official also occurred a month earlier, the authorities told AFP.

After Satao II's body was discovered, the authorities at the park caught an "elephant poaching gang" deep inside the boundaries of the park and arrested two poachers. Twelve poisoned arrows, three bows and an AK47 rifle along with other items were found with the poachers, BBC reported.

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"Although this is a very sad loss in everyway, we can take some positive from this in that Satao's carcass was indeed found with the ivory intact, and recovered before it could fall into the wrong hands and further fuel the illegal ivory market. More importantly, this poaching gang... has been broken forever," the Tsavo Trust told BBC.

Moller told AFP that one of Satao II's giant tusks weighed 51.5 kg (112 pounds), and the other 50.5 kg (111.3 pounds). Of the 25 remaining "giant tuskers" in the world, about 15 reside in Kenya, he added.

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By Letitia Stein

(Reuters) - New Orleans can remove several high-profile monuments honoring leaders of the Confederacy, a U.S. appeals court has ruled, but critics of the decision vowed on Tuesday to keep fighting to retain them.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said he was beginning the removal process after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday lifted an injunction halting such action.

The monuments honor Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and P.G.T. Beauregard - leaders of the Confederacy in the pro-slavery South during the U.S. Civil War.

Confederate flags and other symbols have been removed from civic centers across the United States over the last two years following criticism that the displays foster racism.

The New Orleans city council voted in 2015 to remove the Confederate memorials, following the shooting deaths of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina.

The city plans to move them into storage and eventually create a park or museum to display them in context.

The three-judge panel noted its ruling did not address how communities should "memorialize, preserve, and acknowledge their distinct histories."

"Wise or unwise, the ultimate determination made here, by all accounts, followed a robust democratic process," it noted.

To some New Orleans residents, the monuments symbolize heritage, not hate.

Several organizations involved in historic preservation have fought the removal, proposing instead to add signage explaining context and erect new monuments recognizing additional community leaders.

"We think that's the answer: Not to denigrate any cultural heritage group, but just to add to the diversity which makes New Orleans so great," said Pierre McGraw, president of the Monumental Task Committee Inc, a volunteer group that has maintained city monuments for nearly three decades.

He noted his organization, along with several others, still has litigation pending in lower courts and is weighing legal options. There is also discussion about state legislation.

Story continues

"We're not giving up," McGraw said in a telephone interview.

City officials did not immediately share details about the timing of the removal. The mayor said after Monday's ruling that bids for removal would be released within a day. Proceedings are more complicated for a fourth targeted monument to a post-Civil War violent insurrection led by whites.

"Moving the location of these monuments  from prominent public places in our city where they are revered to a place where they can be remembered  changes only their geography, not our history," Landrieu said in a statement on Monday.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Den cameras at the Oregon Zoo are giving animal fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the progress of its newest additions: Two adorable otter pups.

Footage taken from the maternity den shows mom Tilly snuggling with her two tiny pups, who were born on February 26.

Read: Sea Otter Diagnosed with Asthma is Learning How to Use an Inhaler

The unnamed pups  one male and one female  each weighed just 4 ounces at birth, but they've already doubled in weight, thanks to their mother's naturally high-fat milk, according to Oregon Zoo. Tilly also gave birth to a third, smaller pup that did not survive.

The two surviving pups are expected to open their eyes after three to six weeks, and should begin walking at about five weeks old, the zoo said. They'll make their public debut in a month or two.

"Young river otters are extremely dependent on their moms, and Tilly has been very nurturing," Senior Keeper Julie Christie said in a statement released by the zoo.

Tilly successfully raised two healthy pups, Mo and Ziggy, after giving birth in 2013. She also took in an orphaned pup named Little Pudding, who was found at the side of a road in 2015.

"We expect she'll do well with her new babies as well," Christie said.

Among her roles, Tilly will have to teach the pups how to swim.

"This will be the first time Tilly has raised more than one pup at a time," said Curator Amy Cutting. "It's exciting that they'll be growing up together and have the opportunity to play and wrestle with each other."

Read: 2-Day-Old Sea Otter Pup Is Reunited With Mother After Being Swept Away by Strong Tide

Tilly and the pups' dad, B.C., are key in helping to breed the otter population across North America. Tilly was just 4 months old when she was found wounded by an animal attack. She was nursed back to health before moving to the Oregon Zoo.

B.C., short for Buttercup, was also found orphaned in Arkansas in 2009. He was initially taken to the Little Rock Zoo, but transferred to Oregon the following year as a companion for Tilly.

Story continues

Watch: Otter Parents Give Swimming Lesson to Their 5 Pups

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The Bears Ears region in southeastern Utah has many claims to fame. It's the sacred home to five Native American tribes, a popular spot for rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the U.S., and the location of tens of thousands of archaeological sites.

But despite Bears Ears' importance, which earned it a national monument designation just weeks before President Barack Obama left office, the area is still threatened due to fossil fuel interests and politics. Now, a new series of interactive, virtual reality short films will take you there, so you can explore the landscape for yourself  and even help save it.

SEE ALSO: VR film series shows how you can help save young lives in 360 degrees

Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear company known for its environmental activism, has teamed up with Google to create This Is Bears Ears National Monument, an "interactive film experience" with 360-degree videos, immersive visuals and Street View maps of the area.

Combining Patagonia's conservation and preservation efforts with Google's 360 technology, 10 short films tell stories of tribal leaders and athletes, and why they want you to take action for Bears Ears.

The site ultimately urges viewers to contact Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, and tell him to "keep our public lands in public hands and defend Bears Ears National Monument."

The new website is part of Patagonia's long-standing mission to help protect the environment, and furthers the company's advocacy for Bears Ears since 2013. Like many of its efforts around the world, Patagonia has focused on grassroots partnerships and Indigenous leadership in Utah, working closely with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, Friends of Cedar Mesa and Utah Dine Bikeyah.

Their fight came to a head earlier this year. Soon after Obama designated Bears Ears' iconic twin buttes as a national monument, protecting the 1.3 million acres of land that surrounds them, the Utah legislature put forth a resolution to ask President Donald Trump to rescind the designation. As the Guardian noted, the decision reflected a larger movement by Republicans in Utah and Congress to transfer federal land to states and private owners  a broad push for more oil, gas and mining development.

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Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard penned an open letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert in January, scolding him for "denigrating our public lands ... and trying to sell them off to the highest bidder." In retaliation, the company pulled out of a big outdoor trade show hosted by the state.

Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia, said she joined a call with the CEOs of REI, North Face and others to speak to Herbert, hoping for assurance that he would reconsider. That didn't happen. In fact, one week later Herbert signed an additional resolution shrinking the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante, another Utah national monument designated in 1996.

"It was kind of unbelievable," Marcario said. "It just feels like an all-out assault on public lands by the Utah legislature and the Governor ... Obviously we care about public lands as an industry, but it's also a moral issue for us around protecting the last bits of wilderness."

The twin buttes that give Bears Ears National Monument its name.

Image: Josh Ewing / Patagonia

Patagonia didn't expect the area to be threatened after Obama's designation. This Is Bears Ears National Monument began as a celebration of the region, not a way to galvanize officials and the public around saving it. But recent efforts to thwart the protection of Bears Ears changed the overall nature of the project.

"The call to action really came out of necessity, because of the attacks by the legislature and governor," Marcario said. "And we wanted to get more people just understanding the issue, understanding what's at stake, and coming into the dialogue with us and the environmental fight to protect these public lands."

That's why, to reach a wider audience, Patagonia is promoting the multimedia website with a digital advertisement on NYTimes.com and on PBS NewsHour  the first time the company has created a TV advertisement.

When you first visit This Is Bears Ears, you have the option to learn about the cultures and heritage embedded within the national monument. You can hear about the history of the area's Native tribes from Willie Grayeyes, a member of the Navajo Mountain community; click through walls adorned with petroglyphs explained by Hopi archaeologist Lyle Balenquah; and learn about Bears Ears' sacred properties from Zuni medicine man Octavius Seowtewa.

"My hope is that Bears Ears National Monument will bring healing to the present Navajo people, and those who have passed on, and all other Native Americans will hopefully be healed," Grayeyes says in the video above.

The second section of the site focuses on sport, highlighting outdoor enthusiasts like climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kitty Calhoun, bikepackers Andrew Burr and Steve Fassbinder, and trail runner Luke Nelson.

Each video, and the site as a whole, is optimized for mobile, headphones and VR headsets. You can watch on your phone or tablet, or you can use a headset like Google Cardboard.

For Marcario, the interactive aspects of This Is Bears Ears National Monument allow for more engagement, no matter where you are. The 360-degree videos allow you to explore the region, even if you can't afford to travel to Utah and see it in-person.

SEE ALSO: Patagonia is donating every penny made from Black Friday sales to help save the planet

"It highlights the specialness of these areas," she said about the technology. "I think it also gives people a sense of the grandeur and the beauty of these lands, and hopefully gets them to love them as much as we do  and as I know the people of Utah do  and will want to protect them."

Image: Marc Toso / Patagonia

While this film experience is centered on Bears Ears, it's not the only monument in the U.S. that's threatened. Marcario also mentioned Maine's Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which Gov. Paul LePage wants to rescind, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has pushed for oil and gas drilling.

"Public lands from coast to coast are, I think, at stake right now," Marcario said. "We will continue to be fighting these fights around public lands, and we'll continue to shine light and tell stories around these beautiful places that deserve protection."

And, she added, Patagonia will continue to use new technologies and tools to do so. Meanwhile, she's excited and hopeful to see both the outdoor industry and the movement as a whole motivated to make a difference.

"I think the whole environmental movement right now is really  well, they're woke, as my young cousin would say," Marcario adds laughing. "I think everybody is alert and galvanizing their resources, and getting ready to fight the good fight for public lands for generations to come."

You can check out the full This Is Bears Ears National Monument experience here.


This is Whats Trending Today.

The internet search company Google celebrated the 37th anniversary of Indonesias Komodo National Park with its latest Google Doodle.

Google Doodles are special, short-term changes of the Google homepage that mark special events, holidays, or people.

On Monday, Googles homepage featured an animated drawing of the komodo dragon, the worlds largest living lizard species.

Komodo dragons are two to three meters long, and can weigh over 100 kilograms.

The Google Doodle included a true-or-false quiz about the huge and scaly creatures. For example, users learn that komodo dragons eat more than half of their own body weight in just one meal. And they can smell a possible meal from as many as 10 kilometers away.

Google users can click the Doodle to read more about the species as well as the Indonesian park that protects them.

Komodo National Park is within Indonesias Lesser Sunda Islands. It was formed in March of 1980, and is home to more than 5,000 komodo dragons.

They have lived in this harsh part of Indonesia for millions of years. Today, Indonesia is the only place in the world where komodo dragons exist in the wild.

Along with the huge lizard species, Komodo National Park is also home to more than 70 kinds of birds, Google reports. Its waters are filled with sea turtles, dolphins and thousands of kinds of fish. And, many Timor deer also live within the park. They are a main source of food for the komodo dragons.

And thats Whats Trending Today

Im Ashley Thompson.

Ashley Thompson wrote this report. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

doodle - n. a kind of drawing

homepage - n. the part of a Web site that is seen first and that usually contains links to other parts of the site

animated - adj. produced by the creation of a series of drawings, pictures, etc., that are shown quickly one after another

lizard - n. a type of reptile that has four legs and a long body and tail

species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

harsh - adj. unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop played down the likelihood of conducting joint navy patrols in South China Sea with Indonesia, according to reports Monday. Her comments came after Indonesian President Joko Widodo said last month that the two countries will have patrols together if tensions flare up in the disputed region.

Bishop said in Jakarta that it was her "understanding the president was talking about coordinating our efforts in terms of freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight so there was unimpeded trade."

"It was a question of joint exercises not joint exercises as we would understand it," she said in Jakarta.

Last month, Widodo commented on the possibility of joint patrols in the South China Sea  mostly Indonesia's Natuna Islands.

"If there is tension like last year, it's difficult to decide this program. But if there is no tension I think it's very important to have patrols together. We will discuss this with [Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull]," he said at the time.

Australia reportedly has economic interests in the South China Sea, along with freedom of trade and navigation, in the contested waters. Since 1980, the country has been carrying out its air surveillance operations in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean called Operation Gateway.

China has laid claims to almost all of the South China Sea region angering its other claimants including Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. Beijing has also reportedly built runways and ports claiming that it adds to the safety of the region, through which about $5 trillion worth of maritime trade passes every year.

Last month, Wang Guoqing, a spokesman for the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea is more important to China than for any other country.

"We have set up cooperation mechanisms with many other countries to ensure safe navigation," he said at the time.

Story continues

Wangs comments came after the U.S. dispatched its aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson on freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea that month.

Related Articles
paul ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan and the House GOP leadership are expected to roll out their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare, sometime over the next few days.

The bill will be moved through a process known as budget reconciliation, meaning it would only influence the parts of the ACA that have to do with federal funding. It would pertain to massive parts of the law including Medicaid expansion, the mandate that everyone must buy insurance, and all taxes and tax credits under the law.

One of the perks of this process for Republicans: They only need a simply majority in the Senate to pass the bill, avoiding an all-but-certain filibuster by Democrats.

While the plan that has emerged in bits and pieces in recent weeks has the backing of many prominent members of the House, there is no guarantee that it will make it unscathed  or at all  to President Donald Trump's desk.

Groups on the right and left of the political spectrum have gripes with Ryan's plan  and how those battles are fought will ultimately decide the fate of the ACA and millions of Americans' health insurance.

Moderate objections

One of the biggest fights that face Ryan and Republicans are changes to the ACA's Medicaid expansion.

Under the ACA, states receive significant funding to grow the Medicaid program that provides health insurance to Americans living in or close to poverty. So far, 34 states and the District of Columbia have taken up the offer.

A leaked draft of the House GOP's Obamacare replacement bill would shift funding for Medicaid expansion to block grants, chunks of funding that most health policy analysts say would increase the funding burden for states.

The problem: Senators in states that have expanded Medicaid have found the program to be popular, and roughly two-thirds of Americans nationwide support the expansion, according to recent polls.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has said that she will not vote for a bill that defunds the Medicaid expansion or shifts it to a block-grant system.

Story continues

Other Republican senators in states that have expanded Medicaid have also expressed concerns about maintaining coverage for those people who now have insurance through the program. Just over 11 million Americans that otherwise would not have coverage have gained insurance through Medicaid expansion, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota called the Medicaid expansion the "the thorniest and most difficult issue to resolve."

A number of Republican governors have also come out against a repeal of the Medicaid expansion. Perhaps the most vocal has been former Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich met with Trump recently to explain the value of maintaining the status quo for Medicaid expansion and has called rollback of Medicaid expansion a "very, very bad idea."

John Kasich

Additionally, Doug Doucey, the Republican governor of Arizona, expressed misgivings about proposed Medicaid funding changes in a letter to Congress. He said the proposed "policy change will result in the single largest transfer of risk ever from the federal government to the states."

Finally, states with Republican governors including Kansas, North Carolina, and Maine have all expressed a desire to expand Medicaid themselves.

Conservative pushback

While more moderate Republicans have been in favor of keeping some of the ACA's provisions for Medicaid, the right flank of the GOP has been saying that the leaked repeal plan does not go far enough.

Members of the House and Senate have called the proposal "Obamacare-lite" and have said that it does not fulfill the Republican promise to get rid of the law.

Rep. Mark Meadows, head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said he would not vote for the bill in the leaked form. (That leaked bill was a draft version, so changes could have been made in the interim.) Meanwhile, other House members appeared to push back on the plan.

Rep. Mark Walker, the head of the Republican Study Committee, also said in a statement that the current proposal was inadequate.

"There are serious problems with what appears to be our current path to repeal and replace Obamacare," Walker said. "In that form, and absent substantial changes, I cannot vote for the bill and, in good conscience, cannot recommend RSC members vote for it either."

Paul Ryan Mitch McConnell

For these members, the biggest issue has been the tax credits given out to Americans to buy health insurance. Conservative Republicans have argued the federal government shouldn't be involved in funding the credits.

This is a concern shared by conservative members of the Senate. Sens. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee have all come out against the House plan, saying it does not go far enough in its repeal.

In a tweetstorm on Thursday, Paul criticized the plan and the House GOP leaderships strategy of keeping the bill a secret by placing it in a secure room only available to certain Republican lawmakers.

"What is the House leadership trying to hide?" Paul said. "My guess is, they are trying to hide their 'Obamacare Lite' approach. Renaming and keeping parts of Obamacare, new entitlements and extending medicaid expansion are not the #FullRepeal we promised."

Democratic opposition

Not only do Republicans have problems within their own party, but passage also won't be any easier given Democrats' plan to oppose the GOP at every turn.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have made it clear that they have no plans to cooperate on repeal and replace legislation. Even former President Barack Obama told Democratic lawmakers in a closed-door meeting right before he left office not to "rescue" Republicans in their attempts to repeal and replace the ACA.

Democrats do not control either chamber of Congress and have little power to stop any reconciliation bill without Republican defections, but the internecine warfare in the GOP could complicate things for the party. Given the thin margin Republicans hold in the Senate (52 to 48), only a few defections from the GOP and a united front from Democrats (and the two independent senators who nearly always vote with them) would defeat any repeal bill.

Even a coalition of Paul, Cruz, and Lee voting with Democrats against a bill (albeit for vastly different reasons) would be enough to halt it.

The internal GOP arguments led Schumer to say that he does not even think the Republicans can advance an ACA replacement. He tweeted before Trump's address to Congress that "the odds are very high that well keep the ACA."

Trump wild card

The final fight is one against the uncertain policy goals of Trump himself.

While Trump laid out a vision for healthcare in his speech to the joint session of Congress that followed along the outline of the leaked House GOP plan especially the call for tax credits, directly rebuking the conservative wing of the party  uncertainties remain that could throw a wrench in the repeal and replace plans.

Reports from The Washington Post said Trump seemed open to Kasich's plan for keeping Medicaid expansion and the president has at times shifted positions on his healthcare goals.

Additionally, Trump has made some big promises when it comes to the law. He has said that the plan will eventually cover all Americans, be cheaper than the current system, and provide better care overall. Most health policy experts agree that expanding coverage to all people while the government spends less on healthcare is virtually impossible, so it is unclear how Trump will come down in the debate over the ACA's future.

NOW WATCH: 'That makes no sense!': Matt Lauer grills Kellyanne Conway over the timing of Michael Flynns resignation





More From Business Insider


By Tracy Rucinski (Reuters) - U.S. coal miner Peabody Energy Corp said on Monday it has agreed to set aside collateral to cover future mine cleanup costs as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan, ending its controversial use of "self-bonds." For decades the largest U.S. coal companies have used a federal practice known as "self-bonding," which exempts companies from posting bonds or other securities to cover the cost of returning mined land to its natural state, as required by law. Concerns over how Peabody, the world's largest private-sector coal miner, would finance about $1 billion in self-bonds when it emerges from bankruptcy protection had led a series of complaints over its reorganization plan. Under a deal announced on Monday, Peabody said it had arranged for $1.26 billion in third-party bonds and $14.5 million in a state bond pool in Indiana, one of the states where it held self-bonds, to fully satisfy its financing requirements. "This is an important step to protect taxpayers and the environment. It was the right thing to do. It's also another example of how credit markets and banks seem to be more willing to open up their books to coal companies," said Clark Williams-Derry of Sightline Institute, a climate and energy think tank. A year ago, a slump in coal prices had driven some of the largest U.S. coal companies into bankruptcy. Peabody had warned that the financial strain of having to replace all of its self-bonds would eat into its liquidity. Today, a spike in demand from China and a more favorable outlook under President Donald Trump have provided a short-term boost for the industry. Peabody will seek U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval in St. Louis next week for a plan to cut more than $5 billion in debt and exit Chapter 11 in April. The third-party bonds for mine cleanups will become available upon bankruptcy emergence. Peabody also holds self-bonds in Wyoming, New Mexico and Illinois. It announced a temporary financing deal with the four states in July to cover a portion of the risk that it will walk away from mine cleanup obligations while in bankruptcy. Rival Arch Coal Inc and Alpha Natural Resources also replaced their self-bonds on active mines when they exited bankruptcy last year. In a statement, Peabody Chief Executive Officer Glenn Kellow said he was pleased with the bonding solution but left the door open to using self-bonds again in the future, should circumstances warrant. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Writing by Tom Hals; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  Jurors have convicted a children's aid worker in Philadelphia of gunning down his boss at a bus stop after she confronted him about $42,000 in missing funds.

A judge on Monday sentenced 39-year-old Randolph Sanders to life in prison without parole for the 2015 first-degree murder of 56-year-old Kim Jones.

Jones was shot in the back of the head while she waited for her bus to take her to Turning Points for Children in 2015.

Jurors had seen Sanders tell detectives on videotape that Jones had accused him of mismanaging money and he feared he would be fired. Sanders had testified that he confessed after 30 hours of questioning.

His attorney says he'll appeal.
Pedestrian lights are the latest frontier for equality in one city.

A lobby group called the Committee for Melbourne is behind a push for the Australian city to have half of its pedestrian lights feature a female silhouette, as opposed to the usual male version.

But not everyone is happy. Even those aware that the lights won't actually resemble an old timey Mary Poppins figure.

SEE ALSO: Inside Uber: Women either 'drink the Kool-aid' or suffer

It's all part of the Equal Crossings initiative, and its aim is to reduce unconscious bias and further gender equality in a public setting.

"Unconscious bias reinforces stereotypes and influences daily decisions and attitudes. The Equal Crossings initiative will draw our attention to these issues in a practical and positive way," Committee for Melbourne's CEO, Martine Letts, said in a statement.

Melbourne hurtles Australia into the 21st century by putting 19th century women at pedestrian crossings. pic.twitter.com/FFsaiaNdVS  Jess Wheeler (@wheelswordsmith) March 7, 2017

A brand new set of lights with a female silhouette have been installed at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets on Tuesday.

Why the woman on the Melbourne pedestrian crossings look like she about to drop the most fire Mary Poppins tribute album of the 1910s pic.twitter.com/Nn1uYCFcPE  Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 6, 2017

It's part of the initiative's short-term goal of 1:1 male and female representation on pedestrian lights in the city centre. That could expand to across the state, if the initiative is taken up by the state's road authority.

"There are many small  but symbolically significant  ways that women are excluded from public space," Victoria's Minister for Women, Fiona Richardson, said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to see pedestrian crossing lights use a woman's figure. This is a wonderful way to make public space more inclusive of women."

Story continues

Last year, the City of Yarra council in Melbourne installed pedestrian traffic lights featuring a silhouette of Mary Rogers , the first female elected to local government, in conjunction with International Women's Day.

It seems that social media comments on Tuesday are confusing last year's suffragette-looking efforts with the latest, more minimal take on a female figure.

However, reactions to the independently-funded initiative have been mixed regardless. From the trolling to the down right angry.

"I'm all for doing anything we can for gender equity, but really?" Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, told the Herald Sun. "Unfortunately, I think this sort of costly exercise is more likely to bring derision."

Now we've dealt with the evil man crossing lights we are free to solve the final issue facing women everywhere, men holding the door 4 you:  eat my borts (@bortofdarkness) March 6, 2017

Oh please. Wouldn't $ be better spent on DV shelters? https://t.co/C2U6vZ8ynn  Sarah Harris  (@SarahHarris) March 6, 2017

seems to me if you're worried about Melbourne having women on the pedestrian lights you're probably way too sensitive about things  Angus Livingston (@anguslivingston) March 6, 2017

Guess you can't win 'em all. \__/
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) has been accused of "degrading" women and sexism in its latest advertising campaign in France.

SEE ALSO: People call out this advert featuring a woman's bottom as sexist

The image of a model in a leotard and roller skates bent over a stool has caused an outcry on social media, with many calling for the ad to be removed.



A second campaign image shows a reclining woman wearing fishnet tights with her legs open.

A post shared by SAINT LAURENT (@ysl) on Feb 10, 2017 at 10:41am PST

People have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the offending add using the hashtag #YSLRetireTaPubDegradante (#YSLRemoveYourDegradingAd).



Some have been comparing images of previous YSL adverts with the current campaign.



"YSL in 1967 and today. Equality is making progress, would you say? Anorexia, submission and humiliation," read one tweet.

"50 years separate these photos. Woman according to YSL 1967 - 2017," read another tweet.

"Are you serious at YSL? No one is ashamed to release this?" read another tweet.

Story continues

Vous etes serieux chez @YSL ? Personne n'a honte chez vous de diffuser ca ? pic.twitter.com/keJaGI3QHq  Clara Gonzales (@Claranote) March 3, 2017

"Hi YSL, what's up with this completely degrading campaign?" wrote one person on Twitter.

"Shame on you," wrote another.

An anti-sexism group has been placing stickers emblazoned with the word "sexiste" over the ads, dubbing the campaign an "incitement to rape".

YSL OU L'APPEL AU VIOL un corps offert : allongee jambes ecartees timide innonfensive #YSL#feministe#publisexisme pic.twitter.com/Gqzvks2roc  Brigade Anti Sexiste (@anti_sexiste) March 4, 2017

"This is not a woman, this is a sexual victim," read one tweet posted by the group.

CECI N'EST PAS UNE FEMME C'EST UNE PROIE SEXUELLE, definition de la femme selon #YSL pic.twitter.com/UVanFbQVKA  Brigade Anti Sexiste (@anti_sexiste) March 4, 2017

YSL did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.
This weekend, an episode of CBS political drama Madam Secretary will feature a lecherous Filipino president getting punched in the face.

SEE ALSO: The 'Humans of Payatas' features inspiring stories about people living in its slums

The episode, scheduled to air on Saturday, was promoted with a trailer that's getting people talking, because many are drawing parallels with the real president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who's been criticised for making overtly inappropriate and sexist remarks.

The episode's plot will feature the fictional president Datu Andrada (played by Joel de la Fuente), making sexual advances toward the protagonist, U.S. Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (played by Tea Leoni).

McCord ends up punching Andrada in the face, jeopardising relationships between the two countries.

The parallel did not sit well with the Philippines embassy in Washington, which published a statement protesting the negative depiction:

"While Madam Secretary is a work of fiction, it tracks and mirrors current events," the embassy said.

"This highly negative portrayal... not only casts doubt on the respectability of the Office of the Philippine President but also denigrates [the] way our nation navigates foreign affairs."

A spokesperson for Duterte said that the show should have used a fictional parallel to Trump instead.

Presidential Spox Abella on 'Madam Secretary' episode: It's their business, it's their craft. @rapplerdotcom  Pia Ranada (@piaranada) March 7, 2017

Presidential Spokesperson Abella on "Madam Secretary" episode: They're confused in images. They should use a fictional U.S. President.  CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) March 7, 2017

Filipinos were also up in arms:

Story continues

But others see the parallel as a really apt joke:

I wonder if Filipinos will be able to complain with a straight face that the fictional PH President in Madam Secretary is a sexual harasser  Miguel Arguelles (@cmarguel) March 7, 2017

The controversial portrayal of the Philippines leader comes as Duterte appears to turn away from the longtime ally, instead warming to other nations such as China and Russia.

Prior to election last year, Duterte made international headlines for some of his public remarks, including a joke about the gang rape of an Australian missionary. He has also catcalled a female reporter and insulted a female senator who was critical of his war on drugs.
By Enrico Dela Cruz and Manolo Serapio Jr MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine environment minister has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to halt a second review of 28 mines that she ordered closed or suspended, challenging its legality despite initially supporting it. The U-turn by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez comes as she faces pressure to defend her decision to shut more than half the country's mines, a move that prompted an industry outcry and concerns about lost revenue. The government's Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), an inter-agency panel that includes the finance ministry, is conducting a review of the mines following criticism from miners that the original decision was baseless and lacked due process. "The MICC is not mandated to do a review of any mining operation. The only agency that can do a review of mining operations is DENR, and that's what we've done," Lopez told Reuters, referring to her environment agency. Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, declined to comment on Lopez's latest move, saying it was not discussed in a cabinet meeting. Duterte, who last year warned miners to abide by stricter environmental rules or close down, has so far backed Lopez, a committed environmentalist, in the increasingly contentious dispute. She faces a Philippine legislative hearing set for Wednesday to confirm her appointment after an initial hearing was postponed last week. She is among just a few of Duterte's appointees yet to get the green light from lawmakers. Lopez on Feb. 2 ordered the closure of 23 of 41 mines in the world's top nickel ore supplier and suspended five others to protect watersheds after a months-long review last year by the environment agency. Members of the MICC met a week later and agreed to a second review of the affected mines, issuing a joint resolution signed by Lopez and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez who co-chair the mining council. "Whether I signed it or not the fact of the law is the law," Lopez said. The MICC was created through a 2012 executive order by former President Benigno Aquino and tasked, as part of its duties, to review mining laws and regulations and ensure their implementation. Lopez said she's challenging the review after learning that the second assessment will cost 50 million pesos ($1 million). "I've already done the review, what more do you want?" she asked. Dominguez said he was surprised by Lopez's about-face, recalling that it was Lopez's lawyer who drafted the Feb. 9 resolution, ABS-CBN News reported, citing Dominguez. Miners have contested the closure and suspension orders, which a mining industry group has said would affect 1.2 million people that depend on mining for their livelihood. For graphic on Philippine mine closures, click: http://tmsnrt.rs/2kCftpe (Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr. and Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Richard Pullin)
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Many Americans have toasted bread first thing in the morning. For some, the morning meal also includes hash browned potatoes. Or later in the day, they might enjoy potato chips or crispy French fries.

But if you like any of these foods cooked until they are dark brown in color, you might want to limit how much of them you eat.

That is the finding of a British government agency. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is urging people to avoid eating burnt or very well toasted bread and deeply browned potatoes.

The danger, the agency says, is when starchy foods are cooked until they are very firm or even burnt.

The concern is a chemical called acrylamide. Acrylamide is produced naturally in food during cooking at high temperatures. It has been identified as a possible cancer-causing substance.

New Scientist magazine reports that high levels of acrylamide are present in starchy foods, like potatoes, when they are cooked at temperatures over 120 degrees Celsius. British researchers note that acrylamide can also be present in breakfast cereals, cookies and coffee.

Steve Wearne is the Director of Policy at the FSA. He says most people do not know that the chemical exists or that it could create a health hazard.

The FSA launched a study to identify acrylamide exposure in the British population. Researchers found that most people are exposed to too much of the chemical. They said this contact could increase their overall risk of getting cancer.

How to avoid the risk

The agency even created an expression to help people remember. The FSA suggests people should "Go for the Gold!" when they prepare starchy foods. Heating bread or potatoes to a golden brown, they claim, is healthier than over-cooking them or burning them.

Wearne says the agency is not saying that people should worry about the occasional meal thats a bit overcooked. He said these suggestions are about controlling risk during ones lifetime.

The agency is also urging people to eat fewer high-calorie foods like potato chips, French fries and cookies -- all of which have acrylamides.

There are other things you can do to limit your exposure to acrylamides.

Experts at New Scientist suggest that you not keep potatoes in the refrigerator. They explain that at low temperatures, an enzyme breaks down the sugars in the potato. These sugars can form acrylamide during cooking. They add that frozen foods dont have this risk. Sugars, like sucrose, do not break down at low temperatures.

Another cooking tip is you can also blanch potatoes before frying. Blanching is heating food briefly in water. This will remove the potato skin and half the sugar, resulting in lower levels of acrylamide.

Scientists have launched other studies to better understand how acrylamide forms in some overcooked foods and how cooking traditions may affect people.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report.

Im Anna Matteo.

Jessica Berman reported this story from Washington, D.C. for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Quiz - Can Eating Burnt Toast Really Cause Cancer? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

crispy  adj. appealingly crunchy

starch  n. a substance that is found in certain foods (such as bread, rice, and potatoes) : starchy  adj. containing, consisting of, or resembling starch

acrylamide  n. an amide C 3 H 5 NO that is derived from acrylic acid, that polymerizes readily, and that is used in the manufacture of synthetic textile fibers

exposure  n. the condition of being subject to some effect or influence : expose  v. to cause (someone) to experience something or to be influenced or affected by something

occasional  adj. happening or done sometimes but not often : not happening or done in a regular or frequent way

calorie  n. a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body

hazard  n. a source of danger
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website.

Cereal, that old familiar breakfast staple, is less popular than it once was.

Thats in part because many consumers consider it to be low in protein, high in sugar, and too processed to be healthful, according to the market research firm Mintel. Although thats true of many cereals, plenty are nutritious.

Plus cereal is quick and convenient, and can be an efficient way to get many essential nutrients all at once, says Ronni Chernoff, Ph.D., director of the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative.

For breakfast she recommends covering four bases: fruit, protein, a complex carbohydrate, and dairy. Have a whole-grain cereal with milk topped with fruit to hit all four. What follows is everything you need to know to choose a healthy cereal.

Pick a Whole Grain

Look for a 100 percent whole-grain claim on the box, or read the ingredients list to be sure all grains are whole, such as whole wheat or whole-grain oats.

Whole grains are a great source of fiber. Having fiber in the morning means youre not going to be having a hunger attack midmorning, says Emily Dhurandhar, Ph.D., an assistant professor of kinesiology at Texas Tech University.

Numerous studies have also linked whole grains to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. They may even help you maintain a healthy weight.

Researchers at Tufts University found that people who replaced refined grains (such as white bread or white pasta) with whole grains absorbed fewer calories and had a slight uptick in their resting metabolic rate compared with people who ate the same diet with refined grains.

Suss Out the Sugars

Even a whole-grain cereal isnt so healthy if it contains too much added sugar. Kelloggs Frosted Mini-Wheats, for example, is made from 100 percent whole-grain wheat and has 6 grams of fiber per serving, but it also has 11 grams of sugars, almost 3 teaspoons.

Compare that with Post Spoon Size Shredded Wheat, which has 0 grams of sugars per serving. (The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugars per day for women, 36 grams for men.)

Story continues

If you want it sweet, add fruit or even a teaspoon of sugar if you need to, says Maxine Siegel, R.D., who heads the food-testing lab at Consumer Reports. But if youre going to buy a sweetened cereal, choose one with no more than 8 grams of sugars per serving.

If you choose a cereal with the fruit already added, dont assume that all the sugars come from the fruit. Check the ingredients list for added sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup, brown-rice syrup, and honey, to name a few, Siegel says. All types of added sugars have the same health drawbacks as table sugars.

Pay Attention to Protein

Having protein in the morning may help keep blood sugar steady and aid weight control. Cereals usually have 3 to 4 grams of protein per serving; some contain 6 or more grams.

Pour on cows milk (or certain soy milks) and youll add about 3 to 4 grams per  cup. (Almond and coconut milks have practically none.) Or top your cereal with plain yogurt, which will add about 4 grams per  cup.

Watch Your Portions

In a test, Siegels team asked consumers to fill a bowl with the amount of cereal they would typically serve themselves. About 92 percent poured too much24 to 282 percent more than the serving size on the box.

A double helping of cereal can give you more fiber and protein, but it can also bump up the calories, sugars, and sodium, Siegel says. So grab your favorite bowl, pour out the amount you usually eat, and measure it. Then do the math so that you know what youre really eating.

Editors Note: This article also appeared in the July 2017 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Copyright  2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc.
House Republicans unveiled the replace part of their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, lifting penalties against those who dont buy health insurance, replacing subsidies with tax credits and defunding Planned Parenthood.

The American Healthcare Act keeps two of the most popular features of Obamacare: allowing young adults to remain on their parents policies until age 26 and barring insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., issued a statement saying the legislation amounts to a rescue of the healthcare system.

The American Healthcare Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance, Ryan said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., however, tweeted the Republican measure merely allows insurance companies to pad their bottom lines.

Republicans have long sought to defund Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska already has said she will not support any legislation that strips Planned Parenthood funding, which could make passage problematic since Republicans have only a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Two more defections and the measure would fail if the Democrats remain united in their opposition.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said the organization will be undeterred in its mission.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., derided the legislation as Obamacare Lite.

Another sticking point is the tax credit provision. Republicans have insisted any subsidies be based on age rather than income. The drafts issued Monday would consider both, the Washington Post reported. It was not immediately clear how the tax credits would compare to Obamacares subsidies.

Murkowski and three other GOP senators have said they wont support any plan that eliminates the ACAs Medicaid expansion.

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"We believe Medicaid needs to be reformed, but reform should not come at the cost of disruption in access to health care for our countrys most vulnerable and sickest individuals," Murkowski and Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Cory Gardner of Colorado said in a letter to McConnell. They also called for a gradual transition to make sure states have time to implement any changes.

"We will not support a plan that does not include stability for Medicaid expansion populations or flexibility for states."

The legislation would keep federal support for Medicaid steady until 2020 when funding for people in the Medicaid expansion group would be reduced to 90 percent. After 2020, the 31 states that expanded their Medicaid programs would continue to get that level of funding for those in the program as of that date. As people drop out, the funds provided would go down.

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Warsaw (AFP) - The Polish capital is a city divided: by a river, by history, by reputation. For years, the right side of the wide Vistula waterway was known for murder and mayhem, while all the power and money went to the left. Not so anymore.

Even the relief of the riverbanks is telling, says Halina Cieszkowska, a 95-year-old former teacher and longtime resident of the working class Praga neighbourhood on the right.

"Warsaw's left bank is on a slope. It's higher up. So they look down on us. And here we are, below," says the energetic great-grandmother.

"Praga was always a worse neighbourhood. Neglected... so Praga had an inferiority complex. Still does. Though maybe to a lesser degree now, because we've been trying to fix things," she tells AFP.

Praga is now safe, with art galleries, innovative hip bars, renovated prewar buildings and a subway line since 2015, which have all helped bridge the gap between the two sides.

Across the river, the left bank boasts the city centre and historic old town, and is not known by any overall name but is sometimes considered by residents on both sides to be Warsaw proper.

Efforts to spruce up Praga began in the 1990s but the city now plans to pump 1.5 billion zloty (350 million euros, $380 million) into the sprawling right bank to further revitalise the area.

The upgrades through 2022 include connecting thousands of apartments to central heating, renovating historical sites and investing in social services to undo years of postwar neglect.

- 'Bermuda Triangle' -

During World War II, Nazi German forces flattened 85 percent of the left bank, but Praga was spared because it had already been occupied by the Soviet Army.

It is in Praga that you can still find exposed redbrick walls, old street lamps, buildings pockmarked with bullet holes and courtyard shrines with statues of the Virgin Mary.

That authenticity is why Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski shot his wartime film "The Pianist" there.

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But because the neighbourhood was left standing while the rest of the city was reduced to rubble, all the reconstruction funds went to the left bank.

"Things fell into ruins here," says Praga tailor Jerzy Hlasny, a 63-year-old with a bushy moustache who has worked at his shop for four decades.

"Praga was a kind of unwanted child. But things are happening now," he tells AFP, giving as an example heritage buildings renovated with EU money.

The neighbourhood also came to have "a bad reputation. That it's just lowlifes and thieves here", adds Hlasny, who said he himself had been beaten up and still has trouble seeing out of his left eye as a result, after one night refusing to hand over money to two men who entered his shop.

Warsaw Deputy Mayor Michal Olszewski recalls that when he first moved to Warsaw in 1996, he lived in the part of Praga "known as the Bermuda Triangle, where according to legend you didn't come out alive".

The notorious years are long gone. But the lore lingers and many of those born and bred in the district, like Adam Lisiecki from the Praga Museum, are tired of the stereotype.

- 'New face' -

He says the city "hit the bull's eye" 15 years ago by renovating buildings along one of Praga's main roads, the cobbled Zabkowska Street.

"It really changed people's view of Praga Suddenly there was this exemplary street, a new face which emboldened many residents from the left" to visit, he tells AFP.

Zabkowska features 19th century buildings, homes converted into popular bars with traditional Polish pierogi dumplings on the menu, plus other creative initiatives.

"Art soothes the savage beast," says Agnieszka Niedzwiecka, who lives on the left side but in 2010 opened a Praga gallery, whose name translates to "On the right side of the Vistula".

It was a welcome sight for residents who said "soon Praga will be associated with art, not alcohol", she tells AFP, while her French Bulldog snores nearby.

The project "that will have the biggest economic and social impact on Praga is the second metro line. Hands down", says Olszewski, adding that further Praga stations are planned.

Even the Vistula itself now draws people from the two sides together.

In summertime, the once forgotten green riverbanks have become the place to be in recent years, in particular the right shore because of its urban beach.

"It's incredible that this wild stretch has been preserved in the city centre of a capital," says Lisiecki.

"You can have bonfires and barbecues and drink a tasty beer."
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (AP)  Authorities say an Ohio police officer has fatally shot a driver after a high-speed chase of a vehicle with a woman and three children inside.

An Ohio attorney general's office spokeswoman says a Strongsville police officer fired at least one shot at the end of a pursuit early Tuesday on Interstate 71 in Medina (meh-DY'-nuh) County, killing the man. The woman and children weren't injured.

It's unclear whether the man was inside or outside the vehicle when he was killed.

The spokeswoman says the chase began around 2:30 a.m. with an attempted traffic stop in Strongsville, a Cuyahoga County community 20 miles south of Cleveland. Two Strongsville police cruisers were damaged, but no officers were hurt.

The attorney general's Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been asked to investigate the shooting.
Algiers (AFP) - An official from the Polisario Front fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara on Tuesday blamed Morocco for the resignation of a UN envoy to the disputed territory.

Christopher Ross quitting last week was a result of "Morocco blocking negotiations since 2012" on the future of the former Spanish colony, M'hamed Kheddad said.

Morocco insists that the Western Sahara is an integral part of its kingdom, but the Algeria-based Polisario is demanding a referendum on self-determination.

The two sides fought for control of the territory from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat gaining control of it before a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Ross submitted his resignation after spending eight years trying to resolve the dispute.

An American who served as US ambassador to Algeria and Syria, he had been harshly criticised by Morocco who accused him of being pro-Polisario.

Morocco has not officially reacted to the news of Ross's resignation.

After then UN chief Ban Ki-moon last year used the term "occupation" to describe the status of Western Sahara, Morocco reacted with fury and expelled dozens of staff from the world body's MINURSO mission in the territory.

Kheddad on Tuesday also blamed the resignation on "the indifference of the Security Council over the expulsion of (MINURSO) staff".

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union.

Morocco left what was then the Organisation of African Unity in 1984 after the SADR was admitted, but was readmitted at an AU summit at the end of January.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Where immigrants are concerned, James Wright is OK with people who are here legally, as well as illegally  if they haven't committed crimes. But turn the talk specifically to the risks and benefits of admitting refugees to the U.S., and the New Jersey resident gives a fraught sigh.

"It's hard not to be conflicted," said Wright, 26, an independent who supports President Donald Trump's proposed travel ban on certain foreigners. "By no means do I want to be cruel and keep people out who need a safe place. But we have to have a better system of thoroughly finding out who they are."

Wright is part of a group of Americans a new survey suggests are making distinctions between legal immigrants who choose to be here and refugees  who are legal immigrants, too  fleeing persecution in their home countries. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reflects that divide, with two-thirds of the respondents saying the benefits of legal immigration generally outweigh the risks. But just over half  52 percent  say refugees pose a great enough risk to further limit their entry into the United States.

Interviews with some of the poll's participants suggest the distinction may be one of perception in an age of religious and politically inspired violence and 4.8 million refugees fleeing war-scarred Syria.

"Sometimes the vetting might not be quality," said Randall Bagwell, 33, a Republican from of San Antonio, Texas, the state second to California in settling refugees between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31, according to the State Department. "Nobody can do quality control when they're just reacting immediately."

President Donald Trump has long linked tougher immigration limits to a safer country, and on Monday signed a new travel ban that, in part, will suspend refugee travel to the U.S. for four months except for those already on their way to the United States. The new order, which takes effect on March 16, will impose a 90-day ban on entry to the United States for people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen  all Muslim-majority nations  who are seeking new visas. It was Trump's second effort at a travel ban. The first was blocked by the courts.

Story continues

Also reflecting his hard line, Trump last week announced to Congress a new office to aid Americans and their families who are victims of immigrant violence. That's despite years of studies that have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born people.

Much of Trump's candidacy and young presidency have been powered by the idea that he will protect Americans from "bad dudes" who want to come here, issuing a mix of tough, if vague, policy  from "extreme vetting" to the travel ban, a border wall with Mexico and more.

Americans report conflicting feelings about immigrants just over six weeks into his presidency, the poll suggests. On the one hand, Americans see refugees as a risk apart from other legal immigrants, with a third of Democrats and 8 in 10 Republicans saying the risks are great enough to place more limits on refugees admitted to the U.S. Despite those fears, Americans still see legal immigration generally as a boon, the poll shows. More than 6 in 10 say a major benefit of legal immigration is that it enhances the reputation of the United States as a land of opportunity.

The good and bad of immigration has long been a painful and intensifying national debate. Trump has shown some flexibility  or inconsistency, depending on one's viewpoint  on his approach. For example, Iraq is no longer on the list of countries whose people are banned. Officials from the Pentagon and State Department had urged the White House to reconsider given Iraq's key role in fighting the Islamic State group. Also, the new order does not subject Syrians to an indefinite travel ban, as did the original.

Trump also has minimized talk of deporting all of the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally and suggested that he could be open to comprehensive immigration reform. That sparked both interest and skepticism on Capitol Hill, where a solution has stymied Congress for years.

But Trump's warnings about refugees in particular apparently have stuck in the American consciousness, according to the poll.

Refugees entering the U.S. undergo rigorous background checks, including a search of government databases that list people suspected of having ties to terrorist groups. Processing of refugees can take up to two years  and usually longer for those coming from Syria. After a year in the U.S., refugees are required to check in and obtain green cards. But U.S. officials have acknowledged that information on people coming from Syria, in particular, may be limited.

Mandy Gibson, 37, sees the benefits of admitting legal immigrants  but isn't so sure about refugees.

"Maybe it's the media. They are making refugees sound like they aren't legal immigrants and I don't necessarily understand, but they are different to me," said Gibson, who works in a Greensboro, North Carolina, grocery store. Either way, she said, "anybody who is coming from countries that have ISIS really should have a very thorough background check."

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,004 adults was conducted Feb. 16-20, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

___

Online:

AP-NORC: http://www.apnorc.org/

___

Follow Kellman and Swanson at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman and http://www.twitter.com/El_Swan
Trump with Navy

President Trump accused former President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower, which many saw as a distraction to take peoples minds of the recent Russian drama, and all of this seemed to make Americans feel a special prosecutor is needed now more than ever. With Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the investigation last Friday, there is a need for another investigator to look into things. Sessions was even connected to Russia in some way due to meeting with an Ambassador as a member of the Senate.

Regardless of why he did, Sessions is only one of the numerous people from the Trump administration that has been connected to Russia in some way. It seemed completely obvious, although circumstantial, that something is up regarding Russia and the Trump administration. As of now, President Trump himself does not have any major connections to Russia regarding the campaign for President. However, he has been very vocal about his liking of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Click here to continue and read more...
President Donald Trump on Tuesday falsely blamed former President Barack Obama for releasing from Guantanamo Bay 122 vicious prisoners who returned to terrorist activities.

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision! Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.

But Trumps accusation is inaccurate. As of July 15, 2016, a total of 693 Guantanamo Bay detainees had been transferred  122 of whom were confirmed to have reengaged in terrorist activities, according to a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Of those 122 people, 113 were released under former President George W. Bush. Just nine were released under Obama.

Trumps tweet followed a Fox & Friends segment on a U.S. airstrike in Yemen that killed a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.
Washington (AFP) - After a series of embarrassing revelations, ridesharing giant Uber faces challenges in keeping growth on track, with top executive Travis Kalanick likely to face pressure to give up some control.

Analysts say Uber's rocky past month -- marred by disclosures about a culture of sexism and its covert use of law enforcement-evading software -- underscores the need for more mature management at the world's most valuable venture-backed startup.

Kalanick, known for being brash and aggressive in propelling Uber's rise, could now become a liability as the company deals with more complex corporate issues, say some analysts.

The firm's founder and chief executive might help Uber by stepping aside as CEO, possibly taking the role of chairman, said Larry Chiagouris, a Pace University marketing professor

"If I were him I would remain connected to the business but I would step up and bring someone with a fresh face and a lot of maturity," said Chiagouris.

This would "give riders and drivers a sense there is a serious and mature person running the business," he said. "He needs to find a way to put a face on Uber other than his own."

Uber's woes appeared to deepen last week with the release of a dashcam video of showing Kalanick cursing at a driver, followed days later by its admission that the company used secret software to steer drivers away from problems, though it denied reports the "Greyball" program was used to evade sting operations.

"They have a history of priding themselves about being aggressive in moving into markets," said Daniel Korschun of Drexel University's LeBow School of Marketing.

"Some of this is starting to come back to haunt them. This aggressive behavior is coming out in ways that are disturbing to their stakeholder base."

Uber, whose valuation based on its most recent investment is estimated at some $68 billion, needs to balance the interests of its investors, riders and drivers, according to Korschun.

Story continues

- 'On its heels' -

But Uber lost tens of thousands of users from the dust-up when Kalanick joined and then quit a panel advising President Donald Trump. This and the other incidents could have dented its value, Korschun said.

"It's clear this is a company on its heels," said Korschun.

San Francisco-based Uber last month hired former attorney general Eric Holder to review workplace conditions after an ex-employee alleged sexual harassment and sexism at the firm.

Separately, Google's parent company Alphabet filed a lawsuit against Uber alleging the ridesharing firm used stolen technology for its autonomous driving program.

Adding to the pile-up of woes, Kalanick last week was forced to make a humbling apology after a video showed him verbally abusing a driver for the service; at the same time he admitted "I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up."

Scott Galloway, who teaches brand strategy and digital marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business, said Uber has little room for further error after these missteps.

Galloway, who also founded business intelligence firm L2, said the news about Uber over the past month has been "very damaging" but may be surmountable.

- Importance of likeability -

"What the market underestimates is the importance of being likeable; the CEO needs to be likeable," Galloway said.

Having a reputation for being disagreeable "will cost your shareholders billions."

Galloway said Kalanick's image problems can affect not only customers, but regulators and the news media.

"The media is more apt to create a pattern and publish more negative stories," he said. "I would say he's one screw-up away from being promoted to chairman."

Analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group said Kalanick's rough-and-tumble image may not be suited to CEO of a major technology company.

Kalanick "doesn't get the need for maintaining image," Enderle said.

"He is relatively young, dropped out of college, and lacks the breadth of experience in business and education to give him the skills to deal with a lot of this stuff; which is why everything is turning into a crisis."

"If this continues, he is going to have to step down to save the company," Enderle said.

For now, Uber remains a major force in the so-called "sharing economy" with tens of thousands of drivers operating in dozens of countries.

The latest missteps may be "a minor bump in the road" if Uber is able to recover, according to Chiagouris.

"Uber provides an enormously valuable service and in many cases there are no cost effective alteratives," he said.

"But Uber won't have an unlimited amount of goodwill if this continues."


President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday that bars travelers from six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States.

The temporary ban removes Iraq from the list of countries covered in a previous order announced January 27. The new order bars travelers from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya for 90 days. It also prevents all refugees from entering the United States for 120 days.

U.S. officials said Iraq was removed from the list after Iraqi officials promised to increase cooperation with U.S. officials on vetting procedures.

The new restrictions will take effect March 16. They will not affect legal permanent residents - those with green cards - or travelers who already had valid visas as of January 27.

The new order comes after a federal judge in the state of Washington blocked the earlier ban in a ruling last month.

Trump signed the order Monday in private. The order was announced jointly by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

Kelly said the order is meant to prevent enemies from using American freedoms and generosity to cause harm to U.S. citizens.

Todays executive order - which president Trump signed this morning - will make America more secure, and address long overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system.

The original travel ban caused confusion at many U.S. airports when Homeland Security officials attempted to interpret how it should be carried out. Some travelers were detained before being sent back overseas or blocked from getting on airplanes abroad. The order quickly became the subject of several legal challenges.



Mondays order left out an earlier requirement indefinitely barring Syrian refugees. Language giving preference to "religious minorities" was also removed.

Critics of the original order questioned whether the Muslim-majority countries were targeted for religious reasons. A senior official from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied this on Monday. "This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form, the official said.

President Donald Trump has called for stronger vetting procedures to keep out dangerous individuals and terrorists. His administration has said some refugees - as well as immigrants and travelers from certain countries - could pose a security risk to the U.S.



The White House released information Monday saying "terrorism related investigations" were currently underway by the FBI involving at least 300 individuals who came to the U.S. as refugees. When pushed for details, the senior DHS official did not comment further, but said the cases were "truly an alarming number.

With the latest order, the Trump administration is aiming to survive new court challenges. Attorney General Sessions said his department was committed to defending the order, which he called a lawful and proper exercise of presidential authority.

This Department of Justice will defend and enforce lawful orders of the president, consistent with the core principles of our constitution.

Groups opposed to the first order are likely to object to the new order as well. In a statement Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the revised restrictions have the same fatal flaws as the original.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, criticized the new travel order, calling it a watered down ban.

Despite the administrations changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed, Schumer said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

William Gallo and Victoria Macchi reported on this story for VOA. Bryan Lynn adapted the story for Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the latest government travel restrictions for U.S. visitors? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

vetting  n. investigating someones background thoroughly

generosity  n. quality of being kind, not selfish

confusion  n. state in which people do not understand what is going on

indefinitely  adv. for a period of time that does not end

alarming  adj. causing a feeling or sense of concern or danger

core  adj. more important or basic

principle  n. rule or belief that guides ones behavior

flaw  n. a small fault or weakness

repeal  v. officially eliminate a law
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pardoned a 46-year old woman who was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for sending a text message to a Georgian acquaintance about the movement of Russian military equipment. An order from the president published by the Kremlin said Oksana Sevastidi, sentenced for treason in March 2016, would be relieved from completing the rest of her sentence, citing humanitarian principles. Sevastidi was found guilty of treason after she sent a text message describing the movement of a train which carried Russian military hardware near the border with Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia not long before a war broke out in 2008. According to an interview with Sevastidi's mother Svetlana in Russia's daily MK, the message was sent to a man who Oksana Sevastidi had only met twice and her mother has not been able to reach since. The mother said Oksana had little interest in politics but was a member of the ruling party United Russia. Svetlana said the exchange was the man asking "Oksana, are there tanks on your platform." Oksana answered: "There were before but now I don't know." The case was criticized by rights groups, with the local group Memorial branding Sevastidi a political prisoner. Memorial, which Sevastidi had asked for help, said she was found guilty under Article 275 of Russia's criminal code. Asked whether Sevastidi had asked to be pardoned and whether she admitted wrongdoing, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday declined to answer. In December Putin promised to sort out her case, calling the court decision "quite harsh". "She wrote what she saw, what everyone saw, so that means it cannot be any big secret," he said at the time. The pardon would be enacted five days after its publication. (This version of the story was refiled to fix typo in first word of paragraph 5) (Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva and Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media said Tuesday, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur.

"All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved," the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

The North has yet to confirm the dead man's identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Malaysia expelled the North's ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated late Monday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyang's foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a "fair and timely manner based on goodwill".

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to "conduct business and live normally" while the travel ban is in place, it added.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump faced mounting concern from fellow Republicans Tuesday over their party's plan to replace Obamacare, with conservatives warning the bill was too similar to existing controversial health care law.

Several far-right lawmakers said the Republican plan abandons conservative fiscal principles by maintaining government subsidies of the Affordable Care Act, but under the guise of "refundable tax credits" for people to purchase their own health insurance.

"This is Obamacare Lite, it will not pass," fumed Senator Rand Paul on Fox News.

Later, he told reporters that Republicans were "united on repeal, but divided on replacement."

Other Republicans described the bill -- the result of seven years of effort -- as a missed opportunity, even a step in the wrong direction.

"We don't know how much it will cost, and we don't know if this bill will make health care more affordable for Americans," said Senator Mike Lee, who opposes the use of tax credits.

With rebellion brewing, Trump hosted more than 20 House Republicans at the White House, where he said he is "proud" to back the plan and anticipated Congress would vote to repeal Obamacare "quickly."

"They want Obamacare over," he said of Americans who voted Trump into office. "So let's get it done."

The legislation gets its first official review in Congress Wednesday, when two House committees debate and possibly amend the bill.

Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress.

If enough Republicans defect, particularly in the Senate, where they hold a narrow 52-48 majority, the highly anticipated repeal-and-replace plan could collapse.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has shepherded the bill through several drafts, sought to downplay divisions within his party.

"We will have 218 when this thing comes to the floor, I can guarantee you that," Ryan said, referring to the majority votes needed to pass legislation in the 435-member chamber.

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- 'Ryancare' -

Pressure from outside Congress swelled quickly Tuesday, with several conservative groups opposing the plan.

The pro-free-market Club for Growth labeled it "Ryancare," after the speaker, and said it was a "warmed-over substitute for government-run health care."

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence was dispatched to the US Capitol to huddle with Senate Republicans in a show of support for the legislation that was crafted by House Republican leadership.

Pence said afterwards that the bill remained "open to improvement" through the legislative process.

That debate is proceeding apace "and will continue to be vigorous," said Senator Ted Cruz, who said he had "a number of concerns" with the House legislation.

"We can not do nothing at all," Cruz said. "Failure is not an option."

The bill has come in for criticism from more moderate factions too, including four Republican senators whose states expanded the low-income Medicaid program through Obamacare.

Those states' Republican governors are concerned that the planned phaseout of the expansion under the new bill would leave thousands of residents without coverage.

Reforms implemented under then-president Barack Obama are credited with helping 20 million Americans gain coverage, but have been criticized for rising premiums and other costs.

Democrats have savaged the bill as an immoral shift of costs from the wealthy to poor and working-class Americans.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price explained that "it's the beginning of the process" and that extensive negotiations were ahead.

The goal, top Republicans said, is swift debate and adoption of the Obamacare substitute prior to the Easter break that begins April 8.
The health care plan released Monday by House Republicans has drawn criticism from many of the partys owm lawmakers.

Some GOP legislators and conservative groups  including Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity and the Tea Party Patriots  have spoken out against aspects of the drafted legislation. Several have called for an immediate repeal of the Affordable Care Act, while others have critiqued the proposals effects on Medicaid.

Here are the Republican legislators who have criticized the new plan:

Utah Sen. Mike Lee

This isn't the #Obamacare repeal bill weve been waiting for. It's a missed opportunity and step in wrong direction: https://t.co/922ees4RFB  Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) March 7, 2017

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul

Paul has been one of the more outspoken critics about the plan, repeatedly calling it Obamacare Lite and warning that it wont pass.

Th House leadership plan is Obamacare Lite. It will not pass. Conservarives are not going to take it. #FullRepeal  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 7, 2017

The House leadership Obamacare Lite plan has many problems. We should be stopping mandates, taxes and entitlements not keeping them.  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 7, 2017

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows

Meadows co-authored a Fox News column with Paul, calling for a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, separate from a replacement bill.

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Conservatives dont want new taxes, new entitlements and an Obamacare Lite bill. If leadership insists on replacing Obamacare with Obamacare-lite, no repeal will pass, they wrote in the column. Nobody wants Obamacare repealed more than we do. We think the only way to repeal Obamacare is to separate repeal from replace.

Op-ed w/ my friend Senator @RandPaul  Let's fully repeal ObamaCare, then have an open debate on how to replace it.https://t.co/Hm0yNHetXd  Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) March 6, 2017

Michigan Rep. Justin Amash

New plan does not repeal/replace; it repackages Obamacare. It's a political plan that signals retreat and will not reduce health care costs.  Justin Amash (@justinamash) March 7, 2017

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert

In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity on Monday, Gohmert criticized the new plan as another entitlement program.

ICYMI: Joined @seanhannity last night to discuss House GOP plan to repeal and replace #Obamacare VIDEO: https://t.co/X0Tx9soe5V  Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) March 7, 2017

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday, all four senators criticized the health care plan, arguing that it lacks protections for Medicaid. They wrote that the plan fails to provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states.

The four senators, who said they support repealing the Affordable Care Act, said they wont support a plan that doesnt include that stability or flexibility.

I support efforts to repeal & replace #ObamaCare, but we must protect the most vulnerable populations: https://t.co/LeTYvlNByG  Rob Portman (@senrobportman) March 6, 2017

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan

This is Obamacare by a different form, Jordan, the former Freedom Caucus chairman, told Politico. Theyre still keeping the taxes in place and Medicaid expansion, and theyre starting a new entitlement.



Virginia Rep. Dave Brat

Brat said he would not support the bill in its current form.

Now [they] are saying were going to do repeal and replace but the bill does nothing of the sort, he told Politico. [Speaker] Paul Ryan has always said the entire rationale for this bill is to bend the cost curve down, and so far I have seen no evidence that this bill will bring the cost curve down.
(WASHINGTON)  The nations passionate debate about the role of government in providing health care for citizens and paying the costs is unlikely to be settled by the legislation newly revealed by House Republicans.

With Republicans now controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, the bill would drive government policy down routes long advocated by conservatives. The course correction would take at least two years to get rolling, and probably longer to show definitive results. If it falls short, it would give rise to a fresh set of health care grievances.

The Republican legislation would limit future federal funding for Medicaid, which covers low-income people, about 1 in 5 Americans. And it would loosen rules that former President Barack Obamas law imposed for health plans directly purchased by individuals, while also scaling back insurance subsidies.

Republicans say their solutions would make Medicaid more cost-efficient without punishing the poor and disabled, while spurring private insurers to offer attractive products for the estimated 20 million consumers in the market for individual policies.

Read more: 5 Things to Know Now About the GOPs Obamacare Replacement Plan

But Democrats say the bill would make many people uninsured, shifting costs to states and hospital systems that act as providers of last resort. Individual policy holders might be able to find low-premium plans, only to be exposed to higher deductibles and copayments.

There are no easy answers, said Dan Mendelson, CEO of the consulting firm Avalere Health. Health care is expensive and it becomes more expensive every year, he said. Under the GOP plan, it will be more expensive every year just like it was under the Democratic plan.

Nonetheless, he called the Republican proposal a feasible alternative.

Over the next few days, stakeholders will be dissecting the GOP proposal, which may become the second major shift on health care policy in less than a decade. Democratic and Republican governors, hospital executives, physician groups, insurers, drug makers and consumer groups will have their say. The bill will be measured against expansive promises that President Donald Trump made during the campaign.

Story continues

Trump made a lot of promises about making sure that people would not lose coverage and that costs would be lower, said Ron Pollack, head of the liberal advocacy group Families USA. This does the exact opposite of what he has promised.

House committees planned to begin voting on the legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the years defining battle in Congress and capping seven years of GOP vows to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Its unclear if Republicans can manage to overcome divisions within their own party and deliver a final product.

The plan would repeal the unpopular Obamacare fines on people who dont carry health insurance. It would replace income-based subsidies the law provides to help millions of Americans pay premiums with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes. Those payments would phase out for higher-earning people.

The bill would continue Obamas expansion of Medicaid to additional low-earning Americans until 2020. Beginning then, states adding Medicaid recipients would no longer receive the additional federal funds the statute has provided. Of even greater consequence, total federal Medicaid funding would be limited according to a formula taking into account enrollment and costs in each state.

Republicans said they dont have official coverage estimates yet, but aides from both parties and nonpartisan analysts have said they expect those numbers to be lower.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the bill would drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance.

Solid opposition from Democrats is a given. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, Republicans have decided that affordable health care should be the privilege of the wealthy, not the right of every family in America.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wouldnt rule out changes by his chamber, where significant numbers of moderate Republicans have expressed concerns that the measure could leave too many voters without coverage.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia opted to expand Medicaid coverage under the Obama-era law to an estimated 11 million people. Around half those states have GOP governors, who are largely reluctant to see that spending curtailed.

In another feature that could alienate moderate Republicans, the measure would block for one year federal payments to Planned Parenthood, the womens health organization long opposed by many in the party because it provides abortions.

A series of tax increases used to finance the Obama overhauls coverage expansion would be repealed as of 2018.

In a last-minute change to satisfy conservative lawmakers, business and unions, Republicans dropped a plan pushed by Ryan to impose a first-ever tax on the most generous employer-provided health plans. Instead, a similar tax imposed by Obamas law on expensive plans set to take effect in 2020 would now begin in 2025.

Popular consumer protections in the Obama law would be retained, such as insurance safeguards for people with pre-existing medical problems, and parents ability to keep young adult children on their insurance until age 26.

To prod healthier people to buy policies, insurers would boost premiums by 30 percent for consumers who let insurance lapse.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.
The Republican Party clarified its vision for post-Obamacare health coverage Monday afternoon as Speaker Paul Ryan released a draft bill. Hidden in plain sight among the details is the reality that this plan would further widen the fissures that exist not only in our health system but in our society at large.

The United States spends more money on health care than any other country in the world yet it doesnt achieve anywhere near the best possible outcomes for its citizens. Its true that some Americans live long healthy lives, much like those residing in the healthiest countries in the world, such as Japan and Sweden. The average lifespan of women in Fairfax, Va., right outside Washington D.C., is 85 years  three years longer than the average for women in the United States. But just 350 miles away, in McDowell County, W.Va., the average woman lives just 72 years. The gap is even wider for men.

And there are many Americans whose life expectancies are even lower than people living in developing countries such as Algeria and Bangladesh. In fact, a recent report in the Lancet showed that the overall life expectancy of Americans might soon be on par with people living in Mexico and the Czech Republic.

The reason for such large differences is that even though America appears to be one country, from an epidemiological point of view it is in fact two: the America that poor people live in is very different from the America the rich live in. Affluent Americans tend to live longer, healthier lives than poor Americans.

Read more: What you need to know about the big Obamacare fight: Medicaid

Take heart attacks as an example of this disparity. In research that several colleagues and I recently published, poor Americans are less likely to be prescribed lifesaving drugs such as cholesterol-lowering statins to prevent heart attacks. Such stark disparities also occur at the end of life. Despite a widespread desire to be able to take ones last breath at home, Americans who are poor are much less likely to die at home than people who are affluent.

Story continues

The American health system has not alleviated these stark differences in the health of the rich and the poor. Instead, it has exacerbated them over the past few decades. Inequities in income have such a stark effect on health in the US that they alone are the reason more than 80 percent of US counties have fallen behind in life expectancy compared to international standards.

Its interesting to note that inequality in health is an artifact of modern medical care. Before medicine was a science, people in rich countries were as likely to live short, stunted lives as people in poor countries. The advent of medical science effectively introduced tiers of health in society, stratified by the ability to access quality care. Such disparities are vastly lessened in health systems like Canadas, where access to care is not defined by income.

By expanding insurance coverage, particularly through expansion of Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act provided access to affordable health care for the very first time to many individuals and families who hadnt been able to afford insurance before. The number of uninsured Americans is lower today than at any previous point in history; simultaneously, spending on health care grew at a slower rate during the Obama years than under any other recent administration.

Yet those historic achievements werent mentioned in any communications coming from Republican quarters. Instead, the carefully constructed narrative emerging from every crevice seeks to paint the ACA as an unmitigated disaster. The Republican draft replacement for the ACA offered a laundry list of its inadequacies.

Read more: Obamacare repeal and Trumps spending plan put CDC budget in peril

The deliberate obfuscation of the ACA is perhaps the main reason why many who voted for Trump failed to understand that they would lose their insurance if the ACA were repealed.

Rolling back Medicaid, unlinking subsidies from income, necessitating work requirements for Medicaid eligibility  all measures championed by Seema Verma, President Trumps nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid  will further reduce access to health care for the poor. In essence, these changes will only increase the gap between the tiers of health and wellness experienced by different strata of American society.

The dangers of widening disparities in health between the rich and the poor threaten to have serious reverberations in a society already teeming with inequality. The irony is that many of those who will be affected by these cutbacks are people who voted Trump into power. McDowell County was the most pro-Trump county in the United States, yet it is also the county with the lowest life expectancy, driven primarily by poverty.

Income has a much stronger effect on health outcomes than even race or ethnicity, since McDowell county is 89 percent white, while Fairfax County is 53 percent white.

Physicians dedicate themselves to serving their patients and helping them achieve good and healthy lives. They do so with direct treatments that usually take the form of guidance, medications, and procedures. Yet in these times, physicians might help their patients even more by pushing their local lawmakers to recognize that there is no greater disability than poverty.

Republicans frequently use the term able-bodied adults to disparage poor individuals who have benefited from Medicaid expansion. That description represents a myopic view of health divorced of social context. Any physician who has treated less-fortunate patients will attest that of all the barriers to health that can be overcome in the hospital or clinic, socioeconomic constraints are the most intractable.

As lawmakers continue to explore the repeal of Obamacare and its replacement with something new (or at least borrowed), we will see if politicians take the high road and depoliticize the health of everyday Americans, or further pry open the cracks present in the fabric of our society.

Haider Javed Warraich, MD, is a fellow in cardiovascular disease at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. and the author of Modern Death  How Medicine Changed the End of Life (St. Martins Press, February 2017).
Protesters rally outside the White House on March 6 to protest President Trumps revised executive order on refugees and six majority-Muslim nations. (Photo: Garance Franke-Ruta)

ACLU TAUNTS TRUMP. President Trumps off-camera signing of a revised executive order temporarily barring entry to the U.S. of people from six majority Muslim countries, and all refugees from all countries, touched off a smattering of small protests Wednesday night.

Outside the White House, a group of 100 to 200 people gathered first on the Pennsylvania Avenue plaza in front of the building before being shooed away by Secret Service and regrouping in Lafayette Park. There, an array of speakers condemned the order, but remarks from the newly emboldened American Civil Liberties Union stood out for their obvious taunts of a president who has sought to make his personal brand synonymous with winning. These taunts have become a hallmark of the ACLU response to Trump since the first executive order, which he signed in late January, was blocked by the courts.

Lets make no bones about it: Todays ban is the Muslim ban 2.0, a reincarnation of the original, failed, defeated Muslim ban that was blocked by courts across the country, said ACLU legislative counsel Joanne Lin. Now, for some reason, President Trump and his advisers like losing, and they like losing badly, over and over again.

She recounted the short history of protests at airports and around the country against the ban, as well as the successful court efforts to block the deportation of people at airports and halt implementation of the executive order.

Round one resoundingly resulted in defeat for President Trump and victory for the American people and the Constitution  faced with humiliating defeat, the president was forced to throw away his original ban, which he has now replaced with a repackaged ban, she said. Now, hard as he may try to mask this or spin this, we all know that President Trump cannot disguise his discriminatory ban. Lets be crystal clear about this: Todays revised executive order is the Muslim ban 2.0. . Its too late now, Mr. President  you let the cat out of the bag long ago, and theres no way to cloak your naked, ugly, discriminatory intent. And guess what, President Trump? Your Muslim ban 2.0 is still unconstitutional and still illegal! The Constitution does not tolerate religious discrimination, and neither do the courts.

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QUIET RIOT. Central Valley Rep. David Valadao found a way to open his doors to people in his hometown without having to face protesters, hecklers and the public berating that scorched his Republican colleagues up and down California in recent weeks. Instead of staging a free-for-all town hall in a high school gym, on Monday afternoon the former dairy farmer invited local residents into his Hanford office for one-on-one, 10-minute chats, reports the Los Angeles Times. No shouting. No demonstrators or police. No politician on stage nervously pacing back and forth. And no TV news crews recording it all.

THE PASSING OF AN ERA. Activists in Ohio mourned the lack of town halls with , along with end of the world as they know it, reports the Columbus Dispatch:

About 200 people filled the rows of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday night in honor of Sen. Rob Portmans town hall that never was.

The In Memoriam, hosted by activist organization Indivisible Columbus, was a tongue-in-cheek gathering for local speakers to deliver eulogies on everything from immigration rights to facts, education, and representative democracy.

One of the reasons we styled this event as a memorial is that we wanted to drive home the seriousness of what I see as our senators so-far complicity in the erosion of the fabric of our democratic republic, organizer Meryl Neiman said.

He says that hes held town halls, but a closed fundraiser or a speech at a manufacturing facility is not a town hall.

STANDING ROCK COMES TO WASHINGTON. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which for much of the past year has been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline on its territory, announced last week that it will lead a march in Washington, D.C., this Friday. The Native Nations Rise March on Washington will be preceded by a three-day installation of tipis on the grounds of the Washington Monument, starting Tuesday, March 7th, along with on-site speakers.

They want us to believe the fight is over  but we can still win this. We can unite in peaceful, prayerful resistance against this illegal pipeline, said a statement by Chairman Dave Archambault II of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Now, we are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us. We must march against injustice  Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim.

THE CRAFTIVISTS ARE BACK. The Pussyhat Project that gave the womens marches of Jan. 21 their distinctive look is holding a Pussyhat Global Virtual March on International Womens Day, when the Womens March organization has called for a general strike under the rubric, A Day Without a Woman. The hat knitters are calling for supporters to Put on your pussyhat, make a sign about where you are and what you are for and take a picture on Wednesday  flooding social media with images of the pink knitted or crocheted caps and the hashtag #pussyhatglobal. Its also encouraging those who take the day off from work to consider gathering in knitting circles to make more hats.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Editor's note: This story was written by a participant in the VOA Learning English online course, "Writing Science in Plain English" at the American Resource Center in the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. A writing contest followed the online course. His winning story, A Loyalty Program to Save Mother and Child was the first place winner. This new story tells about a happy event for science students at his school.

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

A group of students from Kenya was among winners of the 2017 Zayed Future Energy Prize.

The 10-member team is receiving a $100,000 award to make their school a green energy institution.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize winners were recognized at a ceremony in January in Abu Dhabi. The prize is named after the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The award is presented every year through a competitive process. It goes to organizations or individuals with new ideas about renewable energy to help in efforts against global warming.

Scientists have evidence that temperatures in Earths atmosphere and oceans are slowly rising. They blame the temperature increase on pollution from carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Over the past 100 years, the Earths atmospheric temperature has risen by between 0.4 and 0.8 degrees Celsius. The United States government says last year was the warmest year on record. The 2016 globally averaged surface temperature ended as the highest since record-keeping began in 1880, U.S. scientists reported.

The Kenyan students were recognized for their plan to improve the Starehe Girls Centre and School, a secondary school about 20 kilometers north of Nairobi.

The students say they will use some of the prize money to create a 25-kilowatt embedded solar carport. Under their proposal, the school would set up solar equipment to collect energy from the sun. The system is expected to reduce the schools dependence of electric power centers by 20%, or $1,100 a month.

Jane Soita is the Starehe school's director. She noted: It costs $850 per girl in Starehe Girls Centre. Through this project, savings in electricity will enable us to support 10 more needy girls per year.

The students' plan includes 10 solar-power street lights and 4 solar water heaters. The heaters will give the girls a chance to wash with warm water. The hot water system will also serve the school's food service area and medical center.

The Kenyan team competed in designing and modeling a solar powered car at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. The cars solar panel creates electricity from sunlight. The students tested their vehicle in a race. It finished in fourth place out of 15 schools.

The teams success has led to at least one offer of more money for the school. Kenyas Ministry of Education, through the National Commission of Science and Innovation, promised an additional $20,000.

A representative of the Solar Sisters organization promised to partner with the school in empowering the girls on clean energy. Solar Sisters works with women interested in setting up solar energy businesses. The organization operates in Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. But the project had an effect on the representative, who promised to extend Solar Sisters work to Kenya.

The Starehe Girls Centre sits on 55 hectares of land. Andrew Simolo is a project mentor and Geography teacher at the school. He notes that, Fifty percent of the school is covered with a forest and a water reservoir. We believe ecosystems sustain life.

The school administration and teachers believe in protecting the environment. They have a custom of asking every visitor at the school to plant a tree on the property.

The ideas suggested by the Kenyan students show their great potential.

We are young ambassadors of change in the world through creative thinking and implementing a clean energy development project, noted Wilkista Onyango. She is a Starehe Girls graduate and served as a project leader.

Young minds play an important role in leading others to developing technology. This will help to fight issues facing the world, such as climate change and sustainable energy.

Im Jill Robbins.

John Njoroge and David Mwangi wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

This is a video of the school's proposal:

This is a news report after the students won the prize.

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Words in This Story

carport - n. a shelter for a car that has open sides and that is usually attached to the side of a building

sustain - adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed

mentor - n. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

innovation - n. a new idea, device, or method

implement - v. to make (something) active or effective

embedded  adj. to make something a part of

Has a school near you started any green energy programs? What are students in your area doing to make their school or town more sustainable? Write to us in the Comments Section.
Paris (AFP) - Scandal-plagued French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon was hit by a new revelation on Tuesday, this time over an interest-free, undeclared loan he received from a billionaire friend.

The conservative candidate "did not deem it necessary" to report the 50,000 euros ($53,000) loan he received from Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere in 2013 to a state transparency watchdog, the Canard Enchaine weekly said in its edition to appear Wednesday.

"The 'oversight' may be costly for the presidential candidate," said the investigative and satirical newspaper, which also made the allegations in January about the fake jobs scandal that has threatened to derail Fillon's candidacy.

Le Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon's lawyer Antonin Levy had confirmed the loan had been repaid in full, but did not say when.

Once the frontrunner to become France's next president in May, 63-year-old Fillon has had to battle to stay in the race because of the revelations that he had paid his wife Penelope hundreds of thousands of euros from public funds, allegedly for fake jobs.

The former prime minister is to be charged later this month.

Ladreit de Lacharriere is the CEO of Fimalac, a financial services holding company, and owns the literary magazine La Revue des Deux Mondes.

The publication paid Penelope Fillon some 100,000 euros in 2012-13 but there is little evidence of her work.

Investigators are looking into a possible link between this job and the bestowal of France's highest civilian honour, the Grand Croix of the Legion of Honour, on Ladreit de Lacharriere in 2011 when Fillon was prime minister.

The Canard Enchaine also said investigators were looking into a consultancy firm called 2F Conseil that Fillon set up in 2012 after he left office as prime minister, which the paper says has paid him hundreds of thousands of euros.

Fillon has denied any wrongdoing with his consultancy work.

- Party's 'unanimous' support -

Story continues

With just seven weeks to go before France goes to the polls in the April 23 first round of a two-stage vote, Fillon has remained as the rightwing candidate despite calls for him to allow rival Alain Juppe to stand in his place because of the scandal.

On Monday, he won the "unanimous" backing of his Republicans party after Juppe, 71, adamantly rejected the calls while lamenting the state of Fillon's candidacy, calling it a "waste".

Juppe also chastised Fillon for the disdain he has shown the justice system and his swipes at the media.

Fillon, campaigning as a sleaze-free candidate, was the surprise winner of the rightwing primary in November, besting Juppe who was convicted in 2004 over a party finance scandal.

The infighting among Republicans and Fillon's chaotic campaign have made an already unpredictable election even harder to call.

Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron, 39, has gone from strength t o strength, with the latest poll putting him neck-and-neck with far-right leader Marine Le Pen with 25.5 percent to 26.5 percent for her.

Fillon is lagging behind in third place with 18.5 percent, according to the Ifop-Fiducial poll out Tuesday.
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kenya Moore

Is Kenya Moore back with Matt Jordan? The latest episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta suggested that Kenya was still seeing Matt or at least still considering being in a relationship with him.

As the episode aired on Sunday, Kenya provided a relationship update. Apparently, she never did get back together with Matt. In response to a viewers tweet told Kenya she deserves better and that she should remain single until the right man finds her, Kenya said she and Matt broke up months ago. She admitted that the scenes showing her with Matt and talking about him now feel so old to her. Making it clear that shes happier now without Matt in her life, she added her life has completely changed and that God is good to her.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Rio de Janeiro's main airport said Tuesday it will mark International Women's Day by temporarily changing its name in honor of a prominent activist against domestic violence, Maria da Penha.

The international airport currently named after Brazilian music icon Tom Jobim -- although more commonly known as Rio Galeao -- will get the new name for 10 days starting Wednesday, said spokeswoman Bianca Ferreira.

Also to join in the worldwide March 8 events highlighting women's rights, two Brazilian GOL Airline flights were being staffed entirely by female crew and pilots on Tuesday and Wednesday, Ferreira said.

Maria da Penha is a Brazilian biopharmacist who survived brutal abuse by her husband, including being shot and electrocuted. She fought for justice in the courts and in 2006 gave her name to legislation known as the Maria da Penha law, which targets domestic violence against women.

The temporary airport renaming aims "to stir discussion on questions related to women's rights by taking advantage of the impact that an airport can generate, thanks to the high number of people passing through the terminals every day," the airport said in a statement.

Brazil, one of the most violent countries in the world, is plagued by abuse of women.

A major study last year found that 4,757 women were murdered in 2014, up 11.6 percent on a decade earlier. Physical harassment and assault are a common problem in public places, with one assault occurring every four minutes during Rio's recent carnival parties, according to police.
(NEW YORK)  The Anti-Defamation League and several Jewish community centers across the country got a new round of bomb threats Tuesday, prompting a school in Chicago to evacuate and adding to the scores they have been plagued with since January.

The JCC Association of North America said several Jewish community centers received email or phone threats overnight and early Tuesday but didnt specify how many.

Two suburban Jewish community centers in upstate New York were shut down when someone phoned in bomb threats, authorities said. The Jewish Community Center in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay was closed for almost two hours.

In Providence, Rhode Island, police said an administrator at the Jewish Community Day School, attached to a synagogue, received a threat Tuesday morning alleging there was a shooter with an assault rifle on the roof of the building. Police and a K-9 team swept the building; no one was found.

Chicago Jewish Day School on the citys north side was evacuated for a few hours while police investigated.

In New York, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said there were five threats made, including to the Anti-Defamation League, which also received threats to offices in Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C. and in Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Maryland and Toronto.

This is a moment in time, in history, where forces of hate have been unleashed, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a Jewish Community Center on Staten Island that had received threats. It is exceedingly unsettling.

Federal officials have been investigating more than 120 threats against Jewish organizations in three dozen states since Jan. 9 and a rash of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries.

On Friday, Missouri resident Juan Thompson was arrested on a cyberstalking charge and accused of making at least eight of the threats nationwide, including one to the ADL. Authorities said Thompson was trying to harass and frame his ex-girlfriend by pinning the threats on her.

A criminal complaint said Thompson started making threats Jan. 28. He claimed on Twitter the ex-girlfriend was behind the calls. Thompson is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in St. Louis for a hearing to determine if he should remain detained pending trial.

Authorities are looking for other suspects in the threats.
The Hague (AFP) - Russia hit back Tuesday at claims of "sponsoring terrorism" in war-torn eastern Ukraine, dismissing Kiev's accusations it is breaking treaties by supporting pro-Moscow rebels as "neither factual nor legal".

"The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under (the) treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine," in a case before the UN's top International Court of Justice, Moscow's representative said.

"We see neither a legal nor factual basis" for the measures asked for by Ukraine, Russian foreign ministry legal director Roman Kolodkin told the court in The Hague.

Ukraine on Monday urged the ICJ to order emergency measures to bring stability to its war-torn east.

Nearly three years of conflict have claimed about 10,000 lives in eastern Ukraine -- and led to Russia's seizure of Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea in 2014 -- pushing ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Kiev asked the court -- which rules in disputes between countries -- to order Moscow to stop funnelling money, arms and people into eastern Ukraine.

It also accuses Moscow of discriminating against non-Russian groups in the Crimea.

It wants the Kremlin to pay compensation to all civilians caught up in the conflict, including the victims of Malaysia Airways flight MH17, shot down in 2014 over eastern Ukraine with the loss of all 298 lives on board.
The Hague (AFP) - Russia hit back Tuesday at claims it is "sponsoring terrorism" in war-torn eastern Ukraine, dismissing as "neither factual nor legal" Kiev's contention that it is breaking its treaties by supporting pro-Moscow rebels.

"The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under (the) treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine," to bring a case before the UN's top International Court of Justice, Moscow's representative said.

"We see neither a legal nor factual basis" for the measures asked for by Ukraine, Roman Kolodkin, legal director at Russia's foreign ministry, told the court in The Hague.

Ukraine on Monday urged the ICJ to order emergency measures to bring stability to its eastern regions. It said its claim against Moscow was based on the international convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism and the convention of elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.

But Kolodkin said these were issues "clearly beyond the court's jurisdiction."

Nearly three years of conflict have claimed about 10,000 lives in eastern Ukraine -- and led to Russia's seizure of Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea in 2014 -- pushing ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Ukraine lodged its case at the ICJ in mid-January, saying it had protested for several years against Moscow's alleged financing of pro-Russian separatist rebels battling Ukrainian government forces.

Kiev has asked the court -- which rules in disputes between countries -- to order Moscow to stop funnelling money, arms and people into eastern Ukraine.

- 'Misleading the court' -

But Ilya Rogachev, another Russian representative, told the 16 judges hearing the case that Kiev "is misleading the court."

Ukraine "is involved in an armed conflict being waged by its authorities and its armed forces including irregular battalions against the people of the eastern Ukraine," Rogachev said.

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"Stigmatising those as terrorists and sponsors of terrorism could have serious consequences" in future peace talks, he warned.

"Ukraine's own evidence, which shows that it is at least equally engaged in indiscriminate shelling, places a very important question mark next to the characterisation that Ukraine alone places on these acts as acts of terrorism," added one of Russia's lawyers, Samuel Wordsworth.

Ukraine also accuses Moscow of discriminating against non-Russian minorities in Crimea.

But Russia's representatives said they "disagreed" with Kiev's claims, including that Crimea was part of Ukraine.

"The people of Crimea were not consulted" when the peninsula was handed to Ukraine in 1954, at a time when both Moscow and Kiev were part of the Soviet Union, while "the majority of its people wants to be part of the Russian Federation," Rogachev said.

- Fruitless talks -

Ukraine now wants the Kremlin to pay compensation to civilians caught up in the conflict, including the victims of Malaysia Airways flight MH17, shot down in 2014 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 on board.

Russia's representatives said the country was cooperating in an ongoing investigation into the fate of MH17.

But it "expressed disagreement" with the findings of the Dutch Safety Board and a joint international investigation team, which said the plane was struck by a Russian-made BUK missile fired from rebel-held territory.

A small group of victims' relatives gathered outside the scenic Peace Palace in The Hague where the ICJ is housed, waving placards saying "Justice for MH17."

"There is still no justice and not one country is taking responsibility for what happened," said Thomas Schansman, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the disaster.

"We have been waiting for almost three years now," he told AFP.

Rare talks between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the last month proved "fruitless", the Ukrainian presidency has said.

The hearings come after a surge in the violence which killed 35 people in early February, centred around the government-held town of Avdiivka near the rebel bastion of Donetsk.

The ICJ was set up in 1945. While UN member nations are bound to abide by the tribunal's decisions, the court's ruling is unlikely to have much concrete effect on the ground, experts said.
Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Tuesday said the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast" will be released with an adults only rating after an ultra-conservative lawmaker sought its ban over a "gay moment."

A spokesman for the culture ministry said the "film is coming out with a 16+ age certificate," RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The film's director Bill Condon has revealed that it contains Disney's "first exclusively gay moment", although some critics have said this was less than overwhelming.

Disney had previously announced the film as a 6+ in its promotional campaign for Russia, where it is due to come out March 16.

Walt Disney Company Russia & CIS confirmed the 16+ age rating in a statement sent to AFP. A spokeswoman said the company would not make any comment.

National lawmaker Vitaly Milonov on Saturday asked Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky to check the film for breaches of a controversial law that bans "gay propaganda" to minors.

Milonov was one of the chief architects of the law that President Vladimir Putin signed in 2013 despite a storm of international condemnation.

Milonov said Tuesday he was pleased with the age restriction. He said it aims to impose "new European standards of tolerance so (children) think this is all the norm."

In his letter to the culture minister, Milonov called the Disney film "blatant, shameless propaganda of sin and perverted sexual relationships."

He called for it to be banned from cinemas if it was found to contain "elements of propaganda of homosexuality."

The law bans disseminating information that could interest minors in "non-traditional sexual relationships." It has been used as a pretext to ban gay pride events.

With outspoken views, Milonov has attacked everything from Facebook to the Eurovision Song Contest and called for the creation of a morality police to fine people who violate "traditional values".

Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 and only in 1999 lifted its classification as a mental illnesses.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders went on a tweet-storm Monday calling President Donald Trump a liar who could chip away at the respect for the United States worldwide. Sanders' inspiration was the president's recent claim, made without providing evidence, that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower in New York City ahead of the 2016 election.

Sanders quote-tweeted Trump  meaning the president's original tweet about Obama was visible  and posted "President Trump cannot continue to lie, lie, lie. It diminishes the office of the president and our standing in the world."

Sanders didn't stop there. "Trump said 3-5 million people voted illegally and that his victory 'was the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan.' Both lies," Sanders added. "Trump said it looked like a million and a half people" at his inauguration. Not even close... And Trump was lying long before he was president when he tried to delegitimize our first black president with the 'birther' conspiracy... The United States will not be respected or taken seriously around the world if [Trump] continues to shamelessly lie."

Trump has not yet responded to the Vermont senator. The former director of national intelligence, the head of the FBI and an Obama spokesman all denied the wiretap occurred. Trump made the claim Saturday morning in a series of tweets.

This isn't the first time Sanders has gone after the president on Twitter. Sanders electrified a portion of voters on the left and often finds himself starkly at odds with Trump's policies and stances.

Sanders, in fact, recently trolled Trump on Twitter about the size of his inauguration crowd, which became a perhaps odd sticking point for the president during his first few days in the White House. Sanders also spoke out against Trump after the president delivered his first major speech to a join session of Congress last week. During a video on Facebook Live, he urged folks to stay active and to continue to fight the president.

"Those of you who attended rallies or town hall meetings: Keep showing up, keep calling Congress, and continue to fight," Sanders said. "If you haven't taken action yet, we need your voice. Only together when millions of people stand up for economic justice, for social justice, for racial justice, for environmental justice, only then can we create a political revolution that will turn this country around."

Related Articles


The Russian Revolution took place 100 years ago.

The revolution ended a political system based on the leadership of a single person. It also led to the rise of the Soviet Union.

A century ago, Russias Tsar Nicholas the Second was forced to give up power because of a rebellion against his rule. It is known as the February Revolution because Russia used the Gregorian calendar for record-keeping purposes.

Some Russians still defend the old system and its leaders. Some of them hope Russia will someday have a new tsar.

The Russian revolution led to the creation of a provisional or temporary government. Months later, Bolshevik activists overthrew that government. That led to the rise of the Soviet Union and the spread of communism.

World War I was taking place 100 years ago. Russia fought on the side of the Allies, which included Britain, France and the United States. They were fighting the Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

In St. Petersburg, living conditions worsened as the fighting continued. Many Russians were unhappy with the corruption they saw. Tens of thousands of factory workers turned against the tsar.

Igor Savrasov is the director of the Kirov Factory museum.

It was the third year of the war. There was not a big difference among the workers. There was a shortage of bread for everyone.

Wealthy families and supporters of the tsar fled Russia. But some returned later to join the new government.

Ivan Artsishevskiy teaches at the Center of Effective Communications.

I served in the Soviet army, so I fully went through the system. In my family, we all believed in being with Russia, whether its for good or for bad.

Artsishevskiy helped rebury members of Russias last royal family. They were executed by the Bolsheviks.

As the result of the Soviet achievements, a huge part of our genetic pool was destroyed, and the selection was of negative character. So now we must correct it.

A group called the Russian Imperial House works to keep alive the memory of the Romanov family, Russias former rulers. Alexander Zakatov leads the group.

We continue to stick to our monarchical convictions. And we continue to believe that monarchy for Russia is a historically natural mode of existence. Russia was a monarchy for more than a thousand years before the revolution, which brought us a lot of misfortunes.

Zakatov admits that there is little support in Russia for the return of a ruling family. Few Russians mourn the loss of monarchical rule. But many still remember the Bolsheviks who seized power, the civil war that followed and the Soviet system they established.

Im John Smith.

VOA Moscow Correspondent Daniel Schearf reported this story from St. Petersburg, Russia. John Smith adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

calendar  n. a document, chart, etc., that shows the days, weeks and months of a year

royal  adj. of or relating to a king or queen

genetic pool -- n. the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population.

negative  adj. harmful or bad; not wanted

character  n. the good qualities of a person that usually include moral or emotional strength, honesty and fairness

stick to  phrasal verb to not change (a decision, belief, etc.)

monarchy  n. a form of government in which a country is ruled by a monarch such as a king or queen

conviction  n. a strong belief or opinion

misfortune  n. bad luck
All is not well in the Arctic, where sea ice is in a long-term precipitous decline due to human-caused global warming. In February, for example, Arctic sea ice set a monthly record low, with sea ice extent coming in 455,600 square miles below the February 1981 to 2010 average.

That means that, at the end of February, the Arctic was missing an ice chunk the size of Texas, California and West Virginia combined, thanks to an unusually warm winter and long-term climate change.

That's a lot of missing sea ice.

SEE ALSO: Something is very, very wrong with the Arctic climate

To track sea ice trends, scientists have been using microwave sensors aboard Defense Department weather satellites that pass near the North Pole, but recent failures in key instruments plus delays in planning and launching next generation satellites means we may soon be flying blind in the Far North at the worst possible time.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, which tracks sea ice trends, warned in a news release on Tuesday that satellite data gaps may soon cause sea ice observations to go dark for a few years. The specific timeframe they're concerned about is the period between now and 2023.

The reasons for the concern are a little wonky, but they amount to a combination of aging, increasingly unreliable sensors aboard current satellites, a Pentagon decision not to launch a replacement satellite for one that failed on Feb. 11, 2016, and the likelihood that no new satellite with the necessary hardware will be in orbit until 2023 at the earliest.

Last year, a sensor on the Defense Department's F17 satellite that NSIDC scientists had long been relying on for sea ice observations malfunctioned. In response, the NSIDC switched to data coming from a different satellite sensor on another satellite.

The instrument, technically known as the 37 Gigahertz vertical polarization channel, is an important part of the algorithm that allows scientists to measure sea ice extent.

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Feb. 2017 Arctic sea ice extent compared to previous years. Notice a trend?

Image: nsidc

However, there are problems involving the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program that has provided scientists with a continuous record of sea ice observations since 1987. (Earlier data from other satellites extend that record back to 1979.)

Last year, the newest sensor, known as F19, went completely dark, causing "grave concerns" to arise about the long-term continuity of sea ice records, the NSIDC said in the release.

Right now, only two Defense Department satellite sensors aboard the F16 and F18 spacecrafts are "fully capable" of providing sea ice observations, and they're aging, having operated well beyond their five-year design lifetimes. Even with the failure of the F19 satellite, Congress instructed the Air Force to mothball a newer craft, known as F20, that the agency had already built.

"An easy fix would seem to be to get the final F-20 satellite out of storage and launch it, but as we understand it, it is to be dismantled," said Mark Serreze, the NSIDC director, in an email. "With any luck, we'll keep limping along with F-18 of F-16 until new capabilities come on line."

American scientists get some help from their international partners, although it wouldn't be a complete solution. Another similar satellite in use by Japan is also approaching the end of its design lifetime, but it provides sea ice extent data using a different technique.

The Japanese data, which is from an instrument known as the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer, or AMSR, is not the same exact information as what comes from the Defense Department satellites, which compromises the long-term record.

Incredibly, we may soon lose our "eyes in the sky" for monitoring rapidly melting #Arctic #SeaIce as gap in satellite coverage looms. https://t.co/xtjwIz9QbI  Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) March 6, 2017

Similarly, European satellites also help track sea ice, but they do not have the same instruments that the NSIDC researchers have relied upon for long-term records of sea ice trends.

New satellites with microwave sensors used to keep tabs on sea ice extent are not likely to be launched until 2022 at the earliest, the NSIDC says, which "presents a growing risk of a gap in the sea ice extent record."

If a gap does arise, it would mean sea ice data would be less reliable as scientists scramble to figure out how to obtain accurate data from other instruments and speed up the launch of new spacecraft.

Sea ice data gaps may not seem like a big deal, considering that few people live in the Arctic, but with the region increasingly opening up to ship traffic, oil and gas drilling and military activity, having an idea of precisely where ice is can be crucial to ensuring safety and protecting the environment.

In addition, having long-term records of sea ice trends is important for tracking climate change, and ideally scientists would have a yearlong overlap between an old and a new instrument in order to test the newer tool's reliability. The data gap means that may not be possible.

"It is a large concern," said Julienne Stroeve, a senior research scientist at the NSIDC. "When Congress told the Air Force to scrap the last built SSMIS F-20, combined with the failure of F-19, we realized there might indeed be a gap in the data record," she said, using the acronym for the microwave sensor aboard these satellites.

"Ideally it's best to continue the same satellite program so that inconsistencies are not introduced from using a different combination of wavelength bands or different spatial resolutions. But that will not happen now."

Scientists who have been shocked at the rapid climate change taking place in the Arctic, and at this unusually warm winter in particular, say they are worried about losing important monitoring tools that help them determine what's going on.

In short, a data gap would be a setback to climate science at a time when researchers can ill afford it.

"There is no need to panic, but there is growing concern," Serreze said.
A new coding technique could make it possible to condense your entire digital library onto a microscopic hard drive.

Except the hard drive won't consist of metals and plastic. It will be made of DNA.

Scientists in New York have developed a way to compress digital files and squeeze the data into the four base nucleotides of DNA: A, G, C and T. They did so by adapting an algorithm designed for streaming videos on cell phones.

SEE ALSO: India's database with biometric details of its billion citizens ignites privacy debate

"We take storage almost [for] granted, and we accumulate a lot of information in our daily life," said Yaniv Erlich, a computer science professor at Columbia University who co-authored a new study describing the technique.

"DNA is very compact," he said in a video interview. "It's one million times more compact than what you can get when you use a regular digital medium."

Yaniv Erlich, left, and Dina Zielinksi use a new coding strategy to store data in DNA molecules.

Image: New York Genome Center

Genetic code has other major advantages over hard drives and CDs: DNA can potentially last for millennia, if stored in the right conditions. (Just ask scientists trying to revive the long-extinct woolly mammoth.) And DNA won't ever become outdated  assuming we don't turn into cyborgs.

"If I try to hear Nirvana's Nevermind, my favorite CD twenty years ago, it's probably scratched and I cannot really listen to that," Erlich said. "But we can still retrieve DNA from skeletons that are thousands of years old. DNA will never be obsolete."

The research, published last week in the journal Science, is the latest in a growing number of studies to turn digital data into biological data.

Scientists are eyeing DNA because they already know it can store immense amounts of data in a minuscule space. Our genetic information  everything that makes us who we are  is stored within the microscopic chemical structure of DNA molecules. The idea with digital data is to take advantage of this dense, compact DNA structure and fill it with other types of information.

Story continues

Researchers like George Church of Harvard University and Nick Goldman and Ewan Birney at the European Bioinformatics Institute have developed pioneering methods for converting ones and zeros into A's, G's, C's and T's.

Erlich and his co-author Dina Zielinksi, an associate scientist at the New York Genome Center, say they've found the best data-storing method yet. Their coding strategy could potentially pack 215 petabytes of data onto a single gram of DNA  about 100 times more than methods published by Church, Goldman and Birney.

So how does it work?

To start, Erlich and Zielinksi selected 2 megabytes' worth of digital artifacts to write into the DNA, including a full computer operating system, an 1895 French film, a $50 Amazon gift card, a computer virus, and more.

They compressed those data files into one master file, then split the data into short strings of binary code made of ones and zeros. Next, they turned to an algorithm that  in extreme layman's terms  breaks up files and sends them as smaller chunks, called "droplets," to a storage device. (More formally, it's an erasure-correcting algorithm called fountain codes.)

The Columbia team randomly packaged their strings of binary code into these droplets. They then mapped the ones and zeros into the four nucleotide bases in DNA. The algorithm deleted any letter combinations known to create errors. It also added a barcode to each droplet, to help with reassembling the files later.

By the end, the scientists had generated a digital list of 72,000 DNA strands, each with 200 nucleotide bases. The duo sent these via text file to Twist Bioscience, a DNA-synthesis startup in San Francisco that specializes in transforming digital files into biological data.

Two weeks later, Erlich and Zielinksi received a vial holding a speck of DNA molecules.

Now their task was to transform those droplets into the original digital files. To do this, they used a modern sequencing technique to read the DNA strands. A software program translated the genetic code  A, G, C, T  back into ones and zeros.

They recovered their files with zero errors, according to their Science study.

But don't ditch your hard drive just yet.

This belabored, highly technical technique is also extremely expensive. Erlich and Zielinksi said they spent $7,000 to synthesize the DNA they used to archive their 2 megabytes of data, plus another $2,000 to read it.

The costs of this technique aren't likely to fall precipitously anytime soon, given the limited demand for data synthesizing, Sri Kosuri, a biochemistry professor at the University of California Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement.
Jerusalem (AFP) - The lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water has declined to its lowest level in a hundred years, an Israeli official said Tuesday.

The Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake, has suffered from four consecutive years of rain shortages, Amir Givati of Israel's Water Authority told military radio.

"The situation is serious," he said. "The lake has fallen to its lowest level for a century."

The level is 20 centimetres below what experts consider acceptable, the so-called "red line," he added.

The "regional drought affects the whole of the Middle East," Givati added.

The shortage of rainfall is affecting agriculture, the environment and animal life in the nearby area, he added.

The rest of Israel is spared from shortages thanks to five seawater desalination plants built along the Mediterranean coast.

They pump water through a pipeline system to homes throughout the country except for an area in northern Israel that is supposed to be supplied by the Sea of Galilee.

"A project to supply this entire part of northern Israel is under consideration. It is a challenge for the years to come," Givati added.

Three-quarters of the drinking water consumed by Israeli households comes from these desalination plants.

The Sea of Galilee covers roughly 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and is located 200 metres (656 feet) below sea level.

It is also an important Christian and Jewish pilgrimage site.

Christians believe the lake to be the site of a number of Jesus's miracles, including walking on water.
A secret 700-year-old cave belonging to the Knights Templar was found in Shropshire.

An extraordinary discovery was made when a 700-year-old Knights Templar cave was found beneath a farmers field in Shropshire, England, in a complex known as the Caynton Caves network. The Knights Templar were an important Catholic order who featured prominently during the Crusades, and their name comes from Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is where the Knights Templar are said to have first been created in 1129 by the Popes order, and their original duty was to help spiritual pilgrims who were visiting Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

The photographer Michael Scott, from Birmingham, saw a video of the 700-year-old Knights Templar cave in Shropshire and decided to visit the Caynton Caves network to witness them for himself. Some of Scotts photographs of the cave have been published, including those in The Mirror, and these show an exotic candlelit labyrinth which Fox News note looks extremely similar to scenes straight out of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Click here to continue and read more...
Amazon is plagued by counterfeit sellers  and so is its biggest rival.

Jack Ma, the chief executive of Alibaba, is finally doing something about it. Ma called on the Chinese government on Tuesday to crack down on counterfeiters.

If, for example, we imposed a seven-day prison sentence for every fake product sold, the world would look very different both in terms of intellectual property enforcement and food and drug safety, as well as our ability to foster innovation, Ma wrote in an open letter on the social network Weibo, according to the Financial Times.

Ma addressed his letter to the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In the past, Ma has defended counterfeiters and said they're sometimes better than the real thing, FT reported.

SEE ALSO: Trump seems to like at least one thing about China: Alibaba's Jack Ma

But more recently, Ma has joined Amazon in trying to do something about the rash of counterfeit products on his e-commerce platform. In early January, Alibaba filed its first lawsuit against counterfeit sellers  in this case someone selling fake Swarovski watches.

Later that month, Alibaba launched the Alibaba Big Data Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance, an effort to use machine learning to remove counterfeit goods from the e-commerce platform Taobao.

But seven-day prison sentences for selling counterfeit goods are more serious than the threat of Alibaba's machine learning. Ma in his open letter blamed the lack of harsh penalties for the proliferation of counterfeit goods.

Maybe Ma suggested these ideas to the American government too?
On March 7, 1965, civil rights activists were attacked by Alabama police fought near a bridge in Selma, Alabama, in a moment that shocked a nation and helped lead to the Voting Rights Act. Today, the images are still shocking and the debate over voting rights remains unsettled.

Bloody Sunday led to more marches

A crowd of about 525 people gathered near the Edmund Pettus Bridge to start a 45-mile march to Montgomery, Alabama, to raise awareness about the killing of Jimmie Lee Jackson. Jackson was shot three weeks earlier by an Alabama state trooper as he was protecting his mother during voter registration march.

The group led by Hosea Williams and John Lewis walked over the Pettus Bridge and it was then attacked, in front of journalists and photographers, by Alabama state police and a posse that had been formed for the occasion that was acting under the orders of Alabama Governor George Wallace. The police gave the group two minutes to leave the scene; the protesters opted to pray.

Newspapers at the time were graphic in their description of the one-sided confrontation. National television networks also had extended coverage of the scene, where marchers were beaten as they prayed and then gassed by police and the posse, as white onlookers cheered.

Absent from the first march was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was at his Atlanta church on what became known as Bloody Sunday. King quickly told reporters that he was heading to Selma to lead a second march on Tuesday. King also said he would seek restraining orders against Wallace and state police in federal court.

One image that resonated nationally was the picture of an injured marcher, Amelia Boynton. The local political and civil rights leader was beaten and gassed by police on the Pettus Bridge and she was carried off the bridge in front of the media gathered at the scene.

The second march at Selma on March 9 was short and ceremonial, as civil rights leaders waited for legal support. Dr. King led marchers over the Pettus Bridge and back to a church were the march began. But tragically, segregationists attacked three white ministers who took part in the march as they were eating dinner later that night, killing the Rev. James Reeb.

Story continues

On March 17, federal judge Frank Johnson ruled that the demonstrators had a First Amendment right to march, saying that, The law is clear that the right to petition ones government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups . . . . These rights may . . . be exercised by marching, even along public highways.

Two days earlier, President Lyndon Johnson presented a draft of the Voting Rights Act to Congress. President Johnson had hoped that Governor Wallace would use the National Guard in Alabama to protect an upcoming third march, but Wallace refused, saying the state couldnt afford the expense of supplying the troops.

For the third march, President Johnson sent 3,000 federal troops to Selma and he federalized the National Guard there. A group of 8,000 people set off from Selma and four days later, their numbers swelled to 25,000 when they arrived in Montgomery.

Wallace refused to accept a petition from the marchers and then Dr. King spoke to the large crowd.

Selma, Alabama, has become a shining moment in the conscience of man. If the worst in American life lurked in the dark streets, the best of American instincts arose passionately from across the nation to overcome it, King said. The confrontation of good and evil compressed in the tiny community of Selma, generated the massive power that turned the whole nation to a new course.

In August 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Special invited guests at the event were Amelia Boynton and Dr. King.
By Robert Iafolla

(Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Senate passed a measure to eliminate an Obama administration rule that would require prospective federal contractors to report violations of more than a dozen U.S. labor and employment laws.

On a 49-48 vote, the Senate endorsed a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the contractor disclosure rule. The U.S. House of Representatives approved it last month, so all that is left to kill the regulation is President Donald Trump's signature on the resolution.

The resolution targeting the contractor regulation, dubbed the blacklisting rule by critics, is a part of a larger Republican effort to use the CRA to rollback a swath of federal regulations finalized in the last seven months of the Obama administration.

Trump has signed three CRA resolutions thus far, which eliminated an environmental rule for streams and wetlands, a measure enhancing background checks for mentally ill gun purchasers and a requirement that oil, gas and mining companies report payments to foreign governments. Republican lawmakers have introduced measures targeting more than 30 rules.

The CRA is an efficient method to eliminate recently passed rules, as it is much faster than going through the full regulatory process and cannot be filibustered in the Senate. A CRA resolution also bars agencies from issuing "substantially similar" regulations in the future.

The Senate voted on Monday to eliminate the Obama administration's regulation issued last year calling for companies bidding on federal contracts valued at more than $500,000 to disclose violations of 14 U.S. labor and employment laws and their state equivalents, including those governing wage and hour, collective bargaining, discrimination, and safety and health.

Associated Builders and Contractors and other trade groups' sued to stop the contractor rule and a federal judge in Texas in October blocked most of it from taking effect. The U.S. Labor Department is appealing that ruling at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the legal challenge will be unnecessary once Trump signs the CRA resolution as expected.

(Reporting by Robert Iafolla; editing by Grant McCool)
Rod Rosenstein, President Trumps nominee for deputy attorney general, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 7, 2017. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

WASHINGTON  Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee failed on Tuesday to gain assurances from Rod Rosenstein, President Trumps nominee for deputy attorney general, that he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Russias influence in the 2016 election if hes confirmed.

Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, told the committee that he was only familiar with allegations of Russian meddling through media reports, and would need to know more before making a decision on a special prosecutor based on Justice Department protocol. But he assured senators he would be on the Americans side if evidence showed that Russian inappropriately interfered in the election.

If confirmed, Rosenstein would be No. 2 at the Justice Department and in charge of any investigation into the Trump campaigns ties to Russia, given Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcement last week that he would recuse himself from matters involving the Trump campaign. Sessions recusal came after revelations that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador during Trumps campaign, despite testifying under oath during his confirmation hearing that he had had no contacts with Russians. Trumps former national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, resigned last month after it was revealed that he talked to the Russian ambassador and discussed sanctions that President Barack Obama had leveled against the Kremlin for interfering in the U.S. election.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called for a special prosecutor free from partisan influence to investigate the claims about Russian interference in the election. The New York Times reported in January that federal law enforcement officers were investigating contacts Trump associates had with Russian officials during the campaign.

To be clear, I do not say this because I question the integrity or the ability of Mr. Rosenstein, Feinstein said. I do not. But this is about more than one individual. This is about the integrity of the process.

Story continues

Ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., questions Rod Rosenstein at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

Rosenstein, who was introduced to the committee by his home states two Democratic senators, told the committee he did not know enough about the claims to make a decision on the question of a special prosecutor. He said he was not even aware whether there is an ongoing Justice Department investigation of the matter. (The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating the claims about Russia, but the Justice Department does not comment one way or the other on ongoing probes.) Rosenstein added that he believed all of the Justice Departments investigations are independent and free from political influence.

I would need to familiarize myself with the facts, he said.

Democratic senators attempted repeatedly, without success, to get Rosenstein to commit to appointing a special prosecutor.

How can you investigate your boss? Sen. Dick Blumenthal, D-Conn, asked him, referring to Sessions.

Rosenstein answered that he would have no problem questioning the attorney general if an investigation led him there, and said that he questioned a U.S. president in a previous case. He said he considered it a matter of principle not to commit to handle a potential case a certain way in his confirmation process, since it would set a bad precedent for future prosecutors. No one from the White House had contacted him about the inquiry, he added.

If all the shop windows are broken on Main Street, is it appropriate for the police chief to assure the public that hes going to get to the bottom of it? asked Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

Rosenstein said that barring a hurricane, it would be appropriate. Whitehouse then asked if the intelligence communitys findings on Russia were not the equivalent of broken windows on Main Street, making it law enforcements responsibility to assure the American public they would get to the bottom of it.

Rod Rosenstein, nominee for deputy attorney general, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

Senator, I believe you and I are on the same side, Rosenstein responded. If the Russians interfered with the American elections, Im on the Americans side.

Several Democratic senators urged Rosenstein to read the declassified report on Russias interference in the U.S. election. The U.S. intelligence community alleges that Kremlin-backed cyberattacks led to the massive email leaks that plagued the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons team during the campaign.

Rosenstein said he was only familiar with the allegations through media reports. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said it was very disturbing that Rosenstein had not yet read it, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., read portions of it out loud to the nominee.

Franken and the committee chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, got into a tense exchange during the hearing, after Franken called on Sessions to return to the committee and correct his earlier testimony, in which, under oath, he incorrectly said that he had no contact with Russians during Trumps campaign.

He should come back and explain himself to us, Mr. Chairman, Franken said. I think he owes that to us.

Grassley raised his voice, calling Frankens original question to Sessions a gotcha question. He then banged his gavel and returned to the hearing.

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster's reappointment as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, despite some concern over his handling of a sexual assault case. The committee vote was 23-2, with two abstentions. The complete vote breakdown was not immediately available, but one "no" came from Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand, a leader of congressional efforts to address sexual assault in the military, said she was concerned about McMaster's past decision to allow two service members accused of assault to advance their careers while the case against them was open, in violation of Army regulations. "General McMaster was more concerned about hampering these men's careers than following the rules in pursuit of justice," she said in a statement. The Washington Post reported last week that the Army investigated McMaster and rebuked him in 2015 over a case in which two lieutenants were allowed to attend the elite Army Ranger School despite being under investigation for assault. The case against them was later dropped. The Senate does not normally approve a president's national security advisor. However, U.S. law requires McMaster's reappointment to the new position to be approved because he is an active-duty military officer. A Senate aide said Senator Elizabeth Warren, another Democrat, was the other "no" vote. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
It was a surprising announcement: SpaceX, a private company, said it will fly two people to the moon next year. This has not been attempted since NASAs Apollo moon landings about 45 years ago.

The news came from SpaceX founder and chief executive officer, Elon Musk. He is a billionaire who made his money from technology. In a news conference, he said two people have already paid SpaceX a significant amount of money to send them on a weeklong flight just beyond the moon and back.

No one has been to the moon since 1972. NASA flew 24 astronauts around it, and twelve Americans walked on its surface beginning in 1969.

Elon Musks plan is a bold challenge says Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF). The group has more than 70 members in the spaceflight business, including Musks SpaceX.

Stallmer says Musks work in the last ten years is incredibly impressive. He started SpaceX with his money, and now has large contracts with NASA and the U.S. defense department. And he is building reusable rockets.

But Musk is not alone in the business race into space. Blue Origin, owned by Amazons founder Jeff Bezos, is also developing reusable rockets. Using them will bring down the cost of going into space. Last September, Bezos announced a new heavy-lift rocketone that will be able to deliver people and supplies to low-Earth orbit and farther, too.

Other companies, like Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic, are building space airplanes to take passengers for a ride up into space and back  62 miles above the Earth. Other companies are developing and building many products for spaceflight, like rockets, and housing for humans traveling and working in space.

The business of space travel

But why space? Why are wealthy business people sending their money into space?

Some of them dreamed of space travel as children, and now they have the money to chase those dreams.

So there is adventure, and yes, there is money.

Stallmer says there is a huge marketplace to be had in space.

Theres tremendous opportunities to be made, from the commercial aspect of it. Whether it is providing data or communications or remote sensing information. Theres that aspect of it. And then the idea that people just want to go to space.

Plus, he says, the cost of doing space business is coming down with new technology.

There's eighth graders that are building small satellites, these microsats that are going up and performing real world missions for hundreds, and maybe a thousand dollars. And you are seeing companies that are building larger satellite constellations, very affordably.

The commercial space business took off around 2008 when the country was in an economic recession, and many high-tech scientists were out of a job. Since then, CSF claims, its members have created thousands of high-tech jobs driven by billions of dollars invested by wealthy people.

Some question whether private companies will be safe as they race into orbit. Stallmer answers that safety comes first for these companies, and that much attention to detail has to be paid to everything that they do.

If a company does not have the safest vehicle out there, he says, youre not going to be in business very long.

Companies that have had failures, like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, have worked to fix their technology.

Elon Musks plan to go to the moon is a very risky mission, says Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer with The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia. He says that while people may question whether a non-government group can achieve this goal, he thinks SpaceX can.

The trip to the moon fits into Musks very clear plan to build a colony on Mars, Pitts explains.

The astronomer sees two kinds of private space business developing. Some companies provide launch services-- like rockets to send satellites into space and deliver supplies for the International Space Station. Others build vehicles to provide space tourism.

This is a brand new track in which companies are trying to provide opportunity for regular people, non-astronauts, non-military to be able to consider a trip to space as a viable vacation option.

Now, for about $5,000, a company called Zero G provides rides in a specially designed plane to give people short moments of experiencing the weightlessness of being in space.

The prices are already beginning to drop and more opportunities will be available for all the rest of us to possibly have some piece of that adventure of being a space explorer.

What will happen to NASA and other space agencies?

Until now, space explorers have been astronauts from NASA, Russia, China or a few other countries. A small number of people also paid governments large sums to travel in space.

As commercial space companies grow, the role of NASA in the U.S. is changing. Some critics say NASA is too careful and too slow and that has left it behind these private companies. But Pitts defends the U.S. space agency, saying NASA is limited by what lawmakers in Congress allow the agency to do.

Its not that NASA doesnt have the talent, doesnt have the desire, they certainly do. But these independent companies dont have to deal with the bureaucratic problems that NASA also has.

Pitts praises the work NASA has done getting information about our solar system by using vehicles, probes and remote spacecraft. Its really just amazing, he says.

Pitts says going forward commercial companies can take care of matters closer to Earth, like satellites and supplies. Then NASA can concern itself with the big exploration tasks that might carry people out to the deeper reaches of the solar system.

As commercial space business is growing, some predict there will be a human settlement on the moon in 10 years. And that will be just a step on the way to colonize Mars.

Im Anne Ball.

Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English with material from the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.

Editors Note: The Virgin Galactic space planes would take passengers for a ride 62 miles above the Earth. The original story incorrectly stated the distance as 62,000.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

commercial  adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services

federation  n. an organization that is made by of joining together smaller organizations

bold  adj. not afraid of danger or difficult situations

remote sensing n. the use of satellites to collect information about and take photographs of the Earth

microsats  n. very small satellites

constellation  n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

viable  adj. capable of being done or used
Belgrade (AFP) - An annual festival of pork jelly, the pride of the small Serbian village of Rumenka, has been cancelled after the Orthodox Church threatened organisers with excommunication for celebrating during lent.

This year the festival of "pihtija", due to be held late last week, coincided with the beginning of the Orthodox fasting period in the run-up to Easter.

The clash of dates aroused the wrath of Serbian Patriarch Irinej, who saw it as an unacceptable violation.

One of the festival's organisers, Branislav Popovic, told AFP on Tuesday that the patriarch had written to say it was "contrary to Orthodox customs that you hold this pagan display".

Irinej, who is considered to be a conservative among the Serbian clergy, threatened to excommunicate those running the festivities, which attract more than 10,000 guests each year to the village of 5,000 people.

If they pressed ahead, the village church would sound the death knell every half hour, the patriarch warned in his letter, which has been criticised by Serbian atheist groups.

As a result, "after several sleepless nights", Popovic decided "to postpone the demonstration until the first weekend after Easter if it is feasible".

"This created a lot of tension among us, a very unpleasant situation. The local priests were pressing us, they were visiting us at home," he said.

Church authorities for the region did not wish to comment when contacted by AFP, but said a statement would be forthcoming.

In 2005, Irinej intervened to protest against a sausage festival in another Serbian village, but his ire fell on deaf ears.

Orthodox Christianity is the predominant religion in Serbia, which is home to about seven million people. The Church retains a strong influence, particularly in rural areas.
London (AFP) - Amnesty International on Tuesday renewed its call for a UN investigation into suspected chemical weapons attacks by Sudanese government forces in Darfur, saying it would be "shameful" if they were not probed.

Amnesty said in a September report it had credible evidence of government forces repeatedly using chemical weapons in a mountainous area of Darfur between January and August 2016 that killed between 200 and 250 people, including many children.

The UN's Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said at the time that it needed more information and evidence to draw any conclusion based on Amnesty's report.

Amnesty timed its fresh call for a full and independent investigation by OPCW to coincide with the start on Tuesday of a four-day meeting of the UN watchdog's executive council in The Hague.

"Failure by (OPCW) member states to trigger the investigation would be a monumental and shameful abdication of duty," Michelle Kagari of Amnesty International said in a statement.

Some OPCW member states had expressed concerns over these "cruel" attacks but that was not enough, Kagari said.

"They must ensure concrete steps are taken to determine the full nature and extent of Sudans chemical weapons programme, and demand that Sudan fully cooperates with the OPCW, she said.

Amnesty said OPCW members should also request an "on-site challenge inspection" in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur where the alleged attacks took place.

Its nearly 100-page report contained gruesome photographs of children suffering from apparent chemical burns, satellite images of destroyed villages and displaced people, interviews with more than 200 survivors and analysis by chemical weapons experts.

President Omar al-Bashir dismissed the Amnesty report as "just empty lies".

Amnesty said the attacks were part of a military operation against the rebel Sudan Liberation Army - Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) group, which Khartoum accuses of ambushing military convoys and attacking civilians.

Story continues

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Jebel Marra since January 2016 by fighting between the two sides, the United Nations says.

Deadly conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency.

At least 300,000 people have since been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur, the UN says.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on alleged war crimes and genocide charges related to Darfur, which he denies.

Sudan, a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, insists the Darfur conflict has ended and wants UN peacekeepers deployed in the region since 2007 to leave.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Shell Nigeria says it is closing Bonga oilfield for a month of maintenance, cutting about 200,000 barrels a day from the output of the recession-hit West African nation.

Managing director Bayo Ojulari said in a statement that a major focus at the offshore field maintenance is the Bonga floating, production, storage and offloading vessel. It has capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil and 150 million cubic feet of gas a day.

The scheduled maintenance comes as Nigeria tries to export as much oil as possible amid a foreign currency crisis. Militant attacks last year cut production by up to 1 million barrels a day. The government has said production is up to between 1.7 million and 2.2 million barrels a day. Oil provides 80 percent of government revenue.
Freetown (AFP) - Since he accused Sierra Leone's parliament of diverting public funds from some of the world's poorest people, including Ebola crisis victims, Abdul Fatoma's life has taken a dark turn.

Fatoma has become the largest thorn in the side of Sierra Leone's politicians for demanding greater transparency about public finances in a country riddled with corruption, just over a year before elections.

The sharp-suited rights defender, who is in his 30s, risks being charged with serious offences, lawmakers have warned, although the government's own auditors have found grave inconsistencies in spending by members of parliament.

"I have been harassed, threatened, spat upon, abused, lampooned and vilified for my organisation's legitimate right to ask questions of those who have been entrusted with the future of Sierra Leone," Fatoma told AFP.

The campaigner appeared on a January 31 radio show in which he challenged the government and the anti-corruption commission to do more to make authorities accountable, in a system that he says answers only to itself.

Since then Fatoma has been arrested, bailed without charge, and summoned twice to parliament to answer questions -- yet denied an audience when he showed up.

Fatoma, a Sierra Leonean national, divides his time between his country and Britain, where his family reside.

His Britain-based non-profit organisation, the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), was behind a report released last year that found 120 billion leones ($16.1 million, 15.1 million euros) was spent by parliament in the last five years, with no clue as to where exactly it went.

"There is no supporting evidence to show how these monies were spent," he told AFP, adding that the opaque nature of the legislature's activities carried a high risk of fraud.

- Ebola funds unaccounted for -

Polling firm Afrobarometer found last year that four fifths of Sierra Leoneans consider their economic and living conditions "very bad". A similar percentage thought government efforts to narrow the wealth gap were not working.

Story continues

With presidential and legislative elections expected in March 2018, politicians are nervously watching their backs for allegations of misbehaviour.

Fatoma's passport has been seized, leaving him unable to return to Britain, a move his lawyer thinks is a deliberate strategy to wear him down.

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai said that while parliament had told the campaigner his problems would stop if he simply apologised, he advised his client to refuse.

"It also violates the rights of citizens to hold their elected officials accountable," Abdulai told AFP.

Cyril Juxon-Smith, parliament's chief press officer, told local media that Fatoma was "recklessly casting aspersions" and had grossly overestimated funds given to MPs.

Furthermore, he said, the government's own audit would give lawmakers a clean bill of health, though previous internal assessments have been far from squeaky clean.

In 2015, government auditors found that just 29 percent of recommendations were followed by eight ministries and departments being monitored.

In addition, 30 percent of Ebola funds under parliament's control could not be accounted for, they said, amounting to $5.7 million.

More than 3,500 people died in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak that hit in 2014, overwhelming a creaking health system and shattering an already fragile economy.

Opposition MP Frank Kposowa has claimed that demands for financial help from lawmakers meant that their allowance could barely cover costs, in spite of discounts on travel, fuel and food.

"The culture in Sierra Leone is that people approach you for help with their marriage and funeral ceremonies, school fees and hospital bills," he told journalists.

- 'Absolute poverty' -

Kposowa warned that Fatoma's actions could leave him open to the charge of seditious libel, under an arcane law long used against investigative journalists and supposedly under reform.

The British government has described the law's use as "denting Sierra Leone's international reputation as a modern, democratic country."

A child born today in Sierra Leone can expect to live an average of 48 years, 70 percent of youth are unemployed or underemployed and almost two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations development agency.

"I believe that the absolute poverty under which the majority of Sierra Leoneans live at the moment is the greatest violation of their rights as human beings," Fatoma said.

The daily grind imposed by hardship "compromises their capacity to be effective citizens and makes them vulnerable to bad governance and corruption," he added, playing down threats to his mission.

"This is a lifelong commitment to make Sierra Leone a better place and nothing will stop us."
BREAKING: The Pentagon announced Tuesday that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford will meet with his counterparts from Russia and Turkey to talk military operations in Syria. The meetings will take place in Antalya, Turkey, and include Chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov, and Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Gen. Hulusi Akar. According to a statement from the Pentagon, the purpose of this meeting will be to enhance senior-level military communications and improve operational deconfliction of our respective military operations in Syria.

American, Russian, and Turkish troops are face-to-face around the Syrian city of Manbij, which is under the control of the U.S.-backed Manbij Military Council (MMC), a coalition of Arabs and Kurds formed to fight the Islamic State. Last week, the Syrian regime sent a humanitarian convoy to the city to head off a drive by Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies to take it  a convoy the Pentagon says included Russian troops and armored vehicles. In response, the Pentagon sent U.S. special operations forces to the area in a visible show of force, while the MMC continues to block the Syria/Russian column from entering the city.

This is a new effort, this is the first time weve had to do something like this, which is to ensure that we are out there as a visible symbol that the enemy is cleared out of Manbij, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters Monday. The MMC has also struck a deal with the Syrian regime to hand over control of some villages near the city in order to block the Turkish forces.

Missile defense. After months of wrangling, the United States deployed the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system to South Korea on Monday, in response to North Koreas latest missile launches over the weekend.

Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterdays launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea, said Adm. Harry Harris, commander, U.S. Pacific Command. The deployment of the missile defense system will not only anger Pyongyang, but also Beijing, which has for months publicly opposed the deployment of the system so close to its borders, considering it a threat.

Story continues

While four North Korean missiles slashed into the Sea of Japan on Monday, the Pentagon hinted that more missiles were fired, but may have failed. There were four that landed, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. There may be a higher number of launches that were not commenting on.

Russia not into the idea. Lawmakers in Moscow also rejected the THAAD deployment on Tuesday. Washington is creating a new regional segment of the US global missile defense system in North-Eastern Asia, close to the Russian border, head of the Dumas International Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, said. This may put the security of our country at risk.

Bravado. North Koreas state media reported on Tuesday morning that the missiles were aimed at U.S. military bases in Japan, a reminder that the North Korean threat to U.S. troops isnt reliant just on its ability to hit the American homeland with an ICBM, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Tehran tensions. In the latest in a string of incidents since President Donald Trump took office in January, Iran launched two ballistic missiles into the Gulf of Oman over the weekend and sent small attack boats to harass a U.S. naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The missile tests scored a direct hit on a target barge in the waterway over 150 miles away, according to Fox News Lucas Tomlinson.

Pentagon officials confirmed the Iranian boats approached within 600 yards of the tracking ship USNS Invincible, which was accompanied by three ships from the British Royal Navy. All of the ships were forced to change course. Last month, then-NSA Mike Flynn warned the White House was officially putting Iran on notice, but the administration has said nothing since about Iranian actions.

Just to note. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has not commented on any of these incidents. Word is, the department will hold its first press conference of the Trump administration on Tuesday. Time will tell.

Here we are. The deployment of THAAD and the Norths missile tests come as both the South Korean and U.S. governments are mired in scandal and disarray. In Seoul, President Park Geun-hye faces indictment on bribery charges, while President Donald Trump has created a fresh crisis by claiming former President Barack Obama tapped Trump Tower during the election, as he continues to fight off suggestions that members of his team colluded with Russian officials during the election. Trump also fired his National Security Advisor Michael Flynn one month into his seven week-old presidency, and his replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, is only just settling into the job.

The boss. McMaster took over last month after Flynn was fired for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over his contacts with the Russian Ambassador. FPs John Hudson takes a look at the changes the general has already made to the staff, and those that he might be unable make.

McMaster is discovering the limits to any ambitious overhaul at the NSC, leaving him relying on people in many cases recruited by the former national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and other Trump confidantes. A wholesale purge is not expected, and several key NSC officials focused on the Middle East and other vital areas will keep their positions in the near term, a senior White House official told Hudson. McMaster appears before a closed-door hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Welcome to SitRep. Send any tips, thoughts or national security events to paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or via Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley.

Hostages. North Korea has provoked a small and hopefully temporary crisis by declaring that all Malaysian citizens within the country are prohibited from leaving the country pending the return of the Norths ambassador to Malaysia. The move follows Malaysias expulsion of North Koreas ambassador in retaliation for the Norths apparent complicity in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, dictator Kim Jong Uns brother, in the Kuala Lumpur airport. Not to be outdone, Malaysia has responded to the Norths exit ban by instituting one of its own for North Korean citizens currently in Malaysia.

Command. The European Union is taking another small step towards building its own military organization. The Wall Street Journal reports that the EU is creating a headquarters based in Brussels that will be in charge of coordinating training missions carried out under EU auspices. Thus far, the offices mission remains narrow in large part due to concerns from more Atlanticist corners of Europe like the U.K. and Baltic countries, who are anxious that Brussels not try to duplicate or replace NATO efforts. The 30-strong staff at the office is expected to focus predominantly on EU training missions in Africa.

Drones of the caliphate. The analysts at Janes take a look at the increasing use of small drones by terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. The use of commercial drones in the conflicts has evolved over time, starting with small scale reconnaissance and the filming of attacks for propaganda to dropping small munitions on enemies. The Islamic State, in particular, has made extensive use of the latter but Janes analysts say the battlefield threat is limited because the commercial drones used by the group have constrained payload capability, limiting the damage done by dropping relatively small and less capable munitions.

Underground. As Iraqi forces take back ever greater swaths of territory from the Islamic State, theyre finding ever more clues about how the group operated in the cities it controlled. In Mosul, Reuters reports, theyve uncovered a train tunnel where the terrorist group built a training course for its special operations troops. The Islamic State has long used underground tunnels carved out in cities it controlled in order to hide people and equipment from coalition airstrikes. In Mosul, the group packed the tunnel with various training obstacles where fighters would run through bearing sand-filled backpacks to hone their strength and skills.

Upgrade. Russias rusty, smokey aircraft carrier will get an overhaul after its trip to Syria late last year. The Diplomat reports that the Russian navy plans will spend the next two and a half years carrying out upgrades to the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier starting in July. The upgrades will include new electronic warfare, navigation, intelligence, and communication systems and cost somewhere around $340 million. The Kuznetsovs trip to Syria earned derision from many international observers where it lost a MiG-29K/KUB and Su-33 fighter on takeoff and landing.

Kony 2017. President Obama deployed American Special Forces troops to Uganda to try and track down Joseph Kony, the notorious warlord in charge of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Konys penchant for using child soldiers and attacking civilians earned him a notorious reputation and a viral online slacktivist campaign, Kony 2012. But NBC News took a deep dive inside the U.S. hunt for Kony in Uganda alongside American Green Berets. U.S. troops have been using accounts from LRA defectors to build maps of the groups camps and hiding places. The intelligence has allowed local forces to reduce the number of LRA camps and forced the group to splinter and move into poaching in order to raise funds.

Anti-tank drone. A new video from RFE/RL shows off the efforts of Ukraines homebrew drone makers. Unmanned technology became important after the Russian invasion of Ukraine but the country had few drones capable for military use and so local engineers began improvising them for use in reconnaissance against Russian-backed forces. But one new homebrew Ukrainian drone stands out. Engineers have been tinkering on the Commander, an oversized quadrotor that aims to be able to carry and fire anti-tank guided missiles.

Photo Credit: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images
Paris (AFP) - Rightwing presidential candidate Francois Fillon appears to have won his battle to stay in France's election, but his fake job scandal will have a lasting impact on the vote and beyond.

Fillon, 63, won unanimous backing from leaders of his Republicans party on Monday night giving him hope he has finally silenced those who have consistently called on him to step aside over the last six weeks.

The conservative ex-premier has been in torment since January 24 when revelations first emerged that he had paid his wife and children hundreds of thousands of euros from public funds -- with little evidence of their work.

1) Fillon prospects dimmed

At the end of January, before the scandal broke, the conservative ex-prime minister was the clear favourite to win the two-stage election on April 23 and May 7.

Shortly afterwards, according to a tracker of polls compiled by AFP, he fell behind the centrist Emmanuel Macron and only one voter survey out of more than 20 since has shown him ahead of the 39-year-old.

A poll at the weekend of 1,027 voters showed only 29 percent of voters wanted the veteran politician with a nearly 40-year career to remain in the race.

"He's got some breathing space, but he needs to ask himself if he can still win the election," one sceptical MP from his party told AFP on Monday, asking not to be named.

2) The Republicans split

The party's divisions have exploded again after a bitter bout of infighting in 2012 sparked by the defeat of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy who unsuccessfully sought re-election.

Fillon has been hit by a blizzard of criticism from lawmakers close to Sarkozy and ex-premier Alain Juppe, as well as ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin who warned him about taking the party into an "abyss".

On the ground, Republican activists and lawmakers say they have found it difficult to go out campaigning to face often hostile voters.

"To say it's been easy would be lying," an MP from the eastern city of Lyon, Dominique Nachury, told AFP last month as she and fellow activists handed out leaflets in the centre of the city.

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3) The outsiders gain

The disarray appears to have benefited centrist, pro-business candidate Macron in particular, as well as far-right leader Marine Le Pen, polls and interviews with voters suggest.

Macron only founded his party "En Marche" ("On the Move") last April but events have reinforced his message of the need to overthrow the "same men and the same ideas."

Recent polls show Macron now closing in on Le Pen in the first round of the vote on April 23, with around 25 percent of the vote.

They would both progress to the run-off on May 7 -- breaking the post-war monopoly of France's traditional parties -- with Macron seen as the most likely winner.

The Fillon spectacle has led some voters to give up hope on the political class, favouring Le Pen and her National Front (FN) party's anti-elite message -- or choosing to abstain.

"I'm tempted to vote National Front even though I don't share a lot of their ideas," unemployed worker Michel Travigne, 51, told AFP in a bar in a village near Fillon's home region of Sarthe last week.

"It's just to get rid of everyone," he explained.

4) Institutions under attack

Fillon and his wife Penelope are set to be charged for suspected embezzlement of public funds later this month.

In press conferences and speeches, he has repeatedly denounced a politically motivated investigation, suggesting it was ordered by the government and abetted by a biased media.

His attacks have shocked some observers.

"The way that (US President Donald) Trump has defied the justice system and attacked the media, calling them 'fake news', I think in a way it's encouraging Fillon and Marine Le Pen to copy," Herve Le Bras, a veteran political watcher and demographer, told AFP last week.

5) Everyone else drowned out

"It has dominated all the space. There's a feeling of frustration to put it mildly," Jerome Guedj, a spokesman for Socialist party candidate Benoit Hamon, told AFP.

Senior Socialist figure Jean-Christophe Cambadelis worries that "the winner will be elected by default without there being the possibility to ever really subject their programme to scrutiny."

Candidates such as the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon have continued campaigning but largely out of the public eye.

6) Morbid fascination

Though polls show growing distrust for both politicians and the media, television viewing figures and newspaper sales have surged as voters tune in to an extraordinary election campaign.

Little has gone to script so far in the campaign in which France's future as well as the European Union's is in play.

"Viewers are passionate about this election. The news is unprecedented, audience figures are too," said Alain Weill, head of SFR Media which owns rolling-news channel BFMTV.
By Daewoung Kim and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will consider filing a complaint against China to the World Trade Organization over what it described as trade retaliation for the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system outside of Seoul, the ruling party said on Tuesday. South Korea in July decided to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in response to missile threat from North Korea, despite China objecting that THAAD's radar can penetrate its territory. South Korean companies in China have since reported cyber attacks, store closures and fines, while state-controlled media has called for a boycott of South Korean goods and services. "We will actively consider whether China's action is in violation of the South Korea-China free trade deal, while stepping up efforts to minimize damage on South Korean industries," Lee Hyun-jae, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's policy committee, said after meeting senior government officials. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, when asked about the matter on Tuesday, reiterated China's stance that law-abiding foreign companies are welcome and will be protected. In the latest instance of suspected discrimination, China has rejected applications from airlines including Jeju Air Co Ltd <089590.KS> to add charter flights between the two countries this month, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday. This adds to similar rejections for January and February. No reasons have been given for any of the rejections. A Jeju Air spokesman confirmed the March rejection when contacted by Reuters. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng said in a briefing he was not aware of the charter flight issue. The rejections would be the second blow in a matter of days for South Korean travel companies, after the Chinese government last week ordered tour operators in China to stop selling trips to South Korea. Lee said on Tuesday the Seoul government had since agreed to provide 50 billion won ($43.3 million) worth of "special loans" for tourism firms experiencing difficulties due to the order. Chinese authorities have also closed retail stores belonging to Lotte Group following inspections. The number of closures had reached 39, and one store has received a fine, a Lotte Mart spokesman said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Daewoung Kim and Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee in SEOUL and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Paul Tait and Christopher Cushing)
Madrid (AFP) - Spain hinted Tuesday it wants to receive fewer refugees from European Union border areas than it had agreed, arguing the number of people needing relocation was far less than thought.

The EU in 2015 approved a plan to share out 160,000 refugees already on European soil, mainly in Italy and Greece, across its 28 states to tackle the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War Two.

Spain had agreed to take in 16,200 refugees -- around 10 percent of the total -- within two years but only 1,100 have resettled in the country so far.

"The reality is that currently there are not 160,000 refugees that meet the criteria laid down in EU decisions," Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told a parliamentary commission.

"There are no refugees in Italy. There are illegal immigrants," he said.

"In Greece there are 55,000 to 60,000 refugees, this is why I think it would be reasonable to set targets according to this figure," he added, suggesting that Madrid wanted to revise the number of refugees it receives under the EU agreement.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, on February 18 to urge the Spanish government to immediately meet its pledge to take in thousands of refugees.


A new study shows that improving housing conditions may help in the fight against malaria at a time when other efforts may be slowing.

The World Health Organization reports that more than 400,000 people died of malaria in 2015. Most of them were children in Africa.

Study organizers note that African countries south of the Saharan desert are developing faster than many in other areas. They think architects and city planners can help in the fight against the disease.

Insecticide products have been extremely effective in limiting the spread of malaria. They have chemicals that target mosquitoes -- the insects that pass the disease to humans.

Insecticide-treated bed nets and use of the products inside buildings have helped reduce malaria death rates by 40 percent since 2000. But experts say mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides and new tools are needed to fight the disease.

Lucy Tusting of the University of Oxford is an expert on the spread and control of disease. She says public health experts should use the move away from traditional mud-and-thatch homes to help fight malaria.

We do have an opportunity to tap into the changes that are ongoing in many parts of Africa in order to build healthier housing.

Tusting and other researchers wondered if the change in housing they had noticed could help in the fight.

What were seeing in many parts of Africa is a subtle transition from more traditional housing -- which might have thatched roofs and mud walls -- towards metal, tiled-roof housing with concrete walls.

That should help because the mosquitoes mostly bite people in and around their home at night. Better design of homes, with fewer holes in the walls, could help keep the insects out. But until recently there has not been much research on the subject.

Tusting and her team examined health and population surveys from 21 countries. They found that children living in modern buildings were 9-to-14 percent less likely to have malaria than those who lived in traditional housing. That is about the same level of protection given by insecticide-treated bed nets.

What this suggests is that housing could be an important tool in tackling malaria.

This is not a new idea. Tusting notes that screened windows and doors were the first effective method used in the fight against malaria in the early 20th century.

She says a lot of new housing will be built in Africa over the next several years. She believes those changes can be used to help further reduce malaria infections and deaths.

We can leverage those changes. But to do so, its important that health specialists reach beyond the health sector and work closely with architects, urban policy makers and national governments.

She says malaria prevention should become an important part of planning as African cities continue to grow.

Im John Russell.

VOA Science and Agriculture Correspondent Steve Baragona reported this story from Washington. John Smith adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

architect  n. a person who designs buildings

bed net  n. a device that is used for catching or holding things or for keeping things out of a space and that is made of pieces of string, rope, wire, etc., woven together with spaces in between and is used to cover a bed while someone sleeps so mosquitoes do not bite them

thatch  adj. dried plant material (such as straw or leaves) that is used to make the roof of a building

tap into  phrasal verb take part in; influence

subtle  adj. hard to notice or see; not obvious; slow

transition  n. a change from one state or condition to another

survey  n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

tackle  v. to deal with (something difficult)

screened  adj. covered by a sheet that is made of very small wire or plastic strings which are woven together and that is set in a frame in a window, door, etc., to let air in but keep insects out

sector  n. an area of an economy; a part of an economy that includes certain kinds of jobs
Madrid (AFP) - Spanish police have arrested a Romanian man suspected of being the ringleader of a large group of people who ate thousands of euros' worth of food at two restaurants before fleeing without paying the bill.

The 48-year-old was detained on Monday in the northwestern city of Ponferrada in the province of Leon, and police are looking for a second Romanian suspect, the interior ministry said.

The detained man will appear in court on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement.

Police launched their investigation after a group of over 100 people, purporting to celebrate a baptism, enjoyed a 2,000-euro ($2,100) banquet on February 27 at the Hotel Carmen restaurant in Bembibre, 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 didn't leave in little groups -- no, they went all at once."

It later emerged that another restaurant about 10 kilometres (six miles) away in Ponferrada was also the scene of a similar heist in mid-February -- that time by a group of around 200 people.

They were allegedly celebrating a wedding, when they also fled without paying a bill of some 10,000-12,000 euros.

"In both crimes, the modus operandi was the same," the interior ministry statement said.

The arrested man posed as the godfather of the baptised child and the father of the groom when he made the bookings, local newspaper Diario de Leon reported.
Police in Spain are searching for a group of 120 diners believed to be behind two mass dine-and-dash incidents in the countrys northwest.

The diners, who claimed they were celebrating a baptism, had paid a deposit of 900 ($950) to a restaurant in the city of Bembibre but reportedly consumed close to $3,200 in starters, a main course and 30 bottles of alcoholic drinks, according to the BBC.

As dessert was due to be served, the group left in a stampede, the restaurant owner said.

After it emerged that a second restaurant just 6 miles away was targeted in a similar way, police began to suspect that the two cases were linked.

In the second incident, an even larger group of 160 people targeted an eatery in the nearby city of Ponferrada, according to business owner Laura Arias. The group said they were celebrating a wedding and paid a deposit of the equivalent of $1,000 but left the restaurant after consuming about $10,500 worth of food and drink.

Its the same people, Arias said. We can tell from the photos.

On Monday, local newspaper Diario del Leon reported that police had identified two ringleaders and were trying to establish firm links between the two cases.

[BBC]
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A spent bullet found behind the pickup truck of an unarmed nurseryman fatally shot by a Palm Beach County sheriff's sergeant is becoming a centerpiece at the trial of his family's federal lawsuit against the deputy and the agency.

The bullet, believed to be the first of four fired by Sgt. Michael Custer, tore through Seth Adams' right forearm and was found smashed into the asphalt about 10 feet behind Adams' truck on the passenger side. The late-night shooting happened in the parking lot of the nursery where Adams lived and worked with his brother and sister-in-law.

Wallace McCall, the lead attorney for Adams' parents, contends the bullet's location disproves Custer's pretrial statements to investigators and lawyers that he shot Adams, 24, as they fought between the truck's open front door and the driver's seat on May 16, 2012.

The bullet is believed to be the first to strike Adams because his forearm showed gunpowder marks; the two fatal wounds to his chest did not, as Custer says he retreated as he fired. McCall has argued that if Custer's story were true, the bullet would have wound up inside the truck's cab.

McCall and criminologist Peter Barnett, testifying Tuesday for the sheriff's office, clashed over whether the bullet could have skipped under the truck, as Barnett speculated, and wound up where it did. McCall got Barnett to concede that the bullet's location, along with blood evidence and shell casings, could also support the family's theory that Custer shot Adams several feet from the truck when he posed no deadly threat.

Custer, who is expected to testify soon, was working in plain clothes when he parked his unmarked SUV in the nursery parking lot as he supervised a surveillance team searching for a gang of ATM thieves, all white males in their 20s, like Adams. About 40 minutes later, Adams returned home from a nearby bar where he had been drinking. Tests showed his blood-alcohol content was 0.13, well over Florida's 0.08 limit for driving, but the family's attorneys contend those results could have been skewed by his massive blood loss.

Story continues

Custer, who was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, has said Adams, who had no criminal record or history of violence, almost immediately began yelling profanities at him "as loud as a person could" and demanded to know who he was without identifying himself as a resident. Custer, who is also white, said he identified himself as a sheriff's deputy, but Adams again cursed him, said he had no right to be there and started walking quickly toward him.

Custer said he showed Adams his sheriff's identification, but Adams grabbed him by the throat. He has said he broke free and punched Adams in the chest. Then he pointed his Glock .40-caliber handgun at Adams and ordered him to the ground. Instead, he said, Adams ran to his truck and began rummaging in the cab as if retrieving a weapon. He said he kicked the truck's door shut and grabbed Adams around the neck from behind, warning he would be shot if he didn't comply. He said Adams spun toward him, so he fired.

A member of Custer's surveillance team testified earlier for the family that he drove past the parking lot about a minute before the shooting and saw no signs of hostility between Custer and Adams and heard no yelling.

The Adamses are seeking unspecified millions. The sheriff's office lost a $22 million federal lawsuit last year over a shooting that left a young man paralyzed, a verdict it is appealing, and settled three other lawsuits over questionable shootings, totaling $2.7 million.
By Timothy Mclaughlin CHICAGO (Reuters) - A line of thunderstorms packing hail and isolated tornadoes rumbled across the Midwest from Oklahoma to Minnesota on Monday as wind-fueled prairie fires forced thousands of people from their homes in Colorado and Kansas. Police and National Weather Service meteorologists reported some power outages but no initial major damage from the storms carrying winds of 60 miles per hour (96 kph) and hail 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter as they rolled east. A tornado touched down in Smithville, Missouri, a Kansas City suburb, damaging 10 to 12 homes and displacing a few families but causing no major injuries, Police Chief Jason Lockridge said. "Rain was minimal, it was just high winds and what was described as a funnel cloud," he said in a telephone interview. Areas of eastern Missouri and Iowa and western Illinois were under a tornado watch until early on Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said. The storms were largely to the east of an area stretching from the Texas Panhandle into Colorado, Nebraska and western Missouri that was under a "red flag" weather service warning for fires because of high winds, warm temperatures and dry conditions. Twenty counties in central Kansas reported brush fires on Monday, some more than one, fueled by winds gusting to up 60 mph, said Katie Horner, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department. Ten towns were forced to evacuate residents because of the fire threat, including 10,000 to 12,000 from the city of Hutchinson, she said. Helicopters from the Kansas National Guard were being used to dump water on the fires, she said. "It's just a massive undertaking," Horner said. A prairie fire in northeast Colorado had burned about 25,000 acres (10,100 hectares), and officials said about 1,000 people in small farming towns were under evacuation or pre-evacuation orders. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago, Keith Coffman in Denver and Ian Simpson in Washinton; Editing by James Dalgleish and Paul Tait)
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's foreign ministry said it was disappointed with U.S. President Donald Trump's revised executive order banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from traveling to the United States. "The foreign ministry expresses its regret and disappointment over the executive order issued by the U.S. president on March. 6 that renewed the ban on immigration of citizens from six countries including Sudan to the United States for 90 days," it said in a statement. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Asma Alsharif)
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's foreign ministry said it was disappointed with U.S. President Donald Trump's revised executive order banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from travelling to the United States. "The foreign ministry expresses its regret and disappointment over the executive order issued by the U.S. president on March. 6 that renewed the ban on immigration of citizens from six countries including Sudan to the United States for 90 days," it said in a statement. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Asma Alsharif)
A new ranking has named Switzerland the world's best country, based on a survey that polled more than 21,000 people from 36 countries.

The results of the US News & World Report's report offer a glimpse into the global reputation of countries around the world -- and the current political climate.

Questions were aimed at evaluating countries across 65 attributes that were grouped into nine subrankings: adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, open for business, power and quality of life.

Switzerland made its debut as the world's top country this year, driven largely by positive global perceptions of its social systems, protection of human rights and business-friendly environment, notes US News & World Report.

Rounding out the top five spots are Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan and Sweden.

Of particular note, the US slipped from fourth spot in 2016 to seventh this year, with nearly 75 percent of respondents saying they had lost respect for the country, in large part because of the toxic tone of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The global survey was commissioned one week after the US presidential election last November.

The survey also went so far as to ask respondents who they would have voted for in the US election, were it global. The result? About 60 percent of people would have backed Hillary Clinton.

Worldwide, support for Trump was lowest among respondents in Mexico and South Korea.

But in Russia, the US President would have also been the overwhelming favorite, taking 83 percent of the vote, as well as in China (54 percent).

Other interesting findings from the report show that four of the top 15 countries are led by women (Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Denmark).

Likewise, some of the issues cited as the most important in the world today ranged from income equality, gender inequality, climate change and the war in Syria with no clear consensus, while nearly three out of four respondents said a new generation of leaders is needed around the world.

Here are the top 10 countries in the world 2017 according to US News & World Report:

1. Switzerland

2. Canada

3. UK

4. Germany

5. Japan

6. Sweden

7. United States

8. Australia

9. France

10. Norway
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies have captured the main water pumping station that supplies Aleppo in a sweeping advance against Islamic State that has brought them to the bank of the Euphrates, a group that monitors the conflict said on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army and allied forces made rapid gains east of Aleppo city, as Syrian and Russian planes pounded the rural areas. They recaptured the al-Khafsa area on the western bank of the Euphrates River, where the water treatment and pumping plants are located, after the jihadist group withdrew the Observatory said. A Syrian military source had said earlier on Tuesday that the army had advanced to areas "very close" to both. Aleppo's main water supply has been cut off for nearly two months, and the city's residents now rely mainly on ground wells or water purchased from private vendors. A military media unit run by Hezbollah, a Lebanese ally which is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's government forces, also quoted a military source as saying the army had advanced and regained the al-Khafsa area. Islamic State is losing ground in northern Syria to three separate campaigns - by the Russian-backed Syrian army, by U.S-backed Syrian militias, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel groups. Aleppo was Syria's most populous city before the war began nearly six years ago and has been entirely in government hands since December when the last rebel enclave in its eastern districts was overrun following months of intense fighting. (Reporting by Ellen Francis, Tom Perry and Angus McDowall; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Syrian musicians have been celebrating the liberation of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, from the Islamic State Group or ISIS, reports said Monday. Palmyra was attacked by ISIS forces on Thursday and a major Roman theater was destroyed in the city. The Syrian army with the help of its allies recovered the city second time this year after a two month battle with the forces of ISIS.

"With backing from the Syrian and Russian air forces, units of our armed forces recaptured the city of Palmyra, in cooperation with the allies," the Syrian military said in a statement.

After the attack on Thursday, Syrian musicians said that these incidents would not stop them from coming to the ruins of the Roman theater to sing and play music.

"A little destruction won't stop us from coming here to play and sing on this stage, despite what happened to it. I want to play music and sing everywhere that has seen the expulsion of (Islamic State group), which hates singing and banned playing instruments," Angel Dayoub, a 15-year-old Syrian musician said, Telesurtv.net reported. Musicians of all ages accompanied Dayoub with the oud, which is the Arab pear-shaped stringed instrument, violins and tambourines. Dayoub performed Lebanese diva Fairuz's famous song "We're coming back."

"We're singing 'We're coming back' because we will come back even stronger than before to rebuild Syria. Everyone will rebuild in their own way. We want to rebuild it with music and singing," she added.

A press tour was organized by the Syrian army this weekend where numerous young musicians performed at the theater in front of an audience comprising of about dozens of Syrian and Russian soldiers. While the musicians played their music, explosions could still be heard nearby in the north and east of Palmyra, as the Syrian army was re-capturing the city from ISIS forces.

"Daesh (ISIS) wanted to ban us from the theater, to ban us from singing, but I want to challenge it, to beat it. Daesh is darkness, but music is light," Maysaa al-Nuqari , an oud player said, Telesurtv.net reported.

Story continues

Palmyra has been home to several well-preserved classical monuments in the Middle East, temples and extensively decorated tombs, which have been a famous tourist spot attracting over 150,000 tourists in a year, prior to the break out of the Syrian conflict.

Wael al-Hafyan, head of engineering in the Homs province's antique department said that it was a mammoth task to assess the amount of destruction that has been done to these structures.

"All of Palmyra is left. Palmyra's history has remained. A few scratches cannot distort its beauty. The enormity of what Daesh did here, all of its crimes, doesn't even amount to a scratch on this beautiful, glorious face that is Palmyra," Hafyan said.

Related Articles
By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas is set to execute on Tuesday a man convicted of accepting $2,000 to murder a woman from the victim's husband and her brother-in-law, who were looking to collect $400,000 from life insurance policies they took out on her.

Roland Ruiz, 44, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. for the murder of Theresa Rodriguez, 29, in 1992 in the San Antonio area.

If the execution goes ahead, it would be the 541st in Texas, the most of any state since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Lawyers for Ruiz have launched a last-minute appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, saying he previously received inadequate counsel and holding him on death row for a quarter century amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

"The delay is attributable to no lapse in Mr. Ruizs diligence - instead, it is entirely attributable to the States failure to provide competent lawyers," they said in legal filings.

Attorneys for Texas said the appeal lacks merit because Ruiz has failed to show a reason why federal courts should step in. They added Ruiz was a member of a criminal gang and has a history of violent behavior.

Ruiz was 20 when he reached a contract murder deal with Michael Rodriguez, and his brother, Mark Rodriguez, who were looking to collect the life insurance money.

Ruiz shot Theresa Rodriguez once in the head with a .357 caliber handgun after she pulled into her home's garage, according to court papers, which added he confessed to the crime.

The two brothers were each given life sentences.

The father of the murder victim told the San Antonio Express-News the execution will not bring relief for the family.

"Theres never closure," Eddie Sanchez, Rodriguezs father, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "Its not going to bring my daughter back."

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Thailand's army said Tuesday it would drop a defamation case against three human rights workers who alleged that troops tortured insurgents, a rare climbdown by a military notorious for taking critics to court.

The charges against Pornpen Khongkachonkiet -- the chair of Amnesty International Thailand -- Anchana Heemmina and Somchai Homlaor were widely seen as seen as an attack on the reporting of alleged army abuses.

The 2016 report, based on interviews with 54 former detainees, described alleged torture tactics used by soldiers and police across the Muslim-majority south, which has been blistered by a 13-year conflict.

More than 6,800 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed in the insurgency by Malay Muslim locals against the Thai state, which governs the region with strict emergency laws.

The trio faced up to seven years in jail for defamation and a separate charge filed for publishing the report online.

But on Tuesday the army's southern command spokesman unexpectedly said the charges would be dropped.

"We didn't want the three human rights activists punished," Colonel Pramote Prom-in told reporters after meeting the trio in Bangkok, adding the charges would shortly be withdrawn.

He repeated the army's denial of any torture and said the military has its own "measures to punish" abuses.

Pornpen said she and the other activists stood by their report and welcomed the army's pledge to "re-establish the relationship" with rights workers in the south through a committee to report abuse.

The case was closely watched inside a kingdom where the room for rights campaigners has been severely cramped since a 2014 coup.

The UN's rights office in Southeast Asia applauded the move and urged Thai authorities to drop similar charges against other human rights defenders.

"Today's developments are very positive, and we encourage the Government of Thailand to take additional steps to strengthen measures to protect activists carrying out human rights reporting and monitoring," said Laurent Meillan, the UN Human Rights Office's acting regional representative.

Story continues

The rebel-hit provinces were colonised by Thailand more than a century ago.

The insurgents are ruthless in their tactics -- targeting troops and police, civilians seen as collaborators with the state and suspected informants.

Last Thursday a family of four -- including an eight-year-old -- were gunned down by suspected rebels, prompting a rally for peace by hundreds of locals from both the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

But the army has also faced repeated accusations of abuse, including extra-judicial killings.

No member of the security forces has been convicted over abuses in the south.
BANGKOK (AP)  In a decision welcomed by rights groups, Thailand's military on Tuesday withdrew criminal complaints against three human rights activists who issued a report alleging torture by security forces in the country's insurgency-plagued south.

"We have withdrawn the lawsuit," said Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the military's Internal Security Operations Command, the department that filed the charges. "We want cooperation between NGOs and officials to be able to move forward in the future."

The activists' report detailed 54 accounts of alleged torture by officials during interrogations in southern Thailand. The three human rights defenders, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Anchana Heemima, and Somchai Homla-or, published the report and posted it online in February 2016.

The military's security command is largely responsible for overseeing efforts to quell a Muslim separatist insurgency in Buddhist-dominated Thailand's far southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. The violence has taken about 7,000 lives since escalating dramatically in 2004.

"There is no hidden agenda," said Maj. Gen. Chinnawat Mandech, deputy director of the command's southern zone. "We want to work together to stop the issue of violence. There is no point in us working separately when we are trying to achieve the same goals."

Activist Somchai told reporters that he did not think officials would turn a blind eye to the report's allegations, "but we will work together to better understand them."

"If there are officials who really have done something wrong, they need to be processed by the law," he said. "There will also be changes to compensate those who have been victims of violation. This is not limited only to cases of those who have been mistreated by officials but also applies to those who have been impacted by the violence. "

His fellow activist, Pornpen, said the decision "could be an example for others in terms of cooperation and reconciliation in Thai society."

Story continues

Thailand's military government has repeatedly come under pressure from rights groups for alleged abuses of power including overzealous prosecution of critics. Other human rights defenders remain under threat of imprisonment.

Several rights groups welcomed the military's decision to withdraw the criminal complaints of defamation and violating the computer law.

"Today's developments are very positive, and we encourage the government of Thailand to take additional steps to strengthen measures to protect activists carrying out human rights reporting and monitoring," said Laurent Meillan, officer-in-charge at the Southeast Asia regional office of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He urged authorities to drop similar charges against other human rights defenders.

A similar call was issued by the London-based human rights group Amnesty International, which also urged Thai authorities to reform or repeal repressive laws such as criminal defamation.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the report was released in February 2016 instead of January 2016.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A leader of Thailand's "red shirt" opposition group was jailed for two years on Tuesday for insulting the monarchy during a street protest in 2010. The Supreme Court said it had upheld the ruling of a lower court that Yosvaris Chuklom, also a comedian, was guilty of the crime of lese majeste, which can carry a penalty of up to 15 years for each offence. The military government has made increasing use of the royal insult law against critics since taking power in 2014. Yosvaris was a leader of the group loyal to the populist movement of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who was prime minister in the government that was overthrown in the last coup. Although Yosvaris did not name the king in his speech in 2010, at a time the red shirts were in opposition, the court ruled that his gestures had made the insult clear. He had said he no intention of insulting the king. Neither he nor his lawyer made any comment after the Supreme Court's ruling. There has been a significant increase in the use of the lese majeste laws since the widely revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October after seven decades on the throne. He was succeeded by his son, King Maha Vajiralongkon. (Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Threatened by the entrance of Uber and Grab's ride-hailing service, some 200 drivers in tourist-friendly Chiang Mai, Thailand, have decided to band together to drive out the new threat.

The Bangkok Post has reported that the drivers of the song taew  the iconic red modified pickup trucks operated as mini buses  are collectively photographing and reporting Uber and Grab drivers to the authorities.

SEE ALSO: Turtle living in wishing pond gets surgery after years of eating of coins left by tourists

Ride-sharing apps exist in a grey area in the country for now, as the government works out regulations around them.

But until they get the official blessing, ride-sharing drivers are subject to crackdowns and penalties.

The song taew drivers said that they had already sent pictures of dozens of ride-sharing cars to the authorities, and regulators said that they have received pictures and information of more than 30 ride-sharing cars in the city.

Last week, the police conducted a sting operation in Chiang Mai to nab ride-sharing drivers. In this viral video, a transport official poses as a passenger hailing a Grab car, only to issue the driver a fine.

And yes, the tip-off came from song taew drivers, according to Nation.

The country's Land Transport Department have also said that they are planning to ban Uber and Grab altogether.

Nanthapong Cherdchu, deputy director-general of Thailand's land transport regulator, was quoted by Nation saying: "[Uber] is destroying the public transport system in the area."

An Uber spokesperson told us it will continue to work with authorities on a path to regulation. "We have been thrilled to see how both riders and driver partners have embraced ride-sharing in Chiang Mai. It remains a new concept to many in the city."

Mashable has also reached out to Grab for more.

There are more than 2,800 red song taew in Chiang Mai, but their services have been described as substandard and expensive by Chiang Mai's residents.
Louise Mensch takes part in a debate at the Cambridge Union in 2015. (Photo by Chris Williamson/Getty Images)

Late last month, a former British Member of Parliament named Louise Mensch took to her favorite medium, Twitter, to make her latest bombshell allegation: I absolutely believe that Andrew Breitbart was murdered by Putin, Mensch wrote in a Feb. 24 tweet about the 2012 death of the conservative founder of Breitbart.com (who, according to a coroners report, died near his house in Los Angeles from heart failure with no sign of foul play).

Until recently, Menschs conspiracy-minded tweets about dark Russian and American plots didnt get much attention. But all that changed after President Trump charged in his own Saturday morning Twitter storm that President Barack Obama had wiretapped his phone, an explosive allegation that appears to trace back to a four-month old story by Mensch in Heat Street, a libertarian-oriented website site owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corp.

On Nov. 7, the day before the presidential election, Mensch wrote that the FBI had obtained a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to monitor the activities of U.S. persons in Donald Trumps campaign with ties to Russia. No American news organization has corroborated the account, but the day after Trumps Saturday tweets, Heat Street was quick to take credit as Trumps source even if the goal of her reporting (to expose the presidents purported ties to the Kremlin) was radically different from what the chief executive had in mind.

Im extremely proud of my breaking that story, Mensch, 45, said in an interview with Yahoo News. What I put into play there is that there was a FISA warrant, and that the FBI clearly considered Donald Trump an agent of influence of a foreign power.

The new spotlight on Mensch injects another colorful, if improbable, character into the Trump-Russia saga  a high-octane Oxford-educated former Tory politician turned journalist who has authored a string of chick lit novels for young women and is married to the manager of the rock bands Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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Louise is a fireball, said Rick Wilson, a chief organizer of the Republican Partys Never Trump movement, who worked closely with her during the presidential campaign of the conservative independent candidate Evan McMullin. She will run down stuff that other people have dismissed and track down sources that others wont. Shes absolutely a bulldog on this stuff. God love her.

But Menschs prominence has raised multiple questions in the journalistic community, starting with: How could Mensch, who currently lives in New York and works as a vice president for creative and strategy for News Corp, have possibly penetrated the supersecret world of FISA counterintelligence warrants, when no American reporter has been able to? And, perhaps more basically, should her vaguely sourced account be believed?

As New York Times legal affairs correspondent Charlie Savage wrote Monday, there are reasons to be skeptical. Without mentioning Mensch by name, he noted that Heat Street does not regularly publish investigative stories about American intelligence or law enforcement operations. To date, reporters for The New York Times with demonstrated sources in that world have been unable to corroborate that the court issued any such order.

Still, the line connecting Menschs reporting and Trumps tweets, while somewhat attenuated, is unmistakable. A Breitbart news story and timeline published last Friday, which was reportedly widely circulated by White House officials and given to the president, cites some of the same details that first appeared under Menschs byline. This includes her claim that the FBI had made an earlier request in June to conduct surveillance on Trump associates that was turned down by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that must approve such warrants.

Mensch, for her part, said, I stand by every word of my reporting. But, she repeatedly emphasized, her own account of the FISA warrant  for which she cited two anonymous sources with links to the counterintelligence community  is more limited than the version of events tweeted by the president.

Unlike Trump, Mensch made no mention of Obama playing a direct role in the FISA warrant. She also made no mention of any wiretaps targeting Trump Tower  a claim that Mensch suggested is implausible on its face, given that, as the Republican presidential candidate at the time, Trumps office would have been protected by the Secret Service.

Mensch is trying to correct the record on what she did and did not write: There seems to be a coordinated effort to rubbish my reporting by putting [in] stuff thats not there, she said. While she reported the existence of a FISA warrant, I could not possibly have had any idea what the FBI would do with the warrant.  I dont sensationally report. I dont report things I dont know to be true.

Mensch refuses to say whether her two sources are current or former members of the counterintelligence community or whether they are American or foreign. She does note that, while no U.S. news organization has independently confirmed her account, two other British media organizations, the Guardian and the BBC, have followed up with their own stories about the supposed warrant.

Given that it was a former British MI-6 spy, Christopher Steele, who compiled the explosive, mostly uncorroborated dossier on the connections between Trump and Russian officials, there has been speculation about the role of the British intelligence community in fueling the Russia scandal.

One reason for skepticism, her critics charge, is Menschs penchant for conspiracy theories. One recent blog posting, entitled The Carolina Conspiracy, Or How Vladimir Putin Catifished a US Election With the Collusion of Team Trump, suggested that Kremlin trolls had deployed a criminal hacker to pose as a teenage North Carolina girl sexting with former New York congressman Anthony Weiner  prompting the FBI investigation that ultimately led FBI Director James Comey to reopen the Clinton email investigation on the eve of the November election.

Mensch said she has a mountain of evidence to support her claims and will be publishing more on the subject shortly. It will show, she says, that a fake crime was created so that corrupt FBI agents could seize Weiners laptop, which he shared with his wife, Huma Abedin, Clintons closest aide.

Then there is Menschs tweet that Putin had Andrew Breitbart assassinated. The purported purpose of the murder, she has suggested, was to allow Steve Bannon to take over the alt-right website in order to better serve the Kremlins interests. Mensch cites no source at all for the claim, but made a sharp distinction between her tweets on the subject  which were merely her opinion, she says, and her reported story on the FISA warrant.

All this might lead to some, in a final bit of irony, to compare the conspiracy-minded tweeting of Mensch, an arch Trump critic, with the conspiracy-minded tweets of the president himself.

Its a parallel that Mensch, wittingly or not, may only reinforce. Its just something I believe, she said, when asked about her theory that Putin murdered Breitbart. I dont really believe in coincidences.
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the Guatemalan capital on Tuesday to demand the resignation of President Jimmy Morales, whose popularity has dropped since his brother and elder son were caught up in a graft investigation. Jimmy Morales, a former comedian, was elected president in 2015 on pledges to clean up Guatemalan politics. He came to power after protests over a widespread corruption scandal that toppled his predecessor, retired General Otto Perez, who remains in jail. The predominantly rural protesters, who headed to the main Constitution square, said they had been tricked by Morales. "About a year ago, Jimmy Morales won with his slogan, 'Neither Corrupt, nor a Thief,'" said Estuardo Batz, one of the leaders of the march called by the Committee of Rural Development. "He lied to us, so he has to go." There was no official tally of the protesters, but a Reuters reporter estimated the crowd size at about 15,000. In September, a judge barred Morales' older brother and adviser, Samuel "Sammy" Morales, and son, Jose Manuel Morales, from leaving the country, pending an investigation into suspicious payments linked to the mother of Jose Manuel's girlfriend in 2013. In January, both were arrested. They say they are innocent. At the time, Morales said he would support his family, but also respect the law. Last month, speaking at an event at the presidential palace, Morales rejected rumors of a possible coup, but gave no details and left the event without taking questions. Morales, who had a 71 percent approval rating in January 2016, had a 56 percent approval rating in January this year, according to a CIG/Gallup poll. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Editing by Tom Brown)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson travels to Japan, South Korea and China next week seeking coordination to address the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.

It will be Tillerson's first trip to the region since he took office a month ago as the top U.S. diplomat under the Trump administration. He arrives in Tokyo on March 15, before traveling to Seoul and Beijing.

The State Department said Tuesday that Tillerson will reaffirm the administration's commitment to enhance U.S. economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

His trip comes amid heightened tension on the divided Korean Peninsula, where North Korea this week launched four ballistic missiles as the U.S. and South Korea held military drills.

China, meanwhile, is angry over the upcoming deployment of a U.S. missile defense system.
scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  One day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties, Malaysia said Wednesday that it wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite an increasingly bitter dispute over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea's ruler. Malaysia has said two female attackers wielding VX nerve agent killed Kim on Feb. 13 at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated. The dispute took a surprising turn on Tuesday, when North Korea announced that it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving the country until the dispute is resolved.

BEIJING (AP)  A senior Chinese diplomat said Wednesday that tensions on the Korean peninsula were like "two accelerating trains" headed for collision, saying the way to defuse the crisis required action from both sides. Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint military drills conducted by the U.S. and South Korea. He described escalating tensions between the North and Washington and Seoul to "two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way." "The question is: Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?" Wang told reporters.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A series of catastrophic electrical and other failures may have led to the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 over the Indian Ocean, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. on behalf of the families of 44 people on board the still missing plane. The lawsuit, filed Friday against Boeing in U.S. District Court in South Carolina, names seven malfunctions, from an electrical fire to depressurization of the plane's cabin, that could have led to the crew losing consciousness, the plane's transponder stopping its transmission and the plane flying undetected until it crashed after running out of fuel.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Two of the world's most intriguing mysteries are in the hands of Malaysian investigators. Will they ever find all the answers to either? One of them  the fatal poisoning of the half brother of North Korea's ruler with a banned nerve agent  happened long after the other  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished three years ago Wednesday. Investigators have far more evidence in the death of Kim Jong Nam, including his body and two suspects in custody, than they do in the disappearance of the plane, whose 239 passengers and crew could be forever lost in the Indian Ocean.

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned the latest North Korean missile launches, calling them "a grave violation" of its sanctions resolutions. The United Nations' most powerful body said it deplored all North Korean ballistic missile activity, which contributes to improving its missile delivery systems and increases tensions in the region and beyond. The tests risk a regional arms race, the council added. In press statement issued Tuesday night, the council also expressed serious concern over North Korea's "increasingly destabilizing behavior" and defiance of council resolutions. The council said its member nations would continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  U.S. missile launchers and other equipment needed to set up a controversial missile defense system have arrived in South Korea, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said Tuesday, a day after North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan. The plans to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, within this year have angered not only North Korea, but also China and Russia, which see the system's powerful radars as a security threat. China responded quickly, saying it will take "necessary measures" to protect itself and warning that the U.S. and South Korea should be prepared to bear the consequences.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire Samsung Group heir, will stand trial Thursday in a Seoul court. He is charged with, among other offenses, offering bribes to President Park Geun-hye and a close friend of hers to strengthen his control over Samsung, the conglomerate founded by his grandfather that is South Korea's largest and most successful business. Four other Samsung executives will also stand trial. Documents from special prosecutors detail allegations that Lee and his aides used Samsung corporate funds to purchase expensive horses for the equestrian daughter of Park's friend Choi Soon-sil. They also say the presidential office pressured the national pension fund to facilitate a father-to-son leadership succession at Samsung in exchange for 43.3 billion won ($38 million at current exchange rates) from Lee.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  The Australian government minister in charge of the suspended seabed search for the Malaysia Airlines jet told victims' families and friends at an anniversary church service on Wednesday that he remained hopeful that Flight 370 would be found. Darren Chester, minister for infrastructure and transport, and Angus Houston, the former Australian defense chief who coordinated the early months of the search efforts, were among around 100 who attended the private ceremony at St. John's Anglican Cathedral in the east city of Brisbane to mark the third anniversary of the mysterious tragedy. Several victims and relatives of the 239 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 live in or near Brisbane.

LUCKNOW, India (AP)  Police said Wednesday they had killed a man suspected of masterminding the bombing of a passenger train that injured eight people this week in India. An anti-terrorist police squad engaged the suspect in an 11-hour gunbattle overnight, after tracking him down at the home of a Muslim cleric in the city of Lucknow, according to senior police official A. Satish Ganesh in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Ganesh identified the slain suspect as Saifullah, and said he was wanted in connection with Tuesday's train blast near Bhopal in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Indian police on Tuesday arrested and questioned four suspects in Madhya Pradesh, leading to tips that drove police in Uttar Pradesh to arrest two more suspects in the city of Kanpur, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Lucknow.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  As South Korea begins the deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system that it says will allow it to better cope with North Korean threats, the reaction from its belligerent rival is hardly its only concern. The plan to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, this year has angered not only North Korea, but also China, South Korea's largest trade partner, which considers the system a security threat. Residents in a rural South Korean town where THAAD is planned to sit have furiously protested over rumored health hazards they link to the system's powerful radar, and some of the country's potential presidential candidates have vowed to walk back on the deal if they win office.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to back out of a lawsuit over transgender students' bathroom access is a disappointment that will keep transgender children in limbo, said 17-year-old plaintiff Gavin Grimm, who's become a national face of the issue.

But Grimm, who sued his eastern Virginia school district to be able to use the boys' bathroom, said Monday that he's ready to keep up his fight.

"I am still as passionate and as happy to be doing this as ever," he said. "I think everyone is just as empowered and ready for it as we've always been. And if it took 10 years, I'd stick with it."

Grimm spoke to reporters hours after the justices issued a one-sentence order handing his case back to a Richmond appeals court without reaching a decision. That means attention now will turn to the Richmond court and other appellate panels around the country that are grappling with rights of transgender students to use school bathrooms that correspond to their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth.

A high school senior, Grimm likely won't see the issue settled before he graduates, but he said he accepted that long ago.

"I already knew that the decision wouldn't be handed down until after my senior year anyway. ... For me it's more about the impact it could have on trans kids who come after me," he said.

Grimm said the order will "drag this conversation out," leaving school-age kids "in limbo for an extended period of time."

"It's not just about bathrooms but the rights for trans people to exist in public spaces. . If you had to plan your day around not having a bathroom in public, what kind of nightmare would that be?" he said, adding it's "not feasible to keep trans people out of restrooms."

Grimm's case had been scheduled for argument in late March. Now, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be tasked with evaluating the federal law known as Title IX and the extent to which it applies to transgender students. Lawsuits involving transgender students are making their way through the courts in at least five other states: Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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Joshua Block, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents Grimm, said he remains convinced that courts ultimately will side with transgender students.

"Title IX means the same thing today as it meant yesterday. Lower courts already have held that it protects trans kids," he said.

In a statement relayed by school board lawyer Kyle Duncan, the board said it "looks forward to explaining why its commonsense restroom and locker room policy is legal under the Constitution and federal law."

The Supreme Court's action follows the Trump administration's recent decision to withdraw a directive issued during Barack Obama's presidency that said which bathroom to use should be based on students' gender identity.

The administration action triggered legal wrangling that ended with Monday's order. In essence, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, had relied on the Obama administration's interpretation of Title IX to side with Grimm. The appeals court accepted the administration's reading of the law without deciding for itself what the law and a related regulation on same-sex bathrooms and locker rooms mean.

No appeals court has yet undertaken that more independent analysis, and the Supreme Court typically is reluctant to do so without at least one appellate opinion to review, and usually more than one.

Another possible explanation for Monday's order is that the court might want more of a societal consensus to develop before it issues a ruling in favor of transgender rights, said John Neiman, an Alabama lawyer who served as a law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The court's reluctance to take on transgender rights now may have been underscored by the high court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia nearly 13 months ago and the refusal of Senate Republicans to consider Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the seat. Eleven days after taking office, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the court.

Ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court arguments, Grimm's case drew attention from all over the world. Apple, IBM and Microsoft were among the 53 companies that signed onto a brief filed last week urging the court to rule in his favor. He's been profiled in national media and made an appearance on "The View." At the Grammy Awards last month, actress and transgender rights advocate Laverne Cox told the audience to "please google 'Gavin Grimm.'"

He said Monday that he'd been overwhelmed by the "incredible" support, especially from the technology companies. "You know, I'm a teenager, I like my tech," he joked.

Being in the spotlight has been stressful, he said.

"But it's been worth it," Grimm said. "I think that it's absolutely all worth it."

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report. Sherman reported from Washington.
Following President Donald Trumps recent allegations that Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election, Trevor Noah has alleged that POTUS is using the unsubstantiated claim to distract America.

During Mondays episode of The Daily Show, the host gave his take on how Trumps tweets were an attempt to divert attention away from the controversy surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions communication with Russia. You know, Donald Trump is the only person who thinks the best way to distract from a scandal is to start an even bigger scandal, he joked. Hes like, This Jeff Sessions thing is getting too hot, people. Im gonna pull out my d and lets see if that helps.'

Noah also had some more fun at the presidents expense. This whole story is such B.S. First of all, no one needs to spy on Donald Trump. You can just follow him on Twitter, he said. And secondly, hes a proven troll. Were not going to waste our lives trying to disprove Obama Birth Certificate, Part 2. And definitely not before the president offers a shred of evidence.

Watch the full clip below.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned Monday that the threat from North Korea had "entered a new stage," following another defiant missile test.

The two leaders spoke by telephone after North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles, in what Pyongyang provocatively called a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan.

"Japan and the United States confirmed" the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions and presented a "clear challenge to the region and international community," Abe told reporters in Tokyo.

They also agreed that "the threat has entered a new stage," Abe said.

The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.

North Korean weapons programs are rapidly proving to be the most prominent foreign policy question facing Trump's young White House.

The president -- who has little foreign policy experience -- has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly."

Intelligence officials believe that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States.

Trump has baldly declared that "it won't happen!" but has yet to articulate how he proposes to neutralize the threat.

Diplomacy has stalled and military options remain fraught.

Monday's launches were the latest in a series of test-firings that have increased in tempo.

Last month, Abe's visit to Trump's Florida resort was marred by another North Korean missile test.

On that occasion social media posts showed Trump and Abe huddling with aides in a public dining room as they weighed how to respond.

As a presidential candidate, Trump had called into question a mutual defense pact with Japan, insisting Tokyo must pay its own way. He has since softened that rhetoric.

Abe said that "President Trump said the United States is 100 percent with Japan and he told me to convey his remarks to the Japanese people."

"He said he wanted us to trust him and the United States 100 percent," Abe added.
President Donald Trump took credit for an investment and job creation announcement by Exxon Mobil Corporation (ticker: XOM) Monday, even though the investment had been planned several years prior to his presidency, reports the Associated Press.

Exxon's chairman and CEO Darren Woods promoted the company's decade-long $20 billion investment in Gulf Coast refineries, chemical and liquefied natural gas plants on Monday at a conference in Houston. Part of an initiative launched in 2013, the plans would translate to 12,000 full-time jobs and 35,000 temporary construction positions.

Still, Trump commended Exxon Mobil and congratulated himself in a series of tweets, including one linking to a White House news release and another featuring a short video.

"Thank you to @exxonmobil for your $20 billion investment that is creating more than 45,000 manufacturing & construction jobs in the USA!" one of the tweets reads.

"This is something that was done to a large extent because of our policies and the policies of this new administration," Trump said in the video.

45,000 construction & manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. $20 billion investment. We are already winning again, America!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

March 6, 2017

There is an incredible spirit of optimism sweeping the country right now--we're bringing back the JOBS! pic.twitter.com/BNSLvKiEVj

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

March 6, 2017

The news release does point out in the second-to-last paragraph that Exxon Mobil's investments, expected to last through 2022, began in 2013 when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the company's CEO.

Twitter users also noticed this paragraph exists in both the Exxon Mobil and White House press releases.

Did the White House copy/paste part of an ExxonMobil press release for an official White House release? https://t.co/WKxtkFuRuM pic.twitter.com/KRaXEKbn6g

-- ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston)

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March 7, 2017

This isn't the first time Trump has taken credit for already planned company announcements. In late December, Trump said Sprint Corp (S) and OneWeb, a satellite company, would create 8,000 U.S. jobs. But Japan's SoftBank Group Corp. had previously pledged to do this.

Earlier last year, Trump tweeted about helping talk Ford Motor Co. (F) into not sending a Lincoln plant to Mexico from Kentucky -- though Ford doesn't have a Lincoln-only Kentucky plant. A plant there makes the Lincoln MKC SUV and the Ford Escape. Ford reportedly had sought a production shift for that Lincoln model but that was scrapped.

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.
President Trump is praising the Republican-proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obamas signature health care law better known as Obamacare.

Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation, Trump tweeted early Tuesday. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster  is imploding fast!

The bill, released by House Republicans on Monday night, repeals Obamacares individual mandate and most of the taxes the law imposed. But the plan, dubbed the American Health Care Act, retains two popular features of the ACA: one requiring insurance companies to insure people with preexisting conditions, and another allowing young adults to remain on their parents insurance plans until they are 26 years old.

The White House had previously issued a slightly more hesitant endorsement of the bill, saying that Mondays legislation marks an important step toward restoring health care choices and affordability back to the American people.

But supporters of the Obamacare replacement law are likely eyeing the part of Trumps tweet saying the bill is now open to review and negotiation.

Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster  is imploding fast!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

Repealing and replacing Obamacare has been the top priority for the GOP-controlled Congress  and near the top of Trumps long list of campaign promises.

Obamacare is collapsing, Trump said during his address to Congress last week, and we must act decisively to protect all Americans.

Today House Republicans are answering President Trumps call to action with legislation to repeal this failing law, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said in a statement Monday night. Our legislation transfers power from Washington back to the American people. We dismantle Obamacares damaging taxes and mandates so states can deliver quality, affordable options based on what their patient populations need, and workers and families can have the freedom and flexibility to make their own health care choices.

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Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said the proposed replacement goes too far.

This bill sends a loud and clear message: tax cuts for special interests and the wealthy matter more than your health care, Wyden said in a statement.

But in a sign of the legislative fight still to come, some Republicans  including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.  say the bill doesnt go far enough.

This is Obamacare lite, Paul said on Fox & Friends. It will not pass. Conservatives arent gonna take it.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the White Houses Office of Management and Budget, said Trump is completely behind the bill.

The president is all in on it, Mulvaney said on Fox & Friends.

Trump, who was apparently watching the morning show, continued to tweet about the legislation Tuesday morning.

Don't worry, getting rid of state lines, which will promote competition, will be in phase 2 & 3 of healthcare rollout. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

I am working on a new system where there will be competition in the Drug Industry. Pricing for the American people will come way down!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

On the Today show, Mulvaney said comparisons of the newly unveiled plan to Obamacare are unfair.

I dont think its fair to want to compare what were proposing  to what Obamacare might have been. You have to compare it to what Obamacare is, and its a failure, Mulvaney said. By that comparison, this program is going to be a great success.

At his daily briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump fully endorses the new bill.

This is the plan the president ran on, Spicer said. This is the Obamacare replacement that everyone has been asking for.

Spicer also boasted that page count of the new plan is far less than that of the Affordable Care Act.

Our plan is only 66 pages long, Spicer said, pointing to a table set printouts of both plans for comparison.

Our bill, which is a tenth of the size, does repeal and replace, Spicer said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Los Angeles (AFP) - President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has sent shockwaves through the Latino population across the United States and brought out scam artists who are preying on the vulnerable community.

From unscrupulous attorneys charging thousands of dollars for residency or work visas that never materialize to cheats bilking victims for documents freely available online and people passing themselves off as federal immigration agents, advocacy groups and officials say fraudsters are feasting on immigrant fears.

"When you have people worried and scared, you sadly have those that take advantage," says Enrique Morones, founder and director of the San Diego-based immigrant rights group Border Angels.

Morones says he has seen a huge surge in the number of people falling victim to scams since Trump signed an executive order in January targeting the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.

"The last time we saw a big increase like that was around 2006 (when a controversial immigration bill was proposed) and then it dropped down dramatically," he said. "Now, it's gone up again and the increase is higher than back then because of Trump's rhetoric and the fear he is creating in the community."

- Prey on vulnerable -

The executive order gives federal agents wider latitude to enforce immigration laws, enabling them to deport broad categories of undocumented immigrants who have not been convicted of any serious crime.

Human rights advocates say that while they support criminals being deported, the order has put almost all undocumented immigrants -- the majority of them Mexican -- at risk.

They point to a number of arrests in recent weeks as examples, including that of a father of four who was detained in Los Angeles after dropping one of his US-born children at school and an Arizona woman who had lived in the United States for more than two decades before she was deported last month.

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Such cases have sent immigrants -- many of whom have little formal education and don't speak English -- scrambling for counsel from people posing as attorneys or anyone with an official title promising an easy path to legalization.

Many scam artists show up at gatherings of immigrant communities during which they distribute flyers, offer their services or gather names and phone numbers, Morones says.

Some people also pose as federal immigration agents to rip people off, the authorities have warned.

One Mexican farmworker who fell victim to a corrupt attorney showed AFP an immigration document for which he was charged $500 and which, unbeknownst to him, was freely available online.

Another family in California last week reported having been fleeced of $5,000 by a fake attorney who assured them they were eligible for residency permits before vanishing.

"They trusted him, they had their fingerprints taken and did everything the attorney asked and then he disappeared," Morones said.

- Migrant defense centers -

The authorities in Chicago, New York and other cities have issued warnings against those seeking to profit unduly from the immigrant population and have announced several arrests and convictions.

"Taking advantage of the most vulnerable is reprehensible," California's attorney general Xavier Becerra said last month after a couple was convicted -- and the man sentenced to five years in prison -- for defrauding immigrants.

"Today's sentencing puts on notice others who may want to carry out these crimes, and lets hardworking immigrant families know that our office has got their backs."

The 50 Mexican consulates across the United States have meanwhile opened migrant defense centers to help their nationals.

"We are warning the community and telling them to rely on accurate information and to come to the consulate and seek advice," said Marcela Celorio, Mexico's consul general for the San Diego area, where there are an estimated 120,000 undocumented Mexican immigrants.

Morones says his advice to the community comes down to simple common sense.

"Make sure you're talking to somebody you can trust, get references and make sure they have an office," he said.

"And if something looks too good to be true, it probably is."
A deserted guard tower is seen at Joint Task Forces Guantanamo Bay Camp Delta last year. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

President Trump attacked former President Barack Obama on Twitter yet again on Tuesday  this time over the Obama administrations release of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield, Trump tweeted. Just another terrible decision!

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

Trumps assertion was quickly challenged by Carol Rosenberg, a Miami Herald reporter who covers the U.S. detention facility.

Wrong POTUS, @realDonaldTrump. Your intel agencies report shows Bush released 113 of the 122 re-engagers from Gitmo. https://t.co/AvYSHDspfl pic.twitter.com/YZOVOrJS3O  Carol Rosenberg (@carolrosenberg) March 7, 2017

According to Rosenberg, the president was correct in referring to the number of detainees confirmed of engaging in recidivism, or reengaging on the battlefield after their release. But Trump placed the blame on the wrong former president.

A 2016 intelligence report found that 122 of the 693 detainees transferred from Guantanamo by the United States had been confirmed of reengaging in terrorist or insurgent activities.

But 113 of those reported recidivists were released during former President George W. Bushs presidency  roughly 21 percent of the 532 transferred by the Bush administration. Just nine of the 161 released by Obama at the time of the report were confirmed of reengaging, or about 6 percent.

As is often the case with Trumps tweets, the president apparently got the questionable statistic while watching his favorite morning show, Fox & Friends.

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Former Gitmo detainee killed by a U.S. airstrike in Yemen; at least 122 former Gitmo detainees have re-engaged in terrorism pic.twitter.com/y9jb420fFZ  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 7, 2017

Its worth noting that the recidivism figures for released Guantanamo detainees historically have been a bit murky in terms of what, exactly, they are measuring.

And the definitions from the director of National Intelligences office indicate as much:

Definition of Terrorist or Insurgent Activities. Activities such as the following indicate involvement in terrorist or insurgent activities: planning terrorist operations, conducting a terrorist or insurgent attack against Coalition or host-nation forces or civilians, conducting a suicide bombing, financing terrorist operations, recruiting others for terrorist operations, and arranging for movement of individuals involved in terrorist operations. It does not include mere communications with individuals or organizations  including other former GTMO detainees  on issues not related to terrorist operations, such as reminiscing about shared experiences at GTMO, communicating with past terrorist associates about non-nefarious activities, writing anti-US books or articles, or making anti-US propaganda statements.

Definition of Confirmed Activities. A preponderance of information which identifies a specific former GTMO detainee as directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities. For the purposes of this definition, engagement in anti-US statements or propaganda does not qualify as terrorist or insurgent activity.

Definition of Suspected Activities. Plausible but unverified or single-source reporting indicating a specific former GTMO detainee is directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities. For the purposes of this definition, engagement in anti-US statements or propaganda does not qualify as terrorist or insurgent activity.

At the White House, press secretary Sean Spicer tried to explain the discrepancy.

Obviously, the president meant in totality the number that had been released on the battlefield, Spicer said.

However, the vast majority (532) of the total number of Gitmo detainees released (693) occurred under Bush.

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump says "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba "have returned to the battlefield."

Trump didn't cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, "another terrible decision!"

On Monday, U.S. airstrikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.
TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States was with Japan "100 percent" over phone talks they held to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches, Abe told reporters on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed that North Korea's latest actions were a clear breach of United Nations' security resolution and a challenge against regional and international security, Abe added. "President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent." North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
Russia presents security challenges to the United States and its allies for which the Trump administration has yet to indicate any kind of a policy direction or goals. In the nuclear arena, none of these challenges are more acute than Russias ongoing violation of the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty. That Treaty, signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, banned the Soviet Union and the United States from having or testing ground-launched missiles with ranges between 312 and 3,428 miles.

The INF Treaty and I kind of grew up together (yes, I am a geek and track my childhood, in part, through arms control agreements). In the 1970s, Russia deployed new nuclear-tipped missiles in Warsaw Pact states that could hit all of Europe. President Jimmy Carter and NATO responded with the dual-track decision, deploying American missiles in NATO states that could hit Russia, some in 15 minutes or less, while simultaneously seeking to negotiate elimination of such weapons on both sides. These missiles were highly destabilizing  they could reach London from Moscow in minutes, creating crisis instability and compressing decision times.

While the missiles were being deployed in Europe, over massive and prolonged protests, I was active in the nuclear freeze movement in New York, and later I did my first real college research on the dual-track decision. So my career came full circle when I became the senior director for arms control at the National Security Council in 2014, just after the U.S. government announced that Russia was violating the INF Treaty. That Russia was blatantly cheating on an agreement that helped end the arms race and was a cornerstone of post-Cold War nuclear stability was bad enough. Russias steadfast refusal to even acknowledge its actions  reminiscent of its Cold War behavior  made clear how hard addressing this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be.

To this day, Russias behavior remains the same. Moscow has now reportedly begun to deploy a ground-launched cruise missile known as the SSC-8, while steadfastly denying that any such violation has taken place. At the same time, Russian officials take pains to justifying any hypothetical decision to violate the treaty on U.S. actions, including the deployment of regional missile defenses in Europe. Missile defenses are not constrained by the agreement and the United States goes to great pains to ensure that it remains in full compliance with its arms control treaty obligations.

Under President Barack Obama, the United States pursued three goals with respect to Russia and the INF Treaty: 1) deny Russia any military advantage from its violation, 2) work with and reassure European and East Asian allies that Americas commitment to their security remained ironclad, and 3) work to convince Russia to come back into compliance with the INF Treaty. In the end, we were successful in two of the three goals, but clearly unable to convince Russia to fully implement the agreement despite repeated commitment to its goals.

Now, it seems, Putin has decided to press his luck by actually deploying the system, and President Donald Trump must manage this challenge at a time when he and many members of his inner circle are suspected of inappropriate or even illegal ties to Russia. Trump has said little and done less to address this issue, and in this vacuum Congress is already forging ahead with a chest thumping piece of legislation. A new pending bill would find Russia in material breach of the INF (a decision that can only be made by the executive branch), push the United States to develop its own systems for deployment in Europe, work to sell missiles to European allies to target Russia, and develop cruise missiles defenses in Europe to counter Russias new missiles. These are all issues that the Obama administration considered, but it was not clear if these decisions would be affordable, improve NATO security, or convince Russia to return to INF compliance. It also seems highly likely that some of these steps would further undermine crisis stability in Europe. In addition, NATO states would not necessarily agree to these steps, which would undermine NATO alliance unity at a time when it is already under pressure  something that advantages Russia and not the United States. Regardless of your analysis of Russias actions, Trumps inaction and Congress proposals makes managing the strategic relationship with Russia and reassuring NATO allies much harder.

Dangerously, Russias violation of the INF Treaty and noncompliance with other pacts removes  at least for now  new arms control agreements as a way to manage Washingtons burgeoning bilateral strategic competition with Moscow. It is hard to see how even the master of the art of the deal could negotiate a new nuclear deal with Russia when it is violating one of the most important ones ever signed. Even this GOP Senate might have a hard time accepting that gift from Trump.

Why does this matter at all? Well, in one sense  it doesnt. The SCC-8 can reach targets that were already within range of Russias strategic missiles. Thus, the military balance is not dramatically affected by this move.

In the larger sense, however, it matters a lot. With short flight times, stealth, and mobility, the SSC-8 cruise missiles is designed to deliver a nuclear surprise attack and undermines crisis stability in Europe. In addition, having these systems frees up Russian strategic missiles to more reliably target U.S. territory and to defeat any missile defenses designed to protect America. More dangerously, it puts metal behind the stated willingness of Moscow to use nuclear weapons early. And deployed in the far east, these systems also present a new way to target Japanese and South Korean allies and defeat U.S. missile defenses in those countries as well.

When the Obama administration left the White House, we left behind a playbook for how to address just this scenario. The legal and intelligence basis for taking a range of actions  including declaring Moscow in material breach of the INF Treaty and taking direct countermeasures that could prevent Moscow from gaining any advantage from its violation  are all available. Whether the Trump administration plans to avail itself of these options or pursue other steps remains unclear, as with so many other aspects of Trumps Russia policy.

Time, sadly, is not on Americas side. If Russias violations go unchallenged, then U.S. allies  already on edge  will increasingly question U.S. commitment to their security. In addition, if Russia cannot be convinced to return to compliance, it is hard to see how the New START strategic arms control treaty that effectively manages Americas strategic nuclear competition can be extended or renegotiated when it expires in 2021.

Americas reaction to this challenge must seek to make the country and its allies more secure, not less. Legally, the United States can find Russia in material breach of the INF and take countermeasures, even including the development and deployment of its own systems that would be otherwise prohibited by the treaty. However, doing so would likely undermine the cause of NATO unity, as the population of many member states, particularly in western Europe, are not ready to consider increasing nuclear deployments to counter Russian moves. However, other steps are possible, such as deploying additional conventional air to surface cruise missiles, such as the JASSM-ER in Eastern Europe, and finding other ways to remind Russia why INF was in its interest back in 1987 and remains so today. If done as part of a process to convince Russia to verifiably destroy the offending missiles and launchers and restore the INF Treaty to full health, these steps would be welcome across the U.S. political spectrum. But silence and the status quo are the worst of both worlds  they encourage Russian bad behavior and undermine both American leadership and European stability.

Photo credit: RIA Novosti via Getty Images
After weeks of self-imposed silence, the State Department finally held its first press briefing on Tuesday, a lengthy back-and-forth that managed to avoid the testiness typical of the Trump administrations White House briefings.

Facing a barrage of questions that have piled up over the six-and-half weeks since the inauguration, State Department acting Spokesperson Mark Toner sought to clarify a series of Trump administration policies, but also struggled to explain some of the presidents most controversial moves. Those included Trumps revised executive order banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, and a proposal to slash the State Department and foreign aid budget by 37 percent.

Toner pointedly pushed back against reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson holds little clout in the administration, and that the State Departments role has become diminished in the Trump era. The White House had barely consulted, if at all, the State Department before holding phone calls with foreign leaders or while drafting the initial travel ban. The White House also nixed Tillersons pick for deputy secretary of state, Elliott Abrams, and Foggy Bottom has lots of vacancies at senior levels.

Secretary Tillerson is very engaged with the White House, very engaged with the president, [and] speaks with him frequently, said Toner. I can assure everyone that the State Departments voice is heard loud and clear in policy discussions at the National Security Council level.

He pointed to recent activity by Tillerson such as his trip to Bonn, Germany in mid-February for the G-20 and exchanges with his Chinese and Korean counterparts.

The eagerly awaited briefing was a first for a State Department that seems unwilling or unable to embrace the traditional role of public diplomacy that has characterized U.S. efforts to shape opinion and policies around the globe. Tillerson, the former chief executive of ExxonMobil, seems inclined to favor the same closed-door approach to doing business as the countrys top diplomat as he did while running the oil major.

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Breaking with decades of past practice, for example, Tillerson allowed very few journalists to accompany him on trips to Germany and Mexico. On Monday, while helping present the new travel ban, Tillerson scurried away from reporters questions, as did the secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General.

Toner, who led the briefing, is a career diplomat who served as deputy spokesperson under the Obama administration. He was watched from a distance by Trumps State Department aide Jennifer Hazelton.

Toner was pressed on reports that the Trump administration wants to gut State Department funding, and has apparently found a willing ally in Tillerson. On the proposed cuts, which would force a massive overhaul of the department and elimination of numerous foreign aid programs, Toner at first suggested that the 37 percent figure would not hold.

This is still just early on in the process, said Toner. I would stress that Secretary Tillerson understands the vital work that his department does. However, he also warned that the department was undergoing a period of reassessment.

An Associated Press report said the secretary agreed in principle to the 37 percent figure but preferred that it be spread out over three years.

On the new executive order on immigration, which bans citizens from a half-dozen Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, ostensibly on grounds of national security, Toner struggled to explain the criteria used by the administration. It remains unclear if Iran was included on the list because of Tehrans ties to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, or because there are ongoing issues related to the proper vetting of incoming travelers. That made it hard for Toner to say if, when, why, or how Iran could get off that list.

Despite the confusion, Toner conducted a cordial and professional briefing that isnt likely to become fodder for Saturday Night Live, or become must-see television, like the contentious White House briefings led by Sean Spicer.

Fear of such a dynamic is one of the reasons Tillerson had little desire to restart the daily briefings, despite a wave of criticism from press advocates and human rights organizations who view them as a crucial tool of U.S. foreign policy. Many U.S. diplomats posted overseas rely on the briefings to understand the administrations stance on a range of issues.

After the briefing, when asked if fielding questions from American and foreign journalists was such a harrowing experience, a senior administration official acknowledged: No, it wasnt.

Officials said the next televised briefing would be Wednesday followed by a phone briefing on Thursday. Traditionally, the State Department holds on-camera briefings every weekday.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump dropped in unannounced on roughly 100 schoolchildren touring the White House on Tuesday, greeting them beneath a picture of his vanquished election rival Hillary Clinton.

As tours restarted at the White House after a brief hiatus, Trump greeted pupils at the Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Alabama.

The location of his surprise greeting was the ground floor center hall beneath a portrait of Clinton -- one of a series of paintings of former first ladies.

White House tours are normally self-guided, lasting about 45 minutes. They do not normally include a meeting with the president.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A jovial Donald Trump greeted the first wave of tourists to the White House since his inauguration Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton was there, too  at least in spirit.

Trump emerged from behind a French screen to a throng of cheering tourists  many of them fifth graders from Birmingham, Alabama  who had packed into the East Wing of the White House for a chance to catch a glimpse of the 45th president.

"Oh my god!" they shouted as the president stretched his arms open to announce his arrival.

Throughout Trump's short appearance, it was hard not to notice the giant portrait of the former first lady  and Trump's opponent in the hotly-contested election  prominently hanging beside him.

The White House has been closed for tours since inauguration day as the new administration sorted out staffing and other logistics needed to usher in visitors to the 217-year-old house.

Among the first group of tourists were a group of fifth graders from the Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Ala. Trump randomly pulled one young boy from the crowd  10-year old Jack Cornish from Birmingham  hugging him and patting him on the shoulders before sending him back to the crowd of envious schoolmates.

One of them shouted, "You're famous, Jack!"

President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary opened the White House to tours the day after they moved in January 1993. The Clintons welcomed some 1,000 winners of a lottery drawing along with then-Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper.

George Washington's portrait graced the event that day.

Under the Obama administration, the director of the White House Visitors Office welcomed some 3 million tourists.
Trump Greets White House Tour Visitors Below Hillary Clinton Painting [Photos]

President Donald Trump surprised visitors inside the White House as part of the first wave of White House visitors after it was reopened for tours. A couple of things are catching the eyes of viewers of photos and videos that are emerging from the White House tour on Tuesday, March 7.

The first thing going viral, as seen in the below photo gallery, is the fact that Mr. Trump was photographed beneath a painting of Hillary Clinton in the White House. The next thing getting some buzz, as seen in below photos and videos from Twitter, is that 10-year-old Jack Cornish allegedly flashed the Pepe the Frog sign with his hand as Cornish took a photo with President Trump. Instead of the famous Pepe the Frog hand symbol, some folks merely claim Jack was flashing an A-Okay hand sign.

Click here to continue and read more...

Trump White House Tour: Photo Near Hillary Clinton Painting, Pepe Frog Also Seen is an article from: The Inquisitr News

Click here to continue and read more...
Ben Guerdane (Tunisia) (AFP) - The battle against jihadists in Ben Guerdane a year ago was a "turning point" for Tunisia, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Tuesday during a visit to commemorate the anniversary.

Jihadist groups mounted a coordinated assault on security installations in the town on the border with Libya last March 7, aiming to win over residents and establish an "emirate" of the Islamic State jihadist group, according to Tunisia's authorities.

At least 55 assailants were killed, along with 13 members of the security forces and seven civilians.

Tunisia, which was the target of several IS attacks in 2015 in which 72 people were killed -- 59 of them foreign tourists -- has since been spared any major jihadist violence.

"March 7 is no longer an ordinary day in Tunisia. It has a symbolic value," the prime minister said at a ceremony held under tight security.

"To the inhabitants of Ben Guerdane, the town of resistance, your victory in the March 7 battle, the victory of security agents, of our soldiers, marked a turning point in the struggle against terrorism," Chahed said.

An analyst with the International Crisis Group, Michael Ayari, said residents and security forces in Ben Guerdane had shown "resilience, but that doesn't mean Tunisia is immune" to the jihadist threat.

The attacks in 2015 and on Ben Guerdane in 2016 were followed by stronger security cooperation with Tunisia's Western allies, especially in military equipment and on supervision of the 500-kilometre (300-mile) border with Libya.

Defence Minister Farhat Horchani backed up Chahed's point.

"We showed that terrorism has no future in Tunisia... So long as the state is united, that the population is united, we will defeat this scourge," he told AFP.

During his visit, the premier announced several projects for Ben Guerdane, which is in southern Tunisia that has suffered neglect by central authorities.

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The town of 60,000 inhabitants lives off trading, mostly smuggling goods across the border with chaos-strewn Libya.

"I have a message for our politicians: they haven't delivered on even one percent of their promises," said a brother of Abdelatti Abdelkarim, a victim of last year's attacks, echoing local distrust of the authorities.

"What we did (on March 7, 2016), that was to protect our country, our children, not for you," he said on Shams FM radio.
Hamburg (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu asked Berlin not to preach about democracy and human rights amid a mounting row sparked by Germany's refusal to allow meetings aimed at gathering votes to extend the Turkish president's powers.

"Please, don't give us lessons in human rights and democracy," the minister said, as he spoke to a crowd of some 200 Turkish government supporters gathered at the residence of their country's consul in the northern city of Hamburg.

The comments came after German local authorities banned rallies that Turkish officials were due to address to raise support among expatriate voters for a referendum in April on boosting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

"Germany must not intervene in our elections and out referendum," he said. "Those who want to say 'Yes' in the referendum are being blocked and that is not right."

Local authorities had called off a rally in Hamburg where Cavusoglu was due to speak, citing fire safety concerns.

Police said about 250 opponents of Erdogan gathered near the consulate, some of them brandishing signs that read "Dictator Erdogan -- Hayir," meaning "No" in Turkish.

Cavusoglu said he would meet Wednesday with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, whom he called a "friend", at a breakfast in Berlin and visit a tourism fair.

Tensions have been rocketing between NATO allies Turkey and Germany over the past week after the cancellation of several rallies where Turkish cabinet ministers were due to whip up support for a "yes" vote in the April 16 referendum.

- 'Great fear' -

Erdogan escalated the crisis over the weekend, likening the cancellations to "Nazi practices," drawing a sharp response from Berlin.

He also warned Germany not to block him from making an appearance if he wished.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's office firmly rejected the Nazi jibe as "absurd and out of place".

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Cavusoglu said the rally cancellations were "unacceptable" and reminiscent of practices in the run-up to World War II.

He criticised Germany and several other European countries including the Netherlands, where politicians including Prime Minister Mark Rutte have condemned Cavusoglu's plans to attend a similar rally in Rotterdam.

"We are in a state of great fear," Cavusoglu said. "If we cannot stop the advance of racist parties, Europe will head (back) to the pre-World War II period."

Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik spoke Tuesday with Michael Roth, state secretary at Germany's foreign ministry, sources in Celick's ministry said.

"Turkish-German relations are not local authorities' responsibility but that of the German state," Celik told Roth, according to the sources.

"We believe this is a systematic obstacle to our government."

- 'Embarrassing'-

Germany is home to a sizeable Turkish community, with some 1.4 million able to vote in Turkey -- a potential electoral goldmine in the Erdogan government's campaign to create an executive presidency.

Cavusoglu accused countries "which we deem as friends" of openly taking sides, slamming it "unacceptable" and "embarrassing".

Turkish-German ties have been strained since a vast crackdown launched by Ankara after a failed coup bid to oust Erdogan in July 2016.

Mass detentions have alarmed Europe, which has urged Ankara to respect freedoms. Critics say the clampdown has targeted opponents of the government, not merely coup-plotters.

In another development adding to the acrimony Tuesday, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said he had opened a case against German newspaper Bild for "seriously insulting" Erdogan and himself in a report.

The arrest of Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for Germany's Die Welt newspaper, has also sparked an outcry in Berlin after he was charged in Istanbul with spreading terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey does not plan a military campaign against the Syrian town of Manbij without coordinating with the United States and Russia, which have a military presence in the area, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday. "(Without such coordination) there wouldn't be much of a result and things could get more complicated," Yildirim told broadcaster A Haber, adding that talks at the military level were underway. Last week Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Manbij would be the next target in the military campaign Turkey is waging alongside Syrian rebels in northern Syria against both Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States appears to have decided to enlist the help of Kurdish YPG militia in a campaign to push Islamic State out of its stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, thwarting Turkey's ambitions, a senior Turkish official said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey, the United States and Russia must coordinate to clear Syria of terrorist groups. The three countries' chiefs of staff were working to prevent clashes between the different parties. Yildirim spoke as Turkey's military chief of staff met his U.S. and Russian counterparts in the southern Turkish province of Antalya to discuss coordination in Syria. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the results of the meeting "could change the whole picture". "... It appears that the U.S. may carry out this operation with the YPG, not with Turkey. And at the same time the U.S. is giving weapons to the YPG," the official said. "If this operation is carried out in this manner there will be a cost for Turkey-U.S. relations, because the YPG is a terrorist organisation ..." Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford attended the three-party meeting at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, a spokesman for Dunford said. The spokesman, Navy Captain Greg Hicks, said the military chiefs discussed security in Iraq and Syria and the importance of additional measures to avoid accidents. They also discussed "the current situation of the fight against all terrorist organizations in Syria with an effort to wage a more effective fight against (them) ..." A U.S. defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dunford did not inform his Turkish counterpart of any decision about the Raqqa offensive, in remarks that appeared at odds with the Turkish account. Ankara has been pressing the United States to change its strategy for fighting Islamic State in Syria by abandoning the YPG and instead drawing on Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels to retake Raqqa. Turkey views the YPG and its political affiliate the PYD as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is waging an insurgency against the Turkish government. MULTI-SIDED CONFLICT Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last week the next target of his country's Syrian operation was Manbij, which is controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). But Yildirim said then that military action by Turkey would not make sense unless coordinated with the United States and Russia. After clashing with FSA rebels west of Manbij this month, the Manbij Military council declared a deal with Russia to hand front-line villages to Syrian government control to prevent their coming under Turkish control. Rapid developments in the war for northern Syria - the most complicated theatre in the multi-sided conflict - are setting new limits on Turkish power, while affirming the role of the U.S.-allied YPG militia that Ankara entered Syria to fight. The Syrian government has emerged as a major player in the war for the north after punching through a swath of Islamic State-held territory, blocking any further Turkish advances from the buffer zone it has carved out in Syria near its frontier. In August, Turkey-backed forces launched an operation to drive Islamic State away from its border with Syria and prevent the YPG from taking territory in their wake. Since pushing the jihadists out of their al-Bab stronghold, fighting has focussed on villages west of Manbij, setting Turkish-backed rebels against the Manbij Military Council, part of the U.S.-backed SDF that includes the YPG. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Tom Perry and Ralph Boulton; Editing by James Dalgleish)
ATHENS (Reuters) - Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades accused rival Turkish Cypriots on Wednesday of seeking a pretext to stall peace talks to avoid an overlap with Turkey's constitutional referendum next month. Greek and Turkish Cypriots had been making steady progress in the talks, widely seen as the best opportunity in decades to end the ethnic partition of the Mediterranean island, but they hit a snag in February. "It would have been more honest for (Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci) to have said it's best to suspend negotiations until the referendum is over," Anastasiades told Greece's Skai TV in a television interview. Turkey, whose role in a post-reunification Cyprus remains a highly sensitive issue in the talks, will hold a referendum on April 16 on boosting the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the north in response to a brief Greek Cypriot coup engineered by the military then ruling Greece. Ankara keeps up to 30,000 troops in northern Cyprus, a breakaway state it supports both politically and financially. Last month the peace talks were abruptly interrupted when Greek Cypriot lawmakers decided to have a 1950 "enosis" referendum that sought union with Greece honored in schools. Enosis, as a concept, was abandoned by Greek Cypriots long ago, but the decision to commemorate the date in schools touched a raw nerve with Turkish Cypriots who say the ambition of union with Greece was the source of the island's division. In his interview, Anastasiades said the Greek Cypriot move over honoring the 1950 referendum had been "a mistake", but added: "That shouldn't be a justification for Akinci to abandon the talks. He was looking for a pretext." The plebiscite row has underscored the fragility of Cyprus' peace process, which aims to craft a new partnership between the two sides on the island. (Writing By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Istanbul (AFP) - The top generals of the Turkish, Russian and US military met Tuesday in a bid to step up coordination in Syria and avoid clashes between rival forces in the fight against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists.

The meeting between Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

Their discussions in the southern Turkish city of Antalya came as a US-led coalition made progress in its effort to push IS out of Syria.

While Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting against IS, they support different camps and tension remains because of Ankara's opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia forces.

Though it ultimately stepped back from its claim, Turkey had threatened to strike Manbij, a former IS bastion, unless the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed there pulled back.

The SDF, seen by the Washington as the most effective anti-jihadist fighting force in Syria, is dominated by Kurdish fighters condemned by Ankara as "terrorists."

Both Moscow and Washington confirmed the three-way talks in Antalya.

"During the meeting the parties discussed regional security matters in Syria and Iraq ... with an effort to wage a more effective fight against all terrorist organisations in the future and the importance of additional measures for de-conflicting operations," US joint staff spokesman Greg Hicks said in a statement.

- 'Risk of unwanted clashes'-

The Antalya talks are aimed at ensuring better coordination to avoid "the risk of unwanted clashes" as many countries are involved in Syria, Turkish premier Binali Yildirim said.

Speaking in Ankara, Yildirim said Syria needed to be rid of "all terrorist groups" -- including Syrian Kurdish militia and IS jihadists.

"The objective of the meetings today and tomorrow (Wednesday) is how to provide coordination in the best way possible and prevent parties from interfering with each other's operations and causing unpleasant developments while fighting against terror," Yildirim said.

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The meeting comes a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to unilaterally strike Kurdish militia deployed in Manbij.

"It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Yildirim said Monday.

His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would strike the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) unless they withdrew from Manbij.

It came after Russian and Syrian regime forces started to move "humanitarian" convoys into Manbij, making it more difficult for Turkish troops to launch the offensive they had threatened.

The YPG is a key fighting force in the SDF, which spearheaded the victories against IS in the flashpoint towns of Kobane and Manbij.

Ankara believes it is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which seeks greater rights and autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish minority and has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state since 1984.

In a thinly veiled criticism of Washington, the Turkish premier on Tuesday lashed out at "some allies' unfortunate" choice of Syrian Kurdish militia forces as partners in the fight against IS.

Turkey has said it wants to work with its allies to capture the IS de facto capital of Raqa, but has ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia.

- 'Clean Raqa together' -

Speaking to a rally of supporters in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in reference to the US: "Now we are discussing and saying that if you put aside those terror groups, we can clean Manbij together, we can clean Raqa together."

The Pentagon said Monday it had sent extra troops into northern Syria to make sure competing forces in and around Manbij remain focused on fighting IS rather than each other.

Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recapturing from IS several towns near its border.

But the Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of the Kurdish militia, which Ankara fears could join up its so-called "cantons" in northern Syria, near its border.

Turkey is cooperating with Russia in Syria, despite them being at odds politically over the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Moscow backs militarily.

Erdogan plans to visit Moscow on Friday, to co-chair with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a meeting of ministers from both countries, the Turkish leader's office said in a statement.
Istanbul (AFP) - The top generals of the Turkish, Russian and US military met Tuesday for talks likely to be dominated by next steps in the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

The meeting between Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

Their discussions in the southern Turkish city of Antalya come as a US-led coalition is making progress to push IS out of Syria, where Ankara has been increasing its efforts against the jihadists.

Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting IS, though they support different camps and military tension remains because of Turkish opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey has said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group dominated by Kurdish fighters.

The SDF has controlled Manbij since last year when it pushed out IS, but recently it has clashed with Turkish-backed forces.

"Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the Turkish army said in a statement, without giving further detail.

In the past, Antalya hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015.

Moscow confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned."

- Focus on IS -

The talks come a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to strike Syrian Kurdish militia deployed in Manbij, a former IS bastion, unless it was in cooperation with Russia and the United States.

"It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised interview.

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His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian Kurdish militia -- considered "terrorists" by Turkey -- unless they withdrew from Manbij.

The Pentagon said it has sent extra troops into northern Syria to make sure competing forces in and around Manbij remain focused on fighting IS rather than each other.

Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recapturing from IS several towns near its border including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab.

But the Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of the Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of an outlawed militant group.

Turkey has also said it wanted to work with its allies to capture the IS stronghold of Raqa, but has ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia.

Turkey is also cooperating with Russia in Syria, despite them being at odds politically over the future of President Bashar al-Assad, whom Moscow backs politically and militarily.

The Antalya meeting comes as Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition are gaining ground in a vast operation aimed at retaking the IS-stronghold of Mosul in Iraq.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday he would go ahead with a planned visit to Germany despite local authorities' banning him from making a speech on safety grounds.

The comments came amid a row over the stopping of events in Germany attended by Turkish officials to boost support among expat voters for a referendum in April on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

"I am going to Hamburg today," Cavusoglu told foreign countries' chief consuls, including Germany's, in Istanbul. "I will meet this evening with our citizens in Hamburg."

He added: "Nobody can and should prevent us from meeting with our citizens."

Local authorities in Germany had called off a rally in the northern city of Hamburg where Cavusoglu was due to speak, citing fire safety concerns.

But the Turkish foreign ministry told AFP a new venue had been found, and Hamburg police confirmed Cavusoglu would meet 150 people from the Turkish community on Tuesday night at the residence of the consul general.

A demonstration calling for a "No" vote in the referendum has meanwhile been planned nearby.

Cavusoglu said he would meet Wednesday with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, whom he called a "friend", at a breakfast in Berlin and visit a tourism fair.

Tensions have been mounting between NATO allies Turkey and Germany over the past week after the cancellation of several rallies where Turkish cabinet ministers were due to whip up support for a "yes" vote in the April 16 referendum.

- 'Great fear' -

Erdogan escalated the crisis over the weekend, likening the cancellations to "Nazi practices," drawing a sharp response from Berlin.

He also warned Germany not to block him from making an appearance if he wished.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's office firmly rejected the Nazi jibe as "absurd and out of place".

Cavusoglu said the rally cancellations were "unacceptable" and reminiscent of practices in the run-up to World War II.

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He criticised Germany and several other European countries including the Netherlands, where politicians including Prime Minister Mark Rutte have condemned Cavusoglu's plans to attend a similar rally in Rotterdam.

"We are in a state of great fear," Cavusoglu said. "If we cannot stop the advance of racist parties, Europe will head (back) to the pre-World War II period."

Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik spoke Tuesday with Michael Roth, state secretary at Germany's foreign ministry, sources in Celick's ministry said.

"Turkish-German relations are not local authorities' responsibility but that of the German state," Celik told Roth, according to the sources.

"We believe this is a systematic obstacle to our government."

- 'Embarrassing'-

Germany is home to a sizeable Turkish community, with some 1.4 million able to vote in Turkey -- a potential electoral goldmine in the Erdogan government's campaign to create an executive presidency.

Cavusoglu accused countries "which we deem as friends" of openly taking sides, slamming it "unacceptable" and "embarrassing".

Turkish-German ties have been strained since a vast crackdown launched by Ankara in the wake of the failed coup bid to oust Erdogan in July 2016.

Mass detentions have alarmed Europe, which has urged Ankara to respect freedoms. Critics say the clampdown has targeted opponents of the government, not merely coup-plotters.

In another development adding to the acrimony Tuesday, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said he had opened a case against German newspaper Bild for "seriously insulting" Erdogan and himself in a report.

The arrest of Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for Germany's Die Welt newspaper, has also sparked an outcry in Berlin after he was charged in Istanbul with spreading terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred.
A picture is worth a thousand likes in the social media world, and for one dog, it led him to a new home.

Read: Otter-ly Adorable! Zoo Welcomes 2 New Otter Pups

Sheldon, who is about 2-and-a-half years old, arrived at Maricopa County Animal Care & Control in Phoenix, Ariz., in late 2016 and has been looking for a new home ever since.

Shelter volunteer Heather Haltmeyer says Sheldon, a pit bull, kept jumping up and down one day when she took her camera to work. She did a photo shoot with the canine in which he wore a green bowtie and posed with his adorable droopy face.

"Once I got him in the yard, I realized how adorable he looked in pictures, with his downturned mouth and grumpy dog expression," she told InsideEdition.com. "We posted him on Facebook and he did very well. The next day, his new mom came in to adopt him!"

The shelter told InsideEdition.com that Sheldon had not been known as "Grumpy Dog" until his pictures went viral.

Sheldon was quickly adopted by a woman named Emily Chmiel, where he now lives in a loving home with five cats.

Chmiel told InsideEdition.com that the dogs personality was why she wanted to adopt him, adding, "He's such a goofball!"

Read: Supportive Tomcat Helps Mate Through Labor, Snuggles Up With Litter of Kittens After Birth

After seeing his photo online, she knew she had to meet him.

"I had been looking for a dog for a while and his picture just kind of clicked with me," Chmiel said.

After taking him in, she renamed him Cas and said he's enjoying his life surrounded by cats and his new owner.

Watch: Couple Postpones Their Wedding Day to Focus on Finding Missing Dog

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Brussels (AFP) - A row over Poland's attempt to oust European Union President Donald Tusk threatens to overshadow a summit this week that was meant to focus on post-Brexit unity.

Warsaw's surprise announcement of a challenger has upset plans to rubber-stamp a new mandate for former Polish premier Tusk, and underscored east-west splits in the 28-nation bloc.

The leaders are also at odds over the contents of a declaration they hope to make on the future at a summit in Rome later this month marking the EU's 60th birthday.

Big guns like Germany and France back a "multi-speed Europe" in which some members could deepen integration faster than others, but Eastern nations oppose it.

"President Tusk believes that the key message in Rome should still be unity," a senior EU official told a briefing ahead of the summit on Thursday and Friday.

"Indeed if in Rome a new baby is to be born, the name of this baby should be Unity rather than Multi-speed," added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Unity is at a premium for the EU as it deals with Britain's departure after last year's referendum, Russian aggression and new US President Donald Trump.

- 'Very many' back Tusk -

The first task for the leaders on Thursday, when they will meet at 28 with Britain included, will be deciding on a new term for Tusk until the end of 2019.

Poland's eurosceptic government threw a spanner in the works on Saturday when it suddenly proposed Euro-MP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski instead of Tusk, its long and bitter foe.

Centrist Tusk is still near-certain to be re-elected as he has broad support for his handling of crises including migration and Greek debt.

So far Poland has only the support of Hungary -- led by the populist, anti-immigration Viktor Orban -- for a change.

"Mr Tusk enjoys the confidence of very, very many," German junior foreign minister Michael Roth said in Brussels on Tuesday.

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"And this is a clear signal that should be understood as well by those who still have a problem with a reappointment of Donald Tusk as president of the Council."

EU officials added that Poland has no veto on the matter. Under EU rules it would need a majority of at least 72 percent of the 28 leaders, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population.

But there is disquiet at the way an internal political feud has spread to the European stage at a time when it is meant to be giving the impression of unity.

"I think we will leave our Polish friends to face the cold wind alone," an EU diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Tusk has been at odds with Law and Justice for years, especially its chief, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who accuses him of "moral responsibility" for his twin brother and then-president Lech Kaczynski's death in a 2010 plane crash in Russia.

- Rome declaration -

The Tusk issue highlights a growing split between the older, western EU nations and the poorer, newer countries in the East, especially on issues such as migration.

This is also likely to figure when 27 EU leaders meet without Britain on Friday to discuss the March 25 summit to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding Treaty of Rome.

The "big four" EU economies -- Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- said at a meeting in Versailles on Monday that they supported a multi-speed Europe choosing at which speed they integrate on issues like defence and the economy.

"Unity does not equal uniformity," French President Francois Hollande said after the talks.

But Eastern European nations have strongly opposed any such move.

Germany's Roth indicated that there were problems with drafting the declaration, saying "I am anything but satisfied with the current state of preparation."

He echoed Slovakian premier Robert Fico who said last week that said preparations for Rome were "pathetic".

Meanwhile the EU leaders will also discuss a fresh challenge in the form of instability and growing Russian activities in the Western Balkans.

The EU leaders are likely to warn in a statement against "external destabilising influences" but Moscow itself will not be specifically named, diplomats said.
By Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. civil rights leaders said Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised on Tuesday to examine the status of a federal probe into the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man whose 2014 death at the hands of New York City police sparked protests. Garner died in July 2014 after a white police officer put him in a chokehold. The Justice Departments probe into his death has been stalled by internal disagreements over whether federal investigators have enough evidence to proceed, according to news reports. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader from New York, urged Sessions to "move aggressively" on the case, Sharpton told reporters. Garner, a father of six, was accused of illegally selling cigarettes on a sidewalk when an officer put him in the chokehold from behind and brought him down with the help of other officers. Garner complained repeatedly that he could not breathe. The city medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide, with asthma and obesity as contributing factors. The Garner case was the only issue on which Sessions promised to take action during Tuesdays 45-minute meeting with six civil rights advocates who raised concerns over his stance on police reform, voting laws and minority rights, the advocates told a news conference. The Justice Department declined to comment on the meeting. Sessions called three civil rights groups about a week after he was confirmed on Feb. 8 to express his interest in talking with them, Sharpton said. Sessions declined to comment when the advocates urged him to advise President Donald Trump against creating a voter fraud task force, said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The advocates cited numerous studies showing such fraud was rare in the United States, she said. The civil rights leaders said they also expressed disappointment with the Justice Department's recent decisions to reverse Obama administration efforts to challenge a Texas voter identification law and allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. (Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Peter Cooney)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Syrian militias will tighten the chokehold on Islamic State's base in Raqqa, after cutting the last main road out of the city, a spokesman said on Tuesday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) severed the highway between Raqqa and the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor province on Monday, dealing a major blow to Islamic State which is under intense military pressure in both Syria and Iraq. Islamic State is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the SDF militias, by the Russian-backed Syrian army, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebels. The SDF advance means all main roads out of Raqqa are now cut. The U.S.-backed militias now plan to capture surrounding rural areas and advance towards the city to isolate it completely, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Reuters. In some areas, the militias were still up to 20 kilometers from the city limits, he added. The SDF alliance, including the Kurdish YPG militia and Arab groups, launched a campaign in November to encircle and ultimately capture Raqqa from Islamic State, with air strikes and special forces support from a U.S.-led coalition. "The frontlines have not reached the city yet, they are still in the countryside," Silo said. "The campaign will go on until the city is completely cut off." The first two phases of the SDF campaign targeted areas to the north and west of Raqqa, with the third phase targeting areas to the east of the city. Raqqa city is bordered to the south by the Euphrates River. The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State has mounted numerous air strikes targeting the bridges over the river, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported. (Reporting by Tom Perry, Writing by Ellen Francis; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican congressman who said on Tuesday that some Americans should choose between spending on a new iPhone and healthcare sparked a social media backlash from people who accused him of being out of touch.

Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah stepped into a minefield on CNN as he defended a Republican plan in the House of Representatives that would replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The plan would replace Obamacare's income-based subsidies to buy insurance with tax credits, and eliminate a requirement that most Americans obtain medical insurance.

"Americans have choices. And they've got to make a choice," said Chaffetz, who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"So maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own healthcare. They've got to make those decisions themselves."

Social media came alive over Chaffetz's remarks, with many users mocking the lawmaker's connection between healthcare and an iPhone. iPhone was one of the top trending topics online, with nearly 60,000 tweets using the term by early afternoon.

An iPhone 7 mobile phone, Apple Inc's latest model, costs $649 on the company website. A 2016 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected the average premium last year for employment-based insurance at about $6,400, and somewhat less for individual coverage.

Twitter user Stephen Toulouse (@Stepto) wrote: "I would have to give up my habit of buying an iPhone every single month to get healthcare."

Jenny Trout (@Jenny_Trout) superimposed Chaffetz's face on a portrait of Marie Antoinette, the 18th-century French queen accused of insensitivity to the poor. "Let them have iPhones!" Trout said.

Eli Friedman (@eligit) said: "Hey Jason I'm writing this to you on my $600 iPhone, bought once every 2 years. Can you get me insurance for $300 a year?"

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After the backlash, Chaffetz told Fox News: "Maybe I didn't say that as smoothly as I possibly could, but people need to make a conscious choice and I believe in self-reliance."

Obamacare was the signature domestic accomplishment of Barack Obama, the Democratic predecessor of President Donald Trump.

It has brought health insurance coverage to millions, although premium increases have angered some. Republicans have denounced the law as government overreach.

Trump on Tuesday endorsed the draft House bill, but influential conservative groups came out against it, complicating prospects for passage in Congress.

(Additional reporting by Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - There isnt enough evidence to say for sure whether healthy women need routine pelvic screening exams, according to new guidelines from U.S. physicians. The conclusion issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) today on pelvic exams comes amid growing debate in the medical community over whether women really need a full pelvic workup every year. The new guidelines from the government-backed, independent panel of primary care and preventive health experts dont apply to pregnant women, Pap tests for cervical cancer or checks for certain sexually transmitted infections. The USPSTF strongly recommends that women be screened for cervical cancer, so we understand that women will receive a pelvic exam in that circumstance, said task force member Dr. Maureen Phipps, a womens health researcher at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. This new recommendation statement is about whether the pelvic exam by itself is a useful tool to screen for a variety of other gynecologic conditions, Phipps said by email. This is the first time the Task Force has weighed in on pelvic exams, which typically involve the insertion of a speculum to widen the vagina and visually examine the cervix as well as a manual internal exam of the reproductive organs and rectum. Among other things, doctors usually look for yeast infections, genital warts, herpes, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids and cysts. They may also check for cancers of the cervix, ovaries or uterus. Only eight studies since the 1940s have examined the accuracy and harms of pelvic exams, with mixed results, the Task Force writes in JAMA. Taken together, the available studies dont conclusively show the accuracy or benefit of the exams for early detection and treatment of many gynecologic problems. Its also not clear how often women might be harmed by inaccurate false positive results that lead to extra tests and unnecessary treatment. With ovarian cancer, for example, a few studies found false positive results in 1.2 percent to 8.6 percent of cases. Between 5 percent and 36 percent of women with abnormal results suggesting cancer got surgery. Some studies also found false negative results that miss malignancies. Given the scant evidence, the American College of Physicians advises against pelvic exams as part of annual physicals. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, recommends pelvic exams as part of annual checkups until womens age or other health issues make it unlikely they would choose to treat any conditions detected. Currently, the USPSTF recommends a Pap test every three years for women aged 21 to 29, and every five years for ages 30 to 65. The new pelvic exam guidelines dont change this advice. Pap tests can be done without a full pelvic workup, and pelvic exams can occur without a Pap test, Dr. Jeffrey Peipert, author of an accompanying editorial, said by email. I do not think all women need an annual pelvic exam, added Peipert, an obstetrics and gynecology researcher at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. With conflicting guidelines about pelvic exams, doctors should tell patients theres uncertainty about the value of these screenings and discuss whether theyre needed on case by case basis, Dr. George Sawaya of the University of California, San Francisco, writes in an accompanying editorial in JAMA Internal Medicine. Women might, for example, need exams when they have unusual pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding or other concerning symptoms, Sawaya argues. But some women without symptoms might not want the invasive exams. Prevention is designed to make well people in the present weller in the future, and that is difficult, Sawaya said by email. This is why we need to have a high standard of evidence for prevention - we dont want to make well people sick in our pursuit of making them healthier in the future. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2eRKuCu JAMA and http://bit.ly/2naD6FZ JAMA Internal Medicine online March 7, 2017.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada conferred on North Korea's missile launches in a telephone call on Monday, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible." "Secretary Mattis reaffirmed that the United States remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement. North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Multiple fast-attack vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came within 600 yards (meters) of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to change course. The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional." The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could not immediately be reached for a comment. Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran last year after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But serious differences remain over Iran's ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria and Iraq. While still a presidential candidate in September, Donald Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that harassed the U.S. Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water." Similar incidents happen occasionally, but the last serious one was in January when a U.S. Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down. "Well I don't know how much of a pattern it is, we actually had seen quite an improvement in Iran's behavior until recently," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters. Davis said that dangerous interactions were a matter of concern because they could lead to a "miscalculation or an accidental provocation." (Reporting by Idrees Ali Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by James Dalgleish and Richard Chang)
By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Republican legislation to replace the Obamacare healthcare law but it faced a rebellion by conservative groups and lawmakers who denounced it, complicating its chances for passage in the U.S. Congress.

Republican U.S. House of Representatives leaders on Monday unveiled legislation to do away with Obamacare, eliminating the requirement that most Americans obtain medical insurance and creating a system of tax credits to coax people to purchase private insurance on the open market.

Speaker Paul Ryan said he could guarantee that he had enough votes to win passage of the measure in the House, adding that conservatives should be excited about the plan to repeal and replace Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.

But conservatives slammed the proposal, with Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee calling it "exactly the type of back-room dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for."

Trump said the plan was open to negotiation but said it had already earned support "from everybody." Vice President Mike Pence described it as a "framework," signaling it was far from its final form, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price called it "a work in progress."

The proposal represented a key step toward carrying out pledges by Trump and congressional Republicans to dismantle Obamacare.

But lawmakers face pressure from constituents not to throw America's healthcare system into chaos, and some conservatives complained the bill did not go far enough in removing government from the healthcare industry. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky decried it as "Obamacare Lite."

Democrats denounced the proposal, saying it would take away health insurance from millions of Americans and benefit the rich.

Conservative groups including Heritage Action for America, the Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, backed by the billionaire Republican donor Koch brothers, urged its defeat for different reasons.

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The Club for Growth derided it as "RyanCare" and a "warmed-over substitute for government-run healthcare."

"We think you have to get rid of Obamacare completely," said conservative Republican Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who announced plans to introduce his own bill to repeal Obamacare on Wednesday, the same day that House committees begin debating and considering amendments on the Republican plan.

Conservative opponents said the legislation maintains some Obamacare regulations and mandates that have caused rising insurance prices, creates a new entitlement in the form of tax credits and fails to embrace free-market ideals.

Instead of current income-based subsidies to buy a plan, the plan proposes tax credits, which would range from $2,000 to $4,000.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare and passed by Democrats over unified Republican opposition, is popular in many states, even some controlled by Republicans. It has brought medical coverage to about 20 million previously uninsured Americans.

Democrats and some moderate Republicans said the new House measure would hit lower-income Americans by rolling back the Obamacare expansion of the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Republicans control both Congress and the White House but the future remains uncertain for the plan. It must win approval in the House and the Senate before it could go to Trump for his signature. In the Senate, Republicans hold a narrower majority.

'TREMENDOUS SUPPORT'

In a series of Twitter posts, Trump called the draft "our wonderful new Healthcare Bill" and said it was "now out for review and negotiation." In a later meeting with Republican lawmakers, Trump said, "I really believe we're going to have tremendous support."

Trump, who has previously called for lower drug prices, said on Twitter he was "working on a new system where there will be competition in the Drug Industry. Pricing for the American people will come way down!" He gave no details. His comment sent shares of drugmakers lower.

White House Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney said the plan should pass the House before lawmakers break in mid-April.

During a White House briefing, Price sidestepped questions on whether he could guarantee the plan would not result in millions of Americans losing health insurance or whether the administration supported everything in it.

Price said the drug-pricing initiative would occur in future phase of healthcare action involving regulatory changes and other legislative fixes. Trump said on Twitter there would be additional action to allow people to buy health insurance across state lines.

Senator Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, appeared to question whether there were enough votes in Congress for passage.

"I'm going to be very anxious to hear how we get to 51 votes and how the House gets to 218," Blunt told reporters, referring to the minimum number of votes needed for passage in the two chambers.

Shares in hospitals, whose government reimbursements would be impacted by changes in federal reimbursement for Medicaid, fell, with Tenet Healthcare Corp off 7 percent and Community Health Systems down 9 percent.

Investors, insurers and hospitals expressed concern that the planned tax credits and the draft legislation did not do enough to make health insurance affordable.

Under the bill, Obamacare's income-based and location-based tax credits would be replaced by fixed tax credits, which could put plans out of reach for consumers in certain states and result in lower enrollment, some industry sources said.

The BlueCross BlueShield Association (BCBSA), which represents Anthem Inc, the biggest player in the individual Obamacare markets this year, emphasized the need for affordable insurance.

To keep prices down, Republicans will need the buy-in from Anthem and other insurers, particularly after UnitedHealth Group Inc, Aetna Inc and Humana Inc exited most of the states where they sold individual insurance plans under Obamacare.

Mulvaney said he expected the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's budgetary review of the bill in a few days. Congresss nonpartisan tax analysis unit, the Joint Committee on Taxation, estimated repealing Obamacares taxes alone will cost almost $700 billion through 2027.

Republican Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas expressed hope the legislation could be improved through amendments to satisfy the concerns of conservatives. "And I think amidst the horse excrement, we can find a pony around here somewhere," Gohmert said.

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Caroline Humer; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Frances Kerry and Will Dunham)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday that a March 2 strike against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen killed a former detainee from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "We can confirm the death of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Yasir al Silmi," said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, adding al Silmi had been held at the detention center from 2002 to 2009. In a statement, the Pentagon added that he was also known as Mohammed Tahar and was repatriated from Guantanamo Bay in 2009 to Yemen. Davis added that the United States had carried out more than 40 strikes against AQAP militants over the past five nights and would continue to target it. Since a January commando raid, the United States has shown a desire to both strike al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and to recover from what U.S. officials acknowledge has been an intelligence shortfall about the group since Yemen's civil war forced the closure of the U.S. embassy in 2015. (Reporting by Idrees Ali, writing by Phil Stewart; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
SEOUL (Reuters) - The deployment of the U.S. military's THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea will be complete in one to two months and it will be operational as early as April, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the country's military. The U.S. military said earlier on Tuesday the first elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system had arrived in South Korea for deployment. This came after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles on Monday, angering Seoul and Japan. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Paul Tait)
ALMATY (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's detention of a human rights activist and the extension of another activists' prison term drew criticism from the United States on Tuesday, although it welcomed the release of other dissidents and urged more tolerance. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has overseen the release of several dissidents sentenced to lengthy prison terms under the late Islam Karimov, who was the Central Asian country's leader for 27 years. Among them were journalists Muhammad Bekjanov, who had spent 18 years behind bars, and Jamshid Karimov, Islam Karimov's nephew who had been one of his fiercest critics. "These positive steps seem to foreshadow future releases and a more tolerant approach to civil society in general," the U.S. embassy in Uzbekistan said in a statement. "So, we were disappointed to learn of setbacks with other activists, such as the recent detention of Elena Urlaeva and the decision to uphold Azam Farmonovs sentence extension." Urlaeva, a campaigner against forced labor in Uzbekistan's cotton fields, was arrested ahead of an international meeting where she was scheduled to give evidence on human rights violations, a human rights group said on last week. In a video recording published online, Urlaeva said had been arrested, beaten by police and taken to a psychiatric clinic in Tashkent, the capital of the former Soviet republic. Farmonov, another activist, has been in prison since 2006 on extortion charges and was sentenced in 2015 to five more years for violating prison rules, a ruling his lawyers have been trying to get overturned. "We urge the government to reinforce its more positive trajectory on questions of the human dimension so that future actions align more closely with the country's own laws and international standards," the U.S. embassy said. The Uzbek government has not commented on Urlaeva's detention or the dismissal of Farmonov's appeal. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Alexander Smith)
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government will seek to overturn changes made by parliament's upper chamber on Tuesday to legislation that will give Prime Minister Theresa May the power to begin EU exit talks, Brexit minister David Davis said in a statement. The House of Lords voted to give lawmakers more power to reject the final terms of the country's exit from the European Union, ignoring pleas from May's government not to hamstring their negotiations. "It is clear that some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process, and it is the Government's intention to ensure that does not happen. We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons," Davis said. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May should scrap fixed-term parliaments and call an early general election to ensure she has the time and political security to cope with the travails of Brexit, William Hague, a former Conservative Party leader, said. Hague, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said that "trouble is coming" over the next two years as the government tries to implement Brexit and that PM May needs a bigger majority in the House of Commons to force through change. "We have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues," said Hague, a former foreign secretary. "There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them," he said. Hague said Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was the party's "least credible leader ever" and had led his party to "its worst condition since the 1930s". May has made it clear to her colleagues that she does not favor an early election, because she thinks it would be self-serving and create added uncertainty at a time when the country needs stability, the Telegraph said. Hague said to hold a vote, May would need to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act which means there can only be an election every five years unless two-thirds of lawmakers vote agree to a poll or the government loses a vote of no confidence. "If asked I am sure ministers will say that they have no plans to introduce a change," Hague said. "However, quietly and carefully, it is worth thinking about." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)
London (AFP) - British people are against the prime minister's plans to leave the European Union without a deal if parliament rejects the agreement struck with Brussels, according to a new poll released on Tuesday by the Independent.

Last month, Theresa May's government agreed to give lawmakers a vote on the final Brexit deal before it is concluded with Brussels.

However they warned that if parliament rejected the terms of the final deal, Britain would still leave the bloc and revert to World Trade Organization rules to trade with the EU.

But only 25 percent of British people would support leaving the EU "with no set future relations in place," according to a BMG Research poll commissioned by the daily newspaper The Independent which surveyed 1,576 people online.

A total of 56 percent favoured other options at odds with May's plans.

Among those, 27 percent said May should try to renegotiate a deal, 15 percent said Britain should stay in the EU on existing terms and 14 percent said Britain should stay in on new terms that the government should try to negotiate.

May's "no deal is better than a bad deal" approach has received strong criticism.

Former prime minister John Major said last week that exiting the EU without a deal would be "the worst possible outcome".

And the House of Lords is expected to vote for an amendment to the Brexit bill to give parliament a vote on the final withdrawal deal and any future ties with the EU.

If the amendment goes through, it would further delay the start of the Brexit process.

May is under pressure to pass the bill quickly to meet her deadline of triggering Article 50, which starts the divorce proceedings with the bloc, by the end of March.
By Stephanie van den Berg THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine on Tuesday of taking it to court under false pretences, using allegations of financing terrorism and ethnic discrimination as a front to litigate Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula three years ago. The accusation came on the second day of hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where Ukraine has charged that Russia is financing separatist groups who carry out "terrorist" attacks in eastern Ukraine and that Russia is discriminating against Crimea's ethnic Tartars. Those actions violate two international treaties, Ukraine says. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after weeks of increasingly violent street clashes led Ukraine's Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country. The annexation brought east-west tensions to their highest pitch in decades. This week's hearings relate to Ukraine's request for an order that Russia halt the alleged activities. The broader question of whether they are taking place will take longer to resolve: ICJ cases often last years. Lawyers for Russia urged judges to reject Ukraine's case, since the Black Sea peninsula's annexation was beyond its jurisdiction. "Ukraine uses the word 'terrorism' as a pretext for seizing this court," Russian foreign ministry official Ilya Rogachev said. Russia has repeatedly denied sending troops or military equipment to eastern Ukraine, where a war has been raging between the Moscow-backed separatists and forces loyal to Kiev ever since Yanukovych's deposition. The provisional measures Ukraine requests include a freeze on providing money, weapons, vehicles, equipment, training or personnel to the separatists. Ukraine says in its filing the pro-Russian separatists were responsible for the bombardment of residential areas and the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014, in which 298 passengers and crew - many of them Dutch - were killed. In September 2016, a six-country investigative team led by the Netherlands said the plane had been shot down with a Russian-manufactured Buk surface-to-air missile from an area controlled by pro-Russian forces. Outside the courthouse, relatives of the Dutch victims of the MH-17 disaster held a small demonstration. "We are here to call on Russia to take responsibility," said Thomas Schansman, who lost his son in the crash. Russia has dismissed the findings as biased and politically motivated. While the ICJ's rulings are final and cannot be appealed, it has few means of enforcing its rulings. In the past, powerful countries have ignored its rulings or boycotted its hearings. (Editing By Thomas Escritt, Larry King)
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's central bank said on Tuesday it was likely to recommend the introduction of sanctions on the local subsidiary of Sberbank over the Russian lender's decision to recognize passports issued by separatists in eastern Ukraine. On Tuesday, Kremlin-owned Sberbank said it would comply with an order from President Vladimir Putin in February for Russian authorities to recognize identity documents issued in the separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in east Ukraine. "If this information is confirmed, the central bank will raise with the National Security and Defence Council the question of introducing sanctions on the subsidiary of Russia's Sberbank in Ukraine," the Ukrainian central bank said in a statement. It did not say what form sanctions would take or if restrictions would be applied to other Kremlin-owned banks operating in Ukraine. Five Russian state-owned banks are present in Ukraine, including three in the top 20, and they hold a combined market share of 8.6 percent. The central bank has sought to cut that following a breakdown in bilateral relations in 2014 due to Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for the pro-Russian separatists. Following Putin's order, Sberbank said in emailed comments on Tuesday that it "is currently prepared to provide services in all affiliated branches to individuals with passports from the DNR and LNR," referring to the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk separatist republics in eastern Ukraine. It is not yet clear how the other Kremlin-owned banks operating in Ukraine are handling Putin's order. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Additional reporting Alexander Winning in Moscow; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by David Stamp)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Ukraine's foreign minister told U.S. senators on Tuesday that sanctions against Russia shouldn't be eased and possibly should be ratcheted up as Moscow escalates its military aggression against its western neighbor.

Testifying with representatives from other Eastern European countries affected by Russia's belligerence, Pavlo Klimkin told the Senate Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee that he'd just come from a meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who assured him the Trump administration will support Kiev in its standoff with Moscow.

But the signals President Donald Trump has sent since the 2016 presidential campaign have stoked unease in foreign capitals. Trump has made clear he desires improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin while at the same time questioning the value of NATO and other longstanding alliances.

Concerned Trump may act on his own, a bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation that would require the president to get approval from Congress before easing U.S. economic and financial penalties against Moscow.

The Trump White House also is eyeing a dramatic reduction in foreign aid and diplomatic spending. The Associated Press reported last week that Tillerson has agreed in principle to the 37 percent cut, but wants to spread it out over three years rather than in one dramatic cut.

The combined budget this year for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development was $50.1 billion, a little more than 1 percent of the total federal budget. The White House is looking for massive savings across the non-defense portions of the government's budget to offset a proposed $54 billion increase in military spending.

Piotr Wilczek, Poland's ambassador to the United States, said the proposed cuts "sound really dangerous." He said he hoped the reductions can be prevented because Poland and other countries in the region rely heavily on support from the U.S.

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"We hope that people who think this way will change their minds because American leadership in this region is essential," Wilczek said.

Russia's incursions into eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea in 2014 have drawn widespread condemnation in Europe and the United States along with a raft of sanctions.

Klimkin told the subcommittee that Russia's policies toward Ukraine can be expressed in one word  "war." More than 9,800 Ukrainians have been killed in the conflict, nearly 28,000 have been wounded and almost 1.8 million have been displaced. He urged Congress to continue providing Ukraine with money for security assistance, including defensive weapons.

Ukraine is "on the front lines," Klimkin said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the foreign operations subcommittee chairman, said he also wants better ties with Russia. But he said that will never happen until Moscow changes its practice "of trying to grind democracy into the ground."

After Trump's victory in November, Graham pledged to use his position in the Republican majority to investigate what he called "Russia's misadventures throughout the world." Graham also leads the Senate Judiciary crime and terrorism subcommittee, which has launched an inquiry into Russia's efforts to influence elections in the United States and other countries.

___

Contact Richard Lardner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rplardner
By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's upper house of parliament voted on Tuesday to give lawmakers more power to reject the final terms of the country's exit from the European Union, ignoring pleas from Prime Minister Theresa May's government not to hamstring their negotiations. The vote, which passed by 366 to 268, attaches an extra condition to the "European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill" -- legislation which will give May the power to trigger divorce talks. She plans to use that power later this month. The amended bill now demands that Britain's parliament has to approve any exit deal before it is debated by the European Parliament, or, if talks fail, that lawmakers must vote to approve a decision to walk away without a deal. Brexit minister David Davis said the government would seek to overturn the changes when the bill is presented for approval to the lower chamber, where May has a slim majority. "It is clear that some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process, and it is the government's intention to ensure that does not happen," he said in a statement. The defeat, however, could present a major headache for May if members of her own party follow through on their threats to rebel by supporting the amendment. "I will vote to keep in this amendment," Anna Soubry, a Conservative lawmaker in the lower chamber, told Sky News. She said parliament needed a proper say on the issue, warning of the dangers of a 'Hard Brexit' scenario where Britain left the EU without a deal. A split within May's Conservative party would undermine her authority at a time when she is facing down demands for a second independence referendum from Scottish nationalists, managing fears that Brexit could destabilize Northern Ireland, and trying to persuade major EU powers they must cut her a good exit deal. HARDER NEGOTIATIONS The government has already promised parliament a vote on the final deal, but believes restricting May's ability to leave the negotiating table could encourage the EU to offer a bad deal in the hope that lawmakers would then reject it and potentially halt Brexit. "This amendment simply makes the negotiations much harder from day one for the prime minister as it increases the incentive for the European Union to offer nothing but a bad deal," said George Bridges, the government's Brexit minister for the Lords, in his final plea before the vote. May has insisted that she would be prepared to leave the EU without any deal if the terms on offer weren't good enough, stating in January that "No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain." But, if the changes made on Tuesday become law, she would not be able to do that without parliamentary approval. Bridges said it was unclear what would happen if parliament rejected such a move. Some of May's opponents in the lords have signaled they will not seek to prolong or thwart the legislative process, meaning they could back down and accept an unamended bill if their changes are overturned in the lower chamber. (Editing by Toby Davis/Rut Pitchford)
Bengtsfors (Sweden) (AFP) - Uma Thurman is to star in Lars von Trier's new serial killer thriller "The House That Jack Built", producers announced Tuesday as shooting got underway in Sweden.

The US actress -- no stranger to gore thanks to her roles in "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill", will appear alongside Matt Dillon and Bruno Ganz for the controversial Danish director's first feature since 2013's "Nymphomaniac", which also starred Thurman.

"Uma and Lars first worked together on Nymphomaniac and complimented each other in an exceptional way; I can't wait to see which character they'll create together this time," producer Louise Vesth said in a statement.

Elvis Presley's grand-daughter Riley Keough of "Mad Max" fame has also joined the cast.

Due out in 2018, the first stage of filming is taking place in Bengtsfors, close to the western city of Trollhattan which serves as the hub for the Swedish and Danish cinema industries. Shooting will move to Copenhagen in May.

"The House That Jack Built" is set in the 1970s and stars Dillon as Jack, an extremely intelligent serial killer who considers murder to be an art form.

"Despite the fact that the final and inevitable police intervention is drawing ever near... he is - contrary to all logic - set on taking greater and greater chances," producers said.

Known for his black humour and shocking scenes of sex and violence, von Trier has avoided the media since 2011 when he was kicked out of the Cannes festival for telling a news conference he sympathised "a little bit" with Adolf Hitler. He later apologised for the comment.
Mogadishu (AFP) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Somalia Tuesday to discuss a hunger crisis which has pushed the country to the verge of famine with new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

"The combination of conflict, drought, climate change, diseases and cholera is a nightmare," Guterres told journalists during the flight to Mogadishu.

"It's essentially a visit of solidarity with Somalia. We are trying to put in place a response mechanism... for trying to prevent the worst".

Guterres will meet the newly elected president, better known by his nickname Farmajo, in the highly secured airport zone, which is protected by African Union peacekeepers and which houses the offices of the UN and humanitarian organisations.

It is only the third visit by a UN secretary general to Somalia since 1993 -- two years after then president Siad Barre was overthrown, plunging the country into civil war.

Guterres' predecessor Ban Ki-moon visited in 2011 just months after the country's last famine which was Africa's worst in 20 years and left 260,000 people dead. He returned in 2014.

A fierce drought has left some three million people in Somalia facing severe hunger and placed the country on famine alert.

On Saturday Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said at least 110 people had died in 48 hours from "droughts and acute watery diarrhoea" caused by lack of food, medicine and access to safe drinking water.

In South Sudan 100,000 people are already suffering from a "man-made" famine due to three years of civil war.

This means 20 percent of the population in the affected area has extremely limited access to basic food, acute malnutrition is higher than 30 percent, and more than two per 10,000 people are dying every day.

Overall, more than 20 million people face starvation in Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and Nigeria in an unprecedented four simultaneous famine alerts.
This loving couple has been forced to put their wedding on hold after the groom was left paralyzed during a joint bachelor/bachelorette party in Florida several months ago.

Read: Once Renowned Surgeon Sentenced to Life Behind Bars for Intentionally Maiming Patients

During their joint bachelor/bachelorette party in Naples, two months before their wedding day, groom Brett Greenhill, 39, dove head first into the sun-kissed water and hit a sand bar in a freak accident on the beach.

He suffered a grievous spinal cord injury and was left paralyzed.

"He said, I can't feel my body. I dont know what's going on. I can't feel my body," Greenhills fiancee, Meg Alexander, 29, said.

"I told her, 'I love you. I'm sorry,'" he recalled to Inside Edition. "I tried to push her away."

At the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, he is undergoing rehab and showing remarkable improvement.

He is also beginning to regain some feeling after the intense therapy.

His occupational therapist at the Shepard Center, Kathleen Shanahan, told Inside Edition: He's kept a positive attitude  which is amazing  through this whole thing. You don't see that in everyone.

Greenhill's injury has presented a challenge, but they are dedicated to getting through it, together.

"He said, 'I understand this is not what you signed up for,'" Alexander recalled. "We need each other. Physically he needs me more. But spiritually emotionally I need him.

Read: Boy, 7, Hailed a Hero After Calling 911 on Burglar Alarm Panel as Mom Suffered Stroke

For now their wedding is on hold but he and his bride-to-be remain an unbreakable team working together for the day when they walk down the aisle together.



"One thing I want people to know is love the people you love as hard as you can because you never know what can happen, Alexander told Inside Edition.

Story continues

The family has set up a Go Fund Me account to help pay for expenses, for more information, click here.

Watch: Girl Fighting to Walk Again After Back Bend Accident: 'There's Nothing That's Ever Going to Stop Her'

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OZY Fusion Fest 2016

The editors of the student-run newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania are bucking the administration in their choice to invite United States Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey to speak at this years commencement. The students object to Bookers liberal-minded beliefs, and say it would be better for students to hear speakers of differing world views. The paper, the Daily Pennsylvanian, released an editorial letter, stating that while Booker was qualified to give the address, his point of view hardly challenges the intellect of the student body.

Cory Booker is considered a star of the Democratic party, and was at one point considered as a running mate for Hillary Clinton as her vice president. Though Clinton ultimately chose Tim Kaine, says the Inquisitr, many think that Cory Booker would have been a smarter choice, particularly for his attractiveness to the youth vote.

Click here to continue and read more...
Washington (AFP) - The US military has begun deploying an anti-ballistic missile defense system to South Korea, following a string of missile tests by North Korea, the US Pacific Command said Monday.

The announcement came after nuclear-armed North Korea on Monday launched four missiles which it said was part of training for a strike on US bases in Japan. Three of the missiles came down provocatively close to Japan.

Deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system "contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the US-ROK Alliance's defense against North Korean missile threats," the Pacific Command said in a statement.

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"North Korea's accelerating program of nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches constitute a threat to international peace and security, and are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions."

South Korea and the United States agreed last year to install the THAAD system, which China has repeatedly denounced as a threat to its security.

The statement from the Pacific Command, which oversees US military operations in the Asia-Pacific, pointed out that the system is "a strictly defensive capability and it poses no threat to other countries in the region."

The system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.
Washington (AFP) - Democratic senators pressed President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy attorney general Tuesday to support the naming of a special prosecutor to probe Russian interference in US politics.

Rod Rosenstein, who would decide the issue with the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his own Russian contacts, argued that the issue remained hypothetical for now.

But he said he was willing to name a special counsel to handle the politically hot case if merited.

Congressional committees are currently probing the Russia affair, and the appointment of a special independent prosecutor would mark a major escalation of the investigation.

Asked in a confirmation hearing if he was ready to name an independent investigator to examine contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials before and after the November 8 election, Rosenstein replied: "I am, when I determine it is appropriate based on policies and procedures of the Justice Department."

Democrats at the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed the issue harder after Trump on Saturday accused his predecessor Barack Obama of ordering a wiretap on his Trump Tower in New York as part of the Russia probe.

Trump offered no proof to back up the allegation, but it added a new aspect to a widening controversy over how deeply has Moscow been able to press its interests in US politics.

"I believe we need an independent criminal investigation into Russian influence," said Dianne Feinstein, the vice chair of the committee.

"As has been done in the past, a special prosecutor should lead this investigation. I believe it should be a respected prosecutor, someone free of any partisan or political background," she said.

Sessions, who would normally be in charge of the decision, recused himself from any possible probe into Russia and the election after admitting he misled the Judiciary Committee on his own meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, whose presence looms large in the Russia affair.

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US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Moscow interfered in the US election through hacking and information leaks designed to undermine Trump's rival Hillary Clinton.

US media have also reported, based on unnamed intelligence sources, that US justice and intelligence agencies have investigated contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials.

"We are in an extraordinary time careening toward a constitutional crisis," said Senator Richard Blumenthal.

"A special prosecutor is absolutely necessary."

Rosenstein said any questions on having a special prosecutor, which would aim at keeping politics out of a probe, remain "hypothetical."

"I will certainly support" any investigation, he told the panel.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps sailed several fast-attack vessels near a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz during the weekend, forcing the U.S. ship and its entourage to change course, a U.S. official said.

Reuters reported the Revolutionary guard vessels sailed within 600 yards of the USNS Invincible tracking ship. The Invincible was flanked by three British Royal Navy ships.

A U.S. official described the Iranian action as unsafe and unprofessional. Efforts to contact the Iranian vessel by radio were unsuccessful, the official said.

The incident occurred Saturday, just two days after an Iranian frigate, sailing on a parallel course, came within 150 yards of the Invincible in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. officials labeled that encounter unprofessional.

The Invincible is outfitted with submarine-tracking sonar and sophisticated X- and S-band Gray Star radar to monitor missile tests, according to War is Boring.

The two encounters are the latest in a series of incidents. In January, a U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mahan fired several warning shots at Iranian patrol boats that came toward it in the Strait of Hormuz. In November a small Iranian vessel allegedly pointed a gun at a U.S. Navy helicopter in the strait. There also have been several encounters in the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has said it would close the Strait of Hormuz, most recently last May, if the face of threats from the United States and its allies. Nearly a third of all oil traded by sea moves through the waterway.

Tensions with Tehran have eased little since agreement over its nuclear program was reached with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany and implemented little more than a year ago. Iranian officials have complained the West has failed to live up to its end of the deal while the West has expressed unhappiness with Iranian missile tests.

The Invincible is a 224-foot-long Stalwart class ocean surveillance ship, displacing 2,800 tons. It belongs to the Military Sealift Command, a quasi-civilian agency operated by the Navy, and is maintained by 18 civilian contractors. The vessel typically is deployed in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

Story continues

Related Video: Navy Sailors Released by Iran (2016)

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The Volkwagen Group is driving forward amid a lawsuit following the scandal involving cheated emissions tests, planning to unveil new technologically advanced vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show, including a completely self-driving car.

The show begins Thursday, March 9, and will last 10 days in Geneva, Switzerland, but the Volkswagen Group unveiled their newest concept a bit early. As a step in the direction of innovation  and a fresh image  Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Muller announced that the company is aiming to have more than 30 solely battery powered vehicles offered by 2025. The company also announced the work they've done on their first self-driving concept vehicle called "Sedric," a project the company plans to continue investing in.

Sedric will be the model for a Level 5 automated vehicle, meaning it will be completely automated and fully electric. It has no cockpit, no pedals and no steering wheel, according to a press release.

"To avoid any misunderstanding: The Volkswagen Group will not be building its own cars in the future, either. That is something our brands excel in. But our concept car stands for a new self-image and a new form of collaboration and know-how transfer in the Group," Muller said.

The innovation in electric cars as well as with Sedric is part of Volkswagen's "Together-Strategy 2025" plan that aims to move the Volkswagen Group forward through the unification of employees and innovators from all of the brands involved in the group.

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While many would run the minute they saw a shark at the beach, these two fishermen did the exact opposite.

Colin Baker said he and his friend Adam noticed a distressed blacktip shark at Jensen Beach in Florida so ran over to see how they could help.

Read: Man Wrestles a Shark to Shore With His Bare Hands

"We saw people get up and point into the water, so we ran down to see what it was," Baker told InsideEdition.com. "As we got closer we realized that it was a shark in distress."

A video taken by Baker and shared by ViralHog.com shows Adam carrying the small shark out of the water. He acted quickly to untangle the shark from a line wrapped around its body and removed a fishing hook stuck in its mouth.

Apart from the line, the shark appeared to be in good condition, Baker said. After freeing it, Adam dragged the shark back into the water.

"Once the line was removed and the shark was back into the water, it swam off seemingly OK," he said.

Read: Brave Girl Who Lost Arm to Shark Shares First Photos from Hospital

And while the task might seem daunting for the average beachgoer, these two didn't even break a sweat.

"Luckily we have caught a few sharks from the beach in the past," Baker said. "We knew how to approach the situation to not pose harm to ourselves."

Watch: Teen Conquers His Fear By Getting Close to Shark After Losing Arm in Attack



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Less than two months in, President Donald Trump is already shaping up as a disaster for human rights. From his immigration ban to his support for torture, Trump has jettisoned what has long been, in theory if not always in practice, a bipartisan American commitment: the promotion of democratic values and human rights abroad.

Worse is probably set to come. Trump has lavished praise on autocrats and expressed disdain for international institutions. He described Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a fantastic guy and brushed off reports of repression by the likes of Russias Vladimir Putin, Syrias Bashar al-Assad, and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As Trump put it in his bitter inauguration address, It is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone. Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, has written that Trumps election has brought the world to the verge of darkness and threatens to reverse the accomplishments of the modern human rights movement.

But this threat is not new. In fact, the rise of Trump has only underlined the existential challenges already facing the global rights project. Over the past decade, the international order has seen a structural shift in the direction of assertive new powers, including Xi Jinpings China and Putins Russia, that have openly challenged rights norms while at the same time crushing dissent in contested territories like Chechnya and Tibet. These rising powers have not only clamped down on dissent at home; they have also given cover to rights-abusing governments from Manila to Damascus. Dictators facing Western criticism can now turn to the likes of China for political backing and no-strings financial and diplomatic support.

This trend has been strengthened by the Western nationalist-populist revolt that has targeted human rights institutions and the global economic system in which they are embedded. With populism sweeping the world and new superpowers in the ascendant, post-Westphalian visions of a shared global order are giving way to an era of resurgent sovereignty. Unchecked globalization and liberal internationalism are giving way to a post-human rights world.

All this amounts to an existential challenge to the global human rights norms that have proliferated since the end of World War II. In that time, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, has been supplemented by a raft of treaties and conventions guaranteeing civil and political rights, social and economic rights, and the rights of refugees, women, and children. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War served to further entrench human rights within the international system. Despite the worlds failure to prevent mass slaughter in places like Rwanda and Bosnia, the 1990s would see the emergence of a global human rights imperium: a cross-border, transnational realm anchored in global bodies like the U.N. and the European Union and supervised by international nongovernmental organizations and a new class of professional activists and international legal experts.

The professionalization of human rights was paralleled by the advance of international criminal justice. The decade saw the creation of ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and the signing in 1998 of the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court  an achievement that then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed as a giant step forward in the march towards universal human rights and the rule of law. On paper, citizens in most countries now enjoy around 400 distinct rights. As Michael Ignatieff wrote in 2007, human rights have become nothing short of the dominant language of the public good around the globe.

Crucially, this legal and normative expansion was underpinned by an unprecedented period of growth and economic integration in which national borders appeared to disappear and the world shrink under the influence of globalization and technological advance. Like the economic system in which it was embedded, the global human rights project attained a sheen of inevitability; it became, alongside democratic politics and free market capitalism, part of the triumphant neoliberal package that Francis Fukuyama identified in 1989 as the end point of mankinds ideological evolution. In 2013, one of Americas foremost experts on international law, Peter J. Spiro, predicted that legal advances and economic globalization had brought on sovereigntisms twilight. Fatou Bensouda, the current chief prosecutor of the ICC, has argued similarly that the creation of the court inaugurated a new era of post-Westphalian politics in which rulers would now be held accountable for serious abuses committed against their own people. (So far, no sitting government leader has.)

But in 2017, at a time of increasing instability, in which the promised fruits of globalization have failed for many to materialize, these old certainties have collapsed. In the current age of anger, as Pankaj Mishra has termed it, human rights have become both a direct target of surging right-wing populism and the collateral damage of its broader attack on globalization, international institutions, and unaccountable global elites.

The outlines of this new world can be seen from Europe and the Middle East to Central Asia and the Pacific. Governments routinely ignore their obligations under global human rights treaties with little fear of meaningful sanction. For six years, grave atrocities in Syria have gone unanswered, despite the legal innovations of the responsibility to protect doctrine. Meanwhile, many European governments are reluctant to honor their legal obligations to offer asylum to the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing its brutal civil war.

To be sure, not all of these developments are new; international rights treaties have always represented an aspirational baseline to which many nations have fallen short. But the human rights age was one in which the world, for all its shortfalls, seemed to be trending in the direction of more adherence, rather than less. It was a time in which human rights advocates and supportive leaders spoke confidently of standing on the right side of history and even the worlds autocrats were forced to pay lip service to the idea of rights.

If the human rights age was one in which the contours of history were clear, today it is no longer obvious that history has any such grand design. According to the latest Freedom in the World report, released in January by Freedom House, 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. It was also a year in which 67 countries suffered net declines in political freedoms and civil liberties. Keystone international institutions are also under siege. In October, three African states  South Africa, Burundi, and Gambia  announced their withdrawal from the ICC, perhaps the crowning achievement of the human rights age. (Gambia has since reversed its decision, following the January resignation of autocratic President Yahya Jammeh.) Angry that the ICC unfairly targets African defendants, leaders on the continent are now mulling a collective withdrawal from the court.

African criticism reflects governments increasing confidence in rejecting human rights as Western values and painting any local organization advocating these principles as a pawn of external forces. China and India have both introduced restrictive new laws that constrain the work of foreign NGOs and local groups that receive foreign funding, including organizations advocating human rights. In Russia, a foreign agent law passed in 2012 has been used to tightly restrict the operation of human rights NGOs and paint any criticism of government policies as disloyal, foreign-sponsored, and un-Russian.

In the West, too, support for human rights is wavering. In his successful campaign in favor of Brexit, Nigel Farage, then-leader of the UK Independence Party, attacked the European Convention on Human Rights, claiming that it had compromised British security by preventing London from barring the return of British Islamic State fighters from the Middle East. During the U.S. election campaign, Donald Trump demonized minorities, advocated torture, expressed admiration for dictators  and still won the White House. Meanwhile, a recent report suggests that Western support for international legal institutions like the ICC is fickle, lasting only as long as it targets other problems in other countries.

In the post-human rights world, global rights norms and institutions will continue to exist but only in an increasingly ineffective form. This will be an era of renewed superpower competition, in what Robert Kaplan has described as a more crowded, nervous, anxious world. The post-human rights world will not be devoid of grassroots political struggles, however. On the contrary, these could well intensify as governments tighten the space for dissenting visions and opinions. Indeed, the wave of domestic opposition to Trumps policies is an early sign that political activism may be entering a period of renewed power and relevance.

What, then, is to be done? As many human rights activists have already acknowledged, fresh approaches are required. In December, RightsStart, a new human rights consultancy hub, launched itself by suggesting five strategies that international rights NGOs can use to adapt to the existential crisis of the current moment. (Full disclosure: I have previously worked with one of its founders.) Among them was the need for these groups to communicate more effectively the importance of human rights and use international advocacy more often as a platform for local voices. Philip Alston, a human rights veteran and law professor at New York University, has argued that the human rights movement will also have to confront the fact that it has never offered a satisfactory solution to the key driver of the current populist surge: global economic inequality.

In a broader sense, the global human rights project will have to shed its pretensions of historical inevitability and get down to the business of making its case to ordinary people. With authoritarian politics on the rise, now is the time to re-engage in politics and to adopt more pragmatic and flexible tactics for the advancement of human betterment. Global legal advocacy will continue to be important, but efforts should predominantly be directed downward, to national courts and legislatures. It is here that right-wing populism has won its shattering victories. It is here, too, that the coming struggle against Trumpism and its avatars will ultimately be lost or won.

Photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images
President Donald Trumps new travel ban may still be generating controversy. But thats a win for the White House because this time there is no chaos.

The presidential do-over, signed Monday morning, is designed to answer many of the legal and policy challenges raised by the initial ban, which was signed just days into Trumps presidency, was drafted with almost no input and announced with little warning to Cabinet agencies, members of Congress, and the American public. The initial order has been put on hold for nearly a month by a federal appeals court, and will be superseded by the new one.

I think youre seeing by all accounts today, it was extremely well received, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday afternoon. The departments that are primarily responsible  State, Justice and Homeland Security  have done a phenomenal job of both briefing their staff, briefing members of Congress, briefing outside stakeholders, and briefing the media.

The new order bans travel from six Muslim-majority countries, but bends to Pentagon pressure to remove Iraq from the initial list of seven banned countries. It also removes a specific prohibition on refugees from Syria, which contributed to critics arguments that the Jan. 27 amounted to a Muslim Ban as put forward by the president during the 2016 campaign. The new order also includes explicit carve-outs for U.S. legal permanent residents, existing visa holders, and those approved for refugee or asylum status in the U.S. The lack of clear guidance contributed to the scenes of disorder at the nations airports earlier this year, as federal bureaucrats struggled with implementing the order.

State and local governments, congressional lawmakers, and outside stakeholders all complained they were excluded from the review process of the initial order. At the time, White House officials and the president maintained that the secrecy was required to prevent bad actors from infiltrating during the implementation issue.

Story continues

If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017

But White House aides acknowledged that the lack of communication was a critical oversight that led to days of negative press coverage and confusion. Meanwhile, the president took steps to empower Chief of Staff Reince Priebus oversight of the executive order process to ensure future orders were more thoroughly vetted through the inter-agency process. Spicer pointed to the new orders rollout as an example of how that system is working.

When I think you look at this rollout, of how this was done, it was done extremely effectively, Spicer said. Theres a 10-day window to ensure it goes into effect March 16 so that down-government, if you will, agencies and employees have the opportunity to make sure that they know what is expected of them and how to implement it effectively.

Spicer acknowledged that the administration benefited from understanding what the courts concerns were, in the original order. And he maintained that the administration stands by it, even though it was rescinded by Trumps action Monday.

We stand by the first executive order, Spicer said. We felt that it was completely compliant with the law. But if you goal is to get something done in the quickest amount of time, then you take into consideration all of those things. We didnt want to wait, potentially a year, to have it litigated through the court process.

Spicer said Trump signed off on new the order and the decision to rescind the first one Saturday night after a briefing at Mar-a-Lago, his private club, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, DHS Secretary John Kelly, chief strategist Steve Bannon, and other top aides. DHS had primary authority of coordinating the rollout along with the White House Domestic Policy Council, Spicer added.

Spicer said the administration benefited from having more of the Cabinet secretaries in place before the rollout. Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had not yet been confirmed when the initial order was signed.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Kelly pointed to the administrations efforts to brief stakeholders, Capitol Hill, and reporters. There should be no surprises, he said, whether its in the media or on Capitol Hill.
The White House copied a portion of its statement praising ExxonMobils announcement on Monday that it would invest in manufacturing projects in the U.S. from Exxon.

The White House statement, released about 34 minutes after Exxon put out its announcement, copied a full paragraph from Exxons statement that explained the companys investment plans.

White House press release (left) contains full paragraph copied verbatim from Exxon press release (right). pic.twitter.com/NlhoUvdqvd  Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) March 6, 2017

Through the statement and subsequent tweets, President Trump heavily complimented Exxon, which was most recently run by Trumps Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, for promoting job growth in the U.S.

A spokesman for Exxon said the company shared information about the announcement with the White House.

Plagiarism has cropped up among Trumps team before  First Lady Melania Trump used phrases from Michelle Obamas 2008 convention speech during the 2016 Republican National Convention and pundit Monica Crowley turned down a job offer in the Trump administration after being accused of plagiarizing parts of her book and Ph.D dissertation.

The White House and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.
Washington (AFP) - The White House on Tuesday poured cold water on suggestions that Donald Trump met Russia's ambassador while running for the presidency, but indicated it was possible they briefly shook hands.

Amid suggestions that Trump met Sergey Kislyak on April 27 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, the White House said it had "no recollection" who Trump shook hands with during a brief reception.

Trump was at the hotel to give a major foreign policy address.

The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Several Ambassadors were present" at Trump's foreign policy speech and pre-speech reception, hosted by the Center for the National Interest, a think tank, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told AFP.

"Mr. Trump was at the reception for about five minutes and then went immediately to the podium."

"We have no recollection of who he may have shaken hands with at the reception and we were not responsible for inviting or vetting guests."

Embassies in Washington routinely contact presidential campaigns both Republican and Democrat, trying to give their capitals better insight into the candidates and their views.

But following an election in which US intelligence alleged Moscow tried to aid Trump, Kislyak's contacts have come under intense scrutiny.

Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn was forced to step down when it was revealed that he misled colleagues about his meetings with the ambassador.

More recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has come under fire for telling his Senate confirmation hearing that he "didn't have -- did not have communications with the Russians."

He was forced to correct the record and recuse himself from election-related investigations when it emerged that he had met Kislyak on two occasions.

US media reported that advisors JD Gordon and Carter Page met Kislyak and, separately, that Flynn and Trump's son-in-law and senior White House aide Jared Kushner met Kislyak at Trump Tower in New York last December.

Story continues

The Trump White House has repeatedly denied collusion between the campaign and Russian officials.

Trump himself has called the allegations "a total witch hunt."

In a February press conference, Trump insisted that the issue of Russia was "a ruse."

"I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven't made a phone call to Russia in years. Don't speak to people from Russia," he said, while exempting two calls with Vladimir Putin since becoming president.

According to officials, US intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to investigate just how and how much Moscow intruded into US politics.

Four congressional committees have opened probes into the issue.
Versailles (France) (AFP) - Intruders at a French zoo have shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns in a grisly overnight poaching incident, police and the zoo said Tuesday.

The perpetrators forced the main gate to Thoiry zoo near Paris and broke through at least two other security barriers on Monday night, without disturbing five people who live on the grounds.

The animal, a four-year-old "critically endangered" southern white male named Vince, was attacked inside an area where at least two other rhinos are kept.

"Staff left the rhino enclosure on Monday. When they returned on Tuesday, an animal had been killed and its two horns had been sawn off," a police spokeswoman told AFP.

She added that the horns were "probably cut off with a chainsaw".

The rhino had been shot three times in the head.

"Only the main horn was stolen," the spokeswoman said.

Investigators estimate the horn is worth 30,000-40,000 euros ($31,700-$42,250).

Black market rhino horn sells for up to $60,000 per kilo -- more than gold or cocaine -- with demand principally coming from China and Vietnam where it is coveted as a traditional medicine and aphrodisiac.

In the last eight years alone, roughly a quarter of the world's rhino population has been killed in South Africa, home to 80 percent of the remaining animals.

According to the zoo, this would be the first time a zoo was the target of an "attack" of this nature leading to the death of a rhino.

Thoiry zoo is equipped with video surveillance, but cameras are not installed in the area where the rhinos live.

"This was carried out despite the presence of five members of staff who live on the site and (despite) security cameras," the zoo said.

The two other rhinos in the enclosure with Vince which were unharmed were a 37-year-old female, Gracie, and a five-year-old male, Bruno.
Paris (AFP) - Yellow taxi cabs have significantly fewer accidents than cabs of a darker hue, according to research that scientists say could end up saving lives and money.

A study published Monday in the journal PNAS showed canary yellow cabs in Singapore were nine percent less likely to get into fender-benders or serious smash-ups than taxis that were deep blue.

"Yellow taxis are safer to travel in because yellow is more visible than blue," lead author Teck-Hua Ho, a professor at the National University of Singapore, told AFP.

Accident rates diverged even more at night, probably because street lighting accentuates the contrast, he said.

The findings "should play a major role in determining the colours used for public transportation vehicles," the study concluded.

While this might seem like common sense, up to now there has been scant scientific evidence that dark-coloured cars are more dangerous.

To test their hunch that colour matters when it comes to safety, Ho found a real-world laboratory in his own backyard.

The fleet of Singapore's largest cab company, it turned out, was divided between light- and dark-toned vehicles.

The researchers compared accident records covering a 36-month period for more than 4,000 yellow and 14,500 blue cars belonging to the company.

To make sure there was no discrepancy in driver skills, they also analysed background data and work histories of 3,341 randomly selected professional cabbies.

- 'Sunshine in Chicago' -

"Some drivers also had experience driving taxis of both colours, and we showed that they had higher accident rates when they drove blue taxis," Ho told AFP.

The risk, they found, is especially dangerous for the drivers.

Over a typical, 40-year career, a cabbie in a dark-toned vehicle will, on average, get into three additional accidents, 34 instead of 31.

Any of those extra smash-ups, of course, might be fatal -- for the driver or the passengers.

The Singapore taxi company's 16,700 cars could avoid 900 accidents per year if the entire fleet were painting yellow, the researchers calculated.

Story continues

Assuming an average repair cost of $US 700 (670 euros) per car and a down time of six days, switching colours would also generate annual savings of $US 1.4 million (1.3 million euros).

The Yellow Cab Company of Chicago set what was to became a global trend in 1907 after commissioning a study on what colour would be most visible for people trying to hail a cab.

During the first two decades of the 20th century, almost all cars plying city streets were black.

Yellow cabs spread across the United States, most famously in New York City, where they remain an icon and an institution to this day.

As often happens in science, Ho and his colleagues did not set out to study the link between colour and car crashes.

"We were engaged in a general study on the accident rate of taxi drivers," ho explained by email.
A Long Island, New York, man has been arrested by the FBI for trying to join the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, in Syria, according to reports Saturday. Officials charged Elvis Redzepagic at Brooklyn federal court with attempting to provide material support to the militant group.

According to the FBI officials, 26-year-old Redzepagic traveled to the Middle East twice between July 2015 and August 2016 to join ISIS in Syria. However, his attempts failed on the both the occasions as he could not find a way to enter the troubled country.

Redzepagic reportedly told the law enforcement authorities that he was ready to strap a bomb and sacrifice himself while he attempted to enter Syria from Turkey.

This kids not normal, Redzepagics uncle Ricky Redzepagic told the Daily News. He never works. He does drugs.

The New York Police Department said Redzepagic was also arrested on Feb. 28 at Midtown South for jumping a turnstile, CBS New York reported.

This defendant made numerous attempts to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad, U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said. 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.

Redzepagic was in touch with a person he believed to be the commander of a battalion in Syria and a member of ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front in 2015, according to reports. In August 2016, he reportedly attempted to enter the country through Jordan; however, he was stopped and deported by Jordanian authorities.

Redzepagic, a U.S. citizen living in Long Island, made multiple attempts to join ISIS or al-Nusrah Front in Syria where he wanted to engage in violent jihad, which could have resulted in the death of countless individuals, Special Agent in Charge, Angel Melendez of Homeland Security Investigation, New York, said, according to CBS. This arrest underscores the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies across the globe in identifying and bringing these extremists to justice before they are able to commit terrorist attacks.

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Redzepagics attorney Mildred Whalen told NBC New York that they will ask the court to provide treatment and care for the defendant instead of imprisonment.

"Mr. Redzepagic is an American citizen who has been fully cooperative with the government's investigation," Whalen told NBC. "We will work with Mr. Redzepagic's family to convince the court and the government that Mr. Redzepagic needs treatment and care, not imprisonment."

Related Articles
Chanel transformed the Grand Palais in Paris into a space station complete with a rocket ship for its Paris Fashion Week show. (Photo: AP Images)

On Tuesday, Chanel hosted its Fall/Winter 2017 ready-to-wear fashion show at its usual venue, the Grand Palais in Paris. Over the years, Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel have transformed the exhibition hall into whatever they want: a data storage center, an airport, un supermarche.

This time around, it seems Chanel is sick of the terrestrial and  perhaps inspired by NASAs announcement that there are seven new planets  decided to create the Chanel space station.

During the event, fashion editors tweeted videos of the launch, in awe that the rocket actually achieved liftoff.

Yes, that rocket ship at the Chanel show at the Grand Palais did actually take off  pic.twitter.com/GFCwAe6P0c  stuart emmrich (@StuartEmmrichNY) March 7, 2017

While the set was impressive by fashion show standards, it certainly wasnt anything near the kind of launch that would happen at Cape Canaveral. Dr. Mitchell Walker, professor of aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said the Chanel rocket wasnt really a spacecraft at all. Instead, he said, it was a movie studios version of one.

A closeup of the Chanel rocket. (Photo: AP Images)

Its not a rocket; its a hydraulic lift, Walker told Yahoo Style. It has lights to look like fire, and smoke like youd see used at Halloween to make it look like an actual liftoff, but its not.

Based on a video from the show that Walker viewed, he explained that for the rocket a la Chanel (which he guessed is about 50 feet tall), creators positioned a crane in the middle of the craft to pull it up slowly. There was no real fire or blastoff  just lights and smoke to create that illusion, Walker said. A real launch would have killed everyone in the room, he said.

An actual rocket launch: The Space-Xs Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2017. (Photo: AP Images)

For a rocket to take off, exhaust has to leave the vessel really fast  faster than speed of sound, he said. In this, you can see smoke coming down, and youd never be able to see that. It obviously had to be safe for the ladies to stand around it.

Story continues

Still, Walker said, the creators of the makeshift rocket paid great attention to detail  including using lights and sparklers at the bottom of the vessel to imitate fire, as well as adding an umbilical connection that dropped from the rocket after liftoff.

Walker estimated the Chanel rocket cost about $80,000 to put together  a small sum compared with the $50 million it would cost to launch a SpaceX rocket. Ella Atkins, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, also said that figure was reasonable. But Paul Clay, founder of his eponymous event and design consulting firm, said that figure was way too low, though he was reluctant to guess without more information.

If I had to make a wild guess I would say quarter of a million at least. Probably much much more, Clay said via email. Could easily run a million or more.

If that number seems hefty, its not  at least not by Chanel standards. Chanel, which handles its set production in-house and did not comment to the Yahoo Style reporters at the show, spent a reported U.S. $1.6 million on a 2014 fashion show held on a Chanel island in Dubai.

Chanel, in all its splendor, certainly has money to blow  in this case, literally.

Read more from Yahoo Style:

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Alexandra Mondalek is a writer for Yahoo Style and Beauty. Follow her on Twitter @amondalek.
This new study helps prove the reality of ADHD, and will hopefully improve the way people with the disorder are treated

In what is now the largest study on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, scientists have concluded ADHD is not a behavioral disorder, but rather a neurological one.

The studys authors, including Dr. Martine Hoogman from Radboud University in the Netherlands, hope the research will help people understand that ADHD is not the result of bad character (or bad parenting), but a real disorder that can be diagnosed and treated.

During the study, Scientists analyzed brain scans of more than 3,200 people ranging from four and 63. They found that five regions in the brain  regions that affect emotion, learning, and the way we process motivation and pleasure  are smaller in people with ADHD.

classroom

The size difference is more dramatic in children, but the brain regions start catching up with non-ADHD brains as they grow and mature.

Scientists now believe this is why around 11 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD, compared to about 5 percent of adults.

I hope it gives a bit more understanding of the disorder, Hoogman said. This research shows that there are neurobiological substrates [brain changes] involved  just as in other psychiatric disorders  and there is no reason to treat ADHD any differently.

Hoogman said the study will hopefully lead to better diagnostic and treatment methods for people with ADHD.
(Reuters) - Appliances and electronics retailer hhgregg Inc and its Gregg Appliances Inc unit filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, as they continued to struggle with declining sales for about four years. Hhgregg listed assets and liabilities of up to $50,000 in its Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Indiana, and said it signed a term sheet with an unnamed party to purchase its assets. Gregg Appliances listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in a separate filing. Hhgregg said it expected to emerge from the process in about 60 days. "Through these strategic steps, we plan to come out of this debt free and more agile as we serve our valued customers and vendor partners," Chief Executive Robert Riesbeck said in a statement. The company's 132 stores would operate normally throughout the restructuring process. It said last week it would shut 88 stores. Hhgregg hired Stifel Financial Corp last month, to advise it on strategic and financial transactions. (Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
By Eric Auchard WUERZBURG, Germany (Reuters) - A German court rejected a temporary injunction against Facebook on Tuesday in a case brought by a Syrian refugee who sued the social networking site for failing to remove faked posts linking him to crimes and militant attacks. The Wuerzburg district court said in a preliminary ruling that Facebook is neither a "perpetrator nor a participant" in what it said was "undisputable defamation" by Facebook users, but simply acting as a hosting provider that is not responsible for pre-emptively blocking offensive content under European law. The posts in dispute featured a picture showing Anas Modamani, a 19-year-old from Damascus, taking a selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel in September 2015 at a refugee shelter in the Berlin district of Spandau. Modamani's image was subsequently shared on Facebook on anonymous accounts, alongside posts falsely claiming he was responsible for the Brussels Airport bombing of March 2016 and setting on fire a homeless man in December last year by six migrants at an underground station in Berlin. The court rejected the need for a temporary injunction sought by Modamani to require Facebook to go beyond measures the company had taken to block defamatory images of him for Facebook users in Germany using geo-blocking technology. In a statement following the decision, Facebook expressed concern for Modamani's predicament but said the court's ruling showed the company acted quickly to block access to defamatory postings, once they had been reported by Modamani's lawyer. The case has been closely watched as Germany, a frequent critic of Facebook, is preparing legislation to force the social networking website to remove "hate speech" from its web pages within 24 hours or face fines. After the ruling, Modamani's lawyer in the case, Chan-jo Jun, told a news conference he was disappointed such imagery continued to circulate online and more must be done to force Facebook to delete hate-filled content on its own accord. "We have to decide whether we want to accept that Facebook can basically do whatever it wants or whether German law, and above all the removal of illegal contents in Germany, will be enforced. If we want that we need new laws," Jun said. Modamani's complaint maintained that defamatory images based on the selfie posted to Facebook were still viewable online outside of Germany, or by users within German using a sophisticated Tor browser. But the court found that the risk of average German users seeing the illegal content was not sufficiently credible and therefore a temporary injunction was unnecessary at this stage. The ruling said there remained a legitimate issue over whether it was technically feasible for Facebook to do more to block such images, but this would require testimony by experts. Tuesday's decision is subject to appeal within one month of the yet-to-be-published written judgment, a court statement said. Jun declined to say whether an appeal was planned, saying the decision remained up to his client. (Reporting by Eric Auchard; additional reporting by Michael Serr in Wuerzburg; Editing by Christoph Steitz and Susan Thomas)
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Members of the Danish parliament's foreign policy committee have been asked to leave smartphones, tablets and computers at home during a visit to Russia at a time of increased security concerns. "Goodbye smartphone," former Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard of the Social Liberal Party said in a post on Facebook. "On the way to Russia with the Foreign Policy Committee, where we have been advised not to bring gadgets for the sake of safety," Lidegaard wrote. During his time as foreign minister, Lidegaard said the European Union should prepare for more hybrid warfare from Russia. Nick Haekkerup of the Social Democrats, Denmark's main opposition party, said on Facebook he would have to manage without internet, mails and social media for a week "I'm traveling with the Foreign Policy Committee and have for security reasons been asked to leave everything like iPhone, iPad or similar at home," Haekkerup said. Danish ministries have been attacked several times in 2015 and 2016 by a foreign, state-sponsored hacking group, a cyber security unit within the defense ministry said in a February report. The unit declined to specify which country had sponsored the hacking group but said in the report that Russia and China have extensive capabilities to carry out cyber espionage. The threat from cyber crime against Danish authorities and companies continues to be "very high", according to the report. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democrat emails during the 2016 presidential election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Republican Donald Trump's favor. Russia has denied the allegations. Danish authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for further information. (Reporting by Teis Jensen and Stine Jacobsen, Additional reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Open Internet Project, whose members include Axel Springer and Getty Images, on Tuesday accused Alphabet unit Google of imposing anti-competitive curbs on Android smartphone makers, its second complaint against the U.S. tech giant. The group, which lodged a complaint about Google's comparison shopping service with the European Commission about three years ago, urged the EU competition authority to take action. "Google once again, in breach of EU antitrust rules, abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators, aiming to preserve and strengthen its dominance in general internet search," OIP said in a statement. Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said the regulator would assess the complaint. Google has said Android boosts rather than hurts competition. The world's most popular internet search engine has been in the EU crosshairs since April 2016, accused of using its dominant Android mobile operating system to squeeze out rivals. Regulators said such tactics include requiring smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser to get access to other Google apps. The stakes are high for Google, which makes billions from advertising sales on Android phones through its apps such as Maps, Search and Gmail. It faces a fine up to 10 percent of its global turnover and an order to end anti-competitive practices if found guilty of breaching EU rules. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish consumer watchdog has reported Alphabet Inc's Google to the Danish Data Protection Agency for potentially breaking privacy laws by not capping the amount of time personal data is stored on Google's servers, the watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday. Web companies such as Google and Facebook face increased scrutiny over how and where they store location and search history data from users of smartphones and mail accounts. "The consumer council Taenk would like the Data Protection Agency to assess whether Google's indefinite data collection complies with consumer's basic right to privacy," the watchdog stated in the report seen by Reuters. "We have become aware of the fact that Google today has 9-10 years of data on users with a Google account," the report stated. In July last year Google changed its data storage practices to comply with requests by Italy's privacy regulator. Google had to make it clear how users' data was used and guarantee its deletion within a specified time frame. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters. (Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
By Heather Somerville (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick said on Tuesday the ride-services firm is looking for a chief operating officer to help run the company, which has been battered by a series of damning revelations about its culture and business tactics. Kalanick has retained a firm grip on the company since its founding in 2009, and his pugnacious manner has helped shape Uber's aggressive style. The San Francisco-based company's culture has been evident in hostile interactions with city officials over the years, threats to journalists by a senior executive, its haste to remove critical drivers from the app, and a blog post last month from a former employee who recounted a workplace of sexual harassment and cut-throat competition. A series of events bringing Uber's practices and Kalanick's leadership into doubt has unfolded over the last few weeks, fueling customer backlash and raising investor concern. Kalanick's efforts to hire a No. 2 is the strongest public indication yet that the chief executive believes Uber could benefit from another style of leadership. "This morning I told the Uber team that we're actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey," Kalanick said in a blog post on Tuesday. (http://ubr.to/2n2sLwT) The announcement comes a week after Kalanick publicly apologized for a video, released by Bloomberg, that showed him berating a Uber driver who had complained to Kalanick about rate cuts. "I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up," Kalanick, 40, said in a statement following the video's release. "This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it." The extent to which a new hire could repair reputational damage from Uber's string of missteps remains to be seen. It is unclear how much responsibility or authority the new chief operating officer will have. An Uber spokesman declined to answer questions about the new hire, which was previously reported by The Information and the Wall Street Journal. In addition to the video of Kalanick's argument and allegations of sexual harassment, top engineering executive Amit Singhal resigned last week. Singhal was asked to resign because he did not disclose that he was the target of a sexual harassment allegation during his tenure at Alphabet Inc's Google. Singhal has denied the allegations. Also, Uber last week said it had for years has used a secret tool to avoid authorities in markets where its service faced resistance by law enforcement or was banned, confirming a report by The New York Times. And Uber is battling a lawsuit filed by Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, which accuses Uber of stealing designs for technology for autonomous cars. Uber has said Waymo's claims are false. Early Uber investors Mitch and Freada Kapor last month publicly rebuked the company in a letter posted online for its "tolerance for bullying and harassment," and called on Uber to change its "destructive culture." They are the only investors to publicly criticize Uber's behavior in response to recent allegations. (Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson and Lisa Shumaker)
As the debate surrounding the prevalence, scope and impact of fake news continues to rage on unabated, the latest tech company being accused of passively enabling misinformation to spread far and wide is Google.

In a fascinating post over at The Outline, Adrianne Jeffries explains how the answer boxes provided by Google Search (also known as Featured Snippets) are often dead wrong. Compounding matters is that Googles answer boxes enjoy premium placement above actual search results, thereby affording them more credibility in the process.

Don't Miss: Another painful reminder of Androids most infuriating problem

For anyone unfamiliar, Googles answer boxes typically appear when one asks questions that can be answered quickly and definitively. As an example, if you Google How tall is Tom Brady?, Google will provide you with a quick and dirty answer, thereby saving you the time of having to sort through search results that may or may not lead you on a wild goose chase.

The problem, though, is that these answer boxes will deliver false answers for questions that shouldnt even return an instant answer.

Jeffries writes:

Peter Shulman, an associate history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, was lecturing on the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s when a student asked an odd question: Was President Warren Harding a member of the KKK?

Shulman was taken aback. He confessed that he was not aware of that allegation, but that Harding had been in favor of anti-lynching legislation, so it seemed unlikely. But then a second student pulled out his phone and announced that yes, Harding had been a Klan member, and so had four other presidents. It was right there on Google, clearly emphasized inside a box at the top of the page.

Hot on the heels of Jeffries report came another interesting tidbit of information, this time involving Google Home. When BBC correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones asked his Google Home if Obama is planning a coup, the response was jarring to say the least.

Story continues

According to details exposed in Western Centre for Journalisms exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a communist coup detat at the end of his term in 2016!

The web is of course filled with misinformation and crazed conspiracy theories, but its worrying to see this type of information paraded in front of users as if it were completely credible.

Audio of the Google Home in action can be heard via the video below.

Addressing the matter, Google provided the following explanation to Recode late yesterday:

Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites. Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content. When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused.

Still, at the time of this writing, a Google query for Presidents in the Klan still yields erroneous results.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
A worker from the SEAT factory, under the Volkswagen group, works on an engine of a SEAT Leon car, in Martorell near Barcelona December 5, 2014. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino (Reuters)

GENEVA (Reuters) - Volkswagen's <VOWG_p.DE> core brand will improve profitability and gain market share this year after posting stable operating results in 2016 thanks to cost cuts, brand chief executive Herbert Diess said.

The namesake brand, the group's largest by sales, is cutting thousands of jobs via natural attrition, streamlining development processes and reducing the number of parts to revive profitability which has been lagging rivals such as Toyota <7203.T> and PSA Group <PEUP.PA>.

The Volkswagen (VW) brand last year cut fixed costs by about 300 million euros ($320 million) in Germany alone, destination of over 9 percent of global deliveries of 6 million cars, Diess said at a press conference on Monday at the Geneva auto show.

"Our work is already paying off. We have put ourselves in an excellent starting position for 2017," said Diess, who was known as a cost-cutter at BMW <BMWG.DE> before he joined VW in 2015.

Despite progress on cost cuts, brand management and the carmaker's unions have been struggling to implement a cost-cutting plan dubbed future pact, designed to lift profitability. The brand accounts for nearly half of group sales but no more than 11 percent of its underlying earnings.

VW group swung back to record operating profit before special items last year, powered by record deliveries of high-margin Audi and Porsche models. Detailed results for its 12 brands are due for publication on March 14.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Victoria Bryan/Ruth Pitchford)
The New York Times reported last year that starting in 2010, to the end of 2012, the Chinese killed "at least a dozen" sources the CIA had inside China and imprisoned six or more others (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Washington (AFP) - The CIA can turn your TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control your car, according to a trove of alleged documents from the US spy agency released Tuesday by WikiLeaks.

The group posted nearly 9,000 documents it said were leaked from the Central Intelligence Agency, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials.

WikiLeaks claimed that a vast trove of CIA documents, hacking tools and code representing "the majority of its hacking arsenal" were leaked within the cyber security community -- and that it had received, and released, a part of them.

"This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," it said, warning of a risk of cyber weapons proliferation.

Neither the CIA nor the White House would say if the documents were genuine.

If corroborated, the leak could represent a huge new embarrassment to US intelligence, adding to Edward Snowden's 2013 expose of National Security Agency spying on Americans' communications, and the arrest last year of an NSA official for removing massive amounts of top-secret material to his home over 20 years.

WikiLeaks said the data shows that the CIA is now rivaling the NSA, the US government's main electronic spying body, in cyber warfare, but with less oversight.

- Bypassing encryption -

The archive shows the CIA exploiting weaknesses it discovers in hardware and software systems, including those made by US companies -- without letting anyone know about the flaws in question.

Documents show the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems -- viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks noted.

These hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs, which can be transformed into covert microphones, according to WikiLeaks.

Story continues

The agency has also examined hacking into the electronic control systems on cars and trucks, potentially enabling it to control them remotely.

By infecting and effectively taking over the software of smartphones, WikiLeaks said, the CIA can get around the encryption technologies of popular apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, and Confide by collecting communications before they are encrypted.

- 'Looks authentic' -

The CIA would neither confirm nor deny the documents were genuine.

"We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," said spokesman Jonathan Liu in an email.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to comment, saying "That's something that has not been fully evaluated."

But Devin Nunes, chairman of the House of Representatives's Intelligence Committee, said the disclosures "appear to be very, very serious."

"We are very concerned," he said.

The documents allegedly come from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence, which operates both from its Langley, Virginia, headquarters near Washington, and from an office in the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, according to WikiLeaks.

"The archive appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive," the group said.

Snowden, who was a contract employee for the NSA before he stole and leaked secret materials, said via Twitter that the document trove "looks authentic."

- Cyber weapons 'proliferation' -

WikiLeaks said the documents' leak suggests that the CIA has not sufficiently controlled its own cyber weapons, potentially permitting them to fall into the hands of other hackers.

Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, blasted the CIA for not helping companies plug the security gaps in their devices.

"The dark side of this story is that the documents confirm that the CIA holds on to security vulnerabilities in software and devices -- including Android phones, iPhones, and Samsung televisions -- that millions of people around the world rely on," she said in a statement.

"As these leaks show, we're all made less safe by the CIA's decision to keep -- rather than ensure the patching of -- vulnerabilities."

The release showed WikiLeaks's readiness to continue publishing secret material on the United States despite having been severely criticized in Washington for last year's leaks of materials that damaged Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

US intelligence officials said in January that WikiLeaks had knowingly or unknowingly become a tool of a high-level Russian operation to interfere in the US election with those disclosures.
We've been reporting on the personal information being collected and shared on smart TVs for several years now. But if a new WikiLeaks revelation is indeed true, the CIA may have been hacking into Samsung smart TVsand other iOS, Android and Windows devicesfor the past several years.

The accusations of CIA hacking are part of a series of leaks, code-named Vault 7" by WikiLeaks. Within the CIA, an engineering group reportedly developed and used malware called Weeping Angel that essentially transformed smart TVs into "covert microphones. WikiLeaks said that the program began targeting Samsung smart TVs back in 2014.

The Weeping Angel malware was reportedly able to place TVs into a "Fake-Off" mode, where users thought the TV was off, but it was actually recording any conversation in the room and sending it over the internet to CIA servers.

The news comes as Americans already are concerned about their privacy. A total of 65 percent of those in the nationally representative CR Consumer Voices Survey told us they are either slightly or not at all confident that their personal data is private and not distributed without their knowledge.

"Today's reports about the alleged vulnerabilities of consumer devices are cause for serious concern, and CR will be monitoring developments, asking questions, and listening to and communicating with consumers to ensure that their voices are being raised as this story unfolds," says Marta L. Tellado, President & CEO of Consumer Reports. "Just yesterday, CR announced a new initiative to advance the privacy and data security of consumers in the face of digital vulnerabilitiesincluding those presented by connected products such as phones and televisions.

"Today's news underscores the urgent need for strong privacy protections in the digital marketplace, and CR will work tirelessly to advance the rights of consumers to safeguard themselves from intrusion and abuse, whatever its source," Tellado adds.



Story continues

We've reached out to Samsung for a comment, but haven't yet heard back. In the meantime, here's how you can turn off the snooping features in Samsung smart TVs. These are good things to do in general to protect your privacy. Just keep in mind that it may not be enough to stymie the CIA's agents.

Steps to Follow

On newer smart TV models, click the Settings icon in the main menu, look for Support, then scroll down to Terms & Policies.

There are several options, including Viewing Information Services, Voice Recognition Services, and Nuance Voice Recognition and Privacy Notices. You can choose not to accept any of them. Then disable the Internet-based Advertising feature.

Turning off the voice-related services will inhibit your use of voice-controlled functions with the TV, but you won't notice any difference when you simply opt out of "viewing information services."

On older Samsung smart TVs, the ACR controls are found under the TV's Smart Hub menu. Look for the icon for Settings, click on Support, and find the sub-menu titled Terms & Policy. Choose SyncPlus and Marketing, where there's an option to disable the feature. Turning off Voice Recognition Services will disable voice control, a feature that sends your voice commands to a third-party vendor for processing.







More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S.
Tampa police have released new information and a composite sketch of a person of interest in a homicide case from last month.

Police release new information and composite of person of interest in Tampa homicide case

Body of Dontae Lampkins, 25, found in alley on Jan. 26

Police asking for public's help to identify person of interest

The body of Dontae Lampkins, 25, was found in an alley in the Seminole Heights area on Jan. 26. Police said Lampkins died of upper body trauma.

Witness descriptions helped police develop a composite of someone who may have information related to the case.

Police said the person many have been in the area of the time of the murder, possibly on a bicycle.

Police are now saying Lampkins met his killer on a dating app.

Investigators are releasing this new information in hopes of identifying a suspect.

Police also Monday released video of Lampkins on a HART bus early on Jan. 26, the day he was killed. Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay is a $3,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Police are asking for the public's help to identify the person in hopes to speak with them and obtain information regarding the homicide case.

If you have any information on the person in the composite, you are asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130.
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When I decided to head up to Arctic Finland in winter, I had a few expectations involving reindeer rides, husky cuddles, and lots and lots of snow.

However, I didnt correlate Finland with amethysts. Yes, amethysts, those lovely purple gems. Be honest, did you?

I am all about quirky and unique (dare I say weird?) local experiences when traveling, something Finland has in abundance. So when I heard that you can visit an amethyst mine in winter in Lapland, I put it on the list. This would be interesting! I put on my long underwear, bundled up and was off.

Turns out, visiting the Lampivaara Amethyst Mine was one of my favorite days in Finland. Random, I know. Who would have thought?

Tucked away on top of a fell (a big hill  Finland doesnt really do mountains) smack in the middle of Pyha-Luosto National Park near Luosto.

Just roll with me on the pronunciations, guys. Honestly, I tried to say things correctly when I was in Finland, but its actually the hardest language ever. Id give it a crack, but at the end of the day, sometimes you just have to admit defeat.

Right, so back to Lampivaara in Pyha near Luosto. Remember that, theyll be a spelling test at the end. Lampivaara is a sustainable amethyst in Lapland thats open to visitors.

Lapland in March is almost always a winter wonderland, and its a great time to visit because the long dark winter is almost over and theres normal daylight hours and its not too cold. At the base of the fell and the beginning of the mine, theres a cozy little cafe with delicious local donuts and crappy coffee you can warm up in before youll catch a purple snowcat which will bring you through the forest uphill. The Finns call it a Pendolino, which sounds exotic and exciting.

As you chug your way uphill in the pendolino snowcat, youll notice the altitude difference with the snow levels. Youre definitely up higher.

Suddenly the snow-covered trees turn into snow statues, tipping over under the heavy weight of the snow like some kind of Dr. Seuss creature. I call them snow trees because they are what appear to be trees of snow, with nay a branch nor leaf visible.

It was one of those white overcast days snowing intermittently that really set the mood. Why yes, I am not in Virginia anymore. Definitely the Arctic. It was so peaceful and quiet with just the sound of the wind; it really felt like I had stepped into a different world. It was unlike any place Ive ever been  and you know me, Ive been a lot of places.

So much snow. I was now in a world of white and black and my bright red jacket.

And buried under snow was this tiny little wooden cabin, exactly what you might picture. And standing in the doorway was a viking. I mean, a tall Finnish man, welcoming us to Lampivaara with hot berry juice. Because of course.

In their beautiful singsong English, they told us the stories and history of the mine, and their emphasis on sustainable mining for gemstones, not something I imagine you hear at most gem mines around the world, if you are even allowed in at all.

But enough talking, time to go see for ourselves.

Ducking down through a classic wooden stairwell, we entered another world as we made our way towards the mine. Trudging over dusty broken stones, we were handled a chisel-like tool and told to have fun, sifting and chipping through the rock hoping for a glimpse of purple.

While I can see this as an appealing family travel activity, I can also vouch for being fun for adults. Obviously I had to do better than everyone else and got properly dirty digging around for the biggest amethyst I could find.

Though I suppose I might have done better if I had actually paid attention to what made the stones stand out besides being purple.



And as luck would have it, with a little help from the locals, we managed to dig up a properly sized amethyst, almost as big as my tiny hands. They were almost as surprised as I was to find it buried in the frozen earth, and promised it was not something they found all that often. I was even more surprised when they let me keep it!

Lampivaara was an awesome introduction to Finnish Lapland. It shared the history of a unique place in a sustainable way and offered some of the best scenery around Luosto. Random by memorable, my favorite way to travel.

Have you ever been to a gem mine or seen snow trees like this? Are you a fan of unique experiences like this when traveling? Is Finland on your list?

Many thanks to Visit Finland for hosting me in Luosto, like always Im keeping it real, all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me!
In addition to being a hot topic of conversation in Tallahassee, medical marijuana is a top priority in cities across Florida as communities grapple with implementation.

Public hearing on medical marijuana implementation

New medical marijuana dispensary opened in Tampa in Jan, ahead of moratorium

March 7 at 6 p.m. at County Center (601 E. Kennedy Blvd), County Commissioners Boardroom, final public hearing

Hillsborough County will discuss the issue again Tuesday night with a third public meeting on the issue. County residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the county commission's proposed zoning ordinance of where medical marijuana dispensaries can set up shop.

The main focus of the proposal involves how to permit the dispensaries and where to allow them in unincorporated Hillsborough County.

In Hillsborough County, commissioners put a moratorium on new dispensaries until they received guidance from the state. Commissioners put the moratorium in place so the county could develop zoning and development standards for medical marijuana dispensing facilities. The moratorium expires April 4.

Officials have said the idea behind the moratoriums is to review the issue, not to abolish, the measure put in place by voters with Amendment 2. Florida voters approved the measure in November with 71 percent of the vote.

At the last public hearing in early February, commissioners heard from city attorneys that recommended:

Dispensaries be at least 750 feet from churches, schools, day cares, parks and residential areas.





Attorneys also recommended dispensaries be free-standing buildings with no drive-thrus, since they deal primarily in cash.

Supporters of the proposals say the recommendations are similar to those in other states.

However, opponents say they feel commissioners are rushing the process.
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Australias prime minister said yesterday that he was looking forward to discussing a free-trade deal with Indonesia while attending a regional forum in Jakarta.

Malcom Turnbull today will attend the first Indian Ocean Rim Association leaders summit in the 20-year history of the 21-nation organization.

Turnbulls one-day visit to Jakarta comes nine days after Joko Jokowi Widodo ended his first Australian visit as Indonesias president.

The leaders used that Sydney visit to commit to finalizing a bilateral free-trade agreement this year after 17 years of negotiations. Jokowi said the deal must remove all Australian barriers to the importation of Indonesian palm oil and paper.

Turnbull has welcomed trade concessions that Indonesia has already made, including reduced tariffs on Australian sugar and fewer restrictions on Australian live cattle imports.

Were making very good progress there and I look forward to discussing it further when Im in Jakarta tomorrow, Turnbull told reporters in the Australian city of Melbourne.

Indonesian trade official Thomas Lembong, chairman of Indonesias Investment Coordinating Board, told Australias Fairfax Media that his government wanted to see concrete proof of unfettered and natural trade in Indonesia palm oil, paper and wood products.

David Brewster, an Australian National University researcher on Indian Ocean security, said he expected Turnbull would be one of the few national leaders to attend the summit that will be chaired by Jokowi.

His attendance at the meeting is probably primarily driven by the Jakarta relationship, wanting to show solidarity with Jokowi, Brewster said.

Turnbull later said in a statement that Australia had a fundamental interest in ensuring economic development in the Indian Ocean region and enhancing dialogue on shared security challenges.

The summit will agree to a statement on shared values and objectives, including a commitment to international law, and a declaration on countering violent extremism.

Australian interest in the grouping of predominantly developing states on the Indian Ocean fringe has deepened in the past five years, with the economic growth of India and China and a relative decline in influence in the region of the United States, Australias most important strategic partner, Brewster said.

India is a member of the group while China has observer status. AP
Chinese authorities have shut down activist Ye Haiyans blogs and forced her to move from one city to another. Left with few options, she now produces socially conscious paintings to make a living and advocate for the rights of sex workers and people with HIV or AIDS.

Using calligraphy brushes, Ye creates images of naked women and sex workers alongside symbols such as the Chinese characters for equality, or paints roosters, a Chinese homonym for prostitute.

Ive started to understand that painting is also a form of expression and the natural reflection of my thoughts, said Ye, who is in her early 40s. She was recently evicted from her last home in an artists enclave on Beijings outskirts ahead of the annual meeting of Chinas ceremonial parliament that opened Sunday.

Far from the pomp of the 10-day gathering at Beijings Great Hall of the People, Ye is among those caught up in an annual roundup of people the ruling Communist Party considers threats to the state, all to ensure the session passes without incident. Known critics are placed under tightened restrictions and ordinary people coming to Beijing with grievances are prevented from traveling or snatched off the streets of the capital.

This years meetings also come amid Chinas broadest and most intense assault on civil society since nongovernmental groups were grudgingly allowed more freedom to operate more than a decade ago.

Since coming to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has shown little tolerance for dissent, and a sustained crackdown launched in July 2015 has seen hundreds of activists and independent legal professionals detained. More than a year and a half later, eight are still in detention or prison.

The environment for civil society has been worsening every year since Xi Jinping came to power and this past year has been no different, said Frances Eve, researcher at the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

Activists estimate that police arrested more than 100 people last year for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including Huang Qi and Liu Feiyue, who ran websites reporting on human rights abuses and critiquing government policies. A series of trials saw some activists convicted under vague laws against subversion and leaking state secrets, with prosecutors blaming unidentified troublemakers abroad for inciting anti-government activity.

China last year also passed a law tightening controls over foreign nongovernmental organizations by subjecting them to close police supervision.

Promoting and protecting human rights is now considered a crime, said Eve. Many of those convicted confess under duress, including torture by police, she said. While Chinas high court forbids such practices, they are believed to remain common within a police force with broad powers to arrest, question and detain.

China routinely rejects accusations of human rights abuses, pointing to vast improvements in quality of life wrought by three decades of economic development.

The U.S. State Department said in its annual human rights report published Friday that repression and coercion of organizations and individuals involved in civil rights advocacy remained severe last year.

Family members of rights defenders and lawyers are harassed and intimidated in retaliation for their work, the report said. Authorities generally fail to respect the Chinese constitutions protection of free speech, particularly when it clashes with the interests of the Communist Party, it said.

China has protested to the U.S. over the report, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said yesterday, calling it filled with prejudice.

We urge the U.S. to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs on the pretext of human rights, Geng added.

The authorities rarely comment on activists such as Ye, who used to have thousands of followers online and her own nongovernmental organization advocating for legalized prostitution and offering advice on sexual health.

Her efforts, including protests against light sentences given to the abusers of schoolgirls, got her noticed by the public and, more ominously, the police, who she says pressured her to close her NGO and move several times. Worried about the impact on her 17-year- old daughter, she sent her to the U.S. last month to study with help from a U.S.-based filmmaker.

Ye says shes gotten a boost from internationally famous artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who bought one of her paintings depicting a fat woman, a sex worker wishing to earn a lot of money and go home to build a house. Ai previously bought up her belongings when she was evicted from an apartment in 2014 and exhibited the household items  an old refrigerator, a washing machine, cardboard boxes  at one of his shows at the Brooklyn Museum.

Ye reluctantly left her studio in the village of Songzhuang last week on the orders of police. An officer reached at the local Public Security Bureau on yesterday declined to comment on the case. Ye said she went to stay with friends in the nearby village of Beisi and within days again ran into pressure to leave.

The Communist Party secretary of the village told local residents not to rent to me because Ive long been on the blacklist, Ye said.

Beisi party secretary Liu Wenbiao referred a request for comment to the Songzhuang police.

They think that a person like me should be the target for social stabilization, Ye said, using government shorthand for suppressing dissent. Louise Watt, Isolda Morillo, Beijing, AP
Two female Singaporeans were victims of a scam in an alleged investment scheme in a Macau VIP room, the Judiciary Police (PJ) stated during a press conference held yesterday.

The case goes back to last year when the two women met in Singapore with a 52-year-old male resident of the city-state who told them he owned a Macau-based company operating a VIP room in a Macau casino. He proceeded to ask if they were interested in investing in such a business due to its high revenue.

The women accepted and on December 18 last year they travelled to Macau where they were taken to a VIP room of a casino, which the suspect said belonged to his company.

They finally decided to invest USD50,000 each (around MOP400,000) and deposited the sum in an account that was set up in that VIP room.

Claiming that the contract would be signed later, the man soon vanished leaving the two women without any contact. They then decided to present a complaint to the PJ on January 8 this year.

The police started to investigate the case and on March 2, the man was caught while trying to leave Macau. The suspect admitted that the money was promptly withdrawn from the account right after the deposit, admitting also that he was never involved with the VIP room aside from having an open account there.

He also said that he lost all the money in gambling.

In a separate case, what initially would look like another episode of overcharging by a taxi driver eventually revealed something bigger, leading to four people being held under police custody.

The case started with a couple of tourists hailing a taxi in Cotai that requested MOP100 to take them to the desired location.

The couple refused to pay and left the car, but in the rush they left a mobile phone inside.

This initiated some confusion, with the taxi driver picking up a call from the couple saying they had been passengers inside the taxi. The taxi driver then asked the person with him what the consequences of keeping the phone would be, and fearing he would get caught, passed it to this second individual who was also a taxi driver.

As the police received the complaint and started to investigate the first taxi driver, the police caught a man of around 50-years-old.

The second individual who was aged 30 years, feared for his security too, and decided to pass the phone to a third driver who then took it to a car detailing shop where he exchanged it for cash.

Multiple traces led the police to the car detailing shop where the police caught one of the employees, a Vietnam national, in the possession not only of the lost phone but a total of four mobiles phones, all suspected of being stolen or lost by the lawful owners.

The shopkeeper then admitted that all the phones were bought by different taxi drivers who usually go to the shop to sell these kind of goods.

The first taxi driver was charged with unlawful appropriation of the good, while the other two drivers and the shop employee were charged with receiving stolen goods.
Golda Meir, the grand old woman of Israeli politics, is to become the first female prime minister of Israel.

The 70-year-olds candidature was officially accepted by the Labour Party in Tel Aviv after she received 287 votes from her own central committee. Forty-five MPs abstained.

On Sunday she will formally succeed her political friend and colleague Levi Eshkol, who died of a heart attack last week.

Mrs Meir, who has come out of retirement to take up the role, pledged to maintain national unity and called on the people who worked with Mr Eshkol to continue in the same framework in her government.

She added: I have never failed to accept party decisions and I shall not refuse now.

I have faced difficult problems in the past but nothing like the one Im faced with now in leading the country.

With her party controlling the largest faction in parliament, Acting Prime Minister Yigal Allon and Defence Minister Moshe Dayan have agreed to step aside and reserve their own bids for power until later in the year.

Following their decision, she was the only nominee put forward before the central committee.

Mrs Meir, a former schoolteacher in America, previously served as Israeli foreign minister for 10 years before she retired following ill health.

Because of her age and condition, her appointment is regarded by many as a stop-gap, intended to maintain national unity before the Labour Party chooses a leader for the October general elections.

Many supporters within the party consider General Dayan to be a more suitable candidate.

Acting Prime Minister Mr Allon also has substantial backing within the party leadership.

Both are younger than Mrs Meir and considered national heroes.

Despite such opposition, General Dayan, who is expected to retain his post as defence minister, said he would be honoured to work with Mrs Meir.

Her government is expected to reflect the same parties and ministers who previously served under Mr Eshkol.

Details of her new cabinet will be announced in the next few days.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Following her appointment Golda Meir won a convincing vote of confidence when she presented an identical cabinet to parliament to that of her predecessor.

Although many critics thought she would act as a stop gap, Mrs Meir went on to win Israels general election in October 1969.

The Israeli prime minister governed using coalitions and to remain in office she had to ensure that she was publicly seen to support General Dayan despite the fact they were often at odds with each other.

For the next four years she remained in control but she was blamed for being caught off guard when war broke out between Israeli and Arab forces in 1973.

The Arabs eventually buckled under a sustained Israeli counter-attack but her reputation never recovered.

Mrs Meir won the general election in 1973 but continued to face stiff criticism.

As a result she resigned in April 1974.

She died four years later.
The trial of the citys former top prosecutor, Ho Chio Meng, resumed its proceedings yesterday at the Court of Final Appeal.

Several witnesses from the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) were called to the stand. One of them, a CCAC senior investigator surnamed Cheong, revealed the existence of files, pictures, and videos found by CCAC during its investigation. He provided information related to hotel rooms, plane tickets and other items paid to individuals who had no link to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), most of whom were women. At the end of the session, Ho spoke to deny that he ever tried to scam the MP.

Cheongs testimony focused particularly on the Cheoc Van accommodation villa (which was rented by the MP) and on the Hotline Center 16th floor, where Ho allegedly set up a secret room.

The testimony process, however, deviated from its previously established course. Instead of prosecutors questioning witnesses, yesterday morning Cheong himself initiated the session by displaying the documents and explaining the content of each of them.

Cheong first revealed CCACs files regarding the Cheoc Van Villa, saying that CCAC found a blueprint, in Ho Chio Mengs house on which Cheoc Van was written.

Moreover, four keys were found at the house of Hos late father in an envelope that was labelled Cheoc Van.

According to Cheong, the CCAC doubted that the keys belonged to the Cheoc Van villa.

He also admitted that he was unable to prove whether the keys belonged to the property in question, as its locks had already been changed.

The MP has alleged that Ho used the Cheoc Van villa to store his personal belongings.

It has been alleged that after he was detained, Ho trusted his wife, Chao Sio Fu, to check on his various belongings collected from the MP.

Hos lawyer then pointed out that Chao had never confirmed the existence of any of the aforementioned items

During a second session, the witness testified in relation to four units used for MP offices located at the Hotline Center 16th floor, in particular, ones involving the so-called Teachers Resting Room (a facility used to host invitees of the MP).

According to the proof presented by the CCAC commissioner, the MP rented two units for the resting room because it needed more offices for work-related matters.

The CCAC also seized receipts from the office of another defendant, Chan Ka Fai, a former department head at the MP. These receipts indicate that one of the alleged shell companies involved in the case purchased daily products, including snacks and towels, for the two units.

All the receipts were paid for by the MP, with some indicating that the two MP rented units used a towel delivery and laundry service.

Cheong then played two videos recorded by the CCTV surveillance cameras located at the 16th floor. The videos show that one Sunday in November of 2014, Ho visited the Hotline Centers Teachers Resting Room.

The videos also show that two of MPs former employees, Guan Tianwen and Lam I Na, appeared at the 16th floor, and visited the Teachers Room while Ho was inside.

Hos lawyer, Leong Wen Pun, then pointed out that when Guan got out of the office, he was carrying a file holder.

Leong questioned Cheong if he knew whether Ho and Guan had visited the location while working for the MP.

In response to a question from judge Song Man Lei, Cheong said that in 2014 Ho was recorded visiting the facility around ten times, and that in two of these occurrences he was alone.

Cheong also said that the CCTV recorded several unknown people visiting the place as well.

In a third session, Cheong gave testimony on another four units of the MP office located at the 16th floor. Cheong explained that some of these units were rented by the MP, using his documents to evidence this claim.

However, according to Cheong, the units were also used by Wong Kuok Wai (a businessman involved in the opening of alleged shell companies and one of the defendants) who registered it as the address for the shell companies phones and mail.

Cheong said that after Ho Chio Meng stepped down from his position, the related shell companies canceled their phone accounts and stopped receiving mail there.

During the remainder of the session, Cheong played more videos, showing other defendants, namely Ho Chio Sin, Lai Kun Pun, and Lam Hou Iam, visiting the alleged shell companies on the 16th floor, pointing out that Lam Hou Iam would visit one of the units during work time.

Cheong pointed out that previous employees of the companies would deliver snacks to the Teachers Resting Room.

In the afternoon session, Cheong, in another two separate testimonies explained how the CCAC obtained the documents pointing to Hos guilt, as well as their investigation into such a possibility.

Cheong also provided documents regarding a trip taken by Ho and a female defendant, Wang Xiandi to North Europe and a trip to Dubai.

Cheong presented documents indicating that the MP paid flights to and accommodation in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai for 18 people who were not MP employees.

Four people accompanied Ho on his trip: former MP employee Zhou Wensheng, his wife Chao, her brother, and Hos nephew, Ieong Chon Kit. All four, despite not being MP employees at the time of the northern Europe trip, were still paid by MP. The flight tickets cost around MOP200,000 in total.

Cheong, when answering Leongs questions, admitted that he never contacted the involved airlines to find out the real prices of the flights.

Cheong noted that some of the people the MP paid flights and accommodation for were around 17 to 18 years of age when they were paid for the first time.

Cheong said that Hos border records indicated that he was in the mainland or Macau when these women were flying or staying at the same accommodations in those destinations.

Cheong also told Leong that he obtained information from Chinas Supreme Peoples Procuratorate regarding the trip to Dubai.

When Cheong finished his testimony, Ho Chio Meng made his statement. He started by saying that MP had always paid for non- MP employees on such trips, before going on to inform the court that the MP paid the Liaison Office flights for a trip to Shanghai.

Ho then said that in regard to a trip from Macau to Beijing for a training course, he paid for his familys flights.

Ho concluded by saying said that the MP called him to give him the opportunity to claim his personal items which the department had seized from Cheac Van villa, and he asked the MP to wait until the trial is finished.

Presiding Judge Sam Hou Fai, told Ho that he needed to have written a request letter to MP.

The trail will resume tomorrow.

A controversial testimony

The ambiguous testimony of CCAC top investigator Ao Pan San on Friday left many perplexed. TDM reported that Ao said different things when questioned by the MP and by the defense. Accused of presenting suppositions as if they were facts during a PowerPoint presentation, Ao finally admitted that some of the accusations against Ho Chio Meng were based on probabilities.
North Korea yesterday fired four banned ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers on average, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, South Korean and Japanese officials said. The test-launches appeared to be a reaction to huge U.S.-South Korean military drills that those countries consider routine but that Pyongyang insists are an invasion rehearsal.

It was not immediately clear the exact type of missile fired, but the tests will be viewed as a provocation by the Trump administration, which is working on its policy for North Korea. The New York Times reported over the weekend that the United States still cant effectively counter Pyongyangs actions despite efforts to perfect cyber and electronic strikes against North Koreas missile program.

Pyongyang has test-launched a series of missiles of various ranges in recent months, including a new intermediate-range missile in February; it also conducted two nuclear tests last year. The ramped-up tests come as leader Kim Jong Un pushes for a nuclear and missile program that can deter what he calls U.S. and South Korean hostility toward the North.

There have been widespread worries that the North will conduct an ICBM test that, when perfected, could in theory reach the U.S. mainland. Washington would consider such a capability a major threat.

U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster and his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin talked by phone after the missile firings. The two condemned the launches and agreed to boost cooperation to get the North to face more effective sanctions and pressure, according to South Koreas presidential office.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said three missiles landed in the 200-nautical-mile offshore area where Tokyo has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. He said a fourth missile fell near Japans exclusive economic zone.

Its the third time that North Korean missiles have fallen in the Japanese zone, beginning last August. Japanese leaders see the launches into nearby waters as a growing threat.

European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the launches were in utter disregard of several U.N. resolutions and that the EU would consult with Japan and international partners on how to react. She also said North Korea needed to immediately halt plans for more such missile launches.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that yesterdays launches were made from the Tongchang-ri area in North Phyongan province. The area is the home of the Norths Sohae rocket launch site where it has conducted prohibited long-

range rocket launches in recent years.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, We remain prepared  and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness  to defend ourselves and our allies from attack, and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat.

Seoul and Washington call their military drills on the Korean Peninsula, which remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty, defensive and routine. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP
A retired Philippine police officer testified yesterday that President Rodrigo Duterte and his men were linked to nearly 200 killings that the officer and a death squad carried out when Duterte was mayor of a southern city.

Arturo Lascanas outlined at a Senate inquiry some of the key killings he and others allegedly staged with the prior knowledge, direct orders, consent, tolerance or acquiescence of Duterte, who was mayor of Davao city. What is related here is just the tip of a bloody iceberg, Lascanas said in a statement distributed to senators.

Duterte is also under fire for his more recent national anti-drug crackdown that has left thousands of suspected dealers and users dead since he became president last June.

Pro-administration senators grilled Lascanas in the televised inquiry, asking why he had earlier denied both any involvement in the Davao killings and the existence of a Davao death squad.

Dutertes spokesman, Ernesto Abella, described Lascanas as a perjured witness and called his testimony fabricated and unacceptable.

Lascanas said yesterday he had lied earlier about his role because he was concerned about his familys safety.

He testified that he was given large amounts of money and monthly allowances by Duterte, a few times directly and often through other police officers, for carrying out the Davao killings and for blind obedience and loyalty to the mayor.

Lascanas said he knew of Dutertes direct involvement in some of the killings, and that his group carried out other attacks led by police officers who told him the assaults were ordered by Duterte.

One target was radio commentator Jun Pala, who had angered Duterte with critical broadcasts. Lascanas said he was in a group of gunmen who killed Pala in 2003, and that Duterte personally gave him a reward of 1 million pesos ($19,800).

In a separate Senate inquiry last year, alleged gunmen Edgar Matobato linked Lascanas to the Davao killings. Lascanas, who also testified, denied under oath that he took part.

Lascanas, 56, who retired as a Davao police officer last December, said Monday that his conscience bothered him and that he had a spiritual awakening after suffering a kidney ailment that prompted him to publicly confess. He said he had two of his brothers killed for their involvement in illegal drugs.

I regret what I did and I know I have to answer for all my misdeeds before the people, the law and before God, he said in the written statement. Some crime suspects were taken to Duterte before they were killed, he said.

Lascanas first made the allegations at a news conference two weeks ago, and repeated them under oath in Mondays Senate hearing. He gave details of other killings and suggested Dutertes son, now the vice mayor of Davao city, and the current national police chief may have been aware of the extrajudicial killings.

There was no immediate reaction from Dutertes son or the police chief.

Lascanas said the victims included 11 Chinese drug suspects who tried to bribe their way out of trouble but were gunned down in a quarry on orders from Duterte. He said his group also killed a supposed Pakistani terror suspect on an island near Davao city. Jim Gomez, Manila, AP
The USS Carl Vinson, which is steaming through the South China Sea, is just one of several high-profile displays of U.S. naval power as President Donald Trumps administration weighs options of how to reassure allies and respond to an assertive China.

The current makeup of the aircraft carrier strike group, which began routine operations Feb. 18, suggests it may not carry out an anticipated freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) just yet. The U.S. has challenged Beijing four times since 2015 by sailing close to Chinese-held islands in the disputed waters, but critics say the pace of such operations under the Obama administration failed to deter China from constructing the seven outposts that are now being fitted with radar and weapons systems.

The new U.S. administration has signaled a tougher approach.

We have operated here in the past, were going to operate here in the future, were going to continue to reassure our allies, Rear Adm. James Kilby, commander of the San Diego-based Carrier Strike group 1, told journalists who toured the ship over the weekend as it was sailing between Chinas southernmost island of Hainan and Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.

He said there have been no incidents and everyone weve encountered so far has acted professionally as we would hope they would do in accordance with international rules, standards, norms and laws.

At the moment, the carrier was accompanied by one warship, making it unlikely the sole escort would break off for a possible freedom of navigation operation, retired Navy officer and analyst Steven Stashwick wrote in The Diplomat, which tracks military and diplomatic developments in the region.

The U.S. military in general has not publicly announced all its freedom of navigation operations, which have existed globally since 1979. But its operations in the South China Sea have been scrutinized closely, and officials have been careful about raising expectations that such action was anything more than routine enforcement of international maritime law.

China has scoffed at U.S. patrols and sent its sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in January as well as bombers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft through the region.

A spokesman for the countrys top political advisory body, Wang Guoqing, said it was perfectly normal for China to build facilities, including those for necessary defense purposes, on its territory. He also dismissed U.S. concern that China was threatening freedom of navigation.

Though peace reigns over the land, the stupid people create trouble for themselves, Wang was quoted as saying.

Government spokeswoman Fu Ying said that the situation depends on U.S. intentions. American actions in the South China Sea have a definite significance in terms of which way the winds blow, she said.

The carrier group is expected to join an exercise in South Korea in mid-March. Later in the summer, a pair of San Diego-based destroyers are expected to beef up the group in the contested waters, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. It said the Navys Third Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, plans at least two more trips for the carrier group in the next three months. MDT/AP
Tencent Holdings Ltd.s Chairman Ma Huateng proposed to build Chinas own Bay Area equivalent with a technology zone in southern China that would include the financial center of Hong Kong and gambling city of Macau.

Chinas fourth-richest man said on Friday that setting up a Guangdong-H.K.-Macau technology area could help maintain stability in the two former colonies. Ma was speaking at a press conference two days before the National Peoples Congress convenes in the capital to set the years agenda.

As a delegate at the countrys most important annual convention, Ma suggested the proposed tech bay could leverage capital from Hong Kong and manufacturing prowess from Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta. China has the ability to create a world-class tech bay area, and preside over the global tech revolution of the future, said Ma, who runs the second-largest internet company in China. It will also help the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macau.

Tencents headquarters are in Shenzhen in Guangdong province  a region racing against Beijing and Hangzhou to forge Chinas equivalent of Silicon Valley. Responding to the central governments call to ignite the innovative drive, more than 120 tech zones have mushroomed across the country, all vying for talent and capital.

Best known for the instant messaging app WeChat, Tencent has built an empire of news portals, movies, online books and online games including Clash of Clans.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has identified the internet as one of the most import sectors for official oversight  a level of strategic importance on par with ethnic minority leaders or Taiwans political parties. He has reminded the countrys technology parvenus that they should demonstrate positive energy in purifying cyberspace and called for regular contact with new media representatives to build support for the partys agenda.

The elevated status puts billionaires like Ma and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Jack Ma, who isnt related, under extra scrutiny. Their riches and success have also inspired a younger generation of entrepreneurs, prompting 1.15 trillion yuan (USD167 billion) of funds to be amassed by the countrys venture and private equity firms in the first 11 months last year, according to consultancy Zero2IPO Group.

Ma said Tencent would be willing to use its big data technology to help China built more ecological cities that, for example, would utilize marshlands to purify water. He also called for more protection of personal information and data.

Ma wants the country to place national strategic importance on digital content and advocated using Chinese capital to acquire overseas intellectual property.

Already, Tencent is making inroads in Hollywood, funding blockbusters including Kong: Skull Island and Warcraft. It has an abundance of intellectual property for anime and online novels distributed via its websites. The company has aspirations to create a Marvel-like movie empire, as it competes with Alibaba for viewers.

In his policy proposal last year, Ma advocated making the internet more accessible, asking regulators to lower the barriers of entry to spur innovation and content creation.

With more than 800 million people using WeChat to communicate, share photos and post articles, the authorities have started efforts aimed at reining in the social media service.

China passed a controversial cyber security law in November requiring internet operators to cooperate with investigations involving crime and national security. Expected to take effect in June, the law also requires companies to give government investigators full access to their data if wrongdoing is suspected.

Since October, Chinas law enforcement agencies have been authorized to secretly request access to personal information posted on social media services including WeChat for investigating criminal cases.

Ma said he doesnt see Chinas cyber security law as a hurdle, adding that the legislation in fact is in favor of larger tech companies. Bloomberg
The Idaho House voted Monday to raise the sticker fee for out-of-state boaters from $22 to $30.

The bill, which was introduced by House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, is meant to raise money for programs to combat invasive species, with the big concern now being the potential for quagga mussels, which have been popping up in a few neighboring states and were recently found in a couple of reservoirs in Montana, to make it in Idaho.

It is feared that quagga mussels, which are native to the Ukraine, were introduced into the U.S. via boats in the St. Lawrence Seaway and have become a major problem in the Great Lakes area, could cause significant economic damage plus harm to native species if they establish themselves in Idaho. The fee hike bill stems from the recommendations of a group of lawmakers who studied invasive species issues over the interim and is one of several bills on the topic making its way through the Capitol. It is expected to raise another $100,000 to $150,000 a year.

Invasive species, particularly quagga mussels, are an enormous threat to Idahos economy and way of life, Erpelding said. If we do not address this growing danger now, it will wreck our tourism industry, damage our hydroelectric facilities and permanently foul our most treasured water resources. Idaho must sustain our efforts to protect this great state from invasive species. Im glad my colleagues had the foresight today to plan for the future.

In-state fees will remain at $22.

The bill passed 65-4 and now goes to the Senate.
TWIN FALLS  A Dominos Pizza employee and her fiances relative became the second and third suspects charged with carrying out a staged armed robbery the night of the Super Bowl.

Dustin Camryn Farnworth, 22, of Twin Falls was charged with three felonies last month and accused of faking the heist at the Twin Falls pizzeria. On Monday, prosecutors charged the two people believed to be his accomplices: His fiancee and the Dominos employee, Katelyn Nicole Plaster, 20, of Twin Falls and his relative, Nicholas Anthony Slane, 35, of Twin Falls.

All three are charged with felony counts of burglary, burglary conspiracy and grand theft. Theyre accused of stealing $1,833 from Dominos about 2 a.m. on Feb. 6, just hours after the end of the Super Bowl, typically one of the busiest days for pizzerias.

Police said Plaster was hysterical  hyperventilating  (and) could not breathe after reporting the robbery, telling officers a masked gunman came in while she was counting the till, pointed a gun at her and told her, I dont want to have to kill you or shoot you. Just give me the money.

During an interview about a week later, police confronted Plaster about inconsistencies in her story and she admitted the robbery was staged, court documents said. Plaster and Farnworth told police it was Slanes idea.

Farnworth told police Slane was the one who went into Dominos and faked the robbery; Slane told police it was Farnworth, court documents said. Slanes wife told police she awoke the morning of the staged robbery and saw the two men counting a large amount of money.

All three suspects told police they split the money and went to Utah, where Slane is accused of buying drugs, court documents said. Slane, who was already in jail awaiting other charges, was arrested on a warrant over the weekend. Plaster was arrested at her residence Sunday night.

Slane and Plaster are each in custody in lieu of $50,000 bond and are set for preliminary hearings March 17. Farnworth is out of custody after posting $2,000 bond and is set for a preliminary hearing April 7.
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TWIN FALLS  A man awaiting trial for a September 2015 shooting at Harry Barry Park has fled the country, prosecutors said.

Jesus Hilario Chewy Manjares-Contreras, 21, of Twin Falls was set to stand trial April 12 on felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He and another man, who was acquitted during a July trial, were charged with shooting Marcus Loya on Sep. 1, 2015.

Manjares-Contreras was released from custody in early January after nearly 15 months in jail. He was due in court Monday for a status conference, but a Twin Falls County deputy prosecutor explained why he wasnt in court.

Its pretty clear Mr. Contreras has left the country, Trevor Misseldine said.

Defense attorney Dan Brown confirmed hes had no contact with the defendant. District Judge Richard Bevan placed the case on inactive status pending his return.

Manjares-Contreras was released from jail Jan. 4, the day his trial was slated to begin, after prosecutors sought a delay because a key witness was missing. Manjares-Contreras was supposed to be under strict supervision, but he violated the terms of his release almost immediately, failing to submit to drug tests and breaking his curfew nightly.

On Jan. 22, he cut off his GPS ankle monitor, court documents said. Probation and parole officers found the monitor in the snow outside Shopko. Bevan signed a warrant for his arrest two days later, but by then, it was likely too late.

Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs would not say why prosecutors believe he fled the United States.

Thats the information we have, Loebs said Monday. But I cant say the sources of that information.

Meanwhile, the key witness who was missing has been arrested. Cipriana Pedraza was set to testify she allowed Manjares-Contreras to borrow her car the night of the shooting. Police later identified her car as the suspect vehicle.

Manjares-Contreras was supposed to be the second person to stand trial for the shooting. His co-defendant, Fred Zapata Paiz, was acquitted by a jury in July. But one of Paizs attorneys, Stacey DePew, told the jury the case was stronger against Manjares-Contreras because a witness who couldnt pick Paiz out of a lineup had no problem identifying Manjares-Contreras.

She picked out Chewy immediately in a photo lineup, DePew told Paizs jury.

Manjares-Contreras is still wanted on a $100,000 warrant and could be brought back to face trial if hes captured in the U.S.
TWIN FALLS  Springtime in the Magic Valley brings more than just unpredictable weather.

Its also a busy season for school district elections. Voters will cast ballots in the March 14 election and just two months later, theyll return to the polls again.

But so far, only one school district  Valley School District in Hazelton  is planning a ballot measure for the May 16 election. But its possible the list could grow.

School districts have until March 27 to submit ballot language to their county clerk.

Valley School District is seeking a five-year plant facilities levy for $300,000 each year. School officials werent available to comment Monday since the district operates on a Tuesday through Friday schedule.

In Twin Falls County, no school districts have indicated theyre planning a May election, county clerk Kristina Glascock said.

School districts tend to prefer the March election, she said, and may try again in May if measures dont pass.

All of south-central Idahos public school districts, though, have two or three school board seats up for election in May.
TWIN FALLS  The city said goodbye to Mr. Twin Falls once before, but this is his final farewell.

J. Kent Just, former executive director of the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, died Sunday.

Just was best known for his 16 years at the chambers helm, where his gregarious personality and booming laugh were amply suited. He retired in November 2004, three months after his last annual fundraiser at City Park, where a large crowd sent him off with a standing ovation.

The chamber again honored him in 2012 with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

He certainly didnt know so many people loved him, said his daughter Lisa Just VanDercar of Boise. I dont think he knew what a big impact he had on people.

Others have tried to explain Justs magnetism on the Remembering J. Kent Just Facebook page.

Kent Just had the best memory for names, Jennifer Yeggy Etter wrote. Hed meet someone once and remember their name forever.

The only thing bigger than his personality was his heart, Patrick Nauman wrote.

His laugh was so big, you didnt want to go to a comedy with him, VanDercar said.

Even when an unknown shooter sent bullets into his office at the chamber, Just refused to believe anyone intended to hurt him.

Directors at the chamber in 1995 had endorsed efforts to lure Boise-based Micron Technology Inc. to the Magic Valley. Others, fearing runaway growth, opposed the move. Tempers flared and shots were fired in the early morning hours. One bullet pierced a poster VanDercar gave Just, who took the shooting in stride.

I wont replace the hole in the print, he told the Times-News. Maybe it will be some kind of heirloom for the family.

It already is, VanDercar said.

Just was also a proud member of the Twin Falls Rotary Club.

No one will ever replace him as the hamburger flipper behind the (Rotary Club) grill, Debra Morris Wilson wrote.

Dad was super proud to be a Rotarian, VanDercar said.

He also loved agriculture and the FFA.

But he wasnt especially good at it, she said.

Just was born in April 1, 1941, in Firth. He died March 5, surrounded by his family in Boise.

His laugh is one of the things I will most miss, wrote Patti Adam on Facebook. That, and, his red dancing shoes.
BURLEY  A Boise man is charged with two misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of two people who were killed when the SUV he was driving rolled on Interstate 84 in southeast Cassia County.

Rose Uwimana, 48, and Kabura Meliki, 64, were both killed in the Aug. 8 crash. Uwimana was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the SUV, police said. The driver, John Bisengimana, 37, Meliki, and the third passenger, Victoria Nsabimana, 51, were all wearing seat belts.

A witness who was driving behind Bisengimana said the 2005 Nissan SUV rolled 15 times.

An Idaho State Police trooper said Bisengimana lost control of the SUV and it swerved onto the left shoulder, came back onto the road and then went off the road on the left side. It began to roll in the median going back onto the left shoulder and stopped in the middle of the eastbound lane.

A pretrial conference in the case is set for March 17 in Cassia County Magistrate Court.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is being criticized for defending Republicans' Obamacare replacement bill by stating lower income citizens might be forced to prioritize health care over "getting that new iPhone."

"Americans have choices, and they've got to make a choice. So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care," Chaffetz said on CNN's "New Day" on Tuesday.
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I dont presume to speak for all Idaho farmers. Does it make me unique among my media colleagues? Over the last several weeks Ive seen numerous headlines telling me Idaho farmers and ranchers are opposed to Donald Trumps immigration policies. Headlines are designed to grab your attention and there are times when the stories dont always offer a complete reflection, and there are even times when there is very little relation. This is much more common in the Internet Age where competition drives the need for clicks.

A few weeks ago a caller raised the issue of farmers being among the open borders crowd and it reminded me of my early days in radio. From 1989 until 1996 I worked at one of the top news radio operations in the country. WSYR in Syracuse, N.Y., was unique. A small rust belt city with a news talker often placed alongside the best outfits in New York City, Dallas and San Francisco. When I first arrived on the job there was a clipping on the bulletin board from a trade publication and it ranked the five best stations in the genre. Also included was a management survey and a worker survey and all three listed WSYR among the finest. There was a great sense of pride across the newsroom, but it wasnt easily maintained. The man in charge was a ceaseless micro-manager (as if its somehow a bad thing) and the two editors working alongside him were sticklers for tiny details. Words like transported, incident, fully engulfed and authorities were all banned from copy. Workers substituted for employees. I learned quickly the word resident was also scrapped. When I argued for its use I was told find a substitute. When I argued I couldnt crank out the reams of copy required of me while searching for a thesaurus it was suggested I could find another line of work.

Residents got me in trouble one night when I wrote a story (actually, we wrote three versions of every story) about an angry meeting I attended on the south side of the city. A fellow named Dave White edited the morning news and pulled me into a room and all alone asked me if I had managed to speak with every last person on the south side and if I knew of a demarcation line. No to the latter question and no to the first question. Then you can only say some or many but you cant say most or all, he explained. Dave preferred I even avoid many and use only some.

Friday morning I saw a story written by a reporter at a Nampa newspaper. An attempt to gather 10,000 signatures from Idaho dairymen in opposition to Trump could be a failure. At best there are only 3,000 to 3,500 and there may be far less than those figures. An old Monty Python joke explains how you can earn scads of cash and then in the fine print it explains up to clearly includes the number naught!

For several weeks Ive been treated to breathless stories about farmers and ranchers desperately seeking cheap illegal labor. Very few stories, headlines and body ever made a distinction between all farmers and some farmers. Having grown up in a town where if you threw a rock in any direction you had a 50-50 chance of hitting a cow I always had my doubts. The farmers I knew as a kid were overwhelmingly Republican and put patriotism before profits.

Is there a potential labor shortage in the agricultural sector? You bet. Are there answers to what has been a longstanding shortage? You bet. Can intelligent people in business and government work it out? You bet. My best friend and I met in the first grade. All he ever wanted to do was to take over his grandfathers farm. The place sat high atop a cold windswept hill and when a flood washed out a bridge in the valley below it became even more isolated. By the late 1980s my buddy, Ron, couldnt find the usual high school boys wanting to help with milking and even haying. It wasnt easy but he managed to get the work done and expand the operation, doubling the land he owned and increasing his herd by 15 fold over a period of 25 years. This, despite very few young people with any interest in future farming careers. Then the Great Recession came along and Ron found he was turning away men looking for work. The inquiries remain steady. At no point over the last 35 years did he ever hire anyone of questionable entry into the United States. While farm labor shortages come and go a wise government can create a visa program when needed. Im aware there are periodic efforts to raise farm wages but for the most part, a $15 an hour minimum farm wage isnt politically happening.

Therefore when times are flush agribusiness will need a steady supply of labor. When times are tough we can limit a visa program. This isnt brain surgery. Somehow I think all the recent news media hyperventilation has a lot more to do with Trump-bashing than any crisis. Not that our good friends in media would stoop so low.
I am glad that the above-ground stored transuranic waste from Rocky Flats weapons production is finally being packaged for shipment from the Idaho National Laboratory to the recently re-opened facility for defense waste, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, WIPP, in New Mexico. But Idaho citizens need to have a full understanding of the routine emissions and risks of cleanup as continued operations to treat waste from other states is promoted. And Idaho citizens need to understand the harm from past operations in order to learn the true costs to human health and the environment.

Idaho citizens should demand straight answers  not just swaggering confidence coupled with strategic omissions and a greasing of the facts that is typical of presentations by the Department of Energy or its contractors. Idaho citizens need straight answers to a few questions, a dirty dozen questions below.

1. Which long-lived radioisotopes and in what amounts will remain buried at the INLs Radioactive Waste Management Complex after completion of buried waste exhumation (via the Accelerated Retrieval Projects)?

2. Should the slow trickle out modeling of these contaminants be believed? And why was the true extent of future contamination of the aquifer withheld during public announcements of cleanup decisions?

3. How many curies of various long-lived radioisotopes have been buried over the aquifer since cleanup began? And how many more curies are planned to be buried over the aquifer in the future?

4. Has the level of chemical contamination of the aquifer increased since cleanup began?

5. What are the risks of large airborne releases should a fire occur in above ground storage facilities of drums of transuranic waste? What are the risks to stored waste or buried waste from a Mackay dam break?

6. How many forever contamination sites will be left behind at INL after cleanup is considered complete and what radionuclides (and their amounts) are contained in these sites?

7. How many curies of plutonium and other radionuclides have been released to Idaho skies during cleanup? And for that matter, since INLs inception.

8. Why are wind isopleths of INL airborne contamination frequently lopped off south of the INL despite being elevated? Why has there been no lettuce sampling in Minidoka for decades?

9. What is the source of elevated radionuclide and chemical contamination in the aquifer south of INL?

10. If there was really no weapons proliferation risk as INL claimed when it sold the technology to South Korea, why the urgent need to study pyroprocessing detection? And if INL cant estimate the airborne releases from various types of pyroprocessing processes, does it really know what contamination it released to Idaho skies from decades of pyroprocessing?

11. Why does human epidemiology continue to show more harm from radiation exposure than official models predict?

12. Why has the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality removed from its website several decades of taxpayer-funded environmental monitoring of the INL? If they truly dont have the space on their servers, I will gladly agree to post the reports.

Idaho citizens need to study the answers to these questions. I suggest that Idahos Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission promptly post the answers to these questions on the states LINE commission website with supporting references cited.

And Ill be checking the answers.
THE Department of Labor and Employment said it would immediately extend assistance to 300 overseas Filipino workers displaced by a fire in Qatar, which razed the UCC Labor Camp of the Elegancia Hospitality Group in Al-Shehaniya, 33 kms north of Doha.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has instructed the Philippine Overseas Labor Office to monitor their conditions and to ensure they would be able to go back to their work.

No Filipino workers were hurt in the fire but affected more than 300 OFWs, mostly employed as cleaners and tea boys.

The displaced OFWs were staying in the accommodation area when the fireits cause still being looked intoburned down the three-story accommodation building.

Polo and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration officials have joined the Filipino community groups in Qatar in providing emergency aid, such as clothing, food, water, and medicines.

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King Mohammed VI, who is in Cote DIvoire within the frame of a new African tour, visited on Monday Cocody Bay, which is being rehabilitated under a cooperation accord between Morocco and the West African country.

On this occasion, the Monarch and President Alassane Dramane Ouattara were informed on the progress made in the upgrading of this Bay, dubbed as Abidjans jewel, which has suffered severe environmental degradation in recent years.

It is the Moroccan public company Marchica Med which is project-managing the site and supervising this landmark ecological undertaking to cost around $450 million.

According to Marchica Med CEO Said Zarrou, the projects first phase has reached a very advanced status, including cleaning up and landscaping, protection against floods, construction of hydraulic infrastructure, road development and the building of a viaduct.

The projects second phase includes the Bays development and upgrading to improve the citizens living conditions and turn Abidjan into a tourist destination.

After the explanations provided by the project manager, the Moroccan Sovereign and the Ivorian Head of State chaired the signing ceremony of a MoU on the Bays development and upgrading, which will include the building of the Rive Plateau, the Cocody Urban Park and the Coulee Verte of Banco.

The Rive Plateau will comprise hotels, a trade center, a convention center, and facilities to promote the Ivorian culture. It will also include facilities for recreational, leisure and catering activities near the Abidjan marina.

As to the Cocody bank, it will harbor an urban park that will include a zone for aquatic activities and a site for adventures and discovery.

The Coulee verte of Banco project consists of cleaning, reforestation and urban development of a 3,000 ha corridor between the Banco forest and the Cocody Bay. It will also help create community-based infrastructure for populations living in neighborhoods and thematic housing projects.

After suffering increased pollution, repeated flooding and accelerated silting by massive urbanization of the Gourou basin, the Cocody Bay was visibly deteriorating.

Following a visit to Abidjan in February 2014, King Mohammed VI ordered Marchica Med to provide assistance to the Ivorian Government and conduct ecological review of the lagoon Ebrie and the Bay of Cocody.

Afterwards, the Moroccan Company has worked out a master plan, in close collaboration with the Ivorian authorities, for the safeguard and development of the Cocody Bay.

The rehabilitation project, offering a sustainable and ecological resolution to the issue of pollution of the bay and its watershed, was launched in June 2015, during another visit by King Mohammed VI to the West African country.

Thanks to its inclusive approach & sustainable development goals, this pilot project is described as a model of South-South cooperation. It reflects the exemplary partnership thriving between the two brotherly countries and shows the way for others to follow suit.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) has vowed that it will retake control over the oil ports of Sider and Ras Lanuf after it lost them to the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB) in a defiant message issued through its spokesman Ahmed Mismari.

There is a very large air and ground mobilization of (LNA) forces to drive the terrorist gangs in the Oil Crescent. The group was forced out of the ports by the BDB on Friday after heavy clashes. Intense battles are expected in the coming days.

The ferocity of the upcoming battle was explained by Mismari at a press conference. He claimed that there will be a strong reaction in Tripoli in response to the attack and that they will destroy the oil crescent region completely if they fail to recover it from their rivals.

The military spokesperson boasted that they have defeated the BDB several times and are ready to repeat the feat. He didnt state when the operation will begin but said that its launching was delayed for tactical reasons and it could commence at any moment.

The battles could be devastating for the countrys oil sector because the BDB has reaffirmed its intention to continue controlling the Sider and Ras Lanuf ports. They are also planning to launch an offensive to recover the territories that they have lost to the LNA.

The renewed crises around the oil crescent region are expected to affect the different governments claiming to be legitimate representatives of the North African country.

Libyas oil production has recently amounted to around 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), but has dropped to 663,000 bpd after Waha Oil Company cut output by about 35,000 bpd as a precaution due to the unrest, said Jadalla Alaokali, a board member of the National Oil Corporation (NOC).
Tunisia is expected to become the 20th member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) during the bodys next summit scheduled to take place in October.

Prime Minister Yousef Chahed said they are preparing to conclude the negotiations which officially began last year. COMESAs Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya informed the Tunisian Prime Minister that the adhesion to the organizations treaty will require Tunisia to simultaneously join COMESA financial, technical, semi-autonomous and autonomous institutions.

The organization is the continents largest trading bloc and has continued to progress since its establishment in 1994. It already boasts a market of more than 490 million people and Tunisia will help it go above the half billion people mark. COMESAs purpose is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity through regional integration.

Analysts think that admission to the organization could help Tunisia to continue on its effort to revive its economy and finances. It is unclear however if the parliament will support the government in this direction.

Concerns also remain over article four of the COMESA Treaty which stipulates that the COMESA Authority may admit a country which is an immediate neighbor of a Member State upon fulfilling conditions set forth including acceptance of the COMESA aims and objectives, compliance with the general undertakings and fundamental principles and wishing to co-operate with COMESA.

If the process is successful, Tunisia will become the second North African country to join the regional trade bloc after Egypt.
Senegals President Thursday pledged to clamp down on delinquency in Dakar and around the country in the wake of the death of a Moroccan student attacked and stabbed by a group of burglars, few yards from his apartment last month.

The Moroccan student, Mazine Shakiri, was preparing a doctorate in dentistry. He died of his wounds following the attack on February 25, few yards from his apartment by six burglars who stole his money and cell phone.

Mazine Shakiri was buried in his home town Marrakech on March 1.

President Sall on receiving the Moroccan ambassador to Dakar Taleb Barrada, promised to beef up security in the capital and mainly in areas housing Moroccan expatriates, the League of Moroccan students in Senegal said on its facebook account.

The President reassured Moroccans that all necessary steps will be made so that this kind of tragedy no longer occurs, the league wrote.

The league also noted that the interior and the defense ministers have been instructed to deploy throughout the country adequate strategies as well as necessary prevention and intervention means in view of curbing the increasing delinquency.

Five of the burglars have been arrested by the police, which also recovered the knife used in the attack. Two cell phones have been also seized.

Following the attack, the league of Moroccan students staged a protest in front of the Moroccan embassy in Dakar to denounce the incident and the many attacks they have been victim of.

Over 850 Moroccan students are currently studying in the West African country.
A jihadist group led by Ibrahim Malam Dicko a notorious Malian terrorist Sunday killed 11 government forces in Mali, forcing other soldiers to flee to neighbouring Burkina Faso.

The Defense Ministry announced that an army post came under attack in Boulikessi in central Mali, not far from the border with Burkina Faso. Eleven soldiers were killed and five wounded, said the Ministrys spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Sidibe.

Some helicopters of the Barkhane operation have landed in Boulikessi to assist us, he added.

Some soldiers had to flee and enter neighboring Burkina Faso. We just entered in contact with hierarchy of the Burkina army. Around 20 Malian soldiers were able to pull back in neighboring Burkina Faso, a military source told French AFP.

Dickos group is reportedly behind the assault. The jihadist group was held responsible for an attack against Burkina Faso army on December 16. The attack left 12 people dead.

Malis central region has caught attention with a spike in terrorist attacks, stealing spotlight from the northern region traditionally awash with attacks since the 2012 upsurge of militancy.
US State Department has denounced restrictions imposed by Algerian authorities on the freedom of the press, assembly and association as well as the lack of judicial independence and impartiality.

In its latest report on human rights in the world, Washington condemned the excessive use of force by Algerian police, torture, widespread corruption and lack of government transparency, saying the Algerian authorities did not take sufficient steps to investigate, prosecute, or punish public officials who committed violations.

Impunity for police and security officials remained a problem, and the government rarely provided information on actions taken against officials accused of wrongdoing, said the US report.

Last year, UN Human Rights Committee found Algeria to be in violation of article seven of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

The decision was based on the governments failure to contest allegations made in the case of financial consultant Chani Medjoub, who was initially arrested in 2009 in connection with a corruption case and who said that members of the Intelligence and Security Department (DRS) tortured him.

According to the US State Department report, although the law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, Algerian authorities sometimes used vaguely worded provisions, such as inciting an unarmed gathering and insulting a government body, to arrest and detain individuals considered to be disturbing public order or criticizing the government.

Amnesty International (AI) and other human rights organizations criticized the law prohibiting unauthorized gatherings and called for its amendment to require only notification as opposed to application for authorization.

These observers, among others, pointed to the law as a significant source of arbitrary arrests intended to suppress activist speech. Police arrested protesters in Algiers and elsewhere in the country throughout the year for violating the law against unregistered public gatherings.

International and local observers say Algerian authorities use antiterrorism laws and restrictive laws on freedom of expression and public assembly to detain political activists and outspoken critics of the government.

According to human rights activists, Algerian government conducts frequent electronic surveillance of a range of citizens, including political opponents, journalists, human rights groups, and suspected terrorists. Security officials often search homes without a warrant and conduct unannounced home visits.

As to Algerian independent media outlets, which criticized government officials and policies, they suffer harassment, while publishers, editors, advertisers and journalists faced growing pressure, the document outlines.

The Algerian government uses its control over most printing houses and large amounts of public sector advertising to exert undue influence on press outlets and to suffocate the freedom of speech, expression and press.
Five HIV patients are virus free and no longer infectious after undergoing a vaccine therapy for seven months, according to a study published in New Scientist.

The vaccine reawakens hidden traces of the virus in the body, before a chemo drug is used to kill off the infection, the study found out.

The study took in 24 patients diagnosed with HIV in 2014. They were given two vaccines developed by Tomas Hanke and his colleagues at the University of Oxford. They were also given ART, and then monitored to see whether the vaccines induced a strong immune response.

In 2017, 15 of them received a booster doze of one of the vaccines followed by three doses of romidepsin  a cancer drug that has shown potential for flushing HIV out of hiding.

The virus rapidly bounced back in 10 of the participants while 5 no longer needed the drugs because their immune systems could suppress the virus unaided.

Researchers say it appears the injection is able to reawaken latent viruses in the body, which can then be attacked with a dose of the chemotherapy drug, romidepsin.

Since the epidemic erupted, it killed over 35 million people, while 36.7 million people are currently living with the virus globally.

In South Africa alone, an estimated 7 million people live with HIV. Despite prevention efforts, there are a thousand new infections every day. Researchers launched a big vaccine trial in the country late last year.

UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to fighting the HIV epidemics has set a clear goal for 2020. By then, 90% of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection should receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of people receiving the drug should have viral suppression.
Nigerians acting president, Yemi Osinbajo this weekend instructed the relocation of all International oil companies head offices in the West-African nation to the Niger Delta.

Osinbajo told the Minister of state for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu to engage with the oil companies on the way forward over repeated calls for the companies head offices relocation to states where they produce oil.

He disclosed that the Ministry of Petroleum is also working with major oil companies on several initiatives including; working on illegal refineries to establish modular refineries to achieve the desired result.

Note that Nigeria entered its first recession in 25years in Q2 of 2016 driven by attacks on oil installations by militants in the Niger Delta oil-hub.

People of the Niger Delta region have for long complained of oil exploration pollution in their environment, while oil companies pay taxes to other states.

Osinbajo, responding to a request made by some interest groups in Akwa Ibom state, Niger delta, said the government was proposing a new vision for the people of oil producing communities.

On the Federal Government amnesty program for ex-agitators, Osinbajo reiterated the federal government stand, noting that the Ministry of Petroleum and Amnesty office are working with the state governments of the region on providing the benefits to young people in the states.
Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said some 110 people died in southern Somalia on Thursday and Friday as a result of drought.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has declared a state of disaster as the Horn of Africa nation struggles with a severe drought and food crisis.

About 110 people have died in the past 48 hours due to drought and severe water-related diarrhea in southern Somalia, especially in the Bay and Bakool areas, Khaire said in a statement released on Saturday.

Somalis, wherever they are, must rescue their needy brothers, who will starve if they are not helped. The governments priority task will be to help those affected by the drought, he said.

It is because of the drought that caused a general shortage of water. We need the help of humanitarian agencies, the premier added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 6.2 million people in Somalia  half of the population  are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.

According to the UN agency, more than 363,000 children are severely malnourished, and 70,000 among them urgently need vital help.

The United Nations has launched $825 million appeal for Somalia to cover the first half of 2017.
A bill that attempts to flush out serial abusers of Florida's public records law was tightened Monday to appeal to Sunshine Law advocates, but the groups said the changes don't go far enough to protect the public.

The bill, SB 80 by Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, would give judges more discretion in deciding whether or not to award attorneys fees in public-records lawsuits.

"What' I'm trying to do here is reach some kind of compromise,'' he said.

Florida law allows for citizens to be awarded attorney fees to encourage people to pursue their right to access government records and prevent public agencies from violating the public records laws. The bill would remove the requirement that the legal fees be paid by agencies by changing the requirement that judges "shall" award attorneys fees to "may award the fees."

The Senate Community Affairs Committee adopted an amendment proposed by Steube to require attorneys fees only if a complainant can show by a preponderance of evidence that "an agency willfully or intentionally violated the public records act." If the complainant cannot show that, then the judge would have the discretion to award the fees.

But open-government watchdogs and First Amendment advocates say that even with the changes, the proposal will still have a chilling effect on people who face obstacles to their efforts to get access to public records.

"This is a right in Florida. It's not a privilege,'' said Barbara Petersen, president of the Florida First Amendment Foundation which advocates for the state's open records and open meetings laws.Because Florida law has no enforcement provision for the constitutional right to public records, "the mandatory fee provision is the only leverage a citizen has," she said.

Despite the objections, the Senate Community Affairs Committee voted 6-1 to approve the measure, with Steube's modifications.

This is the second year in a row that Steube has proposed the measure, which is a top priority of the League of Cities and the Florida Association of Counties.

Local officials claim that a small number of individuals are attempting to use the law to make money by filing complex "gotcha" public records requests with low-ranking government officials and then when they fail to properly respond suing them in court. The goal, local officials say, is to provoke governments into settling cases before they go to trial.

Floridas Constitution requires that the public has a right to access public documents, but Chapter 119 of the Florida Public Records Act gives individuals the ability to enforce that right only by filing a lawsuit against an agency.

Florida law allows for citizens to be awarded attorney fees to encourage people to pursue their right to access government records and prevent public agencies from violating the public records laws. But Steube's bill would remove the requirement that the legal fees be paid by agencies by changing the requirement that judges "shall" award attorneys fees to "may award the fees."

Rich Templin of the AFL-CIO, which has joined the Sunshine Coalition, a group of pro-recorads advocates, said Steube's proposed fix still goes too far and won't curb the abuse.

"The abuse of this process has not been driven by attorneys,'' he said. "It's been driven by folks who have figured out a scam to work the system and basically extort agencies."

Petersen said that the abuses are being addressed by judges and the legal community and the number of abusers has declined.

"Courts are addressing the issue when they find there is an attempt to shake down the agency or a contractor,'' she said. "Media attorneys are now volunteering to represent those who are being targeted -- so we're taking this seriously."

She said the First Amendment Foundation (of which the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times are members) last year helped to craft a compromise with the League of Cities that would require that the judge shall award attorneys fees and court costs to a plaintiff if the judge determines that the public agency violated the law and if the person making the request gave five days notice before filing the lawsuit.

To appease the cities, the compromise also gave the judge discretion to not award attorney fees if the court determines that the primary purpose of the public records request was to harass the agency or trick officials into violating the public records law.

But Steube, who filed the House bill last year, never signed off on the compromise and returned this year with his original bill.

"What I'm trying to do is thread the needle on abuses,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Petersen has announced that this year the First Amendment Foundation will grade legislators on their votes regarding the state's Sunshine laws.

As they do that, however, Rebecca O'Hara, lobbyist for the League of Cities, said her organization is working on rolling back the state's public meetings law to make it easier for elected officials to avoid violations.

Under the proposal being considered, elected officials would be allowed "to engage in a fact-finding inquiry," outside of the public -- activities which are already allowed through case law, she said.

"We've recognized that the public meeting law, in addition to all the benefits it brings to transparency in government, it does at the same time bring about some inefficiencies as well,'' she said. "....We would be supportive of some way to still allow the transparency that you get with the open meetings law but still look at some circumstances that would make it a little bit more efficient."

Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Report Michael Auslen contributed to this report.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran kept true to his promise and appoint legislators to the powerful Constitution Revision Commission Monday, providing the powerful committee with a storehouse of conservatives and advocates for his top priorities of education choice and limiting what he considers overreach of the Florida Supreme Court. Only one appointee is a Democrat.

Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, named three House members -- Reps. Jose Feliz Diaz, R-Miami, Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, and Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor-- and two sitting senators -- former Senate President Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, and Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-Tampa.

The commission, which meets once every 20 years, has the power to place proposals to revise the state Constitution directly on the November 2018 ballot. Corcoran said in a statement that his goal was to appoint members "who understood and respected the role of our constitution and the separation of powers. I believe all these appointees share that respect and understanding."

Although Corcoran said his appointees "won't march in lockstep with anyone,'' he chose people who abide by his conservative principles, and are likely to support his effort to propose a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices as well as expanding education vouchers.

Among his appointments is John Stemberger, president of the conservative Florida Family Policy Council, and Erika Donalds, the wife of the freshman Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, who is a past president of the conservative Florida Coalition of School Board Members, which advocates for school choice expansion.

Corcoran said his "only charge to each has been to do what they believe to be right." He said those in current or elected office were given a priority in his selection.

"The rationale behind this being that those who have placed their name before the people have an excellent understanding who they work for,'' he said.

Staff writer Kristen Clark contributed to this report.

Here's Corcoran's list:

Representative Jose Felix Diaz

Representative Jose Felix Diaz is an attorney, husband, and father of two children. He currently represents House District 116 in Miami-Dade County. He earned a bachelors degree in English and Political Science from the University of Miami in 2002. While at the University of Miami, he had the distinction of serving as Student Government President. In 2005, he earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Columbia University where he studied State Constitutions. While at Columbia University, he was active as Student Senate Parliamentarian, sat on the American Bar Association Governance Commission, and was Senior Editor of the American Review of International Arbitration.

Jose has been Chair of the Energy & Utilities Subcommittee (2012-2014) and the Regulatory Affairs Committee (2014-2016). He currently serves as the Chairman of the Commerce Committee, overseeing a wide variety of issues including insurance, gaming, tourism, professional regulation, and energy. He has also had the distinction of serving as the Chairman of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation (2015-present) and as Vice-Chairman of the Miami River Commission. In addition to holding prominent positions within the Legislature, Jose has had the privilege of being appointed to serve on several boards and councils, most notably as the Florida Representative to the Southern States Energy Board (2013-present) and as Chairman of the Public Service Commission Nominating Council (2013 & 2015).

Speaker pro tempore Jeanette Nunez

Speaker pro tempore Jeanette Nunez is a small business owner from Miami-Dade County where she currently represents House District 119. She is married and has three children. She has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2010. Jeanette earned her bachelors degree in 1994 and a masters degree in 1998 from Florida International University. She has also earned a Six Sigma certification from the University of Miami in 2007.

Speaker Nunez was recognized as a Hispanic Woman of Distinction in 2007. She currently sits on the Board at Kristi House, a childrens advocacy center responsible for sexual abuse cases in Miami-Dade County, and is affiliated with the Womens Healthcare Executive Network. In 2016, she was appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board by the United States Department of Education.

Speaker pro tempore Nunez began her career in government as a Legislative Aide to then-Senator Diaz de la Portilla (1995-2004). She has served as the Deputy Whip of the House (2011-2012), Chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee, and Chair of the Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. She was named Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives in 2016.

Representative Chris Sprowls

Representative Chris Sprowls is an attorney currently representing House District 65 in Pinellas County. He resides in Palm Harbor with his wife and their two children.

Chris was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2014 and has consistently fought to improve health care and education in Florida. He currently serves as the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

Chris has a long history of community and public service. As a high school senior, he was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease, a form of cancer. Due to his experience with cancer at an early age, he has been very active assisting others who have been diagnosed with cancer. He has served as a coordinator for the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life and served as the Advocacy Chair for the 2014 Dunedin Relay for Life. Chris has also volunteered with the North Pinellas YMCA and serves on the YMCA of the Suncoast Healthy Living Committee.

Chris earned a bachelors degree from the University of South Florida in 2006 and a Juris Doctorate degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2009. Upon his graduation, Chris became an Assistant State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, serving Pasco and Pinellas counties. During his time with the State Attorneys Office, Chris prosecuted a number of criminalsincluding murderers, kidnappers, and child abusersto help keep his community safe for families.

Senator Tom Lee

Senator Tom Lee currently serves Senate District 20, consisting of parts of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk counties. For over 30 years, he has been a licensed real estate agent and an owner of Sabal Homes of Florida where he currently holds the positions of Vice President and Director. He received an associate degree from Hillsborough Community College in 1982 and a bachelors degree in Business from the University of Tampa in 1984.

Senator Lee was first elected to the Florida Senate in 1996 and, during his 15 years in the Senate, he has held a variety of leadership positions. In 2004 he was chosen by his colleagues to lead their chamber as President of the Senate (2004-2006). Senator Lee has also served the Senate as Chair of the Rules Committee from (2000-2004), Chair of the Appropriations Committee (2014-2016) and chaired a Senate Select Committee to implement constitutional amendments passed by the voters in 2002. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served as a member of the Hillsborough County City/County Planning Commission and the Hillsborough County Zoning Board of Adjustment. During his term as Senate President, Senator Lee was a strong advocate for ethics reform and fiscal responsibility.

In 2005, he championed the passage of Florida's gift ban, designed to promote more ethical conduct by elected officials and those who lobby state government. He also authored a constitutional amendment adopted by the voters in 2006, requiring the legislature to produce a long range financial outlook to guide the legislative budgeting process. That same amendment created the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force to develop recommendations for reducing cost and improving the operations of state government. During his tenure in the Florida Senate, he has received over 50 awards for his leadership and dedication to public service from community and business groups.

Dedicated to giving back to his community, Senator Lee has also been active in a number of professional and philanthropic organizations. He formerly served as a Presidential Elector, Chair of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee and as a member of the Advisory Board of Brandon Regional Hospital. Senator Lee is currently a member of the Brandon Advisory Board of the Bank of Tampa and serves on the Board of Directors of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, A Kid's Place of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay History Center.

Senator Darryl Rouson

Senator Darryl Rouson first moved to Florida in 1959. In 1977, he earned a bachelors degree at Xavier of New Orleans and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida Law School in 1980. While in law school, he was also the President of the Black Law Students Association. He currently resides in St. Petersburg with his wife and their five children while practicing law with the Dolman Law Group.

Senator Rouson has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in business and the community. In 1981, he became the first African American prosecutor in Pinellas County where he was also awarded the Florida Prosecutor Association Award. In 2003, he was appointed the first chairman of the newly formed Substance Abuse and Addictions Task Force for The National Bar Association. He also has had the distinction of serving as President of the St. Petersburg NAACP from 2000-2005, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Black Chamber, and as a member on the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission in 2007.

Senator Rouson began his successful public career in 2008 when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He successfully won a seat in the Florida Senate in 2016serving parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. He has a reputation for being an excellent orator and debater, and as an elected official capable of reaching across the aisle to work with his counterparts.

Sheriff Chris Nocco

Sheriff Chris Nocco has served the people of Pasco County since 2009. He lives in Pasco County with his wife and their three children. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sheriff Nocco earned a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware in 1997 where he also earned a masters degree in Public Administration (state and local management). Chris earned a certificate in Emergency Management from Florida State University in 2005. He is a graduate of the FBI- National Executive Institute, the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, and a graduate of the National Sheriffs Associations 101st National Sheriffs Institute.

More recently, Sheriff Nocco earned a Certificate in Business Excellence at Vanderbilt University in 2016.

Chris has extensive law enforcement experience, having served with the Philadelphia Public School Police, the Fairfax County Virginia Police Department, and as a deputy with the Broward Sheriffs Office. He was a first responder on 9/11 and during the Washington Sniper Incident.

Sheriff Nocco was a Staff Director to Representative Marco Rubio in the Policy and Procedures Office responsible for domestic security, criminal justice, economic development, and transportation issues. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Florida House of Representatives and as Chief of Staff at the Florida Highway Patrol.

He is actively involved in his community where he serves a number of roles and positions dedicated to making Pasco County a better place for all families.

Erika Donalds

Erika Donalds lives in Naples and is married with three sons. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Global Management Accountant. Having graduated Magna Cum Laude while earning a bachelors degree in Accounting from Florida State University, she went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude while earning a masters degree in Accountancy from Florida Atlantic University.

Mrs. Donalds is the Chief Financial Officer / Chief Compliance Officer and Partner at Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLCa New York-based investment management firmwhere she has worked for over 12 years. She has great experience managing financial reporting, budgeting, audit & tax, and compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards.

She has a history of public service, most notably for being an active participant seeking to improve Floridas education system. She has experience being an elected official as she has served on the Collier County School Board for 4 years. She was also a founding member and past President of Parents Rights Of Choice for Kids (R.O.C.K), a non-profit organization focused on representing parent and student interests at the state and local level

UPDATE: Donalds provided us with this updated version of her bio.

The CRC press release mistakenly included an old bio for me. Please see below for your reference and pass to whomever is appropriate. Thank you!

Erika Donalds is a 4th generation Floridian and an accomplished finance executive. She is Chief Financial Officer / Chief Compliance Officer and Partner at Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC, an investment management firm. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Global Management Accountant, and has valuable experience managing financial reporting, strategic planning, budgeting, audit, tax, and regulatory compliance.

Mrs. Donalds has a history of public service, most notably for being an active participant seeking to improve Floridas education system. She was elected to the Collier County School Board in 2014 and currently serves as Vice Chair. Since then, she co-founded the Florida Coalition of School Board Members and served as President. Prior to being elected, Mrs. Donalds founded a parent advocacy group, Parents Rights Of Choice for Kids (R.O.C.K), a non-profit representing parent and student interests at the state and local levels.

Mrs. Donalds graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelors degree in Accounting from Florida State University, and went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a Masters of Accountancy from Florida Atlantic University. She lives in Naples with her husband and three sons.

Rich Newsome

Rich Newsome is the senior partner of the Newsome Melton law firm and represents individuals and families in complex civil litigation.

Rich attended Florida State University where he received his bachelors degree in Political Science and Economics, and then received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law in 1989. While at both FSU and the University of Florida, Rich worked for the Florida House Minority Office.

After law school, Rich worked as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida. During his time with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Rich prosecuted a variety of cases ranging from white collar fraud to narcotic conspiracies. Rich left the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1993 and went to work for a large product liability defense firm in Orlando, where he represented manufacturers.

In 2001, Rich was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Fifth District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission and served as the JNCs Chairman during his term. He is a Past-President of the Orlando Federal Bar Association, Past-President of the Florida Justice Association, Past-Member of the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice, and Past-President of the Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association.

Rich currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Florida Guardian Ad Litem Foundation and is a past member of the St. James Cathedral Parish Council.

Additionally, Rich owns a staffing company, 4 Corner Resources, with his brother Pete Newsome. 4 Corner, with offices in Orlando and Tampa, specializes in recruiting and placing employees in the IT and technical sector. In 2017, 4 Corner was recognized as Best of Staffing by Inavero for both client and candidate satisfaction, and as one of Central Floridas Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal. The company was also recently recognized by Inc. Magazine as being one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America.

Richs family has deep roots in Florida, going back nine generations to St. Augustine. Rich and his wife Marcy live in Orlando and have three children.

John Stemberger

John Stemberger is an AV Rated Orlando civil trial lawyer who has litigated and argued high-profile First Amendment and constitutional issues. In 2001, he was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Ninth Judicial Circuit where he served eight years.

Stemberger has a long history of serving children and youth organizations, including volunteering as a Guardian Ad Litem for 13 years with the Orange County Bars Legal Aid Society; serving as Chairman of the Board for WIN Family Services, a large foster care and child welfare agency in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland; and in 2013, helping found Trail Life USA, a Christian scouting movement for boys which has grown to almost 700 troops in 48 states.

Stemberger has been a conservative policy advocate for over 30 years, and since 2005, has served as President of Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC).
@ByKristenMClark

State Sen. Dorothy Hukill was absent from the start of the 2017 legislative session on Tuesday as she continues recovering from cervical cancer.

Her illness was disclosed in November, when she was also absent from the Legislature's organizational session after the 2016 election.

Because of her treatment and recovery, Hukill, R-Port Orange, has not attended any committee meetings yet this term in Tallahassee -- including those for the Senate Education Committee, of which she is chairwoman.

But during his opening address for session on Tuesday, Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said Hukill has remained "completely active during the entire time of her recovery."

He said she has continued to be "in charge of determining what bills are heard in the Education Committee and she's responsible for developing policy."

Negron mentioned that Hukill had recently undergone surgery and the report "is all very positive."

When she might come to Tallahassee for the 2017 session is unclear.

"We are looking forward to her rejoining us when doctors feel it's appropriate," Negron said, commending Hukill's selflessness and dedication to those who elected her. "That says a lot about her: Her main concern has been the Senate and her constituents."

Hukill -- who represents parts of Volusia and Brevard counties -- has been in the Florida Senate since 2012 and, before that, she served in the Florida House for eight years.

Debbie Mayfield, a Vero Beach Republican and former House member who is a freshman senator this term, is the vice-chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, but she has not helmed committee meetings in Hukill's absence.

Instead, that responsibility was given to another member of the committee: Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson -- a Trilby Republican who's in line to be Senate president in a few years. Senate rules allow committee chairmen to designate their own replacements if they have to miss a meeting, Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta previously told the Herald/Times.

Photo credit: @DorothyHukill / Twitter
After losing a major battle in court last year, Florida Power & Light is now turning to the Florida Legislature to change the state law and give it the authority to charge customers, and profit off, speculative natural gas fracking.

The bill, HB 1043 by Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, is titled "Prudent Utility Investments in Natural Gas Reserves," and the Senate companion is SB 1248 by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach.

"Natural gas is a proven commodity that brings rates down and so we are going to allow FPL to go forward with a proven technology to have these reserves so that we pay down the road,'' Bean said in an interview.

The bill would essentially overturn a Florida Supreme Court ruling last year that said that Florida regulators exceeded their authority when they allowed FPL to become the first utility in the nation to be allowed to charge its customers, not its shareholders, for its speculative investment in fracking operations.

In June 2015, the Florida Public Service Commission unanimously went against its staff recommendations and approved FPL's request to charge customers up to $750 million annually for the speculative natural gas fracking activities. FPL, a regulated monopoly and Floridas largest utility, then entered into a $191 million joint venture with PetroQuest Energy of Louisiana to explore for natural gas in Oklahoma.

In June 2015, the Florida Public Service Commission went against its staff recommendation and unanimously gave final approval to a request by FPL that it be allowed to pass along costs of investment in natural gas fracking to its customers. FPLs original request to charge customers up to $750 million annually was reduced by the PSC to $500 million for the speculative natural gas fracking activities. FPL, a regulated monopoly and Floridas largest utility, then entered into a $191 million joint venture with PetroQuest Energy of Louisiana to explore for natural gas in Oklahoma.

The process involves injecting large volumes of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures to release oil and natural gas from rock caverns deep underground. The process involves injecting large volumes of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures to release oil and natural gas from rock caverns deep underground.

The proposal, called the Woodford Gas Reserves Project, allowed FPL to earn a guaranteed profit off of the investment  about 11.3 percent. Although FPL claimed the investment would provide a long-term hedge against volatile fuel costs and save customers money, FPL revealed that the Woodford project had cost customers about $5.8 million and did not save fuel costs.

The Office of Public Counsel, which represents ratepayers in utility cases, filed a lawsuit arguing that the PSC exceeded its authority in allowing the company to charge customers for the speculative investment. The Florida Supreme Court agreed and, in a 6-1 ruling, ordered FPL to refund nearly $24.5 million to customers.

Treating these activities as a hedge requires FPLs end-user consumers to guarantee the capital investment and operations of a speculative oil and gas venture without the Florida Legislatures authority, wrote Justice Ricky Polston. Justice Charles Canady dissented, saying regulators did have the authority to use the fuel clause to allow the company to make risk-based investments.

Bean said his bill is intended to help FPL "do what's best for their ratepayers in Florida."

"I am looking to save the taxpayers and ratepayers money and there is proven technology that can lower consumers energy bills,'' he said. "Do we have things to iron out? We do. And will not everybody agree? maybe."

Photo: Workers tend to a well head during a hydraulic fracturing operation in Colorado. Brennan Linsley AP File/2013


via @harrisalexc

A Davie Jewish Day School was evacuated for two hours Tuesday after a phone threat against the school, the latest in a nationwide series of anonymous telephoned threats to Jewish schools and community centers this year.

The David Posnack Jewish Day School was also evacuated for a bogus bomb threat on Feb. 27, part of a fifth wave of such threats across the country in two months. The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI announced a civil-rights investigation into the threats, but declined to discuss whether they were coordinated.

Davie police, who characterized it as a bomb threat, gave the all clear around noon.

The JCC Association of North America sent out a written statement confirming multiple community centers were threatened with either emailed or phoned-in bomb threats overnight and this morning.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported community centers were threatened in Milwaukee, Maryland, Oregon, New York, Alabama, Toronto and Ontario. Seven Anti-Defamation Leagues offices also received threats, according to JTA.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio sent a letter to the administration asking for swift action to deter the anonymous phone threats. It was co-signed by every senator and sent to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey.

We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities. Your Departments can provide crucial assistance by helping JCCs, Jewish Day Schools and Synagogues improve their physical security, deterring threats from being made, and investigating and prosecuting those making these threats or who may seek to act on these threats on the future, the senators wrote.

--ALEX HARRIS

Photo credit: Wilfredo Lee, Associated Press


via @learyreports

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson will meet Tuesday afternoon with President Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

It is the first meeting between Nelson and Neil Gorsuch, a conservative judge from Colorado who will need the support of eight Democrats to break a filibuster, unless Republicans decide to change the rules to install Gorsuch with a simple majority.

Nelson is facing pressure from the left and right over Gorsuch -- pressure heightened because Trump won Florida and Nelson is up for re-election next year.

"Whatever the pressure is," Nelson recently told the Tampa Bay Times, "I'm going to make up my own mind as to what I think is in the best interest of our country and Florida."

Nelson in 2006 opposed a filibuster of Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination, calling for an up-or-down vote (he was ultimately against Alito) but today stands with Democrats in insisting on a 60-vote threshold.

"You bet I do. The filibuster has always forced the political extremes to come of the middle to build consensus," Nelson said, adding it was a "mistake" for former Democratic leader Harry Reid to lower the threshold on other nominees that were stymied by Republicans.

GOP interest groups say Nelson is having it both ways and that he should support an up-or-down vote. Already post cards have hit Florida mailboxes urging calls for Nelson to back the nominee.

Nelson will likely ask Gorsuch for his feelings on voting rights and the outsized role money plays in politics, especially since the 2010 Citizens United case was decided by the Supreme Court.

--ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times
@JeremySWallace

Florida Senate President Joe Negron kicked off the first day of the annual 60-day Legislative Session by making clear that higher education and environmental issues will continue to be his top priorities.

On higher education Negron said his focus will be turning Floridas universities into elite destinations and making sure no one is denied a university education for economic reasons or where they come from.

My vision is that we will have in Florida national elite destination universities that people from all over the country will want to come to, said Negron, citing the University of North Carolina and the University of Michigan as examples.

He said a second guiding principles is making sure where a student comes from doesnt keep the from higher education.

Every student in Florida, regardless of their financial circumstances - what family they come from - will have an opportunity to attend a university in which she or he is accepted, Negron said.

On the environment, Negron talked about his disgust over watching pollution from Lake Okeechobee making swimming dangerous. He said at hospitals in Martin County, patients had to fill out a questionnaire to see if they had come into contact with area algae-infested water supplies before they could be treated.

Lets stop the Lake Okeechobee discharges, Negron, 55, said.

Negron is pushing a $2.4 billion water storage plan south of Lake Okeechobee that is aimed at reducing polluted water discharges into lakes and estuaries to the east and west of the lake. Though he faces a fight with agricultural interests over his plan, Negron said Tuesday he will work with those interests.

I am confident we can work with the agricultural community, Negron said.

To help pay for the cost Negron has looked toward Amendment 1, approved by 75 percent of voters in 2014. That amendment was passed with the promise of increasing spending on land and water conservation.

The Legislature owes it to the millions of Floridians who voted for that amendment, to fully implement Amendment 1 the way voters anticipated, Negron said.

Photo credit: State Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. Scott Keeler, Tampa Bay Times
But it failed to note that 113 of the men described by Trump in his tweet as vicious prisoners were released by the George W. Bush administration. The report released in September, said nine captives sent to other countries by the Obama administration were confirmed to re-engage, the term of art for what is colloquially called having gone back to the fight.

The so-called recidivist rate may have interested the new president because of the Pentagons disclosure a day earlier that a U.S. air strike in Yemen had killed a captive repatriated by the Obama administration in December 2009.

More here.

Photo credit: Emily Michot, Miami Herald staff
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BILLINGS  Blowing up dead animals was just part of the deal in the 16 seasons Nolan Melin worked as a backcountry horse packer and trail crew member for the Forest Service.

Youve got to get rid of them, he said matter-of-factly about a pretty unusual occurrence.

Otherwise, a dead horse or mule might attract bears to a wilderness trail, which is dangerous for humans and the bears.

Scarce

Horse packing is a skill few people possess in this digital, mechanized age. The profession harkens back to a simpler time when horsepower actually involved a real horse.

In the Forest Services Region 1, which encompasses 25 million acres spread across five states including Montana, there are only eight full-time horse packers with another 25 who include that specialty in their other duties. So that made Melin a rare breed.

Traute Parrie, retired Beartooth District ranger, said,   When I got to the Beartooth District ranger job, it was some combination of humbling and thrilling to realize I'd landed on a district where we still had a permanent packer, a rare thing these days. It spoke to the values that this district holds important.

The reality is that its also a punishing profession  lifting heavy loads as well as dealing with horses and mules that sometime possess a mind of their own. Most horse packers have several tales about a wild blow up, when animals bucked loose and took off for points unknown.

Mules are unforgiving if you dont understand them, Melin said. I love those old mules, but they knew who was boss and who they could walk over.

Moving on

Worn out at the age of 36, after years of heavy lifting and being thrown from his mount a few times, Melin is stepping down from his job as packer for the Beartooth Ranger District to work in Miles City. The new job will be closer to his hometown. He grew up on a ranch outside of Ashland.

His departure is leaving a hole in a key position for the forest, and hes taking his wife, Manda, who was a nine-year trail crew veteran  a double whammy for the district.

It will be a blow for me, said Allie Wood, the districts wilderness and trails manager.

A lot of our trails are in the wilderness, she explained. So we need to get to crews in the backcountry. Its less effort to do it with stock than to have the trail crew carry in 80 to 90 pounds of gear.

With restrictions on federal hiring, Wood isnt sure if or when Melin might be replaced.

Explorer

There are close to 300 miles of trails in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, a 937,000-acre region in south-central Montana that also contains the highest mountain in the state  12,799-foot Granite Peak.

Ive seen every inch of them, except for maybe some stuff on top, Melin said, starting off when he hired on to the trail crew at age 19.

He applied for the job on a lark, simply because his brother was putting in for a position in the Forest Service. In a weird twist of fate, Melin got hired, his brother didnt. After getting broken in as a trail crew member, Melin started packing when the contractor for the Forest Service broke his neck. After increasing his skills, the agency sent Melin to a regional packer school for more specific training.

I grew up on a ranch so I knew livestock, but not all of the knots and loads for packing, Melin explained.

Eventually he was taking in five mules hauling 800 to 1,000 pounds of gear on his own once or twice a week, averaging 500 to 600 miles a year. The gear might be for trail work, weed abatement or simply hauling out trash that other wilderness visitors have left behind.

All the important field work that the public expects us to do, but sometimes feels like it's disappearing, Parrie said.

The loads would contain everything from awkward wooden timbers for making water bars to dense and heavy bags of concrete to build bridges, and on occasion, explosives to blow up dead animals.

Blasting

Blasting deceased animals can be complicated if the carcass is particularly pungent, Melin noted. That makes the horses and mules nervous, as well as challenges the intestinal fortitude of the workers  Melin included.

The ones that have been out there a couple of weeks, when you come up on them it can really ruin your day, he said.

Theres also the added anxiety that a bear, smelling the same decaying carcass, may be attracted to the site.

The idea is to blow up the dead animals, which can weigh around 1,000 pounds, into smithereens and scatter those bits across a wide area so the carcass is no longer a bear attractant.

The biggest chunk we ever found (after the explosion) was the size of a pop can, Melin said. I never did find a horseshoe, but I was sure I was always pointed the other way and hiding behind a large rock to avoid being struck by a flying metal shoe when the blasting caps were ignited.

Hard working

On the other end of his job responsibilities, Melin loved to ride to the Lake Plateau, a high-mountain region between the Stillwater and Boulder rivers strewn with a few of the 948 lakes that dot the wilderness.

Although comfortable with livestock, coworker Jess Howell said she was surprised to find out that Melin liked mountain biking and ultimate Frisbee, pastimes that seemed out of sync with his cowboy attitude. Yet Howell had nothing but praise for Melins work ethic.

He's tough and does whatever it takes to get the job done, even if that means working into the night or going without breakfast, lunch and dinner, Howell said. He thinks quick on his feet and comes up with solutions when he or the crew gets in a pickle. He doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.

He was a backbone for us, Wood added.
HELENA  In a convention Monday night, Montana Republicans picked Republican businessman Greg Gianforte as their nominee for the special congressional election in May.

Gianforte was picked after a single round of voting, securing 150.5 votes by 8:45 p.m. in one round of voting Monday night. Candidates needed 123 to win; fractional votes are due to weighting by county population.

We are going to bring our conservative values to return liberty and freedom to Montana and this country, Gianforte said after winning. We will make America great again.

Last year Gianforte entered the world of politics in a bid against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who won re-election in November with 50 percent of the vote to Gianforte's 46 in Montana's most expensive gubernatorial race. He is a Bozeman businessman who started the technology firm RightNow Technologies, which sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion.

Montana is in need of a representative to fill its lone seat in the U.S. House after former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke resigned March 1, minutes after being confirmed as Secretary of the Interior.

Bullock has set a special election date of May 25, the earliest possible. In picking the date, Bullock said he wanted the vote quickly and not the 100 days allowed after Zinkes resignation because Montana has no other representation in the House. Zinke had not voted since Jan. 5, a little less than a month after being named President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Interior.

To get into the candidate pool, hopefuls had to pay a filing fee of $1,740 to the Montana Republican Party, get support from at least 10 members of Republican central committees in at least five counties around the state and meet age and citizenship requirements.

Gianforte beat out five other candidates, including state Rep. Carl Glimm, from Kila; state Rep. Ed Buttrey, from Great Falls; Ken Miller, a former state senator from Laurel; Dean Rehbein, a Missoula contractor; and Samuel Redfern, who runs a nonprofit in Missoula.

In a five-minute speech before the first round of ballots was cast, Gianforte quickly aligned himself with President Donald Trump, who he spoke little about during his campaign for governor this past fall. We need to back Donald Trump and keep this seat in Republican hands.

Gianforte told delegates the country needed to defend its border and not allow Montana communities to become sanctuary cities. He also said the U.S. needs to stop bad trade deals and protect our sovereignty and took digs at the Democrats nominee, musician Rob Quist, who was picked the night before through a similar process at the same hotel.

We dont need to send Nancy Pelosi a court musician who wants to socialize medicine, Gianforte said. He also called Quist an out-of-touch liberal who wants to create a national gun registry.

Gianfortes campaign has said polling shows he holds a double-digit lead over Quist and has 84 percent name recognition statewide.

In response, Quist communications director Tina Olechowski shot back at Gianforte.

"Rob Quist comes from a ranching-farming family where guns are a way of life ... He supports the Second Amendment and will not support any legislation that does not align with Montana's values."

Olechowski also said Quist is "running to fight for the right of every Montanan to have access to affordable health care and fix the health care system for Montana's veterans."

***

Democrats are trying to paint the race as a referendum on Trump, who has seen his approval rating plummet after his inauguration Jan. 20, with the most recent Gallup poll putting it at 43 percent. Georgia is also holding a special election, set for June, to replace former Rep. Tom Price, a Republican who is now the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The races are already getting national media coverage as well as money. The Hill, a Washington, D.C., based news outlet, reported Monday the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, spent $700,000 on an ad attacking Quist.

Gianforte said Montana has already spoken when it comes to Trump, who won the state with 56 percent of the vote.

Montana has a choice. We can either put someone in our lone house seat to advance the Trump train or we can pick someone who will fight against Donald Trump."

***

That sentiment rang true with at least one of his supporters, a proxy delegate from Beaverhead County.

Ron Johnson, of Dillon, said he supported Gianforte in the governors race and does so now too. Wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, the former four-term chairman of the Beaverhead County Republican Central Committee said he wants Gianforte in Montanas congress seat so that hell work with Trump.

It hurts me were spending all of this time on both sides fighting and not doing what needs to be done for this country, Johnson said. We need to work together to get the job done.

Republicans gathered at the same hotel where Democrats picked political newcomer Quist as their candidate to fill the vacant seat the day before. Though new to candidacy, Quist is a well-known musician who toured with the Mission Mountain Wood Band for years.

Mark Chase, a delegate from Columbus, said the decision after the first round of voting shows that the state Republican party is united.

"When somebody wins an election on one vote and they said it would take three, that shows he's got Republican support." In years past, Republicans at the statewide level have struggled to bring together the more conservative wing of the party with moderate Republicans who have voted with Democrats on some issues.

Montana Republican Party Chair Jeff Essmann, who is also a state representative from Billings, told delegates before the first round of voting that each candidate pledged to him they'd support whoever became the nominee.
Costco has withdrawn its plans to build a massive new superstore on West Broadway in Missoula.

David Rogers, director of real estate development for Costco, wrote a letter on Feb. 24 to Mike Haynes, the citys director of development services. In the short letter, Rogers said Costco is withdrawing its annexation and zoning application.

I appreciate all the diligence and thoughtfulness that occurred during the process, Rogers wrote. He could not be reached for comment.

The plan for a huge new Costco generated a significant amount of push-back from residents in the Pleasant View neighborhood, who were concerned that a plan to connect the neighborhood to West Broadway would create more traffic in the area.

Costco representatives didnt want the street extension either, but city council members on the Land Use and Planning Committee wanted the extension to provide transportation infrastructure to support businesses and residents in that area in the long term, according to city council member John DiBari.

The new building was to be 154,000 square feet, about 30,000 square feet larger than the existing store it would replace on Reserve Street. The larger store would have included a gas service station with 24 pumps and a much larger parking area.

The current location on Reserve often has a nearly full parking lot, and Costco officials in the past have said that Missoula needs a larger Costco. DiBari said there would have been three landowners in the West Broadway connection that all would have benefited from a new north-south connection from West Broadway to the Fairview neighborhood.

DiBari said he doesnt believe that Costco is done searching for a new site in Missoula.

It would be great if they were interested in relocating to an Urban Renewal District, he said. Thats because there would be Tax Increment Financing available to Costco to help them pay for site improvements that benefit the public, and then additional tax revenue in the district would go towards eliminating blight.
One of Hellgate High School's Academic WorldQuest teams is moving on to nationals.

The Hellgate team took first place at the Montana World Affairs Council's 13th annual statewide Academic WorldQuest competition last week. The winning team heads to the national competition April 28 in Washington, D.C.

The team also will tour the Capitol and the State Department. The trip is sponsored by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

Two other Hellgate teams took third and fifth place at state. Columbia Falls took second and Great Falls took fourth.

Nearly 200 high school students from around the state competed at the state competition. Montana's Academic WorldQuest program has grown to be the third largest AWQ competition in the nation.

Academic WorldQuest tests competitors knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, culture and more.

Competition categories included Combating Infectious Diseases, the European Union, Women in Technology, and Peace and Conflict in Todays World.

Participating high schools included Big Fork, Bozeman, Columbia Falls, Fergus, Frenchtown, Gardiner, Glacier, Great Falls, Hellgate, Hot Springs, Libby, Lincoln, Park, Powell County, Sentinel, Stanford, Superior, Victor and Wolf Point.
A 34-year-old Alberton man awaiting sentencing in a Missoula meth possession case has been arrested and charged with allegedly stabbing a father and son.

On Friday, sheriffs deputies went to a home on Deschamps Lane that Earl James Perrine was refusing to leave, according to a court affidavit. An officer approaching the house heard a man scream and then saw Perrine approaching him. Another man at the house yelled to stop Perrine, saying he just stabbed his son.

Perrine allegedly ran away, ignoring orders to stop. A second deputy at the scene released his K-9, Loki, which apprehend Perrine.

The reported stabbing victim and his father said they were called to the house by another couple because Perrine was acting suspiciously. After seeing him get in a vehicle on the property, the man and his son tackled him. They said Perrine then swiped at them with a knife, cutting the fathers finger and jacket and stabbing the son, according to a court affidavit.

He was charged with two felony counts of assault with a weapon and misdemeanor trespassing.

Perrine was arrested in January after driving away from deputies trying to serve an arrest warrant. When he was caught, deputies found he was carrying a baggie containing meth, and found more meth in his vehicle.

On Feb. 21, Perrine pleaded guilty to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs under a plea agreement that called for a three-year, fully suspended sentence consecutive to another felony drug sentence from Mineral County. Perrine was released from jail pending his April 4 sentencing in that case after he posted a $5,000 bail on Feb. 22.

Perrine is now being held on $100,000 bail.
A man found at his home a block from where he allegedly crashed his car while driving drunk told police he had been sleeping and didnt have anything to do with the crash.

Unfortunately for David Lee Hooper, 24, officers hadnt mentioned there had been a crash before he volunteered the information.

On Sunday around 2 a.m., a Missoula police officer responded to a reported hit and run on the 1300 block of Catlin Street. A man there told the officer he was following Hooper, a friend, to make sure he got home safe after the pair left the bar.

He said Hooper was speeding when he hit a curb and lost control, spinning and crashing his car. When the friend, who was a few blocks behind Hooper, got to the scene Hooper had left.

Police went to Hoopers home where he allegedly smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot, glassy eyes. The affidavit said despite telling officers he had been sleeping for two hours, Hooper also asked about his car and said I had nothing to do with this, before being told about the crash.

Hooper resisted arrest and was pushed onto the hood of a patrol car to be handcuffed. When officers attempted to put him in the car, the 6-foot 6-inch, 260-pound Hooper allegedly kicked off from the car, pushing his body into one of the officers, knocking her to the ground and landing on top of her.

Hooper is charged with felony assault on an officer and misdemeanors for resisting arrest, reckless driving and driving under the influence.

On Monday, Justice of the Peace Landee Holloway set his bail at $1,000 and said if released he will be monitored for drugs and alcohol.
New arrivals or not, the widening network of those helping with the refugee resettlement effort in Missoula wont be without work after President Donald Trumps temporary ban takes effect March 16.

We have lots to do, said Patrick Poulin, the executive director of the International Rescue Committee office in Salt Lake City who is heading IRC efforts in Missoula since Molly Short Carr stepped down in January.

We want to provide support to those who are here, so we will continue to work with them and help them move toward integrating and thriving in Missoula.

Poulin said hes certainly disappointed in Mondays announcement by the White House, a retooling of a directive issued in the days after Trumps inauguration in January.

This kind of order really harms particularly the 60,000 refugees who have been vetted and are ready for resettlement in the U.S., he said.

The 120-day suspension is designed to allow Homeland Security and the State Department time to examine current vetting and screening procedures in every country that houses refugees. Even if it's lifted in mid-July, Trump has reduced the number of refugees for the budget year ending Sept. 30 to 50,000 from the 110,000 the Obama administration requested last fall.

That will leave tens of thousands in limbo, the IRC said in a statement Monday.

These refugees are now stranded in crisis zones, in many cases separated from their families in the United States, the statement read. Far from making us safer, by excluding this most vetted and most vulnerable population, the executive order helps terror groups by providing yet another platform for anti-American propaganda.

The Missoula IRC office opened last summer and accepted 27 arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo in August and September. Poulin said since the current fiscal year began Oct. 1, 50 people and 16 households have resettled in Missoula, the most recent a couple of unnamed nationality on Feb. 28. The number includes nine Syrians who arrived in January.

Well continue to help them with following up with appointments, whether that be health appointments, getting children in school, helping find employment, working with the volunteer base in learning how to navigate the system in Missoula, and just helping them learn all the things they need to learn to be productive citizens, Poulin said.

The Missoula IRC recently added a staff member to help adult refugees find jobs. Poulin said the office has become part of a regional resettlement organization under his direction from Salt Lake City, where hes been IRC director for the past 10 years.

Im excited about that," Poulin said. "Weve been able to establish a pretty strong program in Utah, and we can help bring those best practices to Missoula."
Where in the world is Eritrea, and why are some of its citizens landing in Montana?

At least 22 refugees fleeing the impoverished African nation on the Red Sea have made Missoula their home since November.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Soft Landing Missoula will sponsor a lecture called Eritrea: The Country, Culture and Circumstance at the University Center Theater on the University of Montana campus.

The free event is slated to wind up by 8 p.m., when Elton Johns Wonderful Crazy Night concert begins at the Adams Center.

The program features two speakers, one a UM Mansfield Fellow in International Affairs and the other a visiting adjunct from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

Kimberly Maynard, a former Missoula smokejumper, worked for 20 years in the Horn of Africas war-torn regions. Solomon M. Goffie, who teaches UM courses on human rights and politics in Africa, is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations in Addis Ababa.

The two will discuss everything from location, demographics and geography, to why people are leaving Eritrea and how, according to a Soft Landing Missoula announcement.

There have been a few different events over the last couple decades that have triggered refugees coming from that area, Soft Landings Mary Poole said. Some of them are less events as such and more the conditions of living under a very strict and oppressive dictatorship.

Hostilities have been ongoing since the 1990s between Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Wednesdays lecture is the third in an ongoing series to educate Montana about refugees arriving through U.S. and international refugee aid organizations. The first, in September, featured conditions in the Congo. The second in November was an overview of refugee resettlement in Missoula. Both drew standing room-only crowds.
An analysis of the fatal collision last summer between a grizzly bear and a mountain biker near Coram recommends more safety evaluation before new biking trails are built in grizzly habitat.

Current safety messaging at trailheads and in the media is usually aimed at hikers, the interagency board of review report stated. However mountain biking is in many ways more likely to result in injury or death from bear attacks to people who participate in this activity.

"In addition, there are increasing numbers of mountain bikers using bear habitat and pressure to increase mountain bike access to areas where black bear and grizzly bear encounters are very likely.

The report on the June 29 death of Brad Treat after he collided with a grizzly bear was completed on Friday. Lead author Chris Servheen said the analysis had advice for both trail managers and the people who recreate on them.

Servheen recently retired as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. He led a panel that included members from Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Forest Service and Glacier National Park.

***

While it was an independent review, it arrives just as mountain biking in grizzly habitat has become a hot topic in Washington.

Last week, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, proposed the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act, which would allow mountain-biking recreation areas next to some of the most heavily used grizzly country in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. On Monday, the national Sustainable Trails Coalition hailed the introduction of a House bill that would allow the use of bikes and other wheeled equipment in federal wilderness areas.

With something like mountain biking, the high speed and quiet nature of riding increases the probability of encounters with bears when youre coming around blind curves, Servheen said on Monday.

In the case of Treat's collision, he said, "heres a bear thats 20 years old, whos lived in a high-density human area his entire life. Hes pretty skilled at staying away from trouble. We think he was just as surprised as Mr. Treat was. The two of them probably had only one or two seconds before they encountered one another.

Treat was a Flathead National Forest law enforcement officer who regularly jogged and biked on the Green Gate Trail network between Coram and West Glacier. According to the report, he was riding ahead of a friend at about 1:30 p.m. when he rounded a corner in thick forest.

Immediately after Mr. Treat disappeared, his companion heard the sound of Mr. Treat and his bike colliding with the bear and the bear vocalizing and making a sound like it was hurt, the report stated. He described what he heard as a thud and an argh. As his companion rode around the curve and stopped his bike, he saw the bear standing over Mr. Treat who was laying in the trail.

FWP Wildlife Human Attack Response Team lead investigator Brian Sommers explained the details of the encounter. Sommers reported that Treats biking shoes were clipped to the pedals and both he and his bike flipped over the bears back. Sommers estimated Treat was traveling between 20 and 25 mph, and left no skid marks before impact. Treat broke both wrists and a shoulder blade on landing, and had a large bruise on his torso from hitting the handle bars. Sommers reported his bike helmet was beside his body and it was in pieces after being bitten by the bear.

While the report concluded the grizzly killed Treat, the bear did not act in any predatory way. It neither consumed any part of Treats body nor acted to cache him as it would a deer or other prey. Trail cameras and helicopter searches over the next two days failed to find any sign of the suspect bear, although several people in the vicinity reported seeing both brown- and black-colored probable grizzlies in the area.

DNA analysis of the suspect bear hair collected at the scene showed it was a male grizzly that had been trapped in Glacier National Park in 2006. The bear had no history of conflicts with people. When it was caught that year near Camas Creek, it weighed 370 pounds and appeared to be 8 to 10 years old. It was not collared, and was never recaptured.

The report includes a five-page set of recommendations and lessons to take from the incident.

The unfortunate death of Mr. Brad Treat from a grizzly bear attack that was precipitated by a high-speed mountain bike collision between Mr. Treat and a bear necessitates increased attention to the dangers associated with mountain biking in black bear and grizzly bear habitat, the recommendations began. There is a long record of human-bear conflicts associated with mountain biking in bear habitat including the serious injuries and deaths suffered by bike riders.

***

The Board of Review expanded upon established hiker advice to be vigilant, carry bear spray, make noise, dont run from encounters and dont hike alone. For mountain bikers, it produced an eight-suggestion list that focused on the different ways bikes and bears interact. Those included calls to ride slowly because bears encountered at high speed are more likely to react defensively and injure bikers.

The make noise suggestion was amplified by the observation that mountain biking is a quiet and fast activity that may cause you to get much too close to a bear before either you or the bear knows it, resulting in a surprise encounter and a defensive attack by a surprised bear.

The list warned against riding at dusk or dawn because of the reduced ability to be aware of surroundings at times when bears are most active; and to avoid thinking, It wont happen to me.

That kind of attitude is what can get you in serious trouble whether you are mountain-biking or doing any other potentially dangerous activity, the list stated. Be prepared and be safe. That way you can enjoy your activity and you and the bears will be safe.

The list concluded with the reminder that humans only visit the places bears consider home: Taking these precautions will help keep you safer and reduce the stress and disturbance to bears that live in these places where you choose to occasionally recreate.

A second part of the recommendations addressed new trails in bear country.

Before new trails are opened to mountain biking in bear habitat, particularly grizzly habitat, there should be careful evaluation of the safety and reasonableness of enhancing mountain bike access in these areas where bear density is high, the recommendations stated. That included consideration of sight distances in thick vegetation, the risk of routing trails in feeding areas like huckleberry fields or avalanche chutes and consideration of seasonal closures to biking during feeding times.

Its an issue that needs further consideration, particularly as mountain biking becomes more of an activity, Servheen said. People wanting to go into places where they havent been before. Its something thats fairly new.

***

Testers bill would create a 3,800-acre Spread Mountain Recreation Area north of Ovando at the request of mountain-biking organizations that hope to ride there. The designation grew out of negotiations between the biking groups, snowmobile clubs and horse-riding organizations seeking a compromise that would increase support for the Senate bill.

Mountain Bike Missoula executive director Ben Horan acknowledged the concern bikers need to show when traveling in bear country, including following the reports suggestions.

Access to backcountry recreation is part of what makes Montana such a great place to live, Horan wrote in an email. Mountain bikers, hunters, and trail runners need to appreciate that we are visitors in wildlife habitat and that our activities expose us to increased risk  It's important to remember that these encounters, while tragic, are incredibly rare.

The Sustainable Trails Coalition supports a nationwide change allowing local wilderness managers to set their own rules on bike access. The House bill puts mountain bikers on the same footing as campers, hikers, hunters and equestrians by restoring federal agency authority to set conditions on cyclists use of trails in wilderness, according to the groups press release.
Working Montanans should be deeply concerned by President Trumps choice for the U.S. Supreme Court seat. Federal Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuchs record shows hes comfortable using the law to enrich Wall Street bankers and trampling the rights of working people.

Lifelong consequences will come with the confirmation of the next justice on the highest court in the United States. We cannot afford to permanently install an ideologue who will favor the wealthiest one percent of Americans. With corporate interests already entrenched in Trumps cabinet and well represented in Congress, an independent judiciary is more important than ever to balance the extreme agenda thats being carried out in Washington.

Gorsuch appears to believe in legal theories that are well outside the mainstream and that would hinder the federal governments ability to effectively address national problems affecting Americans across the country. If confirmed, he would likely continue to endanger important protections for workers, as well as clean air, water and basic safety regulations for food and medicine. Hes demonstrated he will represent corporate interests over everyday people at a time when America needs a justice who will protect the rights of all of us.

As a Tenth Circuit judge, Gorsuch joined the majority in the original Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Sebelius, arguing that for-profit corporations are people and have a right to exercise their religious beliefs under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. His ruling  narrowly upheld by the Supreme Court  meant that Hobby Lobby won the freedom to deny female employees birth control coverage. The last thing we need is a Supreme Court justice who believes that corporations are people with more rights than women.

Gorsuch has argued against workers in a case imposing a Labor Department fine against a company that failed to adequately train a worker and caused his death. He also dissented from a decision that allowed back pay for an employee whose wages were improperly reduced. Further, he dissented from a decision against a company that fired a truck driver for not taking action that could very well have killed him, and he argued against a female UPS driver in a ruling that denied her the chance to prove sex discrimination on the job. The examples from Gorsuchs anti-worker record go on and on.

My union parents taught me the value of working people to this country. Union wages and benefits gave our family the opportunity to live in a new house and the chance for my sister and me to attend college. Those benefits and protections are increasingly under attack by the Trump administration, and we need our senators to stand up for an independent and fair Supreme Court. Moving forward, the court may be the last bastion of hope for civil rights and basic employment protections that working people rely on.

Join me in calling U.S. Sen. Steve Daines at (406) 453-0148 and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester at (406) 452-9585 and urging them to oppose Judge Gorsuchs confirmation.
Montana Standard Time. Its got a nice ring to it, doesnt it?

In fact, a bill in the Legislature to end the semiannual observance of daylight saving time in Montana sounds good for several reasons.

For one, it would save the states 1 million or so residents the headache of turning their clocks back one hour every fall, only to turn them ahead again in the spring, as we will all have to do once again this coming Sunday.

For some folks the time change can be profoundly jarring, thanks to something called circadian rhythm. The bodys natural biological clock sends signals when its time to sleep and when its time to wake, and these signals are strongly tied to sunlight and darkness, as well as to the number of hours previously spent asleep or awake. Most sleep experts recommend that people get the maximum benefits from sleep by establishing  and sticking to  a sleep schedule.

But twice a year, daylight saving messes with this sleep schedule. Children and teenagers, who have the greatest need for regular sleep, will awake one hour earlier than usual on Monday, before dawn, and once again wait at their bus stops in the dark. More adults will be late to work Monday morning, and more people will spend the day feeling sleepier than usual, and the rest of the week trying to re-establish a circadian rhythm.

Senate Bill 206, sponsored by Buffalo Republican Sen. Ryan Osmundson, proposes to end this well-intended but ultimately confusing tradition by allowing Montana to opt out of daylight saving. Its about time.

The Standard Time Act of 1918 was meant to provide a uniform system for interstate commerce but instead launched a tangled web of different time observances in different states. It wasnt until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that a national system was established, and even then, two states and several territories have decided not to observe daylight saving time: Arizona and Hawaii, and Guam, Puerto Rico, the American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. If state legislators continue to support Osmundsons bill, Montana would become the northernmost state to join the standard time-only club.

Previous legislatures in Montana have taken up the same topic but no bill ever made it out of committee. Osmundsons bill, however, was approved by the Montana Senate on a 36-14 vote, and now awaits action in the Houses State Administration Committee. Their counterparts on the State Administration Committee in the Senate approved it unanimously. If the House shows similar support, Gov. Steve Bullock may well have the opportunity to sign a bill establishing Montana Standard Time.

Out-of-state visitors would have to adjust, of course, with possibly the most confusion borne by the folks in Yellowstone National Park, which Montana shares with Idaho and Wyoming. Yet tourists have long shown themselves capable of factoring in the United States different time zones, and Montanas adherence to standard time shouldnt pose any greater challenge. Hopefully, neighboring states will see how well the change is working out for us and soon follow suit.

That would be helpful to the members of the Motor Carriers of Montana, which opposes the bill due to interstate scheduling concerns. However, Montana is a largely agricultural state, and its worth noting that the Montana Farm Bureau Federation has long lobbied for an end to daylight saving time on behalf the states farmers and ranchers. The Montana Chamber of Commerce hasnt taken a position.

As for the states energy industry and consumers, some credible studies, particularly a 2008 Department of Energy examination of a four-week extended daylight saving time, have shown an estimated savings of up to 0.5 percent per day attributed to daylight saving. However, other, equally credible researchers have found no evidence of savings  and some have even shown increased energy use.

Lacking a Montana-specific study, theres really only one way for Montanans to know whether daylight saving results in energy saving, and thats to ditch daylight saving for a few years and study the change in energy use. Perhaps some enterprising professors and students in our top-notch university system would be willing to perform this groundbreaking research.

Others might perform important examinations of traffic accidents, crime and health emergencies following the change. Research elsewhere has shown a correlation between daylight saving and a drop in traffic injuries as well as in crime. However, it is also correlated with a temporary increase in traffic accidents, suicides and heart attacks.

The bill specifies that the act would take effect on Nov. 5 at 2 a.m  which is when this years daylight saving time is scheduled to end. When it does, lets make sure it stays ended, and observe Montana Standard Time instead.
I think you underestimate the complexity of the Montana people. Because someone is in favor of the Keystone pipeline does not necessarily mean they are for the dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency. Because someone is pro-life does not mean they are necessarily against contraceptive availability. Because someone believes in comprehensive immigration reform does not mean they are necessarily in favor of forced removal of people with minor legal infringements like traffic tickets. Because someone wants more jobs does not mean they are willing to get rid of company regulations that protect them. Because someone sends their children to private religious school does not mean they public education should be dismantled. Because someone voted for Donald Trump does not mean they are not worried about possible Russian improprieties. Because someone voted for Trump does not mean they believe public lands should be returned to the state.
In 2016, Ryan Zinke claimed he was a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist, then voted to transfer management of 4 million acres of national forests to state committees. Roosevelts multiple-use forests were to be sacrificed, the very activity that Roosevelt sought to avoid. On March 3, two stories broke featuring Secretary of Interior Zinke: one about riding a horse to work; the other about allowing toxic lead ammunition on refuges.

In the picture of Zinke authorizing toxic ammunition, he propped a picture of Roosevelt in front of his table. Roosevelt created the refuge system for wildlife restoration and conservation. In a staged photo opportunity, with a host of political swamp-dwellers, Zinke opened those places to activity known to kill waterfowl and eagles. On the very day he assured the death of eagles, his agency was sending a near record number of Yellowstone buffalo to slaughter.

In his first days at Interior, Zinke demonstrated he is a political lemming eager to please Trump while ducks, eagles and buffalo bite the dust. How appropriate to ride in on a horse and then politically horse around, claiming Roosevelts legacy with his image while defying that legacy with his actions. Zinke fits the swamp nicely.

Jim Posewitz,

Helena
DEER LODGE  A handyman and probationer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for killing a man and his mother after being confronted over the theft of 1,700 ounces of silver.

David Wayne Nelson, 54, of Deer Lodge must serve at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole, District Judge Ray Dayton ruled. Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of deliberate homicide last September for the deaths of Greg Giannonatti, 57, and Beverly Giannonatti, 79.

The Giannonattis were reported missing in late October 2015, beginning a monthlong mystery that shocked the small southwestern Montana town, home to the Montana State Prison.

The investigation ended when Nelson confessed to stealing the silver from Greg Giannonatti, selling it for $26,000 and killing the Giannonattis on Oct. 24 or 25 during a confrontation over the theft.

Investigators learned that a registered violent offender, Nelson, had done work at Beverly's rental properties and was making improvements at the home of Beverly's late ex-husband, Bill, at the time the Giannonattis disappeared.

Officers received a tip that Nelson had traveled to Missoula to sell the silver at Grizzly Gold and Silver. One bar still in the store had previously been sold to Greg Giannonatti, court records said.

Nelson, who was still on probation for a 1998 kidnapping and accountability to robbery in Ravalli County, was initially jailed for violating his probation for traveling out of the county without his probation officer's permission.

On Nov. 29, 2015, Nelson made a jailhouse confession, saying he killed Beverly and Greg in the bathroom of Bill Giannonatti's house. Nelson said he hit Greg in the head with a hammer and threw Beverly against a wall before strangling her with an electrical wire.

Nelson said he dumped their bodies and went back to the house to clean up.

Nelson led investigators to the bodies of Greg and Beverly Giannonatti, court records said.

"The money Nelson received from the sale of the silver was recovered from his residence, less $2,000 he used to repay his stepdaughter for his recent shoulder surgery and other amounts he said he'd used for living expenses," court records said.
HELENA  As many as 27 Montana Highway Patrol jobs that faced elimination because of budget cuts now appear to be safe, as a legislative committee began discussing a statewide spending plan on Tuesday.

Legislators reconvened for the remaining half of a legislative session that will likely be dominated by debate over the state budget and how to address Montana's infrastructure needs.

The budget discussions began with a sigh of relief from the attorney general's office, which had expressed alarm over the proposed staffing reductions. The nearly $8 million in proposed cuts sparked tensions between Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican, and the budget office of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.

The state has about 250 uniformed highway patrol officers, and the cuts would have represented a significant reduction in staffing.

"With all the crime issues we have in this state, it doesn't make sense to reduce public safety funding and put Montanans at risk," Fox said in an interview.

Of particular concern, he said, is keeping personnel on the road to patrol for drug traffickers who are using state highways to spread the scourge of methamphetamines and other drugs in communities across the expansive state.

While Fox was heartened by the willingness of legislators to address his concerns, he said it was still early in the budget process to claim victory. "The process is not over yet. ... But we'll remain vigilant," he said, adding that he was hopeful that his budget would remain intact.

Legislators appear to have stepped in by shifting special highway revenues, wholly funded by gas taxes, to fill the agency's budget hole. But by doing so, the state risks losing tens of millions of dollars in matching federal funds, according to the governor's budget director, Dan Villa.

"Without additional revenue into the highway state special revenue account, this action of the Legislature will result in almost $100 million in cuts to highway road construction and maintenance, and the good-paying jobs that come with it," Villa said.

Villa called the Republican budget unacceptable, and he expressed frustration that Republicans were unwilling to spread cuts equitably across the different branches of government.

The budget now before the Appropriations Committee increased outlays for other branches of government beyond the amounts recommended by the governor, while reducing the budget for the governor's office by 13 percent. The cut could slash three full-time positions from the governor's staff. Meanwhile, Bullock allowed a bill to become law without his signature that boosted by 14 percent how much the Legislature can spend for its current session.

The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee rejected many of the proposals contained in the budget the governor submitted, including $300 million in reserves to cover unexpected expenses or dips in revenue.

As it stands, House Republicans are leaving about $150 million in reserves for now. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nancy Ballance said she expects to boost those reserves to $200 million by the time the budget is fully drafted although she did not say how Republicans would do so.
HELENA  Blustery winds whipped signs held by 14 anti-abortion activists on the steps of the Capitol Monday, who came to Helena to implore Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester to support Judge Neil Gorsuchs nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Members of the Pro-life Court Coalition held the event, which included abortion opponents Susan B. Anthony List, Concerned Women for America and Montana Family Foundation. Touting the social media hashtag #ConfirmGorsuch, the event was part of a national effort to garner confirmation support, including from Democratic senators up for reelection in 2018, according to a news release.

I think when Donald Trump won the presidency, one of the biggest reasons was his promise to nominate pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, said Bowen Greenwood with the Montana Family Foundation. I think Americans want to see pro-life justices, and with Neil Gorsuch that promise has been kept.

Greenwood cited Gorsuchs book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, which includes assertions about the intrinsic value of human life, as a major reason for optimism about the judges abortion views.

Greenwood also pointed to Gorsuchs opinion in favor of Hobby Lobby in a highly publicized case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Gorsuch voted with the majority on a circuit judge panel, agreeing that the Affordable Care Act violated the companys religious freedom by compelling it to offer certain contraceptives in employee health plans.

Americans deserve to make their own choices, Greenwood said of the ruling.

Jonathan Barbagello, describing himself as a concerned citizen and unaffiliated with any group, said he believed it important to have a fully functioning judiciary.

I really just ask and call upon Sen. Tester to give Gorsuch a yes vote, but I think Gorsuch just deserves an up or down vote. It shouldnt be locked up in partisan gridlock. Its a non-partisan issue, he said.

The Supreme Court has operated with only eight justices following the death of Antonin Scalia more than a year ago. Majority Senate Republicans then refused to hold hearings for Obama nominee Merrick Garland, saying the nominee should come from the next president.

President Donald Trump nominated Gorsuch to the high court last month, and Republican Sen. Steve Daines has thrown his support behind the judge. Daines highlighted Gorsuch, a Colorado native, as bringing a Western perspective to the court.

When asked if his views on the need for a functioning judiciary included the lack of action on the Garland nomination, Barbagello said he believed there was no reason to delay confirmation of Gorsuch, but preferred not to comment on Garland.

When reached for comment, Testers team said he supports womens rights to make their own health care decisions, and has concerns about Gorsuchs views in the Hobby Lobby decision that will factor into his vote.

"Jon is giving Judge Gorsuch a fair shake, said Tester spokeswoman Marnee Banks. Hes met with him face-to-face and is fully reviewing his qualifications. Jon knows the Supreme Court is too important to play politics with, that's why he is incredibly concerned about the special interests that have been trying to influence this important post.

Greenwood called Testers willingness to meet with Gorsuch a great step forward and added I think it means that hes listening to Montanans.

The Pro-life Court Coalition is not the only group targeting Montana for support of Gorsuch.

The pro-Gorsuch Judicial Crisis Network has been airing TV ads in Montana encouraging Gorsuchs confirmation. The ads are part of a $10 million multi-media campaign including more than $2 million in TV and online ads in Montana, North Dakota and other states where Trump won by wide margins, according to national media outlets.

Committee to Defend the President, described as a project of Stop Hillary PAC, also released an ad late last month featuring Montana House Speaker Austin Knudsen. The ad touts Gorsuch and asks, Sen. Tester, whats he waiting for? A committee news release says the ad and ad buy cost $200,000.

Gorsuchs confirmation hearing has been scheduled for March 20.
HELENA  Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has vetoed a bill that would have allowed government workers to sue if their supervisors obstruct them from communicating with a legislator.

House Bill 202 sponsor Republican Rep. Kirk Wagoner of Montana City describes the measure as a whistleblower protection bill. It would subject supervisors to a $5,000 fine and other damages for impeding employees from discussing matters of public concern with lawmakers.

Bullock vetoed the bill last Thursday, while the state Legislature was on a break from the session.

The governor wrote in his veto letter that the bill is too broad and that it would lead to frivolous lawsuits by disgruntled employees. Bullock also says existing law already allows state employees to report waste, fraud and abuse to legislators.

House Speaker Austin Knudsen says the veto will allow retaliation against public workers.
People often ask me what public health is, what it does. Part of my job as Butte-Silver Bow health officer is to explain to people the incredible worth of public health  globally, nationally, statewide and locally  and to relay that our collective communities would be unhealthy, ill and otherwise compromised without the public health effort.

The World Health Organization has this to say about how it facilitates public health globally: Our goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world  WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people. Together we strive to combat diseases  infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and non-communicable ones like cancer  we help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink  and the medicines and vaccines they need.

That statement could be replicated in regard to what the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department does locally.

Here is how the Institutes of Medicine defines public health: What we as a society do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. Yup.

The local Health Departments jurisdiction is Butte-Silver Bow, which is considered nationally to be a small jurisdiction, with fewer than 50,000 people being served. The department is governed by a Board of Health comprised of seven people appointed by the countys chief executive. Three of the seven members must be healthcare professionals. Serving on the Butte-Silver Bow Board of Health are Danette Melvin, R.N, M.N., a clinical nurse leader at St. James Healthcare; Becky Sprunger, chief executive officer of Action Inc.; Cindi Shaw, vice chair of the countys Council of Commissioners; Julie Hart, Ph.D., Montana Tech professor and chair of Techs Safety, Health & Industrial Hygiene department; Lyn Ankelman, Ed.D., LCPC, an administrator with Western Montana Mental Health Center; Pat Dudley, president of the National Center for Health Care Informatics; and Ivy Fredrickson, J.D., an environmental attorney.

Though the department serves a small jurisdiction, it provides a robust slate of clinical and population-based programs and services, including immunizations; screenings for diseases and conditions; treatment for communicable diseases; maternal and child health services; epidemiology and surveillance; population-based primary prevention; regulation, inspection and licensing; and other environmental health services, such as food safety education and assurance of air quality.

The department employs 24.9 full-time equivalent employees (FTE), including myself and division leaders, environmental health staff, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, a licensed practical nurse, health educators, preparedness staff, WIC staff and office support staff.

The department participates in what are considered baseline activities in public health. We participate in a Community Health Assessment (the 2017 Butte-Silver Bow assessment is just under way) and a Community Health Improvement Plan, from which the department devises its three-year strategic plan. The department is engaged in assuring access to healthcare services, by assessing gaps in access, focusing on strategies to target healthcare needs of underserved populations, evaluating our communitys efforts to meet the healthcare needs of underserved populations, directly providing healthcare services, and assuring access to behavioral healthcare in the community. (Mental illness and how our community responds and provides services was the No. 1 health need determined in the 2014 assessment).

We collaborate and partner with St. James Healthcare, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Western Montana Mental Health Center, Butte School District No. 1, non-profits, the faith community, Montana Tech, local law enforcement, housing advocates and others.

In regard to governance, our Board of Health is involved in policy development, resource stewardship, legal authority (imposing or enforcing quarantines is an example), partner engagement, continuous improvement, and oversight.

The mission of the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department is to protect and improve the health of this countys residents. Our vision is for Butte-Silver Bow to be Montanas healthiest community. Our core values include respect, stewardship, leadership, quality, innovation, vision, service, integrity and science.

In 1994, the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee developed three Core Functions of Public Health  these functions are assessment, policy development and assurance. Ten Essential Public Health Services fall under these three core functions, and describe the public health activities that all communities should undertake. They include monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems; diagnosing and investigating health problems and health hazards in the community; informing, educating and empowering people about health issues; mobilizing community partnerships and actions to identify and solve health problems; developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts; enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety; linking people to needed health services and ensuring the provision of healthcare when otherwise unavailable; ensuring a competent public and healthcare workforce; evaluating effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal and population-based health services; and researching for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

Like the World Health Organization, the CDC and the Public Health and Safety Division of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department is in the business of public health. We are proud to be part of a global team that works every day to keep communities safe and healthy.
The most revealing moment in President Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday night came amid its most powerful one.

The President's tribute to Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens -- who was killed in Yemen on a mission that was a success or failure, depending whom you ask  was the emotional coda to an otherwise workmanlike speech.

Exploitative as the stagecraft may have been, only the hardest of hearts could have helped but be moved by the wrenching image of Ryan's grief-stricken widow, Carryn, looking skyward as the chamber showered her with applause.

Trump, always the producer, allowed the ovation to continue for two minutes and 11 seconds before resuming his speech. I'm sure he felt sympathy for Ryan's loss, but the man also knows television and this was inarguably good TV and clever politics.

Ever since the January raid on an al Qaeda stronghold, in which Ryan was killed, six other servicemen were injured and an aircraft lost, the nascent administration has been dogged by questions about whether the action was prudent and productive. Just last weekend, Ryan's father angrily demanded an investigation to determine if his son's life was compromised by poor decision-making.

All that was blown away, at least for an evening, by the searing scene in the House chambers.

Yet never one to err on the side of understatement, the President decided to go for more.

"Ryan is looking down right now, you know that, and he's very happy, because I think he just broke a record."

This engendered another ovation but cheapened what was an otherwise transcendent event. She's grieving an incalculable loss. And the President is measuring the length of the applause -- as much, one sensed, in the spirit of self-satisfaction for having orchestrated the moment as solicitude for the fallen SEAL and his family.

He just cannot help himself. And therein lies his problem.

Trump had a good night Tuesday, faithfully reading a speech that sanded down the sharp edges of his familiar, provocative message. It still had bite, but was delivered with less bile. There was the usual litany of gross exaggerations and outright falsehoods to keep the fact-checking machines whirring. And while the language was sheathed in warmer tones, the underlying vision still was fundamentally divisive.

Yet for this night, reading a carefully calibrated speech in the august House chamber, Donald Trump looked like a President. The Tweeter-in-Chief even, straight-facedly, recited an admonition that "the time for trivial fights is behind us."

That drew some derisive laughter in the chamber and, I suspect, the country. No fight has been too trivial for this President. His impulsive tweets and taunts in response to even the smallest provocation -- and provocateurs -- have regularly sidetracked the messages he and his team had hoped to deliver.

Presidential addresses are palliatives. They produce short-term gains that are sustained only with consistent messaging and follow-through on the commitments made.

On Tuesday, Trump made many commitments, and most will prove far more complex and difficult to deliver than his resolute words acknowledged.

On two of his signature issues, taxes and "repealing and replacing" Obamacare, Republicans in Congress are ensnared in intramural debates that have stalled their progress.

"Nobody knew health care could be so complicated," the President lamented Monday at a White House meeting of the nation's governors, all of whom have known for a long time how complicated health care can be. That is why so many Republicans and Democrats are leery of the plans emerging to replace the Affordable Care Act.

For six years, Republicans have made "repeal and replace" their war cry. Now they are in charge, and have no consensus on how to proceed without gutting the law's popular core benefits, which Trump has vowed to keep.

At town hall meetings across the country, they are hearing from angry and anxious constituents in what is the mirror image of the tea party protests we saw when the Affordable Care Act was being debated seven years ago.

In his speech, Trump said, "Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for our country. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do."

When the President and his team finally delve into the complexities of health care, he may come to regret that politically pleasing stanza.

Barack Obama also opposed mandates, until confronted with the reality that to achieve the goal of covering the uninsured, including Americans with pre-existing conditions, you must have everyone, from the young and healthy to the older and frail, in the pool.

The House plan the President tacitly endorsed Tuesday night would cost millions their care, return the country to the days when insurance companies could refuse people with pre-existing conditions and remove myriad consumer protections that guarantee patients a minimum standard of coverage while preventing them from losing it if they become seriously ill.

And it would lavish benefits without regard to income, so the Trump family would be eligible for the same tax credits as the laborer at Mar-a-Lago.

That is why members of Congress are proceeding with caution.

The tax debate also is complicated, particularly in light of Trump's call for a massive military buildup, infrastructure program and increased veterans' benefits, all without touching Social Security and Medicare for now.

For a party that has spent eight years railing against deficits, such an unpaid spending spree will be a hotly debated topic, as will how such a tax cut would be structured.

A plan that showers benefits on the top 1% of earners and a middling benefit to the middle class would violate the spirit of Trump's campaigns and reap a whirlwind of protest.

So there are plenty of roadblocks ahead for the President that defy his script and will try his newly expressed sense of equanimity.

For a man who has reached the pinnacle by indulging his impulses, the next breach of the comity and common purpose he called for Tuesday night may only be a tweet away.

CNN's Manu Raju and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
A North Korean military unit tasked with striking US bases in Japan was involved in Monday's launch of four ballistic missiles, according to state media KCNA.

The missiles, three of which landed within 200 miles of Japan's coastline in its exclusive economic zone, were fired as part of a drill by North Korea's Hwasong artillery units, KCNA said Tuesday.

The report said the units were part of "the KPA Strategic Force tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the country's ballistic missile launches and was said to be pleased with the unit's performance, according to KCNA.

There are currently about 54,000 US troops stationed in at least seven bases scattered across Japan, including Misawa Air Force Base in the far north to Okinawa on the country's southernmost islands.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Japan in January to reassert the Trump administration's military support for the country, which cost the US about $5.5 billion in 2016.

Trump talks to Japan, S. Korea

World leaders were quick to condemn North Korea's actions.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said, "The launches are consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior. The United States stand with our allies in the face of this very serious threat.

"The Trump administration is taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as through the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters he and President Donald Trump talked by phone about 8 a.m. Tuesday local time (6 p.m. ET Monday) and agreed the missile launches were "a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions" and a threat to the international community.

President Trump also spoke Monday with the acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn to discuss North Korea's missile test, a US official says, in addition to the call with Abe.

According to the acting president's office, they agreed to continue annual military drills and add pressure and impose sanctions against North Korea.

Security Council to meet

The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss North Korea in closed consultations at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. A planned Syria meeting was moved to 3 p.m.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the missile launch and said, "Such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability."

Military authorities in South Korea, Japan and the United States confirmed the launch of four projectiles, which traveled almost 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). One US official said they were intermediate-range missiles.

This isn't the first time North Korea has launched multiple missiles over this distance.

In September 2016, North Korea launched three ballistic missiles about 1,000 kilometers to land in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone, provoking a strong response.

CNN's Will Ripley and Junko Ogura in Tokyo, Lonzo Cook in Atlanta, Richard Roth in New York and Zahra Ullah in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is extremely frustrated with his senior staff and communications team for allowing the firestorm surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions to steal his thunder in the wake of his address to Congress, sources tell CNN.

"Nobody has seen him that upset," one source said, adding the feeling was the communications team allowed the Sessions news, which the administration deemed a nonstory, to overtake the narrative.

On Thursday, Sessions recused himself from any current or future investigations into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign after it was reported he had met with the Russian ambassador to the US, something he had previously failed to disclose.

In particular, the renewed focus on Russia is seen as a major letdown after Tuesday when top officials were riding high, congratulating one another on Trump's speech to Congress.

"The staff fumbled," Trump told the team for not being prepared when the Sessions story came out, according to another source.

The President was "hot" and exasperated Thursday night after Sessions' recusal, a source familiar with the situation said, considering it hasty and overkill.

When the President returned to the White House Thursday evening from a day trip to Virginia, there were "a lot of expletives." The source said for more than a week Trump had been lamenting that his senior staff "just keep getting in their own way."

"The President had a fantastic week advancing his agenda to lift up all Americans and keep the nation safe. His joint session speech will go down in history as one of the best," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in response to CNN's reporting.

The President is showing increasing flashes of anger over the performance of his senior staff and daily developments about Russia overshadowing his message, multiple people inside the White House and outside the administration told CNN.

Trump voiced his frustration to his inner circle in the Oval Office Friday, sources said. He feels attacked by the media, former Obama administration officials and others, and frustrated that things are not going more smoothly. The President expressed his anger at non-stop leaks undermining his administration, the sources said.

One source familiar with the Friday meeting said Trump was angry at senior staff, including chief of staff Reince Priebus, about the state of affairs at the White House this week.

Word had spread through the White House that Priebus had been chewed out but those in the room dispute that.

Priebus declined to comment on the record about the meeting.

One official, who was in the Oval Office, said there was an "animated discussion" about a number of subjects during the meeting -- the forthcoming immigration executive order, health care and Russia developments.

Trump is upset because he doesn't believe he is getting the credit he thinks he deserves for his time in office so far because of self-inflicted wounds and missteps, the source said. An informed presidential ally outside government but close to the President said Trump was really angry about having a "mini disaster" a week. The President's mood is adding to tremendous pressure inside the West Wing and aides have been seen in tears in recent days at multiple meetings.

With so much on the administration's plate -- leaks, Russia story, pending executive order and Obamacare repeal and replacement -- Priebus said he would not go to Florida with the President this weekend as had been previously planned, a source told CNN. He was on the manifest, and a big donor reception by the Republican National Committee which Priebus used to chair was on Preibus' schedule.

But the President said he thought it wouldn't be a good idea since he is not happy with the state of matters right now, the same source said.

A White House official disputed that Priebus was supposed to travel to Florida, adding that he stayed home this weekend for a family celebration.

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who initially decided to also stay in Washington Friday, ended up traveling to Florida Saturday and is joining Trump, Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
A White House statement congratulating ExxonMobil for increasing investment in Texas and Louisiana cribbed multiple lines from the oil giant's statement without citation.

The White House statement, which includes quotes from President Donald Trump, pulled this quote nearly word-for-word from ExxonMobil 's statement:

"ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the United States Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The company's Growing the Gulf program consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022."

Here is what ExxonMobil wrote:

"ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the U.S. Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The company's Growing the Gulf expansion program, consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022."

The Washington Post was first to notice that aspects of the White House statement were plagiarized.

The White House statement also appeared to crib a quote from Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, without citing the business leader.

"These jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the communities that service these new investments," Woods said in the Exxon statement.

"These jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the community that service these new investments," said the White House statement, without citing Woods.

A White House official admitted to pulling the lines from Exxon.

"The expansion program has many different components to it, and we went straight to the source for some of our information," the official said in a statement.

The investment by ExxonMobil expands its refining and chemical manufacturing capacity along the Gulf Coast by investing $20 billion over 10 years and will be focused on 11 sites in Texas and Louisiana.
He's doing it again. He keeps singing the same tunes. But this time, people are getting tired of the same old song. It's early in his presidency, but already Donald Trump has faced one controversy after another. None has been more perilous to him than the accusation that he was elected in large part due to the interference on his behalf by his comrade Vladimir Putin and Putin's agents of the Russian government.

That one just won't go away. Even as Trump has blustered, battered and bullied, the news organizations persist in catching various Trump deputies in lies about their conversations with representatives of Moscow.

When the blustering, battering and bullying don't work and the media reports threaten to consume his administration in dangerous scandal, POTUS leaves his Plan B and falls back onto Plan T. "T," of course, stands for "Twitter," and Donny can always be counted on to put out some tweets late at night that are so outrageous, they can only be designed as a distraction from another damaging crisis.

This is after a week that ended with still further destructive disclosures that his functionaries had seemingly inappropriate confidential contacts with Russian operatives, both during the campaign and during the transition, before he and his troopers rolled into the White House to begin their reign of errors.

The latest ruinous crisis involved conversations with the Russians conducted by Jeff Sessions  discussions Sessions had denied under oath. It was the talk of the town until TOTUS swung into action. "TOTUS," of course, stands for "Tweeter of the United States." This time TOTUS  who was weekending in his Palm Beach, Florida, fortress  was up very late, flinging whatever he flings late at night, at his predecessor, Barack Obama. The charge was that Obama, while still president, had Trump Tower phones wiretapped: "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"

That may seem far-fetched, but it did conform to the usual modus operandi. It was another increasingly transparent way to change the subject, particularly when he doubled down by demanding a meaningless congressional investigation. It's beginning to leave a widespread impression that these are nothing more than pathetic desperation moves, particularly when he offers no evidence to back them up, other than reports and discussion on Fox News and Super Fox News (Breitbart).

Still, Obama representatives felt it was necessary to deny the charge as "simply false," which they did, so we had a weekend story. But the problem for Donald Trump is that he has done this so many times already, many of us figured out that this is merely a smokescreen.

When Bill Clinton was president, his hustlers could be counted on to release damaging material late on a Friday night so it would get minimum exposure in the Saturday papers and on TV. Most people are running errands and not paying full attention. It was sleazy and became forever known as the "Friday news dump." Trump's dumps come in 140-character spurts. It's become a predictable obfuscation technique, but it's not as effective as it was.

We in the media have learned to multitask; we can juggle more than one story at a time. That's a change from the days when we could overreport only one controversy at a time. So the Russian story is not going away no matter what bombastic bombs blast; its potential to do serious harm to the Trump presidency is not being tamped down, by any means. Of all the bitter controversies that have already fouled the diapers, this one may be the messiest -- if it can be shown that there was collusion with an adversary's government.

All the Trump Twitter tantrums won't change that. They won't work. Loosely quoting the "The Music Man," those words start with a "T." And so does "Trouble," jeopardy for this presidency.
In my last Ask the Judge column I pointed out how important Supreme Court nominations are. Since that time, President Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Lets take an objective look at Judge Gorsuchs qualifications.

Gorsuchs educational background

Judge Gorsuch grew up in Denver, Colorado, but graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School, received a B.A. from Columbia in three years Phi Beta Kappa (which only recognizes students in the top 10 percent of their class). Gorsuch then attended Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude (top 25 percent of the class). Not one to rest on his laurels, Gorsuch then received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford. Clearly, Gorsuch checks all the boxes in the education department.

Gorsuchs legal career

Gorsuch first clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit) and then clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy. I once heard a quip that the US Supreme Court is the place where the best and brightest lawyers in American go..and clerk. For the next ten years Gorsuch practiced law with a Washington, D.C. law firm, making partner after three years. Gorsuch was then appointed Principal Director to the Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice, before he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit by President Bush, where he has served the past ten years. Gorsuch was deemed well qualified by the American Bar Association, and was confirmed to the 10th Circuit by a unanimous voice vote by the Senate. Clearly, Judge Gorsuch has checked all the boxes for a stellar legal career.

I am not sure how a U.S. Senator decides how to measure the qualifications of a judicial candidate. If it is on tangibles like education and legal career, Gorsuch would be hard not to support. It would be difficult to find finer education and career credentials.

Gorsuchs legal philosophy

While it is sometimes risky to look at a few decisions over a ten year judicial career and come to conclusions, several of Judge Gorsuchs opinions tell us something about his judicial philosophy. Judge Gorsuchs most famous decision is Hobby Lobby Stores v. Sebelius (2013), where Gorsuch concurred in an opinion finding the Affordable Care Acts contraceptive mandate on a private business violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This indicates Gorsuch believes in religious freedom. This ruling was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014).

In an interesting case where Justice Scalia and Justice Ginsberg agreed with Gorsuch in a dissenting opinion together, Reynolds v. United States (2012), Gorsuch argued a federal act possibly violated the non-delegation doctrine, essentially finding federal agencies cannot be delegated too much power by Congressional fiat.

I have a good college friend who has a plaintiffs civil practice in Colorado. He is a staunch Democrat. He praised Judge Gorsuch as a mainstream conservative who follows the law, and is known as a nice guy.

Summary

Judge Gorsuch believes judges should follow the law, not make it. That policy decisions are up to Congress, not Courts. Gorsuch favors states rights over federal rights, and believes the Constitution should be given its original intent, not to be changed based on todays mores. Importantly for Montanans, Gorsuch is a fellow Westerner. In the end analysis, I believe the selection of Judge Gorsuch is a home run. He will make an excellent Supreme Court justice and should be confirmed without delay.
Im gravely concerned about President Trumps nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch. When it comes to checking extreme politicians overreach into our most personal healthcare decisions, I hope both of Montanas senators will prioritize women and strongly oppose his confirmation.

Judge Gorsuchs record on womens rights is deeply disturbing. Ruling in the original Hobby Lobby decision, the case that undermined the Affordable Care Acts birth control insurance mandate, Gorsuch joined the majority, affirming that corporations are persons who can exercise the freedom of religion for the purposes of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In Gorsuchs view, corporations have more rights than individual women and can impose their extreme religious views on our bodies.

He also sought to uphold Utah Gov. Gary Herberts decision to block Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) from receiving state-administered federal funds. This decision came on the heels of misleading smear videos that falsely portrayed Planned Parenthood, and the governor claimed he was not acting on the basis of his opposition to abortion. But Gov. Herberts statements after he issued the ban made it clear that the decision was clearly a punishment for Planned Parenthoods role in providing comprehensive healthcare for women, including abortion care. In fact, in trial court briefs, Gov. Herbert admitted three things: 1) PPAU did nothing illegal; 2) No federal funding administered by the state even went to abortion care; and 3) The videos were totally false.

Judge Gorsuchs dissent in Planned Parenthood Association of Utah v. Herbert (2016) illustrates how dangerous he would be when it comes to womens ability to access healthcare. A circuit court panel directed the district court to issue a preliminary injunction against enforcing the funding ban. Thats when Gorsuch, writing in dissent from the courts decision not to reconsider the panel decision on the ban, displayed his support for taking Gov. Herbert at his word that he was not trying to punish PPAU for providing abortion care.

Gorsuch accused the majority in the decision of lacking the sort of comity this court normally seeks to show the States and their elected representativesimplying the court should defer to the executive power of the governor. Seeing how Trump has already abused his executive power during his short time in office, such statements fly in the face of an independent judiciary. We must ensure an independent judicial branch willing to stand up for individual rights.

Trump promised during the campaign to appoint justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade. According to a recent op-ed in the Kansas City Star, longtime anti-choice activist Kristan Hawkins, who has led Students For Life for the past decade, gushed about Gorsuchs nomination. This is someone who has admitted that she would like to make birth control and IUDs illegal. Also troubling is that the white supremacist website, The Daily Stormer, expressed support for Gorsuch as a hardcore religious right-winger, which is exactly what we wanted.

Women in Utah, Montana, and across the U.S. have received life-saving care from Planned Parenthood. Had Judge Gorsuch been in the majority in the PPAU case, women would have had compromised access to healthcare, gotten sick and likely died. We cant take such a risk with the highest court in the country. Join me in calling Senators Tester and Daines and asking them to strongly oppose Gorsuchs confirmation. You can reach Sen. Daines at (406) 453-0148 and Sen. Tester at (406) 452-9585.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A Columbus Junction man has been arrested and charged after allegedly threatening a clerk at Casey's General Store and stealing from the business.

Edgar Santos, 35, has been charged with second-degree robbery, a class C felony; aggravated theft, a simple misdemeanor; assault, an aggravated misdemeanor; and interference with official acts, according to a news release from the Columbus Junction Police Department.

Santos allegedly threatened a clerk at Casey's General Store verbally around 4:40 a.m. Saturday, March 4, but did not display a weapon, before taking lottery tickets and over-the-counter medications and leaving the store.

He was taken into custody shortly after the incident after a struggle with officers, according to the release.

He is being held in the Louisa County Jail.

The Louisa County Sheriff's Department assisted in the investigation.

Emily Wenger
GRANDVIEW, Iowa  Gloria Jean Wittmann, age 68, of Grandview, died Tuesday morning, March 7, 2017, at the Lutheran Homes, Muscatine. The daughter of Shirley Strong, she was born on July 16, 1948, in Muscatine. Gloria married Arnold LeRoy Wittmann on June 10, 1967, in Muscatine.

She graduated from Muscatine High School in 1966. One of her favorite things was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and friends. She loved to play games (especially Skip-Bo), color, and do puzzles. She loved to laugh with everyone and that laugh brightened the day. She loved to take car rides with the love of her life, Arnie. They would drive around and enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding them. Gloria and Arnie spent almost 50 years together as husband and wife and would light up any room they entered.

Gloria is survived by her husband, Arnold; a daughter, Sherri Wittmann, of Muscatine; two sons, Christopher (Kim) Wittmann, of Noblesville, Indiana, and Eric Wittmann, of Muscatine; five grandchildren, Allan, Brooke, Kirra, Hannah, and Vince. Her parents, Shirley and Oscar Schmidt; and a brother, Richard Schmidt, preceded her in death.

The family will meet friends from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, March 9, at the Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home in Wapello, Iowa, with the funeral ceremony to follow at noon at the Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home. Rev. Darryl Erickson will officiate. Burial will follow at the Grandview Cemetery.

Memorial gifts will benefit the American Cancer Society.

Condolences may be given and viewed at www.dudgeonmcculley.com.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine Community School District will eliminate a middle school activities director position as part of its cost-cutting measures for the following budget year.

Budget changes

Background: Every year, school districts across Iowa have to go through the process of certifying their budgets. As part of that process, school districts set the amount theyd like to get from property taxes.

Discussion: Superintendent Jerry Riibe said the district needs to cut $500,000 from its budget in 2017-2018, while still responding to student needs.

To account for that loss, the district will reduce its costs by:

Eliminating a middle school activities director

Not replacing five or six of the 15 teachers who will retire at the end of the academic year

Rearranging the budget so some expenses will not come from the districts general fund

Using some unspent balance from 2016-2017 to cover some of the shortfall

The district will add the following services in 2017-2018:

Purchase new curriculums

Add mental health professionals district-wide

Hire personnel who will focus on increasing student attendance at the middle schools and high school

Hire school administration managers, who will help principals at schools with higher at-risk populations

Next steps: The district will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. Monday, March 27, at the Administration Center Auditorium, 2900 Mulberry Ave.

Comments on East Campus

Background: A couple of weeks ago, district officials announced that East Campus, an alternative school program that has approximately 60 students, will move from its current home at Muscatine Community College back to the high school next fall.

Discussion: Jackie Petty spoke about her daughters experiences. Felicia Petty was bullied at the high school and also was pregnant at the time. East Campus, Jackie said, helped Felicia graduate.

Felicia Petty also spoke, saying that East Campus should stay out of the high school.

It doesnt work if its at the high school, she said, adding that she hoped East Campus would move out of the high school in the future.

Kiley Krogman spoke about her daughter, Kamree, who now is a student at East Campus. She praised East Campus staff for caring about students and for helping her daughter, who has depression.

We need to protect these kids while we can, she said.

Next steps: The decision to move East Campus to the high school is final.
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
KFCB boss and Kenyas moral policeman Ezekiel Mutua has softened his stance on Churchill Show after the comedy programme aired what has been described as inappropriate content.

The popular comedy show was on Sunday night reportedly pulled off the air after only 25 minutes after a bicycle joke by Meru comedian Jasper Murume and a prank by Zeddy became too explicit for a family comedy show.

Mr Mutua was quick to admonish the show in a strongly worded post on Facebook that read:

A stupid, horrible prank on Churchill Show. An unfortunate idiotic and foul drill, totally in bad taste, lacking in imagination and possibly the evidence of the beginning of the end of an era. That prank, plus the meru-accident-laden village wags sex talk disguised as bicycle ride is against the Programming Code for Free-to-air radio and television services in Kenya. This is a family show and it airs during the watershed. To try and popularise it through cheap sex talk is a breach of the law and betrayal of trust. Any celebrity who makes money by pushing dirty content to corrupt the moral values of our children is no better than the corrupt politicians looting our country. Its impunity and its wrong!

In a subsequent post, Mutua said Churchill Show host Daniel Ndambuki- who blamed the blackout on a technical hitch, reached out to him on Monday morning to issue an apology and request that Mutua withdraws his earlier post.

I have received a call from Mwalimu Kingangi this morning regarding the unfortunate episode of the Churchill Show last night. He has apologised and taken full responsibility and requested that I pull down my post. I do so in good faith and in reciprocity for the mature manner in which he has handled the matter. I do so because I believe people make mistakes and learn from them, wrote Mutua.

He noted that the show has been the top stand-up comedy show in the region for years and lauded comedian Daniel Ndambuki for his contribution in developing talent in Kenya.

He, however, said that while he accepted the apology on a personal level, the Board will still follow up on the matter to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated.

While at a personal level I accept the apology the Board will pursue this matter to ensure the mistake is not repeated and will mete the necessary sanctions on the Show, said Mutua.

He concluded with some sound advice for Churchill saying: Our message to you Churchill is simple: You are talented. You are a mentor to many. Mungu amekutoa mbali. Please dont use your talent to corrupt the moral values of our children. Give us clean content. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE OBSCENE TO BE POPULAR!


LOS ANGELES  University of California officials have proposed limiting nonresident enrollment to 20 percent of all undergraduate students in an effort to prioritize in-state applicants.

The proposal introduced Monday would be the first cap of its kind for the 10-campus public university system and will be considered by the UC Board of Regents starting next week.

Last year, lawmakers threatened to hold back $18.5 million if the UC system did not limit students from outside California. UC officials hope the restriction would be enough to get state officials to release the funds.

A state audit found that UC was hurting California students by admitting too many out-of-state applicants. Nonresident students numbered 34,673 in fall 2016  16.5 percent of the system's 210,170 undergraduates.

UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein said the proposed policy balanced the needs of California residents with the benefits those outside students bring  diverse perspectives as well as millions in additional tuition revenue, which added up to nearly $550 million in 2016-17.

"The policy is very clear: Nonresident students will be in addition to and not in place of California residents," Klein told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/2mu7D4M ).

Shelly Tan, a Los Angeles area parent, said qualified California students should have the advantage. Her own daughter was turned down by her top three UC choices two years ago  despite SAT scores and a grade point average above the 90th percentile  and ended up at a fourth UC campus.

"Given the economic climate and competition, California parents have to start being selfish," Tan told the newspaper.

UC Academic Senate Chairman James Chalfant said faculty members oppose an "arbitrary quota" that could force UC to turn away the best and the brightest and forgo additional needed dollars. The group has presented an alternative that would impose enrollment limits only on campuses at which the expansion of nonresident students hurts Californians and only after UC is given enough funding to maintain its quality.

Under the proposal, the system's three most popular campuses would be allowed to keep but not increase their proportions of nonresident undergraduates  24.4 percent at UC Berkeley, 22.9 percent at UC San Diego and 22.8 percent at UCLA, Klein said.

The proportion of nonresident students at the other campuses ranges from 18.9 percent at UC Irvine to less than 1 percent at UC Merced.
Calistogas hot springs are no longer the steamiest attraction in town.

The Upvalley gets a yoga studio with the opening of Hot Yoga Calistoga, which is also currently the only hot Yoga studio in all of Napa Valley.

Owner Anne Seaver has been practicing Yoga for 17 years, but it wasnt until she discovered Hot Power Vinyasa that she was inspired to teach. In 2014, she got her first certification at Hot Yoga Ocean Avenue in San Francisco.

I really kinda of got bored of Yoga, and then I did Yoga with a new teacher, Anna Kyshynska. It was Hot Power Vinyasa and I fell in love with Yoga all over again. I found out where she was going to be doing her teacher training and went, she said.

Seaver was traveling from Calistoga to attend and later teach in Napa (until the Napa Bikram studio closed), and then Sonoma to teach, but the commute wore on her. She began to brainstorm ideas for her own studio, and once she found the space off of Wappo Avenue, it all started to come together. The single mom even timed the opening with her sons departure for college.

I needed something to take my mind off the fact that my son was gone. I thought, I need a new project, and we need a Yoga studio Upvalley, she said. I feel like I kind of channeled it. It manifested pretty easily, so I really feel like it was meant to be, said Seaver.

With more than 350 new students walking through the doors of Hot Yoga Calistoga in just the first two months of business, its obvious that the local community craved something closer to home as well.

Already we have regulars. It feels like a really solid, core community already. Ive met so many new people and made so many new friends, said Seaver. Its so fun to come in here and get to work. In Yoga its called Kula, a yoga community, and I really feel that and see it building up around us.

Seaver, 41, suffers from hip dysplasia, a genetic condition made worse by years of running.

Only a year ago, she underwent a hip replacement, but she can now move better than ever.

I was back on my mat in five weeks. I have full range of motion and its like I never had [the procedure], she said.

While there was an obvious need for a hot Yoga studio in Napa Valley, it was also the only choice for Seaver, who doesnt reap the benefits of cold Yoga. The heat is much better for her back and hip arthritis.

The studio, complete with changing rooms, showers and retail, offers a greater variety of styles than most hot Yoga studios, including Hot 90, which is a Bikram Yoga class, and Powerflow, a Ashtanga-based Vinyasa Yoga. Seaver coined Powerflow by combining common Yoga class names Power Yoga and Vinyasa Flow.

Baptiste Yoga is taught by Pilar Caso, a senior teacher of the practice. Caso studied under the founder, Baron Baptiste. Caso recently relocated from Boston to Calistoga.

For those that want to get their heart rate up, Inferno Hot Pilates is a fun, high-intensity interval training workout, set to loud, upbeat music. Core, lower body and upper body Pilates exercises are performed Tabata-style (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off).

Right before I opened this place, I went to my Inferno Hot Pilates training, which really blew my hair back, said Seaver.

It was the most empowering teacher trainings Ive ever been to. The inventor is brilliant and the modality has completely done wonders for my lower back pain. Its really good for the body and its very safe for the spine. Its kind of a new thing, but its completely sweeping the world.

A beginners Yoga class has also been added to the schedule, which focuses on learning how to breathe and move. Its not too hot, and is ideal for people with injuries, who havent exercised in a while, or Yoga novices, who might be intimidated by the practice.

On the last Saturday evening of each month, Seaver leads a special Blacklight Powerflow class, an idea she adapted from the Yoga and meditation-focused Wanderlust Festivals.

It includes neon colors and blacklight paint, and proceeds are donated to different animal rescue organizations, a passion of Seavers, who has two rescue pit bulls at home.

Thats my next long-term goal: to buy enough land to have a lot of rescue dogs, she said.

At the first blacklight class in February, $550 was raised and sent to Wine Country Animal Lovers.

The studios cast of teachers are mostly all local, and each bring their own teaching style and music to their classes. With the exception of Hot 90 (90 minutes) all classes are 75 minutes long.

There are three to four classes per day, with time slots in the mornings and evenings, as late as 7 p.m.

You can try out the different classes with an introductory offer of five classes for $35. Its valid for 30 days and is the equivalent of getting three classes for free.

Another deal is a six-month membership, which auto debits $138 per month and includes unlimited access to classes. A one-month unlimited membership costs $150, a 10 class pack is $160 and the single-class drop-in fee is $20.

For anyone who is skeptical of yogas healing capabilities both inside and out, Seaver is a prime example, as yoga played a big part in her recovery from addiction.

Im in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Ive been sober from alcohol for 17 years, other substances nine years, and Yoga has really helped me find balance in my life. I only talk about it because its a common problem, she said.

Its a spiritual practice and it helps you on so many levels. Its more than working out for me. Its like praying with my body. It builds inner stability as well as outer.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry honored Napa County resident Liz Alessio as the 2017 Fourth Assembly District Woman of the Year at the State Capitol Monday.

Each year, the Assembly honors women throughout California who have made significant contributions to their communities.

Liz is an incredible leader in our district, volunteering her time to so many causes that it seems she touches every Napa life, said Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, who chose Van de Leur Alessio to be her first Woman of the Year as a newly elected assemblymember. I hope this recognition inspires others to follow Lizs example of giving. She is an extraordinary person.

Alessio is the board president and program director of OPERATION: With LOVE from HOME, an organization that has sent over 13,000 care packages to our deployed service members in combat zones. She also serves as board secretary for the George Yount Pioneer Cemetery in Yountville, commissioner for the City of Napa Park and Recreation Department and founder and coordinator for Homefront Napa, a program that provides support and tools for the family and friends of returning wounded veterans and active duty service members.

Her other volunteer efforts include the Napa Valley Academy Awards Benefit to help those who live with HIV/AIDS, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, American Cancer Society-Relay for Life, Reach For The Stars, Napa County Heart Safe Program and Napa County Safety-Net Food Program. In addition, Van de Leur Alessio is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Napa Valley where she received the John Wagenknecht Memorial Leadership Award.

Alessio has worked at Queen of the Valley in Napa for almost 20 years and is currently Senior Community Programs Services coordinator. She oversees community benefit accounting and data, and participates in the implementation of community health needs assessment and community benefit prioritization.

During her time at the Queen, she has received the Values in Action Award for Dignity for demonstrating the core value that each person is a valuable member of the community and a unique expression of life.

I wish I could give out a dozen of these awards. There are so many incredible women doing so many wonderful things among the nearly half million residents in the Fourth Assembly District, Aguiar-Curry said. But, if Ive got to choose one, Liz is an obvious first choice. It is an honor to be associated with a person like her.

Alessio is a fourth generation Napa County resident and the mother of three children, Jessica Ann Hunter, Sgt. Steven James Hunter, and Zane Lynch Alessio. She is grandmother to Ava Rae Alessio. She was joined at the Capitol by Jessica and Zane, and by her mother, Robin Boardman Hart.
Like other Beatrix Potter characters, Squirrel Nutkin is mischievous and downright rude. Unlike his "great many cousins," Potter writes, Nutkin shows no respect to an owl named Old Brown and ends up losing half his tail as a result.

But Squirrel Nutkin, whose cautionary tale of impertinence (and maybe working-class rebellion) was published in 1903, nonetheless endeared generations of Brits to the reddish rodents native to their island nation. It helps that the animals are impossibly cute, with paws that look like furry little mittens and alert ears tipped with tall tufts of hair.

So it is with great alarm that residents of the United Kingdom have seen red squirrel numbers dwindle so rapidly that a partnership of conservation organizations, Red Squirrels United, now says they may become extinct within 35 years without help from humans.

The cause of the Nutkins' woes? Invasive North American gray squirrels, the kind found all around the United States. And part of the solution, according to Red Squirrel United: intensive monitoring of the native red squirrels - and trapping and killing of the immigrant grays.

"Seeing them in the wild is quite special," Cathleen Thomas, Red Squirrels United's program manager, said of the remaining red squirrels. Yet, she added in an interview, "where we have gray squirrels, we don't have red squirrels very long."

It may sound strange to think of squirrels as an invasive species, a label more commonly associated with animals like pythons and cats. But that is what the American squirrels are in England, where they were introduced in 1876 by Victorians who, Thomas said, "would travel the world and bring back interesting animals." Environmental historian Peter A. Coates describes this time as "an era of innocent faith in the virtues of acclimatization" and writes that gray squirrels were purposely released several times between 1876 and 1929 "to enrich Britain's impoverished fauna."

Unfortunately, gray squirrels greatly out-competed their red counterparts, Thomas said. They appreciate the same foods - hazelnuts are a favorite - and live in the same habitat, but the grays are larger and live in bigger groups. They also spread disease to red squirrels.

"They can be quite sneaky," Thomas said. "They watch where red squirrels bury nuts and go and dig them up and eat them."

Today, an estimated 3.5 million gray squirrels inhabit the U.K., dwarfing the population of about 140,000 red squirrels, almost none of which remain in southern England. To help the remaining natives, Red Squirrels United is seeking 5,000 volunteers in red-squirrel strongholds to log sightings, monitor feeders and set up remote cameras to record their behavior.

Volunteers will also be asked to report the gray outlaws, and those may very well be "removed," Thomas said. That's wildlife conservation-speak for killing - not deporting - which Thomas said is typically done by "shooting and cranial concussions."

"Lethal control is a last resort," but an effective one, she said. "We work to very high levels of humane standards to make sure there's no unnecessary suffering."

The effort is the latest in a long public battle in England against the gray squirrel, a fight that has attracted the backing of Prince Charles. The prince, the Guardian recently reported, is so eager to save reds that he is supporting a plan to give gray squirrels contraceptives hidden in dabs of Nutella.

The defense of red squirrels there has taken on decidedly nationalistic tones, Coates writes, despite evidence that gray squirrels have been scapegoated as the main reason for the Nutkins' decline, when the latter was already under pressure from disease and deforestation.

In a fascinating paper, "Over Here: American Animals in Britain," Coates describes decades of anti-gray-squirrel arguments cloaked in locals-vs.-foreigners language. In a 2006 House of Lords debate over squirrels, he recalls, Lady Saltoun of Abernethy "observed that (red squirrels) are 'rather like quiet, well-behaved people who do not make a nuisance or an exhibition of themselves, or commit crimes, and so do not get themselves into the papers in the vulgar way gray squirrels do.'"

Or, as the Guardian jokingly wrote: "Red squirrels are British. Red squirrels have a stiff upper lip. Red squirrels cry at the national anthem. Red squirrels have a fundamental understanding of decent British values. Not like these invading (grays)."

Those familiar with Potter's anthology will recall that Squirrel Nutkin was not the author's only squirrel protagonist. The other was a gluttonous fellow named Timmy Tiptoes - and he was a bushy-tailed gray squirrel. Linda Lear, author of a biography on Potter, suggests that she wrote the book in 1911 to appeal to her American audience: She included characters, such as chipmunks and a black bear, that were native to the other side of the Atlantic. It's unlikely Potter had ever seen a gray squirrel, which hadn't yet reached the area where she lived, Lear notes.

"Because Timmy Tiptoes and Chippy Hackee (the chipmunk) are not drawn from nature, their images have a certain artificiality that her other animal characters do not have," Lear writes. "The awkwardness of both story and image reflects how difficult it was for Potter to write about nature that was outside her knowledge or that she had not directly observed."

What a difference a century makes. If Potter were writing today, she'd certainly have spotted many a gray squirrel in Britain's Lake District, where the author spent holidays as a child and set "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin." According to maps from Red Squirrel United, that region's squirrels were all red in 1945. Today, the maps show, they are vastly outnumbered by gray invaders.

All of which means that if Squirrel Nutkin is to survive, Timmy Tiptoes must go, red squirrel advocates say.

"It's an unfortunate part of red squirrel conservation that we have to kill gray squirrels," volunteer Julie Bailey, who lives in northwest England and has been trapping and shooting gray squirrels, told the Guardian. "But we have an obligation to undo the damage the Victorians did by bringing them here in the first place."
AMERICAN CANYON  Crime was down in most categories last year in American Canyon, but auto thefts were up significantly, and appear to still be going up based on early 2017 numbers, Police Chief Tracey Stuart told the City Council.

In 2016, auto theft incidents rose 21 percent. Stuart said there were 56 reports of vehicles being stolen.

So far this year, American Canyon has had 16 reports. At that pace, the city would experience nearly 100 cases of auto theft, almost double the 2016 total.

That is a skyrocketing crime happening rather frequently, Stuart told the Council last month.

Council members asked the chief who or what was behind the rash of auto thefts, if gangs of car thieves had descended on American Canyon.

Its a hodgepodge of everything, she explained. In some cases, it might be those working for a chop shop stealing cars for specific reasons, such as for parts, she said.

But, mostly its people stealing a car for a few days and ditching it or getting caught with it, she said.

The culprits often are individuals needing a car to run their dope or go do a burglary and not use a car thats theirs.

Stuart noted that her officers sometimes catch the same car thief two or three times because they keep getting off now that auto theft is a misdemeanor, not a felony, in California.

California voters passed Proposition 47 in November, 2014, reducing the penalties for a variety of drug and theft crimes.

I think were seeing the same crooks over and over again who used to go to jail for their crimes who are on a repeat probation cycle, said Stuart.

Car thieves often serve a few weeks in county jails before being let out and put on probation.

Last year, it was reported that eight of the top 10 hot spots for car theft in the nation were in California, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau data reported by Forbes.com.

The eight California hot spots were: Modesto, Bakersfield, Salinas, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Stockton-Lodi, Merced, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, and Vallejo-Fairfield, American Canyons neighbor.

Vallejo is often blamed for crime that spills over into American Canyon, due to the proximity of the two communities.

Stuart said her department posted some good numbers on solving crimes, known as clearance.

For instance, the statewide clearance rate for violent crime is 45.8 percent. But American Canyon police had a 62 percent rate. Local officers also cleared 37 percent of property crime reports, which was above the California rate of 12.6 percent, according to Stuart.
Trumps proposed pot crackdown is out of step with voters





Recent comments from the Trump administration indicating a potential federal crackdown in states that regulate the adult us of cannabis is out of step with most voters, including those among the Presidents base.

Outside of the Beltway, Americans support for enacting regulatory alternatives to cannabis prohibition is uniquely bipartisan. According to the latest national polling by Gallup, six out of 10 Americans believe that the adult use of marijuana should be made legal. By party, Gallup pollsters found that legalization was most likely to be favored by Independents and Democrats, but also that support among Republicans had more than doubled over the past decade.

Support among Republicans for legalizing medical marijuana is even higher, with 85 percent of GOP voters endorsing its therapeutic use, according to recent nationwide survey data by Quinnipiac University. But perhaps most strikingly, Quinnipiac pollsters also reported that nearly three-quarters of voters  including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents  oppose the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration appears to be planning on doing just that. In fact, on the same day that Quinnipiac released its latest survey data, White House press secretary Sean Spicer indicated that the Justice Department was intending to pursue the greater enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws states like Californian that permit its adult use.

Such a move by the federal government would be a stark departure from the position of the prior administration, which largely let these voter-initiated laws move forward unfettered. It also represents an about-face in Trumps own position, as he previously said that he would not use federal authority to target adult use laws. For instance, while campaigning in Colorado in August, Trump responded to the question [Do] you think Colorado should be able to do what its doing? by stating, I think its up to the states, yeah. Im a states person. I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.

And so it should be. According to a 2016 report by the CATO think tank, these adult use regulatory schemes are working largely as voters intended. They are not associated with increased marijuana use among young people, or rising rates of crime or accidents in the workplace. The absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes dire predictions made by legalization opponents, the reports authors concluded. Further, tax revenue derived from the regulated markets now exceeds initial expectations.

Rather than picking an unnecessary fight with the majority of American voters, the administration should consider embracing common-sense marijuana law reforms. Endorsing bipartisan legislation, HR 975: The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act or HR 1227: The Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017, would be a good place to start. In accordance with the electorates wishes, passage of these acts would prevent the federal government from criminally prosecuting individuals or businesses that are engaging in state-sanctioned activities specific to the possession, use, production, and distribution of marijuana.

Despite more than 70 years of federal marijuana prohibition, Americans consumption of and demand for cannabis is here to stay. It is time for politicians to acknowledge this reality and amend federal marijuana laws in a manner that comports with majority public opinion and the plants rapidly changing legal and cultural status. The Trump administration has the opportunity to take the lead on this issue. It would be an enormous political misstep for them to do otherwise.

Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and is the co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013). He resides in Vallejo, California.
HARLINGEN, Texas  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 (http://bit.ly/2m3R8df ) reports Leandra Ruiz received the beer Thursday in a special drop-off, via the huge horses, at her neighborhood 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.
An online auction of some of Napa Valleys most sought-after wines, including a 3-liter double magnum of 1998 Screaming Eagle cabernet sauvignon, and travel experiences will benefit the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School.

Its called A Good Thing Keeps Growing 30th Annual Fundraiser online auction. Bidding starts at 8 a.m., Thursday, March 9 and continues until 10 p.m., Sunday, March 12.

Screaming Eagle, one of Napa Valleys original cult wines, is never sold to the public and comes directly from owner Jean Phillips personal cellar, according to the auction catalog. The opening bid is $10,000 (but if you cant wait, you can purchase it directly online for $25,000.)

The school is holding its second annual Ol School Dance Party at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 11 at the Native Sons Hall to celebrate the schools 50 years of operation in Rutherford. The party itself is only the visible celebration of this venerable institutions anniversary.

Behind the scenes  online  is a story of wines and travel opportunities up for auction to the highest bidder.

Take, for instance, Lot Number 205: the Pritchard Hill Cult Cabernets.

This auction item includes two 2014 BRAND Brio Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon 750 ml bottles; a 1999 Bryant Family Vineyard cabernet sauvignon 750 ml bottle; two 750 ml 2012 Chappellet Pritchard Hill cabernet sauvignon bottles; a 2009 Colgin IX Estate Red Wine 1.5 ml magnum; two 2013 Ovid Experiment R8.3 Red Blend 750 ml bottle; and a 2013 Ovid Hexameter Red 750 ml bottle.

Opening bid for the Pritchard Hill Cult Cabernets is $2,300, but the estimated value, according to the auction catalog, is $3,250.

Then theres the catalogs lot 206: 500 POINTS! Five Perfect Napa Cabs. This item is a collection of five of Napas finest wines in one lot. It includes one 750 ml bottle each of 2012 Abreu Madrona Ranch Estate red wine; a 2012 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard cabernet sauvignon; a 2012 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee cabernet sauvignon; a 2010 Spottswoode Estate cabernet sauvignon; and a 2013 PlumpJack Winery Reserve cabernet sauvignon.

Wine critic Robert Parker gave each of these wines a perfect 100 points. The opening bid is $1,400.

But maybe you just want to get away.

How about a trip for two to a distant land, such as Cambodia, for six nights? (Lot 208 Cambodia Adventure  opening bid $1,900). Or what about a seven-night stay on the Mexico Coast (Lot 209 La Vida Buena: A Luxury Beach Getaway at Casa Acantilada  opening bid $5,000). These are just two of several getaway featured items that have been donated to help support the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School.

To preview these and all the items in the A Good Thing Growing online auction, visit sthelenacoop.org/a-good-thing-growing-preview. You must register to bid.

For more information about the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School, visit sthelenacoop.org/
Editor & Publisher, a national magazine covering the newspaper industry, has awarded an honorable mention to the St. Helena Star for the wine tasting panel it coordinates with the Napa Valley Vintners.

The award is part of the magazines annual competition titled, 10 Newspapers That Do It Right. As part of that competition, 10 top winners and 10 honorable mention awards were handed out. In announcing the awards, Managing Editor Nu Yang wrote, When we put out the call for nominations, we were essentially asking for newspapers to send us their biggest and brightest ideas. Ideas that increased revenue. Ideas that helped gain subscriptions. Ideas that helped bring communities together. Ideas that got people talking. And newspapers around the world delivered.

She added, A trend we noticed this year was the amount of papers submitting ideas centered on community engagement  whether it was talking and listening to your readers at city forums or hosting events focused on issues like race, economics and religion. The best part is that your readers were showing up, meaning they do want to meet you and they do want to engage with you.

Yang said the competition has been held for at least 10 years and more than 70 newspapers submitted entries. The entries were judged by the E&P editorial staff.

Except for the St. Helena Star, all 20 newspapers honored, from the Akron Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio to the Todays News-Herald in Lake Havasu City, Arizona are daily newspapers.

The St. Helena Star/Napa Valley Vintners tasting panel is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, having been started by David Stoneberg of the Star and Terry Hall of the Napa Valley Vintners in October 2007. The tasting panel always has been held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, located in St. Helena. The tasting panel is made up of 20 to 25 winemakers and other wine professionals, who meet monthly to taste and rank two dozen wines, all from the Napa Valley. All wines are tasted blind. Their rankings and a discussion of the wines afterward form the basis of the stories, written by Catherine Bugue, that appear in the Star, the Napa Valley Register and The Weekly Calistogan.

Currently coordinating the panel are David Stoneberg, editor of the St. Helena Star, Cate Conniff, communications manager for the Napa Valley Vintners, Patsy McGaughy, the Vintners marketing director, and Catherine Bugue, co-founder of the Napa Valley Wine Academy.

Sean Scully, director of news content for Napa Valley Publishing, said, Dave and his team have done a great job on the tasting panel over the years. It has evolved into an unparalleled showcase for Napa County wines and the people who make it, drink it, and love it. Scully is also editor of the Napa Valley Register.

McGaughy added, Were honored to be recognized for working with the St. Helena Star for nearly 10 years to create this unique forum. Winemakers and other wine professionals come together to taste and share their perspective on the individual wines, winemaking styles and the special attributes of Napa Valley. For the winemakers, it advances their commitment to wine quality to analyze and discuss what their peers are doing. For Star readers, the articles that follow each tasting give an insiders perspective to the given topic.
Learning and Organizational Development Programs The Learning and Organizational Development Department offers a variety of learning opportunities, including open enrollment courses, customized workshops, performance consultation and facilitation services. Programs include: Excellence Through Leadership: Provides development for Emorys senior leaders through all segments of the university (excludes Emory Healthcare). Emerging Leaders at Emory: Provides development for Emorys mid-level leaders to help prepare for more strategic roles within the university (excludes Emory Healthcare). Essentials of Leadership at Emory: Offered twice a year, the program aspires to develop leaders capable of shaping the future of the organization. Aspiring Leaders at Emory: Prepares individuals to become people leaders while advancing the mission of the university. Administrative Professional Program: Develops administrative professionals who demonstrate competency in a wide range of responsibilities, including managing projects and coordinating daily operations within their departments. Mentor Emory University: Advances the individual and the community through learning from others and giving back with one-to-one partnerships that foster the professional growth of the mentee and mentor HR Rep Certification Program: Aimed at current and aspiring human resources representatives who seek to develop core competencies in HR administration.

This year, Emorys Human Resources division has received three national awards in recognition of the universitys achievements in learning and organizational development programs and human resources excellence.

The awards come from professional human resources organizations, associations and publications and offer validation for the university's efforts to provide employees with leadership and professional development opportunities, says Wanda Hayes, senior director for learning and organizational development.

I think the message that it sends is that Emory places a significant focus on developing our people, Hayes says. Were definitely doing a lot of the right things with an incredible team, and were viewed that way both within and outside of the academy.

Feedback from people who go through our programs consistently tells us that its making a tremendous difference in professional and personal lives  thats rewarding, she says.

Although a focus on learning and organizational development has long been in place in corporate America, thats not always been the case for higher education, according to Hayes. But Emory is different, she adds.

Within the landscape of higher education, Emory is considered on the cutting edge, she says. We routinely receive inquiries from universities who want to come visit or benchmark against us.

What makes the difference? The big thing is that we have such great leadership support for this, leaders whove championed this  they are part of it, she says. These are programs that leaders have asked for, and they see the value and the importance.

This years awards include:

2017 LEAD Award: Innovation in Deployment of Leadership Programs

For more than 35 years, the Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) Forum has identified the nations top leadership programs within organizations, offering recognition for their strategies and solutions.

During a Feb. 8 awards gala, HR.com and LEAD recognized Emorys Learning and Organizational Development program among this years top leadership programs.

The award recognizes innovation and creativity within the organization and in the design and execution of a leadership program in the last 18 months, according to Hayes.

Specifically, the award recognized the universitys Emerging Leaders at Emory program, which provides education and development for Emorys mid-level leaders to help them prepare for more strategic roles within the university. The program will launch its third cohort in Fall 2017.

Out of some 350 applicants in the Innovation and Deployment of Leadership Programs award division, which included top corporations across a wide range of fields, the top 10 percent were selected and ranked. Out of the 35 winners, Emory ranked 9th overall, Hayes says.

All award winners and rankings are now featured in the February 2017 edition of Leadership Excellence Essentials.

College and University Professional Association-HR Southern Region: HR Excellence Award

This regional award honors transformative HR work in higher education, including teams and individuals who have provided HR leadership resulting in significant and ongoing organizational change within their institutions.

Presented on Feb. 26, the recognition automatically qualifies Emorys Learning and Organizational Development department to be represented for a national award, which will be selected from among the nations four regional winners at a national conference in September, Hayes says.

Chief Learning Officer Magazine: LearningElite Award

Emory has won recognition through this award for the past seven years and represents the only academic institution to win the LearningElite Award to date, according to Hayes.

Last year, we ranked 17th out of 70 organizations selected from among 200-300 organizations that applied for the award, she says. We remain the only academic organization ever to be selected for this award and will learn this years ranking in late April.

Each year, Chief Learning Officer magazines LearningElite program honors the best organizations for learning and development. This peer-developed benchmarking program recognizes organizations that employ exemplary workforce development strategies to deliver significant business results that benefit their organization, industry and the learning and development field, Hayes says.

Learn more about leadership programs and resources available to employees through Emorys Learning and Organizational Development department.
National Scholarships & Fellowships Program Spring Information Sessions Learn about Emory's internal nomination processes and selection criteria for national scholarship and fellowship programs. Register to attend these sessions or receive additional information. General Scholarship Information Session: Monday, March 13, 5:30-7 p.m., White Hall, Room 206. Designed for sophomores, juniors and seniors, this session is also open to undergrads, grads and alumni at any level. This session features general information about nationally competitive awards like the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Goldwater, Beinecke, Truman, Luce and Carnegie programs. Post-graduate Opportunities Information Session: Tuesday, March 21, 5:30-7 p.m., PAIS, Room 290 This session is for current juniors and seniors and recent alums who plan to apply next year (Fall 2017) for the Fulbright, UK-specific awards (the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates and Churchill Scholarships), and/or the Schwarzman Scholars Program.

For Kadiata Sy, graduating from Emory in 2015 with a bachelors degree in politics and Middle Eastern studies was far from the academic finish line.

In fact, it was yet one more step along what has been a true global journey.

As one of four Emory seniors named to receive the 2015-2016 Robert T. Jones Jr. Scholarship, Sy left campus eager to plunge head-first into a year of studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

There, she would pursue a one-year master's degree in Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asian security studies  a thrilling opportunity for a young woman from Mauritania whod spent her early childhood in a West African refugee camp in Northern Senegal.

Now Sy has been named to the 2017-2018 class of Luce Scholars, an honor that will propel her even further into the world of international studies.

A nationally competitive fellowship, the Luce Scholars Program was created by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. As a Luce Scholar, Sy will gain new perspectives and cultural insights through immersive living and working experiences in Asia coordinated through the Asia Foundation.

The prestigious appointment provides stipends, language training and individualized professional placement in Asia for 15-18 Luce Scholars each year, and welcomes applications from college seniors, graduate students and young professionals in a variety of fields who have had limited exposure to Asia.

The fellowship is unique among American-Asian exchanges in that it is intended for young leaders who have had limited experience of Asia and who might not otherwise have an opportunity in the normal course of their careers to come to know Asia, according to the Luce Foundation.

Sy was among 18 students chosen for the program from among 161 candidates nominated by 68 colleges and universities across the U.S. Selected through an intensive three-month-long selection process, Luce Scholars have backgrounds representing virtually every field other than Asian studies, according to the foundation.

The Luce Scholars program has become increasingly competitive, and so we are thrilled to have an Emory alum and Bobby Jones Scholar recognized in this years competition, says Megan Friddle, director of national scholarships and fellowships program in Emorys Office of Undergraduate Education.

The opportunity to work on issues related to gender and human rights in Asia will certainly enhance Kadiatas academic scholarship; she also brings a unique perspective that will enrich her host community and fellow Luce Scholars in return, Friddle adds.

Emory Report reached out to her via email to learn more about her plans:

When last we heard from you, youd just been named a Bobby Jones Scholar and were about to graduate from Emory. Where are you now on your academic journey?

My Bobby Jones year has been a great journey of self-discovery and constant adventures in Scotland and around Europe. I graduated from St Andrews on Dec. 1, 2016, and have been awarded a master of literature in Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asian security studies. My studies at St Andrews focused on political ideologies and my dissertation title was Rationalizing Politics: Is Ennahdas New Approach to the Question of Religion and Politics Indicative of an Ideological Shift?"

I am currently pursuing a second masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. My program title is master of arts in Islamic law  I am specializing in the harmonization of Islamic law and the human rights discourse.

What compelled you to apply to become a Luce Scholar? How do you envision this contributing to your future plans?

The Luce was first brought to my attention by my mentor Scott Kugle, associate professor of South Asian and Islamic studies at Emory, after I told him I was interested in gaining work experience outside my current academic field. I believe the Luce Scholarship will provide me with an enriching work experience in the field of women empowerment to further direct my doctoral studies.

How does all of this fit into your Middle Eastern and South Asian (MESA) studies?

I applied to Luce hoping to have a comparative regional analysis and to expand beyond my MESA scholarship.

Youll spend part of your Luce year working with an NGO that is part of the Asia Foundations Law and Justice Program or the Women's Empowerment Program?

Yes, I am currently working with the Asia Foundation to find an organization with a mission of women empowerment.

In the past, youve talked about working as a human rights advocate and eventually entering the field of law. Where do you see the Luce experience taking you?

I hope the year with Luce will enable me to direct my doctoral studies and provide me with the work experience necessary to accomplish a fruitful PhD research experience.
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Navy spokesperson Lt Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said the navy personnel had been ordered not to fire at Indian fishermen but to only arrest them if they entered Sri Lankan waters.

A Tamil Nadu official said fisherman Bridgo, 22, was fishing near the islet along with others on Sunday night when the naval personnel opened fire without any warning.

Bridgo was killed while another Indian fisherman was injured.

Sri Lanka and India are divided by a narrow strip of sea. The Sri Lankan Navy has been accused of killing scores of fishermen from Tamil Nadu found fishing in the island nation's territorial waters.

--IANS mr/py

( 139 Words)

2017-03-07-15:04:08 (IANS)
In a letter to Modi released to the media, Palaniswami said: "I strongly urge the Prime Minister to intervene personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen."

Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned and told about the strong feelings of the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments about the unprovoked firing on Indian fishermen.

His letter comes as an Indian fisherman was shot dead and another injured allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Straits. Colombo has said its Navy was not involved.

According to Palaniswami, five fishermen in a mechanised fishing boat set sail from Rameshwaram on the Tamil Nadu coast.

On Monday night, when they were fishing in the Palk Bay, four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded their boat and opened "unprovoked and indiscriminate fire".

"Two fishermen received bullet injuries. While Britjo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in a hospital," Palaniswami said.

Referring to his letter of March 5 highlighting the "escalation in instances of harassment and apprehension" of Indian fishermen, Palaniswami said the latest killing marked a new low for the Sri Lankan navy.

"In no circumstances can such unprovoked violence from the Sri Lankan side be tolerated," the Chief Minister said.

--IANS vj/mr/rn

( 285 Words)

2017-03-07-18:12:08 (IANS)
A 21-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot dead in Sri Lankan waters igniting tensions in the state but Colombo insisted its Navy was not involved. Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet in the narrow sea dividing the two countries when they were fired at on Monday night, Indian officials said. One fisherman, K. Britjo, was killed. Another who was injured was warded in a hospital in Tamil Nadu. The others escaped without injuries. As India voiced "deep concern" after the incident, Colombo promised a thorough probe and later said that its naval personnel did not fire at the fishermen. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, however, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act to curb what he said was Colombo's "aggression" against innocent Indian fishermen. Katchatheevu is located in the Palk Straits which divides India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen as well as Navy. In a letter to Modi, Palaniswami urged him "to intervene personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen". Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned and told about the strong feelings of the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments about the unprovoked firing on Indian fishermen. Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, blaming the Sri Lankan Navy for the killing. The dead man had set sail in a vessel with others from Rameshwaram on Monday. Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Lt Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said in Colombo that the Navy personnel had been ordered not to fire at Indian fishermen but to only arrest them if they entered Sri Lankan waters. Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Britjo and Rs 1 lakh for the injured fisherman Saron. The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said it was deeply concerned over the shooting. "Initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lanka Navy is not involved in this alleged incident," the Ministry said. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation. "They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," he said in Chennai. --IANS vj/mr/vd ( 481 Words) 2017-03-07-18:28:09 (IANS)
FDCI, in association with Maybelline New York, will commemorate 30 years of the Madhu Jain label, read a statement from FDCI.

Jain will unveil her designs on the first day of the four-day extravaganza, which will be held from March 15 to 18 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.

"FDCI has been the wind beneath the sail of many in the Indian design fraternity. It gives me immense hope that there are others who share my deep, abiding respect for our varied and rich crafts heritage. My dream is to optimise India and artisanal wealth and change the face of the handlooms sector," Jain said in a statement.

Jain will showcase 22 ensembles celebrating three decades of her journey in the world of Indian textiles.

The audience will get to see her signature work using fabrics like ikat, kalamkari and central Asian embroideries in a contemporary context.

President of FDCI Sunil Sethi said: "Today, when India has carved its space on the global map of fashion, we have veteran designers like Madhu Jain to thank for its recognition beyond borders. She has been influential in championing a cause, that we at FDCI hold dear to our heart - craft revival and textile conservation."

--IANS ks/nn/bg

( 248 Words)

2017-03-07-14:28:07 (IANS)
The tie up with IndiGo was announced on Tuesday via a statement. As per the association, the passenger buses at the airport will carry the film's poster, and other things are being chalked out at the moment.

Rahul Bose, who has directed and produced "Poorna", hopes "this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values".

"It was just a perfect fit to partner with a brand like IndiGo that consistently recognizes and respects the incredible achievements of women. I hope this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values," Rahul said.

"Poorna" is a biopic about a teenager who became the youngest girl in the world to scale Mount Everest. "Poorna", produced by Rahul Bose Productions, Raay Media Pvt Ltd and Co-produced by Amit Patni, is slated to release on March 31.

Patni, Founder of RAAY Media, also said: "When Rahul suggested we tie-up with the airline, we immediately agreed. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence and Girl Power' initiative left us in no doubt that this would be a natural, mutually productive partnership."

Aditya Ghosh, President and Wholetime Director at IndiGo, congratulated Rahul "for creating such a masterpiece and I am confident that the movie will receive love from the audience".

Last year, AirAsia India became the official airline partner of superstar Rajinikanth's Tamil actioner "Kabali".

--IANS sug/rb/bg

( 251 Words)

2017-03-07-15:54:12 (IANS)
To promote 'Poorna', a story of the youngest girl in history to climb Mt Everest, director Rahul Bose has tied up with IndiGo, a budget passenger carrier. Commenting on this partnership, Rahul said, "It was just a perfect fit to partner with a brand like IndiGo that consistently recognizes and respects the incredible achievements of women. I hope this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values." The co-producer of 'Poorna', Amit Patni, Founderof RAAY Mediasaid, "When Rahul suggested we tie-up with IndiGo airlines we immediately agreed. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence and 'Girl Power' initiative left us in no doubt that this would be a natural, mutually productive partnership." Commenting on this, Mr Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole-time Director, IndiGo said, "It is indeed an honour to be associated with a movie such as Poorna that reminds us of a young girl's extremely difficult yet courageous journey. Her exemplary display of determination, self-discipline and physical fitness is an inspiration for all of us. I would like to congratulate Rahul Bose for creating such a masterpiece and I am confident that the movie will receive love from the audience." Mr. Ghosh further added, "At IndiGo, we believe that women have the power to change any industry and with this belief we have endeavoured to empower women (both employees and communities outside). Our collaboration with 'Poorna' aligns naturally with our ongoing programmes - #GirlPower and #FitToFly that believe in empowering everyone inside and outside the organisation with better opportunities." The flick is based on the story of the life of Poorna Malavath, an Adivasi from Telangana, who in 2014, at the age of 13, became the youngest girl in history to climb Mount Everest. It powerfully encapsulates all the lessons of empowerment of the socially marginalized, gender equality, the importance of education, and last but not least how with courage, determination, and hard work, a child can achieve anything! (ANI)
The actress donned a ravishing candy floss pink lehenga choli with gold drizzle as she walked and twirled on the ramp at the ongoing eighth season of India Beach Fashion Week 2017 here.

About the designers, Kriti told IANS: "I love their creations...."

On her organic lehenga, made out of milk and soyabean, she said: "I don't know how it's made, but it's like amazing."

The designers showcased their collection titled unicorn tribe, which saw a wide range of lehengas, shararas, deconstructed sarees, anarkalis, off shoulder kurtas and palazzos.

About their collection Sukriti said: "The clothes are made of organic cotton, which is made out of milk and soya bean...So you realise it is a very soft fabric."

The duo used frosted colours of the unicorn that is white, blue, green, pink and pastels.

The three-day fashion event which started on March 6 will conclude on Wednesday with designer Suneet Varma's show.

--IANS dc/vd

( 182 Words)

2017-03-07-23:00:07 (IANS)
US House Republicans on Monday presented their long-awaited plan to replace the Affordable Care Act pushed by former President Barack Obama, a much anticipated move after conservative lawmakers' repeated promises to do away with the current system, known as Obamacare. The GOP proposal is included in two bills, which basically aim to create a tax credit system to help people buy health insurance, and it will exempt companies from having to offer alternative coverage to their employees, EFE news reported. The tax credit will fluctuate between $2,000 and $4,000 per year, would provide less financial help to low-income citizens but would maintain some of the benefits incorporated into Obama's healthcare reform, such as prohibiting insurers from raising premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. The presentation of the two bills opens the door for a harsh and complicated debate in Congress, where legislators will discuss dismantling and replacing one of the most complex systems implemented in the US in recent decades. Republicans hope to do away with basic parts of Obamacare, including the tax credits based on low income, which currently help millions of Americans pay for their health insurance. Under the Republican plan, tax credits based on salaries would be replaced by credits that would increase with age. In addition, people who do not acquire health insurance will be punished with a 30 per cent increase in costs for their medical care, a measure to avoid any disincentive to join the new system. GOP lawmakers have been trying to kill Obamacare since Obama pushed it through in 2010 with the support of both houses of Congress, which at the time had Democratic majorities. The conservatives argue that the current system doesn't let citizens choose their healthcare plan from among several options, but rather forces them to conform to the federal offers and companies to comply with the coverage their employees have, EFE news added. However, under the Obama administration, tens of millions of people who did not have health insurance obtained it thanks to the current system. The Republican proposal still needs to be reviewed by the non-partisan congressional budget office to evaluate its impact, but on Monday four GOP senators came out against the plan, already knowing its content. Ohio's Rob Portman, West Virginia's Shelley Moore Capito, Colorado's Cory Gardner and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski on Monday signed a letter saying that the draft House bill they had examined would not sufficiently protect the citizens of their states. In the states that they represent, Obamacare has considerably expanded access to Medicaid, the system whereby low-income citizens obtain help in getting medical coverage. In addition, several ultraconservative senators, including Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, also expressed their reservations about the text presented by their colleagues in the House, and they could -- along with their more moderate Republican colleagues -- hinder the progress of the new bill in the Senate. --IANS lok/ ( 496 Words) 2017-03-07-06:40:08 (IANS)
At the end of May health ministers of 194 nations will meet for their annual assembly. They will elect the person who will - on July 1st - replace Dr Margaret Chan as the next Director General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a serious job about the health and wellbeing of billions of people. Dr David Nabarro is one of the final three candidates in the running and he is in India to meet with senior Ministers setting out how his vision for an upgraded, transformed, WHO will benefit the country. Speaking ahead of his visit Dr Nabarro said "I am delighted to be visiting India to hear more about how the WHO can support Government of India to improve the lives of Indian people across this great country. "Between 1992 and 1995 I worked with several inspiring Indian health pioneers in what was then known as Orissa. Alongside this I was heavily involved in supporting health care for women within 'Amul' producing dairy cooperatives in Gujarat. "Our world faces many challenges including climate change, widespread poverty and conflict as well as the threat of infections such as Tuberculosis becoming more resistant to available medicines. And in India today, cases of non-communicable or 'lifestyle' diseases such as diabetes and heart disease are rising, while tuberculosis and malaria remain especially prevalent among poorer communities. "The WHO is vital to help meet these challenges, but it urgently needs an upgrade. I will rapidly transform how the WHO responds to disease outbreaks and I will prioritise support for lifestyle related diseases. At the heart of my vision is an organisation that ensures people, especially women and children, get the health care they need, when they need it." Dr Nabarro has the full support of the UK Government because his experience is unrivalled - he has spent over 40 years in international public health as a medical doctor, educator, international public servant and diplomat. He has repeatedly and successfully managed complex global challenges and led the world in responding to crises. He has worked on the frontline, in over 50 countries including India, Nepal and Bangladesh. He has also spent 15 years getting to grips with the intricacies of the UN and global health systems, working on Ebola, bird flu, cholera and nutrition. British High Commissioner to India, Sir Dominic Asquith said: "Dr. Nabarro is the best choice for WHO as its next Director General. With his strong, unmatched credentials and experience of leading Global Britain's responses to medical crises in the recent past, he is best placed to lead the organisation as newer challenges arise." UK and India have a thriving Science and Innovation relationship which is further enhanced by the Newton-Bhabha Fund. Under Newton-Bhabha we are working together to address key global challenges like public health and wellbeing which supports UK-India collaborations tackling areas such as Anti-Microbial Resistance, maternal and child health and air pollution and human health." (ANI)
When John Oliver, one of the wittiest men on the planet met his holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the most outspoken spiritual leaders, sparks were bound to fly, and their crackling chemistry was clearly visibly for the world to see in the latest 'Last Week Tonight' episode, where both the personalities came together in a hilarious yet insightful interview. The British comedian recently flew to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile for more than five decades, to speak to him on issues ranging from his reincarnation to China. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On last night's show <a href="https://twitter.com/iamjohnoliver">@iamjohnoliver</a> sat down with the Dalai Lama to talk about China, reincarnation, and horse milk. <a href="https://t.co/JVtR1dbypJ">https://t.co/JVtR1dbypJ</a></p> Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) <a href="https://twitter.com/LastWeekTonight/status/838755273879715841">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> When asked if it was likely that could be the very last Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader told Oliver it's "very possible" even though he did not give a specific answer. However, he was quick to give a definitive response when asked if he worries that China would appoint its own Dalai Lama, saying that "May I say so? That's also, you say, one of the foolish acts. Short-sighted. Without using the human brain properly. It's harmful. Our brain usually, you see, [has] the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brains, that part of the brain is missing." A visibly amused Oliver responded to the powerful statement with his typical wit saying, "I'm happy to sit here to criticize China with you, because the consequences for me are not necessarily as bad as they are for you," to which the Dalai Lama burst out laughing. The interview also touched upon China's perception of Dalai Lama, whom Oliver says they likely picture as an actual demon with horns. "Whatever they want to say, that is their freedom. I have no negative feeling. I just feel love, like that. I practice, you see, taking others' anger, suspicion, distrust and give them patience, tolerance and compassion. I practice that," the Tibetan spiritual leader said in response. However, the Dalai Lama's infectious humor was on full display as he managed to stun Oliver with and anecdote from his life, where he said that during a visit to Mongolia he noticed a lot of people drinking vodka, so he suggested everyone drinks horse milk instead! "Hold on, that is a huge claim! You cured Mongolia of alcoholism ... using horse milk?" said a clearly flabbergasted Oliver, to which the Dalai Lama simply responded saying, "yes". The Dalai Lama had fled to India from Tibet in 1959 through Arunachal Pradesh, and has been running the Tibetan government-in-exile from Himachal Pradesh. Beijing has on several counts repeated its displeasure over India inviting the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh in April, part of which China claims as its territory, and warned that his visit could result in a further straining of ties with New Delhi. The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit to Arunachal Pradesh on the invitation of the Chief Minister Pema Khandu. China considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" who seeks to separate nearly a quarter of the land mass of the People's Republic of China. (ANI)
Taking the present war of words to the next level, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday blamed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for the continuous decrease in the standard of the current campaigning in the Uttar Pradesh elections, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had never initiated but only responded to the former's jibes and remarks. "Akhilesh Yadav is responsible for the continuous decrease in the standard of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. From the very first day rather than speaking on the achievement of his government he started targeting Prime Minister Modi through his comments," BJP leader Jagdimbika Pal told ANI. Pal further defended the Prime Minister's verbal attack on the Opposition during rallies saying that that after other parties started taunting the former, it was only obvious for him and the BJP to hit back. Earlier on Monday, Akhilesh launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister Modi and said the former has done a lot of 'Mann ki Baat' and now it is time for him to do some 'Kaam ki Baat'. "He has done a lot of 'Mann ki Baat' but somehow people could not understand his 'Mann ki Baat'. We would just like to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he has done enough of 'Mann ki Baat' but now it's time for him to do some 'Kaam ki Baat'," Akhilesh said while addressing a rally in Jaunpur. Terming Prime Minister Modi's back-to-back rallies in Varanasi as a sign of 'desperation', Akhilesh said the BJP does not have any agenda and that the people must not believe them. On the other hand, the Prime Minister accused the Samajwadi Party of criminalizing Uttar Pradesh, citing they had turned police stations into their party offices. "The Samajwadi Party offices have been placed inside the Uttar Pradesh Police Stations and that is why, police takes permission from their workers before lodging a case," he said while addressing a rally in Varanasi. Prime Minister Modi also urged the people not to give another chance to the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress. (ANI)
Attacking Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav for her 'political mileage' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said the Samajwadi Party leaders are fully aware that they have lost the Uttar Pradesh elections, which is why they are resorting to such statements just to stay in limelight. "Samajwadi Party leaders know that they have lost the assembly elections. So, how are they supposed to be relevant if they do not comment on the Prime Minister? Which explains their recent attack," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI here. Expressing confidence about the BJP's fate in the polls, Hussain further noted that no matter how much the Akhilesh Yadav-led party tries, the people of Uttar Pradesh will give them an appropriate reply through their votes. Earlier on Monday, Dimple had hit out at the BJP-led government for deriving political mileage from the Army's accomplishments. "I am the daughter of an armyman. These people are taking mileage from the martyrdom of our soldiers. They are politicising the army...never seen such a government earlier," Dimple said while addressing a rally Bhadohi. She also targeted the Centre over the November 8th decision of demonetizing high-value currency notes saying they had made people run around for their own money. Meanwhile, the campaigning for the final phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh ended yesterday and voting will be held on Wednesday. In Uttar Pradesh, 40 constituencies spread over seven districts will go for polls this seventh phase. The seven districts going to polls include Varanasi, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar-Bhadohi, Sonebhadra and Jaunpur. The results will be announced on March 11. (ANI)
After stoking a controversy by demanding a review on the definition of 'minorities', Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday while defending his earlier remark, asserted the Muslim community should be brought above the 'minority' category as there has been a rise in their population. "There should be debate on who is the minority in India. I just want to say that there has been a rise in the population of Muslims from the time of Independence and now they should be brought above this category and should stand equal with the Hindus in this country," Singh told ANI. Singh further demanded a strict population control measure that should be equal for both Hindus and Muslims. Earlier on Sunday, Singh's took to Twitter to insist a review on the Minority tag allotted to the Muslim community in the country. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr">?????????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ???? ???? ?????,?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ??? <a href="https://t.co/lm3Mgalf66">pic.twitter.com/lm3Mgalf66</a></p> Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) <a href="https://twitter.com/girirajsinghbjp/status/838034935244066816">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The Union Minister had also shared a report of 'Pew Research Centre' and called for a fresh debate on minorities of the country. (ANI)
Taking cognizance of the of the statement made by Pakistan's former national security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani holding Islamabad responsible for the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Congress on Tuesday said the Government of India should utilize this in talks with Pakistan and at the international level as well. Congress leader P.C. Chacko asserted that enough evidence had already been provided to Pakistan regarding the Mumbai attack but the neighboring nation refused to take any action. "This is something which the government of India should utilize in talks with Pakistan and at international level as well. Pakistan, in spite of the fact that we have given credible evidence, is always refusing to accept it," Chacko said adding, "Now their own former intelligence chief has come out clearly saying that there is a Pakistan hand in the Mumbai attack and other terrorist attacks against India." On Monday, Durrani said the November 26, 2008 terror attack in Mumbai was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, adding that it was a classic trans-border terrorist event. "26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan is a classic trans-border terrorist event," he said. He said that because he held on this view, the government was not too pleased with, and it could one of reasons why he lost his job as National Security Advisor (NSA). Durrani also added that Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed had no utility and Pakistan should act against him. Mahmud Ali Durrani, a retired army general, was the National Security Advisor to the Pakistani government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court today will hear the plea seeking action against those policemen who used excessive force during the clash in Ramjas College, and allegedly manhandling students and journalists. Last week, students from Delhi University's law department approached the High Court for action against those cops responsible for assaulting students and scribes. Two of Delhi University law students Tarun Narang and Deepak Joshi filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the matter, which seeks formation of an independent committee of senior Delhi Police officials to investigate what led to massive protests in the College. It also demanded that police lodge cases under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (assaulting a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) against the Police officers. On February 22nd, the All India Students Association (AISA) and the ABVP engaged into a scuffle over cancellation of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid's talk at Delhi University's Ramjas College. Following the emerging reports about the extreme violence, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner. "Allegedly, some journalists, covering clashes, were slapped, punched and kicked by the policemen. The Commission has taken on record complaints as well as media reports making similar allegations including threats to some students on social media. The Commission has given him four weeks to submit a detailed report in the matter," read the NHRC notice. Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he was in touch with Delhi Police over the turbulent situation arising out of the Ramjas College clash. However, the Delhi Police had called for strict action, while asserting that few policemen's unprofessional actions were also noticed in handling law and order situation during the scuffle. "It came in the notice of top leadership of the Delhi police that unprofessionalism was seen on the part of certain policemen in handling law and order situation. We will take action according to the circumstances," Delhi Police spokesperson Dependra Pathak told ANI. Asserting that strict action would be taken against the guilty, Pathak said a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) level officer is conducting an enquiry into the matter. "A committee is instituted and top leadership is monitoring and taking care of it. We don't condone such action. Strict action will be taken," he added. Emphasising that the police would make sure such events do not recur in future, he said: "In future, regarding student protest, we request students to remain peaceful and be in the bounds of law." He further said a probe has been launched into the matter. "The allegations and adverse things have come out but we are enquiring into it. We are looking into certain allegations," he added. (ANI)
All the victims are of or below 15 years.

The accused attracted the minors giving them sweets and called to a shop where they were used sexually and repeated it threatening them.

The Yetheemkhana teachers who happened to see a girl outside a shop, questioned her which revealed the entire episode of the incident.

The Yetheemkhana authorities complained to the Kalpetta Police and find out that six minor girls are victims of it.

The accused are being questioned by a team headed by district police chief Rajpal Meena. (ANI)
"In India we have an ambitious plan to use LNG as a transportation fuel, very soon we are going to notify," Pradhan said in Houstan.

He visited Houston along with a delegation comprising the CEOs of Public Sector Oil and Gas companies,

During his visit to Boston, Pradhan delivered a keynote speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Conference on the theme Balance of Power-the Changing Energy Paradigm.

Pradhan is scheduled to have several bilateral meeting with visiting Petroleum Ministers, including from Canada, UAE, Israel, USA, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia and also Secretary General of International Energy Agency (IEA).

He will also be meeting and exchanging views with renowned experts from hydrocarbon sector, including Dr Daniel Yergin and Bob Dudley, Group Chief Executive of BP.

During his stay in Houston, he will interact with Indian origin scientists and CEOs working in the oil and gas sector and Indian community members.

The Petroleum Minister will showcase India's hydrocarbon sector and the recent policy reforms under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at CERA Week, which is world's largest hydrocarbon conference.

He will interact with ministers, policy makers, technologists, scientists, planners and management experts, entrepreneurs, service providers and vendors in order to attract investment into India's growing oil and gas sector. (ANI)
A police team was deployed at a checkpoint in Kaldang area following an input on movement of militants in the area.

"Three persons were injured after a police team who were at a checkpoint in Kaldang area fired at a vehicle as the driver refused to halt at the checkpoint," state Director General of Police S B Singh said.

Following the firing, he said an enraged mob burnt down the police station and vehicles at Resubelpara.

"We are awaiting details of the incident," the police official said.

Meanwhile, the injured were shifted to a private hospital in Guwahati, Assam.

One of them is in a critical condition.

Police have been conducting checking of vehicles following reports of movement of militants in the district. UNI RRK AD1026

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1177668.Xml
Tension continued today in Silapathar town of Dhemaji district in northern Assam following ransacking of All Assam Students Union (AASU) office by members of a Bengali organisation. Security reinforcements have been deployed, including army, to control the situation. Tension broke out again this morning when AASU members staged protest against yesterday's vandalism. They also engaged in verbal dispute with security personnel deployed in the town. Meanwhile, nine people have been arrested so far for alleged involvment in the vandalism and police case registered against the organisers' of the rally. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Members of a little-known Bengali organisation that had taken out a rally in Silapathar yesterday, demanding citizenship for Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh, had allegedly vandalised the AASU office, leading to confrontations between members of the two groups. UNI SG AD1045 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1177681.Xml
In India, Gleneagles Global Hospitals currently operating a chain of multi-super speciality hospitals offering tertiary and quaternary health services with over 2,000 beds and state-of-the-art in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

We are looking at all possible ways ( like acquiring of existing hospitals or land) to set up hospitals in Delhi and also at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Gleneagles Global Hospitals Chairman Dr K Ravindranath told UNI here yesterday.

The proposed hospital at New Delhi is in early stage and we will come up with a concrete plans in the next six months, he said that Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam are strategic places for its hospitals as Visakhapatnam will covers nearby states like Chattisgargh and Odisha.

He said our aim is to strengthen and expand its leading market position as a destination for multi-organ transplant for patients from India, Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.

Across the four hospitals in India, we have successfully managed several kidney transplants across the blood groups, he claimed.UNI KNR CS 1052

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1177684.Xml
A bullet removed from the neck of slain Indian fisherman gunned down allegedly by Sri Lankan navy in midsea attack last night, matched to an assault rifle perhaps that of AK 47. Police sources said the bullet was removed by doctors during an autopsy on K.Bristo (21) body at the government hospital mortuary in Rameswaram this morning. The bullet fired from high velocity rifle pierced into the neck killing him within seconds on the boat. The ammunition belongs to AK 47 rifle, the sources added. The body of Bristo was kept in the morgue, as his relatives refuse to accept it. Meanwhile, Clinton, one of the fishermen who was on board the ill-fated mechanized fishing boat told newsmen here that they were engaged in fishing well inside the Indian territorial waters. The Sri Lankan Naval personnel, who came in a fast craft fired indiscriminately on the boat without issuing any warning. We ran inside the boat and hid in the cabin to escape from unprovoked firing, but one of the bullet hit Bristo. As we saw Bristo lying in a pool of blood soon after hit by the bullet, we called fishermen leaders P.Seshu Raja and Emirat in Rameswaram by mobile phone and asked them to alert the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) to rescue us. But, before the help could come from ICG, we managed to sail back to Rameswaram shore and rushed Bristo to the government hospital. However, he succumbed to bullet wounds while being brought to the shore, he said. MORE UNI GSM CS 1140 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1177731.Xml
Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) today walked out from the Assembly during the question hour protesting that the government had allocated meagre amount to provide free power supply to the SCs and STs up to 50 units. Labour and Employment Minister K Atchannaidu Kinjarapu said that free power supply is being provided to the poor in the SCs and STs up to 50 units. The Minister said that Rs 58 crore for SCs and Rs.18.50 crore for STs were allocated to provide free power supply. Responding to the issue, Opposition leader Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said that government allocated a meagre amount to provide free power to SCs and STs. He described the meagre allocation as giving alms to SCs and STs. Mr Jagan said that due to hike of power tariff, the poor in the SC and ST are unable to pay power bills as they are too high. While he was continuing to speak on the subject, the Speaker switched off his mike. MORE UNI DP CS 1155 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1177732.Xml
India today lodged its strong protest at the highest level in Sri Lanka, an hour after the report of killing of an Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy."Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman, " a statement issued by the MEA said."Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation," said the statement.UNI MK RSA SB 1153 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1177733.Xml
Strongly condemning the killing of Indian fisherman allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Highways, Road Transport and Shipping Pon.Radhakrishnan today said "it is a very serious issue and India has taken it up with Sri Lanka." Talking to newsmen at Nagercoil here, he said protection of fishermen is key to the government. The killing of fisherman is unfortunate at a time when both India and Lanka were engaged in government-level talks to resolve the issue. Sri Lanka should express its regret for the killing of innocent fisherman, he said. He said the fishing issue is only between Tamil fishermen of both countries. But, because of it, they (Sri Lanka) should not take such stringent action. The Indian government is extending its full cooperation to resolve the fishermen issue and is ready to spend crores of rupees towards it, he added.UNI GSM CS 1246 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1177818.Xml
A group of students, who have been sitting on protest since last night outside the college campus alleged that they have been facing harrassment by the college authorities since past few months.

The college has reportedly issued a directive asking students not lock the doors of their rooms while changing clothes as they might use their cell phones or get involved in homosexual activites.

The students also claimed that they were barred from using internet in the library as the management said they might watch porn.

The student also alleged that the college principal harasses students belonging to lower caste and imposes many such rules and heavy fines.

The college, which has been closed over a week in wake of the protest, is run by businessman Ravi Pillai and being managed by the Upasana Charitable Society. (ANI)
Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman and MD of Medanta Hospital has expressed grief towards the family of the victims who got injured following the crash land of an air ambulance which was en-route to Bangkok. "We are sad to know such a big tragedy happened on the way. The two doctors who were seriously injured are admitted to an intensive care unit in a Bangkok hospital. There were three people from Medanta team and two pilots who were on the air craft when the incident took place. The two doctors have got sever burn injuries and our specialized team of experts will be treating on them soon," said Dr. Trehan. He further said the victims are getting appropriate treatment, adding that he will check on them to find out if they are being provided with the best treatment. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has also expressed her concerns towards the incident. There were five people in the plane when it suddenly caught fire before crash-landing near Bangkok. The doctors injured in the accident are from the departments of emergency and anaesthesia. A separate team of doctors from Medanta left for Thailand to ensure proper treatment for the injured. The aircraft, Pilatus PC 12 (VT-AVG), belonged to Delhi-based charter company, Air Charter Services. It had taken off from Delhi at 8.42 am on Sunday. The plain took a refuelling stop in Kolkata en route to Bangkok and crash-landed at Nakhon Pathom airport, about 730km from Bangkok, late Sunday afternoon. (ANI)
He was sworn in on February 24 in Washington by USAID Acting Administrator Wade Warren.

An US embassy statement said White, a former US Peace Corp volunteer, had worked in over 30 countries across four continents.

He was earlier assigned to the US Army War College as a Professor -teaching a course in International Development - and worked on select peace-keeping and stability research topics.

He also served as the Acting Mission Director of USAID/Angola and Deputy Mission Director of USAID/Haiti in 2013-16.

--IANS mr/py

( 117 Words)

2017-03-07-14:56:14 (IANS)
The TRS candidates-- V.Gangadhar Goud, A.Krishna Reddy and M.Hanumantha Rao-handed over their nomination papers to the Legislature Secretary who is also the Returning Officer for the poll, scheduled for March 19.

Earlier, the three paid floral tributes at the Telangana martyrs memorial near Gun park in the City.

They were accompanied among others by Deputy Chief Minister Mahamood Ali and Ministers--- Naini Narasimha Reddy, E.Rajender, K.T.Rama Rao,T.Srinivas Yadav, Padma Rao and Hyderabad Mayor B.Rammohan.UNI SMS CS 1509

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The All India Skin and Hide Tanners and Merchants Association (AISHTMA), today signed MoUs with East African Countries like Kenya and Tanzania,and an United Nations agency--the International Trade Centre (ITC)--for the development of the leather sector. The MoUs were supported under the framework of "Supporting Indian Trade and Investment for Africa" (SITA), a South-South Aid-for-Trade Project implemented by ITC (2015-2020), and funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID). The MoUs between AISHTMA-TAK (Tanners Association of Kenya) and AISHTMA and ULAIA (Uganda Leather and Allied Industries Association) would focus on trade information exchange (market trends, prices, regulations etc.), trade and investment promotion through regular exchange of delegations, sharing of best practices and joint development of services for the leather industry, developing a policy framework to strengthen the leather industry, supporting and coordinating activities related to Production of quality hides and skins andmanufacture of leather and increased value addition on hides and skins for domestic and export markets. The MoU with ITC would focus on increasing enterprise and sector competitiveness, capacity building in trade intelligence; market analysis and research, strengthening of trade support networks in India and third-countries or regions, promoting trade and business linkages between India and third-countries and improving the business environment and support to trade policy formulation. Meanwhile, talking to reporters here today, AISHTMA President M Rafeeque Ahmed, Secretary S M Faiyaz Ahmed said the centenary celebrations of the Association wouldbe held on March nine. They said the association was established in October 1917 to represent the tanners of South India. Back in those days the association was known as SISHMA or South India Skin and Hide Merchants Association. In 1978, it was renamed to serve at National Level. Stating that the leather product industry in India was basically export oriented and holds a prominent place in the Indian Economy, they said AISHTMA was conscious of the potential of the leather sector as a foreign exchange earner for the country. ''The leather industry bring in USD seven billion in foreign exchange to the IndianGovernment, which is almost eight per cent of the entire foreign exchange earned'',they said.UNI GV CS 1552 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1178174.Xml
Armed criminals looted Rs 25 lakhs of a bank whencash was being taken in a private vehicle and also opened fire on itsstaff causing injuries to him, on Bodh Gaya-Mohanpur road under BodhGaya police station area in Gaya district today. Deputy Police Superintendent Satish Kumar said here that Rs 25lakhs was being transported in a private vehicle for Itawa branch ofPunjab National Bank when criminals tried to loot the cash on BodhGaya- Mohanpur road. When a staff of the bank resisted the loot bid, criminals opened fire causing serious injuries to him and managed to escape from the spot. "The injured staff had been admitted to Magadh Medical College, Gaya where his condition was stated to be serious", Mr Kumar said, adding that raids were being carried out to nab the criminals and recover looted cash from them. As it is, armed criminals had looted Rs 60 lakhs from a cashvan under Belchhi police station area in Patna district and also shotdead three people, including security guard, when resisted their lootbid yesterday.UNI XC KKS RN 1558 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-1178182.Xml
The event witnessed Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, who shares His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa's passion for peace building and service.

Also, Dr. Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam of the All India Organization of Imams of Mosques; His Holiness Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni, prominent Jain spiritual leader; and Bhikkhu Sanghasena, the founder and president of Mahabodhi International Meditation Center, who traveled to Kathmandu and surprised His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa for his birthday.

His Holiness, Gyalwang Drukpa was presented with a US congressional resolution from Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the U.S. Congresswoman for New York's 12th Congressional District.

The resolution paid tribute to the Gyalwang Drukpa as a world-renowned humanitarian, environmentalist, and champion of gender equality, recognizing his efforts to provide relief services to tens of thousands in the Himalayas following the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal; to protect against soil erosion and support clean air through his One Million Trees project; and to empower, educate, protect, and inspire girls and women in the Himalayas and around the world.

The celebrations will continue in full swing till March 8, 2017. (ANI)
The workers called for regularisation of employees completing 7-years of service against 'equivalent' vacant posts in the department.

Protesting for a long time, these workers want the government to fulfill our various demands, including brining the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) employees under the ambit of a new employment policy.

Earlier on Monday, the police used batons to halt the protest of workers in press colony, while hundreds of workers were trying to march towards the Chief Minister residence.

Nearly two dozen contractual employees were taken into preventive custody here after they tried to take out a rally in support of their demands, including the demand for regularisation of their services and proper pay scale.

On February 1, the NHM employees had called for 72-hour pen down strike. However, they extended it for next 72 hours on February 3. (ANI)
Malaysia is likely to extend its moratorium on bauxite mining for another three months or more as there is still runoff from bauxite stockpiles near a port that is contaminating coastal waters, the environment minister said today.Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told Reuters in a text message he would make a recommendation to the cabinet, although that body would have the final say on the matter.Malaysia's largely unregulated bauxite mining industry in Kuantan, port capital of key bauxite producing state Pahang, ramped up output starting in 2014 to fill a supply gap after Indonesia banned exports and to meet demand from top aluminium producer China.The frenetic pace of digging, however, led to a public outcry over water contamination and destruction of the environment.In January last year, the government imposed its first three-month ban on mining of the commodity, extending it several times.Wan Junaidi had said in February that he was not inclined to lift the moratorium yet as heavy rains had caused bauxite runoff and further contamination.REUTERS PS BL1648 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1178260.Xml
Congress today hit out at the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of indulging in "organised loot" and "legalised plunder" in the name of digital transactions and asked the NDA government to stop fleecing the ordinary people. Talking to mediapersons here, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "After the unwitting and devastating demonetisation decision, which was forced on the people of the country, the Modi government is brazenly indulging in 'organised loot' and 'legalised plunder' in the name of digital transactions." He said prior to demonetisation, consumer transactions were 90 per cent cash and 10 per cent digital, but post-note ban decision, the Modi government has kept a target of 30 per cent digital and 70 per cent cash, which he wants to make it 50 per cent by 2020.He said, "In 2017, it is expected that India's ordinary consumers will spend Rs 170 lakh crore. Around 30 per cent of those would be digital that means Rs 51 lakh crore would be digital and if we expect a 0.05 per cent charge, it would be Rs 26,000 crore annually that would go to the government and the banks. In the next three years when transactions go up, the charge would go up to Rs 60,000 crore." The Congress leader added that there were five banking charges which were being imposed by the government -- Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) when shopped through cards, over the counter transaction charges, charges on ATM transactions after a fixed number of transactions in a month, charges for not maintaining a minimum balance and charges on online transaction. SBI, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC bank have already started these charges and moreover ATM transaction were also subjected to similar charges, Mr Surjewala said.The Congress also accused the government of withdrawing the subsidy on sugar being sold through Public Distribution System (PDS).Mr Surjewala said the government by withdrawing Rs 4500 crore subsidy from sugar shows its insensitiveness towards the poor of the country. "Mr Modi, you only speaks about the poor but benefit the rich, you are charging Rs 26000 crore annually in name of digital India, you are withdrawing Rs 4500 crore subsidy from ration shops. Is this the commitment of this government to the poor?" Mr Surjewala asked. UNI RBE SW RJ 1646 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1178226.Xml
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has alleged serious financial mismanagement by the Nagaland Government which the Congress suggested was also responsible for government workers not being paid. In a release by the NPCC expressed full support to the demands made by various state service associations to the Nagaland government seeking implementation of the 7th revision of pay from Mar 1, 2017. "When the central government employees have been granted 7th revision of pay (RoP) as per the recommendations of the pay commission since Aug 2016, the state government cannot afford to discriminate its employees on grounds of insufficient funds," the NPCC stated. In 2010, the Congress alleged, the NPF government did "gross injustice" to state employees "by misusing the generous grant of Rs 712 crores sanctioned by Congress led UPA Government for implementing 6th RoP." Out of Rs 712 crore that was sanctioned, only Rs 472.56 crore were released to 72 departments which included the amount of Rs 189 crores impounded to GPF accounts. The NPF government could never give explanation for the balance amount of Rs 239.44 crores which were blatantly misused and never accounted for. Further, the NPCC stated that it had repeatedly highlighted this "gross misuse of generous grant" of Rs 712 crore sanctioned by the Congress-led UPA government 'irrespective of the party in power that could have easily covered even the payment of arrears from June 1, 2008.' However, the Congress expressed grief, "it was unfortunate that the state service associations at that point of time were contended with the state government's offer of effecting 6th RoP starting June 1, 2008 notionally for the purpose of pay fixation only and actual cash benefit from April 1, 2010 for reasons best known to them." Moreover, the NPCC stated, over 3,000 state government employees, who were forced to retire at one go from October 31, 2009 through "The Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Act 2009," were denied the benefits of the 6th RoP. "During the past 14 years of NPF misrule, the state government has openly disregarded its employees through forced retirements and denial of financial benefits." "The growing pay disparity between central and state government employees is a matter of great concern. Since the NPF had allowed BJP to become its supreme high command, it should be able to convince its Delhi masters to bail them out if they are really concerned for the welfare of the people and the state," the release stated. UNI AS AKM 1748 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1178441.Xml
The USD 1.5 billion Sanmar Group, with interests in varied fields like chemicals, engineering, shipping and steel castings,launched the golden jubilee celebrations of Chemplast-Sanmar here today. Chemplast Sanmar was the flagship company of the Sanmar Group, a USD1.5 billion industrial conglomerate. Talking to reporters here, Sanmar Group Chairman N Sankar and DeputyChairman Vijay Sankar said the saga of Chemplast Sanmar was a story of growth with responsibility. It is equally a saga of innovation and being ahead of the times. The success of the company demonstrates the strong commitment shown by the Sanmar Group to responsible growth, to innovation and to social responsibilities, be it environmental care or community development. It is a tribute to the pool of technical talent that the Group has nurtured over the years and the strong emphasis on ethical management. From its humble beginnings in 1967 with a capacity of 6000 tons of PVC resin at Mettur, Chemplast Sanmar was today a highly integrated chemical manufacturer, with manufacturing facilities located at Mettur, Cuddalore and Karaikal (in Puducherry). Since 1967, the company has grown both organically and inorganically into what it is now. The company is the largest manufacturer of speciality Paste PVC resin in the country (66,000 tons per annum), and the second largest manufacturer of commodity Suspension PVC (3,00,000 tons per annum). The company also expanded into Chlorochemicals (through the acquisition of the Mettur Chemical and Industrial Corporation Limited in the mid-80s). Talking about future plans, Mr Sankar said the company has chalked out Rs.2,825 crore fresh investments plans-on its own and in joint venture, that included doubling Chemplast Sanmar's suspension Poly Vinyl chloride (PVC) capacity, which would begin in an year's time and completed in a next couple of years, besides setting up of hydrogen peroxide plantboth at an outlay of around Rs.700 crore. The company would also set up a a chlorinated PVC (CPVC) project in equal joint venture with Kem One SAS of Europe involving a total outlay of Rs.325 crore. Stating that the investments would be made in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and in Egypt, Mr Vijay Sankar said the expansion of PVC would be atits existing facility in Cuddalore to meet the growing demand. Besides the above committed projects, the company also has grand plans of more than trebling its Suspension PVC capacity to one million tons in stages. ''This will help the country to meet its huge demand of Suspension PVC, going into the irrigation and construction sectors'', he added He said it was also planning to increase the PVC capacity in its Egypt plant to 400,000 tpa involving an investment of about Rs 1,800 crore.UNI GV CS 1710 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1178338.Xml
After a high decibel and one of the most acrimonious campaigns of recent times, which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi almost camping in Uttar Pradesh for three days at a stretch to counter the Akhilesh Yadav- Rahul Gandhi combine, the last phase of Assembly polls is going to be held tomorrow, bringing to a close the fierce do-or-die battle for the throne of the Hindi heartland. Winning in the state is crucial for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre to keep up its spirits for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while for the rival SP-Congress camp, the stakes were equally high as Akhilesh fights the family patriarchs to emerge as a leader on his own, and the grand old party seeks to maintain its relevance in a state which has given 7 prime ministers to the nation and sends the highest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha. Veteran journalist and political analyst, Ambikanand Sahai, who keeps a close watch on the state's politics, says the BJP was under tremendous pressure in these elections. According to his assessment, the saffron party in order to befriend the non-Yadav Other Backward Classes and non-Jatav dalits, did not focus on its core constituency which is the upper caste voter resulting in their division. He was of the view that the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Mr Ajit Singh had this time been able to retain the Jats who had deserted him in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and on top of that the small trader, which also used to be the core constituency of the BJP, was not happy with the note ban. For the Bahujan Samaj Party, the other key player in the state, these elections are crucial as it seeks to rise from the ashes of 2014 Lok Sabha polls in which it had drawn a blank. Party supremo Mayawati, too, has crisscrossed the state to woo her dalit, and also Muslim voters, a combination with which she hopes to give a fight to her arch rival, the Samajwadi Party. The SP is banking on the clean image of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who also has age on his side. In his election rallies, he has kept his focus on the developmental work done by him in the last half of his tenure during which he is said to have worked hard to emerge from the shadows of father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his close aides including brother Shivpal Yadav and Mr Amar Singh. By discarding the old guards, the Chief Minister has sought to neutralise the anti-incumbency factor. The BJP is banking entirely on the charisma of Mr Modi, having projected no leader as the party's chief ministerial candidate. The ruling party at the Centre also fielded party president Amit Shah and other leaders and Union ministers for the campaign. After the initial three phases, the BJP went aggressive, raking up some of its pet issues such as appeasement of minorities, a charge which had specifically been levelled against the SP government in the state. More UNI NAZ RP1720 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1178321.Xml
In a move to support the Government of India's Digital India and cashless initiative, Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) has become India's first bank to launch access to DigiLocker on the bank's net banking platform. Through this platform, customers can eliminate the use of physical documents as Aadhaar-linked documents can be automatically fetched from Digilocker partner institutions. Customers can also download pre-verified documents themselves by providing some details. Customers only need a valid Aadhaar number to avail the DigiLocker. It is a free service with storage capacity of 1GB. They can upload scanned copies of their documents like driving licence, voter ID and school certificates in their DigiLocker. They can share them with anyone using email and can also electronically sign them using the eSign facility. KMB has provided single sign-on access to DigiLocker via Kotak net banking. Commenting on the launch, Shanti Ekambaram, President, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said, "We fully support Government's agenda of digitisation and making India cashless. DigiLocker is targeted at paperless governance. It offers customers the convenience of uploading and accessing key documents on a single platform. This service is in-line with our philosophy of convenient digital banking solutions that solves real problems and simplifies banking."KMB will subsequently extend access to DigiLocker via Mobile Banking and other digital platforms as well.UNI ADP SW 1704 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1178284.Xml
Hours before the penultimate phase of polling in the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a suspected terrorist on Tuesday was cornered in the thickly-populated Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The man refused to surrender to the police and the operation at the Haji colony is underway. "We were informed that few suspects were lodged in Kanpur and Lucknow. The police and senior officials of the ATS went in the search. The suspect who was found in Kanpur has been arrested. The second suspect has holed himself up in a house in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The operation is still on to get him out of the house," Additional Director General (ADG) of Police of Uttar Pradesh Daljeet Choudhary told ANI. "We believe this man is a resident of Lucknow. The tip-off that we received came from outside the state. We also suspect him of possessing weapons. We will try our best to bring this operation to its logical end as soon as possible," he added. ADG Choudhary also said that they only suspect the presence of just one inside the house. The suspect, said to have fired shots at security forces, has holed himself up in a house. "We have been working on the tip-off, but, as far as the linkages and modules are concerned, the details can only revealed once we get hold of the person. For now, we suspect the presence of just one in the building," ADG Choudhary said. The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) commandoes are trying to catch the person alive. The incident comes close on the heels of a blast on a Bhopal-Ujjain train in which at least eight people were injured. (ANI)
High hills of Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts are likely to experience moderate snowfall over the next 48 hours till Thursday, an official of the meteorological office here told IANS.

He said the Western Disturbances -- storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region which cause rain and snowfall in the Indian subcontinent's northwest -- are likely to remain active in the region till March 9.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dalhousie and Manali are likely to have thundershowers, he added.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a low of 5.7 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district was fractionally below the freezing point at 0.6 degree, while Shimla recorded the minimum temperature at 6.7 degrees Celsius, Manali 2.2 degrees, and Dharamsala 10.2 degrees.

The state capital, which saw cloudy skies throughout the day, recorded the highest temperature at 13.4 degrees Celsius.

--IANS vg/sm/vt

( 208 Words)

2017-03-07-18:12:09 (IANS)
Sona Group, a leader in auto OEMs, has signed an agreement to acquire the entire stake of its Japanese partner Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited (SBPFL). This was announced by Sunjay J Kapur, CEO, Sona group here today.Talking to media persons, Mr Kapur said the acquisition of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation's 25 per cent stake will make Sona Group's holding company emerging with 100 per cent ownership of Sona BLW Precision forgings limited.This is the second strategic transaction announced by the Sona Group under the leadership of Sunjay J Kapur who took over the reins of the 4,500 Crore Sona Group after the sudden demise of its founder Dr Surinder Kapur in 2015. Mr Kapur said: "We are moving ahead rapidly to cement our global leadership position in the precision forging business. We are indeed grateful to Mitsubishi Materials for having partnered with us as we explored, researched and developed new materials, processes and technologies for the next generation driveline components.""They have agreed to our suggestion to buy their stake. This transaction is a step in a transformational phase in Sona's journey. As a totally private company, Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited can now delve deeper into R&D and make significant commitments and investments into the future of the global precision forgings business," he said."The global automotive industry is in a stage of transition fuelled by the demand for green mobility and e-mobility. There is more change expected to happen in the next ten years than has happened in the last fifty years in the automotive world," Mr Kapur said."This wave of change opens up new frontiers for our industry to invest in automation, technology and skill upgrade to design future-ready products and components. We at Sona group wish to seize the opportunity to further consolidate our global market share by building products around our patented forging technology" Mr Kapur added.Sona BLW, which was previously known as Sona Okegawa was formed in 1995 with a 75:25 Joint venture partnership between Sona Autocomp Holdings Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials. The company in the year 2008, acquired the precision forging business of ThyssenKrupp, who earlier had taken over the business of BLW, a Munich based company which was the global pioneer of the warm forging technology making high precision forging components for cars, trucks, agricultural applications and construction equipment makers. This acquisition gave Sona global customers and access to patented German technology. Sona brought to the business its knowledge of Japanese manufacturing processes and in-house engineering capability. This new company was rechristened Sona BLW in 2013 to reflect both the proud legacies.Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited (SBPFL) now has seven plants spread over India, Germany and Hungary and employs over 2300 people worldwide. Sona BLW and its German and Hungarian subsidiaries manufacture near-net-shaped Gears (bevel gears), precision forged speed gears, synchroniser rings, e-Axles, and Differential Assemblies for Automotive and other applications.The company's key global customers include OEMs such as Daimler, Volkswagen Group, Renault, MAN, Scania, BMW, Porsche and Caterpillar among others. Sona BLW's Indian arm also supplies to OEMs in the passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractor segments like Maruti Suzuki, Tata, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE, Escorts, Volvo Eicher, ITL and Bharat Benz. The Indian company also has significant exports to leading global automotive players such as John Deere, American Axle, Linamar, CNH, Carraro and DANA. Globally, it is known for high-quality standards, design innovation and high customer satisfaction of forged products. UNI ADP SW AS1833 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1178447.Xml
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into a bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) with rollback provision and a Japanese subsidiary.With yesterday's pact, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has reached 141 with this signing. The CBDT expects more APAs to be concluded and signed before the end of the current fiscal.The total number of bilateral APAs with Japanese subsidiaries has reached five, all with rollback provisions. Four APAs out of the five have been signed in the current financial year. All the five bilateral APAs are with Japanese trading companies (Sogo Soshas). Certainty in tax treatment for Sogo Soshas has been a long standing demand of the Japanese industry. The bilateral signing of APAs in this sector provides tax certainty up to nine years in each of these cases.UNI ADP SW RJ 1946 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1178482.Xml
Furious over the government report attributing the suicide of a farmer to family dispute, the angry villagers today confined two government officials who had gone to house of the deceased farmer to ascertain the fact leading to suicide The villagers of Kendpali in Bargarh district today kept two officers Naba Kumar Das, the director of agriculture (DDA) and Sushil Kumar Seth, the district horticulture officer confined in a room when they visited the village to collect information about the death of the farmer. The villagers however, released the two officials after they realized that crop of the deceased farmer Khainu Bagarti was damaged following the failure of lift pump due to low voltage. The villagers kept a copy of the report prepared by the two officers and then released them. The two officials visited the village as State Agriculture Minister ordered a fresh probe into the suicide of Bagarti. The Minister who had made a statement in the State Assembly that the farmer committed suicide due to family dispute was forced to order for a fresh probe into the incident after the family members of the deceased farmer vehemently refuted the statement of the minister and claimed that no official had visited their house to find out the reason behind the death of Bagarti.UNI XC DP BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1178967.Xml
The Telangana NRI Parents Association and All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) will organise a candle light tribute on March 9 in memory victims, who were died in Hate crimes in US recently. The protest march, to be held at KBR Park in Hyderabad, is organised in the wake of racial killing of Indian Techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas in US. Speaking to media, Dr Sudhakar, National General Secretary, AIPSO said, "March 9 is Srinivas birthday, and we will pay tribute to him by uniting against hate crimes that took his life. The protest is against Donald Trump, whose anti-immigrant and hate speeches have resulted in increased racial attacks on Indians." He said that after US President Donald Trump hate speeches the attacks are increased. "It's deplorable and disgusting that US being an oldest democratic country is trying to overlook and remain untroubled by the increasing attacks on Indians and other innocent people," he added "Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi reported silence on the techie's murder, Dr Sudhakar added, "PM Modi must speak with Donald Trump about security of 30 lakh Indians residing in US. America makes tall claims of being oldest democracy, then they should safeguard rights of people." Dr Rajkumar, President of Telangana NRI Parents Association said, " Most of the American revenue is generated by Indians only, who are more hard working and intelligent. That is the reason they get jobs in US. But post Trump, there seems to be threat to life all the time. The situation is dangerous for Indians residing in America." UNI VV SHS RK2227 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1178956.Xml
Acting on Central Intelligence agency input, a team of the elite Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP) and commandoes launched an operation in Haji Colony of Kakori under Thakurganj police station area of the state capital and after around four hours reportedly gunned down a suspected ISIS ultra linked to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast today. However during the operation the NSG was kept on standby while a high alert has been sounded in UP when the state would be going to last phase of polls in 40 Assembly seats tomorrow.The tip off about the terrorist in Lucknow came after a suspect was arrested while his aide slipped away from police dragnet in Kanpur this morning.Around 1415 hrs, an ATS team backed by Lucknow Police teams cordoned off the densely populated Haji Colony on the fringes of Lucknow and evacuated the local residents to launch the offensive.After completely cordoning off the area, some members of the ATS team knocked at the door of the house where the suspect Saiful was holed up. Instead of coming out, he closed the door and then there was sound of pistol fire suggesting he had weapons.Later, IG ATS Aseem Arun using a hand held mike instructed the holed up Saiful to surrender. In return, he started firing at the police party intermittently. The ATS was in no hurry to storm the house. After returning fire, they waited for the suspect to run out of ammunition. In the meantime, IG Assem Arun called in commandoes from the Bijnaur training centre to mop up the operation.After the staccato of gunfire slowed down after 30 minutes, the security forces fired tear gas shells inside the room where the suspect was holed up around 430 pm. Some time later, the police team fired chilli bombs to flush out the ultra.After waiting for more than half an hour, a small commando team climbed an adjoining house, and drilled off a portion of the house in question to gain entry."The UP Police received specific inputs about terror suspects linked to the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast near Jabdi station in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday that left eight persons injured, two of them seriously, After this, we co-ordinated with the ATS chief and decided to launch the operation," said ADG (Law and Order) Daljeet Chaudhary.IG ATS Aseem Arun said, "The police gave ample chance to the suspect to surrended but instead he resorted to firing with automatic gun. We wanted to keep the collateral damage to the minimum and hence were restrained in approach. It appears that only one person was hiding inside the house."An official confirmation about terrorist's death was, however, awaited. UNI MB ADG 2228 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1178974.Xml
Coming through on his promise of ensuring a steady flow of jobs in America by cutting down on outsourcing especially, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that 45,000 construction and manufacturing jobs worth $20 billion have been generated in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. Lauding Exxon Mobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation, for its job-creating investment program, the President said that the principals at the core of his agenda centre on "buy American and hire American". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Buy American & hire American are the principals at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/exxonmobil">@exxonmobil</a>.</p> Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/838862131852369922">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> In a video message the President said that Exxon Mobil is going invest 20 billion dollars in the gulf coast and the gulf coast region, adding that it will be 45,000 jobs and a 100,000 dollars average and that it was done to a large extend because of his policies and the policies of the new administration. Asserting that there is an "incredible spirit of optimism" sweeping across the nation right now, Trump stated that his government is successfully managing to bring back jobs. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There is an incredible spirit of optimism sweeping the country right now-we're bringing back the JOBS! <a href="https://t.co/BNSLvKiEVj">pic.twitter.com/BNSLvKiEVj</a></p> Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/838899465390018560">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> However, Trump's message went on to be criticized by few as mere advertisement for the company. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> YES! The President TAKING OUT AN AD for an INDIVIDUAL COMPANY is really what the economy needs!</p> Christoph Rehage (@crehage) <a href="https://twitter.com/crehage/status/838900902912212993">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> you're bringing back JOBS or bringing back FACTORIES (with automated jobs)? <a href="https://t.co/efbtcU1clU">pic.twitter.com/efbtcU1clU</a></p> William LeGate (@williamlegate) <a href="https://twitter.com/williamlegate/status/838901453083181056">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Trump's core policy of keeping jobs in America is what resulted in the administration's decision to halt expedited processing of H-1B visas, which could abruptly disrupt the plans of thousands of immigrant workers in a range of businesses from technology to health care, immigration experts say. H-1B visas allow employers to bring in skilled foreign workers; about 85,000 will be given out this year. The visas are in high demand and given out by lottery. It can take six months or longer for an application to be reviewed. Trump has accused companies of abusing the H-1B program as a way to hire foreign workers who take jobs away from Americans, at lower salaries. (ANI)
Parts of the anti-missile system arrived on Monday at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Thaad is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, X-band radar and the fire and control unit.

Also on Monday, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles in protest against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.

--IANS ksk

( 110 Words)

2017-03-07-08:26:07 (IANS)
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions insisted in a letter to Congress that he was "correct" to say he did not have communications with the Russians as part of the presidential campaign even though he had twice met with Moscow's ambassador. In the letter on Monday, Sessions said that he did not tell legislators sooner about those meetings because he thought he had fully answered the particular question he was asked, The Washington Post reported. Sessions acknowledged that he spoke briefly to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July and that he met with Kislyak in his Senate office in September although he did not recall talking about the campaign. "I do not recall any discussions with the Russian ambassador, or any other representative of the Russian government, regarding the political campaign on these occasions or any other occasion." At his confirmation hearing in January, Senator Al Franken had asked Sessions what he would do as attorney general if there was any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government during the course of the campaign, the daily said. Sessions responded: "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." "My answer was correct," Sessions wrote in his letter to Congress. "As I noted in my public statement on March 2, I was surprised by the allegations in the question, which I had not heard before. I answered the question, which asked about a 'continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government', honestly. I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them." Sessions recused himself last week from any investigation of Russian contacts related to the presidential campaign after his meetings with the Russian ambassador were disclosed, CNN reported. In Monday's letter, he also said his recusal covers investigations of "Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration". Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley thanked Sessions for his letter, saying it helped to "clear up confusion". "I appreciate Attorney General Sessions' quick action to clear up confusion about his statement and I look forward to confirming the team who can help him carry out the functions of the department," the Iowa Republican added. --IANS ksk ( 429 Words) 2017-03-07-09:22:07 (IANS)
The phone call lasted for about 20 minutes on Monday night. It was the second phone converstion between the leaders after the first on January 30, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hwang, who is also the acting President, and Trump coordinated each other's positions on situations on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's nuclear programme, a government source said.

On Monday, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles in protest against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.

The missiles that flew around 1,000 km and three fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-Koo also had phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada on Tuesday, discussing countermeasures to the missile launches.

According to Seoul's defence ministry, Han and Inada agreed to maintain a close coordination based on a shared view on the graveness of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats, strengthening cooperation with the international community for pressures and sanctions on North Korea.

--IANS ksk

( 198 Words)

2017-03-07-09:46:07 (IANS)
North Korea's Foreign Ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang that it will not allow any Malaysians to leave North Korea if it cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens and diplomatic personnel in the Southeast Asian country, Efe news quoted the KCNA news report as saying.

In response, the Malaysian Government has banned North Korean embassy staff and officers from leaving the country, reports Malaysia's Star daily.

"We don't mean to do this, but it needs to be done," Home Affairs minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a media briefing.

"The Home Ministry has made a ruling, effective immediately, that not one staff member or officer of the (North Korean) embassy can leave the country...This will be made effective at all immigration exits nationwide," he added.

Ahmad Zahid also confirmed that the travel ban only applies to the diplomatic staff, and that that regular North Korean citizens in Malaysia will be allowed to leave the country.

Immediately after his announcement, police surrounded and cordoned off the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

A Malaysian Foreign Ministry source said 100 Malaysians, including 11 embassy staff, are currently in Pyongyang.

On March 4, Malaysia declared the ambassador of North Korea, Kang Chol, 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.

Kim was killed on February 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport using the VX nerve agent.

--IANS ksk

( 294 Words)

2017-03-07-09:54:07 (IANS)
In growing diplomatic tensions over the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, North Korea earlier said that it had temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the country.

According to local news media reports, the ban would stay in place until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved.

The North Korea's Foreign Ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the measure and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia.

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned on February 13 with deadly nerve agent VX. North Korea has repeatedly disparaged the murder investigation, accusing Malaysia of conniving with its enemies.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence. (ANI)
The apparent "harassment" of the USS Invincible on two occasions, came amid Iranian state media reports that Tehran had tested its newly acquired S-300 missile air defence system that is designed to intercept incoming missiles, The Washington Post reported.

In the incidents involving the Invincible, an Iranian frigate came within 150 yards of the Navy ship on March 2, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told the media on Monday.

On March 4, a number of smaller boats approached the US ship, closing to within 600 yards, Davis said.

Surveillance ships like the Invincible are typically equipped with scientific instruments and radar that allow them to monitor missiles and rockets from their launching to the point that they land.

The US Navy condemned the Iranian actions as "unsafe and unprofessional".

Three ships from the Royal British Navy were reportedly accompanying the Invincible when the incidents took place.

Similar incidents between the US and Iran has occurred earlier.

In January, a US Navy ship fired warning shots at five Iranian ships when the vesselwas entering the Strait of Hormuz.

--IANS ksk

( 216 Words)

2017-03-07-10:18:07 (IANS)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump discussed North Korea's missile launches during a phone call today, the Jiji and Kyodo news agencies reported today.North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast yesterday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over US-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war. REUTERS SDR 0523 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1177596.Xml
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada conferred on North Korea's missile launches in a telephone call, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible.""Secretary Mattis reaffirmed that the United States remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast today, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over US-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war.REUTERS SDR 0557 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1177598.Xml
US President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States was with Japan "100 per cent" over phone talks they held to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches, Abe told reporters today.The two leaders agreed that North Korea's latest actions were a clear breach of United Nations' security resolution and a challenge against regional and international security, Abe added."President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 per cent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 per cent."North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast yesterday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over US-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war. REUTERS SDR 0604 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1177600.Xml
Multiple fast-attack vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a US Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a US official told Reuters.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came within 600 yards (meters) of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to change course.The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional."The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could not immediately be reached for a comment.Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran last year after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But serious differences remain over Iran's ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria and Iraq.While still a presidential candidate in September, Donald Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that harassed the US Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water."Similar incidents happen occasionally, but the last serious one was in January when a US Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down."Well I don't know how much of a pattern it is, we actually had seen quite an improvement in Iran's behavior until recently," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters.Davis said that dangerous interactions were a matter of concern because they could lead to a "miscalculation or an accidental provocation."REUTERS SDR 0738 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1177609.Xml
A 22-year-old British woman was raped and assaulted a number of times while she was held hostage by a man during a two-month ordeal in the remote outback of northern Australia, police said today.The British backpacker was rescued on Sunday after officers stopped a car in Mitchell, a small rural town more than 550 km (340 miles) west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane, police said.The unidentified woman, who was driving the car, had visible injuries to her face and was noticeably distressed, prompting the officers to search the car, police said, and a 22-year-old man was found hiding in a small alcove in the back.Police allege the woman was attacked repeatedly between Jan 2 and March 5 after the pair met several months ago and agreed to go on a road trip together, during which she was held against her will.The unidentified Australian man faced court yesterday, when he was charged with multiple counts of rape, assault and holding the backpacker against her will. REUTERS SDR 0756 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1177612.Xml
According to police, the woman was subjected to repeated attacks in locations across Queensland, the BBC said.

The ordeal ended on Sunday when police made a routine stop of a vehicle being driven by the woman and noticed she had serious facial injuries. An Australian man "hiding" in the back of the vehicle was arrested.

Authorities allege the pair met three months ago before agreeing to go on a road trip.

"During the course of their travels throughout the state, a number of very serious offences have occurred," Detective Inspector Paul Hart told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Police said the victim was treated for injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body.

A British High Commission spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British woman following an incident in Queensland and remain in contact with the local authorities."

--IANS ksk/mr

( 174 Words)

2017-03-07-13:18:07 (IANS)
General Bajwa is on an official visit to Qatar.

Appreciating professional standing and performance of Pakistan Army, Al-Attiyah expressed his desire for increased Pakistan-Qatar defence collaboration.

General Bajwa also met Qatar Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanim Bin Shaheen Al Ghanim.

Lieutenant General Ghanim acknowledged Pakistan Army's valuable contributions towards regional peace and stability through its fight against terrorism and militancy.

General Bajwa thanked both dignitaries for their expressions.

He said Pakistan Army greatly values its defence cooperation and collaboration with Qatar.

Responding to desire of increasing Pak-Qatar defence cooperation, the Pakistan Army chief said that the proposed enhancement will have positive impact both on bilateral relationship as well as on regional security. (ANI)
The Turkish Foreign Minister on Tuesday escalated an ongoing "war of words" with Germany when he said that nobody could stop him from taking his referendum campaign to Hamburg, despite an order from German officials to cancel the event. Germany is home to around 1.4 million eligible Turkish voters in the upcoming referendum that could see Turkey's parliamentary republic become a presidential one, enhancing the executive powers of current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Efe news reported. "They are trying to cancel all our rallies with unprecedented pressure. It is a totally oppressive system that puts pressure on private hotel owners," Foreign Minister Mevlt Cavusoglu, told the Hurriyet daily. "I'm going to go. Nobody can stop me," he continued. City authorities in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Monday prohibited a meeting that was scheduled to be led by Cavusoglu. He confirmed that the meeting was cancelled but added that it had been relocated. The government clampdown on several Turkish referendum rallies being held on German soil combined with Ankara's detention of a Turkish-German journalist on terror charges has led to tension between the two nations. Erdogan recently criticized the German government's actions and likened them to the Nazi regime. The referendum to alter Turkey's Constitution in favour of the president has raised eyebrows in the west and has been lambasted as an authoritarian power grab by Erdogan's critics at home. Ankara restructured state institutions and media outlets following the failed coup d'etat in July 2016 as well as detained thousands of people for alleged links to the Islamic organisation of exiled US-based cleric Fethullah Glen whom Turkey holds responsible for the coup attempt. Turkey has also accused Germany of failing to hand over Glenists and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey will decide on the future of its executive system on April 16. --IANS ksk/bg ( 316 Words) 2017-03-07-15:38:09 (IANS)
Prominent Indian-American lawmakers have slammed US President Donald Trump's new executive travel ban order, saying it "does not make US safe" and it "undermines American values without improving security". The new order, signed privately by Trump on Monday, bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from the previous order in January, and reinstates a temporary blanket ban on all refugees. The new measures will block citizens of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from obtaining visas for at least 90 days. The order also suspends admission of refugees into the US for 120 days, directing US officials to improve vetting measures for a programme that is already widely regarded as extremely stringent. It will go into effect from March 16. California Senator Kamala Harris blasted Trump's order, saying: "This latest attempt by the Trump administration to ban new immigrants and refugees from Muslim-majority countries, like the first attempt, undermines our nation's core values, jeopardises our national security, and hurts our economy." "This ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk," she said. "Refugees fleeing war and violence, who have cleared a two-year vetting process, should not arrive in the United States only to have the doors shut," a report by Times of San Diego quoted her as saying. Harris, an attorney by profession, said ISIS will use the new ban as a recruitment tool while "researchers, engineers, academics, and entrepreneurs" are turned away. "Omitting one country from the list does not eliminate the need to provide the American people with meaningful evidence supporting this ban. The White House has failed to provide actual justification based on facts." Congressman Ro Khanna said: "The Trump Administration's repackaging is merely a second attempt to revise his unconstitutional policy." "This is the same ban, driven by the same hazardous discrimination that weakens our ability to fight terror. The public and courts rejected the Trump administration's first attempt at this, and it must do so again," he said. Democratic US Representative Ami Bera also slammed the new order. "My job is to keep our country safe, and this kind of ban on travel does not enhance our national security -- in fact it makes us less safe." "This is a bad second attempt at an executive order that is just as un-American and xenophobic as the first version that was struck down by multiple courts," he said in a statement. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said that Trump has been forced to recognise that his original travel ban was both "unconstitutional" and "ineptly" executed. "The new order recognises that we must honour the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the US, as well as excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens affected by the ban," she said in a statement. "It also excludes Iraq from the list of the banned countries, another clear sign that such a ban would hurt our coalition efforts for peace in the Middle East. It should not have taken the courts and nationwide protests to stop such an order from taking effect in the first place," she said. The President was "irresponsible" in "throwing" the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families, she added. --IANS soni/vt ( 550 Words) 2017-03-07-15:58:08 (IANS)
The chairman of China's biggest beverage maker, Hangzhou Wahaha Group, said the United States would suffer more in any trade war with China, with a loss of access to cheap Chinese-made goods hitting American wallets.US President Donald Trump had campaigned on a promise to confront China more aggressively on trade, including by levying new tariffs on goods from abroad and branding China a currency manipulator.Beijing says it will work with Washington to resolve any trade disputes, but Chinese state media has warned of retaliation if Trump takes the first steps towards a trade war."The new American administration has threatened to launch a trade war, but in my view, they will suffer more from the war," Wahaha Chairman Zong Qinghou told reporters on the sidelines of China's annual parliament meeting today."People will grumble about the (US) government as domestic prices rise."Zong, one of China's richest men, also predicted that the US trade deficit with China would persist as long as Washington maintained "stupid" restrictions on high-tech exports to China.The politically sensitive US-China trade deficit stood at 347 billion dollars last year.China has long asked Washington to loosen its restrictions on exports of sensitive technology, arguing that it could cut its trade deficit by selling more of what China needs.But the strict US export controls against China on a range of products with both military and civilian uses, such as some computer processors and software, were implemented as a national security measure."Western countries, especially the United States, sometimes are stupid, as they ban companies from selling advanced technology products in China," said Zong, who is also a member of parliament."Only by exporting the products to a broader market can the US cover the investment in the research and development stage."Zong was listed as mainland China's fifth-richest person, worth 16.24 billion dollars, according to the 2017 Hurun Report, which tracks global wealth.Wahaha, which means laughing baby in Mandarin, exports bottled beverage, drinking water, and its hit product, mixed congee, to the United States.REUTERS PS BL1635 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1178233.Xml
President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June last year, has pushed for the reimposition of the capital punishment, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Duterte, it is an effective deterrent against heinous crimes such as drug-related offences.

The approval came on third and final reading, much to the displeasure of those opposing the measure.

A total of 216 voted in favour, 54 against and one abstained, approving the bill eight months after it was filed.

From an initial list of 21 crimes that included rape, treason and plunder, the House leadership decided to limit death penalty to drug-related crimes and offences.

"We agreed the bill will only be limited to drug-related heinous crimes," Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, chair of the House Justice committee, said last week.

However, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez did not discount the possibility that the crimes originally stipulated in the bill he proposed months ago could be restored in the bill in the bicameral conference committee.

The proposed law will now be transmitted to the Senate where it is expected to face tougher opposition.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, one of the fiercest opponents of the measure, criticised the majority for its rush to pass the bill.

Other congressmen opposed to the measure were representatives Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list, Tom Villarin of Akbayan and Raul Daza of Northern Samar.

Amnesty International expressed its concern with members of the house, saying many of them refused to hear arguments against the measure.

--IANS py/dg

( 273 Words)

2017-03-07-17:18:08 (IANS)
Members of the Indian community in the US have been alarmed by a video posted on an anti-immigration website, which shows Indian families relaxing in an Ohio park, while a man taking the video accuses them of stealing American jobs, the media reported. The video is titled "Welcome to Columbus Ohio Suburbs -- Let's Take a Walk to Indian Park" and was posed on SaveAmericanITJobs.com. The website is run by 66-year-old computer programmer Steve Pushor, reported BuzzFeed News. The video has a running commentary showing men, women and children playing and relaxing in a public park. The description of the video reads "Ohio's suburban park is occupied by rich Indians". "These Indians have to be clocking in at $$$150 - 200K plus in salary to live in this area. The clothes they are wearing, the cars in the parking lot, the expensive baby strollers, ALL pointed to BIG $$," the narrator said in the video, adding the Americans found it difficult to get IT Jobs. "The number of people from foreign countries blows my mind out here. You see this whole area is all Indian, amazing. It's an amazing number of jobs have been taken away from Americans. The Indian crowd has ravished the Midwest. It's a takeover," the man said. Pushor told Buzzfeed News that the immigrant visa-holders are a threat to the IT jobs. "What we're trying to point out is people in Ohio, IT workers and other professional people, have lost their jobs to foreign guest workers. That's what our point is," he said. The video has many Indian families worried. It comes after Hyderabad techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead last month at a bar in Kansas city. Many people have reacted to the video, some calling it an attempt at starting a racial discord. "As a citizen of this great nation I find this video against the fundamental American values of diversity and equality of all races," commented a user with a profile name Stem Mentor. "As an American, I apologize for this man's behaviour!," commented another user. During the entire video, the narrator has used words like "insane", "hell" and "mad" looking at footage of Indians in the post. --IANS soni/vt ( 375 Words) 2017-03-07-17:28:10 (IANS)
If hunger pangs hit in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, a ravenous resident could hail a taxi, head to a supermarket and stock up on Maggi noodles, Milo and Julie's biscuits - all produced in Malaysia.The snacks, and the North Korean taxi manufactured by the Southeast Asian nation's carmaker Proton, exemplify the close relations - both legal and illegal - between the two nations over the years.Those ties have unravelled spectacularly in barely three weeks after the lethal poisoning of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, with the highly toxic VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport.Angry exchanges over allegations North Korean agents orchestrated the murder and the expulsion of North Korea's envoy in Kuala Lumpur escalated on Tuesday into a temporary ban on all Malaysians leaving North Korea.Among the 11 Malaysians in the country hit by the ban are three embassy officials and their six family members, a clear breach of the Vienna Convention that governs diplomacy, according to professor of international law at the Australian National University, Don Rothwell."I'm not aware of situations where other states have retaliated like North Korea has today," said Rothwell.THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONMalaysia established diplomatic relations with North Korea's totalitarian regime in 1973. Ties greatly expanded under former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad."At that time the US and other Western nations were active in criticising him about human rights," said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University."He tried to deflect that by presenting himself as champion of the Third World ... he didn't care about the ideology of these countries. North Korea, Cuba, Libya - it didn't matter."Mahathir's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which still rules Malaysia, begun forging links with the Workers' Party of Korea during the 1990s, said Mustapha Ya'akub, then a secretary in UMNO's youth wing.Even as international sanctions tightened amid growing alarm at North Korea's nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile programs, Malaysia remained relatively sanguine.While neighbour Singapore ended its visa-free arrangement for North Koreans last year after the latest, toughest round of United Nations sanctions, Malaysia maintained the deal.In exchange, Malaysians were free to travel to North Korea without a visa, the only nation given that privilege by the reclusive communist dictatorship.In recent years, North Koreans have worked in mines and construction projects and set up businesses in Malaysia. Scores of North Korean students attended Kuala Lumpur's HELP University, which bestowed an honorary doctorate in economics on Kim Jong Un in 2013 for "untiring efforts for the education of the country and the well-being of its people."Little over three months ago, the chief executive of Malaysia's External Trade Development Corporation, Dzulkifli Mahmud, boasted that North Korea was "now looking at using Malaysia as a gateway to Southeast Asian markets".That looks problematic now. Malaysia's cabinet was set to discuss trade relations with the North on Friday in the wake of the deterioration in ties.ILLICIT BUSINESSTwo-way trade was a tiny 4 million dollars in 2016, according to Malaysian figures. The data, however, likely masks the true figure. Much of the trade to North Korea goes through intermediaries in China, say experts.And illicit business activities don't register in the trade figures.A US state department cable obtained by Wikileaks revealed two senior officials travelled to Kuala Lumpur in 2009 to warn its banks that sanctioned North Korean arms firms Tanchon and KOMID held accounts in Malaysia. Last week, Malaysia said it would investigate North Korea front companies after a Reuters report showed that North Korea's spy agency was running an arms network in the country."I don't think Malaysia went out of its way to help North Korea circumvent these sanctions," said Oh. "Essentially we just gave them a lot of leeway doing business. Unless a western intelligence agency gave us a concrete list (of illicit companies in Malaysia), then we let them do business here."Now, says Oh, Malaysia's approach to North Korea is not so laissez-faire."We are on the brink of a total break in diplomatic relations."REUTERS PS BL1713 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1178306.Xml
Anadolu news agency quoted a presidency statement as saying that during the meeting, bilateral relations between Ankara and Moscow are expected to be discussed "extensively", the statement said.

The High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) is usually headed by Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and includes government ministers from both states.

It added that the leaders will exchange views on regional and international issues, particularly Syria.

"Several agreements will also be signed during the visit, which is expected to contribute to the development of Turkish-Russian relations," it said.

The last such meeting was held in August last year after Turkey and Russia reconciled from the November 2015 downing of a Russian jet over the Turkey-Syria border.

Later there were tensions between the bilateral relations when Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot to death at an art exhibit in the capital Ankara last December.

But Putin called the assassination a "provocation" to undermine relations between Turkey and Russia as well as effort to resolve the Syrian crisis.

A cease-fire agreement in Syria had been reached under guarantees from Russia and Turkey in December. (ANI)
Fighting between rival people-smuggling gangs on Libya's Mediterranean coast has killed 22 people, the International Organization for Migration said today.The dead were thought to be migrants rather than smugglers because they were sub-Saharan Africans, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said. More than 100 people were wounded, he told a news briefing in Geneva, citing information from colleagues in Libya.The latest deaths come in addition to the 140 bodies found on Libyan beaches so far this year, while there have been 477 deaths at sea on the route from Libya.So far this year 15,760 migrants have arrived in Italy, up from 9,101 in the same period of 2016, while almost 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and brought back to Libya, Millman said.The number of migrants setting off for Italy by boat from Africa has risen more than 50 percent so far this year, after half a million people arrived during the past three years.Italy is promising to send more migrants who do not qualify for asylum back home, either by force or with their consent."This is creating all kinds of activity in the smuggling industry, and apparently that activity has reached the level of violent shootouts that left 22 killed in the last couple of days," Millman said.He also said 62 Syrians also showed up among migrants arriving in Italy. Syrian refugees have mainly gone to Europe via Turkey and Greece, a route which was effectively blocked last year by a deal between the European Union and Turkey. Fewer than 200 Syrians made the trip from Libya to Italy last year."So with 62, obviously we're not setting records, but it could be a shift showing that that traffic has come back across North Africa, maybe coming to Libya again," Millman said. REUTERS PS AS1835 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1178600.Xml
The United States appears to have decided to enlist the help of Kurdish YPG militia in a campaign to push Islamic State out of its Raqqa stronghold in Syria, thwarting Turkey's ambitions, a senior Turkish official said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey, the United States and Russia must coordinate fully to clear Syria of terrorist groups. The three countries' chiefs of staff were working to prevent clashes between the different parties.The Turkish official was speaking as Turkey's military chief of staff met his US and Russian counterparts in the southern Turkish province of Antalya to discuss coordination in Syria. The official said the results of the meeting "could change the whole picture"."We are not sure at this stage but it appears that the US may carry out this operation with the YPG, not with Turkey. And at the same time the US is giving weapons to the YPG," the official said."If this operation is carried out in this manner, there will be a cost for Turkey-US relations. Because the YPG is a terrorist organization and we are mentioning this at every platform."Ankara has been pressing the United States to change its strategy for fighting Islamic State in Syria by abandoning the Kurdish YPG militia and instead drawing on FSA rebels to retake Raqqa.Turkey views the YPG and its political affiliate, the PYD, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is waging an insurgency against the Turkish government.The official's comments seemed borne out by remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim who termed it unfortunate that some of Turkey's allies had chosen the YPG as a partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. He said Turkey, the United States and Russia must coordinate fully to clear Syria of terrorist groups and the three countries' chiefs of staff were working to prevent clashes between the different parties in the country.MULTI-SIDED CONFLICTPresident Tayyip Erdogan said last week the next target of Turkey's Syrian operation was Manbij, which is controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).But Yildirim said then military action by Turkey would not make sense unless coordinated with the United States and Russia.After clashing with Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army rebels west of Manbij earlier this month, the Manbij Military council declared a deal with Russia to hand front line villages to Syrian government control to prevent their coming under Turkish control. Rapid developments in the war for northern Syria - the most complicated theatre in the multi-sided conflict - are setting new limits on Turkish power, while affirming the role of U.S.-allied Kurdish YPG militia that Ankara entered Syria to fight.The Syrian government has meanwhile emerged as a major player in the war for the north after punching through a swathe of Islamic State-held territory, blocking any further Turkish advances from the buffer zone it has carved out in Syria near its frontier.In August, Turkey-backed forces launched an operation to drive Islamic State away from its border with Syria and prevent the Kurdish YPG militia taking territory in their wake.Since pushing the jihadists out of their al-Bab stronghold, fighting has focused on villages west of Manbij, setting Turkish-backed rebels against the Manbij Military Council, part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that includes the YPG.REUTERS PS RK2000 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1178828.Xml
President Donald Trump today backed a plan by Republican lawmakers to replace the Obamacare healthcare statute that faces obstacles to becoming law from across the US political spectrum.Republicans in the US House of Representatives yesterday unveiled legislation that would eliminate the requirement that most Americans obtain medical insurance and create a system of tax credits to coax people to purchase private insurance on the open market.Trump said the draft bill was open to negotiation, adding that he was working on a system to cut drug prices.The unveiling of the lawmakers' plan marked a key step toward carrying out pledges by Trump and congressional Republicans to dismantle Obamacare, former Democratic President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. But lawmakers face pressure from constituents not to throw America's healthcare System into chaos.Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, is popular in many states, even some controlled by Republicans. It has brought health insurance coverage to about 20 million previously uninsured Americans since it became law in 2010, although premium increases have angered some.Democrats and some moderate Republicans said the new House measure would hit the poor by rolling back the Obamacare expansion of the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor. Some conservatives complained it did not go far enough in removing government from the healthcare industry, with one Republican senator dubbing it "Obamacare Lite."In a series of Twitter posts, Trump called the draft "our wonderful new Healthcare Bill" and said that it was "now out for review and negotiation."Trump, who has previously called for lower drug prices, added, "I am working on a new system where there will be competition in the Drug Industry. Pricing for the American people will come way down!" He gave no details. His comment sent shares of drugmakers lower.The president also said there would be additional action to allow people to buy health insurance across state lines "in phase 2 & 3 of healthcare rollout," although it was not immediately clear when or how that addition would come.House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the House Republican effort would take millions of people off health insurance rolls and benefit the wealthy.INSURANCE COMPANIESShares of health insurers, whose industry is anxiously awaiting any changes, were mixed in early morning trading.Insurers have said that Obamacare does not work.Many including UnitedHealth Group Inc, Aetna Inc and Humana Inc have exited most of the states where they sold individual insurance plans created under the law.Hospitals have been concerned about losing government payments from customers, particularly those in the Medicaid program, under any new healthcare law. That has weighed on shares of companies such as Tenet Healthcare Corp and Community Health Systems.Republicans control both Congress and the White House but the future remains uncertain for the plan. It must win approval in the House and the Senate, where it faces a higher bar for passage, before it could go to Trump for his signature. In the Senate, Republicans hold a narrower majority and some conservatives have already expressed doubts.The Heritage Action advocacy group, influential among conservatives, said the new bill was only a half measure."Rather than accept the flawed premises of Obamacare, congressional Republicans should fully repeal the failed law and begin a genuine effort to deliver on longstanding campaign promises that create a free-market healthcare system that empowers patients and doctors," the group said.The bill met with skepticism from some moderate Republicans concerned about its tax credits and Medicaid provisions.Trump was due to meet with the team of House members charged with tracking support for legislation today as lawmakers on two key House committees prepared to review the bill tomorrow.'OBAMACARE LITE'White House Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney said the plan should pass the House before lawmakers break in mid-April.Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has proposed his own alternative healthcare plan, criticized the House plan as a windfall for private insurers, dubbing it "Obamacare Lite.""So much of their bill is a bailout for the insurance companies," Paul told Fox News.Four other moderate Senate Republicans have also raised concern over Medicaid. Nearly half of the previously uninsured Americans who gained coverage under Obamacare got it through the expansion of Medicaid, which would end in 2020 under the Republicans' new plan, then face funding caps.The plan also would remove the penalty paid by Americans without insurance coverage and roll back government subsidies that helped lower-income people purchase insurance through government-run exchanges.Some industry groups have expressed concern that lawmakers are moving forward without knowing how much the new proposal will cost or how it will affect healthcare coverage. Mulvaney told CBS he expected the Congressional Budget Office's review of the bill in a few days.Pelosi, appearing on the CBS program "This Morning," said, "Show us the numbers about what the impact is personally on people. Show us the numbers as to how many people will be thrown off."The proposal preserved two popular Obamacare provisions: prohibiting insurers from refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions and allowing people up to age 26 to remain on their parents' insurance plans.The plan does not eliminate the healthcare exchange where people can buy coverage on the healthcare.gov website.Instead of current income-based subsidies to buy a plan, Republicans proposed tax credits, which would range from $2,000 to $4,000. Their plan also seeks to encourage people to buy insurance with the age-based credits that are capped at upper-income levels.REUTERS SHS RK2335 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1179058.Xml
BRUSSELS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday announced that the bloc will on April 5 host an international conference on Syria's future.

The EU will cochair the conference with the United Nations and with the governments of Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and Britain, Mogherini said at a press conference following a one-day Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

"We hope that the Brussels conference on April 5 can support strongly the UN work on the political track, but also try to establish a regional and international framework for that support, for the humanitarian work, but also for looking at the future, how we can, together, support the future of Syria and the region," she said.

Delegations from the Syrian government and the opposition on Friday wrapped up nine-day talks in Geneva.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the 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.
Flags are seen during a campaign rally of presidential candidate Francois Fillon at the Trocadero square in Paris, France, on March 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior members of French conservative party the Republicans unanimously supported Francois Fillon's presidential bid, despite a deepening legal investigation into the allegation about his wife's fake job, Senate President Gerard Larcher said on Monday.

At an emergency meeting, "the political committee unanimously renewed its support and confidence to Francois Fillon," Larcher said after an emergency meeting to hammer out an alternative to end the party's crisis triggered by Fillon's scandal over allegation of public fund misuse.

"Fillon indicated that he would take initiatives to bring our values together. The Republicans are therefore gathered and determined around (him), " he added.

The party's leadership decision came after ex-foreign minister Alain Juppe who lost to Fillon in November primary, refused to be "a Plan B" to re-launch the conservatives' bid to snatch power on May 7.

Fillon, 63, has been under growing pressure to quit the presidential bid after being summoned by magistrates over the affair and could be placed under formal investigation.

"No one has the power to force me to withdraw...It is not the party that will decide. It's not regional presidents or former primary candidates who will make the decision for me," he told France 2 television on Sunday.

Portraying himself as an honest and morally irreproachable politician, Fillon previously said he would step down if he were put under formal investigation.

Once the favourite to unseat the Socialist Francois Hollande, the conservative presidential candidate 's campaign is still haunted by fake job scandal which had took the wind out of his sails.

An OpinionWay survey conducted between Feb. 27 and March 3 showed Fillon losing momentum with 19 percent of voting intention, down two percentage points from a previous poll.

He will be knocked out in the first round in which Marine Le Pen, far right party leader and centrist Emmanuel Macron are set to collect the highest vote, allowing them to pass to the run-off, according to the poll released on Monday

On January 25, French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon 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 showed she had really worked, the report added.

Fillon has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Meanwhile, he apologized for the ethical "error" he made in hiring his wife and their two children, a practice which he said was no longer acceptable according to public opinion. (1 euro = 1.06 U.S. dollars)
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A solid majority, or 72 percent, of Americans still want the U.S. to play leading or major role in global affairs, found a Gallup poll on Monday.

This was about the same as when former President Barack Obama took office despite the election victory of President Donald Trump, who adopts a relatively isolationist agenda.

Twenty-three percent of Americans think the U.S. should play the leading role in world affairs, while 49 percent believe it should play a major role, according to Gallup.

Support for the U.S. playing the leading role was slightly lower at the beginning of the George W. Bush administration, but support for a major role was higher, it said.

Americans' support for leading or major U.S. role in global affairs has been strong and consistent since 2001 terror attacks, Gallup found.

Young Americans and independents are most skeptical about U.S. role in global affairs, it added.

Nearly four in 10 of those aged 18 to 34 want the U.S. to play a minor role or no role in international affairs. Among those aged 35 and older, the figure is 22 percent, according to Gallup.

Support for a limited U.S. role in global affairs was 25 percent among younger adults when Obama became president in 2009 and 31 percent when G.W. Bush took office in 2001, Gallup found.
A US appeals court is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday over President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban, which the government is defending as a "lawful exercise" of his authority.White House spokesman Sean Spicer insisted the administration was "absolutely not" planning to back down on its plan for extreme vetting at US borders, saying, "once we win the case, it will go right back into action." (AFP PHOTO/Brendan Smialowski)

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Monday condemned the latest test-launch of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Calling the launches consistent with the DPRK's "long history of provocative behavior," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters here that it represented a "very serious threat."

Spicer also said the White House was taking steps to enhance its ability to defend against the DPRK's ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported that Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has supervised a ballistic rocket launching drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on spot.

Involved in the drill were Hwasong artillery units of the KPA Strategic Forces "tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency," said KCNA report.

Kim learned in detail about the preparations for fire strike" while going round the ballistic rocket launching ground," said the report.

The latest missile launch by the DPRK came as the United States and the ROK were conducting their joint military drill.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday it is opposed to the launch activities of the DPRK that violates UN Security Council resolutions, and urged all sides to keep restraint.

Citing the ongoing training exercise jointly conducted by the United States and the ROK, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should keep restraint and avoid provoking each other and intensifying the tense situation in the region.
Children go to school in haze, in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Dec. 28, 2015. Due to serious air pollution, all elementary and secondary schools in Sarajevo Canton were closed on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. From Dec. 28 to Dec. 31, all class time will be reduced to 30 minutes from 45 minutes. (Xinhua/Haris Memija)

UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Unhealthy environments are responsible for one-quarter of child deaths, according to two new reports from the United Nations health agency.

The UN News Center on Monday quoted the latest information as saying that polluted environments take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of five.

"A polluted environment is a deadly one - particularly for young children," Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), was quoted as saying, adding "their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water."

In one of the two reports, Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children's Health and the Environment, WHO announced that many of the common causes of death among children aged between one month and five years of age are preventable with safe water and clear cooking fuels. These include diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia.

The main pollutant is in the air, resulting in 570,000 deaths each year among children under five. Air pollution can stunt brain development and reduce lung function and trigger asthma. In the longer-term, exposure to air pollution can increase the child's risk of contracting heart disease, stroke or cancer.

The reports also point out harmful chemicals that work through food chain, such as fluoride, lead and mercury, as well as the impact that climate change and UV rays have on children's development, the report said.
SYDNEY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- An Australian timber mill with over 250 employees is set to close its doors in order to save an endangered possum species.

The fate of Victoria's Heyfield Mill, one of the country's largest suppliers of hardwood timber, will be decided on Tuesday night at a crucial board meeting unless an agreement can be made with the Victorian Labor government.

Conservation groups have argued the Leadbeater Possum, the faunal emblem for the State of Victoria, is under severe threat within the mill's farming zone, with confirmation that many mountain ash trees have been cut down.

Now, with a 200-metre exclusion zone around each possum sighting, mill owners have been locked out of most of the Gippsland forests, abruptly halting their work and leading to diminished supplies.

Owners believed a 20-year contract with the government forged in 2014 would allow them access to more timber, but the agreement was never formally signed off by the previous state government.

With an initial offer of 80,000 cubic meters from the current government, mill owners had no choice but to announce the closure of the business, arguing the offer was 50,000 cubic meters short of the bare minimum needed to maintain operation.

A company spokesman described the mill as a "family business" with a further 1,000 people relying on the mill locally on top of the 250 workers.

"It's just a commercial reality, if we don't run two shifts we cannot afford to maintain our mill," he told News Ltd on Tuesday.

Environment groups maintain the mill's mass timber harvesting has for years far exceeded the forest's supply.
by Edna Alcantara

MEXICO CITY, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Reforms put in motion by China are aimed to spur both domestic and global economic growth, according to a leading Mexican political observer.

Armando Azua Garcia, a scholar at the Asian Studies Center at the Iberoamerican University, believes that while the reforms are designed to reduce China's dependence on international markets, they take into account the positive effects a robust Chinese economy would have on the rest of the world.

China's goal "is to not be solely dependent on the major world markets, which of course it is not going to abandon, but on the contrary, it is going to strengthen them," Azua told Xinhua in an interview.

"But it also wants to strengthen its domestic market through greater economic incentives," said Azua.

On Sunday, at the opening of the annual meeting of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), Premier Li Keqiang said China will continue to move forward with the reforms to meet the growth target of 6.5 percent this year under challenging global circumstances.

Besides working to transform the economy from an export-driven model to one fueled by domestic consumption, China "will now also strive to improve the environment for foreign investors," said Azua.

In addition, China "will seek to strengthen the large public sector by delegating tasks that it believes can be done much more efficiently by privately-owned small- and medium-sized companies," said Azua.

Such private investment "can spur development in regions that have yet to see development, and in the long run that could generate large productive chains inside China," he added.

Expanding private investment is in accordance with China's policy of scaling back government involvement in the economy, except for those strategic sectors, he noted.

China has opened up higher education to private investment. At the university level, private capital can help bring academia and industrial development closer for the good of innovation, said Azua.

Similarly, the government has announced it will allow foreign companies to take part in state-sponsored scientific and technological projects.

"China's great advantage would lie in the return of highly-trained scientists and engineers who are in contact with U.S. or European colleagues, and then sharing their experiences with the large corporations and Chinese companies," said Azua.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua)-- Rice from Thailand, blueberries from Chile, Australian seafood, French wine... Zheng Meiqin is one among many new connoisseurs of imported goods in her local supermarket.

In the store in east China's Fuzhou City, Zheng, 50, implements a prudent but proactive shopping policy.

"I love the wide variety of fruit, but the best value is in German beer and Australian milk which are even cheaper than some domestic brands," she said.

A large proportion of Zheng's household goods are also imported - from a Sanyo electric cooker to a Siemens washing machine.

Back in the 1980s when imported goods were rare in China, the cost of a Japanese TV set represented about 15 times a person's monthly income.

It is middle-class consumers like Zheng who stand to benefit most from the more open Chinese market promised by Premier Li Keqiang when he addressed the opening meeting of the national legislature on Sunday.

According to the premier, China is heading for both "deeper and higher level" opening up.

This means big improvements to the environment for foreign investors. There will be more opportunities to invest across the board in primary, secondary and tertiary industries. Foreign companies will have the right to be listed on China's stock exchanges and to issue bonds. They will be welcomed into national science and technology projects.

Li promised that foreign firms would find equality in terms of license applications, standards and government procurements.

"At a time when isolationism and protectionism are on the rise in the West, China's openness will be the benchmark for continued globalization," said lawmaker Ou Chengzhong.

A LAND OF MILK AND DISNEY

The open market is sweetening life China in every conceivable way.

In the northeast, the first freight train from Europe rolled over the border in 2015, laden with vodka, tiramisu and wild Siberian honey. Since then Russian products have been all the rage.

Chinese supermarket chain Yonghui is just one business to profit from the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe International Rail Freight Line, a Belt and Road project.

Deng Nanqi, owner of a Fuzhou branch of the store, said there were no imported products at all in any Yonghui store when it opened in 1998. Now half of the goods on the shelves are imported.

Prices of these imports have even fallen since a free trade zone was set up in Fuzhou in 2014.

Deng has seen the price of one liter of milk from Australia drop from 20 yuan to 9 yuan, out-competing many domestic brands.

Snow White and Mickey Mouse are now even closer to the hearts and minds of China's children since Disneyland, with 7 million visitors so far, opened in June last year in Shanghai.

OPENING UP GOES BOTH WAYS

China sucked in 130 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investment in 2016, a four percent increase.

Nakanishi Minoru, chairman of Kao (China), said the Japanese company has benefited from all kinds of government support during its expansion. Globalization-friendly policies and expanding e-commerce will bring yet more opportunities for foreign investors, he said.

Christina Zhu, China head of Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy exporter, said thst despite some uncertainty in international markets, the company believes China's policies remain supportive of foreign enterprises.

Fonterra holds high hopes for China's opening-up, foreign investment and structural reform, a win-win situation.
UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying that "such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability."
SEOUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in South Korea, which launched the process of deployment in the country's southeast region, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday citing the military.
CANBERRA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government is reportedly considering a major restructure of its security agencies, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull keen to create a wide-ranging, U.S.-style "Department of Homeland Security."

Local media reported Turnbull was considering merging up to six departments into one "Department of Homeland Security," in the same vein as what the United States did with 22 agencies post-September 11.

One government official told Fairfax Media that, under the current system, intelligence data was not shared effectively - something which could be disastrous in the event of an impending terror attack.

"There are data jealousies between agencies, data gaps, a lack of full data sharing," the official said on Tuesday.

"Cooperation at the moment is ad hoc, episodic and personalized. The only thing that keeps the system functional is personal relationships."

However, government MPs remained tight-lipped despite the report; Special Minister of State Scott Ryan admitted the government was looking at reviewing its security agencies, but admitted the current arrangement was very effective.

"But it is important to emphasize to everyone how effective our security and intelligence arrangements are at the moment," Ryan told Sky News on Tuesday

"It is a matter of constant vigilance, but we do have good co-operation and I think it's important that the specific portfolio minister speaks to further detail on those issues."

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said while the government was "always looking to improve levels of co-ordination between agencies and between levels of government," the report published in Fairfax Media was simply "speculation."

"I'm not going to comment," he said.

Not all MPs are in support of such a move; one minister told Fairfax Media that the same people who "militarized Customs" were trying to "take over" the "entire national security system."

Later, opposition spokesperson Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News that Labor had not been briefed about the potential changes, describing them as a "thought bubble" at this point in time.
SEOUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in South Korea, which launched the process of deployment in the country's southeast region, local media reported Tuesday citing the defense ministry.

Two mobile launchers of the U.S. missile shield and a part of other equipments were transported at Monday night to the Osan air base south of Seoul. Those were moved by the U.S. C-17 transport airplane.

THAAD is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, X-band radar and the fire and control unit.

The launchers and the part of equipments were moved to an unidentified base of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
CANBERRA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Australian farm produce is predicted to boom this year as overseas markets clamour for locally grown nuts such as almonds and macadamias as well as agricultural stalwarts such as beef, lamb, wool and cotton.

The value of Australian agricultural production is forecast to surge by 8.3 percent this financial year to a massive 48.5 billion U.S. dollars, thanks to favourable seasonal conditions in most farming areas and strong prices for major exports such as beef, lamb and wool.

But it is the increase in popularity of Australian nuts which has taken the industry by surprise, with export records being smashed across the country.

The value of tree nut exports is projected to be 577 million U.S. dollars in 2016-17, down on last year, but still the second highest on record.

Australia is now the second-largest almond exporter in the world, and largest exporter of macadamia nuts. The biggest buyers of Australian almonds in 2015-16 were India and Spain, while the biggest buyer of Australian macadamias was China.

In figures released on Tuesday by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) at the Outlook 2017 conference in Canberra, record crop production and strong performances across livestock industries have been credited for the successful rise.

The report also forecast a record amount of wheat production (22.8 million tonnes), barley (7.4 million tonnes) and chickpeas (1.4 million tonnes) in 2016-17.

The growth doesn't seem to end there either, with export earnings predicted for 2017-18 including a 35 percent rise in cotton, and up to 10 percent in dairy and wool.

"It's a record-breaking year in each state for winter crop production," Trish Gleeson, acting chief commodity analyst for ABARES, told Fairfax News on Tuesday.

National Farmer Federation (NFF) president Fiona Simson was also excited about the figures from the report. "Agriculture might be the new black," she told Fairfax on Tuesday.

"There's been a lot of talk about a golden era for agriculture. And I think figures like this really show that agriculture is on the rise.

"We have been contributing for many generations solidly to the GDP, but to see these sorts of increases, to see these sorts of numbers - which NFF has been tipping for some time - is extremely satisfying.

"We think that agriculture is actually one of, if not the, fastest growing industries in Australia right now."
KATHMANDU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Nepali former Gurkha soldier has announced to climb Mount Qomolangma as the oldest person of the world at the age of 86.

Min Bahadur Sherchan announced in a press conference here on Monday that he will conquer the world's highest peak this spring season to retake his title of world's oldest person to summit the earth's highest peak provided by the Guinness World Records.

Born in 1931 in Myagdi district of western Nepal, Sherchan had climbed the 8848-meter peak in 2008 at the age of 77. He was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Record in November 2009.

But his record was broken by 80-year-old Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura in 2013.

Talking exclusively with Xinhua, the veteran soldier expressed his confidence due to high determination and blessings of God and well wishers.

He said his expedition is to pray for world peace, humanity and preservation of Mother Nature earth.

"I request everyone not to suspect my expedition. I have the blessings of God. I won't die and will return safely," Sherchan told Xinhua.

Sherchan had made an attempt to scale Qomolangma in 2015 but could not make it due to the devastating earthquake of April 25.

He said that age is not a bar for any ambition.

"I don't have any health problems. I went through different medical tests and there is no obstacle for expedition. I am very happy as I am near my dream."

As part of the preparation, Sherchan has been embarking on both short and long trekking recently. With the moral consent of his family, Sherchan is delighted to test own strength at this old age.

Sherchan is taking part in the expedition under the professional guidance of Nepali company Summit Nepal Trekking. The company has arranged veteran guides, emergency evacuation facilities, team of medical doctors and all other advanced logistics support.

Shiv Raj Thapa, Managing Director at Summit Nepal Trekking told Xinhua, "Due to his age factor, it's a different kind of expedition from our regular commercial expeditions. We have arranged a huge support team for him with high caution on every necessity."

It has been expected that the expedition will cost around 10 million rupees (93,675 U.S. dollars). To collect the fund, various national and regional organizations have joined hands with Sherchan for making him again the oldest person of the world to clime the Qomolangma.

Shrestha and his team will leave for Qomolangma region in the first week of April.
SEOUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is serving as acting president, held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s missile test-launches, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing multiple government sources.

The phone conversation lasted for 20 minutes from 8:40 a.m. local time (2340 GMT Monday) by the request of the U.S. president. It was the second phone talks between the two following the first on Jan. 30.

Hwang and Trump coordinated each other's positions on situations on the Korean Peninsula, including the DPRK's nuclear program, an unnamed government source was quoted as saying.

The phone talks followed the DPRK's test-launches on Monday of four ballistic missiles that flew around 1,000 km toward its eastern waters. Among the four, three fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo also had phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada earlier in the morning, discussing countermeasures to the DPRK's recent missile launches.

According to Seoul's defense ministry, Han and Inada agreed to maintain a close coordination based on a shared view on the graveness of the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats, strengthening cooperation with the international community for pressures and sanctions on the DPRK.

The two ministers shared a view that the DPRK's missile launches on Monday as well as on Feb. 12 posed a grave threat to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, the region and the international society.

On Feb. 12, Pyongyang successfully test-launched a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), supervised by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The IRBM, which was fired at an almost vertical angle of 89 degrees, blasted off to the highest altitude of 550 km and traveled about 500 km. If it was launched at a normal angle, it would have flown over 2,000 km.
WELLINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Panama-flagged bulk carrier has become the first foreign ship ordered to leave New Zealand waters because it was dirty, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said Tuesday.

The DL Marigold was ordered on Sunday to leave the eastern North Island port of Tauranga within 24 hours and to stay away until it was thoroughly cleaned, said MPI border clearance director Steve Gilbert.

The order followed the discovery by MPI divers of dense fouling of barnacles and tube worms on the bulk carrier's hull and other underwater surfaces.

"The longer the vessel stayed in New Zealand, the greater chance there was for unwanted marine species to spawn or break away from the ship. So we had to act quickly," Gilbert said in a statement.

The DL Marigold had arrived from Indonesia on March 4 and had been due to stay in New Zealand waters for nine days.

It was understood the ship would go to Fiji for cleaning before returning to New Zealand to finish discharging a shipment of palm kernel expeller.

"The vessel won't be allowed back until it can provide proof it has been thoroughly cleaned," said Gilbert.

It was the first time MPI had ordered an international vessel to leave a New Zealand port for "biofouling reasons."

"We were dealing with severe contamination in this case," he said.

New rules would require all international vessels to arrive in New Zealand with a clean hull from May 2018, but MPI could take action in cases of severe biofouling during the interim.
BERLIN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany (CHKD) on Monday expressed its concerns over the brewing changes on German foreign investment laws, saying it might block free trade and investment, thus harm Germany's economy.

The chamber said in its newly-issued report that, Bundestag, the lower house of German Parliament, is currently discussing amending Germany's Foreign Trade and Payments Act, aiming to restrict foreign investment.

The drafts on review will include some articles to limit the investment that is believed to "harm the public safety order and security," "get subsided by nation to reach strategic goal" and "exceed the market price," the report said, citing sources close to German federal government and states.

The CHKD described the new articles as "obscure and vague," adding that they might add opacity and uncertainty to foreign investors.

"Germany has benefited greatly from investment freedom and trade globalization. The CHKD is confused about the law amendments on discussion and concerned about it," the report said.

The controversial restrictions were seen by some experts as protectionist measures or political interference as these exact excuses were made to deter Chinese investors last year.

In 2016, the German government blocked China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund from taking over its chip-equipment maker Aixtron, following a tip-off from U.S. intelligence services saying it would endanger the European Union's security.

The CHKD report reiterated that China's investment in Germany, which merely accounts for less than 1 percent of all foreign investment, is win-win cooperation on the basis of mutual trust. They will inject capital, create jobs and bridge gaps to Asian markets.

As global economy is facing great uncertainties, the CHKD called on related enterprises and institutes in China and Germany to join hands in maintaining a free and open system of international trade and investment, opposing protectionism of any form.
By Gui Tao, Larry Neild

LONDON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Britain can play a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative, which also brings London great opportunities, a leading expert on UK-China relations told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

British business leader, vice chair of the London-based 48 Club Group Keith Bennett was commenting as China's annual two sessions are underway in Beijing.

BELT & ROAD

Bennett believed that as a responsible member of the international community, China has long been an active participant in such global institutions as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

"China is also now increasingly taking the lead in the creation of new institutions, designed not to supplant existing bodies, but to supplement them, based on broad and inclusive participation."

Bennett cites key examples such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the BRICS' New Development Bank.

"By far the most ambitious, visionary and transformative initiative that China has unveiled is the concept of the Belt and Road Initiative," said the business leader.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia, Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

More than 100 countries and international organizations have responded warmly to the initiative and over 40 of them have signed cooperation agreements with China.

"China's initiative to jointly build the Belt and Road, embracing the trend towards a multipolar world, economic globalization, cultural diversity and greater IT application, aims at being highly efficient in terms of the allocation of resources, and at achieving a deep integration of markets among the countries concerned," said Bennett.

"It will thereby jointly create an open, inclusive and balanced regional economic cooperation architecture that benefits all."

Across the three great continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, the initiative will create new routes and connections by utilizing the "three highs," namely high speed trains, high speed energy transmission and high speed connectivity and communications.

"We are talking about a revolution in infrastructure, technology and connectivity, bringing unparalleled development and prosperity and affording unprecedented investment and growth opportunities," Bennett said.

The business leader believed that Britain can expect to play a significant part in the initiative, particularly in those sectors which remain acknowledged global leaders, with world-class companies, such as in legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and other professional services, as well as funding, listings, architecture and design.

"With Brexit approaching, Britain faces both challenges and opportunities. One of the greatest opportunities is to work with the Belt and Road Initiative and coordinate our own national priorities, such as the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine, with it," said Bennett.

"Investment from China into Britain's modernization and development of its infrastructure holds great potential for 'win-win' cooperation," he added.

POVERTY REDUCTION

Bennett also stressed that how China's economic performance has exceeded the experience of any other country in human history, lifting tens of millions of people out of poverty.

Since 1981, according to World Bank data, China had by the end of 2015 reduced the number of people living in internationally defined poverty by 728 million, lifting another nearly 12.5 million people out of poverty last year.

"This is greater than the entire population of Latin America or of the European Union. Over the same period, 1981-2015, the rest of the world has only managed to lift 152 million people out of poverty," said Bennett.

"That is, for every one person lifted out of poverty in the rest of the world over the recent historical period, more than four Chinese people were similarly uplifted," he explained.

He added, "as China's economy has advanced, and as its poverty levels have inexorably declined, we find the issue of common prosperity, for China's neighbors as well as for the wider world, as a community of shared destiny, increasingly coming to the fore."
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie Tuesday shrugged off concerns over China's military transparency, saying there was no opacity in the country's defense budget.

"Let me be very clear, there is no such thing as opacity in China's military spending," Xiao told a press conference on the sidelines of the country's annual parliamentary session.

China's defense budgets used to be included in a report on the draft central and local budgets submitted to lawmakers for review and approval during the National People's Congress (NPC) session.

This year, however, the report available to media made no mention of the exact figure.

"We made some new changes in the way we compiled the files," Xiao said.

The minister explained that the defense budget, along with the budgets for foreign affairs and public security, was included in a draft budget submitted to lawmakers.

A finance ministry official told Xinhua Monday that the defense budget this year would stand at 1.04 trillion yuan (about 152 billion U.S. dollars), up 7 percent year on year.
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. media reported on Monday that a U.S. navy surveillance ship was "harassed" by Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last week, an old claim that had been rejected by Iran as the White House's media hype against Tehran.

Citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Washington Post reported that the USS Invincible was "harassed" on two occasions, on Thursday and Saturday.

Similar incidents between the United States and Iran occurred in the past. In January this year, a U.S. navy ship fired warning shots at five Iranian ships when the vessel and two other U.S. ships were entering the Strait of Hormuz.

In September, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the U.S. military forces should leave the Persian Gulf as their presence in Iran's southern waters has no legal basis.

"The presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf lacks any legal and international justification and is against the will of regional nations," Shamkhani was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Washington's claims about Iran's allegedly "provocative" acts in the Persian Gulf is part of the White House's media hype against Iran, he said.

The Iranian official stressed that the U.S. claims about Iranian vessels getting too close to American warships in the Strait of Hormuz are mere propaganda.
WELLINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Commercial banks in New Zealand might face new capital requirements after a review outlined by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) on Tuesday.

The review, due to be completed early next year, would take into account the unique risks of New Zealand's economy and financial system, including exposure to export markets, dependence on international capital markets, its high degree of banking industry concentration, and the low diversification in banks' lending portfolios, RBNZ deputy governor Grant Spencer said.

The RBNZ's current capital ratio for banks is calculated by dividing its capital by its risk-weighted exposures.

The review would explore the definition of capital, how banks measure the risks they face (risk weights) and the minimum capital ratios and buffers, Spencer said in a published speech to the New Zealand Bankers Association in Auckland.

It would be guided by broad principles centered on simplicity and conservatism, with the requirement for capital to readily absorb losses ahead of creditors and depositors.

In the wake of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), banks and regulators around the world have been reviewing capital buffers for banks to maintain guarding against the risk of losses, said Spencer.

It was a very complex area full of trade-offs, and the RBNZ planned to comprehensively assess whether New Zealand's capital framework remained fit for purpose.

"New Zealand's exports are concentrated in a small number of commodity-based sectors which can be subject to considerable price volatility. Bank exposures to commodity export industries are a key risk in the domestic system," said Spencer.

"Residential mortgage exposures are also a major source of risk given the system's heavy exposure to housing and the capacity for house prices to become very stretched - as at present."

New Zealand was a net debtor country, having run current account deficits continuously over the past 40 years.

"About half of the country's gross external debt is issued by the New Zealand banking system which then on-lends to businesses and households. This reliance on external funding is an important vulnerability of the New Zealand system, as starkly demonstrated during the GFC," he said.

The RBNZ would outline the broad areas of the capital framework that would be examined in the capital review in an issues paper released in April.

New Zealand has 24 registered banks as of August 2016, most of them subsidiaries or branches of foreign-owned banks.
PYONGYANG, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is temporarily banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving the country until safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is fully guaranteed, the official news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by the protocol department of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, which said the Malaysian Embassy in the DPRK had been informed of the decision.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry hoped that the Malaysian Embassy and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry would properly settle the dispute arising from the murder of a DPRK citizen in Malaysia, said the notice.

Pyongyang wants to see the case properly addressed "from the goodwill stand of setting store by and developing bilateral relations," the notice added.

In the period, Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before," it said.
HAVANA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales said here on Monday that he would come back to Cuba in early April for a "brief" surgery of his vocal cords.

Morales said that he will be back in a month's time to remove a small nodule found in his throat.

The operation will last "no longer than 15 minutes," the president told reporters at the airport before his departure.

Morales stayed in the island country for five days to check his throat infection, during which Cuban President Raul Castro visited him at the hospital.

Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera denied earlier that Morales's trip abroad had any political motivation.

Bolivia and Cuba are close political partners, both of which are members of the regional economic and integrationist alliance "Bolivarian Alternative for the People of our America."
HANOI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese real estate market has experienced a slight decrease in the number of deals from late 2016, despite sellers' promotion efforts.

According to the Ministry of Construction's Housing and Real Estate Market Management Agency, deals concluded in February also witnessed significant drop in number compared to the previous month, reported Vietnam state-run news agency VNA on Tuesday.

In capital Hanoi, about 850 deals were reached in February, down 34.6 percent month-on-month. The southern Ho Chi Minh City saw a drop of 35 percent to about 900 deals in the same period.

Earlier, sales in January experienced a fall of 7.1 percent and 3.4 percent in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively, from December 2016.

Most deals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this year have been in midmarket and upmarket segments, said the agency.

According to the agency, the decline in deals is not worrisome since it is the market's yearly pattern for the period after the Lunar New Year holiday, which lowers buyers' demand.

Insiders of the field maintain their optimistic views that stable macro-economic policies of the Vietnamese government would continue to fuel the real estate sector this year.
SUVA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has formalized the purchase of a batch of armored military vehicles from Australia to support Fiji's United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Fijian government announced Tuesday.

Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Fiji's minister for national security and defense, who was on a three-day official visit to Australia, has formalized the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles deal with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne, according to Fiji's Department of Information.

As per the deal, Australia will transport seven vehicles to the Golan Heights and three vehicles to Fiji, and will also provide an initial spare parts package, armored vehicle operator and maintainer training for Fijian military personnel in Australia and assistance to Fiji to develop a maintenance program.

"Our men and women in peacekeeping missions are exposed to danger, violence and conflict and their safety, security and protection is a priority," Kubuabola said, adding that the purchase of the armored military vehicles also contributes to humanitarian emergencies to ensure that responses during natural disasters are strengthened.

There are over 800 Fijians serving on UN or non-UN peacekeeping missions across seven countries, including Syria, Egypt, Iraq and South Sudan, official statistics showed.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that he had instructed the police to ban all citizens from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country after Pyongyang announced a similar ban.

The prime minister also urged the DPRK to immediately allow all Malaysians to leave to "avoid any further escalation."

Describing DPRK's exit ban as an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage," Najib said it was in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms.

"Protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened," he said, adding that he also instructed the police to prevent all DPRK citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until "we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea (the DPRK)."

In tit-for-tat moves, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled each other's ambassador as an investigation into the death of a DPRK man strained bilateral relations.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Malaysian government has banned all DPRK embassy staff from leaving the country.

The measure, which will be enforced by the Home Ministry, was "an response to the measures taken by the foreign ministry of the DPRK," Zahid told reporters when attending a parliament session, adding Malaysia was forced to take the measure because the DPRK had gone beyond diplomatic etiquette.

Malaysian police and health authorities said a DPRK man was killed by VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon banned by the UN, at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Two female suspects who swabbed the chemical on his face had been indicted with murder while four DPRK suspects had fled Malaysia.

The police also wanted to question three men in connection with the case, including a second secretary at the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an Air Koyro employee. When attending a meeting on drug enforcement, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police believed the three were hiding in the DPRK embassy.

He also said the DPRK authorities were not cooperating with the Malaysian side in the investigation and refused to hand over the four fleeing suspects.

Khalid said the police would give the bereaved family a little bit more time to come to identify the body of the DPRK man. "We are confident we will get the DNA samples," he said.
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning nationals of six Muslim countries to enter the United States, excluding Iraq from the list of a previous ban.

The new document maintained a 90-day ban on nationals of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Iran and Somalia from entering the United States, effective from March 16.

"Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones," the order said.

Nationals of the six countries who are outside the United States will be banned from entering the country, except those who are lawful permanent U.S. residences or fit other criteria, according to the new rule.

Notably missing from the list is Iraq, which has been subject to a similar ban imposed in January.

"The close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment for Iraq," the document said.

The Iraqi government welcomed Washington's decision not to ban its citizens, saying "the decision is an important step in the right direction, it consolidates the strategic alliance between Baghdad and Washington in many fields, and at their forefront war on terrorism."

A review conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will determine after 70 days the order has went into effect whether any countries should be added or removed from the list.

In addition to the travel ban, the order also suspended granting refugee status for 120 days after the effective date. Syrian refugees, which were singled out in the original version as being banned indefinitely, will be given the same treatment with refugees of other origins.

The new order was signed in observation of court rulings and to avoid further litigation, the order said.

In a joint press conference after Trump signed the document, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson all hailed the new executive order as an important step toward enhancing security of the country.

"This order is part of our ongoing efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamist terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends," Tillerson said.

"We cannot compromise our nation's security by allowing visitors entry when their own governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly or when those governments actively support terrorism," said Sessions.

"We must undertake a rigorous review and are undertaking a rigorous review of our immigration vetting programs to increase our confidence in the decisions we make relative to visitors and immigrants that travel to the United States," echoed Kelly.

Trump has signed a similar executive order on Jan. 27, which imposed a ban on nationals of seven Muslim countries to enter the United States for 90 days, refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

A federal judge of the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington later slapped a nationwide restraining order on the travel ban, and the ruling was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
People protest against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in front of the Lotte Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 27, 2017. Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, decided Monday to offer its golf course to be used as a site for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)

by Xinhua writer Zhu Dongyang

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Missile firing, military drills, defense upgrading ... the tit-for-tat confrontation between Pyongyang and Seoul has become a sickening old play staged annually in Northeast Asia, and is crippling the chips of all concerned on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang's launch of four ballistic missiles on Monday, so far the most substantial reaction to the ongoing Seoul-Washington military exercises and the U.S. escalating deployment in its Japanese bases, has once against sparked anxiety in the south of the 38th Parallel.

An emergency gathering in the UN Security Council was called for, and the United States and Japan have vowed to take countermeasures against Pyongyang's action.

But all the parties concerned need to remember that Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s move is but a routine response to its south neighbor's annual joint drills with the United States, which Pyongyang has taken as nothing but an act of hostility and menace to its national security.

Literally, the exacerbation of rivalry is pricking up the specter of a warfare. But it is most disheartening to see the refusal of both sides on the peninsula to take seriously the consequences of their bigoted limit-pushing calculations.

South Korea, in a reckless manner, has bet all chips on the United States. Its two months' joint drills, described by the DPRK as "nuclear war maneuvers," and the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, have been, once again, a manifestation of its self-serving response to the most complicated geopolitical quagmire in the world.

The DPRK, for its part, has to face the reality that it can neither thwart Washington and Seoul nor consolidate its security in a breeze with its immature nuclear technology.

The recent developments are depriving Seoul, and Pyongyang as well, of their chips. Any effort to push the peninsula to a simmering point in the name of self-defense would risk the overturning of the boat that the two nations actually share, something they seem to have failed to recognize even till now.

China's engagement in stemming the sprout of a warfare on the peninsula and secure its denuclearization remains unswerving, but such good faith cannot be taken by any other sides to blackmail Beijing in return. Parties disregarding China's mediation efforts have to bear their fair share of the aftermath, however calamitous it dooms to be.

As for U.S. President Donald Trump, it has never been too late to remind him of the complexity of the peninsular issue. After all, the lessons of his predecessors in this regard have proved the necessity to keep his feet on the ground, and take into consideration the concerns of all relevant parties instead of just his allies.
SYDNEY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop headed to Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Tuesday, to attend a forum with PNG government officials in Madang.

Bishop will be joined by senior Australian government ministers, including Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, and will co-chair the forum with her PNG counterpart.

The forum is expected to cover a swathe of issues, with the inclusion of Dutton in the delegation a likely indicator that the Manus Island detention facility, along with its refugee population, will be a key issue on the agenda.

Trade is also likely to feature at the forum, with Bishop pegging Australian investment into the island nation as being worth nearly 18.4 billion Australian dollars (13.99 billion U.S. dollars), with the foreign minister set also to chair the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Dialogue.

A government official said Bishop is currently in transit to PNG, and will open a new Australian Consulate-General facility in PNG's second largest city, Lae, during the three day trip.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that he had instructed the police to ban all citizens from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country after Pyongyang announced a similar ban.

The prime minister also urged the DPRK to immediately allow all Malaysians to leave to "avoid any further escalation."

Describing DPRK's exit ban as an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage," Najib said it was in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms.

"Protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened," he said, adding that he also instructed the police to prevent all DPRK citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until "we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea (the DPRK)."

In tia-for-tat moves, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled each otner's ambassador as an investigation into the death of a DPRK man strained bilateral relations.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Malaysian government has banned all DPRK embassy staff from leaving the country.

The measure, which will be enforced by the Home Ministry, was "an response to the measures taken by the foreign ministry of the DPRK," Zahid told reporters when attending a parliament session, adding Malaysia was forced to take the measure because the DPRK had gone beyond diplomatic etiquette.

Malaysian police and health authorities said a DPRK man was killed by VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon banned by the UN, at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Two female suspects who swabbed the chemical on his face had been indicted with murder while four DPRK suspects had fled Malaysia.

The police also wanted to question three men in connection with the case, including a second secretary at the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an Air Koyro employee. When attending a meeting on drug enforcement, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police believed the three were hiding in the DPRK embassy.

He also said the DPRK authorities were not cooperating with the Malaysian side in the investigation and refused to hand over the four fleeing suspects.

Khalid said the police would give the bereaved family a little bit more time to come to identify the body of the DPRK man. "We are confident we will get the DNA samples," he said.
HANOI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Transport (MoT) has just proposed three options of building North-South Expressway to the country's government.

Specifically, the first option is that the state will sponsor an investment of 41.414 trillion Vietnamese dong (1.86 billion U.S. dollars) to build 467 km of the route, reported local Vietnam Economic Times on Tuesday.

Or the state will provide some 63 trillion Vietnamese dong (2.83 billion U.S. dollars) to build 916 km of the road while thirdly, the state will offer an assistance of 70 trillion Vietnamese dong (3.14 billion U.S. dollars) to build 1,015 km.

According to initial calculation of the MoT, some 3,900 households will be resettled. The land acquisition and resettlement assistance will cost over 27.4 trillion Vietnamese dong (1.23 billion U.S. dollars).
OUAGADOUGOU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Burkina Faso government minister on Monday called on authorities to strengthen efforts for fighting social exclusion of women in the West African country.

"We urge traditional and religious authorities to use their prerogatives to ensure respect for human dignity through strong and consistent measures to combat social exclusion of women," said Laure Zongo-Hien, the country's Minister of Women, National Solidarity and Family.

She made the remarks in a release issued in Ouagadougou Monday ahead of the International Women's Day on March 8.

According to official figures, women account for over 52 percent of the whole population in Burkina Faso. Among them, 926 socially excluded women were registered in 13 reception and solidarity centers up to December 17, 2016, but only 61 of them have returned to their families.

The minister urged a joint fight against the phenomenon (of social exclusion of women) in face of the "flagrant violation" of the most fundamental human rights of women.

"I call upon you to prioritize and strengthen networking so as to ensure a more efficient coordination of your actions, to exchange best practices and to make sure that policies for promoting women's rights are well implemented," she said.

The West African country will celebrate the International Women's Day on Wednesday under the theme of "Moral value of the human person: community responsibility in the fight against social exclusion of women."
Photo taken on Sept. 11, 2015 shows the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhang Wenzong)

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that he had instructed the police to ban all citizens from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country after Pyongyang announced a similar ban.

The prime minister also urged the DPRK to immediately allow all Malaysians to leave to "avoid any further escalation."

Describing DPRK's exit ban as an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage," Najib said it was in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms.

"Protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened," he said, adding that he also instructed the police to prevent all DPRK citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until "we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea (the DPRK)."

In tit-for-tat moves, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled each other's ambassador as an investigation into the death of a DPRK man strained bilateral relations.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Malaysian government has banned all DPRK embassy staff from leaving the country.

The measure, which will be enforced by the Home Ministry, was "an response to the measures taken by the foreign ministry of the DPRK," Zahid told reporters when attending a parliament session, adding Malaysia was forced to take the measure because the DPRK had gone beyond diplomatic etiquette.

Malaysian police and health authorities said a DPRK man was killed by VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon banned by the UN, at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Two female suspects who swabbed the chemical on his face had been indicted with murder while four DPRK suspects had fled Malaysia.

The police also wanted to question three men in connection with the case, including a second secretary at the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an Air Koyro employee. When attending a meeting on drug enforcement, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police believed the three were hiding in the DPRK embassy.

He also said the DPRK authorities were not cooperating with the Malaysian side in the investigation and refused to hand over the four fleeing suspects.

Khalid said the police would give the bereaved family a little bit more time to come to identify the body of the DPRK man. "We are confident we will get the DNA samples," he said.
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday spoke separately over phone with leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss the latest test-launch of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the White House.

Trump emphasized U.S. commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the "serious threat" posed by the DPRK, said a statement by the White House.

The Trump administration is taking steps to further enhance the ability to deter and defend against the DPRK's ballistic missiles using the full range of U.S. military capabilities, said the statement.

The phone talks followed the DPRK's test-launch on Monday of four ballistic missiles that flew around 1,000 km toward its eastern waters. Among the four, three reportedly fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The latest missile launch by the DPRK came as the United States and South Korea were conducting their joint military drill.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday it is opposed to the launch activities of the DPRK that was in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and urged all sides to keep restraint.

Citing the ongoing training exercise jointly conducted by the United States and South Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should keep restraint and avoid provoking each other and intensifying the tense situation in the region.

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday kicked off their joint springtime war game which would mobilize the massive U.S. strategic assets, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The Foal Eagle field training exercise is scheduled to last until late April, bringing USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, F-35B stealth fighter jets, B-1B strategic bombers, nuclear-capable B-52 long-range bombers and other strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK had denounced it as a rehearsal for northward invasion.
NEW DELHI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- India has reportedly expressed its concern over the alleged killing of a 22-year-old Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy, which has triggered a huge outrage in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Quoting sources, local media reported that India has raised the issue with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and that Colombo has promised a "full and thorough probe" into the alleged killing of the fisherman.

The incident took place on Monday night when the fisherman from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu was fishing near the islet along with others and the Sri Lankan Navy arrived at the spot and allegedly opened fire. The fisherman was shot in the neck and died on the spot, while another fisherman sustained a bullet injury.

Local TV channels showed footage of over a thousand people gathering and protesting at the home of the dead fisherman, and reported that his family has refused to accept his body without action by the Indian and Lankan governments.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Palaniswami, has also condemned the killing, while the state's opposition leader M.K. Stalin has asked India to warn Sri Lanka "diplomatically". He has also demanded that India hold embassy-level talks with Colombo to resolve the issue one and for all.
ISLAMABAD, March 7 (Xinhua) -- At least two soldiers were killed during exchange of firing with militants in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, the military said.

Inter-Services Public Relations, the mouthpiece of Pakistani army, said in a statement that the troops launched a search operation in Malikabad town of Swabi district, by acting on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of suspected militants in the area.

During the operation, the militants opened fire at the forces from a compound, killing two security personnel including an officer and a soldier, the ISPR said.

Tuesday's operation was a continuation of "Operation Radd-ul-Fassad" which was launched last month after a series of terrorist attacks left over 100 people killed and more than 300 others injured in the country.

Tuesday's clash came a day after five soldiers were killed when Afghan insurgents stormed three military check posts in Mohmand tribal area, in a cross border attack.

The army said that 15 militants were also killed in retaliatory attack by forces.

Pakistani foreign office also summoned Afghan deputy ambassador and lodged a protest on Monday.
by Xinhua writers Wang Xiaopeng and Wang Jun

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- "I am proud my home village has preserved its traditional style," said Tashi Yangjen, the only deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from the Luoba ethnic group.

Luoba is one of the smallest ethnic minorities in China.

Tashi Yangjen, 36, grew up in a mountainous Luoba village in Shannan prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, though the prefecture was officially reclassified as a city in 2016.

As an NPC deputy, the first suggestion Tashi Yangjen submitted to the NPC session in 2013 was on retaining the traditional design of Luoba homes, which are usually thatched with straw.

She was worried that the outlook of the village would change as the government revamped and rebuilt village homes, mostly built with stone, wood and straw.

Her proposal was a success. In May 2014, the government approved a plan to preserve the Luoba village.

Now there are 23 new homes built with reinforced concrete in the village that look almost the same as traditional Luoba homes. Their roofs are not covered by straw, but metal that resembles straw.

Tashi Yangjen's suggestions as an NPC deputy were not just about housing. She also proposed that Luoba culture be protected, including language and clothing, as well as improved infrastructure.

Things are getting better for Luoba people. There is a sewage treatment service in her home village, in addition to a garbage disposal facility.

A small factory for making Luoba costume is being built. Upon completion, about five Luoba people will work there making souvenirs and Luoba dresses, which usually feature red, black or white stripes. Together with traditional dress, Luoba women often wear accessories, including long necklaces and headwear made of blue beads.

The Luoba ethnic group has no written language.

"The spoken language of the Luoba is also protected, as traditional words are collected and Luoba children are able to learn them from preschool education," Tashi Yangjen told Xinhua during the ongoing annual session of the 12th NPC.

Tashi Yangjen's suggestions also include improving the subsidies offered to residents living in border regions. This year she plans to submit a proposal to build more public facilities, including small parks where people can get together for events.

"The people's congresses are good because deputies' motions and suggestions are responded to," she said, adding the system is sound because it entitles ethnic minorities, however small, to have at least one NPC deputy.

PART-TIME LAWMAKER

NPC deputies are part-time, and a deputy to the NPC can be the country's president or a farmer, a celebrated tycoon or a migrant worker, a lawyer or an official.

Tashi Yangjen was born into a poor family of wheat and barley farmers, and is currently a township official in the Tibetan city.

She was educated in a Tibetan school in Changzhou city in eastern Jiangsu Province and a college in Yueyang city in central Hunan Province, before becoming a primary school teacher in 2004.

The government has been sending students from Tibet to study at high schools in inland cities since 1985 in the hopes of training more professionals for the underdeveloped plateau region and boosting Tibet's development.

Currently about 20,000 students from the region are studying in high schools in inland regions, including Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu. The free education has enabled hard-working Tibetan children to attend school, even if their families are poor.

Tibet has a huge task to relieve 690,000 people out of poverty between 2016 and 2020.

During the five years starting 2011, Tibet lifted more than 600,000 people from poverty.

Tashi Yangjen said she was happy that all the residents in her home village were lifted out poverty last year.

BETTER FUTURE

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, with Han people representing the bulk of population. Each ethnic minority is entitled to have at least one deputy to the NPC, and Tashi Yangjen is one of about 400 ethnic minority deputies to the 12th NPC.

These deputies are active in protecting their traditional culture, in addition to making submissions on other issues, including national development.

Padma Chodron, the only NPC deputy of the Menba ethnic group, has a similar educational experience to Tashi Yangjen. Padma Chodron is a township official in Medog County in Nyingchi City of Tibet, and has been focusing on the cultural protection of the Menba, which also has a small population.

She submitted a suggestion to the NPC session last year, calling for a county-level institution to protect and develop the ethnic minority language.

"Our Menba people only have a spoken language," she said. "If no one speaks the language, many of the traditions of the ethnic group will inevitably disappear."

To her delight, in 2016 the local government organized a team to record the customs, legends and ballads of the ethnic group as well as the memories of folk artists.

Observers believe the future of the smaller ethnic groups looks bright either in cultural protection or living standards, as the government attaches greater importance to their development.

According to the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the NPC session on Sunday, the government will increase support for development in areas inhabited mainly by ethnic minorities.

"We will protect and develop the fine traditional culture of ethnic minorities and support the growth of ethnic groups with smaller populations," Li said.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China's senior military officials have, during the ongoing parliamentary session, voiced their resolve to strengthen military building while safeguarding Xi Jinping's core status.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was endorsed as the core of the CPC Central Committee in October last year.

Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the CMC, said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police must implement Xi's decisions and instructions in pushing forward military building, reform and combat preparedness, and embrace the 19th CPC National Congress with military achievements.

"The troops must resolutely safeguard the core and follow the leadership of the CPC," Fan said Sunday while joining lawmakers from the PLA in a panel deliberation of the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual session of the National People's Congress on Sunday.

Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the CMC, said the PLA's progress in building a world-class military is attributed to Xi's leadership.

He called for strengthening political work in the armed forces to ensure the high unity and purity of the military, adding that the armed forces must make good preparations to deal with various risks to fulfill their missions.

Both Fan and Xu urged PLA officers to eliminate the impact of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, two corrupt former CMC vice chairmen.

Reviewing the government work report on Monday, other CMC members also vowed to unite closely around the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core.

Defense Minister Chang Wanquan said efforts will be made to enhance the education of national defense and encourage integrated military-civilian development.

Xi now heads a central commission for integrated military and civilian development.

Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the CMC, said the "CMC chairman responsibility system" must be ensured.

Zhang Yang, head of the CMC Political Work Department, said the armed forces must promote "confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics," which was raised by Xi last year.

Zhao Keshi, head of the CMC Logistical Support Department, said military funds and expenditure will be closely watched and discipline strengthened.

Zhang Youxia, head of the CMC Equipment Development Department, said the department will step up innovation ranging from science and technology to management and talent cultivation, as Xi has ordered.

CMC member Wu Shengli called for safeguarding the core, strengthening political work, and focusing on winning the battle by intensifying military training and combat preparedness.

Ma Xiaotian, commander-in-chief of the PLA Air Force, stressed integrating aviation and space power as well as strike and defense capabilities, a target Xi has set for the air force.

Wei Fenghe, commander-in-chief of the PLA Rocket Force, said Xi's instructions are important guidelines for building a world-class strategic force to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

The senior officials' remarks came as China's 2017 defense spending is budgeted to grow 7 percent to reach 1.04 trillion yuan (about 152 billion U.S. dollars).

"The majority of the defense budget will be spent on deepening national defense and military reforms, bolstering military and civilian integration, and improving the living, training and working conditions for service personnel at grassroots levels," an official with Ministry of Finance said on Monday.

China will strengthen its maritime and air defense as well as border controls amid efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and security, according to the government work report.

The country will continue to deepen military reforms, while upholding the CPC's absolute leadership over the armed forces. It will ensure the organization of important operations related to countering terrorism, safeguarding stability, international peacekeeping, and providing escort in high seas, according to the report.

"China will enhance its capacity of innovation in defense-related science and technology and step up development of advanced logistics and equipment," it said, adding that military-civilian integration will be intensified.
NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- While the radical controversy flared up by U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary visa ban is still in flame, another dispute came up.

On Thursday, three Muslim students got an "offensive" questionnaire before they could make an appointment to meet with state Rep. John Bennett after celebration activities at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

"The sunna of Mohammed says that Muslims must be punished for leaving Islam. Do you agree with this?" one of the question said.

"The Koran, the sunna of Mohammed and Sharia Law of all schools say that the husband can beat his wife. Do you beat your wife?" another one asked.

John Bennett, the lawmaker of Oklahoma, has a record for anti-Muslim comments.

He once called Muslims a "cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out" in 2014, according to the local newspaper Tulsa World.

These three students knew about Bennett's history before they came to him, Facci, a witness and officer of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Washington Post.

"I think they weren't expected to be treated with that level of disrespect," Facci said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered to temporarily ban immigration from seven countries to enter the United States in 90 days on Jan. 27.

The ban has triggered protests and criticism both at home and abroad, then was abolished in February.

On Monday he signed a new travel ban to forbid nationals from six Muslim-majority countries to enter the United States, excluding Iraq from the previous list.
WELLINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- African rhinos have the ability to change the sex of their offspring to avoid gender imbalances and to curb severe competition for breeding, according to a New Zealand-led study out Tuesday.

The study provided the first experimental evidence in the wild that unbalanced population sex ratios could result in a response by parents to "correct" the imbalance, said study leader Associate Professor Wayne Linklater, of Victoria University.

"This is called a homeostatic sex allocation (HSA) response -- a biological theory first proposed in 1930," Linklater said in a statement.

"Almost all population models assume birth sex ratio is fixed. Our evidence indicates that this may not be the case."

The research team, including scientists from South Africa and Namibia, examined 24 years of rhinoceros data, gathered during the course of 45 reintroductions of the animals across southern Africa.

Sex bias was especially important in rhinoceros populations due to their critically low numbers, said Linklater.

"But because of the evidence of HSA, we need not be so concerned about that misbalance, because parents appear able to 'correct' it when they breed," he said.

"HSA has an especially strong effect when the gender imbalance is very large. In fact, the further it is from an even-sex ratio, the stronger the response is by parents."

Populations where HSA was possible would be more resilient.

"Their small populations will have improved establishment and greater viability. Such species will populate habitats faster, and be less susceptible to random demographic processes and genetic drift," he said.

Explaining the allocation of resources by parents among male and female offspring was a leading issue in evolutionary biology.

"Extreme sex ratios commonly occur, so the incidence of HSA will significantly impact our understanding of a range of ecological processes including invasion biology and conservation management," he said.

Linklater planned further research into how an HSA response worked in Australian brushtail possums.

"Possums are ideal subjects for such a study because their offspring are born into the marsupial pouch at an extraordinarily young age -- very early in development -- and so can be studied in great detail," he said.

"Possums are also invasive mammals in New Zealand. Understanding their reproductive processes can provide new ways of managing population numbers."
QUITO, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The unprecedented opening-up measures announced by Chinese leaders during the ongoing "two sessions" -- the annual gatherings of the country's top legislature and the political advisory body -- represent an opportunity for Latin America, said Ecuadorian experts.

In an interview with Xinhua, former Foreign Minister Fernando Carrion said that the "two sessions" have led to global expectations for their impact on world affairs.

This year's "two sessions," namely, 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), are being held on March 3-15. The annual meetings are among the most important political events for China.

China being the world's second largest economy "is a reality for any country interested in maintaining relations with China," Carrion explained. "China occupies a majorly important position and it is of enormous importance and usefulness for Ecuador to maintain close ties with China."

Delivering a government work report to NPC deputies on Sunday morning, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that the country has made significant progress in improving the environment for foreign investors.

Among other things, he noted that foreign firms will enjoy the same treatment as domestic firms in license applications, standards setting and government procurement, and will enjoy the same preferential policies under the Made in China 2025 initiative, a plan to modernize the manufacturing sector.

"China's open door will not close," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday afternoon when joining a panel discussion with lawmakers from Shanghai at the annual session of the NPC.

China will keep opening up on all fronts, and continue to liberalize and facilitate trade and investment, said Xi.

"This is the ideal moment for Latin America to strengthen ties with China, even more than before," said Carrion. "We can see that the United States and (Donald) Trump administration have an erratic foreign policy, which seems that Latin America is not a priority for the United States."

In comparison, "President Xi has said China is open to boosting its commercial and investment relationships with other countries, unlike Trump," said the former minister.

Marcelo Fernandez, an international relations analyst, told Xinhua that given its global geopolitical importance, China's increasing openness is positive.

"It is highly positive that China will open itself further to the world. It is something Ecuadorians must learn to promote our development. A greater openness of Ecuador to the world will generate more trade and foreign investment from countries like China," said Fernandez, who is also a former diplomat.

Concerning anti-globalization tendency, he said that Xi spoke of Chinese development being an opportunity for the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"It certainly is. China is the second largest economy in the world. If its economy opens up, it will create many opportunities for the countries that are able to capitalize on this opening up," he said.

"We must seize the opportunity that China is creating. Hopefully, Latin American countries do so, not only to boost trade, but also to attract Chinese investment to the region. This is something that clearly has mutually beneficial advantages," said Fernandez.
WELLINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Parents given help on how to ensure their infants sleep better have children who are less likely to be overweight, according to a New Zealand study out Tuesday.

The University of Otago study involved 802 families who received standard child care, with some families given extra support around food, activity and breast feeding, some given an innovative sleep program, and some given both interventions.

Study co-leaders Professors Barry Taylor and Rachael Taylor were surprised to find that when the children were 2 years old, the extra support around food, activity and breastfeeding did not affect how the children grew.

"However, children in families who received the sleep program were much less likely to be overweight," they said in a statement.

New Zealand parents already had access to significant support and advice on nutrition, activity and breastfeeding, but the study suggested that extra education in these areas did not protect babies from becoming overweight.

"By contrast, the beneficial effects of the POI (prevention of obesity in infancy) sleep intervention on the children's weight were intriguing and quite substantial," they said.

Rachael Taylor said the findings were also surprising because international studies had shown that poor sleep was associated with obesity in children, but the POI sleep intervention was very brief.

"Families in the sleep group had one class before baby was born, and then a personal visit from an expert sleep nurse when their baby was 3 weeks old. Some families requested extra help if their baby still had difficulties sleeping after 6 months of age," she said in the statement.

The intriguing findings suggested that parents and families would benefit from expert advice on their infant's sleep, Barry Taylor said.

"Further work is required to determine whether more intense interventions, particularly in those at higher need, can be even more successful," he said.
NEW DELHI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The armies of India and Oman are carrying out joint military exercises to acquaint themselves with each other's operating procedures to strengthen counter insurgency and counter terrorism capabilities, officials said Tuesday.

The two armies began the joint training in northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on Monday.

"A fourteen days joint training exercise of the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman exercise AL NAGAH-II commenced on Monday in Himachal Pradesh," an Indian military spokesman said. "The training contingents are comprised of platoon strength troops from both the armies."

A platoon consists of around 40 to 50 soldiers.

Officials said the aim of the joint exercise is to enhance existing military relationship.

"The aim of the Joint Exercise is to acquaint both forces with each other's operating procedures in the backdrop of counter insurgency, counter terrorism environment, " the spokesman said.

"The exercise will also enhance the interoperability between both the armies in conducting joint operations and cement bonds of friendship between the two countries."

According to officials senior military observers from both countries will be witnessing the validation phase of the exercise.

The last joint exercise between the two armies was held at Muscat in Oman in 2015.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Li Jin works in his office in southwest China's Chengdu city for 14 hours a day, while his wife and child live on the other side of the world in Britain.

The founder and CEO of privately-owned HitGen, based in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, manages to visit his family in Britain every quarter.

His four-year-old firm has stunned the world with its human DNA encoded libraries. The patented gene database contains 5.6 billion small molecules and macrocycles designed with drug-like properties, which mean they are the starting points for discovering new drug therapies.

The former global director of compound and computational sciences at pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca returned to China to become an entrepreneur, joining China's national "Thousand Talent" program.

Attracted by generous incentives, the recruitment program has attracted more than 6,000 academics and researchers to China from abroad since its launch in 2008.

TO END BRAIN DRAIN

As the world's second-largest economy, China is in urgent need of overseas talent as it transforms from a labor-intensive, low-tech economy into one driven by innovation in science and technology.

Statistics show that more than 70 percent of key national research project leaders are overseas returnees. Over 80 percent of academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and at the Chinese Academy of Engineering have experience studying or working abroad.

A report released by the Social Sciences Academic Press in 2016 showed that good job opportunities and internationally competitive salaries are the top two factors in attracting overseas Chinese to return to China.

"Global experts who were born in the 1970s often already have a stable life, wealth and fame at abroad. It seems that they lack nothing," said Yang Fan, an official with the organization department of Suzhou city, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Li Jin had his own reasons to return.

"I came back to China to become an entrepreneur in biotech discovery," said the native of Chongqing municipality, neighboring Sichuan.

He finished his undergraduate studies in Sichuan University in 1982 before going to Britain for further education, remaining in Britain for 20 years and becoming a British citizen.

He said that China's sound entrepreneurial environment and thirst for high-tech talent was the primary factor that drove him to start his business in Chengdu, while the European and American employment business environment looked gloomy under the impact of the global financial crisis.

In 2012, the Chengdu city government provided Li's start-up with plenty of support including free office space for three years, setting-up funds, and various subsidies.

Li said half of his team of 140 staff were from outside Sichuan, including overseas.

OVERSEAS RETURNING WAVE

As China is improving its national strength and adding favorable policies for foreign-educated talent, it is witnessing a rising wave of overseas returnees.

In 2016, 544,500 Chinese students studied overseas, 144,900 people more than 2012; while the number of returnees in 2016 was 432,500, up 159,600 on 2012, according to the Ministry of Education.

The ratio of the returning people has fallen from 3.15:1 in 2006 to 1.28:1 in 2015.

"With an active economy and fast-growing high-tech industries, China provides entrepreneurs opportunities they cannot enjoy in the United States," said Deng Feng, who returned to China from Silicon Valley.

Returning overseas talent has improved China's competitiveness and become vital forces in areas, such as science and technology, education and high-tech industries.

Meanwhile, thanks to a strong economy and better opportunities, the number of foreign students studying in China has continued to rise. China has now become most popular study destination in Asia. In 2016, more than 440,000 overseas students studied in China, up 35 percent on 2012.

Experts estimate that China will transform from the biggest source of talent in the world, into a major destination for international talent over the next five years.
by Chris Mgidu

NAIROBI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- International charity said on Tuesday that it was dismayed by the new executive order on immigration and refugee resettlement issued on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump, barring citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the revised ban on refugees and on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations while suspending the refugee resettlement program for 120 days bounces refugees from hope to despair again.

"When the U.S. government says that it has agreed to resettle refugees, it should follow through on that promise, admitting everyone who has been already vetted," said Joel Charny, Director of Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) USA.

Charny said in a statement issued in Nairobi the new executive order will disrupt thousands of lives due to terrorism fears without factual basis.

"The process of refugee resettlement should be orderly, not an emotional rollercoaster. For the second time in just over a month, imposing this ban further punishes families that already fled their home countries. Refugee lives are not ping-pong balls," he added.

The global charity said the ban discriminates against refugees by unjustly depicting them as a threat to the U.S, noting that refugees already go through a thorough vetting process before they enter the U.S., a process taking up to four years.

"The women, men and children who have come through this process pose a miniscule risk to the security of the U.S. They are only guilty of fleeing war and persecution, and wanting a better life for their families," the NRC said.

The charity said the reducing the accepted number of refugees to the U.S. from 110,000 to 50,000 is shameful for a country so wealthy.

"The new policy sends a dangerous message to the world that the U.S., with all its resources, has abandoned its commitment to addressing the global refugee crisis," warned Charny.

Trump signed a second order after the first one was quashed by courts, halting new visas for travelers from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan.

"The effects of this rhetoric are far reaching beyond America's borders. What happens here today gives momentum to nationalist movements in Europe and elsewhere, that persecution and religious intolerance are acceptable," Charny said.

"It sets a poor example for far less wealthy countries, like Lebanon and Uganda, who have generously taken in refugees and may now question their own commitment. The global refugee regime depends on American leadership," he added.

The charity said refugees already fully vetted and waiting for transportation should be allowed to enter America, with particular focus on family reunification cases, and cases of special vulnerability and distress.

"While the new executive order does not apply to those 'formally scheduled' for transit by the State Department, the exact meaning of this phrase is unclear and could limit the numbers to those for whom tickets have already been purchased. All officially vetted and cleared refugees in the pipeline should be resettled," NRC said.
MOGADISHU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres landed in Mogadishu Tuesday morning in what he described as an urgent need to address the ongoing an outbreak of cholera and severe drought ravaging the Horn of Africa nation.

Guterres who flew from Nairobi called for global response to stop deaths in Somalia, noting people were dying of hunger and cholera.

"Just arrived in Somalia on emergency visit to focus on famine and cholera. People are dying. The world must act now to stop this," he said in a tweet.

Speaking on arrival in Mogadishu, the world's top diplomat called for international support to provide humanitarian assistance to Somalia where more than 6.2 million people are facing acute food shortages.

Guterres who was due to hold talks with newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed widely known as Farmajo said the current drought in Somalis requires a "massive international response."

The UN announced last month Somalia was slipping into famine six years after a deadly one which claimed upwards of 250,000 lives.

The UN chief is expected to meet the country's leadership and members of the international community to bolster efforts against the drought.

Humanitarian agencies have called for international help warning urgent steps must be taken to prevent the country from falling into famine even as the new administration takes over office.

The UN also confirmed Monday that 196 people have died from acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) and cholera outbreak in Somalia since January, noting that a total of 7,909 AWD/cholera cases have been reported in 11 regions (38 districts) since the beginning of 2017.
YANGON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China's investment in Myanmar reached 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in this fiscal year 2016-2017 , drastically down by nearly 500 million U.S. dollars as compared with the previous fiscal year, official media reported Tuesday.

However, China still ranks first overally in the total foreign investment line-up with 18.53 billion U.S. dollars as of January 2017 since 1988, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration was quoted as saying.

In this fiscal year 2016-17, Singapore stood as the largest investor with 3 billion, followed by Vietnam as the second which climbed to the position for winning as the fourth telecom operator in the country.

Foreign direct investment mostly enters into transportation, communications and manufacturing sectors.

Myanmar's investment Commission carefully scrutinized foreign investment proposals after verifying sector-specific development, job opportunities and environmental impact assessment.

Meanwhile, the commission announced last week three zones where income tax for investment will be relatively exempted or relaxed in accordance with their development status.

Under the new investment policy, the investors will enjoy income tax exemption for a consecutive 3 to 7 years starting from the year of commercial operation for investment in the zones respectively.

The investors are encouraged to invest in the government's promoted sectors to enjoy the tax privileges.

Myanmar's new Investment Law, endorsed on Oct.18 with the approval of both Houses, was drafted in 2013 based on suggestions from experts and businessmen with the help of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the new law combines the Foreign Investment Law drafted in 2012 and the Citizens' Investment Law drafted in 2013.

The country attracted 69.536 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investments as of January since late 1988.
Delegates beat drums during the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, March 7, 2017. The IORA summit was opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Du Yu)



JAKARTA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Leaders and senior representatives of at the 20th summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on Tuesday signed the official document, dubbed the Jakarta Concord, pledging to build a stable, well-being region.

In the document entitled "Promoting Regional Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean", IORA member countries pledged their commitments to build Indian Ocean into a stable, well-being region through cooperation in various sectors with several priorities need to be addressed on.

The document serves as foundations to guide 21 IORA member countries in tackling the regional and global challenges, leads to creation of improved cooperation among member countries in the future.

Priorities include promoting maritime security, trade and investment improvement, promote and develop a sustainable and accountable fishery sector, improve the management to anticipate disaster risk, strengthen cooperation on knowledge and science, encouraging tourism industry and cultural exchange, promote 'blue economy' drive and improving women's role in the economy.

Besides signing the Jakarta Concord, dignitaries also approved IORA declaration on terrorism and extremism prevention.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that the presence of representatives at the summit have expressed the eagerness of IORA member countries to seek international cooperation for the interests of each respective nation.

"Each nation should prioritize its nationalism. But nationalism would not survive without internationalism," the president said in his remarks to open the leaders' summit session here, advising on the need to establish international cooperation to address national interests.

Indonesia Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said that delegations attending the summit have also approved the action plans document to materialize the priorities set in Jakarta Concord.

The document stipulates steps and measures that need to be implemented to address the priorities' short and long term targets from 2017 to 2021, the minister added.

The IORA delegates also agreed to exercise tolerance and diversity in relations between one another in Indian Ocean region.

Indonesia holds the rotating chair of IORA this year. The regional organization constitutes member countries whose shores were washed by Indian Ocean waters.

Those member countries are Indonesia, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen.

The regional organization embraces seven dialogue partners comprised of Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Egypt, Japan and China.

IORA aims to enhance trade and economy cooperation among member countries so as to further prosper 2.7 billion of population inhabiting the region.
ANKARA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 35 others injured on Tuesday in a bus accident in Turkey's northwestern Bursa province, Dogan News Agency reported.

The bus carrying workers to attend International Women's Day activities in capital Ankara got out of the road on Ankara-Bursa highway in the section between Bursa's Inegol and Bilecik's Bozuyuk districts.

Totally seven women were killed in the accident and the wounded people were immediately brought to local hospitals nearby.
by Xinhua writers Wang Xiaopeng and Wang Jun

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- "I am proud my home village has preserved its traditional style," said Tashi Yangjen, the only deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from the Luoba ethnic group.

With 3,600 people, Luoba is one of the smallest ethnic minorities in China.

Tashi Yangjen, 36, grew up in a mountainous Luoba village in Shannan prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, though the prefecture was officially reclassified as a city in 2016.

As an NPC deputy, the first suggestion Tashi Yangjen submitted to the NPC session in 2013 was on retaining the traditional design of Luoba homes, which are usually thatched with straw.

She was worried that the outlook of the village would change as the government revamped and rebuilt village homes, mostly built with stone, wood and straw.

Her proposal was a success. In May 2014, the government approved a plan to preserve the Luoba village.

Now there are 23 new homes built with reinforced concrete in the village that look almost the same as traditional Luoba homes. Their roofs are not covered by straw, but metal that resembles straw.

Tashi Yangjen's suggestions as an NPC deputy were not just about housing. She also proposed that Luoba culture be protected, including language and clothing, as well as improved infrastructure.

Things are getting better for Luoba people. There is a sewage treatment service in her home village, in addition to a garbage disposal facility.

A small factory for making Luoba costume is being built. Upon completion, about five Luoba people will work there making souvenirs and Luoba dresses, which usually feature red, black or white stripes. Together with traditional dress, Luoba women often wear accessories, including long necklaces and headwear made of blue beads.

The Luoba ethnic group has no written language.

"The spoken language of the Luoba is also protected, as traditional words are collected and Luoba children are able to learn them from preschool education," Tashi Yangjen told Xinhua during the ongoing annual session of the 12th NPC.

Tashi Yangjen's suggestions also include improving the subsidies offered to residents living in border regions. This year she plans to submit a proposal to build more public facilities, including small parks where people can get together for events.

"The people's congresses are good because deputies' motions and suggestions are responded to," she said, adding the system is sound because it entitles ethnic minorities, however small, to have at least one NPC deputy.

PART-TIME LAWMAKER

The people's congress system is the fundamental political system in China, with about 2.6 million deputies at various levels.

At the pinnacle of the system sits the NPC, which supervises the State Council, China's cabinet, as well as the top court and procuratorate.

In China's political system, the NPC is the supreme organ of state power. There are nearly 3,000 deputies to the 12th NPC.

NPC deputies are part-time, and a deputy to the NPC can be the country's president or a farmer, a celebrated tycoon or a migrant worker, a lawyer or an official.

Tashi Yangjen was born into a poor family of wheat and barley farmers, and is currently a township official in the Tibetan city.

She was educated in a Tibetan school in Changzhou city in eastern Jiangsu Province and a college in Yueyang city in central Hunan Province, before becoming a primary school teacher in 2004.

The government has been sending students from Tibet to study at high schools in inland cities since 1985 in the hopes of training more professionals for the underdeveloped plateau region and boosting Tibet's development.

Currently about 20,000 students from the region are studying in inland regions, including Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu, where special Tibetan high schools are open to them. The free education has enabled hard-working Tibetan children to attend school, even if their families are poor.

Tibet has a huge task to relieve 690,000 people out of poverty between 2016 and 2020.

During the five years starting 2011, Tibet lifted more than 600,000 people from poverty.

Tashi Yangjen said she was happy that all the residents in her home village were lifted out poverty last year.

BETTER FUTURE

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, with Han people representing the bulk of population.

According to China's electoral law, NPC deputies should be elected in proportion to the population, urban and rural regions alike. A deputy might represent several hundreds of thousands of people.

However, each ethnic minority is entitled by law to have at least one deputy to the NPC, and Tashi Yangjen is one of about 400 ethnic minority deputies to the 12th NPC.

These deputies are active in protecting their traditional culture, in addition to making submissions on other issues, including national development.

Padma Chodron, the only NPC deputy of the Menba ethnic group, has a similar educational experience to Tashi Yangjen. Padma Chodron is a township official in Medog County in Nyingchi City of Tibet, and has been focusing on the cultural protection of the Menba, which has a population of 10,500.

She submitted a suggestion to the NPC session last year, calling for a county-level institution to protect and develop the ethnic minority language.

"Our Menba people only have a spoken language," she said. "If no one speaks the language, many of the traditions of the ethnic group will inevitably disappear."

To her delight, in 2016 the local government organized a team to record the customs, legends and ballads of the ethnic group as well as the memories of folk artists.

Observers believe the future of the smaller ethnic groups looks bright either in cultural protection or living standards, as the government attaches greater importance to their development.

According to the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the NPC session on Sunday, the government will increase support for development in areas inhabited mainly by ethnic minorities.

"We will protect and develop the fine traditional culture of ethnic minorities and support the growth of ethnic groups with smaller populations," Li said.
JUBA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A senior South Sudanese official who resigned from the country's army (SPLA) in February has formed a new rebel movement, vowing to overthrow the current administration of President Salva Kiir.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka, former deputy chief of logistics, resigned from the SPLA accusing the army of turning into a tribal army dominated by ethnic Dinka.

Swaka said in statement on Tuesday that his rebel group, the National Salvation Front (NAS) would use all avenues to fight the current government.

"The National Salvation Front (NAS) is convinced that to restore sanity and normalcy in our country, Kiir must go. He must vacate the office without further bloodshed, with a clear conscience and with determination, we declare the birth of a citizen-imposed change," he wrote in his letter.

It still remains unclear how strong the new rebellion will be, or whether it will join ranks with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLA-IO) led by Deputy President Riek Machar.

SPLA spokesman Lul Ruai Koang downplayed any major threat the new rebel movement would pose on Juba, claiming that Swaka has no capacity as a new rebel leader to mobilize a strong rebel force.

"His announcement and formation of a new movement will not have any bearing on the national army and the government because when he defected, he defected alone and it doesn't affect our overall performance," Koang told Xinhua by phone.

South Sudan has been devastated by a civil war that broke out in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Machar denied the accusation but then mobilized a rebel force.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 led to the formation of a transitional unity government in April, but was again devastated by fresh violence in July, 2016.

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese have been killed, with over 2 million displaced and another 4.6 million left severely food insecure, since December 2013.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet the press at the media center of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

NPC deputies will hold a plenary meeting in the Great Hall of the People at 3 p.m. to hear

-- a report on the NPC Standing Committee's work,

-- explanation of the draft general provisions of civil law,

-- explanation of the draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 13th NPC.
XI'AN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Carolyne Karugo and six other young women from Kenya have obtained their assistant train driver course certificates after a 50-day training in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The seven, who got their certificates on Monday, are the first group of African female train drivers trained in China and are expected to start work in June when a rail line that links Kenya's capital Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa opens.

The standard gauge railway stretching 480 km was designed for passenger trains running 120 km per hour and freight trains at 80 km per hour.

China financed 90 percent of the 3.8 billion U.S. dollar project, with work being carried out by the China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC). Construction on the railway began in January 2015.

Being a key construction project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the railway is the first new rail line built in Kenya in a century.

Before going to China, Carolyne, 26, was a tour guide in Kenya. She speaks fluent Chinese after attending the Confucius Institute in Nairobi and studying in north China's Tianjin Municipality as an exchange student.

"A female train driver is more careful and will take more care of a train," said Carolyne.

After the training, Carolyne said she had fully grasped operation standards, driving skills, as well as the overhaul and maintenance procedures of a China-made locomotive.

The training was co-organized by a railway technician college in Shaanxi, and the Southwest Jiaotong University.

As part of the project, the CRBC said that a batch of 60 freight trains had been transported to Mombasa. Seven Chinese teachers specializing in railway engineering have also left for Nairobi to conduct technical training for local railway personnel.

Figures show the railway project has created more than 38,000 jobs, 90 percent for local people.

"There is an old saying in China that if you teach a man how to fish it is better than to just give him a fish. We will not only build a railway, but also train local employees and impart the latest technology, which is our promise to the Kenyan people," said an official with the CRBC branch office in Kenya.

China has helped African countries to build their railways for many years.

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) is a single-track railway in east Africa, built in the 1970s with the assistance of China.

"The 'Chinese railway' brand is popular in Africa. One of the reasons is that China has advanced railway construction technology, and Chinese teams are willing to teach African people the technology, which in turn helps them find jobs, increase income and improve living quality," said Yang Xiangzhen, an online commentator.

China has developed the world's largest high-speed rail network in just a decade, drastically shortening travel times for otherwise gruesome cross-country trips. The high-speed rail line has reached 20,000 km and a further 10,000 km will be added by 2020, linking more than 80 percent of China's big cities.

Acnes Mwagagi, one of the seven female train drivers, said that earlier it took her 20 hours to reach Nairobi from her home near Mombasa, but now the journey will be cut to just four hours.
Missile destroyer Changsha (R) returns to a port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, March 7, 2017, after a high sea drill. A Chinese naval fleet on Tuesday returned to a port in Sanya city on Hainan Island after a high sea drill. The fleet, which is comprised of missile destroyers Changsha and Haikou and supply ship Luomahu, had sailed over 8,000 nautical miles since Feb. 10, passing the South China Sea, East Indian Ocean, West Pacific and East China Sea. (Xinhua/Zeng Tao)

SANYA, Hainan, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese naval fleet on Tuesday returned to a port in Sanya city on Hainan Island after a high sea drill.

The fleet, which is comprised of missile destroyers Changsha and Haikou and supply ship Luomahu, had sailed over 8,000 nautical miles since Feb. 10, passing the South China Sea, East Indian Ocean, West Pacific and East China Sea.

In 25 days, the fleet passed through Karimata Strait, Xunda Strait, Lombok Strait, Makassar Strait and other important waterways.

During the high sea drill the fleet carried out regional joint air defense, oceanic supply, anti-terrorist and anti-pirate drills, as well as actual combat drills between warships and helicopters, strengthening the fleet's capacity to conduct multiple military operations.

"The drill focused on air defense, anti-missile and open sea interception and we have gained experience for multiple military operations," said Yu Manjiang, commander of the fleet and deputy commander of the Nanhai Fleet.
JAKARTA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Experts in construction of road and bridge from Asia and Australia will meet in Bali island of Indonesia this month to share opinion and experience in constructing infrastructures to contribute to economic expansion, a senior official said here on Tuesday.

Over 700 experts representing construction firms from their territory would take part in the 15th road engineering association of Asia and Australia (REAAA) conference in Nusa Dua resort of the island from March 20 to 24, President of RAAA Hermanto Dardak said.

During the meeting, the participants would share their opinion and experience on how to optimize the function of infrastructure facilities that would boost prosperity and economic growth.

They are expected to share knowledge on the usage of technology for constructing the infrastructure facilities with eco-friendly outputs, and financing of the construction works, Mr. Hermanto said.

"The conference would pay attention to the experiences of several countries in constructing the facilities," he told a press conference at public work ministry.

Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimuljono will be the keynote speaker in the conference and is scheduled to open the meeting, said Hermanto.

Asia attempts to constructs powers, transport, telecommunication, water and sanitations infrastructures to support economic expansion.

According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia-Pacific region requires 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars per year through 2030 for infrastructures.
PHNOM PENH, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism and the Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi of Thailand on Tuesday reached a Memorandum of Understanding on building a Tourism and Hospitality Institute in Cambodia.

Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said that the institute would importantly contribute to the development of human resources in the tourism industry.

"The establishment of the institute is aimed at building up human resources in tourism in order to ensure the effective, sustainable and qualitative development of tourism in Cambodia," he said.

Prasert Pinpathomrat, president of the Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, said the cooperation would also contribute to promoting tourism ties between Thailand and Cambodia.

The institute will be located in northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodian economy.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said last week that the kingdom attracted about 5 million international visitors in 2016, earning gross revenue of 3.4 billion U.S. dollars.

He predicted that the country would receive up to 7 million foreign tourists in 2020 that could generate a revenue of around 5 billion U.S. dollars.

Cambodia is famous for the 12th century Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province. Besides, it has a 450-km pristine coastline stretching across four provinces in the country's southwestern part.
MANILA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines welcomes China's Belt and Road Initiative policy, an ambitious effort to link Asia, Europe and Africa through the construction of massive infrastructure such as railways and ports, government officials and analysts have said.

Philippine Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said on Tuesday that the Belt and Road Initiative would help in advancing the socioeconomic programs of the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

"We welcome all international initiatives that would be consistent with (Duterte's) socio-economic agenda," Rodolfo told a news conference after the 28th Philippines-Chinese Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation.

"Big parts of what we have been discussing here are in terms of how do we align the socio-economic strategies of (the Philippines and China)," Rodolfo said.

Thr "belt" roughly with the historic Silk Road crossing Eurasia, while the "road" refers to the "maritime silk road" -- the sea routes along which Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabia and Africa traded with ancient China. Over the next 10 years, China aspires to achieve 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars in annual trade with the nations involved in the two areas.

Not wanting to be left out, the Philippines said it intends to hit the road with China in pursuing this economic strategy that is hoped to re-establish the so-called "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" which Chinese President Xi Jinping first introduced in the fall of 2013.

The initiatives are part of China's 13th Five-Year Plan, which will run from 2016 to 2020 and guide national investment strategy throughout that period.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has reportedly agreed to attend the Belt and Road Summit scheduled in China in May.

A spokesman for the Philippine Department of Finance, Paula Alvarez, has told Xinhua in a written interview that the Philippines looks forward to the May summit, voicing hope that the Philippines and China could identify mutual areas of cooperation to facilitate trade and investment.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to bring back the glory of the ancient Silk Road, hopes to integrate Asia, Africa and Europe through closer diplomatic, commercial and financial cooperation, in an unprecedented effort that will bring together up to 65 countries.

Duterte, who took office in June last year, visited China in October in a bid to rekindle Sino-Philippines diplomatic relations that soured under the previous administration of President Benigno Aquino.

Philippine academics and analysts said that improvement of relations with China has made the Philippines a promising participant in the initiative.

"The important thing is for the Philippines to be part of the international market," political analyst Benito Lim said in a telephone interview.

Lim added that Duterte's decision to attend the May summit is a wise decision. "It's best to find out (what the Belt and Road Initiative is about) and not be left out."

Analyst Victor Corpuz, a retired Army general, told a recent forum that re-establishing close diplomatic ties with China "brings the Philippines a special seat on the gigantic 21st Century Belt and Road Initiative project," adding it could make the Philippines the "eastern hub to circumnavigate the globe through the Pacific."

George Siy of the Integrated Development Studies Institute stressed the importance of the Philippines to be part of the new Silk Road.

"To be part of the plan means to be part of a highway of trade with infrastructure, with harmonized customs, with financing, with technology to allow the infrastructure," he said, adding that the initiative would allow products and services, and investments to flow freely.

Siy added, "Tourism will flow, and people to people relations will grow. Cultures will pollinate and you can adopt the portions you want."
by Ronald Njoroge

NAIROBI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Tuesday called for greater participation of women in senior management positions in Kenya's corporates in order to promote inclusive growth.

Arjmand Banu Khan, UN Women's Programme Specialist for Women Economic Empowerment programme, told journalists in Nairobi that the low participation of women poses a challenge to the country's development efforts.

"Studies globally have indicated that firms that have gender parity tend to perform better compared to their peers that don't have strong representation of women in senior positions," Khan said during a forum to raise awareness on the importance of Gender Equality to the Capital Markets.

Khan noted that Kenya has made tremendous strides in the appointment of women to boards of state owned enterprises. "However, the private sector is still lagging behind in gender parity," she added.

The UN official said that there is need to identify the gaps that exist that led to low participation of women in senior positions in corporates.

According to Khan, the amount of men and women who join corporate annually is almost similar. "However men tend to rise the corporate ladder much faster as compared to women," she said.

According to UN Women, women face challenges in the workplace such as the need to balance family life and careers.

Khan said that due to family commitment, women have a higher exit rate at their workplace as compared to their male counterparts.

She said that having women in senior positions helps the firm as they tend to be more consultative before making critical decisions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping joins a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Liaoning Province at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that the northeastern province of Liaoning must depend on real economy in the new round of development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a panel discussion with national lawmakers from Liaoning at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress.
Members of the Philippine Congress attend the 3rd and final reading of the death penalty bill inside the Philippine House of Representatives in Quezon City, the Philippines, March 7, 2017. The Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that restores the death penalty in the country. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that restores the death penalty in the Philippines.

The House approved House Bill No. 4727, which seeks to reimpose capital punishment on drug-related crimes on third and final reading with 217 affirmative votes. Fifty-four lawmakers voted against the measure while one abstained.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte who assumed the presidency in June last year, has vigorously pushed for the reimposition of the capital punishment law, saying it's an effective deterrent against heinous crimes.

The bill, coded as House Bill 4727, seeks to punish the perpetrators of eight drug offenses with either life imprisonment or death.

The original draft of the House Bill 4727 included 21 heinous crimes, including plunder, rape and treason. However, the number of crimes were lowered after a House caucus agreed to remove plunder, rape and treason from the list, and then limited only to drug-related crimes when it was passed by the House on second reading last week.

The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for deliberations by the senators. The bill becomes into law when Duterte finally signs it.

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished the death penalty in 2006. Under Arroyo's watch, the Philippines signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires state parties to abolish capital punishment.

The Death Penalty was abolished under the 1987 Constitution after Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in Feb. 1987. The Philippines then became the first Asian country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. All death sentences were reduced to reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.

In 1993, the then administration of President Fidel Ramos reimposed the death penalty to address the rising criminality and incidence of heinous crimes.

In 1999, then President Joseph Estrada issued a de facto moratorium on executions in the face of church-led campaigns to abolish the death penalty.
BUDAPEST, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The migration pressure only slowed down but did not stop, and Hungary needed to strengthen its defense, Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Tuesday.

Orban made the statement at the initiation ceremony of 462 new police officers, who will be serving as border guards.

"Although the news speak of hundreds, and not ten of thousands of illegal aliens crossing the borders, we cannot lay back, as we only gained some time between two sieges, time to fortify our defenses, time to recruit, train and put in duty our new border guards," Orban said.

"The storm pacified, but did not end yet," he added. The migration pressure on the borders would still persist for the coming years, because millions of people were still waiting to come to Europe, he said.

"They want European living standards, but they do not want to live by our customs and culture," he warned.

Orban also blamed the European Union for not helping Hungary with the protection of its borders.

"We cannot count on the European Union. Moreover, they are only making things harder. We have to rely on ourselves to defend our borders," he said.

He called the new border guards the "protectors of Hungarian freedom and future", and asked the new policemen to do their work with "firmness", but also with "humanity".

Orban also said the migration crisis would continue until the root causes were eliminated, but underlined that Hungary was one of the safest countries in the world.

He also reminded its audience that the new laws had to be respected by all. Earlier Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament adopted the amendment of its anti-migrant legislation.

The amendment concerned the law on the treatment of asylum seekers, which was supplemented with regulations due to the national crisis situation.

According to it, Hungarian police will detain and bring back to the transit zones every illegal alien found deeper inside the territory of Hungary. Prior to the modification, the police had the right to transport the illegal aliens from only an 8-km wide band from the Hungarian border.
PARIS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Skiers were swept away by an avalanche at Tignes ski resort in the French Alps on Tuesday, but no victims had been reported, according to local media reports.

A police spokesman, quoted by the news channel BFMTV, said many people were buried by the avalanche that came down on the busiest piste at 10:00 local time (0900 GMT).

No victim had been reported, it added, citing police and rescue teams.

The avalanche forced the resort staff to evacuate all the skiers and to close the zone. Its risk remains high at four on a scale of five.

On February, four skiers were killed due to an 400-wide avalanche rushed down an off-piste near Tignes.

Since the beginning of winter, 13 avalanche have been reported in the French Alps, according to local reports.
MADRID, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Catalan regional government (Generalitat) will ban cars manufactured before 1997 and trucks and vans built before 1994 from circulating on weekdays in the city of Barcelona from the start of 2019, local media reported Tuesday.

The decision was taken following a meeting between the Generalitat, the Barcelona Town Hall, the Provincial Deputation and local representatives late on Monday night.

That meeting saw an agreement to reduce emissions caused by traffic by 30 percent within the next 15 years and by 10 percent in the next five years, as well as plans to improve the protocols to be put into effect during moments of high air contamination.

Josep Rull, who is responsible for Sustainability for the Generalitat, explained that the current situation meant they had "taken drastic decisions in order to attain tangible and visible results".

He added there were plans to improve public transport in order to lessen the impact of the proposals and to offer "solid alternatives" at moments of high air pollution.

Among those plans are proposals to allow more flexible working hours for public employees in an attempt to reduce rush hour congestion, with other companies based in Barcelona invited to do likewise.

Recent figures published by ANFAC, the organization representing Spanish car producers, show the average car on Spanish roads is 12 years old, while almost 60 percent of vehicles in use are over ten years old.
TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Defense Ministry on Tuesday unveiled Saba-248 military helicopter designed and created by the Iranian experts, semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The unveiling ceremony was held in the presence of Iranian military an civils officials.

"We are honored to unveil an important project," Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said, adding that the state-of-the-art Saba-248 helicopter has been designed and developed in light and medium weight classes.

It is multi-purpose helicopter with two engines, and it has four-bladed airscrew and the capacity of upto eight passengers, he said.

The helicopter is able to participate in cargo and passenger transport missions as well as rescue, photographing and reconnaissance operations, he added.

On the specifications of the helicopter, Dehqan pointed to the technical capabilities of the helicopter including navigation, operation with one engine, low sound and vibration, as well as high speed.

Iran is ready to export the helicopter to international markets, especially Islamic countries, he added.
TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- France is ready to help Iran modernize its rail industry, visiting French Finance Minister Michel Sapin was quoted as saying by semi-official Fars news agency on Tuesday.

"We are ready to contribute to modernize Iran's rail industry," Sapin said after his meeting with Iranian Road and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi in capital Tehran on Tuesday.

Tehran-Paris ties were not limited to trading goods, "Rather Iran was seeking to form consolidated relations with France in all fields," Akhoundi said.

He invited France to provide Iran with detailed proposals for financing the project to renew the Iranian railway fleet.

On Monday, Fars reported that Iran and Russia have agreed to jointly manufacture 6,000 railroad cars for Iran's domestic consumption in three years.
A gathering celebrating International Women's Day is held in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2017. The All-China Women's Federation held a gathering attended by Chinese women from various circles and foreign diplomats here on Tuesday ahead of International Women's Day. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The All-China Women's Federation held a gathering attended by Chinese women from various circles and foreign diplomats here on Tuesday ahead of International Women's Day.

The federation has carried out the decisions made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and pushed forward reform to better serve women over the past year, said the federation's president Shen Yueyue in a speech.

Shen, who is also vice chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said the federation will unify and lead the country's women to follow the Party and make new contributions to welcome the 19th CPC National Congress, slated for later this year.

China is willing to work together with women worldwide in building a community of shared future, she added.

More than 1,000 people were present at the event to observe International Women's Day on March 8.
TIRANA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The voting on preliminary structures to deal with the vetting of around 800 judges and prosecutors working in Albania's justice system has been postponed for another week due to the ongoing protests of the opposition here, local media said Tuesday.

The Albanian Parliament convened Monday evening in an extraordinary session in order to vote on the new names to fill the vetting structures, despite the boycott by opposition parties.

But given that the vetting law requires the creation of an ad-hoc committee with equal representation from majority and opposition, the voting failed as opposition MPs refused to join the plenary session.

Justice reform and namely the vetting law has been a heated topic in the Albanian political scene during the last two years.

The vetting law is considered crucial not only for the implementation of Albania's judicial reforms, but also for the country's opening of accession talks with the EU.

The vetting law adopted last August calls for the scanning of around 800 judges and prosecutors in Albania in terms of their professional ability, moral integrity and level of independence from organized crime, corruption and political officials.

EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini highlighted during her recent visit to Tirana that the EU was ready to open negotiations with Albania soon after the latter started the implementation of the vetting law.

Albanian opposition was urged not to abandon parliamentary work and pave the way to the implementation of the law.

However, another problem on Monday's extraordinary plenary session was the fact that there were very few applicants for the vetting structures.

There were only 21 names brought to parliament to fill up 28 vacancies, parliament sources confirmed Tuesday.

So the parliament sent the list back to the ombudsman, the institution that is in charge of the application process.

Earlier, eight persons were disqualified by the international monitoring group for not meeting the criteria set for such positions.

The Democrat leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha said Tuesday that they would continue their protest. He insisted the only way forward would be for Albania to have free and fair elections on June 18.
JERUSALEM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military prosecution appealed Tuesday against the 18-month jail punishment that was sentenced to the solider for shooting dead a wounded, incapacitated Palestinian youth.

The prosecutors charged that the penalty, given by the Jaffa military court on Feb. 21 to Elor Azaria who was convicted of manslaughter, was too light.

"The easy sentence imposed on (Azaria) was not consistent with the severity of his acts and with the punishment usually practiced in similar cases," the appeal read.

During the trial, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Azaria for 30-48 months.

Azaria was convicted of shooting and unlawful killing of Abdel al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif, 21, in the neighborhood of Tel Rumeida in the West Bank city of Hebron on March 24 last year.

Azaria was a 19-year-old army medic soldier at the time of the shooting.

According to the verdict, the incident took place after al-Sharif and another Palestinian, Ramzi Aziz al-Qasarwi, stabbed a soldier, wounding him lightly.

Troops opened fire at them, killing al-Qasarwi and seriously injuring Al-Sharif. Al-Sharif was laying on the ground, immobilized, for about 30 minutes, before Azaria approached him and shot to his head.

After the shooting, a video footage of the incident surfaced on the internet and went viral, prompting a military police investigation into the case.

The court's ruling was a rare case of conviction of a soldier for killing a Palestinian person.

The case stirred a polarized public debate in Israel, with many political leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling to Azaria to be pardon.

According to figures released by Human Rights Watch on Wednesday, since October 2015, there have been at least 150 instances in which Israeli security forces have fatally shot Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks.
COLOMBO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday denied claims it had shot dead an Indian fisherman in Sri Lankan waters.

Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Chaminda Walakuluge told Xinhua the Navy only arrests fishermen engaged in illegal fishing and does not open fire on them.

"We categorically deny the allegation that we shot at an Indian fisherman. We had arrested several Indian fishermen in the recent past. There is no need for us to shoot at them," he said.

The Indian media reported earlier that the Sri Lankan Navy had allegedly shot dead a 21-year-old fisherman and injured some others when they opened fire on fishermen from India's southern Rameswaram town.

The fishermen who set out for "night fishing" from the fishing jetty on Monday evening were fishing on the high seas, when the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire, the Indian media reported.

The Indo-Lanka fishing fishermen issue has seen tensions grow between Sri Lanka and India.
TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian oil and gas company Tatneft has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Iranian South Oilfields Company (NISOC) for carrying oilfield development studies in southwestern Iran, Tehran Times daily reported on Tuesday.

The MoU envisages preliminary studies on Shadegan oilfield in Khuzestan province and the company is to hand over the results and its proposal to Iran in six months, the report said.

"The MoU is under the framework of NISOC contracts and hopefully we will sign two other MoUs within this framework in the upcoming weeks," Hamid Deris, the NISOC director for technical affairs, said in the signing ceremony.

Deris did not say which companies are the two candidates for signing similar contracts.

The Russian side expressed satisfaction with the agreement, saying that "we hope the cooperation between the two sides will be enhanced further in the future."

According to Gholamreza Manouchehri, the deputy director of National Iranian Oil Company for development and engineering affairs, Iran has received 25 Management Development Programs (MDP) for the development of its oilfields from foreign companies since the international sanctions against Iran were lifted in January 2016.
YEREVAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A new wave of fighting broke out in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in late February, resulting in the loss of life on both sides and drawing the attention of the world once again.

Tension between Armenia-backed Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and Azerbaijan has steadily intensified since Feb. 25 when both sides accused each other of breaching the ceasefire on the contact line following several months of relative calm after the four-day war in April last year.

"The Azerbaijani forces fire more than 1,100 rounds from various caliber machine guns at Artsakh positions," Armenia's state news agency Armenpress reported, citing the defense authority of the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Tuesday, who accused the Azerbaijani side of breaching the ceasefire.

"If Azerbaijan escalates the situation into a war, we will not hesitate for a second to use all the capabilities of our military to protect the people of Nagorno-Karabakh," Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said during a meeting with the country's diplomats in Yerevan.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that "the Armenian armed units shattered the ceasefire with Azerbaijan 119 times throughout the day."

With the tension growing in the region, the international community has been repeatedly calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for returning to the negotiating table during his meeting with the Armenian president on Feb. 27, two days after the recent deadly hostilities erupted in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also urged for "de-escalation" in the disputed region following his meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov on Monday in Moscow.

According to the Armenian foreign ministry, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan on Friday held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tilerson on the Nagorno-Karabakh situation, during which "Tilerson assured that the U.S. will continue its active support to the peaceful settlement."

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region first broke out in 1988, when the region wanted to obtain independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

The ex-Soviet states fought a war over the territory in the early 1990s, with thousands killed on both sides and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The war ended with a truce in 1994, but the conflict is far from over.

The last heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out on April. 2, 2016. The clash lasted several days and left more than 70 soldiers dead on both sides before a ceasefire was agreed in Moscow on April 5.
GUANGZHOU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The last pipe was put in place on Tuesday, as work on the undersea tunnel of world's longest cross-sea bridge, linking Zhuhai in Guangdong Province with Hong Kong and Macao, nears its end.

The 5,664-meter tunnel, believed to be world's longest sunken pipe tunnel, comprises of 33 sections. and is now 12 meters from closure. Construction of the bridge began in December of 2009 in Zhuhai.

The bridge and tunnel system spanning the Pearl River estuary is an important waymarker in the integration of Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong. The Y-shaped bridge starts from Lantau Island in Hong Kong with branches to Zhuhai and Macao.

Major construction work on the 55-km bridge was completed last September. It is expected to be open to traffic by the end of this year.

Once in operation, the current four-hour drive from Hong Kong to Zhuhai will be reduced to less than an hour. All Pearl River Delta cities will then be within a reasonable commuting radius of Hong Kong.
ADDIS ABABA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Daunting challenges remain towards ensuring full realization of women rights in Africa despite significant progresses on the continent, says a new report.

Commissioned by the African Union (AU), together with the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Women, the report on Women's Rights in Africa, was launched on Tuesday in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

The report assesses progress made in advancing women's rights using specific thematic areas where protection gaps persist and action needed, including sexual and reproductive health; women with albinism; sexual and gender based violence; harmful practices; laws that discriminate women; women, peace, and security; and women in prison.

Speaking during the launch ceremony, Jean Mfasoni, Special Advisor to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, noted that tremendous progresses have been achieved in the area of women empowerment and development in Africa.

He reiterated that various measures have been taken by the pan-African bloc in the promotion and protection of women's rights on the continent.

The official has mentioned among others the protocol to the African charter on human and peoples' rights on the rights of women in Africa, which is referred to as the Maputo Protocol, that have been integrated into several constitutions and into national laws and policies.

The report notes that there is progress in the area of political participation of women in Africa.

Despite this and other measures, says the report, the remaining challenges and gaps for the full realization of women's rights is daunting.

In every country on the continent, as is the case globally, women continue to be denied full enjoyment of rights, argues the report.

In Africa, one in three women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lifetime; in six countries, there is no legal protection for women against domestic violence, according to the report.

In 2013, African women and girls accounted for 62 percent (179,000) of all global deaths from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth; in sub-Saharan Africa women comprises the highest percentage of new HIV infections.

An estimated 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM (female genital mutilation), mainly in Africa; and 125 million African women and girls alive today were married before the age of 18, according to the report.

Protection gaps in the areas of health, marriage and family relations are particularly striking as is the non-recognition of intersectional forms of discrimination, says the report.

In many countries, these gaps are also compounded by political instability and conflict, adds the report.

The report calls on African governments to, among others, strengthen support for institutions in relation to gender equality and empowerment of women, including the systematic integration of a gender perspective in all ministries as well as national human rights institutions.

It calls for adoption of targets to ensure women full and productive employment, and decent work, and recognition and valuing unpaid care and domestic work.

The report also calls on governments to ensure women can access and control their own economic and financial resources.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Lotte outlet in Beijing has been fined 500,000 yuan (72,570 U.S. dollars) for promotions fraud discovered in January, said the city's authorities.

The store in the city's Chaoyang District used fake or misleading pricing to cheat consumers in its promotion ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, said the Beijing Development and Reform Commission following an inspection from Jan. 20 to 22.

For example, the store claimed that a bag of rice was marked down to 29.9 yuan from 52.9. But an investigation showed the price for the bag was actually 29.9 yuan per bag before the promotion as well. Similar fraud occurred with other goods such as liquor, food and garments.

The decision was issued by the commission on March 3 and was posted on its official website on Monday.

The acts constituted serious price fraud, said an official of the commission, adding that Lotte in Beijing had been fined before over illegal actions in pricing, but the violations have continued.

"Shopping malls and supermarkets are a key target in our price-related law enforcement," said the official. Last year, the number of price-related complaints in shopping centers accounted for nearly half of the total the commission received.
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Indigenous rights activists erected a tipi camp beside the Washington Monument in the nations capital Tuesday as part of a multi-day protest against the Dakota Access pipeline, as well as over other indigenous issues.



This fight isn't over, Mike Gamms, who came in from Los Angeles, told ABC News. A lot of people thought the fight was over back in December or they think the fight is over now and it's a lost battle but there's still a lot of fight left and a lot more that can be done.



Organized by the Native Nations Rise Planning Committee, the camp will host cultural workshops, speaker panels and water blessings over the next few days, according to its website, which notes that no overnight camping will be allowed.



On Friday, the events will culminate in a march from the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters to Lafayette Square, just outside of the White House. Organizers expect thousands to take part.



On Dec. 4, during the waning days of the Obama administration, then-assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, announced that an easement would not be granted for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross under the Missouri River. Darcy said at the time of the decision that the Army Corps would engage in additional review and analysis, including a robust consideration and discussion of alternative locations for the pipeline crossing the Missouri River, a process that could have taken years. The Army followed Darcys announcement by publishing its intent to prepare a full environmental impact statement in the Federal Registry.



The victory was short-lived, however.



Less than a week after taking office in January, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum ordering the Army Corps of Engineers to review and approve the pipeline in an expedited manner to the extent permitted by law. Two weeks after Trumps memorandum, the Corps issued the easement needed for the project to cross under the Missouri River. In late February, law enforcement cleared most of the North Dakota "prayer" camps where thousands of self-described "water protectors" had captivated the nation for nearly a year and construction on the Missouri River crossing resumed.



This week's event in D.C., while born out of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes efforts to halt the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, aims to serve as a wider call for indigenous rights. Organizers say the Standing Rock movement has evolved into a powerful global phenomenon highlighting the necessity to respect Indigenous Nations, according to the marchs website.



"Our plan here is to really be a central hub for a lot of information of ongoing issues going on across quote-on-quote Indian country," Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, told ABC News.



"This is also a space for a lot of tribal representatives, frontline grassroots leaders to do some workshops, presentations about issues that are affecting their land, their homelands, their peoples and just to be a hub to really organize and celebrate," Goldtooth said.



While the nearly yearlong presence of "prayer" camps in North Dakota ultimately failed to stop the Dakota Access pipeline from crossing under the Missouri River, the Standing Rock movement established a template for resistance now followed by tribal peoples across the country. Indigenous activists in Iowa, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Oklahoma are all protesting other pipelines using lessons learned from Standing Rock.



Organizers of this weeks D.C. protest want the government to require tribal consent when considering major infrastructure projects crossing through or near tribal lands, as opposed to the consultation process now required by federal law. They also want President Trump to meet with tribal leaders to discuss indigenous rights, according to a list of demands on their website.



On Tuesday, as protesters converge on Washington, a federal judge ruled against a preliminary request from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to block the final phase of the Dakota Access pipeline on religious grounds. Both the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes have challenged the project in a lawsuit, with a ruling expected in April.



While this preliminary ruling is disappointing, its not surprising," Dave Archambault, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said in a statement.



"It is very difficult to get an injunction in a case like this. The bigger legal battle is ahead -- we stand strong," he added.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed attend a press conference in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, March 7, 2017. Guterres landed in Mogadishu Tuesday morning in what he described as an urgent need to address the ongoing an outbreak of cholera and severe drought ravaging the Horn of Africa nation. (Xinhua/Faisal Isse)

MOGADISHU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned of a spiraling famine in Somalia should the international community fail to respond in time.

Speaking in Somali capital of Mogadishu after meeting with the country's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Guterres said millions of Somalis are facing food shortage and disease and that the situation is getting worse unless the world acts fast.

"This is a moment of tragedy, people are dying because of famine; because of disease but this is a moment of hope because the government is ready to act, the humanitarian community is ready to act," he said.

He said that with the support of the international community, "it will be possible to avoid the worst and it will be possible to launch the pillars, the fundamental basis for Somalia to be able to turn the page."

The UN announced last month Somalia was gradually slipping into famine calling for 825 million U.S. dollars aid to support up to 6.2 million people.

The UN chief noted that "without that support we will have a tragedy that is absolutely unacceptable and that the Somali people do not deserve."

"All these reasons," the UN chief said. "justify a massive response but we have things prepared in the ground but we need financial support from the international community."

Guterres also visited Baydhabo town in south western Somalia where he was expected to visit a hospital and internally displaced people's camp.
MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea violates the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), a top official of the upper house of Russia's Parliament said Tuesday.

"The deployment is one of the conditions for Russia's withdrawal from the treaty stipulated by its text," Ozerov, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council, was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The Defense Ministry of South Korea said earlier in the day that two mobile launchers and part of the equipment necessary for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) had arrived in an air base some 70 km south of the capital Seoul, which was seen by opposition parties in the country as a "unilateral" decision by the government without gaining public approval.

The New U.S.-Russia START agreement was signed in 2010 and became effective in 2011. It is expected to last until 2021 with a possible extension for another five years.

He said the United States was using ballistic missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a pretext for -- "if not to encircle Russia, then at least besiege it from the west and the east."

The KCNA reported Monday that Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the DRPK, had supervised on spot a ballistic rocket launching drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA).

Under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plan to develop its ballistic missile defense capabilities, a U.S. Aegis Ashore missile defense system was activated in Romania last year while the construction of a second Aegis Ashore site began in Poland shortly after.
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian oil and gas company Tatneft has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Iranian South Oilfields Company (NISOC) for carrying oilfield development studies in southwestern Iran, Tehran Times daily reported on Tuesday.

The MoU envisages preliminary studies on Shadegan oilfield in Khuzestan province and the company is to hand over the results and its proposal to Iran in six months, the report said.

"The MoU is under the framework of NISOC contracts and hopefully we will sign two other MoUs within this framework in the upcoming weeks," Hamid Deris, the NISOC director for technical affairs, said in the signing ceremony.

Deris did not say which companies are the two candidates for signing similar contracts.

The Russian side expressed satisfaction with the agreement, saying that "we hope the cooperation between the two sides will be enhanced further in the future."

According to Gholamreza Manouchehri, the deputy director of National Iranian Oil Company for development and engineering affairs, Iran has received 25 Management Development Programs (MDP) for the development of its oilfields from foreign companies since the international sanctions against Iran were lifted in January 2016.
ISTANBUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that he will visit Germany to hold a rally with the Turkish community there despite cancellation of the event by local authorities.

"I am going to meet with our citizens this evening in Hamburg," Cavusoglu told top foreign diplomats in Istanbul prior to his departure for Germany, saying "No one could prevent that."

The authorities in northern German city of Hamburg on Monday canceled a scheduled meeting of the top Turkish envoy with local Turkish community, citing poor safety standard of the building.

Local authorities in Germany have also prevented other Turkish ministers from lobbying the Turkish diaspora for "yes" votes in the April 16 referendum on Turkey switching to a presidential system.

The episode has sparked a burst of outrage from Ankara and further chilled bilateral ties, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likening it to Nazi practices and vowing to "stir up the world" until he is allowed to speak in Germany.

Some 1.4 million Turks living in Germany can vote in April on whether to grant Erdogan sweeping powers, for which the president has been pushing hard.

Another rally for Cavusoglu on the upcoming plebiscite was banned by Dutch officials last Friday.

The minister told the foreign diplomats that he received a call from the Dutch authorities stating that his visit was feared to help Dutch far-right party leader Geert Wilders to win in elections.

Wilders said on Twitter that he had applied for demonstration in front of the Turkish embassy against any referendum rally by Cavusoglu, according to press reports.

Cavusoglu accused Europe of not preventing the rise of racist parties. "And today they become the slaves of them," he said.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Once an ordinary villager in northwest China's Gansu Province, Zhou Zhixiu, 44, is now a successful entrepreneur, employing many other women from her home county.

In 2008, Zhou ran into a group of housemaids when she was visiting Lanzhou, capital of Gansu. Before that encounter, she had never imagined that people would employ others to do their cleaning, cooking and childcare for them.

"I had never known housekeeping was a thing people could be paid for. It was the kind of work I was good at, and suddenly, I could earn money!" she said.

Soon, she and some friends had signed up with an agency. After a couple of years, she felt she had learned enough about the business and saw an opportunity. Filled with confidence, in 2011 Zhou returned to her village to start her own business.

She has since introduced hundreds of impoverished women to employers near and far. Each of these women can earn up to 5,000 yuan (720 U.S. dollars) a month.

Living in villages, Chinese women like Zhou once had little chance to make their own way in the world. As they celebrate International Working Women's Day this year, women in China are more free than ever to seek work and careers, thanks to the growing prosperity of society at large and government policies designed to empower women.

OPENING UP OPPORTUNITIES

Two years ago, Zhou's company became eligible for free employee training from the Women's Federation of Gansu, which last year also provided financing to help the company expand.

Protection of women's interests is an important part of China's poverty relief efforts and government support is helping women from rural areas start businesses or seek jobs. Over two million women from rural central and western areas have received some kind of training since 2012. Small loans are more easily obtainable for women. These measures address two of the principal problems faced by rural women: low levels of education and an inability to access resources.

Improved opportunities for women in the countryside come from the fact that Chinese women in general are better educated today than ever before.

Moreover, females made up 52.4 percent of the whole college population in 2015, and 49.7 percent of all post-graduate students.

A government report released last November showed improving ratios of women among civil servants, national legislators, political advisors and business managers.

"Females should participate in all aspects of governance," said Tsinghua University's Qiao Fengjie in an interview with China Women's News.

PROBLEMS STILL FACING WORKING WOMEN

There is no doubt that things have improved greatly for Chinese women, but much remains to be done, in particular in dealing with discrimination in the workplace.

In a survey of 55,000 working women released on Monday by recruiters "Zhaopin.com," over 80 percent of respondents said they had encountered gender discrimination in their work, or in their search for a job.

Discrimination comes in a variety of guises. Some employers flatly refuse to even look at resumes from women. Some require female job seekers to hold better qualifications than men. Some simply say "men only" in their recruitment material.

Several laws, including the Labor Law and Employment Promotion Law, include content about gender discrimination, but a law which specifically addresses such discrimination is needed, according Liu Minghui of China Women's University.

At a press conference on Saturday, Fu Ying, spokesperson for the National People's Congress annual session, called for better protection of women's right to be employed.

The chance to work is important for a woman both in realizing her personal worth and in her family life, Fu said.
COLOMBO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday said that GPS technology will be used to investigate allegations that a group of Indian fishermen were shot at by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The Foreign Ministry said the government was deeply concerned about the alleged shooting on Indian fishermen and the connected loss of life of one fisherman and the injury to another.

"The safety of fishermen is of utmost importance and the government of Sri Lanka is firm in its commitment to ensuring that all government agencies treat all Indian fishermen in a humane manner at all times," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lanka Navy is not involved in the alleged incident.

"Irrespective of the parties involved, if in fact a shooting has taken place, it is a matter of grave concern, and all possible actions will be taken, in cooperation with the relevant Indian authorities, to investigate into this incident, utilizing GPS technology as well," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had told local media he sought a report on the alleged shooting incident.

Amaraweera said he did not believe the Navy was involved in the incident yet he has asked for a report from the Navy Commander and the Defence Secretary.

The Navy denied claims it opened fire on a group of Indian fishermen that killed one and injured another.

Indian media reported that the Sri Lankan Navy had allegedly shot dead a 21-year-old fisherman and injured some others when they opened fire on fishermen from poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
KHARTOUM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Tuesday expressed regret and dismay over decision by U.S. President Donald Trump restricting Sudanese nationals traveling to America.

"Sudan's Foreign Ministry expresses its deep regret and dismay over the Executive Order, issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, renewing restriction on traveling of Sudanese citizens to the United State," Gariballah Al Khidir, Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, told Xinhua.

"The decision came at a time when the Sudanese government is combating terrorism," he noted, disclosing that diplomatic contacts by the Sudanese government are ongoing with the U.S. to remove Sudan's name from the U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

He said Sudan has shown during the past months a high degree of seriousness and credibility via the deliberations of the five tracks plan which proved importance of the role being played by Sudan as a partner in fighting the threat of terrorism.

He reiterated that terrorism is not associated with a specific religion or race, pointing out that combating terrorism needs cooperation of all parties not barriers and restrictions.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman further urged the U.S. administration to reconsider its decision regarding the Sudanese citizens, saying "the Sudanese are known for their good characteristics, where no crimes or terrorist incidents have been monitored for them in the United State."

On Monday U.S. President Trump issued a new Executive Order banning travel of citizens of six Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, to the United States.

However, the executive order excluded Iraq, which was included in the previous order, which at the time prompted worldwide controversy, before a federal U.S. court issued a verdict suspending it.

The new U.S. travel ban executive order is set to go into effect as of current March 16.

Trump signed the first executive order one week after his inauguration, but a federal judge in Seattle, Washington state, ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order on the travel ban would be suspended nationwide, a move denounced by Trump who said the travel ban was for the security of the American people.
BUDAPEST, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Hungary hardens its already-tough stance against asylum seekers on Tuesday, as lawmakers adopted the amendments of its migration laws, with 138 votes for, 22 against and 6 abstentions.

On March 2, Hungary had extended the countrywide state of crisis situation by six months until Sept. 7, citing mass migration.

During the crisis period, the new and amended migration laws prevent asylum seekers from moving around the country until their applications are decided.

Asylum seekers can only present their applications in one of the so-called "transit zones", which were built with converted shipping containers and were located along Hungary's southern borders with Serbia.

According to the amended laws, the applicants can leave the "transit zones" only towards Serbia during the evaluation of their cases.

The amendments also cut the appeal period to just three days after the application is denied.

The new amended laws also enable Hungarian police to detain and bring back to the "transit zones" every illegal alien found deeper inside the territory of Hungary during the crisis period.

Prior to the amendments, police were only allowed to transport the illegal aliens from an 8-km wide band from the Hungarian borders.

Hungarian Minister of the Interior Sandor Pinter defended the controversial amended laws.

A great number of migrants deposited their claims to the Hungarian authorities, but moved over quickly to Western countries without waiting for their case to be assessed, he said.

With the new laws, nobody will step illegally on the soil of Hungary and the European Union, he claimed.
NAIROBI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to float green bonds in order to boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the capital market regulator said on Tuesday.

Capital Markets Authority (CMA) CEO Paul Muthaura told a media briefing in Nairobi that there is currently a lot of interest among global fund managers on investing in capital markets that offer green bonds.

"We therefore want to position Kenya as a regional hub of green bonds so that it benefit from funds that invest in sustainable business causes," Muthaura said.

The East African nation is currently putting in place guidelines that will define what constitutes a green bond.

The legal framework will be a joint effort of the Kenya Bankers Association as well as the Nairobi Security Exchange.

The CEO said that the green bond will enable Kenya to meet some of its international commitments on reducing green house gas emissions.

Last year, Kenya signed the Marrakech Action Proclamation on Climate and Sustainable Development. Muthaura noted that Morocco is among the first countries in Africa to float a green bond.

"Kenya will also issue a green bond and the proceeds will go to finance projects that will help Kenya mitigate and adapt to climate change," he said.

The market regulator noted that after the global financial crisis that occurred in 2008, international financiers have shifted focus to investing in green financial instruments.

"Green bonds are now seen to be more attractive because they fund sustainable projects," he added.
Protesters chant during a rally against the travel ban at San Diego International Airport on March 6, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

KHARTOUM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Tuesday expressed regret and dismay over decision by U.S. President Donald Trump restricting Sudanese nationals traveling to America.

"Sudan's Foreign Ministry expresses its deep regret and dismay over the Executive Order, issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, renewing restriction on traveling of Sudanese citizens to the United State," Gariballah Al Khidir, Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, told Xinhua.

"The decision came at a time when the Sudanese government is combating terrorism," he noted, disclosing that diplomatic contacts by the Sudanese government are ongoing with the U.S. to remove Sudan's name from the U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

He said Sudan has shown during the past months a high degree of seriousness and credibility via the deliberations of the five tracks plan which proved importance of the role being played by Sudan as a partner in fighting the threat of terrorism.

He reiterated that terrorism is not associated with a specific religion or race, pointing out that combating terrorism needs cooperation of all parties not barriers and restrictions.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman further urged the U.S. administration to reconsider its decision regarding the Sudanese citizens, saying "the Sudanese are known for their good characteristics, where no crimes or terrorist incidents have been monitored for them in the United State."

On Monday U.S. President Trump issued a new Executive Order banning travel of citizens of six Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, to the United States.

However, the executive order excluded Iraq, which was included in the previous order, which at the time prompted worldwide controversy, before a federal U.S. court issued a verdict suspending it.

The new U.S. travel ban executive order is set to go into effect as of current March 16.

Trump signed the first executive order one week after his inauguration, but a federal judge in Seattle, Washington state, ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order on the travel ban would be suspended nationwide, a move denounced by Trump who said the travel ban was for the security of the American people.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gestures as he speaks during a meeting with Representatives of foreign missions on March 7, 2017 in Istanbul. Cavusoglu said that he would go ahead with a planned visit to Germany despite local authorities' banning him from making a speech on safety grounds. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

ISTANBUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that he will visit Germany to hold a rally with the Turkish community there despite cancellation of the event by local authorities.

"I am going to meet with our citizens this evening in Hamburg," Cavusoglu told top foreign diplomats in Istanbul prior to his departure for Germany, saying "No one could prevent that."

The authorities in northern German city of Hamburg on Monday canceled a scheduled meeting of the top Turkish envoy with local Turkish community, citing poor safety standard of the building.

Local authorities in Germany have also prevented other Turkish ministers from lobbying the Turkish diaspora for "yes" votes in the April 16 referendum on Turkey switching to a presidential system.

The episode has sparked a burst of outrage from Ankara and further chilled bilateral ties, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likening it to Nazi practices and vowing to "stir up the world" until he is allowed to speak in Germany.

Some 1.4 million Turks living in Germany can vote in April on whether to grant Erdogan sweeping powers, for which the president has been pushing hard.

Another rally for Cavusoglu on the upcoming plebiscite was banned by Dutch officials last Friday.

The minister told the foreign diplomats that he received a call from the Dutch authorities stating that his visit was feared to help Dutch far-right party leader Geert Wilders to win in elections.

Wilders said on Twitter that he had applied for demonstration in front of the Turkish embassy against any referendum rally by Cavusoglu, according to press reports.

Cavusoglu accused Europe of not preventing the rise of racist parties. "And today they become the slaves of them," he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping joins a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Liaoning Province at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)



BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that the northeastern province of Liaoning must depend on the real economy to realize rejuvenation, stressing the leading role of state-owned companies.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a panel discussion with national lawmakers from Liaoning at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

No matter what stage China's development is in, the real economy will always be the foundation for growth and for gaining the upper hand in global economic competition, Xi said.

Supply-side structural reform is inevitable for the revitalization of Liaoning, Xi said, urging the province to make progress in the reform and to rejuvenate the industrial sector.

The province should focus on industrial upgrades and set up an industrial system with long-lasting competitiveness, he said.

Liaoning should promote the creation of a new economic structure featuring joint development of new strategic sectors and traditional manufacturing, complementary development of modern and traditional services, integration of informatization and industrialization, as well as military and civilian integration, he said.

The province should also take firm steps to develop and strengthen state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which can lead Liaoning's revitalization, and cultivate core competitiveness, Xi said.

SOEs should be the pioneers of innovation-driven development, he said.

Liaoning must optimize the distribution of state-owned capital, fulfill its responsibility to maintain and increase the value of state-owned assets, and avoid state asset losses and other major risks, Xi said.

The northeast, which consists of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, was among the first regions in China to become industrialized. Its traditional industries include steel, automobile, shipbuilding and petroleum refining.

China has pledged to rejuvenate the northeast rustbelt through reform and economic restructuring.

In 2016, regional GDP of Liaoning dropped 2.5 percent, compared with a 6.7-percent expansion of the national economy.

Xi also stressed the importance of a clean political ecology, saying that a "tainted" system will give rise to many problems, including greed for power, double dealing and cliques.

He called for improved intra-Party political life and selecting officials who are clean, upright and devoted to the Party and people.

Every lawmaker should be people-focused, Xi said, urging them to know the people's lives well, pool their wisdom and address people's concerns.

Other senior leaders also joined panel discussions with NPC deputies Tuesday.

In a panel discussion with lawmakers from Tibet Autonomous Region, Premier Li Keqiang stressed development and stability in Tibet as it is of "special importance" for China's overall development.

Priority will be given to securing and improving people's lives, Li said, urging efforts to enhance public services such as education, medical care and heating projects.

Under the prerequisite of strictly protecting the environment, the region should step up efforts to boost the development of tourism, clean energy and traditional medicine, Li added.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said in a panel discussion with Taiwan deputies that cross-Strait relations face grimmer and more complicated conditions this year.

"We must continue to stick to the basic principle of 'peaceful reunification; one country, two systems' and strive for reunification with the utmost sincerity and best efforts," Yu said. "We should adhere to the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle, resolutely oppose and contain any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities."

Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, told deputies from Guangdong Province that it is imperative to conform to the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core in thought and deed.

Liu said Guangdong should follow the main theme of "maintaining stability while seeking progress" to improve the quality and efficiency of economic growth and maintain economic and social stability.

Joining deputies from Hunan Province, Wang Qishan, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, stressed the need to uphold the Party's leadership and strengthen Party discipline.

Corruption undermines both the people's vital interests and the Party's reputation, and consequently erodes the foundation on which the Party rules, said Wang, calling on the whole Party to clean up bad practices and boost public confidence and trust in the CPC Central Committee.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China's forex reserves rose slightly in February, expanding for the first time since June, official data showed on Tuesday.

The country's outstanding forex reserves stood at 3.0051 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of last month, up from 2.9982 trillion dollars a month earlier, according to data from the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

The rebound came after January's decline sent the country's forex reserves below the closely watched 3-trillion-dollar mark for the first time since February 2011.

State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) attributed the rebound to the increased value of forex reserves' investment, though major currencies continued to weaken against the greenback in February.

China's forex reserves tend to stabilize despite fluctuations, as pressure from capital outflows is expected to ease with the country's economic growth momentum continuing to improve, SAFE said in a statement on its website.

Tom Orlik, chief Asia Economist at Bloomberg, said stronger economic growth, with purchasing managers' indexes surprisingly upbeat in February, "provides positive mood music" and suggests the central bank has more room to guide rates higher.

Holidays ate into the number of working days in February, already a short month, which also likely helped stem capital outflows, Orlik said.

However, he expected the months ahead to be more challenging with a high-probability Fed move raising the possibility of three rate hikes over the course of the year, forcing China to recalibrate its policy settings.

Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of PBOC, dismissed concerns about China's forex reserve level on Saturday.

"China's forex reserves are more than sufficient, either by internationally accepted traditional standards or the latest standards worked out by scholars," said Pan on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.

Tuesday's data also showed China's gold reserves climbed to 74.38 billion dollars at the end of last month from 71.29 billion dollars in January.
SHANGHAI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Hao Jingfang, who won the last year's Hugo Award, has released a piece of interactive fiction she composed with five other authors in Shanghai.

The story,"The Beginning of Han," was uploaded to an interactive literature website qiaobooks.com late last week. It cost 9.9 yuan (about 1.4 U.S. dollars) to read.

With 400,000 characters, it is about Liu Bang, founder of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD). Through different option, readers can find their way to nearly 50 endings.

"Interactive literature is increasingly accepted by readers," Hao said. "While we are talking about different possibilities, we acquire new knowledge."

Hao won the Hugo Award with "Folding Beijing" in the category of best novelette at the 74th World Science Fiction Convention. She plans to donate the gains from the new fiction to a welfare project in Tibet.

The writer said she is interested in an earlier dynasty, the Qin (221 - 207 BC), and did not rule out the possibility of writing another interactive fiction based on that history.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have busted a gang suspected of stealing more than 5 billion pieces of personal information, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Tuesday.

Police officers from 14 provinces and municipalities including Beijing worked together and detained 96 members of a gang who stole and trafficked personal information online.

The gang were found to have hacked into servers of many companies since 2015. Massive leaks included user IDs, passwords and home addresses in clear text, according to the MPS.

They made profits mainly by selling the information via online forums and instant chat services, the MPS said.

Some of the suspects also committed bank card fraud by using duplicated cards with copied personal information.
HANOI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday expressed his hope that there will be Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)-sponsored projects in Vietnam in 2017.

Phuc made the remark at a meeting in capital Hanoi with AIIB president Jin Liqun, who is paying a working visit to Vietnam.

According to the Vietnamese prime minister, the State Bank of Vietnam has been assigned to take over obligations and activities of Vietnam in AIIB.

As the country is combining official development assistance (ODA) and commercial loans for infrastructure development, Vietnam sees the opportunity to access preferential capital sources of AIIB at low cost and without government guarantee of great significance, said Phuc.

The country's infrastructure development demand is very big, and the Vietnamese government attaches importance to cooperation with AIIB, Phuc added.

Highlighting the priority that AIIB puts on private sector while encouraging them to invest into infrastructure development, Phuc said Vietnam attaches great importance to luring private investors, including foreign investors.

Against the backdrop of the current Vietnamese public debt, the country expected that in addition to sponsorship to public sector, AIIB will pay attention on encouraging and supporting private sector in infrastructure development in Vietnam, Vietnamese government's e-Portal quoted Phuc as saying.

In the coming time, Vietnam will continue to join AIIB as a reliable and responsible partner, pledging to fully implement all membership obligations and expecting to continue receiving attention of AIIB, said Phuc.

Jin, for his part, highlighted the positive contribution of Vietnam to the founding of AIIB as well as AIIB activities over the past time.

As a fast-growing country rich of potential, Vietnam still needs an important strategy of investing into infrastructure for socio-economic development, said Jin, adding that AIIB will support Vietnam to access capital sources to meet the demand.
HARARE, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe's prime holiday destination, the Victoria Falls, have increased steadily since the re-launch of the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) uni-visa in December last year, an official said Tuesday.

The uni-visa allows visitors to stay in Zambia or Zimbabwe (or both) for up to 30 days for a single payment of 50 U.S. dollars.

It also covers people who want to enter Botswana for day-trips through the Kazungula border post.

Zimbabwe Council for Tourism representative for Matabeleland North, Barbara Murasiranwa was quoted by state-run new agency as saying that arrivals had increased by about 15 percent since re-introduction of the visa regime.

"Arrivals into Victoria Falls via Zambia had gone down prior to the re-launch of the uni-visa, but right now arrivals improved significantly because tourists can just arrive in Zambia and then proceed to Zimbabwe after paying just 50 dollars and they can still go back to Zambia or Zimbabwe again without facing any problems for a month," she said.

The uni-visa regime was first introduced during the 2014 United Nations World Tourism Organization general assembly that was cohosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia.

However, the uni-visa collapsed in December 2015 due to logistical and legal challenges.

Authorities had initially planned to roll out the uni-visa across five countries in the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area comprising Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls is primed to receive more tourists after expansion of Victoria Falls Airport by a Chinese company at a cost of 150 million dollars.

The expansion increased handling capacity to 1.5 million passengers per year from 500,000. Enditem
ANKARA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia and meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 10, the presidency announced in a statement Tuesday.

The sixth High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Moscow will be attended by Erdogan and Putin, and include government ministers from both sides.

The two leaders will exchange views on regional and international issues, particularly Syrian issue, said the statement.

"Several agreements will be signed during the visit, which is expected to contribute to the development of Turkish-Russian relations," it added.

The last meeting of two leaders was held last August.

Strains have been eased between Turkey and Russia, as the two sides began a reconciliation process in 2016 following Turkey's apology for downing a Russian jet on the Syrian-Turkish border.
LUSAKA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Zambia could be on its path to start cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes following revelation by the government that the country's laws allow this.

Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo said cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purpose was allowed but those intending to venture into the business must obtain a license from the Ministry of Health.

In a ministerial statement in parliament following increased calls on the government to legalize marijuana cultivation for medicinal purposes, the minister said it was still an offense for anyone to cultivate marijuana, even for medicinal purposes, without a license.

Calls on authorities in Zambia to legalize the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes resurfaced recently when a top doctor called on them to seriously consider the idea.

"How soon can we have an open and objective evaluation of the process of getting our home-grown marijuana to the market? Medicinal marijuana works," Aaron Mujajati, president of the Zambia Medical Association, said on his Facebook page.

And commenting on the minister's announcement that the country has sufficient laws to allow for such cultivation, the doctor said this was a step in the right direction.

"We are happy that this is legal and it is now incumbent upon us to demonstrate to government on what benefits this can have to the country," he told Xinhua in an interview.

He however noted that the government would need to come up with regulations and guidelines to properly guide those who would want to venture into the business.

The government also will have to come up with proper control measures to ensure that there is no illegal activity on the growing of marijuana and to avoid abuse.

"While we welcome the announcement, we feel that more still needed to be done. As you know, marijuana is still a prohibited drug in the country. So we would like the government to come up with clear-cut measures going forward," he said.

According to him, the issue of standards and what form the drug will be administered need to be established.

According to medical experts, marijuana has medicinal values that could go a long way in improving health care delivery in the country.

Marijuana can be used in relieving pain, especially in cancer patients, improve poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness. It is also known to be effective in people with epilepsy.

Cultivation and possession of marijuana is illegal in Zambia and many people have landed themselves in jail.

Last year, Zambia seized 59 tons of cannabis from various offenders across the country, according to the country's Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).

However the latest calls have ignited debates in the southern African nation on the need to consider the economic and medicinal benefits of marijuana, especially now that the country is calling for the diversification of the economy to wean off copper dependence.

Bwalya Nondo, spokesperson of the opposition National Restoration Party (NAREP), said the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes was long overdue.

The party, he said, had critically looked into the issue and found out that the benefits of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes far outweigh the disadvantages of legalizing it.

But other people believe that caution is needed as the country prepares to venture into cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

While acknowledging that cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes was good for the country, local people believe that serious studies and analysis needed to be undertaken.

"Firstly as Zambia are we ready for this at this point? History has taught us that despite having good laws to control use of alcohol or drugs, this has not been reinforced. We have failed with alcohol so what assurance will we have that we will succeed with marijuana," Nita Besa Sichamba said.

Others believe that instead of opening up the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, its cultivation should be restricted to state-run agencies for proper control and monitoring as opening it up could lead to abuse and illegal activities.

So far, the campaign for the legalization of marijuana has been the sole role of an opposition political party that has clearly stated in its policies that it will legalize the cultivation of marijuana if it formed government.

Peter Sinkamba, president of the Green Party, who has so far stood in two presidential elections, believes that marijuana has both commercial and medicinal benefits for the country if properly cultivated in controlled state-run farms.

According to him, marijuana could earn the country 36 billion U.S. dollars annually, especially that the country was promoting the diversification of the economy.
DHAKA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- With the aim to pay respect to the contribution of women, national flag-carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate a special flight by all women on Wednesday to mark the International Women's Day.

The national flag carrier has taken the initiative to encourage and inspire women in the aviation sector to move forward matching up with other airlines globally, state-run news agency BSS reported Tuesday.

Biman spokesperson Shakil Meraj told the state-run news agency that the all-women special flight will be operated on Dhaka-Sylhet (some 241 km northeast of capital Dhaka)-Dhaka route Wednesday with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

"Captain Tania Reza and First Officer Antara will lead the BG-0603 flight with six female cabin crew," he said.

Besides, female security personnel and ground handling staff will be deployed for the flight, added Shakil Meraj.

He said the flight is scheduled to take off at 01.15 p.m. (local time) from the domestic terminal.

"Biman authority thinks such move would encourage the female to join the diversified aviation industry," said Shakil Meraj.

Biman has now 140 pilots of which nine are lady pilots. Besides, female employees are working with efficiency in ground service, engineering section and other departments of Biman.

Talking about the flight, First Officer Antara said they operate flight regularly, but this special flight on the special day would be an inspiration for the country's women for this challenging job.

Antara joined Biman in 2011 and gained experience of flying with Dash8-Q400 and Boeing 737-800 so far.

Now, she is dreaming of flying more and lead Biman's fleet from the front.
HO CHI MINH CITY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Electronic commerce in Vietnam has been growing at an average 22 percent a year, heard a conference on new trends of e-commerce on Tuesday in the country's southern Dong Nai province.

According to the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), over 40 percent of Vietnamese enterprises enjoy higher sale revenues thanks to e-commerce, Vietnam News Agency reported. About 52 percent of the Vietnamese population use the Internet, of whom 65 percent have purchased goods online.

VECOM vice president Nguyen Ngoc Dung said about 70 percent of consumers search the Internet for information about the goods they intend to purchase before going to the shop to buy the products. Therefore, a firm having no website will make it difficult for customers to access its products, he said.
OSLO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- New data showed higher immigration implies a higher number of children living in families with persistent low income as immigrant families often have many children and few working adults, newspaper Aftenposten reported on Tuesday.

According to fresh numbers from Statistics Norway (SSB), in 2015 there were 38 percent of immigrant children in Norway who lived in families with so-called "persistent low income", while the share for non-immigrant children in similar situations was 5.4 percent.

In addition, there was a big difference among immigrant children from different countries.

Eight out of ten children of Somali origin belonged to a family with persistent low income in the years 2013-2015. For children with Syrian background, the rate was between six and seven out of ten.

This is followed by children with backgrounds from Iraq, Eritrea and Afghanistan. Over half of these children lived in families with persistent low income.

SSB uses the term "immigrant background" when a child either has personally immigrated to Norway or was born of immigrant parents.

Every Somali family with children consisted of 5.7 persons on average and had an average of one person working in 2015.

The corresponding figures for Norwegian families with no immigrant backgrounds were 4.1 persons and 1.9 persons working, the report said.

In the "good" end of the scale among immigrant children are those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Vietnam.

There were in total 98,200 children under 18 in Norway living in families with persistently low income in 2015. This is almost every tenth child in this age group, Aftenposten wrote.

The proportion has risen sharply in recent years. Only from 2011 to 2015, the share increased from 7.6 percent to 10 percent.

There have also been more children with ethnic Norwegian background in families with persistent low income. From 2011 to 2015, the number increased from barely 40,000 to 46,000.
BISHKEK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Prime Ministers from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) signed 10 documents in Bishkek on Tuesday to further consolidate the bloc, said the press service of Kyrgyzstan's government.

The Bishkek meeting was attended by Prime Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan.

The agreements particularly touched upon cooperation in agriculture as well as developing new innovative technologies related to the "digital economy," which is a priority for Kyrgyzstan and the EEU member states. Kyrgyzstan currently holds the EEU chairmanship.

The EEU was founded in 2014 and comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Its goal is to facilitate free movement of goods, services and labor.
ARUSHA, Tanzania, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Armyworms said to have entered Tanzania from neighboring Zambia have destroyed hundreds of hectares of maize planted this year in the country's western region of Rukwa, authorities said Tuesday.

Nkasi District is the highly affected area in Rukwa Region whose population depends on maize for food and cash.

Authorities in the affected area warned that unless the worm invasion in the area was contained, it would spread to other parts of the country.

The worms' invasion poses serious food security concerns in the area and the country at large taking into account that Rukwa is one of the regions which are the bread basket of the east African nation.

"We noticed recently that some worms were eating up the leaves of our maize plants. So we told our colleagues that if we don't spray our farms then we cannot harvest anything. We have sprayed our farms five times already but the worms keep coming back," said John Pangameza, one of the smallholder farmers in Nkasi District.

He said that many farmers in the area are almost giving up on the fight against the worms.

Permin Matumizi, acting agricultural officer in the district confirmed the invasion, saying that worms have affected almost all farms in the district, noting that efforts by farmers to apply pesticides failed as the army worms don't respond to pesticides.

The official named the highly affected villages as Itekesya and Ntemba in Kate ward.

He described the pests as dangerous; hence concerted efforts are needed to address the vice, which is threatening food security for the 2017/2018 fiscal year.

"At our district level, we have tried to ensure that pesticides are available, though these kinds of armyworms don't respond to our pesticides," he said.

Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Mathew Mtigumwe said that the government was aware of the presence of new species of army worms in the Nkasi district Rukwa region, which get in the country from neighboring Zambia.

"The ministry's study shows that the army worms that have stormed Nkasi District are new species known as fall armyworms that hit maize crops," he said.

"We have been forced to procure new pesticides after we come to notice that the present army worms are new species which cannot be controlled by the available pesticides," PS detailed.

He said that the government had bought pesticides of about 15,000 liters worth 132,439 US dollars to curb the army worms.

According to him, the government is currently embarking on various initiatives to control the situation in various regions include Katavi, Mbeya and Songwe.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the presence of fall armyworm in Africa was first reported on the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe in January 2016 and spread to Nigeria and Ghana before hitting South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique.
ARUSHA, Tanzania, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's privately-owned airline Precision Air Services Plc on Tuesday announced to relaunch flights to Uganda through Entebbe International Airport.

Precision Air's commercial director, Robert Owusu said in a statement that the airline will operate four flights per week with two direct flights from Dar es Salaam and two via Kilimanjaro Airport.

The official stated that the decision to relaunch flights to Entebbe came after a market study which revealed that there is potential demand for flights between Tanzania and Uganda.

Tickets sale is expected to commence on March 10.

Precision Air suspended flights to Entebbe back in 2013 during the route rationalization process and network restructuring. Enditem
KATHMANDU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The major opposition party of Nepal CPN UML claimed on Tuesday that the ethnic Madhes-based parties should take the responsibility of Monday's violent incident that led to deaths of three protesters and injuries of dozens.

The country's south-eastern Terai region has remained tensed since three cadres of agitating ethnic United Democratic Madhesi Front died Monday in gun firing by security personnel in Saptari which borders India.

The clashes occurred in Saptari, some 450 kilometers away from the capital city Kathmandu, following which police personnel opened fire against the protesters when they attempted to interrupt the peaceful rally organized by CPN UML.

Organizing a press conference here Tuesday, CPN UML claimed that the unpleasant incident was a premeditated plan of Madhesi Front to wipe out UML leadership since all the top leaders present in the rally were targeted. The party further argued that the incident has pushed the country towards crisis.

Ishwor Pokharel, general secretary of CPN UML said "The protesters hurled more than 50 small bombs targeting the rally while attacking security personnel. The incident is suspicious. It is not just an attack to CPN UML but also an attack to democracy."

Stating that the incident was also planned to disrupt the local level elections slated for May, CPN UML said the government should be equally responsible as it failed to ensure security of common people.

The party demanded a high-level probe from the government and the National Human Rights Commission to look into Monday's fatal incident.

Reading out the party's official statement, Yogesh Bhattarai, secretary at CPN UML said "The incident has been planned to foil the implementation of constitution drafted by people's representatives and to disintegrate social harmony, unity, peace and stability. It is a conspiracy of not letting the Nepali people to decide their own fate."

The disgruntled parties have been demanding second amendment in the constitution to ensure more political representation in state bodies, delimitation of constituencies and fresh demarcation of federal boundaries and amendments in citizenship laws.

Following the incident of Monday, Terai districts have remained tensed as a two-day strike has been called by the Madhesi Front against the death of their cadres. They have accused the local administration of using excessive force on cadres.

Meanwhile, the District Administration Office has clamped an indefinite curfew in the district headquarters Rajbiraj and adjoining areas.
RIYADH, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A Saudi policeman was shot dead by an unknown culprit on Tuesday in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Sabq local online news reported.

The incident, yet to be confirmed by the interior ministry, took place in Qatif region after a series of arson attacks targeted bank branches and money exchange offices there from the beginning of 2017.

Attacks against police personnel in Qatif have increased, as similar shootings have killed at least five policemen and injured some others in 2016.

The main suspects are violent youth members of the Shiite minority community mostly residing in Eastern Province, who are demanding more rights in the conservative Sunni state.
KATHMANDU, March 7 (Xinhua)--The United Nations has expressed serious concern over the escalating violence in Nepal's southern Terai region, on Tuesday.

"We are seriously concerned by the escalation of tensions in the lead-up to the local elections announced for May," the UN Office in Kathmandu said in a press statement.

The UN statement came a day after the killing of at least three people and the injuries of three dozen in police firing following the violent clash between the police and agitating Madhes-based ethnic parties who were trying to disrupt a political rally in south eastern Nepal bordering India.

The police personnel opened fire against the protesters when they attempted to interrupt the peaceful political rally organized by the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) at Rajbiraj town of Saptari District.

The CPN (UML), the second largest party in the Parliament, was attempting to hold a rally in Rajbiraj town, about 450 kilometers of Capital City Kathmandu, when the cadres from the Madhes-based parties attacked the rally.

The UN office said "We are saddened by the loss of life and injuries which resulted from the recent violent clash in Saptari district between political party cadres and state security forces." Stating that violence has no place in the freedom of expression and assembly, the UN office called on security forces to comply with existing national and international standards on the use of force.

"At the same time, we urge the political parties to peacefully express their views in actions and statements. We encourage inclusive and meaningful dialogue to create and strengthen a conducive environment for the conduct of the historical local elections," the statement added.
GENEVA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed its concern Tuesday at a new amended law adopted by the Hungarian parliament which aims to move all asylum seekers to border zones.

"In practice, it means that every asylum seeker, including children, will be detained in shipping containers surrounded by high razor wire fence at the border for extended periods of time," UNHCR spokesperson Cecile Pouilly told a biweekly briefing.

"This new law violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered," she added.

It also condemned both legislative and policy measures which aim to make it almost impossible for asylum seekers to enter the country and apply for asylum.

According to the UN body, refugees and asylum seekers can only be detained on a "limited number of grounds, and only when it is necessary reasonable, and appropriate".

"This requires authorities to consider whether there are less coercive or intrusive measures to achieve these goals, based on an assessment of the individual's particular circumstances," Pouilly said.

Hungary hardens its already-tough stance against asylum seekers on Tuesday, as lawmakers adopted the amendments of its migration law, with 138 votes for, 22 against and 6 abstentions.

On March 2, Hungary had extended the countrywide state of crisis situation by six months until Sept. 7, citing mass migration.

During the crisis period, the new and amended migration law prevents asylum seekers from moving around the country until their applications are decided.

Asylum seekers can only present their applications in one of the so-called "transit zones", which were built with converted shipping containers and were located along Hungary's southern borders with Serbia, according to the new law.
NICOSIA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A boat with about 25 Syrian refugees who sailed from Turkey's Mersin southern port reached a remote coast of north-western Cyprus, authorities said on Tuesday.

They said the refugees arrived at about noon at Cape Akamas, the most northwestern tip of Cyprus, about 20 km from the nearest inhabited area.

The region is a national park where there are no roads except earth tracks.

Authorities said that teams of the civil defense force and the police are heading to the area to offer help to the refugees, among them some women and several children.

This is the second boat which arrived in the area this year, after a drifting boat with 93 people on board, most of them women and children, was towed to into a local fishing boat in February.

Five more boatloads of Syrian refugees arrived in the same general area last year.

People who arrived before have said that about 700 more Syrians were in Mersin looking for a boat to bring them to Cyprus.

Almost all of the refugees arriving from Mersin do no plan to travel further than Cyprus.
GENEVA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- While lauding the progress made over the last decade, an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report warned Tuesday that more measures are needed to increase the representation of women in parliaments globally.

According to statistics, the global average of women in national parliaments stood at 23.3 percent at the end of 2016, up from 22.6 percent two years ago.

This figure is a significant improvement from ten years ago, when women only accounted for 16.8 percent of parliamentary seats.

"We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become ever more challenging," IPU secretary general Martin Chungong said in a statement.

"Parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world's most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women's full and equal participation at all levels by 2030," he added.

The report highlighted that gains were documented across major regions, with the Pacific topping the list with a 1.6 percent increase in women in parliament (17.4 percent by the end of 2016).

Lower gains were also recorded in Europe and the Americas (both 0.9 percent), Arab States and Asia (both 0.5 percent), and sub-Saharan Africa (0.4 percent).

IPU said that "quotas" remain an effective tool to make sure that more women are involved in politics, while ensuring a minimum level of women's representation in parliament.

The shortfall of such quotas, however, is that they seldom go beyond the "critical mass" of 30 to 35 percent of women's seats in parliament, IPU explained.

In light of this, IPU urged countries to adopt more ambitious measures so as to achieve gender-parity in all levels by 2030.
Photo taken on March 1, 2017 shows a plenary session at which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker addresses the "White Paper on the Future of Europe" at the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The heads of state or government of European Union (EU) countries are to meet for a two-day summit on Thursday and Friday in a bid to find a common position for the most pressing issues and for the future of the European project.

The EU faces increasing political uncertainties, as Britain is preparing to trigger Article 50 later this month, which will begin the process of Brexit talks, and populist parties are gaining ground in election campaigns ahead of elections in the Netherlands this month, followed by France in April and May, and then Germany.

It will be the last EU summit before crucial parliamentary elections in the Netherlands where far-right politician Geert Wilders' eurosceptic Party for Freedom (PVV) is expected to do well.

Wilders' party, which advocates Dutch withdrawal from the EU, has been consistently high in opinion polls for months.

FUTURE OF EU

The summit comes just ahead of the symbolically-important 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty, when the EU is to present its plans for reforming the bloc.

The debate on which path the EU should follow after Brexit will come under the spotlight when EU heads of state and government gather on Thursday and Friday.

The summit will give leaders a first chance to debate the European Commission's Future of Europe White Paper, unveiled last week by its president Jean-Claude Juncker.

The five possible paths for the EU without Britain outlined by the European Commission range from shrinking the scope of areas of cooperation among member states or maintaining the status quo to a more ambitious scenario of taking steps towards a federalist EU.

The White Paper has met with mixed reflections, as some political leaders criticized it for not picking a clear preferred path or providing concrete examples.

"We are disappointed with the European Commission White Paper. We consider it a mistake to simply present five possible scenarios for the future of the European Union, instead of singling out a strong and comprehensive choice to fortify ourselves against the current storm we are facing," Gianni Pittella, leader of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament said.

Responding to the big questions on the future of Europe, the heads of continental Europe's biggest economies -- Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- have endorsed the vision of a multi-speed Europe ahead of the summit.

The leaders of the big four governments in the EU27 gathered at the Palace of Versailles on Monday, and agreed that some EU countries could deepen integration faster than others.

"We should have the courage to allow some countries to move ahead, to advance more quickly than others. Cooperation can be kept open to those that have fallen behind," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

The multi-speed Europe concept has been debated for years in European political circles, but some governments, especially in the bloc's eastern part, fear this could deepen divisions to their disadvantage.

TUSK'S JOB ROW

The election of the European Council President for the next term is expected to be one of the key decisions taken at this week's EU summit in Brussels.

The incumbent is former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk whose 30-month term is due to end on May 31.

Most EU leaders reportedly support Tusk's re-election but Tusk's home country Poland, with support from Hungary, has proposed Polish European Parliamentarian Jacek Saryusz-Wolski for the position instead.

Ahead of the meeting, a bitter war of words has broken out on the appointment of the council president for the period from June 1, 2017 to Nov. 30, 2019.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice party last week barred the Polish government from backing Tusk's candidacy, after the party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called Tusk a "German candidate".

Meanwhile, Saryusz-Wolski, who is also from Tusk's Civic Platform party of the European People's Party (EPP), took the unusual step of accepting the nomination of Poland's ruling party to run against Tusk.

But his acceptance of the nomination has caused bitterness in the EPP group. Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP, said: "Tusk is the only EPP candidate for President of European Council. He enjoys unanimous support from the entire party."

Malta, which currently holds the council's rotating six-month presidency, will oversee the process of choosing the council chair.

PRESSING ISSUES

For others, though, the priority this week for EU leaders should be focusing on tackling the EU's much-vaunted ills.

EU priority measures for growth, the single market strategy, including digital markets, and external and internal security are among the topics to be debated by EU leaders at the two-day summit.

Other key topics for discussion will be migration, security and defense, with EU defense ministers this week taking another step towards the creation of what some have dubbed an EU army.

Leaders are also expected to give the green light to the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, another move condemned by eurosceptics like Wilders.
DAMASCUS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Syria's government forces reclaimed 1,000 square km of the eastern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria from the Islamic State (IS) group, reported a monitor group on Tuesday.

The victory came following fierce battles with the IS, which caved in and withdrew from that part of the city.

The military operation has been ongoing for weeks, and the IS yielded the area as the army attempted to reach the town of Khafseh, where Aleppo city's main water source is located, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the IS withdrew most of its militants from Khafseh as well as other areas.

The army launched its offensive against the IS in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Jan. 17 of this year, killing hundreds of IS militants.

Syrian government forces have reached the city of Manbij in Aleppo's northeastern countryside, controlled by the Kurdish-backed Manbij Military Council (MMC).

Coordination between Russia and the Kurdish fighters led the MMC to recently hand over areas in the western countryside of Manbij to the Syrian army.

The purpose of that move is for Manbij to serve as a dividing line between Kurdish-led groups and advancing Turkish-backed forces aiming to dislodge Kurdish groups from Manbij.

Furthermore, the U.S.-led anti-terrorist coalition deployed forces close to Manbij to distance the IS and separate Turkish-backed forces from Kurdish-led ones.
TOKYO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Science Council of Japan (SCJ), a body representing Japanese science community, expressed concerns on Tuesday over a government subsidy program for research on technology for military purposes.

The council's exploratory committee on military security and science and technology said in a draft statement it compiled that the subsidy program has a lot of problems and could incur "significant government intervention in research."

The statement, reaffirming the council's former policy of refraining from scientific research for military purposes, called on universities to establish a mechanism to examine the appropriateness of collaboration in military research.

The statement is to be submitted to a general assembly of the council in April, and if passed, will be the council's first statement in 50 years regarding military-related research.

The SCJ, a special organization established in 1949 to represent scientists from all natural and social science fields in Japan, has twice issued statements in 1950 and 1967 respectively to express resolves not to conduct scientific research for the purpose of war amid repentance for the WWII.

However, the Japanese government has been trying in recent years to promote collaboration between the fields of science and technology and defense, particularly through a subsidiary program called Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security.

The prgram began with a budget allocation of 300 million yen (2.6 million U.S. dollars) in fiscal 2015, of 600 million yen in fiscal 2016. It surged to 11 billion yen in the draft budget for fiscal 2017.

The program has drawn wide criticism from many scientists on worries over government intervention in academic research.
CAIRO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Syria's return to the Arab League after six years of membership suspension is untimely and it needs more deliberation and development, the Arab League (AL) chief told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday.

"The situation is not yet ready for taking a step in this direction or even discuss it in Arab joint bilateral, trilateral of multilateral talks," AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said following a regular meeting of Arab foreign ministers.

The issue was raised by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who said that restoring Syria's AL membership is "inevitable."

Syria's AL membership was suspended in November 2011 after months of heavy security crackdown on protesters against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which later developed into deadly confrontations, with chaotic consequences still going on.

The decision was approved by 18 out of 22 Arab states; it was rejected by Lebanon and Yemen while Iraq abstained and Syria was absent.

Russia, which is currently assisting Assad's forces in Syria, called in early February for Syria's return to the Arab organization, whereas Aboul-Gheit ruled out the possibility any time soon.
BRUSSELS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Patent Office (EPO) on Tuesday published its 2016 Annual Report revealing China showed the highest growth in patent applications.

According to the report, the number of patent applications from China increased 24.8 percent in 2016. China's applications for the first time exceeded that of South Korea and ranked sixth out of the top 10 countries of origin.

The top 10 countries were United States, Germany, Japan, France, Switzerland, China, the Netherlands, South Korea, Britain and Italy.

EPO President Benoit Battistelli said in an interview with Xinhua that Europe is an attractive technical market and that China is now one of the EPO's most important applicants.

He said that he believed that China would continue to increase the number of patent applications at EPO in the coming years.

"China wants to internationalize its economy and let its big companies not only concentrate on fulfilling domestic needs, but also be present in the world market," Battistelli said.

In 2016, patent applications from China totaled 7,150, among which 51 percent of the applications were from the fields of digital communications, computer and telecommunications technologies.

Huawei was the highest ranking patent applicant for the third time, followed by Microsoft, Samsung, while ZTE, also a Chinese multinational telecom equipment company, ranked fifth.

In 2016, China registered strong growth in sectors of engines, turbines, transport and biotechnology.

"There is a good cooperation with Europe and China in terms of patents," said Battistelli, "and the system in China is very similar to the European one."
TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed on Tuesday a recent U.S. report skeptical toward the legitimacy of the Islamic republic's elections, reported Press TV on Tuesday.

"Elections in Iran are free, clean, competitive and democratic," Rouhani said in response to the human rights report issued by the U.S. Department of State which questioned the Islamic republic's electoral process.

"I think those critical of elections in Iran need to consider the recent presidential elections in the United States and the problems they faced," he was quoted as saying.

Rouhani's comments regarding the U.S. presidential elections referring to the ongoing protests against Donald Trump's election as the new President of the United States.

The U.S. Department of State's human rights report concerning Iran implied there were "severe restrictions on civil liberties" including freedom of speech, congregations, elections, religious expression and freedom of the press in the Islamic republic in 2016.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi also dismissed the U.S. report, adding "due to its appalling and somber human rights record, whether domestically or internationally, the U.S. government is in no position to comment on the state of human rights in other countries."

Qasemi said no existing international organization nor law authorizes the U.S. government to unilaterally critique human rights statuses worldwide on political grounds.
VILNIUS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's Confederation of Industrialists (LPK) on Tuesday cautiously welcomed the government's program to address the main challenges in the country's economy.

On the heels of the welcome statement, however, LPK head Robertas Dargis encouraged the government to implement the necessary reforms at a faster speed.

"Four difficult years are ahead for achieving the goals that were declared (by the government); we truly hope that the plan will transform into purposeful calendar of needed reforms," Dargis was quoted as saying in the statement.

His comments followed the government plan of measures, which was revealed last week.

According to the head of LPK, in order to improve the investment environment in Lithuania, more initiatives and reforms in the country's tax system are needed. Dargis also called for a bigger focus on the tourism sector.

"Tourism generates around 5 percent of Lithuanian GDP and has a high potential," Dargis underlined.

Energy issues, particularly concerning competitive energy resources prices for the country's industry, transport and environmental issues should also get more attention from the government, LPK said.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis commented earlier that among the top government's priorities were the fight to end poverty, increasing social inclusion by reducing income inequality and promoting involvement in the labor market, boosting support to families, and reforming the entire education system.

Skvernelis also listed among his priorities the development of an innovative economy by increasing business productivity and creating high value-added jobs, improving the tax system in a direction favorable to economic growth, and reducing the shadow economy.

LPK is a lobby group which represents the interests of large industrialists and employers. The organization counts some 3,000 medium and large enterprises from various sectors among its members. Enditem
BRUSSELS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The leaders from European Union (EU) member states will look at economy, security, migration and the situation in the Western Balkans in their spring summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.

According to leaked council draft conclusions, the bloc will "reiterate its determination to deliver on all the elements of the Malta Declaration."

The declaration adopted at last month's informal summit in Malta focused on measures to stem the flow of migration from Libya to Italy.

According to Tusk, one of the key summit objectives will be on jobs, growth and competitiveness while the benefits of "widely and fairly" spread economic growth will also be stressed.

"The deepening of the Single Market and a robust trade policy are two avenues to help us achieve those goals. At the same time, we also need to avoid the creation of new barriers, both in Europe and on the global stage," Tusk said.

The draft conclusion called for a speedy implementation of the just-approved EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), stressing trade remained one of the "most powerful" engines for growth.

Besides, the president of the European Central Bank is also invited to share with national leaders his observations on the EU and euro area economies.

Given growing concern over recent developments in the Western Balkans, the leaders will discuss the bloc's engagement in the region. "The EU will remain engaged in the Western Balkans and stand by its commitments," Tusk said.

Meanwhile, the leaders will also look at how to sustain the momentum of reinforcing Europe's security and defense, Tusk said.

"Europe must do more to protect its citizens and maintain stability in the neighborhood and beyond, including by committing sufficient additional resources," said the draft document.

This has been taken as an indirect reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for all NATO members to pay their "fair share" on the cost of collective defense.

The leaders from 27 EU member sates will meet again on Friday to prepare for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, as British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is expected to trigger Article 50 to start Brexit talks later this month, will not attend.

European Commission's Future of Europe White Paper, unveiled last week by its President Jean-Claude Juncker, will be debated as national leaders need to find a common position for the future direction of the European project ahead of the Rome summit.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have stressed the need to continue focusing on an "ambitious EU" whereas some decried the EU's current direction and track record.

British MEP Syed Kamall, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, said "Recent referendum results in the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and Denmark have shown a loss of faith in the EU."

"The main objective must be to reconnect the EU to people and make it worthy of their trust by being more respectful to its member states, focused on where it can add value," he added.
Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally to oppose the plan to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)

MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea violates the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), a top official of the upper house of Russia's Parliament said Tuesday.

"The deployment is one of the conditions for Russia's withdrawal from the treaty stipulated by its text," Ozerov, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council, was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The Defense Ministry of South Korea said earlier in the day that two mobile launchers and part of the equipment necessary for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) had arrived in an air base some 70 km south of the capital Seoul, which was seen by opposition parties in the country as a "unilateral" decision by the government without gaining public approval.

The New U.S.-Russia START agreement was signed in 2010 and became effective in 2011. It is expected to last until 2021 with a possible extension for another five years.

He said the United States was using ballistic missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a pretext for -- "if not to encircle Russia, then at least besiege it from the west and the east."

The KCNA reported Monday that Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the DRPK, had supervised on spot a ballistic rocket launching drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA).

Under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plan to develop its ballistic missile defense capabilities, a U.S. Aegis Ashore missile defense system was activated in Romania last year while the construction of a second Aegis Ashore site began in Poland shortly after.
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Tuesday called for calm while dealing with a diplomatic row between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Malaysia.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said he hoped "both parties to settle any differences through established diplomatic practice."

"Regarding DPRK's other activities, you will have seen the sentiments in our statement," said Haq in response to a reporter's question.

"And the bottom line is we want the DPRK to return to full compliance with all of the various UN resolutions that are in effect," he said.

The DPRK foreign ministry announced Monday that Malaysia's ambassador was labeled as a persona non grata, demanding the diplomat leave the country within 48 hours.

The decision came after Malaysia declared the ambassador of the DPRK to the country Kang Chol as a "persona non grata" on Saturday night and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over investigation into the death of a DPRK male.

Kang and the DPRK government accused the Malaysian side 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 probe.

A DPRK national, who carried a diplomatic passport under the name of "Kim Chol," was attacked on Feb. 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. After seeking help from the airport staff, he died en route to hospital.

The Malaysian side said the DPRK man died a painful death minutes after being swabbed with a high dosage of lethal VX nerve agent after the body was examined.

Pyongyang claimed it was an anti-DPRK smear campaign and accused the Malaysian government of conniving with South Korea and the United States that intended to use the death of the DPRK citizen to tarnish its image and even to overthrow the DPRK system.
BUCHAREST, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Romania's stance on the future of the European Union (EU) in a Brexit context is to support the strengthening of the European project in its current form, not a multi-speed Europe, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said on Tuesday.

Speaking in an interview with public broadcaster Radio Romania Actualitati, Grindeanu was referring to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's White Paper on the future of Europe unveiled last week.

"This is the position I see is shared by the president (Klaus Iohannis), this is what we as a government and parliament support," he said, adding that a discussion on the subject would begin at the end of this month in Rome.

Earlier in the day, the Romanian president stated that a two-speed Europe was not good, saying that the White Paper presented by Juncker "represents the beginning of debates, not the end."

Iohannis argued that the goal should be building a "solid, strong and united" EU.

The president also expressed his stance last Wednesday during his meeting in Bucharest with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose country currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.

Iohannis told the visiting prime minister that a multi-speed EU would lead to the collapse of the European project.

Last Wednesday, Juncker outlined five scenarios regarding the future of the EU post-Brexit in his White Paper, one of which envisages a two-gear Europe allowing individual member states to cooperate in specific policy areas depending on the level of progress. The document has already sparked heated reactions among EU member states.
DAMASCUS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Tuesday captured the town of Khafseh and the water stations in that area in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria, following battles with the Islamic State (IS) group, pro-government al-Watan online newspaper reported.

Capturing Khafseh from IS is crucial as the area contains the main water springs feeding the city of Aleppo with drinking water.

The 1.5 million inhabitants of Aleppo have been without drinking water for eight weeks, since the IS cut the water pumping into the city.

Meanwhile, the report said that happy demonstrations broke out in Aleppo city, celebrating the liberation of the town and the near return of the drinking water.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the Syrian army's capture of the water stations of Khafseh on the western bank of the Euphrates River.

Citing what it called sources, the Observatory said the IS withdrew from the area under the attacks of the Syrian government forces and their advance in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The London-based watchdog group said Syrian government forces have become in control of 1,000 square km of the eastern countryside of Aleppo, as part of a wide-scale offensive unleashed on Jan. 17, 2017.

During its advance, the Syrian government forces reached the city of Manbij in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, as the town is under the control of the Kurdish-backed Manbij Military Council (MMC).

Under coordination between Russia and the Kurdish fighters, the MMC handed over areas in the western countryside of Manbij to the Syrian army recently, to serve as a separation line between the Kurdish-led groups and the advancing Euphrates Shield, whose backer, Ankara, is aiming at dislodging the Kurdish groups from Manbij.

Also, the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition deployed forces near Manbij to keep the IS away and to separate the Turkish-backed group and the Kurdish-led ones.
KIEV, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is counting on receiving the fourth tranche worth 1 billion U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of this month, local media reported Tuesday.

Loca reports quoted Finance Minister Alexander Danylyuk as said that the decision on the next disbursement from the 17.5-billion-dollar bailout program will be adopted during the meeting of the IMF executive board in late March.

Kiev and the IMF have already approved the new memorandum that paves the way for allocation of the aid, Danylyuk told reporters after his talks with representatives of the fund. He also said the document includes provisions for the implementation of pension, farmland and banking sector reforms in Ukraine.

The IMF executive board approved the four-year bailout program for Ukraine in March 2015 to help the troubled country carry out reforms and boost its economic development.

Since then, the IMF has provided Kiev with 7.7 billion dollars in three disbursements of the financial support.
VIENNA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Austrian interior minister Wolfgang Sobotka said Tuesday that he wishes to make amendments to freedom of assembly laws in order to prevent foreign officials from campaigning in Austria.

In an interview with radio program Oe1 Morgenjournal, Sobotka said Austria needs a "watchful democracy," under which a foreign state cannot bring its political differences to Austria.

The move came after Austria and the Netherlands joined Germany in banning Turkish political rallies in their territories.

Sobotka said such amendments will make it possible to protect human rights, public order and interior safety from being jeopardized in the future.

Turkish voters will go to the polls on April 16 to approve or reject constitutional amendments to transform the nation's parliamentary system into a presidential one.

Sobotka said a European Union-wide solution is not enforecable, as some have suggested, thus the Austrian government must provide its own solutions.

When specifically asked whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be denied entry into Austria, Sobotka responded that "if he comes as a political guest of state, he is welcome."
ACCRA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Vice President of Ghana Mahamudu Bawumia urged here on Tuesday for closer cooperation among African countries to ensure rapid economic development.

Opening the two-day African Diaspora Homecoming Conference at the Plush La Beach Hotel, the Vice President underscored the need for the continent to develop beyond external support to a stage where it could manage its own economies.

"In Africa, we also have to understand that the way we are looked at, both in the Diaspora and on the continent, is linked and the underlying link is the economic development of Africa, and we have to make sure we combine our resources, our energies to make sure that Africa becomes developed economically and self-dependent," Bawumia noted.

He urged the continent to take a cue from China and other Asian countries which also managed through hard work to reach where they are now.

The home-coming conference, which is being organized as part of Ghana's 60th independence celebrations, brought together Africans domiciled in other parts of the world to talk about economic opportunities on the continent.

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in Ghana Catherine Afeku said the time had come for Africa to demonstrate to the world how to build economies from the creative arts.

"We have celebrated 60 years of independence and what Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa intends to do with our support is to see us into the seventh level of development in Ghana, and we will see the economic emancipation through culture, arts and deepening the interconnectedness with our brethren from the Diaspora," Afeku stated.

She said the tourism and creative arts ministry had over the past three years been putting building blocks to showcase to the world that Ghana could build a creative economy.

In her welcome address, Johanna Odonkor Svanikier, President of Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa, organizers of the conference, noted that the value of democracy on the African continent today could not be underestimated.

"After 60 years of independence, Ghana is one of the freest, safest and most stable countries on the African continent. That is good news because Ghana's heritage and history have always been significant beyond the shores of Ghana. The fortunes of Ghana have always been linked to the destiny of the continent," Svanikier added. Enditem
LONDON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Britain's upper chamber, the unelected House of Lords, defeated Theresa May's government for the second time Tuesday in a bill paving the way for triggering the process for leaving the European Union.

An amendment to the Article 50 bill designed to give the British parliament a "meaningful vote" on the final Brexit deal reached with Brussels was won with 366 votes against 268.

It was the largest vote in the House of Lords since 1993.

The House of Lords is currently scrutinizing the Article 50 bill as part of the process to make it lawful.

Last week, the Lords backed another amendment in what was seen as a challenge to May's government. That amendment was over the right of European citizens to remain in Britain after Brexit.

Under parliamentary procedures, the bill will return later this month to the elected House of Commons, where MPs will have the chance to overturn the amendments.

Lord Bridges, the government parliamentary under-secretary for exiting the EU urged peers not to support any of the amendments, saying May had already guaranteed a vote on the final deal by the houses of parliament.

"The need for the amendment comes down to a judgment on whether the government and its ministers can be trusted. We will honor our commitment to parliament," he said.

Bridges said similar amendments had already been rejected in the House of Commons where the article 50 bill was backed with a landslide majority.

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis, said after the vote "It is disappointing that the House of Lords has chosen to make further changes to a bill that the Commons passed without amendment. It has a straightforward purpose - to enact the referendum result and allow the government to get on with negotiating a new partnership with the EU."

There was some comfort for Prime Minister May earlier after the House of Lords rejected an amendment put forward by the minority Liberal Democratic party. Their call for a second referendum was defeated by 336 votes to 131.

May aims to trigger article 50 before the end of this month once it is given royal assent by Queen Elizabeth. Some political observers say May is likely well before the end of March to tell Brussels formally of Britain's withdrawal from the EU.
SKOPJE, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov sent out an appeal on Tuesday for international leaders to condemn the platform presented by Social Democratic Union (SDSM) leader Zoran Zaev, claiming that it threatened Macedonia's sovereignty.

Local media here published a letter on Tuesday that Ivanov addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump, the European Council President Donald Tusk, NATO Secretary General Jens Stontenberg and to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to Ivanov, Zaev's platform which includes greater constitutional rights for ethnic Albanians, puts Macedonia's very existence and independence in jeopardy.

In the letter, Ivanov called on international leaders to condemn such platform for the sake of regional stability.

Implementation of Zaev's platform would include changes to the Macedonian Constitution that would endanger the unitary character of the country, and it violates the Ohrid Framework Agreement -- a peace deal between Macedonia and ethnic Albanian representatives -- Ivanov said in his letter.

He further said Zaev's platform also undermined the Przino agreement reached between the four largest parties in Macedonia, with the mediation of the European Union.

Ivanov also called on the international leaders to condemn the blatant interference of two of Macedonia's neighbors, who aspire to full EU membership, in Macedonia's internal affairs, the president's cabinet said.

The call from Macedonia's president comes a few days after the European Commission and NATO made clear their positions in this regard, urging Ivanov to abide by the country's Constitution and allow the formation of an opposition-led government.

Macedonia held snap elections on Dec. 11, 2016 in a bid to end a year-long political crisis in the country.

But three months after the snap elections, Macedonia is still in a political deadlock as the president has refused to mandate Zaev as the new PM-designate after he secured a majority of parliamentary seats: 67 out of 120.

Despite calls from the opposition and internationals to give the green-light to forming a new government, Ivanov hasn't changed his decision.

In the meantime, VMRO-DPMNE led by Nikola Gruevski, which owns 51 parliamentary seats, made a statement Tuesday in which the party repeated its call for new snap elections this spring.

New snap elections would give the voters a chance to have their say on Zaev's platform which several parties that represent ethnic Albanians adopted after a vote in December, and which the SDSM party accepted afterwards, Dragan Danev from VMRO-DPMNE told media Tuesday.

According to him, SDSM accepted the platform because they lost the elections and their leader was faced with charges for numerous financial crimes and abuses of office.

On the other hand, Zaev held a meeting on Tuesday with the ambassadors of Germany, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands to Skopje.

Zaev told ambassadors that citizens in Macedonia had had their say and SDSM and ethnic Albanian parties have altogether 67 seats, sufficient to create the new government.

Stressing that the new elections would simply deepen the crisis, he said it was necessary Ivanov gave him the mandate to form a new government, thus serving the interest of the citizens and the country.

Gruevski and Ivanov must respect the Constitution and must stop violence, as the citizens of Macedonia are in favor of a united society, the SDSM leader said.

Meanwhile, VMRO-DPMNE has replied by saying that Zaev is to be blamed for the current situation, because by accepting the Albanian platform, he provoked the Macedonian people and lead the country towards division.
DUBLIN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Irish government on Tuesday published a draft bill on greyhound industry to improve governance and tighten regulation in the greyhound racing sector.

The draft bill was published to allow stakeholders with an interest in the sector to feed into the pre-legislative process.

The draft bill addresses governance issues in Bord na gCon (BnG), strengthens regulatory controls in the industry, modernizes sanctions, improves integrity and includes the welfare of greyhounds as one of BNG's statutory functions.

Greyhound racing is a hugely popular sport in Ireland. The BnG is the Irish greyhound board which oversees greyhound racing in the country.

The draft bill also provides BnG with powers to make regulations in relation to substances that may be used or given to a greyhound, prohibiting the use of certain substances and to setting thresholds in relation to others.

The Irish government believes the provision of a strong legal framework "will support the development of the greyhound racing sector in Ireland and ultimately provide a platform to improve its contribution to the economy and employment." Enditem
ANKARA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Top commanders of Turkey, the United States and Russia met in southern Antalya province of Turkey on Tuesday and discussed deconfliction measures for their military operations against terror groups in Syria.

Parties discussed regional security issues in Syria and Iraq, latest situation in fight against terror organizations primarily in Syria, said a statement issued by Turkish Armed Forces after the meeting.

In a bid for more efficient struggle against all terror organizations, they also discussed extra measures to avoid unwanted incidents among three countries, said the statement.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said Tuesday the Antalya meeting is aiming at coordination among militaries of the three countries in Syria.

"If coordination cannot be achieved, there is risk of a conflict that we do not desire," Yildirim said at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Greek Coast Guard rescued 113 migrants from a Maltese-flagged freighter that was sailing adrift 50 km west off the Ionian Sea island of Paxi in western Greece, authorities said on Tuesday.

The ship was no longer in danger and was expected to sail into the nearby Patras port on Wednesday morning escorted by Greek Coast vessels, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

The migrants will be held at Patras temporarily.

On board the freighter were 109 Pakistani nations, one Indian, and three Syrians, Coast Guard officials said.

One of the migrants had managed to call the European emergency number asking for help, as winds up to six on the Beaufort scale were blowing in the area.

No details on the vessel's itinerary have yet been disclosed.

Following the EU-Turkey deal launched in March 2016 to stem the flow of refugees and migrants from Turkish shores to the Greek Aegean Sea islands, people smugglers have shifted their focus to alternate routes.

Since 2015, more than 1 million refugees and migrants entered Europe via the Aegean Sea. Since the winter of 2016, after the gradual closure of the Balkan route to central Europe, more than 62,000 people have been stranded in Greece.
RABAT, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 30 volunteers from China's medical delegation in Morocco left the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Tuesday, after fulfilling their two-year mission in the Kingdom, as three new teams arrived to take over.

"For the past two years, 30 doctors from the 165th Chinese medical mission in Morocco have worked day and night in Agadir's public hospitals as well as in Chefchaouen and Taza," said Sun Shuzhong, Chinese Ambassador to Morocco, during the welcome reception held for the three new Chinese medical teams on Monday.

Sino-Moroccan collaboration in this field benefitted the population in several Moroccan cities, said Lahcen Chtib, general inspector of the Moroccan ministry of health.

"We want to continue the mission and we expressed our aspiration that China's medical teams would cover more cities in Morocco, which still suffer from a significant gap in human resources," he said.

The first Memorandum of Understanding regarding sending Chinese medical mission to Morocco was signed in 1975.

Since then, over 1,600 Chinese medical personnel have successfully fulfilled their missions in various Moroccan hospitals and cities.

Presently, around 80 Chinese volunteers work in eight hospitals in various Moroccan regions, including Agadir, Benguerire, Chefchaouen, Errachidia, Meknes, Mohammedia, Settat and Taza.
MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea poses a great threat to Russia's security and will be factored into its foreign policy and military planning, senior officials of Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The deployment of the US missile defense system in the region is clearly beyond the task of deterring 'the North Korean threat'," Russian news agency TASS quoted Leonid Slutsky as saying, who is Head of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament in Russia.

"Washington is creating a new regional segment of the U.S. global missile defense system in Northeastern Asia, close to the Russian border. This may put the security of our country at risk," Slutsky said.

The Defense Ministry of South Korea said earlier in the day that two mobile launchers and part of the equipment necessary for THAAD had arrived in an air base some 70 km south of the capital Seoul.

However, U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea is likely to put Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPKR) in a more powerful justification of developing its own nuclear program or even flare up a military response accordingly, Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, said in an interview with Interfax.

"Any changes would directly affect the security of powers such as Russia and China. To behave as if all this is purely a bilateral affair of the two Korean states is highly irresponsible," the senator said.

According to Mikhail Ulyanov, Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow will take into account U.S. deployment of the THAAD complexes in South Korea in military planning and foreign policy activities, as these steps lead to an aggravation of the situation in the region.

"We, of course, will take these actions into account in our foreign policy activities... We will take this into account in military planning," Ulyanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
Top commanders of Turkey, the United States and Russia met in southern Antalya province of Turkey and discussed deconfliction measures in Syria. (Xinhua/Turkish Armed Forces)

ANKARA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Top commanders of Turkey, the United States and Russia met in southern Antalya province of Turkey on Tuesday and discussed deconfliction measures for their military operations against terror groups in Syria.

Parties discussed regional security issues in Syria and Iraq, latest situation in fight against terror organizations primarily in Syria, said a statement issued by Turkish Armed Forces after the meeting.

In a bid for more efficient struggle against all terror organizations, they also discussed extra measures to avoid unwanted incidents among three countries, said the statement.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said Tuesday the Antalya meeting is aiming at coordination among militaries of the three countries in Syria.

"If coordination cannot be achieved, there is risk of a conflict that we do not desire," Yildirim said at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart.
Photo taken on March 6, 2017 shows a part of equipments for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) arriving in the Osan Air Base, about 70 km south of the capital Seoul, South Korea. The photo was provided by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). (Xinhua/USFK)

MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea poses a great threat to Russia's security and will be factored into its foreign policy and military planning, senior officials of Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The deployment of the US missile defense system in the region is clearly beyond the task of deterring 'the North Korean threat'," Russian news agency TASS quoted Leonid Slutsky as saying, who is Head of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament in Russia.

"Washington is creating a new regional segment of the U.S. global missile defense system in Northeastern Asia, close to the Russian border. This may put the security of our country at risk," Slutsky said.

The Defense Ministry of South Korea said earlier in the day that two mobile launchers and part of the equipment necessary for THAAD had arrived in an air base some 70 km south of the capital Seoul.

However, U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea is likely to put Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPKR) in a more powerful justification of developing its own nuclear program or even flare up a military response accordingly, Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, said in an interview with Interfax.

"Any changes would directly affect the security of powers such as Russia and China. To behave as if all this is purely a bilateral affair of the two Korean states is highly irresponsible," the senator said.

According to Mikhail Ulyanov, Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow will take into account U.S. deployment of the THAAD complexes in South Korea in military planning and foreign policy activities, as these steps lead to an aggravation of the situation in the region.

"We, of course, will take these actions into account in our foreign policy activities... We will take this into account in military planning," Ulyanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
BEIRUT, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese General Security agents raided on Tuesday money transfer firms and offices accused of sending funds to the Islamic State (IS) group, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) said.

According to the TV report, the firms in several areas of Beirut are suspected of involvement in sending around 20 million U.S. dollars to Syria's Qalamoun region and subsequently to IS militants in other parts of Syria.

"The General Security had been monitoring the owners and employees of these firms prior to today's crackdown that has been organized with the approval of the relevant judiciary authority," the report said.

The doors of several firms were sealed, the TV network added.
VIENNA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Austrian government announced Tuesday it would provide 3 million euros (3.2 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to crisis-stricken countries South Sudan and Yemen.

A press release from the ministry of foreign affairs stated the money would come from Austria's Foreign Disaster Fund and could help a total of about 118,000 people.

Foreign affairs minister Sebastian Kurz noted that the funds would also assist in international efforts to stabilize the two troubled regions and help tackle the causes of people fleeing and migrating elsewhere.

Armed conflicts in both countries have led to some of the worst global humanitarian crises outside of the Syrian conflict, the statement said, and has created an acute emergency situation for the local populations, including an "extremely precarious food situation."
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Tuesday voiced his concern about the new U.S. rules, known as the Executive Order signed on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump, stressing the need to protect people fleeing deadly violence.

"Following the signing of the new Executive Order on U.S. refugee resettlement, UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) has underscored that refugees are ordinary people forced to flee war, violence and persecution in their home countries and are in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, quoting Grandi as saying at a daily news briefing.

Commenting on the Executive Order, Grandi said that "the imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects."

"UNHCR says it is ready to engage constructively with the U.S. Administration to ensure all refugee programs meet the highest standards for safety and security," Haq said.

The new executive order prevents nationals of six Muslim countries from entering the United States, excluding Iraq from the list of a previous ban.

The new document maintained a 90-day ban on nationals of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Iran and Somalia from entering the United States, effective from March 16.

In addition to the travel ban, the order also suspended granting refugee status for 120 days after the effective date. Syrian refugees, which were singled out in the original version as being banned indefinitely, will be given the same treatment with refugees of other origins.

Trump signed a similar executive order on Jan. 27, which imposed a ban on nationals of seven Muslim countries to enter the United States for 90 days, refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

A federal judge of the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington later slapped a nationwide restraining order on the travel ban, and the ruling was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Students take an oath at the adult ceremony for 18-year-old senior students in high school in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Genhou)
Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally to oppose the plan to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)
Probe into police leak

Archie said, The release of the police report on WhatsApp was brought to my attention on Sunday and I found that this was a really low thing to do.

It is beyond me why this was released in the first place, but I have since ordered that an investigator be appointed and that persons who were privy to the information be interviewed. She said the person responsible for the leak may not necessarily be from the Tobago Division, because information is shared with other senior officers, and it would be difficult to ascertain where the message started from.

However, she pointed out that the police Cyber Crime Unit would be asked to assist in the probe and she is hoping that the perpetrator is found.

Newsday was able to retrieve a copy of the message, which repeated the full report of a 27-year-old woman who accused a police officer of raping her on Carnival Monday night.

The message also revealed the contents of the report of the medical examination of the victim.

Last Wednesday, 21-year-old PC Christian Yorke was arrested at the Old Grange Police Station and appeared before Scarborough Magistrate Alexander Prince on Friday charged with the offence.

He is due to reappear on March 31.
Beaten intruder appears in Couva court

Anton Thomas, of Railway Road, Couva, pleaded guilty before senior magistrate Cherril- Anne Antoine to unlawfully being on the womans premises for the purpose of stealing.

The charge was laid by PC Dexter Duncan. Thomas was seen hog tied in a video which went viral on Facebook on Saturday. He appeared in court with his head bandaged.

Court prosecutor Sgt Wayne Waithe told the court that a name search on the accused man was conducted but police officers were unable to check his criminal record as a result of the system being down. Attorney Daryl Giles told Antoine that he was informed by his client of a conviction ten years ago for which he was fined. Giles said Thomas also has a pending matter in the Siparia Magistrates Court.

Thomas, Giles said, complained that when police officers arrived at the scene he informed them that he was beaten, but police officers arrested him and took him to the Couva Police Station where he was charged.

Giles told the court that Thomas has since complained that he is now unable to see with his left eye. Waithe informed the magistrate that the claims are being investigated.

The facts of the case would be read to the court on Thursday when it is expected that Thomas criminal record would be produced.

Thomas was granted surety bail in the sum of $30,000 or a cash alternative of $8,000.
Man stabbed to death in PoS, another shot dead in Laventille

According to a police report, at about 4.45 am yesterday an anonymous caller told the Port-of- Spain CID that a man with stab wounds had been seen running south along Frederick Street.

When police responded, they found the body of an unidentified man at the corner of Prince Street near Henry and Frederick Streets.

The man, who appeared to be in his early 50s, was clad in a long black pants, dark long-sleeved jersey and had a blue knapsack.

Police searched for some form of identification but could not find any.

It is believed that the man was a street dweller.

District Medical Officer Dr Mootoo was summoned and ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre.

Yesterday Homicide sources told Newsday they would be relying on CCTV footage to help identify the killer or killers.They are also calling on any member of the public who may have witnessed the killing to contact the Homicide Bureau or the Port-of- Spain CID.

In the second incident, at about 7.30pm on Sunday, members of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) responded to a report of a shooting at Pelican Extension, Trou Macaque, Laventille.

When they arrived, they found the body of Shawn Nickel, 22, in front of the doorway of his home.

His body was identified by his 42-year-old mother, Kathleen Raymond.
Teen returns home, cops nab 44-year-old man

She had run away from the Eric Medical Sciences Complex, where she was being treated for asthma, She is expected to return to the United States with her father after she is medically examined and statements recorded.

Yesterday, the man told Newsday that when his daughter ran away he returned to Trinidad and began searching for her to no avail.

His daughter later contacted him and told him she was all right, but did not say where she was staying or who she was with.

He said he devised a plan to get his daughter to come home and on Sunday, when she contacted him, he told her he had something for her and she could come and collect it, as he was leaving the country on Monday (yesterday).

On Sunday, he said, his daughter came to his Wallerfield home while a 44-year-old man remained in a car parked a short distance away.

He said upon seeing his daughter, he was moved to tears and told her she could not leave the house.

He called the Valencia police and the 44-year-old man was detained and taken into custody.

Yesterday, the girl was expected to be medically examined and statements recorded thereafter.

The man said his daughter told him she was sexually active but was she was not pregnant.

Newsday understands this is the second time the girl, considered a problem child, ran away from home.

I have to do what I have to do to take charge of my daughters life and ensure that she could hold her head high and become somebody and not be running around and being taken advantage of by persons, the man said.

When she is 18 years, she can return to Trinidad and take charge of her own life, but in the interim my daughter will have to abide by my rules from now on. Yesterday, the Valencia police confirmed the 44-year-old man had been detained in connection with her disappearance.
Couva man fined $30,000 for drugs

Shane Rampersad,35, appeared before Senior Magistrate Cheryl Ann Antoine in the Couva Magistrates Court to answer to the charges of possession of 80 grammes of marijuana and 26 grammes of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to the charges laid by police constable Naipaul. Sgt Wayne Waithe told the court that on July 20, 2012 police executed a search warrant for arms and ammunition at Rampersads home at Perseverance Village, Couva. The court heard that no weapons were found however, police found in a room, two bags containing the drugs. Rampersad was arrested and taken to the Couva Police Station where he was charged.

At his first appearance in 2012, the accused man had entered a not guilty plea. Yesterday, however, he indicated to the magistrate that he wanted to change his plea to guilty. The charges were reread to the accused. The drugs were also produced before the court. The court also heard that Rampersad had two previous drug related convictions from 13 years ago.

In pleading for leniency, Rampersad told the magistrate he was trying to stay out of trouble and focus on his work as a landscaper to help his family.

The magistrate was not impressed and indicated that she believed Rampersad was involved in drug pushing. On the charge of possession of marijuana Rampersad was fined $12,000 in default three years imprisonment. On the charge of possession of cocaine he was fined $18,000 or in default will serve three years imprisonment.

Rampersad was given seven days to pay the fines.
Foster shows her colours

Fosters goal as an artist is to visually create emotional experiences using various media and a vibrant mix of colour. These emotional experiences can come in different forms such as the watercolour portraits of loved ones or famous faces, reminding us of a time and place when our life was more colourful with them in it. They are also the illustrations of buildings from a lost era or abstract renditions of a dying breed that is Trinidad and Tobagos traditional Carnival characters.

The exhibits are the visual translations on canvas, of a group of songs that form the soundtrack of Fosters creative process.

Foster was born and raised in the Caribbean but has strong European roots, and thus there is always that struggle to find home, a media release stated.
PM: I know US lobbyist

He said the decision to hire The Group DC was taken shortly after the PNM assumed office in September 2015.

It took from December 2015 to October 2016 to conclude an agreement in such a way that the Central Tenders Board could have made an award to The Group DC. Rowley added the firm was hired at a cost of $14.7 million over a two-year period.

When Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal asked if Collins worked for the PNM in the 2015 general election campaign, Rowley replied, I am aware that a lot of people work for the PNM. I am aware of Arthur Collins and many other persons but I am not aware that he worked for the PNM. Persad-Bissessar arrived in the Parliament chamber after Rowley gave this response to Moonilal.

When Persad-Bissessar claimed Rowley said he did not know Collins, Rowley countered it was wrong for Persad-Bissessar to come in late and make this claim.

I never said I did not know Arthur Collins. I know Art Collins very well, Rowley declared.

Collins, the founder of The Group DC, was the senior political strategist for the 2008 (Barack) Obama for America presidential campaign and senior adviser to the 2004 (John) Kerry for President campaign.

The October 28, 2016 agreement document also states Collins has 25 years experience in political strategy, public policy and corporate campaigns. Collins also served as the public liaison for the Obama- Biden Transition Project.

In choosing a lobbyist, one of the reasons why we chose Art Collins group is because we know them and we are satisfied that they can do the job. Rowley said the perception that the firm is aligned to the Democrats, would not be a liability in lobbying the Republican administration of US President Donald Trump, Given the nature of lobbying and the structure of the American Congress. In the agreement, The Group DC indicated that with Trump assuming office on January 20, it is, uniquely positioned within the US institutional and political establishment to navigate the next (Trump) administration and work to improve and strengthen the bilateral relationship (between TT and the US).
PM: Cops paid and on duty

Rowley said he knew of nothing more fundamental than ensuring the members of the Police Service are properly resourced, properly paid and out on the job.

Tewarie expressed regret that with nearly 100 people murdered in the last two months, Rowley could not provide, action of a more strategic nature. In response to questions from Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Rowley said Government is seeking to ensure drug rehabilitation capacity is properly resourced. Rowley also said this country continues to work closely with the United States government on several fronts to combat the illegal drug trade. In its 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, the US State Department said, The Government of TT continues to make progress in its ability to investigate complex counter narcotics cases targeting criminal networks.
Al-Rawi pilots preliminary inquiry bill

Al-Rawi said the documents also listed his predecessor Anand Ramlogan, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Dr Roodal Moonilal, Dr Fuad Khan and Prakash Ramadhar as other ministers attending those meetings.

When Section 34 was proclaimed by the Cabinet then, it came by way of a specific Cabinet note, he added.

Identifying this document as Cabinet Note 2119 of August 6, 2012, Al-Rawi said that document showed that then justice minister Herbert Volney recommended that Section 32, Section 34, and Schedule Six of the 2011 Act,be proclaimed with effect from August 31, 2012 in order to facilitate the introduction of delayed provisions and the early saving of rules. Based on the information in these documents, Al Rawi said, Now TT understands that the Siparia (MP Persad-Bissessar) led Cabinet consciously, unilaterally, by itself with all members present, proclaimed Section 34. Government MPs thumped their desks as the AG quipped, It wasnt an act of the Parliament, it was an act of the Cabinet alone. He said once that decision was taken, one saw the proximity of former members of the 1995-2001 United National Congress (UNC) regime and some of their known financiers, the clock having started by the action of the Cabinet under the UNC, approach the courts for discharge. Stating that 42 persons made those applications, Al-Rawi said the cost and consequence of Section 34 are still being felt by the countrys taxpayers, even though the PP eventually repealed it.

The AG said this saw a sum of $13,660,748 being spread across eight lawyers, who dealt with the multiple cases under the Piarco Airport matter. He said some are well-known such as Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen and Alan Newman QC were amongst those lawyers.
The May (L.A. Screenings) 2017 editions of WORLD SCREEN & TV LATINA will be available to program buyers attending the Screenings in Los Angeles, in addition to their worldwide mailing. These editions will also include TV NINOS and TV SERIES. Exclusive Distribution Extensive distribution throughout the InterContinental .

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Obamagate: List reveals more than a dozen victims of Obama wiretapping

The Main Stream Media and other enemies of the current President are challenging the proposition that President Obama wire tapped President Donald Trump during the 2016 Presidential race. President Trump started this discussion with his tweets over the weekend.

(Article by Joe Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

In his first tweet President Trump tweeted:

He next tweeted:

Next the President tweeted:

The final for four tweets concerning the wire tapping:

This is now being referred to as Obamagate!

It is not unfounded that former President Obama would wire tap President Trump during the election process. This is because he has done this before. Here is a list of individuals who were wire tapped by the Obama Administration.

WikiLeaks released the following list on February 23rd (see link here) of Obama Administration wire taps:

* The US National Security Agency bugged a private climate change strategy meeting ; between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin;

* Obama bugged Chief of Staff of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for long term interception targetting his Swiss phone ;

* Obama singled out the Director of the Rules Division of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Johann Human, and targetted his Swiss phone for long term interception ;

* Obama stole sensitive Italian diplomatic cables detailing how Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored Italys Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to help patch up his relationship with US President Barack Obama, who was refusing to talk to Netanyahu;

* Obama intercepted top EU and Japanese trade ministers discussing their secret strategy and red lines to stop the US extort[ing] them at the WTO Doha arounds (the talks subsequently collapsed);

* Obama explicitly targeted five other top EU economic officials for long term interception, including their French, Austrian and Belgium phone numbers ;

* Obama explicitly targetted the phones of Italys ambassador to NATO and other top Italian officials for long term interception; and

* Obama intercepted details of a critical private meeting between then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Merkel and Berluscon, where the latter was told the Italian banking system was ready to pop like a cork.

In addition to the above list we also know now that Obama wire tapped various individuals in the US media that were reporting information not flattering to the Obama Administration. It is widely known that Obamas Justice Department targeted journalists with wiretaps in 2013:

* In 2013 the liberal Washington Post expressed outrage after the revelation that the Justice Department had investigated the newsgathering activities of a Fox News reporter as a potential crime in a probe of classified leaks. The reporter, Fox News James Rosen and his family, were part of an investigation into government officials anonymously leaking information to journalists. Rosen was not charged but his movements and actions were tracked.

* Also in 2013, members of the Associated Press were also a target of the surveillance. The ultra liberal New Yorker even noted that In moderate and liberal circles, at least, the phone-records scandal, partly because it involves the dear old A.P. and partly because it raises anew the specter of Big Brother, may well present the most serious threat to Obamas reputation.

* Reporter Sharyl Attkisson said in 2014 that her personal computer and CBS laptop were hacked after she began filing stories about Benghazi that were unflattering to the Obama administration . A source who checked her laptop said the hacker used spyware proprietary to a government agency, according to an article in the New York Post .

Update  WikiLeaks tweeted overnight that the Obama Administration spied on their journalists as well:

Obama is no stranger to wire tapping. His administration tapped phones and computers of friends and foe alike.

Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com

Submit a correction >>
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Way back in 2012, AT&T (News - Alert)'s CEO Randall Stephenson noted that AT&T would likely offer a data-only plan within the next two years, calling it inevitable. While Stephenson's timing wasn't exactly correct, there's no doubt that users are putting a lot more data through devices than even voice traffic. Considering that voice traffic can go through data now thanks to voice over LTE (News - Alert) (VoLTE) systems, this next generation communications technology could be a big seller. Juniper Research projects in a recent report that around three billion subscribers will use it by just 2021.





The new word from Juniper Research (News - Alert) suggests that the users of the next generation communications technology known as VoLTE will rise in a big way, going from 488 million in 2016 to three billion in 2021, a huge net rise by most any standard. With the sheer number of participants in this market165 operators in 73 countries are currently putting more investment behind VoLTE operationsit's easy to see why. If there weren't a market for this system, it's almost inconceivable that these businesses would all be investing in it.

Moreover, the report notes, the VoLTE next generation communications technology will be so pervasive that users will even be growing at a faster rate than over-the-top (OTT) services like WhatsApp and WeChat, with VoLTE subscribers overtaking such app users for the first time ever. Throw in the fact that operatorsand the customers thereinwill be eager to use VoLTE as a means to have constant, high-quality voice contact capability and there's a clear advantage to VoLTE provision.

If at this point you're muttering at your screen But what about 5G?, then you're joining me in the muttering. The numbers, however, help make that point for us. We know that commercial releases of 5G are set to start up in 2020, a year before the Juniper Research study's end arrives. If the commercial launch of 5G is not widespread, or is geographically limited, or even both at oncemaybe only places like New York and London get 5G access for about the first year or sothen it opens the path for VoLTE to be a very big deal, at least for a while. Under conditions like those, LTE itself will continue to be the top of the heap as recent new technologies like 4.5G Pro and 4.9G continue to rule the roost until 5G can become fully widespread.

The next generation communications market is a complicated animal, but based on what we've seen so far, VoLTEand LTE in generalmay have much more life in them than expected.

Edited by Alicia Young
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning about 122 former detainees from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who U.S. officials say returned to terrorist activity, but he missed a key fact.



Trump said the former prisoners had returned to terrorist activity after being released by the Obama administration.



122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield, he wrote. Just another terrible decision!



But the vast majority of those 122 former detainees -- about 93 percent -- were released before former President Obama even took office.



According to a September 2016 report from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 113 of those 122 detainees who have been confirmed as re-engaging were released from Guantanamo Bay under the Bush administration.



Only nine of them were released during the Obama administration.



The tweet came less than an hour after a segment on Fox and Friends about Mohammed Tahar, aka Yasir al-Silmi, a former Guantanamo detainee who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last week. Tahar had been transferred from Guantanamo to his home country of Yemen Dec. 17, 2009, during the Obama administration.



Trump also calls Obama's releasing of detainees a "terrible decision," but the percentage of Obama-released prisoners returning to terrorist activity is lower than Bush-released prisoners. Only 6 percent of Obama-released prisoners returned to terrorism vs. 21 percent of Bush-released prisoners, according to Director of National Intelligence data.



Not all of the 122 former detainees are still on the run. The data shows 30 of them are now dead and 25 are in custody, leaving 67 of the 122 former detainees still on the loose. An additional 86 former detainees are suspected of re-engaging in terrorist activity.



The detention center at Guantanamo Bay has been a controversial site since its formation in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was originally created for suspected terrorists in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Former President Obama promised during his campaign to shut it down, but 41 detainees still remained in detention at the end of Obama's term.



It has been widely criticized by human rights organizations for alleged indefinite detention of prisoners and torture.



The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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VimpelCom, a communications company based in Russia, has reportedly strengthened its relationship with Nokia (News - Alert), the global telecommunications giant. Nokia already was in charge of managing some aspects of the companys main cellular network in Russia, but now will extend that responsibility to include VimpelComs 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, as well as various other responsibilities, such as maintenance in the field. The deal is currently scheduled for a five year contract.





This is indeed a massive operation that Nokia will now be assuming some major responsibility in. VimpelCom provides broadband Internet service to 2.2 million people across Russia, to say nothing of the 58 million people it provides mobile service to. The hope for VimpelCon is that this extended deal with Nokia will result in a reduction of maintenance and operational costs on its end as well as increased reliability for its customers and a decrease in wait time in the event that something does need repairs.

Today we are at a dynamic stage in our business transformation, said Martin Skop, Executive Vice President for Infrastructure Development PJSC at VimpelCom. The transition to a new operating model for Beeline network management is another step towards a new VimpelCom technological reality. The partnership with Nokia enables us to restructure business processes, improve financial performance, keep pace with global trends and drive technological innovations. In addition, smart managed services will help us improve our overall efficiency.

Igor Leprince, the head of Global Services at Nokia, also expressed excitement about the deal, saying that Nokia will focus on driving the highest levels of quality and efficiency into operations to enhance network performance and availability.

As high speed mobile Internet networks continue to spread their reach to all corners of the world, it is clear that the next goal of network providers is to increase their reliability and stability. VimpelComs move to partner with one of the giants of telecommunications, Nokia, gives it access to far greater resources and experience in the field than it could ever generate for itself. This was a savvy move as the company looks to expand and improve its mobile network.

Edited by Alicia Young
Moroccos African foreign policy attaches utmost importance to environment protection and green growth as evidenced by the projects and investments carried out by Moroccos public and private entities in African countries in fields ranging from the preservation of ecosystems to the promotion of the renewable energies.

Buoyed by the success of the UN Climate Summit (COP 22) in Marrakech, Morocco is committed to stressing its climate leadership on the continent by promoting a sustainable environment-friendly growth model.

The project to rehabilitate the Cocody Bay in Abidjan, launched in 2015 by Ivorian authorities in collaboration with Moroccos development agency, Marchica Med, is a shining example of this south-south cooperation approach that reconciles development needs with environment protection.

In this regards, King Mohammed VI, who is in Abidjan as part of a new African tour, chaired together with Ivorian President Alassane Dramane Ouattara, the ceremony to present the progress of the Cocody Bay Protection and Development Project, a project worth $450 million.

The bay was suffering from severe environmental degradation, increased pollution, repeated flooding and silting, accelerated by the massive urbanization of the Gourou basin.

On this occasion, head of the Marchica Med Said Zarrou made a presentation offering an overview of the first phase of the rehabilitation project which has involves the site cleaning up and landscaping, protection against floods, construction of hydraulic infrastructure, road development, and building a viaduct, symbol of an emerging Cote dIvoire.

He explained that the second phase aims at improving the citizens living conditions and turning Abidjan into a hot tourist destination.

The Cocody Bay rehabilitation project provides, besides the construction of dams, bridges and road infrastructure, for the development of a marina, an urban park, as well as recreational, sporting and tourism facilities. The project is scheduled to be fully completed in 2019.

Up to 20% of the investment will be covered through a bridging loan by the Ivorian government and via commercial banks. The remaining funding is guaranteed, under a concessional loan, by the main Arab funds as the Islamic Development Bank and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.

On the same occasion, King Mohammed VI and his host, President Ouattarra, presided over the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding concerning the new development phases of the bay.

The MoU also provides for an extension of the partnership for urban and port development in Grand Bassam.

Besides Cote Divoire, Marchica Med development agency manages similar projects across Africa. The agency signed with Malagasy government an agreement last November during a Royal visit providing for the upgrading and the preservation of the ecosystems of the Pangalanes Canal.
In a pessimistic tone that bodes ill for Algerias economic prospects, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal announced yet a new slump in the countrys foreign exchange reserves, which currently stand at $112 billion.

As Algerias revenues continue to be battered by the slump in oil prices, Sellal, who was speaking in Annaba at a meeting bringing together the government, unions and employers, said that the reserves would further drop to $96 billion by July.

The reserves slumped from $194 billion in 2013 to $114 billion by the end of 2016, as Algeria continues to import more than it exports.

Algeria faces dire consequences that may threaten its economic and social stability because of its over-reliance on gas and its rentier state model. The drop in oil price with the ensuing lift of subsidies is a manifestation of the predicament of the rentier state, which carries the risk of domestic unrest as social cohesion hinges on state largesse.

Observers see that Algerias heavy dependence on hydrocarbon revenues, which make up 95% of exports, will further diminish the countrys foreign exchange reserves. Recently, Algiers resorted to foreign debt with a 900-million loan from the African Development Bank.

The IMF estimates that Algeria needs a barrel price of $110 to maintain macro-economic balance at a moment economic analysts warn of an upcoming budget crisis if oil prices remain at current levels around $50 per barrel.
Iranian President Hassan Rohanis March 12 visit to Algiers has been postponed sine die, few weeks after German Chancellor Angela Merkels February visit was called off at the last minute over health concerns of the Algerian President.

The Iranian President was due to make a stopover in Algiers on his way to South Africa and Uganda. Algeria state-run news agency said the visit has been postponed due to temporary unavailability of the Algerian President.

The postponement follows February cancellation of an official visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The visit was called off at the last minute over the health of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

This second postponement of an official visit confirms the deteriorating health condition of the 80-year old ailing leader as reported by some local media.

All eyes are now turned to March 8, date set for a meeting with the Spanish Foreign Minister.

President Bouteflika has been making rare public appearances since 2013 after suffering a stroke that left him partly paralyzed.
Eight Moroccans have featured among the top 10 African Francophone leading businesswomen in a ranking established by the renowned Paris-based Jeune Afrique.

Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, leader of the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM, employers union) tops the ranking. She received recognition from Jeune Afrique, which reports that the 53-year old woman, who also heads the Holmarcom Group  Les Eaux Minerales dOulmes, is also reckoned for her managing qualities in the Moroccan business world and beyond. She is member of the boards of directors of prestigious companies, including Eutelsat, Suez and the central bank of Morocco, to name but a few. More recently she sat in the board of Renault-Nissan, notes the magazine.

Two other Moroccan women occupy the second and the third spots. The president of the Ynna Holding group, Mama Tajmouati, came in the second spot, followed by the CEO of the agro-food group Diana Holding, Rita Zniber.

Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, the CEO of Aksal Group, came in fourth, while Saham Finances Executive Director Nadia Fettah came in fifth.

To establish the ranking, Jeune Afriques editorial team short-listed more than 100 leaders of the largest companies in French-speaking Africa.

The selection was based on three main criteria, namely the companys workforce and social status; its turnover and economic power; and the managers position within the firm and her ability to influence economic and political decisions at the national and international levels.

In total 13 Moroccan women have been named by Jeune Afrique in the ranking of the 50 leading African Francophone businesswomen.
US news portal Breitbart underscored the pro-activeness and effectiveness of the Moroccos anti-terrorism approach, which resulted in busting several terrorist cells before they moved into action and geared efforts towards tackling the root causes of extremism.

In an article entitled Morocco Takes Lead in Fighting Jihadist Terrorism, Breitbart sheds light on the achievements of the Kingdoms intelligence agency, The Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), which was created in 2015 to crackdown on terrorists. In less than two years, the Bureau has taken credit for uncovering 40 terrorist cells and arresting nearly 600 people.

The article also points out to the measures taken by Moroccan authorities to put an end to foreign fighters willing to join terrorist groups in the Middle East and Libya. Morocco passed a law calling for the monitoring of Moroccan travellers visiting Libya, Syria or Iraq and stiff punitive measures for anyone connected to terror groups.

According to the law, anyone trying to join extremist groups in combat zones faces a punishment of ten years in prison, said the author of the article Thomas D Williams.

Yet terrorism is but a symptom of extremism. In this regards, Morocco took measures to address the root causes of extremism through rehabilitating the religious field and training imams, the article recalls.

Morocco has also sought to combat Muslim extremism by educating its own imams in a school of moderate Islam, where students are taught to accept different opinions and values, Williams explains.

In his article, he also highlights the key role played by Moroccos intelligence services in international cooperation against terrorism, recalling that Morocco alerted several European countries to imminent terrorist attacks.
Trump, alone, can fix it? Photo: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images

The Trump administration has stumbled through its first weeks in office  lurching, haphazardly, from one self-created crisis to another. By the first week of March, the president was already consumed by rage; his staff, by bitter divisions. Relations between the White House and the federal bureaucracy were already soured by mutual distrust; and the administrations messaging, especially on foreign policy, had become riddled with contradictions.

This is what the Trump presidency looks like when the economy is (relatively) strong, and there is no major foreign or domestic crisis demanding immediate executive action.

Soon, well get to see what the Trump presidency looks like when one of the most vexing problems in American foreign policy reaches its boiling point.

An authoritarian rogue state with nuclear weapons  and the support of the worlds second-greatest power  has been making progress toward an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the coast of California. And this week, it practiced firing barrages of missiles at Americas military bases in Japan.

Ideally, this is where China would step in, and use its considerable economic clout to discipline its wild-eyed buddies in Pyongyang. But instead of sanctioning North Korea for such acts of aggression, Beijing is sanctioning South Korea for taking steps to protect itself against incoming missiles.

Before we get to that, though, lets review the details of North Koreas latest display of bravado. Per the Washington Post:

The four ballistic missiles fired Monday morning were launched by the elite Hwasong ballistic missile division tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan, [the Korean Central News Agency ] said.



The United States has numerous military bases and about 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, the legacy of its postwar security alliance with the country. Three of the four missiles flew about 600 miles over North Korea and landed in the sea, within Japans exclusive economic zone off the Oga Peninsula in Akita prefecture, home to a Japanese self-defense forces base. The fourth fell just outside the zone.

If the United States or South Korea fires even a single flame inside North Korean territory, we will demolish the origin of the invasion and provocation with a nuclear tipped missile, North Korean state media declared.

Pyongang (probably) cant put its nuclear-tipped warhead where its mouth is: While the nation has conducted multiple nuclear tests, it has not demonstrated an ability to attach a nuclear warhead to a missile, nor to deliver a missile to a target.

And the missiles that North Korea showed off on Monday werent anything new  theyve tested this same model of weapon before. Whats new is the pace at which the North Koreans fired them.

They want to know if they can get these missiles out into the field rapidly and deploy them all at once, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute, told the Post. They are practicing launching a nuclear-armed missile and hitting targets in Japan as if this was a real war.

The United States responded by deploying the advanced antimissile battery system  Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)  to South Korea on Monday. However, its not clear that THAAD would be capable of intercepting four missiles at once.

Meanwhile, China warned that South Korea would face consequences for deploying the anti-missile system, which it regards as a threat to its military (and an unwelcome act of American meddling in East Asian affairs).

Its unclear exactly what those consequences will be. But China has already sanctioned the South Korean conglomerate that helped Seoul secure land for THAAD, while restricting Chinese tourism to South Korea.

And soon, China may not be Kim Jong-uns only friend in the region, as B.R. Meyers explained in a recent interview with Slate:

North Korea needs the capability to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons in order to pressure both adversaries into signing peace treaties. This is the only grand bargain it has ever wanted  The stars are aligning very nicely for the strategy [Kim Jong-un] inherited from his father. Just as North Korea is perfecting its nuclear weaponry, China has acquired the economic power to punish South Korea for improving its missile defenses. Opinion polls in the South now strongly favor the left-wing presidential candidate Mun Jae-in, who in 2011 expressed hope for the speedy realization of a NorthSouth confederation.



If he or anyone else from the nationalist left takes over, years of South Korean accommodation of the North will ensue, complete with massive unconditional aid.



 This went on under George W. Bush, and the alliance survived. Donald Trump, however, is much less likely to allow an ostensible ally to subvert UN sanctions while paying tributary visits to Pyongyang. And Kim Jong-un knows this. He knows that whatever security guarantees Trump gave to Seoul were made to the current conservative administration only. So Kim Jong-un has a better chance than his father did of pressuring the alliance to a breaking point. With Chinas support he can pull a left-wing South Korean administration in one way while pushing the Americans in another.

This is a geopolitical crisis that has no easy answer  and weve entrusted Donald Trump with finding the right one.
THINK BIG. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The new secretary of Housing and Urban Development is a retired neurosurgeon and self-help guru who boasts iconoclastic views on slavery and ancient Egypt  but has no experience in government or housing policy.

These characteristics were on full display in his first speech to his new department.

Every human being, regardless of their ethnicities, or their background, they have a brain: the human brain, Ben Carson informed his fellow HUD employees. It remembers everything youve ever seen, everything youve ever heard. I could take the oldest person here, make a little hole right here on the side of the head, and put some depth electrodes into their hippocampus  and stimulate  and they would be able to read back to you, verbatim, a book they read 60 years ago.

This turned out to be an argument against government handouts.

You cant overload the human brain, Carson explained. So we need to focus a little less on what we cant do and a little more on what we can do. After all, this is America, the can-do society  not the, what can you do for me society.

Carson supplemented this argument by praising the can-do spirit of the other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less.

Then, things got weird. Per the Washington Post:

At one point, Carson walked the audience through his THINK BIG philosophy to unleash potential, the topic of one of his several books. T is for talent, which God gave to every person, he began, going on to assign a principle to each letter.



In another instance, Carson asked those in attendance to raise their hands to take the niceness pledge. Just raise your hand, everybody raise your hand, he said, as the staff obeyed. Now what did you just pledge to do? Be nice to every single person you encounter for one week, including your spouse!

Apparently, HUD employees expectations for their new boss were low enough that this qualified as comforting. While Carson made multiple appeals to public-private partnerships and the harms of government dependency, he announced no specific funding cuts and honored the niceness pledge throughout his remarks.

At the end of his remarks, one HUD staffer stood up and thanked Carson for his speech, saying that it had reassured her that he believes in the departments mission.

Theres always a lot of different perspectives and one of the things that I have found is when you have divergent perspectives, if you can get those people to sit down and talk to each other, they will frequently be able to come up with extremely good solutions, Carson said. I believe in always giving the first pass to the people who are actually involved as opposed to imposing upon them from above.
Having a guy like Mulvaney around to herd conservative cats and maybe cook a few books could be useful to the Obamacare repeal-and-replace effort. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Theres a new elephant in the crowded room of Republicans trying to figure out in the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare: Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney. According to the Washington Post, Mulvaney was the deal-closer in a key White House meeting on Friday that built (or forced) consensus among congressional Republican leaders who will be jointly unveiling Obamacare legislation any day now  even as the ostensible administration point man, HHS Secretary Tom Price, was hanging out with Paul Ryan and Mike Pence in Wisconsin. Heres how the Post explained the switcheroo:

On Capitol Hill, Price is seen by some Republicans as more knowledgeable about health-care policy than Mulvaney, given his experience as a physician and his time as chairman of the House Budget Committee. But Mulvaney benefits from the close relationships he has forged with Trumps top advisers and with the Houses conservative wing.

Aside from his personal credibility from being a member of the Houses conservative wing until he was confirmed on February 16, Mulvaney could be useful as a protector of the presidents right flank on Obamacare in two very important ways. He illustrated the first during a wide-ranging interview this morning with radio host and conservative opinion-leader Hugh Hewitt. Mulvaney was questioned closely on two subjects: his commitment to Trumps defense buildup (he seemed to pass Hewitts test despite much grumbling from hawks like John McCain that he cared too much about deficits and too little about giving the Pentagon whatever it wants), and his willingness to buck Trumps promises to protect entitlement programs. Mulvaneys rap on entitlements was revealing:

[Y]ou see the AARP ad on television, which many of us have seen, and the speech he gives says hes going to protect and save Social Security, protect and save Medicare. And thats exactly what we are going to try and do. So Ive already started to socialize the discussion around here in the West Wing about how important the mandatory spending is to the drivers of our debt. I think people are starting to grab it. There are ways that we can not only allow the President to keep his promise, but to help him keep his promise by fixing some of these mandatory programs.

You have to appreciate that every proposal to cut and/or privatize Social Security and Medicare is invariably packaged as an effort to protect and save the programs. So what Mulvaney is really promising to do is to help show Trump how to invert what everyone understood at the time to be the candidates commitment on entitlements and make it a rationale for doing the exact opposite.

Better yet, from the conservative ideological point of view, Mulvaney suggested that the first step toward entitlement reform and the hallowed goal of decimating the New DealGreat Society legacy would be to repeal and replace Obamacare as quickly as possible:

Well, drill down on one of those. Lets drill down on one, which is Medicaid. Clearly, you can help fix and solve Medicaid as part of this larger Obamacare replacement, right, that the two things are tied together. So if we get Obamacare replacement right, it might also allow us to fix Medicaid.

To translate this into conservative talk, that means if you want to protect and save Social Security and Medicare, youd better get onboard the first train that comes along to protect and save Medicaid via a block grant or per capita cap. And so, conservatives, get over your scruples about any particular Obamacare bill and understand its all part of Gods plan to undo the work of FDR and LBJ and get rid of the welfare state. Its a pitch Mulvaney is well-equipped to make.

But theres another way in which Mulvaney can be even more useful to the cause of keeping the GOPs right flank under control as the sausage gets made on Obamacare: as a counter to any inconvenient numbers the Congressional Budget Office might come up with in scoring Republican repeal/replace legislation. This has become a huge issue, as explained by conservative writer Christopher Jacobs:

House leadership has yet to release any budgetary scores of their legislation, yet apparently plan on marking up the bill this weekbefore a CBO score becomes available. Given the ways in which several drafts have prompted CBO to warn about a massive erosion of employer-sponsored health coverage, the phrase Caveat emptor applies. Members who vote for a bill without knowing its full fiscal effects, yet will be held politically responsible for said effects, do so entirely at their own risk.

If CBO winds up projecting that any given Obamacare bill will massively increase the budget deficit or greatly erode health-care coverage  for the country as a whole or for politically important constituencies like older and/or non-college educated white folks  wont it be useful to have OMB at the ready to dispute the numbers and offer their own, er, alternative facts? Indeed, nothing in law requires Congress to use CBO estimates to begin with. If congressional leaders choose to go with better OMB numbers, who is going to stop them? It would not be the first time its happened, as those old enough to remember Ronald Reagans OMB cooking the books can attest.

Perhaps some of the concerns Trump loyalists had about Mulvaneys selection as OMB director got it wrong. Instead of being a fanatical deficit hawk throwing sand into the gears of the Trump machine, perhaps he is a double agent selling Trumps agenda to his old allies by hook or by crook.
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Donald I dont settle cases Trump settled his Trump University class-action lawsuit for $25 million in November, a deal that would return some of the $40 million about 7,000 students spent on a program they say turned out to be a scam, but would not require then-President-elect Trump to admit fault or wrongdoing.

But at least one plaintiff, a former Trump University student from Florida named Sherri Simpson, is rejecting the terms of the agreement and wants to opt out of the settlement so she has the option to go ahead and sue the president. Her attorneys have asked federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whom Trump famously attacked on the campaign trail because of his Mexican heritage, to reject the entire deal if students cant drop out of the deal and pursue litigation individually.

The request could delay the settlement, or, if granted, unravel the entire thing. President Trump said he settled to avoid the hassle of a trial as a president.

The ONLY bad thing about winning the Presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016

Simpsons attorney is arguing that a letter sent to class-action participants in 2015 made it appear that individuals could later request to pull out of a settlement, but that wasnt the case once the agreement had been reached, reports the New York Times. This was absolutely unsatisfactory to her, Simpsons lawyer, Gary Friedman, told the New York Daily News. She wants to take him to trial. Any settlement with her would have to have an admission of liability for it to be acceptable. Shes very angry.

Simpson took Trump University seminar in 2010, and then signed up for a $35,000 Gold Elite program with another classmate. She paid about $19,000 for that course, which promised access to mentors and the resources of the Trump Organization  all of which Simpson says she never received.

Judge Curiel will hear her motion, but even if he denies it, Simpson could appeal his decision to another source of Trumps ire, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That could draw out the litigation and put on hold on the money due to the rest of Trump University students party to the class-action suit.
Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In December, President Obama ordered a review of Russias alleged effort to hack the U.S. election. A month later, the FBI, CIA, and NSA said they had concluded with high confidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election  with the goal of helping Donald Trump.

Months later, we still dont have many answers about Russias operation, or regarding the explosive allegations about the Trump campaign. Thats not due to lack of trying; U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly been investigating for more than a year, and at least four congressional committees have discussed conducting their own probes. But each step of the process has been complicated by leaks and political accusations  and to make matters worse, the president keep blasting out dubious allegations on Twitter.

Heres what we know about the efforts to get to the bottom of Russias efforts to influence the U.S. election  and why many say they arent going far enough.

The FBI

The FBI doesnt usually comment on the existence or nonexistence of investigations (though weve seen some notable exceptions in the last year). Shortly before Trumps inauguration, FBI director James Comey angered senators by refusing to comment on whether the bureau was investigating Trumps ties to Russia, or even on his criteria for acknowledging an investigation.

Thanks to a number of leaks, however, we have an idea of what the Russia probe entails. According to McClatchy, last spring the FBI, CIA, Justice Department, NSA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Treasury Department began investigating Russian attempts to influence the election, and the possibility that Kremlin money had secretly made its way to the Trump campaign.

The BBC reported that this coordinated investigation, which is being led by the FBI, was launched after the director of the CIA saw a recording about Russias attempt to influence the U.S. election:

Last April, the CIA director was shown intelligence that worried him. It was  allegedly  a tape recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into the U.S. presidential campaign.



It was passed to the U.S. by an intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States. The CIA cannot act domestically against American citizens so a joint counterintelligence taskforce was created.

The current scope and status of the investigations are unclear. In February, Reuters reported that the FBI was pursuing at least three separate probes. The FBIs Pittsburgh office, which often handles cybersecurity investigations, is working to identify who was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committees computer systems. The San Francisco office is trying to identify Guccifer 2, the person or group who hacked Clinton campaign manager John Podestas emails. FBI counterintelligence agents in D.C. are looking into leads from informants and foreign communication intercepts, including financial transactions by Russians believed to have links to Trump associates.

President Trump shakes hands with James Comey during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception at the White House on January 22, 2017. Photo: Pool/Getty Images

The New York Times reported in January that the counterintelligence agencies are looking at intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of its investigation into possible ties between Russian officials and Trump associates. The FBI was said to be examining former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as well as former Trump advisers Carter Page and Roger Stone.

Last month, the Times said phone records and calls intercepted by U.S. intelligence agencies show that Trump campaign officials and associates had repeated contact with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. The Trump camp denies this.

The Senate Intelligence Committee

The most robust congressional investigation is taking place in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence  though, like all of the congressional probes, it relies on information collected by the intelligence community.

The committee announced it would conduct an independent review after the intelligence agencies said in January that they believed Russia had tried to influence the election on behalf of Trump  though the senators stressed that they had no reason to doubt the findings. Chairman Richard Burr and ranking Democrat Mark Warner said this would include any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns.

FBI director Comey briefed the committee behind closed doors on February 17. I have a high level of confidence that well get what we need, Senator Warner said after the meeting.

I am now very confident Senate Intel Comm I serve on will conduct thorough bipartisan investigation of #Putin interference and influence  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 17, 2017

The committee is still gathering information. Last month it sent letters to more than a dozen organizations, agencies, and officials, asking them to preserve records related to the investigation. White House staffers were ordered to comply.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said its highly likely that the committee will look at former national security adviser Michael Flynns discussions with the Russian ambassador, and Warner said he wants Flynn to testify.

Initially Burr told reporters that the probe wouldnt look into the Trump campaign, but Politico reported that he backtracked after Democrats threatened to boycott the investigation.

For a few weeks the committee appeared united, but in late February, reports emerged that the White House had asked Burr to help knock down stories about Trump associates communicating with Russians during the campaign. Burr was one of Trumps staunchest supporters in the Senate and served as a national security adviser to the campaign.

Burr acknowledged that he talked with the White House, then disputed the Russia report in conversations with reporters. I felt I had something to share that didnt breach my responsibilities to the committee in an ongoing investigation, he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Burr had been put on notice, and Warner said he had grave concerns about the independence of the investigation. Democratic operatives told Politico that theyre pleased with the progress of the investigation so far, so theyre holding back on airing their issues with Burr.

The House Intelligence Committee

Theres yet more tension between the two representatives leading the corresponding investigation in the House. Intelligence chair Devin Nunes was an early Trump supporter and a member of his transition team. Like Burr, the White House asked Nunes to help knock down reports that there were repeated contacts between Trump officials and Russian operatives.

As of right now, I dont have any evidence of any phone calls. It doesnt mean they dont exist  What Ive been told by many folks is that theres nothing there, Nunes told the Washington Post last week. Echoing the president, he said the real problem is the frequent leaks about the Russia investigation, not their content.

Representative Adam Schiff, the committees top Democrat, said it was too early to rule out ties between Trump aides and Russian officials.

We dont know whether there were U.S. persons involved, but it is our responsibility to find out, Schiff said on MSNBC. And I dont think anyone on the committee, or our chairs in the House or Senate, ought to be stating a conclusion or deeming it their responsibility to push back on unfavorable press stories.

Representative Devin Nunes, left, and Representative Adam Schiff. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Last week, Nunes and Schiff said they had approved a six-page classified document laying out the scope of their investigation. It includes possible contacts between the Trump team and Moscow, as well as possible leaks of classified information from the intelligence community.

But the two committee leaders have continued to clash. After President Trump accused President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower, Nunes said the House Intelligence Committee would make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political partys campaign officials or surrogates. Schiff called Trumps claim as destructive as it was baseless.

Another issue: The House Intelligence Committee is underfunded and understaffed, according to the Daily Beast. Schiff said he suggested to the Senate Intelligence Committee that they could work together, but they werent interested.

I would have to imagine one of the concerns  and Im just speculating here  that the Senate may have is if they feel that their investigation is proceeding very much in a bipartisan fashion, and their concern may be that the House isnt, they may have concerns about combining the two, Schiff said.

The House Oversight Committee

Committee chair Jason Chaffetz has been resistant to calls to investigate the Trump administration, and hes taken little action on the Russia matter.

Following Flynns resignation, Chaffetz said the House Oversight Commitee wouldnt be looking into the issue because its working itself out. Instead, he and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte wrote a letter to the Justice Departments inspector general, demanding an investigation into whether officials mishandled classified information when they leaked about Flynns communications to the press.

Chaffetz did eventually join a Democratic effort to look into whether Russian officials paid Flynn for his appearances in Moscow in 2015, which may have violated the Constitutionss Emoluments Clause. Chaffetz and Representative Elijah Cummings, the senior Democrat on the committee, sent a letter to the company that handled Flynns speaking engagements, requesting more information.

The Senate Judiciary Committee

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein, respectively  asked the Justice Department and the FBI to brief them on the circumstances of Flynns resignation, and to share transcripts of Flynns intercepted calls to the Russian ambassador.

In February, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who lead the panels Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced they were launching their own investigation into Russias election meddling.

Our goal is simple  to the fullest extent possible we want to shine a light on Russian activities to undermine democracy, the senators said. Our efforts will be guided by the belief that we have an obligation to follow the facts wherever they may lead.

Graham said this week that they would also look into Trumps wiretapping claims. It would be earth-shattering if the former administration illegally wiretapped a campaign, he said. If the FISA court issued a warrant that would be pretty stunning too, because theyd have to have probable cause, he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Mark Warner, and Senator Dianne Feinstein take questions about ties between Trumps team and Russia on February 15, 2017. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Other Options

The fact that Trump supporters helm the key congressional probes didnt inspire much confidence, even before it was revealed that they were commenting on the Russia scandal at the behest of the White House. Democrats and even some Republicans have called for a more rigorous investigation, either by a special congressional committee or a special prosecutor.

However, while those options may be perceived as more independent, they do have their drawbacks. As the Washington Post notes, it can take years for a special congressional probe to complete its investigation. And, like with the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Republicans and Democrats may not be able to agree on their conclusions.

Now that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigation, Senator Schumer is demanding that Deputy Attorney General nominee Rod Rosenstein commit to appointing a special prosecutor during his confirmation hearing this week. A recent CNN/ORC poll found that about two-thirds of Americans agree that a special prosecutor, not Congress, should oversee Trumps alleged ties to Russia.

But Peter Zeidenberg, who served as an assistant special counsel in the prosecution of Scooter Libby, argued that, in this case, appointing a special prosecutor would likely be a mistake. That persons mission would be to determine if a crime was committed, not to make information public:

If, after a full criminal investigation, it was determined that a crime occurred but the critical evidence was not obtainable  say, for purposes of argument, that this evidence was in Russia, unobtainable by subpoena  then it would be improper to seek an indictment. Critically, the entire investigation would then remain secret. It would be a violation of law for a prosecutor to make public the results of a grand jury investigation that did not result in an indictment.

When the allegations involve the undermining of U.S. institutions, theres only so much the government can do to restore public confidence.
We expected this kind of incompetence from you, Trump. But not from Mitch McConnell. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Following the unveiling of the House Republican plan to shrink Obamacare dramatically, two surprising things happened. The first is that the conservative-movement apparatus has lined up rapidly against the bill. The major right-wing pressure groups  FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity, and Heritage Action for America  all announced opposition, and were quickly echoed by the most right-wing members of Congress, like House Freedom Caucus chair Jim Jordan and Senator Rand Paul. The second surprising thing is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his intention to jam the House bill through the Senate quickly. Rather than develop its own bills through committees and the normal debate process, McConnell declared he plans to bring it directly to the Senate floor. Neither of these decisions makes a great deal of sense on their own, and they make even less sense in conjunction with each other.

The grounds for the rights opposition is that the House bill would replace Obamacare with a new entitlement, albeit one funded almost entirely through cuts to an old entitlement (Medicaid) and which would provide such meager benefits as to be useless to large numbers of its purported beneficiaries.

What makes this revolt so confounding to the party leadership is that the House bill, while too liberal for the partys right flank, is also almost certainly too conservative to pass the Senate. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Cory Gardner, Rob Portman, and Shelly Moore Capito signed a letter yesterday opposing the bills repeal of the Medicaid expansion. A fifth, Dean Heller, has raised concerns about protecting Medicaid. Susan Collins and Bill Cassidy have proposed a much more moderate replacement bill, which has also been co-sponsored by Capito and Johnny Isakson. Additionally, Lamar Alexander, Jeff Flake, and Lindsey Graham have urged caution and deliberation  all of which run counter to the leaderships strategy of ramming a bill through as quickly as possible in order to enable the passage of a big tax cut later in the year.

That makes 11 Republican senators who have, in some form or fashion, expressed reservations about the party leaderships preferred health care strategy. Even assuming the three senators who object to the law from the right  Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee  can be corralled, Trumpcare seems to be very far from corralling the necessary 50 Senate votes. And this is before the Congressional Budget Office produces its score, which will probably show millions and millions of people losing coverage, and may possibly also show the deficit blowing up.

While McConnells plan might be necessary in order to keep the partys legislative strategy on track, it is highly and even delusionally optimistic, given the state of his vote count. It also runs counter to the Senates institutional culture. Senators cherish their power to shape and control legislation. A strategy of photocopying the House bill and ramming it through seems almost designed to violate the Senatorial ego.

This raises a question: Is it designed to violate the Senatorial ego? And thus to fail? Neither the conservative revolt nor McConnells plan make a lot of sense if you view them as strategies designed to yield the most right-wing health-care policy that is attainable. They do make sense as a strategy designed to insulate Republicans from failure.

Republicans have made two promises that cant be reconciled. They promised to repeal Obamacare, and to replace it with a terrific law that would take care of everybody. As the House Republican ad put it, they promised, more choices and better care, at lower costs.  peace of mind to people with preexisting conditions  without disrupting existing coverage. Those things cannot be reconciled. If Republicans repeal Obamacare, they will put in place something that not only fails to provide the better, cheaper care they have promised the country, but does not meet even the minimal threshold of access to basic care for people who currently receive it.

From that standpoint, the winning play for the GOP might be to try to repeal and replace Obamacare but fail. If they are seen trying and failing to repeal the law, it might upset the base, but most Republican lawmakers will have their opposition to Obamacare on the record. And if it is to fail, it should fail quickly, so they can move on to cutting taxes.

This may all be wrong. It is never safe to assume rational thought on the part of public actors, especially in the reality-distortion field of Trumps Washington. Maybe ultra-conservatives think they are using their leverage to push the bill to the right. Or maybe McConnell believes he can whip his caucus into line. Whatever the explanation, the strategy behind the bill is almost as incompetent as the bill itself.
Fashion designers have their pick of Frances greatest cultural landmarks, like the Bibliotheque Nationale, where last night Rihanna staged her latest Fenty x Puma show in the main reading room. Generally, they offer a Cliff Notes version of culture  and why not? Its a ten-minute fashion show, not Descartes.

Rihanna made decent ham of the American-college theme, sending out tartan puffer jackets and pj bottoms, Fenty U sweaters and cropped tops with regulation underboob. The kids walked on the long tables, which, like the thousands of books on the shelves, were replacements, just for the show.

View Slideshow Photo: Imaxtree

Stella McCartney, who takes over the Opera Garnier every season, tends to keep her cultural references light. A Stubbs painting provided an equestrian theme  excellent tailoring in the form of nipped-waist tweed coat dresses, pantsuits with a soft version of hunting blouses, coats with deep side vents, and big sweaters featuring a stallion head. McCartney followed up with more utilitarian gear, like olive jumpsuits and organic raw-denim fitted jeans and jackets, but the tailoring, with its slightly elongated sleeves and sharp creases, stole the show.

View Slideshow Photo: Imaxtree

Pierpaolo Piccioli turned to the trusty Victorians for the style of Valentinos many high-necked, long-sleeve dresses, and then added an aesthetic layer of Memphis, the 1980s Italian design movement. Thats actually not as awful as it sounds. Piccioli mainly confined the Memphis to squiggle and patchwork patterns, and clear bright colors, like lilac and ice blue (the latter for a lovely sleeveless dress in pleated silk). The takeaway from this quietly strong collection was really the graceful, free-flowing dresses. Its an easy, and inspiring, silhouette for fall.

View Slideshow Photo: Imaxtree

By rights, Hermes should be the flagship brand for French savoir faire. Its one of the oldest houses going, and of course its leather goods are in a class apart. I would put its menswear in that category, too. But its womens fashion, under Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski, truly baffles. She started out at Hermes with minimalist, if rather staid, clothes, and then attempted to loosen up. Yesterday, though, she was basically throwing darts at various ideas  cropped leather jackets, classic country styles, paisley silk dresses, archival scarf prints, and some separates in a harsh palette of avocado, teal, jade, and lilac. Individually, most pieces would find a customer, but they dont add up to an interesting vision. At a time when a number of brands have been successfully renewed  Loewe, Celine, Calvin Klein  Hermes is missing an opportunity.

View Slideshow Photo: Imaxtree

What I liked so much about the Alexander McQueen show, in contrast to others this week, is Sarah Burtons genuine passion for land and country. Its something of a McQueen tradition, of course, but Burton is one of the very few designers to see the richness  and modernity  in ancient British landscapes and communities. Whats more, she goes in deep. The cloutie trees in Cornwall  to which people make spiritual pilgrimages to hang ribbons on the branches  inspired slim tweed dresses shot with multicolored yarns, the ends left dangling. Cross-stitch samplers  those humble things that often wind up on souvenir tea cozies  led to some extraordinarily refined dresses and tunics in black-and-red cross-stitch on ivory silk. Each miniature sampler revealed a Cornish scene, and the scenes added up to a kind of love note.

View Slideshow Photo: Imaxtree

Who in this grasping, often grubby business bares their heart like that? Burton does. And it has distinguished McQueen, in part because she and her team are so good at translating cultural or historical motifs into real and nuanced clothes, as they did last season with the Shetland Islandsinspired collection. This time the clothes are especially youthful  the tiered knit minidresses that slightly evoke medieval armor, black leather pieces with simple lacing, the tough shearling jackets studded with biker metal. Its good fashion alchemy, and it begins in a sincere place.
The Black Monday protest in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: Katarzyna Pierzchala

In 1975, several unusual advertisements popped up in a local newspaper in Iceland. HUSBANDS, an ad for a grocery store began. Tomorrow, its your turn to cook. We have everything you need to cook for your wife. Now remember to shop in time. Another offered cheap prices on easily prepared foods, alongside recipes for how to cook them. The advertisements were a tongue-in-cheek reminder to the nations men, Erla Hulda Halldorsdottir, a historian of womens history at the University of Iceland explained over the phone, that their day was coming. At least for some, cooking for the first time would be quite a challenge, she said. Shortly after the paper went to print, Icelands male population would be tasked with preparing dinner for their families. Why? Their childrens mothers would be busy: They were going on strike.

On Wednesday, countless American husbands and fathers will also face down the stove. The International Womens Strike or A Day Without a Woman is asking women to walk out of their jobs (if they can), abstain from both paid and unpaid labor, and take to the streets to emphasize the importance of their contributions to society and what is lost when they elect to withdraw them. No home-cooked dinners. No meetings. No cleaning.

The strike, like Januarys Womens March on Washington, has been the subject of much discussion and some skepticism. Organized by eight grassroots feminist organizers with the intent of shifting focus from lean-in feminism to feminism of the working class, the 99 percent, questions still abound. Are the objectives clear enough? What will it achieve? Will women with privilege and financial security be the only ones able to participate? And if they are, what kind of message does that send? Not to mention the fear that not showing up to work could rankle womens already precarious roles in the workplace. Why strike and why strike now?

Political resistance, as history has taught us, does not guarantee political change  but the first step to finding out is showing up. In Iceland and Poland, where two of the worlds most successful large-scale womens strikes in recent history took place, there wasnt time to deliberate about hows and ifs: There was only forward action. Uncertain beginnings, broad, lofty goals, and resistance were not enough to get in their way. Women of both countries didnt know whether there would be a significant turnout, or if positive political change would be the result of their participation. All they knew was they had a choice to either strike or not. On Wednesday, American women will confront a similar challenge. And if the only way to find out if it striking works is to show up, the question is, will we?

Icelands first ever Womens Day Off came out of the worldwide womens liberation movement in the 1970s. Originally the brainchild of the countrys Redstockings feminist group, the womens strikes message was simple: By going on strike, women wanted to show how much influence their work outside of the home and within the home had, Halldorsdottir said.

A flyer produced by the executive committee for Womens Day Off in June of 1975  five months before the inaugural event would take place  made their motivations for striking clear. The reasons are many and here are but a few, the flyer began. Closure of the gender pay gap, greater representation in government, respect for womens unpaid labor inside the home, better child care, and acknowledgment of womens important contributions to Icelandic communities across the country.

Fria Ros Valdimarsdottir, chairman of the board of the Womens Rights Association in Reykjavik, said despite the widespread awareness of the strike, there was plenty of uncertainty about how it would work. The first time women did it, they had no idea how to do it, or if women were going to show up. Then a huge amount of women showed up. On October 24, 1975, experts estimated that 90 percent of Icelands female citizens took to the streets. I think participation was better than anyone had ever expected, Halldorsdottir added. All those women in Reykjavik? Tens of thousands of women came to the center of town. Meanwhile, banks closed early, factories shut entirely, and flights were all but canceled. Grocery stores immediately sold out of sausages: Because they were easiest for the men to cook!

The success of Icelands strike cant be measured in a piece of legislation  its goals were much more broad than that  but it nevertheless led to significant progress for the nations women: Five years later, Iceland elected Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the worlds first democratically elected female president. And, after a popular first four years in office, Finnbogadottir, a divorced single mother, was reelected three times. This, and the fact that Iceland has one of the narrowest gender pay gaps in the world (and near-equal representation in parliament), makes it easy to think that Icelandic women should put down their picket signs for now. But every ten years since 1975 (and sometimes more frequently) Icelands women have replicated Womens Day Off as confirmation that there is still work to do.

We want to keep reminding the people in charge that we havent forgotten about this inequality. We wont stop until its gone away, Valdimarsdottir explained.

This past October, Polish women took inspiration from Icelands Womens Day Off and called for a national protest against proposed legislation that would put a total ban on abortion  and its beginnings were equally uncertain. The organization of [the strike] was a very short, intense process, Zofia Marcinek, a 23-year-old student living in Warsaw said via email. The call for the strike came less than a week before the day it actually happened, and organizing it was absolutely crazy. No one knew whether taking to the streets would convince the Polish parliament to vote down the legislation, but, as Marcinek put it, even if the bill wasnt shut down, [I knew] we would be united and motivated to keep going. Zuzanna Kynczew, a 20-year-old student at Warsaw University, was more reserved: I was not expecting a miracle.

Related Stories Heres What Polish Women Have to Say to American Women About Abortion Rights

On October 3, 2016, women gathered in the streets of more than 90 Polish cities, carrying wall-to-wall open umbrellas  both a protection from the elements and a symbolic image. In overhead shots of Castle Square, the women appeared like an unbreakable sea of dissent. Only a few hundred women had been expected to show up, but more than 25,000 women flooded Castle Square in Warsaw alone, and an estimated 100,000 women gathered in other cities nationwide. We were dumbfounded. It was like a tsunami, Marcinek said.

The mass turnout in Poland was so shocking, in part, because its participants faced resistance from pro-life protesters and feared retribution from their own government (one minister summed up his feelings on the protest by saying, Let them play). Unlike Icelands protest, where many women were permitted leave from their jobs long before the strike took place, Black Monday did not go quite as smoothly: There were women who had lots of trouble participating, Marcinek said. Several teachers from a school in Rybnik faced a disciplinary commission after a male colleague of theirs filed a complaint about them dressing in black at school that day.

Agnieszka Sarna, 43, protested in Olsztyn, a city of roughly 200,000 people 130 miles from Warsaw. In the morning, I felt alone in the city, all dressed in black and not seeing anyone around. I even asked myself whether there would be a march at all. Sarna said that Olsztyn is made up of good Catholics who are not inclined to be disobedient. But hours passed and little by little, the city started to fill with black-dressed women in groups of two or three or more. By noon, I had no more doubts. In coffee shops, there were women dressed in black, vigorously debating the latest comments from our patriarchal politicians.

Two days following Polands massive protests, the controversial abortion ban was voted down in the Polish parliament by a vote of 352 to 58.

We made this thing work together, said Marcinek.

In America, more than 500,000 people showed up in D.C. alone to protest the Trump administration on a Saturday. At least 500,000 women showed up in Philadelphia in 1997 for the Million Woman March for African-African womens liberation. The 1970 Womens Strike for Equality had an estimated 10,000 women in the streets of New York City alone. Imagine the ripples those numbers would make if women were to do the same on a Wednesday. During the workweek.

Joanna, a 28-year-old woman from the Silesia region of Poland wants American women to learn Black Mondays rallying cry: Nie skadamy parasolek! which translates to Were not putting our umbrellas down yet! It signals that were still fighting for our rights, Joanna wrote via email. Nie skadamy parasolek!

Polands protests were a huge risk with the very real possibility of no payoff  but the crowds did not put down their umbrellas. Following the enormous mass resistance of January 21s marches, are we so soon to put down ours? Has everything weve aimed to achieve been achieved?

The womens resistance in America has long been suffering from growing pains, and those missteps should not go unaddressed. But resistance doesnt begin and end with one march, nor does it begin at all by only thinking about action and not taking it. In Iceland on March 8, women will be rallying for International Womens Day, with what Valdimarsdottir described as additional support for the women of the United States. Poland, as well, will be expressing their solidarity for American women in rallies.

Maybe its time we joined them.

Watch what A Day Without a Woman looked like in New York City in the video below.
Protesters stand in the rain during a Planned Parenthood rally in Tampa, Florida. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

During the primaries, Donald Trump acknowledged that millions and millions of women  are helped by Planned Parenthood, but like any good Republican, he stopped short of saying the organization should continue to receive federal funds. I would defund it because of the abortion factor, he concluded. His administration has since made it clear that the organizations federal funding will be on the chopping block, but according to the New York Times, Trump offered Planned Parenthood a chance to keep the $500 million it receives annually  if it stops providing abortions.

Planned Parenthood officials reportedly rejected the informal proposal and pointed out that, per the Hyde Amendment, federal funds dont actually pay for abortions. Offering money to Planned Parenthood to abandon our patients and our values is not a deal that we will ever accept, Dawn Laguens, the executive vice-president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Times. Providing critical health-care services for millions of American women is nonnegotiable.

Trump confirmed the offer in a statement to the Times. There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of womens health, while not providing abortion services, he said. But Senator Kirsten Gillibrand suggested Trump only authorized the proposal to mitigate the political fallout from defunding Planned Parenthood, which is widely popular with voters.
COPYRIGHT NZCIVAIR

All information and photographs used on this blog are copyright to NZCIVAIR.


logo really caters to white gay males hm

i will watch tho

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For old white gay men who love sitcoms*

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.....but I love sitcoms :(

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Is there any other demographic

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Mte. They need a new Noah's Arch.

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I'm a gay white male and have NO interest in this lol. But I get what you're saying and agree lol

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It's trash, but I will check it out since there are not that much gay programming anyway (I said the same thing with Prince Charming but never bothered tho)

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I mean, it never got to this....



FPC was trashy but not as trashy as I thought it'd be. All the Housewives shows are way trashier.I mean, it never got to this....

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I never tried with housevives because it was airing over here on E! with shit voiceover that translated gay as 'fun', but then E! closed and NBC Universal cable reality/talk shows are hard to torrent. I still enjoy the short YouTube videos though. But I feel like Viacom are shooting themselves in the foot for not airing it it on VH1 along with Drag Race all the way through, everybody knows VH1 and Bravo are the best places for reality shows now. Also out of all dramatic gays in the world they truly choose the dullest ones, for eye candy, probably, but even that barely works. Why FPC never explored the fact that the bachelor had this werid fetishy escort job where he injected people's cum in his urethra? I mean, that's the kind of television I want to watch!

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This was so Iconic !!!!

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I'm a sucker for a good gay train wreck, but it's funny because I literally don't associate with these kind of guys.

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I'm a sucker for a good gay train wreck.

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But are you a sucker for a good gay train wreck??

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we already have rhony

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Tbh it looks like they are way too modell-ish and self-absorbed. Even the trailer looks boring. Should've had Jerry Springer type of gays and send them to VH1 to premiere along with Drag Race.

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And my idea for a Logo franchise about the 'Drag Queens of %cityname%' stays. Make it your own houseviwes, cast RPDR fan faves and few less popular local queens and produce over the top feud storylines about them. Like a full hour of pre season 7 Untucked.

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I would watch the fuck out of that.

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That sounds good haha

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im here for this

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but can shangela randomly pop out of a box pls?

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[eye roll emoji][eye roll emoji][eye roll emoji]

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sharing is caring. post his pics.

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Ask for his number and make him yours.

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tell him I'm available.

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where are the pics tho

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Show me these alleged pics sis. Maybe he's not that hot. Let me judge.

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If you won't post them I'm writing in my LJ notes that you are a liar!

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omfg... sis..... WeHo Nude Sharing Viet.... omg.... i feel like i know this hooker.

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But how did he get your uninterested friend with a boyfriend's phone number...

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I won't be watching but I'll look for the orgy clips on myvidster.

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All of them are "famous" ~Instagram models~ who talk photographs of eachother, they're up there with guys like Kyle Krieger and Levi Foster. I mostly know about Brandon the most since he takes nice pics but of fucking course there aren't any gay Asians. When you look through their IG that particular circle of gay guys don't have a single Asian friend



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They should've asked this guy to join just for his ass alone.



Edited at 2017-03-07 01:28 am (UTC) I was wondering why some of them look familiar.They should've asked this guy to join just for his ass alone. https://www.instagram.com/p/BHr5OCFAi9F/

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thats surgery tho.

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There are seriously a bunch of Instagram famous Asian gay guys with followings they could've gotten that would've fit right in with these heauxs. Was Sid Garabato and Antony Tran busy?



Edited at 2017-03-07 01:38 am (UTC)

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his photoshop is really obvious

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i think im in love

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i'm frankly the only asian in my group of gay friends...



while drunk, they once even said they'd not fuck with asians, which was kinda disheartening (i wouldn't sleep with any of them anyways, so.....)

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What the hell happened to Logo tho? It's like 99% old sitcoms now. I remember sneak watching it back in the day and it actually had lgbt content.

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what the universe needs is bad girls club: gay guy edition

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THIS THIS THISS! BTW, Oxygen is completely rebranding and I think the BGC will be closed down. I want VH1 to buy the rights to it. Fuck ANTM, BGC is perfect for their line up

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I personally would love to see 'Flavor of Love' gay edition with Milo Yiannopoulos.

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I rebuke this. No.

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Lmao I'm screaming

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This reminds me so much of Jersey Shore, not sure if I'm thirsty enough to torrent this (I don't have Logo)

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It's like Jersey Shore without the personality. I hope, in 3-4 years, the cast will be broke enough to do a reunion, all the infants will be old enough to be left with the grandparrents. I want my shitwasted meatballs back. It was the first show I ever woke up at 4AM for to watch illegaly on MTV US live stream

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logo needs to stick to reruns of old shows like bewitched (which they took off the air damn it!), three's company and mama's family and stay away from perpetuating negative gay stereotypes that give us a bad name. sure there really are shallow self obsessed gay men out their but let them stay in their bubbles of blandness and not relay it on national television



Edited at 2017-03-07 01:26 am (UTC)

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Drag me ONTD, but I feel like for TV gold people need to be trashy, self obsorbed and loud. It's not perpetuating a gay stereotype, it's just a good reality star. Same with housevives and they are not gay males.

Like we have shows like When We Rise, it's def not enough, but reality tv is a different genre

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So the LGBTQ network needs to stick to airing non-LGBTQ content?

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Why are 90% of the cast mates so ugly tho?

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The chickens revenge The chickens revenge

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Send her to Alcatraz

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the new birdman of alcatraz

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'ONTD's Mental Gymnastics: Azealia Banks' is the fav Ryan Murphy anthology series of mine tbh

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Going over the posts about her incident with Russell Crowe is a trip. People bent all the way backwards to defend her. A head punch over getting spat on? I still... no.

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Sia chicken post is my personal fave



Edited at 2017-03-07 05:53 am (UTC)

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People were defending her? How?!

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I really couldn't believe the shit I was reading in that post, or the chicken one lol

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Sometimes people here bend over backwards to blindly defend women and I get it because people do it with men but like, stop. It's not helpful.

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Arrest ha!

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In an alternate Universe a chicken is sacrificing thousands of Azealia Banks'

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So does one just show up to Paris Fashion week and grab a seat, or...?

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The ghosts of chickens past will have their revenge!

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that's what the single, metal platelet was for; kind of like female armor in oversexualized video games

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hahaha

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lmao



a criminally underrated comment

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a lawyer didn't write that lmao Azealia typed that herself from her Metro PCS phone

"She was in France for Fashion week due to meetings and other social gatherings" this law school grammar rn

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looool

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lmao srsly.

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lmao nnn more like straight talk lbr.

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Yes, everyone goes to Paris Fashion Week for "meetings." That's what it's famous for. We all know that.



I'm also enjoying how she thought the court date was the 8th, but she sent her attorney and a "close family member in her place" on the 6th, right? Am I misreading that? Makes no sense.

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lmao ifkr

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Yeah, she should be arrested feather assault she did.

GET IT? FEATHER?

HAHAHA.

CHICKENS.

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I wonder how she finances her existence.

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damn she really has zero love for herself

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meetings and other social gatherings



lmao at least make the lie believable

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Lol bitch I almost spit out my London fog latte reading your comment.

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well at least she didn't say shows so give her some credit.

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Yeah she should get arrested feather assault she did.

GET IT?

FEATHER?

HAHAHA.

CHICKENS.

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I giggled

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three times and it'll really be funny

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....people are bitter over eva and ryan?



RYAN GOSLING?!?!

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ur shock is confusing 2 me

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Folks who want him with white girls.

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LOL



I take it you're really young and haven't heard of McGosling shippers

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i haven't heard of it but i am aware that he's a Thing people were obsessed with (my cousin being one of them, she's in her 30s)...just didn't know they still are and care enough to want to break up his marriage lmao

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Eva isn't pictured but she continues to serve on instagram.



why is god so against me

give me 1 photo 2gether

just let me stan as a stan should stan

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Tumblr tells me this is from their friend's instagram:



IKR? I respect their desire to stay private and keep their relationship for them, BUT COME ON.Tumblr tells me this is from their friend's instagram:

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this is from 2012

god is against us

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he reminds me of calvin harris in this pic

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must also add that all her instagram pix r so grainy they may well be taken w/ a flip phone

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lmao ia though

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Well that second one sounds potentially trippy awesome

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How much jazz music is in First Man.

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omg ia 100%. i know this girl (she's indian) and she had this whole breakdown where she cursed out dev patel bc he was dating a white girl



she's obsessed with justin trudeau and calls him daddy



it's really scary

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she's obsessed with justin trudeau and calls him daddy



as a canadian, i understand the joy of not being under harper's thumb anymore, but shit like this gives me so much secondhand embarrassment, omg.



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The story is about an underwater welder, a father-to-be, who encounters supernatural forces under the sea.



That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange aeons even death may die

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OP, I fucking LOVE that you're listening to POE!!! I miss my Poe icons :(

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YASSSSSS. I'm still wounded over the promise of a new album, then NOTHING.

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UGH I know. I am still emotionally damaged from finding out that the only time I was in LA she played a free concert and I didn't find out until I had left.

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his personality makes up for his face afaik!

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he's really charming

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acting abilities aside, he just seems like a really nice guy

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do it he's gr8

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Join us, he's talented, wears the shit out of a suit, seems nice/chill and his interviews are always amusing.

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I love that he covers his mouth when he laughs

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Eva missed out on some Oscar history by staying home this year



Edited at 2017-03-07 08:30 pm (UTC)

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I will watch anything he's in, so this all sounds great to me.

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I'm the same. Him and Gyllenhaal. Sign me the fuck up.



Except Song to Song. That's going to test me.

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Jake and Ryan are my two favorites right now too.



I think I'm going to see Song to Song, but I'm wary.

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Jake and Ryan are two of the most talented actors of this generation. And they both seem down to earth as an added bonus.

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I finally watched La La Land. I am honestly shocked it got nominated for so many Oscars and not only surprised that Emma won, but that she was nominated at all. Such a weak film. The cinematography was beautiful though.

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I'm way late on this, but I just saw today that George passed away right before Christmas. :(



Curious as to who directs TUW.

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Curious as to who directs TUW.



I hope they get someone good, I want that shit to be creepy and unnerving.

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what D:

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Not going to give them more clicks, but paps took some intrusive pics of he (and Eva) carrying him into the vet for what seems to have likely been the last time, based on the response to them.



I was wondering why he hadn't shown up on Eva's IG lately. :(

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I just watched The Nice Guys last night and I truly believe he should have been nominated for that instead of La La Land. And I loved La La Land. He was so fucking hilarious in that

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I miss Meegan.

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Meegan was so AWFUL LMAO

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my boyfriend does jordan/meegan's "NO!" impression all the time. it kills me.

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yaaaaaaas, bb!! and i'm here for you and your flawless taste tbh!

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RIP Meegan tho.

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I'M OVER IIIIT

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I think he is the guy who could give us a really good movie about fed-up, jobless millenials who plan a mass killing spree of baby boomers, kind of like the Purge.

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Tweet him that. Lol

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i want that movie

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id watch this

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jfc I swear every baby boomer in the lab today went to me to bitch about millennials and I wanted them to choke on their food every time  

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take my money

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BRB stealing this idea, writing a script, and starting a crowd funding page.

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lol shit!

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Bring it on! Get Out was such a refreshing movie. Keep em coming, Meegan.

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I'm rooting for him but will definitely be waiting for something in horror of his to watch so fingers crossed all of these do well for him and he makes something less scary I can enjoy

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ivanka's voice sounds so weird. is it her veneers?

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I think she's just trying to sound ~rich. her brothers don't have that accent

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Her teeth are so freaking huge. They look like when Dennis the Menace put chiclets in his neighbor's dentures.

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He's kind of sexy to me in that second picture.

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He actually looks pretty cute as a girl tbh.

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Watched that earlier. Hilarious.



There's a lot of great art being inspired by this movie. Twitter is full of it. I love it.



Get Out was great, so I'd definitely go see those movies.

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I was surprised by how many gorg fanart there is of it tbh. original movies hardly inspire that much art in the internet so it only goes to show this movie's impacT!!!!

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omg, that poster is amazing!

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someone save kanye

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Every time I see a funny or die article I remember I can't enter to their tweets bc they blocked me after I called them out for stealing Laura Benanti's idea in one of their videos lollll

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the layers to this movie. gorgeous. i am happy that he scrapped his original ending tho.

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What was the original ending?

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what was the original ending?

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I love Meegan!

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i think the guy is so unfunny at least in these skits. meegan tho <3

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Argh, can't watch any of these and I can't remember that url to use that makes YouTube videos accessible.

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Oil prices traded sideways in a quiet market as traders digest the news coming from Houston where the worlds opinion leaders in oil & gas have gathered for this years CERA Week.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

Chart of the Week

(Click to enlarge)

 Total installed wind capacity surpassed hydropower in the U.S. for the first time last year.

 Hydro has been a pillar of the U.S. electricity system for decades  not as large a share of the sector as coal, natural gas or nuclear, but hydro has held a sizable share since the post-WWII build out in the 1940s and 1950s.

 On February 12, in the Southwest Power Pool, which covers North Dakota down to Northern Texas, wind accounted for half of the entire systems generation, the first time that has occurred in one of the seven regional transmission organizations (RTOs).

Market Movers

 ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) says it will spend $5 billion on developing its Guyana discovery.

 Natural gas prices rose this week on cooler weather reports for the U.S., with prices up nearly 4 percent to $2.931/MMBtu. Prices are still down sharply from Decembers highs.

 Range Resources (NYSE: RRC) is one of the lowest cost producers of natural gas in the U.S., according to JP Morgan. The bank gave Range Resources a target price of $46 per share.

Tuesday March 7, 2017

IHS CERAWeek got underway this week in Houston, a top oil and gas conference that will feature the most notable faces of the oil world in one place. There will be plenty of news coming from oil executives, ministers, analysts and government agencies.



IEA: supply deficit looms unless drilling picks up. The IEA issued a new report at the conference that looks at the oil market over the next five years, and the agency warned that although shale drilling is coming back and the market is currently oversupplied, relentless demand growth will soak up all the excess. By the early 2020s, the market could be short of supply, resulting in a price spike. The IEA says the draconian cuts to exploration spending over the past three years will result in too few barrels coming online in the five-year timeframe. OPEC will be stretched to its limits as demand soars.

Russia says it will comply with promised cuts. Russias energy minister Alexander Novak said that Russian oil production will drop by 300,000 bpd by late April, which will allow Russia to comply with the cuts it promised as part of the OPEC deal. Together with Russia, other non-OPEC countries pledged to reduce output by 558,000 bpd. Russias compliance will further boost confidence in the deal.

Oil majors to boost growth. A Reuters analysis finds that the largest oil companies in the world are planning on ramping up production over the next five years, after three years of contraction. Together, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), BP (NYSE: BP), Total (NYSE: TOT), Statoil (NYSE: STO) and Eni (NYSE: E), will grow output by a combined 15 percent by 2021. Related: Why The U.S. Military Is Fully Backing Renewables

Argentina shale costs drop by half. Argentinas state-run YPF (NYSE: YPF) said that drilling in Argentinas shale is getting more cost effective. At the CERAWeek conference, YPF CEO Miguel Gutierrez said horizontal drilling costs have declined by half, falling from $17 million per well to just $8 million  still above U.S. shale drilling costs but rapidly converging towards parity. Also, the time it takes to drill a new well fell from 40 days to just 15 days. As a result, breakeven costs have dipped below $40 per barrel, making Argentina one of the most attractive places for shale drilling outside of North America.

Exxon to spend $20 billion in Gulf of Mexico. ExxonMobils CEO Darren Woods laid out plans on Monday at CERAWeek to spend $20 billion on refineries, petrochemical plants and other oil and gas projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The move comes on top of Exxons announcement last week that it would step up spending on shale drilling in the U.S. Exxon has made a name for itself for drilling complex projects around the world, but in this new era of low prices, Exxon is increasingly focusing on the U.S.

Frac sand prices soaring. Demand for frac sand is soaring and could even eclipse previous peaks despite fewer wells being drilled. That is because the volume of sand used in each well has surged as companies discover more sand leads to more production. The amount of sand used per foot of well depth was up 40 to 50 percent in 2016 compared to 2014. The surge in demand for sand is pushing up prices. The result could be a 10 percent increase in the cost of the average shale well, which will erase some of the efficiency gains the industry achieved over the past few years. Bad news for shale drillers, but good news for frac sand producers, including Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP) and U.S. Silica Holdings (NYSE: SLCA), whose share prices are up 170 percent and 380 percent over the past year, respectively. Related: Regulation May Stall The Future Of Energy Storage

U.S. refined product exports soar. U.S. refineries exported 3 million barrels per day of refined products in 2016, more than double the 1.3 mb/d shipped a decade ago. The U.S. is now a net exporter of crude and refined products in its relationship with Latin America for the first time, upending longstanding trade flows from south to north.

Libyan oil production down on turmoil. Clashes near Libyas largest oil export terminals started to cut into output, with production falling by roughly 50,000 bpd to 650,000 bpd in recent days. It is not clear if the outage will be lengthy, but violence will likely bedevil the North African OPEC member for the foreseeable future.

WSJ survey puts oil below $60 for 2017. A WSJ survey of 15 investment banks finds an average oil price forecast at $57 per barrel for Brent in 2017 and $55 for WTI. Going forward, the analysts expect oil to trade within the narrow range that it has been residing in for much of this year. There doesnt seem to be many catalysts to throw us out of the current range, Christopher Main, oil analyst at Citigroup, told the WSJ. We should be treading water until springtime.

China deploys largest oil platform. Chinas drilling platform, Bluewhale 1, is heading into operation. The nearly $1 billion platform is as tall as a 37-storey building, the largest oil platform in the world. It will be used in the South China Sea.

By Evan Kelly of Oilprice.com

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Crude continues to churn in its tight trading range, little moved by Libyan supply concerns, nor by rhetoric coming out of CERAWeek in Houston. As we await another weekly dose of U.S. inventory data, all we can hear are bullish snores amid a bearish pause (paws?). Hark, here are five things to consider in oil markets today:

1) Last week we discussed how the loadings of certain Nigerian crude grades were on the rise, although still lagging year-ago levels. Our ClipperData below illustrate how export loadings of light sweet Qua Iboe crude are still lagging compared to 2015 levels, although having rebounded from lows made late last year.

Exports of Qua Iboe averaged 330,000 barrels per day in 2015, before dropping to 220,000 bpd last year. Loadings through the first two months of this year have now dropped below 200,000 bpd. For Nigerian production (and exports) to rebound, grades such as Qua Iboe, Forcados, Bonny Light and Brass River need to return to the levels of their former glory.

(Click to enlarge)

2) We get the monthly EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook today, to provide some food for thought for the rest of this year and next. We have to wait until next week for the monthly insights from the IEA (Wednesday 15th). but in the meantime, the agency has released a separate report: a five-year outlook.

A key takeaway from the report is that global oil supply could struggle to keep pace with demand after 2020, given the lack of new projects amid the recent price downturn. While non-OPEC supply is set to be boosted by the U.S., Canada and Brazil in the coming years, this drops off by 2020 (hark, below), due to the lack of projects coming to fruition at this time - because of lack of investment in recent years (down by 25 percent in 2015, down another 26 percent in 2016).

(Click to enlarge)



3) Staying with the IEA report, it projects demand is set to rise by an average of 1.2 million bpd each year to 2022 - a solid pace, but by no means replicating the 2 million bpd increase seen in 2015. Of this growth, 46 percent is projected to come from two countries: China and India:

(Click to enlarge)



4) U.S. wind and hydro generation are converging, as highlighted in the chart below. As of December 2016, generation capacity for wind has surpassed that of hydro, driven by wind capacity additions in 2016 (hark, 8,727 MW). Related: Could This Be The Biggest NatGas Find Of The Decade?

Nonetheless, even though there is more wind capacity available, above-normal precipitation on the West Coast this year means hydro will still produce more electricity in 2017.

(Click to enlarge)



5) Quote of the day comes from Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources: 'People just don't seem to realize how big the Permian is. It will eventually pass the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia, and that is the biggest in the world'.

Mr. Sheffield has previously stated how he expects Permian production to rise to 5 million barrels per day by 2020. It is the shale play seeing the most action at the moment, with 308 rigs deployed in the basin, up from the low last year in April of 132.

By Matt Smith

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There cannot be a more valuable natural resource in the world that has been subjected to more attacks and criticism than Canadas oil sands. James Hansen, a big shot with NASA, wrote an article in the New York Times in May of 2012 titled, Game Over For the Climate. He said the tar sands, as critics unaffectionately call this deposit, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in entire history. Ouch. His point was it was only a matter of time before this kills us all.

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 29, 2016 approved the expansion of Enbridge Line 3 to the mid-west U.S. and Kinder Morgans pipeline to Burnaby, a Greenpeace fundraising initiative stated, We will not let them be built. Building these pipelines would trample First Nations rights, pollute the land, water and air, and fuel climate change. New pipe wont be easy.

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre and regional municipal leaders in urban Quebec have declared they dont want pipelines that carry oil sands production in or near Montreal as anticipated by the Energy East project. In the upcoming B.C. election, the opposition NDP are already campaigning against a pipeline expansion carrying Alberta bitumen. Northern Gateway is already dead thanks to Prime Minister Trudeau.

In the world of resources the public hates, oil sands are in the same category as asbestos. It is astonishing in a world that consumes 96 million barrels of crude a day that the 2.7 million from the oil sands have been placed in such a special category for vilification by our fellow citizens, consumers and environmentalists.

The oil sands have never had it easy. Discovered centuries ago by early explorers, how to unlock the thick, massive but clearly valuable resources has intrigued and perplexed entrepreneurs for decades if not centuries. An early pioneer was Sun Oil of Pennsylvania, the developer of the first oil sands plant Great Canadian Oil Sands (GCOS) which later became Suncor. An internal memo to Sun Oils CEO in 1951 stated, I know of no place in the world where I can, if I am the first to apply for a tar sands permit, obtain oil reserves for less than $1.40 per acre.

The old saying goes oil and gas is where you find it. They found it. The question was one of economics. How do we turn this massive resource into money?

GCOS went on stream in 1967 followed by the second major oil sands mining operation, the Syncrude consortium in 1978. Both were classified as experimental and not always profitable. After oil prices collapsed in the mid-1980s Syncrude had to report it was losing money on every barrel of production. But as prices stabilized and processes improved, the losses quit.

Meanwhile at Cold Lake, Imperial Oil (the Canadian unit of Exxon Mobil) began its thermal recovery operation in 1975 after several years of development. This was thermal in situ recovery that has since expanded dramatically using different techniques such as SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage).

The problem was that for accounting purposes, oil sands - mined or steamed  were not considered the same thing as conventional oil. In the late 1990s the Alberta government, the Energy Resources Conservation Board and CAPP began to lobby the U.S. government to acknowledge that the oil sands were indeed oil and, for purposes of public accounting, should be considered real hydrocarbon reserves by their developers.

In 2002 Albertas oil sands lobbyists had a major breakthrough when the respected publication Oil & Gas Journal recognized oil sands as real reserves in their annual global reserve report. Washingtons Energy Information Agency did the same thing. Suddenly, Canadas proven reserves jumped from 4.8 billion to 180 billion barrels of oil, an eye-popping increase.

In 2008 and after significant lobbying by Canada and oil developers, the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission finally updated its regulations regarding acceptable oil company proven reserve reports. Effective January 1, 2010, the SEC regulations were amended to include unconventional liquids such as bitumen and shale oil. The date of the pricing point for the previous year was also clarified. Oil companies had been developing and producing this crude for years. This had nothing to do with oil or profitability but it sure helped the book value of the companys assets.

Unfortunately, the value of reserves on the financial statements of oil companies moves in both directions primarily based on price. Recoverable reserves of oil is ultimately based on the value of the production and the capital and operating costs. This is hardly a new nor complicated concept. The collapse of oil prices in the past two years has resulted in, at least for accounting purposes, the disappearance of enormous wealth on the balance sheets of oil companies. But the oil is still there, as is consumer demand. Only the accounting valuation has changed.

The headlines have been devastating. In December 2015, a year after the price collapse, a headline in on-line news outlet Breitbart.com blared, Shale Drillers To Write Off 40 percent Of Oil Reserves. While the U.S. allegedly had 2 trillion barrels of shale oil, the banks were only going to recognize a fraction of that in the low-price environment. In April of 2016 an article in Forbes was titled, An $840 Billion Decline In Oil and Gas Reserves. Same story. Accounting rules and reserve engineering analysis dictated an oil companys assets were price sensitive and had to be adjusted accordingly. Virtually every oil and gas company in North America saw their lending covenants adjusted downwards because of reserve devaluations. Many went broke after the screws were tightened too far.

There are two realities. Theres the amount of oil God put in the ground and there is the accounting definition of what can be declared commercially proven reserves. They are not the same thing. Which brings us back to the oil sands.

After years of aggressive development there is no question there is a retrenchment of capital spending in the oil sands. But it has nothing to do with geology. Canadas total bitumen resources remain unchanged at a staggering 1.7 trillion barrels with proven reserves of 10 percent of that, third largest in the world. It is entirely related to development costs, oil prices, government policy and transportation.

The news is hardly encouraging. The first company to pull the plug was Royal Dutch Shell when it abandoned its partially constructed Carmon Creek oil sands project near Peace River in late 2015. One of the reasons cited was pipeline uncertainty. Since that time the bad news has been cascading. Many operators such as Norways Statoil have decided to leave the oil sands in favor of other opportunities. As recently as February 27, 2017 Royal Dutch Shell advised it would not be pursuing further oil sands investment, preferring to produce what they already own. The company told Bloomberg, There are no plans for growth capital to be invested in oil sands. No good news whatsoever.

The events that triggered the greatest media speculation that the party was over for oil sands occurred when Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips reported oil sands reserve write downs for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. Related: Where Is Teslas Model 3 Beta Prototype?

Exxon Mobils news release read, inclusive of a net reduction of 3.3 billion oil-equivalent barrels from 2015. Reserves changes in 2016 reflect new developments as well as revision and extensions to existing fields resulting from drilling, studies, analysis of reservoir performance and the application of the methodology prescribed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Most of this was in Canadas oil sands.

What the SEC gave in 2010 it took away in 2016.

Same story at ConocoPhillips. The Financial Post reported February 22, 2017 that, ConocoPhillips has revised down over a billion barrels of oil sands reserves because of low global oil prices ...the latest sign that some of Canadas vast hydrocarbon potential may be left untapped. The story wrote, The U.S. Securities Exchange Commission document provides a detailed breakdown of the global oil reservoirs cut ConocoPhillips announced in quarterly results, when it de-booked 1.75 billion barrels of oil equivalent of reserves. That number shows it wasnt just the oil sands that were uneconomic at 2016 prices.

These big reserve write downs, only part of what happened all over the world, triggered a flurry of headlines wondering if the oil sands story was over. The Financial Post for the ConocoPhillips headline stated, in part, underscoring the (oil sands) regions price vulnerability. Oilprice.com, a specialist website, carried a headline blaring, Have The Majors Given Up On Canadas Oil Sands? Bloomberg News wrote February 27, Shell shuns new oil sands as low crude prices force cost control. Theepochtimes.com website article was titled, End of An Era For Canadas Oil Sands.

Gone. Dead. This is over. Turn the page. And it isnt true. MEG Energy and Cenovus have both announced expansions for 2017 for their SAGD operations. Last summer CAPP predicted a further increase in bitumen production of 300,000 barrels per day by 2020. Further, oil sands mining has a zero reservoir decline rate so long as the trucks and shovels are running. While economically the value of bitumen production vacillates, the raw resource is for all intensive purposes unlimited.

But Suncor CEO Steve Williams told the Calgary Herald February 24, When we look at the absolute economics of Fort Hills (the last major oil sands mine under construction), those are not the projects we will be repeating in the foreseeable future. Williams figures, the era of investment in mining operations in coming to an end. Again, hardly positive.

The problem is the media and analysts are very good at reporting the symptoms but not so good as diagnosing the disease. There is no question investment in oil sands has backed off considerably. But it is much more complicated than commodity prices alone.

Back in 1996 Canada introduced what was described as the generic oil sands fiscal regime, a combination of Albertas incentive royalty rates and Ottawas tax structure. At the same time Canada started lobbying U.S. regulators and the SEC to recognize oil sands as real oil, Alberta put in a base 1 percent royalty on production until project payout and 25 percent thereafter. Ottawa introduced an accelerated capital cost allowance to encourage investment.

And it worked. The fiscal framework was attractive and stable. Oil prices rose. The U.S. decided bitumen was oil. Halfway through the next decade the oil sands boom was underway. An expansion of unprecedented proportions followed. Moved the needle on the entire Canadian economy to the point that central Canadian politicians declared it disruptive to the rest of Canada. Alberta was too wealthy. This was somehow a problem. Related: Tensions Rise In Iraq As Kurdish Forces Seize Oil Pipeline

There is no question that the future for oil sands investment is not what it was. But the slowdown is more complicated than compliance with SEC regulations. There has been an all-out, global assault on the oil sands from every direction. Yes, the development cost is high. The real question is whether or not the world wants safe, secure, reliable and virtually unlimited supplies of crude from Canada or whether other sources from the rogue nations that produce much of the worlds oil will suffice.

The generic oil sands fiscal regime is gone. Albertas base royalty pre-payout is up 500 percent. Ottawas accelerated capital cost allowance is history. Production volume is up so much the pipelines are full and low-cost, dependable takeaway capacity is being fought on every front. The Alberta government has raised corporate taxes by 20 percent and placed a cap on oil sands carbon emissions. Carbon taxes have been implemented and increased. The Oil Sands Advisory Group, appointed by the government to manage the cap, is populated by government-appointed, professional oil sands haters.

The federal government has chipped in with a national carbon tax. Whatever the current Prime Minister may say about pipeline capacity, municipal and provincial politicians in control the real estate between the oil sands and tidewater remain committed to obstructing low cost access to market for incremental barrels of bitumen production.

So when it is written the era of the oil sands is over, it may indeed be true. But it has nothing to do with Exxon Mobil or ConocoPhillips reserve write downs or oil prices. If the people and governments of Canada recognized the oil sands as the massive economic jewel that it is and got with the development program and quit putting up political and economic roadblocks, it is certain oil companies would be making different investment decisions.

Canadas oil sands are a massive resource. The oil is there. Exploitation is profitable. A bit early to declare it dead.

By David Yager for Oilprice.com

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ExxonMobil, the U.S. energy giant, has taken some hard knocks in the last year: a staggering stock price, a massive de-booking, a lost AAA credit rating. But early in 2017, with new leadership and a new emphasis on domestic U.S. projects, Exxons fortunes may be improving, in no small measure thanks to its allies in the Federal Government and its growing investment in U.S. shale.

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods announced on Monday at the CERAWeek conference in Houston TX that the company will be making further investments in U.S. shale oil and gas, laying out a $20 billion Growing the Gulf initiative that seeks to invest in chemical, refining, lubricant and LNG projects along the Texas and Louisiana coast.

The new project indicates a further shift for Exxon, away from international projects and towards a focus on domestic endeavors, specifically those involving shale oil and gas. The $20 billion Growing the Gulf program comes a few months after acquisitions in the Permian Basin, the fastest-growing area for shale producers, totaling $5.6 billion. Last week Exxon disclosed that it was shifting half its drilling budget to the U.S., in order to exploit its new acreage in the Permian.



Exxons strategy, according to Woods, is to leverage the shale oil and gas boom into expanded manufacturing and new U.S. exports. Woods, whose background is in downstream activities, wants to emphasize this aspect of the companys business in part for the political benefits: The Trump Administrations focus on expanding U.S. exports and building American infrastructure in order to produce new jobs clearly factored into Woods address, which emphasized the thousands and thousands of new manufacturing and highly-skilled jobs the initiative would produce. Related: Goldman Sachs Sees Long-term Oil Prices Below $60

Exxons announcement garnered an optimistic endorsement from President Donald J. Trump via Twitter. The President went so far as to put out a short video praising Exxons role as a job creator. Exxons investment is expected to produce 45,000 jobs over a ten-year period.

Woods is branding the project as a new initiative is a bit disingenuous. As Bloomberg pointed out, Exxons investments in the Gulf have been on-going since 2013, before the oil price collapse. Woods, who had spoken in public as Exxon CEO only once before making Mondays announcement, took over in January as former CEO Rex Tillerson joined the Trump Administration as Secretary of State. Woods did not acknowledge how new projects would be integrated into Exxons pre-existing investments in the region, which are already on target to boost downstream activities and provide thousands of new jobs.

In the last twelve months Exxon has taken some significant hits. In November, it was forced to de-book its reserves in the Canadian oil sands, citing the low price of crude. The venerable oil and gas giant lost its AAA rating from Standard and Poor in April 2016, which thought a symbolic loss (it shared the rating with Microsoft and Johnson&Johnson) indicated the damage wrought by years of low prices and some pretty terrible luck, notably Tillersons lost $500 billion deal in Russia as the result of Western sanctions. Related: Could This Be The Biggest NatGas Find Of The Decade?



Yet the shift in investment focus is part of a wider strategy, not just Woods pursuit of political capital or his eagerness to show his differences from Tillerson. The last several months has seen Exxon shift its focus from long-term, international projects to short-term plays on the U.S. patch, as Bloomberg noted. Exxon, a latecomer to shale, is now positioned as one of its biggest players, with Tillersons acquisition of XTO Energy in 2010 the first sign of its growing recognition of the sectors importance. Woods last week announced Exxons plans to spend $5.5 billion on drilling in the Permian and Bakken regions. The companys production goal is set between 4 and 4.4 million bpd, a relatively modest target.

With buy ratings from investors at an all-time low and its reputation tarnished by a run of bad luck, Exxon is looking for a new approach to rebuild confidence. The strategy, as well as the PR surrounding the Growing the Gulf initiative, indicates a company that recognizes the changes in the political climate as well as the energy market. Short-term investments look like a safer bet when the price is hovering near $50, with OPEC cuts matched by increases in U.S. shale production, and where an imminent boom or bust may be right around the corner.

After several decades of shunning the U.S. and Latin America for Asian and African riches, ExxonMobils new approach signals both a shift in tactics and branding. It is also a recognition of the staying power of U.S. shale, which years after its arrival on the scene has maintained its relevance.

By Gregory Brew for Oilprice.com

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Royal Dutch Shell fears that reopening a pipeline in Nigeria will cause local separatist groups to re-bomb the facility for a third time, according to reports emerging from the area.

The Trans Forcados Pipeline, which takes 400,000 barrels to the Forcados export terminal every day, has been out-of-operation for all but three weeks in the past year, according to risk analysis published by SBM intelligence on Friday.

Previously, militants dove underwater to install bombs near the section of the pipeline in the Atlantic Ocean that they aimed to destroy. Shell brought in underwater engineers to repair the pipeline in an act of defiance against the militants and their most sophisticated attack to date.

Forty-eight hours after the engineers completed seven months of repairs, creating a loss of $3 billion, the group bombed the Trans Forcados again.

"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," the SBM Intelligence report said, quoting industry sources and other anonymous speakers.

Nigeria has roughly 500,000 bpd offline because of security issues, Manji Cheto, senior vice president for West Africa at Teneo Intelligence, told Bloomberg last month.



Related: Tensions Rise In Iraq As Kurdish Forces Seize Oil Pipeline

In February, Nigerian Oil Minister Ibe Kachikwu announced between $50 billion and $100 billion in lost oil revenues due to the series of militant attacks on oil pipelines and related facilities in the Niger River Delta. A previous attempt at peace had led to a short truce late last year, but ultimately failed.

The Niger Delta Avengers and related groups demand that at least part of the profits the government makes from exploiting the regions oil wealth be used for the benefit of the Nigerians living in the fuels original place of extraction.

Last month, Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the Niger Delta in an effort to bring peace to the oil-producing region, but no reported progress was made during the trip.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco have finalized the agreement to split the assets, liabilities and businesses of their 50/50 refining and marketing joint venture in the U.S., Motiva Enterprises, targeting transaction closure in the second quarter this year, the Anglo-Dutch oil major and the Saudi oil giant said in separate statements.

The two companies had originally announced in March 2016 that they signed a non-binding letter of intent to divide the assets of Motiva Enterprises, a joint venture set up in 1998 and operated as a 50/50 refining and marketing joint venture since 2002.

Under the terms of the final negotiated transaction, Saudi Aramcos wholly owned subsidiary Saudi Refining, Inc (SRI) will assume full ownership of the Motiva Enterprises LLC name and legal entity, including the 600,000-barrel-per-day Port Arthur,Texas, refinerythe largest in the U.S, Shell said in a statement on Monday.

Aramco will also have 24 distribution terminals, and Motiva will have the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as the eastern half of Texas and the majority of Florida.

Shell, on the other hand, will become the sole owner of the other two Motiva refineriesthe 230,000-bpd Convent, Louisiana refinery, and the 235,000bpd Norco, Louisiana refinery. Shell will also own 11 distribution terminals, Shell-branded markets in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, a portion of the Florida panhandle, and the North-eastern region of the U.S. Shell will integrate these assets with its downstream business in North America.



Related: OPEC Sends Mixed Signals About Output Cut Extension

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser said in the company statement:

Saudi Aramco will provide Motiva with the strong financial support and necessary liquidity needed to maintain an investment grade credit rating and capitalize on growth and expansion opportunities to help the company become a highly competitive major downstream player in the U.S.

Both companies said that subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017. The targeted date is April 1, Reuters quoted Shell spokesman Ray Fisher as saying in an email.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Shells Nigerian subsidiary announced it has shut down for maintenance the Bonga field, which has the capacity to produce some 225,000 barrels of crude daily, until April. The company provided no further details, but Nigerian media estimated the daily loss in revenue at $10.95 million (3.45 billion naira) at current oil prices.

The managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co. was quoted as saying that the temporary suspension will reduce the need for unscheduled work stoppages, ensuring consistent production in the future.

The Bonga field is the first deepwater oil field thats being developed in Nigeria, and is responsible for exporting an average 200,000 barrels per day. The news about the work suspension was not unexpected, Reuters noted, as no exports from the FPSO at the site were scheduled for March.

In addition to crude, the Bonga field also yields some 150 million standard cu ft of natural gas.

The news comes on the heels of reports that Shell is reluctant to reopen its Trans Forcados oil pipeline, which was the target of militant attacks over the past couple of years. The pipeline feeds 400,000 barrels of Nigerian crude daily into the Forcados export terminal, and in the past four months has only been in operation for about three weeks because of the attacks.



Related: Fund Managers Value Aramco Below $1.5 Trillion

In February, Nigerian Oil Minister Ibe Kachikwu announced between $50 billion and $100 billion in lost oil revenues due to the series of militant attacks on oil pipelines and related facilities in the Niger River Delta.

Progress in the negotiations between the federal government and Delta militant groups has been uneven, but lately there are indications that the sides could reach an agreement that would put an end to the attacks.

The latest news in this respect was an announcement from Acting President Yemi Osinbajo about plans to build a $20-billion gas industrial park in the Delta, creating a quarter of a million direct and indirect jobs.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Chair of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Klamath County District Attorney Rob Patridge, announced his resignation from both positions today. This adds fuel to previous rumors that he is being considered by the Trump Administration for the job of U.S. Attorney for Oregon.

Patridge served three terms as State Representative from Medford has been General Counsel and District Director for U.S. Congressman Greg Walden. Walden is Oregons ranking Republican, who is typically consulted by the administration on picks of this nature.

Thank you to Nathan for the tip.
Asif Zardari nine recommendations for extension of military courts

ISLAMABAD: Former president and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday announced his party's nine recommendations for an extension to the operation of military courts. The military courts had been disbanded this year on January 7th after a sunset clause under which the tribunals were established expired.



No consensus was reached between the government and the opposition on an extension to their tenure despite frequent meetings on the issue.



On February 28th, however, the majority of the political parties in power consented to an extension for another two years. The meeting, however, was not attended by leaders of the PPP, who had earlier called a multi-party conference on March 4th to discuss the matter with other politicians.



Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Zardari clarified that his party was "providing recommendations [for], not opposing [an extension to] military courts."



"We want a law that defines terrorists... that will become a definition of terrorism," he added. The PPP leader said that suspects held in connection with terrorism cases should be produced within 24 hours of their arrest.



"Our aim is not to dishearten our armed forces... We are making it clear to the government that we are with the Pakistan Army... The PPP has been fighting terrorists and will continue to fight them."



The former president said his party intended to present the points for eventual parliamentary discussion. "I hope all political forces are present for this parliamentary discussion. We are open to dialogue [on the points], whether with the government or the army," he said.



He added that the party had provided a year's time to assess the law, and that the PPP intended to pressure the government to strengthen witness protection in Sindh and disburse funds to the provinces and judiciary for more effective implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).



Slamming the government over its alleged failure regarding the implementation of the NAP, he said, "The government has money to build roads and infrastructure but not for the NAP. I think there are weaknesses [in NAP] because the government is not serious and they have not provided them the funds," he claimed.



Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, responding to the PPP's announcement, said the government would examine the points and provide copies of the recommendations to all political parties.



"There was a consensus earlier on a two-year [extension to military courts]," Dar said, "But the PPP has suggested only a year's extension. We will sit tomorrow or day after and discuss them," he added.



"Because there are new recommendations now, we will have to examine them," Law Minister Zahid Hamid said. "The clerical amendments shouldn't be an issue, and through discussion with all political parties we will try to reach a consensus on this again." Military courts have been an issue of conflict between the government and the opposition. The primary concern of critics is the mystery surrounding military court trials: no one knows who the convicts are, what charges have been brought against them, or what the accused person's defence is against the allegations levelled against them.



Nine recommendations



1. Military courts shall be presided over by a sessions judge or additional sessions judge along with a military officer

2. The sessions/additional sessions judge will be nominated by CJP

3. Period of extension will be one year from starting date

4. Right of judicial review by high courts under Article 199 of the Constitution

5. High court shall decide case within 60 days.

6. Accused will be produced within 24 hours before court

7. Accused will be supplied with grounds of arrest within 24 hours

8. Accused shall have right to engage counsel of his choice

9. Provisions of Qanoon-e-Shahadat 1984 shall apply
Mr William Josiah Nuertey, one of the four contestants to the Kpone-Katamanso District Chief Executives position has stated that the position is not solely for the compensation of losing parliamentary candidates.



Mr Nuertey told the Ghana News Agency that losing a parliamentary election was not a prerequisite for the President to nominate a candidate to the position of a chief executive officer of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.

He however indicated that the position must be given to persons who had a good knowledge of the local government system and could champion the development of the assemblies.



According to him, he stands tall among the four contestants for the position.



He noted that being a two-term government appointee of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and a student of local government and administration, he was in a better position to bring the needed development to Kpone-Katamanso District.



The other three contestants are Mr Solomon Tettey Appiah, a three-term parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the District, Mr Samuel Oko Amankwa, a one-term parliamentary candidate and Mr George Narh, an NPP loyalist.



He said when nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and confirmed by Assembly Members, he would spearhead arbitration for a permanent solution to the boundary dispute between Kpone Katamanso District Assembly (KKDA) and the TMA.



He said ideally, the initial boundary for the Kpone-Katamanso Zonal Council when it was under TMA should have been maintained when it was ceded off in 2012.



Mr Nuertey described as unfair, the current arrangement that enabled the TMA to collect revenue from companies in the disputed area and take 60 per cent while KKDA receive only 40 per cent.



The 53 years old Head of the Nungua Secondary School Languages Department expressed dissatisfaction about the low standard of education in the District and called for stakeholders collaboration to raise the standards.



He said there were few public schools in the area while Kpone had no public school making parents to rely on mission and private schools.



Mr Nuertey added that there was the need for the introduction of a scholarship scheme by the KKDA to sponsor residents who would be mentors to others in the future.

Source: GNA









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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.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, on Feb. 28 co-sponsored a resolution Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., introduced Jan. 6 urging the U.S. Postal Service to restore service standards to levels in effect on July 1, 2012, according to the Library of Congress government information web site.

The Postal Service would return to previous 2- and 3-day delivery standards, restore overnight delivery service within cities and towns, and would be less likely to consolidate postal operations, according to the American Postal Workers Union.

The resolution  H Res 31  had 125 co-sponsors, as of Tuesday  26 Republicans and 99 Democrats.

In New York, 23 of 27 House members had co-sponsored the resolution.

Elsewhere in the region, Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, is an original co-sponsor.

Stefanik also has co-sponsored resolutions urging the Postal Service to continue 6-day mail service and to continue door-to-door mail delivery.`
KINGSBURY  Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested two illegal immigrants from Mexico on Tuesday morning at a home off Route 4.

A spokesman for the agency said two men who were in the country illegally were taken into custody near a home as part of a "targeted enforcement action" that was termed "routine."

No other details were released, and no local police agencies were involved in the matter.
For 9 1/2 years, Barbara Reeley has yearned to know what happened to her adopted grandson, Jaliek Rainwalker.

She has had her suspicions, but like the police investigators who have worked for nearly a decade to determine the boys fate, Reeley has waited for a break that would lead to some conclusions as to what became of the boy from Greenwich who was 12 when he disappeared.

Reeley said she hopes that break came in recent days with the recovery of part of a human skull near the Hudson River south of Albany. Reeley visited the area on Tuesday, reaching out to police and prosecutors there to see if she can be of assistance with details such as identifying clothes that were found.

I just wanted to touch base with them, she said. Im hoping. I just want the investigators to know Im available if they need information.

As police looked into what seemed to be their best lead in years to potentially solve Jalieks disappearance, Reeley felt that she had to drive from her home in Troy to the remote part of eastern Greene County where part of a young boys skull was found last week.

A hiker found the piece of bone Feb. 26 on state land in Coxsackie known as Vosburgh Swamp, near the Hudson River. A search of the area for other bones or evidence did not yield anything that was definitively linked, but clothes were recovered in the area.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation told police Monday that a recent anthropological analysis of the piece of skull led to the conclusion that it was that of a boy between the ages of 10 and 13, and had been in the elements for five to 10 years. State Police were still reviewing the evidence that was recovered as well.

Jaliek disappeared in November 2007. His home was blocks from the Batten Kill, which feeds the Hudson River. Evidence that police developed during the case led them to search the Hudson River in Washington and Rensselaer counties dozens of times, to no avail.

Police are analyzing the bone to see if any DNA can be recovered to compare to a sample of Jalieks they have held onto since 2007.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said skulls do no have much bone marrow that would contain DNA, but a scientific process can be done to grind the bone to try to isolate and analyze some cells for comparison. That still may not yield enough DNA for a comparison, however, he said.

Bell said it may take a few weeks for the follow-up tests.

Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan said he has been monitoring the developments in recent days, and Bell has been keeping him apprised.

Police have concluded Jaliek was likely killed and have labeled his adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, as a person of interest. He was the last person known to be with the boy in his parents then-home on Hill Street in Greenwich in the hours before he was reported missing.

Kerr has maintained he did not hurt Jaliek.

Reeley is the mother of Jocelyn McDonald, Kerrs wife. She has not had any communication with her daughter or son-in-law since the weeks after Jaliek disappeared.

Despite the publicity in recent days about the possible connection to the case, Bell said he had not heard from Kerr, McDonald or their lawyer as of Tuesday afternoon. The lawyer, Jeffrey McMorris, said they have not heard anything but continue to believe Jaliek is alive.

Obviously, I have parents who continue to believe, know that he has run away and is out there. I cant imagine what they go through every time something like this comes up, he said.
FORT EDWARD  A Granville teen pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge for sexually assaulting another teen, court records show.

James B. Birkheimer, 18, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual act, a felony, for having a sexual encounter with another teen in Hebron last June, records show.

The victim had been in a relationship with Birkheimer, and told police that he had sexual contact with her when she did not consent, court records show.

Birkheimer is being held in Washington County Jail pending sentencing, and likely faces a sentence of 6 months in Washington County Jail and 10 years on probation.

He was arrested last year by State Police.
QUEENSBURY  A Warrensburg man who had sex with an underage girl pleaded guilty last week in Warren County Court to a statutory rape charge.

Alexander S. Gay, 22, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, a felony, for a relationship he had with a 16-year-old girl last spring. He was accused of having sex with her multiple times.

He was not accused of physically forcing the girl to have sex, but the charge was brought because she was too young to legally consent. The age of consent in New York is 17.

Gay was arrested last June by the Warren County Sheriff's Office. He faces up to 4 years in state prison when sentenced April 5 by Warren County Judge John Hall, but could avoid a jail term and be sentenced to probation.
Police are trying to determine whether a portion of a boys skull that was found late last month in Greene County is that of missing Greenwich boy Jaliek Rainwalker.

The remains were found Feb. 26 on state land in Coxsackie, not far from an area where the Hudson River flows during floods and high tides.

Police searched the area for any other evidence that could have been linked to the discovery, and recovered clothes that may or may not be related, authorities said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced late Monday that a forensic anthropologist had concluded that the skull portion was that of a child, likely a boy between the ages of 10 and 13. The remains had been exposed to the elements for 5 to 10 years.

Jaliek was 12 when he disappeared in November 2007.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell, who has headed the investigation into Jalieks disappearance since he was reported missing, said he was advised of the discovery and that there was no definitive link to the Greenwich case as of Monday.

He said followup tests were to be performed to try to extract DNA from the bones to compare to missing persons cases, including that of Jaliek. But the process of recovering DNA from a skull can take weeks, he said.

At this point, we are waiting for those tests, Bell said.

Police have long theorized that Jaliek was killed and that his body may have been dumped into the Hudson River. Police searched different parts of the river from Greenwich south dozens of times as part of an exhaustive investigation.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police, State Police, the FBI and state forest rangers have investigated hundreds of leads over the years to try to determine what happened to the boy.

His adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, has been labeled a person of interest in his disappearance, but no one has been charged. Kerr has said he believed Jaliek, who had a troubled past, ran away.

Kerr reported him missing the morning of Nov. 2, 2007, Jaliek supposedly leaving a note that read Im sorry and I wont bother you anymore.

Kerr and his family moved to Rupert, Vermont, after Jaliek disappeared.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Applications for the fall 2017 incoming class at Skidmore College have topped 10,000, which broke the colleges own record of 9,200, set last year.

Freshmen applications have increased 75 percent over the last five years, according to a news release. More applications are coming in from international students and students of color.

Skidmore also received a record number of Early Decision applications, with 622 students saying the college was their first choice, compared with 522 last year.

The expected size of the Class of 2021 is 660, including 25 students who will choose to begin their college experience at Skidmores First-Year London Program.

Regular decision letters will be sent out in late March and students have until May 1 to commit to attend.




















Japan moved to the highest possible alert level after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles simultaneously into nearby waters, the latest provocation from Kim Jong Uns regime. Three of the missiles fell into Japans exclusive economic zone, with one dropping about 350 kilometers west of the nations northern Akita prefecture, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters after a meeting of Japans National Security Council. Authorities were still analyzing the type of missile launched, he said.

The launches clearly show that this is a new level of threat from North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers in Tokyo. American officials held phone calls afterward with counterparts in Japan and South Korea, which rely on the U.S. for security.

"North Koreas nuclear and missile capabilities have really improved, and they are becoming more difficult to predict," Abe said. The missiles "are getting closer to Japans waters and territory."









While North Korea routinely test-fires missiles -- including more than two dozen last year -- the timing of these launches is particularly sensitive. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks between China and South Korea over American plans to deploy a missile-defense system known as Thaad on the peninsula, part of measures to thwart Kim from gaining the ability to strike the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead.





































Iran is the source of the vast majority of Israels security concerns, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday at an event commemorating the victims of a 1992 Iranian-sponsored terror attack against Israel in Argentina.





Iran is the greatest generator of terrorism in the world in the world and we need to to fight this terror because it is just one arm of Iranian aggression, which also seeks nuclear weapons and advances its ballistic missiles program, he said at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.





Tehran continues to destabilize the region and to threaten Israel with annihilation, he went on. One of our defense officials estimates that more than 80 percent of our security problems emanate from Iran.





On March 17, 1992, a suicide bomber killed 29 and wounded hundreds in front of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, in what still is the deadliest attack on an Israeli diplomatic mission. A group with ties to Iran and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah took responsibility for the bombing.





Speaking at the memorial event, Netanyahu  who is also foreign minister  said Jerusalem knew right away that Tehran was behind the attack. Iran initiated, Iran planned, and Iran, through its henchman Hezbollah, also executed it.

Another example of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism followed two years later when the AMIA Jewish community center was bombed, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds, the prime minister said. We warned then of the growing monster of terrorism, sponsored by Iran, which sends metastases throughout the entire world, and it is still here, he said. Since the attack in Argentina, Iran and its proxy Hezbollah created a network of terror.

Addressing a hall full of diplomats, dignitaries and family members of the killed Israelis, Netanyahu said that Israeli diplomatic missions are under constant threat. Israel is thwarting planned attacks all the time, he said, vowing not to be deterred by Irans efforts to harm Israelis stationed across the world.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

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@PressSec/Twitter(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday limiting immigration to the United States, revoking and replacing a similar order issued in late January.



The original order, which the White House said was issued to protect the homeland from terrorism, caused confusion for many travelers and visa holders, sparked protests across the U.S. and led to a slew of lawsuits.



That order has been held up in the courts since the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked its continued implementation last month. The Trump administration has said that the new order was written in coordination with the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Justice, which will be responsible for enforcing the order, as well as designed to withstand any possible legal challenges.



The White House worked closely with those departments "to create an order that addresses previous concerns and protects the homeland and every one of our citizens," said DHS Sec. John Kelly during on-camera remarks Monday.



However, critics said the new order is just another "Muslim ban."



"The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, in a statement.



The president signed the order off camera and did not participate in the public remarks with his Cabinet secretaries regarding the implementation of the new order.



Here are the key similarities and differences between the Jan. 27 executive order and the new order signed Monday:



What's new



The old order is officially revoked as of the effective date of this new order, which is March 16 at 12:01 a.m. The administration set the effective date for next week so that the roll out would be an orderly process, according to officials.



Iraq is removed from the list of seven countries from which regular immigration is temporarily banned. For the next 90 days, immigration is suspended from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The administration explained that in negotiations between the State Department and the government of Iraq, the U.S. got the assurances it needs that Iraq will increase cooperation with the U.S. government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States. As a result of the increased information sharing, Iraqi citizens are not affected by the Executive Order.



"[I]ntense review over the past month identified multiple security measures that the State Department and the government of Iraq will be implementing to achieve our shared objective of preventing those with criminal or terroristic intent from reaching the United States," said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Monday.



The 10-day implementation delay, rather than making the order effective immediately, is also new.



Kelly said he spent much of the day Monday and last week briefing members of Congress on the "ins of the outs of this executive order."



"There should be no surprises, whether it's in the media or on Capitol Hill," he said.



This new order no longer puts a blanket, indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.



It no longer bans refugees who "have been formally scheduled for transit by the State Department."



And, unlike the previous order, it allows those already in possession of a valid visa to enter the country, no matter their origin. There is also clear language that dual U.S. nationals are not banned.



The new order no longer makes exceptions for religious minorities, which was a huge point in the various legal challenges faced by the original order. Instead, it offers new language that defends the intent of that language in the old order, which it revokes.



It makes new claims to defend the refugee suspension and review, saying that the attorney general has reported that "more than 300 persons who entered the United States as refugees are currently the subjects of counterterrorism investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When asked earlier Monday by reporters on a conference call, the Justice Department would not say how many of those people are from the six countries listed in the immigration ban nor would it provide any further details about the how the number was derived.



What remains



The order again suspends the entire refugee program for 120 days.



"The State Department will implement the provisions in this order that allow for the admissions of refugees when it is determined they do not pose a risk to the security or welfare of the United States," said Tillerson.



Again it limits the total number of refugees to be admitted in 2017 to 50,000.



The six Muslim-majority countries included in the new order are still banned from entering the United States for 90 days.



"Three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism. The other three have served as safe havens for terrorist countries, countries where governments have lost control of their territory to terrorist groups like ISIL or al-Qaeda and its affiliates," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions during remarks.



The U.S. government has the right to make case-by-case waivers/exceptions when its in the national interest to do so.



As with the previous order, the secretaries of state and homeland security will issue a joint report "on the progress in implementing this order within 30 days of the date of this order, a second report within 60 days of the date of this order, a third report within 90 days of the date of this order, and a fourth report within 120 days of the date of this order."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
COCOBOD regulates the marketing of cocoa in Ghana and also centers its functions on production, research, extension, internal and external marketing and quality control.

Mr. Ohene-Agyekum becomes the second person at COCOBOD to have his accounts frozen by EOCO.

Mr. Ohene Agyekum, who was Ghanas former Ambassador to the United States and former Ashanti Regional Minister, was appointed board chairman of COCOBOD in January 2014.

On February 21, 2017, EOCO froze the accounts of the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen Opuni.

The two are being investigated for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.

EOCO, under its new Executive Director, ACP KK Amoah, recently sent invitations to some businessmen who won some contracts from COCOBOD.

One of the businessmen called by EOCO is Seidu Agongo, who was invited in connection with an ongoing investigation into shady COCOBOD contracts.
In 2017, customers at 20,000 locations in the US and certain international locations such as Australia, Canada, France, and the UK will be able to use the feature, a figure which includes franchise locations.

As a late entrant, McDonalds app must drive new innovations to compete in an increasingly crowded market.

Looking ahead, QSRs like McDonalds will act more like payment companies. In fact, in 2014 Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz went as far as to suggest that licensing the company's mobile payments technology to other merchants was a possibility, according to Market Watch. In McDonalds' case, its unclear whether development was in-house, or with partners like white-label wallet provider Paydiant  the latter may take licensing off the table. Order ahead will drive $38 billion at QSRs by 2020, BI Intelligence estimates. With a pot this large, everyone is jostling McDonalds for a seat at the table  from payments companies like Square and PayPal to mobile wallet providers like Apple, Google, and Samsung.

Leading QSRs in the U.S. are beginning to adopt these platforms at an accelerated pace and are benefiting from them. Taco Bell sees 30% higher average order values on mobile compared to in-store, and Starbucks' Mobile Order & Pay already represents 10% of total transactions at high-volume stores, directly contributing to increased company sales.

Mobile order-ahead is still in its early days, but will be a $38 billion industry by 2020, accounting for 10.7% of total QSR industry sales. This will be driven by full adoption among the top QSRs in the US, the growth of mobile commerce, QSR adoption through aggregators like Grubhub, loyalty programs, higher average order values, and new buy buttons.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed Mobile Order-Ahead Report that profiles the companies that have proved the mobile order-ahead concept and analyzes the trends contributing to this new industry's growth.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

Mobile order-ahead apps  platforms that enable consumers to remotely purchase menu items for in-store restaurant pickup  are on the rise among quick-service restaurants (QSRs). We expect sales on these platforms to reach $38 billion by 2020, representing a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57%.

Mobile order-ahead will ultimately have an additive effect on the QSR industry. Mobile ordering platforms have been proven to intensify customer loyalty, increase purchase frequency, and lift average ticket sizes through order customization and easier checkout options. This means that mobile ordering is not a simple substitution for in-store purchasing, but a channel that can enhance the lifetime value of QSR customers. This makes mobile order-ahead a critical channel contributing to the growth of the QSR industry.

Alternative commerce solutions will help propel mobile ordering. Aggregators like Grubhub will onboard smaller fast-casual restaurants into the mobile ecosystem by offering them an existing app to integrate into, lowering the upfront costs of creating a mobile channel of their own. And in-store self-service kiosks will help popularize remote ordering and accustom users to less traditional forms of payment that don't require a cash register.

In full, the report:

Forecasts the growth of the mobile order-ahead industry in the US from 2015 to 2020, including its share of total QSR sales.

Profiles brands that are leading the migration to mobile ordering.

Examines the alternative commerce solutions that could help popularize mobile order-ahead.

Explains the risks and drawbacks to launching a mobile commerce platform.

Assesses the ways both large and small brands can create a mobile order-ahead platform.

Determines which types of fast-casual chains are in the best position to benefit from mobile order-ahead.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
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The company had said earlier in the day that it was expanding its manufacturing operation along the Gulf Coast and creating more than 45,000 jobs in the region.

Initially, the White House posted a press release reiterating the ExxonMobil news. That press release contained a paragraph that appeared to be copied, almost word-for-word, from the Exxon announcement.

Trump, who wrote on Twitter on Monday that the move from Exxon showed that "we are already winning again," then posted a nearly minute-long video praising the company soon after the administration's release.

That video was pinned to the top of his account for a brief time.

"I'm very pleased to announce that the great company ExxonMobil is going to be investing $20 billion in the Gulf Coast and the Gulf Coast region," the president said. "It'll be 45,000 jobs, and they're great jobs  $100,000 average. And this is something that was done, to a large extent, because of our policies and the policies of this new administration having to do with regulation and so many other things."

"I said we're bringing back jobs, and this is one big example of it," Trump said. "I want to thank very much ExxonMobil. Special company. Special people."

In the paragraph that appeared to be lifted from the ExxonMobil release and inserted into the White House's release, it was made clear that the investment was part of a plan that began in 2013.

"Exxon Mobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the U.S. Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity," the release said. "The company's Growing the Gulf expansion program consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022."

ExxonMobil told Business Insider that it passed along the news to the White House hoping to shed light on its investment in the region.

"Our objective was to illustrate a very significant investment that we're making in the Gulf Coast region, which is creating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity  all thanks to the shale revolution," Bill Holbrook, a senior adviser for ExxonMobil, told Business Insider in an email. "We provided information about our announcement to the White House, and they decided they wanted to issue a congratulatory press release."

The touting of Exxon's move fit with Trump's promise that jobs would be created in the country under his watch. But it entered a "gray area" in terms of ethically acceptable language and promotion from the White House of an individual business, experts said.

"They ought to be careful," Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and former top ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, told Business Insider. "I mean, we would advise them to distance themselves, congratulate a company for the good work they do creating jobs, but not doing so much that it looks like you're shilling for the company."

Painter said it was "unusual" to be "mentioning a particular company this much."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, made his objection to Trump's promotion of Exxon's move clear in a statement to Business Insider.

"The White House has now become the mouthpiece of the oil industry  literally," the Maryland Democrat said. "This is certainly the opposite of the president's promise to drain the swamp."

Adding to the appearance of an ethical conflict is the fact that Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, was the CEO of ExxonMobil until he was tapped to lead the State Department.

Tillerson took steps to clear up potential conflicts of interest before his Senate confirmation hearing, announcing in accordance with the company that he would receive a $180 million retirement package if he were confirmed. In exchange, he gave up the more than 2 million Exxon shares he would have received over the next decade, which could be worth more than the payment if Exxon's stock appreciates in that time.

The left-leaning ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington still saw a potential conflict in the substantial praise of Exxon from Trump.

"The president went out of his way to praise the company that until very recently was led by his secretary of state," Jordan Libowitz, a CREW spokesman, told Business Insider in a statement. "He went so far as to crib promotional material from the business. There appears to be a pretty significant conflict of interest there."

Painter said the promotion of Exxon's move should avoid significant scrutiny so long as Tillerson was not involved  and it did not appear he was. But Trump's move enters the same territory as White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's touting of Ivanka Trump's fashion brand in a Fox News interview last month, asking viewers to buy the product.

While Conway's move was a "blatantly obvious" violation of the ethics rules in place, Painter said, Trump's posts were more borderline. He said it was in Trump's interest to have jobs created in the US and that it was fair to congratulate a company for doing so, just as Trump had done for other companies such as Carrier, LL Bean, and Ford.

"But at what point does that cross the line to where you're shilling for a company that your secretary of state formerly has a close relationship with?" Painter said. "At a certain point, if this continues, could reach a point where the White House is advertising for these companies. And then the companies are in effect advertising through the White House."

Before Monday's tweets praising Exxon  and before he nominated Tillerson to lead the State Department  Trump had posted one tweet mentioning the company.
The 45th president has signed 34 executive actions so far, with far-reaching effects on Americans' lives.

While many of them have been billed as executive orders in the popular vernacular, most of them were technically presidential memoranda or proclamations.

The three types of executive actions have different authority and effects, with executive orders holding the most prestige:

Executive orders are assigned numbers and published in the federal register, similar to laws passed by Congress, and typically direct members of the executive branch to follow a new policy or directive. Trump has issued 16 orders.

Presidential memoranda do not have to be published or numbered (though they can be), and usually delegate tasks that Congress has already assigned the president to members of the executive branch. Trump has issued 13 memoranda.

Finally, while some proclamations  like President Abraham Lincoln's emancipation proclamation  have carried enormous weight, most are ceremonial observances of federal holidays or awareness months. Trump has issued five proclamations.

Scholars have typically used the number of executive orders per term to measure how much presidents have exercised their power. George Washington only signed eight his entire time in office, according to the American Presidency Project, while FDR penned over 3,700.

In his two terms, President Barack Obama issued 277 executive orders, a total number on par with his modern predecessors, but the lowest per year average in 120 years. Trump, so far, has signed 16 executive orders in 45 days.

Heres a quick guide to the executive actions Trump has made so far, what they do, and how Americans have reacted to them:

Executive Order, March 6: A new travel ban

Trump's second go at his controversial travel order bans people from

Existing visa holders will not be subjected to the ban, and religious minorities will no longer get preferential treatment  two details critics took particular issue with in the first ban. The new order removed Iraq from the list of countries, and changed excluding just Syrian refugees to preventing all refugees from entering the US.

Democrats denounced the new order, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying the "watered-down ban is still a ban," and Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez saying "Trump's obsession with religious discrimination is disgusting, un-American, and outright dangerous."

Read the full text of the order here 

Presidential Memorandum, March 6: Guidance for agencies to implement the new travel ban

This memo instructs the State Department, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security how to implement Trump's new travel ban.

It directs the three department heads to enhance the vetting of visa applicants and other immigrants trying to enter the US as they see fit, to release how many visa applicants there were by country, and to submit a report in 180 days detailing the long-term costs of the

Read the full text of the memorandum here 

3 Presidential proclamations, March 1: National months for women, the American Red Cross, and Irish-Americans

The president proclaimed March 2017 Women's History Month, American Red Cross Month, and Irish-American Heritage Month.

Read the full text of the women's history proclamation here 

And the Red Cross proclamation here 

And the Irish-American proclamation here 

Executive Order, February 28: Promoting Historically Black Colleges and Universities

This order established the

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 28: Reviewing the 'Waters of the United States' rule

The order directed federal agencies to revise the Clean Water Rule, a major regulation Obama issued in 2015 to clarify what areas are federally protected under the Clean Water Act.

Trump's EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt called the rule "the greatest blow to private property rights the modern era has seen," in 2015, and led a multi-state lawsuit against it while he was Oklahoma's attorney general.

David J. Cooper, an ecologist at Colorado State University, cautioned that repealing the rule wouldn't settle the confusion about what the federal government can protect under the Clean Water Act, or where.

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 24: Enforcing regulatory reform

This order creates Regulator Reform Officers within each federal agency who will comb through existing regulations and recommend which ones the administration should repeal. It directs the officers to focus on eliminating regulations that prevent job creation, are outdated, unnecessary, or cost too much.

The act doubles down on Trump's plan to cut government regulations he says are hampering businesses, but opponents insist are necessary to protect people and the environment. L

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 9: Changing the order of succession in the Department of Justice

This order enacted a line of succession to lead the US Department of Justice if the attorney general, deputy attorney general, or associate attorney general die, resign, or are otherwise unable to carry on their duties. In order, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and then the US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri will be next in line.

The action reverses an order Obama signed days before leaving office. After Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to enforce his first travel ban, he appointed

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 9: Combating criminal organizations

The order is intended to "thwart" criminal organizations, including "

The action directs law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute citizens, and deport non-citizens involved in criminal activities including "the illegal smuggling and trafficking of humans, drugs or other substances, wildlife, and weapons," "corruption, cybercrime, fraud, financial crimes, and intellectual-property theft," and money laundering

The Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Director of National Intelligence will co-chair a

It also instructs the co-chairs to present the president with a report within 120 days outlining the penetration of criminal organizations into the United States, and recommendations for how to eradicate them.

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 9: Reducing crime

Following up on his promise to restore "law and order" in America, Trump signed an executive order intended to reduce violent crime in the US, and "comprehensively address illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime."

The action directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to assemble a task force in order to identify new strategies and laws to reduce crime, and to evaluate how well crime data is being collected and leveraged across the country.

Trump has come under fire recently for claiming the national murder rate was at an all-time high, when it has in fact dropped to one of the lowest rates ever, with 2015 merely experiencing a slight uptick from the previous year.

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 9: Protecting law enforcement

The order seeks to create new laws that will protect law enforcement, and increase the penalties for crimes committed against them.

It also directs the attorney general to review existing federal grant funding programs to law enforcement agencies, and recommend changes to the programs if they don't adequately protect law enforcement.

The action is likely in response to multiple high-profile police killings over the past year, including a sniper attack that killed five Dallas police officers in July.

Read the full text of the order here 

Executive Order, February 3: Reviewing Wall Street regulations

Trump signed two actions on Friday that could end up rewriting regulations in the financial industry that Obama and Congress put in place after the 2008 financial crisis.

The executive order sets "Core Principles" of financial regulation declaring that Trump's administration seeks to empower Americans to make their own financial decisions, prevent taxpayer-funded bailouts, and reduce regulations on Wall Street so US companies can compete globally.

It also directs the Secretary of Treasury to review existing regulations on the financial system, determine whether the Core Principles are being met, and report back to the President in 120 days.

Experts worry that loosening regulations could roll back the Obama administration's landmark consumer protection reform bill, Dodd-Frank, aimed at reducing risk in the financial system. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the progressive darling from , led the charge decrying the actions.

Read the full text of the order here 

Presidential Memorandum, February 3: Reviewing the fiduciary duty rule

The memorandum directs the Labor Secretary to review the "fiduciary rule," another Obama-era law

Presidential proclamation, February 2: American Heart Month

This ceremonial proclamation

Executive Order, January 30: For every new regulation proposed, repeal two existing ones

The order states that for every one regulation the executive branch proposes, two must be identified to repeal. It also caps the spending on new regulations for 2017 at $0.

Some environmental groups expressed concern that the order could undo regulations put in place to protect natural resources.

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 28: Drain the swamp

The order requires appointees to every executive agency to sign an ethics pledge saying they will never lobby a foreign government and that they won't do any other lobbying for five years after they leave government.

But it also loosened some ethics restrictions that Obama put in place, decreasing the number of years executive branch employees had to wait since they had last been lobbyists from two years to one.

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 28: Reorganizing the National and Homeland Security Councils

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 28: Defeating ISIS

Making a point to use the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism" (something Trump criticized Obama for on the campaign trail), Trump directed his administration "

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 27: Immigration ban

In Trump's most controversial executive action yet, he temporarily barred people from majority-Muslim Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days, and Syrians from entering until he decides otherwise.

Federal judges in several states declared the order unconstitutional, releasing hundreds of people who were stuck at US airports in limbo. The White House continues to defend the action, insisting it was "not about religion" but about "protecting our own citizens and border."

Tens of thousands of people protested the action in cities and airports across the US, company executives came out against the order, and top Republicans split with their president to criticize Trump's approach.

Read the full text here 

UPDATE: Since the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down this order on February 9, Trump issued a new order intended to replace this one on March 6.

Presidential Memorandum, January 27: 'Rebuilding' the military

This action directed

Read the full text here 

Presidential proclamation, January 26: National School Choice Week

Trump proclaimed January 22 through January 28, 2017 as National School Choice Week.

The ceremonial move aimed to encourage people to demand school-voucher programs and charter schools, of which Trump's Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos is a vocal supporter. Meanwhile, opponents argue that the programs weaken public schools and fund private schools at taxpayers' expense.

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 25: Build the wall

Trump outlined his intentions to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, one of his main campaign promises.

The order also directs the immediate detainment and deportation of illegal immigrants, and requires state and federal agencies tally up how much foreign aid they are sending to Mexico within 30 days, and tells the

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 25: Cutting funding for sanctuary cities

Trump called "sanctuary cities" to comply with federal immigration law or have their federal funding pulled.

The order has prompted a mixture of resistance and support from local lawmakers and police departments in the sanctuary cities,

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 24: Expediting environmental review for infrastructure projects

The order allows governors or heads of federal agencies to request an infrastructure project be considered "high-priority" so it can be fast-tracked for environmental review.

Trump signed the order as a package infrastructure deal, along with three memoranda on oil pipelines.

Read the full text here 

3 Presidential Memoranda, January 24: Approving pipelines

Trump signed three separate memoranda set to expand oil pipelines in the United States, a move immediately decried by Native American tribes, Democrats, and activists.

The first two direct agencies to immediately review and approve construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline, and the third requires all pipeline materials be built in the US.

While pipeline proponents argue that they transport oil and gas more safely than trains or trucks can, environmentalists say pipelines threaten the contamination of drinking water.

Read the full text of all three memoranda here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 24: Reduce regulations for US manufacturing

Trump directed his

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 23: Reinstating the 'Mexico City policy'

The move reinstated a global gag rule that bans American non-governmental organizations working abroad from discussing abortion.

Democratic and Republican presidents have taken turns reinstating it and getting rid of it since Ronald Reagan created the gag order in 1984. The rule, while widely expected, dismayed women's rights and reproductive health advocates, but encouraged antiabortion activists.

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 23: Hiring Freeze

Trump froze all hiring in the executive branch excluding the military, directing no vacancies be filled, in an effort to cut government spending and bloat.

Union leaders called the action "harmful and counterproductive," saying it would "disrupt government programs and services that benefit everyone."

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 23: Out of the TPP

This action signaled Trump's intent to withdraw from the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that

said

Read the full text here 

Executive Order, January 20: Declaring Trump's intention to repeal the Affordable Care Act

One of Trump's top campaign promises was to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

His first official act in office was declaring his intention to do so. Congressional Republicans have been working to do just that since their term started January 3, though there's dissent among Republicans

Read the full text here 

Presidential Memorandum, January 20: Reince's regulatory freeze
He explained to Accra-based Starr FM that usually a budget solves one problem of the country but the 2017 financial statement of the country is addressing three different problems, which is unusual of a budget.

A budget that can bring a deficit of 10.2 to 6.5, a growth of 3.6 to 6.3; thats growing and reducing deficit all simultaneously and eliminating taxes. I have never seen a combination like that. This is a budget of its own class, in a budget you solve one problem, this one is solving three.

READ ALSO: Seth Terkper justifies imposing high taxes

During the budget presentation on the floor of parliament, the finance minister announced some major tax cuts. Taxes on airline tickets, vehicle spare parts, market tolls and many others were eliminated in the statement read on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

READ ALSO: Marwako staff urged to form a unionMarwako staff urged to form a union

Meanwhile, the minority in parliament has described the budget as deceptive.
Speaking at a Dinner and Awards Night programme organised by the Insurance Institute of Ghana, the Commissioner of the NIC Madam Lariba Bawa the country is losing millions of cedis.

Even though the insurance Act requires all goods being imported into the country to be insured by Ghanaian Insurance Companies some practices of the Ghana Revenue Authority make it almost impossible to enforce this provision.

She said the Ghanaian practice is different from what other African countries do.

Unlike countries like Nigeria and Kenya where all imported goods are insured locally, the situation in Ghana is such that a very small proportion of imported goods are actually insured in Ghana.

READ ALSO: Seth Terkper justifies imposing high taxes

Apart from being a gross violation of the Insurance Act it also robs the insurance industry of a significant source of income thereby hindering growth and profitability."

She, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Finance to help remove the challenges that hinder insurance companies from insuring imported goods.
Under the TFA, nations which are signatories to the agreement are expected to simplify and standardize customs procedures at borders for easy movement of goods. This is to create a significant boost for commerce and the multilateral trading system as a whole.

READ ALSO: World Trade Organization ratifies first multilateral trade deal

Some trade experts have applauded this development, saying it will expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods across borders.

This agreement is in line with TFA principles which frown upon import discrimination as well as preferential treatment.

The government of Ghana has hinted at restricting importation of certain goods into the country, describing them as nuisance imports.

This, they say, is a measure to prevent Ghana from becoming a dumping ground for unwanted goods from the other countries.

However, economist Leslie Dwight Mensah has cautioned government to thread with carefulness.

"Whatever we do to the import regime must be in conformity with our international obligation, the WTO and ECOWAS protocol in order not to incur trade war", he argued.

We must be seeking other options to curtail the dumping of products in our market and trade abuses according to the economist.

Mr. Mensah also urged government to carry out a comprehensive review of revenue mobilization to expand its fiscal space.
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The President, Dr. George Eric Gyemfi-Osew in a remark admonished him as being recognised by the local and international body: "We believe Okyeame Kwame personifies the values we uphold here. From the angle of the youth and students, we think he's someone who resonates positively with them"

"Branding could be from all angles and he showed us unorthodox ways, which is coming from a younger person with a different dimension", he said.

The group presented to him a medal and certificates.

This was following a presentation by the artiste at the organisation's Continuous Professional Development (CPD) seminar under the theme "Branding for Global Recognition". In his delivery as guest speaker, Okyeame Kwame highlighted key factors in branding and further presented an exposition on his recently launched brand book
The four other accused persons are Olubunmi Akangbe, 41; Olubunmi Amusa, 71; Prof. Adedoyin Soyibo, 70; and Dr Junaid Ogundiran, 70.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused were arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and altering.

The Prosecutor, Cpl. James Oriola, alleged that Fasomo, Akangbe, Amusa, Soyibo and Ogundiran as well as others at large conspired to commit the crime.

Oriola also alleged that the accused forged the signature on the will of Late Prof. Lateef Oluwole Amusa on March 19, 2015 , at about 9.a.m. in Ibadan.

He alleged that the accused persons at an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan knowingly and fraudulently altered the will of Amusa.

Oriola said the offences contravened Sections 467, 468, and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

All the accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty.

The counsel to the first and second defendants, Mr Babatunde Ajijola, said Fasomo was a senior lawyer and ought to be given bail on liberal terms as he would not jump bail knowing the implications.

Ajijola also urged the court to grant bail to the second defendant, Akangbe, who was the secretary to the first defendant.

Mr Abdulwasiu Raheem, the counsel to the third defendant, said his client was the legal wife of Amusa and should be granted bail on self-recognition.

Mr Omoyeni Olusola and Mr Bolaji Agoro, counsel for the fourth and fifth defendants, equally applied for bail of their clients on liberal terms.
Okpara a resident of Imashai St., Agege, a Lagos suburb, is facing a charge of sexual assault.

The Prosecutor, Mr Adebayo Haroun, told the court that the accused lured his victim into his apartment and used his fingers on her private part.

Okafor sexually assaulted the five-year-old girl by penetrating her private part with his fingers.

He was caught by some neighbours, who arrested and took him to the police station, he said.

Haroun urged the court to fix a date for trial saying he had four witnesses ready to testify during the trial.

The offence contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Its easy to think that in 2017, women dont die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications anymore. Unfortunately, thats not the case.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 830 women die from pregnancy or in childbirth every day, mostly in developing countries.

Liberian nursing assistant Salome Karwah, who survived the 2014 Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people including both her parents, her brother, aunts, uncles, one cousin, and a niece, is one of them. She died on February 21 from complications in childbirth and the stigma of being an Ebola survivor, TIME reports.

Karwah, who was named a TIME Person of the Year in 2014 for her tireless efforts to treat Ebola patients, gave birth to her fourth child, whom she named Solomon, on February 17 and was discharged from the hospital three days later.

However, within hours of arriving at home, Karwah started having convulsions. Her husband, James Harris, and sister, Josephine Manley, rushed her back to the hospital, but say that her violent seizures and foaming mouth scared the hospital staff.

They said she was an Ebola survivor, Manley told Time magazine. They didnt want contact with her fluids. They all gave her distance. No one would give her an injection.

Karwah died the next day, leaving behind her heartbroken husband, sister, and four small children.

Manley says she doesnt know what caused the convulsions but is convinced that if her sister hadnt been stigmatized, shed still be alive today.
Spokesperson for the Ghana@60 planning committee, Mr Jefferson Sackey explained that the President first wore the anniversary cloth when he attended the premiering of the Independence struggle documentary and therefore his decision to wear the smock was not deliberate.

Many Ghanaians had expected the president to be adorned in the new cloth but to their disappointment, it was never the case  a development which has raised questions over how committed the president is to promoting Ghana.

Jefferson Sackey said "President Akufo-Addos decision not to wear the Ghana@60 cloth was not deliberate. The anniversary is a year-long celebration and not a one day event and I know that subsequently, our President would definitely be in the Ghana@60 cloth for all to see."

He said "Even when former President Nkrumah was declaring Ghana as an independent country, he wore a traditional smock just to show how Ghanaian he was."

Earlier, Deputy Chief of Staff Abu Jinapor said President Akufo-Addo's decision not to wear the cloth was not deliberate.
He made this assurance when the Minister for Roads and Transport, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, paid a working visit to the site.

He was there to see the progress of work on the site so far.

READ ALSO: Suspect in police custody admits guilt

Samara told the minister that the project consist of the creation of four slip roads to reduce the number of vehicles approaching the roundabout and an additional third lane to widen the roundabout itself.

He further stated that the project is solely financed by MPS, and is aimed at easing the heavy traffic situation within the Tema enclave and beyond.

It is always our philosophy to help contribute our quota towards the society where we operate, and it is our vision that this project helps reduce traffic bottlenecks around the motorway roundabout.

READ ALSO: Bawumia leads thousands in a heath walk

Samara also stated that progress made so far is about 40%, which includes clearing, demolition, earthworks, drainage and utilities relocation.

The Minister on his part urged the contractors to ensure the work meets the deadline as stated, to bring relief to motorists who ply the road.

READ ALSO: Police reportedly foil attack on Marwako restaurant

He said the main Tema roundabout flyover project will commence soon after the slipways are done to bring permanent relief to motorists who live in and around Tema, as well as cargo trucks that commute through to the sub-region.
Let's take a trip to Ghana where we would explore a good number of natural and man-made tourist attractions, beautiful hinterland, sunny beaches, lively cities, castles, tons of wildlife, natural rock formations and waterfalls.

1. Accra

Accra, the capital of Ghana, is the largest city in the country.

Whether youre visiting alone or with a family, on your big annual holiday or there for business, Accra has something to make you feel comfortable.

Accra is home to the National Museum where youll find many of the countries historical treasures.

National Theatre, International Trade Fair, the Kwame Nkrumah memorial, Independence Square, and W.E.B. Dubois Centre are interesting places to visit in the city.

2. Castle of Elmina

Elmina Castle, the most photographed structure in Ghana, was erected by Portuguese in 1482 as Sao Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine) Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast).

First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic slave trade.

ALSO READ: 5 Things you should know about Caribbean Nations

3. National wildlife park

Ghana has a good number of national wildlife parks to visit and most of them have game reserves that will keep you enchanted and fascinated with wild animals and exotic plants. Some of which are, Kakum national park, Bia national park, Digya national park, and Bui national park.

4. Volta Lake

Volta Lake, located at the Volta region, is one great river in Ghana that flows south to the Bight of Benin with hills and rocky outcrops overlooking the Lake. Fed by the Akosombo dam and the largest man-made lake on Earth, it's the major source of power distribution across Ghana.

5. National museum

If youre looking for a good explanation of the ethnographic diversity of modern-day Ghana, the national museum is the place to go.

There are a number of exhibits dedicated to the Atlantic slave-trade and the African lives that where irreparably changed because of it.
The 27th day of February 1844 is the date when Dominicans obtained their Independence and were finally called the Dominican Republic after many years of being a Spanish colony.

Here's a list of 5 things to know about the Dominican Republic.

1. The Dominican Republic is the 2nd largest Caribbean with a surface area of 18,704 square miles (48,442 square kilometres). It has a surface area of 18,704 square miles (48,442 square kilometres). It occupies the eastern two-thirds of The Dominican Republic is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and to the south by the Caribbean Sea.

Surprisingly, It beats out the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Jamaica, and the Virgin Islands as the most visited destination in the Caribbean

2. The word "Dominican" never appears in the Dominican Republic national anthem; instead, the people are referred to as Quisqueyans, a Taino word. The Taino, a peaceful subgroup of the Arawak s, were the native people of the Dominican Republic. So, many Taino words have been integrated into the everyday Spanish vocabulary.

3. The word Dominican has a meaning beyond being born in the Dominican Republic it actually means Gods sons. According to history, the name was given to them after a group of religious educators, who arrived on the island of La Hispanola when they were still a Spanish colony.

4. People in the Caribbean live on a different time. In general, you will notice that people are much more relaxed and easy-going. Things go slower there, and nobody seems to be in a real hurry for anything.

5. The Dominican Republic is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean and it generates over 5 million arrivals each year.
"I'd like to talk about the ridiculous New York Times article," Dalio told moderator and Times' editor Charles Duhigg in response to his question about how he handles criticism. Dalio is the founder of Westport, Conn.-based Bridgewater Associates, the world's biggest hedge fund with about $103 billion in assets.

Dalio was referring to an article that the Times ran earlier this week that detailed a case in which Dalio fired at least one staffer via a company-wide email and an instance where the company had employees review a video challenging whether a senior executive had lied.

Asked about his opinion that the story had been "miscovered," Dalio said: "Worse than that, it was intentionally done."

"There are journalists, writers who are intended to be, let's call them investigative reporting," Dalio added later in the talk. "And they're supposed to come out with things that they think are scandalous. And as a result of doing that, they kind of weave together things in ways that are meant to be, like, they say, good news that doesn't sell. So it's meant to be that way. So in the interactions that I've had with 'em, there has not been a desire to get at truth."

Dalio didn't specifically dispute any facts in the Times article, and a spokeswoman for the paper said it stands by its story.Criticizing the media has become something of a passion for Dalio. In early January, he wrote a 2,700-word post on LinkedIn about a Wall Street Journal story about Bridgewater, and last year wrote a separate LinkedIn post that called a different New York Times report "a distortion of reality."Last week, when the company announced that it was changing up its management team, he published the memo announcing the change on LinkedIn. Dalio wrote that he had made that decision because "our communications often find their way into the media in distorted ways."

"Ninety-nine percent of the meetings are taped for everybody to see," Dalio said.

"Not everyone wants to stand naked in front of everybody," he later added. "It's a little bit like going into a nudist camp for the first time. I don't know if you've ever gone into a nudist camp, but in other words, you first walk into a nudist camp and it's very awkward... If you can stand naked in front of other people and have them stand naked in front of you, you can have actually better relationships and be more productive."

Bridgewater manages about $103 billion in hedge fund assets as of midyear 2016, according to the HFI Billion Dollar Club ranking.
In a statement issued Monday night on his Facebook page, Carson said: "The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders."
The Exxon Mobil release, published at 3:10 p.m. ET, touted the company's plan to invest $20 billion over 10 years while creating 45,000 jobs.

Thirty-four minutes later, the White House posted its own statement featuring similar language.

First discovered by Washington Post reporter Christopher Ingraham, the similarities include an entire paragraph copied nearly word for word and another sentence the White House lifted nearly verbatim.

The White House statement included minor deviations from the original, such as changing "U.S." to "United States."

Read the sections in question for yourself. Heres Exxon Mobils:

Followed by the White Houses:

The other sentence that appeared in both statements was a quote from Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods. In his company's release, he's quoted as saying: "And these jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the communities that service these new investments."

The White House release said: "These jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the community that service these new investments." The line was not written in quotation marks and did not attribute the quote to Woods.

Journalists were quick to note President Donald Trump's close ties to Exxon Mobil, whose former CEO Rex Tillerson was confirmed as secretary of state last month.

Others compared it to accusations of plagiarism that have caused embarrassment for members of Trump's team and people once nominated for Cabinet positions, including Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt, first lady Melania Trump, and Monica Crowley, who Trump picked for the National Security Council. Crowley later bowed out.
The Nollywood veteran is one of Africas most talented and famous actors. Born on March 7, 1747, Pete Edochie shot into limelight for his portrayal as Okonkwo in the NTA produced ''.

Pete Edochie got into radio broadcasting in 1967 when he was 20 years old. He was the Junior Programmes Assistant. He was later promoted to the level of a Director. He would later become the Director of Programmes and also doubled as Deputy Managing Director.

With the explosion of the home video industry in the mid-90s, Pete Edochie became a mainstay in the Nollywood scene.
As activists from animal rights group PETA protested at the Eiffel Tower against fashion's use of animal pelts, McCartney told reporters that imitation skins now "look so good" that they "genuinely pose a question to the industry about why anyone needs to use leather any more".

There is now nowhere to hide, she seemed to gently warning her peers.

That did not stop the life-long vegetarian adopting lots of British hunting and shooting style in her show, including a green quilted coat and headscarf borrowed directly from Her Majesty the Queen.

Horsey tweeds and high-waisted dressage suits were first out of the starting gate, with dresses and a top emblazoned with English equestrian artist George Stubb's masterpiece, "Horse Frightened by a Lion".

McCartney gave fox hunting a wide berth, however, leaving the contested terrain of the countryside for the city with slickly cut grey suits and a series of outfits in chic sandy, biscuity browns.

Hermes goes full pelt

The creator, the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, had previously admitted that it was difficult to find substitutes for leather.

But you would never know it from the string of faux leather trouser suits, jackets and coats that make up the core of her collection.

There was no question, however, of Hermes -- part of whose fortune rests on its Kelly and Birkin handbags -- giving up leather just yet.

Its autumn-winter collection was, nevertheless, a lot more edgily interesting than observers have come to expect.

One of the opening wool coats was trimmed in red leather, and herds of cow hide followed in its faintly future gothic look that also had a definite air of the mountains about it.

Designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski said she wanted to change the perception of Hermes "as stuffy or serious and just show a little bit more vibrations".

While McCartney used little touches of tartan and check, Giambattista Valli became the latest designer to hop on the houndstooth bandwagon that has rolled right through Paris fashion week.
The shocking incident took place in Ekete-Waterside, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.

Daily Post reports that apart from the stolen mobile phone, the money in the pocket of the victim remained intact.

According to the reports, the deceased was killed on his way back home from a private meeting held near his house which had been called for by his church leader.

Daily Post reports that the remains of the deceased were first taken to the Ovwian/Aladja Police Station by sympathizers after which family members rushed in to identify the corpse.

The body of the deceased was later deposited at a nearby morgue.

When contacted via phone, the Delta State Police Acting Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka said that he was in a meeting and was yet to speak on the issue as at the time of filing the report.

A police source who pleaded anonymity disclosed that further investigations into the case are ongoing.
The sex scandal which is about the most talked about item in the Nigerian media in the past few days since it broke, has been dividing opinion with many tending to believe the allegations of Otobo who backed up her accusations with screenshot photos of the Apostle whom she described as a sex addict who got her pregnant and abandoned her after promising to marry her.

However, Apostle Suleman's wife has come out in support of her husband by saying the photos were manipulated and that Nigerians are gullible to believe such lies from Otobo who has slammed a N500 million lawsuit on the man of God.

Speaking in an eight-minute video, Mrs. Suleman denied that her husband is adulterous, voicing out strongly that the so-called photos are the handiwork of a clever photoshopper.

Amongst other things, Dr. Lizzy said:

"My name is , the wife of Apostle Johnson Suleman. Now ordinarily, I don't like media appearances but for the purposes of clarity, I will have to speak.

Now, I have known my husband I have known my husband for the past 19 years and if you are living with a man who is a promiscuous or adulterous person, you will know especially if you are an intelligent and a smart woman.

I have to speak because I want to now appear like it's a woman to woman talk. I have heard all sorts of rubbish and nonsense that this woman has been saying that has gone viral on the Internet. That is not my husband.

Let me quickly say this: for 19 years, I have been with my husband all through the years of courtship and marriage and I have never had any problems whatsoever, over a woman.

We have never had any issues with a woman and then you can just imagine. And listen, for all the pictures that have been released, you can as well release more pictures but mind you, it can never and will never stop the real picture of my husband in my heart.

Of course, you can see that the pictures released are photoshopped. And by the grace of God, I am a journalist, a trained Mass Communicator and anybody who is good at graphics and photography should understand what I am talking about.

These pictures are fake; they are fake pictures.

The issue with most Nigerians is that they are so gullible and they believe everything. That is not my husband. If you are good at photography and graphics like I said, take a closer look at the photos; they are all planned out and they are all fake."
She made this statement in an interview with the UK Guardian. "Feminism is not that hot. I can tell you I would sell more books in Nigeria if I stopped and said Im no longer a feminist. I would have a stronger following, I would make more money" she said.

In the interview spoke about how feminism has become a fad and a mainstream buzzword. She also spoke about the double standards of fatherhood and motherhood.

"I think we need to stop giving men cookies for doing what they should do...On the one hand, I realise that my husband is unusual; on the other, I feel resentful when hes overpraised by my family and friends. Hes like Jesus" said the author. Chimamanda Adichie touched on Donald Trump and the American political scene.

Adichie was recently elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters as a foreign honorary member.

Chimamanda joins Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka who was elected in 1986, making her the second Nigerian in the Academy.

According to the press release, Calvin Trillin, secretary, will induct fourteen members into the 250-person organisation and President Yehudi Wyner will induct three foreign honorary members. Joyce Carol Oates will deliver the centennial Blashfield Foundation Address.
The Presiding Judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, said that the sentence was without an option of fine because the accused did not show remorse from his previous conviction.

The judge said that the sentence would serve as deterrent to others and warned the accused to desist from committing crimes in future.

Naziru, an iron scrap trader who resides at Karmo Village, was convicted on a two-count charge of stealing and illegal entering.

In his plea, the convict prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, claiming he was absent minded when he committed the offence.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Florence Auhioboh, told the court that the accused trespassed into Pure Word Assembly Sabbath Church Karmo, Abuja and stole five chairs.
Onyinyechi is facing a charge of murder which contravenes Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

She, however, denied the charge.

The State Prosecutor, Mrs C.K Tuiyi-Carena, told the court that the accused allegedly committed the offence on March 28, 2015 at her residence located at No. 85, Idimu Road, Ejigbo, a surbub of Lagos.

On the day of the alleged murder, Onyinyechi was preparing a meal while Abuchi was sitting on a chair in their home looking at his Baba Ijebu lottery tickets.

Angered by her husbands action, Onyinyechi scolded him for his love for gambling and a fight ensued between them.

She took the kitchen knife she was using to cut vegetables and stabbed her husband fatally in the chest.

The stabbing inflicted a deep cut in Abuchis chest which led to excessive blood loss and his eventual death.

The victim died before he could be taken to hospital by Onyinyechi and concerned neighbours, she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that accused was pregnant when the offence was committed.

She, however, gave birth to a baby girl while in custody at the Kirikiri Female Prisons. Onyinyechi was in court on Monday with the baby.

Counsel to the accused, Mr Q.U. Ogudu, told the court that the accused had opted for a plea bargain.

My Lord, we have applied for a plea bargain agreement which the state is not objecting to.

The prosecutor also confirmed to the court that the parties were working towards the plea bargain.
Punch reports that the robbers made away with an unspecified amount of money following the successful robbery operation.

ALSO READ: Four persons killed in robbery attack on two banks

A security man attached to the bank, a policeman, a blind septuagenarian along with two others were killed in the attack.

According to eyewitnesses, the unknown gunmen reportedly blew up the door of the bank in order to gain access into the building.

Punch reports that the robbers continued to shoot sporadically into the air during the robbery operation, causing those within the vicinity to scramble for safety.

However, some people are reported to have suffered varying degrees of injuries from the pandemonium and stray bullets.

Operatives of the Nigerian Army reportedly arrived on the scene of the robbery shortly after the culprits made away with their price.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Femi Joseph, while confirming the incident said that he had information that three people died in the robbery operation.

ALSO READ: Armed robbers write letter to residents of Ogun community

He added that the robbers had been 15 in number and stormed the robbery scene on motorcycles.

Joseph said, One Adebayo Onipona, who is a blind 73-year-old man, one David Joseph, the security man at the bank were killed and we also lost a police sergeant, Abubakar Umar. We are on their trail and we will get them".
Read her story here:

"My name is Grace, a 35-year-old mother of three children. I have been living with the father of my children for 15 years now but yet he has refused to formalize our union, thereby making me his legal wife.

I met Clement when my aunt brought me from the village to help her in her shop and take care of her baby, with the promise of sending me to school.

But when my aunt brought me to Lagos, all the promises of getting me into school and a better life were forgotten as I was turned into a house help. After spending a year with her, she gave me out to a woman to work as a maid.

I slaved for the woman for the next three years, hawking different items for her while she paid the money she was supposed to pay me to my aunt who refused to give me a dime out of it.

I was living like a destitute and did not have money to buy even my underwear. That was when I met Clement, a commercial motorcycle rider who came to my aid when he knew my story.

He was the one who bought underwear, clothes and even sanitary pads for me. We started a relationship and before I knew it, I became pregnant for Clement and went to live with him.

He promised to go and see my parents and let them know he was the one responsible for my pregnancy but did not do so till I put to bed.

Before our baby clocked three years, I was pregnant again but still, he refused to go and see my parents, always saying he would do so when he is financially buoyant.

In between, my family called him several times for him to come and do the right thing but he always gave one excuse or the other.

Now, my family has refused to have anything to do with me and my children and the last time my father called, he told Clement categorically that he does not recognize him as my husband and that if he refused to come and pay my bride price before June this year, he should be ready to take anything that comes his way.

I know the kind of family I come from and they can even harm me or my children just to get back at Clement but it seems he is not ready to do anything as he has said he is ready to call their bluff.

Grace."

The teaser for the day was:

How Nigeria voted:

She should leave Clement as he is not her husband yet - 20%

She should insist on Clement going to her family and do the right thing - 43%

She should help Clement with the money to pay her bride price - 39%
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plaintiff was seeking an order of the court to retrieve the N50,000 receipt of the farmland she bought through her husband in 2009.

Modupe giving evidence before the court alleged that her husband had once told her labourer, one Ojo Folorunso, to feel free to have sex with her.

She said that her husband later turned around to accuse her of adultery.

My husband had sometime in the past told the man, who was assisting me on my farm, to feel free to date me.

My husband even showed Folorunso where he was operated on when he had a surgery.

My husband, then, said that he could no longer perform sexually as a result of the surgical operation he had.

In December 2016, I went to spent seven days working on our plantation.

On my return home, my husband began to threaten me that he would kill me with a machete.

He alleged that I went to enjoy myself with my labourer, she told the court.

NAN reports that though, the woman told the court that she divorced her husband 10 years ago, but they resettled two years after, when the man came to plead with her.

The 75-year-old husband, Sunday Owolabi, who was absent in court on Monday, was, however, represented by his younger brother, Omoniyi Owolabi.

Omoniyi told the court that his elder brothers absence was due to an illness.

He said that the defendant chased out his wife woman because she was alleged to have eloped with her farm labourer.

The president of the customary court, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, in her ruling, ordered that a search warrant be sent to Sundays house.

Ojo said the search warrant should to retrieve some of the property the woman claimed she could not pack along with her while leaving her matrimonial home.

The president also ordered that the plaintiff should bring a witness to the court that would affirm her claim of paying for the farmland in contention.
Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhoea, is the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that involves the stomach and small intestine.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that seven other students from the school have been hospitalised at Kamba General Hospital in Dandi Local Government Area.

Alhaji Abubakar Muaazu, the Press Secretary to Gov. Atiku Bagudu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kamba on Monday, that the governor led a strong delegation to sympathise with the school authorities.

Muaazu said that the delegation, which included the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kamba, also visited the seven students in hospital.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Balarabe Shehu, said that the measure was part of the efforts to fight against the child killer diseases in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the six killer diseases are: polio, tuberculosis, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, tetanus and diphtheria.

Diphtheria is a potentially fatal contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin.

Shehu said that the dialogue was aimed at enlightening the populace on the preventable measures to take against the diseases.

Some of the measures of preventing the killer diseases include environmental sanitation, attending antenatal clinics by pregnant women, immunisation of under-five children against polio and other vaccine preventable diseases, he said.

The commissioner appealed to husbands to allow their wives to visit hospitals for antenatal care.

Shehu also advised them to encourage their wives to take their infants to the nearest health centres for immunisation against the child killer diseases.

The Chairman of Sokoto South Local Government, Alhaji Aminu Liman, lauded the efforts of the ministry for initiating the community dialogue.

ALSO READ:Sokoto Governor urges LG chairmen to be prudent in the recession

Liman promised to collaborate with the ministry to take the campaign to the rural communities.

Also, Alhaji Almustapha Othman, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said that the state government had procured adequate drugs for distribution free to children and breastfeeding mothers.
With all that we continue to see, it goes without saying that the development of the North East is the only way to end the insurgency for good, he said.

It is great that the UN has sent this high level delegation to see for themselves what our fellow Nigerians are going through, and to renew the international commitment to a crisis that has displaced approximately 2 million Nigerians.

Undoubtedly, I am sure that I speak on behalf of all of my distinguished colleagues when I say that we will continue to do everything within our mandate to ensure that our brothers and sisters in the North East, who have been affected by the insurgency, will once again have safe and sustainable homes and environment to return to. We will do this through all the tools at our disposal, he added.
The Gov made this revelation on March 6, 2017 in Maiduguri in a meeting with the United Nations delegation at his council chambers.

Shettima also added that the terrorists destroyed over 5,335 classrooms , 665 municipal buildings, over 956, 456 houses, 776 power stations and 201 health facilities comprising clinics, dispensaries and general hospitals.

Governor Shettima explained that only good governance, quality leadership, transparency, job creations, education and agriculture will reverse the havoc wrecked by the terrorists.

ALSO READ: Gov apologises to UN over alleged disservice to Borno

The 14-man United Nations security council that visited the governor was led by Amb Mathew Rycroft.
Tinubu, who made the commendation on Tuesday in Maiduguri while speaking with newsmen, said that Buharis efforts in taming the terrorists had saved the entire West African sub-region from their senseless campaign.

He also lauded the Armed Forces for their gallantry in fighting the terrorists.

He said We want to thank, congratulate and salute members of the Armed Forces.We also thank the Commander in-chief President Muhammadu Buhari for what he has done to avert further calamity by taking quick action on the Boko Haram.

His prompt action has stopped the Boko Haram calamity from engulfing the entire West African sub-region.

Buharis efforts has also stopped further destruction of lives and property and kidnapping of our children, it is a great sacrifice.

The APC leader, who commissioned several projects during his two-day visit to Maiduguri, said the visit was a testimony to the fact that peace was gradually returning to the state.

We thank the Federal Government for the peace we are witnessing today in Borno.

Unlike the past four years when the challenge of insecurity was everywhere in the state, today we are here doing things peacefully, he said.

Tinubu also commended Gov. Kashim Shettima for his laudable achievements in office.

Equally we want to thank Shettima and his team for making things happened in spite of the security challenge facing the state.

He has demonstrated unusual leadership in the face of challenges

The governor is highly committed and visionary, he is a pathfinder.

You cannot appreciate leadership until you have trouble; Kashim is an unusual leader in time of trouble, he added.

Kashim has demonstrated courage, I wonder how he has remained calm in the face of all these challenges.

He appealed to the Federal Government and the international community to support to the state government to tackle its humanitarian needs.

ALSO READ: Female suicide bomber disobeys Abubakar Shekau, surrenders to ArmyI am calling on the Federal Government to hasten the implementation of the Buhari master plan for the North-East.

I also appeal to International donors to scale up their support to tackle humanitarian needs in the state and the region in general, Tinubu added.
In a congratulatory message to mark Professor Osinbajo's 60th birthday celebration, Dogara commended the Acting President for exhibiting abiding faith and commitment to the ideals of democracy and rule of law.

"Since your emergence as the Vice President and chairman of the country's economic council you have not left any one in doubt as to your capacity to handle matters of national interest, development and progress " Dogara said.

He commended Professor Osinbajo's disposition towards building national peace, unity and stability of Nigeria which he has always manifested while carrying out his duties.

You have brought your vast knowledge, experience and worthy ideals to bear in the discharge of the functions of your high political office as Vice President and number two citizen of the country. It is therefore no surprise that you have been able to continue leading the country on the path of economic recovery and growth through constructive engagement and partnership with relevant stakeholders even in the temporary absence of Mr. president ", the speaker noted.

"While wishing Your Excellency a happy birthday celebration, I pray God Almighty continues to keep you in good health and bless you with many more years of robust service to Nigeria", the Speaker concluded.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi, told journalists in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday that Gov. Ayo Fayose gave the approval to allow full participation of women in the event.

According to him, the holiday will also afford men wishing to identify with the womenfolk the opportunity to do so without hindrance.

He said that the state government would sponsor the event, to enable women to showcase their potential and have a sense of belonging in the society.

Adelusi further explained that the governor would use the occasion to roll out action plans and largesse for all adult women in the state, irrespective of their political beliefs.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Publicity Sub-Committee of the event, Mrs Oluwayomi Osuntokun, said the event was being organised to re-discover womens talents.

Osuntokun said that the discovery of areas of talent would enable the government to know how to intervene and make a difference in their lives.

Commenting on the event, a former lawmaker and member of the organising committee, said that Fayose conceptualised the idea of celebrating women to drive home the fact that their usefulness was not limited to the kitchen.

Similarly, a former Chairman of Ado Local Government, Mrs Tosin Ajisafe-Aluko, said that besides subsidising the Ankara uniform which the women would wear, the governor also planned to roll out a financial empowerment scheme for them.

According to Ajisafe-Aluko, no fewer than 46,000 women comprising traders, artisans, food sellers, beer sellers, teachers, civil servants, among others, are expected at the celebration holding at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

ALSO READ: Fayose says OBJ forced PDP Governors to pay N10m each in 2005 for project

NAN learnt that the women had paid a subsidised price of N500 each to purchase a specially branded Ankara material costing N3,500 in the open market.
According to reports, Fayose also said the former President should be jailed, adding that he is corrupt.

The Governor wondered if all the assets Obasanjo allegedly owns was acquired only with his salary when he was President.

The Governor said Look at somebody talking about corruption, when Obasanjo just returned from the prison, they should go and bring his picture and his asset, what was his worth when he was in prison and what happened after eight years when he looted the treasury.

All those assets he now has in Obasanjo library and university and all that, are they products of his salary? So when they talk in this country we want to be able to listen and evaluate what they are talking about.

Obasanjo should be behind the bars. The money that he used to bribe members of the National Assembly during his botched third term agenda, where did the money come from? Was it from his holier than thou presidency, or what?"

ALSO READ: Fayose says OBJ forced PDP Governors to pay N10m each in 2005 for his library project

This coming after Fayose alleged that Obasanjo force Peoples Democratic Party Governors to give him N10m each for his presidential library project.
Onyeama, who stated this while fielding questions from newsmen over the issue, said Nigerians were free to travel to U.S. as the country was not on the ban list.

The minister said he was constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there was no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S.

On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the U.S., this is not the case.

I am in touch with the U. S. Embassy and the Ambassador said no, there was nothing of such nature.

I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that.

We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back, he said.

According to him, if government is speaking on any external relations, it will be heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency as any other source is not from the government.

He said Nigeria had embassies in almost 114 countries across the world and the ministry relied on their reports.

The U.S. Government has been reaching out to Nigeria.

The U.S. president took all the trouble to call our president and to offer the hand of cooperation to see how he was doing.

And, to congratulate him on the efforts he is being making and expressing the respect that he had for him, his leadership and his government, he said.

According to him, the U.S Secretary of State called to echo exactly the same thing and our cooperation with them is exemplary.

Nigeria is on no list and Nigerians are on no list ban by the U.S. Government and it is always business as usual and very good business with the U.S. Government.

Anything you hear in respect of the U.S. is incorrect, so any one that has valid document to go to the U.S. or any other country should please proceed to do so, he said.

In the same vein, the minister said there was no life lost in the recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa as was also reported in the media.

`I want to say that no Nigerian was killed at the last xenophobic attacks in south Africa, wherever the information is coming from it is not true.

We have the high commissioner and we have the consular there and the report of people being killed is not correct, he said.

He said the Federal Government was having discussion with the South African Authority at the highest level to ensure that the issue did not repeat itself.

Onyeama said the discussion was also to ensure the protection of foreigners living in South Africa.

U.S President Donald Trump had on Monday signed a new executive order which bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from Januarys previous order, and reinstated a temporary blanket ban on all refugees.

The new travel ban comes six weeks after Trumps original executive order caused chaos at airports nationwide before it was blocked by federal courts.

It removed language in the original order that indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and called for prioritising the admission of refugees who are religious minorities in their home countries.

That provision drew criticism of a religious test for entry and would have prioritised Christians over Muslims fleeing war-torn countries in the Middle East.

The new ban, which takes effect March 16, also explicitly exempts citizens of the six banned countries who are legal U.S permanent residents or have valid visas to enter the US.
Awinador-Kanyirige made this known at the celebration of the 60th independence day anniversary of Ghana which took place on Monday at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja.

He said the struggle of Ghanas independence was a struggle not just by Ghanaians but by all Africans that were in that territorial region.

When we talk of the heroes of Ghanas independence, we are also talking of the Nigerians that assisted us in that struggle although we dont hear of them often.

Our independence is intertwined and when you dig into history, you realise that many Nigerians helped in enforcing the freedom of Ghana.

Take for instance the Ghana military, which has Hausa songs used to motivate the soldiers, was gotten from the interrelationship between the two countries.

Colonialists created the Officer Corp Training in Accra and the Police Training School in Kumasi where the great Nnamdi Azikiwe enrolled in before his mother took him out prior to his graduation day.

The history of our countries has been intertwined for decades and its not just the relationship between the military and the government but it is mainly in the relationship between the people of Ghana and Nigeria.

We hope this relationship gets stronger as we grow together.

Mr Peter Iyamabo, who represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, urged Nigerians to continue supporting Ghana inorder to improve bilateral trade and economic integration.

Like Nigeria, Ghana is currently carrying out reforms targeted at rebuilding the psyche of the people on issues of transparency and good governance.

I want to appeal to all Ghanaians present here to support the Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo, in his efforts to transform Ghana.

Nigeria and Ghana have both enjoyed economic and international relations as our two countries have signed a number of agreements aimed at fostering economic integration.

Nigeria remained determined in its resolve to implement bilateral agreements in order to ensure our people receive the full benefits.

The relationship between Ghana and Nigeria remains very promising and full of potentials, we should collectively build on existing political and economic cooperation that has been the hallmark of our partnership, he said.

The Charge dAffaires at the Rwandan high commission, Mr Protogene Nsengumuremyi, said Rwanda had experienced a good relationship with Ghana over the years and Rwandans were happy to celebrate Ghanas milestone.

This is a big celebration and we wish Ghana a prosperous development ahead and I know that their growth will be beneficial to everyone they relate with.

Rwanda has an excellent relationship with Ghana and we have common political views and interests and that can be seen in our bilateral relationship which has grown stronger over the years.

We Rwandans are happy to join Ghana in celebrating their 60th independence anniversary and hope to continue such a relationship, Nsengumuremyi, said.

Rita Orji, Chairman House Committee on Nigerians in the Diaspora, said: I must confess that Ghana is one of the countries that we have the best relationship with.

They know how to maturely handle and deal with issues that may bring about controversies or problems.

Ghana is three years older than Nigeria and the fight for our sovereignty involved similar people like Kwame Nkrumah, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and other prominent people.

There are many Nigerians who migrated from Nigeria and helped develop Ghana, therefore we see Ghanaians as our brothers.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. John Mayaki, on Tuesday, Obaseki regretted the inconveniences people went through during the visit and assured such situation would be better managed in future.

I apologize to everyone in the state, especially those in the Benin Metropolis, for the difficulties experienced in mobility.

The torrential downpour also worsened the situation. I want to assure you that the situation will be managed more effectively next time.

I want to thank the Acting President, Prof. Osinbajo, for the visit and for rubbing minds with the good people of the state on how best to develop its oil-producing communities.

The people of Edo have no doubt that you mean well for the state and the entire Niger Delta region.

Be rest assured, Professor, that the government and people of Edo will support you, and may your strength never fade.

To the people of Edo, I also say thank you for successfully hosting the Acting President in the state warmly, he said.

ALSO READ:Suspected militants invite Osinbajo to Edo creeks

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Osinbajo was in Edo in continuation of his visit to the Niger Delta for dialogue with the people on the issues affecting the region.
Last weekend, the UK Guardian reported that the former Nigerian leader turned down an offer from the British authorities to rescue the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted from their dormitory in April 2014.

"British armed forces offered to attempt to rescue nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist group Boko Haram, but were rebuffed by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's President at the time," the story read.

Some other parts of the story read as follows: "In a mission named Operation Turus, the RAF conducted air reconnaissance over northern Nigeria for several months, following the kidnapping of 276 girls from the town of Chibok in April 2014. The girls were located in the first few weeks of the RAF mission, a source involved in Operation Turus told the Observer. We offered to rescue them, but the Nigerian government declined.

"The girls were then tracked by the aircraft as they were dispersed into progressively smaller groups over the following months, the source added".

In rejecting the offer to help, Jonathan was quoted as telling UK officials that "Nigerias intelligence and military services must solve the ultimate problem.

Jonathan has wasted little time in calling the story a tissue of lies.

In a statement that has been widely dispersed through his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan said: We wish to promptly point out that nothing can be further from the truth, as Nigerians are conversant with the effort made by the Jonathan administration towards rescuing the Chibok girls, especially in relation to collaborating with the international community.

We can confidently say that the lies in this report are self evident. This is because the international press as well as the Nigeria media actively covered the multinational efforts and collaboration which involved some of the major powers deploying their crack intelligence officers to work with our own security operatives, and those of our neighbours."

But the following paragraph from that statement was the ultimate own goal from Jonathan and his team:

"We are not surprised that this kind of concocted story is coming out at this point in time, as it appears that some people who have obviously been playing politics with the issue of the Chibok girls will stop at nothing to further their interest".

Therein lies the problem with Jonathan and this whole issue of the Chibok girls--the abduction by Boko Haram in April of 2014, was treated as a matter of politics by the Jonathan administration.

'It was the APC that was behind it all', the Jonathan administration said at the time through its litany of talking heads.

Where urgency was needed to get the girls back in the early days of the abduction, the Jonathan administration dithered and plodded.

In May of 2014, then First Lady Patience Jonathan laid bare the thinking inside the Jonathan camp with that tragi-comedy "There is God o" outing.

For the Jonathans, this was the handiwork of opposition politicians who just wanted to score political points. As far as they were concerned at the time, no abduction had taken place.

Another former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, had blasted Jonathan for a lack of urgency in rescuing the girls as soon as they were abducted.

The Federal Government could have acted quickly when the news broke so as to save the innocent girls, but nothing was done, Obasanjo lamented.

Obasanjo added that: The President (Jonathan) did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days. If the President got the information within 12 hours of the act and he reacted immediately, I believe those girls would have been rescued within 24 hours, maximum 48 hours.

"The President had doubts: Is this true, or is it a ploy by people who dont want me to be President again?

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has also spoken along similar lines.

So, when the UK Guardian says members of the British armed forces were pointed to where to shove their help, by the Nigerian government, it's difficult to disagree too much.

In the early days, Jonathan did not believe that the girls had been abducted. Every major snafu from the Nigerian military toward the rescue of the girls in 2014 and 2015, flowed from this mindset.

All the looting of monies meant to purchase weaponry for the decimation of Boko Haram, arose from this flawed mindset.

It's three years since the girls were abducted and we should be talking about how to rescue the over 100 of them still in Boko Haram custody.

But we shouldn't miss the lesson from this episode as we pray that this kind of incident never repeats itself.

There are die-hard 'Jonathanians' who still refer to the entire Chibok girls incident as a "scam". For this lot, it's quite unfortunate, to say the least.

But they are not alone.

Jonathan felt the same way before his administration thought it necessary to fashion out a rescue plan.

It was part of what cost him the throne a year later.

That's where that story from the UK Guardian was headed.

That's the context for it all.

It's time to heed the lessons from tarring every occurrence with the brush of politics.
Speaking on Tuesday in Enugu during a protest march by some indigenes of Obuno Ndi Uno community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, Ugwuanyi described such practices as `satanic.

He said that on no account would anybody be regarded as a slave in their community either on account of their ancestry or otherwise.

He said that the Constitution of the country had placed all Nigerian on equal pedestal, adding that the laws of Enugu State had also abolished all forms of Osu Caste practices in the state.

Slavery and segregation have been abolished and as far as the state government is concerned we do not recognise Osu Caste system.

We operate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he said.

He expressed regrets that such challenges that bordered on dehumanising treatments of fellow indigenes had always emanated from Nkanu clan.

Ugwuanyi said that the time had come for the people to embrace Christian teachings and eschew all manner of injustice in their lives.

If you know you are holding anybody down in the name of whatever belief that is not godly please release such person and let them be free, he said.

The governor promised to look into the matter to ensure that the right things was done, adding that his administration would not tolerate injustice in whatever guise.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Mr Austin Okoye, said they were at the Government House to plead with the state government to conduct an election which would produce a traditional ruler in their community.

Okoye, who is the President-General of the town union, said that the traditional stool had been vacant since 2016 when the former occupant died.

He alleged that the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matter had been hobnobbing with an unpopular candidate in the election with a view to imposing him on them.

We want the state government to come and conduct the election using option A4. We are ready to support anybody who wins but we do not want imposition.

Our community is in trouble. There is high rate of crime because we do not have a traditional ruler.

We want the governor to call the commissioner to order and for him to come and conduct the election, Okoye said.

A chieftain of the community, Chief Okwudiri Agbo, said that their kindred had over the years suffered all manner of injustice in their community.

Agbo said that they were called slaves by their brothers in spite of the fact that their clan had the highest population in the community.

My people make up 19 out of the 30 kindreds in our community. Yet we are vilified and regarded as slaves.

I have never seen where the minority rules over the majority in a democratic setup, he said.
Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, in his judgment, convicted Yekini based on the evidence before the court and his plea of guilty

Though, the punishment for the offence is long years in prison, but I will consider the plea for leniency by a lawyer in the court.

Yekini is hereby, sentenced to five months in prison from the day of her arrest, the Judge said.

Earlier, Mr Musbaudeen Olapade, who took interest in Yekinis case just before the judgment was delivered pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her.

Olapade said that the convict was a divorcee and an impoverished mother of four whose children might suffer more hardship if sentenced to many years in prison.

Mr Raphael Himinkaiye, counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Oyo State had told the court that the convict was arraigned on a one-count charge of unlawful accommodation of Indian Hemp.

Himinkaiye added that Yekini committed the crime on Feb. 3, at Omi-adio Area of Ibadan.

He said the agency was on the trail of a drug baron, one Adewale now at large who stayed on the accommodation provided by Yekini, when the discovery of 4.7 kg of Indian Hemp was made.
Oyairimenbho, a law graduate from the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, said at the inauguration ceremony that the project was part of her contributions to the community where she did her primary assignment.

According to her, the project, cost about N500,000.

The Batch A 2016/2017 corps member, said she sourced the fund from people, adding that she and her colleagues also offer legal services to inmates who did not have representatives.

I first came here with my legal group and I had this desire to do something for the community, where I served.

The idea of paying fees and actually securing the release of some inmates was not enough.

Through our Community Development Service (CDS) group, we render free legal service to indigenes and inmates who have no legal representation.

We also go out for prison visitation, sensitisation and also offer humanitarian services such as buying provisions, beverages and toiletries for the inmates.

Responding, Mr. Aireghian L. O, the Assistant Controller of Prison (ACP) in charge of Warri prison, commended the donor.

It was very noble; she saw the need of the inmates and she just executed it; it was a very noble gesture, he said.

The ACP, who was represented by Onyi Paulinus (CSP), identified lack of space as a challenge in the prison.

The population here is soaring, so we had to expand the fence.
He made the call in a condolence letter to Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on the death of Dr Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, on behalf of the party`s National Working Committee (NWC).

The chairman said that the circumstances that led to Adinoyi-Ojos death were a painful reminder of the need for improved policing of the nations highways.

He said that such policies were necessary to rid the roads of insecurity and incidents that had led to avoidable human casualties and loss of properties on the nation`s highways.

Odigie-Oyegun said that the partys leadership received the news of the tragic death of Adinoyi-Ojo with grief.

He condoled with the Government and people of Kogi and the immediate family of Adinoyi-Ojo, adding that he was a veteran journalist and a frontline member of the APC.

The death of Adinoyi-Ojo who was a governorship aspirant in the APCs last Kogi primary election has left us with a great void and deep feeling of grief.

He was a versatile, brilliant and celebrated member of the media intelligentsia, literary community and academia who made indelible marks in the various fields locally and internationally.

Nigeria and indeed the international community, has lost an illustrious son, he said.

He added that in the course of the deceaseds professional, national and international service, he brought great honour and pride to Nigeria.

ALSO READ: APC congratulates Acting President Osinbajo at 60

The chairman added that Adinoyi-Ojo had a meritorious and unblemished record of service in the media, saying that his articles, biographies and other literary works remained a collectors item and reference point.

Prayers and fond memories are what we have to remember our dearly departed, please accept my sincere condolences, he stated.
In a ruling on Tuesday in Abuja, Presiding Judge, Justice Micah Wright, held that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the application.

Wright, ruled that the case was admissible.

The judge then adjourned till April 27 for continuation of hearing.

Kanu, the Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),is suing the Federal Government for alleged illegal detention.

Joined in the suit are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS).

Kanu, in the suit, is seeking 800 million dollars compensation for violation of his human rights and an order directing his unconditional release and that of his personal belongings.

He is also praying the court to direct the defendants to respect, protect and promote his rights to life, liberty and freedom of movement, assembly and expression.

Kanu is also praying the court to declare that his arrest and detention since Oct. 14, 2015 by the defendants, is in flagrant disobedience to several orders of courts of competent jurisdiction.

He is also praying the court to declare that his continued detention is a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Charter of 1970.

Kanu was arrested On Oct. 18, 2015 and subsequently detained by the DSS in Abuja.

He was , however , granted bail on Oct. 19, 2015 but was not released and had been in detention since.

On Nov.18, 2015 ,the Magistrate Court I , sitting in Abuja, ordered the DSS to produce Kanu, at the court on Nov. 23, 2015.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Oct. 31, 2016, preferred a 34-count charge bordering on N3.2 billion fraud against Kalu and his former Commissioner for Finance, Jones Udogu.

Also charged is a company, Slok Nig. Ltd.

The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

When the case was mentioned on Monday, counsel for the prosecution, called its first witness, Mr Onovah Ovenevoh, into the witness box.

Ovenevoh was about to begin his testimony when an objection was raised by Udoogus counsel, Chief Solo Akuma (SAN).

Akuma drew the courts attention to the fact that the Ovenevohs statement was not part of the proof of evidence given to him by the prosecution.

According to him, service of witness statement on the defence is a constitutional right and a facility that should be provided for an accused person as enshrined in Section 36(6)(b) of the Constitution.

Kalus Counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also noted that it was important for the prosecution to make the statement of the witness available not only to the defence but also to the court.

We ought to know what the witness is going to tell the court and not to be caught by surprise.

Section 36(1)of the Constitution emphasised the need for an accused person to be given fair hearing and for us to have fair hearing, there must be fair trial, he said

In his objection, the Prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the two defence lawyers.

He maintained that the witness was in court by virtue of a courts order summoning him to appear and so, the commission should not be concerned about providing his statement again.

He said: It is in compliance with the order of the court that the witness is here. He is a courts witness and not a prosecution witness.

The role played by the witness was displayed on page 19 of the proof of evidence.

This should qualify as his statement, he said

Justice Mohammed Idris has fixed March 7 for ruling on the issue.

In the charge, the accused persons were alleged to have committed the offence between August 2001 and October 2005.

Kalu was alleged to have utilised his company to retain in the account of a First Inland bank, now FCMB, the sum of N200 million.

The sum is alleged to have formed part of funds illegally derived from the coffers of the Abia State Government.

In one of the counts, his company (Slok Nig Ltd) and Emeka Abone who is said to be at large, were also alleged to have retained in the companys account the sum of N200 million, on behalf of the first accused.

They were alleged to have utilised Manny Bank, (now Fidelity Bank Plc), Spring Bank Plc, the defunct Standard Trust Bank and Fin Land Bank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

In counts one to 10, the accused were alleged to have retained about N2.5 billion in different accounts, which funds were said to belong to the Abia government.

Cumulatively, in all the counts, the accused were alleged to have diverted over N3.2 billion from the Abia governments treasury during Kalus tenure as governor.

The offence contravened sections 15(6), 16, and 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2005.
The acting president said that it was important to have a viable self-sustaining and improving railway services.

The development will cut across the country; the Federal Ministry of Transportation has completed the feasibility study for up to 13 routes across the country to identify state capitals and major commercial centres.

We should begin to see significant activities in this regard very soon.

The fast and efficient railway service is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 2018, Osinbajo said.

He added that it was part of the promises made by the president during the campaign period.

The acting president said that the new standard gauge would also help the country in its economic diversification process.

Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation said in his speech that the projects would encourage trading and enhance exportation in the country.

Amaechi said that the new transport system would also encourage cargo services.

The services will encourage 3. 2 million tonnes of cargo in the first year of service.

The project in the nearest future will be extended from Ibadan to Ilorin, Minna- Kaduna and the Federal Capital, he said.

ALSO READ: APC congratulates Acting President Osinbajo at 60

The Oba of Lagos, HRM Rilwan Akiolu, in his speech appealed to the contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) to employ indigenes during the construction.
The ceremony, which took place at the Presidential Villa, was also attended by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Onnoghen was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, after Osinbajo sent his name to the legislative chamber on February 8.

He was appointed into an acting capacity by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 10, 2016 after the retirement of former CJN, Mahmoud Mohammed.

During the inauguration ceremony, Osinbajo said President Buhari told him to let the new CJN know that he was assuming office at a time when all arms of government suffer from loss of confidence from the people.

Osinbajo also said Buhari expressed the belief that the tenure of the new CJN will help revive and sustain the peoples confidence, Premium Times reports.

Onnoghen, on his part, said that his complete loyalty was with the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

To Nigerians who had kept the faith, some have even fasted, I say a big thank you, he said.

ALSO READ: Senate screens Walter Onnoghen
According to a report by SaharaReporters, Ozhekome has insisted that the frozen accounts of the ex-First Lady by the EFCC is unjust as the monies in question remains hers.

Ozhekome insisted that as the fictitious companies recently convicted by Justice Babs Kuewumi have not done any profitable business, the money in their accounts belongs to Patience Jonathan.

She has the card. She at all material times operated the accounts. The companies never operated it," Ozhekome said.

Labeling the process as a resulting trust, Ozhekome said a resulting trust is a money saved in a companys account but which does not belong to the company, adding that it is the law to allow the owner have their money back.

In his words: The accounts of Patience Jonathan were opened in the names of the companies but never did any profitable business to earn that kind of money. This money belongs to Patience Jonathan. We call it a resulting trust, he explained.

ALSO READ: EFCC freezes another bank account of Patience Jonathan

The resumed hearing which has been adjourned to April 6, 2017 by Justice Mohammed Idris will see Ozhekome serving the application on the prosecution, and the commencement of hearing on all pending applications.
Sanusi made this known via his Instagram page when he shared pictures of himself speaking at the Thomas Hodgkins Memorial lecture.

He wrote:  A member of audience asked me: Your Highness! Would you consider leaving your throne to run for office? I said to him : NO!"

The former CBN governor, on Monday March 6, 2017, delivered a lecture at the University alongside ex-INEC boss, Professor Attahiru Jega.

The monarch revealed that he spoke on Tradition, Modernisation and Reform: The Institution of Emir as a Change Agent under the African History and Politics.
If there is anything this country needs now, it is the Igbo. Nigeria needs the Igbos technological advancement now. We are paying the price of ignoring the creativity of Ndigbo in the past, Saraki, who was represented by Senator Bala Ibn NaAllah, said.

In Gods wisdom, recession has come to force us to look inwards. With the amendment of the Public Procurement Act, which has passed final reading in the Senate, and is making its way through the House of Representatives, we are in the process of making it easier for manufacturers and entrepreneurs around the country to benefit from the over N2 trillion in government procurement contracts.

Through this challenge, which is still ongoing, we hope to identify goods, services and other products that can be matched with investors and government agencies, to further the plight of our homegrown businessmen and women.

On our part, we in the Nigerian Senate, and the National Assembly as a whole, will continue to do everything within our mandate and power to ensure that our domestic manufacturers and service providers have the enabling environment that they need to thrive. I believe in Made- in- Nigeria, I believe in Made- in-Aba. The possibilities ahead of us are endless, he added.

ALSO READ: Senate screens Walter Onnoghen
The assignment, according to the resolution of the members is fact-finding to know the actual cause of the attacks.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja at the end of plenary, Leader of the delegation, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, assured that the visit would provide lasting solutions to the recurring attacks.

The visit will also provide opportunities to meet Nigerians in South Africa and assure them of governments commitment in safeguarding their lives and property, among others, he said.

Also speaking, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, explained that the committee had engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also condemned the xenophobic attack.

Elendu-Ukeje, who is also a member of the delegation, said it was constitutional to engage the South African parliament in order to resolve the issue.

Explaining further on the visit, the lawmaker said we will be looking at pieces of legislation that say to them that they must resist structural racism, Xenophobia."

We will be reminding them that they are signatories to the United Nations treaties against Xenophobia and racism.

If the mission fails, we will remind them of their companies in Nigeria, she said.

The delegation said it was unaware of the death of any Nigerian in the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Jubril also denied that the party was behind rumours of Buharis supposed death which had spread online in January, after the president embarked on a medical vacation.

Let him be well and come back and continue with his leadership of Nigeria, Jubril told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.

If we are to be given the opportunity, the PDP leaders will even go to London to wish him well and sympathise with his family, he added.

He also countered a statement made by ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo that the PDP was already dead.

By the grace of God we are coming clean and the PDP will never die, it will remain as a very strong party, Jubril said.

There could be differences; differences will come and go, we will emerge stronger and ready to win all elections like we have won in Rivers, Taraba, Gombe, and we are going to win in Anambra, Ekiti hands down.

I am very sure that there are moves by very responsible party leaders on way forward for our party and we are making a lot of contacts, he added.

The PDP has been suffering a leadership crisis since May 2016 when it attempted to remove Ali Modu Sheriff as chairman.

The party is currently split into two factions; one led by Sheriff and the other by former Kaduna state governor, Ahmed Makarfi.
The declaration was made by Adamawa PDP chairman, Abdulrahman Bobboi during a meeting with journalists.

By the time PDP takes over in 2019, we will declare free education for all the time PDP takes over in 2019 we will declare free education for all, Bobboi said according to Daily Sun.

Illiteracy is a major problem to any society and this government has made it difficult for Nigerians to have three square meals talk more of paying school fees. We are working with our economic team to develop models to jack up the revenue profile of the state when we take over.

During our time, we built about 12 universities in northern Nigeria; the Almajiri schools were built all over the country, all these were done to eradicate ignorance.

It was a PDP government that established Adamawa State University, and during that time, the people of Adamawa enjoyed free education, he added.
Somalia is facing its third famine in the 25 years that it has been embroiled in civil war and anarchy. A 2011 famine left 260,000 people dead in the Horn of Africa nation.

"There is a chance to avoid the worst... but we need massive support from the international community to avoid a repetition of the tragic events of 2011," said Guterres.

"It justifies a massive response," he added.

After a stop in Mogadishu, Guterres visited a camp of displaced people in the central city of Baidoa which has been hard-hit by the drought.

"The major factor for coming here was the drought. There is a lack of water, a lack of food. Our livestock has died," said mother-of-six Mainouna who arrived in the camp last month.

She only brought three of her children, the youngest of which is one year old, and left the others with her family in the southern region of Middle Juba.

Guterres said the world had a "moral obligation" to help people like Mainouna.

Guterres earlier met with President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a popular leader whose recent election has sparked hope among Somalis of a more stable future for a country notorious for being the world's foremost failed state.

"We have a drought which could result in a famine if we don't receive any rain in the coming two months," said the president, better known by his nickname Farmajo.

While Somalia is inching closer to stability, Farmajo warned after his election that there would be no quick fixes for the country after decades of repeated cycles of drought and insecurity.

African Union troops forced the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group out of the capital in 2011 but the jihadists still control parts of the countryside and carry out attacks against government, military and civilian targets, seemingly at will, in Mogadishu and regional towns.

"It is the dramatic situation of countries like Somalia that has created terrorism," said Guterres.

The Horn of Africa nation is one of three countries -- along with Yemen and Nigeria -- on the verge of famine which has already been declared in South Sudan.

Conflict and drought

Conflict and severe drought are the common denominators that have led to an unprecedented number of famine alerts at one time around the world.

The United Nations said last month that $4.4 billion (4.1 billion euros) in emergency funding is needed to address the crisis in the four countries, where more than 20 million people face starvation.

In South Sudan, 100,000 people are already suffering from a "man-made" famine due to three years of civil war.

An official declaration of famine is made when 20 percent of the population in the affected area has extremely limited access to food, acute malnutrition is higher than 30 percent, and more than two per 10,000 people are dying every day.

In Somalia, 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.

On Saturday Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said at least 110 people had died in 48 hours from "droughts and acute watery diarrhoea" caused by lack of food, medicine and access to safe drinking water.

"The combination of conflict, drought, climate change, diseases and cholera is a nightmare," Guterres told journalists during the flight to Mogadishu.

Several failed rainy seasons have also severely impacted other east African nations such as Ethiopia and Kenya, and much of southern Africa.

East Africans are holding their breath just weeks ahead of the main annual rains. If they fail, the situation will turn from crisis into catastrophe.

Guterres' visit to Somalia is only the third by a UN secretary general since 1993 -- two years after then president Siad Barre was overthrown, plunging the country into civil war.
The 28 EU leaders are to discuss the situation in the Western Balkans at a summit on Thursday amid growing concern over instability and alleged Russian involvement.

"I have seen in the Western Balkans in these days much more than ever before a region exposed to different layers of challenges and tensions," Mogherini said after EU foreign and defence ministers met in Brussels.

Asked about Russia's role in the region, Mogherini replied: "The Balkans can easily become one of the chessboards where the big power game can be played.

"So the concern is there... and it is profound," she said.

Mogherini said renewed ethnic and territorial tensions in a region that in the 1990s saw Europe's worst bloodshed since World War II in the former Yugoslavia were "extremely dangerous".

The EU diplomatic chief experienced the tensions herself last week when she faced pro-Russia chants as she addressed the Serbian parliament on a visit to the region.

Earlier British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Russia must halt its "completely unacceptable" meddling in the EU's backyard.

"Let us be very clear, Russia is up to all sorts of no good," Johnson said as he arrived for the meeting in Brussels.

"They are engaged in cyber warfare, engaged in undermining countries in the Western Balkans -- you have seen what happened in Montenegro -- to say nothing of what has happened in eastern Ukraine," he said.

A Montenegro prosecutor said last month that "Russian state bodies" were involved in a coup attempt during October elections with the aim of stopping the Balkan country from joining NATO.

EU efforts to forge closer ties with the Balkan states meanwhile have stalled, with Brussels seen as failing to deliver on promises of membership and economic progress.
Fillon, 63, won unanimous backing from leaders of his Republicans party on Monday night giving him hope he has finally silenced those who have consistently called on him to step aside over the last six weeks.

The conservative ex-premier has been in torment since January 24 when revelations first emerged that he had paid his wife and children hundreds of thousands of euros from public funds -- with little evidence of their work.

1) Fillon prospects dimmed

At the end of January, before the scandal broke, the conservative ex-prime minister was the clear favourite to win the two-stage election on April 23 and May 7.

Shortly afterwards, according to a tracker of polls compiled by AFP, he fell behind the centrist Emmanuel Macron and only one voter survey out of more than 20 since has shown him ahead of the 39-year-old.

A poll at the weekend of 1,027 voters showed only 29 percent of voters wanted the veteran politician with a nearly 40-year career to remain in the race.

"He's got some breathing space, but he needs to ask himself if he can still win the election," one sceptical MP from his party told AFP on Monday, asking not to be named.

2) The Republicans split

The party's divisions have exploded again after a bitter bout of infighting in 2012 sparked by the defeat of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy who unsuccessfully sought re-election.

Fillon has been hit by a blizzard of criticism from lawmakers close to Sarkozy and ex-premier Alain Juppe, as well as ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin who warned him about taking the party into an "abyss".

On the ground, Republican activists and lawmakers say they have found it difficult to go out campaigning to face often hostile voters.

"To say it's been easy would be lying," an MP from the eastern city of Lyon, Dominique Nachury, told AFP last month as she and fellow activists handed out leaflets in the centre of the city.

3) The outsiders gain

The disarray appears to have benefited centrist, pro-business candidate Macron in particular, as well as far-right leader Marine Le Pen, polls and interviews with voters suggest.

Macron only founded his party "En Marche" ("On the Move") last April but events have reinforced his message of the need to overthrow the "same men and the same ideas."

Recent polls show Macron now closing in on Le Pen in the first round of the vote on April 23, with around 25 percent of the vote.

They would both progress to the run-off on May 7 -- breaking the post-war monopoly of France's traditional parties -- with Macron seen as the most likely winner.

The Fillon spectacle has led some voters to give up hope on the political class, favouring Le Pen and her National Front (FN) party's anti-elite message -- or choosing to abstain.

"I'm tempted to vote National Front even though I don't share a lot of their ideas," unemployed worker Michel Travigne, 51, told AFP in a bar in a village near Fillon's home region of Sarthe last week.

"It's just to get rid of everyone," he explained.

4) Institutions under attack

Fillon and his wife Penelope are set to be charged for suspected embezzlement of public funds later this month.

In press conferences and speeches, he has repeatedly denounced a politically motivated investigation, suggesting it was ordered by the government and abetted by a biased media.

His attacks have shocked some observers.

"The way that (US President Donald) Trump has defied the justice system and attacked the media, calling them 'fake news', I think in a way it's encouraging Fillon and Marine Le Pen to copy," Herve Le Bras, a veteran political watcher and demographer, told AFP last week.

5) Everyone else drowned out

"It has dominated all the space. There's a feeling of frustration to put it mildly,"Jerome Guedj, a spokesman for Socialist party candidate Benoit Hamon, told AFP.

Senior Socialist figure Jean-Christophe Cambadelis worries that "the winner will be elected by default without there being the possibility to ever really subject their programme to scrutiny."

Candidates such as the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon have continued campaigning but largely out of the public eye.

6) Morbid fascination

Though polls show growing distrust for both politicians and the media, television viewing figures and newspaper sales have surged as voters tune in to an extraordinary election campaign.
"It is now 30 years since a story of pain, sorrow and trials was written here. I would like to bow down here in front of those for whom time stopped at this place," said Carl Decaluwe, the governor of western Flanders province.

British ambassador Alison Rose and Decaluwe both cast wreaths into the seawater, while a lone bugle sounded after a minute's silence.

Former rescuers travelled to the site on another boat.

Survivors and family members of the victims meanwhile took part in a ceremony at a memorial set up after the disaster in the town of Zeebrugge.

The Townsend Thoresen ferry the "Herald of Free Enterprise" turned over on its side just outside Zeebrugge as it set out for Dover with more than 500 passengers and crew on board.

A public inquiry confirmed the ferry had left port with its bow doors open, letting water flood the car deck and fatally destabilising the vessel.

The crew member responsible for closing the doors of the ferry was asleep at the time, the investigation found.

In October 1987, an inquest returned verdicts of unlawful killing.

The company -- later rebranded as P&O European Ferries -- was later charged with corporate manslaughter, but there were no convictions.
The talks were off-limits to reporters, and no details were released.

The US embassy said on its Twitter feed that Brownfield ratified US support for Guatemalan efforts to fight corruption and terrorism.

Guatemala, with neighboring El Salvador and Honduras, is prey to gangs and drug cartels.

Violence and poverty in those countries are the main motivation for mass emigration to the United States, usually without visas or documentation.

The United States estimates that 90 percent of the cocaine consumed on its territory passes through Central America and Mexico.
The conference, following on from a similar meeting in London early last year, "will assess regional conditions and the conditions on which post-conflict assistance can be provided once a credible political transition is in place," Mogherini said.

The EU has consistently backed UN efforts to end the bloody conflict in Syria which has cost more than 310,000 lives and displaced millions since 2011 when protests against President Bashar al-Assad descended into all-out civil war.

Assad's future is the key question, with the various rebel groups backed by the United States and Turkey demanding that he step down in any settlement.

He insists he is going nowhere and backed by heavy Russian military support has re-established his position with the recapture of Aleppo, Syria's second city.

At the last round of UN-sponsored talks in Geneva on Friday, Damascus and the opposition agreed a "clear agenda" to end the war, according to UN envoy Staffan de Mistura.

He said there had been progress and he hoped to be able to invite both sides back to Geneva later this month for a new round of talks.

The Geneva peace talks run in parallel with negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, brokered by Russia and Turkey, and which are focused on maintaining a fragile ceasefire reached in December after Assad recaptured Aleppo.

A new Astana meeting is expected to take place before the next Geneva talks.
State corruption attorney Katherine Ampuero said she had ordered a "preliminary investigation over alleged suspect operations" involving payments by Odebrecht to Latin America Enterprise, a company linked to the president.

She also said the authority had ordered similar investigations into former president Alan Garcia, suspected of accepting a bribe for awarding Odebrecht a contract to build an underground train line.

Kuczynski has previously denied taking bribes from Odebrecht. Garcia also denied Monday's allegations in a Twitter message.

Two other ex-presidents are already subject to investigations for allegedly taking bribes: Alejandro Toledo and Kuczynski's immediate predecessor, Ollanta Humala.

Odebrecht is implicated in corruption probes in several Latin American countries, most notably its home market Brazil.

In Peru, it has admitted paying $29 million in bribes to secure public contracts.

Kuczynski in January ordered Odebrecht to pull out of Peru and stripped it of a $7 billion gas pipeline contract.
"The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under (the) treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine," in a case before the UN's top International Court of Justice, Moscow's representative said.

"We see neither a legal nor factual basis" for the measures asked for by Ukraine, Russian foreign ministry legal director Roman Kolodkin told the court in The Hague.

Nearly three years of conflict have claimed about 10,000 lives in eastern Ukraine -- and led to Russia's seizure of Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea in 2014 -- pushing ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Kiev asked the court -- which rules in disputes between countries -- to order Moscow to stop funnelling money, arms and people into eastern Ukraine.

It also accuses Moscow of discriminating against non-Russian groups in the Crimea.
All men are by nature equal, but differ greatly in the sequel.

WASHINGTON  A quarter of a millennium later, that couplet from a colonial American almanac defines an urgent challenge. Modern society increases how, and the predictability of how much, people differ in the sequel.

If America is to be equitable, with careers open to all talents and competent citizens capable of making their way in an increasingly demanding world, Americans must heed the warnings implicit in observations from two heroes of modern conservatism. In The Constitution of Liberty (1960), Friedrich Hayek noted that families are the primary transmitters of human capital  habits, mores, education. Hence families, much more than other social institutions or programs, are determinative of academic and vocational success. In The Unheavenly City (1970), Edward C. Banfield wrote: All education favors the middle-and upper-class child, because to be middle or upper class is to have qualities that make one particularly educable.

Elaborating on this theme, Jerry Z. Muller, a Catholic University historian, argues in the March/April 2013 issue of Foreign Affairs that expanding equality of opportunity increases inequality because some people are simply better able than others to exploit opportunities. And assortative mating  likes marrying likes  concentrates class advantages, further expanding inequality. As Muller says, formal schooling itself plays a relatively minor role in creating or perpetuating achievement gaps that originate in the different levels of human capital children possess when they enter school.

The Cato Institutes Brink Lindsey argues in Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter  and More Unequal that economic growth intensifies societys complexity, which has opened a great divide between those who have mastered its requirements and those who havent. Modernity  education-based complexity  intensifies the demands on mental abilities. People invest increasingly in human capital  especially education  because status and achievement increasingly depend on possession of the right knowledge.

Lindsey cites research showing that by the time they reach age 3, children of professional parents have heard some 45 million words addressed to them  as opposed to only 26 million words for working-class kids, and a mere 13 million words in the case of kids on welfare. So, class distinctions in vocabularies are already large among toddlers. Parental choices of neighborhoods and schools mean that children of college-educated parents hang out together. Such peer associations may have as much effect on a childs development as do parents. These factors, Lindsey says, explain why people raised in the upper middle class are far more likely to stay there than move down, while people raised in the working class are far more likely to stay there than move up.

In a historical blink, Lindsey says, humanity has moved from lives rooted in a remembered past to lives focused on an imagined future. This future orientation favors the intellectually nimble. Who gets ahead, who struggles to keep up, and who gets left behind are now determined primarily by how people cope with the mental challenges of complexity. And coping skills are incubated in families.

Today, the dominant distinction defining socioeconomic class is between those with and without college degrees. Graduates earn 70 percent more than those with only high school diplomas. In 1980, the difference was just 30 percent.

Soon the crucial distinction will be between those with meaningful and those with worthless college degrees. Many colleges are becoming less demanding as they become more expensive: They rake in money  much of it from government-subsidized tuition grants  by taking in many marginally qualified students who are motivated only to acquire a credential, and who learn little.

Lindsey reports that in 1961, full-time college students reported studying 25 hours a week on average; by 2003, average studying time had fallen to 13 hours. Half of todays students take no courses requiring more than 20 pages of writing in a semester. Given the role of practice in developing expertise, the conclusion that college students are learning less than they used to seems unavoidable. Small wonder those with college degrees occupying jobs that do not require a high school diploma include 1.4 million retail salespeople and cashiers, half a million waiters, bartenders and janitors, and many more.

Most American kids, Lindsey concludes, are now raised in an environment that is arguably less favorable for developing human capital than that in which their parents were raised. Americas limited-government project is at risk because the nations foundational faith in individualism cannot survive unless upward mobility is a fact.

George Wills email address is georgewill@washpost.com

(c) 2013, Washington Post Writers Group
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump's new executive order on immigration and travel includes a modified version of the refugee ban that existed in the original order.



Starting at 12:01 a.m. March 16, the refugee admission program will be shut down for 120 days pending review of the vetting process, although an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees has disappeared from the language.



While the ban on the refugee admission program is temporary, advocates say it will have far-reaching implications because each aspect of the application process has an expiration date.



The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects, said Commissioner for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. "UNHCR has long been a partner for the United States in finding solutions to refugee problems, and we look forward to continuing this partnership.



But the U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said Monday: "the executive order signed by the President earlier today protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States is a vital measure for strengthening our national security."



Here is a look at what is expected to happen to those who are currently in the refugee application process, according to advocates.



Race Against the Clock?



According to representatives of a number of refugee resettlement agencies, the answer that there will not be a push to get refugees into the country before the deadline.



Unfortunately, there is nothing that we or the refugees can do to speed up their travel, Sarah Krause, senior director for programs of the immigration and refugee Program of Church World Service told ABC News.



The process applicants must go through to receive refugee status is a long and complicated one, including medical, criminal background and security checks. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department are all involved in the process, which can take anywhere from 6-12 months. Its therefore nearly impossible for any applicant to expedite their case and receive approval by March 16.



Krause estimates about 400 arrivals are booked for travel per week, and she does not anticipate seeing a spike in that number this coming week, regardless of the impending new order.



Will refugees be stranded at airports again?



This 10-day window is meant to have a more orderly processing and departure, Hans Van de Weerd, vice president for U.S. programs at the International Rescue Committee, told ABC News. We are not expecting the same transit issues. However, one can never be entirely sure.



What will happen to those who are waiting in line to get to the United States?



There are about 10,000 refugees who have been approved to relocate to the United States, van de Weerd said, and their cases have Must Travel By dates. If an individual is not able to travel to the United States before that date, they may be required to go through the clearance process again.



Each step requires waiting for availability, and while waiting for one item, others may continue to expire. Any life event that occurs during the 120-day suspension period, such as a birth, death, marriage or even birthday (for children turning 14) will quire new or repeated checks.



Its likely to set off a series of expiries meaning that refugees who could have traveled in a few weeks may be delayed by months, and in the worst case scenario, years, Krause said.



Will there be any exceptions for refugees who have already been approved?



The new executive order states that the 120-day travel suspension shall not apply to refugee applicants who, before the effective date of this order, have been formally scheduled for transit by the Department of State.



However, the refugee resettlement agencies ABC News spoke with did not have any details from government officials on how this exception would work in practice.



And van de Weerd added that because of the expiration dates on applications, many will lose and go to the back of the queue. This is not an innocent pause, but a setback to the refugee program as a whole.



The executive order also mentions that the secretaries of State and Homeland Security may jointly admit refugees on a case-by-case basis, including in situations in which the denial of entry would cause undue hardship.



Legal experts told ABC News that what constitutes undue hardship is unclear and can be widely defined, but that precedent has shown that separation from a spouse or family members, for example, may not rise to the level of undue hardship.



Van de Weerd said he could see denying refugees who require immediate and emergency medical attention as undue hardship."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A third generation community banker from Durant, Iowa, has again been appointed superintendent of the Iowa Division of Banking.

Ron Hansen, chairman and CEO for Liberty Trust & Savings Bank, was appointed to the post last week by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. The Durant native first was appointed banking superintendent Nov. 16, 2015, to fill out the remainder of the four-year term of James Schipper, who retired Oct. 8, 2015.

His latest appointment, which begins May 1, is subject to the Iowa Senate's confirmation.

"Our mission is to protect the interest of those doing business with Iowa state-charter banks, licensed finance service providers and licensed professionals," Hansen said in an interview this week.

The banking division, which employs 70 people across Iowa, regulates all Iowa state-chartered banks and has regulatory and licensing authority over consumer lenders, mortgage businesses and payday lenders. Its Professional Licensing bureau oversees the licensing boards for seven disciplines: accountants, architects, engineers and land surveyors, landscape architects, real estate brokers and agents, real estate appraisers and interior designers.

Hansen, 65, who splits his time between Des Moines and Durant, said Iowa is unique, in that, it allows an active banker to serve as superintendent. Other states appoint attorneys and other professionals.

"It gives me a different perspective," said Hansen, who has worked at the bank full-time since 1975. Bankers in other states have commented, "that they wish they had a banker (as superintendent)  someone who has lived through the things the banks have gone through."

He leads Iowa's Division of Banking as its marks its 100th anniversary.

Hansen got his start in 1969 working summers at the bank. He followed his father Oliver Hansen and a great uncle into the business.

In 1995, he was named president and CEO and then in 2014 he became chairman and CEO. He also has been chairman, president, treasurer and director for Liberty Bancorp., the bank's parent corporation; and director for Liberty Insurance Agency.

Under his tenure, the community bank has expanded from locations in Durant and New Liberty to a total of four branches, including banks in Bennett and Tipton.

Hansen said the banking landscape continues to consolidate mostly because of mergers. At the end of 2016, Iowa had a total of 302 banks, including state charters, national charters and thrift institutions. That was down from 311 a year earlier.

Hansen is the second generation to be appointed superintendent. His father, who died in 2010, served in the position from 1971-1973.
State senators continue to move a per-pupil state funding bill through the Iowa Legislature that will affect school districts in Davenport and Eldridge.

A bill to fix inequities in the state allotment to almost half the districts in Iowa will be debated by the Iowa Senate as early as Thursday, according to Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, a co-sponsor of the legislation renamed Senate File 455, or SF 455.

That floor debate may be delayed to Monday or Tuesday, Smith said, adding he remains "cautiously optimistic" about eventually passing the legislation to adjust per-pupil funding limits established more than 40 years ago.

The aim of the bill is to help the budgets in about 150 of the state's public school districts, including in Davenport and in the North Scott Community School District, Eldridge.

The proposal would use $25 million a year for 10 years to support school districts that fall below the per-pupil state ceiling level, which is as much as $175 per student. Those funds also would be used to support transportation costs in districts where that is an issue.

"It's progress," said Richard Clewell, chair of the Davenport School Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee, who added the bill is "recognition by the Legislature and governor that the state funding formula is broken and needs to be fixed."

"We do recognize they are moving forward and the moral imperative of treating all Iowa students equally," Clewell said.

If the Senate approves the bill, it will go to the Iowa House, which will have more than three weeks to review it and a standing committee approve it before the next funnel deadline, Smith said.

"We are not down to the wire on this," Smith said.

Iowa Rep. Ross Paustian, R-Walcott, signaled on Feb. 20 that he will support per-pupil funding legislation that comes out of the Senate.

Another bill from Smith and favored by the Davenport district is not moving as quickly. It is Senate File 304 and would address short-term funding issues.

This bill would reduce what a district must hold in cash reserves from 20 percent to 15 percent, with the option of using the difference to address the funding gap. That still would require Davenport to dip into its reserve funds, which it currently does to meet today's budget needs and is an action that breaks the state law.

"That's not our preference, but we need to do so now," Clewell said.

Smith said SF 304 will have to take a different route if it is to pass through the legislative process, possibly being added as an amendment to a bill in the Senate's Ways and Means Committee.

On the bright side, there is "a lot of Senate support for the legislation," Smith said, including both the long-term and short-term funding fixes.
Western Illinois University, on its campuses in Moline and Macomb, has joined in a friendly new initiative: "You Are Welcome Here."

The congenial campaign actually began last fall at Temple University in Philadelphia. This was before the November election, but it has gained steam since then, according to Jeffrey Hancks, a native of the Quad-Cities who is now interim director of distance learning, international studies and outreach on the Macomb campus.

"We decided to get on board with Temple's campaign and make it clear to our international students they are welcome to study in the United States and at our university, Western Illinois," he said.

President Donald Trump's first, and now updated, order on immigration, denying entry by immigrants from specific countries, has caused great uncertainty among international students in all corners of the world, Hancks said.

"I would hate to see international students choose to study in other countries due to a false perception that American universities do not want them here," he said. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

There are nearly 500 students at Western Illinois from around the world and more than 1 million international students at U.S colleges and universities.

Hancks said students at Western hail from 60 counties; most are from India, Saudi Arabia, China, Nepal and Nigeria. The majority of students are in Macomb, but some are on the Moline campus, studying engineering.

Most travel on the J-1 student visas, he said.

As part of the campaign, a student videographer at Western made a video of several people on campus. The project included both local and international students, as well as Western employees. All said, "You Are Welcome Here," in many languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Spanish.

Western's president, Jack Thomas, wraps up the video, which was posted on Twitter and other forms of social media.

"We've had a good response to it so far," Hancks said. No matter what comes out of Washington, D.C., he said the international students are welcome in both Macomb and Moline.
The Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act drew criticism Tuesday from some conservative groups, but so far, Iowa Republicans are staying on the sidelines over the proposal.

The House GOP released a copy of its new health care proposal late Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon, the Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America and FreedomWorks already had weighed in against it. FreedomWorks called it "Obamacare-lite," and Heritage said insurance consumers won't see any significant difference from the Affordable Care Act.

Iowa Republicans weren't that harsh.

"I'm still studying details of the legislation," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement Tuesday.

Grassley said he agrees with the goal of "protecting access to health care while moving to a market-driven system that provides coverage people want at affordable prices." But he didn't weigh in on details of the new plan.

A spokesperson for Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said via email: "Senator Ernst is currently reviewing the bill."

Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa, said, "Im going to read the bill and do my homework."

Both said bringing down costs was a key consideration.

Democrats already have targeted the legislation as they have fought to preserve the nearly seven-year-old Affordable Care Act. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, complained Tuesday that thousands of Iowans would lose coverage under the plan.

"There is no doubt that those who will be most negatively affected are those who are in greatest need," Loebsack said.

Republicans, now with control of Congress and the White House, have been trying for weeks to fashion legislation that will meet the demands of GOP voters who have called for the Affordable Care Act's repeal, as well as avoid millions losing coverage and the collapse of individual insurance markets.

Proponents of the bill say the new legislation keeps the repeal promise while providing a stable transition. They say the new plan will mean lower costs and more choices.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad also kept mostly to the sidelines on the issue Tuesday. In his own statement, Branstad said, "I am encouraged Congress is taking the first steps to replace Obamacare." He added, however, that it would be "premature to comment on any specific provision of the current draft of the American Health Care Act."

Of particular interest to states is how the proposal treats Medicaid. The plan would maintain the Affordable Care Act's expanded Medicaid coverage, but only until 2020, when states adding recipients would do so without additional federal funding the ACA provided.

Branstad's reference to the bill as a "current draft" echoed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who described it as a "work in progress."

President Donald Trump praised the legislation, however, referring to it as "our wonderful new Healthcare Bill."

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to a recent poll, Gov. Bruce Rauner is a whole lot less popular than a one cent per ounce state sales tax on sugary drinks.

The poll of 800 registered voters taken February 15-20 for the American Heart Association found that Rauner is backed by just 32 percent against an unnamed Democrat, who would receive 47 percent. But a new penny per ounce tax on sugary drinks is actually supported by a majority of those polled, 56 percent, compared to 41 percent who oppose it.

"In the 2018 election for governor," the Democratic pollster Anzalone Liszt Grove Research asked, "are you more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate or Republican Bruce Rauner?" Forty-two percent said they were more likely to vote for the unnamed Democratic candidate and another 5 percent said they leaned that direction, for a total of 47.

And now you know why the governor deposited $50 million in his campaign fund late last year.

Rauner's dismal rating shouldn't be too much of a surprise. He's gone two years without many accomplishments and without passing, or even proposing a "real" budget. The 15-point Democratic margin is about the same margin that Hillary Clinton won Illinois by just a few months ago. The electorate may well be different by the time 2018 rolls around. Also, an actual named candidate could do worse against Rauner. You cant beat somebody with nobody.

The governor and his people have been saying for weeks that a tax on sugary drinks was only unpopular under the Statehouse dome with lobbyists and legislators. The two Senate leaders have said there is no way they can round up enough votes to include the tax hike in their grand bargain package, however. The Heart Association has been running a huge national ad campaign against sugar itself, and the issue appears to have caught fire.

The penny per ounce tax is backed by 62 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of independents, according to the pollster. It's supported by 60 percent of Chicagoans, even though Cook County just instituted its own penny per ounce tax. 53 percent of suburban residents and 51 percent of Downstaters support the tax. 54 percent of whites, 54 percent of African-Americans and 71 percent of Latinos back the plan, according to the poll. And after being read both positive and negative statements about the penny per ounce sugary drinks tax, support actually rose to 67 percent versus 32 percent in opposition. The poll's margin of error is +/-3.5 percent.

The poll also revealed that the public may be as divided about the budget as many rank and file lawmakers. When asked whether they preferred to continue along the same budgetary path without raising taxes, 38 percent agreed, while just 44 percent said they supported "Fixing the state's budget with tax increases as part of that fix." Eighteen percent either didn't know or refused to answer.

Just 4 percent said that raising taxes without spending cuts is the right way to go, while 35 percent said they prefer cutting spending with no tax hikes and 58 percent said they favored a mix of both spending cuts and tax hikes.

But not a single tax hike except the sugary drinks tax is supported, and a look at those poll results gives you a good idea why crafting and then passing a solution to this states horribly vexing dilemma is so darned difficult.

For example, a plan to raise the state income tax from its current level of 3.75 percent to 4.99 percent is opposed by 66 percent, with 49 percent strongly opposed. Just 31 percent support that income tax hike, which is the backbone of the Senate's grand bargain proposal. A mere 12 percent strongly support the idea.

Lowering the overall sales tax rate by a half a point and expanding that tax to food and medicine is opposed by 64 percent, while only 31 percent support it. Gov. Rauner voiced opposition to this idea during his budget address, and now you can see why. Forty-three percent were strongly opposed.

Asked if they supported expanding the sales tax "to include taxing services like home repairs and landscaping," a plan long favored by the governor, 60 percent were opposed while 37 percent supported it. Forty percent said they were strongly opposed.

The most unpopular idea tested, by far, was cutting Medicaid spending by "hundreds of millions of dollars, including coverage for low income seniors and children." A whopping 78 percent were opposed to that idea, including 65 percent who were strongly opposed. Only 19 percent were in favor.
DES MOINES  A question raised more than a year ago  who has the authority to establish Iowas minimum wage?  could finally be answered this week following a heated debate Monday evening over whether lawmakers should usurp local governments from taking the matter into their own hands.

Dozens packed a meeting room for a public hearing on House File 295, which could reach a floor debate sometime today in the House.

While the bill seeks to take away some other control  or home rule decisions  from local governments, too, most of the speakers Monday focused on its main provision: unraveling higher wage thresholds already enacted in parts of Johnson, Linn, Polk and Wapello counties.

Tired of waiting for the state, Johnson County supervisors voted in 2015 to phase in increases to the states $7.25 an hour. The other counties followed, and now minimums in those counties are above the state threshold or on track to get there.

John Noble, a Des Moines resident and member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, described the bill to erase them as bullying and an act of cruelty.

This is not a left issue, this is not a right issue  this is a right or wrong issue, and this is wrong, he said. I think this represents the absolute deepest of hypocrisy. Local people know whats best for them ... and whats best for them is a living wage.

On the other hand, business owner Mike Holms of Jethros barbecue restaurant, which employs more than 600 people and operates mostly in the Des Moines metro area, said the varying wage ordinances across the state hinder businesses growth.

He said a key factor in his recent decision to add a restaurant in Ames rather than Iowa City was because the latter is in one of the four counties  Johnson  with inconsistent minimums.

Right now, its the wild west, he said.

Jessica Dunker, president of the Iowa Restaurant Association, also urged lawmakers to approve the bill.

But she said her organization, which represents more than 6,000 establishments that employ more than 15,000 people, is willing to discuss a possible minimum wage increase  as long as its statewide.

We are willing to come to the table, but it needs to be one table, not 99 or more, she said.

Gov. Terry Branstad has said he would consider a minimum-wage increase if the Legislature sent him one. But proposals by Democrats this session to do that have died.

Johnson Countys minimum wage ordinance brought the local rate up to $10.10 in January and requires that future adjustments be based on committee recommendations.

Linn Countys minimum wage increased in January to $8.25 an hour and is slated to increase to $9.25 next year and reach $10.25 in 2019.

In addition, Wapello County approved an increase to $10.10 in 2019, while Polk Countys minimum wage will reach $10.75 that same year.

Rep. John Landon, R-Ankeny, who authored HF 295, said that growing number of county wage ordinances spurred a need for a statewide rule.

But Lucas Beenken, representing Iowa Association of Counties, said the bill flies in the face of home rule and punishes local entities for responding to their residents needs.

Local control is not supposed to be something the Legislature believes in until they disagree with specific decisions made at the local level ... We believe the citizens of Iowa value local control, he said. For home rule to truly be meaningful, we must honor it and let it work.

The bill has other provisions that also have proved divisive among many organizations.

Lobbyists for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, Iowa Landlord Association and Iowa Restaurant Association have made declarations in support of the measure. But representatives of the Iowa League of Cities, Iowa State Association of Counties and AFSCME Iowa Council 61 oppose it.

The bill would prevent local governments from enacting bans on the use of plastic bags and prohibiting housing discrimination based on a tenants source of income. Housing voucher ordinances such as those in Iowa City and Marion  which ban landlords from discriminating against voucher holders  would be abolished.

Michael Triplett, with the Greater Iowa Apartment Association, described those rules as an egregious overreach of local power.

In order to remain eligible for further consideration this year, the House must pass the bill and send it to the Senate, where it must clear committee by March 31.
A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items for Monday:

BRANSTAD AS GO-BETWEEN': Gov. Terry Branstad said once he is confirmed as U.S. ambassador to China, he hopes to help President Donald Trumps administration advocate for trade deals and other policies that are better for the U.S. than those currently in place but also remain beneficial to China. The best deal is a win-win, which would be better for America but also good for China, Branstad said. My goal is to try to be the go-between between the two strong leaders ... and hopefully working out some of these difficult issues. The U.S. exported nearly $116 billion in trade goods to China in 2016, according to federal data, and Iowa exported $2.3 billion worth of goods to China in 2015, according to the US-China Trade Council. Some business leaders are concerned Trumps calls for renegotiated trade deals could lead to a trade war that could adversely affect Iowa ag producers and businesses.

RESPONSE COMING: The Iowa Attorney General's Office is preparing a response to questions an Iowa senator raised about the succession of Gov. Terry Branstad if and when he leaves office to be President Donald Trump's ambassador to China. Sen. David Johnson, an Ocheyedan independent, thinks that if the governor's office is vacated, the powers and duties of the governor will "devolve" to Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. However, it's not clear to him what becomes of the office of lieutenant governor. Johnson asked the attorney general to issue an official opinion on the succession process by Feb. 15. Monday, he asked the Attorney General's Office about the status of that request. Attorney general spokesman Geoff Greenwood said a response is forthcoming, but he doesn't know when. It may be an attorney general's opinion or it simply may be a response. Branstad thinks he will be asked to appear before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as soon as early April, and he expects confirmation could follow in April.

TIGHT-LIPPED: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who will succeed Gov. Terry Branstad once he becomes U.S. ambassador to China, is playing it close to the vest on her eventual transition to power. At the administration's weekly news conference, Reynolds declined to discuss possible candidates she might appoint to serve as her lieutenant once she is sworn in as governor later this year. Reynolds said the timeline is still unknown given the uncertainty surrounding Branstad's confirmation as ambassador by the U.S. Senate, but she said she expects a "seamless transition" once Branstad exits and she takes the reins of state government. "There's going to be plenty of time for me to lay out what my objectives are, but right now, we're focused on the work that's at hand" while the 2017 Legislature is in session, Reynolds told reporters. Branstad insisted he has not made recommendations as to who should be Iowa's next lieutenant governor, telling his weekly news conference that it's Reynolds' choice to make, and "I have great trust in her judgment."

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT: State officials are seeking ideas from Iowa residents on how best to utilize $21 million the state will receive over the next 10 years as part of a federal settlements with German automaker Volkswagen. Iowa is in line to receive money flowing through environmental mitigation trust funds that is set aside specifically for projects that reduce emission of nitrogen oxides. Iowa Department of Transportation Director Mark Lowe joined Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds at their regular Monday news conference to invite Iowans to provide their suggestions on how the funds should be spent. Iowa has developed a new website  iowadot.gov/vwsettlement  to provide information about the settlement and collect input on how the state should plan for using the mitigation funds. According to federal officials, the settlements resolve allegations that Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act by the sale of 590,000 model year 2009 to 2016 diesel motor vehicles equipped with defeat devices in the form of computer software designed to cheat on federal emissions tests. The settlement provides for an array of eligible projects that could benefit Iowa. We are asking Iowans for their input on the types of projects they believe will achieve the greatest long-term impact, Branstad said. The public comment period will be open until April 14. Once all public comments have been collected, a working group comprised of officials from several state agencies and coordinated by the Iowa Department of Transportation will develop a mitigation plan that will be submitted to the VW settlement trustee, according to state officials.

RFS PROVISIONS: Gov. Terry Branstad gave assurances Monday that federal Renewable Fuels Standard procedures would not be changed by the new Trump administration. Reports surfaced last week that efforts were under way to change some biofuel policies that were being pushed by influential oil refinery officials, but Branstad flatly told his Monday news conference its not going to happen based on assurances he has received from a lot of people, including his son, Eric, who directed Trumps presidential campaign in Iowa and now serves as a White House liaison in the U.S. Commerce Department. I know the rumors, and I know who is involved in it, and I can tell you theyre not true, the Iowa governor said in discussing an effort to shift ethanol blending requirements from distributors to retailers, a change he called impractical that was shot down real quick.

BUILDING SUPPORT: Members of the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects set up shop Monday in the first-floor rotunda at the state Capitol in hopes of bending lawmakers ears as part of Design Professionals Day on the Hill. The group's members focused on issues pertinent to the architecture profession, including three major principles to enhance Iowas vitality and viability: licensure titling, statue of repose and alternative project delivery. The group's members pressed the point that Iowa has the longest statute of repose for architects of any state at 15 years. They say the standard is too lengthy, given that owners change uses, conduct maintenance or create uses not contemplated, causing problems for which the architect has no control. American Institute of Architects Iowa supports legislation that would reduce Iowas statute of repose from 15 years to eight years for commercial and residential construction.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This bill isn't ready for prime time. It should never been brought to this chamber, and I urge people to vote against it."  Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, in opposing a bill Monday that would exempt farm operations from having electrical work done by a licensed professional and would not require that the completed work be inspected.

 Times Bureau
The Agriculture Department has announced more than $223 million in grants and loans to help small- and mid-sized meat processing plants expand. It's part of a larger $1 billion effort to boost competition in the highly concentrated industry. The effort is expected to increase cattle and pig slaughter capacity by more than 500,000 head a year. It will also help poultry plants process nearly 34 million more birds while adding more than 1,100 jobs, mostly in rural areas where the plants are located. The Biden administration wants to add meat-processing capacity to give farmers and ranchers more options where they can sell their animals, while hopefully reducing prices for consumers by increasing competition.
Ask any member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, of which Im a long-time member, and theyd tell you that work on the farm bill never really ends. It doesnt matter if its a farm bill year or not, Im always listening to farmers and ranchers ideas about how I can provide assistance so they can run their operations more efficiently, earn a better living, and ultimately pass their farm or ranch on to the next generation.

Todays sluggish agriculture economy means its more important than ever for policymakers in Washington to find new, innovative ways to help present and future generations of farmers and ranchers stay on their land. We can work toward achieving that goal by providing reasonable alternatives to growing crops on land that produces the least, which would make family-run farms more profitable.

After months of collecting feedback from farmers and other agriculture stakeholders, Ive introduced a new farm bill program thats intended to protect farmers income in these tough economic times. My bill, the Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP), is an economic assistance tool that offers several conservation benefits. SHIPP will not compete with or replace the popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), but would be a voluntary alternative for farmers who dont want to tie up their land for long periods of time.

Most farmers are familiar with CRP. Its a good, common-sense program that provides a long-term benefit to farmers, wildlife, and the environment. It creates a safe and healthy habitat for South Dakotas pheasant population, which has an exponential impact on the states economy. But in order to enroll land in CRP, farmers must be willing to commit to a lengthy contract of up to 15 years. SHIPP, on the other hand, would give farmers the flexibility they need to plant their least productive cropland to a soil-enhancing, low-cost perennial conserving use crop for three, four, or five years. In return, they would receive an annual rental payment and additional crop insurance assistance.

Every farmer knows exactly which portion of his or her land produces the least. Technology, like yield maps, for example, can help many farmers identify their poorest producing land. Other farmers know certain areas of their fields are less productive than others because of consistently excessive wetness, dryness, or other yield-reducing factors.

Under SHIPP, farmers could enroll up to 15 percent of a farms least productive acres as long as they were planted or considered planted to a commodity crop for three consecutive years prior to enrollment. Once enrolled, the acreage must be planted to a perennial conserving use cover that can be hayed or grazed outside the designated primary nesting and brood-rearing season in the county in which the land is located. And SHIPP would be a low-cost program because it would encourage the removal of poor land from taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance premium subsidies and indemnities.

SHIPP is just the first of several individual farm bill proposals that Ill unveil throughout the year, and I look forward to hearing from South Dakotans about how we can improve this or any existing farm bill program, for that matter. By laying the groundwork for some of these key issues early in the process, we can make sure were doing all we can to meet the needs of todays farming community.
Action is not a choice, it is a necessity. Those were President Trumps words on Obamacare to Congress. As the President mentioned in that speech, one-third of Americas counties now have only one insurer. A number of insurance companies have left the market. Others have been forced to raise premiums or narrow their networks, leaving South Dakotans and consumers nationwide with fewer options, which for many, are unaffordable.

Prior to Obamacare, as many as 17 separate insurance companies were offering individual health insurance plans in South Dakota. As Obamacare was adopted in 2010, companies began leaving the market. Last fall, one of South Dakotas largest carriers, Wellmark, announced that it would no longer offer individual health insurance plans in South Dakota. This affected 8,000 South Dakotans, whose plans were terminated on Dec. 31. DakotaCare has also ceased offering health insurance plans. The company could no longer sustain the costs. Avera, which now owns DakotaCare, and Sanford are now the only two insurance options for individuals in South Dakota today.

Governors know that as Congress and the President consider the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, they will be reconsidering the expansion of Medicaid. This also offers an opportunity fundamentally to reform the Medicaid program. If Medicaid is to be sustainable, attention must be given to controlling Medicaid cost growth, for both the federal government and the states. As Medicaid cost control is considered, states should neither be rewarded nor penalized for having expanded or not expanded Medicaid eligibility under Obamacare.

Many states want the authority to require Medicaid beneficiaries, if they are able, to work, look for work or be trained for work. States also want the flexibility to require beneficiaries to engage in preventative care and wellness behaviors.

I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend National Governors Association meetings, where I heard from Republican and Democrat congressional leaders. Republican leaders shared their belief that repeal and reform will take place on three fronts: a reconciliation bill, requiring just 51 votes in the Senate; administrative acts by U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Tom Price (using existing authority); and a further bill, which will require at least 60 votes in the Senate.

While in D.C., S.D. Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon and I joined state Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd at a private meeting with Secretary Price. At that meeting, we discussed South Dakotas concern over IHS failures and the shift of Native American healthcare costs onto the state.

Thanks to Sen. John Thunes office, we also had the chance to discuss IHS problems with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells chief health policy advisor. We also met with House Energy and Commerce Committee staff members, and with the chief counsel for the Senate Finance Committee. These committees will have jurisdiction over healthcare reform legislation.

It is clear that much work remains to determine how Congress will move forward on Medicaid and health care reform. Although I have no vote in this process, I am working to educate Congress and the Trump administration about South Dakotas particular circumstances. As the debate continues, I will remain engaged. I will work to ensure South Dakotas Medicaid program can meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in our state. I will also do what I can to bend the future cost curve so the program is sustainable over the long term.
A controversial proposal to mine uranium on the edge of the southern Black Hills took a step forward Monday with the issuance of two draft EPA permits and the scheduling of public hearings in April and May.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a release that it has issued two draft underground injection permits for the Dewey-Burdock project near Edgemont, on the southwest edge of the Black Hills.

The project is being pursued by Azarga Uranium, a global company with a U.S. corporate office in Colorado and a local office in Edgemont.

The EPA permits are among a number of federal, state and local permits needed for the project. If the EPA permits are finalized, additional permits would still be needed before mining could begin.

The project already has a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The permits from the EPA, if finalized, would apparently kick the regulatory ball back to the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which is waiting for the federal agencies to finish their work before giving final consideration to state permits for the project.

Mark Hollenbeck, the Dewey-Burdock project manager for Azarga, called the EPA announcement a significant milestone in a long push for permits.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, that was probably the biggest one, Hollenbeck said Monday in a Journal interview. That was the largest undertaking. Then its the EPA, and then probably the state.

The uranium would be mined by a method known as in situ, which is Latin for in its original place. Instead of digging pits or tunnels, miners would drill hundreds of holes to tap local groundwater, enrich it with oxygen and carbon dioxide, and inject the solution into underground ore bodies to dissolve uranium.

The uranium solution would be pumped to the surface, and the uranium would be removed and processed into fuel for nuclear power plants. At the end of mining, the water solution would be treated and pumped back underground.

The EPA permits would allow for injection mining wells in the Inyan Kara group of aquifers, and disposal of treated waste fluid into the Minnelusa Formation below the Inyan Kara. An extra component of the permits, an aquifer exemption, would be granted to exempt the mining area from the Safe Drinking Water Act so that mining could be conducted there.

The EPA will accept written public comments on the draft permits and the aquifer exemption by email, fax or mail through midnight May 19. Additionally, the agency will accept written and verbal comments at public hearings April 27 in Valentine, Neb.; May 8-9 in Rapid City; May 10 in Hot Springs; and May 11 in Edgemont.

The project has long been dogged by opponents who fear it will contaminate groundwater, and Lilias Jarding, of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, said she expects interesting public hearings.

These particular permits are directly about the groundwater that people use, Jarding said Monday. So I expect people to be very concerned about these permits.

Hollenbeck said the push for regulatory approval is now about 12 years in the making. And while Jarding expects no impact on the regulatory process from the Trump administration and its newly installed EPA director, Hollenbeck expects the pace of the regulatory work to quicken.

It is absolutely ridiculous the length of time it has taken to permit this project, Hollenbeck said.
MOORHEAD, Minn. | A Minnesota man who once lived in Rapid City has been charged with torturing and killing three cats.

Jalan Isaac Greer, 23, of Moorhead, Minn., is facing three counts of felony mistreatment of animals in Clay County District Court. The charges are punishable by up to six years in prison.

According to local media, court documents show that Moorhead police were called to Greers apartment in January on a report of a cat that was heard "fighting for its life." When officers arrived, they found a dead cat on the kitchen floor with blood coming out of its mouth and ears. Greer admitted squeezing the cat.

He told police about two other cats that died in his care. Greer said one got electrocuted, but later said the animal died while he was petting it since he may have been hanging onto its neck too tightly, according to a Forum News Service report.

He said the other cat likely died when a towel rod fell on it.

When an officer asked Greer why he had killed three cats, Greer stated he was fearful of cats hurting him and he had probably blacked out and killed them, the report said.

A check of Greers drivers license records showed he used to be a resident of Rapid City, said Sgt. Clint Stephenson of the Moorhead Police Department. Stephenson did not have information on Greers dates of stay in South Dakota.

The Forum News Service described Greer as an aspiring artist who has modeled for local businesses and has thousands of social media followers: at least 155,000 on Twitter, 8,350 on Instagram and nearly 2,000 on SoundCloud, where he shares his latest music.

It said Greer told a Florida magazine in an interview last month that he is originally from Montreal but being an Air Force brat had lived in many places, such as Tokyo and Paris.

Greer appeared in court Friday, and has been released from jail on a $5,000 surety bond, according to the Clay County Jail. Court records show he is represented by the county public defender's office.
PIERRE | South Dakota business people who collect sales tax for state government could as a group lose at least $1 million and possibly five times that much under a proposal that suddenly appeared Monday in the Legislature.

State law currently allows retailers to keep 1.5 percent of the state sales taxes they collect. The allowance is worth nearly $6 million annually, according to Shawn Lyons, executive director for the South Dakota Retailers Association.

As proposed, some of the savings for the state could be used to jump-start the deficient Building South Dakota program that encourages investment in local communities.

The plan now in play in the state House of Representatives calls for reducing the allowance to 1.4 percent. Lyons said that would cost retailers about $1 million. There is a $70 monthly cap on the allowance.

Rep. David Anderson, R-Hudson, brought the plan to the House State Affairs Committee on Monday morning. The retailers didnt know about it until 20 minutes beforehand, according to lobbyist Bill Van Camp, who testified against it.

Anderson, House appropriations chairman, said legislators are searching for money to balance state governments budget. That work is scheduled to wrap up this week.

Anderson said he has "no ill will" toward retailers. "I am looking at every possible way to balance the budget."

Anderson is using Senate Bill 106, one of the "vehicle bills" that Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, and Rep. Kent Peterson, R-Salem, introduced as shells for possible later uses. Maher and Peterson are Republican assistant leaders in their respective chambers.

Rep. Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, called for the committees acceptance of the Anderson amendment and commended Anderson "for looking outside the box."

Mickelson, the House speaker, said the amended bill would remain in play until the Joint Committee on Appropriations is done balancing the budget.

His father, Gov. George S. Mickelson, put the collection allowance into place. His successor, Gov. Bill Janklow, repealed it. The retailers overrode a veto by Gov. Mike Rounds in 2006 to restore it.

The change has a broader purpose beyond balancing the budget. The final paragraph of the amendment says:

Any additional revenue available to the state general fund as a result of this Act shall be used to either balance the state's fiscal year 2018 budget or fund the Building South Dakota program.

Building South Dakota has a variety of components that promote housing construction and economic development in communities. Originally the Legislature took half of the unclaimed property revenue. Later Gov. Dennis Daugaard offered $30 million to cover three years.

Now legislators realize the money is running out and they dont have a substitute.

Nearly all of the Republicans on the House committee Monday agreed with Andersons amendment. "It's a very small amount. It's not burdensome," Rep. Tona Rozum, R-Mitchell, said.

Rep. Julie Bartling, D-Gregory, opposed the reduction in the collection allowance. "Agreements have been made with the South Dakota retailers," Bartling said.

The measure next moves to the House for debate.
Following a brief warm-up and windy stint last weekend that fanned wildfires throughout the Black Hills and onto the eastern plains, howling winds and some snow blew into the region on Monday, creating poor visibility in some areas and causing officials to warn of extremely high fire danger.

Today has been extremely windy outside, National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Smith said in a major understatement on Monday afternoon. Weve had gusts at Rapid City Regional Airport as high as 67 mph, which occurred at 1:37 p.m., which has been our highest wind recorded. At our office in downtown Rapid City, we clocked 60 mph gusts at about the same time.

The wind speeds nearly reach those of hurricane status. A tropical storm carries winds of 39 to 73 mph, while a Category 1 hurricane is from 74 to 95 mph.

Smith attributed the high winds to a strong low-pressure system making its way across the central U.S., and a cold front that moved through the Black Hills Monday morning. The systems caused poor visibility for drivers in northeastern Wyoming, and left an inch of snow in Deadwood, Meade County and portions of Oglala Lakota County.

High wind gusts caused the U.S. Department of Agriculture to caution western South Dakota residents about the extremely high fire danger generated by erratic winds, low humidity, and unseasonably dry conditions.

Fire danger is extremely high today, compounded by 60 mph winds, Wall District Ranger Kurt Pindel stated in a release. Oddly enough, we are also seeing an occasional snow flake. We ask everyone to be especially careful with any activities that could potentially lead to a wildland fire."

Such activities, he said, may include using campfires, outdoor grills, smoking, chain saws, off-road vehicles or other small engines that may throw a spark.

Pindel also confirmed that the Wolf Fire near Wall was fully contained on Monday, but due to weather conditions, two engines would continue to monitor the burned area. Officially, the human-caused fire charred 2,510 acres after being ignited Saturday north of Wall and threatening the town of Quinn, Pindel said.

I want to thank all the local communities, land owners, local fire departments, Pennington County and the state of South Dakota for their help and support throughout the past weekend, Pindel stated in Mondays release. It is pretty remarkable that we were able to get in front of that wildland fire, and we could not have done it without the good work of all our partners working together.

Smith, of the weather service, reminding West River residents that March and April are generally the two months with the heaviest snowfall, and he predicted a return to winter weather by the end of the week.

Were looking at strong winds again (today), but not quite as strong as we experienced (Monday), she said. Well remain seasonal through mid-week with lower than average temperatures and cooling further as we approach the weekend.

Smith said another storm system was expected to hit the Hills Friday night and Saturday, bringing with it colder temperatures and a chance of more snow.
A Wounded Knee woman has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on charges of assault with the intent to commit murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Phyllis Lucero, 48, had earlier pleaded guilty to the crimes, which authorities said stemmed from an Oct. 17, 2015, incident where Lucero, her husband Daniel Hess and another man robbed a home on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

In a written statement, Lucero admitted hitting and biting the homeowner, 73-year-old Pauline Little, after her two male companions assaulted Littles adult son.

Lucero said they took off with several valuables, including a television and Pauline Littles new pickup. The men returned and tied up the victims with duct tape and poured carpet cleaner on them. The Littles suffered serious to permanent injuries and were treated at Rapid City Regional Hospitals Intensive Care Unit.

Luceros husband, also known as Jason Hess, also pleaded guilty in the case and is set to be sentenced in May. Their other co-defendant, Seth Hernandez, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and was sentenced to almost three years in prison in November.
Japanese court acquits Russian man sentenced nearly 20 years ago

MOSCOW, March 7 (RAPSI)  The Sapporo District Court has found Russian citizen Andrey Novosyolov, arrested in November 1997 for carrying weapons, not guilty, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday citing a secretary of Russian General Consulate in Sapporo Sergey Konyayev.

In 1998, Novosyolov was sentenced to two years in Japanese prison and returned to Russia afterwards.

In 2013, his lawyers asked to review the case because of new information revealing that it had been framed up. According to results of initial investigation, Novosyolov tried to exchange a gun and ammunition for a used car. However, lawyers revealed that the deal was initiated by another party who was collaborating with police.

Japanese court acquitted Novosyolov preferred not to issue judgement on methods of investigation.
Russian Constitutional Court orders review of Briullov painting smuggling case

ST. PETERSBURG, March 7 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  Russias Constitutional Court has ruled that a smuggling case against German collector Alexander Pevzner, who complained over forfeiture of the painting by prominent artist Karl Briullov entitled, Christ in the Sepulcher', must be reconsidered, RAPSI reports from the court on Tuesday.

However, the court held that the Criminal Procedure Codes article disputed by Pevzner does not contravene the Constitution.

Pevzner in his complaint filed with the Constitutional Court attempted to challenge provisions allowing to forfeit instruments of crime after termination of a criminal case because of expiry of the period of limitation. The painting was a case in point.

According to the Constitutional Courts ruling, the seized painting may be returned to the collector only after his acquittal.

In 2003, Pevzner brought the painting he owned into Russia via the customs station in Vyborg in the Leningrad Region. Even though it was a cultural property, Pevzner did not declare the masterpiece, according to investigators. The collector was charged with smuggling.

In November 2013, the Vyborg City Court in the Leningrad Region dropped charges against the German citizen as the statute of limitations had expired. However, the court ruled to confiscate the painting from Pevzner and ordered its transfer to the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

In 2014, the Leningrad Regional Court overturned the lower courts ruling in part and returned the piece of art to its owner. In 2015, the decision was upheld.

In April 2016, the Supreme Court of Russia reversed the Leningrad Regional Courts ruling and ordered the forfeiture of the painting under the Article 81 of the Criminal Procedure Code which envisages that crime instruments belonging to the accused must be confiscated, transferred to the relevant institutions or destroyed.
President Putin pardons woman sentenced to 7 years in prison for treason

MOSCOW, March 7 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree pardoning Oksana Sevastidi, who had been sentenced to 7 years in prison for treason, according to the official website of legal information.

The order will take effect after five days from its official publication.

Sevastidi, born in 1970, was convicted and sentenced in March 2016.

In 2008, the woman sent SMS-messages to her friends allegedly containing information about a railroad train with war equipment bounding for the Republic of Abkhazia.

According to Sevastidis lawyer Ivan Pavlov, it was not the first case opened on charges of treason because of SMS-messages sent shortly before the military operation in Georgia resulted in Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
ECHR grants 15,000 to Kazakh national for violation of his family rights by Russia

MOSCOW, March 7 (RAPSI)  The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia violated right to respect for family life of a Kazakh national Murat Kamenov, who was banned from entering Russia in 2014, the courts judgement reads on Tuesday.

Kamenov first entered Russia in 2000 and later married a Russian citizen and became a father to two daughters. The new family settled in town of Slantseviy Rudnik in the Saratov Region with Kamenov extending his temporary residence permits on a regular basis. In August of 2013, his permit was extended again, being valid until August of 2016.

In April 2014, however, Russian authorities refused to grant Kamenov entry to Russia on the grounds of a report provided by the Federal Security Service (FSB). This decision was appealed by Kamenov, but upheld by the Saratov Regional Court.

In its judgement, the court noted that it could review the FSB report and that the exclusion of Kamenov was related to the threat to national security. The court nevertheless refused to disclose the specific reasons for Kamenovs entry ban referring to the interests of state security and adding that in this case the public interest prevailed over Kamenovs private interest. This ruling was later upheld by the Administrative Cases Chamber of the Supreme Court.

ECHR found that the Russian state violated Article 8 (right to respect of family life) of the European Convention of Human Rights and ruled to grant Kamenov 12,500 in non-pecuniary damages and 2,390 in costs and expenses.
Russian opposition activist Dadin files appeal with ECHR over imprisonment

MOSCOW, March 7 (RAPSI)  Russian activist Ildar Dadin, who was the first person convicted of numerous violations of protest laws and acquitted later, filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over unlawful stay in a penal colony, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

According to lawyer Kseniya Kostromina, the appeal was filed soon after the ruling of Russias Supreme Courts Presidium. A similar appeal will be filed with a court in the Moscow Region over Dadins stay in a penal colony in February 22-26, Kostromina said.

Dadin was acquitted on February 22 when the Supreme Courts Presidium overturned his 2.5-year prison sentence and ruled to release him.

The court held that criminal proceedings against Dadin should be dismissed because of the absence of elements of a crime in his actions. The activist has a right to rehabilitation, according to the courts ruling.

Earlier, Deputy Prosecutor General Leonid Korzhinek asked the court to reverse guilty verdict, drop criminal proceedings against Dadin and recognize his right to rehabilitation.

On February 10, Russias Constitutional Court held that Dadins case must be reviewed. However, the contested Article of Russias Criminal Code was declared not contradictory to the Constitution.

Dadin was convicted and sentenced on December 7, 2015. Initially he received a 3-year prison term. The Moscow City Court later reduced the sentence to 2.5 years.

According to case papers, Dadin was arrested five times during rallies held between August 2014 and January 2015. Administrative proceedings were instituted against Dadin in all cases and he was fined. A criminal case was opened against him for participating in four meetings.

Dadins wife Anastasia Zotova wrote on Facebook in early November that her husband had been beaten and received murder threats when transferred to a penal colony in Karelia. The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) launched a probe into the allegations. Later, the FSIN announced that independent medical commission from a local hospital had not found injuries on Dadins body.

On November 24, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during a plenary session expressed concern over the welfare of Dadin and called on Russia to immediately release him. MEPs insisted on a thorough and transparent independent investigation into the situation with Dadin who had complained on a number of occasions of prison conditions and torture.

In early January, Zotova wrote on Facebook that Dadin was transferred from a prison in Karelia to Altai.

Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, said on Twitter that he welcomes the ruling of Russia's Supreme Court.

Spokesman of Russian President Dmitry Peskov told journalists that "this is a decision by the Supreme Court and it is necessary to respect any court rulings, all the more so, judgements by the Supreme Court."
Guwahati, March 7 : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday directed Additional Chief Secretary V.B. Pyarelal to enquire into the incident of attack on the All Assam Students Union (AASU) office in Silapathar by miscreants yesterday and submit report within one month.

Terming the incident as unfortunate Chief Minister Sonowal said that some elements are making efforts to create rift among different communities of the state and these elements would not be allowed to succeed in their designs.

The Assam CM also called on the media to help in maintaining law and order in the society.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati: In view of possibility for increasing ISIS activities in Assam by set up base and recruitment drives, the state government has instructed all district police of the state to remain alert and to take appropriate measures, beefed up security at all sensitive areas.

Assam parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Monday said in the Assam assembly that, the state government is very concern about the issue.

'We have alerted all district police to take adequate measures, tighten security at sensitive areas. We would not take any risk,'A Patowary said.

Replying to a discussion during the zero hour in the assembly, the Assam minister said that, all district police have been ordered to maintain a close watch on any doubtful person.

'The state government has instructed to keep strict vigil all sensitive places like airports, railway station, temples, historical places, refineries, shopping malls, religious places in the state. We have also ordered to strengthen security along the Indo-Bangladesh border and already

deployed second line defence,' Patowary said.

The Assam minister replying on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also holds the state home portfolio, during the zero hour debate raised by BJP legislator Ashok Kumar Singhal, said that, the Assam police have been maintained close coordination with the other security agencies.

The minister further said that, so far a total of 56 Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) extremists were apprehended in the state following the Burdwan blast in West Bengal on October 2, 2014.

Recently, two trained JMB extremists were nabbed from lower Assam's Nalbari district.

The Assam minister said that, at least 10-12 JMB extremists of the state are absconding.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has recently alerted the Union home ministry that, ISIS is trying to set up base in Assam with the help of some overground and underground organizations and trying to recruiting youths from Assam.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, March 7 : Assam in turmoil as several organizations including All Assam Students Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Tuesday protested against the Silapathar incident across the state and demanding the state government to take stern action against the activists of Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NIBBUSS), who went to rampage and ransacked an office of All Assam Students Union (AASU) at Silapathar in northern Assam's Dhemaji district on Monday.

Situation remains on the boil and army stages flag march at Silapathar in northern Assam district following yesterday incident.

Police had registered a case (67/17) into the incident and arrested 14 miscreants, who allegedly involved in the attack.

The violence erupted at Silapathar town, after some activists of NIBBUSS pelted stone targeting to the police personnel and attacked some people.

The attackers also vandalised an AASU office.

To control the situation, police had fired teargas shells.

Several persons including police personnel were injured in the clash.

The activists of the organization went out to the town after participating a rally organised on various issues related to the hindu bengali community including 'D' voter, amendment of the citizenship act.

The organization also threatened to intensity protests and declined to accept the Assam Accord.

Meanwhile, several organizations including AASU staged protests across the state and asked the state government to take appropriate action the culprits.

On the hand, the issue raised in Assam assembly after opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam criticized the state government and said that, the state government has totally failed to the indigenous people of the state.

Assam Education minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, the state government has taken the matter very seriously and already ordered a probe into the incident.

"The probe will find out, actually who involved in the attack. We appeal all section of people of the state to maintain peace," Sarma said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had ordered Assam police to take stern action against the miscreants who involved in the Silapathar incident.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
UNITED NATIONS, March 7: North Korea warned Monday that U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which it called "the most undisguised nuclear war maneuvers," are driving the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia toward "nuclear disaster."

The North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Ja Song Nam, said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. is using nuclear-propelled aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, nuclear strategic bombers and stealth fighters in the joint exercises that began Wednesday.

"It may go over to an actual war," Ja warned of the military drills, "and, consequently, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is again inching to the brink of a nuclear war."

The letter was sent a few hours after North Korea fired four banned ballistic missiles, in apparent reaction to the U.S.-South Korean exercises. Three of them landed in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, South Korean and Japanese officials said.

The United States and Japan, in consultation with South Korea, requested an urgent Security Council meeting on the launches, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said. The closed consultations will take place Wednesday morning after the Security Council returns from a visit to four Boko Haram-affected countries in Africa, the mission said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the tests, calling them a violation of council resolutions and reiterating his call for North Korea's leaders "to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Ri Song Chol, a counsellor at North Korea's U.N. mission, told The Associated Press the missile launches were a continuation of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's efforts "to strengthen our self-defensive military forces and pre-emptive attack capabilities" in response to "nuclear threats and blackmails" and the U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

He accused the United States of spurring the North to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile and reiterated a Foreign Ministry statement issued Jan. 8 that an ICBM would be launched "in any time and in any place decided by our supreme leadership."

Ri claimed the current joint military exercises are "for pre-emptive strike to the DPRK"  the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said that is in contrast to previous annual exercises that the U.S. and South Korea called preventive and defensive.

Ja, the ambassador, again urged the Security Council to discuss the U.S.-South Korea exercises and warned that if it ignores North Korea's request, as it has in the past, it will demonstrate the U.N.'s most powerful body is only a "political tool" of the United States.

He said the United States seeks to convince public opinion that the latest joint exercise is a response to North Korea's nuclear weapons, but he said the U.S. and South Korea carried out military drills numerous times before Pyongyang possessed its "nuclear deterrent."

Ja said the main reason North Korea is equipping itself "with nuclear attack capabilities" and strengthening its nuclear deterrent forces is in self-defense against what he called the U.S. "extreme anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmails as well as maneuvers to enforce its nuclear weapons."

North Korea's U.N. mission also issued a statement denouncing and rejecting a report by the Security Council's panel of experts that monitors U.N. sanctions against the North.

The experts said North Korea is flouting sanctions by trading in prohibited weapons and other goods and using evasion techniques "that are increasing in scale, scope and sophistication."

The North Korean mission again insisted that U.N. sanctions "have no legal basis at all" and violate the country's "lawful rights." Furthermore, it contended no international law states that a nuclear test or satellite launch should be considered a "threat to international peace and security."

The mission reiterated its request to the U.N. secretary-general to organize an international forum of lawyers to clarify the legal basis of the sanctions resolutions. It said the U.N. Secretariat should not again respond with the "preposterous out-of-date sophistries" that it is up to the Security Council to determine what constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

The North also warned that sanctions resolutions and reports on enforcing implementation will only result in "our stronger self-defensive counter-measures"  and it said the United States, "the major fabricator of these resolutions," will bear all responsibility "for any uncontrolled critical situation over the Korean Peninsula."

Ja also sent a letter Monday to Guterres again seeking "United Nations' urgent measures" to repatriate 12 North Korean waitresses working at a restaurant in China who it says were tricked into defecting in April 2016 by South Korean agents and a woman named Kim Ryon Hui it claims was taken to South Korea in 2011 by deception.

The letter expressed disappointment at the U.N. failure to take action in these cases of what Ja called "egregious human rights violation" that constitute "a contemporary crime against humanity."
Guwahati : At least several people including police personnel were injured after clash between a mob and security personnel in Assam's Dhemaji district on Monday.

Police forced to resort lathicharge and fire tear gas on protesters, after a mob attacked on several vehicles, a office of All Assam Students Union (AASU) in Dhemaji district.

The situation turned more violent at Silapathar in the northern Assam district, following a mob who took part in a rally organized by the Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NIBBUSS), pelted stone on security personnel and vandalized several vehicles, shops.

To control the situation, police has been forced to resort lathicharge and firing tear gas.

NIBBUSS had organized a mass rally at Silapathar for various issues related to the Bengali community people in the state.

A top official of Dhemaji police said that, following the rally, the people who took part in the rally walked out in the town and shouted to protect Hindu Bengali people and demanded to provide citizenship for the hindu Bangladeshis.

'While the people walked out in the town, a mob had pelted stone targeting to the security personnel and attacked on several vehicles, shops. To control the situation, police has been forced to resort lathicharge and then firing tear gas,'A the police official said.

The mob also vandalized a office of AASU in the town.

Meanwhile, AASU had condemned the incident and demanded to arrest the culprits immediately and appeal to maintain peace.

We will not allow to provide citizenship to the hindu Bangladeshis. Assam had already taken more burden of Bangladeshis up to 1971. So there have no question for taking more burden,aA AASU president Dipankar Nath said.

On the other hand, several organizations including All Assam Chutia Students Union had condemned the incident and demanded the state government to protect indigenous people in Assam.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
WASHINGTON, March 7: Without fanfare, President Donald Trump signed a scaled-back version of his controversial ban on many foreign travelers Monday, hoping to avoid a new round of lawsuits and outrage while fulfilling a central campaign promise. His order still bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program.

The revised order, signed with none of the flourish of his first version, eliminates some of the most contentious aspects in an effort to surmount the court challenges that are sure to come. Trump's first order, issued just a week after his inauguration, was halted by federal courts.

The new one leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries  at the urging of U.S. military and diplomatic leaders  but still affects would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. It also makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted, and it removes language that would give priority to religious minorities  a provision some interpreted as a way to help Christians get into the U.S. while excluding Muslims.

The order won't take effect until March 16 despite earlier warnings from Trump and his aides that any delay would put national security at risk by allowing the entry of "bad 'dudes'" who want to harm the country.

The changes underscore the very different position the president finds himself in.

Five weeks ago, Trump dropped the first order with a bang, catching lawmakers and members of his administration by surprise. He signed the order in a high-profile ceremony at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes as Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis stood by.

This time around, the president skipped the usual public ceremony altogether. Instead, the administration chose to have Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions serve as the public faces of the rollout at a brief press announcement.

"I think today was about the implementation of it," said Press Secretary Sean Spicer  at a briefing off camera.

Legal experts say the new order addresses some of the constitutional concerns raised by a federal appeals court about the initial ban but leaves room for more legal challenges.

"It's much clearer about how it doesn't apply to groups of immigrants with more clearly established constitutional rights," said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. "That's a really important step."

Trump officials say the goal hasn't changed: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews vetting systems for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.

Tillerson said, "It is the president's solemn duty to protect the American people, and with this order President Trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe."

The original travel ban led to instant chaos at airports as Homeland Security officials scrambled to interpret how it was to be implemented and some travelers were detained before being sent back overseas or blocked from getting on airplanes abroad. The order quickly became the subject of several legal challenges and was put on hold last month by a federal judge in Washington state.

The president repeatedly insisted he would continue to fight for the original order in court, even as aides worked to craft a new one. In the end, they chose to rescind the old order  though Spicer maintained the first was "100 percent legal and constitutional."

Notably absent from Trump's revised ban are repeated references to the death toll from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Critics of the original had noted the president appeared to use those attacks as evidence of danger from certain foreigners despite the fact that none of the men who hijacked jetliners that day were from any of the seven banned countries.

House Speaker Paul Ryan commended the administration and Secretary Kelly "for their hard work on this measure to improve our vetting standards."

"This revised executive order advances our shared goal of protecting the homeland," Ryan said.

The White House dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries following pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which noted Iraq's role in fighting the Islamic State group. An Iraqi spokesman said the change marks a "positive step" and shows the countries have a "real partnership."

The new order does not address concerns raised in a Homeland Security intelligence analysis obtained last month by The Associated Press that concluded there was insufficient evidence that citizens of the originally banned countries posed a terror threat to the U.S. The administration has played down the significance of that report.

Trump's new order reinstates his four-month ban on all refugees from around the world and keeps in place his plan to reduce the number of refugees to be let into the United States this budget year to 50,000. Syrians are also no longer subjected to an indefinite ban, despite Trump's insistence as a candidate that they pose a serious security threat.

Removing language that would give priority to religious minorities helps address concerns that the initial ban was discriminatory, but its continued focus on Muslim-majority countries leaves the appearance that the order is a "Muslim ban," Vladeck said.

"There's still going to be plenty of work for the courts to do," he said.

Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project said the group will move "very quickly" to try to block the new order from taking effect, either by amending the existing lawsuits that blocked Trump's original ban or seeking a new injunction.

"The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban," said Omar Jadwat, director of the project.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) has backtracked from its earlier decision to withdraw support to the incumbent government.

A meeting of the UDMF leaders held on Tuesday at the central office of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal has given a seven-day ultimatum to the government to address all its demands related to the constitution amendment within the given deadline.

The meeting has reached on the conclusion that the UDMF would withdraw its support to the government if their demands were not addressed in the next seven days.

A meeting of the UDMF held on Monday followed by the Saptari incident where three cadres had lost their lives and dozens injured had decided that the decision to withdraw the support to the government will be sent to the Speaker Onsari Gharti by Tuesday.

The meeting also urged the government to provide reparation to the families of the deceased and make necessary arrangements for the treatment of the injured.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The United Nations (UN) in Nepal has expressed its concern over the Saptari incident that claimed four lives of agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) cadres during the clash on Monday.

Issuing a statement on Tuesday, the UN in Nepal has stated- we have saddened by the loss of life and injuries that resulted from the recent violent clash in Saptari district between political party cadres and state security forces.

Expressing concern over the escalating violence of tensions in the lead-up to the local level elections announced for May 14, the UN in Nepal has also called on security forces to comply with existing national and international standards while using force.

Violence has no place in the freedom of expression and assembly, we encourage inclusive and meaningful dialogue to create conducive environment for the conduct of the historical local elections, the UN in Nepal has stated in the statement urging to the political parties to peacefully express their views in actions and statements.

In the statement the UN has also expressed its commitment for the assistance as well. The United Nations is committed to working with all Nepalese to take the country toward a peaceful and prosperous future, the UN in Nepal has stated in the statement.
Kathmandu, Nepal : The United States of America has expressed its serious concern about rising violance in Nepal.

Expressing concerns over the incident of clash between the polic and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) that left three dead and dozen injured on Monday the US embassy in Kathmandu has said issuing a statement to express its concerns.

The right to peacefully express ones political views is a fundamental component of an inclusive democracy, but violence should not be part of the political discourse, reads the statement.

Likewise the US embassy has also called on Nepali security forces to exercise maximum restraint while people express their democratic rights.
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Donald Trump's revised travel ban looks a lot like the old one
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Move over, Mars; everyone wants to go to moon
After USAs incredible satellite-delivery rocket, China is planning to launch its very own satellite-delivery rocket through aeroplanes.

The USA was the first country to launch air-launched space mission satellite-delivery rocket in 1990. Former Orbital Sciences Corp developed a Pegasus rocket, which was launched from a refitted B-52 strategic bomber that sent two small satellite into the orbit. Now, after more than two decades, China is planning t launch its very own satellite-delivery rocket. This new generation of rockets will be launched into space through aeroplanes.

According to Li Tongyu, the head of carrier rocket development at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the air-launched rockets can replace dysfunctional satellites or in cases of disaster relief, quickly send up Earth observation satellites to assist in the effort.

He also said that a model capable of sending a payload of about 100 kilogrammes into low Earth orbit has been designed by engineers at the China academy. They are indeed the main developer of Chinese carrier rockets. They are also planning to build a larger rocket that could carry 200 kg into orbit.

About the satellite-delivery rocket by China:

The execution to launch the satellite-delivery rockets was already started in July 2016 in China. The rocket is numbered at Y-20. It is the first ever, Chinas heavy load rocket designed and developed by China Academy itself. Instead of land-based liquid launchers, these rockets will be launched through aeroplanes. According to the makers, launching the rockets through aeroplanes will make the launch faster than that would have been with land-based liquid launchers.

Each of these space missions involves a solid-fuel rocket launched by a Y-20 that would take only 12 hours of preparation to place a 200 kg satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 km above Earth, Long Lehao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said.

Other advantages of such satellite-delivery rocket are that they are flexible in deployment and do not need ground infrastructure. These rockets also have less susceptibility to bad weather, plus the cost of launching is less.
Don't even try to make sense of the recently released trailer for Cambodian fantasy-action-comedy Top Stories Rage Across The Planet. Because you won't. There is absolutely no chance. No, this is the sort of thing you just sit back and let wash over you and marvel at the simple fact that it exists. Yep, there's a Cambodian Superman in there along with what appears to be more than a few nods to the Monkey King and a whole lot of other stuff besides. Production values are a (small) notch above the typical Wakaliwood production and there's a very similar sort of gleeful, "Why the hell not?" spirit to this as has made those ultra low budget African productions a global phenomenon. Check it out below!
Lets not mince words: ScreenAnarchy digs Raw. We have been covering Julia Ducournaus powerful debut about a young veterinary students unusual coming of age ever since its Cannes 2016 world premiere (Shelagh Rowan-Leggs review). Matt Brown offered an in-depth look on how the film tackles the dangers of conformism and socialization in his essay The Normalized Atrocities of Julia Ducournaus Raw, and earlier today we published an interview with the writer-director herself, in which she discusses her process as a writer, the fine-tuning of her cinematic language, and underscores how Raw addresses the subject of human identity in a manner that both challenges and transcends stereotypical conceptions of gender roles.

Whether with its gut-punch grittiness, its visual exploration of interrelated themes or both, Raw is quite unshakable and will leave viewers reeling one way or another.

As savory a genre treat as Raw is in terms of writing, pacing, visual direction, and mastery of tone, the film simply couldnt work without a fearless lead performance. By casting Garance Marillier as her protagonist, Ducournau introduces an exciting new talent to the world stage. (And to be sure, equal praise goes out to Ella Rumpf for her fierce portrayal of Alexia, Justines older sister).

Last week I was fortunate enough to meet Marillier in Brussels. Continue reading for an English translation of our French interview, which touched on everything from how she experienced the shoot, to her relationship with Ducournau, and even contains a grisly little anecdote on how to make the process of vomiting hair look realistic.

[note: minor alterations were made to the transcript below to make the interview as spoiler-free as possible.]

ScreenAnarchy: Raw has had a very successful year following its world premiere at Cannes, winning numerous awards left and right. What was your experience of 2016 like and what has been the most unexpected reaction to your film?

Garance Marillier: I think any and all reactions have been sort of unexpected because we didnt count on  well, this level of recognition. All of a sudden, we were catapulted to the forefront. We didnt expect the film to spark such a buzz. But of course its extremely positive to see. Its been very rewarding to attend several festivals and see the audience reactions as well as to read the great reviews. I think its been a nice achievement.

Which has been the most memorable screening you attended so far and for what reason?

That would have to be Cannes. This left the strongest impression. It was the first time we watched the film, that we went into the public arena and were thrown to the wolves, awaiting the reactions. But it was crazy to see such wild enthusiasm for the film. Phew [Laughs].

Did you ever expect the film to become this successful, internationally speaking, after you first read the script?

No, not at all. I never would have guessed the film could attain such widespread acclaim, especially not in the United States. I thought the audience would be a bit more prudish. But in the end, while we didnt count on it, it was still our ambition to make a really strong film and we were glad to pull this off.

Were you at all familiar with genre film before starting work on Raw or was this a new experience for you?

No, I really wasnt familiar with genre film or horror cinema because I ha, well, its maybe not that I hate it, but I cant easily watch it because I scare so easily. But in terms of genre cinema I do know the films of David Cronenberg and David Lynch, two tremendous filmmakers, and I have become fan of Lynchs work in particular. Beyond that, anything thats more straight-up horror, I never watch it. Raw is the only film like that that I have ever seen and even then, for me its not really a horror film first and foremost.

You play Justine, the protagonist of Raw. What was your interpretation of this character after reading the screenplay for the first time? Did she strike you as the heroine of the story or a victim of circumstance?

For me Justine is obviously the heroine of this story; shes a fighter. The moment that changes everything is when she is presented with an opportunity to kill but doesnt go for it. Above all, shes the only one who battles her monstrous characteristics, the only one to defy her darker tendencies, while her sister, for instance, completely gives in to these impulses. [edited for spoilers] Justine is the only one to battle this sense of determinism, who tries to stand up: no, I dont want to be like this, and Id rather hurt myself than innocents. So, incontestably, shes the heroine [Laughs].

Did she have any characteristics in which you could immediately recognize yourself or was it the difference between yourself and Justine that attracted you to this role?

I dont know if I immediately recognized what I just described as something I have in common with her but its true that I feel a lot of affinity with and empathy for Justine because I think theres nothing more beautiful than fighting against your darker side or inner demons. Its all too easy to say, well, this is just who I am, this is me, it cannot be changed. Everyone is like this; you wont change me, too bad. People never change. But she, on the contrary, fights this impulse. Justine is also someone who defends her values, but is a bit restrictive in this like when she turns everybody against her in her defense of animal rights. With me personally, and without going into too much detail, thats something I try to defend every day of my life: my values, my principles with which Ive been raised and, simply put, standing up for what I believe in. Thats what I really have in common with Justine.

Transformation and transgression are central in Raw, a film that provokes audiences to question what we accept as normalcy. Julia Ducournau has already talked about your physical performance in past interviews but can you explain how you realized Justines gradual transformation with your body language?

Well, first of all you should know that I love working with the body; its what stimulates me enormously when I act. So for me this was really an exciting challenge. It required an enormous amount of work on top of being able to juggle the different stages in her evolution because at first Justine is, as you know, obviously naive and very innocent but at the end shes a lot more intense, and deeper. It was a matter of learning to play and see these moments in her evolution and being able to juggle them because of course we dont shoot in chronological order. But it really starts with how you hold or position your body. Each part of the film has a different aspect in this evolution in the sense that she feels completely different from one moment to the next and we see this reflected in the body. It was therefore necessary to really work out an entire choreography with Julia throughout the entire shoot.

Perhaps this is because I have a tendency to watch a lot of horror films, but Raw is not as shocking or grotesque as some sensational reports led me to believe.

But, of course not.

Still, the film contains no shortage of intense moments. Im thinking for instance of a close-up when we see Justine vomiting these long strands of hair that she had been eating in previous scenes. Much like the film as a whole, this looked incredibly realistic and I was wondering how you were able to pull off this scene.

Well [Laughs], for that scene I had 5 strings of silicone or synthetic hair in my mouth, mixed with grenadine or a type of product that gave the hair a reddish hue; also glucose syrup to give it this sticky quality and the look and texture of bile that Justine is vomiting. This hair was very thin and woven crisscross in my mouth, from left to right, forming figure eights to interlace the hairs in between my teeth, ensuring they would stay in place. I really had to pull to get them to unhook. It required quite a bit of preparation.

We only did a single rehearsal for this scene. At first it was absolutely awful because the practical effects guy/prop master had mixed yoghurt with this green stuff, and also milk, and it almost made me vomit simply be looking at it. This was overkill. The first time we actually shot the scene for real, I thought I had gotten the hang of it and had mastered the technique of pulling this hair out of my mouth again but when I retched everything fell out on the floor  [Laughs] disgusting. I really had to workshop the technique to get the scene right and use my mouth correctly.

How did you prepare yourself for the more extreme aspects of your role? Because this is really a scenario that requires a fearless performance. Were there any performances that inspired or informed your creation of Justine?

Well, in terms of the courage that was required to pull off certain parts of this role, it was reassuring for me that I already knew Julias previous works and her manner of directing actors. Because of this, I already had blind faith in her and her abilities, which allowed me to go much further, and even an extra mile that I would not have been able to with anyone else. I didnt really have a role model in mind, or a particular performance in mind that I modelled my acting after. The only actor who really inspired me has nothing to do with this type of film and doesnt even have the same sex as me. The actor in question is Wagner Moura, who plays Pablo Escobar in Narcos.

I dont know if its immediately apparent why this was the case, but its his downward glare. Even in the first episode of Narcos, season one, when he arrives at the police station to have his mugshot taken for the first time, he tries to intimidate those around him with this downward look. Theres a shot of him just standing there, doing nothing, but he steals the scene just with his look. This really inspired me: how to do nothing yet project a crazy intensity. He was my primary inspiration for Raw and I know that sounds weird or surprising when I explain it but its just like that.

Not at all, plus you told me you didnt watch any horror films so 

Exactly, I had no real reference points in genre films that I could pull from.

You already talked about this relationship of mutual trust between yourself and Julia, and just how important this was to allow you to feel comfortable while shooting certain scenes. But how did your professional relationship with her actually begin and evolve throughout the years?

We met during the casting process of Junior (2011), Julias first short film and also my first casting. After this successful collaboration we worked together on Mange (2012) and then 2 full years passed during which we became very close off set. We are both very sanguine people, have compatible characters, and there was a real connection between us. We saw each other all the time. Gradually she started talking more and more about this film she was writing, Raw, saying that the part was not for me but that she was writing it with me in mind. In the end there was no casting process for the lead and it became sort of evident I would get the part.

Our relationship has evolved a lot because of this mutual trust and the kindness Julia has always shown me. I know I can trust her even when she takes me into a somewhat grim direction like with Raw, for instance. And at the same time, I know she will never take me places I really dont want to go. This is where I can really trust her blindly. Even if the terrain is harsh or sort of audacious she will never put me or the film in danger. We have an extremely beneficial relationship where we both advance and neither has to waste any time waiting on the other. We never mince words but always talk freely. I have been so fortunate to meet someone like Julia. We share the same views on acting, we both consider actors to be musicians and dancers at the same time because everything is told through the body.

As you explained, the film explores dangerous and darker areas, but Raw also possesses a rich social commentary and elements that could be termed feminist. Do you agree with this label? Is Raw what you would term a feminist film?

Perhaps Im a bit clumsy in explaining this but its easy to label Raw a feminist film because, these days, its still rare to see films with strong female characters,  but we feel obligated to place the feminist label on it. Actually, I think its necessary to do the opposite. When you look at men, for instance, Christopher Nolan who is currently making his war movie, Dunkirk, we would never say hes making a masculine film because he makes a story with strong male characters. But then with Raw, because we are dealing with a film made by women, centered on strong women, all of a sudden we have to label it feminist? This bothers me a little. Yes, Raw is a film with strong women who have powers and make use of them but that, by definition, does not make it feminist; just a film of and by women.

Raw is a coming of age film and a movie that, at least partially, starts a conversation on the nature of hazing rituals and growing up. You are a young actress and Raw marks your first experience with a production of this scope. What was the shoot like for you and what is your number one takeaway from this new experience?

First of all I count my blessings to have been able to start with a film as strong as this one; especially an audacious film. And of course, when you arrive on a film set at the age of seventeen, you learn a million things at once. I had to take a step back, and approached everything lightheartedly, focusing mainly on my work. I wasnt thinking to myself now that you have your first major role everything is gonna change. I was focused on what I had to do on set, and that was all. But all things considered I learned a million things. Above all not to have any fears about taking a step back from everything that comes at you. We often think that the more we master the technique we lose our spontaneity, and our precision [justesse], while actually its the opposite. When we have technique we are able to play everything and have the nerve to dare everything so we can find this precision [justesse] and gain perspective. I was scared to be eaten alive by this character, by Justine, but I knew I needed the technique and I really learned the craft throughout the shoot. And Im very happy to have been able to do so.

After having watched Raw, how do you hope audiences will leave the movie theatre?

I like the fact that theyre a bit rattled, or shaken up, that they have seen something powerful  you know when you leave a film and you havent entirely left yet? That it takes you a little while to adjust? I love films like that, the ones that linger with you. And at the same time I hope they grasp the message  well, not really the message because everyone sees and interprets the film how he or she wants  but the social aspects of Raw that you mentioned, and this sense of anti-determinism. Not just the horror aspects of the film, watching only for sensational purposes. I want it to go further than that.

Do you already have other project lined up or films that you are considering?

I do have other projects, but actually Im still in high school, and Im yet to get my degree, so thats my priority [Laughs]. I have time. I have no interest in rushing myself or accepting whatever part comes my way just because the opportunity presents itself. I find it absolutely necessary to make solid and suitable choices for my next role to avoid being typecast. Id rather take my time with both feet planted firmly on the ground and my head on my shoulders.

That sounds very levelheaded. Thank you for a wonderful chat.

Dont mention it. And thank you!

Anything but undercooked, Raw presents fans of intelligent cinema with a buffet of riches. American viewers can discover the film in select theaters as of this Friday, March 10.
A top nuclear industry executive has called for the mass production of Hualong One reactors and priority to be given to China's third-generation nuclear technology in future nuclear power projects.

He Yu, chairman of China General Nuclear Power Corp.

He Yu, chairman of China General Nuclear Power Corp, said China should build four to six nuclear reactors annually using the domestically developed third-generation reactor Hualong One to 2020, to ensure the installed capacity of nuclear power in China reaches at least 150 giggawatts by 2030.

"China needs to build at least 10 million-kilowatt nuclear power units each year to achieve the emission reduction plan mentioned in the Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang," said He, who is attending the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"The pace of nuclear power projects in recent years is not in accordance with this target, and it's necessary to make sure the nuclear industry is back on track."

China's nuclear power development was put on hold after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, with approval for new nuclear plants suspended and a nationwide safety review launched after the incident.

According to He, nuclear energy plays an irreplaceable role in China's energy security and energy structure optimization, while it will also help reduce air pollution caused by coal-fired power generation.

China added about 8 GW of nuclear power capacity last year, boosting its installed capacity to about 34 GW, according to BMI Research, which provides macroeconomic, industry and financial market analysis.

The Hualong One reactor is not only safe and technically mature, but also economically competitive, he said.

China's energy sector is dominated by coal, which accounts for 64 percent of primary energy use, way above the global average of around 30 percent, he said.

The government has pledged that renewable energy will play an integral role in the push for greener growth, boosting the share of non-fossil energy to 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030, with coal consumption reduced to 62 percent of energy use by 2020.

China published a nuclear industry white paper earlier this year, detailing policies regarding nuclear emergency preparedness, highlighting a "rational, coordinated and balanced" approach to nuclear security.

China had "the most advanced technology and most stringent standards" to ensure the safe and efficient development of nuclear power, it said.

While developing nuclear power projects in the domestic market, China is actively exploring overseas markets to export its advanced equipment in the sector.

The United Kingdom government has started an assessment of CGN's plan to build a nuclear power plant at Bradwell in southeastern England. The chances are high that the Hualong One reactor will pass the UK's approval.

"CGN has vast experience building nuclear power facilities in China and there should be a reasonable chance that the parameters are met," said Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst with Asia utilities and infrastructure research at Bloomberg Intelligence.
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 "Rationing Criminal Justice" | Main | "Booker Disparity and Data-Driven Sentencing" 

March 7, 2017

Reviewing the ugly backstory of SCOTUS dicta on sex offender recidivism

Today's New York Times has this intriguing new Sidebar article by SCOTUS reporter Adam Liptak under the headline "Did the Supreme Court Base a Ruling on a Myth?". Here are excerpts:

Last week at the Supreme Court, a lawyer made what seemed like an unremarkable point about registered sex offenders. This court has recognized that they have a high rate of recidivism and are very likely to do this again, said the lawyer, Robert C. Montgomery, who was defending a North Carolina statute that bars sex offenders from using Facebook, Twitter and other social media services. The Supreme Court has indeed said the risk that sex offenders will commit new crimes is frightening and high. That phrase, in a 2003 decision upholding Alaskas sex offender registration law, has been exceptionally influential. It has appeared in more than 100 lower-court opinions, and it has helped justify laws that effectively banish registered sex offenders from many aspects of everyday life. But there is vanishingly little evidence for the Supreme Courts assertion that convicted sex offenders commit new offenses at very high rates. The story behind the notion, it turns out, starts with a throwaway line in a glossy magazine. Justice Anthony M. Kennedys majority opinion in the 2003 case, Smith v. Doe, cited one of his own earlier opinions for support, and that opinion did include a startling statistic. The rate of recidivism of untreated offenders has been estimated to be as high as 80 percent, Justice Kennedy wrote in the earlier case, McKune v. Lile. He cited what seemed to be a good source for the statistic: A Practitioners Guide to Treating the Incarcerated Male Sex Offender, published in 1988 by the Justice Department. The guide, a compendium of papers from outside experts, is 231 pages long, and it contains lots of statistics on sex offender recidivism rates. Many of them were in the single digits, some a little higher. Only one source claimed an 80 percent rate, and the guide itself said that number might be exaggerated. The source of the 80 percent figure was a 1986 article in Psychology Today, a magazine written for a general audience. The article was about a counseling program run by the authors, and they made a statement that could be good for business. Most untreated sex offenders released from prison go on to commit more offenses  indeed, as many as 80 percent do, the article said, without evidence or elaboration. Thats it. The basis for much of American jurisprudence and legislation about sex offenders was rooted in an offhand and unsupported statement in a mass-market magazine, not a peer-reviewed journal.... A 2014 Justice Department report found ... that sex offenders generally have low overall recidivism rates for crimes. But they are more likely to commit additional sex offenses than other criminals. In the three years after release from prison, 1.3 percent of people convicted of other kinds of crimes were arrested for sex offenses, compared to 5.3 percent of sex offenders. Those findings are broadly consistent with seven reports in various states, which found that people convicted of sex crimes committed new sex offenses at rates of 1.7 percent to 5.7 percent in time periods ranging from three to 10 years.... Lower courts generally accept what the Supreme Court says. That is true not only about the law but also about facts subject to independent verification. Last year, though, the federal appeals court in Cincinnati gently suggested that the Supreme Court had taken a wrong turn in its 2003 decision in Smith v. Doe. Judge Alice M. Batchelder, writing for a unanimous three-judge panel, described the significant doubt cast by recent empirical studies on the pronouncement in Smith that the risk of recidivism posed by sex offenders is frightening and high. The appeals court struck down a particularly strict Michigan sex-offender law as a violation of the Constitutions ex post facto clause, saying it retroactively imposed punishment on people who had committed offenses before the law was enacted. The state has asked the Supreme Court to consider the case, Does v. Snyder, No. 16-768. The first paragraph of its petition says that the risk of recidivism remains frightening and high. The constitutional question in the case is interesting and substantial. And hearing the case would allow the court to consider more fully its casual assertion that sex offenders are especially dangerous.

March 7, 2017 at 09:49 AM | Permalink

Comments

This reminds me of an article from five years ago entitled "Confronting Supreme Court Fact Finding" by Alli Orr Larsen.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2009904

A general rule of thumb is to try to not put in unnecessary statements that upon scrutiny can be seriously challenged. This repeatedly is not followed, including in court opinions. "Obvious" facts were tossed in since the beginning probably.

Helpful to be aware of such things.



Posted by: Joe | Mar 7, 2017 10:04:18 AM

McKune v. Lile itself said the figure might be exaggerated. The Supreme Court very well might be joining with others in exaggerating the risks, but to be fair here:

"Therapists and correctional officers widely agree that clinical rehabilitative programs can enable sex offenders to manage their impulses and in this way reduce recidivism. See U. S. Dept. of Justice, Nat. Institute of Corrections, A Practitioner's Guide to Treating the Incarcerated Male Sex Offender xiii(1988) ("[T]he rate of recidivism of treated sex offenders is fairly consistently estimated to be around 15%," whereas the rate of recidivism of untreated offenders has been estimated to be as high as 80%. "Even if both of these figures are exaggerated, there would still be a significant difference between treated and untreated individuals"). An important component of those rehabilitation programs requires participants to confront their past and accept responsibility for their misconduct."

And, in Smith v. Doe:

"Alaska could conclude that a conviction for a sex offense provides evidence of substantial risk of recidivism. The legislature's findings are consistent with grave concerns over the high rate of recidivism among convicted sex offenders and their dangerousness as a class. The risk of recidivism posed by sex offenders is "frightening and high." McKune v. Lile, 536 U. S. 24, 34 (2002); see also id., at 33 ("When convicted sex offenders reenter society, they are much more likely than any other type of offender to be rearrested for a new rape or sexual assault" (citing U. S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenses and Offenders 27 (1997); U. S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1983, p. 6 (1997)))."

It isn't like a single reference in a magazine article is used here. The lesson to me is that when using facts in this fashion, it is best to rely on general details, not specific facts like "80 percent." Very low recidivism rates there would be notable for constitutional purposes though either way a punishment might be unconstitutional. An ex post facto law, e.g., doesn't become okay if used against recidivists.

Posted by: Joe | Mar 7, 2017 10:24:47 AM

I am presently working on an interesting case concerning a man convicted of statutory rape (the girl was 15 and the sex was consensual) in Maryland more than 14 years ago. He served 18 months in a Maryland jail, and his Order of Judgment and Commitment required him to serve 10 years on a Maryland Sex Offender Registry following his release. He moved to Kentucky following his release and registered as a Sex Offender here, as required by Kentucky law. He has now been registered for 12 years, but Kentucky refuses to recognize the 10 year limit set forth in his Maryland Judgment, and insist that he must remain registered for LIFE under Kentucky law. The registered client has not had any other arrests or convictions since being released from prison. He is an expert in electronics communications, a retired Army Major (reserves) and his companies do business with the Dept. of Defense and Intelligence communities. Kentucky officials refuse to discuss "Full Faith and Credit" when it comes to registering sex offenders convicted under the laws of other states. He has lost his administrative appeal, and is now faced with filing suit against Kentucky's LIFETIME sex offender registry requirement, as it applies to him, or moving out of Kentucky, perhaps even back to Maryland, where he no longer has a registration requirement. Does anyone have interest in helping litigate his case?

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Mar 7, 2017 10:27:34 AM

The issue really ought to be whether the restrictions constitute punishment, and punishment in the constitutional sense, has to mean whether what the law would call a freedom is taken away. I think where a lot of this got sideways is that sex offenders, having satisfied a criminal judgment, got hit with things that don't look like punishment in the traditional sense. But that doesn't mean that they aren't punishment--telling someone they cannot exercise full First Amendment rights IS punishment, whereas taking the right to bear arms probably isn't. Neither is voting. Mobility restrictions, I would argue, ARE punishment.

Looking at the "intent" of the restrictions is really kind of silly, and I think that DPC and the 8th Amendment demand more. But what do I know?

Posted by: federalist | Mar 7, 2017 10:59:34 AM

...and what about recidivism rates for those who are convicted of possession of child pornography? Furthermore, what percentage of these individuals go on to engage in a contact offense? Should these individuals be lumped together with the other aforementioned sex offenders? Remember, we're talking about the largest group of sex offenders.

Posted by: tommyc | Mar 7, 2017 11:10:52 AM

"telling someone they cannot exercise full First Amendment rights IS punishment, whereas taking the right to bear arms probably isn't"

did you say something Justice Thomas? It hasn't been ten years yet!

The "issue" criteria cited are useful.

Posted by: Joe | Mar 7, 2017 11:37:46 AM

In my view, this whole issue is a problem with courts just making stuff up. They come up with these tests etc. to gussy up their own desired result. And the result, stuff that no free society should tolerate. Ex post facto speech restrictions? You kidding me?

Once we cede to the courts the ability to use the power to say what the law is to give their preferences the force of law, constitutional freedoms are at the whim of the ability to get one past the goalie.

Personally, if I were deciding on a particular SO restriction, I wouldn't give a hoot if 100% recidivism would occur. (Obviously, I'd care as a citizen.)

Posted by: federalist | Mar 7, 2017 1:02:29 PM

I have repeatedly said, the Supreme Court and other appellate courts do not know anything. Yet, they get to decide national policy on highly technical and expert matters. Nor does the Court have the investigatory ability of a legislature. Their track record of mistaken decisions is close to 100%.

I have been called insane, as a result.

Now, a left wing lawyer, writes an article in a left wing hate speech propaganda outlet, in support of lawyer clients, and that idea is being considered.

I have outlined a list of intermediate remedies to the Supreme Court's record of mistakes. Move to Wichita, so rent seeking is not its sole value, like the rest of Washington. Change the number of Justices to an even number to reduce reversals and stupid 5-4 decisions. Most of all, start putting ordinary people on the Court to reduce its error rate and to improve the readability of its decisions. Look at the discussion of the recent decisions below this post. Just all lawyer bullshit and gibberish, just worthless crap, upon which many here make a living.

The best remedy would be to enact an Amendment allowing judicial review, now prohibited by Article I Section 1 giving law making power to a Congress. Then pass a Judiciary Act making the number of Justices 500, a legislature class number to review constitutionality. Give it a research budget and powers to consult outside experts, and not just equally ignorant appellate lawyers. Let them hold informational hearings on these technical subjects, mandating that both sides of a question be reviewed. The Congress now just invites experts that will support their decided ideas.

Posted by: David Behar | Mar 7, 2017 3:10:12 PM

Jim. You may be interested in a legal attack I am mounting on a health care regulation. I want a decision of first impression in a federal court to declare it regulatory quackery. If that can be achieved, regulations may be voidable if not safe and effective.

Sex offender registries are quackery, albeit expensive rent seeking. They would not have even helped the little girls after which they were named, Megan and Jessica.

Posted by: David Behar | Mar 7, 2017 3:15:21 PM

There is a larger point here about virtue signaling that is being missed with these bogus facts. Justice Kennedy has a very mixed record on sex offenders because Kennedy is well aware of how sex offenders and the history of gay rights in this country are inextricably intertwined. It is important to remember that just a few decades ago being gay was a sex crime. This has caused Kennedy to often come down harsher on sex offenders out of a deep need to show that "this thing is not like the others". If one is on a long-term project to socially rehabilitate gays then its does one no good to get tagged as soft on pedophiles.

In short, Kennedy is not reciting such facts because he thinks they are true. He is reciting such facts and taking such positions because he wants to show that certain things are not true viz. that his desire to rehabilitate gays stems from the fact he's a sexual libertarian weirdo.

Posted by: Daniel | Mar 7, 2017 4:58:10 PM

Daniel. Fashinable catch phrases, like virtue signaling, crickets, etc. are annoying. Try the traditional word, supercilious.

Kennedy is the most hateful Justice, being a total weasel and turncoat, and the most supercilious. He should be impeached for being a heinous weasel, more specifically for reversing himself in Lawrence v Texas, and his annoying hat in hand demeanor begging Congress for higher salaries for these worthless, and toxic Justices on the Supreme Court.

Posted by: David Behar | Mar 7, 2017 9:10:19 PM

The mental health counselor who wrote the 1986 Psychology Today article that started this whole recidivism lie needs to print a retraction!

Posted by: kat | Mar 8, 2017 11:16:22 AM

More on that old article with a recent comment from one of the authors:

https://psmag.com/whats-the-real-rate-of-sex-crime-recidivism-a56030c56443#.zdpuownp1

Posted by: Joe | Mar 8, 2017 12:54:49 PM

@David

Supercilious and virtue signaling are not the same concepts. Virtue signaling is not about feeling superior to others; rather it is signaling that one adheres to or subscribes to a superior position that the intended audience is presumed to share. It is an appeal to group bias to buttress what otherwise would be seen as an arbitrary claim. Let's use gays rights. A supercilious person would be a person who believed that they were morally superior to others because they supported gay rights. But someone who is engaged in virtue signaling is only stating that gay rights is the morally superior position because everyone shares it without any further averment that they personally are superior because of it.

Kennedy may be both a supercilious person and engaged in virtue signaling. The focus of my post however is on the latter, on Kennedy's behavior.

Posted by: Daniel | Mar 8, 2017 1:15:07 PM

@Daniel. Thank you for that valid clarification.

Is there a term for virtue signaling that is driven by rent seeking? Or, is nearly all virtue signaling driven by rent seeking?

An example is the support for gay marriage. The virtue being signaled is equal treatment. The real aim is to generate more divorce claims for family lawyers.

What is resistance to virtue signaling called? For example, very few gays get married in countries with legalized gay marriage for over a decade, because gays are not stupid, and are not falling for the trap set by the virtue signaling of family lawyers, the originators of the idea.

Posted by: David Behar | Mar 8, 2017 8:13:01 PM

@ Jim Gormley

I'd think he would be better off moving back to Maryland, or some other state, e.g. Pennsylvania. On a Writ of Mandamus, the PA Commonwealth court held that not giving credit for time on a registry in another jurisdiction violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. constitution (Tommy Lee JACKSON v. COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, No. 388 M.D.2014.). Although not raised, the court eluded to a violation of the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and a violation of the equal protection clause of the PA constitution.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been handing the state it's ass in a lot of SOR cases to the extent that the law requires only those convicted of, incarcerated or on supervised release for a crime requiring registration on or after December 20, 2012. As long as a person completed a term of registration by that date, they are not required to register. If a term of registration has not been completed by that date, the registrant will get credit for time on another registry.

Posted by: Huh | Mar 15, 2017 6:45:19 PM

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If you have not done a lot of tweeting about abortion before, youre in for it, Bay Area journalist Andrea Grimes said in her opening remarks to this weekends Abortion Access Hackathon. People will tell you youre a murderous, horrible slut. Thats just one of many issues that brought together a couple hundred techies, activists, queer programmers, coders of color, and reproductive justice nerds for a three-day collaboration at GitHubs San Francisco headquarters this past weekend. They spent Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday developing technical tools to help to help cis women, transmen, gender non-conforming people, and abortion providers navigate a new reality where the anti-abortion movement has ascending political clout, the regulatory landscape has become much more complicated, and neo-Nazi Twitter eggs are establishing themselves as the new arbiters of normal political discourse.

The Abortion Access Hackathons goal is to bring together tech and activism to better support the providers of abortion, said Emily Loen, who co-organized the event with startup manager Kate Bertash. All of these providers and funds work on a shoestring. Theyre all nonprofits. They dont have time or resources to see how tech could support them and the work they do.

With 200 tech people looking at the problems they face, some really cool solutions could come out of the event, she said. And that is exactly what happened over a weekend that saw apps developed, databases built, and online tools created to help people cope with an unwanted pregnancy.





Consider the example of Termina, an application cranked out over the weekend that allows users to navigate their abortion options depending on their age, state of residence, and how far they are in their pregnancy. Termina currently exists in live demo mode, and will eventually be integrated into the San Francisco Sex Information website. But apps like these are intended to guide women through a sometimes confusing maze of abortion regulations, like which states require 24-hour waiting periods, which states have ultrasound requirements, and which states do or dont allow government insurance to help cover the procedure.

Medicaid in Texas does not cover abortion, Alice Cartwright, project director at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), told SFist. For many people who are low income, they have to pay out of pocket or seek support from abortion funds. To that end, her team developed a chatbot called Amelia that provides those answers in a friendly, conversational way and explains to the user what the procedure might look like.



Image: Fox Nakai

As you might infer from these photos, this particular hackathon was uniquely female-dominated. High five to any of you out there coding on your period right now, said Lauren Schulte, founder of the Flex Company that makes a disposable tampon disc that lasts up to 12 hours and helps prevent vaginal infections.

Its not just a corporate hackathon where people pimp their APIs, agreed software engineer Joshua Hight. But like most hackathons, the Abortion Access Hackathon did ask its teams to quickly develop a bare-bones but functioning minimum viable product (MVP). And yes, techies do actually call it that.

Most hackathons dont necessarily end with a minimum viable product thats that viable, data engineering manager Alyssa Kwan told SFist. The fact that there is a social mission means that there is a much greater chance that we will actually stay in touch and work on stuff.



Image: Joe Kukura, SFist

And that work is important to combat misinformation and trolling in this new digital age where a single person can create thousands of fake accounts and use them to harass people. I spy on anti-abortion protesters online in order to make sure that the clinics are safe, said Shireen Dada Whitaker, a social media coordinator for Womens Health Specialists who also runs a team of volunteer abortion clinic escorts. This harassment on the picket lines that weve seen for decades has moved online. Its digital now.

Whitaker noted the example of one clinic escort who is a schoolteacher, and whose real name and school she works at were exposed and circulated online by abortion opponents. They actually whipped up a whole group of anti-abortion protesters to go and protest that school, she said. Theres a lot of doxxing going on and a lot of naming of staff, which can be really dangerous.



Image: Nurx

Some of the products featured at this hackathon are fully mature and already on the market. One of the co-sponsors was an app called Nurx that lets you get an online prescription for birth control pills, PrEP, and Plan B medication delivered right to your doorstep. (NOTE: The above promo code TINYHANDS is expired, but the new promo code NASTYWOMAN is now in effect.) We do a telehealth consultation with a doctor thats licensed in your state, Nurx founder Hans Gangeskar told SFist. Its just like going to the doctor, the doctor gets all the same information, youre just not in the same room.



Image: Fox Nakai

Not all the products developed at this hackathon were completely technical in nature. One project called A Better Story is devoted to crafting more effective media narratives about abortion. The focus of it is been to come up with talking points to change the cultural narrative about abortion in the mainstream media, and in society itself as well, so that we no longer just react to Republican talking points, but actually drive our own storytelling, said product designer, developer, and writer Faruk Ates. Some of those cultural narratives are being driven by extreme fundamentalist people who are very strategic about how they approach it. They craft a narrative very specifically, then they test it out on people and, if it sticks, they just get everyone to join in on the messaging around it They keep repeating it over and over again using the strategy that if you repeat a lie enough times, people will believe it as true.

Thats something I want to counteract by getting people on the left and especially the Democratic Party, to crystallize their messaging and use simpler and cleaner talking points that are inclusive but dont rely on long-winded nuanced descriptions that no one can remember or recite quickly, he said.



Image: Fox Nakai

The weekend-long hackathon concluded, as many of these things do, with a series of live demo sessions where each team showed off their work. In a few cases, the teams work created a functional product that is already online or will be soon. The debate prep app Rhetorical Uterus helps craft lovely and informed talking points for use when arguing with abortion opponents, while an already-existing website called TEACH recieved new training tools for abortion providers that will be implemented into the site in the near future.

If people say abortion more in these two days than theyve said in the previous 30 years of their life, said Alice Cartwright of ANSIRH, then we would count that as a success.

If youre inspired to help any of these causes, many of them still need engineers. Or if youre not an engineer, the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-Thon is fundraising for abortion access supporters through April 30.

Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the TEACH website was developed over the weekend. TEACH been providing training resources online and in person for more than 13 years.

Related: Women's March Using The Same Route, Meeting Place As Anti-Abortion March
Quondam Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, the first woman elected to that office in 2011 after her work as a member of Oakland's City Council, has some new, shall we say, high ambitions. Quan, along with husband Dr. Floyd Huen, hopes to operate an Outer Sunset medical marijuana dispensary, an expansion of the popular Market Street pot shop the Apothecarium.

It was at a contentious meeting with neighborhood residents that CBS5 learned last week of Huen's role in the dispensary's westward expansion to 32nd and Noriega. Huen, who would be a co-owner of the business along with the current Apothecarium owners, pitched the business as the first partially Chinese-owned dispensary in the city, in a largely Chinese area.

Theres not enough access to medical cannabis for the Chinese community," he said at the community meeting. But the crowd, also largely Asian, was hostile and shut down Huen before he could finish his pitch. I thought they would have at least enough respect to hear me out, helamented.

The Apothecarium also now has a branch in Las Vegas and one in the works in Berkeley, and in addition to the Outer Sunset, the city is reviewing its applications for a new offshoot in the Marina.



Following up, the Chronicle reports that Jean Quan is also in on the business, having lost her reelection bid two years ago to current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and she would be a co-owner with her husband. She called the effort "mainly" his idea, although she authored Oakland's dispensary legislation in 2004 during her time as a City Council member.

As for Huen, in his work as a gerontologist, he says he's prescribed medical marijuana since 1996 for chronic pain, cancer, and diabetes. As he tells the Chronicle, he's "especially interested in providing bilingual and culturally sensitive services that collaborate with traditional Asian medical practitioners." And, what's more, he's already been working for the Apothecarium as a consultant.

Speaking to the East Bay Times, Apothecarium spokesperson Eliot Dobris made the case for an Outer Sunset dispensary. "There are no dispensaries in the Sunset right now... We think just like everyone has access to a pharmacy in their neighborhood the same should be true for medical marijuana."

Opponents fear the potential shift toward recreational marijuana, approved by California voters in November, reveals that the "medical" aspect of the dispensary is just a Trojan horse. "This is a beachhead for bringing recreational marijuana to the Sunset, and we dont want it sold in our neighborhood, Valerie Schmalz, a protestor at the fateful community meeting, told the Chronicle.

Related: SF May Be Getting A Department Of Marijuana


After a mysterious, sulfurous scent from god knows where had San Franciscans plugging up their noses in two December incidents, fingers were pointing at Richmond's Chevron refinery. Were two flareups there that had occurred just before the smell emerged in San Francisco really to blame? Supervisor Mark Farrell called for a hearing into whatever caused the flares, and the cause of the odor is also under investigation by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Chevron submitted two reports to Contra Costa County health officials on the incidents, and KQED reports that the problems led Chevron to demand greater caution from contract workers and to consider upgrading plant alarm systems. The report is here, and you'll see why those conclusions were drawn after reading a bit more.

The first breakdown at the refinery occurred at 11:45 p.m. on December 27. That was caused by a clogged line that separated liquid and gas, but filled with too much liquid, triggering an alarm. The flare gas compressor was turned off for about an hour, and a backup flaring system at the refinery was activated.

Good to know, says Randy Sawyer, county chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer. But it would be better to know even more. You would like to find out what caused the plug so you can prevent that from happening, Sawyer told KQED. It does not look like theyre investigating what actually caused the plug.



The second flare problem, 16 hours later, lasted longer and was caused by human error according to the report. A compressor was "starved for gas" and had nothing to compress. Without high pressure, the flaring system was operated. What happened? Where was the gas that was supposed to enter the compressor? A device that's placed between two sections of pipe to close them off from each other during maintenance, with a steel plate, called a blind flange, was never removed, because it was supposed to be labelled, with a "T" tab, for turnaround, and was never labeled. The label thing, apparently, wasn't clear to a contracting company who were working on the maintenance.

The report is only partially satisfying to Sawyer, for one. Why, he says he wants to know, were unusually high amounts of hydrogen sulfide detected by one of Chevron's air monitors after at least one and maybe both of the flares? Chevron says it's not quite finished with an investigation into that aspect of the issue.

For those who'd like to dig deeper into Richmond's history with Chevron, the timing, as it so happens, is just right. Labor activist and writer Steve Early released Refinery Town, with a foreword by Bernie Sanders, to a positive review in the Chronicle. Early traces his interest to the 2012 refinery fire there, which made a strong impression on him when he moved west from New England.

Previously: Mysterious Stench Returns With A Vengeance, Chevron Facility In Richmond Suspected Culprit
Facebook criticised after failing to remove sexualised images of childrenhttps://t.co/zn8eVZG3Na pic.twitter.com/79xzA476Ez  BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 7, 2017

As part of a BBC investigative report on Facebook's ongoing efforts to combat sexual images of children on its platform, the broadcasting agency reported 100 photos to Facebook that would pretty clearly appear to violate the social network's "community standards." These were images of children under 16 in sexual poses alongside obscene comments, images of Facebook groups for pedophiles to share stolen images of children, and so forth. The BBC also found five convicted pedophiles with Facebook profiles, in violation of Facebook's rules that disallow convicted sex offenders from having accounts. After hitting the "report" button to alert the company, Facebook, the BBC claims, removed just 18 of the images. Automated replies from the social network said that the other 82 images didn't breach community standards.

That was cause for alarm at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. "Facebook's failure to remove illegal content from its website is appalling and violates the agreements they have in place to protect children," a spokesperson told the BBC. "It also raises the question of what content they consider to be inappropriate and dangerous to children."

But what happened next might be even more troubling. When BBC reporters asked Facebook for an interview about its moderation systems, the social network's director of policy, Simon Milner, agreed to an interview  but first requested that the BBC provide examples of the material it had reported that wasn't removed by the moderators. The BBC complied... and Facebook reported the BBC to the UK's National Crime Agency.

Here's Angus Crawford, a BBC news correspondent:

At FB's request we sent them images we had reported, which weren't taken down by FB moderators. FB then reported us to the police.  Angus Crawford (@AngusCrawfordR4) March 7, 2017

FB told us "It is against the law for anyone to distribute images of child exploitation".  Angus Crawford (@AngusCrawfordR4) March 7, 2017

FB continued "When the BBC sent us such images we followed our industrys standard practice and reported them to CEOP."  Angus Crawford (@AngusCrawfordR4) March 7, 2017

"We have carefully reviewed the content referred to us and have now removed all items that were illegal or against our standards," Facebook wrote in a statement to the BBC. "This content is no longer on our platform. We take this matter extremely seriously and we continue to improve our reporting and take-down measures... It is against the law for anyone to distribute images of child exploitation. When the BBC sent us such images we followed our industry's standard practice and reported them to Ceop [Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre."

The fact that Facebook sent images that had been sent to them, that appear on their site, for their response about how Facebook deals with inappropriate image... [The] fact that they sent those on to the police seemed to me to be extraordinary..." says BBC director of editorial policy, David Jordan. "One can only assume that the Facebook executives were unwilling or certainly reluctant to engage in an interview or a debate about why these images are available on the Facebook site."

Ironically, Facebook has been criticized for its over-censorship of images in the past: Last September, the company removed a famous Vietnam war image of a naked girl running from a Napalm attack. The photograph, called "The Terror of War" and captured by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Nick Ut, was included on Facebook among a list of "seven photographs that changed the history of warfare" created by Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten.

"Listen, Mark. This is serious," the papers editor-in-chief wrote in a front page open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "First you create rules that dont distinguish between child pornography and famous war photographs. Then you practice these rules without allowing space for good judgment."

Later, in early January, the Facebook bowdlerized a 450-year-old Italian statue of the god Neptune, naked and holding a trident.

Related: Norwegians' Outcry Over Facebook Censoring An Iconic Vietnam War Photo Leads To Company's Reversal
Joined by some of her youngest constituents, infants held by their mothers, Supervisor Katy Tang took to the steps of City Hall today to announce her plans to introduce legislation requiring all SF workplaces to include "lactation spaces" for women to feed their infants or pump breast milk.

New mothers who want to return to work face so many barriers, whether its juggling child care, balancing a new schedule or figuring out how to provide breast milk for their children, Tang told the Chronicle, who reported on the Supervisor's legislative proposal. Specifically, that would call for every workplace, public and private, in the city to provide a lactation space furnished with a seat, a surface, an electrical outlet, and sink access. Finally, the proposal would require all future commercial buildings to include a similar space for lactation.

"Although there are existing lactation laws," Tang acknowledges, referring to state and federal law requiring employers make "reasonable efforts" to provide a space, other than a bathroom, for lactation, "they do not provide minimum standards, such as a place to sit or an electrical outlet," Tang contends. Furthermore, "Many women also do not feel comfortable asking their employers for lactation breaks."

The new legislation follows Tang's efforts of last year requiring the Department of Human Resources to develop a city policy for workplace breastfeeding including a policy for breastfeeding breaks. Jenna Gerry, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Centers, told the Chronicle last year that Tang's legislation would have little legal impact, but that "this is trying to promote that gold standard in the government buildings. Soon after the legislation was passed, workers installed a lactation pod in the basement of City Hall.

According to Tang's aide Ashley Summers, the Supervisor decided to act further after an October report by the public Health Department showed breastfeeding rates among SF women were lowest among those at the bottom of the income scale. "Theres a disparity among moms who have the ability to breastfeed while going to work, Summers told the Chronicle. People like me have understanding employers who are supportive. But it was still hard to pump at work. I cant imagine what it must be like for a mom to go back at six weeks with a boss who isnt supportive.

Some businesses, though, will likely contend that they can support their employees without creating a dedicated lactation space, especially if they're small and don't have many employees to begin with.

"Our goal is to make it as workable as possible for everybody, for all businesses big and small, for all employers and their employees, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce's Dee Dee Workman told the Chronicle. We want to make sure that small businesses are not set up to fail. Most want to do the right thing, and are doing the right thing providing accommodations to the best of their abilities. We want to make sure they are not always in the position of saying, No, we cant do this.

Related: Supervisor Can Only Be A 'Good Dad' If San Francisco Gives Him Free Parking
SIOUX CITY | Many Sioux City and Dakota Dunes residents are being asked to boil their water before use through 10 a.m. Tuesday after water failed to meet a standard for water disinfection Monday.

A news release from the city of Sioux City said a filter valve problem Monday kept water at Sioux City's Zenith Water Treatment Plant from meeting chlorine exposure guidelines. The problem was fixed by late morning, the release said.

Residents in the Grandview Pressure Zone, an area encompassing much of Sioux City's land area and the most customers, are being advised to boil all water for one minute prior to using it for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food.

Residents in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, are also advised to boil their water since the community purchases some of its water from Sioux City.

Sioux City has five pressure zones: Grandview, Indian Hills, Western Hills, Morningside and the airport.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms that can cause symptoms like nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.
SIOUX CITY | A boil warning issued Monday night for a large portion of Sioux City was lifted at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

According to a news release from the city of Sioux City, customers in the Grandview Pressure Zone no longer need to boil their water before use for drinking, as the water is now safe to drink.

Dakota Dunes residents were also on a boil warning through 10 a.m. Tuesday, since the community purchases some of its water from Sioux City.

Residents who were affected by the warning are advised to "flush" their indoor and outdoor faucets, showers and ice dispensers to clear their plumbing of potentially contaminated water.

For cold-water faucets, residents are advised to run tap water for one minute or longer, until the water feels cold, before using it to drink, brush their teeth or prepare food.

For refrigerator water-dispensing machines, residents are advised to flush the water dispenser of at least one quart of water.

Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of any ice made during the boil warning and run through a 24-hour cycle, with residents discarding the ice made during the 24-hour cycle.

A news release from Dakota Dunes also advised water users to let their water run for 1 to 2 minutes prior to using. The release said Dakota Dunes took 7,000 gallons from Sioux City Monday, a fraction of the total of 400,000 gallons the community used.

The release said Dakota Dunes' water system was isolated from Sioux City water at 5 p.m. and that the Dakota Dunes mains in Two Rivers Business Park, the area closest to the Sioux City connection point, have been flushed. The Dakota Dunes system will remain temporarily isolated as testing is conducted.

The release said the Dakota Dunes system is currently operating within all quality standards.

The boil warning was announced around 4:45 p.m. Monday after a filter valve problem Monday morning kept water at Sioux City's Zenith Water Treatment Plant from meeting chlorine exposure guidelines.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms that can cause symptoms like nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.
SLOAN, Iowa | Woodbury County authorities on Tuesday arrested a couple in possession of a stolen car at WinnaVegas Casino Resort near Sloan.

James Souba, 23, and Samantha McCain, 20, were both booked into the Woodbury County Jail on charges of second-degree theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Souba also was charged with possession of a controlled substance and carrying a dangerous weapon.

At about 7:30 a.m., Woodbury County Sheriff's Deputy Todd Peterson found a 1997 Saturn, which had been reported stolen Feb. 28 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the WinnaVegas parking lot and witnessed the two getting out of the car.

After calling in other officers, including a K9 unit, Peterson and a Winnebago Police officer arrested the two, who were inside the casino playing slot machines.

A baggie of methamphetamine was found in a pocket in Souba's pants, and deputies also found a sword inside the stolen vehicle, Peterson said.
SIOUX CITY | Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King on Monday defended President Trump's startling assertion that the Obama administration tapped phones in Trump's New York offices in the runup to the 2016 election, suggesting "rogue intel" officials may have eavesdropped on calls even if President Obama did not personally order the wiretapping.

An Obama spokesperson flatly denied Trump's claim. Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, also shot down the assertion, saying during a Sunday morning news show: "There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate, or against his campaign."

"That doesn't necessarily prove that there wasn't a rogue intel operation going on that wasn't encumbered by, or just decided not to be encumbered by, the legalities," King said in an interview from his rural Kiron home Monday.

Trump cued a political firestorm with a series of tweets Saturday morning. In the first social media post, the president said: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

Seventeen minute later, the president followed with: "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 did not offer any evidence or details, or say what prompted him to make the allegation.

King said the tweet indicates Trump was not referencing the former president specifically.

"To me, that says the Obama administration," King said.

King said his assessment is that Trump's assertion is apt.

"There is a string of evidence that supports it," he said.

The Republican congressman cited varying 2016 news articles that U.S. officials had obtained a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, to review contacts between computers at a Russian bank and Trump Tower in New York.

King didn't specify the likely intelligence agency, but said that wouldn't necessarily have been done by a Federal Bureau of Investigation employee. Typically a distinct national interest reason must be given before a court would give authorization for wiretapping.

He said FISA warrants could shed light on the topic, so King said an investigation should take place into warrants that don't exclude classified information.

"Let's do the investigation fast, let's do it thoroughly," he said.

King said the most recent flap over Trump's use of Twitter points to how some wordings by the president on his official @realDonaldTrump account may not be what they seem. King said there must some latitude for "secondary" meanings in his tweets.

King said it is hard for anyone on Twitter to use the exact best explanatory words in a message that is space limited.

"Twitter gives you a limited space of 140 characters. But it gives you also a little bit of latitude to double entendres. ...There sometimes can be a secondary or tertiary meaning," he said.

King said some wordings may be inartful, so people need to do the necessary research to understand the meaning that Trump pointed to in his tweets. He said people who perform the right legwork will come to the "intent" that the president meant.

Some political and communication professionals have said Trump would be better served if he stopped the tweeting, particularly since moving from running a campaign to serving as president. King said that would be misguided since in a world where many politicians have staff send out sanitized tweets, Trump's Twitter voice is authentic.

"I am reluctant to say anything that would discourage him from tweeting. There are people who say he shouldn't and there are those who say he shouldn't do so in the middle of the night. ... We always want the freshest thoughts we can get from the president of the United States," King said.
SIOUX CITY | A Castana, Iowa, man has pleaded not guilty to having sex with a teenage girl against her will while she was babysitting.

Colby Mauch, 24, entered his written plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court to one count of third-degree sexual abuse.

According to court documents, on Sept. 3 Mauch traveled to the 17-year-old girl's Morningside home, where she was babysitting six children.

While the children were in the back yard, court documents said, Mauch grabbed the girl, started to kiss her and forcibly pulled her pants and underwear down and had sex with her.

The girl told a friend what had happened, and the friend notified a school resource officer, who told the victim's mother.

On Sept. 12, court documents said, Mauch texted the mother of the victim and apologized. The mother showed the texts to police, and an officer responded as if he was the mother. A text conversation began in which Mauch said he regretted his actions and admitted the victim was telling the truth.

Mauch was questioned on Oct. 6 and admitted to initiating and having sex with the victim. He claimed the sexual activity was consensual, court documents said.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa | A Sioux Center, Iowa, man was sentenced Monday to two years in prison for assaulting the mother of his unborn child.

A Sioux County District Court jury found Peter Baccam, 22, guilty in January of domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury.

On Oct. 11, the victim, who was 27 weeks pregnant, reported that Baccam had assaulted her and she was concerned about the health of the unborn baby.

Baccam has two prior convictions for assaulting the same woman, who was pregnant at the time of one of those incidents, according to Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle.
LINCOLN, Neb. | A Moville, Iowa, man has pleaded guilty to setting up a meeting to have sex with an underage girl.

Dennis Ragan, 63, changed his plea Thursday in Lancaster County District Court and pleaded guilty to one count of enticement by electronic communication device.

Sentencing was set for May 12.

According to authorities, Ragan responded to an online ad he believed had been posted by a 15-year-old girl, but was actually posted by an undercover investigator. Ragan exchanged 170 emails with the person he believed to be the girl.

According to court documents, Ragan traveled to Lincoln with the intent of having sexual contact with the girl and was arrested on Aug. 31 at a Lincoln laundromat where he had agreed to a meeting. Investigators found condoms, lubrication, batteries and sex toys in Ragan's car.
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City School District is without its chief financial officer during the crucial final weeks of finalizing a budget for the next academic year.

Chief financial officer John Chalstrom was placed on paid administrative leave Feb. 13, district spokeswoman Alison Benson confirmed Monday. Benson said she could not discuss the reasons for the leave, saying personnel issues are confidential and cannot be made public. She did not immediately respond to requests seeking information about the school district's policies listing the reasons a district employee can be placed on administrative leave.

Sioux City School Board President Mike Krysl said he could not discuss Chalstrom's status, but said the leave is effective until further notice.

Chalstrom, who joined the district less than two years ago, could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.

The move comes as superintendent Paul Gausman is considering leaving the Sioux City district after nine years. Gausman, one of three finalists as superintendent for the Omaha public schools district, publicly interviewed for the post Monday with the Omaha school board.

Chalstrom heads the district's Finance Department, which includes nine other employees. In the district's organizational configuration, the chief financial officer presents a budget and financial reports for approval to school board members.

At a school board meeting in January, Chalstrom led a discussion as the board considers options for closing a projected deficit for the budget that begins July 1. Gausman presented the latest budget figures at the most recent board meeting on Feb. 28, where the board moved to pare about $3.2 million in spending, which would lower the fiscal 2018 general fund budget to around $170 million, up about $2 million from the current budget.

State law requires public schools in Iowa to adopt a budget by April 15.

During the budget discussions, Krysl said finance department staff members Sherri Jones and Patty Pageler have given "really good" expertise in Chalstrom's absence. Krysl said the school district has also received input from a consultant from Iowa School Finance Information Services in Des Moines.

Chalstrom's current salary is $140,255. Prior to his appointment as CFO in July 2015, he served as superintendent of the Cherokee School District for 10 years. He also previously was a high school principal in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Chalstrom was selected by Gausman with the guidance of an advisory committee comprised of school administration and finance experts from the Sioux City business community.

After some board members expressed concern about appointing a vital position in the district without knowing if the candidate was fully qualified, the board was given the opportunity to examine Chalstroms credentials in a closed session. The board then voted 6-1 to approve his hiring.
SIOUX CITY | U.S. Rep. Steve King, R- Iowa, said the term "Muslim ban" doesn't properly describe the travel ban signed Monday by President Donald Trump, adding that the president has wide powers to include any number of religions in any ban to ensure the security of Americans.

"If the president decided that he wanted to ban Christians from coming to America, or Muslims or Jews or Hindus, he has the full authority to do that," King said in a Journal interview on Monday.

"I want to emphasize that he has all the legal authority he needs to protect America."

Asked where that executive power comes from, King said it is constitutional and also statutory.

Five weeks after the first version, Trump signed a scaled-back version of his controversial ban on many foreign travelers. He aimed to avoid a new round of lawsuits while fulfilling a repeated campaign promise of keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews vetting systems for refugees and visa applicants.

His order still bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program.

The new one leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries  at the urging of U.S. military and diplomatic leaders  but still affects would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. It also makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted, and it removes language that would give priority to religious minorities  a provision some interpreted as a way to help Christians get into the U.S. while excluding Muslims.

King said the inclusion of the six nations makes for a defensible list. The congressman said there are 50 nations where Muslims constitute a majority of people living there.

"A majority of the people affected by this ban will be Muslims," King said. However, he added, "Any objective analysis says it is not targeted at Muslims."

-- The Associated Press contributed to this article.
NORTH SIOUX CITY  After more than 90 minutes of pleading their case to Sioux City officials Monday afternoon, business owners and employees from North Sioux City and the Riverside neighborhood think their cries fell on deaf ears.

Business owners on both sides of the state line are concerned with a proposal to rehabilitate the Military Road bridge which, depending on what plan the Sioux City Council approves, could take five to 10 months to complete.

A standing room-only crowd greeted Jonathan Marburger, a project manager from JEO Consulting Group, and Brittany Anderson and Glenn Ellis from the city of Sioux Citys Engineering Department as the trio tried to explain why the bridge project was being considered during a public meeting at North Sioux City City Hall.

Perry Antonopoulos, who owns Harveys, a diner on 5307 Military Road, stood up about an hour into the meeting to vent his frustration.

"They don't care," he said referring to the Sioux City Council. "I get business from North Sioux, North Sioux gets business from me and if you close us down we are all going to die  done  we'll have to find another job."

Antonopoulos argued closing the bridge and reconstructing Military Road would be the end of his restaurant, which has operated in the Riverside area in some capacity since 1918.

Id be done; most of my business is from North Sioux, he said in the hallway after his speech. And not just me, its going to affect everybody.

Nearly two dozen of the more than 60 people in attendance spoke out against the proposal, many of them saying it would spell doom for both communities and either put them out of work or force their businesses to shutter.

What good's the bridge with no businesses? one woman yelled out.

Rick Law, who owns Casino Monaco and VIP Gaming Lounge in North Sioux City, questioned why couldnt the bridge and Military Road projects be done in separate years since that would be less economically detrimental to the area.

Ellis said thats how the city originally approached the project, but found that it could save more money by doing both of the infrastructure improvements simultaneously.

Military Road Bridge was built in 1976 and remains structurally sound, Marburger said. The project manager noted the issue with the thoroughfare lies with the deck of the bridge, or driving surface, where there are large potholes and other road hazards. Without action, he noted the bridge could be closed entirely for repairs in two to four years.

Marburger laid out four scenarios to address the bridge situation, but the two most cost-effective measures were to close the bridge entirely for construction or conduct a half-at-a-time method, where one side of the bridge is closed for construction and the other side is open.

Closing the bridge would cost $2.6 million and take about five months to complete, whereas the other approach would take about 10 months, cost $3.1 million in construction costs and add another $175,000 in engineering costs, according to Marburger.

Should the council move forward on this project this month, Marburger expects it to seek bids in November and for contractors to be ready to work the following spring. Sioux City has budgeted $3 million in the upcoming fiscal year for inspection and redecking the bridge. The city will receive as much as $1 million in funding from the Iowa Department of Transportation and is pursuing other partnerships with the city of North Sioux City and South Dakota Department of Transportation.

Although Mondays meeting was for informational purposes and to gather input from people who would be directly impacted by the project, many of the audience members think the decision has already been made.

Like I said, They already made up their mind and they are going to do it without asking any questions,' Antonopoulos said.
Before the largest audience of his political career, save perhaps his inaugural, Donald Trump delivered the speech of his life.

And though last week's address to Congress may be called moderate, even inclusive, Trump's total mastery of his party was on full display.

Congressional Republicans who once professed "free-trade" as dogmatic truth rose again and again to cheer economic nationalism.

"We've lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was approved," thundered Trump, "and we've lost 60,000 factories since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001."

Yet a Republican party that embraced NAFTA and voted MFN for China every time it came up gave Trump standing ovations.

"(W)e have inherited a series of tragic foreign policy disasters," said Trump, "America has spent approximately six trillion dollars in the Middle East -- all the while our infrastructure at home is crumbling."

And from Congressional Republicans who backed every Bush-Obama war -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen -- not a peep of protest, as their foreign policy legacy was being consigned to the dumpster.

Watching Republicans rise again and again to hail Trump called to mind the Frankish King Clovis who, believing his wife's Christian God had interceded to give him victory over the Alemanni, saw his army converted by the battalions and baptized by the platoons.

One had thought the free-trade beliefs of Republicans were more deeply rooted than this.

"We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership," Trump exulted, having just tossed into the trash that mammoth trade deal beloved of Bush Republicans.

GOP champions of the TPP, if there are any left, sat mute.

Trump cited the first Republican president, Lincoln, as having got it right when he warned, "abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government (will) produce want and ruin among our people."

Celebrating protectionism, hailing "America First!" in a virtual State of the Union address -- it doesn't get any better than this.

To open-borders Republicans who backed amnesty for 11 million illegal immigrants, Trump had this message, "We will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border."

And the cheering did not stop.

The president invoked Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System, the greatest public works project of the 20th century, as a model.

Yet Ike was opposed by the Taft wing of his party and Ike's republicanism gave birth to the modern conservative movement.

Yet, in leading Republicans away from globalism to economic nationalism, Trump is not writing a new gospel. He is leading a lost party away from a modernist heresy -- back to the Old-Time Religion.

In restating his commitment to the issues that separated him from the other Republicans and won him Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, however, Trump reaffirmed aspects of conservatism dear to his audience.

He committed himself to regulatory reform, freeing up the private sector, rolling back the administrative state. The Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines are on the way to completion. And Trump is all behind school choice.

While the speech was unifying and aspirational, the president set goals and laid down markers by which his presidency will be judged.

And none will be easy of attainment.

"Dying industries will come roaring back to life. ... Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways ... Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and, ultimately, stop. ... Our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety and opportunity."

As some of these domestic crises are rooted in the character, or lack of it, of people, they have proven, since Great Society days, to be beyond the capacity of government to solve.

Ronald Reagan was not wrong when he said, "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem."

And while the president's speech astonished critics as much as it reassured friends, it leaves large questions unanswered.

How does one leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, grow defense by more than $50 billion, slash taxes, launch a $1 trillion infrastructure program -- and not explode the deficit and national debt?

Now that we are ensnared in wars all over the Middle East, how do we extricate ourselves and come home without our enemies filling the vacuum?

How does the GOP repeal and replace Obamacare without cutting the benefits upon which millions of Americans have come to rely?

How do you eliminate an $800 billion merchandise trade deficit without tariffs that raise the price of cheap imports from abroad -- on which Trump's working-class voters have come to depend?

The Republican establishment today bends the knee to Caesar.

But how long before K Street lobbyists for transnational cartels persuade the GOP elite, with campaign contributions, to slow-walk the president's America First agenda?

Last week's speech established Trump as the man in charge.

But how loyal to him and his program will be the "deep state," which dominates this city that gave Trump only 4 percent of its votes and, paranoically, believes him to be an agent of Vladimir Putin?

The Trump-Beltway wars have only just begun.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(March 06, 2017)The Prince Frederick Barrack of the Maryland State Police (MSP) today released the following incident and arrest reports.UNAUTHORIZED USE OF MOTOR VEHICLE: On 3/2/17 at 5:28 pm, Trooper Kaitz received a complaint for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The victim reported giving permission to Michael D. Kelly, 49 of Washington, DC, to use her vehicle for medical appointments in July of 2016. The victim has requested numerous times for Kelly to return the vehicle and to date he has not returned it. The 2009 Chevrolet Impala has been entered as stolen into NCIC.OPEN WARRANT, FALSE STATEMENT TO PEACE OFFICER: On 3/2/17 at 8:39 pm, Trooper First Class Davis stopped a vehicle at Rt. 4 near Hospital Rd. for an open warrant hit. A passenger in the vehicle repeatedly gave false information. After comparing the MVA photo to the passenger, he was taken to the Detention Center for a fingerprint verification. There it was determined that he was Robert M. Bice Jr., 38 of Mechanicsville and there was an open warrant for his arrest through the Charles County Circuit Court. In addition to the warrant, Bice was charged with giving false statements to a peace officer and using fraud to identification to avoid prosecution. Bice was incarcerated at the Calvert County Detention Center.FIRST DEGREE ASSAULT, HANDGUN VIOLATIONS: On 3/3/17 at 4:04 pm, Trooper First Class Davis was dispatched to attempt to locate a older Ford truck with VA registration of MX866. The vehicle was located in the 200 block of Dares Wharf Rd. in Prince Frederick. The owner, Michael E. Curry Jr., 23 of Prince Frederick was located for questioning regarding an incident earlier on Rt. 4 where it was reported that he had pointed a gun at another driver following an incident at Walmart. Curry was arrested and incarcerated at the Calvert County Detention Center.Eddie Stewart 59 02/27/17 @ 08:18 pm Upr. Marlboro, MD TPR. P. KaitzCaitlyn A. Earl 26 03/01/17 @ 08:01 am Huntingtown, MD CPL. C. EsnesTimothy G. Mackall 30 03/04/17 @ 02:00 am Lusby, MD CPL. B. WiesemannLorin M. Somers 33 03/04/17 @ 11:03 am Ches. Bch, MD TFC S. MatthewsJoseph D. Melo 35 03/05/17 @ 01:01 am Hollywood, MD CPL. B. Wiesemann
The Mayor of St. Petersburg, along with community leaders and faith organizations, is standing up against hate crime with the event Love Lives Here, being held in the Florida Holocaust Museum.

The gathering comes following a dramatic spike in hate crimes, including bomb threats at Jewish community centers, racist and anti-LGBT graffiti, violence targeting ethnic and religious minorities and just last week a fire at the Islamic Society of New Tampa that was ruled arson, reads the press release.

Love Lives Here: No Place For Hate is focused on countering a culture of fear and hate by prioritizing love. The event will be headed by a press conference and will feature a community dialogue from a panel of faith and community leaders.

This evening is not about politics, its about people. People across the political spectrum can agree that threats, attacks and abuse are not the sign of a healthy society, reads the events Facebook page. This evening is not about identifying bullies for counterattack but standing together than Love Lives Here in our community, that it is No Place for Hate.

The panel of speakers will include the mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman, Elizabeth Gelman from the Florida Holocaust Museum, Jeff Johnson of Love Not Fear, Equality Floridas Nadine Smith, Emerge USAs Imam Azhar Subedar and Joran Slane Oppelt from the Tampa Bay Interfaith Alliance.

We want to stand in solidarity with those who are being targeted by hate and make a statement that love is more powerful, the Facebook page reads. We want to learn from each other how to help those in fears way stay safe. And we want to counter the fears we harbor within ourselves by meeting people who walk different walks than our own.

The event is being held at The Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 5th St S in St. Petersburg at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9th.

The event is open to the public. To RSVP, visit EQFL.org/LoveLivesHere or the events Facebook page.
Black hole Clemson University

When the universe was young, a supermassive black hole  bloated to the bursting point with stupendous power  heaved out a jet of particle-infused energy that raced through the vastness of space at nearly the speed of light.



Billions of years later, a trio of Clemson University scientists, led by College of Science astrophysicist Marco Ajello, has identified this black hole and four others similar to it that range in age from 1.4 billion to 1.9 billion years old. These objects emit copious gamma rays, light of the highest energy, that are billions of times more energetic than light that is visible to the human eye.

The previously known earliest gamma-ray blazars  a type of galaxy whose intense emission is powered by extremely powerful relativistic jets launched by monstrous black holes  were more than 2 billion years old. Currently, the universe is estimated to be approximately 14 billion years old.

The discovery of these supermassive black holes, which launch jets that emit more energy in one second than our sun will produce in its entire lifetime, was the culmination of a yearlong research project, said Ajello, who has spent much of his career studying the evolution of distant galaxies. Our next step is to increase our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the formation, development and activities of these amazing objects, which are the most powerful accelerators in the universe. We cant even come close to replicating such massive outputs of energy in our laboratories. The complexities were attempting to unravel seem almost as mysterious as the black holes themselves.

Ajello conducted his research in conjunction with Clemson post-doc Vaidehi Paliya and Ph.D candidate Lea Marcotulli. The trio worked closely with the Fermi-Large Area Telescope collaboration, which is an international team of scientists that includes Roopesh Ojha, an astronomer at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and Dario Gasparrini of the Italian Space Agency. Their scientific paper titled Gamma-Ray Blazars Within the First 2 Billion Years was published Monday in a journal called Astrophysical Journal Letters. (Ackermann, M., et al. 2017, ApJL, 837, L5.)

The Clemson teams breakthroughs were made possible by recently juiced-up software on NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope. The refurbished software significantly boosted the orbiting telescopes sensitivity to a level that made these latest discoveries possible.

People are calling it the cheapest refurbishment in history, Ajello said. Normally, for the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA had to send someone up to space to physically make these kinds of improvements. But in this case, they were able to do it remotely from an Earth-bound location. And of equal importance, the improvements were retroactive, which meant that the previous six years of data were also entirely reprocessed. This helped provide us with the information we needed to complete the first step of our research and also to strive onward in the learning process.

Using Fermi data, Ajello and Paliya began with a catalog of 1.4 million quasars, which are galaxies that harbor at their centers active supermassive black holes. Over the course of a year, they narrowed their search to 1,100 objects. Of these, five were finally determined to be newly discovered gamma-ray blazars that were the farthest away  and youngest  ever identified.

After using our filters and other devices, we were left with about 1,100 sources. And then we did the diagnostics for all of these and were able to narrow them down to 25 to 30 sources, Paliya said. But we still had to confirm that what we had detected was scientifically authentic. So we performed a number of other simulations and were able to derive properties such as black hole mass and jet power. Ultimately, we confirmed that these five sources were guaranteed to be gamma-ray blazars, with the farthest one being about 1.4 billion years old from the beginning of time.

Marcotulli, who joined Ajellos group as a Ph.D student in 2016, has been studying the blazars mechanisms by using images and data delivered from another orbiting NASA telescope, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). At first, Marcotullis role was to understand the emission mechanism of gamma-ray blazars closer to us. Now she is turning her attention toward the most distant objects in a quest to understand what makes them so powerful.

Were trying to understand the full spectrum of the energy distribution of these objects by using physical models, Marcotulli said. We are currently able to model whats happening far more accurately than previously devised, and eventually well be able to better understand what processes are occurring in the jets and which particles are radiating all the energy that we see. Are they electrons? Or protons? How are they interacting with surrounding photons? All these parameters are not fully understood right now. But every day we are deepening our understanding.

All galaxies have black holes at their centers  some actively feeding on the matter surrounding them, others lying relatively dormant. Our own galaxy has at its center a super-sized black hole that is currently dormant. Ajello said that only one of every 10 black holes in todays universe are active. But when the universe was much younger, it was closer to a 50-50 ratio.

The supermassive black holes at the center of the five newly discovered blazar galaxies are among the largest types of black holes ever observed, on the order of hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of our own sun. And their accompanying accretion disks  rotating swirls of matter that orbit the black holes  emit more than two trillion times the energy output of our sun.

One of the most surprising elements of Ajellos research is how quickly  by cosmic measures  these supersized black holes must have grown in only 1.4 billion years. In terms of our current knowledge of how black holes grow, 1.4 billion years is barely enough time for a black hole to reach the mass of the ones discovered by Ajellos team.

How did these incomprehensibly enormous and energy-laden black holes form so quickly? Ajello said. Is it because one black hole ate a lot all the time for a very long time? Or maybe because it bumped into other black holes and merged into one? To be honest, we have no observations supporting either argument. There are mechanisms at work that we have yet to unravel. Puzzles that we have yet to solve. When we do eventually solve them, we will learn amazing things about how the universe was born, how it grew into what it has become, and what the distant future might hold as the universe continues to progress toward old age.
Orange Countys Hopper & Burr has fled the nest of its pop-up space at the former Little Sparrow in Santa Ana, California. Coffee guru and Barista-featured Truman Severson opened a space for the cafe on December 10, just a few blocks away in the hip enclave of Santa Anas Artists Village.

Hopper & Burr, which Severson launched after years spent at Portola Coffee Lab, opened inside Little Sparrow in February 2015 with the intention of finding a permanent place later. A quaint hub for OC coffee enthusiasts, the space had limited weekday hours of operation in cooperation with the eatery.

Its new permanent space, a former jewelry store-turned-cafe, stands proudly on a corner of Fourth Street, as a sort of clean white palace of coffee and neighborhood interactions. The way its situated, just the right amount of natural light pours in without oversaturating guests, while massive glass walls on either side create the illusion of a much bigger, wide-open space.

Severson and his team have taken additional measures to be similarly open and welcoming with customers. Inspired by Bostons Drink, a menu-less cocktail bar, Severson embraced that landmarks philosophy of communicating with people over beverages rather than about them. At Drink, everything is made using ingredients and glasses that are under the counter, rather than above, and Severson does the same at Hopper & Burr.

Rather than trying to have a bunch of flashy equipment out or doing pour-overs or anything like that, rather than having interactions with people about coffee, were trying to have interactions with people over coffee, Severson affirms.

Hopper & Burrs bar layout is designed towards simplicity and a feeling of openness. Nobody lugs gallons of milk onto the counter. No one has to tiptoe to peer over stacked cups on their espresso machine to talk to you while steaming. Everything but the espresso machine is underneath the counterpitchers, cups, and brewing equipment. All milks are served on tap from three-gallon kegsand lightly nitrogenatedkeeping it cold, fresh, and long-lasting. Every counter in the cafe is of uniform height, too. Theres no high bar or low bareverything from counter space for guests to the pastry case is at the same level.

The coffee program is also designed for simplicity. As mentioned earlier, there are no pour-overs or manual brewing equipment, but rather a meticulously controlled FETCO. The shops La Marzocco Linea PB is volumetric, meaning there are no external scales or shot timers to clutter up the machine. As a result, baristas are more free to interact with customers over coffee.

Our joke is that we do all of the work that only people can do, like making sure the coffee tastes good and is appropriately extracted and all of the sensory stuff, but then we export the rest of the work to the robots, Severson says. If youre going to make a pour-over while having a conversation with someone, either the coffee is going to suffer and the customer service will be maintained or the human being is going to get ignored so that the coffee can be good.

I can assure you the coffee Hopper & Burr serves is damn good. The multi-roaster currently works with Michigans Madcap Coffee and Colorados Color Coffee Roasters, the latter supplying an Ethiopia for H&Bs drip. The coffee gets served in thick, white, handle-less cups on tasteful white oak trays. Robots may be doing the brewing, but the baristas are doing the tasting and making sure the coffee stays dialed in.

To say Severson is pleased with recent developments would be an understatement.

Its kind of like going from living with roommates to moving into your dream home, he says excitedly. Its really cool to have ideas for years and years, things that [my coworker] Andrew and I have talked about that were just like, Oh that would be cool if that happened one dayand now theyre real.

Katrina Yentch is a Sprudge contributor based in Los Angeles. Read more Katrina Yentch on Sprudge.
In a profile piece, Standardbred Canada President & CEO Dan Gall has been praised for his moves since joining SC in July of 2016.

OBrien Award winning racing writer Dave Briggs has penned a piece which states that Galls efforts to create better synergy between SC and the USTA, help unify Ontarios yearling sales, push for rules uniformity, and rely on the use of key performance indicators shows that he is helping push the national industry in a positive direction.

One of Galls great first steps has been to consult many and be highly visible, Briggs has written in Harness Racing Update. Even more importantly, in a little more than six months on the job, he has been central in a couple of small, but key moves that show that hes more about helping the industry as a whole move forward rather than advancing Standardbred Canadas position in it.

To read Briggs HRU story, click here.

(With files from HRU)
Well-drilling Campaign Taps into Millennial Christian Concerns to Further World Evangelism Efforts

Reach Beyond's Fill My Cup initiative pairs healthcare help with news of the gospel's 'life-giving water'



Contact: Darin Campbell,

512-785-8350;

Press kit available



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 7, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- A new project aims to tap into millennial Christians' strong social conscience and release a new wave of support for efforts to bring lasting spiritual change to needy parts of the world.



Photo: As a part of Reach Beyond's holistic approach to ministry, many wells have been strategically placed near radio stations so villagers can hear the gospel when they come to get water. Not only are communities being transformed physically, many have been transformed spiritually.



Missionary organization Reach Beyond is launching Fill My Cup to raise money to drill a clean water well in a part of Africa where people have been resistant to the gospel, anticipating that the better health project will open doors to share the gospel.



The organization believes that by its demonstrating how practical projects like providing clean water can become a bridge for evangelismsharing the good news of the "living water" of which Jesus spokemore young Christians will be inspired to rally behind similar efforts.



"We admire how so many millennial Christians have a high concern about issues of social justice," said Reach Beyond President Steve Harling. "But they also tend to be less invested in sharing the gospel. We want to help them learn more about how the two can go togethera practical demonstration of God's care naturally leading to opportunities to share the gospel."



Through its longtime media- and medical-based ministry, Reach Beyond is well aware how much a lack of clean water negatively affects thousands of communities in the developing world, from poor health to the loss of educational opportunities for young people, especially girls. They are often forced to miss school to instead walk long distances to hand-carry home water for cooking and washing.



Over the past few years, the organization has worked with partners to provide more than 20 wells in four countries in Africa as well as Central Asia, Haiti and Nepal. "We have been able to use the opportunity of providing life-giving physical water to share about God's great gift of eternal living water," said Harling.



The 60-day Fill My Cup campaign focuses on millennials and aims to raise at least $12,000 to fund a well-drilling project in a predominantly Muslim area historically resistant to the gospel. Targeting social media platforms favored by younger people, the campaign launches March 1 to incorporate two important dates on the calendarWorld Water Day (March 22) and World Health Day (April 7).



Donors will receive a thank-you gift for their support: a handmade African keychain, a T-shirt bearing the message "Nsupa ye de," which means "Good water is tasty" in the Akan language, or an exclusive signed African-themed print from Reach Beyond staff member and artist Brian Mellema.



"We believe that many young Christians will want to be part of this kind of two-handed presentation of the gospel, when they see how providing practical, physical help in God's name can become a vehicle for sharing the wonderful message of the gospel," said Harling. "By bringing people clean water, we can also introduce them to the source of living water."



For more information, go to www.reachbeyond.org/fillmycup.



Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org) is a media and medical-based evangelical outreach ministry with operations on five continents. It spreads the gospel of Jesus through modern media including radio broadcasts, webcasts, social media and solar-powered radio distribution. It also provides medical services to the needy throughout its network. Today, Reach Beyond, with an annual budget of approximately $19 million and has more than 1,000 staff members in 30 countries.



For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Darin Campbell, InChrist Communications  dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com, (512) 785-8350.



Press kit available at www.inchristcommunications.com/fillmycup
After a 10 year hiatus in the U.S., Puffy AmiYumi is back in the states for a 3 city tour that includes Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, TX. In addition, the duo will make an appearance at New Englands largest anime convention, Anime Boston 2017. Puffy AmiYumi became household names in the states with their popular Cartoon Network show, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show along with a national GAP campaign.

Puffy AmiYumi are one of the most famous music icons in Japan, where they are a household name synonymous with all things pop and fun. Featuring dual vocalists Ami and Yumi, the group has reached enormous success with their pop/rock songs, but are also loved for their effortlessly cool and nonchalant fashion styles. Debuted in 1996, the duo are still in high demand after 20 colorful years, glittered with dozens of commercial endorsements, sold-out tours, and a total of 20 million CDs sold to date.

Tickets are now on sale with a limited number of VIP tickets which includes:

Early entrance into the venue

VIP laminate

Meet & Greet with photo op.

Here's a list of concert dates:

DATE: April 4(Tues) OPEN 7pm / START 8pm

VENUE: The Belasco Theatre (Los Angeles)

Purchase tickets from: Ticketmaster

DATE: April 6(Thurs) OPEN 7pm / START 8pm

VENUE: The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco)

Purchase tickets from: AXS

DATE: April 9(Sun) OPEN 7pm / START 8pm

VENUE: Trees (Dallas)

Tickets from: Ticketfly



Anime Boston - Boston

DATE: Fri March 31- April 2

Guest Info

Official: http://puffyamiyumi.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/PuffyAmiYumi/

VEVO: http://www.vevo.com/artist/puffy
My crystal ball CB said that the war in Ukraine will end by March 2023. Why? - Ukraine does not want to continue fighting, as most of thei...
Kelso school enrollment will increase nearly 8 percent over the next five years due to an increased flow of young families moving into the district, according to a new study presented to the district Monday.

The prediction is significant because the countys population has been aging for years.

The findings suggest that enrollment growth may especially squeeze Huntington Middle School. But, for the most part, the district should be able to handle the growth, the study concludes.

California-based consultant Davis Demographics did the study for the district and its facilities advisory committee, which is trying to plan for the districts future building needs.

Davis predicted annual increases across all grade levels for the next five years, reaching 5,300 students by 2021. Thats up 378 students, or about 7.7 percent, from enrollment last fall.

The growth will be due to what the consultant called enrollment mobility  new families moving into the area. The growth is not necessarily from new development  theres only one new housing development, a group of about 25 homes, scheduled for construction in the district in the next five years.

Rather, its housing turnover  families expected to move into the district by either buying or renting homes already here.

Parents are choosing to move into the Kelso School District, specifically to enroll their children in your schools, said demographer David Kaitz at a Monday work session.

Middle schools will have the largest increase in enrollment over the next five years: about 13 percent increase, or about 150 students, the study forecasts.

High school enrollment will increase 11.5 percent increase (180 students) and elementary enrollment will increase by about 40 students.

Kaitz told the facilities committee and school board in a Monday presentation that he didnt see any development that had been approved that would affect enrollment trends in the next five years.

Much of the larger class sizes are due to more students entering the district at all grades through housing resales, the report states.

Kaitz said its hard to pinpoint where the new students are coming from, but its likely many are moving here from California.

I hate to say it, but theres a lot of people coming up here, Kaitz said. Theyre saying, Hey its a great place to raise kids and I can own a home for half the price.

The demographic results also came along with some recommendations for the facilities planners.

According to the analysis, the district may need to consider adding classrooms or limiting out-of-district students at the middle school level  especially at Huntington.

Most of Kelsos seven elementaries are expected to be able to handle the growth. Most of it is expected to be at Butler Acres and Catlin.

Board President Bob Lucas expressed concern that five years didnt project far enough in the future to make facilities decisions for 10-15 years. Kaitz said that a five-year projection is as far as he feels comfortable predicting enrollment with certainty.

If I just did a 15 year forecast, the numbers would probably just keep going up, and thats just not realistic, Kaitz said.

Kelso schools Business and Operations Manager Scott Westlund agreed: An early 2000s enrollment study that projected more than a decade out estimated that Kelso would have nearly 6,500 students by now. Thats more than 1,500 more than the district now has.

District capacity numbers were not available along with enrollment data. Results of a capacity, physical condition and functionality analysis of Kelsos school buildings will be available at the March 21 committee/board meeting in the Kelso district office.
tech2 News Staff

Baidu CEO Robin Li wants help from China to become like Elon Musk. Over fears of China getting left behind in the technological race, Li wants subsidies and regulations from the government to encourage the development of autonomous cars and private spaceflight capabilities, according to a report in Bloomberg. Baidu is competing with Uber and Waymo to commercialise self-driving vehicles.

China is the biggest car market in the world, and has set a goal to achieve 10 to 20 percent autonomous vehicles on its roads by the year 2025. Robin Li has indicated that while emerging economies around the world have regulations suitable for development of new technologies, China does not really have measures in place that encourage research in self driving cars.

Baidu has a self-driving car division in Silicon Valley, in partnership with Nvidia. The company hopes to introduce autonomous cars in China by 2018, ahead of mass production plans in 2021.

Future Mobility, backed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, wants to introduce autonomous vehicles in China by 2020. Future Mobility hopes to introduce completely self driving cars.

LeEco wants to introduce cars that are essentially free, with revenue generated from in car content and other services. The LeSEE car prototype was unveiled by LeEco last year at a press event in San Francisco, and made an inauspicious entry as the car did not drive down to the stage by itself, as intended. LeEco has invested in another electric car startup, Faraday Future.
tech2 News Staff

LineageOS, the custom ROM alternative that replaced the forcibly killed, yet popular, CyanogenMod (CM) is growing steadily. The collective has rebranded its name to Lineage along with a new logo and replaced all the instances to distance itself from CM and Cyanogen. Even though, the collective no longer has the strong financial backing as it did form its commercial arm, still it has successfully managed to band together the infrastructure in terms of servers and gerrit account to help development back on track.

Device managers have progressively shifted from CM to LineageOS codebase, gradually adding their ROMs to the official list of supported devices. However, this does not mean that the group is not adding newer devices to the fold. Recently, the group added official support to a number of new devices with the latest addition being Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 8 tablet and others.

Official LineageOS ROMs are now available for Exynos-based Galaxy S7, model number SM-G930F and codename herolte, S7 Edge, model number SM-G935F, codename hero2lte, Galaxy Tab S2 9.7-inch Wi-Fi, codename gts210wifi and Tab S2 9.2-inch LTE, codename gts210ltexx. These devices have made the jump from CM13 to Android Nougat 7.1.1 based Lineage OS 14.1. Other tablets including the GSM codename n5100, Wi-Fi codename n5110 and LTE codename n5120 variants of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet also have been updated to LineageOS 14.1.

The group has also added LineageOS 13 support to LeEco Le Pro 3 codename zl1 and LeMax2 codename x2. Last but not the least, LG devices, the AT&T version codename d850, Korean version codename f400 and the Verizon version codename vs985 are the latest devices from LG to gain LineageOS 14.1 support.
hidden

Microsoft has doubled its bug bounty for a limited period to up to $30,000 for individuals across the globe who do serious vulnerability submissions for specific online services provided by the tech giant. The qualified submissions are eligible for a minimum payment of $500 up to a maximum of $15,000, Microsoft said in a post late on Monday.

Now from March 1 to May 1, any eligible vulnerability submitted for Microsoft Office 365 Portal and Microsoft Exchange Online would be eligible for double rewards. "Hence, any qualified vulnerability found in the domains below will receive up to $30,000 if it's submitted between March 1 and May 1," the company said. Bounties will be paid out at Microsoft's discretion based on the impact of the vulnerability.

The bounties would be paid for services like, Cross Site Scripting (XSS), Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Unauthorised cross-tenant data tampering or access (for multi-tenant services), among others. The specific domains include, portal.office.com, outlook.office365.com, outlook.office.com, *.outlook.com and outlook.com.' This comes right after the launch of Skype Lite by Microsoft for the areas with low internet speeds or areas with limited broadband access. The company issued a new update to add support for Kannada language on the app.

With inputs from IANS
Aditya Madanapalle

In September 2016, Elon Musk unveiled ambitious plans for colonising Mars. Speaking at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico. The presentation included massive reusable colonial ships that would line up in Earth orbit and leave for Mars at every launch window, similar to a subway station. There were plans to go to Enceladus and Europa as well. During the course of his presentation, a slowly rotating graphic of Mars turned from the Red planet to a terraformed blue-green one, similar to how the Earth appears when seen from space.

Plans unveiled by Nasa scientists at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop touched upon the spectacular plans for exploration of the Solar System in the next 30 years. Nasa scientists hope to explore moons in the solar system, ice giants, Kuiper belt objects, asteroids, and exoplanets through a combination of probes and telescopes. There are planned missions to the Moon, and the first pioneers from Earth will voyage to Mars. The entire fascinating presentation can be viewed right here:

To make conditions suitable for humans on the red Planet, Nasa scientists want to give Mars an atmosphere again, with the help of an artificial magnetosphere. The reason why Mars is a desert is that solar wind strips away the atmosphere. The Maven probe by Nasa confirmed that the thin Atmosphere in Mars is being eroded by the solar wind interaction in the exosphere. Mars lost its magnetosphere three billion or more years ago, and as a result it has lost most of its atmosphere and surface oceans.

Nasa wants to create a magnetic dipole using inflatable structures at the sun facing Martian Lagrange-1 (L1) point. Objects at the L1 point are in the same relative position to the Mars and the Sun, so the magnetic dipole will always be between the Sun and Mars. Instead of a magnetosphere surrounding Mars, the magnetosphere at L1 will protect Mars from the ravages of the solar wind by enveloping the entire planet in the "magnetotail". New emerging research is making creating artificial magnetosphere for protecting humans and spacecraft possible, which has lead Nasa scientists to believe that this "fanciful" plan is in fact, technically feasible.

Increasing the average surface temperatures on Mars by about four degrees Celsius will release the frozen carbon dioxide in the polar regions. This will further increase the temperature of the planet, introducing global warming on Mars, and begin the process of melting the water trapped in an ice cap at the Martian north pole. About one seventh of the ancient Martian oceans are trapped in the northern ice cap, and the liquid water will flood the surface, returning Mars to the Earth like environment it once was.

A Martian atmosphere that supports surface water has major implications for the future of human spaceflight, beyond 2040. The initial pioneers can sustain more equipment landed on the surface, there can be open air greenhouses for growing crops, and the enhanced atmosphere would increase the capacity for oxygen extraction. Human explorers can study the planet in much greater detail, which can potentially accelerate the process of colonising Mars.
Sheldon Pinto

Samsung Mobile India on 6 March launched its new line up of A Series smartphones. The new smartphones pack in new additions in terms of features that trickle down from Samsung's premium smartphone range. These would include two hardware features in particular, an Always on Display and an IP 68 dust and water resistance rating.

While the budget segment in India seems overcrowded with Chinese smartphones, it's the mid-range segment that the Chinese are now after. With that said, Samsung had long established itself as the king of all segments, but with more and more Chinese smartphones entering the Indian market, we have begun to witness a shift in consumer preferences once again. Consumers at times get better hardware and features in the budget segment from a Xiaomi smartphone than they can from a mid-range HTC device. Which is why Samsung seems to have reached into its kitty and pulled out an Always on Display and an IP 68 rating. But will these stand up against the competition? Let's find out.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 OnePlus 3T Xiaomi Mi 5 Vivo V5 Plus Samsung C9 pro Starting price (In Rupees) Rs 33,490 Rs 34,999 Rs 22,999 Rs 26,849 Rs 36,900 Display Size 5.7-inch 5.5-inch 5.2-inch 5.5-inch 6.0-inch Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels 1080 x 1920 pixels 1080 x 1920 pixels 1080 x 1920 pixels 1080 x 1920 pixels Pixel Density (PPI) 386 ppi 401 ppi 416 ppi 401 ppi 367 ppi Display Type Super AMOLED Super AMOLED LCD IPS Super AMOLED Dimensions 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.4 mm 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3 mm 152.6 x 74 x 7.3 mm 162.9 x 80.7 x 6.9 mm Weight 186g 158 g 129 g 158 g 189 g Sensors Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyro, Compass, barometer Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyro, Compass, barometer Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor Processor Samsung Exynos 7880 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 RAM 3GB 6GB 3GB 4GB 6GB OS version out of the box Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 7.0 Nougat MIUI 7.0 Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow On-Board Memory 32GB 128GB 16/32GB 64GB 64GB Memory card Support Yes No No Yes, up to 256GB Battery 3600mAh 3400mAh 3000mAh 3055mAh 4000mAh GPS A-GPS and GLONAAS A-GPS and GLONAAS A-GPS and GLONAAS A-GPS and GLONAAS A-GPS and GLONAAS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth v4.2 v4.2 v4.2 v4.0 v4.2 NFC Yes Yes No Yes USB Connectivity Type-C Type-C Type-C microUSB Type-C Infrared No No No No Fingerprint scanner Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Primary Camera 16MP 16MP 26MP 16MP 16MP Secondary Camera 16MP 16MP 8MP 20MP 16MP

OnePlus 3T: Rs 34,999

Indeed there is no other smartphone brand that comes to mind when comparing mid-range and premium smartphones. This is because OnePlus has priced its new and updated OnePlus 3T at Rs 34,999 (6GB RAM, 128GB storage). Those looking for raw power and good camera performance can easily overlook the Samsung A7, and buy a OnePlus 3T instead.

Vivo V5 Plus: Rs 26,849

Again from across the fence comes another fine contender in the form of the Vivo V5 Plus, that not just performs better but also gets you the best selfies possible. I reviewed the Vivo V5 and it made for a great camera smartphone that also delivered great battery life and all of this at a price tag lower than Samsung's Galaxy A7. If selfies is all you want to click, look no further than the V5 Plus. But since the A7 features a IP 68 certification, you may want to have a look because those underwater selfies will definitely get you more likes on Facebook.

Xiaomi Mi 5: Rs 22,999

Xiaomi's Mi 5 may be old, but it still is a great combination of power, size and price. Its camera may not be the best but it still packs in decent performance compared to the flagships out there. Then there's the decent size that's not too big and not too small at 5.15 inches either. All-in-all a great all-rounder that's priced way lower than what Samsung's A7 and the A5 offer, but with a lot more horsepower.

Samsung C9 Pro: Rs 36,900

When you are in the business of making one too many smartphones across segments you end up with multiple listings in articles like these that will make your product portfolio look rather confusing. Yes, there's also the more worthy C9 Pro that packs in everything under the sun, better hardware and oddly comes from the same manufacturer that's pitching you something far worse. The C9 Pro is a much better deal compared to the A7 and is priced just Rs 4,000 higher. Its got the bigger display, better build quality, a bigger battery, the same camera that will make you wonder why Samsung introduced the A7 to begin with. But its does not have the A7's Always on Display and IP 68 which kind of turns the tables the other way around.

Conclusion

Going through the specifications table, it's easy to say that Samsung's 2017 Galaxy A7 falls seriously short in terms of raw processing power (at least on paper). But once again Samsung has done something really smart here, it has looked across the board and figured out that not a single manufacturer out there in this price bracket offers an IP 68 rating nor an Always on Display. And if this is exactly the combination that you happen to be looking for, then go ahead and pick the A7. We will still be thoroughly reviewing the device soon. But before that do glance through our first impressions of the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A5 and A7.
tech2 News Staff

Samsung has officially launched its mobile payments platform, Samsung Pay, in India. There were reports of the company planning to bring the service early this year and it seems that Samsung has been committed to it.

Samsung had opened early access registrations on the Samsung Pay website and it seems that users are now getting access to the service. Since it is still at an early stage, it is available with limited banks including Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI, and Standard Chartered including credit and debit cards of the mentioned banks. Samsung will be adding support for more banks including Citibank and American Express in the coming weeks and is also offering payments via Paytm wallet.

Samsung Pay in India supports Magnetic Secure Transmission where a user can send a magnetic signal from his/her compatible smartphone to payment terminal card reader. There is support for NFC as well, but there are hardly any places in India that offer NFC payment solutions.

According to Samsung, the list of devices that will support Samsung Pay include Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016), and Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016). The newly launched Galaxy A5 (2017) and the Galaxy A7 (2017) will also be supported.

With this launch, Samsung has managed to become the first company to bring such a mobile based payments system to India beating the likes of Apple Pay and Android Pay.
tech2 News Staff

At a media conference held in China, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun hinted that artificial intelligence (AI) will soon become mainstream and will be a standard inclusion in consumer products in the future.

The conference with Lei Jun was first reported by MyDrivers which reveals the company's push for artificial intelligence. Jun explained how the future of technology companies is AI. The CEO explained that a number of major breakthroughs have been made and thanks to this, Xiaomi has in store a product line up for the near future that is based on artificial intelligence.

Also confirmed at the conference, was the company's AI laboratory. Jun revealed that Xiaomi has a proper laboratory set up for exploration in AI and development of AI-based products.

For now the CEO did not share any detail about what these AI-based products will be.

With Samsung soon to announce its own Bixby, and HTC already having its Sense Companion, it is high time that we saw something coming from Xiaomi, that already has a vast range of IoT enabled devices and consumer appliances out in various markets. All that's left is to give it a name, a voice and connect all the dots.

Clearly, the first signs of AI being incorporated into Xiaomi products should start from its extensive smartphone range.
The Belt and Road Initiative has made the landlocked Ningxia Hui autonomous region the frontier for opening-up and taking the lead in economic cooperation with Arab and other majority-Muslim countries, the region's top official said.

"Businesses from Arab countries have shown increasing interest in seeking cooperation opportunities with us after the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative," Li Jianhua, Party chief of Ningxia, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

The initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to revive the ancient Silk Road with a focus on trade and infrastructure.

"Although Ningxia has no land or seaports, the initiative has put us on the main stage of opening-up," Li said. The region will become a strategic transit point on the economic belt, he said.

Ningxia is the home of more than 20 percent of China's Hui people, the majority of whom are Muslim. The regional government believes that a resulting mutual understanding in religion and culture has given the region advantages in working with Arab and other Muslim countries in the sectors of halal food and energy.

The region has deepened cooperation with those countries and others covered by the Belt and Road Initiative with the central government's backing. In May 2016, Ningxia built an industrial park in Oman that has attracted 14 investment projects. Chinese companies will soon occupy space in the industrial park it built in Saudi Arabia. Ningxia also plans to build an industrial park in Mauritania. Those facilities will serve as platforms, providing services for Chinese companies.

Ningxia also will step up the process of setting up support centers in the region to better help Chinese and Arab companies in technology exchanges and solving disputes, Li said.

To improve connectivity, Ningxia has started the construction of three high-speed railways and launched 11 international air routes.

"The popularity of the flight between the regional capital of Yinchuan and Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, has gone beyond our expectations," he said. Dubai-based Emirates airline launched its first direct flight between the two cities in May 2016.

Ningxia this year will host the third China-Arab States Expo, a trade and cultural event meant to deepen cooperation with Arab countries.

Li promised to provide better services and reduce barriers for companies to settle in Ningxia and its overseas industrial parks.
Growers expect good yield of potato in Rangpur

Potato plants have grown well in all the districts under Rangpur Agriculture Zone, making the growers hopeful of attaining a good yield of the crop during the current season.

Farmers of five districts under the zone cultivated potato on around 50,160 hectares of land this season against the DAE's target of 49,921 hectares official sources of DAE said. The districts are Rangpur, Nilphamari,Kurigram,Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat.

During a recent visit to several areas in the region this correspondent found the farmers busy nurturing the transplanted potato fields. The plants are getting almost matured at different areas of the region.

Mofa Mia (45), a farmer of Shabajpur village in Rangpur Sadar Upazila in Rangpur said he has cultivated potato on two acres of land this year and is optimistic of achieving an excellent yield of the crop, if the weather remains favorable.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) S. M Asraf Ali said cultivation of potato, a popular crop is increasing in the region due to its huge demand both at home and abroad.

Adequate initiatives have been taken to ensure the supply of quality seeds, fertilizers and other agri-inputs to the farmers in order to enhance its production, sources added.
BAU students stages demo for water

BAU Correspondent :

The students of a male residential dormitory of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh staged demonstration on the campus due to lack of water supply in their dormitory on Monday.

On Sunday at around 5:00pm the students of Isha Khan Hall gathered in front of Students affairs' adviser office and uttered slogans demanding continuous water supply in their dormitory. The demonstrating students said thatthey have been facing water crisis for 2 months and absence of water supply since last 3 days.

Provost Prof DrMdZakirHossen said, "The water crisis is due to problem in the water pump. However I informed the matter to engineer section of the university but have not got any solution".

Proctor Prof AKM Zakir Hossain said that the university administration have talked with the engineers of the Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Bogra with a view to solve the problem. He also hoped that the water crisis will come to an end very soon.




\'Amra Muktijoddhar Santan\' formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday in protest against harassment of freedom fighters in the name of scrutiny.
Hridi, Tanjika, Nadia Mim under Naznin Chumki`s direction

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

Besides acting, Naznin Hasan Chumki also gives time to direction and story writing. She lastly made a serial titled Nagordola. By this serial she has started her career as a director in the small screen. For the upcoming satellite channel, Bangla TV Chumki is making another serial titled Tilottoma-Z. She has also written its story. Hridi Haque, Tanjika Amin and Nadia Mim acted in three lead roles in this serial.

Hridi played the role of Dil Afroze of Special Branch of Bangladesh Police, Tanjika Amin acted in role of Priya Gomez, a broadcast journalist and Nadia Mim acted in role of Ashalata Purna, a documentary filmmaker in the serial. Shooting of the serial has already began in different spots in the citys Uttara area recently.

While sharing her feelings to make this serial Chumki told this correspondent, I have made this serial on the basis of metro life. Revolving with a case Dil Afroze, Priya Gomez and Ashalata Purna met with each other for the first time. Story of the serial goes no later. Besides them, Arfan, Shahadat Hossain, Rawnak Hassan, Tasnuva Elvin, among others, are also acting in other roles in the serial. Everybody is acting tremendously well by own ways. As I am also playwright of this serial so I have to judge myself from different aspects while making the serial.

Nadia Mim and Hridi Haque for the first time working under Naznin Chumki's direction. Hridi said, Earlier under my direction she acted in many plays. In fact, this time I have to be engaged with theatre and organising activities so many times that I cannot give proper time to acting. I have better working understanding with Chumki. Its expression and affection are to acting in this serial. As acting in my blood so I am enjoying working in the serial.

Nadia Mim said, In a word, script of the serial is nice. So I am showing my keen interest to work in this serial. Therefore, Chumki Apu takes care of me a lot. For this reason, I am working with her unit joyfully. When an actress gives direction she can give her level best effort to improvise actors best works to overcome any barrier. As a director, Chumki Apu has proved herself.

Director Chumki informed that she will make the serial in 13 episodes right this moment.


Chamber President to attend Jakarta Confce





President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mahbubul Alam has left for Jakarta , Indonesia yesterday aimed at attending the first ever IORA summit conference and 20th annual celebration of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) at Jakarta today.He is visiting the Jakarta as a member of the Prime Minister's entourage team.

Chamber President will attend inaugural session of the conference at Jakarta convention centre today alongwith Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Besides, Chamber President will exchange views with the Indonesian counterparts on mutual and bilateral trade promotions. He will return home tomorrow (Wednesday), a CCCI sources said.


Loan irregularities at Islami Bank must stop

NEWS about loan irregularities from Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd (IBBL) just after one month of the reconstitution of the bank's Board of Directors with the government-blessed nominees is not suggestive anyway of good management practice. The change over from earlier management the bank has already become entangled in innumerable irregularities that include undue transfer, fire, new recruitment, awarding new loan and mismatching the capital strength -- a concern already haunting the private banking sector.



Perilously the newly formed Board has approved loans to clients without obeying proper rules, regulations and procedure. Even in some instances, the Board has not paid heed to objections raised by the Bangladesh Bank (BB) observer at the bank. The change over that was apparently implemented in questionable circumstances has now allowed vested interest quarter the opportunity to take loans against objectionable projects or getting approval of loans and transferring money to third bank which may make money untraced at the end.



A well managed bank seems to be heading towards mismatch and if the central bank does not come forward to strictly enforce good lending practice, it may eventually become one more banks laundered by dishonest people like BASIC Bank now on surviving with government recapitalization or Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Agricultural Bank and such others which have lost much of their capital through laundering by powerful people only to move out the money abroad. The fact is that none but the IBBL management can save the bank but the question is will it?



As per central bank's disclosure the bank's Board approved loans worth Tk 16.75 crore to two clients -- JN Flour Mills and its associated organization. The approval came at a meeting on February 16 and the loan was disbursed from the bank's Bahaddarhat branch in Chittagong while the mills of the client is located at Laksam in Comilla. Moreover, the loan was transferred through Khatunganj branch of Al-Arafah Islami Bank. Insiders say such mismatch was unthinkable since its inception in 1982. It is unclear under what circumstances the client has agreed to transfer the loan from one bank to another and whether the acquisition of loan was lawful. Many fear that the money may be diverted to unspecified projects at the end.



In another incident, the IBBL Board has approved loan for HBC Bricks, a client of its Companyganj branch in Comilla without verifying the credit worthiness of the client. The client has no environmental clearance but the Board approved the loan despite objection from central bank's observer at the bank. The Khatunganj branch of Islami Bank also acquired all non-funded liabilities of another trading house from the branch of Exim Bank. The Board gave nod to another loan proposal of Tk 132.60 crore to another industry - a new client at the branch without proven credibility. The loan proposal even did not include information about the client's banking activities. We must say playing with depositors money in banks is a crime and it must be stopped before too late.
Int`l Women`s Day today

BSS, Dhaka :

International Women's Day will be observed today across the country as elsewhere in the world with a call to take action for accelerating gender parity in every sphere of society.

The Ministry for Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh has chalked out elaborate programmes on the occasion to create mass awareness to ensure dignified life for womenfolk through establishing their rights.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages on the eve of the day urged all to work together for ensuring women empowerment, their equal rights and opportunities.

Besides the ministry, different political, socio-cultural organizations, human rights bodies have taken various programmes including rally, seminar, discussion and cultural function in the capital and elsewhere in the country. State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki is expected to attend a discussion meeting as the chief guest at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) at 10am today.

The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March in 1975. Since then many countries around the world celebrate the International Women's Day amid holding different programmes as a campaign for establishing the rights of women. According to UN

Women website, the 2017 theme for International Women's Day is "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030. The United Nations observance on 8 March will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals.

It will equally focus on new commitments under UN Women's Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women's empowerment and women's human rights.

This is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back to past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and all other private televisions will air special programme while newspapers will publish special supplements highlighting the significance on the day. The Women and Children Affairs Ministry sources said a special programme of lighting candles at the Central Shaheed Minar will be arranged at 12.01 am today on the occasion. State Minister for Women and Child Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki will be present as the chief guest.

As part of the programme, Department of Women Affairs under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Multi-Sector Programme on Violence Against Women jointly organized the human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club on February 5 on the occasion. Speaking at the human chain, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroj Chumki said Bangladesh has become a model for women empowerment.

"The country has achieved a significant progress in the field of women empowerment as they are advancing equally like their male counterparts," she added. Chumki said, "We have to change patriarchal mindset towards women from all spheres of society. Womenfolk should be given equal opportunity to ensure their dignified life." Referring to different milestone programmes taken by the government for empowerment of women, she urged private sector to extend their cooperation to ensure involvement of women in the development process of the country.


Prison van `attacker` put on remand

A court on Tuesday placed Mostafa Kamal, the suspected attacker on a prison van carrying HuJi chief Mufti Hannan and some of his associates.

UNB, Gazipur :

A court here on Tuesday placed Mostafa Kamal, the suspected attacker on a prison van carrying Huji chief Mufti Hannan and some of his associates, on a five day remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Judge of Gazipur Judicial Magistrate Court-4 Mahbuba Akther passed

the order after police produced Mostafa, 22, hailing from Pagli village in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh, before the court seeking a 10-day remand, said court inspector Robiul Islam. Talking to reporters, officer-in-charge of Tongi Police Station Firoz Talukder said Mostafa, who had been involvement in the militant activities, went missing from his madrashah in Narsingdi a month ago. Police on Monday night filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against Mostafa and 4-5 others. Two crude bombs were hurled at the prison van carrying Mufti Hannan on Monday afternoon while Mufti Hannan and his aides were being taken to Kashimpur jail from a Dhaka court.
2 children killed in Yemen drone strike

Reuters :

Two Yemeni boys were killed in a drone strike while walking on a road in central Yemen used by al Qaeda militants who have been subject to repeated strikes by U.S. forces in recent days, residents said on Tuesday.

They named the boys as Ahmed and Mohammed al-Khobze, two brothers both under 15, and said they were killed on Monday on a road used by militants in Yakla, an area in al-Bayda province where al Qaeda is known to operate. The area was

the scene of a U.S. commando raid in January against al Qaeda in which one serviceman and about 30 Yemenis, including women and children, were killed.

Three suspected al Qaeda militants were killed on Monday in a separate strike in Qifa in the same province, local sources said.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States has repeatedly attacked Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni arm of the militant group, in a series of strikes since last week from aircraft and unmanned drones. It has killed several suspected militants in what U.S officials says is a campaign to degrade the group's ability to coordinate militant attacks abroad.


Steps needed to boost women`s representation in Parliament: IPU

UNB, Dhaka :

More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women's representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

IPU's "Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review" released ahead of the International Women's Day that falls on March 8 called for renewed momentum to ensure women's voices everywhere, including in decision-making processes. As of 1 January 2017, women hold 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, a 3.3-point increase over the figure from January 2015.As in previous years, the report hammers home the point that women's political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.

The worldwide average of women in national parliaments increased from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 23.3 per cent by the end of 2016. Ten years ago, women held 16.8 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world - a 6.5 percentage point gain over the last decade. However, the rate of progress has stabilized in recent years, underlining the need for relentless efforts in order to achieve gender balance in politics, according to the review report obtained by UNB from Geneva. As of December 2016, women accounted for at least 30 per cent of the seats in 68 chambers (25% of chambers) and

less than 10 per cent in 44 chambers (16%). Still today, there are no women at all in five chambers. "We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become even more challenging," says IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

The IPU Secretary General said parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world's most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women's full and equal participation at all levels by 2030. The slight increase in the number of women MPs contrasts with the higher rate of progress for women Speakers of Parliament, which has reached an all-time high, with 53 women heading a parliamentary chamber (out of the 273 posts globally), the report showed.

Women hold now 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, an almost three-per-cent point increase since 2015. The highest gains made by women in parliament in 2016 were in the Pacific, a region not traditionally known for gender-inclusive political leadership.

The regional average of women in parliament increased to 17.4 per cent in 2016 from 15.8 per cent in 2015.

Last year was no exception and elections in Asia were held without any dramatic changes. Women's representation in parliament increased by 0.5 per cent, from 18.8 per cent in 2015 to 19.3 per cent in 2016.

The Americas remain the region with the highest regional average for women in parliament after recording a 0.9 point increase in 2016, up to 28.1 per cent of parliamentary seats. It showed that quotas allow countries to maintain a relatively stable representation of women in parliament. Where quotas were not in place, substantial setbacks were recorded. The year 2016 showed once again that quotas, as they stand today, are clearly effective in delivering greater numbers of women in politics and ensuring a minimum level of women's representation in parliament.

However, they do not always extend beyond the so-called "critical mass" of 30 or 35 per cent of women's seats in parliament, and remain difficult to adopt (last year the only new quota law to be passed was in Liberia) for various reasons. The IPU report also highlights the misogynistic and sexist sentiments that permeate public and private spheres when women claim their space in politics, revealing the extent to which women still struggle every day to be considered legitimate political actors. Efforts must be redoubled to address those factors that deter women from entering politics.
Trump signs revised travel ban in a bid to overcome legal challenges

Reuters, Washington :

President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from traveling to the United States but removing Iraq from the list, after his controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts.

The new order, which takes effect on March 16, keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning some 60,000 people whose visas were revoked under the previous order will now be permitted to enter.

Immigration advocates said the new ban still discriminated against Muslims and failed to address some of their concerns with the previous order. Legal experts said it would, however, be harder to challenge because it affects fewer people living in the United States and allows more exemptions to protect them.

Trump, who first proposed a temporary travel ban on Muslims during his presidential campaign last year, had said his original Jan. 27 executive order was a national security measure meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants. It sparked chaos and protests at airports, where visa holders were detained and later deported back to their home countries. It also drew criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America's leading corporations before a U.S. judge suspended it on Feb. 3.

"As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters after Trump signed the new order.

Democrats, a minority in Congress, quickly signaled fierce opposition to what they called a discriminatory ban.

"The Trump administration's repackaging has done nothing to change the immoral, unconstitutional and dangerous goals of their Muslim and refugee ban," House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. She told reporters on a conference call: "It's crystal clear this is a Muslim ban."

But some Republicans who had been critical of Trump's original order were more positive on the new one.

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was "very encouraged" by the approach and pleased that Iraq was removed from the list.

Iraq was taken off the banned list because the Iraqi government has imposed new vetting procedures, such as heightened visa screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the United States in countering Islamic State militants, a senior White House official said.

Trump's original ban resulted in more than two dozen lawsuits in U.S. courts. The Justice Department estimated 60,000 people had their visas revoked by the first order but senior administration officials said on Monday those visas were now valid again for entry into the United States.

"By rescinding his earlier executive order, President Trump makes one thing perfectly clear: his original travel ban was indefensible - legally, constitutionally and morally," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington state, which succeeded in having the previous ban suspended.

His office will likely decide this week on whether to proceed with litigation over the new order, he said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he expected the revised order to have the same uphill battle in the courts as the original version. "A watered down ban is still a ban," he said in a statement. "Despite the administration's changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed." The fact the ban affects fewer people already in the United States means it will be more difficult for opponents to find plaintiffs who have been harmed by the order and thus have legal standing to challenge it, legal experts said.

The revised order expressly makes waivers possible for a foreign national seeking to enter the United States to visit a spouse, child or parent who is a U.S. citizen, or for "significant business or professional obligations."

"They dotted their i's and crossed their t's in trying to anticipate what litigation might result," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor.

The revised order means that tens of thousands of legal permanent U.S. residents - or green card holders - from the listed countries will no longer be affected.

The original order barred travelers from the seven nations from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days. Refugees from Syria were to be banned indefinitely but under the new order they are not given separate treatment. Refugees "in transit" and already approved would be able to travel to the United States under the new order. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who along with several other senior Cabinet members had lobbied for Iraq's removal from the list of banned countries, was consulted on the new order and the updated version "does reflect his inputs," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. Thousands of Iraqis have fought alongside U.S. troops for years or worked as translators since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Many have resettled in the United States after being threatened for working with U.S. troops.


Attacks on cops in Comilla, 2 held

Criminals hurled a bomb targeting police during a raid on Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Khadghar area of Chandina upazila on Tuesday morning, prompting the law enforcers to fire, which left a miscreant bullet injured.

Staff Reporter :

A police check post came under attack on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Chandina upazila of Comilla district on Tuesday, a day after an attempted bomb attack to snatch away militants in Gazipur and another attack on some police officials in Dinajpur.

The law enforcers also arrested two suspect members of the Jamatul Mijahidin Bangladesh (JMB) in this connection.

Injured Hasan, 22, and Jashim, 20, who received bullet injuries in his body. Both the accused were admitted to Comilla Medical College and Hospital immediately, said Shah Mohammad Abid Hossain, Superintendent of Police (SP).

The attackers also hurled a crude bomb at law enforcers and tried to flee during a routine check by a passenger bus around 12:00pm, the SP said.

They also recovered several unexploded bombs from the spot, he said.

In Dinajpur, at least five persons, including Additional Police Superintendent Mahfuz Zaman Ashraf, sustained injuries during a raid to nab gamblers in Nababganj area of Dinajpur district on Monday night.

All but Ashraf were released after primary treatmentfrom Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital. The attackers hacked his head with a sharp weapon, doctors said.

Ashraf led a team of district detective branch (DB) to arrest gamblers at south Boalmari village under Binodpur Union of Nababganj Monday night, said Birampur Circle ASP Hafizur Rahman.

A chase and counter-chase took place between the police and the criminals at that time. Later the gamblers attacked the law enforcers together with the villagers around 10:30pm, leaving five of them injured.

On Monday, suspected militants hurled several bombs into a convoy of four prison vans in the Tongi College Gate area in Gazipur. The vans were transporting several militants, including Mufti Hannan, from a Dhaka court to Kashimpur High Security Jail.

"We had information that militants had communicated with prisoners inside jails for making a plan to snatch away Hannan," said Deputy Commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the DMP Mohibul Islam.

Mizanur Rahman, Senior Jail Super of Kashimpur High Security Jail, said four prison vans carried prisoners, including Mufti Hannan and some other militants, in a Dhaka court for hearing.
HC summons WASA MD, DSCC CEO

Staff Reporter :

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday summoned the Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka WASA and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to explain their position regarding the death of a person after falling into an unprotected box culvert in the city on Monday.

They will have to appear in the High Court on March 19.

The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why they should not be held responsible for the death of the person falling into the unprotected box culvert.

In the rule, the court also asked them to show cause as to why they keeping of the box culvert unprotected should not be treated as their negligence and, as such, why a criminal case should not be filed against them?

The court also asked the respondents to show cause as to why they should not be directed to compensate the victim's family.

The Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Secretary, DMP commissioner, Dhaka WASA MD, CEO of DSCC and Chief Engineer of Drainage and Sewerage of Paltan area and the OC of Paltan Police Station have been made respondents to the rule.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Mohammad Ullah passed the order and issued the rule as Suo Moto after a report was published in a Bangla daily yesterday.

The report said that a middle-aged man died after he had fallen into an uncovered box culvert in the capital's Paltan area on Monday evening.

His identity could not be known immediately, said Paltan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam.

Fire service divers rescued him unconscious around 7:20pm and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead.

Dhaka South City Corporation Acting Executive Engineer Kazi Borhan Uddin said it was a manhole of a box culvert of Dhaka WASA which was being cleaned.
Miscreants shoot father-son in city

Staff Reporter :

Some unidentified miscreants shot a man and his son in the city's Motijheel area on Tuesday evening.

The victims were identified as Shamsul Haque, 58, an Accountant of Planning Ministry, and Ashraful Haque, 28, a Section Officer of Accounts Section of Religious Ministry, and residents of Bashabo in Sabujbag area in the capital.

They were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) instantly, Police said.

Mainul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Motijheel Police Station, said, "At least five unidentified miscreants shot the victims by intercepting the rickshaw of them near the Pirjangi Mazar area around 6:00pm."

Shamsul Haque received three bullets in his right hand and left legs while Ashraful Haque three bullets in his stomach, the Police official said.

The incident might have link to the prior enmity, not to snatching, the OC said.

The filing of a case is under process, he said and we are investigating the incident.
Attack on Saudi King in KL foiled

Financial Times :

Malaysia's police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Tuesday that the seven men arrested in February, who are suspected of links to militant groups including Islamic State, had plotted to attack the Saudi royal in Kuala Lumpur.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition against Yemen's Houthi rebellion.

Police said in an earlier statement that two of the detained men, a Malaysian and an Indonesian, were plotting a large-scale car or truck bomb attack before travelling to join IS in Syria.

King Salman's visit was the start of a month-long Asian tour taking in Indonesia, China, Japan and the Maldives. On the second day of the king's visit, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company announced plans to invest $7bn in a Malaysian refining project.
No compromise over tannery relocation, says Minister

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu on Tuesday said there will be no compromise over relocation of Hazaribagh tanneries to Savar tannery estate.

"We've not compromised over tannery relocation and will not do as well. We'll shift tanneries at any cost," he said while joining the discussion on thanksgiving motion on the President's speech in Parliament.

The minister said the government is going to take an initiative to generate electricity from solid wastage of Savar tanneries.

Turning to medicine export, he said Bangladesh exports drugs to 123 countries across the world. Bangladesh is now constructing a pharmaceuticals park in Munshiganj, he added.

Noting that implementation of a project taken to produce main raw materials of medicines is near to be completed, Amu said when the project is completed, it will not require import of main raw materials of medicines.

Taking part in the discussion, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said Grameen Bank or Brac Bank could not reduce poverty in the country. "If so, why there was Monga (seasonal and localized famine) in the north Bengal?

"It is Bangabandhu's daughter who reduced poverty in the country. It is not micro-credit rather micro-savings introduced by Sheikh Hasina that can reduce poverty," he said. Tofail lambasted the USA for talking about trade union rights in Bangladesh. "Though there is no trade union facility in the USA, it wants trade union in our country," he added.

Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud said the next parliamentary elections will have to be held in line with the Constitution.

"If election schedule is announced once, it should not be changed. There is Constitutional provision saying that whichever government will be in power, the election will be held under them. We have to say it unequivocally so that no confusion will remain over the election-time government," he said.

The Jatiya Party leader said it is unacceptable that anyone thinks that the election will not be held without them. "It is violation of the Constitution," he added.


Migrant workers bound to pay extra money to agencies

Reza Mahmud :

Recruiting agencies are collecting extra money from migrant workers during going abroad due to government's alleged lack of surveillance, sources said.

"I have paid Tk 6 lakh for being recruited a shop worker in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). But my recruiting agency told me not to say anything about the extra money they have taken. If I disclose this, then it will be harmful for me in getting job in the KSA," said Ariful Hasan from Dinajpur district but did not mention the name of the agency.

According to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, the fixed charge of workers recruitment in Saudi Arabia is Tk 165,000.

Rezaul Haque, another man from Faridpur district, said that he had also paid Tk 6 lakh to the recruiting agency for going to Saudi Arabia. "I left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia about three months back but the agency is yet to provide me a job here in the Kingdom."

It is to be noted that the fixed charge for manpower recruitment in Malaysia is Tk 75,000. Of the total charge, the workers have to pay Tk 37,000 for air fare, recruiting agents charge and medical costs. The other charges will be paid by the employers of Malaysia.

Although the government warned the manpower recruiting agencies not to collect extra money, no one followed the government directions.

Most of the recruiting agencies are involved in collecting huge amount of extra money from the migrant workers when they recruit manpower for Saudi Arabia and Malaysian companies, it was alleged.

Sadikul Alam from Magura said a recruiting agency has taken more than Tk 2 lakh from him for give him a job in Malaysian company.

When contacted, Begum Shamsunnahar, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, refrained from saying anything about the matter.

"I am busy now. I shall tell you later about the matter," she said yesterday.

Bangladesh International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Secretary General Md.Ruhul Amin Swapan said, "It is true that dishonest owners of some recruiting agencies are collecting extra money. We are trying to identify and punished them."

He, however, said as there is a very few demand for recruitment abroad, it pushed the workers in contest to give extra money to the agencies for recruitments.

"Though most of the countries like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar and some other middle-eastern states had halted manpower recruiting from Bangladesh for long, some of them have already started taking workers from here. It has created huge competitions among the workers who want to go abroad," the BAIRA secretary general said.

The affected families want appropriate surveillance from the government to get them rid of their sufferings.
Defence pact with India to make BD a tributary state

Expressing anxiety, the leaders of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] have said that the country would lose independence and sovereignty, if the government takes any 'defence policy' in line with Indian military strategy.

The Bangladesh government, neither the Foreign Ministry nor the Defence Ministry, has made any clear statement over the issue till the date.

Meanwhile, senior joint secretary general of BNP Ruhul Kabir Khan Rizvi said on Tuesday: "As an independent country, Bangladesh has its own armed forces comprising the army, navy and air force. Despite of it, if Bangladesh hands over its security matters to India, the country will become a Tributary State."

"There will be no independence, if Bangladesh adopts Indian prescribed defence policy. In such way, Sikkim has now become a part of India. Besides, Bhutan though is not an Indian part; it has already become a Tributary State of India," the BNP leader also said.

The sharp reaction of BNP leader came at a time when Indian media has been reporting about possible signing of a "defence pact" between Dhaka and Delhi during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's planned visit in the first quarter of next month.

The Indian media recently reported: "With the Teesta water-sharing pact off the radar for signing, India and Bangladesh are in discussion to ink a comprehensive defence pact during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April."

Though the discussions on the contours are still going on, what India is eying is a comprehensive defence pact that encompasses training, sale of military hardware and military to military cooperation. India is also willing to commit up to 500 million USD in line of credit for military cooperation with Dhaka.

If comes through, this would be India's highest ever credit line for defence cooperation. For years, India was not keen on giving line of credit for defence hardware purchases, but that policy is changing slowly but steadily.

For India what lends urgency to wrap up a comprehensive pact is Dhaka's growing proximity with China on defence matters. Hasina is slated to visit both Delhi and Ajmer. Sources said the "discussions for a defence pact is progressing and yet to reach a final shape.

In November last year, Bangladesh purchased two submarines from China, much to the discomfiture of India. And China remains Bangladesh's biggest supplier of military hardware. During the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka last year two countries signed pacts amounting to US$ 25 billion in investments in Bangladesh, The Hindustan Times said.

Against this backdrop, BNP standing committee member Dr Moyeen Khan expressed severe discontent over the issue and demanded clear answer from the government.

"Hope, the government will answer to this question to the 16 crore people of the country. We know, there are friends at three sides of our border. Then why a defence deal with the friends? Why this kind of defence pact with India? Is India forcing us to sign the pact?" Dr Moyeen said posing a question.

Earlier on November 30 last year, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar made a two-day visit to Bangladesh to deepen military relations between the two countries. Diplomatic sources said that Parrikar's Dhaka visit had focused India's growing efforts-backed by Washington-to bring Bangladesh into its orbit, undercutting China's influence as geo-political tensions sharpen especially in Asia region.

Notably, Parrikar was the first Indian Defence Minister who visited Bangladesh after independence. It was learnt that Parrikar had discussed with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about finalisation of "a new defence cooperation framework".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has finally agreed to visit India in April but her government is reportedly reluctant to sign an agreement on defence for which India is pushing, the diplomatic sources said.

Rather, Dhaka is showing interest to sign a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] that would have no time-frame despite Delhi's pressure for a comprehensive 25-year agreement on defence cooperation.

It is mentionable that the 'India-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace' was a 25-year treaty that was signed on March 19, 1972 forging close bilateral relations between India and the newly established state of Bangladesh.

It was also known as the Indira-Mujib Treaty, as the signatories of the treaty were then then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi and the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
October 31, 2022 17:51

World wheat prices up

At the opening of trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, world wheat prices jumped by almost 5 percent, trading data show. The trigger for the rise in prices was the fact that Russia announced it was suspending the grain deal, news.am informs.
"The discovery of the StoneDrill wiper in Europe is a significant sign that the group is expanding its destructive attacks outside the Middle East," Kaspersky researchers say in a blog post. "The target for the attack appears to be a large corporation with a wide area of activity in the petrochemical sector, with no apparent connection or interest in Saudi Arabia."

Here's How StoneDrill Malware Works:

New Evasion Techniques

Backdoor Ability

Ransomware Component

A new disk wiping malware has been uncovered targeting a petroleum company in Europe, which is quite similar to the mysterious disk wiper malware Shamoon that wiped data from 35,000 computers at Saudi Arabia's national oil company in 2012.Disk wiping malware has the ability to cripple any organization by permanently wiping out data from all hard drive and external storage on a targeted machine, causing great financial and reputational damage.Security researchers from Moscow-based antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab discovered the new wiperwhile researching last November's re-emergence of Shamoon malware (Shamoon 2.0) attacks  two attacks occurred in November and one in late January.Shamoon 2.0 is the more advanced version of Shamoon malware that reportedly hit 15 government agencies and organizations across the world, wipes data and takes control of the computer's boot record, preventing the computers from being turned back on.Meanwhile, Kaspersky researchers found that the newly discovered StoneDrill wiper malware was built in a similar "style" to Shamoon 2.0, but did not share the exact same code base.Researchers also noticed that the samples of Shamoon 2.0 and StoneDrill were also uploaded multiple times to online multi-scanner antivirus engines from Saudi Arabia last November.StoneDrill has been designed to as a service and target all systems connected within an organization to a Windows domain. In order to spread itself, the malware relies on a list of hard coded, previously stolen usernames and passwords belonging to administrators of the targeted domain.Once infected, StoneDrill automatically generates a custom wiper malware module without connecting to any command-and-control server, rendering the infected machines completely inoperable.StoneDrill wiper malware also includes the following characteristics:StoneDrill features an impressive ability to evade detection and avoid sandbox execution. Unlike Shamoon, StoneDrill doesn't make use of disk drivers during installation.Instead, StoneDrill relies on memory injection of the data wiping module into the victim's preferred browser.StoneDrill also makes use of Visual Basic Scripts to run self-delete scripts, while Shamoon did not use any external scripts.Like Shamoon, StoneDrill also includes backdoor functions that are used for espionage operations, with screenshot and upload capabilities.Kaspersky researchers identified at least four command-and-control (C&C) servers that the attackers used to spy on and steal data from an unknown number of targets.Furthermore, StoneDrill uses command and control communications to interact with the malware instead of using a "kill time" as in the Shamoon attacks analyzed in January 2017 that do not implement any C&C communication.Besides wiping functionality, the new malware also includes a ransomware component.However, this feature is currently inactive but attackers can use leverage this part of the platform in future attacks to hold victims hostage for financial or idealistic gain.Like Shamoon 2.0, StoneDrill was reportedly compiled in October and November 2016.Although StoneDrill mostly targets organizations in Saudi Arabia, Kaspersky researchers discovered the malware victims in Europe as well, meaning that the attackers might be widening their campaign.For more technical details about the StoneDrill and Shamoon 2.0 attacks, you can head on to Kaspersky's official blog
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic and Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Michael Georg Link condemned the sentencing of Azerbaijani blogger and chair of the media NGO Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety Mehman Huseynov and called on authorities to release him, News.am reports, referring to contact.az .

March 7, 2017, 11:59 OSCE urges Azerbaijan to release blogger Mehman Huseynov

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 7, ARTSAKHPRESS: I call on the authorities to release Mehman Huseynov, Mijatovic said. I am hopeful that this decision will be overturned in the appeals process.

Mijatovic reiterated her call that authorities fulfil their longstanding promise to decriminalize defamation in Azerbaijan.

In turn, ODIHR Director Link noted: Any allegations or reports of torture or other ill-treatment should be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities. The courts decision in this case is cause for concern.

It should be noted that on 3 March Huseynov was sentenced by the court in Baku to two years in prison on defamation charges. The case stems from Huseynovs detention by police on 9 January. Following the detention, the blogger claimed he had been subjected to torture. Despite existence of traces of violence on the blogger's body the prosecutor's office refused to bring criminal case upon tortures.
Hence PNG Attitude, the Crocodile Prize, my broad and continuing commitment to PNG literature and my affection and efforts for the people of Papua New Guinea.

But, beyond those beliefs, Im a pragmatist. I believe in doing what it takes to achieve outcomes that are productive and beneficial. (Big caveat - so long as its ethical.)

We say in journalism that opinions are free but facts are sacred. I believe in that too.

I mean, we're all entitled to our opinions. You readers who know me understand I have strong views. You know I give voice to them.

I keep the screws in my foot where they do some good, not in my head where, if they were loose, they'd just cause problems.

There was a period when The National newspaper in PNG wouldnt mention my (or Martyn Namorongs) name because of our views on the logging practices of its owner, Rimbunan Hijau.

This banishment was accompanied by a protracted spam attack against this blog and a complaint to some internet agency that I was a person of low repute who should be banned from communicating. I have no evidence as to who was responsible for this sleaze but, you know, I have my suspicions.

Im staying at The Stanley Hotel in Moresby. Fine place; grand place. Its owned by Rimbunan Hijau and a number of people in this city have blacklisted it. So be it. Their choice.

One of the leading lights of the Crocodile Prize wouldnt come here to meet me the other day. Said it made him feel uncomfortable. Too bad. His choice.

Other people decided they wouldnt turn up for the launch of My Walk to Equality were holding here tonight. Rude, but theyre entitled to their stance. Wouldnt bother inviting them to anything again though. My choice.

What these people have to learn is that, if you want to achieve things in life, you dont sweat the small stuff. You have to learn to tolerate many things you find personally distasteful. You cant afford to bear too many grudges (mine are against people who treat other people badly).

Most times youve got to get above the shit around you, acknowledge there is a big picture, a greater responsibility, and get on with doing things.

Youve got to like and respect people too. That always helps.

Yes, like people while at the same time being practical, realistic and hard-headed.

And, if people you down, drop em until they prove they can do better.

So, if youre in a mental cave, get out of it and take a reasoned look around. Plan. Organise. Act. Dont wait. Dont make excuses. Be strong. Do it now.

And keep your head (and foot) screwed on.
Nearly 13 years later, New Orleans attorney John Houghtaling expresses regrets about not filing a lawsuit alleging false arrest, saying he was unaware of the statute of limitations. Make of the letter what you will.

John W. Houghtaling II

On Friday, March 3, The Independent published a story on the 2004 arrest of Candyce Gagnard Perret, pulling from public documents that show the Third Circuit Court of Appeal candidate identified herself to the arresting officer as an assistant district attorney, a position she has never held.

Candyce Gagnard Perret Photo by Robin May

Her fiance at the time of her arrest, New Orleans attorney John W. Houghtaling II, who was interviewed for the story, sent the paper the following letter just as the story was being posted online. In the letter, which comes nearly 13 years after Gagnard Perret's arrest, he apologizes to her for not filing a lawsuit alleging false arrest, saying he was unaware of the statute of limitations.

Make of the letter what you will.
Lafayette Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard Photo by Robin May

The Lafayette Parish School System spread its tail feathers Monday, hoping to attract suitors, AKA voters, willing to approve a .5 cent, 10-year sales tax on the April 29 ballot to fund facility improvements. Indeed, the school system made a colorful pitch outside the luncheon auditorium at the Cajundome Convention Center for the inaugural State of the LPSS luncheon  through displays of the school systems STEM curricula (with an emphasis on robotics), its visual arts programming as well as performing arts (stellar showings by the Lafayette High jazz band and symphonic strings as well as a gorgeous, pitch-perfect performance of the national anthem by the LHS chorus). The school system even threw in the Pledge of Allegiance in four languages including French, Spanish and Mandarin as lagniappe.

Student artwork was on display at Monday's luncheon. Photo by Robin May

Lafayette schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard was the keynote speaker for the IND Media-sponsored event, touting recent gains in the school systems performance score in making a pitch not just for the sales tax proposition but for a tax-credit program that helps local businesses swap state income taxes for dollar-for-dollar contributions to early childhood education in the parish.

I am single-mindedly and unwaveringly committed to improving the lives of students in the Lafayette Parish School System and in Lafayette Parish in particular, Aguillard told attendees early in the program. I also understand that LPSS is a part of an enterprise much bigger than one person or even this school board, and that we all have to work together to successfully educate and support students, and that can only be done through a team effort.

Aguillard offered an overview of the ambitious, 10-year plan to move the school system ahead by 10 points over a four-year period when he was hired as super in early 2015  a plan that resulted in a robust, 7.1-point jump after just the first full school year of the plans implementation; Lafayette Parish schools climbed from a district performance score of 89.2 to 96.3 to post an 8-spot jump into the Top 20 school districts in the state (and less than four points shy of the 100 threshold for an A rating). Eighty-five percent of public schools in the district improved their scores in the 2015-16 school year over the previous year.

LPSS students were an effective pitch for the proposed sales tax. Photo by Robin May

The single largest price tag is $43 million in improvements at Lafayette High, the parishs oldest high school and most populous school. The LHS project would remove 31 temporary classrooms. LHS is followed by construction of new school buildings to replace Prairie ($34 million) and Carencro Heights ($32 million) elementaries, doing away with a combined 46 temp class buildings on those current campuses. Other schools planned for construction projects to replace temp classrooms are Evangeline, Broadmoor, Alice Boucher, Ridge, Plantation, Woodvale, Duson, L. Leo Judice and Ossun elementary schools. Total price tag is $194.5 million with 248 temporary classrooms replaced.

This represents a pathway to begin addressing the facility needs here in Lafayette Parish, the superintendent said. You will hear people perhaps say it is not enough. Why are we only addressing 60 percent of our temporary buildings? Why arent we asking for more? Why arent we planning to address all of it as quickly as possible?

Heres the reality: This board, this community is being asked to contribute something reasonable that has a chance of getting voters to accept. Its not the end-all. Think of this as a phased approach to addressing facilities.

Aguillard also touted a program, On Track by 5, that offers state tax credits up to $5,000 to local businesses, offering the businesses a dollar-for-dollar deduction in state income taxes in exchange for commensurate donations to Lafayette Parishs Early Childhood Education Program. Too many children enter kindergarten, the super noted, unprepared, and thus begin falling behind their better-prepared peers from the very start of their educational careers. The goal of On Track by 5 is to ensure that children are at grade level in 4th and 8th and that they graduate high school in four years ready for college or the work force.

Aguillard encouraged business people at the event to stop by a table to get more information and an application to participate in the On Track by 5 tax credit program.

Near the end of the program, a video was projected showing a Lafayette Parish elementary school student slogging his way through a downpour to get to a temporary classroom. Aguillard noted that students getting soaked is a regular occurrence; students change into P.E. uniforms while their school uniforms bounce around in a dryer.

Aguillard closed the program with a question: This is an opportunity for the citizens of Lafayette Parish to decide: Are we going to do something about facilities, and if so, is it going to be decided on April 29th?
Shell's Olympus platform in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico is one of three such facilities near its new Kaikias discovery.

Image courtesy Shell

Shell Offshore Inc. and its partner, MOEX North America, have made the final investment commitment to move forward on Phase 1 of the Kaikias deepwater project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Kaikias is located in the prolific Mars-Ursa basin approximately 130 miles from the Louisiana coast and is estimated to contain more than 100 million barrels of oil equivalent recoverable resources.

According to a Feb. 28 press release from Shell, Kaikias break-even price is below $40 per barrel; oil prices are currently hovering in the $50-$55 range.

Located in about 4,575 feet of water and first discovered in mid-2014, Kaikias will produce oil and gas through a subsea tie-back to the nearby Shell-operated Ursa production hub.

Kaikias is an example of a competitive and capital-efficient deep-water project using infrastructure already in place, Andy Brown, upstream director of Royal Dutch Shell, says the release. He went on to say the companies  Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, is the operator with an 80 percent working interest; MOEX NA, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. Ltd., owns the remaining 20 percent  have reduced the total cost of initial estimates by around 50 percent by simplifying the design and using lessons learned from previous subsea developments.

The project will be developed in two phases with Phase 1 expected to start production in 2019. The first phase of development includes three wells, which are designed to produce up to 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak rates.

Globally, Shells deepwater business is a growth priority for the company. In the last quarter of 2016 the company produced around 725,000 boe/d. Shells deepwater production is expected to increase to more than 900,000 boe/d by 2020 from already discovered, established reservoirs. In the Gulf of Mexico, two other Shell-operated projects are currently under construction or undergoing pre-production commissioning: Coulomb Phase 2 and Appomattox.
A federal appeals Monday court backed an earlier ruling clearing the way for the city to remove monuments celebrating its racist past.

A monument to Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard stands at the entrance to City Park in New Orleans. Wikimedia

The city of New Orleans has been given the go-ahead by a federal appeals court panel to move four monuments  three honoring Confederate figures and the fourth a Jim Crow era obelisk celebrating a white supremacist uprising, according to multiple media accounts. The ruling handed down Monday by the three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals marks a significant victory in the citys long-running and contentious process of getting its Confederate past out of prominent places. The city wants to place the monuments to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gens. Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard in a warehouse until it can determine a more context-sensitive location for the statues.

The citys Monumental Task Committee and the Louisiana Landmarks Society filed suit to prevent removal of the monuments shortly after the City Council voted to remove them more than a year ago. That lawsuit is still being litigated; the 5th Circuits ruling backs an earlier ruling by a federal judge who ruled the city could move the monuments before their final fate is decided because the plaintiffs in the case (the monument committee and landmark society) were unlikely to prevail.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu told local media the city would immediately issue a request for proposals from contractors seeking the job. Last year a contractor who won the bid to remove the monuments backed out after receiving death threats.

Read more about it at nola.com.

Lafayette has its own monument to the Confederacy: the statue of Gen. Alfred Mouton at the Lee Avenue/Jefferson Street intersection Downtown. A group of local residents, Move the Mindset, has set as one of its goals moving the general to a more appropriate location. The group was formed after a contentious City-Parish Council meeting at which proponents and opponents of moving the Mouton monument spoke.

Move the Mindset was profiled in The IND's "Influencers of the Year" story last December. (It's the last profile in the story.)

Read more about the issue from a local perspective in The IND's February 2016 cover story, "A Monumental Question."
He was supposed to perform 173 hours of community service for contempt of court. He evidently hasnt lifted a finger to comply, and Judge Jules Edwards wants to know whats up.

Pope exits the Lafayette Parish Courthouse Jan. 19 following a hearing for the felony charges against him. Photo by Wynce Nolley

Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope will be back before District Judge Jules Edwards on March 27 after evidently not lifting a finger to comply with Edwards March 24, 2016, order that Pope perform 173 hours of community service for criminal contempt of court in connection with The INDs public records lawsuit against the lawman.

While the civil action against Pope by this newspaper has concluded, Pope still faces seven felony counts of perjury and malfeasance that grew out of the public records battle following his indictment by a Lafayette Parish grand jury last August; Pope will be in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing in the case, with a May 8 trial date before District Judge David Smith.

In March of last year, Judge Edwards ordered Pope to perform 173 hours of community service after finding him in contempt of court for failing to comply with the Louisiana Public Records Act. That community service was to be in the form of public instructions on the subject of proper compliance with the public records law. As Tuesdays court order (reproduced below) indicates, the marshal has so far failed to submit a plan for performing the community service or proof that hes performed any of it.

Todays order makes reference to sanctions levied against him if he cant show that he has complied with the community service order. Its unclear what those sanctions might be, although one legal expert we spoke to said it might range from revoking his probation, which could result in 23 days in jail, or an additional financial penalty. (In finding Pope in criminal contempt last year, Edwards ordered him jailed for 30 days with all but one week suspended; he served the week on house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor in November.)

Popes original pretrial hearing on the seven felony charges was Jan. 19 at which time Judge Smith agreed to continue it to March 9. As we reported at the time:
103,000 Words and Counting  Book Signings

The story of publishing my story [Editor's note: Krista Richmond is the online engagement manager for United Way of Acadiana and the author of the recently published novel Spotlight. Join us each...
Reviewed by Kenneth Tanaka

-

Great photography can be made in the public eye by those eager for recognition in their own time, but it can also be made quietly in the margins, away from the spotlight, perhaps to be lost in obscurity, perhaps to be discovered later.

from David Campany's introductory essay to Modern Color

-



I first learned of Fred Herzog's work right here at TOP from Mike's June 30, 2008 article "Great Photo Books You Can Buy NewPart III" The subject book was Vancouver Photographs, a book published for a 2007 Vancouver Art Gallery show and one that's become among my most treasured and most viewed books.

Now, somewhat unexpectedly, we have Modern Color, a much broader and richer retrospective of Fred Herzog's work published by Hatje Cantz. It's simply glorious. But Im getting ahead of myself.

Fred Herzog was born in Germany in 1930 but emigrated to Canada as a young man, finding a job as a medical photographer in a Vancouver at the University of British Columbia. (Thirty years later he retired as head of the University's Biomedical Communications Department in 1990.) Like so many others, Herzog pursued street style photography around Vancouver as an amateur pastime after work and on the weekends in the late 1950s. Apparently he liked it because he kept shooting for the next 40+ years.

Longtime Vancouver residents might primarily view Herzogs work as a valuable historical record, as Jeff Wall did, as it captures a slightly scruffy mid-century city that no longer exists.

The rest of us see some remarkable mid-century street-style photography, made all the more remarkable by its early use of color. Herzog did shoot B&W film and some of these images are in the book. But he is more notable for being an early and faithful adopter of Kodachrome slide film on which the majority of the book's images were recorded. While some professional photographers were taking bows for their early color work, Herzog was quietly, anonymously cranking out an average of two weekly rolls of work that rivaled that of most of the contemporary pros.

You can see many of Fred Herzogs images at his gallery's site. Theyre quiet, unforced, uncontrived, often atmospherically emotive, but always carefully descriptive and insightful. In the absence of formal training Fred Herzog clearly had a keen and extremely consistent eye for photographic composition and timing.

Modern Color seems a perfect retrospective collection of Herzogs work in typical Hatje Cantz quality. Its prefaced by three essays, the best of which is, not surprisingly, by David Campany. (Essays are also presented in German at the book's end.) The 330 images are very well reproduced on generous 27"-square pages usually with one image per page. (Unfortunately the designer just couldn't resist ruining a few images with double trucking. But it is only a few.)

I have come to greatly admire Fred Herzogs work for several main reasons. He seemed to instinctively know how to use the early-era Kodachrome color palette to tremendous advantage for his scenes. He "sees" visual and emotional meaning and depth potential in many scenes. He knows how and when to compress space. He mastered natural light use in an age of ASA 10 and 25. His work represents a standard against which I measure my own slightly congruent efforts.

But in the final analysis I suppose I most admire Fred Herzogs work because it was done "in the margins" without boastful pretension. It was done for the love and enjoyment of the work, not entirely unlike Vivian Maiers work. Fortunately, unlike Maier, Fred has received well-deserved recognition within his lifetime and has directed its curation for this wonderful book.

Ken

Ordering links:

 Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom)

 Amazon.de (Germany)

 The Book Depository with free shipping worldwide

 Amazon.com (USA)

 Amazon Canada

 You might find it at bookstores or museums local to you.

2017 by Kenneth Tanaka, all rights reserved

Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Henning Wulff: "I've known Fred Herzog since the '70s. Every once in a while he would invite a group of his friends over and he would show us a couple of trays of Kodachromes he had shot. When scanning and digital printing became viable he was finally 'discovered' and he achieved the acclaim he so richly deserved.

Tom, Fred, and Tuulikki. Photo by Henning Wulff.

"I still go on walks with him around his favourite Vancouver neighbourhoods, and here, during one walk (he's in the centre) we've just met our mutual friends Tom and Tuulikki Abrahamsson. Tom passed away just recently, but I talked with Fred just a week ago. Fred's work was truly groundbreaking. Colour street photography in the '50s was not easy. He shot Kodachrome, starting with ASA 10 and later higher, with /3.5 and /2 lenses in grey, rainy wintertime in Vancouver when the exposure times were often in the 1/2 to 1/8 sec. range. He saw the city with fresh eyes and a determination to persevere with his vision, and his remarkable pictures show he succeeded."

Gordon Brown: "My thanks to Kenneth Tanaka and TOP for the review. I looked at the 27 screens of Herzog photos posted by his gallery. Some of his photos reminded me of Walker Evans's photos."

Ken Tanaka replies: You're not alone. One of the book's essays draws strong visual parallels with Evans's work.

Paul De Zan: "Fred's Vancouver Photographs book is probably the first thing I bought as a result of discovering TOP (and certainly not the last). Simply a killer collection of truly evocative pictures; I've given several copies away. I keep my current copy where visitors can find and explore it...and they do."
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
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.

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CARBONDALE  At last years Carbondale Vision 2020 strategic retreat, City Council members foresaw a downtown Carbondale that was denser, more centralized and more urban. An item on this weeks agenda could mark one step toward that goal.

City leaders will decide whether to rezone several downtown properties in an effort to eventually expand the Town Square and fill in some visual gaps in the citys downtown. But the measure caused a stir at the most recent Planning Commission meeting.

The city is requesting to rezone several properties between East Main and East Walnut Streets from SB, secondary business, to BPR, primary business.

The rezoning  which is being considered for businesses on East Main and East Walnut streets bounded by South Washington and South Marion streets, and would include two vacant lots, Holts Tire and Auto Repair, and MAB Paint  would create a denser downtown area that feels more urban and pedestrian-friendly, the city argues in its application.

BPR district buildings cant have large amounts of parking or open space, and they must be at least two stories tall. Secondary businesses must be set 20 feet back from the street, while primary businesses must be built directly adjacent to the street.

The new ordinance grew out of the aforementioned Vision 2020 retreat and out of the citys Downtown Master Plan, a redevelopment guide implemented in 2015, City Manager Gary Williams said.

Specifically the four corners at Walnut and Washington Street were identified as a key intersection to implement that zoning, Williams said.

At a Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 22, some business owners spoke out against the measure. Mark Holt, owner of Holts Tire, said he intends to retire soon and that he was concerned about how the rezoning would affect the value of his property.

City of Carbondale Development Services Director Chris Wallace said nothing will change for present business owners  those properties will be allowed to operate as nonconforming structures, otherwise known as grandfathered in.

If one of these businesses chose to sell, someone could go in there and continue operating the business the way theyre operating now, Wallace said at the meeting.

But if the new owner of the property chose to redevelop the property, he or she would have to adhere to the new BPR requirements, Wallace said.

The Planning Commission ultimately voted 5-1 against recommending approval of the ordinance.

The City Council will vote on the item at its regular meeting on Tuesday night, which begins at 7 p.m.
CARBONDALE  John E. Schwegman, a longtime conservationist, is the winner of the 2017 Delta Award, presented by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Friends of Morris Library.

The Delta Award, which originated in 1976, is presented annually to an author who is from Southern Illinois or who has written about the region, or to an organization that has contributed to the regions cultural life. Schwegman joins an elite group of more than 100 award recipients that includes Paul Simon, Virginia Marmaduke, Richard Dick Clayton Gregory and Robert Coover.

This years award presentation is set for 5 p.m. on April 19 in the John C. Guyon Auditorium at Morris Library. Schwegman, a native of Metropolis and longtime conservationist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, will speak about his new book, The Natural Heritage of Illinois.

Following the program, there will be a reception in the first-floor rotunda. The event is free and open to the public.

Schwegmans nature anthology includes 93 essays about the lands, waters, plants and animals of Illinois. It reveals the ways in which wind, water, glaciers, earthquakes, fires and people have shaped the states landforms, flora and fauna, natural habitats and waterways. Readers discover how native plants and animals have survived, thrived or died out, either as individual species or by entire ecosystems.

The essays were originally written for the enjoyment of the general public between 1992 and 1996 as they were distributed by IDNR to newspapers in Illinois and the surrounding states. Schwegmans book spotlights formerly significant populations such as biting horseflies so abundant they could kill a horse and passenger pigeon flights dense enough to block out the sun. He tells of the ways animals adapt to climate change and dwindling habitats and the problems caused by invasive exotic species. The essays also examine efforts to save the declining prairie chicken population, reintroduce river otters and return nesting bald eagles and cormorants to the state. The migration of armadillos to Southern Illinois, the pros and cons of feeding birds and many other such topics of interest are included.

As no newspaper ever published all of the columns, few, if any, readers will have seen every one, Schwegman said.

During his lengthy IDNR career, Schwegman served as site superintendent at Mermet Lake Fish and Wildlife Area. After pursuing his masters degree in botany, he established the states Nature Preserves Commission, now known as the Division of Nature Heritage. He later became the state botanist. After retiring, Schwegman served as a commissioner for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, for which he is currently a consultant. He led efforts to found the Natural Areas Association, Americas professional society for nature conservationists, and was its first president.

Schwegman will sign copies of his book during the reception. A portion of the proceeds from books sold at the Delta Awards event will be donated to the Friends of Morris Library.

The Friends of Morris Library, established in 1960, is an organization that promotes and supports Morris Library in countless ways, including improving facilities, purchasing or preserving books and other materials, restoring valuable items from its collections and sponsoring special community events.
PADUCAH  National Weather Service in Paducah is rating a tornado that traveled from Southeast Missouri into Southern Illinois on Feb. 28 an EF-4 in a preliminary report released over the weekend.

The tornado had estimated peak wind speed of 180 miles per hour and a path 50.4 miles long. The tornado killed one person in Perry County, Missouri, and injured 12.

The tornado set down at 7:55 p.m. 4.8 miles west-northwest of Perryville. It lifted at 8:57 p.m. 1.8 miles southwest of Christopher.

The National Weather Service described the path of tornado and its damage as follows in its report:

The tornado quickly became violent reaching EF-4 intensity and leveling five homes, as well as other structures, just west of Interstate 55, about 3.5 miles northwest of Perryville, Missouri. Numerous uninhabited cars from a salvage yard were blown into or over I-55. The lone fatality occurred when an I-55 southbound vehicle was intercepted by the tornado. As the tornado tore east, it caused the area of greatest home and property destruction 3 miles north of Perryville, in the vicinity of U.S. 61 and Moore Drive.

Three homes were leveled on the west side of U.S. 61 with dozens of other homes and structures destroyed. Several of the injuries occurred in this area. In addition to the leveled homes in Perry County (Missouri), at least 100 other homes received moderate to major damage. As the tornado continued east across Perry County (Missouri), it leveled or nearly leveled two additional homes and destroyed numerous other homes and structures.

The tornado reached its greatest width as it approached the Mississippi River where a damage swath 0.6 miles wide was measured. The tornado damage path also exhibited multiple vortex characteristics at this point, yielding three distinct convergent areas within the parent vortex. This was also indicated via ground striations, or disturbance marks to bare ground, just west of the Mississippi River.

The tornado then ripped across the southern tip of Randolph County, Illinois, just south of Rockwood. It then continued its east-northeast path across Jackson County, passing just south of Ava and immediately south of Vergennes. Many thousands of large trees were snapped and uprooted, and dozens of homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed across Jackson and Franklin Counties.

The tornado remained very intense and wide (at least 1/3 mile) nearly leveling a home as it passed between Elkville and Dowell, and into Franklin County with unabating (sic) intensity. A house was leveled 1.75 miles south of Mulkeytown. Very soon thereafter the tornado began to rapidly weaken, before dissipating 1.8 miles southwest of Christopher.

The tornado lasted an astounding 1 hour and 2 minutes and was the longest track tornado in the coverage area of NWS Paducah since another EF-4 tornado back on April 22, 1981.

Southern Illinois also was hit by three other tornadoes Feb. 28 and March 1.

An EF-0 tornado with peak wind speeds of 75 miles per hour traveled 4.1 miles from 8.4 miles west-southwest of Carbondale at 10:25 p.m. to 4.5 miles west of Carbondale at 10:30 p.m., producing mainly tree damage.

An EF-1 tornado with peak wind speeds of 95 miles per hour traveled 7.5 miles through Williamson County, setting down at 10:41 p.m. 2.2 miles southeast of Carterville and lifting at 10:54 p.m. approximately 3.5 miles north of Marion.

A fourth tornado, rated an EF-3 with peak wind speeds of 152 miles per hour, traveled along a path 44.6 miles long. The tornado set down at 9:54 p.m. 4.2 miles northeast of Carmi and lifted at 10:45 p.m. 1.3 miles south-southeast of Oakland City, Indiana.

In White County, the tornado damaged or destroyed 35 homes, mobile homes and farm buildings. It was a quarter mile wide by the time it reached the Wabash River. One home that was severely damaged in this tornado was also damaged by the 1925 Tri-State Tornado.

Two other tornadoes, rated EF-1 and EF-2, did damage in Kentucky.

National Weather Service says information may change in its final report.
In the aftermath of bomb threats Tuesday targeting Jewish community centers near Rochester and Syracuse, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is directing the New York State Police to investigate the incidents.

According to media reports, Jewish community centers in Brighton, a Rochester suburb, and DeWitt received bomb threats Tuesday morning. The Anti-Defamation League's headquarters in Manhattan was also targeted, Cuomo's office said.

Cuomo urged the state police to work with federal and local law enforcement agencies to track down those responsible for the threats.

"Jewish community centers across New York serve as a gathering place for children, seniors, friends and neighbors  and any threat to them is an attack on all of us," Cuomo said in a statement.

There have been more than 100 bomb threats targeting Jewish community centers across the country. The JCC in DeWitt has now received three threatening calls over the last three months.

This is the second bomb threat targeting the Anti-Defamation League in New York. The organization received a bomb threat in late February.

Other Jewish community centers across the country reported receiving threats Tuesday.

This is the latest wave of bomb threats targeting Jewish organizations. The threats began in January.

A man was arrested last week for making threats to a small number of Jewish community centers, but it's believed that he's a copycat who made the calls in an attempt to frame his ex-girlfriend.
For years, manufacturers and other companies have shipped jobs from upstate New York to other countries where there are cheaper business and labor costs.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants to put a stop to that practice.

Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced legislation Tuesday, the End Outsourcing Act, that seeks to discourage companies from outsourcing jobs.

The bill's provisions include requiring the federal government to consider whether companies have outsourced jobs as part of the scoring when awarding contracts. It would also end certain benefits, such as tax breaks, for companies that send jobs to other countries.

"The American taxpayer should not have to reward companies for shipping jobs overseas," Gillibrand said on a call with reporters.

Instead of tax benefits for companies that outsource jobs, Gillibrand's bill would reward companies with tax incentives for bringing jobs back to the United States.

Studies have shown that the United States has lost millions of jobs, many of which are manufacturing jobs, to China and other countries. The job losses are attributed to higher business costs in the U.S. and various trade agreements.

President Donald Trump has been a critic of existing trade deals and wants fairer trade accords for the U.S. He's also railed against companies that have shipped jobs to other countries.

During his address to a joint session of Congress in February, he said his administration wants to make it harder for companies to leave the U.S. Like Gillibrand, he mentioned tax reforms as a potential solution. But he wants to reduce business taxes, which he contends would allow companies to compete in a global economy.

"We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers," he said.

While specifics are lacking on how Trump would prevent companies from outsourcing jobs, Gillibrand thinks her legislation could get the president's backing.

"I'm hoping talking about this bill will garner some support from them and actually make progress in the House and Senate as well," she said.
A mechanic employed by a New York state agency is facing felony charges for allegedly using a government-issued credit card to make personal purchases.

The arrest of Daniel Sequin, 41, of Scotia, was announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott.

Sequin is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, tampering with physical evidence, two counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the state inspector general's office with the assistance of the state Office of General Services, Sequin's employer.

Between November 2014 and February 2015, Sequin allegedly used his state-issued credit card to buy $2,561 worth of car parts and tires for himself, a fellow state Office of General Services employee and a co-worker's wife.

Auditors from the Office of General Services contacted Sequin on March 10, 2015 notifying him that they planned to conduct an audit of the tries in his work garage at 11 a.m. that day, according to the inspector general's office. Sequin requested that the audit be moved back an hour. Authorities say he then asked another employee to purchase six tires and return them to the garage.

When the audit was completed, Sequin told the employee to return the six tires to the store. He allegedly altered receipts to hide identifying vehicle information so that auditors wouldn't learn that the parts were purchased for non-state vehicles.

Following the audit, the state Office of General Services notified the state inspector general's office, which initiated its investigation.

"This defendant shamelessly used his government position and resources to steal from taxpayers and support an illicit car parts supply line for friends and family," Leahy Scott said in a statement. "I will continue to use my office and the resources at my disposal to vigorously pursue anybody who violates the public trust and steals from taxpayers."

Sequin was arraigned in Albany City Court and released. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, March 13.
COLUMBIA  South Carolina State Veterinarian Dr. Boyd Parr is urging all sectors of the South Carolina poultry industry to intensify biosecurity efforts at their operations after Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was confirmed Saturday in a commercial flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee.

The Tennessee case is the first confirmed case of HPAI in commercial poultry in the United States in 2017, and was confirmed by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service (APHIS).

South Carolina has had no known cases of the disease, but Parr is advising the states poultry producers to stay vigilant. As South Carolina State Veterinarian, Parr is director of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health (LPH).

While this strain of the disease is not considered a threat to public health or the food supply, the disease could be devastating to poultry farms.

The financial stakes to South Carolina are very high. We have both large commercial poultry operations, and small, backyard poultry flocks all over the state, including cities, towns and suburbs, Parr said. This is literally an issue that affects the entire state. If HPAI does arrive, the potential impact is severe, so we stress immediate reporting of any unexplained poultry mortality.

Owners should watch their birds closely and report unexplained illness or death to Clemson University LPH at 803-788-2260, or by visiting clemson.edu/public/reportHPAI.

The South Carolina poultry industry annually brings in more than $12 billion, representing more than a quarter of the total economic impact of the states agribusinesses. There are more than 800 commercial poultry farms with more than 3,350 active poultry houses in South Carolina.

Prevention is the immediate goal, Parr said. Clemson University LPH spreads the word about good biosecurity measures throughout the year, but with HPAI now in the Southeast, it is all the more important.

Parr warns poultry owners to distance their flocks from any contact with wild waterfowl and the ponds that attract them. Hunters should take precautions to keep from tracking the virus back to a domestic flock of chickens or turkeys.

If you have poultry and decide to hunt, never go straight from the hunt to the birds, Parr said. Ideally, you should wait three days after hunting to return to your birds. After visiting another poultry farm, bird show or live bird market, you should shower and change clothing and footwear before working with your birds. Visitors should wear protective clothing and footwear as well.

Parr advises caution when bringing new birds, and possibly a new disease, into flocks. He recommends separating new birds from the home flock for four weeks to see if they show any signs of disease, and buying new birds only from reputable breeders.

Symptoms of HPAI in poultry include coughing, swollen face, mucus discharge from nose and eyes, depression, marked loss of appetite, drop in egg production and sudden death in multiple birds in a very short amount of time.

Poultry producers also should keep pests, such as rodents, raccoons and opossums, away from bird houses and pens, he said. These pests share the same habitats as wild waterfowl and also can spread the disease. Dont let domestic birds free range with wild waterfowl. And certainly dont entice the waterfowl to come into your yard by feeding them.

Its important for owners to know what healthy birds look like and monitor birds for signs and symptoms of disease, Parr said. Keep their water and feeders clean, along with equipment that may come in contact with them. The virus can hitchhike on such things as tires, equipment and supplies.

Clemson University LPH is the lead agency responsible for managing HPAI should it be discovered in South Carolina. Working with USDA and state health, emergency, agriculture and wildlife departments, LPH has developed plans for the prevention, detection and, if necessary, response to the disease. If HPAI is detected in South Carolina, the public is urged to visit http://www.clemson.edu/public/lph/avianinfluenza/.

If the disease is discovered in South Carolina, LPH will conduct immediate testing to confirm the disease and to depopulate and safely dispose of infected flocks if necessary.
Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord -- 1 Corinthians 15:58

A service organization in its 29th year of caring for the needy could use that Bible verse as a testament to its longevity, even amid a period of dwindling donations.

Cooperative Church Ministries of Orangeburg was formed when 12 area churches decided to reach out and help less fortunate people. It opened in 1988.

CCMO is located on the corner of Russell and Maple streets in a 5,000-square-foot building, which formerly housed Holman Grocery Store. It operates from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

It maintains a large stock of clothing and a food pantry. A section of the center is set aside for the storage of furniture, cooking utensils, dishes, bed linen and other household items.

Center staff also assist individuals with the payment of rent, utilities and medical needs as funds are available.

CCMO purchases some of its food at a reduced rate from the Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia, but is also aided by food drives put on by groups such as churches, businesses, civic organizations and schools.

Executive Director Agnes Glover said the center is especially in need of monetary donations and food, but could use clothing items as well. She said a medium-sized box truck is also needed.

What we need really is people who are willing to do mission work and not expect anything from it. We could always use a lot of volunteers, said Glover, who will turn 92 in March.

Volunteers do everything from sorting clothes to interviewing clients to determine their needs.

One long-time volunteer, Katherine Kay Hughes, just turned 102.

CCMOs main financial base is its member churches, which currently number 34. Each church contributes a monthly amount determined by the churchs membership.

Glover said donations from churches and other groups are down, but she remains optimistic.

The God I serve said, 'If you delight yourself in me, I will give you the desires of your heart.' Thats all youve got to do, she said.

The executive director wonders if younger leadership at member churches may be part of the reason for the decline in donations.

Older people were spearheading it and if theyre dead and no longer in charge of it, the young people dont see the need for it, Glover said.

Glover cited a portion of Matthew 25:40, which says whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Thats enough for you to live by. My Bible is not a haphazard Bible, she said.

From its opening through the end of 2013, CCMO provided 180,611 individuals with food; 87,168 with clothing; and 74,892 with other aid.

CCMO serves Orangeburg and Bamberg counties, but has served clients from other areas, too, including Saluda, Sumter and Charleston.

Its always been CCMOs pleasure to serve someone if you come here, according to what it is. Were not obligated to take care of South Carolina. If they come here and they only want clothes, or they only want food, most times  unless we dont have it  we will not let you go out here without anything, Glover said.

She added, But dont come back because were going to put on the outside there that youre not eligible because of where you live. We try to make that quite clear.

Orangeburgs Department of Public Utilities is involved with CCMOs Project Good Neighbor. The projects funds come from donations by DPU customers, who sign up to add $1 or more to their monthly bills. The money is funneled directly to CCMO, which helps financially-strapped individuals and families pay energy costs.

Only individuals living in the DPU service area are eligible and can only be served once a year through Project Good Neighbor.

I tell people, 'Pay your light bill and your rent.' Somebody will give you clothes. The clothes might not be what you want, but you wont be naked, Glover said.

She expects the longtime volunteers will keep the center afloat despite the challenges.

We just do what we have to do. Theres always a dull spot.  I do this because I enjoy doing it. All the people who was here before  came looking for nothing. They said, 'God has been good to me, and Im willing to share. If theres any way I can pay him back, this is how Im going to pay him back,' " Glover said.

But we dont have a lot of people with that attitude.

For more information on CCMO or to donate, call 803-531-4913 or email CCMO@att.net.
Mayors in some western Orangeburg County towns are cautiously considering combining their water and sewer programs into one regional system.

After discussing it with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, several say their systems work well and theyre afraid the cost of a regional system would outweigh the benefits.

Ive been trying to work out the advantages, Livingston Mayor Bobby Gordon said. I dont see that it would be that much of an advantage.

The town already has its own water system and most people have their own septic tanks. In general it all works well, he said.

Gordon said hes concerned about the cost because most of his people live on a fixed income. They pay around $40 to $50 a month for water. If a sewage fee is added to that, their cost will double, he said.

In addition, the cost of putting the system in place is still in the air, Gordon said. He understands that it could cost up to $2 million.

Ive talked with my folks, and theyre not going along with it, Gordon said. My council is not sold on it, and Im not sold on it.

Some mayors questioned if the state could require their towns to combine their systems.

DHEC spokesman Robert Yanity said in an email that the decision to consolidate lies entirely with the towns.

DHEC has no direct regulatory authority regarding this effort, he said. To date, DHECs role has been to coordinate discussions and facilitate collaboration between towns and to explore the potential benefits of a partnership.

Like Gordon, Mayor N.R. Salley Sr. of Salley says he has a lot of questions about the value of consolidation. The Aiken County town was also represented at the DHEC meeting.

Who gets the revenue from it and how is it distributed? Wheres the money coming from to pay for it? Salley said.

Salley says his town has two wells and gets an additional 100,000 gallons of water each month from Silver Springs.

If one (a well) goes bad, all weve got to do is open the valve and get a little more from Silver Springs, Salley said.

Like Gordon, he says hes concerned about an increase in the costs to customers.

Currently, its affordable, he said. The minimum rate is $29.50 a month for up to 1,350 gallons of water. That fee also includes garbage pickup. Customers pay less than one cent per gallon above the 1,350 gallons.

A new centralized system would double the cost for customers, he said.

Weve got so many senior citizens, Salley said. How in the world could they afford the tap-in fee plus more each month?

On the other hand, Mayor Ann Johnson of Norway is enthusiastic about the project and is already looking for a way to fund it.

We need a water line upgrade, she said. Weve got one of the oldest systems in the state.

Shes counting on some $198,000 from Orangeburg Countys 1 percent capital projects sales tax to help meet the expense. Shes also going to the Lower Savannah Council of Governments to look for funding through a Community Development Block grant.

Johnson said she hasnt looked at a projected monthly cost, but she thinks the town will come out ahead even considering the cost of installing the system.

Springfield Mayor Ed Furtick said he didnt attend the meeting with DHEC.

I didnt see it as something I needed to attend, he said. Springfield has two wells and two sewage treatment ponds that are very adequate.

We have a system that automatically puts the chemicals in the water, and we pay a company that comes out every day to check the water, Furtick said.

The Town of North operates its own water and sewer systems.

Mayor Patty Carson said its too early in the ball game to make any decisions about consolidation.

More research needs to be done, she said. Im not going to speculate on anything. Im going to the next meeting.

Carson said she sees no indication that water bills will go up if the consolidation is put in place.

Swansea gets its water from West Columbia and has its sewage treated by the Cayce system. Though the city lies just over the line in Lexington County, it operates the Bull Swamp system and supplies water to parts of western Orangeburg County, utility Manager Rick Bryan said.

Hes not been invited to any discussions about combining water systems, perhaps because Swansea is out of the county, he said.

However, Bryan has been involved in combining water systems in the past, including in Lexington County. He says there are definitely pros and cons to look at when considering moving forward with the process.

He doesnt know anything about the Orangeburg project, but historically rates go up when systems are combined, he said.

For one thing, most small towns have not raised their rates enough over the years to keep up with requirements of DHEC and the Environmental Protection Agency, Bryan said. That means its going to cost a lot to just catch up.

In addition, when the new combined system is formed, its usually run by a board thats not elected by people in the service area, Bryan said.

You can vote for a town council that decides what your rates are, he said. You can definitely make an impact on town council, but youd have less impact on decisions by such a board thats deciding for western Orangeburg.

Then theres the cost of implementing the system. The towns are going to have to come up with the money to put the system in place, either through grants or borrowing, Bryan said.

Towns also have to consider where the revenues from the water/sewage system are going, he said.

Typically, with these small towns, the only revenue they make is from utility bills. They cant give away the golden goose, or they wont have any revenues, he said.

Yanity said that DHEC may provide some financial assistance for technical studies and the development of a plan for a partnership. Specific deals about each towns responsibilities, expenses and revenues would depend on the partnership plan they choose.

Bryan noted that there are definite advantages to combining systems.

For one thing, it will address the shortage of certified operators, he said. One person will be able to take care of a number of towns. In turn, this will also save money, he said.

According to Yanity, consolidation will reduce operating costs and will help raise funds to improve infrastructure.

It will also provide the towns with wider use of trained operators and advanced treatment technologies.

Yanity said its too early in the process to determine if the monthly cost to the public will increase because decisions about the partnership have not been made.

Other towns considering centralization of their water/sewage systems include Woodford and Neeses.
OSLO - Trade frictions between China and the European Union (EU) have their global impact, but Norwegian experts say these frictions could not undermine the relationship between the two sides and overall international trade.

They said more transparency and respect of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and international regulations will boost cooperation and prevent trade protectionism.

Respecting WTO rules

China has expressed doubts about anti-dumping taxes imposed by the EU on steel products and solar panels from China, calling for an end to such unfair measures.

"Although there have been some trade frictions between China and Europe, they should not be over-dimensioned. The EU has implemented new anti-dumping measures on iron and steel, but most of the trade continues without problems," Arne Melchior, senior research fellow at Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), told Xinhua.

"Lower economic growth in Europe leads to more discussion on trade politics, the same way the industry crisis in 1970s led to quota restrictions on textile. Anti-dumping measures are more often used during recession," he said.

Melchior believed that overcapacity in the metal sector and lower prices were what led to "a new discussion on trade politics in the EU, where its northern members have a more liberal attitude."

"Brexit could eventually weaken the liberal wing in the EU's trade discussion," he added.

Melchior emphasized the importance of respecting WTO frames when resolving trade conflicts. "China could make an effort to counter criticism from the EU and the United States that refers to unfair competition by focusing on subsidies, patent rights and competitive conditions," he said.

Paul Midford, professor of political science at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said there have been "real trade frictions" concerning solar panels and steal exports from China to the EU.

"Nonetheless, I don't think these frictions are serious enough to undermine the overall economic and political relationship. Both sides now have a strong incentive to cooperate in promoting an open and liberal international trade order and resist the protectionist sentiments," he said.

The reports about a possible early summit between China and the EU this year reflected the new priority the two sides were putting on cooperation against protectionism, Midford said.

Norway as a bridge

In the wake of normalization of the diplomatic ties between China and Norway, many are positive about the future diplomatic and economic cooperation and possible free-trade agreement between the two countries.

"Norway is an open economy that is dependent on a well-functioning multilateral trading system. Norwegian welfare is built on trade and international division of labor, and we have strong interests in an open world trade with a level playing field," Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Monica Maeland told Xinhua.

"Norway will continue to work for an open world trade and new trade agreements. The Norwegian government is, therefore, looking forward to resuming negotiations on a free-trade agreement between Norway and China. A free-trade agreement will benefit both countries by increasing trade and investment," she said.

Melchior also expressed hope for stronger economic cooperation between Norway and China and believed the Nordic country could play an important role in the world trade system.

"Norway has a positive attitude towards China and has for example supported the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)," he said.

"Norway is not a member of the EU, but participates in the European Economic Area (EEA), and we are, together with the northern EU-countries, among those that are for freer trade," he said.

The EEA was established in 1994 and now it contains the EU's 28 member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The EEA Agreement provides for the free movement of human resources, goods, services and capital within the single market.

"This is an important time, when there is an increased support of protectionism in some Western countries, including the United States. Norway can also play an important role in the WTO to prevent polarization in trade politics," Melchior said.

Helge Hveem, professor of political science at University of Oslo, agreed that Norway could play an important role in the current trade conflicts between Europe and China.

"Since Norway has normalized its political and diplomatic connections with China. It is not unthinkable that Norway can play a role as a mediator for proposals to solutions, either through its WTO channels or via direct bilateral contacts between China and the EU," he said.
March 8, 1937

(No March 7, 1937 paper)

Cayuga County 4-H Club entrants carried off the lion's share of awards at the third annual Central New York 4-H Club Egg Show held Saturday in the Y.W.C.A. Building in Cortland. The show was the largest to date with over 150 dozen of eggs entered.

The major trophy donated by the Cortland Poultry Improvemnt Association, was brought back to Cayuga County, awarded for the best five dozen of eggs. The five winning Cayuga County entrants and scores were: Dudley DeGroff of Fleming, 99 1/4; Paul Southard of Cato, 99; William Clary of Cato, 98 3/4; William DeGroff of Fleming 97 3/4; William Walker of King Ferry, 85 1/4.

March 7, 1962

The Montezuma Wildlife Refuge in Cayuga and Seneca Counties, N.Y. will be expanded by 27 acres so that a 385-foot pool can be built for management purposes. It is part of a $105 million emergency waterfowl and land acquisition program authorized last year by Congress.

Vernon Dewey, clerk to refuge manager John Morse, said today that the 27 acres were on the north side of Rts. 5 and 20 in the Town of Tyre, Seneca County. He said that the refuge had option on the land which is now surrounded by the wildlife preserve.

March 7, 2007

After 22 years at someone else's practice, Auburn dentist David Nagle is ready to start his own. With the Auburn Planning Board's nod, he's one step closer to his dream. The board gave preliminary approval Tuesday for the concept of a three-structure medical complex on McIntosh Drive. Nagle aims to occupy a 4,200 square-foot building himself, and find other medical practitioners for the two remaining separate office buildings, estimated for 4,000 square feet and 6,000 square feet.

The six-person board required Nagle to present plans for his building, which likely will stand first, and then the other two, when he's ready to build them. Nagle's Syracuse architect Jim Hagan plans to begin construction on the first office this spring, depending on the board's final approval.

March 7, 2012

W.C. Crosman & Son Jewelers, the hardy independent shop at North and Genesee streets, is closing its doors. Shirley Marsden, whos owned the store since 1984 and worked there since 1959, sold the property Feb. 28 and plans to close by May 12.
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By Trend





Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) announced the average rate of the Azerbaijani manat against the US dollar for March 9 at 1.7565 AZN/USD after a currency auction held on March 7.

The currency auction was held with participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), said the CBA.
AUBURN  An Auburn man with a prior violent felony conviction has admitted to selling cocaine in Cayuga County.

Travis Swift, of 35 Wall St. Apt. 3, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. During his plea, the 34-year-old told Judge Mark Fandrich that he sold cocaine in Auburn in March 2016.

Swift was originally charged with four felonies  two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. However, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann allowed Swift to plead guilty to one count of criminal sale in full satisfaction of the indictment.

Meanwhile, Fandrich agreed to sentence Swift to six years in prison followed by two years post-release supervision.

A second felony offender, Swift could face up to 15 years in prison. He was previously convicted of second-degree burglary and attempted robbery for an armed home-invasion in Owasco in 2002.

Swift is scheduled to be sentenced May 9.

Also in court:

 Another Auburn man also admitted Tuesday to selling cocaine.

Robert O'Hara, III, of 233 State St., pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony. The 40-year-old was initially charged with two felonies  third-degree criminal sale and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance  but the district attorney's office allowed him to plead guilty to one of the charges.

During his plea, O'Hara told Judge Fandrich that he sold cocaine to a friend in June 2015 in Auburn.

"I obtained some cocaine for a friend and gave it to him," he said, noting that he sold the narcotic for $400.

In exchange for O'Hara's plea of guilty, Fandrich agreed to sentence him to no less than shock probation and no worse than two years in prison followed by two years post-release supervision. If O'Hara does receive prison time, it will likely be served as parole supervision.

O'Hara is scheduled to be sentenced May 9. If he gets into any further trouble between now and the time of sentencing, O'Hara could face a maximum of nine years in prison.
By Trend





Richard Hoagland, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will visit Azerbaijan by the end of this week, the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend.

He is expected to hold meetings with Azerbaijani officials.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has earlier said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit the South Caucasus region in March to mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

The OSCE Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, works to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades, but in vain.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
By Trend





US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have held a phone conversation on Tuesday regarding North Korea's mid-range ballistic missile launches, Sputnik reported.

Trump and Abe were supposed to discuss a possible response to the recent missile tests conducted by Pyongyang, international broadcast service NHK reported on Monday evening.

"President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."

Trump and Abe have also agreed that the DPRK actions were a breach of UN security resolution.

Earlier on Monday, the US Department of Defense confirmed that North Korea fired four ballistic missiles, and three landed in Japans exclusive economic zone, triggering a negative reaction from Tokyo and its allies.

Abe told reporters that he did not rule out further North Korean provocations, against which the Japanese government should collaborate with its closest allies, the report read. The prime minister noted that Japan is now seeking information on how high and far the projectiles went by sharing information with the US and South Korean militaries.

The North Korean government has not commented on the missile tests.
By Trend





The leaders of the euro zone's four biggest economies threw their weight behind a multi-speed Europe on Monday as the European Union ponders a future without Britain, Reuters reported.

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain met at the palace of Versailles to prepare for a March 25 EU summit in Rome marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for European integration.

The event has been overshadowed by a series of crises for the EU, including Britain's shock vote to leave, financial trauma and how to handle migration flows.

EU founder members France, Germany and the Netherlands all hold elections this year in which anti-EU and anti-immigration parties hope concerns over security and immigration will help them to gains that could reshape the continent's politics.

French President Francois Hollande called for unity among the remaining 27 EU members in the wake of Britain's vote to leave, but said this did not mean uniformity.

He called for new forms of cooperation to allow some EU countries to push ahead more quickly in areas such as defense, deepening of economic and monetary union or tax harmonization.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing alongside the other three leaders, said the EU risked running into trouble unless it allowed members to participate at varying levels of intensity.

"We need to have the courage for some countries to go ahead if not everyone wants to participate. A Europe of different speeds is necessary, otherwise we will probably get stuck," Merkel said.

"If Europe gets stuck and doesn't develop further, then this work of peace may run into danger faster than one might think," she said.

EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker, who last week presented options for reforming the bloc that will be discussed at the Rome summit, has spoken positively of some states pushing ahead more quickly with integration.

But some governments, especially in the poorer east, fear this could entrench divisions to their disadvantage.

Speaking in Versailles, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni also backed different levels of integration to allow Europe to provide different responses to different ambitions.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Spain was ready to go further with integration "with all those that wish to pursue that integration".

"In my opinion, it is necessary to complete the banking union ... it is essential to deepen the coordination of economic policies to make our economies more competitive, he said.
By Kamila Aliyeva

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a long telephone conversation about strategic threats posed by Iran on March 6, according to the Prime Ministers office.

The two leaders spoke at length about the dangers arising from the nuclear deal with Iran and Iranian aggression in the [Middle East] region and the need to work together to deal with those dangers, the statement said.

The two sides discussed the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S., including bomb threats and cemetery vandalism as well. Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for Trump's strong condemnation of anti-Semitism during his speech last week to Congress, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also plans to visit Moscow soon to discuss the current situation in the Middle East, particularly in light of joint efforts to combat international terrorism and Iran's growing influence in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Israel is deeply concerned over whether Syria's civil war will result in its arch-foe Iran having increased its power in the neighboring country.

The negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue began in 2004, as Western nations were accusing Tehran of developing a "secret military nuclear program. Since 2006, negotiations with Iran were led by the "six" of international mediators (the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany).

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in July 2015 and went into effect the next year. Under its terms Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program, surrender enriched fuel and submit to international inspection.

Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers. The Israeli leader has said the deal does not go far enough and when some of the clauses of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years, it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb.

Donald Trump has similar views on the issue as he has repeatedly criticized the deal calling it the worst deal ever negotiated.

During the latest meeting with Netanyahu on February 15, the U.S. President once again claimed that the nuclear agreement is one of the worst deals he had ever seen. The visit of the Israeli prime minister to the U.S. took place due to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the meeting, Trump noted that his administration had already imposed new sanctions on Iran, and he would do more to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

In February 2017, Washington imposed sanctions on a number of entities supporting Irans ballistic missile program and warned the Islamic Republic it had been put on notice and that it was playing with fire.

In December 2016, the White House prolonged the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the United States that passed in 1996 and was set to expire on December 31, 2016.
Senior government officials and key regional and international executives from the private sector will discuss the wide-ranging aspects of the public-private partnership at a forum in Riyadh later this month.



The first IDB Public-Private Partnership Forum, the start of a series of meetings to be held annually in Islamic Development Bank (IDB) member countries, will take place on March 22 at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh.



The invitation-only forum will be held under the heading Challenges, Opportunities, Successes.



Dr Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar, president of IDB, stated that the bank is hosting the forum as it firmly believes the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors to achieve development in some member countries that are facing major challenges in financial, human capital and knowledge resources.



Dr Hajjar said: The Islamic Development Bank has a vision to transform challenges faced by IDB member countries into promising opportunities and the forum comes in this framework to showcase successful experiences of partnership between the public and private sectors in the member countries."  TradeArabia News Service


Peru reinforces its superfood credentials during Gulfood 2017 exhibition, which opens in Dubai today, with the launch of its Superfoods Peru brand.



The comprehensive global campaign celebrates Perus status as the worlds top producer of superfoods and highlights the quality, variety and benefits of the countrys food offering.



Gulfood 2017 runs till March 2 at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre.



One of the most biodiverse nations on earth, Peru has a variety of agricultural produce that is synonymous with healthy living. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients, these superfoods include quinoa, golden berries, chia seeds, maca root, sacha inchi, purple corn, camu camu, lucuma, asparagus, and blueberries, among many others.



With todays consumers seeking healthier choices and new culinary experiences, we see strong export potential for Peruvian produce. The global Superfoods Peru promotion strategy is a response to this worldwide trend. Our government anticipates export volumes for superfoods will triple to $15 billion in the medium term as a result of the campaign. We also expect to see up to 15 per cent annual growth in cropland dedicated to superfoods, said Alvaro Silva-Santisteban F, director of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, through its representation based in the UAE.



According to industry analysts Technavio, the global naturally healthy foods market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 6 per cent from 2016-2020. The rising awareness of the benefits of health and wellness products has led to increased demand for naturally healthy foods among consumers.



The trend is reflected in Perus agricultural exports to the UAE, which in 2016 increased by 52 per cent over the previous year. Among the top agricultural exports were grapes, pomegranates, avocados, asparagus, jalapenos, blueberries, mangoes, organic bananas, quinoa, chia seeds, pulses and corn.



Fresh fruit and vegetables are among Perus top exports to the GCC and we predict these will increase further as more health-conscious consumers change the way they eat, shop and dine. Last year Peruvian businesses closed deals worth US$15 million as a result of their participation in Gulfood. We are optimistic that our status as the best leading culinary destination for five consecutive years, coupled by growing awareness of Peru as the worlds super pantry, will seal even more transactions at Gulfood this year, said Silva-Santisteban.



Perus geographical location and diversity of climates enables it to supply fresh produce year-round and support counter-cyclical import demand. Today, Peru is the worlds top producer of fishmeal, fish oil, fresh asparagus, quinoa and paprika; and the worlds second largest producer of avocados, artichokes, organic bananas and organic cacao. It produces the greatest varieties of corn, potatoes and chilies in hundreds of colours and flavours. Peru also ranks first in the world for biodiversity of fishes and it is among the top ten exporters of maca, mangoes and processed asparagus.



Peru has 82 out of the 111 climates in the world so we have excellent growing conditions. Our producers can grow almost anything and they enjoy high yields across a range of agricultural products. With their progressive use of technology and innovative production and processing methods, Perus producers are considered some of the strongest and most reliable trade partners in the world, added Silva-Santisteban.



Also contributing to the growth in Peruvian agricultural exports are emerging specialty and niche products. Supplied in fresh, dried, frozen or processed and semi-processed formats, they are perfectly suited to the foodservice, ingredient and manufacturing sectors.



Peruvian companies will present these products and more at the Peru Pavilion during Gulfood 2017 (in Saeed Halls, Trade Center Arena, Booth K4/L3). In addition to product showcases, a Dubai-based Peruvian chef will serve up delicious classic dishes such as ceviche, tiradito, causa and quinoa risotto. - TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) has announced that it has signed a technical handling agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines for the Bahrain International Airport.



The agreement displays their confidence in our expertise and experience over the years and our commitment to provide the highest level of safety checks, said Engineer Osama Helmi, manager, line maintenance.



"We would be covering all aspects of the technical handling with the strict governance of the Maintenance Organisation Exposition which is a formal document describing how an approved maintenance organisation or MRO is structured to achieve delivery of its activity. This will ensure the timeliness of our processes and increase efficiency as we support our partners, he said.



BAS is delighted to partner with international airlines for technical handling and we remain dedicated towards strengthening the quality of our processes and procedures to ensure the most efficient on-time-performance, said Jalal Mohammed Jalal, chairman of BAS.



The line maintenance team provides state-of-the-art technical handling support to most of the international airlines at the Bahrain International Airport. Technical handling addresses the technical service requirements of an airline between the time it arrives at a terminal gate and the time it departs onward to its next flight route.



Technical handling operations include various crucial checks that need to be carried out by a team of professional engineers and mechanics at BAS such as transit, arrival, departure and other line management functional checks. Troubleshooting procedures are conducted, if necessary, to ensure the highest level of safety certification is done post-service to confirm that a flight is ready for take-off.



Meanwhile, BAS has achieved the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 accreditation, which specifies the requirements of establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system (ISMS) within the organization. It also certifies specific requirements to be met for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the organisation (BAS).



BAS is an ISAGO (Iata Safety Audit for Ground Operations) accredited ground service provider. ISAGO has been built upon a 'backbone' of audit standards applicable to all ground handling companies worldwide, coupled with a uniform set of standards relevant for the specific activities of any ground handler. - TradeArabia News Service


Hyperloop One, the global leader in developing the world's first operational Hyperloop, released the first images of its 500-m full-scale test structure at the development site (DevLoop) at the Nevada desert in US, on the opening day of Middle East Rail expo in Dubai today (March 7).

The US-based pioneering mobility company Hyperloop One had last year signed a deal with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to study high-speed routes in the UAE.

The Hyperloop system is a new mode of transportation, capable of connecting to all modes of existing transportation and helping individuals be anywhere and move anything with on-demand autonomous transport.

This revolutionary mode of transportation could transform the future of the GCC as it would ease pressure on the existing transport infrastructure and provide a faster, more efficient and cleaner system of mobility, said a senior company official at the Dubai expo.



It presents the potential for the Middle East to reinvent and transform transportation, remarked Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd while providing the international keynote address at the 11th annual conference.

Lloyd also shared a bird's-eye view of how construction is progressing at the world's only full-system and full-scale Hyperloop test site, proving the company is well-positioned to deliver the first working Hyperloop.

"While technology is revolutionizing many facets of our lives, we have not seen a radical change in transportation since the Wright brothers introduced air travel over 100 years ago," he noted.



The 500-m-long DevLoop, which has a diameter of 3.3 m is located 30 minutes from Las Vegas in the Nevada desert. The company is expected to perform a public trial in the first half of 2017.



The DevLoop trial will follow Hyperloop One's first public test of a prototype propulsion system, which took place in the same area less than twelve months ago in May 2016.



"Tying together the Middle East region would produce greater virtual density, without congestion and pollution, spurring innovation, productivity, job growth and more powerful sharing of knowledge, labour and investment. Building a Hyperloop would vastly impact the economy and make any major city in the GCC accessible within one hour," he added.



Josh Giegel, the president of Engineering and co-founder of Hyperloop One, joined Lloyd during his presentation at Middle East Rail via video from the DevLoop location in North Las Vegas, Nevada.



"I am so excited to be able to share images of DevLoop at Middle East Rail and update the world on our progress. Our team of more than 150 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been transforming what was, just over five months ago, a barren stretch of desert, into a hive of activity and now home to the world's first full-scale Hyperloop test site," remarked Giegel.



"We have come so far in such a short space of time, and our team of over 240 employees are working tirelessly to eliminate the barriers of distance and time and reinvent transportation," he added.



On its regional impact, Giegel said with its implementation, travel between major cities in the Gulf region could be less than one hour.



"Not only will a Hyperloop system benefit the GCC economically, but socially as well, by facilitating easier access to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, expanding access to city attractions and unlocking urban development. It could create a UAE pan-urban area within a 30-minute Hyperloop reach between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain," he added.



"With a Hyperloop One system in place, there is ability to further unify the alliance of the GCC, socially, culturally and economically," said Shervin Pishevar, the executive chairman and co-founder of Hyperloop One.



"Hyperloop could further enable diversification and could make a huge impact on the region's relatively young and growing population, reimagining how cities and countries in the region work together. Progress made on the DevLoop in just five months demonstrates how quickly we could bring Hyperloop to the GCC and to the world," observed Pishevar.



The benefits of Hyperloop include higher standards of safety than a passenger jet, close to half the construction and lower maintenance costs than high-speed rail and energy usage that is similar to a bicycle per kilogram-kilometer.



Hyperloop One estimates that around 4,000 vehicles travel every day between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with traffic congestion in Dubai costing the economy $800 million in lost working hours.



Reducing this commute to 12 minutes opens a whole new realm of options and Hyperloop One shows an investment in a UAE Hyperloop network could unlock economic value 3.5 to four times over high speed rail.



Hyperloop One has announced a series of achievements in the last 12 months, demonstrating the company's rapid progress in developing the new form of transportation.



One week ago, Hyperloop One convened a landmark innovation summit  The Hyperloop One Vision for India  in New Delhi, discussing how the company could integrate with and augment India's vast transportation network with reliable, clean and on-demand autonomous transport, connecting India's major cities at faster-than-airline speeds.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Airport Services, ground service provider at the Bahrain International Airport, has recently achieved the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 accreditation.



The accreditation specifies the requirement of establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system (ISMS) within the organisation.



It also certifies specific requirements to be met for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the organisation (BAS), the company said.



The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 162 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.



BAS is an ISAGO (IATA's Safety Audit for Ground Operations) accredited ground service provider. ISAGO has been built upon a 'backbone' of audit standards applicable to all ground handling companies worldwide, coupled with a uniform set of standards relevant for the specific activities of any ground handler.

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has also accredited BAS with EASA part-145 for Aircraft Line Maintenance and part-147 for BAS Aircraft Engineering Training Centre (BAETC).



BAS remains focused on its core strategic objective which is to continuously strive to maintain the highest level of safety and security standards through the effective implementation of a safety management system across all functional departments, the company said.



This is strongly reflected upon the numerous certifications that BAS has received related to global quality, health, security and maintenance standards, it said.



BAS also announced that it has signed a technical handling agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines for the Bahrain International Airport.



BAS is delighted to partner with international airlines for technical handling and we remain dedicated towards strengthening the quality of our processes and procedures to ensure the most efficient on-time-performance, said Jalal Mohammed Jalal, chairman of BAS.



The agreement displays their confidence in our expertise and experience over the years and our commitment to provide the highest level of safety checks, said Engineer Osama Helmi, manager, line maintenance.



"We would be covering all aspects of the technical handling with the strict governance of the Maintenance Organisation Exposition which is a formal document describing how an approved maintenance organisation or MRO is structured to achieve delivery of its activity. This will ensure the timeliness of our processes and increase efficiency as we support our partners, he said.  TradeArabia News Service




Zain Group, a leading mobile telecom operator in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has joined the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an initiative co-founded by Facebook, Intel, Nokia, SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and others in 2016.

The primary aim of TIP is to bring mobile operators, infrastructure providers, system integrators, and other technology companies together to collaborate on the development of new technologies and reimagine traditional approaches to building and deploying telecom network infrastructure.

Operators and the broader telecom industry need to collaborate, be more flexible, innovative and efficient, and TIP looks to help achieve this goal.

As a pioneer in telecommunications in the Middle East and Africa, Zain brings vast expertise and resources to the initiative as it will leverage its regional footprint and experience in network deployments across challenging territories to support TIP, said a statement.

TIP is exploring new approaches and technologies across these initial focus areas: access, backhaul, and core and management. The projects within these areas utilise the unique engineering and operational expertise of each member, focusing on developing new technologies and exploring new approaches to deployment in both developed and emerging markets. Each member contributes to the area of its expertise, while learning from others so that together all parties can collaborate and build better, faster, more efficient systems.

Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group CEO, said: It could be argued that scaling traditional telecom infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing demand for broadband data is not moving as fast as it needs to ensure customers receive the mobile experience they demand and deserve. Zain recognizes there isnt a single solution for this, and that no one company can tackle the problem alone. We firmly believe collaboration in innovation will drive efficiencies in our business and we are keen to be part of such prime opportunities wherever they may arise.

Gegenheimer continued, Being a staunch advocate of the expansion of connectivity for all, Zain fully appreciates the power the internet has to enhance and empower the communities it serves. There are 4 billion people in the world who still dont have a data connection and we commend Facebook and the other founding companies for kick-starting TIP. We have high expectations that this initiative will result in bridging the digital divide by greater inclusion, and call on for more of our regional and industry peers to join us in this initiative.

Since the launch of TIP in February 2016, the initiative has achieved numerous milestones including the creation of TIP Ecosystem Acceleration Centers that incubate local talent around the world and accelerate product development through support from leading global and local investors.

A People and Process Project Group was also created in order to develop and share cultural and process transformation best practices that can improve operators key metrics. In addition, Facebook contributed Voyager, the industrys first white-box transponder and IP/MPLS routing solution that was successfully tested. Furthermore, Facebooks OpenCellular designs and schematics are now fully open source within TIP to accelerate the industrys ability to provide wireless access in remote areas of the world.

Driving a faster pace of innovation in telecom infrastructure is necessary to meet new technology challenges and to unlock new opportunities for everyone in the ecosystem. Flexibility will be key in everything TIP does though and the goal is to allow mobile network systems to evolve without having to start over.

Zain, together with other leading industry entities across the globe, is committed to exploring new technologies and approaches that will positively impact mobile users of today and the future, it said.  TradeArabia News Service


Half Acre Union Church in Aurelius was a more than century-old building on West Genesee Street Road, and the place of worship for a congregation of about 70. But Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, a flame somehow sparked under the church's baptismal font, burning for some time through the solid oak base and eventually crawling up the sanctuary's wall and into the rafters.

Just before 10 a.m., the Aurelius Fire Department was the first responding agency to the scene, working to put out the blaze. Firefighters and church members carried some of the pews out the front door, trying to save what they could. Between the damage to the chapel, and the discovery of asbestos in the walls of the back addition, the structure was deemed a total loss.

"It's a shame," Darryl Jirinec had told The Citizen in May last year. Jirinec is on the church's board of trustees. "It's just a little, old, white, wooden country church, but it still was kind of a landmark."

The church has plans to rebuild in the same location, and Jirinec said construction could start as early as April or May. But questions remain as to how the structure caught fire in the first place. With multiple investigations from multiple agencies, the conclusion remains unclear.

According to the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control investigation report, the landmark church may have been the victim of an incendiary fire.

State fire investigators do not respond to every fire, but they were called to this one. Cayuga County fire investigators were unavailable, away at a training session in Montour Falls. So state investigators James Ryan, Gregory Amyot and their K-9 Shadow arrived that afternoon to figure out what happened.

According to the investigation report obtained in November 2016 by The Citizen through a Freedom of Information Law request, Ryan and Amyot conducted a "visual inspection of the building's exterior and interior, and the evaluation of fuel packages and fire patterns." They concluded that "there was no viable accidental or natural cause of the fire," adding that "the presence of incendiary fire indicators, and considering the totality of the circumstances surrounding the incident; the cause of the fire was classified as incendiary." The term incendiary refers to an intentionally set fire, where the person knows it should not be set. The office does not use the term arson, which refers to the actual crime of setting an intentional fire.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office conducted an investigation of its own, but it did not reach the same conclusion. Detective Lt. Brian Schenck and Detective Sgt. Fred Cornelius said the cause of the fire is undetermined, and do not feel there's enough evidence to warrant a criminal investigation. The sheriff's office officially closed the case in March 2016.

Church board members and Pastor Harry Dow said they knew that there were discrepancies between the two reports, but Dow told The Citizen in a phone interview in February that he did not know the state's report had determined the fire was set intentionally. But after reviewing the report and conferring with the trustees, Dow said the church had no concerns.

"From the perspective of the trustees, we have nothing to say in response to the state level of the report," Dow said.

The state's report walks through several hypotheses investigators examined including checking cooking equipment, heating systems, electrical wiring, appliances, smoking materials, flammable liquids and even the weather forecast. Determining that none of those were the cause, the report lists reasons why investigators believe the fire was incendiary.

Shadow, who is trained to detect ignitable liquids, alerted investigators to two locations in the church, both in the area of the baptismal font where the fire originated. Investigators said they observed charring on the floor and V-shaped burns or grooves between the floorboards indicative of ignitable liquids. After sending in four pieces of carpet to the New York State Police Crime Lab, results showed the presence of terpene.

Terpene is a component of resin and turpentine, both flammable liquids. But the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said that terpene is also naturally occurring in wood. With the church being a wooden structure and without more evidence, Schenck and Cornelius said, there's not enough there to investigate. Cornelius also observed the patterns on the floor. Organ chimes hanging above the baptismal font had been burned off the wall and fallen to the floor during the fire.

"Placing the chimes into these indentations, it becomes apparent that the wall behind the baptismal font that held the chimes was impinged on by the fire causing the chimes to fall and splay out on the floor," Cornelius wrote in the report. "In my opinion this casts some doubt on the theory that the pattern on the floor was a result of a poured accelerant."

State investigators also thought an ignitable liquid was used because there was no apparent heat source in the area, and the fire developed and grew beyond the fuel load that was present. Amyot and Ryan cited the National Fire Protection Association, which says, "when the fire damage at the origin is inconsistent with the known or reported fuel load, limited rates of heat release, or limited potentially accidental ignition sources, the fire may be incendiary."

Cornelius, however, said he did find the potential for a heat source. A thermostat on the wall, he discovered, was a brand that had been recalled for their history of malfunctioning and causing fires. Though the model was not the same as those that were recalled, Cornelius said in his report that he took the thermostat to a local electrician "to attempt to determine if a short in the low voltage wire would be enough to cause a fire. The electrical short in the low voltage wire we tested did cause a spark, however, the transformer burned out quickly if the electrical short was constant and not intermittent."

The wire to the thermostat ran down the wall behind the baptismal font and through the floor. Cornelius observed that the wire traveled under the carpet in a high foot-traffic area.

The state fire investigators did address the thermostat in their report, noting that the church's furnace had not been working properly the Sunday before the fire. The report said Wayne Hoskins, a church board member, had turned off the power to the unit on Tuesday, but it was not clear if it had been turned back on. Investigators observed fire damage to the wire, but they also noted its intact cloth insulation near the the thermostat itself. They did not feel it could have been a cause.

Because the furnace was not working, John Chick of Auburn had been hired by the church to take a look and install a new high limit switch. Chick had been in the church basement that Thursday morning, and he's the one who discovered the fire.

Chick told The Citizen he'd collected his tools and as he was setting up in the basement, he heard a noise upstairs. With no door into the chapel from the basement, Chick said he emerged outside to see if there were any cars in the parking lot. When he saw none, he went back into the basement.

But when he went back down, he heard another noise upstairs, so he called Hoskins. Hoskins told Chick that no one else was supposed to be in the building.

"When I came back out, flames, smoke was coming out of the windows," Chick said. "I got to my truck, and it was coming through the top of the roof."

Chick called 911. He stuck around that morning, he said, talking to investigators. A past fire chief for the town of Throop, Chick guesses the fire started some time before he got there, smoldering before it broke through to the ceiling.

State fire investigators and sheriff's officers interviewed Chick multiple times. Chick has a criminal record, having served one year in federal prison after he was convicted for illegal asbestos removal as a Cayuga County employee. He pleaded guilty in 2007 to violating the Clean Air Act, and along with time served paid $108,000 in restitution. A spokesperson for the state OFPS said the investigators were concerned about Chick being there at the time of the fire, but said it's up to law enforcement to follow up with a criminal investigation.

Schenck and Cornelius said they talked to Chick multiple times, and "he was more than cooperative throughout the investigation."

"Chick's history did not have any specific bearing on our investigation," Schenck added in an email to The Citizen. They "did not find any reason to question his credibility."

State investigators also said they were concerned with the remote location of the fire and how it occurred out of view from the outside. It was not clear if the building was secure, either. Hoskins told investigators that the rear door of the church had been left unlocked in the past.

Though not listed as an incendiary indicator, the state and sheriff's reports note that the church's fire alarm system was offline and no smoke detectors were found in the building.

"This system was reported not to be in a monitored status by the provider," the state's report said. "The church members believed the system was working and being monitored by the provider."

Cornelius said the church had been paying for the alarm system, but it was not communicating with the monitoring company at the time of the fire. He added that this didn't factor into a decision about whether to conduct a criminal investigation.

The church's insurance provider, Preferred Mutual, sent out a fire investigator to conduct its own analysis of what happened. According to the sheriff's office fire report, the insurance company's fire investigators were not able to find evidence of an electrical cause to the fire, and listed its cause as undetermined. The company did not respond to The Citizen's requests for comment. While the church did receive funds for its loss, Preferred Mutual dropped it from its coverage.

Acknowledging the state's conclusion, Cornelius wrote that considering the chime patterns on the floor, the lack of motive, the trouble with the furnace, the thermostat wire running under the carpet and the recalls of similar thermostats, all of those things "casts some doubt on the incendiary determination." Cornelius and Schenck added that in their follow-up interviews they did not find any witnesses or suspicious activity in the building.

In a phone interview with The Citizen officials with the state OFPC said the agency stands by its decision and findings. But, they added, according to law, the first responding fire department determines the official cause of the fire. The state's report is one of the tools to help determine the cause for that department.

Robert Thurston was the chief of the Aurelius Fire Department at the time. He's since moved to the Union Springs Fire Department, and said when he'd left, the cause had still not been determined. He said because he's no longer part of the Aurelius Fire Department he could not comment on anything that happened that day.

Current Aurelius Fire Chief Jason Wells had told The Citizen in December that he would search for the fire report. He did not return The Citizen's multiple follow-up calls.

Cornelius and Schenck said they were not aware of what the fire department had determined, but they stood by their conclusion to not pursue a criminal investigation.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for the guys at state fire," Cornelius said. "Sometimes people look at different things from different angles, but really, we're just saying there's not enough evidence."

Though the investigation is closed, Cornelius said that could always change.

"We always entertain the idea that we'll look at something if there's more information that arises," he added. "We'll take a look at it."
The 20th Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference (MEOS 2017) opened in Bahrain under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and UBM AEM, MEOS continues to be a premier platform for sharing E&P knowledge and expertise in the region.

Over 8,000 oil and gas professionals are converging at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre to debate and shape the future of the oil and gas industry in the region over the course of the conference and parallel exhibition.

2017 marks the 20th edition of MEOS, building on 38 years of successful and expanding interactions between industry and technical leaders, all in the centre of a region leading the world in energy supply, said Nabeel I. AlAfaleg, MEOS 2017 Conference Co-Chairman and Chief Petroleum Engineer, Saudi Aramco.

The MEOS conference theme this year is Transforming the Industry through Innovation and Operational Excellence. Fluctuations in the oil and gas markets have made our industry very challenging. Therefore, emphasis on innovation and practicing operations excellence has never been greater. This transformation will allow the industry to continue to meet future global energy demands ensuring continuity of economic growth despite the cyclical nature of the business, he continued.

Operators and service companies are identifying opportunities to do more with less through operational excellence while evaluating the financial outcome of their significant investment. This conference will reflect on the importance of industry transformation, and will address it from many perspectives through panels with invited industry leaders, presentations and open discussions, added Michael Bittar, MEOS 2017 Conference Programme Co-chairman and Senior Director, Halliburton.

Following a record number of abstract submissions, over 270 papers will be presented during 50 technical sessions covering topics related to reservoirs, production and facilities, exploration and appraisal, drilling and completions, project management, human resources, business models and HSSE.

The packed agenda at MEOS also includes an executive plenary session featuring leading industry figures discussing the conference theme, an industry keynote session entitled Oil Price Volatility: Continue Investing in the Future to Meet Future Demands or Control Cost to Survive?, six panel sessions discussing important matters relevant to todays industry, and a special workshop entitled Women in LeadershipInvest, Initiate, Innovate with influential speakers.

Two one-day SPE seminars entitled Advanced Hydraulic Fracturing Design and Treatment and Artificial Lift and Production Optimisation Solutions will provide delegates with further opportunities to improve technical skills.

A full programme of events aimed at the next generation of oil and gas professionals will meanwhile offer high school students, university students and teachers the chance to engage and gain valuable career advice.

A three-day exhibition of oil and gas products and services is running parallel to the conference from March 7 to 9. Featuring over 200 exhibitors from 25 countries, it covers all areas of the upstream industry; including exploration, development, production, transportation, and processing of oil and natural gas.

Principal exhibitors include GCC national oil and gas companies, who will be exhibiting alongside international supermajors, service industry giants and independent specialist suppliers and distributors from across the globe.

Since its inception in 1979, MEOS has played a significant role in the development and transfer of exploration and production technologies in the Middle East. This global event has successfully united thousands of industry professionals to learn, forge business relationships, share expertise and foster new technologies in one of the most prolific hydrocarbon regions in the world, said UBM AEMs Director of Sales and Marketing Fawzi Al Shehabi.

MEOS 2017 builds on 38 years of this successful interaction, and as we look to the future, I am confident that this years exchange of experience and technology will further contribute towards the advancement of the oil and gas industry and aid its goal to meet world energy demand efficiently, responsibly and with maximum value, he added.
Empire Aviation Group (EAG), the Dubai-based global aviation asset management company, has inducted its third Bombardier Global Express XRS on to its managed fleet of business jets.



The large cabin, ultra long-range business jet will be managed and operated by Empire Aviation Group on behalf of the owner, and will be available to the global charter market. EAG also managed the induction, the registration and delivery of the aircraft on behalf of the owner.



The Bombardier Global Express XRS is the latest addition to EAGs managed fleet of more than 20 business jets, based in the Middle East, India, Nigeria and Hong Kong. The XRS is a pre-owned 13-seater aircraft with a large cabin and offering ultra long-range. The business jet is powered by twin Rolls Royce engines and has a range of 11,390km and a top speed of 950km/h.



Empire Aviation Group executive director, Paras Dhamecha, said: The Global XRS is an outstanding aircraft and its induction on to our managed fleet demonstrates the strength of our global operations and charter capabilities. The Global XRS can be offered to the global charter market and can operate from any of our bases around the world. The XRS is in demand in the charter market because of its range of attractive features including the large cabin comfort and extended range, which means it can fly non stop between many of the important city pairs around the world.



Empire Aviation Group has rapidly expanded its international operations over the last three years, with the groups first fully fledged overseas branch in Bangalore, India; a dedicated US aircraft sales office in Scottsdale, Arizona, US; new operations set up in Hong Kong; as well as a San Marino branch. - TradeArabia News Service


The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has set its sights on emerging markets in the Middle East and other regions to increase international visitor numbers.



In the 10 months to October 2016, Tanzania received 1,020,816 tourists - a 10.4 per cent rise compared with the same period in 2015 - according to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.



The country hopes to increase international tourist arrivals from just over a million a year to two million by the close of the year, growing tourism earnings to $2 billion from the current $1.35 billion.



Benefitting from the boom in visitor numbers, Yehia Al Mansoury - group director of business development, DoubleTree By Hilton Tanzania - Burundi - shares his insight on the growing industry.

Over the years, tourism has become a significant economic drive in Zanzibar; share with us some of the major industry shift youve noticed since setting up DoubleTree by Hilton.

The industry and the international Brands existence such as DoubleTree by Hilton has stimulated the growth of international and regional transport services by air  with an increase of the emerging markets from GCC- China-Russia- East Europe. The most recent quality investments had been an effective and refreshing change in direction to a higher-value product, and improvements are going on in many properties, with the addition of spas, improved furnishings, training, etc.

How does Zanzibar Commission for Tourism engage with industrys stakeholders to boost tourism locally and internationally? What programs can we expect to see on the island to encourage new tourists to visit Zanzibar?

The committee works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders across the sector to coordinate destination marketing at an international level by:

 Participating at travel trade shows

 Arranging road shows

 Promoting tourism activities locally and internationally

We are now witnessing some market penetration in the Gulf to encourage tourists from the GCC  what are the plans in place to target this new market and the property?

We expect to activate several marketing promotions to maintain visibility in the market. We will be present at Arabian Travel Market to promote our portfolio as well as engage in regional trade shows and road shows. We are collaborating with travel agencies in the region to recommend and promote the destination and the property plus organise FAM trips. Our partnership with airlines operating to the islands allows us to design value added deals for wider target. From the GCC we continue to host journalists and influencers to boost digital and media engagement and we hope to enhance our efforts to further push our efforts.

Tourists from across the GCC are still very unfamiliar with Zanzibar, theres a great deal of misperception and misrepresentation about the destination; what advice would you give those considering Zanzibar for a holiday?

Zanzibar is a mystical destination with so much heritage and historical ties with Arabia. So theres a great deal of similarity in mannerism. Zanzibaris are friendly and welcoming people; they are easy to engage with and will happy narrate stories of their heritage. They will assist you to manoeuvre through the cobbled streets of Stone Town, advice you where to go, what to eat and where to shop. One thing for sure once you experience Zanzibar you are set to come back.

Has the hotel established any cooperation with GCC travel agencies to allow wider reach, accessibility and best value? Do you have special rates for visitors from GCC?

Definitely, this is an integral part of our strategy. GCCs outbound travel and fast air connection to the Zanzibar is growing; our aim is to ensure we cement partnerships across the board to continue travel to the destination. The GCC enjoys large number of expats and a returning diaspora making it an interesting region to penetrate. We do offer special rates to our travel partners in the GCC markets but we highly encourage guests to book directly to take advantage of becoming members of Hilton Honors loyalty program and benefit from added values plus free stays.

What makes DoubleTree by Hilton stand out amongst competitors in this emerging market?

We are located at the heart of Stone Town, a declared Unesco World Heritage Site, strong USP for our property. The hotel is beautifully refurbished to compliment the surrounding historical site and represent the best of Zanzibars heritage and past, thus bringing the outside indoors. Every element inside the hotel showcases traditional crafts curated to epitomise the ambience and setting while maintaining standards and comfort familiar with the Hilton brand.

What are the unique and distinctive facilities available at the hotel? In your opinion, what should a hotel do in order to be considered a quality place for guests to stay?

A hotel should be committed to consider all things on behalf of its guests especially if they are unfamiliar with the destination. DoubleTree provides great holiday property for single, couple or families especially being at the centre of Stone Town. We have leisure, business, social events, conferences and weddings facilities encompassing different venues to facilitate such gatherings. Each of the 58 well-appointed rooms is equipped with all modern comforts including air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, a safe, hairdryer, flat screen TV, multi-region power plugs and feature the famous Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree Sleep Experience bedding. All furniture has been hand-carved by 21 woodcarvers to retain Zanzibars authenticity, true essence and spirit.



Our team has extensive local knowledge and can recommend and organise activities and tours within Stone Town or beyond. We also provide picnic boxes for our guests looking to head to enjoy the immaculate beaches near the hotel.

What is the philosophy of the hotel when it comes to standards, value for money and quality?

Our philosophy is simply make it right; a mission we are dedicated to deliver time and time again to all our guests. Comfort throughout is important; each guest is welcomed not just with a smile but a promise of our commitment to ensure their stay is enjoyable at DoubleTree and in Zanzibar. Devoted to make lasting impression no stone is left unturned when it comes to delivering beyond expectations. Quality service is guaranteed to delivery quality holiday;

What cuisines can guests relish at the hotel?

Our signature rooftop restaurant "Taarab" offers the best experience both in terms of gastronomic offer and ambience. The venue overlooks the historical town and the Indian Ocean perfect for a sunset dinner. While guests mesmerise over the beautiful scene and tranquillity, they are invited to enjoy a varied global cuisine fused with Zanzibari flavours giving exceptional taste unique to the island.

The property located at the hub of Stone Town, a strategic location for tourists; what are the main attractions and must visit places you would recommend around the area?

The city has a unique charm and beauty with plenty to experience specifically around Stone Town area. This colourful, warm-hearted Island has an essence that draws you into its embrace. Stone Town area is filled with history and culture and a stroll through the buzzing alleys will take you though the House of Wonders (largest, tallest building in Stone Town set on the old town's seafront), the Old Fort built around 17th century, the Palace Museum and Museum of History & Culture. Walking tour is the best way to explore Stone Town because you can visit the Anglican Church, the Mukunazini Old Slave Market, the Old Dispensary, Old Customs House all of which are not to be missed. Stop by at Freddy Mercurys home for some contemporary history. The Forodhani Night Market serve freshly grilled seafood kebabs, Zanzibari pizza, sugar cane juices with ginger & gyros and offers a culinary experience for food lovers not afraid to taste new cuisines. On the edge of Stone Town you will find dhows on turquoise waters reflecting the gleaming sun with heavenly sand banks of the beach.

Do you have special tours designed exclusively to compliment the propertys aesthetics that guests can book ahead of their travel?

Culture, history, food, diving, archaeology, photography, weddings and more, the island has so much to offer. Its local history and architecture is very rich and its almost like travelling back in time, we always encourage guests to enjoy complete experience without feeling intimidated. At DoubleTree we organise Zanzibar Spice Farm tour and Sand bank tours, which can be booked ahead of time.

When is the best time to visit Zanzibar? Are there any major events for travellers to consider when planning their trip to the island?

Zanzibar enjoys great weather nothing extreme making it a great destination all year round with great sun, sand and sea options to compliment other touristic attractions. Stone Town is vibrant hub with events and festivals including Zanzibar Film Festival, Sauti za Busara and Jazz festival gaining traction around the globe. The island enjoys collection of arts, culture activities and traditional music and folklore like Taarab and Kidumbak.
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, part of Jumeirah Group, will be hosting its first ever Food Festival from March 9 -11.



This celebration will bring local businesses, societies and organisations in Dubai together and will offer a mix of activities throughout three days.



The food festival is open to the public and will take place at the Emirates Academy campus opposite Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Entrance to the event is free and it will be open during the following times: March 9 from 5 - 10 pm and March 10 - 11 from 12 - 10pm.



Activities on offer include live cooking demonstrations, quizzes, themed stalls, raffles, cookery competitions and childrens activities.



Vendors will sell delicious goodies, mocktails and there will be flare workshops as well as fitness classes from Talise Fitness. The event has been organised by the academys talented students under the supervision of their food and beverage lecturers.



The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) is a world class institution which specialises in offering business management degrees both at undergraduate as well as post-graduate level with a focus on hospitality. It is located at the heart of Dubai overseeing the scenic beauty of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. EAHM is at the forefront of imparting hospitality and tourism related education and ranks highly among all the hospitality schools globally.



The academys food and beverage division provides students first-hand knowledge of the industry standards in service, hygiene and food preparation. The purpose of organising the Food Festival is to enhance the students learning experience, increase engagement with the community and utilise their existing knowledge, experience and creativity. - TradeArabia News Service
The Metropolitan Hotel Dubai has reopened in a new location on Sheikh Zayed Road, after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus.



Mohammad Al Habtoor, vice-chairman and CEO of the Al Habtoor Group, welcomed members of the media on March 6. Guests got the opportunity to experience many aspects of the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai, including sampling the delights of two old-favourite outlets that have made a revival in the new hotel  The Red Lion, one of the oldest English pubs in Dubai, and Don Corleone Italian restaurant, another popular eatery.



The Metropolitan Dubai is also home to other culinary outlets including Al Safa, an all-day dining restaurant serving international cuisine, Al Sheif Lounge, serving Arabic cuisine, and the Tropicana pool bar.



The old Metropolitan had a very strong, loyal customer base. Since we opened we have welcomed back both old and new customers. We look forward to continuing the legacy of this hotel, which was one of the first hotels in Dubai, said Mohammad Al Habtoor.



The original Metropolitan Hotel, which was built in 1979, was demolished in May 2013 to make way for Al Habtoor City, an urban resort incorporating three hotels and luxury residential towers on The Dubai Water Canal.



Al Habtoor added: We have come a long way since 1979. We are proud to bring back the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai. The success of the hotel has helped shape our growth in the hospitality sector. As a Group, we have grown in unison with the economy of the UAE. We have 14 hotels around the world; seven in Dubai and seven internationally.



The refined and vibrant four-star property is situated in a new location in the heart of the city, near Exit 41 (Al Thanya Street). The elevated Metropolitan Hotel Dubai still exudes the home away from home feel which is impeccably present the minute you walk into the property, with many familiar faces greeting and welcoming guests and the media who were among the first few invited to experience what the new hotel offers.



Sanjay Luthra, general manager, Metropolitan Hotel, said: The Metropolitan and some of its establishments are part of the history of Dubai. When we closed The Red Lion many of our customers were upset because it had played a big part in their lives. With the revival of the hotel it only seemed natural that the most-loved outlets made a comeback, with a modern twist.



The Red Lion has been re-built to look as similar as possible to the original premises, with the same layout and elements, offering the informal yet traditional pub atmosphere. The new pub features the original oak bar, which is now 33 years old.



The hotels chic and modern look starting from the lobby with its high ceiling, tasteful chandeliers and glass windows cater to a diverse clientele, such as the millennials, value conscious business traveller, leisure tourists, visiting friends and family, local nationals and GCC residents.



The Metropolitan Hotel Dubai features 320 contemporary rooms including 18 suites and state of the art leisure facilities including a well-equipped gym, a rooftop swimming pool and a beautifully appointed spa. The elegant rooms feature modern amenities that are ideal for guests seeking contemporary comfort in the heart of the city.



Guests can choose from a selection of room types including Premium Rooms, Premium Plus for up to three people sharing, Family Rooms for up to four people, Junior Suites, Premium Suites, and Ambassador Suites.



The Metropolitan Hotel Dubai is the perfect place to host events in one of the regions busiest cities. The beautifully appointed Al Shindagah Ballroom can accommodate up to 500 guests. In addition, there are five meeting rooms suitable for hosting corporate meetings, product launches, cocktail parties and gala dinners.



The hotel has developed its own rewards program, called Loyal, which guests can use throughout the Groups hotels and outlets.



Experience the beginning of a new chapter in the legacy of the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai. Create new beginnings while reliving good memories. Visit www.metropolitanhoteldubai.com or contact the Metropolitan Hotel by calling +971 4 343 0000. - TradeArabia News Service
The U.S. Senate considered striking down the Bureau of Land Managements new rule-making protocol, BLM 2.0, on Monday night, in a continued attempt to purge Obama-era regulations.

The dry federal process has become the topic of heated debate as conservative leaders try to cut back on federal oversight and advocates for the environment and recreation cry foul.

Congressional leaders from Wyoming introduced the rule for the chopping block in January under the Congressional Review Act, which can strip 11th-hour regulations of an outgoing presidential agenda with a simple majority vote in each house and the signature of the president.

The resolution of dissent on BLM 2.0 passed in the House days after being introduced by Rep. Liz Cheney and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate.

The Senate was scheduled to vote on whether to proceed with the rules consideration Monday night. The final decision was not available by press time.

***

BLM 2.0 is a reform of the federal agencys 1983 protocol on public involvement in the regulation process. It was passed in December, during the last leg of the Obama administration. If 2.0 is eliminated, the federal agency may revert to the 34-year-old method for the foreseeable future, as the CRA prohibits rehashing a rule thats been struck down. It could also revert to an early 2000s version that amended the 1983 rule.

Those in favor of cutting the rule see it as part of the state-versus-federal debate on land management. Under the previous president, a burdensome bureaucracy grew exponentially, they say.

Planning 2.0 represents a federal power grab that ignores expert knowledge and undermines the ability of state and local governments to effectively manage resources and land use inside their own districts, said Cheney in a January statement before proposing an end to the rule.

The congresswomans stance on the rule has not changed in the weeks since.

BLM 2.0 was a misguided and damaging attempt by the Obama administration to undermine the rights of state and local governments to manage resources and land use inside their own districts, she said in a statement. I was honored to introduce the bill repealing 2.0 in the House, and very pleased that it passed. Im hopeful the Senate will pass this important bill so we can begin to restore the rights and authority of Wyoming communities, citizens, and industry.

Sen. Mike Enzi told the Star-Tribune in a recent interview that he believed there was a reasonable role for federal agencies like the BLM and the Environmental Protection Agency to play in Wyoming but that states were best placed to regulate their various industries or protect environmental interests on the ground. Enzi was the first lawmaker to use the CRA to repeal an outgoing presidents action, after Bill Clintons presidency in 2001. It hadnt been used since.

The planning rule is one of a handful that are now being considered for repeal using the CRA. A law mandating stricter environmental protections for streams near coal production was struck down by the CRA in February.

***

Those in favor of BLM 2.0 are flummoxed by its inclusion in the debate over federal strong-arming. The rule went through a two-year vetting process, was considered in two congressional sessions and was the subject of multiple public comment periods.

Those in favor say the political argument against the rule, that it undermines public control of federal regulations, is far from the truth.

The rule is mistakenly enmeshed in politics, as current leaders push back against the work of previous Democratic leaders, said Chamois Andersen, executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation.

BLM 2.0 shouldnt qualify as political maneuvering, she said. Under these new guidelines, the public is involved in crafting a rule on federal lands from the outset, she said.

Before 2.0, only the BLM and cooperating agencies could see a proposed rule until a public draft was published, sometimes years later, she added.

As a result, public individuals from industry, wildlife organizations or recreationists on public land were unaware of the direction of a rule until its parameters were all but established. That system introduced the possibility for lawsuits, lengthy critiques and reworking of a rule, she said.

Some of the confusion over 2.0 may be attributed to the changes in public land management over the years, Andersen explained.

There has been a move toward ecosystem-based management on federal lands instead of species- or region-based management. That has led to the misconception that regulations are more restrictive, when the opposite is correct, she said.

BLM 2.0 allows officials to be more flexible, identifying the richest areas for oil and development, while securing areas where conservation is needed for wildlife or streams protected for anglers, Andersen argued.

If more congressional leaders were familiar with how the rule works and what it accomplishes, many with concerns now would likely come to support it, she said.
New York State Police have released the name of the man who died in a structure fire in Brutus on Thursday.

John Evans, 61, passed away after his mobile home at 17 Middle Lane caught fire. Emergency crews responded to the scene at Kenyon Landing Mobile Homes park around 10:49 a.m., putting out the blaze that appeared to have started in the back part of the home.

State police out of Auburn said a neighbor had called 911 about the fire, and it was not clear if Evans had made any attempt to exit his home. Though the investigation is ongoing, police said it was likely an accidental fire.
H. Boyd Moreland

Funeral services for H. Boyd Moreland, 86, were held Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery. He died Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, at the Shepherd of the Valley Health Care Center. Mr. Moreland served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War. Newcomer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimers Association or the American Diabetes Association.

Craig V. Spiva

A celebration of life for Craig V. Spiva, 57, will be held this summer. He died Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at his mothers home. Newcomer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to Wyo Central Federal Credit Union, 190 S. David St., Casper, WY, for a college fund for his grandson, Kaysen Wimer.

Barbara Anne Thode

Memorial services for Barbara Anne Thode, 75, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, 2017, at Bustards Funeral Home with Rev. Dr. James Shumard from St. Marks Episcopal Church officiating. Inurnment will be at Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery. She died Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, in Casper. Bustards Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimers Foundation of America, 332 8th Ave., 7th Floor, NY, NY, 10001 or the American Diabetes Association, 2451 Crystal Dr., Ste. 900, Arlington, VA 22202.

Bill O. Boston

A celebration of life mass for Bill O. Boston, 79, was held Saturday, March 4, 2017, at St. Patricks Catholic Church. Private inurnment was held. He died Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, in Casper. Mr. Boston served in the National Guard. Bustards Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Casper Humane Society or St. Patricks Church.

Lucas Lee Hoose

Memorial services for Lucas Lee Hoose were held Saturday, March 4, 2017, at Bustards Funeral Home. He died Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Bustards Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions will be donations of toys to the Wyoming Medical Center Pediatric Unit; Please bring a toy to donate.

Joseph Lanham

No services Joseph Lanham, 92, will be held. He died Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at the Central Wyoming Hospice. Mr. Lanham served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Newcomer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Central Wyoming Hospice or to the Casper Humane Society.

Barbara J. Feighner

Memorial services for Barbara J. Feighner, 74, will be held at 2 p.m. March 17, 2017, at the Glenrock Senior Center. Inurnment will be held at a later date at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Casper. She died Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. Newcomer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Glenrock Senior Center.

James Kent Jimmy Fritz

No services for James Kent Jimmy Fritz, 70, will be held. He died Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the Wyoming Medical Center. Mr. Fritz served in the U.S. Army Reserve. Newcomer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center, 1719 E. 19th Ave., Denver, CO 80218.

John Gordon Palmer

Memorial services for John Gordon Palmer, 82, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 6, 2017, at the Christ United Methodist Church, 1868 S. Poplar St. with military honors by the Wyoming Army National Guard and the Natrona County United Veterans Council. Inurnment will be at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery. He died Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Casper. Mr. Palmer served in the U.S. Army. Bustards Funeral Home is assisting the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Christ United Methodist Church or a charity of the donors choice.

Sarah Mortensen

No services for Sarah Mortensen, 66, will be held at this time. She died Thursday, March 2, 2017, at Central Wyoming Hospice. Newcomer Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
Casper, Wyoming

July 1, 1926March 4, 2017

Ardelle Kangas Martin, 90, of Casper, WY, went to be with her Lord and Savior March 4, 2017.

She was born to the late Ralph Everett and Mamie Sofia (Kangas) Swaim in Casper, Wyoming on July 1, 1926. She attended McKinley Elementary School and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1944. She was married to Hugh Robert Martin March 27, 1948, and he preceded her in death on July 3, 1976.

During her high school years, Ardelle worked in photography shops for the Seveys, Tom Carrigan and Chuck Flood. She also worked for Hughes Tool Company, National Supply Co., International Cementers and Great Lakes Oil & Chemical Company after high school. Her final career was in insurance where she was employed by Barnard Realty Insurance, Insurance Services, Inc. and Ramsgate Managing Insurance.

Ardelle was a lifetime member of Grace Lutheran Church, a 50 year member of Fort Casper Chapter #4 of Eastern Star, and belonged to National Association of Insurance Women serving as President in 1971-1972. She was also Secretary for the first Womens Bowling Association in Casper and served on the Council for Jobs Daughters Bethel #28.

During her lifetime, Ardelle enjoyed bowling, square dancing, camping, fishing, sewing, hand work, and singing with Grace Lutheran Church Choir and the Sweet Adelines. In the latter part of her life, Ardelle spent many hours working on the computer, researching genealogy, giving each of her grandchildren a history of their family genealogy, teaching basic computer skill classes to seniors, taking photos of family and friends and could not pass a barn without snapping a photo. She was the lone traveler on a Greyhound bus on a trip from Idaho Falls to Casper and the bus driver accommodated her wishes to stop many times to snap pictures of barns along the route. She volunteered numerous hours with the Wyoming Veterans Museum and also transcribed interviews on tape from war veterans for the Veterans History Project. She was also a volunteer at the Casper College Library researching Casper history. She was the one many friends came to for power point presentations for class reunions, family gatherings and the like. Many newborn babies were the recipients of her knitting expertise.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers Ralph Everett Jr. and LeRoy Martin Swaim and her daughter, Susan Lenee (Martin) Doggett.

She is survived by her daughters, Debora (Steve) Dexter of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Kelly (Gene) Hunt of Casper, WY, and Amy (Simon) Davies of Denver, CO; grandchildren, Tony (Kimmie) King, Daniel (Lauren Jessica) Daley, Aaron Wood, Adam (Steven) Hughes-Rutledge, Darcy (Andrew) Hubbard, Kaitlyn Hughes, and Kerri Davies; great-grandchildren, James Touchton Daley, Grayce Willow Martin Daley, Alexis Lenee King, Aliana Sue Reynoso, Zoe Ardelle Fernandez and Easton Cody Hubbard.

A viewing will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home from 5 pm to 7 pm Wednesday, March 8th. Funeral services will be held Friday, March 10th at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 315 CY Avenue, Casper, WY, with a reception to be announced. Burial will be at Highland Cemetery after reception.

To send condolences or leave a special message for the family, please visit www.NewcomerCasper.com.
Its too soon to know whether the Natrona County School District would allow employees to carry guns in schools, a top education official said Monday.

Legislators passed a bill in the recently concluded session that lets districts establish a system for school employees with concealed weapon permits to bring guns onto campuses.

But it remains to be seen whether the districts board would want to adopt such a system, board chairman Kevin Christopherson said Monday.

The gun bill passed the House and Senate and is now awaiting Gov. Matt Meads signature. The districts that choose to pursue the potential of arming faculty would be required to adopt rules and regulations, in consultation with law enforcement.

Employees would apply and have to be approved by the districts board, according to the bill. Christopherson said it was difficult to make determinations on any policies yet.

It will be an interesting discussion with the board and superintendent to see if we want to remain gun-free, he said.

A request for comment from district superintendent Steve Hopkins was not immediately returned Monday.

Christopherson said he personally supports the bill but emphasized that he did not speak for the board or any of its members.

I like the idea, Christopherson said. Im a supporter of the Second Amendment, and I think good people with weapons are a good thing.

He said that the majority of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones, a term that has taken on broad and disparate meanings among people of differing political persuasions.

Fact checkers have had, in the past, a hard time verifying Christophersons claim, which is a common one among gun supporters. PolitiFact rated a Florida lawmakers similar claim half-true because the terms mass shooting and gun-free zone are hard to define, and activists and academics calculate the statistics differently depending on their definitions.

On top of that, theres confusion about the bill itself. Originally, it did what has been described: allow school districts to approve eligible employees applications, require training and additional safeguards and qualifications.

But a late amendment added to the bill was interpreted by some lawmakers, including co-sponsor Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, as allowing anyone with a permit, except school employees, to carry weapons on school campuses without the boards permission. Others believed the amendment simply solidified local control and still allowed only district faculty and staff.

The latter interpretation seems to be correct: A summary of the final version of the bill explicitly states that it applies to school employees and makes no mention of the public at large.

It may all be a moot point in Natrona County. Christophersons too busy to push the measure before the rest of the board, he said, so it would be up to one of his colleagues to bring it forward.

He said it was too early to tell if the bill, if adopted by the district, would cause changes to security protocols. Currently, some schools in the district, like Kelly Walsh High School, have school resource officers. Last week, KW principal Brad Diller said the best security was a culture where students feel comfortable telling faculty and staff of any threats.

... we would have to sit down with the board and come up with the policies and work through the repercussions, he said. I dont know if we even have any teachers that are asking to do it.

For now, the bill awaits the approval of the governor. David Bush, Meads spokesman, said the governor has more than two weeks after the adjournment of the Legislature to sign it. The Legislature finished its session Friday.

When asked about the governors interpretation of the bill, Bush demurred, saying that the Governor is reviewing several bills at this time.
The Legislatures last-minute deal to cut $34 million from schools next year was a relief compared with previous proposals that at one time included a $91 million reduction, Natrona Countys school board chairman said Monday.

The final version of House Bill 236 was an 11th-hour compromise between the Wyoming House and Senate, which disagreed on how to address the looming $400 million annual education deficit thats set to smack Wyoming schools during the next two-year budget cycle. The two chambers reached an agreement late Friday night, and the Legislature adjourned shortly after.

The House pursued what many called a balanced approach, which included cuts, the use of savings, conditional and immediate tax increases, and the diversion of revenue.

The Senate, meanwhile, called for only cuts. Senate President Eli Bebout said during the session that he opposed any revenue increases.

State senators took two swings at solving the education crisis. First, they proposed Senate File 165, which ultimately would have instituted about $80 million in reductions. They also amended their supplemental budget that would have required $91 million in cuts next year.

Eventually, SF 165 was killed by the House, and the budget amendment was scaled back to a total of $45 million: $25 million this year and $20 million next year. But the cuts introduced by the omnibus bill will likely make the amendment moot.

Kevin Christopherson, the Natrona County School District board chairman, said the district faces about $4 million in cuts next year, a figure that he described as manageable. He said the board has been preparing for two years for cuts.

He was 99 percent confident that the deal on HB236 meant the district would avoid sending out pink slips. Superintendent Steve Hopkins, who did not respond to a request for comment Monday, has said the districts No. 1 priority is to avoid layoffs.

I know theres been a lot of anxiety in the district, Christopherson said Monday. People are worried about whether theyre going to have their job next year. Were doing everything we can so that people who are with us here stay with us.

The district will primarily use attrition to handle the $4 million cut, he said. The board has a four- or five-page packet of other options for reductions.

Were going to do anything from what we did with Grant (Elementary), with schools going away, to more kids in classrooms and smaller school budgets, he said.

Last year, at the new employee breakfast, Christopherson said there were 150 new faculty and staff there. That number will be much smaller next year, he said, though he acknowledged that there are some teachers or staff that, should they retire, will have to be replaced.

Christopherson complimented Hopkins, who has an accounting background and has spearheaded the districts efforts to cut its budget and evaluate the fiscal future.

He knows the numbers up there, he said. I think he dreams about them in his sleep.

Overall, Christopherson appeared confident that the states second-largest school district could handle a reduction that at one point couldve been around $10 million. He noted that the public school system in Wyoming had been richly funded for years.

The reality is that Wyoming doesnt have as much money as it used to have, and we cant print money, he said. We have to learn to do the same with less. I think our board has been accepting the reality, and weve been working toward it for two years.
During his recent address to Congress, President Donald Trump earned a standing ovation for once again declaring that, in place of Obamacare, Americans should have the freedom to purchase health insurance across state lines.

Heres the dirty little secret: Obamacare already gives Americans this freedom.

Dirtier still: When Republicans propose across state lines legislation, theyre really talking about reducing states sovereignty to make their own regulatory decisions. So much for states rights.

Filthiest yet: The best-case scenario for Trumps proposal would be that nothing happens; worst case, lots of people lose access to health care.

Despite the flip sloganeering, this is complicated stuff. (Nobody knew health care could be so complicated, amirite?) So first, heres some background on how the system works today.

Since 1945, the federal government has delegated the regulation of individual health-insurance plans to the states. That means states have decided what benefits insurers must cover (diabetes screening, in vitro fertilization, acupuncture, etc.); how much insurers can adjust premiums based on age, gender, past illness, occupation and other characteristics; and lots of other kinds of regulations, such as how plans can be marketed.

Then the Affordable Care Act came along.

Among many other provisions, Obamacare raised the floor for what services insurers had to cover, though states can still require benefits above the federal minimum. For example, the ACA says plans must fully pay for certain types of preventive care that not all states required previously.

The law also placed restrictions on how much insurers can adjust premiums based on age and other characteristics (though again, states can limit this further) in the individual and small group markets. The law says insurers cant charge you more just because you once had cancer or because youre female, both practices that almost all states used to allow.

And, apparently unbeknownst to Trump and other Republicans, Obamacare also encouraged the sale of insurance across state lines.

The law set up a framework to help states develop health care choice compacts with one another to allow plans to be sold across borders, conditional on mutually agreed-upon rules. Several states have started the process of creating such compacts. But to date, none has materialized.

Why is ... complicated.

Lots of state regulators dont want to give up turf, according to Georgetown University Health Policy Institute professor Sabrina Corlette. (Theres that state sovereignty thing again.) Plus, insurance companies havent exactly been clamoring for the right to sell across state lines.

The barriers to selling plans in a new state turn out to be less about regulatory red tape and more about the colossal costs associated with setting up networks and negotiating rates with new doctors and hospitals.

What, then, are Republicans proposing?

When Republicans talk about allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, this is shorthand for a bigger suite of deregulatory proposals. What theyre usually referring to is (A) lowering or eliminating the federal minimum standards for all states, and (B) allowing insurers from one state to sell a product that undermines anothers laws.

In other words, they want to allow a company in, say, lower-regulation Alabama to be able to sell insurance in higher-regulation Massachusetts, without having to follow Massachusettss laws about pricing or coverage.

At first blush this idea sounds like it has merit. It might give consumers more options.

But lets game out what happens.

Just as credit card companies tend to domicile in South Dakota, and many other companies wanting to minimize their tax liabilities incorporate in Delaware, every health insurer would have an incentive to park in the state with the least-restrictive regulations.

They could then cherry-pick the youngest, healthiest patients in the higher-regulation states who dont expect to consume much health care, according to Urban Institute senior fellow Linda Blumberg. That would leave behind older, less-healthy people in those relatively higher-regulation states, driving up average costs and making premiums less affordable.

In time, those sicker, older consumers would be forced to either drop their insurance altogether (causing costs for remaining patients to rise even further) or buy less-generous out-of-state coverage themselves. Any struggling insurers left in those high-regulation states would also pressure regulators to loosen coverage requirements to push prices down.

In other words, a race to the bottom. People either lose their coverage because they can no longer afford it, or they end up buying plans that dont cover much of anything.

Its hard to see the upside, which is why even conservative and free-market-oriented health experts have decided this unkillable across state lines proposal is junk. It sure sounds nice to those who dont know much about health care policy. Just ask our president.
Editor:

We love to hate the IRS, but we cannot have a nation without a fair and equitable taxing structure. Congress must adequately fund the IRS. Over the last five years, cuts in IRS funding have hamstrung the agency and crippled its ability to enforce the law. President Trump now proposes even more cuts.

Most of us play by the rules and pay our taxes. Tax cheats are the only ones who benefit from these cuts.

It is estimated that each new dollar committed to IRS enforcement yields $16 in tax revenue for America. From 2010-2014, Congress cut IRS budgets by $2 billion, or 15 percent, eliminating 5,000 high-level enforcement positions. Six former IRS commissioners representing three Republican and three Democratic administrations wrote to congressional leaders of their concern: Over the last 50 years, none of us has ever witnessed anything like what has happened to the IRS appropriations over the last five years and the impact these appropriations are having on our tax system.

Criminal investigations related to tax-related identity theft, money laundering, public corruption, cybercrime and terrorist financing also are on the decline, and IRS officials cited budget constraints as the reason.
According to Reporters Without Borders, more than a third of the world's population live in countries where there is no press freedom.

How fortunate it is that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution states that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.

And, even though Thomas Jefferson loathed newspapers, he truly believed that a free people require a free press. He said that the only security of all is in a free press. The agitation it produces must be submitted to but it is necessary, to keep the waters pure."

Unfortunately what we are beginning to see is a rise of verbal attacks against journalists. This is happening because President Trump is denouncing the media, repeatedly saying many stories about his administration are fake news.

Trump calls members of the media very dishonest people. He prefers instead to use Twitter to reach his supporters directly.

Official sanction can only make things worse and by bashing the media, some low-profile organizers will  without a doubt  steer the hatred against journalists.

What should really concern folks is that words such as fake news and lying press were words once used by the Nazi Party and in 1933 Freedom of the Press was suppressed in Hitler's Germany just as Adolf Hitler was coming to power. Hitler largely suppressed freedom of the press by also accusing the media of printing 'fake news'!

Therefore, as Jefferson said in 1799, Our citizens may be deceived for awhile, and have been deceived; but as long as the presses can be protected, we may trust to them for light."

In a letter to John Tyler in 1804 he also wrote that only those who fear the press are those who fear the investigation of their actions!

And so, one has to wonder if President Trump's fear is tied to his unwillingness to provide copies of his income tax filings to the American people? Certainly his overt display of patriotism would be questioned if where he's invested his money tarnishes that? And if he's never paid one cent in taxes ... that would further prove his hypocrisy!

Although the truth will eventually come out ... what if it reveals that we've all been played a fool! That his intent was really about making himself and cronies even greater wealth. Hope I am wrong!

Joyce Hackett Smith-Moore

Auburn
PHOENIX  One hour of coding instruction is not going to teach anyone to create the next generation of the Minecraft video game.

But Sen. John Kavanagh figures that if students are exposed to understanding what computer coding can do, it will encourage at least a handful to want to know more about what makes computers, cellphones and video games work.

So the Scottsdale Republican persuaded the House Education Committee to vote 7-4 on Monday to require students to be exposed to just one hour of coding sometime between the 4th and 12th grades. SB 1136, which already has cleared the Senate 17-13, now needs approval of the full House.

Kavanagh said he was inspired to push the legislation after a trip to Silicon Valley, where he and other lawmakers met with officials from some of the major tech companies there, including Google and Facebook.

One of the things they kept driving into us legislators was that they have to import hundreds of students from outside the U.S., he said.

There are not enough American students who have coding skills, Kavanagh said. They would really like to have American-grown talent doing this work here.

So how much can a student learn in one hour?

Not much, Kavanagh conceded. But he said thats not the point.

Were simply trying to show young students what coding is so they understand the concept, he said, learning why when they press a certain key on their smartphones it does a specific thing. More importantly, they realize it may be something theyre interested in and something that theyre capable of learning.

And its not even necessary that the teacher have any knowledge of coding.

Its built on a website operated by Hourofcode.com, a nonprofit with the stated goal of expanding access to computer science. There are a series of programs at various grade levels.

So at the fourth- and fifth-grade (level), the students might not actually write the code, Kavanagh explained.

They may simply pick blocks of words and letters and insert them, he continued, to see how each new provision affects the program. For example, it could be a race car program, where a specific line or group of lines causes a car to go faster or slower.

When they get older theyll actually do the typing of the code command, Kavanagh said.

One of the issues of concern is adding a specific mandate for a very specific area of knowledge. But Kavanagh said its justified and that it doesnt require a background in science to do coding.

Not everyone thinks this is a great idea.

Im not very supportive of us micromanaging what were teaching and for how long, said Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa.

And Udall, who has a bachelors degree in computer science and has done programming, questioned whether what Kavanagh wants will do any good at all.

One hour of coding in between the grades of 4th and 12th is going to give very little benefit, she said. An hours about enough to figure out how frustrating it can be  but not enough to really learn the skills to be successful at it.
WASHINGTON  Rosario Vazquez-Hernandez was washing windows on cars waiting at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, as he did most days, when Border Patrol agents grabbed him on charges that he was attempting to re-enter the U.S. illegally in 2014.

But a federal appeals court Friday has reversed his conviction, saying there was no evidence Vazquez-Hernandez intended to enter the U.S. that day, despite the fact that agents said he was looking around nervously.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said jurors were not told that in order to convict Vazquez-Hernandez they had to find that he intended to enter the country free from official restraint. Being in the fenced and heavily guarded border pre-inspection area, while on the U.S. side of the border, amounts to restraint, the court said.

Permitting a conviction for attempted illegal re-entry based on the intent to enter into only the pre-inspection area would undermine the fairness of our nations inspection procedures and jeopardize the integrity of convictions in other courts along the border, the opinion said.

Officials at the U.S. Attorneys Office in Tucson declined to comment on Fridays ruling, but an attorney for Vazquez-Hernandez said he was very pleased with the decision.

We feel that this decision will protect others from being convicted of crimes they did not commit, said Henry Jacobs, the attorney. Its a step forward for the rights of people who are trying to conduct lawful business near the port of entry.

Vazquez-Hernandez had been removed from the U.S. three times before his April 5, 2014, arrest while washing car windows at the Nogales border checkpoint, which he did routinely to make money, according to the opinion by District Judge William K. Sessions III. The pre-inspection area is surrounded by walls and patrolled by Border Patrol agents, and also is under video surveillance at all times.

Sessions wrote that while vendors and window-washers are not officially permitted to enter the pre-inspection area, they often do. As a result, Border Patrol agents occasionally arrest individuals in the area that they believe based on their behavior and appearance, to not have legal status in the United States, sometimes without warning.

The two agents who arrested Vazquez-Hernandez testified that he was behaving suspiciously, nervously observing his surroundings and looking over the wall at the southbound lanes, a divider that people occasionally jump over in an attempt to run north.

The officers believed his behavior was suspicious enough to arrest Vasquez-Hernandez. When they approached, he tried to run before they were able to grab him.

But Sessions noted that it is not uncommon for immigrants in the pre-inspection area to run toward the Mexican border when agents approach. And given Vazquez-Hernandezs history with the Border Patrol, He could have looked around cautiously to avoid arrest even if he did not intend to dart northward past the pre-inspection area on the southbound lanes, Sessions wrote.

The court also noted that Vazquez-Hernandez was only carrying the equipment needed to wash car windows and did not have any items that would indicate he planned on entering the United States that night.

Vazquez-Hernandez was convicted at a jury trial in October 2014 of attempted illegal re-entry and sentenced that December to 40 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release.

On appeal, the Circuit Court panel agreed with Vazquez-Hernandez that jurors were improperly instructed in the elements of the crime.
The board hiring the University of Arizonas next president will hold a news conference Tuesday, March 7, in Phoenix to announce its choice.

The Board of Regents met in closed session Monday to interview both finalists, Dr. Robert C. Robbins of Texas Medical Center and Sethuraman Panchanathan of Arizona State University.

The regents' announcement will be made at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday, after the board meets in closed session, starting at 3:30 p.m., to vote. The announcement will be made in the auditorium at Phoenix Biomedical Campus, Health Sciences Education Building, 435 N. Fifth St..

The news conference will be live streamed at https://www.azregents.edu/about/abor-live

On Wednesday, the winner will visit campus for meetings with student leaders, faculty, deans, alumni and elected officials. The campus visit will culminate with a moderated question and answer session.

The hiring likely will be finalized in early April when regents vote on the new presidents contract.

Robbins is a million-dollar man in his current post as president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, Arizona Daily Star research shows.

Robbins office wouldnt provide his salary, but the medical centers nonprofit tax records show he earned nearly $1.2 million in 2014, the most recent figure available online.

The other UA finalist, Panchanathan, earns $447,400 as an executive vice president overseeing research, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development efforts at Arizona State University.

Panachanathans income would increase by 50 percent, while Robbins would drop by about 50 percent, if they earned the same as current UA President Ann Weaver Hart, whose pay package totals $670,000 this year.

None of Arizonas university presidents makes $1 million. ASU President Michael Crow comes closest, with a pay package totaling $788,000 this year.

It isnt clear if the Arizona Board of Regents considered potential salary expectations when choosing the two finalists, or whether the board would consider increasing the pay level for the UA president.

Regents havent answered those questions. Nor have they provided a rationale for why the board plans to eliminate one of the two finalists, leaving only the winner to visit the UA campus community on Wednesday.

They also wont say who was on the short list of presidential contenders, prompting criticism that regents are ignoring an Arizona Supreme Court ruling that requires everyone interviewed for a state university presidents job to be publicly identified.

The two UA finalists also arent commenting for now.

The Star asked each for a 10-minute phone interview to talk about his vision for the UA. Panchanathan declined, saying he prefers to wait until after the regents final decision. Robbins office said hes traveling and is not conducting any interviews at this time.

Both finalists have career achievements that reflect the qualities regents say they are seeking in the UAs 22nd president.

Each has experience in the medical field, a priority area for the UA, which has two medical schools without permanent leadership after Dr. Joe G.N. Skip Garcia recently resigned as UAs health sciences boss.

The board also is seeking an innovator who can drive advances in research, fundraising and other key areas.

Robbins, a highly regarded cardiac surgeon, spent 20 years working for the Stanford University School of Medicine as professor and department chair in cardiothoracic surgery. In 2005, he founded the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute.

When Robbins left the California school in 2012 to take his current job in Texas, Stanford put out a news release saying his performance there had won him wide respect.

At Texas Medical Center, the worlds largest medical system, Robbins has introduced new research initiatives in areas such as genomics and regenerative medicine.

Why would someone making $1-million-plus a year at a much larger organization want to move to Arizona to run the UA for less money?

Lynn Nadel, the chair of UAs faculty and a member of the presidential search committee, said it may be that Robbins misses university life.

My sense is that he really wants to return to a university campus  and the life that that implies, enough that the likely loss of income is not a factor, Nadel said.

Not everyone makes every decision based on how much money they will earn. At a certain point, job satisfaction, quality of life, and other things, dominate.

Panchanathan, an adjunct professor at the UA medical school in Phoenix, is a computer engineer whose work has often focused on the intersection of technology and human health.

Hes spent years finding new ways for computers to improve the quality of life for disabled people. In 2004, for example, he led an ASU team that won an Arizona governors award for computer-assisted projects that help those with impaired vision recognize text, people and environments.

During the six years hes been the head of research and innovations, ASU has twice been ranked the No. 1 most innovative school in America by U.S. News & World Report.

In 2014, President Barack Obama named Panchanathan to the U.S. National Science Board, marking the first time an American of Indian origin was appointed to the body that advises the president and Congress on science and engineering issues.

UA donor Roni Woolston, a critic of the Tucson schools current president, said she was wowed by Panchanathan when he made a 2015 presentation to the Board of Regents on innovation and technology transfer.

He was absolutely brilliant and I remember wishing that we had someone of his caliber at the U of A, she said.

Hart is stepping down as president but will remain on the UA faculty.

Regent Ron Shoopman of Tucson, vice chair of the presidential search committee, said when the finalists were chosen that both have the potential to lead the UA into the future in a dynamic way.

He said he hopes the UA community will welcome the next president with open arms.
South Tucsons Fire Department enforced a building safety code that reduced a mens homeless shelter from 106 to 55 beds, effective Monday.

After getting notice last week that the code would be enforced, the Gospel Rescue Mission mens center, 312 W. 28th St., found emergency shelter for 46 men at other shelters, including programs operated by the Salvation Army and the Primavera Foundation, said Wes Shepherd, the centers client services coordinator.

But Monday night, some homeless men were turned away.

Sixto Molina, who started his new position of South Tucson city manager last week, said he questioned the Gospel Rescue Missions occupancy for safety reasons because of the recent sentencing of a man who started a fire on the property in 2016.

Molinas inquiry led a fire department administrator and building inspector to investigate the centers occupancy rate, and they determined the mens shelter could only house 55 beds under a 2012 International Building Code that was adopted by the city, Molina said.

We know they provide a tremendous service to the community, but we cant ignore the safety factor, said Molina. He said the fire department responded to 141 calls for service in 2016 at the rescue mission.

The social-service agency will look to buy property for a new 200-bed mens shelter, but in the meantime, advocates for the homeless are concerned that more will sleep in parks, under bridges, in washes and in desert camps.

The rescue mission was founded in 1953 and began operating in South Tucson in 1956, providing overnight shelter to about 60 men for decades. In 2004, the city approved 110 beds for the shelter, administrators said.

The Gospel Rescue Mission has long recognized the need for more beds for men, said Kim Ward-Morelos, its director of development and community outreach.

The Board of Directors sees the need for 200 beds. This is the impetus to move forward to look at a mens center.

Ward-Morelos said the board is looking at properties to possibly build or buy a building that is close to bus lines and provides easy access to other community services its clients need. There is no target date when this might happen, said Ward-Morelos.

The mens center provides multiple services, including extended shelter, a substance-abuse recovery and prevention program, education and job training, employment assistance and career counseling. It also offers health care and legal assistance, and housing programs. The rescue mission works with about 30 other agencies.

On Monday, Brian Turner stopped at the rescue mission for a meal, shower and clean clothes. He was turned away for emergency shelter for the night.

The 42-year-old man, who said he has worked as a flagger for road construction projects and as a driller on an oil rig, planned to sleep in a north-side park.

In the morning, said Turner, he plans to search for day labor and is hoping to save money to repair his truck.

Jonathan Drake, 35, who is enrolled in the rescue missions extended program to get his life back on track and hopes to work in restaurant management, said he is thankful for a bed to sleep in.

Drake said he traveled from Eugene, Oregon, to Tucson and was camping in the desert for about a month before coming to the rescue mission. He said he feels bad for the other men seeking emergency shelter who now cannot be taken in.

The impact will be most significant for homeless men during inclement weather, said Ward-Morelos, mentioning triple-digit heat and monsoon storms in the summer, and freezing nights in winter.

The rescue mission operates a shelter for women and children at 707 W. Miracle Mile. That shelter provides 100 beds.
The Arizona Daily Stars Sportsmens Fund Send a Kid to Camp program raises money so children from low-income households and military families can attend overnight YMCA, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps and Camp Tatiyee, for school-age children and older teens with special needs, at little or no cost to their families.

We kicked off our annual fundraiser on Rodeo Parade day, Feb. 23, with a donation envelope in the Star.

Our goal is to raise $190,000 and send 650 local boys and girls to area camps this summer.

Since 1947, the Arizona Daily Star Sportsmens Fund has helped pay for 38,551 children to go to camp. Were one of the oldest 5013 charities in Arizona.

Your contribution qualifies for the Arizona tax credit of up to $800 for donations to qualifying charitable organizations. That tax credit was increased starting for tax year 2016; donations made through April 18, 2017, qualify. Donations are welcome throughout the year.

Recent donations include:

Heather Alberts, $100.

William Allen, $100.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson, $250.

Mike and Jo Andre, $100.

Diana Armour $200.

Team Chandler Inc., an Authorized Snap-On Dealer, $300.

Ken and Elaine Baarson, $100.

Nick Bahn, $15.

Avery Bates, $200.

T.M. Bean, $25.

Phyllis W. Becker, $10.

Sherri C. Becker, $100.

Peter Beestrum, $100.

William Berman, $25.

Ernest Binz, $35.

Esther R. Blumenfeld, $25.

Sara Boyd, $100.

Laura and Archibald Brown, $250.

D. Burnette, $50.

Susan Bussman, $25.

Gary and Carol Butryn, $25.

Shirley Calhoun, $25.

Evelyn S. Campbell, $20.

Esther Capes, $100.

Wy and Janet Chamberlin, $100.

Dan Chavez, $75.

John A. Churchill, $10.

Jeffrey Cliff, $100.

Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence Cohen, $100.

Betty J. Cohn, $100.

Mr. and Mrs. David Colburn, $300.

Mary Cole, $100.

Dr. and Mrs. J. Wright Cortner, $200.

Laddie M. Cox, $110.

James O. Crabb, $200.

Courtney Creviston, $350.

Nancy Crosby, $50.

Kurt Cuff, $20.

Hall Cunningham, in memory of Emily Cunningham, $100.

Dagmar Cushing, $100.

Shirley Davies, $100.

Bonnie Day, $100.

Shirley De Gon, $20.

J. Downey, $50.

Mark and Barbara Dugan, $50.

The Dupniks, in memory of Carla E. Pedersen, $50.

Marilyn Dutari, $50.

Donald Earl Edwards, in memory of Lilly Edwards and Elsie Turner, $800.

More donations will be acknowledged in the coming week.
You can vote

 Your choices:

Saguaro you going / in such a hurry? / Obey speed limit

Single in HOV / Get a read date / not a court date

That's the / temperature  not / the speed limit

Don't drive / intexticated

Buckle up / buttercup

Changing lanes? / There's a turn / signal for that!

Use your thinker / Turn on / that blinker

Highways is no / place for a / tailgate party.

Under pressure? / Check your tires / before they blow

LOL! / OMG! / BRB @ ER

Wake me up / before you go go / Don't drive drowsy

A seatbelt a day / keeps the / doctor away

HOV lane: / Who is your / plus one?

Take the wheel / Not a selfie

Visit Grand Canyon / not great beyond / Drive safely

Fast, drunk & / stupid / is no way to drive

Your car / our road / Let's share

Don't be the last / to put / safety first

Passing on the / left is the right / thing to do

Get noticed / use blinkers

 Voting is taking place through March 15 at http://azdot.gov/about/transportation-safety/safety-message-voting .

 The two messages that get the most support will be displayed on overhead freeway signs in April.
PHOENIX  One hour of coding instruction is not going to teach anyone to create the next generation of Minecraft.

But Sen. John Kavanagh figures that if students are exposed to understanding what boolean changed = true; for(int i = 0; i < list.length && changed; i++) means  and what it can do  it will encourage at least a handful to want to know more.

So the Scottsdale Republican convinced the House Education Committee to vote 7-4 on Monday to require students to be exposed to just one hour of coding sometime between grades 4 and 12. SB 1136, which already has cleared the Senate on a 17-13 margin, now needs approval of the full House.

Kavanagh said he became inspired to push the legislation after a trip to Silicon Valley where he and other lawmakers met with some the major players there including Google and Facebook.

One of the things they kept driving into us legislators was that they have to import hundreds of students from outside the U.S., he said.

There are not enough American students that have coding skills, Kavanagh continued. They would really like to have American-grown talent doing this work here.

So how much can a student learn in one hour?

Not much, Kavanagh conceded. But he said that's not the point.

We're simply trying to show young students what coding is so they understand the concept, he said, learning why when they press a certain key on their smart phones it does a specific thing. More importantly, they realize it may be something they're interested in and something that they're capable of learning.

And it's not even necessary the teacher have any knowledge of coding.

It's built on a web site operated by Hourofcode.com, a nonprofit organization with the stated goal of expanding access to computer science. There are a series of programs at various grade levels.

So at the fourth and fifth-grade (level), the students might not actually write the code, Kavanagh explained.

They may simply pick blocks of words and letters and insert them, he continued, to see how each new provision affects the program. For example, it could be a race car program, where a specific line or group of lines causes a car to go faster or slower.

When they get older they'll actually do the typing of the code command, Kavanagh said.

One of the issues of concern is adding a specific mandate for a very specific area of knowledge. But Kavanagh said it's justified.

I don't have to run a bill to teach students how to write a novel or learn to do calculus, he said. By contrast, he said, coding is new and a mystery to many.

Anyway, Kavanagh said, it doesn't require a background in science to do coding.

What you need is an inquisitive mind, he said.

You need the ability to think abstractly and solve problems, Kavanagh said. That's what coding's all about.

Not everyone thinks this is a great idea.

I'm not very supportive of us micromanaging what we're teaching and for how long, said Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa. And Udall, who has a bachelor's degree in computer science and has done programming, questioned whether what Kavanagh wants will do any good at all.

One hour of coding in between the grades of 4th and 12th is going to give very little benefit, she said. An hour's about enough to figure out how frustrating it can be  but not enough to really learn the skills to be successful at it.

Kavanagh rejected the idea that his legislation is yet another unfunded mandate on public schools, if for no other reason than there's no cost because the online program is free.

Anyway, he said, the amount of time this would take  and just once  is less than a field trip.
State authorities say they are still pursuing legal action against a San Simon farmer whose fallowed fields were blamed for blowing dust that obscured Interstate 10 on multiple occasions in April and May last year  resulting in crashes and closures.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality referred the issue to the Attorney Generals Office on Oct. 6.

Timothy Franquist, director of the agencys air quality division, said his department is still pursing formal enforcement.

We are still determining the depth and breadth of the violation, Franquist said. Because it is with the AGs office, were not allowed to talk about the details.

Mia Garcia, spokeswoman for Attorney General Mark Brnovich, said there is nothing we can say at this time.

The interstate was closed eight times in April and May for crashes or detours when dust reduced visibility adjacent to David R. Turners Agrigold Farms near San Simon east of Tucson.

The Department of Environmental Quality ordered Turner to stabilize the dust on his land and then joined with the state Department of Transportation to begin that process itself.

State agencies, including the Department of Public Safety reported spending a combined $600,000 on emergency response to three multiple-vehicle accidents, interstate detours and mitigation of Turners fields.

Recovering those costs remains an issue, said Franquist. Were looking at all expenses outlaid by the state and any appropriate penalties, he said.

Franquist said his department has continued to inspect conditions on Turners orchards and has uncovered no problems since the state took action to stabilize the soil in May.

Its a combination of a few things: Yes, the (soil stabilizer) Gorilla Snot does seem to be holding up, the farmer is vegetating some of the area and Mother Nature helped. We had some good winter rains.

He said ADEQ is now working to address other areas of the state where blowing dust is a chronic problem.

I think the Turner situation, in and of itself, is an isolated issue. It elucidated a larger issue along the I-10 corridor, in places like Picacho Peak, northwest of Tucson.

If nothing else its been a launch pad to light a fire for all the agencies, that it is an issue statewide that we really need to address.

That dusty and deadly stretch of I-10 in Pinal County will be the focus of the sixth annual dust workshop, held by the National Weather Service, the Arizona Department of Transportation and ADEQ Tuesday at Central Arizona College in Coolidge.
PHOENIX  A House panel voted 10-1 Monday to protect student journalists despite objections by one lawmaker who feared giving too much power to children.

SB 1384 would limit the ability of administrators to censor university, community college and public school papers. About the only time they could block publication would be in cases of libel, unwarranted invasions of privacy, violations of law of where there is imminent danger of inciting students or disruption of operations.

And that prior restraint would be allowed only for public school papers.

Members of the House Education Committee heard from a parade of high school journalists who cited their own experiences having stories edited or quashed by administrators. That included Henry Gorton at Sunnyslope High School who said he was barred from reporting the views of Trump supporters about issues of illegal immigration amid concerns that undocumented students would feel threatened.

Rep. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, told Gorton that story might actually gain him support at the Republican-controlled legislature.

But Rep. David Stringer, R-Prescott, called the legislation well intentioned but also flawed.

Stringer indicated he had no real problem with providing protections for college journalists. But this bill, he said, goes too far.

I think it's a big mistake to include high schools and student newspapers in high schools with colleges and universities, he said. There's a very, very fundamental difference between high schools which are full of children, which are full of minors, and colleges and universities where we're dealing with adults.

And Stringer specifically objected to a provision to protect faculty advisers from administrative retaliation solely for either protecting student journalists from exercising their rights in the legislation or refusing to infringe on conduct that is constitutionally protected.

I can see the need to protect students, to allow students to have freedom of speech, he told Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, the sponsor of the legislation.

But I think it's pretty common knowledge that in many of our schools there's a strong liberal bias, Stringer continued. And I can foresee the unintended consequence of protecting faculty members who are influencing the students, or perhaps expressing their own views and biases, using public resources to propagandize their own liberal views through what purport to be student publications.

Stringer was not dissuaded by Lori Hart, a faculty adviser at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, who argued such protections are necessary.

Advisers do get fired from teaching at the school if they go ahead and publish something that is not approved by the school, she said.

Hart said it's possible that if students get additional legal protections it might not be necessary to extend some sort of employment immunity to their advisers. But she told Stringer that's not the case now.

I just know that right now teachers need that protection, Hart said.

This is actually the second time Yee has advanced such legislation. The first time was in 1992 as a high school student journalist who came to the Capitol to seek protections after she said her own work at Greenway High School was being censored.

She got the bill through the Senate only to have it die in the House. Yee told colleagues she did not realize that until last year.

Yee, like Hart, defended the protection for faculty members.

They, too, receive intimidation from their school district administrators who tell them, 'Don't print the story, she said.

And they fight against that because they're protecting the student, Yee said. They're saying, 'The story is a valid story, it's got both sides of the issue, it's black and white, it's appropriate to go to print.

Stringer warned Gorton there's a potential downside in getting the freedom he and other students seek: Administration simply shutters the paper.

You do see the risk that if we statutorily guarantee you, to high school students, adolescents, this blanket kind of immunity and free speech protection that it could be totally self-defeating and have very unintended consequences that you basically lose your forum for expressing any opinions or journalistic ideas, Stringer said.

Gorton, however, was undeterred. He said if administration controls the content, the paper is no longer a forum for students.

Under censorship, it's not a forum but an echo chamber that's more propaganda and more a newsletter rather than a newspaper, something that only advances the interests of our administrators, he said.

Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, said she was concerned that the legislation did not specifically allow administrators to keep profanity and nudity out of papers. But David Cullier, dean of the journalism school at the University of Arizona, said there are court cases which already give public school administrators the right to prevent publication of such items.

The measure, which already has gained unanimous Senate approval, now needs a vote of the full House.
HSL Properties bought the Hampton Inn and Suites at 5950 N. Oracle Road for $7.2 million. the hotel has 109 guest rooms, including 28 with kitchenettes. It is the the sixth hotel in the HSL Properties portfolio.
Help India!

By Mohit Dubey

Varanasi, (IANS): The seventh and last phase of polling to pick a new Uttar Pradesh assembly will be held on Wednesday in seven districts of poverty-struck Poorvanchal region.

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Around 1.41 crore voters are eligible to take part in the balloting in the sprawling region that includes Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency.

The other districts which will see voting are Sonebhadra, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Bhadohi and Jaunpur.

While the onus is on the ruling Samajwadi Party to retain the 24 of the 40 seats it won in 2012, a lot is also at stake for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Modi himself as the party swept the Poorvanchal in the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), trying hard to regain power in the countrys most populous state, has put in all its might to add to its 2012 tally of five seats.

The Congress, now a Samajwadi ally, won three seats in 2012, the Quami Ekta Dal one and three independents too made it to the outgoing assembly.

In Poorvanchal, poverty is a dominant theme. In his speeches, Modi spoke a lot on joblessness and poverty.

The BJP did not win even a single seat in five of the districts in 2012.

The last phase of election is a litmus test for BJP stalwarts.

Former Chief Minister and now Home Minister Rajnath Singh comes from Chandauli. Mahendranath Pandey, an MP, is a member in the Modi government. Ghazipur MP Manoj Sinha is Minister of State for Railways.

Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, a BJP ally, has a lot at stake too. Her parliamentary constituency Mirzapur goes to polls on Wednesday.

BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak says the party was confident of doing exceedingly well in Poorvanchal.

We have performed beyond our expectations in the last six phases. We are sure of getting maximum seats in the final phase, Pathak told IANS.

The Samajwadi Party expelled most of its powerful Poorvanchal leaders after an internal party feud involving Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh.

Senior cabinet minister and Akhilesh Yadav aide Rajendra Chowdhary says the region has always stood by the Samajwadi Party.

The BSP is banking heavily on the appeal of Mukhtar Ansari and his family. The region is home to hundreds of thousands of weavers, many of whom are Muslims.

BSP chief Mayawati speaks of a groundswell in her partys favour.

People have tried and tested both Modi and Akhilesh Yadav and there is nothing but disappointment. Poorvanchal, like other parts of the state, is looking to the BSP for good governance, the Dalit leader says.

Some areas are home to Maoists while some of the candidates have a criminal background. Security has been stepped in Sonebhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli.

It is a triangular fight in Mughalsarai, Sakaldeha, Sayyedraza and Chakia seats in Chandauli. So is the case in Mirzapur, Chunar, Majhwa, Chanbe and Madihan in Mirzapur district.

Sonebhadra  Robertsganj, Ghorawal and Duddhi  will see a close contest between the BJP and BSP.

Political strongmen who are either in the fray or have fielded family members include Sigbatullah, Vineet Singh and Atul Rai (BSP), Dhananjay Singh (Independent), Alka Rai and Sushil Singh (BJP), Dinesh Kant (RLD) and Manoj Kumar (Samajwadi Party).

Varanasi has hogged the maximum limelight.

It has eight assembly constituencies of which the BJP won three. In all 127 candidates are in the fray in Varanasi. Modi, Akhilesh Yadav, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati extensively campaigned in the city.
Help India!

By TCN News

Indian Social Forum, a platform for Indians in Saudi Arabia, helped an Indian expat worker to return back to India after she was cheated by a travel agency.

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Shabina Banu from Karnataka came to Saudi Arabia with the intention of earning a good livelihood for her family. She had come through a travel Agency Al-Hasan Enterprise from Mangalore to work as a Child caretaker with all service benefits.

However, Shabina Banu was forced to work as a housemaid in her Visa Sponsors house. Initially, she refused to work as a maid but her Sponsor insisted and she agreed as she had no option. After some time, her Sponsor forced her to work in his other house too and when she refused, she was physically tortured. Also, her salary was supposed to be 1,500 riyals but she was paid only 1,000 riyals.

When Sabina told her family about her experience, the family members contacted Ashraf Arkana, Indian Social Forum Member and discussed ways to bring her back. The ISF team led by Ismail Mangalapete and Ashraf Arakana immediately rushed to helps Shabina Banu.

The ISF Members contacted the Indian Embassy office in Riyadh to make immediate repatriation Shabina Banu. When the Embassy called her sponsor, the Sponsor demanded the money which he paid to get her visa. As Shabina Banu had no relatives and friends in Riyadh, Indian Social Forum Karnataka State Committee arranged money and paid to her sponsor on her behalf. Finally, on March 2, she was able to return home to her family.

Shabina Banu conveyed her thanks to the team and wished that their efforts would continue in the coming days.
Today, it is time for a glass of Wine with Giuseppe Benanti, founder of the Benanti estate in #Sicily. Giuseppe is deemed one of the biggest winemakers of Southern #italy.

Giuseppe, when did your interest for wine start?

"I founded the Benanti Winery in Castiglione di Sicilia, a small town on the Mount Etna, Sicily, in 1988. At that time, I was driven by a passion for the universe of fine wine and a deep love for the Etna, the desire to embark on a lifetime project for the second half of my life and by the ambition to set a new standard for wine production in Sicily. My grandfather was already a grower of grapes (not a wine producer) at an amateurish level in the late 1800s and I had very fond memories of many harvests when I was a child."

The wide array of indigenous grapes in your estate is impressive: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante.

Would you please define their main features?

"Nerello Mascalese has distinct pure aromas and flavors of sour red cherry, tobacco, aromatic herbs and minerals. It combines structure with light/medium-body and elegance, it is ageworthy and develops phenomenal complexity over time. Nerello Cappuccio has soft flavours of ripe red cherry, minerals and delicate herbs. It is pleasant and refreshing, more floral and fruity than Nerello Mascalese. Carricante is dry, acidic, very refined and pure with distinct mineral aromas and lemony flavours, green apple and, when mature, with obvious flinty, diesel-fuel aromas. Wines made with carricante are very age-worthy and can develop superb complexity."

How does Mount Etna influence the flavor and taste of your wines?

"First, Mount Etna has a northern climate at a Mediterranean latitude. Second, Etna is a volcano, therefore vines are planted on volcanic soil, unique within the island of Sicily. Finally, we grow grapes that are indigenous to Mount Etna and are almost absent outside the Etna region. The combination of these three elements really makes Etna wines unique."

What was the biggest challenge in developing the Benanti Estate over 25 years?

"The lack of a local know-how was surely an obstacle. Also, very little was known at that time about the native grapes. Another challenge was the lack of knowledge by professionals in the market. Also, it was much more difficult at that time to spread the culture of our territory and wines, as internet did not exist yet! We really built our reputation through positive word of mouth, year after year. There were many keen early adopters but, obviously, it was a rather slow process. Since the end of 2012, the winery is owned and managed by my sons Antonio and Salvino."

What will be the global role of Sicilian wine in the next decades?

"I see a bright future for Sicilian wines. The community of those who perceive wine drinking as a cultural experience is growing steadily. In this context, wines from rare indigenous grapes (68% of the wine produced in Sicily now comes from indigenous grapes) are very well positioned. Average quality is rising too. Finally, leading Sicilian producers now travel the world more often to promote their wines and territories."

Finally, our unavoidable Libiamo question: If you had to suggest an opera as the right soundtrack to drink your wines with, what would you suggest?

"Cavalleria Rusticana, for sure!"

We cannot imagine a better choice: an opera by Pietro Mascagni based on a play and short story written by the famed Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga

Among the many, astonishing wines produced by Benanti, our pick is the Etna Rosso Doc, a wine with smooth texture and bold personality, available on the #Libiamo Wines online store.
There is more to Brexit than meets the eye, so the critics keep telling us. But let's remember that Brexit was more than a need to end the tyranny of the European Union and the discriminatory immigration policies they allowed; it was a movement for change. And that is why Grammar Schools are so crucial in Britain's journey to succeed after we are free from Brussels' shackles.

Crisis in education

The education sector is in crisis. Brexit was not a protest against globalisation, but the regionalisation of the EU. We still need to compete in a global market.

But under New Labour, the ban on grammar schools has deprived children from the poorest backgrounds with the opportunity to compete with their counterparts at top schools like Eton and Harrow. They were shoved into the state sector for New Labour's ideological purposes where they had a poor education in a failing comprehensive.

Post-Brexit

The triggering of Article 50 is dawning upon us. It is all well and true untangling the web of legislation the EU has imposed on us for years, but those of us who campaigned for Brexit know Britain can stand on its own two feet. Yet how can future generations fulfill this mission without the necessary skills to do so? This lifting on selective schools is more than just an attempt to reverse New Labour's damage to this country; it is about preparing Britain for a post-Brexit environment.
President Donald Trump has signed a brand new travel ban on Muslim-majority countries as an extreme vetting measure to prevent terrorist attacks. Liberals say it will invite more in, actually, because this is why terrorists are terrorists in the first place, because of people like Donald Trump, who the American people have gone and elected into power. Anyway, its his second after the first was blocked by the federal courts, and hes had to make some big changes.

Iraq dropped from list

Trump has dropped Iraq from the list of countries banned, bringing the grand total down from seven to six.

Iraq has been working in close conjunction with the US military forces to bring down the Islamic State, which is why Trump is now going easy on them.

Start date

Last time, Trump put the ban into effect immediately, and it confused airlines and customs officials and left people stranded away from home until the courts lifted it. This time, hes not putting it into effect for 10 days, which gives people time to figure out whats going to happen and get their affairs in order.

Green card holders can stay

A big problem with the previous travel ban is that Trump was not allowing even travellers with valid visas and citizenship in the country. But now, current visas are allowed back in.

Syrian ban lifted

Another random act of kindness to brighten Trumps day is the lifting of the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. Syrians will now be allowed back into America after the standard 90-day traveller ban and 120-day refugee ban.
Tomorrow's budget is predicted to set aside 500 million for a new set of Grammar Schools.

Chancellor Phillip Hammond is to secure 320 million to fund approximately 140 new free schools, many of which are predicted to become grammars.

This is seen as a significant boost to the education sector and is expected to create 70,000 new school places.

Yet critics have argued that the money does not go far enough and that 6.7 billion was the actual amount necessary to bring existing schools up to scratch.

Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner attacked the Government for cutting the schools budget.

An education revolution

Prime Minister Theresa May announced she wants to create an education revolution.

An education white paper is expected to be proudced soon, which will consist of plans to reverse the ban on new grammars that was implemented by New Labour nearly 20 years ago.

The education investment will also contain 216 million that will contribute towards funding to rebuild existing schools.

In order to ensure that the poorest members of society are included in the Prime Minister's grammar schools revolution, there will be free transport to assist children on free schools meals to travel to a grammar.

20 free schools will open in 2020, with the remaining grammars expected to open over the course of the next parliament.

The Conservatives pledged during the last two general elections to create free schools. 431 of them are currently open with 243 new ones expected to be opened soon.

Mrs May said: 'During the last six years we have overseen a revolution in our schools system and we have raised standards and opportunity, but there is much more to do.'

Waste of money

However, opponents of the scheme argue it is an insufficient use of taxpayers' money.

Dr. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said they are a 'waste of money.'

Totally insufficient

In response to the schools funding crisis, she said: 'These spending pledges are totally insufficient to tackle the schools funding crisis.'

But ministers have said that the schools budget is higher than it has ever been since Labour left office in 2010.

Rayner said she was 'really quite disgusted' by the funding plans.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman John Pugh said the Conservatives 'had their priorities wrong on education.'

But the New Schools Network said they want more of them in the inner cities.

Education Secretary Justine Greening declared new legislation that would lift Labour's ban on new selective schools after Theresa May became Prime Minister last year.

But the proposals met opposition from Tory backbenchers and the Labour Party as they diverted money away from other schools.

Tony Blair implemented the ban on new grammars after New Labour came to power in 1997.

The Budget starts at 12.30pm tomorrow and it will be Phillip Hammond's first one since becoming Chancellor in July last year after taking over from George Osborne.

You can watch it on BBC Daily Politics or on BBC Parliament.
Emma Watson did a photo shoot for Vanity Fair to promote her upcoming live-action remake of Disneys Beauty and the Beast, which has been controversial with rednecks and Russians, not for its portrayal of interspecies love, but for its openly gay character played by Josh Gad, and because the photos featured a little bit more of her breasts than a conservative housewife would like to see, arguably the greatest feminist in the world has now been branded anti-feminist by some.

Social media debate what feminism is

The debate on social media that Watson has sparked feeds into the Trevors Axiom theory from South Park. Her photo shoot ticked some people off and then their anger over it ticked some other people off and so on and so forth until everyone on social media is no longer debating whether or not Watson can still be considered a feminist, but rather what it actually means to be a feminist, which can be fuzzy sometimes.

Radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer branded Watson a hypocrite, tweeting that she complains that women are sexualised before she goes and sexualises herself. Watson has responded to the controversy in an interview during her press tour for the Film, saying she is confused by it and that there has been a misunderstanding regarding the content of her Vanity Fair shoot.

Sam Smethers, head of the Fawcett Society, an organisation fighting for womens rights and gender equality, is on Watsons side in the matter, saying that a somewhat raunchy photo doesnt make her unfeminist, since in the grander scheme of things, she has done more for women and for young girls than most of us put together, so nobody should be criticising her for the photo shoot.

Smethers says that Watson is an empowered woman who is posing for a very tasteful image, and added that the image complies with feminist values of not being exploited and not being in a controlling position, calling the photo a positive use of her body.

Sexist News say controversy is daft

Sexist News, who despite their name, actually fight against sexism, with such campaigns as the one to end topless models being featured on Page 3 of The Sun newspaper, are all for Watson exploring and championing feminism having grown up in the public eye, and say that the controversy surrounding her photo shoot is daft, since it is not a debate that we have about mens fashion shoots.

The University of West Englands feminist researcher Dr.

Finn Mackay believes that there are much more important things to debate about women and gender than the Emma Watson photo shoot controversy, such as abortion, access to healthcare, or mothers access to welfare, saying that a Hollywood celebrity flashing a bit of boob is really the least of my worries.
As Flagstaff residents look toward city council action on an amendment to the citys minimum wage law that would stave off the $12 wage on July 1, local business owners are trying out various tactics to cope with increasing labor costs. The state minimum wage hit $10 an hour on Jan. 1.

Mike Funk, the owner of Firecreek Coffee Company, sees the wage increase as a positive influence, and has even chosen to bump his employees' pay above the new $10-per-hour that is the state minimum.

We felt we needed to set an example, Funk said. We are increasing our prices but we are paying our employees a fair wage.

At the Flagstaff location, Funk employs about 20 people who work an average of 35 hours per week. With tips, most of his workers already take home more than $12 an hour, Funk said.

The minimum wage increase does affect us, but we have always been trying to pay workers more, he said.

Funk recognizes that Firecreek does not compete on prices, and said customers in the cafe are already willing to pay more money for a product that they think is worth the higher cost.

Weve always tried to do something special, Funk said. Thats why we have smaller portions and are more expensive.

Funk also gave employees of more than a year small, symbolic raises, even though they were already earning more than $10 an hour, which is the state's new minimum wage.

So far, the feedback on his price increases has been overwhelmingly positive, Funk said.

Its nice to see people are putting their money where their vote is," he said.

As for effects to his bottom line, Funk said he tries to operate his business on a 10 percent profit margin, though right now that number is closer to 5 or 6 percent. He said he plans to continuously raise prices as the minimum wage increases, though future jumps will likely be smaller.

I get concerned that all the chains will be OK, he said. They arent paying someone to make ketchup like one of my favorite local restaurants is.

Funk said the increase in the tipped minimum wage is also worrisome to him because many tipped workers are already taking home much more than the minimum wage.

Why make the restaurateur pay triple if they are already paying a sustainable wage plus tips? Funk asked. A lot of restauranteurs arent going to have the extra money.

He acknowledged that the current increase schedule has been a hard swallow for many businesses.

The sad thing is, probably a lot will go out of business, he said.

 BIFFS BAGELS

Biffs Bagels has similarly seen a positive response to the 15 percent price increase it implemented in January, manager Felicia Cruze said.

We havent lost business over it at all, she said.

The 15 percent will cover what it costs to move employees up to $12 an hour to comply with both the state and city minimum wage increases this year, Cruze said.

Only three of the bagel shops 11 employees were making less than $12 an hour, so the change wont have a huge effect on the businesss labor costs, Cruze said. And with the raise, the owners made it clear they are expecting more of employees, she said.

We had to explain with us going to $12 that you needed to be aware that you need to be a $12 employee, she said.

STREETSIDE SAIGON

Like the owners of Biffs Bagels, Hoa Truong, the owner of Street Side Saigon, was a supporter of Prop. 414 during the election. Truong said he believes a person that works 40 hours a week should be able to afford the necessities, like rent or a mortgage, food, utilities and basic healthcare.

Most employees at Street Side Saigon were already making about $10 an hour, Truong said, but in January when the state minimum was increased, he bumped up their wages as well to combat wage compression.

Its not fair for a person who has been here for two years to be making the same as someone who just started, he said.

While Truong has not had to raise his prices yet, he said he did stop running some specials in the restaurant, and does plan to reprint the menu with new prices in July when the citys minimum wage is scheduled to reach $12 an hour.

I hope my customers will understand, he said.

Like Funk, he said he plans to post a notice about raising prices, but said he is not writing the note begrudgingly because he does support paying employees more.

Truong said his personal worldview, separate from his business, made him favor the higher wages because he would like to see an increase in the quality of life in the city.

Truong also said he can see other local businesses feeling pressure under the increase, and said many acquaintances of his have expressed worry.

I understand the degree of allergy some businesses have to these types of things, he said.

But Truong came back to his belief that the argument to keep prices and the minimum wage low puts servers in an undervalued position.

NOT SO EASY

Another local restaurant owner who did not want to be named raised his prices 16 percent to cover the approximately 10 percent increase in monthly payroll he has seen since the state minimum wage increase, as well as expected cost increases under the citys July $12 minimum wage. Like Truong, the restaurant owner bumped up the hourly pay of all of his employees, even the ones that were making more than $10 an hour. Tipped servers were bumped from $5.05 an hour to $7.05 an hour, according to state law.

He hasnt laid anyone off yet but he has cut his employees hours by 5 percent to 7 percent. Additionally, his local distributors food prices have gone up 4 percent to 5 percent, he said. The big question mark is in how the restaurant's customers will respond to $1 and $2 increases in menu item prices.

As long as I don't lose customer counts, everything will work itself out, the restaurant owner said.

WARNERS NURSERY

For Misti Warner, the owner of Warner's Nursery and Landscaping, the state and impending local minimum wage increases havent been as easy to absorb. The business will be reducing the number of seasonal employees it hires by at least one third and up to one half, depending on what happens with the Flagstaff minimum wage increase, Warner said. Those employees have tended to be high school and college students and most would have started at wages well below $12 an hour, she said.

Warner is also cross-training many seasonal employees so they can do more in the hours they work  man a cash register as well as tend to plant beds, for example.

In general, employees will have less of an opportunity to get a pay raise, though, because the starting bar has been moved up to the point that she cant afford the additional payroll costs, Warner said.

She said she's also worried that without enough seasonal employees, her more knowledgeable sales staff will get stuck doing manual labor and wont have as much time to interact with customers, which will affect overall service levels. Along the same lines, she has had to reduce the inventory of plants that she will keep on hand because she wont have as much labor needed to move and care for them, Warner said.

On the landscaping side of the business, Warners has already had to let go of one of its crews, though the larger economic climate also played a role in that decision, Warner said. The business is also considering moving the landscaping division outside city limits so they can avoid the city minimum wage and be more competitive with non-Flagstaff companies when bidding for jobs, she said.

In other areas of the business, Warners cut its advertising budget and had to scrap what are usually annual donations to hospice organizations, the American Cancer Society and the Flagstaff Arboretum, she said.

Were just going to keep going, weve been here for many, many years and survived because of this community, Warner said. Were just going to have to be really smart.

But Warner says a jump to $12 in July would be hard.

"$12 could make us feel were not supported by the community," Warner said.

"Were feeling like all of the burden is being put on businesses," she said. "It's expensive to live in Flagstaff but it's also expensive to run a business in Flagstaff and I don think that is being put out there."
What do you do when your President will stop at nothing to crush the oh-so-vital press and keep reporters out of the White House and keep the truth at bay and instead tell the press alternative facts and the spirit of journalistic voices are feeling the weight of his boot? You make The Post, a new political drama being directed by Steven Spielberg to star A-list icons Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, about the important role that The Washington Post played in revealing the Pentagon Papers to the American people back in 1971.

Hanks and Streep will play the two most important people in the true-life story that The Post is based upon.

Hanks character is Ben Bradlee, the editor of The Washington Post, and Streeps is his publisher Kay Graham. Both Bradlee and Graham risked their careers by taking on the federal Government in order to get the Pentagon Papers published.

The Post is written by a first-time writer

Liz Hannah is the screenwriter who made her first sale with The Post, who was lucky enough to pre-empt this theme of journalists versus the White House becoming hot-button and topical, and lucky enough that Hanks bought an espresso machine for the journalists and feels for their plight and is therefore getting involved in the picture. Shes also lucky enough generally to have sold a spec script to a major Hollywood producer, which is much more of a rarity than it should be, given the calibre of talent out there with screenplays they cant get produced (check my bio, Hollywood).

Pascal Pictures (owned by Amy Pascal, the disgraced Sony executive who left the company after North Korea hacked her emails and revealed all the racist things she said about then-President Barack Obama) is the company that originally bought Hannahs script for The Post back in last autumn, when it was just a nice story from 1971 and not a pertinent and current and socially relevant and A-lister-attracting Oscar-bait drama.

But now it is and Spielberg, Hanks, and Streep have happily signed up. But it might not be relevant for long, given how quickly hot-button issues cool off and disappear (remember when Ebola was going to kill us all until two weeks later everyone forgot about it?), so theyre going to have to act fast to get The Post made and in cinemas while they still can.

Spielberg and Hanks fifth collaboration

Barring the HBO miniseries they produced together, The Post will mark the fifth Film collaboration between Spielberg and Hanks, whose past efforts are Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Bridge of Spies. Streep will likely have signed up immediately, given her outspoken disdain for President Donald Trump. She has only previously worked with Spielberg in a very small voice role in AI and in narrating the upcoming Netflix documentary Five Came Back, on which Spielberg is an executive producer and interviewee.
Bad news for samsung Galaxy S6 users: Samsung just officially confirmed on their UK twitter account that the Nougat update has been delayed. Those who have been eagerly awaiting the software update will have to remain patient for a little longer, it seems. While the Nougat update was initially expected to be released in early March, there appears to have been a problem with the software, as the following tweets suggest:

@harri_ashley The software update for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge has been delayed while we review its quality. 1/3  Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) 27. Februar 2017

@harri_ashley The new software version will be made available at the earliest opportunity. 2/3  Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) 27. Februar 2017

@harri_ashley Samsung remains committed to providing the highest quality software and apologises for the delay. 3/3 ^CW  Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) 27. Februar 2017

Samsung failed to give any specific date or an ETA for the Nougat update.

Thus, we can only speculate, when the Galaxy S6 will receive the seventh major update to the Android operating system. In the meantime, we shall take a look at some of the features that are expected to come with the Nougat OS.

Plenty of useful features for you to look forward to

Even though Samsung Galaxy S6 users will almost certainly miss out on some features in the upcoming update, there is still plenty to look forward to. Galaxy S6 owners who use their phones in the dark a lot will be delighted to hear about the Blue Light Filter. This feature will allow you to adjust the amount of blue light emitted from your screen to prevent your eyes from being strained. The Nougat update will also come with several improved security features to help keep confidential files and data safe.

With the so called Secure Pass you will also be able to log in to various accounts using your fingerprint as verification. The Camera app is also expected to get a visual makeover and become user-friendlier.

How to prepare your phone for the update

As with most software updates we can almost certainly assume that there'll be initial problems with the Nougat OS when it's made available.

Ideally, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S6 should not install the update right away but instead wait for reviews about the OS from trusted sources. Most users will probably want to update their operating system as soon as possible though. If you're one of those people whose patience is running thin, you should definitely look into the downgrading process as a precautionary measure.

This will leave you with the option of going back to Marshmallow should you find the update dissatisfying. Also, consider backing up all your important files on an external device. Let's hope Samsung releases a bug-free version of the Nougat update sooner than later.
It is less than a month before the electronics giant headquartered in Seoul presents its new model of Galaxy S series. As we approach the date, rumours and leaks about the new model are increasing. Samsung will officially announce its new Terminal at an event to be held in New York on March 29.

However, through the famous analyst and leaks expert, Evan Blass, we already know the physical aspect of the new model, where we can see that it looks similar to its predecessor S7 Edge, with the difference of the removal of the physical button, leaving an edge-to-edge display, combining a truly incredible screen/body ratio.

Filtered image of the new Samsung Galaxy S8 with edge-to-edge display

The images allow us to deduce that the device will have about 5.8 or 6.2 inches of the front panel, depending on the variant, and with a screen to the limit that covers almost the entire terminal with the concept of "Infinity Display" making it disappear the distinctive Samsung start button.The design is focused to integrate the touch screen as much as possible, in the lower part will be placed the speaker, the USB connection and a connector for headphones of 3.5 m.m.

With the disappearance of the home button, Samsung integrates new navigation buttons on its screen, being the first time the South Korean giant bet on something like that.

On the other hand, on the side, we see that apart from the volume and on/off buttons, it brings an extra button, probably intended for use by Bixby, the virtual assistant based on artificial intelligence integrated into the new Korean flagship.

As we can see, next to the camera will be placed the fingerprint sensor, this is also a speculation in the new model, as the location of the same seems to be somewhat inconvenient for the operator.

As for the cost of the new terminal, it is not a secret that will have a somewhat high price around 900usd. As new leaks are coming out, we will be updating the news.

What do you think about the new design of the Samsung Galaxy S8? Would you buy it?
New Cctv images released to the public show that the British tourist who according to Australian police was held captive for two months and raped four times by her ex-boyfriend was saved by a petrol station owner who alerted police.

On Sunday, the woman entered the petrol station after filling up her SUV. By all accounts she was shaking uncontrollably, crying, and had severe bruising on her face and neck. She told the owner of the petrol station that she could not pay for the fuel.

The owner tipped off the police and she was stopped a little while later near Mitchell in Queensland.

The petrol station owner, who wants to be known as Donna, told the Daily Mail, She was in a state of shock when she came in, almost zombie like. Then she walked in, wearing a black summer dress and said she couldn't pay for the fuel. Tears were running down her face.

But what struck me were her black eyes. She looked bad. She was nervous and shaking and I thought her behaviour was because she couldn't pay for the fuel. She was like a person in a trance.

I asked her if her black eyes were due to her ex-boyfriend and she nodded. I was very concerned about her.

Donna went on to say that she was told she could not pay for the fuel as her ex  boyfriend had all of her credit cards and cash. Donna said that if she could not pay the police would be called.

At this point, she left and drove away.

When Donna followed the woman she saw police officers at the end of the street and told them what happened.

Ex  boyfriend hidden in car

When the police pulled over the SUV they found her ex  boyfriend hidden in a special purpose-built compartment. It is believed that during her two-month ordeal she would have been held captive in this part of the vehicle.

Investigators originally said that the pair had met at an outdoor dance in Cairns, and agreed to go on a road trip together. At the court hearing in Roma, it transpired she was held against her will from the 2nd January until the 5th March.

Her ex-boyfriend is believed to have damaged her passport so she could not leave the country.

Police investigation

So far her abductor has been charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assaults, two counts of deprivation of liberty, and four counts of strangulation. He is also facing drug charges. The investigation is ongoing.
Whether you decide to wear a purple ribbon, go on strike, or join the march: there are many ways to show your support this International Womens Day, 8 March 2017.

Last year, organisations and people around the globe came together for the #PledgeForParity campaign, to show their support for women and girls; find new ways to solve the existing gender-gap issue; challenge bias and discrimination against women, and remove the obstacles which pose a barrier to women and girls achieving their potential.

How you can take part

This years campaign #BeBoldForChange will see people from all walks of life coming together for a week of events (like the #March4Women event held this Sunday in London,) which aims to gather momentum in the war against discrimination and show support for women all around the world.

But if marching isnt your sort of thing, then you can head on over to Seven Dials  one of Londons most exciting shopping hotspots  where a series of events inspired by IWD will take place from 6 to 10 March. The events, which are created in partnership with Dress For Success (a world-renowned charity that aims to provide women with the skills needed to succeed in business,) will feature a series of workshops designed to inspire women and raise awareness about the political, social and economic consequences of the current Gender-gap.

The highlight of the week, however, has to be a panel of female industry professionals who will arrive at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel to talk about their success stories; the panel includes Rosie Wolfenden, co-founder of Totty Devine, and Caroline Rush, head-executive at the British Fashion Council.

It is hoped that events like these will help pave the way for a world without gender-gaps, and inspire women to take the necessary steps to succeed in the future.

What does IWD spell for the future of women?

However, whilst small victories have been won since the earliest campaign was held in 1909 (New York City), it seems ever more pertinent that campaigns like IWD continue their work - safe-guarding the future of women in the debate for gender rights.

This is all the more true if we are to believe recent statistics released by the World Economic Forum, which predicts that the gender gap wont close entirely until 2186. This tells me that at some point people are going to have to think about what the end vision is  a world where every individual is equal? I, for one, certainly hope so.

But whether you choose to join a local demonstration, attend a panel discussion, or even submit your own IWD event, make sure you join the conversation this IWD.
Thought to be extinct until a small colony was found in Wyoming in 1981, the black-footed ferret celebrates its 20th anniversary of its return to Arizona.

And this is where you can enter the picture. Several times each year the Arizona Game and Fish Department conducts a survey of the nocturnal ferrets to make sure they are doing well and the Department could use your help.

The nocturnal black-footed ferret is surveyed by shining a light out into the prairie where they live while you drive a designated route at less than 5 mph. You look for their eyes shining back at you.

What is that like?

Read some of the words of Robert Coonrods ferret spotlighting adventure.

Robert writes about the night he saw his first black-footed ferret and the flurry of activity that generated. He also talks about the other animals he has seen during the survey -- elk, bobcats, javelina, badgers and more.

Somewhat similar to domestic ferrets, the black-footed ferret is the only ferret native to North America, can grow to 2.5 feet long and weigh up to 2.5 pounds.

To date three ranches have allowed the black-footed ferret to be located on their land: the Cholla Cattle Company, Babbitt Ranches and the Double O Ranch. These reintroductions are part of Safe Harbor Agreements, a conservation option that enlists the help of non-federal landowners to conserve species.

The population in the Aubrey Valley near Seligman was declared a successful reintroduction, having become self-sustaining and no long needing augmentation.

Black-footed ferrets live in large prairie dog towns, preying on prairie dogs and living in their burrows.

From a mere 18 animals biologists estimate there are 800-1,000 black-ferrets living in the wild. The story of the black-footed ferret is a true conservation success story.

If you would like to help volunteer, you need three things: the ability to stay awake and attentive all night long, the ability to use or learn to use a GPS, and appropriate clothing and gear, including a flashlight or headlamp.

You can volunteer for one night or an entire four-night event. The upcoming spring events are March 9-12 and April 6-9 in Aubrey Valley and on the Double O Ranch near Seligman.

To learn more or sign up, send an email to azferret@azgfd.gov with Spring Spotlighting in the subject line.

Let them know the month(s) and night(s) you're interested in; indicate who else will volunteer with you (by providing their first and last name); tell them whether you can use your own vehicle and how many people it holds (4x4 vehicles are preferred but not required; mileage is tax deductible); and let them know whether you can bring GPS, a clipboard, a flashlight, a backpack, binoculars or a cordless rechargeable spotlight.
Blueface Goes International with  10M Investment

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By Alicia Young

Web Editor By Alicia YoungWeb Editor

Like the old saying goes, When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Thats great advice, but what do you do when life actually does you a favor and gives you 10 million? Thats the question Blueface, a unified communications as a Service (UCaaS) provider, is currently asking itself thanks to BDO Development Capital Funds generous contribution.





According to the announcement, The project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Irelands (News - Alert) investment in the BDO Development Capital Fund which provides development and growth capital for established, mid-sized and profitable Irish companies to assist them to achieve and accelerate their export-led growth plans.

Although the investment was only announced today, Blueface is already sharing some of its plans on how to use the money. First and foremost, the company is planning on using the funds to launch itself into the international market. Its doing well so far locally, and wants to bring its company to the next level by going global. Blueface already has over 50 skilled employees working in its headquarters in Dublin, but it would like to increase this number to 130 by 2022 across its markets in Ireland, Europe and the U.S.

The BDO Development Capital Fund already did Blueface a huge favor by enabling it to pursue its international expansion goals. However, its funding will also allow Blueface to take full advantage of the increasing popularity of cloud communications. With more and more people looking to move to the cloud in all ways, customers and businesses are constantly searching for reliable solutions that will allow them to do so. Bluefaces proprietary cloud voice platform already services business customers of all sizes, ranging from SMBs to large multinational enterprises. Since Blueface now has the potential to go international, it can make its cloud solution even more widely known. With any luck, its cloud solution will soon become a popular option not just in Ireland, but the U.S. and Europe as well.

It seems like the BDO Development Capital Fund is Bluefaces fairy godmother in this situation, answering all of its wishes with a few million Euros. Head of Investments of the BDO Development Capital Fund, Andrew Bourg, certainly sounded excited when he announced the investment, saying, The BDO Development Capital Fund is delighted to announce details of this significant investment in a highly ambitious Company and management team. We are backing Bluefaces goal of becoming a significant international player in its chosen market segments with the objective that this sizable investment in conjunction with the support of our Funding Partners will drive, exploit and maximize Bluefaces international growth opportunities.

Enterprise Ireland CEO, Julie Sinnamon added, Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with Blueface over the last 10 years to support their growth journey and build a strong international customer base. This innovative and ambitious company has grown from strength-to-strength with further plans for recruitment and R&D development here in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland will continue to work closely with Blueface as they expand their global market reach, and we wish them continued success for the future.

Wishing you the luck of the Irish in your international endeavors, Blueface.
In recent days, Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway has come under fire for mistakenly citing a fake Islamic terrorist attack to justify the "Muslim ban" signed into law by Donald Trump. In the aftermath, social media users have mocked and trolled Conway, prompting her to respond to the backlash.

Conway on Fox News

While speaking to MSNBC's Chris Matthews earlier this week, Kellyanne Conway was asked about the controversy surrounding the aforementioned "Muslim ban" executive order. As part of her response, Conway claimed that two Iraqi refugees engaged in the "bowling green Massacre." Instantly, Conway was debunked and fact-checked as the "Bowling Green Massacre" never actually took place.

Conway's comments were in reference to two Iraqis who had previously lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky being linked to terrorist attacks in the Middle East. As reported by Fox News on February 4, Conway is not happy with how many have reacted.

While joining Fox News host Howard Kurtz for an interview on "Media Buzz," which will air on Sunday, the former Donald Trump campaign manager spoke out against the "haters" who have criticized her. "Theyre masterminds, I had said that before," Kellyanne Conway said of her comments.

"I should have said 'plot' or I should have just called them 'terrorists," Conway continued, while adding "I clarified immediately. I should have said terrorists and not 'massacre.'"

Conway fires back at "haters" for mocking "Bowling Green Massacre" https://t.co/kJblBea0Je pic.twitter.com/RuAkCO7U7c  The Hill (@thehill) February 5, 2017

"I misspoke one word," Kellyanne Conway said, while pointing out, "The corrections in the newspapers that are attacking me are three paragraphs long every day." Prior to her taped interview for Fox News, Conway lashed out on her personal Twitter account in an attempt to defend herself from the critics.

Moving forward

As the White House continues its feud with the mainstream media, it doesn't appear that common ground will be found anytime soon. Earlier in the day, Donald Trump took to Twitter to rip into The New York Times, while labeling them as "fake news." In addition, Conway is no longer allowed on CNN as of press time, as the battle between the media and the new administration heats up.
Iraqi travelers and immigrants are no longer subject to restrictions imposed by Donald Trump's new travel ban -- not so much for Syrian migrants and other refugees from several Muslim-majority countries. It's still unclear if President Trump's executive order passes the constitutional sniff test, according to critics.

Trump's revised travel ban adds clarity

One of the travel ban's subjects of debate was the wide range of confusion in the language contained in Trump's original executive order on travel. Critics from both sides of the political aisle on Capitol Hill pushed back on the merits of the document in providing specificity on which foreign travelers were affected by the temporary ban, as the Hill wrote.

"The ban explicitly exempts legal permanent residents, people who are dual citizens of another country that isn't banned, foreign nationals traveling for diplomatic purposes and those who already have a valid visa to come to the U.S."

Iraq removed from list of banned Muslim countries

Early on, critics were stumped over Donald Trump's decision to include Iraq on the list of banned majority-Muslim countries. Over a decade ago, the two countries entered into an agreement to stamp out terrorism, mostly recently, they aligned in the fight against extremist groups like the Islamic State. Iraqi officials welcomed the Trump administration's about-face, arguably, a major policy shift, as sources report.

Ben Wedeman, CNN's Senior International Correspondent, weighed in on Trump's revised travel ban. He said the decision to exclude Iraq from the list of banned countries hinges on the pledge that the Middle Eastern partner would use its stringent practices to vet travelers prior to entering the United States.

No distinction among Muslims in revised ban and other changes

Trump's new travel ban now places all refugees on an even playing field. Now, all immigrants are subject to a four-month hold. Moreover, the revised travel executive order allows for waivers on a "case by case" methodology. Finally, revisions to the Muslim travel ban won't go into effect until March 16.
People protest against the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in front of the Lotte Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Feb 27, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

SEOUL - A part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in South Korea, which launched the process of deployment in the country's southeast region, local media reported Tuesday citing the defense ministry.

Two mobile launchers of the US missile shield and a part of other equipments were transported at Monday night to the Osan air base south of Seoul. Those were moved by the US C-17 transport airplane.

THAAD is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, X-band radar and the fire and control unit.

The launchers and the part of equipments were moved to an unidentified base of the US Forces Korea (USFK).
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few years (which may be for good reason if you have) you have surely heard of the controversial news organization known as Wikileaks. Founded by an Australian, Julian Assange, in 2006, Wikileaks boasts a claim to having a perfect record for authentication of documents and resisting censorship. However, that record is again being called into question following a series of events, tweets, and posts which some think might indicate that the organization is beholden to the #Trump White House, Russia, or both.

Raising suspicions

The roots of the current suspicions began when Wikileaks released a series of emails pertaining to the DNC and John Podesta. The emails revealed a treasure trove of conspiracy theorist validations and most notably, evidence of DNC and media collusion with the Hillary Clinton campaign. Democrats quickly pointed the finger at Russia, claiming Russia is Wikileaks' source with the agenda of helping to make Donald Trump win the presidency. Some questioned Wikileaks integrity, saying that the timing of the release was meant to influence the election for Trump.

Some Wikileaks followers and conspiracy theorists even went so far as to claim Assange had been assassinated and Wikileaks was now under the control of the CIA.

However, Wikileaks directly disputed claims that Russia provided the documents, as well as claims that Assange was killed or had otherwise lost control. Assange held an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit, giving followers some verification of his well being. Wikileaks also claimed that if it had information to release on Donald Trump it would do so.

Supporting Trump?

Trump Counselor Kellyanne Conway stated today that Trump will not release his tax returns. Send them to: https://t.co/cLRcuIiQXz so we can.  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 22, 2017

Following the election, Wikileaks appeared to be following through on their promise to release documents on Trump, asking in a tweet for any leakers to come forward with Trump's tax return.

However, no such documents have since been produced. With renewed interest in the Trump administration's possible connections in question, and many labeling Trump's claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower - dubbed #ObamaGate - as an effort by Trump to distract from Russia, it came as a shock to many when Wikileaks began posting about Trump's claim rather than possible ties to Russia.

While Wikileaks has recently remained silent on the topic of possible ties to Russia, Wikileaks made three posts to their official Facebook account Monday which showed support for Trump's claims of wiretapping. The first post included a screenshot of a description of documents detailing many cases of NSA spying on foreign communications including a UN climate change strategy meeting.

The second post said, "Did media/intelligence mislead Trump with fake spy stories? Or was reporting accurate and his campaign was spied on?" The post also included a link to a video of Mark Levin's recent interview with Fox News in which Levin claimed to show "evidence" of Trump's claims. Many have responded to Levin's claims stating that if a FISA warrant was indeed granted, it would only indicate suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of the Trump campaign, rather than overreach of the Obama administration.

The last post included a photocopy of a Search and Seizure Warrant dated March of 2012 and said, "Did Obama spy on Donald J. Trump's campaign? Here is proof the Obama administration spied on our journalists..." The photocopied document attached shows no proof of spying (although many would assume it likely) as the name to which the warrant pertains is redacted.

This immediately prompted some users to question Wikileaks integrity, with some calling Wikileaks "Breitbart 2.0." One commenter said, "Is this more evidence Wikileaks has been compromised since the election? It used to seem non-biased, but they love to suck up to Trump without ever saying anything against him." It would seem many Wikileaks followers have concluded that the evidence provided is merely anecdotal at best, and is unlike Wikileaks past record for journalistic integrity.
Nations are redefining their #military power in a quest to keep pace with the changing nature of geo-politics. In Asia, America and Europe, there is a growing anxiety about shifting allegiances and the United State's new regime. Amidst the transformation of #United States foreign diplomacy from globally integrated to a more protectionist and inward-looking sovereignty, the world  particularly Europe and Asia  are looking to redefine their defense and military strategies.

On Tuesday, news broke that #China had warned the US of a volatile nuclear arms race if they continued to deploy an antagonistic missile defense system in South Korea, directed against North Koreas developing nuclear arsenal.

The fracas came a day after #North Korea launched four missiles simultaneously into waters off the Japanese coast. Pyongyang claimed it was a drill for hitting US bases in Japan. The North Korean accomplishment raised concerns about North Korea's potential to overwhelm the new South Korean defense system.

The flurry of military and nuclear developments created yet more anxiety in Asia as signs showed that #Pyongyang is near to completing its intercontinental missile that can distribute nuclear force to the US. At the same time, the United States and South Korea were deploying large-scale military exercises that are sure to irk North Korea.

On Tuesday, China condemned the United States decision to implement the #Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad, and said that Beijing would take the necessary steps to safeguard our own security interests.

The consequences will be shouldered by the United States and South Korea, a spokesman for #China said, cautioning that the two countries should not go further and further down the wrong road.

Xinhua, the Chinese official news agency, said the #US's new defense system will burden the region with an #arms race and "more missile shields of one side inevitably bring more nuclear missiles of the opposing side that can break through the missile shield."

Also this week, the #Europe Union announced its plans to build headquarters for a European military training operation in an effort to shore up defense in the wake of the US's apparent loss of interest in the region.

This was announced by the foreign and defense ministers of European Union members on Monday and temporarily, at least, dispelled concerns that this was a rival European army to NATO.

France and Germany have been pressuring the EU to do more about the region's defense and counter terrorism measures in the wake of countless attacks and shifting geo-political nexuses.

Whilst Britain was against such measures, now that #Brexit has seen the UK exit the debate, a united European defense program is more likely.

Also on Tuesday, there was talk in Europe of a #European Union nuclear weapons program. Under such a proposal, Frances nuclear collection would be repurposed to protect all of Europe and be placed under a common European plan, doctrine or command. This would be a solution if the Continent could no longer count on American protection.
Over the weekend, Donald Trump went on a tweet-storm in defense of the allegations that members of his administration had been communicating with Russia. In a round of tweets on Saturday morning, Trump accused former President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower, despite not providing any evidence to back up the allegations.

Spicer and Conway

After Donald Trump made the aforementioned wiretapping allegation against Barack Obama, his administration scrambled to defend him due to the fact that there was no evidence presented. Supporters of the president, as well as several right-wing news outlets, appeared to push the conspiracy of an illegal wiretapping at Trump Tower.

During an interview on Fox News on Sunday night, Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway couldn't confirm Trump's claim, but did hint that he has access to intelligence that could have informed him of the wiretapping. As reported by Mediaite on March 6, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was pressed on Conway's comments.

'I Haven't Talked to Kellyanne About This': Listen to Spicer Hesitate on Conway's Statements on Alleged Wiretapping https://t.co/H7Pnr2pjFr pic.twitter.com/5YmBxighop  Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 6, 2017

"I just, I think the point Kellyanne was making at the time is the president, hes president, gets access to NSC and other intelligence documents," Sean Spicer said while speaking to reporters during an off-camera "gaggle" at the White House.

"I don't know," Spicer went on to say," while noting, "I didn't...I haven't seen the exact transcripts so I can't." After continuing to be asked about to clarify Kellyanne Conway's statement, Spicer said, "I also havent talked to Kellyanne about it, so I cant specifically respond to you in terms of what she was referring to." The remarks were captured via audio by the PBS Newshour livestream on Monday afternoon.

Listen LIVE to @PressSec's off-camera news gaggle with reporters at the White House https://t.co/k5Mj5ZTp7h  PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) March 6, 2017

Next up

This isn't the first time that Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer have not been on the same page. Last month, Conway incorrectly gave information about the resignation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn stepping down from his position.

Conway's remarks were at odds with what Spicer and Donald Trump were pushing out, leading to reported behind the scenes conflict. Just a few days after making the comments, Conway was pulled from on-camera interviews on most cable news channels.
Monday gave us proof of how much Politicians decide the direction and quality of peoples lives in any country. With a vote in the Houses or the wave of a pen on an order people can lose their health insurance, or others may be destined to harbour in limbo indefinitely as they flee death in their homes. Appropriately these same decisions also ultimately decide the lives of politicians and some will soon find themselves fighting for their careers.

Immigration

#Donald Trump finally signed the new immigration order intended to replace the previous order that became not only the subject of protests, but also of successful legal challenges.

Both orders are attempts to keep the Presidents campaign promises that he would ban Moslems for security reasons from entering the country as refugees.

The original order had been drafted quickly and haphazardly with no input from the Departments involved and the faults contained in the document gave lawyers the ammunition for their challenges which led to judges to blocking the order on a number of grounds, including the possible violation of the right of freedom of religion in the Constitution.

The quick reaction yesterday by a number of faith groups in the country, including Christians, Jews and Sikhs as reported by the Huffington Post and other newspapers that the new order is still a Moslem ban with another name does not bode well for the future of the order.

Undoubtedly the order is already under very close scrutiny by the State Attorneys General such as that of Washington State which led the challenge to the original order. It will not take long for the public to find out whether or not the amended order will succeed in its primary intention, to avoid a Supreme Court challenge to the Oval Offices immigration plan; a challenge which will decide the lives of refugees.

Obamacare

Again on Monday, Republican politicians unveiled a plan for the repeal and replacement of Obamacare which replaces individual mandates with tax credits. According to the Guardian, the proposed plan will cover pre-existing conditions, but the plan will also allow health companies to add increases for the elderly, or increased premiums for those have gone without health insurance for a long time.

The future of Obamacare has been a hot topic since Donald Trumps election win and with the Senate and Congress also controlled by the Republicans it was thought that it would happen quickly. This was not so as the plans have met with protests by the public with rowdy town hall meeting switch in many cases has led to Republicans deciding not to attend these meetings.

Lives

These two issues strongly highlight how political decisions affect the lives of individuals. In the case of the immigration order, refugees may find themselves stuck in limbo for the simple reason of their place of birth, or even for their religion which in many cases is the very reason they are fleeing their countries of birth.

In the case of the repeal of Obamacare, the issue strikes at the most important and sensitive issue of their lives, that of #Health. While the Affordable Care Act had been greeted with derision by some, millions of people now have health insurance for the first time in years and others for the first time, including many of those who first opposed it. Now they face the possibility of losing this protection on the quality of their lives.

Political careers

Republican politicians had underestimated the effects of the AFA on their constituents and the scenes of vocal protests at the town halls are the proof that many should worry about for their political futures. The proposed plan is already being criticized and the Republicans would do worse than listening to these doubts and acting on them.

The midterms are not so far away and the ballot box will then become the means for the protesters to speak to those Republicans who quickly backed President Trumps repeal.

Are they willing to sacrifice their political future for the sake of the President?
One aspect of the 2016 race for the White House was the openly partisan role of the media for or against the Republican candidate #Donald Trump. The Press Corps was divided by a man who used division to win the election and he was supported in an open unequivocal way by Breitbart News, whose chief Steve Bannon is now part of the white house staff and by Fox News. In recent weeks this open support by the Rupert Murdoch owned television channel has shown signs of weakening, at least by some of its presenters.

Stormy start

In the stormy start of what can only be described as an unorthodox and so far controversial Presidency Fox News has provided much needed and open support for the beleaguered Donald Trump.

In the course of his frequent twitter rages he has attacked the mainstream media such as the New Your Times and CNN and lavished praise in Fox News for its support.

Strangely this support from Fox News has been affected by the very tweets in which the President has used to praise the network.

In recent weeks the President has been under pressure due to the allegations of Russian interference in his favour during the presidential campaign. These allegations have been directed at Donald Trump and members of his team, including some who then became part of the White House staff.

The most famous victim of the scandal so far is former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn who resigned over his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russias Ambassador to the United States.

Last week Attorney General Jeff Sessions was also involved in the matter after revelations that he too had met the Russian Ambassador. As result he decided to recuse himself from the Justice Departments investigations on the allegations.

These two incidents led to last weekends twitter rages by the President and reports of his furious reaction of Jeff Sessions decision.

These reactions from the Oval Office did not go unnoticed by Fox News,

Nuclear codes

Since the Inauguration a number of Fox News presenters have expressed open criticism of the White House.

Shephard Smith drew the ire of diehard FOX News fans for asking the President to reveal the truth about the contacts with the Russians. Veteran journalist Bill OReilly also questioned the President in an interview in regards to his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin which drew protests from Moscow about his use of the word killer referring to the ex KGB agent.

When White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer banned newspapers from a briefing some members of Fox News criticized the decision and gave their support to those affected.

In the latest such incident yesterday Fox News Bob Beckel talking about Donald Trumps accusations that the Obama Administration had ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower during the presidential campaign that "Trump Shouldn't Have the Nuclear Codes Because 'He's Starting to Lose It"

Only time will tell if these are only isolated incidents or if they are the first cracks in the Fox News wall around the Oval Office. But one thing is certain; the President should begin considering the effects of his twitter rages when even some his most ardent supporters are openly criticizing him on their programmes.

Will the future see these changes in the friendly press as the beginning of the end of the Trump phenomenon?
Ever since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt broke up, a lot of rumors have surrounded the twos personal lives. The 53-year-old actor has been linked from Marion Cotillard to Kate Hudson, although nothing is proven true.

Now, his strange wife is allegedly spending her time with a mystery man in Cambodia. The 41-year-old actress has spotted all smiles while wandering the streets of Siem Reap outside of their luxury hotel to shopping.

She looks pretty happy with the company of a new man

Brad will hit the roof when he finds out about this! a source told Radar Online.

The so-called insider added that the Allied actor would definitely get mad knowing that he is not even allowed to see and talk to his kids, but this guy is along with his family in Cambodia.

Angelina Jolie, apparently, even trying to hide her happiness being with the new man he is with. But, her sweet smile cant deny the truth. They even enjoy a ride in a rickshaw together with her kids.

Mystery guy gifted the actress and her twins gold bracelets

It looks like the guy Angelina Jolie with is no secret to her children as they are even photographed together. As a matter of fact, her alleged date gives the By the Sea actress and her 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne gold bracelets.

The Maleficent star even take her kids miles away to be with this mystery man, and she now lets them receive bracelets from him.

Angelina is desperate to put on a united front and send a message to the world her family doesnt need Brad! the source continued.

A jewelry dealer named Seng Nam revealed that the chap brings the award-winning actress to the Siem Reap market and buys the $260 18-karat gold bracelets for her and her twins. The broker even said that the guy is new to their eyes as they already seen the Salt star filming in Cambodia with her bodyguards and he is not one of them.

The Tourist star is now in Cambodia to promote her film, They First Killed My Father, and some sources revealed that the guy is not part of her inner circle. He is not even seen in the movies production for four months -- from late 2015 to early 2016 -- in the said country.
Season 6 of "The Walking Dead" seems so long ago now, especially the finale, "Last Day On Earth." Season 7 has so far given Negan, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, almost as much screen time as Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln. The parallel universes of Negan and Rick collided in unexpected and fascinating ways that proved the show could grow in an organic route this season, despite a formula that could do well even if the producers handed fans an hour each week of zombie kills, bad guys, swordplay, gun play, rinse and repeat.

Morgan broke his code for Carol

Morgan was perhaps the recipient of some of the biggest growth this season and much of it thanks to his one time nemesis Carol. Not long last season after patching Carol up, Morgan found himself in a position to save her life by taking her to the Kingdom. Once in the Kingdom, Morgan was asked by King Ezekiel to help train Benjamin and, despite his hesitation, it centered Morgan to once again focus on something other than himself. It's hard to say if Morgan, left to his own devices, would ever start clearing again on "The Walking Dead." Who knows what might trigger someone who hangs on by a thread and has lost so much. Killing the Savior who threatened Carol made Morgan break the code he held so dearly that all life is precious, but it also reinforced that some life is more precious than others.

Maggie recovers at the Hilltop

Maggie has spent her season seven time at the Hilltop healing her physical and mental wounds. Maggie grows in the process and its become obvious that this growth will manifest itself in the near future. Maggie is the obvious leader for the Hilltop, a colony that is growing tired of the complacency of their lives under their current leader Gregory.

With Glenn and Abraham gone, the very pregnant Maggie has much to fight for, especially with her growing kinship to Enid. Maggie's new baby, who will have Judith to grow up with as long as Rick can keep her alive, will propel Maggie into a new growth phase of survival as a mother of the apocalypse. Deanna Spencer saw a leader in Maggie and, even though the entire Spencer family is now dead, Maggie can honor them all by being the guiding light that "The Walking Dead," and the Hilltop, needs in their most desperate hour.

Negan displays the killing power of Lucille

Negan has been the biggest catalyst for the growth that Rick has experienced in season 7 so far. More to the point, Negan's bat Lucille has been an intimidating and insulting character in itself, causing Rick an immeasurable amount of misery, anguish and drive to be a better, smarter and more violent adversary to his enemies. Many fans believe that we've seen Rick at his most brutal, most violent and most desperate moments after seven seasons of "The Walking Dead," but it's most likely the case that we haven't even begun to see the depths of brutality that Rick Grimes is capable of to keep himself and his loved ones alive as he grows old in the zombie apocalypse.
When Ben Carson was tapped as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the selection quickly came under fire. In one of his first speeches in his new role, Carson made comments that received instant backlash.

Carson controversy

Ben Carson has been an outspoken conservative ever since he made critical comments about former President Barack Obama during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013. Since then, Carson has been a favorite of conservatives, but also a target for many on the left. After failing to gain traction in his run for president, Carson dropped out before endorsing Donald Trump.

In his new role as Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Carson addressed department employees on Monday morning. During his speech, the retired neurosurgeon compared slaves to immigrants, but said they were just harder working. As seen on Twitter March 6, top Hollywood stars reacted quickly.

HUD Sec. Dr. Ben Carson referred to people who crossed the Atlantic in the bottom of a slave ship as "immigrants" https://t.co/bzQZKVB6ks pic.twitter.com/sNGzcwCW4g  CNN (@CNN) March 6, 2017

Describing the United States as "A land of dreams and opportunity," Ben Carson then raised eyebrows with his next set of remarks. "There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships," Carson said, while adding that the slaves "worked even longer" and "even harder for less."

OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom  Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) March 6, 2017

"OK!!

Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!," actor Samuel L. Jackson wrote on Twitter Monday night, before using the hashtag "#dickheadedtom." Actress and talk how host Whoopi Goldberg also went off on Carson on her own Twitter account. "Ben Carson..please read or watch Roots, most immigrants come here VOLUNTARILY,cant't really say the same about the slaves..they were stolen," Goldberg tweeted out.

Ben Carson..please read or watch Roots, most immigrants come here VOLUNTARILY,cant't really say the same about the slaves..they were stolen  Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) March 6, 2017

Moving forward

As of press time, neither Donald Trump nor Ben Carson have issued a comment or clarification about the comments made, but that didn't stop several Hollywood stars, reporters, and other Twitter users from voicing their opinion on the issue.

Carson's nomination received backlash from the start, which has become a common theme when it comes to most of Trump's cabinet selections. As controversy continues to surround the Trump administration, it's unlikely to change anytime soon.
ZTE, one of the largest telecom equipment manufacturers in China, announced on Tuesday that it was entering into a global settlement with the US government regarding its conduct relating to US export control and sanctions.

A statement by ZTE on Tuesday said the company agreed to a criminal and civil penalty of more than $892 million.

A US Commerce Department investigation followed reports in 2012 that ZTE had signed contracts to ship millions of dollars in hardware and software from some of the best-known US technology companies to Iran's largest telecoms carrier.

In March 2016, the Shenzhen-based company was placed on a list of entities that US suppliers could not work with without a license. ZTE acted contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests, the Commerce department said at the time.

The Commerce department will recommend that ZTE be removed from that list if the company lives up to its deal and a court approves its agreement with the Justice department, according to Reuters.

"ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them, and remains committed to positive change in the company," said Zhao Xianming, chairman and CEO of ZTE Corp, said in the statement.

"Instituting new compliance-focused procedures and making significant personnel changes has been a top priority for the company. We have learned many lessons from this experience and will continue on our path of becoming a model for export compliance and management excellence. We are committed to a new ZTE, compliant, healthy and trustworthy," he said.

Zhao was named chairman and CEO of ZTE Corp in April 2016 with a mandate to lead a new ZTE with a best-in-class export compliance program.

"The agreements we reached will enable us to move forward in a stronger position than ever before," he said.

"ZTE has made tremendous progress in building a world-class compliance program and I look forward to working with others in the company's leadership to further build and improve our operations and processes," said Matt Bell, who was appointed chief export compliance officer in November 2016.

"Our global legal and compliance professionals will continue to work together to identify risk across the company and continually improve the effectiveness of our overall compliance program,"

The action marks the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control's largest settlement to date with a non-financial entity, according to a Reuters report.

One of the world's biggest telecommunications gear makers and the fourth-largest smartphone vendor in the US, ZTE sells handset devices to US mobile carriers AT&T Inc, T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp. It relies on US companies including Qualcomm, Microsoft and Intel for components.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan meet with visiting Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath on Monday in Beijing.[Photo by Zhang Duo/Xinhua]

China and Cambodia should push their cooperation forward on major projects, President Xi Jinping said on Monday while meeting with visiting Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath.

The two countries should maintain high-level exchanges, and the leaders should visit each other frequently like visiting relatives, Xi said, while calling for connection of both countries' development strategies.

The president spoke highly of the contributions that the Cambodian royal family has made to the two countries' friendship. The friendship was forged and cultivated by previous generations of Chinese leaders and the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, he said.

Sihanouk lived in China for nearly 40 years before passing away in Beijing in 2012. He played a key role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia in 1958.

China and Cambodia have maintained high mutual political trust, benefited mutually from their economic ties and coordinated closely in international affairs, Xi said, adding that China is willing to make joint efforts for greater bilateral achievements to benefit both peoples.

He also called for enhancing coordination in multilateral affairs and making continuous efforts for regional peace and China-ASEAN cooperation.

Sihamoni and Monineath expressed gratitude for China's long-term support of Cambodia's economic and social development.

They called Xi's state visit to Cambodia in October historic, firmly strengthening Cambodia-China cooperation. Xi's visit was marked by the two countries agreeing to jointly implement the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and enhance cooperation in production capacity.

The initiative, consisting of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was put forward by Xi in 2013 with a focus on infrastructure and trade.

In a message to the Cambodian people, Sihamoni said his trip to Beijing was to have his health checked, according to Xinhua News Agency. The king usually has a checkup by Chinese doctors twice a year, the report said.

Jin Yong, a professor of international relations research at the Communication University of China, said that Cambodia, an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has firmly supported China in national sovereignty issues in recent years.
While China and the US have many collaborations and exchanges, the philanthropic sector probably is a field less explored.

However, several Asian Americans are pushing for collective action across borders to help children with special needs.

Ancient wisdom has it that it takes a village to raise a child. When it comes to educating and nurturing children with special needs in China and the US, many believe it will take the two largest economies in the world, their governments and countless volunteers to establish a safety net and an accommodative social environment for the vulnerable and underprivileged.

On March 26, a large-scale philanthropic gala titled Shine for Love will be held at Smithwich Theatre in Los Gatos Hills, California. The event aims not only to raise funds for special-needs children in China and the US, but also raise public awareness of their plight, the gala's organizers said at a news conference last week in Fremont.

The 1,000 tickets, priced at $30, $50, $100 and $200 respectively, sold out by Sunday.

"To give to the community is a kind of value that is taught at a young age in the West," said Liang Chao, a board member in the Cupertino Union School District. "I'm excited to see that so many Chinese-American parents are participating in this philanthropy with their children this time. This is really a change."

The US-based non-profit organization Able2Shine, together with Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) in the US, and Silver Lining Missions in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, organized the fundraiser.

Luo Ping, founder of Able2Shine and director-general for the event, said she initiated the program three months ago. "It has been a lingering dream of mine that I should do something for children with special needs," she said, adding that she felt empathy for the pain and sorrow of children with special needs and their families.

"Several close friends of mine have children with special needs, such as autism, selective mutism and cerebral palsy," she said. "I feel their struggles."

Anna Wang, a key member of FCSN who joined several other families to establish FCSN in 1996 to help her autistic son, said special-needs children and their families require the cooperation of governments, business and civil society that goes beyond partnership or networks.

"About 20 years ago, I wouldn't imagine that we can sit here today to discuss how we people in the US are able to join hands with friends in China to work on the same mission of helping children with special needs," Wang said.

Asian Americans are stereotyped as socially indifferent and care too much about their own well being, said Luo Ping, "We new generation of immigrants need to transform this negative, sometimes miserable image."

Peng Mao, a mom of two young boys and a volunteer for the event, said she gave three to four hours of her time a day on social media networks to promote the fundraiser.

"I bombarded my friends and anyone in the same social group with me at WeChat. I inform, explain and convince any individuals who shows interest in either purchasing the tickets or making donations."

Asian Americans nowadays are willing to give, said Wang Meng, a community advocate for special-needs children. "Philanthropy in many Chinese Americans' eyes now shift from a rich man's club to civil engagement, as long as the cause is noble and would promote positive social change."

Wang, by her leadership of a social media network of 193 members, prompted the sale of 40 tickets and a collective donation of $2,200.

"We need to send the message out that helping children with special needs is ongoing, and any assistance and accommodation are much needed, no matter in the US and China," she said.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com
By Zhao Huanxin in Washington and Cui Shoufeng in Beijing | China Daily USA | Updated: 2017-03-07 11:37

China welcomes the prospect of a visit by the United States secretary of state, and both countries are in communication over related matters, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"China welcomes US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to pay a visit to China at a time convenient for both sides," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing in Beijing, without giving further details.

The US State Department did not reply to a request for confirmation as of Monday evening.

Observers of China-US relations in Beijing said the maiden trip is part of ramped-up efforts to enhance "regular high-level engagement" between the two countries and would "set the tone" for future bilateral exchanges.

Tillerson is likely to go to Asia later this month, visiting Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, possibly meeting Foreign Minister Wang Yi and even more senior Chinese leaders, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

He is expected in Japan on March 17-18 and will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Wang Dong, an associate professor of international studies at Peking University and secretary general of the Beijing-based think tank Pangoal Institution, said Tillerson's likely trip to China bodes well for the joint efforts to build "regular high-level engagement" between the two countries.

Unlike US Defense Secretary James Mattis' visit to Tokyo and Seoul last month, Tillerson adds Beijing to his itinerary in an attempt to balance and elaborate on Washington's Asian policy, said Wang.

"Tillerson's stay in Beijing is expected to convey a message that the Trump administration is recalibrating its China policy by 'returning to normal' and paving the way for further cooperation," he said. That Trump has come to uphold the "one-China principle" as his predecessors did and accept the fact that it is non-negotiable greatly alleviated uncertainty surrounding China-US relations, he said.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said, "Tillerson's visit, if realized, will pave the way for a meeting between the two countries' top leaders, where they could express their core concerns face to face."

The burning nuclear ambition of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the country's frequent long-range ballistic missile tests are among Washington's top security concerns, Li said.

The DPRK test-fired four ballistic missiles into eastern waters early on Monday as combined forces of South Korea and the US launched joint military exercises last week, Xinhua reported.

The reported travel to China seemed to be a response to an invitation from China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, last Tuesday.

Mo Jingxi contributed to this story.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Beijing on March 18 to discuss China-US relations and multilateral issues, the State Department announced on Tuesday.

In his maiden trip to Asia since taking the job as US President Donald Trump's top diplomat about a month ago, Tillerson will travel to Japan, the Republic of Korea and then China on March 15-19, Mark Toner, acting State Department spokesman, said at a press conference.

"In each country, Secretary Tillerson will meet with senior officials to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues, including strategic coordination to address the advancing nuclear and missile threat from the DPRK, and reaffirm the administration's commitment to further broaden and enhance US economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region," Toner said.

Tillerson will arrive in Tokyo on March 15, continue to Seoul on March 17, and travel to Beijing on March 18, according to Toner. An earlier report by Japan's Kyodo news agency said the secretary was expected in Japan on March 17-18 and would meet Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

At the news briefing, Toner also talked about Washington's deployment of the anti-missile defense system THAAD  the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense  in South Korea, saying that the US had told China the anti-missile defense system was not meant to be a threat.

China on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to the deployment after a part of the THAAD battery arrived a day before, which began the process of deployment in the country's southeast region.

"We will take steps to maintain our security interests," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, urging parties concerned to stop deployment and refrain from going too far along the wrong track.

A ROK defense ministry official told Xinhua that two mobile launchers and a part of other equipment arrived at Osan Air Base, about 70 kilometers south of the capital Seoul, on Monday night.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the planned deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the ROK is a thorn in the side of regional stability.

Tillerson may probably try to explain to China about the "necessity" of deploying THAAD, said Li. "But Beijing will not back out of its opposition to THAAD because it can lead to regional strategic imbalance and poses a grave danger to the country's security."

Tillerson's China visit was announced exactly a week after a two-day visit to Washington by China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, on Feb 27-28.

In their meeting at the State Department, Yang, the first senior Chinese official to visit Washington since Trump's inauguration, invited Tillerson to visit Beijing, and Tillerson expressed interest in doing so in the near future.

On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry said the country welcomed the prospect of Tillerson's visit, noting that both countries were in communication over related matters.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com
Jerusalem Post, by JOEL C. ROSENBERG



The West needs a stable Egypt as a friend and an ally, now more than ever.

As the Trump administration develops plans to confront Iran, destroy Islamic State (ISIS) and strengthen US-Israel relations, its critical that it also rebuild Americas ties with Egypt, the leader of Sunni Arab world.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi was often disrespected if not ignored by president Barack Obama. This serious mistake should be promptly corrected.

Here are six big things the Egyptian leader is doing right:

First, hes signaling he wants a dramatically improved relationship with the US. Sisi met privately with then-candidate Trump last September during the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. He immediately called Trump after the election to congratulate him, and has spoken to him several times since. Egypt hopes Trumps presidency will breathe a new spirit into US-Egyptian relations, Sisi made clear in a written statement. The White House should reciprocate quickly.

Second, he has courageously called for what amounts to a Muslim Reformation.

On January 1, 2015, Sisi addressed scholars and clerics at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the Harvard of Sunni Islam, challenging them to reform Islam and rescue it from the radicals.

We are in need of a religious revolution.

You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world is waiting for your next move.... I am saying these words here at Al-Azhar, before this assembly of scholars and ulema [learned men]. Allah Almighty be witness to your truth on Judgment Day concerning that which Im talking about now.

This stands as one of the most impressive speeches by a moderate Muslim leader in recent memory. By working closely with Sisi (and Jordans king), Trump can demonstrate that when he rightly denounces Radical Islam hes not suggesting that hes going to war with the religion of Islam.

Third, hes not just talk  hes working hard to protect Egypt from radical Islamist jihadists. In the summer of 2013, after 22 million Egyptians signed a petition to remove the Muslim Brotherhood from power, Sisi and the Egyptian military brought down the Brotherhood regime that was strangling Egypt and was trying to impose Sharia law. They specifically removed Mohammed Morsi from the presidency. It was Morsi, after all, who had famously declared, The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal. Since then, Sisi has directed his military to crush jihadists operating in the Sinai.

Fourth, hes not only maintaining Egypts peace treaty with Israel but developing a close working relationship with Israeli leaders. Under Morsi, there was a real risk that Egypt would abrogate her 1979 peace treaty with Israel. But relations between the two countries have warmed considerably under Sisi. During the Obama years, several members of Congress told me of meetings they had in Cairo in which the Egyptian leader candidly shared that he had a better working relationship with Netanyahu than with Obama. Security ties between Cairo and Jerusalem are growing ever closer, especially in terms of battling terrorists in Sinai. And there are whispers Sisi is looking for the right moment to invite Israels premier to Cairo.

Fifth, hes building closer ties with the Christian community. In 2014, Sisi visited Pope Francis in Rome. In 2015, for the first time that anyone could remember, Egypts president publicly celebrated Christmas with Coptic Christian leaders, then did so again in 2016. Hes helping restore dozens of Coptic churches damaged or destroyed by terrorists. Egypts parliament has approved measures to make it easier for churches to be built and renovated. Christian leaders in Egypt say they feel Sisi is sincerely working to protect and assist Christians, though clearly much more progress must be made, as was made evident in December when jihadists bombed a historic Coptic church in Cairo, killing 29 and wounding dozens more.

Sixth, hes building close ties with the Jewish community. Unlike any of his predecessors, the Egyptian leader has been engaged in a truly extraordinary effort to build warm and close ties to the American Jewish community, and for this he deserves enormous credit. In early 2016, Sisi welcomed a delegation of 36 American Jewish leaders to Cairo.

He personally met with representatives from the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations for more than two hours, discussing his view of the region and answering their questions.

In September 2016, the Egyptian leader met privately with Jewish leaders in New York. In December 2016, Sisi met with yet another Jewish delegation to Cairo, this time from the American Jewish Congress. Then, just last week, Sisi met with another delegation of Jewish leaders in Cairo. During the hour-anda- half meeting, the president discussed his efforts to fight terrorism, improve Egypts economy and advance peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Sisi said the peace process was a top priority for him.

Yes, there are human rights violations in Egypt, economic challenges and a myriad of other serious issues Sisi must address.

One analyst of the Egyptian political scene writing in Foreign Policy magazine has noted that the Egyptian governments theme is safe before perfect, meaning it will try to improve on human rights but the top priority is ensuring day-to-day safety on the streets and freedom from terrorism.

The Trump-Pence administration  along with Christian and Jewish leaders  should press Egypts leaders to make more progress, especially on human rights. At the same time, we should thank Sisi for what he has done right while encouraging him to move further in the right direction.

The West needs a stable Egypt as a friend and an ally, now more than ever.

The author is a US-Israeli dual citizen and former aide to US and Israeli leaders. A New York Times best-selling novelist, he has sold more than three million books. His new thriller, Without Warning, is about a series of Islamic State attacks inside the American homeland. It releases on March 14.
I'm flabbergasted. Mint Press New, by Whitney Web

A CIA report, drafted in 1986, details the agencys purposely provocative analysis of the regimes vulnerabilities and the potential to destabilize and oust then-President Hafez al-Assad.

Anti-Assad protesters burn a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with Corruption written across his face. (AP/Kostas Tsironis)

SYRIA  While the nearly seven-year-long sectarian civil war in Syria is widely believed to have started in 2011, revelations in recent years have shown that the sectarian war that has sunk Syria into chaos actually precedes the official start of the conflict.

In 2010, Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of classified State Department cables, including a2006 cable showing that destabilizing the Syrian governmentwas a primary goal of U.S. policy in the Middle East. The ultimate intention was to topple Iran, one of Syrias closest allies. The cable revealed that the U.S. goal at the time was to undermine the Syrian government by any means available.

In addition, retired United States Army General Wesley Clarks bombshell interview with Democracy Nowexposed the existence of plans for regime change in Syria that date as far back as 2001. Now, a newlydeclassified document from the Central Intelligence Agency has shown that these regime change efforts date back even further to the late 1980s  and potentially even earlier.

The declassified document was written in July, 1986 by the Foreign Subversion and Instability Center, a part of the CIAs Mission Center for Global Issues, and is titled Syria: Scenarios of Dramatic Political Change. As the document itself states, its purpose is to analyze  in a purposely provocative manner  a number of possible scenarios that could lead to the ouster of President Assad [Bashar al-Assads father, Hafez] or other dramatic change in Syria.

The reports meager distribution list suggest it was considered by top officials in the Reagan administration, specifically because it was distributed to national security chiefs, not entire agencies. It was also distributed to a handful of key players in U.S.-Syria relations, such as former Ambassador to Syria William Eagleton.

Though the document itself officially predates the current Syrian conflict by nearly 25 years, much of its analysis brings to mind recent events in Syria, particularly those that led to the outbreak of war in 2011. Chief among these is the rise of factionalism between Sunni Muslim elements against the ruling Alawi minority (a Shiite sect), as well as the potential to counter Russian influence in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. These similarities suggest that U.S. regime change efforts in Syria date back to well over 30 years ago  proof of the persistent imperialist elements that consistently guide U.S. foreign policy.

The Rise of Factionalism and Sectarian Conflict in Syria

A Free Syrian Army fighter from the Al-Faruk brigade steps on a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Sept. 22, 2012 (AP/Hussein Malla)

Of all the named individuals and groups that might impel or impede takeover attempts that are recognized by the CIA, Syrias Sunni population ranks highest among them. The CIA notes that factionalism plagues the political and military elite as the ruling Alawi minority is deeply resented by the Sunni majority it dislodged from power two decades ago. The document also states that a renewal of communal violence between Alawis and Sunnis could inspire Sunnis in the military to turn against the regime.

At the time, the document continues, Sunnis made up 60 percent of the Syrian officer corps but [were] concentrated in junior officer ranks, with the majority of enlisted men being primarily Sunni conscripts. Furthermore, the document notes that if the Syrian government were to overreact to minor outbreaks of Sunni dissidence, large-scale unrest could be triggered  setting the stage for civil war.

The CIA also makes its strong preference for a Sunni-led government in Syria quite clear, stating that U.S. interests in Syria probably would be best served by a Sunni regime, particularly one led by Sunni business-moderates who would see a strong need for Western aid and investment.

This assessment, as the Libertarian Institute has pointed out, is remarkably consistent with more recent events, particularly those that have defined Syrias current conflict, which is often misleadingly described by many media outlets as a civil war. For instance, opposition forces who have been fighting to overthrow the Assad regime for the better part of seven years are almost entirely composed of Sunnis.

According to the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, the Syrian opposition, especially its armed current, is a Sunni enterprise. Sunni factionalism, the CTC further notes, is driving large segments of the opposition to the [Assad] regime. In 2014, the Guardian noted that the opposition forces were almost exclusively Sunni.
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OK
Canada has been awarded the ranking of second-best country in the world after Switzerland. Its very nice but the idea that two places  one a land-locked postage stamp and the other an enormous, largely uninhabited chunk of North America on three oceans  should be compared this way is sort of amusing. The Bulldog adds that any Canadian who didnt know the quality of first-world life he/she was living really has not been paying attention. This best country contest is in its second year and is run by U.S. News and World Report, Young and Rubicam and the Wharton School of Business. Stuff like this is good for their business too. All leads

Related
Khan and his wife were born in Pakistan, but he has been an American citizen for more than 30 years. The Khans son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan, died in the Iraq War in 2004.

In a statement, Khan said the following:

This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad. I have not been given any reason as to why.

In an in interview with The New Yorker last month, Khizr Khan was asked to give his opinion about the Presidents first travel ban:
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Employees at Beatrice State Developmental Center were notified Tuesday morning that positions and programs were being cut at the state-run facility.

Courtney Miller, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said each position was evaluated, all unnecessary vacant positions were terminated and 39 positions were being eliminated.

Over recent years the number served at BSDC has declined, she said. Weve been working diligently for the last 18 months to create partnerships to benefit people supported at BSDC.

Miller said the cuts are a response to fewer residents at BSDC, and does not mean the center is closing. There are currently 481 staff members at BSDC and 111 residents.

The cutbacks, or "rightsizing" as Miller called it, focus on administration simplifications to reduce redundancies while still meeting regulatory requirements, and also focusing on care of the residents.

The positions will be eliminated in the coming month.

She said the impacted positions do not include front line or direct care staff, and a job fair was planned to help those impacted find employment.

Employees will be given information about opportunities within DHHS and the State of Nebraska based on seniority and vacant positions.

Miller said the cuts will annually save an estimated $1.6 million, and insisted the change wasnt driven by budget issues.

It wasnt necessarily related to the budget shortfall, she said. This is something that we have looked at over the past 18 months to determine the appropriate staffing levels to serve the 111 individuals.

The shift will also close the Bridges Center for Developmental Disabilities in Hastings, which was established in 2005.

Bridges is licensed as a community-based service for individuals with developmental disabilities. Its intent is to support individuals in the least restrictive environment.

According to a fact sheet from DHHS, the institutional characteristics of Bridges will not be in compliance with the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver Final Rule because of its location immediately adjacent to a state-operated institution, the Hastings Regional Center.

Miller said officials will be reaching out to guardians and families to find living arrangements for the individuals, potentially at BSDC or in a community-based service.

The move will impact 31 employees in Hastings with a completion date for the transition planned for June 1.

Twelve staff positions will be repurposed to support quality management initiatives for community-based programs to ensure compliance with regulations.

In Beatrice, Miller also announced the Carstens Cafe will close effective at the end of the month.

The cafe, which is open to the public and provides a full menu of food options, was operated in part by BSDC residents. Miller said BSDC will continue to look for work opportunities throughout the community where residents can collect a paycheck.

That was a difficult decision, Miller said. There are seven residents and eight staff that work at the cafe. Five staff will be repurposed to other vocational responsibilities to work directly with residents, including the seven that were employed as well as others for job-related opportunities. We will continue to seek employment opportunities in the community as we have in the past and currently.

For around five years, BSDC has partnered with Integrated Life Choices to allow residents to work in downtown Beatrice at places like the Big Blue Candle Co.

Bear Creek Gifts, an on-campus store that sells resident-made crafts to the public, will continue to operate.

BSDC began as the State Institution for the Feeble Minded Youth, founded by the Nebraska Legislature on March 5, 1885 to provide special means of improvement to those in need.

By 1921, the campus had 663 residents and 57 employees.

Documents from DHHS state that by the mid 1960s the campus had reached a peak census of more than 2,200 and lacked space and staff. Because of this, hundreds of residents were transferred to the Norfolk Regional Center and the Kearney Tuberculosis Hospital.

DHHSs history of BSDC states that the campuss population declined in the 1970s, allowing the facilitys quality to gradually improve the quality of basic care to residents, retrain staff and incorporate residents into new programs.

In recent decades, trends in care have shifted away from an institutionalized feel to more of a living community, contributing to the decreased number of residents.
With its healthy optimism and sense of urgency, it is no surprise President Trumps address to Congress earned a 76 percent approval rating among viewers in a CBS News poll. Expectations are high among Americans, and they should be. We have a lot of work to do.

I had hoped he would focus on bringing the country together, and the President delivered. By opening with a call for unity and emphasizing it throughout his address, he set the right tone for the days ahead.

President Trump talked extensively about the regulatory reforms he has been working on from day one. In the House, we have been partnering with him to roll back many of the Obama administrations costly rules. One of the most celebrated relief efforts came the same day as President Trumps address, when he signed an executive order requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to go back to the drawing board on the Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS.

WOTUS, which gave the EPA the power to dictate local land use decisions and farming practices nationwide, was one of the Obama administrations most egregious overreaches. Nebraskans expressed deep concerns about federal agencies having control over the water puddles and irrigation ditches on their properties. Local officials told me about infrastructure projects, such as cleaning and widening a drainage ditch, which were needlessly delayed by the rules red tape.

I was honored to join President Trump at the White House when he signed his executive order to push the reset button on WOTUS. Though the Obama administration refused to listen to the concerns of agriculture producers, I am glad President Trump took them seriously.

In his address, the President also laid out his goals for health care reform, including expanding choice, increasing access, and lowering costs. These are the same goals I have advocated for over the past few years as premiums have risen and choices have dwindled under Obamacare. We need a health insurance system which compels consumers to purchase coverage due to its value and quality rather than the federal government forcing their hands.

President Trump highlighted some of the reforms we are working on in the Ways and Means Committee to replace Obamacare with a more patient-centered, market-based approach. By enhancing health savings accounts, we can make it easier for Americans to spend their money the way they want to on the care they need. By reforming the tax treatment of health care, we can empower Americans to select the best insurance for them rather than being tied to a certain job, state, or program. We also remain committed to keeping protections in place for those with preexisting conditions, as the President reaffirmed.

Additionally, I appreciated President Trumps remarks on tax reform. Simplifying our tax code is the most effective way to grow our economy. Under our Ways and Means Committee blueprint, 90 percent of Americans could file their taxes on a postcard. The President has also signaled his commitment to repealing the death tax, which is great news for Nebraska farmers and ranchers. I look forward to working with him to get this done.

As President Trump stated, Action is not a choice  it is a necessity. We are ready to act.
Hanoi, March 7 (VNA)  The opportunities for Vietnam to tap the Australian market are huge if businesses create competitive products up to international standards, said experts.



According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam and Australia enjoy favourable conditions to boost economic and trade ties.



Two-way trade reached 5.26 billion USD in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 6.5 percent.



The Vietnamese trade office in Australia said Vietnam posted a trade surplus of about 480 million USD in 2016.



Growth was seen in camera and spare parts, iron and steel products, apparel and footwear materials, computers, electronic products and components, and interior decoration.



Australia has demand for Vietnamese staples such as garment-textile, footwear, seafood, and timber products.



It also imports Vietnamese lychees, which have enjoyed a surge in export turnover over the past two years.



The Vietnamese trade office in Australia noted that Australian consumers are open to imported goods and they care about quality, appearance and price.



The most urgent thing to do is popularise Vietnamese products and connect businesses with the market.



Australian importers do not accept products which fail to meet their quality standards and they attach great importance to long-term business partnerships.



Robert Chua, an Australian market consultant, said import demand in Australia is huge but Vietnamese products are not strong enough to dominate the market.



In fact, Australia imports various products from Asia-Pacific countries, including Vietnam, especially footwear and garment-textile.



Therefore, it is essential to improve quality management of manufacturing factories and abide by global criteria on plant protection drugs, dyes and food additives, experts suggested.



Businesses could invite quality control experts and skilled workers from Australia to work in Vietnam to popularise locally-made products, they advised.



Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh called on the two sides to exert efforts to drive bilateral trade forward, on par with their economic potential and comprehensive partnership.



The enforcement of the free trade agreement between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand has helped increase Vietnam-Australia trade ties, creating a significant milestone in the two countries relationship, he added.



The Ministry of Industry and Trade will entrust its Import-Export Department to address difficulties via a hotline and simplify administrative procedures as well as promulgate documents to highlight opportunities and challenges from free trade agreements for businesses to help them boost exports, he said.



Since Vietnam and Australia normalised relations in 1973, bilateral ties have been reinforced by external affairs, trade, and economy.



Bilateral rapport has developed since the two nations set up a comprehensive partnership in 2009, especially in economy and trade.

VNA/VNP
FILE PHOTO - US President Donald Trump hands Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (R) an executive order that directs agencies to ease the burden of Obamacare, after signing it in the Oval Office in Washington, U.S. on January 20, 2017. Also pictured is White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter (C). [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON  Long-awaited legislation to dismantle Obamacare was unwrapped on Monday by US Republicans, who called for ending health insurance mandates and rolling back extra healthcare funding for the poor in a package that drew immediate fire from Democrats.

In a battle waged since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act, Democratic President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement, Republicans including President Donald Trump have long vowed to repeal and replace the law. But they failed for years to coalesce around an alternative.

With a proposal now on the table, the fate of the plan is uncertain even with Republican majorities in both chambers. Also unclear is where Trump stands on many of the details.

"Today marks an important step toward restoring healthcare choices and affordability back to the American people," the White House said in a statement, adding Trump looked forward to working with Congress on replacing Obamacare.

Republicans condemn Obamacare as government overreach, and Trump has called it a "disaster."

Critics complained about the penalty the law charged those who refused to buy insurance. The Republican proposal would repeal that penalty immediately.

Congressional Democrats denounced the Republican plan, saying it would hurt Americans by requiring them to pay more for healthcare, to the benefit of insurers.

Obamacare is popular in many states, even some controlled by Republicans. It has brought health insurance coverage to about 20 million previously uninsured Americans, although premium increases have angered some.

About half those people gained coverage through an expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor. The Republican proposal would end the Medicaid expansion on Jan. 1, 2020, and cap Medicaid funding after that date.

Just before the plan was unveiled, four moderate Senate Republicans jointly expressed concern that an earlier draft would not adequately protect those who got coverage under Medicaid, raising doubts about the legislation's future in the Senate.

Several Senate and House conservatives have already expressed doubt about another aspect of the plan, the offering of tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. The proposal seeks to encourage people to buy insurance with the age-based credits, which would be capped at upper-income levels.

The legislation would abolish the current income-based subsidies for purchasing insurance under Obamacare.

The proposal would protect two of the most popular provisions of Obamacare. It would prohibit insurers from denyingcoverage or charging more to those with pre-existing conditions,and it would allow adults up to age 26 to remain on their parents' health plans. Trump has long supported by both ideas.

The measure would also provide states with $100 billion to create programs for patient populations, possibly including high-risk pools to provide insurance to the sickest patients.

'FRANKLY NOT ENOUGH'

The overall cost of the Republican plan, a key issue in a time of high federal deficits, was not yet known, Republican aides said. Two House committees will next review the plan.

Craig Garthwaite of Northwestern University said the proposed tax credits, which would range from $2,000 to $4,000,were "frankly not enough for a low-income person to afford insurance."

Republicans said the legislation would give Americans the flexibility to make their own healthcare choices, free of Obamacare's mandate that people buy health insurance and the law's taxes, including a surtax on investment income earned byupper-income Americans.

"Our legislation transfers power from Washington back to the American people," House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said in a statement.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement,however, that "Trumpcare doesn't replace the Affordable Care Act, it forces millions of Americans to pay more for less care."

"Paying for all this is going to be a big issue," said Joe Antos of the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

"It's possible that CBO (the Congressional Budget Office) is going to say the Medicaid reductions aren't enough to offset the revenue losses from repealing all the taxes."

A hospital group voiced disappointment that lawmakers were willing to consider the measure without knowing how much it costor how it might affect healthcare coverage.

The proposal "could place a heavy burden on the safety net by reducing federal support for Medicaid expansion over time andimposing per-capita caps on the program," said America's Essential Hospitals, which represents hospitals that providecare to low-income and uninsured individuals.

Reuters
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- If the Democratic Party is ailing after losing the presidency to Donald Trump, state parties are on life support.

Here in the long-ago Democratic stronghold of Alabama, the party is all but dead, say some of its disheartened members. Consider: Not a single statewide office is held by a Democrat; the state Legislature is dominated by Republicans with just 33 Democrats out of 105 House seats and eight of 35 Senate seats.

Democrats haven't won a U.S. Senate election in the state since 1992 or the governorship since 1998. There are no Democratic appellate judges, nor any Democratic members of the state's Public Service Commission. Democrats also are becoming scarcer in county offices.

"The Democratic Party in Alabama is on a crash-and-burn track unless something drastic happens to stop this runaway train," according to Sheila Gilbert, chair of the Calhoun County Democrats, who hand-delivered a letter outlining the party's problems following a speech I gave at Jacksonville State University as the Ayers lecturer.

The letter was signed by Gilbert as a leader of the Alabama Democratic Reform Caucus (ADRC) and 17 other members in attendance. The group, which formed two years ago to try to help revive the state party, wasn't coy about its reason for approaching me.

"We need a spotlight on Alabama and some outside effort to avoid becoming a totally one-party state," Gilbert said.

I didn't bother to mention that the current U.S. attorney general, former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, was shining quite a spotlight on their home state. Whether Sessions is forced to resign after already recusing himself from any investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election campaign remains to be seen. The fall of such a high-profile Republican could be useful to Democrats back home trying to defibrillate the party.

But Gilbert's group has been critical of state Democratic Party officials for missing an opportunity to recruit candidates when other Republican politicians were in trouble, including the governor and House speaker. A recent meeting of county and state party leaders reportedly became heated, as when state Chairwoman Nancy Worley offered to call police to escort one county chairman from the room -- and may be emblematic more broadly of the party's disintegration from within.

The GOP went through this same sort of infighting and navel-gazing on the national level several years back. After losing the presidency to Barack Obama in 2008, it regrouped, reformed itself, became disciplined and has taken the House, Senate, the White House and most of the nation's governorships, while also successfully gerrymandering congressional districts that have given Republicans the advantage in many states -- at least until the next redistricting in 2020.

Democrats are readying themselves for that fight, but they'll need to do more than try to redraw the map. While Democrats were basking in Obama's sunny smile, Republicans were busy building benches of future leaders, especially at the state attorney general level, where they are now in the majority. The strategy has been to recruit and help elect strong attorneys general who could be groomed to become governors, senators -- and possibly president.

What, meanwhile, can Democrats do, a fellow in the audience asked me. There was a plaintive tone in his voice and I wanted to help, though the truth is, I'm not accustomed to Democrats asking my advice. But in the spirit of "it takes two to tango" -- and the fact that I'd rather not live in a country exclusively run by either party -- I'll give it a fresh, morning-after stab.

What's really ailing Democrats is they've fallen in love with abstract principles, as reflected on an ADRC handout, without building a foundation where such goals as fair pay, transparency, diversity and such can be played out. Trump may have been coarse and loose at times during the campaign, but he spoke in plain language with plain meaning: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Whether Trump can fix trade, create jobs and make money for the rest of us was a gamble people were willing to take. Fixing the economy was Obama's mandate, too, but he decided to focus on health care instead. This is where lust for legacy interferes with good governance. Obama did manage to help turn the economic steamship around -- the market bounced from just under 8,000 when he took office to nearly 20,000 -- but Wall Street's recovery didn't trickle down to the middle class, where Trump planted his flag.

When in doubt, look to the victor.
HA NOI  Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan has asked the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to punish cases in which Vietnamese enterprises advertisements with inappropriate content featured in YouTube videos.

The Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information recently found clips advertising Vietnamese brands inserted into videos on YouTube, which had content that violated the countrys law.

In a Monday meeting, a representative of the authority said the agency conducted the management and removal of inappropriate content on Google and YouTube following the direction of the minister right after the violations were detected.

The authority has also worked with cross-border service providers, including Facebook, Google and YouTube, to require businesses to strictly comply with regulations on providing information on the Internet in accordance with guidelines in Circular 38 of the ministry on cross-border information management.

In addition, Viet Nam Internet Network Information Centre has also supported the authority in managing domain names to determine sites operating illegally or not having the required licence.  VNS
HA NOI  ak Lak Province will introduce 15 key projects that require investment from domestic and foreign investors at a conference to be held in Buon Me Thuot City on March 11.

These projects, expected to cost some VN22.7 trillion (nearly US$1 billion), will cover a wide range of sectors, including hi-tech agricutlure, industry, construction and tourism, baodautu.vn quoted the provincial Investment Promotion Centre as saying.

Statistics from the Foreign Investment Agency revealed that the province attracted only 13 foreign-invested projects, worth $136 million, as of February 20, ranking 51th among 63 localities nationwide in term of investment attraction.

To attract more investment, local authorities are offering a number of favourable policies and streamlining administrative procedures to provide optimum conditions for investors, according to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

The province has always considered administrative reform an important factor in attracting investors, the department said.

The province is deversifying investment promotion efforts, including regular meetings and interactions with large domestic and international companies to introduce local potential and investment climate.

Top priority is also being given to improving training for human resources, ensuring public order and creating conditions in which businesses feel secure about investing, it said.

Futher, ak Lak is improving coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies, both at home and abroad, so that the province can accquire up-to-date information on its partners, ultimately optimising the promotion of investments, the department noted.

The 13,125sq.km. province has an airport and a fairly developed road network, with many important national highways passing through it.

It has more than 600,000ha of forests with timber reserves of more than 50 million cu.m.

With nearly 540,000ha of agricultural land, the province grows high-value commercial crops, such as coffee, rubber, and pepper, suitable for developing a processing industry around them.

Livestock and poultry farming have developed rapidly in the province, providing investors a good foundation for investing in industrial-scale animal breeding, feed production and animal and poultry meat processing plants.

The province also has potential in minerals such as feldspar, lead, sand and gravel for construction, meaning investors can develop processing industries.

It has an abundant workforce with more than 900,000 workers, 400,000 of them trained, to basically meet investors human resources needs.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) aims to make the logistics sector increase its national GDP contribution from the current 2-3 per cent to 8-10 per cent by 2025.

It will achieve the target by developing logistics into a high value-added sector, said Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh.

The action plan prepared by MoIT targets an average annual growth rate of 15-20 per cent for the sector, while reducing logistics costs to 16-20 per cent of the countrys GDP.

At a conference held in Ha Noi on Monday to find ways to boost the sectors competitiveness, Khanh said that the Government should focus on attracting investment into developing infrastructure and building logistics centre at regional and global levels.

Logistics plays a vital role in raising businesses competitiveness and in the supply chain, he said.

For instance, he said, transporting shrimp from the Cuu Long (Mekong Delta) Region to the northern region was more expensive than getting goods from Ecuador to Viet Nam.

This is because the countrys logistics network has not grown evenly, focusing on some big cities like Ha Noi, a Nang and HCM City.

Many rice and seafood hubs, like the Mekong Delta Region, have seen slow logistics development, he said.

With an import-export turnover of US$300 billion in 2016 that is expected to increase by 8-10 per cent a year in the coming time, the logistics sector has enough conditions to develop to new heights, he said.

Tran Thanh Hai, deputy head of the ministrys Import-Export Department said logistics has been a key sector in Viet Nams socio-economic development in the 2016-20 period.

Viet Nam has around 1,300 businesses operating in the sector, the majority of them local firms.

However, foreign firms account for up to 80 per cent of the logistics turnover despite the small number, Hai said.

He said most of Vietnamese logistics firms are of small and medium scale, making it difficult for them to compete against big foreign companies with strong connections worldwide.

The action plan will create a legal framework for logistics activities, including integrating it into production, and improve the capacity of local firms to catch up with import-export activities.

The plan will help promote investments of leading firms in the sector and mobilise capital from different sources including the State Budget, businesses, loans and international assistance.

Experts have said the countrys deep integration into the world economy will provide opportunities for the logistics sector to grow to new heights, but it will have be competitive enough to take advantage of them.  VNS
Hong Van

Every Vietnamese knows the poem Banh troi nuoc (the dumpling that drifts in water), written by poetess Ho Xuan Huong in the 18th or 19th century. The words, which many a Vietnamese knows by heart, go like this:

Than em vua trang lai vua tron/ Bay noi ba chim voi nuoc non/ Ran nat mac dau tay ke nan/ Ma em van giu tam long son.

"My body is both white and round

In water I now swim, now sink

The hand that kneads me maybe rough

I still shall keep my true-red heart" (translated by scholar, translator Huynh Sanh Thong)

Ho Xuan Huong, dubbed "Queen of Nom poetry" (the name of the ancient Vietnamese ideographic script), used the floating dumpling

as a metaphor for Vietnamese women in the old time  beautiful outside and inside though their life is full of ups and downs and they cannot control their fate.

Banh troi is in the size of a grape and made of rice, with a palm sugar cube inside; banh chay is the size of an egg, with mung beans inside, and is served with thick sweet sauce.

While banh chung (square sticky rice cake) is a must for the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, troi and chay dumplings are eaten in almost every Vietnamese family on Cold Food Day, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month (March 30th this year).

The custom has its root in China, where it is celebrated from the third to fifth day of the fourth lunar month and is an occasion for the locals to honour a scholar named Zitui, who died of fire burns. Traditionally, fire is a taboo on this day and locals eat cold food only.

The Vietnamese, however, celebrate only one day, on which troi and chay dumplings are offered to ancestors as a sign of gratitude. Fire is not banned on this day, and in addition to floating rice dumplings, people still have normal meals.

Making troi dumplings is pretty easy  preparing dough with a brown palm sugar cube inside and rolling it into small balls, which are then dropped into boiling water.

The dumplings are ready when they float to the surface, and must then be placed in a bowl of cold water right away, otherwise they will stick to each other. Roasted sesame is sprinkled on top.

Chay dumpling is boiled in the same way and served with thick and sweet sauce, to which grated ginger and coconut fibre are added.

Though troi and chay dumplings versions may vary from region to region, they all share ingredients in common  grean beans, sugar cubes and sticky rice.

In Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, local Tay ethnic people make Coong phu dumpling, which resembles floating rice dumplings yet tastes like lean cake. They serve this cake with hot sugarcane sauce flavored with ginger.

In the south of Viet Nam, to celebrate Cold Food Day, people cook che troi nuoc, which is served with sugar sauce, ginger and coconut extract.

Besides Cold Food Day, residents of the former province of Ha Tay (now part of Ha Noi city) celebrate the floating rice dumplings offering ritual on the 6th day of the third lunar month.

Legend had it that on the 6th day of the third lunar month, in 42AD, the Trung sisters were about to set out to fight the enemy, when a poor lady asked to meet them and offered them two plates of floating rice dumplings to pay her respects. The sisters happily ate the floating rice dumplings before going to do battle.

Since then, for nearly 2,000 years, locals in Hat Mon Commune of Ha Tay Province offer floating rice dumplings to the Trung sisters. According to custom, they do not eat floating rice dumplings from the lunar new year festival till noon of the 3rd day of the third lunar month. They only eat the dumplings after offering them in temple and to ancestors at home.

For Hanoians, these rice dumplings conjur up the small eatery of the late comedian Pham Bang, which offered sweet soups, floating dumplings

and mung-bean dumplings.

The small eatery in the Old Quarters Hang Giay Street was owned and managed by Bang and his wife for more than three decades. Many came there for the opportunity to see their favourite comedian and taste the juicy floating rice dumplings. For many this is a sweet childhood memory.

A serving would normally consist of two balls in the size of an egg each, one with mung bean filling and the other with black sesame, both covered in thick sugar sauce characterised by the unique aroma of ginger.

Bangs wife learned the recipe from the Chinese merchants who worked and lived on Hang Giay Street. She opened the eatery to earn extra money to supplement her husbands earnings. Some said her dumplings were even better than those made by the Chinese in the area.

Nowadays, Hanoians eat floating rice dumplings not only on special occasions like Cold Food Day, but also as a daily snack. The eatery drew native Hanoians to the Old quarter until the comedian died last year. All that remains are nostalgic memories and pity for those who did not get to know the place.

These days, many families do not have time to prepare the traditional dumplings on Cold Food Day, and they buy it from local eateries, including those on 4 Hang Can Street or 52 Hang ieu Street. Queues of people waiting in front of such eateries from the early morning are a familiar site. VNS

Banh troi and/ or banh chay can be found at:

HA NOI

4 Hang Can Street.

52 Hang ieu Street.

1 Bat an Street.

93 Hang Bac Street.

HCMC

48 Ly Chinh Thang Street. (available from 7pm to 11pm).

136 Le Thi Hong Gam Street.

65 Le Loi Street.
HA NOI  The third contemporary Viet Nam-Thailand arts exhibition will be held from March 8 to 10 in Ha Noi, featuring 66 artists from the two countries.

Among the 54 Thai artists are Den Warnjing, Thanom Chantakruea, Phattarapion, Wisit Pimpimon; the 12 Vietnamese ones include Ngo Quang Duong, ao Chi ac, o Quoc Binh, Luu Bao Trung, Nguyen inh Quang, Nguyen uc Vinh, Nguyen Thanh Son and others.

Alongside the upcoming exhibition, which will expose the public to the cultural diversity of the two ASEAN nations, art exchange activities for artists will be held during a drawing trip to the northern mountain town of Sa Pa on March 8.

Some of the Thai artists are lecturers at the Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Fine Arts, Suphanburi College of Fine Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts of Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, College of Fine Arts of Bunditpatanasilpa Institute.

The programme, co-organised by the Suphanburi Fine Arts College and Fine Arts and the Photography Exhibition Centre will take place at the Fine Arts and Photography Exhibition Centre, 29 Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District. Entry is free of charge. VNS
Parliamentarians from Viet Nam and Thailand should step up coordination and exchange, especially at multilateral forums, in order to further bolster links between legislative bodies of the two nations.  Photo daibieunhandan.vn

HA NOI  Parliamentarians from Viet Nam and Thailand should step up coordination and exchange, especially at multilateral forums, in order to further bolster links between legislative bodies of the two nations, a Vietnamese law-maker has said.

Chairman of the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Parliamentarian Group, Pham inh Toan, made the suggestion during a working session with visiting Chairman of the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarian Group Sakchai Tanaboonchai in Ha Noi yesterday.

Toan spoke highly of the contributions made by Sakchai Tanaboonchai and other parliamentarians in the National Legislation Council of Thailand to fostering bilateral relations in general and between the two countries legislatures in particular.

He affirmed that the partnership between the two groups serves as an important channel in term of parliamentary diplomacy, helping strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two nations legislative bodies and people.

He hoped Thai parliamentarians will continue to support and cooperate with Viet Nam and other member countries of the Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS) in addressing issues related to water security and sustainable use and management of water resources in the Mekong River.

For his part, Sakchai Tanaboonchai highlighted the flourishing development of the bilateral relationship over the last four decades, and effective activities of the two groups in recent times as well.

He expressed his hope that the two groups will enhance the sharing of information and working experience, and cooperation, thus promoting the relations between Viet Nam and Thailand in general and the two countries law-making agencies in particular. VNS
Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich (R) receives Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaign in Ha Noi yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  Senior defence officials of Viet Nam and Myanmar have agreed to bolster defence co-operation between the two countries and make it deeper, more effective and practical.

The agreement was reached during talks in Ha Noi yesterday between Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaign, who is on a four-day visit to Viet Nam from March 5 at the invitation of the Vietnamese Defence Minister.

At the talks, the two sides briefed each other on the political, socio-economic and defence-security situation in each country, and shared experience in building armed forces.

Noting that defence co-operation between the two countries in past years has become a key pillar in the partnership between Viet Nam and Myanmar, the officials discussed plans for co-operation in 2017 and beyond.

On the foundation of the defence collaboration agreement signed in 2011, the two armies have implemented various co-operation activities such as exchanging delegations, holding exchanges for young officers, organising Vietnamese and Myanmar language training, and partnering in the fight against illegal migration and smuggling.

They have also supported each other at multilateral forums, thus contributing to strengthening Viet Nam-Myanmar ties.

The same day, the military-run Viettel Global Investment JSC and Myanmars Telecommunication Joint Venture MYTEL signed a contract on technology and management assistance.  VNS
HA NOI  The top legislators of Viet Nam and Laos yesterday agreed to enhance co-ordination for effective implementation of agreements reached by the two parliaments.

In talks held in Ha Noi before signing a five-year (2017-2021) co-operation pact, they said this would strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and visiting Lao counterpart Pany Yathotou also stressed that the two sides need to maintain regular exchange visits by senior officials of both countries.

They said ministries, sectors and localities of both countries should also increase interaction and exchange experiences.

They agreed that both sides will continue supporting each other at global and regional forums, and strengthen sub-regional co-operation mechanisms in the context of increasingly complicated developments in the world and the region.

Ngan affirmed that the two parliaments will work to accelerate construction of the parliament building in Laos.

They will also organise exchanges between parliamentarians friendship groups, female NA deputies and young lawmakers of both two countries, she said.

The Vietnamese NA will work hard to organise activities celebrating the 55th anniversary of Viet Nam-Laos diplomatic ties and 40 years of the Viet Nam-Laos Friendship and Co-operation Treaty, she added.

The two NA leaders highlighted the significance of the upcoming inauguration of the Viet Nam-Laos revolutionary historical site in Son La Province, saying it would educate younger generations about the special solidarity that the countries enjoy.

Pany Yathotou, who is on a week-long official visit, hoped her visit will contribute to further deepening the special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the two Parties, States and legislatures.

She thanked Viet Nam for its valuable, timely and effective assistance to her country in the past struggle for national liberation as well as in the current national construction and defence process.

The Lao Party and State highly value Viet Nams financial assistance to Laos in constructing the parliament building, considering it a vivid manifestation of the special friendship and solidarity between the two nations, she said.

She said the two parliaments to urge their respective governments to issue policies and measures to further bolster bilateral links in trade, investment and education.

Committees of the two legislative bodies need to continue supervising the implementation of commitments and co-operation agreements reached between their Governments, especially on border issues, natural resources management, and environmental protection, she added.



Pany Yathotou expressed her hope that the Vietnamese NA and provincial-level peoples councils will continue their support and share experiences with their Lao counterparts in the coming time.

After their talks, the top legislators signed a five year (2017-21) co-operation agreement between the two legislatures, and witnessed the signing of a co-operation agreement between the two NA offices for the same period.

Leaders reception

During a reception for the visiting top legislator of Laos yesterday, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that Viet Nam fully supports national reform, construction and defence in Laos.

He believed that under the leadership of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP), the direction of the government and the supervision of the NA, the Lao people will successfully implement the resolution set by the LPRPs 10th National Congress.

He suggested enhancing the sharing of information, experience and expertise in legislation, supervision and major issues while directing ministries, agencies, localities, and businesses to implement Viet Nam-Laos joint statements, agreements by high-ranking leaders of the two parties and countries, and co-operation programmes between the two governments.

Receiving NA Chairwoman of Laos Yathotou yesterday, President Tran ai Quang expressed his delight that the relationship between Viet Nam and Laos continued to progress through increased high-ranking visits and meetings in various spheres between the two sides.

The President called for the two parliaments to fortify co-operation, share experience in forming institutions and legal systems, and in supervision of law enforcement and enhance facilitate co-operation projects between the two countries.

Yathotou affirmed that she would work to ensure co-operation projects between the two Governments were implemented effectively, contributing to reinforced bilateral ties.

She believed that as the host of APEC Year 2017, Viet Nam will successfully hold the large-scale diplomatic event to further assert the countrys position in the international arena.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnamese State and Government will create the best conditions for the countrys army to enhance co-ordination with their Myanmar counterparts to deepen bilateral friendship.

President Tran ai Quang made the statement at a reception for Myanmars Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Ha Noi yesterday.

He said the ongoing visit by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is a demonstration of the sound friendship between the two armies, which will help increase bilateral amity.

Myanmar has always been an important partner in Viet Nams external policy, he said, adding that the bilateral relationship has improved thanks to regular high-level delegation exchanges.

The President suggested the two sides increase delegation exchanges and co-operation in training, military medicine, logistics, and defence industry.

He also called on Myanmar to support Vietnamese businesses, especially military-run companies, to invest, for the sake of the two countries and to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Senior General Hlaing expressed his belief that the ongoing visit to Viet Nam will help reinforce friendship, mutual trust and understanding between the two countries and two armies.

During a reception for the guest yesterday, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan lauded Myanmars efforts to promote multilateral co-operation, especially within the ASEAN framework.

The host wished that Myanmar would continue, together with Viet Nam and other ASEAN member states, in accelerating the fulfillment of ASEAN Community goals.

Ngan suggested the two armies direct agencies to seek measures to effectively implement defence collaboration agreements, and make it easier for Vietnamese firms to invest in Myanmar.

Myanmar is an important partner in Viet Nams external policy, she assured her guest.

Hlaing, for his part, asked Viet Nam to share its experience in several fields, including economic development, during the visit.

He informed the host that Myanmars telecom joint-venture Mytel and Viettel Global Investment company signed a technical and management support agreement on the occasion.  VNS
AK NONG  The Central Highlands province of ak Nong is providing better access to loans and training courses to farmers in an aim to increase productivity and quality of coffee farms.

Le Trong Yen, director of the provinces Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said authorities would help farmers understand the importance of sapling quality and provide information about sources of capital.

Farmers will also be taught how to make adjustments to ensure the sustainable cultivation of coffee trees.

Most of the farmers have been taking part in a coffee replantation programme begun in 2012.

To help them access loans, the province will simplify paperwork procedures.

It will also ensure the quality of seed strains and fertilisers, and offer training courses so farmers can raise the output and quality of coffee.

Buds from old, but still good, coffee trees will be grafted on to other trees to increase yields.

ak Nong has more than 125,000 hectares of coffee.

Of the total area, commercial coffee farms account for 113,000ha, at an average productivity of 2.2 tonnes per ha and annual yield of 250,000 tonnes of coffee, according to the department.

In 2012, the province kicked off the programme to grow new coffee strains with higher productivity and higher quality.

The aim was to replace old, stunted coffee trees. By the end of last year, the area of new coffee trees that had replaced old ones had increased by 8,000ha.

Since 2012, farmers have invested capital to plant 4,450ha of coffee trees, and the local government has provided funds to farmers to plant saplings in the remaining area.

At the same time, owners have grafted buds from old coffee trees on an area totalling about 1,000ha.

Nguyen Van Chuong, deputy director of the provinces sub-department of plant protection, said many new coffee farms had begun to develop harvests with a high yield.

However, the programme has been carried out slowly.

Demand for coffee seedlings is high, but the province does not have a certified coffee nursery.

Along with the lack of coffee seedlings, farmers have found it difficult to borrow money from local banks.

As of February, farmers in the programme had received a total of only VN38 billion (US$1.7 million) from the ak Nong branch of the Viet Nam Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.

About 30 per cent of the provinces old coffee trees have been cut down and replaced under the programme.

By 2020, ak Nong aims to have a total of 30,000ha of new trees. Of the total figure, old trees will be replaced with new ones on 20,500ha, while bud grafting on old trees will be done on the remaining 9,500ha.  VNS
So it begins, the only work the Nebraska Legislature is required to do  adopt a balanced budget for the next two years.

The nine-member Appropriations Committee  five Republicans and four Democrats in the officially non-partisan Legislature -- have begun public hearings with agency directors to scrutinize their spending plans and weigh them against the committees proposed budget and a similar document from Governor Pete Ricketts.

This is important work with the expectation that it will take $8.9 billion to fund government during the next biennium. The committee includes: two bankers; two farmers; two non-profit executives; a labor educator; a retired podiatrist and a consultant. Thats a fairly representative mix of background and expertise. They are served by veteran legislative fiscal staff and receive prompting from the fiscal analysts in the executive branch as well.

This is difficult work given that the states Economic Forecasting Advisory Board predicts lower than expected revenue from taxes and has recommended that lawmakers lower spending by at least $298 million to keep things in balance.

The end result is usually a blend of ideas, often a compromise between what the legislature wants and what the governor wants. The differences make for interesting political fodder and speculation as the process heads through three rounds of debate by the full Legislature and final scrutiny by the governor.

Pressing issues such as a projected revenue shortfall of more than $1 billion and the governors desire to provide property tax AND income tax relief, either of which would diminish the cash flow needed to cover the shortfall. Throw in a blaring urban-rural split  perhaps the most decisive in years  and things get complicated. Farmers are adamant about receiving property tax relief, yet they want more money for schools  and not money thats going to come out of their pockets.

The Appropriations Committee has been meeting daily to craft their proposal which features four proposed significant increases in spending: State aid to schools ($60.4 million); Medicaid ($45 million); state employees' salaries and health insurance ($31.7 million); and Corrections staffing, programs and equipment ($23.4 million). The school aid is $27 million less than the Governor has proposed. The Property Tax Credit Fund would take $221 million each year from general funds.

As it stands, the committee's proposal would require $76 million more in general fund spending than the governor's, based on two-year totals on Medicaid, child welfare aid, courts and juvenile justice, public assistance, the university and community colleges and others. That would be a 1.3 percent increase in spending over the two years.

How much of that gap between the governor and the committee can be whittled down is what creates the drama as lawmakers look to pass a veto-proof document and the governor tries to get his way. Fortunately, the committee recommends leaving $573.8 million in the cash reserve fund for 2017-18 and $566.6 million in 2018-19. Ricketts recommended leaving $503 million in the first year and $510.6 million in the second year.

That rainy day fund is what has kept Nebraska free from the budgetary woes of our neighbors to the south in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Longtime Appropriations Committee Chairman, the late Sen. Jerry Warner of Waverly, knew what he was doing when he got the cash reserve fund constitutionally imbedded in Nebraska law. It has been used more than once to force many a senator and a governor or two to hold the line. Its not the cookie jar that can be raided when lawmakers get hungry.

Its far from a perfect document right out of the chute, but it is something that lawmakers can contemplate and debate as they move forward with the work of the rest of the session. Seeing the needs and the numbers can also go a long way toward framing the much-needed debate over tax reform.

It is going to take more than just cutting to make this budget work. Everything has to be on the table, including existing tax credits, incentive programs and earmarks. In the end, it has to be fair for both sides of the aisle and both sides of the city limits.
Marketwatch authorities inspect foods at a shop in Ha Noi.  Photo vfa.gov.vn

HCM CITY  A pilot programme on creating markets with adequate food safety and hygiene in 32 provinces and cities in the 2011-15 period has increased consumer confidence, according to the director of the Ministry of Industry and Trades Science and Technology Department.

Nguyen Phu Cuong, speaking at a meeting held yesterday in HCM City on food safety and hygiene, said that consumers had responded positively to the programme, with markets seeing an increase in sales.

The markets stalls that sell pork and poultry, seafood, vegetables and fruit have been upgraded or rebuilt to reduce bacterial contamination, Cuong said.

Managers and traders at the markets were also provided training on food safety and hygiene, he added.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to expand the programme to all remaining provinces and cities in the country.

However, Cuong said that it was difficult to do so because of a shortage of government funds.

Only several of the 32 provinces and cities have allocated more funds to expand the programme to an additional one or two markets.

There are 8,660 markets in the country, but only 284 of them are listed in category one, which includes facilities with modern and hygienic standards.

Close management of food at wholesale markets is also vital and should be improved, said Dr Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, former Minister of Agriculture (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and chairwoman of the board at Traceability Solutions and Services Joint-Stock Company.

Food from these markets is delivered to many stores all over the city.

She said that associations such as grapefruit growers should attend courses on control and management of food safety and hygiene.

State authorities, including representatives from the ministries of health, agriculture and rural development as well as trade and industry, are currently in charge of management of food safety and hygiene.

Associations can also help guide farmers follow domestic and foreign good agricultural practices and develop markets.

This will help agriculture develop in a sustainable way, she added.

Minh said the government should require farmers to follow Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGap).

She said that farmers should receive training in growing vegetables and fruit under VietGap standards.

Farmers should also be required to meet VietGap standards within a given period of time set by the government after they receive training. Any farmer not following VietGap standards will be required to stop cultivation, she said.

Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong said that government agencies had faced difficulties in tracing products because many traders buy goods that have no label of origin.

Cuong suggested that the government set up a central specialised board in charge of food safety and hygiene, similar to the one in HCM City. VNS
HCM CITY  The secretary of HCM Citys Party Committee, inh La Thang, on Monday met with Jin Liqun, the chairman of the Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank (AIIB) to discuss financing for infrastructure projects in the city.

The city needs a total investment of about US$50 billion to develop infrastructure, Thang said, adding that he welcomed the support of the AIIB as well as other investors.

The chairman of AIIB said loans would be offered for development projects at preferential rates equal to or better than other international financial organisations.

He said that AIIB wanted to help to resolve the citys problems, including traffic congestion, waste treatment and urban transport infrastructure.

The bank will also provide preferential loans to support the citys private businesses operating in infrastructure development, according to Jin.

He noted that Viet Nam was developing quickly, with one of the fastest economic growth rates in Asia.

Thang said the city would offer the bank favourable conditions in lending or direct investment to implement key projects.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi City Court on Monday convicted two Chinese men for withdrawing hundreds of millions of ong using fake ATM cards.

Tian Yun Yun, 30, from Chinas Jiangxi Province and Zhong Zheng, 17, from Guangxi Province were sentenced to seven years and 30 months imprisonment, respectively, for using computers, telecommunication networks and the Internet or digital devices to appropriate property as stated in the Penal Code.

According to the indictment, in May 2016, the duo came to northern Quang Ninh Province from China and from there took a bus to Ha Noi.

Using hidden cameras and skimmers at ATMs on Lang Ha Street and ong a District, they had stolen ATM card details and passwords and produced 160 fake ATM cards, using them to withdraw money.

The two men were arrested in June 2016 by the Ba inh District police after they withdrew VN210 million (US$9,200) from 14 ATMs within a period of two hours using fake ATM cards.

One of the victims was robbed of VN70 million ($3,000) on the night of June 4, investigations revealed.  VNS
HA NOI  Sanitation workers have started collecting garbage and cleaning an area of West Lake where a number of floating restaurants and piers were recently dismantled, the Tay Ho District Peoples Committee said.

The move came after many recent media reports revealed that part of the capitals famous lake is flooded with garbage and mud, two weeks after the dismantlement of floating restaurants and piers began.

According to a Vietnam News Agency reporter, dozens of sanitation workers and garbage trucks from Sao Mai Environmental and Ecological Joint Stock Company were mobilised Tuesday morning to remove garbage from the lakes waters and bank. After being collected, garbage was immediately transported to another location.

As of 11.30am, the waters near the bank and the pavement area from house No 2 to No 10 in Nguyen inh Thi Street were cleared of garbage.

On February 23, Tay Ho District authorities started to dismantle and demolish all structures built onto the lake in an attempt to tackle the worsening pollution situation.

As the work was still going on, large amounts of garbage, refuse and swamp water were uncovered after the dismantlement.

Local residents complained about the unbearable odour that began to arise after the structures were removed.

The smell is ugly. The swamp water is very dirty. This is the result of uncontrolled littering by boats and floating restaurants in the lake for a long time, Ngo Anh uc, a resident in Buoi Ward told An ninh Thu o (Capitals Security) newspaper on Monday.

There were six businesses operating permanent structures on the lake without approval from local authorities.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy head of West Lake Management Board, said on Monday that the dismantling work was expected to be completed in the next few days.

He said after the removal work is finished, the Department of Construction would be in charge of dredging the lake, as upon the request by the city authority. Meanwhile, Tay Ho Districts authority would order related agencies to collect natural garbage like duckweed floating on the lakes surface.

All business operations and fish breeding and aquaculture activities in the lake would be completely halted by the end of the first quarter of this year, he said.  VNS
HA NOI  Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on Monday sent an urgent official dispatch asking local authorities to step up preventive measures against whooping cough.

The move comes amid a rising number of affected children.

Since the beginning of this year, the Ha Noi-based Vietnam National Hospital of Paediatrics has treated more than 50 children suffering from whooping cough, four of whom have died.

According to the hospital, most of the children were less than three months old, were not vaccinated against the disease, or vaccinated with inefficient doses, or whose mothers were not vaccinated and thus had no antibodies to pass on to the children.

Many children were hospitalised with serious pneumonia symptoms and had to be put on a respirator. Some cases were required to undergo hemodialysis due to their critical condition.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked local authorities to recheck the list of children eligible for the national expanded programme on immunisation to ensure that at least 95 per cent at ward level are vaccinated.

The ministry has also asked local authorities to vaccinate children whose vaccinations were delayed and intensify the awareness-raising campaign for locals, urging them to get their children vaccinated at the right time and with full doses.

Currently, there are two types of vaccines against the disease -- DTP and Quinvaxem. The first dose should be injected when a child is two months old, the second dose one month later and the third dose two months later.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. It is dangerous in infants, especially those less than six months.

According to doctors, if an infant less than one month suffers from the disease, the rate of fatality can be as high as 90 per cent.  VNS
CALMAR  The annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation will be Wednesday at Iowas Dairy Center in Calmar. Registration will begin at 10 a.m.

The events include a presentation from Melissa ORourke, ISU Extension & Outreach Farm Management Specialist, discussing managing employer and employee expectations on the dairy farm. The Farm Babe, Michelle Miller, also will explain her thoughts on how to better communicate the story of agriculture with the general public.

The annual meeting will begin after lunch and includes the election of officers. In addition, there will be displays from leading dairy industry businesses that support the Dairy Foundation.

Current members and anyone interested in learning about the Dairy Foundation are invited to attend; however, an RSVP is requested for lunch.

For more information on becoming a member, contact Megan at (563) 534-9957, ext. 107, or email kregelm@nicc.edu.
Kiwanis Club

to meet today

WATERLOO  The Waterloo Noon Kiwanis Club will meet at noon today at the Waterloo Elks Club.

Lunch will begin at 12:10 p.m. Speakers will be Amanda Weichers and Chris Corkery, speaking on Beaus Beautiful Blessing, an inclusive park.

Guests are welcome. For more information, call President Bruce Jacobs, 215-8267.

Denver legion fish fry slated

DENVER  The Denver American Legion Post 653 will serve an all-you-care-to-eat fish fry Friday.

Hours will be from 5 to 8 p.m., and all are welcome.

Blood drive set Monday in Traer

TRAER  There will be an American Red Cross blood drive from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday at North Tama High School.

To make an appointment, go to redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767.

Persimmon

nominations due

WATERLOO  The deadline to nominate a woman, business or organization for the annual Cedar Valley Women of Persimmon Luncheon is March 17.

The awards recognize a woman, business or organization who exemplifies the mission of the YWCA to eliminate racism and empower women.

Categories include professional/business woman, volunteer, young woman of tomorrow (for ages 15-25), youth advocate and business/organization that empowers women. Nomination forms may be picked up at the YWCA front office, online at www.ywcabhc.org or by emailing Lucinda Mohr at lmohr@ywcabhc.org.

The Women of Persimmon luncheon is set for April 25. For more information, call 234-7589.
WAVERLY  A jury has found a Waverly man accused of threatening county employees guilty of a lesser charge.

Edward John White, 73, had been charged with first-degree harassment after authorities said he told workers at the Bremer County Treasurers Office on Aug. 25 that if he had a gun, hed shoot them.

Trial began March 2, and jurors found him guilty of the lesser offense of third-degree harassment, which is a simple misdemeanor, according to court officials. Sentencing will be in April.

Before the trial, prosecutors had asked to bar any evidence about Whites taxes and the increase in his property taxes. The defense argued this his taxes were relevant to Whites state of mind at the time of the incident. Whites attorney also noted in court records that White didnt actually own a firearm.
WATERLOO  One person was injured in a Tuesday morning shooting in Waterloo.

Details werent available, but police and paramedics were called to the area of Western and West Fourth streets shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Authorities found one man with an injury to his hip area, police said. His identity and condition werent immediately available, but police said he was conscious and alert. Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue took him to UnityPoint-Allen Hospital, where he underwent surgery, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department.

About a block away, Waterloo police detained one man in the area of Locust and West Third streets. Nearby, they found a pistol hidden in a mailbox.

In all, four people were detained for questioning, but no charges have been filed, Mohlis said.
DES MOINES  A proposal requiring voters to produce identification cards to cast ballots either will protect the integrity of elections or disenfranchise thousands of people, according to speakers at a public hearing Monday night.

Secretary of State Paul Pate told the House State Government Committee he is adamant no voter would be disenfranchised under House File 516, formerly House Study Bill 93.

This bill is about modernizing our elections technology, streamlining the system and securing the integrity by preventing the potential for fraud or human error, Pate said.

Thats the impetus behind the bill moving to the floor of the Republican-controlled House for a vote, likely this week.

The bill, approved by the committee on a party-line vote, would make several changes in election law, including a requirement voters provide a photo ID, implementation of polling place technology, mandatory post-election audits and new timelines for absentee voting as well as mandatory election training, tests and publications.

Committee Chairman Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, predicted the use of technology such as e-pollbooks, currently used by 72 of the states 99 counties, and other changes would make voting as easy as going through the express line at the supermarket.

Nothing in this legislation would prevent any eligible voter from casting a ballot  in person or by mail, Pate insisted.

Its disappointing some folks have decide to politicize this issue, Pate said, especially when poll after poll has shown overwhelming support for a voter ID program.

However, speakers at the 90-minute hearing were divided on that.

Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said he has not supported previous voter photo ID bills, in part because they failed to address the least secure part of the voting process  the mail-out absentee ballot.

However, HF 516 is a major improvement, he said, because it allows a voter multiple processes to prove their identity.

But Daniel Zeno of the American Civil Liberties Union-Iowa called it unnecessary and expensive because it could disenfranchise thousands of voters, especially African-Americans who lack drivers licenses.

Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, went further, calling HF 516 a reincarnated poll tax and literacy test designed to disproportionately suppress the voting numbers of people of color.

Mitch Henry of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa, also warned the bill would disenfranchise Latino voters.

Voting is the heart of our democracy, he said, but a government that undermines its very foundation of its existence  the right to vote, endangers its legitimacy as a democratic government.
DES MOINES  Iowa landowners would have expanded protections from being sued by trespassers under legislation that cleared the Senate on Monday by a 48-1 vote.

Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said Senate File 260 would codify Iowas current standard. He said 22 other states have similar laws.

We want to put these provisions in to the code to avoid the possibility down the road that a court might change their mind and decide to expand the liabilities, Garrett told his Senate colleagues.

Landowners still would have to refrain from willfully injuring trespassers. The bill would not remove the responsibility to protect children from dangerous conditions or from having items that might attract children to come on the land.

The bill, opposed by Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, now goes to the House for consideration.

In other action Monday, senators voted 36-14 to approve legislation that would allow farms to have hire unlicensed electricians  including electrical work on commercial or industrial installations.

Under Senate File 357, the person completing the work must be the owner, related to owner or a manager of the farm. Currently, the owner of a farm can do electrical work without a license but must apply for a permit and schedule an inspection.

Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, said the bill codifies a 2012 executive order by Gov. Terry Branstad and a district court decision that create an exception for farms not considered to be commercial businesses.

However, Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, said the bill both says farmers dont have to have a professional complete electrical work on their property, and they dont have to have the work inspected.

Im OK with not having a professional, but I want it inspected, said Dotzler. Think about the risks down the road. This bill isnt ready for prime time. It should never been brought to this chamber and I urge people to vote against it.

Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, cited insurance and fire statistics about farm fires that annually result in property loss and deaths in raising concern that the exception was creating two different standards in urban and rural areas in opposing the bill.

The bill now goes to the House for further action.
WATERLOO  Efforts to adopt a new city budget appear to be coming down to the wire again.

With a hearing on next years spending plan just days away, City Council members appear divided on just how much theyre willing to sacrifice to drive property taxes down.

Councilmen Steve Schmitt and Tom Lind both said during a work session Monday they were expecting their colleagues to lower the property tax rate as spelled out in long-range goals adopted last month.

If we increase taxes at all, I dont think were serving the taxpayers of Waterloo, Lind said.

The strategic plan called for the city to lower its property tax rate, currently the second-highest among larger Iowa cities, from $17.60 to $16.50 per $1,000 of value by 2022.

But the proposed tax rate to maintain current staffing and service levels for the fiscal year starting July 1 is sitting just under $18 per $1,000. It was primarily driven up by employee pay increases and declining franchise fee revenue.

Councilman Pat Morrissey said the strategic plan didnt require the city to cut taxes every year.

Realistically weve got to look at each budget on a yearly basis and what is necessary to keep our city moving forward, he said. It might be a roller coaster ride and were just beginning this.

Councilmen Ron Welper, Jerome Amos Jr. and Tom Powers also indicated they were concerned about cutting staffing levels or the services provided now.

We still have to provide services in the city, Powers said. I think its important to the citizens that if their taxes dont change or go up a bit that those services dont change either.

Amos said he preferred growing the city and cautioned against deep cuts.

If were going to cut things, we need to be real careful about what were cutting, he said. There are citizens out there who rely on these services.

Welper said hes never favored service cuts during his 16 years on the council, adding, I really try to focus on trying to find new revenue rather than cuts.

But Schmitt said the City Council voted several years ago to eliminate several vacant city positions, including public safety posts and life went on.

We need to make some tough decisions, he said. I defer to the people that are in the business of economic development, and they continue to say that the higher tax rate is one of the biggest obstacles to getting that additional economic growth.

Councilman Bruce Jacobs, who voted with Schmitt and Lind to oppose last years budget, was not at Mondays work session.

Council members are expected to continue budget deliberations at 6:15 tonight. The budget hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Game-building camp offered at HCC

WATERLOO  Hawkeye Community College will hold a spring break camp called Make Your First Video Game for ages 8 through 14 from Monday to March 17 in Buchanan Hall.

This one-of-a-kind class will show kids the keys to designing a 2-dimensional platformer game. Conceptualization, play experience, challenge levels, graphics, sounds and simple coding are some of the concepts they will explore. Kids ages 8-11 will meet from 9 a.m. to noon and kids ages 12-14 will meet from 1 to 4 p.m.

No prior experience is necessary and scholarships are available to cover some registration costs. Call 296-4283 for more information. To register, go to www.hawkeyecollege.edu/go/spring-break-camp or call 296-4290.

Hawkeye is located at 1501 E. Orange Road.

Weather spotter training planned

WATERLOO  The Black Hawk County Emergency Management Agency in conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa and in cooperation with the National Weather Service will offer free severe weather spotter training from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 27 at Hawkeye Community College, Tama Hall Auditorium.

The training is open to the public and all agencies that respond to emergencies. Participants will be instructed on how and what to report along with personal safety.

Additional information is available on the National Weather Web Site at http://www.weather.gov/dmx/stormspotting

The training is free and prior registration is not required.

Spring break approaching

WATERLOOSpring break for all Waterloo Schools is Monday through March 17. Schools will be closed during this period.

Offices at the Education Service Center and some school offices will be open during Spring break.
WATERLOO -- As of 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, the outage was limited to one Waterloo customer, one rural Black Hawk customer and two Floyd County customers, according to the MidAmerican Energys website.

Earlier Report

WATERLOO  More than 12,500 Waterloo area customers of MidAmerican Energy were without power Monday evening, most of them after a roof was blown off a building at a substation on Broadway Street into high voltage equipment during a severe thunderstorm, utility spokeswoman Debora Blume said.

The situation in Waterloo is not good, Blume said Monday evening. The roof was torn off a control building for the substation on Broadway. The control building houses the breaker equipment for the circuits that feed from that substation to the power distribution system. When the roof hit the high voltage equipment, it caused the substation to trip off.

The Waterloo customers without power were on the east side and in the downtown area, MidAmerican spokeswoman Debora Blume said. The outage occurred about 8:30 p.m.

A crew was dispatched to a substation on Broadway Avenue near downtown, Blume said. That substation serves 10 circuits in the city.

Crews were working on a restoration plan, switching customers to other Waterloo substations because there was water in the damaged building due to the heavy rain, Blume said. She noted that procedure may take some time.

Street lights and traffic signals also were out along U.S. Highway 218 heading east into downtown from Cedar Falls.

Damage occurred as severe thunderstorms, high winds and hail swept across the northern and central parts of the state.

High winds and heavy rains in many areas of MidAmerican Energys service area  across Iowa  have caused storm damage and downed power lines, Blume said.
President Trumps 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 (actually being used), 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 conventions could matter to the president and his team, at least for one winters 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 Trumps toughest critics found encouragement in his attempt to be encouraging. What you are reading is proof. Call it the soft bigotry of ... something or other.

And still. The actual purpose of a presidents 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.

Trumps budget does little to please Republican budget hawks. They also have 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.

Trumps budget does little to please entitlement hawks. Under Ryans leadership, congressional Republicans staked out the position it is irresponsible to leave Social Security and Medicare on the path to insolvency and crisis. Ryan and company now have 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 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.
Last week, the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo eliminated admission fees. We hope that prompts a lot more people to visit, because it was well worth the former price of admission.

The museum features tractors from different eras, including ones that belong to the company and others that belong to collectors. It focuses on the history of tractors, engine design and manufacturing at John Deere, particularly in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area.

The museum also features several engines and plenty of hands-on interactive exhibits. The facility includes 15,000 square feet dedicated to galleries, as well as a 100-seat theater and an 1,800-square-foot retail store.

The change also includes the John Deere Pavilion and Store and the World Headquarters Display Floor in Moline, Ill., and the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, Ill.

Our facilities are a catalyst for tourism in the region, said Brigitte Tapscott, manager of John Deere Attractions. These changes will improve the overall tourism experience for visitors to these communities by making our attractions more accessible.

Years ago, we strongly supported plans for the museum for many reasons. The vitality of Waterloo and the Cedar Valley has long been tied to this major manufacturer and employer.

Deere has had a presence here since 1918, when Deere purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company and built that enterprise into the worlds largest tractor manufacturing complex.

Deere support figures strongly into the continued development of Cedar Valley TechWorks, the ongoing project at Deeres former Westfield Avenue facilities, which, in turn, spurs continued development of downtown Waterloo.

Tractors and engines have been and will continue to be important to John Deeres success. Sharing the history of these products, now at no cost, is a great service to the people who live here because, in some way, we all have benefited from the presence of this local manufacturing giant over the past century.

The museum tells a great story about how tractors came to be and how the company became such a major part of local heritage. Its something every resident in the Cedar Valley can be proud of. The expanded access is welcome, and we hope it can be an interesting visit for many  particularly our younger generations.

Today, Deere and its employees continue to give back to the community, ranging from charitable contributions to volunteer work.

Deeres part in the future success of the Cedar Valley remains integral, and that should prompt a look at its past. This museum is providing some of that. The decision to provide it free of charge is just one more community service provided by this company.
Archived Results for Tuesday, March 7th, 2017

Older Page 1
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By WestKyStar & McCraken Co. Hich School Staff

Mar. 06, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By WestKyStar & McCraken Co. Hich School Staff Mar. 06, 2017 | 06:42 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Two McCracken County High School students have been awarded Silver Medals on the Presidential Honor Roll for outstanding performance on the 2017 National German Exam for High School Students.



Josh Baumgardner and Esper Goodwin received this award after scoring in the eightieth percentile on the Level 2 - 2017 National German Exam sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG).



Over 20,000 students participated in the exam this year. The National German Exam, now in its 57th year, rewards students through an extensive prize program and provides a means of comparing students in all regions of the US.



Hal Boland, teacher of German at Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia and AATG President said, The outstanding performance of these German students in our national competition brings honor to their school, their district, and their German program. The AATG salutes their tremendous accomplishment and the great work their teachers do.



Baumgardner and Goodwin are students of Teresa Wallace, German teacher at McCracken County High School.



Founded in 1926, the AATG represents German teachers at all levels of instruction. The AATG is dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the teaching of language, literature, and culture of the German-speaking countries.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Mar. 04, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2017 | 09:29 AM | PADUCAH, KY

The man who police say hit and killed former McCracken County Judge Executive Van Newberry with his car has now been charged with second degree manslaughter after a grand jury chose to indict him.



According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, on October 13, 2016 at approximately 11:50 am, 60-year-old Van Newberry, of West Paducah, was killed while riding a bicycle on Ky Hwy 305 Cairo Road, after being struck by a passing vehicle that was being driven by 68-year-old Willie G. Holsapple of Paducah.



Sheriff Jon Hayden said after a lengthy investigation, the findings of the investigation were presented to a McCracken County Grand Jury on Friday. Those proceedings lasted nearly all day, with multiple witnesses testifying.



Hayden says early on in the case, it was learned that the operator had vision problems, that had been deemed to be so severe, that he was told that he should not be operating a motor vehicle. This was confirmed through the investigation which included a review of medical records and several doctors. Records of a significant number of car crashes that Holsapple had been involved in were also discovered during the investigation, several of which occurred after he was given notice by doctors that it was not safe for him to be driving, and that he should not do so.



Deputies say there was no evidence found at the scene of the crash that would indicate that Newberry had veered out into the path of the vehicle that struck him, with point of impact being on the fog line of the travelled portion of the roadway.



Lab results recently received, indicated that there were no substances in Holsapples system that would have impaired his driving ability, according to the news release.



The cause of the crash was deemed by investigators to have been caused by a severe vision impairment, and evidence suggest that Holsapple knew and had been instructed not to be operating any automobile.



Sheriff Hayden says the grand jury deliberated, and issued an indictment charging 2nd Degree Manslaughter and Unsworn Falsification to Authorities, a Class C Felony and a Class B Misdemeanor. The Unsworn Falsification charge stems from false information provided to the Kentucky Drivers License Medical Review Board as part of that agencys inquiry.



Holsapple turned himself in at the McCracken County Sheriffs Department at around 5 pm on Friday, and was later booked in to the McCracken County Regional Jail.




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Contact: Stacey Gerard

Stacey Gerard 252-940- 6241

Engelhard, NC The Hyde County Davis Center has been bustling with activity since it first opened to classes in September 2016. The center has hired Georgia Ballance as a coordinator and has hosted classes from across the Continuing Education spectrum. The Hyde County Davis Center is a partnership between Beaufort County Community College and Hyde County to create a permanent physical presence in the county, which is served by BCCC.So far the center has hosted a CPR class, a Microsoft Excel seminar for small businesses and a Windows 7 class. The CPR class has helped employees from the Tyrrell County Senior Citizen Center to receive training locally. Last month, high school equivalency classes started at the center. Class participation rates have been comparable to that of classes on the main campus in Washington.Georgia Ballance was hired in January as a workforce and continuing education coordinator. Ballance is a native of Hyde County. She has met with people focused on economic development, education and from the Chamber of Commerce.said Stacey Gerard, vice president of continuing education at BCCC.High school equivalency classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-9:00 p.m. These classes are ongoing, so students can still sign up. They are also now available online.Other upcoming classes include an Android workshop, an IPhone/IPad workshop, and a slate of small business seminars, including Quick Books 101, Understanding the Income and Balance Sheet, and Facebook Basics for Your Small Business.This summer the center hopes to host summer enrichment programs for K-12 students, previously called College for Kids. The youth programs have taken place on the main campus of BCCC in the past, but now the college hopes to offer some of the programs at the Davis Center.The Davis Center offers seated classes that until now have only been available to students at the main campus in Washington or the Washington County Center in Roper. Hyde County, along with Tyrrell, Washington and Beaufort Counties, is served by BCCC. At 2,008 square miles, BCCC has the largest service area of any community college in North Carolina. BCCC already provides online and hybrid classes to Hyde County residents and broadcasts classes to Mattamuskeet School and Ocracoke School. The college also provides vocational training and high school equivalency classes at the Hyde Correctional Institute.The college has also increased its services outside of the Davis Center. It has conducted monthly trainings for the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department from October through March. It also plans to host EMT classes on Ocracoke and at the Davis Center using the college's ambulance simulator.The college has focused on expanding its services outside of its main campus near Washington, including opening the Washington County Center in Roper. The opening of the Davis Center builds on BCCC's commitment to provide high quality, postsecondary educational opportunities to residents across its service area.
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
Mar 7, 2017 | By Tess

Metal 3D printing specialist Sigma Labs Inc. has received an additional contract from Aerojet Rocketdyne, a California-based rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer. The new contract is a follow-on for a contract that was awarded to Sigma Labs last year to develop advanced quality control measures for 3D printing metal aerospace parts.

Sigma Labs is known for its PrintRite3D software, a proprietary program which allows users to rapidly and affordably certify and qualify metal aerospace parts that have been 3D printed. Last year, the company was awarded two significant contracts with Aerojet Rocketdyne: to help establish standards for qualifying metal 3D printed aerospace components, and to provide its technology to the America Makes 3D printing initiative.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, for its part, was awarded a massive $6 million contract from the U.S. Air Force in 2016 for the development of new standards for liquid-fueled rocket enginespart of the effort to move away from politically undesirable Russian-made aerospace parts, such as the RD-180 engines which are currently used on the Atlas V launch vehicle. Sigma Labs technology was evaluated for this massive project.

PrintRite3D, Sigma Labs

Sigma Labs new contract with Aerojet Rocketdyne will see the former upgrade its PrintRite3D software with new and more advanced sensors and algorithms. Additionally, under the new contract, Sigma Labs will offer engineering support through complex geometry-specific data analysis, and work together with Aerojet Rocketdyne to assess and quantify in-process data variation. At the moment, these are the only disclosed elements of the follow-on contract.

Mark Cola, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sigma Labs, offered a statement about the new contract: Our longstanding relationship with Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to result in additional work to move additive manufacturing forward, particularly with regard to aerospace and defense applications. Were pleased that our PrintRite3D software is being recognized as a game changer within the industry, and awards such as this show the increased confidence that customers have in our technology as they mature toward product qualification and process certification. Working together, we can bring advanced solutions to the U.S. Air Force for state-of-the-art component manufacturing.

Sigma Labs PrintRite3D software integrates a number of features, including inspection, feedback, data collection, and critical analysis, all of which make certifying and qualifying metal 3D printed aerospace parts fast and efficient. The company has also been awarded notable contracts with companies such as Honeywell Aerospace and Materialise. Recently, Sigma Labs also formed an alliance with metal 3D printing hardware company Morf3D.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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Jay wrote at 3/8/2017 3:53:40 PM:I agree with Ted J.Ted J wrote at 3/7/2017 3:52:27 PM:Tess, I would not characterize SigmaLabs' association with Materialise in the past as a notable contract. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sigma-labs-inc-signs-an-agreement-with-materialise-nv-to-integrate-sigma-labs-printrite3d-quality-inspection-technology-into-3d-printing-software-256173021.html So unless you are aware of something upcoming, I would be more inclined to refer to GE Aviation or America Makes as notable contracts awards in addition to Honeywell.




Kunal Shankar interviews Akeel Bilgrami in Frontline:

Spontaneous protests broke out across the country, for example, the protest right after the visa ban on seven Muslim countries, or the Womens March in Washington. Is that not a healthy sign?

Some things are obvious. Trump is a combination of a xenophobe, a racist, a misogynist, and, I suppose, as we have been witnessing in his pronouncements, something of an idiot. So, of course, people are understandably shocked and dismayed and the protests are most heartening. The deeper issues, however, are not about how terrible Trump is, but about why he got elected in the first place. What does his election signify about the electorates instincts and dissatisfactions? Everyone knows that his constituency is the working population. And I suppose that from the point of the view of the Left, it looks like a classic case of false consciousnessI mean to expect a Trump-led government to address these dissatisfactions. But, you should also remember that there was an even more classic form of false consciousness when the African-American population voted in far larger numbers for Hillary Clinton rather than Sanders. That was sheer identity politics dominating over material interests. Sanders would have done much more for working and workless blacks than Hillary Clinton. Dont forget that Bill Clinton signed an infamous Bill that took away welfare provisions from the blacks. And Hillary Clinton subscribes to exactly the same economic ideology. It is true that the Clintons are not racist in the social sense, but from the material point of view, Sanders economic policies were much more in their interests. Sanders honourably refused to play identity politics and he paid the price for it. If African-Americans had voted in large numbers for Sanders, he would have won the primaries.

Here is my worry about the reaction to the Trump victory today. The hand-wringing and the hysteria about his election and post-election pronouncements, though perfectly understandable and justifiedsince he is monstrous on a whole range of issuesnevertheless may have the effect of giving the impression that there was some real intrinsic merit to the political establishment that Hillary Clinton represents. That would be complacent. My own view is that it should go without saying that Hillary Clinton would have been better than Trump, but if it goes without saying, then dont say it. Because to keep saying it may give rise to the complacence that the political establishment in the U.S. has intrinsic merit.

More here.
The FX series, which mirrors Shaun Considine's 1989 book, Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud, focuses on the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, the 1962 camp horror picture that banked on the actresses' legendary disdain for each other. The tart-tongued Bette famously said of the sexually rambunctious Joan: "She slept with every male costar at MGM except Lassie." And Joan snapped that Davis appeared to have "never had a happy day  or night  in her life."

In a letter circulating now on the internet (the stationery, wording and signature appear authentic to me), Crawford purportedly wrote to director Robert Aldrich on Aug. 11, 1962: "Bob Dear, I hope by now you have had an opportunity to talk with Bette about her body odor. It is quite the distraction for me working within close proximity to her if she refuses to bathe or wear adequate deodorant. I have found myself gagging on several occasions during this filming. Fondly, Joan."

I met Crawford in May 1970, when I was a 19-year-old student at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., which Joan had attended for some two months before dropping out. The school invited her to return to receive a citation for life achievement, and I covered her visit for the school paper. I was surprised to receive a thank-you note from her some weeks later, and I wrote her back.

So began our long correspondence, and during the years, we also talked on the phone nearly a dozen times. During my time in 1973 and 1974 at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, she had me over to her apartment on five occasions. The first two were to help her move from one unit to another. The third was to see the new place. "What do you think?" she asked me. There were plastic coverings on all the furniture, and I found the prominent color, Pappagallo green, not to my taste. "It's, it's big!" I stammered. "I didn't ask you about the size," she leveled. "I asked you about the decor!"

Each visit, she wore the same outfit  a simple smock and beach thongs, her hair held back with a rubber band, and her only makeup a slash of red lipstick. Because these visits were remarkably tense, I began taking people with me. At Easter, I invited my childhood sweetheart, John Egan, over to play backgammon, Joan's favorite pastime. She answered the door in a disguise  a wig and sunglasses  explaining that she'd had some threatening calls.

John was a novice, and she a veteran enthusiast. She was extremely impatient with his slowness at studying the board, and her demeanor spooked him, especially when she picked up his hand and guided it around the board.
Ah, but there may be another lifesaver for Brown and others who deal with presbyopia, a common eye condition among those aged 40 and older.

A new eye implant that takes a mere 10 minutes to put in place is the newest in a list of surgical repairs for those struggling with age-related vision loss.

Two were FDA-approved about a year ago: the Raindrop and the KAMRA. With both procedures, the implant, which is thinner than a contact lens, slides into a pocket created in the cornea using a laser. Both also go into one eye only  the nondominant eye  while the other eye is purposely left alone for seeing distance.

The result is what specialists call blended vision, says Dr. Leela Raju, ophthalmologist at Bellevue Hospital in New York and a faculty member at NYU Langone Medical Center.

And so the new technology isnt for everyone. An ideal candidate should have good distance vision. Were counting on the brain to use the eyes together to help improve the vision, Raju says, adding that some patients will have a refractive procedure to improve distance vision, and then have the inlay for reading.

Some will like it, some may not, which is why its best to talk to your doctor and ask questions. Raju says the implants work great for short-term reading, and will reduce your need for reading glasses. But theyre not so helpful, say, if youre staring at a computer all day for work. A number of conditions can affect how well they work, from lighting to blurred vision caused by high sugar levels. If you already have cataracts or a retina problem, you may not get the best results from the implant, she says.
Nowhere is the adage "personnel is policy" truer than in the federal education bureaucracy. With nothing more than a few Dear Colleague letters meant to provide "guidance" to nearly all colleges and universities, during the Obama administration officials in the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) made dramatic and harmful changes in the law.The next head of OCR should be someone who understands that those changes were both ill-advised and illegal and work to eliminate them. A number of Americans (this writer included) have advocated that the job be offered to Gail Heriot, a professor of law at the University of San Diego.We don't know at this time who President Trump will nominate, but unless the individual wants to continue the policies of Obama's OCR, there is sure to be fierce opposition. For example, Liz King of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is quoted in this Chronicle of Higher Education piece as saying,That signals a fight if Heriot is nominated, since she supports civil rights, but views the civil rights laws differently from King and other liberals.No matter who Trump nominates, the key task for the next OCR head to do is to reverse its intrusion into campus discipline procedures for students accused of sexual assault. The toxic effects of that intrusion are the subject of a recent book by Brooklyn College history professor K.C. Johnson and journalist Stuart Taylor Jr.In The Campus Rape Frenzy: The Attack on Due Process at America's Universities , the authors give a detailed account of the damage wrought by OCR's "guidance" to colleges. They also demolish the idea that campuses are in the grip of a "rape culture" and show that sexual assault cases are better left to the police rather than school administrators.Mindful of the inevitable criticism that they're two men writing about a "woman's issue," the authors declare,In making their case, Johnson and Taylor cite many women who have come to the same conclusion they have. One of them is Harvard Law professor Jeanie Suk Gersen, who wrote,Throughout the book, the authors examine numerous cases where male students who were accused of sexual assault were clearly innocent, but expelled on the basis of blatantly one-sided proceedings in which they were denied basic due process protections afforded to accused individuals everywhere else in our legal system.How did those one-sided proceedings become accepted? They were mandated by OCR in a series of "guidance" letters starting in 2011. Many know that, but don't know the reason behind OCR's offensive.In the 2010 elections, the Democrats suffered an unprecedented defeat, but one who survived was Colorado senator Michael Bennet. He managed to win by hitting hard on "women's issues," especially the supposed sexual assault epidemic. Seeing that as integral to winning in 2012,Johnson and Taylor write.In short, the political message was:The legal basis for OCR's letters was Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, but as the authors (and many legal scholars) have noted, nothing in the language of Title IX says that the government is authorized to dictate to colleges and universities how they must deal with sexual assault cases. But OCR's stance when challenged was: Try to Stop Us. If schools hesitated, they were threatened with costly federal investigations and the possible loss of government funding.To fortify the twin notions that American campuses were very dangerous for women and that the administration was doing the right thing in fighting for them, OCR wanted a system that would create as many guilty findings and disciplinary actions (preferably expulsion) as possible. Thus it mandated that schools adopt a "single adjudicator" model wherein one staff member would hear the case and decide on the penalty. In that model, the accused would not be allowed to cross-examine witnesses or be permitted legal representation, and the adjudicator would use the lowest standard of proof.Moreover, schools were expected to "train" their staffers in a "victim-centered" way, which is to say, they must approach cases with a presumption of guilt.When confronted with the argument that this one-sided system was likely to lead to the expulsion of some students who'd been falsely accused, OCR's defenders replied that false accusations were hardly ever made (based on some pathetically weak research that the authors demolish) and that being expelled wasn't really any harm to a student (another notion the authors disprove). As a result of using OCR's system, several colleges have been sued in civil court and now find themselves paying out substantial settlements to students they falsely accused and expelled.There are some beneficiaries to this mania, however-numerous Title IX administrators who have been hired to help keep peace with OCR. For example, UNC Chapel Hill hired seven full-time staffers at a cost of more than $540,000. It also paid $160,000 for a new sexual assault adjudication policy that goes even beyond OCR's requirements in a quest for more guilty findings.Companies that provide seminars for colleges so they can comply with OCR and "train" staffers in the "victim-centered" mindset have also made out very well.All those jobs and expenses are unnecessary, additional costs that students and taxpayers must bear just for the sake of a politically useful myth.Why not rely on the police? The authors show that when the police investigate allegations of campus sexual assault, they're able to come up with far more evidence than campus adjudicators can. Sometimes that means convicting a true criminal who would have otherwise gone free and sometimes it means freeing an individual who would have been wrongly punished under OCR rules.But if colleges relied on the police, the government's power over them would dissipate, lots of jobs for progressive activists would disappear, and the well-cultivated myth that colleges go easy on sexual assault would be harder to sustain.One of the most startling points the authors make is that the use of OCR methods actually undermines an important element of the justice system-Miranda rights. That is because OCR encourages schools to share evidence they've obtained without the presence of an attorney with the police, who can then use it if they press charges.write the authors, isIt's easy to see why so many law professors and civil liberties lawyers (such as Harvey Silverglate, who co-founded the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) oppose OCR's war on due process of law.Free speech is collateral damage in that war. OCR has expanded its usurpation of power to demand that colleges crack down on any speech that could conceivably lead a hypersensitive student to complain of sexual harassment.Johnson and Taylor have strong words for the journalists who write dishonest stories about campus sexual assault just because sensationalism sells. They have equally strong words for politicians who celebrate those false stories for their own political benefit. (Yes, they name names.)And they have even stronger words for faculty and school leaders who are eager to pronounce male students guilty (sometimes even after they're proven innocent!) simply because it advances their ideology and careers.The Campus Rape Frenzy is a very important book, yet as John Leo points out on Minding the Campus , it has been ignored by the mainstream liberal media. The reason why, I submit, is that it's too well researched and argued to refute, and too damaging to an element of the leftist narrative about how terrible America is to publicize. Thus, it must be ignored.It must not be ignored, but read carefully by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the new head of OCR. They have a lot of government overreaching to un-do.
Gene Foster

Born: November 16, 1944, Died: February 23, 2017



Mr. Gene Kelly Foster, Sr, age 72, a resident of Elk's Circle, Chocowinity, NC died Thursday, February 23, 2017 at Pitt Vidant Medical Center.



He was born November 16, 1944 to the late Doris Voliva Foster and Kelly Lester Foster in Washington, NC. Gene was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was a great friend to many, he loved making people laugh and also loved fishing.



Gene is survived by his wife Mary Foster of the home, one daughter, Samantha Kopti of Fayetteville, NC, two sons; Gene Foster, Jr of Bath, NC and Lester Foster of Chocowinity, NC, one sister, Sherry Jett, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. There will be no service at this time. Memorial contributions may be directed to Hillside Funeral Service, 4500 Hwy 264 East, Washington, NC 27889.


North America is expected to have the largest market share in the global market by 2021, whereas the APAC region is forecast to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021.

Managed network services market categorizes the global market by service as managed internet access and network provisioning, VPN, data storage, network monitoring, network security, and hosted IP telephony, by organization size, by end-use vertical, and by region.

According to report Managed Network Services Market by Service (Managed Internet Access and Network Provisioning, VPN, Data Storage, Network Monitoring, Network Security, and Hosted IP Telephony), Organization Size, End-Use Vertical, and Region  Global Forecast to 2021, the managed network services market size is expected to grow from USD 38.60 Billion in 2016 to USD 59.38 Billion by 2021, at an estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.0%. Increasing need for managed network services, effective management of business processes, reduced operating cost, and need for security are main drivers of the managed network services market.

Browse 62 market data tables and 49 figures spread through 158 pages and in-depth TOC on Managed Network Services Market

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Managed network security services are expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The managed network services market of the software solutions is expected to grow at an impressive CAGR during the forecast period, as there is an increasing demand for network security services with data backup solutions. The managed network service providers are responsible for creating managed network services, in compliance with the industry requirements and in providing comprehensive support for their clients. The managed network services provide operational efficiencies along with security. They also help in driving new businesses and providing better experience for end-users.

Telecom and IT vertical is expected to grow at a higher growth rate during the forecast period of 20162021

The telecom and IT end-use vertical is estimated to hold the largest market share in 2016. The telecom and IT vertical requires high connectivity for connecting users and collaborating with partners as well as customers. The vertical is highly competitive due to the increasing number of small and medium businesses and enhancements in across its segments.

Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness a high growth during the forecast period

North America is estimated to hold the largest market share in 2016, while APAC will be the fastest growing region in terms of CAGR. As various vendors such as networking providers, telecom carriers, and technology vendors are trying to capture the APAC market. Moreover, number of emerging market players are hosting from the APAC region.

The major application providers in the managed network services market include Accenture (Dublin, Ireland), Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (Paris, France), AT&T Inc. (Texas, U.S.), Cisco Systems, Inc. (California, U.S.), Ericsson (Stockholm, Sweden), HCL Technologies Limited (Noida, India), Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (California, U.S.), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, China), International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation (New York, U.S.), LG Networks, Inc. (Dallas, U.S.), and Wipro Limited (Bangalore, India).

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Report provides an outlook of the historic development, current market situation, and future outlook of the spirit market in the world to 2021.

Report offers the most up-to-date industry data on the actual market situation, and future outlook for spirits in the world. Along with a global spirit market report the package includes country reports from the following countries:

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Mrs. Carolyn Jean Carter Phillips, age 75, a resident of Pantego, died Wednesday March 1, 2017 at Vidant Beaufort Hospital.A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday March 4, 2017 at Union Grove Church of Christ and will be officiated by Dennis R. Davis.Mrs. Phillips was born in Beaufort County on April 8, 1941 to the late Oscar Bryan Carter and Olise Adams Carter. She was a graduate of John A. Wilkinson High School and married Rodger Anthony Phillips, Sr. who preceded her in death. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Belhaven Lions Club. Mrs. Phillips worked in the medical field for Dr. Wright, Dr. Boyette and at Pungo District Hospital.Survivors include a son, R. A. Phillips, Jr. and wife Sheila of Pantego, a daughter, Bea Phillips of Pantego, three grandchildren, Zachary Phillips and wife Hannah, Orianna P. Boyd and husband Seth, Jessie M. Irwin and husband Stephen, one great grandchild, Aiden Roger Phillips and she was eagerly awaiting the birth of her second great grandchild in July, Avery Reid Phillips.She is preceded in death by two brothers, Glover Carter and Grover Carter.The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until the funeral hour Saturday March 4, 2017 at Union Grove Church of Christ and following the service at the church.In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to CTO Pungo River Chapter, P.O. Box 706, Plymouth, NC 27962.Condolences may be addressed to the family online by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Phillips family.
The scale of the threats to our national and global security that climate change is creating is staggering. These are well known to Americas military and security experts. Yet the voices of these persons are not being adequately heard and acted on in Washington, even as these dangers to our country increase.

Climate change is creating a tremendous range of problems that will increasingly cause and worsen violence and conflicts. For example, droughts (like that in Syria) are multiplying the scale of conflict and migration. Water, food and grazing shortages will push tremendous numbers of people into areas controlled by others, creating and worsening conflicts in places like Darfur, in Sudan. Rising sea levels are a truly enormous threat, including through the future flooding of mega-cities on coasts around the world and the forced displacement of many millions. The melting of the Arctic icecaps is already creating international tensions with Russia over rights to underwater resources.

The US military and intelligence organizations are keenly aware of these threats to our national and global security, and the need for preventive actions to mitigate them. Our military sees climate change as both a core cause of conflict as well as acting as a threat multiplier to compound the impact of other causes. Our military also continues to work on its Climate Change Adaption Roadmap which is sounding the alarm for damage to our military capabilities, like the threat of rising sea waters to our key naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.

The CIA and other intelligence agencies see an increasingly dangerous and unstable world due to climate change. This includes violence and conflicts in places that will draw in US involvement. Climate change will also create fertile grounds for radical groups to recruit among populations who have become impoverished and driven from their lands by climate change.

The US military and intelligence leaders are experts at risk analysis, and they recognize that the existing information base on climate change is far beyond what is needed to take action. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a commander who has information from 97% of his sources about a pending catastrophic attack on his troops then demanding more information before taking action.

The US military and security agencies are not political people  they are professionals who are dedicated to providing the best information and analysis possible to decision-makers, and who have committed their lives to defending our country. That military commitment includes the men and women of the 10th Mountain Division here in District 21, who have been deployed to Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. It will be a tragedy if men and women from the 10th will be asked in the future to risk their lives in conflicts linked to climate change that could have been avoided if our political leaders had shown strategic vision and political courage.

Our representative from the 21st District in the House of Representatives in Washington  Ms. Elise Stefanik  is well placed to play a leading role in fighting this danger to our national security. She has publicly stated her concerns about the serious threats of climate change. She has excellent access to the views of the military and intelligence experts, including as the Chair for the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities within the House Armed Services Committee, and as a member of Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is also a member of the new bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus of the House of Representatives.

The responsibility to promote action against this threat to our national security lies with many of us. However, Ms. Stefanik in particular can be a leader in taking this issue out of the political realm and putting it firmly in the scientific and security areas where it belongs, including insisting that we listen to our security experts. Those of us in the 21st District should strongly urge such bipartisan leadership, at a time when our country sorely needs it.

Illustration: Average Global Temperature Chart, Global Land  Ocean Temperature Index, courtesy NASA.
Airmen, Marines hone tactical recovery skills

The thunderous sound of an MV-22 Osprey echoes over an open field as it lands. Emerging from its lowered door is the I Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton, California, who advance on the New Mexican desert to fulfill their objective: find the downed aircrew and bring them home safely.



During the simulated Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel scenario, the I MEFs capabilities were tested by Airmen from the 563rd Operations Support Squadron assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in a joint exercise as part of their Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force certification training Feb. 22, 2017, at the Playas Training and Research Center, New Mexico.



We evaluated the (I MEFs) ability to conduct a TRAP mission prior to their deployment, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Benson, the Playas Training and Research Center SP MAGTF exercise site lead. The best way to examine their recovery capabilities was to paint the most realistic simulated scenario to develop targets for both Marine ground forces and the Air Force pilots providing close air support. The 563rd OSS brought a lot of knowledge of the capabilities of the aircraft supporting the mission and allowed the scenario to replicate the most authentic events to help drive the training to benefit all players in the evolution.



During the scenario, an aircraft went down from a mechanical failure and its crew members were isolated in a potentially dangerous area. Friendly local populace discovered the aircrew and helped safeguard them from enemy forces, protecting them inside a mock Middle Eastern market place. After the aircrew radioed for the I MEF reinforcements, the Marines scouted the area, recovering the survivors.



Amid the I MEFs pursuit, they fended off Airmen from the 563rd OSS, a geographically-separated unit assigned to the 23rd Wing located at Moody AFB as they role-played opposition forces to better test the Marines TRAP skills.



Supplying people and equipment to play in these exercises (directly invests) into the readiness of (service members) going downrange, said Air Force Capt. Jeremiah Burleson, the 563rd OSS weapons and tactics flight commander. We want to make the best and the most realistic scenarios so that the training environment is as close to the real thing as possible. Even though the real thing may feel different, the more accurate we can be now, the less of a shock it is for these guys when they go downrange.



Because of the ground force threats, the Marines relied on Air Force air support to help neutralize the mock insurgents, eventually completing their mission. As the MV-22 descended, it was the ability of the Airmen to mesh with the Marines mission readiness practices that stood out the most according to Burleson, who role played as the exercises Air Force liaison mission planner.



Its important to understand another services strengths and be on the same accord in joint operations, Burleson said. Training environments like these accomplishes this by allowing the face-to-face interactions to ask questions and learn lessons to better execute downrange. Each service may have different terminologies and intricacies in their processes. Training together secures common ground with understanding.



Benson credited the training, saying this joint understanding will serve the I MEF well after the completion of the SP MAGTF certification training. The training is the culmination of the units crisis response operations before deploying to the United States Central Command, which consists of 20 countries in Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia.



The deployment (the I MEF) is going on is a joint operation, Benson said. Both teams bring a lot of muscle to the fight, and when combined, it's an impressive capability our country has.


AF's 1st HC-130 takes its final flight to retirement

After more than 50 years of faithful service and rescue missions spanning the globe, King 52, the first HC-130P/N configured for Air Force rescue in 1964, retired March 6, 2017.



Accompanied by its 920th Rescue Wing dedicated crew chiefs and a nostalgic aircrew, the aircraft, tail number 4852, heads to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, from Patrick AFB, Florida, where it has been stationed since mid-2015.



It was about to retire when we acquired it from Moody Air Force Base,(Georgia), said Tech. Sgt. Norberto Nieves, a 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron expeditor and former crew chief to King 52. It was a work horse; thats for sure.



Its sad to see it go, the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native continued. As crew chiefs, we dedicate a lot of time, sweat, and sometimes blood to these aircraft. They become a part of us.



Tech. Sgt. Matthew White, a 720th AMXS King 52s dedicated crew chief, said while the aircraft was out of commission with a major maintenance issue for a good portion of the time he had it, hes still upset to see it retire.



Like Nieves said, these aircraft become a part of you and its tough to see something youve worked so hard on go into retirement, said White, a Spokane, Washington, native. The most rewarding part of being a dedicated crew chief is seeing the aircraft you spent so many hours on takeoff and come back home safe and sound.



During its time at Patrick AFB, King 52 flew local training missions as well as missions to Key West, Florida, and across the country to Davis-Monthan AFB.



Maj. Nick Philpitt, the 920th Rescue Wing Inspector General Inspections chief and an HC-130 navigator, said he flew King 52 a handful of times and is honored to be part of the aircrafts final flight.



I haven't flown a lot of missions with #52; however, it is somewhat sentimental to be flying her to retirement denoting it's the end of an era, said Philpitt, an Orlando, Florida, native. Like a classic car that you've owned and driven, an airplane become(s) an extension of you. Putting it to bed for the last time is moving."



King 52's career ends with the Air Force Materiel Commands 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, where it will be stored in the boneyard with other retired military and government aircraft.



As for the 920th RQWs HC-130P/N maintenance crews, they continue to work hard at home and abroad ensuring the fleet is rescue-ready.



The HC-130P/N is the only dedicated fixed-wing combat search and rescue platform in the Air Force inventory.



The mission of the HC-130P/N "King" is to rapidly deploy to austere airfields and denied territory in order to execute, all weather personnel recovery operations anytime, anywhere. King crews routinely perform high and low altitude personnel and equipment airdrops, infiltration/exfiltration of personnel, helicopter air-to-air refueling, and forward area refueling point missions. When tasked, the aircraft also conducts humanitarian assistance operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation, casualty evacuation, and noncombatant evacuation operations.
TAAC-Air Shindand visit leads to Afghan Air Force cost savings

Advisors with Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air traveled to Shindand Air Wing, Herat, Afghanistan, to meet with Afghan Air Force wing leaders on March 1, 2017.



Since the drawdown of coalition forces in 2014, advisors have relocated to centralized parts of Afghanistan removing the train and advise mission at Shindand.



However, TAAC-Air advisors are working through the distance to continue interactions with their AAF counterparts.



Lt. Col. Jose Lasso, the TAAC-Air deputy director of logistics, oversaw the site visit and met with AAF Brig. Gen. Abdul Qudratullah, the Shindand Air Wing commander, to gain his perspective on current operations in the generals area of responsibility.



During the trip, advisors from various career fields like logistics, maintenance, safety, intelligence, civil engineer and C-130 Hercules flight crews met with their counterparts to train and advise, as well as assess the current mission.



There was a sense of enthusiasm, curiosity and eagerness to accomplish the various objectives we had planned, Lasso said. The assessment was that Shindand appears to offer much infrastructure without the need to invest a huge amount of budgetary capital. Shindand leadership possesses a sense of pride and ownership infused throughout organizations within the installation.



Lasso went on to commend the Shindand leadership saying, The base is very clean, the hangars are pristine and the AAF personnel appear professional in all facets of the business.



The visit allowed for face-to-face interaction with new advisors at the wing.



The most important aspect of the trip was this was the first site visit in eight months, said Maj. Daniel Birge, the TAAC-Air logistics directorate, director of maintenance. For advisors to come out to their air wing to re-establish contacts and relationships means a lot to the AAF at Shindand.



This visit enabled AAF crews to transport 9,000 pounds of Mi-17 parts. AAF Mi-17 maintenance crews provide all of the maintenance at Shindand. Maintainers were able to pull parts from unserviceable helicopters to reuse on other Mi-17s in the AAF inventory.



We brought back four Mi-17 engines and an assortment of others for the "Repair of Repairables" program or ROR, Birge said. This is just returning used parts to the repair cycle so they can be overhauled and reused. ROR parts that have been overhauled are significantly cheaper than new, typically 50-60 percent cheaper. The projected savings is at least $500,000 per engine we returned.



From the manufactured date, an Mi-17 has 2,000 flight hours or nine years, whichever occurs first. After the first overhaul, it has 2,000 hours or eight years. This cycle can continue until 35 years or 7,000 hours before a service life extension is needed, Birge explained.



By placing these parts in the repair cycle versus buying new, there will be about a $3 million savings, Birge said.



The parts were palletized and loaded by an AAF aircrew onto an Afghan C-130H. The parts where then flown back to Kabul to the ROR program. This process allowed for new training for the AAF aircrew involved in this mission.



Master Sgt. Brian Castillio, the TAAC-Air and 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron superintendent and loadmaster advisor, was on site to advise the AAF aircrew on loading and transportation of the Mi-17 parts.



Preparing for their return to Kabul from Shindand, the AAF C-130 loadmaster and flight engineer were able to gain hands-on training on overcoming cargo limitations.



My counterparts were able to see a complete buildup of a 463L logistics pallet, which is not normally part of the Afghan loadmaster training, Castillio said. From this experience, they have a better understanding of aircraft limitations, weight and balance on armored aircraft, and load-shifting to accommodate passengers, cargo, and vehicles.



Although ground time at Shindand was only a few hours, advisors were able to gain a better understanding of AAF objectives in their various functions.



Plans to return to Shindand are in the works to help continue developing a professional, capable and sustainable Afghan Air Force.



TAAC-Air benefitted from the visit in that relationships with Shindand key personnel were re-energized after several months, Lasso said. The AAF benefitted from TAAC-Air's visit in that they gained a sense of the coalition caring and willingness to train, advise and assist again, that is, from the most fundamental tactical level to their wing commander's level.
Ms. Doris "LaRue" Brame Culifer Rogers, age 82, of Washington, died Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Vidant Beaufort Hospital.Graveside services will be held 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, conducted by Pastor Phillip Jethro.Ms. Rogers was born in Beaufort County on September 11, 1934. She was the daughter of the late Willie Brame and Janie LaRue Elks Brame. Ms. Rogers was a seamstress at Washington Garment Factory and Sampson Shirt Factory and retired as an assembly line worker at Hamilton Beach. She attended Alligood Church of God. In her spare time, Ms. Rogers loved to cook, sew and shop.Ms. Rogers is survived by two daughters, Debra Hawkins and husband, Dennis of Chocowinity, Diane Smith and husband, Frankie of Washington; four grandchildren, Deanna Biggs and husband, Jason, Denny Hawkins and fiance Dana Everett, Derek Knott, Daniel Smith and wife, Brittany; and five great grandchildren, Tatum Biggs, Parker Biggs, Conner James Knott, Kennedy Rae Smith and Dallas Hawkins.The family will receive friends at Ms. Roger's home from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday, March 6, 2017 at 113 Slatestone Drive, Washington.Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com Paul Funeral Home & Crematory in Washington is honored to serve the Rogers family.
Congress leader Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan sought a judicial probe into the alleged scams in wakf lands at Lalbaug in Mumbai and Nashik.

Khan, former Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister, while speaking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan (state Legislature House), questioned how the Rs. 2,500-crore worth wakf land in Nashik was handed over to a Pune-based private developer.

The 55 acres of land in Borwadi, Nashik was donated to Pudhari Masjid by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The land finds mention in the British gazette in 1927 and was included as wakf property in 2008. It is valued at Rs. 2,500 crore, Khan said.

The current CEO of Wakf Board is Naseema Bano Patel, a Class II revenue officer, who holds the post on temporary basis, first declined to transfer the land to the builder saying she is not a competent authority. However, last month she took the decision (of transfer of land), Khan said.

He said facts and circumstances of her order should be investigated. Who pressurised Patel to take the decision? Is this how a government, who speaks of transparency, functions? Khan asked.

He also alleged that a trustee of another wakf property, Lal Shah Baba dargah at Lalbaug in Mumbai, is being threatened to withdraw his case in the high court and allow sale of flats in the building constructed on the dargah land, which is 99,000 sqm and valued at Rs. 2,000 crore.

The trustee had challenged the construction in the wakf tribunal. The tribunals order was challenged in the high court. The trustee had filed a suit before the Wakf Tribunal to restrain the developer from further construction, changing the nature of wakf property and handing over possession of the flats constructed, Khan said.

The tribunal had allowed the developer to continue with the construction, but restrained him from giving possession of flats, the Congress leader said.

However, the developer challenged the order of the tribunal in the high court. The court set aside the tribunals order on the ground that it was not constituted as per the amended Wakf Act 1995. The trustee approached the Supreme Court, which said the Wakf Tribunal is competent to decide if the property is wakf or not, he said.

The trustee Karoon Sheikh was being pressurised to withdraw his case, Khan alleged.

He said the Wakf Board, instead of protecting the property, has in writing submitted before the Tribunal, that it has no objection if the possession is given.

Khan said he wants judicial inquiry into both the cases.
A homeopathic doctor who allegedly conducted aborted 19 foetuses at his clinic in Sangli district of western Maharashtra was arrested in Karnataka on Monday night, said police.

Babasaheb Khidrapure was arrested a day after 19 aborted foetuses were found within a walking distance from the Bharti hospital at Mhaisal, a hospital run by the accused.

The police also suspect that five other medical practitioners were involved in the abortions.

The doctor was absconding and nabbed by the Miraj police from Belgaum in Karnataka. Five teams were deployed for this task, police said.

We have sent DNA samples of the 19 foetuses to the lab to ascertain their gender, Sangli SP Dattatray Shinde said.

According to the police, the horrific practice, which the doctor indulged in, came to light when a patient, Swati Praveen Jamdade (26), died on March 1 after a botched medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) on February 27. Her parents had then filed a case against her husband Praveen.

Jamdade was allegedly forced to abort her third female foetus after giving birth to two girls.

On the investigation trail, policemen found the 19 foetuses and busted the abortion racket.

They were found alongside the Miraj-Belgaum road in Mhaisal village, where Bharti Hospital is located.

While some of them were buried, others were thrown carelessly in blue plastic bags along with animal and sewage waste, police said.

Forty bags of skeletons, umbilical cords and other remains were also found and sent for tests, they said.

Bharti Hospital, where the abortions were taking place, was being run by Khidrapure. The hospital is around 7 km from the Karnataka border, and had two hidden basement rooms to terminate pregnancies in advanced stages.

At one end of the room is a fridge stocked with medicines used to induce abortion. On the other, there is an opening that led out of the building to a drain where blue plastic bags, half-destroyed medicine bottles, and charred bio-medical waste was found, police said.

Neither is the hospital registered under the Nursing Home Act, nor are the homoeopaths allowed to carry out MTP under the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines, they said.
Women become victims of lewd messages and many of them dont come forward to file compliant with the police.

After the declaration of results of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, women politicians have started receiving obscene messages on their mobile phones. Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad has become the latest victim of lewd messages after Shiv Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe and BJP spokesperson Shaina NC had complained about receiving such messages. Thus a question which arises here is women leaders being targeted in politics? Who is responsible for committing this offence? Sending obscene messages is punishable under the IT act.

With the advancement of technology there has been a sharp rise in cyber- crime incidents. Women become victims of lewd messages and many of them dont come forward to file compliant with the police. Even if women file a complaint they are unable to get justice. Many times it becomes difficult for the police to trace the identity of the accused and the origin from where such messages are being sent, said a cyber-crime expert.

Today it has become vital for women to safeguard their online privacy and they must not befriend strangers on social networking sites and chat applications. They also should enhance their privacy settings. If they are being stalked online then women should come forward to register complaint with the cyber police station, he added.

Varsha Gaikwad had filed a complaint with the Wadala Police station for receiving obscene messages. The police have registered a complaint and have already started a probe in this regard.

She said, Some miscreants have sent me vulgar messages on the occasion of civic body election. They are sending messages to distract the attention of women leaders during polls. Since many women leaders have received lewd messages hence we will raise this matter in the assembly.

Since women are today considered at par with men they have become insecure and hence they are indulging these acts. If women politicians are becoming victims of lewd messages then imagine the plight of other helpless women, she added.

Gaikwad is a former Cabinet Minister and presently represents the Dharavi constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Last week, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe registered a complaint with Mumbai and Pune police after repeatedly receiving threats of rape and murder on her phone.

Later BJP spokesperson Shaina NC also lodged a complaint with the Mumbai police for receiving lewd text messages from an unidentified person. On Sunday, the police identified the accused to be Jayantkumar Singh, a BJP activist from Varanasi.
Iraqi forces said Tuesday they had seized the main government offices in Mosul and its famed museum as they made steady progress in their battle to retake the citys west from jihadists.

News of the advances came on the third day of a renewed offensive against the Islamic State group in west Mosul  the largest remaining urban stronghold in the caliphate declared by the jihadists in 2014.

Supported by the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi forces began their push against west Mosul on February 19. The advance slowed during several days of bad weather but was renewed on Sunday.

Recent advances have brought government troops and police closer to Mosuls densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule.

Iraqs Joint Operations Command said in a statement that federal police and the elite Rapid Response unit had been able to liberate the headquarters for the Nineveh provincial government.

They also seized control of the Al-Hurriyah bridgehead, it said, in a step towards potentially relinking west Mosul with the citys east, which government forces seized from the jihadists earlier in the offensive.

All the bridges crossing the Tigris in Mosul have been damaged or destroyed, and Iraqi forces would either have to repair them or install floating bridges to reconnect the two banks of the river, which divides the city.

Officers said Tuesday that security forces had also managed to recapture the Mosul museum, where the jihadists destroyed priceless artefacts, releasing a video of their rampage in February 2015.

The video showed militants at the museum knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces. In another scene a jackhammer was used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archaeological site in the city.

The jihadists attacks on ancient heritage in Iraq and Syria have sparked widespread international outrage and fears for some of the worlds most important archaeological sites.

The museum was on a police list released Tuesday of sites recently recaptured from IS, which also included Mosuls central bank building, which the jihadists looted along with other banks in 2014, seizing tens of millions of dollars.

Other sites recaptured during the last few days include the provincial police headquarters, the courts complex and the water and electricity directorates.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik to appear before it on March 14 in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged terror activities by him and organisations promoted by him including Islamic Research Foundation of which he was a founding trustee.

Through the notice served by the agency, Naik has been asked for joining the investigation at NIA headquarters here next week. The NIA notice was received by his brother Dr Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik.

The NIA has issued notice to Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik S/o Dr Abdul Karim Naik resident of B-1005/1006, Jasmine Apartments, 65-B, Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, Mumbai, in connection with the NIA case RC-O5/2016/NlA-MUM (IRF Case), the NIA said in a statement.

Naik was the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust, and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. This besides, Naik has close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Private Limited, Longlast Constructions Private Limited, Right Property Solutions Private Limited, Galaxy Multichannel Network Private Limited, Majestic Perfumes Private Limited and Alpha Lubricants Private Limited.

The NIA has booked Naik, IRF and IRF Educational Trust and others under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, criminal conspiracy (120-B) and Section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

Zakir Naiks sister Nailah Naushad Noorani was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with regard to the money laundering cases on Tuesday. Earlier, Nailah had been questioned by the National Investigation Agency a week ago with regard to the same case. Noorani reached the ED office at 11 am with her two relatives.

It is believed Naik is staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after perpetrators of the Dhaka terror strike last year claimed they were inspired by him.

The 51-year-old preacher has been booked along with unnamed officials of his Islamic Research Foundation for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.

Hes also been accused of indulging in acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony beside various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Actor Sanjay Dutt is not nervous about his upcoming biopic as he believes his life, despite many controversies, has been an open book.

The 57-year-old actor, who is currently shooting his comeback film Bhoomi after completing his jail term, is looking forward to the movie, which is being directed by Munnabhai filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani.

Im not nervous about anything Dont you all know about my life? And my things are out in the open. Bhushan (Kumar) is a big part of that film. Ive just given my story and Ive been with Rajkumar Hirani (while he was writing the film), Dutt told reporters.

Talking about the new age actors, Dutt is all praise for Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt for the way they are handling their career in Bollywood. Ranbir will be seen playing Dutt in the upcoming biopic.

I like Ranbir and Ranveer. Varun has also done some good work. These young boys and girls are really doing well. Alia is amazing. They work professionally and they perform well.

The actor says he chose Omung Kumars revenge drama as his comeback film over a sequel because he appreciates good cinema.

All my life Ive been doing films which are original. I appreciate that people are recognising and appreciating that were doing a film which we have thought about, weve written and is a film of a common man.

Dutt says he does not regret missing out on big budget films released in the last few years as he has worked in almost every genre.

I have done every genre possible. I dont regret anything nor do I want to be a part of any other film. But yes, I do appreciate good cinema and good performances. Its only good for our industry that all the films should do well. Our industry should grow like that.

He may have served years in jail for being convicted in Arms Act but fans and the entire film fraternity have always loved him and wanted his comeback in Bollywood. Dutt says it is because of his grounded nature.

I have been taught to be a good human, to respect people and be grounded no matter how big a person you become. Thats what Ive been taught by my parents.

The actor, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, had served a 42-month sentence at Punes Yerwada jail. He was released on February 25 last year, 103 days ahead of his prison term.

I also want to clear that the tag of deshdrohi (traitor) has been dismissed by court and I was proved innocent in that case. I was only convicted in Arms Act.
The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday ordered a probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy, after India raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Sri Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them.

The navys reaction comes after India said that a 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.

A group of Indian fisherman was allegedly fired upon when they were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast late Monday. One was killed, while three were injured.

The deceased, who was shot in the neck, has been identified as 22-year-old Britso. His body was brought to the Rameswaram Government Hospital but his family has refused to accept it.

Rameswaram fishermen association president P Sesuraja alleged that the Sri Lankan navy did not even fire a warning shot.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Working President MK Stalin has condemned the killing of an Indian fisherman by Sri Lankan forces, and said the Centre cant be a mere spectator anymore.

He demanded that the Narendra Modi government hold embassy-level talks at once on the issue, and wants it to warn Sri Lanka that if Indian fishermen are harmed, the island nation will have to face dire consequences.

After indulging in the arrest of fishermen and apprehending their boats, they have started to shoot at fishermen and kill them, and the Centre cant be a mere spectator anymore, Stalin said.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the incident and demanded that the Indian government should not tolerate such attacks and stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

They were first attacked by the Lankan navy with grenades and then were shot at in which Britso was killed, Ramadoss said.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister E Palaniswami referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by Lankan authorities in the last few days, and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the community of fishermen.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he urged Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
Recently, Maharashtra government has suspended the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wakf Board, Naseema Bano Patel after a preliminary inquiry found her guilty of ruling a wakf property worth Rs. 2,500 crore in Nashik as a non-wakf in early 2016. The 55-acre property, at a prime location in Nashik, now has a township coming up on it after the builder took possession of it by paying compensation to encroachers who became the legal heir of the land after the CEO declared the land non-wakf. As per the law, a wakf is an endowment made by a Muslim to a religious, educational or for charitable cause. It can neither be transferred nor sold by any person; even a legal heir of the one who had wakf (donated) his property. The land in question belonged to the Masjid Doodhwari Katra, Morwadi, Nashik. It was first donated as a wakf land for a mosque by Shah Jahan in the 15th century. Interestingly, the Revenue Department has all documents  starting from the Shah Jahans order till the last wakf survey in 1997-2000. Even in the survey, the property was declared as wakf. The department even has the Shahi order (sanant).

Maharashtra has around 97,000 acres of wakf land. The Marathas and Peshwas who ruled Maharashtra in 18h century also documented the land as wakf property. In 1923, during the British rule, the document was again notified as wakf property in the Bombay Gazette. The survey of 1997-2000 confirmed it again. Earlier too, the Congress party urged and demanded a full-fledged probe into the wakf properties, as number of properties, encroachments and the ongoing disputes, especially between the Revenue and other government departments with the Wakf Board. There are many accusations of corruption against several officials of the WaKf Board suggest that the real duties of these officials have changed from maintaining of wakf properties for the benefit of Muslim community to using their authority and power in illegally selling off wakf lands and properties at cheap rates in return for cut offs. Hardly any community member is ever benefited from these lands allotted for Muslims welfare. Many Muslims are shelterless, even today after 70 years of Independence. In spite of owning property spanning 600,000 acres, Muslims are one of the poorest communities in India.

Wakf means donation of transferrable or fixed property by Muslims for the welfare of the poor and the needy and for maintaining properties dedicated to mosques, tombs, orphanages, shrines, imambaras, madrasas and the like. The wakif has the right to employ either himself or any Muslim as mutawalli (manager or custodian or Caretaker). Wakf endowments can be made in any form as enshrined in Qazis Act II of 1864, Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act of 1955, Central Wakf Act of 1954, Wakf Amendment Act of 1959, UP Muslim Act of 1960, to name a few. The wakif (pilgrim or the settler), in his deed, appoints a mutawalli for the administration of the wakf.

Since ages, the greedy politicians, police, bureaucrats and land mafia covet wakf property because those can be found mostly in prime localities. Unfortunately, most of the corrupt officials who sit on Wakf boards are Muslims well aware of the implications of violating pledges made for charitable purposes. This, despite the fact that wakf property cannot be sold or its use transformed for infinity. The interested parties have found ways to circumvent this obligation. Many such properties are leased out after pockets of the officials concerned have been adequately lined. A builder or businessman first identifies a wakf property, approaches the members or chairman of the local board and acquires it for a mite after bribing the board members. Lack of accountability and a defined law in this regard come to their aid. Thousands of mosques and even graveyards have been encroached upon likewise across the country.

The Wakf boards invariably have members who are puppets in the hands of the state governments, which are involved in fixing them in the first place. As such, most are incompetent about wakf management and relevant laws. The Citi Central Mall which stands in Central Mumbai was constructed on land bought from the Wakf Board of Maharashtra. Before Citi Central was constructed on that land, an Orphanage under the Haji Zakariya Ahmed Patel Mohammadan Orphanage & Asylum Trust used to stand there. This land was sold for just Rs. 1 crore in September 2004 to Neel Kamal Realtors & Builders Pvt Ltd. The estimated value of that land in 2004 was Rs. 100 Crores. How wakf has become an institution deeply mired in corruption can be gauged from the land scam perpetrated by the Maharashtra Wakf Board. It sold a 4,535 square-metre wakf plot in the upmarket Altamount Road to Mr. Mukesh Ambani for a mere Rs. 21.05 crore in 2003, when its market value was not less than Rs. 500 crore. Mr. Ambanis 27-storey home stands on the plot now. Wakf boards have almost institutionalised the tendency to wheel and deal in land donated in the name of God. Only a transparent system of management can extinguish the culture of corruption, nepotism and greed that is consuming wakf endowments in India.

The Maharashtra Wakf Board chief executive officer (CEO) ND Pathan was caught red handed accepting bribe of Rs. 30 lakhs by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. He is known to have issued several non-objection certificates to builders in Mumbai illegally. Why is the Wakf Board selling their lands in the first place and even if they are selling it then why take a pittance instead of crores? The deal has been termed by many as illegal or shady.

Congress leader Arif Naseem Khan also alleged for misusing several wakf lands for private construction business. He also let other builders come up with their construction projects in Mumbais prime Wakf land and AV possesses all the papers in this regards. Wakf corruption in India can be said to signify the most systematically-managed daylight robbery in Mumbai and across India, perpetrated over decades.

There are additional allegations of financial irregularities in the leasing of a part of the Pir Baghdadi Dargah in Mumbai by the Wakf Board to a hotel for a mere Rs. 70 lakhs whereas the propertys value is close to Rs. 14 crores. Similarly, the Crime Investigation Department has registered four separate cases of criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy against former Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board chairman Syed Ghulam Afzal Biyabani alias Khusro Poasha and others for allegedly causing huge loss to the board by misusing their official positions and leasing or selling wakf property at very cheap rates. Wakf endowments in India are staggering. There are around 800,000 registered properties and as much as 6,00,000 acres of land , the largest in the world. Today, the Wakf Board stands smeared with serious corruption allegations. Several corruption cases have been registered against them across the country.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)


It was no surprise that former House Minority Leader Larry Hall of Durham, a Marine, was confirmed unanimously to be Secretary of Veterans and Military Affairs. This made Gov. Roy Cooper's decision to bar him from three confirmation hearings puzzling. (CJ photo by Dan Way)

Gov. Roy Cooper's pick to head North Carolina's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, former state Rep. Larry Hall, received unanimous approval last week from the Senate committee tasked to confirm him.Of course he did. Hall was until recently the minority leader in the North Carolina House. He is a Marine and a lawmaker widely respected on both sides of the aisle. His answers to the senators' questions were direct and complete. He is undoubtedly qualified for the job.So why have the voters of North Carolina had to witness several weeks of controversy about the Hall nomination? Because Cooper and other Democrats are furious at Republican lawmakers for the special session in December at which the GOP majority checked the power of the incoming governor in several ways, including a bill setting up a confirmation process for Cooper's Cabinet secretaries.Rather than comply with the new process, Cooper's team filed a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality and encouraged his Cabinet nominees not to participate in it. In fact, the governor has absurdly claimed that his Cabinet nominees are not really nominees, even though they are already running their respective departments, because he has not yet submitted their nominations to the General Assembly.I can understand why Cooper resents the confirmation process. No previous governor has been subjected to it (although lawmakers have considered the option in the past). But in my opinion, this was not the right battle to pick.For one thing, the timing was horrible. Even as the Cooper administration was playing its evasion game and state lawmakers were having to subpoena Hall to show up at his confirmation hearing, Democrats in Washington were grilling Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees and, in some cases, uncovering relevant information about their backgrounds and fitness for office.The resulting message from North Carolina Democrats was obviously incoherent. Confirmation is a necessary process for staffing federal departments but an intrusion on executive power when staffing state departments? This made no sense to voters already used to the idea from national politics. Indeed, in a new High Point University poll , only 29 percent of North Carolinians said they agreed with Cooper's position.But does the governor have a valid legal argument against it? There's not much relevant case law here, but past practice and a plain reading of the state constitution say no. In Article 3, Section 5, it states that the governor "shall nominate and by and with the advice and consent of a majority of the Senators appoint all officers whose appointments are not otherwise provided for." Cooper's lawyers say this provision only applies to other elected officers in the executive branch, such as state treasurer or agriculture commissioner. But the gubernatorial appointment of those officers, in such circumstances as resignation or death in office, is already provided for in the constitution, so the provision would be entirely meaningless if interpreted that way. Moreover, the section that deals with those Council of State members is titled "other elective officers." The modifier was needed because the framers of the constitution clearly knew not all officers of state government were elected.While North Carolina Cabinet secretaries have never been subjected to confirmation, other gubernatorial appointees such as banking commissioner, state controller, and industrial commissioner have gone through such a process for many years. It's hardly unfamiliar or unjustifiable.Other bills enacted during the December special session, such as the one combining the state ethics and elections boards, raise some debatable issues. But if Cooper wins his legal challenge against Cabinet confirmation, it will likely be only because Democratic judges choose to act in partisan solidarity - which would itself constitute a political loss for the governor and his party, who have denied that partisanship is a reliable signal of how judges approach the cases and issues before them.I know it is tempting for politicians to accept every battle and defend every hill against their adversaries. But it isn't good strategic advice - which is something Cooper isn't getting enough of.
Upping sales at distilleries from one bottle to five annually per customer potentially a 'huge deal,' distiller says



Muddy River Distillery co-owner Caroline Delaney serves customers during a May 2016 tour. Under North Carolina alcohol laws, customers may purchase only one bottle per year directly from a local distillery. (CJ Photo by Kari Travis)

In North Carolina, more than 40 distilleries are now producing and selling liquor. Many offer tours and subsequent tastings.Each visitor can then buy a single bottle from the distillery. Every 12 months.Distilleries refer customers who want more liquor to a local ABC store , where sales aren't limited. Some people go but many others don't, and the respective distillery loses sales and the resultant revenue.A bipartisan bill filed Thursday would change that. Senate Bill 155 , by Sen. Rick Gunn, R-Alamance, would increase purchase limits from one bottle to five bottles per customer. It would allow the creation of a special permit letting distilleries offer free tastings at events, such as trade shows, conventions, street festivals and, following the lead of other states, state ABC stores. Distillers could pour no more than 1.5 ounces in total per customer.Another provision in the bill would allow restaurants to sell alcohol starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, according to local rules. Other primary sponsors of S.B. 155 are Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake; and Sen. Kathy Harrington, R-Gaston. The bills was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.The " one-bottle law ," which became effective in October 2015, was a catalyst for entrepreneurs and nascent distillers. Many of North Carolina's alcohol laws date to the 1930s, and the state didn't lift its ban on making liquor until 1979. North Carolina didn't get its first legal distillery until 2005, when Piedmont Distillers of Madison came online.Wineries and breweries have grown exponentially, although each continues to fight their own regulatory battles. Distilleries, it can be argued, have been badly outmanned and outgunned by ungainly piles of rules, regulations and resistance.Their perseverance is starting to pay off.Gunn is optimistic about the bill's chances and says the measure would drive economic growth in terms of creating capital and jobs all the while promoting and nurturing state agriculture.Gunn said,Distilleries give priority to producing and bottling their diverse products, and money for marketing and other promotion is often limited or nonexistent. Allowing distillers to sell five bottles to one customer could do wonders for revenue and growth.says George Smith, who founded and runs Copper Barrel Distillery in North Wilkesboro.Copper Barrel makes a line of clear and pure fruit moonshines, including blueberry, black cherry and strawberry, all originating from the historical recipes of master distiller Buck Nance.Often, Smith says, people want to buy the white lightning but want a fruit shine as well.products, Smith says.An ABC store is just down the street, and sometimes Nance escorts people there. Great for customer service, says Smith, but ...The bill, says Gunn, strikes a great balance on the tenuous boundary separating the free market and government rules and regulations, including the ABC system, whose stores would offer tastings.Tastings allow consumers to get some idea about the product before plopping down $30 or so for a bottle. Leanne Powell often travels to South Carolina for such tastings and also often sells out of her product.says Powell, president of Southern Grace Distilleries , which now distills, barrels and bottles in what used to be the Cabarrus County Correctional Center in Mount Pleasant.Southern Grace makes its signature 130-proof Sun Dog corn whiskey and, by year's end, will offer five products.she says.North Carolina neighbors Kentucky and Tennessee continue to pass laws promoting distilleries and those states' historic ties to making and selling liquor. In late February, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed a pair of bills allowing that state's distilleries to sell bottles at events that feature the spirits and focus on teaching people about them. That law becomes effective July 1.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Some passing clouds. Areas of patchy fog. Low 62F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Areas of patchy fog. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
The former Aiken County Hospital also served as the former County Government Building in its previous lifetime. The County released a Request for Proposal on the property on Wednesday.
In regards to the Russia Election Tampering matter: Is President Trump being treated fairly by core Democrats and the Mainstream Media? Yes, the new president is guilty until proven innocent. No, President Trump's treatment is dictated by the usual Democrat double standard. Don't care; there are more important issues facing America. 103 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



That title may need some clarification. Donald Trump and Abraham Lincoln are two vastly different characters of different upbringings and different demeanors. Lincoln was famous for his soaring rhetoric and eloquence, Trump is better known for his hard-nosed bluntness. Lincoln grew up through the rigors of hard labor and poverty, Trump was brought up in wealth. Lincoln was a voracious reader throughout his life, and Trump is more of a twitter guy. When it comes to each man's vision for America, however, there are glaring similarities.In Rich Lowry's wonderful book Lincoln Unbound, he takes a look at Lincoln's political principles and how they could be applied to the modern Republican party to widen its base. Oddly enough, Trump was the Republican who seemed to pick up on some of these Lincolnian ideas most genuinely. For example, one of Lincoln's primary focuses throughout his entire career was on building and improving infrastructure. He saw infrastructure as an essential factor in both economic and social development, as better roads and waterways allowed for both the smooth movement of goods and easier travel. Proposals for these types of improvements happen to be near the top of President Trump's agenda and were a staple in his campaign rhetoric, which is something of an oddity for Republicans. As Trump reaffirmed in his powerful joint address last week, he sees internal improvements as a necessity to improving social conditions in our major cities as well as a potential job creator. While relying on infrastructure as a jobs program often leads to unnecessary pork projects and reckless public spending, the United States is past due for some internal improvement and an initiative in this area led primarily by state governments could provide enormous benefits.Moreover, one of my favorite Lincoln quotes, and one that is often misused in the pursuit of portraying Lincoln as an early progressive, is the following: "Whatever is calculated to advance the condition of the honest, struggling laboring man, so far as my judgement will enable me to judge of a correct thing, I am for that thing." This message is identical to the one that drove Trump to the presidency. Trump made workers who had been punished by globalization and the massive influx of low-skilled immigrant laborers, as well as the small business owners struggling to cope with the onus of the regulatory state and exorbitant tax rates, the primary focus of his campaign. Similarly to Lincoln, the solutions that Trump sees as best to help these people have nothing to do with creating dependency or expanding the welfare state. Instead, the key is social mobility and fostering opportunity. As Lincoln's letters and writings show, he was a strong believer in the value of hard work and enterprise, and famously gave a young aspiring lawyer the simple advice to, "Work, work, work." As many of Trump's books on business make clear, he views the world through a similar lens.Furthermore, just as Lincoln did, Trump places a strong emphasis on technology and innovation. In Trump's joint address, he spent some time discussing the celebration of America's 100th birthday in 1876, where "the country's builders and artists and inventors showed off their wonderful creations." He spoke of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, the Remington typewriter and Edison's "automatic telegraph and electric pen." Trump expressed his desires for something similar on America's 250th birthday, and Lincoln would have loved this. Lincoln pushed extremely hard for American industrialization, as he sought for the citizens of his country to reach the peak of human capacity. He had no use for the agrarian economics of John C. Calhoun and similar thinkers, instead his ideas were based upon technological advancement. Trump's pronouncements that, "Cures to the illnesses that have always plagued us are not too much to hope. American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream," may seem like fluffy rhetoric, but this sort of drive is what built America into the world's greatest power in the first place. Moreover, Trump's focus on innovation and advancement is a breath of fresh air in the Republican party, and something that should become a more consistent staple in the party's message.In a letter written roughly five years before his ascension to the presidency, Lincoln lamented, "we are not what we have been." He saw an America in decline. In Lincoln's eyes, the nation was becoming lazier, less enterprising and less devoted to the principles of liberty and democracy. The excitement of the founding generation, and to some extent the Jacksonian period, had faded. Lincoln saw the need for a national resurgence based on the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence that he so adored, and that he often cited in his arguments against slavery. Similarly, Trump entered the Republican primary field because he saw his country falling in a downward spiral, with a dismal labor force participation rate and a weaker footing on the global stage. The point is this: Trump's brand of Republicanism is not all that different from the one espoused by our 16th president. Their ideas about the proper role of the federal government merge in many ways, including those beyond the few policy areas mentioned above. Both of these men, although polar opposites in style, entered office with some common principles and the goal of making America great again. Lincoln was able to do it through the nation's darkest hours. Trump faces a much easier task. If he is able to execute his vision half as well as Lincoln, we'll be on the right track.
March 6, 2017

In mid-February, Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed arrived in Berlin to discuss the issues the two countries have over security and migration. A few weeks prior, Anis Amri, a Tunisian national who was living illegally in Germany under six aliases after his asylum application was denied, drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market in Berlins Charlottenburg neighborhood. A dozen people were killed.

Germany and Tunisia have long had a mutually positive relationship, bolstered by the European Union granting Tunisia privileged partnership status in 2012. Since Tunisias 2011 revolution, Germany has been a vocal supporter of the countrys democratic transition; several German nongovernmental organizations have set up offices in Tunisia. With its proximity to Libya, Tunisia is also geostrategically important to Germany. But the security concern only emerged recently. Prior to that, migration was not a controversial issue in the Tunisian-German relations as it is now, said Nizar Amri, a research fellow at the Tunisian-German research group Tunisia in Transition.

After the attack, Germany pointed fingers at Tunisia, where bureaucratic delays failed to deport Amri, as he no longer had his documents (he destroyed them upon first arriving in Europe via Sicily). Chaheds visit was an opportunity for the two countries to seriously discuss migration, but it was marred with tension. "The biggest problem for Europe is refugees who go from Libya to Italy," Chahed told German newspaper Bild during the visit. Chahed also outright refused a German proposal that Tunisia build a refugee camp to process migrants.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Chahed to take back more Tunisians who have been denied asylum. We have to tell someone who doesnt commit to voluntarily departure that he must also do it involuntarily, she said during a press conference on Feb. 14.

On March 3, Merkel arrived in Tunisia for her first official diplomatic visit to the country. The trip was short  less than a day  but effective. In a seeming tit for tat, Tunisia agreed to take back 1,500 Tunisian irregular migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected by Germany. In exchange, Tunisia will receive 250 million euros ($265 million) in aid for development projects.

The deal is a win for both countries, though less so for the migrants involved. There are 30,000 Tunisians living in Germany, of which 1,500 are living illegally. What are 1,500 Tunisian illegal migrants in comparison to millions of migrants and refugees from all nationalities hosted by Germany? political analyst Youssef Cherif asked Al-Monitor. He fears these migrants will be used as scapegoats. Others suggest that once back in Tunisia, the migrants will make the journey again.

The reason why Tunisia  and other countries in the region  were reluctant to take back migrants is because most of them will become a burden for a fragile economic and security situation at home, explained Cherif. Some are not even from those specific countries, he continued, noting that Tunisia does not have the technology necessary to handle false identification, like in the case of Amri. Some of the logistical issues were addressed during the chancellors visit. "We will also help Tunisia to set up a registration system. Replacement passports are then meant to be issued within one week," Merkel announced during a morning press conference with her counterpart, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi. Germany has set aside 15 million euros ($15.9 million) in aid to deal exclusively with those deported.

Since Germanys open-door migration policy was implemented two years ago, Merkel has come under fire for losing control of the refugee crisis. In 2016, 900,000 refugees arrived in the country. With German elections coming up in September, striking a deal with Tunisia to bring back at least some irregular migrants was a necessary step for Merkel to defuse some of the criticism she is receiving in her own party and by far-right political groups.

Indeed, cooperation from other North African countries, which serve as a major point of transit for irregular migrants and refugees, is necessary for Merkel to achieve stability back home. A visit with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was canceled last week, but the day before she arrived in Tunis, Merkel held similar talks in Cairo with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Last year, Merkel struck a controversial migrant-exchange deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Accused of striking dirty deals to solve the refugee crisis, Merkel has faced similar criticism for dealing with strongman Sisi.

Tunisia is more politically stable and open than either Turkey or Egypt at the moment, but the country has come under fire for corruption, and security forces have been accused of torture and human rights abuses by Amnesty International. Most young men leaving Tunisia for Europe are searching for better opportunities; unemployment, particularly among the youth, is still high across the country. The 250 million euro aid package is meant to address some of the root causes of migration, though the exact details of how the money will be used have not been brought to light.

We in Tunisia are today determined to find structural solutions capable of promoting economic growth [and] supporting social process, Mohamed Ennaceur, the speaker of the Peoples Representatives Assembly, said during a parliament session with Merkel on Friday. For this, he continued, we count on the support of friends across the world and in particular Germany.

That support, it looks like, will work both ways.
March 6, 2017

Hojat al-Islam Ahmad Montazeri, the son of late Iranian dissident cleric Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, was released March 4 from prison, reportedly after the intervention of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The story of Montazeris sentencing by the Special Court of Clergy and subsequent suspension of it days later is full of intrigue allegedly involving a rising and powerful conservative candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

In August 2016, Montazeri released an audio file of his late father imploring judicial officials not to execute some prisoners, most of whom belonged to the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK). The recording was made in the late 1980s at a time when Ayatollah Montazeri was deputy supreme leader. His opposition to the executions, which eventually took place, resulted in his losing that position.

For releasing the audio file, the Special Court of Clergy charged Ahmad Montazeri with acting against the national security of Iran, attacking the Islamic Republic, insulting and spreading lies about the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and supporting the MEK, which had carried out terrorist attacks in Iran.

Montazeri was sentenced to six years in prison and taken into custody Feb. 22. He was reportedly released on furlough for a few days, and then on March 4, Montazeris family said that his sentence had been suspended and that he had returned home.

An official from the Special Court of Clergy told Iranian media that after Montazeris sentencing and detention, senior high-ranking clerics (so-called Sources of Emulation) in Qom asked Khamenei to suspend the sentence. According to the official, Khamenei agreed, and Montazeris sentence will remain suspended as long as he refrains from committing acts eliciting charges like those for which he was accused.

Gholam Hosseini Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Irans judiciary, also told reporters that high-ranking clerics from Qom had intervened, advocating for Montazeris release. He added, however, that he did not know the details of the case, and he did not mention Khameneis position on the matter. The Special Court of Clergy is independent of the state judiciary and answers directly to Khamenei. It was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to oversee alleged transgressions among the clerical establishment.

One of the individuals heard in the audio file with Montazeri is Ebrahim Raisi, a prosecutor in the late 1980s and currently attorney general for the Special Court of Clergy. Zahra Rabbani, Ahmad Montazeris wife, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Raisi had insisted on Montazeris sentence being carried out despite Khamenei's objection. Rabbani also said that the Intelligence Ministry, which answers to President Hassan Rouhani, was opposed to Montazeris sentence being carried out.

Mojtaba Lotfi, who had been head of communications for Ayatollah Montazeri's office, gave credence to there having been behind-the-scenes jockeying among influential individuals in Montazeris case. Lotfi said that Ayatollah Mousa Shabiri Zanjani wrote a letter to Khamenei requesting Montazeris release, and Khamenei reportedly responded by agreeing with Zanjani. Describing events prior to Montazeri's release, however, Lotfi also said, Suddenly, for reasons behind the scenes that we do not know, Montazeri was summoned and put in isolation for 24 hours.

Raisis involvement in Montazeris sentence certainly makes the case more interesting. Not only was Raisi recently appointed to the powerful and influential Astan Quds Razavi charitable organization, linked to the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, but he also recently announced his candidacy for the presidency. Some Western media have even speculated that he is one of a few clerics who may seek to succeed Khamenei as supreme leader.

Raisi was not a well-known and public figure before being appointed by Khamenei to head Astan Quds Razavi in March 2016. Rather, he was influential behind the scenes. Now, however, conservatives may decide to rally behind him to challenge Rouhans re-election. The late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a strong Rouhani supporter, had reportedly welcomed the prospect of Raisis candidacy to ratchet up interest in the election, but did not see him as a threat to Rouhanis re-election.
March 7, 2017

TEHRAN, Iran  During the past few years, network marketing has become a popular occupation among the youth in Iran. Having successfully managed to distance themselves from controversy involving pyramid schemes, these network marketing firms operate with all necessary licenses and permits.

As a business model, network marketing has been present in Iran since 2009. To generate substantial revenues, each marketer must recruit sellers to his or her network. In theory, if each marketer recruits two people as sub-marketers, and each of these individuals in turn recruits two more marketers, the original marketer will earn commissions from four people on the second tier. The arithmetic is straightforward: eight earners on the third tier, 16 earners on the fourth tier, and so on. In other words, there is room for exponential growth if the number of earners on different tiers keeps increasing. In the United States, companies that fall under the network marketing umbrella include brands such as Avon and Tupperware.

Given some of its similarities with the sales models employed by pyramid schemes, network marketing has been the subject of much discussion in Iran. The debate involves the question of whether the method of profit earning is legal and religiously sanctioned. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the senior Shiite religious authority in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, has publicly declared that the business model is an unacceptable way of earning money. Meanwhile, in Iran, prominent Qom-based Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has written on his website that network marketing is only legitimate if all profits are granted to the marketer in question, adding that any other way of allocating profit is illegitimate.

After much deliberation, an inquiry was put forth by the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding the matter. In response, Khamenei on May 20, 2015, declared that network marketing is indeed a legitimate activity. Since then, uncertainty about whether the business model is legal has decreased. Simultaneously, new mechanisms for detecting irregularities in network marketing have been established. Among these, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has launched a website dedicated to the business model  not only to provide information, but also to facilitate and follow up on the process of registering network marketing companies. According to the website, 23 such companies have been licensed to operate in Iran within fields such as food, chemicals, health care and cosmetics. Meanwhile, a committee made up of officials from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the Intelligence Ministry, the Justice Ministry and police closely monitors both the activities of these companies and the process of issuing their licenses.

Although the heavy shadow of pyramid-style businesses still looms over network marketing, this method of earning money has become more and more popular among young Iranians. Tahoora Shahbazi, who joined a network marketing company in November, told Al-Monitor, The entire process of joining and earning money by using these networks takes two years. One must increase ones tiers and branches and sell more products during these two years. When asked about the way these networks function, she said, One major difference between these companies and pyramid-style companies is that with network marketing firms, one buys products. These products are not unusual products, but rather everyday goods, such as food  something that every family needs  or detergent and sanitary products, or even products such as watches, sunglasses, etc. These are the types of things that can be easily sold to friends or family members.

In response to criticism of the similarities with pyramid schemes, which continues to cause hesitation among ordinary Iranians, one of the arguments put forth by supporters of network marketing is that it provides new ways to sell products  and that it has especially boosted trade in domestically made goods. Alireza, who has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering but was previously unemployed, told Al-Monitor, I have been active in this field for about a year and I truly enjoy it. Aside from making good money, we are helping the countrys economy. Traditional marketing and sales methods are not working anymore. By using this method, we can introduce and sell products faster and better. This way, everybody wins since the buyer gets a discount and the seller can sell more products.

In this vein, Shahbazi also explained the popularity of these firms among young Iranians, Our company is one of the largest of its kind in Iran. We have about 2,000 employees in our central office, and we also have a lot of people working for us in our provincial offices. Based on the standard plan introduced by the companys board, from the moment of entry to the time of departure from the company, which is generally known as retirement, each employees income will reach $54,000 per month. This exponential income generation continues even after an employee retires, through the activities of lower tier recruits, who continue to support income.

Al-Monitor could not verify whether those figures are accurate; however, such earnings are all but unattainable for network marketers in the United States. But in a society where, based on Ministry of Labor directives, a common laborer earns $230 per month, the thought of earning sums such as the above is beyond tantalizing. Yet in spite of the apparent increase in the Iranian publics interest in network marketing, bitter memories of pyramid schemes still loom fresh in peoples minds. Thus, despite the mind-blowing money said to be at stake, most Iranians prefer not to risk their assets and rather choose to forget about the tales of magical sums of money to be made.
March 6, 2017

With the prospect of confrontation, headlines in Iran are once again focusing on relations with the United States. Ali Khorram, a former Iranian ambassador to China, recently argued that more could have been done to reduce Tehrans vulnerability by improving ties during US President Barack Obamas presidency. This is a compelling point, but not everyone in Iran agrees. Indeed, there are multiple schools of thought on this matter. When fleshed out, three predominant positions among Iranian stakeholders demonstrate why problems in Washington caused division in Tehran on whether to solidify ties under Obama.

At face value, it is hard to refute Khorrams logic, which, most likely, many Iranians are thinking privately. A successful nuclear deal created unprecedented diplomatic momentum, so why didnt they strike while the iron was hot and use that success as a foundation from which negotiations on other points of contention could commence?

Khorram correctly highlights that Obamas policies toward Iran could have been more confrontational, but instead the former US president pushed for a nuclear deal, blocked any increase in sanctions and refrained from invading Syria. It is certainly not fair to say that Mr. Obamas policies were similar to the policies of George [W.] Bush and Donald Trump, which are full of hostility against Iran, the former ambassador wrote. And he is right: Iranian officials would be hard pressed to find a US president over the past four decades who worked harder than Obama to diffuse tensions and improve relations.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the nuclear deal, but he is not pleased with its results so far. Thus, his current position portrays Washington as a brutal, immoral government out to get Iran and that its core interest is to keep Iran underdeveloped and dependent. In an April 2016 speech, he explained his skepticism post-nuclear deal, I have said a hundred times  that America cannot be trusted. Now, this is becoming completely clear. They write on paper that banks can go and do business with Iran  but in practice, they instill such a fear in the hearts of banks that they do not dare get close to us. This is Iranophobia.

As explained in previous articles, every foreign government and blue-chip multinational corporation I have spoken to since 2015 acknowledges Irans economic policies as an obstacle, but at the same time they say US sanctions are the primary obstacle to Iran deriving the full benefit of sanctions relief as outlined in the nuclear deal. Khamenei emphasized this in a speech in August 2016. He said, Last year  I said in a public speech that the [deal] and nuclear negotiations will serve as an example for us to see what the Americans do.  Now, it has become clear.  On the face of it, they give promises  but in practice, they hatch plots, damage us and prevent the progress of our affairs.

Khamenei utilizes this point as proof that Iran did not miss an opportunity to expand diplomatic progress under Obama, but it was rather the American side that lost out by stalling on sanctions relief. In the same speech, he said, The Americans are asking us to go and speak to them about regional matters. Well, [the issues to do with sanctions relief] tell us that this is a deadly poison for us.  The reason why I have been repeating for many years that we will not negotiate with America is this. This shows that our problems with America  on regional matters and on various other matters are not solved through negotiations.

While Khameneis position is important, so is the difference between rhetoric and reality. The Iranian leader used to say that the nuclear dispute could not be solved through negotiations with the United States, but his rhetoric changed when Obama presented a viable opportunity to do precisely that. The same premise holds true today: Individuals and power structures in Iran could challenge Khameneis narrative about further negotiations with Washington, but they need some degree of justification to do so. This highlights the third school of thought in Tehran: stakeholders who agree with Khorrams logic, but are unwilling or unable to argue in favor of it since they cannot disprove Khameneis point on sanctions relief.

The nuclear deal demonstrates an important dynamic in Iranian politics: To provide some degree of flexibility, Khamenei allows experiments but does not commit to them until he gets a sense of security about such initiatives. To that end, stakeholders such as President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently reiterated their preference for resolving points of tension through negotiations and viewed the nuclear talks as such. Thus, no one person is the responsible and accountable decision-maker in Iran  even Khamenei can hide behind an array of institutions when he needs to justify a decision. The supreme leaders attempts to wield power without accountability therefore impact how key stakeholders position themselves on policy issues.

For Rouhani, Zarif and many of their top associates, they clearly wanted to advance diplomacy with the Obama administration  but not at any cost. Despite numerous bilateral and multilateral consultations prior to Obamas departure, the sanctions relief problems caused by remaining US sanctions were not resolved, thereby making it difficult to disprove Khameneis position. Pushing to improve US-Iran ties when Washington was widely perceived in Tehran to be stalling on sanctions relief would have been too politically costly.

Knowing that political opponents will blame them for sanctions relief failures  despite receiving Khameneis blessing for each step in the negotiations  these stakeholders are likely hesitant to risk their political cache after having been burned by America in the past. In my conversations with Iranian officials since Rouhani took office in 2013, they have consistently reiterated one point regarding US-Iran diplomacy: Tehran will not cooperate with Washington without naming its price up front. We cooperated with America after the 9/11 attacks, and our goodwill was rewarded with being labeled part of an 'Axis of Evil,' a senior Iranian official told me in 2015. We made a mistake not linking our support to reciprocal American measures. We will not make that mistake again.

Khorrams argument is logically sound: Obama was likely the best American interlocutor that Iran is going to get, and it should have proceeded accordingly. However, as is often the case in US-Iran relations, sanctions-related complications trumped logic. Looking ahead, an important step toward changing Khameneis calculus will be providing the necessary sanctions relief as outlined in the nuclear deal. This, in turn, will create space for the emergence of a competing narrative in Iran that paves the way for a policy shift. Stakeholders such as Rouhani, Zarif and Khorram have influence, but Iran is unlikely to continue engaging in the kind of serious, sustained diplomacy that produced the nuclear deal until the United States demonstrates it is willing and able to do the same.
March 7, 2017

Anyone following media reports about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip did not need the assessment offered by Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevy that the powder keg that is Gaza will blow up in Israels face. A recent survey commissioned by the Israeli human rights organization Gisha shows that 67% of Israelis believe the nearly decadelong Israeli blockade of Gaza has undermined Israeli security, and 70% believe that an improvement in the living conditions of Gaza residents would reduce the level of anti-Israel hostility and violence.

Halevy based his March 1 closed-door briefing to members of the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, among other things, on a 2015 United Nations report warning that if current trends persist in the Gaza Strip, by 2020 Gaza will not be fit for human habitation. The UN Conference on Trade and Development that compiled the report noted the destructive effects on the enclave of its three wars with Israel since 2009. The last and longest, Israels Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014, led to the displacement of half a million Gaza Palestinians from their homes and pushed the majority deeper into poverty. With unemployment at 44%, 72% of Gazas households suffer from food insecurity.

The September 2015 report made headlines worldwide. But no seismic activity was recorded in the offices of Israels prime minister and his government ministers. So what if the children of Gaza are drinking filthy water? Why should we be bothered that unemployed university graduates lap up the anti-Israel incitement spewed out by preachers in the mosques? Hamas is unable to stop the rockets fired from Gaza into Israel by various factions? Never mind. On Jan. 24, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman promised that in the next confrontation with Gaza, We wont stop until the other side screams 'gevalt' [Yiddish for 'good grief'] and raises a white flag. As of now, no reports have emerged of Yiddish courses being offered by the education officers of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Nor do we know of any attempt by Israel to examine alternatives to its policy of blockading Gaza and bombing it from the air in retaliation for rocket firings.

A pale ray of sunlight was dispatched to Gaza residents and citizens of Israel from far-away Sydney. At a Feb. 26 meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Netanyahu said he would be willing to examine the deployment of foreign forces to control the Gaza Strip de facto and deal with terrorism issues. That would mean lifting the siege and opening the region to the entry and exit of people and goods, as well as accelerating the human and physical rehabilitation of Gaza. This is not the first time such an option has been raised. In June 2007, after Hamas took control of Gaza, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "We must give serious consideration to introducing a multinational force, similar to the [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] into the area along the border between Gaza, Israel and Egypt."

That year, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed the issue with members of the UN Security Council, telling them that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had asked him to consider the idea.

The idea of deploying a multinational force in Gaza and building a seaport on the Mediterranean coastal Gaza Strip is included in a comprehensive report compiled several months ago by Israeli defense experts of an organization calling itself Commanders for a Secure Israel. The groups president, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amnon Reshef, told Al-Monitor this week that such a force should consist of reliable soldiers from various nations who have experience in similar missions. He suggested that until a permanent agreement is reached with the Palestinians, and for a significant period after one is achieved, Israel would be responsible for security along Gazas outer perimeters. Reshef also proposed monitoring  and preventing  the transfer of weaponry to Palestinian terror groups by technological means, without an Israeli presence on the ground. Since any such arrangement would be perceived as an achievement for Hamas, Reshef advised that Israel take significant positive steps toward the Palestinian Authority (PA), a major Hamas rival, so as not to weaken Abbas status.

Even after the widely reported assessment by Halevy, no special movement was detected amid Israels political leadership. After all, why should they worry now about events forecast for 2020? So what if the cease-fire agreement reached with Hamas at the end of Operation Protective Edge included an understanding about indirect negotiations, mediated by the PA, on building a seaport for Gaza? By the way, contracts for construction of the port were signed back in 1994 between Israel and the PA. The plans were reaffirmed in the 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh memorandum, and construction began in the summer of 2000. But Israel bombed the site during the second intifada and it has since been abandoned.

At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting March 5, Netanyahu said that on March 9, in his talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he would demand that any agreement on ending the Syrian civil war take into account Israels defense needs on its northern border. Why not make use of Russias good ties with Hamas to promote Israels security interests on its southern border, too? Less than two weeks ago, the Putin administration hosted Hamas and Fatah movement representatives for reconciliation talks. Putin would probably be glad to cut the ribbon at the new Gaza port.

Since 2005 and until the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, the European Union Border Assistance Mission supervised the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt. The monitoring was conducted from a control room located several kilometers away, at the Israeli Kerem Shalom border crossing, near the meeting point of the Israel-Egypt-Gaza borders. Israeli security agents, the European supervisors and PA representatives watched the goings on at the Rafah crossing on a series of 30 closed-circuit video monitors. Israeli representatives collected information about those entering Gaza through the computerized databases at their disposal. In 19 months of operation, some 440,000 people passed through the Rafah crossing. It is safe to assume that if the sides were to ask, the EU would not refuse to send a monitoring force to a port in Gaza, which would allow 1.8 million residents access to the world and defuse the explosive tensions threatening Israel.
March 6, 2017

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves March 9 for Moscow, where he will have a quick meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Netanyahu will depart Israel in the morning and return a few hours later, immediately after his talk with Putin. Sources close to Netanyahu say that he had asked for the meeting, the fifth between the two men in little over a year, to discuss developments in Syria, where Moscow's military presence has made the Russian Federation Israel's new neighbor.

Military sources keeping tabs on security coordination between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Russia stress that so far, relations can be characterized by a level of coordination that appears to be perfect. Nevertheless, as in any relationship, it is important to constantly work on it instead of taking it for granted. In this regard, Netanyahu gets compliments from Israel's high-ranking military and civilian echelons.

No one interviewed claimed that Israel had anticipated how intensely Russia would be involved in Syria or the level of coordination that could be reached between Moscow and Jerusalem, particularly given that Putin is acting in Syria as if he owned the country. Nevertheless, a senior Israeli official intimately familiar with ties between Russia and Israel who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity emphasized that Moscow's involvement and coordination were an expected surprise," but added, Once it happened, we were able to explain it.

Israel's ongoing success in securing its strategic needs given the Russian presence in Syria can be attributed to three factors. First and foremost is the respect that Putin has for the Jewish people in general and the State of Israel in particular. The Israeli source could not stress this enough, remarking, Putin is the most philo-Semitic Russian head of state ever. He loves and admires the Jews, said the source, and he isn't afraid to express it. Putin often used to talk about a Jewish family that had lived near his parents' home and how, when he was a boy, he would eat and study at their table.

The second factor is the good interpersonal chemistry between Putin and Netanyahu. During Netanyahu's many years in office, he has made a point of fostering good relations with Russia, as have all other Israeli prime ministers since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Israeli official pointed out, however, that while the other prime ministers visited Russia and were received with great respect, the personal bond that has developed between Netanyahu and Putin is unique. Whenever the prime minister calls, Putin answers, he said. There has never been a case where we asked to set up a meeting for Netanyahu and the Kremlin didn't offer us a date immediately.

One example of this bond is the way Putin hosted Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, last June, when they paid a visit to Russia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. The Israeli source noted in amazement that Putin devoted eight straight hours to hosting Netanyahu, stressing that even the Russian president's advisers were hard pressed to believe it. Putin joined Netanyahu for a special performance at the Bolshoi Theater, and when the show was over, he continued on to a reception hosted by the Israeli Embassy, the source said. The two leaders sang a song together, and Putin agreed to pose for selfies with any of the guests who asked, and there were lots who did. The two leaders are happy to show their fondness for one another and speak with the kind of frank honesty that is rare to find in international relations. They know how to talk to each other, and this helps benefit each of their mutual and national interests.

The third factor in the relationship is strategic. The close ties that have developed between Israel and Russia are based, first and foremost, on trust. Both parties know they will not agree on everything. The Russian rule is as long as you don't deceive us, we won't deceive you. It is clear to the Russians, the Israeli source said, that strikes in Syria attributed to the IDF have never been about them. Rather, they have targeted forces that pose a risk to Israels security. The Russians are willing to accept that the weapons systems they provide to the Syrian army and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad then transfers to Hezbollah will be destroyed by Israeli Air Force jets, so the Syrians claim. They do not understand Israel's sensitivity to attacks to the extent that a response is required whenever a weapon is misfired in its direction or a rocket crosses the Golan Heights, but they respect it, as long as they are kept informed, and everything is coordinated with them.

It is obvious to the Russians that the United States is Israel's No. 1 strategic ally, even if it sometimes seems as if Netanyahu would have preferred the Russians' pragmatic approach to the Palestinian issue over the American approach, or at least that was the case until Donald Trump entered the Oval Office.

Putin, like all his predecessors in the Kremlin, always makes sure to vote in favor of the Palestinians and against Israel in the United Nations Security Council. On the other hand, however, never has he hassled Israel about its policies. As the head of an enormous country with a 15% Muslim population, it is important for Putin that Israel reach an arrangement with the Palestinians. Nevertheless, all of the concerns he has raised about Israeli actions are practical and pragmatic. He has not raised moral issues concerning human rights. So, Netanyahu accepts Russia's UN voting patterns for what it is, while appreciating the way Moscow deals with it in other regards.

From this, Putin looks like someone who would be interested in a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, the kind agreed to by both parties. This is somewhat in line with Trump's approach laid out during the Feb. 15 press conference with Netanyahu at the White House. Yet despite the statements of friendship and affection that the new US president showered on Netanyahu and Israel, the Trump administration's actual foreign policy remains a complete riddle. No one knows what Trump plans to do in Syria, while the relationship between his inner circle and Russia is also unclear.

Another round of talks to resolve the Syrian conflict will be held later this month in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Thus far, the talks have received limited press coverage in Israel, even though they could result in a permanent Iranian presence in Syria, a strategic red line as far as the Israeli government is concerned. The rare personal chemistry between the Israeli prime minister and the Russian president has so far managed to maintain a dialogue focused on the two countries' interests, but also one based on mutual respect, trust and admiration. This week, Netanyahu heads to Moscow to keep the dialogue alive.
A discussion about "The Evolution of the Firearm and the Hunter" will be held on March 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cody Firearms Experience, 142 West Yellowstone Ave., in Cody, Wyoming.

Ashley Hlebinsky, curator of the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and Paul Brock, general manager at the Cody Firearms Experience, will present an introduction to the history of the firearm from the flintlock to modern-day sporting rifles. The program also explores mans impact on wildlife and how hunters led the effort for todays wildlife conservation.

The Cody Firearms Experience offers the opportunity to shoot historic firearms for a special rate at this event (not included in the ticket price).

Tickets, available at the door, are $20 per person. For more information, visit centerofthewest.org/codycultureclub, or contact Rachel Lee at rachell@centerofthewest.org or 307-578-4009.
March 6, 2017

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  It seems that 2017 is boding well for the garment sector in the Gaza Strip after an eight-year Israeli export ban on garments.

In a narrow alley in al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, Muhammad Abu Shanab's clothing factory has been brought back to life since Israel allowed the export of garments to the West Bank in March 2015.

Following the Israeli closure of all commercial crossings with Israel after the 2007 blockade and the ban on exports of Palestinian-made clothing, Abu Shanab had sold most of his factorys machines under liquidation. His business is now running again, albeit in a small room and using the few unsold machines he has left.

In March 2015, Israel permitted the first export of clothing from Gaza as part of its gradual easing of restrictions on the Gaza Strip, following the war on Gaza in the summer of 2014.

This allowed clothing factories to raise their productivity and employ more workers. At the beginning of 2017, the number of operating factories jumped from 120 in 2015 to 160.

In a corner of Abu Shanabs factory, a worker irons the last batch of black Borsalino hats worn by Orthodox Jews, which were ordered by an Israeli trader. He uses a round sponge to facilitate the ironing process, before packing the hats to be exported. On average, the factory exported 200 hats a day in February.

However, Abu Shanab  who is also a board member of the Textile and Garments Union  told Al-Monitor that Israels lift of the export ban is not enough, as trading movement is still restricted, limiting communication with traders in Israel.

Given that Israel permitted exportation to the West Bank only, Palestinian traders export their products from the West Bank to Israel, thus bearing an additional cost due to the continued ban over direct exportation from Gaza to Israel.

Abu Shanab said, Before Israel decided to lift the export ban on [clothing], only 10 workers were employed at my factory, and my products were limited to school uniforms sold at the local market in Gaza. Today, after almost nine years of being prevented from exporting my products, I have 35 workers sewing clothes ordered by Israeli traders or traders from the West Bank.

He said he was keen on maintaining his relations with Israeli traders even after Israel's decision to cut trade ties with Gaza after the blockade. I maintained contact with Jewish merchants, regardless of political circumstances. When the export ban was lifted, and due to the mutual trust between us, Israeli traders started once again sending me textiles to be woven in Gaza, Abu Shanab said.

Sometimes we do design, and sometimes Israeli traders send us their own designs, he noted. After the Israeli closure of crossings, factories gradually stopped working, and most factory owners were unable to collect their financial due from Israeli or Arab traders in light of the tight restrictions on movement. Most trades had to shut down their factories as they sustained huge losses.

The secretary-general of the Textile and Garments Union, Ziad Abu Audi, told Al-Monitor, The Israeli decision to allow exportation to the West Bank brought back to life some factories that had collapsed when trade ties with the Gaza Strip were cut in 2007. The clothing and garment sector employed at that time about 35,000 workers in about 928 registered factories.

He said, After the Israeli decision to allow export to the West Bank, the number of factories operating in Gaza increased to 160, and they currently employ about 5,000 workers on products intended for export and sale in the local market.

Abdel Naser Awwad, the director-general of the Department of Industry at the Ministry of National Economy in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The Israeli decision is not enough to boost the garment industry, indicating that Israel is still targeting this sector directly and indirectly by capping exports to the West Bank and prohibiting direct export to Israel, not to mention the targeting of this sector during the repeated Israeli wars.

According to Awwad, the losses sustained by the clothing sector after the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014 reached about $2.5 million, as 127 factories were partially or entirely destroyed.

An owner of a large Palestinian sewing factory in the Gaza Strip told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Some Israeli traders benefit from the cheap and nearby Palestinian labor market. They send us fabrics or designs and we assemble and sew the garments in return for a fee. We then add the made in Israel label so that ready-to-wear items are exported from Israel to other countries.

Sami Abu Jahl's fatory in Gaza City employed 350 workers before the Israeli blockade. Today, 60 of his workers work on various models of the jilbab (a long, loose, jacket-like garment), since the factory can supply the domestic demand of this Islamic religious outfit.

Under the trademark of Jump, Abu Jahl is marketing his product in the local market in Gaza and the West Bank. We use Turkish designs available online to sew the Turkish jilbab highly demanded in Gaza, and we are using the best quality of fabric, he said.

Three years ago, the Ministry of National Economy approved a plan to protect locally made garments. The plan was coordinated between the ministry and industry trade unions and chambers of commerce, given that locally produced school uniforms, jeans and jilbabs can cover local demand.

Economic expert Hamed Jad told Al-Monitor that there have been Palestinian attempts to pick up and revive the garment sector and restore its pre-2007 glory, but these efforts have remained limited due to continued political and economic blockades on Gaza.

Jad said government policies allowed the local product to withstand all challenges amid fierce competition from China and Turkey, even as difficult living conditions and the electricity crisis in Gaza increase the sectors operational cost.

Workers in this sector have their hopes pinned on the government to pressure Israel for more facilities and protection to a sector that managed to thrive before the economic blockade on Gaza.
March 6, 2017

Calm has returned to Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Violent clashes between Fatah and Islamist militants from the Bilal Badr group broke out Feb. 23 and then climaxed Feb. 28, resulting in the death of a young man and the wounding of four others, including a child.

The clashes are not new to Ain al-Hilweh, which is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, in population and in size, accommodating more than 120,000 residents, among them 54,116 refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Many non-Palestinian militants reside in the camp, including individuals affiliated with the Bilal Badr group, and Lebanese fugitives wanted by Lebanese security forces. The PLO factions (Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) have called for these fugitives to leave the camp immediately, accusing them of attempting to entangle the camp in regional conflicts and turn it into a base for armed militants.

On March 2, Fatah representative Fathi Abu al-Ardat said the Palestinian national forces in the camp will see the wanted fugitives out and hand them over to Lebanese authorities.

The PLO factions have sought to get rid of these militants but to no avail. Fatah forces have previously clashed with these militant groups and are fully aware of the threat they pose to the camp. This threat has intensified with the occurrence of occasional assassinations and with the increase in these groups' sizes, which may further destabilize the camp and Lebanon. In April 2016, Fatah official Fathi Zeidan was assassinated in the nearby Mieh Mieh camp.

The renewed talk of the dangers posed by the fugitives in Ain al-Hilweh coincides with Lebanese authorities' decision to build a concrete wall around the camp, a plan that authorities had seemingly abandoned in November.

Last year's initial plan to build a wall aimed to prevent the infiltration of militants into the camp after Lebanese security forces arrested an Islamic State official in Ain al-Hilweh in September.

Following a meeting of Palestinian factions  including Islamist, nationalist and those affiliated with the PLO  at the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut on Feb. 28, an agreement produced a cease-fire later that day as well as a plan to re-form a joint Palestinian security force among the factions.

The armed clashes in the camp coincided with the Feb. 23 visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon, during which he met Lebanese officials and political parties.

During a Feb. 23 news conference with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun, Abbas said that his meetings in Lebanon focused on the security issues in the camps. Our people in Lebanon have confirmed that they will preserve security and stability in the camps, he said.

Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad, who accompanied Abbas to Lebanon, told Al-Monitor, The Palestinian delegation mainly discussed during its visit to Lebanon how to improve the security situation in the camps. This issue was given paramount attention.

All Lebanese political forces spoke positively about the need to improve the living conditions of refugees  but after resolving the security crisis, especially [since] suspicious groups tried to blow up the situation during President Abbas visit to Lebanon, he said. "What is going on in the camp are mere attempts by some suspicious groups to drag the camp, which they have taken as a stronghold, into a furnace of struggle that we as Palestinians refuse.

In a Feb. 23 press statement, Ahmad said, We absolutely have no objection if the Lebanese army decides to extend its security authority over any Palestinian refugee camp.

Yet the Lebanese army is prohibited from entering the Palestinian refugee camps. Under the 1969 Cairo Agreement, signed by the PLO and Lebanon, security forces affiliated with the Palestinian factions are responsible for security inside the camps.

Palestinians in the camps are now more afraid than ever that the security situation in Ain al-Hilweh will blow up, given the growing presence of armed militants of different nationalities who are affiliated with radical Islamist organizations such as al-Qaeda and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.

They fear there will be a repeat of the tragedy of north Lebanon's Nahr al-Bared camp, where, from May to September 2007, armed clashes broke out between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam militants, destroying the camp and displacing its residents.

Palestinians in Ain al-Hilweh fear that the clashes between the Palestinian factions and the militant groups will spiral out of control and destroy the camp.

Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour told Al-Monitor, President Abbas visit to Lebanon complements his previous visit in 2013, when he summed up the Palestinian policy [in Lebanon] by stressing that the refugee camps will not be a thorn in the side of Lebanese security and will dissociate themselves from any internal conflict.

Dabbour said that to further consolidate this policy, the Palestinian factions agreed to a security plan Feb. 28 to set the foundations for a new phase in Ain al-Hilweh. This would be based on controlling security in the camp, averting any potential bickering and thwarting any attempts to escalate, provided that the factions develop the appropriate implementation mechanisms, he said.

This is why the Palestinian factions in Lebanon urged [on March 1] all non-Palestinian wanted fugitives to leave Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, he said. This shows the factions keenness to maintain security stability in all camps and support the security stability and civil peace in Lebanon. The factions will not allow the use of the camps, especially Ain al-Hilweh, as a gateway to mess with the security of Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

Dabbour denied news reports that the Lebanese state has passed along to Abbas a list of wanted persons residing in Ain al-Hilweh camp to be turned over to authorities.

Cooperation is at the highest levels between the states of Palestine and Lebanon, and this was crystallized through a meeting with Lebanese officials and leaders of the Lebanese political parties," he said. "No list was handed to President Abbas and no demands were made."

Although the central focus of the Lebanese-Palestinian meetings was the issue of security, officials also discussed the harsh living conditions in Lebanons camps. Dabbour said, There are attempts to draw up understandings with the Lebanese authorities to bring out the Palestinians from the state of misery and deprivation in terms of standard of living and at the economic level." Dabbour didn't provide further details on these "understandings" or whether they would be announced publicly.

Regardless of the recent armed clashes in the camp, Abbas visit will likely contribute to instilling calm and stability in the camps.

The Palestinian delegation told Lebanese authorities that Palestinians are committed to coordinate and cooperate with them to reach a unified stance.

Sultan Abu al-Einein, a former secretary of the PLO factions in Lebanon, told Al-Monitor, We can avert any explosion of the security situation in the camp. Militants must understand that there is a Palestinian consensus to confront them and mop them up from the camp for good.

When [all] Palestinian political forces take a decisive stance against these militants, they will no longer find a favorable environment in the camp. This will take place in coordination with the Lebanese authorities, he added.

Despite the cautious calm in the camp, the situation could explode at any given moment. Palestinian factions need to take the necessary measures in coordination with the Lebanese government to preserve calm inside the camp and curb any of the militants' attempts to stir up sectarian or political conflicts in Lebanon and the region.

Palestinians in the camps have always asserted that they are guests in Lebanon waiting their return to their homeland, Palestine.
March 6, 2017

BAGHDAD  On Feb. 22, the head of the central Euphrates operations command, Qais Khalaf, said that work will continue for digging a security trench around the administrative borders of Najaf province, which Shiite Muslims consider sacred since the shrine of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (599-661), the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Shiite imam and the fourth caliph in Islam, is located there.

Najaf is roughly 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. In addition to being a sacred place for Shiites, who make up the majority of the Iraqi population, many senior Shiite clerics reside in Najaf, most notably Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The province of Najaf is surrounded by the provinces of Muthanna, Diwaniyah, Babil, Karbala and Anbar; Najaf also borders Saudi Arabia. Since Ninevah province fell into the hands of the Islamic State (IS) in June 2014, authorities in Najaf have been concerned about the possibility of becoming the victim of terrorist attacks, a risk that particularly increased after IS took over Sunni-dominated Anbar province in May 2015.

That the Najaf desert is open to Saudi Arabia raises more fear of major terrorist attacks targeting the province, which is visited by millions of Shiites on several religious occasions throughout the year. This fear is believed to be justified, since IS members are able to live in desert areas, such as in Anbar province.

Security chaos has prevailed in Iraq ever since the US invasion in April 2003.

Every now and then, rumors surface about suspicious action by Saudi Arabia along the border with Najaf. However, security forces and the local government in the province immediately deny such allegations.

Compared with other Iraqi provinces, Najaf is relatively safe. Yet five suicide bombers carried out an attack near a security checkpoint in the province's locality of Qadisiya on Jan. 1, killing five security officers and two civilians.

Consequently, Najaf Gov. Luay al-Yassiri met with Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and decided to increase protection measures in the Najaf desert and speed up the work on the trenches that stretch from the western side of the province to the province of Diwaniyah.

On Jan. 15, the council of Najaf announced the trench will be 50-70 kilometers (31-43 miles) long, and the Shiite Endowment claims to have covered about a third of its cost. However, its implementation is directly supervised by the Imam Ali Brigades, the armed faction affiliated with Imam Ali Mosque, fighting under the umbrella of the PMU.

The trench will be four meters (13 feet) deep, surrounded by surveillance towers and thermal security cameras. In addition, monitoring posts will be erected and drones will fly around the clock to detect any movement on the borders of Najaf.

Yassiri, who is a member of the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki, told Ayn al-Iraq News that the security trench holds a major strategic military importance, noting that it will have extremely high standards that are very difficult to breach.

He said, The trench will protect four provinces  Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniyah and Muthanna  against any terrorist attack from the western desert. He added that the trench will have economic benefits as well since it will put an end to smuggling.

On Feb. 7, the PMU announced that 90% of the trench has been dug, and that all work will be completed within a week  a promise that was not kept.

Although the PMU, Najafs local government and the Shiite Endowment covered the cost of digging the trench, Karim al-Khaqani, a commander of the PMUs second brigade, told Al-Hashed.net, the PMUs official website, The second brigade, the federal police and Najafs emergency squad will share the responsibility of maintaining security at the trench in the Najaf desert.

Meanwhile, in the city of Karbala, near Anbar province, another trench is being dug to protect it from rigged cars. Other provinces and districts are putting up fences or digging trenches to thwart threats; this is occurring with Fallujah, an Anbar province city recently been liberated from IS.

Some Iraqi lawmakers, such as Talal Zubai of the Iraqiya List, have expressed opposition to the trenching plan to protect cities from terrorist attacks, arguing that such plans were medieval and allow provinces to exceed their administrative borders.

However, Hashem al-Hashemi, an expert on security affairs and extremist groups who provides the Iraqi government with security advice, believes otherwise.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Hashemi said, Such trenches are necessary to prevent rigged cars and terrorists from moving from one province to another, and they impede the smuggling of banned goods too. Najaf and Karbala are considered a permanent target for terrorist groups.

The truth is, the provinces of Najaf and Karbala fear terrorists could come in from Anbar, over which the government forces have regained control, except for three small cities, far from Najafs borders  Rawa, Anah and al-Qaim  that are still under IS control.

In this context, Hashemi said, Even if Anbar is liberated, this does not mean the priorities of those extremist groups have changed; they still aim to target relatively stable cities.

He added, Digging a trench is one of the least expensive options and so [the provinces] had to go with this security plan in light of economic austerity in Iraq, due to the drop in oil prices and the increased cost of the war on terror.

In fact, digging trenches is not enough to secure provinces, especially in a province such as Najaf that is visited by millions of pilgrims every year. The most important intelligence effort still lies in maintaining security, which Iraq is clearly still failing to do.
March 7, 2017

In a further sign that Turkey, Russia and the United States are seeking common ground in Syria, Turkey's Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar met with his American and Russian counterparts in the southern Mediterranean resort of Antalya today.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim described the tripartite talks as an attempt to coordinate their moves in Syria so as to avoid accidental clashes between their respective forces as they pursue the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist outfits from the ground and the sky.

Very sound coordination is needed to free Syria of all terrorist groups. If this coordination is not secured, the risk of conflict that is most undesirable may arise, Yildirim warned.

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting Jordanian Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki, Yildirim named al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra among the terrorist groups that needed to be pursued. This suggests that Turkey may be willing to leverage its border with Idlib province where Jabhat al-Nusra is the pre-eminent force in order to help US and Russian efforts to weaken and ultimately destroy the group. Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham  which is counted alongside Jabhat al-Nusra as the strongest mainly Sunni Arab militia in Syria, and with supply lines from Turkey  has been clashing with its al-Qaeda-linked rivals in recent weeks.

The real trouble is that the United States, Russia and Turkey have sharply differing views as to which groups are terrorists. Both Russia and the United States have deep reservations about Ahrar al-Sham, which for all its disavowals of al-Qaeda is viewed as being very radical nonetheless.

But the most glaring differences are over the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and its Arab affiliates that are battling IS under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) together with the United States. Turkey labels both groups as terrorists because of the YPGs connections to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy inside Turkey.

Turkeys vows to roll back the YPGs gains at the same time that its pursuing IS has undermined the US campaign against the jihadis and complicated relations with Russia, which also supports the YPG. Such disparate agendas in an already crowded battlefield could touch off a round of fresh mini-conflicts pitting Turkey and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies, some of whom were trained and equipped by the United States, against the coalition-backed YPG and other US-trained Arab forces.

Tensions came to a head last week over Manbij, a mainly Arab town conquered by the SDF last August with the help of US air power. Turkey has long insisted that unless the Syrian Kurds pull out of the town it will take matters into its own hands. And so it did, advancing with its FSA proxies on villages to the west of Manbij last week. But last-minute maneuvering by Russia pre-empted the Turkish gambit with the SDF reportedly ceding control of the villages to Russian and Syrian regime forces. The United States also deployed additional forces to the north of Manbij to reassure their SDF allies, as Defense Department Navy Capt. Jeff Davis put it, and to head off further clashes.

But coalition officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor that the United States will not offer protection or intervene west of the YPGs forward line of its own troops in Arima.

The SDF-backed Manbij Military Council today denied that the town would be ceded to regime forces, which would have been a welcome outcome for Turkey.

The council acknowledged, however, that the Syrian army would serve as a buffer to the west and southwest of the town to fend off any Turkish advances. But a YPG commander contacted by telephone in northeastern Syria told Al-Monitor that fresh clashes had erupted between the SDF and Turkish-backed rebels near the village of Olasha, which lies 7 kilometers (4 miles) west of Arima. There are casualties on both sides, the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The Russians and the regime are of no use to us, he added.

Coming just as Turkeys top general met with his US and Russian counterparts, the attacks suggest that Turkey is determined to test the limits of US and Russian resolve as it keeps up pressure on the YPG. The YPG commander claimed Turkeys next target would be the town of Tell Abyad on the Turkish border, which was captured by the SDF with US backing in June 2015. Tell Abyad is a strategic prize due to its proximity to the IS capital of Raqqa. Control of the town would allow Turkey and its proxies to deliver on their offers to take Raqqa, instead of the SDF. But the presence of US Special Operations Forces in the area makes it unlikely that Turkey would risk any unilateral moves that might bring it into direct conflict with its NATO ally.

And as a Turkish official admitted to Reuters, the United States is committed to conducting Raqqa with the SDF, not Turkey.
March 6, 2017

ALEPPO, Syria  Hundreds of Turkmen families traveled from Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq and arrived in Syria along the border with Turkey near Azaz in the northern Aleppo countryside. These families fled the fierce battles the Iraqi army and security forces are waging against the Islamic State (IS). The displaced people crossed hundreds of kilometers from the west side of Mosul to reach the Turkish-Syrian border in order to enter Turkey.

This wave of displaced Iraqi Turkmens from Tal Afar began on Nov. 18 as Iraqi forces approached the city and took control of Tal Afar Airport as well as several surrounding villages to the south of the city.

Turkmens coming from Tal Afar, who have been arriving in Azaz since early December 2016, could not enter Turkish territories because the border crossings with Syria were closed in early April 2015. It became harder to cross the borders illegally since the Turkish government took several measures to limit the flow of refugees, including building an isolating wall. Families had nowhere else to go and could do nothing but wait under tough humanitarian conditions.

Al-Monitor visited the spots where displaced people from Tal Afar settled near Azaz, north of Aleppo. Some displaced people who could afford it rented houses in Azaz, while others settled in the collective al-Shabiba camp near Azaz, where the humanitarian conditions are not good. Most of Tal Afars displaced people, however, are lodged in Ikadah camp, which was built in December to accommodate them. The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation set up this camp with financial support from the Turkish Religious Endowment Directorate, both of which provide food and aid to the camps residents.

According to Mohammad Haj Ali, the head of Azazs local council, the total number of Iraqi displaced people hailing from Tal Afar is estimated at 12,000  7,000 of whom live in Ikadah camp while others are distributed in Azaz and al-Shabiba camp.

Mahmoud Mohammad Hayalis family arrived at Ikadah camp on Jan. 10. Hayali is married with five kids  four girls and a boy. None of them are older than 10. Hayali did not know that fate would force him and his family to leave their house in Tal Afar and live in a small tent next to 102 other tents erected between olive groves, at a distance of 800 meters (a half mile) to the north of the Syrian Ikadah town, which is under the armed oppositions grip along the Syrian-Turkish borders.

The administration of Ikadah camp did not allow Al-Monitor to enter and talk to Hayali in his tent for security reasons, as per opposition-affiliated members of the security battalion who guard the camp. Hayali said that reporters were not allowed in the camp due to the bad services and the miserable conditions under which thousands of Iraqi displaced people live. The camps administration does not want this situation broadcast in the media.

Hayali accompanied Al-Monitor outside the camp and spoke about their suffering. He said, Our lives were peaceful. I made a living out of car maintenance, and my family and I had a decent life in Tal Afar. But everything changed since IS took control of the city mid-2014, imposed a strict system on civilians and suspended all forms of economic activity.

Hayalis family, like many other Turkmen families in the city, stood their ground despite the deteriorating conditions. But when the battles with the Iraqi army became imminent, they fled. Their journey began and lasted for more than a month and a half.

Hayali added that the dream of salvation was not realized. He said, The camp is unlivable. There are no services or bathrooms, and the tents are built between puddles of mud.

Turkmen families faced many difficulties to reach Azaz during their long journey from Tal Afar. They suffered all sorts of extortion and were forced to pay the organizations armed men to permit them to leave Tal Afar, by crossing the IS-gripped regions in Syria.

Imad Mahmoud Abadi and his family had a tough journey. Abadi told Al-Monitor, The journey from Tal Afar to the northern Aleppo countryside took us around a month and was paved with danger. We first reached Raqqa where we stayed for a week. Then the hardest part began. We relied on smugglers to take us to Azaz in the Aleppo countryside. The journey cost me $5,000, and we crossed long distances on foot. Our survival was a miracle.

He added, Our suffering was far from over upon reaching Azaz. People took advantage of our being in need. Prices are soaring, and I had to pay around $500 for a one-week stay in a hotel, not to mention the food and water expenses.

He added that the high living cost in Azaz pushed him and his family to seek alternatives. He headed to Ikadah town, which is 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Azaz, but was disappointed when he was told there were no additional tents for more families. He had to stay in the villages mosque.

We hope the Turkish government will allow us to enter its territories. Only then will our suffering end. We feel stuck, and there is nothing we can do about it. Turkmens also refuse to return to Tal Afar even if the war ends, as they fear sectarian retaliation from the Popular Mobilization Units.
March 3, 2017

The last time I saw a neighborhood watchman in Turkey was in 1988 when I was still in elementary school. By the early 1990s, as police forces in cities became stronger, the neighborhood guards who assisted police at night by patrolling on foot and blowing their whistles to assure people that "all is well" had all but become extinct.

But in early 2016, the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  which Ankara considers a terrorist group  intensified ditch-and-barrier warfare in Turkeys Kurdish-populated southeast. That and a sharp escalation in local and transnational violence by Salafi networks linked to the Islamic State (IS) compelled the state to pay more attention to the security of cities.

Nevertheless, there is still an acute shortage of personnel against the PKK in the southeast and also against IS in provinces bordering on Syria, as well as in major cities like Istanbul. That's why Ankara resurrected the neighborhood guards/watchmen system, to improve coverage of residential neighborhoods. Ankara also hopes that the neighborhood watch system will contribute to human intelligence-gathering in cities.

The watch system that was recently launched in the southeastern urban centers of Sirnak, Siirt, Hakkari and Diyarbakir was working well, so the government decided to expand the system. At the moment, 5,400 mostly young neighborhood guards are working in 20 provincial centers and towns to help police maintain law and order. They are paid monthly salaries of $500-$700. Most of them are armed with pistols and AK-47 rifles. Some are patrolling unarmed.

In late February, the Ministry of Interior advertised for 7,000 new neighborhood guards. Some 700 of them will be posted in Istanbul, and the rest will be assigned to governorates in the southeast and along the Syrian border. By June, there will be 12,500 neighborhood guards on duty.

Meanwhile, work is progressing in Ankara to increase the number of village guards to 90,000 from about 67,000. Village guards assist in the fight against the PKK. About 18,000 village guards will be retiring in 2017, and 25,000 younger recruits will replace them. The government said it plans to improve salaries and benefits.

The village guards will be the largest armed paramilitary body in the country, followed by the neighborhood guards/watchmen. Ankara is also discussing whether to equip both guard groups with more effective machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and armored vehicles.

But troubles have already arisen in the neighborhood guards system. Since August, the PKK has executed 10 neighborhood guards in the southeast on charges of treason and collusion with the enemy.

As guards become more active, they also sustain more casualties. The latest casualty was in Urfa-Viransehir, where one neighborhood guard was killed on duty at the Judiciary Housing. Some are already accused of being moles helping the PKK by infiltrating guard units. According to security sources, about 40 neighborhood guards have been arrested on charges of assisting the PKK.

Ankara has been expediting the neighborhood guard system this year by arming pro-state Kurdish youth in city centers because of the approaching spring, when violence is expected to gain momentum. The government also wants to make sure it provides adequate security for the April 16 referendum on amending the constitution. Ankara believes the PKK, which has been under heavy pressure in cities and on rural terrain in recent months, is likely to resume its operations in the spring.

The question one asks is whether this antiquated neighborhood guard system, which is based on a law passed in 1966, will be an effective measure against terror in restive urban centers. The answer may be found in the evolution of the village guard system, which was implemented in 1985. In its first nine years between 1985 and 1994, the village guard system was an effective counterterror strategy, but their prolonged campaigns brought with them adverse consequences. The number of village guards employed surged from 9,000 to 45,000 between 1985 and 1987. The system quickly spread from nine to 20 provinces in an uncontrolled, haphazard expansion.

That rapid expansion of the village guard system hampered the state's control over the force. The guards' excessive use in operational activities soured their relations with the local population, and there were reports of village guards looting evacuated towns. There were no institutional mechanisms to investigate charges of abuse and corruption by village guards. Ankara is now trying to improve the legislation regulating the village guards, but problems persist.

Now the hasty establishment and expansion of the neighborhood guard system recalls those of the early village guards. Many feel Ankaras attempt to arm civilians and employ them as neighborhood guards could be a useful counterterror instrument in 2017. But as clashes are prolonged, especially in the Kurdish-populated southeast, neighborhood guards may be subjected to the same unintended consequences. If not controlled firmly and quickly, they may become part of the problem rather than the solution.

Ankaras myopic vision of the struggle against the PKK and IS so far has prevented it from analyzing the unintended consequences of the neighborhood guards.
March 6, 2017

On March 2, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was supposed to speak at a big public rally organized by the Turkish community in Gaggenau, a southwestern German town. The event was designed to garner more yes votes from the 3 million Turks living in Germany for the upcoming constitutional referendum in Turkey. Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ruling strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, already enjoy widespread support within the German diaspora, and Bozdag was apparently hoping to give that mandate an additional boost.

However, at the last moment, the event was canceled. The Gaggenau municipality declared that the hall allocated for the rally was withdrawn due to concerns about parking space. Back in Turkey nobody believed this and everyone believed the decision was politically motivated censorship in response to Turkeys detainment of Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist who has written several articles critical of the Turkish government. Erdogan slammed Germany for silencing a Turkish minister, while giving all the free space to Turkeys enemies. Erdogan also remarked that in the past his participation at a rally via a video conference was blocked by Germanys Constitutional Court  marking a phenomenon not seen anywhere in the world and a blunt attack on free speech. In a later speech, he even condemned Germany for fascist actions that were reminiscent of the Nazi era.

Notably, not just the government, but also the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) joined this critical line. The speeches of Justice and Development Party lawmakers were canceled in Germany, noted CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is normally very critical of the government. This is never, ever right.

One point that was emphatically made by the Turkish government was crucial: that the Germans are hypocritical. Both the German government and the media routinely criticize, if not condemn or ridicule, Turkey for silencing free speech. Yet they did the same thing to the justice minister. We have nothing to learn from Germany on democracy, Bozdag declared. Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik even took a somewhat satirical line and said that German politicians would be welcome to organize rallies in Turkey  implying that Turkey, unlike Germany, is a free country.

In other words, the Gaggenau incident turned out to be the perfect ammunition for a propaganda technique that the AKP government has increasingly used in the past five years: Whataboutism. This was a term originally coined to describe Soviet propaganda during the Cold War about the real democracy in the USSR and the hypocrisy in the West. All criticisms about the Soviet condition would be dismissed by pointing to flaws and double standards in the West, real or perceived, and asking What about this? What about that? The real issue at stake, that the USSR was a brutal dictatorship, was never addressed.

Turkey, of course, is not as dictatorial as the USSR  it has, at least, free elections  but whataboutism works in the same way. By cherry-picking examples of anti-liberalism in the West, or by totally inventing them with unabashedly fake news, the AKP government and its supporters deny that Turkey is less free than Western liberal democracies. All those who argue otherwise, they add, are the foreign enemies of Turks and their domestic collaborators.

The reaction against the Gaggenau affair is, and will be, used for the same purpose: whitewashing Turkeys own suffocating limitations on free speech. During this referendum campaign, for example, Turkish opposition leaders  especially opponents within the Nationalist Action Party, whose leader became Erdogans best ally  have been unabashedly silenced by local authorities who are all tied to Ankara. That Turkey imprisons critical journalists  with trumped-up charges of being a member of terrorist group  is now a globally infamous fact. Such facts are why Freedom House, which once also documented the expansion of freedom in Turkey in the earliest years of the AKP, has lately put Turkey in the category of not free nations with regard to its press freedom. These are bitter facts about Turkey that no whataboutism can really hide.

Yet the Turkish behavior is one side of the discussion here, and the German behavior is another one. Is the latter right? Are German authorities doing the right thing by not allowing Turkish politicians to hold rallies in Germany?

My answer is a clear no. By disallowing the Turkish justice minister to speak to Turks in Germany, the German authorities have gained nothing other than vindicating Turkish whataboutism and delegitimizing themselves in the eyes of many Turks  even the main opposition. Similarly, the Dutch government will achieve nothing by disallowing a Turkish rally in Rotterdam other than the same bad results.

There is a conceptual problem here  and it is a selective scope of free speech: Some Europeans seem to think that those who deserve free speech are only those who can be called liberals, leftists or democrats. Bernd Riexinger, the leader of the German leftist party Die Linke, made that point clearly when he opposed the Turkish rally in Gaggenau. The federal government must make it clear that in Germany no spirit can be created for the establishment of a dictatorship, he said. It is the same logic as that of the protesters at the University of California, Berkeley, who blocked a talk by alt-right political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.

Yet all of these liberal free speech banners on both sides of the Atlantic are wrong. Their actions are not only counterproductive but also inconsistent. Their attitude comes close to saying, We ban free speech to those who ban free speech, which is tautological and self-defeating.

Free speech must rather be protected for everyone  to be principled and effective. Not just liberals, therefore, but also autocrats and their lackeys must be able to make their voices heard. Only then will the difference between liberalism and authoritarianism become clear. Only then, perhaps, even some of those who have fallen for authoritarianism will begin to change their minds.
March 6, 2017

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey  The site of the Kurdish flag prominently waving over a Turkish airport recently evoked much the same reaction as a matador's cape taunting a bull.

On Feb. 26, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and his entourage arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Barzani has visited Turkey numerous times since the inception of the KRG, Iraq's only autonomous region. Some people have welcomed him, some have not, but there has not been a sustained, bitter debate until now.

For the first time, the KRG flag was raised alongside the Iraqi flag at the airport reception and also at Barzani's meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Although Yildirim defended the flag's presence, a bellicose dispute erupted. Interestingly, the KRG flag was not displayed at Barzanis meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Although they dont have a state, Kurds treat this flag as the symbol of a state. First flown in 1920 by those seeking an independent Kurdistan, it became the official flag of the region after Kurdish autonomy was recognized. Many Kurdish organizations in Iran, Iraq and Turkey use the flag.

For many years, the flag was a primary source of friction between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey, which strongly opposed the flags flown in Iraq in the 1990s. Vehicles that carried KRG flag stickers were not allowed to cross into Turkey. The problem eventually was forgotten, however, as relations began to normalize between Turkey and the KRG. Kurdish flags became visible everywhere, especially on T-shirts. Although the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) did not adopt the flag, its ranks use it widely.

Even fervent anti-Kurdish Turkish nationalists had learned to live with it.

But after Barzanis latest visit, this warm atmosphere was replaced by an ill-tempered mood when many nationalists, including writers, artists, journalists and academics, negatively reacted to the hoisting of the flag. Yilmaz Ozdil and Emin Colasan, writers for Turkey's Daily Sozcu, were particularly irritated that the flag was flown.

Kurds, disappointed to see names they respected joining the anti-flag chorus, responded with equally venomous articles. They were furious that Colasan maliciously insulted Barzani in his article. Several individuals and organizations are now suing the writer.

Ali Bayram, a lawyer in Sirnak, lodged the first court complaint. A copy of the complaint obtained by Al-Monitor accuses Colasan of insulting Kurds as a whole in the person of Barzani.

I request a public case to be opened against Colasan, who denigrated the Kurds and openly provoked the people to hatred and animosity. In his article, titled This vile person is again in Turkey, the writer used despicable language to insult the dignity of Kurdish people living in Turkey," the official complaint said. Kurds particularly objected to Colasan's reference to this hoodlum named Barzani."

Diyarbakir Bar Association also lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor and asked for a court case against Colasan on charges of provoking the people to hatred and enmity.

Mesut Tek, the leader of one of the oldest political parties in southeastern Turkey, the Socialist Party of Kurdistan, also lodged a complaint requesting that Colasan be tried on charges of insult, a crime of hatred and rejecting personal rights.

Political bodies outside the PKK, such as the Yazidi Movement, Kurdistan Freedom Party and North Kurdistan Democratic Party, issued a joint statement supporting Barzani. Everyone should know that they will have to confront us any time they take such vile actions against Kurdish national leaders and the flag of Kurdistan, the statement, a copy of which was sent to Al-Monitor, said.

Lawyer Sedat Yurtdas, a member of the executive board of the Dicle Social Research Center, said hoisting the KRG flag in Turkey reflects both parties' need for each other.

Turkey cannot do without the Kurds," Yurtdas told Al-Monitor. "The production and marketing of oil determine the relations between the KRG and Turkey. They even talk of joint policies, even military policies. This is indispensable for Turkey to be economically and politically a leading actor in the Middle East. The [Justice and Development Party] AKP has to acknowledge that it cant rebuild Turkey without giving the Kurds the space they deserve. Arresting parliamentarians, removing mayors, mass detentions and purely security-oriented policies will not help solve the Kurdish issue.

Yurtdas said reactions to the Kurdish flag had actually united a vast majority of the Kurds. They can criticize Barzani in their internal relations. But [negative] reactions to flying the Kurdish flag on the occasion of Barzanis travels cannot be accepted. Turkey has to abandon the nationalist, racist and chauvinist lexicon it uses. Todays Kurds are not yesterdays Kurds, he added.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Partys response was a short one. Spokesman Osman Baydemir said hoisting the flag is a tradition, a custom. The flag belongs to all Kurds, Baydemir said.

It is not possible to predict the outcome of the judicial process. But no doubt, the Kurds, who were already angry with recent developments in Syria, were offended again with the flag dispute.
Most shoppers associate Brawny paper towels with a super-masculine, flannel-wearing lumberjack.

That's changing this month as the Georgia-Pacific brand replaces the iconic figure on its packaging with a woman to celebrate Women's History Month.

"There are women and girls everywhere who exhibit strength and resilience in their lives, and that's the inspiration behind the Brawny #StrengthHasNoGender campaign," Frances Morgan, senior brand manager at Georgia-Pacific, said in a statement to CNBC.

As part of the campaign, Georgia-Pacific will debut a series of short films on women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. The company will also give a $75,000 donation to Girls Inc.

There has been lots of chatter about the new Brawny Woman on Twitter since the campaign launched March 1.

To be fair, the Brawny Woman will probably clean more in 1 month than the Brawny Man will in the other 11. https://t.co/oZp6fJP2Ep  Talk GOP (@TalkGOPpod) March 7, 2017

See how I broke gender stereotypes and why I love the #StrengthHasNoGender campaign from @Brawny! @Walmart https://t.co/jff40dAI53 ad pic.twitter.com/XNAmgXBfwu  Jenn | Engineer Mommy (@EngineerMomBlog) March 7, 2017

@Brawny awful decision. Bowing the PC god won't win you new customers, and may even cost you people offended by your blatant leftism  Rabbi Goy Noticeberg (@d00ntask) March 7, 2017

Odd, Brawny owned by Georgia-Pacific, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, noted as saying women don't really "want" equal pay

"Dark Money" https://t.co/NlqOkAGbCq  BMac (@deskspud) March 5, 2017
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say what could have been a major bird flu outbreak at the Tennessee border with Alabama may have been contained due to quick action.

Jack Shere, the department's top veterinarian, said in an interview on the department's website that the first signs of avian influenza in a Lincoln County, Tenn., chicken farm were noticed on Thursday. An "unusual mortality" showed up among the chickens there.

The farm, near the Alabama state line, had by Monday destroyed more than 73,000 chickens in eight barns to prevent the spread of H7 avian influenza, or HPAI.

The commercial breeder where the outbreak was detected supplies Tyson Foods, but officials have declined to identify the breeder.

The outbreak was announced Sunday. An Alabama Agriculture Department spokeswoman said the birds affected were not ready to be processed when the flu was detected.

Shere said a sweep of approximately 30 other poultry farms within a 6.2 mile radius of the site has turned up no signs of bird flu. There is also no evidence of it in any backyard flocks either.

Reuters reported that Tyson asked government officials to expand the zone around the farm to 10 miles from 6.2 miles to ensure all their commercial operations in the region were disease free. The company manages all the commercial facilities in the region.

Testing and monitoring will continue for up to 60 days. Shere said it's possible the birds could have contracted the flu from a nearby pond where migrating water fowl were known to visit.

Avian flu over a two-year period killed about 50 million birds in the U.S., beginning in 2014, but most of those were egg-laying hens in Iowa and the outbreak barely affected the south.
The WJH Bird Resources aviary and Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society will host Duck Day on March 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2753 S. 56th St. W.

The event is an open house featuring tours of the aviary, formal and informal talks on conservation topics, games and hands-on activities.

Meet at Rocky Mountain College (parking lot off of Rimrock Road north of Taylor Hall) at 8 a.m. for guidance to WJH or arrive at WJH at 8:30 a.m. Late arrivals are welcome. Whatever the weather dress in mud-proof clothing.

For further Duck Day information call 652-7175, or for more info about YVAS visit its website at yvaudubon.org or contact Steve Regele at 962-3115 or smregele@gmail.com.
Shoney's is planning to expand its presence over the next five years with three new locations in the greater Huntsville area.

Shoney's new design prototype. (Courtesy)

The buffet restaurant hopes to open new eateries in Huntsville, Madison and Decatur, a region the company said is "an ideal spot for growth."

"Shoney's is expanding rapidly throughout North America, and Madison County is a prime example of that growth," said Shoney's CEO and Chairman David Davoudpour. "The opening of three restaurants in the area will not only provide more options for quality food, but will boost the local economy in the process by creating over 300 jobs."

The company is seeking franchisees to help develop new Shoney's stores in the area. Single and multi-unit franchise opportunities are available.

Entrepreneurs must have a provable net worth of at least $1.5 million, and liquid assets of at least $500,000 to qualify for a Shoney's franchise. Franchisees must have a provable net worth of at least $1 million and liquid assets of at least $250,000 to financially qualify for Shoney's On The Go franchise ownership.

Financing is not available, but Shoney's has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration on the Franchise Registry, which allows for streamlined SBA loan processing. Shoney's also has a list of preferred financial vendors that offer loan programs to franchisees.

Shoney's recently revealed a new design prototype, which includes reclaimed wood and stone siding, a large outdoor patio, and sliding and garage-style glass walls. Each new Shoney's restaurant will be built or converted to this design.

The Nashville company, which has 151 eateries in 16 southern states, is actively involved in a nationwide franchise expansion effort. Shoney's currently operates local stores in Athens, Florence and Muscle Shoals.
GhionCulturalHall.jpg

The Ethiopian restaurant Ghion Cultural Hall opens March 7, 2017, in the Pizitz Food Hall in Birmingham, Ala. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)

One of the most-anticipated tenants at Birmingham's new Pizitz Food Hall, the Ethiopian restaurant Ghion Cultural Hall, is opening today.

The restaurant anchors the southwest corner of the Pizitz building, which is at the intersection of 18th Street and Second Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.

The menu features lamb, beef and vegetarian dishes, as well as Ethiopian coffee.

Ghion Cultural Hall started in Atlanta, and the new location in the food hall is believed to be the first Ethiopian restaurant in Alabama, according to developer Bayer Properties.

"This will be what we think is the first Ethiopian restaurant in the state of Alabama," Sam Heide, vice president of leasing for Bayer Properties, said in an earlier interview with AL.com.

The Pizitz Food Hall developers consulted with What To Eat in Birmingham food bloggers Scott Doty and Jessie Merlin to curate the many different global cuisines available in the food hall, and Doty and Merlin strongly urged them to include an Ethiopian restaurant in the mix, Heide said.

"When we first talked about what types of cuisine would go in the food hall, the What To Eat In Birmingham folks said, 'You have to get an Ethiopian restaurant,'" Heide said.

"We were a little perplexed at first, but every person we walked through the food hall that was interested in opening a business, when we talked about Ethiopian food, their eyes just lit up.

"We went to Atlanta and met with this gentleman at Ghion Cultural Hall," Heide continued. "It's such a unique product. The way that you actually eat the food and the food itself are something that I think Birmingham is going to be real excited about."

Ethiopian food is traditionally served on platters to encourage communal-style eating, and diners scoop up their food with injera, a spongy, sourdough flatbread.

Spicy meat stews, vegetables and lentils are arranged on the injera, which is presented in the center of a mesob, a woven basket that serves as the table around which diners gather to share their meal. Many of the dishes are gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

Learn more about the Ghion Cultural Hall menu here.

The 20,000-square-foot Pizitz Food Hall is located on the ground floor of Birmingham's nearly century-old Pizitz department store building. Four of the hall's 14 food stalls opened on Feb. 15 and several others have gradually opened since. More will open in the coming weeks.

In addition to Ghion Cultural Hall, a second full-service restaurant, Fero, is expected to open within the next few weeks. A third restaurant space has yet to be leased.

Ghion Cultural Hall is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Sunday hours are pending.
Trevor Noah.jpg

"The Daily Show," hosted by Trevor Noah (above), airs Monday through Thursdays at 10 p.m. central on Comedy Central. (Comedy Central)

Comedy Central's late night news satire

"The Daily Show"

has returned to Alabama in hopes of learning more about its citizens in a multi-part series to air 3-4 weeks.

The show sent all four correspondents (including Birmingham native Roy Wood Jr.) and two crews to several cities this week to film multiple segments about Alabama history, politics, culture and more.

The New York City-based show, which airs Monday through Thursday, learned shortly after the 2016 presidential election that it was least popular in Alabama, according to

in the U.S.

"'The Daily Show,' Comedy Central's news satire and talk show, typically has a politically liberal point of view," the article states. "It's most popular in cities and other more liberal-leaning areas along the coasts. Peak popularity is in San Francisco; it's least popular in Alabama." (For what it's worth, the show on the NYT list that was most popular in Alabama: "Criminal Minds.")

That inspired them to launch a trip to the South to meet as many people as they could and learn about the culture, and perhaps why they don't watch the show.

The show has already visited Selma and Tuscaloosa, the latter shoot involving Paul Finebaum and four of his more popular callers, as well as correspondent Jordan Klepper. They'll also travel to Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery.

Finebaum mentioned the shoot, which took place at Rama Jama's in Tuscaloosa, during his Tuesday afternoon show. Phyllis Perkins (aka "Phyllis from Mulga") participated and discussed the experience with Finebaum during his show.

Phyllis said Klepper's comments poking fun at Alabama history and culture frustrated her.

"I was really angry yesterday," Phyllis said, in reference to Klepper's questioning and jokes about her home state. "It was just little punches he was making at people in Alabama."

"That's the reason I got all over his butt, because how dare him?" she said.

"I don't think he ran over you," Finebaum replied. "I think you showed The Daily Show on Comedy Central the way things really are."

He then asked Phyllis how concerned she is that she'll turn on the program in a few weeks to find she and others are butt of jokes all over the country.

"As long as I took up for my state, my beloved college and our beloved coach, and all that Alabama stands for, I don't care what those idiotic people -- ignorant people -- say about me," she said. "They know what they can do. They can stick it!"

Alabama Rep. Patricia Todd

she was contacted by "The Daily Show" and would do an interview with them on Wednesday. "They conducted a national poll and found that the show is the least popular in Alabama, so they are coming to find out why," she wrote.

They also plan to shoot in smaller counties outside the state's larger cities. Following their Tuscaloosa shoot, they traveled to a nearby area to ride with local bikers.

The segments will air on Comedy Central in about three or four weeks. "The Daily Show," hosted by Trevor Noah, airs at 10 p.m. central Monday through Thursday, on Comedy Central.

The show also

to talk to protestors and supporters at Rep. Gary Palmer's Congressional town hall in Hoover, which aired last Tuesday.
Authorities said two men are facing multiple charges - including attempted murder of a police officer - after a Cullman sergeant was hit and dragged by a vehicle Saturday.

Caleb Alexander (left) and Phillip Pope (right)

The incident happened around 5 p.m. when Sgt. Daniel Cummings conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Stewart Road in Good Hope, the Cullman County Sheriff's Office said. He encountered the driver, Caleb Dennison Alexander, 20, of Laceys Springs, and the passenger, Phillip Chad Pope, 22, of Cullman, and asked for their identifications. During the conversation, authorities said Alexander drove off, striking Cummings and dragging him underneath the vehicle.

Cummings was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Authorities said he has been released from the hospital and has taken time off from work for recovery.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, sheriff deputies and Cullman police caught Alexander and Pope after a brief chase, which ended at the National Guard Armory in Cullman. Alexander was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, first-degree receiving stolen property, second-degree domestic violence and second-degree escape. He was also arrested for failure to appear on third-degree burglary and two counts of first-degree theft of property. He was booked into the Cullman County Detention Center with no bond.

Pope was charged with first-degree receiving stolen property. He was booked into the jail on a $30,000 bond.
The committee investigating impeachment charges against Gov. Robert Bentley meets on that subject this morning for the first time since the probe was suspended in November at the request of then-Attorney General Luther Strange.

The House Judiciary Committee will address a procedural question at its 10 a.m. meeting today at the Alabama State House, a spokesman for the House said Monday.

Judiciary Chairman Mike Jones has said he expects the committee to resume its investigation in time to complete it during the legislative session, which cannot extend beyond late May.

Follow AL.com on Twitter for live updates:

Vote on motion to pause impeachment work fails on tie vote.  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

Impeachment committee meeting is now over, leaving everyone to figure out what a failed vote to pause even means.  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

Rep. Beckman: Public is asking us are we really serious about this or if the fix is in.  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

Rep England: "There's absolutely nothing this committee can do" that will impact double jeopardy. #alpolitics  Mike Cason (@MikeCasonAL) March 7, 2017

Farley: "Now we have individuals from the gov.'s office who have on at least 3 occasions harassed or intimidated members fo the House."  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

Rep Chris England suggests that committee could continue to gather information for now without jeopardizing a potential criminal case.  Mike Cason (@MikeCasonAL) March 7, 2017

Here is acting Asst. AG Ellen Brooks' letter to the impeachment committee. pic.twitter.com/tbzp7i0S41  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

I'll be live tweeting from the Alabama House Judiciary Committee on possible Bentley impeachment beginning at 10 am.  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) March 7, 2017

House Judiciary Committee on impeachment under way. #alpolitics  Mike Cason (@MikeCasonAL) March 7, 2017

Strange requested the suspension because he said his office was investigating related matters.

After Bentley appointed Strange to the U.S. Senate last month, the governor appointed Steve Marshall to replace Strange as attorney general.

A few days later, Marshall said the AG's office was investigating Bentley, recused himself, and named former Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks to oversee the investigation.

Jones has said he would communicate with Brooks about getting clearance to resume the committee's work.

Twenty-three House members signed an impeachment resolution against Bentley last April, referring the matter to the Judiciary Committee.

The resolution came after the former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Bentley had an affair with political adviser Rebekah Mason and interfered with an investigation.

Bentley admitted to inappropriate behavior with Mason but they denied having an affair.

The governor says he has broken no laws and done nothing to justify impeachment.

At an event at the Capitol on Friday, Bentley was asked about the Judiciary Committee's plans to resume its investigation.

"I'm just going to work hard and do the best job I can possibly do," the governor said. "We'll see how things turn out. I think they're going to be fine. I'm an eternal optimist."
Montanas moose habitat conservation initiative will get more funds, thanks to the winning bid of $30,000 at last weekends Helena Ducks Unlimited event.

The Helena chapter auctioned the rare Shiras moose license during its annual dinner. Proceeds from the license sale will go to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks moose program.

The conservation dollars that benefit moose also positively affect waterfowl and other wildlife, said Steve Christian, an organizer of the event. We want to thank the people who participated and our buyer who is making a major contribution to Montana wildlife.

Ducks Unlimited won the right to auction off the license from FWP. The Helena DU chapter hosts the event as a draw to its yearly fundraising dinner. Montana Ducks Unlimited is reimbursed for auction advertising expenses.
Volunteers are being sought to remove trash and debris deposited in Wyoming's Shoshone River below Willwood Dam on March 18.

The work is intended to remove as much trash as possible from the river corridor prior to a flushing flow that is being planned for later this spring to move sediment downstream.

Volunteers should meet below Willwood Dam at 8 a.m. and bring clothes appropriate for the weather, sturdy boots, gloves, and waders (if they have them). Some of the crews will work on the shoreline while others will float the river in boats or rafts.

If you have a suitable watercraft, please bring it. Shuttles from the takeout point will be available back to the dam. It is anticipated that the cleanup will be completed by noon.

For more information contact Dave Sweet at 307-899-9959 or Tom Reed at 717-215-0241.
The Laurel Rod and Gun Club will be hosting its last turkey shoot of the year on March 12.

The event will be held at the club's trap range in Riverside Park. Shooting starts at 9 a.m. with no lunch break. The fee is $25 for four rounds, including insurance.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Ammunition will be available. Meat prizes will be awarded to the top shooters.
I last worked in Somalia six years ago, when famine also loomed, and there were countless stories to tell about starvation, a health crisis and devastation.

Knowing it is little different this time round is heartbreaking. A drought that appears to be worsening has left more than 6.2 million people without enough food, if any at all.

Last week, 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.

We arrive in Doolow where the intense heat smothers us from the moment we step off the United Nations humanitarian aid flight weve arrived on. Our first stop is a transit camp where internally displaced people stream in, some looking for help for a few days, others resting on their way to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian border is across a bridge at the edge of this little town. Dozens of people congregate almost daily waiting for word they can cross.





It is up to Ethiopian authorities to decide if that will happen and people can make their way to a nearby refugee camp. There is some comfort for many who arrive in this town, knowing they are at least a little safer from al-Shabab fighters and clan wars.

About 250km southeast in Baidoa, where we travel next, the atmosphere is different. There is a significant African Union military presence. Its needed to keep the town safe from al-Shabab who have almost free reign just outside. In the camps, people complain about not receiving any aid.

The people we spoke to had walked or ridden on donkey carts for hundreds of kilometres to makeshift camps in the town. Some were farmers who had lost all their goats and cattle to the drought. They have had at least three failed harvests and, without this livestock, they have nothing. They are now living in tents pulled together with plastic sheeting and whatever material they can find.

The sense of community is clear as people club together to do what they can to help their neighbour.

People constantly group around us watching what we are doing, out of curiosity and boredom. These camps are cramped, there is little to do, people are hungry and waiting for any relief.

Watching our team filming gives them something to busy themselves with, even if for just half an hour. Our time at the camp is limited, we have to move fast because of security concerns. We travel everywhere in this town with a security escort.

A nearby hospital is inundated with patients, suffering from either malnutrition, cholera or acute diarrhoea. Young children seem to be affected the worst. We see mothers bringing in babies who have been vomiting for days, contaminated water being the likely cause.

In Mogadishu, where we travel next, we find a city trying to get on its feet. It is where thousands of people who need healthcare are coming because they cant get any aid in some outlying areas.

READ MORE: Dying of hunger: What is a famine?

There are still regions where aid agencies cant reach because it is not safe.

Aside from the security threat, the number of people these aid agencies have to help is enormous. The UN childrens fund, UNICEF, says the number of malnourished children could double by the end of the year. Already 185,000 need life-saving support.

Its difficult to see how the situation in Somalia can improve quickly enough to avert famine.

Its worrying to think that as journalists we may return in the coming months to tell the stories of people who wont make it through this drought.
Family, friends of Basil al-Araj, killed by the Israeli army, say his struggle against occupation will not be forgotten.

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank  The curtain on the window from which Basil al-Araj, 34, would look out onto Ramallah is slightly drawn back. Water bottles line the edge of the window, in an old house in the city where he went into hiding more than two months ago.

Cigarette butts are scattered on the table, next to a set of books that Basil spent his time reading. A cup of coffee still sits next to the last meal he consumed, including some beans. Dried blood stains the floor of the house.

At 2am on the morning of March 6, the sound of gunfire reverberated through the streets of Ramallah, before the Israeli army announced they had killed the man they had been hunting for months.

Basil, a well-respected figure by Palestinians across the spectrum, was known for his activism and resistance to the ongoing Israeli occupation. He led a youth movement against what he believed were the dangers of normalisation with Israel, and simultaneously organised protests in Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA), a semi-governmental body ruling the West Bank, calling for national elections.

Basil's death is a loss to all of Palestine, but his legacy will guide us through the struggle. by Hamza Aqrabawi , Basil's close friend

Palestinian security forces arrested Basil and several of his friends in April 2016, near the village of Arura, north of Ramallah, claiming that the young men had unlicensed weapons and were attempting to carry out an attack on Israeli targets.

Shortly after the men were arrested, Mahmoud Abbas, president of the PA, spoke proudly of his governments coordination with Israel in arresting the young men.

Our security forces are working very efficiently to prevent terror. Just a couple of days ago, three young men were tracked down and arrested. They were planning an attack. In this context, our security cooperation with Israel is functioning well, Abbas told the German news outlet, Der Spiegel.

READ MORE: Building the occupation

Subject to torture and ill-treatment in prison, the young men went on a hunger strike for nine days, spurring a popular movement to press for their release. After his release in September, Basil went into hiding and had been wanted by Israel ever since.

Muhannad Karrajeh, Basils lawyer while he was imprisoned, told Al Jazeera that the six men had lived through extremely difficult times in PA prisons, chained by their arms, being beaten and tortured.

Karrajeh said that they were detained for six months under the pretext of legal procedures, but that prosecutors were not serious about the investigation.

After Basils release, he took refuge in a rented house in Ramallah. The owner of the house said that Basil told her he was a Swedish expat and spoke in English. He never left the house and would serve me coffee every time I came to collect the rent, she told Al Jazeera.

His familys house back in al-Walaja, near the city of Bethlehem, was raided by the Israeli army countless times, as they embarked on a manhunt.

Whether the Israeli army coordinated with the PA on Basils whereabouts remains unknown, but many within the Palestinian community have placed blame on the PA, criticising the policy of security coordination.

Basils uncle, Khalid al-Araj, said that the arrest of Basil and his five friends on the basis of trying to resist the occupation suggests that there was coordination between the two sides.

Upon hearing of her sons killing, Basils mother had an emotional breakdown, said Khalid, adding that she tried to stay strong, crying silently. The family is staying patient and persevering; they believe in Basil and the path that he chose, Khalid told Al Jazeera.

The Israeli army alleged that they had found arms in the house where Basil was hiding, releasing photos online. An Israeli police spokesperson said Basil was the head of a cell planning attacks against Israeli targets.

Dozens of Basils friends and family members have subsequently visited the house where Basil barricaded himself before he was killed. They marched in the streets of Ramallah on Monday with tears on their faces, carrying pictures of Basil and calling him the martyr of security coordination.

In response to Basils death, Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement in Gaza, condemned in a statement the security coordination between the PA and Israel. The systematic killings and the security coordination with the [Israeli] occupation will not succeed in breaking the resistance or undermine the determination of our people.

The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine political party described security coordination as a betrayal of the principles of Palestinian resistance. We have lost Basil as a human, but his values and ideas will remain with us, Hamza Aqrabawi, a close friend of Basil, told Al Jazeera. Basils death is a loss to all of Palestine , but his legacy will guide us through the struggle.

Aqrabawi noted that Basil was particularly interested in collecting oral histories. We knew Basil as the educated person who believed in the cause of his people and homeland. We knew him as a researcher who dug deep through our history and our struggle, he said.

Basil was a beacon for the youth, and he left a mark on all those working to collect Palestinian history. He believed in a certain path and he sacrificed his own blood for it.

Basil, who studied pharmaceutical science in Egypt, also lectured on resistance and gave political tours on the Palestinian history of dispossession. He was known for the protests he led in his hometown, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Gilo, where Israels separation wall has eaten up a portion of his familys land.

He was one of three million other Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who require difficult-to-obtain Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem, but, according to his friends, he decided to defy Israels occupation.

In 2010, Basil boarded a bus filled with settlers and managed to enter Jerusalem, a friend who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al Jazeera. Basil said, Jerusalem is my city, and it is my right to enter it.'

In a final letter that Basil left inside the house, the young man wrote: Greetings of Arab nationalism, homeland, and liberation [] Now, I am walking to my fated death satisfied that I have found my answers. Is there anything more clear than a martyrs deed?
Shujaa Graham is one of 157 death row exonerees in the US. He and his partner Phyllis Prentice tell their story.

Shujaa Graham, 65

I grew up in the 1950s on a plantation in Louisiana. My family were sharecroppers and I grew up picking cotton as a young boy. I also grew up under racism. In the small town where we lived, there were signs which said black only. There was one black police officer and he was only allowed to arrest black people.

When I was 11, we moved to the Compton-Watts area of Los Angeles, which is probably the worst area of the city in terms of violence and poverty. That is where my trouble began. I joined neighbourhood gangs and got involved in robberies, burglaries, stealing cars  you name it. As a teenager, I spent close to three years of my life in juvenile hall, getting in and out of trouble. Ultimately, it was a robbery that got me into state prison on a five-years-to-life sentence [a minimum of five years in prison with the possibility of getting paroled afterwards]. I was 18 years old.

Phyllis Prentice, 67

I was born in Iowa, in the Midwest, in 1949. My family were very conservative and well-educated. I was able to go to Europe as a child and got many opportunities.

Growing up, I wasnt as conscious of race relations as I maybe should have been. The northern states werent legally segregated, but in practice, it was very segregated by neighbourhood. There were no children of other heritages in elementary school. In high school, there was one young man from Mexico. But on the other side of town, it was a different story.

Back then, I saw myself as a conservative person. It was the 1950s, so it was the time for it. But Im also a child of the 1960s  I was changed when I went to the University of Iowa.

Shujaa

On the way to state prison, I sat next to a man called Yassin Mohammed. He was very quiet and I was curious about him, so I started asking him questions. We got to be good friends and he started teaching me about people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

From that day, I resolved to become a new person. I denounced my gang activity, I learned to read better. I joined the Black Panther Party prison movement. We were struggling against racism, struggling to bring black, white and brown prisoners together to stand up against guard brutality.

In 1973, I was transferred to a new prison where I started organising and became a leader of the prison movement myself. I had only been there for a few months when an uprising happened and a guard was stabbed to death. Together with a fellow inmate, I was framed. We were indicted by a grand jury and for the next eight years, I had to fight for my life.

On my first trial, the jury couldnt determine whether I was guilty or innocent, but on my second trial, they convicted me. I was sentenced to die in the gas chamber of San Quentin prison.

Phyllis

I was at the University of Iowa, training to become a nurse, when the nations campuses started erupting. This was in 1968. I started demonstrating against the Vietnam War and started learning about Dr King and the womens movement. It turned my whole world upside down and I decided I had to get out of the Midwest, so I moved to New York  thats when my real activism started.

I got involved with the prison movement in 1971, after the Attica prison riot during which inmates took control of the prison to protest against the terrible conditions there. By the time the takeover ended, 29 inmates and 10 guards were dead.

I started working on a paper called the Midnight Special. Prisoners in the US cant write to each other, so they would send us letters about what was going on in different prisons  from militancy to a lack of food  which we would reprint and mail out to different prisons as a newspaper.

This was long before I knew Shujaa. But years later, I found out that he had been reading the Midnight Special as well.

Shujaa

I was on San Quentins death row for about three years. The hardest part was being separated from the other prisoners for a long time. They gave me an entire tier to myself and for six months, I was alone.

I always tell people that Im not here because of how the system works, but that Im here in spite of the system. Two high school students came to my aid. They had come to my trial and afterwards, they raised money and awareness for my case and wrote to people to get them to help me. In 1979, the California Supreme Court overturned my conviction because all African American jurors had been struck off by the district attorney during my second trial. I was moved to a county jail to await my next two trials.

At the time, I was in a state of paranoia. I had gone through hell on death row. I didnt trust anyone; I was very angry. In the county jail, there were some nurses and social workers who were politically very active. They started talking to me about my politics and agreeing with me. I was used to people being brutal to me, so I didnt trust them at first. But slowly I let my guard down with some of them.

I remember the day that Phyllis first came to the prison. One of the nurses who I trusted was showing her everyone in the jail. When they came by my cell I didnt move, because I didnt want anything to do with this new person. She started coming by my cell every day, asking if I needed anything, and I wouldnt move. Id just say nope and wave her off. I thought she could be an undercover police officer.

She finally got me with vitamins. She came by one day saying Mr Graham, do you want some vitamins? Thats when I started coming up to the bars. And thats when we started talking about politics. Guards would tell her to stay away from me, that I was dangerous, but she just kept coming by talking to me and I felt comfortable with her.

At some point we started exchanging letters. They would contain political conversations, and I would end them saying With revolutionary love and she would do the same. Then one day, she wrote to me and told me she felt more than revolutionary love.

Phyllis

I moved to the Bay area in 1979 and started working in the jail where I met Shujaa. Some of the other nurses had told me about his politics and I was interested in talking to him. But it took a while  he had other things on his mind. I knew he was fighting for his life. The prosecutors were trying to put him away for a long time again.

When we started getting close, our entire relationship had to happen through the bars. I would call him out for blood pressure checks fairly often to get some physical contact in. I had a pushcart with medication and would secretly pass him a burrito or a little love note every now and then. It was a clandestine little love moment.

But mostly wed talk politics. It was a unique kind of bonding, which I think is why the relationship has lasted for all this time. It wasnt just a romantic fantasy of a prisoner and a nurse. We were comrades  and it has always stayed that way.

Some of the guards got uneasy. They felt I was getting too familiar with Shujaa and they moved me to a different floor. Shujaas third trial ended in a hung jury. By the time his fourth trial started, I had quit my job to focus on supporting his case.

During the trial, I was in the courtroom every day. I guess the jury figured out what was going on between us. Because when they walked into the room on the final day to announce their decision one of them looked over to me and gave me a little thumbs up. I couldnt believe it. I looked at Shujaa and he must have thought Whats she been smoking?  I was smiling.

Shujaa

The judge said not guilty and I could just walk out. My nightmare had come to an end after 11 long years. Phyllis and I moved into a basement in San Francisco. Initially, it was hard on me. I wasnt used to living without prison guards telling me where to go, when to get up, where to walk. It was intimidating for me to get out of the house as well. In prison, you survive by constantly being aware of your environment, and a prison environment is very small. Outside, its not possible to know who everyone is and I felt like I didnt have any control over the situation. Even now, more than 30 years later, I have my bad moments.

Speaking at events about my experiences with organisations such as Witness to Innocence helped me get back into society. Now that Im retired, I feel a responsibility to go around speaking as much as I can.

In 2016, 20 people were executed in the US  the lowest number since 1991. Theres been some progress, but I wont be happy until we have a federal ban on the death penalty. We just lost a fight in California, where an initiative to repeal the death penalty was rejected by voters on November 8, 2016. That was a setback. In Texas alone, seven people are scheduled to be executed in the next four months.

Capital punishment doesnt solve a social problem, it doesnt reduce violence, its no deterrent to crime  its just retaliation. It doesnt work. And we have to keep educating people about this.

But my activism is about more than the death penalty  its about social justice. Racism is alive and well in the US and Trump is enabling it. We have an attorney general who once said he thought the Ku Klux Klan was okay until he found out they were smoking marijuana. In prisons, the situation is now worse than ever. Everything I fought for when I was part of the prison movement has been reversed.

Were living in dangerous and troubling times. The silver lining is that people are standing up against injustice again. Racism has come right to our dinner tables and we need to have discussions on how to deal with it.

Phyllis

Shujaas release was a very intense moment for both of us, but we felt differently about it. For me, it was all good, just wonderful. He was happy to be out, but leaving his comrades behind in prison was hard, too.

We took it one day at a time and moved around several times. We now live in the Washington, DC-area and we have three children and six grandchildren. People often wouldnt put me and my children together when they were growing up. It didnt really bother me, I would just think its funny. Its a learning moment for people, that they shouldnt assume they know who they are talking to. When it comes to race relations in the US, things havent really changed all that much and the current political climate is putting us in a bad space again.

I still work as a nurse, but whenever I can I try to go speak with Shujaa at events. It makes people aware that men and women on death row have families, children and grandchildren, too. I worry that, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, executions will go full force ahead. I have a friend whose son is on death row. Her son is scheduled to be killed  its just unbelievable something like that can happen in this day and age.

Shujaa is one of the fortunate ones. He got the opportunity to have another jury trial  he could have easily been dead.
A Billings attorney convicted of driving drunk with children in the car was sentenced Monday to one year of supervision.

Michele Lynn Braukmann, 39, was sentenced by Yellowstone County District Court Judge Gregory Todd on one count of criminal child endangerment and one count of aggravated driving while under the influence. Braukmann was given a three-year deferred sentence for the criminal child endangerment charge and a one-year suspended sentence for the DUI charge.

Braukmann will also be required to pay a $2,000 fine.

Braukmann's sentence is typical of first-time felony offenders, according to testimony during her sentencing.

Braukmann apologized for putting children in her car and putting the Billings community in danger, she said.

The prosecutor in the case, Assistant Attorney General Chad Parker, asked Braukmann about statements she had made during her arrest, including telling the Montana Highway Patrol trooper he should not arrest her because she "defended police officers" and was a "moral person."

"I'm not denying I made a lot of foolish comments that night," Braukmann said.

Braukmann entered treatment for chemical dependency soon after her arrest. She still attends meetings for her alcohol addiction, she said. At multiple points during her sentencing, she apologized for what had happened.

At about 10 p.m. on April 16, 2016, near 60th Street West and Grand Avenue, investigators say Braukmann was driving with three children in the car when a Montana Highway Patrol trooper pulled her over. A breathalyzer test registered her blood alcohol content at 0.247 percent, more than three times the legal limit, according to documents.
The eastern Mediterranean sea has several large natural gas deposits. The fields could be worth billions of dollars.

Lebanon and Israel have been involved in a maritime dispute regarding the exact location of their sea borders. The contested area is important to both countries because it might harbour natural-gas fields.

Israel has one of the largest gas fields in the region, the Leviathan field. Parts of that field could potentially extend into territory claimed by both Israel and Lebanon. This gas deposit is so big, it could potentially lead to Israel becoming an energy exporter.

Meanwhile, Egypt has what has been called a supergiant gas field within its waters, the Zohr gas field.

Still, Egypt might face a gas-energy crisis despite being one of the largest gas-producing countries in Africa, as an investigation by Al Jazeera showed.
Somalia has been experiencing its third drought in the last 25 years. As a result, millions of people are at risk.

Somalia is experiencing its third drought in 25 years as a result of a lack of rain. According to WHO, more than 6.2 million people  half of Somalias population  need urgent humanitarian aid as a result of a drought that has ravaged the country. Almost three million who are going hungry.

Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, said the world must act now to avoid a famine that might potentially kill thousands.

Somalia is one of three countries, along with Yemen and Nigeria, on the verge of famine, which has already been declared in South Sudan.
The result of the upcoming French election will either force the EU to take a giant step backwards or rejuvenate it.

Remi Piet is a research associate on political economy and foreign policy at the Florida International University.

In less than two months, French people will elect their new president. This vote will be one of three elections scheduled for this year in Western Europe  after the Dutch and before the German ballot  which will shape the future of the European Union.

All three countries were among the six nations that founded the European Coal and Steel Community  the ancestor of todays EU  almost 70 years ago. The results in each country will fundamentally affect the course of a European integration project that, for the first time in its history, successfully avoided wars and conflicts in the old continent for decades.

In the Netherlands, the plenitude of political parties should help liberal Mark Rutte to remain prime minister and lead a large coalition.

In Germany, the results are expected to be tight but one of the two main parties  Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) or Martin Schulzs Social Democratic Party (SPD)  will win as no other party is likely to get more than 10 percent of the votes according to the latest polls.

In France, however, the outcome is more uncertain than ever as all five candidates made controversial remarks and have doubtful policy promises to win the presidency.

Yet, despite the uncertainty, it is already clear that the French presidential election will have significant consequences beyond the French borders.

Eurosceptic candidates

In regards to European policies, none of the five leading candidates had voted in favour of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, which officially created the EU and paved the way for the bloc to move beyond its earlier limited economic scope.

The communist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen are both from parties that oppose the European integration and call for the so-called Frexit.

However, while the Socialist and the Republican Parties official line has always been to support European treaties, their supporters chose this time to nominate respectively Benoit Hamon and Francois Fillon  two men known for their antagonism towards Brussels policies and their opposition to the Maastricht Treaty.

The final frontrunner, Emmanuel Macron, did not vote in 1992 because of his young age. But, unlike other candidates, the 39-years-old always supported the European project, and his eventual victory would clearly trigger a boost in Frances engagement in European politics.

Macron constantly breaks with traditional political codes and processes, creating his own political movement and refusing to present himself within the simplistic left/right political spectrum.

Ousting the mainstream

The emergence of Macron, together with the steady rise of Le Pens National Front, have relegated the mainstream parties to the level of mere outsiders.

Since World War II, French presidents have always come from either the Socialist or the Republican parties.

The decline has been steady ever since. Former Presidents Francois Mitterrand or Jacques Chirac stayed in power for more than a decade.

Their successors were not able to go beyond their first term. Nicolas Sarkozy did not manage to get re-elected after his first term and Francois Hollandes popularity beat record low levels that forced him to throw in the towel without even running for re-election. Today, not even a third of the electorate is likely to vote for either of their parties.

This will have a strong impact on the European parliament whose French members usually come from these two main parties.

The victory of an outsider candidate as a driving force of European politics will provide legitimacy and the necessary political ground for third party candidates in other European countries.

If Le Pen wins the elections, it would clearly mean the end of the EU as we know it, as a Frexit vote would leave Germany as the only major global economic and political actor. by

If Le Pen wins the elections, it would clearly mean the end of the EU as we know it, as a Frexit vote would leave Germany as the only major global economic and political actor. The EU would then be limited to a greater Germany, without any potential power to balance it out.

If Macron wins, the outcome would be far more positive for a EU that could count on a young political figure who is able to bridge the two sides of traditional politics.

Macrons unique brand of social liberalism, resulting from the combination of his political upbringing within the Socialist Party and his professional background as a corporate banker, breaks with the dusty technocratic image of grey-haired European politicians driven by party ideology.

On many levels, Macron could be considered a younger version of former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors, whose economic expertise and capacity to work with politicians of all sides was paramount to the success of the EU.

A precedent for transparency

Finally, the French election this year will set a precedent in regards to transparency and rejection of embezzlement and double standards.

Traditionally, Northern European countries were described as the standard setters to be followed with the strength of their political institutions and transparent politics. Southern European countries instead were looked down upon by their neighbours because of their chronic nepotism and corruption scandals.

France was no different. Chirac and Sarkozy have been indicted for a series of shady decisions. Mitterrand was known for his use of public funds to hide his extramarital daughter. Yet, French people mostly turned a blind eye to these until today.

The current presidential campaign has demonstrated that these types of behaviour are no longer acceptable to the French people.

OPINION: Fillons victory  A political earthquake in France

The disqualification of Sarkozy and Alain Juppe in the first round of their partys primaries, the under-pressure Fillon after the revelation of fake jobs scandal, as well as the relative decline of Le Pen after she refused to answer to the French justice are all proof that political privileges are not tolerated any more.

The current presidential campaign is, therefore, deeply changing French politics and will have important consequences throughout the continent.

It will probably bring an end to a two-party system that has taken the political milieu hostage within a sterile confrontation.

Systematic change

Current frontrunners, both Macron and Le Pen, are likely to bring a systemic change to European politics in diametrically opposed directions.

OPINION: France and the impossible Trump domino effect

If the Brexit made the EU teeter, it should be remembered that the United Kingdom was not a founding member of the organisation and has never enjoyed the political influence that France has.

In two months, the EU will either take a giant step backwards or be re-energised and rejuvenated.

Remi Piet is a research associate on political economy and foreign policy at the Florida International University.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Trumps state-sponsored Islamophobia will expose more than merely Muslims to xenophobic violence and vigilantism.

Khaled A Beydoun is a law professor, and author of American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.

On Monday, March 6, in Washington, DC, Donald Trump issued another executive order restricting the entry of Muslims.

The second rendition of the Muslim Ban dropped Iraq from the list of Muslim-majority states, exempted current visa and green card holders from the restricted states, and featured other tweaks made to deflect any constitutional challenge.

On Sunday, March 5, in Washington State, a Sikh man was shot and wounded in front of his Seattle home. A hatemonger told Deep Rai to go back to your own country, then proceeded to shoot him.

This shooting follows the murder of another man of Indian origin in Kansas City, who was similarly told to get out of my country before being fatally shot on February 24.

The murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla came roughly a month after Trumps enactment of the first Muslim Ban, which spurred the mass protests and legal challenges that ultimately brought about its demise, and the re-drafted executive order issued on Monday.

Upon first glance, it may seem as if the vigilante violence that targets Muslims, and in the case of Rai and the late Kuchibohotla, individuals stereotypically perceived as Muslims, is entirely disconnected or tenuously linked to the banning of Muslims.

The latter involves formal state policy, while the former concerns the irrational or deviant actions of private individuals. However, in the way that the xenophobic or Islamophobic rhetoric of politicians emboldens animus on the part of citizens, government law and policy also endorses bigoted views and authorises the violence unleashed on Muslims and individuals perceived as Muslims.

This dialectic, whereby the state criminalises Muslim identity or brands it suspicious by law, effectively instructs its citizens to partake in the national project of identifying and punishing the terrorist outsider.

Endorsing damaging stereotypes

Islamophobia is the presumption of guilt assigned on to Muslims by state and private actors. But it must also be understood as a dialectic, namely, a process by which state policies such as the Muslim Ban or counter-radicalisation policing endorse ingrained and popular stereotypes of Muslims as alien, inassimilable, and prone to terrorism; and second, emboldens the private animus and violent targeting of Muslim subjects.

Therefore, Islamophobic policies, like the Muslim Ban, impact far more than immigration or national security policy. Their legal impact is merely one dimension of their aggregate damage.

By endorsing the Islamophobic premise that Muslim identity is presumptive of radical threat or terrorism, Islamophobic policies and programmes enacted by the state propagate the damaging stereotypes associated with this premise, and promote the private vigilantism that threatens Muslims, and communities mistakenly caricatured as Muslims.

The Muslim Ban rubber stamps the embedded idea that terrorism is exclusive to Islam, and regardless of one's legal status, exposes bona fide and imagined Muslims to the attacks of hate-mongers that take the law into their own hands. by

This is especially the case during the Trump era, whereby his powder keg of political rhetoric and ominous policy has spurred a frightening rise in hate crimes and incidents targeting Muslims and perceived Muslims.

Private Islamophobia, or the animus and violence unleashed by individuals, affects far more than just Muslims, but also Sikhs, Latinx communities, Arab and Middle Eastern Christians, South Asian Hindus, East African non-Muslims, and other groups that fit the caricature of the Muslim outsider.

Therefore, state policies built upon Islamophobic baselines expose more than merely Muslims to the xenophobic violence and vigilantism.

State-sponsored Islamophobia

Law is far more than merely law. And the Muslim Ban is a policy that affects far more people than merely immigrants travelling to the United States from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

While its direct legal effect is to exclude nationals from these states, its cumulative influence is far more expansive and injurious.

The Muslim Ban rubber stamps the embedded idea that terrorism is exclusive to Islam, and regardless of ones legal status, exposes bona fide and imagined Muslims to the attacks of hatemongers that take the law into their own hands.

OPINION: Trumps Muslim ban is a dangerous distraction

State-sponsored Islamophobia incites the increased arson and vandalism of mosques, the attacks on Muslim women wearing the headscarf, the rise of anti-Muslim slurs emanating from the right and the left, and indeed, the shooting of Rai and murder of Kuchibohotla.

This Muslim Ban, unfortunately, will not only spur more Islamophobia at airports, but also spells more malice, menace, and murder beyond them.

Khaled A Beydoun is an assistant professor of law at the Barry University Dwayne O Andreas School of Law. He is a native of Detroit.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
UN chief raises alarm during visit to drought-hit Somalia where half the population is battling hunger and disease.

The UN chief has urged international support to alleviate Somalias worsening hunger crisis during an emergency visit to the country.

Antonio Guterres issued the appeal on Tuesday after witnessing the suffering of malnourished Somalis and cholera victims during his first field trip since becoming the UN chief.

He said the hunger crisis requires a massive response as six million people, or almost half of the population of the Horn of Africa country, need assistance.

Every single person we have seen is a personal story of tremendous suffering. There is no way to describe it, Guterres said after seeing skeletal men, women and children in a cholera ward in Baidoa, 243km northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

Was in epicentre of famine & cholera in Somalia. I listened to harrowing stories of suffering & saw the courage of ppl. World must act now. pic.twitter.com/WqiY30QsJO  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 7, 2017

Somalias prolonged drought has caused widespread hunger, and the shortage of clean water has resulted in cholera.

People are dying. The world must act now to stop this, he said on Twitter on his arrival in Somalia.

We need to make as much noise as possible. Conflict, drought, climate change, disease, cholera. The combination is a nightmare.

In Baidoas cholera wards, adults and children had sunken eyes and protruding ribs. Because of the cholera-induced diarrhoea, medical workers sprayed the wards with chlorine to disinfect the areas.

Guterres also visited a camp with hundreds of families displaced by the drought and Somalias battle against al-Shabab, the armed anti-government group.

He saw hungry families seeking shelter under flimsy plastic.

Al Jazeeras Rosalind Jordan, reporting from a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near Baidoa, said: Over the past few weeks, more than 200 families have come here from other parts of Somalia because they ran out of food back home.

READ MORE: Famine stalks Somalia again

They are living outside in makeshift tents, the temperature is already above 30 [degrees Celsius]. This is not the way any family wants to raise their children.

Guterres said he was moved by the misery.

It makes me feel extremely unhappy with the fact that in todays world, with the  the richness that exists, that these things are still possible. It is unbelievable, he said.

He wore personal protection armour and was surrounded by African Union peacekeepers and bodyguards to protect against possible suicide bombings and attacks.

Somalia is part of a $4bn aid appeal launched last month for four nations suffering from conflict and hunger.

The others are Nigeria, Yemen and South Sudan, where famine already has been declared in two counties.

US travel ban discussed

Somalia over the weekend announced its first death toll since declaring a national disaster last week, saying 110 people had died in a 48-hour period in a single region.

Meeting the UN chief, Somalias President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmajo, said: My first priority is to address this drought crisis, and my main priority is to make an appeal to the international community to help us.

Somalia is one of the six Muslim-majority countries affected by the revised travel ban ordered by US President Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Dying of hunger  What is a famine?

Mohamed, himself a dual Somali-US citizen, took Guterres visit as an opportunity to speak out against the new immigration order.

Definitely we will prefer to see that this travel ban should be lifted and, of course, we have to communicate with the US government because as everyone knows we have a large Somali community in the United States, who Im sure have contributed to the US economy, Mohamed said in response to press questions.

We have to address the root cause, which is the security situation here and how to defeat al-Shabab here.
African Americans more likely than white people to be convicted in error of crimes including murder and sexual assault.

African Americans are far more likely to be wrongfully convicted of crimes such as murder, sexual assault and illegal drug activity than white people, a review of nearly 2,000 exonerations in the United States over almost three decades found.

Of the 1,900 defendants convicted of crimes and later exonerated, 47 percent were African Americans  three times their representation in the population  according to the study from the National Registry of Exonerations, which examined cases from 1989 to October 2016.

The study, released on Tuesday, also said black Americans were about seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white Americans.

In the murder cases we examined, the rate of official misconduct is considerably higher in cases where the defendant is African American compared to cases where the defendant is white, said Samuel Gross, a University of Michigan Law School professor and a senior editor of the registry.

He said unconscious bias, institutional discrimination and explicit racism were factors in some of the wrongful convictions.

When it comes to drug crimes, black Americans are about 12 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted than innocent white people, the study said.

It also took longer for innocent African American names to have their names cleared, the study found.

On average, black murder exonerees spent three years longer in prison before release than white murder exonerees, and those sentenced to death spent four years longer, said the report, entitled Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States.

Record in exonerations

A separate study from the same group also released on Tuesday showed that 2016 set a record for known exonerations in the US since 1989 at 166, up from 160 cases in 2015.

Nearly 60 of exonerations came from Texas, the most of any state, where district attorneys in the counties that include Houston and Dallas have set up integrity units to examine prosecutions for possible problems.

Most of the Texas exonerations were drug convictions in Harris County, home to Houston. In many of the cases, suspects pleaded guilty to drug possession and months or years later, reports from crime labs showed that seized material contained no controlled substances.

Nationwide, 52 defendants were exonerated of murder and 73 were exonerated of non-violent crimes, such as drug possession.

Among last years most notable exonerations were the so-called San Antonio Four  four women convicted of sexual assault in the 1990s and sent to prison because of junk science, tainted testimony and false ideas of lesbian behavior, a Texas appeals court said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Somalia on an emergency visit aimed at drumming up support for an effort to avert a famine that could affect 6.2 million people.

Guterres said the world must act now after he arrived in the capital Mogadishu.

Just arrived in Somalia on emergency visit to focus on famine & cholera. People are dying. The world must act now to stop this.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 7, 2017

Somalias newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed met with the UN chief on Tuesday.

My first priority is to address this drought crisis and my main priority is to make an appeal to the international community to help us, Mohamed said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned there are just two months left to avert what would be Somalias third famine in 25 years. The last one, in 2011, killed nearly 260,000 people.

The situation has become significantly worse in the last six months, the UN said on Monday.

READ: EXPLAINER  What is a famine?

Last week, the government declared a national disaster as the drought continued to ravage the country.

According to the WHO, more than 363,000 acutely malnourished children and 70,000 severely malnourished children are in need of urgent, life-saving support.

The Horn of Africa nation is one of three countries  along with Yemen and Nigeria  that aid agencies say are on the verge of famine. A famine was declared in South Sudan last month.
ACLU vows to keep fighting US presidents Muslim ban in court, as politicians call order un-American.

US civil rights groups have condemned President Donald Trumps revised immigration order as a Muslim ban in all but name, and vowed to keep fighting it in court.

The order signed on Monday bans citizens from six majority-Muslims countries from entering the US for 90 days and also halts the countrys refugee programme for 120 days.

Major changes compared to the previous order that was blocked by judges are that Iraqis are no longer banned and that people who have already been granted visas will not be turned away.

The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws, said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrant Rights Project.

The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban, Jadwat said in a statement.

Trumps first immigration order, signed on January 27, resulted in more than two dozen legal cases in US courts.

The new version, which will come into effect at midnight on March 16, has removed language that would give priority to religious minorities.

Critics had accused the administration of adding such language to help Christians get into the US while excluding Muslims.

OPINION: How Muslim Ban incites vigilante Islamophobic violence

Presenting the revised order, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said it responsibly provides a needed pause so we can carefully review how we scrutinise people coming here from these countries of concern.

Three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism, Sessions said, referring to Iran, Sudan and Syria, adding that others had served as safe havens for fighters.

Noor Zafar, a lawyer at the Centre for Constitutional Rights, New York, told Al Jazeera that the new travel ban is not justified by facts.

QUICK FACTS: What makes Trumps revised travel ban different

I think this is still a ban designed to keep Muslims out of this country, she said. If you look at the six countries that are targeted by this ban theyre Muslim-majority countries and if you look at the evidence that the administration is offering to support its claim that these countries are places from where Islamic radicals come in, that data is just not borne out of facts.

There have been zero fatal attacks on US soil since 1975 by nationals from the six countries targeted with the ban, according to an analysis of attacks by the Cato Institute.

Trumps first order led to chaos at airports, protests and international condemnation.

Protesters gathered outside the White House on Monday evening to condemn the new order, calling it anti-Muslim and Islamophobic and saying it does not adhere to American values of welcoming refugees.

Bob Ferguson, the attorney general of Washington state, which succeeded in having the previous ban suspended, said he was carefully reviewing the new order.

Mean-spirited, un-American

Top Democrats also condemned the Republicans new ban, with party leader Tom Perez saying we have a responsibility to fight back.

Chuck Schumer, leader of the minority Democrats in the Senate, said he expected the revised order to have the same uphill battle in the courts as the original version.

A watered-down ban is still a ban, he said in a statement.

Despite the administrations changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed.

READ MORE: Japanese and Muslim Americans join forces over travel ban

The New York Immigration Coalition called the revised ban a mask for the same old hatred, fear and incompetence.

This is just one more example of the presidents concerted effort to divide this country and instil panic and fear in immigrant, refugee and Muslim communities, said NYIC director Steven Choi.

Human Rights Watch said the changes to the original January 27 order, which fell afoul of the US constitution because it appeared to overtly target Muslims, are merely cosmetic.

President Trump still seems to believe you can determine whos a terrorist by knowing which country a man, woman or child is from, said the groups US immigration researcher Grace Meng.

Rabbi Jack Moline, president of the Interfaith Alliance, said they expect as well to battle the revised order in court.

Even in its slightly revised form, President Trumps Muslim ban violates constitutional principles and undermines Americas standing in the world, Moline said.

We must be clear that discriminating against millions of people on the basis of their religion does nothing to make Americans safer.
Troops said to be in control of main government offices and museum in assault on ISILs last remaining urban stronghold.

Iraqi forces are fighting for control of government buildings in Mosul on the third day of a renewed offensive against ISIL fighters in west Mosul.

The troops are pushing towards Mosuls Old City centre as they try to clear ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, from the city altogether.

West Mosul is the largest remaining urban stronghold in the caliphate declared by ISIL, also known as ISIS, in 2014.

Iraqi forces said on Tuesday they had seized the main government offices in Mosul and its famed museum as part of their advances, which included the recapture of three neighbourhoods.

Supported by the US-led coalition bombing ISIL in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi forces began their push against west Mosul on February 19.





The advance slowed during several days of bad weather, but was renewed on Sunday.

The latest gains have brought government troops and police closer to Mosuls densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under ISIL rule.

The Iraqi government says 65,000 people have left Mosul in an attempt to escape the fighting, while the Switzerland-based International Organisation for Migration says the number is 51,000.

However, the number who have fled is still just a fraction of the 750,000 people believed to have stayed on in west Mosul under ISIL rule.

Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Erbil, in northern Iraq, said many had been caught up in the violence.

She said in a ward run by an international NGO called Emergency there were civilians, including children, from around Mosul with injuries caused by bullets, shelling and bomb explosions among other things.

Its a very difficult situation for the people of Mosul, she said.

Government gains

Iraqs Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement on Tuesday that federal police and the elite Rapid Response unit had been able to liberate the headquarters for the Nineveh provincial government.

They also seized control of the al Hurriya bridgehead, it said, in a step towards potentially relinking west Mosul with the citys east, which government forces seized from ISIL earlier in the offensive.





All the bridges crossing the Tigris in Mosul have been damaged or destroyed, and Iraqi forces would either have to repair them or install floating bridges to reconnect the two banks of the river which divides the city.

Officers said on Tuesday that security forces had managed to recapture the Mosul museum, where the fighters destroyed priceless artefacts, releasing a video of their rampage in February 2015.

The museum was on a police list released on Tuesday of sites recaptured from ISIL, which also included Mosuls central bank building, which the fighter looted along with other banks in 2014, seizing tens of millions of dollars.

The JOC also announced on Tuesday that Iraqi forces had regained complete control of the west Mosul neighbourhoods of Al Dawasa, Al Danadan and Tal al-Ruman, bringing the total number of recaptured areas to 10.

ISIL has been pushed from most of the Iraqi territory they once seized, but remain in control of key bastions including west Mosul and the caliphates de-facto Syrian capital Raqqa.
UN refugee agency says automatic detention measure violates the countrys obligations under international law.

Hungarys parliament has approved the automatic detention of all asylum seekers in container camps at the countrys southern borders, despite a fierce backlash from human rights groups.

Under the new legislation, asylum seekers entering Hungary and those already in the country will be detained or moved to the container camps.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the measure was needed as a response to terror attacks in Europe, citing the November 2015 attacks in Paris.

IN PICTURES: Refugees stranded on Serbia-Hungary border amid winter

The move reinstates Hungarys practice of detaining asylum applicants, which it suspended in 2013 under pressure from human rights groups.

Measure violates international law

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, immediately criticised the measure.

This new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered, the UNHCR said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Orban ordered the reinforcement of fences on the countrys southern border.

Work began last week on a second border fence and the right-wing government extended a state of emergency that gave authorities additional powers to secure the borders. Hungary had previously built a fence on its borders with Serbia and Croatia in September 2015.

READ MORE: Toxic fear mongering pushing back human rights, Amnesty

In October last year, the majority of Hungarians voted against an EU referendum aimed at sharing 160,000 refugees around the 28-member bloc through mandatory quotas.

It has since not accepted any asylum seekers allocated under the scheme.

Hungary granted asylum, or some form of protection, to 425 people out of 29,432 applications in 2016.
Authorities are investigating the death of a 32-year-old man who was found dead before midnight Saturday in Big Horn County.

Dana L. Shoulderblade was found dead in a residence in Muddy Cluster, said Big Horn County Coroner Terry Bullis. Bullis was called to the Lame Deer Clinic to examine the body, he said. Bullis conducted an autopsy Monday in conjunction with the Montana state medical examiner.

While the body was taken to the Lame Deer Clinic, which is in Rosebud County, the death occurred at a residence in Big Horn, so Bullis assumed jurisdiction over the autopsy.

No more information could be provided at this time as Shoulderblade's death is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bullis said.
Malaysia quickly responds by imposing a similar ban on North Koreans as tensions swirls over killing of King Jong-nam.

North Korea has barred Malaysians from leaving the country, sparking tit-for-tat action by Malaysia, as police investigating the murder of Kim Jong-nam sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

After Pyongyang announced the move, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak swiftly called for the immediate release of its citizens, instructing police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.

This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms, Najib said in a statement, adding that he had called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.





The Norths foreign ministry notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the ban and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia, the Norths KCNA news agency reported.

All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the official Korea Central News Agency said on Tuesday, citing the foreign ministry.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters that there were 11 Malaysians in North Korea: Three at the embassy, two UN workers and six family members.

Al Jazeeras Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, said Marican also said the government will need to check the exact numbers because some Malaysians might be in the country on approved tours or some other business.

Initially, we were told Malaysian governments ban only affected the North Korean embassy staff and officials. But through the prime ministers statement, its clear that it extends to all North Koreans in the country.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads following the assassination of King Jong-nam by two women using VX nerve agent.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-nam suspect accuses Malaysia of conspiracy

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

According to KCNA, Pyongyangs foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a fair and timely manner based on goodwill.

The North has yet to confirm the dead mans identity, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Malaysia expelled the Norths ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated late Monday by formally ordering out his counterpart  who had already been recalled for consultations.

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to conduct business and live normally while the travel ban is in place, it added.

Earlier, Malaysia decided to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans entering the country. North Koreans are now required to obtain a visa as of March 6 before entering Malaysia for national security reasons, state news agency Bernama reported on Thursday, citing the deputy prime minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Torkham and Chaman crossings reopened for 48 hours to allow stranded visitors in both countries to return home.

Pakistan has temporarily reopened its two main border crossings with Afghanistan to allow visitors with valid visas on both sides to return home, the foreign office announced.

Pakistan sealed the Torkham and Chaman crossings on February 16, after a string of suicide attacks killed more than 130 people across the country, blaming the violence on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups.

In order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country, the government of Pakistan has decided to open the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman on March 7 and 8, the foreign office said in a statement.





The temporary opening was for people who had travelled for medical, work and business purposes but were left stranded, according to Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal.

Many people were running out of money and were in a miserable state on this side [Pakistan] of the border, Zakhilwal told Al Jazeera.

They wanted to go back to Afghanistan but were stuck after the borders were shut, he said, adding that arrangements were being made to airlift them if the border crossing remained shut.

Fayyaz Khan, a Pakistani official at Torkham, said large numbers of Afghans were returning home, along with smaller groups of Pakistanis, but that overland trade between the two countries was yet to resume.

I have a valid visa and I promise that I will never come back here. Please allow me go back to my country, Matiullah Khan, 52, told The Associated Press as he and his family waited at a checkpoint.

Afghanistan has long blamed Pakistan for providing sanctuary to Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders on its soil, while Pakistan accuses its northwestern neighbour of allowing Pakistani Taliban elements to operate in Nangarhar and other provinces.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a Pakistani Taliban breakaway faction, had claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, including Mondays targeting of three Pakistani posts in the Mohmand tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border that left at least 15 people dead.

READ MORE: Afghan refugees return home amid Pakistan crackdown

In February, the two countries exchanged lists of fighters they believed to be residing in each others countries.

On Monday, Pakistan Minister of Defence Khwaja Asif claimed the border was being used as a thoroughfare by Pakistani Taliban fighters.

Our murderers are sitting on their border and you are pleading us not to close down the borders, he said at a session of the National Assembly.

We want to have a proper border management with Afghanistan like all the countries have with their neighbouring countries. We will not allow [the border] to be used as a thoroughfare.

Ready to go after threats

But Zakhilwal argued that closing down the border served no purpose except to harm ordinary people and traders on both sides.

The areas near the border are heavily guarded with army, intelligence and police checkpoints, so it does not make sense there could be any movement of terrorists along the borders, he said.

The closure is just to inflict pressure on Afghanistan but we insist that we are ready to go after threats and propose a logical and a realistic approach to fight terrorism. Closing the border has no connection to fighting terrorism.

Torkham and Chaman crossings are major arteries for the $1.5bn in trade and commerce between the two neighbours. The Torkham crossing is used by about 15,000 Afghans every day.

Other crossings, which are generally less used, will remain closed.

With reporting by Shereena Qazi: @Shereenaqazi
At least three people killed when police opened fire at a get-out-the-vote rally before local elections set in May.

Markets, schools and factories were closed across Nepals southern plains on Tuesday in response to the killing of three protesters who tried to disrupt a political rally.

Security forces opened fire at the rally on Monday, killing three protesters and wounding more than a dozen, in the south-eastern town of Rajbiraj, where the Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party had organised a get-out-the-vote rally before local elections.

The police put the death toll at four, but later revised it to three.

Santosh Niraula, a local police officer, said much of the public transport remained off the roads in the southern flatlands bordering India.

READ MORE: Nepal  Waiting for the disappeared

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, an alliance of seven regional parties that organised Mondays protest, called for a two-day general strike in the region.

The group has accused leaders of the UML, the countrys main opposition party, of humiliating its supporters and deriding the community during the mass rally.

The protesters say the constitution discriminates against them by limiting their representation in state institutions. They have long called for the redrawing of provincial boundaries to ensure greater representation for their community.

Thousands of police officers were deployed on Monday to maintain security at the UML rally, but clashes still erupted outside the venue where hundreds of protesters waved black flags and blocked roads.

Nepals coalition government announced last month that polls would beheld on May 14 for more than 700 local bodies, the first local elections in 20 years.
Top generals discuss developments in Syria and Iraq amid rising tensions in northern Syria over US-backed Kurdish force.

The top generals from Turkey, the US and Russia have met to discuss developments in Syria and Iraq to prevent the risk of a conflict during their fight against ISIL.

Hulusi Akar, Turkish chief of staff; Joseph Dunford, US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff; and Valery Gerasimov, Russian chief of general staff, met on Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.

Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting, the Turkish army said in a statement, without giving further detail.

Russia confirmed the news of the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned.





Binali Yildirim, Turkeys prime minister, said the meeting would continue on Wednesday.

There is a need for an effective coordination in the efforts to clear Syria of all terror groups because so many countries are involved there, he said.

If we cannot establish coordination, the risk of a conflict that we would not desire can emerge. Thats the real aim of the meeting.

The unannounced meeting came amid rising tensions in northern Syria where Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters, US-backed Kurdish-led forces and Russian-allied Syrian troops are fighting their way towards Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Turkey, a NATO ally, views the Kurdish group that dominates the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) as terrorists and has threatened to drive them from the northern city of Manbij, which the SDF captured from ISIL last year with the aid of US air strikes.





Turkey and Syria, meanwhile, support opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.

The US has a few hundred special operations forces embedded with the SDF and wants the alliance to lead the march on Raqqa.

The Pentagon said on Monday that US forces have also taken up positions on the outskirts of Manbij to try to keep a lid on tensions.

Territory handover

Sherfan Darwish, the spokesman of Manbij Military Council, which is a part of SDF, told AFP news agency on Tuesday that some villages and points on the western side of the town of Al-Areima have been handed over to border guards of the Syrian regime.

He said the handover was carried out with the goal of curbing Turkeys expansion and its occupation of Syrian territory, and to  prevent the shedding of civilian blood.

He declined to give further details but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based monitor of the war, said the handover took place on Monday and involved fewer than 10 villages.

Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of SOHR, described the handover as for show.

Members of the Manbij Military Council simply put on army clothes and raised the Syrian flag to avoid friction with the Turks, he told AFP.

There was no mention in Syrian state media of the handover to government forces.
The CIA can turn your TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control your car, according to thousands of documents published by WikiLeaks, an anti-surveillance group.

The group posted nearly 9,000 documents on Tuesday it said were leaked from the Central Intelligence Agency, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials.

It said the trove of documents appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorised manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, said: We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.

WATCH: Journalism in the age of surveillance

Experts who have started to sift through the material said that it appeared legitimate.

The leak, named Vault 7 by WikiLeaks, claims the CIA developed a malware to infect mobile phones to allow easier surveillance  but lost control of the technology. If the CIA really lost control of the technology, hackers worldwide could use the tools to steal data.

Edward McAndrew, a lawyer with a speciality in cyber security, said the security breach is a major concern for the CIA because its technology could already be in the wrong hands

What were hearing from WikiLeaks and others is that pieces of the toolkit are now outside of Langley [the CIAs Virginia headquarters], he told Al Jazeera.

If thats true, once these tools are introduced into the wild of the internet, they cannot be reclaimed. Well then see a race between those who would use these tools to exploit others and those trying to close all these vulnerabilities that have now come to light.

Why is this dangerous? Because until closed, any hacker can use the security hole the CIA left open to break into any iPhone in the world. https://t.co/xK0aILAdFI  Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 7, 2017

The actual hacking tools were not part of the WikiLeaks trove.

WikiLeaks said it planned to avoid distributing tools until a consensus emerges on the political nature of the CIAs programme and how such software could be analysed, disarmed and published.

Malware systems

WikiLeaks said the documents show the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems  viruses, trojans, and other software that can infiltrate and take control of target electronics.

These hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the kind of personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software and Samsung smart TVs, which can be transformed into covert microphones, according to WikiLeaks.

The agency has also examined hacking into the electronic control systems on cars and trucks, potentially enabling it to control them.

By infecting smartphones, WikiLeaks said, the CIA can get around the encryption technologies of popular apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, and Confide by collecting communications before they are encrypted.

Matthew Green, professor of computer science, told Al Jazeera that ordinary people should not have to worry about the revelations.

What I would perhaps worry about is that some of this might get into the hands of very sophisticated criminal organisations or foreign governments and be used in a very targeted way against activists or human rights workers, he said.

With additional reporting by Ali Younes
Agustina Paz Frontera

Agustina Paz Frontera is one of the founders #NiUnaMenos, a grassroots movement fighting to end violence against women and girls in Argentina and acro... more ss other countries in Latin America. She is also a journalist and teaches feminist journalism in workshops, participates in research groups in the Social Communication College within Buenos Aires University.
China on Monday said it opposes the relevant launches by the DPRK in violation of Security Council resolutions, and at the same time urged all relevant parties to keep restraint to prevent further deterioration of regional situation.



Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press conference when asked about Chinas response to DPRK's latest launch of four ballistic missiles.



With regard to the DPRK's launches, the Chinese side has noted the move, Geng said, adding that the relevant Security Council resolutions are explicit about the DPRK's launches with ballistic missile technologies.



Geng pointed out at the same time that the Chinese side has also noted the ongoing military drills between the US and the ROK targeting the DPRK.



Under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should exercise restraint and refrain from any action that may provoke each other and heighten tensions in the region, Geng stressed.










English News RSF opens first center for protection of afghan women journalists

Alwihda Info | Par RSF - 7 Mars 2017



On the eve of International Women's Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is proud to announce the opening of Afghanistans first center for the protection of women journalists.

RSF has gone to Afghanistan to inaugurate the center, called Center for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists - CPAWJ. Many political figures and civil society representatives are due to attend the opening ceremony tomorrow in Kabul.



Those scheduled to attend include Hossien Mortazavi, spokesperson of the president, Farid Hamidi, attorney general, Kamal Sadat, deputy information minister; Spozhmai Wardak, deputy women's affairs minister; Fawzia Kofi, who chairs the womens commission in parliament; Zohra Yousof, an adviser to First Lady Rola Ghani; and Dr. Nasri Oryakhail, labour and social affairs minister. Headed by well-known Afghan journalist Farideh Nikzad, the center is the first Afghan organization to be created by and for women journalists. Its aim is to assist and protect women journalists, especially those working in remote parts of Afghanistan, who are more vulnerable.







We want to support women journalists both in war zones and within the news organizations for which they work, to defend both their rights and their physical safety. To that end, we need the government and media owners to undertake to do their part in what is a key battle for Afghan society.



The center aims to combat all the various forms of social and material pressure that women media workers face in Afghanistan. It also aims to be a forum where women journalists, especially those operating in remote regions, can obtain and exchange information and contacts that can assist them in their work.



Recommendations will be given to the authorities on implementing laws affecting women in the media, including quotas for women employees. The center will press media owners to combat discrimination within their news organizations and to provide women with better protection. To this end, the center will organize seminars on physical and digital safety.



We are proud to announce the creation of this first center for the protection of Afghan women journalists, RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. These journalists are victims twice over, victims of the war imposed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group, and victims of strong pressure from all those around them. Dozens are threatened, physically attacked or forced to flee the country every year. By protecting women journalists, we are defending media freedom in Afghanistan.



Ten women journalists based in ten different provinces, five of them in conflict zones, are already working with the center and acting as Afghanistans first network of women journalists. The goal is to extend this network throughout the country.



Women in the Afghan media



The presence of women in the media is an important asset for Afghanistan. Women began working for radio stations in 1918, in a decade that also saw the emergence of womens print media. But women journalists were always among the first victims of turmoil in Afghanistan, including the 1992-1996 civil war and the reign of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001. They have again endured many difficulties since 2003, especially physical danger.



Social obstacles, imposed for the most part by those close to the women journalists, compound the security threats. In some cases, it is the very families of the women journalists who become a source of pressure because they fear that their loved ones will be exposed to threats and dangers.



According to a survey by a local NGO, 53% of families have a problem with their daughter working as a journalist. In Kabul, it is 20% but in the provinces of Kandahar and Nangarhar it is as high as 80%.



Since 2002, relatives have killed at least four women journalists, including Tolo TV presenter Shaima Rezayee in 2005 and Shamshad TV presenter Shakiba Sanga Amaj in 2007. They were the victims of fundamentalist propaganda in favor of a ban on working women in a patriarchal society, and a lack of protection on the part of the state.



The Afghan authorities have often been accused of doing little to improve the conditions of women. Violence against women, including women journalists, has increased by 60% in the past six years, according to the UN. Dozens of women journalists have been physically attacked, threatened or reduced to silence in remote provinces such as Nangarhar.



Many have been forced to stop working. In some regions, there are no longer any women journalists at all. Three of the ten journalists and media workers killed in 2016 were women. Thirteen women journalists and media workers (including five foreigners) have been killed since 2001 and at least ten have had to flee the country.



Afghanistan is ranked 120th out of 180 countries in We want to support women journalists both in war zones and within the news organizations for which they work, to defend both their rights and their physical safety. To that end, we need the government and media owners to undertake to do their part in what is a key battle for Afghan society.The center aims to combat all the various forms of social and material pressure that women media workers face in Afghanistan. It also aims to be a forum where women journalists, especially those operating in remote regions, can obtain and exchange information and contacts that can assist them in their work.Recommendations will be given to the authorities on implementing laws affecting women in the media, including quotas for women employees. The center will press media owners to combat discrimination within their news organizations and to provide women with better protection. To this end, the center will organize seminars on physical and digital safety.We are proud to announce the creation of this first center for the protection of Afghan women journalists, RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. These journalists are victims twice over, victims of the war imposed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group, and victims of strong pressure from all those around them. Dozens are threatened, physically attacked or forced to flee the country every year. By protecting women journalists, we are defending media freedom in Afghanistan.Ten women journalists based in ten different provinces, five of them in conflict zones, are already working with the center and acting as Afghanistans first network of women journalists. The goal is to extend this network throughout the country.The presence of women in the media is an important asset for Afghanistan. Women began working for radio stations in 1918, in a decade that also saw the emergence of womens print media. But women journalists were always among the first victims of turmoil in Afghanistan, including the 1992-1996 civil war and the reign of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001. They have again endured many difficulties since 2003, especially physical danger.Social obstacles, imposed for the most part by those close to the women journalists, compound the security threats. In some cases, it is the very families of the women journalists who become a source of pressure because they fear that their loved ones will be exposed to threats and dangers.According to a survey by a local NGO, 53% of families have a problem with their daughter working as a journalist. In Kabul, it is 20% but in the provinces of Kandahar and Nangarhar it is as high as 80%.Since 2002, relatives have killed at least four women journalists, includingpresenterin 2005 andpresenterin 2007. They were the victims of fundamentalist propaganda in favor of a ban on working women in a patriarchal society, and a lack of protection on the part of the state.The Afghan authorities have often been accused of doing little to improve the conditions of women. Violence against women, including women journalists, has increased by 60% in the past six years, according to the UN. Dozens of women journalists have been physically attacked, threatened or reduced to silence in remote provinces such as Nangarhar.Many have been forced to stop working. In some regions, there are no longer any women journalists at all. Three of the ten journalists and media workers killed in 2016 were women. Thirteen women journalists and media workers (including five foreigners) have been killed since 2001 and at least ten have had to flee the country.Afghanistan is ranked 120th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2016 World Press Freedom Index The creation of this center is intended to send a strong message not only to Afghan women journalists but also to all of the countrys women, said Farideh Nikzad, who is the centers co-founder, together with RSF, as well as its director.



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)
Do you know the higher education version of the dog-ate-my-homework excuse? It is: outside agitators. We heard it from Berkeley at the beginning of February, and now we just got it from the president of Middlebury College, who has written that she was shocked, shocked that activism was taking place on her campus on the occasion of a visit by libertarian intellectual Charles Murray. But not to worry:

We believe that many of these protestors were outside agitators, but there are indications that Middlebury College students were involved as well.

So thats all right.

The rest of us are waiting for the arrests, expulsions, suspensions, and general disregard for due process that apply when, e.g., a conservative student dares to publish a video rant by his class teacher.

On the other hand, there is nothing like flat-out liberal injustice to keep the Trump brigade in full fighting trim.

It is appropriate, of course, that the lefty social justice warriors at Middlebury College would want to shut up Charles Murray. His life work is a searing indictment of liberal welfare state policy. He is saying, in every sentence: Hello liberals, your grand plan isnt working. In fact, you are making things worse.

I looked at my bookshelf and found four of Murrays books immediately. Lets quickly rehearse what they argue.

In Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980 Murray argues that liberals were so confident that their Great Society programs would succeed that they instrumented them with social science research. But when the science settled out it showed that the programs didnt work. The liberal response? Bupkis.

In The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life Murray worried that our current educational and cultural system was segregating people by intelligence, and this was favoring the intelligent against the not-so-intelligent. Murray got into trouble because he pointed out that African Americans tested low on IQ tests. You are not allowed to say this in America and so Charles Murray must be a racist. If what he was saying were true it would mean that liberals were making things worse for African Americans. QED: Murray is a racist liar.

Then Murray did something really racist. He wrote Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. If he was not allowed to write about blacks, then he would rewrite The Bell Curve for whites only. People of Color need not apply. In Coming Apart Murray argues that the top 25 percent of whites is doing fine, with great careers and merger marriages; the middle half of whites is doing only fair; and the bottom 30 percent, living in places like white-working-class Fishtown in Philadelphia, is in trouble: the men dont work much and the women dont marry much. Remember, this is just about white people. Nothing to do with People of Color.

Of course, theres more. In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State speaks for itself. Murray proposes a curious mechanical idea, to give adult Americans a basic income of $10,000 per year instead of welfare. The idea is to attach money to useless young men. This would encourage young women to marry the fathers of their children, and then start playing Why Dont You Do Right to hubby over the smartphone.

With By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission Murray gets radical. He proposes to mount a frontal attack on the administrative state and its regulations. All he needs is a billionaire to fund a foundation to hire lawyers and make life miserable for the middle-level bureaucrats that put out the regulations that have strangled the U.S. economy during the Obama years. These middle-level lifers want a quiet life. Murrays Rottweiler lawyers will make that impossible.

Golly, that is five books already and I havent even mentioned Human Accomplishment which I also have floating around here somewhere.

You can see why Charles Murray must not be allowed to infect Middlebury College and pollute the special snowflakes that teach and study there. Why, a man that spends his life writing Wrongthink books like Losing Ground, The Bell Curve, Coming Apart, and the rest is just not who we are. And so the only thing to do is to bring in the outside agitators and then be shocked, shocked when the resulting demonstrations are only mostly peaceful.

I suppose that this is a good sign for conservatives. With their hysteria and their mostly peaceful protests liberals are unwittingly telling us they are out of ideas.

The problem is that if liberals wont sit down and at least give a respectful hearing to a gentlemanly scholar like Charles Murray and his judgements on their policies then the only way to reverse the liberal failures will be through more robust methods of less gentlemanly folks.

Which is why we have President Trump.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class.
All dictators are known to oppress their opponents, lie to society about their policies, and resort to any crime necessary to remain in power. Hitler believed a lie should be preposterous to make it believable.

As the world marks International Womens Day on March 8th, Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani has recently been making remarks about womens rights (!) in an attempt to cloak his portion of the Iranian regimes misogynist report card.

In his own memoirs, from page 571 to 573, Rouhani explains in detail how in 1980 he began enforcing mandatory hijab regulations as the mullahs began their historical campaign against Iranian women.

On a more general scale, Rouhani is known for his preposterous remarks. During the 2013 presidential campaign he once said, Not only do I believe we should not have any political prisoners, but I believe we shouldnt have any prisoners at all.

This same Rouhani, in 1980 when he was a member of parliament, provided a theory on how to establish security across the country: Conspirators must be hanged in public before the people during Friday prayers to have more influence, he said, according to the official Sharq website.

Rouhanis tenure has also been the hallmark home of systematic oppression against women, workers, college students, writers, journalists, dissident bloggers; imposing poverty and unemployment on a majority of Iranians; continuous threats made against the media; punishment of political prisoners have increased significantly even in comparison to the years of Irans firebrand Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During Rouhanis human rights violations-stained tenure, an average of two to three people have been executed on a daily basis.

Iranian women are known for their high rate of college education. But Iranian women have a lesser chance of entering the workforce in comparison to their counterparts in war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq. This despite the fact that Rouhani had pledged to set aside all barriers before women and provide them a larger share in politics and economics.

Statistics from the period of March 2015 to March 2016 show unemployment amongst young Iranians reached over 26%, and that 42% of young women were out of work.

Based on numbers, around 300,000 women were working and enjoying social security insurance. However, these numbers have diminished to 100,000, said Soheila Jelodarzadeh, advisor to Rouhanis Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade to the official ILNA news agency.

On the salary gap between men and women working in factories, this advisor added in many cases women receive less than a third of the set minimum wage.

Rouhani had also pledged to establish a Ministry of Womens Affairs. Not only has no such ministry ever been formed, Rouhanis cabinet lacks even a single female minister.

During his four years in office, Rouhani has presided over the establishment of gender-segregated universities and women being restricted from many university courses. Many educational books have been changed to the detriment of women, and many fields are only allocated for men.

Perhaps the most atrocious of all crimes has been the phenomenon of regime hoodlums splashing acid on women. Not one individual was arrested after around 15 women were attacked with acid in the city of Isfahan.

Due to the nature of the mullahs regime, there are no specific numbers of how many women have been arrested, tortured, and executed under Rouhanis watch. Yet rest assured, such statistics would be very troubling, to say the least.

On January 27th, 2016, coinciding with Rouhanis visit to France, the countrys Members of the National Assembly issued an open letter to President Francoise Hollande published in Le Figaro:

the new version of Irans Islamic Penal Code continues to legalize stoning to death. Generally, women are under the pressure of legalized discrimination in regards to marriage, divorce, parenting children and inheritance. Women, continued to be considered minors, are not permitted to work and cannot travel without their husbands consent. A 2013 bill was ratified in Irans parliament allowing men to marry their adopted daughters once they reach the age of 13. This is tantamount to legalizing sexual harassment of children

This short slate of facts shows that despite all his claims of being a moderate or reformist, Rouhanis report card, especially on womens rights, proves he is nothing but another mullahs regime loyalist striving to maintain the establishment intact.

Despite Iran being one of the most ruthless regimes in respect to womens rights, it is believed that the women of Iran can bring about change if not suppressed.

Shahriar Kia is a political analyst and member of the Iranian opposition, the Peoples Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, also known as the MEK). He graduated from North Texas University.
HELENA  Those who testified in support of bill to require interlock devices on people convicted of their first DUI said the legislation would save lives.

"We need to change that behavior, that pattern of behavior, and thats what interlock does," said Rebecca Sturdevant, with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

Senate Bill 280 is carried by Sen. Sue Malek, D-Missoula. It would mandate the use of interlock devices, which require the driver to blow into a machine that confirms their blood alcohol level is below 0.08 before their car will start, after a person is convicted of their first DUI. The device would stay in place for six months on the first offense and a year on the second, along with a requirement of participating in a chemical dependency treatment or education program.

The legislation would also change interlock laws for commercial drivers and in the case of someone refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test. In addition, it removes the requirement people convicted of their first DUI spend a mandatory 24 hours in jail and changes fine amounts.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill, which was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Sturdevant, whose son was killed by a drunken driver, told the committee about a friend who was hit by a person driving drunk and lost her leg. She said medical bills put the woman's family in a deep financial hole.

"Consider the cost to someone who survives as well as the cost to the people who don't survive and their families. A DUI is not a harmless crime, it's a very violent crime."

Sturdevant said a third of DUI arrests in Flathead County are after vehicle crashes and 40 percent are near-crashes. She also said that interlock systems are cheaper than other monitoring programs.

"You can pay for it for the cost of your beer, easily," she said.

A representative of Clean Start of Montana, a for-profit business that provides interlock devices, said it costs $80 to install the device, $80 to remove and there's an $80-a-month service fee.

Malek said her brother's life was saved by an interlock device, which is required in Washington state. "It is humiliating and it is difficult. He would have been in jail pounding his head against the bars, but now he's been sober 15 years."

The committee took no action Tuesday.
Politics, it is said, makes curious bedfellows, and the longstanding relationship between Barack Obama and presidential adviser and confidante Valerie Jarrett is curious indeed. It had become curiouser and curiouser with the news that Jarrett is moving into Obamas D.C. home, which is to serve as the nerve center to the resistance to the presidency of Donald Trump. As the Daily Mail reports:

Barack Obama is turning his new home in the posh Kalorama section of the nation's capital -- just two miles away from the White House -- into the nerve center of the mounting insurgency against his successor, President Donald J. Trump. Obama's goal, according to a close family friend, is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment. And Obama is being aided in his political crusade by his longtime consigliere, Valerie Jarrett, who has moved into the 8,200-square-foot, $5.3-million Kaloroma mansion with the former president and Michelle Obama, long time best friends. Jarrett played a vital -- if at times low-key -- role in the Obama presidency. She lived in the White House, dined with the Obamas, and help shape his domestic and foreign policies.

That is a bit of an understatement. Hillary Clinton sought to be first female President of the United States but, had she won, she wouldnt have been the first female to occupy and control the Oval Office (insert Monica Lewinsky joke here). That honor arguably goes to Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Adviser to President Obama.

Jarrett, born in Iran to American parents, has been with the Obamas since her days as Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, the younger.* She hired Michelle Obama, them Michelle Robinson to fill an opening in the mayors office. As Wikileaks describes the beginning of a long relationship:

In 1991, as deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard Daley, Jarrett interviewed Michelle Robinson for an opening in the mayor's office, after which she immediately offered Robinson the job... Michelle Robinson asked for time to think and also asked Jarrett to meet Robinson's fiance, Barack Obama. The three ended up meeting for dinner. After the dinner, Michelle took the job with the mayor's office, and Valerie Jarrett reportedly took the couple under her wing and "introduced them to a wealthier and better-connected Chicago than their own." Jarrett later took Michelle with her when Jarrett left the mayor's office to head Chicago's Department of Planning and Development.

The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did Valerie Jarrett become a mentor to the young Barack Obama, she soon became what Investors Business Daily called Obamas Rasputin, someone who had more security than our personnel did in Benghazi:

She receives more protection than our Libyan ambassador, calls the president by his first name, dines and vacations with the First Family and had the power to call off three strikes against Osama bin Laden.

Ambassador Chris Stevens did not have a Marine detail in Benghazi, Libya. But White House senior adviser and Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett reportedly had a full Secret Service detail on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. "Jarrett seems to have a 24-hour, around-the-clock detail, with five or six agents full time," Democratic pollster Pat Caddell said in an interview recently with Breitbart news. If Stevens had a similar escort, he'd probably be alive today. Such protection isn't usually available to senior advisers, but Jarrett is no ordinary adviser...

Indeed, she is not. She arguably has more influence over Obama than anyone with the possible exception of Michelle Obama herself. As IBD notes:

Her influence is shown by an account in Richard Miniter's book "Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him." It relates that at the urging of Jarrett, Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on three occasions before finally approving the May 2, 2011, Navy SEAL mission. Seems she was concerned about the possible political harm to Obama if the mission failed. Miniter writes that the president canceled the kill mission in January 2011, again in February and a third time in March, in each instance at the urging of Jarrett. Miniter cites a source within the Joint Special Operations Command who had direct knowledge of the operation and its planning. Edward Klein, author of the best-selling book about Obama, "The Amateur," once asked Obama if he ran every decision by Jarrett, and the president responded, "Absolutely." A former foreign editor of Newsweek and editor of the New York Times Magazine, Klein describes Jarrett as "ground zero in the Obama operation, the first couple's friend and consigliere."

Her power and influence extends to staffing by the White House to a virtual veto power over foreign policy decisions. Valerie Jarrett undoubtedly had significant input into President Obamas Munich-like deal with Iran, which kicks the nuclear can down the road to assured detonation over Israel, which Iran continues to threaten to wipe off the map when it is not wishing death to America. Her influence over President Obama is legendary:

The Iranian-born Jarrett (her parents were American-born expatriates) is the only staff member who regularly follows the president home from the West Wing to the residence and one of the few people allowed to call the president by his first name.

Noam Scheiber, writing in the November 9, 2014, New Republic, called Jarrett The Obama Whisperer, noting her power and influence and the fear she instilled in other staffers:

Even at this late date in the Obama presidency, there is no surer way to elicit paranoid whispers or armchair psychoanalysis from Democrats than to mention the name Valerie Jarrett. Party operatives, administration officialsthey are shocked by her sheer longevity and marvel at her influence. When I asked a longtime source who left the Obama White House years ago for his impressions of Jarrett, he confessed that he was too fearful to speak with me, even off the record. This is not as irrational as it sounds. Obama has said he consults Jarrett on every major decision, something current and former aides corroborate. Her role since she has been at the White House is one of the broadest and most expansive roles that I think has ever existed in the West Wing, says Anita Dunn, Obamas former communications director. Broader, even, than the role of running the West Wing. This summer, the call to send Attorney General Eric Holder on a risky visit to Ferguson, Missouri, was made by exactly three people: Holder himself, the president, and Jarrett, who were vacationing together on Marthas Vineyard. When I asked Holder if Denis McDonough, the chief of staff, was part of the conversation, he thought for a moment and said, He was not there. (Holder hastened to add that someone had spoken to him. Jarrett holds a key vote on Cabinet picks (she opposed Larry Summers at Treasury and was among the first Obama aides to come around on Hillary Clinton at State) and has an outsize say on ambassadorships and judgeships. She helps determine who gets invited to the First Ladys Box for the State of the Union, who attends state dinners and bill-signing ceremonies, and who sits where at any of the above. She has placed friends and former employees in important positions across the administration -- you can be my person over there, is a common refrain. And Jarrett has been known to enjoy the perks of high office herself. When administration aides plan bilats, the term of art for meetings of two countries top officials, they realize that whatever size meeting they negotiate -- nine by nine, eight by eight, etc. -- our side will typically include one less foreign policy hand, because Jarrett has a standing seat at any table that includes the president.

Apparently now she will also have a room and an office in his house. Valerie Jarretts hold over President Obama is as mysterious as it has proven dangerous. She is Obamas Rasputin and will have great influence as the former community organizer wages guerilla warfare from his Washington, D.C. bunker.

*corrected

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.
Why does the U.S. tax code contain a special encouragement for our taxpayers to transfer money to Mexico? Has consideration been given to using this provision as a bargaining chip in connection with our trade and immigration negotiations with Mexico?

Specifically, the Code creates a special provision with respect to cash transfers to residents of Mexico (with the same applicable to Canada) that are not available for transfers of funds to relatives living in any other country outside the U.S. According to IRS Publication 501, Table 5 on page 12, the (U.S. taxpayer's) eligible relatives include:

- Your child, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild). (A legally adopted child is considered your child.) - Your brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or stepsister. - Your father, mother, grandparent, or other direct ancestor, but not foster parent. Your stepfather or stepmother. - A son or daughter of your brother or sister. A son or daughter of your half brother or half sister. - A brother or sister of your father or mother. Your soninlaw, daughterinlaw, fatherinlaw, motherinlaw, brotherinlaw, or sisterinlaw. - Any of these relationships that were established by marriage aren't ended by death or divorce.

The provision allows the U.S. taxpayer to claim an exemption and deduct $4,050 from taxable income for such relatives living in Mexico, so long as the relative's gross income is less than $4,050 per year, and the U.S. taxpayer taking the exemption provides more than half the person's total support for the year.

The result of this special tax provision is certainly a greater outflow of funds from our country to Mexico than otherwise. These excess funds could be put to work in our own economy. U.S. tax revenue would increase, no longer suffering deductions each exemption claimed for dependents living in Mexico.

Remittances to Mexico from the U.S. exceed $25 billion per year. With Mexico's average household consisting of 3.8 members and household income averaging approximately $10,000 among its 120 million-strong population, it's easy to imagine the large number of legitimate family exemptions taken by relatives in the U.S., without even considering the opportunities for abuse in claiming such dependents living in Mexico. One may also wonder why, for example, support for relatives in Haiti or other poor countries is not offered the same tax advantages.

Harry Hunter is the pen name of a writer in Florida.
It appears to me that a trap has just sprung on the Democrats, and they need a fall guy. And we just got a huge clue as to who might be in the spotlight to take one for the team when it comes to culpability for covertly listening in on the conversations of the opposition party's presidential candidate.

Clarice Feldman explained the mess the Democrats created for themselves  what I am calling a trap  with her customary wit and brilliance on Sunday in "Trump: A Master Tactician Serves Filet After the Russian Souffle Collapses."

My explanation for their problems is that The Obama and Clinton Gangs were so sure of themselves and their media dominance that they went ahead and made charges of Russian "hacking" and "collusion" with the Trump campaign, based on surveillance of that campaign. President Trump let them work up their outrage until momentum in that direction left them no chance of reversal.

(screenchot via WND)

Then he made his historic, and much vilified as "unsupported," tweet about a wiretap at Trump Tower and changed the discussion.

Now the investigation will include the Watergate-like probability that conversations of Trump campaign officials were being listened to and the conversations leaked to the media. There is criminal liability to consider and the need to pin responsibility on someone. All skillful criminals (the ones who stay out of jail for the big crimes) understand the need for a fall guy.

This brings me to something truly extraordinary: an attorney general, just weeks out of office, posted a video calling for "marching," "blood," and "death."

The chief law enforcement officer of the United States calling for political violence!

Why would she do that, and why now?

Clarice Feldman suggested that the denials of any knowledge of wiretapping by James Comey and James Clapper leave lovely Loretta Lynch exposed. Somebody gave the nod. And met secretly with Bill Clinton in her private jet at Phoenix Airport.

So what does the barely-former AG do? She plays the race card.

It is still too early to have a lot of confidence in this reading of the murky waters of the Democrats internal power plays, but it does fit the pieces together pretty well.

Stay tuned.
In the midterm elections of 1974 following party leaders telling Richard Nixon he had to resign due to the Watergate scandal  and for the "good of the party"  the GOP lost 48 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, falling to only 144 GOP House members. They also lost 4 seats in the U.S. Senate, falling to 38 GOP members.

In the midterm elections of 1998, when the Democrats hung tough with a president during the height of a scandal about that president committing perjury in a federal court proceeding, the Democrats gained 5 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and lost zero seats in the U.S. Senate.

On these pages last fall, I argued that even "NeverTrumps" should hope he wins, in part, because all the institutions of the government and society would work against Trump, but those same institutions would roll over for Hillary Clinton. While I expected even some people in the GOP to work against President Trump, Republicans, especially members of Congress, should think very, very hard about those numbers above.

It's understandable that they may not like this outsider president. Sure, it is a blow to one's ego for a non-professional to come into your business and take the top spot. And being a part of the Washington elite, they do not want to cede power to an outsider.

Of course, the Democrats, particularly those in Congress, will want to work against the policies of President Trump and try to taint his administration to stop it from getting much done. It is not their role to be the baseline support for a GOP president. It is their role to work against a president of the opposite party. They naturally do not want more than a minimum number of successes for the president, as that would likely harm their future electoral prospects. They are also likely to be genuinely against many of the proposals of a GOP president.

GOP members of Congress may be tempted by something like the recent kerfuffle involving Jeff Sessions talking to the Russians to join the Democrats and fellow members of the political class in working to taint the Trump administration. When they are tempted in this way, GOP members of Congress need to ask themselves, What reduces my power more? President Trump getting some of his agenda passed or me losing my next re-election campaign? GOP members of Congress need to ask themselves, Is it worth losing my seat to deter future outsiders from running?

Each midterm election is different, and we have only a couple of observations. Still, if you are a GOP member of Congress hoping to hold on to that body, you would do well not to abandon a president of your party on trivial issues of the day. I would never say a member of a party should not abandon a president of his party no matter what the president does, but I will just point out that if you find that you must abandon your president, it will be at the risk of your seat and your party's seats in Congress.

I would also remind GOP members of Congress that the people across the aisle did not let perjury in a federal court case by a president of their party cause them to abandon him. For me, if this is to be a one-sided moral decision, that raises the bar required to get me to abandon a president of my party.
The Showtime weekly serial money drama Billions has a premise that diverges from the usual cable or broadcast TV fare: both sides of the cat-and-mouse equation are flawed. And both sides are equally shrewd and game-worthy.

Emmy Award-winning Paul Giamatti plays the sclerotic, win-at-all-costs U.S. attorney G-man in search of crushing "Axe," the head-bending honcho of Axe Enterprises, played by the equally intense British actor/profucer Damien Lewis, so extraordinary in the early seasons of Homeland.

The shrewd, conniving, and insight-laden story hails, creator and brilliant wordsmith Andrew Ross Sorkin has stated, from true-life adversarial parallels. The show marries always compelling high finance with deep legal and primate-level back-room stabbing with front-office gloved poison handshakes.

The characters are fully fleshed out, including the men and women in the investment house Axe runs and the auxiliary deputies under Giamatti, who has "never lost a case" against a hedge fund manager  is 81 to 0. Until the brick wall of Bobby Axelrod, that is.

The protagonists reveal kinks of various sorts, some of the acronymic and alphabetic variety, evidencing few scruples in or out of the bedroom or dungeon. For its part, the crackling dialogue is visceral and heavy on the scatology and R-rating elements. There is also the occasional nude scene and the like.

Despite the even-steven distribution of signature Sorkin (not to be confused with Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing)* snark and nark, of opportunism and hard-gloss predator/prey business "ethics," our bet is on Axe, as the more resourceful or calculatingly cool of the two chief antagonists in this opera buffa that compels watching. Like an ice-cube chess or poker player, Lewis seems always three steps ahead of the competition. He dispenses wisdom to underlings and androgynous office like a modern-day Yoda without the verbal tics.

Rhoades's psychiatrist soon to be ex-wife, Wendy, played by Gimlet-eyed Maggie Siff, flourishes a commanding Lady Macbethian role in both halves of the action, as she masterminds and delineates how the characters can overcome their potentially ruinous "weaknesses" to succeed in the prey-eat-prey world these men and women occupy. Both wives are a study in dominant, hyper-brainy take-no-prisoners ceiling breakers.

The Giamatti character is determined to maneuver down and humiliate or bust the elusive Axe character, sacrificing sanity and sense in his all-hands efforts at chicanery. Axe's wife, Lara, an exceptional take by actor Malin Ackerman, as clever as she is beautiful, gives a run for the money in astute shrewdness matching her husband's.

Though characters on both sides of the ethics divide have children, the focus is unrelentingly on adults and their convoluted dystopian games and schemes.

Once upon a time, movies were where we went for excitement and suspense, down and dirty shenanigans, and chiaroscuran Machiavellian plots. Now, as my brother once pointed out in defense of TV today, long-run series on the tube develop stunning story arcs and depth of field, bringing us back week after teeming week to these tarnished beings who speak more brilliantly than their counterparts in real life (IRL) would, but tipping us in on the undersides of how such men and women amass their fortunes  and their ashen or ebullient destinies.

The action is both cerebral and tactical, rewarding investment in the Sunday-night-hour commitment. Season three is no drop-down disappointment in a scrambling, hothouse wild ride you can't turn away from, once you swallow the basics.

Worth a look-see for intensity, market thinking, behind-the-scenes Sargasso plot machinations. Decades ago, this savage and subtle battle between antagonists in "law" versus "business" would have been adjudged too flinty for public consumption. We have grown into this claw and talon scenario such that we don't automatically dismiss any of it as unlikely or farfetched. Billions is likely, and very fetching. It's even more a documented, scubbled mirror for our perilous times.

Billions is the tribute greed pays to faux hardball politesse.

*corrected
An official with the Department of Homeland Security told reporters on Monday that the FBI is investigating approximately 300 refugees for ties to terrorism. He also said the Bureau is investigating more than 1,000 individuals who may have been inspired or motivated by the Islamic State.

Daily Caller:

Two terrorist attacks by Somali refugees have injured more than 20 Americans in the past year. The DHS also pointed Monday to the case of another Somali refugee who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2014 for trying to set off a bomb at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore. The announcement from the DHS official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, came as President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would temporarily stop refugee admittances for 120 days. More than 4,300 refugees have entered the country in the past month since a federal judge blocked Trumps previous order stopping refugee entry. This new executive order will be effective on March 16, and during the halt in refugee entry, the government will review vetting procedures. Unlike the previous executive order, the one signed Monday has no indefinite ban on Syrian refugee entry.

Those are astonishing numbers. And what isn't clear is if any of those 300 refugees is already in the country. When the Obama administration cut the vetting time for refugees from 18 months to 3 months, there was concern that some refugees allowed into the U.S. would be inadequately vetted. Indeed, then-senator Jeff Sessions, now attorney general, released a staff report last year that stated that at least 40 refugees allowed into the U.S. have since been implicated in terrorist activities.

No vetting procedure can be 100% effective. No one is asking for or expects that. But going the extra mile to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the United States should be among the highest priorities of government. Considering that president Obama appeared more concerned with appearances regarding American "compassion" and "generosity" rather than with keeping us safe, the proposed change in attitude by the Trump administration is welcome.
Republicans on Capitol Hill unveiled their long awaited alternative to Obamacare, repealing most of the bill's more odious provisions while keeping some popular parts of the original bill.

But the bill faces an uncertain future in Congress. Conservatives in the House are sharpening their knives to defeat it, while some Senate Republicans are strongly objecting to getting rid of the Medicaid expansion contained in the original Obamacare bill.

Reuters:

Several Senate and House conservatives have already expressed doubt about another aspect of the plan, the offering of tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. The proposal seeks to encourage people to buy insurance with the age-based credits, which would be capped at upper-income levels. The legislation would abolish the current income-based subsidies for purchasing insurance under Obamacare. The proposal would protect two of the most popular provisions of Obamacare. It would prohibit insurers from denying coverage or charging more to those with pre-existing conditions, and it would allow adults up to age 26 to remain on their parents' health plans. Trump has long supported by both ideas. The measure would also provide states with $100 billion to create programs for patient populations, possibly including high-risk pools to provide insurance to the sickest patients. The overall cost of the Republican plan, a key issue in a time of high federal deficits, was not yet known, Republican aides said. Two House committees will next review the plan. Craig Garthwaite of Northwestern University said the proposed tax credits, which would range from $2,000 to $4,000, were "frankly not enough for a low-income person to afford insurance." Republicans said the legislation would give Americans the flexibility to make their own healthcare choices, free of Obamacare's mandate that people buy health insurance and the law's taxes, including a surtax on investment income earned by upper-income Americans. "Our legislation transfers power from Washington back to the American people," House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said in a statement. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, however, that "Trumpcare doesnt replace the Affordable Care Act, it forces millions of Americans to pay more for less care." "Paying for all this is going to be a big issue," said Joe Antos of the American Enterprise Institute think tank. "It's possible that CBO (the Congressional Budget Office) is going to say the Medicaid reductions aren't enough to offset the revenue losses from repealing all the taxes." A hospital group voiced disappointment that lawmakers were willing to consider the measure without knowing how much it cost or how it might affect healthcare coverage.

The push-pull in the Republican Party over Obamacare has always been between those who want total repeal of the bill and those who want to maintain certain popular pieces of the program. The divide reflects those who wish to repeal Obamacare for ideological reasons and those who fear a political backlash from those citizens who may lose their insurance or pay a lot more for it.

At the moment, the two sides are light-years apart and without strong leadership from the White House, the effort may crash and burn in the most embarrassing fashion.

Gone will be the individual mandate  something that every Republican supports. And several of Obamacare's taxes also has the support to be repealed. Less controversial but still to be determined is the mandate against penalizing people with pre-existing conditions. That may be replaced by some kind of risk pool that insurance companies will pay into  with help from the federal government.

Perhaps the most contentious issue will be Medicaid expansion, where about 10 million Americans were able to sign up for the Medicaid insurance program. But that number is deceiving. Up to two thirds of "new" Medicaid clients in the states were eligible for the program even before the Medicaid expansion passed Congress. Presumably, they will continue to be eligible in any replacement bill.

The theory is that freeing insurance companies to offer a much wider variety of plans  without mandates on birth control, mental health, and substance abuse coverage among others  will make policies far less expensive and more available. If that happens, the $2,000-4,000 tax credits will cover a substantial portion of a family's health insurance bill. But no one currently knows if that will be the case. It will be up to the CBO to "score" the GOP bill and perhaps take a shot at estimating whether the tax credits will be enough so that most Americans will still be covered under their insurance plans.

About the best that can be said of this bill is that it's a start. But both Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell have their work cut out for them. Cobbling together a majority in both chambers will be their greatest challenge in the new Congress. It will also be the hardest test for President Trump and his team in his first term.
President Trump takes a lot of flak for his tweeting, but a prominent liberal New York Times columnist may face more than criticism. Could the N.Y. Times' Nicholas Kristoff's tweet asking anyone at the IRS to criminally leak Trump's tax return be solicitation of a felony?

But if you're in IRS and have a certain president's tax return that you'd like to leak, my address is: NYT, 620 Eighth Ave, NY NY 10018. https://t.co/ujYe100Tn9  Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) March 6, 2017

The solicitation of a crime usually carries penalties equivalent to the crime itself. Here is a black letter-type explanation of solicitation, which suggests that a tweet qualifies, although that may or may not have been adjudicated anywhere:

A person is guilty of solicitation to commit a crime if, with the purpose of promoting or facilitating its commission, he commands, encourages or requests another person to engage in specific conduct which would constitute such crime or an attempt to commit such crime or which would establish his complicity in its commission or attempted commission. It is immaterial that the actor fails to communicate with the person he solicits to commit a crime if his conduct was designed to effect such a communication.

With the Department of Justice now back in the business of enforcing the law against even liberals, perhaps we will be reading more about this solicitation in the future.
The media are all wee-wee'd up (as Barack Obama would say) over Donald Trump's charge that Obama spied on him at Trump Tower. They trotted out old James Clapper, a man who perjured himself before Congress while lying about government spying on the American people, to deny Trump's claim that Obama spied on him.

Does anybody remember former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson? BHO's people bugged her computer.

How about when the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records? According to Mother Jones, a notoriously leftist publication:

Federal regulations require that the attorney general personally approve such a move, ensure the request is narrow and necessary, and notify the news organization about the request  in advance whenever possible. In this case, however, the Justice Department seems to have used an indiscriminate vacuum-cleaner approach  seeking information (from phone companies) about a wide range of phone numbers used by AP reporters  and it only notified AP after the fact.

The FBI also seized the records of the Washington Post and New York Times in just as cavalier a fashion.

Wikileaks says the U.S. spied on the French president, and, in point of fact, the NSA is also accused of spying on the presidents of Brazil and Mexico.

In point of fact, the Obama people ran something called the PRISM program in which the National Security Agency spied on Americans in general.

I suppose we are going at this backwards. The question is not if the Obama camp spied on Trump, but rather whom they did not spy on. It got so bad that Obama had to promise the heads of multiple nations he would stop spying on them. How on God's green earth are we supposed to believe that Obama did not bug Trump Tower when he has bugged everyone else?

The great scandal of Watergate was not the break-in, but the attempt to wiretap a political opponent, and yet the media, once drunk with power over bringing down Richard Nixon, now sneer at accusations of the same.

Read more from Tim and friends at The Aviary  www.tbirdnow.mee.nu.
To hear left's "narrative," President Trump conspired with Russia's de facto Tsar Vladimir Putin in a deal with the devil to win the U.S. election. It's now the Black Legend of their politics  not just a bid to delegitimize Trump's presidency, but a justification for any dirty political deed to undercut him  from falsely claiming the election was "hacked" to strikes at Trump's lieutenants to the release of a repulsive phony dossier to embarrass him. By the logic of the narrative itself, Trump owes Putin Chicago-style favors and is therefore under his thumb as a pawn and takes his orders.

Turns out, it's complete garbage.

This morning, RT News reports:

The US has begun to deploy its advanced THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea, despite angry opposition from Russia and China. The step comes after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles toward Japan as part of an exercise targeting US bases there. According to US Pacific Command, the first elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system arrived at Osan airbase in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Tuesday. Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea, US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in a statement, as cited by Reuters.

RT goes on to report that Trump's action comes at the desperate request of our top ally, Japan, one the U.S. is treaty-bound to defend if it is under threat.

Trump's order honors that treaty, reassures Japan, sends a message to the world that our allies are not to be messed with, unsheaths a sharp weapon for North Korea, and puts U.S. interests first, even as potential new partners, such as Russia, voice angry objections as an act at odds with their own interests.

Well, guess what: Trump's deployment shows that America's interests come first. Trump not only keeps that promise to us, but shows a phenomenal capacity to tell Russia and China no. This comes even as he has expressed a strong and repeated interest in making new partnerships with them on critical tasks such as fighting Middle Eastern terrorism. This is what Big Dogs do, and Trump has just shown he is the Big Dog.

There's just America First. Led by a strong, independent, unilateral leader who takes orders from no one. Do the Democrats feel like fools now? They should. Their precious narrative has just gone down in flames with missile deployment in the Pacific.
BUTTE  Sen. Steve Daines' office said the bill released by Congressional Republicans Monday repealing much of the Affordable Care Act preserves special provisions written into Obamacare to protect victims of asbestos-related disease in Libby.

Daines, R-Montana, was engaged in conversations over the weekend about the Libby benefits with key Republicans in Congress, according to his staff. On Monday his office released a letter he wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan asking them to preserve the Libby patients status.

On Sunday, Lee Newspapers reported that in 2009 when the Affordable Care Act was being constructed, then-Sen. Max Baucus of Montana used his position as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to write in special provisions for more than 2,000 people in Libby who are suffering from asbestos-related disease.

Those provisions include ongoing health screening for citizens in the town, which was contaminated by a vermiculite mine with asbestos-tainted ore that operated for more than half a century. In addition, Obamacare gave Medicare benefits to Libby asbestos victims, regardless of age and created a pilot program that offers wide-ranging patient care not covered by Medicare.

Daines and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, had been contacted by Libby residents worried that the provisions Baucus wrote into the Act would die if it was repealed. Both expressed support for the victims in Libby. Tester said a full repeal of Obamacare would end the Libby provisions, but said a partial repeal might not.

The legislation revealed by Republicans in Congress Monday is a partial repeal, preserving key pieces of Obamacare including allowing people to be covered on their parents plans until age 26 and preventing insurance companies from refusing to cover people with preexisting medical conditions.

It is far from law and has already come under fire from Republicans concerned that it does not go far enough and from more moderate Republicans who said it may not do enough to protect current Medicaid patients coverage.

Because the bill does not specifically mention the Libby provisions, Daines office said that means those provisions are preserved.

In the letter to the Republican leaders, Daines wrote, I wanted to bring your attention to provisions impacting workers and residents of Libby, Montana that are unrelated to the heart of Obamacare but yet were included in that law.  I ask that you retain these provisions.

A Tester spokesperson said Monday evening that his legislative team was still analyzing the bill.

Following six years of asking to see a replacement plan, Jon is going to take his time in reviewing this important billa bill released moments ago crafted in backrooms with armed guards keeping members of both parties out of the process,'' said Tester aide Luke Jackson.

"After traveling across Montana and meeting face-to-face with hundreds of Montanans this year about the future of their health care, Jon hopes any replacement plan includes the same access to health care for Libby residents and all Montanans that the Affordable Care Act has ensured from the beginning,'' Jackson said.
CNN just published the results of an outright espionage operation against the Trump White House, by pointing a vibration-sensitive camera at the window of the Oval Office. This is an espionage technique, and it is obviously a major violation of national security laws. CNN is gambling that any arrested "journalists" (spies) can be turned into martyrs against the Trump White House.

One obvious move is to have the perps arrested (which has to be done at some point). But a much better strategy is to turn the CNN stunt against the network.

First of all, the Oval Office has to be protected against this well known method of eavesdropping. That can be done with an acoustical wall, easily enough. Additional secret protections are needed.

But I would strongly suggest turning CNN's treasonous behavior against it. A big sign on an acoustical wall outside the Oval Office should simply say, in red letters:

STOP CNN ANTI-AMERICAN SPYING.

The media will be forced to show that sign every time they want to photograph the Oval Office.

This is psy-war. Trump has understood that all along. The answer to psy-war is both psy-defense and psy-offense.
Over the last week 45 days, "anonymous" has become the word of the moment. Over and over, we've read that an anonymous source said this or that a senior official reported that. I did not know that we had that many senior officials in Washington, D.C. We could start downsizing government by releasing all of these senior officials who apparently know so much!

To be fair, anonymous sources are essential to expose corruption in high places. They are not a good source to promote a political agenda or to give those who lost the election an opportunity to embarrass those who won.

On this basis, we learned about a Russia-Trump connection that no one can prove. Director Comey recommended that DOJ not take President Trump's wiretapping charges seriously. How can the director of the FBI speak that way about the president of the U.S.?

It's enough to drive an honest person mad. For example, why doesn't Director Comey come out and confirm the story? Otherwise, is it too much for me to conclude that this is another hit piece against President Trump?

The media either are tone-deaf or do not understand that they are playing a weak hand. It's not that President Trump has a strong hand. Instead, it is that the media lack credibility, as David Zurawik wrote over the weekend:

What I am deeply concerned about is the way the media have been covering him and, in some cases, feeding that worst-ever narrative. Trump is being treated unfairly in some parts of the mainstream media, and unless we deal with it honestly and openly, we are the ones who will wind up losing credibility even as we point our fingers at Trump for his lies. What tipped the balance on writing this column was the over-the-top reaction to Sean Spicer, Trump's press secretary, excluding some reporters from an informal, off-camera briefing Feb. 24 called a gaggle. The word "unprecedented" was used along with the idea that Trump had gone where no modern president ever has by allowing his press secretary to exclude the New York Times, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BuzzFeed and others from the session. Dean Baquet, executive editor of the Times, set the tone, writing: "Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties," "The decision struck veteran White House journalists as unprecedented in the modern era," correspondents Dylan Byers, Sara Murray, and Kevin Liptak wrote in a reaction piece at CNN Money. Even my own paper joined the chorus in the wake of Spicer's gaggle.

Mr. Zurawil then goes to detail how the Obama administration targeted Fox and even other reporters. In other words, it did not start with Trump. There were plenty of examples under President Obama, but too many in the media just closed their ears and did the "hope and change."

And this is why I say the media have a weak hand. You don't have to be a genius to see that the media did not cover the Obama presidency aggressively or care much for journalism for eight years.

The media have a little housecleaning to do. They won't gain the respect of most Americans until they do that. Just check CNN's ratings!

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Brautigamseiche,

Dodauer Forst,

23701 Eutin, Germany

If you write a letter addressed to the address above, it will end up in knothole of an oak tree in the Dodauer Forst forest near Eutin in Germany. In the past hundred years, thousands of people have written to this tree, and reportedly hundreds have had their wishes fulfilled the wish of finding ones love partner.

Photo credit: Holger.Ellgaard/Wikimedia

The oak tree, known as the Bridegroom's Oak, is over five hundred years old. Legend has it that the tree was planted as a gesture of thanks by the son of a Celtic chieftain after he had been tied to a tree in the forest and was released by a Christian girl. Historians believe there is no truth in the legend, and it was invented by Christian missionaries to encourage pagan worship of oak trees. But the incident that gave the tree its name, and started the tradition of writing love letters is not a fable.

More than a hundred years ago, there was a girl named Ohrt, who was in love with the son of a Leipzig chocolate maker, Schutte-Felsche. The girls father, the head forester, disapproved of the relationship, so they secretly exchanged letters by leaving them in the hole in the tree's trunk. Eventually, Herr Ohrt gave in and the couple got married under the tree on June 2, 1891.

The story of the tree spread by word of mouth, and within years people began to write letters hoping to find their love partners, and dropped them into the hole. The tree became so popular that in 1927 the German postal department assigned the tree its own post code so that people from all across the country could write to the tree. By then the trees fame had spread so far and wide that it started receiving letters from all over the world.

The hole in the trunk is located about 3 meters off the ground and can be reached by a wooden ladder. Its a public letter boxanyone can open, read, take or answer the letters.

Over the decades, the tree has taken on the role of a matchmaker of sorts. More than a hundred marriages have been reportedly brought about by the Bridegroom's Oak. Karl Heinz Martens, a retired postal worker who delivered mail to the tree for more than 20 years, himself met his wife after she wrote him a letter, mailed to the Oak.

In 2009, the oak itself was symbolically married to the Himmelgeist Chestnut, a horse-chestnut in Dusseldorf, the second tree in Germany to have its own postal address.

The Bridegroom's Oak still receives about five to six letters a day.

Related: The Tree That Owns Itself

A wedding party under the tree, circa 1900. Photo credit: unknown/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Holger.Ellgaard/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Hans Wolters/Panoramio

Photo credit: Rita/Panoramio

Photo credit: Armin von Werner/Wikimedia

The Himmelgeist Chestnut, Bridegroom's Oak's bride, located 503 km away from it. Photo credit: Lydia A./Wikimedia

Plaque reporting the marriage of the Bridegroom's Oak. Photo credit: Holger.Ellgaard/Wikimedia

Sources: Wikipedia / The Atlantic
HELENA  In a convention Monday night, Montana Republicans picked Republican businessman Greg Gianforte as their nominee for the special congressional election in May.

Gianforte was picked after a single round of voting, securing 150.5 votes by 8:45 p.m. in one round of voting Monday night. Candidates needed 123 to win; fractional votes are due to weighting by county population.

We are going to bring our conservative values to return liberty and freedom to Montana and this country, Gianforte said after winning. We will make America great again.

Last year Gianforte entered the world of politics in a bid against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who won re-election in November with 50 percent of the vote to Gianforte's 46 in Montana's most expensive gubernatorial race. He is a Bozeman businessman who started the technology firm RightNow Technologies, which sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion.

Montana is in need of a representative to fill its lone seat in the U.S. House after former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke resigned March 1, minutes after being confirmed as Secretary of the Interior.

Bullock has set a special election date of May 25, the earliest possible. In picking the date, Bullock said he wanted the vote quickly and not the 100 days allowed after Zinkes resignation because Montana has no other representation in the House. Zinke had not voted since Jan. 5, a little less than a month after being named President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Interior.

To get into the candidate pool, hopefuls had to pay a filing fee of $1,740 to the Montana Republican Party, get support from at least 10 members of Republican central committees in at least five counties around the state and meet age and citizenship requirements.

Gianforte beat out five other candidates, including state Rep. Carl Glimm, from Kila; state Rep. Ed Buttrey, from Great Falls; Ken Miller, a former state senator from Laurel; Dean Rehbein, a Missoula contractor; and Samuel Redfern, who runs a nonprofit in Missoula.

In a five-minute speech before the first round of ballots was cast, Gianforte quickly aligned himself with President Donald Trump, who he spoke little about during his campaign for governor this past fall. We need to back Donald Trump and keep this seat in Republican hands.

Gianforte told delegates the country needed to defend its border and not allow Montana communities to become sanctuary cities. He also said the U.S. needs to stop bad trade deals and protect our sovereignty and took digs at the Democrats nominee, musician Rob Quist, who was picked the night before through a similar process at the same hotel.

We dont need to send Nancy Pelosi a court musician who wants to socialize medicine, Gianforte said. He also called Quist an out-of-touch liberal who wants to create a national gun registry.

Gianfortes campaign has said polling shows he holds a double-digit lead over Quist and has 84 percent name recognition statewide.

In response, Quist communications director Tina Olechowski shot back at Gianforte.

"Rob Quist comes from a ranching-farming family where guns are a way of life ... He supports the Second Amendment and will not support any legislation that does not align with Montana's values."

Olechowski also said Quist is "running to fight for the right of every Montanan to have access to affordable health care and fix the health care system for Montana's veterans."

Democrats are trying to paint the race as a referendum on Trump, who has seen his approval rating plummet after his inauguration Jan. 20, with the most recent Gallup poll putting it at 43 percent. Georgia is also holding a special election, set for June, to replace former Rep. Tom Price, a Republican who is now the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The races are already getting national media coverage as well as money. The Hill, a Washington, D.C., based news outlet, reported Monday the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, spent $700,000 on an ad attacking Quist.

Gianforte said Montana has already spoken when it comes to Trump, who won the state with 56 percent of the vote.

Montana has a choice. We can either put someone in our lone house seat to advance the Trump train or we can pick someone who will fight against Donald Trump."

That sentiment rang true with at least one of his supporters, a proxy delegate from Beaverhead County.

Ron Johnson, of Dillon, said he supported Gianforte in the governors race and does so now too. Wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, the former four-term chairman of the Beaverhead County Republican Central Committee said he wants Gianforte in Montanas congress seat so that hell work with Trump.

It hurts me were spending all of this time on both sides fighting and not doing what needs to be done for this country, Johnson said. We need to work together to get the job done.

Republicans gathered at the same hotel where Democrats picked political newcomer Quist as their candidate to fill the vacant seat the day before. Though new to candidacy, Quist is a well-known musician who toured with the Mission Mountain Wood Band for years.

Mark Chase, a delegate from Columbus, said the decision after the first round of voting shows that the state Republican party is united.

"When somebody wins an election on one vote and they said it would take three, that shows he's got Republican support." In years past, Republicans at the statewide level have struggled to bring together the more conservative wing of the party with moderate Republicans who have voted with Democrats on some issues.

Montana Republican Party Chair Jeff Essmann, who is also a state representative from Billings, told delegates before the first round of voting that each candidate pledged to him they'd support whoever became the nominee.
Report cards have been a bated-breath experience for students as they awaited their grades and parents' reactions.

Those days are gone, said Poly Drive Elementary Principal Kevin Croff.

"A report card should never, ever hold surprises  ever," he told Billings Public School trustees on Monday. "If a student is struggling, we need to be honest with parents early on."

As new technology makes grade communication easier and teachers focus more on nimbly adjusting their instruction to target a student's needs, Billings elementary schools plan to use trimester report cards next year, trimming one round from the four currently issued.

The decision is the product of several years' review by principals and discussions among students and parents.

Croff said that he expects the move to trim "days worth of work over the course of a year" for teachers, with much of it being paperwork. That frees up more time for student instruction, and it aligns better with standardized testing the district does three times a year.

"We can spend more time learning with students and not having to continually assess them all the time," said Poly Drive kindergarten teacher Tiffany Bell.

Her students take specific assessments three times per year designed to show their strengths and weaknesses, feedback that helps teachers adjust their instruction. However, testing is also time consuming and may involve one-on-one components that remove a student from regular instruction.

There's also a variety of smaller tasks that are, effectively, assessments  worksheets, in-class questions, projects and unit-focused tests and quizzes. Those combine to make up a grade, and having four grading periods means more overall assessment time than three.

So why not nix report cards altogether?

"I think it just helps hold teachers accountable to make sure we're staying on track and meeting the (state) standards," Bell said.

Karen Norsworthy, who currently has kids in elementary, middle and high school in Billings, participated in early discussions about moving to trimester reports. A strong selling point for her was a later first report card.

"You hit the end of the first quarter, and it's almost like you just started school," she said. "So much of the beginning of the year has been spent reviewing and that sort of thing ... (a trimester) makes that first assessment a more honest assessment."

Norsworthy, who operates a preschool, previously taught elementary school in California and Illinois. She said while parents have more varied access to students' grades today, report cards are still important.

"That's also on the parents" to check grades, she said, "and it doesn't always happen across the board."
Big Sky Economic Development and GE Capital officials have reached a proposed lease settlement of the Big Skys Center of Excellence building in the West End as the company prepares to remove its operations.

Steve Arveschoug, BSED director, briefed Yellowstone County commissioners on the proposed agreement Monday during a discussion meeting. Arveschoug said the BSED board, which has given preliminary approval, is expected to give final approval at its Thursday meeting.

Were being made whole, Arveschoug said.

The lease buyout expects a January 2018 exit, with GE being obligated for lease payments through January 2021, he said.

GE would provide BSED a lump sum of $3.8 million, based on 37 months, with the money to cover debt service and maintenance and operation costs, Arveschoug said. The payment also would include increased insurance for three years of a vacant building.

In addition, GE will provide up to $600,000 to retrofit the 40,000-square-foot building for a future tenant and be paid on a reimbursement basis, he said.

Arveschoug said he is working to get approval of the proposal from the lenders, which are the Montana Board of Investments and Stockman Bank.

Total debt remaining after 37 months will be about $4 million, a debt BSED must continue to pay. The term runs through 2034.

BSED owns the building on 3333 Hesper Road, which it built for $9.3 million in 2009 specifically for GE. The company also received about $1.75 million in incentives, mostly funded by taxpayers, to expand in Billings.

The GE Center employed about 200 workers at its peak, had an annual average payroll of about $9 million and generated about $95 million in economic activity through its operations and spin-off jobs.

In 2015, GE announced it was divesting itself of GE Capital. And last November, GE Capital sold a portion of its assets to Wells Fargo and to the Bank of Montreal.

Of the 160 jobs remaining, Arveschoug said about 50 jobs each are being absorbed locally by Wells Fargo and by Bank of Montreal.

The remaining 60 jobs will be ending at various times this year, with employees receiving a severance package, he said.

BSEDs job is to repurpose the building and is working to find a new tenant, Arveschoug said.

Dan Schwarz, chief deputy county attorney, said a new tenant would be able to use the remaining two years of a 10-year property tax incentive the county had granted GE. The tax break is transferrable and could be used as incentive for a new tenant, he said.
In addition to a presentation about Artspace, Billings City Council members will hear Monday from their man in Helena and learn about capital, equipment and technology investments planned for the coming fiscal year and beyond.

Mondays work session begins at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers of Billings City Hall, 220 N. 27th St.

In his report, Ed Bartlett, the citys lobbyist, noted that bills on infrastructure, local option tax, additional judges and library support are still alive as the Montana Legislature reconvened Monday following its transmittal break. The city supports each of the bills, Bartlett said.

City Attorney Brent Brooks will tell the council about his memo supporting the citys authority to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.

In his conclusion, Brooks says that the city can regulate medical marijuana establishments directly or indirectly through zoning regulations, local boards of health, fire and building regulations, etc.

Any regulation or prohibition by the city of activities related to the medical use of marijuana does not preclude individuals from obtaining medical marijuana by other means than a dispensary located within the city limits of Billings," Brooks wrote.

Theres no Montana precedent on the issue, according to Brooks, and the issue has not been directly addressed by the Montana Supreme Court.

Capital improvements

Also on Mondays agenda are presentations on draft plans for capital improvements, equipment replacement and technology replacement.

The draft 2018-22 Capital Improvement Plan calls for spending about $328 million over five years on 176 projects. Nearly two-thirds of the spending will be on public works projects, with another $87 million worth of projects planned at Billings Logan International Airport.

During the 2017-18 fiscal year, about $88 million worth of projects are planned. About $79 million will be spent on public works projects, including the citys new wastewater treatment plant.

A public hearing and council action is scheduled for March 27.

The Equipment Replacement Plan includes 73 recommended replacements valued at about $6.6 million. Next years plan calls for about $16.9 million for equipment replacement.

Technology to be replaced includes computers, tablets, laptops, servers, software license renewals, printers, the city council and Municipal Court sound system, as well as specialized equipment, such as radios and GPS data collectors.

The plan calls for about spending about $829,000 during the 2017-18 fiscal year, down about $177,000 from the previous year.

During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the 11-member ERP committee will request about $1.2 million in equipment replacement spending, according to its report.
Officials in Billings will break ground on Tuesday on a 30-unit low-income housing project in The Heights.

Pinned as "affordable workforce housing," the complex will focus on people who make 40 percent to 60 percent of the area median income, said Lucy Brown, executive director of the Housing Authority of Billings.

With the median household income in Yellowstone County at about $48,641, that means it is aimed at serving people who make $19,000 to $29,000 annually.

It will be called the Red Fox Apartments.

The Authority is the developer on the project, which will include seven four-plexes and a duplex. Of the roughly 2,000 applicants on the organization's waiting list, most are looking for one- and two-bedroom units.

Brown said that tax credits awarded by the state helped to boost the project's scope.

"We've had a lot of new housing built in the area, but it's not affordable," she said.

The Montana Board of Housing approved about $3.4 million in competitive tax credits to the housing authority in 2016. The board claimed the project would bring 65 construction jobs and $2.7 million in wages and salaries.

In addition to the state credits, Brown said the Red Fox project will take advantage of money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other incentives.

The Housing Authority of Billings runs about 481 units in Billings. It also manages other tenants, like those who use Section 8 vouchers with private landlords.

There are also private entities that manage other affordable housing spaces.

Billings has a huge need for affordable housing, and were the largest city in the state, so we do have more low income folks than any other area in the state," Brown said. "So they're very competitive and Billings has to fight hard to get those moneys."

Gov. Steve Bullock and Mayor Tom Hanel are scheduled to attend Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony, as well as officials from the Montana Department of Commerce and the Housing Authority of Billings.

It will take place at the job site, 332 Sioux Lane, at 1 p.m.
Assyrian Genocide Documentary to Be Aired in Cyprus

Stockholm (AINA) -- Cypriotic state broadcaster CYBY has announced it will air the documentary film "Seyfo 1915 - The Assyrian Genocide" on March 8 on the RIK2 channel. The documentary had its premiere in 2015, marking the centennial commemoration of the Assyrian genocide. The film sparked headlines in 2016 when it was revealed the Turkish embassy in Sweden had tried to persuade Swedish channel TV4 not to air it (AINA 2016-04-26). The official Turkish policy is built on denial of genocide claims by Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.

The documentary was directed by Assyrian filmmaker Aziz Said of Germany and produced by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden; it has been screened in theaters across Europe, raising awareness about the Assyrian genocide.
The fear mongering about the integrity of Montanas elections needs to stop. There have been no confirmed cases of voter fraud in Big Sky Country. County election administrators work with the Montana secretary of state to see to it that voting  by mail or at the polls  is secure.

Montana has had a statewide voter-registration database that includes all 56 counties for the past decade. Since 2006, the system has evolved with plenty of checks and balances.

When a person registers to vote, they give their drivers license number or last four digits of their Social Security number and a birth date. Those numbers must be confirmed in the statewide system with records from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Motor Vehicles to register the voter.

If a voter moves, the next county verifies their information again. The database updates automatically, moving the voters registration from place to place. Polling place registers are printed from the system which shows those who have asked to vote by mail. That way, no one can vote twice.

Voter rolls rechecked

The information in the system is checked and kept current by confirming it with other records. Voters who have died are removed from the rolls using information from the state Office of Vital Statistics. The list of felons from the state Department of Corrections is used to catch those whose right to vote has been revoked.

At the polls, voters have to show identification to get a ballot. Montanas ID laws are stricter than many other states.

Mail ballots are marked and sealed in a security envelope. The security envelope is inserted in the affirmation envelope and sent back to the election office, where the signature on the envelope is verified by comparing it to a digitized copy of their original voter registration cards signature.

Once a ballot has been accepted, the database wont allow the same person to cast another vote.

After the polls close, ballots are taken out of secure boxes and counted. County commissioners check the results. People from both parties audit machine-counted ballots manually in at least one precinct in every county. The secretary of state certifies the results.

The public can observe all election processes and voters can confirm that their ballots have been counted.

Montana has held mail elections for smaller districts and local governments since 1983 without problems. Voting at the polls or by mail in the state is efficient, safe and secure.

So why the big flap about voter fraud? Montanas GOP chairman, the states chief election officer and leaders in the Legislature are digging in their heels. Theyre resisting the reasonable request of county taxpayers to save money by having a mail election to Ryan Zinkes replacement.

Heel draggers in Helena

Montana counties already had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more than expected for the 2016 election because ballots had to be reprinted. Now, theres no money in the budget for a special U.S. House election. Counties will still have to pay for the May 25 election, forcing them to rob Peter to pay Paul.

The heel draggers have forgotten who they are supposed to represent. They work for taxpayers and should answer to those folks who pay the bills before they go spouting half-cocked allegations about voter fraud and spread fear and distrust of an election system that is not broken.

Taxpaying Montanans, I urge you to tell your representative to stop this nonsense. And please, vote in the next election.

Theres no reason not to offer every registered voter in the state the convenience of casting their ballot by mail, especially when it also saves taxpayers money. Thats unless people using the power of their vote is really what the heel draggers fear.
A heated debate on Emma Watsons breasts

Cherry Wilson has a question for BBC viewers to chat about: Is Emma Watson anti-feminist for exposing her breasts? Watson  young, attractive, feted, middle-class and rich  did not expose her breasts on Page 3 or in a Stag do film. She gave us a flash of bosom inside the reassuringly expensive Vanity Fair magazine. For milk-fed sops whove never escaped the nipple and those others who demand we #freethenipple (from what?), Emmas are not on view. Her breasts are not served to us in the manner of Saint Agatha on the red carpet at a TV awards do. All we see is part of her bosom, no more than youd see if Emma pulled on a bikini and asked us if we were Beach Body Ready.

Cherry Wilson says Emma Watsons breasts have sparked a fierce debate on social media about what it means to be a feminist. We thought feminism was about expanding freedom. It turns out its about scoring points on Twitter, pursing your lips, arguing for censorship and seeing deep-meaning in a nice gels cleavage.

LBC radio presenter Radio Julia Hartley-Brewer opined on Twitter: She complains that women are sexualised and then sexualises herself in her own work. Hypocrisy. Sexy? Thats a matter of interpretation. The pictures of Watson are pretty dull. Flick through any fashion mag  especially those really pricy ones  and you see more flesh than in a 1980s Argos catalogue.

Wilson considers the evidence and wonders, So can you bare your breasts and still be a feminist? Its a remarkably stupid question, not least of all because its laced with snobbery. Emmas one of the BBCs us  a strong, knowing liberal who will get em out with a wry look and parodists nous. She not one of them  the weak working-class woman who gets em out for cash in top shelf magazines and for a laugh at Aintree.

Emma Watson has done more for women and for young girls than most of us put together, says Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, the UKs largest membership charity for womens rights. How so? Shes an empowered woman who is posing for a very tasteful image, says Sam. Shes not being exploited, she doing it in a controlling position. Its a positive use of her body.

Victoria Jenkinson, 20, a member of Girlguiding, adds: A woman should be able to choose what she wants to do. This is what feminism is all about in 2017. Putting a date on feminism implies its an evolving standard.

On the plus side, at least Emma breasts look homemade. When Elle magazine pumped out This is what a feminist looks like t-shirts, it was soon revealed they were made by women working for 60p an hour in Mauritian sweatshops. If were seeking out trends, the important and voguish thing is not to be a feminist, but to look like you are. All the excellent campaigners who fought for female choice and equality are now on par with a cheap schmutter.

Feminism is about giving women choice, said Watson as the world appraised her artfully staged photos. Its about freedom, its about liberation, its about equality. I really dont know what my tits have to do with it.

Yours, not much. But getting them out in magazines, plenty. As Ella Whelan notes, The No More Page 3 campaign called for the banning of boobs from the pages of tabloid newspapers like the Sun, because, it claimed, pictures of topless women have no place in print media. However, the official campaigns Facebook page celebrated Watsons shoot, sharing an article that said Emma Watsons boobs prove we still need feminism.

Blimey! If feminism is only of interest because Emmas breasts are on display, how on earth did it become so important?

Paul Sorene

Posted: 7th, March 2017 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Rome, March 7 - Italy is set to mark International Women's Day on March 8 with a series of events including a women's strike against violence against women.

The strike is part of a worldwide initiative to highlight the levels of murderous violence against women and boost measures to combat the phenomenon.

Leading Italian feminists including former foreign minister Emma Bonino said they would "enthusiastically" join the strike but Education Minister Valeria Fedeli controversially said she would not, stressing the progress made against so-called 'femicides' in Italy. Figures released ahead of Women's Day showed that each year in Italy there were more than 100 such killings, largely by partners or former partners.

In Turin Tuesday, a 52-year-old man donated a kidney to save the life of the love of his life in a gesture seen as more significant than the mimosa flowers that are traditionally given to women on March 8.

Ahead of the event, the Vatican said it was setting up a special women's consultation body, made up of 37 businesswomen, theologists, journalists, and actresses, not just catholic in formation and belief.

The Ligurian regional government, finally, said Tuesday it owuld ban women wearing the burqa from entering hospitals, "in defence of women's freedom".


GENEVA - Some 521 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean from the start of the year up to March 5, 2017, compared to 471 in the same period last year, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.

Some 19,348 migrants and refugees have arrived by sea in Europe, more than 80% of them in Italy (15,760) and the rest in Spain (1,000) and Greece (2,624). Rome recently signed a deal with Libya to try to stem the tide of arrivals and deaths on the central Mediterranean route.


TUNIS - Exactly one year ago the residents of Ben Guerdane, the last Tunisian city before the Libyan border, were woken up to the sound of machine-gun fire and explosions from heavy weapons.



A group of ISIS militants from Libya, with the aid of local organisers, was attempting to take over the city's military and civilian structures.



They didn't succeed, thanks to the quick intervention of local law enforcement and the Tunisian military.



Fifty-two jihadists were killed in the clashes, which continued for days until their surrender.



Nineteen people were killed on the Tunisian resistance side, seven of whom were civilians.



The locals came into the streets, fearless of the danger, and helped the military locate the ISIS members' positions, which in many cases led to their capture.



Local authorities and unions called for an official holiday on Tuesday in Ben Guerdane to celebrate the events that marked, on the one hand, the most ambitious attack organised by ISIS on Tunisian institutions, and on the other hand, a strong response to ISIS as well as a decisive refusal of jihadism in Tunisia on the part of its citizens.



Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed visited Ben Guerdane on Monday to thank its citizens for their heroic actions.



At the nearby seat of the Ben Guerdane Governorate, Chahed announced a series of measures to facilitate development in the region, which supports itself mainly on commercial exchange and traffic with Libya.



For the failed attempt to take over Ben Guerdane, 74 suspects were charged: 42 of whom are under arrest, 25 who are free and seven who are still on the run, said Tunisian anti-terrorism judicial police spokesman Sofiane Selliti.


Hotspots to open in Messina and Mineo by month's end Police Chief Franco Gabrielli in parliamentary hearing

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 7 - Two new migrant hotspots will open in Sicily by the end of March, one in Messina and the other in Mineo, said Police Chief Franco Gabrielli during a hearing before the parliamentary investigative commission on migrant and refugee reception.



The two new hotspots will join four other Italian hotspots already operating in Lampedusa, Pozzallo, Trapani and Taranto.(ANSAmed).




Israeli law bans entrance to boycott supporters NGOs criticise measure

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, MARCH 7 - The Israeli Knesset definitively approved a law that bans issuing entrance visas or stay permits to foreigners who have called for an "economic, cultural or academic boycott" against Israel.



The law was approved with 46 votes in favor and 28 against. It also applies to those who call for a boycott on single Israeli institutions or "areas under Israeli control" such as, according to the media, West Bank settlements.



The law has been criticised by pacifist and human rights organisations, such as Peace Now, which called it "neither Jewish nor democratic" but rather "a clear violation of freedom of expression".



The organisation Jewish Voice of Peace compared the law to US President Donald Trump's measures banning entrance into the United States.(ANSAmed).




CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Two Missouri men caught driving a rental car with 55 pounds of marijuana in Wyoming last year have been sentenced to five years of probation.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported Monday that Dominique Davis of Fulton, Missouri, and Sherdon Walters of Jefferson City, Missouri, were both sentenced to probation last week with underlying prison terms of four to five years.

Davis and Walters both previously agreed to plead guilty to drug possession and delivery charges as part of a plea deal.

Court documents say a trooper became suspicious of the 31-year-old men after stopping them in Cheyenne for driving too close to another vehicle.

Both men approved of a search of their vehicle and a K-9 helped locate the 55-pound bag of pot.

Attorneys for Davis and Walters referred to their clients' actions as bootlegging.
The large cabin, ultra long-range business jet will be managed and operated by Empire Aviation Group on behalf of the owner, and will be available to the global charter market. EAG also managed the induction, the registration and delivery of the aircraft on behalf of the owner.

The Bombardier Global Express XRS is the latest addition to EAGs managed fleet of more than 20 business jets, based in the Middle East, India, Nigeria and Hong Kong. The XRS is a pre-owned 13-seater aircraft with a large cabin and offering ultra long-range. The business jet is powered by twin Rolls Royce engines and has a range of 11,390km and a top speed of 950km/h.

Empire Aviation Group executive director, Paras Dhamecha, said: The Global XRS is an outstanding aircraft and its induction on to our managed fleet demonstrates the strength of our global operations and charter capabilities. The Global XRS can be offered to the global charter market and can operate from any of our bases around the world. The XRS is in demand in the charter market because of its range of attractive features including the large cabin comfort and extended range, which means it can fly non stop between many of the important city pairs around the world.
The New Distribution Capability (NDC) booking standard has been made possible following successful testing by Etihad Airways with Sabre Airline Solutions in partnership with Sabre Travel Network, one of the largest global distribution systems. As a result, the airline has secured a Level 1 certification from IATA.



The certification paves the way for travel agents to have greater functionality with an improved shopping experience in the future that will enable them to access images of products, services and seat maps directly from Etihad Airways host reservation system.



IATA, which represents the interests of over 265 airlines worldwide, has been advocating a New Distribution Capability to modernise business and communication between carriers and the travel trade.



Under its NDC programme, IATA has been actively working with airlines, IT providers and travel agents worldwide to develop and adopt a new XML-based data transmission standard.



Justin Warby, Etihad Airways Vice President Digital Transformation and Innovation, said: In line with Etihad Airways strategy to offer consumers greater travel options, the NDC standard will enhance the airlines ability to create further tailored offers and communicate our award-winning product benefits more effectively to customers to best meet their travel needs



Using a standard format, this is an important enhancement as we continue to invest in the latest technology and digital platforms to improve the overall booking experience.

Yanik Hoyles, Director, NDC Programme, added: We welcome the decision by Etihad Airways to implement the first level of the NDC Standard. NDC is modernising the way that airline products are presented through travel agents, providing consumers with greater access and transparency. With NDC, travellers will be able to compare the full product offering regardless of the shopping channel they use.
A request by the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence (UAEAF&AD) for 37 AH-64E Apache helicopters was approved on December 7, while the same day saw the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) given the go-ahead to purchase 48 CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

It has been an impressive few weeks and looks like a bid by the current US Government to wrap up foreign military sales before the new Trump administration takes office on January 27.

It would appear that the GCC air forces are taking plans to strengthen their air forces, seriously.

The war in Yemen has highlighted the need to work together and Arabian Aerospace was told at Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) in January that it would happen soon. These deals illustrate that the GCC nations are taking care of their own tactical inadequacies, in the light of the operations in Yemen as well as any increased threat from Iran.

A proxy war has been raging in Yemen since 2014 between Shiite Iran and the Saudi Arabian allied force, supported by most of the Sunni-led GCC countries. These intended acquisitions will support all their needs.

The proposed $3.5 billion Apache sale includes the remanufacture of the UAEAF&ADs 28 existing AH-64Ds into AH-64E configuration, together with production of nine new AH-64Es. It comes after several years of negotiations over the purchase of, arguably, the best gunship in the world. The UAE originally operated 30 AH-64As, which were later upgraded to AH-64D Block II standard.

On November 4, 2010, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) had notified the US Congress of the planned contract to upgrade all 30 of the UAEAF&AD AH-64Ds to the AH-64D Block III (now AH-64E) but nothing progressed until now.

The Apaches were delivered between 1993-96 and modernised from AH-64A to D standard between 2008-10. The 2010 notification also indicated the UAEs intention to buy an additional 30 new-build examples.

While the announcement on December 7 confirms the upgrade is finally moving ahead, only nine are being purchased as new builds. It is unclear if there is still a need for 30.

The intention to upgrade just 28 would indicate there have been two attrition losses. One of these was involved in a crash during operations in Yemen on June 13, 2016, which resulted in two fatalities. It is unknown when the other loss occurred.

In addition to the helicopters, the contract will see many other major items including 76 T700-GE-701D engines (56 remanufactured and 18 new with two spares) as well as 39 AN/ASQ-170 modernised target acquisition/designation sights (28 remanufactured, nine new with two spares.

The UAEAF&ADs Joint Aviation Command (JAC), based at Sas Al Nakheel Airbase, operates the majority of tactical helicopters in the UAE, including all the AH-64D Apaches. It took on the aviation assets of the UAE Land Forces, Special Operations Command and Naval Squadron in mid-2012.

According to the JAC, this was done for better command and control reasons as well as logistics support, and is based on the UKs Joint Helicopter Command. Senior officers serving the JAC and educated in military leadership at the UKs acclaimed Royal College of Defence Services (RCDS) Shrivenham, Oxfordshire were impressed with the way the JHC operates.

Meanwhile, the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Centre (AMMROC), which has recently built a state-of-the-art MRO at Al Ain, could remanufacture the helicopters.

The other proposed helicopter deal announced on December 7, valued at $3.51 billion, was for the sale of 48 CH-47F Chinooks to Saudi Arabia. It marks the biggest foreign military sale to date, with the only other country in the region operating the CH-47F being the UAEAF&AD, which took delivery of 20 during 2012-2014.

According to a US Army spokesman, the sale will help to bridge the gap between the end of the CH-47F Block I production in 2018 and the initiation of CH-47F Block II production in 2021.

The contract also includes 112 4,733hp Honeywell T-55 engines, as well as common missile warning systems (CMWS) and M240H 7.62 machine guns.

The helicopters are to be operated by the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command (RSLFAC).

The CH-47F will increase its interoperability with US forces and advance the development of a heavy-lift helicopter capability, which, oddly enough, Saudi Arabia does not possess. Until now they have concentrated on using the Sikorsky UH-60 to transport troops. However, with the Yemen conflict showing no sign of ending, and the need to transport equipment and troops as quickly as possible, an alternative was required.

Most of the RSLFAC aviation assets, which comprise Bell 406CS Combat Scout, Schweizer 333s, S-70A-1 Black Hawk, UH-60L Black Hawks and AH-64 Apaches, are headquartered at Hafr Al-Batin in King Khalid Military City, although they deploy all over the country.

The CH-47Fs will undoubtedly join them there, as well as up to 60 US Government and contractor representatives for up to 60 months, for equipment de-processing, fielding, system checkout, training and technical logistics support.

The CH-47F is the latest derivative of the hugely successful Chinook and has a payload of around 21,000lbs (9,500kg). When fitted with an extended range fuel system it has a mission radius of more than 400 miles (644kms).


The captain decided to return to Queen Alia International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and aircraft.

The 87 passengers reached Doha this morning on board another RJ aircraft.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. 

A small-town judge who says her religious beliefs prevent her from presiding over same-sex marriages was publicly censured by the Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday.

But while the court said her conduct undermines the integrity of the judicial system, it does not warrant removal from the bench. In a 3-2 decision, Justice Kate Fox wrote that Judge Ruth Neely violated judicial conduct code but removing Neely would "unnecessarily circumscribe protected expression."

"Judge Neely shall either perform no marriage ceremonies or she shall perform marriage ceremonies regardless of the couple's sexual orientation," Fox wrote.

Neely has never been asked to perform a same-sex marriage, and Fox said that the case was not about same-sex marriage or the reasonableness of religious beliefs.

"This case is also not about imposing a religious test on judges," wrote Fox, who was joined in her opinion by Justices E. James Burke and William Hill. "Rather, it is about maintaining the public's faith in an independent and impartial judiciary that conducts its judicial functions according to the rule of law, independent of outside influences, including religion, and without regard to whether a law is popular or unpopular."

Neely's case has similarities to legal action against a Kentucky clerk of court jailed briefly in 2015 after refusing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The case against clerk Kim Davis, a conservative Christian, sparked a national debate over the religious freedom of civil servants versus the civil rights of same-sex couples. Davis ultimately agreed to alter the licenses to remove her name and title.

In Neely's case, the dissenting justices argued that Neely didn't violate any judicial conduct code. "Wyoming law does not require any judge or magistrate to perform any particular marriage, and couples seeking to be married have no right to insist on a particular official as the officiant of their wedding," Justice Keith Kautz wrote in the dissent that was joined by Justice Michael K. Davis.

Neely, who's not a lawyer, is a municipal judge in Pinedale, a town of about 2,000 residents, and a part-time circuit court magistrate in Sublette County, a rural county rich in outdoor recreation and oil and gas. The majority of her work as a magistrate is to perform marriages.

The Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics had recommended that Neely be removed from her positions for violating the state code of judicial conduct. Neely had argued that removing her would violate her constitutional rights.

Because Neely is a part-time magistrate appointed by a local circuit court judge to handle particular court needs, the Supreme Court left it to the discretion of the circuit court judge whether Neely can "continue to serve the essential functions of that position."

The circuit court judge who oversees Pinedale was not available for comment Tuesday, according to his office.

Attorney James Campbell, who represented Neely, said in a statement that Neely looks forward to serving her community for years to come.

"By affirming that Judge Neely may remain in her judicial positions, the Wyoming Supreme Court has recognized that her honorable beliefs about marriage do not disqualify her from serving her community as a judge, which she has done with distinction for more than two decades," said Campbell, who is an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based religious advocacy law firm.

Patrick Nixon, an attorney for the Judicial Conduct and Ethics commission, did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Commission Executive Director Wendy Soto declined to comment on the case and what the censure means for Neely.

The Supreme Court opinion noted that judicial discipline serves multiple purposes, including discouraging further misconduct by the judge and reinforcing the perception that judicial ethics are important.

Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation, which advocates for gay rights, said the foundation believes that any public official must serve members of the public equally, regardless of personal beliefs.

"We would simply ask the circuit court to remain watchful to ensure that there is no discrimination from the bench for any of the citizens in her jurisdiction should she continue to serve," Marsden said.

The ethics commission investigated Neely after she told a reporter in 2014 that she wouldn't preside over same-sex marriages. Her lawyers said no same-sex couples had asked her to perform their marriage before she made the comments to the local newspaper. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same-sex couples nationwide may marry.
Devon&Devon Wallpaper Collection

The first wallpaper collection designed by Vito Nesta, Francesca Greco and Nina Farre

Milano Design Week, Via San Marco 38 store on the brands Francesca Greco, Nina Farre and Vito Nesta. It was thought to decorate both bathroom and living areas of the home. This elegant, comprehensive and contemporary proposal is in perfect synthesis with the philosophy of the brand.



We felt the need to complete our offer with a collection of wallpapers that enabled us to enhance the decorative possibilities for private homes, residential projects and hotels, explains Gianni Tanini, Devo&Devon CEO, Therefore, we decided to work together with emerging design talent, sharing through this collaboration a completely new creative process for the brand which has resulted in a significant and extensively broad collection.



We are delighted,comments Teresa Tanini Devon&Devon Marketing and Communication Manager,to launch a complete Made In Italy project, from the idea, to the design and production. 07/03/2017 - During Devon&Devon unveils an exclusive presentation at itson the brands  Wallpaper Collection  debut. Its first portfolio of wallpapers, produced in cooperation with designersand. It was thought to decorate both bathroom and living areas of the home. This elegant, comprehensive and contemporary proposal is in perfect synthesis with the philosophy of the brand.We felt the need to complete our offer with a collection of wallpapers that enabled us to enhance the decorative possibilities for private homes, residential projects and hotels, explains Gianni Tanini, Devo&Devon CEO, Therefore, we decided to work together with emerging design talent, sharing through this collaboration a completely new creative process for the brand which has resulted in a significant and extensively broad collection.We are delighted,comments Teresa Tanini Devon&Devon Marketing and Communication Manager,to launch a complete Made In Italy project, from the idea, to the design and production.

The Devon&Devon Wallpaper Collection adapts perfectly and seamlessly to a wide variety of different contexts, suggesting interior ambiances from the classical to the exquisitely eccentric.



The 32 themes selected range from geometrical motifs to three-dimensional and optical effects, to motifs inspired by Art Deco, together with oriental and arabesque patterns, including brightly-coloured and surreal floral and animal motifs. In addition, imagery includes goldfish, dreamlike landscapes and retro fabrics, all perfect for designing fascinating, eclectic atmospheres. Every pattern is proposed in innumerable choices and combinations of colour, for a total of 126 different designs. The Devon&Devon technical department will provide a service to assist each customer in creating a personalised scheme for application.



Technical specifications

The Devon&Devon Wallpaper Collection is a top-quality product and it aims to be as eco-friendly and eco-compatible as possible. The vinyl wallpaper is printed on the upper part of the vinyl backing and on the back of a TNT sheet which guarantees high level stability during application and removal. It is easy to wash, flame-retardant, it does not shrink, it does not lose its shape and it does not tear during gluing. The wallpapers are cut using high-tech machinery, guaranteed by international patents, that permits perfect vertical cutting that follows the image with maximum precision, ideal for cutting the images that are applied one after the other. The water-based inks used are non-flammable, non-combustible, odorless and nickel free. The high quality of the inks is ideal for covering large or small areas.
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, ARMENPRESS. An incident occurred during the launching event of the "Women in Business program, which is realized by the assistance of EBRD, EU and Sweden.

Anna Shahnazaryan, an activist of the Teghut Protection civil initiative, interrupted the speakers of the event and announced that illicit activities are taking place in Gndevaz and Amulsar with EBRD financing. The activist was shouting that meanwhile the European structures say they are helping the women of Armenia, in reality however they are pushing them towards prostitution.

The EBRD announces that it helps women, but in reality it finances the mining projects, which bring unemployment to the village population. The workers bring alcohol and STDs with them and push women to prostitution. The government of Sweden talks about equal rights of women, however today the Swedish diplomat is silent about all of this. Its already a few years that they finance such projects, the purpose of which is to promote the development of prostitution in Armenia. You are doing everything for it to develop in this country, enough, stop playing, the activist screamed as she stormed into the hall. She repeated her speech in English also.

The scandalous activist also brought condoms with her, which she gave to the participants of the event. The organizers tried to calm her down.
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For two decades, Artesians overcoming an injury or surgery, or learning to cope with a chronic condition, have been turning to the skilled and compassionate team at Artesia Physical Therapy.

Since its inception in 1986, the business has remained locally owned by Bob Pattillo and David Morrison, who chose to focus their facilities not only on restoring patients health but teaching them to incorporate those changes into their daily routine to ensure a better lifestyle long after rehabilitation is complete.

Artesia Physical Therapy has outcomes higher than the national average, and we strive to Get you Better Faster Stay Better Longer, says Chuck Sours, business administrator.

Artesia Physical Therapy celebrated its 20th anniversary this past December, a testament to the dedication of its staff of therapists to the Artesia community.

APT employs three physical therapists and one physical therapist assistant, who, combined, bring approximately 40-plus years of experience to the job.

David Morrison, operating manager and Master of Physical Therapy, has been with APT for 17 years and is certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), otherwise known as the McKenzie Method.

All therapists at APT utilize this method, which focuses on patient involvement and education. Therapists versed in MDT aim to make an accurate diagnosis of the source of the problem  be it spine, joint or muscle  before formulating an individualized treatment plan.

Liliana Labady, PT, worked for Alamogordo Physical Therapy for 10 years before recently transferring to Artesia. Physical Therapist Assistant Arren Powell has worked at APT for approximately 10 years, with Jordan Stearnes, Doctor of Physical Therapy, the newcomer to the team with two years at APT.

Together, the APT staff  which also includes Sours and medical office clerks Marissa Graham and Laurie Wagner  strive to help their patients return to normal and/or improve their physical well-being as quickly as possible while ensuring those patients understand how and why the therapy is working so they can continue that regimen into the future.

APT also wants Artesians to know they neednt have a doctors referral in hand to take advantage of its services. The business offers free screenings and referral assistance.

Even if you havent seen a doctor and dont have a prescription, but you do have some pain and want to see if physical therapy will work, well do the free screening for you before you see your doctor, says Sours.

After a thorough screening, APT staff will work with potential patients to schedule visits, as well as work with their insurance carriers and doctors.

Dont have insurance  not a problem, says Sours. We do cash pay appointments, as well. Immediate appointments are available, and you get to choose where you go for physical therapy.

Its all part of the hometown service APT has been offering for 20 years and hopes to offer for many more.

Artesia Physical Therapy is located at 601 W. Mahone Drive and can be reached by phone at 575-746-2566.
The show, or festival, has become a sort of high-culture pub crawl, though organizers are still mindful that a year ago, federal officials and the Manhattan district attorneys office raided several dealers during a crackdown on antiquities smuggling.


The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Heres hoping that the Metropolitan Museums new director, Tom Campbell, will hit the ground running when he assumes his prestigious post one month from today. Hes been at the institution for 13 years, knows the players, and will have had the benefit of four months of intensive on-site training. Theres no reason for him to be tentative or indecisive in approaching the stepped-up challenges of this job in these economically troubled times.

With all due respect to Philippe de Montebello (and tremendous respect IS due), heres what Id like to see from the Mets new leader. (I touched on some of these points previously here):

A willingness to speak out forcefully about important hot-button issues affecting the field. For the most part, Philippe made his views about standards and practices known through his actions, not through his words. He hesitated to speak out in ways that might be interpreted as implied criticism of his colleagues, even when correctives were urgently needed. Im thinking, for example, of other museums growing exploitation of collections as cash cowsan issue on which he communicated more forcefully in French for Le Monde than on his own turf.

This is the part of the job that I fear Tom Campbell may be least suited for. From what Ive seen so far, he lacks the facility of his predecessor as a public speaker. Philippe radiated authority and presence from the moment he occupied the directors office. Campbell seems more diffident (even halting) as a speaker on anything but his scholarly specialty. But part of this may be the awkwardness of his position as director-in-waiting.

A drive to bring the Mets formidable expertise down to the level of the general public. By this I dont mean dumbing down in the manner of the new installation of 19th- and 20th-century European art. I mean giving the public more chances to meet and hear from the curators themselves. One of the great joys of attending press previews of exhibitions at the Met is the chance to hear the curators themselves expound upon their intentions and achievements. Maybe similar opportunities could be afforded to members of the general public (at low cost or no cost), through a lottery or online sign-up system. The Inside Look lectures should be continued and expanded.

The director, despite the enormous demands on his time, should also find ways to meet and greet the public. Aloofness should give way to more openness. This is the part of the job that I feel Tom Campbell, the popularizer of tapestries, may be best suited to accomplish. He should open that collar, both literally and figuratively.

A willingness to invite the public behind the scenes. Feed the fascination about how museums work by arranging guided tours of conservation labs, study rooms, storerooms. Mount yearly displays of new acquisitions (supplemented with related works already in the collection), to elucidate how the museum develops its holdings.

Less fear and loathing of the press. I always had the feeling that Philippe had a love-hate relationship to the press (or was it just to me?). The Met gets a huge volume of press inquiries, ranging from those that are inane and ill-informed to those that deserve serious, responsive handling. Some filtering does have to occur. But the Met press office functions more like that of a big private corporation than that of an institution with a public purpose of scholarship and display. The press should be given easier access to the sources who make the institution what it isadministrators and curators who are the best spokespersons for the institution. For the most part, they are willing and even eager to discuss their work, but are restricted or muzzled by an excessively defensive administrative policy.

More emphasis on elucidating and supporting the art and artists of our own time. For better or worse, the Met is deeply involvedthrough its collections and exhibitionswith contemporary art. It ought to approach this field with the same passion for excellence and insight that it brings to the rest of art history. That doesnt mean handing off the responsibilities for contemporary to the same curator who oversees Impressionism (as, in fact, has happened). It probably means raiding a contemporary art museum for someone widely recognized for curatorial acumen in this field (as with the Museum of Modern Arts hiring of LA MOCAs curator, Connie Butler).

Generosity in sharing the wealth. Get museum-quality works out of the storeroom and into other museums that would love to show them. American museums argue that Italy and other antiquities-rich countries have many more important objects than they can display and that many of those objects should be sent out on long-term loan. The same reasoning should apply to the Met and other object-rich American museums. To be sure, the Mets latest annual report includes a voluminous three-page list of loans. Expand and systematize this, by providing department-by-department clearinghouse lists of objects available to qualified institutional borrowers.

Collaborative posture towards other New York institutions. Too often, our citys museums are locked in competitive mode. A purely accidental collaboration recently occurred between the Museum of Modern Art and the Morgan Library & Museum, which happened to mount Philip Guston displays at the same time. Such commonalities (with cross-references explicitly drawn through labeling and brochures in the institutions galleries) should be more commonly explored for the publics and the institutions benefit.

Encouragement of more cross-cultural exhibitions. The proponents of the universal museum make a big fuss about how important it is to be able to compare art of different times and cultures in one institution. But they rarely mount exhibitions that explicitly illuminate such correspondences and influences. The Mets recent Eternal Ancestors show of Central African reliquaries did open with a selection of objects from other world cultures, thereby drawing upon related works from other parts of the Metropolitans encyclopedic collections. Thats a start. More is needed.

Responsiveness to the current economic moment. People are hurting as they watch their dreams flame out in an economic firestorm. Cultural solace is needed, but not at $20-a-head. Instead of making people feel uncomfortable about exploiting the Mets pay what you want policy, the Met should actively encourage visitors to take advantage of this bargainnot just on free days (which create intolerably crowded conditions at the Museum of Modern Art, for example), but always.

Another way to respond to the current economic moment is to be aggressive in acquiring strong art thats now in weak hands (both private and corporate collections). One of the also-rans for the Mets top spot, Max Hollein, recently turned the financial downturn into a collecting upturn by acquiring more than 800 art works for the Staedel Museum as corporate gifts from Deutsche Bank AG and DZ Bank Group AG this year, Bloombergs Catherine Hickley reports. This can be a win-win for businesses (whose large collections are now seen as symbols of corporate excess) and museums (which can make these private troves more publicly accessible). Is it too much to ask these corporations for a cash gift to help support the maintenance of these collections?

Fundraising fearlessness: Campbell should be shameless in exploiting the new-kid advantage, especially since the Mets just published 2007-08 annual report shows an operating deficit of $3.22 million, compared to a surplus of $2.63 million the previous year. (In June 2008, the end of the last fiscal year, the worst of the financial crisis hadnt even hit yet.)

The trustees appointed him. Now theyve got to support him, insuring that he succeeds in these financially challenging times. That means opening wide their own wallets and beating the bushes for other supporters of an institution that is more relevant today than ever, because of its role in providing relief and sustenance for the financially injured.
A crash victim's sister asserted her Marsy's Law right to testify at a hearing Monday to forfeit the defendant's bond in an as-yet unusual occurrence bolstered by the new constitutional amendment.

Denielle Glas, whose brother Denver died in a motorcycle crash on Aug. 15, took the stand in favor of revoking the $25,000 cash bond for driver Darci Voldness.

Voldness, 29, of Jamestown, is charged with manslaughter and methamphetamine ingestion in connection with the death. She is accused of using meth just hours before causing the fatal crash near Buckstop Junction. While out on bond, she allegedly slid her car into a ditch after a night of drinking.

South Central District Judge John Grinsteiner made a sort of compromise. He doubled the bond to $50,000 cash but did not revoke the $25,000 already posted.

Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota State's Attorney's Association, said it was the first time he knew of a victim testifying at this kind of hearing since Marsy's Law passed in November.

"It's almost unheard of that a victim testifies at a bond revocation hearing," Birst said.

Marsy's Law, also known as Ballot Measure 3, amended the state constitution to expand crime victim's rights. Among those is a right to be heard at all hearings relating to a person's release and sentence.

Prior to the amendment, victims typically gave input to the prosecutor who would make an argument in court. The prosecutor's association opposed the ballot measure last year, arguing that it might clog the court system due to prosecutors needing to continually take victim input.

Voldness faced revocation of the five-figure bond due to an incident on Feb. 18 when she was out on bail. Stustman County Sheriff's Deputies found she had run her car off the road and into a ditch near Streeter. She admitted to her probation officer she had six to seven drinks at a bar that night, according to the incident report. She said the car slid on ice and into the ditch.

"She is continuing to participate in the same behavior that led to the manslaughter charge," Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Marina Spahr wrote in her request to the judge to revoke the bond.

At the hearing, Glas argued on behalf of her family that Voldness had gotten enough chances on the current bond and was putting more people like her 33-year-old brother  a father of three  at risk. She said she thought the state should get the money.

"I know it's addiction, and I know she wants to get help and I think she should get help," she said. "But I don't want it to be another Denver."

Glas said she wanted to see Voldness go to an inpatient treatment facility prior to trial, acknowledging that addiction may have driven both incidents.

Voldness' attorney Kent Morrow pointed out that the drug treatment Glas suggested is not available within the county jails where she would be held if she cannot post the higher bond. Morrow said Voldness has an addiction problem and made it nearly 150 days without major slip-ups before this incident. He noted her family attended the court hearing and put up the money for the first bond.

A four-day trial is scheduled in the case for Sep. 12.
Education leaders spoke in opposition Tuesday to a bill proposing a mandate to teach the Federalist Papers in high school, while a higher education official said studying history requirements in college would head off future legislative attempts to interfere with curriculum.

Members of the Senate Education Committee heard two bills relating to history requirements in the morning.

The first was House Bill 1337. It would require that high school students be taught about the Federalist Papers, the relationship between the federal government and state and local government as well as separation of powers as it relates to various levels of government.

The bill passed the House 56-35 on reconsideration after failing on the first vote.

Another bill was House Bill 1420, which, in its original form, would have required all North Dakota college history majors to complete at least one U.S. history course. It was amended to an interim study of curriculum requirements and passed the House by a 49-45 vote.

HB1337 primary sponsor Rep. Mike Schatz, R-New England, said its one thing to be able to recite facts from the nations history.

Its another thing to understand the why, Schatz, a former social studies teacher, said.

In state statute, high school students are required to have read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 letters written in the 1780s urging passage of the U.S. Constitution. It spawned a rebuttal for a less centralized federal government, known as the Anti-Federalist Papers, which included a call for the Bill of Rights.

What, if anything, can we take off a teachers plate? Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, said, pointing to a more than 1-inch printout of pages of the Federalist Papers at her seat as a visual aid.

Dave Michaelson, a Dickinson High School social studies teacher, said its not necessary to enshrine the document in statute.

The Federalist Papers  are extremely lengthy, Michaelson said. (It) constitutes an entire new course, in my opinion.

Sharon Espeland, an assistant principal at Century High School, said there are a number of things in the curriculum that are to be touched on in history courses.

Were highlighting some at the expense of others, Espeland said.

When the committee moved on to hear HB1420, North Dakota University System Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs Richard Rothaus spoke in favor of the amended version calling for a study.

I think the study has value to head off future conflict on this issue. This is such a hot-button issue," said Rothaus, adding that lawmakers in a number of states have been trying to dictate curriculum for college history majors.

He said a study could clear the air so the Legislature doesnt come back in two years with a strongly worded bill pushing strict curriculum requirements, which he said would be an infringement on the academic freedom of the colleges and universities.

HB1420 primary sponsor Rep. Chuck Damschen, R-Hampden, said hed learned, after having the bill drafted, that the states colleges and universities already require U.S. history for those majoring in the subject.

Damschen said its important people know the history of the nation as well as how the country arrived at where it is today.

Im unapologetically a believer in American exceptionalism, Damschen said.
By: Dezan Shira & Associates

Editor: Harry Handley

Cambodia has achieved GDP growth averaging seven percent per year over the past decade. Despite this growth, it remains one of the poorest nations in ASEAN. However, the Cambodian government has been working closely with a number of bilateral and multilateral donors, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the IMF, to improve conditions in the country. One key element of this is the business environment.

As ASEANs third smallest economy, Cambodia is often far from the first economy that springs to mind when thinking about foreign investment into Asia. Challenging conditions, including a weak rule of law and underdeveloped infrastructure, contribute to a global ranking of 131st in terms of ease of doing business in the World Banks Doing Business Guide. Despite this poor ranking, 69 percent of respondents in the American Chamber of Commerces ASEAN Outlook Survey 2017 believe that the Cambodian business environment is improving.

In order to thrive in this challenging environment, the current conditions, as well as future opportunities and threats in the market, must be understood.

RELATED: Pre-Investment and Market Entry Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates

Recent Statistics

The most recent trade and FDI statistics available for Cambodia are from 2015. In that year, total trade between Cambodia and the rest of the world equaled US$29 billion, around 161 percent of the countrys GDP. Of this total, US$18 billion was imports; Thailand (29 percent), China (22 percent), Vietnam (16 percent), Hong Kong (six percent) and Singapore (six percent).

Exports from Cambodia reached US$11 billion in 2015. Cambodia benefits from the EUs Everything But Arms Scheme which gives Least Developed Countries duty free access to the EU market for all export goods; explaining why 35 percent of exports were sold to EU countries, making it the top destination for Cambodian goods. The top five is rounded off by the US (23 percent), Japan (seven percent), Canada (seven percent) and China (five percent).

In terms of FDI, total inflows into Cambodia reached US$1.70 billion in 2015. This represents 1.4 percent of the total inflows into the 10-nation ASEAN bloc during the year. 75 percent of the FDI came from outside of ASEAN. The main source of investment was China with a contribution of US$0.86 billion, almost 61 percent of the total. The next largest investor was the UK with US$0.13 billion (three percent); followed by Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia which all accounted for around two percent each.

Investment Environment

The Cambodian stance on foreign investment is one of the most open in developing Asia  on paper. Full foreign ownership is allowed for any business in any industry, with foreign businesses receiving the same treatment as their local counterparts. However, Country Watch score Cambodia 4.5 out of 10 on their Foreign Investment Index, which measures a countrys attractiveness in terms of business and investment climate, economic stability and economic risk. The results conclude that Cambodias lack of infrastructural development and regulatory weakness undermine the governments attempts to attract foreign investment.

In a move to strengthen regulations, new tax reforms came into force on January 1 2017. It has long been the case that foreign firms have abided by tax rules, whilst large percentages of their local competitors have flown under the radar and avoided their tax obligations. The new measures aim to incentivize the formalization of SMEs by offering them lower taxes and also tax exemptions for firms that maintain quality accounting standards. It is hoped that this reform will level the playing field for foreign firms competing in Cambodia. However, the past would suggest that reforms in Cambodia are often poorly enforced; only time will tell if this reform will also fall by the wayside.

RELATED: Electrifying Laos: Opportunities for FDI in 2017

Key Industries

The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) have highlighted a number of priority industries in which they wish to attract investment. The CDC offers incentives to investors in these industries, including corporate tax holidays of up to eight years, duty-free import of capital goods and no restrictions on capital repatriation.

Transportation, telecommunication, energy and human resource businesses are being promoted in order to support the overall development of Cambodia. Most of these industries are still at an early stage of advancement, meaning there is great potential for entrants to grow and shape the market with their offering. These industries are likely to grow at a rapid rate as Cambodia itself progresses socially and economically.

Further, firms in the tourism industry are being encouraged to invest in Cambodia. Over five million foreign tourists visited Cambodia in 2016, a five percent increase on the previous year. The consistently growing number of tourists leads to growing demand for hospitality, foodservice and other recreational activities. Finally, export-oriented processing is being highlighted by the CDC for foreign firms to take advantage of Cambodias existing competitive strengths.

Cambodias growing garments industry has attracted investment from some of the worlds largest fashion names in recent years, including Adidas, Armani, Gap and Marks & Spencers. Clothing and textiles combined employ over 500,000 people in Cambodia, with the former generating ten percent of GDP and over 80 percent of total exports. However, impressive economic growth levels have led to a rapid increase in wages, undermining the competitiveness of the industry compared to its regional peers. Euromonitor research also suggests that the reliance on imported fabric and yarn leaves the Cambodian market vulnerable to price volatility. In an attempt to retain competitiveness, the government has passed a series of labor laws hoping to create a stronger regulatory environment and, in turn, remain appealing to overseas investors.

RELATED: Thailand in 2017: a Changing Investment Landscape

Going forward

A recent IMF report suggests that the rapid developments of the Chinese economy and its shift away from labor-intensive industries presents a significant opportunity for Cambodia. Currently, value-added trade data suggests that Cambodia participates mainly in the low value-added processing and assembly stages of the value chain. In order to take full advantage of the void left by China, Cambodia must attempt to move up the value-chain, diversify from garments and attract FDI to support this transition. The IMF research presents the three following improvements that must be made in order for this to happen:

Upgrading infrastructure to reduce logistics costs  reliable, accessible electricity remains the priority

Improving human capital to increase productivity and capture higher value added  educational reform required, from elementary all the way to industry-led training programs

Streamlining red tape in doing business  Increasing transparency in the business environment

The ADB has planned US$855 million of investment in Cambodia between 2017 and 2019 with similar aims to those outlined by the IMF. US$155 million has been earmarked for physical infrastructure improvements, a further US$120 million for educational investments, as well as US$40 million to improve the efficiency of financial services. Cambodias openness to foreign investment also means these are potential areas for private overseas investment.

In the short term the Cambodian business environment is likely to remain challenging. Corruption is still rife; 81 percent of respondents to the American Chamber of Commerce ASEAN Business Environment Survey identified that pressure to bribe officials to gain essential licenses and permits is a hindrance to their operations. Political change, or pressure to change, is unlikely as lawmakers recently passed an amendment to the 1998 Law on Political Parties giving the government sweeping powers to suspend and dissolve opposition parties over a range of vaguely worded offenses.

Overall, Cambodia is still a fair way behind the leading ASEAN economies. Although, economic growth is projected to remain around 7 percent for the coming year, suggesting that the economy is heading in the right direction. Longer term prospects also remain positive with the World Bank predicting annual growth of 6.5 percent until 2021. However, key institutions, such as education and the judiciary system, need to be improved in order for Cambodia to develop further. Although financial support from multilateral institutions will be a key aid to this process, there are also opportunities for foreign investment for those willing to rise to the challenge of the Cambodian business environment.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asean@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. 

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2016

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2016 introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment and taxation. We also include the latest development news in our Important Updates section for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each.



Human Resources in ASEAN

In this issue of ASEAN Briefing, we discuss the prevailing structure of ASEANs labor markets and outline key considerations regarding wages and compliance at all levels of the value chain. We highlight comparative sentiment on labor markets within the region, showcase differences in cost and compliance between markets, and provide insight on the state of statutory social insurance obligations throughout the bloc.
Melissa Anne Pedigo, 39, Bismarck, died March 3, 2017.

Mass of Christian burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, at Church of the Ascension, 1825 S 3rd St., Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck.

Melissa was born June 11, 1977, in Kotzebue, AK, the daughter of Bobby and Karen (Renner) Pedigo. She spent the first 13 years of her life in Kotzebue, Bettles, Fairbanks, and Eagle River, AK. She graduated from St. Marys High School in 1995, where she enjoyed many friends, music, was a member of the art club and participated behind the scenes in the Sleepy Hollow Theatre. She went on to graduate from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and later earned a certificate for medical coding.

Melissa was a very sensitive, talented and creative person who loved her family, friends, animals, nature, and anything relating to the ocean. She was known for her elaborate greeting card art.

Melissa is survived by her significant other, Cameron Keller; her parents, Bobby and Karen Pedigo; her sister and brother-in-law, Angela and Joe Dale Pittman; her nieces, Karly Pittman and Dalyn Harper; her nephew, Dale Pittman; five great-nephews; many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends; her kitty, Nutmeg; and her three chinchillas, Gunther, Gretchen and Blueberry.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Sam and Janice Pedigo; her aunt, Becky Renner; and her cousin, Ivan Kary.

She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in her name to the Dakota Zoo, 602 Riverside Park Rd., Bismarck, N.D., 58554.

Go to www.parkwayfuneral.com to share memories of Melissa and sign the online guestbook.
The new sub-compact SUV will compete with the likes of the Renault Duster and the Hyundai Creta.

Mahindra & Mahindra has confirmed that it will soon start working on a new sub-compact SUV. The home-grown automaker has named it the S201 and it will compete with the likes of the Renault Duster and the Hyundai Creta.

The car will sit below the XUV500 and slightly above the Scorpio in terms of pricing. Now if you remember, last year there were talks about Mahindra planning to get the Tivoli SUV to India in collaboration with Korean car maker, SsangYong. The S201 will be based on the same platform as the Tivoli. That said Mahindra categorically pointed out that the car will look completely different, and won't be a rebranding exercise. In addition, the Tivoli will not be coming to India, a lesson well learnt from the dismal performance of the Rexton.

Mahindra also said that as far as design goes, the company will be applying its resources at its recently acquired Italian design studio, Pininfarina. In addition, SsangYong too will be contributing to the design of the car. Also, this will be done for all forthcoming Mahindra vehicles and will not be restricted to the S201 only. Mahindra is also co-developing a new 1.5-litre petrol engine in collaboration with Ssangyong which could find its way into the S201's engine bay.

The Duster, Creta competitor from Mahindra will most likely see the light of day earliest by mid next year. Which essentially means that Mahindra would be quite late to the sub-compact SUV party but the fact that the car is being developed jointly with Pininfarina and SsangYong, the results could be interesting to say the least.

Source: Zigwheels.com
Tribunals observation is based on the arguments put forward by the counsel for Tata Sons.

Mumbai: In a setback to Cyrus Mistry, who was unceremoniously ousted as chairman of the Tata Sons, the National Company Law Tribunal on Monday said the petition filed by the investment firms of Mr Mistry against Tata Sons alleging oppression and mismanagement of company is not maintainable.

The Tribunals observation is based on the arguments put forward by the counsel for Tata Sons saying that only those minority shareholders holding minimum 10 per cent stake in the company can file such a petition before the Tribunal.

While the Mistry family owns 18.5 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the latter argued that the Mistry familys stake in Tata Sons would come down to less than three per cent if preference shares are taken into consideration.

However, the Tribunal posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday to decide whether the requirement of minimum 10 per cent stake could be waived-off.

The petitioners have failed to convince the court that the application is maintainable. However, instead of dismissing the petition, the court will hear the matter, said NCLT member B.S.V. Kumar on Monday.

Challenging the ouster of Mr Mistry, as the chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd and Sterling Investment Corporation Pvt Ltd owned by the Mistry family had filed a petition before the NCLT alleging mismanagement and the oppression of minority shareholders by Tata Sons, Ratan Tata and other directors of the holding company. The petitioners have also filed a relief application requesting the Tribunal to waive off the clause requiring minimum 10 per cent shareholding by a minority shareholder.

Under the Companies Act 2013, only members holding not less than one tenth of the issued share capital of the company or members representing not less than one tenth of the total number of minority shareholders are eligible to move an application before NCLT seeking relief.
Both the Prime Minister and the RBI had clearly stated that such notes will be accepted by RBI upto March 31, 2017.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on a batch of petitions seeking a direction that old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 should be accepted in RBI branches upto March 31 as per the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on demonetisation made on November 8, 2016.

A Bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul issued notices returnable on Friday after hearing senior counsel Dhruv Mehta and others challenging the ordinance which makes retaining old notes beyond a limit as a punishable offence.

It was argued that they had genuine reasons for not depositing the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in banks before December 30, 2016. Both the Prime Minister and the RBI had clearly stated that such notes will be accepted by RBI upto March 31, 2017.

However, they were shocked to find that the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabil-ities) Ordinance, 2016 provided that only the super rich (international travellers and NRIs) would avail of the so-called grace period up to March 31, 2017 and beyond.

This measure of the government and the RBI is a violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, as it arbitrarily discriminates between the classes of people and also provides for criminal penalties against those who continue to possess this currency.

It was alleged that the Prime Minister and RBI had assured the people at large that demonetised currency notes can be exchanged at banks, post offices and RBI branches and if people are unable to deposit them by that day then they can do so till March 31, 2017 at RBI branches. Referring the final ordinance, the lawyer said that it had breached the assurance.

The Ordinance said that only those who were abroad, the armed forces personnel posted in remote areas or others, who can give valid reasons for not being able to deposit the cancelled notes at banks, can deposit the demonetised currency notes till March 31.

The Centre had come out with the Ordinance making possession of a large number of scrapped banknotes a penal offence that will attract monetary fine.

The Ordinance also provided for amending the RBI Act to provide legislative support for extinguishing the demonetised banknotes that are not returned.
Gurmeet was initially planning to only financially support the girls but later decided to adopt them.

Mumbai: The news of Karan Johar becoming parents to twins earlier this week had grabbed headlines and now a couple, is also set to welcome two children into their family.

After almost six years of marriage, one of the most popular couples of television, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee are all set to become parents. The couple has decided to adopt two girls from Gurmeets village Jarampur in Bihar.

The couple had met the girls, Pooja (6) and Lata (9), who are first cousins, at a wedding in Jarampur in 2014 and the two girls were living with Latas father at that time. However, the death of Latas father last year forced the girls to move in with a relative and hence had no option but to work as domestic helps at houses to fend for themselves.

Gurmeets mother, who stayed in the girls' vicinity, was especially concerned about the well-being of the girls and told her son about it. Gurmeet told Mumbai Mirror, After hearing about their plight from my mother I discussed them with my wife. Debina agreed with me that it was time to give the kids a home, a deserving education and my last name.

Gurmeet had earlier planned to only take care of the financial expenses of the girls but later decided to adopt them after considering the lack of facilities in the village. "All the paperwork is done. We will be going to Jarampur for the final signatures after Holi. It is a two-day process. Everybody, including my parents, keep asking me when I'm planning a baby. Well, it's official now, I'm bringing home two daughters and we couldn't be more excited," Gurmeet says.

The girls wont be shifting to Mumbai immediately but would be staying in Patna till next year. He says, "After one academic year, they will shift in with us in our Andheri home by 2018. My brother and his family live in Patna and they will be around to see that they are well cared for. Debina and I will travel to Patna three-four times in the year and stay there through their summer vacation too.

While Gurmeet has been discussing with his mother about the well-being of the girls, he has also discussed with Lata the adoption formalities and received her consent for the same.

The couple is also keen to have their own children in the future. Gurmeet reveals, "The general belief is that you only adopt if you can't have children of your own. That's not true at all. Both Debina and I love kids and plan to have a couple of our own in the future. And when they come along they will be siblings for Pooja and Lata and all the Choudharys will happily live together under one roof."

On the professional front, Gurmeet will next be seen opposite Akshara Haasan in Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana while Debina is part of the television serial, Santoshi Maa.
Saibaba, who is 90 per cent disabled and bound to a wheelchair, was first arrested in May 2014 but granted bail by the Supreme Court.

New Delhi: Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba and four others were on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment for association with a front organisation of Maoists, and for anti-national activities.

Along with Saibaba, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi and three others were also convicted.

All six men were sentenced under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Special Public Prosecutor P Sathianathan demanded life sentence for all the six convicts. He also demanded that no reprieve should be given to Saibaba on health grounds, saying that in spite of his disability he had attended several conferences and seminars in India and abroad and allegedly propagated Maoist ideology.

The defense lawyer did not counter the allegations.

Hem Mishra was arrested along with Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote at Aheri in Gadchiroli district in August 2013.

Based on the leads provided by them, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirkey were then arrested from Deori in Gondia district. Saibaba was arrested in May 2014 by Maharashtra's Gadchiroli police on charges of being a member of the banned CPI (Maoist), providing logistics and helping in recruitment for the group.

However, in March 2016, a Supreme Court bench of Justice JS Khehar and Justice Nagappan, acting on a special leave petition that challenged the rejection of the bail application of Saibaba by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay HC, granted bail to the professor on health grounds.

The wheelchair-bound professor is 90 percent disabled and was paralysed from the waist-downwards after contracting polio in his childhood.

Saibaba suffers from a serious heart condition and needs help for every task including bathing, eating, washing and even going to the toilet, said the report.

While in jail, he was dragged by his hands by guards, which ruptured his nerves from his neck to his left shoulder and made his left hand immobile. He also fell unconscious several times during the 14 months he spent in prison.

Saibaba has been barred from entering the campus of Ram Lal Anand College, where he is a teacher. His salary has been halved by college authorities after instructions from the University authorities, who pushed his family out of the campus after his arrest. He has also been physically assaulted several times, said the report.

A robust online campaign demanding justice for the professor has been launched.
The deceased was identified as a 22-year-old man named Pricho and his body was brought to the Rameshwaram Government Hospital.

New Delhi: In the wake of the killing of an Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy, the government has conveyed its deep concerns.

Sources said, High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu has taken up matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has announced Rs. five lakh for the dead and Rs. one lakh for the fisherman injured in shooting by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Condemning the killing of the fisherman, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin has urged the Central Government to react strongly and demanded it to hold embassy-level talks at once on the issue.

"It's high time the Central Government reacts strongly to this problem. The Central Government cannot be a mute spectator. It should take up this issue with Indian ambassador in Sri Lanka or the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India," Stalin said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi Party workers climbed a tower in protest against Sri Lankan Navy in Rameswaram.

The deceased was identified as a 22-year-old man named Pricho and his body was brought to the Rameshwaram Government Hospital at around 12:30 pm.

As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on Friday evening from here and around 9 pm.

The Sri Lankan Navy started firing in which Pricho died of the bullet injury on his neck and another man named Saravanan got injured.

Meanwhile, a case had been registered in the local police station.

According to reports, around three more fishermen have suffered injuries in the firing which occurred in Adambalam, that comes under Indian territory.

Last week, 15 Indian fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy and all their equipment and fishing gear was taken away.

The fresh incident of opening fire comes a day after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy wrote to the Centre over it not taking concrete steps in stopping the steady harassment of fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

The letter spoke in detail about how Indian fishermen were constantly being hauled by the Lankan Navy and also about their equipments and boats being seized without any law being followed.
Sometimes it seems like South Dakota lawmakers have more tricks up their sleeves than Houdini.

After the Legislature and Gov. Dennis Daugaard made Initiated Measure 22 disappear in front of our very eyes in the first days of the 2017 session, they pulled Senate Bill 176 out of their hats on Feb. 15  12 days after the deadline for new legislation to be filed.

The bill gives the governor broad powers to declare public safety zones with penalties that could land protesters  in this case those opposed to the Keystone XL Pipeline  in prison for as long as two years. It is headed for almost certain approval by the Legislature.

The bills route to the Senate floor, however, is more controversial than the bill itself. SB176 is one of 16 vehicle bills introduced in the 2017 session. The bills are essentially empty vessels when introduced with just the faintest hint of what is yet to come.

Ryan Maher, the Senate assistant majority leader, said vehicle bills make the process work as smooth as possible. Opponents, like Sens. Stace Nelson and Lance Russell, call it a shortcut that creates a safety zone of sorts for lawmakers who can use them to limit discussion on controversial bills, which is certainly the case with SB176.

When first introduced by the Senate State Committee on Feb. 3  the last day that bills could be introduced  it was a mere 32 words that referenced the protection of the safety of the citizens of South Dakota. It was approved on a 9-0 vote by the same committee.

By Feb. 15, SB176 had morphed into a 1,500-word bill with seven sections, giving the governor the authority to declare public safety zones and making it a felony for anyone who trespasses in these zones more than twice in two years. The bill also limits to 20 the number of people who can gather near these zones in certain circumstances. It was approved by the same committee on a 6-3 vote. The Senate passed the bill the next day, 21-14.

The bill was born out of the governors desire to prevent what occurred in North Dakota when thousands of protesters sought to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline project, a spectacle that attracted national attention and cost that state more than $30 million in law enforcement and cleanup costs. It is prudent for Daugaard to be looking ahead and doing what he can to avert a similar event.

But using the back door to introduce the bill in the second half of a 36-day legislative session has raised the ire of even Republican lawmakers. In fact, a dozen of them  including Sen. Phil Jensen and Reps. Blaine Campbell, Julie Frye-Mueller and Tim Goodwin of Rapid City  sent a letter to Attorney General Marty Jackley complaining that after vehicle bills are passed out of either chamber they are filled with intended content, effectively bypassing the public committee process on the intended content, which deprives the public of their right to an open government provided for in our S.D. Constitution."

Jackley, a candidate for governor in 2018, replied by ruling that vehicle bills are constitutional but the Legislature has the authority to eliminate them.

At the same time SB176 was taking its subterranean route to the Senate floor, SB130  which addresses vendor fees for businesses that sell hunting and fishing licenses  took a more traditional path. After it was amended three times in committee hearings, a compromise was reached that, according to Rep. Larry Rhoden, was "a good demonstration of good process."

It's difficult to understand why a vehicle bill was used for a measure that likely would have passed anyway. Maybe the governor's office wanted to limit the amount of time SB176 would be subjected to public and legislative scrutiny, which, if true, casts a shadow over the entire process.

No matter how well-intended legislation is the use of vehicle bills undermines their ultimate purpose and shakes our confidence in the legislative process. It is time for the Legislature to make them vanish.

 Rapid City (S.D.) Journal
New Delhi has provided ample evidence to Islamabad over involvement of top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

New Delhi: Pakistan former National Security Advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani on Tuesday said that people from both India and Pakistan would not see good times without peace between the two countries.

"Today, unfortunately and to my great regret, the relations between India and Pakistan are at lowest. I have been working for many years since 1998 to bring peace between India and Pakistan because without that peace the people of those particular areas will not see good times. War is not an option because India may have been stronger and Pakistan may have nuclear weapons so there is a balance of terror unfortunately," Durrani said.

Talking about the influence of China on Pakistan, Durrani said, "The world is complicated, interlinked people are not their own and there are other nations which have interests and primary focus should be on India and Pakistan themselves. They should decide that they want peace. Other powers are influence but if two powers are mature enough then that doesn't matter. China is a big power in the region, they have an influence. the US has an influence. Europe has an influence."

Durrani on Monday said that the 2008 Mumbai attack was a "classic example" of cross-border terrorism carried out by a Pakistan-based group, prompting a quick reaction from India that said there was nothing new in the claim.

Durrani, a retired army general, was the National Security Advisor to the Pakistani government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city.

New Delhi has provided ample evidence to Islamabad over involvement of top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

However, Pakistan has denied all such allegations blaming 'non-state actors' for the incident.
Tension prevailed in the area as fishermen gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

Protest in Rameshwaram after an Indian fisherman was shot dead by Sri Lankan Navy. (Photo: Twitter)

Rameswaram: A 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead today allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet, fisheries department officials said.

The incident occurred on Monday evening when Bridgo, from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, was fishing near the islet along with others and the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, Fisheries Department Assistant Director Kulanchinathan said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot, he said, adding another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing while others who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore at 12:30 am.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said that more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot taking them by surprise.

The Lankan navy officials did not even fire a warning shot, he alleged.

Kulanchinathan said the body has been brought to the Rameswaram hospital and a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam coastal hamlet gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

The Tamil Nadu government had on Sunday protested the "escalation" in apprehension of its fishermen by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the matter.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K Palanisamy had referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities in the last few days and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the fishermen community.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he had urged Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
The terror suspect was involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast which happened on Tuesday morning.

Police personnel taking positions during their operation against a suspected terrorist holed up inside a building in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The terror suspect invloved in the Ujjain train blast who has been holed up in a building on the outskirts of Lucknow since Tuesday evening might have links with ISIS, said officials.

"Holed up terror suspect might have links with ISIS," said ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary on Tuesday.

There was a shootout earlier between the anti-terrorism squad and the terror suspect in Lucknow's Thakurganj area.

Ten persons were injured in the blast, three of them seriously, which occurred when the train was reaching Jabdi station in Shajapur district this morning.

Also confirming that the Ujjain blast was a terror attack, Madhya Pradesh's IG Law and order Makrand Devaskar said that three have been detained in Pipariya.

"It was a low intensity IED blast. IED is always used in a terrorist attack. The three detained have confirmed their involvement," he said.

Wanting to nab the accused alive, the police had used chilli bombs. While the forces had stopped firing, the suspect was firing intermittently.

UP Deputy General of Police Javeed Ahmed also said that the forces were trying to convince the holed-up person to surrender.

A nation-wide terror alert was sounded subsequently by the government.

"We are alert. We have sounded an alert all over the country," Union Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir told reporters in New Delhi.

He said the Uttar Pradesh Police was doing a commendable job to nab the terrorist holed up in a house in Kakori area in the outskirts of Lucknow.

"Terrorists do not have any ideology and create disturbances whenever they get a chance. The police is on the job to nab such elements," he said.
The neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation.

Lucknow: The terror suspect in the shootout at Lucknow's Thakurganj area is allegedly involved in the Ujjain train explosion that happened on Tuesday, officials said.

"The terror suspect linked to the Ujjain Train Blast is holed up in a building on Lucknow outskirts in Uttar Pradesh. An anti-terrorism squad operation is on, said ADG Daljit Chaudhary.

"The suspect has weapons, ammunition with him but he is alone there. No hostage and nobody else present there," said the Inspector General of the Anti-terrorism squad.

He further said that the police, in order to arrest the suspect alive, had used chilli bombs. While the forces have stopped firing, the suspect has been firing intermittently, he added.

Furthermore, Madhya Pradesh's IG Law and order Makrand Devaskar also confirmed that the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion was a terrorist attack adding that three have been detained in Pipariya.

"It was a low intensity IED blast. IED is always used in a terrorist attack. The three detained have confirmed their involvement," he said.

UP Deputy General of Police Javeed Ahmed also said that the forces were trying to convince the holed-up person to surrender.

The neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, said an NDTV report citing police sources. Twenty rounds have been fired until and an ambulance has also been called to the spot.

The incident comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, of which the seventh and last phase will be held on Wednesday.
The Ministry of External Affairs had also condemned the incident, saying it is totally unacceptable.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre's intervention in connection with the incident where a fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot in the Sri Lankan waters.

However, the island nation's navy denied any involvement in the incident.

Palanisamy said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and "the strong feelings of the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms."

He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene "personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the Government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen."

"Even as action is taken on longer term issues like retrieval of Katchatheevu (islet) and on diversification to deep sea fishing, under no circumstances can the present escalation of actions by the Sri Lankan side be ignored or tolerated," the Chief Minister said.

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said As per existing understanding between Sri Lanka and India, firing on Indian fishermen is totally unacceptable.

He further added, "Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation,"

A group of Indian fishermen, who were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast, were allegedly fired upon by the Sri Lankan Navy in which one fisherman was killed.

As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on Friday evening from Rameshwaram. The Sri Lankan navy started firing in which Pricho died of the bullet injury on his neck and another man named Saravanan got injured.
Government takes up matter with Lanka PM after TN protests

New Delhi: In the wake of the killing of an Indian Tamil fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday night, following which an angry India demanded a probe, Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced that initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lanka Navy is not involved in the alleged incident. India on Tuesday morning said it was deeply concerned and that the Indian high commissioner in Colombo has taken up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, adding that the Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation into the incident. Colombo, in turn, said that if in fact a shooting has taken place, it is a matter of grave concern, adding that the Government of Sri Lanka is firm in its commitment to ensuring that all Government agencies treat all Indian fishermen in a humane manner at all times.

The killing has triggered protests in Tamil Nadu, where chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami condemned the incident and announced a compensation of `5 lakh for the victims family. Mr Palaniswami said the state government has been repeatedly taking up with Centre the various instances of arrest and intimidation of fishermen by the Lankan Navy, besides seizure of their boats and pressed for a lasting solution.

There were also reports that a Sri Lankan Naval officer too denied the allegations, maintaining that Sri Lankan naval boats are not authorised to shoot at Indian fishermen.

In a statement from New Delhi, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, The Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our high commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation.

In a statement from Colombo, Sri Lanka said, The government of Sri Lanka is deeply concerned about the alleged shooting on Indian fishermen, and the connected loss of life of one fisherman and injury caused to another. The safety of fishermen is of utmost importance and the government of Sri Lanka is firm in its commitment to ensuring that all Government agencies treat all Indian fishermen in a humane manner at all times. Initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lanka Navy is not involved in this alleged incident.
Along with Uttara Thakur, nine other women from different parts of the country will be felicitated by PM at a function in Gujarat.

New Delhi: Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Uttara Thakur, a young sarpanch from Chhattisgarh, inspires courage just through the power of her words.

Determined to improve sanitation in her village, Uttara went door to door and motivated people to use toilets. Her contagious spirit mobilised the entire village, earning it the open defecation free status.

Uttara is among those women sarpanches who will be honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of International Womens Day for their outstanding contribution towards making Swachh Bharat a reality in rural India.

Along with Uttara, nine other women from different parts of the country will be felicitated by the PM at a function in Gandhinagar, Wednesday.

Sushila Khurkute from Palghar, Maharashtra, is another story of courage that will be felicitated. Khurkute decided to build her own toilet, digging continuously for three days in a rocky terrain. The result: she caught attention of the local authorities who helped her finish the construction work.

These are all wonderful stories of women champions that made a difference in their villages, making their villages open defecation free by building toilets and by creating awareness, said a senior official.

To be attended by 6,000 selected women sarpanches and grassroots workers from across the country that have been invited to attend Women Champions Convention  Swachh Shakti 2017 by the ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with the Gujarat.

Swachh Shakti Saptaah has been celebrated from March 1st to March 8th, 2017 across the country, with various State and district level administrations organizing special events to honour and felicitate women champions who have done exceptional work in the field of rural sanitation.

Several Union Ministers will take part in the events to carry forward the message of Swachhta and will pay tribute to role of women. The PM will honour 10 women swachhagrahis who have done exceptional work for Swachh Bharat.
Police filed the complaint after the administrator of the institution approached the police seeking action against the youngsters.

Kalpetta: Seven girl students of a well-known Muslim orphanage here have been subjected to sexual abuse by a gang of youngsters, according to police. Police has already taken into custody six of the suspects and three more are yet to be nabbed, it is learnt.

The incident came to light when the security of the orphanage found a girl coming out of a nearby shop the other day. After inquiry it was revealed that many girl students of the orphanage were lured by the youngsters into the shop and subjected to sexual abuse for about a year.

Police filed the complaint after the administrator of the institution approached the police seeking action against the youngsters.

The youngsters lured the students of the institution while they went to school. They gave them sweets and forced them to watch porn films before subjecting them to abuse. They were threatened of serious repercussions if they complained, said the complaint by the administrator. The students are from 7th, 8th, 9th standards of the school.

Though only seven students came out with complaints, police suspect that about 30 students were subjected to abuse. Police had sent the students for medical examination on Monday night itself. Wayanad SP Rajpal Meena is monitoring the investigation.

The youngsters taken into custody were being questioned till late night on Monday. More arrests are likely on Tuesday, police said. Confirming the sexual abuse, Meena told this newspaper that police will register a case and the probe has started. A few are in custody. There are chances more cases would follow, he added.
The survey, conducted by international rights group Transparency International, found 69 per cent in India admitting they had to pay bribe.

Berlin/New Delhi: India has got the dubious distinction of having the highest bribery rate in the Asia Pacific, with a survey showing, on Tuesday, that more than two-thirds of Indians had to pay 'tea money' or fork out other forms of bribe to get public services.

The survey, conducted by international anti-graft rights group Transparency International, found 69 per cent in India as saying they had to pay a bribe, followed by 65 per cent in Vietnam. China was much lower at 26 per cent while the same for Pakistan was 40 per cent.

Japan had the lowest incidence of bribery - at 0.2 per cent. South Korea also fared well at a mere 3 per cent.

However, it is China which seems to have seen the highest increase, with 73 per cent in the survey saying the bribery has gone up in their country over the past year while India comes in at seventh place (41 per cent) - higher than countries like Pakistan, Australia, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

In the survey of more than 20,000 people in 16 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 900 million said they had to pay a bribe at least once in the past one year.

The police topped the list of public services most often demanding a bribe while 38 per cent of the poorest surveyed said they paid a bribe, which is the highest proportion of any income group.

The survey asked people how often they had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour, including for the police, judge or court officials, teachers, hospital staff or a government official for getting some documents or services.

"Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. It's time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable," said Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.

The results show that lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistleblowers and governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Transparency International said.

Ugaz further added that "without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill".

As part of a regional series for the Global Corruption Barometer, Transparency International spoke to nearly 22,000 people about their recent experiences with corruption in 16 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
Nationwide alert sounded, vigil in poll areas.

Uttar Pradesh Anti Terror Squad personnel take positions during their operation against a suspected terrorist holed up inside a building in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow/Delhi: On the eve of the final phase of Assembly elections in the state, Uttar Pradeshs anti-terrorist squad (ATS) launched an operation, which was on till late in the night, to flush out two suspected terrorists holed up in a house in a densely-populated locality in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Believed to be influenced by terror group ISIS and having possible links to a train blast in Madhya Pradesh carried out earlier in the day, in which 12 people were injured, the two fired intermittently at the police, which used teargas shells and chilli bombs to smoke them out.

There was no official confirmation about their death even after firing had stopped from the rented house at Haji Colony Lucknows in Thakurgan area.

After sunset, the electricity in the area was snapped which also forced the media to retreat. Night vision cameras and gas cutters were brought in. Commandoes of paramilitary forces were being rushed to assist the ATS and the local police.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to UP DGP Javeed Ahmad, who briefed him about the incident and the action taken. Earlier, those living in the neighborhood were evacuated from their houses and the entire area was cordoned off.

Meanwhile, two suspects (brothers) from Kanpur, one from Etawah and three from Madhya Pradesh were arrested for their alleged links to the blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh. Police sources said that more modules could be hiding in other districts of the two states.

A nationwide alert has been sounded, and security beefed up in UP, particularly in 40 Assembly seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh going to the polls Wednesday.

We are alert. We have sounded an alert all over the country, Union minister of state for home, Hansraj Ahir said.

The suspects holed up in Lucknow belong to a localised group, influenced by ISIS and its literature, additional director general (law and order) Daljit Chaudhary said.

According to locals, at around 3.30 PM, over 30 policemen started vacating houses in the locality to corner the suspects. Local residents said as the suspects learnt about the plans, they started firing at the police party.

ATS IG Aseem Arun summoned elite commandos from a Bijnaur police facility.

The ATS team was trying to ensure that the suspects run out of ammunition.

Lucknow IG A. Satish Ganesh said, The suspects were not surrendering. Instead they were resorting to firing. Chilli bombs were used to smoke them out.

When the police knocked the door (of the house where the suspects are holed up), they closed the door, he said.

Meanwhile, the Railways beefed up security in the wake of the blast that took place at 9.50 am in a general-class compartment of the ill-fated train.

The Railways has viewed the incident seriously and beefed up security, according to a statement issued by the Railway Ministry.
A bill to study closing the state-run Life Skills and Transition Center and instead using funding for community-based services failed in the North Dakota Senate on Monday.

After 25 minutes of debate, Senate Concurrent Resolution 4013 failed on a verification vote, in which each individual senator's vote was not recorded. There were 22 votes for it and 23 against.

The Life Skills and Transition Center in Grafton has been around for more than a century. First established as the Institution for the Feeble Minded, it is home to 76 individuals, and each resident stays, on average, three years at the institution.

The resolution would have studied how patients end up there, and whether the state could improve statewide services by shifting the center's $60 million budget and 365 employees, according to the bill's primary sponsor, Sen. Nicole Poolman, R-Bismarck.

"The bill is not to question the quality of care people are receiving in Grafton. I have been to Grafton, and I know that the folks living there are well cared for," Poolman said during the floor debate. "The problem is, it's not where many of them want to be or where many of their families want them to be."

Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, vocalized her opposition to the resolution on Monday, but said perhaps the state could look at the center's several unused buildings.

The resolution also failed in the Senate Human Services Committee last week, 6-1. The lone vote for the resolution was Sen. Joan Heckaman, D-New Rockford.
All three occupants were critically injured and shifted to Guwahati where their condition was reported stable, Sadhu said.

A burnt out Meghalaya Police vehicle is seen in front of community health centre. (Photo: PTI)

Shillong: Three persons were injured in alleged police firing that led a mob to torch a police station and five vehicles at Resubelpara in Meghalayas North Garo Hills district, the police said Tuesday.

The three persons, while they were returning from a weekly market, were fired at by the police after the vehicle they were travelling in did not stop at a police check point Monday night, deputy commissioner S.C. Sadhu said.

All three occupants were critically injured and shifted to Guwahati where their condition was reported stable, he said.

As the news spread, a mob set afire the local police station, five police vehicles and a makeshift shelter for police guards within the premises, he said.

While the police maintained that the occupants were asked to stop at the first and second check points, their refusal led the policemen at the last layer to fire at them suspecting them to be armed militants.

District SP Dalton Marak said, We had information about William Sangma (who had earlier evaded arrest by running away in a vehicle which was asked to stop) and had duly set up a checkpoint, close to the Belpara Baptist Church. However, at about 10:30, whean we asked the vehicle to stop, it refused to do so.
The former FM was speaking at the unveiling of a draft blueprint to "radically restructure" the cash-strapped civic bodies.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram addresses a DPCC event organised to resent a Draft Blueprint for Fiscally Self-Reliant Delhi Municipal Corporations in New Delhi. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday took a veiled dig at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his Delhi-London comparison remarks, saying his government should first try turning the city into what it was 20 years ago.

"I read today someone wants to make Delhi (into) London. I wish them well but let them make the city what it was 20 years ago, before they decide to make it London.

"I sincerely hope the next idea is not to have a Lord Mayor of Delhi like the Lord Mayor of London," he said, as he sought to mock Kejriwal without naming him.

The former finance minister was speaking at the unveiling of a draft blueprint prepared by the Congress to "radically restructure" the three cash-strapped civic bodies in Delhi.

"These are grand announcements...we need grand plans to radically restructure Delhi (MCD). Ultimately the plan must be something the people must adopt and accept...And in 10 years through this plan, we will make Delhi a world-class city," Chidambaram said.

Addressing a crowd at an event in Uttam Nagar on Sunday, Kejriwal had said, "In the Assembly polls you gave us 67 seats but this time do not leave any such gap. If we win the MCD polls, we will spruce up Delhi and make it look like London within a year".

The remarks have drawn criticism from political rivals, including the BJP, which has been ruling the MCD for the last 10 years.

Kejriwal, however, today sought to clarify his remarks, saying he meant Delhi will be made as clean as London, keeping its unique cultural ethos intact.

"When we go to western countries including London, we see a high level of cleanliness there. Delhi will be made as clean as London, which only the AAP can do," he told reporters.

The Congress is eyeing a comeback in the civic elections after severe drubbing in the last Assembly elections in which it drew a blank.

However, in the civic bye-polls last year to 13 seats, the Congress finished second with four seats ahead of the BJP at three and behind the AAP, which bagged the maximum of five seats.

The AAP is making its debut in the municipal elections and has pulled out all stops in the campaigning phase, seeking to replicate its stunning performance in the last Assembly polls, in which the BJP was reduced to just three seats in the 70-member House.

The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012 into North, South and East Municipal Corporations.
The PWD stated that the amount was withdrawn from contingency fund (CF) since the expenditure was of an "urgent nature".

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government spent Rs 8 crore from Contingency Fund to meet publicity expenses for the foundation stone laying ceremonies of various projects which were kicked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December.

The projects also included the "jal poojan" of the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial in Arabian Sea.

"It was decided to provide funds of Rs 8 crore for advertisement and publicity for the 'Jal Poojan' ceremony of the memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and (for) inauguration of Mumbai Metro line, Sweree-Nhawa Sheva project and new railway projects under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)," the PWD Department stated in the supplementary demands for grants tabled by Finance department in both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature on the first day of the Budget session.

The supplementary demands for grants worth Rs 11104 crore, 96 lakh, 25 thousand would be discussed on March 14 and 15.

During his visit to Mumbai on December 24, Modi had performed "Jal Poojan" for the Shivaji memorial in Arabian Sea. He had also laid the foundation stones for key infrastructure projects, including 22.5 km Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, two new metro projects, and for multiple works to be carried out as part of the third phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project.

The PWD stated that the amount was withdrawn from contingency fund (CF) since the expenditure was of an "urgent nature".

However, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP) criticised the government over withdrawal from the CF.

"The CF is reserved for purposes of urgency and this fund must be used carefully. However, the state has a normal practice of using the CF for any purpose.

"We are asking for financial assistance to farmers, but the government has no money for farmers. At the same time, it is using CF for publicity purposes. This is disgusting," he said.

The government has made a provision of Rs 14.07 crore in the supplementary grants as expenditure to provide financial assistance to the kin of farmers who had committed suicide.

Besides, Finance Department had made a provision of Rs 1000 as a token for the purchase of 88 branded touchscreen detachable laptops for members of the Legislative Council, the total expenditure for which was Rs 1.44 crore.
The Congress vice-president was addressing a convention of Congress workers at the Ram Lila Maidan before the upcoming polls.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for playing "politics of false promises" as he set the tone of his party's campaign for upcoming civic polls in the national capital.

Addressing a convention of Congress workers at Ram Lila Maidan here, Gandhi targeted both Modi and Kejriwal for leading "individual-centric" governments.

"Both Modi and Kejriwal engage in politics of false promises," Gandhi said as he listed poll promises Modi and Kejriwal had made ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha and 2015 Delhi assembly polls respectively.

He said the Congress governments echo voice of every countryman.

Gandhi also attacked Modi over the recent killings of Indians in the US.

"Modi ji talks about 56-inch chest, right? When our youth are being killed...why he is not speaking? Because India's Prime Minister is scared of speaking up (to the US)," Rahul said.
Following the emerging reports about the extreme violence, the NHRC issued a notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday disposed off a plea seeking action against policemen for allegedly manhandling students and journalists during a clash that broke out between two student associations in Ramjas college.

The students from Delhi University's law department approached the High Court for action against those cops responsible for assaulting students and scribes.

Two of Delhi University law students Tarun Narang and Deepak Joshi filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the matter, which seeks formation of an independent committee of senior Delhi Police officials to investigate what led to massive protests in the College.

It also demanded that police lodge cases under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (assaulting a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) against the Police officers.

On February 22, the All India Students Association (AISA) and the ABVP engaged into a scuffle over cancellation of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid's talk at Delhi University's Ramjas College.

Following the emerging reports about the extreme violence, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner.

"Allegedly, some journalists, covering clashes, were slapped, punched and kicked by the policemen. The Commission has taken on record complaints as well as media reports making similar allegations including threats to some students on social media. The Commission has given him four weeks to submit a detailed report in the matter," read the NHRC notice.

However, the Delhi Police had earlier called for strict action, while asserting that few policemen's unprofessional actions were also noticed in handling law and order situation during the scuffle.

"It came in the notice of top leadership of the Delhi police that unprofessionalism was seen on the part of certain policemen in handling law and order situation. We will take action according to the circumstances," Delhi Police spokesperson Dependra Pathak said.
A total 72,000 teachers have been recruited through the TET exam out of whom 42,400 are for primary schools.

Kolkata: Opposition Congress and Left Frontjointly staged a walkout in West Bengal assembly on Tuesday after the speaker rejected an adjournment motion moved by them. The motion sought a discussion on recruitment of teachers in state-run schools through Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) exam.

Alleging non-transparency in the recruitment of teachers through TET, Congress leader Nepal Mahato raised a demand for CBI inquiry into the matter before staging the walkout along with CPI-M.

Shouting slogans, the Congress MLAs led by Nepal Mahato, left the House first. The Left MLAs, led by Sujan Chakraborty followed them.

"We want CBI inquiry into the controversial TET results. We want to the truth to come out," Chakraborty told reporters outside the house.

A total 72,000 teachers have been recruited through the TET exam out of whom 42,400 are for primary schools.
The 26/11 attack was carried out by a 10-man squad of terrorists sent to Mumbai.

Mumbai: Pakistans former National Security Adviser (NSA) Mahmud Ali Durranis claim that the 26/11 Mumbai attack was a classic example of cross-border terrorism carried out by a Pakistan-based group, has sparked off a fresh outrage. The victims of the 2008 terror strike have asked the Indian government to ensure that the masterminds of the attack holed up in Pakistan are punished.

The 26/11 attack was carried out by a 10-man squad of terrorists sent to Mumbai via sea route by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). One of the attackers, Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist who was caught alive by the security forces was hanged in November, 2012 after a trial.

Speaking at a security conference in Delhi on Monday, Mr Durrani claimed that the attack in which 166 people lost there lives was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan and was a classic trans-border terrorist event.

While there is no sense of closure for the victims of 26/11 terror strikes even eight years after the attacks, Mr Durranis statement has reminded them of the blatant collusion between the Pakistan government and the terror outfits. Vaishali Ombale, the 28-year-old daughter of policeman Tukaram Ombale, who had caught lone terrorist Ajmal Kasab and died of bullet wounds, said, There is no justice meted out till date as the masterminds of the attack are still at large. They need to be caught and brought to justice. This statement again brings the issue to light, and the government should put pressure on Pakistan.

Manasi Shinde, wife of slain officer Shashank Shinde said, It is good that there is at least acceptance from their side. This is the best chance of putting more pressure on Pakistan and push them to act against terror masterminds.

Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the 26/11 terror attacks case, said, I would like to congratulate Mr. Durrani for speaking the truth about Pakistans involvement in the attack. He was a former NSA and his admission is of great importance. He has admitted that the conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan and his claims have exposed Nawaz Sharifs government.
Chastain, along with actor Daniel Bruhl, director Niki Caro and others, will attend a gala screening on Tuesday.

Warsaw: Hollywood actress Jessica Chastain and crew members of a movie telling the real-life story of a Warsaw woman who saved dozens of Jews from the Holocaust are in the city for the movie's gala screening.

In 'The Zookeeper's Wife,' Chastain portrays Antonina Zabinska, the wife of the former Warsaw zoo director, Jan Zabinski. During World War II, the coupled saved up to 300 Jews, hiding them in their home and in animal enclosures, risking their own lives and those of their children.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Chastain, along with actor Daniel Bruhl, director Niki Caro and others, will attend a gala screening on Tuesday. The movie opens in theaters March 31.

It is based on a book by an American author, Diane Ackerman, published in 2007.
He will appear for his first paper on March 14 with the help of an interpreter and a writer

Pune: A 21-year-old deaf, mute and visually impaired student - who can communicate only through a tactile sign language- is all set become the first such student to appear for the Class X exam conducted by the Maharashtra State Board.

Saurabh Chougule, a student of the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Blind in Navi Mumbai, has been preparing for the examination at the institute for the last three years.

He will appear for his first paper on March 14 with the help of an interpreter and a writer.

Chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) Gangadhar Mhamane said this is the first time that such a student will attempt the examination.

"We approached the SSC board in Pune and put forth the a request seeking permission to allow Saurabh to appear for the board exam and we are happy that the board has accepted our plea. Now, the dream of Saurabh to appear for the Class X board exam will be fulfilled," Education Coordinator at the Institute Devyani Hadkar told PTI.

"When we approached the board chairman, we sought permission to issue a question paper in braille.However, the Board, while citing lack of requisite infrastructure and

facility for braille, gave us the option of using an interpreter and writer," she said.

Hadkar explained a tactile sign language is used to communicate with persons like Saurabh.

"Such persons can understand things and one has to hold the person's hand and with some signs, make them understand things. We are going to use the same method during the examination in which an interpreter will read the question and communicate with Saurabh through tactile sign language," she informed.Hadkar said Saurabh will also respond in the tactile sign language, following which the interpreter will recite the

answer to the writer.

Given his aptitude for vocational courses, Saurabh will appear for subjects like Bakery Products, Milk Products, Marathi (third language), Social Science, Mathematics,

Information & Technology and Science."We have provided all the facilities to Saurabh at the examination centre and he will get one hour extra to solve the paper," he said. Saurabh, who hails from Sangli, will appear for the examination in one of the centres in Ghansoli.
Trumps criticism of his countrys savagery has been at par with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the priest who baptised Obamas children.

It is a strange anomaly. Whenever India or Pakistan, or both, go into the cobra pose, hissing invectives and threatening to decimate each other, including with nuclear weapons, the world cries foul.

When Nawaz Sharif visits Delhi or when Narendra Modi drops in uninvited at a Lahore wedding, Indian and Pakistani peaceniks applaud together with the worried world. Yet, when Donald Trump wants to improve his countrys troubled relations with Vladimir Putin he is pilloried for even making the suggestion.

Granted he is not gender sensitive, that he has wronged and abused women and his mindset is possibly racist, driven by acute Islamophobia. I would liken Russia in this equation to the baby in Trumps dirty bathtub. The deep state that contrived lies to invade Iraq or exulted in the wrecking of Libya, in cahoots with the media, seems to be facing an existential crisis with Trumps presidency over his plans to touch base with Putin.

One day Trump excelled himself in his collaring of the deep state, which includes all major parties and the media. He said something to the effect that his countrys image was not exactly squeaky clean when it came to shedding blood around the world. That was his response to a Fox TV question about Putins alleged bloodlust as seen in the military operations in Aleppo.

Trumps blunt criticism of his countrys savage moments has been at par with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the priest who baptised Barack Obamas children. When in a fit of rage over an Israeli assault on Palestinian camps he yelled goddamn America Obama cut off ties with the African American priest.

Then suddenly it began to rain scams on Trump. So and so met the Russian ambassador. So and so made eye contact with him. Trumps attorney general is said to have a racist background. That was forgiven or grudgingly gulped down. Instead his alleged dalliances with Russian diplomats and/or businessmen were picked up for censure. A wider conspiracy was unleashed to torpedo the new Presidents still unwavering plans to improve relations with Putin. BBC dug out dirt on the Russians, which they are good at. Russia was a British quarry, which became Americas bete noire.

Cut to the day when Prime Minister Theresa May sauntered into Washington and Ankara recently and the media said she was fixing business deals. They omitted the fact that both her destinations involved allies who seemed to have lost interest in the old British fear-mongering called Russophobia. Trumps fascination with Putin was by now legendary and Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan too had shown signs of becoming disenchanted with the British-assigned role of playing an anti-Moscow Sancho Panza.

Russophobia as we know it is a British innovation. It was left to Winston Churchill to give the Cold War a newer variant of an old pursuit. The new seeds were planted in Churchills Iron Curtain speech. Then James Bond took over while Alfred Hitchcock also embraced the diabolical imagery of the Russians. Until then, Hollywood had been in hot pursuit of Germans as Americas horns and canines ogres.

Much earlier, before Western democracies were swamped with the Churchillian exhortations against Russia, British governors general and viceroys in India took it upon themselves to deepen and sustain the fear mongering. Delhis imposing colonial monument  India Gate  is a testimony to this perpetually induced fear with the rulers of Moscow. All sides of the landmark sandstone monument are lined with thousands of names of Sikh and Muslim soldiers who were sacrificed in the suicidal Afghan wars. May must have seen how Britains self-defeating obsession with Russia had dissipated into the brick-batting in Washington D.C. between the Democrats and the Republicans.

Going by usually trustworthy accounts Trump is an unpredictable person, which makes him a dangerous leader of an already error-prone military power. Nevertheless, Noam Chomsky must have shocked the Democrats by suggesting that in his view John Kennedy was the most dangerous of Presidents. Trump is lampooned daily, which is as it should be, as an unqualified gatecrasher in the White House. The suggestion, however, implies that the world was somehow better off under George W. Bush and, more worryingly, under his Dr Strangelove-like colleagues  Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Is Trump really worse than the marauders of Iraq and Libya?

By arrangement with Dawn
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem described the U.S. border with Mexico as a war zone last year when she sent dozens of state National Guard troops there. Noem said theyd be on the front lines of stopping drug smugglers and human traffickers. But newly released records from the National Guard show that in their two-month deployment, the South Dakota troops didnt seize any drugs and sometimes went days without encountering any migrants at all. Noem justified the deployment and a widely criticized private donation to fund as a state emergency because of drugs making their way across the southern border to South Dakota. But the records cast doubt on whether the deployment was effective in addressing that.
Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

Washington: President Donald Trump today affirmed America's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea's security following the latest missile test by North Korea. Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the White House said.

During the phone calls, Trump emphasised the United States' ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.

"He emphasised that his administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles using the full range of United

States military capabilities," the White House said.

"Trump agreed with Prime Minister Abe and Acting President Hwang to continue close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire

consequences for its provocative and threatening actions," the White House said.

Meanwhile, the US Forces in Korea announced that Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile has arrived in Korean Peninsula. Pentagon Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada to discuss North Korea's missile launches.

"Mattis and Inada both agreed that these launches are an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region," Davis said. Mattis reaffirmed that the US remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment, he said.

"Both Mattis and Inada agreed to cooperate closely along with the Republic of Korea to strengthen deterrence and to maintain the peace and security of Northeast Asia," Davis

said. North Korea yesterday fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters.
The State Department said that US citizens should avoid travelling to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence.

Washington: The US on Monday issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and said extremist elements are also "active" in India.

"The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens and interests. US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence," the State Department said in its worldwide caution.

"A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan", it said.

"Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh," it added.
The injured have been shifted to Bangkok hospital by army helicopters.

An air ambulance of the Medanta hospital on Tuesday crash landed near Bangkok after it caught fire, resulting in the death of its pilot. (Photo: Medanta.org)

Bangkok: An air ambulance of the Medanta hospital on Tuesday crash landed near Bangkok after it caught fire, resulting in the death of its pilot and injuries to four crew members, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said tonight.

She said the injured have been shifted to Bangkok hospital by army helicopters.

In a series of tweets, Swaraj said, "The Air Ambulance of Medanta Hospital with five member crew caught fire and crashlanded near Bangkok. The injured were shifted to Bangkok Hospital by Army helicopters.

"Our Mission has just informed me that we have lost pilot of the Air Ambulance Arunaksha Nandy. Dr Shailendra and Dr Komal are in the ICU. The other two have sustained minor injuries (sic)."

Meanwhile, Medanta hospital Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Naresh Trehan termed as "unfortunate" the accident and said the ill-fated air ambulance had gone to Bangkok to bring a patient suffering from lung problem.

The plane took off from New Delhi for Bangkok yesterday.

En-route Bangkok, it took a refuelling stop at Kolkata in the afternoon and, later it crash landed at Nakhon Pathom airport.

The plane was carrying two doctors and a nurse apart from the pilot.

One of the doctors was from the hospital's Department of Anaesthesia while the other from the Department of Critical Care.

They have suffered burn injuries and undergoing treatment. "It is an unfortunate incident. A team of doctors from Medanta have already left for Bangkok last night. The two doctors have suffered burn injuries and what we are getting to know that the injuries are not life-threatening. Their families will also join them soon. I may travel to Bangkok tomorrow. The Ministry of External Affairs is also helping a lot." said Trehan.
Robert Wood, U.S. Disarmament Ambassador, condemned North Korea's tests as its latest violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Seoul (South Korea): North Korea faced a chorus of condemnation on Tuesday for its latest ballistic missile tests but declared that ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises were aimed at conducting a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against Pyongyang.

Ju Yong Choi, a North Korean diplomat, told the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that the annual drills were "a major cause of escalation of tension that might turn into actual war" on the divided Korean peninsula.

"The ongoing joint military exercise is carried out with massive mobilisation of troops, unprecedented in size, and various types of U.S. strategic forces including nuclear carriers, nuclear strategic bombers and Stealth fighters," Ju told the 61-member forum.

"It will certainly jeopardise peace and stability in the region and drive the situation in the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war," he said.

During the stormy 90-minute session, envoys from more than a dozen countries, including North Korea's main ally China, as well as Britain, France, Russia and the United States, condemned North Korea's test-firing of four ballistic missiles on Monday.

Robert Wood, U.S. Disarmament Ambassador, condemned North Korea's tests as its latest violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang's weapons programme represented a "clear threat to the national security of every country of the region", he said.

The United States had an "iron-clad commitment to defend its allies" and the joint military exercises carried out with Seoul for more than 40 years were "transparent and defence-oriented".

Referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Wood said: "It should be very clear to the DPRK that it is a pariah, it is an outlier, it is in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and that the countries represented in this room are not going to stand by and just let the DPRK violate international law."
by Yaung Ni Oo

Over a hundred youth attended the gathering, including AVSI sponsored children. Reading and listening to the Word of God was the camps main activity. All religions are based on love and sharing of one's life, said one young participant.

Yangon (AsiaNews)  As summer approaches, and school exams come to an end, Myanmars dioceses begin to plan summer camps, catechism classes and various activities for children and teenagers.

In view of this, the Family of God community in Myaungmya parish, Pathein diocese (Irrawaddy delta), recently organised a summer camp titled Speak Father, we listen.

About 124 youths from three hostels (Bethany, Mother of Myanmar, and Nazareth Bush School) took part in the event, plus other young people, who benefit from the AVSI international child sponsorship programme.

Every year, the Family of God community organises a summer camp (pictured) for its children. Every year a different theme is chosen and various activities are prepared for children, with the aim to bolstering their Christian faith, as well as meeting their daily physical and educational needs.

This year the event promoted by the local Church was dedicated to the Bible, with readings led by Fr Augustine Aung Soe Lin, with the help of a nun and two lay people.

The summer camp lasted five days, starting on 1 March with the arrival of children from the Nazareth Bush School to the Hill of love and ended on Sunday 5 March with the celebration of Mass.

During the three days of seminars, meetings and discussions, children learnt to read and explore some chapters of the Bible. They also took part in moments of meditation and sharing personal experiences.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) is behind the summer camps. The Diocese of Pathein organised the first of these gatherings, but others will follow in the coming weeks.

With the first one over, Fr Augustine will visit the parishes of ThingaN Aing, Ye Nan Aing, and Myaungmya to attend meetings that include the participation of at least a thousand children.

At these venues, children can touch the Bible like their daily bread. For them the book becomes a source of life, to experience and share with others, along with what they dream and learn every day.

Fr Benjamin is charge of camp activities, and can count on the help of the childrens families: parents help prepare meals, take care of the logistics, transport and meet the children's needs, whilst teachers prepare performances starting with the Bible itself.

Speaking to AsiaNews, a little girl named Maria, who attended the Myaungmya camp, said that "all religions are based on love and sharing of one's life." They teach that it is possible to live together "in peace and harmony".

The latter are essentials for a nation where ethnic and sectarian tensions rage, especially with the Kachin in the north and the Muslim Rohingya minority in the western state of Rakhine.

"We are the good seeds fallen onto the ground, she added, and we shall grow with the desire to serve our community, as we have seen our dear and beloved Fr Benjamin do."

For another child, a boy named David, "Our life is a testimony of love, and sharing life".
by Sumon Corraya

The vehicle was travelling to Kashimpur prison. Two bombs exploded, but the attempt failed. A suspect has been arrested, and is now being interrogate. Islamists continue attacks in Bangladesh.

Gazipur (AsiaNews)  A group of Islamist militants attacked a van carrying prisoners in an effort to free Abdul Hannan, a mufti and leader of the extremist Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami group, and 19 of his associates.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon in Tongi, Gazipur district, in central Bangladesh, in front of the Safiuddin Sarker Academy, when the prisoners were being brought back to the Kashimpur Central Prison after a hearing in Dhaka.

Hannan is the leader of a group responsible for several deadly attacks in recent years.

According to the officer in charge Md Firoz Talukder, several hand grenades were thrown at the van. Two of them exploded, but they missed the target and no one was injured.

The police captured a suspect in Mymensingh, Md Mostafa Kamal, 25. The young man, a student at a madrassa (Quranic school), was discovered trying to flee with a bag containing seven hand grenades, a stun grenade and two machetes.

"Kamal said in the initial interrogation that a person gave him 10,000 takas to carry out the attack, officer Firoz said. He has not yet disclosed the name of the person.

According to police, Kamal was in Gazipur for a year with a fake ID to mislead the investigation. The van attack was intended to free Hannan.

Hannan heads Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, a South Asian Islamist extremist organisation dedicated to establishing Islamic rule, operates mainly in South Asia.

The group is responsible for the attack on the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in the diocese of Khulna (south-western district of Gopalgonj) on 6 June 2001, during which ten Catholics were killed and 26 injured.

The mufti faces a death sentence for an attack in Sylhet against the then British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury, that killed three people, including two policemen, and explosions at Ramna Batamul that in April 2001 that killed ten people.

On 23 February 2014, Islamist militants attacked a van in Mymensingh, killing a policeman and freeing three Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen leaders.

One of them, Rakibul Hasan was recaptured the same day, whilst the other two, Salauddin Salehin and Mizan, are still fugitives with 500,000-takas reward to anyone providing information.

Over the past two decades, terrorist acts by Islamist militants have increased, directed against ordinary people, foreigners and religious minorities.

After the Dhaka massacre, in which 20 people died including nine Italians, attacks targeting Christians and Hindus have continued.

On 21 February, during a seminar on interreligious dialogue, Alhaj Molla Nazrul Islam, Islamic leaders Dakop, promised minorities his protection.

Summon Corraya

bangladesh,attack,abdul hannan,harkat-ul-jihad al-islami,
by Pierre Balanian

During the relatively short life of contemporary Lebanon, the electoral law has been amended several times. All unanimous in rejecting the law of 1960 and even more those of 2000 and 2005, but actually every denomination wants an electoral law on its extent and this is impossible.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - With the approach of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon the issue of having to adopt a new electoral law is back to the fore. Art.42 of the Constitution places a 60-day period to elect a parliament, a term that would run from mid-April until mid-June.

No one wants the power vacuum which yesterday, March 6, the President of the Parliament Nabih Berri alluded to saying: "I fear that the end of April will arrive without having adopted a new electoral law." The electoral law is now at the center of all the meetings and discussions between the various political forces and religious leaders of the country. Ordinary citizens struggle to understand the debate and often is content to support one party or another according to sympathy and affiliation. What is urgent is the need to decide whether to go ahead with the Law of 60 (many think it is 60% while in reality 60 stands for the law adopted in 1960) or whether to apply the proportional representation.



During the relatively short life of contemporary Lebanon, the electoral law has been amended several times, made and remade according to the measure of the powers and influences on the ground. This was mainly through the division of constituencies. The 1926 constitution has no mechanism for the legislative elections, nor did it specify the number of deputies. Everything was defined by successive laws, so voters were asked to choose their representative for the Caza (district level) or sometimes more extended constituencies.

The six provinces in Lebanon are administratively divided into 25 Caza (districts) with the sole province of Beirut that has districts.



With the end of the civil war in 1990, when the current president of the Lebanese Republic Gen. Michel Aoun was in exile in France - following his predecessor Amin Gemmayel - and Christians were left leaderless except for the Maronite Patriarch, the Arab states led by Saudi Arabia imposed the national reconciliation agreement known as the Taef agreement. The 1992 electoral law was born from this, which raised the number of deputies from 99 to 128. The division of constituencies according to the 1992 law tried to content everyone and anyone: Bekaa province was divided into three, Mount Lebanon into six, and the southern provinces of the country and Nabatiye grouped into a single constituency. This law was unfavorable to Christians pushed them to boycott the vote.



then came the years of the Syrian Pax. In 1999 the Parliament passed a new electoral law for the 2000 elections, a law now known as the Ghazi Kenan law, the de facto Syrian governor of Lebanon, which divided the country into 14 constituencies. In this law 17 deputies including the late Rafic Hariri, ran for election. This law outrageously divides Beirut (three districts) and the North of Lebanon (in two), a law of inequality and division in order to dissolve the Christian voters amid large majority of Muslim voters. A law tailored to favor the allied forces of Syria, which gave birth to many groups in Parliament, but no majority (so the Hariri majority party, for example counted on only 26 deputies). This law was strongly criticized by Lebanese Christian leaders in exile was applied a second time in 2005, after the withdrawal of Syria, with one change: the two southern districts and Nabatiye were separated.

In 2005 with the Hezbollah opposition, Amal, Aoun's party and the Armenians, won a majority, with 72 deputies out of 128. What is certain is that since 1992 all elections have marginalized Christians. To get an idea of how the divisions foster sectarian imbalances just think that if the law of 1960 was applied Muslims today would get to elect 88 deputies and Christians 42, while if the law of 2000 and 2005 were applied Muslims would get 105 seats and the Christian 23. Thus, the present Parliament that self-renewed its mandate without elections, actually accounts for 41% of Lebanese.

At the present time are all unanimous (especially Aoun's party and the Phalangists and with them the Hezbollah Shiite) in rejecting the 1960 law and even more so those of 2000 and 2005. "Only a law in proportion with the whole country as a single constituency would effectively ensure the equal representation of all Lebanese, of all denominations and ethnic groups " the leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah also said in his last speech.

This proposal made by General Aoun and supported widely by the Maronite Patriarchate and Shiite Hezbollah is opposed by the Druze Walid Jumblatt and the Amal Shiite Nabih Berri to which the Sunni groups were also united. However over the past few weeks it would appear that the Sunnis have accepted the proportionate representation provided that Hariri remains as prime minister whatever the results. The law on a proportional basis is a "solution to the Lebanese" as it proportionally combines with the confessional system. The voter must select a list or a list name, the complexity lies in the ballot of the vote which takes place in two stages, first of all defining the minimum number of votes to get a seat and based on this, dividing the total votes with number of seats to get the electoral quota, then in the second stage splitting the votes with electoral quotas to define the seats won by each list. The candidates in the first stage are ranked according to the votes obtained, the distribution is in order to ensure all the seats are allocated to each denomination.

The so-called "orthodox law" (so called because of its signatory orthodox Christian MP Elie Ferzli) that provides for the division of seats in equal numbers between Christians and Muslims is also being disscussed. Christians all grouped vote for Christian candidates, while Muslims would have their 50% of the seats divided between the three confessions Shiites, Sunnis and Druze, and every denomination will vote its candidates. This proposal has apparently been rejected because of divisions.



Meanwhile, among the various proposals submitted by the National Commission in charge of electoral reform there is a project for a mixed electoral system between the majority system and proportional representation, with a womans quota of 30%. The bill provides for recourse to the election of a number of deputies with the majority system in the Caza level (districts) and a lower number of Members who would be elected on a proportional basis to the provinces level.



The parties and the Christian Churches insist on lowering the age of voting rights from 21 to 18 years, and also in allowing the vote to the Lebanese diaspora (for the majority of Christian confession).



In fact every denomination wants an electoral law to its own design and this is impossible.



Jibran Basil son of Gen. Aoun and head of Tayyar al Hur party which represents the majority of Christians in Lebanon (Maronite, Melkite and Armenian) said during a celebration took place in Tannurin March 5 that "there is no more pressing priorities the electoral law, "threatening that nothing can move forward in the country without the approval of this law. In the absence of such a law, he argued that there will be a power vacuum and that the President of the Republic will not sign any law that sets forth the 60 "because it respects the people's will."

The law of 1960 he said "is dead and buried" and will not "rise again." Jibran has also added "we are ready to adopt a comprehensive reform that also regards the creation of a Senate and the adoption of the secular system, however, we will not accept the shadow of rooted confessionalism, as we do not accept that Christians are completely marginalized from the role that is theirs within the system, an indivisible role and that must be integral, so that they are seen as partners to complete and all effects. Only then will Lebanon recover its splendor and its mission".
Transparency International found that India and Vietnam are the most corrupt whilst Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia are the least. The poor suffer the most, but in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia the richest are asked for bribes the most. Bribes can kill. Many governments remain lukewarm towards the problem.

Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies)  About 900 million people have paid a bribe at least once in 2016, this according to a report by Transparency International, which surveyed more than 20,000 people in 16 Asia-Pacific countries and territories.

The study shows the magnitude of a problem that sees ordinary people pay kickbacks to get a service from a public official.

Bribery rates were highest in India and Vietnam, where nearly two thirds of respondents said they had to sweeten the deal to access basic services like public education and healthcare. Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia reported the lowest incidences of bribery.

The poor are hit hardest by corruption with 38 per cent of respondents saying they had to pay a bribe, the highest in any income category.

Yet whilst poorer people were more likely to be targeted in countries like Thailand, India and Pakistan, the reverse trend was found in places like Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill, said Transparency International chairman Jose Ugaz in a press release.

When it comes to perceptions of corruption Malaysia and Vietnam got the worst ratings from their own citizens, who felt graft was widespread and accused their governments of doing little to fight it.

Corruption scandals have rocked a number of governments in the region, including South Korea, where President Park Geun-hye has been suspended pending impeachment, Malaysia, where Prime Minister Najib Razak is involved in an ongoing scandal, and China, where scores of top officials have been arrested and convicted as part of President Xi Jinpings campaign against graft.
by Christopher Sharma

Clash occurred during a campaign rally by an opposition Communist Party. The tribal minority complains of discrimination and wants an autonomous province. The first local elections in 19 years are set for May.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews)  Four people have died and scores injured during violent clashes between tribal Madhesi protesters and police.

The incident occurred yesterday in Maleth, Saptari district (south-eastern Nepal), during an election rally by the opposition Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML).

Police opened fire on protesters who were trying to stop the event attended by prominent leaders, including former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

"A crowd of Madhesi attacked the meeting with stones and sticks, said regional Police Chief Ramesh Bhattarai. We issued warnings, but when they ignored them we were forced to fire."

Tensions between the Madhesi minority in the countrys Terai region (south Nepal) and the central government have been building up in the past few weeks.

Clashes are nothing new. Two years ago, parliament and the Madhesi sparred over the countrys first secular and democratic constitution.

Then as now, the main issue is the countrys territorial division. Under the new constitution, the ruling parties set up six, then seven provinces. The Madhesi complain that such an administrative division penalises them; for this reason, they want an autonomous province.

This is happening at a time when local elections are scheduled for this May, the first in 19 years. Many parties are concerned about losing in their territorial strongholds. Minorities that feel discriminated are pressing their own demands.

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM), known in English as the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), which represents Madhesi political groups, has been organising strikes in several southern cities.

One group of protesters clashed with CPN-UML partisans taking part in the Mechi-Mahakali Campaign, at the Gajendra Narayan Singh the industrial estate. The campaign calls for changes to provincial boundaries.

According to the CPN-UML, the Madhesi already have enough constitutional guarantees that protect their rights.

Police boosted security measures against possible clashes. "Had we had not stopped the crowd, they would attack political representatives, the regional police chief said.

"We condemn all acts of violence and loss of life, but it was necessary to restore peace, Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson Bal Krishna Panthi said. We call on all parties to remain calm and show mutual respect.

"The UML party is responsible for this heinous incident, said Gajendra Mandal, central secretary of Madhes Samajbadi Party, which is affiliated with the SLMM.

We were peacefully demonstrating for our rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. Instead, UML leaders continue to persecute and suppress the Madhesi people. We will continue our protest."
For Prime Minister Najib Razak his fellow citizens are "hostages." Police say Pyongyang's embassy in Kuala Lumpur is hiding people sought in connection to the murder of Kim Jong-nam

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korea has banned Malaysian citizens from leaving the country; in response Kuala Lumpur has done the same for North Koreans living in Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, condemning Pyongyangs move denounced that his citizens are effectively "hostages" of North Korea.

The ban and the response of Malaysia are the most recent act in the tensions that are emerging between the two countries after the killing of Kim Jong-nam, brother of the North Korea dictator, Kim Jong-un. Kuala Lumpur has not directly blamed the Norths regime, but is looking for a few North Koreans that took part in the assassination of Kim. One of them is a Pyongyang secretary to Kuala Lumpur who police believe is hiding in the embassy (see photo) along with at least one other suspect.

In recent days, North Korea criticized Malaysia for the way it handled the death of the "North Korean citizen," because of a lack of scientific autopsy (which showed poisoning by nerve agent), and for having listed North Koreans among suspects. Three days ago, Malaysia expelled the ambassador of North Korea for insulting the country; immediately after Pyongyang did the same with the Malaysian ambassador.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, there are 11 Malaysian citizens in North Korea. Three of them work at the embassy, two at the United Nations, the others are their relatives.

In Malaysia there are 14 North Koreans who work in the embassy. Another hundred live in the country, mostly students and workers. At least another 170 North Koreans work in Sarawak.
Albuquerque Cab Company closed on Monday, citing competition from Uber as a contributing factor in the 40 year old company's demise.

Uber riders take note that riding in a yellow cab is safer than riding in a blue ... cab.

A New Mexico themed t-shirt made by J. Crew contains so many errorsincluding a large saguaro cactus in its design that stores have been selling out of the unintentionally funny/stupid torso sheath.

There was a fire in the Bosque around Montano bridge yesterday.

President Trump's latest gaffe is a tweet blaming Obama for releasing 120 Gitmo prisoners "back to the battlefield". Obama's administration actually released a total of 9 prisoners while Bush released the other 113 Gitmo detainees.

Man ingests pregnant spider, spider gives birth, baby spiders begin crawling out of man's mouth. Really, tho, the only thing man ingested was some powerful LSD....

This is absolutely the BEST Trump-hair video yet.
Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Saudi Shoura council is discussing a system of rules to combat illegal immigration. For this purpose a commission of the Interior Ministry should be established to expel five million foreigners who have illegally settled in the kingdom.



In an article published by the daily Al-Hayat, Dr. Sadqa Fadel, who presented the proposal, writes that a relatively large number of people enter the kingdom through different paths, with the sole purpose of settling there permanently or residing there. He added that this is illegal, because it violates all the rules of the kingdom and even international standards.



According to Fadel, most of these illegal immigrants come from Africa and Asia.



In his view, all those with an illegal status should be deported. He added that illegal immigrants represent a future political threat due both to their homeland or to the international community and organizations could put pressure on the kingdom to naturalize them.
Women On Reddit Share What It's Like To Be Gang Banged

Trending News: Women On Reddit Share A Story Of Their Group Sex Adventure

Quick Take

College is often described as a time of sexual exploration, and for a lot of people that's probably true  you're on your own for your first time, the hormones are raging, and people are generally down to touch each other in some places. That may translate into a little more action than you're accustomed to now, but most crazy, wild sex stories are just that: stories.

But not always! Take, for instance, a redditor that goes by the name Samsthrowaway1997. All we know about her is that she's 20, and has a couple of friends who are 19 and 25  just like a lot of women you know (or knew). Unlike other women, however, Sam is WAY into group sex  so much so that she and her two friends participated in what she refers to as a "gang bang" the other night with six guys. She shared her exploits on r/NSFWIAMA, and hoo boy.

If you've ever wondered what goes down during orgies and fancy sex parties, read on  shit is about to get very real.

First, what do these ladies look like?

I'm short, about 5'3, half Italian/half Latina. I have curly brown hair, C cups, and am blessed with a J Lo ass. My 19F friend is a little taller, white, shorter brown hair, very skinny, great perky boobs, long great legs and nice hips. She has her clit, tongue, and navel pierced. The 25F has pale skin, big tits, and long blonde hair. She has a few watercolor looking tattoos, and normally wears glasses, which make her look super hot.

Great, how does something like this get started?

We planned it. My 25F friend wanted to be gang banged and we helped make it happen. The three of us had been together in a previous mmffff, and my 19F and I had recurring threeways with a mutual friend for a few months. So it has evolved naturally over time.

Why do you like group sex so much?

Being watched. Feeling overwhelmed. Watching my friends. The noise of a few people feeling that good. I like when multiple people give oral to one. I like showing off that I can squirt and deepthroat. Having a ton of options. It's all hot.

How did you know you were having a good time?

When I was riding a dude and blowing one at the same time and we all came within a minute of one another. It was crazy hot.

Yeah, I guess that would do it.

Pros and cons?

I liked how into it everyone was. It was amazing. Definitely two guys and myself coming within seconds of each other was awesome. One guy kept asking if he could put it in our asses and I didn't like that at all.

Was there any bukakke?

Yes. My 25F friend tried to blow all six guys at once. She couldn't keep up so we hopped in to help. They all came on her face and chest though. She looked a mess after

Well then.

Do I need a huge johnson to participate in a gang bang?

One guy was bigger than the others but he wasn't any better... It was the biggest one I have seen before and felt great. Unfortunately his stamina was very poor and he was so thick it was tough to give good head.

I guess that about does it. The whole thing sounds so ridiculous as to be made up, but checking Sams' posting history shows that she writes about this kind of thing pretty often. So she's either practicing for the Penthouse forums in a very roundabout way, or she's just a young woman who really, really likes group sex.

Drop This Fact

Though group sex has been around since ancient times, it only became popular in the U.S. in the early 20th century. According to YourTango, group sex was more common during World War II than it is now.
Herbert Smith Freehills confirmed its roles advising on the sale of a prime office building in Sydney and the acquisition of a large wind energy project in South Gippsland, Victoria.



HSF advised funds managed by the Brompton Asset Management Group in London on the $76m sale of the building in Sydneys St Leonards, a deal which closed last month. The property, located at 72 Christie St. and currently leased to WPP AUNZ, was sold to Proprium Capital Partners (Australia).



The HSF team was comprised of partner David Sinn and solicitors Hannah Stevens and Joanne Wang. King & Wood Mallesons represented Proprium.



HSF also advised Infrastructure Capital Group (ICG) and the Energy Infrastructure Trust (EIT) on their acquisition of the Bald Hills Wind Farm.



The 52-turbine wind farm in South Gippsland, Victoria, which has an aggregate installed capacity of 106.6MW, was offloaded by Mitsui & Co (Australia). With the addition of the wind farm, ICGs renewable energy generation capacity is boosted to 455MW.



The 52-turbine wind farm in South Gippsland, Victoria, which has an aggregate installed capacity of 106.6MW, was offloaded by Mitsui & Co (Australia). With the addition of the wind farm, ICGs renewable energy generation capacity is boosted to 455MW. Corrs Chambers Westgarth advised Mitsui with a team led by partner Robert Clarke. He was assisted by senior associate Judith Tosh and lawyers Simone Lim and Sally Milner.



The transaction, which was completed on 28 February, includes EIT assuming existing project financing. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. All existing contracts at the wind farm, including an offtake agreement with Alinta that runs to 2030, are unaffected.



HSF partners David Ryan and Gerard Pike, senior associate Jennifer Harding, and solicitors Mary Griffiths and Kai Ito worked on the deal.






WILLISTON -- Strong winds and a fresh coat of white in northern North Dakota brought a sharp reminder on Monday that winter is not yet over.

A late-season storm dropped up to 8 inches of snow in the region, bringing wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour on its tail end.

Monday was the first day of spring break for Williston Public School District 1 and New Public School District 8.

The region was under a winter storm warning until Monday evening, and a no travel advisory was issued for most of the day from Williston eastward.

Minot police issued a no travel advisory in the city in mid-afternoon Monday.

Although the initial forecast called for 4 to 8 inches of snow, with Williston on the lighter side of the precipitation scale, drifting snow piled up significantly higher by the afternoon, causing visibility problems for both motorists and pedestrians.

The storm, which originated over the Pacific, was predicted to drop heavier amounts of snow over the northern and eastern regions of the state, April Cooper, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said.

It did kind of increase and strengthen as it continues to move eastward, there is a chance for severe thunderstorms (in Minnesota), Cooper said.

A tornado watch was issued for the central Minnesota counties of Morrison, Mille Lacs and Todd counties at 2:45 p.m. Monday, along with a large swath of southeastern Minnesota.

Winds in Williston were expected to pick up late Monday, reaching gusts of up to 55 miles per hour during the evening, and lessen today.

Snowy weather and sub-freezing temperatures are expected to continue throughout the rest of the week in the northern reaches of the state with chances for possible accumulation on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Cooper said.

Barry Amundson of the Forum News Service contributed to this report.
Optimism is high for M&A in Asia Pacific following a solid 2016, Herbert Smith Freehills says.2016 presented Asia Pacifics dealmakers with a range of challenges including low commodity prices, volatile capital markets in some parts of Asia, a new US administration, along with the global shock of Brexit," commented Andrew Pike, Herbert Smith Freehills Head of Corporate, Australia.In its fourth annual Asia Pacific M&A Review, the law firm highlights that 2016 may have brought lower deal volumes but Australian deal values were high and it expects continued inbound interest with North America and China among the keenest investors.Three key trends are identified: a scramble for tech assets and skills; rebalancing of domestic markets as many Asian markets evolve from heavy industries to tech, consumer goods and services; and commodities price volatility maintaining M&A in the mining and energy sectors.Its International Womens Day and a new report reveals that law firms owned by women are showing strong growth.The study by the Law Society in England & Wales found that more than a third of law firms there are majority-owned by women, which is higher than the proportion for other small and medium enterprises.Law Society president Robert Bourns says it reflects the changing culture within the legal profession."As the professional body for solicitors, we see real power in diversity and support progress for the best, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, so our profession reflects the population it serves, Bourns said.The study highlights that women make up 48 per cent of solicitors in England & Wales, rising to 61 per cent among family lawyers.However, there is still work to be done as the report shows that only 28.8 per cent of partners are women.DLA Pipers relationship firm in Portugal has become part of the global firm effective this week.ABBC has been working closely with DLA Piper since 2010 and has now adopted the DLA Piper with the Portuguese firms Angolan affiliate ADCA remaining part of the DLA Piper Africa group.
Hi there



My employer proposes to give me tax free shares of the company on 12% of my base salary as bonus



The shares will be issued at an weighted average price of the month in which they are issued (Generally in November)



3% of the shares will be released to me in the subsequent year in the month of September every year.



So over a period of 4 years the entire shares will be released to me

If I leave the company before the 4 years are up, the shares which are not released will be forfeited



This is a continuous process which will be followed every year



My base salary is $100,000 (Excl Superannuation)

Value Shares issued to me @ 12% of base salary including Taxes paid by the company on the value of the shares $20,000



I wanted to know if i the employer should pay super annuation of 9.5% on $100,000 or $120,000



Also should I get this issue clarified in my employment contract ?



Thanks for advising
The new Swift will be built on an all-new stiffer and lighter platform. Boosterjet engine option to come at a later stage.

Maruti will launch the all-new Swift in India by early 2018. Codenamed YSD, it will be built on the same platform as the Baleno and Ignis but will feature minor changes. Keen to keep the sporty character intact, this new platform  codenamed 'Heart-tect'  will be much stiffer, and even lighter (890kg) than the one used by the Baleno. This will allow it to deliver extremely sporty dynamics that, according to Suzuki insiders, will be more in line with the first-generation Swift than the more rounded current car; good news indeed.

The car that will be sold in India will be a heavily localised version of the European and Japanese car (the new Swift will be the only Suzuki car manufactured in India, Japan and Hungary). Tuned to be driven on our roads, it will have a much higher ground clearance which could spoil the stance a bit but will have features and options more suited to Indian tastes. The new Swift will also have a more mass-market focus than the Baleno.

Maruti is in fact so keen to give the Swift a wider appeal that it will resist the temptation to sell it through Nexa dealers. The main reason for this, according to Maruti, is the limited reach of its more upmarket dealership. While there are currently around 200 Nexa dealerships nationwide, the current count of regular dealerships stands close to 1,000.

While it still isn't clear what spec the car will be launched with in India, what is clear is that, probably at a later stage, the Swift will be powered by the new Boosterjet direct-injection turbo-petrol, and that the car will come in automatic form, on both petrol- and diesel-powered versions. A 1.5-litre diesel engine is also likely to be introduced at a later stage.

What Maruti is also currently tossing around is the option of an even sportier version of the new Swift. A more driver-oriented version is on the cards for certain, but the carmaker still isn't sure if it wants to do a Baleno-like RS or a full-fat 138hp 1.4 Boosterjet-powered Swift Sport. The ideal scenario, of course, could be both, with the Sport sold through Nexa dealerships.

New Swift image gallery
The seven-seat variant of the Tiguan will be offered with a choice of six engines, a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes and all-wheel drive.

Volkswagen debuted a longer, seven-seat variant of its Tiguan SUV earlier this year at the Detroit motor show. Now with the new SUV to be showcased at the Geneva motor show, the automaker has revealed details of the powerplants that will be available.

The Tiguan Allspace will go on sale internationally with a choice of six four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines ranging in output from 150hp to 239hp.

The petrol line-up gets a 150hp turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol unit with Active Cylinder Management for improved fuel economy followed by a 2.0-litre TSI unit in two states of tune  180hp or 219hp.

On the diesel side is Volkswagens widely used turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that develops either 150hp, 180hp or 239bhp. The diesel models additionally come with an SCR catalytic converter and a 12-litre AdBlue tank to reduce nitrogen oxide emission.

The 150hp 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI are both sold as standard with front-wheel drive, although the latter can be optioned with Volkswagens 4Motion four-wheel-drive system which is standard on all other Tiguan Allspace models.

Compared to the standard model, the Tiguan Allspace is 215mm longer with a wheelbase stretched by 110mm. This, as per VW, has allowed it to accommodate an extra row of seats or an additional 115 litres of boot space. This means the Tiguan Allspace has a boot space of 730 litres with the rearmost seats folded flat, or 1,770 litres with only the front two seats unfolded.

On the outside, its largely similar to the standard Tiguan, with only minor revisions to the bonnet and front grille. The cars profile is slightly altered due to the extra length.

Volkswagen is currently testing the standard Tiguan in India and it is likely to be assembled at the carmaker's plant in Aurangabad. For India, the Tiguan will initially be offered with a 177hp 2.0-litre diesel engine paired with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and all-wheel drive. The model is set to be launched sometime next month with prices expected in the range of Rs 30-35 lakh (ex-showroom).

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace image gallery
7 March 2017 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

An economic implosion is becoming increasingly likely in Armenia, while the countrys trade partners, economists and ordinary citizens are bracing for the fallout.

Former Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan has recently warned that the countrys external debt continues to grow and it can lead the country to collapse.

Bagratyan, during the presentation of a program of the Free Democrats party, said that the state debt of Armenia amounts to $5.2 billion, while the total external debt is $8 billion to date.

The ex-premier reminded that although President Serzh Sargsyan has been ruling Armenia for almost 10 years, most of his pre-election promises have not been fulfilled so far.

Poverty should have fallen from 23 to 11 percent, but according to the official figures, it rose to 30 percent, and according to our data, up to 37 percent, Bagratyan stressed.

Over 320,000 people left Armenia during the past 10 years, and the budget of the country does not change, he added.

They promised that it [the budget] will be $3.5-4 billion, but our budget is $2.4 billion, and it is not very different from the budget that was 10 years ago, he said.

Although Armenia received $12 billion as transfers and loans in past 10 years, the country's GDP has decreased from $11.9 billion to $10.6 billion, he said, stressing that this is a real crisis.

With these trends, we are going towards an economic collapse. We are living not only bad, but in debt, Bagratyan said.

Bagratyan said that Armenias economic growth may accelerate if the government gives the opportunity to make major investment in the country and will eliminate monopolization of certain industries in Armenia.

Earlier, Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan said that in late 2017, Armenia's national debt will reach $6.250 billion.He said this figure includes also the Central Banks debt, which is expected to be approximately $530 million by the end of the year.

"Armenias domestic and external debts stand now at about $5.4 billion, accounting for 54% of GDP. The Central Bank's debt is worth about $503 million," Aramyan said.

In late December 2016 Armenias national debt stood at about $5.9 billion

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 16:15 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

A petition has been prepared for recognition of the Khojaly Genocide by the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The petition was drafted by Russian scientist and historian Oleg Kuznetsov, who has repeatedly denounced the falsification of history by Armenians, APA reported on March 7.

Kuznetsov noted that the petition will be sent to the State Duma and the Federation Council of Russia.

The document reads that the order for committing the Khojaly Genocide was given by incumbent President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who at that time was the Chairman of The Self-Defense Forces Committee and the chief of staff of all illegal armed groups of Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The petition further reads that the parliaments of Mexico, Turkey, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Jordan, Honduras and Djibouti recognized the crimes committed by Armenians in Khojaly as a genocide of the Azerbaijani people.

Moreover, the parliaments of Pakistan, Sudan, Israel, the Czech Republic, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognized the events in Khojaly as a crime against humanity.

The petition calls upon the deputies of the State Duma to follow the example of their foreign colleagues and to recognize the crimes of Armenian terrorists in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on February 25-26, 1992, as a crime of genocide (crime against humanity).

The petition is accessible at http://bit.ly/2n0cOY3

The town of Khojaly was situated within the administrative borders of the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Its population constituted over 7,000 people.

Late into the night of February 25, 1992, Khojaly came under intensive fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. The Armenian forces, supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment, completed the surrounding of the town already isolated due to ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population of the neighboring regions. The joint forces occupied the town, which was ruined by heavy artillery shelling.

Thousands of fleeing civilians were ambushed by the Armenian forces. Punitive teams of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh defense army reached the unprotected civilians to slaughter them, mutilating and scalping some of the bodies.

613 people were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, and 25 children lost both parents, while 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.

When Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at Washington DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, interviewed Sargsyan back in 2000, the then-Armenian Defense Minister Sargsyan confessed that the Armenian army had indeed carried out some ethnic cleansing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in order to achieve its goals.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 11:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan has submitted the European Commission its proposals on implementation of technical projects as part of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA).



National secretary of IGC TRACECA, Akif Mustafayev told Trend that the European Commission has recently requested the member countries through Ukraine - the country currently chairing the TRACECA - to prepare proposals on new projects.

"The proposals on behalf of Azerbaijan have already been presented," he said adding that other countries will also submit their proposals.

The European Commission has done great work within the TRACECA project, he said, citing as an example the new Red Bridge, linking Azerbaijan and Georgia, which was built through funds of the European Commission.

Terminals were built, including a container terminal at the old Baku Port, he said, adding that many projects on staff training, studying the experience of European countries were implemented.

Mustafayev further said that currently, the European Commission doesnt implement any technical projects.

Formerly, the European Commission was implementing 4-5 technical projects worth $3-4 million per year, he noted adding that however, currently, there are no technical projects and this is explained by the crisis in Europe.

On the other side, TRACECA countries have become economically stable and they are investing themselves and attracting investments worth billions of dollars, added Mustafayev.

the European Commission says that TRACECA is a strategic project for it.

TRACECA is an international cooperation program in the sphere of transport among the EU and partner-countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. The organization has a permanent secretariat in Baku.



TRACECA member-states are Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Iran.

Being an international cooperation program in the sphere of transport among the EU and partner-countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia, TRACECA is deemed to rank among the priorities of the European Union. The EU support is mostly focused on such areas as improving transport safety and security and promote the changes in legislation needed to improve trade in the region.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 18:21 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Art Tower Gallery invites art lovers to enjoy the final exhibition within the project "Art expedition" on March 13, Trend Life reported.

Entitled "Diversity", the expo will feature works created during a joint workshop of Azerbaijani and American artists.

American artists Jacob Marty and Shane Guffogg and Azerbaijani masters Eldar Babazadeh, Namig Ismayilzada Fidan Kim, Sala Mammadov, Ilgar Tahiri, Eldar Hasanov, Roya Hasanova created worked together during a month.

The project aims at showing the view of artists from different countries, as well as promoting Azerbaijani traditions and culture. It also helps to exchange artistic experience and to strengthen international cultural cooperation.

As part of the project, the foreign guests got acquainted with the achievements of Azerbaijani fine arts, creative people and leading exhibition venues in the city.

Every Saturday and Sunday, everyone could visit the Art Tower gallery and view the process of creating art by talented artists.

The exhibition is organized by the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, the Administration of State Historical and Architectural Reserve Icherisheher , NGO Arts Council Azerbaijan with support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 17:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The director of the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators, honored artist Mubariz Hamidov met with leaders and representatives of local travel companies.

The meeting was also attended by Tourism Industry Offices director Bakhtiyar Gilinjov and office's adviser Rustam Mekhdizadeh, Trend Life reported.

Hamidov, addressing the meeting, said that such meetings will positively impact the development of cultural tourism.

He stressed that along with the acquaintance of tourists with rich history, ancient cultural monuments of Azerbaijan, it would be appropriate to familiarize them with the national theater, which has a 144-year history.

He offer to include visits to the theatre into the tour packages.

In turn, Bakhtiyar Gilinjov and heads of tourism companies stressed the importance of holding such meetings and made a number of proposals to expand cooperation between the theatre and travel agencies.

The number of tourists visiting the Land of Fire amounted to 2,242 million people in 2016. This is 11.7 percent more than in 2015. The majority of tourists came from Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Iran making up 33 percent, 22.5 percent, 13.9 percent and 10.9 percent, accordingly.

Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators was established on March 15, 1927, in Baku, on the basis of Children's Theatre and artistic amateur drama circles of students.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 18:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The aggravation of the situation on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops is a direct consequence of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after last years April clashes.

Grigory Trofimchuk, a Russian political scientist and chairman of the Expert Council of Research Support Foundation Workshop of Eurasian Ideas, made the remark while talking to Report on March 7.

Today's escalation of the conflict in Karabakh is a direct consequence of the fact that there was no progress towards solving the problem after the April battles of 2016, the expert said.

Baku was hoping that the negotiations, as well as the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, would give any result. And now, after the February events, there is such an impression that the events in Karabakh do not interest anyone, including the organizers of the above-mentioned summits," said Trofimchuk.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has erupted in April 2016 bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan face to face once again after years of silence.

After the meetings of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg, which took place after the April clashes, the negotiation process came to the dead end due to the denial of Yerevan to continue serious talks.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

The expert believes that the reason of the current situation is the absence of Russias "new breakthrough ideas," which can rule out a military option for solving the issue.

Trofimchuk is sure that the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh is critical, as full-fledged chances of resolving the conflict were not used.

The first chance appeared immediately after the 1994-ceasefire, which lasted more than 20 years and led to nothing, the expert said.The second one was immediately after last year's April war, and the third one, even shorter chance, appeared during the presidential shift at the White House.

Trofimchuk reminded that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has previously expressed dissatisfaction with the negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Baku's position is clear more than ever. Therefore, it is necessary to find specific solutions to bring the parties to the negotiating table, at least formally, Trofimchuk concluded.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan 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. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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7 March 2017 16:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Richard Hoagland, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will visit Azerbaijan by the end of this week, the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend.

He is expected to hold meetings with Azerbaijani officials.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has earlier said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit the South Caucasus region in March to mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

The OSCE Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, works to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades, but in vain.

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
7 March 2017 17:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The negotiations with Armenia on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been suspended, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said addressing the Russian Foreign Ministrys Diplomatic Academy on March 7.

He said that the Armenian side does not intend to negotiate: We proposed to continue substantive negotiations, but the Armenian side did not go for it.

Mammadyarov noted that the parliamentary election will be held in Armenia on April 2, and Azerbaijan has also offered to continue the negotiations after this date.

He stressed that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main priority of Azerbaijans foreign policy. He added that the failure to resolve the conflict is a major obstacle to the development of the region.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been face-to-face with this problem for about 30 years. Yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and I discussed ways to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Mammadyarov adding that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia also discuss this issue at their meetings.

He urged Armenia to demonstrate political will for the settlement of the conflict.

Those involved in the settlement of this conflict are well aware what the main problem is. First of all, for the resolution of the conflict, Armenia must withdraw its troops from the occupied territories, and the security of the region should be ensured, said Mammadyarov.

After this, Azerbaijani IDPs must return to their native lands, and communications and railway lines should be restored there: All this will contribute to the economic development of the region.

Following that, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be considered, said Mammadyarov.

We also discussed these issues at yesterday's meeting with Lavrov. The major step is the return of Armenian servicemen in their barracks. All these issues will be resolved consistently, he said.

Touching upon the tension on the contact line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, Mammadyarov said that the Azerbaijani side agrees to the monitoring to investigate incidents on the contact line of troops.

They offer to conduct a monitoring on investigation of incidents on the contact line of troops and we agree to this. However, it should be an integral part of a big plan. It should be done after the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied lands, Mammadyarov stressed.

He added that the illegal presence of Armenian troops in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the main cause of the incidents.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

As Novruz approaches, festive passions take over.

First two Tuesdays -- Su Chershenbesi and Fire Od Chershenbesi - of the Novruz Bayram, symbolizing the coming of spring and awakening of the nature, have already been left behind.

March 7 marks the third of four magic Tuesdays -- Yel Chershenbesi (Wind Tuesday).

Celebrations of festive Novruz, which is marked on March 21 begin a month before the actual holiday with four natural elements such as Su Chershenbesi (Water Tuesday), Od Chershenbesi (Fire Tuesday) Hava Chershenbesi (Wind Tuesday) and Torpaq Chershenbesi (Earth or Last Tuesday).



As in previous Chershenbes, in Wind Tuesday people light bonfires and jump over it regardless of the age and gender.

Wind Tuesday has also its own traditions, including the traditional song, "Yel baba" ("Father of Wind"). "Yel baba" is related with the belief of ancient people in the God of Wind. Moreover, "Yel baba" ceremonies are linked with the traditions of farming.

The legend tells that four different winds that regularly blow and sleep underground come together on Wind Tuesday. They go out to the surface and wake up and put into motion the earth, the water and the fire. The four winds are the Khazri, a cold northern wind, the Gilavar, a mild, southern wind, Agh Yel (the White Wind) and Gara Yel (the Black Wind), both hot, dry summer winds. According to mythology, Agh Yel appears in a white dress, Gara Yel in a black one, Khazri in a blue one and Gilavar in a red one.

Another tradition is that on this Tuesday everyone who wants to know whether or not his or her wish will come true stands under a willow tree and calls "Yel baba". If the wind blows and the branches touch the ground, it is believed that the dream will come true.

Third Tuesday before Novruz identifies the awakening of nature, the beginning of spring field work, and the arrival of a new growing season. Therefore, people grow an integral part of Novruz -- Semeni, a wheat germ, which symbolizes life, wealth, health as well as well-being.

It is also the first sign of the coming of spring and almost all families in Azerbaijan celebrate the holiday with Semeni on the festive table. It is some kind of ritual, which is usually accompanied with the song "Semeni, save me and I will grow you every year."

Novruz, included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, has been celebrated by more than 300 million people from diverse ethnic communities and religious backgrounds for thousands of years.

The menu in the festive varies a great deal from region to region, but for Novruz abundant meals are prepared and ritually seven objects are laid on the tables.



Children enjoy this holiday very much, since they place hats at the door of their neighbors in anticipation of nuts and Novruz sweets - such as shekerbura, pakhlava and gogal, as well as colored eggs.



--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
7 March 2017 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan`s Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev will participate in the international ITB Berlin tourism exhibition in Germany.

Azerbaijan`s pavilion will showcase the country`s tourism potential, Azertac reported. The participants will be presented books, booklets and CDs in the Azerbaijani, German and English languages.

At the tourism exhibition ITB Berlin entire range of travel is presented: countries, destinations, tour operators, booking systems, transport, hotels, and all others who want to make their customers the best weeks of the year more enjoyable.

Business travel has become an important and lucrative foothold in the travel industry in an increasingly globalized economy, in addition to leisure travel.

ITB Berlin is the B2B-Platform for trade visitors  an excellent opportunity to meet business partners and to do business. For all other visitors ITB Berlin is a wonderful possibility to discover the whole world within a few hours.

In October 2008, the successful concept of ITB Berlin started its own journey.

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7 March 2017 11:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Today, in the Muslim world where women are fighting an uphill battle for gender equality and a seat at the decision-making table, Azerbaijan, where Mehriban Aliyeva has been appointed as the countrys first vice president, has taken a historic leap forward, wrote Rob Sobhani, director general of the Caspian Group Holdings, in his article published by the Washington Times.

Why does the appointment of a reform-minded, intelligent and worldly stateswoman halfway across the world matter for United States, and why is it important for Washington to applaud and wholeheartedly support Mrs. Aliyeva? If we are to successfully tackle the challenge of Islamic extremism, then we must find and support positive and uplifting alternatives. Mrs. Aliyevas success can become a model for the rest of the Muslim world to emulate. Thankfully, this wise woman of the East has the ingredients for success, said Sobhani in his article.

In many ways, Mehriban Khanum, as she is affectionately called by her countryman, embodies her nations core values, noted the author. These are values we Americans can both relate to and have championed throughout our history.

First, Mehriban Khanum, whose name literally means kind lady, represents the fundamental value of religious tolerance, which is in the DNA of this Shia Muslim country, he said adding that she has been a champion of Azerbaijans tolerance towards all religions.

Members of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Bahai faiths live side by side in peace and harmony in Azerbaijan. For example, when the Jewish community decided to build a new synagogue in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, she gave her full and public support, wrote Sobhani.

Not surprisingly, Mehriban Aliyeva represented her country in meetings with the pope to discuss interfaith dialogue, added the author.

Mehriban Khanum feels that it is in the deeds of a Muslim that one shows ones piety and not in intolerance toward members of other faiths, said Sobhani.

Mehriban Khanums second personality trait captures another feature of her nations core value: namely, being charitable toward those less fortunate. As founder and head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the kind lady has championed numerous philanthropic projects around the world. For example, immediately after the 2008 earthquake in Pakistan, she mobilized the resources of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to rebuild a school in one of the most remote regions of that country, noted the author.

Mrs. Aliyevas kind heart, motherly love and charitable acts have touched those in the Washington, D.C. area as well. For example, the Longview School in Montgomery County, which serves children with disabilities, has been a recipient of her foundations donation. And thanks to Mehriban Khanum, the inner city youth of Washington, D.C. have scholarships for internships during their senior year. This was the result of a partnership between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and D.C.-based Urban Alliance, he added.

Mehriban Khanums philanthropy has literally helped save the lives of children with life-threatening heart ailments, said Sobhani adding that through Bethesda-based Save A Childs Heart, Azerbaijani children were flown to Israel for life-saving heart operations.

Incidentally, where many narrow-minded Muslim leaders refuse to deal with Israel, this kind lady of charity has extended her hand of friendship, cooperation and charity to Israel, noted the author.

It should therefore not come as a surprise that Mrs. Aliyeva was awarded the prestigious French Medal of Honor for her tireless efforts on behalf of those less fortunate, he said.

The third factor that makes Mrs. Aliyeva tick stems from the Azerbaijanis love of nature, said Sobhani adding that with nine of the worlds 11 climate zones blessing their country, Azerbaijanis are farmers by nature.

As such, the environment and preservation of what they see as Gods blessing is paramount. In other words, they see their soil as a gift from God that has to be protected and preserved, noted the author adding that this Azerbaijani trait is what has led Mehriban Khanum to become an advocate of tree planting as a means to not only tackle climate change but preserve mans relationship with nature.

Suppression of womans rights continues unabated in many parts of the Middle East. At long last, one of Americas strongest allies in the broader Middle East has taken the bold step to address this issue head on. The United States must applaud and wholeheartedly support the appointment of the kind lady of Azerbaijan as vice president, added Sobhani.

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The Public Service Commission is seeking increased funding for its rail inspection program even as the amount of oil moved by trains in North Dakota declines.

The agencys budget that went before the Senate Appropriations Committee Monday, March 6, includes $529,088 for the railroad safety program, which funds two state inspectors to look for problems on North Dakotas tracks and rail cars. One of those inspectors, however, is a temporary position, meaning the only benefit he receives is medical insurance.

The PSC is looking for about $36,000 in special funds over the next two-year funding cycle to upgrade that employees status. The House passed the PSC budget last month without the extra funding, said Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak.

We believe that having both inspector positions as full-time, permanent positions is vital to keeping qualified people, Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christmann told the Appropriations Committee Monday.

While the safety of transporting oil by pipelines has attracted much of the attention in the past few months due to the large Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the derailment and explosion of rail cars carrying Bakken oil, including a deadly incident in Canada and a near disaster next to Casselton, N.D., prompted action to make the practice safer. North Dakota, which became the epicenter of the crude-by-rail phenomenon, created the rail safety program two years ago with the Legislatures approval.

The state inspectors are trained and certified by the Federal Railroad Administration and have the same enforcement authority as federal inspectors, but they are accountable to the PSC, according to a memo provided by Fedorchak. The program is funded with diesel fuel taxes that the railroads pay.

As of Feb. 15, the PSCs track inspector performed 137 inspections covering more than 1,900 miles of track since being certified a year ago. He found 1,215 defects, which the commission defines as conditions that do not meet the minimum requirements prescribed by the FRA and do not pose imminent danger but, if not addressed, could develop into a more serious problem.

The track inspector also issued nine violations, which are more serious and can trigger compliance strategies such as fines, reduced speeds or taking equipment out of service.

The mechanical inspector, who received certification in August 2016, performed 59 inspections that covered 3,661 rail cars and 15 locomotives as of Feb. 15. He identified 625 defects and issued 17 violations, according to the PSC.

Eleven of those violations were associated with broken side bearings, the piece of a rail car that keeps it from listing from side to side, that were discovered at a Tioga crude-by-rail terminal Feb. 1. Konrad Crockford, the PSCs director of compliance, said a BNSF Railway crew inspected the train the day before and approved it for loading.

Amy McBeth, spokeswoman for BNSF, which operates the most miles of track in North Dakota, said the violations found at Tioga were not common defects.

Like with all information state inspectors provide, we review it and take appropriate action as necessary, she said.

McBeth said BNSF has taken no position on the state inspector program. She called the companys program robust, with 30 rail inspectors in North Dakota. Its busiest main routes in North Dakota are inspected daily, McBeth said.

BNSF Railway has a strong record of safety -- last year we had the fewest mainline derailments on our system ever -- and were continually working to further reduce risk and improve safety, she said in an email.

BNSF plans to spend $80 million this year on maintaining infrastructure in North Dakota, McBeth said.

The amount of oil moving out of oil country has dropped significantly over the past few years. Estimates from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority show between 212,587 and 242,587 barrels per day were exported out of the Williston Basin by rail in December, compared with more than 800,000 barrels per day in September 2014. Pipelines accounted for almost two-thirds of the oil exported out of the basin in December.

When questioned by a lawmaker about the Dakota Access Pipelines role in taking oil off the tracks, Christmann predicted oil will continue to move to the East and West Coasts.

There will still be rail activity, he said.
7 March 2017 10:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A bust of Nikolai Baibakov, famous public figure and Hero of Socialist Labor, has been unveiled at secondary school No. 67 in Sabunchu settlement, Baku.

The ceremony was attended by SOCAR vice presidents, representatives of Sabunchu District Executive Authority, Azertac reported.

SOCAR first vice president Khoshbakht Yusifzade, addressing the event, said that Nikolai Baibakov played a major role in the development of Azerbaijans oil industry.

He made a great contribution to the development of Azerbaijans oil industry. For many years he held senior positions in the former Soviet Union, but never forgot his native Azerbaijan and always supported it, he said.

Nikolai Baibakov was a Soviet statesman, economist and Hero of Socialist Labor. He was born in the family of Baku`s oil worker on March 6, 1911. Baibakov studied in the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute, from which he graduated in 1931 as a mining engineer.

After completing his military service, Baibakov was appointed chief of the oilfield production department in an industrial complex in the USSR. Later he was promoted to chief engineer, then general director.

Nikolai Baibakov was in charge of evacuating oil industry facilities to the eastern regions during the Nazi invasion. Because of his success in the planning of the oil industry sector of the Soviet Union and experience in economics, he was appointed as the head of Gosplan (State Planning Committee) of the USSR twice in 19551957 and 19651985.

Baybakov received numerous awards, including Lenin Prize (1963) for the discovery and development of gas-condensate fields, the order of "Glory" and "Independence" (Azerbaijan), order "For merits before Fatherland" II degrees (Russia) and others.

Moreover, Nikolay Baybakov is an author of 200 scientific works and publications about industrial practice for a comprehensive solution to problems of development of oil and gas fields.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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7 March 2017 13:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Simon McDonald, United Kingdoms Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is on a visit to Baku in connection with the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Great Britain.

During his first visit to the country, the British diplomat held meetings with a number of officials, including the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan. He also delivered a lecture at the University of ADA, talking about "Brexit" and the consequences of this step for the UK.

Receiving McDonald, President Ilham Aliyev said the diplomats visit to Azerbaijan created a good opportunity for discussing cooperation and regional issues between the two countries.



The head of state said the agenda of cooperation issues is very comprehensive, pointing out the expansion of the bilateral relations. President Aliyev said the two countries enjoy very good relations in energy area, adding that Azerbaijan-BP cooperation spans over 25 years, describing BP as the main strategic partner of Azerbaijan in the field of energy.

President Aliyev said British companies have become more interested in Azerbaijan`s non-oil sector recently, adding that this is in line with Azerbaijan`s economic diversification policy and will enhance business relations between the two countries.

In turn, McDonald said a lot of British companies invest in Azerbaijan under agreements signed between the two countries.

The reforms carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years, attention to education, measures to reduce unemployment and poverty and address social issues in Azerbaijan were highlighted at the meeting.



They discussed the impact of the fall in oil prices on the speed-up of diversification, Azerbaijan`s international standing and the country`s rating by international organizations.

Addressing the students, McDonald touched upon Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, that dates back to the late 1980s.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

The UK stands for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said McDonald.



The world is changing. So much time has passed since the beginning of the conflict. The attention of the international community has already shifted from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said. .

The diplomat stressed that official London accentuates attention on the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"We believe that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be achieved by negotiations and only by peaceful means," McDonald noted.

McDonald said that Britain's withdrawal from the European Union will not affect the British policy in the South Caucasus and will not spoil relations with each of the three countries of the region.

I do not think any significant changes are expected. The UK has built strong bilateral relations with all three countries of the South Caucasus. With Azerbaijan we have especially close commercial interests, since the interests of a large British company BP that is represented here, he said.

After the withdrawal from the EU, the UK theoretically has the opportunity to review its relations with partner countries, stressed McDonald, adding that he expects no major change in this part of the world.

The diplomat said that after Brexit, the UK has an opportunity to find new ways of renewing ties with partners outside Europe and as an important element in the successful continuation of development, he sees in British pragmatism.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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7 March 2017 13:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The modernized and strengthened Azerbaijani army is able to prevent all provocations and attacks of the enemy and ready to retaliate at any moment, said Vice Admiral Hasan Sukru Korlu, Commander of Turkish Northern Sea Area, at a meeting with the Consul General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Masim Hajiyev.

Hailing Azerbaijans progress in many spheres, Korlu noted the friendly and fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the development of cooperation in the military sphere.

He further stressed that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been resolved so far due to the unconstructive position of the occupant.

Masim Hajiyev, in turn, said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are fraternal countries, and recalled the saying One nation, two states of Nation Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Hajiyev noted that President Ilham Aliyev successfully continues this policy and pays special attention to the development of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations.

The international economic projects, realized as a real result of the development strategy of national leader Heydar Aliyev, ensure economic growth in a large geographical area, including Azerbaijan and Turkey, the Consul General said.

The sides also exchanged views on development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in all directions, as well as in the field of defense.

Today, Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy good and developing economic ties, especially in terms of huge energy projects envisaging the transportation of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources to the European and world markets through the Turkish territory.

Turkey has the fourth powerful army within NATO - after the U.S. and the eighth powerful army in the world. Azerbaijan, in turn, has recently developed the defense industry. If earlier Azerbaijan was consumer of military equipment and weapons, now the country has become the producer and exporter of a number of weapons, ammunition, and military technology.

Given the military and defense potential of the two countries, Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy good prospects for cooperation in the military sphere.

Turkey strongly supports Baku in the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed as a result of large-scale hostilities and over one million Azerbaijanis are unable to return to their homes because of the invasion. Armenia continues the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, which in turn obstacles the regional security and peace.

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7 March 2017 16:26 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva has stopped her activity as a member of parliament in connection with the appointment to a new post.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on February 21, 2017 to appoint Mehriban Aliyeva the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.

Addressing a plenary session of the parliament on March 7 in connection with the termination of her parliamentary powers she briefed the parliament about the work she has being a member of parliament.

I was a member of the parliament for more than ten years. It was great honor for me to be a member of parliament during these years, said Mrs. Aliyeva. Members of the Parliament have a great role in formation of Azerbaijan as an authoritative state during the years of independence, she added.

She went on to say that the legal basis of reforms ongoing in Azerbaijan is comprised of the bills, which have been prepared through joint work of parliamentarians and in line with modern realities and challenges.

Dear colleagues, during the period of my work as a parliamentarian, I have witnessed a pleasant atmosphere here. Of course, there is a great merit of Chairman of the Parliament Ogtay Asadov in the creation of such an atmosphere, she said.

The First Vice-President briefed the Parliament about the work that has been carried out since 2005 in the Khazar District, from where Mehriban Aliyevas candidacy as MP was put forward. She noted that during this period, 42 schools, 44 kindergartens, 16 orphanages and boarding schools, as well as summer camps for three orphanages have been either built or renovated in the district.

Seventeen health centers, 10 sports facilities, including six stadiums, 28 culture centers, including libraries, museums, seven mosques and shrines have been opened there, added the First Vice-President.

Over these years, along with large-scale and long-term projects, I have accentuated on investigating into problems people face in daily lives. I have tried to support the people who addressed to me, she said. During all stages of my activity, I have felt the support of the districts population. Our communication was not formal; it was always very sincere.

The First Vice-President stressed she had put forward a number of proposals while serving as an MP.

The initiatives I made in 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2016 to adopt amnesty acts, based on ideas of humanism and justice, always saw the support of my colleagues. As a result, 39,887 convicts have been exempt from punishment in line with the announced amnesties, she added.

Mrs. Aliyeva thanked the MPs who supported the amnesty initiatives giving freedom to ten thousands of people.

I hope our parliamentarians will further put forward such initiatives and this good tradition will continue, she noted.

The First Vice-President in her address also touched upon some topical problems related with healthcare.

As you know, healthcare is one of the priority areas in activity of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which I lead. The Foundations Life without Thalassemia program, implemented since 2005, has gained large scale in a short period of time. Upon our initiative the issue was put for discussion at the parliament, and in a short period of time the Parliament passed the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on State Care for the People Suffering from Heritable Blood Diseases  Hemophilia and Thalassemia, she said.

Mrs. Aliyeva reminded that the Thalassemia Center, built on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Baku, is the only medical facility the region equipped with the most modern equipment making it possible to transfer bone marrow.

Since the day the Center began to operate, more than 40 children have undergone bone marrow transplantation surgeries there, she said.

Mrs. Aliyeva added that as a physician she is concerned over the spread of heritable blood diseases in Azerbaijan.

With an aim of forming healthy families in Azerbaijan and decreasing the risks in this area, I made an initiative in 2014 calling for compulsory medical check-up of the persons intending to get married. After a thorough discussion with my colleagues, a law was passed to make respective changes to the Family Code, she said.

During her address, Mrs. Aliyeva underlined that numerous events have been held at her initiative to make Azerbaijan known throughout the world as a multi-national, tolerant and multi-confessional country.

The First Vice-President noted that in all of her speeches she informs about the occupation of 20 percent of lands of Azerbaijan  its integral part Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts  and the life of more than one million Azerbaijanis as refugees and IDPs.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundations publications about the Khojaly tragedy have been disseminated throughout the world, she said.



Dear colleagues, I appreciate my 12-year activity in the Parliament as a big school of life, said Mrs. Aliyeva. The experience I have gained as an MP is irreplaceable. Regardless of my position or directions of my activity, I have always relied on simple principles in life. I have tried to never forget that conscience and dignity, compassion and goodwill, justice and mutual respect are the paramount and the most beautiful features given to a human by God.

Mrs. Aliyeva expressed her confidence that a strong and reliable team, consisting of people of the same opinion and intention, stands behind every victory, every major achievement.

She noted that after being appointed as the First Vice-President, she is well aware of the entrusted responsibility, and of course, she feels excited.

However, I am optimistic about the future, because I have colleagues like you. There are thousands of our compatriots supporting me; our country has a skillful, courageous, intelligent president in the face of Ilham Aliyev, who at the same time has the highest human qualities, said Mrs. Aliyeva.

I am confident that we will further do our best together, as a team, for the future of Azerbaijan, for the future development of Azerbaijan, and for strengthening of our independence, added the First Vice-President.

Afterwards, members of the Azerbaijani parliament delivered speeches and the first vice-president thanked them for warm remarks and high appreciation.

Speaking at the session, Asadov said that Mehriban Aliyeva carries out a multifaceted activity and one of them is her activity as an MP of the Parliament.

Mehriban Aliyeva always attached importance to the development of the parliamentary culture, took part in the development of the legislative framework, and acted with a number of legislative initiatives, he said.

Asadov recalled that Mehriban Aliyeva is the initiator of four amnesty acts thanks to which tens of thousands of people are at large now.

"Mehriban Aliyeva makes an important contribution to the development of the international relations of the Parliament, represents the Azerbaijani people in the international arena, and informs the world community about the truth of Azerbaijani people. Along with this activity, everyone is aware of the public and charity work of Mehriban Aliyeva, he said, wishing her successes in her new and honorable activity.

Deputy Chairman of the parliament Bahar Muradova, in turn, underscored that Mehriban Aliyeva, armed with ideas of national leader Heydar Aliyev, relying on national-spiritual values and her professionalism, diligence and principality, did a great job to bring together the East and the West - the two world standing face to face, civilizations and cultures and her efforts in this regard are a big and useful activity for improvement of order and harmony in the world.

The agenda of the plenary session included 13 issues, however, only five of them were approved including election of a member of the Parliaments Committee, election of the members of the Board of the National Bank (three issues), and the annual report of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman.



The remaining eight issues were postponed for discussion on March 10.

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7 March 2017 15:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who is on visit to Moscow, met with Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation, Co-Chair of Inter-Governmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Prior to a meeting, Elmar Mammadyarov laid a wreath at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier near the walls of Kremlin and paid tribute to their memory, Azertac reported.

The meeting participants stressed that this year marks the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia and expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations at the level of strategic partnership over this period.

The sides noted an important role of Inter-Governmental Commission in development of economic-trade relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

They also stressed particular significance of high-level mutual visits and humanitarian ties between our countries.

Later, Mammadyarov met with Ilyas Umakhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of Russia.

On behalf of the Council of Federation of Russia, Umakhanov presented the medal Council of Federation. 20 years to Elmar Mammadyarov on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the development level of bilateral relations over the period of 25 years of diplomatic relations and successful development of cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.

Mammadyarov emphasized the role of parliamentary cooperation in furthering of bilateral relations.

On the first day of his trip, Mammadyarov met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, with whom he mulled bilateral relations, global challenges, and cooperation in international organizations.

Russia and Azerbaijan are linked by relations of strategic partnership based on equality, respect for each other's interests and good neighborliness. Currently, there are more than 80 interstate and intergovernmental agreements signed between two countries.

The trade and economic cooperation is successfully developing, while the Russian-Azerbaijani trade turnover amounted to over $1,954 billion at the end of 2016.

Today , about 600 enterprises and organizations operating in the majority of subjects of the Russian Federation are involved in foreign trade with Azerbaijan. A total of 17 of them have cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan.

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7 March 2017 15:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans state energy giant SOCAR became the operator of the Sintez Oil terminal in Odessa, which previously belonged to the Private group and Ukrainian businessmen Igor and Grigory Surkisov.

The process of transition of "Synthesis Oil" from "Private" to SOCAR began last year, Ukrainian media reported with reference to Director of "Consulting Group A-95" Sergei Kuyun.

The project was implemented in accordance with agreements on the annual supply of 1.3 million tons of Azerbaijani oil to the Kremenchuk refinery (UkrTransNafta), which is also controlled by Private, according to Kuyun.



Kuyun also informs about the preliminary agreement on pumping Azerbaijani oil into Belarus. About three tanker deliveries of 240,000 tons of oil per month will be delivered to the Mozyr Oil Refinery through the UkrTransNafta oil pipeline.

Almost 3 million tons of oil for Mozyr and 1.3 million tons for Kremenchuk, as well as SOCARs trading on the Black Sea is a very good start, especially since there is a prospect of increasing supplies at least in the first two directions. In turn, UkrTransNafta will receive an additional 4 million tons of annual pumping, which will come in handy considering constantly decreasing volumes of transit and transport of domestic oil, he said.

SOCAR is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan. Three production divisions, one oil refineries and one gas processing plant, a deep water platform fabrication yard, two trusts, one institution, and 23 subdivisions are operating as corporate entities under SOCAR.



Joint ventures (including ventures in Georgia and Turkey), consortia, and operating companies established with SOCAR's participation, are doing business in different parts of the petroleum industry.

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7 March 2017 12:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a long telephone conversation about strategic threats posed by Iran on March 6, according to the Prime Ministers office.

The two leaders spoke at length about the dangers arising from the nuclear deal with Iran and Iranian aggression in the [Middle East] region and the need to work together to deal with those dangers, the statement said.

The two sides discussed the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S., including bomb threats and cemetery vandalism as well. Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for Trump's strong condemnation of anti-Semitism during his speech last week to Congress, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also plans to visit Moscow soon to discuss the current situation in the Middle East, particularly in light of joint efforts to combat international terrorism and Iran's growing influence in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Israel is deeply concerned over whether Syria's civil war will result in its arch-foe Iran having increased its power in the neighboring country.

The negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue began in 2004, as Western nations were accusing Tehran of developing a "secret military nuclear program. Since 2006, negotiations with Iran were led by the "six" of international mediators (the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany).

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in July 2015 and went into effect the next year. Under its terms Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program, surrender enriched fuel and submit to international inspection.

Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers. The Israeli leader has said the deal does not go far enough and when some of the clauses of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years, it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb.

Donald Trump has similar views on the issue as he has repeatedly criticized the deal calling it the worst deal ever negotiated.

During the latest meeting with Netanyahu on February 15, the U.S. President once again claimed that the nuclear agreement is one of the worst deals he had ever seen. The visit of the Israeli prime minister to the U.S. took place due to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the meeting, Trump noted that his administration had already imposed new sanctions on Iran, and he would do more to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

In February 2017, Washington imposed sanctions on a number of entities supporting Irans ballistic missile program and warned the Islamic Republic it had been put on notice and that it was playing with fire.

In December 2016, the White House prolonged the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the United States that passed in 1996 and was set to expire on December 31, 2016.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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7 March 2017 12:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his German counterpart Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel will meet in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss moves for normalization of relations between the two countries, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said, RIA Novosti reported.

Relations between Berlin and Ankara further escalated after the arrest of a German journalist of Turkish origin Deniz Yucel in Istanbul. He is suspected by the Turkish authorities of "participation in a terrorist organization, the misuse of data, and the propagation of terrorism."

German chancellor Angela Merkel demanded from Ankara to release Yucel and to observe freedom of media.

Then the authorities of the German city of Gaggenau (Baden-Wurttemberg) canceled the speech of the Turkish Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag, due to which the minister left the country and refused to meet his German counterpart Heiko Maas.

On March 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared the current policy of Berlin to the "actions of the Nazis in the past", which caused serious discontent in the FRG.

Gabriel and Cavusoglu have already discussed Erdogan's statements on the phone the previous night, according to Shafer.

During this telephone conversation, statements from Ankara and Istanbul in relation to Berlin were discussed, and both ministers also talked about future steps in order not to tear the negotiating channels and ways to move to a more peaceful phase, the spokesman of the German Foreign Ministry said adding that this will be the main goal of Wednesday talks.

In turn, the official representative of the FRG Cabinet Steffen Seibert said that on the past weekend Merkel talked to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. The content of the talks was not disclosed, although he indicated the direction of the conversation.

The talks were confidential, but, logically, the issue was German-Turkish relations," the representative of the Cabinet added. Both sides agreed that further heating in relations should be avoided and that the planned meeting of the foreign ministers scheduled for this Wednesday should be used for this.

Germany and other European countries have grown increasingly concerned about mass arrests and dismissals in the army, judiciary and civil service across Turkey after a failed coup attempt in July.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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7 March 2017 15:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the implementation of projects on building the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline during the meeting in Moscow scheduled for March 10.

"The agenda, in particular, includes the implementation of joint projects to build the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline," RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Kremlin statement.

In addition, the leaders of the countries "will discuss the entire complex of issues of Russian-Turkish relations with an emphasis on further restoring mutually beneficial trade and economic ties."

The sides are expected to discuss boosting up the bilateral relations and trade, especially in the fields of energy.

The prospects for cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the fight against international terrorism and the settlement of the Syrian crisis will be one of the main topics of the negotiations.

It is also planned to exchange views on the relevant aspects of regional problems, first of all, regarding the prospects for further cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the fight against terrorism and the settlement of the Syrian crisis, according to the statement.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline was announced in December 2014. President Putin lately signed a law on the ratification of the agreement with Ankara on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

Moscow and Ankara signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkeys first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in May 2010. As many as 35 billion kWh per year are expected to be produced by the plant.

Both leaders met earlier in October 2016 in Istanbul, where they discussed restoring trade, the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, and cooperation in Syrian peace diplomacy.

The Ankara-Moscow relations appear to be on the mend these days, after a drastic worsening in November 2015, when a Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down by the Turkish Air Force. Russia imposed a wave of economic sanctions against Turkey in response to the incident, with the two countries requiring over a year to mend relations.

Erdogan visited Russia in August 2016  his first meeting with Putin since downing the Russian jet. Both sides agreed to restore and develop relations.

In December, Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov was shot and killed during a speech at an exhibition in Ankara by Mevlut Mert Altintas, a Turkish police officer. Erdogan condemned the attack and called for an investigation.

In February 2017, Russian airstrikes accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria. Putin immediately apologized for the incident. Ankara said it was satisfied with the Kremlin's actions and statements.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Email contributing columnist Richard Beene at rsbeene@yahoo.com. His work appears here on Wednesdays and Fridays; the views expressed are his own. Read more on his blog at BakersfieldObserved.com.
He will probably most stand out to Ward 5 voters as the one listed as Stay-At-Home Father on their special election ballot for June 6.
Florida's lawmakers returned to the state capitol Tuesday as the 2017 legislative session began.

The session started with Gov. Rick Scott's annual State of the State Address.

"Since I last stood here to address you, Florida has endured many heartbreaks," Scott said. "I have prayed for families around our state who have been impacted by tragedy, and my own heart has been broken for their losses.

"Our state has been rocked by the gruesome terrorist attack at the Pulse Nightclub, in Orlando. We endured two hurricanes, fought against the rapid spread of the Zika Virus, and were devastated by the deadly Ft. Lauderdale Airport shooting."

Scott called Florida a "state full of fighters" and spoke at length about last year's Pulse shooting. He recognized a number of officers and deputies who responded to the scene.



"Nothing could have prepared me for the horror we saw on June 12, 2016, when a terrorist inspired by ISIS stormed into Pulse and senselessly killed 49 innocent people," Scott said. "This was a terrorist attack and 49 brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and spouses were murdered."



"The days I spent in Orlando following the shooting will always be with me," he said.

.@FLGovScott delivers his next-to-last #StateOfTheState address amid a toxic impasse with fellow Republicans in the #Florida House pic.twitter.com/0Qcdihkv1n  Troy Kinsey (@TroyKinsey) March 7, 2017

Scott said he is fighting to cut taxes by $618 million to cut costs for small businesses, students, veterans, teachers and families.

"Our Fighting for Florida's Future tax cut package will boost our economy and encourage businesses of all sizes to create jobs and build opportunities for generations of Floridians," Scott said.

Democrats wasted little time Tuesday afternoon pouncing on Gov. Scott's speech.

Rick Scotts strategy of creating low-wage jobs to maximize corporate profits, while letting schools fall further behind, has failed Florida, said Florida Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel in a Democratic response. While Florida continues to suffer from an epidemic of senseless gun violence, Rick Scott and his Tallahassee Republican allies are seeking to put guns in schools and airports.

As the seas continue to rise and increasing numbers of Floridians suffer the effects of climate change, Scott still has his head in the sand and refuses to even acknowledge the crisis. Floridians deserve better.

Meanwhile, lawmakers will have a long list of items they will be considering in the weeks ahead.

While approving a state budget is the only thing the Legislature is required to do each year, lawmakers will consider everything from expanding guns rights to implementing a medical marijuana amendment passed by voters.

The 60-day session could become bumpy at times.

Republican House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Scott are at odds over House plans to eliminate the state's economic development agency, Enterprise Florida.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars, of taxpayer dollars, is wasted on corporate welfare," Corcoran said. "Because it seems like we have forgotten what it is that we believe."

Corcoran is expected to roll out a sweeping plan to eliminate Enterprise Florida and dramatically cut funding for the state's tourism promotion outfit, Visit Florida.

"Since I last stood here to address you, Florida has endured many heartbreaks. I have prayed for families around our state who have been impacted by tragedy, and my own heart has been broken for their losses." - Gov. Rick Scott

But taxpayer incentives are not the only issue dividing the speaker and the governor.

The governor is proposing $618 million in tax cuts.

"It's a process. You're competing. We're not the only place that people can go," Scott said. "We've got great weather? We had great weather back in 2010 when we lost all those jobs."

But Corcoran says a looming budget deficit could make the cuts unaffordable.

Lawmakers also have other issues to deal with.

In addition to implementing medical marijuana, the state is dealing with bills to allow guns on college campuses and airports, to expanding the state's controversial "stand your ground" protections.

Legislators are also going to consider a contentious proposal to reduce discharges from Lake Okeechobee blamed for toxic algae blooms. They are also expected to act quickly to fix Florida's death penalty law.

Corcoran also has another proposal: Term limits on judges.

"We need judges who will reject the temptation to turn themselves into some unelected super legislature," he said.

All of those issues could make ending the session on time wishful thinking.

Many are already predicting a special session in May or June to continue to sort out all of the potential issues.
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Three Jackson County deputies involved in two separate shootings incidents during 2016 have been cleared of wrongdoing, Sheriff Mike Ezell said.

In the first case, a Jackson County Grand Jury found no criminal conduct by Deputy Jonathan Blakeney and Sgt. Mike Nutefall, who shot 23-year-old Christian Bowman during an incident at a St. Martin hotel in May 2016. Ezell said the two deputies were placed on administrative leave after the incident and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducted an independent investigation of the incident.

The grand jury ruled no further investigation is warranted.

In the second case, a Harrison County Grand Jury cleared Nutefall and Deputy Nathan Fisher in the shooting of an Alabama woman in October 2016. The incident involved a high-speed chase along Interstate 10 which began in Jackson County and ended in D'Iberville.

The deputies were in pursuit of a stolen truck driven by Carl Daniel Young of Mobile. Catrick Howell was a passenger in the truck and was shot by deputies during the incident.

All three officers have returned to duty, Ezell said.
thumbnail_Walk MS 2016_Crowd of Walkers.jpg

Hundreds of participants are again expected on Ocean Springs' Front Beach Saturday morning for the annual Walk MS to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

(NMSS)

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Walk MS has been held on the Mississippi coast for more than 20 years, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for research funding to find new treatments and, ultimately, a cure for multiple sclerosis.

This year's Walk MS is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. on Ocean Springs Front Beach, where the coast Walk MS has been held for the past several years. The event is sponsored by the Mississippi-Alabama chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"Walk MS is a joyous gathering with a wonderful 'we're in this together' feeling," said Cyndi Zagieboylo, President and CEO of the National MS Society. "Every participant, volunteer, donor and sponsor is helping to drive us toward this exciting $1 billion milestone.

"Together, we are accelerating progress in making life-changing breakthroughs so that each person with MS can live her or his best life."

Hundreds of participants are expected for Saturday's event, which begins at Ft. Maurepas Park. Organizers hope to raise more than $30,000 for MS. Nationwide, nearly 300,000 people participated in Walk MS events across the country, raising nearly $50 million.

More than 2.3 million people worldwide, including nearly 2,500 in Mississippi and 400,000 nationwide, are afflicted with multiple sclerosis -- an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system which interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body.

As a result, those with MS can suffer with symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling and blindness and paralysis. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20-50, with two to three times more women diagnosed with MS than men. Every hour of every day, someone in the world learns they have MS.

Volunteers and organizers will begin setting up for the event at 7 a.m., with on-site registration starting at 8 a.m. There will be various courses set up for the 9 a.m. walk, depending on the ability of the walkers, including a wheelchair course.

Vendors and activities will also be featured in the park.

For more information, call 855-372-1331 or email fundraisingsupport@nmss.org.
The following hospital and health system rating and outlook changes and affirmations have taken place in the last week, beginning with the most recent.

1. S&P assigns 'AA-' rating to Froedtert Health's debt

S&P Global Ratings assigned an "AA-" long-term rating to Milwaukee-based Froedtert Health's $247.12 million of series 2017A fixed-rate debt.

2. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Memorial Health System's bonds

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "A1" rating on Springfield, Ill.-based Memorial Health System's $206 million of outstanding rated debt.

3. Moody's affirms 'Baa2' rating on Pacific County Public Hospital District's debt

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "Baa2" underlying rating on South Bend, Wash.-based Pacific County Public Hospital District's $1.9 million in outstanding general obligation bond debt.

4. Moody's Investors Service affirms 'A1' rating on Huntsville Health Care Authority's bonds

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "A1" long-term ratings and "P1" short-term ratings on Huntsville (Ala.) Health Care Authority's bonds and commercial paper program, affecting $160 million of rated debt.

5. S&P lowers rating to 'BBB+' on St. Anthony's Medical Center's bonds

S&P Global Ratings lowered the long-term rating to "BBB+" from "A-" on St. Louis-based St. Anthony's Medical Center's series 2015B bonds and lowered the medical center's issuer rating to "BBB+" from "A-."

6. Fitch affirms 'AA-' rating on Lakeland Hospitals' bonds

Fitch Ratings affirmed the "AA-" long-term rating on St. Joseph, Mich.-based Lakeland Hospitals' bonds issued for the health system's Niles, Mich., and St. Joseph, Mich., locations.

7. Moody's revises Integris Health's outlook to negative

Moody's Investors Service revised Oklahoma City-based Integris Health's outlook to negative from stable.

8. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Hawaii Pacific Health's bonds

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "A1" rating on Honolulu-based Hawaii Pacific Health's bonds, affecting $305 million of rated debt.

9. Moody's affirms 'VMIG 1' rating on CHOP's bonds

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "Aa2" long-term rating and "VMIG 1" short-term rating on the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's series 2011A bonds.

10. S&P revises Peterson Regional Medical Center's outlook to positive

S&P Global Ratings revised Kerrville, Texas-based Peterson Regional Medical Center's outlook to positive from stable.

11. S&P downgrades Greenville Health System's fixed-rate debt rating to 'A+'

S&P Global Ratings downgraded the rating on Greenville (S.C.) Health System's long-term fixed rate debt to "A+" from "AA-."
Here are six recent updates on revenue cycle management companies.

1. Parasail Health, a patient financing provider, released a financing app for medical bills.

2. Revenue cycle management company Syncordia Technologies and Healthcare Solutions unveiled a new software as a solutions offering.

3. Harrisonburg (Va.) Emergency Physicians, an independent, 17-physician practice, selected McKesson for revenue cycle management services.

4. FAIR Health, a healthcare data analytics and consumer education firm, unveiled a healthcare pricing resource aimed at providing transparency for costs of common procedures and conditions.

5. TaraVista Behavioral Health Center in Devens, Mass., implemented Stockell Healthcare Systems' OpenVista InsightCS revenue cycle management solutions.

6. OmiSYS, a medical claims billing company, acquired pharmacy technology provider voiceTech.

More articles on healthcare finance:

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CMS moves forward with RAC program expansion

Partners' hospitals to lay off employees as part of cost-cutting plan
Daniel J. Barchi, CIO of NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City, has had an expansive technology career, from telecommunications to health IT.

After serving as a naval officer for 6 years in the 1990s, Mr. Barchi chose to find a new job on land, to take care of his growing family. "When my wife and I had a baby daughter, I wasn't going to sea anymore," he says. "I took a job in the telecommunications industry, where I managed a number of small companies."

A few years into his telecommunications career, Carilion Clinic  formerly Carilion Health System  in Roanoke, Va., offered Mr. Barchi a job running its biomedical institute, given his background in turnarounds. Three years later he was promoted to the health system's CIO.

"So, without any background in medicine, I went from running a biomedical institute to becoming a healthcare IT CIO," he explains.

Since December 2015, Mr. Barchi has served as CIO of NewYork-Presbyterian, leading the health system in its rollout of a new telehealth program. In the coming year, he's planning to grow NewYork-Presbyterian's focus on digital medicine and remote care.

Mr. Barchi recently spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the changing health IT landscape and the growing importance of digital medicine.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: Given your expansive background, what most surprised you about the healthcare CIO role?

Daniel J. Barchi: I've always been surprised by how little healthcare IT has to do with technology. It really is the people and the processes used to care for patients that are most important. The technology is a small enabler, but the people on our IT team and I spend more of our time on people and processes, rather than on the technology itself.

Q: In the years since you've worked as a CIO, how has the health IT landscape changed for hospitals?

DB: It's gone from being focused on transactional systems to making data and analytics work well for physicians. Instead of merely focusing on implementing new software or electronic medical records, we're deeply focused on how the tools we deploy and how the data we provide improve outcomes for patients.

I'd say that the most interesting thing is the leaders I see in healthcare IT are going from people focused on technology itself to visionaries for how healthcare can improve patient outcomes. That's the enjoyable part of what we do, and I'm really impressed by the dedication I see by people in the healthcare industry toward every patient's best opportunities for outcomes.

Q: You oversaw the launch of NewYork-Presbyterian's telehealth program. What are some of the challenges you faced when rolling out these services?

DB: The interesting thing is that the technology is really the most straightforward part of it. Overcoming our perceptions about how medicine is delivered is more challenging. Whether it's regulatory or engaging patients in a new way, it's everything associated with the program that is challenging.

We've certainly found that the legal and regulatory environment is not as well developed as the technology itself, so a lot of our focus has been on creating the best cutting-edge tools we can, in an environment that is still getting used to delivering medicine remotely.

Q: What are some new health information technologies or trends you're excited about?

DB: I think telehealth and digital medicine is important. We've been a leader in telehealth and we are reaching out to patients across our area and nationally for second opinions, urgent care and follow-up visits that allow our physicians to be more efficient and for patients to access doctors easily. We are accelerating our focus on digital medicine, so we can reach a broader number of patients.

We're also beginning to focus on how we can use artificial intelligence and machine learning, both in clinical applications and in streamlining the logistics of the health system. We're deeply focused on machine learning and the ways that we can leverage technology to help our physicians with better decision making.
A total of 103 medical professional associations and state societies have signed a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Patrick Conway, MD, and ONC Acting National Coordinator Jon White, MD, asking to delay the implementation of new certified EHR technology.

The new certified EHRs  the 2015 editions  are slated to go into effect in 2018. CMS has already permitted the use of both 2014 and 2015 editions of certified EHRs for the 2017 Quality Payment program and 2017 Meaningful Use program.

Although the ONC released the final 2015 certification requirements more than a year ago, only a few vendors have upgraded their systems, according to the letter. With this barrier in mind, the medical groups  led by the American Medical Association  worry that requiring physicians to upgrade to 2015-certified EHRs by 2018 limits their vendor choice.

Other key concerns include unfair financial penalties under the 2018 Quality Payment and Meaningful Use programs if vendors do not certify their new products in a timely manner, and patient safety issues, should healthcare organizations feel pressured to go through rushed upgrades and installations.

The medical groups are asking to delay implementation of the 2015-certified EHRs until the technology is "widely available." Until then  or at least until January 2019  the organizations say the use of 2015-certified EHRs should remain voluntary.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla., part of Tampa-based Hospital Corporation of America West Florida, appointed Joe Rudisill COO.

Here are four notes:

1. Mr. Rudisill most recently served in HCA's COO Development Program at Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Va.

2. He joined Henrico Doctors' Hospital in 2014 as an associate administrator, prior to which, he was director of operations at Richmond-based Virginia Urology.

3. He holds a master's degree in health administration from Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University.

4. Mr. Rudisill is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
House Republicans on Monday unveiled the American Health Care Act. Here are nine reactions to the measure.

1. Al Babbington, CEO of PrescribeWellness, noted the plan's impact on states. "The new [proposed] legislation is pushing the burden of supporting the Medicaid population to the states. Over 70 million people now receive Medicaid support at nearly half a trillion dollars in expense," he said in an emailed statement."The states will need to act fast in finding ways to reduce costs. Community pharmacy can play an important role by providing population education and support to reduce emergency room visits, saving billions."

2. Tyrek Lee Sr., executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, expressed dissatisfaction with the plan. "Congressional Republicans' latest healthcare proposal is an assault on working people, one that provides a massive tax cut to the very wealthiest Americans by eliminating healthcare coverage for millions of hardworking Americans," he said in an emailed statement.

3. Constance Scharff, PhD, senior addiction research fellow and director of addiction research for Cliffside Malibu, addressed addiction treatment. In an emailed statement, Dr. Scharff said: "The proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act could be catastrophic for those in need of mental health or addiction services. These proposed changes are a step in the wrong direction."

4. Sam Gibbs, executive director of AgileHealthInsurance.com, said in an emailed statement the proposed legislative changes "are not as dramatic as some critics had feared." He added: "Notably, for the first time, the middle class would receive a tax break for privately purchased health insurance options, a benefit businesses have been enjoying for years. Further, most of the changes are not immediate, allowing consumers time to learn about the changes so they can plan accordingly for the future."

5. Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, noted the bill's potential impact on older Americans. "It would be a disaster for older and working Americans and for our healthcare system," he said in an emailed statement. "The bill repeals the increase in the Medicare payroll tax for high earners. That will reduce the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by four years, from 2029 to 2025. This is an insult to the 57 million Medicare beneficiaries who have earned their guaranteed Medicare benefits, and many millions more who contribute to Medicare expecting it to be there when they retire."

6. Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action for America, also expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal. "In many ways, the House Republican proposal released last night not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them. Ronald Reagan once said, 'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' The AHCA does all three," he said in an emailed statement.

7. Bruce Siegel, MD, president and CEO of Americas Essential Hospitals, outlined his various concerns with the measure. In a statement on the AEH website, Dr. Siegel said: "We appreciate that House Republicans offer the safety net some support in todays reconciliation bill, including an eventual end to disproportionate share hospital cuts. Nevertheless, Americas Essential Hospitals remains deeply concerned about the legislation in its current form. We are particularly disappointed lawmakers seem willing to consider this bill in committee without a Congressional Budget Office score and an estimate of how the bill might impact health care coverage. A score is crucial, as this legislation could place a heavy burden on the safety net by reducing federal support for Medicaid expansion over time and imposing per-capita caps on the program."

8. HIV Medicine Association Chair Wendy Armstrong, MD, is concerned about what the ACA replacement bill means for HIV patients. "The private insurance market elements, such as the requirement for continuous coverage and the insufficient tax credits for lower income individuals, will likely shut the door on coverage in the individual insurance market for most people with HIV. Forty percent of individuals with HIV in care rely on the Medicaid program for their healthcare coverage. The House proposal to fund Medicaid based on a per capita cap will shift costs to the states and threaten access to healthcare services and treatment for the hundreds of thousands of individuals with HIV who are covered by the program," she said in an emailed statement.

She added: "If advanced, the ACA replacement bill stands to threaten our progress in diagnosing and treating patients with HIV and increase healthcare disparities both between states and based on socioeconomic status. These proposals will not only harm individuals with HIV but will compromise our nations public health by leaving fewer with access to the antiretroviral treatment that keeps patients healthy and reduces their risk of transmitting HIV to near zero. We strongly urge the committees to reconsider the bill and the accelerated and non-transparent process with which these proposals have been advanced."

9. Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, spoke out against the proposed legislation in an emailed statement, saying it "asks the low-income and most vulnerable in our country to bear the brunt of the cuts to our healthcare system." She added: "In addition to moving away from an effective coverage expansion that has provided healthcare to more than 20 million working people, this proposal would also take many backward steps in the continual effort to improve our healthcare system."
As much as we might disagree with the courts decision, it provides an unfortunate but nonetheless compelling argument for Congress to keep its nose out of ESA listing and delisting actions. Photo by Alamy

1.8K shares







A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to strip Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Wyoming was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday, all but clearing the way for the state to allow an open season on the small population of wolves surviving in the state (only the wolves who stay inside park boundaries at Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and the Wind River Indian Reservation would continue to be protected). Its a surprising ruling given that Wyoming has continued to demonstrate it does not have the right conservation plan or the political will to resist a wholesale slaughter of wolves in the state.

This decision results from an appeal of a 2014 ruling that rejected Wyomings wolf management plan, finding that the state failed to provide enforceable commitments that would forestall the near extirpation of the states wolf population.

As much as we might disagree with the courts decision, it provides an unfortunate but nonetheless compelling argument for Congress to keep its nose out of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing and delisting actions and to avoid short-circuiting administrative or judicial review of these actions. Congress is driven purely by political considerations, and ESA listing and delisting decisions are best left to professional agencies, through rulemaking actions that require input from expert scientists, other key stakeholders, and the general public, and with review by the federal courts. Congress should let these proceedings move ahead and not short-circuit them with heavy-handed delisting actions.

There are two bills in Congress, H.R. 424 and S. 164, dubbed the War on Wolves Act, that are written to have Congress subvert these processes. These bills would remove federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Wyoming and the northern Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The courts are still reviewing the legality of the Fish and Wildlife Service decision to remove ESA protections from wolves in the Great Lakes states. There, in a case brought and led by The HSUS, a U.S. District Court judge previously ruled that the agency action was premature and wrong-headed, because it is looking too narrowly at wolf recovery within specific populations and not looking at the health of wolf populations more broadly.

Lawmakers, quick to cater to the vocal minority that wants to hunt and trap wolves, are ignoring the best available science, which reveals that these apex carnivores occupy just a fraction of their original range and number only 5,000 across the entire lower 48 states. That science also shows that random killing of wolves  by trophy hunters and trappers  may actually lead to conflicts between wolves and livestock by disrupting and dispersing stable packs. The livestock loss is an amplified myth. A March 1, 2017 analysis by The HSUS showed that in Wyoming, wolves killed 0.11 percent of Wyomings entire cattle inventory and 0.02 percent of its entire sheep inventory. Far more livestock die from illness, birthing problems, and random weather events.

The sponsors of the War on Wolves Act included an insidious provision that would eliminate judicial review, and allow Congress to delist the species on a whim. Its a power grab, pure and simple, one that will threaten wolves in ways that the broader public doesnt support.

A study last year showed that most Americans hold positive or even very positive associations with wolves. A 2014 statewide survey of nearly 9,000 Wisconsin residents showed most residents believe that wolves are important members of the ecological community who keep deer in balance and should be enjoyed by future generations. And in November 2014, Michigan voters rejected two legislative proposals to authorize trophy hunting and trapping of wolves, drubbing both measures at the ballot box.

The courts ruling on Wyoming is a devastating blow to wolves. We disagree with the reasoning but we accept it. Congress should also accept the rulings, whether the decisions are aligned with their wishes or not. Its wrong for lawmakers to subvert both the professional agency and the federal courts.
Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem have abandoned their plan to merge after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday to temporarily halt the merger, according to the Chicago Tribune.

U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso granted the Federal Trade Commission and state of Illinois' request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily halt the merger while the FTC "conducts administrative proceedings on the matter," according to the report. His opinion was filed under seal to give the health systems, as well as the FTC, time to request sensitive information be redacted, according to the Tribune report.

"Today's decision reverses Judge Alonso's earlier ruling in support of the creation of Advocate NorthShore Health Partners," said NorthShore University HealthSystem President and CEO Mark Neaman in an internal email to employees obtained by Becker's Hospital Review.

Advocate and NorthShore unveiled plans in 2014 to come together and create a new system. In an order issued June 14, 2016, Judge Alonso denied the FTC's request to block the proposed merger. The FTC appealed the decision, arguing the court's analysis of the geographic market was flawed. Last October, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision that denied the FTC a preliminary injunction. The court ordered the merger to remain on hold while the lower court reconsidered the government's preliminary injunction request.

Following Judge Alonso's decision on Tuesday, the health systems dropped their merger plans. "We have determined with the Advocate Health Care leadership that the time, cost, and uncertainty of pursuing any additional appeals would not be worthwhile," said Mr. Neaman in his email to employees.
The following is a list of hospitals for which 92 percent or more of HCAHPS respondents reported their physician "always" communicated well.

Information was pulled from Hospital Compare's most recent data from April 2015 through March 2016.

For reference, the national average rate for patients reporting their physician "always" communicated well is 82 percent.

Note: Hospitals with insufficient data, such as having fewer than 100 completed surveys, were excluded.

Falls Community Hospital and Clinic (Martin, Texas)  100 percent

The Medical Center at Albany (Ky.)  98 percent

Bigfork (Minn.) Valley Hospital  98 percent

Crossridge Community Hospital (Wynne, Ark.)  97 percent

Hopedale (Ill.) Medical Complex  97 percent

Marion Regional Medical Center (Hamilton, Ala.)  96 percent

Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center (Mount Vernon, Ky.)  96 percent

Caldwell Memorial Hospital (Columbia, La.)  96 percent

East Carroll Parish Hospital (Lake Providence, La.)  96 percent

Yalobusha General Hospital (Water Valle, Miss.)  96 percent

Conemaugh Miners Medical Center (Hastings, Pa.)  96 percent

Clay County Hospital (Ashland, Ala.)  95 percent

Claiborne Memorial Medical Center (Homer, La.)  95 percent

Eastland (Texas) Memorial Hospital  95 percent

Yoakum (Texas) Community Hospital  95 percent

Chicot Memorial Hospital (Lake Village, Ark.)  94 percent

Patients' Hospital of Redding (Calif.)  94 percent

Sutter Surgical Hospital North Valley (Yuba City, Calif.)  94 percent

Mariners Hospital (Tavernier, Fla.)  94 percent

DeSoto Regional Health System (Mansfield, La.)  94 percent

Millinocket (Maine) Regional Hospital  94 percent

Advanced Surgical Hospital (Washington, Pa.)  94 percent

Hamilton (Texas) General Hospital  94 percent

Fayette (Ala.) Medical Center  93 percent

Elmore Community Hospital (Wetumpka, Ala.)  93 percent

Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart (Ark.)  93 percent

Elbert Memorial Hospital (Elberton, Ga.)  93 percent

Emanuel Medical Center (Swainsboro, Ga.)  93 percent

Massac Memorial Hospital (Metropolis, Ill.)  93 percent

Ferrell Hospital Community Foundations (Eldorado, Ill.)  93 percent

Franciscan Health Carmel (Ind.)  93 percent

Iowa Specialty Hospital  Belmond  93 percent

Orange City (Iowa) Area Health System  93 percent

Saint Joseph Martin (Ky.)  93 percent

Casey County Hospital (Liberty, Ky.)  93 percent

Breckinridge Memorial Hospital (Hardinsburg, Ky.)  93 percent

Lady of the Sea General Hospital (Cut Off, La.)  93 percent

Chatham Hospital (Silver City, N.C.)  93 percent

Abbeville (S.C.) Area Medical Center  93 percent

Same Day Surgery Center (Rapid City, S.D.)  93 percent

The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton (Texas)  93 percent

Vernon Memorial Hospital (Viroqua, Wis.)  93 percent

Wiregrass Medical Center (Geneva, Ala.)  92 percent

Evergreen (Ala.) Medical Center  92 percent

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (Lincoln, Ill.)  92 percent

Crawford Memorial Hospital (Robinson, Ill.)  92 percent

Floyd County Medical Center (Charles City, Iowa)  92 percent

Coffey County Hospital (Burlington, Kan.)  92 percent

Smith County Memorial Hospital (Smith Center, Kan.)  92 percent

Three Rivers Medical Center (Louisa, Ky.)  92 percent

West Carroll Memorial Hospital (Oak Grove, La.)  92 percent

Springhill (La.) Medical Center  92 percent

Monroe (La.) Surgical Hospital  92 percent

Doctors Hospital at Deer Creek (Leesville, La.)  92 percent

CentraCare Health System  Melrose (Minn.) Hospital  92 percent

Webster General Hospital/Swing Bed (Europa, Miss.)  92 percent

Marion General Hospital (Columbia, Miss.)  92 percent

Magee (Miss.) General Hospital  92 percent

Community Medical Center (Falls City, Neb.)  92 percent

Craig General Hospital (Vinita, Okla.)  92 percent

Childress (Texas) Regional Medical Center  92 percent

Grant Regional Health Center (Lancaster, Wis.)  92 percent

Baptist Emergency Hospital (San Antonio)  92 percent

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Truven Health Analytics, a healthcare data and analytics solutions service, on Monday released its annual list of the nation's 100 top hospitals.

The study identifies the top 100 hospitals in the country based on overall organizational performance. To compile the list, Truven analyzed the annual performance of hospitals on key quality measures from 2011 through 2015.

Hospitals demonstrated major improvements in the areas of inpatient mortality and complication rates, 30-day readmissions and lengths of stay, according to the study. More than half of hospitals (52 percent) had lower readmission rates, 21 percent had lower mortality rates and 18 percent had shorter lengths of stay. A majority of hospitals (79 percent) also maintained steady costs for treating an inpatient over the five-year study period.

Here are the Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals, organized by size and type.

Hospitals with asterisks are also recipients of Truven's 100 Top Hospitals Everest Award, which highlights hospitals with the greatest rate of improvement over the five-year study period.

Major Teaching Hospitals

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, Ill.)

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville (Fla.)*

Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak (Mich.)*

Emory University Hospital (Atlanta)

Houston Methodist Hospital

NorthShore University HealthSystem (Evanston, Ill.)

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

Ochsner Medical Center (New Orleans)

OhioHealth Doctors Hospital (Columbus)

Providence - Providence Park Hospital (Southfield, Mich.)

SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital (St. Louis)

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Ann Arbor, Mich.)*

St. Luke's University Hospital  Bethlehem (Pa.)

University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora)

University of Utah Health Care (Salt Lake City)





Teaching Hospitals

Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale (Ill.)

Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital

Beaumont Hospital - Grosse Pointe (Mich.)*

Bethesda North Hospital (Cincinnati)

Billings (Mont.) Clinic Hospital

BSA Health System (Amarillo, Texas)

Franciscan Health Indianapolis

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital (Muncie, Ind.)

Kendall Regional Medical Center (Miami)

Lancaster (Pa.) General Hospital

LDS Hospital (Salt Lake City)

Mercy Health Saint Mary's (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Newton (Mass.)-Wellesley Hospital

Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital (St. Louis Park, Minn.)*

Parkview Regional Medical Center (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

Poudre Valley Hospital (Fort Collins, Colo.)

Riverside Medical Center (Kankakee, Ill.)

Rose Medical Center (Denver)

Sentara Leigh Hospital (Norfolk, Va.)

St. Cloud (Minn.) Hospital

St. Luke's Boise (Idaho) Medical Center

St. Mary's Hospital (Madison, Wis.)

St. Vincent Healthcare (Billings, Mont.)

The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati)





Large Community Hospitals

Advocate Condell Medical Center (Libertyville, Ill.)

Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center (Medford, Ore.)

Chandler (Ariz.) Regional Medical Center

Chester County Hospital (West Chester, Pa.)

Christus Mother Frances Hospital Tyler (Texas)

EvergreenHealth Kirkland (Wash.)

FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital (Pinehurst, N.C.)

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center (Daytona Beach)

Henrico Doctors' Hospital (Richmond, Va.)

Logan (Utah) Regional Hospital

Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center (Houston)

Mercy Hospital (Coon Rapids, Minn.)

Mosaic Life Care (Saint Joseph, Mo.)*

North Florida Regional Medical Center (Gainesville)

Roper Hospital (Charleston, S.C.)

Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (Calif.)

St. David's Medical Center (Austin, Texas)

St. Francis Downtown (Greenville, S.C.)

WellStar West Georgia Medical Center (LaGrange)

West Florida Hospital (Pensacola)

Medium Community Hospitals

American Fork (Utah) Hospital

Baptist Medical Center Beaches (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.)*

Baylor Scott & White Healthcare - Round Rock (Texas)

Blanchard Valley Hospital (Findlay, Ohio)

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital (Charleston, S.C.)

Chino (Calif.) Valley Medical Center

Clermont Hospital (Batavia, Ohio)

Dupont Hospital (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

Fairview Park Hospital (Dublin, Ga.)

Holland (Mich.) Hospital

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (Fairfax, Va.)

Medical Center of the Rockies (Loveland, Colo.)

Mercy Medical Center (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge (La.)*

Saint Alphonsus Medical Center - Nampa (Idaho)

Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Hospital

St. Vincent Carmel (Ind,) Hospital

Sycamore Medical Center (Miamisburg, Ohio)

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth

West Valley Medical Center (Caldwell, Idaho)





Small Community Hospitals

Alta View Hospital  (Sandy, Utah)

Aurora Medical Center (Two Rivers, Wis.)

Aurora Medical Center (Oshkosh, Wis.)

Fairview Northland Medical Center (Princeton, Minn.)

Franklin Woods Community Hospital (Johnson City, Tenn.)

Hawkins County Memorial Hospital (Rogersville, Tenn.)*

Henry Community Health (New Castle, Ind.)

Lakeview Hospital (Bountiful, Utah)

Lakeview Hospital (Stillwater, Minn)

Lakeview Medical Center (Rice Lake, Wis.)

Oaklawn Hospital (Marshall, Mich.)

OSF Saint James - John W. Albrecht Medical Center (Pontiac, Ill.)

Parkview Huntington (Ind.) Hospital

Spectrum Health United Hospital (Greenville, Mich.)

Spectrum Health Zeeland (Mich.) Community Hospital

St. John Owasso (Okla.) Hospital

St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital (Howell, Mich.)*

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance (Fort Worth)

Waynesboro (Pa.) Hospital

Yampa Valley Medical Center (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
An Annals of Internal Medicine-published commentary argued restricting international medical graduates from entering the United States will negatively impact the healthcare field, according to Medscape.

Timeline of President Donald Trump's executive order

On Jan. 27, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order on immigration. Under the order, Syrian refugees are not allowed to enter the United States; all refugees are barred from entering the United States for 120 days; and citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are not allowed to enter the United States for 90 days, as reported by The New York Times.





On Jan. 28, 2017, District Court Judge Ann M. Donnelly "put a stay on deporting people who had landed in the U.S. and were covered by the executive order," according to ProPublica.

On Feb. 9, 2017, the U.S. District Circuit Court of Appeals' denied the "Trump administration's challenge to suspension of the travel ban," according to Medscape.

Impact of barring entry to international medical graduates

American Medical Association President Andrew Gurman, MD, told Medscape, that 27 percent of U.S. physicians and 31 percent of U.S. primary care physicians are international medical graduates.

With the Feb. 22, 2017, deadline for the National Resident Matching Program, the executive order certainly caused uncertainty among residency directors.

In 2016, about one-quarter of U.S. physicians graduated from international medical schools. More than 10,000 of those physicians graduated from the seven countries in the executive order.

William W. Pinsky, MD, president and CEO of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, noted the already rigorous three-year vetting process international medical graduates undergo. Dr. Pinsky cautions the executive order harms the future of U.S. healthcare, because as the nation becomes more diverse, it needs a more diverse physician workforce.

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates sponsored international medical graduates from 154 countries in 2016 for J-1 visas, which are two-year exchange visitor programs. If international medical graduates treat patients in underserved areas, the U.S. may allow the physicians to stay in the country. As fewer U.S.-trained physicians are enticed to work in underserved communities, losing the international medical graduates may cause a blow to the industry.
A portrait of Emma taken during the First World War in 1916

A Belfast nurse who chronicled the horrors of war in a series of diaries is to be honoured with a blue plaque.

Emma Duffin vividly described her experiences as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse caring for wounded soldiers brought directly from the battlefield during the First World War.

She performed a similar nursing role in the Second World War.

Now, nearly 40 years after she died, her life will be celebrated with a blue plaque at University Square.

It will be unveiled tomorrow morning - International Women's Day - by her great-niece, Emma Makin.

Chris Spurr, chairman of the Ulster History Circle, said: "The Ulster History Circle is delighted to mark International Women's Day by unveiling this plaque to Emma Duffin, who made an important contribution to nursing in both world wars, and recorded a remarkable account of her experiences in her diaries.

"The circle would like to thank Queen's University for their assistance, and we are also grateful to Belfast City Council for their financial support towards the plaque."

Born in Belfast in 1883, Emma attended Cheltenham Ladies' College. On the outbreak of the First World War she joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment, serving as a nurse.

Her first posting was in Egypt, from 1915 to 1916, where she tended survivors of the Gallipoli campaign.

Then, from 1916 to 1919, she served in the military hospitals of Le Havre and Calais. There she tended the wounded brought straight from the Western Front and who were too seriously injured to be shipped to Southampton.

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 The Great War. 1914-18. Flanders. Corporal Adolf Hitler, right with two other soldiers and a dog during his stay in a military hospital, WWI, Pasewalk, Pomerania. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) United We Stand - Postcard showing uniformed men representing Britain, Irish National Volunteers and Ulster Volunteers flanking a sailor with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other presented as united on the outbreak of war. The verse reads 'Old discords have sunk to oblivion, For the honour of Britain they stand, In Unity shoulder to shoulder, In defence of the old homeland.' Collection Ulster Museum Troops at the Battle of the Somme Rifleman Jackson Clarke of the Royal Irish Rifles (circled) marching off to war. He survived the Great War, remaining in the army until 1931. Pic from Stephen Kerr First World War image of a British soldier pulling colleague from rubble. It is unlikely that the helped soldier would look as cheerful as he does or that the helper would pull the buried and probably injured man in so unprofessional a way if he had been lying beneath the weight of soil and rubble after an explosion. It is more likely that the man has slipped and fallen into this position while examining damage, the aftermath of which is depicted here. (Hogg, A. R )  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum Women in Britain say go! - Hill, Siffken and Co (LPA Ltd) - First World War Recruitment poster; 'Women in Britain say Go!' This poster, produced by E V Kealey, in 1915 for the First World War British Army Recruitment Campaign shows an image (by artist Ernest Ibbetson) of mother and children at open window watching troops march off to war. which reflects the growing engagement of middle-class women in public life, civic and recruitment campaigns Parliamentary Recruiting Committee Poster no.75. Original accession card states it is Parliamentary Recruiting poster No.72 Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of a British stretcher party surveying wounded on battlefield. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image showing soldiers in snow with tanks on backs. The men may be carrying some kind of disinfectant or else a de-icing fluid as it is visibly a cold winteris day. The item on the cart looms rather like the flue of a fire or heater, indicating that the men may well be carrying hot water. (Hogg, A. R )  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image showing British soldiers washing in water held in shell hole, which appears to be the location for several British graves as indicated by the wooden crosses surrounding the crater, where the men may well have perished in an earlier explosion. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum Theres room for you. Enlist to-day - W.M. Strain & Sons Ltd. - First World War recruitment poster; 'Theres room for you. Enlist to-day.' froman original drawing by W.A. Fry. Poster shows a cheery scene of soldiers going off to war by train. Published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London; poster no.122 Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of British soldiers marching over battlefield. The devastation caused by repeated shellfire over four years left some parts of the Western Front and its hinterland a total ruin. (Hogg, A. R) Photograph  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of a British soldier at machine gun post. Machine gun fire was sometimes effective against low-flying German planes. Note the bolt-holes for the gunner to hide during bombardment, the trench spike against the skyline and the horn of what may well be a gas-alarm. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of a British first aid team treating wounded soldier. There are three orderlies, treating a soldiers treating a man on a stretcher with head and shoulder injuries. The location would appear to be littered with shells and shell boxes and there is a building which has been damaged by artillery fire or an explosion. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of British soldiers wearing capes carrying shovels, road-building party, along the Western Front, probably wet and muddy conditions of Flanders, 1917. The Irish soldier and poet Francis Ledwidge was killed in just such a group as this at eHellfire Corneri at Ypres in 1917. First World War image of British soldiers grouping in battlefield. The road is long which soldiers marched to and from the front were known to enemy artillery which by the end of the war was becoming more and more accurate in its fire. Note the posts which mark the line of the road, all too easily spotted by air reconnaissance (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of tank and troops. Tanks were first used in September 1916, at Delville Wood. There were over 6,000 tanks in allied possession by the end of the war whereas the Germans did not greatly make or use them. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum 'Everyone should do his bit. Enlist now' - Roberts & Leete Ltd. - First World War recruitment poster; 'Everyone should do his bit. Enlist now.' Poster with boy scout standing musing in front of a wall covered in recruitment posters. Published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee London No.121 Original artwork by Baron Low Collection Ulster Museum First World War image of a British soldier using periscope to look over rim of trench. The soldier also exhibits other features of trench hardware such as water-bottle and Lee Enfield rifle. There were various models of periscope, some improvised by the men themselves. (Hogg, A. R)  National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum Posters and Memorabilia at the launch of the National Library's World War One Family History Roadshow which takes place between 10am and 7pm on Wednesday March 21st next. Pic Steve Humphreys 15th March 2012. British troops manhandling a field gun, World War I Belfast Telegraph. Page. Wednesday 5/8/1914 "Britain Declares War on Germany" German troops and dogs prepared for the threat of 'chemical warefare' during the Great War, with gas masks. Women making cartridges for British troops during the Great War. 1914-18 The return of British pow's, from the Great war, met on arrival at London by frienfs and family with refreshments. Awarded the Victoria Cross for services in the Great War: Edmund De Wind (top left) James Somers (top right) Captain JA Sinton (centre) J Duffy (bottom Left) Robert Quigg ( bottom right) Lord Kitchener inspects the 36th Ulster Division before deployment to the Great War. British troops supply line during the Great War. Crowds in Belfast line the streets as soldiers returning from the Great War march past Belfast City Hall. British artillery on parade during the Great war. British infantrymen occupy a shallow trench in a ruined landscape before an advance during the Battle of the Somme Men of war: soldiers remove an injured man from the battlefield The will of Private John Fleetwood, grandfather of Mick Fleetwood, who died during the First World War PA First World War soldiers were treated for venereal disease in a camp at Chiseldon, Wiltshire. The 36th Ulster Division march past at Belfast City Hall in May 1915 Undated handout photo of the front page of the Flanders Fields Post, a newspaper inspired by the historic Wipers Times created by First World War soldiers Captain FJ Roberts and Lieutenant JH Pearson in 1916, which has been recreated to mark the centenary of the war. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. The Flanders Fields Post newspaper is published as a one-off today and distributed in London, Glasgow and Manchester, to commemorate 100 years since Britain joined the First World War. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Newspaper. Photo credit should read: Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA File photo dated 04/08/14 of the Grenadier Guards being watched by a crowd as they leave Wellington Barracks in London for active service in France at the beginning of World War I, as royalty, political leaders and families of the fallen will unite in Belgium and the UK today in marking 100 years since Britain entered the First World War. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. At 11pm on August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, ushering in four years of darkness, despair and appalling tragedy. See PA story HISTORY Centenary. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA The wills of soldiers who died during the First World War will be made available online PA Family handout photo of Captain F. J. Roberts with his son Bill Roberts in 1914, as a newspaper inspired by the historic Wipers Times created by First World War soldiers Captain FJ Roberts and Lieutenant JH Pearson in 1916, has been recreated to mark the centenary of the war. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. The Flanders Fields Post newspaper is published as a one-off today and distributed in London, Glasgow and Manchester, to commemorate 100 years since Britain joined the First World War. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Newspaper. Photo credit should read: Family Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Undated family handout photo of Captain F. J. Roberts with his division, as a newspaper inspired by the historic Wipers Times created by First World War soldiers Captain FJ Roberts and Lieutenant JH Pearson in 1916, has been recreated to mark the centenary of the war. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. The Flanders Fields Post newspaper is published as a one-off today and distributed in London, Glasgow and Manchester, to commemorate 100 years since Britain joined the First World War. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Newspaper. Photo credit should read: Family Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Letters home from the Western Front in the First World War gave a snapshot of the horrendous conditions suffered by Ulster soldiers in the trenches 16-year-old Lee Dunion re-enacts the conditions in the trenches as a soldier in Thiepval Woods during the First World War Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX File photo dated 17/08/14 of British soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Cheshire Regiment in a Belgian town on their way to Mons as part of the British Expeditionary Force, as royalty, political leaders and families of the fallen will unite in Belgium and the UK today in marking 100 years since Britain entered the First World War. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. At 11pm on August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, ushering in four years of darkness, despair and appalling tragedy. See PA story HISTORY Centenary. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Sgt David Harkness Blakey who died in 1916 Handout photo issued by London Transport Museum of Ole Bill, a 1911 B-type bus No. B43 flanked by standard bearers in the Armistice Day parade 1920 as wreaths are being laid at bus stations and garages across London in memory of the transport workers who died in the First World War. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Transport. Photo credit should read: London Transport Museum/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA A British soldier uses a periscope device in a First World War fire trench, as it was revealed a system of practice trenches have been found in Hampshire File photo dated 20/08/14 of the scene outside the Enlisting Office in Thogmorton Street, London, at the beginning of the First World War, as royalty, political leaders and families of the fallen will unite in Belgium and the UK today in marking 100 years since Britain entered the First World War. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. At 11pm on August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, ushering in four years of darkness, despair and appalling tragedy. See PA story HISTORY Centenary. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Men of the Royal marines landing at Ostend, during the Great War. 1914 Family handout photo of Capatain FJ Roberts (right) with family (L-R) Bert, Will, Nell and Fred Roberts, (front) dad Henry and mom Mary Roberts in 1900, as a newspaper inspired by the historic Wipers Times created by First World War soldiers Captain FJ Roberts and Lieutenant JH Pearson in 1916, has been recreated to mark the centenary of the war. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. The Flanders Fields Post newspaper is published as a one-off today and distributed in London, Glasgow and Manchester, to commemorate 100 years since Britain joined the First World War. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Newspaper. Photo credit should read: Family Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Records show newspapers urged women to send 'small comforts' like cigarettes and warm clothes to troops in the trenches Research suggests most people in the UK do not realise the First World War extended beyond Europe Wooden wing sections from a First World War bi-plane have been saved by RAF conservation experts The Winchester Whisperer, a journal handwritten on toilet paper that was circulated by conscientious objectors who were imprisoned for their beliefs during the First World War. (Religious Society of Friends in Britain/BBC/PA) Horror of the trenches: many from here made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War Family handout photo of a young Captain F. J. Roberts, as a newspaper inspired by the historic Wipers Times created by First World War soldiers Captain FJ Roberts and Lieutenant JH Pearson in 1916, has been recreated to mark the centenary of the war. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday August 4, 2014. The Flanders Fields Post newspaper is published as a one-off today and distributed in London, Glasgow and Manchester, to commemorate 100 years since Britain joined the First World War. See PA story HISTORY Centenary Newspaper. Photo credit should read: Family Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA / Facebook

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She wrote about her experiences in a series of journals, which were recently published.

Emma spoke German fluently and her tales of caring for wounded German soldiers add a humanitarian perspective to what is already a story of devotion and selflessness.

She renewed her VAD service when World War Two broke out. She was appointed commandant of the VAD nurses, based at Stranmillis Military Hospital.

She resumed her diary-keeping and provided a searing account of the impact of the Easter Tuesday blitz on Belfast, in which over 800 people were killed.

Most gripping is the day she spent in St George's Market, which was used as a morgue for the many unidentified bodies.

There, she helped stricken families search among the coffins for their loved ones.

Appalled by what she saw, she wrote in her diary: "I had seen many dead [in WWI], but they had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed on their breasts; death had been glossed over, made decent...

"Here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible ... Death should be dignified, peaceful. Hitler had made even death grotesque".

Emma served as honorary secretary of the Belfast Council of Social Welfare from 1933 to 1953.

In this role she was involved in ensuring that the comparatively rudimentary but effective social services it had provided between the wars in a city whose poverty had been starkly exposed during the evacuations were incorporated in the new welfare state that was created at the end of the war.

Emma died in 1979, aged 95, and is buried in Newcastle, Co Down.

Her journals were added to the already significant Duffin family archive in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

The Ulster History Circle is a voluntary, non-profit charity which puts up blue plaques in public places across all the counties of Ulster, to celebrate people of achievement.

A person is not considered for a blue plaque unless they have been dead for a minimum of 20 years, or would have reached their 100th birthday.

The circle's work on its blue plaque programme is carried out entirely by a small team of volunteer members.
The Bank of England's newly appointed deputy governor is facing calls to resign after she broke the Bank's code of conduct by failing to declare that her brother worked for Barclays.

In a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, Charlotte Hogg apologised for not formally disclosing that her brother, Quintin, was Barclays' group strategy director, which could conflict with her work on the Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC).

The correspondence was made public during a committee session with the chairman and the deputy chairman of the Court of the Bank of England, where it was revealed that Ms Hogg had not declared the family link on a number of occasions since joining the Bank as chief operating officer in 2013.

It included not stating her brother's position when she recently applied to the Treasury to become a deputy governor at the Bank.

It comes after Ms Hogg, who has been touted as a possible successor to Bank governor Mark Carney, told the Treasury committee at a hearing last week that she always declared areas of conflicts of interests and was compliant with all of the Bank's codes of conduct because she helped to write them.

The findings have prompted Treasury committee member John Mann to demand she steps down.

"It is simply incredible that such a senior person at the Bank of England has behaved in this manner," Mr Mann said.

"Last week Charlotte Hogg proudly told this committee that she actually wrote the Bank's code of conduct which she has now admitted to repeatedly breaking.

"Not only has she compromised her current position and the Bank of England itself but, more importantly, she has failed under the key principles of the Nolan standards in public life and she has no excuse for doing so.

"This is simply a question about standards in public life and in this regard she has failed and must resign."

Ms Hogg took up the role as deputy governor for markets and banking at the beginning of March, overseeing the Bank's balance sheet and sitting on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the Financial Policy Committee (FPC), the PRC and the Court of the Bank of England.

The PRC has direct responsibility for regulating banks, including Barclays.

Her father is Douglas Hogg, the third Viscount Hailsham and a former cabinet minister, who came under fire for claiming more than 2,000 in expenses to have his moat cleared at Kettlethorpe Hall in Lincolnshire.

Her mother, Baroness Hogg, is chairman of the audit committee at the John Lewis Partnership and a non-executive board member at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

In her letter to the committee, Ms Hogg wrote: "As Barclays Bank plc is regulated by the PRA, under the Bank's internal code of conduct and personal relationships policy I should have formally declared my brother's role when I first joined the Bank.

"I did not do so and I take full responsibility for this oversight. I have now added a full record of my brother's role in the Bank's HR systems.

"Regrettably, my oversight means that my oral evidence to the committee in this respect was not accurate. I write now to correct that evidence at the earliest opportunity and to place on record my sincere apologies to the committee."

When giving evidence to the committee last week, Ms Hogg said she would discuss with Mr Carney whether her brother's position at Barclays meant she should be recused from PRC meetings discussing the lender.

She had told the committee: ''I don't discuss work with him and he doesn't discuss it with me, we mostly talk about his children.''

Speaking to the committee on Tuesday, court chairman Anthony Habgood said Ms Hogg had made an "honest mistake", but admitted it was a "very serious breach" and he was "very concerned".

"She's clearly going to sit on the newly-formed PRC and such a relationship should be declared for obvious reasons," he said.

Focusing on when and how Ms Hogg should have made clear the connection, Mr Habgood said there would have been "two or three opportunities" to declare the potential conflict of interest since 2013.

However, Bradley Fried, deputy chairman of the court, did not think these lapses meant the job should be withdrawn from Ms Hogg, adding: "I definitely don't believe it is a hanging offence."

"I will make it very personal," he said.

"In Charlotte's case, I have (...) worked with her and I have seen an utterly distinctive candidate emerge and grow over a three-and-a-half-year period and this is out of character.

"Terribly unfortunate, very aggravating, very grumpy-inducing, but was it a grounds of rescission? I am struggling with that one."

Outside the Bank, Ms Hogg has held down jobs at Santander, consultancy giant McKinsey and financial information firm Experian.

Following the session, Andrew Tyrie MP, chairman of the Treasury committee, said: "The committee now needs to digest the evidence it has heard today, some of which has been a surprise to a number of us. It will offer a view after a period of reflection."
Units are available at CityNorth Business Park outside Dublin

The agent for a Co Dublin business park has said he is "inundated" with calls from Northern Ireland firms seeking continued single market access post-Brexit.

McGarrell Reilly is advertising units to let at CityNorth Business Park outside Dublin.

The 200-acre business park has space for industrial, office and leisure use and is just off the M1 Dublin/Belfast motorway.

The park is around a half-hour drive from Ireland's largest city and a 17-minute drive from Drogheda in Co Louth, which could make it an attractive EU base for Northern Ireland firms.

It follows the decision by pharmaceutical firm Almac to set up a facility in Dundalk, which it has said was prompted by the need to secure access to the single market following Brexit.

Almac told a House of Commons committee that it had not been in a position to wait and see the outworkings of the UK departure from the EU.

The company said it had instead decided to open up a facility in Dundalk to provide reassurance to export customers that its access to the single market would continue following Brexit.

John Carrigan of Cushman & Wakefield, who are acting as agents for CityNorth Business Park, said he had noticed an increase in activity within the park, particularly from Northern Ireland companies.

He said this was largely due to the UK's preparations to leave the EU, but added that many Northern Ireland companies were also looking to improve links with the Republic.

He said: "The park provides for a centralised hub on Ireland's primary route and offers the opportunity to design business and warehousing accommodation to company's specific needs.

"Also, with the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit referendum, we have experienced an increase in demand for space coming from companies seeking to maintain their EU passport rights by relocating outside of the UK.

"For any company looking to relocate in the wake of the Brexit referendum, or simply has expansion plans in mind, CityNorth provides a perfect alternative."

Mr Carrigan added that the site was located strategically for those looking to export.

He said: "With 90% of Ireland's GDP exported and over 40% passing through Dublin Port, City North provides a direct link to the Port Tunnel without having to pass over the congested M50 motorway. For end users, this has significant cost-saving benefits in terms of reduced travel times and fuel costs."

Other occupiers at the park include English vending machine company Pelican Rouge, Millmount Healthcare, Hanley Energy, Scottish veterinary diagnostic firm BCF Technology and laboratory equipment supplier Focus Scientific Solutions.

The property is currently on the market with joint agents Cushman & Wakefield, Kelly Walsh and Robert B Daly.

The size and specification of the units depends on the end user's requirement, with units available on a design and build basis.

Prices are expected to start at around 8.50-9.50 (7.35-8.22) a square foot to let for a year.

The developer is looking to work with future occupiers of the business park to design their units and has properties available both for sale and to let.
Ending dog-meat eating, and shuttering thousands of dog meat farms, is a top priority for Humane Society International. Estimates suggest that butchers kill 30 million dogs a year across Asia. Above, a dog on a dog meat farm in South Korea. Photo by Jean Chung/For HSI

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If we are going to ask the rest of the world to end the era of dog- and cat-meat consumption, we have to establish a bright-line legal standard against the practice in the United States. We took one big step toward achieving that goal today by working with some of our strongest congressional allies. U.S. Representatives Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Dave Trott, R-Mich. and Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., have just introduced legislation that would ban the dog and cat meat trade in America.

Ending dog-meat eating, and shuttering thousands of dog meat farms, is one of the top priorities for Humane Society International. Estimates suggest that butchers kill 30 million dogs a year across Asia. There are around 17,000 dog meat farms in South Korea alone. Cats fall victim to this cruel trade too, with several million killed annually in China, and the trade has been documented in other countries as well.

While consumption of dog and cat meat in the United States is limited, it does exist. It is imperative that we strike it down so that it will not expand, and so that we send a signal to the world that we are taking action against the trade here at home. The passage of a bill here condemning this trade would help shine a spotlight on those countries where this industry is not yet outlawed, and where our work and intervention are desperately needed.

This new bill, the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act of 2017, would amend the federal Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the slaughter and trade of dogs and cats for human consumption, and would provide penalties for individuals involved in the dog or cat meat trade. The legislation would also serve as an important expression of unity with countries and regions such as Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan that have dog meat bans in place, and help us in our work to end the trade in other countries, including China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

On January 6th, Rep. Hastings  whos been a tireless leader on the topic  reintroduced his Congressional Resolution condemning Chinas Yulin dog meat festival (H. Res. 30, currently with the bipartisan support of 107 cosponsors). The legislation introduced today builds on that effort, and very meaningfully.

Thanks in part to our campaign, consumer interest in dog meat is dropping. HSI, working with local partners, is making progress toward stopping the dog meat festival in Yulin, where butchers and traders slaughter thousands of dogs and cats each year. We have turned global media attention to this gruesome spectacle, and as a result, the festival has shrunk considerably in size since the original festival began in 2010. HSI and its local partners also have been working to rescue dogs from trucks bound for the dog meat markets. In China and in South Korea, we are rescuing dogs and giving them a second chance at life. Weve brought hundreds of dogs back from these countries, saving them from being butchered, and worked with our Shelter Placement Partners to find them new, loving, lifelong homes. A sharper turnaround in their lives could not be imagined.

Its time to end the ugly, long-concealed era of people eating companion animals. When we achieve that goal, it will be one more step in our social and cultural evolution for the better. Call your lawmakers, and help us move ahead by getting this legislation passed in Congress.
The UFU has called on DAERA and the UK government to seek out new markets for the sheep industry

The Ulster Farmers' Union has welcomed confirmation that Kuwait in the Middle East will be importing sheep meat from the UK.

Crosby Cleland, the beef and lamb chairman at the UFU, said Kuwait's move was "encouraging news for producers".

According to figures for 2015 from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Northern Ireland sheep industry is worth around 63m.

Food producers from around the UK recently took part in the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai.

But Mr Cleland said an expansion of the UK's export market portfolio was necessary if it was to build a thriving sheep industry post-Brexit.

"The return of Kuwait as a lamb buyer is welcome and it is encouraging that three major UK processors are already preparing shipments," he said.

"The Middle East is one of the biggest sheep meat consuming regions in the world and it is positive that the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is reporting a high level of interest from Kuwaiti importers, following the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai," added Mr Cleland.

The UFU said the sheep industry was facing sharp difficulties following the vote to leave the EU. A spokeswoman said: "This reflects its reliance on the EU market and makes it vital that exports beyond the EU grow, if farmers are to be part of a viable industry in the future."

And Mr Cleland said new markets for beef and lamb was a "must" for the UK government.

"We know that there is good demand in our existing markets for certain cuts of meat and weaker demand for other cuts. At certain times this can present carcase balance issues and affects the overall value of the carcase," he said.

The UFU beef and lamb chairman called on DAERA to increase efforts to secure new market access.
The firm will exclude those that fail to pass its ethical screening test

Investors looking to support gay rights will soon have a safe place to put their money when pro-LGBT investment firm Equality Capital launches in Britain this week.

The firm will be one of the UK's first wealth managers focused on investing in corporations and governments which have a proven track record of respecting and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens, and will exclude those that fail to pass its ethical screening test.

Managing partner Charlie Nicholls told the Press Association that it was not possible to launch a company like Equality Capital successfully until very recently.

"LGBT rights were not forward enough in enough countries to be able to build globally diversified portfolios, because you were locked out of a lot of markets.

"Over the past five years, obviously, gay rights have come up enormously across the world, which gives us the ability to build diversified portfolios and not compromise on the sort of diversity and growth aspect to get at these LGBT friendly sectors."

The wealth manager, which opens for public investments on Thursday, is part of CPN Investment Management, which has around 200 million in assets under management (AUM).

It has run its trial with just under 1 million in AUM from about 15 clients, but is targeting 100 million in AUM by the end of their first year, representing investments from up to 300 clients.

Those are expected to be distributed across three different risk-weighted portfolios with targeted returns of between 5% and 15%.

Investments supporting the governments of countries like Uganda, which has made headlines for discrimination against the LGBT community, and a number of Middle Eastern regimes, will be barred from its portfolios.

But Mr Nicholls said the greatest difference for the average investor is likely to be the exclusion of emerging markets like Russia and China, which feature heavily in many portfolios but "have terrible, terrible records of LGBT rights".

Equality Capital will screen and score potential markets on criteria including marriage equality, employment discrimination laws, adoption and military service rights, and legal punishments for being LGBT.

People who are invested in firms like gas giant Gazprom or other government-backed organisations "may not realise that they're directly funding the Russian government and may find that unpalatable", Mr Nicholls said.

Those will be replaced by "more LGBT-friendly investments" in places like Latin America that have similar risk profiles.

"You can get the same exposure to risk and the same exposure to high growth areas but by avoiding these anti-gay regimes," Mr Nicholls said.

He hopes the firm will spur change in countries that rely on foreign investments.

"We're realistic that we've got to build a client base and a market ... but the more that people are aware of it, the more that people invest, the more of a difference we can make."
Anthony Boyle as Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child

A young actor who has set the West End alight with his performance in the Harry Potter play has become the second Belfast stage star to feature at the Olivier awards.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, in which Anthony Boyle from Poleglass has one of the star roles, has become the most nominated new play in Olivier history.

Meanwhile, renowned Belfast-born actor Sir Kenneth Branagh will be honoured for his contribution to theatre at next month's awards.

The spell-binding Potter production received nods in 11 categories, including best director, best new play and outstanding achievement in music.

In the best supporting actor category, Boyle - who plays Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius - will face competition from Rafe Spall, who is nominated for his performance as sinister Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler.

Boyle was recently named best supporting actor at the 17th annual WhatsOnStage Awards, which are voted for by theatre-goers. It came after the 22-year-old was named most promising newcomer at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards earlier this year.

In the best actor category, Jamie Parker, who plays Potter in the sequel to JK Rowling's books, is up against Buried Child actor Ed Harris, Travesties star Tom Hollander and six-time winner Sir Ian McKellen, who receives his 10th nomination.

Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione in the play, is shortlisted for best actress in a supporting role while the production's choreographer, Steve Hoggett, is also nominated.

Co-written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, who is up for best director, The Cursed Child is also nominated for best set design, best lighting design, best costume and best sound.

Branagh - best known for his impressive portfolio of roles in Shakespeare classics such as Hamlet, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night - has enjoyed a career that has also seen him conquer the big screen.

As well as playing the laughable professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the second Harry Potter film and taking on the role of Kurt Wallander in the Wallander TV series, he also stars in upcoming releases Dunkirk and Murder On The Orient Express.

The Special Award has previously been won by the likes of Judi Dench, Kevin Spacey and Sir Ian McKellen.

For Sir Kenneth it will mark a particularly significant moment, coming 35 years after the Olivier Awards named him best newcomer in 1982. Since then he has claimed four Bafta Awards and secured four Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

The Olivier Awards will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, April 9.
The director of Manchester By The Sea has written to a student newspaper to defend Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck over allegations of sexual harassment.

Kenneth Lonergan responded to an opinion piece in the Wesleyan Argus in Connecticut, which criticised his endorsement of Affleck after the film-maker won best screenplay at the Academy Awards.

It comes after Affleck was sued by two women who accused him of sexual harassment while making the 2010 film I'm Still Here.

The actor, who denied the allegations, settled the lawsuit out of court.

In a letter published by the student newspaper, Lonergan, a former Wesleyan University student, described the article by Connor Aberle as a "tangle of illogic, misinformation and flat-out slander".

He added that "only the author's presumed youth can possibly excuse his deeply offensive display of ignorance, and warped PC- fuelled sense of indignation".

"His random use of the terms sexual misconduct, sexual harassment , sexual abuse and sexual violence, as if they were legally or physically interchangeable, only indicates the reckless sloppiness of his thinking," Lonergan wrote.

The director said Aberle had written the original article "as if Casey Affleck were actually guilty of a crime".

"Casey denounced the allegations as being totally fabricated," he added.

"Like most civil suits, this one was settled out of court by mutual consent on undisclosed terms. In other words nothing was proved or disproved.

"So how does Mr Aberle dare to write as if he knows who was telling the truth and who was not?"

Lonergan went on: "Somebody as interested in actual as opposed to merely vocalised social justice as Mr Aberle presumably is, should unwind his tangled, immoral chain of reasoning and start over at the fundamental precept that an allegation is not an indictment."

Affleck. 41, won the best actor Oscar for his performance as a troubled caretaker in Manchester By The Sea.

He has denied the sexual harassment claims, telling the Boston Globe after his Oscar win: "I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else."
Tom Hanks is in talks to star in Steven Spielberg's film about the Pentagon Papers

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are in talks to star in a film directed by Steven Spielberg about the Pentagon Papers.

The Post will tell the story of the Washington Post's legal battle to report a damning classified study about America's role in the Vietnam War in 1971.

Spielberg has signed on to direct the film, based on a script by Liz Hannah, the Associated Press reported.

Hanks is in talks to play Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, while Streep would play the newspaper's publisher Katherine Graham, according to Deadline.

Streep recently defended the freedom of the press in a speech opposing US President Donald Trump at the Golden Globe Awards.

She encouraged people to donate to the Committee To Protect Journalists and criticised Mr Trump's impression of a disabled reporter, saying it "kind of broke my heart".

The Post would mark Spielberg and Hanks' fifth film together after Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and Bridge Of Spies.
Last week's election was a watershed moment in Irish politics. The electorate understood the importance of this election and took the opportunity to have their say.

We rallied the people to get behind us to stand up against the toxic culture of DUP incompetence, against corruption and arrogance in Government, and against Brexit.

We stood on a platform for equality and for integrity in these political institutions, which must represent and deliver for everyone.

And the people responded to our call. The people have had their say and made their views clear. We won the support of over 224,000 people across the north, the largest mandate ever received by a nationalist party in the history of the state.

The unionist majority in the Assembly is gone and the notion of a perpetual unionist majority has been demolished.

There is a responsibility on the two governments and all the parties to reflect on this.

So we have been given a very strong mandate to enter negotiations from today. And, we must now make a difference.

Nineteen years on from the Good Friday Agreement there remains unfinished business. We have yet to see full implementation of the Good Friday and subsequent agreements.

Martin McGuinness and republicans have stretched ourselves to the limit in order to achieve progress and make the institutions work.

We have stepped out of our political comfort zones time and again.

We have gone with an open hand to our unionist neighbours in order to build the peace - because it is the right thing to do.

I will continue this important work, because I too will be a bridge builder.

But we need unionist partners who understand that they must now live up to the standards Martin set in public office, who live up to their responsibilities and duty to act on behalf of all, who will also be bridge builders - not just lawfully, but willingly and who do equal partnership.

The people have had their say and the message is very clear.

They don't want minorities or majorities - they want equality. They want to see agreements implemented. They want progressive change.

Political unionism must now live up to its responsibility to share power on the basis of equality, to demonstrate respect and to act with integrity in government.

We need an Executive that delivers and that treats citizens fairly and decently.

Everyone in our society - nationalist and unionist, women, Irish speakers, ethnic communities and the LGBT community all deserve respect and equality.

Now that the election is over it is time to deliver. From today we will start meeting with the other parties and the two governments and tell how we see it and what it'll take to fix it.

We will confront the two governments who have shamefully undermined and failed in their duty to protect, nurture and develop the Good Friday Agreement - the cornerstone of the peace process itself.

But if the recent statements by both James Brokenshire and Theresa May are to be taken at face value, it would seem that the British government is determined to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The approach of James Brokenshire and the British government is part of the problem.

Without a fundamental change in the approach of the British government, there can be no progress.

The Irish government, too, has a critical role to play as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement and the Taoiseach needs to fulfil his duty and to challenge the British government on its failures.

It is in our strategic interests to have power sharing restored, but only on the correct basis.

Sinn Fein has demonstrated our patience and generosity, we want the institutions up and running on the basis of equality and respect, and for the outstanding agreements to be implemented in full.

We demand respect for Irish national identity of citizens.

This is not the sole responsibility of Sinn Fein or the parties in the Assembly.

There is a responsibility on the two governments to come to the table with a plan to honour and implement all agreements.

If progress is to be made then it is now time to hear from both the British and Irish governments that they will oversee the full implementation of all agreements. Nothing less is acceptable.

To date they have failed to do this.

There is a role for everyone to play in these talks.

We will enter talks in a positive and constructive manner. It is up to others to do the same.
Rob Gronkowski

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the most active members of the New England Patriots when it comes to doing charity work in the community.

It's why he's showed up to training camp with a buzzed head for the past six seasons. Every June before camp starts, he participates in the One Mission Cancer Buzz Off at Gillette Stadium, which helps raise funds for children battling cancer.

This year, he's not alone in making a big deal of buzzing it all off for charity, and took a trip out to Western Mass. on Tuesday to show his appreciation.

According to WWLP, Gronkowski visited Sheffield Elementary School in Turners Falls along with One Mission staff to thank students for participating in their own Buzz Off event.

Rob Gronkowski at Sheffield Elementary School right now! pic.twitter.com/33FrqQOMaz  Ashley Afonso (@AshleyAfonso) March 7, 2017

Students at the school rallied around classmate Dimitri Conway -- who is currently in remission after suffering from leukemia early on his life -- to raise $17,000 for One Mission, WWLP reports.

Here's a clip of Gronkowski's visit:

One Mission is a pediatric cancer charity that has raised $7 million to support over 7,000 children who are battling cancer and their families since 2009. The 2017 One Mission Cancer Buzz Off is set to take place June 4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. You can make donations to One Mission on their website,
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 have cut short their meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams accused Mr Brokenshire of engaging in "waffle, waffle and more waffle" over legacy issues.

Mr Brokenshire has been meeting Stormont party leaders in an attempt to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive.

The parties have three weeks to overcome their differences following the snap Assembly election.

Speaking afterwards Michelle O'Neill said: "We needed a fundamental change in approach from the British Government. We made that very clear to James Brokenshire today.

"All he did was waffle, waffle and more waffle in relation to how we are going to go forward and give families what they need, which is access to due process as per the request of the Lord Chief Justice.

She added: "We called the meeting to an end because we had more waffle. We called the meeting short and asked him to go and reflect on that."

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said that money for legacy inquests had been set aside, at the request of the Lord Chief Justice, as part of a previous Stormont agreement, known as the Fresh Start Agreement.

He added: "Some families have been waiting 45 years. This affects all victims regardless of who the perpetrators have been. They need to get those inquests underway. They have been delayed, stopped and prevented because the British refuse to give the funds.

"(On Monday) (Mr Brokenshire) said he would reflect on that. It is clear that if he had reflected he had come to no good conclusion."

Sinn Fein has met with the DUP and further meetings are planned, said Mr Adams. He added this was an indication that issues were being tackled.

Speaking after the talks Mr Brokenshire said: "We are getting on with a further round of discussions with all the parties during the course of today

"They have been business like, there is a sense of the urgency of what is at hand here, the significance of the issues we are dealing with and getting back into the devolved government at the earliest possible priority.

"That's what's motivating me, that's what I'm getting on with doing."

On Tuesday morning DUP leader Arlene Foster met with her freshly elected MLAs for the first time following the election.

Following the meeting Mrs Foster said she was "delighted" with the support she had received from her party colleagues and denied reports that a third of her party's newly returned members of the legislative assembly wanted her to step down.

She added: "We are focused on the restoration of devolution and making sure that we have that stability for the people of Northern Ireland."

Meanwhile former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain said Prime Minister Theresa May must call an urgent summit to restore the Northern Ireland Executive or direct rule will be inevitable.

However, a Government source has said there is no reason for Mrs May to become intensively involved in post-election talks at this stage.
Three Albanians accused of possessing a firearm found in a vehicle last Friday have been remanded into custody for a fortnight by a court in Enniskillen

Three Albanians accused of possessing a firearm found in a vehicle last Friday have been remanded into custody for a fortnight by a court in Enniskillen.

The trio had been stopped and searched by police on Dublin Road outside the Co Fermanagh town shortly after lunchtime.

Enniskillen District Court heard that two of the men had only arrived in Dublin last month, and were supposed to remain in the Republic while their claim for refugee status was assessed.

A detective constable told the court that a "suspected gas-powered handgun" uncovered in the search of their Ssanyong Kyron vehicle was hidden underneath a false floor behind the passenger seat in the back of the 4x4.

The detective said the men, aged 21, 22 and 34, were questioned by the PSNI "as best we could" with the help of a telephone interpreter.

There was no interpreter available yesterday when the trio appeared in court.

That situation was described by District Judge Nigel Broderick as "unsatisfactory, to say the least".

As it was, one of the men, Lorenc Dashi (34), from Dublin Road in Cavan, acted as a translator for his co-accused, who have no English.

They are Mariglen Hoxha (21) and Arlind Rrapaj (22), both of no fixed abode, Dublin.

All three are charged with having a firearm in suspicious circumstances and possession of an offensive weapon.

Dashi is also accused of obstructing a police officer, driving without a licence and without insurance.

Barrister Michael Ward, acting on behalf of Hoxha and Rrapaj, revealed that they travelled from Albania via Kosovo and had arrived in Dublin three weeks ago, where they had claimed refugee status.

Mr Ward said while his clients had been passengers in the vehicle, they denied any knowledge of the firearm uncovered by police.

He also told the court the men hadn't realised that they had crossed the border and were "surprised" that they were in Northern Ireland.

When it was indicated by Mr Ward and solicitor David Buchanan, for Dashi, that the men would not be applying for bail, the District Judge remanded them into custody to appear again via prison video-link in two weeks.

The judge said there were "live issues" in the case relating to addresses, immigration status and the charges the men faced.
A scene from Crimewatch on the appeal over the shooting of the officer

A PSNI officer who was shot by dissident republicans has revealed how he saw a bone "hanging out of his arm" seconds after he was injured.

The young officer was targeted as part of a murder bid as he left a petrol station in north Belfast six weeks ago.

He had been on patrol with a new PSNI recruit when they stopped for a coffee on the Crumlin Road on January 22.

Speaking about the attack for the first time, the officer said that while the physical side of his injuries were healing, the mental side of the attack will "haunt" him.

The case featured on BBC's Crimewatch show last night.

The officer was hit several times with rounds fired from an AK-47.

The weapon had previously been used in an attack on police at Rossnareen Avenue in west Belfast in 2015, the Belfast Telegraph reported in January.

CCTV images, shown for the first time, reveal the moment the gunman opened fire, spraying the forecourt with bullets. The policeman can be seen running for his life.

"I felt something hit me and looked down and saw the bone hanging out of my arm. I didn't feel any pain, but I ran for cover," he said. "I thought that was me, I was going to die in that forecourt.

"You go through a whole range of emotions, everything slowed down, thinking that's it. You have got minutes to live.

"I love this city, Belfast is great. Joining the police, it sounds cliched, but it was just the thought of helping people.

"You build a rapport and they end up knowing you by name. I am not just a uniform.

"That night I had been showing a new officer around, seeing where certain things were and getting to know the area.

"We had been to a few calls, but nothing out of the ordinary."

The officer also revealed that when he went in to the petrol station he realised he didn't know how his new colleague took his coffee, so returned to ask, and it was then he was shot.

He added: "I have dealt with the physical side of things, but the mental side of things haven't really hit me yet, but I'm sure it will. It will haunt me."

Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes stated at the end of the BBC programme that the PSNI had received a number of calls after the appeal, but urged the public to pass on more information.
Siobhan McQuade with some of her art that will be displayed at an exhibition in the Crescent Arts Centre to mark ovarian cancer month

A woman who survived cancer is holding an art exhibition documenting her journey with the disease.

Siobhan McQuade, a retired teacher from Cloughoge near Newry, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008.

She found solace at the Cancer Focus Northern Ireland art therapy service, which sparked an unexpected passion for painting.

Her exhibition, named Emerging, is being hosted by the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast from March 12-18, timed to coincide with Ovarian Cancer Month.

Siobhan explained: "My diagnosis came as such a shock. Cancer had a huge impact on my life. Feeling sad is too small a word to describe how I felt - I was lost in a black, dark, lonely space. Following my surgery I received chemotherapy in Belfast City Hospital. It was there I saw a poster about the Cancer Focus NI art therapy service.

"Having worked as a primary school teacher I know how much fun and enjoyment children get from art, so when I discovered this service I was overjoyed that there was an outlet for me."

Siobhan recalled breaking down in tears during her first session with Joanne Boal, the Cancer Focus NI art therapist.

"Cancer generated so many emotions - working with Joanne helped me address the frustration and anger that had built up inside me. It was a way of working through the tears and the horror of it all.

"She acts as a facilitator, so you are in complete control of what you create during the session. And she is so good at listening. It was transformative."

Through Cancer Focus NI, Siobhan discovered she had a passion for art.

"It awakened something in me and started me on a journey. After my treatment I was unable to go back to teaching. Instead, I joined art classes at the Southern Regional College in Newry and I haven't looked back."

Currently in the second year of her Masters, Siobhan has a diploma in foundation studies in art and design and a degree from the Belfast School of Art.

The exhibition represents her journey from illness to the present day.

It stems from her first work with Joanne, through her diploma and degree, leading to her development as an artist.
Meet Lucky, the appropriately-named pup who narrowly escaped being run over by a bus in Belfast city centre.

Donna O'Brien, a tourist visiting from Glasgow, caught the tiny Chihuahua cross just seconds before almost certain death, and now wants to find her owner so they can be reunited.

She told the Belfast Telegraph that she had been walking past Tesco on Royal Avenue on Saturday, and claimed that the pup had been "thrown" out of the shop onto the street where she was almost hit by the bus on the busy thoroughfare.

"With the help of young kids I managed to catch her," she said.

Donna said as she was not from Belfast she wasn't sure what to do with the animal, but eventually a local woman called the dog warden. She believes Lucky is a well-cared for pet, and is today appealing through the Belfast Telegraph to try and find her owner.

"Lucky has a pink collar on and she seems to be well looked after, so I definitely think she is lost and not an abandoned dog," Donna explained.

"I have shared a photo of her across a number of lost pets pages on Facebook but we have had no luck finding her owner yet."

Tesco said: "For health and safety reasons we have strict rules about animals in our stores and so we only admit guide dogs.

"We hope that the dog's owners are located soon and that she is returned home safely."
A Derry man who was drunk onboard a flight going from Northern Ireland to Ibiza whilst part of a stag party has been told by a judge he should be "ashamed" of himself.

Ruairi McNally (24) of Kilrea Road, Upperlands, committed the offence on September 1 last year.

He pleaded guilty and at Antrim Magistrates Court on Tuesday was fined 260.

Unemployed McNally was in court with his father and a prosecutor said on the date in question the defendant was part of a stag group travelling on a Jet2 flight from Belfast International Airport.

After a safety announcement was made about seat belts McNally stood up.

Cabin crew could see he was drunk and a half bottle of vodka was at his feet.

The prosecutor said McNally was warned about his behaviour but he continually replied "f--k off" and "squared up" to a male member of cabin crew who believed he was going to be punched.

The captain arranged for police to meet the flight in Ibiza and the defendant later went to Magherafelt Police Station and admitted the charge.

Defence barrister Chris Sherrard said his client, who previously had been a painter and decorator in Australia, had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had a clear record.

Mr Sherrard said 14 others were on the stag party and two were refused entry to the plane.

The barrister said his client had taken some drink before boarding and was served two vodkas on the plane.

Mr Sherrard said McNally recognised his behaviour fell "far below" what was acceptable.

The defendant realised he had caused inconvenience to staff and passengers; wished to apologise and "bitterly regrets" his actions.

Mr Sherrard said the judge had expressed views previously that such offences are becoming more prevalent and he noted that many of the cases are dealt with at Antrim Court.

Fining McNally, District Judge Oonagh Mullan said the behaviour was "totally unacceptable".

She said such cases are coming to the court more and more. Reading from statements supplied by cabin crew she said McNally had stood up and kept hitting his head on an overhead locker.

He was also sitting on an emergency seat and refused to put his suitcase in a locker.

She said the defendant's "deplorable" actions put passengers "at real risk".

The judge said he was aggressive; swore at and squared up to a cabin crew member which she said was "abhorrent".

Judge Mullan told him that never mind the inconvenience and unpleasantness, McNally had "put people at risk" and added: "You should be ashamed".
Former DUP MLA Emma Little Pengelly has refused to rule out a return to politics.

The ousted South Belfast MLA also said she will "support the party in the negotiations in any way I can".

On Sunday, Ms Little Pengelly claimed in a Facebook post that leaflets advising voters to give their first preferences to her DUP running mate Christopher Stalford were wrongly distributed in her patch. She later removed the post, as she "did not wish to attract any further public comment on the issue".

"The vote management problems in SB are now with the party to look at," she added.

Ms Little Pengelly also said she has faced much Twitter trolling since the election.

"I've only been 'in politics' for 16 month, it has been one long 'roast me' - brutal. Sad. Hateful. I remain a good kind person. Goodbye."

In a series of tweets yesterday, Ms Pengelly was asked: "If one of your kids wanted to get into politics would you try to talk them out of it?"

She replied: "Yup. Way too nasty. Horrible place."

She also tweeted a picture of herself in her barrister's wig, adding: "So it's back to the bar."

But asked if she was quitting politics, she replied: "I'm only in my mid 30s so I'm certainly not ruling it out at some stage in the future."
PSNI officers were targeted in the attack

A man has been arrested by detectives probing a dissident republican murder bid against police in west Belfast in 2015.

Armoured plating and bulletproof glass saved the lives of the two officers inside a vehicle when they were ambushed.

The car was riddled with up to eight rounds.

Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Boyce said: "Detectives from the PSNI's serious crime branch investigating the attempted murder of police officers at Rossnareen Avenue, Belfast, on 26th November 2015 have this morning arrested a 29-year-old man."

He has been taken to Musgrave serious crime suite in Belfast city centre for questioning.

The week before the attack a member of the travelling community was critically injured when he was shot in the head in the same area.

The officers had been part of follow-up operations in Rossnareen Avenue when they were attacked.
The family of Martin McGuinness yesterday appealed for privacy amid reports about the failing health of the former Deputy First Minister.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams refused to be drawn on reports that Mr McGuinness had spent the past two weeks in hospital, and asked that the family's request for privacy be respected.

The Irish News yesterday reported the former Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland, who was replaced by Michelle O'Neill, had been admitted to hospital some time ago.

Mr Adams would not comment on his colleague's health as Sinn Fein unveiled its new Assembly team at Stormont yesterday, but he did send his best wishes to Mr McGuinness, his wife Bernie and their family. Former IRA chief Mr McGuinness did not play a part in the election campaign he triggered with his resignation in January and did not appear at the Derry count on Friday where his party triumphed.

he was not seen at the polls with his wife on Thursday, but his son Fiachra tweeted that his father had "voted Sinn Fein 1 and 2".

It is not known whether he voted in person, by postal vote or by proxy.

Paying tribute to her predecessor after topping the poll in Mid Ulster where Mr McGuinness was once MP, Mrs O'Neill said shortly after her election: "The 26,207 people who voted for Sinn Fein in Mid Ulster are sending 26,207 good wishes to Martin McGuinness, who has done so much for this constituency."
Pope Francis blesses the statue at the Vatican

Our Lady of Fatima Centennial Pilgrim Statue in the Cathedral of SS Patrick and Colman, Newry

Hundreds of Catholics have flocked to Newry Cathedral to say the Rosary before a statue of Our Lady of Fatima blessed by the Pope.

It was to mark the centenary of three shepherd children reporting apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the Cova da Iria, in Fatima, Portugal.

Parishioners of the Archdiocese of Armagh welcomed the statue of Our Lady of Fatima Centennial Pilgrim yesterday.

The statue will leave Newry Cathedral today before travelling on to Londonderry.

Pope Francis blessed six statues of Our Lady of Fatima in January to be taken to six continents.

He appealed for prayers for world peace and to promote the sanctity of family life in our world.

Mass was celebrated in the cathedral last night, followed by a short candle lit procession.

The events are part of a centennial celebration that will tour Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It will then move on to Letterkenny Cathedral from Derry.
Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry speaking to the media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson

Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan has said he senses "an appetite for doing business" at Stormont.

Mr Flanagan, who is expected to join negotiations to restore devolution in the next 24 hours, said there was an obligation on the parties to find a solution. He repeated his view that a return to direct rule was unacceptable.

His comments came amid signs that the DUP and Sinn Fein are beginning to tackle the impasse.

Yesterday a DUP group met a Sinn Fein delegation - with both agreeing to meet again today.

It is understood the DUP team included leader Arlene Foster and the Sinn Fein group was led by Gerry Adams, but there was no detail on their discussions.

Their meeting came after each of the five main parties, including the SDLP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance, held separate talks with Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

Mr Flanagan said: "I was encouraged by my engagement yesterday with political leaders. I sense an appetite for doing business.

"We will assist and influence and encourage, but ultimately there is an obligation on the parties to make this work."

Mr Flanagan said the issues surrounding Brexit added urgency to the talks.

He added: "There is a greater degree of urgency - or there is a real degree of urgency - on the matter of Brexit.

"It's expected that the Article 50 notice will be served in the next few weeks.

"It's important that there be a Northern Ireland voice. The best voice for Northern Ireland will be coming from the Executive.

"So I'm not looking beyond the three weeks. I acknowledge that there are differences between the parties, but if all sides show a degree of political will, a satisfactory conclusion - or a working Executive and Assembly - can be arranged."

He said it was premature to talk about extension of times.

"In relation to direct rule, such a scenario is unacceptable to the Irish government," he added.

"Actually, the legal position is such that after a period of three weeks, fresh elections will be a likelihood, but I'm not looking beyond the three-week period."

His comments came as it was confirmed the first meeting of the new Assembly - at which MLAs will be formally enrolled and attempt to elect a Speaker -will be at 4pm next Monday.

That will then start the clock ticking on a fortnight for negotiations before a new Executive should be in place by March 27 - after which another election could be on the cards.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that while his party would negotiate with anybody, Arlene Foster could not be nominated as First Minister whilst the current "cloud of scandal continues".

He also attempted to send out a positive message to unionists, insisting: "We're not out to destroy your culture or identity, we're out to work with you."

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said a period of uncertainty lay ahead.

He said that while Mr Brokenshire had a major role to play in the way forward, he had to take more care to be impartial.

"At times the UK Government have been, and indeed the Conservative Party, too close to the perspective of the DUP rather than actually acting as an impartial broker between the parties," Mr Farry added.

But a downbeat Mr Adams warned it appeared the Government in London is determined to repeat past mistakes - and also hit out at the Irish government.

"I am concerned that the Irish government is turning a blind eye to the belligerent approach of the British government," he said. "This is totally unacceptable. The Irish government is a co-equal guarantor of the Good Friday and other agreements.

"The Taoiseach [Enda Kenny]needs to fulfil this duty."
A 25-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of rape following the report of a serious sexual assault in the University Street area of Belfast in the early hours of Tuesday March 7, has been released on police bail pending further enquiries

Police said the woman, aged in her 20s, was seriously sexually assaulted by a man in the doorway of a commercial premises just after 12.40am.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact officer on 101 quoting reference number 19 07/03/17. Information can also be given anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Alliance MLA for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw said: This was an horrific attack and my thoughts are with the victim at this difficult time.

We must ensure our streets are safe and a joined-up approach must be taken to combat this problem, particularly in this area of South Belfast where a number of incidents have taken place over recent years.

I would urge anyone who may have seen anything or who has information on the incident to contact police immediately."
British ambassador to Belgium Alison Rose sends a wreath out to sea during a service for the victims of the Herald of Free Enterprise

The ship's bell from the Herald of Free Enterprise has been returned to Dover to honour the 193 victims of Zeebrugge - 30 years on from the ferry disaster.

The Townsend Thoresen roll-on, roll-off ferry turned over on its side outside the Belgian port as it set out for Dover on March 6, 1987.

The bell was presented at a memorial service at St Mary the Virgin Church in Dover and was attended by 400 people to remember those who died in what was the worst peacetime British maritime disaster.

Staff from the Port of Zeebrugge at the time handed over the bell to Sailors' Society chief executive Stuart Rivers and Brian Gibbons, the last survivor to be pulled out alive.

Daniel Lamote, who was safety officer at the Port of Zeebrugge, said the bell had been kept in an attic and he had persuaded the owner to release it to him.

He said: "Our only intention was to bring the ship's bell where it belongs, St Mary's Church Dover, in honour of all of the victims, survivors, family and friends."

The former bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, said: "The reliving and the remembrance, the quest and the questioning keep alive the love for the one who has died and give expression to their worth."

The governor of West Flanders Carl Decaluwe and Mr Rivers exchanged video messages which were shown to the congregations in Dover and Zeebrugge.

Mr Decaluwe said: "Neither in Belgium, nor in the UK, have we forgotten the victims and rescuers of the Herald. We are united in our commemoration."

In his message, Mr Rivers said: "Over the years we have been humbled to hear the most wonderful stories of heroism, tales of the most incredible courage from passengers and crew."

Among those attending was Kim Spooner, whose aunt and uncle Neil 'Billy' Spooner (37) and Mary Smith (44) died after taking advantage of a cut-price day trip offer in a newspaper.

Ms Spooner (38) from Essex, said: "I have never recovered from it to be honest.

"I get quite angry when I hear it described as a freak accident because it wasn't. There were people and corporations to blame. It's as simple as that."

A public inquiry severely criticised Townsend Thoresen, which later became P&O European Ferries, and confirmed the ferry had left Zeebrugge with its bow doors open, allowing water to flood the car deck, and the crew member responsible for closing them was asleep at the time.

In October 1987, an inquest jury returned verdicts of unlawful killing. A manslaughter trial began at the Old Bailey in 1990 but collapsed a month later after the judge directed the jury to acquit the eight defendants.

Belfast chaplain tells of disasters enormity

A Belfast-born man has described the traumatising impact of the disaster.

Bill McCrea was chaplain to the Merchant Navy and National Sea Training College in Gravesend and was on duty the day of the disaster.

He said: It was an incredible shock to my system and I was very anxious. I have dealt with individual loss of life with seafarers families over the years, but it was the enormity of the situation.

So many people lost their lives. I wanted to do the right things, but you cant go about it in a gung-ho way.

Mr McCrea officiated at four funeral services for the victims.
A mother-of-four is waiting to see whether she has won a "Titanic" divorce court struggle over a 500,000 holiday house in her ''ancestral territory'' in rural Ireland.

Margie Hanley, 56, and estranged husband Michael, 60 - who lived together in Wentworth, Surrey - both want the house they jointly own in the village of Cornamona, County Galway.

They have staked rival claims to a judge at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London over the past two days.

Mr Justice Holman is scheduled to hear legal argument from lawyers on Wednesday before making a decision.

The judge said the couple, who also have an apartment in Florida, would split cash and assets totalling between 10 million and 14 million.

He said they had together run up lawyers' bills of more than 800,000 on their "Titanic battle" - and he described the figure as "phenomenal".

Mr Hanley, who has retired after a career with multinational conglomerate GE, told how their 33-year marriage hit the rocks after he discovered that his wife had an affair.

Mrs Hanley, who denies adultery, said Mr Hanley had told her that she could have the house in Cornamona and was ''punishing'' her.

The judge has heard that the couple, who are both Irish, had lived in Europe, the Far East and the United States because Mr Hanley's work had taken him abroad.

They had built the house in Cornamona about 16 years ago and had gone there for holidays and at Christmas.

Mr Hanley has been living at the Cornamona house for the past few months and wants it to be a retirement base.

Mrs Hanley, who still lives in Wentworth, says she should have the Cornamona house because generations of her family have lived in the village.

She said her 92-year-old mother still lived there and was the oldest person in Cornamona.

''It's where I have been all my life - generations of my family,'' Mrs Hanley told Mr Justice Holman.

''Life is full circle. It's where I started out. It's where I ended.''

She said Mr Hanley had said she could have the house and told the judge ''He is just torturing me. He is just punishing me.''

Mrs Hanley said the Cornamona house was her "backbone".

''It's like my fifth child. If I were to lose it, it would be like losing a child," she said.

''It's my heart, my soul, my life."

The judge said Mrs Hanley felt that Cornamona was her ''ancestral territory''.

Mr Hanley said he wanted to live in the Cornamona house and denied that he was trying to hurt Mrs Hanley.

He said he had "cherished memories" of Cornamona.

''I like to fish,'' he said.

''I like to walk, I play guitar, I like to cook, I like to read, I like to meditate."

Mr Justice Holman heard that there had been suggestions of Mrs Hanley living elsewhere in Cornamona.

He also raised the possibility of the pair, who have grown-up children, using the house at different times of the year.

But Mrs Hanley told him: ''We are getting divorced. The village isn't big enough for both of us.''
Who can resist the urge to visit a winery called Great Frogs?

An Annapolis, Md., winery with one of the region's more eye-catching labels - an image of a smiling frog whose color changes with the shade of the label - has been building its following with a line of almost exclusively dry wines.

Two of the three owners of Great Frogs Winery in Annapolis, Md., Nathanael and Andrea O'Shea, with dog Finn McCool.

It's a model that is being repeated with more frequency among Maryland's newer wineries, from Black Ankle to Big Cork to Chateau Bu-De.

Andrea O'Shea, one of the owners of the business along with her husband, Nate, and Don Segal - who was previously the exclusive owner of the winery - said they have been encouraged by the increase in business and the demand for their product.

That demand has expanded, with the winery able to ship to 37 states.

PennLive originally checked in with Andrea in February 2015, at a time when it was celebrating seven medals won at the International Eastern wine competition, elevating its profile after originating as Harness Creek Vineyards, established in 1999, and remaining as a source for other wineries for 11 years.

The winery opened in 2010, in an old tobacco barn that, according to its web site, "is the cornerstone of our rustic, artisanal approach to farming and winemaking. Situated on a peninsula in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, you will still find shucked oyster shells in the soil reminding us of the watermen that are central to Annapolis' history."

That original vineyard was planted with French vinifera: Cabernet Sauvingnon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay. They since worked in Pinot Grigio, Grenache and Marsanne, but those vines as of 2015 were still a year or two from bearing fruit.

Here are a series of questions that Andrea answered by email Sunday.

So are your new vines yielding yet?

Last harvest we did get a little, but should get a bigger crop this year from new vines.

Are you seeing more business and how are you spreading the word?

Yes absolutely. We are continuously amazed by the continued growth and demand we are seeing. Last year we had 50 percent growth in wine sales and tasting room visitors. We started with a very grassroots approach by sampling our wines at local farmers markets. The main place we advertise is Facebook for events, and Instagram for our branding. An example of growth is [as] last winter we only had seating available for 20 people at a time. Now we have seating for 75, and we don't have an open seat. About 60 percent of our guests are millennials looking for dry wine, and our "rustic" environment. We also have a number of people that hear about us through word of mouth and by googling things to do, and winery for the Annapolis area. A major advantage for us is that Annapolis attracts a lot of tourists, and being that we are only 3 miles from city dock downtown, we are perfectly situated for people to visit us, and then go out to eat in town.

When are you open now and how will that change in the spring?

We are open 1-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays year-round. We may expand that in the coming season since we are definitely seeing the demand, but nothing is decided yet.

What are the two or three most popular wines you are selling?

Our Meritage and Chardonnay are currently our biggest sellers, the Meritage received a gold medal in the Grand Harvest Challenge this year in Sonoma.

Most of your wines cost between $30 and $50/bottle. Have you gotten much pushback to the price point?

All of our wines are dry with the exception of some limited edition dessert wines [all under 200 bottles] and Lollipop Red, which is a dessert wine primarily sold at festivals. We have heard from a lot of our customers that they appreciate that we have dry wines, and we feel that sets us apart a little. We don't get much pushback on our wine prices; wine club members do take advantage of discounted pricing. We have found that you really just need to price where you want to be, and the people that complain aren't really your target customers.

Are other wineries still sourcing your grapes?

We now have a second vineyard outside of Easton, Md., called Choptank River Vineyards, so we now have a total of 22 acres of grapes between Annapolis and Easton, and we also purchase from 3 Maryland growers. Our wines continue to be 100 percent Maryland fruit, which we are really proud of.

Anything special or different planned for this year in terms of the tasting room or the wines you are making?

Yes, we are in the process of building another small tasting facility, and our current tobacco barn tasting room will become our wine club space where we will feature limited-edition wines. We continuously work to keep the Great Frogs experience new by incorporating fresh ideas, people always comment on the fact that it feels progressive and they are really energized by the growth. Our wines will change a little this year, we are reducing our wholesale line, and really focusing on our premium oak-aged wines.
A bag of cereal which has been gnawed by rodents found at an Asda home delivery depot in Enfield (Enfield Council/PA)

Supermarket chain Asda has been fined 300,000 for food safety failings after inspectors found dead mice and flies at a home delivery depot.

Council safety officers made the discovery in the bread section at the site in Enfield, which distributes food to online shoppers in London and Essex.

They also found mouse droppings on shelves and in a packet of cereal, while a pack of sugar in the home baking aisle had been gnawed by rodents.

Inspectors also found the shells of fly pupae under shelves, spilt foodstuffs and rotting coriander in home delivery trays when they visited the Southbury Road depot on May 27 last year.

Asda was fined on Friday and ordered to pay 4,843 costs after it admitted three food safety and hygiene breaches at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in January, Enfield Council said.

Daniel Anderson, the cabinet member for environment, said: "It beggars belief that a national retailer would allow food to be stored in an environment where rodents are running riot.

"It is simply unacceptable for customers to be exposed to the potential risk of harm because a company cannot get its house in order and store foodstuff in a safe and hygienic manner.

"Hopefully (the fine) will send out a strong message to all retailers that we will not tolerate them being less than properly vigilant and ensuring their staff abide by their own stated hygiene policies to protect the health and well-being of their customers."

Asda said it had carried out a "full and thorough review" to improve its food safety processes, including its pest control.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: "The conditions found at our Enfield home shopping centre in May 2016 were completely unacceptable and we are deeply sorry that on this occasion the strict processes we have in place failed at a local level.

"We would like to reassure all our customers that immediate steps were taken as soon as the issue was flagged last year to restore the high standards that our customers expect from us."
Ministers look likely to suffer another defeat on the legislation

Peers have inflicted a second defeat on the Government's Brexit Bill by demanding a "meaningful" parliamentary vote on the final divorce deal.

Voting was 366 to 268, majority 98, at the end of a passionate and sometimes bad tempered three-hour debate in a crowded House of Lords.

The amendment to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was approved with Labour, Liberal Democrat and some Tory backing and greeted with cheers.

Ministers have already suffered a heavy defeat over the rights of EU nationals living in the UK to remain post-Brexit.

The latest reverse represents a double blow for Theresa May and could put at risk her timetable to start talks on quitting the EU later this month.

MPs will now have to decide whether to overturn both defeats when the Bill, which will allow the Government to trigger the Article 50 process of leaving the EU, goes back before them next week.

In report stage debate on the Bill, independent crossbencher Lord Pannick QC said the Prime Minister had accepted the need to give Parliament a vote on the terms negotiated but was refusing to include the promise in the Bill.

Lord Pannick, who represented lead claimant Gina Miller in the successful Article 50 legal challenge, said : "The purpose of this amendment is very simple. It is to ensure that at the end of the negotiating process the approval of Parliament is required for the terms of our withdrawal from the EU."

He said the Prime Minister's commitment to such a vote should be written into the Bill "no ifs and no buts", adding: "It must be for Parliament to decide whether to prefer no deal or the deal offered by the EU."

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine said the UK was facing "the most momentous peacetime decision of our time" as he backed demands for a "meaningful" vote on the final Brexit deal.

The Conservative former cabinet minister said it would ensure Parliament had a "critical role in determining the future that we will bequeath to generations of young people".

But Tory former leader Lord Howard of Lympne said the change would give the Lords a "statutory veto" on the Prime Minister's decision.

And Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean warned of a "hidden agenda" behind the move to reject the expressed will of the people in the EU referendum.

Lord Forsyth said: "This House is absolutely full of people who still haven't come to terms with the results of the referendum, and this is a clever lawyer's confection in order to reverse the results of the referendum."

With Brexit Secretary David Davis watching the debate from the bar of the House, Brexit minister Lord Bridges of Headley warned the amendment was unnecessary and would make negotiations much harder, as well as increasing the incentive for the EU to offer the UK a "bad deal".
French police rounded up the youths on Tuesday morning and were questioning them

Fifty young people have been detained in France for allegedly throwing stones at police cars, setting fires and lobbing smoke bombs into a school, the prosecutor's office for the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis said.

Police rounded up the youths on Tuesday morning and were questioning them.

The prosecutor's office said investigators must ascertain whether each of those arrested was involved in the unrest, which began at the school.

The group can be held for 24 hours.

The prosecutor's office said it is unusual to detain such a large number of suspects at once.

There was no clear information about a possible motive.

One hypothesis linked the turmoil to ongoing outrage over the assault of a young man who was allegedly raped with a police baton on February 2.

AP
North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol, second from right, arrives at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang (Vincent Thian/AP)

North Korea said it was banning Malaysians from leaving the country as its diplomatic battle escalated dramatically over the poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's estranged half brother.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the travel ban was tantamount to hostage-taking and said his country would immediately respond in kind by banning North Koreans from leaving Malaysia.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Mr Najib said.

The extraordinary tit-for-tat moves intensified the breakdown in relations between the countries amid Malaysia's investigation into the murder of Mr Kim in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on February 13.

Earlier, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said that Pyongyang was banning Malaysians from leaving the country "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia".

Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects. Three of them, including an official at the North Korean Embassy, are believed to still be in Malaysia.

Mr Najib said: "I have also instructed the Inspector General of Police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea."

Earlier, Malaysian officials had said the ban would affect only North Korean Embassy staff and officials, but officials expanded it to include all North Koreans. Police briefly cordoned off access to the embassy.

About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be working in Malaysia. Before diplomatic ties disintegrated, Malaysia had been one of the few places in the world where North Koreans could travel without a visa. As a result, for years, it has been a quiet destination for Northerners looking for jobs, schools and business deals.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea - three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

North Korea said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before" during the period of the temporary exit ban.

It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.

Malaysia's finding that the nerve agent VX, a banned chemical weapon, killed Mr Kim boosted speculation that North Korea was behind 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.

In an attack that was caught on grainy surveillance camera footage, two women went up behind Mr Kim as he waited for a flight and wiped something across his face. According to Malaysian investigators, the substance was VX and Mr Kim was dead within 20 minutes.

The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Although there is growing speculation that North Korea somehow orchestrated the attack, Malaysia has never directly accused Pyongyang. Still, North Korea has slammed the investigation as biased and demanded Malaysia hand over the body.

North Korea has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Nam or a relative of its leader, Kim Jong Un. Instead, it refers to him as Kim Chol, the name on the diplomatic passport he was carrying when he died.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

AP
Iraq has said a revised US travel ban which removes the country from a list of Muslim-majority nations sends a "positive message" about the future of bilateral relations as the two countries work to combat Islamic State (IS).

Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said the decision to revise the ban shows that there is a "real partnership" between Washington and Baghdad.

An earlier version of the travel ban, which was signed in January before being suspended by the courts, banned Iraqis and the citizens of six other countries from entering the United States.

The move sparked anger among many Iraqis, and prompted Iraqi MPs to call for a reciprocal order banning Americans from Iraq.

Iraqi troops on the front lines welcomed the revision to the travel ban, while still expressing anger over the original order.

"To be honest, (the original ban) made me upset and that will not change," said Sgt Maj Asa d al-Asadi of Iraq's special forces, who has been away from home battling the IS group for nearly three years.

"I've lost three friends fighting terrorists and Trump calls me a terrorist."

Iraq was among seven Muslim-majority countries whose nationals were temporarily banned from travelling to the United States in an earlier order issued by President Trump in January, which was blocked by the courts.

The White House had said the earlier ban was needed to prevent terrorists from entering the country, but has now removed Iraq from the list under pressure from the state department and the defence department, which had noted the close co-operation between the two countries in battling IS militants in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The revised order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

Thousands of American forces are in Iraq providing air support and logistical help for a massive operation to drive IS militants from Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Smaller numbers of US special operations forces are embedded with some Iraqi units.

Support from a US-led coalition has been critical in the fight against IS, helping Iraqi forces to slowly roll back the militants over the past two and a half years.
There was a time when it was all so much simpler. Feminists were against what they called the exploitation of women's bodies in newspapers, like Page Three, and in, ahem, special interest magazines for chaps. They were bracketed with those dreadful fusty caricatures - church-going prudes and campaigners like Mary Whitehouse. They loathed Benny Hill, mother-in-law jokes and the idea of stay-at-home mums.

It wasn't a particularly good look - frumpy jumpers, slacks and hairy underarms - but at least it was coherent and consistent.

That was a long time ago, of course. The recent uproar around Emma Watson's choice to appear wearing a jacket with nothing underneath has revived discussion of this classic conundrum - how do you be a successful woman in an industry utterly devoted to image without resorting to exploiting the advantages of your image?

Ms Watson - best-known as the charming Hermione in the Harry Potter films - has come under fire for hypocrisy. In recent times, she has become an important spokesperson for progressive thinking on gender equality issues. She delivered two celebrated speeches at the UN in recent years, the most recent last September at an event at UN headquarters in New York promoting Partnering for Women, Children and Adolescents, to Thrive and Transform the World.

Of course, celebrity endorsement of such causes is always an advantage. It obviously helps the cause to have famous backers, but it is also true that it does no harm in beefing up the image of the celebrity, adding much-needed substance to what can be an evanescent career.

In Watson's case, the sense of a radical vision was all the more charged because it coincided with her emergence from child stardom - that most precarious condition - to fully-fledged Hollywood hot property.

In fact, the recent Vanity Fair photo shoot - "you mean you are naked under all those clothes?" - was part of a promotion to showcase the live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in which she stars with Dan Stevens, another member of the English acting aristocracy, having played Lady Mary Crawley's doomed first husband Matthew in Downton Abbey. The movie is due to hit the screens worldwide on St Patrick's Day.

Can these events be connected? Is it particularly cynical to think so? There is no reason why a professional person shouldn't manipulate the mass media to their own advantage without it seeming to damage their brand, as it were.

It is certainly refreshing that someone as young as Watson has been aware of the dreadful fate awaiting her as she ages in the acting game; sexism in Hollywood means that she will in all likelihood be the subject of attention unlike that accorded to her male co-stars.

Though there is always the risk that behind any movie star's complaints about the Press will be heard the baying of Hugh Grant about being caught with Divine Brown, there is no doubt that actresses are frequently caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. So much of their fame depends on their "looks"; though "looks" in themselves are no guarantee of anything.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Emma Watson at Beauty And The Beast launch in London Emma Watson described the character of Belle in Beauty And The Beast as a childhood hero / Facebook

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This time last year, Watson described how she had suffered from Press intrusion when she turned 18.

"I came out of my 18th birthday party and photographers laid down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt, which were then published on the front of the English tabloids the next morning," she said during a speech made on International Women's Day.

Obviously, they don't need to go to those lengths now to obtain risque pictures of the star, and nor should Watson's feminist views mean a life sentence of angora sweaters.

Indeed, her vigorous responses to criticism of her Vanity Fair shoot shows a supremely self-confident woman in full charge of her moral resources: "Feminism is about giving women choice, feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality," rounding her defence off with the cry "I really don't know what my t*** have to do with it."

Well, some have said that they have quite a bit to do with it, in fact. Especially when she is on record dissing feminist uber-icon Beyonce, whose 2013 LP included an extract from a TED talk by the novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, entitled "We Should All Be Feminists".

While Beyonce's embrace of feminist principles was widely praised, Watson expressed that she felt herself "conflicted" over the mega-star's position.

"As I was watching (Beyonce's videos) I felt very conflicted. I felt her message felt very conflicted in the sense that on the one hand she is putting herself in a category of a feminist, but then the camera, it felt very male, such a male voyeuristic experience of her," she said in conversation with actress Tavi Gevinson in Wonderland Magazine.

Of course, that was three years ago, for heaven's sake. Watson is 26 and I'm sure, in 2017, 2013 is a lifetime ago. But the line between freely expressing one's femininity as a feminist and catering to a "male voyeuristic experience of her" is surely a very fine one and it's by no means certain that Watson hasn't crossed it on her own behalf and when it suits her.

When your only argument is "it's different this time, though, because it's me" doesn't hold much water. And it doesn't make it less demeaning to women in general because you personally have a successful career to pursue as an attractive young woman whose acting talent is considerably assisted by your pulchritude and its promises.

The problem with principled stances is precisely that they demand consistency and that applies as much to movie stars as it does to you and me.

But then, movie stars will always be taken as movie stars. They will still book the entire top floor of a hotel whether they are proven hypocrites or not and, no matter how robust our ordinary everyday moral righteousness is, you and I will still not get a window seat at Per Se or privileged access to a parking space anywhere because of it.

Beyonce and Watson will, no doubt, air kiss and make up on some red carpet somewhere and we will be left fretting about who was right after all. But it doesn't matter, really.

We are ordinary and everyday. Stars may be "down to earth", but they are never "ordinary and everyday". That's life.

Even their perception of discrimination and sexism is rarified, stupid, vastly wealthy and privileged to an obscene degree.

That's why we love them.
On September 28, 1912 Edward Carson led a procession to Belfast City Hall. At the main entrance, in front of a crowd of tens of thousands, he leaned over a Union flag-draped table and became the first person to sign Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant.

For the next 12 hours or so men were ushered in, 500 at a time, to add their signatures. It was one of the biggest crowds that had ever gathered in Belfast. This was their city: a unionist city that they were determined would become the capital of that part of Ireland, which they were pledged to save from Irish unity.

It was an important city in both the United Kingdom and the Empire, a powerful industrial and commercial city that had benefited and prospered from its links to London, Scotland and much further afield. Unionism, in the political sense that we understand it today, was still in its early stages at that point (it had begun as a reaction to the Home Rule crisis in the late 1880s) and it had earmarked Belfast as the political/electoral hub of its power.

Seventy years later - in November 1985 - unionism found itself at the centre of another crisis (this time the Anglo-Irish Agreement) and Belfast City Hall was, once again, the location for a massive demonstration.

The attendance figures are still disputed, but somewhere in the region of 250,000 unionists - many of whom didn't belong to the Orange Order or a political party - gathered to hear Ian Paisley, Jim Molyneaux and Enoch Powell (among others) condemn the "treachery" of Margaret Thatcher and the "duplicity" of the Irish Government.

Paisley's "Never, Never, Never" was an echo of Carson's "Never, Never" to a Home Rule Bill. At that point Belfast was still a unionist city in terms of population and politics. Indeed, apart from the Alliance Party's David Cook in 1978-79, a unionist of one sort or another had always occupied the position of Lord Mayor.

Yet skip forward to late-2012 and something had changed. A non-unionist majority in the City Hall voted to stop flying the Union Flag 365 days a year and limited it to a handful of "designated" days. The reaction of political unionism/loyalism was furious, but they failed to mobilise anything like the sort of crowds which would have come out to protest years earlier.

Indeed, within a very short time the protests had fizzled out altogether, because people in Belfast were just getting on with their everyday lives, work and shopping habits.

It's worth looking at the electoral figures for Belfast. In 1973, at the first election for the new 26 councils, unionists won 32 of the 51 seats. In 2014, at the first election for the 11 new 'super councils', they won 24 of the 60 seats. In the general election in October 1973 unionists won three of the four Belfast seats. In 2015 they won two, but it required an election pact to wrest back East Belfast from Naomi Long. In the 1973 Assembly election they won 16 of the 24 seats. In 1998 they won 12. And, last Thursday, they were down to just six out of 20.

That's an extraordinary turnaround in just over 40 years and raises the question of whether Belfast can still be regarded as a "unionist" city. The additional fact that unionism no longer has an overall majority in the Assembly (a possibility I raised in this newspaper a few weeks ago) will, of course, have a knock-on effect on Belfast.

Expand Close Edward Carson at the signing of the Ulster Covenant at Belfast City Hall in 1912 / Facebook

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So, how would this continuing shift in political/electoral demographics manifest itself? Well, we've already seen a change in the signs and symbols in various parts of the city, particularly the growth in the use and teaching of Irish language, as well as in the use of Irish for street names and places.

If - and it looks increasingly likely that it will happen - there is significant movement on the promotion of Irish language as a consequence of the post-election negotiations, then it seems inevitable that we'll see increasing evidence of that across the city, particularly if an Alliance/Sinn Fein/SDLP majority on the council is prepared to row in behind what some unionists have described as the "greening" of Belfast.

I've also heard senior figures in the Orange Order and assorted unionist parties express their concerns about the likelihood of Twelfth parades not being allowed to go through the centre of Belfast for much longer; and accompanying fears about July 12 and 13 being robbed of their public holiday status.

There are similar concerns within the loyalist community, with spokesmen claiming that working-class unionists are overlooked in favour of their counterparts in republican areas. As one put it to me: "We are expected to remove our symbols and murals, while they are encouraged to keep going with theirs and being promised the right to use Irish in their own areas, while 'ourselves alone' Gaeltachts are being developed everywhere. We can't parade. We can't have our flag on the City Hall. Our people are moving out of Belfast. This is no longer our city."

But should Belfast be viewed as either a unionist or a nationalist city? Wouldn't it be better if it promoted itself as a multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-identity city, welcoming to tourists from everywhere and capable of telling the collective stories of its own past?

There are signs, symbols, benchmarks and touchstones which matter to both the main communities; and surely it would be better if we accommodated those, rather than insisted on an us-and-them divide, which is built on one community being perceived to have the upper hand?

One thing is certain, though. Belfast is no longer a unionist city in which a political majority can, by itself, steer events. And nor will it become a nationalist city. What it is - and what we should collectively boast about - is a changing, growing, vibrant, exciting, attractive city. It is a city with much to be proud of; a city which is carving out a reputation for itself in terms of literary, artistic, musical, architectural and cultural talent. People want to come and see Belfast. We have a story worth telling.

But it's a story we must tell together. There is much in our past that unites us and in which we can take joint pride.

We must never allow Belfast to ever again become an us-and-them city, let alone a city in which one political community claims a monopoly on identity.

A capital city works well when it properly reflects the rest of the country.

It works even better when it sets the standards for civility, harmony, co-operation and common purpose.

The city has changed - and changed for the better.
One thing young brands invariably fail to do: Lay a proper foundation to protect some of their most valuable assets. While you may think this means the brands designer talent or its real estate space, something actually trumps these assets and it comes in the form of a brands intellectual property ("IP). As rapid designer turnover becomes increasingly common and most brands move away from vast retail schemes (in favor of e-commerce), the value of IP, particularly, trademarks, is more obvious than ever.

For the uninitiated, trademarks come in the form of the name and logo of a brand, and in some cases, the aesthetic design features of a brands most iconic designs, usually bags and footwear designs (which, coincidentally, tend to be some of the most heavily copied designs for brands). For Proenza Schouler, for instance, such an item is its PS1 bag. Givenchy has its Antigona and recently relaunched Nightingale bags. Hermes quiet famously has its Kelly and Birkin bags. Such protection comes by way of trade dress, a sect of trademark law.

Yet, the protection of IP, namely, trademarks, is often only a secondary concern for emerging-stage design brands, which can be problematic given the widespread practices of trademark infringement, counterfeiting and cybersquatting, the latter of which refers to the registering and/or using of an Internet domain name with the bad faith intent of profiting from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. Just ask New York-based designer Phillip Lim, who was forced to adopt a China-specific trademark. When he began expanding into the Far East, he was prevented from using his name and original trademarked logo because a third party had already registered and begun using it.

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Is your business mobile? Undoubtedly the answer to that is a very firm yes, whether youre a one man or woman band with a single mobile phone or a multi-national company with thousands of employees linked by a myriad of mobile devices.

But are you really making the most of advances in mobile technology to allow your employees to work on the go?

The answer to that might be a little hazier and, even if you consider your business to be a mobile adopter, there are probably a host of ways in which you could improve your employees relationship with mobile communications.

We call it the mobile multiplier, and there are clear trends that have been identified within this, such as the shoulder bag worker, collaboration on the go, addressing security uncertainty, and your organisational culture as the enabler.

Simply put its the theory that the more employees have a good experience of working on the go, the more benefits you as a business will see.

In fact, office workers can deliver a step-change in their effectiveness if they have better apps, data and security for mobile working.

This isnt just theory, rather the findings of an independent survey of office workers carried out across the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

The findings offer a fascinating insight into a working world which would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago.

Certainly the fact that two thirds of office workers now consider being given the flexibility and technology to work from the office, at home or while travelling - the shoulder bag worker, is more important in a job than being offered a company car would have surprised even the most forward-thinking bosses 10 years ago.

Even now it raises an eyebrow and should have leaders thinking about whether their mobile strategy is enough to attract the best talent.

Not only that, but is it enough to keep your business running efficiently?

Two thirds of those surveyed said their mobile communications could be improved to allow them to share information and data with colleagues to help speed up decision making. The need for genuine collaboration on the go is clear, and this means much more than just the provision of mobile phones.

That means companies should be thinking about how they can use collaboration tools more effectively, whether it be screen sharing or instant messaging.

This chimes with the fact two thirds of office workers want their IT department to invest more in their mobile devices, more than they want increased investment in their office equipment.

They also want access to work processes and databases remotely and a resilient network.

Have you asked your workers if they could be more productive if they had more access on the go?

And have you reviewed what processes your IT department has put in place to safeguard devices and information in the event of a theft?

According to the research, not many workers have sight of that particular process, nor indeed do many IT departments. Dealing with any uncertainty in relation to securing your information on whatever mobile devices you use is key, though it does not have to be an onerous task.

Maybe its time to review your security protocols for mobile devices to ensure workers get the most from mobile working.

And then of course theres cost.

Three quarters of workers said their employer tries to limit the cost of using smartphones and tablets, a fact which obviously makes them reticent to use their devices fully.

If thats the case then its time to review how you can keep a cap on expenditure but allow your workers enough data to do their job on the go and to the best of their ability.

We are in the throes of the mobile working revolution that cant be held back.

Its up to you, as a company, to provide the mobile tools to let your workers fulfil their ability, and a small change in your organisations culture can deliver this huge benefit.

Then, and only then, the mobile multiplier will work its magic.

For further information and to contact BT Business in Northern Ireland please email enterprise.accounts@bt.com
This is the man police believe may hold the key to finding the body of missing murder victim Lisa Dorrian.

He is Mark Lovett, 29, a Newtownabbey taxi driver who was the last known person to see her alive.

The dad of two  who is currently on probation for possessing an offensive weapon, and who has convictions for assault  has steadfastly refused to speak to detectives about his memories of the February 2005 night she disappeared.

He initially made a short statement to officers, denying involvement, after being questioned as a suspect before being freed without charge.

Lovetts silence over the past 12 years  his parents chased Sunday Life when we called to his house last year  is in stark contrast to three other criminals spoken to by police who have now been ruled out of their inquiries.

They are:

Convicted drug dealer Mark Smyth, 34, who gave Lisa a lift the day before her disappearance and who sat an inconclusive Sunday Life lie detector test to prove his innocence;

Marty Peacock, 33, who was recently jailed for possessing a knife and who has made statements to the PSNI from his cell at Maghaberry Prison;

Stephen Thompson, 38, Lisas ex-boyfriend, who fled Northern Ireland after she went missing only to return after being assured by cops he is a witness and not a suspect.

At the time of her disappearance the Bangor woman was running around with a criminal gang of which Smyth and Peacock were members. These associations were initially thought to be linked to her murder and her body being hidden.

But following last Tuesdays 12th anniversary of Lisas death, Sunday Life can reveal that detectives have all but ruled this theory out.

PSNI chiefs, who have dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources to cracking the case, now believe she died following a drug-fuelled dispute.

Her killer is understood to have then summoned an individual to whom he is very close, and they both secretly buried Lisas body.

A senior police source told us: That is why there hasnt been a breakthrough in the case. There were a small number of individuals involved in disappearing Lisa and they remain extremely close. Its because of this strong bond that they have refused to say anything.

If members of a crime gang had been responsible, they would have, 12 years on, gave the killer up  people like that dont often stay friends for very long.

Lisa had spent the day of her disappearance at a drugs party in a Ballyhalbert caravan park with friends.

Among the group was Mark Lovett, the man detectives believe could have crucial information about her last moments.

Then aged 17, he worked as a groundsman at the site and, despite being from the Rathcoole estate 30 miles away in Newtownabbey, knew the area well.

Most of the people at the party had consumed a large amount of drugs and alcohol, meaning the witness statements they made to police afterwards are at best hazy.

In his only statement made to police in 2005, Lovett, who did not drive at the time or own a car, explained how he and Lisa were alone in the caravan during the early hours of the morning.

He claimed there was a commotion outside, saying he heard noises and flashing lights.

Lovett says both he and Lisa, who had taken a considerable amount of drugs, panicked and fled into the night. That was the last time she was seen alive.

As part of their investigation, detectives spoke to a number of other caravan owners who had been at the site that weekend. None can recall who were staying at the Ballyhalbert site that weekend. Not one of them can recall hearing any commotion or seeing flashing lights.

Yet that is what Mark Lovett insisted upon in his one and only statement to police 12 years ago. Detectives now want him to break a decade-long silence and speak to them again. A security source added: Lovett potentially holds the key to helping us locate Lisas body and ending 12 years of pain for the Dorrian family. We need him to talk to us again, tell us what he can remember.

After he made his statement to police in 2005, Lovett was interrogated by the UVF which conducted its own investigation into Lisas murder.

He also gave an anonymous account to a BBC Spotlight programme, saying it was at 5am that he heard noises outside the caravan.

Lovett claimed he and Lisa ran outside and lost each other in the dark. He then said he rang the pretty shop assistants mobile but she did not answer. Instead, he spoke to her former boyfriend, Stephen Thompson, who was in Bangor.

Thompson  who is not a police suspect  told Sunday Life he had bought the phone for Lisa, which she had given back to him after they ended their relationship a few days before her disappearance.

Thompson also revealed he met Lovett later that day in Ballyhalbert, and that the then 17-year-old was emotionally distressed, shaky, tearful and not himself.

This is how he appeared when spoken to by members of Lisas family two days after she went missing.

Now, 12 years on, her devastated dad, John Dorrian, is again pleading for witnesses to come forward and help end his familys pan.

His main focus is on giving his daughter a Christian burial, with prosecutions for her murder being a secondary thought. John said: Its never too late to tell us. A place is all we need. Please help yourself by easing your conscience. Tell us where Lisa is. Its never too late to tell us.

Lisas younger sister Joanne says it is impossible to describe the hurt her family feels.

She told Sunday Life: Unless you are going through this it is impossible to understand the pain. It never leaves you, it is there with you every day.

We got together as a family on Lisas anniversary, but we had nowhere to go, no grave or resting place.

Lisas loving mother, Pat, passed away last year after being denied the chance to bury her eldest daughter.

Joanne explained how her grandmother, who died two weeks ago, spoke of Lisa on her deathbed.

Our nanny and mum now have the answers we are trying to find. But you can help us find Lisa in this life, not the next, said Joanne.

Police investigating Lisas murder have so far carried out 275 searches and taken statements from 571 people.

They have made eight arrests on suspicion of murder, including Mark Lovett, but no one has ever been charged with the killing.

Appealing for information, Detective Chief Inspector Justyn Galloway said the Dorrian family has suffered intolerable grief.

Anyone with information about the murder of Lisa Dorrian should contact police on the non-emergency 101 number or the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk
Bill Bush wrote his first story about Ohios largest full-time online charter school , the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, back in 2001.

Joining the growing chorus of concern, the State Board of Education issued a policy paper in July that said blurred lines between charter schools and their contractors were diminishing the likelihood that the schools are providing high-quality educational programs, read the story in the Columbus Dispatch, where Bush has been a reporter since 1998.

Sixteen years later, Bush and his Dispatch colleagues, including statehouse reporters Jim Siegel and Catherine Candisky, are still covering worries about Ohios burgeoning e-school sector. Their work was highlighted in Widespread Reports of Trouble , Education Weeks interactive roundup of 15 years worth of local news coverage of problems at full-time online schools in 22 states.

The biggest Ohio e-school story over the past year: a push by the state education department to audit attendance at the full-time online schools using student-login records. A first round of reviews found that nine e-schools had overstated their enrollment by a combined 12,000 students. A Dispatch analysis of ECOTs audit showed that nearly 70 percent of the schools students missed enough school to be considered truant under state law.

The education department could seek to claw back more than $80 million in taxpayer funds, but the e-schools are vigorously contesting the states methodology and motivations. Neil Clark, a lobbyist and spokesman for ECOT, is among those who consider the state audits blatantly unfair.

Today, Education Week published a page-one look at the dispute . Its an important follow-up to our eight-month investigation of the cyber charter industry across the countrywhich included an in-depth look at Colorados largest cyber , where internal login records obtained by Education Week showed that just 1 in 4 students was using the schools learning software on a typical day.

Across the country, the question of how to best track and report student attendance in a full-time online school remains unresolved, contributing to the significant uncertainty around e-schools funding and performance.

To get a deeper look at how the issue has played out in Ohio, Education Week spoke with Bush and Siegel about their coverage, what theyve learned, and whats likely to happen next.

Following is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

When did Ohio e-schools first appear on your radar screen?

Bush: These were brand new in 2001, and we were just trying to explore how they were going to work, how they were going to be governed. They put together this board for ECOT from basically a group of people that the owner, William Lager, knew, some of whom he met at the Waffle House. And he paid them $500 to be on the board.

Siegel: It really wasnt until about a year ago when we really started to get into the current situation. I knew there was a push at the legislature to make some pretty big, controversial changes to charter school law with regard to their attendance and what e-schools were required to provide. I caught word that this was maybe not coincidental, that there was a reason this was coming up. It turned out that a much smaller e-school, Provost Academy, was having major problems with the department of education in terms of justifying its enrollment. In fact, it had been told it had to repay 80 percent of its funding because they could not verify that their students were actually logging in.

How would you describe e-schools current place in Ohios education landscape?

Bush: ECOT is the biggest player. Its the General Motors of charter schools in Ohio.

Siegel: The school is so large, it almost has to be considered their own entity. A number of e-schools right now have similar concerns about what the state has started to require, in terms of documenting log-in and log-out times. But no other e-school has anyone whos close to as politically active as ECOT founder Bill Lager.

How well do most Ohioans understand how e-schools work in their state?

Siegel: I think information is starting to get through. I was told by some lawmakers out campaigning last year that they are hearing more about this from constituents. In a situation like this, where youve got over $100 million going to one school and there are so many questions, people are starting to get a sense that this is something they should pay attention to and start questioning if the right policy decisions are being made.

Bush: The attendance issue has come up in the last year. How e-schools were taking attendance was not well understood by the public, and even the state auditors office, with how they were treating truancy and things of that nature. The spotlight has been shined on them lately, but up until that point, there was a lot of confusion and a lot of misunderstanding about what e-schools were supposed to be doing.

Is the state education departments policy on this issue sound, and has it been well-communicated to e-schools?

Siegel: That is definitely one of ECOTs main arguments. The other is that the department of education changed the rules on them halfway through the school year. The lack of communication has been a concern definitely among e-schools.

Bush: The thing is, the method theyre using to calculate attendance is basically the method they use to calculate how e-schools get paid in Ohio. Its kind of amazing that the e-schools havent had to document what they were doing for their money for so long. The state education department is finally getting around to saying, Hey, we need to see records that show youre actually teaching these students.

Are login records a good, fair measure for determining when students were in attendance at an e-school?

Bush: I think that would be a great place to start, if they can at least show that. I think there probably is a system that could be developed that would track how many hours of educational services e-schools provided. But I dont think its in place today.

Siegel: One of the arguments weve been hearing from ECOT and the mostly Republican lawmakers who defend ECOT is that there is a difference between attendance and enrollment, and the state is trying to mix the two together. But even if theres validity to that, I dont know many people who think its a good idea to only have students log in once a month and have taxpayers still paying $6,000 for that student.

Whats been the reaction to your coverage?

Siegel: Youre starting to see situations where [some Republicans in the state legislature and charter-school advocates] say we support school choice, but this type of thing could give the whole system a bad name.

Bush: This story has struck a nerve with superintendents all across Ohio, because they all have students who attend e-schools, and theyre all losing state aid. So when they find out they lost $7,000 and the kid only logged in four times in a year, they dont like that.

What happens next?

Siegel: Theres a court of appeals hearing in this case, we should hopefully hear about that in the next month or two. There are also administrative appeals with the education department. There have been continuous rumors that the legislature may try to step in and pass something that bails ECOT out. But Ive also been told this issue is too radioactive right now, they dont feel they can step in and do that right now without really looking bad. So its still wait and see.

Photos of Bill Bush (top) and Jim Siegel courtesy the Columbus Dispatch

See also:
Indian soldiers carry boxes of ammunition near the site of a gunfight in Tral, south Kashmir, March 5, 2017.

Fear of another cycle of violence gripped Indian-administered Kashmir a day after two suspected militants  one of them a leader of the largest separatist group in the insurgency-torn region  and a policeman were killed in a dramatic encounter.

At least 10 protesters were seriously injured in a clash between Indian security forces and anti-India protesters Monday in south Kashmirs Tral town, some 50 km (31 miles) from Srinagar, a police source told BenarNews.

We have the situation under control. Rest assured, the trouble mongers would be found and dealt sternly with the law, S.P. Vaid, Indian Kashmirs Director General of Police, told BenarNews.

The violence was triggered by the killing of Aqib Moulvi, 27, a Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander, and an as yet unidentified Pakistani national, allegedly an operative of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in a 15-hour firefight a day before.

Clashes also erupted in nearby Shopian district after government forces launched a cordon-and-search operation following intelligence inputs of the presence of suspected separatists in the area, rekindling memories of months-long violence that shook the Himalayan region after security forces gunned down a top separatist leader in July 2016.

More than 100 people were killed and 10,000 injured in the near daily clashes between Indian government forces and pro-freedom protesters between July and early December.

Muslim-majority Kashmir, claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, has been grappling with a separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 70,000 lives since the late 1980s.

Moulvi was a close aide of Burhan Wani, the HM commander killed in July last year, Vaid said.

He [Moulvi] was involved in many terror activities, he said.

The policeman who was killed in the encounter was identified as Manzoor Ahmad Maik, 33, Vaid said, adding that six other security personnel were also wounded in the gun fight.

Reacting to recent news reports that HM has recruited at least 100 Kashmiri youths since Wanis killing, Vaid said: We are keen to bring locals who have take to arms during the recent deadlock back to the mainstream. But its they who have to realize that violence in all its manifestation leads to destruction.

In an unrelated incident in north Kashmirs Sopore town Sunday, four teenagers were critically injured when a bomb exploded while they were playing in a field.

The wounded were identified as Akash Riyaz Bhat, Rashid Riyaz Bhat, Sahil Ahmad Lone and Shakir Hassan Dar.

A police team has collected samples from the explosion spot and have been sent to a forensic laboratory to ascertain the nature of the blast, Harmeet Singh, Sopores Superintendent of Police, told BenarNews.

Residents said unexploded mines laid out by stone quarry workers in the area could have caused the blast.

It is quite likely the boys fiddled with one of the many unexploded and abandoned mines lying around, Riyaz Ahmad, a prominent Sopore resident, told BenarNews.
Gafatar leaders, from left, Andry Cahya, Ahmad Musadeq and Mahful Muis Tumanurung stand in an East Jakarta courtroom before judges hand down verdicts and sentences in their blasphemy trial, March 7, 2017.

A court in East Jakarta convicted and sentenced three leaders of a banned Indonesian spiritual movement on blasphemy charges Tuesday, handing them prison terms ranging from three to five years.

A three-judge panel acquitted the three defendants of treason charges, but found the leaders of the movement known as Gerakan Fajar Nusantara (Gafatar)  which some religious leaders in predominantly Muslim Indonesia have branded as heretical  guilty of promoting practices that deviate from Islam.

The panel at the East Jakarta District Court sentenced Gafatars founder and spiritual leader, Ahmad Musadeq, 71, to a five-year term along with the groups vice president, Mahful Muis Tumanurung, 41. Defendant Andry Cahya, 48, who is Gafatars president and the son of Musadeq, was sentenced to three years.

The teachings given by the defendant have proven to offend and tarnish the greatness of Islam, Chief Judge Muhammad Sirad said in handing down the verdict to Musadeq.

Sirad was referring to one of Gafatars teachings that does not require followers to perform salat, prayers Muslims are obliged to perform five times a day, according to the Quran.

Thus, the charge of intentionally doing blasphemy in public is proven, Sirad said.

The three Gafatar men had been charged with treason for allegedly promoting the overthrow of Indonesias government among their followers, but the chief judge cleared them of this charge, saying that witness testimony had not sustained this accusation.

Prosecutors had asked for the judges to sentence both Musadeq and Mahful to 12 years in prison for blasphemy, and had requested a 10-year sentence for Andry for the same offense.

Judge Sirad noted that the sentence for Andry was shorter than the other two because, compared with Musadeq and Mahful, he had not previously been convicted.

The two other defendants had been jailed in 2008 on blasphemy charges for establishing the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah movement, which eventually became Gafatar. Musadeq claimed at the time to be a prophet of the movement that blends tenets of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Some Muslim leaders in Indonesia have deemed Gafatar as deviant, and the government banned the group in 2012.

Mahful and Andry did not say a word as they left the courtroom, but they smiled and waved at journalists.

Musadeq told reporters he was weighing an appeal.

I am thinking about it, he said.

However, Pratiwi Febry, a lawyer representing the three men, described Tuesdays ruling and sentencing as unjust and said her clients would appeal.

This is a killing field for those who are minorities and oppressed, Pratiwi said.
Jumiatun Muslimayatun (right) listens to testimony during her terrorism trial in the North Jakarta District Court, March 6, 2017.

Covered from head to toe in a black veil and robe, the widow of one of Indonesias top militants entered a North Jakarta District courtroom Monday for the latest hearing in her own trial on terrorism-related charges.

Jumiatun Muslimayatun (alias Umi Delima), 23, is facing charges stemming from her arrest in Central Sulawesi province in July 2016, soon after her fugitive husband was gunned down in a firefight with security forces in Poso, a local regency.

Santoso (alias Abu Wardah), led the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), which had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) before he was killed on July 18, 2016. Up until his death, he was the most wanted militant in Indonesia. The number of members left in MIT has dwindled to nine since then, officials said.

Before Jumiatuns arrest five days later, police alleged that she had joined her husband as a militant, and had undergone military training organized by MIT as well as carried an M-16 rifle. She was with her husband during the fatal shootout but escaped.

(She) is often irritable. We understand that their thinking is not like us, an officer with Densus 88, Indonesias elite counter-terrorist police squad, who was guarding the defendant at Mondays hearing, told BenarNews.

Another Densus 88 member warned against taking pictures as Jumiatun entered the courtroom.

A prosecutor asked that BenarNews not quote the names of judges, prosecutors, and the Densus 88 officer who escorted her.

As you know yourselves, they (MIT) still have their members. Please help keep our privacy, the prosecutor told BenarNews.

Jumiatun, who hails from West Nusa Tenggara province, joined MIT in mid-2014, after her first husband, an MIT member was killed by security officers. She became Santosos second wife and joined MIT to seek revenge for her dead husband, prosecutors allege.

Testimony

Surya Pranowo, an officer with the central forensic laboratory of South Sulawesi Province who is an expert in ammunition and explosives, testified Monday that laboratory results showed there were traces of residual sugar in a flash powder explosive used by Santosos group.

Brown sugar is found in the mixture of explosives to cause the flame, as it contains sucrose and serves as a fuel, he said. If you want to burn a building, for example, you can add brown sugar in the mixture of explosives.

Surya discussed chemicals used by MIT to make the flash powder, such as potassium chlorate and sulfur. These materials can be purchased at stores that sell chemicals, Surya said.

The flash powder made by Santosos group was considered low-explosive.

(Its scope) was below 300 meters per second or below the speed of sound. But of course, the concentrations of explosives determine the size of the explosion, Surya said on the witness stand.

Evidence

Prosecutors presented an M-16 rifle with five rounds as evidence.

Based on results of a physical examination, this weapon has been used to shoot, ballistics expert Supriadi, another witness for the prosecution, testified. He described the M-16 itself as a standard military weapon.

This long-barreled M-16 cannot be owned by individuals. Even police do not have this kind of weapon, testified Supriadi who had been asked to examine antitank weapons made in the United States and a revolver once owned by MIT.

This group possessed many weapons. We dont know how they got them, the chief judge said while observing testimony.

Meanwhile Jumiatuns lawyer, Kamsi, insisted that his client is innocent and only served Santoso as a wife.

She followed her husband into the forest because of her obligations as a wife. She had nothing to do with the groups activities, he told BenarNews after the hearing.

The next court date is March 13. If convicted, Jumiatun could face up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities foiled a plot to attack visiting Saudi royalty when they arrested four Yemenis during counter-terrorism raids last month, Malaysias police chief said Tuesday but without going into details.

The suspects, who have not been named, were arrested on Feb. 26 following raids in Serdang and Cyberjaya, in Selangor state. Saudi King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud and his entourage arrived in Malaysia that day for a four-day visit.

Speaking at a news conference during a regional meeting in George Town on international narcotics enforcement, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar did not name the Saudi royal targeted in the alleged plot.

The suspects were involved in producing false travel documents and distributing drugs, Khalid told reporters. They were planning to attack the Arab royalty when they visited Kuala Lumpur. Thank God we got them in the nick of time before they got close to executing their plan.

Yemenis among 7 arrested suspects

On Sunday, when they announced the arrests of seven alleged terror suspects in multiple raids in February, police said the four Yemenis belonged to a rebel faction in Yemen.

The Yemenis were linked to a counterfeit passport ring while other suspects were linked to a foiled car-bomb plot, officials told a news conference on Sunday. Police said they seized fake international passports and 270,000 ringgit (U.S. $60,600) in foreign money.

All seven suspects were being held under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 and Immigration Act, Khalid said Sunday.

Before King Salman departed for Indonesia, the Saudi and Malaysian governments issued a joint statement announcing the establishment in Malaysia of The King Salman Center for International Peace, which is scheduled to open within three months and focus on combating terrorism globally.

In addition to terrorism, King Salman and Malaysian officials discussed the Palestinian issue, the situation in Syria, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and Saudi rival Irans alleged interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Malaysia and Saudi Arabia announced the signing of four memoranda and joint ventures valued at 9.74 billion ringgit (U.S. $2.19 billion) in oil and gas ventures, Islamic finance, halal products and manufacturing.
Malaysian police blurred the faces of officers and Yemeni suspects detained by Malaysian police during a raid at Serdang, Feb. 26, 2017.

Malaysian authorities said they stopped a car-bomb plot, broke up a counterfeit passport ring and confiscated thousands of dollars while arresting seven men, including four from Yemen, in February raids.

Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar revealed that authorities had arrested a 41-year-old Malaysian factory technician and a 28-year-old Indonesian farmer on Feb. 21 before they could launch an alleged terror act.

Through investigation, we have found that the two men received orders from Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi to launch a large-scale vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in the country before making their way to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS), Khalid said Sunday.

Police have identified Wanndy as an IS fighter based in Syria who allegedly orchestrated a grenade attack that injured eight patrons at a Kuala Lumpur area nightclub last year.

The Indonesian man, Khalid said, had been deported from Turkey on June 2016 after attempting to enter Syria illegally.

Police also arrested a 37-year-old student on Feb. 23 who was using a fake student visa and was enrolled in a public university in the city, Khalid said.

The suspect is a member of a terrorist group from East Asia and has made Malaysia a transit point and hideout, Khalid said, adding the student entered the country in 2011.

The suspect has ties with another East Asian terrorist suspect, who is responsible for arranging a safe route for the groups members to join IS in Syria, according to Khalid.

Yemeni suspects

The Yemenis were detained in two areas  Serdang and Cyberjaya, in the state of Selangor on Feb. 26, according to Khalid.

Police believed that the four were part of a rebel faction in Yemen, Khalid said, but he did not comment on whether they had potential links to IS.

In our initial investigation, they were involved in a syndicate specializing in falsifying travel documents, Khalid said.

During the raid, police seized bogus international passports and 270,000 ringgit (U.S. $60,600) in foreign currency.

Ahmad El-Muhammady Ahmad, an analyst with the International Islamic University Malaysia, told BenarNews on Monday that preliminary information linked the Yemeni men to Wanndy and Katibah Nusantara (KN). Ahmad helps Malaysian authorities run de-radicalization programs.

KN, the Malay Archipelago unit of IS, groups fighters from the Malay-speaking region of Malaysia and Indonesia along with the Southern Philippines.

While Khalid did not name the suspects, he said all are being held under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 and Immigration Act.

Since 2013, authorities in Malaysia arrested 278 people with suspected IS links, of whom 66 have since been freed, according to the latest figures from the government.
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At least two districts now plan to close on Wednesdaythe day of a planned womens protest dubbed A Day Without a Woman.

On Monday, the Alexandria City school district in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., announced that it planned to close on Wednesday.

In a message posted on the districts website, Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley said that more than 300 staff membersan unusually high number"requested the day off.

This is not a decision that was made lightly, Crawley wrote. We have been closely monitoring requests for leave on March 8, including communicating with school leaders and our education association. The decision is based solely on our ability to provide sufficient staff to cover all our classrooms, and the impact of high staff absenteeism on student safety and delivery of instruction. It is not based on a political stance or position.

The district has more than 15,000 students.

Last week, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro district in North Carolina also said that it was canceling classes on March 8, given the high number of projected absences and concerns about having enough staff to safely run the schools.

The organizers of the March 8 A Day Without A Woman strike have called for women and men to refrain from paid and unpaid labor, refrain from shopping, except at businesses owned by women and minorities, and to wear red in solidarity with the cause.

Alexandrias students will not be required to make up the day because the district had already built in enough instructional days. The district will serve breakfast and lunch on Wednesday.

With public education being a largely female profession, districts could be heavily impacted Wednesday if large numbers of women decide to participate in the demonstrations. According to an NCES report, in 2011-12 school year 76 percent of public school teachers and slightly more than half of principals were women.

The District of Columbia school district said that it expected students and staff to be in school on Wednesday.

While some may plan to attend this weeks walk out on International Womens Day, all students and staff are expected to be in school throughout the day so that teaching and learning can continue, John Davis, the districts chief of schools, wrote to principals. We respect the right to self-expression and peaceful protest in support of gender equality. We encourage staff and students to use this as an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women through classroom discussion and activities.

The district will continue to be safe places for all students and all people in our communities, regardless of immigration status, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, Davis said.
Supreme Court Vacates Ruling in Favor of Transgender Student, Passes Case Back to Lower Courts

The Supreme Court this morning declined to make a definitive ruling on whether transgender students in public schools have a right to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. The decision comes less than two weeks after the Trump Administration rescinded Department of Education guidance on the matter. Instead, the Court vacated a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which had used Obama-era guidance to find in favor of a student identifying as male requesting access to male bathrooms.

So what does the ruling mean for the student, and for future transgender rights cases?

The Text

There's not much to look at in the Supreme Court's ruling, just 47 words overturning the Fourth Circuit's previous decision, and directing it to reconsider the case in light of recently rescinded guidance:

The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit for further consideration in light of the guidance document issued by the Department of Education and Department of Justice on February 22, 2017, on March 6, 2017.

The Fourth Circuit had relied heavily on prior guidance from the Department of Education ordering public schools that receive federal funding to "generally treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity." This meant providing access to bathrooms consistent with that gender identity. But the Trump administration rescinded that guidance, removing much of the Fourth Circuit's reasoning.

The Context

A more definitive ruling from the Supreme Court could have set a national standard for the treatment of transgender students in public schools. Indeed, both sides in the case urged the Court to ignore the Trump administration's rescission and provide exactly that. By demurring on the essential issue, the Supreme Court has tasked lower courts with tackling the question of whether Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause guarantees transgender students the right to be treated in accordance with their gender identity.

Part of the interest in this delay might be down to the Court's current makeup -- perhaps the justices couldn't or didn't want to come to such an important decision with just eight of them on the bench. Part of it may be the Court's desire to avoid answering questions lower courts haven't yet fully addressed.

What it means in real terms is that lower courts and school districts could come to very different decisions regarding transgender student rights in the meantime. Meanwhile, in the time it takes for those cases to re-percolate to the Supreme Court, many students could face a different set of rules based solely on where they happen to live, and whether a court with jurisdiction has addressed the issue.

Related Resources:
For Immediate Release, March 7, 2017 Contact: Miyoko Sakashita, (510) 844-7108, miyoko@biologicaldiversity.org Trump Administration Urged to Shut Down Leaking Pipeline in Alaska's Cook Inlet ANCHORAGE, Alaska Seven conservation groups today demanded that the Trump administration immediately shut down an underwater pipeline suffering an uncontrolled natural gas leak in Alaska's Cook Inlet. An estimated 210,000 to 310,000 cubic feet of gas a day has been leaking from the broken offshore pipeline for more than two months. Yet federal regulators have given the operator until May to repair the leak. Today's letter to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration notes that the leak  which began in December but was not discovered until Feb. 7  constitutes an imminent safety and environmental hazard. The leak threatens critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales and other wildlife by creating a low-oxygen dead zone, according to the letter from the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Defenders of Wildlife, Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL), Greenpeace and the Eyak Preservation Council. This dangerous leak could stop immediately if regulators did their job and shut down this rickety old pipeline, said Miyoko Sakashita, the Center's oceans program director. We're disgusted with the Trump administration's lack of concern about this ongoing disaster. Every day the leak continues, this pipeline spews more pollution into Cook Inlet and threatens endangered belugas and other wildlife. Hilcorp Alaska, the operator of the 52-year-old pipeline, said it won't repair the leak until the sea ice clears. On Friday, pipeline regulators issued a notice to Hilcorp proposing that it repair the pipeline by May 1, 2017. That schedule could allow the pipeline to dump another 16 million cubic feet of gas into the environment. This is the third time this pipeline has sprung a leak in recent years, and the two other leaks were reported in 2014. The pipeline was built in 1965, and there are serious questions about the pipeline's integrity given its age and Cook Inlet's strong tides and cold waters. Today's letter urges federal regulators to issue an emergency order to shut down the pipeline, inspect all of Hilcorp's Middle Ground Shoal pipelines and monitor the leak's environmental impacts. State and federal regulators have repeatedly warned and fined Hilcorp for its disregard for regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, Hilcorp has applied for federal approval to build the Liberty project, an offshore oil development with a nine-acre artificial island and five-mile pipeline in the Beaufort Sea. If Hilcorp can't even stop a gas leak under the ice in Cook Inlet, then it has no business drilling its Liberty Project in the Arctic, where sea conditions are even more treacherous, said Sakashita. Offshore oil and gas drilling is inherently dangerous and pollutes our ocean and atmosphere. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
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
DAKAR, Senegal - Three of the leading organisations in Africa working with smallholder farmers have joined The MasterCard Foundation to reaffirm their commitment to provide farmers with more of the financial resources and agribusiness connections they need to succeed.

Image by 123RF

At a one-day workshop and learning event in Dakar, the partner  including AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital - outlined how the work they are conducting has already led to improvements for farmers in Africa. As well, ICCO Cooperation used the occasion to launch its STARS (Strengthening African Rural Smallholders) program in Senegal, after recent launches in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso.

Collectively, these three organisations are expanding their support to improve the lives of a minimum of 1.1 million farmers in 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

"Smallholder farmers in Africa, need special attention to increase productivity and break out of their subsistence operation," said Ann Miles, director of financial inclusion at The MasterCard Foundation.

"We're proud to work with such strong partners as AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital to enable smallholders to produce more, sell better, and work with local organisations in markets that are fair, transparent, and sustainable."

Through its partnerships with AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital, The MasterCard Foundation supports multiple activities in the 11 countries. These activities include:

Providing training and better quality inputs to farmers.

Implementing mobile technology solutions.

Brokering long-term purchase contracts.

Supporting high-impact, early-stage agricultural businesses with capital needs under $150,000 and/or business revenues under $300,000.

Developing and implementing innovative risk-mitigation tools.

Developing new agricultural finance products and services for smallholder farmers.

"Linking smallholder farmers to profitable markets is one of the best ways of lifting large numbers of people out of poverty", said Chris Isaac, director of investments at AgDevCo. "The MasterCard Foundation's support will allow AgDevCo to connect our SME investees - socially responsible farming and agri-processing enterprises in Africa - to hundreds of thousands of farmers, to boost productivity, lift incomes and improve food security."

The STARS program is supporting rural smallholder farmers, mostly women, to access tailor-made financial services. Said Netlyn Bernard, STARS director: "We are using the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach to ensure that through capacity building and access to finance they can adopt sustainable agri-business methods and be competitive in the market. We believe that given the right opportunities and tools, farmers can become effective entrepreneurs, increase their income and therefore improve the economic situation of their households and of their communities.

Root Capital is targeting earlier-stage businesses in Africa operating on the fringes of financial inclusion, explained Mireille William, acting general manager for Root Capital in West Africa. "Together, we're committed to providing these high-impact businesses with the capital and training they need to become engines of impact in their communities."

The three partnerships are part of The MasterCard Foundation's portfolio of work supporting smallholder farmers in Africa. To date, the foundation has committed more than $300 million to support agricultural initiatives (including $175 million for rural and agricultural finance projects). For more information on the Foundation's work in agriculture and rural finance, visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/our-rural-and-agricultural-finance-strategy.
Construction Deaths and Injuries Are on the Rise in NYC

For those in the construction industry in New York, worrying about serious on-site work injuries has always been a real part of the job, but recent reports are cause for real concern. Based on the recent report issued by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, construction fatalities, as well as construction injuries, are on the rise in New York, and have been over the last half decade.

This means that for the construction workers, and families of workers, particularly those in non-union employment, the risk of serious injury is very real. The report explains that 80 percent of the injuries occur at non-union job sites.

Details of the Report

The NYCOSH report explains that safety violations have become regular occurrences on job sites as a result of lenient code enforcement. Unfortunately, despite the desire to increase code enforcement, the number of inspectors has shrunken, while the amount of construction has increased.

In terms of statistics, the NYCOSH report shows that:

In 2014, 87% of job sites where a fatality occurred had code violations

In 2015, 90% of job sites where a fatality occurred had code violations

In 2011, there were 33 construction related injury deaths in the state

In 2015, there were 55 construction related injury deaths in the state

In 2011, there were 128 construction related injuries or deaths in the state

In 2015, there were 435 construction related injuries or deaths in the state

Most significantly, the report explained that a majority of the injuries, fatalities, and even code violations, are occurring at non-union work sites, which is likely to be because workers do not have the union to advocate for safe working conditions.

Legal Claims for Injured Construction Workers

While no legal claim or award can truly adequately compensate a person who has been permanently disabled, disfigured, injured, or killed, legal remedies for workplace injuries should be discussed with an attorney. Generally, when a worker is injured on a job site, they should be entitled to workers' compensation. The law surrounding workers' compensation is complex and specific, however, if you or a loved one was injured on a job site, a workers' comp attorney is a good place to start.

If there has been a death, generally, a personal injury attorney that focuses on wrongful death claims should be sought out. Family members, such as spouses, parents and children, or even the deceased's own estate, may be able to recover in a wrongful death action.

Related Resources:
IDidTht's February SA Film Reel was judged by Mike Barnwell, executive creative director at FCB Cape Town, who selected Porteus Xandau from Golden Planes' Surrender for Best of Reel for Direction Craft.





SURRENDER from goldenplanes.com on Vimeo.

Barnwell joined FCB Cape Town in March 2012 after returning to South Africa from his Auckland-based post as executive creative director of Publicis Mojo New Zealand. A year after his arrival in Cape Town, FCB CT enjoyed their best creative awards haul ever picking up numerous accolades including their first ever Loeries Grand Prix and Creative Circle Ad of the Year. A result, which helped, propels the FCB Group to 3rd overall on the local creative table. He has been a juror at the Cannes Awards, D&AD, The Clio Awards, The London International Awards and the local Loeries numerous times and currently sits on the FCB Global Creative Council.

"Surrender is a wonderful piece of storytelling that had me completely captivated for the full 6.31mins. Actually, 13.02mins seeing as I ended up watching it twice. An amazing feat in itself considering I generally have the attention span of a goldfish with ADD," said Barnwell.

"What really kept me glued from beginning to end though was the incredibly authentic delivery of Miltons testimonial. At no point did I feel like I was listening to someone reading from an overly crafted script.

"Visually, I also loved the restraint the director showed by holding himself back from deploying the usual visual gimmickry normally associated with a retrospective story. No gratuitous flashbacks and no over-the-top performances all make this piece feel so pure and honest. Im still not sure whether the film is fact or fiction. Storytelling at its best. Well done Porteus Xandau."

Special mentions for the month also went to:

DebtBusters Numbers directed by Bruno Bossi at Carbon Films.



directed by Bruno Bossi at Carbon Films. Investec Private Bank More than Data directed by Greg Gray at Velocity Films.

For more information, visit ididthteditorial.com.
UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board chief strategy officer Tom Hind told the recent Oxford Farming Conference that a growth opportunity exists for British producers who can talk about their food in a way which appeals to consumers. This is equally true for South African growers as the trend towards the interest in provenance brings consumers and growers closer together.

Consumers are increasingly influencing the choices of what growers plant and which cuts and styles of meat are desirable. Anyone watching the hike in demand for cauliflower following the Tim Noakes low-carb trend will know firsthand the power the consumer has to influence what gets sown.

The build it and they will come business philosophy may have been all the required consumer engagement in a nascent economy but today, with competition for taste buds at a high, more is needed and innovators are not only growing more zucchini, for example, but spiralising it as a pasta replacement. The need for innovation is a given and expanding the range of value-added products proven.

Influencing the taste-shapers - have a story to tell

Influencing the taste-shapers leads to influencing the buyers. This is most effectively achieved through a marketing approach: have a story to tell and use it to create a demand by getting the influencers to engage with the story. The meteoric growth in social media not only speaks to the ego-centric society we live in but also to the desire for people to make connections with people and with brands that resonate with them.

A multi-pronged approach is needed but it begins with getting the message straight: What do we want to say about our product and our people and how are we going to say it?

One of the things I do as a communications consultant is to help businesses craft those messages and then to develop a strategy on how to use them as the bones to create a skeleton and, over time, to weave and spin stories to flesh it out. Finding the heart, in this analogy, is the key to creating a campaign of stories that all talk of the same thing and resonate with their target audience.

Accepting that the consumer is powerful in determining the success of your business also means that those who influence the consumer have power too. When it comes to food there are just a few that influence the many.

What you put in your mouth is your choice. One of the biggest food trends is the stratospheric growth in fussy eaters - people who, for a variety of real or imagined reasons, eat this but not that. Never before has finding something six people will enjoy at a meal been more difficult.

Restaurants are also shaping production by selecting certain cuts. The popularity of pork belly, for example, began with top restaurant chefs serving it, which was followed by media covering it and now pork belly is found on almost every restaurant menu. The taste-shapers are those writers who decide what to include in their recipe editorials.

Feeding the hungry consumer

People like me, as public relations consultants for food brands, help to promote one product over the next. If you have any doubt about the power of PR over media coverage just page through a few different magazines of the same month and note the number of same brands/ingredients/restaurants that are mentioned.

The consumer is hungry to know whats new and the media - and those of us in media-support industries - are happy to feed that hunger.

You dont necessarily need a third party to achieve influence over the influencers. If you have the time to dedicate to reading the media that your market reads and identify who the writers of influence are, youre some way there already. Marketing thinker Seth Godin puts it neatly: The issue is not getting your word out. The issue is getting people to care. The answer is not to get your word out more. Its to change what youre talking about.

The food culture

Also speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Simon Stelling, chief executive of food analyst MCA, said the UKs foodservice market was worth more than 87bn in 2016 - an increase of more than 2% in value and volume. Stelling said that the number of people visiting restaurants and other foodservice suppliers were continuing to climb, with 93.1% of UK shoppers saying they regularly ate out in 2016.

Although the numbers wont be as great in the South African context, that there is a growth in eating out is a given. The growth in interest in food has also translated into a celebrity-chef culture, a plethora of recipe books and a concomitant increase in food-related media.

Dave Pullig/www.thefoodplace.co.uk/ via Wikimedia Commons - Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay

My job is to help a client find the story to tell and then to leverage my network of media contacts to encourage them to write about it which, a little like Chinese water torture, becomes a relentless pressure on the consumer to buy your product.

The efficacy of industry-wide promotion

In 2014 Nielsen commissioned a study by inPowered on the role of content in the consumer decision-making process. It concluded that PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising.

Michael Levine, the author of the book, Guerrilla P.R., says that the best analogy for public relations is gift wrapping. If I went to visit a woman today and gave her a gift in a Tiffany box, it would have higher perceived value than if I just gave it to her plain. Because she and you and I live in a culture where we gift wrap everything, our politicians, TV stars, and even our toilet paper.

A great example of the efficacy of industry-wide promotion is the success of SA Olive, the grower organisation representing the common interests of the local olive growers. Their SA Olive sticker has only become known as the Seal of Quality that it is because of media coverage around their annual SA Olive Competition. Their competent and creative use of the media helped shape the now entrenched perception that South African olive products, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, in particular, is at least on par and in many cases far superior to well-known global brands. Their strategy was to not only tell the story of the quality and success of local growers but to also draw attention to the ways that inferior products are often masked and misrepresented.

The South African Avocado Growers Association is another example of the positive impact of category marketing and their choice to invest in sponsored content with Suzelle DIYs How To Be An Avocado Aficionado.

Perhaps the most successful grower-driven marketing effort has been The Pink Lady Association. Although taking their lead from the global brand owners, the Pink Lady Association of South African has a number of local programmes and events around which they build stories to share in their social media communities and in the media at large.

At this stage, youre hopefully convinced of the value of marketing and in the greater efficacy of using public relations as your marketing tool of choice.

Where to begin?

What sets you apart from your competitors? Select five points and flesh them out. Perhaps you are the largest supplier or the smallest one. Each truth has benefits to exploit. The former means you can guarantee volume and the latter, perhaps, means youre keener to gain market share and will work harder to do it.

What do you and your team believe in? Perhaps youre innovative because of shrinking natural resources. Have you come up with a solution to use less water or adopted a technology to scan your crops for dry spots and now watering more effectively? A range of story ideas can flow from these. Do you have a link to a farm school learner that has done particularly well or is there a someone who has shone more than others at work? What about the things that we dont typically associate with work: faith and religious practice; interest in sports; a favourite recipe - each of these can produce angles for editorial. Each helps you to talk about your brand and begin the process of influence over the consumer.

It is not enough to be a great farmer nowadays. You also need to be a great marketer and learning to think about yourself, those that work for you and what you produce in the way that a journalist would.

This will make you more successful. Even if you feel you dont have the resources to hire a consultant, don't make the mistake of doing nothing. At the very least connect with the journalists who cover your area and submit photos and short news pieces to your local press. They will, naturally, ask you to purchase advertising. Thats their job, too. First find a way to tell your story in an article and then, at a later date when you have a very commercially-focussed need, take an advert to support them.

Three things will help you along your way to dealing with reporters: Be pleasant, be accurate and, most essentially, be quick about it.
One of the leading global advertising networks, Dentsu Aegis Network Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) has announced the addition of People Input, one of the leading digital agencies in French-speaking Africa, to its affiliate agency network in the west and central Africa region.

Dentsu Aegis Network Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is part of the global media group that specialises in media, digital and creative communications and spans over southern Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania and with both owned businesses, affiliates and affiliate partnerships in another 32 markets across SSA.

People Input is the fastest growing digital agency in francophone Africa and operates from three offices within the west and central African region, being Senegal, Cote dIvoire and Cameroon. People Inputs wide range of digital services has received multiple industry accolades in the region, including the 2016 Best Digital Agency in Senegal, 2016 Outstanding Enterprise Solution in West Africa, 2013 Best ICT company in Senegal and 2012 IT WAEMU Award, proving their capability and strength in their service offering. People Inputs backbone is its people, having 60 young African and digital enthusiasts part of their team.

The business asset lies in their digital expertise which includes: digital strategy, creative design both online and print, social media marketing and web and mobile app development. This partnership supports Dentsu Aegis Network strategy of being a 100% digital economy business by 2020, and positions them as the leading communications network in west and central Africa.

Speaking on the affiliation, the CEO for Dentsu Aegis Network Sub Saharan Africa, Dawn Rowlands, stated, We are very excited and proud to be affiliated to People Input. This affiliation gives us the opportunity to further realize our vision of being the top league of brand builders in Africa and innovate the way brands are built in Africa.

Rowlands added, We have been impressed by the outstanding work People Input continues to deliver for their clients. Digital transformation means that we can change the way that people experience brands like never before. The next five years are going to be a constant state of change, data is becoming a new currency and companies need to be agile or they will be left behind. The digital economy will be the biggest driver of brands growth.

General Manager for People Input Serigne Barro commented: At People Input, we have always had a healthy obsession with matching international quality standards to give our customers the best digital services. But we lacked a partner of international repute to nurture our business expertise and service delivery in that regard. We now have such an ideal win-win partner in Dentsu Aegis Network.

Barro added: The communication business has changed considerably. The challenge today is to devise a coherent multi-layered and multi-channel strategy that makes a real impact on our clients activities and is still rooted in the African cultures that our teams come from. This partnership enables us to offer what the market expects: a local agency of international standard with proven expertise in a 360 approach to communication and a firm grasp of the cultural and sociological realities in each of our countries. With Dentsu Aegis Network we share the same vision and the same dynamic: we believe in Africas digital emergence and wish to develop it by supporting our customers digital transformation.

This affiliation marks a step change for Dentsu Aegis Network SSA, providing immediate scale, talent and new capability in the digital arena in west and central Africa.




UNITED KINGDOM: Academics at Loughborough University have helped Tesco reduce its carbon footprint and save on its energy bill by proposing alterations to the working practices of its store staff.

Robert Edwards via Wikimedia

The four-year project explored the UK business energy usage and efficiency through data evaluation, as well as one-on-one interviews with workers and managers, focus groups and observations across hundreds of the companys UK store metering network.

The team, led by Professor Andrew Dainty of Loughboroughs School of Civil and Building Engineering and Dr Sian Christina (now at Imperial College), included Dr Patrick Waterson from the Loughborough Design School and experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA), have key findings published in the Human Resource Management Journal in a paper entitled Shut the Fridge Door! HRM Alignment, Job Redesign and Energy Performance.

The research shows how goal-driven incentives for each worker coupled to careful job design can bring about radical reductions in energy use in the retail environment.

As the UKs largest retailer, Tesco had already significantly invested in technological innovations in store to save energy, said Prof Dainty. It felt that there was an opportunity to augment this with other interventions aimed at bringing about behavioural changes from its staff and approached Loughborough to explore its store operations from a socio-technical perspective.

We systematically examined the ways in which energy was consumed in the stores and proposed and trialled a series of interventions to support such change. These included goal setting, job redesign, improvements to energy visibility, via improved smart metering displays, and various incentive structures, all of which were designed to complement and be sympathetic to the design of the retail environment.

Replacing energy champions

Before Prof Dainty and his team were commissioned to conduct the research, each of Tescos 769 UK supermarkets had relied on in-store energy champions.

The idea of an energy champion, in principal, is fine, said Prof Dainty. But placing so much responsibility onto one person has its drawbacks. For example, it removes the accountability for energy saving from everyone else. Our role was to see if we could mainstream energy-conscious behaviours for every employee. And if you consider that Tesco employs more than 450,000 worldwide, the cumulative impact of each employee making tiny changes to their working practices is huge.

Prof Olga Tregaskis, of UEAs Norwich Business School, said, Aligning training and performance management human resource processes with how jobs are designed can be a powerful lever in delivering significant organisational performance outcomes. Human resource practices and jobs design can help organisations deliver not only on performance efficiencies but also wider societal wellbeing outcomes, in this case energy reduction.

Giving employees the authority to use their expertise and rewarding them for this can yield significant positives for firms in terms of their economic and societal impacts.

Saving 4 million in first year

Between 2010 and 2014, the Loughborough team worked with Tesco to amend the job descriptions and working practices for every in-store role. A series of changes were gradually implemented across a range of test stores with a control group being used to allow the effects of the measures to be understood.

The outcome was a saving of 4 million in the first year that the new responsibilities were put in place.

The programme of measures have now been adopted in the form of performance targets and energy checks, continued Prof Dainty. Energy consumption and checks on energy use is now an integral part of the performance expectations of the workers  its about foregrounding energy as an important factor in daily performance.

Perhaps most importantly, the research has demonstrated how energy consumption can be reduced without detrimentally affecting other performance criteria such as sales and the customer experience, he concludes.
The Competition Commission placed conditions on two food-group-related deals on Tuesday: Belgian confectioner Puratos's acquisition of half of Bidcorp's bakery division, and Rhodes Food's acquisition of instant mix maker Pakco.

Stepan Popov via 123RF

The commission said it was dissatisfied with restraint of trade obligations Puratos and Bidcorp proposed to apply to their employees.

"Having considered the restraint of trade, the act and the relevant case law, it is the Commission's view that the restraint results in a substantial lessening of competition as it is not reasonable and justifiable. Therefore, the transaction is approved subject to conditions," it said in Tuesday's statement.

Regarding Rhodes Food's acquisition of Pakco, the Commission said it was worried about jobs.

"The Commission has approved the merger subject to the condition, among others, that the merging parties do not retrench the affected employees," it said.

Bidcorp, the food businesses of Bidvest separately listed in June 2016, announced its deal with Puratos in December. It said the Brussels-headquartered multinational would become an equal partner, without disclosing how much would be paid for half of Bidcorp Bakery Solutions (BBS).

The rationale for the deal was to help both groups expand outside SA into the rest of Africa.

Durban-based Pakco's brands include Bisto packet sauces, Trotters and Hinds instant desserts, and Gold Dish canned foods.

Other deals approved by the Competition Commission on Tuesday included Times Media Group's acquisition of Smartcall Technology Solutions.

The Commission approved the deal without conditions, saying it was unlikely to substantially prevent or lessen competition and did not raise any public-interest concerns.

Source: BDpro
The improved outlook towards commodity prices, particularly iron ore, coal and base metals, has been a boost for the mining industry and has opened up exciting opportunities for a wide range of companies active in the sector.

This positivity was reflected at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2017. The recently released updated figures reveal a total attendance of 6,080 people, with 71% more investors attended the event this year than in 2016. There was also a 50% increase in the number of small cap and small private mining companies attending the week-long gathering in Cape Town.

Gradual recovery

Michael Simms, Moore Stephens mining and energy leader, based in London, was upbeat about the prospects for mining projects which have survived the downturn cycle.

He said despite the more positive outlook, he expected the recovery in the sector to be gradual, with political risk in some African countries and compliance pressures still causing some uncertainty. He noted an increasing trend towards opportunities in renewable projects.

The China factor

Improved commodity demand from China during 2016 has been a positive sign with the potential for increased spending on infrastructure in 2017 an important element driving this upturn in demand, said Olivier Barbeau, Moore Stephens South Africa mining leader based in Johannesburg.

Barbeau, who has recently advised several Chinese mining operations entering the South African marketplace, has experienced first-hand the increased interest in the Southern African mining sector.

Small projects easier to fund

David Tomasi, mining partner based at Moore Stephens Perth, said it was clear companies that had tightened up on their costs over the past few years were in a stronger position.

Small to mid-cap projects are finding it easier to be funded, as investors start to look for value. This is a real sweet spot for us.

Rush to renewables

Since the beginning of 2016, we have seen increased interest in potential Africa opportunities as well as South African clients of Moore Stephens firm seeking to enter the Australian mining market with innovative mining technologies, said Tomasi.

Copper, unconventional gas and renewables are starting to generate interest, particularly in Africa where reliable power supply is such an issue. I expect nickel, platinum and lithium to have a bit of a run as the world craves better sustainable energy solutions, with power storage being a key component on this, he added.

We are currently working on a corporate finance transaction that will bring a world-class product manufactured in South Africa to the world market, said Hans Hillermann, corporate finance Partner for Moore Stephens Durban.

This innovation provides mining operations cost-effective products in the period when the pressure is to reduce cost reduction.

Transparency and accountability

Besides its regular audit and advisory work with clients, Moore Stephens is also at the forefront of conducting country reconciliations for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), having completed the process for countries ranging from Mali and Zambia to Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Myanmar.

Fifty-one countries are either fully compliant or are going through the process to be part of the EITI, a global standard which promotes the open and accountable management of natural resources, mainly of oil, gas, metals and minerals.
Lonmin shares fell more than 10%, when it told the market its chief operating officer, Ben Moolman, had resigned for "personal reasons".

On the JSE, the share price closed 8,5% down at R16,14, its lowest level in 2017, marking it out as the weakest of SA's platinum companies since the start of the year. Lonmin has dropped more than 31% so far in 2017 and 50% in the past 52 weeks.

Analysts said Moolman, a figure with the operational experience necessary to turn the embattled company's mines back to profit, appeared to have had enough.

Source: Lonmin

"You can't replace him with anyone else in the hope they can fix the operational problems. The real problem is the capital structure of the company - that and the labour and social issues," said Nedbank analyst Leon Esterhuizen.

The lack of capital, stemming in large part from a 2016 rights issue that was too small, meant there was not enough money to invest in the mines and, in particular, to bring the suspended and partially built K4 mine into production as the company's lowest-cost mine, he said.

The London- and JSE-listed shares fell to a level that was not far off the equivalent 1p per share at which Lonmin conducted a heavily discounted rights issue in December 2015 to raise a total $407m. It subsequently consolidated its shares on a 100:1 basis to reduce its 28billion shares in issue to a more manageable level.

Meeting Moolman during an analysts' visit to Lonmin's mines near Brits in North West earlier in 2017, analysts said he believed the operational setbacks could be overcome.

"He's been made the fall guy for everything that's gone wrong and will go wrong in coming months. Lonmin won't make its production targets and the blame will be directed at Ben. Lonmin is losing one of its best people," said an analyst.

Lonmin's biggest shaft, K3, had a poor first quarter, with output falling 14%. "Overall, the relationship between operational management and unions at this shaft is not working as effectively as we expected and the yielding of results from the implementation of business improvement initiatives at this shaft is taking longer than we would have liked to see," Lonmin said in January.
The 2017 iteration of the Old Mutual Corporate Retirement Monitor, shows there's a dramatic decrease in the number of employees planning to preserve their savings should they resign from their position.

Low rates of preservation of retirement savings will result in many South Africans not reaching their retirement goals. This is the key finding of the report, which tracks trends in the attitudes of retirement fund members towards pre- and post-retirement over the span of seven years, with the aim of understanding how they view retirement planning.

Malusi Ndlovu, head of Old Mutual Corporate Consultants, says this dramatic decline in members intention to preserve is very concerning.

Between 2012 and 2016, the number of working South Africans who are likely to cash-in their retirement savings should they have the opportunity has increased from 19% to 35%. Studies show that this is one of the most value-destroying behaviours when it comes to long-term savings, as it reduces the impact of compound interest.

Few have any sort of retirement plan

Making the national outlook worse, Ndlovu adds, is the fact that 30% of working South Africans have no formal retirement savings vehicles at all. This statistic jumps to 58% among people earning less than R5,000 per month. This group is the most vulnerable, as they often do not have any discretionary savings either or own any property that they can sell to finance their post-retirement lifestyle.

As long as this situation continues, a significant reliance on the state old age pensions will remain, and at only R1,600 per month the state pension cannot provide real security.

Sandwich generation

He goes on to say that the increasingly high dependency ratios in families make the need for retirement savings even more urgent. About 23% of working South Africans are part of the sandwich generation that supports their children as well as their parents. Whats alarming is that this percentage increases to 25% for those aged 55 and older, including those earning as little as R5,000 per month.

While many South Africans admit to being worried about their financial situation, a large majority feel trapped. As many as 73% of surveyed individuals believe that in todays society, there is no alternative but to get into debt. This figure has been steadily increasing every year since 2010, when the figure stood at 60%.

The percentage of non-fund members who expect to work after retirement has risen from 52% in 2012 to 58% in 2016, highlighting the benefit of being a member of a retirement fund and having structured retirement planning.

Employers need to play a role

The reality, however, is that only 70% of working South African respondents belong to a retirement fund (either employer sponsored or private). And of those that do belong to a retirement fund, Ndlovu points out that the majority (61%) do so through their employer arrangement. This underscores the important role employer-provided vehicles play in encouraging responsible financial behaviour.

Employers can assist by choosing appropriate defaults for retirement fund members. About 61% of members actively chose the default portfolio because they trusted it was appropriate or did not feel confident about making an alternative choice. Where member choice is provided, only 8% have changed their investment choice in the last three years. When it comes to choosing an annuity, 45% of members want the fund to recommend an option or to provide a range of pre-selected options. This is as high as 54% for those earning less than R5,000.

Ndlovu concludes that employers need to work together with qualified consultants to design retirement structures that make positive retirement outcomes possible for their employees.

This is particularly important for employees who are financially vulnerable and rely on guidance from experts to make the right financial decisions. While the industry is making inroads in promoting awareness of the importance of preservation and proper financial planning, there is still plenty of work to do to ensure that South Africans can retire in comfort.
At a recent Standard Bank Agribusiness event, former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said that agriculture can contribute tremendously to growth and development in South Africa, but policymakers and key role players must "pull together" to improve access for new entrants. We need a more holistic approach that doesn't just look at agriculture but also rural development. Policies - whether sectoral or broad - should not put obstacles in the way to driving business in rural areas, which is an environment conducive to diversification, he said.

Unsplash via pixabay

High levels of concentration in the value chain and access to infrastructure are among the key challenges facing the sector, according to the National Development Plan (NDP). Finance is also seen as a critical challenge for new and black-owned businesses. Much needs to be done in terms of implementing existing policies if agriculture is to play the role the NDP envisions for it, said Nene.

Funding across the full spectrum of farmers

Nico Groenewald, Standard Bank head of agriculture said while funding needs to make commercial sense, Standard Bank places emphasis on providing funding across the full spectrum of farmers  from small-scale to major agriculture businesses. While a farming venture needs to make commercial sense before funding can be provided  and we prefer to deal with lending up to a 15-year term - this does not mean if you start small, the farm will not be at a commercially viable level, he said.

Collaborative solutions are being harnessed, for example, where the bank works with other institutions that step in as equity partners when there is a lack of equity.

While the worldwide trend is for farms to become bigger and more commercial, South Africa has at least 20m people in rural land areas where small-scale farming takes place. The bottom line is to be able to do it at a commercially viable level. But that does not mean niche markets, for example, cant be served by a smaller-scale farm, said Groenewald.

Prospects and opportunities

While the agriculture sector has had to survive a number of recent shocks, like a debilitating drought, policy uncertainty over land rights and currency and global volatility, chief executive officer of the Agricultural Business Chamber, Dr John Purchase told delegates that recent rainfalls have made an enormous difference to the prospects for the sector.

The latest maize crop estimate is more than a third higher than the paltry 7.9m tonnes of last year. The issue around rain and maize crop affects the entire value chain and this improvement could add a full percentage point to GDP in SA, he said.

Another big trend creating exciting opportunities is that more than 50% of agricultural produce now goes to Africa. However, Dr Purchase cautions that innovation and efficiencies will be key. To survive in the agro-food industry you have to improve efficiency by at least 2% a year just to stay competitive with the rest of the world  you need to raise productivity and this means using technology and skilled labour to make those goods more productive, he said.

From worst case scenario to best case scenario

Independent Scenario Strategist Chantell Ilbury said a worst case scenario for the industry  which would lead to unsustainable production  would be driven by issues like policy uncertainty, distrust, unrest, land grabs and corruption, among others.

However, the industry could move into an optimal scenario in which production is highly sustainable by achieving an optimal mix of large and emerging farmers, as well as having agricultural-friendly government policies. The best case scenario also includes affordable food prices, public-private partnerships, investment into research and development, an integrated climate change response security of tenure and stable exchange rate, she said.

There is a lot of noise at the moment and an interesting development is different businesses and sectors are saying they dont want to talk too much about politics but rather look at everyday events, she said.

Economist Roelof Botha said there were reasons for modest optimism about the economy, driven by factors like South African households having a lower debt/disposable income ratio than most key trading partners and real retail trade sales regularly reaching new record highs. Competitiveness strengths to build on the soundness of banks and financial services meeting business needs. However, leadership, teamwork and smart policies are required, he said.

Consumer trends

Food buying behaviour researcher Nadia van der Colff told the conference a growing global population is one of the major external drivers placing increased pressure on the agri-sector to provide more food. A big trend is urbanisation, with the number of households increasing rapidly. Another key demographic trend is a growing middle class in developing economies that needs to be fed.

She said consumers are searching for healthy, wholesome foods, but also short ingredient lists. Plant based proteins are buzzing. "Technology, information, networks and opinion leaders are driving transparency, sustainability, health and wellness."

Ahead of the implementation of a sugar tax locally, sugar replacements and alternatives area a key trend being seen around the world.

Consumers are impatient, with convenient options being sought. Demand for convenient packaged food is increasing, said van der Colff.

Dr Purchase concluded that while the consumer is generally spoilt for choice in a country like SA, affordability remains a problem for lower LSM groups. You need to understand consumer trends, like how niche markets are growing and you need to know the regulatory environment as there will be greater levels of compliance, he said.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) and Steyn City Properties have entered into an agreement for the upgrading of Cedar Road. The planned improvements will add significant value to improving the transport infrastructure in the area and relieve traffic congestion at key intersections  thereby contributing to the betterment of economic sustainability in the area.

Cedar Road is an important provincial arterial, linking the Lanseria area with the Fourways Precinct passing Steyn City, Dainfern, Chartwell, Broad Acres and Lone Hill. It also serves as the primary access route to the Fourways Life Hospital.

Traffic volumes

As with most network linkages within Gautengs major residential and commercial areas, traffic volumes within the Fourways Precinct, and in particular along Cedar Road, has increase significantly over the last few years. Peak hour traffic reaches almost 2,000 vehicles and is projected to grow further in the future. Associated with this, the link is under significant strain from a capacity, as well as a pavement structure, point of view.

Steyn City Properties commissioned WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Africa, at an early stage in the project to investigate the feasibility of upgrading Cedar Road as part of the developers investment in the transport infrastructure for the region  for improved access and sustainability of the ecosystem of the surrounding area.

Pavement structure

From our initial investigations we found that the existing Cedar Road is not in a great state, particularly from a pavement structure perspective. We also identified important capacity improvements from the regional Traffic Master Plan that are direly needed  and once completed will add immense value for the area, says Francois van Rensburg, divisional director, Transportation and Infrastructure, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Africa.

Taking the magnitude of the work required for the upgrading and rehabilitation of the route into consideration, WSP and Steyn City Properties approached the GDRT to assist with the upgrading of Cedar Road. The provincial department considered this link an important one in their macro plan to support development of the Gauteng province and improved linkages to vital economic nodes like Fourways, Lanseria and those in between  and entered into an agreement with the property developer.

The project includes doubling the road to four lanes, two per direction, from Uranium Road up to Valley Road. However, the section of Cedar between Witkoppen has been rehabilitated without additional lanes. At various intersections additional turning lanes will be constructed, with traffic signals upgraded at the Lombardy intersection.

Stormwater systems

The existing road will also be rehabilitated to accommodate the increased traffic loads. Furthermore, stormwater systems and non-motorised transport facilities will be provided along the route  where some current stormwater problems experienced at the intersection of Frederick and Cedar Road will also be addressed. To improve traffic and pedestrian safety, the project team is also in discussions with Joburg City Power regarding the installation of street lighting along the route.

This will be the second phase for the upgrading of Cedar Road, as the phase for the project was completed for the section of Cedar Road from Valley Road up to Runnymead in 2016. The project was completed with great success and the contractor met all the procurement targets. We anticipate that the second phase will achieve the same success and the new contract will certainly encourage employment, skills development opportunities, training and economic empowerment to the local community, adds van Rensburg.

Contract value

The contract value for this second phase equates to approximately R67m. The project will be constructed over eleven months and the specific targets have been set in the construction contract to secure the involvement of SMEs and the empowerment of local labour. 30% of all labour on the project must be sourced locally, while 40% of the contract value must be spent through the utilisation of qualified SMEs, BBBEE contractors and woman-owned suppliers and sub-contractors.

The expected value that these upgrades will offer to the local area cannot be underestimated. We are conscious though that there may be some inconvenience to commenters during the construction phase, as the project is limited in available road reserves to accommodate the existing traffic. However, while construction is undertaken Cedar Road will be widened on both sides, in as far as possible, to address this challenge. Motorists however, are also asked to be patient and considerate of the conditions during the construction period, concludes van Rensburg.
Can You Sue a Federal Agency for Not Enforcing the Law?

Most government agencies are tasked with enforcing laws and statutes. These agencies and their enforcement missions can encompass everything from your local police enforcing municipal ordinances to federal agencies prosecuting violations of enacted statutes. Because these federal agencies have a nationwide reach, their enforcement actions, or lack thereof, can often garner more attention and scrutiny.

So what happens if they fail to do their job? Do regular folks have any legal recourse against a federal agency for not enforcing certain laws? Here's a look.

Citizens Suits

In certain instances, private citizens can file lawsuits to enforce a statute. But this right may be limited by the statute itself or other federal laws. Citizen suits are most common in the civil rights and environmental realms, where federal statues contain specific provisions for citizens to bring lawsuits against violators or government agencies tasked with enforcing those laws. For instance, the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act both allow citizens to sue the Environment Protection Agency for failure to enforce anti-pollution regulations.

This right to sue a federal agency is generally limited, however, to non-discretionary duties. As part of the Executive Branch, most federal agencies have prosecutorial discretion, meaning that just because they could enforce a statute does not mean that they must. But some of a federal agency's obligations may be non-discretionary, and if an agency fails to uphold those responsibilities, a citizen may be able to sue.

Citizen Standing

The other hurdle to suing a federal agency is standing, another way of saying that a party has legally protectable stake or interest in a dispute that entitles them to sue. Demonstrating standing to sue a federal agency for failing to enforce a law can be a bit tricky and generally requires three elements:

You must have suffered or prove you will suffer an "injury in fact," defined as an invasion of a legally protected interest which is both concrete and "actual or imminent, not 'conjectural' or 'hypothetical'"; There must be a causal connection between your injury and the agency's failure to enforce the law, and not result of some independent action by a third party; and It must be likely that your injury will be "redressed by a favorable decision."

If you're thinking of suing a federal agency, talk to an experienced governmental lawyer first.

Related Resources:
A few months ago, South Africa's oceans were the scene of what can only be described as two high action pursuits by South African authorities of suspicious Chinese vessels fishing illegally in South African waters.

 Pedro Antonio Salaverria Calahorra  123RF.com

In one incident the authorities rounded up nine Chinese fishing vessels which initially co-operated, but then suddenly acting in unison scattered in all directions. A South African patrol vessel kept up with one of the fishing vessels, the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 186 took it into custody and escorted it to Cape Town where it was seized. The other eight vessels avoided seizure.

In the second incident the authorities detained three Chinese vessels on suspicion of illegal squid fishing. The vessels were spotted after entering South Africa's 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Authorities, knowing the vessels did not have permits, asked the vessels to sail to port. Two of the three Chinese vessels allegedly played cat and mouse with the South African navy before they were eventually cornered and frogmarched to East London.

In the second incident, 600 tons of squid was found on the vessels, but it was determined that the cargo was not fished in South African waters. However, the vessels were charged in terms of the Marine Livings Resources Act (MLRA) and pleaded guilty to possessing fishing gear on board without gear permits and were fined R200,000 each for that offence. The masters of the two vessels who attempted to flee also pleaded guilty to non-compliance with the lawful instruction of the fishery control officer and were fined R50,000 each. There was also an additional fine of R1.3 million relating to environmental contraventions. It is interesting to note that the masters of the vessels pleaded guilty, but were in fact found not guilty by a court after a trial.

Fines - just small fry

In the first incident no fish was found on the vessel, but the master of the vessel was also charged, similar to the second incident, with contravening the MLRA by entering South Africas exclusive economic zone without a valid permit, presumably also for having fishing gear on board without a gear permit and that the master of the vessel did not immediately comply with a lawful instruction given by a fishery control officer. It is assumed that fines were paid and the vessel left our waters soon thereafter. This incident was described by the Chinese embassy as essentially miscommunication between the authorities and master of the vessel due to the language barrier, but no reasonable explanation was proffered as to why the other eight vessels bolted at the first opportunity.

The concern with the fines meted out in the second incident and presumably similar fines in the first incident is that the fines were too lenient and that the vessels may return. The damage which illegal fishing is doing in our waters is substantial. If a vessel is apprehended, which is proving to be rather difficult for the authorities, even for a minor offence, that punishment should be so severe that no other vessels from the same fleet attempt to enter South African waters again illegally. A fine of R200,000 is a small price to pay in comparison to the profit that can be made through illegal fishing. As demonstrated in the second incident, the owners of the vessels quickly paid the R2 million in fines.

From the above the following are apparent:

It is difficult to catch illegal fishing vessels, which can easily escape to any place outside of South Africas exclusive economic zone;



If a vessel is caught then it will be difficult for authorities to frame charges that can be successfully prosecuted as can be seen in light of the fact that, on one occasion, no fish were found on the vessel and in the other the fish was ostensibly caught outside of our waters;



Any fine will be happily be paid by foreign owners in order to avoid a court trial. It appears that owners would rather pay a fine than be found not guilty by a court;



The fines being issued currently are unlikely to be a deterrent to illegal fishing in future.

Rules and regulations

In both of the above incidents, the vessels were found to be without permits to have fishing gear on board. A foreign fishing vessel cannot enter our waters without a permit authorising the vessel to have fishing gear on board, even if it is just innocently passing through. Application should be made to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries prior to entering South African waters and is a fairly simple process. This is a contravention that can be fairly easily prosecuted successfully and the masters of such vessels can be found guilty.

Particular sections and regulations of the MLRA read with a section of the Criminal Procedure Act, make it an offence for any person to have on board a fishing vessel a wide variety of fishing gear for the purpose of commercial or subsistence fishing, mariculture or the operation of a fish processing facility, without the necessary permit, including any gear, stake net, setnet, gillnet, driftnet, bottom trawlnet, midwater trawlnet, purse-seine net, purse-net, longline or any type of rock lobster trap.

The MLRA also sets out offences and penalties under the act, and states that contravention of any other provision, such as not having a permit for gear, can result in a severe penalty for non-compliance of up to R2 million or five years imprisonment.

Deterrant

Fishing fleets are expected to be aware of local requirements when entering a countrys exclusive economic zone and ignorance of a countrys fishing laws should never be an excuse. In order to create a strong deterrent, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries should insist on the full R2 million fine for non-compliance and where necessary should push for prison sentences, for example with repeat offenders. Not having a permit may seem a trivial offence, but in light of the fact that other more serious offences will be difficult to prosecute, a contravention of the MLRA and its regulations should be punished to the fullest extent possible in order to deter illegal fishing. At the same time, responsible and justifiable enforcement of the regulations and act should be of the utmost importance as it is economically desirable for international fishing fleets to re-supply in South Africa and, from a reputational point of view, the country cannot afford for vessels to be seized and masters arrested without reasonable cause.
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande says all the 26 public universities' processes on external moderation and examination are in place.

The process is part of a programme accreditation prerequisite, as stated by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) in accordance with its programme accreditation criteria.

Student evaluation and assessment procedures must be explicitly stated in the Student Assessment Policies and Procedures of each university in accordance with Criterion 6, which states that External moderation of students learning achievements by appropriately qualified personnel. Moderators are appointed in terms of clear criteria and procedures and conduct their responsibilities in terms of clear guidelines.

In addition, Criterion 13 (CHE, 2004: 19-20) states that The programme has effective assessment practices which include internal (or external) assessment, as well as internal and external moderation.

The learning achievements of students on the exit level of a qualification are externally moderated by appropriately qualified people, who have been appointed according to clear criteria and procedures and who conduct their responsibilities in terms of clear guidelines.

External moderation includes the following:



External moderators are recommended by the examining academic department, are independent experts in their fields, have qualifications at least on the same level as the qualification being examined, are changed regularly, are not appointed as part of reciprocal arrangements (where possible), and are approved by and responsible to Senate/equivalent body.



The institution provides information on the curriculum and on continuous assessment, and guidelines to assist external moderators in the completion of their reports.



External moderators mark fully at the exit level of the programme at least 10% of the examination scripts for each paper written and do random checks of at least 20% of examination scripts for each paper.



Completed external moderator reports are returned to the lecturer concerned and also to the programme coordinator or head of department/school. Problems are discussed with the lecturer concerned and the programme coordinator monitors the implementation of agreed improvements. External moderators approve the final marks list for the qualification concerned.



External moderators are expected to comment on the validity of the assessment instruments, the quality of student performance and the standard of student attainment, the reliability of the marking process, and any concerns or irregularities with respect to the observation of institutional/professional regulations.

In addition, academics from South Africa as well as from international universities are utilised as external examiners. Such external examiners and moderators must adhere to the minimum criteria for examiners as set by the CHE in its Criteria for Programme Accreditation.

At least one external examiner must be utilised for the examination and moderation of dissertations and theses. Their expertise to serve as external examiners is in accordance with the criteria for programme accreditation.

Minister Nzimande explained that the actual external examiners change and evolve continuously, regardless of whether they are from South African or international institutions.

The department does not collect information on the institutions from which external examiners are drawn. Examiners are used in all exit level examinations in major fields of study in programmes at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Levels 7 to 10. This is a quality assurance requirement, he said.
Government has contributed over R4 billion towards covering university fee increases, says Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande.

Minister Nzimande said government contributed the amount towards the 0% fee increase for the 2016 academic year as a result of FeesMustFall protests, as well as the fee increases of up to a cap of 8% for students from families with an income of up to R600,000.

An amount of R1.935 billion was allocated and paid to universities towards the 2016 0% fee increase, while R2.460 billion was contributed to cover fee increases up to a cap of 8% for students from families with an income of up to R600,000 for the 2017 academic year.

This was not a 0% increase. These funds are not in the departments budget baseline but they have been reprioritised from the National Skills Fund (NSF), Minister Nzimande said in a statement.

Upfront payments

The Minister said upfront payments to universities amounting to R1.045 billion will be transferred in three equal payments before 31 March 2017.

This amount is equal to 50% of the upfront payments that universities received in January 2016 for the 0% fee increase allocation. The balance of the allocation will be paid to universities once the process of identifying missing middle students has been finalised with universities.

The transfer of the balance of the funding will only be done upon the receipt of the database of the poor and missing middle cohort, as agreed with the universities, the Minister said.

He said all amounts indicated for each university for damages caused by protesting students and the 0% fee increase for 2016 have been transferred.

For the fee increases for students from a family with an income of up to R600,000 for the 2017 academic year, R352.652 million was released at the end of January 2017, and the other two equal tranches will be released at the end of February and March 2017.

The balance of the allocation will be paid to universities once the process to identify missing middle students has been finalised as per the process map and the quantum of funding per university is officially communicated to the department.
The 2017 African Responsible Tourism Awards , sponsored by WESGRO and organised by Better Tourism Africa , has moved into the second round with over 30 tourism organisations, all demonstrating the power of responsible tourism in Africa, vying for top spots at the awards ceremony at WTM Africa in April.

Previous winners of the African Responsible Tourism Awards

The awards recognise African organisations that offer a shining example of how tourism can benefit the local people, the environment, and destinations. The awards are part of a family of regional Responsible Tourism Awards which culminate each year with World Responsible Tourism Day at WTM in London.

This year, the longlist names tourism organisations from Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Longlisted organisations compete in seven categories, among them habitat and species conservation, engaging people and culture, poverty reduction and a new category in 2017 - the best responsible event.

The quality of entries which have made it through to the longlist this year confirms the power of responsible tourism as a force for good in Africa. Each and every one of these organisations is playing an important role in championing responsible tourism. Weve reviewed the information from the first round entry forms, and are excited about the possibilities, says Heidi van der Watt, founder of the African awards and director of Better Tourism Africa.

Judging

The longlisted organisations will now be rigorously questioned and their submissions reviewed by the judging team. Chair of Judges, Professor Harold Goodwin says: "The field for the 2017 African Responsible Tourism Awards (ARTA) is even stronger than previous years  and that takes some doing! Those longlisted have been invited to complete a detailed questionnaire, we'll take up references and make some inquiries. On judging day we'll identify those that demonstrate the difference that taking responsibility can make, and have the capacity to educate and inspire others to be more responsible."

The general public can also offer support or otherwise for longlisted organisations by emailing moc.sdrawamsiruotelbisnopsernacirfa@suotklat. Based on all the evidence, the independent judging team, made up of industry experts, will debate the entries and select the shortlist and winners. The shortlist will be announced on 7 April 2017.

The 2017 African Responsible Tourism Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony that will be held on Thursday 20 April 2017 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The ceremony is part of the responsible tourism programme at WTM Africa, which takes place from 19 to 21 April 2017.

Carol Weaving, managing director for Reed Exhibitions, organiser of WTM Africa, says: WTM Africa is now firmly established on the African travel and tourism event calendar. Responsible Tourism is a cornerstone of WTM Africa and integral to the success of tourism on the continent. All stakeholders have a duty to ensure education, sustainability, and authenticity when promoting the unique experiences that Africa has to offer. We look forward to an exciting third edition of the African Responsible Tourism Awards, here in Cape Town at the CTICC at WTM Africa.

The 2017 ARTA longlist

 African Bush Camps

 African Impact

 All Out Africa

 Basecamp Explorer

 Blood Lions

 Bushfire

 Coffee Shack Backpackers

 Damaraland Camp & the Torra Conservancy

 Gamewatchers Safaris

 Great Plains Conservation

 Green Girls in Africa

 Ilha Blue Island Safaris

 Influence Tours

 Isibindi Africa Lodges

 Khaya Volunteer Projects

 Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

 LEO Africa

 Maasai Olympics

 Maboneng Township Arts Experience

 Maboneng Township Arts Experience Festival

 Mashujaa Peace Walk

 Panthera Africa

 Save Foundation

 Serena Hotels

 Simien Lodge

 Sterkspruit Community Art Centre Tele Bridge Race

 Thanda Safari

 The Backpack

 Tour de Tuli

 Tzaneen Country Lodge

 Uniglobe Lets Go Travel

 Uthando

 Warrior On Wheels Foundation

 Wilderness Safaris

 Wildlife ACT
Addis is the first South African-owned manufacturer to comply fully with the international requirements of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) Global Conformance Programme.

The SEDEX Audit encompasses all aspects of responsible business practice, including labour standards, health and safety, the environment and business ethics.

We are proud of this achievement because it puts Addis on par with top international producers, when it comes to implementing responsible business practice, says Addis CEO, Errol Stern.

The most recent SEDEX audit was conducted according to the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) 5.0 protocol, which is the most comprehensive review of the audit format to date. The new version of SMETA aims to empower auditors further to assess the implementation of labour standards and health safety management accurately at a workplace site.

The protocols recent updates place the worker at the centre of the audit process and include a new section on workplace human rights, improved guidance around interviewing migrant workers and the inclusion of trade union or worker committee involvement in the audit process.

Dr Chris Brendon conducted the audit on behalf of DQS South Africa, a member of German DQS Holding international certification company.

Family values

Addis is a family run business (now in its fourth generation) with a strong sense of heritage and values dating back to 1914. It is repeatedly rated as one of the country's most trusted brands, with recent market research measuring brand awareness among local consumers at more than 90%.

Among the companys values, which include consistency, quality and reliability, is a strong belief in the development of employees and a passion for developing the skills of individuals that will not only improve their individual lives but contribute to the growth and development of the economy. Numerous members of its team  from senior management to factory workers  have had opportunities to further their education, thereby advancing their careers and enabling them to transcend historical disadvantages. The company now provides employment for 700 people.
Accenture Interactive, diamond sponsor for the IAB Digital Summit, has announced that Didier Uljasz will be the keynote speaker at the IAB Digital Summit 2017. Uljasz, MD at Accenture Interactive, is the head of the agency's personalisation practice across EALA, and digital marketing lead for the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey. He will bring his vast experience on channelling detailed customer data for tangible business impact.

With his background as a data scientist, Uljasz has worked with global clients on several large-scale digital transformation programmes in sectors spanning retail, automotive, telecoms, media and banking. These engagements often have the common objective to transform big data into actionable insights that lead to value for businesses and their customers.

Uljasz will discuss The art of knowing me: the customer genome and the new state of hyper-personalisation. This presentation is rooted in Accenture Interactives groundbreaking research into the customer genome.

As the digital world evolves with consumers having endless options, many companies have lost the personalised touch and service that customers appreciate in their off-line world. Companies must move beyond simply knowing what customers purchase and consume and begin to understand why they made those choices, said head of Accenture Interactive South Africa, Gareth Murphy. Im pleased to bring Didier into the country to share more on how this can be achieved through what we call the customer genome, and how this can be leveraged to build a living profile of the customers unique preferences, passions, and needs, as well as lay the foundation for a future where personalisation platforms can architect previously unimagined experiences.

When customers make a purchase decision it is often based on a variety of aspects, such as features, ratings and reviews, and brand name, among others. The various product attributes that customers have access to make up the products DNA. The collection of these product attributes across the full set of merchandise can provide an extensive and descriptive data library to uncover why people chose what they chose.

Combining the descriptive attributes across all interactions creates the customer genome, which is a living profile of unique aspects of each individual as they evolve in real time.

As the diamond partner of the IAB Digital Summit, Accenture Interactive is proud to initiate a discussion that will be thought-provoking and insightful for those who attend. Together with the IAB, Accenture Interactive supports the reinvention of media, platforms, creative and business models in the digital age.

The IAB Digital Summit, powered by Accenture Interactive, is an essential industry gathering, providing indispensable insight for any brand serious about engagement with its customers. It will be held on 16 March 2017 at The Galleria in Sandton from 9am until 3:30pm. Standard, non-member Summit tickets cost R1,950, while IAB SA members can get their tickets for R1,690. Bookmark Awards tickets are on sale for R1,090 for both the awards and after party or R450 for the after party only. To book tickets and for more information on the IAB Digital Summit & Bookmarks click here.
From Quantums to London cabs and metered cabs that are imploding the country's major nodes, mass urbanisation has increased taxi vehicle usage creating an infrastructure for much larger quantities of out of home (OOH) advertising.

Brands have caught onto this rapid increase in transport to take advantage and use this platform for clever and effective, highly visible advertising campaigns, adding a form of digitisation to go one step further.

Traditional metered cab branding has been hugely successful, comments Warren Weiner, founder and director of New Wave Outdoor Media (NWOM). Last year, Groupon used a clear call to action inside and outside the metered cabs for commuters to download their mobile app. Whether they were at a bus stop or sitting in a coffee shop or walking to and from work and office meetings, they successfully engaged with consumers who were influenced through the clever design to do just as required  download the app.

OOH executive at KFC Dudu Cindi says, I am personally a firm believer in cohesive multi-channel marketing campaigns and in particular the versatility of the OOH media space. The thinking behind this specific campaign was for product awareness and education. The cabs were a perfect platform for this campaign as we could do a reach and awareness job with a fully wrapped metered cab that allowed the message to break through the clutter as well as track ROI with the added benefits by including free Wi-Fi inside the metered cabs.

Would they use these branded vehicles again? Certainly, but with more innovation; i.e. 3D moulds. OOH has no fast forward, pause or off button, its always on, she adds.

With the commuter time average in South Africa, 35-59 minutes, the implementation of digital out of home (DOOH) has given rise to more opportunities for branding of metered cabs, not only on the outside, but inside as well.

NWOM has implemented digital screens inside taxis to capture the attention of commuters.

Nestle Aero had the same approach, however took things to the next level by incorporating a strong sampling activation to accompany their 3D rooftop innovation. Yodi Klaasen from Nestle says, The aim for this OOH campaign was to delight the consumer with the unexpected through leveraging the wacky Aero Bubble bar.

Nestle Aero's goal was to drive overall brand awareness while also increasing engagement with the brand by incorporating their social media platforms to drive awareness of the new Nestle Aero chocolate. Consumers were introduced to the new adverts and other promotional material via a video screen within the cab, then encouraged to create their own content while in or next to the branded cab (selfie, video, etc.) and post it on Facebook and Instagram or tweet it with the hashtag #Aeroletgo. Each passenger received a complimentary slab of Nestle Aero from their cab driver, whether they entered or not, as an additional sampling drive. We sampled over 1,000 passengers during the duration of the campaign. Nestle Aero gained over 7,000 more followers in the first 6 weeks (passengers and non-passengers) with just 8 cabs in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Another example of internal branding was the recent activation by Rimmel London for SA Fashion Week, which saw the brand embroided on the passengers' seats.

The three-month campaign was initiated to bring OOH awareness to the fact that Rimmel London was the official make-up partner of SA Fashion Week AW2017 in Johannesburg. Senior brand manager for Rimmel London Fahima Saban, says, We wanted to create a Rimmel experience for our VIP guests from the moment they arrived in Johannesburg and while hosting them at the event. The idea was to drive awareness of Rimmel and the strong heritage of London, its partnership with SAFW and for them to be feel like they were having a true British experience.

On a global spectrum, according to Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO of OAAA, the MAGNA forecast released in mid-June last year projects that global ad spend would increase by 5.4% in 2016. This growth, combined with that of DOOH advertising, will offer opportunities to interact with these devices, increasingly including technologies such as near-field communications (NFC), allowing advertisements to act as points of sale.

Overall, OOH is the traditional advertising medium benefitting most from digitisation, and we are proud to be part of growing this international trend here in South Africa, concludes Weiner.
In a wildlife sanctuary in southern Kenya the relentless sun has bleached savannah grasses and dried up rivers, turning water holes first into muddy pits and now, dust bowls.

Herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra have gathered near one of the holes, where for six months, pea farmer Patrick Mwalua has been delivering water to them in a rented blue truck.

After the rains failed for the third time in November, Mwalua was so distressed by the obviously weak and thirsty animals that he began seeking donations to bring water to the Taita Hills sanctuary.

The 41-year-old was haunted by the memory of a 2009 drought, which the International Fund for Animal Welfare estimates led to the loss of 40% of the animals in the neighbouring Tsavo West National Park.

"It was so sad. I saw it myself and I felt very bad and I said this thing should never happen again," he told AFP.

Over his lifetime, Mwalua has seen the climate change drastically, with droughts causing chronic water shortages and increased conflict between villagers and wildlife.

Thirsty elephants - which can drink up to 190-litres of water in one sitting - have in recent months carried out often deadly raids on villages in search of water.

To the majority of locals struggling to survive the failure of their crops, these wildlife neighbours are little more than a menace and competition for land and resources.

However Mwalua believes it is crucial to protect the wildlife, arguing "we are the voice of the animals".

He reached out to foreigners, who had participated in a conservation programme he runs, to ask for donations to pay for the $250 truckloads of water.

At first, he would pour it into natural water holes but quickly realised that much was soaked up by the baking earth, so turned instead to a cement hole near a tourist lodge.

The animals "come running the moment they see the truck, they even know the timings. When they are really thirsty they even drink when the truck is emptying," the lodge's assistant manager Alex Namunje told AFP.

A GoFundMe crowdfunding page, set up by an American friend, has raised over $200,000 - most of that in the past two weeks, as word spread about Mwalua's initiative.

"It has blown my mind," said Mwalua, who plans to buy his own water truck and dig a borehole in the park.

Meanwhile the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - famed for rearing orphan elephants - has now joined him in trucking in water to the water hole.

In a sign of the crisis the region faces, the charity has drilled 13 boreholes over the years, Angela Sheldrick, who runs the trust, told AFP.

While conservationists praise Mwalua's efforts, they warn that climate change and human activity have affected water supply so badly it will take much more to solve the problem.

"It is a good initiative but how much water can we truck into Tsavo? How many boreholes can you sink?" asked Jacob Kipongoso, head of the Tsavo Heritage Foundation.

Conflict between humans and wildlife is only going to get worse, he believes.

One deadly clue is the snakes' behaviour.

Every morning, in Kipongoso's village, when women go to the water pumps, they see the swirling snake tracks in the sand.

Desperate for water and a cool place to shelter as drought and climate change affect their habitat, snakes increasingly come into contact with people.

As a result, snakebites have shot up so much in recent years that the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is trying to amend a law to stop having to compensate those bitten, which costs millions of euros per year.

The main water source for Tsavo West is Lake Jipe, which straddles the border with Tanzania. According to Kipongoso, its level has dropped 10-metres in a decade.

"At the same rate it means in another four or five years it will be a swamp, in another 15 years it will be a dust bowl. That means Tsavo West is dead, finished," he warned.

He blames the water problems on "sheer human activity" in catchment areas.

In the nearby Amboseli park, during the 2009 drought, 14 elephants were killed by poachers, while another 99 died because of lack of water, according to KWS figures.

"What all that means is we need now to stop focusing on poaching and start facing the imminent catastrophe which is the mass death of elephants and wildlife from lack of water," Kipongoso said.

"The only way you can do that is landscape rehabilitation," he said, referring to reverting the land to its state before human activity changed it.

Mwalua's undertaking is exhausting. Bleary-eyed, he eats a quick breakfast of Swahili sweet bun and tea before embarking on the 70km journey.

Delivering the 12,000 litres of water is a slow, hour-long drive that he sometimes makes several times a day, despite suffering from kidney failure requiring twice-weekly dialysis.

But he perks up when he sees the waiting animals.

On a February afternoon, clouds gather above the savannah and a rare burst of rain fills the air with an earthy petrichor but doesn't stick around long enough to penetrate the soil.

Weeks of driving rain are needed to break the drought, and forecasters are already gloomy about the next rainy season due this month.

Source: AFP
Consumer sentiment is paramount to your business

Jill Hamilton, managing director, Weber Shandwick Africa shares recent insights on South African consumers according to the The Company behind the Brand II: In Goodness We Trust global report.

The Company behind the Brand II: In Goodness We Trust examines businesses' brands and reputations from the views of consumers and senior executives. The report describes how consumers view their influence on corporate reputation, what they expect from companies today, how they gather information about companies and what they think about the role of the corporate brand. From the executive angle, it explains the benefits that strong corporate brands bestow upon their product brands, what executives see today as the drivers of company reputation and how well aligned they are with the latest consumer perspectives about company responsibility. Jill Hamilton What do South Africa's consumers look like and what do they seem to be expecting from companies? What do South Africa's consumers look like and what do they seem to be expecting from companies? South Africa has a growing middle-class, affluent with millennials exercising incredible purchasing power and highly influential on brand perception. Depending on their personal brand experience, this can be a companys greatest asset or toughest challenge.

The Company behind the Brand II: In Goodness We Trust, surveyed 100 South Africans 18 years of age and older. The survey found that nearly all South African respondents (95%) feel that they are a powerful force in influencing companies today, and rightly so: they talk with others and share information about a number of company activities, mostly customer service (76%), products/services (68%), companies as a whole (63%), how healthy or good products/services are (61%) and innovation (57%). Our research shows South African executives overwhelmingly agreeing (88%), companies need to stay fully aligned with perceptions of their reputations.

With such a watchful eye on the behaviours of companies combined with their keen ability to shape company reputations, it is not surprising that nearly two-thirds of South African consumers (63%) say they are increasingly buying from companies that listen to them and make any corresponding changes. This expectation of responsiveness expands to issues and crises that companies themselves face, as 91% say they judge companies by how they react to address problems.

Does the research affect B2C and B2B companies alike? Does the research affect B2C and B2B companies alike?

On a global basis, we found remarkably few differences between executives in B2B and B2C companies in our study (the sample of South African executives is too small to divide them for comparative analysis and we do not have NGOs in our sample). Regardless of their direct customer target, executives recognise that consumers wield a lot of influence. For example, 92% of B2B executives and 92% of B2C executives believe that companies are influenced by consumer opinions today. Companies cannot hide inside the supply chain.

Please provide three tips businesses can apply to their offering in order to serve the needs of the modern day customer. Please provide three tips businesses can apply to their offering in order to serve the needs of the modern day customer.

Using the practices of an elite segment of global companies with world-class reputations represented in our study, we developed several guidelines, some of which we share below:

1. Recognise the influence of consumers today. Executives at world-class companies are most likely to believe that consumers have a great deal of influence over companies these days and that this influence has increased over the past five years. Responding quickly and effectively to any issues has never been as critical as it is today. 2. If youve got a top-notch reputation, flaunt it. World-class companies communicate their outstanding reputations. In South Africa however, executives may be too humble, as they are not as likely to promote their company reputations as they are healthiness/goodness, safety, customer service, innovation, community contributions and charitable causes. These are all important facets of reputation to communicate, but may need to be viewed by executives as a bundle of reputation drivers to tout in the marketplace given the watchful eyes of consumers today. 3. Reputation risk needs to be a board priority. Boards of world-class companies are by far the most likely to make reputation risk a very important issue. These companies know that their reputation is a financial asset, competitive edge and responsibility to protect. Most South African executives (64%) report that reputation risk has become a very important issue to their own boards. With this knowledge, all should be working to ensure their companies are well-prepared with a plan to respond to any reputational threats.

How do you see this trend progressing in future? How do you see this trend progressing in future?

A new era of populism sweeping the globe means that more than ever companies need to be vigilantly attuned to consumer sentiment. Weber Shandwick has identified that the drivers of reputation, in the form of what consumers are talking about and sharing, and how companies behave are clearly important to South African consumers. Accordingly, how companies respond to those consumers is critical.

Weber Shandwick plans to expand the study in a number of geographies across the African region.

Read the full report here and find more of our coverage on the report here.
Joe Public has completed a new brand repositioning for Nedbank titled See money differently. It launched at Design Indaba last week, aired during Carte Blanche and was released onto social media platforms just 24 hours ago. Joe Public ECD Roanna Williams comments on how the general SA public is responding.

Williams

See money differently with Nedbank is all about the consumers, not the brand, and about changing their behaviour with money.

Its about seeing money for the potential it has, because money well managed can make a real difference to achieving your goals and building a relationship with your money starts with a simple conversation.

The new ad, Tale of note, supports the banks new promise, as Williams adds: South Africa is one of the worst savings' nations in the world. As part of their repositioning in the market, Nedbank used this insight to create a commercial that exposes people to the fact that money is neither good nor bad, but rather your behaviour that defines it.

The 'Tale of note' is a compelling story about the different sides of money. Its a brave and progressive idea that makes you think and re-evaluate your relationship with money.

The ad is embedded below, in case you've not yet seen it:

It is already receiving a positive response as it has formed an emotional connection with consumers. In some comments across Joe Public and Nedbanks Twitter, Facebook and YouTube social media platforms, customers have already commented that they love the location, visuals and the concept behind the entire ad:

Click through to Ann Nurocks feedback on the brand repositioning launch live at Design Indaba last week and follow Nedbank, Joe Public and the #SeeMoneyDifferently hashtag on Twitter for the latest updates.
Is There a Constitutional Right to Literacy?

It's a rare situation, in this day and age, that all Americans actually agree about something. However, regardless of where public opinion lies, the federal courts are being asked to decide an issue of utmost importance and significance to the public: Is there a federal, constitutional right to education? A federal lawsuit stemming from the deplorable conditions within the Detroit Public School (DPS) system is seeking to hold the state of Michigan liable for violating the constitutional right to education for the DPS students.

While it sounds rather American to have a federal constitutional right to education, none actually exists. Though you might be thinking: "But, isn't education for children free?" Or: "Doesn't the government have to educate the children?" You're probably right, but it's not the federal government, it's state and local governments that provide education.

Equal Education and Semantics

The right to education, or literacy, as proponents have dubbed this fight, stands in contrast to the right to equal education established by the civil rights movement, Title VI, Title IX, and other legislation. While states and institutions cannot discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability and other protected classes, when providing educational services, the US Constitution simply does not explicitly require states to provide education.

However, while the US Constitution does not clearly establish a right to education, state constitutions frequently do. Nearly every state's individual state constitution provides some sort of requirement that the state establish a public education system for the state's residents and citizens. For example, the Michigan constitution specifically states that the state will establish and maintain a public school system to provide primary and secondary education.

Right to Literacy

Proponents of the DPS lawsuit argue that there is a fundamental right to primary education and literacy that exists in the US Constitution. The argument is based upon the 14th Amendment. That's one of the most important Amendments because it provides all citizens with equal protection, due process, as well as equal privileges and immunities, under the law.

However, regardless of whether the court finds a federal constitutional right, there is a rather colorable argument to be made that the state's failures in the DPS violates the students' 14th Amendment rights as it relates to the state's own constitutional guarantees.

Those against finding a federal constitutional right to education argue that the actual language of the constitution never actually discusses, or implies, education as a right. Prior cases that have sought court intervention to assert that a federal constitutional right existed have failed to specifically address the issue as generally the courts find that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment coupled with state commitments to provide education creates an adequate remedy.

Although the complex constitutional issues are a fascinating academic pursuit, the reality is that DPS students have been facing extreme teacher shortages, lack of resources and funding, grossly inadequate facilities, and more. Schools are riddled with physical problems, including heating, cooling, pests, and literally crumbling structures. With any luck, regardless of whether a new federal constitutional right is found, the DPS will remedy their failure quickly.

Related Resources:
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Concluding a two-day visit to South Sudan  two weeks after localised famine was declared in Mayendit and Leer counties, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, called for immediate and unhindered access to people in need of aid and urgent funding for the humanitarian appeal.

Image by 123RF

I visited Ganyiel, where I met with people who had fled fighting, fear and famine in Leer and Mayendit, as well as hunger and insecurity in Lakes, said OBrien. An elderly woman walked for days through swamps from Leer, with her 10-month-old grandson on her back, after they were separated from the rest of her family during fighting. Her grandson is now receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition. We urgently need additional funding to scale up, sustain and expand life-saving assistance and protection across all of South Sudan.

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is rapidly escalating, and hunger and malnutrition have reached new disturbing levels. Fighting, insecurity and lack of access to aid have left some 100,000 people facing starvation and a further 1 million are on the brink of famine. More than 3.4 million people have been displaced since the conflict began in December 2013, including 1.9 million internally displaced and more than 1.5 million who have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees.

By July 2017, the humanitarian community estimates that 5.5 million will be severely food insecure. This is only the beginning of the lean season and, sadly, things could get much, much worse in the months ahead, said OBrien. We desperately need the fighting to stop. We need calm to prevail now so that we can consistently reach people in dire need, and prevent further catastrophe.

In addition to an already massive humanitarian operation, in response to the declaration of famine, humanitarian organisations have scaled up the provision of food and emergency livelihoods assistance, nutritional supplements, health services, and water, sanitation and hygiene. Already, more than 338,000 people in Leer, Mayendit, Koch and Panyijiar have received humanitarian assistance.

Obstacles to aid

Aid workers continue to face multiple obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance across South Sudan, including active hostilities, access denials and bureaucratic impediments. Frequently, they have to be relocated due to insecurity, escalating tensions or directives from authorities, including recently from Mayendit. Humanitarian compounds and supplies have been repeatedly looted, most recently during clashes in Mayendit, Jonglei and Kajo-Keji town.

During his two-day visit, OBrien also met with humanitarian partners and Government officials. The root cause of this suffering is conflict, he said, reflecting what he stressed in his meetings. People have been displaced, brutalised and raped. They have been attacked when they sought out assistance. This must stop, and it must stop now.

He demanded immediate full and unimpeded humanitarian access and reminded parties to the conflict that International Humanitarian Law must be respected and civilians protected.

Before leaving the country, OBrien said: We have a plan. We are already responding. We are ready to scale up. Now we need the access and the funds to save even more lives.

The 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan calls for $1.6 billion to reach some 5.8 million people in need.
PARIS: A new publicity campaign featuring painfully thin models in "degrading" poses for the French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent sparked outrage on Monday, with calls for it to be banned.

The poster campaign across Paris of a reclining woman in a fur coat and fishnet tights opening her legs, and another of a model in a leotard and roller skate stilettos bending over a stool, caused fury on social media.

The French advertising authority said most of the complaints it received were from people who saw the images as an "incitement to rape". Its director Stephane Martin told AFP the brand appeared to have "uncontestably breached" the rules.

"I am not sure that (Saint Laurent's) female clients would like to be associated with these images," he said.

"We had a similar type of porno chic (in fashion advertising) a decade ago, and here we have it coming back again which isn't acceptable," Martin added. He said they would decide on what action to take after meeting the label on Friday.

The authority bars all "degrading and humiliating representations of people", and can demand that advertisers withdraw or change their campaigns.

France's leading women's group, Osez le feminisme ("Dare to be Feminist"), called for the campaign to be pulled, saying this was not the first time Saint Laurent has crossed the line.

It had previously raised hackles with another campaign that used "a very young hypersexualised woman", said spokeswoman Raphaelle Remy-Leleu. But she said this time the subtext of the images was "extremely violent".

"It ticks all the sexist boxes. The women are objectified, hypersexualised and put in submissive positions," she told AFP.

"How do they think they will sell anything today (to women) with that?

"But you have to ask if that wasn't intentional, that this was all about creating a scandal so we would talk about them," Remy-Leleu added.

Saint Laurent was not available for comment. Ironically, the label made its name by putting women in men's tuxedos, a gesture that chimed with the rising feminist wave of the 1970s. Britain's advertising watchdog banned a Saint Laurent advert two years ago that featured an overly thin model whose ribcage was showing.

Martin said the latest campaign had been created by Saint Laurent's in-house team, and questioned if its new young designer Anthony Vaccarello had not gone too far.

The Belgian creator has flirted with bad taste in his first two shows for the brand in which he radically ramped up the sex factor. He marked his arrival at the label last year with a raunchy ad campaign, with one model wearing nothing but Saint Laurent earrings and another shot from behind with her legs spread and leaning over slightly.

For his Paris fashion week show on Tuesday, Vaccarello gift-wrapped his models in tight shiny leather mini-dresses while his debut collection featured a dress that exposed one breast.

"We have a rather young designer known for his rather 'specific' looks," Martin said.

It is possible that "in this rather closed world, with its specific codes, that they did not realise" the effect the adverts would have, the regulator added.

Source: AFP
Trump's New Travel Ban: Same as the Old Travel Ban?

Just over three weeks after his previous executive order banning individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States was unanimously blocked by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, President Trump issued a revised executive order designed to avoid the political and legal fallout of the last one.

So will the new travel ban be any more palatable to protestors, politicians, and, most importantly, the courts? Here's a look at three major changes, along with some of the justification for the immigration order.

1. No Re-Review

Much of the upheaval from Trump's original travel ban was based on the entry prohibition and detention of travelers who already had a valid green card or visa. But the new executive order won't affect people who've already been granted legal entry into the U.S., either as permanent residents or temporary visa holders. (Those whose visas have expired, however, will need to reapply, likely under more scrutiny from immigration officials.)

The rewritten Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States will reportedly not affect current green card holders, or those who have been issued visas and have yet to travel to the U.S. Therefore, the Trump administration can avoid the spectacle of widespread detention of people at airports that sparked protests and marred the rollout of the previous order.

2. No Iraq

The new executive order retains the 90-day hold on issuing visas to people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. But Iraq is notably removed from the visa blacklist in the new version. According to Reuters, a senior White House official said the change was due to the Iraqi government imposing its own new vetting procedures, "such as heightened visa screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the United States in countering Islamic State militants."

People from the six listed countries may still apply for waivers to enter the U.S. within the 90-day ban, if they can demonstrate particularly urgent circumstances.

3. No Refugees

Trump's new order also keeps the 120-day ban on any and all refugee admissions, with an exception for refugees already "in transit." But the revised travel ban dropped another exception for refugees who were members of "persecuted religious minorities" in their home country (which, in this context, meant Christians in those majority Muslim countries). The administration here is seeking to avoid legal challenges claiming the immigration order is based on religion.

Another difference in the new refugee ban is lifting the indefinite prohibition on Syrian refugees -- after 120 days, refugees will be allowed to enter the U.S. from any country under the new order.

No More Reasons

The Washington Post reported that White House officials "attempted to lay out a more robust national security justification for the order" this time around, citing 300 people who had entered the country as refugees and were now implicated in counterterrorism investigations. Those same officials, according to the Post, did not indicate which countries those people came from, or their current immigration status.

We'll soon find out whether these reasons and the alterations cited above will make a difference, legally speaking.

Related Resources:
When detectives arrested H.H. Holmes in 1894, they thought he was a simple con man. But they were shocked to discover that he'd been operating a bizarre Chicago hotel full of blind passageways, trapdoors, hidden chutes, and asphyxiation chambers in which he'd sadistically murdered dozens of victims. In today's show we'll follow the career of America's first documented serial killer, who headlines called "a fiend in human shape."

We'll also gape at some fireworks explosions and puzzle over an intransigent insurance company.

Show notes

Please support us on Patreon!
Ruben Bolling, the brilliantly funny creator of comic strips we're proud to debut each week here at Boing Boing, has won the 2017 Herblock Award. His scathing and insightful treatment of Donald Trump, as featured in many episodes of Tom the Dancing Bug throughout the election campaign, were key to the Herb Block Foundation's pick.

"Tom the Dancing Bug" is a free-format comic strip that uses varying types of humor, artistic styles and formats. It's an unusual strip in that in any given week, it could feature a spoof, a multi-panel sketch, political or absurdist humor, recurring characters or caricatures of real people. But during 2016, political subject matter was at its heart, as it mostly dealt with the election and the rise to power of Donald Trump.

We're proud and honored to publish his work here. Be sure to read the latest, published today!

Michael Cavna at the Washington Post, Herb Block's longtime home, quotes the judges and artist thus:
Our people should study thoroughly the political parties before casting their vote, Sai Ai Pao said. If we choose the wrong party it will have the impact on our community development.

The by-election campaign is now underway, with Burmese parties competing for a total of 18 vacant seats across the country including three seats in southern Shan States Kehsi and Monghsu townships and one seat in eastern Shan States Kengtung Township.

The SNDP is fielding seven candidates: Nang Thin Oo (Lower House, Kehsi Township); Nang Nwe New (Shan State Assembly, Constituency No. 1, Kehsi Township); Nang Mon Aung (Shan State Assembly, Constituency No. 2, Kehsi Township); Nang Kham Yen Aung (Lower house, Monghsu Township); Sai Ba Htun (Shan State Assembly, Constituency No. 1, Monghsu); Nang Zarm Au (Shan State Assembly, Constituency No. 2, Monghsu); and Dr. Sai Yawd Hong (Shan State Assembly, Constituency No. 2, Kengtung Township).

Founded in 2010, the SNDP won 57 seats during the 2010 election. However, in 2015 election, it won only one seat; that was in Shan State Assemblys Mongpan Township.

SNDP leader Sai Ai Pao told the public that If our party [SNDP] wins, we will try our best to solve the problems and difficulties that our people are facing.

The SNDP faces strong competition from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and other ethnic parties.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
But a closer look indicates that the term agreement in principle denotes quite a different understanding or sometimes even misleading, depending on how one would like to interpret it.

One clarification on it that seems quite comprehensive is from the Duhaimes Law Dictionary, which explained that agreement in principle is no agreement at all. Further, if it is to bind the parties, a contract must be concluded in all its fundamental terms, with nothing left to negotiate.

According to the explanation:

It follows that, prima facie, there is no concluded contract where further agreement is expressly required

(I)f the parties have reached an agreement in principle only, it may be that the proper inference is that they have not yet finished agreeing, for instance: where they make their agreement subject to details or subject to contract; or where so many important matters are left uncertain that their agreement is incomplete.

In other words, this optimism or agreement in principle still has a long way to go to become a contract that would alter the presently accepted Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) as it is now, so that all could enter the 21st Century Panglong Agreement (21CPC) with a clear conscience, that nobody would be taking advantage at the expense of the other fellow negotiation partners.

While the meeting, on March 1, between the United Nationalities Federal Councils (UNFC) Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi was said to be cordial, sisterly and brotherly like gathering according to Khu Oo Reh, head of the delegation, no substantial discussion on issues were made but just the impression that further deliberations on the delegations 9 point proposal, to be incorporated into the NCA, would be pursued with the governments Peace Commission (PC).

Accordingly, on March 3, the DPN and PC, the governments peace negotiation arm, met to iron out the details of DPNs 9 point proposal that was said to be all in agreement principally, except for the number 3 and 5 proposal.

The number 3 is concerned with the Agreement of tripartite dialogue composition, while number 5 is to do with the Advance agreement on Military Codes of Conduct (CoC) and monitoring on Terms of Reference (ToR).

Now let us look into the problematic issues surrounding the NCA and imagine on how likely they could be overcome.

Khu Oo Reh prior to meeting the PC, on March 1, told the media that all-inclusivity, tripartite composition and international participation in Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) process still couldnt be resolved, including the proposal for Tatmadaws ceasefire declaration, to be followed by the United Nationalities Federal Councils (UNFC) member ethnic armies likewise within 48 hours.

All inclusiveness

Joint Chief of Staff General Mya Tun Oo and as well Commander-in-Chief General Min Aung Hlaing said the inclusion of the three excluded EAOs couldnt be entertained, as the three just come into being just recently and presumed that they are taking advantage of the peace negotiation situation.

Mya Tun Oo reaffirmed Burmas Army stance on the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) exclusion, saying that the army has no reason to hold peace talks with them because they came to existence only after emergence of a democratic government, in contrast to other long-established ethnic armed groups.

Weve no reason to invite those groups to the peace [process], to discuss peace and ask them to sign NCA, said the general, according to the report of The Irrawaddy on March 1.

Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief recently told Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang that the ethnic armies refused to sign the NCA because they do not want to carry out peace processes similar to that of international community. Despite wishing to demand all political rights through the meeting in political trend, they want to hold up the armed struggle line. No country accepts the demand of political rights all over the world by holding firearms, according to the publication in his Facebook.

Tripartite composition

On March 1 evening, Khu Oo Reh told the media in Naypyitaw, We already said that we would like to employ the mode of tripartite composition in all level of political negotiations. Since we havent been able to agree on this, we still need to adjust and find solution.

The present participant composition in the 21CPC or Union Peace Conference (UPC) is government 150; Military 150; Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) 150; political parties 150; ethnic representatives 50; and other invited individuals 50.

The UNFC said that the 21CPC present composition could not be construed as being a level playing field for political settlement negotiations and thus opted for the tripartite dialogue that all along has been endorsed by the United Nations for decades.

JMC deliberation regarding participation of international actors

Regarding UNFC proposal of the international actors participation trusted by both sides in the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC), the Military is not in agreement.

Regarding this, we still are not in agreement. Especially, the Tatmadaw is of the opinion that international participation could complicate the situation more. In all the discussions, they always dwell on this position, said Khu Oo Reh.

Ongoing military offensives

Joint Chief of Staff Mya Tun Oo recently told the media that the UNFC demand for the Tatmadaws unilateral ceasefire impractical, and instead has called on the UNFC to sign Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

Khu Oo Reh also told the media that the heightened military offensives on the ground didnt make the situation of the EAOs participating in the peace process easier.

Thus, in spite of heightened optimistic outlook, the meeting on March 3, between the DPN and UNFC was not a breakthrough that could dispel all disagreement, but would still need quite a few more rounds of negotiation.

The Wa game plan

The Wa initiated meeting, attended by non-signatories EAOs, from February 22 to 24 in Panghsang is being seen as a parallel new game plan to the governments NCA-based 21CPC. But Arakan National Council/ Arakan Army (ANC/AA), a member of the UNFC, sees it as an approach to alter the NCA to be more comprehensive, according to the recent Mizzima report of March 4.

Commander-in-Chief of the ANC/AA Colonel Min Tun, when asked on how he would interpret the Panghsang statement, replied: We see this as complication. Wa and Mongla believed that following the present NCA wont be beneficial for them. Adding to this is the exclusion of the three EAOs  Kokang, Palaung and AA  from the NCA line of participation. We have no objection to the search for new line of approach. It is more important on how to cooperate with the EAOs participating within the old line (present NCA). The UNFC sees the NCA as not comprehensive and stable and would continue to go about with amending it. The present Panghsang meeting has the intention to go for a new trend by rewriting it. Eventually, the stage of resolving NCA  that still needs to be agreed upon, will be reached.

The speculation that the Wa initiated Panghsang game plan might be supported by China is rife, because of the frustration that the ongoing war in Burma could not be stopped, hindering its ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) economic scheme  that the Panghsang statement also explicitly endorsed.

Regardless of the fact that the Chinese diplomats endorsement that all the EAO should sign the NCA, the Panghsang meeting advocating to tread a new path, in which it suggested the NCA with a more equitable ceasefire document that should be the basis for all non-signatories to participate, it should not be seen as going against Chinas wish. It is, in fact, speculated by foreign observers that this could be the ploy to realize the Chinese desire, to either pave ways for it to be more actively involved in the peace process or create a new game plan altogether that is parallel to the NCA.

Perspective

Looking at the various scenarios that have been unfolding during these few weeks, the overall development of achieving peace and reconciliation might still have to go a long way.

Firstly, the result coming out of the two meetings between the DPN-Aung San Suu Kyi and DPN-PC couldnt pinpoint any concrete progress, rather than the agreement in principal of the UNFC 9 point proposal.

The outstanding proposal number 3 and 5 were said to be referred for further discussion within the mold of Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD) meeting and Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) meeting respectively, which should go parallel with the 21CPC that would soon begin.

Again, regarding the UNFC participation, which is said to be upgraded to special guest status, is not clear whether its members would be allowed in as full-fledged participants with decision-making voting rights or not. This also needs to be determined among the members of Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), which is made up of three parties  government, parliament, military; signatory EAOs; and political parties, with 16 representatives form each bloc.

Thus, it it fair to conclude that there is still no clear-cut commitment on how the agreed NCA would look like or how the second 21CPC would be conducted. But one might say, nevertheless it is a progress, as often parties to an agreement in principle, details to be worked out later, commence implementing the agreement, working out the details as they go along, according to the Duhaimes Law Dictionary. Only no one knows for sure, how this will unfold if practically implemented.

Secondly, in addition, speculations are rife that Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and New Mon State Party (NMSP) like to sign the NCA, while Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) is said to be reluctant to upset the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) has diversified into two factions that would likely opt for signing it and hard-line faction that doesnt like to sign. Thus, making the already complicated peace process even muddier.

For now, it is a bit early to speculate whether the situation would worsen or improve, prior to the upcoming second 21CPC, with escalating armed conflict being reported in Kokang and Kutkai areas in Northern Shan State, at his writing. But one thing is sure, only a level playing field and a reasonable give-and-take on the outstanding issues outlined by the UNFC would break the deadlock, which would have also answered to a lot of Panghsangs political demands, there is hardly any other way.
Importance of Annadanam In Hinduism Faith Mysticism oi-Lekhaka

Every living being requires certain basic things to lead a peaceful life. While things like clothes and shelter affect the quality of life, the absence of food can snatch life itself.

"Annadanam" is made up of two words - 'Annam' which means food and 'danam' which means the act of giving or donating. Annadanam is called the 'Mahadanam' among the various kinds of danam.

The other kind of danam like 'bhoodanam', 'godanam' and 'arthadanam' are charity done by the rich and those who have the means to do so, whereas annadanam is within the reach of a layperson with just the bare necessities who could do danam.

Charity in the form of annadanam is a way in which you can contribute to life itself. The wise men of ancient India called hunger the greatest disease. It is a disease that afflicts everyone and there is no cure for it.

The Puranas say that the stomach is like an 'agni kund' that plays host to fire - one among the 'panchabhoots' that our body is made up of. It demands offerings in the form of food constantly and regularly.

If the offering is denied, the life ceases to exist and the body becomes empty. Helping to provide for this agni kund is more virtuous than performing thousands of yagnyas.

"Annad bhavanti bhootani" - these are the words of Sri Krishna in the Bhagvat Gita. It means that all creation is sustained due to food. Helping to assuage a person's hunger will win you good karmas in this world and in the next.

It is a mistake to think that annadanam is limited to providing only humans with food. It is an equally important deed to feed the animals and plants of the creation as well.

The following are three interesting stories that will illustrate the importance of annadanam. Take a look.

Lord Shiva And Devi Parvati

Once upon a time, Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati were playing with the dice. In the course of the play, Lord Shiva lost everything to Devi Parvati, including his trident, serpent and the begging bowl. Dejected, Lord Shiva was roaming the jungles when Lord Vishnu appeared and encouraged Lord Shiva to play again. Lord Vishnu promised to help Lord Shiva win.

Just as promised, Lord Shiva soon won back all that he had lost. Devi Parvati smelled foul play and found out that the dice and the whole game were the result of Lord Vishnu's 'Maya or illusion'. Devi Parvati grew furious. To calm Devi Parvati, Lord Vishnu said that everything that one can see, hear, taste, smell and feel is due to Maya. Everything including the food that we eat is Maya.

Devi Parvati disagreed. She said that if food was Maya, she too was Maya and that was not the case. To prove her point, she vanished and all the creation came to a standstill. The creation was devoid of food in the absence of Devi Parvati.

Soon even Lord Shiva too began feeling the pangs of hunger and started wandering the worlds in search of food. Meanwhile, Devi Parvati couldn't bear to see the world and her children suffer without food. So, she took the form of Annapoorneshwari and started doing annadanam in the city of Kashi.

Hearing this, Lord Shiva rushed to Devi Annapoorna and received annadaanam from her. With her point proven, she came back with Lord Shiva and the creation went back to its former abundant state.

Karna And The Cycle Of Rebirth

As Karna lay on the battlefield awaiting his death, Lord Sri Krishna approached him. Sri Krishna gave Karna two boons and asked him for his wish.

Karna answered that his first wish was that the news of his death be told to Devi Kunti, so that she may admit to the fact that Karna was her oldest son.

For the second wish, Karna said that he knew he won't escape from the cycle of rebirth because he had never performed annadana. Without annadana, all the other dana karma he has done is of no consequence. Therefore, he wished to be born in a well-to-do family, so that he could perform the pious deed of annadanam.

Sri Krishna promised to fulfill his wishes, and it was only then that Karna passed away.

Sudama And Sri Krishna

Sudama and Sri Krishna were best friends in their childhood. But when they grew up, Sri Krishna became a king and Sudama became a poor Brahmin. One day, Sudama decided to go to Sri Krishna to ask for help in improving his state of life. He carried a small bag that barely contained a handful of beaten rice.

When he reached Sri Krishna's palace, he was warmly invited in by his old classmate. Sudama couldn't bring himself to ask his friend for help. So, after spending some time with Sri Krishna, he decided to return. It was then that Sri Krishna spotted the little bag of beaten rice.

On Sri Krishna's insistence, Sudama hesitantly handed over the bag of beaten rice. Sri Krishna was delighted and ate two handful of beaten rice and gave the rest to his wife, Rukmini.

It is said that as a result of this dana, all of Sudama's problems melted away. On his return, he was greeted by a palatial house, in place of his old hut. And the house was overflowing with money.

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Story first published: Tuesday, March 7, 2017, 14:47 [IST]
For years, John Steele has been half of a criminal enterprise masquerading as a copyright law firms, "Prenda Law," whose owners, clients and employees were a mix of lies, impersonations, and crumbs of reality. In a guilty plea, John Steele admitted that the whole thing was a con, that they stole $6,000,000 from innocent internet users by threatening them with draconian copyright lawsuits, and then laundered the money.



Steele also implicated his business partner Paul Hansmeier, who is awaiting trial.

Steele and Hansmeier created pornographic movies, uploaded them to file-sharing sites, then spied on the downloads and abused copyright law to uncover the identity of the downloaders in order to send them copyright threats. They repeatedly lied to judges about what they were doing, and forged documents implicating people in their circle, from a hapless handyman to a housekeeper to Steele's own mother-in-law.

The saga of Prenda's trolling lasted for more than half a decade, during which thousands of people had their lives turned upside-down by these fraudsters.

Steele will be sentenced by US District Judge Joan Ericksen of the District of Minnesota. The sentencing hasn't been scheduled yet. His alleged co-conspirator, Paul Hansmeier, was also arrested and charged at the same time as Steele. Hansmeier's case hasn't yet been resolved. Hansmeier lost his law license last year after legal regulators accused him of the same types of activity that the FBI and IRS have investigated.

It's finally over: Mastermind behind Prenda Law porn trolls pleads guilty

[Joe Mullin/Ars Technica]
America is in the midst of an "invisible water crisis" as the post-war water infrastructure reaches the end of its duty-cycle and cash-strapped public utilities struggle to find the money to rebuild it. In cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit, families increasingly find themselves in water debt, and in Detroit, 50,000 households have had their running water cut off because of delinquency.



The estimated bill for upgrading the end-of-lifed American urban water infrastructure is $1 trillion. Cities that have tried privatization as a means of pushing the bill onto investors have been shocked by the bills: in Atlanta, the private water provider charges $325.52 a month, which only qualifies as "affordable" if your household income tops $87K.



For people already living in poverty  40 percent of the population in Detroit  any increase in a water cost will strain a family's finances, said Randy Block, director of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network. He and others in the faith community are trying to raise money to help needy residents pay for water. He thinks water should be recognized as a human right in Michigan just as the United Nations General Assembly defined it in 2010. He likened the city shutting off water for delinquent customers to a war on poverty, and he believes similar skirmishes will play out across the country as income inequality grows.

"Detroit is the canary in a coal mine," Block said.

Mark Fancher, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, said unaffordable water has been a "pretty massive problem" in Detroit for 1015 years. The practical result of shut-offs, he said, is residents relocating. While there are hardship extensions for residents who have fallen behind on their bills but are also suffering from a serious medical condition, according to Fancher, the system could be a lot better: Residents often don't know about it, or their applications are denied. Other times, they might receive bills for water they didn't use or not get the bills at all, he said.

"The argument has been made that an affordability plan for the city of Detroit would be a really helpful thing for the struggling utility," Fancher said. "Because even though people who take advantage of it may not be paying full market rate for water, they'll be paying more than nothing, which will at least bring in some significant amount of money that right now they're not getting at all."
Trump just can't seem to get his facts right. This morning he tweeted, "122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!"

In reality, 93 percent  or 113 out of 122  of those prisoners were released during the Bush administration, while only 9 were released under Obama's administration.

According to ABC:

According to a September 2016 report from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 113 of those 122 detainees who have been confirmed as "re-engaging" were released from Guantanamo Bay under the Bush administration. Only nine of them were released during the Obama administration. The tweet came less than an hour after a segment on "Fox and Friends" about Mohammed Tahar, aka Yasir al-Silmi, a former Guantanamo detainee who was killed by a U.S. air strike in Yemen last week. Tahar had been transferred from Guantanamo to his home country of Yemen Dec. 17, 2009, during the Obama administration. Trump also calls Obama's releasing of detainees a "terrible decision," but the percentage of Obama-released prisoners returning to terrorist activity is lower than Bush-released prisoners. Only 6 percent of Obama-released prisoners returned to terrorism vs. 21 percent of Bush-released prisoners, according to Director of National Intelligence data.

This is the second time in just a few days that the anxious Trump has taken aim at former President Obama with flubbed facts. Over the weekend he accused Obama of tapping his phones, even though there is no evidence of that. (Here's a USA Today article that fact checks that mistaken claim.)
Ryanair has today launched a new route from Dublin to Naples, with a twice weekly service beginning in October as part of its winter 2017 schedule, which will go on sale on the Ryanair.com website tomorrow.

To promote its new route, Ryanair will have seats on the route on sale from 29.99 for travel in October and November.
Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


Update 4.40pm: Vodafone Network have issued a statement saying that their services have been restored.

Their statement said: As a result of a power outage in Dublin city centre today, some Vodafone customers experienced issues with their fixed services for a short period of time today in certain parts of Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Kerry, Cork and Meath.

"Mobile services in some parts of the Dublin city centre were also affected for less than half an hour.

"The fault was identified and full services to customers have been restored. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.

Update 3.45pm: Vodafone Ireland services appear to have been largely restored, after an earlier outage.

The network apologised to customers earlier for the glitch.

Phone service and Four-G were down across parts of the country, while some broadband services were also affected.

For further information on the temporary interruption today to mobile & fixed services, please see here: https://t.co/d2luqjg07D  Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) March 7, 2017

Earlier: Vodafone Ireland has apologised to customers for an outage on its network.

Phone service and 4G are down across parts of the country, while its broadband service has also been affected for some customers.

The network has said it is aware of the problem.

Hi Enda, this is currently under investigation and we're working to restore, apologies.- Aoife  Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) March 7, 2017

Hi Robert, we've no estimated time of fix as yet, we're working to restore. Apologies again.- Aoife  Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) March 7, 2017

However, responding to queries on Twitter, the company said it had no estimated time to fix the problems.
UPDATE 11.20amAn Post has responded to speculative reports regarding closure of some rural postal offices.

In a statement released this morning, An Post has said these reports did not come from them.

"We are currently completing the first detailed, in-depth review of the Post Office Network for many years. This review will take into account shifting demographics, the changing marketplace for services and the economics for postmasters. No decisions have been made while this review is ongoing."

The State body also said their report will be finished in the next few months and they also stated their intentions for creating a plan that manages a "commercially viable and self-funded network which will meet the needs of citizens across the State"

UPDATE 10am:An Independent TD says the government seems to have no social conscience, amid fears that some rural post offices could close.

A report on An Post's future and its finances has put forward a number of money-saving proposals, including the shutting of 80 branches.

Management is now considering a range of suggestions in the research.

Tipperary Deputy Mattie McGrath says the loss of post offices would be the latest blow for areas outside the capital.

"You see the chronic problems in Dublin with accommodation, traffic and the waste of a children's hospital.

"We can't get a small amount of money to make necessary changes. What is gone wrong completely where we have to abandon rural Ireland."

Earlier:It is reported some of the country's post offices could be facing closure as An Post looks to save money.

There are currently 1,300 post offices around the country, and the company is losing around 12m a year from its branch network.

According to the Irish Independent, an unpublished report done for the company outlines a range of proposals, including the shutting of 80 outlets.

Management at An Post is currently reviewing the controversial research.
A model, a disgraced ex-judge and a restaurateur are among those to have been hit with big fines and bills by the taxman.

More than 11m of special settlements was secured by inspectors from the Revenue in the tail end of last year.

The single biggest payback was made by David O'Connor, a landlord and company director with an address at North Main Street, Cork, who forked out 983,149 for under-declaration of income tax and VAT.

David O'Connor, a landlord and company director with an address at North Main Street, Cork.

Other names on Defaulters' List were Sarah McGovern, a model from Stepaside, south Dublin, who had a bill for 37,355 over under-declaration of income tax.

Heather Perrin, the ex-judge convicted of deception, was left with a 297,937 payout after a court ruling in connection with the under-declaration of income tax.

The boss of upmarket restaurant on Dublin's Stephen's Green, Peploe's, was also named. Barry James Canny had to foot a bill for 38,904 also for the under-declaration of income tax.

In total the Revenue said 29 cases in the last three months of last year involved amounts over 100,000 and four of those breached the half million mark.

Farmer James Doherty of Ballyrobin, Ferrybank, Co Waterford, has had to fork out 839,110 for under-declaration of capital gains tax.

Carthage Keyes, a camper van sales agent from Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has a total bill of 698,663 for under-declaration of capital gains tax, income tax and VAT.

Landlord Richard Larkin, with an address at Main Street, Clarenbridge, Co Galway, was hit with a bill for 832,637 for under-declaration of income tax and VAT and non-declaration of capital gains tax.

Revenue said the published settlements reflect only a portion of all its audits and investigations.

And it warned about a looming deadline of May 1 for "offshore matters" which will limit the opportunity for people to make a qualifying disclosure about tax liabilities for assets outside of Ireland.

For a full list of tax defaulters between October 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016, click here.
Sinn Fein have blasted Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire for delivering nothing but "waffle, waffle, waffle" to the Stormont crisis talks.

Michelle O'Neill, who has replaced Martin McGuinness as leader of the party in the North, said she cut a meeting short with Mr Brokenshire because of the "waffle".

Talks are being held between Stormont's political parties and the Secretary of State in a bid to restore the power-sharing executive. Parties have just three weeks to reach a deal.

One of the main issues raised by Sinn Fein with Mr Brokenshire was the need for financial assistance to deal with inquests into deaths during the Troubles.

"We needed a fundamental change in approach from the British Government. We made that very clear to James Brokenshire today. All he did was waffle, waffle and more waffle in relation to how we are going to go forward and give families what they need, which is access to due process as per the request of the Lord Chief Justice," Ms O'Neill said.

She added: "We called the meeting to an end because we had more waffle. We called the meeting short and asked him to go and reflect on that."

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said that money for legacy inquests had been set aside, at the request of the Lord Chief Justice, as part of a previous Stormont agreement, know as the Fresh Start Agreement.

He added: "Some families have been waiting 45 years. This affects all victims regardless of who the perpetrators have been. They need to get those inquests underway. They have been delayed, stopped and prevented because the British refuse to give the funds.

"(On Monday) (Mr Brokenshire) said he would reflect on that. It is clear that if he had reflected he had come to no good conclusion."

Sinn Fein has met with the DUP and further meetings are planned, said Mr Adams. He added this was an indication that issues were being tackled.

Earlier, former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain said British Prime Minister Theresa May must call an urgent summit to restore the Northern Ireland Executive or direct rule will be inevitable.

However, a senior British Government source said there was no reason for Mrs May to become intensively involved in post-election talks at this stage.

The source said the more sensible approach is for Mr Brokenshire to take the lead, as previous secretaries of state have done in the past.

However, Mrs May's involvement at some stage in the future has not been ruled out.

Mr Brokenshire and Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan have been mandated by the British and Irish governments to lead the talks.

The British Government source also disputed Lord Hain's comments that the London and Dublin Governments had "taken their eyes off the ball" and said that under the current Government there have been two major political agreements and the longest period of unbroken devolved government since the 1960s.

Last week's Assembly election ended the unionist majority at Stormont, with Sinn Fein now just a solitary seat behind the DUP.

DUP party leader Arlene Foster met with her MLAs for the first time since the election.

Following their meeting she said she was "delighted" with the support she had received from her colleagues.

She added that she was looking forward to going into the negotiations to "get a good deal, not just for unionism but for all the people of Northern Ireland".
A mother-of-four is waiting to see whether she has won a "Titanic" UK divorce court struggle over a 500,000 (577k) holiday house in her ''ancestral territory'' in rural Ireland.

Margie Hanley, 56, and estranged husband Michael, 60 - who lived together in Wentworth, Surrey - both want the house they jointly own in the village of Cornamona in Galway.

They have staked rival claims to a judge at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London over the past two days.

Mr Justice Holman is scheduled to hear legal argument from lawyers on Wednesday before making a decision.

The judge said the couple, who also have an apartment in Florida, would split cash and assets totalling between 10m (11.54m) and 14m (16.16m).

He said they had together run up lawyers' bills of more than 800,000(923k) on their "Titanic battle" - and he described the figure as "phenomenal".

Mr Hanley, who has retired after a career with multinational conglomerate GE, told how their 33-year marriage hit the rocks after he discovered that his wife had an affair.

Mrs Hanley, who denies adultery, said Mr Hanley had told her that she could have the house in Cornamona and was ''punishing'' her.

The judge has heard that the couple, who are both Irish, had lived in Europe, the Far East and the United States because Mr Hanley's work had taken him abroad.

They had built the house in Cornamona about 16 years ago and had gone there for holidays and at Christmas.

Mr Hanley has been living at the Cornamona house for the past few months and wants it to be a retirement base.

Mrs Hanley, who still lives in Wentworth, says she should have the Cornamona house because generations of her family have lived in the village.

She said her 92-year-old mother still lived there and was the oldest person in Cornamona.

''It's where I have been all my life - generations of my family,'' Mrs Hanley told Mr Justice Holman.

''Life is full circle. It's where I started out. It's where I ended.''

She said Mr Hanley had said she could have the house and told the judge ''He is just torturing me. He is just punishing me.''

Mrs Hanley said the Cornamona house was her "backbone".

''It's like my fifth child. If I were to lose it, it would be like losing a child," she said.

''It's my heart, my soul, my life."

The judge said Mrs Hanley felt that Cornamona was her ''ancestral territory''.

Mr Hanley said he wanted to live in the Cornamona house and denied that he was trying to hurt Mrs Hanley.

He said he had "cherished memories" of Cornamona.

''I like to fish,'' he said.

''I like to walk, I play guitar, I like to cook, I like to read, I like to meditate."
Entertainment / Celebrity

by Showbiz Writer

South Africa-based Zimbabwean fashion model and philanthropist - Rumbidzai Erin Cleopatra Feremenga has died.She was 32 years-old.Rumbidzai's death dealt a big blow to the fashion industry and charity in both South Africa and Zimbabwe.She was one of the sought-after fashion models to emerge from Zimbabwe having participated in a number of professional contests such as the MultiChoice Face of Africa with the likes of Priscilla Chigariro as well as Zim Sun Supermodel.She also rose to prominence as an actress and the face of Protector Plus Condoms.She said the funeral will be held in Harare this Thursday.
A fifth and final new home will join the cast of Gogglebox Ireland this week.

Series two of the smash hit show has already added new favourites such as Dawn and Dale from Cork and Tadgh and his granny Ettie from Clare.

This week they'll be joined by the Morans from Portlaoise, a sports-mad family who enjoy having a laugh in front of the TV.

Originally from Kilkenny, naturally dad Denis is a big fan of Brian Codys record-breaking hurlers, and Manchester United too. Aside from sport, he tunes in to The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Clint Eastwood films.

His wife of 30 years, Anne-Marie, prefers anything starring George Clooney and The Big Bang Theory.

The elder sister Chloe recently got a Champagne Supernova tattoo on the back of her neck to celebrate her favourite band Oasis. She recently started a new job in Dublin and enjoys car-crash reality TV shows like Ex on the Beach and 24 Hours in A&E.

Younger sister and football star Grainne is doing her Leaving Cert and is captain of the senior team in school. She watches American shows Pretty Little Liars and Suits when she has control of the remote.

Miniature Yorkshire terriers Bella and Scooby join them on the sofa every week and Chloe says her Mum treats them nearly better than her own kids.

Gogglebox Ireland airs on TV3 on Wednesdays at 9pm.
Thai authorities have seized 422 elephant tusk pieces and arrested a Gambian man suspected of smuggling the ivory into Bangkok's main airport.

The tusks were hidden in a shipment listed as unprocessed gemstones, customs department director-general Kulit Sombatsiri said.

He said the parcel was examined because items from Malawi are regarded as high-risk for smuggled goods, and an ivory seizure last year had involved tusks from Mozambique which were similarly concealed.

Mr Kulit said the seizure of 33kg (726lbs) of smuggled ivory worth around 390,000 was the first in Thailand this year.

Thai customs officials last year confiscated more than 1,200 kilograms (2,640lbs) of ivory in nine separate cases.
A British backpacker was allegedly held captive in Australia and repeatedly raped in an ordeal lasting two months.

The 22-year-old woman was found with fractures to her face and strangulation marks to her neck on Sunday when police pulled over the vehicle she was driving in the outback in Queensland after she failed to pay at a petrol station.

She told officers she had been held captive by a man she had met at a party in Cairns.

He subsequently damaged and invalidated her passport, possibly to prevent her escape, Queensland Police said.

Officers believe they saved her life after arresting the suspect who was hiding under clothes in a small alcove in the rear of the vehicle, which they had been travelling around the state in since January 2.

Detective Inspector Paul Hart told a press conference on Tuesday: "Police were really just attending a routine job in relation to a driver that was unable to pay for petrol."

But they noticed she had various injuries and was "overly alarmed" by the officers' presence when they pulled her over in Warrego Highway, Mitchell, around 300 miles from the east coast city of Brisbane.

"She advised that over a period of weeks she had been held against her will by the male person located in the vehicle," the officer said.

"It was established they had previously had a relationship but at some point it had soured and he basically deprived her of her liberty and committed a number of offences against her as they travelled around the state.

"What she has experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police.

"We have potentially saved this young girl's life. Given what's happened to her, the extent of what's happened over the period of time, anything might have transpired."

She has spoken to family in the UK but is unable to return while a new passport is arranged.

The tourist, who police believe had been in the country since 2015, was treated in hospital for injuries which also included scratches and cuts to her neck and bruising to her body.

The suspect, from the Manunda suburb of Cairns, appeared in court on Monday charged with a string of offences, including four counts of rape, eight counts of assault and four counts of strangulation.

He also appeared in custody at Roma Magistrates' Court accused of two counts of deprivation of liberty, two counts of wilful damage, one count of possessing dangerous drugs, one count of possessing drug utensils and one count of obstructing police.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British woman following an incident in Queensland and remain in contact with the local authorities."
A US federal judge has declined to temporarily halt construction of the final section of the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline.

US district judge James Boasberg's decision, which comes a week after he held a hearing to consider the matter, means the pipeline could be in operation this month.

Native American tribes the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux had asked Judge Boasberg to direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permission for Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners to lay pipe under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

The stretch under the Missouri River reservoir is the last piece of construction for the $3.8bn pipeline to move North Dakota oil to Illinois.

The ruling is not the end of the court battle, as no final decision has been made on the merits of the tribes' claims that the pipeline threatens cultural sites, water and religion.

Meanwhile, Native Americans from across the US are holding a protest in Washington DC against the Trump administration and its approval of the pipeline.

The demo in the US capital kicks off four days of activities which will culminate in a march on the White House.

Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and a number of speakers planned.

Native American leaders also plan to lobby politicians to protect tribal rights.

Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, said: "We are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us.

"We must march against injustice. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

On Friday, the two-mile "Native Nations March on DC" will lead participants from the Army Corps of Engineers office to a rally near the White House.

Organisers have not released an estimate on how many people or tribes planned to take part.

The White House has not responded to a request for comment.

The march on Friday will begin at the Army Corps of Engineers office because the agency manages the Missouri River and last month gave the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, permission to finish the project. The company expects to wrap up the work and have oil flowing this month.

The two tribes feel they were not properly consulted about the pipeline route, which the government disputes.

They also maintain their treaty rights were violated when the government changed its mind about conducting further environmental studies of the Lake Oahe crossing after President Donald Trump took office in January.

Dallas Goldtooth, an organiser with the Indigenous Environmental Network, said: "This fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has been the tip of the spear of a powerful global movement calling for the United States government and Donald Trump to respect indigenous nations and people in our right to water, land, sovereignty and culture."
US president Donald Trump has claimed "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay "have returned to the battlefield".

Mr Trump did not cite where he obtained the statistic in his latest controversial tweet.

He called the release "another terrible decision".

On Monday, US air strikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009, despite earlier recommendations that he should remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba held nearly 680 detainees.

This was down to 242 when Barack Obama took office in 2009, and was subsequently reduced to just a few dozen.

Mr Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.

Mr Trump also claimed that Russia "ran over" former president Barack Obama for years.

He tweeted: "For eight years Russia 'ran over' President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!"

Mr Trump added the Twitter handle of Fox & Friends at the end - a show he has frequently cited as one of his favourites.

The US leader's latest criticism against his predecessor comes as senior members of his administration face questions about their contact with the Russian government.

This weekend, Mr Trump used Twitter to accuse Mr Obama of ordering wiretaps on his phones, but offered no proof to back the claim.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a second Brexit defeat in the House of Lords today.

Peers are expected to back an amendment to give Parliament a "meaningful vote" on the outcome of negotiations.
A number of ACT schools have been identified as showing significant improvement in students' performance in a database of literacy and numeracy results released overnight.

The NAPLAN results of about 9500 schools throughout Australia was updated early Wednesday on the My School website.

Schools data was updated overnight.

Theodore Primary School, Emmaus Christian School and Orana Steiner School have been identified by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority as making substantially above average improvements in student gain for the past three years.

Gain is identified when the same cohort of students demonstrate improvements in their NAPLAN results as they progress from year 3 to 5 or, as in the case of the latter two schools, between years 7 and 9.
Two police officers killed in a plane crash in Indonesia 10 years ago were honoured in Canberra on Tuesday.

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin paid tribute to Commander Brice Steele and Sergeant Mark Scott, who died when a Garuda Airlines jet overshot the runway at Yogyakarta Airport on March 7, 2007.

Commander Brice Steele and Sergeant Mark Scott died in a plane crash in Indonesia along with three other Australians. Credit:Australian Federal Police

Commissioner Colvin spoke at the service with emotion as he remembered Commander Steele, 35, as as smart, articulate, humble and a great leader.

"More than anything, Brice knew how to make you feel important, how to make you feel valued, and he also somehow always found time for a chat and coffee," Commissioner Colvin said.
The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has revealed another priest living next to a Canberra school could be a concern to the community.

It is understood the archdiocese is in the process of removing the priest from accommodation next to Ainslie School, in Canberra's north.

Parents of students at Ainslie School have been advised students are safe. Credit:Rebecca Hallas

The revelation came less than a week after three priests were moved from a retirement home for clergy next to two southside schools.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

South African Police are investigating murder cases after six bodies, all with gunshot wounds and believed to be illegal miners, were found in an open veld next to a railway line in Benoni, Ekurhuleni.There are fears that among the deceased were Zimbabweans as the area is known to be frequented by foreigners who engage in illegal mining.Many Zimbabweans live in South Africa with the majority of them doing menial jobs.According to Gauteng Police, a passer-by called police after he came across the bodies at about 9am on Sunday.SAPS is still investigating the case and is in the process of identifying the bodies."Police found that all (the) bodies have gunshot wounds on the upper body. It is suspected that the deceased were killed elsewhere and taken to where they were found as they were put in a pattern. It is also suspected that the deceased are illegal miners."The motive for the killings is still unknown and the bodies have not yet been identified."Police have opened six cases of murder, and the investigation is continuing," SAPS said in a statement.In 2015, South Africa emergency workers retrieved 11 bodies of Zimbabweans who were killed when a generator they were using in a disused underground mine exploded in Benoni, 35km outside Johannesburg, South Africa.The group, which comprised 15 people - among them Zimbabweans and Mozambicans  reportedly entered the mine on August 27 using the generator for lighting and drilling.During the process, they started a fire using planks which produced toxic gases which then mixed with carbon monoxide from the generator which also exploded.The group died of asphyxiation (oxygen deprivation) while a few managed to escape and made a report to the police.The mine is located in the Springs area of Benoni.The incident also came a year after 22 Zimbabweans perished in a disused gold mine in Roodeport in May 2014.Zimbabwe's Consul-General to South Africa, Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro, recently appealed to Zimbabweans living outside the country to avoid engaging in dangerous activities.Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and their Botswana counterparts are still looking for 10 of the 18 prisoners who escaped from lawful custody at Gerald Estates Centre for Illegal Immigrants in January.According to media reports from the neighbouring country, some of the fugitives are believed to have fled to Zimbabwe and their whereabouts are still unknown.Botswana police recently acknowledged that the search for the 10 prisoners wass proving difficult. They have since engaged their counterparts to help find the fugitives.The prisoners who have been classified dangerous by the Botswana authorities escaped after destroying a fence with a manhole cover.So far only eight have been arrested.The escapees were on remand and were facing charges for dangerous offences such as murder and robbery.Botswana police, prison officials and soldiers have been working around the clock to bring the culprits to book.Gerald Estates Police Station commander Superintendent Edward Leposo was quoted as saying that the leads provided to the police had turned cold.Those still at large are Chakalani Barati, Musa Willy, Elvis Ndlovu, Dzikhamani Ndebele, Innocent Nyoni, Edwin Ncube, Sunganai Tafiraushe, Givemore Chaloba, Brilliant Thabisani and Bruce Masuku.Two escapees are Botswana nationals while the rest are Zimbabweans."We have been getting various leads about the whereabouts of the prisoners, but they have produced nothing."We are on the ground trying our best, but the search is proving to be difficult. What is key is that we are getting many leads from the public and we remain optimistic that they will lead to more arrests," Supt Leposo said.One of the escapees, Thabani Ncube, was arrested in Zimbabwe where he is facing a theft charge and authorities are processing his extradition to Botswana.Other prisoners who have been arrested are Rowland Moyo, Gaomodimo Molosiwa, Mlindeli Moyo, Sicelo Sibanda, Godwin Mapunganyika, Charlotte Ndlovu and Methuli Sibanda.The prisoners were arrested in Francistown, Masingwaneng and Tutume.
Anti-fortification laws against outlaw motorcycle gangs could be introduced in Canberra, as police raise concerns the city is becoming a safe-haven for interstate bikies.

The laws would allow police to get court orders to tear down walls, fences and other defences at bikie clubhouses.

Mick Gentleman said there was no indication the ACT's lack of anti-consorting laws was attracting bikie gangs from elsewhere in Australia Credit:Jay Cronan

Police Minister Mick Gentleman said he was in talks with ACT Policing about fortification as an alternative to anti-consorting laws, which the ACT government has repeatedly rejected due to human rights issues.

"The Chief Minister has asked the Attorney-General and I to work together with ACT Policing on developing and assessing law reform proposals to address serious and organised crime in the ACT," Mr Gentleman said.
The Canberra Outlet Centre has sold to a German real estate fund for $135.1 million in what's been described as a sign of confidence in the ACT's property sector.

The 44,870 square metre shopping precinct in Fyshwick was purchased by Armada Funds Management on behalf of Deka Immobilien.

The Fyshwick shopping centre has gone from "a basket case" several years ago, to being full again. Credit:Melissa Adams

The centre services a residential trade area with annual retail expenditure of $8.4 billion, projected to grow at 3.7 per cent a year.

It recently received rezoning approval to add a supermarket.
Australia's competition regulator says it is keeping an eye on a case launched by a Kiwi regulator against Bunnings in relation to the hardware giant's "lowest price" advertising.

Bunnings has pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 45 charges of false and misleading advertising filed against it by the New Zealand Commerce Commission.

The consumer watchdog brought the charges alleging that Bunnings' tagline promise of "lowest prices" was misleading to customers because this was not necessarily the case. Credit:Tom McKendrick

The consumer watchdog brought the charges alleging that Bunnings' tagline promise of "lowest prices" was misleading to customers because this was not necessarily the case.

Allegations by the commission relate to advertising between June 2014 and February 2016.
The Australian Taxation Office says the "robo-debt" debacle is not its fault and it is unhappy being publicly linked with Centrelink's controversial debt-recovery program.

Senior ATO officials told a Senate committee investigating robodebt on Wednesday that the ATO simply handed its data on taxpayers over to Centrelink's parent department, Human Services, which then used an automated system to raise debts.

It also emerged in Wednesday's hearings that Centrelink had been paid just $24 million of the $300 million it says it is owed under the program with some debtors paying back as little as $5 per week.

But Department of Human Services Secretary Kathryn Campbell said there were no plans to heed the widespread calls for the program to be scrapped and that it would continue with "refinements".
They congregate on social media, challenging facts and muddying evidence, until everything comes with a question mark.

The methods are tried and true: joining vulnerable groups where the uncertain look for validation and guidance and gradually taking over with the incessant use of words such as "choice", "alternative" and "education"; lobbying those in power with emotive and personal stories; and mobilising against any perceived threat by attacking and removing the questioners while shaming the non-believers.

Australia's anti-vaccine movement, known as anti-vaxxers, has been very effective in spreading their scientifically debunked messages. Harvesting the power and reach of the internet, they use guerrilla social media techniques to skew what the medical community does not even consider a debate.

But the anti-vaxxer movement, led in Australia by crusaders such as Meryl Dorey, who started the Australian Vaccination-Sceptics Network, Tasha David, who has picked up the mantle, Narelle Chenery, a past president of the Vaccine Information Service, and a range of other alternative health providers, began waging a war before the science and medical communities even realised there was a battle.
This year's International Women's Day theme is "Be Bold for Change", and how fitting that is for 2017. We are faced with uncertain times and there has never been a better time to be bold.

Historically, women across the world have either led the charge or been central to struggles against racial discrimination, and social and environmental injustices.

In the US, seamstress Rosa Parks is recognised as the "mother of the freedom movement" because of her courageous refusal to give up her bus seat for a white passenger. Many other women, like Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer and Septima Poinsette Clark were crucial to the movement. Others still remain invisible but they were the oft-forgotten planners, strategists and activists on the ground. Here in Australia, Aboriginal women led (and continue to lead) the struggle for the civil rights.

It was biologist Rachel Carson's bravery in persistently writing about human impacts on nature, especially highlighting the impacts of pesticides like DDT, on human health and the environment in her book Silent Spring that sparked the modern environmental movement more than 50 years ago.
The state's brightest HSC science students will be able to study a more challenging extension subject as part of an overhaul of the syllabuses designed to make the final high school exams more rigorous.

In an Australian first, the new extension science subject will prepare high-achieving students for university and a career in STEM. Students can already study extension maths, English and history for the HSC but there have been no high-level science subjects.

The extension course will be one extra unit of study in addition to biology, physics or chemistry.

Announcing the new course at Fairvale High School on Tuesday, Tom Alegounarias, chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority, said they wanted to inspire students to pursue "big scientific issues".
Melbourne father Matthew Jones is believed to have died within an hour of complaining of breathing difficulties while on a trip to the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal, his trekking guide says.

The 49-year-old father of two and tech professional was at a lodge known as Mother Earth House in Lobuche, on what was to be one of his last overnight stops before he was due to trek to base camp with a group of 18 Australians.

Mr Jones died in base camp hotel room, and never made the climb at Mount Everest. Credit:Facebook

There was no helicopter available to fly him quickly to lower ground  the closest airport at Lukla didn't open for another three hours  and the phone lines work only after sunrise in Lobuche, the Nepalese guide told Fairfax Media.

It is understood Mr Jones arrived at the lodge, which is at 4200 metres, and then went on an "acclimatising walk" to 4600 metres in preparation for the next leg of the trek. He safely returned to the lodge to spend the night.
Insurers are being put on notice that residential premiums must fall by up to 20 per cent after the introduction of a new scheme to fund fire and emergency services in NSW.

But the opposition has questioned whether the savings will be delivered, especially after a government-appointed watchdog's role ends at the end of 2018.

Under legislation introduced by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday, the bulk of fire and emergency services funding will come from a new levy on all property owners in NSW from July 1.

This replaces the current system whereby three-quarters of the annual $950 million budget comes from a tax on insurers that is passed on to customers in the form of higher premiums.
News / National

by Staff reporter

GOVERNMENT, through the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company, has expanded diamond exploration to other parts of Manicaland to include Mutasa and Mutambara districts.The ZCDC has since contracted the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment for the two districts."Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company intends to carry out diamond exploration in Penhalonga, Mutasa District in Manicaland Province," reads a notice released by the ZCDC recently."According to the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20:27), this development requires that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be carried out. As such ZCDC contracted the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) to conduct an EIA study for the diamond exploration project," said the ZCDC in a notice.Another notice also indicated that ZCDC intended to explore for diamonds "in Mutambara and Martin Forest Land in Chimanimani district"."This public notice serves to inform all interested and affected stakeholders to submit their views, concerns and comments on the above-mentioned projects," reads the notice.For Penhalonga diamond exploration, the public has been given a March 23, 2017 deadline to express their views and March 30, 2017 for the Chimanimani exploration project.The ZCDC is currently mining alluvial diamonds at Chiadzwa in Manicaland Province.Diamond output at Chiadzwa has, however, been on the decline.Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa told a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy in December last year that production had fallen by 62 percent to 924 388 carats since January (2016).He attributed the decline to court cases filed by evicted miners resisting Government's decision to consolidate the sector.Diamond production reached 3,2 million carats in 2015.The ZCDC recently announced it was acquiring equipment worth $30 million from Belarus to enable it to process kimberlite diamonds.This is being done under a local facility arranged by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the project/equipment is earmarked for upgrading and redesigning mining operations.The new equipment will enable the company to process kimberlite diamonds.ZCDC is using equipment designed for alluvial diamonds at Marange.
Queensland's attorney-general has sought advice from prosecutors over whether to appeal the sentence of the first person charged under the state's one-punch laws.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine Holmes handed Ariik Mayot a four-year jail term on Monday after he pleaded guilty to fatally striking Lindsay Ede in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna in June 2015.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath is seeking advice about Ariik Mayot's sentence. Credit:Chris Hyde

Family and friends of the 56-year-old victim were disappointed with the head sentence, which was in addition to the two years Mayot had spent in custody since the attack.

The 20-year-old was the first person charged under Queensland's unlawful striking causing death offence, introduced in 2014 to crack down on fatal punches.
Queensland's attorney-general has been urged to appeal a "manifestly inadequate" sentence imposed on the perpetrator of a fatal one-punch assault.

Shadow Attorney-General Ian Walker said he would write to Yvette D'Ath following a decision handed down to Ariik Mayot in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

Family members of Ariik Mayot leave the court after he was sentenced. Credit:Jorge Branco

"Mayot's sentence for the one-punch killing of Ipswich man Lindsay Ede is manifestly inadequate and does not meet or reflect community expectations and standards," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Chief Justice Catherine Holmes sentenced Mayot to four years' jail after he pleaded guilty to fatally striking the 56-year-old in June 2015.
Former premier Campbell Newman has hit back at his former treasurer Tim Nicholls, after the LNP leader disowned Mr Newman's economic policies at a Queensland Media Club lunch on Tuesday.

Mr Nicholls apologised on behalf of the LNP at the Brisbane lunch, saying the previous LNP government "broke the trust of Queenslanders" and said he had "learnt his lesson" over asset sales.

"In moving quickly we (the previous Newman government) failed to take Queenslanders with us, and I acknowledge that we broke the trust of Queenslanders, and for that I am sorry," he said.

However, Mr Newman on Tuesday night criticised Mr Nicholls for his comments.
A Queensland hospital has helped to develop a potential method to fight lung cancer without chemotherapy.

Princess Alexandra Hospital's Professor Ken O'Byrne said the drug Keytruda could be used to activate the body's immune cells to fight cancer without using radioactive compounds.

There have been positive results from testing on new drug Keytruda, raising hopes that cancer could be treated without chemotherapy. Credit:Michele Mossop

Professor O'Byrne said Keytruda had been used previously for patients battling advanced melanoma.

"Following a study of more than 300 patients, which PAH took part in, we found Keytruda was better than chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer selected using a biomarker," he said.
A man with no rail experience who ran Australia's busiest port has been appointed to overhaul Queensland Rail in the wake of a timetable and driver crisis.

Nick Easy, who was the CEO of the Port of Melbourne until recently, has been endorsed by the body's board, to start work next month.

Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Jackie Trad said Mr Easy's experience delivering major projects would help him restore public confidence.

The government is expected to respond on Wednesday to Queensland Rail board chair Phillip Strachan's report into south-east Queensland's train debacle.
The latest revelations about the US government's powerful hacking tools potentially takes surveillance right into the homes and hip pockets of billions of users worldwide, showing how a remarkable variety of everyday devices can be turned to spy on their owners.

Televisions, smartphones and internet-connected vehicles are all vulnerable to CIA hacking, according to the WikiLeaks documents released overnight. The capabilities described include recording the sounds, images and the private text messages of users, even when they use encrypted apps to communicate. Vehicles, meanwhile, are vulnerable to a remote hacker gaining control, allowing "nearly undetectable assassinations".

In the case of a tool called "Weeping Angel" for attacking Samsung Smart TVs, WikiLeaks wrote, "After infestation, Weeping Angel places the target TV in a 'Fake-Off' mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on, In 'Fake-Off' mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server."

The documents, which could not immediately be independently confirmed, list supposed tools for cracking into such widely popular devices as Apple's iPhone or the Android smartphones whose operating system is made by Google, but there are marked differences from the 2013 revelations by the National Security Agency's former contractor Edward Snowden.
The Andrews government is now just two idiots shy of a minority.

Now that Don Nardella has been ordered out of the parliamentary Labor Party to the crossbench, having refused to repay more than $100,000, Labor technically controls just 46 votes in the 88-seat house.

After factoring in the appointment of a new speaker (Labor MP Colin Brooks), the government's numbers effectively drop to 45, given the speaker only votes when the parliament is deadlocked.
Besieged former deputy speaker Don Nardella should leave parliament altogether if he will not repay more than $100,000 he claimed for living in a seaside residence, a Labor MP says.

Labor's Anthony Carbines called for Mr Nardella to quit after he was booted from the parliamentary Labor Party for his claiming of allowances.

Police Minister Lisa Neville also backed that call.

"I know he's having conversations with the Labor Party as well. I think he needs to consider his own position," she told reporters.
President Donald Trump has taken his second crack at a travel ban executive order. He signed a scaled-back version of the previous executive order, which was halted by the courts, that does more to guard against the idea that it is a thinly veiled "Muslim ban" and excludes Iraq from the list of banned countries.

Whether the new ban passes legal muster is one question - and it will undoubtedly be answered in pretty short order.

But as much as anything, the handling of the new executive order makes some of Trump's actions and claims surrounding the first ban appear particularly haphazard and disingenuous. Trump and his aides said many things about the need for the last executive order that simply don't hold up anymore.

Below, we review a few of them.
Widespread protests greeted the first travel ban, which was later halted by the courts. Credit:AP In an attempt to counter a key criticism of the original order  that citizens of the banned countries had not been involved in terror strikes in the US  the administration sought to firm up the national security justification for the order by claiming that 300 people who had entered the US as refugees were the subject of counter-terrorism investigations, but it refused to disclose their nationalities. In any event, The Washington Post reports that a Homeland Security report on the terrorist threat posed by people from the seven countries has concluded that citizenship was an "unreliable" threat indicator and that people from the affected countries have rarely been implicated in US-based terrorism. From left, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, take turns speaking at the launch of the revised travel ban. Credit:AP Also, the new order does nothing to quash the claim by former New York mayor and Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani that Trump had asked him to take the "Muslim ban" that candidate Trump had called for and to "show me the right way to do it legally".

But back to the Trump tweets. Comey has been working to get the Justice Department to knock down Donald Trump's claim because there is no evidence to support it. Credit:AP In tweeting as he did on Saturday, Trump has created an unprecedented circumstance  FBI director James Comey is effectively calling him a liar; Trump's Republican colleagues in Congress are not rushing to support him; and even his loyal staffers are choosing their words carefully. "I think he firmly believes that this is a story," spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in one interview, and in another: "Look, I think he's going off information that he's seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential." Another problem is that, if or when Trump is proved wrong, he'll look like a bit of a dill. In the event that it's proved that a wiretapping court order was issued, in all probability without Obama's knowledge, it would mean that a federal court had been convinced there were genuine reasons of national security for such an order  on which, more later.

The torrent of leaks driving Trump nuts continues. In assembling a remarkable portrait of Trump as "mad  steaming, raging mad" on the weekend, The Washington Post had co-operation from no less than 17 White House officials and others in Trump's circle. One went on the record: "He was pissed. I haven't seen him this angry," his friend and Newsmax chief executive Christopher Ruddy said of two weekend encounters with the President. Gnawing at Trump, apparently, is the then-and-now comparison  at this stage of the Obama presidency, Obama seemingly was getting things done. Even Trump thought as much at the time, saying of Obama's first press conference in February 2009: "First of all, I thought he did a great job tonight. I thought he was strong and smart, and it looks like we have somebody that knows what he is doing finally in office, and he did inherit a tremendous problem. He really stepped into a mess." Each week is supposed to be a reboot for Trump. Last week his well-received address to the joint houses of Congress was supposed to be a fresh start, but it was bombed out of the water by reports on the Sessions meeting with ambassador Sergey Kislyak. This week too was to be a reboot, with the new migration executive order and a promised definitive plan to "repeal and replace" Obamacare  but Trump's weekend tweets are keeping Russia on the boil.

All is not well in Trumpworld. Apparently Trump's newly minted Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has been deemed incapable of selling the death of Obamacare and the birth of whatever is to replace it  so Trump has given the task to Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget. And Sessions is in hot water too  for revealing his meetings with the ambassador in answer to a question during his confirmation hearing that didn't ask if he had any such meetings. The whole White House gang reportedly is furious with the Attorney-General's stumbles and Trump, in particular, is fuming that Sessions caved to demands that he recuse himself without consulting the White House, as various aspects of Trump's Russian links which are being investigated by several of the intelligence agencies that Trump so loathes and by five congressional committees. The Post's portrait of Trump's tantrums: "[He] simmered with rage... He upbraided [his advisers] over Sessions' decision to recuse himself, believing that Sessions had succumbed to pressure "

The New York Times had more: "[He] railed at aides about the recusal, singling out the White House counsel's office and the communications staff in a tirade visible through the window to a nearby television camera." The leaks are not to be underestimated as a cause of presidential anger. Republican congressman and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes told the Post: "It's not paranoia at all when it's actually happening. It's leak after leak after leak from the bureaucrats in the [intelligence community] and former Obama administration officials - and it's very real. "The White House is absolutely concerned and is trying to figure out a systemic way to address what's happening." The FBI's Comey is being circumspect  his dismissal of Trump's charge against Obama is being sourced to unnamed officials. But James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence, didn't beat around the bush. Asked if a secret intelligence warrant had been issued, Clapper bluntly told NBC's Meet the Press: "Not to my knowledge, no. There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate or against his campaign."

Had there been such an order or an application for one, Clapper insisted that he would "absolutely" have been informed of it. "I can deny it," he said. Asked to substantiate the Trump tweets, the White House cited a selection of news reports from the BBC and Heatstreet in Britain and The New York Times and Fox News in the US, all of which touch on an aspect of the Russia investigations. An analysis by the Cato Institute's Julian Sanchez says: "The allegation made by various news sources is that, in connection with a multi-agency intelligence investigation of Russian interference with the presidential election, the FBI sought an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorising them to monitor transactions between two Russian banks and four persons connected with the Trump campaign  "[But] there's nothing here to suggest either the direct involvement of President Obama nor any clear indication of a violation of the law." The Cato analysis then summarises a Breitbart News report that reportedly was critical in winding up the Trump Twitter storm  "the Obama administration sought, and eventually obtained, authorisation to eavesdrop on the Trump campaign; continued monitoring the Trump team even when no evidence of wrongdoing was found; then relaxed the NSA rules to allow evidence to be shared widely within the government, virtually ensuring that the information, including the conversations of private citizens, would be leaked to the media".

It then concludes: "None of this is really supported by the public record  In short, both Breitbart and Trump have advanced claims far more dramatic than anything the public evidence can support". Awarding Trump four Pinocchios, the Post's fact-checker Glenn Kessler writes: "Only two articles, both with British roots, have reported that a FISA court order was granted in October to examine possible activity between two Russian banks and a computer server in the Trump Tower. This claim has not been confirmed by any US news organisations. "Moreover, neither article says President Obama requested the order or that it resulted in the tapping of Trump's phone lines. We're still waiting for the evidence " So, executive orders will come and go, but the Russia mess remains and Trump's soundness of mind continues to be questioned  even in Republican circles. "We have as president a man who is erratic, vindictive, volatile, obsessive, a chronic liar, and prone to believe in conspiracy theories," conservative commentator and former George W. Bush policy chief Peter Wehner told the Post. "And you can count on the fact that there will be more to come, since when people like Donald Trump gain power they become less, not more, restrained".
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZANU-PF youths in Manicaland will face legal action if they proceed with their planned move to illegally grab pieces of council land in Mutare, mayor Tatenda Nhamarare has said.Last week, Zanu-PF Manicaland youth provincial chairman Mubuso Chinguno told hundreds of party supporters in Mutare to "help themselves" to council land, accusing the Nhamarare-led council of defying the government's directive to give party youths land for residential purposes.But Nhamarare yesterday hit back, saying they were not going to allow another group of illegal settlers occupying land."They should follow proper procedures, we will take legal action on unlawful grabbing of land. Already we are facing challenges to evict illegal settlers who have settled themselves in Chikanga and it's a potential health disaster," he said."Then you find out that there is another group of people trying to occupy land that is not serviced, we are not going to allow that at all."President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF has been accused by opposition parties of parcelling out land to its supporters, describing this a political gimmick to woo voters ahead of the 2018 elections.Nhamarare, however, said Mutare was running out of land for residential stands and that they were waiting for the Local Government ministry's master plan to expand the city.But Chinguno last week said: "There is vacant land in Dangamvura and Chikanga. We are going to take it upon ourselves to grab the land because Mutare City Council is not responding positively. They will come and regularise the stands after we have settled there, we can't wait for the laid-down procedures, it's taking long."Chinguno added that the main opposition MDC-T dominated council was throwing spanners in their projects, threatening to take the law into their own hands if council fails to avail land for the youths.
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The smartphone revolution has dramatically changed everyone's lives.

From making it easier to settle a debate in pubs to taking semi-professional photographs without much fuss and even navigating through a city without jeopardising a relationship.

However, as many of us rely on in-built mobile sat navs now, how many actually know and understand the law surrounding their usage?

Since March 1, new tougher penalties have been introduced across the UK for using a mobile behind the wheel.

The stricter law means motorists caught on handheld phones while driving will be handed six penalty points and a 200 fine.

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And things are even worse for new drivers - who have passed their test within the last two years - as those who get caught will automatically lose their licence.

So how does this affect us when using the phone for directions?

If you touch a handheld mobile while the engine is on, you are breaking the law.

This means, unless you can guarantee you won't need to handle the nat sav for the duration of your trip, its best not to use it.

The law also applies when drivers are sitting in stationary traffic, so they technically can't even adjust the route at lights or in a traffic jam.

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According to insurers the AA, while it's an offence to be seen using a handheld phone, regardless of whether driving has been affected, this is not the case for hands-free phones.

However, if youre seen not to be in control of a vehicle while using a hands-free phone you can be prosecuted for that offence.

(Image: Birmingham Post and Mail)

The penalties for 'not in proper control' are a 100 fine and 3 points and up to 1,000 fine if it goes to court.

Make sure you set up your phone properly to use as hands-free before you set off and, if you need to touch your phone at any point during your journey, pull over to do so.

A spokesman for the AA said: It should be programmed with the route before you set off.

If it pops up with a message which requires just one press of a button, such as A faster route has been found. Accept/ Decline you should be OK to do this, as you would with an in-built sat-nav.

But if you need to re-programme the route then pull over and stop somewhere safe to do it.
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Get the latest news from Bristol Courts straight to your inbox

A second generation paedophile who repeatedly raped and abused an underage girl has been told by top judges that his 10-year jail term was not a day too long.

Shane Gibbins, 30, is the son of a sex beast who "had an extensive history of sexual offending against children," London's Criminal Appeal Court heard.

Gibbins, of Morton Street, Bristol, followed in his sick father's footsteps by committing a string of sex offences against a girl who was as young as 13.

She was repeatedly raped and suffered "serious psychological harm", Lord Justice Treacy told the court.

Gibbins was jailed for a decade, with a four-year extended licence period, at Bristol Crown Court in May last year.

He pleaded guilty to forcing oral sex on the child and touching her private parts as she tried pushing him away.

He also admitted five occasions when he raped her, one of which involved him forcing her to give him oral sex.

Today, Tuesday, his lawyers asked the Appeal Court to reduce that sentence, claiming he was treated too harshly.

Lord Justice Treacy heard Gibbins was stopped when his victim bravely went to the police and DNA evidence linked him to the abuse.

But his lawyers today claimed he ought not have been deemed "dangerous," given that it was his first serious conviction.

They also insisted his jail term was too long and ought to be cut.

But the appeal judge said: "His offending had manipulative and grooming aspects. It is significant that he intended to carry on offending had he not been detected.

"We note that his father had an extensive history of sexual offending against children.

"The only mitigation was that he had not offended before, and the weight to be attached to that was very limited.

"In our view there was nothing wrong with the sentence and we are unpersuaded that the judge was wrong to pass an extended sentence."

Judge Richard Griffith-Jones and Mr Justice Gilbart agreed the appeal should be dismissed.
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It is a conversation many of us could not imagine having, but one rape survivor is planning on confronting her attacker live on stage.

Thordis Elva has attracted headlines across the world with her controversial show, South of Forgiveness, which is coming to Bristol next week.

The 33-year-old feminist from Iceland was just 16 when she was raped by exchange student Tom Stranger after a Christmas party.

Now, 17 years later, Ms Elva and Mr Stranger have got back in touch and devised a talk in which both describe their feelings during, and in the wake of, the attack.

Speaking to The Observer, Ms Elva said: I am concerned with how quick some people were to judge the wrong way in which I worked through my experience.

By the time I was able to identify what had happened to me as rape, Tom had moved to the other side of the planet, far from the jurisdiction of the Icelandic police.

At the time, 70 per cent of rape cases in Iceland were dismissed, even when the perpetrator could be interrogated and the survivor had documented injuries, neither of which were the case for me. Therefore, pressing charges would not have been a fruitful process.

The attack took place when Ms Elva was drunk after trying rum for the first time.

Mr Stranger took her to her room  which the teen initially viewed as an act of kindness  before undressing her and raping her.

She said: My head had cleared up, but my body was still too weak to fight back, and the pain was blinding. I thought I'd been severed in two.

In order to stay sane, I silently counted the seconds on my alarm clock. And ever since that night, I've known that there are 7,200 seconds in two hours.

Ms Elva ended the relationship after the attack and lived with the trauma for nine years.

In 2003 she contacted Mr Stranger to discuss the rape and the pair spent eight years exchanging emails before deciding to turn their experience in to a TED talk last October.

While welcomed by some as a frank exploration in to the nuances of rape, South of Forgiveness has attracted criticism from certain groups.

The pair are scheduled to deliver their talk at the Bristol Festival of Ideas in Waterstones on Monday.

Their appearance follows a talk they are due to give at the Women of the World (WoW) festival in London on Saturday.

But more than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for festival organisers at the Southbank Centre to cancel the talk in its current format as they object to the fact that Mr Stranger is given equal time and weight to discuss the rape.

The organisers has said it is taking time to consider all opinions before making a decision whether the talk will go ahead.
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A woman on trial for a violent attack in a takeaway told a jury she hurled a kebab at a customer who hit her in the eye.

Tammy Connors said she and her friends had gone to a music night in a pub before going to the Fishponds Pizza and Grill on Fishponds Road.

She said that, inside, a woman told her off for dropping chips on the floor and then hit her, and she defended herself by flinging her food at her.

Three women deny assaulting 55-year-old Janet Crees, causing her actual bodily harm, in October 2015.

They are Christine Hewer, 25, of Coombe Close, Kingswood; Tammy Connors, 21, of Joyce Close, Horfield and Jessica Fisk, 20, of Abingdon Road, Fishponds.

Connors said today that she was sitting on a counter in the takeaway, on her phone to her boyfriend, when she dropped chips on the floor.

She told Bristol Crown Court: Janet made it clear to me that I dropped my chips on the floor.

She kept saying youve dropped your chips.

I said I was going to clear it up.

She said 'stop being disrespectful'. She got a bit angry.

With that, Miss Crees argued with Hewer, the court was told.

Connors said she tried to push them apart and Miss Crees asked her to go outside for a fight, which she declined.

She said: Nobody was angry apart from her.

"She went to hit me, she punched me in the eye. I then threw food at her to stop her: a kebab.

Connors told the jury Miss Crees grabbed her hair as well as Hewers hair, as a struggle ensued.

She said she fell on the floor and at one stage, Fisk tried to split the struggle up.

Connors said that at one stage, cola was poured over the brawlers to 'shock' them into stopping.

In the end, she said, Miss Crees and her friend Diane Rowley were locked out of the shop, as the three defendants helped tidy up the mess created, before leaving.

Hewer told the court she and her friends went to the kebab shop, which has closed and been replaced by another takeaway since the incident, with Fisk sitting in a car outside.

She said she saw Miss Crees and Rowley in the shop, and Connors was served food before charging her phone.

She said she ordered a chicken kebab, a mixed kebab and some chips as she had also got food for her partner.

Hewer told the jury that when Connors dropped chips, Miss Crees told her: Youre f-ing disrespectful, pick that up.

She said: She kept asking her to pick them up. She was getting annoyed with her. I just thought it was a reaction from a drunk woman, getting rowdy and loud.

Hewer recalled how she told Miss Crees to 'chill out' - but Miss Crees said they were being disrespectful to the men trying to earn a living.

With that, Miss Crees came closer and closer to her face, she said, and her breath smelt strongly of alcohol.

I did say What the f*** has it got to do with you?'

"Tammy did slip down and push her away, because she was trying to split her up from the argument. At that stage, she hit me and then I hit her back.

"I think it was just a quick reaction from her hitting me. She grabbed my hair, so my face was looking at the floor, and she repeatedly punched me in the face.

Hewer said she felt the strands of her hair being ripped out of her head as she was being punched, as Miss Crees also grabbed Connors hair.

She said: It took four people to get her off me. It wasnt easy at all.

Hewer said that after the struggle, Miss Crees friend asked her: Why do you do this? You do this all the time.

The case continues.

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It is a LICH-ectomy!

Workers have extracted a 12-story building from the old Long Island College Hospital site in Cobble Hill after months of noisy demolition  the first lot there to go under-the-knife as part of the sprawling redevelopment. The operation has cleared the path for a new five-story emergency room, and locals say theyre not looking forward to the next phase of construction.

There is little sign of relief knowing that we have construction coming on that site and the one between it and the playground, said Amy Breedlove, president of local civic group the Cobble Hill Association. It will be a cacophony of noise.

Workers have been chipping away at the building on Atlantic Avenue and Hicks Street for a year, but really levelled the place over the past few months, driving some neighbors nuts by starting in the early morning hours.

After complaints, the city agreed on Feb. 17 to stop issuing after-hours work permits  although by that point, most of the building was gone.

Developer Fortis Property Group is turning the old infirmary site into a massive residential complex, but had to agree to include another medical center there to secure the deal  and has to erect it before it can close on the rest of the block.

Locals fought unsuccessfully for years to save the old hospital, and many arent thrilled with the replacement  to be run by New York University Langone Medical Center  panning the new facility as a glorified urgent care.

Still, there is an upside to the now-empty lot while it lasts, Breedlove says  a nearby local playground is now flooded with sunshine it has not seen for decades.

It is so nice to have the air and light especially from the Henry And Pacific street side, she said. The playground is enjoying warmth from the sun especially in the very popular after-school hours.

It also means the pedestrian crossing on Pacific Street between Henry and Hicks is open again for the first time in a year, she said.

Fortis declined to comment on its plans for the center, but has previously said the new facility will open in late 2017 or early 2018.

The builder has been holding the blueprints the rest of the development close to its chest, but has already filed plans with the city for three towers, one of which is a 28-story tower on a lot shared with the new medical center.

A spokeswoman promised the company will have more news about the project in the coming weeks.

Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 2602511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill
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A Burnham-On-Sea Veterinary Nurse has just returned from a unique trip to Africa.

Helen Jenkins provided care for horses and donkeys in the Gambia as she volunteered for The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.

Speaking to Burnham-On-Sea.com about the experience, she said: The Gambia is a very poor country and many living there are in extreme poverty. The majority of animal welfare problems are a result of a lack of education and understanding, rather than cruelty.

The people rely on their animals for their own survival so they do everything they can to keep their animals healthy. A healthy working animal can increase a farming familys income by up to 500% and buying an animal is a big investment for a family. If the animal becomes sick or dies not only the animal suffers, but its owners suffer too.

She added: I spent time providing nursing care to horses and donkeys in the Gambia which is a real challenge due to insect-borne diseases. They include Sleeping Sickness (Trypanosomiasis), African Horse Sickness, and tick fever which are all too common. When these problems are combined with poor nutrition and poor management caused by a lack of knowledge and poverty, the results can be disastrous for the farmers.

I provided the Gambian people with the skills and knowledge to prevent and solve their own problems, creating a long term, sustainable solution. By providing training opportunities for farriers, harness makers, para-vets, livestock assistants and blacksmiths, I helped to enable them to provide essential services to their local community whilst also earning an income for themselves.

Workshops are held in villages and towns in the Gambia to provide training for local people so that they can support their own communities with professional skills. Poorly manufactured and poorly fitting harnessing materials are responsible for a large amount of animal suffering, but it is a relatively easy problem to prevent.

Helen continued: Farmers are provided with information about the best types of harness and information about correct harness fit, loading of carts and equine care. When provided with education they are very keen and willing to apply better practices and workshops are always extremely well attended.

Her time was split between the two centres; Matasuku and Sambel, where there are facilities to admit in-patients who require more long term treatment than can be provided at a mobile clinic.

She continued: The team have nursed back to health patients with some extremely serious and life threatening illnesses and injuries, including equines with serious burn injuries, broken legs, severe fungal infections, laceration wounds and emaciation. One of my cases was an orphan foal I nursed until he was old enough to return to the family who owned him.

The GHDT is involved with a school education programme covers basic management practices, appropriate handling, harnessing and information about equine diseases, illness and injuries. Many of the problems that I saw would be prevented if their owners had the correct knowledge and knew what to do in an emergency situation.

They have provided 147 donkeys to needy families who were unable to afford to purchase their own donkey. The donkey recipients attend an intensive training course at the GHDT centre where they are educated about how to appropriately care for and handle a donkey. The recipient must provide a house for the donkey to shelter in before their donkey is allocated to them.

The donkeys are provided on loan to the families in need, and the project manager travels to visit all of the donkeys every month to ensure they are being properly taken care of, and to provide veterinary treatment if required.

The charity relies heavily upon dedicated volunteers who offer their time and services to help us, and employ a team of local Gambian staff. The GHDT is a small charity that has had many great achievements, but to continue this work your support is urgently sought. It was an incredible experience to be part of supporting such a worthy cause.

I encourage your help to keep this amazing going in any way that you can.

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Startup led by UB alums moves traditional classrooms into the modern age

From left to right, interactiveX includes Rohan Shah, CEO; Josh Krouse, vice president of research and development; and Vivian Luo, developer. Credit: Douglas Levere.

Classavo, now used on five campuses, plans to grow rapidly

There are systems to record grades, a site for homework and attendance clickers in classes. There was a need to pull this all together. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The online education company called interactiveX seems like something created in the computer labs of Silicon Valley, but its launching from the University at Buffalos Technology Incubator on Sweet Home Road in Amherst.

The firm, started by two UB alumni, has designed a technology platform called Classavo for higher education that gives professors a simple way to convert their books and paper courses into online experiences. Class materials like books, 3-D models, schedules, grades, attendance and more can be managed on a cloud-based platform that students can access from their smartphones or computers.

It is also an in-class tool that can display material on classroom computer screens.

The system has click-and-drag tools that teachers use to import and create textbooks, as well as manage documents, images and videos. Professors also can sell their teaching materials on the site. Analytical tools help manage grades and attendance, and produce complex tables and charts. The system is expandable, and Classavo designers add more features as professors suggest them.

The company, which was recently admitted to the START-UP NY economic development program, partners with open-source, e-book publishers, and hopes to contract with larger publishers such as Pearson and McGraw-Hill.

It allows for a quick transformation of a traditional classroom into a modern, screen-based learning experience that todays students may expect.

The biggest problem today is teachers have too many tools to build, said Rohan Shah, CEO and co-founder. There are systems to record grades, a site for homework, and attendance clickers in classes. There was a need to pull this all together.

Classavo is hosted on the cloud, so you dont have to download anything, Shah said. If a teachers have problems, they can directly reach our help desk.

The program, available at classavo.com, was recently used by participants at a hackathon at New Era Cap Company.

Grants help fund progress

The company, which Shah launched as a student, has received $8,000 in seed funding, mentorship and office space from UBs Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab), $12,600 in support from the Buffalo Student Sandbox program and $17,476 from two grants from UBs UB Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE).

The TCIE grants, from the organizations Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) program, pay for UB engineering students to work at the company.

SPIR is the perfect tool to enable their growth, as it gives them access to talented individuals from UB engineering, said Timothy Leyh, executive director of TCIE. The partnership with interactiveX also fulfills our goal of providing UB students with an experiential learning platform.

Shah and Josh Krouse, the companys vice president of research and development, who received a bachelors degree in international trade from UBs Department of Geography, now have 4,000 student customers at five schools. To date, 16 professors at UB, Canisius College, SUNY Buffalo State, Penn State and UBs satellite university in Singapore are using the service.

The companys developer, Vivian Luo, has been modifying and expanding Classavo based on feedback from professors and students.

Reaching professors

Shah said Classavo is marketed directly to individual professors, as they might buy a textbook, rather than going through the bureaucracy of selling to the whole university. When a professor agrees to use Classavo, students are billed $39 a semester for the service, which is typically less than the cost of most textbooks.

Trina Hamilton, PhD, associate professor of geography in UBs College of Arts and Sciences, was an early user of Classavo in her economic geography class. Krouse was a former student and asked Hamilton to try the app with her class.

She loved the ability to place video clips and computer links in her class notes so that students could use the links when studying.

I tend to use a lot of videos and news articles, Hamilton said. It enables me to have my lecture slides and allows the video play on the same page of my lecture content. That makes it easier when they go back to study.

The startup has gained notice in the tech startup world. It was invited for an interview to a previous Y Combinator in California, an event labeled the worlds most powerful start-up incubator by Fast Company, and they are looking forward to another interview. The incubator helped launch Reddit, Airbnb, Dropbox and hundreds of other tech companies.
The American Society of Neuroimaging gives William R. Kinkel, UB professor of neurology, its first lifetime achievement award

Colleagues dubbed Kinkel the George Washington of neuroimaging

A faculty member of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences since 1986, and an alumnus, Kinkel is credited with developing at Dent and at UB what were likely the worlds first neuroimaging fellowships designed for neurologists.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  A University at Buffalo professor emeritus in the Department of Neurology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has received the first lifetime achievement award to be given by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

William R. Kinkel, MD, professor emeritus of neurology, was presented with the award in January at the organizations 40th annual meeting at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kinkel, whom colleagues have dubbed the George Washington of neuroimaging, is a founder of the American Society of Neuroimaging, which originated in Buffalo in 1976. He also is the founder of the Dent Neurologic Institute.

A faculty member of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences since 1986, and an alumnus, Kinkel is credited with developing at Dent and at UB what were likely the worlds first neuroimaging fellowships designed for neurologists. Because of his passion for teaching fellows how to read images generated by computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other neuroimaging techniques, Buffalo now has the distinction of hosting two of the nations five neuroimaging fellowships. These fellowships are required training for any neurology trainee who seeks board certification in the subspecialty of neuroimaging.

Kinkel, who is board certified in both neurology and psychiatry, was director of the Dent Neurologic Institute from 1968 to 2003 and program director for the residency program in neurology at UB. He was chairman of neurology at Millard Fillmore Hospital from 1965 until 1998.

Kinkel founded the Society for Computerized Tomography and Neuro-Imaging and has chaired or co-chaired courses and subcommittees of the American Academy of Neurology focused on specific neuroimaging techniques. He also served in the U.S. Air Force.

Kinkel is a resident of Orchard Park.
LBS Builders' Merchants is named Business of the Year (150+ Employees) for the second year running at the 2017 Swansea Bay Business Awards.

The merchant was shortlisted alongside Lyte Industries, Hornbill Engineering and CEM Day Ltd, before being crowned winners at a ceremony at Brangwyn Hall, Swansea on 3rd March.

LBS was represented at the event by 20 people.

Managing director Mark Davies said: "We are hugely proud to be recognised by the strong business community in South and West Wales as winners of our category. I truly believe that this is a reflection of our combined efforts of investing in business growth while providing award-winning levels of service. This award is a testament to our team work and we are thrilled to be crowned as winners against such stiff competition."

This award win follows a successful end to 2016 for LBS, which was named 'Best Independent Builders Merchant (11  25 Branches)' for the fourth time at the BMN Awards.

Mr Davies concluded: "As an independent Welsh business, LBS is proud to be recognised by its peers across the UK. The awards reflect the continued investment in our LBS colleagues, creating award-winning levels of customer service and sustained growth across the wide range of sectors we now trade in."
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The Road to Resilience and The Blessing of a Broken Heart. She co-directs the Koby Mandell Foundation and is co-director of American Victims of Palestinian Terror. For more info see Sherri Mandell is the author ofand. She co-directs the Koby Mandell Foundation and is co-director of American Victims of Palestinian Terror. For more info see kobymandell.org and stop-terror.org

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Times of Israel..05 March '17..February 1969, Rasmeah Odeh murdered two Hebrew University students and injured nine other people. Leon Kaner was 21 and Edward Jaffe was 22 when they were murdered in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh set bombs in coffee cans that exploded in the grocery, killing the two young men and injuring nine other people.This month in Chicago at the Jewish Voice for Peace conference, Rasmeah Odeh, the convicted Palestinian terrorist, has been invited to speak. Never mind that the organization purports to be in the name of peace, never mind that there are rabbis on their board, never mind that the organization supports BDS.It is the Israeli government who released this woman and allowed her to be celebrated as a freedom fighter.Releasing terrorists is a dangerous game. Many Palestinian terrorists released in prison exchanges go on to murder again. Thats why those of us in the organization American Victims of Palestinian Terror in Israel cry out against prison exchanges. Because we knew the terrible pain of the murder of our loved ones. We dont want anybody else to have to suffer like we do. Shira Avraham, for example, knows the danger of releasing terrorists. In 2003, a terrorist broke into her home during a Rosh Hashanah meal and shot her 7-month old baby, Shaked, with an M16 right in front of Shiras eyes. The terrorist had been released in a previous prison exchange.How is it that Odeh walks free? After the murder of the two young men, she was found guilty and served 10 years in an Israeli prison, but in 1980, the Israeli government released her and another 77 prisoners in order to free one Israeli soldier who had been taken hostage in Lebanon.After Odeh was released, she lied her way into America in 1995, claiming that she had never been convicted of any crime. She applied to be a citizen nine years later. In 2014, she was convicted of fraud and sentenced to be deported, but is now free on appeal.Rasmeah Odeh is now in her 60s. She smiles in her photo on the Jewish Voice for Peace website. You know who had a hard time smiling? Edward Jaffes mother. Leon Kaners family. I also have a hard time smiling because I think I know how Leon Kaners and Edward Jaffes parents feel or would feel about this if they were still alive. My own son Koby was murdered in 2001 near our home in Tekoa when he was 13. He was out hiking with his friend Yosef Ish Ran and terrorists beat the two eighth-grade boys to death with rocks.My sons murderers have not been found. But if they were and if my sons murderers were invited to speak at a Jewish Voice for Peace conference, I would feel that my son was being murdered again, once by the murderers, and the next time by the people celebrating those murders.Odeh has plenty of supporters who celebrate her as a freedom fighter, not the vile murderer that she is.At the Jewish Voice for Peace the conference, Rasmeah Odeh will be wined and dined, she will be applauded. Maybe she will receive a standing ovation. She will sleep in a hotel with soft pillows and luxurious bedding, while her victims lie in the cold ground. Who is crying out for them? Who even remembers?
As the boycott against and Coke completed seven days, a traders association claimed 70% of retailers in the state had stopped selling brands of the two cola majors.
Cash-strapped regional airline has suspended its operations till March 15 for operational reasons, said a company official on Monday.

"We have suspended our services since February 28 and stopped bookings till March 15 for operational reasons. We will announce our revival plans on March 15," Air Costa's Marketing Vice-President Kavi Chaurasia told IANS from Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada.

The three-year-old feeder airline was operating daily service to eight cities, including six in the southern region - Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Tirupathi, Vijayawada and Vizag and two in the western region - Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

"We have grounded our two Embraer aircraft. We are talking to investors for infusion of investments as we are facing fund crunch," admitted Chaurasia.

Though the low-cost airline had four Embraer jets with a capacity to fly 112 passengers in each of them, two are stalled at the Hyderabad airport after they were impounded by GE Capital Aviation Services for defaulting on payments.

The budget carrier has about 600 employees.

According to the information with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Vijayawada-based airline was founded by L.P. Bhaskara Rao, a realtor.

The airline had reported Rs 130 crore loss on revenue of Rs 327 crore for fiscal 2015-16.

DGCA data for December showed had the highest number of cancellations at 13.65 per cent and its market share was 0.6 per cent.
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CAMEROUN :: Cameroon: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ANGLOPHONE STRUGGLE

This is the truth that 95% of West Cameroonians dont know. We have Protested in uncountable embassies and boycotted many things. We seek our statehood to protect our cultures and have a better life. Listen,

UNO will NEVER come to divide this country. The aim of UNO is to unite and not divide. They only intervene when there are mass cases of human rights violation like thousands of deaths. They didn't intervene to separate Biafra, Gambia, Sudan or South Sudan where there is war NOW.

USA will not intervene to divide Cameroon. Donald Trump is busy with restructuring America. The US Ambassador said it's a domestic affair and not America's concern. American intervention has never helped anywhere; Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya etc. USA is a bad virus

Russia will never intervene. Russia has no interest in Africa. They can only sell arms to us for us to kill ourselves. It's not their concern.

Britain is off topic. They can't help to divide Cameroon which is under France. Britain and France are brothers. UK had handed the territory to UNO in 1960 and is not interested in Africa like France. They just said it recently.

France can't divide Cameroon knowing that they benefit from it. They can only help the regime in Yaounde with more arms in case of war.

All these western nations know that all Cameroonians are angry with Biya for his 34yrs overstay and are not concerned. They know it's an internal problem that needs dialogue. They can't come to divide a nation that has integrated for 55years and intermarried.

Why must Africans always beg and look to the West for solutions? Mental Slavery!

African Unity (AU) was created to Unite Africa, not to separate Nations. They have never separated two countries.

Mr Biya can never separate a country he met united. But he can initiate dialogue to return to 2 state federation if we put pressure.

God will not come to separate Cameroon. This is not a demon deliverance service. Let's be real.

THE ONLY OPTION TO INDEPENDENCE IS WAR.

But guess what? Can we handle a war? Listen,

We are a minority in the country, we have no millitary, we can't train youths for war because the hideout will be attacked, Those talking of war have never fought any war and don't even know what war is. They are all out of Cameroon. Who will sponsor the war? GofundMe? No way... The Cameroon Army, BIR, Gendarme, ESIR, Rapide, ESIR, Airforce etc., will just crush the few innocent youths. Even Markizars didn't succeed in 1950s. No people ever won a war against their millitary. Never!

Biafra War lasted for 3 years with 2 million deaths, and 6 million Refugees but failed. The South Sudan war lasted for 39 years (22 + 17yrs), recorded 3.5 million deaths and 4 million refugees in a country of 12 million. Rwanda Genocide lasted for 3 months and recorded 800,000 deaths. War is not a joking matter. In all this UN didn't call a referendum

Someone should not be living in Europe/USA and talk of war. Talk is cheap! When you give guns to civilians they won't return it all. That's how ISIS started in the name of Freedom fighting. Biya losses nothing when 100 soldiers die because they are employed to die. We loose everything when 2 youths die. We can't risk the lives of millions of people we claim to love and protect. Africa needs common sense.

**SOLUTION***

We can easily get a federal system in Cameroon. That will preserve our cultures, legal and educational systems, create job for our youths and give us a voice. Decentralisation can NEVER be effective. In federation, we will be ruled by those we chose, not by those who are appointed, we will have our federal police, federal treasury, State or regional budget and our a regional or State Parliament. That's how it was in 1961. If federation did not favour us before, it's because our greedy elites who still parade the corridors of power until now, betrayed us. We can correct that mistake through the spirit of true patriotism.

The momment we see federation as a way to make Cameroon great, our francophone brothers and sisters will not perceive this struggle only as an Anglophone problem. Rather, they will see it as a national problem which needs national solution, and I think that's what the government fears most, and we will succeed, but not if we see it as a way to run away. Federation leads to competition among states and thus output (economics).

Federation is helping all those nations that we see as semi-heaven i.e USA, Canada, Germany, Russia, Belgium, China, Australia, Austria & even South Africa. We can make Cameroon great again. Finally, we must understand that President Paul Biya is 84yrs old, and he won't live forever. According to my reading, Restoration of Statehood as aimed by the leaders of the Consortium means Federation, not independence. So, let's put aside greed, emotions, fingers pointing and uncountable groups here and there. Speak truth!

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless Cameroon.

N:B What's your opinion. Comment maturely.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is unlikely to take a tough stance in the Tata-NTT DoCoMo case in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, a development that may help the two reach a settlement, according to sources. While one of the sources indicated that the central bank under Urjit Patel could possibly take a similar stand as it did in 2014 when Raghuram Rajan was the governor, another said RBI could tell the court it was up to the Union government to take a call.
Sanjit Bunker Roy, who turns 72 this August, has spent the past four decades of his life living the dream of creating self-sustaining village communities  not only in India but in 77 other countries, across 1,300 villages. The alumnus of Doon School and St Stephens College is the founder of Barefoot College, a place that skills rural women and communities to be self-reliant and sustainable.
Business Standard Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2016



For Sanjit Bunker Roy, who turns 72 this August, a statement by the Father of the Nation  live simply so that others may simply live  has gone beyond a vision statement for his social enterprise, Barefoot College, a place that skills rural women and communities to be self-reliant and sustainable. Over the past four decades, Roy has lived the dream that Mahatma Gandhi had, of creating self-sustaining village communities  not only in India, but in 77 other countries  across 1,300 villages.
The US on Monday issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and said extremist elements were also "active" in India.

"The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens and interests. US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence," the State Department said in its worldwide caution.

"A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan.

"Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh," it added.
India has got the dubious distinction of having the highest rate in the Asia Pacific, with a survey revealed on Tuesday that more than two-thirds of Indians had to pay 'tea money' or fork out other forms of bribe to get public services.

The survey, conducted by international anti-graft rights group Transparency International, found 69 per cent in India as saying they had to pay a bribe, followed by 65 per cent in Vietnam. China was much lower at 26 per cent while the same for Pakistan was 40 per cent.

Japan had the lowest incidence of -- at 0.2 per cent. South Korea also fared well at a mere 3 per cent.

However, it is China which seems to have seen the highest increase, with 73 per cent in the survey saying the has gone up in their country over the past year while India comes in at seventh place (41 per cent) -- higher than countries like Pakistan, Australia, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

In the survey of more than 20,000 people in 16 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 900 million said they had to pay a bribe at least once in the past one year.

The police topped the list of public services most often demanding a bribe while 38 per cent of the poorest surveyed said they paid a bribe, which is the highest proportion of any income group.

The survey asked people how often they had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour, including for the police, judge or court officials, teachers, hospital staff or a government official for getting some documents or services.

"Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. It's time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable," said Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.

The results show that lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistleblowers and governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Transparency International said.

Ugaz further added that "without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill".

As part of a regional series for the Global Corruption Barometer, Transparency International spoke to nearly 22,000 people about their recent experiences with corruption in 16 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
A citizen of India who received asylum in the US and lived in northern Nevada is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to plot terror strikes in his home country on the border with Pakistan.

Balwinder Singh's sentencing is scheduled this afternoon in federal court in Reno.

Prosecutors say he worked with two terrorist organisations to try to establish an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region.

They say he sought asylum in San Francisco using a false identity to elude Indian authorities when travelling back to his home country.

The government is seeking the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison with the possibly of lifetime supervision upon his release.

His lawyers argue he was tortured by government officials in India and was never a threat to the United States.
India on Tuesday pressed countries sharing the Indian Ocean to show zero tolerance towards "State-sponsored terrorism" and isolate, impose "strong sanctions" on the perpetrators and financiers of the menace, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, while addressing the first summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) here, underlined that terrorism is an impediment to development and a threat to all open and pluralistic societies.

At the summit themed 'Strengthening maritime cooperation for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean', he said the Ocean must be protected from "traditional and non- traditional threats, particularly piracy" and all those using these international waters must act with responsibility and restraint.

He also made some proposals which India would like to implement for the safety of the Indian Ocean and making it a zone of prosperity and harmony.

"Today, terrorism has become the major impediment to development and threatens all pluralist and open societies," Ansari told the gathering of leaders from the 21-member countries and representatives of 7 Dialogue Partners here in the Indonesian capital.

Asserting that "no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians", the Vice President said, " must show zero tolerance for State-sponsored terrorism", in an apparent reference to Pakistan which indulges in such activities. Pakistan is not a member of the .

"The perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorism must be isolated and face strong sanctions," he said.

"We have reiterated our commitment to combating terrorism by adopting the Declaration on countering violent extremism," he said.

Ansari said the IORA members should "help each other by sharing intelligence, securing our cyber space, and minimising the use of internet and social media for terrorist activities".

He said there was "a pressing requirement to work out the modalities for institutionalising an IORA cooperation mechanism to this end by pooling the resources available with the member states".

India, the Vice President said, shares the vision for a peaceful region and the seas around it.

"We believe that our ocean must be protected from traditional and non-traditional threats, particularly piracy," he said.

He described the IORA Concord signed at the summit today as "a milestone document" that underscores the criticality of maritime safety and security.

In a veiled reference to China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, Ansari said, "All using these international waters must act with responsibility and restraint".
The has registered an FIR against the then officials of Union Bank of India and others for allegedly allowing cash deposits of about Rs 85 crore after announcement of demonetisation in violation of norms.

The has registered cases under IPC sections pertaining to criminal conspiracy, cheating forgery and corruption.

The FIR has been registered against the then Deputy General Manager Ashok Kumar Dhabhai, and the Assistant General Manager K Shivashankarrao, both of Union Bank of India



Shivashankarrao is also the manager of Zaveri Road branch of the Bank.

Three jewellers Rakesh Patel of Pihu Gold, Mayur Deepak Chawla of Satnam Jewellers and Amit Sampat, Director of Pushpak Bullion Pvt Ltd--all based in Mumbai--have also been named in the FIR along with the company Pushpak Bullion.

"It was alleged that between November 15, 2016 and December 26, 2016, huge cash amounting to Rs 47.45 crore (approx) and Rs 37.15 crore(approx) were fraudulently shown as deposited in the accounts of two private firms based in Mumbai with Union Bank of India, Zaveri Bazar Branch, Mumbai," Spokesperson R K Gaur said in a statement today.

He said the said amounts were further transferred to another firm Pushpak Bullion whose account was also maintained in the said Zaveri Road branch of the bank.

"The huge cash was deposited in the currency chest of bank in old demonetised currency notes purportedly by representative of the said firms in an alleged conspiracy with DGM and AGM. Thus, the accused persons violated the RBI Guidelines issued on November 08, 2016," Gaur said.

He said searches were conducted at 12 places including residential and office premises of accused persons which led to recovery of "incriminating documents".
India has announced a new hydrocarbon exploration licensing policy which offers single license to explore conventional and unconventional and gas resources, as the country seeks to propel investment in the energy sector.

Christened "Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy" or HELP, the new policy also gives the investors the much needed freedom in pricing and marketing for crude and natural gas.

The new policy is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor friendly destination and achieve the plan to double India's existing production from current 80 million metric tonnes to about 150-155 million metric tonnes by 2022, said the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Pradhan is leading a high-powered delegation to Houston to attend CERAWeek 2017 - an international meeting of top leaders from the oil, energy and natural gas industry.

In addition to the Canadian Prime Minister, the week-long meeting is being attended by oil and energy ministers from countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

"In the new model, government will not micromanage, micro monitor with producers. Government will only share revenue. It will be an open and regular affair," Pradhan told reporters at a conference here.

"The policy aims to propel investment in the energy and petroleum sector and provide operational flexibility to the investors," he said.

One of the key features of the new policy is Open Acreage licensing which permits investors to select the exploration blocks after accessing G&G and historic data of India through the national data repository. They can then submit expression of interest for such blocks without waiting for formal bid round.

Pradhan hoped that the bidding under the new policy would be in mid-July.

Pradhan said the Union government is also contemplating a policy for production enhancement of mature fields currently being operated by national oil companies by inducting partners to infuse state of the art E&P technologies, investments and best-in class management practices.

"The objective of this policy would be to increase India's indigenous oil and gas production by maximising the potential of already discovered hydrocarbon resources in India," he said.

"We need global best practices and modern technologies to develop the sector. With this in mind, we have introduced landmark changes in the entire value chain of oil and gas sector," he said.

(Reopens FGN 9)



As India embarks on an "ambitious developmental agenda" set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, energy would play a "key role" in achieving this goal, Pradhan said.

"Energy is the single most catalyst of this developmental growth story," he said.

Pradhan's response assumes significance as the International Energy Agency in its latest report said that India would soon become the top energy consuming country of that world and that it is moving to the centre stage of the global energy market.

India, he said, needs to equip itself with energy sufficiency for its energy security.

"So, energy is the commodity for this growth story. We want to create a conducive atmosphere for energy, for its investment, for its market, for accessibility.

"This can be achieved only through reforms, progressive and business-friendly policies," he said in response to a question.

Pradhan said India's energy sector has become one of the "favourite" destinations for foreign direct investment.

"So many energy companies are looking toward Indian market," he said.

India's growth rate has led to an increasing pressure on the country's energy sector across the upstream and downstream domains, he said.

"India is the third largest oil consumer in the world, which is a clear indication of the importance of petroleum products in our lives," he said, adding that according to the IEA India is likely to contribute to the rise in global energy demand over the next decades.

In the next 25-30 years, Pradhan said, the incremental growth in India would be 30 per cent, which he said, is "the highest" in the world.

As a commodity, energy is the destination for India," he said.

Pradhan said India's focus of energy is on four pillars -- energy access, sufficiency, sustainability and security.

India aims at energy security by increasing oil and gas production in upstream sector and acquiring assets overseas, and energy sustainability by increase in production of renewable energy, and use of cleaner fuels, he said.

India, he said, plans to achieve energy sufficiency by increasing capital investment in all sectors and also in railways and opening up of new inland waterways routes, and energy access by providing affordable energy to common mass, developing petroleum infrastructure and expanding national gas grid network.

"Very soon the government will notify LNG as a transportation commodity. All technical and scientific experiments have been completed in competent agencies and we will be using LNG as a transportation fuel in long haul transportation and city transportation," he said.
The Centre today clarified that no benefit would be stopped for want of number and citizens can avail all the benefits of government schemes on producing alternate means of identification till the time they get their number.

"No one will be deprived of the benefits for lack of ... Till Aadhaar number is assigned to any individual, the benefit will continue to be given based on alternate means of identification," according to a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.
founders Sachin and Binny Bansal, who earned dollar billionaire status last year and whose wealth has fallen with successive markdowns of their firms valuation, are among the 31 Indian billionaires who are out of the Hurun Global Rich  Indian billionaires report.

Eleven of the 31 have lost their billionaire status since demonetisation. Prominent among them are Gautam Thapar of Crompton Greaves, Nilima Motaparti of Divis Labs, Prathap C Reddy & family of Apollo Hospitals, and Nandan Nilekani, an Infosys shareholder. This list is exclusively based on the share price performance of companies after demonetisation.

However, many billionaires have seen their wealth soaring. The cumulative wealth of 132 Indian or Indian-origin billionaires is estimated to have increased to $392 billion, up 16 per cent from last year, says the report.

Twenty-seven billionaires have been added to the list this year. Of the 27 entrants, Acharya Balakrishna of Patanjali Ayurved leads the pack with wealth of $3.6 billion, followed by Nadir B Godrej and Smitha V Crishna. Patym founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also lands on the list with $1.5 billion, though his wealth is likely to be revised upwards with Reliance Capital selling its nearly one per cent stake to Alibaba at $41 million.

Others who have seen their wealth declining after demonetisation are Salil Singhal & family of PI Industries, Chirayu R Amin & family of Alembic Pharma, B L Taparia & family of Supreme Industries, Habil Khorakiwala of Wockhardt, Prakash Chauhan & family of Parle Agro Food, Prithviraj Kothari of RiddiSiddhi Bullions, and Devendra Kumar Jain of Gujarat Fluorochemicals. Mukesh Ambani retains his position as the richest Indian, with estimated wealth of $26 billion. Ambani ranks 28 on Huruns Global Rich list, the only Indian in the top 50.

Sun Pharma head Dilip Shanghvi ranked third on the list, with $14 billion. He ranks 74 on Huruns global list of billionaires.

Divyank Turakhia is the youngest billionaire on the list, with wealth of $1.2 billion. Turakhia, aged 35, sold his company Media.net to a Chinese conglomerate at a valuation of $1 billion.

The pharmaceuticals sector leads the rich list with 21 billionaires, followed by manufacturing, technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) with 13 each. But the average wealth of billionaires in the pharmaceutical sector is lower at $3.1 billion, compared to $4.6 billion of those from the TMT sector.

Only nine individuals on the list are from the real estate sector, reflecting its sagging fortunes. Jitendra Virwani of Embassy Property Development is the new billionaire entrant to the list, with wealth of $1.29 billion.

Mumbai is home to the highest number of billionaires, 42, followed by Delhi at 21. Ahmedabad bagged third place with nine, while Bengaluru lost eight.

With five billionaires, the Godrej Group contributes the highest number of billionaires, followed by Hero Honda and Asian Paints with three each.
Meeting manufacturers to discuss the availability of in the market, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has asked them to ensure their production and distribution is on a par with their production in the three months before the price cap came into force. A manufacturer who attended the meeting told Business Standard the NPPA said the eight per cent margin was supposed to be for the manufacturer and distributor and not the hospital, unless it uses its registered pharmacy to source .
Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has directed the official of her Ministry to identify those villages in the country which have done exemplary work in water conservation. Inaugurating a National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi today the Minister said village leaders from other parts of the country will be taken to these village so that they may emulate water conservation measures adopted by these villages. Sushri Bharti said Jal Kranti Abhiyan has to be a public movement and all sections of the society should come together to make it a grand success. She said water conservation could be a major challenge in the years to come with the increasing population and depleting water resources. .

.

Participating in the conference representatives from water user associations, NGOs and other agencies gave useful suggestions to make Jal Kranti Abhiyan a success. Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan and Secretary Water Resources Dr Amarjit Singh also addressed the conference. .

.

The daylong conference was organized by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation as part of Jal Kranti Abhiyan. About 700 participants representing various stakeholder groups such as farmers, Panchayat members, officials, NGOs and students attended the conference. .

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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 a 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. .

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Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar today presented the National Awards for Innovation in Educational Administration to the participants here in New Delhi. The Awards have been instituted by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion the Minister asked the Education officers to act as an important link for achieving the target of quality Education to all. About 150 district and block level education officers from across India and resource persons and faculty of the university were present on this occasion. .

.

Shri Prakash Javadekar congratulated all the award winners and certificate holders for their unique innovations. He said for the betterment of students innovative process should go on and there should be an active participation from all quarters related with the task of providing education including parents. The Minister said doing innovation is a life long process and always tends for better results. In this regard he cited the recent achievement of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangaluru, which has been ranked eighth in the list of worlds best small universities. The Minister said the objective of education is to bring out a good human being out of the system. We need to do that and will have to volunteer for it. .

.

Shri Prakash Javadekar emphasised the need of upbringing quality leadership in teachers and head masters for reforming the education system. The Minister said government has decided to have a separate cadre of head masters so that a teacher becoming head master at the age of 40-45 will have a chance for another 15-20 years for devoting himself in providing quality education. The Minister also emphasised upon ICT activity, teaching learning experience and accountability. He also stressed the need for improving the quality of teachers. Shri Prakash Javadekar also announced organising of 'innovation conventions in future at regional as well as at national level where teachers, parents, NGOs, concerned departments and related stakeholders involved in innovation will be participating. .

.

The Minster also emphasised upon community participation for better education. He said we have to convey a message about the seriousness of the subject. The Minister said we have to work as a team which is motivated to improve. Shri Javadekar said he is going to reform the whole teachers education system and now the BEd students will have to take lessons in government schools alongwith their evaluation by government school teachers. The Minister said this is necessary for the overhauling of education scenario. .

.

The Minister also urged the teachers not to kill inquisitive spirit as every student possesses a unique kind of creativity. He said the teachers need to educate their students in an interesting manner. Engaging education, Interesting education and a system where student can also participate and discuss is necessary and education officers will have to work for this as they are one of the links of achieving our target of providing quality education to all in line with the Prime Ministers motto of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas". .

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on Tuesday released thousands of documents that it said described sophisticated software tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency to break into smartphones, computers and even Internet-connected televisions.
China today hit out at the over his snide remarks that Chinese hardliners have parts of their brains missing, saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is a highly "deceptive actor".

"Remarks of the appeared to be funny and humorous but they are all lies and they are not facts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media here when asked about his comments on the contested issue of his reincarnation during an interview to prominent comedian John Oliver.

Speaking to the British-born comedian in Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader said he might be the last .

Asked if he was worried that China might appoint its own Dalai Lama after his death, he said it would be foolish.

"Our brain usually, you see, has the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brain, that part of the brain, is missing," the Dalai Lama said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said China has "noted the programme."



"On the Tibet issue, the Chinese position is clear. You know it very well and I will not repeat it. The 14th Dalai Lama is in political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the disguise of religion," he said.

"From now he can say that he is also an actor. He is very good at acting and is highly deceptive," Geng said.

China views the Nobel Peace laureate, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, as a dangerous separatist.

China in the past held talks with him for reconciliation after he fled from Tibet. But no such talks were held after President Xi Jinping took over as the new leader in 2012 and Beijing kept pressure on various countries not to host him.

China has also recently criticised India for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.
US President and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today had a long phone conversation about strategic threats posed by Iran, the premier's office said.

"The two leaders spoke at length about the dangers arising from the nuclear deal with Iran and Iranian aggression in the (Middle East) region and the need to work together to deal with those dangers," it said in a statement.

The landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was reached in July 2015 and went into effect in January last year. It saw Iran agree to dismantle part of its nuclear programme, surrender enriched fuel and submit to inspections in exchange for the partial lifting of sanctions.

But critics of the agreement, particularly Netanyahu, argue that when some of the clauses of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years, it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb.

Trump too is a vociferous opponent of the treaty.

The US president told Netanyahu the nuclear agreement was "one of the worst deals" he had ever seen when the two met at the White House last month.

Trump said his administration had already imposed new sanctions on Iran, and he would do more to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

Washington last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran's ballistic missile programme and on its elite Revolutionary Guards.

During today's call, Netanyahu also thanked Trump for taking a strong stand in his speech to Congress last week against a string of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, the statement said.
will spend $20 billion and create 45,000 jobs over the next decade as it builds a "manufacturing powerhouse" along the Gulf Coast, a move welcomed by US president Donald Trump.

Chairman and CEO Darren Woods, a keynote speaker at 36th annual CERA Week conference here, yesterday said the projects include 11 proposed and existing sites in Texas and Louisiana.

"Many of the new jobs will be high-skilled with salaries as high as $100,000 a year," he said in a statement.

The announcement comes as natural gas prices, largely fuelled by the boom in fracking, dropped precipitously, reaching the lowest level in a decade last year.

"We are using new, abundant domestic energy supplies to provide products to the world at a competitive advantage resulting from lower costs and abundant raw materials," Woods said.

President Donald Trump, who made Exxon's previous CEO, Rex Tillerson, his Secretary of State, has hailed the company's expansion plan in a series of tweets yesterday.

"The spirit of optimism sweeping the country is already boosting job growth, and it is only the beginning," declared a press release from the White House.

"45,000 construction & manufacturing jobs in the US Gulf Coast region. $20 billion investment. We are already winning again, America," he tweeted.

The US exported about $91 billion of petroleum and natural gas products in 2015, according to UN Comtrade data, but it imported even more -- about $95 billion.

Many of the projects were previously announced, including chemical and plastics projects near Houston, refining expansions in Beaumont and Baton Rouge, and a joint venture with Saudi Arabia to build a new petrochemical plant that's tentatively scheduled for the Corpus Christi region, a statement released by the company said.

Out of nearly 47,000 jobs created, 35,000 are temporary construction positions and 12,000 are full-time, permanent jobs, it said.

The shale revolution and its newfound volumes of oil and gas are pushing the company to expand or build chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects, Woods said.

Most of the new capacity is targeted at export markets, especially those in Asia.

High-growth nations are looking to support larger populations with higher standards of living, Woods said.

"Those overseas markets are the motivation behind our investments," he said.

"The supply is here; the demand is there. We want to keep connecting those dots," he said.
NV unveiled the speediest production car in its history, underscoring its reputation for uncompromising performance even as the Italian manufacturer pushes the limit of how many autos it can sell without losing its allure.
Want to fly to the moon? Well, now you wont have to bother with all those years of rigorous astronaut training  all you need is a huge wad of cash. Elon Musk, technopreneur, has built a small spaceship called Dragon and if you slap down enough money  maybe a hundred million dollars or so  hell fly you to the Moon.
Billionaire Alibaba-founder Jack Ma wants Chinas top lawmakers to come down harder on fake goods  the very same plea voiced by global brands that have accused the e-commerce service of harbouring knock-offs.
whipsawed on Monday, with benchmark Brent rising and US crude easing slightly, after the market pushed higher early in the day on the Iraqi oil minister's comments that cuts might persist into the second half of the year.

Output forecasts from oil ministers of crude-producing countries buffeted the market as industry leaders gathered at the annual CERAweek energy conference in Houston. Prices have been rangebound for more than 60 days on concerns that US production growth may undermine the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (Opec) agreement to cut output during the first half of the year.

"We're still searching for direction," said Carl Larry, director of business development at Frost and Sullivan. "We couldn't push it up too far too fast and get over $55," he said, noting that US had edged upward but not broken out of the range.

"People are looking for reasons with CERAweek this week. Right now, we're still stuck in the middle."

US West Texas Intermediate crude settled down 13 cents at $53.20 a barrel. Brent crude settled up 11 cents at $56.01 a barrel.In a session driven by headlines, oil earlier strengthened slightly after Iraq's oil minister said Opec would likely need to extend production cuts into the second half of 2017.

Iraq's oil minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said the cuts would likely need to be extended into the second half of 2017, according to a Bloomberg report. Iraq is ready to join in such an effort, the report said.

Iraq agreed to reduce production by 210,000 barrels per day under the deal but Opec's second-largest producer had originally sought to be exempt from any cuts, saying it needed the revenue to fight an Islamic State insurgency.

"I think that has stopped some of the selling pressure that we opened with," said Gene McGillian, head of market research at Tradition Energy.

Still, he cautioned that Opec's cuts have not yet altered the overhang in oil inventories substantially.

"The idea that we can extend it would be supportive in the medium term," he said. Statements from Saudi Arabia, Opec's largest member, would be needed to push the price substantially higher, he said.

US later swung lower after the Energy Agency (IEA) forecast potential shale oil growth and waning European refined product demand, factors which work against global efforts to end a glut.

US shale oil production may grow by 1.4 million barrels per day by 2022 with prices at about $60 per barrel, the IEA said in a report. More than 3 million bpd of capacity growth could be generated if prices rise to $80 a barrel, the agency said. At the same time, demand for European refined products is seen weakening.

Earlier on Monday, oil retreated as China lowered its growth target for the year to 6.5 per cent, compared with 6.7 per cent last year, and tightened regulatory controls in an effort to tackle pollution.
The American people must immediately demand a cessation of all consequential actions by this president until we can be assured that Russian efforts to hack our election, in a way that was clearly meant to help him and damage his opponent, did not also include collusion with or coverup by anyone involved in the Trump campaign and now administration.
President Trump was center stage when his administration hastily rolled out a sweeping travel ban targeting Muslims in late January, vowing it would ensure we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas.
When Uber arrived in New York City in 2011, subway ridership was soaring and the medallions required to drive a yellow cab were selling for a sky-high $1 million.
US President Donald Trump's new travel ban can "compound" the anguish of refugees fleeing deadly violence and persecution, the UN refugee agency has warned.

"The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said in a statement.

Grandi's statement follows the signing of the revised executive order yesterday by Trump that would, among other things, suspend the country's refugee programme for 120 days.

It would also bar for 90-days travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The new measure follows a similar order signed by Trump in January, which barred all nationals from seven Muslim- majority countries from entering the US for 90 days. Under that order, Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely.

In the wake of the new order, the UN refugee agency reiterated its readiness to engage constructively with the US administration to ensure all refugee programmes meet the highest standards for safety and security.

"Americans have long played a crucial role in promoting global stability while simultaneously exemplifying the highest humanitarian ideals, from support for refugee emergencies overseas, to welcoming some of the most vulnerable refugee families in the US to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom and dignity," said UNHCR.

"This is the gold standard in refugee protection and a powerful model for all countries," it said, adding that at a time of record-high levels of forced human displacement, "this kind of humane leadership is needed more than ever."



He said the UN refugee office has long been a partner for the US in finding solutions to refugee problems, "and we look forward to continuing this partnership.
Senior Trump administration officials on Tuesday defended a revised travel ban that prevents people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, saying the order is not aimed at Muslims but is an effort to safeguard the nation from foreign extremists.

"This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call after President Donald Trump signed the revised executive order.

"This is a temporary suspension on the entry of nationals from six countries that have either failed states at this point, or that are state sponsors of terror; that we don't have the ability to make safe, adequate screening and vetting determinations for nationals under current procedures because of those weaknesses," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

"There are dozens and hundreds of millions, if not one-point-something billion Muslim individuals -- followers of the Islamic faith, who are not subject to this executive order, who are free to come to the United States under our visa -- and admissions regime, the same way that they were a week ago, four weeks ago, four months ago, four years ago for the most part," the official said.

"Again, this is not in any way targeted as a Muslim ban and we firmly want to make sure that everyone understands that very, very important provision," the official said.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at a news conference that Trump concluded that these actions are necessary to protect the US from those who, unfortunately, wish to do harm to the country.

Under the new order there will be a 90-day suspension of travel to the US by nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, during which the Department of State and Homeland Security will conduct a review to determine how it can improve the screening process for foreign nationals seeking to enter the US.

"These governments simply cannot or not adequately supply satisfactory information about their own nationals. In the absence of adequate information from these governments, the President has had to act to protect the security of the American people," Spicer said.

Spicer explained that after the original executive order, Iraq's government took steps to increase their cooperation with US immigration authorities and improve their vetting process, leading them to be removed from the list of countries covered by the temporary travel suspension.

"We hope other countries will also take proactive action to ensure the security of all of our nations," Spicer said.

He said there are a number of exceptions to this temporary travel suspension.

The order explicitly states that the suspension does not apply to green card holders; foreign nationals currently in the US; foreign nationals currently holding valid visas; foreign nationals who are dual citizens of a designated country travelling on a passport issued by a non- designated country and foreign nationals who have been granted asylum or admitted as refugees previously.

"We must find a way to better screen refugee applicants to maintain the safety of our own communities. This suspension will temporarily reduce the investigative burdens on the agencies that participate in our refugee program, allowing them to properly review and revise their standards and practices," he said.
The government is considering allowing bulk export of groundnut and sesame seed oil to provide support to farmers who are selling their crops in distress because of a fall in demand after demonetisation.
22 year old film maker from Kolkata, Abhiroop Basu, currently studying film making at Prague Film School, has a stellar beginning to his film career earning two consecutive selections at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival under the Cannes Court Metrage-Short Film Corner with the 11 minute film "An Afternoon with Julia" in 2016 and the 20 minuter "The Paper Man" in 2017. His debut entry "An Afternoon with Julia" was one of the six Bengali short films selected out of a total of 40 from India to compete in the "Cannes Short Film Corner" that was held between May 11 and May 22, 2016. This year his short film "The Paper Man" will be screened at an auditorium dedicated to the short films in the festival that is to take place between May 17 and 28, 2017.

An ex-Xaverian, Abhiroop's foray into film making began as early as when he was just 17 with a film called The Wall Paper. A few years down he made two short films, A Gift and The Day After Tomorrow. The Day After Tomorrow, which represented India in various International Film Festivals under the Short Film category, and went to 11 festivals across Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Pondicherry and Boston, revolved around violence against women. Deeply inspired by the accolades that followed his The Day After Tomorrow, Basu, realized that film making is his calling, "It was thunderous.

And that left a deep impact on me. I knew then what I wanted to do. Potters make pots out of clay, the poet finds magic in the mundane. I simply wish to make cinema." says this passionate disciple of French cinema.

The then novice at film making claims that he had initially learnt the craft by watching films of Godard, Truffant, Woody Allen and other great makers.

"My films are a humble tribute to that riveting unpredictability and that sense of complete liberation that cinema as an art form brings, especially the French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague)", says the Satyajit Ray fan.

Abhiroop's craft has already found many fans among his peers in the industry and he was selected to be a Panelist at the India Pavilion, Festival de Cannes 2016 organized by Indian Ministry, along with Aditya Vikram Sengupta and Anurag Kashyap.

An Afternoon with Julia, 2016 an independent film and Basu's tribute to Paris, is about a casual conversation between two couple that takes a captivating turn in the finale, has earned several prominent awards in India. Basu's this year's entry to Cannes 'The Paper Man' is short film that explores a daughter's psyche after the death of her estranged father. His last short film, before he left for Prague to pursue film making course features Bengali actors.

Basu's maiden trip to the French Riviera in 2016 opened his eyes to the struggle that Independent film makers face across the globe. Hoping to make a full length film for his Indian idol, revered Anurag Kashyap, Basu rues, "Though the recognition of short films is picking up in the country as many Indian short film makers and their films are being featured in prestigious festivals like Berlin and Cannes, the genre does not find much popularity yet in India apart from a niche set of audience in the metros.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In what can be termed as an explosive revelation, Dr. Ma Xiangwu, Functionary, Communist Party of China, People Republic of China on Tuesday said there is a China camp in Taliban which has 320 Chinese nationals recruited in it.

"In Taliban, there is a China camp which has around 320 Chinese. They work very closely with friendly countries including Pakistan, where Pakistan repatriates or catches terrorists. Last year, some of them came back to China," he told ANI.

Maintaining that the Chinese government's position on anti-terrorism has been consistent for many years, Xiangwu said they need to work under a U.N. framework on countering terrorism.

"China has a very strong stand to tell the that terrorism has no difference. There is no good terrorism, no bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. It is the same. We need to tackle terrorism on the same front," he said.

"In the summit, out of the four organisations, the U.S. only treated one as a terrorist organisation and rejected the other three. This is something China is not very happy with," he further said.

In its response to a poser on China rejecting India Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) bid, Xiangwu justified saying that India and Pakistan share the same position so if India can be voted in, so should Pakistan be.

"This is his (Xiangwu) personal observation and analysis, not Chinese government's. Two reasons for China not supporting India's NSG bid. India did not sign on one of the papers and did not follow protocol. So, China believes there was a flaw in the process. Second, India and Pakistan position in NSG are similar. So China believes if India can be voted then why Pakistan cannot be voted in too...There should be no discrimination between the two," he said.

Similarly, responding to a poser on China supporting Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar, Xiangwu said China is considering its decision and analysing if it is going to burgeon into a bigger problem for their country.

"The decision in Masood's case is something which China is considering, is investigating. We are considering whether to support this particular decision. Will it grow into a bigger problem for China. So, this is the consideration they have been putting in their efforts into," he said.

Emphasising on China's intentions to maintain good relations with India, Xiangwu said they hope their neighbour acts wisely and tries to understand third party's malintentions to sabotage the duo's relationship.

"China intends to be a good friend of India. So similarly, China hopes India reciprocates in the same way. At the same time, China believes that if some third party is trying to sabotage the relationship between China and India, India needs to be wise and not work on others' schemes. Intention of China is to work with India and maintain log-term relationship," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers on Tuesday intercepted a passenger at Mumbai airport on arrival from Singapore with 12 gold bars worth Rs. 36, 45,600.

A statement issued by the AIU stated that the passenger had concealed gold bars by in his foot soles.

Each foot soles had six gold bars stuck to it.

AIU officers recovered gold bars weighing 100 grams.

The passenger was arrested and further investigations are underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada, is leading a delegation of over 20 Canadian companies and associations active in the agriculture, agri-food and seafood sectors until March 11, 2017 to India. This visit is aimed at strengthening the trade relationship between Canada and India.

As a part of the program, Minister MacAulay is travelling to Delhi and Mumbai and is holding meetings with Indian counterparts, government officials, business leaders and industry representatives, to discuss topics of common interest and expand opportunities between the two countries.

A highlight of his program includes: AAHAR food show, where Minister MacAulay will deliver a key note address and inaugurate the Canada pavilion, along with H.E. Nadir Patel, High Commissioner for Canada to India.

Talking about his India visit, Minister MacAulay said "The Government of Canada firmly believes in the importance of trade, and the Asia-Pacific region is a priority market."

The representatives of visiting Canadian companies will showcase high-quality agriculture products including canola oil, seafood, snack items, health and energy food/drinks, cereals, flax products, sugar-free items, gluten-free products, bakery goods, processed foods, confectionery, juices, and fresh and dried fruits, including apple products amongst others at the Canada pavilion in AAHAR.

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When John Oliver, one of the wittiest men on the planet met his holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the most outspoken spiritual leaders, sparks were bound to fly, and their crackling chemistry was clearly visibly for the world to see in the latest 'Last Week Tonight' episode, where both the personalities came together in a hilarious yet insightful interview.

The British comedian recently flew to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile for more than five decades, to speak to him on issues ranging from his reincarnation to China.

On last night's show @iamjohnoliver sat down with the Dalai Lama to talk about China, reincarnation, and horse milk. https://t.co/JVtR1dbypJ  Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) March 6, 2017

When asked if it was likely that could be the very last Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader told Oliver it's "very possible" even though he did not give a specific answer.

However, he was quick to give a definitive response when asked if he worries that China would appoint its own Dalai Lama, saying that "May I say so? That's also, you say, one of the foolish acts. Short-sighted. Without using the human brain properly. It's harmful. Our brain usually, you see, [has] the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brains, that part of the brain is missing."

A visibly amused Oliver responded to the powerful statement with his typical wit saying, "I'm happy to sit here to criticize China with you, because the consequences for me are not necessarily as bad as they are for you," to which the Dalai Lama burst out laughing.

The interview also touched upon China's perception of Dalai Lama, whom Oliver says they likely picture as an actual demon with horns.

"Whatever they want to say, that is their freedom. I have no negative feeling. I just feel love, like that. I practice, you see, taking others' anger, suspicion, distrust and give them patience, tolerance and compassion. I practice that," the Tibetan spiritual leader said in response.

However, the Dalai Lama's infectious humor was on full display as he managed to stun Oliver with and anecdote from his life, where he said that during a visit to Mongolia he noticed a lot of people drinking vodka, so he suggested everyone drinks horse milk instead!

"Hold on, that is a huge claim! You cured Mongolia of alcoholism ... using horse milk?" said a clearly flabbergasted Oliver, to which the Dalai Lama simply responded saying, "yes".

The Dalai Lama had fled to India from Tibet in 1959 through Arunachal Pradesh, and has been running the Tibetan government-in-exile from Himachal Pradesh.

Beijing has on several counts repeated its displeasure over India inviting the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh in April, part of which China claims as its territory, and warned that his visit could result in a further straining of ties with New Delhi.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit to Arunachal Pradesh on the invitation of the Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

China considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" who seeks to separate nearly a quarter of the land mass of the People's Republic of China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two more persons from Noida in rape accused state minister Gayatri Prajapati's case.

"The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two more persons from Noida in Gayatri Prajapati case," said Additional Director General of Police Daljit Chaudhary.

The Supreme Court yesterday refused to stay the arrest of absconding Prajapati and asked him to approach the concerned court.

Prajapati, who has been on the run since February 27 after an FIR was lodged against him, had approached the top court for a stay on his arrest.

A bench of the apex court headed by Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri made it clear that it won't modify its order.

Prajapati is accused of raping a woman and molesting her minor daughter in 2014.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had issued non-bailable warrants against Prajapati and six others in connection with the rape charges.

Prajapati's passport was revoked for four weeks to prevent him from attempting to flee out of the country.

Earlier this week, the police also initiated proceedings for a look out notice against Prajapati following reports that he may try to escape abroad to evade arrest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Commenting on the revelation made by Pakistan's former security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani on the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Tuesday raised question on the Pakistan Government saying that from where it is justified that it was not aware of the terror plans to strike India.

"We have been saying this from very beginning that Pakistan is involved in terror attacks that took place in India and Durrani's recent revelation has proved our claim. But saying that Pakistan intelligence agency was not aware of the terror plans to strike India is not justified," Ahir told ANI.

Reacting to Durrani's statement that Hafiz Saeed had no utility and Pakistan should act against him, Ahir said holding Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief in house arrest is not enough.

"Pakistan should take strict action against Hafiz Saeed because he has not only conducted multiple acts of terror against India but he has also acted as a tool to malign Pakistan and because of him, Pakistan is seen as a terrorist country," he added.

Durrani yesterday said the November 26, 2008 terror attack in Mumbai was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, adding that it was a classic trans-border terrorist event.

"26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan is a classic trans-border terrorist event," he said while speaking at the 19th Asian Security Conference being held at the Institute of Defence and Studies and Analyses.

Durrani, a retired army general, was the Security Advisor to the Pakistani government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan former security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani on Tuesday said that people from both India and Pakistan would not see good times without peace between the two countries.

"Today unfortunately and to my great regret that the relations between India and Pakistan are at lowest. I have been working for many years since 1998 to bring peace between India and Pakistan because without that peace the people of those particular areas will not see good times. War is not an option because India may have been stronger and Pakistan may have nuclear weapons so there is a balance of terror unfortunately," Durrani told ANI.

Talking about the influence of China on Pakistan, Durrani said, "The world is complicated, interlinked people are not their own and there are other nations which have interests and primary focus should be on India and Pakistan themselves. They should decide that they want peace. Other powers are influence but if two powers are mature enough then that doesn't matter decide. China is a big power in the region, they have an influence. the U.S. has an influence. Europe has an influence."

Durrani yesterday said that the 2008 Mumbai attack was a "classic example" of cross-border terrorism carried out by a Pakistan-based group, prompting a quick reaction from India that said there was nothing new in the claim.

Durrani, a reired army general, was the Security Advisor to the Pakistani government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city.

New Delhi has provided ample evidence to Islamabad over involvement of top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

However, Pakistan has denied all such allegations blaming 'non-state actors' for the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing concern over the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, India on Tuesday said the matter has been raised with the Sri Lankan Government.

"Firing on five Indian fishermen is totally unacceptable. The matter has been taken up at high levels of the Sri Lankan Government through the High Commission in Colombo," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay told ANI.

Baglay further said that Sri Lanka, in response, has assured of a "thorough" investigation into the matter.

"They have assured us that they will thoroughly investigate the matter and I think they will," he added.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre's intervention in connection with the incident

Palanisamy said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and "the strong feelings of the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms."

A group of Indian fishermen, who were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast, were allegedly fired upon by the Sri Lankan Navy in which one fisherman was killed.

As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on Friday evening from Rameshwaram. The Sri Lankan navy started firing in which Pricho died of the bullet injury on his neck and another man named Saravanan got injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that his country will not allow North Korean citizens to leave the country with immediate effect.

In growing diplomatic tensions over the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, North Korea earlier said that it had temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the country.

According to local news media reports, the ban would stay in place until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved.

The North Korea's Foreign Ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the measure and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia.

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned on February 13 with deadly nerve agent VX. North Korea has repeatedly disparaged the murder investigation, accusing Malaysia of conniving with its enemies.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

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Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is in Indonesian capital Jakarta to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit has said maritime safety and security will be the main thrust area of the summit.

"The thrust area will be what has already been identified. It is maritime focused gathering so obviously maritime safety and security will be main thrust area and the most important thing is that for RIM countries to be able to cooperate with each other, they need safety and security," Vice President Ansari told a group of journalists accompanying him on his two-day visit.

He said piracy and terrorism is also a serious problem that is being facing in western part of the Indian Ocean.

"This is the first summit of leaders which is being held at the initiative of the Indonesian President. So we are looking forward to it. We expect that some concrete ideas will emerge from this meeting," he said.

Asserting that India has taken lot of initiatives in regards to Blue Economy, Vice President Ansari said New Delhi hosted a meeting some years back in 2011, in which six concrete areas of focused cooperation were decided, one is maritime safety and security, the other is trade and investment, third is management of fisheries, fourth is disaster management, fifth is science and technology and sixth is tourism.

Vice President Ansari said he would be calling on the Chairman of the conference, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo during his visit.

He said India would reinvigorate its economic and trade relationship with Indonesia and also cooperation in other areas.

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The first recipients of the Chattanooga State Foundations Michael P. Hennen Scholarship for the 2016-17 academic year were honored at a scholarship luncheon hosted by some of the donors.

Established in 2016 by a dedicated group of contributors to the Michael P. Hennen Fund at the Community Foundation, the Michael P. Hennen Scholarship at Chattanooga State provides access and removes financial barriers for students entering the hospitality and tourism degree program at Chattanooga State in one of the four concentrations areas: culinary arts, food and beverage management, hotel management and tourism.

The current Michael P. Hennen Scholars at Chattanooga State are:

 Nicholas Austin, Culinary Arts

 Averee Dilday, Tourism Management

 Christopher York, Food and Beverage Management

 Jessica Aldridge, Food and Beverage Management

 Matthew Gillespie, Culinary Arts

 Sarah Riggs, Tourism Management

The Michael P. Hennen Scholarship at Chattanooga State honors the spirit of the late Michael Hennen who epitomized the highest level of hospitality, ensuring each guest at Hennens received the best possible experience.

For more information about Chattanooga States Hospitality and Tourism program, please visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/hospitality-tourism-management.
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Qatar's Defence Minister, Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah to discuss matters of regional security and enhance bilateral defence cooperation.

General Bajwa is on an official visit to Qatar.

Appreciating professional standing and performance of Pakistan Army, Al-Attiyah expressed his desire for increased Pakistan-Qatar defence collaboration.

General Bajwa also met Qatar Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanim Bin Shaheen Al Ghanim.

Lieutenant General Ghanim acknowledged Pakistan Army's valuable contributions towards regional peace and stability through its fight against terrorism and militancy.

General Bajwa thanked both dignitaries for their expressions.

He said Pakistan Army greatly values its defence cooperation and collaboration with Qatar.

Responding to desire of increasing Pak-Qatar defence cooperation, the Pakistan Army chief said that the proposed enhancement will have positive impact both on bilateral relationship as well as on regional security.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following a shocking revelation that deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks was carried out by a terror outfit based in Pakistan, Islamabad's former security Advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani on Tuesday asserted that it is the responsibility of states to ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist activities.

"No state should allow non-state actors to be active or declare war on somebody. It is the responsibility of the state to make sure that its territory is not used and believe there is no role of non state actor in interstate relationship," Durrani told ANI.

Durrani yesterday said the Mumbai terror attack was carried out by a terror outfit based in Pakistan, adding that it was a classic trans-border terrorist event.

"The 26/11 Mumbai attack, carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, is an example of a classic trans-border terrorist event," he said while speaking at the 19th Asian Security Conference being held at the Institute of Defence and Studies and Analyses.

He said that because he held on this view, the government was not too pleased and it could one of reasons why he lost his job as the Security Advisor.

Durrani also said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed had no utility and Pakistan should act against him.

Durrani, a retired army general, was the Security Advisor to the Pakistani Government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Director-General of Police (DGP) Javeed Ahmad called a meeting of the Additional Director General of Police and other senior officials from the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Special Task Force again, with the operation underway in the thickly-populated Thakurganj area of Lucknow to smoke out a terrorist.

Hours before the penultimate phase of polling in the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a suspected terrorist on Tuesday was cornered in Thakurganj.

The man refused to surrender to the police and the operation at the Haji colony is underway.

"We were informed that few suspects were lodged in Kanpur and Lucknow. The police and senior officials of the ATS went in the search. The suspect who was found in Kanpur has been arrested. The second suspect has holed himself up in a house in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The operation is still on to get him out of the house," Additional Director General (ADG) of Police of Uttar Pradesh Daljeet Choudhary told ANI.

"We believe this man is a resident of Lucknow. The tip-off that we received came from outside the state. We also suspect him of possessing weapons. We will try our best to bring this operation to its logical end as soon as possible," he added.

ADG Choudhary also said that they only suspect the presence of just one inside the house. The suspect, said to have fired shots at security forces, has holed himself up in a house.

"We have been working on the tip-off, but, as far as the linkages and modules are concerned, the details can only reveal once we get hold of the person. For now, we suspect the presence of just one in the building," ADG Choudhary said.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) commandoes are trying to catch the person alive.

The incident comes close on the heels of a blast on a Bhopal-Ujjain train in which at least eight people were injured.

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At least three cadres of United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) died in the clash in Rajbiraj of Saptari as clash erupted when UDMF Cadres tried to block the UML's program on Monday.

The security forces had to use force in order to bring the condition under control.

Sanjan Mehata, Aananda Sah and Pitamber Mandal were identified as deceased.

The clash also resulted in injuries of eight people who are undergoing treatment in Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital.

The Madhesh based parties have withdrawn its support for the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government with the clashes in the Saptari district.

They have also called for two day strike in the Terai region and will continued there protest.

Following the clashes, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Rajbiraj announced a curfew in the region.

The government has called the CDO of Saptari to center after the event on Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
U.S. President Donald Trump early Tuesday took to twitter to criticise previous administration's decision to reduce the population at the. detention facility of Guantanamo Bay, which houses terrorism suspects, by repatriating detainees to their homelands and third countries.

"122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!" tweeted Trump.

Some reports have suggested that many released prisoners have committed new acts of terrorism.

In latest developments, a U.S. air strike killed a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Yasir al-Silmi, who was held at the military prison, from 2002 to 2009. the March 2 strike also killed Usayd al-Adnani, a top operative for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in Yemen's Abyan Governorate.

Earlier in February, a British suicide bomber, Jamal al-Harith, who blew himself up in Iraq was identified as a former Guantanamo Bay detainee. He was said to have detonated a bomb in last month at an army base near Mosul.

In another tweet, the new Healthcare Bill topped the President's agenda as he tweeted, "Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster - is imploding fast!."

Yesterday, the Republicans unveiled a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a plan that shrinks the government's role in healthcare. Called the American Health Care Act, the bill would eliminate the individual mandate, which required Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine; cut the number of people insured under Medicaid; and allow insurance companies to charge the elderly up to five times more than the young, according to the Guardian.

"The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them," said House speaker Paul Ryan.

"Working together, this unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare. This will proceed through a transparent process of regular order in full view of the public."

Patient advocacy groups were quick to attack the plan, pointing out that it is a far cry from plans promised by Trump.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A joint military exercise 'Surya Kiran-Xi' between India and Nepal will begin today in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand.

This is a battalion level joint exercise between the two armies.

The two-week long exercise is aimed at training of both the troops in the area of various counter insurgency operations over a prolonged period.

It will also focus on other important aspects such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and environmental conservation.

Both the armies will mutually benefit from the varied experiences gained during the exercise.

The Surya Kiran series of exercises are being conducted biannually, alternatively in India and Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As part of its Diversity and Inclusion strategy and ongoing efforts to attract and retain the best talent, XL Catlin has announced enhanced family-friendly leave benefits, including more paid time off for maternity, adoption and family care.

Launched last year, the multi-pronged effort to increase Diversity and Inclusion also included a new workplace flexibility initiative and several programs specifically aimed at recruiting and developing women leaders.

The enhanced leave benefits vary by geography, based on local practices and laws, but in each case represent a significant benefit when compared to local practices. They are being rolled out initially in XL Catlin's largest locations, which are the US, UK, India and Switzerland, and include:

In India up to 26 weeks of fully paid maternity, adoption and surrogacy leave and four weeks of paternity leave. In addition colleagues who adopt or have a child via surrogacy will be eligible for reimbursement for some of the related expenses. Colleagues may also take up to 25 days of leave to provide care for a sick close relative or a non-related person living in the same household.

In the US up to 16 weeks fully paid maternity, adoption and surrogacy leave for the primary caregiver regardless of gender and four weeks of fully paid parental leave for the secondary caregiver, to be taken any time during the first 12 months. In addition, employees in the US who adopt or have a child via surrogacy will be eligible for reimbursement for some of the related expenses. Additional leave time will be provided to care for extended family members including siblings and parents.

In the UK up to 52 weeks of maternity and adoption leave including 26 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks of statutory pay for the primary caregiver, four weeks of fully paid paternity leave for the secondary caregiver and 10 days of paid leave to care for dependents. In addition, the Shared Parental Leave has been enhanced to provide the same level of pay as the maternity and adoption leaves.

In Switzerland up to six months of paid leave from the birth or adoption date of a child for the primary caregiver and four weeks of parental leave for the secondary caregiver. Additional leave time is also available to care for extended family members, including siblings and parents.

"An essential element to attracting and retaining the best talent in our industry is a strong commitment to diversity and an inclusive culture which provides support for all colleagues to manage the demands of work and family and embraces flexibility in the way we work and in the way we think. We believe our new and enhanced policies will further empower our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance, giving them greater flexibility in how they work and giving XL Catlin the continued benefit of their enormous contributions," said XL Catlin's Chief Human Resources Officer, Eileen Whelley.

The workplace flexibility initiative offers full-time and part-time colleagues a variety of working arrangements including flexible working locations and hours. For example, colleagues can choose to work during alternative hours outside of the 'core work' hours and can work from home or at different XL Catlin offices on different days.

An initial focus of XL Catlin's Diversity and Inclusion efforts has been an emphasis on attracting and developing more women leaders. In the past year XL Catlin has created several initiatives including programs specifically designed for distinguished women leaders and the XL Catlin "Women of the World" network in multiple cities around the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around 64 per cent working in the metro cities were satisfied with their workplaces, industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday.

"Majority of participants (64 per cent) stated they were either completely or somewhat satisfied with their work," said a survey on "Work Life and Balance and Health Concerns of Women" undertaken by PHD Research Bureau.

The survey said a positive trend was seen in work satisfaction though most (70 per cent) worked 8-10 hours and travelled long distances, often devoting more than an hour to reach their workplaces.

A majority of women (77 per cent) said the government should come out with more policies for women empowerment.

According to the industry body, the PHD Research Bureau surveyed around 5,000 working and non-working women from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai in January-February through a structured questionnaire.

"Of the surveyed women, 56 per cent (2,800) respondents were working women while 44 per cent (2,200) were non-working women," the report pointed out.

"The majority (84 per cent) reported that they devote 2-4 hours in household work and 49 per cent said they have domestic help."

The report, however, noted that little support came from family members in running household errands.

The industry body said the survey study was an endeavour to explore and strike a balance between work, life and health status of women in the country.
The Miramar beach here served to be the most picturesque background for fashion designer Lalit Dalmia's collection for the fourth edition of India Beach Fashion Week.

Dalmia showcased menswear and womenswear of over 25 ensembles for his latest collection La Moda, at an offsite venue here on Tuesday. The show started with a lot of drama, where two models were seen lip-locking.

The range consisted of layered and trailed gowns, asymmetrical dresses, gloves, hair fascinators and netted gloves while menswear collection boasted about low crotched pants, pencil fit pants, suits and sailor stripes.

About his collection, Dalmia told IANS: "It is inspired by the vintage era or the fashion era...We are using peach, wine greens, blues... cuts are a little crazy,we are using lot of trails, frills... It's a fusion of the past with the future...I have taken the silhouettes from the past and beautiful cuts of the future."

The highlight of the entire show was the use of hair fascinators and hats.

Dalmia says he is trying to create a new trend with headgear.

"We are trying to set a new trend in the market of hats," he said.

Guests were mesmerised by the set up, which was set on the beach and the sunset added to the entire mood. Two models were also seen doing the Tango to the song "Sway" by Michael Buble.

Why the beach as the offsite venue?

"I love Goa for the sun, sand and sunset...That's why..." said Dalmia.

Producer Mohammed Morani and his wife Lucky Morani, who walked the ramp for Dalmia as showstoppers, recreated a wedding scenario where they exchanged rings, kissed and even cut a cake.

The three-day fashion event, which commenced on March 6, will conclude on Wednesday, where connoisseur of luxury fashion wear Suneet Varma will be bringing the curtains down with his latest range inspired from Hollywood glamour.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britian's upper house, the unelected House of Lords on Tuesday voted to give parliament a veto over the final outcome of Theresa Mays Brexit negotiations, inflicting a second defeat on the governments article 50 bill.

Peers supported a Labour-led amendment by 366 to 268, despite the government's argument that it would "damage the national interest" by making May's Brexit negotiations more difficult, the Guardian reported.

Michael Heseltine, the Conservative former Deputy Prime Minister, was one of those leading the rebellion against the government's position, along with Labour, Liberal Democrat and crossbench peers.

"Everyone in this house knows that we now face the most momentous peacetime decision of our time," he said.

"And this amendment secures in law the government's commitment ... to ensure that parliament is the ultimate custodian of our national sovereignty.

"It ensures that parliament has the critical role in determining the future that we will bequeath to generations of young people."

The government had rejected the amendment, saying it would weaken May's hand by denying her the ability to walk away from the negotiating table, the Guardian added.

George Bridges, a Tory peer and minister, said it would "make negotiations much harder from day one for the Prime Minister" by increasing the incentive for European Union countries to offer Britain a bad deal in the hope of getting parliament to scupper Brexit.

The Brexit bill will now return to the elected House of Commons with the amendment forcing May to have a vote on her Brexit deal and another guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens.

MPs are likely to overturn those amendments, although some Conservative MPs remain unhappy that it is not clear whether parliament will get a vote if May ends up trying to take Britain out of the EU without a deal having been struck.

This will send the Brexit bill back to the House of Lords, which may end up backing down and acknowledging the supremacy of the Commons.

May has already verbally promised that parliament will get a vote on her Brexit deal but this will be on a "take-it-or-leave-it" basis, as the choices would be accepting the terms or crashing out of the EU to rely on World Trade Organisation rules.

But the House of Lords decided that the promise of a parliamentary vote on the outcome of the Brexit talks with the EU must be set down in legislation. Earlier, the peers voted against putting the outcome to a second referendum.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Manufacturing Institute will award Shannan Billings, Global Sourcing Director of Raw Materials; Amber Holland, Director, IS Administration Systems; and Danielle Lancianese, Technical Manager, with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award. The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry.

Ms.

Ms. Billings was selected for her leadership in supporting the companys product category shifts through vendor negotiations and ongoing supplier relationships; Ms. Holland was selected for transforming several information services processes within Shaw; and Ms. Lancianese for her contributions as a lead innovator and driver of the development of a moisture resistant laminate flooring. All were recognized for their demonstrated leadership within the company, including efforts to mentor others.

These 130 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing, said Jennifer McNelly, executive director, The Manufacturing Institute. We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole. The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent.

On April 20, 2017 The Manufacturing Institute will recognize the 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards program will highlight each Honorees story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.

We are proud that the accomplishments of these women are not just recognized within our company, but also within the broader industry at-large, said Vance Bell, Chairman and CEO, Shaw Industries. The diverse talents within our organization are well represented by this outstanding group of women.

Since the inception of the STEP Ahead Awards, nine Shaw associate have been recognized through the program.
A Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday that Beijing was "considering and investigating" India's proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader listed on the UN terror catalogue.

Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the move "considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China".

He didn't elaborate while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel.

China has blocked the move at the UN, apparently not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan.

The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

"In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists," Ma said, acknowledging that Islamabad has been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang.

The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ma said Pakistan had been repatriating Uighur militants and "will repatriate all these terrorists".

"Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment."
A Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday that terror bases in Pakistan should be eradicated and that Beijing was "considering and investigating" India's proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader Masood Azhar listed on the UN terror catalogue.

Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the Indian move at the UN Security Council, "considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China".

He didn't elaborate while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel.

China has blocked India's move at the UN, apparently so as not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan.

The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

"The in Pakistan should be eradicated. So there is no exception. There is no good and bad terrorism," he said, calling China "a victim of terror".

"Chinese position on has been consistent. The Chinese government believes that we need to work under UN framework for countering . All of us need to come together to counter terror."

He said the Taliban terror sanctuaries in Pakistan hosted "China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists".

He acknowledged that Islamabad had been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang. The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ma said Pakistan had been sending these Uighur militants back and "will repatriate all these terrorists".

"Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shankersinh Vaghela, the opposition leader in the Gujarat assembly, on Tuesday claimed that four Congress MLAs and party leader Gurudas Kamat were getting extortion and threatening calls from a gangster in the last two months.

Vaghela, who raised this in the state assembly, told reporters that several Congress legislators, including senior leader Shaktisinh Gohil, C.K. Raulji, Amit Chawda and Meraman Ahir were receving threats from notorious gangster Ravi Pujari.

Showing the text of message he received, Raulji claimed he had been asked to cough up Rs 10 crore or face the consequences. Anand councillor Pragnesh Patel was apparently shot by members of the Ravi Pujari gang.

Ravi Pujari, who is believed to be living abroad, has over 50 cases of extortion filed against him nation-wide.

Vaghela said that a couple of months ago, the Gujarat party incharge Gurudas Kamat received a call from Ravi Pujari in Mumbai.

"Kamatji spoke to the Police Commissioner there and requested him to look into the issue.

"Similarly, three days back, Shaktisinh Gohil told me that he too had received a threat call but did not discuss it... Now Raulji has received such a call.

"There must be a probe into this as to who are these men issuing threats to legislators elected by the people," he added.

Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja told the assembly that the police were looking into the allegations made by Congress leaders.

He said the phone calls appear to have been made using VoIP routed through servers in Switzerland, Africa, Morocco and London.

The state would involve central agencies to find out the truth, he said.

Jadeja claimed that the investigation agencies had found no involvement of the Pujari gang in this.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Various domestic airlines have come up with special initiatives and offers for women travellers to mark the International Women's Day on March 8.

National carrier Air India said it has been operating more than ten all-women crew flights on its international and domestic routes from the period starting February 26 to March 8, 2017.

"March 8th 2017, Air India will be taking around 50 women on 'Joy ride' from Delhi to Agra on its ATR-72 aircraft which will be operated and supported by all women crew," the airline said in a statement.

Last week, the national carrier operated an all women-crew "round the world" non-stop flight from Delhi to San Fransisco, with 16 crew members and 250 passengers on board.

Following the initiative, full-service airline Vistara will launch an inaugural flight from Mumbai to Amritsar on Wednesday, which will be operated by an all-women crew.

"As part of the new service, Vistara will assign preferred seats to women, and will also provide baggage and transport assistance on arrival for women travelling alone," said the airline, which is a joint venture of Tata and Singapore Airlines.

Besides, airline major Jet Airways said that it will operate four flights staffed by an all-women cockpit and cabin crew on four separate sectors -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai -- on March 8.

The airline said it has outlined a special scheme of rewards for women travellers with a flat 10 per cent savings on flights booked from March 8 to 13 across its entire network via its website or the mobile app.

According to the airline major, the special fare offer is valid for all bookings as long as at least one of the travellers is a woman.

Earlier on Monday, budget passenger carrier SpiceJet announced that starting Wednesday, the fourth row seats would be reserved for the airline's solo women passengers on all its flights, starting March 8.

The low cost carrier said the initiative will be observed on all its flights across the fleet, inclusive of both Boeings and Q400s.

It also said that solo women passengers traveling with the airline on March 8, 2017, can avail a free upgrade to SpiceMax seats, depending on the availability.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot dead in Sri Lankan waters but the island nation's navy on Tuesday denied any involvement in the incident.

As India voiced "deep concern" after the Monday night incident, Colombo promised a thorough probe.

Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet in the narrow sea dividing the two countries when they were fired at, Indian officials said.

A Tamil Nadu official said fisherman K. Britso, 22, died when the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire without any warning. Another Indian fisherman was injured.

Katchatheevu is located in the narrow Palk Straits dividing India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen as well as Navy.

Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, blaming the Sri Lankan Navy for the killing.

After promising "a full and thorough probe" when India took up the matter at the highest level, the Sri Lankan Navy said it was not involved.

Navy spokesperson Lt Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said in Colombo that the Navy personnel had been ordered not to fire at Indian fishermen but to only arrest them if they entered Sri Lankan waters.

The Sri Lankan Navy has been accused of killing scores of fishermen from Tamil Nadu fishing in the island nation's territorial waters.

Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, informed sources said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Britso and Rs 1 lakh for the injured fisherman.

The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

"They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," Ramadoss said in Chennai.

He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been happening for the past 30 years, leaving more than 800 fishermen dead.

Ramadoss said India and Sri Lanka had agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner.

"It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreement," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The violence at Ramjas College reverberated in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday with the ruling AAP and opposition BJP legislators getting into a heated debate over "supporting anti-nationals", while the rape threats issued to Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur were denounced by Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra.

Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba started the discussion in the assembly and played the video of Gurmehar Kaur in which she holds placards against the violence in Delhi University and another one saying "Pakistan did not kill my father, but war did". Kaur had launched a social media campaign against the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

The opposition MLAs loudly objected to playing of the video in the assembly.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs accused the Aam Aadmi Party of supporting Kaur and JNU students Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar -- both accused of sedition -- the AAP in turn accused the BJP of instigating violence in universities by having ABVP activists raise anti-national slogans.

Delhi Tourism and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra, raising the issue of Gurmehar Kaur, said in the assembly that the "morale of soldiers protecting the borders goes down when the daughter of a martyr gets rape threats".

Mishra also said that the morale of soldiers is lowered when a trooper demanding implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme has to commit suicide and another has to post a video on social media for getting a proper meal.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jat leaders on Tuesday announced that their ongoing agitation would be intensified and the protest launched in Delhi too on March 20.

The All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) core committee, which held its meeting in Jassia in Haryana's Rohtak district, said that Jat protestors will protest at the entry points of Delhi from seven sides on March 20.

The AIJASS, led by Jat leader Yashpal Malik, has been agitating for its demands in Haryana since January 29.

Malik said that if Jat protestors, coming from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, were stopped on way to Delhi, they would start their protest at those very points.

He said that male members of the Jat community will move towards Delhi for the agitation, while the women will continue their protests across Haryana.

Talks between the state government and the Jat leaders hit a roadblock last month as the Haryana government made it clear that it has no jurisdiction to withdraw cases being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation against some Jat leaders over violence during the agitation last year.

Haryana Chief MInister Manohar Lal Khattar accused the Jat leaders of increasing their demands and changing goalposts.

Their demands include reservation for Jats, jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the Jat agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against the officers who ordered action against the Jats, among others.

Violence during the agitation last year had left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged during the violence in February 2016.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar and senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav on Tuesday met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, fanning speculation about a new non-BJP front in the offing.

However, both the JD-U leaders described the meeting as "personal and not political". They said the meeting with the Biju Janata Dal leader as a courtesy call.

Both leaders met Patnaik at his residence separately.

Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav were in the Odisha capital city to attend the funeral ceremony of former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, who died at SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack on Monday.

"How could I return without meeting Naveen Patnaik-ji? I had met Naveenji in New Delhi a few months ago. The meeting was purely personal. I met him as we have a personal relationship," Nitish Kumar told media persons here.

Sharad Yadav termed the meeting as personal and said there was no talk on a proposed Third Front.

"Will comment on the 'Third Front' when time is appropriate, not now," he told media persons. "It was a courtesy visit. Whenever I visit Odisha, I meet Naveen Babu. I share a family relationship with him. There was no talk on Third Front," said Yadav.

Both the leaders also discussed the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and the recently-concluded Panchayat polls in Odisha, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party has made major gains.

Reacting to the meeting, BJP National Secretary Suresh Pujari said, "They can't defeat BJP even being united. The BJP is with the people and people are with the party."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a pre-dawn swoop, a team of Maharashtra Police arrested Babasaheb Khidrapure, the absconding homoeopathic doctor who had carried out a spate of illegal abortions from Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka, an official said here on Tuesday.

Khidrapure was brought to Mhaisal village in Sangli this afternoon and produced before a magistrate who remanded him to police custody till March 17.

Earlier, police had arrested Praveen Jamdade, 35, husband of pregnant Swati Jamdade, 26, who died after a forcible abortion was performed on her by Khidrapure on February 28.

Her death exposed the sensational racket involving illegal sex determination tests and abortions of female foetuses. Police recovered 19 such foetuses from a compound of Khidrapure's private clinic, Bharati Hospital, which is around 10 kms from the two states' borders.

A police raid at his hospital on Monday revealed incriminating documents, medical records of pregnancy tests and abortions besides a full-fledged operation theatre functioning from the basement of the hospital, Sangli Superintendent of Police Dattatraya Shinde told media persons.

"We had formed four teams to nab the accused, We scanned all possible hideouts in Sangli and finally traced him to the neighbouring state. We have collected sufficient incriminating evidences against him to register a fool-proof case and are investigating further from different angles," Shinde added.

Khidrapure has been booked under various charges of the Indian Penal Code, the Medical termination of Pregnancy Act, the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act and other laws.

The case came to light with the death, on the operation table, of Swati, a mother of two young girls who was against the abortion but forced by her husband who wanted a male child.

Suspecting foul play, her distraught parents demanded an autopsy and took the body to the Sangli Civil Hospital, even as Khidrapure fled the village.

The Maharashtra government on Monday ordered a probe into the shocking racket while Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Women & Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde are due to visit the district soon for a first-hand assessment.

Taking a strong view of the racket, Maharashtra State Women's Commission Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar warned that this was a very serious matter and they would initiate the most stringent action against all the accused.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 15,000 migrants and refugees arrived to Italy since the beginning of 2017, marking a new record high in the migration inflows from Africa, Italian authorities said on Monday.

More specifically, some 15,844 people were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and brought to the country between January 1 and March 6, Xinhua news agency cited the Interior Ministry's Immigration Department.

The figure marked a 74 per cent increase and a 73.79 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Some 2,315 migrants and refugees arrived in Italy on Saturday and Sunday, after being rescued in various maritime operations coordinated by the national coast guard.

Another peak had been registered between February 24 and 26, data showed.

The number of unaccompanied minor migrants also remained very high: some 1,670 lone children were registered among the new arrivals up to February 27.

Some 25,846 minors reached Italy without any parent or relative in 2016 overall, more than double against 12,360 registered in the previous year.

Italy's whole reception system currently hosts 174, 606 migrants and refugees, the ministry said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bradley County Senior Citizen Visitation Unit will host two Senior Citizen/Alzheimer registration events this week. A family member, friend, or neighbor can fill out an application for someone in need, but the senior citizen has to want to participate and welcome the visits. It is important the Sheriffs Office has senior citizens current information for those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, in the event they are reported missing.

The first registration will convene this Wednesday, at the Senior Center at 230 Urbane Road from 911 a.m. Later in the week, another registration will be held at Bradley Square Malls (Santa Fe entrance) between the hours of 10 a.m.12 p.m. on Friday, March 10.



The Bradley County Sheriffs Office Senior Citizen / Alzheimer Visitation program has been active for the past three years under Sheriff Eric Watson. Sheriff Watson said, Over 2,732 senior citizen visitations were performed last year by those who volunteer in our Senior Citizen Visitation Unit. Our agency is committed to the safety and welfare of the communitys senior citizens, and we want to assist family members with their loved ones. Additionally, we recognize that many senior citizens live alone and have little to no assistance to monitor their special needs. The purpose of this program is to ensure the safety and welfare of the communitys senior citizens. Beyond the safety aspect, our agencys visits are the only regular interaction senior citizens may have beyond their residence.



All applications received will be entered into a database, and scheduled visits will be set up by Captain Ralph Creel who oversees this unit.


The makers of actor Sunil's yet-untitled next Telugu outing, which will be helmed by N. Shankar, will soon head to the US for a month-long schedule.

"We will be going to the US in April. It will be a month-long schedule and we will be predominantly shooting in Florida. This will be a full-length comic entertainer and Sunil's character has a lot of surprises for the audience," Shankar told IANS.

The film's shoot has already commenced in Hyderabad.

"We have roped in some very popular names as part of the ensemble cast. I can't reveal their names now. Sanjjanaa Galrani plays the leading lady," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Zealand does not condone racial abuse in any form, the country's Acting High Commissioner to India, Suzannah Jessep, said on Tuesday after an Indian in Auckland said he was assaulted, spat at and subjected to racist slurs during a road rage incident.

"New Zealand does not condone race-based abuse in any form. The comments reported do not reflect the views of the vast majority of New Zealanders, who celebrate and embrace New Zealand's diversity and multicultural character," said Jessep in a statement.

She said her country has a strong track record in human rights matters, and was ranked first globally for tolerance for immigrants, community safety, and religious tolerance in the 2016 Social Progress Index (SPI). Nearly 90 per cent of migrants in New Zealand say they feel they belong to New Zealand and the vast majority of New Zealand citizens believe the country's culture, society and economy are improved by immigrants.

On the Indian diaspora, she said: "New Zealand is home to a thriving Indian diaspora (representing four per cent of New Zealand's population), whose members are represented in government, the police force, civil society groups, business, education and elsewhere. Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is the fourth most culturally diverse city in the world - more diverse than even London and New York, according to the 2015 World Migration Report. Hindi is also the fourth most widely spoken language in New Zealand. For these particular cases, media have reported that complaints have been laid with the Police, and it is important that this process be allowed to continue independently."

Indian national, Narindervir Singh, said he was filming from inside his vehicle when the incident happened last week, reported local news service Newshub on Monday.

Singh streamed the incident live on Facebook.

Singh said he was abused, sworn at and told to go back to his own country, the report said.

"It really shocked me and after he [left], I was really shaken," Singh told the news service.

"I don't know what to do, it really hurts my heart ... The first thing in my mind was that he might hurt me with some weapon."

Another man, Bikramjit Singh, suffered similar abuse last week as he left a Papatoetoe storage facility, reported Newshub.

A man who claimed Bikramjit was speeding yelled at him, saying: "Go back to your f*****g country - slow down! You know what the speed limit is here."

However, Bikramjit said he wasn't speeding, is a New Zealand citizen and has lived here for more than a decade.

"[It made me feel] so sad because New Zealand is so beautiful - there are lovely people here."

The man who hurled abuse at Bikramjit ended up apologising in an email.

However, those who work with migrants say such discrimination appears to be increasing, said the report.

"We are seeing it much more openly which is a very serious concern," said Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers Association.

"I think societies are becoming more and more intolerant, especially since Trump was elected President of the US."

Both men have filed complaints with the police.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) on Tuesday attacked the central government over its "silence" on the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, which proposes to reserve 33 per cent of all seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The NFIW, in a release issued here on the eve of International Women's Day, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must break his 'Maun Vrath' (silence) and let the country know why the NDA government was not doing anything to get the bill passed.

"Twenty years have passed since the Bill introduced in Parliament," the NFIW said, adding that it would like to remind Modi and other senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party including Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, who before the last Lok Sabha elections repeatedly said that if the party comes to power, "the bill will be passed without wasting time".

"Three years have passed since the NDA assumed office. During this period Modi has given numerous slogans but not a single word is said about the Women's Reservation Bill," it said.

"All our neighbouring countries including Pakistan have more women Parliamentarians than India," it added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday issued notice to televangelist Zakir Naik to appear before it in a case against him for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds.

"Through the notice, Zakir Naik has been asked to join the investigation at NIA headquarters here on March 14," an NIA official told IANS.

The official said that the notice was received by Naik's brother Mohammad Abdul Karim at their residence in Jasmine Apartments in Mumbai's Mazgaon area.

The NIA had filed cases against the 51-year-old Naik under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds, and raided over a dozen offices, residential premises, his Peace TV offices, and other locations, besides freezing a bank account of his NGO.

Naik has been the founding trustee if the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust.

Besides this, Naik is having close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Private Ltd, Longlast Constructions Pvt Ltd, Right Property Solutions Pvt Ltd, Galaxy Multichannel Network Pvt Ltd, Majestic Perfumes Pvt Ltd and Alpha Lubricants Pvt Ltd.

The Enforcement Directorate has lodged a money-laundering case against Naik and his NGO.

Naik first shot into the limelight when his name cropped up during the investigations into the terror strike at an upscale restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 1 after one of the terrorists allegedly claimed to have been inspired by his speeches.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Days after making Aadhar Card mandatory for availing mid-day meal, the government on Tuesday clarified that no one will be deprived of the benefits for lack of the identification card.

According to a Cabinet Secretariat statement, no one will be deprived of the benefits for lack of Aadhaar.

"The Government has reiterated that till Aadhaar number is assigned to any individual, the benefit will continue to be given based on alternate means of identification. It also directed the departments to provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities to their beneficiaries under Regulation 12 of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations 2016," it said.

"In case of Mid-Day Meal scheme and under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, the schools and Anganwadis have been asked to collect the Aadhaar number of the children beneficiaries and in case a child does not have Aadhaar, the school or ICDS functionary will be required to provide enrolment facilities to a child and till Aadhaar number is assigned, the benefits will be continue," it added.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development in a Gazette notification on February 28 had mandated

Aadhar for availing mid-day meal scheme.

"Individuals desirous of availing the benefits under the Scheme offered at the Schools are required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.

"Any individual desirous of availing the benefit under the Scheme offered at the Schools, who does not possess an Aadhaar number or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar shall have to apply for Aadhaar enrolment by June 30, 2017 provided he or she is entitled to obtain Aadhaar as per the provisions of Section 3 of the said Act," the notification said.

The move to mandate Aadhar Card for the midday meals evoked strong criticism from oppostion parties including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist besides right activists.

The Mid-day Meal is central government-sponsored scheme aimed at improving nutritional status of school-age children nationwide. Under it, free lunches are given to children in primary and upper primary classes in government and government-aided schools.

According to the government, Aadhaar has been given to more than 112 crore people.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan and Afghanistan should resume their dialogue for resolution of disputes, speakers at an event here have said.

The border crossing-points between the two countries should never have been closed as it only affects the poor people and movement of terrorists cannot be stopped by such actions, Dawn online quoted the speakers as saying at the Islamabad Club on Monday.

They were speaking at the 'Afghanistan-Pakistan Bilateral (Track II/I.5) Dialogue' held under the theme: "In Pursuit of an Elusive Peace -- A diversity of challenges, a bouquet of opportunities".

"We push India for dialogue but don't want the same with Afghanistan," said Ayaz Wazir, Pakistan's former ambassador to Afghanistan.

Wazir said incidents such as the killing of five Pakistani soldiers on Monday were unfortunate.

He stressed the need for resuming dialogue between the two countries for resolution of their issues.

Awami National Party leader Bushra Gohar said the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossing-points after the February attack at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan town of Sindh was wrong.

Gohar said the closure of the border could not stop movement of terrorists.

"We have self-destructive policies which should be changed," the ANP leader said, adding that Islamabad and Kabul should jointly find solution to their problems.

According to Gohar, Pakistani soil should not be used against any country and Islamabad should only develop relations with the government and people of Afghanistan, and not with Taliban or any other group.

Afrasiab Khattak, former senator and member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said Pakistan and Afghanistan should jointly hold talks with militants and take action against those who do not agree for dialogue.

Before being driven out of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), militants had a strong presence in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

A researcher of the Afghanistan Institute of Strategic Studies, Bahar Mehr, told Dawn that the closure of the border was not only increasing sufferings of Afghan people, but also mistrust between the two nations.

"The closure of the border was a violation of agreements between the two states," he said, adding that such actions could not stop terrorism.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"PM Go Back" posters came up outside the BJP headquarters on the outskirts of Gandhinagar on Tuesday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Gujarat.

Hours earlier, a group of youths from the Patel community late on Monday night claimed to have thrown eggs at the cavalcade of national BJP president Amit Shah.

Two videos appeared on social media showing half a dozen youngsters threatening and then pelting eggs at Shah's cavalcade on its way to the Somnath temple.

"Amit Shah is going to Somnath by road and so we along with Patidar Anamat Adnolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor from Keshod will welcome him by (throwing) eggs at him. Jai Sardar," youth showing eggs in their hands said in a video message that went viral on social media.

In another video, youth are found camping on the highway and shouting slogans against Amit Shah, calling him "General Dyer" and throwing eggs at the cavalcade.

Shah was on his way to the Somnath Temple ahead of Modi's visit to the revered Hindu shrine.

Shah and his wife offered prayers at the temple on Tuesday morning.

Shah is likely to be at Somnath when Modi visits the temple on Wednesday morning to offer prayers. Both would then attend the meeting of Somnath Trust, chaired by former state Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. They are members of Somnath Trust.

The Patel community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under the OBC category for over two years. The attack on the convoy of Amit Shah is seen as part of the series of protests organized by Patels.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of civic elections in the national capital, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing them of practising the " of false promises" and added that they had done little for the development of Delhi.

Addressing a workers' rally organised by the party's Delhi unit at the Ramlila Maidan here, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister had not fulfilled his promises to the people, and termed Kejriwal the "king" of Aam Aadmi Party and one who "does not listen to anybody".

The workers convention was organised keeping in mind the upcoming civic polls in the national capital. Gandhi targeted both Modi and Kejriwal for leading "individual-centric" governments.

"They practice of lies," said Gandhi, who arrived at the venue about two hours behind schedule.

The rally was organised ahead of municipal elections likely to be held next month.

Gandhi also attacked Modi over the recent killings of Indians in the US.

"Modiji talks about 56-inch chest. When our youth are being killed why is he not speaking? Why is he silent? He is not speaking up because India's Prime Minister is scared of speaking up (to the US)," Rahul said.

He said that both Kejriwal and Modi say that only they know the best.

"Today unemployment in India is at seven year peak. No jobs are being provided by the BJP government as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," added Gandhi.

He said that Congress governments raise the problems of the people and the party is the voice of every countryman.

Hitting out at Kejriwal, he said: "Many children died due to dengue in Delhi last year, did they die during Congress' rule?"

"Both central government and Delhi government have cheated the people of Delhi and ruined the state. We will work on the ground in Delhi and we'll win the corporation elections and the next assembly elections in the national capital," said Gandhi.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Several leaders and many dignitaries on Tuesday paid rich tributes to firebrand socialist and former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray in Odisha.

Ray, 91, died at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Monday. He was admitted to the hospital following age-related ailments.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Odisha Governor S.C. Jamir, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and other leaders paid floral tributes to Ray at te Lohia Academy here.

"I am deeply saddened by Ray's demise. He was a Gandhian and a great socialist leader. He used to show us path and had a remarkable tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker. His death is a great loss to Indian politics," said Nitish Kumar.

Nitish Kumar will attend Ray's funeral at his village Bhanaragarh in the Puri district.

Paying floral tributes to Ray, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said it was an end of an era in Indian .

The Odisha government has declared one-day state mourning on Tuesday in honour of the eminent socialist leader. The national flag has been lowered to half-mast on all government buildings for the day.

Ray will be accorded a state funeral on Tuesday.

Born on November 26, 1926, Ray joined national politics, inspired by the leadership of socialist leader Rammanohar Lohia.

Ray was elected to the fourth Lok Sabha from the Puri constituency in Odisha in 1967. Prime Minister Morarji Desai inducted Ray into his cabinet as Minister for Health and Family Welfare in January 1979 and Ray continued in that post till January 1980.

In 1989, he was re-elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from the Kendrapara constituency in Odisha as a Janata Dal candidate. On December 19, 1989, he was unanimously elected the Speaker of the 9th Lok Sabha. In 1991, he was re-elected to the 10th Lok Sabha from the same constituency.

He graduated in History from Ravenshaw College and later studied law at Madhusudan Law College, Cuttack.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The South Korean government and the ruling party on Tuesday agreed on the need to push for more "effective" sanctions on North Korea after it fired off four ballistic missiles into the the Sea of Japan.

The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defence and diplomatic officials, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"(The two sides agreed that) there is a need for additional, strong anti-Pyongyang sanctions," the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told the media.

Lee did not elaborate on additional measures, but he said this matter should be discussed at the UN.

The two sides also agreed to make "active efforts" to put Pyongyang back on the US list of state sponsors of terror in consideration of the recent assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam.

Kim Jong-nam was killed with the lethal VX nerve agent in an airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on February 13. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the killing, but it has denied the claims.

On Monday, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles in protest against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Local actors from Ensemble Theatre Chattanooga will present Casting the Canvas 2: brief original plays, inspired by art at the Hunter Museum. Using new works and themes, visual arts and performance will intermingle in this experience on Thursday from 6-7 p.m.

In this project participants will rove throughout the museum to engage with various works from the Hunter collection. For more event details click here.

Pieces to be performed include "Veiled" inspired by Jeanette Rachelle De Sharchet Talbot Bartlette, "Hunters Old and New" inspired by a work of the same name, "Freak Show" inspired by The Circus is in Town, "Wings" inspired by Phenomena Royal Violet Visitation, "She Never Saw the Midwife" inspired by Alicia Henry's Untitled, and "The Legend of the Glass Dress" inspired by Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery.

Admission is $5 for Hunter members, $15 for non-members. A portion of proceeds will benefit ETC, Chattanooga's only theatre with a goal of providing artists with financial compensation. To learn more about the theatre and its mission, click here.
Another soldier has taken to social media to complain about the system of 'batman' in the Army and what he said was "poor quality food served to the men in uniform". The Army, however, dismissed his contentions as "baseless".

Sindhav Jogidas of the Army Medical Corps said he was airing his grievances publicly because his complaints to the Prime Minister's Office and the Defence Ministry had gone unheeded.

On the other hand, the Army said on Tuesday that Sindhav never served as a 'sahayak' or buddy with any officer or Junior Commissioned Officer.

"The operational and professional effectiveness of the Indian Army, which rests on the bedrocks of discipline, trust and espirit de corps, cannot be diluted based on false and non-existent perceived grievances and misdemeanours of a few," the Army statement added.

Sindhav said: "I apologise to the people of the nation and the government (because) my video will hurt your sentiments. Every Jawan wants the respect of the Army to be high."

"How long can we tolerate? A lot of wrong things are happening," he said while speaking in Hindi.

Referring to the 'batman' system, also called 'sahayak' duty, he said some officers treated soldiers attached to their residences as their servants.

"Jawans have to follow orders because those who speak (against it) are victimised."

He said he went to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office and the Defence Ministry to complain and again to the Prime Minister's Office.

"I did not want the issues related to the Army to come on the social media.

"When the reply came, they slapped a case of disciplinary action against me and there were two Courts of Inquiry. I was harassed for a year but I kept quiet.

"I took leave again and came to Delhi... I went to Sena Bhavan (Army Headquarters) but no one allowed me to go inside. Then I wrote a letter to (Army Chief) General Bipin Rawat but there was no reply.

"At the end, I was given a charge-sheet because I had written against my officers. I have already been punished twice. This time I had to give up 14 days of salary as fine.

"If we refuse any duty or break a rule, we are punished immediately. But when officers break rules, there are no rules or regulations for them," he said.

The soldier said "because of some officers, the Army is maligned".

"It is sad that instead of fighting the enemy, we have to fight within the force. It is true that we take salary for our duty but we are giving the most important years of our life to the Army.

"Many brothers are united in this fight and we have been raising our voice time and again.

"But no on listens to us... I want to ask if the government is really unaware of these facts or we are just being ignored."

The soldier also alleged that the food given to soldiers was of poor quality.

"In many units they send food just for survival -- the cheapest vegetables, fruit and worst kind of food is given. But I have no proof, so I will not say much on this."

In January, another soldier, Lance Naik Yagya Pratap, alleged in a video that soldiers were exploited by officers.

Denying Sindhav Jogidas Lakhubhai's statement, the Army said he joined the force as a housekeeper and was involved in several incidents of rule violations in his service of three years.

"The individual has never been employed as a 'buddy' of any officer or JCO, nor has he ever been asked to perform such duty. His allegations related to this and ill-treatment of jawans by superiors are false and baseless," the Army said in a statement.

It said that during his posting at the Military Hospital in Ranikhet, Sindhav was late in rejoining duty after taking leave in 2015. He was awarded pay fine for unauthorised absence from duty.

After he applied for premature release, the statement said, the AMC Records advised counselling before a final decision in view of his limited service.

The Army said that after the counselling, Sindhav changed his mind and decided to continue in service. He, however, sought posting to a 'field' location.

"... at the Military Hospital in Ranikhet, he refused to obey instructions to clean 'bed pan' of a patient in the Intensive Care Unit. The task is a mandated task of his trade of housekeeper," the statement said.

"For this act of indiscipline, the Sepoy was awarded seven-day imprisonment within the Unit."

The statement said that while on leave in January 2016, he submitted written complaints to the PMO, Defence Minister and Director General of Medical Services, Army.

"The complaints were independently investigated through a One-Man Inquiry and found baseless. A Staff Court of Inquiry by the Formation HQ also found him blameworthy for violation of chain of command and laid-down chain of correspondence. He was tried summarily for this act of indiscipline and awarded 14-day pay fine," the Army said.

On his request, the soldier has been posted to a Leh hospital and dispatched for posting on February 27. He is currently on transit to his new place of posting.

The statement, referring to Lance Naik Yagya Pratap, said: "Even in an earlier instance of a jawan putting allegations through a video uploaded on social media, of ill-treatment of buddies, he also was never employed as buddy during his 15-year service."

Lance Naik Roy Mathew, who criticised the 'sahayak' system in a sting video, was found dead in a Maharashtra cantonment barrack on March 3.

The Army said his "suicide" could be the result of events triggered by the sting operation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Auto-component manufacturer Sona Group on Monday entered into an agreement to buy out the entire stake of its Japanese partner Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited (SBPFL).

According to the Sona Group, the deal entails acquisition of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation's 25 per cent stake in SBPFL. The group did not divulge the details of the stake buy-out.

SBPFL was previously known as Sona Okegawa. It was formed in 1995 with a 75:25 joint venture (JV) partnership between Sona Autocomp Holdings and Mitsubishi Materials. The company in 2008 acquired the precision forging business of ThyssenKrupp.

"We are moving ahead rapidly to cement our global leadership position in the precision forging business," Sunjay J.Kapur, Chief Executive Officer, Sona Group.

"As a totally private company, Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited can now delve deeper into R&D and make significant commitments and investments into the future of the global precision forgings business."

According to Kapur, the global automotive industry is in a transition stage fuelled by the demand for green mobility and e-mobility.

"There is more change expected to happen in the next ten years than has happened in the last fifty years in the automotive world," Kapur said.

"This wave of change opens up new frontiers for our industry to invest in automation, technology and skill upgradation to design future-ready products and components. We at Sona group wish to seize the opportunity to further consolidate our global market share by building products around our patented forging technology."

Currently, SBPFL has seven plants spread over India, Germany and Hungary and employs over 2,300 people worldwide.

The company's key global customers include OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) such as Daimler, Volkswagen Group, Renault, MAN, Scania, BMW, Porsche and Caterpillar among others.

SBPFL's Indian arm supplies to OEMs in the passenger and commercial vehicles as well as tractor segments like Maruti Suzuki, Tata, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE, Escorts, Volvo Eicher, ITL and Bharat Benz.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rome, March 7 (IANS/AKI) Italian authorities on Tuesday expelled a radical Tunisian Muslim who allegedly voiced support for the Islamic State jihadist group's 2015 attacks on Paris and incited racial hatred and violence towards women.

The 39-year-old Tunisian was deported from Malpensa airport in northern Italy aboard a flight to Tunis "for reasons of public security," the Interior Ministry said.

"He displayed approval for (IS's) November 2015 attacks on Paris," the ministry stated.

The Tunisian had been doing jail time for petty crime in the northern city of Brescia, where his extremist views emerged from police monitoring of Muslim prisoners deemed at risk of radicalisation, the ministry said.

"During prayers he often incited racial hatred and violence towards women, who he said were 'impure'," the statement added.

The Tunisian was the 18th alleged radical Muslim to be deported this year, according to the ministry.

A total of 150 suspected religious extremists have been expelled since January 2015, said the ministry.

--IANS/AKI

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With reference to Dams in troubled waters (March 7), it has been rightly pointed out that a majority of the dams in India has now become obsolete in terms of construction and technology. In India dams have always been shrouded with some controversy or the other, mostly related to their construction and the displacement caused to the neighbouring habitats. What had been termed as temples of the modern India by former PM Jawaharlal Nehru have transformed into ancient temples with the passage of time. Primarily, two attempts have already been made by the government of India to come up with a Dam Safety Bill, once under the United Progressive Alliance in 2010 and the other under the ruling National Democratic Alliance regime in 2014. However, the two efforts have not fruitioned till date. Once passed, this Bill would fix accountability in case any disaster strikes. Moreover, it will help create a mechanism for surveillance, inspection and operation of all dams to ensure their safe functioning.
As many as 179 militancy-hit schools - predominantly those for girls - have been rebuilt in different districts of Pakistan's Malakand Division, one of the most affected areas during the Taliban militancy.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority has rebuilt 179 out of 182 militancy-hit schools in Malakand Division, The Express Tribune reported.

The schools - predominantly those for girls - were targetted by militants from 2008 to 20011 in the region.

The Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority, a supporting organisation of PDMA, started reconstruction work with financial support of US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2009 and have so far managed to rebuild 179 out of 182 schools in different districts for both male and female students, the paper said.

Citing the PDMA documents, it said a total of 134 schools were destroyed in Swat, 21 in Lower Dir, 7 in Bunner and the remaining in Upper Dir and other areas of the Malakand Division.

Out of these schools, 108 were rebuilt under USAID-KP reconstruction programme, according to the documents.

Similarly, around 47 schools were reconstructed under a UAE assistance programme, 12 under a chief minister's special package, while another 12 were restructured with the support of different non-profit organisations, it said.

PDMA Media Coordinator Taimur Ali said that work on 179 schools had been completed and they were handed over to the provincial government.

However, he said construction work was underway on remaining 60 militancy and flood-hit schools under USAID assistance "which will complete by June this year".

Pakistan Army launched an operation in June 2014 to wipe out militant bases in the tribal regions and bring an end to an insurgency that has killed thousands of people since 2004.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government has streamlined the medical education field and created 4,000 new post-graduate seats in medical colleges which would resolve the problem of lack of doctors.

"In our country, in the field of health there has always been a complaint that we do not have enough doctors. This is because we do not have a robust system to produce doctors," Modi told a gathering which included medical students at the Surat airport after his arrival.

"If we go to the base of the problem, less number of students can get admission into post-graduate (courses in medical field) due to lack of seats, so only few become professors," he said.

"As there are less (number of) professors, it has become difficult to open new medical colleges. The entire system is entangled in these circles," Modi said.

"But we have streamlined it. We have increased 4,000 post graduate seats in one year. This is a big step in the country," he said.

"Every year 4,000 new post-graduate students (apart from the number of seats already existing) will pass out now who can also become professors. This means they can impart medical education to thousands of students across the country which will solve the issue of shortage of doctors," he said.

"With this we are confident that medical services will be available at village level as well," he said.

The Prime Minister also praised the work being done to make cities and villages free from open defecation.

"A big work is being done in the urban development field in the entire country. I would like to congratulate the Gujarat government for making the cities open defecation free," he said.

"Now, in the entire country 500 cities have been declared open defecation free. These cities created infrastructure to make it possible," he said, adding that in the villages also the programme is going on in full swing.

Modi is on a two-day visit to the state during which he will attend a number of events and meetings.

He will inaugurate a national convention of women sarpanch in Gandhinagar, address an industry meet of OPAL project of ONGC in Dahej and inaugurate a four-lane bridge over Narmada river in Bharuch.

The PM will also visit the Somnath temple and attend a meeting of the temple trust.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistan has no "secret agreements" with India on any issue, a top aide of the Afghan president has said, urging Pakistan to not create hurdles in India's reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.

Citing an example of Pakistan's behaviour in creating hurdles, Homayun Qayoumi, chief advisor to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said Pakistan did not allow Kabul to get the gates of a hydro-electric dam from India.

"...Since Pakistan did not allow - did not want to allow - any products from India to Afghanistan to go through Pakistan, it had to be actually air-floated through Iran, and I think some parts of even through Azerbaijan," he said, adding the entire process took nearly six months.

At a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here last week, Qayoumi said Afghanistan's ties with India have been a "historic" and "strictly an economic and cultural relationship."



"Afghanistan has no secret agreements with India on any topic. All of our relationship has been very much transparent and very much on economic and regional cooperation," he said.

He said if India, Pakistan, Afghanistan can have "some agreements" it will enhance trade for the three countries. It will also have a major impact on poverty reduction in Pakistan.

"Pakistan has been trying to drag, at least in rhetoric, the issues and challenges that they have with India as Afghanistan being part of that issue," said Homayun Qayoumi, chief advisor to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Qayoumi lauded India's development projects in Afghanistan. "The hydro-electric dam that was the first dam that closed after 40 years, that was supported by the Indian government. Right now, the package of aid that they have promised Afghanistan is about a billion dollars for a series of projects," he said.

Last year, India waived tariffs helping Afghan export more products, such as fruits.

"Our hope is that Pakistan sees that as stable and prosperous Afghanistan adds to the stability and prosperity of Pakistan, rather than seeing this win-lose situation, which is not helping Pakistan, and not helping the whole area," he said.

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The national carrier today felicitated the crew who operated its all-women flights, including the one that encircled the globe, on the eve of International Women's Day.

Air India has flown 10 all-women crew flights on international as well as domestic routes as part of the celebration.

This includes, its round-the-world flight from Delhi to San Francisco and back.

Some of the other destinations include Vienna, New York, London, Kathmandu, Singapore on international routes and Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur and Hyderabad on domestic routes.

Air India's Boeing 777-200LR, which landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport after completing its journey, flew over the Pacific route on its way to San Francisco and then flew back to Delhi via the Atlantic.

"It is a moment of absolute pride and honour for Air Indians that our women employees are writing their names in the annals of the aviation sector on a global scale.

"I would like to congratulate our women crew on creating history by operating first ever all-women operated flight around the world and other flights on various routes," said Ashwani Lohani, CMD, Air India.

A 28-year-old co-pilot on board the San Francisco flight, Captain Gunjan Aggarwal, described what she felt about her experience.

"What I take away from this special flight is that I am not going to take for granted the fact that I am a woman pilot. There have been many women before us who have shattered the glass ceiling and have paved the way for those like me."



Captain Nivedita Bhasin, who has flown for over 30 years and became the youngest pilot in civil aviation history to command a jet aircraft at the age of 26 back in 1990, said, "Air India flew an all-women crew flight for the first time in 1985 on the Calcutta-Silchar route. So, it is not merely about records anymore but about motivating and inspiring young women to fly".

On International Women's Day tomorrow, Air India will also be taking around 50 women on a joyride from Delhi to Agra on its ATR-72 aircraft which too will be operated and supported by an all-women crew.

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: All India Skin and Hide Tanners and Merchants Association (AISHTMA) has signed memorandum of understandings with East African countries, Kenya and Tanzania, United Nations Agency and with the International Trade Centre to give a fillip to the domestic leather industry.

The signing of MoUs is supported by Supporting Indian Trade and Investment for Africa agency and funded by United Kingdom's Department for International Development, a press release here said.

Senior officials of the All India Skin and Hide Tanners and Merchants Association exchanged documents with Tanners Association of Kenya and Uganda Leather and Allied Industries at a function here,today.

The MoUs would focus on trade information exchange, trade and investment promotion, sharing of best practices and joint development of services among others.

AISHTMA would promote trade and investment partnerships between India and East Africa initially and later extend it to other geographies, the release added.

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Srisena has ordered a thorough probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, Vice President Hamid Ansari today said after raising the issue with him in Jakarta.

Ansari had a bilateral meeting with Srisena in the Indonesian capital on the sidelines of the Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), hours after the incident was reported.

"Yes, it was discussed," the Vice President said when asked whether the killing of the Tamil fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy figured in his meeting with Srisena.

Ansari, during his interaction with the accompanying media persons while returning from Jakarta after a two-day visit, said, "The President said he had heard about it this morning and that he had spoken to the Chief of Sri Lankan Navy who had said that no such incident from the side of the Sri Lankan forces took place."



He said Srisena told him that he has ordered "full investigation" into the matter.

Sources told PTI that the Vice President had candidly conveyed to Srisena that something must be done by Sri Lanka about the recurring problem related to the Tamil fishermen as part of confidence-building measures.

The 22-year-old fisherman was shot dead yesterday while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. Fishermen in Tamil Nadu alleged that he was killed by the Lankan navy while another was injured.

Apart from this incident, as many as 76 Indian fishermen are in captivity of Sri Lanka.

The incidents related to the Tamil fishermen have been leading to rise in passions in Tamil Nadu off and on.

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Legislation that will make it easier for veterans to determine how their military training can count as credit in Tennessees colleges and universities was approved by the Tennessee Senate on Monday.

Senate Bill 1232, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), also grants in-state tuition to anyone currently living in Tennessee who is using VA educational benefits, regardless of their official home of record. That change brings Tennessee into compliance with new provisions in the GI bill, ensuring that about 13,000 Tennessee service members, veterans and their dependents continue to receive education benefits under the federal program.

The proposal also updates and enhances Tennessees Veterans Education Transition Support (VETS) Act which Sen. Norris led to passage in 2014 encouraging enrollment of veterans and removing barriers known to impede their success in attaining higher education credentials. That law created a VETS Campus designation to recognize and promote schools that make veteran enrollment a priority.



This legislation enhances the VETS Act and will make Tennessee the second state in the nation to develop a web-based dashboard to help prospective student veterans determine how their military training counts, said Sen. Norris. A veteran or service member will be able to click on the specific military occupational specialty he or she possesses and instantly see what academic credit they qualify for at each of Tennessees public institutions, before they enroll. This easy-to-use system will help us recruit and keep military service members in Tennessee.



The bill also calls on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to select representatives of various state colleges and universities by December 2018 to work collaboratively in adopting policies for Prior Learning Assessments (PLAs) for veterans. Currently, PLA credit can vary significantly from one institution to the next. The group will identify and develop uniform methods to assess and maximize academic credit for veterans based on the experience, education, and training obtained during their military service.



Veterans should receive college credit for the education and training they learn while serving their country, added Sen. Norris. We have found that in too many instances, service members were not getting that credit and having to start over. This bill helps ensure that they are given maximum credit for their service.



Approximately 27.7% of Tennessees Veterans have some college or an associates degree, while 24.3% have a bachelors degree. The VETS bill works in conjunction with the states Drive to 55 initiative to get 55% of Tennesseans equipped with a college degree or certificate by the year 2025, prioritizing veterans in that goal.


The Army staged a flag march at Silapathar in Assam's Dhemaji district today after members of an organisation ransacked the office of the All-Assam Students Union here demanding Indian citizenship for Hindu Bengalis who came to the state from Bangladesh after 1971.

Members of a little-known organisation "Nikhil Bharat Bengali Udbastu Samanvay Rakhi Samiti" yesterday attacked an office of the AASU situated on NH 15 (B), injuring three persons and destroying furniture. They demanded Indian citizenship for Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh.

Following this local people set ablaze a car and a motorcycle and damaged roadside tea stalls, the police said today.

Today various organisations, including the AASU and other ethnic students' organisations held a joint meeting in Guwahati today protesting against yesterday's incident.

Dhemaji district Deputy Commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati said that nine persons were apprehended in this connection and an FIR registered against five persons.

"We appeal to the people not to take law in their hands. Action was immediately taken and the situation is under control now," she said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was an AASU member in the early days of his political career, described the incident as 'unfortunate' and appealed to the people for maintaining peace.

Sonowal said that an inquiry had been ordered and the administration asked to submit a report within a month.

AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath has condemned the incident.

(Reopens Ces8)



Meanwhile, the state Assembly today unanimously



condemned the attack on the AASU office in Dhemaji district and urged the state government to take strict action against the persons responsible.

Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami announced in the House that an all-party goodwill team, led by Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul, would visit Silapathar and submit its report.

"This is a condemnable incident. All such divisive forces should be curbed strictly. The government should take action against such anti-social elements trying to commit divisive acts," Goswami said.

He also urged the government to ensure security for all sects.

Parliamentary Affairs Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the government would not allow anyone from 'outside' to obstruct the development journey of Assam.

"We condemn the entire incident. We have already ordered an enquiry committee by Additional Chief Secretary V B Pyarelal and it will submit its report witin 30 days. We will take strict action and will not allow such meetings in future," the Minister said.

(Reopens Ces9)



Initiating the discussion, AGP MLA Phani Bhusan



Choudhury said a similar meeting is going to be organised on March 10 at Mayong in Morigaon district and requested the government not to permit it.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia said NIBBUSS president Subodh Biswas, who hails from Nagpur, made inflammatory speeches yesterday and it resulted in the attack on AASU office.

"The government failed to read the situation. The district administration should not have given the permission for the meeting, which was for demanding citizenship to Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh coming to Assam after 1971. There should have been adequate force," he added.

Demanding compensation for the victims, the Congress leader asked for an enquiry by a sitting High Court Judge.

AIUDF member Aminul Islam said the government must ensure that the situation does not flare up as a circle with vested interest is working on to destabilise Assam.

AGP MLA Prodip Hazarika said Biswas, the NIBBUSS leader from Nagpur, should be arrested for making inflammatory speeches and asked the government not to allow such meetings in future.

Reacting to the demands by all members, Patowary said the government would examine Biswas' speech and would act accordingly.
Global financial advisory firm Arthur Andersen has re-entered Indian market in partnership with consulting company International Business Advisors (IBA).

IBA has announced its partnership with Arther Andersen (AA) to offer professional advisory services in India.

"With the announcement, Global giant Arthur Andersen reconstituted its India operations and will be offering its professional services capabilities to the Indian enterprises through the India partner - IBA," International Business Advisors said in a release.

Commenting on the announcement, Nirav Maniar, Director, IBA said the partnership should be mutually beneficial for the growth of AA network and IBA in Indian market.

Further on the restart of AA's operations globally, Stephane Laffont-Reveilhac, Global Managing Partner of AA said: "IBA's strong presence will surely help Arthur Andersen network re-build its reputation and business presence in India".

In the wake of the Enron scandal and the Arthur Andersen's indictment for obstruction of justice in 2002, it ceased auditing clients in 2002. Its associates in India joined other firms and started their own enterprises.

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The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad on Tuesday launched an operation here to flush out a suspected terrorist believed to be influenced by ISIS and having possible links to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast.

At least 10 persons were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh.

The terrorist was hiding in a house on the outskirts of the state capital.

"The suspect holed up in Lucknow belongs to a localised group, influenced by ISIS and its literature," Additional Director General (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary told PTI.

He said the operation to flush him out was underway till late in the night.

Chaudhary also said that two terror suspects have been held in Kanpur and one in Etawah.

Those arrested in Kanpur might be having some possible links with the person holed up in Kakori Lucknow, he said.

He also said that since the operation was taking place in a restrained manner, it could take some more time.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to UP DGP Javeed Ahmad, who briefed him about the incident and the action taken.

Commandoes of paramilitary forces were being rushed to assist the anti-terror squad and local police in capturing the person hiding here.

The launched the operation to flush out the suspected terrorist following inputs that he may be linked to train blast this morning.

The densely populated neighbourhood has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, police said.

The operation came hours before the final phase of polling in Assembly election covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh. According to locals, around 3.30 pm over 30 policemen started vacating the houses in the locality to corner the suspect.

Local residents said as the suspect got wind of their plans, he started firing at police party and gunshots were fired from both the sides.

IG ATS Aseem Arun summoned elite commandos from Bijnaur police facility. The ATS team is trying to ensure that the suspect runs out of ammunition before barging inside.

IG Lucknow Zone A Satish Ganesh said, "The suspect was not surrendering. Instead he was resorting to firing. Chilli bombs were used to smoke him out."



Arun, who was conducting the operation, said, "When the police knocked the door (of the house where the terror suspect is holed up), he closed the door, and then there was a sound of pistol cocking, which proved that he has weapons."



He said the suspect resorted to intermittent firing. "We have withheld firing from our side. It appears only one person is hiding inside the house," he said.

UP DGP Javeed Ahmed, when contacted, said the UP Police was trying to convince the person holed up in the house to surrender.
An avalanche hit a ski slope in the popular French Alps resort of Tignes today but no one was hurt, the resort said.

Police had told AFP earlier today that the avalanche, which hit at about 10:00 am (0900 GMT), had engulfed "many" skiers.

Searches later found that no one had been hurt.

"Several skiers were affected who were cared for by resort staff," the resort said in a statement.

"Rescue workers were immediately deployed. After search operations, no victims were found," it said.

The slope is close to where an avalanche last month killed four people who were exploring in an off-piste area.

Rescue workers and sniffer dogs were sent to the scene but helicopters could not be scrambled because of poor visibility.

TV pictures showed firefighters' vehicles and ambulances at the scene.

Today's avalanche risk -- which is normally assessed only for off-piste and closed slopes -- was at four on a scale of five.

At level five, all slopes are closed.

The avalanche on February 13, which hit during school holidays, was a "slab" avalanche, caused when dense wind-packed snow breaks off from a slope.

Rescuers quickly retrieved the bodies because the victims were carrying transmitters designed to assist in locating them.

They had been only a few dozen metres from a ski lift when the 400-metre-wide avalanche ripped down the mountain.

That incident brought to 14 the number of accidents recorded in the French Alps and Pyrenees so far this winter, claiming a total of seven lives.

Last winter there were 45 accidents and 21 fatalities.

One of the worst avalanches in the Alps in the past decade took place in the summer of 2012 in the Mont-Blanc range. Nine climbers from Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland were killed as they tried to scale the north face of Mont Maudit, which translates as Cursed Mountain.

Avalanches can travel at speeds of up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour.

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Suspected Islamist militants today attacked police by hurling bombs on a check-post when a passenger bus they were travelling in was stopped for a security check in eastern Bangladesh's Comilla city.

The attack on police on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway came a day after some Islamists tried to free a death row militant by ambushing a prison van near the capital.

Police said the suspected militants attacked them when the capital-bound bus was stopped for security check.

"As soon as the bus was stopped, two men came out and hurled bombs at police shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. Police retaliated by opening fire and the two were nabbed while trying to flee," a police officer said.

Police identified the two as 'Jashim', 30 and 'Hasan', 32, but did not provide any other details.

Comilla's police superintendent Abid Hossain said six crude bombs were found in their possession.

"Our designated officials are quizzing the two ahead of subsequent legal actions...They appear to be militants but we could confirm their exact identity only after investigations," he said.

The incident came a day after people on the outskirts of the capital thwarted extremists' plan to free Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) chief Mufty Abdul Hannan, ambushing a convoy of prison vans carrying him along with 18 other prisoners from the capital to suburban Kashimpur Central Jail.

The people in the neighbourhood chased and caught one of the attackers while search is on to trace others.

Until his arrest in late 2005, Hannan led a campaign of deadly bombings in Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, masterminding attacks on churches, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects.

HuJI is believed to have carried out the 2004 grenade attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who narrowly escaped the attack when 24 people were killed.

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A Bahrain court today postponed the trial of Shiite opposition leader Nabil Rajab, a judicial source said, as authorities take increasingly harsh measures against dissent in the Gulf kingdom.

Rajab, who was present at today's hearing, is charged with spreading "rumours and false news" via televised interviews in 2014 and 2015 in which he criticised authorities.

The next hearing in Rajab's case is scheduled for April 16. The presiding judge also denied his lawyer's request for release on bail, the judicial source said.

Today was the fourth suspension in Rajab's trial, which opened in January.

The high-profile activist, a founder of the non-governmental Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, also faces a separate trial for a series of tweets deemed insulting to Saudi Arabia which has also been postponed multiple times.

The next hearing in that case is scheduled for March 22.

Rights groups including Amnesty International have called for authorities to release Rajab on the grounds that he is a prisoner of conscience.

Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been rocked by sporadic unrest since 2011, when a wave of popular protests demanding an elected government erupted in the majority-Shiite kingdom.

Authorities have cracked down on political dissent since then, and many leading political activists are in exile or behind bars. Access to foreign journalists is also largely off-limits.

Home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has noticeably tightened its grip on political dissent in recent weeks.

The upper house of parliament, appointed by the king, on Sunday voted unanimously to allow military courts to try civilians arrested in connection with terrorism, a vague legal term.

Bahrain has also moved to outlaw political opposition parties.

The justice ministry on Monday filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Democratic Action Society (Waad), the country's main secular opposition party.

Al-Wefaq, Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group, was dissolved by court order in late 2016.

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The BJP state unit today demonstrated outside the gate of the WB Assembly demanding a CBI investigation into the Jalpaiguri child trafficking case.

BJP workers protested outside the Assembly premises with flags and shouted slogans.

Juhi Chowdhury, a general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha was arrested by the CID last week for her alleged involvement in the child trafficking case.

The BJP state unit on March 1 had removed Juhi from all party posts till investigations were over.

"The CID is trying to frame BJP leaders. Only a CBI investigation can bring out the truth. We think the state government should hand over the case to the CBI," WB BJP general secretary Pratap Banerjee said.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh had yesterday hit out at the Trinamool Congress government and a section of the media for trying to tarnish the party's image by linking party leaders with the child trafficking case.

Ghosh had also accused the CID of trying to frame the BJP leaders in the case.

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The Central Board of Direct Taxes has signed a bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) with the subsidiary of a Japanese company as it looks to reduce litigations by providing certainty in transfer pricing.

The total number of bilateral APAs signed with various Japanese subsidiaries has thus reached five, all with rollback provisions, a Finance Ministry statement said today.

Four APAs out of these five have been signed in the current financial year, it added.

The APAs are with Japanese trading companies (Sogo Shoshas) and certainty in tax treatment for them has been a long standing demand of the Japanese industry, the statement said.

"The bilateral signing of APAs in this sector provides tax certainty up to nine years in each of these cases," it added.

The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has reached 141, the statement said, adding that it "expects more APAs to be concluded and signed before the end of the current fiscal".

The APA Scheme was introduced in the Income-tax Act in 2012. It endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers by specifying the methods of pricing and setting them in advance for international transactions.

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The Competition Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of four drug brands of GlaxoSmithKline by Corona Remedies.

Dilo-BM, Dilo-DX, Stelbid and Vitneurin brands of GlaxoSmithKline would be acquired by Corona Remedies along with trademark and goodwill.

In a tweet, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has approved "acquisition of four brands of GlaxoSmithKline by Corona Remedies".

As per the notice submitted to the regulator, Corona Remedies would acquire the four brands as well as the trademark and goodwill associated with them under an asset purchase agreement. These would be acquired from GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo Group.

Corona Remedies is into manufacturing, trade and distribution of pharmaceutical products.

Glaxo Group holds nearly 35 per cent stake in GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals.

"The existing sales of the products by the sellers (GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo Group) whose trademarks are proposed to be acquired are insignificant vis- a-vis total market size.

"The existing market share of such products are also not significant to warrant any impact on the competition," as per the notice.

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A ceasefire has been declared in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, a rebel bastion near Damascus, Russia's defence ministry said today.

"A 'regime of silence' has been introduced from 00:01 on March 6 to 23:59 on March 20 (Damascus time) in the area of Eastern Ghouta," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that "no violations" had so far been reported.

The Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam), a powerful rebel faction, is headquartered in Eastern Ghouta, the last opposition stronghold near Damascus.

The district has faced a blistering army offensive in recent months and is near opposition-controlled areas of Damascus increasingly targeted by the government.

Syria's Al-Watan daily, which is close to the government, today quoted a "source close to the state's efforts to conclude national reconciliation in flashpoint areas" as saying he did not have "any information" on a new agreement in the eastern neighbourhood of Damascus and Eastern Ghouta.

The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, reported today that raids hit many towns in the Eastern Ghouta district as well as rebel districts in eastern Damascus.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people since 2011. Russia began a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September 2015.

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Adults 50+ are invited to join Boomers, Shakers, and Beyond to learn about ID theft prevention from Sergeant Wayne Jefferson Jr. from the Chattanooga Police Department. The free program will be held on March 20 at 1 p.m. in the Youth Center at Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 East Brainerd Road (across from Publix).

Sgt. Jefferson will explain the different types of identity theft and what criminals do to obtain your personal information. He will also share tips and tactics that can help protect yourself and your family from identify theft.



Sgt.

Registration for the program can be made at ChristChurchChatt.org under Get connected>Adult>Small groups. You can also follow them on Facebook or contact

boomers.shakers@yahoo.com for more information.



Jefferson has 21 years of law enforcement experience, all served with the Chattanooga Police Department. Since 2003 he has been the advisor for the Chattanooga Police Explorer program. In 2006 he won Officer of the Year. In 2010 he was transferred to Grants/Special Projects division. Sgt. Jefferson is now supervisor over Crime Prevention, Community Outreach, PIO, and The Police Explorer Program."Boomers, Shakers, and Beyond is a community enrichment program designed for adults 50+ focusing on mind, body, and spirit. The program is designed for learning new things, enhancing old skills, exchanging thoughts on numerous topics, meeting new people, participating in community service projects, and in general having a great time," officials said.
The Centre today sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh government on the blast on board a train in Shajapur in which eight persons were injured.

In a communication, the Home Ministry asked the state government to send a detailed report about the incident and action taken so far to nab those involved in it, sources said.

The Madhya Pradesh government was also told to inform the Home Ministry as early as possible whether any terror group was suspected to be involved in the incident.

At least eight persons were today injured, two of them seriously, in the blast in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

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China hosted a delegation of top Afghan Taliban leaders recently as part of its efforts to encourage the militant group to join the peace process in the war-torn Afghanistan, a media report said today.

The five-member delegation led by Afghan Taliban's Qatar office chief Sher Abbas Stanikazai included Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar, Jan Muhammad Madani, Salam Hanafi and Saleh, the Express Tribune newspaper reported, quoting Taliban sources.

People who are aware of the activities of the Taliban Qatar office also confirmed the visit, the report said.

"The visit was part of the relations of the political office with European countries such as Norway, Germany, France, Britain as well as neighbouring and regional countries," a Taliban source said.

"But these relations are focused on bringing about peace in Afghanistan and resolving the issue through negotiations," said the source who did not want to be mentioned by name.

"Being a major world power, China is a main stakeholder and wants to play its vital role for peace and stability in Afghanistan. That is why it invited the Taliban," another Taliban leader said.

Days after the Taliban trip that was made last month, Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Deng Xijun, visited Kabul and met senior Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani.

Deng told Ghani that China has "encouraged the Taliban during our contacts with them to join the peace process," Ghani's office had said after the meeting last month.

"China has always conveyed to the Taliban during meetings that it recognises the Afghan government and the president and that talks are the only option for them," Deng said.

The Taliban visited China days after a trilateral meeting of senior diplomats from China, Pakistan and Russia in Moscow that supported lifting of international sanctions on the Taliban leaders.

Regional experts are of the view that China has been actively trying to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan, particularly in view of the vacuum that has emerged in the country and the region due to the failure of American policy and subsequent drift and confusion in the US-Afghan policy.

Pakistan Senate's Committee on Defence Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed listed some of China's interests and objectives for its Afghan peace initiatives.

"Firstly, to stop Afghanistan from being a springboard for any possible spillover into China of the lingering instability due to the Afghan civil war, particularly on the sensitive Xinjiang province of China that shares a border with Afghanistan," Sayed said.

"Secondly, to coordinate Afghan policy with Pakistan, given the Beijing-Islamabad strategic partnership, so that Afghanistan is not a venue or battleground for a new round of proxy war or a new Cold War detrimental to both the allies' interests," he said.

"Thirdly, to provide for a more conducive regional environment and to ensure peace, security and stability via a peace process involving the Kabul regime and the Taliban," he added.

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China today rejected accusations that its defence budget lacked transparency after Premier Li Keqiang omitted the actual figure in his report submitted last week to the parliament.

Shrugging off concerns, China said there was no opacity about its military expenditure. "Let me be very clear, there is no such thing as opacity in China's military spending," Finance Minister Xiao Jietold reporters here.

The actual amount was not mentioned in Premier Li's working report submitted to the National People's Congress on March 4, though a Chinese official announced that the defence budget for the Communist nation was increased by 7 per cent.

The NPC is China's highest organ of the state power.

The omission of the amount sparked speculation and concern that China was keeping its military spending under wraps, even though defence allocations required legislative sanction.

A finance ministry official told state-run Xinhua agency yesterday that China's "military spending this year will stand at 1.04 trillion yuan (about USD 152 billion) with 1.02 trillion yuan from the central budget".

China's defence budget used to be included in a report on the draft central and local budget proposals submitted to lawmakers for review and approval during the annual NPC.

This year, however, the report available to media did not mention any figure.

"We made some new changes in the way we compiled the files," Xiao said defending the omission. Xiao explained that the defence budget, along with the budgets for foreign affairs and public security, was included in a draft budget submitted to lawmakers.

China's defence spending is the second-largest in the world after the US, and is three times that of India's.

President Donald Trump has announced a 10-per cent increase in the defence budget of the US, which was expected to take America's defence spending to about USD 654 billion.

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China has said it will take unspecified measures against a US missile system being deployed in S Korea, and warned that Washington and Seoul will bear the consequences.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a regular briefing today that China "firmly opposes" the deployment of the missile defense system, after US missile launchers and other equipment needed for it arrived in South Korea.

Geng Shuang said China will "definitely be taking necessary measures to safeguard our own security interest."



Geng added that "all consequences" resulting from that will be borne by the US and South Korea.

The equipment arrived today, a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan.

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China will soon take a call on India's demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UN as it is investigating his terror activities, a senior functionary of Communist Party of China said today.

Speaking at a security conference here, Ma Xiangwu said China was considering India's proposal on Azhar as well as various other aspects of the matter like whether supporting the move may land it in a bigger problem.

"We are considering it... We will take a decision on it soon," he said, asserting that all forms of terror must be eliminated.

Last month, India had hit out at China for demanding "solid evidence" for getting Azhar banned by the UN, saying the extent of his actions were "well-documented" and the "burden of proof" was not on it.

China had put a technical hold twice last year when India moved an application to ban Azhar after the Pathankot terrorist attack. Beijing again repeated its action this year when the US moved the application at the UN.

He said while examining India's proposal, China was investigating Azhar's activities.

Ma said there are "differing explanations" of terrorism worldwide based on the perceptions of individual nation states.

"There are two classifications of terrorism in the world. global terrorism and regional terrorism," he said, adding China was also facing the challenge of combating terror.

He said the current state of the anti-terror action in China is complex and difficult to understand and that the situation in China is severe, but well controlled.

"Nevertheless countering terrorism remains a long drawn process," he said.

According to Ma, China is economically and militarily powerful and, therefore, can tackle terrorism using both means.

Addressing the conference organised by leading think-tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, former Commander of Sri Lankan Army Daya Ratnayake said innovation and adaptive techniques can be used to counter terrorism effectively.

"The defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka serves as an example of how counter insurgency and counter terrorism can be successful," he said.

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A Chinese soldier, who was stuck in India for over 50 years after he crossed over the border after the 1962 war, was welcomed warmly when he visited his native village in Shaanxi province.

Wang, 77, who arrived in the provincial capital Xian last month along with his Indian son, daughter and granddaughter, visited his village on Sunday, Chongqing Morning reported yesterday.

He is accompanied by his son Vishnu Wang, 35, daughter-in- law Neha and granddaughter Khanak Wang. He was surrounded by his relatives when he arrived at the village. He visited his mother's grave soon after his arrival.

Vishnu thanked the village leaders for the warm welcome, the report said. The village was decorated with banners and the local government said he would be allotted a house, if he stayed back.

Wang was caught when he entered the Indian territory shortly after the Sino-India War of 1962.

He was later released from jail and settled in Tirodi village of Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh where he married a local woman.

He returned to China on February 11 after India and China worked out modalities for Wang and his Indian family to travel to China and later return as per their wish.

Though his story had been published by Indian media several times in the past, a recent BBC TV feature on him was widely picked by the Chinese social media which highlighted his plight. This prompted the Chinese government to initiate action in coordination with India to facilitate his return.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on February 6 that he was provided a passport to travel to China in 2013 and was also paid a living allowance.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered an inquiry into the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast today in Shajapur district.

At least eight persons were injured, two of them seriously, in the blast in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur.

Chouhan has asked state Director General of Police, forensic experts, and officials of the Special Task Force and Anti-Terrorism Squad to inquire into the blast, an officer from the Public Relations department said.

The state government also announced a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs 25,000 each to the other injured passengers.

A bomb disposal squad earlier went to the accident site, which is around 81 km from Bhopal, to ascertain the cause and nature of the blast.

The two seriously injured persons were referred to a hospital in Bhopal. The others were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kalapipal town, which is close to the accident site.

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Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has urged the Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar to initiate immediate steps to fill the post of Vice Chancellor of Pondicherry university, a central institution.

A release from office of Chief Minister said Narayanasamy had a meeting with the Central Minister in Delhi today and urged the latter to post a full fledged Vice chancellor.

The post is being looked after under additional charge by a Dean of the University.

The release said that the Chief Minister also requested Javadekar to ensure that Puducherry was sanctioned a branch of Indian Institute of Management.

He also requested the Central minister to exempt Puducherry from the purview of NEET for admission of students to medical colleges here.

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Waffle House co-founder Joseph Wilson Rogers Sr., who went from short-order cook to co-founder of one of the nation's largest restaurant chains, has died. He was 97.

Georgia-based Waffle House said Rogers died Friday. No cause was given.

Rogers, born in Jackson, Tennessee, was the son of a railroad worker who was laid off during the Great Depression, the company said in a statement announcing the death. After his father's layoff, Rogers delivered newspapers and laundry to contribute to the family income.

During World War II, he joined the Army Air Corps, learned to fly and also trained B-24 pilots, eventually earning the rank of captain, the company said.

After the war, he found work grilling burgers during the day at a Toddle House restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut. At night, he learned accounting and other aspects of the business from the manager and his wife. He was quickly promoted to local and regional management positions, the company said.

After moving to Georgia, Rogers and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House restaurant just east of Atlanta in Avondale Estates, in 1955. Under their leadership, the Waffle House chain grew to 400 restaurants by the end of the 1970s, the company said in a statement.

Rogers still spent time at the corporate headquarters in Norcross until a few years ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"I'm not an executive, I'm a waffle cook," Rogers once told the newspaper.

"My father genuinely loved every customer who walked into a Waffle House, and customers immediately understood that," Rogers' son, Waffle House Inc. Chairman Joe Rogers Jr., said in a statement. "The customer always came first for him, and he made sure the customer came first for everyone who worked with him."



Rogers is survived by his wife of 74 years, Ruth Jolley Rogers, the company said.

A memorial service is planned Wednesday at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center in Atlanta.

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The opposition Congress today created an uproar in the Rajasthan Assembly after the Speaker did not allow them to speak and raise supplementary question during the Question Hour.

They accused the government of corruption and stormed to the Well of the House after the Speaker did not allow Congress Whip Govind Dotasara to speak and intervene during the Mines Minister's reply to a question asked by Congress Deputy Whip Ramesh Meena.

Replying to Meena's question about the restoration of some of the cancelled mines, Mines Minister Surendra Pal Singh said none has been restored and any allotment of mines in future will be through e-auction.

Meena asked the minister to inform the House about the government's stand before the Union Ministry of Mines over the cancellation of the mines but the minister said the matter is also in high court and assured the house that no mine will be restored by the government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore intervened, saying the matters which are in the court should not be discussed but Meena continued to raise questions.

Congress Whip Govind Dotasara also raised the issue but the Speaker did not allow him irking the Congress members who stormed to the Well and accused the government of corruption.

Amid the uproar, the minister alleged it was the former Congress government which encouraged corruption and that the former chief minister did not contain corrupt practices which led to scams.

When the Question Hour was over, the Congress members returned to their benches.

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A subdivision with 48 single-family detached lots is planned at Kittrell Lane and Savannah Hills Drive.

Goodwin Southern Properties is developing the 17.9-acre site.

It is in the center of the Savannah Hills Drive subdivision.

The case goes before the Planning Commission on Monday at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

The RPA staff is recommending approval subject to a landscape buffer.
Retirement fund body EPFO today said contractual workers of ECHS scheme for ex-servicemen will be brought under the ambit of its social security schemes.

The contractual workers of ECHS till now were deprived of the social security benefits under EPFO and it has now has been brought under the ambit of the EPF Act, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said in a statement.

"Ministry of Defence has issued necessary directions to the ECHS for enrolling their contractual staff," it added.

A health care scheme, ECHS was formulated by the Defence Ministry for its ex-servicemen.

Similarly, all workers engaged by contractors with Military Engineering Services (MES) and Indian Railways are also being requested to ensure coverage of contractual employees under the EPFO, it said.

The statement said that to ensure coverage of workers, principal employers have been advised to ensure that their contractors are registered with the EPFO before award of any contract or making any payments.

Although the EPF & MP Act, 1952 does not differentiate between casual, contractual and regular employees, the EPFO noted that a large number of contractual employees hired by principal employer including those by the government departments, PSU and autonomous Organisations have remained out of coverage under EPFO.

It is the duty of the principal employer to ensure compliance of their outsourced/regular/contract/casual/ daily wager to the schemes under EPF Act, it said.

The statement further said that a new pattern of investment monitored by the EPFO was made applicable on exempted establishments May 29, 2015.

"Modification in the rates of levy of surcharge was considered by the Sub Committee of Central Board of Trusttees on exempted establishments (PF Trusts) on January 12, 2017. The Committee decided to levy surcharge ranging between 0.25 to 2 per cent of the amount in shortfall or excess of the prescribed percentage of investment," it added.

It also said that members and pensioners of the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 are required to furnish Aadhaar number by March 31 2017. In case a member has not been allotted Aadhaar Number, a copy of Aadhaar Enrolment ID slip is required to be attached for settlement of claim under EPS, 1995 namely those for pension processing and monthly pension payments.

Aadhaar number however, it said, is not required in case a member of pension scheme having less than 10 years of service chooses to withdraw by making an application in Form 10-C.

The last date of submission of life certificate by pensioners was extended upto 28 th February 2017.

However, noticing that many pensioners are yet to submit Aadhaar authenticated Jeevan Pramaan as life certificate for continuation of drawal of pension, the last date of submission of Digital Life Certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra has been further extended upto March 31, 2017.

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The countries which promote terrorism are getting "segregated" and are not welcomed in the comity of nations, Vice President Hamid Ansari said today, in a clear reference to Pakistan after attending a Summit of 21 countries in Jakarta.

Ansari, while returning home after attending the first summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) where a declaration against terrorism was adopted, said the meet had sent out a clear message that the menace has to be resisted with greater practical cooperation among the civilised countries.

That will happen, he said during his interaction with the media persons who accompanied him on his two-day visit to the Indonesian capital.

"The resolution speaks for itself," Ansari said about the 'Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism'.

"The view that anybody can get away by promoting terrorism is getting more and more sidelined. In a way they (countries promoting terrorism) are being segregated. The message is clear that any country which promotes terrorism consciously is not welcome in the comity of nations," Ansari said, clearly hinting at Pakistan.

He said the declaration makes it clear that terror violence in a civilised world is "an undesirable thing" and "across the board it is felt that violence has to be resisted with greater cooperation, meaning practical cooperation between the governments."



Among various things, the declaration says that the leaders of 21 countries which share the Indian Ocean expressed "support for the effective implementation of all relevant United Nations resolutions and declarations on international terrorism... By the member countries and respect for international law and human rights while countering violent extremism."



Asked whether this was a reference to Pakistan which has not fulfilled the UN resolution against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, Ansari evaded a direct reply but said "everybody agrees in the world that you have to have practical cooperation."



On the IORA whose first summit he attended in Jakarta, the Vice President said the Indian Ocean region was one area of the world where a large community of littoral states had not focused on collective efforts.

He noted that the other two such large regions - the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean - had already taken shape earlier.

"There is identification of areas of interest as to what should be promoted and what should be desisted from. I think, in the coming years, you will see more activities. Some of the initiatives we took today will take shape," he said.

On India's proposal to establish 'IORA Centre of Excellence' in one of its coastal cities, Ansari said, "we have the kind of expertise and willingness to create such a centre which will be an online exercise and anybody can see it and anybody can give inputs. Hope it will be of interest, not only to the researchers, but also to the governments.

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Croatian Serbs today reported a surge in ethnically-motivated abuse against them and urged the authorities to act more decisively against such intolerance.

The Serb National Council (SNV), an umbrella organisation for Croatian Serbs, registered 331 cases of violence, hate speech and other forms of discrimination against the ethnic minority in 2016.

The figure was up nearly 60 percent from the previous year.

Ethnic Serb leader and MP Milorad Pupovac labelled it an "eruption of hate... And creation of anti-Serb feeling" and warned that the cases were not isolated.

"There are hundreds of others" which are not registered, he told reporters as presented the council's report.

"This does not concern only one minority... But the society as a whole."



Ethnic Serbs are Croatia's largest minority, accounting for around four percent of the population of 4.2 million.

Respect of their rights was among the key criteria for Croatia's membership of the European Union in 2013.

But ethnic Serbs warn that anti-discriminatory legislation was mostly not being implemented.

"We miss a public, political reaction ... That will be understandable to all those speaking in that (hate) language," Pupovac said.

He said that the government of conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic had inherited such a climate.

Plenkovic, who came to power after a snap election in October, has pledged to move away from extremism.

The tenure of the previous centre-right government was marked by a growing climate of intolerance, including nostalgia for a pro-Nazi past and attacks on independent media and minorities, notably ethnic Serbs.

But critics say the current administration has not done enough to move away from its predecessor's policies.

In one such incident of concern last month, posters showing bodies hanging from a tree with the caption "Serbian family tree", written in English, appeared in the eastern town of Vukovar.

The government condemned them as shameful and a 19-year-old man was arrested.

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Indian classical dance greats Uday Shankar and Raja Reddy have been weighed against each other time and again, but the latter has never liked the comparison and says, "Uday Shankar was not technically perfect".

"Uday Shankar was not a dancer, he was actually a painter. He took up dancing only after a ballerina in London suggested him to do so. And that is when he started tableau, but he was not technically perfect," says Reddy.

He has a similar opinion about the comparisons made between the couple dances performed by him with his wife Radha, and that of Shankar with his wife Amala.

"People today compare the performances by me and my wife with couple dances by Uday and his wife, but I don't think that is right," Reddy told PTI.

According to the Padma Bhushan awardee, Indian classical dance is "complete" only when "performed as a couple".

"Complete means me and Radha. Male and female. Shiva's 'Tandava' and Parvati's 'Lasya'. We are the first couple in India to dance in complete recital form," he says.

Recalling how his choice of dance as a career was frowned upon, he says it was eventually the art form that brought him and his wife closer.

"Radha's grandfather told her that I am going to become a beggar and they cannot send her with him. But since we both were passionate about dance, she stood her ground and told them that she was going to live with me," he says.

Reddy's own father too was opposed to the idea of him becoming a dancer and did "everything to ensure that I never get exposed to Bhagvatam dance dramas".

"Dancing was considered a lowly profession in our region. Dancers used to tell Bhagvatam stories to earn their living. My father used to sponsor them, but then he never wanted me to become a dancer.

"But I was mad about dancing. I used to run away with the traditional artistes to different villages and participate in their dance dramas," says Reddy.

Dance has been a constant companion in his and his wife's marriage for the last 50 years, and despite personal fights, he says, "dance has been a great unifier".

"Fights are evident when you are in one family. But dance makes us forget our egos. As soon we are on stage, or in class teaching our students, we become one again and everything else takes a back seat.

"In this way, dance has been a great unifier. Dance brought us together then, and dance brings us together even now," says Reddy.

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The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) has asked the government to declare the International Women's Day (March 8) a government and bank holiday.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the association said, "It will ensure necessary significance and priority attention to issues relating to women and create awareness."



The letter draws attention toward problems faced by women employees with regard to postings at proper places, who join banks in a large number these days, it said.

"Women are being posted to branches in extreme rural centres where adequate safeguards are not available or where even minimum facilities are not available. Proper guidelines are to be given to banks to post them to centres where proper infrastructure, transportation and other facilities are available," the letter said.

Women employees face difficulties to get transfer to their place of choice to join their spouses after marriage, it said, adding there is a need for revised guidelines to extend transfer to such women employees on priority.

Moreover, it is a matter of "sad commentary" that while the government is harping on Swachhh Bharat, there are number of bank branches where there is no separate toilet facilities for women employees and women bank customers, it said further.

Instructions and guidelines are needed to ensure that internal complaints committee on instances of sexual harassment at workplace are set up in every administrative office of banks, AIBEA General Secretary CH Venkatachalam said.

The world celebrates international women's day on March 8 to mark social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

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Creating demand for 300 million tonnes of steel -- the output target India is looking at by 2031, will be a big challenge, government said today.

India's per capita steel consumption at 61 kg is much lower than the global average of 208 kg.

The draft steel policy aims at increasing supply of domestic coking coal to cut dependence on imports by half, while raising steel production to 300 MT by 2030-31. However, concerns have been voiced over low demand.

"While the ministry targets to escalate production to 300 million tonnes, the demand creation for this volume and marketing it is the biggest challenge," Minister of State for steel Vishnu Deo Sai was quoted as saying in a statement.

The Indian steel industry, which contributes 2 per cent to the GDP, has huge a potential but there is a need for diversification and innovation to generate demand in the sector, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said.

"The Indian steel industry has to become highly competitive and it has to benchmark the parameters for becoming a world-class steel producer," he said.

Singh was speaking at the second regional conference on 'Make in India-Make in Steel' and 'Doubling per capita Steel Consumption' in Ludhiana, Punjab.

The northern region accounts for 40 per cent steel consumption, he said, adding that the industry needs to compete and fight with other industries supplying substitution materials for steel.

Singh said that Food Corporation of India (FCI) has plans to construct 100 lakh tonne steel silos by 2020 and northern states can contribute largely to it.

He praised the secondary steel industry in northern states which use scrap intensive steel making thus reducing coking coal dependence and is also cost effective.

"Steel industry's landscape has undergone wide changes and more plants using melt and manufacture technologies should come up," he said.

Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma said the government is aiming to substantially increase the steel consumption. Central budget has given boost to steel consumption in various infrastructure sectors specially railways, defence and highways.

SAIL Chairman P K Singh said, "steel consumption in India will increase as a result of 'Make in India-Make in Steel' initiative. Both urban and rural consumption is bound to increase due to various government initiatives.

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Suspended Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and four others were today held guilty of having links with Maoists and were sentenced to life imprisonment by a court here in Maharashtra.

A sixth convict was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Principal Judgeof Gadchiroli district and sessions court Suryakant Shinde delivered the verdict after a three-year-long hearing in the case.

Besides Saibaba, the others to get life term were Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote.

Vijay Tirki was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the convicts.

The wheelchair-bound professor of English, who is 90 per cent disabled, and the convicts are currently out on bail. They were in the court when the verdict was pronounced.

All six were convicted under IPC section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and also five sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) - 13 (unlawful activity), 18 (conspiracy), 20 (punishment for being member of terrorist gang or organisation), 38 - membership of a terrorist organisation and 39 - support to terrorist organisation.

JudgeShinde observed "the accused No 1 to 6 are active members of CPI (Maoist), a banned organisation, and its front Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF)."



"The prosecution has proved all the accused conspired together for carrying out illegal and violent activities of the banned organisation," he said in his 826-page verdict.

The Judge said disability of Saibaba is no ground for showing leniency towards him. Though he is physically handicapped, he is mentally fit and acted as a "think tank and high profile leader" of CPI (Maoist) and RDF.

During hearing, Special Prosecutor P Sathianathan had demanded life imprisonment for the accused. He said disability of Saibaba never came in way of him attending conferences in India and abroad, and abetting Naxal activities.

Defence lawyer Surendra Gadling said they would challenge the order in the Bombay High Court.

Hem Mishra was arrested along with Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote at Aheri in Gadchiroli district in August 2013.

Based on the leads provided by them, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirkey were then arrested from Deori in Gondia district. Saibaba was arrested in May 2014.

Saibaba was in jail for close to 17 months and was released on bail for three months by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. After the end of three months, he moved the Supreme Court which granted him regular bail last year.

(Reopens LGB5)



Tirkeyand Narote are residents of Gadchiroli district, while Mishra and Rahi hail from Uttarakhand. Tirki is a native Chhattisgarh, while Saibaba resides in New Delhi.

The court said Tirki, who was handed 10-year jail term, was only found guilty of taking Rahi for a meeting with Naxals in forests of Gadchiroli.

Special Prosecutor Sathianathan expressed happiness over the judgement and said electronic evidence collected by the police nailed Saibaba.

The police had seized items like pen drives, hard discs and Naxal literature during a search at Saibaba's residence.

Thetrial started in November 2016.

A large number of people had gathered in the court premises to hear the verdict and police made elaborate security arrangements.
A former South Sudanese general has announced the formation of a new rebel group aimed at overthrowing the government after more than three years of civil war.

Lieutenant General Thomas Cirillo Swaka quit last month issuing a stinging indictment of President Salva Kiir's regime, accusing it of carrying out a "tribally engineered war".

On Monday Swaka declared the creation of his National Salvation Front, abbreviated as NAS, and called on the people of South Sudan "to rise up and topple the Kiir regime".

"The National Salvation Front is convinced that to restore sanity and normalcy in our country, Kiir must go; he must vacate office without further bloodshed," his statement said.

Swaka, former deputy chief of the general staff for logistics, said Kiir should be "removed from power by all means necessary."



A South Sudan army spokesman, Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang, dismissed the new rebellion as "another armed group that will never see the light of day."



The resignation of the influential and respected general was a blow to Kiir's government and army, which are increasingly dominated by the president's Dinka tribe.

Swaka is from Equatoria, a previously peaceful part of the country that has come under government attack in recent months.

He has accused Kiir of pursuing "ethnic cleansing" and looting the country.

The extent of the former general's political and military support -- both in South Sudan and in the wider region -- is unclear.

The 17-page letter declaring his rebellion was signed by him alone, raising questions about his ability to launch a broad movement to challenge Kiir.

Alan Boswell, a conflict analyst studying South Sudan, described the letter as "a personal manifesto", adding that Swaka, who has been in contact with Ethiopian and Sudanese officials among others, "looked more disruptive before he declared his one-man rebellion".

South Sudan's civil war began in December 2013 when Kiir accused his deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup. The fighting that followed intially split the country between Kiir's Dinka and Machar's Nuer groups, but as the war spread so did cracks between other ethnic groups.

An August 2015 peace deal failed to end the conflict, and after an outbreak of fighting in Juba, the capital, in July last year, Machar fled into exile in South Africa, leaving the rebels without an active figurehead.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and left nearly half the country in need of emergency food aid. In February the UN declared a "man-made" famine in some parts of the country.

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Panama's former military dictator Manuel Noriega was undergoing surgery today to remove a benign brain tumor, with his family hoping the 83-year-old's recovery will prevent his return to prison.

His daughter Thays Noriega told AFP that the surgeon had sent her a message saying he was already in the operating room of Santo Tomas Hospital, in Panama City, carrying out the delicate procedure.

"We have confidence in the doctors treating him and are following their recommendations," Thays Noriega said.

"We understand the operation had to be done given that his quality of life was steadily diminishing."



Manuel Noriega was a military intelligence officer who long worked for the CIA and who ruled his Central American country from 1983 until US forces invaded in 1989 to topple and capture him.

Relations between Noriega and the United States deteriorated as he defied pressure from US president Ronald Reagan to stand down, and as he appeared to shift allegiance to the then-Soviet Union, at the height of the Cold War.

After his ouster Noriega was taken prisoner to the United States, where he was tried and imprisoned on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

In 2010 Noriega was extradited to France, where he was convicted on money laundering charges, then extradited to Panama in 2011, where he was sentenced for the disappearance of political opponents during his reign.

The former dictator is currently serving three 20-year prison sentences in Panama for those rights abuses.

Noriega was being held in El Renacer prison, on the banks of the Panama Canal. But in January he was granted temporary release into home detention to prepare for surgery, which had originally been scheduled for February.

Noriega is suffering from a benign meningioma, a tumor on membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord just inside the skull.

The tumor "has shown unexpected growth, which has accelerated the need for surgery to avoid damage to the brain," his personal doctor, Eduardo Reyes said, adding that Noriega is a "high-risk patient" because of his age and other ailments he suffers.

The question after the operation and his recovery period is whether he will be returned to his cell.

His family has argued that given his age and frailty he should remain under house arrest. Noriega has suffered several strokes, lung complications, prostate cancer and depression, his relatives say.

But authorities have given no indication that he would avoid the rest of his prison sentence.

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11/6/2022

The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team is set to kick off the 2022-23 season as the squad hits the road to Charleston, S.C., to face the College of the Charleston on Monday evening inside ... more
A 46-year-old farmer and a daily labourer, Shiva Prasad Bhotra, who had who had consumed pesticide four days ago, died at the district hospital here today.

"My husband committed suicide as the Kharif crop failed this time," claimed Sunadei, the deceased farmer's widow.

Villagers said that Shiva was found lying in a unconscious state under a tree four days ago. Some villagers then took him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Collector of Nabarangpur district, Rashmita Panda said, "The exact reason behind Shiva Prasad's death has not yet been ascertained."



Panda also said that an official team has been formed and the has been directed to submit a detail report on the incident.

Panda said that Shiva was getting disabled pension of Rs 300 per month.

He was also covered under Indira Awas Yojona and his family was getting 35 Kgs of rice monthly under Antadoya Yojona. He also had a Kissan Credit Card.

In the year 2013-14 he took a cooperative loan of Rs 13,000.

The district administration had paid Rs 10,000 from chief minister's relief fund, Rs 5,000 from Red Cross and Rs 2,000 under Harishchandra yojona immediately after Shiva's death, said Panda.

Former MP Pradeep Majhi and DCC President Narayan Patro after meeting the family members of Shiva alleged that the farmer had committed suicide due to crop loss and loan burden.

They demanded that the state government should admit that the farmer had committed suicide and thus pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the deceased farmer's family.

The incident came close on the heels of a farmer suicide in Bargarh district.

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Hundreds of fishermen today staged a demonstration at Thangachimadam in this island to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead yesterday allegedly by the Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

The protesting fishermen have refused to accept the body of the fisherman unless a central minister visits the island and gives them an assurance that such incidents would not happen again, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.

The fishermen have also demanded the arrest of the Lankan navy men involved in the incident, he said.

The fishermen alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait.

They demanded the release of all Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and also the boats seized by them.

Policemen have been deployed in the island to monitor the situation.

Bridgo, from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, was fishing near the islet along with others when Sri Lankan Naval personnel allegedly opened fire.

Fisheries Department Assistant Director Kulanchinathan had said Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot.

Another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in the firing while others at the spot escaped unhurt and returned to the shore, he had said yesterday.

The Tamil Nadu government had recently protested the rise in the cases of its fishermen being arrested by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the matter.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had urged the Prime Minister to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Green Tribunal today issued bailable warrant against Kanpur municipal commissioner for non-appearance in a matter related to the cleaning of river Ganga.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the official to appear before it tomorrow, noting that despite directions he had not appeared before the tribunal.

While issuing warrant of Rs 25,000, the bench warned that if the departments which are collectively responsible for cleaning of the river do not stop giving illusionary answers, it may pass some strict order.

The bench, which is hearing the Ganga cleaning case on day-to-day basis for expeditious disposal, had earlier slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 each on officers of the Ministry of Water Resources and UP Jal Nigam for filing incorrect information on 30 drains joining the river Ganga in Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the tribunal was told by an experts' panel that the functional sewage treatment plants in the Garhmukteshwar area of Uttar Pradesh do not operate as the domestic sewage network is not connected to the main sewerage system.

A three-member committee set up by the NGT had said that the Garhmukteshwar stretch of the Ganga should receive special attention as it was the habitat of the critically-endangered Gangetic Dolphin, an indicator species for the river's ecosystem.

In February, the bench had ordered a CBI probe into the execution of the Ganga cleaning project after it noted that Rs 31.82 crore was spent on two sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a 58-km long sewerage line project without due analysis and verification of the actual pollution load in the Garh drain and Brijghat drain.

NGT had slammed the state's Jal Nigam for building the STPs on the drains joining Ganga without any survey and said it had wasted Rs 1500 crore since 1987 and still not cleaned "even a single drop" of the river.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An influential US lawmaker today strongly condemned the recent hate crimes against Indian- Americans and said that such incidents in the US will not be tolerated.

"The recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans in Washington and Kansas cannot and will not be tolerated," said Democratic lawmaker from California Jim Costa.

On February 22, Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead and Alok Madasani was wounded by Adam Purinton in a bar in Kansas, while on March 3, Sikh man Deep Rai was shot in his own driveway in Seattle.

"We, as Americans, should never forget that our country was founded in part on the principle of religious freedom. Our Constitution protects the freedom of religion. Attacks on the Indian community are rooted in hatred, bigotry and a complete lack of understanding of the faith and culture.

"As a nation of immigrants, we must treat every American citizen with the same level of respect and acceptance into our communities. Hate crimes, especially those that are based on intolerance for a certain race, creed or gender, have no place in our country," Costa said.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and all the Indian communities across the country. Justice must be served, and I commend the agencies that are working together to prosecute the individuals who are responsible for the horrific and hateful attacks," he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jerry Moran from Kansas said he visited Indian Embassy yesterday.

"The (Kansas) shooting has caused widespread concern in India over the safety of sons and daughters who have come here to study and work in pursuit of the American dream.

"I expressed my condolences to Ambassador Navtej Sarna and assured him and his country that such hatred is not the norm in Kansas, and I delivered a letter from Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland expressing the community's shock and sadness over the violence," Moran said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court has denied bail to two Pearls Group directors who along with their CMD N S Bhangoo are accused of swindling Rs 45,000 crore from over five crore investors.

Justice Mukta Gupta rejected the bail pleas of Gurmeet Singh, Executive Director-Finance, and Subrata Bhattacharya, Executive Director, saying the allegations against them were serious and there was an apprehension that they could obstruct further investigation in the case.

"Considering the nature of serious allegations against the petitioners (Singh and Bhattacharya), the magnitude and severity of the offence allegedly impacting lakhs of investors and there being a genuine apprehension of causing obstruction in further investigation and tampering with the evidence, this court does not find it to be a fit case for grant of bail," the judge said.

The court also said the CBI's apprehension that the two arelikely to hinder further investigation, was based on credible material as while in custody they had tried to dispose of the property of the company.

Singh and Bhattacharya along with Bhangoo and several other promoters and directors of Pearl Agrotech Corporation Ltd (PACL), are facing charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC for which the punishments range between seven years jail term to life imprisonment.

All three were arrested by CBI on January 8 last year and are in custody since then. The FIR against them was lodged in February 2014.

The trial court had rejected the bail pleas of Singh and Bhattacharya on April 18, 2016, against which they had moved the high court.

The lawyers for the two accused had contended that all the documents and records required for the trial are already in the custody of CBI and the petitioners are not required to participate in any further investigation.

They also argued that since all the documents and necessary material have been collected by CBI, there need not be any apprehension that evidence can be tampered with.

The CBI, represented by advocate Rajdipa Behura, had opposed the bail pleas saying they had participated in the major decisions and signed the relevant documents, even those where major funds have been diverted to commission agents or other sister concerns.

It had contended that during the course of investigation it was revealed that more than Rs 3,400 crore was obtained from investors of PACL and around 5,500 properties were purchased from the money.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hungary's parliament today approved the automatic detention of all asylum-seekers in container camps at the borders, sparking "deep concern" at the UN's refugee agency.

The legislation, approved by a large majority of lawmakers, is in response to recent terror attacks in Europe carried out by migrants, according to hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Speaking at a swearing-in of the latest contingent of some 450 new border police in Budapest on Tuesday, Orban called immigration "the Trojan horse of terrorism".

"If the world sees that we can defend our borders... Then no one will try to come to Hungary illegally," he added.

Under the new measures, all asylum-seekers entering Hungary as well as those currently in the country will be confined in the container camps while their applications are processed.

Anyone who passed through a "safe third country" including Serbia will be rejected, and any appeals against rejections will be fast-tracked into a three-day procedure.

Migrants whose applications are rejected may have to cover the costs of their own detention.

Hungary previously systematically detained all asylum applicants but suspended the practice in 2013 under pressure from Brussels, the UN refugee agency and the European Court of Human Rights.

The UNHCR said the legislation "violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered."



The local branch of the Helsinki Committee said it was the "last stepping stone in completely disregarding (Hungary's) asylum obligations under EU and international law and trampling the rights of asylum seekers."



Amnesty International said in a statement last month that the new rules "disregard EU guiding principles that it is forbidden to detain someone on the basis that they have claimed asylum".

The government says the new camps will comprise converted shipping containers built onto existing "transit zones" erected in 2015 at the southern border with Serbia.

It says the new legislation will protect both Hungarian and EU citizens, with migrants abusing the previous rules and leaving Hungary before a verdict is reached, exposing the bloc to the risk of terror attacks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata Motors' Nano may be struggling to survive, but Renault Nissan alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn is glad the groupfollowed the lead of "visionary" Ratan Tata's dream project as it has contributed to Renault's success in India.

"I was the first one,may be the only one, to say he (Ratan Tata)was a visionary on launching the Nano,"Ghosn told reporters here at the Geneva Motor Show.

He was responding to a query on whether the story of low cost cars is coming to an end as Nano is struggling while the alliance's Datsun brand has not met with the success it was expecting.

He said the alliance reacted to the potential when Nano was brought to the market.

"Nano, we acted on it. This whole A platform,we did Kwid which is a Renault car and will be followed by a Nissan car on the same platform," Ghosn said.

Giving credit of the success of Renault Kwid to the path shown by Tata, he said: "We followed and I am glad we followed the Nano because the success of Renault today in India is mainly based on the success of the Kwid."



Nissan is going to be following with products on the same platform, he added.

On Datsun,Ghosn said: "We are not as successful with Datsun as we would have liked it to be but when you are in a long term strategy we don't expect success to come immediately."



He said Datsunwill haveto try, analyse what is good, modify and perform until it achievessuccess.

"The success of Renault today,which is the number one European brand in India, followed many failures. We started with Mahindra and it didn't work. We are learning our way," Ghosn said.

He said nobody is successful in a new market in the first attempt and patience is needed, particularly in a country like India which is a "complicated and competitive market for those who are not Indians and have come to the Indian market".

"That's why I am amazed at some car makers getting out of some important markets. If you are not ready to invest and accept failures and learn from them and try again many times, it is better not to go there at all," he said.

"So expect us to continue to be relentlessly trying again until we are successful," Ghosn added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Tuesday said it is in talks with the world's largest auto maker Volkswagen for a possible partnership.

The company is exploring various opportunities, including partnership in its new advanced modular platform (AMP) development, possibilities of a joint venture or a contract manufacturing with the German auto major, in its bid to scale up.

"I can only confirm that we are in talks but nothing to be announced yet," CEO & MD Guenter Butschek told PTI here.

When asked how far the talks have progressed, he said: "We are in the midst of discussions. We will let you know in good time."



Explaining the rationale behind such a move, Butschek said although the company has set sights on becoming among the top three passenger vehicle makers in India by 2019, it might not be enough to get the scale up effects.

"Even if we get a large scale in the national business we might still not be up to the mark as far as scale effects are concerned," he said.

"Therefore, we are, since a while, have been having intensive talks with different potential partners, who might join us on the AMP," Butschek added.

It is aimed at bringing additional volumes through the new platform that the company will introduce to the market by 2018.

"These additional volumes will bring higher economies of scale, which is going to give us the cost advantage and competitiveness," he added.

The company is hoping to translate competitiveness into volume on one hand and into new feature capabilities on the other that will help it become more aggressive and desirable in the market place, he said.

"This is the reason why we believe if we can find a partner it would be a very helpful strategic move," Butschek said.

He, however, insisted that it needed to be the right partner in terms of alignment, on the objectives of joint development with the AMP as the reference point and right partner as far as volume is concerned.

"Just getting a partner for the sake of getting one but not really adding substantial volume is not expected from such kind of partnership," he said.

When asked what type of partnership would it be, a joint venture or a technical collaboration he said, "I am not ruling out one or or the other...It is always about the right fit."



"If this is finally going to end up in a development JV or production JV or sharing of capacity contract manufacturing agreement, these are all subject for further discussion in order to make it a win-win for both the parties," Butschek said.
India on Tuesday announced an open acreage licensing policy for oil and gas exploration, allowing bidders to carve out areas where they want to drill as the energy- hungry country looks at greater foreign investment to boost output.

The world's third-largest oil consumer will conduct auction of oil and gas blocks under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) twice a year, with the first round being held in July this year, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here at the influential CERAWeek conference.

OALP auction will be held under the overhauled exploration licensing policy allows pricing and marketing freedom to operators and shifts to a revenue sharing model.

The July auction will be India's first major exploration licensing round since 2010, although it had recently awarded 31 small discovered fields mainly to state-owned and local firms under the liberalised Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP).

Showcasing HELP, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on March 10 last year, to global investors, Pradhan said the new policy is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor friendly destination and cut import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022.

"In the new model, government will not micromanage, micro monitor with producers. Government will only share revenue. It will be an open and regular affair," Pradhan told reporters on sidelines of the CERAWeek Conference here.

India's domestic crude oil production of 36.95 million tons in 2015-16 barely met 20 per cent of its oil needs. Natural gas output at 32.249 billion cubic metres meets less than half of its needs.

OALP will be a departure from the current licensing policy of government identifying the oil and gas blocks and then putting them on auction.

It gives an option to a company looking for exploring hydrocarbons to select the exploration areas on its own. This selection can be done based on the seismic and well data that the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons has put in a National Data Repository. NDR offers a total of 160 terabyte data of India's 26 sedimentary basins.

DGH head Atanu Chakraborty in a presentation at the CERAWeek conference said OPAL allows "Flexibility for Investors to carve out blocks of their choice through a minimum [10'x10'] grid."



He said about 2.7 million square kilometre out of 3.14 mn sq km of sedimentary area will offered for a pick under HELP through OALP, he said. This comprises of 1.5 mn sq km of onshore and 1.2 mn sq km of offshore area.

Once a company demarcates the area by identifying the size and boundaries, the government will put it up for bidding and award it to the firm that offers the maximum share. The company identifying the area will get a small weightage in the bid evaluation.

Bidders will be offered the choice of either a 8 year Petroleum Operations Contract for exploration and 20 years for development and production or a three-year Reconnaissance Contract for probing for oil and gas, Chakraborty said.

Pradhan is leading a high-powered delegation to Houston to attend CERAWeek 2017 - an international meeting of top leaders from the oil, energy and natural gas industry.

In addition to the Canadian Prime Minister, the week-long meeting is being attended by oil and energy ministers from countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

"The policy aims to propel investment in the energy and petroleum sector and provide operational flexibility to the investors," he said.

One of the key features of the new policy is Open Acreage licensing which permits investors to select the exploration blocks after accessing G&G and historic data of India through the national data repository. They can then submit expression of interest for such blocks without waiting for formal bid round.

Pradhan hoped that the bidding under the new policy would be in mid-July.

Pradhan said the Union government is also contemplating a policy for production enhancement of mature fields currently being operated by national oil companies by inducting partners to infuse state of the art E&P technologies, investments and best-in class management practices.

"The objective of this policy would be to increase India's indigenous oil and gas production by maximising the potential of already discovered hydrocarbon resources in India," he said.

"We need global best practices and modern technologies to develop the sector. With this in mind, we have introduced landmark changes in the entire value chain of oil and gas sector," he said.
10/31/2022

I could just scream! Have you ever thought that  or even said it aloud? With this being the day for the annual Halloween observance, screaming seems to be the order of the day. Ghosts, goblins, ... more
India and France will enhance cooperation in the education sector and the mobility of students between the two countries, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

The remarks by the minister came after a meeting with members of the French Senate Committee on Culture and Education.

"Had a good meeting with members of Committee Culture of French Senate led by its Chairperson Ms Catherine Morin-Desailly (sic)," Javadekar tweeted.

"Talked about various aspects of enhancing cooperation in education and mobility of students between India and France," he added.

At present, around 5,000 Indians are studying in France while around 100 French students are enrolled in various educational institutions here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A new molecule that can make wheat crop resistant to climatic stress and boost yield by 50 per cent has been discovered by an Indian researcher.

The discovery assumes importance as average wheat yield is lower at around three tonnes per hectare in India, the world's second largest grower after China. India's average yield is 39 per cent lower than China.

The molecule is water soluble and can be sprayed on the wheat plant or injected to the root of the plant. This can also be used on other crops like rice, maize and potato.

The new molecule has been discovered by researcher Ram Sagar Misra from Shiv Nadar University with the help of two other researchers Benjamin Davis and Matthew Paul from the Oxford University and the UK-based Rothamsted Research, respectively, after a decade of research work.

"The molecule have been patented in the US, the UK and the EU by the University of Oxford. We are now in talks with three agro-chemical companies including one Israeli firm for commercialisation," Misra told PTI in an interview.

The molecule is non-toxic to the plant and does not get into the wheat grain. This new approach developed through the biotechnology-enabled process is known as "chemical intervention in plant signalling approach", he said.

Misra also said that this new method does not rely on genetic modifications (GM) to create super-yields or combat climate change and therefore offers a viable alternative to GM technology.

The new approach uses Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P), a central sugar signal in plants, which regulates sucrose use and allocation, underpinning crop growth and development to signal the plant to produce more starch in wheat, he added.

Wheat output in India is projected to be 96.64 million tonnes in 2016-17 crop year (July-June) as against 92.29 million tonnes in 2015-16. India had record wheat production of 95.85 million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year.
Jharkhand will be a 'partner state' for the upcoming season of the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2017, an official release today said.

The four-day event will be held from March 15 to March 18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road, the official release said.

It said that Jharcraft (Jharkhand Silk Textile & Handicrafts Development corporation, Ltd.) is setting an example by creating new opportunities and making it profitable for weavers by giving them a definitive source of employment while making the best use of available resources.

The highlight of the show will be designer interpretations of the fabric de rigueur - Tussar.

The show has been curated by Shaina NC, who will also be presenting her collection for the first time at AIFW.

Other designers include, Pinnacle Shruti Sancheti, Rina Dhaka and Dabiri by Divya and Ambika, the release said.

The official release quoting President, Fashion Design Council of India, Sunil Sethi stated, "Associating with Jharkhand as our 'partner state' for the Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2017 is in continuation of our commitment to preserve crafts."



"Jharkhand's hidden wonders will be unveiled by designers, who will translate its story through the magnificent swirls of fabric," the release stated quoting Sethi.

The event will also witness B2B (business to business) meetings and would be covered through a social media campaigning, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday unveiled its new Range Rover Velar and Jaguar I-PACE Concept at the .

The Tata Motors-owned company also displayed its 'Project Hero' -- a bespoke humanitarian version of the Land Rover Discovery.

"Today, we have unveiled two revolutionary new vehicles - the Range Rover Velar and the Jaguar I-PACE Concept. Both are true to our purpose: to create experiences our customers love for life," JLR CEO Ralf Speth told reporters here.

The Range Rover Velar and the Jaguar I-PACE Concept represent major innovations in their segments, sharing a compelling combination of iconic British design and creative engineering, the company said.

The Velar will be built exclusively in the UK using Jaguar Land Rover's lightweight aluminium intensive architecture and powered by the latest ultra-clean UK-built Ingenium petrol and diesel engines.

The new Velar is positioned between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, the company added.

'Project Hero', which has been created by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations in partnership with the Austrian Red Cross, features innovative drone technology and will be trialled by emergency response teams over the next year.

Jaguar I-PACE Concept. (Photo courtesy: Jaguar)

The I-PACE, Jaguar's first electric performance SUV Concept, has been engineered to deliver a brilliant package, long-distance range, fast charging times and performance.

With plans in place to take Jaguar Land Rover's three vehicle manufacturing plants in the UK close to their operating capacity, the I-PACE will be manufactured at Magna Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria, the company said.

With more than 100 years' of experience, Magna Steyr has extensive contract manufacturing expertise working with many car manufacturers globally, it added.

Project Hero, on the other hand, is an advanced communication vehicle created to support Jaguar Land Rover's partnership with the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world's largest humanitarian network.

Since 1954, Land Rover has supported the Red Cross and supplied 120 vehicles to the IFRC for deployment in all corners of the globe.

Project Hero is the first to be supplied with a roof-mounted drone which enhances the capability of the all-new Land Rover Discovery, the company said.
A junior engineer and a clerk were caught red-handed by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths while accepting bribe from a contractor at Chaibasa in Jharkhand today and arrested.

The two were arrested following a complaint registered with ACB by the contractor, superintendent of police Manoj Kumar said.

This was the 32nd such incident in Jharkhand since the beginning of this year, ACB sources said.

Kumar said the drinking water and sanitation department had allotted work to sink a tube well to the contractor and had also issued the work order.

The contractor had even received the first installment of the allotted money following progress in work but the duo had been pressurising him to pay them a bribe of Rs 70,000.

They had even prepared a bill of Rs 2,30,665 for the contractor after deducting their bribe money from the actual amount. Later, they agreed to accept Rs 8000 and Rs 5000 respectively.

The ACB sleuths verified the allegations made by the contractor and on finding them to be valid arrested the two men from their office in Chaibasa while accepting the bribe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Information Commissioner Bimal Julka has recused from the Central Information Commission (CIC) full bench hearing a complaint against political parties for defying the RTI Act.

The recusal will bring the hearing to a stop till Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur appoints his substitute.

Besides Julka, the three-member bench includes Information Commissioners Sridhar Acharyulu and Sudhir Bhargava.

"I have a lot of pending work. The workload is heavy, so I have recused from the bench," Julka told PTI over phone.

The bench is hearing a complaint by activist R K Jain alleging that his queries to political parties seeking details of donations, finances, internal elections, etc. Were not responded to, which is a violation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

In his complaint, Jain has alleged that this was a violation of an earlier full bench order of the Commission which had declared the Congress and five other national parties including the BJP, CPI, CPI-M, NCP and the BSP as public authorities making them answerable under the RTI Act.

While the Congress, NCP, CPI-M and the BSP are arguing their cases, the BJP has so far not appeared despite repeated notices.

A full bench of the Commission headed by the then Chief Information Commissioner, Satyananda Mishra, had on June 3, 2013 brought six national parties -- the Congress, BJP, NCP, BSP, CPI and the CPI-M -- under the ambit of the RTI Act as they are substantially funded by the government in the form of subsidies, cheap land for offices and tax concessions.

The order has neither been stayed nor set aside by any of the high courts or the Supreme Court, Jain said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid was allegedly duped of Rs 59,000 by some persons on the pretext of selling him Maltese puppies through a website.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has launched a probe into the matter after registering an FIR on March 2 on the basis of Khurshid's complaint.

Police said Khurshid came to know about sale of the puppies while surfing through the portal on February 13. The advertisement had quoted the price of two puppies at Rs 12,000 each.

The former external affairs minister contacted over email the accused, Tonny Wallace, who claimed to be in Thekkad, Kerala.

Following the email correspondence till February 19, a representative from Khurshid's office started interacting with Wallace, who asked him to transfer the money in the account of one Ankit Badri, also named in the FIR along with him.

After Khurshid's representative transferred Rs 59,000 to Badri's account, Wallace told Khurshid that he would be available on his US toll free number and on Facebook.

The accused then demanded more money from the Congress leader on the pretext of health checks and health certificate of the puppies and their transportation to Delhi.

Later, Wallace told the minister that the pets will be delivered to Delhi through a pet travel agency - Pacific Pet Re-Locators - but they were never delivered.

Khurshid filed the complaint on February 21 with the Barakhamba Road police station and subsequently the matter was transferred to the EOW.

Police said they have begun a probe in the matter and are trying to identify the accused through the bank account details and the Facebook page link shared by Khurshid.

The former Union minister also alleged in the complaint that the accused "transact in online trading of Bitcoins wherein they lure online purchasers through advertisements on e-commerce websites".

Khurshid said they investigated the matter at their end and have provided all the details to the investigators.

"The cyber world is full of pitfalls and ensuring cyber security is a huge problem. I hope that the police that is engaged in looking after cyber crime will be able to get to the bottom of this," he said.

While the Congress leader's complaint mentions about the Bitcoin trade, the FIR registered by EOW does not mention it.

"Bitcoin trade is a worrisome thing because it is anonymous and because it is used world over for nefarious things. If we are aren't alert now, something might happen.

"It will come out. We are giving them (police) some time," the former Union minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A child, who was allegedly kidnapped six years ago from northeast Delhi's Gokulpuri, has been rescued from Ghaziabad, police said today.

A reward of Rs 20,000 had been announced to trace the missing child. The family had lost all hope of finding their child.

A man Rabbu Salam had filed a complaint on February 1, 2011 that his five-year-old son had gone missing, said DCP (Northeast) Ajit Kumar Singla.

"The police team checked the government run child homes located in Delhi and adjoining areas. The team also checked the other child homes being run by NGOs without any success," he said.

Police then decided to check the child homes located in Ghaziabad.

On the basis of the five-year-old photograph that the team had, efforts were made to look for the child.

On February 6, the child was located in a private orphanage in Sahibabad area of Ghaziabad. He had been lodged there by UP Police, said the officer.

The child was living with a different name but his description matched to that of the photograph.

"The team found that his parents had shifted back to Bihar. The address provided at the time of lodging the complaint was of a rented accommodation that had been sold three times in the last five years," said Singla.

The present occupant had no knowledge about the whereabouts of the parents of the child.

However, the team managed to find the landlord of the house who provided the Bihar address of his tenants, said the officer.

The mobile number of the child's father was traced and he was called to Delhi and taken to the Sahibabad orphanage where he identified his son, he said.

The child, however, has no recollection of how he was kidnapped and how he reached the orphanage.

Delhi Police are seeking help from UP police to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the child being found there.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP-led Maharashtra Government today approved a bill in the Legislative Assembly, paving the way for construction of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's memorial in the Mayor's bungalow in Shivaji Park here.

The bill was approved in the absence of Sena ministers and MLAs.

Chandrakant Sonawane and Rajabhau Vaze were only two legislators of the Sena who were present in the House to support the bill when it was presented late evening.

The MLAs of the NCP, the BJP and the MNS backed the bill, which allows an amendment to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.

The bill was presented by the Minister of State for Urban Development Ranjit Patil.

With the amendment to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the BMC Commissioner is authorised to grant lease of the property along with the structures, with the sanction of the civic body and approval of the state government.

The lease of the property is for construction of Thackeray's memorial, which will be called as the "Balasaheb Thackeray Rashtriya Smarak".

A society for the purpose will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

The rent for the lease of property will be lesser than the market value of the premium as may be decided by the state government.

The Mayor's residence will be subsequently shifted to Byculla in South Mumbai.

Taking a dig, the NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil said the bill was being presented in absence of Sena ministers.

"You (BJP) wanted to control Mumbai, but have surrendered to Sena. The BJP has unilaterally given the city in hands of Sena after shouting for transparency. How will appointing the Upa-Lokayukta for Mumbai will bring transparency?" he asked.

His colleague Jayant Patil said the bill was deliberately presented late in the evening when the Sena ministers were absent.

"The BJP took many goons in the party to defeat Sena but in vain. Now they have not even taken into consideration the Sena before presenting the bill," he said.

Supporting the bill, the NCP leader said the memorial should be completed in a stipulated period.

The Mayor should be given another bungalow as the memorial will be housed in the existing one, he demanded.

BJP MLA Raj Purohit also supported the bill.

The Sena MLAs present in the House also welcomed the bill.

MNS MLA Sharad Sonawane also supported the bill after which it was approved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malaysia said today that North Korea embassy staff are barred from leaving the country, in a tit for tat response after Pyongyang banned all Malaysian citizens from leaving.

"No official or employee of the DPRK (North Korea) embassy is allowed to leave the country," the home ministry said in a statement, as a row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam escalated.

The statement clarified an earlier tweet from national agency Bernama which suggested all North Korean citizens in Malaysia were subject to the ban.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Someone is contacting citizens in Whitfield County via telephone and impersonating members of the Sheriffs Office in an attempt to swindle money from them, officials said.

The Sheriffs Office received three complaints Monday from citizens advising they had received a telephone call from an individual who identified himself as a member of the Court Services Division of the Sheriffs Office. He advised the citizen that warrants had been issued for them for missing jury duty. They were advised in order to avoid being arrested, they must purchase some green dot cards, load an amount of cash on the card, and provide the caller with the card number. Some of the victims have been instructed to go to a CVS Pharmacy to obtain the green dot cards.

One telephone number being used by the scammer is 706-318- 9524.



"The Whitfield County Sheriffs Office will never call you and ask you to send money or load an

amount of cash on a green dot card. If you receive a call like this it is a scam, and you are encouraged to hang up on the caller and contact the law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction," officials said.
A 23-year-old member of an inter-state gang dealing in illegal firearms has been arrested here, police said today.

Police were tipped off that a Madhya Pradesh-based manufacturer of illegal firearms was trying to supply weapons to Delhi through his gang member, Deputy Commissioner of Police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.

Acting on the tip off, a team was formed to nab the supplier.

The accused, Suresh, was yesterday spotted near Nand Nagri carrying a bag. He was apprehended by the team when he was about to leave the place after no one turned up to collect the consignment, he said.

Fifteen 7.65 mm semi-automatic sophisticated pistols were recovered from Suresh's bag, Kushwah said, adding some of the recovered pistols had 'Made in China' engraved on them.

During interrogation, Suresh revealed that five of these weapons were to be delivered to a person in Nand Nagri here and remaining 10 to two other persons in Firozabad of Uttar Pradesh, the officer said.

Suresh also revealed that he previously also supplied firearms to people in Delhi, NCR and Uttar Pradesh.

The arrested accused was working as a helper with a mason and as a tractor driver in agricultural fields too.

About six months ago, Suresh came in contact with arms manufacturer Baljith Singh alias Balia, a resident of Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, through his brother-in-law and started working as carrier of illegal firearms for him, " the officer said.

Futher investigation is underway in the matter, he added.

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Students are the "soft targets" of local and international gangs who sell Mephedrone, raw material for which is manufactured locally, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was told today.

"Raw material for Mephedrone or 'Meow Meow' is manufactured locally. Students and educational campuses are soft targets of local and international drug syndicates, especially in cities like Mumbai and Pune," the Minister of state for Home Ranjit Patil said while replying to supplementaries during Question Hour.

He said Mephedrone was cheaper than cocaine and heroin.

The minister said since the MD drug was included in the NDPS (The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, violation of the provisions would result in the conviction of offenders from minimum 10 to maximum 20 years in prison, apart from fine.

"The drug, which was available at Rs 1200 per gm as against Rs 8000 per gm of cocaine, is now available at Rs 2500-Rs 3000 per kg," Patil said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the Nigerians and Bangladeshis who overstay in cities after expiry of their visas should be checked.

He also said Goa has become a manufacturing hub of the drug.

In his response, the minister said the police would conduct combing operations to check whether Nigerians and Bangladeshis are overstaying.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Housing Ravindra Waikar announced an SIT probe after the BJP MLA Ashish Shelar claimed the builders had availed incentive FSI (Floor Space Index) in 432 housing projects in Mumbai, but did not transfer flats to Mhada (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) and the legal owners.

Waikar told the House that government will issue notices to developers who have not taken up redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings in the island city even after ten years.

He said out of 432 projects, permissions for construction are in various stages of processing in 103 projects.

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Top automakers, including Mercedes Benz, are tweaking engine designs to make them Euro VI grade fuel compatible as India prepares to implement the new emission norms from 2020, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said.

To tame high vehicular pollution, the government last year decided on stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI, equivalent to Euro VI, from April 1, 2020 from BS IV now, thereby skipping BS-V altogether.

"We are moving ahead fast towards new fuel emission norms. Automakers need to make some amendments to their engines to make them Euro VI fuel compliant. They are making necessary changes. Mercedes is ready. Mercedes has said their engines are Euro VI compliant," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told PTI in an interview.

The Minister said that top automobile manufacturers have assured to take all necessary steps in this regard as government had already taken a decision to make the Euro VI emission norms mandatory from April 1, 2020.

"I am confident that we will be successful in this move and once Euro VI is implemented, vehicular pollution will fall drastically," he said.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that Euro VI fuel will be available by April 1, 2020, he said.

Asked whether there is any possibility that the new emission norms could be implemented ahead of scheduled April 2020 deadline, the Minister said, "We (relevant ministries) will hold a meeting. We can think in this direction if Petroleum Ministry and automobile associations are ready for it."



He, however, said that so far the government remains committed to introduce the new norms from April 2020.

The Minister also said that the government is committed to supplying Euro VI compliant fuel which will be at par with international standards.

The government had earlier estimated that refineries in the country will need to invest about Rs 30,000 crore to upgrade to Euro VI fuel standards.

Earlier, refusing to buckle under pressure from auto industry on stricter fuel emission norms, Gadkari has said carmakers must follow the same standards in India that they do elsewhere.

"When the same car manufacturer can build cars following the same norms across the globe, then why can't they build it here? The government is not reconsidering its decision," Gadkari has said.

At present, BS IV norms are followed in parts of India and by April 1, 2017, the whole country is scheduled to come under it.

The decision to adopt BS-VI was taken at an inter- ministerial meeting chaired by Gadkari, which was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

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Morocco is applying to join the Economic Community of West African States, the bloc confirmed today, a move that some analysts see as a continuation of checkbook diplomacy to consolidate the North African kingdom's claim on Western Sahara.

Morocco's application will be considered at the next summit of 15 member states in July, ECOWAS chairman Marcel de Souza said in a statement.

It would be "very surprising if it's accepted," said analyst Liesl Louw-Vaudran of the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies. Morocco is not geographically part of West Africa and culturally fits with Arab nations very different from those of sub-Saharan Africa.

The bid to join the West African bloc isn't to pursue trade and investment, Louw-Vaudran said. Morocco "wants to sit at the political table and just realized it doesn't want to be the black sheep of the African continent anymore."



The move comes after Morocco in January rejoined the African Union with 39 nations voting in its favor. The 54-nation pan-African body in 1984 recognized Western Sahara as the independent Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, leading Morocco to storm out. Western Sahara remains an AU member.

Morocco claims Western Sahara as its "southern provinces." A United Nations resolution for decades has called for a referendum to decide its fate.

Oil companies have abandoned exploration there, and European fishing companies have withdrawn fleets because of the tensions. In December, the European Union's Court of Justice ruled that Morocco must exclude products from Western Sahara from its exports to member states.

But Morocco's King Mohammed VI has been traveling around Africa in recent months signing multibillion-dollar deals including with Ghana and Nigeria. Last month he visited Guinea, whose president chairs the West African bloc.

Last week the king spoke by telephone to Nigeria's ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in London. He was just the second leader Buhari is reported to have spoken to this year, after US President Donald Trump.

Morocco is "riding this wave of acceptance and the king's strong bilateral relations and checkbook diplomacy," dividing the continent where many remember the African Union was created in part to get rid of colonization, said Louw-Vaudran.

Morocco is so confident it even is suggesting it host the next African Union summit, she said.

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The Mosul museum that Iraqi security forces have now recaptured from the Islamic State group housed ancient works of art that made it a prime target for the jihadists.

Founded in 1952, the museum was the second largest in Iraq, had four halls and was set to reopen in 2014 after rebuilding work made necessary by looting after the US-led invasion in 2003.

Before the first Gulf War (1990-1991), the museum housed more than 1,000 objects, according to Lamia Gailani, research associate at the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Near and Middle East at SOAS University of London.

Among the priceless artefacts were many that dated to the Assyrian and Hellenistic periods.

The Mosul region was home to a mosaic of minorities, including the Assyrian Christians who consider themselves to be the region's indigenous people.

Before IS arrived, many portable antiquities had already been transferred to the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, but heavy immovable statues and wall reliefs remained behind.

In June 2014, IS fighters overran Mosul and set about selling or destroying works that they claimed violated Islamic tenets against idolatry.

The jihadists videoed themselves smashing priceless artefacts to feed the group's propaganda machine.

Footage released in February 2015 showed militants knocking statues from their plinths and smashing them, although clouds of white dust indicated that some were simply plaster copies.

However, experts estimated that around 90 works were destroyed, most of them originals.

Jihadists also scaled a monumental granite Assyrian winged bull at the nearby Nergal Gate, which was almost 3,000 years old, and relentlessly attacked it with pneumatic drills.

Their rampage was compared to the Taliban's 2001 dynamiting of the famed Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan.

Mosul museum initially consisted of three main exhibition spaces, according to UNESCO.

The Assyrian Gallery displayed objects, many of which were stone originals, from the ninth to the sixth centuries BC.

The Hatra Gallery documented a caravan city that blossomed in the first century BC and the first century AD, and contained stone statues of the city's citizens and kings.

The Islamic Gallery did not appear in the IS video, and the fate of original stone antiquities it contained is not yet clear.

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Dubbing Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) detainees as "democracy warriors" the Madhya Pradesh government today hiked their monthly honorarium from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.

Besides, it also enhanced the pension of freedom fighters from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.

In reply to a debate on the supplementary proposals of the Budget for 2017-18, the General Administration Department Minister of State Lal Singh Arya informed the assembly that the government has decided to respectfully call MISA detainees as "Loktantra Senani" (democracy warrior).

"We have hiked the monthly pension of "Loktantra Senanis" and freedom fighters from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.

He said that MP has 2,604 Loktantra Senanis and 750 freedom fighters.

Earlier in the day, the Congress members opposed the proposal related to the MISA detainees and sought to know the number of such beneficiaries.

Taking a potshot at the government, they said that just a handful of such freedom fighters might be alive in the state and questioned the prudence of the ruling regime to go for a pension hike.

With this, MP ruled by BJP has virtually equated MISA detainees with freedom fighters.

The is the second time that the MP Assembly has raised the honorarium or pension to MISA detainees.

Earlier, in December 2011, the honorarium was raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000.

Some BJP ruled states too pay such honorarium to MISA detainees who were jailed during the 21-month-long emergency imposed in 1975.

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Seven members of Mumbai police team, which had gone to nab illegal Bangladeshi migrants in a Navi Mumbai village, were beaten up by locals who mistook them to be robbers.

Two of the policemen have sustained serious injuries in the attack and were admitted to hospital.

The incident occurred during the early hours today at Kombadbhuje village under the jurisdiction of NRI Police Station in the satellite city, an official said.

"The team of Mumbai Police was beaten up by villagers under mistaken identity that they are robbers. We are registering an offence against them," said Hemant Nagrale, Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai.

The team of Special Branch (SB) of Mumbai Police comprising an officer and six policemen had gone to apprehend Bangladeshi migrants, who were staying in the village without proper permission from the ministry of external affairs (MEA), police said.

The team after reaching the village at 3 AM began to search for illegal migrants, the official said, adding, after some of the migrants started shouting and cried for help the villagers woke up and mistook the police team to be robbers.

The villagers then thrashed the policemen, he said.

All the policemen were injured in the attack, however two of them suffered serious injuries, said the officer.

This is second incident in Navi Mumbai, wherein the team of Mumbai Police's Special Branch (SB) on the lookout for illegal Bangladeshi migrants was attacked, police said.

Earlier, the police team was attacked by the Bangladeshis in Kharghar in February 2013 in which a police sub-inspector and a constable were attacked by a crowd of around 20 people.

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Nuclear-armed North Korea's launch of four missiles was a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan and supervised by leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang's state media said today.

Three of the four missiles came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

Washington and Tokyo have sought an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the launch, likely to be scheduled for tomorrow.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world "won't allow" North Korea to continue on its "destructive path".

But six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, the North's official Korea Central Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets", he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.

"The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said," the agency added, referring to Kim.

The military units involved are "tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency", KCNA said.

But a US defence official told AFP that North Korea had launched five extended-range Scud missiles yesterday, with one crashing somewhere over the Korean peninsula.

Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-Un ordered his military "to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime", KCNA reported, and to be ready to "open fire to annihilate the enemies" when ordered.

Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but yesterday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament: "This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat," adding: "We can never tolerate this."



The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned them, urging Pyongyang to refrain from further "provocations".

Trump has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly".

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said yesterday that North Korea poses a "very serious threat", adding the administration was taking steps to "enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles".

South Korea said yesterday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan -- travelling about 1,000 kilometres and reaching an altitude of 260 kilometres.

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The revised executive order, temporarily halting entry to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations while dropping Iraq from the list, "does not make US safe", top Indian American lawmakers said.

"Make no mistake: this ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk while isolating the Muslim community at a time when we need to address the threat of homegrown extremism. No matter the changes, this executive action remains immoral and fundamentally un-American," California Senator Kamala Harris said.

Harris, who is the first Indian American US Senator was joined by other four Indian Americans in the House of Representatives -- Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian American woman to be elected to the House.

"While I welcome the decision to omit Iraq from the list of banned countries, the President still has an obligation to provide evidence of a national security threat posed by immigrants and refugees from the remaining six countries," Harris said.

"Omitting one country from the list does not eliminate the need to provide the American people with meaningful evidence supporting this ban. The White House had more than a month to develop their case, and has failed to provide actual justification based on facts," she added.

Jayapal said, in his new executive order, Trump has been forced to recognise that his original was both "unconstitutional" and "ineptly" executed.

"The new order recognises that we must honour the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens affected by the ban," she said.

"It also excludes Iraq from the list of the banned countries, another clear sign that such a ban would hurt our coalition efforts for peace in the Middle East. It should not have taken the courts and nationwide protests to stop such an order from taking effect in the first place," she said.

The president was "irresponsible" in "throwing" the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families, she added.

"Unfortunately, however, the president's Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children," Jayapal said.

"It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It continues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment," she said.

Congressman Ami Bera, vice-ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the executive order affecting immigrants and refugees from Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, and Iran targets specific groups and alludes to a specific religion does not enhance the national security "in fact this does the opposite".

"This is a bad second swing at an executive order that is just as un-American and xenophobic as the first version that was struck down by multiple courts. As Americans, we do not close our doors to those who are fleeing persecution, or target people based on their faith," he said.

Congressman Ro Khanna said the Trump administration's repackaging is merely a second attempt to revise his unconstitutional policy.

"This is the same ban, driven by the same hazardous discrimination that weakens our ability to fight terror. Revised language won't change what this executive order is: an act that prohibits people from entering the US based on their religion or refugee status.

"The public and courts rejected the Trump administration's first attempt at this, and it must do so again," Khanna said.
The NIA on Tuesday issued a notice to controversial Islamic preacher asking him to appear before it on March 14 in a case filed against him under anti- terror law.

The notice was served at the Mumbai-based residence of 51-year-old Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner following accusations that he had inspired some of the terrorists who attacked a cafe in Dhaka last year.

Naik, the founder of proscribed Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has been asked to appear before the anti- terror agency at its headquarters in Delhi on March 14, an NIA official said here.

The notice was received by his brother, Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik, at his residence in Jasmine Apartments in Mazagaon here, he said.

An FIR against Naik and his associates was registered by the NIA in November.

The physician-turned-preacher has been booked for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been slapped on him.

In the FIR, the NIA alleged that Naik incited Muslim youths to commit unlawful and terrorist acts, the official said.

The Centre has declared IRF, an NGO based at Dongri in south Mumbai, an unlawful organisation under the UAPA.

Besides the IRF, Naik is also founding trustee of the IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust.

"The televangelist is also linked with a slew of other entities like Peace TV, Harmony Media Pvt Ltd, Longlast Constructions Pvt Ltd, Right Property Solutions Pvt Ltd, Galaxy Multichannel Network Pvt Ltd, Majestic Perfumes Pvt Ltd and Alpha Lubricants Pvt Ltd," he added.

The speeches of Naik are banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia.

Naik has rejected all allegations of involvement in terror-related activities and opposed ban on the IRF.
Born 250 years ago this month, Andrew Jackson remains one of Tennessee's most iconic and controversial political figures. The former United States president is celebrated for his popularity with common folk and his military skills, but reviled for his headstrong temperament and his troubling relations with Native Americans.

To commemorate his birthday, the Tennessee State Library & Archives will soon be launching a new online exhibit highlighting documents from Jackson's life and career. On April 1, the two Library & Archives staff members who curated the exhibit will host a free workshop.

The workshop, titled "Andrew Jackson and his Legacy," will run from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. on that day in the auditorium of the Library & Archives building, which is located at 403 7th Ave. North in downtown Nashville.

"Andrew Jackson is one of Tennessee's most important historical figures so it is very helpful for researchers to have more information about him available online," Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. "This presentation will be a useful primer on the materials that will be included in the Tennessee Virtual Archive exhibit."

Assistant State Archivist Wayne Moore and Archival Assistant Zachary Keith will talk about the collections of Jackson's papers available at the Library & Archives, which include a version of the only known photograph of Jackson, personal letters, original maps from the War of 1812, political cartoons, campaign broadsides, engravings and lithographs. The Library & Archives also has papers from some of Jackson's chief associates, including John Overton, John Coffee, James Winchester, William Carroll and William B. Lewis.

During their presentation, Moore and Keith will discuss topics ranging from Jackson's family life with his wife Rachel and their adopted children, to Jackson's duels with rivals, to his management of his plantation and his military and political exploits.

Although the event is free and open to the public, reservations are required because of seating limitations in the Library & Archives auditorium. To register for the event, please use this online link: https://andrewjackson250.eventbrite.com

The Library & Archives building is located directly west of the Tennessee State Capitol building. Free parking is available around the building on Saturdays.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik today expressed condolences over the demise of eminent socialist leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray.

"Rabi Rayji was like a guardian to me. His demise is a great loss to Indian politics and his contribution to the socialist movement will be remembered forever. I have learnt a lot from him," Kumar said after paying floral tribute to the leader's mortal remains at Lohia bhavan here.

Kumar is the lone chief minister to have gone to Odisha to pay his last respects to the departed leader.

"Rayji's contribution in the formation of Samata Party in 1994 will be remembered by all besides his role as Speaker of the Lok Sabha," the Bihar CM said.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, who is scheduled to attend the funeral said, "It is a great loss for the state as well as for the country."



Meanwhile, Odisha is observing one-day state mourning in honour of Ray today.

The national flag was flown at half-mast across all government buildings. People from all walks of life including ministers, politicians paid their last respects at Lohia Bhavan.

Ray breathed his last yesterday while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.

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Drug pricing regulator NPPA today said there is no shortage of stents in the country and manufacturers have assured it of smooth supplies.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) met stent makers and importers today to discuss issues like pricing and availability of the medical device.

"There is no shortage of stents at present. We have not received any complaints regarding this either from the state drug controllers or from the hospitals," NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh told PTI.

The firms who attended the meeting have assured the regulator of smooth supply of stents, he added.

Last week, the regulator had invited 16 firms, including Abbott Healthcare, Boston Scientific India and Sahajanand Medical Technologies, for the meeting.

This is the second meeting the government has held with stent manufacturers and importers.

The government has already made it mandatory for manufacturers to maintain production and supply of coronary stents by invoking an emergency clause under drug price control law, citing reports of shortage in market.

"After due deliberations on the current situation and alternatives available with the government to resume normal supply of the coronary stents, it has been decided to invoke the powers of Section 3 (i) of DPCO, 2013," the Department of Pharmaceuticals had said in a letter to stent makers last month.

In a major relief to lakhs of cardiac patients, the government last month had slashed the prices of the coronary stents by up to 85 per cent by capping them at Rs 7,260 for bare metal ones and Rs 29,600 for the drug eluting variety.

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The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover all the six reports of the Multi-Agency Group (MAG) constituted by the government to probe the Panama papers case.

The direction came after the Centre told the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra that the Multi-Agency Group has completed the sixth report of its ongoing investigation and the government is prepared to place all reports before the court.

"We direct the Union of India to file all six reports in a sealed cover within four weeks," the bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Justice M M Shantanagoudar said.

The Centre had constituted a multi agency group consisting of officers of the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate and Financial Intelligence Unit to investigate the Panama case.

Solicitor General (SG) Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the bench should first go through reports of the MAG and thereafter decide whether it could be shared with the petitioner or not.

The submission by the SG came after petitioner advocate M L Sharma said the report should also be given to him so that he can argue the matter further.

At the outset, Sharma argued that the government agencies were not investigating this case properly and they have concealed material facts from the apex court.

To this, the bench said, "How can you say that they are not doing it (probe)? They have said they are investigating the matter and when a stand is taken by respondents (Centre, RBI and others) that they are investigating, how can we say anything at this stage?"



The apex court had on November 24 last year sought a response from the petitioner on the plea of market regulator SEBI that it has been dragged as a party in a PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI probe against Indians whose names have figured in the Panama papers for allegedly holding bank accounts in foreign countries.

The Centre had sought dismissal of the PIL, saying MAG has already been set up to ensure "speedy and coordinated" probe against Indians whose names have figured in the Panama papers.

Five reports have already been submitted by MAG to the apex court-appointed Special Investigation Team on black money which is led by Justice (retd) M B Shah, and in a sealed cover to a Supreme Court bench hearing the black money case.

The Centre had on October 3, 2016 informed the court that



Rs 8,186 crore, illegally kept in offshore banks by Indians, has been brought under tax ambit despite constraints like non-sharing of information by Swiss authorities.

The Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry had said "an undisclosed income of Rs 8,186 crore (including protective assessment of Rs 1,485 crore) has been brought to tax, on account of deposits made in unreported foreign bank accounts".

Earlier, the Centre had also said that about Rs 1,282 crore has been levied in 159 cases pertaining to concealment of tax due to the goverment.

"So far 164 prosecution complaints have been filed in 75 cases. The apex court-appointed SIT on blackmoney has been kept updated on the progress in these investigations," it had said.

The Finance Ministry, however, had refused to respond to the allegations relating to an interim plea of advocate Sharma seeking a direction that the offshore portfolio investors, who invest in the Indian stock market through participatory-notes, should not be allowed to withdraw money till further orders.

It had said the issue related to SEBI which was the competent authority in this regard.

The ministry had also opposed the contention raised in the PIL that re-appointment of U K Sinha as SEBI chief was illegal and hence should be quashed.

Seeking dismissal of the PIL, it had said the SIT on black money has been kept informed on regular basis about the development made in the probe.

The PIL had sought a court-monitored CBI probe into the Panama papers leak which contained an unprecedented amount of information, including more than 11 million documents covering 2,10,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions.

Each transaction spanned different jurisdictions and may involve multiple entities and individuals.

The plea also suggested that a direction be given to CBI to lodge FIR and conduct investigation against the SEBI chairman, his associates and share brokers for alleged offences, including under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The petition had alleged that Panama papers included the names of nearly 500 Indians, including celebrities and industrialists, who have allegedly parked funds in offshore accounts in transactions brokered by the law firm.

(Reopens LGD6)



At the outset, the petitioner told the court that an FIR should be lodged in the matter and probe should be conducted under the monitoring of the apex court.

However, the bench said, "they are already investigating the matter. What can the Supreme Court do in this?"



The counsel for the Centre said that the Multi-Agency Group (MAG) has been continously doing investigation in the matter which was being monitored by different agencies.

He said the investigation involved assistance of certain foreign countries and the MAG is analysing the replies received from other nations.

To this, the apex court told the petitioner, "whenever you file a PIL and whosoever is the petitioner, he has to remain within the boundary. You have sought a probe. They are doing it. We will ask them to file the reports before us. We can comment anything only when we will see the report".

Senior advocate Arvind Datar, representing the SEBI, told the bench that the petitioner has levelled a series of allegations starting from Panama papers to businessman Vijay Mallya and others.

When the petitioner tried to counter Datar's submissions, the bench said, "you can't make wild allegations".

The Centre told the bench that MAG consists of officials from different agencies and it was "virtually a special investigating team (SIT)".

"Five reports have been submitted by the MAG. They have submitted the reports to the coordinating agency and also to the SIT constituted by the government on the directions of the Supreme Court in the blackmoney matter," he said, adding that the agency has also prepared the sixth report.

To this, the bench said, "We want investigation reports to be filed before us. You (Centre) can give names in a sealed cover and we can form an SIT (to probe the matter)".

The Centre, however, said, "We will file all the reports. The court can go through it and then see whether there is a need to have an SIT in the matter".

The bench then said it would first go through the reports prepared by MAG and would then see whether there is a need for having a separate team or an SIT to probe the matter.

The bench, which asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover all the six reports of MAG, has fixed the matter for further hearing on April 18.
Peru has recalled its ambassador in Caracas for consultations as the countries' governments traded insults over the crisis in Venezuela and ties with Washington.

In a protest note to the Venezuelan embassy in Lima, Peru expressed "total rejection of the insolent comments" against its President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Kuczynski had annoyed Venezuela's socialist government by calling for Latin America to intervene in what he termed a "humanitarian crisis" in the country.

The United States "does not invest much time in Latin America since (that region) is like a friendly dog sleeping on the rug, but in the case of Venezuela it is a big problem," Kuczynski said, during a recent speech in the United States.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez retorted by calling Kuczynski a "coward," during a speech in Caracas yesterday.

She said he was the "dog wagging its tail at the empire" -- a reference to Kuczynski's recent diplomatic visit to the United States.

Peru's protest note called the Venezuelan comments "unacceptable between two states with diplomatic relations, in which framework the authorities should show mutual respect.

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An Indigo pilot faced a major embarrassment when he was caught attributing a flight delay to the Air Traffic Controller to "cover up" the absence of his co-pilot.

Following the incident, which took place at Chennai airport last week, the Airports Authority of India raised the issue with IndiGo, asking it not to pass the blame for flight delays "falsely" to the ATC, sources said.

One of the sources said the incident prompted IndiGo to send an e-mail to its pilots, instructing them to desist from such acts.

The departure of IndiGo flight 6E-859, operating on the Chennai-Madurai route, had already been rescheduled to 1225 hours from 1145 hours, which was conveyed to passengers via text messages.

The Pilot-in-Command later announced that the flight had been further delayed "because the Air Traffic Controller was not clearing the aircraft for departure", the source told PTI here.

However, the commander was "unaware" of the presence of an ATC among the passengers on the plane.

"After the pilot attributed the delay to the air traffic management team, the controller called up the Chennai ATC to know the reason for the delay in clearance. But he was told that the PIC had not even asked for a push back from the tower controller," another source said.

"The ATC then met the pilot through the flight attendant in the cockpit and found that the co-pilot was not in his seat. The pilot was pulled up by the ATC for making a false announcement, blaming the air traffic management team and maligning the reputation of the fraternity in front of the public," the source said.

Later, the commander apologised "unconditionally" for the delay and announced that it was due to the absence of his co-pilot.

IndiGo, in a detailed response, said the flight was delayed by three minutes.

"Our captain while monitoring ground frequency noticed there was ramp and air congestion prevailing on other aircraft and proactively made an announcement citing the same.

"The ATC personnel travelling as a passenger came up and spoke to the captain and our captain made a second announcement," he said.

"Having said that we would have appreciated had the said passenger taken up the issue through proper channel instead of intervening with the operating crew before a flight when they need to focus on procedures and safety," he added.

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A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a girl by sending vulgar messages, pictures and making video calls in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area, police said today.

Ajay Kumar Pathak, a labour supervisor, was arrested from Gurugram yesterday, said DCP(West) Vijay Kumar.

On March 6, a woman filed a complaint alleging that she had been receiving vulgar messages, obscene pictures and whatsapp calls from an unknown number from March 2, the officer said.

The team focused on technical surveillance but it was found that the mobile number was not in use and a fake account had been created, he added.

After a case was registered, a trap was laid for Pathak and the girl called him for a meeting, following which he was nabbed, police said.

During interrogation, he told police that he had found a mobile phone lying on road in the December last year.

He threw the mobile phone but kept the SIM for creating a whatsapp account. After creating the account he started sending vulgar messages to several girls.

While surfing Facebook, he found the account of the victim and obtained her mobile number from her profile and started stalking her, the officer said.

The accused claimed he has harassed 10-15 girls so far but police haven't received any other complaint against the accused.

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The State Election Commission of Maharashtra has asked Mumbai municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta to ascertain veracity of allegations against a Shiv Sena corporator who won from a ward in north Mumbai.

In a letter to the BMC chief, the SEC said it has taken cognisance of a plea by defeated BJP candidate from the ward Nisha Parulekar-Bangera that Shiv Sena's Madhuri Yogesh Bhoir, who won from ward 25, had submitted a false affidavit to the poll authorities.

Bangera alleged that Bhoir did not disclose particulars of vehicle and details of some other property owned by her.

SEC said Mehta should act (against Bhoir) as per provisions of a 2013 order of the Commission, which mandates action against a candidate who submits false information to poll authorities.

In the February 21 BMC poll, from ward 25 (Kandivali east) a total of 15,466 votes were cast. Sena candidate Madhuri Bhoir won after securing 7,185 and Bangera secured 6,792 votes, while hopefuls from the Congress (778 votes), MNS (275 votes) and NCP (105 votes) lost their deposits.

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A police constable was today arrested for taking a bribe of Rs 35,000 here, police said.

The constable, posted at Bani Park police station, was arrested by the Anti-corruption Bureau of Rajasthan Police for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000 from Manna Lal in a 2015 case, they said.

The constable allegedly demanded the amount to delay the filing of challan in a court in a case of cheating against Manna Lal.

The accused had accepted Rs 2,000 on last Saturday and was held today while accepting the remaining Rs 33,000 of the bribe, Additional SP (ACB) Narottam Lal Verma said.

A case has been registered against the accused constable, the ASP said.

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Rajasthan assembly today passed a number of bills including Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) bill aimed at making the state clean and beautiful.

The assembly passed Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) bill, Rajasthan ILD Skill university Jaipur bill and Bhartiya Skill Development University Jaipur bill by voice vote.

Speaking on the objective of the Municipalities bill, Urban development minister Srichand Kriplani said that the bill was aimed at making the state clean and beautiful.

"With a view to implement the policy of the State Government to amalgamate the laws relating to one department on connected subject in a single law wherever feasible, the Rajasthan Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2006 is proposed to be merged in the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 in the shape of new Chapter," the objective of the bill said.

Replying on the Rajasthan ILD Skills university bill, labour minister Jaswant Singh said the university will be an enabling platform to converge the funding for sustainable skilling in the State.

The university will become the affiliating body for a large number of institutions operating in skill and vocational training.

The Rajasthan ILD Skills University, would be able to benchmark required standards for overall betterment of training and certification, its objectives said.

The house also passed the Bhartiya Skill development university bill.

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Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been issued notice by a sessions court on a state government plea against his acquittal in an Arms Act case linked to alleged hunting of chinkaras by him in 1998 here.

District and Sessions Judge Bhagwan Das Agarwal issued notice to the actor, seeking his reply to the government's plea against him by April 21.

Public Prosecutor Pokar Ram Bishnoi, who challenged Khan's acquittal, said the plea has been admitted and the notice issued to Khan.

The government has challenged Khan's acquittal in the Arms Act case involving alleged possession of unlicensed weapon by him for hunting deers in 1998 in Jodhpur.

Jodhpur Chief Judicial Magistrate had acquitted Salman in the Arms Act case on January 18 citing technical grounds, saying he had been prosecuted under wrong sections.

Bishnoi argued before the sessions judge that the case had been proved against Khan, which was also admitted by the court and that on the basis of the examination of the evidence and witnesses, the prosecution had proved the case.

The state government has moved the sessions court against Salman's acquittal in the Arms Act case barely over a month after the apex court on January 29 issued notice to him on another petition challenging his acquittal by the Rajasthan High Court in the deer hunting case.

While the high court had acquitted the actor in July, the state government had moved the apex court against him in October last year. Salman was accused of hunting two chinkaras at Bhawad in Mathania near Jodhpur on September 26, 1998 and another chinkara at Ghoda farms two days later on September 28, when he was in city for shooting of a film.

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Siskin Childrens Institute announced a new partnership with Natalie Henson and the Keller Williams Chattanooga Roots Property Team. For each home purchased or sold in 2017, the Chattanooga Roots Property Team will donate $50 to support the programs and services for children with special needs and their families at Siskin Childrens Institute.



Even before visiting the Institute, I felt the need to give back to the Chattanooga community, said Ms.



Institute CEO, John Farrimond, said We are grateful for the support from our business community and for this unique opportunity to partner with the Chattanooga Roots Property Team. The funds raised from this program will greatly impact the families we serve.



Anyone interested in purchasing or selling their property is encourage to contact Ms. Henson and the Keller Williams Chattanooga Roots Property Team at her office, 423 664-1900, or direct at 423 316-7656.
Anil Ambani-led group firm Reliance Capital has sold its about 1 per cent stake in digital payments firm Paytm to China's Alibaba Group for Rs 275 crore.

The deal, which values Paytm at over USD 5 billion, has yielded huge gains for the financial services arm of the Reliance Group, according to sources.

Reliance Capital had invested Rs 10 crore for the stake in Paytm, they added.

The sources said Reliance Capital has retained a stake in Paytm e-Commerce (online marketplace unit), which it had got free of cost by virtue of the investment in the parent firm.

Alibaba Singapore E-commerce, along with investment firm SAIF Partners, is also slated to invest USD 200 million in Paytm's online marketplace unit. The latest fund-raising round values Paytm e-Commerce at USD 1 billion.

A Reliance Capital spokesperson declined to comment on the deal, while Paytm spokesperson also did not comment.

E-mails sent to Alibaba remained unanswered.

One97 Communications has three units -- Paytm E-Commerce, Paytm Payments Bank (payments bank and mobile wallet service) and Paytm Mobile Solutions.

Earlier, Reliance Capital had said it would trim its proprietary investment portfolio as part of its plans to monetise non-core assets.

In December last year, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma had sold 1 per cent of his holding in One97 Communications, the parent firm of the digital payments firm, to raise about Rs 325 crore.

This money was to be pumped into the group's payments bank operations, which are slated to start soon.

Alibaba, which has a stake in Indian e-commerce firm Snapdeal as well, has been expanding its shareholding in Paytm. This is expected to pave the way for its much-awaited entry into India that will see the Chinese e-commerce giant firm go head-to-head with Amazon India and Flipkart in the domestic market.

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A key Parliamentary panel is likely to submit its report on the impact of next month after reviewing various submissions, including by RBI Governor Urjit Patel.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by senior Congress leader K V Thomas, is looking into the impact of on various sectors of the economy.

"We are regularly having meetings with stakeholders concerned. Our report will be presented before the end of the budget session," Thomas told PTI.

The second half of the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from Thursday and end on April 12.

Thomas said the PAC has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to come out with the exact number of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes which were demonetised and deposited with banks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move on November 8.

"We have asked RBI to give us the number. Their top management including Governor Urjit Patel and others have given their submission to us.

"They say we are still counting. I don't believe in this argument of counting. Everything is computerised these days. Why take such a long time in giving the final figure?" he wondered.

Thomas said that the central bank has sought some more time to arrive at the final figure. "We have given them the time and asked them to come out with the figure as early as possible," he said.

The Parliamentary Committee had last month called top bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry, including Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, to discuss issues relating to .

Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal had on December 2 told Parliament that currency notes worth Rs 15.44 lakh crore (17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes) were in circulation on November 8.

There have been reports of adverse impact on various sectors and overall GDP growth due to demonetisation. The government, however, has disputed the reports.

About Rs 4,807 crore of undisclosed income has been detected while Rs 112 crore worth new notes have been seized till January 5 by the Income Tax Department as part of its country-wide crackdown on black money hoarders post demonetisation.

Based on inputs, the tax department has also referred 526 cases to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe other crimes like money laundering and corruption.
India is a victim of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said and dismissed a Pakistani minister's charge that it was creating unrest in the neighbouring country.

The Indian forces never indulge in unprovoked firing on anyone, he said.

"Both India and Afghanistan believe in peace and are victims of terrorism emanating from Pakistan," Rijiju told reporters here.

His remarks came a day after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India and Afghanistan have joined hands to create unrest in Pakistan.

Asif said there had been a constant rise in India's alleged unprovoked firing and violation of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control.

Countering his charge, Rijiju said, "Indian Forces never do unprovoked firing.

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Armed criminals today looted Rs 25 lakh from two bank personnel in Bihar's Gaya district, which was later on recovered in a swift police action.

The incident took place near Bakraur village within the limits of Bodh Gaya police station when a bank employee and a guard were carrying Rs 25 lakh to a nationalised bank's Itawa Bazar branch, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Magadh Range, Saurabh Kumar said.

The criminals came in a car without any number plate and waylaid the duo. They also shot and injured the driver of the vehicle in which the two were travelling and fled with the cash, the DIG said.

Acting swiftly, the police put up road blocks and started checking all vehicles, the DIG said adding, a team led by Fatehpur Police Station Officer In-charge Lal Muni Dubey caught the criminals near Fatehpur roundabout and recovered the looted money and the car they had snatched from the duo.

The police also seized the weapon used in the crime from them, he said.

The incident came a day after Rs 60 lakh was looted from a cash van on National Highway 30A near Patna.

Kumar said preliminary investigations have revealed that the criminals arrested in the Gaya loot case provided vital information regarding the Patna cash van loot incident.

The criminals arrested in Gaya hailed from Patna, Bhojpur and Jehanabad districts, the DIG said.

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Facing "paucity of funds", the SDMC has decided to transfer a 60-year-old municipal hospital in Kalkaji to Safdarjung Hospital, seeking a revamp of the health facility languishing with "incomplete redevelopment".

The move to hand over the 157-bed Purnima Sethi Multi-specialty Hospital to the Centre-run hospital comes ahead of the civic body elections likely to be held in April.

Talks between the two sides to transfer the hospital on "perpetual lease" has been going on for some time, and the Standing Committee of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) today cleared the proposal.

"The Safdarjung Hospital has agreed in-principle to take up this hospital and very soon an MoU will be signed to officially hand over the hospital," a senior SDMC official told PTI.

Built originally in late 1950s as a single-storey building with 30 beds and named 'Colony Hospital', the hospital's renovation work began in 2007, but due to environmental and other clearance issues, the work got stalled.

Spread over 8,540 sqm, the redevelopment work on the eight-storey quake-resistant building of the hospital in Kalkaji, is "still incomplete".

"Due to paucity of funds and not receiving adequate grant-in-aid from the Delhi government, the construction work of the redeveloped building has not been completed. Presently, only an OPD providing comprehensive general, specialist and laboratory service to people is operational on the first floor," SDMC Commissioner P K Goel said.

According to the plan, the hospital has proposed to Safdarjung Hospital to either run it as its satellite hospital or as a separate super-specialty hospital.

"As per the plan, the first two floors will be with us (SDMC) and the rest will be taken by Safdarjung Hospital. Our aim is to deliver best services to people, so if this (transfer) will boost health services, it would be in people's interest only," the official said.

"Total cost of the project (construction) once completed is expected to be nearly Rs 105 crore," the SDMC said.

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Sebi is studying the regulatory framework in overseas jurisdictions for alternative investment funds (AIFs) as the watchdog looks to improve existing norms for such class of investors.

"We are studying particularly important jurisdictions like the US, Australia or New Zealand to find out how the accredited investors have defined what are the kind of crucial treatment and what are the risks with these investors.

"The process is still on but this is going to be a very modern step. Sebi will be working on this and definitely look forward for further suggestions," Sebi Whole Time Member G Mahalingam said at an IVCA event.

AIFs are funds established or incorporated in India for the purpose of pooling in capital from Indian and foreign investors for investing as per a pre-decided policy.

Accredited investors can add a lot of value to the AIF industry, Mahalingam was quoted in a statement issued by Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (IVCA).

"Availability of performance data is very important for investors to at least know what the sector does across. The emphasis should be on following the best practise, instead of jumping on to a new trend bandwagon," TVS Capital MD and IVCA Chairman Gopal Srinivasan said.

Joanne Murphy, MD, Asia Pacific at CAIA Association said that India is not on a backfoot as compared to the world in terms of GDP and quality of manforce alongside technology.

"The slew of emerging startups is a proof of how local-grown talent is making its presence felt globally. However, still initial funding may be difficult to access, for greenhorn companies," he added.

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The CISF is working to make security processes at airports "simple and hassle-free" as it prepares to build an effective defence framework to thwart possible terror threats, including lone wolf attacks, at these facilities.

Addressing the annual press conference here today on the occasion of its 48th Raising Day on March 10, CISF Director General O P Singh said the force was testing and analysing a plethora of smart gadgets like full body scanners and smart CCTVs to make air travel more "secure, safe and easy."



He said the force has been mandated by the government to take over security duties of all civil airports of the country in the near future.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) presently guards 59 airports, including the most sensitive ones at Delhi and Mumbai, and at least 39 more are in the offing.

"We are witnessing rapid changes world over when it comes to security of places like airports or Delhi Metro, which is used by lakhs of people every day. We are working to enhance passenger experience and ensure some simple but engaging processes for security, especially at the airports," Singh said.

He said the 1.45 lakh-strong force will "network and integrate" the security paraphernalia, including bolstering of manpower, and a concept paper or white paper to standardise security protocols of this sector is being prepared.

On being asked whether lone wolf attacks was a potential threat to airport security, Singh said, "All the security concerns like behavioural analysis and situational awareness, including the one you pointed out will be included in the concept paper."



The CISF Director General said the force has written to airport operators and other government agencies to get bullet-proof and armoured vehicles for its quick reaction teams, stationed at these facilities for counter-terror tasks.

The force is provided with all gadgets, weapons and vehicles by the client firm or the entity where it is deployed.

Singh said the electronic perimeter intrusion detection systems deployed at large airports like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad are being analysed and fine-tuned to ensure fool proof security.

"Around 600-700 false alarms are given by this system in a year at certain locations," he said, adding the force is consulting various stakeholders to get these machines function without an error.

"Such technical gadgets will not be used unless we are 100 per cent sure about them," he said.

Singh said CISF was "experimenting" with various designs of full-body scanners at present so that they can be deployed at the airports at the earliest.

The 1969-raised force, the DG said, will be deployed at a



number of public and private sector installations in the near future, including at the ten airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

He said a proposal to secure the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus in Varanasi by the force is under consideration, but "no decision" had been taken yet.

Stating that global parameters have termed CISF as the "best force" to guard airports in the world, Singh mentioned that the government had recently sanctioned an additional 35,000 troops to them which will take it strength from the present 1.45 lakh to 1.80 lakh in about two years time.

"The first batch of these new recruits will begin training from April 1," he said.

The much-awaited hand baggage tag and stamp-free regime at select airports is expected to be operational from next month, he added.
Veteran Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik today discussed the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

Patnaik met both Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar separately after they attended the funeral of noted socialist leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray this afternoon.

"I had met Naveenji in New Delhi few months ago. After taking over the responsibility of Bihar as Chief Minister, I hardly got time to meet him. I am meeting him as we have a personal relationship," Nitish Kumar told reporters.

After meeting Patnaik, Sharad Yadav said "It was a courtesy visit. Whenever I visit Odisha, I meet Naveen Babu. I share a family relationship. There was no talk on the Third Front. However, the issue of UP elections cropped up during the meeting."



Yadav said Odisha's panchayat election results was also discussed during his meeting with Patnaik.

"I was informed that BJD candidates secured less seats (Zilla Parishad) this time due to infighting and Congress going to the third place in Odisha politics," he said.

On BJP's celebrations over the party coming second in the panchayat polls, Yadav said "They (BJP) make more noise than required."



Soon after the meeting between Patnaik and Yadav, former MP and OPCC vice-president Pradeep Majhi said there was every possibility of anti-BJP leaders joining hands after the UP elections.

BJP national secretary Suresh Pujari, however, said "We are prepared for all eventualities. Let them get united or fight separately, the BJP will face the situation.

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Actress Sonakshi Sinha starrer "Noor", which is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel "Karachi, You're Killing Me", will release in Pakistan.

When asked if "Noor" will have a release across the border, producer Bhushan Kumar told reporters, "Yes, we are releasing the film in Pakistan."



The Sunhil Sippy-directed film follows journalist-writer Noor's misadventures and love life as she navigates her way through Mumbai.

The setting of the movie has been changed from Karachi to Mumbai and the director says it was meant to be like that as the team worked hard to adapt the book into Indian setting.

"The book was really just the germ of the idea. We took those characters and adapted it to Mumbai. There is no link at all between the two, it's just the germ of the idea," Sippy says.

Sonakshi says her respect for journalists has grown after playing one in the movie.

"I have tremendous respect for journalists. It is not easy being a journalist and especially the way you all work. I really respect that. Noor is also one of you.

"As celebrities we don't know in detail what journalists go through. While doing the film, I realised the kind of work journalists do."



"Noor" is scheduled to release on April 21.

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Suspended Delhi University Professor G N Saibaba and five others were today convicted by a sessions court for their links with the Maoists.

Apart from Saibaba, those convicted were Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey, Pandu Narote and Vijay Tirkey. They have been found guilty under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act dealing with conspiracy, being a member of terrorist gang or organisation and offences relating to support given to a terrorist organization



Saibaba is currently out on bail.

Special Public Prosecutor P Sathianathan demanded life sentence for all the six convicts.He also demanded that no reprieve should be given to Saibaba on health grounds, saying that inspite of his disability he had attended several conferences and seminars in India and abroad and allegedlypropagated Maoist ideology.

The defence lawyer did not counter the allegations.

Hem Mishra was arrested along with Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote at Aheri in Gadchiroli district in August 2013.

Based on the leads provided by them, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirkey were then arrested from Deori in Gondia district.

Saibaba was arrested in May 2014 by Maharashtra's Gadchiroli police on charges of being a member of the banned CPI (Maoist), providing logistics and helping in recruitment for the group.

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T-Hub today said it along with



Anthill, a speed scaling platform for early-growth stage startups, has launched a international startup initiative in India - the Smart Women Angels Network (SWAN).

T-Hub is a startup incubator set up by the Telangana Government



To celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit in women and create awareness about investing and recognising the need for women investors, T-Hub and Anthill have launched SWAN, a release said.

SWAN, which has its roots in Barcelona has now spread its wings to reach India to create a network of women angel investors who will then collaborate with their counterparts from across the world to interact with and invest in startups, it said.

Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said, "To encourage women to be active members of the ecosystem, T-Hub in collaboration with Anthill, has launched SWAN in India. We truly believe this reputed programme will not only suffuse the culture in the country, but change the dynamics of the community to make it more inclusive."



Prasad Vanga, founder and CEO, Anthill said, "With the launch of SWAN, we want to boost the presence of more women investors in India."



Cristina Ventura, president of SWAN and an Angel and Fund-of-Funds Investor, said, "The percentage of women investors around the world is very less. For example, in the US just 20 per cent of the investors are women, in Europe it is 5 per cent, in the UK it is 14 per cent while in Spain it is just 8 per cent. In India, the numbers are very low."



"SWAN believes in creating an inclusive network that can make a positive difference," added Ventura.

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on Tuesday said it will close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual from March 31 and employees will get a new contributory scheme for their retirement savings thereafter.

The Tata Steel arm said that it has completed the consultation process with employees to close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual.

From April 1, 2017, employees will save for their retirement through a new and competitive defined contribution pension scheme, Tata Steel said in a filing to BSE.

After carefully considering all the responses received and sharing the review with the trade unions, has informed employees it will close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual with effect from March 31, 2017, Tata Steel stated.
Tata Trusts today said it has signed an agreement with Tripura government to address iron and iodine deficiencies prevalent amongst the local population in the state.

In Tripura 48.3 per cent of children, 54.5 per cent women and 24.7 per cent of men are diagnosed anemics, Tata Trust said in a release.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Tata Trusts will provide Tripura government with technical assistance to identify suppliers of Double Fortified Salt (DFS) that follow strict compliances and guidelines set out by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), liaise with the local machinery and design communication campaigns to adopt DFS and nutrition-rich foods.

At present, the DFS salt will be available through government programs that reach mothers, both expectant and new young children and adolescent girls, who are most at risk of iron and iodine deficiencies.

The incorporation of DFS in mid-day meals, Aanganwadis and PHCs is the first step to better nutrition in Tripura. Going ahead, DFS will also be available for purchase at a subsidised rate to the many more families of Tripura through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

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Thailand has seized more than 300 kilogrammes of ivory from Malawi on flights into Bangkok's main airport, authorities announced today, underscoring the country's continued role as a regional smuggling hub.

The latest haul of some 422 pieces of elephant tusks highlights the extensive international links boasted by wildlife gangs.

Packages stuffed with ivory, together weighing 330 kilogrammes, were discovered on two Ethiopian Airline flights from Addis Ababa, the customs department said in a statement, adding that the parcels had originated in Malawi's capital Lilongwe.

A Gambian man, who came to collect the packages on Sunday, was arrested and charged with smuggling banned wildlife products the statement added.

The international trade in ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since the late 1980s after a precipitous decline in the population of African elephants.

But that has not stopped criminal gangs seeking to exploit the continued demand for the material in Asia.

Tusks and other body parts of elephants are prized for decoration as talismans and for use in traditional medicine across parts of Asia -- despite a lack of any peer reviewed proof it works -- with China being a major market for such products.

Thailand's junta, which seized power in 2014, have vowed to crack down on the trade.

In 2015 Thailand incinerated more than two tonnes of confiscated ivory, the first time the kingdom has taken steps to destroy part of its stockpile.

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Thousands have fled a Myanmar town bordering China after over 30 people were killed as the army fought back ethnic rebels armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, officials said today.

The violence is some of the most intense to rattle the Chinese-speaking Kokang region since fighting in 2015 left scores dead and forced tens of thousands to flee into China.

The area is in northeastern Shan state, which has seen repeated bouts of heavy fighting between the army and a band of well-armed ethnic minority militias since November, undercutting a government peace bid.

The fighting has also raised fears of a repeat of 2015, when the displaced flooded across the border into China, raising tensions with Beijing.

In a statement released Tuesday, the army said it used heavy artillery to repel rebels who swept into Laukkai, the capital of the Kokang region, before dawn on Monday.

Insurgents from the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) "failed" in their attempt to take Laukkai, the army said, adding civilians and "some army officers" died in a series of clashes around the town.

An army source requesting anonymity told AFP late Monday that "about 7,000 local residents are fleeing to the China side because of fighting".

The rebels, who were said to be wearing police uniforms when they made the surprise raid, suffered the heaviest losses with the military recovering 20 charred bodies it says belonged to fallen insurgents.

Communications have been cut around Laukkai but fighting continued on Tuesday morning, according to the leader of another rebel group allied with the insurgents in Kokang.

"Almost all residents from Laukkai town are fleeing," said Brigadier General Nyo Tun Aung from the Arakan Army (AA), estimating that thousands had left.

Many rebel groups in the border region share close cultural ties with China, speaking Chinese dialects and using the country's yuan currency.

Observers believe Beijing holds some sway over the ethnic fighters and has a key role to play in peace talks that Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has tried to revive since coming to power last year.

The next round of negotiations is slated for March, but the date has slipped several times.

The Northern Alliance, a coalition of armed ethnic groups that includes the MNDAA and AA, has yet to join the peace process or sign a ceasefire that was reached with a myriad of other militias in 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today condemned the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for the victim's family.

Palaniswami said the state government has been repeatedly taking up with Centre the various instances of arrest and "intimidation" of fishermen by the Lankan Navy, besides seizure of their boats and pressed for a lasting solution.

"I express my strong condemnation. I express my sympathies and condolences to the family of the deceased, Bridgo," he said in a statement.

Palaniswami announced a sum of Rs five lakh to the family of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

He also announced Rs one lakh to another fisherman, who was injured in the attack, and directed that the best medical treatment be offered to him.

Palaniswami said the incident took place when the Indian fishermen were fishing in their "traditional waters" near Palk Bay and that the "Sri Lankan Navy opened fire without any warning."



The 22-year-old Bridgo was shot dead on Monday allegedly by the Lankan Navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

Another fisherman suffered injuries in the firing while others at the spot escaped unhurt and returned to the shore.

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An impressive line-up of technology industry experts from across the globe will attend the upcoming International conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) to be held here in June this year, organisers said here.

The Conference being organised by Association of Tourism Trade Organisation (ATTOI), with the support of Kerala Tourism, will deliberate on the paramount role of technology in giving a fillip to the travel and tourism industry through interactive engagements with customers and providing excellent products and services.

The seven experts who will be attending the brainstorming meet this year to share their insights are Andre Chow (Singapore), Billy Taylor (New Zealand), Christopher Tock (Malaysia), Donna Mortiz (Australia), Lauren Cleland (USA), Nicky Kriel (the UK) and Pierre Marechal (Belgium), a release issued by Kerala Tourism said.

"Technology is all around us and the world of travel and tourism is no exception.

Through technology, such as social media, tourism operators could engage their customers and enable them to share their experiences.

So it is high time to get updated and be adaptable and fluid to the changes in the sector," said ATTOI President Anish Kumar P K.

The speakers will share insights on topics such as 'Content and Search Engine Strategy', 'Digital tools- The way forward', 'Online Destination Marketing', 'Travel Technology Trends in Future', 'Consumer Behaviour and Online Reputation', 'Social Media for Tourism', 'Online Tools' and 'Revenue Management' during the three-day event from June 8 to 10, it said.

ICTT 2017 aims at helping the players of tourism industry to stay abreast with the latest technology through effective usage of the digital platform.

This will also enable them to reach out to all parts of the world and make their presence noticed.

"It is for the industry players to be able to understand the current tourism trend.

They can anticipate future directions, and respond appropriately by walking the extra mile to fulfill tourist expectations by providing excellent products and services.

And these international speakers are capable of shedding light on these issues," Anish added.

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President Donald Trump today affirmed America's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea's security following the latest missile test by North Korea.

Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the White House said.

During the phone calls, Trump emphasised the United States' ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.

"He emphasised that his administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities," the White House said.

"Trump agreed with Prime Minister Abe and Acting President Hwang to continue close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions," the White House said.

Meanwhile, the US Forces in Korea announced that Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile has arrived in Korean Peninsula.

Pentagon Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada to discuss North Korea's missile launches.

"Mattis and Inada both agreed that these launches are an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region," Davis said.

Mattis reaffirmed that the US remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment, he said.

"Both Mattis and Inada agreed to cooperate closely along with the Republic of Korea to strengthen deterrence and to maintain the peace and security of Northeast Asia," Davis said.

North Korea yesterday fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters.

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The top generals of the Turkish, Russian and US military met today in a bid to step up coordination in Syria and avoid clashes between rival forces in the fight against IS.

The meeting between Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

Their discussions in the southern Turkish city of Antalya come as a US-led coalition is making progress to push the Islamic State group (IS) out of Syria, where Ankara has been increasing its efforts against the jihadists.

Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting against IS, though they support different camps and military tension remains because of Turkish opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey has said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group dominated by Kurdish fighters.

The SDF has controlled Manbij since last year when it pushed out IS, but recently it has clashed with Turkish-backed forces.

"Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the Turkish army said in a statement, without giving further detail.

Antalya has previously hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015.

Moscow confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned."



The Antalya talks are aimed at ensuring better coordination to avoid "the risk of unwanted clashes" as many countries are involved in Syria, the Turkish premier said.

Speaking in Ankara, Yildirim said Syria needed to be rid of "all terrorist groups" including Al-Nusra, Syrian Kurdish militia as well as IS jihadists.

"The objective of the meetings today and tomorrow (Wednesday) is how to provide coordination in the best way possible and prevent parties from interfering with each other's operations and cause unpleasant developments while fighting against terror," Yildirim said.

"Naturally terror elements are a common threat and spoil peace and (the possibility of) political solution in Syria."



The trilateral meeting in Antalya comes a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to unilaterally strike Kurdish militia deployed in Manbij.

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Turkish, Russian and US military chiefs held talks today in the southern Turkish city of Antalya to discuss regional issues including Iraq and Syria, the Turkish army said.

"Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the army said in a statement, without elaborating further.

The meeting attended by Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

In the past, Antalya hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015.

Moscow also confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned at the event."



The talks come a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to strike Syrian Kurdish militia forces deployed in former Islamic State group (IS) bastion of Manbij in Syria, unless it was in cooperation with Russia and the United States.

"It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised interview.

His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian Kurdish militia -- considered "terrorists" by Turkey -- unless they withdrew from Manbij.

Turkey had often said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be the flashpoint town of Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group dominated by Kurdish fighters.

Ankara has launched an ambitious military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recaptured several towns near its border from IS including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab.

The Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of an outlawed Kurdish militant group.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu today told the German government not to preach about democracy, as he visited the northern city of Hamburg amid a row between the two countries.

"Please, don't give us lessons in human rights and democracy," the minister said addressing Germany, as he spoke to a crowd of some 200 Turkish government supporters gathered at the residence of their country's consul.

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Two Pakistani soldiers were killed today in a gun battle with militants in the restive northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The fight took place during an intelligence-based operation against militants in Malikabad area of Swabi district of the province, army said in a statement.

"The exchange of fire is ongoing and the compound has been cordoned off," the statement added.

The killing of soldiers came a day after six soldiers were killed in attacks by militants from Afghanistan.

Army said that in punitive response, at least 15 attackers from Afghanistan were killed.

Pakistan last month launched Operation Raddul Fasaad to clean the country of remnants of militants after dismantling their hideouts in remote tribal region.

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Haryana Assembly today witnessed uproar after a Congress MLA alleged that some people "sitting in the House" were involved in illegal mining and a privilege motion was brought against him for "misleading" the House.

After the general discussion on the budget estimates resumed in Haryana Vidhan Sabha, senior Congress MLA and former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma alleged that illegal mining was rampant in the state with the alleged patronage of the BJP-led state government.

"I represent an area along side Yamuna, and illegal mining is taking place there. I even told the Chief Minister that it does not look good that I should take names, who are into it, in the House. Definitely, there are such people who are with the government and with their support, the illegal mining is taking place.

"Everyday, the cases of illegal mining is taking place. I myself had caught three-four trucks carrying illegal mining material," he said.

When treasury bench members asked him to name them, Sharma alleged "From Yamunanagar till Delhi border, illegal mining is taking place. There is no one place (where illegal mining is not taking place). They are sitting here (in the House) who are getting it (illegal mining) done".

This invited sharp reaction from the treasury benches, with BJP MLA Moolchand Sharma asking Kuldeep to name those involved in illegal mining.

Haryana Minister Krishan Lal Panwar accused Kuldeep of misleading the House.

Turning the heat on to Congress MLA from Ganaur, treasury benches asked him either name those involved in illegal mining or withdraw his statement and seek an apology from the House.

Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala told the Speaker that Congress MLA has made serious allegation against the BJP government and the House should know who were into it.

Following which, Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav asked Kuldeep to reveal the names.

Taking a swipe at Kuldeep, state health minister Anil Vij



said "Hiding corruption is also counted as corrupt practice. If he knows the names, then he should tell the House."



After the treasury benches and INLD MLAs put pressure on the Congress legislator, he alleged saying "Whose name should I take? When trucks laden with illegal mining material were not being caught and let go. Who is doing it? The government is doing this."



When Kuldeep refused to disclose the names, Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma brought a resolution to condemn his statement.

To this, Chautala said the issue could not be dismissed by just passing a resolution to condemn his statement.

"He has made serious allegation and it is a big issue," he said.

Haryana minister O P Dhankar said Kuldeep has "insulted" the House with his statement and sought appropriate action against Congress MLA for his "irresponsible" statement.

He said "we will hold an inquiry and you first give us the names."



Then Vij and Pawan Saini sought to bring privilege motion against the Congress MLA.

Coming out in support of Kuldeep, Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Chaudhary also alleged that there was no doubt that illegal mining was taking place in the state.

The Congress MLA from Lalit Nagar alleged that a relative of a state minister was involved in illegal mining, then former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded that the government should disclose the name of that relative.

Later, Haryana Minister Gyan Chand Gupta brought the privilege motion against Kuldeep, saying that he made allegation that some people were sitting here who were getting the illegal mining done.

However, he expressed inability to disclose those names, thereby he misled the House, said Gupta.

Thereafter, the Speaker asked the privilege committee to come out with the report during the first sitting of the next session of the state assembly.

Earlier, treasury benches and Congress MLAs sparred over



the name of a Health university which is to come up at Karnal.

During the discussion, Kuldeep claimed that as per the state's Economic Survey, the name of university at Kutail village in Karnal is Kalpana Chawla Health University but now has been changed to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay University at the behest of BJP.

Hooda also attacked the government, saying when he had raised the matter, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had informed the House that the name of the upcoming university was not decided earlier.

"But this Economic Survey says Kalpana Chawla Health University. Then who is right," Hooda sai and accused the government of misleading the House.

In his reply, Health minister Anil Vij said during the meeting to decide the name of the university, only one name came up and that was Pandit Deendayal.

BJP MLA Harvinder Kalyan said that the CM had earlier said that the medical college and university in the name of Kalpana Chawla was to come up at one campus.

"Later, it was found that the land for both the college and the university was insufficient and then it was decided to set up a medical university at Kutail which was to be named after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay while medical college would remain in the name of Kalpana Chawla," he said.

Vij, then, said there could be a mistake in printing in Economic survey which will be rectified.

Earlier, Congress MLA picked holes in the state budget for the year 2017-18 presented by Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu yesterday.

Kuldeep sought assurance from the FM whether the state government would not impose fresh tax till the next budget is tabled.

He said it has happened many a times, the budget is announced tax free but the tax is imposed later.

He also accused the BJP government of allegedly ignoring Ganaur assembly constituency which he represents.

Kuldeep also raised questions over the research being carried out in agricultural university for improving the variety of foodgrain and other crops.

Taking a jibe at the higher allocation of funds by the government for education in the budget, Congress MLA claimed that there were only 15 regular principals in the government colleges while 12 were irregular principals, thereby affecting the studies.

Later, heated arguments took place between the BJP MLAs and the INLD members over state leader late Chhotu Ram.

BJP MLA Prem Lata alleged that the previous governments did not remember Chhotu Ram, inviting sharp reactions from the INLD.

Chautala said Union minister Birender Singh, when he was



with Congress, never cared to remember Chhotu Ram when he set up several institutes in the state and kept their names after late Rajiv Gandhi.

He also alleged that the government had reduced budgetary allocation of some key departments.

He said that farmers were facing hardships, but the government was not moved by their plight.

Chautala said that budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector this year had been reduced in comparison to previous year.

Touching upon another issue, Chautala hit out at the Khattar government over alleged worsening law and order situation, pointing out that incidents of loot, murder and rape were rampant.

Earlier, Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain said permanent arrangements for drinking water supply would be made in 26 villages included in Municipal Corporation, Sonipat under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

The Minister, replying to a question by MLA Jai Tirath Dahiya, said that development works to the tune of Rs 12.20 crore had already been completed in these villages, whereas work was underway on projects worth Rs 8.37 crore.

Similarly, tenders have been invited for works to the tune of Rs 13 crore and estimates have been prepared for projects worth Rs 32 crore.

Describing the allegations of Dahiya that Rs 700 crore meant for the 26 villages were being used in Sonipat, as merely an attempt to mislead people, Jain said funds to the tune of Rs 157 crore, and not Rs 700 crore, had been earmarked for these villages.

Seven Municipal Corporations, including Sonipat, were constituted during the Congress dispensation, and these 26 villages were included in the Corporation at the same time, she added.

Replying to another question, she said that date palm trees had been planted in Sonipat for beautification of the city.

While the trees usually shed leaves once after transplantation before regaining their foliage, the contractor would replace free-of-cost the trees that wither, as per the agreement.

Meanwhile, two Bills the Haryana Appropriation Bill, 2017 and the Haryana Law Officers (Engagement) Amendment Bill, 2017 were passed by the House.

The bills were presented by Haryana minister Captain Abhimanyu in the House.
A 21-year-old deaf, mute and visually impaired student - who can communicate only through a tacile sign language- is all set become the first such student to appear for the Class X exam conducted by the Maharashtra State Board.

Saurabh Chougule, a student of the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deaflind in Navi Mumbai, has been preparing for the examination at the institute for the last three years.

He will appear for his first paper on March 14 with the help of an interpreter and a writer.

Chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) Gangadhar Mhamane said this is the first time that such a student will attempt the examination.

"We approached the SSC board in Pune and put forth the a request seeking permission to allow Saurabh to appear for the board exam and we are happy that the board has accepted our plea. Now, the dream of Saurabh to appear for the Class X board exam will be fulfilled," Education Coordinator at the Institute Devyani Hadkar told PTI.

"When we approached the board chairman, we sought permission to issue a question paper in braille.However, the Board, while citing lack of requisite infrastructure and facility for braille, gave us the option of using an interpreter and writer," she said.

Hadkar explained a tactile sign language is used to communicate with persons like Saurabh.

"Such persons can understand things and one has to hold the person's hand and with some signs, make them understand things. We are going to use the same method during the examination in which an interpreter will read the question and communicate with Saurabh through tactile sign language," she informed.

Hadkar said Saurabh will also respond in the tactile sign language, following which the interpreter will recite the answer to the writer.

Given his aptitude for vocational courses, Saurabh will appear for subjects like Bakery Products, Milk Products, Marathi (third language), Social Science, Mathematics, Information & Technology and Science.

"We have provided all the facilities to Saurabh at the examination centre and he will get one hour extra to solve the paper," he said.

Saurabh, who hails from Sangli, will appear for the examination in one of the centres in Ghansoli.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India has the potential to become a superpower in the near future as the nation has the maximum number of youths in the world, MP Varun Gandhi said here today.

Interacting with the students and staff of Desh Bhagat University on the topic 'Rashtriya Nav Nirman Ke Liye Nayi Soch' at Mandi Gobindgarh near here, he said youths are the backbone of the country and they have the potential to take it to the pinnacle and keep the nation there "till eternity".

The MP also asserted that the youths should focus not only on fulfilling their personal dreams but should also work for the betterment of the society and development of the nation.

It is a time for innovation, smart technology and latest techniques. The paramount responsibility of the students would be to contribute in making our country strong, university chancellor Dr Zora Singh said.

To create awareness about environmental protection, Gandhi planted camphor plant at the campus.

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By Thomas Wilson

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc is promoting company veterans Toshio Morita and Kentaro Okuda, strengthening their positions as contenders to become the future chief executive of Japan's top brokerage.

Morita, who has been with Nomura since 1985, will become president of the key Nomura Securities subsidiary. He will take the reins from Nomura's Group Chief Executive Officer Koji Nagai, who will remain in charge of the holding company.

Okuda, current joint head of Nomura's wholesale arm and head of investment banking, will become head of Americas, as Nomura shifts its U.S. focus to client-oriented services from market-based trading.

The move is seen in company circles as Nagai looking to leverage in the Americas Okuda's investment banking experience and giving him the opportunity to compete against Morita as future CEO, people familiar with the matter said.

Nomura announced the changes on Tuesday as part of its annual management reshuffle. Nagai, 58, himself has given no hint of leaving his post anytime soon.

The reshuffle is unlikely to lead to any major strategic changes at Nomura, said Mari Kumagai, an analyst with Morningstar.

Morita, 55, was promoted last year to deputy president of Nomura Securities, a move sources said was a sign that Nagai regards Morita as a future successor.

His career with Nomura has spanned roles in the retail division and chief executive office. He has orchestrated with Nagai major changes in Nomura's retail arm, moving to providing customers with long-term consulting on issues such as inheritance.

Nomura Securities is the brokerage's core securities business, providing individual and institutional investors with, among others, investment advisory and securities underwriting services.

Okuda, 53, moves to the Unites States as Nomura stands on the cusp of posting an annual profit in its international operations for the first time in seven years. It is a long-cherished goal for the brokerage, which first gained international prominence when it bought Lehman Brothers' equities and investment banking business in Europe and Asia in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis.

The Americas are now a crucial region for Nomura, generating over half of its April-September overseas pretax profit. Its Americas strategy under Nagai has been to focus on advising clients in areas such as mergers and acquisitions - something the brokerage hopes Okuda will bolster.

In the first overseas posting in his three-decade career with Nomura, Okuda will be based in New York instead of Tokyo. Okuda's career has focused on investment banking and M&A, with nearly 10 years as a telecoms and media banker. He has also overseen the development of Nomura's strategy.

Both Morita's and Okuda's new roles are effective from April 1.

In other moves, London-based Steve Ashley, who is currently joint head of wholesale with Okuda, will become sole head of wholesale and global markets in a move designed to speed up decision making. Vikas Sharma will become Nomura's new head for Asia ex-Japan.

(Reporting by Thomas Wilson and Emi Emoto; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's trade minister and his U.S. counterpart agreed to meet as soon as possible to prepare for planned bilateral economic talks, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said early on Tuesday.

METI Minister Hiroshige Seko and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross agreed by phone that Seko would visit the United States for a candid exchange of views to prepare for the talks, which are to be led by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Foreign Minister Taro Aso, the ministry said.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed last month to launch a bilateral economic dialogue to discuss such issues as macroeconomic policies, trade and infrastructure investment.

Japan, concerned about Trump's strident comments about trade and currencies, hopes to use the talks to seek ways to avoid trade friction and ensure that Washington remains engaged in the Asia-Pacific region.

Akira Amari, the former economy minister who headed Japan's negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, told on Monday that Japan and the United States should avoid trying to interfere with each other's fiscal and monetary policies when they start the economic talks next month.

(Reporting by Ami Miyazaki; Editing by William Mallard and Gareth Jones)

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Slamming the Narendra Modi government, the Congress on Monday said that deception of voters and betrayal of people's faith has become hallmark of the present Prime Minister's brand of politics.

Talking to the media, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar also flayed Prime Minister Modi for allowing banks to slap penalty on the customers if a minimum balance is not maintained in their accounts.

"The Modi government has become synonymous with hoodwinking, jumlabaazi, backstabbing, deception, betrayal, treachery, duplicity and falsehoods," Kumar said.

"Deception of voters and betrayal of people's faith is the hallmark of Modiji's brand of politics. After the improper decision of demonetisation, Modi government is now severely hurting the finances of the poor and the middle class by levying a charge on maintaining a minimum balance in bank accounts," he said.

"The State Bank of India had done away with the minimum balance criteria for savings bank accounts. The UPA government in 2012 had put a halt of such charge, but the Modi government has re-introduced it," he added.

The party, quoting the SBI website, alleged that according to the information available on the bank's website, the monthly average balance that customers needed to maintain in their savings bank accounts in SBI branches in metropolitan areas was Rs 5,000.

"In case the monthly average balance is below 50 per cent, then a charge of Rs 50 plus service tax will be levied. If the shortfall is between 50 and 75 per cent, then the account holder will have to pay Rs 75 plus service tax and if the shortfall in the average balance is more than 75 per cent, then a charge of Rs 100 plus service tax will be levied," said Kumar.

The Congress also said the Modi government claimed to have opened 27.77 crore Jan-Dhan Accounts (till February 22, 2017), of which almost 25 per cent (6.94 crore) were zero balance accounts.

"Although the SBI circular at the moment excluded the Jan-Dhan Accounts, knowing this government's past record, under the pressure of mounting debts and NPAs, it will not be a surprise if they do a 'U' turn on this," he said.

"With this decision, Modiji is usurping the hard-earned money of the poor and benefitting the banks, so that they can show it as profit and also help them reduce their surging NPAs," Kumar alleged.

The Congress party also attacked the Modi government for doing away with subsidy to sugar manufacturers.

"Another move by the Modi government hits the households of poor families. With one stroke, the central government has taken away Rs 4,500-crore subsidy to sugar manufacturers, which poor families availed of when they bought sugar from PDS shops," Kumar added.
Attacking Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav for her 'political mileage' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said the Samajwadi Party leaders are fully aware that they have lost the Uttar Pradesh elections, which is why they are resorting to such statements just to stay in limelight.

"Samajwadi Party leaders know that they have lost the assembly elections. So, how are they supposed to be relevant if they do not comment on the Prime Minister? Which explains their recent attack," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI here.

Expressing confidence about the BJP's fate in the polls, Hussain further noted that no matter how much the Akhilesh Yadav-led party tries, the people of Uttar Pradesh will give them an appropriate reply through their votes.

Earlier on Monday, Dimple had hit out at the BJP-led government for deriving political mileage from the Army's accomplishments.

"I am the daughter of an armyman. These people are taking mileage from the martyrdom of our soldiers. They are politicising the army...never seen such a government earlier," Dimple said while addressing a rally Bhadohi.

She also targeted the Centre over the November 8th decision of demonetising high-value currency notes saying they had made people run around for their own money.

Meanwhile, the campaigning for the final phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh ended yesterday and voting will be held on Wednesday.

In Uttar Pradesh, 40 constituencies spread over seven districts will go for polls this seventh phase.

The seven districts going to polls include Varanasi, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar-Bhadohi, Sonebhadra and Jaunpur.

The results will be announced on March 11.
The concluding seventh phase polling of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election on Wednesday would be a virtual test for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mascot and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prove that Modi wave was still a potent element in Indian politics.
As counting day on 11 March approaches, it seems as difficult as ever to gauge which way the political wind in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is blowing. Even before the campaign began, pre-election opinion polls offered little help, showing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance neck and neck, with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lagging.



We know from elections in Delhi (2015), Bihar (2015) and West Bengal (2016) that a dead heat in pre-election polls is almost never a good predictor of the eventual outcome.

So what are the BJPs chances of pulling off a win? If the starting point is the BJPs historic 2014 victory, its lead seems unassailable. The BJP won 328 of 403 assembly segments, including 253 with more than 40% of the vote, and as Praveen Chakravarty states, for it to win fewer than 200 seats even if two of the opposition parties get together, the BJP would still have to lose more than 10% of its voters.

But if the baseline is the 2012 state election, the SP-Congress alliance begins to look formidable. As Karthik Sashidhar writes: it will take a 7 percentage point swing from the 2012 elections to pull the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance below the halfway mark. While this sounds big, it is well within the realm of possibility: in 2014, the SP dropped seven percentage points from its 2012 tally, giving the BJP a sweep in that four-cornered contest.

So which is it? The opinion poll numbers suggest that 2014 is, in fact, the appropriate baseline: 33% represents a near doubling of the BJP vote in the past three state elections and a decisive break from UPs two-party dominant system. Yet it is undeniable that the SP-Congress alliance has raised the threshold of votes any party needs to attain a majority, transforming the contest from a seeming BJP walkover to a tough fight.

One way to resolve this impasse is to look at UP by-elections. Since the 2014 general election, the state has had 18 assembly by-elections: 11 in 2014, two in 2015 and five in 2016. These constituencies are fairly representative of the state: they are distributed across UP, and their combined 2014 general election vote shares approximate how the whole state voted in 2014, albeit with a slight bias of 3-4 percentage points each towards the BJP and INC (see table below).





And this is how those 18 constituencies votes moved, from 2012 to 2014 to the subsequent by-elections:

Note that the BJPs vote share fell about 11 percentage points in the by-elections, while that of the SP rose more than 24 percentage points. The BJP retained only three of the 14 assembly constituencies in which it had a lead in 2014, and lost 11 to the SP. Thats a sharp fall in votes compared with 2014.

There are two obvious caveats. One is that ruling parties tend to do very well in by-elections. Voters calculate that having a ruling party legislator is more beneficial for their constituency, and parties in power tend to win by-elections about 2/3rds of the time. The second is that the BSP does not generally contest by-elections, so the 2014-16 numbers arent strictly comparable to 2012 and 2014 when the BSP was in the fray.



But thats also the bad news for the BJP. One reason it did very well in the general election is that many BSP voters  including Dalits and MBCs  preferred Modi in 2014. But in the subsequent by-elections, the BSPs vote appears to have gravitated towards the SP rather than to the BJP. Its possible that incumbent advantage, including control of the states law-and-order machinery, contributed to this shift, but the BJP will have to fight to retain its 2014 voting bloc.

Such big drops in vote share are not unheard of in the wake of wave elections, such as in 1984. In November that year, the INC won 51% of votes in Uttar Pradesh, only to slip three months later to 39% in the state election that followed. Even bigger dips have occurred: in 1987, the INC won 29% in Haryana, a sharp drop from the 55% it received in 1984.

Now 1984 was a long time ago, and the obvious counter-argument is that UP has seen many big political events since the by-elections that could put wind beneath the BJPs wings. These include the army raid across the Line-of-Control, demonetisation, the civil war in the SP and the high-pitched election campaign in which the BJP has brought out its big guns. And voters could decide that the BJP deserves a chance to run UP after successive BSP and SP governments.

But the reality is that the BJPs vote share has dropped substantially since its 2014 victory, and the SP-Congress alliance has built a vote chest that makes it imperative for the BJP to outperform. As it happens, in the 2015 Bihar election, by-election vote shifts overstated the ruling alliances vote share but captured the drop in the vote share of the BJP and its allies. The BJP should hope that it wont be the same story in UP.

This article was originally carried on chunauti.org and is reproduced here with permission. Twitter: @dubeyamitabh
If there is anything other parties can take away from the UP elections, it is the organisational lessons from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janta Party's President Amit Shah. The early trends in the results seem to suggest that the BJP is set for a landslide win in Uttar Pradesh, with the party taking a huge lead against rivals Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.



Both Modi and Shah seem to have learnt a lesson from the debacle in Bihar, and made a strong comeback scripting what looks like a stunning victory for the saffron party. Here's what the two leaders did at a strategic level to ensure that BJP comes out with flying colours:



Top-down approach: The Bharatiya Janata Party once again banked on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party did not want to take any risk by announcing a CM candidate, who, it felt, was not favorable for a cross-section of voters in Uttar Pradesh.

Given the role of castes in a state like UP, there are very few candidates who can appeal to cross-section of voters (upper caste, OBCs and Dalit). However, the party pushed PM Modi's development agenda to win the election.

For UP election, all the publicity material such as posters, banners carried pictures of Prime Minister Modi and his lieutenant Amit Shah, this is different from RSS' bottom up approach where cadre worked to mobilise support for the BJP.

Do in-depth detailing: The BJP's national president Amit Shah is known for his poll strategy. No matter what media and PR organizations say about the party's prospect in elections, Shah prefers to go with internal survey report and design his campaign accordingly.

As many of us are aware that in the political calculus of UP, caste plays a dominant role. The saffron party conducted two surveys in UP doing every bit of detailing on voters.

And we saw a glimpse of it during the Prime Minister's rallies where he accused the state government of being biased towards a particular community and appeasing the other.

"Gaon mein agar kabristan banta hai, to gaon mein shamshaan bhi banana chahiye. Agar Ramzan mein bijli milti hai, to Diwali mein bhi milni chahiye. Agar Holi mein bijli milti hai, to Eid par bhi bijli milni chahiye. Bhedbhav nahin hona chahiye (If a village gets a graveyard, it should get a cremation ground too. If there is electricity during Ramzan, there should be electricity during Diwali too. If there is electricity during Holi, there should be electricity during Eid too. There should not be any discrimination)," the Prime Minister had said.

The Prime Minister seemed to have made this statement to consolidate non-Muslims votes especially after Congress joined hands with Samajwadi Party that gave upper edge to the alliance as it had the possibility of tapping the scattered Muslim votes.



Stick to your core base: The BJP is believed to be a party of upper caste - Brahmin, Rajput, Baniya - people who no matter what largely vote for the saffron party. Strategists also say that this is BJP's core base and the Party cannot afford to lose the grip on its core voter base in the state.

BJP's internal UP survey made some recommendations and acting on it the party scheduled a Brahmin Sammelan in Ballia. According to reports, seven such mega Brahmin events were organized throughout the state ahead of the elections.

RSS and VHP cadre together organized Dalit programs as the BJP, according to party sources, couldn't afford to ignore UP's Dalits, who make up 21 per cent of the state's population.

Trust your own: The BJP does not believe in outsourcing its primary task of collecting data or making strategy for poll campaigns. A senior BJP leader ahead of elections had said that the party would not outsource any company or individual for its campaign, unlike Congress which hired political strategist Prashant Kishor. "We will plan everything ourselves," the party insider had said.

BJP has a long list of saffron outfits that work for it in elections. From the VHP, the Hindu Jagran Manch, the Bajrang Dal, the Kisan Sangh Kendra to the Mazdoor Sangh, all affiliate organizations participate in the election plan, depending on their skills. Every wing of the RSS and the BJP were involved in the poll campaign.

Learn from past mistakes: After facing its worst debacle in Bihar, the BJP changed its focus and decided to offer positive solutions to local issues. It also started to balance the religious and caste factors, according to reports.

And we saw the change in BJP's campaign approach during Assam elections first. The party, rather than running against regional sentiment - exemplified by the NDA slogan "Badaliye sarkar, badaliye Bihar" - aligned itself with regional forces to focus on regional issues.

Prime Minister in UP elections largely focused on roads, electricity and employment during month long campaign in UP. He prefered to stay from controversial subjects - barring 'Kabristan' statement - and not even talked about Ram Temple.




India on Tuesday announced an open acreage licensing policy for oil and gas exploration, allowing bidders to carve out areas where they want to drill as the energy-hungry country looks at greater foreign investment to boost output.

The world's third-largest oil consumer will conduct auction of oil and gas blocks under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) twice a year, with the first round being held in July this year, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here at the influential CERAWeek conference.

OALP auction will be held under the overhauled exploration licensing policy allows pricing and marketing freedom to operators and shifts to a revenue sharing model. The July auction will be India's first major exploration licensing round since 2010, although it had recently awarded 31 small discovered fields mainly to state-owned and local firms under the liberalised Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP).

Showcasing HELP, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on March 10 last year, to global investors, Pradhan said the new policy is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor friendly destination and cut import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022.

"In the new model, government will not micromanage, micro monitor with producers. Government will only share revenue. It will be an open and regular affair," Pradhan told reporters on sidelines of the CERAWeek Conference here.

India's domestic crude oil production of 36.95 million tons in 2015-16 barely met 20 per cent of its oil needs. Natural gas output at 32.249 billion cubic metres meets less than half of its needs.

OALP will be a departure from the current licensing policy of government identifying the oil and gas blocks and then putting them on auction.

It gives an option to a company looking for exploring hydrocarbons to select the exploration areas on its own. This selection can be done based on the seismic and well data that the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons has put in a National Data Repository. NDR offers a total of 160 terabyte data of India's 26 sedimentary basins.

DGH head Atanu Chakraborty in a presentation at the CERAWeek conference said OPAL allows "Flexibility for Investors to carve out blocks of their choice through a minimum [10'x10'] grid."

He said about 2.7 million square kilometre out of 3.14 mn sq km of sedimentary area will offered for a pick under HELP through OALP, he said. This comprises of 1.5 mn sq km of onshore and 1.2 mn sq km of offshore area.

Once a company demarcates the area by identifying the size and boundaries, the government will put it up for bidding and award it to the firm that offers the maximum share. The company identifying the area will get a small weightage in the bid evaluation.

Bidders will be offered the choice of either a 8-year petroleum operations contract for exploration and 20 years for development and production or a three-year reconnaissance contract for probing for oil and gas, Chakraborty said.

Pradhan is leading a high-powered delegation to Houston to attend CERAWeek 2017 - an international meeting of top leaders from the oil, energy and natural gas industry.

In addition to the Canadian Prime Minister, the week-long meeting is being attended by oil and energy ministers from countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

"The policy aims to propel investment in the energy and petroleum sector and provide operational flexibility to the investors," he said. One of the key features of the new policy is Open Acreage licensing which permits investors to select the exploration blocks after accessing G&G and historic data of India through the national data repository. They can then submit expression of interest for such blocks without waiting for formal bid round.

Pradhan hoped that the bidding under the new policy would be in mid-July.

Pradhan said the Union government is also contemplating a policy for production enhancement of mature fields currently being operated by national oil companies by inducting partners to infuse state of the art E&P technologies, investments and best-in class management practices.

"The objective of this policy would be to increase India's indigenous oil and gas production by maximising the potential of already discovered hydrocarbon resources in India," he said. "We need global best practices and modern technologies to develop the sector. With this in mind, we have introduced landmark changes in the entire value chain of oil and gas sector," he said.
The US has slipped four ranks to land in the seventh position in the annual list of 'Best Countries' ranking, while Switzerland has taken the top spot.

The ranking was released on Tuesday by US News & World Report in partnership with University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Y&R's BAV Consulting.

Eighty nations were surveyed for 2017 Best Countries report and the rankings were based on a wide range of qualitative measures that can boost trade, travel and investment and even its effect on other economies.

Each country was scored by 21,000 respondents from across the globe over nine main attributes - Adventure, Citizenship, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power and Quality of Life - that most described the country.

According to the rankings, United States have dropped in a number of areas over the past year, including best country for business, citizenship, adventure tourism, education, transparency and headquartering a corporation.

Global perception of the US could also be one of the factors for the decline in the rankings.

"We wanted to capture how tumultuous political change can affect a country's perceived standing in the world," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of US News.

However, the country retained its position as number one on the list of most powerful countries followed by Russia and China.

India was ranked the 25th best country in the world with an overall score of 4.6 out of 10.

It was also ranked the 4th best country to start a business, 6th best for investment and 5th best for its heritage.


US President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas while dropping Iraq from the list, after worldwide outrage over the controversial immigration policy.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed President Trump signed the order behind closed doors "this morning".

The latest executive order specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

Any individual who had a valid visa either on January 27, 2017 (prior to 5:00 PM) or holds a valid visa on the effective date of the Executive Order is not barred from entry into the US, according to the order.

"The 90-day period will allow for proper review and establishment of standards to prevent terrorist or criminal infiltration by foreign nationals," it says.

The new order drops Iraqs name from the list of targeted countries, saying Baghdad has agreed to increase cooperation with the US on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to America.

"Iraqi citizens are not affected by the Executive Order," says the order which will come into force on March 16.

The Refugee Admissions Program will also be temporarily suspended for the next 120 days while Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and interagency partners review screening procedures to ensure refugees admitted in the future do not pose a security risk to the US, the new order says.

FBI is currently investigating 300 individuals admitted to the US as refugees for potential terrorism related activities.

Officials hope that this time it will be a very orderly process and there would be no chaos at port of entry. Those people who are travelling on valid visas and arrive at a US port of entry will still be permitted to seek entry into the United States.

President Trump has also directed the State Department and the DHS to make recommendation of any country that could be included in the future suspension of entry into the US.



The renewed ban on immigrants is "a vital measure for strengthening our national security," said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"To our allies and partners around the world, please understand this order is part of our ongoing efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamist terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends," he said.

The State Department will coordinate with other federal agencies and implement these temporary restrictions in an orderly manner, Tillerson said.

"Iraq is an important ally in the fight to defeat ISIS, with their brave soldiers fighting in close coordination with Americas men and women in uniform.

"This intense review over the past month identified multiple security measures that the State Department and the government of Iraq will be implementing to achieve our shared objective of preventing those with criminal or terroristic intent from reaching the US," Tillerson said.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, "We also know that people seeking to support or commit terrorist attacks here will try to enter through our refugee program. In fact, today more than 300 people who came here as refugees are under FBI investigation for potential terrorism- related activities".

This executive order protects the American people ? as well as lawful permanent residents ? by putting in place an enhanced screening and vetting process for visitors from six nations, Sessions said, pointing out that like every nation, the US has the right to control who enters the country.

"Three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism. The other three have served as safe havens for terrorists ? countries where the government has lost control of territory to terrorist groups like ISIL or Al Qaeda and its affiliates. This increases the risk that people admitted here from these countries may belong to terrorist groups, or may have been radicalised by them," he said.

"We cannot compromise our nations security by allowing visitors entry when their own governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly ? or when those governments actively support terrorism. This executive order provides a needed pause, so we can carefully review how we scrutinise people coming here from these countries of concern," he added.

The Department of Justice believes that this executive order, just as the first, is a lawful and proper exercise of presidential authority.

The Department of Justice will defend and enforce lawful orders of the President consistent with core principles of the Constitution. The executive is empowered under the Constitution and by Congress to make national security judgements and to enforce the immigration policies in order to safeguard the American public, he added.
Demonetisation has made cash dispensable to an extent most of us did not anticipate. Thirty-year-old Ravin Rawat, who works at a Noida-based infrastructure company, does not remember the last time he dealt with cash. He has switched to debit card, mobile banking, and installed mobile payment wallets such as Paytm and MobiKwik. He is not alone. The data from RBI and VC Circle pegs mobile banking transactions at Rs 3.9 lakh crore in Q4 2016 - a fourfold increase from the same quarter last year. The usage of cards has doubled at merchant outlets during Q4 2016 as compared to Q4 last year.

Wouldn't it be ideal if we could also invest our hard-earned money with just a few clicks as against getting caught up in arduous paperwork? Here are ways to go cashless and paperless when investing.

Getting started

All asset management companies (AMCs), today, are promoting 'paperless', 'presenceless', 'online', 'go green' options on their homepages. Investing online is not new for these companies, but they are now making the process more convenient by allowing investors to purchase and sell without physically visiting them.

To start with online investing, an investor needs to be KYC-compliant, should have a bank account, mobile number and email address. KYC can be done online through Aadhaar card, using the registered mobile number, where verification is done through a one-time password. You may either go to the AMC's website or the mutual fund transfer agency CAMS' website. SEBI has restricted e-KYC holders to invest a maximum of Rs 50,000 per mutual fund per financial year. You will need to upload your signature image in case you wish to invest or redeem through paper-based request in future. Once you are KYC-verified, you can start investing. Fill in the form online and invest funds through net banking or by using your debit/ credit card or UPI. Major AMCs do not even require you to log in; you can do so using the one-time password option.

MFs on your finger tips

AMCs are leveraging the increasing penetration of smartphones to make investing convenient. Reliance, Birla Sun Life and ICICI Prudential already have mobile applications which allow users to invest and redeem from their liquid funds 24X7. Liquid funds are suitable for very short-term goals. At the time of need or emergency, these apps allow you to redeem immediately or within a few minutes. What more? They earn you more than a savings bank account can.

Axis and UTI AMCs offer a comprehensive application allowing transactions in all their active schemes. Although DSP BlackRock does not have a mobile application yet, its website has a responsive design - it adapts to the device in use. Santosh Navlani, Senior VP, DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund, says, "Most retail investors do not invest daily or even weekly; they prefer the SIP route. So when we launch an app, it will primarily focus on keeping track of portfolios, and their analysis, as well as transactions."

Reliance Mutual Fund's Any Time Money card allows users to take out or spend against their mutual fund investments by providing access at Visa-enabled ATMs and merchant outlets across India. Here, too, investments are primarily made into liquid plans.

What happens if you invest in three different AMCs? Will you have to face the daunting task of compiling your different portfolios every two or three months? Thankfully, there's Mutual Fund Utilities (MFU) - a transaction aggregating portal started by AMFI which allows a KYC-compliant investor to transact in multiple schemes across mutual funds using a single form/ payment, and a common account number (CAN). As of now, 26 AMCs have joined MFU. AMC participants of MFU hold 94 per cent of the total mutual Assets under Management in the industry. It has a mobile app for smartphones which compiles and provides an investor's mutual fund holdings at one place. Use your CAN to request for the log-in ID for the mobile app, by sending an e-mail to clientservices@mfuindia.com from your registered email id. And you are good to go!





Bots help you Buy

If, like Ravin Rawat, you are not confident about which funds to choose from, there are several online platforms such as Funds India and Fundsupermart, which can help you in the process. Then there are robo advisors like Arthayantra, AdviseSure and Paisabazaar. Roboadvisors use technology in the form of computer programmes to decide a portfolio allocation based on your goals and risk profile. Unsure of taking advice from a bot? Here's what Nitin Vyakaranam, Founder & CEO, ArthaYantra, has to say: "It is an algorithm-driven model; we can churn out thousands of financial plans per hour which is not possible for a traditional advisor. Since the human element is used only for delivery of the advice to the client, and not for the creation of the advice, it eliminates the human bias from the entire process of financial planning, thus giving the customer an absolutely unbiased financial plan." Moreover, robo advisors charge lesser than traditional advisors.

Apart from being hassle-free, Naveen Kukreja, CEO and Co-founder, Paisabazaar.com, says, it is swifter, too. "Unlike offline brokers, online portals allow investors to invest or redeem mutual fund units at the same day's NAV, provided you complete the transaction within the stipulated cut-off time. Any lag on the part of your broker or courier service can deprive you from exploiting market opportunities."

Straight from the Wallets

According to an Assocham-PwC report, the value of transactions through e-wallets witnessed a 301 per cent growth during November 8 - December 27, 2016. Mobile wallets are, hence, sprucing up their offerings. Paytm and Mobikwik now allow users to pay their insurance premiums for select life, health, and general insurance companies. The glitch, however, is that one cannot buy a new insurance policy via wallets yet. Freecharge, too, has introduced mutual fund investments on its platform. At present, it allows investments into Reliance's Money Market Mutual Fund, but only for Android users. The option will soon be open to iOS users. "We have begun with liquid funds which are a safe alternative to funds lying idle in savings bank account. We are actively working on adding other products to the mix," says Govind Rajan, CEO, FreeCharge.

Mobile wallets are now extending their services to the under-banked. ItzCash, a phygital wallet operates via online and through its 75,000 outlets across 3,000+ tier I and tier II cities. Its USP is that apart from e-wallet, it allows a consumer to visit its store, and the outlet will pay or receive money on the consumer's behalf. The outlets are equipped to do transactions via digital wallets on the consumer's behalf. Naveen Surya, MD, ItzCash, and Chairman, Payments Council of India, says, "Those who earn and spend in cash have 90 per cent of cash lying with them. We are focusing on bringing them onto digital by helping them use online platforms."

MobiKwik, too, is working with Tata Trust and Google India's Internet Saathi aimed at bringing financial inclusion to the grass roots.

Cashless Home Buys?Unlike more developed countries, we cannot buy a property purely via online channels. Aggregator websites such as Magicbricks.com and 99acres.com provide a list of properties depending on your choice. No further assistance is provided. In order to book, one has to contact the developer or builder to inspect the property personally, and carry out the due diligence.

Tata Housing, Puravankara Projects, and Godrej Properties have started selling properties online on their respective websites. But individual developers will only offer their own projects for sale online, which severely restricts a buyer's spread of options. Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head, JLL India, says, "Interested buyers can pay only the token amount online, after which they will inspect the property personally. They also need to see all the pertinent documentation for a property before they can make a sound investment decision. Availability of such documentation online is still very scarce in India."

Online retailer Snapdeal started its real estate portal in 2014 and has over 400 listed properties. One can compare and choose from the list of properties, and also get assistance with the entire transaction process. Snapdeal has partnered with JLL's Residential Services division to offer offline support. The team of specialists contacts customers who have expressed interest in a certain category of housing or a particular project online. The team also assists in vetting the listed properties for legal soundness and reliability.

While the importance of e-commerce in real estate market cannot be denied, at present, the buying process can only be initiated online. It cannot be completed online.

However, tenants can choose to pay rent via credit cards. This can be handy for those who pay a substantial portion of their income as rent and would like to delay it for a month or two, owing to more pressing needs. One can use RedGiraffe.com to pay home rent through credit card. As long as your landlord is not strictly in favour of cash receipts, you need not seek his/ her permission. The process includes filling an online form and uploading rental details, after which you will receive a unique code from RedGiraffe to register. Manoj Nair, Founder and CEO, RedGiraffe, says, "Paying rent through your credit card will help you build a strong credit score. You can also avail cash backs and other offers." There is no limit on the rental amount, and no change needs to be made in the rental contract. A bank transaction charge of 0.39 per cent per transaction is charged, which is Rs 39 for every Rs 10,000, plus service tax. Moreover, you get credit facility of upto 60 days, and your money continues to earn interest.

Word of Caution

One of the biggest impediments in going cashless is the vulnerability attached to it. In October 2016, thirty two lakh ATM cards belonging to major banks were hacked. The RBI registered 16,468 cases of fraud involving credit cards, ATM/ debit cards, and internet banking during 2015-16. Sophos, a global player in network and end-point security, in its research revealed that India stood fifth in the world in terms of cyber attacks in 2016.

As per the data maintained by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 11,592 cyber crime cases were registered during the year 2015, more than double the number recorded during 2013. These include cases registered under the IT Act and related sections of the Indian Penal Code, and special and local laws involving computer as a medium/ target. The growing penetration of IT and related services calls for stricter cyber laws and more secure payment gateways.

Until then, upgrade your investment routine while exercising due caution.


Avenue Supermarts Ltd's (ASL) initial public offering (IPO) will hit the markets tomorrow with an issue size of Rs 1,870 crore and within a price band of Rs 295-299. The offer closes on March 10.

The company, popularly known as D-mart, plans to raise money primarily for repayment or prepayment of a portion of loans and redemption or earlier redemption of NCDs, and construction and purchase of fit-outs for new stores. But let us evaluate whether it will be a value buy.

The company, founded in 2002, offers a wide range of products with focus on foods and non-foods (FMCG), general merchandise and apparels.

It currently has 118 stores across nine states and one union territory. Avenue Supermarts operates and manages all its stores predominantly based on an ownership model (including long-term lease arrangements, where the lease period is more than 30 years and the buildings are owned by the company) rather than a rental model. It also operates distribution and packing centres, which form the backbone of its supply chain and support the retail network.

As of January 31, 2017, D-mart had 22 distribution centres and six packing centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and Karnataka. The company plans to deepen its store network in southern and western India, and gradually expand its network in other parts of the country, following its expansion strategy.

The retail sector is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 12 percent over FY2016-20 to approximately $960 billion, within which the organised segment is expected to grow at a faster pace than the unorganised segment.

"The share of organised players is expected to improve from 9 percent to approximately 12 percent in FY2020, thus benefiting organised players like D-Mart," said Amarjeet S Maurya in an Angel Broking note.

The company managed a steady footprint expansion as its store count increased from 45 in FY2011 to 118 in FY2017, with the total retail business space covering around 3.9 million sq. ft in 45 cities. According to Maurya of Angel Broking, "The company has plans to increase total retail space by 2.1 million sq. ft by 2020, which will support its growth."

ASL or D-mart is one of the largest and the most profitable food and groceries retailers in India. The company clocked 40 percent CAGR in its revenues over the past five years. Its consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the period grew at a CAGR of 51.5 percent. Consolidated revenues and profits stood at Rs 85,881 million and Rs 3,187 million, respectively, in 2015/16. For the nine-month period ended December 2016, the company's revenues stood at Rs 87,840 million and PAT was at Rs 3,874 million.

The company's IPO is priced at around 58x of its FY16 earnings at the upper price band while its nearest peers, Future Retail and Trent Ltd, are trading at 76x and 125x, respectively.

"On the FY17 (annualised basis), the company's IPO is priced at 36x times on the upper band while its peers Future Retail and Trent Ltd are trading at around 37x times and 20x times, respectively," says an Anand Rathi Research note.

The company's strategically located stores, strong promoter background and sound financial growth make it an attractive buy at the current price.
Punjab National Bank is looking to sell 7 per cent of its stake in PNB housing Finance, which can fetch the bank close to Rs 1,200 crore at current prices.

"The bank is open to selling its stake in the firm. We have not decided on the amount or time of the stake sale," said Usha Ananthasubramanian, Managing Director of PNB.

The state-run bank has gotten interest from private equity players, according to a report by the Economic Times.

"We have had some early discussions. There is a lot of interest as PNB Housing has a great portfolio, low non-performing assets and has done considerably well after it got listed," said one of the officials.

The bank is also looking at monetising its real estate assets and maximising returns from the deal.

The sale may be carried out in the second quarter of financial year 2018, another official told ET.

PNB currently holds 39 per cent stake in housing finance company.

Other stakeholders include General Atlantic Singapore Fund Fii Pte which owns a 6.90 per cent stake, while the Government of Singapore which holds another 1.07 per cent.

Punjab National Bank posted a jump in net profit to Rs 137.8 crore in the quarter ended December 31, 2016.

The bank's gross NPA totalled 0.37 per cent of its loan assets, compared with 0.35 per cent a year earlier.

PNB Housing Finance had launched its initial public offering (IPO) in November last year to raise Rs 3,000 crore.


Jewish School Evacuated Due To Bomb Threat

By Mae Rice in News on Mar 7, 2017 4:50PM



The 5900 block of Sheridan Ave. (via Google Street View)

A Jewish school on the North Side evacuated its premises this morning after receiving a bomb threat, according to police.

Chicago Jewish Day School, located in the 5900 block of North Sheridan Road, was evacuated at roughly 9 a.m. CPD officers and "canine officers" are on the scene investigating.

There are traffic closures on Sheridan as a result, from Hollywood to Granville.

The school runs from kindergarten through eighth grade, and has roughly 200 students, according to its website.

Anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in the U.S. since President Donald Trump's inauguration in January.
To celebrate International Women's day, Air India said it flew multiple all women crew flights between February 26 to March 8.

The airline created history with an all women operated flight that travelled across the world.

It set a new world record by flying from Delhi to San Francisco and San Francisco to Delhi route, the longest distance travelled by any all-women crew.

The Boeing 777 flight was piloted by Captains Sunita Narula, Kshamta Bajpai, Indira Singh and Gunjan Aggarwal and the all-women cabin crew was led by Seema Baberwal and Nishrin Bandulwala.

The historic flight traversed 13 time zones carrying 16 crew and 250 passengers taking just over 15 hours covering 15,000 km to San Francisco.

Even the engineers who certified the aircraft, air traffic controllers, who cleared its departure and arrival, were women, the company said.

Air India is said to have the world's largest percentage of woman pilots.
Reliance Jio's entry in the telecom sector has unleashed an unprecedented tariff war much to the delight of the consumers. Many thought the end of Jio's free offer will end the data-war, but with Ambani's address on February 21 it was clear that the fight would get nastier.

A couple of days after the launch of Reliance Jio's Prime offer, Airtel's chief Sunil Bharti declared that the company will match every Jio offer. Since then, all major telecom operators of the nation have come up with offers that stand in direct competition with Reliance Jio's offers.

The best data and voice calling offers of all operators fall in the range of Rs 300 to Rs 350. Here we'll provide a comprehensive comparison between all major plans that fall under this range.

Reliance Jio

The prepaid plans begin from Rs 19 and go all the way to Rs 9,999 which has a validity of one year. Each plan has different limits for a Jio Prime and a non-Prime member. All these plans come with unlimited calls and texts for the prescribed time period.

However, the Rs 303 plan, that was announced by Mukesh Ambani will get unlimited data but only 28GB of which will be available at 4G speeds and there is a 1GB/day limit as well. For Non-Prime members, the same plan will get only 2.5GB of data for 28 days.

Vodafone

The new plan, which will cost Rs 356 per month offers benefits a combo of 1GB day and 1GB night data plan for 28 days. For Vodafone customers there is no membership required to avail the offer.

Airtel

Airtel's new offer does take on competition aggressively. The new offers come in direct comparison with Reliance Jio in terms of costing per GB. For Rs 345, Airtel will be offering 28GB of data The user subscribed to Airtel's Rs 345 offer will get 500MB data for the day and 500MB data for night. Users who want to use the entire 1GB data whenever they want, will have to subscribe to the Rs 549 plan.
Not quite a month ago, the Mendon City Council voted to extend a temporary land use and development regulation prohibiting any subdivision or other planned unit development approval for an additional six months. The Moratorium Extension, Resolution 2017-02, applies to a measure originally passed in response to Mendons Citys ongoing efforts to secure additional culinary water sources. The most recent resolution took effect on Feb. 9, with an expiration date of Aug. 9.

Mendon City currently has approximately 430 connections to its culinary water system. Based on the Utah Division of Drinking Waters <em>Water System Capacity Calculation Sheet,</em> city officials say the system is at full capacity and cannot accommodate new connections until supplementary water resources are developed.

At this point, we have sufficient water for the number of homes and people that were currently providing culinary water to, but we are right at the limit, said Councilmember Jon Hardman. Hardmans assignments on the Mendon City Council include culinary water and well updates. Hardman, who is employed with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, also serves as the citys secondary water system and canal company liaison.

The state has confirmed we have the amount of water needed to meet our current demands, Hardman said, but weve sent the moratorium because to bring on additional homes could jeopardize that until we are able to locate additional water.

Mendons water challenges began in 2009, when a well in the city tested high in nitrates and had to be taken offline. Since then, Mendon City officials have taken numerous steps in search of a viable solution. For example, after drilling a series of exploratory test holes several years agoHardman believes in 2012the city identified a site for a viable well. However, a pump test concluded that the volume of water the source yielded, about 100 gallons per minute, was only about one-third of the desired output. Since then, a well that was developed at the site is being blended with the well that originally tested high for nitrates. This has led to a reduction in nitrate concentration that Hardman said meets culinary water requirements.

At this point, Mendon City is pursuing two additional avenues to expand its water resources. First, the city has purchased water shares from an irrigation company and has made application to the State of Utah to isolate those shares from the irrigation system for culinary use. If approval is granted, Hardman said development of the source would then take potentially three to five years. A second project involves conducting ground studies for the development of another well. Last fall, the city drilled a test hole and found water, but drier conditions are required before a pump test can be coordinated to determine the sources yield. Hardman hopes the test can take place in April.

As you pump test, that produces water thats going to need to go somewhere, said Hardman, and we realize the grounds saturated, and the ditches arewith all the flooding and so forth running with water. We dont want to add to or complicate any problems that are going on right now, so as soon as things quiet down a bit and hopefully dry out a little bit, then we will pump test this other water source to determine volume. At that point, if that looks favorable, we will move forward to develop an actual production well and bring that water into the city system.

Hardman notes that given this years abundant snow pack, the aquifers and springs that supply Mendons culinary water may be recharged sufficiently to ease the load on the citys system.

At the last city council meeting, we pointed out that if the favorable snow pack equates into our existing sources showing an increase in water available, and we know that this new well is looking very favorablethat its going to yield the amount of water that we need and were going to be able to bring it online in a reasonable timethen we actually did discuss the possibility of lifting the moratorium early.

While Hardman doesnt want to give a false hope with some questions still on the table, he notes that Mayor Ed Buist wants to ease public concern.

Weve had a number of articles on this in the past and people know that Mendons, you know, were challenged trying to figure this out, Hardman said, but they also need to understand that we do currently have adequate water. Its not like anybody doesnt have sufficient. The mayor feels very strongly that people need to know that were okay. This is an issue, but were certainly working hard and feel like weve got things in the works to alleviate some of the concern there.

More information about Resolution 2017-02, the moratorium extension, is available at <a href=http://www.mendoncity.org/>www.mendoncity.org</a>. Mendon Citys next council meeting takes place on Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m.

<hr />

jennifer@cvradio.com
Mamby On The Beach Announces Stellar Line-up Including MGMT, Thundercat, Cut Copy

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 7, 2017 5:58PM



That dude is totally texting his friends about what an awesome time he's having at last yea'rs Mamby On The Beach. Photo by Annie Lesser / Chicagoist

Mamby On The Beach just threw down the gauntlet, as far as summer festivals go. The fest started off as a primarily EDM affair but over the years has morphed into something still locked into grooves, but upon a much wider sonic palette. This year the fest will be at Oakwood Beach on June 24 to 25, and features a pretty great bill.

One headliner coup they've made this year is securing MGMT for Mamby's opening Saturday night. The group, most famous for their hit "Kids," has been largely in hibernation and hasn't even played Chicago since 2013. Miike Snow, which is becoming a regular Chicago festival player year in and year out thanks to live sets that never fail to deliver, plays Saturday as well. And Chicago rapper Saba continues to raise his profile with a set earlier that day.

Sunday looks to be a monster though, so you'll probably want to call into work on Monday. Walk the Moon and Flying Lotus will close out the weekend as headliners, but we're most excited for Cut Copy's set that evening. The Australian quartet has a well earned and rock solid reputation for delivering euphoric sets of dance rock.

Earlier sets that day that also have us excited will come from Thundercatcurrently riding high on this year's freak-funk of Drunkand STRFKR's hypnotic demands to dance. And there's some solid Chicago talent on Sunday including stellar R&B grooves from both Sir The Baptist and BJ the Chicago Kid, as well as a sure-to-be can't miss set from Green Velvet.

And that's just a taste of what to expect, the full lineup is below and tickets are available here.
Russias economic condition remains precarious, mostly due to low oil prices, whereas Western sanctions have created additional problems. There are so far few signs of public discontent and Putins approval ratings remain high. Yet the Russian leadership apparently does not exclude the possibility of mass protests similar to those erupting in early 2012, which could spread and create a problem for the regime. In response to this possible scenario, Putin announced the creation of a National Guard in April 2016, a process that should be completed in 2017. The National Guard incorporated Chechen forces loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov, which could be deployed by the regime as a last resort.

BACKGROUND: The creation of a National Guard as a sort of Praetorian force is not a recent invention. The idea started circulating among the Yeltsin elite in the beginning of post-Soviet history in 1991/1992, when the loyalty of the army in the territories of the Russian Federation was under question. Shortly after the bloody standoff with the Parliament/Supreme Soviet in 1993, Yeltsin entertained the idea of creating elite forces that would protect the regime in the case of future similar events.Yeltsins concern was justifiable, given that the army had wavered and tried to stay out of the conflict. Yeltsins position remained unstable and he again brought up the prospect of creating a National Guard in 1998. Yet Yeltsin then decided to retire and consequently felt no need for it.

Putin clearly has no such plans. He and Medvedev possibly entertained the same idea in 2009 and 2010, presumably in response to the violence in Kondopoga (2006), Stavropol (2007) and in Moscow (2010). All of these incidents were fueled by tensions between ethnic Russians and migrants from Russias North Caucasus, whom Russians called people of Caucasian nationality, and who were attacked by Russian crowds.

In 2012, after Putins reelection as president and the adjacent public protests, the idea of establishing a National Guard reemerged once again due to the leaderships fear of color revolutions. Observing developments in the Middle East during the Arab Spring, the regime became increasingly wary of collapsing authoritarian regimes and ensuing anarchy, and the risk of a similar scenario playing out in Russia.

IMPLICATIONS: The National Guard will consist of up to 400,000 men, and will be equipped with heavy weapons. Putins confidant General Viktor Zolotov has been named as its commander. Yet Putin will retain ultimate control of the Guard and can give orders directly, bypassing any intermediate leaders.

The large number of National Guard personnel should be sufficient to quell even wide-ranging public protests. The very size of the forces could, however, also create problems. If the Guards are locally deployed, they could develop associations with the local population and become unwilling to use force, especially deadly force, against them. Moreover, the National Guard forces could become fragmented over the use of deadly force against civilians.

Russian law enforcement has encountered this problem before, on several occasions. During a serious protest in Vladivostok in 2008, local law enforcement was unwilling to tackle the protestors and OMON (riot police) had to be brought in from European Russia. Similarly, local law enforcement in Moscow failed to quell a large protest in 2010, triggered by the murder of ethnic Russians by Caucasians, after which a huge crowd emerged in downtown Moscow and started to attack Caucasians and other people who did not look Slavic. The crowd could well have switched from attacking minorities to attacking the government. Since similar situations could emerge in future cases of mass protests, Kadyrovs Chechens could present a final and highly important reserve.

Kadyrovs forces  the kadyrovsti  number up to 30,000 and were also incorporated into the Guard. Some observers have assessed this as a heavy blow against Kadyrov, transforming his militia into a regular Guard unit, fully under Zolotovs command. Yet this is hardly the case  the Chechen fighters are predominantly loyal to Kadyrov and cannot be deployed without his explicit approval. Needless to say, Kadyrovs consent is needed in order to use these forces to maintain relative peace and stability in Chechnya. It is not surprising that Kadyrov has actually been exempted from Putins drive to increase the Kremlins control over the bureaucracy and general population.

In 2016, Putin gave the Chechen leader his blessing by reappointing Kadyrov as head of Chechnya, while also requiring that Kadyrov should respect Russian law. However, these demands appear to have been primarily for public consumption as Putin clearly provided Kadyrov with a license to do whatever he wanted, even engaging in murder.

The investigation of Boris Nemtsovs murder on February 27, 2015, uncovered a trail leading to Chechnya. But Kadyrov has resolutely refused to cooperate, relying not only on his personal access to Putin but also on a particular connection with Zolotov. Putin made it clear to the FSB that Kadyrov was off-limits in the investigation. In return, Kadyrov was anxious to demonstrate his usefulness to Putin. On January 22, 2016, Kadyrov called out a huge rally in Grozny to support him. Kadyrov implicitly sent signals to the opposition, and even more so to the Kremlin, that he had thousands of supporters who would follow his lead in dealing with any opposition to Putin. Almost simultaneously with the demonstration, Kadyrovs chief of staff, Magomed Daudov, posted a picture on Instagram of the Chechen leader holding back a massive Caucasian shepherd dog named Tarzan. The dogs teeth itch, Daudov wrote. Hes barely restrained.

It appears that Putin was pleased with Kadyrovs pronouncement and considers Kadyrov and his Chechen warriors a reliable force that will protect the regime even if the National Guard fails to do so.

CONCLUSIONS: Russia'spoor economic performance, mostly due to low oil prices, is a concern for the Kremlin. Putin clearly worries that an economic breakdown could lead to widespread protests, although there are so far no signs of public unrest. Yet in response to this potential threat, Putin has decided to establish the National Guard and increase centralization of the state apparatus, which has entailed a bloodless purge or retirement of many of his longtime associates. Kadyrov is a clear exception and he still enjoys permission to actually do whatever he pleases. The reasons for this approach to Kadyrov are manifold. Putin indeed regards him as the only force capable of providing a modicum of security in Chechnya. But Kadyrov and his Chechen warriors  loyal to Kadyrov and deeply alienated from the majority of Russians  could also play the role of peculiar Janissaries for the Kremlin; a last resort in case of a mass upheaval in Russia and the National Guard's inability to quell it.

AUTHORS BIO: Dmitry Shlapentokh is Associate Professor of History, Indiana University at South Bend.

Image source: kremlin.ru accessed on March 3, 2017
On November 30, 2016, the defense ministries of Armenia and Russia signed an agreement to establish a joint Russian-Armenian Military Joint Task Force (MJTF). In June 2016, Armenia agreed to join Russia's regional air security system designed to protect Russia's southern borders and its allies. The treaty allowed Armenia to rely on Russia's anti-aircraft system and military satellites in order to defend its airspace. In late September 2016, it was revealed that Moscow had transferred the Iskander mobile short-range missile system to Armenia. These recent developments have raised serious concerns in Baku over Armenia's military buildup and its consequences for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

BACKGROUND: The MJTF agreement, signed by Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sarkisyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu, stipulates the initiation of a joint military unit including troops from the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri and the 4th Corps of the Armenian army. Two weeks earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved the instruction to sign an agreement that would "react adequately on military aggression as well as security challenges." The details of the agreement lay the foundation for a common defense and security space that will not only involve military cooperation, but border patrols and custom services as well.

Armenia's and Russia's presidents will jointly appoint the head of MJTF. In the case of war or external aggression, the entire leadership of MJTF will be transferred to Russia's Southern Military District Command, based in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.

The April 2016 military clashes in Karabakh gave rise to a certain optimism among the Azerbaijani public regarding the abilities of its army to regain lost territories. The impact on the Armenian side was negative, given Russia's continual arms sales to Azerbaijan. The unification of Armenia's and Russia's anti-air systems and the establishment of MJTF can be understood as measures to increase Yerevan's security in the face of a possible larger confrontation with Azerbaijan in the future. Nevertheless, Russian military analysts claimed that the agreement was not directed against third parties, but simply serves to coordinate Moscow's and Yerevan's defense preparations. The main aim of the agreement is to provide early warning in the case of an attack against Armenia or Russia, which have already accepted mutual defense obligations through Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) agreements.

IMPLICATIONS: Baku has not reacted to the recent agreement, in order not to irritate Moscow. Azerbaijan's political establishment perceives these actions as part of a Russian attempt to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus and do not see them as directed against Azerbaijan, although Yerevan uses every opportunity to stress the security implications of the agreement. Although initial rumors posited that the Iskander system would be under Russian control at the Gyumri base, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan later confirmed that Yerevan has purchased Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles system to balance Azerbaijan.

However, the new agreements and the recent delivery of the Iskander system to Armenia will not significantly change the military balance in the region. If Azerbaijan started military actions to return Karabakh, they would hardly spill over to Armenian territory and would therefore not trigger the Russian obligation to come to Armenia's aid. Moreover, the Russian military establishment has been careful to point out that the military agreement serves to protect the territory of Armenia but not Karabakh.

The absence of harsh statements or criticism from Baku is also due to the purpose that the agreement serves in Armenia's domestic politics. After the April war in Karabakh, Moscow came under heavy criticism from the Armenian public for its supply of vital arms to Azerbaijan. The heavy losses sustained by Armenian forces were mainly due to the superiority of Azerbaijani weapons supplied by the Russian military complex. Thus, the establishment of MJTF is also considered a confirmation that Russia will honor its agreement to defend Armenia from possible aggression.

Yerevan has continuously expressed its dissatisfaction with the activities of CSTO, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The signatories of this treaty cannot join other military alliances and aggression against one country is considered as aggression against all. Yerevan has constantly criticized other members of the organization for their failure to support Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan. Moreover, Baku's military cooperation with CSTO members has irritated Yerevan. Even after the April clashes in Karabakh, Yerevan was not able to get the other CSTO members to condemn Azerbaijan and the Armenian establishment understands that other CSTO members will hardly provide military support in case of a new military confrontation.

Russia remains the only force that can guarantee Armenian security. Thus, an additional military treaty with Russia serves to pacify the Armenian public, which was shaken by recent developments. Some analysts in Azerbaijan have even argued that Armenia's military subordination to Russia could have a positive effect since Yerevan would not be able to take important decisions independently. Thus, if Baku agrees with Moscow on vital issues concerning Karabakh, the Armenian side would have little choice but to accept it.

Notably, the signing of the agreement coincided with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov's visit to Moscow to attend the 71st session of the CIS Defense Ministers' Council (DMC). During the visit, Hasanov met with Russian Defense Minister Shoygu. The sides discussed the Russian initiative to establish a Joint Task Force of the two countries' navies in the Caspian Sea. Baku remains cautious towards this kind of initiatives from Moscow, even though the task force would function as a coordinating entity for confronting terrorism and hostile activities.

However, the MJTF agreement still did worry Baku. According to Baku-based analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu, Moscow has signaled to Baku that new military actions in Karabakh should be confined within Azerbaijan's borders, and that Russia does not want Azerbaijan to gain military superiority over Armenia. In other words, Azerbaijan would not be able to prevent the supply of weapons or soldiers from Armenia to Karabakh; neither can Baku retaliate for the frequent Armenian shelling of Azerbaijani villages in Nakhchivan or the western part of Azerbaijan. Baku also believes that the agreement may pose yet another obstacle to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, since Armenia may use the additional guarantees and modern weaponry it has obtained from Moscow in order to strengthen its position and torpedo the negotiation process. Moreover, the creation of a joint task force with Armenia negatively affects the perception of Russia in Azerbaijan and casts doubts on Russia's ability to function as an unbiased mediator in the Karabakh conflict.

Despite Moscow's assurances that the Russian-Armenian agreement is not directed against third parties, the Kremlin recently provided mixed messages by indicating that it could get involved if Baku decides to start a military operation against separatists in Karabakh. In mid-January 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was asked during a press conference in Moscow what Russia's position would be in the event of an Azerbaijani counter-terrorist operation in the occupied territories  whether Moscow would close its close eyes or interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. Lavrov responded that such an operation would not only be an issue of Azerbaijan's internal affairs regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The statement sparked an outrage in Azerbaijan, and an avalanche of criticism towards the Russian leadership.

The new treaty has worried Georgia as well. Moscow has begun to establish similar joint task forces across the Caucasus, including joint groups with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The presence of Russian Iskanders in Armenia, as well as the emergence of joint Russian-Abkhaz, Russian-Ossetian and Russian-Armenian forces around Georgia, is naturally of concern to Tbilisi, given its recent experience of Russian military aggression and its aspirations to join NATO.

CONCLUSIONS: The Russian decision to establish joint forces with Armenia and supply the country with Iskanders have taken hostility and tensions in the region to another level, and has raised concerns in Baku that ballistic missiles could be used against Azerbaijan's critical infrastructure. Baku has already begun to explore opportunities to buy armaments from Pakistan and other countries. Moscow's recent actions contribute to the increased militarization of the region. The creation of Russian-Armenian joint forces is intended to integrate the Armenian military deeper into the Russian military machine, which could be a step towards revitalizing the Transcaucasian military district that existed during Soviet times, which may include Azerbaijan and Georgia as well.

Moscow can be expected to continue strengthening its position in the Caucasus. With complete disengagement of the U.S., the EU's internal problems as well as Moscow's success in Syria, Moscow is encouraged to take even bolder actions in order to bring the region under its heel. Baku is slowly loosing leverage in dealing with Russia, since no major power remains sufficiently engaged in the region to counterbalance Russia's growing influence.

AUTHORS BIO: Dr. Anar Valiyev is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University.

Image source: kremlin.ru accessed on March 7, 2017
This is a key distressed market to follow since Las Vegas has seen the largest price decline of any of the Case-Shiller composite 20 cities.



The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported Southern Nevada Home Prices Keep Moving On Up GLVAR Housing Statistics for February 2017



The Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS (GLVAR) reported Tuesday that Southern Nevada home prices and sales continued to increase despite a shrinking housing supply.

...

The total number of existing local homes, condos and townhomes sold in February was 2,815, up from 2,676 in February 2016. Compared to one year ago, sales were up 6.5 percent for homes and up 0.4 percent for condos and townhomes.

...

By the end of February, GLVAR reported 5,564 single-family homes listed for sale without any sort of offer. Thats down 24.1 percent from one year ago. For condos and townhomes, the 758 properties listed without offers in February represented a 66.6 percent decrease from one year ago.

...

In recent years, GLVAR has been reporting fewer distressed sales and more traditional home sales, where lenders are not controlling the transaction. That trend continued in February, when 4.6 percent of all local sales were short sales  which occur when lenders allow borrowers to sell a home for less than what they owe on the mortgage. Thats down from 6.6 percent of all sales in February 2016. Another 6.0 percent of all February sales were bank-owned, down from 8.6 percent one year ago.

emphasis added

1) Overall sales were up 5.2% year-over-year.2) Active inventory (single-family and condos) is down sharply from a year ago (A very sharp decline in condo inventory).3) Fewer distressed sales.
Lake Shore Dr. Bridges Near Montrose Are A Terrible Mix Of High Traffic & Structural Deficiency

By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 7, 2017 8:44PM

Chicago bridges arent falling down exactly, but several of them are in decidedly poor shape. And some of those that are in noticeable decline still see quite a lot of traffic, from above and below.

In fact, nine of the ten most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in Illinois are right here in the Chicago area, with six of them right here in Cook County, according to a recent study. One of the examples included in the study, published by the D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association, that most grabs the eyeand sends the arms covering one's headis the N Lake Shore Drive bridge, at W. Lawrence Ave. and, just a block south, the LSD bridge at W. Wilson Dr.

Both bridges on the busy, iconic drive average about 100,000 daily crossings. The cars that pass above only tell part of the story. Situated just west of the lakefrontand summer hotspots like the Montrose Dog Beach, the Wilson Skate Park and sites of countless impromptu warm-weather barbecuesthe bridges above Lawrence and Wilson see heavy foot traffic underneath from pedestrians, including homeless people who regularly use the deficient structures for shelter. Both bridges were built in 1933 and have been classified as structurally deficient since 2014, according to ARTBA.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, a bridge is classified as structurally deficient if the deck, superstructure or other elements are rated as "poor." Such a determination could include "advanced section loss" or "deterioration," which certainly seems to fit the case for the Lake Shore bridges on the list, as it shows clearly visible signs of decline and deterioration on either side and underneath.

The good news: the Chicago Department of Transportation says repairs for the bridges near Montrose Beach are slated to begin this summer. The work will likely take six to eight months. "As both Wilson and Lawrence provide access to the lakefront, both of projects will be staged in order to minimize the impact on pedestrians and bicycle riders during the peak summer season," CDOT spokesperson Michael Claffey told Chicagoist via email.

But with the state's finances in seemingly eternal limbo, similar repair projects may not be a sure bet. As the Tribune notes, despite President Trump's rhetorical focus on infrastructure, there's been little practical focusplus there's that whole defund sanctuary cities thing, tooand IDOT says it lacks the long-term dollars it requires to keep such problems from exacerbating. That's bad news for the state of Illinois at large, which according to ARTBA, has the sixth most structurally deficient bridges of any state in the country.

[H/T Tribune]
Hon Wilfred Naamukong Fusi Archives

The visit of Prime Minister Philemon Yang to the North West region has revealed a new hero in the ongoing struggle. The intervention of Hon Wilfred Naamukong Member of Parliament for Bafut Tubah Constituency was accompanied by thunderous applauds from the population present at the Congress hall in Bamenda.

The MP in response to a call from Philemon Yang for parents to send their children to school, Hon Wilfred Naamukong Fusi took the microphone in front of hundredths of participants and without mincing words told the PM that the people live in fear, that their leaders have been arrested, internet disconnected and the town militarized.

Addressing the PM same way Hon. Wirba Joseph did at the National Assembly with hand action and anger, Hon Wilfred Fusi Naamukong spoke bitterly about the situation vowing that school will not resume until the conditions are fulfilled. Parents clapped, jumped in jubilation saying that at least they still have someone who can speak for them after the whereabouts of Hon. Wirba remains a mystery.

Catholic School PTA Meeting Ends In Deadlock

Voices were heard at the Cathedral Hall in Bamenda Monday when stakeholders in Catholic Education met to discuss way forward for school resumption.

Parents who took part agreed that they will send their children to school if all conditions are met. Among others they demanded the unconditional release of their sons and daughters arrested and ferried to Yaounde, reconnection of internet, demilitarization of the town of Bamenda and reschedule of school year to accommodate lost time.

Some Parents left the meeting disappointed especially when the final resolution was being read. Some cautioned that they have not unanimously accepted and should not be quoted elsewhere.

There are reports that some even refused to pray as they left in anger.
| BY Ricki Green |

Global communications agency We Are Social has hired award winning creative director Oz Dean to join its Sydney office.

With 17 years experience working for digital, design and advertising agencies in London, Manchester, Sydney and Singapore, Deans international resume includes work for clients including Singapore Airlines, Timberland, Heineken and Google.

Dean joins We Are Social from Digital Arts Network Singapore (TBWA DAN), where he was creative director. Passionate about social, digital and creative technology, always with the big idea in mind, Dean strives to build collaborative relationships with people, departments, partner agencies and clients. His worldview and creative talents will bring a unique perspective to the Sydney agency and benefit We Are Socials growing client roster.

He is a multiple award winner, including a Gold and Bronze Lion, several Effies, an AME and most recently three Bronze trophies at the New York Festivals 2014. He led the TBWA DAN team that won Silver at New York Festivals 2012 and the Digital Agency of the Year at the Campaign Asia Pacific Awards in 2012 (Gold) and 2013 (Bronze). He has also offered his expertise to numerous judging panels including the 2013 Digital Grand Jury for New York Festivals.

Prior to joining DAN, Dean began his career in Manchester (UK) and moved to Sydney in 2000 to join global digital powerhouse OVEN Digital. He then spent time at Singleton Ogilvy & Mather before freelancing for several years. During this time he worked at some of Sydneys best agencies, including Happy Soldiers, The Furnace, Pollen, Droga5, Deepend, Host and TBWA\ TEQUILA\ Sydney. In 2011 he joined TBWA\ TEQUILA\ Singapore from the Sydney office, where he was involved in driving campaigns for the agencys major clients.

His creativity extends beyond the world of marketing. His successful career in art, where he works under the moniker of forcefeed:swede has been celebrated in many publications and he has exhibited several projects at group shows in Tokyo, New York, London and Paris. He held his first solo exhibition in 2008 at MTVs Sydney headquarters.
Wind Rips Roof Off Pilsen High School, Starts Fire, Prompts Wind Jokes

By Mae Rice in News on Mar 7, 2017 4:40PM

Early this morning, the Chicago area saw some epic storm weather that ripped the roof off a Pilsen school and left thousands without power. The National Weather Service warned of intense weather in Chicago around 1:30 a.m. (when La Salle County had already seen 50+ m.p.h. winds):

Leading edge of storms will move into downtown Chicago at 1:35 am. These brought a 50 mph gust here in Romeoville. Isolated higher possible.  NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 7, 2017

The NWS wasn't kidding. The storm ripped part of the roof off Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen. The damage has left the school's annex "unusuable," the Sun-Times reports. This is just the latest of the annex's structural issues, though: remodeled in 2010, the roof has been dropping hunks of metal for months.

Steve Vidal, who teaches at Juarez according to the Sun-Times, posted photos of the scene to Facebook, calling out the contractors who remodeled the annex in 2010 for "bad workmanship."

Meanwhile, out in Oak Lawn, high winds knocked down a light pole and assorted power lines, sparking a fire at a local pizza place, Grassano's. Fire officials worked with ComEd to get the blaze extinguished with minimal damage, Patch reports.

On Twitter, meanwhile, people had some fire takes on the high winds:

feeling like trump's hair with this chicago wind damn  marissa (@vvarissa) March 6, 2017

When you think your neighbors are having wild sex but it's just the Chicago wind shaking your dorm   Emily Costello (@EmilyCostello13) March 7, 2017

Coincidentally, this week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Illinois. Looks like we need it!
| BY Ricki Green |

Hundreds of budding and established filmmakers will again vie for pole position in Supercheap Autos Big Break competition which will see one lucky winner take home $20,000 cash and chalk up a massive $160,000 worth of airtime across the Supercars 2017 season.

Entrants across Australia and New Zealand are tasked with creating a 30-second television advertisement that captivates motoring enthusiasts and encapsulates the Supercheap Auto brand.

Applications are now open, and close April 20. To get started just head to the website and download your toolkit.

The competition is open to everyone, from film students to agency creatives and aspiring Hollywood producers, to those who simply love cars and Supercheap Auto.

All submissions are evaluated and whittled down to a short-list of 10 finalists which are then put forward to the public to vote for their favourite video.

With a whopping 19,000 votes, winner of the last Big Break competition, David Smyth, attributes much of his current success to his entry Having a Baby.

With his cash winnings Smyth built a studio that he uses to edit and create music to expand his business offering in the producing space, which he says was a dream he wouldnt have achieved without the Big Break win.

Says Smyth: We definitely noticed increased enquiries to the business following the win, so it really did help establish us in the media industry.

Supercheap Auto general manager, customer communication and engagement, David Bauer, says this is his favourite time of year as funny, creative and imaginative videos start pouring in and the public get involved too.

Says Bauer: Last competition we had 6 million impressions on the shortlisted videos and over 160,000 votes were counted which shows the quality of the videos we receive.
| BY Ricki Green |

Global brand experience agency, Jack Morton Worldwide, has fortified its creative team in the Asia-Pacific region with the appointment of Oz Dean as executive creative directors in Sydney as well as Jonas Pinzke based in Singapore.

Prior to joining Jack Morton Worldwide in Australia, Oz held lead creative roles at agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA DAN, and UM. Most recently Dean was CD at We Are Social where his team led the social launch for Netflix in Australia and New Zealand. Dean will report to managing director, Helen Graney. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Says Bruce Henderson, chief creative officer, Jack Morton Worldwide: Our ECD appointments are designed to support the burgeoning business needs of our clients in the Asia-Pacific region. Both Jonas and Oz are highly talented creative leaders who will be a huge asset for our clients and our teams across the Jack Morton network.

Dean has over 18 years industry experience, that spans Europe, Asia and Australia and has seen him work with brands including Samsung, Lion, Netflix, Playstation, Activision, Airbnb, Singapore Airlines, Telstra and Google. An industry judge and award-winning creative, Deans award haul includes Cannes Lions, Effies and AMEs.
| BY Ricki Green |

At a loss with what to do with an accumulation of 24 months of obscene mark ups, Sydney production companies Jungle and In The Thicket decided the only way to reduce their tax bill was to pour it all into alcohol and garish decorations. Under the guise of supporting a pressing social issue and caring about equality, 200 of the industries biggest legends drank free booze and smoked cigarettes while their partners werent watching.
| BY Ricki Green |

MullenLowe Group has today announced the appointment of Vincent Digonnet (right) as Asia Pacific CEO of MullenLowe Profero (the global digital network of MullenLowe Group). Digonnet has spent the last 5 years at Razorfish and Digitas as executive chairman APAC for both brands, with a focus on China and India, and latterly as global chief growth and transformation officer at Razorfish. He will be based in the MullenLowe Group offices in Hong Kong.

Digonnet has an impressive track record in APAC, having moved to the region from his home country of France in the mid 90s. He was regional APAC CEO at Euro RSCG for seven years and then moved to China as CEO of Hemisphere Asia, a holding company with the purpose of developing investments in China through JVs and digital ventures.

Says Wayne Arnold (above, left), global CEO of MullenLowe Profero: The Asian region is often misunderstood, but having had the privilege of performing the global CEO role from APAC countries for the last 4 years, my eyes have been opened again and again to the opportunities this extraordinary region offers. Bringing Vincent onboard is humbling; his experience in the region is remarkable. He feels as comfortable talking to clients about how technology can deliver end-to-end customer journeys in China, as he does discussing global brand strategy out of Japan. I am excited Vincent has joined us to continue to accelerate the MullenLowe Profero story in Asia.

Digonnet joins the network at an exciting time, with MullenLowe Profero expanding to operate across fifteen offices in the world. The MullenLowe Profero network has a particularly strong footprint and history in APAC with nine offices across Australia, Greater China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore and Thailand. It has differentiated itself with its hyperbundled approach, smashing together a combination of the best talent from creative, media, technology, data science, user experience, strategy, design and production, which has been a successful model in servicing top-tier brands including Diageo, HSBC, Kaiser Permanente, Peninsula Hotels, Primark, Unilever and Western Union among others. MullenLowe Profero has been recognised for its strength in managing the balance to deliver on both global and local client needs.
| BY Ricki Green |

Sydney based agency Pollen has announced a string of new business wins, most recently being appointed digital partner to Australian health and community care provider KinCare.

Following a competitive pitch, Pollen has been engaged to deliver KinCare with a more effective and measurable digital footprint through the design and development of a new company website and ongoing digital strategy.

As part of the digital strategy, Pollens remit is to better reflect the brands key values; differentiating its market offering whilst providing KinCare customers with a seamless user experience when going through the care journey.

The appointment comes off the back of Pollen securing new digital accounts in MFAA, Macquarie University Health and Colgate.

Commenting on the KinCare appointment, Pollen director Brett Mitchell says he is excited by the opportunity to innovate in the countrys growing health care sector.

Says Mitchell: As an agency committed to investing in innovation and technology, we look forward to working with the KinCare team to redesign their digital business from the ground up, to provide them with a platform and strategy that better serves their customers and staff alike.
| BY Ricki Green |

NGS Super, in partnership with its digital agency S1T2, has redesigned the industry funds digital channels, creating an improved user experience that redefines the way it communicates with new and existing customers.

In line with NGS Supers strategy to enhance user engagement, S1T2 has undertaken a complete redesign of the industry funds website to give customers direct access to the tools and information that will help them understand and maximise their growth with the fund.

Based on quantitative and qualitative member research, NGS identified key knowledge gaps relating to knowledge of personal finance and investing  including superannuation. This guided the development of the NGS Knowledge Centre  a personalisable online information portal designed with real member needs in mind.

Member needs were at the heart of the entire website redesign; instead of pre-determining what customers want and need, NGS Supers new website prioritises intelligent search and quick links as a way to hand control back to users. By creating smooth, satisfying navigation that responds directly to the user, these features ensure that customers are always able to find the information and content theyre looking for.

Tash Tan, head of digital at S1T2, explained the importance of well-designed search functionality and site navigation to generating a seamless online experience.

Says Tan: By improving the efficacies behind organising and presenting data, we hope to create greater value for all of NGS Supers customers in line with how audiences look for information today. These capabilities are the first step to providing a user centric design experience, one that considers the importance of a user journey catered to your needs.

Applying the principles of material design across the website design represents a particularly important development in the quality of NGS Supers online presence. By capitalising on natural visual cues and the idea of meaning in motion, material design creates an organic digital landscape that provides a more intuitive user experience.

Loyce Cox-Paton, head of brand and digital at NGS Super, described the new website design as crucial to the industry funds overall strategy for user engagement.

Says Cox-Paton: At NGS Super, we aim to provide a whole wealth solution to our members by listening to our target groups and how they wish to engage with their superannuation fund.

We wanted to create a place that housed everything our members wanted to know, not just about superannuation but their whole wealth journey. The findings of our research really guided this process and revealed members were after easy-to-understand content about the relevant things impacting their finances  including investment strategies, global and local market movements and changes to superannuation policy and regulation.

We answered this call for content by arranging an exclusive and free-to-members content-sharing partnership with Alan Kohlers The Constant Investor  granting members access to content in line with their financial needs  a move that has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from members.

Making sure our members are engaged with their super is a key focus at NGS Super, and for the superannuation industry as a whole. We want to take the lead in listening to our members, to reassure them that we are here and present on their financial journeys, by providing them with a central hub of information easily accessible through our new website.
| BY Ricki Green |

Sydney Water has appointed Identity Communications to its panel of creative, design and multicultural agencies after a competitive tender. The appointment is effective immediately.

Sydney Water is Australias largest water and wastewater provider, servicing almost five million people in Sydney, the Illawarra and Blue Mountains areas. Census statistics show that in Sydney one in three people speak a language other than English at home and Identity Communications key role will be supporting Sydney Waters communications to its highly diverse customer base.

Identity Communications has been appointed to the multicultural agency roster, supporting the roll out of Sydney Waters external communications program. A key focus will be to reinforce the high quality of Sydneys water supplies delivered straight to peoples taps.

In appointing Identity Communications to its multicultural communications agency roster, Sydney Water was impressed with the agencys digital communications and social media capabilities.

Part of the IPG Mediabrands group of businesses, Identity Communications will be working with other Mediabrands agencies to deliver a comprehensive communications program for Sydney Water. These agencies include data, technology and insights business Cadreon, socially-led marketing agency Society, as well as activations and brand experience agency Ensemble.

Says Thang Ngo (left), managing director, Identity Communications: Multicultural audiences are highly digital, very mobile and have deep engagement with content that is relevant to them. This is an area where Identity works 24/7 and we are looking forward to our assignment with Sydney Water.
| BY Ricki Green |

Toyota New Zealand has refreshed its enduring brand platform Believe in a new campaign that highlights and celebrates Toyotas belief in growing and supporting the best of Kiwi life via Saatchi & Saatchi, New Zealand.

Featuring an optimistic young girl named Billie and her loving Grandad, each spot gently brings to life Toyotas core brand beliefs, while also highlighting Toyotas commitment to New Zealand through its sponsorships and community commitments.

Says Andrew Davis, GM of used vehicles and marketing, Toyota: We launched our Believe branding in 2009 and it has provided a great vehicle for expressing our organisations values to stakeholders and customers.

As our Believe branding matures, we have been able to express these values through our actions and partnerships. The latest of these is our new campaign which has further evolved Believe to be more future thinking  and the playful dynamic between Billie and her Grandad provides the perfect environment.

Says Corey Chalmers, joint ECD, Saatchi & Saatchi: We were asked to bring the Believe principles to life in a typically Toyota way  through character, story, charm and magic moments. The new campaign is designed to show how Toyotas beliefs are reflected in everyday Kiwi life, through the endearing characters of Billie and Grandad. It was a joy to bring to life thanks to Kevin Denholm who has directed many Toyota campaigns over the years.

The campaign launched on Sunday night with further instalments to follow over the next couple of months.

Client: Toyota New Zealand Limited

Chief Executive Officer: Alistair Davis

General Manager UV & Marketing, Executive: Andrew Davis

Manager Marketing: Susanne Hardy

Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi

Managing Director: Paul Wilson

Creative & ECDs: Corey Chalmers and Guy Roberts

Head of Strategy: David McIndoe

Senior Producer: Joshua Forsman

Business Director: Susie Darling

Account Director: Amanda Brittain

Motion Graphics: Tomas Cottle

Production Company: Exposure

Producer: Jess Milne

Director: Kevin Denholm

DOP: Ginny Loane

Editor: Sam Brunette

Colourist: Ben Eagleton

Music & Sound Design: Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper & Shane Taipari @ Franklin Road

Photographer: Fraser Clements @ Match Photography

Retoucher: Andy Salisbury

Media: Starcom

General Manager: Sally Falconer
| BY Lynchy |

Y&R Malaysia has promoted Emir Shafri to Executive Creative Director, reporting to Y&R Asia Regional Chief Creative Officer Marcus Rebeschini.

Following a successful 5 years at Y&R Singapore, where he helped expand its digital division as the agencys Digital Lead, Shafri (pictured left) returned to his native KL as Creative Director in 2016. Now as Y&R Malaysias Executive Creative Director, Shafri works in partnership with the agencys Group Managing Director Lisa Hezila.

Shafri is gaining the reputation of being one of the regions top creative innovators, being named one of Asias most exciting up-and-coming creative technologists.

He helped Y&R become the first agency in Asia to be shortlisted for the Innovation Cannes Lion, as well as winning the coveted SXSW Interactive Innovation Award, plus gaining Singapores first Titanium Lions nomination and winning its first Cannes Chimera Lion, comprising a USD100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This on top of growing the agency with a slew of new business wins, as well as gaining several creative and effectiveness honours.

His achievements helped Y&R Singapore be honoured as the the No. 1 mobile winner across Asia Pacific at Spikes Asia in 2014, as well as being named Creative Agency of the Year in 2015 for the first time ever. He looks forward to injecting the innovative spirit into Y&R Malaysia, alongside Hezila and team.

Y&R has had a long line of amazing creative leaders, including my own father (Malaysian advertising veteran Dato Shafri Mohamad) who led the agency more than 25 years ago, said Shafri. Im most excited to have this opportunity to take up the baton and write the next chapter of Y&Rs long legacy of creative excellence together with a team of very talented folks and our client partners.

Commented Y&R Asia Chief Creative Officer Marcus Rebeschini, His accomplishments with Y&R speak volumes about his potential to evolve our Malaysia office into a new era.
 Flash

A Spring Airlines flight attendant serves a meal to a passenger in the 'Spring Plus' class, the business economy segment of the aircraft, during a flight. Spring Plus is the only class that offers food to fliers during flights of the budget airline. (Photo provided to China Daily)

Spring Airlines plans new flights from Chinese cities to neighboring markets

Spring Airlines (later abbreviated as Spring), China's first and largest budget carrier, is sewing up plans to consolidate and expand its overseas forays.

China's most internationalized airline, Spring already has nearly 40 percent of its capacity serving international flights.

This year, Spring plans to launch more routes from some Chinese cities to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and expand the markets in Phnom Penh and Cebu in the Philippines. Besides, more routes from inland Chinese cities to Japan are in the pipeline.

"Because of the limited scheduled flight time of major airports, most of our international flights are mid- and short-hauls between second- and third-tier Chinese cities and first- and second-tier foreign cities," said Zhang Wu'an, vice-president and spokesman for Spring Airlines.

"For instance, we have flights connecting (Chinese cities such as) Shijiazhuang in Hebei province with Nagoya in Japan, and Yangzhou in Jiangsu province and Lanzhou in Gansu province, with Bangkok. In addition, we have flights connecting Chengdu in Sichuan province with Phuket."

Given the government's strategic objective to expand the Belt and Road markets, and an increasing demand for outbound tourism from Chinese travelers, it's very necessary for domestic airlines to add more international flights, he said.

So, starting from 2015, Spring has launched flights from Chinese cities to destinations along the Belt and Road markets. Those routes include flights from Xi'an to Osaka in Japan, from Chengdu and Shenzhen to Siem Reap in Cambodia, and from Guangzhou to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. The routes have played a crucial role in guiding Spring's expansion into more overseas markets.

Established in 2004, the Shanghai-based Spring is the aviation subsidiary of Shanghai Spring International Travel Service. It became the first budget airline in China to set up an overseas joint venture. Currently, it has a subsidiary in Japan, and overseas bases in South Korea and Thailand.

By June last year, Spring's fleet comprised 60 Airbus A320 aircraft. By 2020, it plans to own 100 A320 jets in all. Since the second half of 2016, Spring adjusted part of its international capacity to the domestic market, due to volatile political situations in some countries in the region.

"All of our aircraft are Airbus A320, and largely we have only economy class. The single type of aircraft and class setup have enabled us to lower the costs of staff license training, air materials reserve and flight maintenance management. After modification, we increased cabin capacity to 186 seats. Our average passenger occupancy rate is around 95 percent, which makes us one of the domestic airlines with top occupancy rate," Zhang said.

"We simplified ground and cabin services, and lowered the weight limit of free check-in baggage. We also sell the tickets through direct online and mobile selling, instead of relying on agents. These measures have helped us to reduce the costs and flight ticket prices.

"With our low-cost operating model and price advantages, we would like to further discover the potential markets in second- and third-tier cities. We hope to exploit growth opportunities presented by China's new wave of urbanization."

Zhang further said the airline currently faces cost challenges from rising fuel prices, a major part of the company's operational costs. Besides, competition from overseas budget airlines is intensifying.

Li Xiaojin, a professor of aviation economics at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, said: "The oil price rise will have a negative effect on domestic airlines. Airlines are very susceptible to fluctuations in oil prices, and it will be a challenge to their economic performance.

"The oil prices are unlikely to drop or surge significantly. Airlines could take some steps to hedge against the risks. They can prepare to levy a fuel surcharge on passengers and take other measures to reduce oil consumption, as the impact is likely to be long-term," he said.
| BY Lynchy |

Jack Morton Worldwide has fortified its creative team in the Asia-Pacific region with the appointment of executive creative directors based in Singapore and Australia.

Jonas Pinzke (pictured) has been appointed as executive creative director, Singapore and reports to Managing Director, Charles Robinson. Also Oz Dean has joined the Australian office as executive creative director and reports to Managing Director, Helen Graney.

Our ECD appointments are designed to support the burgeoning business needs of our clients in the Asia-Pacific region. Both Jonas and Oz are highly talented creative leaders who will be a huge asset for our clients and our teams across the Jack Morton network, said Bruce Henderson, Chief Creative Officer, Jack Morton Worldwide.

Pinzke is a creative leader with 20 years of industry experience and has helped many global brands transform and stay relevant through immersive brand experiences. He was the co-founder and executive creative director of Swedish-based brand experience agency, StudioNoc and also founded the Good Guys, a sustainability-focused innovation agency. Jonas has worked with many leading brands including Absolut Vodka, Nike, H&M, Volvo, IKEA, Puma, Ericsson, Coca-Cola, Unicef, Aveda and Audi.

On his role Pinzke said, The growing experience economy coupled with Jacks expertise in creating extraordinary experiences means its a tremendous time to be joining the agency. This fact, combined with the growing importance of the Asian market, makes me very excited about the impact well be able to deliver to our clients. Im thrilled to join the team in Singapore.

Dean (pictured left) has over 18 years industry experience, that spans Europe, Asia and Australia and has seen him work with brands including Samsung, Lion, Netflix, Playstation, Activision, Airbnb, Singapore Airlines, Telstra and Google. Prior to joining Jack Morton Worldwide in Australia, Oz held lead creative roles at agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA DAN, UM and We Are Social where his team led the social launch for Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
Both artists take as their inspiration aspects of nature  perhaps it is no coincidence that both have been finalists in the prestigious Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize (Curtis in 2013 and Schwarzrock in 2014). Curtis is interested in the structural elements of organisms while Schwarzrock is drawn towards the fluidity of living forms. Curtis has explored his interest in structure through creating multiple cells in glass that are bonded together by a confining metal structure as if in a two dimensional plane. In earlier works such as the Xylem series, the cell had a central aperture so that the light changed in density and colour depending from which angle the work was viewed. Later works have more intensity of surface light. In some examples the walls of cell-like structures are massed together like sections of living organisms viewed as through a microscope. An outstanding work, Neodymium Paired Section, 2017 (neodymium is a rare earth magnet made up of a crystalline structure), is breathtaking with its "bubbles" of glass that appear to be floating as if caught in waves of sparkling colour. The two curved "wings" of glass (Feather section small and Feather section, multi-coloured) are more fluid and organic in form as they are not bound within a metal frame. In these works the luminous coloured forms become a protective arc of glass "feathers". In the use of tubular forms to make up these "wings", it is hard not to see the influence of neon tubes  a burgeoning interest in neon light that both artists appear to share.
"Especially due to the high proportion of people who are innovation focused, as well as the rise over the last few years of a strong foodie culture and great restaurants within Canberra," he said.
The Public Service Commissioner, John Lloyd, appears to have been properly vigilant in administering the public comment guidelines. However, he has done himself no favours by writing an article in the Murdoch press barracking to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a matter that has nothing to do with his current responsibilities and is a political hot potato if ever there was one. Anyway, not much harm seemed to be done as there were few if any ructions as a consequence of Lloyd rushing into print. And why should there be, as the resuscitated construction watchdog is unlikely to do anything to improve productivity in the industry as it can do no more than try to treat the symptoms of its dysfunctions and not their causes.
WASHINGTON  Having trouble following the fast-moving developments about the Trump teams ties to Russia? Heres a primer to get you up to speed:

President Trump got to know Russian President Vladimir Putin very well, but he doesnt know Putin.

Putin sent Trump a present and they spoke, but Trump has no relationship with him.

Trump has nothing to do with Russia, but his son has said Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets and we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.

Russia definitely hacked the Democratic National Committee, unless it was a 400-pound man in his bedroom or a guy in a van down by the river.

U.S. intelligence agencies allege that Putin meddled in the election to try to get Trump elected, but this was all a ruse and a fake news fabricated deal to try and make up for the loss of the Democrats.

There was no communication between Trumps team and Russia during the campaign and transition, except for communication with Russia by Trumps future national security adviser, his future attorney general, his son-in-law and two others.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not have communications with the Russians, except for the two meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak he neglected to mention under oath.

Sessions said he never discussed the campaign with Russians, which is not what was alleged.

Sessions had no idea what this allegation is about regarding his Russian contacts but had an enough of an idea what its about to declare it is false.

Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, but this decision is unrelated to the discovery that he spoke twice with the Russian ambassador despite his claims that he had no such meetings.

Sessions cannot confirm the investigation he recused himself from exists or will exist in the future.

Sessions believes that perjury is one of the constitutional high crimes and misdemeanors and goes to the heart of the judicial system, except his false testimony under oath to Congress was not a false statement but a case of speaking too quickly.

Sessions met with the Russian ambassador during the time Sessions was serving as a surrogate for the Trump campaign, but not in his capacity as a surrogate for the Trump campaign.

Sessions remembers nothing of his meetings with the Russian ambassador, except that he remembers clearly talking about terrorism and religion and Ukraine and hes sure they didnt talk about the campaign.

It was a total coincidence that around the same time Sessions was meeting with the Russian ambassador, Trump gave an interview that ended up on Russian state-owned TV saying he didnt believe reports of Russian influence in the U.S. election.

Trump, Trumps press secretary and a broad swath of Republican members of Congress said there is no reason for Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation from which Sessions recused himself.

The incendiary and salacious dossier by a former British intelligence official on Trumps involvement with Russia was completely unverified, but U.S. authorities were prepared to pay the man who wrote it.

Carter Page, who has extensive ties to Moscow, had no role in the Trump campaign, except that Trump, meeting with The Washington Posts editorial board, listed Page as an adviser.

Reports of the Trump teams ties to Russia are fake news, yet those who leaked the information for those articles need to be found and punished.

Trump ousted Michael Flynn, his national security adviser, who Trump says did nothing wrong.

Flynn, who spoke several times with Kislyak on the day President Obama announced sanctions against Russia, told Vice President Pence and the FBI that the discussion that intelligence officials heard them having about sanctions was not a discussion about sanctions.

The sanctions that Flynn reportedly discussed with Kislyak, in the conversation he cant entirely remember, were not really sanctions.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort had absolutely nothing to do and never has with Russia, except for his extensive work for Russian oligarchs and pro-Russia forces in Ukraine.

Manafort declared in the fall that theres no investigation going on by the FBI that Im aware of into his contacts with Russia, months after that investigation began.

Sessions previously asserted that no one is above the law and that failure to punish people for being untruthful under oath will weaken the legal system, and he proclaimed that Im very careful about how I conduct myself in these matters. Except when he isnt.

So, now you know everything there is to know about Trump and Russia. This has been a public service announcement.
UW-Madison students could soon be able to use food stamps to pay for meals on campus.

University Housing officials are working on a plan that would let students and others who receive aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use those benefits at campus dining halls and markets starting in the fall 2017 semester. They believe the initiative would make UW-Madison the first college in the country to accept food stamps at cafeterias.

Student advocates who pushed for the change say its a way for UW to better meet the needs of low-income students. This opens the doors to a more inclusive campus where students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, Associated Students of Madison chairwoman Carmen Gosey said.

Brooke Evans, an ASM member who lobbied for the new program, said it can be difficult for those who rely on government assistance to feel normal as students, because they cant eat at dining halls with their peers.

We were eating isolated, not next to other people, said Evans, a formerly homeless student who has advocated for initiatives such as a campus food pantry to support low-income students.

UW officials have some logistical work to do before the plan becomes a reality.

University Housing must apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval to become a SNAP retailer, and inspectors will have to visit campus dining facilities.

Because federal rules limit what types of food may be purchased with government assistance, University Housing director Jeff Novak said the office will have to go through all of the items it sells to determine what is eligible.

For instance, students could not use food stamps to buy certain prepared, hot items, such as pizza, Novak said, but could use them for cold items such as deli sandwiches or food from a salad bar.

UWs dining halls work on an a la carte system, in which students buy items individually, rather than paying a fixed price for a meal.

University Housing also operates markets, which function much like convenience stores, where Novak said integrating SNAP benefits would be simpler.
World's Largest Missions Organization to Children Turns 80 Contact: Rachel Hamel, Corporate Communications Manager,



WARRENTON, Mo., March 7, 2017 /



Last ministry year, trained workers presented the Christian Gospel, face to face, to 19.8 million children worldwide. Over 7.5 million children received literature for evangelism and discipleship.



Jesse Irvin Overholtzer founded CEF after reading a quote by evangelist Charles Spurgeon, "A child of five, if properly instructed, can as readily believe and be regenerated as anyone." Overholtzer found children eager to hear and respond to the Gospel.



CEF was incorporated in 1937, and Overholtzer's legacy continues. At CEF International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, one can see his desk, Bible, and the globe where he focused his prayers on the children of the world.



For 28 years Indianapolis businessman Reese Kauffman has served as volunteer president of CEF. Kauffman blends his passion for the Gospel with his business acumen. "Studies tell us that 85 percent of Christians respond to the Gospel before the age of 15. Why would we not invest our time, energy and resources in the place where we can realize the greatest return on our investment?" said Kauffman.



CEF employs over 3,200 workers worldwide, with 95 percent representing indigenous staff. Kauffman is a strong advocate of this approach. "It's less expensive to support national missionaries, they don't have to learn a new language, and they understand the culture," explained Kauffman. Last ministry year, over 343,000 volunteers were trained to evangelize and disciple children.



The signature CEF program is the Good News Club. These Bible clubs are held in community centers, YMCAs, housing projects, parks, and schools  anyplace children can safely gather. Last ministry year, nearly 78,000 Good News Clubs were held worldwide. In the USA, after-school Good News Clubs are held, resulting from a 2001 Supreme Court decision assuring equal access to religious groups in schools allowing after-school activities.



In May 2017, CEF staff, volunteers, and supporters from around the world will gather to celebrate 80 years of "evangelizing and discipling children and establishing them in a local church." "This has been our mission statement since the beginning, and will continue as long as there are children who need to know God," said Kauffman.



www.cefonline.com

Share Tweet Contact: Rachel Hamel, Corporate Communications Manager, Child Evangelism Fellowship , 636-456-4321 ext 1177WARRENTON, Mo., March 7, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), the world's largest missions organization dedicated to children, will turn 80 this year, and continues to grow. The organization is active in most nations of the world.Last ministry year, trained workers presented the Christian Gospel, face to face, to 19.8 million children worldwide. Over 7.5 million children received literature for evangelism and discipleship.Jesse Irvin Overholtzer founded CEF after reading a quote by evangelist Charles Spurgeon, "A child of five, if properly instructed, can as readily believe and be regenerated as anyone." Overholtzer found children eager to hear and respond to the Gospel.CEF was incorporated in 1937, and Overholtzer's legacy continues. At CEF International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, one can see his desk, Bible, and the globe where he focused his prayers on the children of the world.For 28 years Indianapolis businessman Reese Kauffman has served as volunteer president of CEF. Kauffman blends his passion for the Gospel with his business acumen. "Studies tell us that 85 percent of Christians respond to the Gospel before the age of 15. Why would we not invest our time, energy and resources in the place where we can realize the greatest return on our investment?" said Kauffman.CEF employs over 3,200 workers worldwide, with 95 percent representing indigenous staff. Kauffman is a strong advocate of this approach. "It's less expensive to support national missionaries, they don't have to learn a new language, and they understand the culture," explained Kauffman. Last ministry year, over 343,000 volunteers were trained to evangelize and disciple children.The signature CEF program is the Good News Club. These Bible clubs are held in community centers, YMCAs, housing projects, parks, and schools  anyplace children can safely gather. Last ministry year, nearly 78,000 Good News Clubs were held worldwide. In the USA, after-school Good News Clubs are held, resulting from a 2001 Supreme Court decision assuring equal access to religious groups in schools allowing after-school activities.In May 2017, CEF staff, volunteers, and supporters from around the world will gather to celebrate 80 years of "evangelizing and discipling children and establishing them in a local church." "This has been our mission statement since the beginning, and will continue as long as there are children who need to know God," said Kauffman.
National Black Prolife Coalition Asks President Trump for Protection from Planned Parenthoods' Targeting



STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga., March 7, 2017 /



"After forty-four years of abortion, it is plain to see Planned Parenthood is targeting women of color in order to meet the goals of The Negro Project launched in 1939. Tragically, they are succeeding. Planned Parenthoods' work violates the very principals of Civil Rights and is steeped in the eugenic population control dogma of their founder, Margaret Sanger" said Catherine Davis, President of the Restoration Project.



Abortion is genocide, the number one killer of blacks in America. "Planned Parenthood smooth-talks themselves into the homes of vulnerable women and takes advantage of them, selling them deadly contraceptives and abortion rather than life-affirming assistance," says Evangelist Alveda King. None of the efforts of my Uncle Martin Luther King, Jr or my dad, the Reverend A. D. King were directed toward taking the lives of unborn Black and brown babies. Their work was always to protect life. Civil rights begins in the womb.



Recent research by



In 2014 (the latest year their numbers have been published), Planned Parenthood performed 323,999 abortions, almost a third of all the abortions provided that year. It is not hard to believe most of these abortions were on Black or Latino children.



Walter B. Hoye II, President of the Issues4Life Foundation says "Keeping the Black American community smaller and less powerful reflects the eugenic and genocidal mindset behind the abortion policies advanced by Planned Parenthood. When you understand Planned Parenthood is subsidized by half a billion taxpayer dollars each year you have to conclude that Black American abortions representing 69 times the number of Black American homicides are an entirely intended consequence of legalized abortion."



Pastor Stephen Broden of Protect Life and Marriage Texas agrees, "There are many pathologies adversely impacting the black community and abortion is number one on the list. We cannot allow Planned Parenthood to continue its deliberate slaughter of our babies. Our women and children are being assaulted physically and psychologically through Planned Parenthoods' plot to regulate our population."



"This is a national epidemic that directly impacts our major urban areas. I hope President Donald J. Trump will give attention to this malady as he promises to restore America's inner cities," said Reverend Dean Nelson, President, Frederick Douglass Foundation.

Share Tweet Contact: Catherine Davis, 678-381-1058STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga., March 7, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- On March 1, the National Black Prolife Coalition wrote to President Trump requesting Planned Parenthood be defunded  immediately and some of those resources allocated to help those most harmed by Planned Parenthood's genocidal campaign."After forty-four years of abortion, it is plain to see Planned Parenthood is targeting women of color in order to meet the goals of The Negro Project launched in 1939. Tragically, they are succeeding. Planned Parenthoods' work violates the very principals of Civil Rights and is steeped in the eugenic population control dogma of their founder, Margaret Sanger" said Catherine Davis, President of the Restoration Project.Abortion is genocide, the number one killer of blacks in America. "Planned Parenthood smooth-talks themselves into the homes of vulnerable women and takes advantage of them, selling them deadly contraceptives and abortion rather than life-affirming assistance," says Evangelist Alveda King. None of the efforts of my Uncle Martin Luther King, Jr or my dad, the Reverend A. D. King were directed toward taking the lives of unborn Black and brown babies. Their work was always to protect life. Civil rights begins in the womb.Recent research by ProtectingBlackLife.org reveals that not only are 79% of their surgical facilities located within a two-mile radius of a Black or Latino neighborhood but Planned Parenthood is accelerating their targeting by constructing facilities 10,000 sq. ft. or larger. An alarming 88 percent (22 of 25 mega-centers) target women of color. Disturbingly, 80 percent target Black communities, 56 percent target Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods and 80 percent target one or more colleges. In total, 24 of 25 of the mega-centers target women of color, college women, or both.In 2014 (the latest year their numbers have been published), Planned Parenthood performed 323,999 abortions, almost a third of all the abortions provided that year. It is not hard to believe most of these abortions were on Black or Latino children.Walter B. Hoye II, President of the Issues4Life Foundation says "Keeping the Black American community smaller and less powerful reflects the eugenic and genocidal mindset behind the abortion policies advanced by Planned Parenthood. When you understand Planned Parenthood is subsidized by half a billion taxpayer dollars each year you have to conclude that Black American abortions representing 69 times the number of Black American homicides are an entirely intended consequence of legalized abortion."Pastor Stephen Broden of Protect Life and Marriage Texas agrees, "There are many pathologies adversely impacting the black community and abortion is number one on the list. We cannot allow Planned Parenthood to continue its deliberate slaughter of our babies. Our women and children are being assaulted physically and psychologically through Planned Parenthoods' plot to regulate our population.""This is a national epidemic that directly impacts our major urban areas. I hope President Donald J. Trump will give attention to this malady as he promises to restore America's inner cities," said Reverend Dean Nelson, President, Frederick Douglass Foundation.
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.
Well-drilling Campaign Taps into Millennial Christian Concerns to Further World Evangelism Efforts Reach Beyond's Fill My Cup initiative pairs healthcare help with news of the gospel's 'life-giving water'



Contact: Darin Campbell,

512-785-8350;

Press kit available



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 7, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- A new project aims to tap into millennial Christians' strong social conscience and release a new wave of support for efforts to bring lasting spiritual change to needy parts of the world.



Photo: As a part of Reach Beyond's holistic approach to ministry, many wells have been strategically placed near radio stations so villagers can hear the gospel when they come to get water. Not only are communities being transformed physically, many have been transformed spiritually.



Missionary organization Reach Beyond is launching Fill My Cup to raise money to drill a clean water well in a part of Africa where people have been resistant to the gospel, anticipating that the better health project will open doors to share the gospel.



The organization believes that by its demonstrating how practical projects like providing clean water can become a bridge for evangelismsharing the good news of the "living water" of which Jesus spokemore young Christians will be inspired to rally behind similar efforts.



"We admire how so many millennial Christians have a high concern about issues of social justice," said Reach Beyond President Steve Harling. "But they also tend to be less invested in sharing the gospel. We want to help them learn more about how the two can go togethera practical demonstration of God's care naturally leading to opportunities to share the gospel."



Through its longtime media- and medical-based ministry, Reach Beyond is well aware how much a lack of clean water negatively affects thousands of communities in the developing world, from poor health to the loss of educational opportunities for young people, especially girls. They are often forced to miss school to instead walk long distances to hand-carry home water for cooking and washing.



Over the past few years, the organization has worked with partners to provide more than 20 wells in four countries in Africa as well as Central Asia, Haiti and Nepal. "We have been able to use the opportunity of providing life-giving physical water to share about God's great gift of eternal living water," said Harling.



The 60-day Fill My Cup campaign focuses on millennials and aims to raise at least $12,000 to fund a well-drilling project in a predominantly Muslim area historically resistant to the gospel. Targeting social media platforms favored by younger people, the campaign launches March 1 to incorporate two important dates on the calendarWorld Water Day (March 22) and World Health Day (April 7).



Donors will receive a thank-you gift for their support: a handmade African keychain, a T-shirt bearing the message "Nsupa ye de," which means "Good water is tasty" in the Akan language, or an exclusive signed African-themed print from Reach Beyond staff member and artist Brian Mellema.



"We believe that many young Christians will want to be part of this kind of two-handed presentation of the gospel, when they see how providing practical, physical help in God's name can become a vehicle for sharing the wonderful message of the gospel," said Harling. "By bringing people clean water, we can also introduce them to the source of living water."



For more information, go to www.reachbeyond.org/fillmycup.



Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org) is a media and medical-based evangelical outreach ministry with operations on five continents. It spreads the gospel of Jesus through modern media including radio broadcasts, webcasts, social media and solar-powered radio distribution. It also provides medical services to the needy throughout its network. Today, Reach Beyond, with an annual budget of approximately $19 million and has more than 1,000 staff members in 30 countries.



For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Darin Campbell, InChrist Communications  dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com, (512) 785-8350.



Press kit available at www.inchristcommunications.com/fillmycup

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The National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar has released an admission notification inviting applications from interested, eligible candidates to apply for its Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programme offered in the School of Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Mathematical Sciences for the academic session 2017.

The scholarship given by NISER is Rs 25,000 for first two years, which will subsequently be enhanced to Rs 28,000 for remaining three years.

Eligibility criteria:

Age limit: Not more than 28 years on April 1, 2017 (Born on/ after April 2, 1989).

Educational requirements:

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences: The candidates interested in applying for this program must possess 60 per cent marks in Master's in any branches of biology, life sciences or allied fields, pharmaceutical sciences and bioinformatics.

Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences: The candidates interested in applying for this program must possess 60 percent in masters in chemistry or allied fields.

Ph.D. in Physical Sciences: The candidates interested in applying for this program must possess 60 per cent or equivalent GPA cumulatively till the last year/semester examination appeared in MSc majoring in physics or ME/MTech in applied physics.

Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences: The candidates interested in applying for this program must possess 60 percent in masters in mathematics or statistics or computer science.

How is the selection procedure done?

The selection committee of the respective schools will short-list the candidates among those who meet the minimum educational qualifications and satisfy additional criteria which each school may set as deemed necessary.

The short-listed candidates will be called for an interview, supplemented by a written test, if necessary, for the admission.

Based on the academic record and the performance of the candidates in the selection process, the selection committee of the school will recommend candidates to the Chairman, Academic Council for admission to the Ph.D. program.

How to apply?

The application form has to be filled up online and candidates should follow stepwise instructions mentioned to complete the application submission process.

At the time of application, along with this online form, the candidate should upload soft copy of the supporting documents in favor of eligibility criteria as a single pdf file (maximum upload limit 2MB).

Candidates intending to apply for more than one school should fill up online application forms for each school and submit separate forms with appropriate supporting documents.

Two sealed letters of reference in the prescribed format with the signature of the referee on the envelope should be produced by the student at the time of interview.

NISER does not demand any entrance fee from the candidates who apply for the Ph.D. program.

Important dates:

Online application will be activated on March 2, 2017 (Thursday)

Last date for filling up online application: April 1, 2017 (Saturday)

List of short-listed candidates will be uploaded on NISER website latest by April 20, 2017.

The last date for submission of online application is April 1, 2017.

Tentative dates for test/ interview, at Jatni campus will be as follows:

School of Mathematical Sciences: May 17-18, 2017

School of Biological Sciences: May 16-17, 2017

School of Chemical Sciences: May 22- 23, 2017

School of Physical Sciences: May 18- 19, 2017

School of Humanities and Social Sciences: May 15- 16, 2017

Each school will send the call letters to the candidates separately.

Kindly refer to the website for the date of announcement of the selected candidates.

The registration will be done on July 25, 2017 (Tuesday).

Desirous candidates should send an email request to

http://www.niser.ac.in/notices/2017/academic/PhD-Advt-Summer-2017.pdf

Applicants are encouraged to visit school web page for information on research

activities & admissions.

IIHMR Opens Admission For MBA Program 2017
Some minor changes have been incorporated by the Bar Council of India (BCI) in the syllabus of All India Bar Examination (AIBE). The exam is going to be conducted on March 26. All those interested and eligible candidates who have not applied yet are required to do the same at the official website www.allindiabarexamination.com.

However, no official notification has been released on this. But one can find the changes in the syllabus provided on the website. The subjects are taken from the syllabi prescribed by the Bar Council of India for the three-year andfive-yearr Ll.B. programmes at law schools in India.

Addition of New All India Bar Exam Syllabus

Four new subjects namely have been added into the syllabus. They are

Public Interest Litigation (four marks)

Law Related to Taxation (four marks)

Land Acquisition Act (two marks)

Intellectual Property Law (two marks)

These subjects were not presented earlier but have been added. Also, 12 questions will be asked from these new subjects. The weightage from Family Law has been increased to eight marks.

Deleted Subjects in AIBE Syllabus

Jurisprudence

Limitation Act (however, code of civil procedure and criminal procedure code have certain provisions around limitation which may still be asked)

Environmental Law ( questions around constitutional law and environment can still be asked)

Corporate Social Responsibility (one cannot rule out the possibility of questions around corporate social responsibility featuring inside the companies act quota)

About AIBE:

According to AIBE official website, the objective of The All India Bar Examination (AIBE) is to examine an advocate's capability to practice the profession of law in India. The AIBE will assess skills at a basic level, and is intended to set a minimum benchmark for admission to the practice of law; it addresses a candidate's analytical abilities and understanding basic knowledge of law.

After passing the examination candidate will be awarded "Certificate of Practice" by the Bar Council of India. AIBE will be conducted in 40 cities all across India. Candidates will have 11 languages to choose for attempting the examination.

Examination pattern will be multiple choice question and it will be open book exam. The notification bringing the All India Bar Examination into force was passed by the Legal Education Committee and the members of the Bar Council of India at duly constituted meetings on April 10, 2010 and April 30, 2010.

AUCET 2017: Apply at Andhra University Before April 15
home World Syrian Muslim refugees in Lebanon are turning to Christ despite threats

A considerable number of Syrian Muslim refugees who fled to Lebanon have converted to Christianity despite the attacks and threats from extremists.

Abu Radwan, who hails from the city of Homs in Syria, said that Jesus appeared to him in a dream two years ago. He and his family came to Lebanon at the beginning of the civil war, according to PRI.

Radwan said that he started attending church and became a Christian seven months later. "I believed that Jesus was coming to help us, to save us," he recounted.

He and his family were baptized by Bishop George Saliba at a church in Beirut. The bishop noted that he has baptized around 100 Muslim refugees since the civil war began in 2011.

"Because [of] the constitution of Lebanon, they have the right to change their religion [here]. But in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, it is impossible," he said.

At another church in Beirut, one pastor said that his church provides food and assistance to those in need, but it does not push anyone to convert. The pastor did not want to be identified because his church fears reprisal from extremist groups like ISIS.

"The ones that accept the Lord, we put them in groups," he says. "We teach them about the Bible and the Lord so they will grow in faith," he added.

Some Syrian Christian refugees, and even Christian leaders, raise questions about the motives of those seeking to convert to Christianity. Some believe that they are just looking for assistance and help to immigrate to Western countries.

Radwan said that he receives about $200 a month from his church, and he believes that being a Christian would make it easier for his family to resettle in a Western country.

Many refugees like Radwan believe that being a Christian would give them an advantage in resettling to other countries. However, the U.N. identifies refugees in need of resettlement based on vulnerability criteria. The U.S. has used the same criteria and has not given preference to Christians.

In 2016, fewer than one percent of the Syrian refugees accepted by the U.S. were Christians even though 10 percent of the Syrian population is Christian.

Radwan said that he has tried many ways to leave Lebanon. His decision to convert to Christianity has put him and his family at greater risk.

He narrated that he was stabbed recently as he was coming home from church. He contended that the attackers were Syrians from his tribe who do not accept his conversion. His wife still wears the hijab outside of the church for her safety.

Radwan said that his conversion has made it almost impossible to go back to Syria as his tribe has issued an order to have him killed. But despite the recent attack and the threat, he does not regret his conversion.

"I was relieved when I was baptized. If I die, now, here in front of the church, I will die in peace," he said.
Part of Hyundais plan that will see the launch of at least 14 new environmentally-focused models by 2020, the new FE Fuel Cell Concept has been unveiled in front of the 2017 Geneva Motor Show audience.



Its name, FE, stands for Future Eco, which according to the Koreans, reflects the innovative new technologies that complement the cars eco-friendliness.

But thats not its most important feature, as the concept is capable of running for more than 800 km (~ 500 miles) between refueling, due to the fourth generation of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Thanks to that, the fuel cell tech is now 20 percent lighter, achieves 10 percent greater efficiency and has a 30 percent increased power density in the fuel cell stack when compared to the Tucson ix35 Fuel Cell.

Moreover, the show car also features portable battery packs, which are charged by the vehicles energy output to power passenger devices, and it has an integrated storage and charging space in the boot, for an electric scooter.

Hyundai Motor has a heritage of building innovative, fuel-efficient vehicles that advance the automotive industrys environmental progress. Our FE Fuel Cell Concept is an important evolution of our pioneering hydrogen leadership, and moves us closer to our vision for a Hydrogen Society, where transportation is clean, efficient and enhances the lives of our customers, said Hyundais Vice Chairman, Woong Chul Yang.

Its shape is said to have been inspired by nature and water, which emphasizes its zero-emission capability. It has a clean exterior with slender headlights, specially designed taillights that follow the same pattern as the LED DRLs, and some massive rims.

Inside, it has a minimalistic layout, with blue ambient lighting and three generous sized screens. One of them acts as an infotainment, the other replaces the traditional analogue dials, and a third one, located in front of the gear shifter, has something to do with smartphone screen mirroring, apparently.

Some of the elements of the new Hyundai FE Fuel Cell Concept will influence a hydrogen-powered SUV, which will launch in 2018. This will feature an extensive range and the Hyundai Smart Sense driver assist technologies.

PHOTO GALLERY
Despite the heavy opposition to Franklin Graham headlining the Festival of Hope in Vancouver over this past weekend, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) is reporting overwhelming numbers of conversions. In fact, Graham took to a Canadian media outlet to say the controversy aided the packed audience he spoke to at the Rogers Arena.

Months prior to the event, which the BGEA reports over 34,000 people attended over the weekend, a group of concerned clergy and the mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, asked Graham not to be the one to present the gospel message at the gathering due to his political comments. After receiving a less-than-satisfactory answer from Graham, who proceeded to speak at the event on Sunday, March 5, 2017, the group published their letter to Graham and BGEA. Their congregations, which they said represented 60 percent of the Christians in Vancouver, went so far as to boycott the event.

On Friday before the event started, Graham acquiesced to interviews with media outlets in Vancouver, including CBC News. In an interview released Friday, Graham addressed the churches that opposed his presence, saying, They certainly have the right to oppose, but they never were supporting me to begin with. The 300 churches that invited me, that invitation is still there and theyre still 100 percent behind me being here.

Graham went on to invite anyone belonging to those churches to come to the event to see if the concerns that theyve had are warranted or not.

In another video published by CBC News, Graham addresses the mayors opposition to him coming by saying, Thank you Mr. Mayor. Youve helped us with hundreds of thousands of dollars of publicity. I appreciate that.

The BGEA released an article Monday morning giving some of the highlights of the event, which they summarize as being a big success. The article says an estimated 1,900 people made decisions to follow Christ, and only a small group of protestors gathered outside the arena.
Hyundai is allowing visitors at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show to experience a drive in an autonomous car at the stand through two virtual-reality cockpits.



Coming to enlighten technology geeks from all over the world after being presented at the 2016 LA Auto Show, the actual Autonomous Ioniq concept that is being presented in a European premiere in Geneva is equipped with self-driving systems that are said to have been kept as simple as possible.

This was achieved by integrating existing functions from the production model, such as the forward-facing radar, smart cruise control, and Lane Keeping Assist cameras, and adding the LiDAR technology behind the front bumper, instead of using the typical roof-mounted approach, thus retaining the vehicles sleek design.

Additionally, the system also uses a GPS antenna that has the task of searching for the location of each vehicle, alongside high-definition mapping software that delivers pinpoint accuracy for location, road gradient, curvature, lane width and other data, while the Blind Spot Detection Radar allows for safe lane changes.

Hyundai claims that due to the added technology, the Autonomous Ioniq can drive itself through challenging situations safely, such as stop lights and signs, high levels of pedestrian traffic, road blocks, speed bumps, road construction sites, and so on.

The ultimate goal of the Korean automaker is coming up with a low-cost platform through extensive testing, developing, and refining its self-driving technologies, which will be affordable for the typical customer.

PHOTO GALLERY
General Motors has confirmed that it will lay off 1,100 employees from its Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan in May.



The job cuts come as GM shifts production of the new GMC Acadia SUV to its Tennessee plant in Spring Hill in a move which will see the plant enjoy 800 new jobs. The Michigan facility meanwhile will be retooled for a month and continue to build the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse.

In January, the automaker said that it would invest an additional $1 billion in its U.S. factories on the back of increased pressure from President Trump to build more cars in the United States. GM also promised to create or retain 1,500 jobs but hasnt yet detailed which jobs are affected.

In November last year, GM announced that 2,000 employees would lose their jobs after production was cut back at its Lordstown, Ohio and Lansing Grand River plants. Additionally, the company revealed in December that almost 1,300 jobs would be cut from its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant this month.

PHOTO GALLERY
Land Rover presented the fourth member of the Range Rover family in front of a live audience for the first time, at the Design Museum, in London, UK.



On display until March 5, the all-new SUV will now be taken to the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, where it will mark its second public appearance, after it was fully revealed last week.

We are delighted to be able to begin our partnership with the Design Museum with such a significant vehicle. The new Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of modernity to our brand, while reinforcing our total commitment to design and engineering excellence, commented Land Rovers CEO, Gerry McGovern.

Designed to fill the gap between the Evoque and Sport, its equipped with a suite of new technologies, including the Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, two 10-inch touchscreen displays, flush deployable door handles and full Matrix-Laser LED headlights, among others.

The automaker has already started taking orders for the new Range Rover Velar, ahead of its delivery kickoff scheduled for this summer, with prices commencing at 44,830 (equal to $55,100) in the UK, and from $49,900 in the United States.

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VIDEO
With the Bentley Bentayga sure to emerge as popular among those with the means as the Continental, you can bet therell be plenty of customers looking to make theirs their own. So tuners have been popping up left and right to offer their own take on the British sport-ute.



Weve seen enhancements from the likes of DMC, Startech, Lumma Design, and even Bentleys own Mulliner department. This latest comes from Mansory, which revealed its modifications for the big Flying B at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.

Called the Black Edition, Mansorys customized Bentayga announces its presence with a reformed front end, including bumper, grille, and hood  along with new side sills, two-part roof spoiler, and rear skirt.

Its all crafted from carbon fiber  along with the vents, door mirror housings, and other trim pieces  in a random arrangement the tuner calls its Collage Edition, ostensibly similar to the process that Lamborghini developed.

The tuner also managed to extract more power from the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine, now producing nearly 700 horsepower to raise the top speed by about 6 miles per hour.

It rides on a new lightweight cast-alloy wheel design with diamond-polished rims measuring 23 inches across. And the interior has been thoroughly reworked as well, though individual configurations will naturally come down to the well-heeled customers taste.

Photo Gallery
Want a mid-engined Ferrari roadster? Were afraid your opportunity has passed to get your hands on a LaFerrari Aperta, so your choice comes down to the 488 Spider. But if those are too thick on the ground in your Beverly Hills neighborhood, Mansory may have the answer.



The tuning house has arrived in Geneva with its new 4XX Siracusa Spider, its take on the eight-cylinder drop-top Prancing Horse. And as you can see, it has been extensively rebodied and adorned with all manner of aerodynamic appendages.

Looking sinister decked out all in black, the Siracusa Spider also wears striping in the colors of the Italian flag, with parts of the carbon left unfinished. Plus it rides on 20-inch gold-tone alloys to give it Mansorys signature touch of over-the-top opulence.

The tuner didnt stop with the visual factor, though, tuning the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 up to 780 horsepower and 642 lb-ft of torque  about a hundred (give or take) over stock. The suspension is dropped 0.8 inches closer to the ground, and Mansory says itll run to 62 in 2.9 seconds (a tick quicker than stock) and top out at 212 mph (instead of 205).

Whether youll look better in the process, of course, is entirely a matter of taste. But we will say that it looks distinctive, and isnt likely to be mistaken for your dentists Ferrari down at the country club.

Photo Gallery
Toyota has been promising for some time to release a hot hatch, and thats just what its done at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show with the introduction of the new Yaris GRMN.



Tuned by the Japanese automakers performance division (Gazoo Racing, Masters of the Nurburgring), the hot new Yaris is envisioned as the road-going counterpart to the rally machine Toyota fields in the WRC.

Motivation comes, as promised, from a forced-induction 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. But where most of its rivals are turbocharged, the Yaris GRMN goes with a supercharger. 205 horsepower gallop as a result to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. No fancypants DSGs or trick all-wheel drive systems here.

True to the divisions name, the new hot hatch was honed on the Nurburgring Nordshleife. The suspension pairs short springs with Sachs shocks and a beefy anti-roll bar. Its packed with additional bracing  including a structural bar under the hood between the front suspension towers  to the benefit of torsional rigidity and handling.

Theres a Torsen-style limited-slip differential to help get the power to the tarmac. And ventilated brake discs with four-piston callipers up front, packed into 17-inch BBS alloys, help keep everything in check.

The three-door bodystyle is wrapped in specific bodywork, with fresh bumpers front and rear, a roof spoiler, and rear diffuser, with a special red and black over white livery. Even the interior has been upgraded with racing buckets, a leather-wrapped steering wheel lifted from the Toyota 86, and aluminum pedals  all of which only serves to further emphasize the point that this is no ordinary Yaris.

Its the first GRMN product that will be offered in Europe (or outside of Japan for that matter), but sadly doesnt look likely to be offered in North America. Unfortunately pricing and performance stats have yet to be released, but these initial details put the Yaris GRMN in prime position to take on the likes of the new Ford Fiesta ST, VW Polo GTI, and Renaultsport Clio.

Photo Gallery
Chinese automaker Techrules believes that it has a real shot at the supercar segment with their first production model  the Ren.



Displayed in Geneva in a world premiere, the exotic machine is available in three configurations, with two, four, and six electric motors, and a patented diesel-fueled turbine (TREV) charging system.

Get ready to be blown away by the official output, as it sits at 1,305 PS (1,287 HP) and 2,340 Nm (1,725 lb-ft) of torque in the range-topper, which uses two electric motors at the front and four at the rear. This configuration allows the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration to be made in just 2.5 seconds; top speed stands at 320 km/h (199 mph).

If these numbers scare you, then the supercar can also be had with 870 PS (858 HP) and 1,560 Nm (1,150 lb-ft) of torque in the four-motor version, while the two-motor one comes with more down-to-earth figures of 435 PS (429 HP) and 780 Nm (575 lb-ft) of torque.

Coming to provide the necessary juice are three battery packs, with capacities of 14 kWh, 25 kWh and 32 kWh. These can be charged up to 80 percent in less than 15 minutes, using a DC fast charger, and have a lifespan of 100,000 cycles.

Two types of TREV are available  30 kW and 80 kW, and in its most frugal offering, the Techrules Ren can be driven for 2,000 km (1,243 miles) on 80 liters of fuel. Moreover, the zero-emission range stands at 200 km (124 miles). The automaker says that the TREV is more efficient when running on diesel, but it can also be used with gaseous fuels.

Numbers aside, the Techrules Ren doesnt look half bad, and for two good reasons  Fabrizio and Giorgetto Giugiaro, two renowned automotive designers, who have come up with the striking modular 3-cockpit look.

The supercar has a fighter jet-style canopy that rises to enable occupant access, alongside the star-burst reversing LEDs, laser headlights. The modular layout allows it to be configured with three canopies, providing the necessary space for the driver, driver and one passenger or driver and two passengers.

Three separate monitoring screens take center stage inside, alongside fine Italian leather, denim fabric, and exposed carbon-fiber section. Moreover, the Chinese incorporated speakers and microphones into the seats to improve communication between passengers, while the driver can talk to whoever is outside using a speaker and microphone-system hidden under the side badges.

Techrules estimates that production will commence next year, and a limited run 96 examples will be hand-built in Italy, but in no more than 10 units annually. Pricing has yet to be revealed, but it will likely sit in the 7-digit zone.

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Tesla Motors are currently investigating an incident in which a Model S caught fire, at a charging station in Shanghai, China.



According to Electrek, the electric vehicle wasnt plugged it when it burst into flames, and its not clear, at the moment, how the fire started, whether it was from the car itself, or from something left in the cabin.

The fire spread to another Tesla Model S that was charging at the Jinqiao Supercharger Station, but luckily, nobody was injured, as the automaker confirmed.

No one was harmed in this incident. Were undergoing a full investigation and well share our findings as soon as possible.

Aftermath pictures of the incident, posted by a Reddit user, show some cosmetic damages on the two Model S zero-emission cars, and more than a dozen empty fire extinguishers.

This is not the first time weve read about Tesla vehicles catching on fire. Among other incidents reported, there was one was that occured in Norway early last year, at a Supercharger station, and which was blamed on a short-circuit, while another one happened some six months later, in France, during a test drive event, and was due to a human error on the assembly line.

PHOTO GALLERY
Ive recently been working in 3 different continents, missing my kids a lot, sleeping too little and not playing piano enough. And then a couple of days ago, the animated film to which Ive dedicated the last 4 years of my life was shut down by the new studio execs.

According to the post, the project was cancelled by Dreamworks just a couple days earlier, on Friday, March 3. Minchin invited his fans to attend a performance last night in New York City, but warned that, The only way I know how to deal with my impotent fury and sadness is to subject members of the public to the spectacle of me getting drunk and playing ballads. I suspect I wont be very funny, I wont be doing any stand-up, and I might act a bit bitter and spoilt.

It marks the second project that the new Dreamworks management has cancelled in recent months. Last November, the new NBCUni bosses canned Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders Croods sequel.

The studios current line-up of confirmed release dates looks like this: The Boss Baby (March 31, 2017), Captain Underpants (June 2, 2017), How to Train Your Dragon 3 (March 1, 2019), Everest (September 27, 2019), Trolls 2 (April 10, 2020).

If the current schedule holds, Dreamworks will not release a film in 2018, marking just the second time in the studios history that that has happened (the first time was 1999, after the then-young studio had released its first two features in 1998).

There is no word yet whether the Larrikins crew will be transferred to another project or if studio employees will have to brace for another round of layoffs. There have already been multiple rounds of layoffs at Dreamworks since the Comcast takeover.

Larrikins was a musical comedy set in the Australian Outback and told the story of a desert-dwelling bilby who leaves his home under a rock to go on a roadtrip with a music band. It was being co-directed by Tim Minchin and Chris Miller (Shrek the Third, Puss in Boots) from a script by Harry Cripps. Minchin was also writing the films songs, while the voice cast included Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, and Margot Robbie.

Illustrator Peter de Seve (Ice Age series) confirmed on Twitter that he had been the first designer hired on the project, and shared a few pieces of concept art that hed created for the project:
Earlier this year, I paid a visit to General Cigar Companys operations in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar Company is one of the largest handmade premium cigar companies in the world. It would not only be this authors first visit to General Cigars operations, but also this authors first visit to the Dominican Republic.

The term vertical integration is often used in the cigar industry to describe a company being involved with all aspects of the cigar industry from the day the seeds are planted to the day the cigars that result from those tobacco plants arrive at the store. With many countries in the cigar industry, you will find that sometimes there are missing components to that process (for example, maybe a company doesnt actually make its own boxes). With General Cigar, this is not the case as it is one of the most comprehensive and complete vertically integrated operations I have seen.

General Cigar Dominicana is a massive operation. What I discovered is that this is a company that is committed to working with the best raw materials, the best people, and carrying out a series of well-defined processes to ensure that quality is maintained and integration from one activity to another occurs.

On my trip, I got to see the operation and capture some takeaways which I documented in this article. These things were everything from observations to best practices. My overall feeling here is big is not bad  and big can work and work quite well as there are some excellent products coming out of General. Some were lines I hadnt tried, others were lines I revisited.

General Cigar Dominicana at a Glance

As we mentioned, General Cigar Company is a giant. In the grand scheme of things, it is actually a subsidiary under a larger tobacco giant, Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Production for General Cigar products occurs in the three big non-Cuban tobacco producing countries in the world: Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. In each of these countries, General Cigar has a production operation. In Nicaragua, it is the STG Esteli factory while in Honduras it is HATSA (Honduras American Tobacco SA), and in the Dominican Republic, it is General Cigar Dominicana. The General Cigar Dominicana facility was the focus of my trip.

If you just take the General Cigar Dominicanas operation alone, it is still a massive cigar operation in its own right.

The key brands produced by General Cigar Dominicana produced Macanudo, Partagas, Cohiba, and La Gloria Cubana. However occasionally General is known to produce a brand in another factory. For example, while much of the Foundry brand has come out of Central America, there were some produced in General Cigar Dominicana. Another example is that La Gloria Cubana has also produced some lines in Nicaragua. Because brands like Punch and CAO come out of Honduras and Nicaragua, there was less of a presence at General Cigar Dominicana.

General Cigar Dominicana also produces cigars for other companies. For example, I happened to wander across the recently announced La Palina Classic Rosado cigars (before they were announced).

Countries like Honduras and Nicaragua have cities like Danli and Esteli respectively where the cigar industry epicenter is located. These are smaller municipalities. With General Cigar, it is located in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. Santiago is a city of nearly 700,000 people and still is the second largest city in that country.

The location of General Cigar Dominicana is actually in an industrial trade park known as La Corporation Zona Franca Industrial. In addition to General Cigar Dominicana, other cigar companies have factory operations at Zona Franca Industrial including Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia, Swisher Interntional, and De Los Reyes. As the name indicates, it is a free zone when it comes to trade  and it provides a strategic advantage to those companies located there.

Under the the Dominican free zone system, this relieves national and foreign investors of customs taxes, income taxes and other fiscal duties. It also provides production and export model that is 100% free of all national taxes.

Seed Pelletization

We visited a farm in the Mao region of the Dominican Republic. Perhaps of all of the cigar farm tours I have been on, this was the most comprehensive when it came to looking at the seeding process.

We were taken through the process of seeding. Seeds originate from tobacco flowers.

A tobacco pod is removed from the plant that contains the seeds:

Each pod can contain over a thousand tobacco seeds. These seeds are very, very tiny.

General Cigar goes through a seed sorting process. Each seed is graded by weight  A, B, or C. It is the Grade A seeds that are used. The seeds that are larger and have the most weight are the best candidates to yield a good tobacco plant.

There is an extra step that General takes called Seed Pelletization. This was the first time I had seen this. The seeds are actually sent back to the United States where a clay coating is placed over a seed. Each seed is also color coated. This process also makes the seed larger. The seeds are sent back to the farm (in this case the Dominican Republic). A machine at the farm is then used to plant the seed. The pelletization process allows the seed machine to work better with the tobacco seed.

The video below shows the pelletized seeds placed into he seed machine, where the process of growing the initial seedling is commenced,

Removing Tobacco Leaf Stems by Machine

I havent been to every cigar factory in the world, so seeing a machine to remove a tobacco stem was a first for me. In the factories I had toured in the past, there was a process where each tobacco stem in a leaf was removed by hand. Given the amount of tobacco that General Cigar has, this did not surprise me.

Tobacco Procurement

Perhaps one differentiator with General Cigar is how they source tobacco from countries and regions where it does not have farms. This includes many of the exotic tobaccos from countries such as Cameroon, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. With most tobacco companies (especially small to medium ones), this tobacco is often sourced via tobacco broker and then purchased by the tobacco company. This is not the case with General Cigar as they basically source the tobacco directly. The man who heads up this operation in General Cigar is Ernest Gocaj, the Director of Tobacco Procurement.

Gocaj has been nicknamed the Indiana Jones of the Cigar Business. Gocaj travels to these exotic countries and negotiates directly with the farmers. He often has to deal with some very dangerous conditions (he noted issues in Cameroon and Mexico) as well as corruption. Still in the end, being able to source these types of tobacco directly is a huge competitive advantage for General.

Tobacco Inventory

Any good cigar starts with good raw materials. Between the leaf that General processes in house and what they procure, there is quite an assortment at their disposal.

Very simply, what I saw at General Cigar Dominicana was massive. Chances are if someone at General was looking for a particular tobacco varietal, it most likely exists in the General Cigar Dominicana walls.

Some of the tobaccos are quite old. The photo below is from a bale happened to have binder leaf from 2004 (nearly 13 years old at press time). With 127 pounds of tobacco, there is quite a bit here.

La Gloria Cubana

La Gloria Cubana was a brand founded by Ernesto Perez-Carrillos Miami-based El Credito cigar company. This was a true boutique company Perez-Carrillo would sell El Credito to General Cigar in 1999. Since that acquisition, General Cigar moved the brand from Miami to the Dominican Republic and remained committed to keeping to the boutique roots of the La Gloria Cubana brand. Part of this was the establishment of a factory within a factory for the La Gloria Cubana brand.

Part of the reason for this is because the cigars produced here are more labor intensive. This is because of things such as the placement of ligeros in the tobaccos and some of the more unusual shapes such as La Gloria Cubanas Artesnaos series.

In the following video, Yuri Guillen, a member of the Team La Gloria Cubana, and the Manufacturing Manager of General Cigar Dominicana explains some of the unique things about La Gloria Cubanas factory within a factory.

Macanudo is a Big Brand

I knew Macanudo was General Cigars best selling brand  however when I saw how much Macanudo is produced compared to the other brands, it really set in. Macanudo is produced at General Cigar Dominicana. The photo below is mostly Macanudo branded product being prepared for shipment.

The brand will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018.

The People

One other core competency General Cigars has is its people. Many times we heard General Cigar our people are our most valuable asset when it comes to its labor force at the factory and people working at the field. The company prides itself on building passionate and loyal individuals to be a part if its rm

In the photo below, the higher performing employees are recognized with a green flag by their workstation on the factory.

The company works hard at building the skills needed to deliver handmade cigars. Every employee has a very specialized skill. Whether it is from sort tobacco to putting together boxes in a box factory.

One way General is able to attract and key top talent is through a series of social programs it offers its employees. These programs include: educational opportunities, educational assistance, literacy programs, school sponsorship, future entrepreneur development programs, providing transportation for its workers, pn-site food sales, onsite medical facilities, financial loans for employees, and environmental protection programs.

The Leadership

Over the past 18 months, General Cigar Company has undergone many changes in terms of its Senior leadership. The biggest change occurred a little over a year ago when Regis Broersma was named President of General Cigar Company. Previously Broersma served as Managing Director for STG Germany, While Broersma has fifteen years experience in the business, he also brings a element of youth to the leadership of the company. At the same time, Broersma is well-liked and well-respected by his team and clearly has a vision for where he wants to take General Cigar.

At General Cigar Dominicana, Broersma understands he has a strong, highly experienced team under him  and he definitely leveraging that fact.. The team at General Cigar Dominicana includes: Jhonys Diaz (VP of General Cigar Dominicana), Francisco Rodriguez (General Manager, General Cigar Dominicana) Yuri Guillen (Production Manager, General Cigar Dominicana), Francisco Don Quico Hernandez (General Manager, Tobacco Growing), and Ernest Gocaj (Director of Tobacco Procurement).

Quality Control

The company doesnt take short cuts and when it comes to quality control, the company is quite proficient in its processes in this area. These processes arent just corporate checkmarks. They are an integral part of the daily operations throughout the whole seed to shop operation.

The video below shows a quality control process of tobacco sorting.

Photo and Video Credits: Cigar Coop

Acknowledgments: Cigar Coop would like to thank Victoria McKee Jaworski, Director of Marketing for the arrangements to make this trip possible. Special thanks to all of the General Cigar employees who were a part of this visit as well.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The prime minister has a very different style than the U.S. president but a new poll suggests Canadians have some confidence in the Trudeau government to effectively represent national interests.

While the Trudeau-Trump association is in its infancy, a new public opinion poll from Angus Reid Institute show a 60 per cent majority trust the federal government to represent Canada and its interests in forthcoming dealings with Donald Trump.

That said, only 13 per cent are 'very confident' in the Trudeau government's abilities to handle the new administration.

The rest are evenly divided between feeling Trump is too unpredictable for any Canadian government to handle, and believing that Trudeau and the government are ill-equipped for the challenge.

Key findings of the new poll include:

68 per cent of Canadians are pessimistic and worried about the next four years of Donald Trump and the effect his administration will have on Canada

32 per cent say they are hopeful and optimistic about the Trump presidency

Canadians view the first few weeks of the Trump presidency negatively by a ratio of more than three-to-one (60 per cent-17 percent) over those with a positive view

The two leaders held their first meeting in Washington last month but most Canadians say the summit did not have much impact on their opinions of how prepared Trudeau is to handle the new president. For those whose opinion changed, more say their opinion improved rather than worsened.
Photo: Contributed

Hey, you! Yeah, you! Put the phone down and pay attention to where you're driving.

In 2015, police wrote over 44,000 traffic tickets for distracted driving violations in B.C. ICBC tells us that about 30 per cent of crashes in B.C. involve driving while distracted.

Recent changes to the distracted driving legislation saw fines change from $196 to $348, plus $175 from four penalty points yet look around you in traffic and see how many drivers you can find with an electronic device in hand.



The last time that ICBC commissioned a poll on distracted driving almost everyone agreed that texting while driving was dangerous, but 40 per cent of drivers with cell phones had used it while driving in the preceding six months.



There is no good time to drive while using an electronic device, but this month could be even riskier for those who can't leave the phone alone.

A press release from ICBC this week advises that:

"ICBC, police and volunteers have worked together to plan more enforcement deployments across the province with over 70 police enforcement events and over 50 Cell Watch deployments with volunteers roadside this month. The aim is to give drivers the clear message that if they drive while distracted, they're even more likely to be caught."

So, if we know that this is not a good idea, why do some of us do it? Perhaps we could ask the same question of impaired drivers, speeders or those who don't stop at stop signs.

I suspect that it's a combination of putting one's perceived needs ahead of everyone else, our rationalization that we're good drivers so we can do this safely or we don't think that there is much chance of being caught.



There is even talk of cell phone use being an addiction that creates a compulsion to use it regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in at the time.



We should be very concerned that the age group most likely to ignore the rules surrounding electronics and distraction are the younger drivers. They neither have the skills nor the experience of an accomplished driver yet they willingly take on the risk of divided attention while driving.



The Traffic Injury Research Foundation has published a National Action Plan on Distracted Driving for Canada. While education, enforcement and legislation are in place, co-ordination among stakeholders is missing. Hopefully the formation of the Canadian Coalition on Distracted Driving will facilitate co-ordination going forward.



Ultimately, the solution to the problem comes down to the individual, that is me and you.

Together we can do things like shutting off our phone when we get into the vehicle, install an app like OneTap that silences notifications while driving, refusing to talk or text with friends and family while they drive, pull over and park to text or make a call.

Got the message?

Story URL: http://www.drivesmartbc.ca/distracted-driving/distracted-driving-month-bc

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: cosave.co.za File photo.

A tradesman who had his toolbox stolen over the weekend is hoping to get it back, complete with the tools.

The RCMP were notified the toolbox was taken from a worksite on the 2900 block of 33rd Street in Vernon around 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The tools are easily identifiable.

Police report the toolbox was a black and orange Black and Decker box with a variety of hand tools, all of which have the initials 'M.J.' engraved on them.

The estimated value of the contents is between $400- $500, said an RCMP spokesperson.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Vernon/North Okanagan RCMP at (250) 545-7171 or Crime Stoppers at 1(800) 222-8477.
Photo: Contributed Roxanne Louie, an Osoyoos Indian Band member and homicide victim.

It's hoped a new program will help to curtail domestic violence in the Okanagan's indigenous communities and help both victim and perpetrator as well as their families.

YES (Young, Empowered and Strong) is a four-year program from the Okanagan Nation Alliance, spearheaded by Penticton resident Laurie Wilson.

Wilson, a UBC law alum, said a large part of the program is intended to "de-normalize" violence in the community.

"In our communities and in our families, violence is very normalized," Wilson said. "So, de-normalizing violence is a big part of it for families. But they would all work together.

"Whoever was the ... abuser would get as much help as the victims did to make a plan going forward to how this isn't going to happen again. How we're going to deal with the kids, how we're going to keep them safe, what services they need if they've witnessed the violence."

Wilson believes the media and historical assumptions of minorities are partly to blame for ongoing violence in indigenous communities.

"When you grow up as a person of colour, you're always deemed to have been less valuable and kind of more violent," Wilson said. "Between the person of colour and a white person, of course it's the person of colour that gets the more savage treatment."

Wilson pointed to the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, noting that indigenous women have been targeted because of systemic issues. She said a response to emergency calls on reserves tends to be slower.

In particular, Wilson made note of Roxanne Louie, whose January 2015 homicide has been the subject of a court process, including a trial that started on Monday.

"That decrease in motivation and decrease in urgency to look for her and to get justice for her was really illustrated through that process," Wilson said. "I think that that's what really galvanized the need to do something in the community."

The YES program will have three main parts: a community care circle, which will have people responding to violence; an advisory council, which will bring professionals on various levels to a family; and a cultural advisor, who will guide the process altogether.

The program is intended to provide a holistic approach to domestic violence and attempt to nip the problem in the bud. And Wilson said the YES program will be a way for the local communities to do that in their own way.

"It's not the enforcement part of it at all; it's the service part of it and the prevention," she said. "It's built on our culture and on our stories and on our language, so it presents a world view that is really relevant to doing that work in our communities."

Wilson said it's taken about a year of planning, but the program is getting into nascent days of putting boots on the ground for the issue, which will serve the seven nations under the ONA for the next four years.
Photo: Jason Spencer File photo.

A man who rammed a fire hydrant with his pickup 16 months ago  sending water spewing into the air  is to spend some time in the community serving his sentence.

A provincial court judge has given Bradley Dean Smart, 55, a six month conditional sentence order to be served in the community.

He has also been sentenced to 18 months probation.

Smart was found guilty of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and assault of a peace officer.

On Nov. 18, 2015, witnesses reported a man "driving erratically" on the 1700 block of Kosmina Road.

"The vehicle was reported to be speeding and doing doughnuts," said RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy at the time of the incident. "It had struck a pole, a fire hydrant, a tree and another vehicle and then fled the scene. There were numerous other people in the area at the time." No one was injured.

Although Smart had left the scene, he was located and arrested by RCMP officers a short time later.
Photo: ITV

Zambian police say eight people have died and 28 have been injured in a stampede during food handouts at a youth centre in the capital, Lusaka.

Police spokeswoman Esther Katongo said the stampede happened Monday when people forced their way into the Olympic Youth Development Centre, where the distribution of food handouts was scheduled to take place.

Katongo said the dead include six women, one man and one boy. She said thousands of people had been invited to the event, which was organized by a church group. An investigation is underway.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Premier Brad Wall says he will stop getting more pay from the Saskatchewan Party, but don't look for changes to political donation laws.

Wall has been getting about $37,000 a year from the party on top of his government salary, but the premier says he has asked the party to stop paying it because there are negative perceptions about what the allowance might imply.

"To the extent that there's any misunderstanding or misperception of what this is, I just think it's not worth it," Wall said Monday at the legislature in Regina.

"I don't want that to reflect on the government or on the party."

The party says in a statement that the stipend has been a long-standing practice because it was felt that the leader does a lot of work beyond duties in the legislature.

But the Opposition NDP has questioned how much of that bonus money comes from out-of-province corporate donors to the party and whether it bought access to the premier's office.

Wall rejected that suggestion.

"I'm telling you that has never happened and will never happen," he said.

Wall said the Saskatchewan Party raises about $4 million a year from donations, so his $37,000 was one per cent of what the party raises.

"So I can tell you that there's no special consideration given to anyone based on a calculation someone might do of one per cent of some ticket they bought to a leader's dinner, but this should be also about perception, and I understand that."

Wall is believed to be the last premier to get such a salary supplement.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark said in January that she would no longer get her Liberal party's $50,000 annual stipend.

Wall earns $96,183 for being a member of the legislature and $69,954 for being premier, for a total of $166,137. That makes him the ninth highest paid premier behind Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, B.C., Nunavut, Quebec, Northwest Territories and Manitoba, according to a list provided by the Saskatchewan government.

Interim NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon figures Wall has collected about $500,000 over the years.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Ninety-seven-year-old twins Jean Young Haley and Martha Young Williams left the world as they entered it: together.

The two women died over the weekend in freezing temperatures after both fell and became stranded outside Haley's home in Rhode Island following an evening out. Police say they believe Williams fell as she walked to her car Friday evening, and Haley fell as she tried to get inside to call for help.

Williams' daughter, Susan, said Monday that she takes solace in knowing the twins entered and left life together, with one trying to save the other. She said it would have been incredibly hard for either sister to live without the other.

"It's powerful, it's astounding, it's stunning," she said. "And regardless of the pain we're all feeling, at least they're together."

A neighbour found the sisters Saturday morning. Overnight temperatures in the area had dropped to as low as 11 degrees, with wind chills as low as minus 8.

Though twins, the two women had quite different personalities, Susan Williams said. She described her mother as pure and innocent, while her aunt could be more mischievous and humorous. They were both fun-loving and enjoyed dining at local restaurants together, where everybody got to know them.

"The two of them together made a whole, complete person," she said. "They completed each other."
Photo: The Canadian Press Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland

The Liberal government on Monday extended its military training mission in Ukraine, amid warnings Russia could attempt to "destabilize" Canada's political system.

But while largely welcomed by the Ukrainian government, the extension is being criticized by the Opposition for not going far enough in helping deal with a new outbreak of violence in the country.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canadian military trainers will remain in Ukraine until at least March 2019.

Canada has had about 200 trainers in the eastern European country since the summer of 2015, where they have taught about 3,200 Ukrainian troops the basics of soldiering as well as some advanced skills.

But the mission, which began after Russia annexed Crimea and began supporting separatist forces in Ukraine's Donbass region, had been set to expire at the end of this month.

Sajjan said the extension was intended to show Canada's unwavering commitment to Ukraine, while sending "a very strong message" to Russia that its actions will not be tolerated.

"It is Russia's actions that have caused us to do this," Sajjan said during a news conference with Freeland outside the House of Commons, where the two ministers were flanked by more than a dozen Liberal MPs.

"Crimea, Ukraine and some of the other actions that they have taken. So that's something we always have to put into context. It is their actions that are making us to respond in this manner."

At one point, Freeland suggested those actions could also include trying to interfere in or "destabilize" Canada's political system as Russia is accused of having done in the United States.

"There have been efforts, as U.S. intelligence forces have said, by Russia to destabilize the U.S. political system," she said, referring to allegations the Kremlin tried to influence last year's presidential election.

"I think that Canadians, and indeed other western countries, should be prepared for similar efforts to be directed at us."

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted in April 2014, and hundreds of thousands more have been forced from their homes.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Mushers pumped their fists and high-fived fans Monday as they set out one-by-one on the world's most famous sled dog race, a nearly 1,000-mile trek through the grueling Alaska wilderness.

The grandson of a co-founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was the first competitor on the trail in Fairbanks, in the heart of the state.

Ryan Redington, 33, of Wasilla led the other 70 mushers out of the chute nearly a half-century after his grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., helped stage the first race in 1973.

The contest has a staggered start so fans, including 2,600 schoolchildren, can cheer on the competitors, who leave every two minutes.

One race rookie, 53-year-old Roger Lee, threw his fist in the air as he took off from the chute.

Lee was born in California to British parents and grew up near Liverpool, England, listening to the Beatles and harder rock groups. He has seen AC/DC in concert 157 times in 16 countries, according to his race biography.

Lee spent 10 years with the British Army Air Corps before moving to America, where he serves with the Air Force. He took a one-year sabbatical to train for the Iditarod.

The fan-friendly ceremonial start of the race was held Saturday in Anchorage.

The competitive start is normally held a day later in Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. But that start would have taken mushers over the Dalzell Gorge, where a lack of snow has left alders exposed on the trail and open water in places that normally would be frozen this time of year.

Winter conditions were not a concern in Fairbanks, where the temperature was minus 35 degrees Monday morning. The start was delayed a day to give mushers time to drive their dogs 360 miles north to the city of about 100,000.

Eighty-four mushers signed up for the race, and 13 scratched. The latest was Otto Balogh, a 40-year-old rookie from Budapest, Hungary, who cited health concerns when dropping out of the race two hours before it began.

Dallas Seavey, 30, has won four out of the last five races. He feels no pressure to get a record-tying fifth win, and is fully cognizant that winning streaks can only go for so long.

"And I'm truly OK with that, as long as I can look back on the race and know I ran my team to the best of their ability, and we all had a good run," Seavey said.

He received $75,000 and a new pickup for winning last year's race.
Photo: gofundme.com

A couple are hoping expensive immunotherapy treatment will save Greg Clark's face.

Greg and his wife, Joy, were living in Vernon when he began to have swelling in his jaw soon after a wisdom tooth extraction.

It turned into an aggressive and cancerous tumor that has been taking over the right side of his face.

Over 15 months, Clark underwent radiation treatments, took chemotherapy and IV antibiotics and was unable to work.

With things looking bleak, the couple opted for immunotherapy for Greg rather than surgery which would have involved a jaw replacement and tracheotomy.

We have been referred to a treatment called immunotherapy which is trialed and shown to be promising for stopping the advancement of the tumor, said Joy, on a GoFundMe page where they are trying to raise $42,000 to pay for the treatment. It's very expensive and not covered under BC Medical (Services Plan).

The couple have also had to base themselves in Vancouver because the treatment is not available in the Okanagan.

Last week, Clark underwent his second bout of immunotherapy treatment.

We had a really tough week. Greg's face was totally swollen and his eye was completely shut for six days. We don't know why. He is experiencing a great deal of pain.

Joy admitted the whole experience has been a nightmare and thanked friends, family and strangers who have already contributed to the fund.

So far, more than $26,000 has been raised.

The couple believe the treatment should be covered by MSP.

"It is the best known treatment for such facial and neck cancers, yet comes at a cost most people could not afford, especially after not being able to work for 1.5 years due to illness," said a member of the family. "BC Medical has to approve this fast and also people need to be aware that it is available."
Photo: Genna Meller

UPDATE 10 p.m.

A witness to Monday night's house fire on Pheasant Road in Vernon said the family was sitting down to dinner when they were interrupted by the smell of smoke.

Upon investigating the source of the smoke, they apparently discovered the furnace room was fully engulfed in flames.

The home and an attached shop went up in about 15 minutes.

The family was able to make it out safely.

Original Story 7:15 p.m.

BX/Swan Lake firefighters are on the scene of a massive structure fire at the top of Pottery Road in Vernon.

The fire broke out shortly before 6:30 p.m.



Witnesses in the area say a house and a second structure, either a barn or second house are on fire.



The fire appears to have engulfed both buildings.



A neighbour said firefighters were 'working hard' to put it out.

More details when they become available.

Send photos, video to [email protected]
Photo: Google Maps

UPDATE: 4:30 p.m.

Highway 1 has been reopened just west of Revelstoke after a five-vehicle crash closed it early Tuesday morning.

The crash, which happened at about 1 a.m., sent three people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The highway has now reopened in both directions, but traffic remains backed up west of the crash.

UPDATE: 3:45 p.m.

DriveBC reports vehicle cleanup is in progress at the scene of a serious crash west of Revelstoke.

The estimated time of opening is now 4:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, westbound commercial vehicles are still being held in Golden, as there is no more parking space left in Revelstoke.

UPDATE: 2:25 p.m.

DriveBC says Highway 1 will open at 3 p.m. to "staggered releases" for eastbound traffic.

It's expected to open fully at 4 p.m.

The major highway has been closed since 1 a.m.

UPDATE: 10:05 a.m.

Highway 1 is expected to remain closed in both directions until at least 1 p.m. after a five-vehicle pileup.

Also, DriveBC says westbound commercial vehicles now have to stay in Golden while the crash is cleared.

UPDATE: 8:40 a.m.

Three people were hurt in a five-vehicle pileup on the Trans-Canada Highway near Revelstoke.

The crash happened early this morning at about 1 a.m., according to the Revelstoke RCMP, which had an investigator on site for hours working to determine the cause.

"Preliminary indications are that a westbound tractor trailer unit, driven by a 50-year-old female, collided with an eastbound tractor trailer unit, driven by a 60-year-old male," said Cpl. Thomas Blakney in a release.

"Subsequently, two additional tractor trailer units and a passenger vehicle crashed creating a five-vehicle pileup."

Three people were rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"At the time of the crash the roads were considered to be in winter driving condition with icy sections and topped with light snow," said Blakney.

"As a result of the various collisions, there is scattered debris on the highway. The materials were all determined to be dry goods and there is no suspected harm to the public or the environment."

The crash closed the highway in both directions.

ORIGINAL: 6:05 a.m.

The Trans-Canada Highway remains closed between Revelstoke and Sicamous early this morning, due to a serious crash overnight.

DriveBC reports an investigation in progress, and no detour is available.

The incident happened after midnight, about one kilometre west of Revelstoke.

DriveBC is expected to update the situation later this morning.

 Jon Manchester
Photo: The Canadian Press

California will no longer keep death row inmates in solitary confinement for years only because of their purported gang affiliations, according to a lawsuit settlement announced Monday.

Six San Quentin State Prison inmates sued in 2015, saying they were being held indefinitely under inhumane and degrading conditions in what prison officials call the "adjustment centre." One inmate had been there for 26 years and two others for more than a decade when the lawsuit was filed.

About 100 inmates were held when the lawsuit was filed. The number had recently dropped to less than 10, although the corrections department said Monday that it has since increased to 22 inmates.

"I think that this settlement provides for a more humane treatment of prisoners who are in that very difficult situation, facing the death penalty," said Dan Siegel, an Oakland-based attorney who filed the lawsuit.

Inmates can still be sent to the windowless cells if they are considered an immediate danger to the prison or others, or if they have at least three infractions within five years for offences including fighting or possessing drugs or cellphones. The length of their disciplinary sentences can be increased by half if they are gang members.

But the maximum length of time in the adjustment centre is five years, with a review every six months to see if they can be released. They also can have certain property taken away as punishment for no more than 90 days, according to the settlement obtained by The Associated Press before it was filed in federal court.

The adjustment centre is one of three units in the nation's largest death row, which has 749 condemned inmates.
Photo: The Canadian Press

When President Donald Trump signed his first travel ban with scant warning and little planning seven days into his presidency, he meant to signal he was a man of action. After the lawsuits, chaos at airports and international criticism, Trump's rewritten travel ban sent a different message: The White House has learned some lessons.

The Trump administration's unveiling of its revised restrictions on travel and refugees was deliberate and cautious, an implicit acknowledgement of some of the unforced errors from the first rollout. The executive order was announced by Trump's Cabinet officials, some of whom felt cut out of consultations on the earlier version. It does not go into effect immediately, giving the world time to assess its impact.

The White House took weeks of consultation with agency heads about how best to withstand expected legal challenges.

The scaled-back order will still face fire from critics. It bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program, affecting would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

Department of Homeland Security intelligence analysts have questioned the rationale behind it, concluding that citizenship is an "unlikely indicator" of terrorism threats to the United States.

But the new ban does eliminate many of the original order's most contentious elements. It removes Iraq from the list of banned countries  at the urging of U.S. military and diplomatic leaders  and it makes clear that current visa holders will not be impacted. It also removes language that would give priority to religious minorities  a provision some interpreted as a way to help Christians get into the U.S. while excluding Muslims.

Legal experts say the new order addresses some of the constitutional concerns raised by a federal appeals court about the initial ban but leaves room for more legal challenges.

"It's much clearer about how it doesn't apply to groups of immigrants with more clearly established constitutional rights," said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. "That's a really important step."

Trump officials say the goal hasn't changed: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews vetting systems for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.
Photo: CTV

Crews are working to clean up a "significant fuel spill" that is threatening a river and a conservation area northwest of Toronto after a truck hauling gasoline crashed early Tuesday.

The fuel truck lost control around 2:30 a.m. in Caledon, Ont., and the back tanker of two being hauled in tandem fell over in the crash and began leaking, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

Const. Stephanie Hammond said the tanker has dumped about 23,000 litres of gasoline in the area so far and continues to leak. She said another 10,000 litres could spill if the flow isn't contained.

The fuel has gone into nearby ditches and a catch basin, she said.

"This is a significant fuel spill," Hammond said. "We have a pumper truck down there pumping out what fuel they can visibly see as well as digging out the ditches to remove the soil that has got the fuel in it as well."

Originally, authorities thought there was no threat to nearby wetlands and the Humber River, but rainfall is wreaking havoc with the clean up, Hammond said.

"There is a potential for the fuel  because of the rain  to get into the Humber River and we've got all the tributaries and all the wetlands down there as well," Hammond said.

The spill occurred near the Glen Haffy Conservation Area, home to wetlands and a fish hatchery that raises rainbow trout, according to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change is on scene along with a hazardous materials team as they work on the spill, Hammond said.

The Ministry couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

Hammond said speed doesn't seem to be a factor in the crash, but said it's unclear how the driver lost control.

She said Highway 9 from Airport Road to Glen Haffy Road was expected to remain closed until Tuesday afternoon.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Manitoba advocates for families of missing and murdered indigenous women say they are worried the upcoming national inquiry will not provide enough support or answers for families.

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, co-chair of the group, says the inquiry is set to start in the spring and family members still have many unanswered questions.

She says people in remote communities will need support to take part in the hearings, and it's not clear what kind of financial aid will be available.

The group also wants travel costs covered and culturally-appropriate First Nation traditional practices built into the inquiry.

She says the coalition has written to the federal and Manitoba governments but has yet to receive clear answers.
Photo: Instagram Peyton List, left, and Cameron Monaghan

Vancouver-based Sepia Films is returning to Kelowna in the spring to film another movie.

It will be the eighth film the company has shot in the Okanagan, including the five-movie Nightmare series.

The latest production is the full-length independent film, 'Anthem.'

The movie is based on the award-winning novel by Joanne Proulx, 'Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet.'

'Anthem' is a coming of age story that imaginatively captures the turbulence of teenage-hood, the elation and devastation of first love and the true meaning of friendship.

It stars Cameron Monaghan (Shameless, Gotham), and Disney star Peyton List (Jessie).

"We are very pleased to be hosting this full feature film production in the Okanagan. Sepia Films has brought seven films to the Okanagan, each one hiring more locals and training new crew," said Okanagan Film Commissioner Jon Summerland.

Sepia has helped the region to become a production hub and has helped build its local infrastructure.

The film is set in the 1990s, and the company is in search of vintage items for the movie, including '90s or older vehicles, clothes and gadgets.

They are also looking for people interested in volunteering in a group cast. Send the company your contact information, headshot and age.

All information should be sent to [email protected]

Filming begins March 23.
Photo: Contributed

An Ontario court has upheld a judge's decision to acquit a woman of a drunk driving-related charge because police weighed her when taking breath samples at a station.

Marc Labrosse of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed the Crown's appeal of Kimberley McLachlan's acquittal in August 2015.

A lower-court judge ruled that asking McLachlan to step on a scale after an arrest for an alleged excessive blood alcohol level was a breach of her privacy and subjected her to unreasonable search and seizure.

The breach of McLachlan's rights meant that evidence obtained from a breath test had to be dismissed.

Court heard that McLachlan failed a roadside screening test after several attempts and later registered a blood alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit when tested at a police station.

Labrosse said the demand for McLachlan's weight represented a serious breach.

"I acknowledge that the weighing of an individual is not as intrusive as the taking of bodily fluids. However, I am still of the view that the respondent had a reasonable expectation of privacy in her weight," Labrosse wrote in his March 3 decision.

"While the trial judge concluded that the breach was 'somewhat intrusive,' I would go further and state that in my view it had a significant impact on the charter-protected interests of the respondent."

The case began in January 2012 when Ottawa police observed McLachlan driving on a dead-end road.

After noting some erratic driving, police pulled her over and noted a strong smell of alcohol coming from the car, court heard. McLachlan tried to complete a roadside screening test five times before registering a "fail" on the sixth attempt, court heard.

She was then taken to a station where she ultimately registered blood alcohol readings twice the legal limit, court heard.

During that time, when administering a breath test at the station, an Ottawa police officer told McLachlan that it was standard practice to provide her weight, court heard.

Court heard that McLachlan was resistant to the idea, asking once if she had to do so, but ultimately complied.

McLachlan's weight became relevant in the case because breathalyzer tests were conducted more than two hours after she was pulled over.

Current laws state that if tests are not conducted within two hours of the time a person had control of a vehicle, then experts must be brought in to try and determine the level of impairment when they were still behind the wheel.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A federal judge declined Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week.

The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux had asked U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permission for Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners to lay pipe under Lake Oahe in North Dakota. The stretch under the Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota is the last piece of construction for the $3.8 billion pipeline to move North Dakota oil to Illinois.

The tribes argued that construction under the lake violates their right to practice their religion, which relies on clean water, and they wanted the work suspended until the claim could be resolved.

When they filed the lawsuit last summer, the tribes argued that the pipeline threatens Native American cultural sites and their water supply. Their religion argument was new, however, and disputed by both the Corps and the company.

Boasberg in his ruling Tuesday said the tribes didn't raise the religion argument in a timely fashion.

"Only once Dakota Access had built up to the water's edge and the Corps had granted the easement (for drilling) to proceed did Cheyenne River inform defendants that the pipeline was the realization of a long-held prophecy about a Black Snake and that the mere presence of oil in the pipeline under the lakebed would interfere with tribe's members' ability to engage in important religious practices," the judge said.

Boasberg said he is likely to allow the tribes to continue making the religion argument, though he doesn't think it's likely to succeed.

"Although the tribe's members may feel unable to use the water from Lake Oahe in their religious ceremonies once the pipeline is operational, there is no specific ban on their religious exercise," he said.

The judge's decision came as American Indians from across the country gathered in Washington to protest President Donald Trump's policies encouraging oil pipelines. Native Americans are planning four days of activities including lobbying lawmakers and culminating in a march on the White House. Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and speakers.

In February, Boasberg declined the tribes' request to order an immediate halt to the pipeline construction, ruling that as long as oil wasn't flowing through the pipeline, there was no imminent harm to the tribes.

Tribal attorney Nicole Ducheneaux countered in court documents that the mere existence of an oil pipeline under the reservoir the tribes consider to be "sacred waters" violated their right to practice their religion.

The court battle isn't over, as no final decision has been made on the merits of the tribes' overall claims. Both tribes also have asked Boasberg to overturn the federal permission for the Lake Oahe crossing and to bar the Corps from granting permission in the future. The judge won't rule until at least April.

The pipeline saga has endured for months. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of pipeline opponents who sided with tribal opposition to the pipeline camped on federal land near the drill site for months, often clashing with police. There have been about 750 arrests in the region since August. Authorities last month closed the camp in advance of spring flooding season and set up roadblocks to prevent protesters from returning.

Work under Lake Oahe had been held up in the courts until President Donald Trump last month instructed the Corps to advance construction. The Army is involved because its engineering branch manages the river and its system of hydroelectric dams, which is owned by the federal government.

ETP began drilling under the lake Feb. 8. Company attorney William Scherman said in court documents that the pipeline could be moving oil as early as next week.
Photo: Flickr

UPDATE: 1:15 p.m.

The City of Kelowna is fully in favour of the province's plan to allow ride-sharing companies like Uber in B.C. by the end of the year.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone made the announcement Tuesday, saying B.C. will help the taxi industry in several ways to level the playing field with ride-sharing companies, while allowing apps like Uber to operate in the province by December.

It aligns perfectly with our vision for transportation for the future in the City of Kelowna, said Jerry Dombowsky, transit and programs manager for the City of Kelowna. We're developing a shared mobility strategy that includes the use of technology that's part of this ride-sharing announcement.

Dombowsky says there's a large demand for more transportation options in Kelowna.

There's not only economic reasons for it, there's also parking supply reasons for it, there's also strong environmental reasons for it, to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle trips, he said. We're at a time when technology is solving a lot of the issues that we had in the past.

While the City of Kelowna has yet to be consulted by the province, Dombowsky expects to work with the government over the next nine months.

The details from the province is limited at this point, but we control the licensing of taxi companies and other things like that within the community, so we have the ability, which is why they have to work with the municipalities to develop this.

While the City of Kelowna is onboard with the announcement, not everyone is so keen.

Vancouver has placed a moratorium on new cabs and Uber until October, and some councillors have expressed concerns about passenger safety and protecting the taxi industry.

A representative from Kelowna's Checkmate Cabs said he has no comment on the decision until he has looked into the details more thoroughly, and Kelowna Cabs did not return a request for comment by publication.

Immediately following the province's announcement, the Vancouver Taxi Association promised to fight the plan any way they could.

"We are not opposed to changes to meet the public's interest but ... the government has completely ignored our interests and we will use every available legal and political means available to us to fight this unfair government initiative, said Carolyn Bauer, spokesperson for the Vancouver Taxi Association.

- With files from The Canadian Press

ORIGINAL: 11:30 a.m.

Ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft will be coming to British Columbia by the end of 2017.

At a press conference Tuesday, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone announced the province would be allowing the popular apps in the province, after years of barring it.

The popular services have been used elsewhere in Canada, including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Quebec, Ottawa and Montreal, as well as throughout the United States.

The province also announced a $1 million investment to help the taxi industry develop an app that will help them compete with ride-sharing services.

Additionally, to help level the playing field, the province will be eliminating the Class 4 driver licence requirement for taxi drivers.

Uber and Lyft drivers will be required to uphold the same safety standards as taxis, including criminal record checks and safe driving record checks.

This summer, the government will seek additional input from taxi drivers, the ride-sharing industry, police, ICBC, municipalities, among other stakeholders to help with these changes.
The rise and fall of political leaders parallel to a biology term: nature versus nurture or more precisely eugenics versus epigenetics, as well as ostracizing a religion and language, leads us now in uncertain times. Hitler reined, in the aftermath of a recession, with the goal of one day an Arian race: blue eyes, blonde hair and a higher intelligent quotient. This is called eugenics, meaning improving the genetic quality of human population, the nature view point in biology. Hitler ostracized Jews in an inhumane way, which had a severe negative impact on people of a Jewish religion. Some people are of the opinion Donald Trump is the next Hitler; this might be an unfair statement with a lot of emotion, so lets look at it logically. Maybe he is not killing anyone based on their religion, however, he says he wants to deport a certain religion and stop immigration based on religion. Due to not allowing the immigration of a certain individuals faith, coined under a particular religion, which has been in my opinion unfairly correlated to terrorism. Religion tied to terrorism is causation without correlation. This will have a secondary impact on the future genetic make-up of America, which will have tertiary impact on Canada. In the past Canada, has ostracized and assimilated indigenous Canadians and French immigrants, resulting in not many Canadians being able to speak French fluently and indigenous being treated awful in residential schools and the complete loss of several indigenous languages. What if the next prime minister of Canada and the next president of America was pro nurture and learned from the science and spirit of today and our ancestors, and instead of assimilation, what if we incorporated everyone?

Elaborating on the definition of what it means to be nurtured starts with a definition of epigenetics: an alteration of the gene expression than the gene code itself. Dr. Bruce Lipton, explains epigenetics very well in his book Biology of Belief, where positive thinking, what you put in your body, environment and how one is raised in a loving family has a positive impact on gene expression which thus shapes the individual. Could you imagine if we voted for a politician that supports and understands this? A politician that, supports families, education, are supportive of all religions, our ancestors to that particular country, and most importantly our environment, the air we breathe and food we eat that will alter our gene expression. Climate change is real, which will have a negative impact on our gene expression, our childrens gene expression, and our grandchildrens gene expression, etc. I am not saying who I support as a Canadian citizen for the next upcoming election or who I voted for. I am still doing research and seeing who will become the leader of certain Canadian political parties. An ideal candidate would be: pro epigenetics, for nurture not nature, protects the environment, being an activist for climate change issues we are facing, proper immigration of any refugee with any religion but with a different strategy (another letter to the editor altogether), and invest in quality public education, so the next generation continues this and then votes for the proper political party, as well as quality healthcare available to everyone. Some people are more concerned with terrorism and the economy, and that it should be top priority. I disagree as a good economy will come indirectly from a government creating the tools so one can find themselves a job, create their own business, work for the government, etc. As well, there has always been terrorism, as well military defence within every country since the beginning of civilization. A country that focuses on healthcare, education and protecting the environment so we can breathe clean air and have nutritious food, will indirectly produce a good economy and nurture our future great minds. Under this ideal government individuals will then be more advanced through epigenetics not eugenics.

The next time anyone votes anywhere around the world, in my opinion we should take a nurture point of view. One should vote for a politician that supports science and spirit, by listening to the ancestors of their country and having open-minded intelligent scientists in government. As for Canada we could learn a lot from indigenous people and leaders in science. What if the current leader or the next leader of Canada incorporated science and the spirit of Canada even more? For example if healthcare incorporated ancient indigenous medicine, backing it by our current science, and having it available in hospitals and available over the counter. What if there was more emphasis on education of the spiritual history of the indigenous ancestors in Canada, whom were very much connected to preserving the environment and the native animals in Canada. As well Canada should have high quality education available to every Canadian citizen, so young children are nurtured to make the right choices for themselves and their country and then go onto a high quality post-secondary education that is either free or affordable.

Kelsey Martell
Photo: Contributed

Finance Minister Bill Morneau will introduce the federal government's latest budget on March 22  his first amid the economic uncertainty of the Donald Trump era.

Morneau made the announcement today during question period.

The budget will land as Ottawa and corporate Canada scramble to assess the risks of possible and unpredictable policy actions by the country's top trading partner.

There are fears of negative economic fallout for Canada from the decisions of the Trump administration, and it's unclear whether Morneau's budget will account for the unknowns.

Trump calling cards like a border tax, protectionist policies, corporate and personal tax cuts and a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement all pose an economic danger north of the border.

The budget will also follow a series of stronger-than-expected economic indicators in recent weeks.

Morneau's fall fiscal statement in November predicted a deficit of $25.1 billion this year and a shortfall of $27.8 billion for 2017-18.
Photo: Contributed

The Crown is appealing the acquittal of a Halifax cab driver accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was found intoxicated, unconscious and partially naked in his car.

Denise Smith, deputy director of the province's Public Prosecution Service, said Judge Gregory Lenehan made multiple legal mistakes when he found 40-year-old Bassam Al-Rawi not guilty.

The provincial court judge ruled last Wednesday the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to sexual activity  a ruling that has prompted protests and much debate over how the courts handle such sensitive cases.

Smith issued a statement Tuesday saying the grounds for an appeal were "solid."

She said the judge erred in law by:

 concluding the Crown had offered no evidence of lack of consent from the complainant;

 engaging in speculation about consent rather than drawing inferences from the facts proven in the evidence;

 failing to give proper legal effect to the facts;

 offering an erroneous interpretation and application of the test for capacity to consent;

 failing to direct himself on Criminal Code provisions that deal with aggravated sexual assault;

 failing to determine whether the accused had taken all reasonable steps to ascertain that the complainant was consenting.

The statement said a notice of appeal has been filed with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.

A rally was held Tuesday outside Halifax City Hall, where protesters denounced Lenehan's decision and welcomed the news of the appeal.

Roughly 300 people held signs and beat drums under cloudy skies as speakers spoke in front of an arch in Grand Parade Square.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Residents in a small town northwest of Edmonton say bright pink water coming out of their taps was a bit of a shock.

Vicki Veldhuyzen Van Zanten of Onoway says she got a call from a neighbour asking if her water was pink.

It wasn't, but a short time later her daughter called her from the bathroom to see purple water coming out of the taps.

It later turned a bright pink, and Veldhuyzen Van Zanten says she posted on a town Facebook page and found hundreds of others were experiencing the same thing.

Onoway Mayor Dale Krasnow posted a message Tuesday on the website saying the public is safe and was not at any risk.

He says the town was doing its weekly wash of filters at the water treatment plant using potassium permanganate, which turns water pink when used in large quantities.

Krasnow says it appears a valve may have stuck, allowing the compound to get into the sump reservoir and then into the town's water distribution system.

The town has drained its water reservoir and is flushing the distribution system, he said Tuesday.

"Could the town have done a better job of communicating what was going on yesterday to our community? Absolutely, without a doubt," Krasnow said in the post.

"And we do apologize for that. This is a situation we can certainly learn from and develop a strategy for better response and communication should we ever face the same or similar situation in the future."

He said Alberta Environment officials were coming to the town to review its system to try to determine what happened and what needs to be corrected.

Veldhuyzen Van Zanten said she wouldn't drink the water, even if officials say it is safe. She said the water is clear coming out of her cold water taps, but not the hot water taps.

"It was weird. I just didn't use it, I had leftovers, I put what we had in the microwave, I didn't need water to make supper. But I'm sure other people had issues.

"It was very, very pink."
Bollywood actress Kiara Advani's upcoming Bollywood film Machine is yet-to-be-released, but the actress is making headlines in Telugu industry as well.

If Tollywood reports are to be believed, then the M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story actress is all set to make her Telugu debut with Tollywood actor Allu Arjun soon. Directed by writer-turned-director Vakkantham Vamsi, the film is tentatively titled as Naa Peru Surya : Naa Illu India.

Reportedly, the makers are keen to cast Kiara Advani as the leading lady opposite the Telugu superstar in Naa Peru Surya.

"Kiara has been approached for several Telugu films earlier but nothing ever worked out because of her dates, and other issues. Shes a fresh face who can appeal to the Telugu audiences. The makers of Naa Peru Surya are keen to have her in the film. If things work out, she could make her Telugu debut, especially since shes got pan-India appeal too, our source said".

Meanwhile, Kiara's Machine is slated to be released on 17 March 2017. Directed by Abbas Mastan, the action-thriller also marks the acting debut of director Abbas' son Mustafa in main lead.
Zambia: three companies awarded Nyimba limestone mining rights

07 March 2017

Three companies have been awarded prospecting rights for limestone mining in Nyimba District, Eastern province, Zambia.

GTJ Ltd working with the Zambia Consolidated Mines Investment Holding (ZCCM-IH), Vikram Investment and Zawari Natural Resources Ltd are the entities that have been given the rights.

Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary, Paul Chanda, said, "Government has given three companies prospecting rights for limestone in Nyimba District. Of the three companies, GJT Ltd has made progress.

Mr Chanda said the objective of prospecting rights was to establish the quality of limestone and amount available in the area, and also determine how long it could be mined. The investor would then present an application and mining plan to the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development. Once all the necessary documents have been approved, the investor would then start producing lime for cement production and quick lime used in the agriculture sector.

Published under
(TNS) -- ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP  A little less than a year after purchasing them, Buckeye Local School District staff say implementation of Chromebooks as a teaching tool is going well.All four buildings in the Buckeye Local School District  Ridgeview and Kingsville Elementary, Braden Middle School and Edgewood High School  now are using Chromebooks, laptops made by Google."The district purchased approximately 550 Chromebooks last year," said Nick Orlando, district business manager. "We bought them in time for testing in April and May of 2016. They were split among the four buildings."Orlando said the Chromebooks, including charging carts to hold them, management licenses and cases, cost a bit over $148,000 last year. Each high school freshman will have their own Chromebook."We should end up paying approximately $37,000 more to continue our one-to-one program for ninth-graders," he said. "Full roll out with the one-to-one program for all ninth-grade students began in September of 2016."Edgewood High School Principal Michael Notar said if teaching goals are met, the only item a student might need to bring to school would be their Chromebook. It would serve as a notebook, binder, textbook and more."It would take the place of almost all instructional devices," he said. "That's one of the Chromebooks' greatest strengths."He said continued professional development of the district's teaching staff on how to use the Chromebooks effectively is a key to moving forward as a district."The teachers have to be well trained and feel comfortable using them in the classroom," he said.He said every student will use a Chromebook during the next three years. After that, depending on the success of the current program, students will continue to use updated Chromebooks or another laptop."Our use of Chromebooks makes communication with classroom teachers during instruction easier," he said. "Also it aligns with what most colleges are doing now."He said, for all its strengths, relying on Chromebooks does have some weaknesses."It requires continual training of teachers and students," he said. "Also, damage to the Chromebooks and damaged parts replacement are inevitable. Also, if the the Wi-Fi system is down, Chromebooks cannot be used."Braden Middle School Principal William Billington said introduction of the Google Chromebooks has brought about a "whole new world" of technology into the classroom there."The Chromebooks have opened up the opportunity to bring more tech into our classrooms," he said. "Teachers can now participate on projects with their students (in real time), or multiple students can all participate together. They're especially effective for group projects."He said the Chromebooks have generated more enthusiasm for science and math among Braden students."We now have sixth-graders building robots as science projects, thanks to the use of the Chromebooks," he said. "The Chromebooks have proven to be remarkably effective in this project. They are very helpful."
COLUMBUS  A 30-year-old Columbus man was convicted of selling methamphetamine to an undercover informant equipped with an audio recording device in two separate drug deals last fall.

Sergio Marino-Marino pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing meth in two October transactions in exchange for the county attorney dismissing two other distribution charges and a possession of meth charge involving other deals during the same four-week period.

Platte County District Court Robert Steinke scheduled Marino-Marino for sentencing March 31.

The distribution charges are Class II felonies, each punishable by up to 50 years imprisonment.

Marino-Marino was arrested in November following a traffic stop in the area of 23rd Street and Second Avenue on four counts of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

Law enforcement authorities said the suspect was wanted on an outstanding drug warrant at the time of his arrest while returning to his vehicle parked outside a city business.

Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Keith Bignell wrote in his arrest statement that the suspect met with the confidential informant to buy meth while under police surveillance. The informant recorded the meetings with a digital audio device, the investigator said.

Following Marino-Marinos arrest, a search of the suspects vehicle revealed a plastic box with two plastic bags containing approximately 4 grams of meth and drug paraphernalia, Bignell wrote in his statement.
COLUMBUS  There was a lot of splish-splashing Monday at Columbus Family YMCA.

About 35 second-grade students from West Park Elementary School took a dip in the pool to get a hands-on swimming and water safety lesson. Some moved through the water using flotation devices and others were aided by YMCA staff members or volunteers with the organizations swim team.

Being in the water was a new experience for some students, which is why teachers at West Park Elementary applied for a superintendents grant offered through the Columbus Public Schools Foundation to fund a swimming safety program.

Through the partnership with the YMCA, students have been learning water skills inside and outside the classroom for the past few days. The $650 grant is paying for swimming lessons for the students who signed up to be part of the program.

Krista Moon, YMCA aquatics director, said students are being taught lessons such as how to float in the water, never to swim alone and boating safety.

A few days ago, they were pretested on their swimming ability. For some, it was their first time in the water and they clung to the side of the pool.

West Park teachers Barb Leu and Sandi Seckel said a survey showed a majority of the students had never taken swimming lessons before.

Most of the 41 second-grade students are signed up for the program. Thirty-minute safety and skills sessions were held after school at West Park. Students have also been in the pool this week with the YMCA providing transportation.

They have been like sponges, Moon said of the children's ability to take in the information.

Moon said working with the school system to teach children water safety is a welcome opportunity and she hopes it continues because the skills can be used years from now.

It could save them now or in 25 years. You never know, she said.
They discovered her Yukon near the river, a trail of blood outside, a handwritten note inside.

I'm sorry. This is the only way. I'll be with you and the kids always, although you can't see me, trust in your heart.

The Boyd County sheriff and his deputy followed the blood drops 100 feet to the Missouri River, where they found a pair of womens socks at the edge of the water.

But they didn't find Amy Heiser.

Sheriff Chuck Wrede had been waiting at the courthouse for her earlier that day, Sept. 26, when the 37-year-old Heiser was scheduled to report for sentencing. The mother of three was facing prison time that week for felonies in three counties -- drugs, weapons, sexual assault -- and when she didn't make it to her first court hearing, the search for Amy Heiser was on.

It would continue for more than 45 days.

She was a small woman, and they had ground to cover.

The Sunshine Bottom boat landing in Boyd County reaches into the river across from South Dakota, between the Fort Randall Dam upstream and Gavins Point Dam downstream, near Yankton, South Dakota.

This is wild and remote country, 10 miles northeast of Lynch, the nearest town. Police radios often don't work in the bottomland, but officers are familiar with the terrain.

When you live along the river, recovering bodies is a way of life, said Knox County Sheriff Don Henery, who had been expecting Heiser in his courthouse the day after she disappeared. But it never gets any easier.

The hunt for Heiser started immediately. By that first afternoon, more than two dozen people were scouring the river bank.

The next day, more than 30.

And they kept coming for weeks, officers from several counties and multiple agencies and the state Game and Parks Commission and the Santee Sioux Tribal Police Department, looking for Heiser, or her body, alongside a team of loyal volunteers.

Thats the way the community is built, said Carl Weeder, who opened up his riverside cabin to give the search party a place to eat their meals, use the bathroom and access his internet. Everybody helps what they can. Theres no selfish attitude around here.

Neighbors and businesses donated use of their jet-skis and side-by-side utility vehicles. Airboat operators arrived from the Fremont area. Region 24 Emergency Management brought its communications trailer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers even agreed to lower the Missouris level -- releasing less water out of Fort Randall, more out of Gavins Point -- to better expose anything tangled in the trees.

A dive team from Yankton searched the river. Cadaver dogs from Brookings County, South Dakota, searched its banks. The State Patrol and private pilots searched from above.

It was kind of heart-wrenching, said pilot Mike Hoffman. That things are so bad for this girl that she decides to go do this to herself, that she decides to go in the river.

Hoffman grew up in Spencer and was a defensive tackle for the Cornhuskers on two national champion teams. He returned to Boyd County a few years ago with his wife, Jacky, to take over the family windsock business.

As a boy, Hoffman had watched his father, Gary, get asked to try to find bodies in the Niobrara and Missouri, or cars that went off the road, or seniors who wandered away.

Now the sheriff's department asks Mike Hoffman for help, too. He didn't hesitate when it wanted him to try to find the missing woman.

It was intriguing, to be honest with you. Thats probably a little why I helped out.

Hoffman and his father fired up their planes -- a Cherokee 6 and a Piper Cub -- and logged about 10 hours flying the river, looking for shapes or colors that stood out.

Timing was important. The sunlight and cloud cover had to be right for them to see deep enough into the water. When Hoffman thought he spotted something, he'd use a police radio to direct the search party on the ground.

But it always turned out to be a phantom. A log, or a shadow.

Hoffman didn't know Heiser, but he did know her parents were often at the river, waiting for an answer to their most important question.

So he wasn't worried about the $100 an hour his family was spending to put a plane in the air.

Were an interesting community. I think there are times when we might not always agree, but on something like this, everyone comes together.

Darold Wickersham was at a coffee shop when Sheriff Wrede called that first day. They were down at Sunshine Bottom, the sheriff said, and they had a communication problem.

Wickersham is on the 911 Board for Boyd and Holt counties. He was instrumental in getting the Region 24 trailer to the landing to give officers a way to talk to each other, he said.

But even after that, he walked the bank from sunup to sundown. The retired farmer knew the missing woman; she'd once worked with his wife at the phone company.

And I knew her mom and dad, he said. I wanted closure for them.

Once, Wickersham thought he saw a body in his binoculars. He directed a Game and Parks boat to the area but it turned out to be leaves snagged on a branch.

The search stretched on through October. A friend of Heisers started an online fundraiser to pay for more boats and planes or, if necessary, arrangements. Amy needs to be found and brought home to rest, she wrote. She is a fun and a kind soul.

Heisers family gathered at the landing -- parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Her disappearance was hard on them on more than one level.

A small-town rumor mill runs pretty fast, and there were a lot of rumors that we were hiding her, said her oldest brother, Heath Wilson. That kind of crap makes a person pretty mad when you think you just lost your sister.

The number of volunteers would rise and fall, but Boyd County officers kept returning to the river. At one point, Sheriff Wrede slipped off the bank, landed on a rock and tore off the top of his kneecap.

It went clear to the meat, he said. It took nearly two months to heal.

He hobbled around after that. But he kept looking. They'd tested the blood they found leading from the Yukon, and it was Amy Heiser's, Wrede said. The longtime lawman -- he started his career as an O'Neil police officer in 1978 -- needed her body to close the case.

In late October, the State Patrol met with Wrede and Knox County Sheriff Henery. The troopers said she was dead, and we had a whole bunch of clues that pointed that way, Wrede said. But both of us said, 'Hey, until a body comes up, she isn't dead.'

And she wasn't dead.

Amy Heiser was found hiding two counties and more than 80 miles from Sunshine Bottom.

But she wasnt found easily.

On Nov. 11, Wrede's office took an anonymous tip: Heiser was at Ron Olson's, outside of Coleridge.

The Cedar County sheriff and his chief deputy searched the farmhouse for 45 minutes. They found Amy Heisers credit cards, and Amy Heisers prescription pill bottles, and what they believed to be Amy Heiser's clothing, and a tote with Amy Heisers belongings.

Olson told them Heiser had dropped off her stuff and that she wasn't there, according to court documents.

The Cedar County officers weren't buying it. Sheriff Larry Koranda pointed out he'd heard a phone during the search, and he'd read a text message from Olson telling Heiser to hide because the cops were coming.

Chief Deputy Chad Claussen asked Olson, who had been caught trying to sell methamphetamine in 2014, how many years he could face if convicted for a probation violation.

Fifty, the 47-year-old Olson told him.

Claussen asked Olson: What good would it do to your kids if you spent the next 50 years in prison?

After that, according to court documents, Olson told them Heiser was in the bathroom.

Already searched up there, Claussen said.

Behind the paneling, Olson told him.

I pulled on the panel and it barely moved, the chief deputy wrote. I pulled again and I was able to get it loose from the wall  There was a naked female located behind the access panel.

He drew his Taser, but also gave her a towel to cover herself.

Justice caught up with the woman behind the wall. In Boyd County, she received 20 months for sexual assault, and faces a new charge of felony failure to appear.

She received 36 months from Holt County for possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, and 20 months to 40 months for possession of methamphetamine.

And a judge in Knox County gave her a year for possession of a deadly weapon by a fugitive.

Knox County Sheriff Henery had always considered the possibility she was still alive, he said. I call 30-some years of experience a hunch. I told everybody from the beginning that she's not dead until I see a body. That was step one, to take care of the obvious.

On Nov. 28, Heiser was booked into the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York. She's scheduled for release in 2022.

Her lawyer, Rodney Smith, has appealed her convictions to the Nebraska Court of Appeals. He and Heiser decided not to comment on the search or her case, he said in an email.

Heiser and two brothers were born in Texas but moved to Nebraska when they were young, after their parents divorced, said her oldest brother, Heath Wilson.

Their mother remarried and raised their growing family in northeast Nebraska, in Niobrara and Page and Lynch, where Heiser went to high school. And became a victim of her own making, he said.

Mom and Dad had five kids, and all of us turned out all right except for her.

He wants to be clear here: His sister never contacted her family while she was missing, he said. They believed her body was in the river. So they celebrated when they learned she was alive, but they were angry, too.

My opinion, we were happy she wasn't dead, but we weren't happy being lied to, thinking she did that to her kids -- they all thought she was dead -- and to her husband, her parents; we all thought she was dead.

Sheriff Wrede still has questions. If Heiser did park her Yukon at Sunshine Bottom that day in late September, how did she get to Cedar County? Olson was charged with two felonies, but did anyone else help her? Who else knew she was hiding?

He's investigating, he said, though he wouldn't say if more charges are coming.

The longtime lawman had never seen anything like this. Nothing like a suspect's suspected suicide on court day. Nothing like his community's effort to find one of their own.

He's added up the rough cost of the search: $48,000 for the 2,400 hours authorities and volunteers logged looking for Heiser; $1,600 in aircraft fuel; $1,300 to keep the boats and other vehicles running; and at least in $300 in food.

Will his county get any of it back?

He laughed. We arent thinking we are.

He laughed again when asked if the search party felt duped by Heiser.

They arent very happy about it.

But they're not necessarily angry, either.

The community that pulled together to find Heiser hadn't questioned their work, even if some had doubted the tale told on the riverbank -- with the note, the blood, the socks -- in September.

A lot of people who knew her said, 'Shes not in the river; shes smarter than that,' said Mike Hoffman, the pilot.

Weeder, who yielded his cabin to the search party, went down to the river to see for himself but couldn't tell whether she truly disappeared.

He realized that didn't matter. What do you do? You've got to search like it's real.

Which is why volunteers like Wickersham spent their time working the water, even if they were trying to see something that was never there. He felt like he was part of something bigger, he said, something good.

So many people were willing to spend their time, he said. It was wonderful.

And it was even better, in the end, that they hadn't found Heiser near Sunshine Bottom. It meant she was alive.

Nobody wants to see someone commit suicide, no matter how much they screwed their lives up, said Sheriff Henery.

Hoffman, who spent hours searching from the sky, will admit he was hoping he wouldn't find anything. He was pulling for her.

It sounds weird, but youre searching for a dead body, and it turns out she got another chance, he said. I was happy, to be honest with you.
LINCOLN -- Aggressive policies and tough talk from President Donald Trump have caused a swell of fears among Nebraskas immigrant communities.

Both documented and undocumented immigrants are calling attorneys over rumors of increased enforcement, rumors of loss of protections, anxiety over travel bans, fear of deportation and planning for childrens care if their parents are detained.

There is a lot of fear, a lot more than is warranted. Its like you shoot a gun and dont hit anybody, but everybody is afraid, said Bassel El-Kasaby of Kasaby & Nicholls, Nebraskas largest immigration-focused law firm.

Even people who are not affected are afraid. Ive gotten calls from people who are permanent residents, naturalized citizens, who because of all the rumors circulating are worried about traveling outside the country, El-Kasaby said.

The fears are being flamed, he said, by Trumps hard-line stance on immigration, coupled with news stories such as the detention of Daniela Vargas, a 22-year-old woman brought to the United States by her parents at age 7, who had registered under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and lived in Jackson, Mississippi.

And coverage of arrests like that of Romulo Avelica-Gonzales, who was picked up recently as he dropped his 13-year-old daughter off at school in Los Angeles. The girl, one of four siblings born in the United States, recorded her father's arrest from the backseat of the family car and later posted it online.

Homeland Securitys Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement saying the father was picked up because of past criminal convictions, including a 2009 drunk-driving charge.

Despite the fears, Nebraska has not seen a large uptick in the number of detentions or deportation cases, immigration attorneys say.

El-Kasaby believes part of the reason is that immigration enforcement authorities based in Nebraska already have a full workload. Ramping up enforcement, he said, would require finding new beds for detentions and hiring more agents to make the arrests.

The Omaha Immigration Court already has a long backlog, with hearings scheduled out to 2019 and 2020, said Ivan Velasco Jr., another Omaha immigration attorney.

Velasco said the unpredictability of the Trump administration on policy setting has both attorneys and their clients on the edge of their chairs.

When the executive orders came out there were things changing literally by the hour, sometimes by the minute, he said. I still every day obsessively check the news multiple times.

A week into his presidency, Trump issued an order barring citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days, refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

A court blocked the move and Trump releases an updated version of the order on Monday.

He also has ordered more aggressive enforcement of the nations immigration laws.

While enforcement has yet to drastically change in Nebraska, Velasco said, the publicity and the way Trump has gone about ordering changes has caused waves of fear to ripple through Nebraskas immigrant community.

Barack Obama deported more people than previous presidents, but Donald Trump announces it. He talks more about it in the news. Because of that, people are more afraid, Velasco said. Also, the administration is a lot more vague about what is going to happen and a lot more alarmist.

For the first time in nearly two decades of practicing law, Lincoln attorney Tim Sullivan is getting regular calls from parents seeking to have parental powers for their children signed over to friends or family in case the parents are deported.

Lincoln attorney Seth Feltons phone has been ringing regularly, with clients, the majority of which came to the United States as refugees, interested in becoming naturalized citizens and ensuring their immigration and work-permit papers are in order.

And the fear isnt good for Nebraskas economy, said Blanca Mejia, executive director with the Latino Community Betterment Corp., an economic development group in Omaha.

People who are afraid dont invest, buy cars or homes, and eat out less. Instead, they hoard their money, she said.

It affects the small businesses, because people arent spending, Mejia said.
A deadly incident at the states maximum-security prison in Tecumseh last week has once again put a public focus on the important work of reforming the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS). In my first two years as governor, corrections reform has been a top priority to ensure we are protecting public safety. Working with the Legislature and courts, we have begun to address challenges with our prison population, successfully lobbied for additional investments, improved staffing and recruitment, expanded programming opportunities and assessed security needs.

One of the first areas we worked to address during my first legislative session as governor is our prison population. Nebraskas prisons have been full for decades. Governors and Legislatures since at least the 1980s have worked to address this challenge. In 2015, the Legislature made changes to the states sentencing laws to better utilize parole and supervised release for nonviolent criminals. Instead of growing, the states prison population has started to decline, falling from 5,392 in May 2015 to 5,236 last month as changes take effect.

In the last two years, NDCS Director Scott Frakes and I have successfully worked with the Legislature to secure new investments in NDCS. In 2015, we worked with the Legislature to secure an additional $37 million over two years for the agency to improve operations, hire additional behavioral health staff and expand security staffing. In 2016, the Legislature and I agreed upon an additional $26 million to expand existing prison facilities, which will allow for the addition of 148 more beds as well as much-needed programming space.

While the $26 million expansion is built, NDCS is working in other areas to improve their facilities. A 100-bed temporary unit will help alleviate stress on our system while the expansion is under construction. Director Frakes has been working to establish mission-specific housing, and is advocating for another $75 million investment in housing to help deliver better programming for elderly inmates and those with behavioral health needs.

Last summer, Director Frakes and the Council of State Governments unveiled an analysis of programming in NDCS facilities. Good news: Our corrections system provides quality programming. The final analysis recommended re-sequencing existing programming and better utilizing staff to deliver programming. Additionally, my administration has worked with nonprofits to expand privately funded programming opportunities including a new program to develop entrepreneurial skills as well as faith-based programs.

Recruitment and retention of staffing has also been a focus for Director Frakes. Last year, the Legislature provided $1.5 million to assist the agency with developing new retention strategies, which include paying bonuses and work-life balance initiatives. Director Frakes and I have advocated for moving to 12-hour shifts for corrections officers. Additionally, Director Frakes and I have worked to improve employee pay by negotiating pay raises with the states labor union for our corrections officers. We are now working with the Legislature to fund those increases in the upcoming budget.

Finally, Director Frakes has worked to improve the security of NDCS facilities. Last year, he worked with his wardens to conducted a system-wide audit of facility security. The Legislature invested an additional $5 million in security staffing the last two years, and we have requested additional funding to improve security in my budget request under consideration by the Legislature.

The problems in corrections did not occur overnight, and they wont be solved overnight. It has taken a multi-year focus from all three branches of state government, and my office continues to prioritize reform.

The next critical step for NDCS is working with the Legislature to secure the funding needed for their budget request. As I mentioned earlier, our request includes expanding programming space and beds for inmates seeking behavioral health treatment, improving facility security and securing additional funds for job training for inmates. Properly addressing mental health is key to successful reentry and reducing the recidivism rate. Over 90 percent of the people who enter our corrections system eventually return to our communities.

Corrections will continue to have challenges even as reform progresses. The people we house in our prisons are there because they broke the law. Nebraska is not the only state that faces these challenges. In the last several months, prisons in Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, California and Delaware have grappled with prison disturbances.

In this legislative session and beyond, my administration will keep our focus on transforming NDCS. This transformation matters for Nebraska because it will help to better protect public safety and help the Nebraskans leaving our prison system become a part of growing our state.
Virginia College in Chattanooga will host a Spring Fling for the community on Thursday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the campus, 721 Eastgate Loop.

The event is free and open to the public with food, giveaways, and spring-themed activities for all ages. Attendees are also invited to enjoy program-related activities such as campus tours, free health screenings, and have the option to get a free green manicure or have their hair painted green by Cosmetology students in celebration of St. Patricks Day.



The event is part of Virginia College parent company Education Corporation of Americas national Spring Fling events being held at 61 other Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, and Virginia College locations throughout 16 states.



It is always a treat when we get to host the community, current and prospective students, and their families at our campus, said Campus President Dominick DeLorenzo. We look forward to celebrating the upcoming spring season together with such a festive occasion. We hope everyone will join us for family-friendly activities, games, food, and so much moreits sure to be a great time.



The event will also allow attendees to explore the programs offered through Virginia College, including: business administration, cosmetology, culinary arts, medical assistant, medical billing and coding, pastry arts and pharmacy technician programs.
NorthShore's Evanston Hospital in Evanston. A federal judge has ruled against a proposed merger between Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem, agreeing to temporarily block the union. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune 2016)

Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem are walking away from plans to merge after a federal judge's ruling Tuesday against the deal.

U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso on Tuesday granted the Federal Trade Commission and state of Illinois' request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the merger  a decision that capped more than a year of court battles.

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After the decision, NorthShore CEO Mark Neaman wrote to employees that the system would not move forward with the proposed union. "We have determined with the Advocate Health Care leadership that the time, cost, and uncertainty of pursuing any additional appeals would not be worthwhile," he wrote.

Advocate CEO Jim Skogsbergh echoed that reasoning in a separate memo Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, Tad Lipsky, acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, said in a statement the FTC was "delighted" with the ruling and the systems' decision to back away from their proposed merger.

The judge filed his opinion under seal to give those involved in the case time to request competitively sensitive information be redacted before the opinion is released publicly.

The systems' decision to drop their proposed merger comes after they first announced plans to unite in September 2014 and follows several rounds in court. The proposal would have created the 11th largest health care system in the U.S., combining Advocate's 11 hospitals and two-campus children's hospital with NorthShore's four hospitals.

Downers Grove-based Advocate and Evanston-based NorthShore had said a marriage between them would lead to improvements in care and lower costs for patients. They planned to offer an insurance product 10 percent less expensive than the lowest-priced comparable product available, saving consumers at least $210 million a year.

But the FTC challenged the deal in late 2015, saying it would probably hurt consumers with higher prices for health care and lower incentives to improve the quality of care. The FTC said the deal would lead to an 8 percent, or $45 million, price increase at the hospitals.

In court, much of the case centered around whether the FTC correctly defined the systems' geographic market in challenging the merger as unlawful.

Advocate and NorthShore argued the FTC too narrowly defined their market, leaving out competitors such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center.

The FTC, however, said if the systems merged, they would have had enough leverage to impose price increases on insurers without insurers being able to refuse.

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The court said in a filing Tuesday that it would publicly release the judge's opinion sometime after March 15, when the proposed redactions are due from attorneys.

Neaman said in his note to employees Tuesday that "we are disappointed but not discouraged by the Court's decision."

He said over the past two years much has changed when it comes to how insurers pay for health care.

"Many individuals have experienced fewer choices of healthcare providers and huge increases in out-of-pocket expenses," Neaman wrote. "During this same period, NorthShore has continued to invest in our people, technology, and facilities with record results. Building on our strong foundation, we now have the opportunity to further enhance our future as a pre-eminent healthcare delivery system  and do so for years to come."

Skogsbergh said in his memo that the merger would have been "a big win" for consumers and health care.

"Fueled by the strength of our talented physicians, nurses and staff and the expertise of our leadership team, Advocate will continue to drive toward improving health outcomes and safety for patients and communities while lowering costs," Skogsbergh wrote. "As a national health care leader, we have every intention of continuing to innovate and advance the care delivery model building on our success over this last decade."

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The case was closely watched, both the Chicago area and nationally. In recent years, many health care providers across the country have merged. Providers say it is a way to lower costs and improve quality, though others say the combinations are a way to boost negotiating leverage with insurers.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Illinois health care leaders spent weeks bracing themselves for the worst as they awaited a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act.

This week, that Obamacare replacement bill finally arrived  and it would mean significant changes for more than 356,000 Illinois residents who have coverage through plans purchased on the Affordable Care Act exchange. It would also affect more than 3 million Illinois residents covered by Medicaid, which is also targeted in the proposal.

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Hospital leaders and patient advocates say the bill, if passed, would lead to fewer people in Illinois with health insurance, creating a dangerous and costly situation for patients, hospitals and the state.

The bill's supporters, however, say it would give states more flexibility to serve those most in need and provide more choices at better prices for consumers. Its introduction follows a year in which people who bought insurance through the exchanges saw their premiums skyrocket and their choices dwindle.

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Some hospital leaders and patient advocates in Illinois are nervous. A.J. Wilhelmi, president and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, said some Illinois residents might not be able to afford to continue buying coverage on the exchange under the House GOP plan.

That's because the bill would get rid of the tax credits that three-fourths of Illinois residents who buy coverage through the exchange received last year to help offset their insurance premiums. The amount a person receives is based on income, and the average consumer in Illinois received $237 a month in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In place of those tax credits, the House GOP plan would offer a different type of tax credit, worth $2,000 to $4,000 per individual. The amount would vary based on age, not income  though the amounts would start to reduce once an individual earned more than $75,000 a year.

Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia and an expert on the Affordable Care Act, said that kind of a tax credit would generally be helpful for young consumers, but not for older, lower-income ones. "For people who are 55 or 60 and earning 150 percent of poverty, they're hopeless," said Jost, a proponent of the Affordable Care Act. "There's no way you can get coverage for the amount (of tax credit) that you'd get."

Proposed changes to Medicaid, a state- and federally-funded health insurance program for the poor and people with disabilities, would include shifting away from the federal match states receive for what they spend. About one-fourth of Illinois residents are covered by Medicaid. The federal government now picks up about half the cost of traditional Medicaid in Illinois.

Instead of a federal match, the House GOP bill would cap the dollars states receive per Medicaid recipient  a move some say could save money but others fear could mean less coverage for people as states grapple with how to pay for the program.

"That really shifts the burden of costs to the states and is going to force them to make some really dangerous decisions about eligibility requirements and care for individuals," said Ramon Gardenhire, a vice president with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

The bill also would allow people who gained coverage through Medicaid expansion  a part of the Affordable Care Act that extended Medicaid coverage to adults who didn't previously qualify  to keep that coverage. But in 2020, the federal government would stop sending additional money to states to enroll new people in Medicaid expansion.

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That's good news for those who have long argued that federal and state Medicaid dollars should focus on those who need help most, not able-bodied adults who gained coverage for the first time under Medicaid expansion.

But many of those on the ground in health care in Illinois disagree. About 650,000 Illinois residents are now covered under Medicaid expansion.

"People aren't going to stop being poor in 2020," said Roberta Rakove, a spokeswoman for Chicago's Sinai Health System, where nearly 70 percent of patients are Medicaid recipients. "You're going to get new adults who would have been covered by the Medicaid system before 2020, and they're not going to be eligible."

The bill also scraps the requirement that all Americans purchase insurance or pay a penalty. That requirement has long been deeply unpopular among many conservatives but has been described by Obamacare proponents as necessary in order to make sure enough healthy people buy insurance, to balance out costs for insurance companies.

In place of that requirement, consumers who buy individual insurance would have to pay 30 percent higher insurance premiums for a year if they went without coverage for two months or more during the preceding year.

The new 30 percent penalty is designed to encourage people to stay insured even when healthy.

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But Gardenhire, with the AIDS Foundation, said the penalty would hurt many people with chronic diseases who sometimes lose coverage for periods of time when they have to stop working. It would trap them in a cycle in which they would get sick, lose coverage and then not be able to afford coverage again because of the 30-percent penalty, he said.

The bill would also block Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds for a year. Planned Parenthood of Illinois operates 16 centers that, among other things, provide cancer screenings, breast health care, contraceptive services and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Planned Parenthood of Illinois provided reproductive health care services to about 60,000 people in 2015.

About 40 percent of Planned Parenthood of Illinois' patients are on Medicaid, meaning Planned Parenthood received federal money for their care, said Julie Lynn, a spokeswoman for the organization. Those patients might not have anywhere else to turn without Planned Parenthood because health centers wouldn't have the capacity to treat them all, she said.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois doesn't use federal money for abortions, though it does use federal dollars for other services.

Breaking Business As it happens When business news breaks, be the first to know. >

Many, however, praised the overall replacement bill on Tuesday, saying it keeps the best parts of the Affordable Care Act while jettisoning the worst.

The bill, for example, would keep some popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act, such as protections for people with pre-existing conditions looking to buy insurance. As of 2015, about 26 percent of Illinois residents had pre-existing conditions that could have affected their ability to get coverage without Obamacare, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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The GOP plan would also, like the current law, allow young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance until the age of 26.

It would also repeal a number of taxes the Affordable Care Act imposed.

"It contains bold provisions that would reduce taxes, empower individual health care consumers, shift power from Washington to state capitals, and restrain government overreach," said Brandon Arnold, executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, in a statement.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Wisconsin-based Toppers Pizza, known for its late-night hours and eclectic toppings, has closed all of its Illinois locations, including four in Chicago. (Heather Charles / Chicago Tribune 2011)

Toppers Pizza, the Wisconsin chain known for its unique toppings and late-night hours, says its five Illinois locations have closed.

Four of those restaurants were in Chicago: South Loop, West Loop, Wrigleyville and Bucktown. There was also a location in DeKalb.

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"Toppers Pizza will be back in Illinois under the right circumstances and with the right franchisee partners in the future, but we are restructuring in order to focus our growth efforts in other states," Scott Gittrich, the company's founder and president, said in a statement.

Toppers centers its business around the late-night cravings of college students, with pizza toppings that include macaroni and cheese and Tater Tots and breadsticks with chocolate and bacon. Most of its Wisconsin locations are concentrated in and around Milwaukee.

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sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SamWillTravel
A traveler undergoes a pat down from a TSA screener at Los Angeles International Airport. The Transportation Security Administration has implemented a new pat-down procedure. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Transportation Security Administration has quietly adopted new "enhanced" pat-down searches for screening passengers at U.S. airports, a response to weaknesses in airport security.

The TSA on Thursday began using a "universal pat-down" procedure that includes "enhanced security measures" to replace several pat-down tactics used in the past by TSA screeners that are presumably less invasive.

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The TSA is standardizing its physical search procedure rather than allow screeners to choose among types of searches to reduce the chance of poor decisions at crucial security checkpoints.

"The UPD [universal pat-down] lessens the cognitive burden for our officers and reduces the possibility for confusion with passengers and employees as well," the agency said.

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TSA officials declined to detail the new universal procedure or the previous pat-down tactics, but the industry is bracing for passenger unhappiness about more invasive searches.

An airport trade group has told its members that TSA screeners will be allowed to use the front of their hands, instead of just the backs of hands, to search passengers if a previous screening indicated the presence of explosives, Bloomberg News reported, based on a "security notice" distributed by the Airports Council International-North America.

The TSA is briefing local law enforcement agencies "in case they are notified that a passenger believes a [TSA security screener] has subjected them to an abnormal screening practice," according to the notice.

The TSA said the standardized pat-down process comes in response to a 2015 undercover test of airport security measures by the Department of Homeland Security.

The results of the 2015 test are classified but John Roth, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, told a congressional committee that the study "found layers of security simply missing." According to news reports, the test found that the screening procedures failed to detect handguns and other weapons.

The pat-down searches will be used on passengers who decline to go through the full-body screening machine used at most major U.S. airports or for those travelers who trigger a warning from the machine. TSA officers can also use a pat-down search on random travelers.

Passengers have the right to request a private pat-down screening and ask to be accompanied by a companion of their choice.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

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To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Unionized teachers at the city's Aspira charter school network said Tuesday they will walk off the job late next week if they can't reach a deal on a new contract.

Labor leaders say it would be the nation's first strike at a privately run charter school.

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"The last thing we want is a strike; that is the very last thing that we want," Marines Martinez, a social studies and history teacher, said Tuesday. "It's just that Aspira has not been negotiating with us fairly and we want to make sure that we put pressure on Aspira."

Union officials said teachers would walk out March 17, though Martinez said teachers still had to review and discuss a counteroffer from the charter operator this week.

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"It is a great offer," Martinez told reporters Tuesday. "But again, we want to stick to the point that we want Aspira to be transparent. ... We want to make sure that Aspira tells us where they are spending their money."

A letter to parents from Aspira said the charter network was awaiting a counteroffer from the union, while asserting that "any other demands from the union could jeopardize teaching positions, affect classroom size and hurt the overall education our students are receiving."

"There is no easy way to put this," Aspira board Chairman Fernando Grillo said in a letter to parents dated Monday. "The future of our ASPIRA children's education is facing a critical point."

Aspira operates four campuses in Chicago with an enrollment of about 1,400 students. Like other charter schools, the operation is funded by Chicago Public Schools but operates independently.

Aspira's roughly 100 educators are represented by the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, a branch of the American Federation of Teachers that oversees the city's unionized charter school teachers. Unionized teachers negotiate with the charter operator, not CPS.

It's the second time this school year that teachers at a charter network have threatened a strike. In October, a last-minute deal averted a walkout by teachers at the UNO Charter School Network. The Chicago Teachers Union also came close to a strike before accepting a deal with the school board in October.

Teachers at the city's widely known Noble Network of Charter Schools announced their intent to form a union last week.

"I have a lot of respect for the collective bargaining process, but bargaining needs to be parties at the table and it is extremely hard to get an agreement when only one party is actively negotiating at the table," Grillo's letter said.

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Robert Bloch, a labor lawyer who also works with the CTU and other charter unions, is representing Aspira's teachers.

In addition to salaries, the length of Aspira's school day and academic year are the main issues driving negotiations, Bloch said. He said Aspira's latest offer showed progress from the union's perspective but needed additional review.

Grillo declined to comment Tuesday on Aspira's offer but repeated his demands for a counteroffer.

"We'd like to get this worked out and we'd like to get back to educating children," Grillo said.

The sides are scheduled to resume negotiations Thursday.

jjperez@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @perezjr
The following items were taken from the Winnetka and Northfield police department reports and press releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

Northfield

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Theft

A student's iPad was stolen from New Trier High School, according to a March 6 report. The amount of loss is $450.

Gas was stolen from a Northfield station, according to a March 1 report. The amount of loss is $34.29

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Fraud

A forged check in the amount of $770 was cashed at the Glenview State Bank in the 100 block of Waukegan Road on Feb. 23, according to a report, and another check in the amount of $950 was not dispensed and the suspect left the bank. The matter was turned over to investigations.

Extortion

Police are investigating a complaint in which a minor sent a picture of themselves via electronic means to an adult out of state on March 1, according to a report. The adult then allegedly threatened to put the picture on the victim's Facebook page and send it to the victim's friends unless the victim sent the suspect $500, it said. The victim told their parents and the matter is under investigation.

Drugs

Armando Garcia Jr., 27, of the 4400 block of North Kasson Avenue in Chicago, was charged with speeding, obstructing a police officer, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cannabis after police stopped him for allegedly speeding in the 300 block of Bristol Court on March 5. Garcia allegedly used his cell phone to film himself resisting arrest and his phone was seized as evidence, according to a report.

Winnetka

Retail theft

Margaret J. Handelman, 23, of the 100 block of Fullerton Avenue in Chicago, was charged with retail theft at the Winnetka Police Department on March 2 after police investigated two previous incidents that occurred in the 500 block of Chestnut Avenue.

Fraud

A resident of the 500 block of Willow Road on Feb. 27 reported that someone attempted to withdraw funds from the victim's personal bank accounts. There is no reported loss at this time.

A resident of the 500 block of Hawthorn Lane on Feb. 28 reported that someone used their personal financial information to open up a Kohl's department store account. The amount of loss is $951.85.

Criminal damage

A vehicle at New Trier High School received damage to the driver's side mirror, driver's side door and fender, according to a March 3 report. The repair cost is $500.

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A vehicle in the 900 block of Pine Tree Lane was damaged on the passenger and driver's side areas with an unknown object, according to a March 4 report. The repair cost is $400.

A large front window of a residence in the 800 block of Gordon Terrace was damaged with an unknown object, according to a March 4 report. The repair cost is $2,500.

Brian Cox is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
Hyde No. 2 President's Cask Irish Whiskey, left, and Tullamore D.E.W. 14-Year-Old Irish Whiskey are two new single-malts. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Within the whiskey world, Irish whiskey might be the friendliest.

Smooth and easy-drinking, it can be mild-mannered to a fault. Traditional Irish whiskey includes triple-distilled unmalted grain, resulting in a fruity, gentle spirit that misses some of the complexity of a single-malt.

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Only a handful of large-scale distilleries produce the majority of Irish whiskey, and the new wave of craft distilleries is still quite young. So it's up to these larger distilleries to innovate into a maturing single-malt market.

Hyde Irish Whiskey, created by brothers Conor and Alan Hyde, sources its whiskey from Hibernia Distillers (owned by Cooley).

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"We are focusing on giving the modern whiskey drinker what they want and not just what has always traditionally been made," Conor Hyde says.

He made a big debut with Hyde No. 1, a 10-year-old single-malt finished in sherry casks. The follow-up Hyde No. 2 is finished in Caribbean dark-rum casks.

Hyde No. 2 has aromas of massive rum, dark sugar and cola, giving it a cocktail aspect. At 46 percent alcohol, a teaspoon of water tames the spicy bite, opening a nose of vanilla and coffee cake.

Citrus rind and peach skin develop into a slightly savory finish of grass, green tea and soy sauce.

Compared to the integrated sherry of Hyde No. 1, the rum components of Hyde No. 2 exist in parallel  as the base whiskey elements develop, the rum flavor is linear from start to finish.

While Hyde spotlights cask finishes, Tullamore D.E.W. has expanded into the single-malt category with a 14-year-old that is easily as nuanced as any major single-malt scotch.

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"The delicate nature of the spirit calls for a light touch in maturation," says Brian Kinsman, master blender at Tullamore D.E.W. "You need to be careful not to dominate the original notes."

The sherry, port and Madeira finishing casks guide the flavor but don't define it. Instead, the base malt shines through in all of its complexity.

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Vegetation and herbs wind through the experience, launching a nose filled with mead, melon rind, cardamom and crab apple. At 41.3 percent alcohol, it takes only a drop or two of water to release raw apricot and a fennel that will carry into the finish.

The flavor becomes a stroll through an autumn meadow, picnicking with dandelions, cognac and cucumber sandwiches. Finally, this winner finishes into celery, cereal, cantaloupe and, again, that fennel, persisting and pleasant.

The complex feast of the Tullamore D.E.W. 14-year-old single malt is like a long-simmering vegetable soup, showcasing superb, subtle cask management.

Hyde No. 2 President's Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey and Tullamore D.E.W. 14-year-old Single Malt Irish Whiskey retail for $70 each. They are as friendly as any Irish, only these friendships are a bit more complex.

Jim Brucker is a freelance writer.






Page Content

All levels of Europe's public administration, including regional and local authorities, are invited to take part in the 2017 edition of the European Public Sector Award (EPSA) organised by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA). Applications can be submitted until 13 April 2017.

Under the overarching theme " An Innovative Public Sector in 2017  New Solutions to Complex Challenges ", EPSA 2017 seeks to showcase and reward performances by public administrations which have demonstrated an innovative approach to public service delivery and policy-making to the increasingly complex, difficult to address and often multi-dimensional challenges faced by the public sector in Europe.

The award contest is open to all levels of Europe's public administration, as well as public sector enterprises, agencies and public-private partnerships. The lead applicant must be a public sector institution or authority - other applicants in a consortium, can for example be private companies, semi-public institutions, NGOs, universities or training institutions.

You can watch the EPSA 2017 video to learn more about EIPA , the EPSA 2017 theme, the benefits of taking part in EPSA and to get inspiration for submission of interesting cases.

For further information about EPSA 2017 and how to submit your online application (s), please consult www.epsa2017.eu or get directly in touch with the EPSA 2017 team at EIPA:

Email: info@epsa2017.eu
Are you an adventurous wine drinker? You're in luck: Tickets for Third Coast Soif, Chicago's first natural wine fair, are now available.

The event will be held Sunday, March 19, at Bad Hunter in the West Loop. For just $20, sample wines from 25 winemakers and nine importers, who together will bring 150-plus bottles of natural wines to show off.

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But let's back up. What's natural wine, and why dedicate a day to it?

"Natural" is a loaded term in the wine industry  "isn't all wine natural?" some say  and, to be clear, there isn't a precise definition; unlike with, say, DOC certification for pizza, the natural wine world isn't overseen by a governing body creating boxes you have to check to be part of the club.

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Many in the biz define it as wine made sans additives and with minimal tinkering  "nothing added, nothing removed," proponents like to say. Natural winemakers typically do not fine or filter wines (that is, they don't add clarifying agents or remove sediment), add sulfites or use commercially produced yeast strains, instead allowing their wines to ferment naturally. The whole point of the movement is that winemakers do what they feel is best for their wines. The end goal is always sustainability  for the farmer, the winemaker and the vineyard. Natural wine comes from all over the world, from California to Italy to France to New Zealand, and is made with all sorts of locally native grape varieties.

"In France, there are vins de garde  wines you collect  or vins de soif  wines you drink," says Nadim Audi, a Chicago representative for importer Seleccion Massale and one of the organizers of Third Coast Soif. For him, natural wines are the latter. Many boast high acidity and low alcohol levels, with a lighter body that's food-friendly, a contrast to fuller-bodied, juicier and boozier wines like, say, Napa Valley cabernet. For some wine lovers, natural wines spark the imagination as much as, say, heirloom vegetable varieties for chefs or craft beers for brewheads.

Meanwhile, critics of the form have called natural wines "flawed" and "unstable." Famed wine critic Robert Parker has deemed natural wines a "fraud" and "one of the major scams being foisted on wine consumers," but Audi and fellow Third Coast Soif organizer Mark Lindzy disagree.

"There's always been a stigma of natural wine made by hippies, that it's dirty and made with wet socks," says Lindzy, a regional sales manager for wine importer Jose Pastor Selections, "but this is traditional winemaking, passed down from generation to generation."

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"If in your critique, you're going to describe natural wines as 'hipster' and 'from Brooklyn,' you're just being reactionary," says Audi. "In the past, there have been flawed wines, sure, but these young winemakers are using each vintage to improve."

Third Coast Soif is a way "to learn that these people work as much as they can by hand, that they are not from Downton Abbey or some big chateau  they're farmers," he adds. "(This) is an opportunity to meet the people behind their wine. To see wine culture from a different angle."

"The time was right," says Lindzy, citing wine fairs like Big Glou, RAW and more popping up in New York City. Natural wines aren't new, but "they're more available these days." True: In Chicago, the genre has been quietly championed by the likes of Webster's Wine Bar, Red and White, and Rootstock, to name some early pioneers.

At Third Coast Soif, which is already almost sold-out, expect more of a party than a formal tasting. Countries represented include Italy, Spain, Mexico, the U.S. and France. Coffee and beer, from Four Letter Word and Whiner Beer, respectively, will be available, as will some snacks from Bad Hunter's kitchen.

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"We're totally against snobbism," says Audi. "Just come to drink  there aren't tasting notes."

Third Coast Soif will be held Sunday, March 19, from 1-5 p.m. at The Herbarium at Bad Hunter, 150 N. Halsted St. Tickets ($20) available here.

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85






Watch the blind audition from Micah Tryba on "The Voice."

Micah Tryba, who hails from Wheaton, unintentionally caused a lovers quarrel on Monday's episode of "The Voice."

Tryba sang Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" in a blind audition to land on a mentor's team in the NBC singing competition. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, who are dating, signaled they were both interested in Tryba.

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"What you did just then, it blew me away," Shelton said.

Stefani praised Tryba's intuition, sensitivity and voice control. Tryba, who said she has put her veterinary studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on hold to pursue music, hemmed and hawed before choosing Shelton.

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"This is what I want more than anything. I get to work with Blake Shelton and I literally can't believe it," Tryba said.

Season 12 of "The Voice" airs 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. More blind auditions are expected to air this week as the four mentors fill their teams to prepare for battles. The winner of the competition is slated to receive a recording contract.

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Viola Davis will star in the caper "Widows," director Steve McQueen's latest film, which is expected to shoot in Chicago later this spring. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP))

Chicago has seen an increasing number of television shows filming here over the past few years  Dick Wolf is keeping it busy as ever with a quartet of shows for "NBC" including the newest edition, "Chicago Justice"  but things are picking up on the film side as well. Here's a quick rundown of what's new in town over the next few months. Of note: At least three actors from "Moonlight" will be in Chicago shooting separate projects:

 "Captive State": Shooting in town since last month, from director Rupert Wyatt (executive producer of the Fox series "The Exorcist," which shot here last fall). Stars Vera Farmiga, John Goodman and Ashton Sanders, who played teenage Chiron in the Oscar-winning "Moonlight."

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The story: According to a press release about the film, it aims to tackle some big philosophical issues and is described as a "sci-fi thriller set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after it has been occupied by an extraterrestrial force." The film will use a "grounded sci-fi setting to shine a light on the modern surveillance state and threats to civil liberties and the role of dissent within an authoritarian society."

The story was developed by Wyatt and his wife Erica Beeney, who is best known as the screenwriter behind the 2003 Shia LaBeouf indie "The Battle of Shaker Heights," the filming of which was captured on a season of the reality series "Project Greenlight."

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 "Widows": Expected to film here later this spring, it is director is Steve McQueen's first film project since his Oscar-winning "12 Years a Slave."

The story: A caper film wherein (male) robbers are killed in a heist-gone-wrong, leaving their widows to get the job done (based on a 1983 British miniseries).

The cast includes yet another "Moonlight" alum, Andre Holland (who plays adult Kevin in "Moonlight's" third act) alongside recent Oscar-winner Viola Davis, "Get Out" star Daniel Kaluuya, "The Night Manager's" Elizabeth Debicki, British theater actress Cynthia Erivo (who won a Tony for her performance as Celie in "A Color Purple") and possibly Liam Neeson, whom "The Hollywood Reporter" says is in talks to play Davis' husband.

The script is from Chicago-based novelist and "Gone Girl" screenwriter Gillian Flynn.

 "What They Had": A small-budget indie expected to shoot here this month, the script is from Elizabeth Chomko and it was the 2015 winner of the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting (one of the more prestigious contests, run by the Oscars organization).

The story: "When her Alzheimer's-inflicted mother wanders off in a snowy night, a woman who has just left her 30-year marriage travels to her hometown to help her troubled brother convince their in-denial father to put their mother in a nursing home and face the end of their life-long love affair."

No cast or director has been announced. Update: The film stars Oscar-winner Hilary Swank along with former Chicagoan Michael Shannon as well as Blythe Danner and Robert Forster. Screenwriter Chomko directs.

Also on the TV side, Amazon's "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams"  a 10-episode sci-fi anthology series based on Dick's short stories and a co-production with Britain's Channel 4  is expected to film a significant portion of its episodes in Chicago starting late April. Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") is executive producing and starring in one episode. The writers are Michael Dinner ("Justified") and Ronald D. Moore ("Battlestar Galactica" and "Outlander").

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And it looks likely that Fox is shooting an untitled pilot in town this month about sexual assault at a university  and how the school handles it in the aftermath  between an undergrad and a star athlete.

The network has not confirmed that the pilot is filming in Chicago, but 4 Star Casting has already sent out a notice for extras for the show. It is created by writer Sheldon Turner, whose eclectic list of credits includes "Up in the Air," "X-Men: First Class" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning." Rita Wilson and Archie Panjabi ("The Good Wife") will star.

Filming is expected to start in mid-March. We won't know until May if network will pick up the series to pilot. This looks to be the only broadcast network pilot shooting in Chicago this spring.

And "The Chi," Showtime's new drama series from Chicago native Lena Waithe, about the lives of young black men on the South Side of Chicago, is expected to begin shooting in April or May. The cast includes one more "Moonlight" alum, Alex R. Hibbert (who played young Chiron).

nmetz@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Nina_Metz

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
In "Kong: Skull Island," which is a ton of fun, John C. Reilly steals the human part of the show in the role of Hank Marlow. He's a World War II pilot who, in the film's prologue, crash-lands on an uncharted South Pacific island. He finds plenty of company there. The film mostly takes place in 1973, as the war in Vietnam hobbles to a close. Various civilian and military adventurers played by Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson, some in the dark, others hip to the reasons they're going, mount an expedition to the fog-enshrouded wonder of Skull Island. There, Kong is king, and life for the last of his species is a series of battles to the death.

I spoke to Reilly, whose character waxes nostalgic about Wrigley Field and his beloved Cubbies, while the Chicago native was in London shooting a Laurel and Hardy biopic opposite Steve Coogan. Reilly recently wrapped a Sherlock Holmes movie there as well, with his frequent on-screen partner, Will Ferrell.

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Some excerpts from our conversation:

Reilly: I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the movie ("Kong: Skull Island"). I got to watch it like any other audience member. I hadn't seen any of the creature effects or anything like that.

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Q: As a South Side Chicagoan and famous White Sox fan, how could you stomach all that Cubs love in the movie?

Reilly (laughs): It was hard, I have to say. When we filmed we didn't know which way it was gonna go at that point with the World Series. I was so happy for them, though. The way they hung in there, after all those games.  Even for a Sox fan, it was good day for Chicago. It was fun to have that in the movie. My character's essentially a love letter to Chicago, reminiscing about Wrigley Field, just trying to get home again.

Q: Tell me what you've learned over the years, with green-screen and other visual effects, about acting in front of something that is not there.

Reilly: My character doesn't do too much one-on-one interaction with the stuff, the monsters, in the movie. We're running from stuff. Trying to escape from things, you know. Fighting stuff off. But people make a big deal out of how it's hard to do that without anything there. The truth is, it takes you straight back to your childhood. You're out there playing make-believe with your friends, and there's nothing "there" there, either. When you're a kid, you're just trying to make it all seem real and fun. It's pretty dazzling, the creatures effects, in this movie. So many films these days move the technology bar just a little bit. And here, the emotion they got into King Kong was really impressive.

Q: I sensed the movie was going right from the moment Kong's paw  boooooom  hits the top of the cliff. A very shrewd character introduction.

Reilly: You see Kong early and often in this one. The movie's a little bit subversive that way; it upends expectations as it goes along.

Q: Talk to me about your facial hair.

Reilly: That's pretty much me! There were a couple of scenes where they added to it, to make it really long, but for the most part it's me.

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Q: Do you find a lot of big action movies ...

Reilly: Boring? (laughs). Yeah, I find a lot of big action movies these days a little bit boring, some of the superhero movies, anyway, because of the lack of humor. They're so deadly serious, it gets dull after a while. I really love how our director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, allowed us all to react to these absurd situations in an honest way.

Q: Favorite monster movie as a kid?

Reilly: The first monster movie I remember seeing was "Jaws," although that was a smaller monster. I wouldn't say it was my favorite, 'cause it kept me out of swimming pools for about 10 years.  I did see the Jessica Lange/Jeff Bridges "King Kong" in the theaters when it came out. That was a super big event movie when I was a kid. I remember that giant hand opening.

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Q: In the new "Kong" I'd say the balance between funny and serious is just about right. As is the degree of violence. So many moviemakers, whatever kind of fantasy they're making, settle for simply amping up the violence, making it more realistic and explicit.

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Reilly: Yeah. I'm no glutton for punishment in that way myself, either. There's violence in the movie, but it has an impact emotionally. ... I'm really glad when any movie I do succeeds. And this one felt like, well ... from the outside, Kong looks like this massive, fantastical thing. But when we were making it, it was just me and bunch of great actors running around the jungle. And when you have talented people guiding the project after the fact, sometimes you get lucky. I've been lucky. And for better or worse, my career's been nothing but variety.

"Kong: Skull Island" opens Friday.

mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Ned Rothenberg plays a shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute, during a solo set at Experimental Sound Studio on March 6, 2017, in Chicago. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

A lone musician stepped to the front of the room, brought his traditional Japanese flute to his lips and began crafting mystical sounds.

Pitches bent flat and sharp, notes wafted gently into the ether, melodies dipped and rose and changed course without warning.

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Though it was standing-room-only Monday night at Experimental Sound Studio on North Ravenswood Avenue, the house was silent but for the sound of Ned Rothenberg's art.

True, the room was rather small, seating about three dozen people. Still, performers dream of this kind of setting: raptly attentive audience, exquisite acoustics, no artistic compromises asked for or given.

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The occasion was significant because ESS' Option series, which went on hiatus toward the end of last year, was bouncing back into action. As always, the event would feature two parts: a performance followed by a conversation, both unfolding in an unusual setting. For the event was taking place in a recording studio, the warmth and vibrancy of the room closer to a concert hall than a club, but more intimate than either.

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After Rothenberg finished his first solo improvisation, he turned to clarinet to produce an intensely lyrical performance that embraced inventive sonic effects and echoes of klezmer. Then he switched to bass clarinet, creating the illusion of multiple lines emerging at once. Finally, he launched an avalanche of sound on alto saxophone while maintaining a melodic core at the center of it all.

"So you probably noticed, we're advancing from soft to loud, and maybe some other things," Rothenberg told the audience. "But I can discuss that with Mr. Vandermark."

Rothenberg referred, of course, to Chicago reedist Ken Vandermark, a MacArthur Fellowship winner who organizes the Option series with fellow Chicago musicians Andrew Clinkman and Tim Daisy. Vandermark, who recently performed alongside MacArthur recipient Jason Moran and the Kenwood Academy Jazz Band at the Kennedy Center in Washington, would serve as Rothenberg's interlocutor.

Vandermark wasted no time in posing a question to Rothenberg that's vital to traveling musicians everywhere: How do you get all those horns on the plane?

"This is really nerdy," Rothenberg said, with a laugh. "I thought this was going to be about philosophy, creativity."

Soon it would be, but in the meantime Rothenberg explained how he divides his instruments between those he carries onto the plane in a knapsack and those he packs into "a hard Samsonite suitcase. I use Samsonite exclusively. Can I get an endorsement contract?" he quipped.

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Soon enough, matters turned serious, Vandermark asking his colleague how the music scene in New York had changed during the decades Rothenberg has lived there.

"People talk about artistic trends, and certainly it's there," Rothenberg said.

"But for me, when you're in the middle of it, it's about the individuals and who you're dealing with.  So much of it comes down to economics.

"People would say: What happened to the loft jazz scene? What happened to the loft jazz scene is that lofts became expensive."

Economics, in other words, can shape the musical landscape as much as artistic concepts.

Later, Vandermark asked Rothenberg about the solo material he just had played and how he developed all that musical material.

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"I should of course credit Evan Parker, who I heard for the first time not solo but with Globe Unity (Orchestra)," said Rothenberg, referring to the innovative saxophonist.

"While I never took a lesson with him, there were things I was working on that, when I heard him, it just made me realize I can do this.

"I've never believed in the books," Rothenberg added, citing instructional tomes.

"It's not about any single sound. It's about how you get to the sound, and how you move away from the sound, and how you find a context for it."

Consider the solo set that Rothenberg had just played.

"If you take a snapshot of any sound, it's nasty, and it's out of tune," Rothenberg said. "But you create a home for it."

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Context, in other words, tells the story.

"It's an interesting goal to say: I'm trying to be 'free' every time," added Rothenberg, meaning to try to create something thoroughly new every night.

Realistically speaking, that's impossible.

"When you see Cecil Taylor playing solo," said Rothenberg, citing the creative pianist, "he's totally improvising, but you know 90 percent of the shape of what he's playing. You know it's Cecil.

"I would love to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say: Oh, it's Eric Dolphy," continued Rothenberg, referring to a singular improviser who died in 1964.

"But I wake up, and, no, it's Ned Rothenberg. So you have to deal with yourself.

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"I liken it to mining. You're trying to find a new vein of gold.  We're all gold miners, rather than coal miners."

How much gold did Rothenberg feel he turned up on this night?

"I will admit to you that tonight I didn't  I don't think I surprised myself," he said to Vandermark.

"And it happens. But I thought it was a pretty good concert.

"So what I'm saying: Yes, I'm an improviser, but I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time I play. ... My main ambition as a soloist is to create a unique idiom."

Judging by this far-reaching performance, he surely has done that.

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The Option series continues at 7:30 p.m. every Monday, NH with Fred Lonberg-Holm and Phillip Sudderberg on Monday; Chad Taylor, March 20; Dee Alexander and Miguel de la Cerna, March 27; Rob Mazurek, April 3; at Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N. Ravenswood Ave.; $10. Subscriptions, which include access to a video library of past events, also are available; for more information, ess.org.

Rothenberg performs at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, with Hamid Drake and Joshua Abrams at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; $10 (18+); www.constellation-chicago.com

Dawkins and Iyer

Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble will celebrate the release of "Transient Takes," an explosive new album with pianist and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Iyer, with performances at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; $20;www.constellation-chicago.com.

Howard Reich is a Tribune critic.

hreich@chicagotribune.com

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Kenwood Academy Jazz Band's Journey: The road to Kennedy Center







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Patton Oswalt will headline the big comedy festival in Chicago this summer, an event put on by The Onion and also including appearances by Mike Judge, Christopher Guest, Bobcat Goldthwait and "Adam Ruins Everything Live!"

The fourth annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival, running May 31 to June 4 at venues including the Hideout, Lincoln Hall and Thalia Hall, is produced by The Onion, A.V. Club and ClickHole and presented by truTV. And the festival is getting political this year, also presenting Rise Up: Comedy For Change, a separate series of programming to "explore the role comedy can play in creating social and political change," according to the announcement Tuesday.

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A quick peek at the festival's notable dates:

Christopher Guest (May 31 at Music Box): Actor and director Guest (one-third of Spinal Tap, Corky St. Clair in "Waiting For Guffman," the "synchronized swimmers" sketch on "Saturday Night Live") will be in conversation with the Modern School Of Film's Robert Malazzo, plus clips from his work.

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Aparna Nancherla (May 31 at Hideout): Stand-up comic Nancherla has written for "Late Night With Seth Meyers" and appeared on "Inside Amy Schumer."

"Idiocracy" screening with Mike Judge (June 1 at Music Box): The man behind "Beavis & Butt-head," "Office Space" and "King Of The Hill" will screen his second feature film and be interviewed by A.V. Club's Sean O'Neal.

"Adventures Of Pete & Pete" reunion (June 1 at Lincoln Hall): "Obsessive reminiscing" about the children's show with the cast and creators.

Patton Oswalt (June 2 at Athenaeum Theatre): Stand-up king Oswalt will be recording a TV special.

Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider (June 2 at Lincoln Hall): Wilson and Schneider dish on Bravo's "Real Housewives."

Jena Friedman (June 2 at Hideout): Friedman is a stand-up comedian and filmmaker and has written for "Late Show with David Letterman."

Nathan Fielder of "Nathan For You" (June 3 at Athenaeum Theatre): Fielder will talk about the show with such indelible segments as "Dumb Starbucks" and "Petting Zoo Hero."

Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson (June 3 at Thalia Hall): The comedy duo known as Sorry About Last Night talk about their sex-positive show with a title we can't print.

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"7 Minutes In Purgatory with Ian Abramson" (June 3 at Lincoln Hall): The gist behind this show is Abramson puts comics alone in a room while the audience watches from a different room.

"ClickHole Live" (June 3 at Lincoln Hall): The writers behind the Onion site ClickHole devoted to all things viral talk about their "work" on stage with the help of PowerPoint presentations.

Crabapples with Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill (June 3 at Hideout): The legendary Goldthwait is joined by Caitlin Gill; they host a regular stand-up showcase called Crabapples.

"Adam Ruins Everything Live!" (June 4 at Lincoln Hall): Adam Conover is the creator and star of truTV's "Adam Ruins Everything."

Rise Up: Comedy For Change (June 2-4): Panels, performances and debates at venues to be announced, hosted by the social impact unit of Univision and the Fusion Media Group.

A limited number of festival passes with premium seating are on sale Tuesday. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale 12 noon on Friday; information and ticket links can be found at www.26Comedy.com.

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
The ghosts of Abu Ghraib haunt the world of Paul Pasulka's "Skin for Skin," while suggesting that the recent shameful past can only be read as prologue to our present times.

It's a story worth telling, to be sure, as the current administration's policies raise fears that the protections of U.S. citizenship may only be skin-deep. But Pasulka's play, now in a world premiere with the Agency Theatre Collective, never finds a real beating heart amid the cardboard characters and narrative dead ends.

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Pasulka attempts to recast the biblical story of Job as a cautionary tale of the abuse of military power. Ayyub (Steve Silver) is an American contractor and devout Muslim whose parents are from Iran and Iraq. When a couple of his trucks containing supplies for the U.S. forces in Iraq go missing, he falls under the suspicious eye of Col. Lewis (Tony St. Clair), who orders him locked up and subjected to the training techniques used in "S.E.R.E."  an acronym that stands for "Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape."

As explained in an opening scene by civilian psychologist Dr. O'Brien (Shariba Rivers), the S.E.R.E. program is designed to help captured military personnel resist torture during interrogation by giving them a taste of what to expect. In Lewis' xenophobic eyes, there's no reason not to ramp it up and use "extreme interrogation" against Ayyub. After all, it might save American lives  the same "ticking time bomb" rationale that drove the Fox series "24."

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Many of us cannot forget the images from Abu Ghraib, which find visual echoes in director Michael Menendian's staging. Lewis' insistence on finding semantic ways around calling torture what it really is (for example, by claiming that it all depends upon the "intention of the administrator," not the experience of the interrogated), is downright chilling.

Pasulka, who is a clinical psychologist as well as a playwright, clearly has a keen understanding of how repeated abuse scars both the abused and the abusers. This comes through most clearly in the relationship between enlisted soldiers Sgt. Lindsey (Hannah Tarr), and Pvt. Michaels (David Goodloe). Lindsey (who may bear a glancing resemblance to the infamous Lynndie England of Abu Ghraib) falls further into the dark pit of vengeance after a fellow beloved soldier is killed by insurgents, while Michaels begins questioning the rationale behind Lewis' monomaniacal obsession with breaking Ayyub and forcing him to confess.

As a treatise on why torture is morally repugnant and pragmatically useless, Pasulka's play has its strong points. But as a piece of dramatic narrative, it's flat. For example, a couple of characters who appear early in the play simply drop out entirely  even though one of them, Ayyub's fellow contractor Abdul (Sunny Anam) is last seen making a phone call on Ayyub's behalf. What happened there? We don't know.

St. Clair's Lewis telegraphs his evil intentions from the beginning in his leading questions to Dr. O'Brien. The implication seems to be that he's looking for a guinea pig to work out his theories of torture and the hapless Ayyub fits the bill.

But while Pasulka's play certainly raises theoretical questions about whether being an American citizen protects one in extreme circumstances, the fact that Ayyub is a citizen never seems to be addressed by anyone in the play apart from Ayyub himself  including the skeptical Dr. O'Brien, who goes along with Lewis' horrific practices for unconvincing reasons. It also  and I'm sure this isn't intentional  works to suggest that what happens to Ayyub is worse because he is a citizen. Certainly torture is horrifying no matter what passport the victim holds.

The bright spot here is Silver's performance as Ayyub. He does indeed capture some of the Job-like qualities of a man who, at the outset, is a prosperous and happy man of business, faith and family who is stripped of all that he believes in. It's a performance with nuance, subtlety, and color in the midst of an overly simplistic black-and-white morality play.

Kerry Reid is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

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Review: "Skin for Skin" by Agency Theatre Collective (2 STARS)

When: Through April 2

Where: Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave.

Running time: 90 minutes

Tickets: $28 at 773-680-4596 or www.wearetheagency.org
Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings, Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings, Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings in "The Americans," which returns to FX on Tuesday. (Patrick Harbron / FX)

When "The Americans" premiered on FX way back in 2013, the drama felt like a period piece, a Reagan-era Cold War throwback that, like "Mad Men" or "Downton Abbey," was infused with nostalgia for a bygone era.

In 2017? Not so much. Amid headlines about Russian interference in the presidential election and accusations of ties between the Putin regime and the Trump campaign, the series starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as a pair of Soviet spies living undercover in the suburbs of Northern Virginia in the 1980s feels surprisingly current.

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"Just like nobody predicted the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, I don't think any reasonable person could have predicted this turnaround," series creator and former CIA officer Joe Weisberg said in a phone interview with co-showrunner Joel Fields last week as news of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions' meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak consumed the media.

The fifth season of "The Americans" premieres Tuesday and finds Elizabeth (Russell) and Philip Jennings (Rhys) investigating an American plot to create famine in the Soviet Union. The couple struggles with how much to reveal to their teenage daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), who recently learned her parents aren't the mild-mannered travel agents they pretend to be.

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In a turn for American pop culture, which for decades portrayed anyone with a Russian accent as a cartoonish bad guy, "The Americans" empathizes with the Jenningses, KGB agents who regularly kill innocents in the name of the Motherland but also struggle with the same banal issues as other married couples. Boris and Natasha they are not.

Inspired by the arrest of Russian spies in New Jersey in 2010, Weisberg and Fields had hoped "The Americans" would encourage viewers to rethink "these people we once thought of as bitter enemies," Weisberg says. "Much to our chagrin, they seem to have been turned right back into enemies again."

The revived tensions with Russia have "certainly affected the way we think about the world," Fields says, "but it hasn't affected the way we write or create the show. That said, we also know that world events might impact the way the show is experienced by our audience."

The unexpected timeliness has made for some awkward coincidences. Last week, ads for "The Americans"  complete with Russian script  dominated the online home page of the New York Times, where multiple stories centered on the Sessions drama. (The ad buy was in placed before the news broke, according to an FX spokesperson.)

But even without the real-life parallels, "The Americans" is having a moment. For years, "The Americans" failed to receive any major Emmy nominations despite extravagant praise from critics. The perennially snubbed drama finally broke through with five nominations in 2016, including nods for drama series and for leads Russell and Rhys.

The show has also won fans in high places, including former President Obama and the former ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, who revealed to Russell at a state dinner last year that she enjoyed debating the show with her Russian counterpart, Vitaly Churkin. (Power's successor, Nikki Haley, recently tweeted that she was "loving" the series.)

"I certainly can't keep up with TV, so I don't know how anyone else does," says Russell, whose performance as the steely Elizabeth has done much to shed her image as the curly-haired sweetheart of "Felicity." "Our show is sort of a slow burn. It doesn't have a gazillion dollars behind it. None of us are hugely famous. I think it took a while to catch on."

The appeal of "The Americans" also extends to civilians without security clearance partly because of the intriguing relationship between Philip, who has questioned his commitment to the cause, and Elizabeth, the more ruthless, steadfast of the two.

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"It's about families trying to survive, it's about a marriage trying to survive. And I think that's why we've lasted," Rhys says. "Although the themes are more extreme or more magnified. I think they are universal."

Indeed, it's possible to view the Jenningses' occupation, which requires them to keep secrets from each other and assume different identities (all while donning a stunning array of wigs) as a kind of metaphor for marriage itself, Russell says. "We're all different people outside of our relationships. You're funnier with your girlfriends, you're more brash or more opinionated. ... This show pushes those elements of a relationship that we all feel, and makes them bigger.

"The spy stuff," she adds, "is just a conceit."

The marriage of Elizabeth and Philip, arranged by KGB handlers, has since blossomed into a loving and passionate partnership. But what most of us would view as a good thing is a liability for covert agents expected to put country above all else.

The tension between familial duty and patriotism and the personal cost of political zealotry are "borderline obsessions of ours," Weisberg says.

Like "Breaking Bad" before it, "The Americans" derives its suspense from an awareness that the jig will someday be up, by the sense that Philip and Elizabeth can't possibly sustain their double lives without endangering their children, their mission  or both.

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"There's this very loud, strong ticking clock. There's this pendulous metronome behind the entire show," Rhys says.

In Season 5, which opens in February 1984, this creeping dread is heightened by Paige's budding romance with neighbor Matthew (Daniel Flaherty), whose father, Stan (Noah Emmerich), is an FBI agent. Then there's the specter of history: Unbeknownst to Philip and Elizabeth, glasnost and the fall of communism are around the corner.

Also looming? The end of the series which, as announced last year, will conclude after Season 6.

The show runners, who like to work out story lines on long walks around New York City  "I'm shocked that the show has not been sponsored by Fitbit," jokes Fields  have already mapped out the remainder of the series. But so far they've shared little of this information with Rhys and Russell, who insist they know virtually nothing of their characters' fates.

Perhaps a leap forward to 2016 will find Elizabeth and Philip  or even a grown-up Paige  hacking away at Putin's behest? Stranger things have happened.

[ See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour  ]

'The Americans'

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Where: FX

When: 10 p.m. Tuesday

Rating: TV-MA-LV (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17 with advisories for coarse language and violence)

meredith.blake@latimes.com

Follow me @MeredithBlake
Is the Midwest Chicago and Detroit and Milwaukee? Is it Youngstown and Topeka? Are there two Midwests  one rural, religious and white; the other urban and marked by segregation? (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune 2016)

A good work of fiction can help you see the world differently.

A good work of criticism can help you see a good book differently, which, in turn, alters the world again.

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In "The New Midwest: A Guide to Contemporary Fiction of the Great Lakes, Great Plains, and Rust Belt," Chicago-area native and longtime book critic Mark Athitakis asks us to consider what it means now to label a book "Midwestern."

At one point, Midwestern literature was American literature. As William Faulkner said, Mark Twain was the first truly American writer. Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Willa Cather, Carl Sandburg, Saul Bellow, Richard Wright, Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair, and on and on. Midwestern books and Midwestern writers defined the country's values, stories of labor, struggle, faith, all in the service of pursuing the American Dream.

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But as Athitakis notes in his introduction, these authors told us of a Midwest that no longer exists. Sandburg's "City of the Big Shoulders" is no longer hog butcher for the world. Does the "Main Street" of Sinclair Lewis even exist anymore?

Last year's presidential election has led to much soul searching over the expression of Midwestern values. By narrow margins, Wisconsin and Michigan tipped the balance to Donald Trump. Wisconsin, once the cradle of progressivism, and Michigan, once the epicenter of union labor, voted for a man with a golden toilet.

Is the Midwest Chicago and Detroit and Milwaukee? Is it Youngstown and Topeka? Are there two Midwests  one rural, religious and white; the other urban and marked by segregation?

Using the lens of novels and short stories published over the past 30 or so years, Athitakis seeks to illuminate the ways we still lean on literary mythology of the Midwest when it comes to defining the region.

I remember election night as the returns rolled in, feeling something close to certain that the people I come from, the people I know, would not vote for a vulgarian like Trump. At the same time, I also knew, deep down, that the current narrative of the Midwest as an exemplar of the country, is one of alienation and uncertainty. The myths have lost their potency.

Through this series of essays on the new Midwest, Athitakis provides a lens that helps us see contemporary times more clearly. Rather than organizing by author, or by era, each chapter is themed: immigration in "The Latest Migrants," labor in "Hard Work and Other Lies of the Heartland" and religion in "Is This Heaven?"

In his essay on religion, Athitakis ties together Marilynne Robinson and David Foster Wallace, revealing how old attitudes toward Midwestern literature skew critical understanding of the work. Athitakis notes how Robinson's novels are called "quintessentially American  peopled by humble characters, centered on family, driven by hope," but in reality, these impressions are rather facile, obscuring her exploration of "the Civil Rights Movement, poverty, violence, prostitution, troubled faith, and failure."

Wallace's posthumous, unfinished novel, "The Pale King," is an exploration of how we can transcend boredom, a call to find faith in "drudgery."

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These are not novels of the "quiet Midwest." The literature of the new Midwest challenges the time capsule image of the region that seems to prevail in the broader conversation.

By design, the book is a mere conversation starter. In fewer than 100 pages, Athitakis touches on a couple dozen or more authors.

These conversations are necessary, no matter who is president. We should always strive to see what's here and now  not what was.

John Warner is the author of "Tough Day for the Army." Follow him @biblioracle.

Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

John Warner tells you what to read next based on the last five books you've read.

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1. "The Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins

2. "Euphoria" by Lily King

3. "The Mirage" by Matt Ruff

4. "Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day" by Seanan McGuire

5. "The Reflection" by Hugo Wilcken

 Peer S., Berlin

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Peer should seek out the very recently released "Ill Will" by Dan Chaon, who has become one of our leading lights of psychological suspense.

1. "Universal Harvester" by John Darnielle

2. "Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders

3. "The Impossible Fortress" by Jason Rekulak

4. "The Nix" by Nathan Hill

5. "Mercury" by Margot Livesey

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 Lance T., Iowa City, Iowa

Lance is tapped into the zeitgeist of contemporary literary fiction with this list, which makes me a little cautious about recommending something current. I'm going to dip back a few years and choose a great book that maybe didn't quite make the zeitgeist: "Return to Oakpine" by Ron Carlson.

1. "Nutshell" by Ian McEwan

2. "Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance

3. "Strangers in Their Own Land" by Arlie Russell Hochschild

4. "Fates and Furies" by Lauren Groff

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5. "Difficult Women" by Roxane Gay

 Sarah T., Orland Park

I can't sign off for this week without recommending a Midwestern writer. I think Sarah may take to Jane Smiley's "The Last Hundred Years" trilogy, the first of which is "Some Luck."

Get a reading from the Biblioracle!

Send a list of the last five books you've read to printersrow@chicagotribune.com. Write "Biblioracle" in the subject line.






The Les Turner ALS Foundation hosted its annual Hope Through Caring gala Feb. 25, honoring the organization's board president, Ken Hoffman, and people living with ALS. Held at the Loews Hotel Chicago, 500 guests attended the sold-out event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the foundation, one of the nation's largest independent ALS organizations.

Andrea Pauls Backman, executive director of the foundation, welcomed guests and introduced the founder's son Alan Turner. Alan paid tribute to his father, Les Turner, and shared the foundation's history. Les was diagnosed with ALS at age 36 and created the organization, with support of family and friends, from his bed six months before he passed away in 1977. Alan recalled, "The key difference between our experience in the '70s and what happens today is that, back then, there wasn't a foundation like this one to provide social workers and patient advocates, equipment or laboratories conducting research to give us hope. We were virtually alone."

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Praise for the foundation continued in a speech by Matt Toole, a husband and father of two teenagers, who has ALS. He and wife Karen spoke about their family's journey and acknowledged people in the audience who are living with ALS.

A video presentation featured the Rooney family, which has lost three members to the disease. Meg Rooney spoke about losing her husband, John, to ALS at age 56, after 27 years of marriage. "You know, in your mind, that there's only one outcome, that he's not going to survive this, so how can we make the most of the time we have and not focus on the end?" she said. Her three sons, Ned, Jack and Dan, spoke about special moments they had shared with their dad, whose mother and aunt also died from ALS. "This disease is absolute hell. You watch a person lose their ability to do just about everything, all while their minds are fully intact," Dan said.

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Rebecca and Michael Hoffman introduce their dad, Ken Hoffman, who is Hope Through Caring honoree and Les Turner ALS Foundation board president. (Chicago Tribune)

Rebecca and Michael Hoffman presented their father with the Hope Through Caring Award. Ken Hoffman spoke about the life-changing moment he and his family learned his mother, Harriet, had been diagnosed with the disease. "The foundation never left our side. The passion, commitment and care my mother received will never be forgotten," he said. It was because of this support that he became involved with the Les Turner ALS Foundation, first as a volunteer, then as a board member and now as president.

According to the organization, every 90 minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with ALS, and every 90 minutes, someone dies from the disease. While some symptoms are treatable, there is currently no prevention or cure.

The evening raised over $650,000 for the foundation to fund local research, clinical care and support services for people living with ALS in the Chicagoland area.

Ina Turner Jones, Les Turner's widow, shared her wish for the future. "We're hoping for the last gala when the cure is found. We will never give up until this happens."

Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.

More coverage

Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace's website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace.

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Tom Manning stepped up to the toilet, dropped his pants and tried something he hadn't done in four years: peeing while standing up. For the 65-year-old, who had undergone the first American penis transplant a few weeks earlier, it was a key test for whether the surgery was a success. So when his stream of urine hit the target, Manning gleefully communicated the news to his doctor  who was standing on the other side of the door  by shouting, "All right!"

Manning and a team of 13 surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital made history in May when they completed the 15-hour procedure. But how he ended up on the operating table and what has happened to him since are just as fascinating, as explained in Josh Dean's article in the March issue of Esquire, "This is the Story of America's First Penis Transplant."

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For starters, Dean explains, Manning wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't slipped down a slushy ramp in Boston in 2012 and gotten crushed by some of the heavy boxes he'd been pushing in a cart. It was only because of that freak accident that he went to see a doctor. That's when he was diagnosed with penile cancer. The best option for survival? Amputation.

Pretty much immediately, Manning got obsessed with the idea of a transplant.

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He talked about it incessantly and even studied anatomy from a medical textbook. So when he was offered the chance to get one, notwithstanding some rather unpleasant possible outcomes, Manning's response was "Let's do it." He was undeterred even when pre-op tests revealed that he had a calcified aortic valve, which meant he would need open-heart surgery a few months after the transplant.

"Manning knows he is one of the unluckiest men in America, and also one of the luckiest," Dean writes.

Now that the transplant is done, Manning also knows that he will forever have a new identity  because of the media attention, he jokingly calls himself "Thomas J. Penis." He's taking Cialis in the hope of regaining sexual function and, as Dean notes, he must take 40 other pills a day "to help protect his new penis from his body, and his body from infection." The side effects include shakes so powerful that his signature "looks like the readout from a Geiger counter," Dean writes.

So where does he go from here? Maybe Washington. When he's fully recovered, Manning's doctors would like him to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he could meet with injured veterans who are also candidates for penis transplants.

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Andrea Bern is the rare female character who doesn't live in search of a sidekick  romantic or otherwise.

She's the protagonist of "All Grown Up," Jami Attenberg's highly anticipated novel, released Tuesday, about a single, child-free, medium-successful art school dropout New Yorker who wonders  often through a boozy haze  what it means to be an adult, if not the accumulation of a spouse and/or children and/or a triumphant career.

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There are men also, in your bed, in your world, foggily, but you are less interested in them than in muffling the voice in your head that says you are doing absolutely nothing with your life, that you are a child, that the accouterments of adulthood are (expletive), they don't mean a (expletive) thing, and you are trapped between one place and another and you always will be unless something forces you to change.

This is Andrea, describing herself, in the first chapter of a book that manages to be funny, tragic and delightful.

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Attenberg, who grew up in suburban Chicago and is perhaps best known for her 2012 novel, "The Middlesteins," said she wanted to meet someone like Andrea, so she wrote her.

"I wanted to create a character that wasn't defined by her romantic state or status," Attenberg told me. "I felt like I've lived my entire life seeing movies and books and other things in our culture that represent a happy ending as finding love, and I just wanted to see a different representation of a happy ending. Not that she necessarily has a happy ending."

The book certainly doesn't end on a happy note. But its strength lies in its ability to keep the reader questioning, throughout, what is happiness and what is, simply, rule-following.

"All Grown Up," by Jami Attenberg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 208 pages, $25. (Handout)

"There's a safety in making stereotypically adult choices, and someone who doesn't make those kind of choices or achieve those kind of milestones can be considered threatening," Attenberg said. "The sort of people who choose unconventional paths can sometimes make people feel uncomfortable."

But uncomfortable can be good, particularly in a novel.

"If I just had characters who did everything perfectly, it wouldn't be a very interesting book," Attenberg said. "Andrea doesn't always make the right choices, but what I personally think is right is not necessarily what I have my characters do."

Early in the novel, Andrea's older brother, David, has a baby girl who's born with severe health complications. Doctors assure the family she won't live more than five years, if that. It's fascinating to watch how Andrea allows (or doesn't allow) this truth to encroach on her life. She repeatedly turns down her family's invitations to visit or help, and she distances herself, emotionally and physically, from her dying niece.

It's troubling and, yet, familiar  a metaphor, maybe, for the way we shield ourselves from other people's pain lest it become ours too.

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Attenberg said her favorite relationship is between Andrea and her mother, widowed young and poor when Andrea's father died of a drug overdose. But she found herself caring for each character uniquely.

"When I write books, my characters either start off really flawed, and I write my way into loving them, or I start out loving them and write my way into their flaws," she said. "There wasn't one character where I was like, 'I'm sick of you.'"

Indigo, Andrea's longtime best friend, is a yoga instructor whose gorgeous baby and wealth-infused marriage belie a lonely existence.

"Her life is architected, elegant and angular, a beauty to behold," Andrea says of Indigo. "And mine is a stew, a juicy, sloppy mess of ingredients and feelings and emotions, too much salt and spice, too much anxiety, always a little dribbling down the front of my shirt.

"But have you tasted it? Have you tasted it. It's delicious."

And refreshingly different from the usual fare.

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Jami Attenberg will appear in conversation with Chicago author Lindsay Hunter at 7 p.m. March 30 at The Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. More info at www.bookcellarinc.com/event.

'All Grown Up'

By Jami Attenberg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 208 pages, $25

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This excerpt from video released to the public shows the most complete version of the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. It is edited for length by the Chicago Tribune. Warning: This video contains graphic images. (Chicago Tribune)

Four Chicago cops accused of lying in their reports about the police killing of Laquan McDonald were to be the beneficiaries of a mid-March fundraiser organized by their colleagues, a lawyer for one of the accused cops says.

But nobody involved in organizing the event was willing to talk about it Monday, or to address rumors that it had been canceled.

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The event  billed as a "benefit to help our fellow officers in the 8th District"  was advertised in a flier posted in the Central District last week. According to the flier, the event was to be March 19 at 115 Bourbon Street in south suburban Merrionette Park, a popular venue for police fundraisers.

Tom Pleines, an attorney for Sgt. Stephen Franko, said he paid $30 for a ticket and that the event was to raise money for Franko and three other officers, Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes. Police brass are seeking to fire the four officers for lying in police reports to protect Jason Van Dyke, who has been charged with first-degree murder in McDonald's fatal shooting. A criminal investigation into the possible cover-up continues. The four officers are on unpaid leave.

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"I'm sure it's not easy being unemployed," Pleines said of the officers, who are fighting attempts to fire them. Pleines added that he received an email last week inviting him to the event from the president of the Chicago Police Sergeants' Association.

But 115 Bourbon Street does not have the event listed on its calendar of fundraisers, and managers there did not return calls seeking comment. The venue's owner, Vince Dinovo, hung up on a reporter. And CPSA President James Ade also did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Reached by Chicago Inc., a Central District officer who was listed on the flier as selling tickets declined to comment when asked if the event had been canceled.

It isn't the first controversy over fundraising for officers involved in the case. GoFundMe shut down a fundraiser for Van Dyke in November 2015 and returned more than $10,000 to donors, saying it was a violation of its terms of service to collect for someone accused of a crime.

And with 115 Bourbon Street located across the street from Chicago's Mount Greenwood community, where police-supporting white residents faced off with Black Lives Matter protesters late last year in angry scenes, any fundraiser attached to the officers involved in the McDonald case would have the potential for trouble.

Perhaps that's why nobody wants to talk about it?

Chicago Tribune's Angela Caputo contributed.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @kimjnews
When is it acceptable in America for a woman to be the subject of a disgusting, sexist joke offered by a man making a public speech in Washington?

When she's a Republican.

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And when he's a Democrat.

The laughter is the lash of a whip, a lesson to every woman  and every independent-minded girl  who dares think about straying from liberal Democratic group-think.

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And then came Nancy Pelosi, to complete the final lesson on political fealty.

Pelosi, Democrat and feminist, taught her lesson while appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper.

Tapper asked her about vulgar comments made by her fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana.

Richmond's target was Kellyanne Conway, adviser to President Donald Trump.

Conway had been kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office to take a photo of Trump surrounded by African-American college and university leaders. A photo of Conway on the couch hit Twitter, and the twittersphere went crazy.

The left loved the photo, because it distracted from the Trump/black leaders photo op. And they loved it because they could mock her for kneeling on the couch.

But a few days later, the topic came up at a formal political dinner by the Washington Press Club Foundation. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke first and made a joke that the Oval Office couch had seen worse things in the 1990s, referring to Democratic President Bill Clinton's sex scandal.

Richmond, who spoke next, went even further. He took the greasy thumbs of Twitter. And he put them in his mouth.

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He compared Conway to Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who had sexual relations with Clinton in the Oval Office in the 1990s. He said Conway was in a "familiar" pose.

"What was going on there, I won't tell anybody," Richmond said to Scott. "And you can just explain to me that circumstance, because she really looked kind of familiar in that position. Don't answer, and I don't want you to refer back to the '90s."

Cue the laughter.

Familiar in the position?

On her knees.

Do you understand, girls?

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Republican mothers understand. Pro-life Republican aunts understand. Conserative older sisters, grandmothers, husbands, sons, all understand the use of this political whip.

"Leader Pelosi, the joke was sexist, it was disgusting. Shouldn't the congressman apologize to Kellyanne Conway?" Tapper asked. "And, honestly, where is the Democratic Party in expressing outrage about this?"

Pelosi said she wasn't at the dinner but quickly noted Trump had said extremely crude things about women in a private conversation gone public on that infamous "Access Hollywood" video that was released before the election.

"You all are criticizing Cedric for something he said in the course of the evening  and he maybe should be criticized for that, I just don't know the particulars," said Pelosi. "But I do, every day, marvel at the fact that somebody who said the gross and crude things that President Trump said  he wouldn't even be allowed in a frat house, and he's in the White House."

Trump's statements about women were more than disgusting, and almost cost him the election.

Speaking to Pelosi, Tapper tried again, saying the Trump "Access Hollywood" tape had been discussed and covered extensively.

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"I guess the question is: If one criticizes only Republicans when they make crude comments, does that not undermine the moral authority if they don't criticize when Democrats make crude comments?" asked Tapper.

And in her avoidance, Pelosi slammed her lesson home, a lesson to women about what happens in the real political world to women when they don't cleave to the liberal line.

"Well, I think everybody was making crude comments," Pelosi said, "and I just don't know, I wasn't at that dinner.  I'll look at what my colleague said there, but I do think that in the Oval Office we were always, always with decorum appropriate for the White House."

Later, Richmond offered one of those Washington political lickspittle apologies.

It wasn't a real apology where someone says they were wrong and they are sorry. This was the kind that expresses regret for how remarks were interpreted. So if you're offended, it's on you.

"After a discussion with people I know and trust I understand the way my remarks have been received by many," Richmond said in a statement.

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"I have consistently been a champion for women and women's issues, and because of that the last thing I would want to ever do is utter words that would hurt or demean them. I apologize to Kellyanne Conway and everyone who has found my comments to be offensive."

Yes, a regular Sir Lancelot.

But just imagine if a Republican Congressman said something like that about a Democratic woman? Pelosi would have much to say. And so would organizers of women's marches and anti-Trump women's political theater.

A Republican man saying that sort of thing about a Democratic woman would make headlines for days and days. And those who declined to condemn it would be shamed.

Comparing Conway to Lewinsky was intentional. And like Tapper said, disgusting.

In this, it is very much like attacks on conservative African-American men, who are demeaned as Uncle Toms.

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There was not much in the way of official Democratic condemnation of Richmond. And little public outrage in the media.

But what if you're a woman and you don't buy the liberal Democratic politics?

You shall be shamed.

First comes the mockery that stings like a whip, like a scarlet letter, followed by a relative, partisan silence and a media silence.

People understand this, particularly the young, who fear shaming.

And it teaches a much more profound lesson to young conservative women about political fealty than do liberal marches and women's strikes and public theater.

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What does it say?

It says kneel and pledge fealty, or be shamed.

That's what it says.

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
The CTA's 31st Street bus route, mothballed in the late 1990s only to be resurrected last year for a test run, will continue operating for another six months to determine whether it should be made permanent once again.

During its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Chicago Transit Authority board OK'd extending the pilot run of the bus route, which slices through Bridgeport and Chinatown.

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The move to extend the life of the 31st Street route for another 180 days follows a similar extension CTA officials approved late last year for the No. 11 bus on Lincoln Avenue. Both bus routes were reintroduced last year, but only as part of a pilot project in which they would operate for six months from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

Ahead of the formal vote, Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, 11th, and two community members praised the board for extending the pilot, but all made it clear they wanted a permanent route with better hours on weekdays and weekends. Right now, 31st Street bus service runs 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays.

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The test run of the No. 31 bus began last September to much fanfare and praise from residents of the South Side neighborhoods it serves, following years of lobbying for the route's return by the community and grass-roots organizations.

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In a 1997 cost-cutting move, the CTA slashed several bus lines, including the No. 31 bus, citing low ridership. At the time, the transit agency said that only 246 people rode the route daily and that thousands of dollars could be saved by eliminating it.

But early indicators during the six-month pilot showed the 31st Street route had about 651 weekday riders, which was close to the transit agency's ridership target of 830 daily riders. CTA officials have said that they can better evaluate these temporary bus routes through all four seasons before determining whether they have enough riders to make the routes permanent. The CTA previously extended a test run for the No. 35 bus in 2013. That route was later made permanent.

The Rev. Tom Gaulke, pastor of the First Lutheran Church of the Trinity in Bridgeport, has worked for years with community groups to have the bus route resurrected and said residents remain steadfast in their support for early morning and weekend service.

Residents, for example, need Sunday morning service to get to work, or hope to extend the route to a Target store near Damen Avenue and 33rd Street, he said.

"Generally speaking, we're grateful that the extension is happening. We're excited to improve the route and to make it serve more people in the long run," Gaulke said.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
In the latest skirmish over privacy in the cellphone age, a federal judge in Chicago has rejected a law enforcement request to force potential targets in an ongoing investigation to provide fingerprints to unlock any iPhones or other Apple devices.

The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Weisman concerned a request for a warrant to search a residence where investigators believed someone was using the internet to traffic images of child pornography, court records show.

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The prosecution filing seeking the search warrant on the FBI's behalf remains under seal, but the judge's opinion said the government requested "the authority to compel any individual who is present at the subject premises at the time of the search" to provide a fingerprint or thumbprint needed to unlock an Apple device.

Weisman, a former federal prosecutor and FBI agent, wrote in his 14-page opinion last month that the government hadn't presented enough facts in its application that would justify such sweeping "intrusions," including any specific information about those who might be living at the residence or their connection to the child pornography investigation.

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He also called out prosecutors over what he called the dated boilerplate language often seen in search warrant affidavits dealing with technological issues, from referring to a Blackberry as a "Personal Digital Assistant" to suggesting that most people still use cables to download information.

Weisman's ruling comes a year after the high-profile battle between Apple and the FBI over the encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attackers who killed 14 people and seriously wounded 22 others in 2015.

That dispute was resolved after the FBI was able to hack into the phone without Apple's help. But experts say the debate over where to draw the line between privacy and investigative interests has lingered, particularly as law enforcement agencies across the country are searching to bypass the relatively new technology of fingerprint readers and other encryption built into many cellphones.

Although Weisman's ruling was narrow in scope, it provided an important shot across the bow to federal agencies looking for sweeping powers to search individuals' cellphones without probable cause, according to Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights group.

"This is a very new area of the law. We've only had the ability to unlock our phones with our fingerprints for a few years now," Lynch said. "And so in this situation, there's nobody on the other side to say to the court this is outrageous and there are some cases to back us up."

In a landmark 2014 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police must obtain a warrant before they can search an arrestee's phone.

The court has previously held that physical evidence like fingerprints can be collected without judicial approval. But some legal experts say there should be a higher legal threshold when it comes to unlocking a smartphone with a fingerprint because it potentially gives the government access to a trove of personal information.

David Shapiro, an attorney with Northwestern University's MacArthur Justice Center, said Weisman was correct in putting the brakes on a "remarkably intrusive search."

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"A cellphone is almost a record of your mind and your life," Shapiro said. "It reveals your thoughts. It reveals who your friends are. It reveals where you go, where you spend your time. It reveals what books you buy on Amazon."

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago declined to comment.

The case was just one of many across the country where authorities have sought access to a locked or encrypted smartphone as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. An Apple spokesman has previously said the company receives thousands of requests every year and complies with about 80 percent of them.

But the issue exploded in February 2016 when Apple publicly refused to comply with the FBI's request that the company help access an iPhone used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. The FBI wanted Apple to create a program specifically for that particular phone to help the bureau review the data on it. Apple refused, saying to require the company to build a "backdoor" into its devices would set a terrible precedent.

In fighting the request, Apple released details of a dozen similar instances in which the federal government sought data from Apple devices by invoking the All Writs Act of 1789.

Three of those requests were filed in Illinois. In one case, the FBI sought  and a judge granted  permission to access an iPhone belonging to Pethinaidu and Parameswari Veluchamy, a suburban couple later charged with bankruptcy and passport fraud. Records show Apple complied with the judge's order in that case, but the FBI was unable to access any data because the phone's data had been encrypted.

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The issue is not unique to federal court. In Cook County criminal court, prosecutors have asked a judge to force an alleged serial rapist to unlock his iPhone. The defendant, tanning salon owner Marc Winner, allegedly exchanged at least two text messages with one of his victims implicating himself in the attack.

"Are you ok?" Winner texted in one message, according to screen shots of the texts taken by the alleged victim.

"I'm away from you," the woman replied. "Of course I'm okay."

"Don't talk to me agaon," she texted soon after. "Your a rapist."

Winner has since been charged with three other sexual assaults of women who were either employees or customers at his salons. But two years after his arrest, the contents of his phone remain locked as both sides await a ruling. Winner has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In his recent decision, Weisman authorized agents to search the premises and remove computers and electronic storage devices found during the raid  the more traditional requests made in search warrants.

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Weisman's ruling on the fingerprint issue came only after he took the unusual step of asking the U.S. attorney's office to submit a memorandum detailing its position. The judge then presented a draft of his order to prosecutors for their "consideration" before publishing it with some "minor edits," according to his ruling.

Weisman acknowledged that given the still-developing nature of the child pornography investigation, it wasn't surprising that some information was missing from the government's application for a search warrant. He said any evidence garnered from the search could be used to apply for additional warrants in the future.

"We simply are not there yet," Weisman said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b

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Timothy Smith, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing a man who had arranged to pay for sex with Smith's pregnant wife, has returned to McHenry County Jail to await a new trial.

Smith, 32, was convicted of murdering Kurt Milliman, who was shot after he responded to an online ad offering sex with Smith's wife, Kimberly, for money, prosecutors said.

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Milliman, 48, of Prairie Grove, went to the Smiths' home near Woodstock on May, 28, 2011. But when Kimberly Smith decided she did not want to have sex with Milliman, the two argued and Milliman grabbed her arm and slapped her, prompting Timothy Smith to emerge from where he'd been watching the interaction and shoot Milliman in the back, authorities said.

The couple initially claimed that Milliman, a local bar owner and former McHenry County sheriff's employee, was an intruder in their home.

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Smith's lawyers have said that he did not intentionally shoot the man and only meant to scare Milliman and defend his wife.

Still, a jury found Smith guilty of first-degree murder in 2013. Two years later, though, Smith's conviction was overturned and he was granted a new trial by an appellate court that ruled that McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather should have given jurors the option of an involuntary manslaughter conviction.

The lesser charge carries up to 14 years in prison upon conviction and indicates that a perpetrator acted recklessly, whereas first-degree murder requires that a person intended to kill or cause great bodily harm.

At Smith's trial, his public defender told the jury to consider the charge of involuntary manslaughter because Smith claimed the gun "just went off."

But prosecutors said that Smith's own claim that he was defending his wife showed his intention was to kill Milliman. Authorities also said Smith repeatedly told them that his actions were justifiable.

They jury also could have found Smith guilty of second-degree murder.

The 2nd District Appellate Court judges ruled that there was sufficient evidence to find Smith guilty of murder but said there was also some evidence that his actions were reckless.

Smith has been moved from prison to the County Jail, where he is being held pending his retrial. That date has not yet been set, but Smith is due back before Prather on March 15.

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Kimberly Smith received probation in Milliman's death for filing a false police report. She was later sentenced to three years in prison for a probation violation stemming from a DUI charge. She filed for divorce in 2014.

Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
Elizabeth Hardrick, an employee at G-Mart Comics in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, talks about her desire to become more politically active after Donald Trump's election. She organized a postcard-writing session at the store March 4, 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) (Nuccio Dinuzzo / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Tucked away behind rows of brightly colored comic books and board games, more than a dozen people gathered Saturday afternoon in the back room of G-Mart Comics in Logan Square, scribbling messages onto the backs of postcards with iconic images from the Women's March.

All were addressed to President Donald Trump.

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Part of "The Ides of Trump" campaign, volunteers will mail the postcards March 15 in an effort to inundate the White House with grievances.

Since January's Women's March, the movement has settled into a quiet backwater  a period of planning and strategizing in living rooms and town halls. It's during these planning periods, experts say, that movements best work to create change. At the same time, organizers are faced with the challenge of including diverse viewpoints to avoid alienating potential followers.

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Some women have felt left out because of rhetoric from the initial march. Women who are against abortion but want to fight for women's rights have found participants' attitudes toward their beliefs troubling.

"It'd be nice for them to expand their base," said Mary FioRito, 51, of Elmwood Park, who felt excluded from the Chicago march because of her anti-abortion beliefs. "If they could include all women, it'd be a force to be contended with."

As small, local meetings sprout up across the Chicago area and around the nation, it is during this time, experts say, that organizers can prioritize their goals and, by combing through differences in opinion and extending audiences, transform a moment into a real movement.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 34 Woman are arrested by the New York City Police Department after sitting down in the street outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York on March 8, 2017 during a #DayWithoutAWoman protest in New York City . (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/Getty Images)

Behind the scenes

Liz Radford, co-chairwoman of the Women's March on Chicago, said the weeks since January's march have been spent planning ways for participants to remain active in the community.

One goal is to prepare female voters for the 2018 midterm elections by making sure they're well-versed on the issues. Another goal is to work on diversity issues by encouraging participants to attend the Black Women's Exposition in April and to support the economy of Little Village, a neighborhood where businesses and restaurants have suffered after last month's immigration raids deterred people from shopping.

On Wednesday, some women will participate in "A Day Without a Woman," when women will take the day off from work, avoid shopping and attend workshops.

Radford said the local movement encompasses all sorts of issues and beliefs and that organizers welcome participants to voice the women's issues they care most about.

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"We never made any sort of statement saying we didn't want a pro-life person to attend," she said. "We never said there are certain ways people should have voted. There will be women in the group who do not agree with other ways of thinking, sometimes vehemently so  that's part of being a woman."

As the current women's movement struggles to find its next beat, experts are drawing parallels between its start and the beginnings of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It took years for the latter to coalesce around its goals and leadership, as any movement that draws people of different backgrounds must negotiate how to accommodate those backgrounds moving forward, said Erica Chenoweth, a professor at the University of Denver who studies civil resistance.

It's common for a movement to take time between actions to plan its demands, Chenoweth said. In the case of the women's movement, Washington, D.C., organizers are encouraging planning in the form of "huddles"  casual meetings hosted in people's living rooms, where participants are invited to discuss their goals for the movement  and town hall meetings with local politicians.

"These meetings aren't always visible to opponents. They're done in private and don't make for big pictures of crowds in a square," Chenoweth said. "But it's important preparation work. That's much of what's going on in the U.S. right now  making connections behind the scenes."

It's during these meetings, she said, that differences in opinion can be sorted out. Though activists and experts agree the movement is left-leaning, participants have a multitude of political opinions: Some are Trump voters who don't appreciate what they see as his sexist demeanor; some are Republicans who didn't vote for Trump at all.

Those types of conversations, Chenoweth said, are difficult to hold during a protest.

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"I think they're still figuring out what they want to do, and in the meantime they should choose to focus on remaining positive. Promoting certain values rather than opposing them," she said. "By focusing on a positive message, people are more inclined to come on board."

Diane Latiker pumps her fist while attending a Women's March on Chicago volunteer meeting at a Service Employees International Union building in the 2200 block of South Halsted Street Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

A difference of opinion

Kyla Lamontagne, 23, of Wrigleyville, said she believes the conflict within the women's movement comes down to whether being pro-abortion rights is an essential part of being a feminist.

Lamontagne, who said she did not feel comfortable attending the march in January without other anti-abortion friends, pointed to the March for Life, which was held a week later. Women of all beliefs were welcomed, and she lamented the lack of reciprocity.

"I felt this was a moment that pro-life and pro-choice could have come together and realized that despite their differences in philosophy, there are people on both sides who are emphatically pro-women," Lamontagne said.

FioRito, who's active in the Roman Catholic Church, was also eager to join the women's resistance. She didn't appreciate Trump's vulgar and sexist language, she said, and she wanted to fight for improving women's workplace conditions.

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She planned to attend the Chicago march until she heard about how the Texas-based anti-abortion organization New Wave Feminists was pulled as a partner of the Women's March on Washington. Although Chicago organizers said they make decisions independently from Washington, the move troubled FioRito, who chose not to march and took her daughter to see the film "Hidden Figures" instead.

Lamontagne also was dismayed by the dropped sponsorship. "They were within their rights to deny this pro-life group from sponsoring," she said. "It just sucks that they made this a defining factor of a fight that I feel is different, and potentially greater than this."

FioRito said she believes women who are against abortion are feminists, citing standard-bearers Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who opposed abortion. But she feels like the women's movement hasn't come to this realization yet.

"At this point, I don't know that we'd be welcome. I don't know if our voices would be heard.  I think this is an issue that's frankly off the table, it's not open for discussion," she said. "However, if there was an olive branch extended and they said, 'Pro-life women, we want you on board, we want unity,' we'd be more than happy to talk," she added.

A Women's March on Chicago volunteer meeting was held March 1, 2017, at Service Employees International Union's main offices on South Halsted Street. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Local strategies

The postcard-making meeting in Logan Square was the first public event that Elizabeth "Ryvre" Hardrick, 33, had organized.

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Large-scale marches are a way to make a statement, she said, but smaller meetings are more personal and crucial to developing the habit of staying active before the next election cycle.

She has attended multiple small gatherings made up of family and friends that are advertised through social media. She said the groups have been diverse but generally agree on standing up for minorities and supporting reproductive rights, although there are attendees who are anti-abortion.

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"I'm Catholic so I understand being pro-life, but that doesn't mean I get to decide for other people who aren't Catholic," Hardrick said. "I also very strongly believe that the best way to prevent abortions is to have access to birth control, and that's all kind of rolled together into reproductive rights."

Hardrick said she believes that it's not about feeling comfortable with everyone in the movement but rather putting energy into efforts she does agree with.

"No one is going to agree 100 percent of the time, so it's about finding groups that agree with you most of the time and finding that overlap," she said.

gwong@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @GraceWong630

Twitter @meltagouri
Elaine Maimon, president of Governors State University, seen here in 2014, announced budget cuts on March 6, 2017 and said that additional cuts are likely if the state's budget impasse isn't resolved soon. (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)

Governors State University will eliminate nearly two dozen academic programs and hike tuition by 15 percent to cope with the state's historic budget stalemate, officials said Monday.

Starting this fall, 22 degree programs will be eliminated, including some within the undergraduate majors of communications, psychology, criminal justice and teacher education. Current students will be able to complete their degrees in those subjects.

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Governors State, located in southwest suburban University Park, enrolled about 5,600 students in 62 degree programs this past fall.

Elaine Maimon, the university's president, said Monday that additional cuts are likely if the budget impasse isn't resolved soon. The state's public colleges and universities have had no funding from Springfield this year and only partial funding during the prior 18 months as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled legislature have been unable to agree on a state spending plan since July 2015.

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"We've been doing everything we can to try to figure out more efficient ways of doing things. We're at the limit of that now," Maimon said.

The budget crisis, now in its 20th month, has forced universities across the state to cut academic programs, lay off staff and take other action to make ends meet. Northeastern Illinois University on the city's North Side, for example, will shut down for a week later this month as nearly all employees take five furlough days during spring break. In addition, almost 300 student employees will lose their jobs, the university announced Friday.

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While some Illinois schools plan to keep tuition flat despite the decline in state revenue, Governors State trustees Friday approved a tuition hike that will have incoming full-time undergraduates paying about $9,400 per year, up from $8,160. Tuition rose about 12 percent between 2011 and 2015, and then was unchanged last year.

Governors State has received about $19.7 million in state funding during the past 20 months, compared with $24 million in 2015, the most recent year of full funding. The university cut 62 employees and 13 academic programs last summer.

Maimon also noted a growing backlog in maintenance projects, now commonplace at the state's public universities.

"From 2008 until now, we had built up reserves, hard as it was to do. But they are becoming depleted. This is just a horrendous problem. It is the responsibility of the state to address it," Maimon said.

Governors State was founded in 1969 as an upper-division school for students finishing their degrees. It became a four-year university and welcomed freshmen in fall 2014.

drhodes@chicagotribune.com

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The Chicago Park District board on Wednesday will consider a $100,000 settlement for a girl who was injured when she fell on a metal spike at a Lawndale park playground in September 2014. Her forehead struck the spike, causing an open gash over her right eye, according to a Park District document.

B'Nai Brown's grandmother had taken the 3-year-old to the playground in the 700 block of South Springfield Avenue, about a block and a half from the grandmother's home. While she was there, the grandmother heard screaming and looked over to find the girl had cut her head, said the family's attorney, Timothy Keiser.

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The child got five stitches, and she may need cosmetic surgery in the future, Keiser said. "That's probably the best-case scenario," he said. "It's not near as bad as it could have been."

When the Park District swapped out old playground equipment for new equipment, it had failed to remove a metal pole sticking out about 14 inches from the ground with a jagged edge, Keiser said. The metal spike  located in a highly trafficked area of the playground  was left there after the removal of playground equipment sometime before Sept. 4, 2014, according to the Park District document.

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Keiser said the Park District was notified of the pole within a month after the girl was hurt, but the metal piece remained at the playground as late as January 2015.

The Park District declined to comment.

The settlement, which is scheduled to be discussed by the board in a closed session Wednesday, was recommended by the agency's general counsel. No lawsuit was filed.

Money from the settlement would go into a protected minor's account in which court approval is required to access the funds to pay for medical expenses until the girl turns 18, Keiser said.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
The Chicago Jewish Day School in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood was evacuated March 7, 2017, because of a bomb threat. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

A North Side grade school was among at least 12 Jewish schools and centers across the country that received bomb threats Tuesday, the latest wave in a pattern of anti-Semitic intimidation that began in early January, officials said.

The Chicago Jewish Day School in the 5900 block of North Sheridan Road received the threat by phone shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday and the staff decided to evacuate the building, according to police.

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"Everyone knows what to do and when you need to evacuate and they did what they needed to do," said Judy Finkelstein-Taff, the head of the school.

Students and teachers were allowed back in to the school a little more than two hours later, arriving in front of the single-story stone building by bus, after a sweep by police and bomb-sniffing dogs turned up nothing, authorities said.

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The school, which sits on Lake Michigan in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood, serves more than 200 students from junior kindergarten to eighth grade, according to its website.

Elizabeth Vlahos, a graduate student at DePaul University who served in the Navy for 12 years, lives nearby and was out for a walk when she encountered red police tape about two blocks west of the school.

Chicago police investigate a bomb threat at the Chicago Jewish Day School in the 5900 block of North Sheridan Roadin the Edgewater Beach neighborhoodon March 7, 2017. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

"As a citizen and as a veteran, this type of hatred is not what I signed up to defend," she said. "It infuriates me. This is a black eye on America."

Jim Rosenberg, a parent who is also the chief of staff for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, joined Finkelstein-Taff in commending the work of police and decrying the anti-Semitism behind the threat.

"Unfortunately it is happening throughout the country," he said. "Nobody knows why it is happening."

At least 11 other bomb threats were made to Jewish community centers and day schools across the United States on Tuesday, including a Jewish center in Whitefish Bay north of Milwaukee, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

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The other cities include Washington, D.C.; New York City; Davie, Fla.; Atlanta; Boston and Framingham, Mass.; Rockville, Md.; Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y.; and Portland, Ore.

The threats  at schools, community centers and ADL offices  began in early January and now number more than 130 in the country, according to the ADL.

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"We are, of course concerned about the anti-Semitism behind today's threat, which coincides with a recent surge in bomb threats around the country," said Craig Marantz, senior rabbi of Emanuel Congregation, which is associated with the school.

"Emanuel Congregation is a community that embraces diversity and religious freedom and we remain vigilant in our stance against this or any type of hate-motivated violence," he said.

Vlahos, the Navy veteran, recalled a recent break-in at the Chicago Loop Synagogue at 16 S. Clark St., where a window was broken and stickers of swastikas were affixed to an interior wall.

As tears streamed down her cheeks, she said the level of hatred needed to call in a bomb threat to an elementary school affects everyone.

"There's a special level of hell for those who terrorize schoolkids," she said.
The university chancellor has called for ending it. The mayor hopes it fizzles into obscurity. Police have written the same citations, community leaders have offered the same warnings and, in the end, all have had to respond to the deaths of three students who were in Champaign to better their lives.

Jonathan Morales, a 23-year-old from the western Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, died this weekend on what's known as "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day" at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a junior majoring in communications, according to reports from friends.

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Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup said the cause of Morales' death appears to be consistent with multiple blunt-force injuries suffered in a fall from a fourth-floor balcony late Friday night. The official manner of his death won't be determined for weeks, after toxicology reports are returned. However, "it appears at this time it's most likely accidental," Northrup said on Monday.

Morales' is the third death that's happened on "Unofficial." It's a day many U. of I. students consider a real holiday. Yet some community leaders think of it as a more-than-two-decade-old excuse for students to wear green and get drunk on a day other than March 17, which historically falls during the school's spring break.

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Those whose job it is to protect students from blurring the line between a responsible, fun time and a day of drunken mistakes now say so much for bromides and broken promises. As if they're the parents of unpredictable teenagers, community leaders have long walked a tightrope with "Unofficial." They have been doing everything they can to try to prevent another death. But they also realize the more they press the issue the more likely they are to see an entire student body rebel. Even as they openly condemn the event that attracts students from all over the country, public and private sector employees all said there's not much more they can do to dissuade adults of legal drinking age from imbibing when and where they want.

"We've tried what seems to be everything; but, we'll go back and try some more because we can't just throw our hands up and say, 'Oh well, we tried.' That's not acceptable," said Robin Kaler, a spokeswoman for the University of Illinois. She herself has two kids, one who currently attends the university and one who just graduated from the school. She said she can't imagine what Morales' parents are going through.

"The idea of getting that call in the middle of the night, that you'll never see your child again  it's terrifying," Kaler said.

The chancellor at U. of I., Robert Jones, said his heartfelt condolences go out to the Morales family.

"Going forward, we must find a way to work together as a community to end this event and avoid more senseless tragedy," he said.

Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen said she supported how much more seriously the university has been taking students ditching school the Friday of "Unofficial." In the past, she said, students would attend class drunk as a means of defiance or not attend classes at all that day, choosing instead to go out to bars or parties to drink. That has tapered off in recent years, in part because university officials have worked to make students understand the seriousiousness of skipping school, she said.

"I think they're pretty strict in the classrooms. You can be thrown out of a class for ditching like that and with such steep consequences. ... It's one day; it's not worth risking their college career over or losing their life," she said.

Kaler echoed that, saying the steps the university has taken to crack down are too numerous to list.

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"We would very much like the event to not go on. And we've done lots of things to try to make it less fun and less dangerous," Kaler said.

She said there also were fewer students visiting from out of town. The decrease came after the university reached out to other schools and asked them to tell students not to visit U. of I., as well as barred visitors in residence halls for the weekend.

"We have lost three human beings so far over this ridiculous, senseless so-called holiday, and that is horrifying," Kaler said. "We are in the business of improving lives. This thing is antithetical to everything we do."

The party weekend also isn't supported by pretty much anyone except bar owners. Kaler, however, said that when the university has sent out letters to parents urging them to talk to their students about drinking on "Unofficial," she has received more than one response suggesting to her that the university not concern itself with students' off-campus interests.

"This is a nonsanctioned event. It's not sponsored, or encouraged or endorsed by the cities or the communuites," said Jeff Hamilton, a spokesman for the city.

He added that before Morales' death, local officials have been successful in tamping down the event in recent years. Feinen, who did a ride along with police beginning at 8:30 a.m. Friday, said she initially was told there had been 115 citations issued Friday, which represented a decrease from the previous year.

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Hamilton said the city works to remind students who have a legal right to drink that they also have responsibilities. The city and the university also work on campaigns in advance of "Unofficial" to clearly explain medical amnesty rules. Under the rules, everyone who notices someone in trouble or needing help is encouraged to call 911 and stay on the scene to speak with emergency responders. They are told not to fear being arrested for things such as underage drinking or fear being reprimanded by the university on otherwise punishable offenses.

Tracy Parsons, the facilitator of the three-year-old Champaign Community Coalition, explained that his organization holds quarterly "Walk as One" events. The most recent event focused on "Unofficial" and ways to keep one another safe during what can amount to a marathon day or weekend of drinking. The Coalition is composed of volunteers from law enforcement, health organizations, park district representatives and local schools.

"We get students from all across the nation that come in for this activity and we aren't able to reach all of them; so we remind the local students this is a peer-led activity, and they should serve as the educational source for out-of-town friends," Parsons said.

Part of what they want participants to know is how to keep each other safe. That can be as simple as drinking plenty of water and remembering to eat something if they are drinking alcohol for extended periods of time, he said.

This year the group had more than 100 volunteers go out and knock on doors, sharing educational materials, including a letter signed by the police chiefs from Champaign, Urbana and the university. The letter reminded students about the dangers of binge drinking and gave guidelines to follow, including: Don't carry open alcohol in public; ensure your balcony is not overcrowded and make sure nothing is thrown from the balcony; and watch out for one another.

Parsons said he heard "Unofficial" was much smaller this year than in the past in part because so many students chose to return to the Chicagoland area. By 4 p.m. Friday, he said he was shocked at how calm the streets were in comparison with past years. The efforts to make "Unofficial" less enticing appeared to be working.

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"We walk that fine line between informing and educating but not trying to create such a hostile environment that it becomes an opportunity to want to rebel against us," Parsons said. "I think the chancellor would like to see an end to this event once and for all, and that's something we all support -- even more so in light of the incredible tragedy that happened just hours later that night."
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday said he's worried Illinois "won't do very well" if the proposed U.S. House Republican Obamacare replacement plan becomes law.

The governor's comments were his first since congressional Republicans unveiled their changes Monday. The plan would cut federal funding to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled paid for with state and federal dollars.

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In Illinois, about 3 million, or 1 of every 4, residents are on Medicaid, including about 650,000 people insured under Medicaid expansion. The state is getting an estimated $14.1 billion in federal money this year to support traditional Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.

The House GOP plan would switch state reimbursement from a federal match to a limited amount of money, blowing a big hole in a state budget that's already severely out of whack amid a record impasse in Springfield.

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Rauner referred to the proposal as "a pretty significant shift" but said he hadn't had a chance to "analyze every piece" of the legislation.

"My first blush read is Illinois won't do very well under the changes that they're recommending, which is a big concern to me," Rauner said. "I want to make sure that people in Illinois are not left in the lurch or that, you know, there's a lot of pressure to reduce insurance coverage for people in Illinois. I'm very concerned about that."

Rauner said he had spoken with fellow governors and with members of the Trump administration about his concerns regarding Medicaid, but he refused to tell reporters what those concerns were. He said he planned to talk with members of Congress and with governors "to craft a joint response or some recommendations to what's been proposed."

"It's a little early for me to publicly state what I've recommended," Rauner said.

Also Tuesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized the Republican plan, saying it would cost millions of low-income Americans their health insurance while driving up health care costs across the country.

The mayor said he discussed the bill unveiled this week by the GOP at the behest of President Donald Trump with his brother, renowned health care ethicist Ezekiel Emanuel.

"I have not had a chance to go through the whole bill, but I have read parts of it, and I at least called the family expert, my older brother," Emanuel said. "And my fears, which is true, and that is more people are going to lose health care, you're going to get away from the cost containment that has happened, and it's directly going to impact poor and working poor, or working lower middle-class access to quality care because of the way it's designed."

The mayor contrasted the Republican plan with the work he said went into crafting the Affordable Care Act  known as Obamacare  when he was chief of staff in the Obama White House.

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"At no point in those two years did anybody ever say, 'You know what we should do? Let's cut taxes for health insurance executives.' That never came up," he said. "The entire discussion was, how do you keep health care costs under control, and how do you expand health care. Not how do you provide a tax cut to CEOs of health insurance companies and then diminish people's access to quality health care."

The plan Republicans in the House released Monday evening would phase out funding to states that use Medicaid to provide health insurance to low-income residents. It also would roll back taxes on high incomes, including a clause in Obamacare to tax insurance executives who make more than $500,000.

Obamacare has been in Republicans' crosshairs for years, and Trump has made its repeal a key part of his platform. It's far from certain this proposal unveiled by House Republicans will make it to Trump's desk, however. A handful of Republican senators have already expressed misgivings about it.

Chicago Tribune's Lisa Schencker contributed.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

kgeiger@chicagotribune.com
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs, shown in 2015, wants clarification from the Trump administration on medical marijuana. (Travis Haughton / Chicago Tribune)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs says he wants more clarity about the Trump administration's views on medical marijuana.

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The first-term Democratic treasurer sent a letter to the White House on Monday, raising comments by White House press secretary Sean Spicer that suggested there might be "greater enforcement" of federal drug laws in states where marijuana has been legalized. Illinois' medical marijuana law allows doctors to certify patients with specific medical conditions to use the drug.

Frerichs wrote that Illinois faces "significant banking challenges" when it comes to processing taxes and fees from the marijuana industry.

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"I request your administration provide substantive clarification and guidance on the receipt and remittance of such funds, whether cash, checks, or electronic payments deposited by state governments and medical cannabis firms in a financial institution," Frerichs wrote.

Spicer's comments last month seemed to distinguish between states that have approved medical cannabis laws, like Illinois, and those that have allowed for use of the drug for recreational purposes.

"The president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing, especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them," Spicer said last month.

"Recreational marijuana, that's a very, very different subject," Spicer said.

Illinois lawmakers approved its medical cannabis program in 2013, and dispensaries started selling in 2015. The state law is a pilot program that expires in 2020 after Gov. Bruce Rauner agreed to extend its life after a slow start.

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will attend a ribbon cutting at an office tower along the Chicago River. He'll also announce that Chicago is hosting mayors from around the world for an urban waterways forum next week.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner's schedule wasn't available.

*The Illinois House and Senate meet Tuesday, with substantial committee schedules posted.

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*The City Club of Chicago will host a lunchtime program entitled: "Our Great Rivers: What's Next for the Chicago and Calumet."

*Two Democratic lawmakers and the Alzheimer's Association are scheduled to hold a Springfield news conference to promote proposals about nursing home staffing levels.

What we're writing

*Chance the Rapper writes $1 million check to CPS as a 'call to action,' and Rauner unveils a funding memo.

*U.S. Rep. Roskam blames Trump, presidential campaign, social media for lack of 'civility' in politics

*How 'Da Icehouse' got a late-night liquor license in high-crime Austin.

*New travel ban brings little relief, Chicago activists say.

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*Chicago police ease restrictions on use of force in new draft policy.

*AG Madigan unveils annual list of top consumer complaints.

*Governor's State University cuts 22 degrees, hikes tuition 15 percent.

*Despite borrowing limit, tiny Skokie school district seeks to get around state law for new school.

*Some of the Chicago area's most-traveled bridges are 'structurally deficient,' study says.

What we're reading

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*Ken Griffin's Citadel searches for college talent and dangles a big prize.

*In blow to U.S., federal court rules the Snuggie is a blanket.

*Goose Island takes the business risk of introducing a new beer at Wrigley Field.

Follow the money

*Mayor Emanuel reported $54,600 in contributions over the weekend, including donations from eight people who list restaurant company Lettuce Entertain You as their employer, including CEO Kevin Brown. This 2014 story is a deeper dive into previous donations by the group.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

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Beyond Chicago

*Trump revises his original travel ban order, taking Iraq off his list.

*Where the Trump wiretapping claim came from, via the NYT.

*House Republicans unveil their Affordable Care Act replacement, which includes tax credits and state grants.

*Supreme Court won't say if trans teen can pick bathroom.

*North Korean missile tests put more pressure on Trump.
TOKYO  Malaysia's prime minister accused North Korea of "effectively holding our citizens hostage" Tuesday, after the Kim regime banned all Malaysians in North Korea from leaving the country, the latest escalation in tensions following the assassination of the North Korean leader's half brother.

The Malaysian government responded by saying it would not allow North Korean diplomats to leave the country, surrounding the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur with tape and armed police.

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The moves underscore the sudden breakdown between two non-aligned nations that, until a month ago, enjoyed a pragmatic relationship free from ideological judgments.

North Korea's official media said Tuesday that Malaysian citizens had been banned from leaving the country. "North Korea's foreign affairs department sent a notice to the Malaysian embassy in North Korea on March 7 that it is temporarily banning Malaysian citizens from leaving the country," the report said.

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Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said North Korea condemned the travel ban as an "abhorrent act" that was "in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms."

"As a peace-loving nation, Malaysia is committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries," Najib said in a statement. "However, protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened."

There are 11 Malaysians in Pyongyang: three embassy staff, six family members and two others who work for the United Nations' World Food Programme.

"There is no threat to their lives. Let us not come to that point yet," deputy foreign minister Reezal Merican told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

China's CCTV 13 reported that "emergency procedures" had been initiated at the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang and that people had been burning documents and loading luggage into vehicles, but the report could not be immediately confirmed.

North Korea suggested the ban would be lifted once the investigation into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged older half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was completed to its liking.

"The ban is effective until the case in Malaysia is fairly resolved and the safety of the North Korean diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is secured," the state media report said.

Kim Jong Nam was attacked in a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport terminal last month, his face smeared with a substance that Malaysian investigators said turned out to be VX, a nerve agent and internationally banned chemical weapon. He died within 20 minutes.

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Malaysia carried out an autopsy on the body against the objections of North Korean diplomats in Kuala Lumpur, who insisted that the man - referred to simply as a "North Korean citizen" - had died of a heart attack.

Malaysia has refused to release the body without DNA identification from next of kin, but no family member has come forward to provide the match and claim the body.

North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, issued a series of increasingly virulent statements against the Malaysian government, including saying it couldn't be trusted, and was declared persona non grata on Saturday. He left Malaysia on Monday night, bound for Beijing.

North Korea responded by saying it was expelling the Malaysian ambassador to Pyongyang, but he was already in Kuala Lumpur, having been recalled soon after the attack for consultations with his government.

After North Korea announced Tuesday it was banning all Malaysians from leaving the country, Kuala Lumpur retaliated.

"We don't mean to do this, but it needs to be done," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Malaysia's home minister, told a hastily arranged media conference Tuesday.

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"The home ministry has made a ruling, effective immediately, that not one staff member or officer of the [North Korean] embassy can leave the country," he said according to The Star. "This will be made effective at all immigration exits nationwide."

Photos on Twitter showed police cordoning off the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur after the announcement.

Malaysian police have implicated three North Koreans still in Malaysia as being involved in the attack on Kim Jong Nam. They include a diplomat and an employee of the North Korean state airline, Air Koryo, and all three are believed to be hiding out in the embassy.

Ordinary North Korean citizens in Malaysia - who number in the hundreds - would still be allowed to leave the country.

North Koreans had been able to travel to Malaysia visa-free - a privilege that has now been revoked - making it a popular destination for North Koreans involved in trade and business. About 300 North Koreans are also believed to be working in a mine in Sarawak.
Republican efforts to revise the Affordable Care Act met with widespread resistance Tuesday from conservatives in and out of Congress, moderates in the Senate and key industry stakeholders, casting doubt on the plan's chances just one day after House GOP leaders released it.

The most imminent and serious threat to the plan crafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was the growing backlash from conservative lawmakers and powerful outside groups who argue the draft is nothing more than "Obamacare Lite," a disparaging reference to the former president's signature 2010 domestic achievement.

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The lawmakers do not represent a majority of Republicans in either chamber of Congress, but there could be enough of them to scuttle any health-care bill they oppose - and several said Tuesday they intend to use that leverage to force major changes to the measures. Their efforts could begin Wednesday morning at markups of the legislation before the House Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce panels.

But President Donald Trump - who weighed in backing the plan on Twitter - said at a meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday afternoon that he would work with them to secure passage of their plan.

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According to several attendees, Trump made clear that he wants the House bill to be approved and land on his desk largely intact. He pledged to become personally involved in persuading skeptical lawmakers, and warned that failing to pass the legislation would result in trouble at the ballot box for Republicans who pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare.

"The president said very clearly . . . this is the bill he wants on his desk, and he wants to get this done quickly," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the House GOP chief deputy whip, who attended the meeting. "The president is paying attention to what people are saying and doing, where they're saying it and doing it. He is highly aware and has a highly attuned ear to what is happening in the press, and has a real understanding of the challenges in order to get this bill on his desk."

As if to prove it, Trump targeted Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., - who has emerged as the bill's chief skeptic - with a tweet Tuesday evening: "I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!"

The margin of error is slim for House and Senate GOP leaders - in the House, Ryan can afford to lose only 21 GOP lawmakers. In the Senate - which is using an unusual parliamentary procedure that requires only a simple majority for legislation to be approved - Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., must persuade all but two Republicans to support the plan. Republicans have 52 seats in the Senate, and no Democrats are expected to back the overhaul in either chamber.

Following late afternoon votes on Tuesday, several Republican senators privately groused that they felt rushed by their GOP colleagues in the House and by Trump, who they said does not fully grasp the Senate's slower pace or its concerns.

The senators also expressed skepticism that key White House officials with deep ties to Congress's conservative wing would eventually be able to lock up the votes for the current plan. Instead, they said there is confusion over who is managing the process and which administration figures, if any, have actual power to sway Trump on the issue.

One Republican senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing, said several senators are asking their leadership to "take it easy" in terms of the timeline, allowing space to debate and analyze the proposal with a "clear understanding of the costs involved." "If that takes months or a year, so be it," the senator said.

A second GOP senator said the party was making a "mistake" in its rollout by taking "too much ownership" of health care after years in which Democrats were identified with Obamacare.

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, speaks about Obamacare repeal and replacement during a news conference on Capitol Hill, on March 7, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

The long-anticipated debut of the House GOP plan - after seven years in which Republicans vowed to repeal Obamacare - was far from seamless. Less than 24 hours after its introduction, Ryan and his chief lieutenants were beating back fierce criticism from their right flank about the proposal's chief elements: income and age-based tax subsidies, as well as a redesign of the way that states that expanded their Medicaid coverage under the ACA receive payments. Part of the blowback came from the fact that no cost estimates have yet been provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

"Doing big things is never easy, but we have made a promise, and we're going to keep that promise," Ryan said in a late afternoon news conference.

The speaker vowed to pass the legislation, pushing back on the idea that it was crafted behind closed doors without input from fellow Republicans. "We'll have 218 votes when this thing comes to the floor, I can guarantee you that."

To do so, Ryan will have to appease conservatives inside and outside of Congress, who made themselves heard loudly Tuesday.

Ryan outlined three phases in which health-care reform would be achieved: first, via the special budget procedure known as reconciliation, of which the current measures are a part; then, through regulations at the Health and Human Services Department; and finally, the passage of other bills that will need bigger backing and could include the ability to buy insurance across state lines.

Republicans belonging to the roughly 30-member hard-line House Freedom Caucus attacked the bill outside the Capitol on Tuesday. Several said they saw the measure as a starting point for negotiations, even as they demanded that leaders take up the 2015 legislation that passed the Republican Congress and ultimately was vetoed by President Barack Obama. Nonpartisan congressional budget analysts estimated that bill would cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance coverage almost immediately.

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"What we have now is an opening bid," said Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., a Freedom Caucus member who has offered an alternative health plan that would offer less generous aid for individuals to buy insurance.

Lawmakers may also be persuaded by outside groups such as Heritage Action for America, the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks, which came out strongly against the leadership proposal Tuesday, dubbing the plan "Obamacare Lite," "RyanCare" or "RINOcare," the latter a reference to "Republican in name only," a popular conservative epithet for establishment politicians. Those groups are adept at riling up the GOP base against Republican leaders and could cause significant headaches for Ryan.

"The House Republican proposal released last night not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them," Michael Needham, the head of Heritage Action for America, said in a statement Tuesday. "Congressional Republicans should fully repeal the failed law and begin a genuine effort to deliver on long-standing campaign promises that create a free market health care system."

FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth both decried the plan as a betrayal of Republican campaign promises.

"If this warmed-over substitute for government-run health care remains unchanged, the Club for Growth will key vote against it," said the group's president, David McIntosh, referring to a process in which lawmakers are graded on their votes, the better to use them as ammunition on the campaign trail.

Furthermore, at least one of the country's biggest health-care groups weighed in with caution on the proposal. The American Hospital Association, representing 5,000 hospitals and other health-care groups, argued that the process should not advance until the CBO provides a cost estimate.

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There were some signs of hope for the House leadership's approach. Besides Trump's backing, Vice President Pence attended a Senate Republican policy luncheon and, in a break with normal practice, joined McConnell and other GOP leaders at a news conference afterward to defend the House plan as "the framework for reform." McConnell also said he planned to put the House bill on the floor once it reaches the Senate.

"We are certainly open to improvements and recommendations in the legislative process, but this is the bill, and the president supports the American Health Care Act," he said.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that would consider health-care legislation, said Pence so far has been an able salesman for Trump, working on the front lines of Congress and understanding how to build consensus behind closed doors from his days in the House.

"He keeps coming to lunch after lunch. He's always around, and his style is low-key," Alexander said. "He doesn't overstate his case."

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney met with members of the Freedom Caucus on Tuesday night for more than an hour. Members of the group left the meeting convinced that the Trump administration was open to negotiations on the health-care bill and insisted that House leaders had not secured the votes to pass it.

"As things stand now, the speaker's going to need a lot of Democrat votes to pass what would be the largest welfare program ever sponsored by the Republican Party," said Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.

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In another sign of the administration's support, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price sent a letter Tuesday to key lawmakers calling the measure a "necessary and important first step toward fulfilling our promises to the American people."

The Senate also poses a problem for Republican leaders, with Sens. Paul, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, opposing the House draft. Paul and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Tuesday that they would reintroduce the 2015 legislation.

The dilemma Republican congressional leaders face is that if they change the legislation to appease hard-line conservatives, they are likely to alienate more-moderate members who are wary of disrupting insurance markets and taking away coverage from those who gained it under the ACA.

Four Senate Republicans have expressed worries about the plan's possible impact on lower-income people who received Medicaid coverage through the ACA's expansion of that program. The four senators are split on what proposals would meet their standards, but none is likely to support the course of action favored by many conservatives.

"What we need is not really from the White House - it's the CBO on the cost estimates. That'd be most helpful," said Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R).
Gold Star father Khizr Khan has canceled a scheduled speech in Toronto after being told his "travel privileges are being reviewed," according to the event organizer.

It was not immediately clear which government agency contacted him or what was under review. Khan has lived in the U.S. since 1980 and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

He was scheduled to speak Tuesday at a luncheon hosted by the Toronto-based organization Ramsay Talks.

The two-hour event was slated to include a presentation and question-and-answer session on "what we can do about the appalling turn of events in Washington -- so that we dont all end up sacrificing everything," according to the organizer.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Khan said he was not told why his travel status was under review.

"This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad," he said, according to the statement. "I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future."

Khan, whose family is Muslim, made national headlines after his fiery speech at the Democratic National Convention, during which he blasted Donald Trump's rigid stance on Muslim immigration.
Reporting from Washington  President Trump's new, revised travel ban retreats on nearly every issue that triggered chaos in airports and lawsuits in federal courts across the nation.

It will not apply to foreign students, engineers, tourists and relatives who are traveling to this country or temporarily traveling aboard. It is "prospective in nature  applying only to foreign nationals outside of the United States who do not have a valid visa," said Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly.

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But many critics of the first order were not declaring victory. Instead, they said they would go back to court and argue the order should still be struck down because it discriminates against Muslims.

"This is nothing more than Muslim Ban 2.0," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center in Los Angeles. "No amount of tweaks will change that."

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David Cole, the ACLU's national legal director, said the revised order is "still religious discrimination in the pretextual guise of national security. And it's still unconstitutional."

But advocates for immigrants face at least three significant hurdles if they sue.

First, they must find plaintiffs who have standing to get into court. Usually, foreign citizens outside the country do not have standing to sue and claim a right to be admitted. The right to "due process of law" is limited to people who are within the country.

In the challenge to the original travel ban, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the state of Washington may have "third party standing" to sue on behalf of professors and students who were barred from traveling. But because the new order does not restrict foreign nationals who have been in this country "for a continuous period of work, study or other long-term activity," that path into court may no longer be available.

Second, they need to show an immediate and "irreparable harm" from allowing Trump's order from taking effect. Judges may issue an order to temporarily block a government decree, but to get such an order, lawyers must show that not acting immediately will cause real harm. That is no doubt why Kelly emphasized the impact of the new order is "prospective," not immediate.

Because the new order does not permanently block anyone from entering the country, but only imposes a 90-day freeze on giving out new visas, the standard of "irreparable harm" could be difficult to meet.

And third, they must overcome the president's unusually broad powers to decide who may enter the country. The Immigration and Nationality Act says the president "may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem appropriate."

Government lawyers defending the first travel ban relied on this provision, but the 9th Circuit did not mention in it in its 29-page opinion rebuking Trump.

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Civil libertarians say that Trump's order is based on religious bias, and they say it should be struck down for that reason.

Their case relies mostly on comments by Trump, rather than the text of the order.

On Dec. 7, 2015, then-candidate Trump issued a news release calling "for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

On Jan. 29, 2017, two days after the new president signed the first travel ban, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Trump had called him about the proposed Muslim ban and said, "Show me the right way to do it legally."

One federal judge, citing Trump's comments, blocked his order on the grounds it may violate the 1st Amendment's ban on an establishment of religion. It's hard to ignore what Trump said prior to his election, said U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema.

"A person is not made brand new simply by taking the oath of office," she wrote on Feb. 13.

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To rebut a possible religious discrimination claim, Justice Department lawyers pushed to get language added to the new order that specifically said the previous version had not been "motivated by animus toward any religion."

They also pushed for a detailed discussion in the new order of the terror threats posed by each of the six countries subject to a temporary travel ban. The new version of the order also drops a preference for people from persecuted minority religious groups, which Trump, in a television interview, had suggested was designed to help Christians from the Mideast.

Administration officials say the revised order cannot be described as a "Muslim ban" because it extends to only six countries with Muslim majorities and does not include larger nations, including Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Staff Writer Del Quentin Wilber contributed to this report.

david.savage@latimes.com

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

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ALSO:

Trump orders new, narrower travel ban that goes into effect in 10 days

Gold Star father Khizr Khan canceled speech in Toronto after being told his travel privileges were under review

Afghan family detained in L.A. to be freed, attorney says
Mourners gather at the casket of Kanari Gentry-Bowers at Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago on Feb. 24, 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

With every Chicago shooting, we get an earful from a politician.

Loudest and most disingenuous is billionaire President Donald Trump, now concern-trolling us with tweets and comments that he will "send in the Feds" and do so much for "our inner cities."

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And like his hollow budget address, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposal to deploy state troopers to "contain" Chicago violence doesn't come across as a way to solve the problem, but to score political points against his wine buddy, Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Meanwhile, Chicago mourns the loss to gun violence of three children: Takiya Holmes, Kanari Gentry-Bowers and toddler Lavontay White Jr. Having dedicated my life to helping young people realize their fullest potential, my heart aches for their families.

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For the Chicago Teachers Union members who have spent their lives serving in our city's poorest neighborhoods, this is all too familiar. For years, we have dealt with the painful aftermath of violence in our classrooms, hallways and schoolyards.

While we are not typically thought of as first responders to violence, teachers and school staff are often the first responders to the trauma that violence brings, especially when it happens to the very students entrusted to our care.

At Henderson Elementary School in West Englewood, teachers helped students write notes to Kanari, their classmate, before she died in the hospital. Since November, seven Henderson students or former students have been killed or injured by gun violence.

From center, Tawanda Miller holds Henderson Elementary School second-grader Mariah Conley during an Operation Wake-Up meeting outside Henderson Elementary School where 12-year-old Kanari Gentry Bowers was shot in the head Saturday while playing basketball in West Englewood Monday, Feb. 13, 2017 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Every shooting of a child brings confusion, sorrow and fear for their classmates. Left untreated, these emotions cast a dark cloud, affecting young people's ability to learn and focus  and, in the worst scenarios, leading them down the path to violence.

That's why CTU members held out for crucial violence-prevention provisions in our most recent contract. Our new contract expands counseling and supports staffing community schools with clinicians, restorative justice practitioners and wraparound services to help break the cycle of violence.

At the time, Mayor Emanuel claimed that there was no money to pay for these demands. And even after signing the contract, the mayor has continued to starve our schools, with help from Rauner. Carson Elementary School, down the street from Henderson, will lose more than $200,000 in the millions of cuts just announced.

We live in one of the richest cities, in one of the richest states, in the richest nation in the world. Elected officials who line up to mourn the latest shooting while claiming that "there is no money" to pay for prevention, or that the wealthy already "pay too much," are really saying that they care too little.

Enough with the talk.

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CTU members were willing to strike to ensure that all Chicago's children get the resources that they deserve. We've forced the mayor to put our tax dollars toward young people, instead of into developer slush funds.

But if Takiya, Kanari and Lavontay are to be more than just names on an endless list, then we will need to do much more.

We must eradicate the conditions that create violence. That means policy change and resources: fully funded schools and thousands of new jobs that pay a fair wage.

The members of the Chicago Teachers Union show up for our students when the cameras are off. We need our public officials to do the same.

Karen Lewis is president of the Chicago Teachers Union. She was a high school chemistry teacher in Chicago Public Schools for 22 years and is a co-founder of United Working Families, a citywide independent political organization.

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WASHINGTON  It would have been impossible to imagine a year ago that the Republican Party's leaders would be effectively serving as enablers of Russian interference in this country's political system. Yet, astonishingly, that is the role the Republican Party is playing.

U.S. intelligence services have stated that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the intention of swinging it to one side. Knowing how cautious the intelligence community is in making such judgments, and given the significance of this particular finding, the evidence must be compelling. At the very least, any reasonable person would have to conclude that there is enough evidence to warrant a serious, wide-ranging and open investigation. Polls suggest that a majority of Americans would like to see such an investigation carried out.

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It's important at this time of intense political conflict to remain focused on the most critical issue. Whether certain individuals met with Russian officials, and whether those meetings were significant, is secondary and can eventually be sorted out. The most important question concerns Russia's ability to manipulate U.S. elections. That is not a political issue. It is a national security issue.

The longer the American people remain in the dark about Russian manipulations, the longer they will remain vulnerable to them.

If the Russian government did interfere in the United States' electoral processes last year, then it has the capacity to do so in every election going forward. This is a powerful and dangerous weapon, more than warships or tanks or bombers. Neither Russia nor any potential adversary has the power to damage the U.S. political system with weapons of war. But by creating doubts about the validity, integrity and reliability of U.S. elections, it can shake that system to its foundations.

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The United States has not been the only victim. The argument by at least one former Obama administration official and others that last year's interference was understandable payback for past American policies is undermined by the fact that Russia is also interfering in the coming elections in France and Germany, and it has already interfered in Italy's recent referendum and in numerous other elections across Europe. Russia is deploying this weapon against as many democracies as it can to sap public confidence in democratic institutions.

The democracies are going to have to figure out how to respond. With U.S. congressional elections just 20 months away, it is essential to get a full picture of what the Russians did do and can do here, and soon. The longer the American people remain in the dark about Russian manipulations, the longer they will remain vulnerable to them. The longer Congress fails to inform itself, the longer it will be before it can take steps to meet the threat. Unfortunately, the present administration cannot be counted on to do so on its own.

There's no need to ask what Republicans would be doing if the shoe were on the other foot  if the Russians had intervened to help elect the Democratic nominee. They would be demanding a bipartisan select committee of Congress, or a congressionally mandated blue-ribbon panel of experts and senior statesmen with full subpoena powers to look into the matter. They would be insisting that, for reasons of national security alone, it was essential to determine what happened: what the Russians did, how they did it and how they could be prevented from doing it again. If that investigation found that certain American individuals had somehow participated in or facilitated the Russian operation, they would insist that such information be made public and that appropriate legal proceedings begin. And if the Democrats tried to slow-roll the investigations, to block the creation of select committees or outside panels, or to insist that investigations be confined to the intelligence committees whose inquiries and findings could be kept from the public, Republicans would accuse them of a coverup and of exposing the nation to further attacks. And they would be right.

But it is the Republicans who are covering up. The party's current leader, President Donald Trump, questions the intelligence community's findings, motives and integrity. Republican leaders in Congress have opposed the creation of any special investigating committee, either inside or outside Congress. They have insisted that inquiries be conducted by the two intelligence committees. Yet Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the Republican chairman of the committee in the House has indicated that he sees no great urgency to the investigation and has even questioned the seriousness and validity of the accusations. The Republican chairman of the committee in the Senate, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has approached the task grudgingly. The result is that the investigations seem destined to move slowly, produce little information and provide even less to the public. It is hard not to conclude that this is precisely the intent of the Republican Party's leadership, both in the White House and Congress.

This approach is not only damaging to U.S. national security but also puts the Republican Party in an untenable position. When Republicans stand in the way of thorough, open and immediate investigations, they become Russia's accomplice after the fact. This is undoubtedly not their intent. No one in the party wants to help Russia harm the United States and its democratic institutions. But Republicans need to face the fact that by slowing down, limiting or otherwise hampering the fullest possible investigation into what happened, that is what they are doing.

It's time for the party to put national security above partisan interest. Republican leaders need to name a bipartisan select committee or create an outside panel, and they need to do so immediately. They must give that committee the mission and all the necessary means for getting to the bottom of what happened last year. And then they must begin to find ways to defend the nation against this new weapon that threatens to weaken American democracy. The stakes are far too high for politics as usual.

Washington Post

Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post.

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Protesters shout and hold up signs during a rally against Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez and US President Donald Trump at a rally in Miami, Florida on Jan.31, 2017. (Rhona Wise / AFP/Getty Images)

Establishment furor over the seven-week-old Trump administration is growing.

Outraged New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently compared Trump's victory to disasters in American history that killed and wounded thousands such as the Pearl Harbor surprise bombing and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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The New Republic  based on no evidence  theorized that President Donald Trump could well be mentally unstable due to the effects of neurosyphilis.

Talk of removing the new president through impeachment, or opposing everything he does (the progressive "Resistance"), is commonplace. Some op-ed writers and pundits abroad have openly hoped for his violent death.

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Trump is in a virtual war with the mainstream global media, the entrenched so-called "deep state," the Democratic Party establishment, progressive activists, and many in the Republican Party as well.

The sometimes undisciplined and loud Trump is certainly not a member of the familiar ruling cadre, which dismisses him as a crude and know-nothing upstart who should never have been elected president. (Had Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and served a full term, a member of either the Bush or Clinton families would have president for 24 years of a 32-year span.)

But who, exactly, makes up these disgruntled elite classes?

In California, state planners and legislators focused on things like outlawing plastic grocery bags while California's roads and dams over three decades sank into decrepitude. The result is crumbling infrastructure that now threatens the very safety of the public. Powerful Californians with impressive degrees also came up with the loony and neo-Confederate idea of nullifying federal immigration law through sanctuary cities.

Sophisticated Washington, D.C., economists produced budgets for the last eight years that saw U.S. debt explode to nearly $19 trillion from $10 trillion, as economic growth reached its lowest level since the Hoover administration.

For a year, most expert pundits and pollsters smugly assured the public of a certain Hillary Clinton victory  until the hour before she was overwhelmed in the Electoral College.

Rhodes Scholar and former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice lied repeatedly on national television about the Benghazi debacle.

From the fabulist former NBC anchorman Brian Williams to the disreputable reporters who turned up in WikiLeaks, there are lots of well-educated, influential and self-assured elites who apparently cannot tell the truth or in dishonest fashion mix journalism and politics.

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Elitism sometimes seems predicated on being branded with the proper degrees. But when universities embrace a therapeutic curriculum and politically correct indoctrination, how can a costly university degree guarantee knowledge or inductive thinking?

Is elitism defined by an array of brilliant and proven theories?

Not really. University-sired identity politics has not led to racial and ethnic harmony. Is there free speech or diversity of thought on campuses? Did progressive government save the inner cities?

Are elites at least better-spoken and more knowledgeable than the rest of us?

Long before Trump's monotonous repetition of "tremendous" and "great," President Barack Obama thought "corpsmen" was pronounced "corpse-men," and that Austrians spoke "Austrian" rather than German.

Not long ago, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., warned that if Guam became too populated it might just tip over and sink.

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The Western world is having a breakdown. The symptoms are the recent rise of Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Trump's election, the Brexit vote and the spread of anti-European Union parties across Europe.

But these are desperate folk remedies, not the cause of the disease itself.

The malady instead stems from our false notion of elitism.

The public no longer believes that privilege and influence should be predicated on titles, brands and buzz, rather than on demonstrable knowledge and proven character. The idea that brilliance can be manifested in trade skills or retail sales, or courage expressed by dealing with the hardship of factory work, or character found on an Indiana farm, is foreign to the Washington Beltway, Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

Instead, 21st-century repute is accrued from the false gods of the right ZIP code, high income, proper social circles and media exposure rather from a demonstrable record of moral or intellectual excellence.

In 1828, the wild and unruly Andrew Jackson was elected president because the rapidly expanding country had tired of the pretenses of an exhausted elite of tidewater and New England mediocrities.

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The hollow, tiny coastal establishment of the 1820s perpetuated the ancestry and background of the great but all-but-disappeared Founding Fathers such as George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. Yet otherwise, the Founders' lesser successors had not earned the status they had assumed from their betters. The outsider Jackson won by exposing their pretenses.

What got the brash Trump elected was a similar popular outrage that the self-described best and brightest of our time are has-beens, having enjoyed influence without real merit or visible achievement.

If Donald Trump did not exist, something like him would have had to be invented.

Tribune Content Agency

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. author@victorhanson.com
The government called my mother an "enemy alien" in 1941. Actually, she was a 20-year-old Jewish refugee from Germany, desperately fleeing the Nazis. She was lucky. She had a sponsor and was able get into this country. But our government was generally hostile to accepting refugees. The rest of her family was not given asylum. This enabled the Nazis to kill the rest of the family of my "enemy alien" mother. It is outrageous that, decades later, we have a president who again wants to judge foreigners on the basis of where they come from, rather than on the basis of who they are, ludicrously assuming that the victims of tyranny support the tyrant.

 James Genden, Evanston
"Whataboutism" is running rampant in the White House these days.

What's that, you may ask. It's a Cold War-era term for a form of logical jiu-jitsu that helps you win arguments by changing the subject.

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When Soviet leaders were questioned about human rights violations, for example, they might've come back with, "Well, what about the Negroes you are lynching in the South?"

That's not an argument, of course. It is a deflection to an entirely different issue. It is a naked attempt to excuse your own wretched behavior by painting your opponent as a hypocrite. But in the fast-paced world of media manipulation, the Soviet leader could get away with it merely by appearing to be strong and firm in defense of his country.

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So it is with President Donald Trump and the buffer of spokespeople he sends forth to explain what he "really meant" in his tweets and other hastily delivered statements that later backfire.

We could hear it Sunday during White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' interview with ABC's "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. Sanders defended her boss President Trump's assertion on Twitter early Saturday morning that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump's phones while Obama was president.

Instead of evidence  which she apparently did not have  to back up the claim, she insisted that all Trump wanted was "a closer look" at the allegation.

"The New York Times, the BBC have also talked about and reported on the potential of this having had happened," Sanders said. "All we're saying is let's take a closer look."

In other words, what about the allegation? Forget about the alligator, uh, allegation maker.

Raddatz, visibly frustrated, responded, "If, if, if, if. Why is the president saying it did happen?"

"I think he is going off information he's seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential," Sanders insisted. "The American people have a right to know if this took place."

Yes, what about the American people's right to know? This is "whataboutism" at its longest stretch. The American people have a right to know not only whether Trump's phones were tapped but also why Trump thinks they were tapped  when he won't provide any evidence to back up the charge.

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When Raddatz pressed the point, Sanders said, "His tweet speaks for itself."

Ah, that's more of a burden than a tweet can bear.

"He's talking about, could this have happened?" Sanders said.

No, he wasn't. He was insisting that it did happen. "Terrible!" said his early morning tweet. "Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

Trump made the charge, then left his spokespeople to fend for themselves. That left a major challenge, even for a master of deflection like Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" on Monday morning.

"We have this double standard for anonymous sources," said Conway. "The media loves to use anonymous sources for anything and everything that could possibly be derogatory or negative for this president and his administration. And yet, they refuse to give any credibility to such sources when it may be something positive or exculpatory."

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President Donald Trump greets visitors touring the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. The president greeted the first wave of tourists to come through the White House since he assumed office, welcoming a small crowd of visitors in the East Wing, waving from behind a velvet rope as the crowd screamed, cheered and took photos. (Evan Vucci / AP)

Ah, yes, that's the old whataboutist technique of saying, "Why do you only report the bad news? What about all the good things that our president has done?"

Indeed, but let us not be deflected from the main point, which is the apparent unreliability of Trump's sources.

How long can this go on? It took the president only four days to wipe away the good feelings left by his widely praised joint speech to Congress. He wiped away his newly enhanced presidential image by reverting back to childish tweets.

But this time, the message is downright dangerous. Presidents don't accuse their predecessors of felonious wrongdoing without good cause. Or, at least, they haven't in this country  until now.

Trump's spokespeople want us to ignore what the president says and concentrate on what they say he means. That may work in the short term. But the coincidence that the dust-up happened over a weekend in which North Korea conducted more missile tests raises a bracing question: What happens in a national crisis? Will Americans believe what this president says? Or will we scratch our heads trying to figure out what he means?

Clarence Page, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/pagespage.

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cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime

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Sad to say, President Donald Trump doesn't drink.

And thus out the window goes the most plausible excuse for his sloppy, intemperate tweets, four of which set all forms of media on fire early Saturday.

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"Terrible!" Trump posted at 5:35 a.m. "Just found out that (former president Barack) Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

Fourteen minutes later, he 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!"

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Three minutes later: "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!"

And 10 minutes after that: "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!"

The accusation was stunning. Horrifying if true. Poisonously libelous if false.

If only we could say, well, that was John Barleycorn talking, not the president of the United States. Without alcohol to loosen his tongue, he would never babble so scandalously, so recklessly. He wouldn't make spelling and punctuation errors. All we need to do is take his smartphone away after he's had a few too many drinks and  problem solved!

But, alas, our teetotalling chief executive was and always is sober as a so-called judge.

His splenetic impulses are organic, evidently immune to intervention or rehabilitation, and apt to burst forth in response to mild or mysterious provocations.

It would all be harmless enough, I suppose, if he were just another septuagenarian Republican offering several dozen Twitter followers his gut reactions to rumors floated on right-wing media. But he's the most powerful man in the world, and each unfiltered blurt goes to 26.1 million followers before being exponentially amplified by friends and foes alike.

This makes each tweet potentially very harmful.

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Here, absent the availability of demon rum to take the fall, Saturday's Twitter tirade leaves us with only three possible conclusions, none of them good:

1. Trump has correctly accused his predecessor of conducting illegal surveillance on Trump's campaign headquarters prior to the 2016 presidential election.

Trump's accusation is that Obama orchestrated this political espionage after being "turned down by court," suggesting a rogue operation akin to the Republican attempt to install listening devices in Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington's Watergate complex in 1972.

We've seen no evidence of this, but if it's true, Obama would belong in prison.

2. Trump has misunderstood and misrepresented legally authorized surveillance conducted at his campaign headquarters.

There were and are significant questions about how Russians tried to influence our presidential election and the extent, if any, to which members of the Trump campaign were colluding with them.

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Presidents can't order the installation of wiretaps on U.S. citizens, and spokesmen for Obama have categorically denied that he ever tried to do so. Neither can law enforcement officials. But they can go before a judge and present evidence to try to establish probable cause for the installation of wiretaps.

If that happened here  and we've seen no evidence of this, either  then there would be a warrant that was submitted to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court judge outlining why investigators believed Team Trump was in cahoots with the Russians to influence our "very sacred election process."

3. Trump has irresponsibly asserted the feverish and baseless speculation of partisan pundits.

His reference to "the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October" is definitive and, if false, orders of magnitude more scurrilous and defamatory than the lies about Obama's place of birth upon which Trump built his political career.

All signs we've seen so far point to this third conclusion, a rhetorical offense so corrosive to our nation that it ought to give even the most ardent supporters of his agenda serious qualms about his fitness to make sound decisions at the moments of actual crisis sure to come.

Those of us on the left can rage and fret all we want about Trump's scary resemblance to a loudmouth drunk at the end of the bar even though he never touches a drop. But it will only be when those on the right sober up and recognize the urgency of the moment that the danger will pass.

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Twitter @EricZorn

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Investigate Trump's wiretapping claim  AND HILLARY CLINTON'S ALIEN BABY!
This week's picks for must-see shows going on in Chicago happen to all fall on either Thursday or Saturday. That means we're faced with some pretty tough decisions coming up. But these four concerts feature some of Chicago's best young acts (Ohmme, DEHD, Nnamdi), storied country-punk veterans (The Waco Brothers) and an underrated Portland band who made one of the best albums of 2017 so far, so there's not a bad decision in sight.

*** = RedEye's show of the week.

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Thursday

Dehd, Bunny, Coffin Ships, Max Pelt, Eye Vybe DJs

The Empty Bottle

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1035 N. Western Ave. 773-276-3600

Even though it was a couple of Fridays ago, I still don't think I've recovered from NE-HI's amazing record release show at the Empty Bottle. Now I don't know if I'll ever really recover because DEHD, the band that features NE-HI's Jason Balla, Vail's Emily Kempf and Eric McGrady is also having a tape release at the Empty Bottle, which was one of our most anticipated releases of 2017. Also playing are RedEye favorites Bunny. 9 p.m. $8. Tickets: emptybottle.com

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, Sammus, Izzy True, Mother Nature

The Hideout

1354 W. Wabansia Ave. 773-227-4433

Speaking of new music out by incredible Chicago artists, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya's fantastic album "Drool" has been out since the beginning of the month and the local music community mainstay will be celebrating its release at the Hideout. 9 p.m. $10. Tickets: hideoutchicago.com

Saturday

OHMME, Waco Brothers, Fee Lion, Lala Lala, Bleach Party (SXSW Send-off Party)

The Hideout

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1354 W. Wabansia Ave. 773-227-4433

One of my favorite Chicago muic traditions is the Hideout's yearly daytime party showcasing the local acts playing SXSW, the music and tech industry bonanza that I've been getting way too many emails about. Like always, there are a lot of cool bands playing like Ohmme (formerly Homme), Lala Lala and Bleach Party. Come way early because the music starts at 2 p.m. $10. Tickets: hideoutchicago.com

Balto, Geneva Convention, The Nubile Thangs, Wyland, Swingin Hammers, Jame$ Dean, Xarxay Jones



The Elbo Room

2871 N Lincoln Ave. 773-549-5549

Ever since I heard "October's Road," the phenomenal 2011 folk album from Portland via Moscow band Balto, I've been wanting them to come to Chicago for a show. That record, which frontman Daniel Sheron wrote on a train rides through Siberia, has stuck with me to this day, and the songs he's released since have continually expanded his sound. Six years later, Sheron and co. have just released the equally stellar but more rocking follow-up to that abum called "Strangers," and they're playing Elbo Room on Saturday. I should also probably disclose that I know literally nothing about the opening acts but Balto is really goodjust trust me on this one. 8 p.m. $9-$10. Tickets: elboroomlive.com

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@joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com
The Arlington Heights Village Board unanimously approved construction of a new $28 million police station (pictured in rendering). (The Village of Arlington Heights / HANDOUT)

After nearly two decades of debate about the size and scope of the project, the Arlington Heights Village Board on Monday unanimously approved construction of a new $28 million police station in the village.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with crews working to complete the project within 18 months to two years, village officials said.

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"This is a very team-oriented project and a very important building, and we're all really excited," said Mayor Thomas Hayes.

Village board members' approval of the proposed police station comes more than 20 years after officials first began discussing the need to remodel or replace the current police facility, 200 E. Sigwalt St., which was built in 1979.

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Arlington Heights officials say the building has fallen into disrepair and has failed to meet the needs of the police department.

The new 70,000-square-foot building, which will be built at the site of the current facility, will be architecturally compatible with the adjacent Village Hall and fire station, officials said.

The proposed designs for the two-story police station, which will include a basement, features an exterior reflecting Romanesque-style architecture, including a hipped and shingled pitched roof.

The exterior of the building, officials said, should match other buildings on the municipal campus, including the $25.9 million Village Hall, which was completed in 2008, and Fire Station #1.

During construction of the project, the police department will move to a temporary location. Village officials currently are considering 18 potential sites for the temporary police building, they said.

In January 2016, village board members approved borrowing $32 million through a bond sale to pay for the police station project.

That amount covers the cost of construction, as well as other expenses, including architectural and engineering expenses, parking improvements, demolishing the current facility, and the costs associated with renting space for a temporary facility, officials said.

Village Manager Randall Recklaus said that with the village itself seeking the construction permits needed to begin the project, the process will present "a unique situation."

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"The village is the applicant, but we need to follow all of the rules and procedures, just like a private business would," Recklaus said. "We think this building fits in nicely with the neighborhood, and will serve the community for decades to come."

Deputy Police Chief Nicholas Pecora said that the current 38,000-square-foot police station hasn't accommodated the department's needs for years.

Hallways are used to store police records, Pecora said. Locker rooms are unable to hold officers' uniforms and other gear, and computer technology has been tucked into a re-purposed former storage area.

The new police station will reflect modern facilities found in neighboring suburbs, such as Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village and Skokie, all of which have buildings that are between 70,000 and 80,000 square feet, according to Arlington Heights officials.

Trustee Jim Tinaglia, a member of the village's police station committee who works as an architect, said the new building will be compatible with the adjacent neighborhood.

"When people in the neighborhood walk by or drive by, it's important that the place feels right," Tinaglia said. "I'm sold, and I think it's going to be a very nice project."

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kcullotta@tribpub.com

Twitter @kcullotta
Prospect High School senior John Zach performs with the school's Mixed Company group during the "Chicagoland Showcase," hosted by the choral program at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press)

The 24th annual "Chicagoland Showcase" at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights attracted students from six middle schools and 19 high schools this past weekend to compete in one of the grandest show choir events in the area.

Hundreds of students, decked out in show-stopping sequin costumes, belted out Broadway tunes and synchronized their dance moves to represent their schools, receiving standing ovations from standing-room only crowds Friday and Saturday.

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The event showcased not only the talents of these teens but the camaraderie and confidence many of them have built through teamwork and dedication to show choir, organizers and participants said.

Hersey High School sophomore Olivia Cano performs with the school's OnStage group during the "Chicagoland Showcase," hosted by the choral program at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press)

This year's showcase featured a special performance Friday by Late Night Blues of Elmhurst College with Anthony Paul, a veteran of NBC's "The Voice." The competition also showcased students coming from middle schools in Perrysburg, Ohio, to Park Ridge and Niles, along with high school students from Indiana, Iowa and Illinois.

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Naperville North's High Heeled Harmony, an all-girl show choir decked out in blue and gold sequined dresses draped over one shoulder, sang Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," delivering them the Grand Champions award in the unisex division at the competition.

Other Chicagoland Showcase winners this year included Grand Champions Naperville North Entourage; in the festival division, Grand Champions Fremd Soundscape; and in the middle school competition, Grand Champions St. Isaac Jogues Cadence.

This was the first year students from Naperville North and Western Dubuque, Iowa, participated in the competition.

"I like this event and our kids love this event," said Batavia resident Lucy Martinez, 48, whose son, Bobby, competed for Batavia High School. "The caliber of the performers here, it's a higher standard. They're all competing, but everybody claps for all of the groups and it doesn't matter what school because they recognize the talent and hard work. It's like a sport."

One of the judges for the competition, Nick Falco, a vocal instructor and former showcase show choir participant, has been judging the event for 10 years.

He said he believes judges' critiques encourage participants to perform at a higher level.

"I'm looking for visual presentation, and if they're engaging and keeping the audience engaged by showing they're enjoying it," Falco said. "Picking one outstanding student out of every group is very difficult."

The two Hersey High School show choirs  Ladies First and On-Stage  did not compete in the showcase but performed an exhibition Saturday night of their award winning show, "Be You."

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Ladies First placed first runner up in their division at the Heart of America competition in Kansas City earlier this year.

"Ladies First is just a really fun group. We're all very close and we're all very determined," said Emma Herrmann, 17, a four-year member and now president of the 42-member Ladies First. "It's really fun to compete with all of them because we're all so close."

After graduation this year, Herrmann, an Arlington Heights resident, plans to continue to participate in choir and dance in college.

"It's an amazing transformation," said Sara Michael, a 10-year show choir director along with her mother, Joann Langley, who founded the showcase event 24 years ago. "Emma didn't know any of the students, and now she's walking away with a whole family and I don't use that term loosely. They walk away with being there for one another, not only when we're competing or in the classroom."

Theo Brown, 17, a Hersey High School junior and one of the dance captains of the 38-member group called On-Stage, which placed fourth runner up in Kansas City, said he always knew he wanted to be in show choir after watching his older sister compete in high school.

"Show choir boosted my confidence a lot, even as a freshman," said Brown, who plans to study musical theater in college. "I'm now more comfortable about performing on stage. After the performance, my heart hurts in a good way and I feel so happy."

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Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A St. Charles man who got out of a life sentence for a murder and arson conviction was charged with heroin delivery last month, according to the Kane County sheriff's office.

John L. Williams, 56, of the 1200 block of Indiana Street, was in his early 20s when he was convicted of setting the January 1981 fire that killed three Laotian refugees in what prosecutors described as a racially motivated attack, according to reports that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

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The fire occurred when a lighted rag was tossed into the basement of a 12-unit apartment complex in Hanover Park occupied mainly by Laotian immigrants after Williams and two friends drove there, according to trial testimony. One of the companions led police to Williams, who was accused of tossing the rag, the Tribune reported.

Witnesses accused Williams of leaving the scene but returning immediately to watch people jump from windows of the burning building.

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About a decade after his conviction, Williams learned from another inmate at Stateville Correctional Center about an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that could affect his case. In 1986, the high court found Illinois' aggravated-arson statute unconstitutional because the law lacked a provision for criminal intent, meaning firefighters burning a building during a training exercise technically could have been charged with felony arson, according to newspaper reports.

After Williams' original conviction was overturned, prosecutors indicted him again, leading to a plea bargain in 1996 to reduced charges of one count of murder and one count of arson and a 34-year prison term, with credit for 15 years served. Originally, he had been charged with three murders and aggravated arson, his attorney said at the time.

Williams was discharged from the Illinois Department of Corrections on March 6, 2000, according to information provided by an IDOC official.

Williams was on parole for a 2015 drug offense when he was arrested Feb. 23 and charged with class 1 felony counts of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and class 4 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance being heroin and possession of a controlled substance being prescription pills, according to the sheriff's office.

Kane County sheriff's deputies and DEA agents investigating heroin dealing in the St. Charles area saw what appeared to be a drug transaction about 1:30 p.m. that day in a parking lot in the 1500 block of East Main Street in St. Charles, according to a sheriff's office news release.

Deputies approached Williams, searched his vehicle and discovered a small amount of a white powder, which later field-tested positive for heroin, according to the sheriff's office.

When officials searched his residence, they found about 16 bags of suspected heroin, more than $4,000 in cash and several prescription pills, according to the sheriff's office.

No one else was arrested, said Kane County Sheriff spokesman Lt. Patrick Gengler.

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During the 17 years since Williams got out of the life sentence, he has been in and out of trouble, according to court records.

Williams was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in March 2015 and sentenced to 24 months with the department of corrections, his third time in state custody, records show. He was placed on parole on March 2, 2016, according to IDOC records.

While in county jail facing the new charges, Williams was discharged from parole on Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Other past felony convictions include retail theft in 2009, and possession or use of a firearm while a felon in 2004. He was admitted to the state Department of Corrections for the second time in January 2006 and discharged in August 2008.

Kane County court records indicate that a public defender has been assigned to Williams, who is scheduled to appear March 31 at the Kane County Judicial Center. His bail for all charges has been set at $65,000, according to county jail records.

The public defender's office had no comment and said they don't answer questions related to clients' backgrounds.

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hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Officials investigate at the scene where a pedestrian was killed after he was struck by a semi-truck Monday evening on North Lake Street in Aurora. (Sarah Freishtat / The Beacon-News)

Aurora police are continuing to investigate the death of a 36-year-old resident after he apparently stumbled into a semi-truck's path Monday evening on the city's near West Side.

At about 7:41 p.m. Monday, officers responded to the 800 block of North Lake Street for a call of a man apparently hit by a semi-truck, police said in a news release Tuesday.

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They found Ralph E. Clark, 36, of the 100 block of South Fourth Street, laying in the roadway, not conscious or breathing, with critical injuries, police said.

Police learned a 64-year-old man driving a 2018 East ST semi had been northbound on North Lake Street when he saw Clark walking and stumbling on the sidewalk, according to the news release.

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As the semi was passing Clark, the driver, through his passenger side mirror, saw him stumble into the roadway and apparently into the passenger side of the truck's flatbed trailer, police said.

The driver stopped immediately, said police spokesman Dan Ferrelli.

Clark was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:52 p.m.

No citations were issued. The driver, the semi's only occupant, did not require medical treatment, police said.

The Kane County Coroner is not performing a full autopsy, but will conduct toxicology and other tests, police said.

The posted speed limit where the collision occurred is 35 miles per hour, Ferrelli said.

Lake Street between Illinois and Lakelawn Avenues was closed for several hours while officials reconstructed the crash scene. Illinois State Police and volunteers with Aurora's Emergency Management Agency assisted Aurora traffic investigators on site, according to the news release.

hleone@tribpub.com

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Twitter @hannahmleone
Private funding has been raised for a second fireworks display to coincide with the closing ceremony of the Vietnam Moving Wall coming this summer to Oswego.

Oswego Village Board members recently announced that the additional $5,000 to pay for a fireworks display on July 3 had been secured.

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Donations came from the Oswego Fire Protection District, Oswego Firefighters Local 4773 and M.K. Brummel Fine Remodeling and Building Inc., as well as a donations from local residents, village officials said.

The Vietnam traveling memorial will be on display in Prairie Point Community Park from June 29 to July 3, with events planned for each day.

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Organizers arranging to bring the Moving Wall to Oswego approached the Oswego Village Board about hosting the community's Fourth of July fireworks a day earlier than usual to coincide with the final day of the Moving Wall. However, they were prepared to accept the board's decision either way.

Trustees decided on a compromise to have fireworks shows on both July 3 and 4.

A Village Board decision in 2015 to move the fireworks show from its traditional July 4 date to July 3 sparked a backlash of criticism from residents used to having their family gatherings on Independence Day.

The Village Board chose to host two pyrotechnics shows this year to avoid having to choose one date over the other and disrupt family holiday celebrations.

Oswego Village President Gail Johnson said she is "humbled by the generosity" of the Oswego community.

"When it comes to honoring our veterans, Oswego is second to none," Johnson said.

Trustee Joe West, a Vietnam veteran, said the funds were secured in a matter of days.

"It tells me how much people think of our community and veterans. We put the word out and the response was tremendous," West said.

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The Vietnam Moving Wall is a three-fifth scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Vietnam Moving Wall committee co-chairman Dave Krahn, a lifelong Oswego resident and Army veteran, said he wasn't surprised how quickly the community came together to raise the funds for the additional fireworks display

"There are people stepping up across the community to support this cause," Krahn said. "It's a good feeling to see how residents are appreciative of having the memorial coming to Oswego."

Krahn said he appreciated that the Village Board decided on a "creative" solution for the fireworks with Oswego residents coming out as the ultimate "winners."

Krahn said they expect the Moving Wall will draw approximately 150,000 to 200,000 people to Oswego over five days.

He said they are roughly two-thirds of the way to raising the $50,000 needed to bring the memorial to Oswego.

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"We didn't go out to get the big sponsors. The funds have come from smaller donations - from businesses and residents stepping forward," he said.

The public is invited to attend a fundraiser later this month. Operation Salute & Boogie will be held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. March 31 at Fox Valley Kickers Club in Oswego. The night will feature music by the Stingrays, a silent auction, door prizes and appetizers. Tickets are $30 per person and $50 for a couple. All proceeds will benefit bringing the Vietnam Moving Wall to Oswego. For information, go to Vietnam Wall Oswego 2017 on Facebook.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
Construction of the Kennedy Road shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path in Yorkville may begin this year.

City officials have described the project as a vital link in the network of local and regional bike paths.

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The Yorkville City Council recently signed-off on their part of a construction and maintenance agreement with Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad for grade crossing improvements as part of the project.

The city has been in the planning stages of a 3.05-mile long multi-use recreational asphalt path on the east side of Kennedy Road for the past several years.

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The path will run from Route 47 to Mill Road through residential and rural areas and connect with other regional trails throughout the Fox Valley.

"We have every intention to begin the project this year," said Eric Dhuse, Yorkville director of Public Works.

The city in 2010 accepted a $1.3 million Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant to fund 80 percent of the trail.

The City Council accepted the grant on the condition that the city's 20 percent portion of the cost - $375,000 - was privately raised.

Push for the Path, a nonprofit citizen-supported organization, began fundraising for the project in 2012. The group has raised nearly $300,000 to date.

"This project has been a labor of love for our community," said Lynn Dubajic, treasurer of the Push for the Path organization.

Dubajic's friend, 46-year old Darlene McCue, was killed in 2009 while riding her bicycle on Kennedy Road.

"We were both in similar situations in our lives - we had lost our spouses and were very close," Dubajic said. "Darlene positively impacted a lot of lives. She was a ray of sunshine in a lot of people's lives."

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Dubajic said the group decided to privately raise the funds to eliminate concerns that the city would have to use taxpayer money.

"The fundraising has been driven by the McCue family and in the memory of a special person," she said.

The city received $50,000 in Kendall County Transportation Alternatives Program funds as well for the trail.

Village officials said the one remaining hurdle for the project is having BNSF give their approval of the agreement.

"It's nice to see the project coming to a point where construction can begin," said Brad Sanderson, vice president/principal of Sugar Grove-based Engineering Enterprises, Inc., the engineering firm that is heading the project for Yorkville.

Sanderson said within the limits of the proposed Kennedy Road multi-use path is a Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad crossing.

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"Improvements to the crossing, including widening of the crossing surface at the tracks and the construction of pedestrian gates are necessary to promote the safety of path patrons," Sanderson said.

Sanderson said the grade crossing improvements will be constructed by BNSF. However, the city will be responsible for the expense of the improvements as well as future inspection and maintenance costs.

He said the crossing and pedestrian gates are estimated to cost $300,000 to $400,000 and were part of the original project budget.

"The last remaining item to be completed prior to letting the project is the approval of the BNSF agreement," the engineer said. "We are hoping for a short turnaround. The original agreement came from BNSF."

He said the agreement needs to be approved by BNSF by Friday in order for the city to meet the Illinois Department of Transportation's April bid letting deadline.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved an order which specifies details of the Kennedy Road path which runs north and south.

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"The path would be built parallel to and approximately 12 feet east of the road. BNSF will extend the concrete panels of the crossing east to align with and serve as the path over the tracks. Gates with a flashing light will be installed on both approaches to the path and will activate with the vehicular crossing gates," according to the order.

Sanderson said the path will provide a vital link between the Mill Road bike path, Autumn Creek and Grande Reserve elementary schools, Steven G. Bridge Park, commercial shopping and the Route 47 trail to downtown Yorkville.

The path will provide access to the network of regional bike paths such as the Virgil Gilman bike trail, the Fox River trails and various spurs of the Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western trails as well.

Sanderson anticipates a majority of the construction will be done this year.

"If we are able to meet the April letting, we would anticipate starting construction in July. The majority of the work would be done by November of this year. The rest of the project will be wrapped up in 2018," Sanderson said.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
A newly approved ordinance in Buffalo Grove should make it more difficult for organizers of prostitution working under the guise of massage businesses to return to the village. (Pioneer Press file / Pioneer Press)

Buffalo Grove officials are revising a proposed ordinance meant to crackdown on prostitution at local massage businesses after trustees recently criticized the proposal for being too broad.

Under the new regulation being considered by village board members, a Buffalo Grove landlord who leased space to a massage business, which lost its license because of a prostitution arrest, would not be allowed to lease the space to another massage businesses for two years.

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During a meeting Feb. 27, trustees told village staff to revise the wording of a draft ordinance. Trustee Jeff Berman and others worried that the ordinance gave village officials too many options beyond prostitution for revoking a massage business' license.

"I said, 'Guys, this doesn't meet the intent of what we were looking for,'" Berman said. "Nobody wants to look like they're supporting prostitution, but we're trying to engage in economic development, not repression."

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As written, the draft ordinance could have placed a two-year ban on massage businesses that has had a license revoked for reasons unrelated to prostitution, including overdue bills or fines, Berman said.

After some discussion on the matter, trustees ultimately decided during their meeting Feb. 27 to have village staff rewrite the proposed ordinance and limit the two-year ban to massage parlors involved in incidents of illegal sexual activity.

Trustee Steven Trilling said he still would like to grant village officials the appropriate enforcement powers to regulate massage businesses involved in prostitution activity even in a more limited proposal.

"We want to be able to make it as difficult as possible for another, when they have a violation, to reopen and resume any of those activities," Trilling said. "But I understand why Jeff has his concerns, and I can see limiting the scope."

Buffalo Grove officials started looking into the ordinance after two women were charged in April 2016 with operating a massage therapy business without a license, according to village officials.

One of the women also was charged with prostitution, Buffalo Grove police have said.

Village Manager Dane Bragg has said that a proposed ordinance would guard against massage parlors promoting prostitution that seemingly operate by a different name but involve the same ownership.

Often times, when a massage business loses its license, the same ownership will open up a similar business under a different license and look to occupy the business space again, he said.

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rwachter@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer
Im delighted to say Ill be speaking at the Science+Mathematics Think-in this week in Cleveland, Ohio. Hosted by WVIZ/PBS ideastream, the event will take place at the Idea Center at Playhouse Square, and will feature a keynote address by me at 9 a.m. Ill speak on Does the Universe Really Care About Itself? Teaching Astronomy in the 21st Century. My presentation will be followed by NASAs Amy Mainzer and Craig Bartlett, who will speak on Around the Solar System with Ready Jet Go!

For more information on the event, see http://www.ideastream.org/science-mathematics-think-in

The hosting organization is the PBS TV affiliate in Cleveland, and also involved will be the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Great Lakes Science Center, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Amy and I will also be interviewed on the radio show The Sound of Ideas at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8. Well also tour the Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and do some other interviewing that will appear in the Ohio markets.

Many thanks to the terrific Linda Williams and her whole crew who have done such a magnificent job organizing this event.

If you will be in the Cleveland area, Ill hope to see you there!
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
Carlisle is a diverse community, according to Greg Guenther, young adult group leader at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Carlisle.

Guenther is hoping to bring people together and create ties within the community through the creation of art in public spaces.

(We want to) just increase awareness of the community and bring together neighborhoods and people to work on a project in order to increase that positivity and overall appreciation of where theyre living, Guenther said. As well as allow them to get to know their neighbors and bring people together to work on a common goal.

The project is tentatively named the Community Mural Project, and Guenther said the goal is ultimately to create a new work of art, like a mural, every six months in a public space in Carlisle.

To get started, St. Paul Lutheran Church in the 200 block of West Louther Street in Carlisle, has offered the use of one exterior wall to create a mural.

York-based artist Ophelia Chambliss has signed on to help create the mural.

Guenther, along with other organizers, will hold a meeting open to the public at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Cumberland County Historical Society, 21 N. Pitt St., to discuss the project and ways to move it forward.

This meeting is really to pull together and draw interest, Guenther said.

Guenther said he became interested in public art from groups like Sprocket Mural Works, which is a citywide public art project in Harrisburg. While he was looking into the idea, Guenther said he connected with Ashley Gogoj, art department chair at Carlisle Area School District.

Guenther said Gogoj had also been exploring the possibility of a public art project but was lacking a place to create it.

We provided the place and she had the thought and we came together and started moving very quickly on this overall project, Guenther said.

The initial mural at St. Paul Lutheran Church is expected to cost $10,000, which includes supplies and Chambliss fee.

Work on the mural is expected to begin in the fall with students from the school district assisting in its creation, Guenther said.

Guenther said he is applying for grant funding and hopes to create a nonprofit organization to continue the project into the future.

Anyone interested in donating to the first mural can make a tax-deductible donation to St. Paul Lutheran Church, which will be placed in a restricted account to be used exclusively for the mural, Guenther said.

Guenther said several other organizations like Hope Station and YWCA of Carlisle have expressed interest in public art projects.

Our goal is really to bring overall awareness to the great things that are already happening in Carlisle by doing something also great and helping to drive that unification of people and culture and diversity, which is all there but not really known, he said.
The Trump administrations decision to cancel the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal has added uncertainty to the future of US trade with Asia. It is something of a shame given that, in essence, the TPP was a well-thought out agreement that would have assisted a number of US industries keep their global trade positions, while adding value to raw Asian sourced products.

To be fair to Trump, the deal was pretty much dead in the water: the political arrogance in educating citizens over its content coupled with conspiracy theories over how the TPP would cost US jobs had long rendered the TPP a lame duck. For that, the previous administration should shoulder much of the blame.

China, which was not included in the TPP framework, has shrugged its shoulders at the end result. For Beijing, a lack of participation only mattered in the sense that it would not be gaining additional access to the US industrial market in certain sectors. But with China wanting to move up the value chain, even with potential for greater US access, the TPP was always a deal it could live without: many industries in China have begun gravitating toward more cost effective environments in Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam.

The demise of the TPP and the recent politicizing of trade have made China rethink what it really wants from free trade agreements (FTAs). A US that pursues a more belligerent approach to international politics and trade will concern Beijing.

The sanctions imposed on Russia have seen the rouble lose half its value and the economy tank, though it is now showing signs of a post-Western influenced recovery. Russia, with a smaller and rather hardier and politically forgiving population than China, has been able to ride the storm. If such sanctions had hit China, the repercussions for upsetting its upwardly mobile middle class would have very serious implications for the government.

The question for Beijing then becomes whether or not entering into trade deals involving the US or EU are a good idea when placed into the context of punitive punishments. Moscows experience rang alarm bells in Beijing and is changing the way China will address free trade with the US and EU.

There are several regional trade agreements that China has recently been examining. Two of these have been proclaimed as answers to the TPP: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). They have been touted as alternatives to the TPP. But are they? And if not, what else is in the offing for Chinas multilateral FTA ambitions?

China and the RCEP

This proposed free trade agreement is between the ten member states of ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and the six countries with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea). As such, it is a purely Asian deal.

The main prize here for China would be to draw India and Japan into an FTA through the RCEP, which would give Chinese manufacturers access to two huge, dynamic, and powerful markets. China does not have full-blown free trade status with either, though it does with all other RCEP states via other multilateral agreements.

But getting Japan and India on board will not be easy. Japan has ongoing political tensions with China, particularly related to territorial disputes. Many Japanese businesses are wary of China, and keen to keep innovative manufacturing technologies  such as advanced robotics  out of Chinas reach.

India, meanwhile, may slowly be beginning the process of taking over Chinas mantle as workshop of the world. India will be wary of large quantities of cheap Chinese products entering their huge domestic market while Indian manufacturers are still in the process of upgrading and improving their own capabilities (the iPhone is about to start production in India). Cheap Chinese imports flooding the market would be politically disastrous and interfere with Indias transition to a global manufacturing hub.

RELATED: Understanding Chinas Free Trade Agreements

China, to be fair, probably agrees. A short-term gain in India is not want the Chinese want. Indeed, China will need Indian manufacturing capacity just to keep its own domestic consumers supplied with inexpensive consumer goods.

The RCEP has also not been without its critics. It has gained some notoriety over what have been called the worst provisions ever drafted on copyright protection. While the negotiations continue  the 15th round was recently held in Tianjin  the RCEP and China will need to provide major concessions to India and Japan to get anywhere fast. At present, these discussions look like they will be an ongoing saga for some time to come.

China and the FTAPP

The FTAAP is an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) initiative, which was given to China to evaluate following the 2014 APEC summit in Beijing. APECs members consist of 21 Pacific Rim nations and territories, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, US, and Vietnam.

As such, this grouping is the most similar to the TPP in terms of its geographic spread and economic potential. China was mandated to provide a report on the feasibility of the FTAAP by the end of 2016, but with uncertainties following the US presidential elections, particularly in how the new Trump administration views free trade, it is safe to assume that planning has been shelved for the time being.

It is possible that elements of the aborted TPP deal could be re-invented under the FTAAP if the Trump administration softens its view towards free trade. But for the time being, given the current US stance, and the complexities of negotiating with 21 different sets of rules and regulations, the FTAAP seems a long way off.

A new direction?

The issues facing the RCEP and FTAAP, coupled with the political and trade uncertainty leaking out from the US and EU right now, have lead Beijing to take a different tack, and one in which it can exert more authority.

This new direction is tied directly with Chinas One Belt, One Road scheme, and allows China additional muscle in terms of negotiating existing agreements. Chinas demands for mutually beneficial free trade  meaning the opening up of Chinese markets to foreign products  are rather different to the deals currently touted by the US and EU.

China wants, and has found it is possible to obtain, the following concessions when negotiating trade agreements with other countries: long-term political influence and reliance upon its security architecture. These are interests the West no longer prioritizes, and in many ways are well suited for the countries with which China can enjoy a sustained and mutual relationship.

China has very specific strategic needs, including energy, commodities, agriculture, and water. As Chinas domestic companies have now proven they can go it alone with foreign adventures and trade partners, Beijing can now focus on the bigger picture of securing essential supplies.

To this end, China has commenced negotiations directly linked to these criteria.

RELATED: China Pivots to Delhi and Moscow As Silk Road Ambitions Take Hold

China and the EAEU

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a free trade area that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. While this grouping may sound somewhat exotic to some, the EAEU covers a great deal of territory and delivers what China wants in terms of political certainty, commodities, and energy. Trade is an additional, yet very welcome bonus.

In total, the EAEU has an integrated single market of 183 million people with a gross domestic product of over US$4 trillion in terms of purchasing power parity. The area enjoys free movement of goods, capital, services, and people, and provides for common policies in the macroeconomic sphere, transport, industry and agriculture, energy, foreign trade and investment, customs, technical regulation, competition, and antitrust regulation.

Chinas application to have an FTA with the EAEU secures it long coveted access to Russian energy, and the ability to jointly develop mining and energy exploration throughout the region with respective governments, such as Kazakhstan, which is another energy rich country.

This prospect is so attractive that other Asian nations are also getting on board the EAEU train: India, Iran, Singapore, and Turkey among them. Meanwhile, several countries have already signed an FTA with the EAEU, namely Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. Of all the multilateral FTAs China is looking at, the EAEU promises the best deal in terms of offering China regional influence, commodities, and opportunities to sell services and infrastructure development.

China and the GCC

China has entered into FTA negotiations with the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC), whose members include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen have also been mooted as potential future members. As can be expected, this FTA is mainly an energy play, though China also has an eye on the potential for providing regional rail and related infrastructure development.

Bringing the Middle East into the Silk Road orbit is part of Chinese, Russian, and Indian strategic policies, notwithstanding the issues between the Gulf states and Iran. If China can convince the GCC that its relations with Iran will not affect its relations with the Gulf, then the deal could manifest itself sooner rather than later.

Negotiations have been ongoing since 2004, but renewed efforts have put the process back on track. It is possible that this FTA may be finalized in 2017.

RELATED: China Institutionalizes Eurasia for Silk Road Development

Eurasian outliers: Georgia and Moldova

China has outstanding FTA negotiations with Georgia; it is also examining the potential for an FTA with Moldova. Russia would like Georgia to be part of the EAEU, while Georgians still harbor some ideas of joining the EU. Therein lies Georgias historical conundrum, is it East or West?

A China-Georgia FTA would alleviate some of the pain of Georgia being prevented from being included in the EU, a situation which would better suit both Moscow and Beijing. Georgias strategic inclusion into the Silk Road rather than the EU is attractive to some, though China will need to make concessions to allow Tbilisi to look east. China may be winning the Tbilisi seduction battle against the EU, with the two sides concluding a deal last October, though this still has to be ratified by Georgia.

Moldova already has an FTA with the EAEU, and while Beijing examines the potential for a bilateral FTA, it is more likely that these negotiations will become part of a wider multilateral deal should China agree to its EAEU FTA.

The concept of China expanding its Eurasian influence, including financing and developing infrastructure in order to develop supply lines and promote security, has triggered imaginations. China, Russia, and their strategic Shanghai Co-Operation Organization partners have been in discussions to establish an SCO Development Bank, while Moscow has indicated it would be interested in discussing the potential for combining the existing free trade areas of ASEAN and the EAEU with the SCO, and creating a vast Big Eurasian Partnership.

That is likely a step too far right now, and Beijing will want to see progress on the EAEU and SCO accession of India prior to expanding FTA ambitions further. The involvement of ASEAN in such a massive scheme will also include the governments of those countries; the Singaporean government has already stated its ambitions to increase trade and investment with Russia.

Institutionalizing the Silk Road

Chinas moves west into Eurasia, rather than the previous exclusive focus on the Asia-Pacific and EU, have not just begun with the proposed EAEU FTA. The move fits in exactly with Chinas stated policy of developing the One Belt, One Road. China is serious about this and has instigated the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Silk Road Fund, and the New Development Bank (previously known as the BRICS Development Bank) as financing institutions.

This moves hand in hand with Chinas institutionalizing the Silk Road through the creation of the Shanghai Co-Operation Organisation (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic, and security body that includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with both India and Pakistan formally joining later this year. Dialogue partners and observer states include Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Iran, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Turkey, with ASEAN, the CIS, and Turkmenistan as participating guests.

This is a powerful organization, and suggests that the main centers of influence on the entire Eurasian land mass are starting to shift to Beijing, Delhi, and Moscow.

Chinas desire to gather support in Moscow and throughout the region has led to some already impressive financial and infrastructure commitments. It has lent Russia  through a consortium of the AIIB, Silk Road Fund, and BRICS Development Bank  close to US$10 billion for the development of the high speed Moscow-Kazan railway, and is keen to see this extend all the way through to Beijing. Such a project would cost an estimated US$250 billion, and China has indicated it can both fund and provide technology for this route.

Russia itself is also preparing for financing infrastructure across Eurasia. The Moscow-backed Eurasian Development Bank has also been involved in projects, most close on Russias western borders, and is also getting involved with power and rail infrastructure developments in Kazakhstan. This combination of Chinese and Russian institutionalization of Eurasia, together with Indian involvement, is where the Chinese are now focusing on in terms of multilateral developments.

China will continue to discuss with APEC and other countries about the respective FTAAP and RCEP agreements. But faced with an unpredictable US and the downsizing of the EU, FTAs with Western powers are looking less likely and less attractive.

China will continue to engage in dialogue with any nation who seeks an FTA. But in terms of delivering what China really wants, the FTAAP and RCEP are slowly giving way to deals with the EAEU and the development of Eurasia, ASEAN, and the Silk Road. China watchers should be looking to Chinas Eurasian policy development for future investment and infrastructure development trends.



Chris Devonshire-Ellis is the Founding Partner of Dezan Shira & Associates  a specialist foreign direct investment practice providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asias most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam, in addition to alliances in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, as well as liaison offices in Italy, Germany and the United States. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Chris can be followed on Twitter at @CDE_Asia. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.



Chinas New Economic Silk Road: The Great Eurasian Game & The String of Pearls

This unique and currently only available study into the proposed Silk Road Economic Belt examines the institutional, financial and infrastructure projects that are currently underway and in the planning stage across the entire region. Covering over 60 countries, this book explores the regional reforms, potential problems, opportunities and longer term impact that the Silk Road will have upon Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Using Chinas Free Trade & Double Tax Agreements

In this issue of China Briefing, we examine the role of Free Trade Agreements and the various regional blocs that China is either a member of or considering becoming so, as well as how these can be of significance to your China business. We also examine the role of Double Tax Treaties, provide a list of active agreements, and explain how to obtain the tax minimization benefits on offer.

A Single Economic Space From Lisbon to Vladivostok

This issue of Russia Briefing introduces the idea of a single economic space between Lisbon and Vladivostok. It presents the history of this concept as well as the potential benefits if it had been realized.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Monday called for more investments to meet future oil supply in the world.

"Global oil supply could struggle to keep pace with demand after 2020, risking a sharp increase in prices, unless new projects are approved soon," the IEA warned in a report issued here at the CERAWeek, an annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policy makers.

Echoing the the agency's latest five-year oil market analysis and forecast report, IEA's Executive Director Fatih Birol said at a press conference here on Monday that "We are witnessing the start of a second wave of US supply growth, and its size will depend on where prices go, but this is no time for complacency. We don't see a peak in oil demand any time soon. And unless investments globally rebound sharply, a new period of price volatility looms on the horizon."

According to the report, the global picture appears comfortable for the next three years but supply growth slows considerably after that. The demand and supply trends point to a tight global oil market, with spare production capacity in 2022 falling to a 14-year low.

In the next few years, oil supply is growing in the countries like the United States, Canada, Brazil and elsewhere but this growth could stall by 2020 if the record two-year investment slump of 2015 and 2016 is not reversed. While investments in the U.S. shale play are picking up strongly, early indications of global spending for 2017 are not encouraging.

In the next five years, oil demand will rise, passing the symbolic 100 mb/d threshold in 2019 and reaching about 104 mb/d by 2022.Developing countries account for all of the growth and Asia dominates, with about seven out of every 10 extra barrels consumed globally. India' s oil demand growth will outpace China by then.

While electric vehicles are an important factor for oil demand, the IEA estimates they will displace only limited amounts of transportation fuel by 2022.

The IEA believes that the largest contribution to new supplies will come from the United States. The agency expects the U.S. light tight oil (LTO) production to make a strong comeback and grow by 1.4 mb/d by 2022 if prices remain around 60 dollars/bbl.

The United States responds more rapidly to price signals than other producers. the report said that if prices climb to 80 dollars/bbl, U.S. LTO production could grow by 3 mb/d in five years. Alternatively, if prices are at 50 dollars/bbl, it could decline from the early 2020s.

Within OPEC, the bulk of new supplies will come from major low-cost Middle Eastern producers, namely Iraq, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Others like Nigeria, Algeria and Venezuela will decline. For its part, production from Russia is forecast to remain stable over the next five years.

As for the changes in international oil-trade flows and investments in storage infrastructure, the IEA said that Asia will need to look beyond the Middle East to meet its growing import requirements.

With OPEC countries focused on boosting domestic refining capacity to meet local demand and ramp-up exports of refined products, additional crude oil exports from Brazil and Canada will be higher than those from the Middle East.

The five-day CERAWeek by IHS Markit opened here on Monday with a theme of "pace of change: building a new energy future".
Cumberland Valley School District officials are working to accommodate the need for additional secondary teachers in the district without the cost of hiring more instructors.

At Monday nights school board meeting, Superintendent Frederick Withum III announced plans to increase the amount of daily instructional periods for each high school teacher next year from six to seven. Since the high school has nine instructional periods each day, this would still give teachers two periods each day without classes.

At the same time, high school teachers would no longer be assigned to full-period duties such as monitoring study halls, making them available to teach more classes. Instead, high school study halls would be monitored by paraprofessional employees, which already is being done at the school on a partial basis, Withum said.

The purpose behind these moves is to provide more periods of class instruction at the high school without increasing staff and costs.

Theres only 12 other school districts in the commonwealth that spend less than we do per student. Meanwhile, we are in the 10 percent in academic achievement in the state, Withum noted.

Although the high schools enrollment isnt expected to significantly increase next year, curricular needs are changing. We really do need to figure out how to reconstruct our academics, Withum said.

The districts poverty level has nearly doubled over the past several years to around 20 percent, which creates a greater demand for special instructors in some instances. At the same time, administrators said they want to maintain enough secondary instructors to offer a wide selection of courses while accommodating more special-need instruction.

Also, more academic periods offered throughout the day means smaller class sizes in general. Class size is critical to how well students perform, Withum said.

Meanwhile, the middle school next year will see the districts largest classes enter the seventh and eighth grades. The wave of increased enrollment is expected to continue over the next few years because the districts largest classes are currently in grades four, five, six and seven.

Over the next two years, district officials plan to transfer seven high school instructors to the middle school to keep class sizes at less than 30 students without hiring additional teachers.

Withum said the school board is knowledgeable about planned changes regarding secondary-level instructors over the next two years. However, the board isnt required to vote on the changes as they doesnt extend beyond the terms of district teachers contracts.
While China's policymakers have reined in their growth expectations for this year, a glass-maker in the southwest of the country is running its assembly lines at maximum speed.

With technicians and machines operating at full capacity, there are no signs of any economic slowdown in workshops of Zisun Technology.

The Chongqing manufacturer has even started to worry that it may not be able to meet demand as orders keep flying in. In contrast with Zisun, many other Chinese glass companies can barely keep their heads above water in an industry long beset by overcapacity.

Ruan Wei, deputy general manager of Zisun, believes the secret lies in applying technology to a sophisticated market demand. For example, Zisun products include a glass microfiber filter that can block 99.99 percent of particulate matter with a diameter greater than 0.3 micron.

"Our technology can match or surpass anything the world's leading companies offer. We already control the lion's share of the domestic market and we just cannot keep pace with orders," said Ruan.

Zisun is the epitome of the innovation-driven growth companies, which carry much of China's hopes for propping up a decelerating economy.

On Sunday China set its 2017 GDP growth target at "around 6.5 percent," the lowest in a quarter of a century, at the annual parliamentary session, not much lower than last year's range of 6.5 percent to 7 percent.

Economists said the move indicates more energy will be channelled into reform -- good news for companies like Zisun -- instead of chasing earth-shattering GDP figures.

"Given external uncertainties, the new target is pragmatic and in line with current conditions and leaves room for reform," said Chi Fulin, director of the China Institute for Reform and Development.

Supply-side structural reform was highlighted in the government work report, with plans to cut steel and coal capacity, digest unsold homes, bring down corporate leverage, relieve business burdens and fix weak economic links.

Efforts will cover on a variety of areas, including cutting red tape, tax reductions and relaxed control of market access.

Policymakers have demonstrated the tolerance to the economic slowdown, Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley, said. "A lower target will help wean the country off reliance on investment-drive growth, curb capital flows to old industrial sectors and eliminate outdated capacity."

China's growth model during the past decade has resulted in serious overcapacity and accumulating financial risks.

Fully aware of the side effects, the central bank shifted to a prudent and neutral monetary policy a few months ago, pledging to curb excessive credit expansion. The government expects M2 to grow by around 12 percent in 2017, down from the 13-percent goal set for last year.

China achieved progress in its structural transformation during the past year, Xing said citing more contribution by consumption and the service sector to economic growth.

As the revival of traditional industries is incomplete, growth companies in emerging sectors like Zisun are expected to play an important part in holding the economy steady this year and beyond.

"China should accelerate fostering of new economic engines to offset the failing old economy," said Zhang Liqun, a researcher with the Development Research Center under the State Council.

Analysts believe a lower target does not mean the economy will dawdle.

"We predict growth momentum will remain strong," said Liu Liu with China International Capital Corp., a Beijing-based investment bank, which raised its China 2017 GDP growth forecast to 6.8 percent.
China Merchants Group, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with extensive port business, is hoping to replicate the success of Shenzhen's Shekou Industrial Zone in development of its Djibouti port projects.

Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is of strategic significance as a main channel for international maritime cargo.

China Merchants Port Holdings Co, the group's port and logistics arm, invested in the Port of Djibouti in 2012 and completed the construction of a new port with a stronger handling capability.

Li Xiaopeng, president of CMG, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily: "Making full use of Djibouti's geographical advantages, we are in the process of making the country the 'Shekou of East Africa'a hub for regional shipping, logistics and trade."

He said: "We will use our experience in Shekou and adjust the model to local conditions. We will put this model into practice in countries such as Djibouti."

The group wants to use model of Shekou, dubbed "Port-Park-City" or PPC as a template to build an industrial park and subsequently a city to supplement the initial development of a port.

The Port of Djibouti is in further expansion along the lines of the Shekou model. The group has invested in the development of a 48.2-square-kilometer free trade zone in Djibouti with $400 million investment in November 2016.

The free trade zone in Djibouti will be equipped with infrastructure development, including a trade and logistics park and an exports processing zone, as well as financial services.

Djibouti is also expecting urban development in the old port area after the operation of the new port commences later this year, and aims to build a new business district with commercial and tourism facilities.

The innovative model successfully transformed Shekou from a small fishing village to a metropolitan hub, and the concept will be applied to the future development of the company's port projects abroad, said Li.

With the majority of its port project in areas along the Belt and Road Initiative, the group owns a network of 46 ports in 18 countries and regions. CMG's investment in overseas ports has reach $2 billion, with major projects in Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Nigeria, Togo, Turkey and France.

As the return on investment for the Port of Djibouti has increased, the income of the local workforce involved in the project has been growing steadily at 8 percent, and the company is also investing $2 million in providing training opportunities for local staff in a three year time span, according to Li.
The burnt smartphone displayed by Mr. Song. [Photo / Yangtse.com]

A man's smartphone suddenly "exploded" in his backpack several hours after he got off a plane in Nanjing, Yangtse.com reported on Monday.

The man, surnamed Song and from Taiwan, said that while he was having dinner with his friends in a restaurant at about 8 pm on March 4, he suddenly heard what might have been an explosion and immediately after that he felt "something burning on his back."

Mr. Song said the explosive article turned out to be his smartphone in his backpack. He bought the phone in Taiwan last year. There were obvious burnt marks and cracks on the phone shell.

The man explained that he was on a business trip in Nanjing and his flight arrived at the airport from Taiwan at 11:00 am that day. He used the words "phone self-ignition" to describe the dreadful scene, saying that "if it had happened on the airplane, the consequences might be very serious."

Mr. Song said he had contacted the producer's customer service center who promised to arrange an appointment to give him a reply and solution.
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/People's Daily Online]

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.
Rural workshops manufacture a route out of poverty

Local governments are providing jobs for impoverished rural residents by establishing a number of small businesses in villages. Ju Chuanjiang and Zhao Ruixue report from Juancheng county, Shandong province.

The 300-square-meter building with the words "Targeted Poverty-Alleviation Workshop" emblazoned on the white, exterior walls stands in sharp contrast to the brick-built farmers' houses surrounding it.

Inside the building, in Xijie, a village in Juancheng county, Heze, Shandong province, dozens of farmers were sorting hair ready for distribution to wig manufacturers.

Sun Zhangcun was one of them. The 60-year-old's employment options are limited because his left leg was amputated after a traffic accident 17 years ago. Moreover, his wife has advanced rheumatism.

"We can't escape poverty: I'm disabled, so I can't leave the village for work, but I can't shoulder heavy farmwork either," he said, as he skillfully sorted a clump of hair.

In an attempt to solve his problems, Sun took a job at the workshop, which was founded last year by the local government to provide work for underemployed laborers. He earns about 1,000 yuan ($145) a month.

"Now I am useful to my family. I earn my own money, which gives me a sense of dignity," Sun said. Last year, he managed to save more than 3,000 yuan after covering daily necessities and medical expenses for him and his wife.

His workshop is one of 536 that have been established in villages across the county as part of a national campaign to lift farmers out of poverty.

Raising living standards

In 2015, Shandong recorded the third-highest GDP in the country, and the provincial government set the annual poverty level at 3,372 yuan per person.

Last year, 1.5 million people in the eastern, coastal province were lifted out of poverty, and the authorities aim to raise the living standards of a further 2.42 million by 2018.

By 2020, China plans to have eradicated poverty, as defined in 2011 by annual earnings of less than 2,300 yuan per person. On Sunday, at the two sessions, the government announced that it aims to lift a further 10 million rural people out of poverty by the end of this year.

To win the war against poverty, local governments have turned to specific sectors, such as e-commerce, finance, tourism development, relocation and infrastructure improvement.

The workshops in Juancheng provide jobs for the elderly, the disabled, women who need to take care of their parents and children, and others who are unable to leave the village for long periods.

At the end of 2015, Juancheng, located in the mudflats area of the Yellow River, was a designated national-level poverty-stricken county, with 89,600 of its population of 890,000 living below the subsistence line.

"Nearly one-in-10 was living in poverty, which put me under huge pressure," said Gu Ruiling, Party chief of Juancheng, who is responsible for poverty-alleviation in the county.

Gu didn't feel a sense of relief until last year, when a number of workshops had been built in villages across the county, providing an effective way of fighting poverty.

Inspiration

County officials conceived the "workshops model" in November 2015, when they conducted research into poverty-alleviation work in Daitang, a village in the county's Dongkou town.

"We saw several elderly women sorting hair in a shabby 10-square-meter shack made from plastic sheeting and simple wooden boards in a farmer's yard.

An 82-year-old woman told us she enjoyed working in the shack because she could earn hundreds of yuan a month. However, she had to stop working if it rained and the workshop was cold in winter," Gu said.

The sight was a revelation to Gu, who found himself asking: "Why don't we build large, well-equipped workshops in villages to provide more jobs for villagers?"

About six months later, more than 160 workshops had been constructed in villages across the county. Each cost an average of 150,000 yuan to build, so the county finance department provided a subsidy of 100 yuan per sq m and the rest of the money was provided by public organizations and businesses.

The workshops are equipped with modern amenities, including water and electricity, and the operatorsmainly businesspeople from large cities, introduced by local governmentscan use them as soon as the formalities have been completed.

"We chose to build workshops in places that are easily accessible and convenient for the disabled and the elderly. Locations near kindergartens and schools are best because that makes it convenient for farmers who need to send their kids to school before going to work at the workshops," Gu said.

Daitang resident Li Aiyun is employed in the workshop in her village. She goes to work after sending her grandson to school.

"I can earn some money while taking care of my family," she said, adding that she can earn about 500 yuan a month.

According to Gu, workshop operators are required to obey a stipulation that at least 40 percent of the employees in every workshop are unskilled laborers living below the poverty line. The policy is facilitated by financial support from local governments, such as subsidized loans, to encourage the employment of the worst-off in society.

Training sessions

To provide the new employees with the requisite skills, the local government held 320 training sessions to teach them about industries such as furniture manufacture, hair products, clothing and electrical parts.

To date, 536 workshops have been built in Juancheng, and the initiative has prompted similar programs in other counties. More than 1,800 workshops have been built in villages across Heze, which administers Juancheng, providing jobs for 200,000 farmers, who are able to work near their homes. The move resulted in 57,000 rural laborers being lifted out of poverty last year.

Juancheng is known for hair products and furniture making. For the past three years, the output of the county's hair-product outfits has registered an annual increase of 25 percent.

"Hair-processing enterprises usually need huge workforces. This is the type of work that farmers can easily do and their availability means the employers' labor costs are reduced," Gu said.

According to Fan Jifu, manager of Hongjuyuan Craftwork Co, a hair-processing company, sales hit 220 million yuan last year, a rise of 30 percent from 2015.

He said the business operates nine village workshops and employs more than 700 poverty-stricken farmers at competitive rates: "The workshop model has reduced our labor costs by 20 percent."

So far, 225 companies have been attracted to four industrial parks built by the county to lure hair-processing enterprises.

Meanwhile, the county is encouraging young people who have moved away to return and set up their own businesses.

Li Zhichao, who worked in South China for six years, learned about the workshop model when he returned to Juancheng at the end of 2015 to prepare for the upcoming Spring Festival. Impressed by the initiative, he rented a workshop for 15,000 yuan a year and started manufacturing cables for cellphones.

The workshop was quickly inundated with orders, so Li rented three more. He now employs about 400 people, half of them living below the poverty line.

In addition to providing jobs, the workshops are also generating tax revenue for the local government. Statistics supplied by the Juancheng government show that tax revenue from the furniture making businesses rose by more than 73 percent last year, compared with 2015, while the tax take from hair-processing operations rose by nearly 41.5 percent.

"The workshops provide places where poor farmers can work close to home and make a better living with their own hands, rather than relying on benefits. This year, we will encourage some operators to register as businesses and expand their sales networks through e-commerce channels," Gu said.
More than 80 percent of women in China experienced gender discrimination at work, according to a survey carried out by one of China's largest job sites.

In the survey released just ahead of International Women's Day by Zhaopin.com, 81 percent of the female respondents said that they felt gender discrimination at work. About 22 percent of them said the discrimination was "serious," 59 percent said the discrimination was "moderate," and only 2 percent of female respondents said they experienced no discrimination at all.

The survey was based on answers from 128,576 respondents, 43 percent of whom were female.

About 74 percent of the male respondents said that they feel gender discrimination at work, slightly less than their female counterparts.

Working females holding higher qualifications experienced more discrimination, the survey found. About 43 percent of the female respondents with a master's degree or higher reported "serious gender discrimination," compared to 12 percent of women who graduated from high school, 18 percent of women who graduated from junior college, and 28 percent of women who have only attended college.

Working women have also reported gender discrimination in promotion. More than 80 percent of the female respondents said they had experienced discrimination in promotion, 25 percent reported "serious discrimination," while only 3 percent said they feel no discrimination at all.

Among all the respondents, 59 percent of men said they had their first promotion after working for two years, compared to 49 percent of women -- 10 percent less than men. And 72 percent of all the respondents said their immediate superiors were male while only 28 percent were female.
Diane Frances Witman, 48, of Shippensburg, was found at her home Monday, according to a news release issued by Pennsylvania State Police early Tuesday morning.

Reported earlier on Cumberlink

State Police at Carlisle are searching for a missing Shippensburg woman after she was last seen with friends on March 5.

Police said Diane Frances Witman, 48, was last seen drinking with friends from work, at the Sierra Madre Saloon on Market Street in Camp Hill on March 5. She told them she was going to Harrisburg for an errand and would return shortly.

Police said she has not been seen or heard from since.

Witman was last seen wearing a black Red Lobster employee shirt, black pants, black shoes and a black coat. She may be driving a silver 2005 Dodge Durango, bearing Pennsylvania registration JLJ2369. There is a yellow "Watch for Motorcyclists" sticker in the back window and a USMC plate on the front of the vehicle.

Police ask anyone with information to contact them at 717-249-2121.
A Changan Ford Automobile factory, a Sino-U.S. joint venture, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality (XINHUA)

China has faced mounting pressure from trade conflicts with the United States in recent years, and it is widely expected that the situation will become more tense as a result of the Trump administration's forthcoming policies on China.

The United States launched 11 anti-dumping and nine anti-subsidy investigations against China in 2016, an 81.1 percent surge from the previous year. The 20 cases involved $3.7 billion worth of trade, an increase of 131 percent year on year, according to statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce.

However, it would be naive and ridiculous for people to take the rise in trade disputes as a sign of a declining Chinese economy or to assume that the United States could coerce China to accept unreasonable economic demands by threatening to wage a large-scale trade war.

Win-win cooperation possible

Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations are not a zero-sum game but, to a large extent, do represent a win-win strategy. America's mounting

fiscal and trade deficits are so huge that thorough reformative adjustments are imperative. It is therefore understandable that the Trump-led government hopes to solve chronic problems haunting the American economy and stabilize the country's macro economy.

Sino-U.S. trade and China's foreign trade can only achieve stability and continued growth when America's economy realizes stable and sustainable development.

Since the stability and health of America's macro economy have a significant influence on China's foreign trade, China should not turn a blind eye to it. If the economic policies implemented by the Trump administration can really bring down America's deficit levels, China will be able to secure a more sustainable market, and the entire international economic system will become more stable. Therefore, as far as China is concerned, the best way forward is to reach a series of economic and trade agreements with the United States on reasonable terms while simultaneously adjusting its economic development model as the United States does so as well. In this way, the two countries' capacities to secure sustainable growth will grow at the same pace, contributing to the stability and long-term growth of the global economy.

China should strive for win-win Sino-U.S.economic and trade arrangements. Yet, whether or not those goals can be achieved to a great extent depends on the United States. On formal occasions, from speeches on diplomatic strategies delivered during the election campaign to his inaugural address, Trump has made clear the United States' willingness to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with China and Russia. By choosing Terry Branstad as ambassador to China and through his recent telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump is indicating that Sino-U.S. relations are moving away from previous setbacks.

Not afraid of a trade war

There are still quite a few uncertainties regarding Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations. Some people believe that trade disputes would damage China's economy, and the risk of a large-scale trade war with the United States would force China to accept unreasonable demands. But in fact, even if an extensive trade war occurs between China and the United States, it will not drag down China's status in the international economic system. Given all that, China will not be coerced into accepting unreasonable terms in future trade conflicts and negotiations.

So far, China has made great strides in its attempts to catch up economically. As the world's second largest economy, largest manufacturer and goods exporter, the output of China's equipment manufacturing industry accounted for one third of the world's total in 2013, with a quite complete set of industrial sectors in place.

Despite that, economic growth fluctuations are inevitable. It's therefore unnecessary to compare China's growth rate with historical figures amidst the worldwide economic and trade slowdownChina should be compared to other major countries instead. As long as China grows faster than other countries, its status in the international economic system will ascend, preventing China from being outpaced.

Since the breakout of the 2008 global financial crisis, external economic and financial crises have provided opportunities for China to push forward industrial upgrading and get rid of external economic shock. Why? During a crisis, all countries experience a decrease in absolute growth. However, in competent countries and industries, relative growth expands despite the general economic slowdown. When they outpace their rivals, they are more likely to harvest a larger share of the available profits when the economy recovers.

For instance, China's economy grew 13 percent while the global economy was still prosperous in 20075 percentage points faster than its major competitors. During the recession, the country's growth slowed to 8 percent, while its competitors dropped to 1 percent or even negative growth. China has thus outpaced its competitors. Therefore, global economic crises are a good opportunity for countries with China's capacity to resist risks, since they can weed out rivals amid a worldwide slowdown.

Since the outbreak of the 2008 global financial crisis, China's share in the world economy and trade has risen significantly. In 2007, China's GDP accounted for 10.8 percent of the world total and 24.8 percent of emerging economies' total GDP, while its exports accounted for 7.8 percent of the world total and 23.2 percent of emerging economies' total exports. In 2015, its GDP took up 17.3 percent of the world output and 30 percent of that of emerging economies while the share of its exports rose to 11.6 percent of the world total and 31.7 percent of that of emerging economies, according to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In the first decade of the 21st century, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa were deemed the most promising emerging markets likely to surpass China. But as a result of a series of economic fluctuations in the past few years, China's economic growth has far exceeded theirs. As a result, China's proportion in the economic aggregate of BRICS nations keeps expanding.

Now, China and the United States' economic status indicate that, should a large-scale trade dispute break out between them, a global trade recession would emerge. On the other side, even if the trade disputes get out of control, China's status in the international economic system would not suffer, and other emerging countries are much less likely to surpass China.

Given that China's position in the world would remain intact even in the worst-case scenario, in future negotiations, China's counterparts should not threaten the start of a trade war. The best way to handle such issues is through open and fair negotiations.
 Flash

China on Monday questioned the findings of a United States human rights report and cautioned against using the issue of human rights to interfere in China's internal affairs.

The U.S. State Department released an annual report on global human rights Friday, which pointed a finger at China and some other countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang voiced firm opposition to the "2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," which he said was full of unfounded accusations and prejudice.

China has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side, Geng said at a regular press conference.

He said anyone free of political bias about China's human rights situation would not deny the remarkable improvements since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

China holds that countries should have dialogue and exchanges with one another on human rights on the basis of equality and mutual respect, Geng said.

He urged the United States to view China's human rights situation in an objective and fair manner and stop using the issue to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Regarding the report's accusations about the human rights situation in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Geng dismissed the false accusations and stressed that the United States has no right to intervene in the internal affairs of China.

Since the return of Hong Kong and Macao, the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and the Basic Law have been implemented comprehensively, and Hong Kong and Macao residents enjoy full rights and freedom in accordance with the law, said Geng.

These are well-established facts and cannot be called into question, he added.
 Flash

Israel's parliament approved on Monday night a law to prohibit boycott supporters from entering the country.

Under the new law, foreign nationals who publicly support the campaign for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel could be barred from entering the country.

The Knesset (parliament) passed the controversial law with 46 lawmakers voting in favor and 28 voting against it.

Peace Now, an Israel-based settlement watch group, denounced the law as "undemocratic." The new legislation "will not prevent boycott but rather, deteriorate Israel's international standing and lead Israel towards international isolation," the group warned in a statement.

First launched in 2005, the Palestinian-led campaign calls to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel seized in 1967, and acknowledge the Palestinians refugees' right of return to their pre-1948 lands.

The campaign was endorsed by civil society organizations and universities throughout the world, as well as public figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters.
 Flash

Leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain on Monday expressed their support for a different-speed Europe during an informal summit in Versailles, southwest Paris.

"Unity is not uniformity," French President Francois Hollande said at the end of the meeting, noting that some member countries of the European Union could go faster and "further in areas such as defense, tax and social harmonization, culture or youth. "

Europe must have the courage to accept that some countries are moving faster than others, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, adding that it's necessary for Europe to have a key role to face other actors of globalization.

For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has noted that the European Union is a success story which must be well built.

Expressing readiness for better integration, Rajoy hailed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's White Paper which he said would further improve integration in Europe.

As to Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, he noted that the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which will take place on March 25 in the Italian capital, will aim at pushing ahead integration in Europe.
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The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday announced that the bloc will on April 5 host an international conference on Syria's future.

The EU will cochair the conference with the United Nations and with the governments of Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and Britain, Mogherini said at a press conference following a one-day Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

"We hope that the Brussels conference on April 5 can support strongly the UN work on the political track, but also try to establish a regional and international framework for that support, for the humanitarian work, but also for looking at the future, how we can, together, support the future of Syria and the region," she said.

Delegations from the Syrian government and the opposition on Friday wrapped up nine-day talks in Geneva.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the 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.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother, former Queen Norodom Monineath, on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) meets with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (2nd L) and his mother, former Queen Norodom Monineath (1st L), in Beijing, capital of China, March 6, 2017. Xi's wife Peng Liyuan (1st R) attended the meeting. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi hailed the profound friendship between Chinese and Cambodian people, adding the friendship is very precious as it was started and fostered by the older generations of Chinese leaders and Cambodian former King Norodom Sihanouk.

Xi and Sihamoni exchanged visits in 2016. Xi said China-Cambodia ties have witnessed rapid growth, citing high political mutual trust, win-win economic cooperation, mutual support in domestic development and close coordination in global and regional affairs.

The Cambodian royal family has been committed to boosting friendship with China and has made great contributions in this regard, he added.

Xi called on both sides to maintain high-level contacts, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, synergize their development strategies, boost cooperation on key projects, and strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs.

Sihamoni and his mother recalled Xi's visit to Cambodia last year, adding bilateral friendship and cooperation had been consolidated through the visit.

The Cambodian royal family, government and people appreciate China's support for the country's economic and social development, they said, vowing to carry on the former King Sihanouk's friendship policy toward China and boost stronger bilateral ties.

Sihamoni and his mother arrived in Beijing on Friday.
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The vast majority of Greeks want a leaner public sector, fewer taxes and Greece's stay in the eurozone to overcome the seven-year debt crisis, according to a survey released on Sunday.

Some 62.4 percent of participants in the poll conducted nationwide by the Athens-based Dianeosis think tank called for the shrinking of the public sector, according to Kathimerini (Daily) newspaper that published the results.

A total of 73.2 percent of respondents believe that the government should give incentives to attract investments and boost exports to achieve economic recovery.

Some 38.9 percent of Greeks see tax evasion as a "legitimate defense" against over taxation, while 71.1 percent do not believe that the state will manage to combat tax dodging, despite efforts made.

Most Greeks (62.1 percent) acknowledge that the Greek debt crisis was mostly the result of Greece's shortcomings.

The survey showed that euro skepticism is strong. The 57.3 percent of respondents believe that the European Union (EU) won more from Greece's membership and only 29.6 percent said that Greece benefited more.

However, some 59.6 percent of Greeks want Greece's stay in the European common currency zone, while 33.1 percent said they preferred return to drachma.

Dianeosis noted that in April 2015 during a similar survey carried out by the think tank, 73.9 percent supported the country's stay in the eurozone and 20.7 percent the return to the national currency.
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is temporarily banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving the country until safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is fully guaranteed, the official news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by the protocol department of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, which said the Malaysian Embassy in the DPRK had been informed of the decision.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry hoped that the Malaysian Embassy and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry would properly settle the dispute arising from the murder of a DPRK citizen in Malaysia, said the notice.

Pyongyang wants to see the case properly addressed "from the goodwill stand of setting store by and developing bilateral relations," the notice added.

In the period, Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before," it said.

The notice came after Malaysia on Saturday declared the ambassador of the DPRK to the country Kang Chol as "persona non grata," asking him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has decided to revoke visa-free entry for citizens from the DPRK starting from Monday, saying that the decision was made after its national security was taken into account as a priority.

A DPRK national who was identified as Kim Chol was attacked on Feb. 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. After seeking help from the airport staff, he died en route to hospital.

The Malaysian side said the DPRK man died a painful death minutes after being swabbed with a high dosage of lethal VX nerve agent after the body was examined.

However, the DPRK government claimed it was an anti-DPRK smear campaign and accused the Malaysian government of conniving with South Korea and the United States which intended to use the death of the DPRK citizen to tarnish the DPRK image and even to overthrow the DPRK system.

Pyongyang also sent a high-level delegation to Malaysia to discuss the matter and has urged Malaysia to return the body as soon as possible. But the request was rejected by the Malaysian government.
By Lizzie Dearden, The Independent | Mar. 07, 2017

RAF jets have been scrambled to intercept a flight from Romania after it lost communications.

The aircraft took off from Bucharest at around 1:30 a.m. and landed safely in Birmingham at 7:30 a.m., according to the radar tracking service Airlive.

Belgian F-16 fighter jets were also scrambled as the plane flew over the North Sea.

Witnesses photographed an RAF Typhoon and Voyager refuelling aircraft over Milton Keynes during the operation.

The Saab 340 aircraft, which came into service in 1987, is operated by Hungarian cargo airline Fleet Air International.

In recent days it has made stops in Brno, the Czech Republic, and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

An spokesperson for the RAF said the aircraft was safely escorted to Birmingham International Airport.

"The RAF can confirm that Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, were launched this morning by Quick Reaction Alert mission to intercept a civilian aircraft that had lost communications," he added.

The Quick Reaction Alert system sees the RAF deploy planes within minutes to intercept unidentified aircraft, which may have lost communication with air traffic control, have no flight plan or fail to transmit a required surveillance radar code.

Jets stationed at RAF Coningsby, RAF Lossiemouth and in the Falkland Islands are kept in readiness around the clock for the missions, controlled by "air battlespace controllers" at RAF Boulmer and RAF Scampton.

Several passenger planes have been intercepted as a precaution in recent months, with fighter jets also scrambled to track Russian military planes nearing British airspace.
The past two days have been somewhat different from other days with regard to the spiraling tit-for-tat actions raising tensions in Northeast Asia, which now worryingly seem to be taken for granted to some extent.

On Monday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired four, maybe five, ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan in protest against the ongoing military drills being staged by the United States and the Republic of Korea, which it has condemned as a rehearsal for an invasion.

And the first of 14 US C-130J Super Hercules military airlifters, its "meanest, toughest, most tactical machine", arrived in western Tokyo in a show of strong commitment to its ally, whose leader asserted the DPRK missiles were a "new stage of threat".

Then on Tuesday, Washington and Seoul showcased the arrival of key components of the US' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the ROK.

Though seemingly in a rush, the US and the ROK have taken the first step toward a crossing of the Rubicon, shifting the multi-stakeholder security impasse in Northeast Asia toward a conflicting path and bringing the prospect of a mini "cold war" in the region, even a hot war, closer to being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As the stated target of THAAD, the tough-talking DPRK is likely to counter the mounting threat with acceleration of missile programs, continuing to offer Washington, Tokyo and Seoul excuses to boost their war-preparedness and deploy similar systems at more locations on China's periphery.

Although the US and the ROK contend that THAAD's perceived potential threat to Chinese security is collateral and unintended, protests of Chinese consumers against ROK companies facilitating the THAAD system have demonstrated their concerns about it being a real security challenge that should be met.

The deployment of THAAD undermines strategic and security interests of countries in the region, including China and Russia.

And as many have observed, the proclaimed security benefits THAAD brings to the ROK will prove negligible compared with the losses it incurs. Since Seoul's miscalculation has already borne its bitter fruit, the immediate priority, for all stakeholders, is to prevent things from spiraling out of control.

THAAD's deployment in the ROK will only harm efforts to peacefully realize stability on the Korean Peninsula. The recent past possibility of Beijing and Moscow joining with Seoul, Washington and Tokyo to discourage Pyongyang may hardly be possible with THAAD getting in the way.

Given the professed shared interest of Washington and Seoul in a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula, as well as the painful fact that their joint military drills have spurred Pyongyang to speed up its missile program, they should call off the deployment, avoid traveling further down the wrong path, and act constructively to promote peace in the region.
Robin Li, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman and CEO of Baidu, takes part in the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, on Mar 5, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu

Key words: Artificial intelligence (AI)

There was a time when the use of AI technology in applications was considered impossible, but it is now a reality. The government departments should announce preferential policies to encourage the use of AI in other industries. The technology should be enhanced and used to address issues such as finding missing children and easing traffic flow.
China Merchants Group, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with extensive port business, is hoping to replicate the success of Shenzhen's Shekou Industrial Zone in development of its Djibouti port projects.

Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is of strategic significance as a main channel for international maritime cargo.

China Merchants Port Holdings Co, the group's port and logistics arm, invested in the Port of Djibouti in 2012 and completed the construction of a new port with a stronger handling capability.

Li Xiaopeng, president of China Merchants Group. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Li Xiaopeng, president of CMG, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily: "Making full use of Djibouti's geographical advantages, we are in the process of making the country the 'Shekou of East Africa'a hub for regional shipping, logistics and trade."

He said: "We will use our experience in Shekou and adjust the model to local conditions. We will put this model into practice in countries such as Djibouti."

The group wants to use model of Shekou, dubbed "Port-Park-City" or PPC as a template to build an industrial park and subsequently a city to supplement the initial development of a port.

The Port of Djibouti is in further expansion along the lines of the Shekou model. The group has invested in the development of a 48.2-square-kilometer free trade zone in Djibouti with $400 million investment in November 2016.

The free trade zone in Djibouti will be equipped with infrastructure development, including a trade and logistics park and an exports processing zone, as well as financial services.

Djibouti is also expecting urban development in the old port area after the operation of the new port commences later this year, and aims to build a new business district with commercial and tourism facilities.

The innovative model successfully transformed Shekou from a small fishing village to a metropolitan hub, and the concept will be applied to the future development of the company's port projects abroad, said Li.

With the majority of its port project in areas along the Belt and Road Initiative, the group owns a network of 46 ports in 18 countries and regions. CMG's investment in overseas ports has reach $2 billion, with major projects in Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Nigeria, Togo, Turkey and France.

As the return on investment for the Port of Djibouti has increased, the income of the local workforce involved in the project has been growing steadily at 8 percent, and the company is also investing $2 million in providing training opportunities for local staff in a three year time span, according to Li.
Jobseekers talk with representatives of an employer at a job fair in Beijing in Feb 2017. [Photo/China Daily]

Against a backdrop of slowing growth, companies are not looking to recruit, and some are even downsizing

Spring is traditionally the time when people seek to change jobs, having collected their annual bonus for the previous year.

This year, fluctuations in different sectors' employment demand are sending mixed messages to potential recruits.

The rapid development of internet and advanced technologies are giving birth to a large number of new job opportunities and are prompting companies to map out plans to increase technology talent.

Online finance, including peer-to-peer lending, is expanding rapidly in China. Therefore, a number of information technology related jobs will be created in the process. Businesses in other sectors have also invested in more IT positions to drive growth.

With the boom of e-commerce in China, consumers are increasingly shopping online. Therefore, traditional retail companies have been reducing headcount recently and even shutting down their operations in China. As this trend is expected to continue in 2017, people who used to work in traditional retail businesses, especially those in the luxury sector, will enter the e-commerce sector.

Candidates with digital marketing and sales experience will be highly pursued this year, according to Morgan McKinley.

Cui Libiao, researcher of Hangzhou-based China E-commerce Research Center, said: "Candidates with operational experience are the most urgently needed at e-commerce companies, while marketing talent are also in short supply. As the industry is still expanding rapidly, the candidate shortage is still quite serious."

Meanwhile, a large number of companies specializing in artificial intelligence have been created lately. These companies are actively pursuing individuals with such expertise, according to Morgan McKinley.

Fresh graduates take part in one of the first spring recruitment fairs in Shandong province in February, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The latest job ad posted by internet giant Baidu Inc shows that the company is looking for artificial intelligence talent for the man-computer conversation, maps and autopilot businesses.

Another industry leader Tencent Holdings Ltd has also been searching lately for talent specializing in AI product planning, AI machine learning and AI research engineers.

On the other hand, some companies will remain cautious this year when it comes to recruitment plans in supporting departments, such as finance, accounting or human resources, according to the Chinese Mainland Salary Guide 2017a report released by the international employment agency Morgan McKinley in mid-February.

Rio Goh, managing director of Morgan McKinley China, said: "When economic growth slows down, it is not unusual to see companies adopting a cautious attitude when it comes to hiring or reducing hands."

Owing to cost cutting and operational consolidations, foreign banks started reducing headcount in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region since the second quarter of 2016. In 2017, these banks will remain cautious about hiring.

Although Chinese banks are hiring more than their foreign counterparts, they have also felt the effect of tough business conditions and lower margins. So, some of them are scaling back recruitment or even restructuring and making redundancies.

Employee downsizing has already started in leading commercial banks in China. According to the interim report of China Merchants Bank released in late June 2016, its headcount dropped to 68,424 from 76,192 one year earlier.

Similarly, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China reported a headcount of 458,711 at the end of June last year, reducing its workforce by 7,635.

Song Chen, a consumer finance account manager at a commercial bank in Beijing, was told recently that he might be transferred to a community branch, and no longer be responsible for consumer finance.

Song said: "If I'm transferring from a previously well-known position to a less familiar one, my salary, bonus, and even annual target would change."

Multinational companies this year will restrict themselves to replacement hires when it comes to accounting and financial roles. They may even choose not to fill vacancies after some staff members leave, expecting the rest of the team to pick up the workload, according to Goh.

Similarly, as a support function, human resources teams, especially those within the multinational companies, are expected to be leaner and more efficient. Traditional industries, such as consumer goods, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals are likely to make fewer hires in human resources in 2017, added Goh.
Despite global trade uncertainties and a skill shortage, Chinese employers are still offering more generous salary packages than their global peers to attract the right talents.

According to the latest Salary Guide released by global recruiting specialist Hays, 45 percent of 1,200 Chinese mainland employers expect to increase salaries by 6 to 10 percent in 2017, slightly up from the 44 percent a year earlier. Roughly 11 percent of the employers said they would offer a salary increase up to 11 percent this year. In 2016 that figure was 16 percent.

However, the majority of the employers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia will keep the salary increase between 3 and 6 percent. Seventy-six percent of the employers in Japan will offer a salary increase no more than 3 percent.

In the next 12 months, roughly 65 percent of Chinese mainland employers intend to award bonuses to all employees and 28 percent of them said they would award bonuses only to some employees.

For most accounting and finance professionals, the salary increase will be limited in 2017. More digital and technology companies will offer stock option plans to senior management staff to retain talent.

China banks' operations centers will set a higher bar on enhancing efficiency and controlling costs. Therefore, talents with such expertise will be in demand this year and their salaries can be expected to increase accordingly.

Traditional financial companies and internet financial companies are in short supply of talent with infrastructure technology knowledge. Therefore, employers will continue to use high salaries and clear career development paths to attract the right people.

As Hays discovered, online financial companies are more attractive as they offer better salary packages and stock options.

Christine Wright, managing director of Hays in Asia, said: "Recruitment and retention of talented employees will be one of the biggest challenges facing employers this year in the midst of a war for top talent."
Tens of thousands of jobseekers attend a job fair offering 3,000 jobs in Liuzhou, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

The sudden resignation of Chen Xiangli, former president of the GE Technology Center in China, announced at the beginning of this year, raised concerns over the talent pool of research professionals in China.

Having served GE for 16 years, Chen applied to the company's global headquarters to set up the China technology center in 2000.

As the founder of the GE Technology Center in China, Chen left the company without giving any explanation or notice.

Worse, following Chen's resignation, a number of researchers, especially scientists, specializing in fundamental studies, are expected to resign, seek transfer to other posts, or go back to the United States.

Chen said at a public conference last year that a large number of multinational companies' research centers in China are in a dilemma. These centers have not been allowed to operate fully in spite of China vigorously calling for innovation.

He said: "Companies such as GE, Siemens and Honeywell have very mature research and development systems. They have accumulated this experience for a century or even longer. China needs this accumulated knowledge greatly."

Sun Chao, partner at consulting firm Strategy & Greater China, said that the higher costs of hiring mid- to high-level management talent have resulted in the fact that multinational companies hardly set up their core research sectors in China.

On the other hand, the shortage of the right research staff has been a real problem for most companies in China.

According to a survey by global talent recruiter Hays, 97 percent of 1,200 Chinese employers polled said they are "struggling to find the skilled individuals and the situation is worse than ever".

They are worried that the deteriorating skill shortage will severely affect their operations this year.

Simon Lance, managing director of Hays in China, said: "Chinese companies are looking for opportunities to work with top engineering universities all over the world, so that those future graduates will enter their talent pool. Chinese entrepreneurs have come to a consensus that big data, artificial intelligence, speech recognition and natural language processing are the key areas awaiting further exploitation.

"But the talent shortage they are faced with now has forced them to look for talent all over the world," Lance said.

In the automotive sector, for example, the shortage of research talent is the most serious problem, according to Rio Goh, managing director of international employment agency Morgan McKinley in China.

Although local talent is preferred for most of the time as it is comparatively cheaper, when it comes to key development areas, such as connected vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems, overseas technology experts from Germany and North America are always hired to provide their industry know-how.

The central government has noticed the talent gap. The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a guideline in mid-February that focuses on training and talent development in the manufacturing industry.

Seven important tasks were listed in the guideline, such as speeding up the integration of industry with education, promoting key abilities and qualities that are adaptive to advanced manufacturing industry, and establishing a high-level management skills pool.
Chinese companies are expected to continue to expand their global reach across a broader mix of industries, said David Fleming, partner and M&A specialist at international law firm Baker McKenzie.

He said uncertainties are unlikely to affect Chinese corporate investments in the Asia-Pacific regionincluding ASEAN membersfueling growth in industries ranging from food and health to telecoms and tech.

"Deals won't stop," Fleming said.

The expected quickening of cross-border investments from China is also in line with China's Belt and Road Initiative, which promotes business ties with nations along the ancient Silk Road connecting China and Europe, Africa and the rest of Asia.

At the same time, Fleming did see the inevitability for Chinese companies to adopt a more sophisticated approach and be more careful in a number of operations in their overseas expansion.

"To make successful deals, they will have to adjust their action strategies, deal sizes and structures, exchange and cost management policies, and corresponding legal practices in pursuit of mergers and acquisitions," Fleming said.

Based on their previous experience in Europe and elsewhere, companies would have to take a longer-term view and perhaps employ a more selective M&A approach.

Second, they were advised to act early to involve specialist services in the legal and other professional fields in the deal process.

Third, they needed to be more careful and flexible in designing the deal structure in order to mitigate a single company's exposure to any potential risk.

Fleming also said that companies must engage with local regulatory authorities early on in the process.

He also said that companies needed to consider the role that the media could play in a deal.

Deals that are pending regulatory approval are often reported in the media. Companies should be more sensitive to local prevailing social conditions, he said.

At a time of rising populism, companies were advised to be more careful and involve local public relations expertise and the local media.

Overall, Fleming remained confident that Chinese companies would continue to go overseas to seek diversification. He added that 2017 would be a year of continuation.

The Baker McKenzie M&A specialist said Chinese companies were quick learners and would work very hard to pursue their goals.

Legal services in China, including Baker McKenzie's Chinese partners, were making progress to adapt to the needs of their clients, "in order to be where deals are", Fleming said.
He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, talks with reporters on the sidelines of the NPC session in Beijing on Monday.[Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

Reductions this year's 'major task' in supply-side reform

China will further reduce excessive steel and coal production capacity and extend capacity cutting efforts to energy sectors this year, a senior official with the nation's top economic planning body said on Monday.

"Cutting overcapacity remains the major task this year while implementing supply-side reform," said Ning Jizhe, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing national legislative and political advisory sessions.

"Strengthened efforts in cutting overcapacity will continue in 2018."

China plans to slash 50 million tons of steel capacity and 150 million tons of coal capacity, and eliminate or postpone the building of 50 million kilowatts of coal-fired power generation capacity this year.

After completing the closure of 65 million tons of steel capacity last year, ahead of schedule, plans for another 50 million tons comprise an ambitious target, according to Ning.

After meeting the target this year, the utilization rate, or the proportion of steel capacity used for production, will be about 80 percent, a level that is normal in a market economy, Ning added.

The global average utilization rate is 68 percent, according to the World Steel Association.

He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said the economic growth target of around 6.5 percent set for 2017 is both necessary and attainable. The target is necessary because job creation is an important task, he said.

"According to our experience, each percentage point of GDP growth will help create about 1.7 million jobs," he said.

Without quality growth at a reasonable level, the country will find it hard to meet the job creation target of over 11 million, unveiled in the Government Work Report that Premier Li Keqiang delivered on Sunday, He said.

Zhang Lin, a senior analyst with dz18.com, an e-commerce platform for the steel industry, said cutting 50 million tons of steel production capacity is not an easy objective to achieve.

"More capacity cuts this year will leave no room for local governments to cheat," said Zhang.

As more factories shut down, Zhang added, relocating laid-off workers might put more pressure on the government this year.

Compared with cutting industrial capacity in the steel sector, tasks set for coal production and coal-fired power generation capacities might be easier to achieve on time, according to Yang Fuqiang, a senior adviser at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental organization.

"The binding target for coal consumption in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for the energy sector will help China better control the supply side of coal production," Yang said.

The 13th Five-Year Plan for the energy sector, released in February, set a coal consumption ceiling for the first time, limiting the percentage of coal consumption among major energy sources to 58 percent.

Yang said that as China moves to a greener growth model and toward use of more renewable energy resources to generate electricity, the burden for capacity cuts in coal-fired power plants will lessen.

More than 20 percent of electricity in China was produced by renewable resources as of 2016, according to the National Energy Administration.

China plans to generate 27 percent of electricity from renewable resources by the end of 2020, according to the administration.

Contact the writers at xinzhiming@chinadaily.com.cn
Premier Li Keqiang listens to an introduction by Haier Group President Zhou Yunjie, deputy of the 12th National People's Congress from Shandong province, of Haier's technology and management innovation and his proposal for building clean drinking water stations in rural areas, during the fifth plenary session of the 12th NPC, China's legislature, in Beijing on Monday. WU ZHIYI/CHINA DAILY

Services such as employment, education, healthcare will benefit





The country's economic agenda should prioritize quality and efficiency to achieve this year's growth target, and also ensure improving public services such as education and healthcare, Premier Li Keqiang told lawmakers on Monday.

The Government Work Report set a target of around 6.5 percent, which is a medium high-speed growth in line with economic laws for the country's $11 trillion economy, Li told deputies of the National People's Congress from the Shandong delegation during a panel discussion on Monday morning.

The economic growth will shore up employment, and the focus of this year's work should be on improving quality and efficiency by further reform and opening-up to strengthen intrinsic vitality, Li added.

Shandong reported GDP of 6.7 trillion yuan ($972 billion) last year, or nearly 10 percent of China's GDP.

The premier said that ensuring medium high-speed economic growth must take supply-side structural reform as its central work while industrial transformation and economic upgrading are promoted.

The premier also called for continued administrative streamlining, lower institutional costs for enterprises and creating an inclusive and fair environment. Meanwhile, entrepreneurship and innovation should be encouraged to boost the transformation of traditional industries and cultivate new growth momentum, he said.

Li said economic achievements will be embodied in boosting employment, education, healthcare, social security, housing and environmental protection.

On Monday, another four members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee joined discussions of NPC deputies and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said during discussions with deputies from Macao and Hong Kong that the country has made enormous progressincluding new achievements while implementing the One Country, Two Systems policy since the 18th Party Congress in 2012.

At a meeting of sectors of the China Democratic League and public figures without party affiliation, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, said that General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping's speech on Sunday should be heeded regarding care and respect for intellectuals.

Wang Qishan, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called for protecting the sources of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, while meeting with deputies from Qinghai province.

While talking to deputies from Tianjin, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli called for steady economic development and social harmony to usher in the 19th Party Congress.
One of the great advantages the United States has held over our economic competitors in the industrialized world is our multi-modal transportation infrastructure network. It has allowed us to ship goods tremendous distances, both within this country and around the world, more cheaply and efficiently than other nations.

Over time, our infrastructure has fallen into an alarming state of disrepair, putting at risk our competitive advantage and threatening our ability to reaffirm our status as an economic leader in the world. As a former mayor who has dealt with transportation needs at the ground level, as someone with a background in the road construction business, and as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I support President Donald J. Trumps business-like approach to addressing these pressing needs.

As a former mayor of my hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I have first-hand knowledge of transportation issues, specifically the road and bridge construction needs of local communities. I saw the way traffic left the interstate highways and affects local roads and structures, and learned of the never-ending need for infrastructure funding. In the road construction business, I learned that private industry requires long-term planning and dedicated funding sources.

It is simply a fact that no employer will make plans to hire more workers or purchase million dollar pieces of equipment without long-term security in government contracts. And no state or local government can make long-term plans without certainty in federal transportation spending. As a House negotiator on the last five-year Highway Bill, I stressed that a longer view is needed, as is a reliable source of financing for these projects. President Trump will ease these concerns.

From my seat as a subcommittee chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have been a champion of Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) because of their mutual benefit to taxpayers and private enterprise. The Trump approach to refurbishing our transportation system is an extension of that P3 practice, writ large. It has long been my view that government itself rarely directly creates jobs, rather, it can help create the conditions in which the private sector can thrive and grow the economy as it should. The Trump plan does exactly this by offering private companies incentives to invest in infrastructure programs, while also bringing large chunks of their assets back to American shores.

The presidents plan to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into highways, bridges, railways, and airports by using private sector involvement is an innovative approach I wholeheartedly support. By offering tax credits, the government will induce private firms to invest in construction projects as a means to improve their bottom lines.

At the same time, increased revenue to those private companies would boost job creation and employee income, increasing economic activity and tax revenue simultaneously. Economic analysts estimate the idea would create about 3.3 million jobs in construction and related industries, greatly benefiting the overall American economy. Put into proper practice, a robust infrastructure plan is not only a transportation program, it is a jobs program as well.

During the presidential campaign, much was made of domestic companies which have sheltered trillions of dollars of their capital overseas, and the Trump infrastructure plan also tackles that problem. With a discounted repatriation rate, these firms could return their cash to the United States and use the infrastructure tax credits to offset their costs. This will have the effect of bringing money back into the domestic economy which previously had been unavailable, and would perfectly marry tax policy with domestic infrastructure programs.

One final barrier to increased investment in infrastructure improvements is the blizzard of red tape that any willing private firm has encountered upon contact with the federal government. As a businessman, Donald J. Trump has seen this obstacle and knows that it must be cleared away if there is to be any meaningful involvement of American entrepreneurs in our infrastructure revival.

He knows that every dollar spent on supporting or adding to the bureaucratic maze of Washington D.C. is a dollar that will not be spent on a road or bridge somewhere in America. This is the mindset we have been waiting for.

I have grown weary of the short-term patch approach to transportation funding. Long-term planning is needed, as is a dedicated funding source to consistently supply our transportation infrastructure needs. The time has come to dispense with the old way of doing the peoples business and to employ a new, business-like approach to governing.

As someone with great interest in transportation policy and the economic benefits that can result, I am on board with the Trump plan to rejuvenate our infrastructure, create jobs, and make America globally competitive again.
Yang Kaisheng, ex-ICBC chief and a national political advisor. [Photo/China Daily]

China should confirm the leverage ratios of State-owned enterprises by category and inject capital into those related to national welfare and security, said the former president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

"In order to implement the policy of 'cutting overcapacity, destocking, deleveraging, reducing corporate costs and shoring up weak spots' for SOE reform, we need to find the reasons for the high leverage ratios of some State-owned enterprises and take effective measures," Yang Kaisheng, who is also a national political advisor, said over the weekend.

Five major tasks of cutting overcapacity, destocking, deleveraging, reducing corporate costs and shoring up weak spots were listed at the Central Economic Work Conference in December 2015, for China's socioeconomic development in 2016.

China will continue to accomplish the five tasks in 2017 through reform methods, Premier Li Keqiang said as he delivered the Government Work Report on Sunday.

Yang told China Daily that loans from banks had become a main financing source of State-owned enterprises' operations and expansion, and there is a shortage of investment from SOE's major shareholders.

"Besides investment returns and capital safety, State-owned enterprise shareholders and supervisors have the responsibility to guarantee the stability of SOE's leverage ratio," said Yang.

"SOE shareholders and management departments should confirm the leverage ratio of State-owned enterprises by category and pay close attention to the change of the ratios."

Yang said if the leverage ratio of a State-owned enterprise is close to the threshold, they need to inject capital into the company.

"As State-owned capital is limited, the funds should be used in companies related to national welfare and people's livelihoods and national security," he said.
Total investments of 234 billion yuan ($34 billion)to be injected into Jiangxi province by State-owned enterpriseswill help significantly transform the local economy, senior government officials from the province said.

The huge amount of investment is the result of an initiative between Jiangxi provincial government and the State Council signed in 2013to introduce more SOEs into Jiangxi.

The province is already on the move, being one of China's top 10 provincial regions with the fastest economic growth. Last year it posted GDP of 1.84 trillion yuan, with a growth rate of 9 percent year-on-year, compared with the mainland's overall economic growth of 6.7 percent.

At a recent investment fair held between the local government and the companies, 61 SOEs signed 113 major projects with the province for the total investment package.

The projects will mainly focus on emerging industries of strategic importance, spanning from the internet of things, information technology, advanced urban rail facilities to tourism.

"Jiangxi has unique advantages in location, industry, policy and environment," said Lu Xinshe, the Party chief of Jiangxi province.

He said these advantages had laid the foundations for increased investment by the SOEs.

Jiangxi will benefit from their advanced technology and modern management, while the companies could expand their markets and have access to more natural resources in Jiangxi, he added.

Jiangxi Governor Liu Qi said that the minerals-rich province would further welcome more projects by SOEs investing in such areas as rare metals, mineral resources and the media industry.

"We hope to enhance industrial upgrading and the reconstruction of State-owned enterprises," Liu said.

Liu said SOEs would be encouraged to build more high-tech research and development centers.

The projects confirmed in the fair included big investments to build power plants.

Chen Jinxing, CEO of China Datang Groupone of the nation's big five State-owned power producerssaid his group had big plans for the region.

He said it would invest 30 billion yuan during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) to build two 1 million kilowatts capacity power plants.

The group also vowed to develop local renewable energy, such as wind power.

Elsewhere, China Shenhua Groupthe top State-owned mining and energy companysaid it was also investing 5 billion yuan in two power plants with installed capacity of 660,000 kilowatts each.
BEIJINGOne of China Minsheng Banking Corp's biggest shareholders intends to keep buying more of the lender's stock, which is trading below the book value of its assets.

"It's a good target and we are a longtime investor," Lu Zhiqiang, chairman of China Oceanwide Holdings Group, said in an interview on Monday on the sidelines of the National People's Congress annual meeting in Beijing. "Raising the Minsheng stake is a long-term strategy, as long as the price makes sense."

Lu is also a vice-chairman of Minsheng. Oceanwide holds 5.7 percent of the lender's yuan-denominated A shares, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Through Oceanwide, Lu boosted his stake in the lender last year, part of a series of moves that had prompted speculation about the shareholding structure of Minsheng ahead of a recent board revamp.

Billionaire Shi Yuzhu, chairman of Giant Interactive Group, raised his investment late last year, while in June two other shareholders, Orient Group Inc and Huaxia Life Insurance Co, struck a deal to act in concert. Anbang Insurance Group Co, which became Minsheng Bank's biggest shareholder in 2014, has indicated that its stake is only a financial investment.

Minsheng Bank unveiled a raft of appointments last month, including reappointing Hong Qi as chairman and naming four vice-chairman, including Oceanwide's Lu. Zheng Wanchun was appointed president.

BLOOMBERG
BEIJING - China plans to boost its tourism sector by upgrading infrastructure and giving the public easier access to travel information, a government document said on Monday.

The National Tourism Administration unveiled the plan in a development guideline for the tourism industry during the 2016-2020 period. It echoes the country's national strategy to spur the service sector.

According to the document, by 2020, roads to the country's major tourist attractions will be renovated to meet growing travel demand. Large tourist destinations will have easier internal transportation.

In the next four years, the country will add 20 inter-region bike lanes with a total length of 5,000 kilometers to boost zero-emission travel. More tour buses and RV campsites will also open.

Toilets at tourist sites have long had a nasty reputation. Visitors have complained of a toilet shortage, unhygienic conditions, and lack of sanitation workers.

To address the problem, the country aims to install and upgrade 100,000 restrooms. Toilets at major tourist sites should apply stringent hygiene standards with environmentally friendly cleaning approaches at most facilities.

The document also outlines plans to build a more integrated information sharing system and provide visitors higher-quality services.

China's tourism revenue totaled about 4.69 trillion yuan ($689.7 billion) in 2016, up 13.6 percent year on year. Domestic tourists made 4.44 billion trips last year, an increase of 11 percent, official data showed.

Tourism plays a key part in the world's second-largest economy as the country moves to build an economy driven by the service sector and consumer spending rather than trade and investment.

By 2020, the country will spend about 2 trillion yuan on the tourism sector, which will contribute more than 12 percent of GDP, according to the plan.
China will implement tax preferential policies to shore up development of small and micro-sized enterprises, according to Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Tuesday.

Enterprises with annual taxable income lower than 500,000 yuan are eligible to have their taxes cut in half, said Xiao.

Prior to this year, only enterprises with annual taxable income lower than 300,000 yuan were eligible for the tax cut policy.

"New tax break policies to be introduced this year are expected to further reduce 350 billion yuan of tax compared to last year," said Xiao.

Xiao added that China will continue to improve the value-added-tax system to better help reduce tax burden of small and micro-sized enterprises.

The value-added-tax reform, which began in 2012 and has seen business tax replaced with VAT, has resulted in companies making total tax savings of 570 billion yuan last year, data from the State Administration of Taxation showed.

With an expected smaller amount of tax collected from enterprises, the government at all levels should cut expenditures, Xiao added.
Beijing is listed as the billionaire capital of the world for the second year running, ahead of New York, and followed by Hong Kong and Shenzhen, according to the latest findings in the Hurun Global Rich List 2017 released on Tuesday.

Bill Gates remains the richest man in the world with a net wealth of $81 billion, and Warren Buffett held onto the second place with $78 billion. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com Inc, reached the top three for the first time, after his wealth surged 37 percent to $72 billion.

The total number of Chinese billionaires exceeded that of the United States for the second year running. China and the US, with 609 and 552 billionaires respectively, accounted for half of the billionaires worldwide, the report said.

Globally, the logistics and retail sectors performed the best, gaining 15 percent and 13 percent respectively, in terms of the number of billionaires.

Meanwhile, Germany had the third-largest number of billionaires this year, surpassing India. The United Arab Emirates and Indonesia broke into the top 20 for the first time.

"Shenzhen and Hong Kong now have one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the world, ahead of even California, the state with the most billionaires in the US," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report.

"Global wealth is being concentrated in the hands of the billionaires at a rate far exceeding global growth," Hoogewerf added.

China added 41 billionaires over last year and their average age was 58, younger than the global average of 64.

The IPO of Chinese leading delivery and logistics firm SF Express Group Co in February made Wang Wei, the CEO of the company, the third-richest man in China.

His wealth surged fivefold to $27 billion, just behind Dalian Wanda's Wang Jianlin with $30 billion and Alibaba's Jack Ma with $29 billion.

In China, the real estate sector generated the biggest number of billionaires, followed by the manufacturing, technology, media, and telecom industries.

At the same time, 15 percent of the billionaires were women. Among the 152 women who made the fortunes by themselves, Chinese led the way with 121.

"China is indisputably now the best place in the world to be a female entrepreneur," Hoogewerf said.
Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi Corp, talks about his company's retail plan at a conference in Beijing on March 6, 2017. [Photo/China Daily]

Smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp will continue its offline expansion, and is confident about replicating the success of its web sales at its self-owned bricks-and-mortar retail stores.

The tech company opened 51 stores across the country in the past year and plans to increase the number to 250 by the end of this year, and to 1,000 in three years.

Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder and CEO, revealed the business plan on Monday at a news conference in Beijing, claiming that Xiaomi has found a "feasible and highly efficient" format for "New Retail".

New Retail is not simply combining online and offline channels. Its key is to increase the efficiency of circulation like e-commerce does, to draw consumers back to offline stores," Lei said.

Despite the high rents and rising labor cost, the prices of commodities sold in bricks-and-mortar stores can still be cut to the bone by measures such as optimizing the manufacturing process and analyzing customers' needs with big data, he said.

New Retail has become a buzzword after it was raised by Jack Ma, founder and chairman of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, during a conference in Hangzhou in October.

Ma claimed that the era of e-commerce would end in 10 or 20 years to give way to New Retail that combines online and offline sales and logistics services.

Alibaba spent more than 2 billion yuan ($290 million) buying about one-third of Sanjiang shopping, a supermarket chain based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

"While Alibaba chooses to purchase or invest in retail stores, we choose opening self-owned stores. But I don't see a big difference in our understanding about New Retail," Lei said.

As a deputy from Guangdong province to the National People's Congress, Lei proposed to the ongoing fifth session of the 12th NPC that the government simplify the approval procedures on the opening of retail stores and offer tax reductions to store owners.
Dong Mingzhu, president of Gree, introduces the company's latest intelligent device at a news conference in Beijing on March 4. [Photo/China Daily]

Gree chief Dong Mingzhu says trend is in favor of unmanned and automated operations

Gree Electric Appliances Inc, a leading Chinese home appliance maker is stepping up its efforts in intelligent manufacturing by using industrial robotscovered by the company's own intellectual property rightsfor a variety of industrial production process.

Dong Mingzhu, president of Gree said: "The supply-side reforms mean we should create and improve technological innovative capabilities. We must stick to independent innovation."

She said: "At present, most of the robots are assembled with imported core components. But it is important that we develop our own technology and create our own brands."

Gree is focusing on intelligent manufacturing at present, with its industrial robots being applied to welding, spraying and transportation, which should greatly enhance productivity and reduce labor costs.

Dong added the trend in realizing automated and unmanned manufacturing was increasing.

She said: "We will concentrate on robots and precision machine tools in upgrading and transformation our manufacturing, as well as providing a batch of completely self-developed high-end equipment for the Made in China 2025 strategy."

Xu Lin, head of the National Development and Reform Commission's planning division, said some core technologies of the manufacturing industry could not meet the demands in an increasingly fierce market.

Xu said the manufacturing industry should improve innovation constantly, enhancing the intelligent manufacturing level.

Song Xiaogang, executive president and secretary-general of China Robot Industry Alliance, said: "From 2009 to 2015, the whole robotics industry entered a period of rapid development, with an average annual growth rate of 15 percent. In 2015, the world's industrial robot sales reached 254,000 units."

China has significantly expanded its leading position as the biggest market with a share of 27 percent of the total supply of industry robots in 2015, according to the statistics from the International Federation of Robotics.

In 2015, Gree produced 23,000 industrial robot units, accounting for 7 percent of the total sales in China. The transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing sector contributed to the development of the Chinese robot market, Song said, adding that Gree has done good work focusing on the Chinese market.

Song said: "We should grasp the opportunity brought about by the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing sector and intelligent manufacturing to develop robot products and systems, which can be applied to various fields."

Xu He contributed to this story.
BEIJING - Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi is in no rush to expand internationally and will expand into the overseas markets gradually, the company's CEO said Monday.

"It takes time and resources to learn about and enter a new market due to different cultural, legal and business environments, and hasty expansion will cause into many problems," Xiaomi's board chairman and CEO Lei Jun said at the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of China's national legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC).

The tech firm started overseas expansion three years ago and is now selling products in over 20 countries and regions worldwide.

It took Xiaomi two years to become one of the top five smartphone brands in India, its largest overseas market, which brought in sales of about $1 billion in 2016.

"India sets a good example whose experience can be shared in expanding into other countries, and Xiaomi will start from neighboring markets and then go for western ones," Lei said.

Lei, who is also a deputy to the NPC, believes that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative offers good opportunities for Chinese tech firms to expand overseas by helping other countries develop IT infrastructure.

To make Chinese tech firms' overseas expansion easier, Lei suggested that Chinese authorities could establish specific offices in foreign countries to offer legal, cultural and commercial consulting services and help bridge cooperation with foreign markets.

"In five to ten years, China's smartphone brands will earn global popularity with products featuring impressive design, quality, service and reasonable price," Lei added.
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By Mo Jingxi in Beijing and Zhao Huanxin in Washington | China Daily | Updated: 2017-03-07 07:59

China welcomes the prospect of a visit by the United States secretary of state, and both countries are in communication over related matters, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"China welcomes US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to pay a visit to China at a time convenient for both sides," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing in Beijing, without giving further details.

Tillerson is likely to embark on his debut trip to Asia later this month, visiting Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, possibly meeting Foreign Minister Wang Yi and even more senior Chinese leaders, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

He is expected in Japan on March 17-18 and will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo News Agency reported. The report was not confirmed by the US State Department, while a spokesman was cited by Reuters as saying: "We don't have any travel plans to announce at this time."

Tillerson has already interacted with Chinese officials since becoming Trump's top diplomat about a month ago.

He held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb 17 on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bonn, Germany. Wang said at the meeting that common interests between China and the US far outweigh their differences.

Tillerson also met with State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Feb 28 at the US State Department.

Yang is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Washington since Trump's inauguration.

The two sides affirmed the importance of a healthy and stable relationship, and agreed to enhance high-level exchanges.

According to acting US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, Yang extended China's invitation for Tillerson to visit Beijing, and Tillerson expressed an interest in doing so in the near future.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the China-US relationship requires effective guidance from the leaders of both countries.

"Tillerson's visit, if realized, will pave the way for a meeting between the two countries' top leaders, where they could express their core concerns face-to-face," Li said.

(China Daily 03/07/2017 page7)
Amid deputies attending the annual meetings of the top legislature and the top political advisory body, Chinese scientists have broken two world records at the ocean's lowest depth - the Mariana Trench, a scythe-shaped clef in the western Pacific Ocean seafloor that plunges nearly 11 kilometers deep.

China became the first country to collect the artificial seismic stratigraphy of the Challenger Deep, the deepest section of the trench measured at more than 10 kilometers, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geology and Geophysics said on Friday. The stratigraphy is used to study the Earth's movement, layers and geologic history.

China also set a new world diving record for underwater gliders at 6,329 meters with Hai Yi, a glider designed by the academy's Institute of Automation in Shenyang, Liaoning province, the academy said on Sunday. The previous recorder holder was a US glider at 6,000 meters.

"These experiments prove that China's deep-sea exploration technologies have reached an advanced level," the academy said in a statement.

"Data collected from these experiments are invaluable to the study of continental movement and its transformation," said Qiu Xuelin, a researcher at the academy's South China Sea Institute of Oceanology.

Both experiments were carried out by Chinese scientists onboard the academy's Explorer-I TS03 scientific surveying ship. They departed Sanya, Hainan province, en route to the Mariana Trench on Jan 15.

Upon arrival, they deployed 60 ocean-bottom seismometers to collect data for the stratigraphy on Jan 25. Some seismometers had sunk to 10,027 meters, the academy said, which is enough to submerge Qomolangma (8,850 meters), known as Mount Everest in the West.

These instruments can capture sound waves generated by earthquakes or human activities. These waves, combined with the motions of the Earth, can provide details about the geometry of the Earth's structure, said Wang Yuan, an engineer at the academy's Institute of Geology and Geophysics.

The glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle designed to survey marine conditions, such as temperature, salinity and currents, across large bodies of water.

Apart from breaking the world record, Hai Yi also completed 12 observation missions across 130 kilometers of water. The data it collected from the abyssal sea is "valuable for oceanologists studying the region", the academy said.

It took Chinese scientists 13 years to design and build the Hai Yi and its variants, it said, adding that there are more than two-dozen types, covering use in shallow sea, deep sea and abyssal sea.
A private school in Guangzhou has apologized after saying it would only accept students whose parents are university graduates.

Canadian Foreign Language School, a bilingual institute in the Guangdong provincial capital, posted the message on WeChat and on an electronic display board at its entrance on Friday.

The message led to outrage among netizens, with some accusing the school of class discrimination.

"We sincerely apologize," the school said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our intention was to introduce quality education with a win-win for the school and for families. Considering various actual conditions, we withdrew the notice on the day."

The school, part of the Canadian International Educational Organization, which was set up in 2000, provids primary school and junior high school education in Guangzhou.

The education authority in Panyu district said private schools do have the autonomy to decide which students they accept, but it added that Canadian Foreign Language School's message was against the principle of equality.

The school's management team has been ordered to stop sending out the wrong message and to regulate its recruitment practices, the authority said.
China is "watching closely" the military conflict in northern Myanmar and has called for an immediate ceasefire.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that the situation in northern Myanmar effects the peace on the border area of China and Myanmar, and parties involved in the conflict should restore normal order as soon as possible.

"China supports all measures that are conducive to peace. All relevant parties should stick to peacefully solving differences through dialogue and consultation," he said, adding that he has not received any reports of Chinese citizens being among the casualties of the conflict.

Armed clashes broke out before dawn on Monday in Laukkai, the capital of Kokang region in Myanmar's northern Shan state. Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army launched an offensive on Laukkai, resulting in dozens of casualties including civilians, Xinhua reported.

Geng said China has provided proper accommodation and help to Myanmar citizens living in the border area who have fled due to the conflict.
Shenzhen Customs have smashed a diesel oil smuggling operation, seizing more than 10,000 liters of illegal diesel.

Ten suspects, including some from Hong Kong, were detained in the operation, according to customs.

Officials said they received a tip off that there was an illegal diesel oil trade business being run out of a dilapidated parking lot in Shenzhen's Bao'an district and another two places nearby.

After careful investigation and preparation, customs carried out raids at 10 am Tuesday at the three sites.

According to an anti-smuggling official from customs, who declined to be named because of his work, one of the suspects who was responsible for transmitting information at the gate of the parking lot ran out, trying to escape, but was eventually caught.

"The illegal activity not only causes unfairness to oil enterprises, but also disrupts market order of the industry. More importantly, it could cause safety and environmental protection problems to the city and its citizens,"the official said.

The suspects include Hong Kong truck drivers, illegal diesel oil dealers and sellers, and others involved in the smuggling chain.

The drivers filled up the trucks with diesel oil in Hong Kong, drove them across the border to the sites where they unloaded the diesel oil and sold them to dealers at a high price.

The dealers would then resell the smuggled oil to construction sites, gas stations and vehicle owners with at an even higher price.

One of the Hong Kong truck drivers who was detained in the operation said he brought diesel oil in Hong Kong at 3 yuan ($0.43) a liter and sold it on the mainland for 3.6 yuan a liter.

By doing this, he could make over 1000 yuan a day, he said.
Health proposals vital to delegate

Jiang Jian brought two suitcases to Beijing to participate in the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress. The small one is for her clothing and other articles of daily use. The other one is full of printed materials and office supplies. Laying out articles from the second suitcase, she soon transformed her hotel room into an office.

Printer, paper, stapler, clips, adhesive tape ... you could see almost every article needed for office work in her room. "If the service center prints materials for me, I think it may not be able to serve other deputies," she laughed.

On the windowsill are more than 10 big brown envelopes with previous suggestions she has submitted to the NPC in the past 30 years - a total of 1,440 motions, including 78 related to food safety.

"I need all the materials for reference and to make sure I will not make repeated suggestions or submit repeated motions," said Jiang, who is the director of Qufu Hospital of the Chinese Red Cross Society in Shandong province.

This year, she plans to bring 52 suggestions and 16 motions to the fifth session of the 12th NPC. For that, she has done a lot of preparations.

"I make a lot of visits to schools, restaurants and villages to hear people's opinions, and I also make 100 to 200 phone calls every year. Sometimes, I hold meetings with them," she said.

She has visited all related government departments, including the health and family planning commission, food and drug administration and the bureaus of commerce and agriculture in Qufu.

"I get a lot of ideas from the people I visit. But many of them are bite-sized pieces of advice that are not well organized. Before I came to Beijing, I was very busy putting them in order. For three nights before I came, I didn't get to bed until after 3 am," she said.

She was even busier when she was on the way to Beijing on Thursday as she had to talk with other deputies to endorse the motions she planned to submit to the NPC. "Deputies were easy to find then as many came on the same train," she said.

NPC deputies must collect at least 30 signatures for each motion before submission.

She received replies for most of the suggestions that she brought to the NPC and many of them have been adopted. According to Guangming Daily, the motions Jiang submitted to the NPC about food safety were included into legislative plans.

"I felt very delighted after my motions were adopted as that means the interest of the public can be guaranteed," said Jiang.
Giving a voice to the grassroots

As other reporters thronged the red carpet stretched from the north gate of the Great Hall of the People on Sunday, I followed Rehangul Emir to the east gate, the main entrance, on her way to attend her fifth annual session of the National People's Congress.

I still remember meeting her for the very first time. She was only 24 when she became a national legislator and as a textile factory worker from the south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, she was shy and obviously nervous while making her first speech. "I was afraid of making mistakes in front of Xinjiang's top officials. Now I am fully aware that as an NPC deputy, I'm equal to the top officials, " she said, smiling.

Cui Jia/China Daily

Aside from a few cursory glances at her striking traditional Uygur clothes, Rehangul drew little attention from the mass of reporters, who seemed more interested in speaking to a minister. Yet it is often deputies such as her, elected by the people and from the grassroots, who know more about ordinary people's wants and needs.

"My suggestions and proposals may not immediately affect China at the macro level but they are equally important. They are not things that have just popped into my head, but the results of much research," said Rehangul.

Her proposals to previous NPC sessions have largely focused on employment and poverty alleviationareas that form part of her remit in her current role as a township official.

She was born into poverty herself and understands full well how difficult life can be, but knows that in her role as an NPC deputy, she has the power to help others. One of her proposals led to the construction of a textile factory that will eventually employ 5,000 people.

During the past four years, Rehangul has had the opportunity to sit down with Premier Li Keqiang, when he joined one of the Xinjiang delegation's discussion sessions.

She said she still felt nervous when talking face-to-face with Li, but knew it was her right and responsibility to let him know her views on how to improve people's lives.

The NPC's annual session should not just be about holding meetings, or delivering and discussing reports, it should involve a clash of ideas about how to make China better. Rehangul knows that if she doesn't speak, the voices of those who voted for her will not be heard and when she does speak, every word matters just as much as those of the ministers.

Contact the writer at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn
Govt offers tax breaks to help small companies

China will implement tax preferential policies to shore up development of small and micro-sized enterprises, according to Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Tuesday.

Enterprises with annual taxable income lower than 500,000 yuan are eligible to have their taxes cut in half, said Xiao.

Prior to this year, only enterprises with annual taxable income lower than 300,000 yuan were eligible for the tax cut policy.

"New tax break policies to be introduced this year are expected to further reduce 350 billion yuan of tax compared to last year," said Xiao.

Xiao added that China will continue to improve the value-added-tax system to better help reduce tax burden of small and micro-sized enterprises.

The value-added-tax reform, which began in 2012 and has seen business tax replaced with VAT, has resulted in companies making total tax savings of 570 billion yuan last year, data from the State Administration of Taxation showed.

With an expected smaller amount of tax collected from enterprises, the government at all levels should cut expenditures, Xiao added.
National political advisor calls for greater efforts in basic, higher education

File photo of Ma Min, a member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and secretary of the Party committee of Central China Normal University. [Photo/ people.com.cn]

Building world-class universities and targeting poverty alleviation through education became hot topics in the education sector ahead of the opening of the two sessions, China's annual political high season.

Ma Min, a member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, and secretary of the Party committee of Central China Normal University, shared his ideas on the two hot issues at this year's meeting.

To develop world-class universities and first-class disciplines, Ma said bringing talent together and cultivating it is key.

Ma said universities need to form leading teachers' groups with strong academic backgrounds.

He cited the example of Central China Normal University which is working to transform itself into a world-class university.

"Our university has set up five national top-level majors - history, education, Chinese literature, and psychology - as key disciplines with policy and financial support," Ma said.

Ma stressed the importance of coordinating programs, which calls for major programs functioning in a leading role to set an example and promote the development of other programs.

A guideline issued by the State Council in 2015 said that a number of universities and disciplines should become world-class by 2020, some universities and disciplines should be ranked among the best in the world by 2030 and China would basically become a nation with strong higher education by 2050.

Ma said another goal of building world-class universities and first-class disciplines is to cultivate outstanding students through the guidance of leading professors and teachers, which is the ultimate purpose of their efforts.

In Ma's proposal for this year's CPPCC National Committee session, he also suggested the establishment of a mechanism to regulate university personnel flow and called for a more balanced income distribution system.

Some universities attract top research personnel through heavy investment, paying them much higher salaries than their current salary. Such outflow of talents is more obvious at universities in central and western China, where the research level is not as strong as those in eastern China.

Ma believes that an income ceiling should be set up to ensure a more balanced and sustainable management of talents at universities.

Ma's proposals are not only centered on higher education, but also keep a close eye at the issues surrounding targeted poverty alleviation through education and training.

He plans to call for a broader implementation of poverty alleviation by using information technology to assist basic education in rural area.

Despite the overall level of basic education in rural China improving greatly in recent years, some poverty-stricken remote locations are still badly in need of well-trained teachers and education resources.

Ma said that information technology could make up for the shortage so that students and teachers in rural areas can have equal access to high-quality education resources.

He added that education through information technology methods should be promoted not only in schools but also to farmers, which will help them fight poverty through education.

Central China Normal University has taken an active role in carrying out pilot projects in cities in Central China's Hubei province and yield good results.

Talking about the problems of targeted poverty alleviation through education, Ma pointed out that the pilot experiments in rural areas in different parts of the country are not guided by a coordinated mechanism to enhance connectivity and the summary of experience is insufficient.

Poverty relief is high on China's 2016-2020 agenda, and the government has vowed to lift everybody out of poverty by 2020.

"Making sure children of impoverished families enjoy access to high-quality education is a fundamental solution to poverty," President Xi Jinping said during an inspection tour of the city of Zhangjiakou in Northern China's Hebei province.

In this year's proposal, Ma called for a national policy to provide stronger financial support and roll out official guidance for such projects and achieve a more balanced development between cities and rural area.
GM food research to continue amid prudent approach, official says

China will continue to encourage GM food research and take prudent steps in marketing procedures, a leading agriculture official said on Tuesday.

Vice-Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin told a news conference that the country will continue to support GM food research by enabling the development of domestic technology and indigenous innovation.

It will continue to follow the previously designed roadmap of GM technology development, which allows the commercial marketing of non-edible crop varieties first, before allowing the marketing of varieties that are indirectly edible.

The marketing of directly edible varieties will come last, he said.

China has still to approve the marketing of GM grains. To date, agricultural authorities have only approved the marketing of domestic GM papaya and cotton.

Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said at the news conference that the ministry will continue to crack down on the illegal cultivation of GM crops that have not been approved for commercial cultivation.

In 2015, authorities destroyed more than 66 hectares of corn-seed farms in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Gansu province. In Hainan province, authorities destroyed more than 6 hectares of GM corn.
From overseas media: Ministry of Finance's press conference

Among the three press conferences held on Tuesday, the Ministry of Finance caught the most attention of overseas media as local government debt is one of the most closely watched financial problems in China.

Finance Minister Xiao Jie attends a press conference in Beijing on March 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Local government debt

China will strictly control local government debt quotas and step up checks on illegal debt guarantees, finance minister Xiao Jie said on Tuesday.

Government debt risks are generally under control, Xiao said at a news conference during the annual meeting of parliament.

China will continue a debt-swap program for local governments to help contain debt risks, Xiao said.

--Reuters

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose as China's finance minister expressed confidence over the government's ability to handle rising levels of debt.

--AP

Budget deficit

China's budget deficit will grow in 2017 to fund tax reduction, expenditures and spending in key areas, and the addition amount will be in proportion with the projected rise in gross domestic product, he [Finance Minister Xiao Jie]said.

Xiao said China is able to control local debt levels, adding the central government debt ratio, which was 36.7 percent last year, won't change much this year.

--Bloomberg

Green energy cars

China has recovered 2.3 billion yuan (S$470.2 million) from companies that cheated a subsidy program to promote green energy cars, the country's Finance Minister Xiao Jie told a briefing on Tuesday.

China's central government has spent billions in subsidies to aggressively promote battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, aiming to cut urban air pollution and encourage domestic car makers to leapfrog global competitors in automotive technology.

--The Business Times
Xi to Liaoning: Rely on reforms

President Xi Jinping meets NPC deputies from Liaoning province at a panel discussion in Beijing on Tuesday during the ongoing two sessions. Xi said Liaoning should be determined to regain industrial success.[Photo by Xie Huanchi/Xinhua]

President says SOEs should be innovative

President Xi Jinping urged Northeast China on Tuesday to depend on the real economy and push forward supply-side structural reform to revitalize the region's economic growth, which has slowed in recent years with overcapacity cuts in heavy industries.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a panel discussion with lawmakers from Liaoning province during the ongoing annual session of the country's top legislature.

The real economy will always be fundamental for the country's development and competitiveness, Xi said, adding that Liaoning's provincial authorities should be determined to regain industrial success amid the country's efforts to revitalize Northeast China's industrial base. "Real economy" refers to producing goods and services.

The northeastern region, consisting of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, largely relies on heavy and chemical industries, energy resources, raw materials and a large proportion of State-owned enterprises. The region, an old industrial base, has experienced more difficulties than the rest of the country in economic development in the past two years.

Xi pointed out that the key to revitalization of Liaoning's economy is to push forward supply-side structural reform.

He called for more efforts to upgrade the industrial structure to establish competitive industries.

The president mapped out the new vision of the province's development, with joint development of strategic emerging industries and traditional industries, the promotion of both modern and traditional service industries, deep integration of informatization and industrialization, and integration of military and civil industries.

Informatization refers to an information-based economy.

In October last year, the central government approved the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for revitalizing Northeast China, which aims to boost the local economy and private investment in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.

State-owned enterprises, which play a leading role in the revitalization of Liaoning, should become stronger, Xi said. He encouraged the SOEs to take the lead in innovation.

Xi also urged optimization of State-owned assets, full implementation of the duties of preserving and increasing the value of State-owned assets, and prevention of losses of State-owned assets.

During the discussion, Xi highlighted the importance of clean governance. Only with "good political ecology" will the government gain progress and stability, he said.

The nomination of officials must stick to the correct direction to select loyal and honest officials, he added.

The deputies to the National People's Congress should represent the people, speak for the people, and unite the people since they were elected from the people, he said.

During the discussion, the lawmakers gave their suggestions on issues including SOE reforms, development of private businesses and the preservation of traditional culture.
Premier calls Tibet's stability, development a 'special' priority

Premier Li Keqiang meets with a deputy of the 12th National People's Congress on Tuesday in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing while joining the Tibetan delegation for deliberations on the Government Work Report, which Li delivered on Sunday. The deliberation was part of the fifth plenary session of the 12th NPC, China's top legislature.[Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

Premier Li Keqiang called for maintaining the stability and development of the Tibet autonomous region when he joined a panel discussion with National People's Congress deputies from the plateau region on Tuesday.

Tibet has a special place in the country's overall development, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, "with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core", has further made the region a priority since the 18th Party Congress in 2012, the premier told deputies during the ongoing NPC annual session.

This year will see further endeavors in promoting Tibet's stability and development, which complement each other through focusing on key ways to improve local people's livelihood, Li said. He vowed to improve public services in areas such as education, healthcare and heating.

He also said this year will see more efforts to develop Tibet's special and competitive industries such as tourism, clean energy and ethnic medicines, under the premise that the ecology must be stringently protected at the world's roof.

At an average altitude of about 4,000 meters, Tibet is sparsely populatedabout 3.75 million people in multiple ethnic groups living on 1.2 million square kilometers of land, which accounts for one-eighth of China's landmass.

Last year, Tibet's annual GDP growth hit 11.5 percent, ranking first among China's provincial-level regions.

In addition, the country will strengthen support and funding for Tibet's transportation and power-grid infrastructures, he said.

The premier also vowed to intensify efforts in poverty alleviation, especially for those living near the nation's borders, by creating better living conditions and industries.

He said unity should be strengthened to help all ethnic groups get along with each other, promote religious harmony as well as safeguard social stability and long-term peace.

On Tuesday, three other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central CommitteeYu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Wang Qishanalso joined discussions of NPC deputies.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with deputies of the Taiwan delegation. He called for adhering to the policies of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems, as well as the 1992 Consensus that is characterized by the one-China policy in dealing with cross-Straits ties.

Yu said that any form of separatist actions to achieve Taiwan's independence will be opposed and contained to safeguard peace and stability across the Straits.
More Chinese set to study overseas

Yu Minhong answers questions in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. HE HAI'ER/CHINA DAILY

Education expert forecasts rise in number of students learning abroad



Despite already being the leading source of international students for foreign universities and colleges, China is set to see even more of its young people go abroad to study in the next five years, according to an education policy adviser.

Yu Minhong, founder and CEO of the New Oriental Education and Technology Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's National Committee, estimates that the number of Chinese studying abroad each year will peak at between 700,000 to 800,000.

"Considering China's economic development and rising household incomes, the annual number (of Chinese studying abroad) will come to a head within five years. Then it will fluctuate in line with the annual birthrate and the economy," he said.

According to Education Ministry statistics, 544,500 Chinese studied abroad last year, more than triple the 179,800 that sought out education overseas in 2008.

Yu estimates that, at its peak, about 80,000 to 100,000 Chinese will be in primary and secondary education abroad; 400,000 to 500,000 will be attending colleges and universities; 100,000 to 200,000 will be pursuing postgraduate education; and 50,000 to 100,000 will be undergoing skills training or be at vocational schools.

Economic considerations and the capacity of international universities to absorb extra students will limit the increase, according to Yu.

"Foreign universities cannot simply expand their enrollment plans to take on more students," he said.

In addition, as more foreign universities jointly establish campuses on the Chinese mainland, such as the Shanghai New York University, a growing proportion of Chinese students' international education needs will be fulfilled, he said.

Yu forecasts another big increase in the number of Chinese studying overseas when the effects of the country's newly-adopted second-child policy begin to take hold.

"Families that are able to afford a second child are usually the ones in a better financial condition," he said.

Since the 2008 financial crisis and global recession, China's rising economy has enabled thousands of families to send their children to study abroad.

Last year, more than 90 percent of students studying abroad were self-sponsored and had no financial support. The percentage has remained at about that level since 2012, according to Xu Tao, head of the Education Ministry's international division.

"Universities in the US were greatly affected by the recession and became short of funding. Among all international students, Chinese have been the most eager to pay to go to school abroad. It became a cooperative relationship," Yu said.

He added that more than 80 percent of those who pursue education overseas return to China after completing their studies and contribute to the nation's economy.

"From a long-term perspective, it is a positive thing," he said. "China's policies will continue to support overseas study and the Chinese people are aware that having more students abroad can have a positive effect on the country's long-term development."

According to Yu, studying overseas fosters a global outlook and broadens students' minds. He said foreign universities will continue to welcome Chinese students, as not only they are a financial boon, but the majority are also hardworking and highly motivated.

In addition, Yu said the Belt and Road Initiative will boost opportunities for students to pursue education in countries and regions along the routes of the initiative.
Chongsheng Oxygen Lance, a company specializing in metallurgical oxygen lances and nozzles in the Weifang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, has won recognition from global steel manufacturers for its quality products.

"We received orders from more than 10 countries and regions including Australia, Brazil and Belgium in 2016," said Xu Zhengwu, deputy general manager of Chongsheng. "We expect our industrial output to stand between 80 million yuan ($11.64 million) and 100 million yuan in 2017."

Oxygen lances are used to heat and melt steel when oxygen is present in the production process. Their quality plays a crucial role in supporting steel output increases, quality enhancements and worker safety, according to Li Qia, deputy head of the research and development center.

Chongsheng's domestic market occupancy rate reached 70 percent by the end of 2016. It has established partnerships with more than 130 Chinese steel manufacturing businesses, including Baosteel Group in Shanghai and Shougang Group in Beijing, and it currently exports to countries such as Belgium, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, Romania and Kazakhstan.

Since its establishment in 1988, Chongsheng has strongly supported domestic steelmakers' development with high quality but relatively inexpensive products.

A document provided by Chongsheng shows that a Baosteel plant replaced Japanese oxygen lances with the company's products in 1999.

"The imported product cost about 24,750 yuan each, while Chongsheng's product was only 8,000 yuan," according to the document.

Its strong R&D capacity, continuous product upgrades and excellent professionals are key elements supporting Chongsheng's development, according to the company.

It has established a development center and two test labs. The company claims to be the only oxygen lance producer in China that has such strong R&D capacity.

The company's R&D team successfully increased the lifecycle of a nozzle from 200 uses to more than 1,000. The service life of its nozzle reached 1,170 uses when used by Jinan Steel, a subsidiary of SD Group, which helped the steel producer save more than 20 million yuan, said Zhang Zhaoxin, head of Chongsheng's oxygen lance production plant.

Gu Chun, head of the casting plant, has worked for the company for more than 10 years. He can accurately judge the temperature of copper liquid with his bare eyes. He helped the company to solve quality concerns after its production plants were relocated in 2013.

Chongsheng considers its skilled teams to be valuable assets supporting its long-term business growth. The company's talent pool comprises both university graduates and professionals with decades of experience.

"Talent is the foundation supporting our development," said Fan Shengbin, deputy general manager and head of the production department at Chongsheng.

Zhuang Jian and Gao Xufei contributed to this story.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

Workers process the body of an oxygen lance at the Chongsheng Oxygen Lance factory.

(China Daily 03/07/2017 page12)
A marble statue of Mithras slaying the bull. JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY

Since it started a global tour in 2014, the widely commended exhibition A History of the World in 100 Objects has attracted more than 1 million visitors in cities including Abu Dhabi, Tokyo and Canberra.

The exhibition, which evolved from a radio program jointly produced by the British Museum and British Broadcasting Corporation in 2010, is currently on at Beijing's National Museum of China, and is causing quite a stir.

Nine Chinese objects, including a 3,000-year-old bronze ritual vessel and a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) blue-and-white plate, are on show, although there is a disappointment about the absence of the Admonitions Scroll, a precious 6th-century Chinese painting, which was featured in the radio program.

The 100-episode radio series introduced one object from the London museum's collection in each show and navigated innovations in art, technology and industry spanning different cultures, over the course of 2 million years of human history.

When it was first broadcast, the program was followed by 11 million listeners. And now, you can download the broadcasts from a website devoted to the project.

Hartwig Fischer, the German director of the British Museum, says the exhibition shows forces that pushed humans beyond the horizon of Africa, and it shows that globalization is a "powerful development" and "a process that can not be turned back or halted".
Hu Limei (second from left) poses for a photo at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, where she cooked three dinners as a guest chef, on March 2, 2017. [Photo by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

As we celebrate International Women's Day, let's take the time to appreciate women who strive to break the glass ceiling in predominantly male industries and prove that they are equally capable.

One such woman is 76-year-old retired chef Hu Limei, one of the very first generation of professional chefs in new China. She was the executive chef at Shanghai's oldest hotel, the celebrated Park Hotel, in the 1980s, and served many big names, including former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin.

Hu has spent most of her life in Shanghai, but she is a master in imperial-style Beijing cuisine. Although retired, she is still active and looks out for opportunities to interact with people who love food.

We caught up with her last week as she visited Beijing for the "China Master Chef Banquet" at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, where she prepared dinners for 50 people three nights in a row as a guest chef.

Most women cook at home but most professional chefs are men. Why is that?

It's challenging for a woman to establish herself in the male-dominated kitchen. First, you need to have stamina and good physical condition. Chefs work hard and long hours. Then, most chefs prefer male over female apprentices and colleagues as they think men are less distracted from family life and children than women.

How can a female chef earn respect from her male counterparts?

If you want others to appreciate your work, you need to earn their respect. When there are difficult or menial jobs in the kitchen, you rush to do them. You do everything that a male chef does, and you do it better than them.

What is the most important thing other than working hard?

Use your brain.

You watch and learn how to best coordinate not only with your supervisor, but also with other chefs in the kitchen.

When I started my career, I taught myself Shandong dialect in order to better communicate with my Shandong master. I am from Ningbo and we worked in Shanghai. In a few months, I could speak Shandong dialect better than his son, who grew up in Shanghai.

If you want to do better than others, then you go that extra mile.

What's most people's reaction when they discover that you were a chef?

Usually they were very surprised and many would tell me that I looked like a teacher.

You have a big and happy family. How did you balance your career and life as a wife and mother when you had to compete with the men in the kitchen?

I was passionate about my job, so I wouldn't easily be distracted by other things, but that didn't mean I had to ignore my husband and family. My husband was very helpful. I am very grateful for the support of family.

What do you cook these days?

Since I am still able to cook and get around, I feel happy to be able to share what I have learnt in my life. I join cooking events now and again. Sometimes I tell stories behind the food to the customers and they love it, which makes my happy, too. What's more important than being happy for an old person?

Is there any advantage of being a female chef?

Women pay more attention to details, and wouldn't mind working harder and spending more time to perfect things.

What were the happiest moments for you as a chef?

To see my customers finish everything i've made for them.

Imagine you are a male, how would you have done your job differently?

As a man I certainly would be physically stronger but I might not have the same spirit to prove myself to be able to do as well and even better than men.

Also read:
A nurse talks with a child of the Qiong ethnic group, who just had a surgical operation for congenital heart disease, at the Chengdu Military General Hospital.[Photo by Huang Zhiling/China Daily]

Due to the different development levels of various regions, there exist huge differences in the public services people can access, with those in economically developed regions enjoying more and better public services than those in less developed regions.

This has given rise to numerous social issues that need ironing out, and sparked calls by some for the government to offer equal basic public services to all.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently published a plan aimed at promoting more uniform provision of basic public services such as education, social security, healthcare and housing. It contains an expanded definition of what services should be provided by local governments and marks a substantial step toward realizing fairer distribution of basic public services among regions.

However, the biggest problem for the building of an all-inclusive basic public service network throughout the country is that some areas lack the money to pay for them.

The fact that China's local governments are responsible for the supply of public services in their areas of jurisdiction means that those governments with less money simply cannot afford to provide the same level of public services as those in the more developed and wealthier regions.

Such a situation has led to increasing calls that the supply of such basic public services as compulsory education, social insurance and healthcare should be transferred from the local governments to the central government.

The central government has increased efforts to push for the redistribution of fiscal resources and spending among central and local governments in recent years, and the latest move by the State Council may be a signal the central government intends to undertake more responsibilities for the supply of basic public services.

--THEPAPER.CN
Chinese 100 yuan banknotes are seen in a counting machine while a clerk counts them at a branch of a commercial bank in Beijing, March 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

HOW TO FURTHER BOOST THE REAL ECONOMY? Fu Chengyu and Li Daokui, two members of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, said at its ongoing fifth plenary session that the country must end the speculation of the financial sector so that funds go back to the real economy. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The outflow of funds from the real economy to the financial sector poses a serious challenge to China's manufacturing industry. Besides, a majority of the funds flow into the virtual, or the financial sector. The concentration of funds in the financial sector might in turn lead to speculation, which increases the risks to the whole economy. Worse, some capital flows into the real estate sector, which inflates the real estate bubble that in turn squeezes more money out of the manufacturing sector.

In order to further boost the real economy, it is urgent to cut the outflows of funds and properly "guide" them back to the manufacturing industry and other parts of the real economy.

There are several measures available. The first is to strictly regulate the financial market, so that there is less room for speculation. The primary lure for capital is high profits, and if the financial market is put under strict regulation that lure will lessen.

Besides, the financial burdens of manufacturing enterprises need to be lowered to attract funds back. Currently the manufacturing enterprises face quite high fees and high costs of borrowing from the banks. If the costs could be lowered, the profits of the manufacturing sector would be higher, thus attracting more investors.

More important, entrepreneurs would be encouraged to unleash their creativity. With the internet economy prospering, they could think about more ways of combining manufacturing with the internet as that's the future of the manufacturing industry.
A company gives gifts to attendants who have scanned the firms QR code.[Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

A DIGITAL VERSION of the 2017 Government Work Report, which was delivered by Premier Li Keqiang to the fifth plenary session of the 12th National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, on Sunday, could be accessed for the first time by scanning a QR code on the report's first page. Beijing News commented on Monday:

Cheap, convenient, and controllable in terms of security, the use of Quick Response codes has become prevalent, and they are now an increasingly popular way of making payments for both Chinese retailers and customers. This has prompted the country to seek advancements in mobile payments, e-commerce, and also social governance.

The mobile-friendly version of this year's Government Work Report, which was read by deputies attending the fifth plenary session of the 12th NPC, is a case in point.

China's pursuit of a cash-free society is not without problems. The central bank temporarily banned QR payments following media exposure of its security risks in 2014. Two years later the Payment and Clearing Association of China, the nation's regulatory body for the industry, issued a rule allowing its members to promote mobile payments on the premise that the risks are basically under control.

Technologies such as digital signatures and encryption guarantee that the generation and the use of QR codes are increasingly secure and fewer users are exposed to financial losses and information leaks.

Hence it is time for the authorities to scale down their intervention and allow market players to take over on the basis of public opinions.
-        :       ,       
Crowded subway. Cartoon by Cai Meng

A 17-YEAR-OLD MALE passenger on a subway train verbally abused two young women trying to persuade him to scan a Quick Response code. The police later caught the youth involved. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Monday:

The behavior of the male passenger was unruly and disrupted public order. the police have warned people to behave civilly and obey the rules when travelling on the subway.

But what were the two girls doing? Some said they were trying to promote a startup; others suggested it was part of a scam.

People doing such QR promotions are common on subway trains in Beijing and other cities, as they can earn 3.5 yuan ($0.55) per scan and some of those working on the capital's subways say they can earn up to 20,000 yuan a month.

However, subways are a means of public transport and the regulations prohibit people from begging or conducting commercial activities on the trains or in the stations. Some of the QR scanning on the trains also constitutes harassment of passengers and may be part of criminal activities. Experts warn that QR codes are one of the ways personal information is illicitly obtained.

While the young man was in the wrong, the authorities should clamp down on those doing such QR code promotions on the subway. Those using the subway cannot be allowed to do whatever they want, they must obey the rules.
Premier Li Keqiang delivers the Government Work Report during the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 5, 2017. [Photo by Xu Jingxing/China Daily]

After political consolidation, China is ready to begin a broader implementation of structural reforms.

As evidenced by the discussions at the ongoing two sessions in Beijing, China's leadership is about to take its comprehensive structural reforms to a new level.

In the coming years, the focus will move toward tougher, broader and deeper execution, which is vital for achieving higher living standards in China.

13th Five-Year Plan policies

Adopted in March 2016, Chinas medium-term plan (2016-20) reflects policies, growth priorities and guidelines, which are subject to short-term adjustment but guided by longer-term visions. Most importantly, China is moving from its old, low-cost growth drivers toward new industries fueled by innovation-driven development.

The new five-year blueprint incorporates many recent technology-related initiatives, including Strategic Emerging Industries (SEI), Sci-Tech Innovation 2030, Internet Plus, and Made in China 2025. It is likely to elevate the role of advanced manufacturing, modern services and strategic emerging industries as a proportion of GDP.

In 2005, when I first lectured at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, experts of research and development (R&D) were very concerned about Chinas low level of R&D per GDP (1.3%). In 2010, it still relied on imitation (1.6%) but today the figure (2.1%) is already higher than that of the United Kingdom, or Italy. By 2020, it will be at par with most advanced economies (2.5%); and close to that of the United States (2.7%).

Additionally, the five-year plan features Chinas accelerating efforts toward green development, including a tighter carbon intensity target than envisioned in the past Copenhagen pledge. In turn, one of the most sensitive initiatives will focus on the reform of state-owned enterprises (SOE), even at the cost of shutting down the failed zombie enterprises.

Furthermore, the plan includes an effort to bridge uneven geographic evolution through regional development, particularly through the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the new urbanization strategy of large city clusters. Finally, the plan seeks more inclusive growth, including more equitable access to basic public services, and the implementation of the renminbi internationalization.
Stefano Beltrame, consul-general of Italy in Shanghai, speaks at the first Italian Design Day held at Tongji University on Mar 2. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]

The Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai and Tongji University jointly proclaimed Mar 2 as the first ever Italian Design Day.

Stefano Beltrame, consul-general of Italy in Shanghai, introduced the attendees to the country's brands and advantages in design, paying tribute to its profound culture and industrial modernization.

Wu Jiang, vice president of Tongji, briefed the attendees about the schools development in the art and design majors, and expressed a desire for more inspiring and vibrant cooperation between the two sides.

Prestigious scholars from the two countries delivered lectures on various topics, ranging from the confrontation between ancient and modern artistic designs to the reflection on the protection, promotion and innovation of folk arts.

The event was part of a global initiative involving 100 cities all over the world. The event will be repeated in March 2018, featuring a large exhibition of materials, experiences and established collaborations.
President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan meet with visiting Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath on Monday in Beijing.Zhang Duo / Xinhua

China and Cambodia should push their cooperation forward on major projects, President Xi Jinping said on Monday while meeting with visiting Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath.

The two countries should maintain high-level exchanges, and the leaders should visit each other frequently like visiting relatives, Xi said, while calling for connection of both countries' development strategies.

The president spoke highly of the contributions that the Cambodian royal family has made to the two countries' friendship. The friendship was forged and cultivated by previous generations of Chinese leaders and the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, he said.

Sihanouk lived in China for nearly 40 years before passing away in Beijing in 2012. He played a key role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia in 1958.

China and Cambodia have maintained high mutual political trust, benefited mutually from their economic ties and coordinated closely in international affairs, Xi said, adding that China is willing to make joint efforts for greater bilateral achievements to benefit both peoples.

He also called for enhancing coordination in multilateral affairs and making continuous efforts for regional peace and China-ASEAN cooperation.

Sihamoni and Monineath expressed gratitude for China's long-term support of Cambodia's economic and social development.

They called Xi's state visit to Cambodia in October historic, firmly strengthening Cambodia-China cooperation. Xi's visit was marked by the two countries agreeing to jointly implement the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and enhance cooperation in production capacity.

The initiative, consisting of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was put forward by Xi in 2013 with a focus on infrastructure and trade.

In a message to the Cambodian people, Sihamoni said his trip to Beijing was to have his health checked, according to Xinhua News Agency. The king usually has a checkup by Chinese doctors twice a year, the report said.

Jin Yong, a professor of international relations research at the Communication University of China, said that Cambodia, an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has firmly supported China in national sovereignty issues in recent years.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
Demonstrators rally against the Trump administration's new ban against travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, outside of the White House in Washington, US March 6, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning nationals of six Muslim-majority countries to enter the country, excluding Iraq from the list of a previous ban.

The new document maintained a 90-day ban on nationals of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Iran and Somalia, from entering the United States, effective from March 16.

"Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones," the order said.

Nationals of the six countries who are outside the United States will banned from entering the country, except those who are lawful permanent US residences or fit other criteria.

Notably missing from the list is Iraq, which had been subject to a similar ban imposed in January.

"The close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment for Iraq," the document said.

A review conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will determine after 70 days the order has went into effect whether any countries should be added or removed from the list.

In addition to the travel ban, the order also suspended the decision making on refugee applications for 120 days after the effective date.

The new order was signed in observation of court rulings and to avoid further litigation, the order said.

Trump has signed a similar executive order on Jan 27, which imposed a ban on nationals of Muslim-majority countries to enter the United States for 90 days, refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

A federal judge of the US District Court of the Western District of Washington later slapped a nationwide restraining order on the travel ban, and the ruling was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
PARIS - Senior members of French conservative party the Republicans unanimously supported Francois Fillon's presidential bid, despite a deepening legal investigation into the allegation about his wife's fake job, Senate President Gerard Larcher said on Monday.

At an emergency meeting, "the political committee unanimously renewed its support and confidence to Francois Fillon," Larcher said after an emergency meeting to hammer out an alternative to end the party's crisis triggered by Fillon's scandal over allegation of public fund misuse.

"Fillon indicated that he would take initiatives to bring our values together. The Republicans are therefore gathered and determined around (him), " he added.

The party's leadership decision came after ex-foreign minister Alain Juppe who lost to Fillon in November primary, refused to be "a Plan B" to re-launch the conservatives' bid to snatch power on May 7.

Fillon, 63, has been under growing pressure to quit the presidential bid after being summoned by magistrates over the affair and could be placed under formal investigation.

"No one has the power to force me to withdraw...It is not the party that will decide. It's not regional presidents or former primary candidates who will make the decision for me," he told France 2 television on Sunday.

Portraying himself as an honest and morally irreproachable politician, Fillon previously said he would step down if he were put under formal investigation.

Once the favourite to unseat the Socialist Francois Hollande, the conservative presidential candidate 's campaign is still haunted by fake job scandal which had took the wind out of his sails.

An OpinionWay survey conducted between Feb 27 and March 3 showed Fillon losing momentum with 19 percent of voting intention, down two percentage points from a previous poll.

He will be knocked out in the first round in which Marine Le Pen, far right party leader and centrist Emmanuel Macron are set to collect the highest vote, allowing them to pass to the run-off, according to the poll released on Monday

On January 25, French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon 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 showed she had really worked, the report added.

Fillon has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Meanwhile, he apologized for the ethical "error" he made in hiring his wife and their two children, a practice which he said was no longer acceptable according to public opinion. (1 euro = 1.06 US dollars)
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy reacts during a visit in Poissy, near Paris, France, September 6, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS  Former French President and conservative politician Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a meeting with Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe, to discuss current problems regarding Fillon's presidential election campaign.

Sarkozy, who published a statement on his official Twitter feed, said the aim of the meeting was to ensure a "dignified and credible way out from a situation which cannot last any longer and which is the source of deep concerns among French people".

The Republicans conservative party has appeared to be at war with themselves less than 50 days from the presidential election as Francois Fillon has clung on to his struggling, scandal-tainted campaign even as senior party members fight to oust him as their candidate.

Once the frontrunner, Fillon is mired in a scandal over hundreds of thousands of euros of public money he paid his wife to be his parliamentary assistant. He denies allegations she did little work for the money, but suffered a serious blow last week when he learned he could be placed under formal investigation for misuse of public funds.

Reuters
People walk along a damaged neighbourhood in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria March 6, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday announced that the bloc will on April 5 host an international conference on Syria's future.

The EU will cochair the conference with the United Nations and with the governments of Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and Britain, Mogherini said at a press conference following a one-day Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

"We hope that the Brussels conference on April 5 can support strongly the UN work on the political track, but also try to establish a regional and international framework for that support, for the humanitarian work, but also for looking at the future, how we can, together, support the future of Syria and the region," she said.

Delegations from the Syrian government and the opposition on Friday wrapped up nine-day talks in Geneva.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the 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.
French President Francois Hollande welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (2ndR) and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) during arrivals for a Franco-German-Italian-Spanish summit ahead of upcoming EU Summit, in Versailles, near Paris, France, March 6, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS - Leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain on Monday expressed their support for a different-speed Europe during an informal summit in Versailles, southwest Paris.

"Unity is not uniformity," French President Francois Hollande said at the end of the meeting, noting that some member countries of the European Union could go faster and "further in areas such as defense, tax and social harmonization, culture or youth. "

Europe must have the courage to accept that some countries are moving faster than others, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, adding that it's necessary for Europe to have a key role to face other actors of globalization.

For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has noted that the European Union is a success story which must be well built.

Expressing readiness for better integration, Rajoy hailed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's White Paper which he said would further improve integration in Europe.

As to Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, he noted that the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which will take place on March 25 in the Italian capital, will aim at pushing ahead integration in Europe.
PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is temporarily banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving the country until safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is fully guaranteed, the official news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by the protocol department of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, which said the Malaysian Embassy in the DPRK had been informed of the decision.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry hoped that the Malaysian Embassy and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry would properly settle the dispute arising from the murder of a DPRK citizen in Malaysia, said the notice.

Pyongyang wants to see the case properly addressed "from the goodwill stand of setting store by and developing bilateral relations," the notice added.

In the period, Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before," it said.

The notice came after Malaysia on Saturday declared the ambassador of the DPRK to the country Kang Chol as "persona non grata," asking him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has decided to revoke visa-free entry for citizens from the DPRK starting from Monday, saying that the decision was made after its national security was taken into account as a priority.

A DPRK national who was identified as Kim Chol was attacked on Feb. 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. After seeking help from the airport staff, he died en route to hospital.

The Malaysian side said the DPRK man died a painful death minutes after being swabbed with a high dosage of lethal VX nerve agent after the body was examined.

However, the DPRK government claimed it was an anti-DPRK smear campaign and accused the Malaysian government of conniving with South Korea and the United States which intended to use the death of the DPRK citizen to tarnish the DPRK image and even to overthrow the DPRK system.

Pyongyang also sent a high-level delegation to Malaysia to discuss the matter and has urged Malaysia to return the body as soon as possible. But the request was rejected by the Malaysian government.
U.S. claims navy ship "harassed" by Iranian vessels in Strait of Hormuz: media

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. media reported on Monday that a U.S. navy surveillance ship was "harassed" by Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last week, an old claim that had been rejected by Iran as the White House's media hype against Tehran.

Citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Washington Post reported that the USS Invincible was "harassed" on two occasions, on Thursday and Saturday.

Similar incidents between the United States and Iran occurred in the past. In January this year, a U.S. navy ship fired warning shots at five Iranian ships when the vessel and two other U.S. ships were entering the Strait of Hormuz.

In September, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the U.S. military forces should leave the Persian Gulf as their presence in Iran's southern waters has no legal basis.

"The presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf lacks any legal and international justification and is against the will of regional nations," Shamkhani was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Washington's claims about Iran's allegedly "provocative" acts in the Persian Gulf is part of the White House's media hype against Iran, he said.

The Iranian official stressed that the U.S. claims about Iranian vessels getting too close to American warships in the Strait of Hormuz are mere propaganda.
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that he had instructed the police to ban all citizens from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country after Pyongyang announced a similar ban.

The prime minister also urged the DPRK to immediately allow all Malaysians to leave to "avoid any further escalation."

Describing DPRK's exit ban as an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage," Najib said it was in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms.

"Protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened," he said, adding that he also instructed the police to prevent all DPRK citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until "we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea (the DPRK)."

In tia-for-tat moves, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled each otner's ambassador as an investigation into the death of a DPRK man strained bilateral relations.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Malaysian government has banned all DPRK embassy staff from leaving the country.

The measure, which will be enforced by the Home Ministry, was "an response to the measures taken by the foreign ministry of the DPRK," Zahid told reporters when attending a parliament session, adding Malaysia was forced to take the measure because the DPRK had gone beyond diplomatic etiquette.

Malaysian police and health authorities said a DPRK man was killed by VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon banned by the UN, at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Two female suspects who swabbed the chemical on his face had been indicted with murder while four DPRK suspects had fled Malaysia.

The police also wanted to question three men in connection with the case, including a second secretary at the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an Air Koyro employee. When attending a meeting on drug enforcement, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police believed the three were hiding in the DPRK embassy.

He also said the DPRK authorities were not cooperating with the Malaysian side in the investigation and refused to hand over the four fleeing suspects.

Khalid said the police would give the bereaved family a little bit more time to come to identify the body of the DPRK man. "We are confident we will get the DNA samples," he said.
BEIJING - Missile firing, military drills, defense upgrading ... the tit-for-tat confrontation between Pyongyang and Seoul has become a sickening old play staged annually in Northeast Asia, and is crippling the chips of all concerned on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang's launch of four ballistic missiles on Monday, so far the most substantial reaction to the ongoing Seoul-Washington military exercises and the US escalating deployment in its Japanese bases, has once against sparked anxiety in the south of the 38th Parallel.

An emergency gathering in the UN Security Council was called for, and the United States and Japan have vowed to take countermeasures against Pyongyang's action.

But all the parties concerned need to remember that Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s move is but a routine response to its south neighbor's annual joint drills with the United States, which Pyongyang has taken as nothing but an act of hostility and menace to its national security.

Literally, the exacerbation of rivalry is pricking up the specter of a warfare. But it is most disheartening to see the refusal of both sides on the peninsula to take seriously the consequences of their bigoted limit-pushing calculations.

South Korea, in a reckless manner, has bet all chips on the United States. Its two months' joint drills, described by the DPRK as "nuclear war maneuvers," and the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, have been, once again, a manifestation of its self-serving response to the most complicated geopolitical quagmire in the world.

The DPRK, for its part, has to face the reality that it can neither thwart Washington and Seoul nor consolidate its security in a breeze with its immature nuclear technology.

The recent developments are depriving Seoul, and Pyongyang as well, of their chips. Any effort to push the peninsula to a simmering point in the name of self-defense would risk the overturning of the boat that the two nations actually share, something they seem to have failed to recognize even till now.

China's engagement in stemming the sprout of a warfare on the peninsula and secure its denuclearization remains unswerving, but such good faith cannot be taken by any other sides to blackmail Beijing in return. Parties disregarding China's mediation efforts have to bear their fair share of the aftermath, however calamitous it dooms to be.

As for US President Donald Trump, it has never been too late to remind him of the complexity of the peninsular issue. After all, the lessons of his predecessors in this regard have proved the necessity to keep his feet on the ground, and take into consideration the concerns of all relevant parties instead of just his allies.
Fredericktown residents were notified via notes on city utility bills that the Fredericktown public water system had been cited for a failure to meet state drinking water standards.

According to Fredericktown City Administrator Doug Friend, the violation was a rules violation and not a water quality violation, and is not an emergency affecting public health.

There was never a time in which the health and safety of the citizens of Fredericktown were in any danger as a result of our water system, Friend said.

According to information obtained from the City of Fredericktown, the violation had to do the with the state-mandated deadline for the installation of an ultraviolet light disinfection system. The system is required to more effectively treat the water against cryptosporidium.

City officials said in 2011, an engineering firm recommended improvements be made to the citys water treatment plant. After evaluating the recommended equipment and any alternatives, the city decided upon a course of action that included the purchase of ultraviolet water treatment systems and applied for financial assistance in 2013.

In November 2014 voters approved $3 million in state revolving fund bonds to pay for the water plant upgrades. In 2015, the final design for the upgrades was prepared by an engineering firm.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources approved the design in early 2016 and the city began advertising for bids to be due in April of that same year. The bids were approved and financial assistance was authorized.

Construction contracts were signed Aug. 22, including provisions that the ultraviolet equipment be completed as soon as possible. The state requirements mandated that the ultraviolet equipment be installed by October of 2016, less than two months after the contracts were finalized.

A notice to proceed with construction was issued on Sept. 20. The ultraviolet equipment was not released for manufacturing until Oct. 3.

In early February of 2017 the ultraviolet equipment was received and installed, being put into operation on Feb. 22. The equipment is currently in operation and the City of Fredericktown is in compliance with the rule that had been violated in October by not having the equipment installed by then.
(Photo : Getty Images. ) Chinas influential state owned tabloid has once again urged India to leave aside all its reservation about its participation in the multi-billion dollar CPEC project.

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China's influential state-owned tabloid has called on India to overcome all the hesitations regarding its participation in the$ 46 billion China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). New Delhi has cited the CPEC's passage through the disputed Kashmir region for its unwillingness to participate in the multi-billion dollar project.



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The Global times, which is known for taking a strident stance against India, urged the Indian government to allow the economic benefits to supersede its political concerns with regards to its participation in the multi-billion dollar CPEC project.



The nationalistic tabloid advocated India to take some inspiration from the immensely strained cross-strait relations where political acrimony has not hindered their economic decisions and choices.



"Just like the Taiwan question, Beijing doesn't object to any economic links between Taiwan and other countries including India, because economic activities won't alter China's sovereignty over the island," it said.



The op-ed then made a similar comparison between the CPEC & Kashmir issue as it categorically said that India's participation in "CPEC won't affect the status quo of Kashmir disputes. The project itself is an economic plan set to connect China and Pakistan."



It also tired to assure the Indian government that investment and participation by Chinese companies will in no way affect the Kashmir region and therefore it should not have any reservations over its participation in economic activities conducted by the Chinese companies.



The tabloid made no qualms about advising India that it must even allow the CPEC to come into the Indian administrated Kashmir as this would help in solving the region's cumbersome poverty.



CPEC Touted as Economic Boon for Pakistan



The Chinese-funded CPEC project is an expensive infrastructure project inclusive of a vast network of highways and railways passing through the length and breadth of Pakistan. These inter-related projects of highways and railways essentially connect Pakistan's Gwadar seaport in Balochistan province with China's Xinjiang region.



The ambitious project, which was partly inaugurated by Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif last year, is expected to change the economic destiny of the region. Sahrif called the project as a game changer that would unlock Pakistan's latent economic potential.



However, India has always seen the multi-billion dollar project as a political tool that will help China in getting a strategic footprint in the South Asian region. Most Indian analysts see the CPEC as a part of China's much talked about String of Pearls strategy that aims to surround India on all four sides through military and commercial facilities in the Indian Ocean region.



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TagsIndia, India and China, CPEC Project, India and Pakistan, China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
(Photo : Getty Images) Xinjiang has been noted in ancient times along the old silk road as a political and commercial centre. It is the hub of an important commercial region, bordering Russia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with Pakistan to its south.

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China has invested more than $50 billion in the countries along the Silk Road after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, a senior official said revealed on Monday.



The Silk Road project has received support from more than 100 countries and international organizations. Of which, about 50 cooperation agreements were signed between governments, He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said.



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He further noted that developments under the project were "better than expected." The country has launched a $40 billion Silk Road fund to finance the projects.



China aims to improve its connection through trading goods and services with the rest of the world under the Silk Road initiative.



China is set to conduct a high-level forum about the Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing this May. Meanwhile, He also defended that China's move to cut down growth rate by 6.5 percent in 2017 is necessary and achievable, citing job creation as an important goal for China.



"According to our experience, each one percentage point of GDP growth will help create about 1.7 million jobs," he said. Premier Li Keqiang also noted that China is less likely to meet its job creation target of more than 11 million if it does not attain quality growth at a reasonable level.



Although India is part of the road projects called Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, New Delhi has protested to China over the $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It also expressed concerns that the 21st century Maritime Silk Road, which is part of the "One Belt, One Road" project, will have an impact on the Indian Ocean.



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(Photo : Getty Images. ) China is currently working on space rocket that can be directly launched from its newly developed Y-20 military aircraft.

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China is in the process of designing a new generation rocket that can be launched into space through a special aircraft, marking a major breakaway from the more traditional ground-launched rockets. The ambitious project that is still in trail stage is part of China's space program aiming to dispatch hundreds of satellites into orbit for military, commercial and scientific aims.



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The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) has designed a model of this space rocket that could carry a 100 kg (220 lb) payload into earth's lower orbit. But this rocket won't be launched into space by a conventional civilian aircraft, but by a newly designed Chinese military aircraft 'Xian Y-20.'



"The jet (Y-20 aircraft) will hold a rocket within its fuselage and release it at a certain altitude. The rocket will be ignited after it leaves the plane," said Li Tongyu, the head of the carrier rocket development project at CALT.



He confirmed that the CALT plans to develop a larger rocket that could carry a 200 kg payload at a later stage. Li counted several advantages of aircraft launched rockets including the fact that they can quickly replace the dysfunctional satellites and also swiftly launch earth observation satellites in the wake of natural disaster.



Several space experts also claim that solid-fuel rockets require much less preparation than land-based liquid-fuelled rockets, where preparations can take up to several days and even weeks.



According to Long Lehao, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a solid-fuel rocket launched by a Y-20 aircraft would consume only 12 hours of preparation to put in place a 200 kg satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 km above Earth.



This new generation space rocket essentially represent China's bold ambitions in its space mission as it tries to catch up with the space programs of the developed western nations. Some of its most anticipated space program includes setting up a manned space station by 2022, landing a rover on the red planet by 2020 and sending an astronaut to the moon by 2036.



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(Photo : Getty Images) The latest row over the Dalai Lama's comment comes at a time when his impending visit to the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh has stroked tensions between India and China.

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China on Tuesday reacted sharply to the Dalai Lama's recent sarcastic comment about Chinese leadership during an interview with U.S comedian John Oliver. Beijing said that the controversial spiritual leader's "braining missing" comment seems like a perfect enactment by an upcoming actor.



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"The Dalai Lama's comments in the interview perhaps appeared humorous and funny, but these words are all lies that do not accord with the facts," China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing. "Now it seems he is an actor, who is very good at performing, and very deceptively."



The latest row over the Dalai Lama's comment comes at a time when his impending visit to the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh has stroked tensions between India and China. Beijing has warned New Delhi that the visit may cast fresh clouds over their bilateral relationship.



The globetrotting Tibetan leader gave the high-profile interview to Oliver at the Indian town of Dharamsala, where he has been residing in exile for more than five decades now. The 81-year-old monk was expectedly quizzed over Chinese leadership, to which he reacted in a usual sarcastic way. This is the standard practice that he usually follows whenever he is confronted with question on China.



"Our brain usually, you see, [has] the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brains, that part of the brain is missing," the controversial monk said. The scathing reply was in response to Oliver's question about whether he worries that Beijing would appoint its own Dalai Lama.



The question was asked amid mounting speculations that Beijing may appoint a new Dalai Lama, who favors the ruling communist party, after the current and 14th Dalai Lama dies.



China shares an acrimonious relationship with 81-year-old monk, who fled the country in 1959 after leading a failed uprising. Beijing views the noble peace prize winner as a dangerous separatist leader, whose only aim is to separate Tibet from Mainland China.



Beijing unambiguously maintains that Tibet is an integral part of China and so is the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh, which it considers to be part of Southern Tibet.



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Islamic extremists in Somalia identified as Al Shabaab rebels last month shot to death an underground Christian woman and her son and seriously wounded her husband, sources said.



The family was asleep at their home at dawn in Afgoi, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Mogadishu, when at least four armed men attacked them on or around Feb. 10 shouting the jihadist slogan, Allah Akbar [God is greater], and, We cannot allow the defiling of our religion with a foreign, Western religion, said family head Suleiman Abdiwahab.



The 38-year-old secret Christian, a convert from Islam, is recovering from gunshot wounds to his chest near the right shoulder.



The gunmen fired several shots, then destroyed the door with a big metallic object and then were able enter into the house, Abdiwahab told Morning Star News. They randomly shot at everyone.



The assailants killed his wife, 35-year-old convert Faduma Osman, and the couples 11-year-old son, Ahmed Suleiman. The couples two daughters, 13 and 7, and their 9-year-old son were able to escape out a backdoor and have found safe shelter in another town, sources said.



Neighbors found the three shot family members lying in their blood. Discovering Abdiwahab still alive, they took him to a local hospital, and he was later transferred to Mogadishu for specialized treatment, he said. Afgoi is located in Somalias Lower Shebelle Region.



Al Shabaab, which has been battling government forces for more than 10 years, has taken control of farming areas surrounding Afgoi, sources said. Since the beginning of the year the rebels have briefly taken over the city three times, with Somali government forces driving them out each time, they said.



Afgoi is thus under control of the Somali government but is vulnerable to Al Shabaab attacks. The insurgent militants, the Somali cell of Al Qaeda, have retreated from major cities but still control some rural parts of southern and central Somalia. The past few years Al Shabaab has lost ground to government and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeeping forces.



Abdiwahab, the wounded family head, has been relocated to a shelter in another town, a source told Morning Star News.



Abdiwahab, due to the blessings of the lord, has survived and is currently recovering from serious gunshot wounds, he said.



Somalia is second only to North Korea on Christian support organization Open Doors 2017 World Watch List of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.



The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to mainstream schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda adhere to the teaching.



Somali law and societal tradition create an atmosphere of hostility toward non-Islamic faiths similar to that created in regimes that execute apostates. The countrys Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) does not explicitly prohibit Muslims from converting to other religions, but leaving Islam remains socially unacceptable in all areas, according to the U.S. State Departments latest Report on International Religious Freedom (2015).



The PFC provides for the right of individuals to practice their religion but prohibits propagation of any religion other than Islam, and it makes Islam the state religion. All laws must comply with the general principles of sharia (Islamic law), the report states.





If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.o rg/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.



If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/don ate/ ?
Christian bakers who were fined for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding are appealing their case in court, as oral arguments for the case were heard on Thursday.

A panel of three judges at the Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the case involving Aaron and Melissa Klein. The couple filed a brief appealing the case in April of 2016.

Im thankful we actually got to have our day in court. This is the first time weve been in a court where due process was recognized, where we actually feel like the Constitution was recognized and were looking forward to hearing the outcome, said Aaron Klein at a press conference following the oral arguments.

The Kleins, who operated the bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were fined $135,000 in 2015 by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries for refusing to bake a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in 2013. Since then, the Kleins have closed shop, and have paid the fees to the Oregon BOLI which are currently in an escrow account.

First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Kleins in court, argued in the brief filed in April that the Oregon BOLI violated the couples constitutional rights to religious freedom, free speech, and due process before an impartial tribunal, and that the penalties that the couple was compelled to pay were excessive.
Two West County High School seniors recently selected as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists have now been named finalists and awarded the prestigious honor of receiving the title of National Merit Scholar.

According to Principal Eric Moyers, Syr Charles Lyons and Mason Pratt are only the second and third West County students to earn such a distinction in about 30 years, following just one year after William Cureton carried the status in 2016.

The competition to become a finalist is very rigorous  scholarship winners are selected based on their abilities, skills, extracurricular accomplishments and potential for success in college and beyond.

Applicants must take the Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), usually in their junior year. About 1.6 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools took the exam for the 2017 scholarship program.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. To become a finalist, semifinalists and their high school must complete a detailed scholarship application that includes information about the applicants academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, honors and awards received.

In addition, a semifinalist must be recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn minimum SAT scores.

The percentage of U.S. high school seniors who qualified for that distinction is less than 1 percent with only about 16,000 qualified as semifinalists and about 7,500 students making the cut as finalists.

In southeast Missouri, students from only four high schools made the cut for semifinalist  Fredericktown, Jackson, Poplar Bluff and West County.

Although at least two state universities  Oklahoma State University and Arizona State University  typically offer finalists full-tuition scholarships, neither Lyons nor Pratt is likely to change the plans they already had in place before being notified of their award.

Lyons said hell consider the offers hes received, but will most likely follow through with his plans to attend the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla.

I want to be an aerospace engineer, he said in December, and am interested in physics and how forces interact to make one thing work for a specific purpose; in this case, flying. I want to work for Boeing in St. Louis, more than likely, or somewhere (similar).

Attending Missouri S&T will provide Lyons with a leg-up in terms of eventual employment with Boeing since the universitys aerospace engineering program is closely tied with Boeing, which offers internships to many S&T students.

Lyons said that although Missouri S&Ts aerospace engineering program can be completed in four years, it tends to be more rigorous than some other engineering programs.

In order to build planes you have to have a background in physics, he said, and a mechanical engineering background to understand how to build the machine itself and then in certain cases, you have to understand the electrical engineering and the software engineering to make all the programs run together. Aerospace engineering takes from a lot of different fields.

Pratt said hes very tempted to accept an offer for a full-ride scholarship from Oklahoma or the like, but the schools dont match up as well with his plans to pursue a doctorate in chiropractic medicine.

Ive always thought about doing something in the medical science field, he said in December, but I didnt want to be a surgeon (or general practitioner) and I didnt really want to be a pharmacist either.

To reach his goal, Pratt said he still plans on attending Lindenwood University in St. Charles to complete his bachelors degree in biology and some of the prerequisites for a chiropractic degree. After completing his bachelors degree, Pratt said hed like to earn his doctoral degree at Logan University in Chesterfield, which is a private institution providing college education in chiropractic and health sciences.

In addition to excellence in academics, Pratt and Lyons are musically inclined as well. Pratt is a member of his schools choir and swing choir and is an accomplished musician. He plays the electric and upright bass, the cello and violin, the guitar, the mandolin, and also taught himself how to play the ukulele in one day.

Pratts versatility as a musician is already putting money into his pocket as a music teacher at Marler Music Center during the summer. Hes given lessons in cello, violin, guitar and trumpet to students ranging in age from first graders to adults in their 30s and 40s.

Ive also recorded some music for people, he said, including violin and cello pieces.

Lyons is a member of his school band and has also danced with the Young People's Performing Arts Theatres annual Nutcracker performances at the Centene Center in Farmington.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that does not receive government funding.

Since 1955, NMSC has focused its attention solely on U.S. high school students at the uppermost end of the academic ability scale. According to its official website, NMSC's mission is to promote scholastic excellence and recognize students who exemplify such excellence.

NMSC reports that about 90 percent of semifinalists advance to the finals stage and about half the finalists traditionally win a National Merit Scholarship. Winners earn the Merit Scholar title and a portion of about $33 million in scholarships awarded in spring.

All National Merit Scholarship winners are selected from the group of finalists based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in college studies, without regard for gender, race, ethnicity or religious preference.

Since its inception in 1955, NMSC has recognized more than three million students and provided more than 414,000 scholarships worth more than $1.6 billion.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro has always features prominently in the citys raucous Carnival, a licentious celebration that runs the five days before Ash Wednesday.

But this year, for the first time in memory, the mayor skipped it.

Thats because, for the first time in its 450-year history, Brazil's second-largest metropolis is being run by a pastor.

In my case, it would have been demagogy, Marcelo Crivella explained in a statement.

The 59-year-old was elected in October to govern the city of 6.5 million that is known for both the beauty of its beaches and for its violence, largely controlled by organized crime connected with drug trafficking.

Crivella is a licensed bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), the largestand most controversialdenomination that belongs to the so-called neo-Pentecostal movement. Hes also the nephew of the UCKGs leader and founder, Edir Macedo.

With a theology based on positive confession and on the importance of giving money as a way to obtain divine favor, the UCKG claims about 2.5 million followers. Its churches are spread throughout Brazil, as well as more than 50 other countries.

The UCKG also controls various businesses, such as radios, newspapers, banks, and TV stationsincluding Record, Brazil's second-largest network.

The church has a clear ambition for political power, embodied by the hundreds of politicians in the Brazilian congress and in state and municipal legislative houses that number among its members.

Crivella himself is a senator, elected by the Brazilian Republican Party (PRB), which is strongly connected to the UCKG. He was the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture during the first term of former president Dilma Rousseff (20112014).

In some of his messages from the pulpit and on TV, he has explained what he calls the need of the evangelical community to elect a believer as president of Brazil.

Crivellas election in October came at a time of instability in Brazilian politics. Intense ideological polarization coexists with successive denunciations of corruption at the highest levels of power.

Former presidents, well-known businessmen, governors, and politicians from virtually every party are in the sights of a major operation by the federal justice department that has already locked several of them behind bars. In August, Rousseff was sidelined by impeachment.

In addition, Brazils economy is in chaos, with 12 million people unemployed.

It is the ideal scenario for the success of candidates linked to conservative platforms, said Luiz Henrique Gurjao, a political scientist from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Crivella surfed the conservative wave that grows across the country, said Maria das Dores Campos Machado, a sociologist and author of Politics and Religion: The Participation of Evangelicals in Elections.

That wave is bolstered by Protestants, who are growing more visible in the worlds largest Catholic country. In 2010, more than 42 million evangelicals made up 22 percent of the population.

In Brazils Congress, about 80 congressmen (more than 15%) identify themselves with the Evangelical Parliamentary Front (EPF), a multi-partisan group of Baptists, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God members, and other believers that tends to vote cohesivelyand contrarilyon topics such as the civil rights of homosexuals and restricting drug use and abortion.

At the same time, the group has several members involved in a wide range of corruption allegations.

While it is Protestant, the UCKG is not evangelical. Its theology is detached from biblical orthodoxy, and its main platform is searching for personal blessing from the Lord. For this, its followers prove themselves to God through their tithes and offerings. At the same time, they are not encouraged to read and study the Bible.

[The UCKG] practices a syncretism where superstitions, popular beliefs, and the distortion of biblical texts enter to justify their actions, said pastor and researcher Paulo Romeiro. Its not evangelical even in its name.

Crivella has guaranteed neither the church nor Macedo, his uncle and mentor, municipal power. But as a senator, he surrounded himself with people connected to the UCKG and interfered directly with the federal government to ensure that a fellow pastor, George Hilton, would take over the Ministry of Sports, whose budget more than tripled during the Olympics.

The time has come to take care of people, read the slogan of his victorious campaign. Nearly 60 percent of Rio voters apparently agreed.

A genial, soft-spoken man, Crivella has a background as a civil engineer. He gained popularity as a gospel singer sponsored by the UCKG. One of his albums, The Messenger of Solidarity, sold more than 5 million copies.

Crivella founded Fazenda Canaa (Canaan Farm), a social project that works in the poor backlands of Bahia and serves the needy community, though he is suspected of misusing public money in connection with the project.

The new mayor used the campaign to present himself as moderate and against intolerance, though his book Evangelizando a Africa [Evangelizing Africa]written in the late 1990s when he was a UCKG missionary in Africastates that homosexuality is a deviation of character that is influenced by evil forces and must be fought.

The Carnival parade, which is partially funded by the citys $10 billion budget, was tricky for Crivella. Many criticized his refusal to attend the opening ceremony to hand the key of the city to the parades king of carnal delights, or to attend any of the festivities. The more superstitious said his absence was a curse when two float accidents injured more than 30 people.

But the mayor visited victims in the hospital, and said he was meeting with officials to make sure future parades were safe.

People of Rio reject a mayor with a mask, Crivella said when explaining his absence, even during Carnival.

Marcos Simas is editor of Cristianismo Hoje, Christianity Todays Brazilian edition. Additional reporting by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra.
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Image: Jeremy Weber

Mar Elia Church in Erbil, Iraq

Christians fleeing the Middle East will not take first priority under an updated version of President Donald Trumps executive order on travel and refugees, which he signed Monday morning after weeks of debate and holdups in federal court.

The new order does away with explicit language about prioritizing religious minorities, as well as loosens Trumps initial limits on whos allowed to enter the United States.

Current visa holders, refugees already granted asylum, and travelers from Iraq no longer face restrictions, and the indefinite ban on refugees from Syria was reduced to 120 dayssame as the overall refugee population. The executive order goes into place next Thursday.

While surveys have found that most self-identified white evangelicals approve of Trumps temporary moratorium on refugees, most evangelical leaders oppose it.

The issuance of a new executive order on refugees and immigrants acknowledges that there were significant problems with the first executive order that caught up green card holders and others as they tried to enter the United States, said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief, the evangelical refugee resettlement agency forced to close five offices and lay off 140 employees in the wake of Trumps decision to halve Americas intake of refugees from 110,000 to 50,000.

However, this new executive order does not solve the root problems with the initial orderthe cutting of refugee admissions by 55 percent and the inability for some of the worlds most vulnerable refugees to come to the United States. It is more of the same.

Nearly half of leaders (46%) associated with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) selected immigration/refugees ...
Malteser International Americas to Lead Panel on Global Refugee Crisis at the United Nations



NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /



The panel entitled, "Women Caught in the Global Refugee Crisis: Finding Hope and Opportunity in Despair" will take place at the Ex-Press Bar at the UN (3rd Flr. NW corner of the General Assembly Building), and is scheduled during the UN 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.



Heading up the panel are: Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas; Ninette Kelley, Director of the New York Office, United Nations High Commission on Refugees; H.E. Mr. Odo Tevi, Ambassador of Vanuatu to the United Nations; James Wiley, COO, Counter Human Trafficking Compliance Solutions; and Amal, a female refugee.



These global humanitarian leaders will offer a hard look into the world of female refugees, present their experience empowering refugee women, and sharing their global relief efforts and solutions, which lead to opportunity and hope for women in countries most challenged with refugees and internally displaced people (IDP).



Malteser International's empowering Cash-for-Work program in Middle Eastern Refugee Camps will be highlighted. The program offers trainings and cash-for-work for unskilled females, while offering renewed stability, better livelihoods and stronger family structure.



"Each woman in a refugee camp has a deeply personal story, which is oftentimes accompanied by unconscionable tragedy. Many have lost children and family members. The lives of these mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives are filled with anguish, and their dignity has been stripped from them. Malteser International's Cash-for-Work program empowers women and offers them a life-saving opportunity to create stability and normalcy for themselves --and their families-- within the camps," said Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas.



The panel is open to public, and interested attendees must RSVP ASAP, or by March 17th, and include their full name, contact information, and confirmation of attendance in an email to:

Share Tweet Contact: Jill Watson, 305-448-5111NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- On International Women's Day, Malteser International Americas, an affiliate of Malteser International, the humanitarian relief agency of the Order of Malta, today announced that it will lead a side-panel at the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., centered on helping women to find hope and opportunity in the midst of the global refugee crisis.The panel entitled, "Women Caught in the Global Refugee Crisis: Finding Hope and Opportunity in Despair" will take place at the Ex-Press Bar at the UN (3rd Flr. NW corner of the General Assembly Building), and is scheduled during the UN 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.Heading up the panel are: Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas; Ninette Kelley, Director of the New York Office, United Nations High Commission on Refugees; H.E. Mr. Odo Tevi, Ambassador of Vanuatu to the United Nations; James Wiley, COO, Counter Human Trafficking Compliance Solutions; and Amal, a female refugee.These global humanitarian leaders will offer a hard look into the world of female refugees, present their experience empowering refugee women, and sharing their global relief efforts and solutions, which lead to opportunity and hope for women in countries most challenged with refugees and internally displaced people (IDP).Malteser International's empowering Cash-for-Work program in Middle Eastern Refugee Camps will be highlighted. The program offers trainings and cash-for-work for unskilled females, while offering renewed stability, better livelihoods and stronger family structure."Each woman in a refugee camp has a deeply personal story, which is oftentimes accompanied by unconscionable tragedy. Many have lost children and family members. The lives of these mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives are filled with anguish, and their dignity has been stripped from them. Malteser International's Cash-for-Work program empowers women and offers them a life-saving opportunity to create stability and normalcy for themselves --and their families-- within the camps," said Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas.The panel is open to public, and interested attendees must RSVP ASAP, or by March 17th, and include their full name, contact information, and confirmation of attendance in an email to: contact@malteser-international.org . Registration/sign-up for this event is required due to limited seating capacity.
home World Archaeologists discover ancient palace of King Sennacherib beneath shrine destroyed by ISIS

Archaeologists surveying the destruction left by ISIS have discovered the ancient palace of King Sennacherib beneath the ruins of the Tomb of the Prophet Jonah.

The Nebi Yunus shrine, which is believed to contain the tomb of Jonah, was blown up by ISIS when they took over parts of northern Iraq in 2014, Telegraph reported. The shrine is a popular pilgrimage site located on top of a hill in eastern Mosul.

The archaeologists were able to uncover the extensive damage wrought at the site by the terror group after the Iraqi army recaptured the area last month.

It was discovered that ISIS had dug tunnels deep under the demolished shrine and into a previously undiscovered and untouched palace dating back to 600 B.C.

In one of the tunnels, Iraqi archaeologist Layla Salih identified a marble cuneiform inscription of King Esarhaddon, believed to be created around 672 B.C. While the King's name does not appear in the cuneiform slab, a historian who saw photographs of it said it contained legible phrases used only to describe him. It reportedly refers to the king's efforts to rebuild Babylon after his father Sennacherib had it destroyed.

The biblical book of II Kings recounted Esarhaddon's ascent to the throne after Sennacherib was murdered by two of his sons.

"And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead," stated Kings II 19:37.

Prof. Eleanor Robson, chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, said that the terror group's destruction paved the way to a "fantastic find."

"There's a huge amount of history down there, not just ornamental stones. 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 told Telegraph.

Salih, who supervises the five-man team conducting the emergency documentation, believes that ISIS had taken hundreds of artifacts before Iraqi forces were able to liberate the eastern part of the city.

She voiced her concern that the tunnel built by the terror group could collapse within weeks and potentially destroy the new finds.

Experts from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and other international teams have offered to help the archaeologists secure and document the site. UNESCO has scheduled a meeting in Paris later this month to discuss who will be sent.
home World Bed and Breakfast Owner goes to court over website hinting rejection of homosexual guests

A bed and breakfast owner in Scotland has been taken to court due to the language on his website suggesting that he would not provide rooms for homosexual guests.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission went to court to seek an interim interdict to force Tom Forrest, owner of Cromasaig B&B in Kinlochewe, to remove comments and images from his business website, according to Press and Journal.

The website reportedly contains the phrase "family and heterosexual friendly," as well as a photo depicting "man + woman = marriage." The commission contended that Forrester was in violation of the U.K. Equality Act.

A brief private hearing was held at Inverness Sheriff Court on Friday, and Forrest agreed to remove the comments and images from his website as the case proceeds.

"We are pleased that Cromasaig Bed and Breakfast has agreed to remove these phrases from their website, until such time as the court makes an order in relation to the matter," a commission spokesperson said.

"We asked Cromasaig to remove them but they were not willing to do so and so we took this legal action. We now await the court's decision after a full hearing in due course," the spokesperson added.

Cromasaig made headlines in 2004 when Forrest refused a man's request for a double room because he was involved in a homosexual relationship. He said that "two gents" will only be allowed to book rooms with separate beds because he deemed homosexual relationships as "unnatural" and a "sexual deviation."

Stephen Nock, the man who tried to book the room, was hoping to stay at Forrester's guest house with his partner during a four-day walking holiday in the Highlands.

Following the incident, gay groups contacted by Nock bombarded Forrest with e-mails to complain about his policy. Cromasaig was stripped of its recommended status and removed from the records of Scotland's tourist authority, VisitScotland.

In 2010, Forrester told reporters that his policies are not based on religion, but on nature itself.

"I do not approve of the homosexual act and any act of intercourse should be between a man and a woman. It's nothing to do with the Bible; it's to do with nature," he said.
home World Chinese police sought permission to beat up Christians during church raid, says watchdog group

Police officers sought the permission of higher authorities to beat up Christians while they were conducting a raid on a house church in China's northwestern Xinjiang province, according to a report from a persecution watchdog organization.

On Feb. 19, the police officers broke into the home of Kong Lingrong, where 21 people have gathered for a church service. Kong and several others at the meeting were taken to the police station. One officer reportedly asked for permission to beat up the Christians as they searched through Kong's home, China Aid reported.

The Christians were warned never to hold church services again and Kong was told that a group larger than three people could be considered as an illegal gathering.

Kong has been the target of the authorities for the past six years, and his son was even expelled from his middle school for refusing to renounce his faith. The child was only allowed to return after some pressure from human rights lawyers and international groups.

The officials also broke into another home on the same day of the raid on Kong's house church. The authorities ripped the Christian materials off the door of Mei Yunhua's home and cut off the water and electric supply. Although the house was empty, the officials forbid Christians from meeting there again.

The authorities in Xinjiang have recently stepped up its efforts to crackdown on unofficial churches in the region as part of its "anti-terrorism" campaign.

In late February, underground Catholic churches and Protestant house churches across the region were told to cease all Christian activities.

One resident in Aksu prefecture's Shayar county said that the new rules have already been implemented in the cities of Aksu and Korla.

"They warned us that we can't do that, and that we'll be charged with illegal assembly if we get caught, and be locked up in the detention center," said the resident.

"It is now banned right across our whole region, including Korla and Aksu. If we meet we have to do it in secret," the resident continued.

Churches in China have been under increasing pressure to join the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Association or the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which has no ties to the Vatican.

Under the administration of President Xi Jinping, Christianity is considered as a dangerous foreign import. Last year, Chinese officials warned against the "infiltration of Western hostile forces" in the form of religion.
home US Conservative leaders sign petition asking Trump to sign executive order on religious freedom

Over 100 conservative leaders have affixed their signatures to a letter that calls on President Donald Trump to sign an executive order that would protect the religious freedom of business owners and individuals who want to uphold their religious beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

In early February, a draft copy of an executive order titled "Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom" was leaked to the media. The White House said at the time that the leaked copy was just one of hundreds of draft orders in circulation and that the administration has no immediate plans to issue such an order.

However, Ken Blackwell, who served as the domestic policy chair of Trump's transition team, has indicated that the executive order on religious freedom is being redrafted. He told the Huffington Post that one of the lawyers working on the order is Ken Klukowski, the former director of Family Research Council's (FRC) Center for Religious Liberty.

On Wednesday, the Council for National Policy, a coalition of social conservative activists under the leadership of FRC President Tony Perkins, sent a letter asking Trump to sign the order.

"You are doing something rare in American politics. You are fulfilling campaign promises. We thank you, especially for the steps you have already taken in your young administration to uphold our First Freedom, the freedom of religion," the letter read, according to The Christian Post.

"We are writing to ask that you continue these efforts to defend religious freedom by issuing an executive order protecting the practical exercise of religious freedom," it continued.

The letter explained that several policies and mandates implemented by the Obama administration had devastating effects on the First Amendment rights of Americans and charitable religious institutions.

It noted that The Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious groups have been forced to choose between violating deeply held beliefs or paying heavy fines under the HHS contraceptive mandate.

The letter also cited the case of Barronelle Stutzman, who was found to be in violation of Washington state's anti-discrimination law after she declined to create floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding in 2013.

"We urge you to take action to ensure their freedom to believe and live out those beliefs is protected from government punishment," the letter stated. "We, in the conservative movement, stand ready to assist you in your efforts to protect and uphold the freedom of religion in America," it added.
home World French teacher suspended for allegedly reading Bible passages in class

A teacher in Indre department in central France has been suspended after he allegedly read passages from the Bible to his primary school students.

The 40-year-old teacher, who was not identified, worked at a school that covered the communes of Badecon-le-Pin, Chavin, Malicornay, and Le Menoux, according to Russia Today, citing French sources.

A group of parents denounced the "proselytism" of the teacher and accused him of violating the principle of secularism in school. In January, the parents reportedly sent an anonymous letter to Indre academic director Pierre-Francois Gachet to complain about the teacher.

According to reports, the teacher instructed the students to study six pages from the Book of Exodus and several passages from a book titled "Christianity Through Texts." He also showed the film "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini as well as a film about the life of Moses.

Gachet stated that the teacher has been temporarily suspended, and an investigation into his teaching methods was launched. He said that the purpose of the inquiry was "to determine whether the professor has poured into proselytism or whether he simply lacked discernment."

The teacher reportedly informed the parents during a meeting at the beginning of the year that he would be teaching his pupils about the Bible.

"During the meeting at the beginning of the year, the professor told us that the class would study Harry Potter as much as the Bible, to discover literature, civilization, history. No parent objected," said a mother of one student.

FranAois Broggi, the mayor of the Badecon-le Pin district, argued that the teacher "deserved at most a warning," not a suspension. He further noted that the man was an "excellent teacher" who "has energized this class beyond class hours, in particular by organizing qualified extracurricular activities, offering travel and patriotic ceremonies."

Christian Chevalier, the secretary general of the Teachers Union Se-UNSA, said that the decision to suspend the teacher was "oppressive and stigmatizing."

France follows the principles of secularism or laAcitA, which prohibits governmental or public institutions from endorsing or promoting any religious beliefs. According to The Local, teachers are allowed to teach about religious books, such as the Bible and the Quran, but they are strictly forbidden from attempting to convert students.
home US Iowa Senate committee advances bill banning abortions after 20 weeks into pregnancy

An Iowa Senate Committee has advanced a bill aimed at banning abortions after 20 weeks into pregnancy on Thursday.

Senate File 53 was approved by the Iowa Senate Human Resources Committee by a vote of 9a3. The measure banning abortions after 20 weeks is based on the notion that when babies can feel pain during that period.

The bill carries an exception for cases that involve fetal abnormalities between 20 and 24 weeks, according to the Des Moines Register.

Sen. Mark Costello (R-Imogene), who supported the measure, said that all lawmakers want to work to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

"I think this does have the potential to save lives. I always like to say there are two lives involved here," he said.

Jenifer Bowen, a spokeswoman for Iowa Right to Life, has expressed her beliefs that Senate File 53 could withstand a court challenge if it is signed into law.

There are currently 16 states that have the 20-week ban in effect, with Kentucky being the most recent.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that there were at least 5,770 abortions that were carried out at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy in the U.S. in 2013. About 8,150 abortions were performed between 18 and 20 weeks.

Planned Parenthood officials were dismayed by the Senate committee's decision to approve the 20-week ban, but they were pleased that a legislation aimed at banning abortions in the state failed to advance.

Senate File 253, which declares that life begins at conception, was withdrawn from the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee because it did not gain enough support.

"I am disappointed, but I certainly understand how the process works," said Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale), who co-sponsored the bill.

The measure was described by Planned Parenthood officials as a "thinly veiled, unconstitutional attempt to ban abortion" in Iowa.

"Even fellow Senate Republicans recognized it would have far-reaching unintended consequences and refused to vote in its favor," said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Rachel Lopez.

Bowen said that she was disappointed that the measure failed to even pass the Legislature's first deadline. She noted that critics raised questions whether the legislation would have banned in-vitro fertilization and access to contraceptives.

"The message is that we have so many answers that still need to be given to concerned legislators," she said.
home World Islam to overtake Christianity as world's largest religion by 2070, Pew study claims

Christianity is currently the world's largest religion, but that may soon change before the end of the century. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, the number of Muslims will soon exceed the number of Christians if current demographic trends continue.

As of 2010, Muslims comprised 1.6 billion of the world's population. The Pew Research Center estimated that by 2050, the Muslim population will have increased by 73 percent to 2.8 billion.

Islam's rapid growth is due in part to high birth rates among Muslims. The study revealed that Muslim women across the world have an average of 3.1 children, compared with 2.3 for all the other religious groups combined.

The report also indicated that followers of Islam on average are the youngest of all major religious groups, seven years younger than the median age of non-Muslims. This means that a larger number of Muslims "already are, or will soon be, at the point in their lives when they begin having children," according to Pew.

Pew's demographic projections estimated that Muslims will comprise 2.1 percent of the U.S. population by 2050, surpassing those who identify as religious Jews as the second largest faith group in the country. There are currently 3.3 million Muslims in the U.S., about one percent of the American population.

The Muslim population in Europe is also expected to have a significant increase. The polling group projected that 10 percent of its population will be Muslims by 2050.

India is projected to become the country with the world's largest Muslim population by 2050. It is expected that more than 300 million Muslims will be living in India by that year while remaining as a Hindu-majority country.

The report also revealed that most people in countries with significant Muslim populations hold an unfavorable view of the Islamic State terror group. Virtually all respondents in Lebanon and 94 percent in Jordan viewed ISIS unfavorably. In Pakistan, 64 percent of the respondents do not offer an opinion about the terror group.

Most Muslims say that suicide bombings and other forms of violence committed in the name of Islam are rarely or never justified, including 92 percent in Indonesia and 91 percent in Iraq. A 2011 survey in the U.S. indicated that 86 percent of Muslims believe that such tactics are rarely or never justified.
Screening sessions for parents in the West County School District who want to get their children into preschool or kindergarten have been set for April and May.

Kindergarten screenings will be conducted on April 10 from 1 to 6 p.m. and on April 11 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Frankclay Church of the Nazarene, located at 583 Grand Ave., two blocks south of West County elementary and preschool.

Children must be 5 years old by Aug. 1 in order to be enrolled in kindergarten. Parents can call the elementary school office at 573-562-7535 for more information.

Preschool screenings will be conducted May 9-11 at the West County Preschool, located at 625 Chariton Ave. in Frankclay. Preschool screenings are done by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents should call Nikki Simily at 573-562-2984 to schedule an appointment and for more information.

Children must be 4 years old by Aug. 1 to be enrolled in preschool.

For both preschool and kindergarten students, parents must bring their childrens birth certificate, Social Security card, Medicaid number (if applicable), immunization records and proof of residency such as a utility bill or rent/lease receipt.

Birth certificates may be obtained through the St. Francois County Health Department or the Missouri Division of Health.
home US Kentucky House advances bill authorizing elective Bible literacy courses in public schools

The Kentucky House of Representatives advanced a bill that would allow the state's public schools to offer elective Bible literacy courses.

The House voted 80a14 last week to approve House Bill 128, which would direct the state Board of Education to set policies for local school boards that choose to offer elective social studies courses on the Bible. The measure, which was introduced by Rep. DJ Johnson (R-Owensboro), now goes to the Senate for consideration.

"The Bible, without question, is the single-most impactful literary document that we've had in Western civilization," said Johnson, as reported by Lexington Herald-Leader. "It's affected our cultures, our values, our laws," he added.

Under the legislation, the course would be optional for public school students, and its curriculum would be set by the Kentucky Board of Education. The course is intended to serve historical purposes rather than provide religious instruction. Additionally, districts would be required to stay neutral on Christianity.

The bill stated that the purpose of the course would be to teach students about "biblical content, characters, poetry and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture," including literature, art and music.

When Johnson was asked if the courses would be limited to one version of the Bible, he said that students may use whichever text they'd prefer. "I think that would actually generate more interesting conversations," he said.

Some lawmakers argued that the measure would intrude on principles separating church and state and would draw a court challenge.

"According to our Constitution, there are boundaries on where you talk about religion or your faith. And the public school system should be a neutral zone," said Rep. Jim Wayne (D-Louisville).

Some Democrats asserted that teachers could encounter difficulties in avoiding endorsement of Christianity during the instructional period. Rep. Attica Scott (D-Louisville) objected to the legislation because it excluded Islam and other religions.

But Rep. Stan Lee (R-Lexington) contended that the U.S. was founded on Christianity, not on other religions.

Other supporters of the bill said that the course would teach important values to the students.

"You're talking about how to treat our neighbors; you're talking about things that help us be better citizens in a society that for sure, above all things, needs better citizens," said Rep. Chris Fugate (R-Chavies).
home US Lawmakers ask for $20 million to improve security of faith-based community centers

Two U.S. lawmakers are asking for $20 million to improve the security of Jewish and other faith-based community centers following a series of bomb threats.

The bill proposed by two senators a one Republican and one Democrat a would allocate $20 million to faith-based community centers to improve their security through an existing Department of Homeland Security grant program, Religion News Service reported.

The legislation will not cover synagogues, mosques or churches even though attacks against houses of worship and religiously affiliated cemeteries have increased in recent months.

The Faith-Based Community Center Protection Act would also double the penalty for those who get caught making false bomb threats from five to 10 years in prison.

"This legislation would help ensure that community centers like the JCC's have the added protection they need and can focus on serving the community, while the FBI and our Justice Department track down those responsible," read a statement from Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), who filed the bill last week along with Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV).

On Friday, the FBI arrested a 31-year-old man from Missouri in connection with some of the bomb threats against Jewish community centers.

Juan Thompson, who was picked up in St. Louis, is suspected to be responsible for at least eight bomb threats against Jewish institutions in New York, including the Anti-Defamation League, and across the country.

The threats are believed to be a part of Thompson's cyberstalking scheme to retaliate against his former girlfriend.

"Thompson's alleged pattern of harassment not only involved the defamation of his female victim, but his threats intimidated an entire community," said FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney Jr.

In an email to the ADL's Manhattan office on Feb. 21, the woman was named and accused of being responsible for the bomb threats. "She lives in nyc and is making more bomb threats tomorrow," the email stated.

The complaint against Thompson stated that the alleged harassment began after their relationship ended. He reportedly sent defamatory emails and faxes to the woman's employer and made false reports of criminal activity by the victim as well as Jewish center threats in her name.

Since Jan. 9, Jewish institutions across the U.S. have received over 100 bomb threats, with 77 of them directed against Jewish community centers in dozens of states. While no explosives have been found, the threats have alarmed staff and clients at the centers, causing them to evacuate.

Apart from the bomb threats, three cemeteries in New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis have been vandalized recently.
home US MS-13 gang members charged in Satanic killing of unidentified woman

Two members of the notorious gang known as Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 have been charged with the murder of an unidentified woman as part of an alleged Satanic sacrifice. The two men were also accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting another 14-year-old girl.

Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, who were arrested on Feb. 27, laughed and smiled at members of the media when they appeared in a Houston courtroom last Wednesday to face the charges.

Prosecutors said that the 14-year-old kidnapping victim ran away from school and went into an apartment complex where she met some members of MS-13. The gang members held her against her will and took her to other locations where she was tortured and sexually assaulted by other members. The 14-year-old was held down while they tattooed an image of the grim reaper on her leg, according to Houston Press.

The 14-year-old provided the evidence linking the two men to the murder of a woman identified only "Genesis," who was with her in the apartment. She told the investigators that Genesis spoke out against the shrine dedicated to the satanic beliefs of the gang members.

Alvarez-Flores, known in the gang as "Diabolico," reportedly took offense at the outburst and offered a lit cigarette to the satanic statue.

"He returned from the statue and told the entire group that the beast did not want a material offering. It wanted a soul," the prosecutors said.

When the kidnapping victim woke up the next day, Genesis was gone. She was found dead on the side of a Houston road on Feb. 16. The police released a composite sketch of the murder victim in a bid to identify her.

Hernandez-Rivera admitted to the police in a statement that Alvarez-Flores told him it was "his turn," which he understood as an order to kill Genesis.

Alvarez-Flores reportedly shot Genesis in the chest at close range. Hernandez-Rivera confessed that he shot the woman once in the head.

The two men, who requested a court-appointed lawyer, are scheduled to appear in court again on April 18.

MS-13 started out as a prison gang in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Since then, the gang, which has about 800 members in Houston, has spread its mayhem internationally, particularly in El Salvador where it wages its territorial wars against rival gangs.
home US New Jersey Boy Scouts agrees to pay $18,000 to settle transgender discrimination case

A New Jersey branch of the Boy Scouts has agreed to pay $18,000 and apologize to the family of a nine-year-old transgender boy, who was prevented from participating in the activities of the organization last year.

Kristie Maldonado filed a civil rights complaint against the Northern New Jersey Council of the Boy Scouts after an official told her that her child, who goes by the name Joe, could no longer participate in the programs of the Cub Scout pack in Secaucus because he was born a girl.

On Thursday, the council signed an agreement to settle the case. As part of the agreement, the council vowed to change its policies in accordance with state laws prohibiting discrimination. The Division on Civil Rights ordered the council to distribute the rules to local councils in New Jersey, WREG reported.

Joe was allowed back into scouting earlier this year after the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) overturned its policy to defer to the birth certificate when screening youths who want to join the organization. The BSA announced that it would start accepting children based on the "gender identity indicated on the application," according to The Record.

Effie Delimarkos, director of communications for the Boy Scouts of America, stated on Thursday that the scouting organization is "happy to welcome Joe and the Maldonado family back into the Scouting community."

"Moving forward, the BSA will continue to work to bring the benefits of our programs to as many children, families and communities as possible," she added.

Maldonado said that Joe was pleased that the organization admitted that it was wrong. Last month, Joe was accepted into a Cub Scout pack in Maplewood. The mother said that she did not want to bring her son back to Secaucus, where scouting officials told her some parents complained last year.

"I never would have been able to just drop Joe off there and feel safe," she said about the Secaucus pack.

Maldonado said that Joe recently went on a camping trip with the Maplewood pack and that Joe has been doing "phenomenal" as a member of the group. "I know there are loving and caring people here," she said about Joe's new pack.
home World Nicaraguan woman dies after exorcists throw her into fire to 'drive out demons'

A 25-year-old Nicaraguan woman died after a pastor and four other people stripped her naked and threw her into a bonfire during an exorcism ritual.

Vilma Trujillo Garcia, a mother of two children, aged two and five, was taken to the church by Pastor Juan Gregorio Rocha Romero on Feb. 15 in order to give her a "prayer of healing," Independent reported. She stayed at the church until Feb. 21, when she was thrown into the fire.

Her husband, Reynaldo Peralta RodrAguez, said that the church members thought she was possessed after she allegedly tried to attack people with a machete.

Esneyda del Socorro Orozco, the church leader, told the police that he received a revelation from God, instructing him to build a campfire in the courtyard of the church and pray for the woman so that the "demon will leave the body of the sick and go into the fire."

Romero said that they did not intend to burn Garcia. He claimed that she burned herself because "she was demonized." He added that the woman fell into the fire after the demon was removed from her body.

"She suspended herself and fell into the fire. And when we were praying we saw that she was on fire," said the pastor.

According to Nicaraguan police, Garcia was stripped naked and tied up before she was thrown into the fire. She suffered first and second degree burns on over 80 percent of her body and was left in a ravine near the banks of a river.

Garcia was found by her 15-year-old sister and was transported to a hospital in the nation's capital of Managua. She remained in critical condition for several days before dying early Tuesday morning, according to Vilma GonzAlez, a spokeswoman for Nicaraguan national police.

Orozco was arrested along with Romero and three other people in connection with the incident. The husband said the actions of the group was unforgivable and painful.

"My wife was not demonised. What they did to her was witchcraft," Rodriguez told local reporters. "They killed my wife, the mother of my two little ones. Now what am I going to tell them?" he added.

Pablo Cuevas, a spokesman for Nicaragua's Human Rights Commission, urged the government to implement tighter controls on religious sects in the country.

"It is incredible that these things can happen today, there has to be a review by the authorities into all the different denominations and religions. We can't have things like this happening," he said.
home US North Carolina lawmaker introduces 'Life at Conception' bill

A North Carolina lawmaker has filed a bill into the state legislature that would declare that life begins at the moment of conception.

House Bill 163, introduced by Rep. Beverly G. Boswell on Feb. 22, would provide "equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person," and declare that "the right to life is vested in each human being."

Boswell, the sole sponsor of the bill, said that it will "rescue thousands of unborn children in North Carolina from dying by abortion-on-demand."

The legislation stated that it would not seek to prosecute the mother for the death of her unborn child. It also noted that it would not ban either birth control or in vitro fertilization.

In a statement to Breitbart News, Boswell argued against the common progressive narrative that abortion counts as "health care."

"Abortion is sexist," she said. "The very fact that abortionists have to use a term other than 'abortion' to refer to the act belies the claim that the dismembering of a fetus in the womb is 'health care,'" she added.

Boswell contended that abortion creates the need for health care because it causes problems for women who terminate their pregnancy.

"Mothers who end the lives of their babies see drastically higher rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction, not to mention the fact that a baby is facing a life or death scenario," she said.

Pro-Life NC Executive Director Tonya Baker Nelson lauded the measure and criticized the state's Republican leadership for failing to take initiative to reduce the number of abortions.

A similar measure was recently introduced in Iowa, but it failed to advance due to the lack of support. The Iowa bill declaring that life begins at conception was withdrawn from the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee because it did not have enough votes.

Planned Parenthood officials described the bill as a "thinly veiled, unconstitutional attempt to ban abortion" in the state. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Rachel Lopez noted that some Senate Republicans refused to vote in favor of the measure due to concerns about its unintended consequences.

Jenifer Bowen, a spokeswoman for Iowa Right to Life, expressed her disappointment that the bill failed to even pass the Legislature's first deadline. She noted that critics of the legislation have raised questions whether it would ban in-vitro fertilization and prohibit women from accessing contraceptives.
home US Over 1,800 religious leaders declare their support for teen in transgender bathroom case

Over 1,800 religious leaders have joined a legal brief in support of a Virginia transgender student who wanted to use a school bathroom that corresponds to his gender identity.

Gavin Grimm, who was born a female but identify as male, filed a case against the Gloucester County School Board in 2015, alleging that its policy that barred him from using the boys' bathroom violated his civil rights.

A federal appeals court ruled in favor of Grimm last Spring, but the school district appealed to the Supreme Court. In August, the high court halted the lower court's order, allowing the school's policy to remain in place.

On Thursday, several amicus briefs in support of Grimm was sent to the Supreme Court. One of the legal briefs was signed by a number of leaders from Mainline American Christian denominations, including leaders in the Episcopal Church and United Church of Christ, according to The Christian Post.

Clergy members identifying with the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches USA or Cooperative Baptist Fellowship also joined the brief, which was filed by attorneys at the New York City-based law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel.

"A high school boy simply wanting to use the same restroom as his classmates at a public school poses no threat to anyone's religious exercise or expression," the brief stated, as reported by Baptist News Global. "Rather, these religious actors seek to enforce a kind of religious orthodoxy that rejects the fundamental existence and dignity of transgender persons," it continued.

Others who joined the brief include leaders of religious organizations such as The Jewish Theological Seminary, the Rabbinical Assembly, Unitarian Universalist Association, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Methodist Federation for Social Action and other left-leaning religious institutions.

Legal briefs in support of the school board have also been filed by conservative groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the Family Research Council, the Liberty Council, the National Organization for Marriage, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and other organizations.

The brief filed by the ADF contended that the court has recognized that the management of school affairs should be left to the local school boards.

"We are therefore in full agreement with petitioners that local school boards must be permitted 'to establish and apply their curriculum in such a way as to transmit community values,' and that 'there is a legitimate and substantial community interest in promoting respect for authority and traditional values be they social, moral, or political,'" the ADF brief stated.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the oral arguments for the case on March 28. Last week, the school board sent a letter to the court, asking to postpone the case and wait until President Donald Trump's administration issues a new guidance on school bathrooms and locker rooms.
home US Target stock price hits two-year low coinciding with boycott over bathroom policy

The stock value of Target Corporation has seen its biggest price drop in two years, coinciding with the conservative boycott over its controversial transgender bathroom policy.

On Tuesday, Target shares sank 12.1 percent to $58.79, and it projected first-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates, according to Reuters. While the company saw its online operations growing, it reported its third straight quarter of lower sales from existing stores. Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO of the discount retail giant, said that there has been an "unexpected softness" at its stores.

In April 2016, Target announced that it would allow its customers and employees to use restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Following the announcement, conservative groups, such as 2nd Vote and the American Family Association (AFA), campaigned heavily to encourage families to shop elsewhere.

The groups argued that Target's bathroom policy would leave women and girls exposed to the dangers of sexual predators.

2ndVote Executive Director Lance Wray said that the company is "pushing a radical agenda over common-sense and safety." Target, however, maintained that its bathroom policy is aimed at helping people feel comfortable.

A report from Snopes has contended that the drop in Target's stock price was not caused by the boycott and that it was due to the 2017 guidance announced at an investor day event.

While Wall Street expected the company to project earnings of $5.30 per share, Target gave guidance of $3.80 to $4.20 per share, according to Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbough. The guidance was "well below" expectations, resulting in the drop in share value.

In an email to Snopes, company spokeswoman Erika Winkels maintained that the bathroom policy had no effect on its business.

"We have made it clear over time that we've seen no material impact to the business based on the bathroom policy. We don't have anything new or different to share," Winkels wrote.

Shortly after the company announced the bathroom policy change, a report from USA Today, indicated that the percentage of people who would consider shopping at Target the next time they needed something dropped from 42 to 38 percent. YouGov CEO Ted Marzilli described the drop as a "significant" shift, but he insisted that the backlash against Target's position is not "catastrophic."

During a meeting with analysts and investors, Target vowed aggressive promotions and asserted that it will eventually win back market share by investing in technology and small stores.
home US Trump's Inaugural pastor offers church as 'safe haven' for immigrants fearing deportation

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., who led prayers during President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, is offering a "safe haven" at his church for those who are afraid of being deported under the president's new immigration policy.

Days after Trump issued the executive order on immigration, the pastors at New Season Christian Worship Center set up 30 cots for anyone who fear the effects of the new policies. About half a dozen came in the past month but most only stayed for a couple of days.

Rodriguez, the pastor of the church and the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), has offered legal education about immigration rights to his congregation and has advised them to contact NHCLC's immigration attorney if they fear that their family might be separated.

"The anxiety in Christian conservative, evangelical churches has grown exponentially, because many of our worshipers, many of the families we serve, many of the families in our pews, may very well lack the appropriate documentation, even though we have a don't ask don't tell policy," he said in an interview with Time.

According to the Church World Service, there are currently six families that are under the nationwide sanctuary movement, which is aimed at protecting immigrants facing deportation from immigration officials.

While federal law prohibits the harboring of undocumented immigrants, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said they will comply with the "sensitive locations policy," which forbids them from searching or arresting suspected undocumented immigrants in places of worship, hospitals and schools.

In contrast to the sanctuary church movement, New Season's safe haven program is intended to provide a space for recuperation and spiritual encouragement. Pastor Charlie Rivera, who is in charge of the program, said that the New Season does not have a plan in place if immigration officials arrive at the church. "We are just there offering assistance, giving them a sense of hope, peace," he said.

Rodriguez had often clashed with Trump on the issue of immigration. During the campaign, he objected to Trump's plan to build a southern wall and deport around 10 million undocumented immigrants.

The pastor urged Trump to allow child immigrants, known as "Dreamers," to stay and find employment in the U.S. He expressed concern that the president's policies will target all undocumented immigrants rather than just focusing on violent criminals.

After Trump gave his first address to Congress, Rodriguez issued a statement urging Congress to prioritize the issue of immigration reform.

"Our hope is that Congress will make it their utmost priority to immediately pass comprehensive immigration reform. The legislative process is the best way to respect the people living within our borders and better protect the sanctity and security of our country's founding ideals," he wrote.
home US Virginia school district asks supreme court to delay transgender bathroom case

A school district is asking the Supreme Court to postpone a case filed by a transgender student who wants to use the boy's restroom in his school. The oral arguments are scheduled to be heard on March 28.

Gavin Grimm, who was born a female but identify as male, filed a lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board in 2015, alleging that its policy barring him from the boys' restroom violated his rights.

Last June, a federal court ordered the school board to grant Grimm access to a restroom that corresponds with his gender identity, consistent with a ruling from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the school board appealed the case to the Supreme Court of the United States. The high court halted the order in August, allowing the school policy to remain in place.

The appeals court ruling was based on the Obama administration's transgender directive to schools, which threatened to revoke federal funding from districts that kept boys and girls separated by biological sex in traditionally single-sex facilities.

President Donald Trump's administration revoked the policy, promising to implement a replacement order soon.

An attorney for the school board sent a letter to the court, asking it to wait for the Trump administration to make its policy clear. However, the letter noted that a clarification from the White House could take time as it is still in transition mode.

"The reasons given for rescinding the [transgender directive] only reinforce the school board's points," the letter stated, as reported by World.

Grimm's attorneys said that they also want the issue resolved sooner rather than later. "Delaying resolution of that question will only lead to further harm, confusion, and protracted litigation for transgender students and school districts across the country," said Joshua Block, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Many conservatives are hoping that Neil Gorsuch, Trump's Supreme Court nominee, would be confirmed in time to hear the case. Gorsuch's confirmation hearing is set to begin on March 20.

On Thursday, Human Rights Campaign announced that 53 U.S. companies have joined a "friend of court" brief in support of Grimm.

"These companies are sending a powerful message to transgender children and their families that America's leading businesses have their backs," said HRC President Chad Griffin.

"Transgender students like Gavin are entitled to the full protection of the law, and must be affirmed, respected and protected in the classroom and beyond." he added.

Companies joining the brief include Apple, Dropbox, IBM, Intel, Kickstarter, Microsoft, Paypal, Spotify, Tumblr, Twitter, Yahoo, Yelp and Zendesk.
The Desloge Police Department is seeking the publics assistance in identifying a man who is wanted for an armed robbery that took place on Jan. 16 just before 2 a.m.

Officers were dispatched to Desloge C-Barn for an armed robbery that morning after a man entered the business and robbed the cashier at gunpoint.

Desloge Police Chief James Bullock said they followed all leads they had. He said now that they have eliminated suspects they are asking for the publics help.

We didnt want the pictures out because we didnt want them tipped off before we found out all the information we needed to find out about them, said Bullock. The suspects we had didnt pan out and we just didnt want the pictures out before we were ready.

Bullock said the man came onto the property on foot and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

He displayed a black and silver pistol and is described as a white male who was wearing blue jeans, a dark coat with an orange lining, a hoodie with a gray stripe from front to back, a face mask, a camo head cover and dark shoes with white trim and black soles the morning of the robbery, said Bullock.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the photo or has information is asked to call the Desloge Police Department at 573-431-3131.
home World Watchdog group publishes report highlighting rise in persecution of Christians in China

A new report published by a Christian charity has revealed that the Chinese government's approach to religious policy has led to a significant increase in the persecution of Christians in the country.

The 2016 Annual Persecution Report, released by China Aid, noted that under former President Jiang Zemin, the Chinese Communist Party focused on efforts to encourage religions and socialism to mutually adapt.

However, in April 2016, President Xi Jinping highlighted the importance of religions "persistently following the path of Sinicization," prompting subordinate government departments to adopt the policy as a catalyst for many persecution attempts.

In an attempt to implement the Sinicization, local government units across China targeted house churches and coerced them to join the government-monitored Three-Self Patriotic Movement by threatening them with closure.

The charity asserted that Christians are being persecuted "at a frequency unseen since the Cultural Revolution."

The report found that the persecution against Christians rose by 20 percent compared with the statistics gathered in 2015. The number of people detained in 2016 increased by about 147 percent while the number of people arrested went up by 11 percent. The number of abuse cases increased by 42 percent, and the number of people abused rose up by almost 70 percent.

The cases of persecution include imprisonment or forced organ harvesting of Christians as well as the lawyers supporting them. It also highlights the forced demolition of churches and removal of church crosses.

China has been ranked as the 39th most difficult country to live in as a Christian in the Open Doors World Watch List for 2017.

The charity predicted that the conditions will get worse this year as the Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs go into effect nationwide.

"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," said China Aid Founder and President Bob Fu.

"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," he went on to say.
Christian Bakers Challenge Oregon State's Gay Wedding Cake Ruling, $135K Fine Before Appeals Court

These Christian bakers were simply trying to point out to a same-sex couple that they can't have their cake and it, too.

However, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries found Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, Oregon, guilty of discrimination and ordered them to pay a hefty fine of $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for Rachel Cryer-Bowman and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in 2013.

The Kleins are not about to take this challenge to their Christian faith sitting down. On Thursday last week, they brought their case before the Oregon Court of Appeals, the Washington Times reported.

The couple said they simply want the freedom to practice their faith.

"We just want the government to tolerate and accept differences of opinion, so we can continue to follow our faith," Mrs. Klein said at a press conference following a hearing. "We hope that, even if people have different beliefs from us, that they will show each other tolerance and that we can peacefully live together and still follow our faith. That's all we want."

Attorneys from the First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Kleins, argued before the court that the state of Oregon violated their clients' constitutional rights to freedom of speech, religious exercise and due process.

"The government should never force someone to violate their conscience or their beliefs," Kelly Shackelford, president of First Liberty Institute, said in a statement.

Brad Avakian, the Oregon Bureau of Labor commissioner, said he ruled against the Christian bakers because under Oregon law, it is illegal for businesses to refuse service on the basis of sexual orientation.

He also ordered them to pay a fine of $135,000 for the alleged mental and emotional damages they caused the lesbian couple.

However, the ruling apparently did not help Avakian in his bid to advance his political career as he lost to a Republican rival during the election for Oregon Secretary of State, CNN reported.

The Kleins' case became a national issue as the couple became the target of die-hard LGBT sympathisers who started harassing and threatening them. They were eventually forced to close down their store in 2013. The couple now run the bakery out of their house.

To be able to support their five children, Mr. Klein was even forced to take a job as a garbage collector, according to the Washington Times.

"We lost everything we loved and worked so hard to build," Mrs. Klein said. "I loved my shop  it meant everything to me. And losing it has been so hard for me and my family. Nobody in this country should ever have to go through what we've experienced."
Christians No Longer Prioritised In Trump's Travel Ban As Evangelical Charity Dismisses It As 'More Of The Same'

Donald Trump has been forced to water down his travel ban, removing a clause which appeared to give priority to Christians.

The ban on travel, migration and asylum from seven Muslim-majority countries now excludes Iraq from the list of countries affected.

The new US president yesterday signed a fresh executive order which removed a section in the original stating that some refugee claims could be prioritised 'on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality'.

This was interpreted as giving Christians priority when it came to travelling to the US.

The countries still affected are Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iran and Syria.

The new ban will last for 90 days and, unlike the last one signed on 27 January, does not apply to those with valid visas.

Further, the order does not suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees indefinitely, but they are subject to the new order's blanket ban of resettling refugees for 120 days.

The order will go into affect on 16 March in an attempt to avoid the chaos at airports that followed the previous order. 'You should not see any chaos at airports,' an official said. 'There are not going to be folks stopped tonight at airports.'

However, the evangelical charity World Relief dismissed the new order as 'more of the same'.

World Relief's Chief Executive Officer, Tim Breene said: 'The issuance of a new executive order on refugees and immigrants acknowledges that there were significant problems with the first executive order that caught up green card holders and others as they tried to enter to the United States. However, this new executive order does not solve the root problems with the initial orderthe cutting of refugee admissions by 55 per cent and the inability for some of the world's most vulnerable refugees to come to the United States. It is more of the same.'

Two weeks ago World Relief released a letter in support of refugees which was signed by 650 church leaders from across every State in the US. 'The breadth of support of church leaders across the country is astonishing,' said Arbeiter.

'While we support our government in ensuring our safety and security, we believe that compassion and security do not have to be mutually exclusive. We believe that the order simply remains disproportionate. In our national experience, the actions mandated by this executive order are inconsistent with the security record established by the refugee program since its inception and even since 9-11.'

He added: 'We stand with refugees. Standing with us are many thousands of American citizens in congregations and communities across the nation who have joined us in this cause. We will continue to appeal to churches throughout the US to continue to support refugees.'
Comedy Star Kevin Hart Recalls His Mom's Brilliant Strategy To Make Him Read The Bible

Comedy star Kevin Hart could never forget how his mother compelled him to read the Bible.

Hart first told the story when he appeared in The Oprah Winfrey Show back in March 2014, which God Reports recently highlighted.

Going back to that interview, Hart told Winfrey that when he was still a struggling comedian, he needed some financial support from his mother to at least pay the rent of his apartment in Philadelphia.

One time when the rent due date passed, he called his mom to ask her for some money. But all she could say was, "Have you been reading your Bible?"

Hart apparently didn't mind what his mother said. A week later, he reminded her about his request for some financial help. His mother simply rephrased what she said before: "When you read your Bible, then we'll talk about your rent."

The comedian said he was quite annoyed by the words of his "over-religious" mom, but since he was desperate for money after receiving an eviction notice, he half-heartedly agreed to his mom's condition.

What happened next stunned Hart and made him realised his mother's good intention. As he opened the family Bible, six rent cheques fell out. Little did he know that his mother, who passed away in 2007, put all his rent cheques in the Bible.

While the comedian doesn't flaunt his Christianity and even pokes fun at her mother's religiosity in comedy routines, Hart is believed to have inherited the Christian values of his mother.

"His whole family was dedicated to Christianity, and Hart uses his family's faith as a frequent topic in his stand-up. He doesn't make fun of Christianity itself, but he does make fun of how people can be hypocritical with religion," according to Hollowverse.

Hart quickly rose to fame with his unique comedic style where he delves into his own insecurities and life experiences, industry observers note.

He became a huge Hollywood star by starring in such films as the Scary Movie franchise, "Soul Plane," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Death at a Funeral," and "Little Fockers."

Hart was even more successful in his comedy tours.

In April 2015, fellow comedian and actor Chris Rock paid tribute to Hart, calling him America's "biggest stand-up comedian" in an article he wrote for Time magazine.

"After he makes you laugh for an hour, you feel like you're his friendyou feel his joy and his pain. If he has asthma, you have asthma," Rock said.

Last year, Forbes magazine named Hart as the successor to Jerry Seinfeld as King of Comedy, earning $87.5 million in just one yearfrom June 2015 to June 2016over $30 million more than Seinfeld's $43.5 million.
Dwight McKissick Backs Russell Moore, Warns Of Southern Baptist Racial Split

A senior black pastor has launched an impassioned defence of the embattled president of the denomination's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore and raised the spectre of racial division within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

Dwight McKissick Snr is pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, and has written a blog post arguing that attacks on Moore for his trenchant criticisms of Donald Trump and positions on religious liberty are led by white Southern Baptists who don't reflect the concerns of black people.

Moore's ERLC has been targeted by churches including Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, which has withheld $1 million in donations because of Moore's statements and positions. The SBC's Executive Committee has launched an investigation into why churches are refusing to support the ERLC. Furthermore, the Louisanan Baptist Convention, part of the SBC, has called for Moore himself to be investigated.

McKissick says: 'If Russell Moore cannot give a candid evaluation of Donald Trump without being publically humiliated and without White Churches withdrawing and threatening to withdraw funds, and the Southern Baptist Convention and a state affiliate, launching an investigation, I pity the Black SBC officeholder who would dare whisper a word of disagreement on a Trump statement or action.'

He urges black churches to wait for the outcome of the SBC investigation before donating to the denomination's Cooperative Program or affiliating with the SBC.

McKissick says Moore's criticisms of Trump  who was backed by more than 80 per cent of white evangelicals  caused a 'tremendous backlash' against him and 'tremendously weakened the numerical, financial, and more importantly, the missionary strength of the Southern Baptist Convention'.

He speaks of 'huge implications' because most black church leaders agree with Moore about Trump, not with his critics, and warns that the outcome of the investigation could be 'racially polarising'.

'If the Executive Committee's investigation results in reprimanding, marginalizing, or firing Russell Moore  the message being sent is strict adherence to Republican Party loyalty is absolutely necessary to be elected as an entity head and to maintain one's position in SBC organizational life,' he says. 'The implications of the Executive Committee's investigative report is staggering and could be tantamount to an earthquake in the Convention.'

McKissick also highlights the ERLC's 'tone' on racial justice, saying: 'Russell Moore's "tone" is offensive to the base constituency of the SBC, but his text is a breath of fresh air for those of us who have longed for the SBC to address matters of race and justice.'

He argues that all the issues on which Moore is criticised have a racial component, saying: 'Immigration, tone and emphasis on race relations and positions taken on race and law enforcement are the root causes of the Moore controversy.'

The SBC originally comprised churches that were in favour of slavery during the Civil War, but has worked towards racial justice in recent years.
Furious Backlash As Trump's New Housing Secretary Refers To Black Slaves As 'Immigrants'

Ben Carson, the new Housing and Urban Development Secretary, has faced a backlash after referring to African-American slaves as 'immigrants'.

'There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less,' Carson said in his first address to the agency's staff, according to the Washington Post.

'But they, too, had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.'

Carson, who stood in the 2016 presidential primary before endorsing Trump, immediately attracted a backlash on Twitter, where he was top of the trending chart yesterday. The black pressure group the NAACP was among the critics.

The actress Whoopi Goldberg joined in the chorus of complaints, pointing out that while immigrants came to the country voluntarily, slaves were 'stolen'.

Ben Carson..please read or watch Roots, most immigrants come here VOLUNTARILY,cant't really say the same about the slaves..they were stolen  Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) March 6, 2017

This is not the first time that Carson, a former neurosurgeon, has made controversial comparisons to slavery.

During an interview with NBC in 2015, he compared it to abortion. 'During slavery  and I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it  during slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought that they had the right to do whatever they wanted to the slave,' he said. 'What if the abolitionists had said, "I don't believe in slavery, I think it's wrong, but you guys do whatever you want to do"?'

At the Values Voter Summit in 2013, Carson called 'ObamaCare' the worst thing 'since slavery'.

'It is slavery in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care,' he said. 'It was about control.'
Is There A 'Spiritual Battle' Over Donald Trump's Presidency?

The charismatic Christian leader Lou Engle has declared a 'spiritual battle' over Donald Trump's presidency, saying that Trump's opponents have used 'witchcraft' against him.

In an article for Charisma Magazine, the right-wing leader of The Call wrote: 'The Women's March was the first shot across the bow, heralding a revolutionary rise against the president of the United States, "We the people" and in reality, the foundational biblical truths upon which our nation was founded. Soon after, the second shot was manifested publicly: an unprecedented global summons of witchcraft to curse President Trump, his Cabinet and all of those aligned with a biblical worldview. Suddenly, the whole controversy was elevated to a global spiritual dimension, inaugurating a spiritual battle that cannot be won on the playing field of protests and political arguments.

'Only the church has the answer to this unprecedented manifestation of witchcraft. Spiritual strategy must be used to overcome this open-faced, brazen challenge of the powers.'

Engle said that this was a pivotal point in history. 'There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens,' he wrote. 'Great revolutions, either good or evil, spring up in the vacuum created by these openings. In such divine moments, key men, women and entire generations risk everything to become the hinge of historythe "pivot point" that determines which way the door will swing.'

The rallying call came as the Washington Post published an article with the headline: 'The religious right is steeling itself for a Biblical battle on Trump's behalf'.

The article referred to the new President's weekend Twitter outburst accusing his predecessor of 'tapping' his phone calls. It said that 'religious-right figures are rising to Trump's defence in the battle over whether Obama tapped his phones. For instance, Charisma magazine, a leading source for charismatic and Pentecostal writings, is citing [the right-wing website] Breitbart as proof of the need for a congressional investigation of Trump's claim that Obama ordered the wiretap. Charisma has long been a cheerleader for Trump; during the campaign, it promoted widely disseminated comparisons of Trump to the Persian King Cyrus, referred to in the Book of Isaiah as God's "anointed" one.

It added that 'the Christian Broadcasting Network, which has long provided Trump favorable coverage, has also lent support to Trump's claim about Obama. It favorably cited Trump's comparison of Obama's supposed wiretapping to Watergate and McCarthyism, and quoted Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the religious-right legal group American Center for Law and Justice, saying that it was "very possible" that there were wiretaps in Trump Tower.'
Notion Of Pope Fighting Conservative Vatican Opposition Is A 'Cliche', Top Cardinal Says

A leading Vatican's official has challenged claims of internal tension in the Catholic Church, underplaying the popular notion of a reforming Pope contending with conservative resistors.

Cardinal Gerhard Mueller rejected the claims that Pope Francis is battling internal opposition to his attempts at administrative reform, including combatting clerical sex abuse, Religion News Service reports.

'I think you should put an end to this cliche, the idea that there is on the one hand the Pope who wants reform and on the other a group of resistors who would like to block it,' he said.

'It is part of our Catholic faith and the work ethos of the Roman Curia to support the Pope's universal mission, entrusted to him by Jesus Christ.'

Mueller, a conservative cardinal, is the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a key department in the Vatican administration. He was speaking in an interview published on Sunday in the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera.

Marie Collins, an Irish sex abuse survivor, resigned last week from a commission set up by Pope Francis to combat clerical sex abuse. She accused the Vatican of 'shameful' resistance to Pope Francis' attempts at reform on the issue  and said Mueller's conservative office were the main reason for her resignation.

'The work we want to do is to make children and young adults now and in future safer in the church environment from the horror of abuse,' Collins told RNS.

'There are people in the Vatican who do not want to change or understand the need to change.'

Mueller played down divisions, but did admit that the Pope's 2015 proposal of a tribunal for handling clerical sex abuse cases, and judging abusing bishops, hadn't been successful. He said that after 'intense discussion' about 'the fight against clerical paedophilia' the Vatican judged that they already had the jurisdiction, tools and legal resources to 'address any criminal negligence by bishops'.
To Boldly Go With Jesus: Catholic Astronaut Describes His Mission To Take Communion In Space

An astronaut who recently converted to Catholicism has described his successful attempt to receive the Eucharist in space.

Mike Hopkins, who spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013, had been received into the Church less than a year before his mission.

The astronaut, whose wife and children are Catholic, told The National Catholic Register of his conversion and his subsequent aim to receive Communion while on his mission after sensing that something was 'missing'.

After being assigned to the ISS in 2011, he said, 'Everything was good, but, for me personally, I felt like something was missing.'

Hopkins added: 'It was hard to put my finger on it, but I eventually decided that "I think maybe I need to become Catholic. I want to participate more in my family's  my wife and my kids'  religious life."...I was able to get confirmed in the Catholic Church in December 2012, and I was launching in September 2013.'

Hopkins described devising a way of taking Communion with him into space. 'Once I got confirmed though, I have to admit, I still wasn't quite satisfied  because I knew I was going to be gone [in space] for six months,' he said. 'So I started asking the question, "Is there any chance I can take the Eucharist up with me into space?" Which isn't something that, you know, is normally done, since you don't self-administer Communion.'

Several priest friends conferred 'and I was able to take a small pyx [a small container used by Catholics to carry the host] up with me that had six wafers divided into four each, so I had 24 opportunities to receive Communion on orbit. They were able to work it all out with the church; and so, the weekend before I left for Russia  we launch on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan  I went to Mass one last time, and [the priest] consecrated the wafers into the Body of Christ, and I was able to take the pyx with me.'

Hopkins continued: 'I was able to take the Eucharist up  and I was able to have Communion, basically, every week. There were a couple of times when I received Communion on, I'll say, special occasions: I did two spacewalks; so on the morning of both of those days, when I went out for the spacewalk, I had Communion.

'It was really helpful for me to know that Jesus was with me when I went out the hatch into the vacuum of space. And then I received my last Communion on my last day on orbit in the "Cupola," which is this large window that looks down at the Earth, and that was a very special moment before I came home.'

The astronaut said that NASA has been 'great' in response to Hopkins's conversion and desire to take the Eucharist into space.

'NASA has been great. ... They didn't have any reservations about me taking the Eucharist up or to practicing my faith on orbit,' he said. 'Of course, I'm there with a job to do, and I have to do that, but there was no interference. There are quite a few astronauts who are very religious. We are practicing our faith. We're not silent about that.'

Asked whether being an astronaut helps his faith, Hopkins replied: 'It does. When I receive Communion ... it's one of these things that puts things in perspective for me. When you're in orbit, and you're getting ready to go out on a spacewalk, from an emotional standpoint, you can be very nervous. You can be afraid, if you will.

'So it helped strengthen my faith, because when I was able to receive the Host and realize that if my faith is strong, I have nothing to be afraid of ... that helped. Having that constant reminder when I was on the ISS  things can go wrong in a hurry up there, and the consequences can be quite bad  [I had] my faith, and that constant leaning on Jesus, and realizing that he's in control, that I'm not in control of this. So when you're sitting on that rocket getting ready to launch, you say a prayer and get the job done.'

Hopkins added that heaven is different from space, which has become an 'artificial environment'. He said: 'When I think of heaven, I don't think of being in space, because I've been there, and I know what it's like. And there's a lot of it that is like life down here. We've created this artificial environment up there. We've built the ISS. It is man-made. It has all of the same kinds of things we have down here on Earth. You have exercise equipment. You have food. You have ways to prepare that food. You have the means of getting rid of the waste. You have science. You get up there, and it's very real. When I think of heaven, I have no idea what that is going to be like.'
Transgender People - Should Christians Try To Convert Them, Heal Them - Or Celebrate Them?

Jesus proclaimed, 'the truth will set you free' (John 8:32). Gloria Steinem waspishly added (utilising somewhat earthy language) that first it will make you exceedingly annoyed. The truth might or might not make us angry, but it needs to be sought fearlessly and without bias.

Inter-sex conditions (for definitions of the terms used in this article, see the note at the end) cover much more than anatomical variations observable at birth. A number of genetic, physiological and anatomical factors are involved. These range from the presence of an extra chromosome (as in Turner Syndrome) through androgen insensitivity (in which cells do not respond to testosterone and related hormones, causing female-appearing genitals in infants with male chromosomes) to conditions such as vaginal agenesis (in which genetically female babies are born without a vagina). Some of these are regularly associated with gender dysphoria while others are not.

The number of inter-sex individuals is difficult to determine accurately, with estimates varying between one and two percent of the population. Even at the lower end of this estimate some seventy million people worldwide are inter-sex, significantly more than the entire population of the UK.

While inter-sex conditions are biological in origin, the roots of transgender experience are much more difficult to determine. Research demonstrates that reality is much more complex than much popular writing suggests.

A meta-analysis of almost seventy years of research published by VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam in 2013, makes fascinating reading. With regard to gender identity it reaches the conclusion that, 'not one causal factor can be determined and it is most likely that gender identity development is the result of a complex interplay between biological, environmental and psychological factors'. This indicates that transgender experience defies simple explanation and requires nuanced interpretation and reflective response.

A Christian Response

Most Christians will want to know what the bible has to say about transgender issues. Without delving into the complex world of biblical hermeneutics, it is important to point out that Christians differ vastly in the ways in which they understand the nature, role, interpretation and application of Scripture. There is, therefore, no easy answer to this question. Nonetheless, a few observations might prove helpful.

The biblical authors had almost no scientific knowledge available to them relevant to transgender issues. Consequently, it should not surprise us to find that they do not explicitly discuss inter-sex conditions, gender identity or transgender issues.

Biblical texts that are sometimes viewed as being relevant ought, therefore, to be approached with caution. Paul's comment that there is neither male not female in Christ (Galatians 3:28) comes in the context of celebrating unity in Christ; it is not a statement on sex or gender. Jesus' echo of the 'male and female' creation statement (Genesis 1:27), as well as his comments on eunuchs, were uttered in the context of a discussion on marriage and divorce as practiced within Second Temple Judaism and ought not to be pressed into an exploration of transgender issues (Matthew 19: 2-12). The decree, 'A man's item shall not be on a woman, and a man shall not wear a woman's garment' (Deuteronomy 22:5) has been interpreted variously by Jewish scholars over the past two thousand years but with a consensus that it does not address transgender issues.

The 'key' biblical reference is seen by many to be Genesis 1:27, 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.' The relevance to this for an understanding of transgender issues, however, depends largely on whether this passage is to be understood prescriptively (stating God's intention in creation) or descriptively (stating the author's observation of creation). Arguments can be made either way, but the balance lies with the text being descriptive (in contrast to the prescriptive text of verse 26). Much of the Genesis 1 text is descriptive (for example, the delineation of livestock, crawling creatures and wild animals); at the very least enough uncertainty exists over adopting a prescriptive interpretation to make it an unsure foundation for a Christian discussion of transgender issues.

We are on much firmer ground when we focus on pastoral and relational concerns where the Scriptures do speak with great clarity. Both the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the absorbing image of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25) provide rich resources for guidance.

Transgender people are people

Regardless of our sex or gender we are all made in the image of God and we are all loved equally by God, without distinction. As followers of Jesus we are called to stand with the marginalised, identifying wholeheartedly with them. Jesus' discourse in Matthew 25 calls us to realise that when we do either good or ill to the marginalised we do it to him.

No one chooses their sex and (whatever the cause) no one chooses to experience gender dysphoria, yet transgender individuals are often pushed to the margins of the Church and society. As Christians, we need to listen much more carefully to transgender people's stories. Their lives are already complex and often difficult; we must not add to the trauma that many of them face.

To extend to people the courtesy of being free to describe themselves as they are rather than as others might wish them to be is a simple application of the Golden Rule. To respond with love, acceptance and support is part of loving our neighbours as ourselves. Sadly, the Church has too often lagged behind society in accepting our common diverse, humanity. The Church has often been a late-comer in opposing such evils as racism, slavery and homophobia only to convince itself that it has always been a champion of equality.

Those of us who have never struggled with gender issues and who have had no reason to question our gender assignment must decide how we view transgender people. More importantly, we must decide how we are going to relate to them. Are they sinful, sick or simply distinctive? Will we try to convert them, to heal them or is it possible that we might just celebrate them?

Note on definitions used: Understanding Transgender Issues

One of the frustrations in grappling with transgender issues is the inconsistent way in which language is used both at popular and academic levels. Another is trying to find material that seeks to understand the issues involved rather than trying to bolster pre-existing opinions based on ethical, philosophical or theological conviction. In this article, I have tried my best not to add to the frustration. .

Terminology

Based on usage by the American Psychological Association:

Sex refers to the biological traits associated with a distinction between males and or females

Gender refers to the social, psychological and cultural traits associated with a distinction between males and females.

Gender assignment refers to the classification of an infant at birth as either male or female

Gender dysphoria refers to dissociation from the physical or social aspect of one's assigned gender.

Gender identity refers to one's self-identification as male, female or other.

Inter-sex refers to a variety of conditions in which one's sex does not conform to that typically associated with being either male or female.

Transgender refers to people whose gender identity does not conform to their gender assignment.

Revd Dr Brendan McCarthy is the Church of England's national adviser on medical ethics and health and social care.
The mother of a Parkland soldier, who received an early return from his first six-month deployment in Afghanistan, was given the surprise of a lifetime Saturday night at VFW Post 2426 in Desloge.

Army Private Zach Dodd, 20, of Park Hills, was well-hidden when his mother, Tina Dodd Kightlinger, walked into the VFW having no idea her son had already returned home from his overseas assignment.

Asked what life was like in Afghanistan, the Central High School graduate said, "Hot and dry!" Dodd said his job was to protect contractors working in the war-torn country for the United States government.

He said his mother was expecting him to return to southeast Missouri on March 16.

"She's been really worried while I've been over there, so she's going to be really happy to see me tonight," he said. "I'm really happy that everyone at the VFW wanted to do this for us and I'm hoping this will be the biggest surprise that she's ever had!"

According to Post Commander Dennis Sweet, the idea for the surprise reunion came from Zach's stepfather, Ron Kightlinger, a member and trustee of the post, and a friend, Melissa Byers.

Ten minutes later when Zach's mother entered the room, Byers quickly drew her attention to another part of the room to allow her son, wearing a couple of helium balloons from his shoulders, to get in place.

And when Tina finally caught sight of her son, she let out a scream and ran into his arms, giving him a great big hug. Asked how she felt the moment she saw her son, Kightlinger said between sobs, "I'm so happy he's home."
Vicar Of Baghdad Andrew White: 'Why I Like Donald Trump'

The 'Vicar of Baghdad', Canon Andrew White, has praised President Donald Trump and said there are 'positive signs' for the Christians of the Middle East.

In a YouTube video entitled Why I Like Donald Trump, White, who ministered at St George's Church in Baghdad during the horrendous violence that followed the American-led invasion, says: 'The world has got to get to grips with the fact that there is a new president and that actually there is hope with this president and there is very much hope for the persecuted Christians in the region.'

He notes that Trump's new executive order restricting immigration from several Muslim-majority countries  issued after the ignominious failure of a previous attempt  now does not include Iraq.

'It's very interesting that even though President Trump had said no Iraqis were allowed into America it now looks as if he is going back on this issue,' he says, suggesting Trump 'acnowledges how much the Iraqis did in the combat of 2003 and how closely the Americans and the Iraqis were working together.'

Unlike the previous failed exective order, however, the new order does not prioritise Christian refugees.

White was forced to leave Baghdad in 2014 after threats to his life from Islamic State and now ministers in Amman, Jordan. He says he is planning to meet members of the Trump administration when he travels to the US the week after next.
'Your Sister In Christ': Chinese Christian Woman Pens Hope-Filled Poem From Prison

An imprisoned Christian woman in China facing five years in jail recently wrote a sad but ultimately hope-filled poem recounting last year which she spent in police custodyin the southern Guizhou province.

Zhang Xiuhong, who was the chair of Huoshi Church's Board of Deacons, penned a poem which recalls what she could not experience during 2016 because of her imprisonment, the charity China Aid has revealed.

Zhang was seized by local authorities on July 28, 2015 for 'illegal business operations' involving a transaction from which she did not benefit, according to her lawyers Xiao Yunyang and Li Guisheng. The lawyers were not allowed to plead guilty on her behalf.

Her trial commenced on 23 January, and the Nanming District Court sentenced her to five years in prison on 10 February. She appealed her sentence on 17 February, arguing that she was deemed responsible for embezzling 5 million Yuan ($725,374.00).

Zhang was accused of collaborating on this crime with an associate, Pan Lina Pan, who received a sentence of only three years with a four-year probation. Zhang concluded that she was targetted because of her religious beliefs.

Zhang's poem can be read in full below.

This year

I didn't hear the sweet voice of my baby,

I didn't embrace the wanderer come back from afar,

I didn't see my loved one's thin and weak figure,

I didn't have heart-to-heart talks with my sister,

I didn't taste the delicious food prepared by my mother-in-law,

I didn't bask in the rays of the morning sunlight,

Or take a stroll as the sun sets.

Or ride on a high-speed train to go somewhere.

This year, the sound I often heard,

Was the slam of metal doors, sharp and piercing,

This year, the sight I often saw was hopeless eyes,

This year, the food I had every day was the unchanging "three dishes and a soup,"

This year, the farthest I went was less than 1,000 meters [approximately 3,281 feet] away,

This year, I received a staggering fine,

This year, I saw the judge of my case twice, not at the court, but where I'm being detained.

Was this a tough year for me? Painful? Lonely? Living each day like a year? Absolutely not!

This year, I was never in a dark place while waiting; the sun above the clouds shined upon me and nourished me;

This year, I was never homesick;

This year, I enjoyed the bounty of grace because my trust in the Lord who called me brought me unspeakable glory and joy;

This year, the world drifted farther away from me;

This year, my Lord drew ever closer to me;

This year, I received the fruits of the Lord's Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control;

This year, I bathed in His love;

This year, my soul broke free from the metal bars of prison and soared in the Kingdom of God;

This year, I lived in hope and divine promises....

Your sister in Christ,

Zhang Xiuhong
Specialist Elizabeth Hammer examines superlative examples of the most intimate form of Chinese traditional painting  all with imperial provenance  which realised a combined $123,901,000 as part of the record-breaking Important Chinese Art from the Fujita Museum auction in New York

Christies dedicated Evening Sale of Important Chinese Art from the Fujita Museum realised a grand total of $262,839,500 / HK$2,032,755,075, which alone surpassed the previous record for any Asian Art Week series in auction history. After a momentous auction, Jussi Pylkkanen, Global President, Christies, remarked: This evening we witnessed a record total for any Asian Art sale, and a spectacular success for a great museum through the sale of major Chinese works of art and paintings.

The exhibition, global tour, and auction generated huge international interest driven by Shang and Zhou dynasty ritual bronzes and classical Chinese paintings with exceptional provenance. The top lot for the sale was Chen Rong (13th century) as catalogued in Shiqu Baoji, Six Dragons, which realised USD$48,967,500 / HK$378,706,146.

Handscrolls are in many ways the most intimate form of Chinese traditional painting, explains Elizabeth Hammer, a Christies specialist in Chinese Paintings. When you see a handscroll displayed wide open in a museum its actually not the way you are supposed to see it; what you lose is the cinematic unfolding of the composition as you go along.

The six handscroll paintings offered in the Important Chinese Art from the Fujita Museum auction on 15 March at Christies in New York were all owned by Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty. He put together what was probably the biggest collection the world has ever known of Chinese paintings, Chinese works of art, as well as objects from the rest of the world, Hammer continues. (To view all six paintings, click on the View all button farther down this page, and browse lots 507 to 512.)
The University of Houston graduate student whose visa process was complicated by President Donald Trumps executive action on immigration earlier this year said she has received a new visa to return to Houston and finish her degree.

Azadeh Mehrani, a chemistry student, has been in Iran with her family for months. Trumps initial executive action prevented her from receiving a new visa in January, but after a federal judge temporarily halted the order, she reapplied for new documentation.
Top Houston ISD officials and trustees on Monday expressed disapproval of proposals for school vouchers, tax-credit scholarships and education savings accounts.

Officials, including Superintendent Richard Carranza, wrote in a press release that such vouchers or voucher-like programs would disrupt what school districts like Houston ISD are already doing to provide choice through magnet programs.

Vouchers allow parents to use taxpayer funds that would normally follow their children to traditional public or charter schools and use that money to pay for tuition at private schools. With tax-credit scholarships, companies donate tax-deductible money to a pot used to pay for public school students' tuition to attend private schools. Education savings accounts place state dollars designated for a child's education in a personal account that parents can use to pay for private school tuition or online education.

Education savings accounts have been the most popular voucher-like option proposed thus far in the Texas Legislature.

But last week, Rep. Dan Huberty, the chairman of the House Public Education Committee, said his panel would not allow a vouchers bill to move through the Texas House.

HISD Board of Education President Wanda Adams applauded the House's refusal to pass voucher legislation.

"We are grateful for the work being done in the Texas House," Adams said. "The state's constitution says, 'It shall be the duty of the Legislature to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.'

HISD operates 119 magnet programs at its 110 schools across the city, with choice programs for all grades. District officials said HISD is already home to high-performing magnet schools, charter schools, early college high schools, early childhood centers and a virtual school.

But when rated by the state's preliminary letter-grade accountability system in January, Houston ISD earned mixed scores. It earned B's for closing achievement gaps and for learning gains on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. It earned a C for student achievement on the STAAR, and its lowest mark - D - came in postsecondary readiness, a stumbling block for many Texas schools.

Still, 37 of HISD's high schools were recognized among the most academically rigorous schools in the U.S. by the Washington Post in 2016. The district also is a two-time winner of the National Broad Prize, an honor awarded to urban school districts for closing the achievement gap.

"The Legislature's main focus is to make sure the public school system works well," Carranza said. "HISD is ready to do our part to boost student achievement and sustain high-quality choice programs for Houston's children."
Eric Gay/STF

AUSTIN -- Texas House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, on Friday ended speculation about the lower chamber's position on using the Rainy Day Fund when he filed a supplemental budget that will go there.

House Speaker Joe Straus has been somewhat ambiguous about the potential use of those funds when speaking to reporters  vague enough to suggest the House could be open to using the Economic Stabilization Fund or possibly inclined to use remaining revenue from the last budget for the supplemental, followed by cuts in the proposed budget.
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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.

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
GALVESTON  The body of a Pearland man was discovered hanging in his cell at the Seabrook city jail over the weekend, police said Tuesday.

The family of Richyard Aycock, 26, has hired an attorney to investigate the circumstances of his death.
How old is 17? That's what lawmakers are being asked to consider when thinking of House Bill 676, a proposed law that would raise the age of juvenile offenders from 17 to 18.

Under the proposal, sponsored by Gene Wu, Democrat-Houston, most 17-year-olds would be tried as juveniles instead of adults unless their crimes were particularly serious. It would also mean that most youth under age 18 who are serving time would be moved from jail to juvenile detention centers.

What changes would the law mean for Bay Area local governments, law enforcement agencies and communities?

Many area law enforcement agencies report that, on the street level, HB 676 wouldn't interfere with day-to-day operations. But questions arise about how a change might affect crowding or needs at local juvenile facilities.

Local experts on criminology and psychology say that because of 17-year-olds' stage of brain development, some make impulsive decisions that get them in trouble and that the focus should be on rehabilitation outside an adult prison setting.

Rehabilitation vs. incarceration

Raising the age for juvenile offenders makes sense to Everett Penn, professor of criminology at University of HoustonClear Lake and a co-founder of the Teen and Police Service Academy, an organization that connects at-risk youths with law enforcement mentors to discuss issues like bullying, gang violence, drugs and conflict management.

"The brain does not reach its full potential until about the age of 25," Penn said, "and the developmental theory literature tells us that the last part of the brain that forms is that of the frontal lobe, which controls our impulsivity."

While Penn believes that people should answer for their crimes regardless of their age, he says rehabilitation should be the focus for adolescents.

"Anything that moves us closer to that age of discussing mens rea - or whether or not someone having a guilty conscience for the crime they've committed - is a good discussion," he said. "In most cases, true mens rea doesn't happen until that frontal lobe is completely developed."

Christine Walther, assistant professor of psychology at UHCL, said incomplete development of the frontal lobe can affect 17-year-old's thinking in emotionally charged situations.

"In situations that are not particularly emotional, many adolescents can make decisions as logically as adults before they are 17 years old," said Walther. "In emotionally charged situations, adolescents make more impulsive, and often poor, decisions."

Penn said that having 17-year-olds in a juvenile detention facility will provide more opportunities for rehabilitation.

In adult jails, he said, "There are smaller chances of fixing the wrong and moving forward to make that person a functioning member of society than there are in the juvenile justice system."

'Business as usual'

Ryan Sullivan, public information officer for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said that officers on the street wouldn't have to change the way they work if the bill becomes law.

"You're not looking at age when you're investigating a crime - you're investigating the crime and that's about as simple as that," Sullivan said. "So, if we're responding to an aggravated robbery, we're not concerned if the offender is 15 or 21, we're just concerned with who is responsible. From there it's really the courts who determine how to prosecute moving forward. That criminal responsibility gets figured out later down the road."

Pearland Police Department spokesman Jason Wells said age has little to do with how his department handles a crime and simply serves as an indicator of where the offender would be taken to await a hearing or trial.

If the age for juvenile offenders is raised, "It would be business as usual," said Wells, who is an officer. "From now on, people that were 17 who we would have previously taken to county or city jails for their offense would instead be taken to the appropriate juvenile facility for their area."

In fact, depending on the crime, he said, officers now exercise some leeway on certain low-level incidents to keep 17-year-olds away from adult facilities.

Pasadena Police Department spokesman Vance Mitchell said the department would work to follow any laws set forth by the state.

"Without seeing the final law, we would not be comfortable speculating on how the new law would affect how officers do their jobs. Our officers would enforce the law as it is written," Mitchell said.

Pondering 'peer contagion'

Galveston County Sheriff's Office Capt. Tracy Keele said that if passed, the bill wouldn't affect the way deputies with his agency approached their jobs. But he voiced concern regarding the potential influence a 17-year-old could have on younger adolescents in a juvenile detention facility.

"A lot of the 17-year-olds are subject to more experience, more crimes, and they can be, in my opinion, more criminally minded than some of the 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds in a juvenile facility," he said. "Exposing some of the younger juveniles to a 17-year-old with more criminal experience could be a bad idea."

Walther said that such "peer contagion" works both ways, saying that while 17-year-olds could potentially put younger adolescents at risk in a juvenile facility, they themselves could be at risk if placed in an adult facility. In many cases, Walther said, detention facilities, regardless of the ages of its offenders, are not often places for rehabilitation.

"The concern with putting adolescents in a facility, even one designed for other juvenile offenders, is the potential exposure to offenders who have committed more serious crimes," she said. "Through peer contagion, if adolescents who have committed minor crimes are placed in juvenile facilities, this exposes them to peers who have committed more serious crimes, which can potentially result in an escalation in offending. This escalation is even more likely to occur if adolescents are placed in a facility with adult offenders."

Keele noted that 17-year-olds are probably not mentally ready for the experience offered at an adult facility.

"Even 18- and 19-year-olds aren't old enough to handle what is waiting on them in the adult facility," he said.

Crowding and security issues

Sullivan said the biggest effect if HB 676 becomes law would be seen at detention facilities.

The law would mean either retrying incarcerated 17-year-olds as adults or moving them into juvenile facilities. That could have positive and negative effects for Harris County Sheriff's Department detention facilities.

On one hand, it would make the county jail compliant with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, an act signed into law in 2003 by President George W. Bush. Inspections have been slowly rolling out to seek compliance from detention centers around the country, and Harris County's jail recently went through an audit, passing every issue for PREA compliance except one - separating minors and adults by sight and sound.

"It's impossible for us to do," Sullivan said. "We do house them separately; so they are in their own individual area, but separating them by sight and sound would mean that if a 17-year-old was sick, I would have to clear the hallways and the clinic of all adults to take them down to see a doctor. It would mean that if they have to go to court, they would have to be transported separately from the rest of the inmates going to court. So, moving the 17-year-olds out of our facility would make us completely PREA compliant."

But on the other hand, moving 17-year-old inmates to juvenile facilities would likely crowd facilities.

"We currently have anywhere from 75 to 100 17-year-old inmates in our custody," Sullivan said. "The juvenile detention facilities in Harris County currently don't have the capacity to take that burden on; so there would likely be a cost to county taxpayers for them to be able to absorb those inmates."

Keele said the same situation exists in Galveston County.

The Jerry J. Esmond Juvenile Justice Center "is typically at 99 percent capacity; so you're looking at overcrowding if we move inmates from the adult facility over," Keel said.

There are potential security risks associated with moving 17-year-old inmates who have been in adult facilities to juvenile facilities, law enforcement officials said.

"Juvenile detention centers aren't necessarily equipped to handle the more serious crimes that some of our 17-year-olds commit," Sullivan said. "We, on the other hand, are a super maximum security facility and can take in all levels of offenders."

Keele said that to be in Texas state jail compliance, the ratio of inmates to corrections officers has to be no more than 45 to 1.

"Moving a surplus of inmates to the facility would outnumber the corrections officers by a wider margin and make that facility be out of compliance," he said. "Now, you're looking at not having the staff to maintain a constant watch over the adolescents in their care, and that could be dangerous, too."

State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, has said that it costs $30,000 to jail an adult for a year and $150,000 for a juvenile. He said current estimates are that if it becomes law, the proposal would cost Harris County about $50 million.

Advocates say that long-term savings would come through less recidivism.

Penn said while he favors raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, he has concerns about what the future could hold for those housed in juvenile facilities if the bill were to pass.

"I remain concerned about the funding necessary for the juvenile justice system to take on this new population and provide them with the same rehabilitative services current juveniles receive," he said.

Keele offered a potential solution.

"Chances are, we'll have to build a second facility anyway due to overcrowding; so it makes sense to build a facility that would only house 17-year-olds and could serve as a transitional facility. That way, they're separated by sight and sound from adults in the adult facility; so they can't get the influence from adults, but they're also separated from younger juveniles, which removes the risk of them influencing other adolescents."
Rice Village is embarking on a complete transformation of property in front of D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe, Nao Ramen Houston, and newcomer Hopdoddy Burger Bar to create a new public gathering spot with free WiFi to be known as Morningside Plaza.

Both D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe and Nao Ramen Houston are open during the construction.

Located on Morningside Drive between Times Boulevard and University Boulevard, Rice Village's first open-space plaza will stretch the length of the three restaurants. The plaza also will extend from the Morningside Drive sidewalk to a new canopy in front of all three dining spots.

"Within the tight confines of Rice Village, our biggest challenge has been finding opportunities to add much-needed public space for the community," said Tommy Miller, Managing Director, Trademark Property Co. "This plaza was basically created out of thin air. We're creating an engaging gathering place framed by landscaped planter boxes with new shade trees and seating. It is time for this beloved but neglected stretch of Morningside known for its vibrant restaurant and bar scene to evolve and hopefully this will be a catalyst for future improvements."

With comfortable seating and four live oaks providing ample shade, Morningside Plaza will be ideal for patrons to mingle or simply relax before or after dining. The space also will be framed with planters of lush greenery.

Plans also call for a new, wider sidewalk on Morningside Boulevard to improve access for local food trucks.

Morningside Plaza is expected to be completed by early March in time for the opening of Hopdoddy Burger Bar.

Visit www.RiceVillageDistrict.com for additional information about Rice Village including store sales and new arrivals. Also, follow Rice Village at www.facebook.com/RiceVillageDistrict on Twitter @RiceVillageDist and Instagram @RiceVillageDistrict.
Country

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Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston and the YMCA of Greater Houston are offering a trip to Israel Sept. 3-14 for adults 55 and older.

Walt McFadden, Senior Corps Department director at the J, visited Israel in March 2014.

"It's one thing to read about the places where Jesus lived and taught," he said. "It's quite another to see them with your own eyes and touch them with your own hands. Visiting Israel affected me profoundly, and I'll always treasure the experiences I had there."

The trip begins in Tel Aviv, the first Modern Hebrew City and ends in Jerusalem, known as the center of major religions. The J and YMCA have been working closely with the Jewish Community Center Association office based in Israel to ensure that participants not only get to know the land but have many interpersonal encounters that will tie them to Israel's unique communities.

"To provide an interfaith experience in Israel is special," said Elena Dinkin, YMCA Active Older Adult director. "I was moved by my visit to Jerusalem, seeing the Wall, experiencing the preparation for Shabbat and then worshiping at a synagogue. The connection between what I had learned in my studies and then seeing it in person is so meaningful to me. I am looking forward to the opportunity to experience Israel with so many active members of the YMCA and the J."

Trip highlights include a guided walk through Neve Tzedek, one of the early neighborhoods that developed outside of Jaffa; dinner in the home of an Arab family living in Galilee; a tour of the church on the Mount of Beatitudes and retelling of the story of the development of Christianity in this region of Israel; a visit to Qasr al Yahud, baptismal site on the Jordan river where it is believed that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist; a tour of Jerusalem's Old City and a visit to selected sites in the Jewish and Christian Quarters, including the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Travelers will also rest, relax, and rejuvenate in the Dead Sea and celebrate Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Deadline to register is April 1. For more information please contact Elena Dinkin at elena.dinkin@ymcahouston.org or 713-662-1315 or Morgan Steinberg at msteinberg@erjcchouston.org or 713-595-8170. Visit www.erjcchouston.org for more information about our programs and services. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The 2017 Thomas Willis Award for significant translational contributions to clinical stroke research from the American Heart Association has been awarded to Jaroslaw Aronowski, Ph.D., professor, vice-chair and the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Chair in Neurology at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

The Willis Award recognizes an American Heart Association Stroke Council Fellow who has "actively engaged in and has made significant contributions to basic science research (animal/cell models) in stroke." In fact, the AHA stroke conference only bestows this award once a year to one senior scientist for sustained long-term achievements and advancing innovative concepts in the basic science of stroke. The award is given in honor of Thomas Willis (1621-1675), a pioneer physician who provided the first detailed descriptions of the brain stem, cerebellum and ventricles along with hypotheses on their function.

"This award is the most flattering thing that has happened to me in my professional life," said Aronowski, who has spent most of his career at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.

Discoveries in Aronowski's laboratory have resulted in clinical trials for ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. He is an international research leader in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathology of acute cerebral ischemia, reperfusion injury, and secondary injury after intracerebral hemorrhage with an emphasis on the role of transcription factors, neuroinflammation (including the role of microglia, neutrophil, and oligodendroglia), stem cell therapy, and the use of ultrasound in tPA-mediated thrombolysis.

"This distinguished American Heart Association award is a testament to Dr. Aronowski's outstanding work," said Louise McCullough, M.D., Ph.D., Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair of Neurology and chief of neurology, Memorial Herman Hospital-TMC. "Dr. Aronowski is a leader in the field of stroke research and has been an incredible asset to the neurology department and McGovern Medical School for over three decades."

In the field of experimental research, Aronowski has trained dozens of clinical stroke fellows, research fellows, and scientists who today play instrumental roles in leading clinical stroke research around the world.

Aronowski's research has been sponsored continuously for two decades with grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the AHA.

He has published more than 100 papers, and given more than 100 plenary lectures and invited presentations around the world Aronowski has served on more than 100 NIH and AHA study sections and acted as a member of the Planning Group to Establish NIH Future Goals/Priorities in Stroke Research-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

He is the associate editor for basic science for Stroke, a journal of the AHA/ASA. He currently serves as a treasurer-elect for the International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.

Aronowski received degrees from Warsaw Medical School and the Polish Academy of Sciences and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology & Anatomy at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.
Feb. 24

An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to a possible harassment case.

Feb. 25

At 2:08 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 6600 block of Buffalo Speedway at a high rate of speed. A traffic stop was conducted in the 3200 block of W Holcombe. After further investigation, the driver was arrested for the offense of Driving While Intoxicated.

An officer was dispatched to the 4100 Block of Tennyson in regards to a Disturbance that had already occurred.

An Officer was dispatched to the 3600 block of W. Holcombe to speak with a complainant who stated that unknown persons entered their motor vehicle and removed items without their effective consent.

Feb. 26

At 2:48 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound in the 6300 block of Buffalo Speedway at a high rate of speed. A traffic stop was conducted; the driver was cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia and speeding.

At 12:31 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U Lobby, in regard to a report of a disturbance that already occurred.

At 11:32 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of the 3900 block of Milton at College in regard to a burglary of a motor vehicle that had just occurred.

Feb. 27

An officer was dispatched to the Houston Police Department central jail facility to pick up a prisoner with outstanding West University Place warrants. The prisoner was transferred to the West University jail facility and booked without incident.

Feb. 28

An Officer was dispatched to a resident located in the 3500 block of University Blvd. in regard criminal trespass. Officer met with victim and completed a harassment report.

March 1

An officer was flagged down in the 4200 block of South Judson by a citizen, who wanted to report a theft that already occurred.

Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Rice and Edloe in reference to a suspicious person. Officers made contact with the subject in the 6200 block of Auden. The subject gave Officers a false name and date of birth. Officers were able to positively identify the subject. The subject was then ken into custody and charged with Failure to ID.

March 2

An Officer was dispatched to the 3000 block of Quenby on a suspicious activity call. After the completion of the investigation, a subject arrested for public intoxication.
Harris County Constable Precinct 4

A man from the Cypress area has been charged with three counts of possession of child pornography after an investigation into trafficking of child porn images via the internet messaging site Skype.

William Fred Mendel, 73, was served a search warrant at his home in the 12600 block of Timbermeadow in Houston after investigators were alerted to the images.
Alicia's Mexican Grille in Katy will donate 15 percent of lunch and dinner sales every Thursday during the month of March to The Ballard House.

Katy's Ballard House provides patients battling life-threatening illnesses, along with their families and caregivers, Texas-sized hospitality in a home away from home environment. Alicia's Mexican Grille Owner David Herrera said, "The Ballard House is an outstanding charity that helps so many families in need. We are honored to partner with such a worthy cause and we hope our wonderful community will join us in this effort."
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Everyone wants to make their mark in this world.

For two graduates of the Katy Independent School District that means opening a restaurant offering Southern dishes made with ingredients that are fresh from local sources.

Cane Island Bar & Grill is tentatively set to open in April in a roughly 2,000-square-foot space at the The Shops at Pine Mill Ranch on FM 1463 at Pine Mill Ranch Drive in Katy.

It is the brainchild of Patrick DeMarco, owner/general manager, and Eliab Olivares, kitchen manager. Patrick's dad, Bob DeMarco is owner and manager.

Patrick DeMarco, 31, a Cinco Ranch graduate, and Olivares, 28, a Katy High grad, shared musical interests after meeting through a mutual friend - DeMarco plays guitar and Olivares sings. After graduation, DeMarco attended the University of Houston and Olivares attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas.

At UH, DeMarco said "I was bouncing around majors." But he liked to cook at home, was always kind of interested in cooking and had management and bar experience having tended bar through college.

He rethought what he was doing and transferred to UH's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

"From the beginning I wanted my own place," he said. "For a while, I thought just a bar. Now it's morphed into a bar and grill."

And, he had no doubt about who would be his kitchen manager - Eliab.

The introduction to Eliab's future career came about when he worked for a small appliance store at Katy Mills where one of his regular customers was a chef. The chef gave him an opportunity to cook.

Olivares started cooking when he was 18 and his career has ranged from high-volume casual eateries to high-end boutique restaurants and working with prestigious chefs in Dallas.

"I'm trying to do simple food the right way," he said, "sourcing food locally with as many small vendors as I can."

Planning for the restaurant started more than two years ago.

Bob DeMarco said they wanted the family restaurant to be where they lived and grew up and considered FM 1463 to be a great spot.

"Traveling either way on FM 1463 you'll find Chinese, fast food, pizza," he said. "They don't have a restaurant with homecooked food made from scratch every day. It's the same high quality food you make at home.

"It's the inside the feel without the inside the loop price," added DeMarco.

Construction and weather  circumstances out of their control - have delayed the opening at 4747 FM 1463 Road, Ste 100, which Olivares finds the most difficult part of the process.

"The most exciting part is putting my stamp on something that is my own." He said he opened three restaurants in the Dallas-Forth Worth metraplex and now this is his stamp on the culinary scene in Katy.

The restaurant will feature a 50-foot covered dog-friendly patio with dog bowls for furry friends, a full bar with 20 taps of craft Texas brew plus Texas distilled liquors and a selection of wines.

Bob DeMarco said the menu was test-marketed with people they know and won faves for its vegan food, which is intended to appeal to the diverse neighborhood surrounding the restaurant.

They not only spent time on the menu but also on the name.

DeMarco said they had a skull session where they sat down and kicked around names. They visited the Katy Historical Society and wanted to go with the original name by which Katy was first called - Cane Island.

"We wanted something to convey the local Texas feel of what we're doing," said Patrick DeMarco.
Pattison Elementary

Texas PTA President Lisa Holbrook recently visited Pattison Elementary, one of six Katy Independent School District schools whose Parent Teacher Associations were awarded the 2015-16 Voice for Every Child Award.

Texas PTA's most prestigious membership award, the Voice for Every Child Award honors PTAs that strive to have one voice (one member) for every child on campus.
PrimeWay Federal Credit Union will celebrate its grand opening in Missouri City at 4935 Highway 6, Missouri City, TX 77459, with aerial skydivers, food, drinks and desserts, a live DJ and appearances by the Sugar Land Skeeters players and their mascot.

The celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, and include free food and desserts from local food trucks. The event will also include a special sky presentation by professional aerial skydivers.
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Keller Williams Southwest continued its mission of "giving where you live" by inviting the Fort Bend community to help "shred for a cause" and feed the hungry between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Feb. 11 in Sugar Land.

Local businesses and community members were invited to bring up to two trash bags of papers that need to be shredded.
Sugar Land City Council recently approved a contribution of more than $573,700 from the Cullinan Park Conservancy.

The contribution builds on $500,000 provided from the Conservancy last year for the future development of Cullinan Park - 754 acres of mostly inaccessible forest and wetlands north of Sugar Land Regional Airport.

The Conservancy will continue fundraising to support conservation and environmental/education programs at the park. Funds can be raised from any source, including individuals and philanthropic foundations and institutions, and may include governmental grants. Previous donations have been made possible, in part, by The George Foundation's commitment of $1 million and the Wortham Foundation's award of $250,000 for park improvements.

The Conservancy has committed to secure pledges and contributions of at least $5 million within five years and $10 million within 10 years of annexation of the park by the City. More than $1 million has been raised so far.

Sugar Land annexed the park last year after signing historic agreements with the Conservancy, the city of Houston and the Houston Parks Board.

Future development of the property has long been targeted by the community and is consistent with the Conservancy's efforts to preserve the vast natural resources of the park.

The City is now operating and maintaining the park, which includes enhanced security; trail cleanup; lawn maintenance; and new lighting systems, signage and entry gates.

Future planned improvements include trails and boardwalks that allow greater access to existing lakes and wetlands areas, as well as locations for canoe and kayak launches into Oyster Creek. Site amenities such as picnic pavilions, benches and interpretive signage have also been identified. Planning and design will begin this year with construction to follow.

The land is owned by the city of Houston and Houston Parks Board and now located within Sugar Land's city limits. The annexation by Sugar Land was the result of visionary leadership by members of the Conservancy and elected leaders in Sugar Land and Houston.

The lands of Cullinan Park were first settled in 1828 by Alexander Hodge, a member of Stephen F. Austin's Old 300. For more than 150 years, the property was used for raising cattle, sugar cane and other crops. In 1989, Cullinan Park was acquired by the Houston Parks Board and City of Houston and opened in 1991 as a nature preserve with improvements funded by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The Cullinan Park Conservancy was formed as a non-profit corporation in 2010, as a project of the tax-exempt Houston Parks Board. The Conservancy seeks to enhance and protect the natural beauty of Cullinan Park.

The Conservancy is focused on a number of efforts that will help enhance the Park's status as -- in the words of its major donor Nina Cullinan -- a "place of beauty and peacefulness in the city." These efforts include mapping the park, surveying its vegetation and birdlife, planning for its trail and bridge renovations, arranging for park cleanups and organizing a photo contest about the park, its wildlife, landscapes and visitors.

Visit cullinanparkconservancy.org for more information.
A 55-year-old resident of Sugar Land is off to federal prison after sending a threatening email to a state office.

Syed Kaleem Razvi pleaded guilty Oct. 3, 2016, after sending a threatening email to the Texas Attorney General's Office and various employees with other state agencies, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
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Two Fort Bend Independent School District educators are among eight Houston area teachers and principals named finalists for the 2017 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, spotlighting them as some of the best educators in Texas.

The Fort Bend finalists are Richard Embrick, a teacher at David Crockett Middle School, who is named a Rising Star, and Julie Diaz, principal at Travis High School.

The honor was kept a surprise from the educators, who learned they were finalists when H-E-B representatives visited their classrooms and schools with balloons, cookies, and flowers.

The six teachers were presented with a $1,000 check for themselves and a $1,000 check for their schools. Two principals received a $1,000 check for themselves and a $2,500 check for their school.

All finalists are invited to Austin on May 6-7 to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes totaling $430,000.

H-E-B launched the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 as a positive way to support public education in Texas. It has become the largest monetary program for educators in the state, spotlighting best practices and celebrating the passion and creativity of Texas educators.

H-E-B asks customers, partners (employees) and community members to nominate teachers, principals, districts, early childhood facilities and school boards in Texas. Each nominee is sent an invitation to complete an application online and is asked about their professional experiences, educational philosophies and achievements both in and out of the classroom.

A team of judges reviews the applications, narrowing the field to semifinalists. From that pool, five regional judging panels comprised of former winners, administrators, and university and community leaders not affiliated with H-E-B select 40 teacher and principal finalists. Three separate panels select eight school districts and five early childhood facilities as finalists, awarding $2,500 to $5,000 in cash prizes. Up to five school boards may also be recognized, and awarded $5,000 towards the district they serve. Additionally, one or more school boards may receive a special judge's award totaling up to $25,000. Site visits are conducted to determine winners.

Teacher and principal finalists are invited to Austin, May 6, to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes. A statewide panel of judges, not affiliated with H-E-B, conducts a personal interview with each finalist to select winners.

Eight winners - two principals and six teachers - will be announced along with two school districts, one large and one small, a public school board and an Early Childhood Facility, at a dinner on May 7.

Visit heb.com for more information.
Texas State Technical College recently hosted its first Community Resource Fair to serve the students and the residents of Fort Bend County.

The fair focused on health and wellness and finance, is hosting six businesses: 24 Hour Fitness; Texana, Mental Health Agency; Frost Bank, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office; Access Health, a medical facility that provides affordable healthcare to those with or without insurance; and TSTC's Veteran Services.

The businesses set up in the entrance of TSTC's Industrial Technology Center, providing information and guidance for those needing or having an interest in their services.

Director of Student Services Georgeann Calzada said this event was held with the students' needs in mind.

Every business that will be at the event is located within a 10 to 15-mile radius from the campus, also giving students the benefit of proximity.

"We want our students to be healthy and make good financial decisions," said Calzada.

"We encourage healthy lifestyles and I'm so glad all of these businesses were willing to help us."

Calzada said she hopes students found the information they received useful and that they will take advantage of the services that were offered during one-on-one conversations between students and the company representatives.

"Many of the students and even faculty and staff on campus, can benefit from these services," she said.

"We hope to make this a yearly event and grow the partnerships we have with our local service-orientated businesses around the county."

During the event, TSTC staff also encouraged students to register for the college's Emergency Notification System (ENS), an alert system that utilizes phone calls, text messages and emails to send notifications in case of inclement weather or dangers around the campus.

"Safety at TSTC is our number one priority," said Calzada. "It's an important factor at school, work and in life."

Calzada said students can expect a Spring Break Awareness Fair in the coming month to provide students with the information they need to stay safe during the one-week break from classes.

For more information on the services offered to TSTC students or to sign up as a business partner, call 364-239-3422.
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Anthony Bentley thought he'd come face-to-face with a burglar who shot two police officers, his lawyer said Monday.

But instead of helping police nab a wanted man, Bentley - a high school student in the Houston Police Department Explorers program - mistakenly shot 17-year-old Derrick Green three times.

Bentley, also 17, is now facing an aggravated assault charge. But Green's family and activist Quanell X held a press conference Monday demanding a stiffer charge for what they see as "vigilante" justice.

IDENTIFIED: Young woman in satanic killing identified

"This was an attempted murder; he attempted to kill this young man," Quanell said. "We are demanding that District Attorney Kim Ogg upgrade the charges to attempted murder."

The chaos unfolded Tuesday afternoon in west Houston, even as a massive police manhunt was underway just 10 miles south.

Bentley was at home when an officer with the Explorers program sent out an alarming message: Two officers had been shot by a burglar, and now his partner in crime was on the loose.

The high school student headed out to the bank, hopping in his mother's car to deposit money.

"So he drives a block from his house and is almost killed by this guy going 60 or 70 mph and he hears all these sirens," his lawyer Joe Gutheinz said.

GRUESOME: Family finds human bone inside walls of new Houston home, which once belonged to long-missing woman

Thinking he'd seen the wanted shooter speeding by with no police in sight, Bentley decided to follow to relay the suspect's location to officers.

But just a few seconds later, the fleeing car crashed into a fire hydrant on Canoga. The driver jumped out and started running.

Still sitting in his car, Bentley thought the man on the loose was a police shooter. Instead, it was Green, whose family said he'd done nothing more than steal a car.

Green never ran toward Bentley, according to Quanell.

"What justifies this young man shooting this young boy three times in the back?" Quanell said.

But Gutheinz said the running teen turned around at one point, possibly looking for a different exit route.

DISTURBING: $1.2 million bond for man who allegedly tortured, sexually assaulted Conroe woman

"He's absolutely convinced this is the guy who shot the cops," Gutheinz said of his client. "He's in the wrong place at the wrong time and he's panicking."

So Bentley reached for his mother's gun, stashed under the seat. He fired off four shots and hit Green three times - in the leg, shoulder and back, according to the district attorney's office.

Bentley stayed at the scene and offered a statement to police, his lawyer said.

Green was taken to the hospital but prosecutors said he hadn't formally been charged with car theft as of Monday afternoon.

"Was he wrong for stealing the car? Absolutely he was wrong. And he should be punished for that - and he will be," Quanell said.

"But we cannot have a society where people become vigilantes like this."

The district attorney's office did not rule out the possibility of more serious charges, although attempted murder would fall into the same sentencing range as aggravated assault.

"We are evaluating all facts and evidence in the case," spokesman Dane Schiller said in a statement.

"It has not been presented to the grand jury. At that time, additional charges or a different charge may be considered."

Gutheinz hopes that doesn't happen.

"He's a really good guy," he said. "He's not a vigilante or a hero. He's a 17-year-old kid who tried to do the right thing."

But Quanell dismissed the Houston-area lawyer's defense of his client.

"I did not know HPD taught cadet explorers how to use firearms and how to assist police officers when necessary with deadly force," he said.

"The climate in America has grown to such a dangerous climate that you can shoot a young black male and claim any defense.

"Obviously, what he is saying could not be further from the truth than the devil is from god."
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The Harris County Sheriff's Office is instituting new policies aimed at improving prisoner safety after an inmate suicide in the jail last month.

Vincent Dwayne Young, 32, was found dead in his cell on Feb. 13, after hanging himself with a bedsheet.

A review by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards following the death found that the jail was not in compliance with minimum state standards because jailers had not checked on the inmate as often as required by state law.

"Observation is key to operating these jails effectively, efficiently and safely," TCJS Executive Director Brandon Wood said Tuesday. "And its an area where there is little leeway granted."

LAWSUIT FILED: Family sues over death row inmate who killed self in jail

The last time jailers had checked on Young was at 5:56 p.m. on the day he died, Wood said. Jailers discovered the inmate hanging in his cell at 7:10 p.m. Under state standards, he should have been checked every 30 minutes, and the sheriff's internal policies call for checks of medical inmates every 25 minutes.

A Chronicle investigation into the Harris County jail two years ago found dozens of instances in which jailers skipped required cell checks or faked records to hide skipping them, a pattern that experts called a serious problem at county jails statewide.

The suicide comes as jail staff have made efforts to lower inmate suicides, particularly after a trio of deaths in 2014. An audit performed by a national expert on jail suicide found that the facility's suicide rate is about a third of the national average.

Young's death, the first suicide in the jail this year, prompted an internal review, officials with the sheriff's office said.

FORT BEND: Teen inmate dies after hanging self at Fort Bend jail

The agency has since fired the deputy responsible for the checks that night and referred the case to the Harris County District Attorney's Office for review. Investigators with the Texas Rangers are also probing the death.

"The Harris County Sheriff's Office is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents, including those housed at the county jail," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday announcing a series of measures aimed at preventing such deaths in the future. "Our sincere condolences are extended to Mr. Young's family."

The new measures include requiring watch commanders to conduct weekly, random audits comparing detention officers' written inmate observational rounds records with video to verify the detention officers' accuracy, according to the sheriff's office.

Supervisors must verify that detention officers conducting their rounds are also obtaining firsthand evaluation of the inmates' attitudes and temperament, as well as observing the physical, mental, and emotional condition of each inmate to detect signs of distress or need for medication, psychological or other special services.

PROTESTS: Activists question death of inmate at county jail

According to the sheriff's office, supervisors are meeting with detention officers to reiterate the importance of properly conducting inmate welfare rounds. For the next 30 days, the department's Compliance and Inspections staff will make daily site visits to the Health Services row and in the future, will conduct random audits of staff performing their observational rounds.

The sheriff's office is also seeking funding to install additional video surveillance cameras in health services cells, the department's statement said.

"I'm sure this is part of their corrective plan of action and we hope it resolves the issues they've experienced in the past," Wood said.

Across the state, however, lapsed jail checks have remained a stubborn problem. Of the nine jails currently listed on the TCJS's website for being out of compliance with state standards, four of them were cited for not completing jail checks in a timely manner, Wood said.

Lapsed jail checks have been a problem for the Harris County sheriff's office in the past. Inmate Alex Guzman killed himself in March 2013 while two jailers who were supposed be conducting cell checks were eating pizza and taking online classes required for their jailer's licenses.

The issue of inmate safety and observation also gained nationwide attention after the high-profile death of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old inmate who hanged herself in the Waller County jail three days after being arrested in a traffic stop.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see how a neighboring county handles jail suicides
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A Harris County Assistant District Attorney was caught up in a case of mistaken identity this week after a woman with the same name posted racist messages about African-American women on Twitter.

Late last week, and early this week, Facebook and Twitter users circulated a series of tweets dating back to mid-February, when a user with the name Courtney Rosen posted tweets disparaging African-American women.
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Four gang members described by law enforcement officers as menaces to society have been arrested and charged, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced Tuesday morning.

The suspects are linked to at least 10 cases in west and southwest Houston, including five home invasions and at least three robberies, Acevedo said.

The suspects are accused of being on a crime spree since early January - breaking into homes near Bellaire Boulevard and Beltway 8.

They were also accused of one robbery in January of 2016.

All four suspects - Marqus Sirls, 20; Treveon Stockton-Williams, 24; Khiana Washington, 18; and Mohagany Ireland, 20 - were charged with aggravated robbery. Sirls received the most charges of the group - two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated sexual assault and burglary with intent to commit sexual assault.

"These people are pretty much your worst nightmare," said Stephen Hendrie, a sergeant with the Midwest divisional gang unit.

Police confirmed they were in a gang, but declined to say which gang so as not to give the group publicity.

CHILLING CASE: Teen killed in alleged Satanic ritual identified

The suspects were arrested Feb. 22, thanks to a tip from a private security company that the gang members were driving a black Nissan Maxima. During the arrest, officers found two guns and stolen items.

Police officers were speaking with victims and getting their assistance identifying the suspects as recently as Friday, spokesperson John Cannon said.

Stockton-Williams, Ireland and Sirls are being held in the Harris County jail. Washington is out on bail.

Stockton-Williams is charged with three counts of aggravated robbery. Washington and Ireland are charged with two counts of aggravated robbery.

>>>Scroll through the above gallery to see what gang tattoos look like in Houston
The Texas Department of Public Safety was the lead agency in a multi-agency Methamphetamine Initiative Group task force in Houston that recently received the Outstanding Cooperative Effort award for its role in a long-term High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) investigation in the Harris and Montgomery counties area.

The national HIDTA award recognizes outstanding local programs for their efforts to protect public safety and was presented in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
A 32-year-old Spring man is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old runaway from California at his home in northern Harris County, according to the sheriff's office.

Ash Morgan Arthur was arrested Saturday after deputies responded to family members' request for a welfare check at his residence in the 23400 block of Fox Run.
A Houston medical clinic manager has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for her role in a $1 million Medicare and Medicaid conspiracy.

Verona Spicer partnered with a physician for the City of Houston in order to run a scam out of clinics in Houston and Port Arthur.
Prominent Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee on Monday accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of "playing politics," saying prosecutors are trying to revive a DWI case against him that has already been expunged.

Buzbee said Ogg's office has filed a sealed motion seeking to reopen the criminal case by overturning a decision last month by a civil court judge that expunged the case files.

The district attorney's office declined to comment on the details of the motion.

"We have filed a document that was sealed by the clerk," said First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg by e-mail. "As a result, we are not at liberty to discuss that document."

Buzbee said Ogg singled him out because outgoing District Attorney Devon Anderson personally dismissed his case in the days before she left office at the end of the year.

"Ms. Ogg's new position is that she didn't personally sign the agreed motion, and the assistant DA who did so lacked her express permission," he said Monday by email. "Of course, he says he did have that authority. So, I guess those two can fight about that."

He called information that has been released about his case "bunk" and said his driving while intoxicated case last year was dismissed not as a political favor by the outgoing Republican but "due to multiple irregularities."

Ogg, a Democrat, took office Jan. 1 after defeating incumbent GOP DA Anderson.

"I don't think the DA's office should be playing politics and singling out people to attempt to score political points," he said.

Buzbee is well known throughout the state for his work and his philanthropy. He worked on the team representing Rick Perry after the then-Texas governor was indicted in 2014 in an abuse-of-power case that was later dismissed. He is also a regent at Texas A&M University, his alma mater.

He is a bipartisan fundraiser who hosted Donald Trump at his River Oaks mansion at a gala last year and who raised more than $100,000 in funds in 2014 for Democrat Adrian Garcia's failed mayoral race.

On Monday, he criticized the media while saying he has never met Anderson.

"What you want to report is that I got 'special treatment' from a DA whom I had never met, and still haven't," he said. "Not sure why I would warrant special treatment."

Buzbee was arrested a year ago on suspicion of DWI and vowed to go to trial. Instead, Anderson personally dismissed the case, saying the attorney had fulfilled the obligations of a pre-trial intervention program.

However, his conditions were less onerous than the obligations for others who went through Anderson's DWI intervention program, called DIVERT, which typically lasted a year. And he was allowed to expunge his case immediately, though others have been required to wait two years.

The diversion contract, which typically is placed in the public court file, was not filed publicly. The Houston Chronicle filed a request under the Texas open records law to obtain a copy of the contract, but Buzbee was able to block the request by claiming a third-party interest.

The DA's office under Anderson then sent it to the Texas Attorney General's Office for a ruling on whether it was public information; the ruling is pending.

Last month, the public file was sealed by an expunction approved by civil court Judge Robert Schaffer. The criminal file reappeared online Monday, however, on the Harris County District Clerk's website.

Buzbee said Monday that a motion has been filed under seal in the civil case to reverse the expunction.

"In that motion to set aside, the DA takes a position that her assistant DA had no authority to agree to the expunctionwhich is an outright misstatement of the law, and which is factually untrue because he claims he did in fact have her express permission," Buzbee said.

Attorneys in the DA's general counsel office are tasked with handling dozens of expunctions a year. An expunction is a civil case that is separate from the underlying criminal case. It is sealed, and also seals the criminal case. Although Buzbee's criminal case is back online, his expungement lawsuit remains sealed.

Buzbee said his case was dismissed because there were multiple problems with it.

"From the beginning, this case has not been handled appropriately," he said. "Some of those irregularities included leaking false details to the newspaper, 'losing' audio of my arrest, accessing my file and circulating it to multiple lawyers in town..."

After his arrest, he said, a prosecutor was fired for circulating details of the alleged crime that were in an office database.

The dismissal made headlines after it happened Dec. 9 for several reasons, including that Anderson personally signed the form.

It also happened in a court with the only misdemeanor judge in Harris County who expressly prohibits "pretrial intervention" - a type of informal probation for suspects charged with driving while intoxicated.

Buzbee said he would have won the case at trial.

"The case is over; had it not been dismissed due to multiple irregularities that occurred," he said, "I would have won it on the merits."
Social media, for better or for worse, has helped reveal some of the ugliest aspects of people.

On Monday, the Dallas Police Department arrested 27-year-old Ashley Coleman and 17-year-old Hakeem Griffin-White, charging and jailing them for the murder of Drekeiston Alex, a 19-year-old who died of his wounds at a local hospital after being shot.
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The allegations were chilling: A woman claimed as many as 15 members of a fraternity at Stephen F. Austin University had sexually assaulted her in the woods during a fraternity party.

The woman making the accusation offered witnesses, photos and details to back her allegations.

But, the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office on Monday closed the case, saying there's no reason to believe the woman was sexually assaulted.

TEA DATA: Violent crimes and incidents at Houston-area school districts

Sheriff Jason Bridges said on Tuesday the accuser will not be charged.

"There will be no charges against the accuser," Bridges told Chron.com.

He also posted a lengthy account of the accusations and resolution of the case on the department's Facebook page.

"Due to the magnitude of allegations that were made in this case, it was handled as a top priority by the Sheriff's Office as well as all other agencies involved," Bridges posted.

According to the sheriff's office:

The woman first reported being raped after having consensual sex with a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity in a car outside a party on May 7, 2016.

RANKINGS: The safest colleges in Texas

The woman then said she believed she was sexually assaulted by three men in the woods outside the party, but couldn't identify any of them.

Bridges said the woman underwent two sexual assault examinations by a nurse with the results being consistent with consensual sex, but no evidence of an attack by multiple men.

Over the next month, the woman repeatedly contacted sheriff's investigators, offering names of possible witnesses, as well as identifying her alleged attackers. Bridges said the woman even broke down once during an interview with detectives.

The Sheriff's Office brought in the Texas Rangers to assist and the university began its own probe of the allegations.

BAYLOR CONTROVERSY: Art Briles says he didn't cover up sexual assaults

Investigators talked with 54 people and, Bridges said, found no one to corroborate the woman's claims. They also concluded that one man the woman identified as being at the party was in Dallas at the time of the alleged attack.

"Time after time, even after the Complainants stories changed and she accused different suspects, law enforcement continued to diligently investigate the case," Bridges wrote.

Bridges said nothing more will be submitted to a grand jury because there's no evidence a crime took place, but left open the possibility of pursuing the case further if credible evidence surfaced.

He declined to comment on the woman's motivation for making the accusations.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see the other universities recently entangled in fraternity scandals ...
A jury sentenced two former police officers to prison terms Monday for many but not all of the charges they faced in a sex case in which several young women had testified the pair conned them and seduced them with offers of money and legal help.

The sentences added up to six years in prison for Alex Chapa, 29, and 10 years in prison for Emmanuel Galindo, 31.

Chapa and Galindo wept during earlier sentencing testimony. Chapa said his codefendant had concocted the elaborate 2015 scam that fooled at least four women into having sex with them by convincing them it was for an undercover operation.

RELATED: SAPD: Pregnant teen, unborn child killed; gunman hospitalized

Convicted Friday, both men knew they had to serve at least two years for each count of compelling prostitution, which does not allow for probation. The jury gave them slightly higher terms than the minimum, which State District Judge Steven Hilbig extended by stacking them.

They've lied to you and everyone else. They've not taken responsibility for their actions, prosecutor Ryan Wright had said earlier, asking for the maximum sentence of 20 years for the sex assault and compelling prostitution charges, which are second-degree felonies. These aren't people who had a bad upbringing. They put their own families through this for their own pleasure. It was calculated.

I see no reason for sympathy. Max 'em out, Wright urged.

RELATED: Garbage, mounds of feces waist-high in S.A.-area home

After the sentencing, Wright said it sends a strong message about weeding out bad cops. And these were bad cops.

Galindo was sentenced to five years in prison for each of five counts of compelling prostitution, with Hilbig stacking two of them to run after the first three, in effect a 10-year sentence on that charge. Galindo also drew eight years in prison for each of three counts of sexual assault, to be served concurrently. He received 10 years probation for a fourth count of sexual assault.

Chapa got probation for three counts of sexual assault. The judge grouped Chapas four counts of compelling prostitution into a pair of three-year sentences, then stacked them for an effective sentence of six years,

Both defendants received probation for the Class A misdemeanor of official oppression, eight counts for Chapa, 12 for Galindo.

Neither defendant testified during the trial but both took the stand Monday during the punishment phase.

Chapa looked at the jurors directly and said that the undercover operation was for real, that Galindo had proposed the scheme and supplied the official-looking but phony documents that backed it up.

And, he said, he only reluctantly had sex with some of the women. Of one victim, identified by the alias, Charley Rose, now 26, Chapa said: I always asked, Are you sure? Are you sure? (about having sex), but she pushed for it hard. I'm just sorry all of this happened....I felt stupid and scammed. I felt horrible.

Rose told the Express-News Friday evening after an emotional day of testimony that she wished the officers could get life in prison.

I think it all came down to controlling women and playing us for fools, said the mother of two.

The women testified last week that they were recruited into the confidential operation with promises of $1500 and a menu of sexual favors that if performed would earn them points and status within the operation. They said the officers showed them badges, carried guns, wore uniforms occasionally and told them they could go to prison if they told anyone about the plan, which they suggested might involve Mexican drug cartel figures.

Chapa testified that Galindo assured him the bogus operation had nothing to do with SAPD and was being run by the National Security Agency, a federal spy agency whose primary stated mission is to capture billions of e-mail, text and phone conversations of non-U.S. citizens across the world. He further stated he never saw any authentic documents from any law enforcement agency concerning the operation and lied to his wife about the scheme for fear she would be upset.

Toward the end of his testimony Monday, Chapa said he was persuaded to participate by Galindo but that he wasnt blaming Galindo and that he, Chapa, needed to take responsibility for his own actions.

For his part, Galindo, who took the stand at about 11:30 a.m., started weeping even before he started talking. Earlier, his father, who is from Coahuila, testified that when he and his wife adopted Galindo as a baby just three days old, he barely fit in a shoebox.

Prosecutor David Lunan adamantly made Chapa, as a defense witness, go through his previous statements to police in minute detail, extracting admissions that he had asked Galindo if they should buy condoms before meeting the women and took various actions to cover his tracks.

Wright, the other prosecutor, scoffed at the NSA story, telling the jury the pair had not told investigators about it and cooked it up, when they were beginning to delete text messages and cancel phone contracts.

Prosecutors also presented a witness Monday who testified she had sex with Galindo in the summer of 2015, after Galindo claimed to be a film producer and promised her $10,000 to shoot an adult film in which she would play a stripper role and have sex with the killer.

I was not comfortable at all with this and I knew in my gut something was not right  but he was very persistent to the point of being intimidating, the woman said. And at that time I was in hardship and was going to lose my car, my job and my dog.

bselcraig@express-news.net
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Anti-Semitic fliers were removed from Texas State's San Marcos campus Friday, marking the fourth time university officials have had to address racially charged handouts found at the university since November.

University police found roughly four to five fliers around 1 a.m. Friday outside of the Albert B. Alkek Library, said Texas State spokesman Matt Flores.

"White man, are you sick and tired of the Jews destroying your country through mass immigration and degeneracy," the flier reads, flanked by two swastikas, according to a photo obtained by mySA.com.

RELATED: Fliers calling for the 'white man' to fight back found on Texas State campus

President Denise Trauth did not plan to make a statement regarding the fliers, Flores said Monday, adding that she's made it "quite clear" the nature of the handouts, and the ones before them, go against the "core values of what it's like to be a Bobcat."

On Friday, Trauth released a statement that said: "Although I have shared my thoughts on this type of reprehensible activity numerous times, I cautiously do so today because it gives the perpetrators the attention they so desperately seek."

"All of you know that the deplorable sentiments contained in these communications violate our university core values," she said.

Flores said an investigation has been opened to find who posted the fliers.

Since November, three other unauthorized and racially charged fliers were found on campus and led to multiple investigations. One day after Election Day, a flier was found on bathroom mirrors throughout the campus that called for the "arrest and torture" of "deviant university leaders spouting off all this diversity garbage."

Trauth said she expected students to express their opinions with "civility and in a collegial manner."

RELATED: Texas State probes pro-Trump fliers calling for 'torture' of school leaders over 'diversity garbage'

In December, another handout encouraged students to report undocumented immigrants to authorities. Trauth issued a reminder that students did not have to report anyone to immigration officials.

A flier calling for the "white man" to take their country back was discovered and Trauth tweeted that the staff was looking into the issue.

"I don't know that you can stop it," Flores said Monday, adding the university has been proactive.

May Olvera, a journalism junior at the university, told mySA.com she first saw the anti-Semitic fliers shared on Facebook by some of her Jewish friends who were "shocked and uncomfortable." She said, despite the contents of the flier, each incident has served a purpose "they've made people more alert and brought them together."

RELATED: Flier at Texas State tells students to report undocumented immigrants

Olvera, who still feels safe on campus, said she didn't bother reaching out to university officials due to how they have handled similar problems.

"They seem to act like it's a waste of their time, so I think that students themselves are better equipped to deal with these things as a community rather than have the school attempt to handle it," she said.

Flores said he would not comment on what Olvera said.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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SAN ANTONIO  A teenage girl and her unborn child were killed Monday on the Northwest Side by a man who attempted suicide but survived, police said.

"It's a very tragic scene and situation," said Ofc. Doug Greene, a spokesman for the San Antonio Police Department, who stopped during a press conference to wipe tears from his eyes. "This is one of the harder ones for us to go to."

Officers initially responded to the 1100 block of Babcock Road around 11 a.m. for what appeared to be an attempted suicide.

Police later received information that the man who attempted to kill himself might have been been at a nearby apartment complex before the attempt.

Greene said officers went to investigate the apartment that the man had visited, where they found evidence of forced entry.

Inside the apartment, the body of 15-year-old Jennifer Delgado, who was nine months pregnant, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A 1-year-old child belonging to the victim was found unharmed.

The girl was transported to University Hospital in an attempt to save the unborn child. The attempt was unsuccessful.

READ ALSO: Convicted former SAPD officers take stand, weeping and pleading for mercy from jurors

The unnamed suspect, identified as a 36-year-old male, was also transported to University Hospital. Police said on Monday afternoon that he was in serious condition. If he survives the suicide attempt, then he will face capital murder charges, police said.

At the scene, a relative of the victim cried out in pain upon learning that the teen, and unborn child, were killed.

READ ALSO: First responders rescue woman who crossed a barricade over Cibolo Creek

In the wooded area where officers were initially investigating, a short trail of blood was found leading to a ditch, though whose blood it was is unclear

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
AUSTIN -- The House Public Education Committee will take up changes to the state's beleaguered school finance system in a bill that seeks to inject $1.6 billion into schools Tuesday.

Committee Chairman Dan Huberty, R-Humble, unveiled HB21 Monday, saying it is the first in a multi-year strategy to reform the state's school funding system that siphons money from property wealthy districts to poorer ones.

Huberty pushed for his committee to hear the bill on Tuesday, just one day after its introduction. That move was objected to by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, who complained the quick turnaround did not give local superintendents enough time to travel to Austin to testify on the bill. Huberty said he expects at least two hearings on his legislation.

OPEN CARRY: Lawmakers weighing some restrictions on guns

While the chairman expressed confidence his bill could pass in the House, its future is uncertain in the Senate. The upper chamber is in no hurry to pass a school finance bill into law this year and instead favors rewriting the state's school finance formula, studying it and waiting until 2019 to approve it. Senate leaders also want to pass a school choice bill, which the House opposes, setting up a potential crash course between the two chambers.

Huberty's bill also comes with a $1.6 billion price tag in a tight budget year, and it is unclear whether Republicans in either chamber or the governor will approve the additional spending or raiding the state's rainy day fund to pay for the school finance fix.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see which schools in Texas were declared the "most beautiful" in the state
Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father whose impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention in July called on Americans to reject a ban on Muslims entering the United States, claimed that his "travel privileges are being reviewed" by U.S. authorities, forcing him to cancel a scheduled speech in Toronto.

The announcement on Monday coincided with President Donald Trump's rewritten order to temporarily ban entry of citizens from six Muslim-majority nations to the United States. Khan has been a U.S. citizen for more than 30 years and was born in Pakistan, which is not one of the six nations.

Ramsay Talks, the organizer of the event Khan was to speak at, seemed to take Khan at his word on Monday and included a statement from him in a cancellation post on Facebook. "This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad," said Khan, according to the post. "I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future."

The claim, which does not state which U.S. agency contacted him, immediately raised doubts about how it was possible that a U.S. citizen was being prevented from traveling abroad.

On Tuesday, Bob Ramsay, who runs Ramsay Talks, said he didn't know the specifics of Khan's predicament. "I don't know exactly who conducted the review, but in speaking with Mr. Khan, it was certainly U.S. authorities," Ramsay said. "That's all I know."

As questions about his motivations for making the claim swirl, Khan has refused to elaborate on his initial statement to The Washington Post and other publications. A more detailed request for clarification did not receive an immediate response Tuesday afternoon.

It is unclear whether Khan has previously traveled outside the United States since he was naturalized.

U.S. citizens don't need visas to enter Canada, or even the electronic travel authorizations required of all other foreign visitors there. As a general rule, the United States cannot prevent passport-holding citizens from traveling if they have not been charged with a crime. Public records indicate that Khan has no criminal history, either at the federal level, in Charlottesville, where he lives, or in Silver Spring, his previous place of residence. Furthermore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Politico that, as a rule, it does not contact travelers before their trips.

The Canadian foreign ministry also denied issuing any review of Khan's ability to travel there.

"We are unaware of any restrictions regarding this traveler," said Camielle Edwards, spokeswoman for Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.

Khan's son Humayun was killed in 2004 while in Baqubah, Iraq. He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for saving the lives of other soldiers. Since the convention in July, Khan has appeared widely on television and at public events in which he has spoken against the Trump administration and its immigration orders.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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In an era when Trump administration officials label unwelcome tidings as fake news, endorse alternative facts, and favor conspiracy theories, many see another looming threat. They fear federal data may become the next casualty of a post-truth world.

The Trump administrations early actions have sounded the alarm. First there was the dispute with the National Park Service over the inauguration crowd size. Then, the USDA removed animal welfare information from its website. There have been other disputes about statistics, such as the Presidents false claim that the current US murder rate is the highest its been in 47 years. Given the Administrations skepticism of climate science, its dim view of government regulations, and its proposed budget cuts, many suspect data may become the enemy in the administrations effort to deconstruct the administrative state.

The nations colleges and universities arent taking any chances. Data is their stock-in-trade, and they know how vulnerable it can be. Fearing worst-case scenarios where original data disappears, they are spearheading a remarkable, self-organized movement to safeguard and protect federal data.

If non-partisan government data casts doubt on Trumps political agenda or the effectiveness of his policies, the administration could deal with the problem a number of different ways. The cheapest, simplest, and most effective method is not to collect any data at all. Budget cutting does the job nicely. Alternatively, survey questions and data collection could be skewed. All this can be manipulated and altered at the outset, warns American University professor Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity, a journalism nonprofit that specializes in data based investigations. The methodology of data gathering is key. Government agencies can also drag their feet, essentially ignoring Freedom of Information Act requests for data that often become the basis of journalism investigations.

Much of this happened during the administration of conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who led Canada for nine years from 2006 to 2015. He focused on boosting economic growth, cutting government spending (except for the military), and reducing environmental regulations. His government closed data-gathering institutions, tossed historical scientific data into the dustbin, and prevented scientists from speaking to the media if their research ran counter to the governments agenda. It was like an iron curtain was drawn across communicating research to Canadians, a Canadian scientist told the magazine Nature. These measures ended only in 2016, when Justin Trudeau became the new Canadian Prime Minister.

Even before the Trump administration took office, the US government restricted politically sensitive data collection. For more than 15 years, Congress has prevented the Centers for Disease Control from studying the impact of guns on human health. At the state level, the Wyoming legislature passed laws in 2015 imposing criminal and civil penalties on citizens, including academic researchers, who collected water, soil, and other resource data on public or private lands to report violations of environmental laws to government agencies. In 2016, the legislature tweaked the language to make it more acceptable to the courts. Now, an individual can collect resource data on public lands, but if he or she inadvertently sets foot on private land on the way there or backa strong possibility given Wyomings patchwork of unmarked public and private landthe penalties apply, and none of the data can be used by government agencies. In an Amicus brief supporting an appeal, a group of First Amendment lawyers argue that collecting data falls under First Amendment protections, citing several Supreme Court rulings. The briefs opening line: Data is the lifeblood of speech.

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RELATED: Breitbart-led right-wing media ecosystem altered broader media agenda, study shows

Instances like those at the CDC and in Wyoming were once considered outliers. Now, they could become the new normal. Academics have decided to act, starting a remarkable social movement led by librarians and digital archivists who know the ins and outs of data better than almost anyone else.

Shortly after the November election, a team at the University of Pennsylvania launched the Data Refuge Project to harvest and secure government scientific and environmental data they considered vulnerable that is not included in standard government archiving projects. Soon after, a more comprehensive sister Libraries Network project launched to rescue and preserve data at 15 federal agencies, including the departments of Labor, Commerce, Health and Human Services, and Justice.

Data Refuge events have spread to colleges and universities in 17 states and the District of Columbia, including Harvard, Yale, and MIT. More are planned. Every weekend, students from different disciplines sit next to scientists, researchers, artists, librarians, digital archivists, and community members learning to use automated web-crawlers and other software to scrape, mirror, harvest, copy, authenticate, and secure government data in multiple, virtual safe houses in the US and abroad. Canadian scholars are lending a hand.

In a six-minute YouTube video, a Libraries Networks narrator speaks of data as shared cultural memories. To her and her colleagues, data is also a historical snapshot of how we as a society go about investigating and describing the world around us, and how those methods and observations change over time. She describes the challenge they faced. Without a trusted original source, she asks, how can you even trust the copy? Unless they solved this problem, the Internet could become flooded with fake data.

To address this issue, they are designing ways to develop and rapidly scale protocols to verify the authenticity of copies and secure them in multiple locations. They have created a virtual chain of custody to track changes, and procedures to spot bad actors trying to game the system. To navigate the vast oceans of federal data, they are asking researchers and local communities to tell them which data sets they value most and why, inviting even more civic involvement.

Beyond rescuing existing data, there are ways to create data on issues government officials would rather ignore. Civil society can step into the breach. For instance, problems with high lead levels in water and childrens blood in Flint, Michigan, first came to light when community members, journalists, and academics joined together to independently test the water.

Unelected city managers had insisted everything was fine. When the complaints became too numerous to ignore, state and local authorities tested the water and childrens lead levels using biased sampling and flawed methodologies, and reported back that there was no problem. Independent testing, however, showed extremely high levels of lead in both.. Civil societys role in revealing the extent of Flints lead problem was formally acknowledged in the report on Flints water problems by the Michigan governors task force.

Data journalists can also help ensure government data is solid. They learn to spot red flags, anomalies, and claims of progress that seem too good to be true and often are. Even if court actions ensure federal data remains accessible, they provide an additional safeguard. The crash course on data integrity and preservation students and others get at Data Refuge events and their volunteer efforts also contribute to civil society data oversight.

The scientific community, computer scientists and others have developed reliable methods to collect and analyze such big data. In some areas like criminal justice, these methodologies have at times proven to be superior to the governments methods and have eventually been adopted by government agencies.

Truthfully, the challenge is huge. But were already seeing how inventive and energetic civil society can be in tackling it. By democratizing data collection and gathering factsthe real, regular kindit can raise one hell of a ruckus.

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Louise Lief is Scholar in Residence at the American University School of Communication Investigative Reporting Workshop.
Editors note: This piece is a chapter in Journalism After Snowden: The Future of Free Press in the Surveillance State, a recently released book from Columbia University Press. The book was part of the Journalism After Snowden initiative, a yearlong series of events and projects from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism in collaboration with CJR. The initiative is funded by The Tow Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Also read contributions to the book from Alan Rusbridger, Clay Shirky, and Jill Abramsonand Emily Bells interview with Edward Snowden.

In the end, what kind of change did Edward J. Snowden bring about? In the realm of privacy protection, not muchat least so far. For all the talk on Capitol Hill in the summer of 2013immediately after the Snowden leaksabout a reassessment of the balance between security and privacy rights, no significant legal changes to the authorities of the National Security Agency or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court have passed Congress since the Snowden leaks.

The biggest change in NSA practice ordered by President Barack Obamahis announcement in January 2014 that the government would get out of the business of amassing a vast database of metadata for all the telephone calls made into or out of the United Statesfinally went into effect at the end of 2015. It gets the government out of the business of retaining the call records of Americans and puts that responsibility on the telecommunications firms. They were reluctant and had to be compelled (and paid) by the government to play this role. Some intelligence officials (and a few candidates for president) have complained that the change will make it harder for the United States to track terrorist communications. But they forget that the NSA itself had considered, at various points, giving up the metadata collection because it was yielding so little.

But beyond that, three years after the Snowden revelations, there has been very little government compulsion of the private sector to take on roles in surveillance. Apple and others have resisted the calls to allow back doors for encrypted communicationsand the Obama administration, at this writing, has been unwilling to take them on. It is another sign of how the tensions between Silicon Valley and the government, born of the Snowden revelations about the governments exploitation of data collected by American companies, has poisoned a once-vital relationship.

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Inside the NSA, Snowdens influence has been more profoundbut perhaps not in the ways he imagined. Unlike the CIA, which has had many insiders clean out the family jewels, the NSA never really imagined the damage that could be done by a single disgruntled, or ideological, officer or contractor. So Snowden had the run of the agencys computer systems. Today, systems administrators like him, with access to vast numbers of documents, can no longer download or move them alone; there is now a two-man rule reminiscent of the keepers of the keys for launching nuclear weapons, to protect against lone actors. New detection technology, the agency says, would make it impossible for someone to launch a web crawler, as Snowden did, that could sweep up hundreds of thousands of documents without setting off alarms.

But all this suggests that Snowdens biggest impact on the NSA was not a reconsideration of its activities but a reconfirmation of its fear of leaks, largely to the news media. Oddly enough, the internal committee at the NSA that assessed the damage done by Snowden and recommended internal changes was titled the Media Leaks Task Force, as if the problem here had been newspapers or broadcasters or new web publishers who spread the Snowden documents around the globe once they were in the public domain. The problem, of course, was not the media; it was a poorly supervised insider who was given far more access to sensitive material than he needed. (A more appropriate name for the committee might have been the Insider Threat and Internal Mismanagement Task Force.) As some NSA officials acknowledge privately, there was a lack of imagination about how vulnerable the agency was to an insider who defeated the NSAs protections to exfiltrate huge amounts of data. And perhaps because the NSA had never before suffered such an embarrassing loss, it did not regularly conduct a review to weigh the intelligence value of what it was collecting against the political cost should its activities ever become known. That kind of review is held annually at the CIA, as it evaluates the cost of covert actions. Yet as one longtime intelligence official said soon after the Snowden disclosures: The CIA is used to leaksand usually weighs the possibility of disclosure when it acts. The NSA did not. Today, of course, it no longer has that luxuryevery week, more of its documents are still dribbling out into the public realm.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Snowdens impact turned out to be greatest in those areas he appears to have thought little about when he was planning his disclosures. While he was hoping to awaken American citizens, the far bigger reaction came in the way allies see the United States, in the way other nations around the world have seized on the evidence of American spying for their own economic and trade benefit, and in the way he revealed the size and scope of the American offensive cyberactivities. He created an opening for countries around the world that were looking for ways to stymie American technological dominance in their marketsand suddenly found in the argument that to buy American is to let the NSA into local networks.

Moreover, in revealing the depths that the NSA and other intelligence agencies went to pierce the encryption and transmission systems of American firms, Snowden drove a wedge between the US government and the companies, from Apple to Google to Microsoft and Silicon Valley startups, that need those markets to grow. He ended the era, which ran from the cracking of the Enigma codes in World War II to the long years of postSeptember 11 counterterrorism, in which corporations based in the United States felt a national obligation to help the government in its surveillance activities and in the development of new ways to counter cyberthreats. Now many of those companies are declaring that they must be international firms first, even if that means working against American interests, in an effort to preserve their business abroad.

Whether these are good developments or bad, whether they were inevitable even without Snowdens disclosures, is up for debate. But they are far less discussed in Washington than are the tensions between privacy and security or the question of what kind of oversight should exist over the NSA. Over time, however, they could well prove to be the lasting legacy of Snowdena divide between the government and the technology firms that are the sources of Americas economic power. It is an argument playing out every week now, as Silicon Valley and the likes of Apple, Google, and Microsoft engage in an arms race. The government is racing to preserve its access to the communications systems of the digital age. And the companies are determined to stop the NSA and other intelligence agencies in their tracks.

To start with the most obvious, the world now knows a lot more about how the NSA operates. And collecting a vast database of metadata about the calls placed or received inside the United States is the least of it.

The agencys biggest challenge in the past decade has been to stay ahead, or at least abreast, of a world of connected computers. Much of that job requires traditional espionage, updated for the digital age: Tapping into the computer communications of suspected terrorists, the Skype calls made by foreign adversaries and even many allies, the spreadsheets and photos and apps of anyone that the US government needs to know about. The agency became what Scott Shane of the New York Times called an electronic omnivore of staggering capabilities, not just for its ability to eavesdrop but for its ability to use its abilities to design offensive cyberweapons.

It is the development of those weapons that is probably the biggest and most secret governmental technology effort since the Manhattan Project, the effort to build the atomic bomb. No American president has ever talked about the countrys cybercapabilities, other than to refer to them in the most oblique wayPresident Obama mentioned our capabilities in an interview early in 2015and then quickly move on. But while billions of dollars are being spent on those systems each year, both at the NSA and in US Cyber Command, the sister organization also run by the NSAs director, the government has squelched virtually all of the debate about how those powerful new tools should be used.

The governments fear of those revelations predated Snowden. The largest and most sophisticated cyberattack of modern times, conducted jointly by the United States and Israel, was the Stuxnet attack on Irans nuclear facilities. It was part of a far larger program called Olympic Games, the code name for an ambitious program to use a cyberweapon to accomplish a task that previously could be conducted only by bombing a nuclear facility or sending in saboteurs. Instead, working together, the United States and Israel developed computer code that was inserted in the controllers that ran Irans huge nuclear-enrichment complex at Natanz. Suddenly, nuclear centrifuges spun out of control and often blew up. The Iranians were mystified. At the NSA and Cybercommand, it was the proof of concept: a software implant could be, in the NSAs parlance, weaponized. President Obama oversaw the program closely but also expressed fears that once it was exposed, as he knew it eventually would be, other countries would feel free to head down that road as well.

The Stuxnet worm exposed itself, because of a flaw in the software, in the summer of 2010. Two years later, the New York Times revealed the broader program, triggering a major leak investigation. Though the stories revealed extensive evidence of the central role that Washington, and the Bush and Obama administrations, had played in the program, the decision was made not to acknowledge the role of the United States. It seemed too fraught, at a moment the United States was negotiating with Iran over the future of its nuclear program and was often at odds with its Israeli allies. Then came the Snowden revelations, which described a vast infrastructure of which Olympic Games was just a parta huge investment in a new kind of warfare. The Obama administration again could have chosen to acknowledge the effort, capitalizing on the revelations to deter other countriesfrom China to Russia to North Korea and Iranthat have attacked the United States with cyberweapons of their own. Instead, they decided to retain whatever secrecy around the programs they could salvage.

That secrecy appears based on three fears. One is that to talk in anything beyond the most banal generalities about Americas offensive cyber capabilities is to risk exposure of scores, if not hundreds, of still-sensitive programs. The second is that no one in the US government can agree on what kinds of limits should be put on the American development of cyberweapons, or how to use the capability to negotiate something akin to arms control. So, just as the United States avoided nuclear treaties until two decades after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it wants more time to enjoy its nuclear technological lead. And the third fear is that the mere acknowledgment of American capabilities might seem to justify the development of similar weapons by American adversaries. The result was a huge gap between the governments words and the evidence: the Snowden revelations had revealed a Manhattan Projectsize effort that had stretched over two presidencies. But no one could figure out how to talk about it.

That effort had started small: President Bush had made use of some primitive weapons during the Iraq War, using NSA capabilities to get inside the laptops or networks of individual terrorists, sometimes manipulating data to make sure that specific individuals showed up at a specific time or place for a meeting or supposed operation; there, a team of Special Forces or a drone, might be waiting for them. But by the end of his presidency, he had ordered the far more ambitious effort against Iran.

News of that effort leaked out in the last days of the Bush presidency. Obama, who at the time was just learning about Americas offensive cyber capabilities, was outraged and told his defense secretary, Robert Gates, that there should be a major leak investigation, something Gates reported years later in his memoir Duty. Curiously, Obama was not alone in his anger at the disclosure. Edward Snowden, writing under a thinly created pseudonym in a weblog, also denounced the disclosures as a breach of national security, a view he apparently revised later.

But in retrospect, that moment was an important one: it marked the beginning of a series of decisions by the new president to keep the American cyber capability among the countrys deepest held secrets. That was wishful thinking. No government can team up with allies to blow up centrifuges in Iran, get inside North Koreas systems for both espionage and potential destructive attacks, or infiltrate Chinas fast-expanding networks without leaving footprints. And now, we see those footprints far more clearly.

What we have learned from the Snowden disclosures is that the attack on Iran, while customized to fit the target, was part of a much larger effort, reaching back a decade, to develop a far more comprehensive way to get inside the computer networks and computer systems of both allies and adversaries. It is a program far larger than the domestic-surveillance effort that seized the initial headlines that Snowden sought. And in many respects far more technically and politically challenging. The idea was to mark every major thoroughfare and intersection of global networks with an implant that can act as an early-warning system for cyberattacksthe equivalent of the undersea microphones the United States placed strategically in oceans to track Soviet boomers during the Cold War. But these implants were designed to do more than just passive surveillance: once in place, they can be used to exploit a networkchanging data, for instanceor to destroy it.

Two years after the Snowden revelations, the NSA still fights efforts by news organizations to report even basic facts about this effort. Its concern about revealing sources and methods is understandable, but its opposition to publishing the basic facts gets more mystifying over time. Early in the Snowden inquiry, American officials contended that Russia and China almost certainly had full copies of his trove of data, obtaining it during his time in Hong Kong and then Moscow. Snowden denies this. But whether they have the full trove or not, they now know far more about the implant program, in part because of documents Snowden released that have nothing to do with personal privacy but that shed tremendous light on the NSAs activities.

They described, for example, the ANT program (an open-source build tool from Apache), which enabled the United States to leap into computers that are walled off from the Internet, something that many countries and companies now do routinely in an effort to secure their systems. Segregating computer systems offers a false sense of security: Iran, for example, had walled off the computers that operated its nuclear centrifuges as the ultimate defense against cyberintrusions. But the United States and Israel were able to leap the air gap fairly easily, using an array of new and old technologies. In fact, Snowdens documents included a catalog of products that can be used to get USB cards or electronic boards into a targets computer, making it possible to beam in code from seven miles away, using a low-frequency radio transmission.

Similar techniques pierced Huawei, the telecommunications and network-switching giant that many American officials believe is a front for the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. The operation against Huawei apparently found no evidence that was true. Nonetheless, the United States placed implants in the Chinese systems that would enable them to get inside though servers once they were shipped to American adversariesin Latin America, for example, or in Europe. In one of the great ironies, for years Huawei was all but banned from the US market for fear it would do something similar in American networks.

We know this strange history because the Snowden documents that have leaked out bit by bit long after the initial disclosures have provided documentary evidence. No doubt readers found their eyes glazing over: it was hard sometimes to remember what programs had previously been revealed, what programs were incremental improvements over others, and what represented truly new capabilities. Everyone knew, for example, that the NSA was looking for ways to get into foreign telephone systemsbut it was still a surprise that the NSA attacked the European firm that makes SIM cards for smartphones, hoping to place an implant directly into the circuitry. Everyone knew that the NSA was worried about the encryption on the iPhone, but it was still surprising to discover its willingness to implant secret backdoors into the products of American companies, without telling the firms.

Journalistically, the steady drip of new Snowden documents, combined with reporting that the old trove of documents has launched, creates a running debate between the government and a few news organizations that plays out every month. Government officials ask, What is the public good in revealing a program like this? After all, they argue, the NSA is a foreign intelligence servicebreaking into foreign cell phones, or companies like Huawei, or disrupting the Iranian nuclear program to buy more time for negotiations is what Congress organized the agency to do six decades ago. So why publish?

The answer is not always simple, and sometimes operational details are removed from the reportage. But the case for publication boils down to this: in the digital age, Americans are the most vulnerable society on earth to hacking. We are targets, from our Home Depot credit cards to our bank accounts at JPMorgan Chase to the health information stored in Anthems computer systems, which contains private medical data for Blue Cross/Blue Shield claims. When the NSA routinely breaks into computer systems around the world, for either espionage or destructive activity, it creates pathways that other powers can follow. As one executive who challenged Admiral Michael Rogers, the head of the NSA, at a forum in Washington in early 2015, said, every NSA effort to weaken encrypted systems is like drilling a hole in your windshield. It is not only the NSA that will fly in. The Peoples Liberation Army hacking operation, Unit 61398, will be right behind it, along with the Iranian cybercorps.

Moreover, the most extreme of the American actionsthe cyberattacks on foreign computer systemsraise questions about what kinds of rules the United States wants to negotiate with other nations around the world to create some sense of arms control in the cyberworld. To use the example most cited by American officials, President Obama frequently talks about creating some cyber norms so that countries do not steal one anothers intellectual property. But we are not going to get to set those norms alone, even on American terms. China views American efforts to break into Huawei with the same alarm that the United States views the theft of plans for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Yet in the American telling of events, targeting Huawei is a legitimate national security operation, yet targeting the jets blueprints is illegal corporate theft. The rest of the world doesnt see it that way.

All these issues need to be aired, just as the issues of nuclear deterrence were debated in public throughout the Cold War. While the analogy is imperfect, it is also instructive. Like cyberweapons, nuclear weapons are highly classified, yet we understood their terrible destructive capability and managed to have a public, unclassified debate about how and when to use them. We can do the same with cyber, even though its effects are quite different and often far harder to discern. (At the same time, we have to acknowledge that nuclear weapons are in the hands of very few players, making the conversation about controlling them far easier; cyberweapons are in the hands of states, terror groups, criminal organizations, and teenagers. And most of those groups dont sign treaties.)

It may turn out that the Snowden disclosures, like the revelation of the attacks on Iran that preceded Snowden, were a catalyst for that debateforcing the US government to acknowledge its capabilities. That is the first step in discussing how to control those weapons. If so, the Snowden affair will have contributed significantly to a critical American discoursethough intelligence officials argue that there must be a better way to do that than the wholesale release of Americas secrets.

There was a second surprising effect of the Snowden revelations: it triggered a war between Silicon Valley and Washington that will not end for years, if not decades.

From the end of World War II to recent times, many American technology firms had an unspoken deal with the government. With Washington as one of their biggest purchasers, they would become partners in many classified programs and often help out with surveillance: IBMs giant federal systems division built mainframes for the federal government and put the computers aboard the space shuttle; AT&T wired the country but also the governments classified systems, and when help was needed with call records or other surveillance, it often quietly provided the informationsometimes without benefit of a court order. The firms viewed themselves as Americans first and global enterprises second.

Today that is the exception, not the rule. Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Director of National Intelligence, acknowledged as much in early 2015 in an appearance at the Brookings Institution: One of the many ways in which Snowdens leaks have damaged our national security is by driving a wedge between the government and providers and technology companies, so that some companies that formerly recognized that protecting our nation was a valuable and important public service now feel compelled to stand in opposition. Those providers feel compelled to be in opposition because buyers around the world learned the extent to which American products had been pierced by American intelligence agenciesand seized on that news to justify shunning American products. Many countries passed data localization laws to require firms to put servers in their own territories, rather than in the United States. (Why these countries think that practice will slow the NSAs ability to burrow into their networks is mystifying.) India, Nigeria, China, and Russia have all insisted that American firms place the servers on their soil, presumably to ensure sovereignty over the data stored there. China has issued new regulations to require firms to turn over source code for their productsessentially giving the Chinese their most valuable intellectual property.

All these regulations are costly to American companies, and some, especially those imposed by China, would have likely been imposed even if the Snowden revelations never happened. But the cost is being borne by companies and ultimately their consumers; at no point did the NSA consider the potential economic impact on Americas technology sector if its programs ever be revealed. In other words, it was unconsciously counting on the companies to take the downside economic risk for the NSAs intelligence programs.

The companies are fighting back in ways that today have the intelligence agencies deeply worried. Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, has made it clear that he will spend whatever it takes to demonstrate to the world that the companys products cannot be pierced by the NSA. So far the most vivid example has been the introduction of a new operating system for the iPhone in which users, not Apple, hold the encryption keys. Even if served with a court order to turn over data from an iPhonecontact lists or pictures or e-mailApple has no way to decipher the contents; it hands over gibberish. The director of the FBI, James Comey, protested this change, as did the heads of the intelligence agencies. Litt appealed to corporations to embrace a solution that does not compromise the integrity of encryption technology but that enables both encryption to protect privacy and decryption under lawful authority to protect national security. Technology executives insist that compromise might sound nice, but it is impossible; to create a backdoor for the NSA is to create a hole through which others will find a way to squeeze through.

In the end, Snowdens legacy will be mixed. He wanted to be known for the changes he would bring about in altering the governments monitoring of American citizens. That seems unlikely. But he opened the worlds eyes to a new world of surveillance and cyberwarfare. There, what he revealed cannot be stuffed back into a black boxand will change the way we view American power over the next decade.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

David E. Sanger is chief Washington correspondent of The New York Times.
A New Jersey doctor was indicted Thursday on charges that he sold prescriptions for addictive opioid painkillers to people who had no medical need for them, including one man who died from an overdose.

Dr. Byung Kang, of Little Falls, was charged with one count of strict liability for the drug-induced death of 26-year-old Michael Justice, of Clifton. Justices mother had called Kang 18 months earlier threatening to call police if he didnt stop prescribing her son oxycodone, according to a statement from Attorney General Christopher Porrino.

Kangs attorney said he hadnt yet reviewed the indictment that also charges Kang with money laundering, tax fraud and drug distribution. Kangs wife and receptionist, Soo, also was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and tax-related counts.

Doctors are supposed to preserve health and life, but Dr. Kang allegedly turned his back on all medical and ethical standards, not to mention all standards of human decency, Porrino said. By indiscriminately peddling this dangerous painkiller  which has been the gateway to so much opiate addiction, misery and death  Dr. Kang allegedly caused the death of a vulnerable young man and put himself on a par with every street-corner drug dealer.

Kang sold 90-count prescriptions for 30 milligram oxycodone pills for $150 to $200 to numerous patients who didnt have a medical need, Porrino said.

He was first arrested last May and charged with illegally distributing oxycodone after an investigation by the state and Drug Enforcement Administration. He entered a consent order with the state Board of Medical Examiners in July prohibiting him from practicing until further action.

Unfortunately, this is another example of a doctor who was allegedly more concerned with his financial health than the health of his patients, said Carl Kotowski, special agent in charge of the DEAs New Jersey division.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
U.S. and Canadian scientists are planning to spend the next five years studying flooding on Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River, which drains the lake north into Quebec, and whether methods can be developed to control future flooding.

Besides studying the causes of past floods, particularly the historic floods in 2011, the scientists will look for ways to better forecast flooding and measures to reduce the effects of future floods, considered likely with weather extremes in an era of climate change.

The scientists conducting the $11.3 million study will look at issues such as what effect the Chambly Canal, which takes vessels around a series of rapids near the Quebec city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, could have on flooding, said Jean-Francois Cantin, chief of east hydrological operations for Canadas National Hydrological Service.

They could also focus on how V-shaped, man-made stone eel-traps, visible in aerial photos of the river shoals, could affect the flow of the river, said Cantin, who is also the Canadian co-chair of the International Lake Champlain Richelieu Study Board.

The shoals there are really the natural control of the whole system upstream of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the lake (and) the water levels, he said.

The board is conducting the study for the International Joint Commission, an organization formed in 1909 to manage boundary water issues between Canada and the United States.

The study began in 2013 in response to historic spring flooding along Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York in 2011 that kept the lake and areas along the river above flood stage for more than two months. The flooding in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, population about 93,000, affected about 3,000 homes in low-lying areas and lasted until mid-June.

The research marks the third time the International Joint Commission has looked at flooding in Lake Champlain and the Richelieu. In 1937, the commission approved construction of a flood control dam near Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu that was never finished. In 1981, after a six-year study, the commission concluded that flood forecasting and flood plain regulation were desirable and that a flood control system could be built, but no action was taken.

Cantin said the public will be kept aware of developments as the study progresses.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Fire officials worry this years potential for an outbreak in Kansas could be worse than last year, when the state saw its biggest known wildfire.

As a volunteer fire department chief based out of Marquette, Jim Unruh helped fight last years Anderson Creek blaze that charred 390,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas. That blaze also killed hundreds of cattle, destroyed millions of dollars worth of buildings and fences, and endangered hundreds of residents and volunteer firefighters.

Amid Kansas already dry conditions, problems have surfaced this year. Unruhs crew in January battled a wildfire of 3,600 acres. Eric Ward, a Kansas Forest Service fire specialist, said the state in January had three large wildfires, which are defined as those that burn 100 or more acres of trees or 300 or more acres of brush or grass.

Ill be honest, this year just scares me, what we have out there right now, Unruh told The Wichita Eagle. Its really, really getting dry out there, but holy cow, theres so much fuel out there on some of these pastures its just unbelievable. If we get the wrong wind, we could have some big problems.

Ward, whose office has tracked wildfires in Kansas since 2005, said that until this year, we had a total of four large fires in the month of January during all that time. He called the three in the most recent January certainly unusual.

I think every indication is we are setting ourselves up for a fire season that could be more dangerous and active than most seasons, Ward added. Since Christmas Ive seen accounts of fires almost daily. That is very much not normal. Were not at a crisis point, but right now the conditions are there.

After several years of drought, most of Kansas got consecutive summers of good to great rains in 2015 and last year  great news for those trying to feed cattle, but not for firefighters because the rains caused taller grass, providing more fuel to a spark.

Tall grass burns fast and hot, and grass thats compacted on the ground smolders for long periods and can re-ignite the fires. This year there is both.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Progressive Corp., the fourth-largest U.S. auto insurer, boosted spending on marketing this year to win customers after scaling back in the second half of 2016 when increased costs from car accidents threatened the companys profit goals.

Were excited to be back in, with full advertising, Chief Executive Officer Tricia Griffith said Friday in a conference call discussing results at the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based company. Now is the time to highlight the brand because more drivers will be getting rate shock from rivals that are raising premiums, she said.

Insurers have been hit by higher-than-expected claims as more drivers take to the road and succumb to distractions, such as texting on their smartphones. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., the largest company in the industry, said this week that it had a $7 billion underwriting loss on car coverage last year. Progressive has been an industry leader in gathering data on driving trends, and prides itself on being quick to raise rates when necessary, and then win market share when rivals follow.

Progressive, which relies on the charisma of its spunky saleswoman Flo, has gained 12 percent this year, the best advance in the the 21-company S&P 500 Insurance Index. The stock traded for $39.68 at 12:04 p.m. in New York, unchanged from Thursdays close.

Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said in his most recent annual letter that the companys Geico unit is poised to benefit from disruption in the industry. While some auto insurers may be reluctant to write more policies due to the unpredictability of the loss costs, Buffett said, Geico is accelerating new business efforts.

Buffett Makes Hay

We like to make hay while the sun sets, knowing that it will surely rise again, Buffett said in the letter posted online Saturday.

Griffith, who became CEO last year, highlighted Flo this week in a letter to shareholders, noting that she got a nod from hip-hop artist Drake in a Saturday Night Live appearance and was mentioned in a Stephen King novel.

She represents what we strive to be for consumers  helpful, unique, and providing a product that is competitive, Griffith wrote.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
The state of Texas wants to stick a seismometer on Terry Hills ranch, right next to his deer blind.

The Houston Chronicle reports Hill, a fourth generation Texan born and raised in this Rio Grande outpost, understands the significance. He receives a few thousand dollars in oil and gas royalties a year, yet the findings of the earthquake sensor could dramatically alter the industry that helps pay his bills.

I dont know what this is, or what its gonna do, said Hill, 66, but I hope it will be helpful.

Hill is among the landowners allowing the state to piece together one of the largest networks of seismometers in the United States with the aim of settling a debate that has wide implications for the future of fossil fuels. The network, stretching from New Mexico to Louisiana, Oklahoma to the Gulf, will collect data that may determine whether modern oil and gas production is responsible for an exponential rise in the number earthquakes in Texas and other energy producing states.

Scientists say its clear theres a connection: Oil and gas operations pump billions of barrels of water deep into the earth every year, pressuring faults underground. Politicians, industry leaders and officials of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry, have steadfastly argued that there is little proof, if any, of such a tie. Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton called suggestions that oil and gas operations cause earthquakes a bunch of suppositions, barely even hypotheses.

The scientist in me hesitates to make any statements that sound conclusive until we have more tests and results to back these up, said Sitton, a mechanical engineer who founded the Pasadena-based oil and gas consultancy Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies.

But nearly everyone agrees that getting those results is critical. Texas airports, hospitals and highways werent built to withstand earthquakes. And if scientists find that oil and gas operations are indeed causing them, regulators could be forced to curtail key activities in the industry. Companies would have to adapt, at a cost of untold millions of dollars, with repercussions echoing into oil fields nationwide.

The state Legislature has appropriated $4.5 million, with the oil and gas industry contributing another $1.2 million, to support research seeking to answer why tremors, which shook the state barely once a year for more than a century, now arrive by the dozens. Over the past 18 months, the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas, which is leading the project, has purchased equipment, hired staff, gathered industry experts, and charted a course for 55 additional seismometers, triple the number installed in Texas.

The oil and gas companies realize that they need to be part of this solution, said Ellen Rathje, a civil engineering professor at UT and a principal researcher on the project. They need to understand it better. Because theres a connection.

Several hurdles remain for the seismometer network, dubbed TexNet. The Legislature hasnt funded the program beyond this year. Scientists will need unparalleled cooperation from industry and regulators to understand the findings. And UT scientists still need permission from a few dozen Texas ranchers and landowners to put seismometers on their property.

Hill, who agreed in January to take the seismometer, is happy to have it. TexNet will install it in March, the 26th installation, with 29 left to go.

Nobody owns the land, said Hill, sitting at a Dairy Queen in Del Rio. Were just taking care of it for God.

Late on the evening of Oct. 30, 2008, the first of 10 earthquakes hit Irving, just south of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. They were relatively small, registering magnitudes between 2.5 and 3.0 on the Richter Scale, and did little damage. But they shook the region for more than a day, startled locals  the quakes were the first felt in the area in modern times  and ignited a public debate in Texas.

Oil and gas operations were on the verge of a transformation then. Companies had discovered horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which pumps water into wells under such pressure that the shale bedrock fractures, releasing microscopic beads of oil and gas. U.S. oil production, which had dropped by nearly half over the previous two decades to less than 5 million barrels a day, began to rise again.

The Barnett oil field, surrounding Dallas, was ground zero. By the end of 2008, companies had drilled and fracked thousands of horizontal wells there.

In the days following those first quakes, oil and gas outfits fervently denied that the tremors had anything to do with operations, denials that mirrored similar arguments then against the role of fossil-fuel-based greenhouse gases in climate warming.

Horizontal drilling and fracking spread across the state and country, almost doubling U.S. oil production and turning the country into a key global producer. Meanwhile, Texas, which used to get one or two noticeable quakes  3.0 and above  each year, has averaged 12 since 2008. In 2015, 22 roiled the state.

Scientists noticed that oil and gas companies were dumping more and more waste water underground each year. And that rise tracked remarkably close to the increase in earthquakes.

TexNet has identified four Texas areas with such a rise in seismic activity they merit deeper study. And each of those areas  around Dallas, the Central Texas city of Snyder, the West Texas city of Pecos, and south of San Antonio, in the Eagle Ford field  are hotbeds of oil and gas drilling.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Saturday that so far there are two permanent and 13 portable TexNet seismograph stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Fracking, despite its controversial reputation, isnt the chief culprit for most scientists. Wastewater worries them the most.

Oil and gas drilling produces an enormous amount of salt water. That water, trapped underground after the ancient oceans receded millions of years ago, is released during fracking operations, leaving companies with about 4 billion barrels of wastewater a year, according to one estimate.

Some companies recycle the water, but thats expensive. Most in Texas inject it into disposal wells designated and permitted as permanent underground holding tanks.

As water is injected underground, pressure increases. With enough time and water disposal, that pressure can reach nearby faults, pushing them to failure.

None of that is new. There has been widespread recognition among seismologists since the 1960s that wastewater injection and other activities commonly associated with petroleum production can sometimes induce earthquakes, wrote Cliff Frohlich, a seismologist and University of Texas researcher, in a journal last year.

Whats new is the volume of water pumped underground. As U.S. oil production nearly doubled between 2007 and 2015 to 9.5 million barrels a day, the amount of waste water injected into Texas disposal wells rose 50 percent to 12 million barrels a day, according to data collected by the Railroad Commission and compiled by the research firm IHS Markit.

Some reject any widespread connection: Youve heard a lot about whats happening in Irving and Dallas, said Sitton, the Railroad Commissioner.I think the odds of those earthquakes being caused by disposal wells are exceptionally small.

Frohlichs response: We cant prove it. But the evidence is pretty strong.

For oil companies, its a bottom-line issue. Wastewater injection can cost as little as 25 cents a barrel, if they operate their own disposal wells, not including transportation costs. Paying to recycle water can cost as much as $8 a barrel.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2 into law on June 22, 2015, establishing TexNet and authorizing UTs Bureau of Economic Geology  the states official geological survey  to build the network, maintain it and figure out under what circumstances, exactly, disposal wells might cause quakes. The old network, just 18 seismometers, couldnt pinpoint earthquake epicenters with much accuracy and couldnt say how close one quake was to one well.

TexNet should be up and running by middle of this year, with 73 stations, making it one of the biggest and best financed seismic monitoring systems in the country, behind such states as earthquake-prone California, which has 1,000 stations, and Nevada, with 150.

UT has asked the Legislature for $3.4 million for the next two years to continue research, a sum not included in the Senates budget. Even if funded, TexNet scientists will have to prove more than correlation between disposal wells and earthquakes.

If you dont have the right kind of information available, we call that speculation, said Dana Jurick, a geophysicist at the Houston oil company ConocoPhillips and a TexNet board member. Scientific research requires data.

Six months ago, UT put a seismometer on Lee Eustaces land in Alvarado, about 30 miles southeast of Fort Worth. Its three feet underground, attached to a solar panel for power. It doesnt bother the cows, said Eustace  certainly not as much as the first earthquake he felt.

I thought something had exploded somewhere, said Eustace, 74.

Parker County Commissioner Larry Walden, 59, said people blamed the earthquakes for darn near everything when they hit his county, west of Fort Worth. Cracks in houses. Cracks in foundations. Difficulty sleeping. There was a lady who said her hens had actually quit laying eggs because of the earthquakes, Walden said.

Walden found a spot for a seismometer on an old county-owned farm. Now its mostly used by the local 4H club.

Christopher Ritzi was happy to help UT find a spot for a sensor in Alpine, near West Texass Big Bend National Park. Ritzi, a biologist at Sul Ross State University, worries about drilling and pipelines, both expanding ever closer to the little town, which in the 1990s was hit by some of the biggest earthquakes in the state

Desert landscapes dont bounce back very well, he said. Were playing with systems we dont fully understand.
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. Weekend rain is expected to raise the water level about five feet, but it will still be nearly 50 feet below capacity, he said.

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 plants 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. 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 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 dams 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 1.7 million 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 percent of the debris had been cleared.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LET THE PARADE BEGIN LET THE PARADE BEGIN  Costumed guests lined up at Circle Court and Howard Drive on Sunday to parade into the Harris Hill firehouse for the spooktacular childrens Halloween parade...

Clarence Community Pantry fills hearts and stomachs Few things are as enjoyable as sitting down to a nice, warm meal. The dinner table is a place of rest after a long day, nourishment for a tired body,...

Here comes the sun: Town mulls solar farm proposal The Town of Clarence intends to proceed meticulously and thoroughly with its review of what could be the first solar farm to come to town. The 40-acre solar farm would...
AKRON, Ohio - An Akron man has been charged in connection with an early Saturday shooting following an argument at a house.

John R. Meeks, 28, is charged in Akron Municipal Court with felonious assault and aggravated robbery, records show. Meeks is not in police custody, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Meeks is accused of shooting a 41-year-old man during an argument inside a house on West Crosier Street in Akron's Summit Lake neighborhood, Akron police said. The argument turned physical when the victim punched Meeks in the face.

Meeks is accused of pulling out a handgun and shooting the victim multiple times in the abdomen, police said. The victim was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital with "possible life-threatening injuries."

Meeks' last known address is on Saxon Avenue in Akron's Kenmore neighborhood, police said. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information about Meeks' whereabouts should contact Akron police detective bureau at 330-375-2490; the U.S. Marshals at 1-866-4-WANTED or the Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS. Tips can remain anonymous.

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JuneCarr.jpeg

As Summit County's deputy director of employee benefits, June Carr is responsible for the employee medical, prescription, life, vision and dental plans, claims and eligibility, workers compensation and wellness programs.

(Summit County Executive's office)

AKRON, Ohio - Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro has named June Carr to serve as deputy director of employee benefits. Her starting salary is $88,670.

Carr began the position in February and is responsible for the employee medical, prescription, life, vision and dental plans, claims and eligibility, workers compensation and wellness programs. She also will help the county improve and modernize employee benefits.

"June Carr has the background and skills needed to lead our employee benefits programs and initiatives," Shapiro said. "We are excited to continue to provide our employees with benefit options that best suit their personal and family needs."

Previously, Carr was a Medical Mutual of Ohio account executive, responsible for maintaining and renewing public sector groups enrolled with the mutual health insurance company. She is licensed by the Ohio Department of Insurance for Accident & Health, Life and Variable.

"I am thrilled to be a part of such a great team under the direction of Executive Ilene Shapiro and look forward to serving the County of Summit," Carr said.
FirstEnergyZenProposal.jpg

FirstEnergy's nuclear subsidy proposal cannot be found on the company's website.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- FirstEnergy's plan to convince Ohio lawmakers they should save the company's nuclear reactors by funneling more money from customers to the company has still not seen the legislative light of day.

But for certain, the company has shopped its proposal to key lawmakers with a full-color, professional-looking, authoritative brochure that looks very much like an investor presentation.

has been circulating behind closed doors since January, according to the date on its title page.

The plan would increase customer monthly bills by at least 5 percent and raise an extra $300 million a year for FirstEnergy. In perpetuity. And the increase would affect all customers, even those who buy power from competitors.

Yet, the 13-page document lawmakers are using to create legislation cannot be found on the energy company's website because, said spokeswoman Jennifer Young, some of the language may change. But it is a FirstEnergy document, she confirmed.

The Plain Dealer found the document on the Internet and downloaded a copy. It has since disappeared.

The booklet explains in some detail how important it will be for Ohio to keep FirstEnergy's Ohio-based Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants running, as well as its Pennsylvania-based Beaver Valley plant, even if the electricity is more expensive than market-based prices.

The argument for nuclear includes the familiar themes: Power plants support jobs, pay taxes, run around the clock, produce little if any carbon dioxide and add fuel diversity, meaning it would be risky to rely entirely on gas, coal, wind and solar.

But operating a nuclear plant is expensive. The solution, the company argues, is for the state to create "Zero Emission Credits," or ZECs, which are a nod to the environmental benefits of operating nuclear reactors.

That's what similar programs in New York and Illinois are calling the subsidies. FirstEnergy is doing the same, however, it's giving the subsidy a slightly different acronym, ZEN, for Zero-Emissions Nuclear Resource Program.

The ZEN would be permanent, even if the company sells the plants and concentrates on operating its regulated subsidiaries, local distribution and long-distance transmission companies. Many top company executives insist they will do just that by next year unless the state reverses 17 years of competition and puts power plants back under regulation.

Whenever FirstEnergy's plan emerges as a bill supported by GOP leadership, which some say could be this week, competing power companies have already lined up to oppose it and any other legislation that would undermine competitive markets that have driven down power prices over the last decade.

Dynegy and NRG, two Houston-based independent power companies that now operate coal-fired power plants in Ohio that the old utilities like FirstEnergy chose to sell rather than modernize, say they will oppose the legislation.

Abraham Silverman, vice president and deputy general counsel of NRG Energy, which owns and operates the Avon Lake plant FirstEnergy once owned, said ZECs are "a pure exercise in greed."

"We want educated customers who look at and evaluate these bailouts and see them as a bad deal to call their legislators and ...[regulators]," said Silverman, adding that nuclear power plants will disappear in a decade even if they are subsidized today.

"The competitive market saves rate payers billions of dollars a year, and is by far the best method of ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable grid," he said.

States looking at ZECs in addition to Ohio include New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, said David Gaier, NRG's senior director of communications. New York and Illinois have already adopted ZEC programs, which NRG has challenged in federal court. "These things are spreading like the plague," Gaier said.

NRG, with a total power plant capacity of 47,000 megawatts, is ready to fight ZECs anywhere else they show up, Silverman added.

Dynegy's Dean Ellis, senior vice president for regulatory affairs, is working from the same play book.

"FirstEnergy's proposal is a handout scheme," he said. "The ZEC program is a stealth tax on Ohio citizens and businesses," he said in an interview. "It enriches FirstEnergy shareholders at the expense of Ohio's competitiveness."

Dynegy's power plants have a total capacity of more than 31,00 megawatts and include plants in Ohio with a total capacity of 6,500 megawatts.

Dynegy's coal and gas operations are up against the same foe as any nuclear plant -- wind farms that can underbid even gas-fired plants in some markets because of a federal subsidy. The federal production tax credit provides cash just for producing power. It will phase out over the next three years and disappear by 2020.

Ellis said gas will replace the least efficient coal and nuclear plants, not only because gas is the lowest priced fuel and likely to stay the lowest in this region, but because gas plants can more easily deal with growing wind and solar power because they can ramp up at a moment's notice.

"Nuclear power is absolutely outdated and the wrong technology for today," Ellis said. "We are seeing more and more renewables. They are intermittent [wind dies down and clouds block the sun]. Nuclear is on at full power or off."

Ellis noted that private developers are already building gas turbine plants in Ohio without subsidies from customers.

One of those gas developers is William Siderewicz of Boston, whose companies are building plants in Lordstown and in Oregon, near Toledo. He is adamantly opposed to the nuclear subsidy and ready to explain why to anybody who will listen.

Siderewicz has already been in touch with PJM Interconnection, the grid manager in Ohio and 13 other states because its top executive Andrew Ott has suggested that if ZECs are created PJM rather than individual states ought to be in charge.

In a letter to Ott, and copied to The Plain Dealer, Siderewicz argued that the FirstEnergy plan would jack up the wholesale price of power from its nuclear plants to $68 per megawatt-hour (6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour), or about 2.3 times the price of power from his gas turbine generators.

Siderewicz said the deal would put another economic albatross on northern Ohio, making it less competitive with the rest of the state.

"These plants are nothing more than a flashing billboard for FirstEnergy's continued mismanagement," Siderewicz wrote.

"What is the correct solution here? Simple. Put up the plants for auction and companies like FPL, Exelon, Southern, Entergy, as bidders can determine what the market value is, and buy them. FirstEnergy can take the appropriate write down. If the market price can not support a nuclear sale, close them down."
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A swastika and anti-Semitic language were carved into a door frame of a Jewish synagogue in Lorain.

(cleveland.com file photo)

LORAIN, Ohio -- Vandals carved a swastika into the door frame of a Lorain synagogue last week, along with a vulgar, anti-Semitic comment referencing the Holocaust, according to a police report.

The swastika was placed by a door of the Agudath B'nai Israel Synagogue, also known as the Lorain Jewish Synagogue, on Meister Road between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the Lorain police report states. A vandal also carved the words "We will rise and gas you b----," the report says.

The report says there are currently no suspects or witnesses.

The synagogue issued a statement on its Facebook page that says "the Jewish community in Lorain stands united in condemning in the strongest possible terms the abhorrent nature of the anti-Semitic vandalism that was discovered last week. We remain committed to fighting hatred, bigotry and intolerance in all its repulsive forms. "

The statement also says "we know the recent act of anti-Semitism does not reflect the sentiments of our neighbors in the Lorain community."

Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer told the Cleveland Jewish News Monday that "what occurred is completely the opposite of what we're all about." He said he planned to attend a worship service on Saturday.

State Rep. Dan Ramos, D-Lorain, said in a news release that he "was shocked and dismayed" to hear of the vandalism.

"These disgusting, hateful and ignorant actions are not in any way reflective of our community's values," the statements says.

The vandalism comes in the wake of a series of threatening phone calls left at Jewish community centers and vandalism at Jewish cemeteries across the country. Among those who received the calls was the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood.

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Officials have identified two people in murder-suicide

(File photo)

MEDINA, Ohio -- Officials have released the names of two people in a murder suicide, police said.

Police have identified the two as Julie Young, 36, and Cedric Jones, 43, Medina Police Lt. Dave Birckbichler said.

Jones shot Young and then himself, Birckbichler said. The two were in a relationship and Young was at least six months pregnant, he said.

Police and the Medina County Coroner were called at 2:15 p.m. Monday to a home on Red Oak Circle.

Investigators have released few details about the deaths.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The nationally touring Wild and Scenic Film Festival returns to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for two showings, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, March 11. The traveling show is hosted by the South Yuba River Citizens League, a California-based conservation activist group.

Through action, adventure and snapshots of the natural world, 15 shorts will tell the stories of people around the globe tackling environmental issues such as restoration of wild lands, climate change and food systems. Sprawling mountain ranges ("Avaatara: The First Route Out"), rushing Colorado rivers ("The Important Places") and the depths of the ocean ("Invisible Ocean: Plankton & Plastic") are all part of the festival's rich backdrop of the great outdoors.

There will also be an environmental fair, allowing filmgoers to meet local sustainability and conservation organizations. A cash bar for beer and wine will be available beginning at 5 p.m. and complimentary light snacks will be served from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

"The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is an annual showcase of the year's best new films that explore the natural world," says Mary Rouse, the museum's Manager of Public Programs. "The Museum is proud to host this event each year, and we hope these films inspire our guests to gain a deeper appreciation for nature and the environment and give them opportunities to learn, explore and help protect our planet."

Robert Redford narrates "Mother of All Rivers," which follows the indigenous people of Lenca as they protest the building of the Agua Zarca Dam. For a rush of adrenaline, travel to Chile as three runners trek 106 miles through Patagonia Park in celebration of the efforts to protect the land in "Mile for Mile."

The festival isn't just for sustainability buffs. "The Accidental Environmentalist" tells the tale of John Wathen, whose unexpected contact with toxic chemicals led him on a journey to protect Alabama's waters. And for those junior scientists, "Parker's Top 50 Favorite Things about Northwest Rivers" gives a kids-eye view of aquatic appreciation.

For the first show, films will screen from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the fair will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For the second show, the environmental fair will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the films will screen from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio - Garfield Heights police are searching for a 15-year-old girl with a history of running away who has been missing now for over a week.

Davyun Diggs

Davyun Diggs' grandmother reported her missing Feb. 22, Garfield Heights Det. Ted Grendzynski said. Diggs reached out to her grandmother through social media, but her grandmother has no idea where she might have gone.

The girl's grandmother told police that a witness saw Diggs crawl out of a basement window the night she ran away.

Investigators are not sure what Diggs was wearing when she ran away. She is 5-feet 11-inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has a nose ring.

Anyone with information about Davyun's whereabouts should contact Garfield Heights police at 216-475-1234.

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Garfield Heights police car.jpg

Garfield Heights police are investigating after a woman was thrown from her car while trying to stop a thief, according to a police report.

(File photo)

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio - A Maple Heights woman was thrown from the hood of her car when she tried to stop someone from stealing it, police said.

The 41-year-old woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the Friday incident on East 126th Street near Marymount Hospital, according to a police report.

The unidentified man took the woman's 2016 Ford Fusion just after 8:45 p.m. outside her mother's house. The woman had started the car but got out to have a conversation with her cousin. The man jumped into the car and started backing out of a parking space, the report says.

The woman screamed and jumped onto the hood of the car. The man kept driving, and the woman fell off two blocks later on McCracken Road at Henry Street, the report says.

The woman struck her head on the pavement and was taken to Marymount Hospital for treatment. She was later transferred to MetroHealth, the report says. The extent of her injuries is not known.

The cousin jumped into her own car and followed the stolen car until she lost sight of it on Saybrook Avenue, the report says.

Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority police officers found the stolen car a short time later on East 109th Street near Garfield Court. The officers were investigating a report of shots fired when they spotted a man in the Ford Fusion. The man parked the car and ran off before the officers could get close to him, according to the report.

The CMHA officers also spoke with a woman who said the Ford struck her car near the intersection of East 116th Street and Kinsman Avenue. The woman followed the Ford when its driver sped off, she told the officers.

The Ford was towed to the Garfield Heights Police Department as part of the investigation.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
Screen Shot 2017-03-07 at 9.59.58 AM.png

Julia Young's father said Cedric Jones didn't want to have the baby.

(File photo)

MEDINA Ohio -- The man who took his own life after he killed his pregnant girlfriend did not want to have a baby, her father said.

Philip Duke spoke to cleveland.com the day after his 36-year-old daughter Julie Young, who was six-months pregnant, was found shot to death in her Red Oak Circle home.

"He didn't want the baby," Duke said. "I don't know if this is his way of dealing with it. We'll never know."

Officials identified Cedric Jones, 43, as the killer who was also found dead in the home. Medina police have not discussed a motive in the killing.

Officers were called to the home about 2:15 p.m. Monday and discovered the bodies.

Duke described his daughter as a caring mother of two who often volunteered to help women who were the victims of domestic violence. She also has two sons -- 13 and 10 -- from a previous relationship. They are with their father, Duke said.

She was scheduled to have a cesarean section on May 17, her father's birthday.

"She was so kind to people," her father said. "We're so heart broken and devastated."

Duke said his daughter was a wonderful and unbelievable person. She worked at Special Service Transportation, an auto repair business in Brunswick.

Her father said that Young and Jones were having relationship problems prior to their deaths, but he did not elaborate.

Duke said that he and his family have received a great deal of support from friends, family and neighbors.

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Javier Colon

Javier Colon was sentenced Tuesday to prison for raping a woman and shooting her son in 2006 after he kidnapped them from Cleveland's Warehouse District.

(Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man who raped a woman and shot her adult son in a 2006 attack that started in the city's Warehouse District cried Tuesday as he was sentenced to more than three decades in prison.

Tears streamed down 40-year-old Javier Colon's face as the woman he terrorized more than a decade ago said she still can't sleep some nights because of the hour-long attack. Colon continued to cry as he apologized to the woman and her son for what he did.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo handed down the maximum sentence of 36 years in a state prison for Colon who pleaded guilty in January to rape, attempted murder and kidnapping charges. Investigators tied him to the crimes using a palm print lifted from the trunk of the victim's car.

"You earned your way here, Mr. Colon," Russo told Colon before imposing her sentence.

Prosecutors built the case against Colon in 2016 using enhanced DNA technology that was not available at the time of the attack.

Colon confronted the mother and her son, then 18, as they got into their car Oct. 1, 2006 after they went to a dinner at a now-closed restaurant at West 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue.

He pulled out pistol and held it to the mother's head as he got into the car. He ordered her to drive beneath an Ohio City overpass on Train Avenue. He ordered the mother and son out of the car, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor Mary Weston said in court Tuesday.

Colon forced the son into the car's trunk and slammed it shut.

He then pulled down the woman's pants, and sexually assaulted her in the front seat.

The son broke free from the trunk through the backseat and stopped the attack. Colon struck the son with the pistol several times and shot him once in the chest. The bullet tore into the son's chest and traveled downward into his hip, prosecutors say.

The son then called 911, and paramedics rushed him and his mother to MetroHealth.

Police tried to run the handprint, but there was no match. And a rape kit collected from the woman turned up no male DNA either, partly because Colon did not ejaculate, police said.

The case went unsolved for more than a decade.

The Cuyahoga County Rape Kit Task Force assigned retired Rocky River police Lt. Larry Stalter to re-examine the case in the summer of 2016. Stalter asked for a partial handprint pulled from the car's trunk and ran it through a federal database that contained more than 77 million fingerprints.

The database returned a match for Colon, whose prints were entered into the system after a 2013 arrest on aggravated robbery and other charges. Colon was acquitted of those charges.

Even if Colon's prints had been in the system, the technology available at the time was not sensitive enough to match a partial palm print to a fingerprint, Weston said.

Stalter also pulled touch DNA from the mother's pants that also matched Colon.

Weston said the chances that the DNA belonged to anyone other than Colon was 1 in 1 trillion. Colon's attorney, Michael Peterson, exhaled and shook his head as he stood beside Colon.

Colon moved to Massachusetts from Puerto Rico in the 1990s, and served seven years in prison for robbing a pizza shop before he moved to Cleveland.

Peterson said that Colon has long suffered with depression and struggled to control his temper. Colon has tried to take his own life multiple times in his adult life, Peterson said.

Colon was not taking his medication the night of the attack. Instead, he was self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. He can't remember the details of what he did, Peterson said.

Peterson asked Russo not to impose the maximum sentence.

"He's not an animal, he's a human being who made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake and did awful things to this woman and her son," Peterson said. "He deserves to be punished, and he knows that."

Russo chided Colon for using his mental health and decision to take drugs as "an excuse" for the violent outburst.

"Ninety-nine percent of people who suffer from mental illness don't harm people," Russo told Colon.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
kentclothes.png

Kent State University employees Tabitha Martin, Lori Bodnar, Alicia Robinson and Kristin Williams with racks of donated clothes at the Kent State Career Closet.

(Kent State University)

KENT, Ohio - Kent State University has taken career counseling a step further by offering clothing to students in need of something suitable for a job interview.

The Kent State Career Closet was established by a group of employees who collect, organize and distribute professional attire to men and women.

The idea came up during the reception for opening of the Women's Center at Williamson House last year, Tabitha Martin, venture initiatives advisor at LaunchNET Kent State, said in a release.

"You can't go on an interview if you don't have anything appropriate to wear," she said. "Someone at the gathering said, 'I have all these clothes I don't wear anymore, and we have this great, new Women's Center.' So we said, 'Let's just do it.' We have such a huge campus full of faculty and staff, who I am sure would be happy to have a vehicle to contribute and help the students like this."

Martin founded the center with Lori Bodnar, senior advancement officer in the Division of Institutional Advancement, Alicia Robinson, assistant director of the Women's Center; and Kristin Williams, executive director of Career Exploration and Development.

The Career Closet is in the lower level of the Williamson House. It is currently open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. More information is at ksucareercloset.strikingly.com.

Any student or employee can find pieces of clothing to round out a professional ensemble. Shoppers will be asked to show their Kent State ID and sign in but there will be no requirement to prove financial need.

Shoppers can pick up tip sheets with advice about how they can best present themselves to potential employers and information about other career-preparedness resources on campuses.

The free boutique will host pop-up shops around campus to raise awareness and take its inventory to a wider audience.

Robinson, an alumna of the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, said she hopes to engage the Fashion School in the project. Students could design displays, organize style shows and alter clothing.

"We want to make students feel comfortable so they can come in, pick some clothes and feel comfortable going to career fairs and expos and job interviews," Bodnar said. "We want them to know there is no stigma."

The Career Closet is seeking donations of new or gently used professional clothing, including blazers, shirts, blouses, skirts, pants and ties. The project also is in need of hangers, clothing racks, storage items and gift cards or donations for laundering.

Anything deemed unsuitable will be donated to other local nonprofits.
csuhealthsciences.jpg

A free middle school med school will be offered this summer at Cleveland State University's Center for Innovation in Medical Professions.

(Karen Farkas, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Middle school students interested in health professions can attend free workshops this spring at Cleveland State University.

The CSU/Northeast Ohio Medical University's Partnership for Urban Health will hold workshops for students in grades six through eight from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, April 8-29.

The workshops, which include lunch, will be held at CSU's Center for Innovations in Medical Professions Building at 2112 Euclid Avenue.

Students can experience medical school through hands-on projects, such as making plaster casts for broken bones, applying stitches to wounds and taking X-rays.

"This program was developed to allow students to not only receive hands-on experience, but to spend time with medical professionals and get an inside look at a potential career path," Dr. Sonja Harris-Haywood, co-director of the NEOMED-CSU partnership, said in a statement. "This is an outstanding opportunity for Cleveland-area youth to closely examine the health professions at a time when they are beginning to explore all the possibilities of their futures."

Registration is open through Friday. To apply or receive more information, please call 216-802-3175 or email jtyes@neomed.edu.
Voting booth

Rebecca Hammonds, 34, of East Liverpool, was sentenced to six months in jail Monday for fraudulently registering voters, including five dead people.

(Lisa DeJong, Plain Dealer file photo)

LISBON, Ohio -- A woman who pleaded guilty to falsely registering dozens of people to vote, including some who were dead, was sentenced Monday to six months in prison, reports say.

Rebecca Hammonds, 34, of East Liverpool, pleaded guilty last month to 13 felony counts of making a false registration and one felony count of election falsification, wcpo.com reports. All are fifth-degree felonies. She originally had faced 35 counts.

Five of the names on the false registrations were for deceased people.

According to wkbn.com, the fraudulent registrations occurred in the fall of 2015 in Columbiana County. Hammonds was a paid canvasser for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

Hammonds said she falsified the registrations because she was worried about losing her job if she didn't reach a quota set by the group, something the liberal-leaning organization denies.

"It was an hourly pay wage job and this defendant felt it was easier to sign up people falsely," Special Prosecutor Brian Deckert tells wkbn.com. "I think it just may have come down to human laziness."

Officials with the Columbiana County Board of Elections noticed discrepancies in the registrations, the Salem News reports. She was arrested after an investigation by the sheriff's department, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
"He's the President of the United States," White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said moments later on Fox News. "He has information and intelligence that the rest of us do not, and that's the way it should be for presidents."

"He is at a much higher classification than I am so he may have classification to documents that I don't know about," Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on the TODAY Show Monday.

Which is true  at least when it comes to top-level sensitive information gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies.

President Trump 's surrogates have defended his unsubstantiated claim that the Obama administration tapped his phones by saying he knows things that others don't.

This seems more ad hoc and personalized than the normal way in which presidents can push to get things out to public when they think would it be appropriate to do so.

While there is still no indication that he based his explosive tweets about the previous administration on anything other than conspiracy theories on the internet, Trump, as commander-in-chief, does have the power to declassify information about national security matters at his whim, legal experts say.

But presidents typically use that authority in a measured way, including an analysis by lawyers or agency heads of whether releasing the information serves the public interest.

Trump may have done it in an early-morning tweetstorm, if you believe his surrogates.

@realDonaldTrump: 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!

"This seems more ad hoc and personalized than the normal way in which presidents can push to get things out to public when they think would it be appropriate to do so," said David Pozen, who teaches national security law at Columbia Law School. "But it's also so vague what we're talking about that it's not clear there's any order from a FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] court that conforms to what President Trump is describing."



Indeed, the White House has offered no proof of Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama had the phones at Trump Tower wiretapped during the 2016 campaign. The Justice Department and FBI haven't commented, although a senior U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that FBI Director James Comey asked the agency to publicly knock down Trump's claim.

An Obama spokesman dismissed Trump's claim as false. A senior U.S. official also told NBC News that the claim was baseless.

And former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who was in office up until Jan. 20, flat-out denied any wiretap of Trump Tower took place.

The president's power to declassify national security information stems from the powers granted him by the Constitution, and outlined in executive orders that, in recent decades, each commander-in-chief has tweaked. Trump has yet to add his mark, so he is working under Obama's order on classified information, issued in 2009.

Trump's assertion appears to stem from conservative media outlets, such as Breitbart, and anonymously sourced reports on British blogs. According to those reports, U.S. officials obtained a warrant under the FISA to investigate contacts between computers at a Russian bank and a server inside Trump's campaign headquarters at Trump Tower.

The president made the allegation as his administration has come under increasing scrutiny for associates' communications with Russian officials before and after the election. Trump and his aides have denied any improper contacts.

Trump has asked for Congress to investigate, and the same committee looking into the Russian ties will add the wiretapping claim.

Rep. Peter King, R-New York, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he wished Trump hadn't made the claim with a tweet "because this is such a serious issue."

The committee's chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, told a hometown ABC affiliate that there was no proof of the wiretapping "at this point," and said Trump would have "had more of an impact" if he "worded it a little bit differently." But Nunes argued that the allegation was not unlike the Russia allegations reported in the press.

Patrick Eddington, a policy analyst in civil liberties and national security issues at the libertarian Cato Institute, said with volatile but unproven allegations coming from both sides, the solution is to declassify more information to clear up what has become a potential crisis.

"If it's really that serious, and you've got the goods, put your cards on the table," Eddington said.
Hong Kong leadership hopeful Carrie Lam (L) speaks to the media after submitting her nomination papers to run for the chief executive election at the Registration and Electoral Office in Hong Kong on February 28, 2017. Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images

China's third most powerful leader said on Monday that Beijing had the right to "step in" to Hong Kong's leadership contest, according to local politicians who met him, in remarks fueling fears of meddling from Communist Party leaders.

The comments by Zhang Dejiang, the head of China's parliament and its leading official on Hong Kong issues, came after other officials played down rumors that Beijing was interfering in a race pitting China's preferred candidate against a more popular figure.

Under laws governing the former British colony since its return to Chinese rule in 1997, autonomous Hong Kong has the right to choose its chief executive via a 1,200-strong election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists. The committee is due to vote at the end of this month to decide between two former officials and a retired judge to lead the freewheeling city of 7.3 million people.

But the independence of the election has been questioned, with several election committee members telling media they had received phone calls from people with ties to the Chinese government trying to influence their votes.



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The head of Beijing's representative office in Hong Kong, Zhang Xiaoming, said over the weekend that allegations of intervention were only rumors.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress, said it was important for the election to proceed smoothly and stressed the significance of the chief executive's role as a link between Beijing and the Asian financial hub, according to the convener of the Hong Kong delegation to the congress, Maria Tam.

"It is a very important role, so the central government has the right to step in," Tam told reporters in her summary of Zhang's comments.

Zhang also warned the delegation during the annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing that Hong Kong should not allow politics to dominate life in the city.

He added that it was unfortunate that "street politics" had become a part of everyday life in Hong Kong while the neighboring Shenzhen city was catching up economically. "It is quite possible that Shenzhen can overtake Hong Kong in two years," Tam cited Zhang saying.

Calls to the central government's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office seeking comment went unanswered. China's Foreign Ministry, the only department which regularly answers questions from foreign reporters, declined to comment.



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The British government said it hoped that following the selection, discussion would resume about progressing to a "more democratic and accountable system of government".

"This would support Hong Kong's continued prosperity and help protect the Special Administrative Region's rights and freedoms," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

Hong Kong returned to China under a "one country, two systems" formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. China bristles at dissent, however, especially over issues such as demands for universal suffrage. This month's election is the first since mass pro-democracy street protests rocked Hong Kong in late 2014.

'Extraordinary and outstanding'

Beijing's support means former Hong Kong civil service head Carrie Lam is tipped as the favorite in the contest despite losing popularity polls to an ex-colleague, former Financial Secretary John Tsang.

Tsang had previously rejected speculation that Beijing did not trust him despite his almost decade-long tenure as financial secretary.

But during the meeting Zhang stressed "many times" that the next chief executive needs to be "extraordinary, outstanding" and have Beijing's trust, said Hong Kong delegate and election committee member Michael Tien.

"The implication is that being a secretary for 10 years doesn't necessarily mean the person is qualified as a chief executive," Tien said.

Tien added some committee members expected the Beijing leadership to make its final preference known closer to the election.

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Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser of Allianz and former chief executive of Pimco, told CNBC's "Fast Money" on Monday that three beliefs are "deeply ingrained" in the markets today:

Politics may be noisy, but that doesn't contaminate economics.

Central banks are here for us. They can repress volatility, and they are willing and able. Economic growth may not be exciting, but it is predictable and stable.

"This is why what we hear out of Washington doesn't disturb investors," El-Erian said. "That's why what we hear out of Trump doesn't surprise the markets."

It will take "major policy mistakes and major political developments" to spook investors, El-Erian said. "I would have thought it should have happened already."



El-Erian is referring to the run-up in stocks of late, despite a "lack of content" in President Donald Trump's speeches.

To top it off, the market is increasingly expecting the Fed to raise rates in March. The CME FedWatch tool pegs the probability of a rate hike this month at 86.4 percent. El-Erian said he believes there will be "at least three hikes" this year.

So it seems, Wall Street is thus far pleased with Trump's tone and is thinking, "We can wait on the content," El-Erian told CNBC.

Apparently "[Wall Street] needs major things to happen" to shake investors out of those three above-mentioned beliefs, El-Erian said.

"It seems to be a patient market, and that has surprised me," he said.
This photo taken on February 9, 2017 shows labourers working on a construction site of the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HBBCF) of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, already the world's least affordable urban centre to live and work in, is also the costliest Asian city to get anything built, due to its severe shortage of construction labour, according to a survey by global design and architecture consultancy Arcadis.

Hong Kong's registered construction workers numbered 427,609 as of January, according to the city's Construction Industry Council website. Their productivity and number of working days are declining, as 40 per cent of registered workers are older than 50 years, according to data by Hong Kong's Construction Industry Alliance.

More from the South China Morning Post:

How China's Airbnb clones went from copycats to copied

Number of skilled Hong Kong labourers working in Macau triples in two years

Why Hong Kong's container port may be in terminal decline, and what that would mean for a city that appears not to care



"The major reason is shortage of labour in Hong Kong," a persistent problem with no apparent and immediate solutions, said Francis Au, Arcadis' country head for Hong Kong and Macau, in releasing the International Construction Costs Index. "Solutions based on migrant labour aren't acceptable to the local population at this stage. To stabilise the rising building costs, the government and the construction industry will have to look into investing in initiatives and solutions that can increase industrial productivity."

Macau is Asia's second-most expensive city for building because of the massive number of casinos under construction, he said.

"We used to call those casinos money-printing machines,'" Au said. Unlike Hong Kong, Macau can import construction workers from mainland China and Hong Kong, which goes some way to alleviating the labour shortage and cap the costs.
A new GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is trying to make some conservative members of the House of Representatives happy  but could be dead on arrival if it goes to the Senate because of concerns about poor people losing insurance.

Four Republican senators on Monday told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that they will oppose any replacement bill that does not protect people enrolled in Medicaid, the government-run coverage program for the poor.

The four senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Cory Gardner of Colorado, represent states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare to cover nearly all poor adults. The GOP has 52 senators, and if three or more of them defect on the party's Obamacare replacement effort, Republicans likely would fail in their bid to get rid of the ACA.

"We will not support a plan that does not include stability for Medicaid expansion populations or flexibility for states," the quartet wrote McConnell, according to a number of news outlets, inlcluding the Washington Post.

Tweet

The senators' concerns are based on an earlier GOP House draft bill that called for block-granting federal Medicaid aid to states, instead of giving that aid based on the number of people actually enrolled in the program.

It is not clear if a newer GOP bill, due to be unveiled as early as Monday night, would assuage the senators' fears about a loss of coverage or funding for the poor, or merely underscore those fears.

The letter was sent as Politico.com revealed that the current Republican proposal in the House would still give relatively high-income earners at least some assistance buying health insurance, but gets rid of a controversial plan to tax some job-based coverage.

The new proposal also reportedly delays repealing many Obamacare taxes by a year.

The Republican plan calls for issuing tax credits to people who buy individual health insurance plans, as opposed to those who are covered through an employer's plans.

Politico reported that the new proposal would begin phasing out the value of those tax credits at a level of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for households.

But they only would be completely eliminated for individuals who earn more than $215,000 annually, and a household that earns more than $290,000.

An earlier GOP plan called for tax credits to be given to anyone who bought individual health plans, but that proposal had drawn howls from more conservative members of Congress who objected to the idea of rich people being given such a benefit.

However, the new proposal still would give some aid to people who would be considered to be making more than a decent income in much of the U.S.

A household earning $290,000 annually is in the 97.7 percentile of earners in the United States, meaning that just 2.3 percent of the households in the country earned more than that in 2016.

An individual earning $215,000 is in the 98.1 percentile of U.S. individual earners.

Politico's article on the new GOP proposal said it completely eliminates a cap on the tax exemption for job-based health coverage.

Most Americans, 170 million or so, get health insurance through an employer. Employers' contribution to the cost of that coverage is not taxed, nor is the value of the coverage to employees. And employees pay their share of the coverage, in the form of premiums, with pretax income.

An earlier GOP proposal would have limited the amount of job-based health insurance that would be exempt from being taxed. That plan had called for taxing employees on the value of coverage that exceeded the 90th percentile of current insurance premiums.

The elimination of that aspect means the GOP, to avoid increasing the federal budget deficit, would have to dig up a new source of revenue to fund the tax credits for the purchase of individual insurance plans.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said that the reported elimination of the limit on tax-exclusion for job-based insurance is "disappointing."

"Limiting the tax exclusion for high-cost health insurance plans both raises replacement revenue and helps control health-care cost growth," MacGuineas said.

"Providing health care coverage in a fiscally responsible manner requires trade-offs and tough choices. We encourage lawmakers to reform the health care exclusion to help control costs and pay for their plan."

Politico also reported that Obamacare taxes, including ones on prescription and over-the-counter drugs, health savings accounts and tanning services would continue until 2018, instead of ending this year, as the earlier GOP plan called for.
China's plan to advance its manufacturing capabilities is drawing criticism from one of its major trade partners.

The initiative, "Made in China 2025," calls for China to upgrade its industrial base, and it could kill the country's need to import goods and services from Europe, according to a new report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. That means Europe stands to lose a chunk of the 170 billion euros it currently earns in exports to the world's second-largest economy.

China's push for a high-tech industrial revolution could "distort markets and actually might cause havoc to European business opportunities  not only here, but also elsewhere in the world," Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, told CNBC.

China has long been the world's factory, as a leading supplier of everything from air conditioners to mobile phones. The government now wants to develop the world's second-largest economy by upgrading its factory assembly lines to produce high-tech medical devices and cutting-edge robots. And foreign firms are getting nervous that they'll lose access to China, which is the world's largest consumer market with 1.4 billion people.
It's a big week for South Korea as a disillusioned public awaits updates on the fate of two major players involved in a corruption scandal that's rocked Asia's fourth-largest economy since late October.

The heads of South Koreas most powerful companies appeared at a parliamentary hearing in Seoul in December as part of a corruption inquiry. The vice chairman of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, fourth from right, was arrested on Friday on bribery charges. Jeon Heon-Kyun | Pool | Getty Images

On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court is due to announce the date for its decision on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, a move initiated after parliament voted to eject her from the nation's top elected spot in December. The independent body, which held its first hearing on Dec. 22 and wrapped its final one on Feb. 27, could make its ruling as early as March 10 or March 13 before one of its key members, Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi, retires on the latter date, according to analysts. Meanwhile, Thursday marks the start of court proceedings against Samsung vice chairman Jay Y. Lee, who was charged with paying bribes worth $37 million to Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil in. Park and Choi are accused of securing donations from the nation's biggest enterprises, including Samsung, for foundations that backed Park's policies. Against this tense political backdrop, North Korea's ballistic missile launches on Monday could potentially speed up Seoul's deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system, and subsequently worsen geopolitical tensions with Beijing. "It's a critical time for the country," summed up Hank Morris, Asia Advisor at wealth management firm Argentarius Group.

A leadership vacuum

It's hoped that Park's impeachment case and Lee's arrest will become watershed events in South Korea's history of corporate governance and democracy. "There is a serious public perception that the high and mighty are still above the law," said Sung-Yoon Lee, professor of Korean Studies at Tufts University. Indeed, a deep history of crony capitalism and scandals among the country's political and business elites have left residents hungry for government policies curtailing the power of both groupssentiments expressed in mass protests that followed once Park's scandal came to light. "The fact that Jay Y. Lee was imprisoned under indictment, the first for a Samsung scion, has symbolic implications. It's a blow to the chaebol and shady government-business collusion," Lee continued.

But it remains to be seen whether Park's impeachment and Lee's trial will narrow the yawning gap between the elites and the ordinary public in South Korea's highly hierarchical Confucian society, he added.

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If the Court approves Park's impeachment, that will trigger a special election that could bring left-leaning candidates from opposition parties to power. So far, former head of the Democratic Party Moon Jae-in boasts the highest approval rating among presidential hopefuls, scoring 36.4 support, according to a Realmeter survey of 2,025 South Koreans released Monday. While average working-class citizens aren't sure about the opposition candidates, they are still willing to listen, said Morris. "Korean democracy has a shelf life of only 30 years. There is deep dissatisfaction within all elements of people so while Moon may be leading, there is still a struggle for politicians to get their views across because most people don't trust politicians." In the unlikely scenario of the Court rejecting Park's impeachment, potentially violent street demonstrations are widely expected. "If the Court rejects the motion, Park will likely serve out the remainder of her term, but her government will be a huge lame duck, with policy initiatives of any kind very difficult to advance," added Scott Seaman, Asia director at the Eurasia Group. "Elections will then be pushed back to December, which would give right-of-center parties a chance to regroup and find better candidates."

Role of chaebols in question

Thursday's trial of Samsung heir Lee, who was indicted on Feb. 28, could have far-reaching consequences for other chaebols, South Korean family-run conglomerates that dominate the economy. Samsung aside, Lotte, SK Group, and Hyundai are among other major enterprises reported to have paid bribes in exchange for government favors. Analysts say prosecutors will go after Lotte or Hyundai next if a clear trail of evidence is found. The offices of Lotte and SK Group were

raided in November as part of the probe but no charges were made. "Other chaebols contributed to the funds at the center of investigation, so it's likely Lee's trial will touch on other chaebol leaders and further investigations or indictments concerning other chaebols could crop up," said Morris. Samsung's succession plan is another concerning factor, with several Korea-watchers noting that the tech giant's future leadership remains unclear if Lee's trial takes him out of the management picture.

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Speedier THAAD deployment
"This was indeed an historic event, I mean the agreement which was signed between OPEC and non-OPEC countries, it's the first time in history...in compliance with the agreement that was reached, we are going to achieve the 300,000 result at a fast pace," he said.

In the wake of OPEC's output cut, Novak also talked about Russia's cooperation in the process, calling the coordination between OPEC and Non-OPEC producers historic.

Speaking to CNBC at CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston, Novak said, "We did not interfere in U.S. domestic politics and we prefer that every country be independent in resolving its domestic issues."

But all cuts are not created equal. OPEC cut more than a million barrels a day, compared to what Novak concedes for the Russians. And the Saudis bore the brunt of the cuts: Their production reduced to 9.85 million barrels a day in February, according to Platts, while Russia's production is over 10 million barrels per day, making it now the world's largest producer. This, however, was not the goal according to Novak.

"We had to take a certain monthly level as a base, so we acted on that base that our targets will be met as far as the October 2016 level is concerned. In terms of doing everything we need to do to stay the top producer of oil production in the world, this is not something that we are trying to achieve."

When asked if he was worried about U.S. shale producers ramping production and eclipsing the recent international cuts, Novak said, "Undoubtedly the joint action by many countries to achieve the balance and to reduce the output are aimed at giving stability to the market and as a result we see a great level of investment, lower volatility, prices stabilizing at a certain level, which does play out to move investment going into shale production so one needs to assess the overall supply and demand balance."

With respect to that balance, Novak said he thinks it has been achieved  at least temporarily.

"I believe that currently we have a supply and demand balance, I mean for this winter period, but for the future we need to see how the situation will evolve in terms of the demand growth and how the production picture moves along in other countries, so we will need to assess the supply-demand balance and its dynamics."
Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), an advanced missile system, is launched during a successful intercept test in the U.S. Pacific in 2013. Source: U.S. Defense Dept. | Missile Defense Agency

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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer signaled the deployment Monday when he told reporters that the United States is "taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as through the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea." U.S. defense officials confirmed to NBC News on Monday night that that meant delivery was already under way  not that the United States was simply restating its previous promises to send the system to South Korea sometime in the future. They told NBC News that the planned deployment had already been in the works and that the timetable wasn't affected by the latest North Korean launches, which Spicer called a "very serious threat." The North Korean news agency KCNA, whose pronouncements are usually regarded as propaganda for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the launches early Monday were part of a drill to test potential strikes against "the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan." The Defense Department said Defense Secretary James Mattis spoke with Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada and that they agreed the North Korean launches were "an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region." Japanese Prime Minister said President Donald Trump shared similar sentiments with him in a telephone call Monday.

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Asakura Fuji Sengenjinja and Mt.Fuji in Japan. Yoshio Tomii | Getty Images

Berlin, Brandenburg gate, Germany. TomasSereda | Getty Images

4. Four of the top 15 countries are led by women: No. 1 Switzerland, No. 4 Germany, No. 10 Norway and No. 12. Denmark. Female leadership is also linked to strong performance in Latin America, where countries currently or recently led by females are the best regional performers in most rankings. 5. Happiness is 72 percent correlated to gender equality in a country, but only 34 percent correlated to wealth, or gross domestic product per capita.

Westminster Bridge at sunset, London, UK. lakovKalinin | Getty Images

6. The U.S., Russia, China, the U.K. and Germany take the top five spots in Power for the second year in a row, leading all other countries by nearly 20 points on a 100-point scale. No. 2 Russia gained about five points on the U.S.'s lead compared to last year, and there is now less than a tenth of a point separating the two superpowers. Russia also rose four spots since last year to No. 2 in the Most Influential Countries. 7. Lower performing countries often have their strongest performance in the Power subranking. Iran, ranked No. 79 overall, is No. 14 in Power, and Ukraine, ranked No. 73 overall, is No. 26 in Power. 8. Nearly 90 percent of global survey respondents outside of the U.S. said that they paid attention to the 2016 U.S. election. Hillary Clinton would have won the global election, with nearly 60 percent of the global vote. Support for Donald Trump was highest in Russia (83 percent) and in China (54 percent). The U.S. dropped three spots overall compared to last year's ranking. 9. There is a strong connection between transparency and stability around the world. Government and business transparency are more than 90 percent correlated to economic and political stability on average. 10. There are regional differences in what makes a country "best." Survey respondents in Europe and the Americas consider Switzerland the Best Country, in line with the overall global results. But those in the Middle East and Africa would give the top spot to Japan, and those in Asia rank Germany No. 1 overall. Asia also heavily favors the U.S., ranking it No. 2 overall, five places better than its global ranking.

Vancouver, Canada mfron | Getty Images
"We hadn't even sold enough to cover the cost of the booth," Spade tells Guy Raz on the podcast How I Built This. (In 2016, the entrepreneur founded a new company called Frances Valentine and changed her name to Kate Valentine .)

Her earliest handbags felt like a disappointment. After spending more than $4,000 on materials and admission to a 1993 New York City trade show, it seemed like she had earned nothing.

Kate Spade almost abandoned the fashion line that she quit her full-time job to launch.

"I'm very conservative," Spade says. "I have no interest in losing money."

The idea, after that first run, seemed like a bust, even though Spade had just incorporated.

"That's it for me," Spade recalls that she told her partner Andy. "I'm not a gambler."

The trade show had been productive, however. Barneys and Fred Segal department stores spotted her bags and agreed to start selling them in select stores. So Andy suggested they hold off on giving up.

"Katie, you've got two of the best stores in America. Why are you crying?" Andy told her. "Let's not quit."

Before pursuing entrepreneurship, Spade had taken a more traditional route.

In 1985, Spade graduated with a journalism degree from Arizona State University and then backpacked around Europe. The next year, she moved to New York and landed a job in the accessories department at Mademoiselle magazine.

By 1992, Spade saw no future for herself at the publication and quit. She had decided over dinner with Andy to pursue a new direction: Making her own handbags. For the next few years, they relied mostly on Andy's income and mutual savings. At one point, they even liquidated their 401(k)s.

"When you don't have an income coming in," Spade says, "you're doing whatever you can to make it happen."

Spurred by a sense that the situation was do-or-die, Spade searched Yellow Pages and used her fashion magazine network to find supplies for her handbags. She had no experience in design, so she found a pattern maker who worked out of an apartment. There, Kate became a de facto apprentice  clipping big sheets of paper and fabric samples until the new skills became habit.
Donald Trump has pledged, both as a candidate and as President, to decrease regulation so as to make it easier for businesses to operate in the United States.

Self-made multi-billionaire and restaurateur Tilman Fertitta is eager to see Trump succeed in that effort. By way of illustrating how regulations hamper business growth, the star of CNBC's "Billion Dollar Buyer" points to the restaurants he owns in San Francisco, where he must charge more for the same dishes.

"All these states now are doing their own mandates," says Fertitta. "Why should the city of San Francisco be able to do absolutely whatever they want to do?"

San Francisco's city-wide Health Care Security Ordinance requires certain businesses to make payments toward their employees' healthcare coverage.

"Do you realize, all the restaurants in San Francisco, we all have an added charge?" says Fertitta. "We have a 3% or 4% or 5% add-on to the menu because they make us give all our employees full healthcare. We can't afford to do it."


The price of could hit $3,000 by the end of the year after recently trading above gold and hitting a fresh record high, an analyst told CNBC on Tuesday.

A rise on this scale would represent a near 150 percent increase from bitcoin's current price of $1,204 at the time of publication, and a more than 130 percent increase from the fresh $1293.47 high it set last week, according to CoinDesk data.

The price of bitcoin at time of publication is not trading above an ounce of gold , but the recent rise in price, which is up 195 percent in the past 12 months, has been attributed to a number of geopolitical and broader market factors.

These include:

Increased regulation from Chinese authorities to clamp down on money laundering

Demonetization in India which has caused bitcoin to be seen as an alternative store of value

Volatility in other currencies and uncertainty in the global economy

Now Adam Davies, a consultant at Altus Consulting, who works with large financial institutions on technology, is predicting bitcoin can go even higher.

"In terms of price this year, I think it will go up to $3,000. As it becomes more pervasive and more generally accepted, I think you'll see rapid growth in adoption," Davies told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday.

"People are unsure about what is going on in the world, and digital currencies unlike the U.K. pound sterling have been hit badly because of Brexit, so people are looking to divest into bitcoin. There is a definitely upward trend. So the drivers will be hedging against currency fluctuations and insecurity in the markets."
This isn't the first time Trump has trashed the pharma industry. He campaigned hard against the drug companies in the spring and winter of last year. However, if the president wants to crack down on drug pricing, he will need help from Congress. Cramer thinks that will be very difficult because drug companies are incredibly powerful in Washington.

"Every time the president has singled out an industry or a company to make a deal, the stocks get hammered and you have to hold your nose and buy. That has been the right move every time because the call-out is really just the opening bid in the negotiation," the " Mad Money " host said.

Jim Cramer wasn't fazed. While many investors reacted to the tweet by selling pharma stocks, Cramer thinks it is a buying opportunity.

Just as pharmaceutical stocks started to get red hot, President Donald Trump wrecked everything with a tweet about the drug industry on Tuesday.

The only way to reign in drug prices, Cramer said, is with a single payer healthcare system where the government mandates pricing. If there were two drugs, the government could pit them against each other and buy the one with the lower offer and cut the other out.

Single payer has been a dream for the Democrats, but the Republicans are in charge right now. Same thing goes for more direct price controls, as the GOP would likely not let it happen.

"Anything that would really impact drug prices would need to go through Congress, and I am telling you right now that Trump simply will not get his way on this issue. The drug lobbyists have too much sway and the GOP is too committed to free markets," Cramer said.

The good news is that most of the time when Trump singles out a company or industry, it's a buying opportunity.

Thirty points ago, Trump laid into Boeing over its pricing for the new Air Force One. That turned out to be a chance to buy. His rant about Lockheed Martin gave a dip for investors that has since had a 19 point gain. The president brought General Motors ' stock down to $34 over the Chevy Cruze cars, and it is up 7 percent since.

"If I were president, I would be going after other countries for routinely ripping off our drug companies by jamming them with lower prices, which then causes them to charge more here," Cramer said.

Cramer would go after every country that squeezes the profits out of pharmaceutical companies knowing there isn't a cost to it because they make so much money in the U.S. He views it as a classic example of trading partners taking advantage of the U.S. And no president stands up against it.

So instead of worrying about Trump's next move, what matters to Cramer is that the drug stocks have been red hot, and this could be a chance for a price break. He recommended Merck , Pfizer , Allergan and Mylan Labs on generic competition.

"The only real power the President has domestically at this moment is to deregulate, and he is using that power with a vengeance to help the autos and the airlines and the banks and the oil companies. I bet they stay winners," Cramer said.

And if some red-hot stocks get dinged because of a Trump tweet, count Cramer in.

Questions for Cramer?

Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!

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Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com
France's National Front leader Marine Le Pen and Netherlands' Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders take a Selfie during a European far-right leaders meeting to discuss about the European Union, in Koblenz, Germany, January 21, 2017. Wolfgang Rattay | Reuters

The French presidential election is grabbing all the headlines in Europe, but another contest may serve as an indicator for France's election  and Europe's future. The Netherlands is scheduled to hold a general election on March 15, and right now the race is a dead heat between Geert Wilders  leader of the populist Party of Freedom (PVV)  and incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who leads the more moderate People's Party for Freedom (VVD). Markets will be watching the Dutch contest not just to get a sense of who may win the French election, but to gauge the likelihood of the European Union's disintegration. "That could be the canary in the coal mine," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities, referring to the Dutch election. "This could be a preview of what could happen in the French election."

The election will test the health of euroskepticism within a core member of the EU. Adriano Bosoni senior Europe analyst, Stratfor

The European stock market has been on a tear this year, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index advancing 3 percent on the back of a strong economy. The index has gained more than 9 percent over the past year. However, the destabilization of the European Union could send shock waves through markets. "The blase market reaction is because it's not a core economy like France or Germany, but it does set the table for the rest of the year," said Jasper Lawler, senior market analyst at London Capital Group. "There's also a consensus that they won't be able to form a [coalition]. I think that's why nobody's too worried." "But even though I don't see an upset here, I do think markets are underpricing risk here," he said. The Netherlands has the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, with a GDP of around $735 billion in 2016.

Wilders, much like France's more well-known populist Marine Le Pen, has won over voters through his anti-European Union and anti-Islamic rhetoric. Wilders called for a Dutch referendum on EU membership last year immediately after the United Kingdom voted to leave the union. But there are important differences between Le Pen and Wilders, said Adriano Bosoni, senior Europe analyst at Stratfor, a geopolitical advisory firm. He said that Wilders' approach to economic policy is more open, while Le Pen takes a more protectionist approach. A win for Wilders would raise questions about the Netherlands' and EU's futures, but he and the Party of Freedom still have several obstacles to overcome if they want to achieve their goals. First, a Friday sampling conducted by Dutch pollster Peil.nl found that Wilders' PVV was on track to win 25 of 150 seats in parliament, with Rutte's VVD on pace to win 24 seats. The poll also showed five other parties on pace to win at least 10 seats. That said, polls over the past 18 months have been terrible at predicting actual results  globally. Polls heading into last year's Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election were almost all wrong, shocking financial markets and establishment voters alike.

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"On top of that, Rutte's sharpening of the tone regarding immigration could also play a role. And some potential PVV voters might feel that their vote is lost as the main parties excluded to cooperate with Wilders," Sandte added.

"I can only speculate, but I think a negative Trump effects is at play," Holger Sandte, chief European analyst at Nordea , told CNBC in an email Tuesday.

Dutch populist Geert Wilders' popularity seems to be diminishing among the Netherlands electorate as his chances of an outright victory appear to be hampered by U.S. President Donald Trump 's protectionist agenda. With just over a week to go until the Netherlands general election, the leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) is now running neck and neck with Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberals, according to a Peil.nl poll published Sunday.

The Dutch election is regarded by many as a bellwether for rest of Europe after an uptick in support for populist candidates brought about by both the Brexit vote and Trump's surprise election victory last year.

Wilders has campaigned for the Netherlands to follow the U.K. out of the European Union and despite his impressive polling figures to date, a coalition appears inevitable given the country's fragmented political system. Furthermore, all other established parties in the Netherlands have ruled out forming a coalition with the PVV.

"Most of the PVV-voters don't actually believe that Geert Wilders will offer solutions," Jesse Klaver, leader of the Dutch Greens party, told newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad in an interview published Friday.

Immigration has been a key theme on the campaign trail for the Netherlands presidential hopefuls and Wilders has frequently praised Trump's protectionist rhetoric.

The PVV leader has suggested he would want to prevent Muslin immigration in the Netherlands altogether. Wilders had previously been convicted of discrimination against Moroccans in December after he had been accused of inciting racial hatred at a political rally in 2015, although he did not receive any punishment.

Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday which bans citizens from six Muslim-majority nations including Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days. The ban takes effect from March 16, the day after the Dutch general election.
Appliances and electronics retailer hhgregg and its Gregg Appliances unit filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, as they continued to struggle with declining sales for about four years.



Hhgregg listed assets and liabilities of up to $50,000 in its Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Indiana, and said it signed a term sheet with an unnamed party to purchase its assets.

Gregg Appliances listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in a separate filing.

Hhgregg said it expected to emerge from the process in about 60 days.

"Through these strategic steps, we plan to come out of this debt free and more agile as we serve our valued customers and vendor partners," Chief Executive Robert Riesbeck said in a statement.

The company's 132 stores would operate normally throughout the restructuring process. It said last week it would shut 88 stores.

Hhgregg hired Stifel Financial last month, to advise it on strategic and financial transactions.
It pays to shop around, even for a funeral. Consumers who pick a big-box funeral home assuming its prices are competitive could be overpaying, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America and the Funeral Consumers Alliance. The consumer advocates say median prices at funeral homes operated by Service Corporation International  the largest corporate provider, whose brands include Dignity Memorial and National Cremation Society  run 47 to 72 percent higher than prices at other, independent funeral homes. (See chart below.)

RubberBall Productions | Getty Images

"Although media reports on SCI have often described the company as the 'Wal-Mart' of funeral service, the comparison does not hold," the alliance's executive director, Joshua Slocum, wrote in the report. "Unlike Wal-Mart, SCI's economies of scale don't translate into cost savings for consumers." SCI officials did not respond to multiple requests from CNBC for comment. There are more than 19,000 funeral homes nationwide, and 86 percent are privately owned by individuals or families, according to statistics cited by the National Funeral Directors Association. SCI owns 12 percent.

Funeral service prices Service Median price at SCI funeral homes Median price at independent funeral homes Simple cremation $2,700 $1,562 Simple burial $2,845 $1,893 Full-service funeral $7,705 $5,241

Source: SOURCE: Funeral Consumers Alliance and Consumer Federation of America, 2017.

The consumer researchers compared 35 SCI-run funeral homes and 103 independent funeral homes in 10 major metropolitan areas. They used used pricing data on funeral homes' websites where available, and followed up with emails and phone calls to obtain prices when it was not, Slocum said on a press call. None of the SCI funeral homes disclosed its prices online, he said. SCI's services weren't universally pricier. SCI funeral homes in Tucson, Arizona, had a median price that was 11 percent lower than independents' for simple cremation, and in Atlanta, prices were 10 percent lower for simple burial, among other examples in the data.

They're dealing with their grief at the same time they're dealing with these decisions. It's hard to be a great shopper. Cheryl Reed spokeswoman, Angie's List

The report underscores the importance of casting a wide net when comparing prices on funeral services  whether you're planning your own or find yourself in the position of planning one for a loved one who has passed away. In recent years, CFA/FCA pricing data research has found wide ranges on funeral and cremation prices, even in the same city. "In many cases, people just haven't thought about a funeral," said Cheryl Reed, a spokeswoman for review site Angie's List. "So they're dealing with their grief at the same time they're dealing with these decisions. It's hard to be a great shopper."

High and low prices for funeral services, by city City Direct Cremation (low) Direct Cremation (high) Immediate Burial (low) Immediate Burial (high) Full-Service Funeral (low) Full-Service Funeral (high) Atlanta $850 $3,640 $1,195 $5,200 $3,370 $11,050 Denver $1,055 $2,840 $1,260 $2,945 $2,600 $7,855 Indianapolis $895 $3,295 $1,295 $4,365 $2,700 $6,415 Minneapolis $760 $3,000 $650 $3,395 $2,580 $7,855 Philadelphia $1,365 $3,345 $1,080 $3,600 $4,135 $7,990 Seattle $495 $3,390 $690 $3,395 $2,805 $5,515 Tucson $649 $2,440 $640 $3,140 $2,630 $8,140 Washington, D.C. $1,295 $7,595 $1,410 $6,800 $3,770 $13,800

Source: SOURCE: Funeral Consumers Alliance and Consumer Federation of America, 2015.
The Franco-German relationship has been fundamental to develop the European Union over its 60 years of existence. Breaking that relationship would mean the dismantling of the European Union, the German finance minister said.

Wolfgang Schaeuble, the German finance minister, has also quashed comments made by the U.S. administration that Germany has manipulated the euro for its economic benefit.

"We need a strong France, Germany alone cannot hold Europe together," Wolfgang Schaeuble, the German finance minister, told a news conference on Tuesday.

France, the second-largest euro economy, has seen a rise in anti-EU sentiment as the country comes closer to a presidential election in late April.

The far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has pledged to take France out of the euro, is currently placing first in projections for the first round. However, polls indicate that she is likely to lose the second round of the vote to the centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron. But Macron himself, a relatively new face in French politics, is often seen as an alternative to the establishment.

"I am closely watching what happens in France. I am convinced that France and the French people will make a responsible decision at the elections," Schaeuble told journalists. He added: "I have deep respect for the cleverness of the French voter which has been backed by the outcome of their regional elections." In December, the Front National did not manage to build on first-round leads in the French local elections.

Schaeuble also denied during the press conference that his country manipulated the euro to gain a trade advantage against countries like the U.S.

"We have not manipulated anything, it is the competitiveness of the German economy," Schaeuble told CNBC.

According to the outspoken minister, Europe is in a "very difficult" situation and all efforts are needed to ensure its stability.

Adding to the uncertainty, Germans go to the polls to choose a new chancellor in September. Polls suggest that the powerful Angela Merkel could be overtaken at the ballot by her socialist rival.

Merkel has been in power for more than 11 years, however, Schaeuble doesn't believe that the German chancellor is "tired at all."

"I am convinced that she is the best leader for a strong Germany and for a strong Europe also the next four years in a new government," he added.

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may have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater" in the sale of its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to French rival , the head of rival firm (FCA) has told CNBC.

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said that while he appreciated the rationale for shedding the long-time loss-making division, he criticized the basis on which the deal had been executed.

"There's no doubt that I think Mary (Barra, GM CEO) and her team are focusing on improving the profitability of the house and this is seen as a quick fix to a problem which has been sitting inside GM for a long time," he said Tuesday on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show.

He noted that the marginal improvement in return on invested capital did not provide a sufficient justification for the terms of Monday's sale.

"I understand that they (GM) want to get out just to get rid of the problem, but you may have thrown out the baby with the bathwater," he added.

Turning to look at the transaction from the perspective of the buyer, PSA Group, owner of the Citroen and Peugeot brands, Marchionne implied that the jury remained out for now.

"If it's true that the benefits that PSA is going to get out of this deal are of the caliber that he's talking about then the profitability of that business at PSA will actually be acceptable. It's not extraordinary but it's not bad," he surmised.
Repealing Obamacare may be politically popular, but the current proposals are going to be costly.

Republicans are moving ahead with campaign promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known to most Americans as Obamacare.

Many of them have attacked the landmark law as too costly. But a back-of-the-envelope estimate finds that the replacement plan being floated would end up costing the federal government and additional $600 billion over 10 years.
House Republicans in their planned replacement for Obamacare want health savings accounts to play a larger role in how Americans pay for health care.

Provisions of the newly unveiled American Health Care Act will nearly double the contribution limits for health savings accounts and give people more flexibility in how they can spend money in these tax-advantaged accounts.

Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the provisions for expanding health savings accounts will cost $19 billion through 2026. The committee puts the total 10-year cost of repealing the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, at $594 billion because the GOP plan repeals taxes on high earners that partially pay for the law.

These estimates do not include the cost of repealing the individual and employer mandates or the cost of the replacement tax credits in the House GOP plan, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog.

HSAs, introduced in 2003, offer you triple tax advantages: First, contributions are tax-deductible. Second, those contributions can be invested and grow tax-free. Third, withdrawals aren't taxed as long as you use them for qualified medical expenses, such as doctor's visits, prescription drugs and dental care.

For older account holders, you can use your HSA to pay for Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket expenses including deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance (except Medigap).

If you use an HSA to pay for unqualified medical expenses, the tax penalty is 20 percent, unless you are 65 or older. At that age, you can take money out for whatever you want, but the withdrawals will still be subject to regular income taxes.

A drawback of HSAs is that currently they must be paired with a high-deductible health plan. Such a plan means you'll have to pay a deductible of at least $1,300 for individual coverage and $2,600 for families. The maximum annual out-of-pocket costs for these plans are $6,550 for individuals and $13,100 for families.

In 2017, you (and your employer) can contribute up to $3,400 to an HSA for individuals and $6,750 for families. Account holders age 55 and older can contribute an extra $1,000.

The House GOP bill will increase the annual limit on HSA contributions to match the annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses under a high deductible health plan. That means the HSA contribution limit could be at least $6,550 for individuals and $13,100 for families beginning next year.

The American Health Care Act also makes HSA rules more flexible by:

Allowing both spouses to make catch-up contributions to one HSA beginning in 2018.

Permitting qualified medical expenses incurred before HSA-qualified coverage begins to be reimbursed from an HSA as long as the account is established within 60 days.

Letting people use their HSAs to pay for over-the-counter medications, which was restricted under Obamacare.

If approved by the House, the bill would still need to pass the Senate, which has a slimmer Republican majority and no consensus on an Obamacare replacement plan. Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine have introduced a bill to create Roth HSAs (funded with after-tax dollars) to help people pay health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detain a suspect as they conduct a targeted enforcement operation in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on February 7, 2017.

Immigration raids are starting to have an impact on small businesses in the West, with some merchants suggesting a climate of fear is keeping customers away.

"We're seeing more cases of people reluctant to patronize the stores they were going to," said Mark Arabo, owner of San Diego's Lulu's International Market and former president of the Neighborhood Market Association, a business group of about 2,000 small stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. "It's fear for ICE and it's fear for the government."

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has held several enforcement actions in Southern California that have generated headlines, including the arrest last week of a Mexican immigrant dropping his teenage daughters off at school.

Lori Haley, an ICE spokeswoman, said in a written response Monday that agents and special officers have made "criminal and administrative arrests every day in the course of carrying out their mission to uphold public safety." She added, "Our arrests are targeted  we don't engage in indiscriminate sweeps or raids."

Even so, worries persist among immigrants about enforcement actions, and some businesses have been forced to lay off employees to cope with the falloff in business.

"Some are cutting across the board 20 to 30 percent," said Arabo. "It's not a good thing for the economy. It's not a good thing for jobs."

Arabo said the drop in business was noticed shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has cracked down on immigration.

CNBC interviewed several other business owners over the phone for this story but they didn't want to be identified out of fear of bringing unwanted attention to their businesses.

Pedro Gomez, an undocumented worker at a convenience store in East L.A., said through a translator that there's been a "growing concern" that immigration raids may target his heavily immigrant community. "There's talk about the potential [for] raids reaching this area."

Also, Gomez said fear is being driven by concerns that immigrants could be targeted by ICE if they have any misdemeanor convictions on their record.

"People who might have convictions for small offenses or minor things in court are concerned about being singled out and being deported," Gomez said.

To protect immigrants, some cities have moved to decriminalize minor offenses.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti agreed to remove criminal penalties for street vendors operating without a permit.

"Decriminalizing street vending is a humane, critical first step toward protecting hard-working Angelenos who are trying to make an honest living and should not have to worry about a criminal record," Garcetti said in a statement.

However, sidewalk food vending without permits is still unlawful in unincorporated parts of L.A. County, which makes up more than 65 percent of county territory.

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 25 directing the Department of Homeland Security to hire 10,000 additional immigration officers. His order also gives delegated authority for immigration enforcement to state and local law enforcement, although California has resisted such efforts.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from California, where there's a currently a "sanctuary state" bill  Senate Bill 54  pending in the California legislature. The state measure would prohibit state or local law enforcement agencies or school police from using resources to investigate, detain or arrest people for immigration purposes. The bill has already passed the Senate Public Safety committee, although two Republican members opposed it.

Overall, California has an estimated 2.3 million undocumented immigrants, with just under three-quarters coming from Mexico, according to the latest data from Pew Research Center. Its latest research found more than 80 percent of the unauthorized immigrants in Arizona were from Mexico.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones on Monday criticized the measure during a press conference saying it would allow "dangerous, violent career criminals to slip through the cracks and be released back into our communities."

According to Arabo, he's heard cases of some merchants seeing a sales decline of as much as 20 percent.

The financial impacts are being felt in Arizona, too.

"In Arizona, the government and politics are much different," Arabo said. "Arizona has an issue of government profiling or deporting."

The state's reputation for immigration enforcement actions at the local level stem from the days when Republican Joe Arpaio was Maricopa County sheriff and he held sweeps on businesses. Arpaio was voted out of office and replaced by a sheriff who has taken a lower profile on immigration.
Gender bias has long been a roadblock to establishing better representation in high-level corporate leadership for women  despite the fact that if there was gender quality in the workforce, the global economy could gain as much as $28 trillion by 2025, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. So why are business leaders still holding women and the economy back? It's simple: their biases  which are undermining the future of women  are invisible to them.

There are unconscious and conscious factors influencing gender bias in business and concrete ways leaders can unwind them. Adopting a mindset of a gender champion is a first step. If business leaders can shift from unconsciously gender-biased decisions to consciously championing women, imagine the possibilities for women to be treated fairly at work, rise through development opportunities, and increase the health and safety of both women and men in the workplace.

Fortunately, women are already blazing the trail towards consciously championing equality. First and foremost, women are taking their own steps to assume leadership positions by becoming their own bosses. Women now make up 40 percent of new entrepreneurs in the United States  the highest percentage since 1996, according to the 2016 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity. Yet, according to the Global Banking Alliance for Women, 80 percent of women-owned small and medium enterprises with credit needs are un-served or under-served.

With more women setting the example for what gender equality can look like, business leaders have an opportunity to watch, listen and learn what's possible with women leading business  and take action to support and/or partner with them for mutual and societal benefit. But in order to unleash the possibilities, they must be willing to acknowledge that gender bias does exist, and it can be an unconscious attitude that even the most well-intentioned CEO may hold.

Because there is no time to wait and the business, economic and social gains of gender equality are significant, we are working to equip business leaders with a tool to identify their own gender bias and find practical solutions to consciously champion equality.

With the release of the Women's Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Tool this week, which helps the global business community identify their own gender bias and suggests practical solutions to consciously champion gender equality, the UN Global Compact, together with partners including UN Women and the Inter-American Development Bank, empowers every business to take action now, without delay. This is just one step of many we urge the business community to take action  today and throughout the year.

International Women's Day provides us with a moment to recognize and celebrate gender equality, but it is only the start. This is clearly the time for action. We can unlock growth by breaking the bias on gender, but only if our sustained actions create a snowball of change. We must move forward, not back.

Commentary by Lise Kingo, CEO and executive director, UN Global Compact. Follow her on Twitter @Lise_Kingo.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.

Watch: Closing gender gap will spur global growth
U.S. automaker Ford remains bullish on the European market even as consolidation looms with General Motors moving to sell its Opel/Vauxhall unit to France's PSA Group this week, marking an exit from the continent.

The deal makes PSA Group Europe's second-ranked carmaker by sales, with a 16 percent market share, Reuters reported.



But a key Ford executive believes the European market will continue to see growth.



"Last year we had record profitability (in Europe), with nearly 4 percent of operating margin," Jim Farley, executive vice president and president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Ford Motor, told CNBC on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show.



"This is still a key market globally for new technology roll-outs like electric cars and automated vehicles, and key for Ford's commercial vehicles," Farley said.



Ford debuted its next generation Fiesta ST at show, which Farley said boasts a 1.5 liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine.



Farley told CNBC that a diverse product mix has helped drive Ford's profitability in Europe, of which the performance car segment accounts for a large portion of sales.



But he admitted that the European business is not without headwinds, particularly with the U.K.'s impending split from the European Union and the accompanied currency volatility.



The senior executive emphasized that the automaker remains committed to its six percent operating margin target. He added that Ford is optimistic that the British government and the European Union will be able to negotiate zero tariffs for the auto industry as Brexit looms.

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Britain's biggest carmaker is dependent on continued free and fair trade with the EU's tariff-free single market, Jaguar Land Rover's chief executive has said.

"Europe for Jaguar Land Rover is the most important market," Ralf Speth told CNBC Tuesday. "So we are absolutely more or less dependent on free and fair trade."

Europe is one of JLR's largest export markets: it currently sells around 120,000 vehicles to the continent each year. However, the firm also relies heavily on Europe as a supplier, importing parts to the U.K. to produce up to 600,000 units annually. Carmakers are concerned that if the U.K. is excluded from the EU's free trade association post-Brexit could mean added costs in both the supply chain and sales.

"It's important for the complete export industry to have free and fair trade," said Speth, insisting that he did not need to lobby government for assurances for the autos industry.

"Government doesn't need anything from me  they know better."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday defended his confirmation testimony about his connections to Russian officials after revelations last week that the then-senator met with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the 2016 campaign.

Sessions said he was "correct" when saying he was unaware of communications between Russia and the Trump campaign during his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite later acknowledging he met with the Russian ambassador at the Republican National Convention in July and in his office in September.

"I answered the question, which asked about a 'continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government,' honestly. I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian Ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them," Sessions wrote in a letter to the heads of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made public late Monday.

More from NBC News:

Ex-spy who wrote Trump dossier speaks

New wave of bomb threats called in to Jewish centers

Trump surprises first batch of White House visitors

He also said he does not remember meeting any officials representing Moscow to talk about Donald Trump's campaign.

Sessions said last Thursday that he would recuse himself from any inquiry into Russian interference into the 2016 election. A number of Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have called on Sessions to resign.

At his confirmation hearing in January, Sessions said, "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."
The recent sale of General Motors ' European business could substantially improve free cash flow, margins and financial returns for the carmaker, according to analysts at JPMorgan, who reiterated an overweight rating and increased their 12-month price target to $49 from $46. General Motors on Monday announced the sale of its European Opel/Vauxhall business to PSA Group, the French company that owns Peugeot, for about $2.3 billion. On the news, GM shares hit a two-year high of $38.55, with the stock up 19 percent over the past six months compared with a return of 9 percent for the S & P 500. "While the transaction is not expected to close until late 2017, we estimate GM is likely to begin to account for Europe as a discontinued operation as soon as 1Q [first quarter]. Excluding our forecasted GM Europe losses, then, will have an immediate positive impact on earnings," equity analyst Ryan Brinkman wrote in a research note on Tuesday. The investment bank had previously estimated GM Europe losses of $350 million in 2017 and $229 million in 2018. GM Europe has not made a profit since 1999. General Motors, 1 year Source: FactSet "The transaction modestly boosts earnings but substantially improves free cash flow, margin, and financial returns," Brinkman said. Apart from unwinding a money-losing business, JPMorgan says there are "myriad" other benefits that could arise from the deal. Brinkman describes some of those benefits: "(1) The side-stepping of not immaterial geopolitical risk relative to European diesel emission regulation, exposure to the Euro, Brexit, and the future of the European Union; (2) Enhancing downside protection while at the same time reducing required capital cushion; and (3) Increasing management time, focus, and attention on the key profit centers of China and North American trucks and crossovers as the business becomes simpler and easier to manage." Given the significant margin improvement that's likely to derive from the transaction, JPMorgan revised its earnings estimates to account for better multiples. Over the next 12 months, the investment bank predicts shares of GM could trade as high as $49, implying a gain of about 29 percent from Monday's close. "The sale of GM Europe represents the next logical step in GM's strategy to be the best rather than the biggest, properly focused on return on capital and return of capital  on investing in the business where appropriate and not investing where not appropriate," Brinkman said.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this story.

(L-R) Carlos Tavares CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann CEO of Opel Group and President of General Motors Dan Ammann, shake hands during the 87th International Motor Show at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, March 7, 2017. Arnd Wiegmann | Reuters
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The question posed was, "Who Bleeds When the Wolves Bite?"



It's the title of an evocative paper written by Leo Strine, the chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. By wolves, he means hedge funds, and his answer, found within a 113-page paper set to be published next month in the Yale Law Review, is that average American investors are the ones getting bit by the existing corporate-governance system.



While little known in circles outside the highest ranks of corporate America, Strine's voice is among one of the most powerful in the business community. That's because two-thirds of American companies are legally based in Delaware, meaning corporate litigation often takes place in that state, so his opinions on such topics can hold tremendous sway. Strine's paper is one of the strongest repudiations to date of hedge-fund activism  or what critics of the industry describe as the practice of investors with major stock holdings aggressively forcing companies into changes that will quickly pump up stock prices, often without regard for those same companies' long-term health.

There is less reason to think they are making the economy much more efficient, and more reason to be concerned that they are perhaps pushing steady producers of societal wealth on a riskier course. Leo Strine chief justice, Delaware Supreme Court

Strine looks at what he calls a "flesh and blood" perspective on how hedge funds, and specifically hedge-fund activists, are harmful to typical American investors. He calls regular Americans "human investors," distinguishing from the "wolf packs" of hedge funds. Human investors are those who invest in the capital markets and save for events like retirement or college for their children, according to Strine. Strine's main argument is that the "current corporate governance system ... gives the most voice and the most power to those whose perspectives and incentives are least aligned with that of ordinary Americans."



That has allowed such investors to act and manipulate decisions by corporations that often are not in the long-term best interest of average shareholders, he said. He points to the "continuing creep toward direct stock market control of public corporations," which he says bears no accountability toward human investors.



He argued that a 10-year lockup in a private equity fund-of-funds would be a far "more rational" choice for those saving for retirement than a mutual fund would be, because it aligns better with the longer-term investment horizon. However, current regulations make that an unlikely option for most investors.

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Mark Zuckerberg is finally getting a college degree.

In May, the Facebook founder and CEO will head back to Harvard, the school he dropped out of to start his social network company. Zuckerberg is slated as the featured speaker at the university's 366th commencement in May.

Commencement speakers are often presented with honorary degrees from the universities that have invited them to speak.

Zuckerberg originally enrolled in Harvard as a member of the class of 2006, but never obtained an undergraduate degree after moving to Palo Alto, California to focus on Facebook.

The Ivy League college posted a cheeky video on Twitter where Zuckerberg asks fellow Harvard dropout and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for advice.



@Harvard: Mark: They know we didn't actually graduate, right? Bill: Oh, that is the best part! They actually give you a degree! #Harvard17

Zuckerberg asks Gates, "They know we didn't actually graduate, right?"



"Oh, that is the best part! They actually give you a degree!," Gates said.

That's just one more thing Facebook's CEO can add to his resume.
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The Trump administration's health secretary on Tuesday downplayed backlash to the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, repeatedly calling it a "work in progress." Since House Republicans introduced a health-care reform bill Monday, the party has faced opposition from both its conservative wing and more moderate faction. Some lawmakers and key conservative interest groups say the plan too closely resembles the ACA, better known as Obamacare. Several moderate GOP senators raised concerns about the proposal phasing out Medicaid expansion, a key piece of the ACA.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price stressed that lawmakers are still early in the process, saying, "We'll work through" the disagreements over the plan because it is "an important process." That resistance and other hurdles threaten to slow the legislation and delay other parts of President Donald Trump's agenda that the administration plans to address following health care. "This is the beginning of the process and we look forward to working with them and others," Price told reporters during the daily White House briefing. Price stood next to a table which featured a printed copy of Monday's bill and the legislation by which the ACA was adopted during the Obama administration. After Price spoke, press secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly pointed out that the Democratic bill was much larger, arguing that it showed government's outsize influence on the health-care system. The Republican plan replaces the individual mandate, which requires most Americans to have coverage or pay a tax penalty, with a 30 percent surcharge if customers go weeks without insurance. Tax credits will also replace the ACA subsidies. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called the GOP proposal "Obamacare Lite," while the conservative group Heritage Action for America said it "not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them."

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Another conservative group, Club for Growth, criticized the bill's lack of a provision allowing the sale of insurance across state lines, which Trump promised during his campaign. In a tweet Tuesday, Trump said "don't worry," the plan is "getting rid of state lines." He said it will promote competition, but it is not clear if that will actually lower costs for consumers. Price said Tuesday that allowing insurance sales across state lines may require legislation that needs Democratic support to pass. Both Price and Spicer also hesitated to attach Trump's name to the health-care reform bill, calling it a long-term effort on which Republicans and stakeholders collaborated. In a Tuesday tweet, Trump called it "our wonderful new health care bill." Spicer was also asked if Trump will sign the bill if the Congressional Budget Office score assesses that fewer people will be insured under the plan than are currently. He appeared to downplay the CBO score, saying it may not take into account changes the administration wants to add in later phases.

Watch: HHS Sec. on goal of Republican health care bill
ConocoPhillips is betting on oil "lower for longer" and a lot of volatility ahead, its CEO told CNBC on Tuesday.

That's because it's a "well-supplied world out there," Ryan Lance said in an interview with "Power Lunch" from the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.

"Demand has been pretty good, so we watch that pretty closely, but I think it is difficult to set up a company right now betting on higher prices. You can't have prices bail out your business model," he said.

"We're thinking lower for longer and we're thinking with a lot of volatility, so we've got to be prepared. We may see $70, $80 in the next couple years. If we do, we're going to see $40 on the back end of it."

Oil prices have experienced more than a two-year downturn as U.S. shale oil production flooded the market. Despite the production cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC) late last year, oil prices have been stuck in a $3 band since February.

On Tuesday, prices were little changed. U.S. crude futures settled down 6 cents at $53.14 per barrel. Brent was down 13 cents at $55.88 a barrel as of 2:33 p.m. ET.

Lance said ConocoPhillips is planning for oil in the low $50s for the next couple of years.

"We've got to be prepared to not only survive but thrive in those kind of prices," he said, noting that the company now has some of the lowest breakeven costs in the business today.

Now the company is trying to get down to where it can free-cash-flow money at as low a price as possible, Lance explained.

"What do you do with that free cash flow? Well, you invest back in the company and hold production flat. You grow your dividend, second. And third, we need to repair the balance sheet," he said.

 CNBC's Tom DiChristopher and Reuters contributed to this report.
Saudi Arabia will only accept limited intervention by OPEC in oil markets, Khalid A. Al-Falih, the Saudi minister of energy, industry and mineral resources and chairman of Saudi Aramco, said Tuesday.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' historic agreement with non-member producers to cut output by 1.8 million barrels a day to reduce oversupply has brought the cartel into greater alignment than ever before, he said at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.

However, Saudi Arabia will maintain its policy of managing production only for "a restricted period of time," such as to alleviate the impacts of financial crisis, economic recession or a temporary inventory glut, Falih said. OPEC will only act to accelerate rebalancing and will then let the free market do its work, he added.

"History has also demonstrated that intervention in response to structural shifts is largely ineffective, and I believe we in the organization have learned that lesson. That's why Saudi Arabia does not support OPEC intervening to alleviate the impacts of long-term structural imbalances," he said.

The oil market is in the middle of one of these structural shifts, with U.S. shale oil production having flooded the market and contributed to a more than two-year crude price downturn.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing nations agreed last year to cut output by 1.8 million barrels a day in a bid to reduce brimming crude stockpiles.

"They have just started coming in, trickling in, and they promise to be even much higher than the January figures of conformity," Barkindo said during a panel at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo said Tuesday that initial data suggests compliance with voluntary output cuts among oil exporters improved in February.

A compliance committee will meet later this month to review February's production figures.

In January, OPEC said participating producers had made 86 percent of the reductions they promised. OPEC members' compliance was above 90 percent, according to multiple sources, with the lion's share of the reductions coming from Saudi Arabia.

OPEC sources said Russia and 10 other non-OPEC producers had delivered 60 to 66 percent of their pledged output cuts in January, Reuters reported last month.

Oil prices fell last week after data showed Russian production was roughly flat in February, indicating Moscow has not made further progress on achieving 300,000 barrels a day in reductions. It has so far cut production by about 100,000 barrels a day. The Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak also spoke about Russia's relationship with OPEC at CERAWeek.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told CNBC Russia's cuts were coming more slowly then he would like. However, he said the country is improving its compliance in March.
The car chief was speaking the day after his company shelled out 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) to buy Opel from U.S. motor giant General Motors (GM) to create the Europe's second-largest carmaker.

"The most convincing argument that we can send to them is to show them what we have done at PSA over the last four years. Everybody knows the turnaround, everybody can see the resultsBecause we have succeeded in our own turnaround we may have a chance to help Opel to become also a great company," said Carlos Tavares, speaking at the Geneva Motor Show.

Peugeot can help Opel reverse ten years of red ink by showing the European brand how it achieved its own turnaround, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Peugeot parent PSA group told CNBC on Tuesday.

Asked whether his plan would involve job cuts, the CEO said it was not the first option available to the struggling German marque's new owner.

"Since I took the helm of PSA we didn't shut down any plant by PSA. This is not how we address the problem. I think shutting down plants is a simplistic way of looking at things. Before we reach that kind of dramatic situation, we have tonnes of things we can do to improve the efficiency of the plants," Tavares asserted, going on to list online developments, internal logistics, reworking of existing plans, energy savings and "many, many" other ideas to improve efficiency.

Sounding a confident tone over the willingness of Opel's management and workers to fall into line with PSA's plans, Tavares spoke to how he proposed transferring the experience from Peugeot's four-year recovery.

"We want to give them all the good ideas, the best practices that we have implemented in our own plans and I'm sure they are bright, well-educated and they will understand it is in their best interests to 'copy paste' everything they can from everything we have done so far," he offered.

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Small businesses across the country saw optimism and job growth continue to rise in February, hitting highs for a third month in a row as election hopes began to turn into jobs, Paychex president and CEO Marty Mucci said Tuesday.

"I think we saw a lot of optimism but less job growth the first month or so since the election," Mucci told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "Now it's starting to translate into actual job growth."

Mucci attributed the growth to President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda, which the president says will include tax reform. The Paychex CEO also nodded to the new version of the Affordable Care Act Trump revealed Monday as being positive for business.

Released on Tuesday, the Paychex report showed the Paychex/IHS Small Business Jobs Index rising to 100.78, up 0.16 percent from January and up 0.39 percent for the quarter, which started in December.

The report said that the 100.78 index number signals positive employment growth that is slightly speedier than last year's pace. The rate of growth has increased each month since December.

The East South Central region of the country remained the lead region for small business growth, with its February index at 103.41, growing at a year-over-year rate of 1.83 percent. Tennessee was once again the top-ranked state for growth.

"You see Nashville's got good high-tech jobs coming in there," Mucci said, adding that "e-commerce is now 15 percent of sales, and FedEx being based there, you're seeing a lot of shipping really pick up in the market, as well."

FedEx is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Neighboring West South Central region saw the biggest year-over-year decline, decreasing 1.51 percent from February 2016.

The South Atlantic region saw its strongest one-month rise in over four years, as Atlanta topped the metropolitan employment charts for the third month in a row.

The financial activities industry saw a 0.53 percent jump in February, the best one-month gain among the various sectors. Construction was the only industry to decline last month, despite being one of the South's top industries.
Peter Thiel's Palantir could be a big beneficiary of President Trump's push to crack down un-documented immigrants.



The company is developing a system called Investigative Case Management, or ICM, to help support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigations, as first reported by The Intercept.



The system was approved in 2014, under the Obama administration, through a $41 million dollar contract awarded to the data mining firm by the Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part. ICM allows investigators to build profiles by pulling data from other agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration (also part of Homeland Security). In light of the Trump administration's recent executive orders on immigration, the program could also be used to carry out those policies.



The program puts Palantir co-founder and Trump advisor Peter Thiel even more at odds with other tech leaders, many of whom have been vocal in their opposition to Trump's immigration policies. Palantir CEO Alex Karp was also seen at meetings with the then-President-elect back in November.

Under the program, outlined in publicly available documents, a suspect profile can include personal biographical information, including their address, phone records, social media posts, biometrics, birthmarks and tattoos, and can also track a suspect's location.



The ICM program can also be used by the Enforcement and Removal Office of ICE, which handles deportations.



ICM will reportedly be ready in the fall. And the ACLU is concerned about how the Trump administration could use the program to power its immigration enforcement programs.



Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the ACLU, says, "If President Trump's massive round-ups of undocumented immigrants are going to happen, these are the databases that are going to be used and there are going to be very powerful databases. I think that Americans have always been suspicious of government power and when the government gains tools that are so powerful and can be used not just against undocumented immigrants but against regular Americans potentially  that's something that raises a lot of eyebrows."



Palantir declined to comment.


As the BBC reports , the MEP said, while on the floor of Parliament in Brussels, "Of course women must earn less than men because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent [than men]. They must earn less. That's all."

Janusz Korwin-Mikke, a right-wing Polish member of the European Parliament recently punished for anti-migrant statements and making Nazi salutes , may be censured again  this time for stating that women earn less money than men because they deserve to.

The two MEPs were debating the causes and possible solutions to the gender pay gap, and their impassioned back-and-forth, coming so soon before International Women's Day, has sparked an international outcry.

Video of the speech has gone viral, as has an impassioned response by Iratxe Garcia Perez , a left-wing MEP from Spain, who told Korwin-Mikke, "I am here to protect all European women from men like you."

The pay gap varies considerably in Europe, according to Eurostat, ranging from as little as 5.5 percent in Italy and Luxembourg to as much as 26.9 percent in Estonia. As it happens, the gap in Poland is relatively small: Only about 7 percent, or half what it is in Spain.

In America, the pay gap is about 20 percent, though it also varies considerably by state.

A GOP official in Utah, James Green, apologized in February after making a similar argument about the biological reasons for the pay gap.

His letter to the editor, titled "Equal Pay for Women Has Consequences" and published in both the Wasatch Wave and the Park Record, reads, "Traditionally men have earned more than women in the workplace because they are considered the primary breadwinners for families. They need to make enough to support their families and allow the Mother to remain in the home to raise and nurture the children."

Pay equity, Green maintains, creates competition, depresses wages for breadwinners and, in consequence, forces more women into the workforce. He concludes, "that is bad for families and thus for all of society."

In his apology, Green says, "Women's contributions in the workplace are just as valuable as any one else's. I was merely pointing out the historical reasons for pay disparity and the challenges of overcoming that."
Europeans look at Trump and see Berlusconi. South Americans look at Trump and see Hugo Chavez. Jacob Parakilas Chatham House, British think tank, assistant head

The shifting global opinions of the U.S. is no surprise to foreign policy experts. "It's pretty clear that Donald Trump ran and was elected as a nationalist who would look out, as he put it, just for American interests, and who thought the U.S. was doing too much and was being exploited by the rest of the world," says Thomas Wright, fellow and director of the Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. "That has made the rest of the world very nervous." To many people outside the U.S., the election of Donald Trump represents an unpredictable and dangerous move in U.S. foreign policy, says Jacob Parakilas with the British think tank Chatham House. "Europeans look at Trump and see Berlusconi. South Americans look at Trump and see Hugo Chavez," he says. "And I think there's some truth to that, but obviously they had smaller countries with smaller economies and militaries in their command. Their potential impact was much smaller."

Silvio Berlusconi Federico Ferramola | NurPhoto | Getty Images

People walk in the street in front of Trump Towers, Istanbul on November 29, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images
House Republicans released a plan Monday evening to replace the Affordable Care Act, which eliminates a key provision in that law: The employer mandate.

The mandate requires businesses with at least 50 or more full-time employees to offer workers insurance or face penalties for failing to comply. The GOP plan, called the American Health Care Act, eliminates a similar rule for individuals that requires them to seek coverage or face fines.

The employer mandate has been cited as an impediment to small business growth in particular by opponents of the law, who claim it may force companies near the 50-employee threshold to make decisions about hiring based on the requirement that they offer workers coverage.

More broadly, the cost of health-care is a major concern for small businesses, with research from the conservative National Federation of Independent Business ranking the cost of health insurance its number one issue since 1986, and the nonpartisan National Small Business Association ranking it number three in a recent report.
Kremlin-backed media turns on Trump





Kremlin-controlled news outlets used to root for Donald Trumps election. Now theyre reveling in the chaos and division of his early presidency.



Sessions Scandal: U.S Headed to Constitutional Crisis, reads a March 3 headline on the website of the Kremlin-funded English-language network RT.



Immigrants See American Dream Fade in Wake of Surge in Hate Crimes, Sputnik News, another English language outlet bankrolled by the Kremlin, reported the same day.



America is in the grips of hatred, the Russian television commentator Dmitry Kiselyov told viewers of the Rossiya 1 network on Sunday night. The popular host, appointed directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested the political discord could lead to violence in gun-friendly America  a dangerous combination with free-flowing firearms, he said.



Its not that the Kremlin-controlled outlets which all but explicitly rooted for Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton last fall have changed their view of the New York mogul. Its that Moscows main goal was always to undermine the U.S. political system, regardless of who is in the White House, experts said.



...Are Trumps policies dividing America more than ever? asked an RT headline last month.

For sure, turning on Trump is part of Putin's plan to take down the US. I wonder if Trump is feeling used.....Lots more: Russia: Kremlin-backed media turns on Trump - POLITICO
Snap , the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, saw its stock tumble 9.8 percent Tuesday after a massive rally.

The stock fell as much as 13.2 percent earlier in the session.

The company, which went public on Thursday, received a very warm welcome into the stock market, skyrocketing 44 percent in its first day of trading and another 10 percent in its second.

The initial excitement began to fade Monday, however, after several analysts initiated coverage of the stock with a "sell" rating. Many questioned the company's growth potential. Analysts at Needham initiated coverage of the social media firm's stock with an "underperform" rating, noting the company's total addressable market is 80 percent smaller than Facebook.

"Prospect Theory would label SNAP a 'lottery-like' stock," they said in a note Monday.

The stock dropped more than 10 percent Monday and closed below its opening trade price from Thursday.

Snap's first three days of trading

Source: FactSet

CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.
A chemical reaction ultimately turns the metal ebony, giving the watch similar properties to that of a diamond. Source: Titan Black

In the luxury watch world, black is the new gold. More and more owners of shiny new Rolex watches  whether stainless steel, yellow gold or platinum  are paying thousands of dollars more to turn their luxury timepieces jet black. And that's meant strong growth for a London-based company that's pioneered a new technology to black out the priciest timepieces.

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"One of the reasons why someone might turn their Rolex black  particularly if it's a gold watch or platinum watch  might be that they don't necessarily want everybody to know it's a gold or platinum watch. Perhaps they want to be under the radar, less ostentatious," Luke Waite, founder of London-based high-end watch customizer Titan Black, told CNBC's "Secret Lives of the Super Rich." Indeed, the black watch trend is part of the broader boom in blacked-out bling  from Rolls Royce's new Black Badge models to high-end black watches from Richard Mille, Breitling and other brands.

The consumer has become more aware of the ability to customize exactly what they want  as opposed to being dictated to by the brand. Luke Waite Titan Black Founder

At Titan, high-end watches are not painted, but rather treated with a "diamond-like carbon" (DLC) coating. The chemical reaction ultimately turns the metal ebony, giving the watch similar properties to that of a diamond: from hardness and durability to scratch-resistance and captivating black finish. And today's wealthy want watches that are unique. "The consumer has become more aware of the ability to customize exactly what they want  as opposed to being dictated to by the brand," Waite said. While the company specializes in customizing Rolexes, its artisans have also added bespoke features to other luxury timepieces  from Panerai to Audemars Piguet  including changing every single marker on a watch face to the color of a client's choice. They'll even swap out the dial altogether to a custom color not offered by the manufacturer.

While the company specializes in customizing Rolexes, its artisans have also added bespoke features to other luxury timepieces  like this Panerai. Source: Titan Black

One of Titan's clients requested a 24K gold skull carved into the face of his $18,000 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. It took a master engraver more than 35 hours to create the masterpiece by hand.

We only make one of each dial... [each is] completely unique and one-of-a-kind. Ben Waite Titan Black Director

"The face alone is worth upwards of $10,000," Luke's brother, Titan Black director Ben Waite, told CNBC. "We only make one of each dial... [each is] completely unique and one-of-a-kind," he explained. Another custom touch is achieved when Titan artisans transform a watch face by sprinkling colorful layers of powdered enamel onto it. The powdery design is then literally baked onto the face. It's a process that can require dozens of firings in a kiln that tops 1,400 degrees, transforming the colorful grains of enamel into a shiny porcelain watch face. The company's most elaborate transformation started as a $30,000 white gold Rolex Daytona. A member of the Middle Eastern royal family asked Titan Black to carve a family member's Arabic name into the watch face and illuminate in blue light. To fulfill the royal request, Titan engineered a patent-pending micro-lighting system, tiny enough to fit inside the watch's housing and made it controllable with the press of the chronograph button.

Titan engineered a patent-pending micro-lighting system, tiny enough to fit inside the watch's housing and made it controllable with the press of the chronograph button. Source: Titan Black
The construction of the Gulf Coast Project pipeline in Atoka, Oklahoma. This 480-mile crude oil pipeline is being constructed by TransCanada and is part of the Keystone Pipeline Project.

TransCanada COO Alex Pourbaix said he is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the Keystone XL Pipeline and the U.S. pipeline business.

"In terms of the U.S., one of President Trump's real significant focuses is streamlining regulations," said Pourbaix, speaking at the CERAWeek by IHS annual energy conference. "So far, so good."

The controversial Keystone XL Pipeline got a push forward from the Trump administration. Last week, the White House said the Keystone would be exempted from Trump's new order that all pipelines be built with U.S. steel.

"I think we are cautiously optimistic with respect to Keystone and the projects in the U.S. We are seeing some green shoots of optimism in the pipeline sector," he said.

The pipeline would take 800,000 barrels a day of oil from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, for shipment to Gulf Coast refineries. "There's always been a strong supply-and-demand" story for Keystone, Pourbaix said. "We are very confident we will meet all of the expectations of our regulator."
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross avoided taking a stance on a key House Republican tax provision Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump's meeting with two senators who oppose that piece of the tax reform plan.

Asked about border adjustment, which several senators have criticized, Ross did not address specifically where the White House stands.

"The whole tax reform issue is a very, very important one, a very central one to the administration," Ross told CNBC on Tuesday. "And my hope is that they will work collectively toward an agreement that the House Ways and Means, the full House, Senate Finance, and the full Senate and the White House can agree to."

Trump is expected to meet Tuesday with GOP Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue, of Arkansas and Georgia, respectively. While the pair will likely discuss their immigration plans with Trump, they could also talk about border adjustment, which both lawmakers have vocally opposed.

The key House GOP reform provision would tax imports, moving the U.S. closer to taxing consumption. Proponents like House Speaker Paul Ryan say it will encourage economic growth and raise $1 trillion in revenue over 10 years, enough to help to chop the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. Trump's tax plan outlined on the campaign trail called for a 15 percent corporate rate.

Many large retailers have argued against border adjustment, saying the tax on lower-cost imported goods may get passed on to consumers. Retail behemoth Wal-Mart is based in Cotton's home state, while Perdue previously served as the CEO of Dollar General .

The White House may help to swing support for the plan. Informal Trump advisor and CNBC senior contributor Larry Kudlow said last week that border adjustment appears to be "winning" inside the White House.

A Bloomberg report last week said top Trump advisor Steve Bannon, among others in the White House, supports border adjustment. Trump has publicly endorsed some form of a border tax, but has not explicitly supported border adjustment as the House drafted it.
House Republicans on Monday night unveiled their plan for repealing and replacing former President Barack Obama 's Affordable Care Act. It would kill the individual mandate, but keep pre-existing condition protections and the under-26 age limit for young adults to stay covered by their parents. The GOP plan would also alter the way many customers get access to financial aid to help them pay for insurance.

Meanwhile, Mick Mulvaney, the new director of the Office of Management and Budget, told NBC on Tuesday the GOP plan to replace Obamacare gives all Americans access to affordable coverage.

President Donald Trump is "all in" on the newly released Republican health-care bill, a White House official told CNBC on Tuesday.

Mulvaney, who emerged as a key White House liaison with Capitol Hill on health care, said on the "TODAY" show Tuesday it's unfair to compare the GOP's American Health Care Act to the promise of Obama's health-care law.

"I don't think it's fair to want to compare what we're proposing ... to what Obamacare might have been. You have to compare it to what Obamacare is, and it's a failure," Mulvaney said. "By that comparison, this program is going to be a great success."

Asked whether all Americans would get health coverage under the Republican plan, Mulvaney told NBC, "What people are getting here is access to coverage that they don't have now."

"What Obamacare did was make insurance affordable, but care impossible to actually afford. The deductibles are simply too high. So folks could say they have full coverage, but they couldn't actually get the medical care they needed when they get sick," he said. "We solve that by giving everyone access to health care they can actually afford."

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has not analyzed how much the GOP's proposal will cost.

"[But] we will know what it costs before they vote on it," Mulvaney said, predicting "this is going to save a dramatic amount of money" and be helpful to the deficit in the long term.

The House Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee are set to start the process of marking up the measure this week.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced the search for a new right-hand executive as a series of missteps has left the ride-hailing company doing damage control.

"This morning I told the Uber team that we're actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey," Kalanick said in a statement.

Recode originally reported the news, noting that the company has hired a search firm, with a vision to snag dream candidates like former Disney operating officer Tom Staggs and CVS exec Helena Foulkes. The company is also looking at mostly women candidates to fill a vacant board seat, Recode reported.

Technology news site The Information earlier reported that Kalanick may seek a No. 2 to "stave off pressure for him to step down."

Uber's latest transgressions began when former employee Susan Fowler published a blog post detailing several allegations of gender bias and sexual harassment. An exodus of several top staffers ensued, including Amit Singhal, who was asked to resign after an allegation of sexual harassment surfaced from his previous job at Google. Then a video revealed Kalanick shouting profanities at his Uber driver. To top it off, The New York Times published an expose about Uber's long-time use of a tool called "Greyball" to avoid giving rides to certain people.

Kalanick has apologized for the video, and the company has launched an investigation into Fowler's claims. Uber told CNBC the "greyballing" is for "fraudulent users," including "opponents who collude with officials on secret 'stings'" by local authorities.

"[Kalanick's] definitely looking at strengthening the management team  because Uber is a phenomenal growth story," Uber board member Arianna Huffington told CNBC in early March. "And when a company grows so fast, across the globe, it's essential to establish the kind of structures that prevent what happened from happening again."



Huffington said the company already has hired some "amazing" new leadership in the past few months, including Jeff Jones as president and Liane Hornsey to head human resources.



Uber would not be the first company to use the role of chief operating officer to build a support system for a CEO. Perhaps the most famous chief operating officer in tech, Sheryl Sandberg, has been CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "partner" in running Facebook and is also an outspoken advocate for women in the workplace.






U.S. oil drillers can add millions of barrels per day to the global market, so long as they do so gradually, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said Tuesday.

The market can absorb another 3 million to 5 million barrels a day of production from the United States "over a number of years," according to Falih, who is also chairman of Saudi Arabian oil giant Saudi Aramco. That increase would offset declining output in places like Mexico and the North Sea, he added.

"It's not a matter of whether the U.S. should or shouldn't invest in its shale and contribute to the global market supply base. It's the pace at which it can supply," he said during an interview on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.

A revolution in drilling methods has allowed U.S. producers to tap crude oil and natural gas from shale rock, leading to an explosion in output that has contributed to a global oversupply of oil. The glut has weighed on oil prices for more than two years.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, declined to cut production to balance the oversupply until November  about two years into the downturn. While the output reductions have propped up oil prices, a rise in U.S. production has capped the gains.

U.S. production fell from a recent high of 9.62 million barrels a day in April 2015 to a bottom of 8.56 million barrels in September. Since then, it has rebounded back above 9 million barrels a day, according to preliminary weekly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

It will not be good for the market if the United States increases oil production too strongly in the next two years, Falih told CNBC.

"OPEC obviously will not indefinitely reduce its production and market share to make room for that. So we need to find that balance and grow in line with the market," he said.


Chinese cellphone equipment maker ZTE has agreed to plead guilty and pay about $900 million to the United States to settle allegations that it violated American laws on selling U.S. technology to Iran.

ZTE, the fourth-largest smartphone vendor in the U.S., will pay $892 million in fines and penalties, U.S. officials announced Tuesday. It has agreed to pay another $300 million, suspended during a seven-year period, if it does not hold up its part of the agreement, which includes an independent compliance monitor.

The company admitted to shipping products containing U.S.-made equipment to Iran, either directly or through other companies, over a six-year period without proper licensing, according to U.S. officials. They say ZTE knowingly shipped about $32 million worth of U.S. goods to Iran and misled U.S. authorities about its compliance with American laws.

"With this action, we are putting the world on notice. Improper trade games are over with," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters Tuesday. He called ZTE's actions "a brazen disregard for our laws."

ZTE reached the agreement with the U.S. Justice, Commerce and Treasury departments. The company will plead guilty to three charges  conspiracy to unlawfully export, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators, according to a plea agreement released by the Justice Department.
U.S. oilfield equipment maker Weatherford International on Monday named Halliburton's chief financial officer, Mark McCollum, as president and chief executive officer.

Weatherford, whose shares rose 10 percent in extended trading, said in a statement McCollum was expected to join the company in late April.

McCollum will be replaced at Halliburton, the world's No. 2 oilfield services provider, as interim CFO by Executive Vice President Robb Voyles.

Weatherford said interim CEO Krishna Shivram would leave the Houston-based company with immediate effect. He took the job in November, when former CEO Bernard Duroc-Danner left the company.


SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Upstate Medical University has opened what its calling a high-risk psychiatry program.

It specializes in the treatment of youth and young adults (between the ages of 16 and 40) who are at risk for suicide or other self-harming behaviors, Upstate Medical said in a recent news release.

The medical school announced the program during a March 6 news conference held at the medical-arts building at 600 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse. The program will operate at that same address.

The program is aimed at saving lives, Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, president of Upstate Medical University, said in opening her remarks.

Its unfortunate that theres a need for this program  We hope that are our efforts could be preventive, that no young person reaches the point that they choose to take their own life. But we are dedicated here and passionate about the research and the health-care delivery mechanisms to ease the pain for families and for our youth and to provide a path forward. So, these programs are needed more than ever and critical in creating the necessary and timely interventions, she said.

Laraque-Arena didnt cite any data, but noted that we know that intervention makes a difference.

Those struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors are often the patients that no one else wants to treat, Dr. Robert Gregory, professor of psychiatry at Upstate Medical University, said during the March 6 event.

Why is that? Because they are high risk, high liability, and require intensive time and effort, more so than other patients, he said.

Gregory also serves as the medical director for the high-risk program.

In the news release, Gregory called suicide a major issue for the region.

He pointed to the just released final report of a task force that focused on youth mental health. The report indicated that upstate New York has a rate of suicide that has far outpaced the national trend.

U.S. Representative John Katko (RCamillus) and New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (DSyracuse) had formed the task force.

In the report, the New York State Department of Health indicated that the counties of Onondaga, Cayuga, Oswego, and Wayne have a suicide rate that surpasses the statewide and national average.

Between 2008 and 2011, the suicide-mortality rate per 100,000 was 10.7 in Onondaga County; 11.1 in Cayuga County; 16.5 in Oswego County; and 10 in Wayne County, according to the Upstate news release, citing data from the report.

In his remarks, Katko provided a couple facts for the gathering.

The lawmaker said the second-leading cause of death for kids 24 years and younger is suicide, which is also the 10th leading cause of death for all Americans.

We do not treat it with the same priority we do cancer or Alzheimers [disease] or other diseases, Katko contends.

The high-risk psychiatry program uses a treatment called dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy, which Gregory developed through his work at Upstate Medical, per the release.

Doctors use the psychotherapy to treat borderline personality disorder and other complex behavior problems, such as alcohol or drug dependence, self-harm, eating disorders, and recurrent suicide attempts.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, president of Upstate Medical University, discusses Upstates launch of a high-risk psychiatry program, which will operate at the medical-arts building at 600 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN)
Integrating counter-UAV capability in its Very Short Range Air Defense (VSORAD) Red Sky system IMI Israel now supports counter-UAV capability as part of the air defense mission. The new system called Drone Defender had gone through extensive testing in January; tests included operations in day, night and adverse weather conditions. IMI Systems has received initial orders for the new capability and is expecting to deliver the first Red Sky Drone Defender systems in 2017. Last month the system was demonstrated to representatives of 14 countries, performing live operation against flying drones, that included detection, identification, automatic tracking and neutralization of drones.

Red Sky is a short-range air defense system that utilizes the customers existing shoulder-launched missiles and is designed to intercept aerial targets in an automated manner, using autonomic capabilities of scanning, tracking and lethal engagement by missiles. The lightweight, portable system provides an efficient defense solution against a variety of aerial threats. The Drone-Defender (C-UAV) capabilities currently being added into the system enable such system to better cope with the growing threat of drones that has not been addressed in previous air-defense systems.

The system provides a comprehensive solution against drones threats, including detecting and identifying hostile drone activity, automatic tracking of detected drones and disruption of their activity or neutralization of drones before they can carry out their missions. The Red Sky Drone Defender includes a volumetric search radar and thermal sensors for target acquisition at ranges up to six kilometers. Powerful directional radio-frequency (RF) datalink and GPS jammer provides a soft kill neutralization capability at distances of 2-3 kilometers. For hard-kill of targets at shorter range the system will be able to use high-power fiber laser.

The system can be integrated into the defense array of sensitive facilities, easily relocate to protect point targets in urban areas or be installed on vehicles to cover maneuver forces against aircraft and drones.
Providing the London silver benchmark will become another entity's responsibility after current provider, CME Group/Thomson Reuters, steps out of the picture.

Three years after outbidding six other competitors for the contract, CME Group/Thomson Reuters is stepping down from providing the London silver fix to the London Bullion Market Association.

LBMA officials and the two entities CME Group and Thomson Reuters jointly announced March 3 that both entities will remove themselves from their roles in relation to the LBMA Silver Price auction. The two entities will continue execution of their current responsibilities until a new silver benchmark provider can be named.

CME Group/Thomson Reuters assumed control of executing the daily silver price fix on Aug. 14, 2014, from London Silver Market Fixing Company. CME Group has been providing the electronic auction platform on which the price is calculated and Thomson Reuters has been responsible for administration and governance of the LBMA silver price.

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Until the 2014 transition, the London silver price fix was determined under a system that had developed over three centuries and originally took place in London coffee shops.

According to the LBMA, in a statement at its website describing the 2014 transition, The London Silver Fix had been a global benchmark for 117 years. This new process for establishing the new LBMA Silver Price will maintain continuity with the earlier silver fixing process for market participants while also increasing transparency via an electronic platform for the auction. It continues to be London-based and offers a fully IOSCO-compliant solution to the London bullion marketplace. The earlier benchmarking process has been followed in order to minimise any possible disruptions and enable a seamless transition for the market.

Who should protect the coin hobby from predatory sellers?: Inside Coin World: Should the numismatic community police the sellers of coins, medals, and related objects, even those dealers who fall outside of the mainstream dealer network?

According to LBMA and Thomson Reuters, the London silver fix is set in U.S. dollars per troy ounce in a series of auction rounds, each lasting 30 seconds:

??At the start of each auction round, an algorithm determines the price that is displayed on the auction platform

??During each round, market participants submit buy or sell quantities in specified units called lakhs (100,000 ounces) or quarter lakhs.

??At the end of each round, buy and sell orders are compared to determine equilibrium. Once equilibrium is achieved, the auction will close and the LBMA Silver Price is published.

??Equilibrium is reached when the difference between buy and sell orders is within a pre-defined tolerance (3 lakhs).

??Orders are automatically netted and matched to produce trades confirmations.

Seven price participants are accredited to contribute to the LBMA Silver Price: China Construction Bank, HSBC Bank USA NA, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Morgan Stanley, The Bank of Nova Scotia  ScotiaMocatta, The Toronto Dominion Bank and UBS AG.
Rosa Gumataotao Rios was the last U.S. treasurer whose presidential appointment required approval by the full Senate. The position of Mint Director, however, still requires that a nomination be brought to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote.

When President Trump makes his pick for the 43rd treasurer of the United States, the selection wont require the approval of the U.S. Senate.

Yet when the president nominates his choice for the 39th director of the United States Mint, that selection will require the eventual approval of the full Senate.

Rosa Gumataotao Rios, who resigned as U.S. treasurer effective July 8, 2016, was the last U.S. treasurer whose appointment required full Senate approval. Rios became U.S. treasurer on July 28, 2009, with full oversight of the U.S. Mint and Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

The Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011  Public Law 112-166 , signed into law on Aug. 10, 2012, by President Obama  eliminates the requirement of Senate approval for 163 positions, including treasurer of the United States, allowing the president alone to appoint persons to these positions.

In contrast, appointment of the Mint director is not subject to the provisions of the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011.

The U.S. Mint has been without a presidentially appointed director since the 38th director, Edmund C. Moy, departed the position for the private sector in January 2011. Moy was nearing the end of his five-year appointment at the time of his departure.

Neither of President Obamas two selections  Bibiana Boerio, a former automotive executive in Detroit, and Matthew Rhett Jeppson, former principal deputy director of the U.S. Mint  reached the floor of the U.S. Senate for confirmation.
The coin's weight and fineness in silver is inscribed incuse on the coin's edge.

The Uncirculated version of the 5-ounce silver coins is available directly to the public at a fixed price from the U.S. Mint, unlike the bullion version, which is sold only through a network of authorized purchasers who set their own prices.

The Uncirculated 2017-P Effigy Mounds National Monument 5-ounce silver quarter dollar was scheduled to go on sale at noon Eastern Time March 7 from the U.S. Mint.

The Uncirculated 2017-P Effigy Mounds National Monument 5-ounce silver quarter dollar was scheduled to go on sale at noon ET March 7 from the U.S. Mint.

Priced at $149.95 each, the Uncirculated 5-ounce silver coin has a maximum potential mintage of 25,000 coins, with no household ordering limit.

The announced maximum mintage of 25,000 coins set for the Uncirculated version is provisional; based on collector and investor demand, the Mint may mint and issue more than 125,000 of the bullion version of the coin and fewer of the Uncirculated version, to ensure the mintages combined do not exceed the current 150,000-coin maximum combined mintage for the coin.

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Both versions are struck on the same coinage press at the Philadelphia Mint, using the same 3-inch planchets.

The Uncirculated coins receive a post-strike finish and bear the P Mint mark of the Philadelphia Mint in the right field of the George Washington obverse design (the bullion version does not).

The Uncirculated 2017-P Effigy Mounds National Monument 5-ounce silver quarter dollar is the 36th overall issue among 56 to be released in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

The coins reverse design, depicting several ancient mounds in The Marching Bear Group built by Native Americans along the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa, was created by Richard Masters, a designer with the U.S. Mints Artistic Infusion Program.

Who should protect the coin hobby from predatory sellers?: Inside Coin World: Should the numismatic community police the sellers of coins, medals, and related objects, even those dealers who fall outside of the mainstream dealer network?

Masters design was sculptured by Renada Gordon, a medallic sculptor on the U.S. Mints engraving staff stationed at the Philadelphia Mint.

Effigy Mounds National Monument was established as a national site in 1949. The park protects one of the largest remaining concentrations of ancient Native American earthworks in the United States.

The Uncirculated version of the 5-ounce silver coins is available directly to the public at a fixed price from the U.S. Mint, unlike the bullion version, which is sold only through a network of authorized purchasers who set their own prices.
A 26-piece coin hoard was discovered near the Beeston Castle in England on Jan. 28, not far from the Welsh border.

A metal detectorist in the United Kingdom made a remarkable coin discovery Jan. 28.

Malcolm Shepherd, of Abergele, Wales, was walking with his detector in the Beeston area near Chester, England, when he discovered a 26-piece medieval coin hoard according to a Rhyl, Prestatyn & Abergele Journal report from Feb. 22.

The hoard includes 24 silver groats that date between 1464 and 1502. British Museum experts examined the coins and deemed them treasure, according to the Journal report.

Edward IV and Henry VII ruled during the time the silver groats were issued.

There was also an Edward IV penny from 147172 and an Edward II era farthing from 131014, the report reads.

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The groats are believed to be 92.5 percent silver, but it is not yet know how much they are worth or whether they will end up in a museum.

Who should protect the coin hobby from predatory sellers?: Inside Coin World: Should the numismatic community police the sellers of coins, medals, and related objects, even those dealers who fall outside of the mainstream dealer network?

In reporting the find to the local coroner, Shepherd fulfilled his obligation to report a treasure find within 14 days.

Under the United Kingdoms Treasure Trove law, its possible Shepherd will get to share any money raised in selling the coins, just for making the find.

It goes to show, once again, that you never know what those metal detectors might stumble upon.

Read the full Rhyl, Prestaytyn & Abergele Journal report here.
Slovakia honors the 550th anniversary of the University Istropolitana in Bratislava on a 2017 circulating commemorative 2 coin.

Slovakia has issued a circulating commemorative 2 coin marking the 550th anniversary of the University Istropolitana.

Slovakia has issued a circulating commemorative 2 coin marking the 550th anniversary of the University Istropolitana.

One million examples were released in early February.

The obverse design shows a teacher and two students positioned before the facade of the building of the former Universitas Istropolitana in Bratislava. In the upper left of the design is a medallion of King Matthias Corvinus, the founder of the university. Above the medallion is inscribed 1467, the year the university was opened.

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The name of the issuing country, SLOVENSKO appears at the base of the inner circle, above the year of issuance, 2017. Along the left edge of the inner circle is the inscription UNIVERZITA and along the right edge ISTROPOLITANA.

In the lower left of the design is the MK Mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovna Kremnica), placed between two dies. Below the mint mark are the stylized letters MP, initials of designer Maria Poldaufova.

The reverse carries the common European map design.

The 12 stars of the European flag appear on both sides of the ringed-bimetallic coin.

The 2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations have issued the maximum number of designs.

Who should protect the coin hobby from predatory sellers?: Inside Coin World: Should the numismatic community police the sellers of coins, medals, and related objects, even those dealers who fall outside of the mainstream dealer network?

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.

All 2 coins are legal tender throughout the eurozone.
After four decades of the technological superiority of Western military forces, where the performance of drones have evolved and perfected military techniques, tactics and procedures (TTP), such capabilities are becoming common on both sides of the battlefield. For many years armed drones (also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles  UAV) were available only to a handful of western nations. Today, armed drones are offered by many  new suppliers include Turkey, China, Iran, and Poland. These UAVs are turned into target acquisition systems, aerial attack platforms, and loitering weapons, able to strike enemy forces with deadly precision.

The availability of drones is not limited to military forces, exploiting commercially available systems, terrorists and insurgents throughout the world are embracing drone technology, particularly those offered by Chinese companies that are not regulated by export laws.

Past uses of drones by terrorist focused primarily on situational awareness and documentation of offensive actions, the latest wave of drones are transformed into rudimentary though capable offensive platforms that can drop weapons on target with impressive accuracy and surprise.

Advanced, high-resolution HD or 4K cameras and infrared sensors are now available to support those missions. Fully integrated with drones, along with low-cost, high precision gimballed payloads can turn cheap camera-drones into target acquisition and attack systems. Datalinks gradually migrate to higher frequencies, exploiting frequency hopping techniques that make jamming harder than ever before. These platforms available online, are modular and scalable, enabling developers with average experience to produce relatively sophisticated and customized systems from parts and components available online as do-it-yourself (DIY) drone.

This trend has recently evolved and enabled insurgents in several war zones to hack small commercial drones into lethal weapons, turning what was a small and innocent toy into a smart and deadly Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). As traditional IEDs, these drones have a significant propaganda value, exacerbating their lethal effect. Due to their stunning visual products, drone-monitored and drone-carried attacks have generated huge interest, spreading havoc and fear among opposing forces  far beyond their lethal effect. This fact drove the Iraqi government forces to adapt the same techniques of drone attacks against the Islamic State. Within weeks they managed to master the production and control of such drones, turning them against ISIS in Mosul.
The holidays are creeping up on us
Being a Defensive Computing kind of guy, I am a frequent flyer when it comes to VPN usage. But VPNs have both an upside and a downside.

Previously, I wrote about an unexpected downside that I ran into while making a purchase while logged into a VPN server in another country. I won't be doing that again.

This time, a VPN interfered with a charitable donation.

I am a big fan of Libre Office. Yesterday, I tried to make a donation to the organization behind it, The Document Foundation, but my credit card was denied with a "transaction failed" error message.

At first I thought it might have had something to do with Firefox, which was in high safety mode (my term). That is, all the extensions were disabled, it was in private browsing mode and I was using a portable copy of the browser.

Firefox users can disable extensions, services and themes by running the browser in Safe Mode. Considering that browser extensions can spy on you, turning them off should be second nature.

There are a number of ways to invoke Firefox in Safe Mode. I keep an icon on my Windows desktop that starts Firefox with the "-safe-mode" parameter. Note that this does not disable plugins. From Safe Mode, I then open a private browsing window.

This is all done with a portable copy of Firefox because malware has a harder time finding the software when it runs from a non-standard location.

From a Defensive Computing standpoint, these are good steps for anything involving finances. Firefox in this mode is not as secure as Guest Mode on a Chromebook or running Tails Linux off a USB flash drive, but it is more secure than regular browsing.

As it turned out, the browser was not the problem.

After the card was rejected, my bank sent a text message, asking if that was really me. I responded that it was, and the bank immediately replied that the transaction was cleared and I should try it again.

I did, but this time I connected to a different VPN server. Having learned my lesson regarding foreign countries, both VPN servers were in the US.

The run-around this time was a bit different. After entering my credit card details, I was bounced to securesuite.net for some extra verification. There, I had to both re-enter the credit card information and also provide some additional personal information. I do so, but the credit card was again denied.

Yet another text from the bank, and, again, I confirm that it really was me. As before, they authorize the transaction and say to try it again.

This time, I stay connected to second VPN server. I restart Firefox (in safe mode), open a private browsing window and all goes well the third time. Clearly, the transaction was approved from one IP address but not from another.

EXTRA SCRUTINY

What was going on here?

One guess is that the transactions were rejected because the VPN servers were thousands of miles from my home. Then too, that The Document Foundation is based in Germany may have factored into things.

Another distinct possibility is that the VPN servers are flagged as being suspicious. It is quite likely that bad guys do bad things from the VPN servers I was connected to.

On the other hand, this was a moderate donation to a charitable organization. Hard to imagine stolen credit card information being used for that sort of thing.



SECURE SERVERS

Secure websites are notoriously hard to do well. As such, I am in the habit of checking out the sites I deal with using the Qualys SSL Server Test. Not many get A ratings.

The site where I initially entered my credit card information was secure.payengine.de which does get an A rating from Qualys. Thanks go to The Document Foundation for choosing a truly secure payment processor.

The same can not be said for the other website, securesuite.net, where I was sent for extra super duper identity verification. The SSL Server Test shows that it does not support Perfect Forward Secrecy. There are two reasons for not supporting Forward Secrecy: incompetence or deliberately enabling a spy agency to decrypt transmissions.

Viewed in Chrome, the browser complains that "the connection to this site uses ... an obsolete key exchange (RSA), and an obsolete cipher (AES_256_CBC with HMAC-SHA1)."

In addition, the site makes the totally inexcusable mistake of using a Domain Validated (DV) certificate rather than one with Extended Validation (EV).

Both types of certificates can use the same encryption, but only the more expensive EV certificates insure the identity of the website you are communicating with. Scam sites, such as icloud-logon.com (I made that up) all use Domain Validated certificates. With no one validating that this "icloud" is really from Apple, bad guys can use look-alike domain names to fool victims into divulging passwords. The real icloud.com uses an EV certificate.

Using a cheap Domain Validated certificate is truly shameful for anyone trying to make a secure financial website. Maybe, that was not the goal. Maybe the goal is merely to appear secure.

So, who is behind securesuite.net? According to the Whois information for the domain, the company is RSA Security LLC.

Bottom line: my personal information was potentially exposed thanks to the extra validation that was triggered by using a VPN. Ugh.

- - - - - - -

UPDATE March 11, 2017. Originally this article said that securesuite.net was dinged by SSL Labs for an intermediate certificate with a weak signature. I am told that this is a bug in the SSL Server testing.

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Autonomous cars are all the rage these days, and Volkswagen is getting in on the action.

The automaker showed off its latest design at the Geneva Auto Show, and it certainly has people talking. And the fact that most are trying to figure out what the car looks like is beside the point.

In IT Blogwatch, we go for a ride.

So what is going on? Kirsten Korosec has some background:

Volkswagen's latest vision of the future is a "subtly wedged shaped" electric and autonomous concept vehicle that looks...like the portable cassette boom box players of the 1980s. Either that or a canister vacuum -- minus the attachment.

That doesn't clear things up much. Can you we get more information? Jason Torchinsky is happy to comply:

This is the Volkswagen Sedric Concept. The name is a combination of the words self-driving car...the Sedric is a concept of an Autonomous Level 5 car, which means that no human is involved in driving the thing...Its not even an option...this is no longer a car as we understand them. Its a robot that can take you places.

Wait, driving it isn't even an option? Viknesh Vijayenthiran fills us in:

You wont find a steering wheel or pedals here. Instead, commands can...be stated out loud...a passenger could tell the car what route to take to reach a destination or at what time theyd like to reach it. And while on the journey, they could read a book, take a nap or stay entertained via the windshield which doubles as a large LED screen with augmented reality.

Anything else important about the design? Wayne Cunningham has some more details:

Volkswagen describes the Sedric as a "comfortable lounge on wheels" that you can summon with the touch of a button.

...

The...Sedric seems designed around the interior, creating a space for people to ride and carry luggage or cargo. It features two full-size seats...and two jump seats...that can be folded out of the way...the Sedric [has] a flat battery pack in the floor and an electric drive motor to turn the wheels.

What else makes this thing go? Andrew English is in the know:

The electrical underpinnings and the chassis are based on VW's MEB electrical architecture...with 60kwh battery pack mounted under the floor giving about 400km (249 miles) of range.

...

To make the technology work, Sedric is equipped with [an]...array of radar, camera and Lidar sensors. There are four Lidar "pucks" mounted on the roof for wide-angle views in the near distance and another set of narrow-angle Lidar sensors mounted at bumper height.

How does Volkswagen see people using Sedric? David Gluckman has that info:

Sedric's control interface is described...as "The Button." This would...act as a remote -- at a press of The Button, the user gets a notification of when a Sedric will arrive, and those with vision issues get guided to it.

...

VW's vision of the future seems...mildly fanciful. After dropping you...off, Sedric can...go pick up...groceries or other packages. You can control it...with your voice or through a smartphone app, theoretically. Sedric can converse like a a personal assistant. The windshield doubles as an OLED screen to display information, communications, and augmented reality experiences.

Why is a car like this important to Volkswagen? Arjun Kharpal keeps us informed:

Volkswagen...is keen to show it can innovate and be relevant following the carmaker's emissions cheating scandal which has left it facing hefty fines. The...brand is finding it difficult to plot a course for the future amid competition and litigation.

So what are people saying about Sedric? PfRC has a comment:

Sedric...looks like an angry toaster.
Greg Taylor is a political consultant and was formerly public affairs manager at the Local Government Association and in the Mayor of Londons office.

In Game of Thrones, returning soon to detail the final bloody power moves of its remaining players, King in the North is one of the most coveted and cursed titles up for grabs. Seated physically and politically far from the countrys corrupt southern capital, the position bestows dominion over swathes of rugged land and commands the loyalty of armies of gruff bruisers whose banners bind the North together. But it also is the centripetal magnet for treachery and ambition, and a King is never too many moves away from a knife in the throat courtesy of southern powerbrokers, or being torn apart in a vicious coup.

On 4th May, Greater Manchester will elect its first ever Mayor, covering not only the culturally and economically successful city of Manchester itself (which hasnt hosted a Tory councillor since a 2008 Lib Dems defection which held for two years), but also nine of its satellite council areas, seven solidly Labour and one (Stockport) in No Overall Control.

In those eight, Tories occupy just 78 of the 485 seats, with only the outlier Trafford bucking the regional trend and housing a Tory majority since 2004 thanks in no small part to the hard graft of Susan (now Baroness) Williams, Matthew Colledge, and Sean Anstee, the energetic current leader and now the compelling Conservative candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Sean overflows with optimism for the region, harmonizing neatly with its youthful and scrappy mood music (he would look as at-home in the Hacienda of yore as he does in the debating chamber). He will be a powerful Conservative voice in the North West. His biggest challenge is, of course, Scouse chancer Andy Burnham, understandably hoping to jump from Labours sinking Westminster ship and carve out a new leadership path in what will be, alongside the Mayor of London, the most high-profile municipal post in the country.

Burnham took his cues directly from the Sadiq Khan playbook to leapfrog over mayoral hopefuls Tony Lloyd and Ivan Lewis. He demonstrated loyalty to the Momentum mob by clinging visibly to Corbyns Shadow Cabinet table while fellow players decamped to Parliamentary committees to bide their time and build their bases. He has been conspicuously silent on Labours leadership woes, and is associated neither with the disastrous Copeland by-election (though his campaign manager, Andrew Gwynne, oversaw Labour efforts there) nor the deeply unedifying Stoke-on-Trent campaign, and he approaches the Manchester short-game relatively unsullied by his Partys recent agonies.

And hes the savvy choice for a Manchester run  big mayoral elections are glorified personality contests (last years London narrative focused far more on the son-of-a-bus-driver vs untested millionaire dichotomy than on policy differences)  and Burnham is one of few Labour names with the profile, clout and background to generate genuine interest in the election.

He comes with a meat and potatoes family-values message that plays well in the North, a whiff of man-of-the-people campaigner galvanised by his role in securing a second Hillsborough inquiry (and involvement in calls for an Orgreave investigation) and the visuals of having been a serious power player on the national stage  a sheen which quickly sullies when one stacks up his failure to introduce ID cards as Home Office Minister (no disappointment there), his shameful mishandling of the Stafford Hospital scandal as Health Secretary, and his frankly woeful leadership campaigns in 2010 (when he came 4th behind two Milibands and a Balls) and 2015 (when he was steamrolled by the Corbynista machine, racking up less than a third of the glorious leaders votes).

But a mayoralty would suit Burnhams ambition and abilities, allowing him to leave significant governance to the regions constituent councils while building up both an enhanced national visibility and a strong epicentre for campaigning across the North, hitting target seats quickly and effectively, and bringing real local knowledge and flavour. His Liverpool origins would help bridge the divide between the North Wests economic centres, while Manchesters growth and visibility has huge repercussions from Preston to Sheffield and beyond, where they would pay close attention to his movements.

Corbyn looks uncomfortable beyond his London heartland (and even there), and his failure to connect with Labours northern soul is a Scotland-level concern within party echelons. Having Burnham as a vassal king in the north, energising the electorate, overseeing campaigning across the region, and keeping Corbyns visibility beyond the M25 to a bare minimum, would certainly suit the big cheeses in London. Those Corbyn-focused leaflets, so potent in Copeland, may not stick so well if moderate Burnham becomes the acceptable face of Labour in the North, galvanising disillusioned supporters into an effective fighting force and embodying a sense of optimism that consistently eludes his party leader outside of his rabid fan base.

George Osborne and Greg Clark believed that regional mayors would be the cornerstones of a revitalised north, and they could be the cornerstones of a revitalised Labour Party too. A visit from Mayor Burnham to swing seats in Blackpool, Barrow or Bury would bring a whiff of excitement and electability, in stark opposition to the strange, curiosity-driven media circus that swirls around Corbyn and did Labour no favours in Copeland.

As Sadiq Khan (and Boris Johnson) found, a high-profile mayoralty casts its holder instantly to the top of the potential leadership pile, bestowing instant (small m) momentum and intrigue, while giving an unrivalled platform for pontification and self-publicity beyond borders, unprecedented in the oft-sober ranks of local government. Should he win, Burnham would likely replicate Khans moves, severing vassal bonds with London and flooding regional and social media with self-aggrandising initiatives and declarations, giving opposition both inside and outside his party minimum breathing room.

But Burnham would be faced with the Sophies Choice of pursuing his own agenda and fragmenting the Labour message or becoming his masters voice in the north, setting even the most skilled politician up to fail in the face of strategic, intelligent opposition. In planning for a Labour victory, the Conservatives must prepare to go all-in behind Sean Anstee whose profile and political nous will be crucial to publicly dogging Burnham if he fails to deliver for the people of Greater Manchester, challenging him on the actual business of governing a varied city region, and exposing any disconnects between him and his leadership.

Whoever ends up sitting on the Kings throne will find themselves at the heart of a tempestuous struggle over the future of their party, and of the country as a whole. Their successes and failures will have far-reaching consequences far beyond the borders of Greater Manchester. The North, and the nation, remembers.
Christopher Howarth is a senior researcher working in the House of Commons. Prior to this he worked for Open Europe, as a Conservative Foreign Affairs Adviser and senior researcher to a Shadow Europe Minister.

The Lords will this week vote on a new batch of amendments to the Article 50 Bill to add to the provision on EU citizens they have already added (something that was both unnecessary and unworkable). This time the vote is on amendments to give, what its supporters have billed, a meaningful vote to Parliament on the outcome of the forthcoming negotiations. Sound innocuous? No. Far from being an innocent piece of proceduralism, this is a key element of an increasingly doomed rear guard action by those still fighting to overturn the referendum.

The weapon of choice is lawfare. The chosen fora are the Lords, the Supreme Court, the European Court of Justice and now even the Irish Courts. The aim is to give the Lords a veto on Brexit. The combatants are motivated, fanatically pro-EU, lawyers with a capacity for self-delusion  they still believe they can keep the UK in the EU. The key article of faith is that given enough delay and obfuscation something will come along to rescue their EU dream.

Far-fetched? This is their plan.

If you cannot imagine life outside of the EU, the imminent notification under Article 50 must feel like a death sentence. On notification the EU dream dies. It is irreversible. In the Supreme Court legal action brought by Brexits opponents both sides agreed that once notification is given to the EU there is no going back. After the maximum two year period, we will have left the EU. That should be fatal to any campaign to stay in the EU. Hence the proposed Lords amendments primary aim is to make the Article 50 process sound reversible. Here is a key part of one of them:

(4) The prior approval of both Houses of Parliament shall also be required in relation to any decision by the Prime Minister that the United Kingdom shall leave the European Union without an agreement as to the applicable terms.

In addition to seeking the right to veto any deal, it appears they also wish to have the right to veto leaving without a deal, in other words a full Lords veto on Brexit. Obviously this is nonsense, for if the Lords vote not to leave the EU, the UK will still leave. It is clear in Article 50 that it is irreversible  we leave, deal or no deal.

If the first plank of the strategy was the Supreme Court case to get a vote on Article 50 and the second plank is to give the Lords a veto on leaving, the third plank is to deal with the problematic irreversibility fact. For this they have taken their case to Ireland.

The faintly ludicrous idea, being pushed by Jolyon Maugham is to engineer a reference from the Irish Courts to the European Court of Justice to say that Article 50 is reversible in EU law, putting teeth into the putative Lords Brexit veto. Maugham appears to have threatened to issue proceedings and raised 70,000 but has since gone quiet, awaiting his star litigants and most likely the outcome of the Lords amendment.

A further potential plank is, fortunately, riddled with woodworm. Lord Hope, a former Deputy President of the Supreme Court no less, suggested on Second Reading that any deal (or lack thereof) would also require another full Act of Parliament, thus opening the way to a new legal delay and Lords vetoes. Fortunately, despite his legal knowledge, he seems to have been confused, perhaps conflating the Great Repeal Bill with Article 50. There is no further requirement for an Act and any attempt by the courts to so direct Parliament would lead to a breach of Article IX of the Bill of Rights 1688.

So that is the plan. Give the Lords a veto over the British peoples Brexit vote, gain an EU opinion that the UK, once blocked by the Lords, can withdraw its intention, and re-join. Play for time, pray for EU obstinacy, pray for recession, an election or another referendum and thus stay in the EU. Fanciful stuff, but it needs calling out for what it is.

The amendment has a myriad of serious problems. Its highly damaging to the national interest. By seeking to reopen UK membership, it would give a perverse incentive to every EU27 actor to give the UK a bad deal. Why agree a mutually beneficial trade agreement if by refusing to do so you might boost the Remain II camp and hopefully retain some UK budget contributions?

Secondly, if they are successful and the Lords do veto an exit deal and supposedly send the Prime Minister back to renegotiate, how will she know what to ask for? It is perfectly possible that both Lords Tebbit and Kinnock might vote against an exit deal, one because it had too much Europe and the other not enough. What then? This would create uncertainty and be highly damaging to the UKs national interest.

These amendments do not respect the voters choice and would guarantee the worst Brexit outcome. It is therefore highly surprising that Amendment 17 is down in the name of Baroness Hayter, the official Labour Brexit spokeswoman in the Lords.

Why is this? Has Labour gone back on its pledge to respect Brexit? Has Jeremy Corbyn lost control of his legion of noble quangocrats? Maybe its an innocent mistake? Perhaps she has not read and fully understood what she has put her name to? Who knows? Still, no need to worry  the Commons voted overwhelmingly for Brexit, they will knock this and all other amendments back and so bring this rearguard action by Remains lawyers to an end. Soon Brexit will be irreversible.
James Frayne is Director of communications agency Public First and author of Meet the People, a guide to moving public opinion. The focus of this column is Theresa Mays conservatism for ordinary working people.

I wrote recently how the Government enjoys the great luxury of time because of the weakness of Jeremy Corbyns Labour  time Number 10 and Government departments can spend planning and executing key functions of Government rather than worrying about what competent opposition parties might do. Its a great position to be in but theres a problem associated with it, too.

The lack of serious opposition and scrutiny has cost the Government some of its sharpness. As is so often true in politics, its not on the really big issues in the public eye where the Government makes errors, but on issues irrelevant to people that live and work in Whitehall and Westminster but important to ordinary people across the country. These are issues rarely discussed in political circles and where politicians and advisers have no intuitive sense for whats right.

The most obvious problem surrounds business rates, which has been creating negative headlines for weeks. While research by the Centre for Cities suggests business rates will fall in most cities in England and Wales, business lobby groups are extremely concerned about the prospect of significant increases when they consider property taxes to be high already. Whether their concern is overstated remains to be seen, but small firms are particularly concerned about the prospects of higher rates. At best, this was a major problem of communication.

This problem was followed by the announcement that the so-called discount rate  used to calculate compensation payouts  is set to fall. This could lead to higher compensation payouts and therefore threatens much higher car insurance premiums. Given that people outside London rely almost entirely on their cars, its a bad decision. The Government has said itll look again at the plans, which is encouraging, but the nature of any change is unclear now. (Full disclosure: Public First currently works with the Association of British Insurers on an unrelated project.)

And in a similar vein, we now hear that the Government is looking at further changes to the tax status of the self-employed and those that run small businesses. Amongst other things, its been suggested the Government might look at raising NICs for the self-employed and further raise taxes on dividend payments. While such changes are meant to ensure national tax revenues dont drop as self-employment rises and the structure of the economy evolves, it risks major tax rises on people that struggle to make a decent middle class living.

Some will deny such policy changes could be called errors. At a time when the Government needs more revenue, thats reasonable. But there are many options available to Government and going after small businesses and people that rely on their cars cant surely be considered anything other than political mistakes. If the Government still defines itself by those just about managing, its a strange political agenda.

It would be wrong to suggest the Government is on the wrong side of public opinion generally and wrong to suggest that its serially incompetent. On the contrary, its getting the big decisions right and Number 10 and the wider Government machine is well run. But its on what might seem like little things  somewhat technical policies which only affect those in faraway provincial Britain  where the Government is making mistakes.
Ciena announced that Angola Cables, a wholesale carrier, has selected its GeoMesh and Blue Planet solutions to support the launch of a new service over the currently under construction MONET subsea cable.



Angola Cables is a multinational wholesale telcoms carrier that leverages cable systems across the South Atlantic and around Africa. Angola Cables manages the WACS (West Africa Cable System), providing services to operators in Angola and the sub-Saharan region of Africa; it also operates Angonix (Angolan IXP) in its data centre in Luanda, and is building a data centre and interconnection facility in Fortaleza, Brazil.



The 10,556 km route on the MONET cable system, which is scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2017, will provide over 25 Tbit/s of traffic capacity between the U.S. and Latin America via a hub in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Angola Cables wholesale customers will be able to utilise the additional connectivity to support bandwidth demands from on-demand applications such as over-the-top (OTT) video and cloud computing.



To meet demand for capacity between the U.S. and Latin America, the Ciena 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, equipped with the WaveLogic Ai coherent optical chipset, can provide wavelengths at capacities of 200 Gbit/s and higher between Angola Cables' point of presences without the need for regeneration along the route.



In addition, Ciena's GeoMesh spectrum sharing capability is designed to enable cost-effective connectivity while also allowing wholesale customers to manage traffic on the network without suffering disruption from other users on the open cable system.Ciena's Blue Planet Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) software and cloud-based SLA portal will help Angola Cables to more effectively manage bandwidth and provide customers with a real-time view of network events that could affect service level agreements.The 10,556 km MONET Submarine cable is owned by Algar Telecom of Brazil, Angola Cables, ANTEL of Uruguay and Google. The 100 Gbit/s-capable system will provide a low latency route between Brazil and North America and provide a minimum capacity of 60 Tbit/s. In October 2016, TE SubCom announced it had completed the U.S. landing for the submarine cable, which will connect Boca Raton, Florida to Fortaleza and Praia Grande in Brazil, where landings had been completed earlier in the year.http://www.ciena.com
CORNWALL, Ontario  The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has received a bulletin from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The bulletin warns of a potential tax scam and area consumers may be targeted.

Consumers could receive an e-mail, telephone call or, a text message from someone claiming to be from the CRA, reports Executive Manager, Lezlie Strasser. The caller may ask for personal information such as a Social Insurance Number, passport number, bank account and credit card information. The CRA does not contact consumers in this manner and it is a scam.

Strasser adds that consumers contacted by phone may be threatened. This is not how CRA agents carry out their duties and consumers should not be intimidated.

The Chamber wants to inform area consumers that the CRA will never do any of the following:

 Send an e-mail requesting personal or financial information

 Ask for such information by text message

 Ask consumers to pay amounts owing by prepaid credit or gift cards

 Threaten you

The Chamber advises consumers that if they are contacted by someone claiming to be from the CRA, hang up and contact the CRA office at 1-800-959-8281. Advise the agent that you had been contacted and verify that your tax records are in order.
Close

An impromptu news conference held by Sen. Rand Paul outside the room on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2017, was held as he charged the House Republicans from allegedly keeping the Obamacare repeal and replace legislation a secret and unavailable for public view.

Chron News reveals the latest efforts of the House republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as the Obamacare. Earlier that day legislation to revamp the United States current health care system were drafted during the weekend. According to Colorado congressman Mike Coffman, the Republicans met privately to discuss replacing former President Barack Obama's health care law with their own programs.

Sen. Rand Paul has demanded the House Republicans to release a draft of the health care bill so the public can see it. An impromptu news conference was already being held this time due to the Senators allegation that the bill is being kept a secret to the House Democrats. Claims that the Republicans are hiding something of significant importance to the public, perhaps, allegedly because the House Republicans are afraid to reveal that people will lose their health insurances.

Meanwhile, reports from CNN reveals that the Republicans are divided over the legislation of the Obamacare program and are at lost in how they can help people buy health insurance. This appears to be holding up the House Republican's plans to repeal and replace Affordable Care Act.

Republicans are torn whether to replace Obamacare subsidies with refundable tax credits based on a person's age rather than their income. However, a fraction of conservative Republicans is worried that these credits would be eventually paid out by everyone buying coverage in the individual market.

These conservatives are calling an entitlement program that would be open to millions of Americans who are currently uninsured or those receiving assistance through the Obamacare program.

Republicans, both in the house and the senate are also coming out against the GOP leadership plan, claiming that the tax credits are just similar to the existing Obamacare subsidies. Controversial measures like this are just leading more individuals to dive in the medical insurance individual market.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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A grieving mother from Utah decided to pump her remaining breast milk and donated it to a local Live Well Center. The 28-year-old Nicura Thompson, lost her fourth child last year. Her breast milk can potentially help dozens of women who are unable to breastfeed their children.

Thompson is a mother of three and a regular client of the McKay-Dee Hospital's Live Well Center. The staff said that she comes in a few times a month to donate her breast milk.

Thompson was in her 5th month pregnancy when she found out after an ultrasound that her baby had less than seven life-threatening heart defects. The doctor said the fetus had a rare immune disorder, a condition called DiGeorge Syndrome, which affects one in 4,000 infants.

Mirror Daily reported that the condition is also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, which is caused by the deletion of a tiny fragment located in the 22nd chromosome. Diagnosed patients can experience symptoms ranging from cardiac defects, to cyanosis, hypocalcaemia, palatal anomalies, hearing loss to more psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, ADD, and seizures.

Thompson gave birth to her baby, Colton, on October 21, 2016. After spending a few weeks in the hospital they were sent home. Due to severe heart defects the infant only survived for six weeks and died on his mother's 28th birthday according to Wave3.

Thompson said she was grateful to have at least spent some time with her baby Colton before his death. They were at least able to take him trick or treating with them and spent Thanksgiving together. Colton was in the hospital for Thanksgiving and the family put a little turkey hat on him she said.

After she learned that there were other mothers who either can't or don't have the time to pump their breasts in order to feed their children, she decided to donated her breast milk in December. She has donated 4,000 ounces of milk and is now close to her goal of 5,000 ounces.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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It is quite an understatement to say that the topic of climate change is controversial. At least half of the global population believe that climate change is just a propaganda that benefits the upper one percent. The other half believe that climate change is not only real but also the consequences of the damages man has inflicted Mother Earth.

When one thinks of climate change, global warming is not far off. In fact, a study has recently debunked one of the theories regarding global warming. The study found that the so-called Tropical Thermostat Theory is a lie and global warming will most likely kill off the tropical biospheres.

According to the recent climate-based and geological study conducted by Professor Matthew Huber of the Purdue University, there is evidence found that disproves the Tropical Thermostat Theory. Moreover, the study found that as temperatures rise due to global warming, the tropics will most likely be also affected and warming could possible kill off almost all of the tropical biospheres.

Dating as far back as the 1980's, there have been numerous theories suggesting that when the planet experiences rising temperature, the temperature at the tropics would most likely be strictly limited and regulated by a tropical internal thermostat. This so-called thermostat protects the biodiversity in the tropics from the rising temperatures.

However, the recent study, published in the journal Science Advances, found evidence that invalidates the Tropical Thermostat Theory. According to the Professor Huber, 56 million years ago, the planet experienced extremely hot global temperatures that lead to the annihilation of some of the tropical biospheres of Earth.

In fact, the analysis of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) time period provides evidence that the planet experienced such high temperatures. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum period is said to be the warmest period the planet experienced for the past hundred years.

To be accurate, data has shown that during the PETM, the global temperatures rose rapidly five degrees Celsius higher while the tropics experienced a rapid increase of temperatures by 3 degrees Celsius. This 3-degree increase in temperature leads to the dying of some of the tropical biospheres.

These findings are the very first detailed information obtained that demonstrated key changes involving global warming and the tropics. Due in thanks to the analysis of biotic records taken from a Nigerian deposit of shallow marine sedimentary.

In particular, the analysis of the carbon isotopes found in shells and deep sea sediments left behind help indicate pinpoint the changes of temperature during PETM and other conditions that lead to the death of some of the living organisms due to global warming.

Focusing on climate modeling using the data collected, Professor Huber reports that if there were no tropical thermostat present, global warming could eradicate tropical biospheres. This is quite alarming as most of the planet's biodiversity and human population reside in the Earth's tropics. And what's worse is that due to rising global temperatures, it is not too far off to happen during this lifetime.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Phoebe Willis, 10, died after complaining of pain during a procedure carried out by Nurse Carrie-Anne Nash. The child suffered from a rare genetic condition called cystinosis. She had to be fed through a tube that had to be changed every three or four months.

Nash, a feeding tube specialist who worked for company Nutricia, was called on by the hospital staff to change the equipment as no one else had the expertise to do so. After the procedure, little Phoebe died 48 hours later.

A hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council for misconduct deemed Nash fell significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse. The panel decided that she failed to respond to Phoebe's distress, which showed the tube did not fit properly.

The report said that Nash should have known from her expertise and training that those were signs and indicators of a misplaced tube. She also failed to make timely records of Phoebe's condition which put the child at unwarranted risk of harm.

The Sun reported that Nash inserted the tube into Phoebe's abdominal cavity instead of her stomach. The milk fed into the tube leaked into the hole created between Phoebe's vital organs and caused a blood infection. She suffered three cardiac arrests that resulted in brain damage and death.

The panel also raised concerns as Nash tried to justify her actions and did not show an insight into the seriousness of her failings. They fear that she was at risk of repeating the fatal error. The panel ruled the nurse should not be able to practice medicine and decided to give her an 18 months suspension.

According to Metro Phoebe lived in Locking, Somerset, with parents Julian and Heather Willis. They usually changed her feeding tube themselves, but after struggling to do so, they took her to the hospital. During and after the procedure Phoebe complained of being in pain. She was rushed to Bristol Children's Hospital where she died of peritonitis on August 26, 2012.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Lawmakers in Britain debate whether wearing high heel shoes at work should be part of the corporate dress code. A worker was reported to have been sent home without pay for wearing flat shoes.

In 2015, Nicola Thorp, a receptionist working in a finance firm PWC was sent home for wearing unacceptable shoes according to a report by USA Today. Her employment agency said that the mandatory dress code for female workers include non-opaque tights and high heel shoes measuring between ten to four inches or five to ten centimeters high.

Aside from the high heel shoes, female workers' hair must have no visible roots and their makeup regularly re-applied. Thorp then started to make an online petition calling formal workplace dress codes as out dated and even sexist.

The petition has gathered more than 150,000 signatures. Hence, the British Parliament is bound to debate over the issue of mandatory wearing of high heel shoes. However, the debate is considered as non-binding.

British lawmakers said that they have heard women about the pain and long-term damage brought by wearing high heel shoes for a long period of time. There are also companies that require their employees to dye their hair blonde, wear revealing outfits and to constantly reapply makeup.

Women who constantly wear high heel shoes may suffer reduced balance, reduce ankle flexion and weaker muscle power in the calf according to College of Podiary. They are also prone to disabling pain in the future.

Imposing women to wear high heel shoes is considered by the petitioner and signatories to be sexist and discriminating. Women and Equalities Committee said that discriminatory dress codes in the workplace are common especially in the retail and tourism industries. However, some believe that it is but fair to request men to wear neckties and women to wear high heels in the workplace.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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A 70-year-old former Army engineer who was told by NHS that he had terminal cancer spent 250,000 of his life savings on US doctors who discovered he didn't have the disease. Father-of-one David West was told by UK doctors that he had just weeks to live. He said no biopsy was carried out to confirm he had liver cancer.

Unsatisfied of the diagnosis he travelled to the US in January 2013 for a second opinion. Doctors discovered he had a serious but a survivable heart condition. They acted right away to solve the problem which meant he had to stay away from home for so long.

Mr. West was worked in the NHS until 1977 and was posted on the Middle East in Oman. He diagnosed of terminal liver cancer at Salisbury District Hospital, Wiltshire in October 2012.

He was disappointed because he was misdiagnosed by the doctors he trusted implicitly and he said it shattered his faith in the NHS. He is a citizen and has paid taxes in England for 50 years.

When he came back he was told he was no longer deemed a permanent UK resident. The disabled pensioner receives 380-a-month and suffers from mobility problems. He has fallen 1,700 behind on his rent and has been warned the bailiff could evict him if he doesn't settle the balance by March 16.

He felt bad when told he was going to die. He wrote his will four or five times and changed it. When he got to the US and was told he wasn't dying he felt quite happy according to Mirror.

Right now he is struggling to pay for internet, rent and phone bills. He spent 250,000 on travel and treatment and even had to sell his Mercedes and collection of vintage motorbikes according to Daily Mail.

During his three-year stay he had 30 blood tests, routine examinations of his heart and tests on his liver, which was in a deteriorated state but was not cancerous.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust apologized for the misdiagnosis.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Transcription

1 International Tax Finland Highlights 2017 Investment basics: Currency Euro (EUR) Foreign exchange control No Accounting principles/financial statements Finnish GAAP/IFRS. Financial statements must be prepared annually. Principal business entities These are the public and private limited liability company, general and limited partnership and branch of a foreign corporation. Corporate taxation: Residence A company is resident if it is registered (incorporated) or otherwise established under Finnish law. Basis Residents are taxed on worldwide income; nonresidents are taxed only on Finnish-source income or income attributable to their Finnish permanent establishments. Foreign-source income derived by residents is subject to corporate tax in the same way as Finnish-source income. Branches generally are taxed according to the same principles applicable to subsidiaries. Taxable income Corporate tax is imposed on a company s profits, which consist of business income, passive income and capital gains. Normal business expenses may be deducted in computing taxable income. Complex rules govern the depreciation of assets. Taxation of dividends Dividends received by a Finnish resident company from another Finnish company generally are exempt from tax with certain exceptions, as are dividends received by a Finnish company from a company in an EU/European Economic Area (EEA) country. Dividends received from all other countries generally are taxable. Capital gains Capital gains generally are treated as ordinary income and taxed at the standard corporate rate of 20%. However, gains on qualifying holdings are exempt if certain conditions are satisfied (see under Participation exemption ). Losses Losses may be carried forward for 10 years. The right to carry forward tax losses is forfeited if more than 50% of the shares of the company were transferred during or after the year in which the losses were incurred. Further, if more than 50% of the shares in a company that owns at least 20% of the shares in the Finnish lossmaking company have been transferred, the relevant portion of the shares in the Finnish loss-making company are deemed be transferred. The carryback of losses is not permitted. Rate 20% Surtax No Alternative minimum tax No Foreign tax credit Foreign tax paid may be credited against Finnish tax assessed on same profits, but the credit is limited to the amount of Finnish tax payable on the income. The credit may be carried forward for five years. Participation exemption Gains derived from the sale of shares are not taxable for a Finnish corporate taxpayer when the shares sold belong to fixed assets that are deemed to be part of the seller s business incomegenerating assets (rather than passive income) if: The seller company owns at least 10% of the share capital of the entity; The shares have been held for at least one year, and the sale does not take place more than one year after the seller company s ownership in the entity falls below the 10% threshold;

2 The disposed shares are not shares in a real estate company or limited liability company whose business activities consist principally of governing or owning real estate; and The disposed shares are of a Finnish company, a foreign company listed in the EU parent-subsidiary directive or a company resident in a country that has concluded a tax treaty with Finland, provided the treaty provisions on dividends are applicable to distributions by the company. Holding company regime See under Participation exemption. Incentives Finland has adapted its incentives to the EU s regional and structural policy objectives and state aid rules. Certain areas in Finland are eligible for EUfinanced incentives in some form. Withholding tax: Dividends Dividends paid to a nonresident company are subject to a 20% withholding tax, unless the rate is reduced under a tax treaty or an exemption applies under the EU parent-subsidiary directive. If dividends are paid to an EEA resident shareholder, domestic nondiscrimination provisions may lower the withholding tax rate to a level corresponding to similar domestic distributions. Interest Interest payments to nonresidents generally are exempt from tax in Finland. Royalties Royalty payments made to a nonresident are subject to a 20% withholding tax, unless the rate is reduced under a tax treaty or an exemption applies under the EU interest and royalties directive. Technical service fees No Branch remittance tax No Other taxes on corporations: Capital duty No Payroll tax No Real property tax The municipal authorities levy a real property tax ranging between 0.41% and 6%. The tax is deductible for corporate income tax purposes. Social security The employer is required to withhold social security, pension insurance contributions and unemployment insurance contributions from the gross salary of its employees. Stamp duty No Transfer tax A 1.6% tax is levied on transfers of Finnish securities, and a 4% tax is levied on transfers of Finnish real property and certain leasing rights in Finnish real property. Transfers of shares in real estate-rich companies or holding companies of real-estate-rich companies are subject to a transfer tax of 2%. Some exemptions are available. Other A tonnage tax regime is available for shipping companies. Anti-avoidance rules: Transfer pricing Finland generally follows the OECD transfer pricing guidelines. Affiliated companies are required to comply with the arm s length principle. The tax authorities may adjust the profits of a Finnish company if the taxpayer has entered into a transaction under conditions that differ from those that would have been agreed upon between unrelated parties. Any profits that would have accrued to the company but for the nonarm s length terms may be included in the company s profits. Transfer pricing documentation is required. Thin capitalization There is a general limitation on the deductibility of intragroup interest expense. Interest expense on loans between related parties may be deducted only up to 25% of the company s adjusted taxable income. There are certain exceptions to this rule: (1) net interest expense up to EUR 500,000 is fully deductible (but if the net interest expense exceeds EUR 500,000, the entire expense is subject to the limit); (2) the limit does not apply to interest expense not exceeding the interest income derived by the company paying the interest (i.e. interest expense is fully deductible up to the amount of interest income); and (3) the limit does not apply if the company can demonstrate that its equity balance sheet (equity/assets) ratio is equal to or greater than that of the group. Controlled foreign companies A foreign entity can be deemed a CFC if the entity is controlled directly or indirectly by Finnish residents. A nonresident entity is deemed to be controlled by Finnish residents if one or more residents jointly own directly or indirectly at least 50% of the capital of the foreign entity or its total voting power, or if one or more residents are entitled to at least 50% of the yield on the entity s assets. The net income of a CFC is taxable income for the Finnish shareholder, regardless of whether the net income is distributed to the shareholder, if: The shareholder owns at least 25% of the capital of the nonresident entity or is entitled to at least 25% of the yield of the entity s assets; and The effective tax rate in the entity s state of residence is less than 3/5 of the Finnish corporate income tax rate, i.e. 12% (3/5 x 20%). Disclosure requirements No Other There is a broad substance over form doctrine in Finnish tax law and practice.

3 Compliance for corporations: Tax year The financial year is used. If two or more financial years end during the same calendar year, the years are combined for tax purposes. Consolidated returns Consolidated returns are not permitted; each company is required to file a separate tax return. However, profits may be transferred between eligible Finnish companies through a group contribution regime. The companies must engage in business activities, there must be at least a 90% direct or indirect holding between the entities and the ownership must have lasted for the full tax year. Filing requirements A company is required to file its return within four months of its financial year end. Advance corporate tax is paid monthly. Penalties Penalties apply for failure to file, late filing or filing a fraudulent return. Rulings A taxpayer may request a ruling from the tax authorities on the tax consequences of a specific transaction. Such rulings are binding on the authorities, but not on the taxpayer. Personal taxation: Basis Finnish residents are taxed on their worldwide income. Nonresidents are taxed only on Finnish-source income as defined in the Income Tax Act, and income and gains from immovable property located in Finland. Residence An individual is resident if he/she has a principal place of abode in Finland or he/she spends more than six months in Finland (either within a calendar year or straddling two calendar years). A temporary absence (up to two to three months) will not break the continuity of the six-month period. Filing status Each taxpayer is provided with a tax return that has been filled in by the tax authorities; joint filing or assessment is not available. Taxable income Finland operates a dual income tax system for individuals, under which income is divided into earned income and capital income. Earned income is subject to national income tax, municipal income tax, church tax (if the individual is a member of either of the two state churches) and social security contributions. Income below EUR 16,900 is not subject to national income tax; progressive rates up to 31.50% apply above this amount. However, municipal income tax, church tax and social security contributions apply to income below EUR 16,900. Income from capital is subject to national income tax at a flat rate of 30% on income up to EUR 30,000, and at 34% on income exceeding this amount. A surtax of 5.85% is levied on pension income exceeding EUR 47,000 (after deduction of the pension income allowance). Capital gains Capital gains are taxed as income from capital at a flat rate of 30% applicable to income up to EUR 30,000, and at 34% on income exceeding that amount. Deductions and allowances Deductions for acquiring and maintaining income can be taken from taxable income. Certain deductions are applicable only from earned income (e.g. commuting costs, professional literature, tools and equipment and certain travel expenses), and some apply only to capital income (e.g. the deduction of interest on a home mortgage). For municipal taxation purposes, a basic allowance up to EUR 3,060 is granted to low-income taxpayers. A municipal earned income allowance is granted up to a maximum of EUR 1,420, the deduction of which is calculated before the basic allowance. The basic allowance and earned income allowance are granted ex officio. A national earned income allowance is available up to EUR 750. Rates Progressive national income tax rates up to 31.50% apply to earned income. The municipal rates range from 16.50% to 22.5%, and potential church tax rates are 1% to 2.2%. Nonresidents are taxed at a 35% rate on income earned from Finnish sources. Other taxes on individuals: Capital duty See below under Transfer tax. Stamp duty No Capital acquisitions tax No Real property tax The municipal authorities levy a real property tax ranging between 0.41% and 6%. Rates vary by municipality and by type of real property (e.g. land, permanent residence, second homes). Inheritance/estate tax Inheritance tax is levied at progressive rates up to 33%, depending on the family connection between the deceased and the inheritor. Net wealth/net worth tax No Social security The employer is required to withhold 6.15% of an employee s gross salary for pension insurance contributions (7.65% for employees aged 53 to 62) and 1.60% for unemployment insurance contributions. If an employee s annual earned income is at least EUR 14,000, a health insurance premium of 1.58% also is payable by the employee, which is included in the individual s personal tax withholding percentage.

4 Other A 1.6% tax is levied on transfers of Finnish securities, and a 4% tax is levied on transfers of Finnish real property and certain leasing rights to Finnish real property. Transfers of shares in real estate-rich companies or holding companies of real-estate-rich companies are subject to a transfer tax of 2%. Some exemptions are available. Compliance for individuals: Tax year Calendar year Filing and payment Each individual receives a prefilled in tax return from the tax authorities. If the return is incomplete or the individual does not agree with the return, it must be amended within a specific period. The tax return filing due dates are 9 and 16 May for tax residents and 16 May for nonresidents (although nonresidents usually are not required to file a return). Tax on employment income is withheld by the employer for each pay period. A taxpayer can make a prepayment to cover the final tax. Penalties Penalties apply for noncompliance (e.g. late filing) at amounts ranging from EUR 150 up to a progressive rate of the income not declared. The penalties are at the discretion of the tax authorities, within established limits. Value added tax: Taxable transactions VAT is levied on the sale of goods, the provision of services and certain other transactions. Rates The standard rate is 24%, with reduced rates of 14%, 10% and 0% applying in certain cases. Registration If the turnover of the business activities in a certain financial year does not exceed EUR 10,000, VAT registration usually is not required and no VAT is levied (although this threshold does not apply to foreign entrepreneurs that do not have a fixed establishment in Finland). If the financial year is not 12 months, turnover of the financial year is proportioned for 12 months. If the turnover of the taxable person in a particular financial year is less than EUR 30,000, the taxable entity may be entitled to partial VAT relief. In certain cases, the purchaser, rather than the seller, is liable for VAT under the reverse charge mechanism, although the seller may have reporting obligations. The reverse charge applies if the purchase is made from a foreign supplier that does not have a fixed establishment that intervenes in the supply in Finland, or that has not applied for voluntary VAT registration in Finland. The reverse charge also applies to certain sales of construction services and trade on emission rights under certain conditions, and to certain sales of scrap and waste and investment gold. Filing and payment VAT returns and payments generally are due on a monthly basis. Quarterly or annual reporting and payments are available in certain cases. According to the tax reporting and payment scheme, each VAT-taxable person has a tax account through which returns and payments are administered. Electronic returns are mandatory as from 1 January 2017; hard copies of returns will be allowed only in special cases, such as where technical obstacles prevent electronic filing. The VAT return and payment is due by the 12th day of the second month following the VAT period. European Sales Listings (ESL) must be filed on a monthly basis by the 20th day of the month following the relevant VAT period. Penalties apply for late reporting and payment. As from 1 January 2017, VAT payers with a maximum of EUR 500,000 revenue in 12 months may account for their VAT on a cash basis. The cash basis VAT applies only to supplies that take place in Finland; imports, exports, and intra-community supplies and acquisitions are outside the scope of this rule. Source of tax law: Income Tax Act, Business Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act, Tax Assessment Act Tax treaties: Finland has concluded around 70 tax treaties. Tax authorities: Ministry of Finance, National Board of Taxes and tax offices Contact: Mikko Jantunen Hanna Viilo

5 Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ( DTTL ), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as Deloitte Global ) does not provide services to clients. Please see to learn more about our global network of member firms. Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500 companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and high-quality service to address clients most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte s approximately 225,000 professionals make an impact that matters, please connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. This communication contains general information only, and none of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, its member firms, or their related entities (collectively, the Deloitte Network ) is, by means of this communication, rendering professional advice or services. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your finances or your business, you should consult a qualified professional adviser. No entity in the Deloitte Network shall be responsible for any loss whatsoever sustained by any person who relies on this communication For information, contact Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.
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1 Asia Pacific School of Economics and Management WORKING PAPERS governance A n anti-corruption strategy for provincial government in Papua New Guinea Bui Mana GOV99 5 Asia Pacific Press at the AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

2 Asia Pacific Press 1999 This work is copyright. Apart from those uses which may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 as amended, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. The contribution of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to this series is gratefully acknowledged. The opinions contained in the series are those of the authors, and not necessarily of the National Centre for Development Studies or of AusAID. ISSN ISBN Bui Mana is a research consultant with Unisearch Pty Ltd, University of Papua New Guinea. Mr Mana wrote this paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the short course of professional training on Corruption and Anti-corruption run by the NCDS between 2 27 November, The views in this paper are not necessarily those of Unisearch Pty Ltd. Abbreviations AusAID Australian Agency for International Development ICAC Independent Commission Against Corruption NCDS National Centre for Development Studies NGO non-government organisation NSW New South Wales PNG Papua New Guinea UK United Kingdom Bui Mana, GOV99-5 2

3 A corruption prevention strategy for Papaua New Guinea: education and training at the provincial government level This paper examines the causes and characteristics of corruption at the provincial government level in Papua New Guinea. The aim is to develop a holistic education and training approach towards preventing corruption. This approach will incorporate aspects of the ethical framework proposed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales which are relevant to provincial government in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The study of corruption at the provincial government level includes local governments operating at the district level. Both political and administrative corruption are addressed at the provincial level. Corruption in Papua New Guinea When discussing corruption, the average Papua New Guinean thinks of politicians stealing or diverting public funds into private accounts, overseas junkets, and the purchase of private housing with public funds. These views are widely shared because society is aware of the financial power accorded to the members of parliament through the Electoral Development Fund. While grant corruption at the political level receives a lot of media attention, forms of petty corruption appear to go unnoticed. Petty corruption is rife throughout all facets of public life and refers to administrative corruption within government departmental offices and their provincial outposts. Petty corruption involves bribery, tax evasion, fraud and forgery, and includes the use of public facilities for private business by wantoks or friends in Tok Pisin. Petty corruption is now more common than in previous years, having spread throughout the bureaucratic machinery. There is a general feeling among civil servants that if the big shot politicians can get away with the misuse of public funds and abuse of power, then honesty and accountability is not required in subordinates. Given the low pay many civil servants receive, it is not surprising that opportunities for using public office to supplement their meagre incomes are exploited. Widespread complacency towards petty corruption by leaders and the public further compounds the problem as does recruitment based on who one knows rather than merit. Causes of corruption The causes of corruption in Papua New Guinea are diverse. Grant corruption at the political level is related to greed for power and money while petty corruption arises from cultural as well as economic factors. In both forms, there is a lack of commitment to Bui Mana, GOV99-5 3

4 values of ethical conduct fostered through in-house training, education and awareness. Corruption can grow unchecked because low literacy rates in Papua New Guinea inhibit public awareness and scrutiny of the acts of public officials. The anti-corruption literature released by external organisations such as Transparency International, Independent Commission Against Corruption (PNG) and formal institutions such as the Ombudsman Commission is not well understood except by a literate few. Formal and informal instruments of preventing corruption have not reached down to the provincial, district or rural levels. The provincial government system Papua New Guinea is made up of 19 provincial governments and a national capital district where the capital city is located. The legislature consists of 89 single-member open electorates and 20 provincial electorates. The country has a unitary system of government and a single house of parliament. All provincial governments were created by the Constitutional Planning Committee in 1975 to devolve power from the centre to the community level where many villagers share a similar culture. The powers and functions of provinces are enshrined in the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments. Both political power and administrative authority was given to the provincial governments. Amendments were made in 1995 to the Organic Law in which political power at the provincial level was further devolved to the local level giving greater powers to elected parliamentarians and the district local government councils. As a result of provincial government reform, the 19 provincial assemblies were abolished along with the premiers and constituent provincial members of parliament. Political corruption at the provincial government level There is substantial evidence of grant corruption at the provincial level both prior to and after the reform involving grant misuse, theft of public funds and abuse of power by political leaders. This form of corruption often involves politicians conspiring with key people in accounts management and with executives of departmental divisions in the provinces. The case of the Enga Provincial Government illustrates the misuse of public funds by political leaders at the provincial level. Prior to the provincial government reform in 1995, the Enga Provincial Government was suspended along with 7 other provincial governments in The Premier, Mr Tindiwi stole several hundred thousand kina for his own private use as free handouts for functions, bride price payments and compensation for tribal fights. Investigations carried out by the Auditor General s Office were sparked by allegations raised by the opposition in the provincial assembly. The internal provincial auditor was also implicated because he took no steps to expose the theft when he learnt that funds were missing. It was his duty to investigate but he did Bui Mana, GOV99-5 4

5 not perform his task, leading to speculation that he may have been bribed by Mr Tindiwi. For this offence, the premier was jailed for a term of two years. When he was released he ran again for office in the 1987 provincial government elections and won the premiership back. Many voters supported his campaign because of the free handouts they received from the premier, funds which were intended for development projects. The Morobe, Simbu and Central Provincial Governments along with 4 others were each suspended for a year or two due to similar behaviour on the part of their premiers and constituent members. Corrupt practices and the expense involved in running another substructure of the national government prompted moves to abolish the provincial assembly in Provincial government reform The reform of the provincial government system in 1995 had several aims to save the national government money to bring government services like health, education and policing closer to the village level by giving greater administrative powers to the district administration to strengthen the political power of the local government councils so that people at the village level could have a greater say in the state decisionmaking process to form an effective partnership in development with local churches, youth groups and other private organisations. Political corruption after the reform The abolition of the provincial assemblies meant greater political power and financial discretion for the elected officials in the national parliament. The regional member of the province, now called the governor, was also given greater powers. The provincial governor makes decisions on matters of provincial governance relating to big projects and developments in the area. The governor is the chairman of the Provincial Budget Priorities Committee which is composed of presidents from local government councils. This committee plans provincial projects and funds government departmental divisions in the province from annual budget allocations it receives from the national budget. The parliamentarians in the electorate chair their district s Joint District Budget Priorities Committee which is made up of all councillors, the district administrator and a representative each from local non-government organisations (NGOs), particularly Christian churches, womens and youth groups. The Joint District Budget Priorities Committee decides how to plan and spend the district s share of the provincial budget. Ministers are also given discretion over the large Electoral Development Fund sometimes referred to as the rural development slush fund. Each minister of parliament is allocated K1 million to use at his/her discretion. Bui Mana, GOV99-5 5

6 The reforms enabled corrupt practices such as financial mismanagement to develop. Financial mismanagement will have a serious long-term impact on the future development of provinces and districts. Grant corruption at the provincial level is manifested in tax evasion and bribery in the contracting out of resource developments. In June 1997 the Sandaun Provincial Governor, Mr John Tekwe, and a select group of community leaders from the villages that own surrounding forests entered into a lucrative contract with a Malaysian logging company. Without consulting the PNG Forest Authority, Mr Tekwe used his political power to represent both local owners and the relevant provincial logging development authority. The same governor, after receiving bribes from the logging company, registered the company under the Investment Promotion Authority Act as a local company under the ownership of the local community. The logging firm was denied permission to operate in PNG so Mr Tekwe tried to make it appear as if the company was locally-owned. The vast majority of villagers who own the forest were unaware of what was happening. In addition, proper taxation procedures for contracting arrangements had not been followed. If any tax was paid, only the governor s personal account would benefit. After a few months the scandal was uncovered by the PNG Forest Authority and the logging company, as well as Mr Tekwe and his associates, were sued. Apart from misusing royalties and accepting bribes, the governor was alleged to have misused some fifty to sixty thousand kina in grants from provincial government funds, prompting further investigations by the internal provincial auditors. In September 1997 Mr Tekwe was charged and faced trial. At the district level the elected ministers of parliament appear to spend their Electoral Development Funds on those community groups where they won substantial votes, neglecting all others. There is no fair and equitable distribution of the Electoral Development Fund and vital services such as health, education and infrastructure projects are highly politicised distorting development in many districts. Administrative corruption Much of the petty corruption that occurs at the provincial and district administration level has a cultural base. The social bonds of tribal loyalty and kinship inherent in Melanesian culture have made their way into the management of public resources and other functions of the public administrative system. The wantok system is a classic example of this and involves doing favours for friends and mates who belong to the same family, tribe or region. The wantok system is detrimental to the efficient functioning of the public service machinery. Government facilities such as telephones, fax machines and public vehicles are also used for private business by administrators and other civil servants at the provincial level. No one within the system seems to care about the abuse of these facilities because the practice has become so accepted. Managers down to lower ranking civil servants know Bui Mana, GOV99-5 6

7 that these practices are corrupt and unethical, however a lack of re-enforcement of internal checks and balances has weakened the system. Thus corruption has become both systemic and systematic. Given the low wage structure in the country, ordinary civil servants at the provincial centres and district stations look for every opportunity to supplement their low wages. The positions they hold in the public service can be used to extract bribes and other favours. After the reform, the provincial governments have been given the power to impose a minimum of 3 per cent tax on all goods and services produced and sold in the province. This incentive to raise extra revenue for the province has been abused by those who issue licences for business operations. Struggling rural businessmen are often taxed highly, while other forms of bribery from foreign developers and other large national firms are accepted in return for easy access to resources. Both political and petty corruption at the administrative level have increased after the reform as more power and authority was vested in ministers of parliament and administrators. The number of competing interest groups at the community level have also increased due to the reform. Non-government organisations at the local level are represented at the different provincial meetings on financial allocation and project management, which has lead to greater competition for government handouts, and increasing pressure for corrupt practices. Preventing corruption at the provincial level The internal checks and balances within administrative units of government departments in provincial towns and district or rural outpost stations have not been strengthened. They continue to be violated because the leaders of these organisations, from the management level down, are corrupt and there is a lack of public awareness about the situation. External instruments of preventing corruption introduced by organisations like ICAC (PNG), Transparency International and other national anti-corruption bodies are not localised, which means that their existence and objectives are not fully appreciated at the provincial and district levels. There is a need for training and general education to promote public awareness of corruption in the provinces of PNG. An anti-corruption body such as ICAC (NSW) needs to be state-funded and institutionalised in each province to foster and promote anti-corruption measures. The Ombudsman Commission The PNG Ombudsman Commission has a much wider role than most other Ombudsman Commissions. The commission enforces the Leadership Code enshrined in the PNG Constitution in addition to its traditional function of examining and taking remedial action against the unfair actions of government bodies. The commission works towards the prevention of bribery, abuse of power for personal gain, misappropriation of public funds and unethical conduct by leaders. All public servants and politicians, including those at the Bui Mana, GOV99-5 7

8 provincial level, fall within the purview of the Ombudsman Commission. While it is quite effective in enforcing the Leadership Code for politicians, the misconduct of public servants at the provincial level escape attention because few complaints are made against officials at this level. The Auditor General The Auditor General s Office is responsible for ensuring that the management of public money is in accordance with the financial management regulations stated in the Public Finance (Management) Act which was revised in On a regular basis, financial inspectors from the Auditor General s Office are sent out to each province to ensure that provincial funds are managed appropriately. Despite having a centralised structure based around the national office in Port Moresby, investigations involving grant misuse or theft of public funds at the provincial level have met with success. Each province has internal auditors within each departmental division headed by a provincial treasurer who are responsible for undertaking internal audits in preparation for visits by a team of financial investigators from the Auditor Generals Office. Visits are carried out once or twice every year. Systematic corruption continues in spite of checks and balances at the provincial level. The lack of adherence to values of good conduct and accountability by provincial leaders has impeded economic growth and the equitable distribution of public goods to all sectors of society. Complacency and ignorance about the abuse of power and authority by politicians and public servants is also widespread. Government agencies have suffered from a lack of direction, producing confused mission statements since the reform. The seven principles of public life proposed by the Nolan Committee Report (UK) in 1985 for good public sector management are relevant to provincial governance and administration in PNG. There is a great need to engender ethical values among employees of public organisations and agencies in the provinces to build a sense of concern and develop good moral conduct. Corruption prevention strategies An integrated approach to preventing corruption at the provincial level is proposed using education and training methods. The proposed strategy includes the creation of an Independent Commission Against Corruption, a PNG provincial version of ICAC in New South Wales, Australia. The PNG ICAC should be funded by the national government and must become institutionalised in every province. A holistic approach using education and training incorporates an ethical framework into the existing public organisations in the provinces. This approach is divided into three areas: public awareness, in-house training for leaders, and special education and training Bui Mana, GOV99-5 8

9 for civil servants. Public awareness campaign Target: General public Purpose: To keep people alert and better informed of the dangers of corruption so that there is greater public scrutiny on those exercising power and authority at the local level. When: Address crowds at big public gatherings such as market days, local shows and on Sundays. Also a weekly hour-long program broadcast over the local National Broadcasting Commission Radio Stations devoted to educating the public on the issues surrounding corruption. Issues: Information about the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments reform; administrative reform; the difference between what is private and what is public; how to recognise corruption and try to prevent it; the basic rights and freedoms of the people enshrined in the National Constitution; the roles of the Ombudsman and the Auditor General; and the proposed provincial ICAC and other existing integrity institutions; will be presented to the public. Medium of communication: Public speeches; short plays/dramas; posters; pamphlets and radio broadcasts. These should be communicated using the local vernacular and Tok Pisin. Educating the public will increase public awareness effectively because there is a serious lack of general education at the district and village level. Rather than presupposing a literate public as ICAC (NSW) does, the situation in provincial PNG means that attention must be directed at increasing education and therefore awareness before any other strategies for addressing corruption are applied. In-house training Target: Village councillors and council presidents, the provincial governor, and elected ministers of parliament. Other people who should be included in this training are the women s representative to the provincial assembly, representatives of other NGOs and the district administrators and the divisional heads of all government agencies in the province. Purpose: To teach leaders and managers of public organisations about ethical conduct such as good leadership, accountability, openness, transparency and honesty. When: The in-house training should be conducted at the beginning of every year just before the provincial government budget is passed, and may last for one week. The training should be organised by the provincial ICAC (PNG) with additional expertise and training to be provided by other corruption prevention institutions in the country both formal and informal. Issues: The key lessons should comprise the seven principles of public life recommended in the 1995 Nolan Report of the (UK) Committee on Standards Bui Mana, GOV99-5 9

10 in Public Life. These principles are fundamental to the good management of any modern public institution and provide guidelines for the handling of public funds and the exercise of power and authority. The principles include: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, openness, honesty and leadership. The lessons should be presented though a workshop format, with training, reviews and publications to be made available for future courses and for circulation within departmental agencies or other organisations undertaking development projects in association with the provincial government. Special education and training for civil servants Special education and training for civil servants is essential because petty corruption is widely practiced within every bureaucratic organisation. The education and training of bureaucrats will focus on developing an ethical framework within the organisational setting. The provincial ICAC (PNG) should be directly involved in designing the course for civil servants. Training must be held twice every year and full compliance by public servants at each district must be guaranteed by legislation, which needs to be enacted by the parliament as well as the investigatory power of the provincial ICAC. The special education and training is to be selective and focused on one departmental division at a time in each district. This will enhance administrative reform and strengthen the institutional structure. Training and education is to be based on building an ethical framework, thus making the work of the organisation clearer and more goal oriented. Education and training should also focus on making the organisation more flexible than its traditional rule-based line of command. A number of points need to be considered. There is a problem of finding a balance between enforcement programs and engendering programs. The organisation should be treated as an organism that needs the right inputs to grow and expand. Compliance mechanisms should be made internal to the organisation. Attempts need to be made to unify the engendering programs with enforcement programs. Thus progressive compliance mechanisms are built into the organisation. In any case enforcement should be seen as the last resort if the organisational culture is to be transformed to that based on ethical framework. Conclusion On the whole, a strategy based on education and training to prevent corruption will prove an effective way of addressing the problem at the provincial level and must be integral to any other corruption prevention strategies. This approach to preventing corruption is a bottom-up strategy. If all 19 provinces in the country apply this model, corruption will diminish as the public become involved in the fight. Bui Mana, GOV
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1 CASE STUDY ONE IMPLEMENTING A SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES AIR NEW ZEALAND Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand

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3 IMPLEMENTING A SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES AIR NEW ZEALAND The CAA SMS Case Study Series aims to provide an insight into selected aviation organisations that have started the journey of implementing a Safety Management System (SMS). These case studies have been developed through interviews with key staff and crew, research into their safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices, and reference to the CAA SMS Forums held in The content was not sourced through documentation or activities relating to regulatory process. DEVELOPED: June

4 SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Elements of a Safety Management System safety policy and accountability coordinated emergency response planning Since 2012, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand have developed resources and guidance material to actively support the implementation of a Safety Management System (SMS) in all sectors of the aviation industry. This has included the Advisory Circular AC00-4 Safety Management Systems, the publication of the CAA Safety Management System Implementation Strategy and an Industry Resource Kit including four guidance booklets development, control and maintenance of safety management documentation hazard identification risk management safety investigation 04 The Civil Aviation Authority defines an SMS as a systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organisational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures. These case studies aim to demonstrate examples of this systematic approach. There are no confirmed Regulations requiring an SMS to be implemented as yet, however there is significant value in proactively doing so. These case studies highlight how proactive implementation is possible, and what the advantages are in doing so. It s important to remember that the implementation of an SMS is a journey rather than a destination. Whilst aviation organisations should set objectives to measure success and progress, it also means every step taken along the way is valuable monitoring and measuring performance management of change continual improvement of the sms internal audit programme management review safety training and education programme communication of safety critical information

5 AIR NEW ZEALAND: AN OVERVIEW HISTORY After commencing operations in 1940 as Tasman Empire Airways Ltd, the operation was re-named as Air New Zealand in 1967 after it became wholly owned by the NZ Government in It was largely privatised in 1989 and returned to majority government ownership in Overall, Air New Zealand employs over 11,000 staff and crew with their head office based in Auckland. OPERATIONS The airline currently operates to 26 domestic and 24 international destinations across 15 countries. These services are performed by the airline s fleet including the B s, B ERs, B ERs, B ERs, B s and A320s. Air New Zealand is also the launch customer for the -9 variant of the B787 Dreamliner, due for delivery in Additionally, the Air New Zealand Regional network includes three subsidiaries; Air Nelson who operate the Bombardier Q300, Eagle Airways who operate the Beach 1900Ds, Mount Cook Airline operating the ATR 500s/600s. Air New Zealand also maintains technical subsidiaries to support their operations, including Air New Zealand Engineering Services, TAE, Safe Air New Zealand and Australia, Christchurch Engine Centre and Altitude Aerospace Interiors. 05

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7 THE SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONTEXT The scope of Air New Zealand s operations, regulatory requirements, support capability and size, means it is critical for formal safety, quality and risk management systems to be in place. These are implemented throughout the airline, all subsidiaries and other key stakeholders. Managing change in a risk-based manner is important, particularly in cases where commercial and operational needs must be taken into account. In the late 90 s Air New Zealand implemented an overarching and integrated management system which incorporated not only quality but certain elements of SMS. The Airline Management System Manual was formed and remains to this day the primary document for SMS information. This created the foundation of Air New Zealand s approach to formally managing safety. The introduction of the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program in 2003 prompted further enhancements, as the IOSA program was designed to encourage the implementation of standard methods and processes for managing safety, including the application of risk management. In 2004, Air New Zealand undertook their first IOSA audit and has done so every two years from then on. Ongoing enhancements have continued throughout the years, with one of the most recent examples being the introduction of the Group-wide KORUSAFE intranet-based online reporting system. KORUSAFE is designed to facilitate a common approach to reporting, accessing of safety publications and documentation as well as other key activities. Over the years, Air New Zealand has built a dedicated safety team (led by Errol Burtenshaw and Alan Bradbury), which consist of a team of Safety Specialists and Quality Specialists (who are skilled in safety investigations, risk management, safety auditing, and safety promotion and communications), and a Safety Data Manager and Analyst. 07

8 08 THE AIR NEW ZEALAND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A CLOSER LOOK The following information provides an overview of Air New Zealand s unique approach to 5 elements of their SMS in alignment with the 13 elements outlined in the CAA Advisory Circular AC00-4 Safety Management Systems. Some of their successes to date and future enhancement initiatives have been highlighted via the following five select elements from the CAA SMS framework. KEY FEATURES OF AIR NEW ZEALAND S SMS: Integrating risk management philosophies, processes and practices into all parts of managing safety. Regularly implementing new ideas for capturing and using safety information. Making the most of training and education opportunities to connect with crew and staff. Recognising the need for improved formal, risk-based change management processes Elements of a Safety Management System safety policy and accountability coordinated emergency response planning development, control and maintenance of safety management documentation hazard identification risk management safety investigation monitoring and measuring performance management of change continual improvement of the sms internal audit programme management review safety training and education programme 13 communication of safety critical information

9 04 ELEMENT 04: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION Air New Zealand has more in place than basic hazard identification ; they have an overarching and comprehensive approach to the collection of safety risk information, the analysis of that information and taking actions to appropriately manage it. For example, the airline has been running a mature and effective safety reporting system for many years, and one of the more recent activities was the implementation of an online reporting system through their KORUSAFE online database. This is the first time a group-wide approach to reporting has been implemented; all staff and crew are using the same system for submitting safety reports. Reports are then collectively reviewed by the safety team, receive an operational risk classification, and actions are then tracked to completion via the same system. It s also possible for the submitting staff/crew to see the progression of their own report through the database. Future enhancements are to include the integration of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) reporting, and the inclusion of Bow Tie analysis modelling. Another aspect of the Air New Zealand approach to hazard identification is the application of a Just Culture reporting policy. This essentially states that any employee can report anything that may pose a significant concern to the safety of operations, even if you make an honest mistake or misjudgment without the fear of punishment (extract from Air New Zealand Reporting and Just Culture Policy 2014), whilst also stipulating that reckless behavior will not be tolerated. This policy makes significant inroads into allowing someone who may otherwise be reluctant, to actually report with confidence. 09

10 ELEMENT 05: RISK MANAGEMENT ELEMENT 11: MANAGEMENT REVIEW 10 Air New Zealand has focused on implementing risk management policies, processes and practices for a number of years. In 2010 they developed a policy statement specifically addressing risk management. They have formally recognised that risk management techniques assist managers to focus on uncertainties and vulnerabilities associated with the future thereby improving the likelihood of meeting business objectives. The overall idea is for risk information to flow through the organisation through the use of risk registers for departments and specific projects. Departments then centrally coordinate all risk information through the Internal Audit team. One of the most effective ways that Air New Zealand has applied risk management is to ensure that appropriate risk management planning is done for all non business as usual scheduled flights including operational flight checks and aircraft delivery flights. The level of planning conducted is scaled in accordance with activity size, complexity, and familiarity with the nature of that activity. Overall, risk management has assisted in engaging the right stakeholders, outlining and documenting key risks and ultimately aiding decision making. One cannot manage what one cannot measure. This is a philosophy that the Air New Zealand safety team have made efforts to infuse within their approach to management review as part of their SMS. One of the most important aspects of this is the collation, presentation and escalation of safety information. Every month, a series of safety meetings are held for each operational context (i.e. flight operations, engineering, etc) which are accompanied by a report which includes Operational Integrity Indices for key operational safety areas that are based on an algorithm that determines relative risk weightings. Each Index has a target set and monitored through these meetings. On a quarterly basis, the reports from each operational area are summarised, and presented to the leadership team and Board for review. Safety Performance remains a key focus; the information escalated upwards needs to facilitate decision making. This in turn helps Air New Zealand make the right operational decisions. In the future as part of their continual improvement approach, Air New Zealand is aiming to focus on documenting and escalating information on the effectiveness of risk mitigation controls.

11 ELEMENT 12: SAFETY TRAINING AND EDUCATION programme ELEMENT 13: COMMUNICATION OF SAFETY CRITICAL INFORMATION One of the IOSA Audit criteria states that airlines should have a program that ensures personnel throughout the organisation are trained and competent to perform SMS duties. The scope of such training should be appropriate to each individual s involvement in the SMS (IOSA SMS Strategy 2013). In 2015, this will change from a recommended practice to a Standard. As part of their proactive improvement, Air New Zealand s recent focus has been to maximise the number of face-to-face training opportunities through the presentation of a series of safety training modules, starting with a discussion about Just Culture and the why and how of safety reporting. Air New Zealand s approach has been to train the right people for the right topics, so that their specific needs are being addressed. One recent example was the training of approximately 70 key staff and crew in risk management principles, processes and tools, including the use of a Venture Risk Management Plan to aid change. Now, they are developing a risk management training capability with an approach that has been tailored to suit the different needs of different staff. In order to maintain the engagement of staff and crew, Air New Zealand s safety team distribute a monthly newsletter that outlines key occurrences and other safety reports from each fleet, and any actions taken to address key risks. This is something that can be time-consuming to compile, however the benefits of demonstrating transparency for the purposes of education is a very powerful and meaningful activity. It also provides an excellent means of closing the feedback loop for those who have submitted reports, and can see the change that s been facilitated through their efforts. The KORUSAFE magazine is well-known throughout the industry, and is a publication that includes detailed accounts of internal and external safety investigations, key safety topics and occurrence summaries. 11

12 ADVICE FOR OTHERS Errol Burtenshaw and Alan Bradbury talked through their key pieces of advice for others in industry: ON IMPLEMENTING An SMS OVERALL Try new initiatives, especially if you re small enough to be agile and flexible. If you re acting to reduce your safety risks, then you are well on the way to implementing a Safety Management System. ON MANAGEMENT REVIEW Be sure to have the framework and processes in place to have oversight of all your stakeholders safety risks (including those of your contractors). This can be achieved through regular, positive interactions and information sharing. ON SAFETY TRAINING AND EDUCATION Make the opportunity to train and educate your staff and crew in person; make it interactive, personal and transparent. 12

13 THE AIR NEW ZEALAND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A SUMMARY Air New Zealand has a dedicated safety team, but it is the responsibility of all staff and crew to actively lead and be part of the SMS. The motivation to enhance existing safety practices came from the first IOSA audit Air New Zealand underwent in 2004; after preparing and learning about how to enhance their SMS, the steps to take were easier to see. Measuring safety performance is an important part of Air New Zealand s SMS, and helps to highlight leadership decisions and actions required to facilitate change. In recent years, the focus has been on achieving greater simplicity in how safety systems work; one example is the implementation of the group-wide KORUSAFE online database. Applying risk management principles has enabled all operational areas to consistently manage uncertainties that may impact on business objectives. Regular safety communication activities help maintain transparency of safety risks and initiatives, thereby improving crew and staff engagement. Air New Zealand s safety team want to encourage industry to take their own approach to implementing a Safety Management System; no matter what the resources, budget or context, there are always positive activities that can be undertaken. 13

14 14 Photo courtesy of Above Ground Level

15 For more information contact CAA staff at Web site: 15

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We must defend penalty rates

CPA CC Executive Statement

The Communist Party of Australia condemns the recent decision by the Fair Work Commission to slash Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy sectors.

The so-called independent Fair Work Commission has delivered exactly what the government and employers ordered  a massive wage-cut that hits the lowest paid and most vulnerable hardest.

The campaign in defence of penalty rates is not about what Bill Shorten said or didnt say or what the representing unions did or didnt do in the interests of their members. This struggle is about basic workers rights. It is a battle for living standards, for a living wage and workers rights. The attacks on workers and their unions must be defeated.

We welcome the decision and actions taken by the Greens and the ALP to protect penalty rates in Parliament but united action must be taken by unions and the community to overcome the setbacks imposed by Award Modernisation and the shortcomings of the Fair Work Act.

The CPA is committed to workers rights and will campaign alongside workers, trade unions and the community in defence of penalty rates and other crucial workers rights including for the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, ABCC.

The CPA calls on Party supporters to join us in the struggle for workers rights and for a peoples government in Australia.
Essendon disaster demands action

The recent crash of an aircraft at Melbournes Essendon airport raises profound questions about Australias aviation policy.

The plane carrying four US tourists to King Island crashed into the DFO retail centre next to the runway. The passengers and pilot died immediately. The centre hadnt opened for business and no employees were injured, although several were treated for shock.

The pilots ability and the planes engine maintenance have come under question. However, the major issues highlighted by this and previous crashes are the location of the retail centre and the Tullamarine Freeway alongside the runway, and housing built almost to the airports boundaries.

One aviation analyst commented: The DFO sits on what used to be clear land for the airport, and a local teacher observed: If the DFO hadnt been there [the pilot] would have landed on a patch of grass.

A DFO store manager said: It feels like you can reach out and touch the planes. ... when their engines are running you can hear that ... and there is always the smell of aviation fuel when they take off and land. One employee commented: We have said this 100 times  one day a plane will hit [the building].

Background to a tragedy

Once isolated, Essendon airport is now surrounded by suburbs, and the value of neighbouring land has soared. The airport is Commonwealth-owned, and the site is not subject to local and state government planning controls.

Privatisation of Australias airports began in 1997 under the Howard government. In 1998 Essendon airport was leased for 50 years to property developer Beck Corporation and transport group Linfox. The DFO centre was built in 2002.

Local community group Close Essendon Airport Campaign opposed the DFO construction but its protests were ignored.

After the crash Essendon Airport management declared: Planning on and around airports is subject to an extensive public consultation process, including the local community and all relevant authorities. But Helen Van der Berg, former leader of the community group, said there had been no consultation with them, the state government or the council.

Airports catering for light aircraft carry a high risk of accidents. But in the last 39 years Essendon has had on average one serious incident every six and a half years, resulting in 17 deaths, many injuries and the destruction of planes, homes and other property.

In 1978 a light aircraft crashed into houses near the runways western end, killing six people and severely injuring two crew members and a passenger.

In 1986 an air ambulance crashed near the airport, killing five patients and the pilot. In 1993, in the Gilbertson Street miracle, ten people narrowly escaped death when their plane crashed into five houses near the runway.

Within the past decade there have been 287 incidents ranging from minor events to major accidents. In 2014 a light aircraft crash-landed, and last year a Royal Flying Doctors plane skidded on its undercarriage 500 metres down the runway. And now five people have died in the DFO crash.

The lessons

Essendon airports history demonstrates the power of developers to capitalise on the commercial value of airports and adjacent land, and the willingness of state and federal governments to allow development close to and within airport sites.

Planning expert Michael Buxton said the Essendon DFO was one of the most extensive commercialisations of any airport in Australia, and it has put thousands of extra people daily within the airport complex. He added that since 1978 retail leaseholders had made pockets of money by building on vacant land at airports.

To minimise casualties in the event of emergencies, airport runways should be surrounded by vast clear areas. But local residents and others say the 300 hectare Essendon airport should be four times bigger, with an emergency buffer zone. Ms van der Berg observed: If I buy a ticket for Tullamarine I know there is a buffer of green space around it. At Essendon theres nothing.

She claims that public servants pointed out decades ago that Essendon airport needed a large buffer zone. In 1996 the ALP dropped a promise to convert it to a film studio site and public open space.

The Essendon community group argued for its conversion to residential use. Federal MP Kelvin Thompson admitted that it had reached its use-by date, but no action was taken.

Airports should also be designed so that passengers leave as rapidly as possible. However, Australias main domestic and international airports already have major retail facilities in place within the main airport buildings, to tempt passengers to linger as long as possible and maximise their purchases. Moreover, theres now talk of the construction of a huge shopping complex adjacent to Sydneys international airport.

Ironically, the hazardous proximity of airports to runways carries some benefits for retail operators. One DFO employee remarked: ... customers can stand and watch planes come in. Its a spectacle.

The airport shopping phenomenon was even satirised in one episode of the ABC TV series Kath and Kim, in which two of the stars had such a good time shopping at an airport that they decided to have their holiday there, rather than board their flight.

Planning decisions that have resulted in houses being built at the end of runways, or the construction of retail facilities next to runways, are not driven by a burning desire to ensure public safety. Their object is to capitalise on the increasing value of urban land and the market provided by thousands of well-heeled tourists.

Even the Victorian premier, who to his credit terminated the proposal for a massive freeway through Melbournes suburbs, responded to the DFO crash by describing Essendon airport as essential for the states economy. As van der Berg commented bitterly, ... commerce takes precedence over people.

The major parties wont close a profitable airport and the aviation corporations will fight tooth and nail against any move to do so. The only way to rectify appallingly dangerous planning decisions like those demonstrated at Essendon airport is to place in government as soon as possible a new party or coalition irrevocably committed to public safety. Our airports should never have been privatised.
Brace for impact

The fight to tackle climate change has two core branches: mitigation (curbing excessive greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation (addressing the effects of climate change that are already unfolding). But although both areas are needed, the public tends to focus on the former in discussions on climate change.

Low-lying areas in Bangladesh are already feeling the impact of climate change.

The pressing priority is always to pull down emissions. Climate change is portrayed a future threat and our responsibility to act is framed in reference to our children and grandchildren. If environmental ruin is already here, it is deemed marginal compared to the tempests amassing on the horizon.

But this uneven focus on the future understates the gravity of present impacts. Today, climate change accounts for 87 percent of disasters worldwide. Some of the worst droughts in decades are continuing to unravel across south-eastern Africa and Latin America. Cyclonic storms, floods, wildfires, and landslides are bearing on the worlds most vulnerable populations.

The sudden violence of disasters is paralleled by the brutality of gradual change. Coastlines are being shaved and eroded by rising tides. The encroachment of sea water is increasing the salinity of littoral lands, leaving them withered and infertile. Rain patterns are shifting, shattering the millions who rely on the sky for sustenance. Every second, one person is forced to flee their home due to extreme climactic conditions.

This context of daily displacement and desolation means that the fight to tackle climate change today is fundamentally a fight to determine the fatality of the future. Yet adaptation, the crucial tool in that fight, has been side-lined and neglected.

What is adaptation?

Adaptation means preparing our society for the climatic threats it faces and will face, insofar as we can. It means weaving safety nets for the worlds most vulnerable populations. It means bolstering river embankments, introducing measures to prevent diseases, building water-resistant infrastructure, expanding storm sewers and water storage, extending insurance, implementing disaster early-warning systems, and introducing a range of measures to palliate damage.

Some adaptation initiatives are already underway. From the Cook Islands to Morocco, farmers are adjusting practices and diversifying crops, to create a more climate-resilient agriculture. Current agricultural models, where monocultures breed vulnerability, are being transformed into biodiverse agrisystems.

In flood-prone areas, like the US state of Delaware, urban planners and citizens are reengineering and redesigning neighbourhoods to reduce the risk of inundation and future sea level rise. In urban areas prone to intense heat, like the Indian city of Ahmedabad (which lost 1,300 citizens to a 2010 extreme heat wave), municipal officials are implementing heat action plans which train health workers, distribute cooling supplies, open public areas for shade, and raise public awareness.

In some areas, the only plausible form of adaptation is abandon. In Fiji, villages such as Vunidogola are already being relocated after Cyclone Winston and other disasters devastated a number of settlements  while rising sea levels provide an additional layer of risk. The Fijian state has listed relocation as a top priority for the government.

A decade ago, the Maldivian government also organised a staged retreat, concentrating populations away from secluded islands threatened by rising sea levels. In Alaska, the citizens of Newtok have applied for federal disaster relief to finance their own relocation, as thawing permafrost erodes the land under their feet, pulling the village towards the Ninglick River. In China, the government has relocated over a million people away from areas governed by environmental hazards.

But adaptation is not just a technical exercise; it is also a struggle to shape what kind of world will greet the intensifying weather patterns of tomorrow. Whose lives will matter when the storms arrive? Will the seawalls we build to hold back the swelling tides be accompanied by walls to hold out those fleeing?

The challenge of adaptation directly exposes the climate crisis as a crisis of social justice. All disasters break open the wounds of unequal societies. Storms do not discriminate, but they do make landfall on landscapes riven by disparities of wealth, power and safety.

The labels of natural disaster and extreme weather can mislead us into thinking that the principal dangers we face stem from the atmospheres furies. But as geographer Jesse Ribot writes, vulnerability does not fall from the sky. The wreckage of climate change is the product of collision: between environmental conditions and human realities.

This collision explains why women are far more likely than men to die in natural disasters and endure the slow violence of environmental degradation. It lies at the root of why ethnic minorities, the disabled, the silenced and the neglected, are all disproportionately susceptible to the rigours of a changing climate.

Deep adaptation means challenging these inequities, reclaiming rights and cementing the best possible conditions for survival. In Nairobis informal settlements, such as Mukuru, increasingly torrential rain spells misery for inhabitants. To build their communitys resilience, local activists are working to obtain land tenure that would enable them to defend their rights to water, health and sanitation.

What such initiatives illustrate is the agency we do have. While climate change will cause irreparable loss and damage (impacts that just cannot be eased or adapted to), our human societies are usually the juries of fate, deciding whether cyclones will meet buttressed foundations or breaking beams. We are still drastically unprepared across the board; the deadly European heatwaves of 2003 and 2010 revealed the stark inability even of the wealthiest economies of the world to adequately handle climatic shocks.

Finding the funding

But all transformations in politics come with costs and obstacles. The cost of adapting to climate change in developing countries could reach US$300 billion a year by 2030 and US$500 billion by 2050. Funding is in short supply, with the richest states committing only meagre contributions. Rudimentary justice holds that those most responsible for a vulnerability bear the greater responsibility for redressing it, but climate changes chief culprits remain reluctant to pay their fair share of adaptation finance to the worlds most vulnerable countries.

Neither will private finance emerge as a magical solution to the tasks of adaptation. Markets follow active demand: needs backed by money. But what money can you make from displaced farmers or dispossessed communities?

As the impacts of climate change bite and politicians feel the heat of public discontent, governments are paying more lip service to ideals such as climate resilience. But with environmental movements mostly focused on taming the drivers of climate change, this agenda of adaptation is largely being shaped by states and multilateral institutions, in ways which lay the burden of bearing at the feet of those most vulnerable.

Environmental scientist Stan Cox and anthropologist Paul Cox explain in How the World Breaks, that these models of adaptation envision a resilience [which] is catastrophic by design, morally unhinged, because it counts on the vulnerable to absorb what the market sheds so that the markets irreparable fragility can be conserved. The vulnerable and the marginalised must have power, but not just the power to adapt; they must recapture the terms of adaptation.

It is up to us to recapture those terms and ignite a discussion on transformative adaptation, where efforts to adjust to climate change can also serve as opportunities to decarbonise the economy, confront poverty, erode gender inequity, deliver racial justice and remediation to victims of environmental violence, suture community rifts, improve public health, and cement local resilience.

The future is here

The future is arriving sooner than expected.

Too often, our responses are out of touch with the scale of the challenges they seek to address. In 2003, philosopher Seyla Benhabib wrote about grappling with new patterns of migration and globalisation, We are like travellers navigating an unknown terrain with the help of old maps, drawn at a different time and in response to different needs.

Its time to think big and retrace our maps along the lines of the new magnitude. Every gradient of warming we fail to slow needs to be compensated by an equal reduction in deprivation.

The task may seem daunting. With so many challenges facing our world, where do our limited energies go? How do you fight fires and prevent them at the same time?

There are few easy consolations, but one is clear: the solutions to our multiple problems can and should be found in the same places. The struggle for climate adaptation is precisely the struggle for migrant rights, for decent work, for better infrastructure, for democracy, against gender violence. It is merely the struggle for a safer world, hastened by the alarms of shattering temperature records.

But by explicitly referencing adaptation, we can help humanise the realities of climate change, clarify our alternatives, and help ensure we can meet the incoming watershed with buffers of hope.

New Internationalist
TAP HERE for LIVE text commentary of the first pre-season F1 test of 2017

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has admitted the F1 team's relationship with Honda is experiencing 'maximum' strain amidst ongoing technical issues with the MCL32.

A collaboration dogged with reliability issues since Honda returned to the sport in 2015 to supply engines to McLaren, the team's preparation for the 2017 F1 season received another setback as electrical problems halted it at the beginning of the second pre-season test

With Honda forced to change its power unit again, pressure is once more mounting on the Japanese firm to get on top of the problems that have prevented McLaren from making significant strides with its otherwise well-received package.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Are these the solutions to F1's problems?

Indeed, though Boullier has always maintained McLaren and Honda are working closely together, he says the responsibility remains with its partner and that the issues are taking a toll on the relationship.

"Maximum," Boullier responded when asked whether there was strain on the relationship. "But obviously we are in Formula 1, we are racing and we have to perform, so the pressure is obviously huge.

"We put the maximum pressure on all of our relationship with Honda and the same from them. We can't put a foot wrong, we need to be able to deliver the best car as well, so this is both sides."

"For the race obviously a lot of it is in the hands of Honda to make sure they investigate properly, they address it properly and we have to rely on our partners that they will do it and we believe they will do it.

"Well it's always [the problems] been in their court because we are partners but they are responsible for the engine part and we are for the chassis part.

"We have a special relationship obviously, it's like a work's team so we are very much involved in both organizations and any support we can bring we will. So if we can do more, we will do more. But I don't want any distractions from the chassis program as well."

Despite this, Boullier reiterated there is no suggestion McLaren will consider exiting its long-term with Honda.

"We have a contract in place and actually normally it's seven years in every marriage or relationship, not three! No, we don't even think about it. There is a solid contract between us, a long-term contract and obviously we want to build on it even if it's not the ideal times yet."

Stoffel Vandoorne completed 34 laps before he was halted by an electrical problem that necessitated a power unit change.

Though Honda denied reports it has already made six changes of engine since F1 testing began, it would not reveal the exact number.

Fernando Alonso resumes testing for the team on Tuesday.

TAP HERE for LIVE text commentary of the first pre-season F1 test of 2017
Channel programs News

Lenovo Channel Chief Sammy Kinlaw Says Company Is 'Hyperfocused On Growth'

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Lenovo has its eye on rapid growth for its channel and will make substantial investments in partners who can open innovative routes to market with new customers, according to the company's North American channel chief, Sammy Kinlaw.

The Chinese PC maker is using channel partners to hone in on areas like the client and data center segments, as well as vertical markets. "We are hyperfocused on growth," Kinlaw said XChange Solution Provider 2017, hosted by CRN parent The Channel Company. "We're focusing on the client, data center, the premium markets, and key verticals for growth  services are also important for channel partners to make additional money, like asset tagging and imaging."

[Related: For MSPs, Good Sales Enablement Is All About Educating, Training Key Stakeholders]

Kinlaw said that Lenovo's vertical market focus would be a key part of its strategy. The company currently focuses in on several verticals, such as healthcare, higher education, and the SMB space. Kinlaw said its channel accelerated in markets like federal, corporate, public, and healthcare over the past year.

Over the past few months, Lenovo has made various changes to its partner program to spur growth. On the Data Center front, Lenovo has organized its Data Center Group partners into tiers for the first time as the company tries to incent partners to push data center solutions.

The company is also building up its channel program with more incentives like top seller rebates and services, volume delegation, Lenovo leads, and partner credits.

In the coming year, Lenovo will continue its channel push by looking to push its "One Lenovo" effort, which focuses on a tighter alignment and deeper engagement with partners, said Kinlaw. As part of this initiative, the company hopes to differentiate solutions and products, create new routes to markets, and improve its overall customer experience.

"Lenovo is going in the right direction and taking our feedback to help us grow our market," said David Vu, marketing director at Gravity Networks, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based solution provider and Lenovo partner. "We particularly like Lenovo's efforts around its email feedback system; its a more structured way for us to give collaborate with them."

Vu also cheered Lenovo's efforts in doubling down on vertical markets. Gravity Networks plays in several key areas, including healthcare and manufacturing, and as the company continues to focus on new markets, like litigation, he said Lenovo's vertical focus is critical. "It's a great relationship for helping us grow to new markets," he said.
Cloud News

Salesforce's Einstein and IBM's Watson: Two Artificial Minds Meet In The Cloud

Joseph Tsidulko

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Salesforce and IBM entered a strategic partnership on Monday focused on joining the capabilities of their respective artificial intelligence platforms to empower sales agents and marketers.

The union of IBM Watson and Salesforce Einstein aims to leverage each company's machine learning know-how to deliver deeper insights into customer behavior by the second half of this year, the companies said in a joint statement.

"The power of Watson will serve the millions of Salesforce and Einstein customers and developers to provide an unprecedented understanding of customers," said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in a prepared statement.

[Related: The Race Is On: IBM, Google, Microsoft And AWS Aim To Deliver Machine Learning As A Cloud Service]

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff also said: "No company's core values are as close to Salesforce's as IBM's."

The new partners will introduce Watson APIs into the Salesforce CRM-enhancing AI platform, allowing Einstein users to leverage IBM's cognitive capabilities to derive value from unstructured data outside of their CRM.

The relationship will also lead to IBM's Weather Company assets being included in a component for Lightning, Salesforce's app development platform. Weather data can then be used for predicting customer behavior and driving customer interactions.

And by the end of March, IBM's Application Integration Suite will be able to pull data from outside sources directly into the Salesforce CRM.

IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., and Salesforce, based in San Francisco, Calif., aren't strangers. In March of last year, Big Blue acquired Bluewolf, one of Salesforce's oldest and most successful implementation partners.

That New York-based systems integrator said it has already formed a practice around the joint offering and plans on developing "industry-specific accelerators" for enterprise customers to drive faster adoption of cognitive applications.

Kai Hsiung, chief revenue officer at Silverline, a Salesforce partner headquartered in New York City that implements artificial intelligence solutions, said the IBM partnership would deliver Einstein customers more data-based insights than currently available to them.

"I believe the partnership will be successful because Watson and Einstein have different capabilities, and will complement the other nicely," he said.

"Watson's structured and unstructured data will increase the value of Einstein across the entire Salesforce platform, allowing our clients an even more holistic view of their customers than ever before," Hsiung told CRN.
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1 Cooperative Extension Service - New Mexico State University - U.S. Department of Agriculture Bernalillo County Extension Service 1510 Menaul, NW Albuquerque, NM Phone: Fax: CLOVERLEAF Your Source for 4-H News and Events August 2013 Updates, Announcements, Reminders! The next County Council Meeting will be Inside this issue: WRLF 2014, H Adult Forum and Scholarships Available Community Service Scholarship Criteria, NM State 4-H Rodeo Finals, County Record Books Due 2013 State Photography Contest BERNALILLO COUNTY 4-H FAIR August 6-10th Youth Hall Check-In will be TUESDAY from 1-3 p.m. August 1st at 6:30 p.m. OPEN YOUTH RODEO/ TEAM ROPING is August 16 th 7 p.m. and 17 th 9 am. We need help in the concession, arena and gate. Please contact Cassidy to sign up for a time slot. 4-H Home Economics Lettermen, H International Exchange Programs, National 4-H Congress Award Winner, Home Ec Skil-a-thon 1st Place Team 2013 NM State Fair Contest, Event and Prizes District Contest Results, Kudos to Pajarito Volando 4-H Club! Calendar , 7 & 8 9 Youth Day at the Races We will be going to The Downs Sept 28 th 8 am-3 pm again this year. If you missed out last year you better jump fast! We are limited to 20 youth and 6 adults so please RSVP soon.

2 Western Regional Leaders Forum 2014 Montana is excited to host WRLF 2014! It will be March 27-30, 2014 in Billings. Early registration opens November 1 and is $250. Their website contains information regarding workshop proposals and hotel accommodations. Go to H ADULT FORUM The H Adult Forum is scheduled for Saturday, November 9th at the CNM Workforce Training Center in Albuquerque. The registration information will be available in August. New Mexico 4-H Adult Forum Registration Scholarships Available Eight, $30 registration scholarships are available for 4-H Leaders and 4-H Parents to apply for. You must submit a completed 4-H Adult Forum registration form AND payment, along with your completed Scholarship application. If you are selected, you will receive the scholarship funds following the event. Registration materials and the Scholarship Application form will be available in August from the New Mexico 4-H website (under the Adult Volunteers Leader tab) or from your County Extension Office. Please consider participating in this year s 4-H Adult Forum where you will meet other adults involved in 4-H; hear a motivational speaker on Conscious Leadership ; participate in workshops, a community service project, Make and Take activities, silent auction and more! Come for a full day of fun, networking and education. Registration includes the workshops, speaker, special activities, lunch and breaks it is a bargain at $30. 2

3 Community Service Scholarship Criteria Available to any Novice, Junior or Senior 4-H Member, serving as a State 4-H Officer, Ambassador, Diplomat or participant in a 4-H activity Must submit a New Mexico 4-H Community Service Scholarship application form which is available on the website. EVENT (Community Service Scholarship Application) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION (2 months before event registration deadline) Ambassador and Diplomat September 15, 2013 Senior Leadership Retreat October 15, 2013 Home Ec School January 2, 2014 Youth-Get-Away January 15, 2014 NM State 4-H Dog School March 1, 2014 Horse School March 15, 2014 Livestock School April 1, 2014 Officer Position April 15, 2013 State 4-H Conference April 15, 2013 NM State 4-H Rodeo Finals September 6-8, Grants, NM COUNTY RECORD BOOKS ARE DUE OCTOBER 1ST! 3

4 2013 State Photography Contest This year we have a great addition to the NM State 4-H Photography Contest. An overall winner in each of the categories, Film and Digital, will receive a $125 gift card to Best Buy. Any 4-H members, ages 9-19, can enter photos in the New Mexico 4- H Photography Contest. Photos are displayed at the State Fair and winners receive rosettes. This year the top photos will be made into a free screen saver download. The download will be available on the State 4-H Website in early September. Below the categories and rules are listed, so start taking photos now! Film Photo Beginner: Beginners are youth who have zero to three years of experience taking photographs. Advanced: Advanced photographers are youth with four or more years experience taking photographs. Special Effects: Any photo that has utilized a special technique to acquire a unique perspective or effect may be entered in this category. This is an effect achieved through composition or film techniques, not an effect added after the fact with software. For examples of special film effects refer to the 4-H Photography Projects. All photos will be judged together, regardless of experience level. Digital Photo Beginner: Beginners are youth who have zero to three years of experience taking photographs. Advanced: Advanced photographers are youth with four or more years experience taking photographs. Digitally Enhanced: Any photo that has been enhanced or adjusted through the use of digital camera features or a personal computer should be entered in this category. Entries must include the original, unaltered photo. Entry Rules Members may submit up to three entries in each category. Each entry set must have an Entry Form and a Member Information Sheet. These forms are available from any New Mexico County Extension Office or the State 4-H Website. Entries must be at least 4 x6 in size and may be in color or black and white. Photos will not be returned! Retain a copy if you want to keep your photo. Photographs must be the work of the 4-H member, taken during the current 4- H year. Entries must be in the State 4-H Office no later than August 1, Send to the State 4-H Office, MSC 3AE, PO Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM

5 4-H Home Economics Lettermen Any 4-H Member who is active in Home Economics Projects may "letter" in Home Economics. All that is necessary to "letter" is to complete the requirements in their age level and submit the appropriate forms to the County Extension Office by September 1. The first year a member letters they receive a "clover" letter as you would see on a lettermen jacket. Bronze, Silver, and Gold pins in the shape of the letter "H" are awarded in the respective age levels. A member can "letter" at anytime, even if they did not begin as a novice, but they will receive the pin for the appropriate age level. In addition, two platinum letters will be awarded each year in the form of a plaque. The platinum letters are based on overall achievement and may be received at any age level. Platinum awards are selected from all applications submitted in that 4-H program year. For information on how to "letter" and appropriate application forms, refer to the State 4-H Website or the County Extension Office H International Exchange Programs Information about exchange programs that are planned for Summer 2014 will be available this August. The application deadline has been tentatively moved up to November 15, 2013 for these summer programs in Please alert any members who have made inquiries about 4-H International Exchange Programs regarding this potential earlier application due date. Materials will be posted to the New Mexico 4-H Web site when they are available in August and will include the application deadline and program dates. Tentative countries are Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, Norway and Tanzania. Please call Linda Schultz if you have any questions. The National 4-H Congress Award Winners at this morning s awards ceremony goes to: Rachel Baum, Bernalillo County Home Ec Skill a Thon 1 st place Team Molly Thomas Halee Lusk Kelsey Hayes Emma Wellman 5

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9 District Contest Results CDM Eliana Ward 2 nd Michael Kangas 4 th ENTOMOLOGY Kayla Kangas 5 th Maggie Elmore 2 nd Ian Webb 5 th Team 1 st Conrad Boyle Maggie Elmore Ian Webb Fashion Review Eva Phillips 1 st Abbie Grant 1 st Isabelle Boyle 2 nd Megan Spear 1 st Favorite Foods Nolan Henderson 1 st Christa Casaus 2 nd Isabelle Boyle 2 nd Jesse Archibeck 4 th Home Ec Skill a Thon Ind Emma Thomas 3 rd Horticulture Ian Webb 5 th Livestock Judging Ind Stanley Magoffe 4 th Livestock Skill a Thon Ind Megan Spear 4 th Conrad Boyle 5 th Prepared Speech Hanna Bryson 1 st Kabody Bryson 2 nd Prepared Speech Ian Webb 1 st Ag Presentation Madison Henderson 1 st Talent Musical Faye Elmore 4 th Maggie & Lillie Elmore 1 st Vocal Jolie Archibeck 1 st Wildlife Logan Harlan 1 st CDM Team 1 st Megan Hahn Logan Harlan Nathan Lipke Rhett McCarty Ind Ben Lipke 1 st Ian LIpke 2 nd Emma Thomas 3 rd Ian Webb 4 th Maggie Elmore 5 th Team 1 st Maggie Elmore Ben Lipke Ian Lipke Emma Thomas Kudos to: Pajarito Volando 4-H Club We donated $250 to Make A Wish Foundation. Another wonderful way we support our community. 9

10 Your Source for 4-H News COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE 1510 MENAUL NW ALBUQUERQUE, NEW NEXICO NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ALBUQUERQUE NM PERMIT No. 89 Phone: Fax: Mailing Address Line 1 Mailing Address Line 2 Leaderline Newsletter on the Web! Or Current Resident New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. CALENDAR DATES! Lead Agent for: Horse Council, Livestock projects, Achievement Night, Fairboard, Rifle, Archery - DATES (All locations are at the 4-H Center unless otherwise specified) August 6-10 County 4-H Fair-Expo NM Open Youth Rodeo/Team Roping Sept Lead Agent for: International Committee - 1 Deadline for applying for 4-H Home Ec Lettermen 6-8 Rodeo Finals, Grants NM 28 Youth Day at The Downs Lead Agent for: Friends of 4-H Dinner, Favorite Foods Show, County 4-H Council, Rodeo, Home Ec Projects, Rifle and Archery - Cloverleaf Newsletter is on the Web! bernalilloextension.nmsu.edu 10
Networking News

Cisco: New HyperFlex Creates 'True Separation' From HPE-SimpliVity, Nutanix

Mark Haranas

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Cisco's HyperFlex Systems have received a shot in the arm with new capabilities, including high-capacity all-flash nodes, native replication of clusters and new management options, that the company says will leave its hyper-converged competitors in the dust.

"As they're adding these new features, I absolutely think this is a market leading platform," said Robert Keblusek, CTO of Sentinel Technologies, a Downers Grove, Ill., solution provider and Cisco Gold partner. "Cisco is showing here how they can pretty rapidly add capabilities to this platform with many of these new features very welcoming for partners and our customers."

The San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant says it now has more than 1,100 HyperFlex customers since it began shipping the hyper-converged solution  which consists of Cisco Unified Computing Systems (UCS) servers and software-defined strategy technology -- around nine months ago. About 70 percent of those customers already had Cisco UCS in their environment, while one-third are brand new customers to Cisco computing, according to Todd Brannon, Ciscos director of product marketing for UCS.

[Related: 10 Things You Need To Know About Cisco's New HyperFlex Systems 2.5]

"Because of what we've done to create a truly complete hyper-converge system that includes the network, the compute, storage software  we've created true separation from the pack," said Brannon, in an interview with CRN. "The first-generation software-only players cannot compete with this level of integration, this level of engineering and we've gone clear separation on performance."

Brannon added that Cisco would continue to support all of their customers that have deployed SimpliVity on UCS even though the hyper-converged startup was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise last month. He also said Cisco had received feedback from SimpliVity customers that they aren't too happy about leaving UCS.

"We've gotten feedback from the field that customers that have SimpliVity-UCS combination are not excited about letting go of the UCS side of that equation," said Brannon. "So they're starting to take a look at HyperFlex."

Cisco touts the new HyperFlex 2.5 release as delivering break-through performance, intuitive management and enterprise data protection and security.

New features include high-capacity all-flash nodes coupled with support for 40 Gbps UCS fabric networking to expand customer choice and deliver higher application performance. "Not only are we offering all-flash like many of the folks in the industry can do on a hyper-converged basis, but we're also bringing in our 40-Gig fabric interconnect technology that ties UCS underneath," said Brannon.

The networking giant also created HyperFlex Connect, a new standalone HTML5 interface for the management and orchestration of HyperFlex from any device. Connect can monitor performance and capacity in real-time and it's ready for mobile monitoring and management.

"This management interface is very intuitive, very friendly. It wasn't quite there a few versions ago. They now have one of the best interfaces I've seen as far as managing the system," said Sentinel's Keblusek.

HyperFlex 2.5 also includes a native replication option to protect applications as well as new data-at-rest security options using self-encrypting drives. "A lot of the [hyper-converged] platforms that we've dealt with in the past dont have native replication. There are some in the market that have native replication, but Cisco really excels with that capability that's now in 2.5," said Sentinel's Keblusek.

Kelblusek also said the new data at rest encryption feature is "going to help a lot of customers that might have regulatory compliance requirements around HIPAA or PCI  the data at rest will allow us to start to position this product into those vertical markets more easily."

On the channel front, Cisco has added SmartPlay HyperFlex bundles option to its popular Value Incentive Program (VIP), said Scott Mohr, director of data center and cloud for Cisco's Global Partner Organization.

"We believe that HyperFelx is going to help partners accelerate services in cloud both on-premises and in public and also enterprise cloud options with our service provider partners," said Mohr, in an interview with CRN. "This is one of the fastest growing products we've had and the adoption rates are extremely high."

Keblusek said Sentinel already has several successful HyperFlex deployments in customer environments and expects HyperFlex version 2.5 to add to the sales pipeline.

"We've seen the pipeline increase pretty tremendously, and we're welcoming customers to bring workloads into our labs so they can test it out," said Keblusek. "Cisco has put together a leading package and hit the price point to where it's palatable for customers."
Storage News

HPE To Strengthen Its Flash Storage Lineup With $1 Billion Acquisition Of Nimble

Rick Whiting

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise has signed an agreement to acquire Nimble Storage, the manufacturer of predictive all-flash and hybrid-flash storage systems, for $1.0 billion in cash, the companies said Tuesday.

HPE said the deal would enable it to offer a full range of flash storage systems for customers of all sizes. The move is expected to strengthen HPE's competitive hand in the highly competitive flash storage systems market against rivals Dell EMC, NetApp and Pure Storage.

The overall flash storage market reached $15 billion in 2016, according to market researcher IDC, and is expected to grow to almost $20 billion by 2020 with nearly 17 percent compound annual growth rate.

[Related: HPE Closes $650M SimpliVity Acquisition, Says First Combined Solutions With DL380 Will Ship In May]

Nimble's flash systems are targeted toward small and mid-size businesses and organizations. HPE said that makes the acquisition complementary to its midrange to high-end 3PAR flash storage systems and its affordable MSA products.

"Nimble Storage's portfolio complements and strengthens our current 3PAR products in the high-growth flash storage market and will help us deliver on our vision of making Hybrid IT simple for our customers," said Meg Whitman, HPE president and CEO, in a statement. "And, this acquisition is exactly aligned with the strategy and capital allocation approach we've laid out. We remain focused on high-growth and higher-margin segments of the market."

HPE also said it plans to incorporate Nimble's InfoSight Predictive Analytics platform across its storage products portfolio. That technology helps IT managers detect and resolve IT infrastructure issues, reducing the amount of time spent on support activities.

The companies said combining the HPE and Nimble product portfolios would allow customers to more easily move and replicate data across hybrid flash and all-flash storage to meet IT demands, more easily manage storage volumes and data compaction to reduce capacity costs, and integrate data protection capabilities with data encryption, replication and integration capabilities provided by third-party applications.

Nimble also recently introduced multi-cloud storage services that support on-premise and public cloud storage capabilities, adding to its support for hybrid IT environments.

"We believe that Nimble's entry to midrange predictive flash storage solutions, coupled with InfoSight, its leading predictive analytics technology, will strengthen HPE's flash storage portfolio by expanding market reach and enabling a transformed, analytics-based customer experience," said Antonio Neri, executive vice president and general manager of HPE's Enterprise Group, in a blog post.

"Together, we'll be able to bring flash optimized data services, which provide the right balance of price, performance, and agility, to customers across SMB, enterprise and service provider segments," he said.

San Jose, Calif.-based Nimble was founded in 2007 and has approximately 1,300 employees. The vendor recorded sales of $402 million in its most recently fiscal year, representing 25 percent year-over-year growth.

HPE is paying $12.50 per share in cash, representing a net cash purchase price at closing of $1.0 billion, according to the HPE announcement. In addition, HPE will assume or pay out Nimble's unvested equity awards valued at approximately $200 million.

HPE will issue a tender offer to acquire all outstanding Nimble shares and completion of the deal requires that stockholders tender a majority of outstanding shares. Stockholders representing approximately 21 percent of outstanding shares have already entered into a tender and support agreement.

The acquisition is also subject to customary regulatory approvals. HPE said it expects to complete the tender offer, merger and closing of the transaction in April.

Once the acquisition is complete Nimble will operate as a wholly owned HPE subsidiary. HPE said it expects the deal to be accretive to its earnings in the first full fiscal year following the close.
Technology has changed the way we talk about sexuality, as has the current social and political climate. Parents face issues unheard of by generations past. Access to erotica and pornography has changed the landscape of sexual know-how. Early exposure (under age 14) isnt uncommon, and educators do everything possible to keep up with our childrens developing notions of sex. Here are five things you should know about your childs education.

1. Teachers would love for parents to work them out of a job.

Sex-Ed exists because too many school-age children are either unknowing, or suffering gross misunderstandings of normal body functions, respect in relationships, and concepts of healthy sexuality. Parents avoid these topics out of discomfort, an assumption that the school curriculum is sufficient, or due to a lack of involvement. Friends and various media have taken the roles of teacher for children who want to understand the world and the bodies theyre living in.

Within conservative Christian circles, parents fear the worst  that our kids are becoming indoctrinated by public education efforts. Likewise, educators fear that avoiding sexual health will result in a generation of children left with no basic tools by which to protect themselves. They witness the devastation of poor life choices, relational pain, and disease daily.

Our schools need help. They need all of us to talk with our children about sexuality, beginning at a young age. They need us to use appropriate terminology for body parts and experiences. They also need us to be healthy, ourselvesspiritually, emotionally, and physically.

When were at peace with our own experience and God-given sexuality, the next generation can trust us for truthful instruction. We begin with a forthcoming attitude about the basics of our creation.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14)

2. Parents have the choice to opt out.

In the state of North Carolina, students who opt out of the 14-week Family Life course remain in their P.E. class at no penalty. Though details vary state to state, this option is fairly standard.

Parents wishing to forgo the class are encouraged to provide lessons in their own homes. Its important to note that, despite teachers best efforts to oversee conversation, children talk during free time. Parents should be willing and able to answer questions, or to dispel myths, whether or not their child has opted out of class.

Simply stated, if we dont have a plan to train up our children, somebody else will.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

3. School programs address the what and how of human development, but not necessarily the why.

Educators are faced with moral dilemmas daily. While they hold personal convictions, theyre not at liberty to share them. We can acknowledge that bias does occasionally seep into instruction, but overall, sex education occurs at the most basic level  catering to families of all religions and beliefs. This can be a benefit to Christian families who dont share the views of the educator. On the other hand, moral responsibility is then subject for each student to determine for him or herself.

As a typical example, a curriculum leader might address a hormone like oxytocin, and explain that it helps people to feel close and bonded, but that leader cant discuss why its important that we bond to one person alone. Of course, Christ-followers understand that the reasons are many. The school system cant endorse sex as either a good and holy thing as the Bible teaches, nor can it apply a negative connotation to sex outside of marriage.

The school is adept at providing raw information, but its up to parents and caregivers to give our human experiences meaning.

But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and Who called me by His grace (Galatians 1:15)

4. In some states, parents have control over which health track a child takes: abstinence-only vs. abstinence-encouraged.

Whats the difference? For parents who want their children to learn an all-encompassing approach to sex education, parents might choose the comprehensive route. Students in this class are taught that abstinence is the only method of ensuring 100 percent pregnancy and disease prevention, but the comprehensive theory says, Waiting is always better, but this is whats available to help you stay safe if you dont.

Abstinence-only curriculums dont include contraception information. They take a warning approach, highlighting parenting responsibilities, socio-emotional consequences, and disease prevention. Despite the seemingly Christian-leaning moral nature of the abstinence track, the spiritual and emotional effects of sexual activity are not heavily delved into. Programs typically last just 14 days or less each school year.

Theres a variety of literature debating the efficacy of both types of programs related to pregnancy rates, age at first intercourse, and sexually transmitted disease. Though experts cant seem to agree on an exact curriculum, the majority confirms that children should experience a well-rounded approach: discussing spiritual, emotional, physical, psychological, and relational aspects of sex.

Regardless of the program you choose, your involvement is the best predictor of your childs future success in relationships.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well (3 John 1:2)

5. Personal life is briefly discussed, but children with additional needs are referred to the guidance counselor or school nurse.

Students react to the coursework differently depending on their experience of relationships and sex. Staff are sensitive to issues including: history of abuse, exposure to pornography, loss of a parent, speed of a childs development, older sibling influence, family values, and media habits.

Although phenomena such as hook-up culture, dating apps, music, movies, magazines, sexting, erotica, peer pressure, and pornography may be briefly addressed, in no way is a teacher able to navigate a child through these challenges on a daily basis. If you already know that your child is struggling with one or more of the above-mentioned issues, it would be wise to speak with your schools staff in advance of his or her participation.

If the passing of time, method of communication, and access to technology has done one thing, its increased our childrens abilities to hold us accountable as guides. Never before has a generation had to sift through so much competing information, or had access to it. Its an honor to be charged with the responsibility of raising them. I hope you think so too.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Please pray with me:

God, may you use us mightily to increase discernment, knowledge, and self-control in our children. Lord, help us to develop in them an understanding of the beauty of relationships, the wonder of Your holy dwelling place in us, and Your purpose for their lives. Strengthen us with Your words, Your truth, and make Your will for their education known. Amen.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: March 6, 2017
I'm hearing anecdotal evidence from all over the country that people are tense and disturbed and attributing their change in mood to Trump. I know it sounds unbelievable-- and maybes' just people I know-- but everyone sounds on edge. People are seeing psychiatrists and self-medicating and getting off the wagon and everyone seems nervous and depressed... Have you seen any of that too? I don't mean the freaks on the right descrating Jewish cemeteries or burning mosques or starting fights (or even Mika Brzezinski ); I'm talking about normal regular people-- neighbors, friends, relatives, random folks who aren't even that involved with politics.





I'm proud to say I serve on the board of People For the American Way with Khizer Khan, an American citizen for over 3 decades who takes the Constitution super-seriously. According to multiple reports he was told his "freedom to travel abroad" is "under review" and had to cancel appearances in Toronto this week. Silver lining: maybe Trump will be impeached even sooner than anyone expected. You remember him right? He's the Muslim American Gold Star father who aroused Trumps ire and the Democratic National Convention when he spoke about his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan, being killed in combat in Iraq. According to Rosa Hwang, a senior producer at CTV National News, Khan cancelled a speech he was scheduled to give in Toronto after being informed that his travel privileges are "under review."









"This turn of events is not just concerning to me, but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad. I have not been given any reason as to why." None of us have but this comes just as so-called-president Trumpf signed his second attempt at a Muslim Ban Monday morning behind closed doors.





NY Times that ran a few hours ago, pointing out the new ban's fatal flaw: "it constitutes unlawful religious discrimination." Farhana Khera president of a civil rights legal organization, Muslim Advocates, and Jonathan Swift, the organization's legal director, penned an OpEd for thethat ran a few hours ago, pointing out the new ban's fatal flaw: "it constitutes unlawful religious discrimination."

Lets be clear: This revised order is a Muslim ban. All the countries he has excluded are more than 90 percent Muslim. Three of them-- Iran, Somalia and Yemen-- are more than 99 percent Muslim. Even though Mr. Trump tailored his order to survive legal challenges, as his former adviser Rudolph Giuliani conceded on national television, his objective is clearly to exclude Muslims.



The Trump administration argues that the ban protects the country. Yet by excluding Iraq from the order, Mr. Trump has cleared travel from one of the two countries from which Islamic State terrorists operates. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security concluded last month that country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity. Former national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations have made clear that the January order does not make our country safer. Instead, the bigotry that Mr. Trump spews at news conferences and on Twitter have been a boon for terrorists recruitment efforts.



The twisted worldview does not match reality. Muslims have been part of America for centuries, since the first slave ships arrived in the 17th century. Today, Muslims represent 1 percent of the United States population: They are our teachers, doctors, neighbors and co-workers.



American Muslims will suffer a particular harm from this executive order: Those who have ties to the banned countries wont be able to see their family members and close friends. American Muslims will also be deprived of the instruction from the leading Islamic scholars who are from those countries.



Thousands of Muslim men and women serve in the armed forces; many have given their lives defending our nation and our ideals. They contribute to the diversity that has always been our nations pride and strength. President George W. Bush paid tribute to this in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks when he said, There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know-- that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.



President Trump and his top advisers would be wise to listen to President Bush. The Muslim ban and President Trumps relentless attacks on Islam are not just an assault on thousands of patriotic, innocent Americans-- they violate our Constitution and our most fundamental American values and beliefs.

The Nation asserts, correctly, that the real goal of the travel ban is Joan Walsh, writing forasserts, correctly, that the real goal of the travel ban is to make America white again . Bannon, she wrote, insists Muslims don't have the right DNA for democracy.





Lindsey Graham must have enjoyed being booed in Clemson Saturday, because it sounds like he wants more of the same, announcing that he backs Trump's unconstitutional travel ban and congratulating him for exempting people with visas, green card holders and people from Iraq. I'm sure there are other Republicans in the same unconstitutional camp as ole Lindsey. But that's very different from what I'm hearing from Members of Congress who actually take the Constitution seriously. Ted Lieu (D-CA) was the first Member I saw putting out a statement after word leaked out that Trump had signed the ban this morning.

25 days after his first unconstitutional immigration ban was rejected by the courts, Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that is-- once again-- as harmful as it is incompetent. This monumental waste of federal resources is wrong on all levels-- strategically, morally, and from a national security perspective.



Trumps Muslim Ban 2.0 is nothing short of a strategic failure. A leaked DHS report from his own cabinet called citizenship from the banned countries an unreliable indicator of threat. If the banned countries in question are such a threat, then why does this second ban arbitrarily drop the nation of Iraq? And why does the ban go into effect on March 16th? Wheres the urgency in that? This second executive order just makes zero sense.



As studied by the CATO Institute, the chances of being killed by a refugee committing a terrorist act is 1 in 3.6 billion. For perspective, the chances of being struck by lightning twice is 1 in 9 million. Thats why members of Trumps own administration recognize that banning women and children fleeing from terrorist groups isnt just morally bankrupt-- its bad for national security. It hands our real enemies like ISIL and al-Qaeda a powerful recruiting tool and undermines our relationships with partners abroad.



Trump is quick to tweet about who is American and who is un-American. As an immigrant, veteran, and member of Congress, I can tell you there is nothing more un-American than undermining our fundamental value of accepting those who are fleeing tyranny, those who want to start a better life in the United States. This order is based on bigotry and must-- once again-- be opposed.

Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) rfeel the same way. "Barring people based on their nation of origin or the religion they practice isnt just a policy change-- its a tacit admission by our new president that he is incompetent to lead in ways his predecessors were not," he said in a statement for his constituents. "And to be clear, the only difference between this Muslim ban and the last one-- which was found unconstitutional by four federal judges-- is the time Trump and his cronies spent scheming up a plan to get it past our legal system. Regardless of how successful they are at side-stepping the judicial branchs rightful check on executive power, they cannot implement this ban without Congressional Republicans providing funding. It remains to be seen if the GOP will stand by our Constitution, our separation of church and state, and the international order that hinges on American leadership, or if they will vote to rubberstamp this presidents hateful agenda and wrecking ball diplomacy. I will fight this Muslim ban and every other corrosive policy Trump pursues that betrays who we are as a people and leaves our nation fundamentally less safe."





Mark Pocan (D-WI), who represents the Madison area, tried to clam the people in his district impacted by this. "Although Steve Bannon didnt write this new Muslim ban in the dead of night," he said, "it does not mean the ban is any less harmful to America and our image around the world. Rehashing this hateful and divisive travel ban not only sends the wrong message to immigrants and refugees, it also makes our country less safe. The President should be focused on helping working families struggling to make ends meet, not waging an unconstitutional war on our core American value of freedom from persecution and discrimination. I will stand alongside the people of my district and fight with my colleagues in Congress against this prejudice and division. My office will continue to work to support residents and visitors experiencing difficulties as a result of the travel ban while the courts ultimately decide the fate of this unconstitutional ban."





Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the congressman who came up with the idea to boycott the Trumpanzee inauguration, issued a statement an hour after Trump made his move:

This is just the same stuff on a different day. If you called xenophobia a rose, would it not smell just as foul? Our President, who clearly has a hard time distinguishing facts from fiction, is continuing to take us down the wrong road, the road away from security, morality, and prosperity.



As I said in January, the President should have faith in the strength of our own country and the vitality of her citizens and culture. A nation of 300 million people that has blazed a trail for the world for more than 240 years can withstand 50,000 or 100,000 moms, dads and children fleeing for their lives. We always have and we always should. The poem on the Statue of Liberty says I lift my lamp beside the golden door! not We are scared of you, come back later when we feel better.

One last congressional reaction-- Pramila Jayapal from Seattle, who's been fighting this kind of ugly, divisive bigotry all her life:

The president has been forced to recognize-- through the clear signal sent from several courts and in our streets-- that his original travel ban was both unconstitutional and ineptly executed. The new order recognizes that we must honor the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as expressly excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens from the ban. It also excludes Iraq from the list of countries, another clear sign that such a ban would hurt our coalition efforts for peace in the Middle East. It should not have taken the courts and nationwide protests to stop such an order from taking effect in the first place. The president was irresponsible in throwing the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families across our country and world.



Unfortunately, however, the presidents Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children. It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It continues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment.



President Trump is once again attempting to shut Americas door to immigrants and vulnerable refugees who are fleeing war-ravaged countries. This do-over order still has consequences that stretch far and wide and hurt our national security. It is still extremely ill-conceived and paints wide swathes of people and countries with negative stereotypes that have little to do with a logical plan for peace and security in our country. We will continue to work in the courts and in the streets to stop this administration-- as we have done before.

The thermometer just above and to the right... that leads to the ActBlue page we've put up for the most outspoken and effective leaders of The Resistance inside Congress. These are the most crucial voices in Congress... because this Know Nothing fanatic isn't on the side of America:








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DANBURY  Small-business owners came up with weaknesses more readily than strengths when discussing the Connecticut business environment during a focus group of the Western Connecticut Council of Governments on Tuesday.

Access to capital, health insurance costs, regulations and liability insurance were among the barriers to business growth expressed by those in attendance at the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce office. Strengths included proximity to New York City, high quality of life, a diverse population and organizations such as the Small Business Administration and Department of Economic and Community Development.

It costs me more in health care than it does to hire a new employee now, Bruce Treidel of Bethel Music Center said. Thirty years ago I didnt charge my employees for health care. I just paid for it. Now I cant do it. Its unaffordable.

Using information gleaned from focus groups and a survey distributed earlier this year to business owners, WestCOG will develop a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the region. The plan will help facilitate economic development in the region for the next five years.

Panelists Hal Kurfehs of CBC-Scalzo Group, Lisa Scails of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut and Liz Esposito of WestCOG asked the group for suggestions on what Connecticut can do differently to help grow businesses.

Access to capital has been difficult and the money I can get is very expensive money,  Michael Sauvageau, co-owner of Noteworthy Chocolates, said. Im a new business so I dont have the money or collateral that banks want to see.

Treidel said he has lost potentially large contracts outside of Connecticut because several states offer preferential treatment to in-state companies. Connecticut does not offer its businesses the same consideration and often accepts the lowest bid, regardless of the companys location, he said.

Treidel proposed that Connecticut offer a 5 percent grace window to in-state companies when considering bids, regardless of industry. The state would benefit from taxes and employment numbers, he said.

Chuck Woerner, a business finance specialist at Fairfield County Bank, said Connecticut used to have a competitive advantage over nearby states, which has disappeared. Its a rapidly changing world, he said. Things that were true 20 years ago arent true anymore.

Woerner suggested cities and towns in the state adopt a more homogeneous permitting structure so builders, architects and other professionals do not have to learn each towns system before starting a project.

I have builders that wont even do business in certain towns, he said. Government tends to grow and sometimes it grows to the detriment of business.

Information from the focus groups and survey offer WestCOG officials a snapshot of current business conditions so we can evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, Esposito said.

There are three focus groups remaining: March 14 in Stamford to discuss financial technology; March 22 in Wilton to discuss health care tech; and March 23 in Wilton to discuss the creative economy. WestCOG servies Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
BRIDGEPORT - A Bay State woman has been charged with the crash last year on Interstate 95 that killed a 24-year-old local woman.

Livis Rodriguez, 27, of Lawrence, MA, surrendered to state police Monday after being told there was a warrant for her arrest.

She was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to maintain a safe lane change and was released after posting $10,000 bond.

State police said Rodriguez is accused of causing the crash on July 7 that killed Shameal Jackson of Connecticut Avenue.

Police said Rodriguez and her family were traveling home in two cars northbound on I-95 from New York City when her mother, who was traveling in the lead car, began experiencing car mechanical problems about 5:30 p.m.

The mother called Rodriguezs sister, who was in the car with Rodriguez, and told them to follow her into the emergency lane, police said.

Rodriguez began to drive from the center to the right lane when police said her sister yelled, Livis be careful. They then collided with the right front side of Jacksons car which was traveling in the right lane.

Police said after the impact Jacksons car went across all three lanes and hit the center cement barrier. They said Rodriguez pulled over to see if the other driver was all right but by that time other people had already stopped and were attempting to get Jackson out of the car.

Jackson, who did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where police said she died from multiple injuries.
A revised travel ban issued by the White House no longer applies immigrants with valid visas, but area university officials are advising students from the six countries named in the executive order to play it safe.

Sacred Heart University has a few students from the countries included in President Trumps travel ban, school spokeswoman Tracy Deer-Mirek said. Our advice to these students is not to travel at this time.

Thats what University of Bridgeport officials told their students after President Donald Trumps February ban on immigration from a list of seven Muslim-majority countries. That ban, which was overturned by federal district judge and upheld by a federal appeals court, had extended restrictions to those with valid visas.

The revisions announced Monday havent calmed many officials, who are warning students from countries named in the paired-down order to stay stateside for the next three months.

International students who are not from one of these countries planning to travel over spring break should have no difficulty returning to the U.S. with their student visas, Yales Office of International Students & Scholars told students on a page with a running list of immigration updates. However, we caution against unnecessary travel during this time.

Citizens of Iraq are not targeted in the new order. Citizens of the other six nations  Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen  are not affected if they hold a valid visa, but wont be approved for a new one during the 90-day freeze.

The Trump administration has said the new order wont be fraught with the difficulties of the first one, which initially thrust airport immigration areas into chaos.

This order was drafted in close consultation with the relevant agencies, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday, according to a transcript released by his office. It also includes a delay-effective date of March 16th, giving those involved in its enforcement even more time to facilitate an orderly rollout.

The University of Connecticut also has a regularly updated information page, which includes advice to faculty about how to interact with students who may feel alienated by the political climate. UConn officials estimate the ban only applies to 87 of the universitys 3,300 international students.

International students may feel worry and anxiety about how they are perceived in the United States, and about their future ability to travel freely and meet their academic goals, a statement on the page said, adding, We encourage staff and faculty to attend cultural-themed events, invite international students to department activities, and take note of their contributions.

The University is committed to providing clear information and compassionate support to help these individuals and their families throughout the process, and as the travel regulations evolve, said Daniel Weiner, UConns vice president for global affairs.
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GREENWICH  On Friday afternoons, 10 third- through sixth-graders in tie dye T-shirts gather in the Stanwich School gymnasium to learn the bump, set and spike.

Sam Erfe, a senior at Stanwich, and her classmate Jenny Matute, also a senior, started a volleyball clinic this winter to introduce the younger students to the sport.

They said they want to teach their students volleyball basics while keeping it fun.

Erfe and Matute, both outside hitters for Stanwichs volleyball team, chose to run the charity volleyball clinic for their senior Moral Leadership Project, a community service requirement for all Stanwich seniors.

Ive always volunteered (at Kids in Crisis), said Erfe. The organization lost $750,000 from state contracts this fall. When I heard about the budget cuts, I thought it would be a perfect fit.

Proceeds from the clinic benefit Kids in Crisis, a local nonprofit organization that provides free help to Connecticuts children, teens and families in distress. The clinic raised $2,000 in just a few weeks for Kids in Crisis.

It feels good. I never thought I would give that much money to an organization, said Matute.

All we are doing is having fun after school, and we able to help an organization like Kids in Crisis, said Erfe.

Kirsten Tomasiewicz, director of Community Services for Kids in Crisis, said the money will be a great boon to their organization.

It will go directly toward helping other kids who are staying in our shelter facilities and those kids who are with us because of homelessness, medical issues, family conflict and abuse and neglect, she said. We are the only agency in the state that can accommodate kids newborn to 17, both boys and girls.

Its rare for the nonprofit to get donations this large from individuals, said Tomasiewicz.

A lot of times kids are very successful in doing smaller fundraisers or doing collections for us, but $2,000, whether you are a kid or an adult, is a lot of money, she said.

Stanwich students have also brought dinners and donated Halloween candy to Kids in Crisis, said Tomasiewicz.

For their Moral Leadership Projects, other students at Stanwich raise money or supplies for causes like Shriners Hospital, Tuesdays Children, a nonprofit for the children of 9/11 victims, and local low-income families, said Ilana Grady, dean of programs and services.

The Moral Leadership Projects build community between students in addition to teaching students about giving back, she said.

It gives me chills. The kids learn so much.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
TRUMBULL - Students at Daniels Farm School convinced their parents to contribute gift cards to their ailing teacher only to have the cards stolen by the schools janitor, police said.

Andrew Robinson, 30, was arrested after police said he was later caught on camera using the cards to buy power drinks and other items.
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Priceline is waiting for Donald Trump before booking a getaway of its own  a repatriation tax holiday that could save the travel-deal giant hundreds of millions in corporate taxes on foreign profits stashed overseas.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said Tuesday that Norwalk-based Priceline Group, like many other Fortune 500 companies, wants clarity from the White House on its tax reform efforts before bringing the money home.

The company wants to know whether Trumps administration will give businesses a one-time holiday from the 35 percent repatriation tax rate, which the president promised during his campaign to cut to 10 percent.

So theres all this capital sitting outside the (U.S) that these guys want to bring back, said Himes, who met Tuesday with The Priceline Groups CEO, Glenn Fogel, and the companys general counsel at its headquarters.

U.S. companies have an estimated $2.6 trillion in profits parked overseas, a windfall that candidate Trump vowed to recoup as part of a tax overhaul. The last repatriation tax holiday was in 2004, under President George W. Bush, with the rate discounted to 5.25 percent on foreign profits. The tax breaks drew harsh criticism from Democrats, who complained that the companies cut jobs and enriched executives.

A request for comment was left Tuesday for the White House.

The Priceline Group, which owns the travel deal sites KAYAK and Booking.com, in addition to the dining reservation app OpenTable, said the structure of its business makes it a candidate for repatriation tax relief.

The majority of our revenue is made overseas by companies we have acquired in the past, Fogel told Hearst Connecticut Media in a statement. These companies were founded outside the U.S. and they have paid the appropriate amount of taxes in the appropriate jurisdictions on their earnings.

However, since we now own them, if they were to bring the cash into the U.S., there would be a substantial U.S. tax on the earnings, Fogel continued. We would welcome potential tax reforms that would allow us to repatriate cash earned by our non-U.S. companies into the U.S. without penalty.

In 2015, Pricelines unpatriated income held overseas was $9.9 billion, according to the Citizens for Tax Justice, a Washington, D.C., watchdog group. In 2014, it was $7.3 billion, said the organization, which found that Fortune 500 companies had been able to avoid paying $695 billion in federal taxes by keeping profits overseas.

They told me it was a hell of a lot of money, Himes said of Pricelines foreign profits, adding that a significant chunk is in Europe.

Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker whose 4th Congressional District includes Norwalk, said he is open to a repatriation holiday if the tax revenues are used to pay for infrastructure projects. He characterized as intriguing a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., that would use the money to create an infrastructure bank.

Congressional Republicans have signaled that a tax reform package could be introduced this summer, but Himes said it remains to be seen whether the GOP can find common ground on loopholes and exemptions sacred to special interests and lobbyists.

Larry Kudlow, a budget confidante of Ronald Reagan and CNBC commentator, is pressing fellow Republicans to move quickly on tax reform. The Redding resident endorsed Trumps economic blueprint during the campaign.

Right now, to me, the most important thing that President Trump and the GOP can do is pass business tax reform, Kudlow said. The economy needs this. If we wait until the end of the year or early next year on business tax reform, you will slowdown of the economy. Get it done fast. I think politically President Trump needs a W, a big W, a win.

nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
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As reservoir levels inch back toward where they are supposed to be, the Greenwich Board of Selectmen are expected to ease some outdoor water restrictions later this week.

But town and water company officials announced Monday that even after water supplies have returned to normal, new long-term limits on use could be enacted to prevent a repeat of the shortage that has marked the past several months.

A two-day-a-week lawn irrigation schedule is expected by May.

Connecticut has not seen a drought like the one it currently is experiencing since the 1960s, representatives from the Aquarion Water Co. said Monday at the University of Connecticuts Stamford campus.

In anticipation of similar weather patterns in the future, a system has been devised by which addresses with even numbers would be allowed to irrigate on Sundays and Wednesdays, and odd numbers on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

Aquarion is calling for the system to be enacted in towns in its service area.

Stamford Mayor David Martin, Aquarion Director of Supply Operations Jeff Ulrich and Greenwich Conservation Commission Director Denise Savageau spoke at the Aquarion-hosted meeting at UConn. They teamed up to give business owners, landscapers and other concerned Fairfield County residents a heads up on what the spring, and the rest of 2017, could bring.

Ulrich, in searching for a long-term solution to the precipitation deficit, found a plan that works for Dallas, Texas, he said

In response to its water shortage, that city developed a two-day weekly irrigation plan in 2012. Dallas receives 25 percent less rainfall than Fairfield County, and its average summer temperature is higher.

If we can do this in Dallas, Texas, there is no way you cant do it in Fairfield County, Ulrich said Dallas representatives told him.

Local reservoirs could return to normal levels by May. But the limit on irrigation will remain because of heavy water use by customers in Fairfield County. The top 1 percent of water users are recorded using more than than 2,000 gallons daily, and the top 10 percent use more than 1,000 gallons a day, officials said.

Our tanks drop like a rock at midnight, Ulrich said about summer months at Aquarion. Its not that everyone is taking showers. All the irrigation systems are turning on.

Aquarion found that 25 percent of its customers use more than half of its water, and the biggest water-guzzlers are single-family homes. The company believes the highest water-saving potential comes from regulating irrigation systems, which currently are responsible for close to 40 percent of all water used in Fairfield County.

In Greenwich alone, the water demand increases 220 percent in summer. When the current outdoor water-usage ban went in place last September, Greenwich went from using 18 million gallons of water per day to 8 million.

To handle the new long-term water restrictions, Savageau suggested businesses help customers make sustainable choices when it comes to plants and irrigation systems.

We are looking at developing a contractor list  who can work with homeowners to design their landscapes for better water efficiency, Savageau said.
We must rethink the U.S. response to infectious disease. Here's why.
Radio One DJ Clara Amfo has won an apology from an on trend London braiding salon after she accused them of 'not representing' black women on their Instagram account.

The Braid Bar, based in Selfridges in London, said sorry in a statement posted to the 32-year-old presenter's own Instagram page, saying they'd been 'naive' and had endured a steep - and public - 'learning curve'.

Back in January, Amfo accused the company of racism, saying they used '90 per cent' white women with European hair to show off hair styles borne out of 'R&B, Hip Hop and Dancehall culture, which originates from black women'.

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Victory: Radio One DJ Clara Amfo met with the owners of The Braid Bar after she wrote a passionate Instagram post accusing them of 'cultural appropriation' in January. The company has since offered an apology for not acknowledging on their social media pages the influence of black culture on the styles they sell to clients

Diversity: The Braid Bar's most recent Instagram posts clearly reflect the 'education' the company received from Amfo and her supporters on social media

We're sorry: The Braid Bar published a lengthy apology, which Amfo posted on to her Instagram page

The salon had originally approached the star in January offering her free braiding.

Amfo posted that the offer had made her 'eye roll', saying: 'FACT: When I looked on this account 90% of the images are of white women with European hair, women like me are NOT represented here.

She added: 'Braid Bar essentially want to sell back to me aesthetics and hairstyles that I and many of my friends and relatives have been practising all of our lives!'

After meeting directly with Amfo, The Braid Bar has now published the public apology, saying: 'It has come to our attention that we have not given enough consideration to the cultures that we have drawn from in creating The Braid Bar, particularly Black culture.

'Having been naive, our eyes are now open to issues that we were not so aware of when we first started. We would like to reach out and apologise to all of those who have been offended by our lack of cultural sensitivity.

Calling out: Amfo, 32, published a scathing riposte to an offer of free hair styling from The Braid Bar, saying they used '90 per cent white women' to model their braids

In her original post, on January 31st, Amfo urged people to wear their hair in braids but to direct their 'coins to spaces more openly appreciative and reflective of the women and cultures who provide their inspiration'

They added: 'We are a small young company and this has been a steep learning curve for us.'

Amfo told Femail that she was pleased the salon had been educated on the issue.

She said: 'It was always about honest conversation, education. I made my thoughts public as I knew many black women and women of colour wanted to talk about the subject.

WHAT IS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION? AND WHY DO HUGE BRANDS CONSTANTLY FALL FOUL OF IT? Several big names have found themselves accused of cultural appropriation - defined as 'adopting elements of one culture by another culture.' In September last year, designer Marc Jacobs sent dreadlocked white models - including Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner - down the catwalk at New York Fashion Week. Bella Hadid poses backstage at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 fashion show during New York Fashion Week in September last year. The designer received criticism for featuring mostly white models wearing colourful woollen dreadlocks The stylist behind the show, Guido Palau, was forced to defend the fact that the show consisted of predominantly white models and was widely accused of cultural appropriation on Twitter. One user wrote at the time: 'Why does Marc Jacobs think it's okay to use dreadlocks on white people?' And in December, lingerie goliath Victoria's Secret found itself in a similar scenario after it showed models wearing 'exotic' lingerie influenced by Asian and Mexican designs. Cosmopolitan Lifestyle Editor Helin Jung suggested that the company was being derogatory for thinking it might sell more lingerie in a country if it aped their cultural designs. She wrote: 'What condescension, for Victoria's Secret to think that by wrapping a model in a dragon, it could connect directly with a new consumer in China.' Advertisement

She continued: 'I've also been aware that some non people of colour had no idea about the deeper context of the "it's just hair" and cultural appropriation issue in general, especially if it has never affected them.

'I'm a firm believer in intersectionality and I'm really happy that I met with The Braid Bar owners.

'Our conversation was open and most importantly progressive, I look forward us moving on by celebrating our cultural differences with respect and genuine solidarity.'

The DJ told her fans: 'Braid Bar essentially want to sell back to me aesthetics and hairstyles that I and many of my friends and relatives have been practising all of our lives!' Amfo added in the original post that she felt 'no malice' towards the company

Braid Bar, based in Selfridges in central London, has become hugely popular for its fashionable plaits in recent years

Braid Bar approached the radio star with an offer of free hair braiding; only to receive short shrift from Amfo, who accused them of mimicking black hair styles because it's 'trendy'
A group of Aboriginal transgender people from Australia's Tiwi Islands are stepping into the spotlight after suffering years of discrimination.

Dubbed the Tiwi Sistagals, they are paving the way for LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) members of their remote community by speaking out against the prejudice they've experienced.

According to locals, as many as five per cent of the Tiwi population identify as a Sistagal - making them the largest transgender indigenous group in Australia - and the flamboyant group say they have finally been accepted in their community.

Members of the Tiwi Islands' Sistagals transgender community prepare ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. They have battled decades of discrimination

However it has taken decades of fighting for acceptance and recognition before the group were acknowledged in the Tiwi community - and now they are determined to share their story with the world.

Last week, 13 Sistagals travelled to Sydney's Mardi Gras parade where they made headlines thanks to their brightly-coloured outfits, rainbow wigs, fairy lights, butterfly wings and face paint.

For many of them it was the first time they had travelled beyond the Tiwi Islands, which lie 80 km to the north of Darwin and have a population of just over 3,000.

A group of 13 Sistagals from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community

It has taken decades of fighting for acceptance and recognition before the group were acknowledged in their community - and now they want to share their story with the world

Glitter, wigs and neon hues: The Sistagals get ready for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras. The group are now determined to share their story with the world

Their neon outfits were printed with traditional graphic patterns and totems, while many of the group also carried gay pride flags.

One member, Crystal Johnson, told ABC News the point of the visit was to show people that 'you can make a change'.

'To go to the Mardi Gras is to showcase our culture and our people, how Tiwi people evolved in this generation and how we became stronger in our community,' she said.

Important journey: For many, Mardi Gras was the first time they had travelled beyond the Tiwi Islands, which lie 80 km to the north of Darwin and have a population of just over 3,000

Once in a lifetime: Around 30 Sistagals travelled to Sydney after the successful crowdfunding campaign was launched to pay for their travel, accommodation and carnival float

She told of a spate of suicides, as well as fellow Sistagals who 'had been bullied, picked on in our community, but they left their legacy behind, they left something for us'.

They have also launched a Facebook group which serves as a platform to share and tell our stories.

Two Sistagals clutch gay pride flags before hitting the streets for the parade. They made headlines with their colourful outfits, rainbow wigs, fairy lights, butterfly wings and face paint

A slick of pink eyeshadow completes one of the Sistagals' look. Their neon outfits were printed with traditional graphic patterns and totems, while many of the group waved pride flags

Important message: One member, Crystal Johnson, told ABC News the point of the visit was to show people that 'you can make a change'

What is LGBTQI? Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer or Questioning Intersex Advertisement

Aboriginal writer Steven Ross, who identifies as being gay, told Daily Mail Australia that identity was complex but cultures were dynamic and could change, including Aboriginal people.

'Responses from Indigenous peoples to people of difference are as diverse as any community's diverse opinions.

'Of course there is homophobia and transphobia but there is also deep love and unconditional acceptance - we're all human in the end and that's all,' Mr Ross said.
A dog who was abandoned on Valentine's Day with his favorite elephant toy has finally found himself a home - and from the look on his face, he couldn't be happier about it.

Smokey, a five-year-old pooch, was surrendered to the Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center in Ohio back in February, and since then has only been able to find comfort in his stuffed toy elephant, which he takes with him wherever he goes.

The pup's family were forced to give him up after they had lost their home and were no longer able to care for him.

Holding on: Smokey, a five-year-old shelter dog, has been narrowly rescued after being surrendered with his favorite elephant toy on Valentine's Day

Hard times: Smokey was given to the Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center in Ohio after his owners lost their home

However, while leaving him to an unknown fate, the family did drop him off with his favorite toy, knowing he would take comfort in it.

It quickly became apparent to those working at the shelter that Smokey and his pal were simply inseparable. They even included a note on his kennel saying that the toy must be taken on by whoever adopts Smokey.

The poor pooch was seen as shy, stressed and anxious by staff during his time at the shelter, and had been growling at the public, leading to him be removed from availability for adoption.

Things were not looking good for Smokey, who was scheduled to be euthanized in March.

Instructions: Smokey and his toy were so obviously inseparable that it was written on his kennel that the pair must be kept together

All smiles: After growling at the public, Smokey was removed from adoption availability, leaving him at risk for being euthanized

However, staff knew that it was likely the new environment and his stress that was causing Smokey to growl, and so they put out feelers for a rescue group to help him out.

'He'll do much better when he's out of the kennel,' says spokesperson Susan Smith told The Dodo. 'He's going to do much better in a different environment.'

Luckily, on Sunday, a pair of volunteers from the nonprofit I Have A Dream Rescue Organization came by the shelter and fell in love with the pup and his best friend.

And since being rescued, images of the adorable pup posted on social media show Smokey flashing a wide grin at the camera - while still standing guard over his favorite stuffed toy.

Nick of time: On Sunday, a pair of volunteers from the nonprofit I Have A Dream Rescue Organization discovered him at the shelter and agreed to take him on

Off he goes: Smokey will be placed in a foster home before either being put up for adoption or being returned to his owners

Volunteers committed to take Smokey, rescuing him from being put down, and will be finding him a foster family until he is either able to be put up for adoption or his owner is able to claim him back.

'He will be offered back to his family first. If that is not an option, we will provide Smokey with as much time as he and his elephant need,' I Have A Dream Rescue Organization's founder, Misti Martin-Fuller, told The Dodo.

Not only is Smokey on his way to a home, but his popularity on social media thanks to his love for his favorite toy as led to more attention on the shelter, and therefore more attention on the 95 dogs currently living there.
Dame Vivienne Westwood emerged on the catwalk of her show in Paris to model an oversized pink and purple bomber jacket

Eccentric fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood handed creative control of her label to her husband Andreas Kronthaler last year.

If only she had let him supervise her make-up as well.

The 75-year-old 'queen of punk' emerged on the catwalk of her own show in Paris to model an oversized pink and purple pinstripe bomber jacket with matching asymmetrical hem skirt.

But many guests were distracted by the pink eyeliner circling her eyes and green lipliner, which looked as though it had been applied by a child.

'When he asked me to be in the show, I thought why not?' said Dame Vivienne.

Best-selling detective novelist Peter James, 68, married Lara Loveys, a 39-year-old student he met on a ski lift in Courchevel, in 2015 and he's clearly determined to keep her sweet.

For her birthday last week he treated her to a trip to the Las Vegas mortuary.

'We have nothing in the UK to compare with it,' gushes the son of Cornelia James, the Queen's former glovemaker.

'They can get up to 25 gunshot deaths in a weekend. 'It has a bizarre cage in which dead celebrities are kept until release for funeral  to prevent souvenirs such as locks of hair being taken.'

Who says romance is dead?

Lara Stone attended a party in the French capital on Sunday night, she squeezed into a tight white dress that had a zip running from the bust to the hem

Bouncy blonde Lara Stone, ex-wife of comedian David Walliams, managed to find a way to ensure all eyes were on her at Paris Fashion Week.

When the 33-year-old Dutch-born model attended a party in the French capital on Sunday night, she squeezed into a tight white dress that had a zip running from the bust to the hem, which she left partially undone to give onlookers a glimpse of her upper thigh.

At one point her flamboyant friend Derek Blasberg, a Vanity Fair journalist, called out: 'Lara, show me how high that zipper goes!'

She dutifully obliged and he later posted a video of her unzipping herself online.

Twenty-year-plus age gaps are commonplace in celebrity relationships but Nicky Clarke's girlfriend Kelly Simpkin perhaps should have avoided comparing Clarke, 58, to her father.

In Hello! magazine the couple reveal their pregnancy news, with Kelly, 35, gushing about her beau: 'He's so thoughtful.

'He's similar to my dad in that I only have to mention, say, a food item I like and he'll go out and get it for me.'

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood's daughter Leah showed off her shoe collection on Instagram

It seems Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood's love of colourful shoes has passed on to his daughter, Leah.

The 38-year-old reformed party girl, whose mother is Ronnie's second wife, Jo, posted this picture online which shows her hugging her sizeable mountain of footwear, unearthed while she was sorting out some storage space.

'Shoe heaven!' she captions the image online.

'These shoes haven't seen the light of day for three years!'

Star Wars actor Gordon 'Drewe' Henley, who died after choking on a fish pie in hospital last year aged 75, had neglected to make a will.

As a result, his 358,000 legacy is expected to go to sound technician Charley, his son with ex-wife Felicity Kendal, star of The Good Life.

Footage of Henley's Star Wars character, 'Red Leader' pilot Garven Dreis, was shown in the latest film, Rogue One.

He was previously married to Jacqueline Pearce, who starred as a villain in Blake's 7.
A single dad in Melbourne has found his five-year-old daughter's transition from home to kindergarten a bit of a challenge.

So instead of crying over lost daddy-daughter time Michael Ray decided to motivate Charlie with heartfelt messages in her lunch box.

They are thoughtfully cut out by hand and say thing like 'You are a star!' and 'I wooly, wooly love you!' in the shape of a sheep.

The Melbourne dad decided to write inspirational notes to his five-year-old daughter Charlie in an effort to keep her reading during the year

Each note is handcrafted and cut out on various coloured pieces of paper to show Michael's love for his daughter

According to the 55-year-old father his vivacious daughter has had no problems starting school but it was buying her school uniform that was his undoing

'Ive never seen a kid so ready to charge into the future and a dad so desperate to stop time,' Mr Ray told Kidspot.

Mr Ray hopes the messages will inspire Charlie but also help her learn to read.

According to the 55-year-old father his vivacious daughter has had no problems starting school but it was buying her school uniform that was his undoing.

Charlie's dad packs her lunch every day with a new note - except when her grandmother takes her to school twice a week

'Im sure Im already an embarrassment to Charlie but Ive got no control over my tears whatsoever nowadays'

'I was getting hugs from complete strangers at the uniform shop because I couldnt stop crying. Im sure Im already an embarrassment to Charlie but Ive got no control over my tears whatsoever nowadays.'

Mr Ray previously revealed a list of things he wishes other parents would stop asking him when he is out and about with his five-year-old daughter.

The dad, who has been the sole carer for Charlie for the past two years, told Kidspot he gets comments about his parenting when he's out with her.

He said sometimes other parents can be unconsciously biased against single dads, and even more so to single dads of little girls.

Michael Ray (left), 54, has revealed a list of things he wishes other parents would stop asking him when he is out and about with his four-year-old daughter Charlie (right). He has been her sole carer for the past two years

'Women are mostly supportive but some say patronising things, like 'how do you manage? Its just the same as any single parent,' he said.

One of the most common phrases he hears is 'Are you babysitting today/Is Daddy in charge today?'

Other comments he's received include 'Do you want to call your wife and check?' or 'Who does her hair and nails?'

Mr Ray (left) said sometimes other parents can be unconsciously biased against single dads, and even more so to single dads of little girls

Mr Ray said that women are mostly supportive of his parenting but some say patronising things, like 'how do you manage? Pictured is his daughter Charlie

Earlier this month Mr Ray persuaded a Melbourne dance school to overturn a rule banning men from being in its dressing room so he could help Charlie get ready for her end-of-year ballet concert.

Mr Ray said he was disappointed when he found out he would not be able to help calm Charlie's nerves before her performance on November 20 because guidelines at the Parkwood Dance Academy state 'no males are permitted in the dressing room at any time'.

The personal trainer, who has been the sole carer for Charlie for two years, told The Herald Sun he also noticed there was also a special rehearsal for mothers a couple of days before the opening night and a 'Mummy and Me' ticket offer.

Mr Ray has had sole custody of Charlie (pictured) for two years. He previously persuaded a Melbourne dance school to overturn a rule banning men from being in its dressing room so he could help Charlie get ready for her end-of-year ballet concert

Mr Ray said other parents have commented said to him 'Youll need help when she gets to puberty!' or said 'I bet you wouldve loved a son?'

Wanting to support his daughter, who does not have contact with her mother, Mr Ray approached one of the academy's teachers with the hope of changing the rules so fathers could be included.

'I'm not sure if you're aware of our situation but it's just Charlie and I in our wonderful little family with Charlie having had no contact with her mother for over two years,' he wrote in an email to the school's staff.

Mr Ray insisted banning him from being backstage would leave Charlie as 'the only child without the opportunity to share their excitement and nervousness with a parent'.

Mr Ray (left) has also heard the comment 'Every little girl needs her mum!' and his response is that he couldn't imagine saying 'every little boy needs his dad' to a single mother

The ban was subsequently lifted by the school's staff.

Mr Ray said he was very grateful his concerns had been heard and the school was accommodating.

He said he feels an 'unconscious bias' toward him sometimes.

'I sometimes feel a little paranoid taking her to the toilets in the shopping centre or taking photos of her,' he said.

'It means everything to me to be this little kid's dad. I've never been so proud or happy since she came along.'
As the doyenne of British baking, Mary Berry doesn't usually put a foot wrong with the British viewing public.

However, a couple of quirky additions to a classic spaghetti bolognese left fans tuning into her new BBC2 cookery series less than convinced.

When the 81-year-old told those watching Hearty and Wholesome, which aired at 8:30pm last night, that she prefers to use white wine instead of red when making a ragu sauce, Twitter didn't take the news well.

And when she put a splash of cream in to, all hell broke loose on social media.

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Crimes against food: Mary Berry opens a bottle of white wine - and a can of worms - on last night's episode of Hearty and Wholesome. The former Bake Off judge added a good glug of the white wine to her ragu sauce...and stirred up a Twitter storm

Some viewers took to social media to say the 81-year-old chef had gone off piste with her ingredients in the classic Italian dish, saying white wine and cream - another Berry addition - shouldn't be added

Mary admitted to viewers that she actually preferred the taste of white wine in this tomato-based sauce to red

As Ms Berry opened a fresh bottle of white plonk, many viewers were resolute that the only wine that should be going anywhere near a ragu sauce should be of the darker variety.

One particularly disgruntled viewer raged: 'Just watched a cooking programme where Mary Berry put white wine in bolognese. Turned it off. Shudders.'

How to actually make the perfect ragu sauce has long been debated by cooks with Italian chefs regularly besmirching Britons' love of spaghetti bolognese, which they say is a poor relation of the original ragu sauce dish.

In October last year, Italian chef Antonio Carluccio slammed British cooks for having 'no idea' how to rustle up a decent tomato sauce.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the 80-year-old chef said: 'Spaghetti bolognese does not exist in Italy. In Italy, it is tagliatelle bolognese, with freshly made tagliatelle and bolognese without any herbs whatsoever.'

He has previously said the UK's own version 'pandered' to British tastes, saying: 'It panders to what the Italians believe British people expect from Mediterranean food - plenty of garlic and loads of herbs, and served with spaghetti.

'But it bears no resemblance to a traditional Italian 'bolognese', known as a ragu, which has no garlic whatsoever, nor a single herb.'

Stir it up! Mary blends together the meat sauce and the wine in the 30 minute cookery show

Culinary sacrilege? The wine went in...and plenty of people thought it should have stayed in the bottle. Mary's recipe also uses a splash of cream

Elsewhere on Berry's BBC2 show, some viewers were also affronted by the cook's avante garde salad recipe, featuring ingredients such as red and white quinoa, bulgar wheat and pomegranate molasses.

Among a number of Twitter posts accusing Berry of being everything from a hipster to overly politically correct, one person posted: 'You know who has changed? Mary Berry. Pomegranate molasses I tell you.'

SO HOW DO THE ITALIANS REALLY MAKE RAGU? CHEF ANTONIO CARLUCCIO'S RECIPE The self-styled Godfather of Italian gastronomy, Antonio Carluccio, has long since held the belief that Brits are getting it all wrong when it comes to making a classic ragu sauce. In October last year, the 80-year-old chef told the Cheltenham Literature Festival: 'There was spaghetti bolognese, which does not exist in Italy. In Italy, it is tagliatelle bolognese, with freshly made tagliatelle and bolognese without any herbs whatsoever.' Spag bol? Che cosa! Italian chef Antonio Carluccio has long held the belief that the British can't make a decent ragu sauce And back in 2010, he said spaghetti bolognese had been created in the Sixties to cater for British tastes. 'When I first arrived in London in 1975, I had no idea what people meant when they referred to this 'famous Italian dish' spaghetti bolognese. 'In fact, the bolognese served across the UK today is a purely British invention, cultivated by Italian chefs over here in the Sixties. 'It panders to what the Italians believe British people expect from Mediterranean food - plenty of garlic and loads of herbs, and served with spaghetti. But it bears no resemblance to a traditional Italian 'bolognese', known as a ragu, which has no garlic whatsoever, nor a single herb. A proper ragu sauce is meat, onions, wine, a little tomato paste and vegetables.' The chef ditches the herbs, goes for red wine and serves with tagliatelle Advertisement

One person joked: 'Ahhh Mary Berry on #maryberryeveryday Quinoa and Pomegranate. You've lost it to the hipsters.'

Commenting on the far from 'everyday' ingredients, another added: 'Mary Berry's cooking with quinoa and pomegranate molasses. We've hit peak Waitrosetastic.'

However, the complaints were still outweighed by Berry's legions of adoring social media fans.

As viewers watched her put on a beekeeping suit to learn how honey is made, one summarised: 'Just watched a show where Mary Berry tried her hand at beekeeping. What's more comforting than that?'
University Challenge came under fire last night after both teams put forward all-male line-ups without any ethnic minority contestants.

Birmingham University and Balliol College, Oxford, each featured four white men on their teams, prompting viewers to speak out against the lack of diversity.

Dozens took to Twitter to blast the BBC2 quiz show, with one saying: 'Nine white blokes sitting in a row! Diversity and gender balance nowhere to be seen! Awful.'

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Something missing? Two white, all-male teams competed on University Challenge last night

Criticism: Host Jeremy Paxman, pictured, has previously commented on the lack of women

Blasted: Frustrated viewers took to Twitter to criticize the lack of women contestants

Another wrote: 'Not a fan of tokenism, but where have all the women gone on #UniversityChallenge? Have they been banned?'

A number of academics also spoke out against the show.

Professor Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University, wrote: 'Poor show that no women on University Challenge tonight... doesn't reflect well on either university or BBC2 #UniversityChallenge #bbc2.'

Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Geography & Cultural Economy, Cardiff Metropolitan University, tweeted: 'Zero points for gender equality (again).

'Hard to believe there are actually more women than men in British universities #UniversityChallenge.'

It is not the first time University Challenge has faced criticism over diversity.

Backlash: Viewers questioned why there were no women on either of the teams last night

In 2015 the semi finalists were all men, prompting Jeremy Paxman himself to question why there were no female faces on the teams during the later stages of the competition.

Commentators have previously suggested that women are reluctant to go on the show because they fear social media backlash and commentary on their looks.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The make-up of each team is determined by the universities themselves and whilst we do encourage them to reflect the diversity of their student population ultimately each university has their own team selection process.'
Her hand-written confessions of her bodice-ripping affairs with other women in the 1800s were so scandalous her family hid them for over a century.

So it is little wonder Anne Lister, often called Britain's 'first modern lesbian', is having her compelling story retold in a new TV drama, nearly 200 years after her death.

Shibden Hall, which takes its name from Lister's ancestral home in West Yorkshire, will follow her courtship of Ann Walker, a wealthy heiress 12 years her junior.

The eight-part BBC drama is based on her 27 volumes of secret diaries which documented her successes and disappointments with other women in the most salacious detail, even down to the number of sexual climaxes she experienced.

Secret desire: The story of Anne Lister, often called Britain's 'first modern lesbian', is being retold in a new BBC drama that will begin filming next year. It was previously brought to life in 2010's The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, starring Maxine Peake as Anne, right

Salacious: Lister documented every detail of her relationships in 27 volumes of diaries, pictured. She often used an almost impenetrable code, with an 'X' indicating an orgasm

Well aware of the shocking content of her diaries, she deliberately disguised many of the more provocative entries in an almost impenetrable code, which looked similar to ancient hieroglyphs. An 'X' stood indicated when she had an orgasm.

After her death, a relative feared that their family would be engulfed by scandal if any of these books ever came to light and decided to board them up behind a panel at the family home. They lay undiscovered for more than a century until they were found by chance during building work.

A local historian, Helena Whitbread, spent years translating them. In 2010 the BBC turned Anne's story into costume drama The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister.

They will now be tackled by Sally Wainwright, the BAFTA-winning creator of Happy Valley and Last Tango In Halifax.

Wainwright, who will begin filming next year, said: 'She is one of the most exuberant, thrilling and brilliant women in British history, and I cant wait to celebrate her.'

Marriage: The eight-part Shibden Hall will tell the story of Lister's relationship with Ann Walker, portrayed in the 2010 series by Maxine Peake (standing) and Christine Bottomley
The first transgender officer to serve openly in the UK Armed Forces has criticised broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray for arguing that trans women should not call themselves 'real women'.

Caroline Paige, 58, who has served in the RAF for nearly four decades, said on Good Morning Britain that the radio host had hastily 'judged' transgender women, after the Women's Hour host claimed that they don't have the shared experience of growing up female.

'Its a little bit of a shame people should have to live by labels,' said Caroline, who was praised by viewers on Twitter as 'brave' and 'inspirational'.

'Shes kind of judged transgender people on just a few meetings,' said Caroline, who added that she felt Murray's opinon piece in the Sunday Times Magazine wasn't 'balanced'.

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Caroline Paige (left) has served in the RAF since 1980 and began to transition in 1999. (Right) Woman's Hour presenter Jenni Murray sparked a row with her comments about transgender women

Viewers praised Caroline for being so open about her experiences transitioning and called her 'inspiration' and 'brave'

'... Shes expressed an opinion,' Caroline told presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.

'People look to her, shes a public figure and they believe her.

'I would have liked to have seen a balanced article. It wasnt a balanced article.'

Viewers took to Twitter in full support of Caroline as she opened up about the challenges she's encountered in the Armed Forces, and the reaction from her family and friends to her transition.

One viewer said: 'Wow, Caroline Paige is so brave and inspirational.'

While another added of Caroline's boss, Good Morning Britain's own security expert Mikey Kay, for joining her on the couch: 'What a wonderful story about Caroline Paige, thank you for highlighting the fact that the military is so accepting and supportive!'

'So fascinating listening to Caroline Paige, so brave and a lovely lady,' said a third.

Jenni Murray had sparked a row in an article over the weekend, in which she said of interviewing the transgender presenter India Willoughby that transgender women - who have previously lived as men 'with all the privilege that entails' - do not have the shared experience of growing up female.

Caroline was joined by her boss and Good Morning Britain security expert Mikey Kay as she spoke about the challenges she faced transitioning

'India held firmly to her belief that she was a "real woman", ignoring the fact she had spent all of her life before transition enjoying the privileged position in our society generally accorded to a man,' Dame Jenni Murray said in her piece.

The BBC has said of the article: 'Jenni Murray is a freelance journalist and these were her own views.

'However, we have reminded her that presenters should remain impartial on controversial topics covered by their BBC programmes.'

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV
Resplendent in a figure-hugging brown dress, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands was treated to a lesson in edible plants on a royal visit on Tuesday.

The mother-of-three was on a visit to horticultural company Koppert Cress in Monster, Netherlands.

The company specialises in a variety of edible plants and flowers that are used by national and international chefs, restaurants and hotels.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visited horticultural company Koppert Cress on Tuesday in Monster, Netherlands

Kipper Cress is winner of the Koning Willem I Award for sustainable entrepreneurship.

The royal was in high spirits as she toured the company, admiring a variety of plants, flowers and specialist dishes made using them.

Maxima met esteemed chefs who talked her through their dishes and she got the chance to taste and smell a variety of plants.

Maxima sniffed an edible plant at the company, which specialises in a variety of edible plants and flowers t

The royal looked chic and trim in a brown and black dress, which she accessorised with a brooch. The mother-of-three wrapped up warm in a navy coat

The edible plants and flowers are used by national and international chefs, restaurants and hotels

Maxima met esteemed chefs who talked her through their dishes and she got the chance to taste and smell a variety of plants

Her trip comes after a recent ski trip with her family to Lech, Austria.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were joined on the getaway by their three daughters - Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.

Stylish Maxima shunned her usual brightly coloured clothing for a chic all-black ensemble, which she accessorised with a purple patterned scarf and pink aviator sunglasses.

The princesses also looked stylish on the slopes, with Catharina-Amalia, 13, opting for all black like her mother, while Alexia, 11, and Ariane, nine, chose bold blue and red.

The chefs showed the royal how they incorporate the plants into their dishes

Maxima was in high spirits and laughed and joked with the chefs during her visit

Her trip comes after a recent ski trip with her family to Lech, Austria

The exclusive resort of Lech has long been a favourite with royals and A-listers.

The mountain village in the Bludenz district has also been frequented by Princess Victoria of Sweden and was reported to have been Princess Diana's favourite ski destination.

Maxima, 45, and husband Willem-Alexander, 49, have long been fans of the resort - and the couple looked loved-up as they laughed and joked together on the slopes.

Maxima was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville in 1999.

Despite reportedly having no idea that Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when the pair first met, she eventually became the Dutch Queen when her husband was crowned in April 2013.
A new app has been designed to treat eating disorders.

Recovery Record lets users record what you eat and how you feel afterward, which allows users to 'become experts' on their symptoms.

Partnered with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the app offers each user personalized guidance from clinicians.

It is part of a growing trend of mobile technologies that offer sufferers resources that they may sometimes feel too ashamed to seek out in person.

Recovery Record (pictured), an eating disorder app created by a team of psychologists and engineers in Palo Alto, helps users seek treatment from the comfort of their own homes

According to NEDA, as many as 20 million women and 10 million men in the US will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.

Claire Mysko, CEO of NEDA, said that many people with eating disorders may want help, but just have trouble accessing it.

'We hear a from a lot of people around the country and around the world,' Mysko told ABC News.

'We often hear of two big barriers to treatment, and those are cost and geography.'

Recovery Record, created by a team of psychologists and engineers in Palo Alto, California, allows you to track the foods you eat and your mood associated with these foods.

The app links you to a clinician who can monitor behaviors, thoughts and feelings so that the user becomes an expert in their own eating problem.

One customer is a 29-year-old New York actress who has been using the app for the past six months.

Every day, the actress, who is going by the pseudonym Anita, has been logging each meal to help monitor what she eats and, more importantly, how she feels afterward.

'It shows the correlation between the emotion and food. That's really great,' she told ABC News.

Recovery Record is hardly the first of its kind - it is part of a growing trend, following other apps like Rise Up + Recover, recoveryBox and Eating D.

However, Recovery Record is partnering NEDA to provide clinician advice on coping with eating disorder symptoms via a new platform called Renew.

It also connects them to the national association's crisis helpline, other tools and treatment resources.

On the app, users record what they ate and how they felt about their food to receive personalized guidance for coping with eating disorders

The National Eating Disorders Association is partnering up with the app to build a new platform called Renew where customers can use a chatline to receive individualized feedback

To access the Renew program, users first fill out a survey on the association's website.

Next they are able to use a chatline to receive individualized feedback, so that the advice for someone who is anorexic is not the same as someone who is bulimic.

All the tools are geared toward giving people suffering from eating disorders positive messages from other app users, help dealing with any urges to purge or avoid food, and easy access to additional help via chat or text.

Mysko's hope is that NEDA can reach people via the app who might never seek help in person. Its effectiveness is currently being studied in a 5,000-participant clinical trial out of Stanford University.

Tools are geared toward giving users positive messages from other app users, help dealing with any urges to purge or avoid food, and easy access to additional help via chat or text

Mysko said: 'It's another way to provide a mobile-accessible resource.

'Certainly if there is an evidence base that shows that just the app alone can help... that's better than nothing from our standpoint. We really want to get to people to help their symptoms and improve the quality of their life.'

Many who suffer from eating disorders often delay seeking help for years or may never get treatment at all.

Experts say some people in need of help may be more comfortable texting than seeking treatment in person.

'It may provide and give them a more confidence in seeking help,' Dr Edward Abramson, a psychologist and professor emeritus at the California State University, Chico told ABC News.

'Knowing that they are not committing to anything, they can hang up and hit delete whenever they want.'

Even the types of treatment that sufferers do seek are very different.

Dr Abramson said that he's seen people with anorexia be very resistant to treatment, while those with bulimia tend to seek care for other conditions such as depression or anxiety.

Experts say the app may not only help people reach treatment who were not able to before, but also remove the shame that many sufferers often feel by seeking help in person

Anita, the New York actress, said she has been suffering from one eating disorder or another since she was 14 years old.

After losing almost one-third of her weight and experiencing heart disease symptoms last year, she finally decided to seek treatment.

'I don't know how I was a walking, breathing person,' Anita said.

'I honestly don't know how I made it and that sometimes shocks me and scares me.'

Since leaving residential treatment last year, Anita has used the Recovery Record app to continue to monitor herself and to report accurately to her medical providers on how she's doing.

And although she's in therapy at least once a week, she can use the app to track what she eats, how she feels about her food, or even if she feels a need to purge.

'This is just a really unique system in place so that my therapist and doctors...can see how I'm doing,' Anita said.

'I feel as though I am able to see life in a way I have never seen it before.'


Operation gone wrong: Grandmother Sheila Hynes

A grandmother didnt wake up from a routine operation after a blundering surgeon put in a heart valve upside down.

Sheila Hynes, 71, suffered massive internal bleeding from the error.

A second operation to get her heart working failed and she died in intensive care a week later.

The surgeon in charge  Asif Raza Shah  is still employed by the NHS hospital and has not been disciplined.

Mrs Hyness family say their lives have been destroyed by her death at Newcastles Freeman Hospital in April 2015. They also accused managers of patronising them and mocking their accents.

Their meeting with hospital staff was transcribed in a way they say ridiculed them for using phrases and words like me mam and summit instead of my mum and something.

Mrs Hynes had been extremely active and the week before the operation had gone on holiday.

Her daughter Jan Hopper, 55, from Haltwhistle, Northumberland, said: My life has been destroyed by what happened to my mother.

Trauma: From left, daughter Jan Hopper, granddaughter Elaine Wheeler and daughter Julie Jenkins

Mrs Hyness family say their lives have been destroyed by her death in April 2015

The week before her operation we had been in Tenerife as her sister Carol had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was a bittersweet time and mum had wanted to get her own operation over with so she could care for her sister.

My mother was the picture of health that week.

She added: I can remember saying to her, Mum, you look absolutely stunning. 

Heart valve replacements are among the most commonly performed operations on the NHS.Approximately 39,000 patients have heart surgery in the UK each year. Bypasses are the most common type, followed by valve replacements.

The NHS has a poor safety record for serious mistakes and there are around six so-called never events every week. These potentially fatal mistakes include removing kidneys instead of ovaries and leaving scalpels inside patients.

Mrs Hynes had been extremely active and the week before the operation had gone on holiday

Mrs Hyness inquest will be held later this year and the family are taking legal action against the hospital, partly motivated by a caring nurse who told them to leave no stone unturned.

The widow  who had seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren  had been told the operation would improve her breathing and circulation.

The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust, which runs Freeman, admitted full breach of duty and accepted the error.

Mrs Hyne's family have said they are taking legal action against Newcastle Freeman Hospital

A trust statement said: Our thoughts are with Mrs Hyness family at this difficult time.

Our staff always try to provide the best possible care to all of our patients. So we take the death of any of our patients very seriously. Sadly, when providing complex treatment there may be rare occasions when something unexpected happens, and in those circumstances we always carry out an in-depth investigation and we have done so in this case.

The family were also left devastated when Mrs Hyness sister Carol died of pancreatic cancer shortly after the tragedy.

Nicola Evans, from Hudgell Solicitors in London, accused the hospital of breaching the Human Rights Act.

She said: This is an absolutely shocking case. A family has been robbed of a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother simply because a surgeon has not taken the care to ensure he has fitted a heart valve the right way up.

Criticising the transcripts, she added: We dont know why or how the familys responses were written up in that way but it shows insensitivity at what is obviously a very distressing time.
Ostrich eggs could be key to tackling a deadly hospital infection that kills 1,600 people a year in the UK.

The eggs are used to produce a drug that contains infection-fighting cells  antibodies  designed to destroy Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

This is an infection typically contracted in hospital by sick, frail patients whose defences have been weakened by illnesses such as cancer or diabetes.

Scientists have turned to ostriches as they are one of the oldest-known birds on Earth.

A reason for their survival is they have one of the toughest immune systems in the animal kingdom.

Ostrich eggs could be key to tackling a deadly hospital infection that kills 1,600 people a year in the UK

Female ostriches are able rapidly to produce antibodies to an enormous range of bacteria and viruses.

These antibodies can be harvested in huge quantities from their giant eggs.

Unlike similar cells produced by other animals, they are tough enough to survive the highly acidic environment of the human stomach.

This means they can pass through safely and hunt down harmful bacteria.

C. difficile, a tough bug that lives in the intestines, poses little threat in a healthy person.

However, when the normal balance of gut bacteria becomes disturbed, it can cause diarrhoea, bleeding, fever and stomach cramps.

This can occur as a result of antibiotic treatment.

C. difficile can affect patients who have a weakened immune system, too  for example, as a result of chemotherapy.

In the worst cases, it can trigger potentially deadly peritonitis  a dangerous infection in the lining of the abdomen.

Treatment usually involves another course of a more powerful or targeted antibiotic.

However, swallowing a liquid packed with ostrich antibodies may be more effective.

Female ostriches are able rapidly to produce antibodies to an enormous range of bacteria and viruses. These antibodies can be harvested in huge quantities from their giant eggs

OstriGen, a firm based in Massachusetts in the U.S., is setting up a trial involving doctors at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston to test the ostrich egg therapy.

Scientists have produced the antibodies needed by injecting the female birds with 'deactivated' traces of the C. difficile bug.

This stimulated their immune systems to produce the infection-fighting cells, without making them ill.

VACCINE TRIALS TO BEGIN THIS YEAR A vaccine to prevent C. difficile infection in adults has moved a step closer. A vaccine to prevent C. difficile infection in adults has moved a step closer The vaccine, PF-06425090, works by neutralising disease-causing toxins released by C. difficile. This year, tests on 854 healthy adults over 65 found it to be safe and well tolerated. Pfizer, the firm that developed the jab, say tests to check the vaccine's effectiveness will start later this year. Advertisement

The antibodies were then harvested from their eggs and, in the next few months, will be given to patients with suspected C. difficile infection as a one-off spoonful of medicine.

Previous research shows ostrich egg antibodies are effective against other dangerous bugs.

A 2012 study in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology showed they could stop the growth of staphylococcus aureus and E. coli  two bugs that, between them, have killed thousands of people in the UK in the past decade.

OstriGen is also looking at the same technique to produce cells that will fight flu, salmonella poisoning and even ebola.

In Mozambique, the ostrich egg medicine has been turned into a boiled sweet that can be taken by children struck down by cholera.

The treatment may be available in the next three to five years if the trials prove successful.

Professor Mark Wilcox, a consultant microbiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, says using animals such as ostriches to mass produce antibodies makes a lot of sense.

'These approaches are theoretically a relatively cheap way of producing antibodies to fight infection,' he says.
It's widely known that being obese in pregnancy can have devastating affects on children.

But now scientists warn that it also increases the risk of having a child with cerebral palsy, scientists warn.

Carrying extra pounds around the waist is linked to a range of conditions that can harm an infant's brain.

In turn, these heighten the likelihood of giving birth to a sufferer of the incurable disorder, a new study suggests.

Carrying extra pounds around the waist is linked to a range of conditions that can harm an infant's brain, which can cause cerebral palsy

Despite advances in neonatal care, the rates of cerebral palsy has increased in recent years for children born at full term.

But few preventable factors are known to affect the risk of cerebral palsy, according to experts.

Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at children born in Sweden from between 1997 and 2011.

Of the slightly more than 1.4 million who entered the world, 3,029 were diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

A further analysis of the data indicated a clear link between obese and rates of the disorder, which is estimated to affect one in every 400 births in the US and the UK.

Study author Professor Eduardo Villamor said the results were 'statistically significant' for those born at a healthy weight.

Cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling muscles (stock)

The same link couldn't be determined in premature babies, the research published in JAMA showed.

Nearly half of the causes of cerebral palsy could be put down to asphyxia-related neonatal complications.

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY? Cerebral palsy is the general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. Specifically, it is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling muscles. The condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or is damaged before, during or shortly after birth. causes of cerebral palsy include:

an infection caught by the mother during pregnancy

a difficult or premature birth

bleeding in the babys brain

changes (mutations) in the genes that affect the brain's development Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

The researchers note that the effect of maternal obesity on cerebral palsy may seem small compared with other risk factors.

However, they added that the association is concerning due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese.

Professor Villamor added: 'The number of women with a BMI of 35 or more globally doubled from approximately 50 to 100 million from 2000 through 2010.

'In the US, approximately half of all pregnant women have overweight or obesity at the first prenatal visit.

'Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the continued rise of its most severe forms, the finding that maternal overweight and obesity are related to rates of cerebral palsy in a dose-response manner may have serious public health implications.'

In October, scientists said that babies are put at risk of brain damage, stroke, heart attacks and asthma if their mother is obese.

A series of studies suggested the problem begins in the womb - with the time before couples begin a family representing a 'missed opportunity' to tackle it.

Research has also shown youngsters are more likely to pile on the pounds if their parents were overweight before they were born.
A study has found no evidence pelvic exams are effective for catching gynecological diseases.

While Pap smears are used to catch cervical cancer, a pelvic test is designed to feel for enlarged organs and fibroids.

However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has concluded that the current evidence is insufficient to show any benefits - or harms - of doing it.

The report's findings will not surprise cancer researchers: gynecological cancers are notoriously difficult to catch early - while the pelvic exam is one of the main screening methods we rely on.

While Pap smears are used to catch cervical cancer, a pelvic test is designed to feel for enlarged organs and fibroids (file image)

WHY ARE MORE BLACK WOMEN DYING FROM CERVICAL CANCER? Black women are more susceptible to fibroids - benign masses in the uterus - which can cause cancerous symptoms. But research suggests that black women are more likely to have their cervical cancer caught at a later stage of diagnosis than white women. They may also receive different treatment compared to white women. One study found that black women had 50 percent lower odds of receiving surgery than white women. They also had 50 percent higher odds of receiving radiation compared to white women with the same stage and insurance. For most, the standard test of checking for fibroids is a pelvic exam, in which the gynecologist feels their patient's pelvis to see if anything feels enlarged. However that will only work if the fibroids have grown towards the front of the uterus. Anything towards the back will require an ultrasound - something not routinely offered. Advertisement

In fact, the American College of Physicians strongly recommends against pelvic exams in asymptomatic women, since there is not enough evidence to show it works.

While the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agrees, the board still recommends performing the exam to be safe.

The authors write: 'How can it be that such a long-standing practice has escaped the usual high standard of evidence required of preventive interventions?

'Has the emperor been traipsing around unclothed for as long as anyone can remember?'

Many conditions that can affect women's health are often evaluated through pelvic examination.

These include but are not limited to malignant diseases, infectious diseases, and other benign conditions.

Although the pelvic examination is a common part of the physical examination, it is unclear whether performing screening pelvic examinations in asymptomatic women reduces the risk of illness or death.

To issue a new recommendation, the USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the accuracy, benefits, and potential harms of performing screening pelvic examinations in asymptomatic, non-pregnant adult women 18 years and older.

They found inadequate evidence on the accuracy of pelvic examination to detect a range of gynecologic conditions.

Limited evidence from studies evaluating the use of screening pelvic examination alone for ovarian cancer detection generally reported low positive predictive values.

Very few studies on screening for other gynecologic conditions with pelvic examination alone have been conducted.

And the USPSTF found that these studies are difficult to apply generally to the current population of asymptomatic women seen in primary care settings in the United States.

That said, the task force also found inadequate evidence on the harms of screening for a range of gynecologic conditions with pelvic examination.

A few studies reported on false-positive rates for ovarian cancer, and false-negative rates.

Among women who had abnormal findings on pelvic examination, five percent to 36 percent went on to have surgery.

Very few studies reported false-positive and false-negative rates for other gynecologic conditions.

No studies quantified the amount of anxiety associated with screening pelvic examinations.
The newly-released Peeps Oreos have quickly become a source of amusement - after customers claimed the pink marshmallow-flavored creme turned their poop pink.

But studies show there could be a more sinister side to the food coloring behind the funny side effect.

According to Oreo's list of ingredients, the bright pink creme is colored with FD&C Red No 3 - a source of controversy that dates back almost 50 years.

Health experts have long been petitioning the FDA to ban the product from food, since several studies linked it to breast cancer, thyroid tumors and hyperactivism in young children.

In 1990, the FDA banned the dye from cosmetics and external drugs use.

However, it remains commonplace is commercial food products because the agency claims regular safety reviews have shown no health dangers.

The newly-released Peeps Oreo with a pink marshmallow-flavored creme has reportedly turned people's saliva and stool bright pink, but there are claims it could be far more damaging to your health - with some studies linking the dye to cancer

Controversy over the dye resurfaced two weeks ago, when Peeps Oreo hit the market.

Peeps are marshmallow candies, sold in the US and Canada, that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals. They are particularly popular around Easter.

The world became captivated by the pink dye when several accounts on social media told of stool turning pink after eating a whole pack of Peeps Oreo, with many saying their tongues and saliva remained pink for at least 24 hours.

This is because the food dye used to make these Oreos isn't broken down in the body during digestion, Dr Ian Lustbader, a gastroenterologist at New York University's Langone Medical Center, told Live Science.

In most foods, the compounds are chemically broken down as they make their way through the digestive system. However, depending on the molecules, some things may not be 'amenable' to being broken down, Dr Lustbader said.

When Oreos pass through the digestive system, the coloring is usually turned into a lighter color, and mixed in with stomach fluid and other liquids in the digestive tract.

By the time you make a bowel movement, you don't see any unusual color.

With the Peeps Oreos, however, once the pink coloring reaches the colon, the excess water is removed and reabsorbed by the body.

Dr Lustbader explained that the color then becomes more concentrated, turning from a lighter pink to a darker pink.

The gastroenterologist was quick to add that eating a cookie or two will not turn your poop pink.

Although approved by the FDA, the coloring has been linked to cancers and thyroid tumors in young children. It was banned from cosmetic use in 1990 but is still used in food products

Fifteen million pounds of food dyes are sold every year in the US to make typically unattractive ingredient mixtures more aesthetically pleasing to consumers.

Due to cancer concerns, Red dyes No 1, No 2 and No 4 were banned, but No 3 continues to be widely used today.

In 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA for a complete ban on No 3, along with several other dyes to no avail.

This is despite the FDA recognizing the coloring as a thyroid carcinogen.

Daily Mail Online has contacted Nabisco, the makers of Oreo products, for comment.
The sheer inhumanity of our current abortion laws has been brought into stark relief. First, there was the case of little Abi Peters, born at 23 weeks at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey. She immediately underwent major abdominal surgery and doctors gave her 'less than a 10 per cent chance'. But she pulled through  making headlines as the youngest patient ever to survive such surgery.

But, extraordinary as Abi's story undoubtedly is, the survival of a baby born at just 23 weeks is becoming less and less unusual. As many as 70 per cent of babies delivered at 23 weeks now survive at some hospitals, figures show.

Yet in the very same hospitals where doctors are battling to save babies such as Abi, healthy pregnancies of up to 24 weeks and six days are being terminated under our increasingly outdated abortion laws. Meanwhile, the Mail's shocking expose this week on the reality of abortion at one of the UK's biggest providers  Marie Stopes  revealed that doctors are signing off thousands of abortions every year for women whom they have never even seen in person.

Abi Peters (pictured with her parents Louise and David) is believed to be the youngest ever patient to survive major abdominal surgery

Abi was born at 23 weeks at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, and immediately underwent major abdominal surgery

The law requires all abortions in the UK to be signed off by two doctors  who must agree 'in good faith' that continuing with a pregnancy would cause a woman more medical or emotional damage than having an abortion.

But at Marie Stopes, doctors were found to be bulk-signing consent forms agreeing to abortions without ever meeting the women involved  often based on a one-sentence description jotted down by a call-centre worker of why a woman wants the procedure.

This chilling 'conveyor belt' process  as one former Marie Stopes doctor described it  is the very opposite of what the original drafters of the 1967 Abortion Act had envisaged.

They wanted to protect a small number of highly vulnerable young women from dangerous back-street terminations.

For them, the new law was the lesser of two evils. They could never have foreseen a day when their efforts would allow almost 200,000 legal abortions to be carried out per year.

When she was born, Abi was smaller than surgeon Zahid Mukhtar's hand (pictured)

The truth is that a sane, sensible, national debate on how to reform the Abortion Act is long overdue.

Some 50 years after its inception, the Act now reflects neither the scientific reality  after huge advances in neonatal medicine  or the dehumanised, industrial practices in today's abortion clinics.

The limit of 24 weeks is too late when we have so many babies being born even earlier and surviving. Science has moved on and adjustments in the law are urgently needed to take account of that.

And the fact that the law can be so easily circumvented by the likes of Marie Stopes International  allowing them to carry out abortions in a way Parliament never intended  is nothing short of a disgrace.

So what is preventing us having a considered debate?

It is the small but highly vocal feminist lobby  which is determined to prevent any discussion at all around abortion time limits and practices.

A good example of their blocking tactics came when an attempt was made in Parliament in 2015 to criminalise doctors who were carrying out abortions on the grounds of sex-selection.

Sadly, in some communities, there is a strong preference for male children; one study by Oxford University found evidence that Indian women giving birth in Britain were terminating more female than male unborn babies between 1990 and 2005.

I am convinced that the vast majority of right-minded people do not want pregnancies ended merely because the mother wants a boy, and not a girl.

So why didn't this apparently uncontroversial amendment to our abortion laws  proposed by Tory MP Fiona Bruce with cross-party support  get through?

The answer is that the feminist lobby went into overdrive  especially within the Labour Party  and scuppered it.

A 'miracle' baby born four months prematurely survived after London doctors performed a ground-breaking operation to save her

As champions of female equality, you might have expected them to be the first to speak out against this barbaric practice  which is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of gender prejudice, and which so cruelly devalues the lives of women and girls.

But so blinkered are they in their pro-choice agenda that they refuse to countenance further restrictions on abortion in any circumstances.

In fact, they want further liberalisation  including doing away with the need for doctors to give their consent and abortion on demand right up to birth.

Professor Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, is an example of this extremism.

Last year, without consulting her membership, she signed the college up to a campaign to decriminalise abortion  sweeping away the existing 24-week limit, and allowing a woman the unrestricted right to terminate a healthy pregnancy.

Unsurprisingly, many midwives  who joined their profession expressly to care for women and their babies and see them safely through pregnancy and childbirth  were horrified. Hundreds have since signed an open letter calling on Professor Warwick to revoke the college's support for the extreme agenda.

For some, a source of additional discomfort was the fact that at the same time as heading the Royal College of Midwives, Professor Warwick was chairman of trustees at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)  an organisation lobbying powerfully in favour of abolishing the abortion time limit.

Little Abi (pictured with her parents) was given a 'less than 10 per cent chance of success'

Astonishingly, Warwick claimed at the time to see no conflict of interest between her two roles.

In America, the feminist bullies are, if anything, even more zealous than in Britain. There are many pro-life campaigners there, but they, too, have been essentially excluded from their national conversation by the feminists.

This was made clear in the women's marches that followed Donald Trump's inauguration.

Not all pro-life women support Trump despite his campaign pledge to tighten America's abortion laws. Many object to other aspects of his policies, which is why one pro-life group tried to join the anti-Trump march in Washington DC. The feminists banned them from even being there to express their views. Such intolerance is taking all us women in completely the wrong direction.

In Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and Italy, the law allows abortion up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy  there's no demand for two doctors to sign, though some countries insist on mandatory counselling  but after that time, terminating a healthy baby with a healthy mother is all but impossible.

Here in Britain, though, we have the worst of all worlds: abortion of healthy babies up to 24 weeks; and, despite the letter of the law, effectively abortion on demand up to that time, on a scale that many reasonable people believe is intolerable.

How interesting that other European countries are now considering tightening their abortion laws. For example, in Norway, midwives have voiced concerns about the number of healthy babies  sufficiently viable to survive outside the womb  that were being aborted on 'social grounds' beyond the usual 12-week limit.

Their intervention in this traditionally liberal country led to a change in the law. 'Abortion should not happen in foetuses who have the possibility of being able to live,' said the health minister, Anne Grethe Erlandsen, in 2014.

The fact is that plenty of women ministers in socialist countries are rejecting the argument that attempting to reduce the time limit on abortion is anti-women.

The indisputable fact is that, across Europe, many liberals are increasingly coming to regard late-term abortions as barbaric. In some cases, babies in late abortions are born alive and have to be left to die.

She was born at 23 weeks at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, (pictured) and is believed to be the youngest ever patient to survive major abdominal surgery

In 2008, some 66 babies survived botched abortions in Britain. About half were alive for an hour. One survived ten hours.

How can we call ourselves a civilised country when we allow this to happen? How can the doctors who signed the consent forms for these abortions square the consequences with the Hippocratic oath?

These shocking figures illustrate that the debate about abortion cannot be framed as one purely about private decisions. It is about who we are as a society, and about what all of us  men and women  believe is right or wrong.

Yet the Establishment seems to prefer to ignore the fact that the lives of viable, healthy unborn children are being terminated and that, as the Mail has revealed, a doctor's proper role in the legal process is being replaced by call centre workers.

So what needs to change?

It is no good waiting for politicians to make sensible amendments to the law to reflect the changing circumstances, when it is clear that a militant feminist lobby will shoot down every effort at reform.

This lobby is too often given a platform by organisations such as the BBC to present this as a polarised debate between good and bad: pro-choice and pro-life.

Of course, I will be dismissed as a pro-lifer with an agenda to ban abortion completely.

But that's not so. Like those behind the 1967 Abortion Act, most people see abortion as a necessary evil.

The laws passed against a background of the widespread fear that, without change, there risked being a return to back-street abortions. So we urgently need to find a compromise.

I would suggest that the words of former U.S. president Bill Clinton may provide a starting point. Abortions, he said, should be 'safe, legal and rare'.

But that is not what is happening now in Britain. And we should no longer condone it by our silence.
A 17-year-old boy was allegedly knocked down by a speeding driver who fled the scene in west Delhi on Sunday night.

Atul Arora, who would have started his first day in Class 12 on Monday, was killed in a collision between his scooter and a Mercedes in the Paschim Vihar area, it's alleged.

The teenager, who lived half-a-kilometre away from the accident spot outside a petrol pump, was returning home after dropping a friend at about 11pm.

The mangled remains of the scooter 17-year-old Atul Arora was riding

Sources said that the offending vehicle was a Mercedes but DCP (Outer) Rishi Pal said that the incident is under investigation.

Atul was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead, they said, adding that he wasn't wearing a helmet.

Police is scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the driver who fled the spot after hitting the scooter driver.

They further said that it was a headon collision and the scooter was dragged by the car for around 100 metres, leaving it in a heap of mangled metal and plastic.

'There was a loud noise when Mercedes hit the scooty and its occupant. We rushed to the spot to know the exact cause of the accident, but by that time, the car had sped away and had disappeared in the dark,' said an employee of petrol pump.

Residents in Atul's locality and the petrol pump employees alleged that they saw the other vehicle involved was a Mercedes car in the CCTV footage.

However, the registration number of the vehicle was not clearly visible.

But DCP of the area, Rishi Pal told Mail Today that the CCTV footage does not clearly indicate the involvement of a Mercedes car.

'It appears to be high end car but we are not confirmed if it was a Mercedes or not,' the DCP said.

Atul's grandmother, Tara Anand Arora told said: 'Atul was the only son in the house and he was very happy after scoring 76 per cent in class 11 final exams.'

She further added: 'We had planned to celebrate his birthday on April 18 outside Delhi for his achievement.'
Two more senior members of the ruling BJP are being investigated by police as a probe into politicians' involvement in the trafficking and selling of children in West Bengal widened on Tuesday.

Juhi Chowdhury, a leader in the BJP women's wing, is already being held on charges relating to the trafficking of at least 17 children from state-funded orphanages and shelters in Jalpaiguri district who were sold to couples in India and abroad.

And police in the eastern state have now said they plan to question two more senior members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

BJP women's wing leader Juhi Chowdhury was arrested on Tuesday night

Investigating officers said Chowdhury had met senior ministers, politicians and government officials to get licenses and grants required to run the child care homes and shelters. Chowdhury denies the charges.

Six other people arrested include an orphanage owner, two government child protection officers, a member of the state-appointed child welfare committee and a doctor, police said.

'The arrested people in the child trafficking case have named influential people and we have recovered supporting and corroborative evidence,' said Rajesh Kumar, Additional Director-General of Police in West Bengal's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Campaigners jumped on the latest arrest and demanded a full investigation into top officials' ties with human traffickers (photo for representation only)

Chowdhury, who was suspended from the BJP following her arrest on Tuesday last week on the Indian-Nepalese border, says the move is politically motivated.

But Kumar insisted the CID was an independent agency acting on the basis of evidence, not politics.

More than 40 percent of human trafficking cases in India in 2015 involved children being bought, sold and exploited as modern-day slaves, according to latest government crime data.

The adoption centre is suspected of selling at least two dozen children to foreign couples

There has been a recent spate of reports of the trafficking of infants and children for adoption through charity-run child homes and private hospitals.

On Tuesday, police in Mumbai charged six people with selling babies to childless couples across India after smashing a trafficking scam.

Indian Money Rs 100 = 1.19 1 Lakh = 100,000 (hundred thousand) 10 Lakh = 1,000,000 (a million) 1 Crore = 10,000,000 (ten million) Advertisement

In West Bengal, police accused Chowdhury of having a network of contacts running orphanages and shelters in Jalpaiguri district where they identified children for illegal adoption.

The homes used forged documents, fake stamps and birth certificates to sell children, for 100,000-200,000 rupees ($1,500 to $3,000) each, police said.

Police said over six months they had found 17 cases of trafficked children aged between one and 14 years old and investigations are continuing.
British supercar-maker McLaren today proclaimed a new era, as its 212mph 720S model became the first of its second-generation Super Series to roar into life.

As the covers came off at the Geneva Motor Show, the Woking-based high-performance car maker declared that the new 720S was lighter, faster, and even more dynamically capable than the McLaren 650S which it replaces.

And with a price-tag starting from 208,600, its also around 10,000 more expensive than the car it succeeds  or enough to buy a decent city car.

That's also the same price as the new Lamborghini Huracan Performante, which was also unveiled in Switzerland on the same day.

This is McLaren's latest supercar, the 720hp 720S that will be priced from 208,600

 Slide me  The latest car has McLaren's instantly recognisable face and the dihedral doors that feature on the P1 hypercar

McLaren described the dramatically-styled two-seater coupe 720S as a supercar thats easy to live with.

Opening the doors even triggers a theatrical welcome sequence, which includes unfolding the mirrors, initiating the folding driver display, switching on the courtesy lights and illuminating the engine bay.

The British manufacturer has turned supercars into a successful business, with its highly desirable cars winning widespread praise and sales almost doubling from 1,654 cars in 2015 to 3,286 in 2016.

The 720S accelerates from rest to 60mph in just 2.8 seconds compared to 2.9 seconds for the outgoing car. And hitting 124mph takes the 720S just 7.8 sec compared to 8.4 seconds for the 650S.

It has a bigger engine  a 4.0-litre twin turbo V8  that develops the 720 horse-power which gives the new car its numeric name.

That compares the the 3.8-litre twin turbo in the 650S which similarly develops 650 horse-power.

As a result the 720Ss 212mph top speed is 5mph faster than the 207mph achieved by the 650S.

A newly-developed carbon fibre chassis keeps the weight down to 1,283kg - around the same as a Ford Fiesta supermini

Lightweight means additional performance - the new car is capable of a staggering 212mph

With a 0 to 62mph time of just 2.9 seconds, it will tie with the new Lamborghini Huracan Performante in a standing-start sprint

It's not just acceleration that matters. The brakes are similarly more powerful to reduce the stopping distances, with braking from 124mph to standstill in 4.6 seconds, covering just 117 metres.

Performance aside, the new car is also highly significant because it marks the start of a new second cycle of supercars for McLaren  a point that many of its rivals such as Ferrari and Lamborghini perhaps thought, or hoped, it might never reach.

First deliveries start in May.

Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer of McLaren Automotive said: Super Series is the core of the McLaren business and personifies the blend of extreme performance, crafted luxury and unparalleled driver involvement that is the McLaren heartland

He stressed: This is the first time we have replaced a product family and the new 720S is absolutely true to McLarens pioneering spirit in being a revolutionary leap forwards, both for our brand and the supercar segment.

As fast as it is to accelerate, it stops even quicker. From 124mph it can be at a standstill in 4.6 seconds. The seatbelts will most certainly be put to the test

Inside, the car is a luxuriously clad with carbon, leather and some beautifully machined aluminium switches

 Slide me  The driver's display can be folded away to reduce distraction when driving on track. When in the hidden position it only presents the gear selection and a digital rev counter

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MCLAREN 720S 1. The new, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine produces 720PS and 770Nm with a power-to-weight ratio of 561PS per tonne. 2. 41% of the engine is made up of new parts compared to the 3.8-litre engine that feature in other McLaren Sports Series models. 3. The carbon fibre chassis keeps the weight down to 1,283kg. 4. There are no radiator intakes on the side of the car. Instead, this function is carried out by the unique double-skin aerodynamic form of the angled upward-opening dihedral doors, which channel air to the high-temperature radiators that cool the mid-mounted engine. 5. 0 to 62mph takes less than 3 seconds and just 5 seconds later the car has passed the 124mph mark on its way to a maximum speed of 212mph. 6. It stops even quicker, taking 4.6 seconds to come to a halt from 124mph, covering 117 metres in the process. 7. CO2 emissions at 249g/km are also slightly lower than the 275g/km in the 650S  but still hefty by normal car standards. 8. The structure is based around a new carbon fibre tub and a 'Monocage'. McLaren says this technology 'delivers extreme strength and rigidity in a lightweight structure and is the ideal base for any supercar'. 9. The interior is hand-crafted using a blend of fine leathers and machined aluminium, with a folding driver display and central infotainment screen. 10. Theres space behind the seat-backs for two soft holdalls or carry on luggage bags  equivalent to 210 litres  in addition to the 150 litres under the front panel.

Lamborghini has just made the 208,000 supercar deicsion that bit harder for buyers

The Huracan Performante is the fastest road car to lap the Nurburgring. It's not too bad to look at either

Or you could buy a Lamborghini Huracan Performante for the same price...

Lamborghini has already confirmed that the new Huracan Performante is the fastest car around the Nurburgring but today it showed the dealer-bound model without camouflage for the very first time.

And guess what, it will cost almost exactly the same as McLaren's latest supercar.

While the McLaren has been designed to be 'driver friendly', the Performante has unquestionably been tuned for the track.

The Huracan Performante was debuted to the public for the first time on the same day as the McLaren rival

Like the McLaren, the interior is a mix of high-quality Alcantara material and flashes of carbon fibre

The Italian car firm confirmed last week that it had lapped the 13-mile long Nordschleife in 6:52.01, and today it revealed the car is 40kg lighter than the standard model.

The engine has been stepped up too, producing 631bhp and 600Nm of torque from the naturally aspirated V10 engine - a modest boost in power over the standard cars 602bhp.

Lamborghini has stamped a 173,271 price tag on it - before taxes. Chuck in VAT and the price escalates to a McLaren 720S-matching 207,925.

Decisions, decisions. Which would would you prefer if you had 208,000 burning a hole in your pocket?
The new deputy governor at the Bank of England faces calls to resign after it emerged she broke its code of conduct by failing to declare her brother works for Barclays.

Charlotte Hogg, 46, who started her new role last week had been tipped to take over as the Governor when Mark Carney steps down in 2019.

However, in a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, she apologised for not formally disclosing her brother, Quintin, is Barclays' group strategy director, which could conflict with her work on the Prudential Regulation Committee.

Under fire: Charlotte Hogg only started as deputy governor last week and is facing calls to resign

The correspondence was made public during a committee session with the chairman and the deputy chairman of the Court of the Bank of England - it was revealed she had not declared the family link on a number of occasions since joining the Bank as chief operating officer in 2013.

It included not stating her brother's position at the banking giant when she recently applied to the Treasury to become a deputy governor at the Bank.

It comes after Ms Hogg told the Treasury committee at a hearing last week that she always declared areas of conflicts of interests and was compliant with all of the Bank's codes of conduct because she helped to write them.

The findings have prompted Treasury committee member John Mann to demand she steps down.

He said: 'It is simply incredible that such a senior person at the Bank of England has behaved in this manner.

'Last week Charlotte Hogg proudly told this committee that she actually wrote the Bank's code of conduct which she has now admitted to repeatedly breaking.

'Not only has she compromised her current position and the Bank of England itself but, more importantly, she has failed under the key principles of the Nolan standards in public life and she has no excuse for doing so.

'This is simply a question about standards in public life and in this regard she has failed and must resign.'

Ms Hogg took up the role as deputy governor for markets and banking at the beginning of March, overseeing the Bank's balance sheet and sitting on the Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Policy Committee, the PRC and the Court of the Bank of England.

The PRC has direct responsibility for regulating banks, including Barclays.

Conflict: The deputy governor for the Bank of England failed to mention her brother works at Barclays

In her letter to the committee, Ms Hogg wrote: 'As Barclays Bank plc is regulated by the PRA, under the Bank's internal code of conduct and personal relationships policy I should have formally declared my brother's role when I first joined the Bank.

'I did not do so and I take full responsibility for this oversight. I have now added a full record of my brother's role in the Bank's HR systems.

'Regrettably, my oversight means that my oral evidence to the committee in this respect was not accurate. I write now to correct that evidence at the earliest opportunity and to place on record my sincere apologies to the committee.'

When giving evidence to the committee last week, Ms Hogg said she would discuss with Mr Carney whether her brother's position at Barclays meant she should be recused from PRC meetings discussing the lender.

She had told the committee: 'I don't discuss work with him and he doesn't discuss it with me, we mostly talk about his children.'

Speaking to the committee on Tuesday, court chairman Anthony Habgood said Ms Hogg had made an 'honest mistake', but admitted it was a 'very serious breach' and he was 'very concerned'.

He added: 'She's clearly going to sit on the newly-formed PRC and such a relationship should be declared for obvious reasons.'

Focusing on when and how Ms Hogg should have made clear the connection, Mr Habgood said there would have been 'two or three opportunities' to declare the potential conflict of interest since 2013.

Outside the Bank, Ms Hogg has held jobs at Santander, consultancy giant McKinsey and financial information firm Experian.
We all known that how strong the bond between a mother and a daughter is, and not to mention one that crosses generations and beyond.

Wang Anna, a five-year-old girl, is living in a faraway mountain in Zunyi city of south-west China, with her long-term ill grandmother and a 92-year-old great grandmother.

A reporter visited the young girl and discovered the touching story of Anna and her grandmas.

Young Anna cooked meals and fed her 92-year-old great grandmother every day and night

Anna's grandmother has septic arthritis that limits her daily activities such as walking

The five-year-old Anna has to stand on a stool to cook rice and vegetables to her grandmas

When Anna was three-months old, her father was sentenced to jail, leaving her mother to stay with the in-laws.

But her mother remarried after giving birth to Anna, leaving the young and the old together.

She then became the pillar of the family, taking up responsibility to cook, clean and take care of the two elderly.

Taking care of two grandmothers is not an easy task, Anna wakes up early in the morning every day to prepare meals for the grandmas.

Grandmother and great-grandmother are Anna's only family members she has now

Unconditional love: Five-year-old Anna carries her 92-year-old great grandmother to toilet

Anna carries her own basket to her neighbour's farm and pick fresh vegetables back home

She does all the housework personally, from making meals to cleaning the house

The petite Anna stands on a stool, stretching as far as she could to reach the stove and fry the vegetables.

Anna's grandmother has a long-term septic arthritis, also known as infectious arthritis, that causes pain to any movement of the affected joints.

Both her grandmother and great grandmother are almost bedridden, with very limited activity.

The young Anna did not complain tried her best to take them to toilet or a short walk near the house.

Anna's father went to jail when she was only three months old and her mother left her after she is born

She did not complain but to wish both her grandmother and great grandmother 'good health'

She also did all the housework personally - from dusting the floor to clearing the rubbish.

The 'love triangle' story has touched the neighbours.

They take Anna to their farm and pick fresh vegetables whenever she is out of food.

She smiled and told the reporter that she wants to take care of them every day and 'wish them good health.'
A high school student allegedly attacked a teacher last year after refusing to participate in an anti-radicalisation program.

The Punchbowl Boys High School student is believed to have also threatened the teacher, but staff didn't notify police of the incident, according to The Australian.

The south-west Sydney high school, which has a large number of Muslim pupils and staff, came under fire last week after its principal Chris Griffiths and deputy principal Joumana Dennaoui were suddenly stood down from their positions.

A Sydney student allegedly attacked and threatened a teacher at Punchbowl Boys High School (pictured) last year after refusing to participate in an anti-radicalisation program

The school came under fire last week after its principal Chris Griffiths (pictured) and deputy principal Joumana Dennaoui were suddenly stood down from their positions

Since Mr Griffiths was placed on leave, reports have surfaced that he had allegedly been planning to ban non-Muslim students from Punchbowl.

However, NSW Education Department head Mark Scott has refuted those claims as being untrue.

Reports have also alleged that Mr Griffiths and refused to let police monitor prayer session on school grounds but this has not been confirmed.

Police liaison officers, which once worked closely with the boy's school, have been unable to access the grounds for more than than two years, according to The Australian.

Education Department Secretary Mark Scott conceded on Monday the government school had 'gone off the rails'.

Mr Scott confirmed Mr Griffiths and Ms Dennaoui were stood down after an investigation, prompted by the school's refusal to participate in a government-funded anti-radicalisation program called School Community Working Together.

'Things seem to have gone off the rails a bit there, hence the change,' Mr Scott told 2GB Radio on Monday.

Staff didn't notify police of the incident between the teacher and student (pictured is Punchbowl Boys High School)

Education Department secretary Mark Scott (pictured) said Mr Griffiths and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were removed from the school after an investigation

'It's a very serious matter (and) it's a very serious matter to remove the principal and the deputy.'

Mr Scott told The Australian the school had 'lost its way in recent times' and had 'become more isolated from the community.'

'There was a significant lack of staff unity and there were a number of policies and procedures that were not being followed,' he said.

But Mr Scott also told the station some of the allegations made against Mr Griffiths were not correct.

'There are a lot of unsubstantiated allegations that have been made. Some of the things that have been said are concerning and some of them are untrue.

'There's a suggestion that the principle said he was going to turn this into an Islamic school. That's impossible - it's a government school.

'He can't turn it into to Islamic school. It's simply not within his power and not within his right.'

The investigation into the school was prompted by its refusal to participate in a government-funded anti-radicalisation program
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa gave the new death toll, up from the three whose bodies were earlier recovered from the scene. While the two pilots earlier spoke to local officials from the cockpit, according to the BBC , the prime minister has said they may have died since then. Regional commissioner Albert Chalamila earlier said that 26 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It was not clear if any of those who were rescued died at the hospital. Both pilots survived the crash and according to the BBC were earlier speaking to local officials from the cockpit. However, the prime minister has said that they may have died since then. Using ropes, emergency workers have managed to get the plane closer to shore and moved some of the plane's body out of the water. Kagera province police commander William Mwampaghale told journalists: 'We have managed to save quite a number of people. 'When the aircraft was about 328 feet midair, it encountered problems and bad weather. It was raining and the plane plunged into the water.' He told journalists that rescue efforts were continuing at the scene (pictured main, left inset and right inset).
President Donald Trump wants Congress to investigate the 'pervasive' leaking going on in his administration.

The White House said Monday that Trump wants the House Intelligence Committee to look at the leaking of classified information in addition to his charges that President Barack Obama wiretapped him.

Details of Trump's calls with foreign leaders have been passed out, as has information about FBI conversations, surveillance and potential investigations.

So furious has the president been, he last month unloaded on news outlets for publishing sensitive information.

The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump wants the House Intelligence Committee to investigate the 'pervasive' leaking going on in his administration, in addition to his charges that President Barack Obama wiretapped him. Pictured: Trump on March 3

The president warned leakers that his administration would not put up with the 'criminal' activity and said DOJ would be looking into it 'very seriously.' He tweeted on February 16: 'The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!'

Trump vowed to catch leakers within the intelligence community and his administration at a news conference where he also revealed that he had talked to the Department of Justice.

The president warned leakers that his administration would not put up with the 'criminal' activity and said DOJ would be looking into it 'very seriously.'

'The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!' he proclaimed in a tweet.

Trump's complaints followed a stream of reports about White House infighting.

A series of disclosures about the activities of his national security advisor also led to the downfall Mike Flynn, who quit his post after revelations about his Russia contacts that were based on intercepted communications.

A New York Times report that week had accused Trump's campaign of having constant contact with Russian officials before the election.

Infuriated, Trump asked journalists at the February 16 press conference, 'What happens when I'm dealing with the problems in the Middle East?

'Are you folks going to be reporting all of that very, very confidential information, very important, very, you know, I mean at the highest level?'

This afternoon the White House said it had asked the House's Intelligence Community to identify the source of the leaks as it filters through charges that Russian officials engineered hacks that were meant to disrupt the U.S. election.

Sean Spicer said Trump was taking the leaking on today while answering reporters' questions at an off-camera briefing. Pictured: Spicer on March 6

Yesterday Trump asked Congress to review his claims that Barack Obama's administration wiretapped him in the course of the Justice Department's alleged probes into claims that have been made about his campaign and the Russians.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump was taking the leaking on today as he answered reporters' questions at an off-camera briefing.

'He wants Congress to look into this...I've spoken to the president again today. He would ask that they additionally look into this issue of leaks of classified and other information coming from the government,' Spicer said.

'He believes that it undermines our national security and that Congress, the intelligence community and Congress, using their oversight authority, look into these pervasive leaks of national security of classified information.'

The Trump spokesman said the president doesn't like leaks that embarrass his administration, but his main concern is information sharing that could damage national security. That includes his private discussions with world leaders.

'There is obviously information that affect national security that has been leaked out that concerns him.'
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is believed to be planning to create a U.S.-style Department of Homeland Security in Australia to help tackle the terrorist threat.

The new proposal, which has not been confirmed by the government, would see at least six federal agencies merge to create a vast security department.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is tipped to have been lined up to head the department, according to reports.

The rumours come less than three months after the authorities foiled a plan to bomb a series of landmarks in Melbourne on Christmas Day last year.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) is believed to be planning to create a US-style Department of Homeland Security in Australia, with Peter Dutton (right) tipped to head it

The rumours come less than three months after the authorities foiled a plan to bomb a series of landmarks in Melbourne, including Flinders Street Station (pictured) on Christmas Day 2016

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the new agency would be built up from the Department of Immigration, but with agencies added to it from the Attorney General's Office.

Such a move would likely face opposition from senior figures within the government, including Attorney General George Brandis.

Some Canberra officials have accused Mr Dutton and Secretary of the Immigration Department, Mike Pezzullo, of 'empire-building'.

Special Minister of State Scott Ryan said the prime minister had commissioned a wide-ranging review of security agencies - the first of its kind in more than five years.

'But it is important to emphasise to everyone how effective our security and intelligence arrangements are at the moment,' he told Sky News.

'It is a matter of constant vigilance but we do have good co-operation and I think it's important that the specific portfolio minister speak to further detail on those issues.'

Federation Square (right) and St Paul's Cathedral (left) were also to be targeted in the Christmas Day attack in Melbourne

The US created the Department of Homeland Security following the 9/11 attacks

Environment and Energy Minister refused to speculate on the possibility of a new security department.

'We're always looking to improve our level of co-ordination between agencies and between levels of government, but this report is speculation and I'm not going to comment,' he told the ABC.

President George W. Bush created the US Department of Homeland Security following the 9/11 attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead.

A total of 22 agencies were merged following the attacks, which saw two hijacked planes flown into the World Trade Center in New York, another into the Pentagon in Virginia, and a fourth which crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Australia has faced a number of terror threats in recent years, including a plot to bomb Melbourne's Federation Square, Flinders Street station and St Paul's Cathedral on Christmas Day last year.

Both Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott are thought to have considered a similar plan to create a dedicated security agency, but did not go through with it.

Labour frontbencher Matt Thistlethwaite said the government had not explained the need for change.

'At the moment it appears to be a thought bubble,' he said.

'It appears some in the coalition think it's Peter Dutton angling for more power and superiority in the cabinet - if that's the reason it's being done, obviously we're going to have some difficulty with that.'
A video of a man fearlessly crossing a croc-infested river while sitting on the roof of a 4WD has gone viral.

In what seems as an attempt to better navigate the perilous crossing, one man sat on the roof as the pair crossed the murky, flooded river in the Northern Territory.

The heavy pull of the churning waters pushes the 4WD off track but somehow the duo make it safely to the other side of the river.

The man on top of the roof flashes a thumbs up as the 4WD splashes through the murky, croc-infested river

With one man behind the wheel and the other on top navigating, the vehicle slowly but surely made it across the flooded water without incident

The incredible video was posted to Facebook and then re-posted onto a page which shares images and footage of vehicles bogged in mud and water.

The man sitting on top of the NT-government branded 4WD did not wear shoes as he calmly navigated the way across the river.

As the pair plowed through the croc-infested waters, the powerful vehicle swayed from side to side and almost lost control as the river pulled it in different directions.

The murky NT water was chest-deep and the 4WD was half submerged as it made its way across the river

Miraculously the 4WD makes it to the other side and both passengers were unharmed - despite the man sitting on top not even wearing shoes.

A NT Police spokesman told the NT Times that people were strongly advised not to cross flooded roadways and said the dangerous act was not particularly lawful.

He said: 'Several offences have been detected in the video however without knowing the exact circumstances around why the crossing was attempted, there is little chance of prosecution.'

A couple sitting on camp chairs watched on as the 4WD made its way through the murky, croc-infested waters
The ABC has been slammed on social media for continuing to use Tony Jones as host of an all-female QandA panel to mark International Women's Day.

Viewers across Australia have criticised the national broadcaster for not finding a woman to host the annual special on Monday night.

The panellists included writer and performer Lindy West, journalist and writer Mei Fond, journalist Thordis Elva, TV host Faustina 'Fuzzy' Agolley, and Indigenous lawyer Josephine Cashman.

Many on Twitter were disappointed the all-women theme could not be matched with a female host.

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Twitter users were disappointed the International Women's Day special with an all-women panel was hosted by a man

Host Tony Jones was joined by panellists Lindy West (far right), Mei Fond (second from the left, front), Thordis Elva (centre back), Faustina 'Fuzzy' Agolley (far left), and Indigenous lawyer Josephine Cashman (back left)

'Welcome to the all about women episode of #qanda hosted by me a man,' journalist Eliza Berlage wrote on Twitter

'There's no ABC women qualified to host a discussion about women?' journalist Jane Gilmore wrote

'Seriously? Tony Jones is hosting all about women #qanda? There's no ABC women qualified to host a discussion about women?' journalist Jane Gilmore wrote on Twitter.

Some said Jones continually interrupted the women and was not in tune with the sensitivities required for the gendered discussions.

At one point, he interrupted Thordis Elva and asked her to describe how she 'got raped'.

She is doing a book tour across the country and many said she would be comfortable retelling the story.

Others on Twitter said the episode was 'boring'.

'I suspect a lot of men switched it off,' a woman-viewer wrote.

'My hubby left the room.'

In a statement, the ABC told Daily Mail Australia the conversation 'is for everyone'.

Mike Carlton said the panellists were 'boring' in a tweet

Many pointed out the hypocrisy of having an all-women panel hosted by a man

Fairfax journalist Jenny Noyes said Jones should not have hosted the episode and criticised him for interrupting Thordis Elva

'International Women's Day activities are a pan-ABC initiative, involving all staff regardless of their gender,' the statement said.

'The conversation is by no means limited to women and is an opportunity for everyone to contribute to the development of the debate.'

Jones has been replaced by women hosts in the past.

Virginia Troili, host of ABC News Breakfast, often takes over QandA when Jones is not available.

Viewer Joe Furphy said Tony Jones should have excused himself from hosting

The Conversation journalist Wes Mountain said having Jones as host this week 'was a bad idea'

The panellists debated revenge porn, domestic violence, rape, childcare, workplace strikes, fat shaming, and the forced removal of children from Indigenous communities

Annabel Crabb of Kitchen Cabinet and The Drum hosted the 2015 International Women's Day special.

The panellists debated revenge porn, domestic violence, rape, childcare, workplace strikes, fat shaming, and the forced removal of children from Indigenous communities.

The annual special has previously been criticised for not including any Indigenous women or transgender women for genuine diversity.

International Women's Day is Wednesday, March 8.

'#Qanda has a panel of strong, smart, capable women. And also Tony Jones,' a viewer wrote on Twitter

Many said Jones was continually interrupting the women panellists

On Wednesday, all male radio and television presenters will be taken off air at the ABC and will be replaced by women.

'Commencing at 6am with an all-female line-up will lead the major radio and TV news bulletins and current affairs programs and present across the day on NewsRadio and News 24,' an ABC statement said.

'ABC Radio will also showcase the extraordinary breadth of female broadcasting and creative talent with all-women presenters on all networks, while special content through the day explores the need for change and gender equality.'

Lifeline, 13 11 14. Men's Referral Service, 1300 766 491. Relationships Australia, 1300 364 277.

Virginia Trioli has hosted QandA in the past, as well as Annabel Crabb

ABC Radio National journalist Natasha Mitchell said there should be an all-women panel once a month
The Pentagon says Mohammed Tahar (above), a Yemeni who was held at Guantanamo detention center for seven years, was killed Thursday

US airstrikes against an Al Qaeda-linked militant group in Yemen killed a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who was released in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a 'high threat' to America and its allies.

The Pentagon says Mohammed Tahar, a Yemeni who was held at the detention center for seven years, was killed Thursday.

A March 2008 memo from the detention center commander warned that Tahar 'will engage in extremist activities upon release. He has threatened (Guantanamo) personnel and continues to support jihad.'

The 12-page memo, signed by Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, who was commander at the detention center at the time, raised Tahar's risk level from medium to high.

And it described him as a problem detainee involved in 65 disciplinary incidents, including assaults on the guard force and other disturbances.

It is not clear why Tahar was released in 2009.

That year, amid then-President Barack Obama's vows to close Guantanamo, the Defense Department revamped the military commissions involved in the prosecution of the detainees.

Some of the changes made statements resulting from torture or degrading treatment inadmissible as evidence in trials and also limited the use of hearsay in the cases.

A March 2008 memo warned that Tahar 'will engage in extremist activities upon release. He has threatened (Guantanamo) personnel and continues to support jihad.' The image above shows the entrance to the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

It is not clear why Tahar was released in 2009. That year, amid then-President Barack Obama's (above) vows to close Guantanamo, the Defense Department revamped the military commissions involved in the prosecution of the detainees

In 2010, the US stopped releasing Yemeni detainees because most countries were unwilling to take them, and it was difficult to ensure they would not return to the battlefield.

The US won't send Yemeni prisoners to their homeland because it is too unstable, so other countries must be found to take them.

It was four years before any Yemenis were transferred out of Guantanamo again.

Even now, a number of the roughly 55 detainees who remain at Guantanamo are Yemeni, including some who have been cleared for release.

Four were released in January, and were sent to Saudi Arabia.

Also killed in the Yemen airstrike was Usayd al-Adani, an explosives expert and district leader of the group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said the latest strikes in Yemen's Abyan region bring the total number of attacks to more than 40 over the past five days.
Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.

Todays ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another  but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nations Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished  but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered  but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nations Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes  starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now.

You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.

These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

We are one nation  and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

For many decades, weve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;

Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military;

We've defended other nations borders while refusing to defend our own;

And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

Weve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.

From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, its going to be America First.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body  and I will never, ever let you down.

America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work  rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world  but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones  and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, how good and pleasant it is when Gods people live together in unity.

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear  we are protected, and we will always be protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.

In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action  constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over.

Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make America Wealthy Again.

We Will Make America Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America.
A warrant is out for notorious rapper Azealia Banks after she failed to show up in court today.

A judge issued a bench warrant, also known as a failure-to-appear or FTA, after Banks, 25, did not appear in a New York City court, TMZ reported.

She was due to answer for charges stemming from a 2015 incident in which she allegedly bit a female nightclub bouncer's breast at Manhattan nightspot Up&Down.

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A judge issued a bench warrant, also known as a failure-to-appear or FTA, for Azealia Banks after her failure to appear in a New York City court today. Pictured: Banks leaving a court hearing for the same case on January 23, 2017

She was due to answer for charges stemming from a December 2015 incident in which she allegedly bit a female nightclub bouncer's breast at Manhattan nightspot Up&Down. Pictured: Banks at a Paris Fashion Week party on March 3

She provided a note to her lawyer which read: 'I can be back tomorrow if the court needs it,' Page Six reported.

On December 16, 2015, Banks was apparently denied entry to the 'invite-only downstairs party' at the club because she did not have the proper entry stamp.

The controversial social media user was told to get a stamp from 'upstairs,' Page Six reported.

She became angry and encountered a pair of bouncers, one female and one male, neither of whom recognized her, according to a source who spoke with Page Six.

She proceeded to attempt to explain 'who she was, that she's on Rihanna's album.'

She got into an altercation with both of them and as the bouncers escorted Azealia out of the club, 'she bites the [female guard] in the breast, almost breaking her shirt,' a source told Page Six.

The rapper provided a note to her lawyer which read: 'I can be back tomorrow if the court needs it.' Pictured: Banks appearing in court for the charges on November 29, 2016

Banks was handcuffed and arraigned by police for allegedly punching a female security guard and biting her breast.

The star was reportedly 'screaming at the top of her lungs' and 'cursing,' according to Page Six. She was later released.

In October 2015, she allegedly assaulted a bouncer at the Break Room 86 in Los Angeles.

Video footage obtained by TMZ shows Banks getting into a fight with the guard after she was asked to leave the club for 'unruly behavior.'

Even though the altercation was caught on CCTV, the LA City Attorney rejected the case, citing insufficient evidence to press ahead.

According to TMZ, there was not enough in the footage to determine who the aggressor was in the argument.

The infamous star recently appeared at Paris Fashion Week, where she bared her peachy posterior in a pair of barely-there denim hotpants.
A drug dealer known on the streets as Peanut was convicted on Monday of murder in the shooting death of a New York City police officer.

Tyrone Howard, who also was found guilty of robbery and a weapons charge, faces life in prison without parole when he's sentenced next month.

A jury deliberated over four days before deciding Howard, 32, knew he was firing on a police officer.

Officer Randolph Holder, 33, was shot when he and his partner approached Howard, who was on a stolen a bicycle, on October 20, 2015, prosecutors said.

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Convicted: Tyrone Howard, a drug dealer known on the streets as 'Peanut,' has been convicted of murder in the death of Officer Randolph Holder (2015 photo)

Incident: Officer Randolph Holder (left) was shot when he and his partner approached Howard (right), who was on a stolen a bicycle, on October 20, 2015, prosecutors said

Prosecutors said in a release that around 8.30pm that night, Howard 'fired multiple shots at a group of individuals and then ran north on the East River Promenade'.

They said later Howard 'approached a man on the East River Promenade, stole his bicycle at gunpoint, and rode the bicycle north along the path.

'At approximately 8:43pm, in the vicinity of the East River Promenade at the East 120th Street footbridge, Howard encountered Police Officer Randolph Holder and his partner, who were responding to the earlier shooting.

'Howard then intentionally shot Officer Holder one time in the temple, killing him.

'He fled and was apprehended approximately two minutes later on the median of FDR Drive in the vicinity of East 124th Street.'

Incident: New York police blocked the scene where the deadly shooting occurred in October 2015

Honored: A funeral honoring the officer was held at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Queens

Holder's partner, Omar Wallace, testified that he recognized Howard from a drug arrest a year earlier and approached him in a non-confrontational way. Howard jumped off the bike so fast Wallace thought he was going to run.

But, instead, he yanked a semi-automatic handgun from his sweatshirt and opened fire, authorities said.

'The first shot hit Officer Holder on the right side of his head,' Wallace testified. 'He fell immediately.'

Wallace shot Howard in the buttocks before the suspect was apprehended, according to the New York Post.

Jurors watched camera footage of the chaotic scene that unfolded on a footbridge over the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive as officers raced to help their colleague.

Speaking out: Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch (center) said that 'when this family goes home they realize their son is still not in that house. It doesn't fix it'

Response: New York Police investigate the scene where Randolph was shot

Officers carried Holder to a van, which took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Three jurors were crying while the verdict was read, the Post reported.

The newspaper said that one hour before, the jury gave the judge a note saying there was a deadlock on a few counts, yet they were implored by the judge to keep going with deliberations.

'The NYPD is pleased to learn that justice has been served by today's verdict,' police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said: 'Let us not forget that, although we have gotten justice at this juncture, that when this family goes home they realize their son is still not in that house. It doesn't fix it.'

Howard didn't attend some of the jury deliberations because he wanted to catch up on his sleep, prosecutors said last week.

Commitment to service: Holder (pictured) always wanted to be a police officer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served as officers in their native Guyana

According to the New York Post, Howard's attorney Michael Hurwitz said it had been dark out and witnesses pinpointing Howard as the shooter could have been wrong.

Howard had five convictions for drug dealing and another for armed robbery.

He was out on bail and had been ordered to enter a drug treatment program on his most recent drug case when he became embroiled in a gunfight with rival dealers before he hopped on the bicycle and sped off, eventually encountering Holder and Wallace, authorities said.

Holder always wanted to be a police officer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served as officers in their native Guyana.

Holder's dream came true in 2010, when he joined the NYPD and began patrolling the city's public housing complexes.

Prosecutors said Holder was posthumously promoted to detective.

'It's in his blood,' his commanding officer, Capt. Reymundo Mundo, said at his funeral. 'It's in his genes.'
The first steps towards establishing a EU army were taken yesterday in a move that critics fear could undermine Nato.

The announcement of a military power controlled by Brussels came just days after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker laid out his wishes for a military union.

The plan stopped short of calling the new defence unit a headquarters, which defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon claimed as a victory after the UK objected to its creation.

Pressure to downplay the influence of the non-combat body, which will comprise a staff of 30, means it will also be led by a director rather than a commander.

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In a move that could undermine Nato, a Brussels controlled military power has been announced just days after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured) called for a military union

Sir Michael yesterday revealed that he had plotted with other dismayed member states to block EU plans for even more ambitious defence powers.

The defence secretary said he resisted measures originally drawn up by Brussels chiefs and insisted the UK would stand in the way of future integration during Brexit negotiations.

Reinforcing the EUs military capabilities in the aftermath of the UKs departure from the EU is a key concern of countries such as Germany and France.

But instead of pressing ahead with plans for a so-called EU army, Sir Michael called on member states to meet their spending commitments to NATO.

He warned that focusing on co-operation at a European level could undermine existing commitments to the historic military alliance with the US.

The decision to stand in the way of EU plans will raise concerns about future military cooperation between the UK and Europe as Brexit looms.

Sir Michael insisted that the UK did not see future operations between EU countries after Brexit as a danger and said his main concern is to avoid duplication with NATO.

While suggesting that Britain will continue to work with the EU after Brexit, he admitted that the Government will be unable to intervene if EU countries join defence resources.

The plan stopped short of calling the new defence unit a headquarters, which defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon claimed as a victory after the UK objected to its creation (pictured: Nato's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force on exercise in Northumberland)

He said: Co-operation on defence will continue - this is our continent as much as anybody elses. It is for them [other member states] to decide what strictures they want to take forward.

Many member states need to start by increasing their own NATO spend as many are way below the two per cent target.

They can put those capabilities at the disposal of the EU provided their ownership remains with the member states and they are also at the disposal of NATO, the UN and other organisations.

That is our view on defence co-operation.

The creation of new unit was announced as part of a package of measures unanimously agreed by EU defence and foreign ministers yesterday.

In plans originally unveiled last year to increase defence co-operation, EU officials set out their wishes for a headquarters, bolstered by a new staff force to be overseen by a commander.

Reinforcing the EUs military capabilities in the aftermath of the UKs departure from the EU is a key concern of countries such as Germany and France

But Sir Michael said that the unit will be significantly less powerful than originally planned because of amendments demanded by the UK and backed by Balkan nations and the Netherlands.

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, he said: We have resisted, successfully, any structural changes. There will be no new headquarters, there will be no new general officer.

We have minimised any additional cost and avoided any duplication with Nato.

Instead the new body will coordinate EU military training missions  including existing operations in Mali and Somalia - that do not involve the use of force.

EU officials however insisted that the measures could lead to more significant defence co-operation in the future which is a key goal for Mr Juncker, the European Commission president.

A paper unveiled by the Brussels chief last week, revealed his desire for money to be poured into joint EU military operations in the future, as well as joint procurement.

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: We have resisted, successfully, any structural changes. There will be no new headquarters, there will be no new general officer (pictured: Nato's Very High Readiness Joint Taskforce on exercise in Northumberland)

Officials also refused to give details about how the training unit announced yesterday, comprising 30 staff, could expand in coming years and whether it would take a role in other types of operations.

After announcing the plans, the EUs foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said: We are progressing steadily towards strengthened defence cooperation and we will continue to do more.

The influential official disputed that the measures amounted to an EU army and said the move presented a more effective way of handling our military work.

Critics however will question whether the measures could provide an avenue for Brussels to quietly assuming more defence capabilities.

The significance of the move was further highlighted by the European Parliaments Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstaht who proclaimed the move a step in the right direction.

The former Belgian Prime Minister, a long-time proponent of a federal Europe, said the final goal was a fully-fledged EU military HQ that had responsibility for more significant defence missions.
Thomas A. Small, 70, was arrested by Coles County police on Thursday for the murder mystery of his wife Diane A. Small in 1980

A man was arrested for the 1980 cold case murder of his wife who was found dismembered under a bridge with no head.

Thomas A. Small, 70, was arrested by local police on Thursday for the unsolved murder mystery of his wife Diane A. Small who was found dismembered underneath an Illinois bridge in 1980.

The 26-year-old's naked body was badly decomposing and she was missing her hands, feet and head when she was discovered dumped in a river in Coles County, Illinois.

Charges are pending against Thomas in both Coles and Kankakee counties after the man allegedly confessed to the murder both recently and in the past, sources said.

After 37 years, the case which originally began four days before Diane's body was found underneath the rural Airtight Bridge on October 19, 1980, is nearly closed.

Diane was found underneath the Airtight Bridge (pictured) in rural Coles County, Illinois, on October 19, 1980. Her hands, feet and head were cut off and never recovered

It took 12 years for police to identify her body in 1992 through DNA testing. She was reported missing in Bradley, Illinois, four days before her body was found 130 miles from her home

The mother of a two-year-old girl was reported missing in Bradley, Illinois, nearly 130 miles away from where she was found.

Although her body was discovered shortly after her disappearance, forensics couldn't identify it due to her hands, feet and head being cut off.

'Nobody knew who it was because there wasn't any head, feet and hands,' Judy Whiteside, a Coles County resident, said to FoxIllinois.com.

Darrel Cox, the former Coles County Sheriff, said to Illinois Homepage: 'We just had no leads, we didn't have a victim. We didn't have anything to go on or any physical evidence at the scene other than the body.

Although her body was found shortly after her disappearance, forensics couldn't identify the body due to her hands, feet and head being cut off. Pictured: Past footage of police searching the area where Diane was found

'We just didn't have anything to take us in any direction as far as the investigation.'

It wasn't until 1992 that the body was identified as Diane through DNA testing.

Although Thomas was considered a suspect in his wife's murder, it never led to arrest but the case was reopened again in 2012.

Going back over records, transcripts and communication with Bradley police led to the decision to interview Thomas, a sheriff's office detective said.

A former police officer familiar with the case said Thomas had previously admitted to the killing

'It needed to be done,' the official said. 'This case had been sitting cold for too long. We needed to move forward.'

No further information was given on how Diane's body ended up so far away, why Thomas was interviewed or what evidence prompted his arrest, all these years later.

'Sources close to the case' said Thomas confessed to killing his wife, the Kankakee Journal Star reported.

Cox said this also had happened years ago and Thomas previously confessed , saying Diane's death 'wasn't on purpose' before he asked for a lawyer.

Thomas is currently in custody at the Kankakee County Jail and the county's state's attorney's office said it will ask for no bond because he is dangerous.
Parents will be given the right to set up grammar schools in a 320million education revolution hailed by Theresa May as her 'personal mission'.

The funding package  to be unveiled in tomorrow's Budget  will pay for 110 free schools.

Treasury sources said these could include the first selective state secondaries to open in decades.

Free schools can be opened by parents, charities or community groups, effectively giving disgruntled families a right to set up a grammar themselves.

Inspiring: Prime Minister Theresa May on a visit to Kings College London Mathematical School

The schools could be fast-tracked for as early as 2020  if ministers can win what is likely to be a bruising parliamentary battle to overturn a Labour-imposed ban on grammars.

Ministers are also scrapping rules that stop children from poor homes receiving help for travel to selective schools.

The moves are a declaration of intent from Theresa May, who has made a personal priority of reviving grammars  she attended one herself.

Philip Hammond will flesh out the plan in his first Budget package tomorrow, when he will seek to prepare the country for the looming Brexit process.

Despite better-than-expected economic performance leaving him with an estimated 60billion warchest, the Chancellor has already indicated he will not splash the cash - instead meeting new spending commitments with cuts elsewhere or tax rises.

Among the elements set to be in the Budget are:

A pledge to address the crisis in social care with a 1.3billion a year funding boost - but no new money for the NHS despite Labour demands.

Hiking national insurance for the self-employed by 3p in what critics have condemned as a 'tax raid'.

Increases in duty on cigarettes to raise hundreds of millions of pounds. The introduction of new T-levels to encourage more technical education.

S pending commitments are expected on social care, vocational training for young people and a new D Day memorial.

New policies cracking down on automatic subscriptions for online services and streamlining terms and conditions are also due

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the PM said it was her 'personal mission' to build 'a school system that works for everyone'.

'If we are to give our children and grandchildren a fair chance to succeed in an ever more competitive world, we have to build a future where every child can access a good school place,' Mrs May said.

'That means decisively shifting Britain's education system and building a Great Meritocracy so that children from ordinary working families are given the chances their richer contemporaries take for granted.'

HELP FOR TRAVELLING TO GRAMMARS Youngsters from poorer homes are to be offered financial help to travel to grammar schools, under plans to be announced in tomorrow's Budget. Chancellor Philip Hammond will tear up rules that mean children can only get travel money if they are attending a non-selective school. The 'extended rights' rules mean that children entitled to free school meals or whose parents receive the maximum amount of working tax credit can get their costs paid to travel to a school up to 15 miles away. But the rules do not currently apply to grammar schools, meaning that some youngsters bright enough to win a place at a grammar might be prevented from attending. A Treasury source said the move would 'help ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have every chance to access the best possible education and the cost of transport is not a barrier'. Advertisement

The premier added: 'For too many children, a good school place remains out of reach with their options determined by where they live or how much money their parents have.

'Over the last six years we have overseen a revolution in our schools system and we have raised standards and opportunity, but there is much more to do.

'As part of our commitment to creating a school system that works for everyone, today we are confirming new investment to give parents a greater choice of a good school place for their child, and we will set out the next stage of our ambitions in the coming months.'

Free schools were introduced in 2010 to allow parents, charities and community groups to set up their own sites. They are independent from local authorities but must still have Ofsted inspections.

Treasury sources said the proposal would help give effect to Mrs May's pledge to 'make Britain a great meritocracy'.

She said last year: 'In a true meritocracy, we should not be apologetic about stretching the most academically able to the very highest standards of excellence.'

The Prime Minister said she wanted to see more selective schools, as well as more good faith schools and more free schools run by universities and the independent sector.

The sources said all four categories would be eligible to bid to run the new selective free schools being announced today.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said the announcement represented 'the next steps in giving parents greater choice in finding a good school for their child, whatever their background'

Education Secretary Justine Greening is expected to bring forward proposals for new selective schools in a Green Paper  'Schools that work for everyone'  in the coming weeks.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said the announcement represented 'the next steps in giving parents greater choice in finding a good school for their child, whatever their background'.

The move will provoke an angry reaction from education unions and opponents of the grammar system.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: 'Teachers and heads in the thousands of existing state schools which are facing real-terms cuts in funding for their pupils will be dismayed to see the Chancellor throwing more money at free schools and grammar schools.'

Ministers will also face trouble from a hard core of Tory MPs, including former education secretary Nicky Morgan, who believe money would be better spent improving the wider school system than focusing on grammars.

But the decision will delight traditional Tories, who have campaigned for years for a return to selective education to allow bright youngsters from poor homes to flourish.

The education funding will see 216million spent on refurbishments to crumbling school buildings.

The Prime Minister said she wanted to see more selective schools, as well as more good faith schools and more free schools run by universities and the independent sector

Another 320million is earmarked to pay for the next generation of free schools, which will create 70,000 pupil places.

The Government has helped the creation of 431 free schools since 2010, with another 380 planned by 2020 and with money now announced for another 110.

Education Secretary Justine Greening is expected to bring forward proposals for new selective schools in a Green Paper

The flagship project of former education secretary Michael Gove, the schools allow headteachers to operate outside the national curriculum and set their own pay scales.

Mr Gove's original vision was for groups of parents in areas of poor provision to set up their own schools.

In practice, most have been set up by academy chains and charities, although the parental route remains open to those with the necessary expertise.

Free schools are not currently allowed to select pupils by ability. But this is set to change under the Government's reforms.

More than a million children languish in underperforming schools.
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Surfers and swimmers this week should prepare for a thrashing as 14ft waves are expected to continue thrashing the coastline across idyllic Sydney beaches.

The Bureau Of Meteorology has predicted severe swells will pound the east coast and beach-goers have been warned to avoid the deadly waves.

Spectacular images of monstrous waves hammering swimmers at Bronte, Bondi and Tamarama Beach in Sydney's east are a visual caution to those brave enough to surf the dangerous water.

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Two brave beach-goers are pounded by a foamy swell as they enjoyed the waves at Bondi Beach on Monday

A swimmer at Bondi's ocean pool watches on as a big wave pours into the pool and the seas thrash the coastline

People watch as the large foamy seas pound the coastline at Tamarama Beach in Sydney's east

The warning comes just days after two men drowned in separate incidents at Bondi and Bellinger, near Coffs Harbour.

The best advice we can give people is to be aware of their environment and the changing conditions, Surf Life Saving NSW operations manager Andy Kent said in a statement on Sunday.

Take the time to study a recent weather forecast before heading out and let others know what your plans are.

Southern-facing beaches are expected to bear the brunt of the monstrous waves.

A man at Bronte's ocean pool is hit by powerful waves as the foamy sea sends swells over the barriers and into the pool

A brave swimmer stands tall as the sea thrashes him with a foamy wave at Bronte's ocean pool on Monday

Temperatures arent expected to go above 25C all week with showers forecast every day for the rest of the week in the city.

Wednesday's temperature is forecasted to hit 23C with rain expected to fall all day.

A severe weather warning for gales and strong winds remains in place for much of the NSW coast.

Onlookers are amazed as the ocean sends thick swells onto the jagged cliff face at Tamarama Beach in Sydney

A surfer tackles the waves at Bronte Beach as the white waves continue to smash and gale force winds hit the water

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It comes after the State Emergency Service responded to more than 500 calls for help over the weekend, mostly for leaky roofs and fallen trees.

One of the worst hit areas was Sydney's Hills district, with many houses already damaged by a severe hailstorm late last month.

'There's still a lot of water over roads, particularly on the south coast so we're asking people to take care,' SES spokesperson Sue Pritchard said on Sunday.

Moruya, on the NSW far south coast, recorded the largest rainfall total of 134 millimetres.
Philip Hammond was last night urged to abandon plans for a 1billion tax raid on the self-employed, amid warnings it would wreck Britains growing entrepreneurial culture.

The Chancellor is reported to be planning a rise in National Insurance rates for the self-employed in tomorrows Budget to bring them closer to the level paid by those in salaried jobs.

The move could eventually see the National Insurance rate paid by self-employed people rise from 9 per cent to 12 per cent.

Philip Hammond was last night urged to abandon plans for a 1billion tax raid on the self-employed

The Treasury believes the move could close a loophole that allows some well-paid individuals to avoid tax by declaring themselves self-employed.

But business groups and some Tory MPs fear it would be a hammer blow to Britains growing army of self-employed workers, many of whom are on relatively modest incomes.

The Federation of Small Businesses warned that the number of entrepreneurs could start to fall if the Chancellor presses ahead with the idea.

Spokesman Craig Beaumont said: This could cost 1billion if it is applied across the board  that is a huge impact on the self-employed, which would damage the entrepreneurial culture in this country.

The reality is that there isnt parity  the self-employed struggle with pensions, find it harder to get a mortgage, get fewer maternity rights and so on. Life is a lot tougher.

There is also the question of risk  people stepping away from paid employment are taking a risk that deserves to be recognised.

Chris Bryce, chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed, said the Chancellor should hold a full consultation before deciding on a massive hit on the sector.

He added: If the Chancellor were to increase National Insurance contributions for the self-employed, a large number of low-paid people could lose out on a significant amount of income.

Tory MPs are also wary about the prospect of a raid on Britains five million self-employed workers.

The PMs official spokesman said: The Prime Minister believes in a system which is fair'

One former minister warned that Mr Hammond would face a major backlash if he pressed ahead with the full rise.

We cant, on the one hand, claim that we are the party of the strivers while, on the other, say were going to hit millions of them with a massive tax bill, he said.

The Treasury said it did not recognise reports that Mr Hammond is planning a 3 per cent increase, but did not deny that some changes could be made to NI rates for the self-employed.

Treasury sources did not dispute that the overall tax burden could rise slightly as a result of tomorrows Budget measures, despite warnings the UK is already heading for the highest tax burden since the 1980s.

Asked whether Theresa May was happy to be presiding over a Government imposing an ever-higher tax burden, the PMs official spokesman said: The Prime Minister believes in a system which is fair.

The spokesman stressed that the Government had also raised tax thresholds for basic rate taxpayers and introduced the national living wage.
Elko District Court Department I  Judge Nancy Porter

Mar. 1

Cory James Bobb, 31, pleaded no contest to one count of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 30 months in prison with credit for 1061 days served. In a second matter, he pleaded no contest to battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and was sentenced to 36 months in prison with 824 days served. In a third matter, he pleaded no contest to two counts of an unlawful act related to human bodily fluid and was sentenced to five years in prison for each count, both to be served concurrently. For all three matters, the sentences shall be served consecutively.

Elko District Court Department II  Judge Al Kacin

Feb. 28

Louis Malchodi Albedi, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance and was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500.

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Jason Mark Espinosa, 35, pleaded no contest to one count of transportation of a controlled substance. He was given a suspended sentence of six years in jail, placed on probation for five years with credit for 53 days served, ordered to complete a substance abuse treatment program and abstain from alcohol and gambling.

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Charles Robert Goens, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a concealed weapon. He was given a suspended sentence of 30 months in prison, placed on probation for two years with credit for 121 days served, and ordered to abstain from alcohol, gambling and marijuana use.

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Zackery Sackett Morse, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance. He was given a suspended sentence of 32 months in prison, placed on probation for five years with credit of 28 days served, ordered to complete a substance abuse treatment program, and abstain from alcohol, gambling and marijuana use.

Mar. 1

Everett Blaine Travis Jones, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of battery by a prisoner and was sentenced to 38 months in prison with credit for 35 days served.

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John Dennis Power, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to use personal identification of another for an unlawful purpose. He was given a suspended sentence of 180 days in jail, placed on probation for three years, and ordered to serve 50 days in jail, abstain from the use of alcohol and gambling, complete a substance abuse treatment program, and pay $187.12 restitution to the victim.

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Alan Daniel Pina Sr., 33, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful importation of and/or transportation of marijuana into and/or within the state of Nevada. He was given a suspended sentence of two years in jail and placed on probation for five years, ordered to serve 60 days in jail with credit for two days served, complete a substance abuse treatment program, abstain from alcohol, gambling and marijuana use or possession.

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Brad Jason Stewart, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit grand larceny of a motor vehicle and one count of conspiracy to utter a forged instrument. He was given a suspended sentence of 364 days in jail on both counts to run concurrently, placed on probation for three years, serve 39 days in jail with credit for time served, complete the Odyssey House program, abstain from gambling and marijuana use, and pay $247.46 restitution to the Elko County Sheriffs office.
Scandal-hit Marie Stopes abortion clinics are under fresh investigation after the Daily Mail revealed that doctors are approving terminations for women they have never met.

Inspectors were sent to the charitys headquarters last week to review how it is run.

The probe is now being expanded after reporters discovered women are being signed off for abortions after only a brief phone conversation with a call centre worker.

These discussions can be as short as 22 seconds.

Overseas: A Marie Stopes International team visits rural Senegal to offer family planning and sexual health services

Marie Stopes doctors are then agreeing to the procedures based on a one-line summary from the call centre workers, who have no medical training.

The revelations in yesterdays Mail have caused fury, with politicians and campaigners accusing Marie Stopes of providing abortion on demand.

Last year the Care Quality Commission expressed serious concerns about whether terminations were being properly approved at Marie Stopes.

A temporary ban was enforced after inspectors found they were not being performed safely.

But the ban was lifted when Marie Stopes assured regulators sufficient improvements had been made.

Although doctors are not legally required to meet the woman before approving an abortion, it is good practice to do so, according to Department of Health guidance.

Last night Tory MP Fiona Bruce said the Abortion Act is being ignored.

It stipulates that two doctors must sign off an abortion after forming an opinion in good faith that legal grounds were met.

A mobile clinical outreach team from Marie Stopes International in Laniar, Senegal

Inspectors at a Marie Stopes clinic in Maidstone, Kent, last year raised concerns of bulk signing abortion forms

Mrs Bruce said: These shoddy procedures reveal an appalling lack of respect for the women concerned and for the law by Marie Stopes, whose contract involving huge amounts of public money should be reviewed immediately.

Marie Stopes, which has 70 UK clinics, is offering abortion on demand, said Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh.

He accused Marie Stopes of behaving in an arrogant fashion.

He said: The law is quite clear. We do not have abortion on demand and if you wish to have an abortion it should be justified and you should not just have it arranged on the telephone. This is clearly an abuse of the Abortion Act and the CQC should do their job.

He said if Marie Stopes isnt following protocol, its work should be suspended.

Inspectors at a Marie Stopes clinic in Maidstone, Kent, last year raised concerns of bulk signing abortion forms without seeing the patient. In one case, a doctor signed 26 forms in two minutes.

But Sir Edward added: Marie Stopes appears to have learnt nothing. And the CQCs minimalist approach is not good enough.

CQC inspectors will publish their report in the next two months. Professor Edward Baker of the Care Quality Commission said it had been very closely monitoring the clinics since last years inspections.

He said: We very recently re-inspected its corporate headquarters for England to review its progress. Should we have any concerns about patient safety, we will not hesitate to take further action, to guarantee this provider meets the standard of care we expect and that its patients deserve.

A source said the Mails discoveries will now be taken into consideration by inspectors.

Paul McPartlan, managing director at Marie Stopes UK, said: We would like to reassure women that our services comply fully with UK abortion law.

He added the CQC findings were taken very seriously and it has worked extensively to address the concerns.

A spokesman said the 22-second discussion about the womans reason for the abortion was part of a thorough 16-minute call.
Tory and Labour MPs were broadly upbeat about the Peugeot/Citroen takeover of Vauxhall but the Lib Dems were unhappy. Miseries. It was all going to end in disaster, jobs were going to be lost, etc, etc.

Nothing like a bit of can-do spirit, is there, lads?

Greg Clark, Business Secretary, was answering an Urgent Question from his Labour Shadow Rebecca Long-Bailey.

Mrs Long-Bailey  who once worked in a pawn shop and says she learned much about human unhappiness there (that was before she met the Lib Dems)  is Labours new hope.

'Greg Clark, Business Secretary, was answering an Urgent Question from his Labour Shadow Rebecca Long-Bailey. Mrs Long-Bailey  who once worked in a pawn shop and says she learned much about human unhappiness there  is Labours new hope'

She has only been an MP since 2015 but is already being touted as a successor to Jeremy Corbyn. It is hard to say if this is justified, for she has had few outings at the despatch box. She did okay yesterday. She did not embark on a partisan rant but kept things serious.

There are numerous jobs in the balance at Vauxhalls Ellesmere Port and Luton factories.

An intemperate outburst might have won her points at Westminster but it would not have helped those workers.

Mr Corbyn arrived just in time to hear his 37-year-old protegee. Poor chap, he looked haggard. The morning had been full of hassle about his tax return, which he had published (it contained a confusion which sent the sleuths of Westminsters press lobby gallivanting off on a paperchase).

Which of us has not found tax returns confusing? Mr Corbyn is many things but surely not a tax dodger. It must have been a relief for him to listen to debate about real politics: big manufacturing and Governments response to industrial change. Mr Clark was his mellifluous self, a voice dripping treacle, gesturing with his large hands as though holding a beach ball. Having once been in the SDP and attended the London School of Economics, he can speak amicably about trade unionism without sounding false.

This neutered some of the usual moans from the Left. Dennis Skinner (Lab, Bolsover) mocked Mr Clark for being a pro-TUC Tory but the intervention only made Mr Skinner sound tinny.

Mr Clark never responds to attack by going on the offensive. He seeks ways to agree pleasantly with his assailants. Utterly maddening. That sort of thing is a very dirty trick.

Mrs Long-Bailey, in her time allotted, asked about workers pension rights, the future of the Vauxhall Astra production line and the possibility of state support for the newly-owned company once we have left the EU.

'She has only been an MP since 2015 but is already being touted as a successor to Jeremy Corbyn. It is hard to say if this is justified, for she has had few outings at the despatch box. She did okay yesterday'

She delivered her piece with a level tone and maybe a hint of the actor Nicholas Lyndhurst. There is certainly a physical similarity, around the motionless upper lip, with Mr Lyndhursts character Rodney in Only Fools And Horses. Mr Corbyn could always play Uncle Albert.

Kelvin Hopkins (Lab, Luton N) said todays news is actually very positive. With sterling having fallen, Vauxhalls factories could be even more appealing to management  provided something could be done about the amount of imported components used in the cars.

Mr Clark agreed. Geoffrey Robinson (Lab, Coventry NW), who once worked in the car industry (British Leyland!), made broadly supportive noises but noted Peugeot pulled out of its Ryton plant a few years ago.

Mr Clark said Peugeot was under different management today.

So It was left to John Pugh (Lib Dem, Southport) and Tom Brake (Lib Dem, Carshalton) to do the shroud-waving. Vauxhalls long-term prospects are weaker as a result of Brexit, said Mr Brake, living up to his name. Mr Pugh wailed that Ellesmere Ports Vauxhall factory made a lot of left-hand drive models, so could be in peril after Brexit.

Mr Clark replied: Im thinking up reasons to invest in Britain. Hes thinking up reasons to put people off. The only person gloomier than the Lib Dems was the SNPs Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen). But she always sounds like a deflating bagpipe. It is a voice to make Tigger himself swallow Prozac.
Britain produced the smallest amount of carbon dioxide since Victorian times last year  thanks to the country spurning coal power stations, a study found.

The last time the UK produced such a small amount of CO2, the greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, was in 1894.

In 2016 the amount of coal used in the UK fell by 52 per cent.

Onshore wind farm turbines next to the coal-fired Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire. Britain produced the smallest amount of CO2 since Victorian times last year

And the fossil fuels share of the market dropped to 9 per cent last year, from 23 per cent two years ago, with the impact of cheaper gas, a rise in renewable power and higher taxes for burning coal.

Wind farms produced more energy than coal for the first time in 2016.

In November 2015, the Government said it would phase out coal power by 2025. The speed with which coal is being abandoned is helping the UK reach targets on cutting carbon pollution more quickly than expected.

CO2 emissions fell to 381million tonnes in 2016 from the previous year according to Carbon Brief, a website that monitors climate change. Apart from 1894, there were two other years when CO2 fell lower than this  but these were during extensive strike action in the 1920s.

Carbon Brief analyst Simon Evans described the progress on pollution as really quite surprising. I imagine that when the Government announced the coal phase-out in 2015, it did not expect to be so close to achieving that as it is already, he told the Financial Times.

In November 2015, the Government said it would phase out coal power by 2025

The figures are based on data from the Department of Energy, which will publish its own carbon emission estimates at the end of this month.

Carbon tax doubled to 18 a tonne in April 2015  one of the reasons why coal is becoming less popular. Gas produces half as much CO2 per unit of electricity as gas.

Under the 2008 Climate Change Act, the UK must cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050. Carbon Brief estimated that in 2016, greenhouse gas emissions were already 42 per cent lower than the 1990 target.
An imam who warned that extremists are trying to set up an Islamic state within Australia has slammed a Muslim TV network that claimed he was a fake.

Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi claimed last month that hardline Muslims were trying to establish a Sharia law state within Australia's borders.

But in an extraordinary attack, Muslim television channel OnePath Network then accused him of not being a real sheikh.

Imam Tawhidi - who showed Daily Mail Australia documents and pictures proving that he is a legitimate imam - was shocked by the criticism and said the channel should be thanking him for 'exposing extremists'.

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Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi claimed last month that hardline Muslims were trying to establish a Sharia law state within Australia's borders

'I stated that there was an extremist, radical agenda to create a country within Australia. A government within the Australian government,' he said.

'I am known as the imam of peace. I am a man of peace and I wanted to warn the government and the nation of what could potentially hurt all of us.

'I am afraid of such an agenda. I am worried and fearful.'

Imam Tawhidi told Daily Mail Australia that he was concerned to find himself 'being attacked for attacking the terrorists'.

'I'm being attacked because people didn't want me to warn the people.

'They should have said "thank you" for exposing an extremist cell within Sydney. Instead they are discrediting me for criticising terrorism.

'If you love this country and you are loyal to this country, you should be supporting me.'

He added that he believed he was being accused of being a fake because he is a Shia Muslim, not a Sunni.

Muslim OnePath TV network's host Malaz Majanni said Imam Tawhidi's claims about radical Islam were 'baseless and outrageous'

Imam Tawhidi reiterated his fears for Australia, saying that hundreds if not thousands of Muslims in Australia could be at risk of being 'brainwashed' by extremist imams.

'The problem is the mosques,' he said.

'There are extreme mosques with extreme imams. These imams have no credibility whatsoever and they are brainwashing the innocent Muslims into radical thoughts.'

Imam Tawhidi was speaking after he was slammed by the OnePath Network for his appearance on Today Tonight last month.

The Muslim TV network's host Malaz Majanni said Imam Tawhidi's claims about radical Islam were 'baseless and outrageous'.

The imam fears some Muslims want to set up a Sharia law state within Australia. Pictured, women wearing niqabs in Sydney

Mr Majanni also read out statements from Australian National Imams Council and the Imams Council of South Australia, both claiming Imam Tawhidi was not a recognised Muslim leader.

However the channel's criticism appeared to be only levelled at Shia Muslim leaders who had spoken out and not a Sunni Muslim who also spoke on the Today Tonight programme.

Mr Majanni said of the report: 'A message to anyone who felt worried, scared or even angry. Get to know you local Muslim community.

'Visit your local mosque, have a conversation, ask some questions.

'You'll find out for yourself what many already know: There's nothing to fear from your Muslim neighbours.'
The British backpacker allegedly held captive for two months and repeatedly raped by her 'boyfriend' revealed her ordeal to a petrol station owner and said: 'Im sorry, I cant pay. My ex has my wallet and credit cards.

Beverley Page, who manages the Caltex outback stop in Mitchell, 350 miles east of Brisbane, says the girl was wearing a pretty summer dress but had black eyes, a wounded neck and looked like 'a zombie'.

The 22-year-old woman from Liverpool then fled without paying and police later stopped the white 4x4 car she was driving and found her alleged kidnapper, also 22, hiding in a compartment in the back.

Miss Page told the Mail: I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I thought her tears were tears of embarrassment because of the payment problem. But what struck me were her black eyes and marks down the side of her neck. She looked bad  shaking uncontrollably.

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Saved: Beverley Page (left), who manages the Caltex outback stop in Mitchell, 350 miles east of Brisbane says the girl (right) was wearing a summer dress but had black eyes, a wounded neck and looked like 'a zombie'

CCTV footage shows the British backpacker walking into an outback petrol station and her ordeal was revealed for the first time - and she told the store owner: ''Im sorry, I cant pay. My ex-boyfriend has my wallet and credit cards'

The British backpacker's alleged attacker lying on his back with arms outstretched on the bonnet of a white car

The inside of the 4x4 is pictured here on Tuesday, which has been adapted to acommodate a bed and numerous cubbyholes to hide in - and where the alleged rapist was found cowering inside

'She was like a person in a trance. She leaned on the counter and the tears flowed down.

'I asked if there was some way she could get someone to pay or if there was a chance of her getting her wallet back. She didnt say anything. She was like a zombie, answering a few simple questions sometimes and then just being silent.

TIMELINE OF THE HORROR ROAD TRIP JANUARY AUSTRALIA DAY WEEKEND: British backpacker meets man, 22, at a 'bush doof' party in Cairns. FEBRUARY Police alleged the 22-year-old tourist was raped in a Cairns hotel room. MARCH 1-5 The woman was allegedly forced to drive the suspect as they travelled south. She was allegedly beaten and repeatedly raped during this time. MARCH 5 The woman was rescued after being pulled over by police. The man was arrested and charged. Advertisement

In the end she turned and walked out and I thought she was going to look for some money in the car. But she just got in, sat behind the wheel, started it up and drove out on to the main road.

It came as the 22-year-old Briton, who police say was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive', was released from hospital overnight and is being comforted by her family.

She was allegedly regularly choked, beaten and humiliated during a terrifying drive across Queensland.

She will now be interviewed by police after being counselled for trauma caused by an ordeal detectives have described as catastrophic.

The victim started a relationship with her alleged captor after they met at an outdoor dance party, known as a doof, in Cairns.

But within days the relationship began to sour as he allegedly became obsessive and clingy.

Police say the 22-year-old woman from Liverpool had been 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' by her ex-boyfriend, also 22, for two months.

Her friend said the suspected attacker, who is accused of a string of crimes against the tourist, was 'really clingy' and 'just blew in to town and latched on to the first single girl' he saw.

The man, who MailOnline is not naming for legal reasons, also said his friend's visit to the petrol station was a 'brilliant cry for help', which led to her being saved.

The pixelated face of the woman's alleged attacker, whose identity must remain anonymous due to Queensland law

The worker said the backpacker got back in her car and took off after being told if she didn't pay, the police would have to be called

CCTV footage shows the moment the British tourist walked into a petrol station, prompting the cashier to call the police and save her.

The backpacker appeared distressed on Sunday as she pulled up in a white SUV to fill up the tank.

But as she wandered into the station crying, 'shaking uncontrollably' and 'in a trance-like state', the injured woman told the female owner behind the counter she was unable to pay for the petrol.

Moments later, the tourist was rescued after being pulled over near Mitchell in Queensland after police received a tip-off from the owner of petrol station.

A 27-year-old friend of the woman told Daily Mail Australia he was shocked to hear about his friend and said he believes the 'stunt at the petrol station' was a 'brilliant cry for help'.

The friend said: 'I tried calling her a few times but couldn't get through.

'I have spoken to her aunt from the UK since.'

The 27-year-old, who met the young woman at a pub in Cairns just before Christmas, described her as a nice girl who was very trusting.

The young Briton is currently being treated for her injuries at a hospital in Roma, a small country town close to where she was rescued from her terrible ordeal.

Her close friend said: She is being kept in overnight. I havent been able to get through to her yet. I just hope she will be ok.

This is the white 4WD police stopped in south-west Queensland on Sunday afternoon - finding a 22-year-old woman in extreme distress and a 22-year-old man in a back alcove

The SUV at the centre of the woman's horrific ordeal was filled with cubbyholes to hide and has been seized by police as the investigation continues

Jump-start cables and blankets piled up on a makeshift bed in the back of the white Mitsubishi

The 22-year-old victim walked into this petrol station where she talked to the cashier

A police officer investigates the Mitsubishi Pajero SUV that the victim filled with $60 of fuel

The alleged attacker was found hiding under a pile of clothes and other items in the car, which had been adapted to accommodate a bed and a number of storage compartments

Police believe the woman was in the four-wheel-drive on a trip from far north Queensland

The pair allegedly met in January at a dance party in Cairns. From there, they allegedly embarked on a road trip together between Cairns and Roma - before they were pulled over in Mitchell, a rural town 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, Queensland on Sunday

It comes as the petrol station owner, who wished to be known only as Donna, exclusively told the Mail today the backpacker walked in to the store in a zombie-like state with a battered face.

'She was in a state of shock when she came in, almost zombie like.

'Then she walked in, wearing a black summer dress and said she couldn't pay for the fuel. Tears were running down her face.

'But what struck me were her black eyes. She looked bad.

'She was nervous and shaking and I thought her behaviour was because she couldn't pay for the fuel.

'She was like a person in a trance.

Recent history of troubling attacks on backpackers travelling Australia On Wednesday, a 60-year-old man will stand trial over an alleged sex attack on two female backpackers at a remote beach southeast of Adelaide. The man, who denies the charges including attempted murder and indecent assault, is accused of attacking the women at remote Salt Creek, in the Coorong National Park, in February last year. And just last week, Queensland police revealed a 24-year-old Polish nanny, who was violently raped while working at Petrie north of Brisbane last year, as killed in a car crash back in her homeland. She died just days before a 28-year-old man was charged over the vicious attack in a council car park, that saw her undergo facial surgery for injuries including a broken nose. But one of the worst cases in recent years involved the rape of 21-year-old French student Sophie Collombet, who was left to die on a Brisbane park bench in March, 2014. In October last year, Benjamin James Milward was jailed for life for raping the student while he was high on ice, and then leaving her covered in nothing but a jacket and a newspaper. Milward was high on ice when he attacked the young traveller, and she remained alive for several hours as passers-by thought she was a sleeping homeless person. Advertisement

'I was very concerned about her.'

Donna said the 22-year-old filled up the white Mitsubishi Pajero SUV with $60 of petrol.

The petrol station owner said had the British backpacker paid for the fuel, she would still be suffering the same ordeal.

If she'd paid for the fuel and gone on her way heaven knows what would have happened to her,' Donna said.

The backpacker told the cashier she could not pay for the petrol because her ex-boyfriend had her wallet and credit cards.

Donna informed the woman if she could not get in touch with him to arrange a payment or get her wallet back, she would be forced to call the police.

At this point, the backpacker walked out to the forecourt, got back in her car and drove away.

'I made the decision to follow her because I thought that if I could get the registration number I'd be able to file a report to the police,' Donna said.

'I couldn't ring the police because it's very difficult to raise anyone in this area and you can't the emergency triple-0 number to report a drive-away,' the petrol station owner added.

The police then pulled the vehicle over during a routine traffic stop.

'That's when they stopped the vehicle and found the man at the back.

'I realise now that the man in the vehicle was the ex-boyfriend she was talking about.

'I asked her where she was from - meaning where had she driven from - and she misunderstood my question and said "From England".

'I'd already guessed that because she had a very English accent.

'There's no doubt that she was upset and I thought it was because of not being able to pay but now I know the circumstances I realise her tears were because of what she was going through.

'I was very concerned about her, but I didn't expect her to just walk out, get in the vehicle and drive off.

'It was as well that she did. If she had been able to pay for the fuel I might not have interfered with her life and she would have gone off and who knows?'

A pile of clothing police will reportedly allege belonged to the man, 22, who has been charged with raping and beating the woman

This is the area police pulled over the white SUV on a road between Mitchell and Roma

Police officers found her in a state of distress and suffering from facial fractures and other injuries.

Photographs reveal the inside of the SUV where the tourist was allegedly held against her will during the horrific ordeal.

Her accused captor was found in an alcove built in the back of the white Mitsubishi Pajero, hidden underneath clothes and 'other items'.

Investigators claimed the couple had met in January at a 'bush doof', a popular outdoor dance party, in Cairns and had agreed to go on a road trip together.

But a court in Roma heard on Monday that the woman was held against her will by the man between January 2 and March 5, as they made their way across Queensland.

Police also believe the man damaged the backpacker's passport, meaning she could not leave the country.

Donna, who had also noted marks on the woman's neck, spoke to her for ten minutes.

The restaurant inside the petrol station where the crying victim talked to the owner

Police from the station in Mitchell, pictured here, happened to be carrying out breath tests

The petrol station worker alerted police setting up a roadside breath test near the National Australia Bank in Mitchell

The 22-year-old woman was rescued after a routine traffic stop in Queensland (Warrego Highway pictured)

Police said they pulled the car over about 15 minutes drive west along the Warrego Highway towards Charleville.

It was immediately clear to officers that something was wrong and they soon found her alleged captor hiding in an alcove that had been built into the back of the car.

The petrol station owner had given chase because she had not written down the number plate of the car.

And as Donna was driving up the road, she saw local police had pulled up doing random breath tests.

'I missed the number plate, I was going to try catch up to it and get the number plate,' she said.

'Mitchell police had just pulled up up the street doing random breath tests. I just told them this white Pajero had just taken off from the fuel station without paying.'

A 22-year-old woman had serious facial injuries and was extremely distressed when police pulled over a four-wheel drive on the Warrego Highway (pictured) at Mitchell

Police believe the backpacker had been doing the bulk of the driving against her will allowing her alleged attacker to hide in the alcove of the SUV to avoid being seen.

Arresting officer Acting Sergeant David Harper said they had left Cairns last week, and told the Brisbane Times: 'Her demeanour and her injuries alerted police that there was something more to the story.'

Detective Inspector Paul Hart described what had happened to the woman as 'quite catastrophic'.

He told ABC the pair had met when she was travelling in the north of country and had spent time together but that their relationship had subsequently 'obviously soured.

'During the course of their travels throughout the state then a number of very serious offences have occurred,' Detective Hart said, adding the alleged attacker was appearing to be hiding from police.

A 22-year-old British backpacker who was repeatedly raped, bashed and choked has been saved by a routine traffic stop near Mitchell, 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane (Mitchell train station pictured)

Police will allege the woman met the Cairns man three months ago and they agreed to go on a road trip (Warrego Highway pictured)

Police found the woman in a four-wheel drive on the Warrego Highway at Mitchell (pictured)

The man, from near Cairns, faces charges including four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

He's also facing drug charges. He was remanded in custody to face court on May 23.

Police pulled over the four-wheel drive about 5pm on Sunday, in what's been described as a random traffic stop.

When they approached the vehicle, they found the injured woman at the wheel. 'It appears she was terrified and not able to hide that,' police said.

The woman is being treated for facial fractures, bruises and cuts to her body in hospital after sh allegedly travelled nearly 1,400 kilometres between Cairns and Roma with the man.

She is now said to be considering moving home to England once her damaged passport has been replaced.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting a British woman following an incident in Queensland and remain in contact with the local authorities.'

A police investigation is continuing.
Prue Leith has said inedible NHS food is stopping patients from getting well.

The 77-year-old cookery writer and restaurateur  tipped to replace Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off  called for an overhaul of hospital menus to provide healthy food that helps patients recover more quickly, freeing up beds.

She said: I once watched my mother lift a cloche from her plate. A grey lake slowly flowed to the edge. Next to this foul-smelling sludge was a pool of watery mash and some khaki peas.

Prue Leith has criticised hospitals over the food they serve to patients

Miss Leith said it was contractors trying to save money who were to blame, not hospital cooks.

All the staff do is reheat frozen meals and lay trays with difficult-to-undo packs of cutlery, sweaty squares of cheese, cheap biscuits and dabs of marge, she told The Oldie magazine. She said a ludicrous budget of 1.49 a meal was not an excuse for inedible food.

Miss Leith added: We need to face the fact that a major overhaul is due, driven by two things  money and convictions.

The most important, by far, is conviction. Health ministers, doctors and administrators need to be convinced that good food is medicine.

If they believed that healthy food would lead to faster healing, that the pleasure of a good meal would cheer their patients up, that the Holy Grail of fewer bed nights  and therefore reduced cost  was attainable, I bet theyd find the money for better quality ingredients, better training, closer kitchens. But dont hold your breath. A recent Patients Association report found one in ten were unhappy with NHS meals.

Katherine Button, co-ordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, said: Prue is right  some hospitals are serving unappealing reheated food to patients in ready-meal packaging.

Its no wonder 400,000 meals a day end up in the bin.

The Campaign for Better Hospital Food think patients deserve wholesome, tasty food that looks appetising and helps patients recover their strength.

For this to happen nationwide we need legal standards for the quality of hospital food served to patients, like we have already in place for food served to children in our schools and prisoners in our prisons.
The Home Secretary yesterday said keeping enough soldiers in the British military was one of her primary concerns.

Amber Rudd admitted that recruiting reserves and maintaining the Army at 82,000 was a challenging and ambitious target.

She told MPs and peers that she had discussed with Defence Secretary Michael Fallon how to combat the problem and they had drawn up plans.

Amber Rudd admitted that recruiting reserves and maintaining the Army at 82,000 was a challenging and ambitious target

This included introducing more family-friendly regulations and rolling out incentives such as a Help to Buy scheme to tackle the recruitment crisis.

She made the comments as she appeared before Parliaments Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.

She was speaking as the chair of the National Security Council sub-committee on the implementation of the strategic, defence and security review (SDSR).

Miss Rudd said: We know that the recruitment for reserves and maintaining the army at 82,000 - retention - is a challenging and ambitious target.

That is one of my primary concerns.

The defence secretary is completely aware of that. We have plans of what to do about that.

She added they were looking at how to improve retention, adding: How to improve recruitment in an economy which is doing well.

Its not obvious necessarily how to attract the best people.

Miss Rudd said the Government had put in place incentives to keep soldiers in the military.

The Home Secretary discussed with Defence Secretary Michael Fallon (pictured) how to combat the problem and they had drawn up plans

She said: We have put in place various initiatives like Help to Buy for the Armed forces so they can acquire property.

More family-friendly regulations. That is one area where we do have concerns but we are taking action.

In January it emerged that only 6,910 cadets signed up to the Army in 12 months  despite top brass setting a target of hiring 9,850.

That represented a recruitment shortfall of nearly 3,000 troops or 30 per cent.

The Army is now 4 per cent below its required strength of 82,000, according to official statistics released by the MoD.

Excluding redundancies, 15,140 regular troops left the Armed Forces over 2016, with 13,450 new troops coming in.

Falling numbers have been blamed on the legal witch-hunt soldiers faced over incidents in Iraq and better paid jobs elsewhere in a booming economy.

Soldiers have also become frustrated by the lack of wars and frontline action.

Millions of pounds has already been spent on recruiting campaigns.
Two women have spoken out about dealing with revenge porn after it was revealed nude photos have been posted on a Facebook group called 'Marines United'.

Kelsie Stone broke up with her Marine boyfriend in 2016, and not long after received a text from a friend containing screenshots of the photos of her naked that had been posted the page.

They were allegedly posted by her ex-boyfriend, who she had sent the photos to while they were still dating.

Kelsie Stone (pictured) broke up with her Marine boyfriend in 2016, and not long after received a text from a friend containing screenshots of the photos of her without clothes that had been posted to the page

Stone works as a bartender in a town with a lot of Marines, and said she often feels uncomfortable leaving her home because people recognize her from the photos and make comments.

She told Marine Corps Times that people either make suggestive comments, saying that they liked what they saw, or call her a whore for sending them in the first place.

Stone works as a bartender in a town with a lot of Marines, and said she often feels uncomfortable leaving her home because people recognize her from the photos and make comments

Stone has also heard that her ex-boyfriend is receiving 'brownie points' with other Marines for his actions.

She has little doubt that what her ex-boyfriend did rises to the level of sexual violence, and is considering moving as a result.

'Some days I don't want to leave my house. I grew up a Marine brat and this isn't the Marine Corps image my dad fought to represent,' she told the Times.

Her mother, Petra McGinnis, told the Times that Stone has been devastated from the fallout, especially because of the recent death of her best friend, who committed suicide.

A second woman, Elle Audra, left the Marine Corps as a corporal in 2010 and is now a model, and believes that nude photos of her were also posted on the Facebook page.

Audra told Marine Corps Times that she receives messages that generally say something like 'Where were you when I was in? I would've f***** you too?'

She said that the scariest message she received was from a man who said he knew when and where she had deployed, and who asked if she would have sex with him.

Elle Audra (right) said that the scariest message she received was from a man who said he knew when and where she had deployed, and who asked if she would have sex with him

Audra also said that she advocates for survivors of sexual assaults, and hopes that good can come out of the emerging scandal if it draws attention from officials in Washington.

'I believe this is a start to a better and safer marine corps,' she told the Times.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating a number of Marines who have shared photos of nude women, nude service members and nude veterans on the Facebook page.

Victims can contact NCIS online, and Marines can contact their chain of command or local law enforcement, Marine officials have said.

Marine Corps spokesman Major Christian Devine was one of many officials who denounced the online behavior.

He told the Times: 'People who do this to others, regardless of their proclaimed affiliation to military culture, are cowards. Their actions are inconsistent with the Marine Corps' values and team building, and it impedes our collective ability to perform our mission and win.'
Joe Rogers, a co-founder of the Waffle House chain of restaurants that are dotted across 25 states mainly in the southern United States, died on Friday. He was 97.

In 1955, Rogers and his partner, Tom Forkner, opened the first of what was to grow into a network of over 1,900 Waffle House restaurant locations in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

The two men had wanted to provide locals with a restaurant that would be open all night and offer no-frills meals, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

They had gotten the idea while serving in the National Guard in 1937, when they snuck away from their rural Tennessee post late at night and dined in the modest home of an elderly couple.

Joe Rogers (right), who co-founded the Waffle House chain of restaurants with his business partner, Tom Forkner (left), died on Friday. He was 97

The concept of feeding tired and hungry patrons in the dead of night proved to be a hit, and the success of the restaurant gave birth to a franchise that has become a cultural staple in the South.

'Our job is to make people feel better because they ate with us,' Rogers told the AJC in an interview years ago.

While Forkner was more focused on the business aspect of operating a franchise, Rogers took greater pleasure in customer service.

'We're not in the restaurant business,' Rogers said. 'We're in the people business.'

In 1955, Rogers (left) and Forkner opened the first of what was to grow into a network of over 1,900 Waffle House restaurant locations in Avondale Estates, Georgia

The two men had wanted to provide locals with a restaurant that would be open all night and offer no-frills meals. The first-ever Waffle House in Avondale Estates, Georgia, is seen in the above stock image

Rogers also had a soft spot for his employees and their daily struggles.

'Most of our waitresses have hard lives,' he said in a 2004 interview. 'A lot of them have a bunch of kids at home, and maybe their husbands don't have good jobs. We can't solve all their problems, but we can listen to them.'

Rogers' son, Joe Rogers, Jr, is currently the chairman of Waffle House, Inc.

'My father genuinely loved every customer who walked into a Waffle House, and customers immediately understood that,' Joe Rogers Jr said in a news release.

'The customer always came first for him, and he made sure the customer came first for everyone who worked with him.'

Rogers and Forkner continued to run the chain until the late 1970s, when they gradually began to withdraw.

'Joe and Tom never imagined their company would grow to the 1,900 restaurants we have today,' Joe Rogers Jr. said.

'They never envisioned the financial success shared by so many of their associates 61 years later.'

Even with all the success, Rogers never saw himself as a corporate tycoon who headed a restaurant chain that made his net worth an estimated $400million.

'I'm not an executive,' he told the AJC in 2004. 'I'm a waffle cook.'

Joe Rogers is survived by his wife of 74 years, Ruth, and his four children and many grandchildren.
Richard Simmons's publicist said that claims Simmons is being held hostage by his housekeeper at his California home are false.

Simmons representative Tom Estey told People: 'Theresa is the housekeeper, shes the caretaker, she is extraordinary, she is amazing, she takes impeccable care of Richard and she has for as long as I have been working with Richard.

'So that is a complete load of cr**.'

Estey said that Simmons has merely decided to live outside the public eye and played no role in the podcast 'Missing Richard Simmons' produced by Simmons' friend and former Daily Show producer Dan Taberski.

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Richard Simmons's publicist Tom Estey, pictured right, said that claims Simmons is being held hostage by his housekeeper are false. He called the allegations 'a complete load of cr**.' Pictured left: Richard Simmons

Estey said Simmons has merely decided to live privately and added he played no role in the podcast 'Missing Richard Simmons' produced by Dan Taberski. The podcast explores Simmons's relationship with his housekeeper Teresa Reveles, pictured left with Simmons

Estey told the magazine: 'We did not cooperate nor participate in this podcast because we didn't feel the need to nor did we want to.'

The podcast, currently iTunes's most popular, probes the fitness guru's whereabouts and delves into his relationship with his housekeeper, Teresa Reveles.

Simmons, 68, has not been seen in public since 2014 and last year he was forced to respond to reports that he was a victim of elder abuse at the hands of his housekeeper, Teresa Reveles.

In 2014, Simmons completely dropped off the map - he stopped returning phone calls, closed his fitness studio, and became a recluse.

The podcast, which is being compared to Serial, aims to humanize the eccentric icon, and shed light on what he's been doing behind the closed curtain all these years.

Simmons's former assistant Mauro Oliveira, pictured left with Simmons, told DailyMail.com last year that Simmons' housekeeper was controlling him with black magic - and it was Simmons himself who confided to his friend that he was under her thumb

Estey said neither he nor Simmons took part in the podcast, which is currently iTunes's most popular

The first episode 'Where's Richard?' discusses Taberski's budding relationship with the fitness fanatic, after he attended many of Simmons' exercise classes at his one-room studio in Beverly Hills, Slimmons, where he taught for 40 years.

He tells of how he immediately became obsessed with the classes because of Simmons' uniquely outlandish personality for which he is famed.

In the second episode Taberski goes to Simmons' home to see if he can find him but there is no sign of him.

The description of the podcast says: 'In February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared.

'He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world. Nobody has heard from him  and no one knows why he left.

'Filmmaker Dan Taberski was a Slimmons regular and a friend of Richards. Missing Richard Simmons is Dans search for Richard  and the deeper he digs, the stranger it gets.'

Taberski plans on releasing six podcasts exploring his disappearance.

Rumors have circulated wildly about the possible reason for his reclusiveness. Some have speculated that he is transitioning into a woman, is depressed over the death of his prized dalmatian or is marred by knee injuries, Chron reported.

After elder abuse was reported by an anonymous friend of Simmons last year, Los Angeles Police visited his home and reportedly were satisfied with his condition - but friends remain unsure.

His housekeeper Reveles is the only person that's been seen emerging from Simmons house in recent years.

His former assistant Mauro Oliveira, told DailyMail.com last year that Simmons' housekeeper was controlling him with black magic - and it was Simmons himself who confided to his friend that he was under her thumb.

'Yes, that's what he told me [about Teresa],' said Oliveira.

'He told me last time we spoke. I asked him, "does she control your life?" He said, "Yes."'

Oliveira added that he saw Simmons 'trembling' and believed he might be suicidal.

He also expressed concern that the way Simmons spoke during his last interview - where he assured reporters he was OK - didn't sound 'right'.

He thinks that Reveles believes she is Simmons' unofficial 'wife', and doesn't want any other people around to compete for his affection.
Advertisement

It look like a gadget-filled motor that would have featured on the Thunderbirds.

But this British 4x4 will soon be used by search and rescue teams to help save lives during disaster relief operations.

The specially developed Land Rover Discovery has an in-built drone that launches through the vehicles roof.

It will allow rescuers to drive close to the scene of major emergencies - ranging from avalanches and earthquakes to rail crashes and floods - sending back details of unseen dangers ahead.

The specially developed Land Rover Discovery has an in-built drone that launches through the vehicles roof

The vehicle can even deliver small packages of medical supplies, food and water, to stricken people who cannot be reached

Crucially the drone can be launched while the vehicle is in motion  at speeds of up to 25mph - thanks to ground-breaking world-first docking technology.

It can even deliver small packages of medical supplies, food and water, to stricken people who cannot be reached.

The vehicle has been developed by Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division in conjunction with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent using the latest Discovery model and drone technology.

It is being unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show before going into service for a one year trial with the Austrian Red Cross at its training centre in Erzberg, in the mountainous Eisenerz region, and in Vienna.

It has been codenamed Project Hero after the dedication of the life-saving Red Cross teams who will use it.

If trials are successful, it could be the first of a fleet in service around the world.

It is hoped that similar vehicles could be created for clients beyond search and rescue and that the technology could even find its way into mainstream production cars for customers.

The Red Cross has a 63 year association with the UK 4X4 manufacturer stretching back to 1954 and currently uses 120 of its vehicles covering 18 humanitarian and rescue projects in 24 countries across four continents.

It looks like a gadget-filled motor that would have featured on the Thunderbirds. But this innovative British 4x4 will soon be used by search and rescue teams to help save lives during disaster relief operation

It has been codenamed Project Hero after the dedication of the life-saving Red Cross teams who will use it. If trials are successful, it could be the first of a fleet in service around the world

The vehicle has been developed by Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division in conjunction with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent using the latest Discovery model and drone technology

It will allow rescuers to drive close to the scene of major emergencies - ranging from avalanches and earthquakes to rail crashes and floods - sending back details of unseen dangers ahead

The car is being unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show before going into service for a one year trial with the Austrian Red Cross at its training centre in Erzberg, in the mountainous Eisenerz region, and in Vienna

The drone system has the world-first automatic take-off and Autoland feature to make launching and retrieval back into the vehicles roof-top drone-dock much easier.

The operator inside the vehicle controls the drone remotely via a touch-screen tablet linked to an app on the Discoverys on-board electronic system.

The drone flies ahead of vehicle to the scene of an emergency, giving operators a birds eye view of the scene ahead and any impending danger.

It can also be programmed to carry out specific search patterns.

High definition and thermal imaging cameras and LED lights, help feed images back to the vehicle day or night.

The information can help direct rescuers and sniffer-dog handling teams to where people are stranded.

High definition and thermal imaging cameras and LED lights, help feed images back to the vehicle day or night

The operator inside the vehicle controls the drone remotely via a touch-screen tablet linked to an app on the Discoverys on-board electronic system

Crucially the drone can be launched while the vehicle is in motion  at speeds of up to 25mph - thanks to ground-breaking world-first docking technology

A spokesman said: The drone can take-off from the vehicle and also land on to the moving vehicle with the touch of a button.

The roof dock slides back, allowing the drone to automatically take off. To recall the drone, the operator selects Autoland and the drone tracks the position of the vehicle and automatically lands in the roof dock - which then closes.

A spokesman for JLRs Special Vehicle Operations team added: A fully integrated landing system featuring self-centring and magnetic retention technology is a world-first that enables the drone to land on Project Hero when the vehicle is in motion.

With the drone airborne, live footage can be transmitted to the Red Crosss emergency response teams, helping them respond more quickly and effectively to landslides, earthquakes, floods and avalanches.

Dramatic landscape changes can make maps redundant, which adds to the danger and difficulty of finding and rescuing survivors, so the drones birds-eye view will allow rescuers to investigate an emergency scene from a safe distance.

The drone system has the world-first automatic take-off and Autoland feature to make launching and retrieval back into the vehicles roof-top drone-dock much easier

It is hoped that similar vehicles could be created for clients beyond search and rescue and that the technology could even find its way into mainstream production cars for customers

The Red Cross has a 63 year association with the UK 4X4 manufacturer stretching back to 1954 and currently uses 120 of its vehicles covering 18 humanitarian and rescue projects in 24 countries across four continents

The spokesman for the project noted: Shared expertise has created a unique vehicle featuring drone technology that we ultimately hope will help the Red Cross save lives.

She added: Drones have the potential to improve the accuracy, speed and efficiency of rescue and relief efforts in emergency and disaster operations.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations managing director John Edwards, said: We hope to help the Red Cross save lives in emergency situations.

Dr Jemilah Mahmood, IFRC Under Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent said: Project Hero combines the best expertise of the Red Cross and Jaguar Land Rover to create a truly unique vehicle, which we hope will be capable of making a difference to rescue operations in the toughest environments.
Having donated 250,000 to the Remain campaign last year fighting Brexit, American bank Morgan Stanley is still content to throw money at David Cameron.

The former Prime Minister gave a talk two weeks ago to Morgan Stanley Investment Management and was paid around 100,000 for his efforts, which is almost as much as the 143,462 he earned in a whole year as PM.

He was 'putting on a show for Morgan Stanley's clients like a performing seal', says my source.

The pro-EU bankers at Morgan Stanley were cheerleaders for Project Fear and have always been downbeat about Brexit.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron gave a talk two weeks ago to Morgan Stanley and was paid around 100,000 for his efforts, which is almost as much as he earned in a whole year as PM

Last year the bank's boss, James Gorman, said: 'We believe that leaving the union could be damaging to the UK economy and the City.'

The fee will renew criticism that Cameron, 50, is following in Tony Blair's footsteps by pursuing lucrative roles after being in office.

Before Christmas, Mr Cameron was paid tens of thousands of pounds for attending a private breakfast organised by the Gerson Lehrman Group, advising hedge fund managers on the consequences of Brexit.

While Tony Blair has gone on to make an estimated fortune of 27 million Cameron, who quit the House of Commons when he was four years younger than Blair, could give him a run for his money.

Besides working on his memoirs, for which he has been paid around 800,000, he has two unpaid roles at charities: as president of Alzheimer's Research UK and chairing the National Citizen Service.

He has indicated that he plans to spend two or three days a month giving paid speeches.

As he is no longer an MP he does not have to declare his earnings.

And while he is not permitted to draw on 'privileged information' he acquired in office during his commercial activities, critics say this is impossible to police at events taking place behind closed doors.

Cameron and Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

Being High Sheriff of Gloucestershire has had its moments for Countess Bathurst despite her husband, the Earl, spending four months in hospital recovering from a life-threatening illness that put him in a coma.

'It was a difficult time, but I found huge solace in my duties,' Lady Bathurst says.

'[Duties] such as having a fire engine named after me, The Lady Bathurst. Isn't that the coolest thing ever?

'I've been metaphorically putting out fires for most of my life. Now I actually am.'

David Tennant says he hates that fans are surprised that he's so tall

David Tennant may be a charismatic actor on screen but he says he hates the fact that his fans are always surprised he is so tall.

'People think I'm short,' the ex-Doctor Who-turned-Broadchurch star says.

'A lot of the time people go, 'Oh you're so tall.'

'I don't know why that is. Maybe I act short but I'm quite tall [6ft 1 inch].'

He also says he finds it 'terrifying' when he is recognised in public.

'People lean over in restaurants and say: 'Don't look now but that's him off the telly.'

'I'm not moaning  there are huge advantages  but you feel vulnerable.'

Labour's Stella Creasy, Tulip Siddiq and Harriet Harman will this week decamp to WOW  the Women Of The World festival  at the Southbank Centre, which includes an 'under-tens feminist corner'.

The highlight is a 'wild cabaret show hosted by international whip-teaser Diva Hollywood' whose performance is 'full of sin, sauce and seduction'.

It's one way for Jeremy Corbyn to get his rebellious MPs to take the whip.

Former Tory MP David Faber, the one-time golden boy of the 1992 intake, who quit the Commons in 2001 and is now headmaster of Oxford's Summer Fields prep school, is asked about his former political contemporaries such as Liam Fox.

He replies that he sometimes watches them late at night on TV's parliamentary channel.

Better than Mogadon or any other sleeping tablet.
Two of Britains most senior cabinet ministers yesterday accused Russia of orchestrating cyber-war in Europe.

The warnings came amid increasing concern that armies of hackers linked to the Kremlin are seeking to influence elections across the continent.

Boris Johnson, who is set to visit Moscow in the coming weeks, said: Lets be very clear, Russia is up to all sorts of no good.

Boris Johnson has accused Russia of orchestrating cyber-war in Europe. The warnings come amid concerns over armies of hackers linked to the Kremlin. Mr Johnson said: Lets be very clear, Russia is up to all sorts of no good.

He added: They are Im afraid engaged in cyber-warfare, theyre engaged in undermining countries in the Western Balkans  you saw what happened in Montenegro  to say nothing of Russias actions in Ukraine which are as everybody knows completely unacceptable.

So point number one is to get that message across to the Russians. Theyve got to change, theyve got to show that they can be trusted again and that I think that is very important.

He stressed there was no appetite for a new Cold War.

He added: They are Im afraid engaged in cyber-warfare, theyre engaged in undermining countries in the Western Balkans  you saw what happened in Montenegro  to say nothing of Russias actions in Ukraine which are as everybody knows completely unacceptable.

Last month, Russia denied that it was involved in an attempted coup during Montenegros election, after a Montenegrin prosecutor claimed Russian state bodies had played a role in an attempted putsch to stop the country joining Nato.

Meanwhile, Fallon said there had been a step-change in Russias behaviour and raised concerns that it is trying to influence the upcoming election in Germany.

Speaking during a visit to Brussels with Mr Johnson, Fallon said he hoped an investigation in Montenegro would establish the facts, adding that the UKs policy over Russia was to engage but beware.

He said: There is concern about Russian activity in the western Balkans. There is also concern, as you know, in Germany about potential Russian involvement in the German elections just as there has been in other European elections but, yes, the situation in the western Balkans remains extremely fragile.
When you play hide-and-seek, you don't expect to find yourself 25 kilometres away from home after hiding in the back of your mums car.

However this is exactly what happened to a five-year-old Perth boy whose parents reported him as a missing person when they were unable to find him.

Police described the event as 'the greatest game of hide and seek ever', after the boy, who was playing the activity with his brother at his home in Gidgegannup, 40 kilometres north-east of Perth, sparked a frantic search.

The missing boy was found at the Midland Shopping Centre, 25km east from his home in Gidgegannup, in the back of his mother's SUV

Perhaps out of ideas or looking for an inspired choice, the boy sought out his mother's Mazda SUV as prime hiding material.

Officers said the boy though the car would be 'an excellent hiding place', yet his mother who was had no idea that her son was hiding, took the vehicle to the Midland Gate Shopping Centre to see a movie with a friend.

When passers-by noticed the child, they called security who took him into custody.

Hide and seek: Police described the boy's disappearance as the 'greatest game of hide and seek ever'

The boy's father meanwhile noticed that his son was missing and immediately notified his wife of the boy's disappearance.

Leaving the movie to help in the frantic search, the mother drove home not knowing that her son was still in the shopping centre with security.

Unable to find their son the parents notified police who had soon after been informed of the child's whereabouts.

The relived parents were reunited with their sneaky son a short time later, but the boy still had bragging rights to 'the greatest game of hide and seek ever.'
Two West Australian men risk a decade in prison after allegedly trying to import child-like sex dolls.

The dolls depict children and feature anatomically correct genitalia.

The shipments were allegedly intercepted by the Australian Border Force, which then tipped off WA police, prompting raids of the men's homes, the West Australian reported.

A Border Force spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the agency has two ongoing investigations in WA.

Two WA men risk a decade in prison after they tried to import child-like sex dolls. The dolls in the picture are modeled after adult women and are not related to the investigations in WA

Importing child sex dolls and other illegal child exploitation material carries a fine of up to $450,000, the spokesperson said.

The men also risk up to 10 years in prison if convicted under the Customs Act.

The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 specifically prohibits child sex dolls.

'In relation to dolls manufactured for a sexual purpose, if the doll appears to be a depiction of a child under 18 years of age, the doll is considered to be objectionable and prohibited,' the regulations state.

The West Australian reported the dolls were imported from Asian manufacturers, but didn't specify which companies or countries were involved.

The ABF spokesperson declined to specify where the dolls were manufactured, saying she was unable to provide details on the ongoing investigations.

According to the West Australian, ABF agents have seized 23 prohibited dolls since 2013.

'While investigations often begin with an interception of a child sex doll by ABF at the border, subsequent warrant activity often locates additional evidence of child exploitation which may result in more serious charges,' an ABF spokesperson told the newspaper.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted WA police for comment.

Two WA men tried to import creepy sex dolls that looked like children. But the shipments were intercepted by the ABF, which tipped off WA police, according to a report. Stock photograph
One of Britains greatest success stories of modern times is the revival of a motor industry which, in the latter part of the 20th century, had become a symbol of industrial decline.

In 2016, production reached its highest level since 1999, with more than 1.7million cars made in the UK, many of them in the luxury bracket and sporting some of the most innovative technology in the world.

Against this buoyant background, it is dispiriting that the American giant General Motors, a stalwart of car-making in Britain since 1925, is upping sticks and selling Vauxhall Motors and its other operations in the UK to French manufacturer Peugeot.

This follows a GM board decision in Detroit to cut itself loose from loss-making European operations.

CEO of PSA Carlos Tavares, Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann, right, and GM CEO Mary Barra, left, announced on Monday that General Motors is selling its loss-making European car business, including Germany's Opel and British brand Vauxhall, to France's PSA group

Brummer says the deal puts longer-term job prospects for the 4,500 people working at the Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire, and in Luton (pictured above), at the historic heart of GM in Britain, at risk

The 1.9billion transaction is disturbing because of the black cloud it leaves over the longer-term job prospects for the 4,500 people working at the Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire, and in Luton, at the historic heart of GM in Britain.

The job guarantees offered by Peugeot to the supine Business Secretary Greg Clark look less than robust.

There must be serious concerns about the still fuzzy arrangements to protect the rights of up to 15,000 members of the Vauxhall pension scheme.

The Governments wishy-washy response to the Peugeot takeover is in stark contrast to the still unknown but firmer promises that Theresa May made to Japanese car maker Nissan to keep it in Britain soon after she became Prime Minister.

The UK is thought to have offered Nissan up to 100million of tax breaks and other assistance to keep its European manufacturing in Sunderland.

Of course Peugeot are talking up the takeover, with chief executive Carlos Tavares very positive about the future of the UK operations. But we should treat what he says with a huge dose of scepticism.

Almost every foreign takeover that unfolds in Britain is accompanied by just such sugar-coated commitments. Some of those promises are abandoned within days, such as when Kraft took over Cadbury in 2010. But usually it is a slower process.

Cars sit in the distribution yard at the company's manufacturing plant on in Ellesmere Port, which is home of the Vauxhall Astra

As a rule, if companies are forced into cost savings to please investors, or simply to survive, the first jobs to go are those not based in the firms home nation, where the political fall-out will be less marked.

In this case, there are already indications that GM and Peugeot have been more interested in offering guarantees to Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Opel factories in Germany. Peugeot has a mixed history as a British motor manufacturer. In 1978, it bought factories at Ryton in Coventry for one US dollar from Chrysler.

In the Eighties and Nineties Peugeot manufactured several successful models at Ryton, but by the early 2000s the only car being made there was its most compact offering, the 209, which celebrated production of one million cars in 2004.

By 2006, the honeymoon was over despite desperate efforts by the Labour government, and the factory was shut at the end of that year.

In 2008 Peugeot was saved from bankruptcy by a bail-out under which 14 per cent of shares were ceded to the French government, and a further 14 per cent to a Chinese investor.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said thousands of Vauxhall workers at Ellesmere Port (pictured) and Luton had endured a 'nerve-racking' few weeks

Effectively Frances political leaders will now have a say in the future of GMs British operations, which cannot be a good thing if jobs are at stake. Peugeot owner PSA says its goal is return Opel and Vauxhall to profit. But to do that it will have to make big cost savings  estimated at 1.47billion a year  with no detail yet as to where they will come from.

Even though Vauxhalls UK jobs have been ring-fenced for three years, that cannot be guaranteed in the long term given the over-capacity in European carmaking and fears, stoked by French president Francois Hollande, that Britain will be punished for Brexit.

Former business secretary Vince Cable argues that Vauxhall will be particularly vulnerable to Brexit because an estimated 80 per cent of its cars are sold to the EU.

Paradoxically, the Peugeot boss has suggested the reverse, saying that his company will want to keep production in Britain to take advantage of future UK trade deals that could benefit exports.

For example, the United States is the biggest growth market for British-made cars  especially the Jaguar and Land Rover brands  with sales jumping by 47 per cent last year.

One of the most important aspects of this sale to Peugeot will be the arrangements made for Vauxhall pension scheme members. Under the agreement, GM says it will continue to honour pension obligations built up over decades.

The UKs Pensions Regulator and the trustees of the pension funds will need to be assured that support for the retirement fund is iron-clad.

There is a concerted effort by the British Government and Peugeot to put the best gloss on the Vauxhall and Ellesmere Port takeover, and the future of the British plants. The success stories of BMW (maker of the Mini), Nissan, Honda and Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover in Britain ought to be a source of confidence.

But the past record of Peugeot in the UK, and the growing urge to cut costs, should give rise to great misgivings.
Nuclear-armed North Korea said Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, as President Trump warned Kim Jong-Un of 'dire consequences' and deployed missiles to South Korea.

The latest declaration from Pyongyang comes the day after it launched four ballistic missiles 600 miles into the Sea of Japan, in an alarming show of strength.

On Tuesday, the regime also released pictures of King Jong-Un watching the launch of the missiles and applauding with a wild grin on his face.

Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

In a phone call, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had 'entered a new stage.'

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defense system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its ways.

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North Korea news sources showed the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un, smiling and clapping as the nuclear-armed nation launched three missiles in training for a strike on US bases in Japan

Three of the four missiles fired Monday, pictured, came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump

Kim Jong-Un, pictured, gave the order for the drill to start, North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency reported. 'Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets,' he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, the government news agency said

The news agency commented said the missiles are 'tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency.' Pictured: The four missiles

'The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said,' the agency added, referring to Kim. Photographs published by Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the missiles rise into the air

And the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday after a request by Washington and Tokyo to discuss additional measures following the launch.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world 'won't allow' North Korea to continue on its 'destructive path.'

THADD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, systems are in place in Hawaii and Guam to defend against North Korea but this is the first time the US has deployed one in South Korea, NBC News reported.

Parts of the THAAD system arrived in South Korea by Monday, despite Beijing's proclamation that the US defense system is 'a clear, present and substantive threat to China's security interests.'

The Defense Ministry said the missiles flew about 539 nautical miles after being launched from Tongchang-ri (Sohae Satellite Launching Station). Three missiles fell within Japan's exclusive economic zone (pictured light blue), 188 miles to 215 miles west of the Oga Peninsula

The attack by North Korea comes as global condemnation of the regime swelled. Pictured: A US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft landing at Osan Air Base near Seoul, South Korea, on March 6

On Monday, the US military began deploying an anti-ballistic missile defense system, 'Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense' (THAAD), to South Korea following the attacks. The parts are arriving at Osan US Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had 'entered a new stage.' Pictured: Abe and Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on February 11

Trump has described North Korea as a 'big, big problem' and vowed to deal with the issue 'very strongly.'

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday the administration was taking steps to 'enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles.'

The New York Times reported at the weekend that under former president Barack Obama the US stepped up cyber attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off.

Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defense system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its way. Pictured: A South Korea news broadcast of the missile test

A television displays news broadcast's infographics reporting on North Korea test-firing ballistic missiles, at a station in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday

The UN Security Council scheduled emergency meeting for Wednesday after a request by US and Japan to discuss additional measures following the launch. Under UN resolutions, North Korea is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology. Pictured: NK leader Kim Jong-Un

Six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt North Korea's drive for what it insists are defensive weapons. Pictured center: Kim Jong-Un

Six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt North Korea's drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

'Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets', he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.

'The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said,' the agency added, referring to Kim.

The military units involved are 'tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency,' KCNA said.

But a US defense official said that North Korea had launched five extended-range Scud missiles on Monday, with one crashing somewhere over the Korean peninsula.

THADD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, systems are in place in Hawaii and Guam to defense against North Korea but this is the first time the US has deployed one in South Korea. Pictured: Military trucks at a US army unit in Dongducheon, South Korea

Trump has described North Korea as a 'big, big problem' and vowed to deal with the issue 'very strongly.' Pictured: Elements of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system being deployed to Osan US Air Base in South Korea

Parts of the THAAD system arrived in South Korea by Monday, despite Beijing's proclamation that the US defense system is 'a clear, present and substantive threat to China's security interests.' Pictured: A South Korea sentry post at the Demilitarized Zone separating the Koreas

Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-Un ordered his military 'to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime,' KCNA reported, and to be ready to 'open fire to annihilate the enemies' when ordered.

A series of photographs published by the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the missiles rise into the air and another of him smiling gleefully, clapping with other officials.

Military personnel walk past Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force missile interceptor unit, which was deployed to counter North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles

TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a US army anti-ballistic missile system currently deployed in Hawaii and Guam. Operations to install THAAD in South Korea commenced Monday, March 6, following increased aggression from North Korea. South Korea and the United States agreed last year to install the THAAD system, which China has repeatedly denounced as a threat to its security. On installing THAAD in SK, the Pacific Command said: '(THAAD) contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the US-ROK Alliance's defense against North Korean missile threats.' The system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. An AFP graphic illustrates THAAD's four-part response. First, radar detects a ballistic missile and the incoming threat is identified and engaged. The THAAD interceptor, which is composed of a booster and a 'kill vehicle,' is launched from the launcher, a vehicle that can carry up to eight interceptors. Fire control and communications support are on hand as the kill vehicle separates from the booster after launch. The interceptor uses kinetic energy to destroy the ballistic missile. The system is considered to be highly deployable and its manufacturer is Lockheed Martin. It is able to target missiles from both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. The system has had a perfect track record in flight testing since 2005, Lockheed Martin reports. Advertisement

South Korea officials said Monday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province, travelling about 620 miles. Pictured: South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo

Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but Monday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.

The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region.

Choi Kang, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the launch was a warning to Tokyo.

'North Korea is demonstrating that its target is not just limited to the Korean peninsula anymore but can extend to Japan at anytime and even the US,' he said.

Kim Jong-Un ordered his military 'to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime.' Pictured: Kim Jong-Un guiding the test-fire of a missile in an undated photo

NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE SYSTEM It is not yet clear which type of missiles were shot by North Korea into the Sea of Japan Monday. The nuclear-armed nation said Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan. Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone. North Korea could have as many as 1,000 missiles, a mixture of short-range, medium-range, intermediate-range and intercontinental-range. Intercontinental missiles, which can be shot more than 3,500 miles, would, depending on its longevity, be able to hit the United States from North Korea. Its program began in the 1970s with Scuds, or Soviet-developed missiles, that are believed to have been brought from Egypt. By the 1980s North Korea was building Hwasongs, or unique versions of the Soviet missile. The military was producing medium-range missiles, with a range of up to 2,000 miles, by the 1980s and had sold some of its artillery to other countries. More recently, the country has developed missiles with significantly wider ranges including the Taepodong-2, whose range could be as high as 9,300 miles though is more conservatively estimated to be 3,700. And it is believed that the country has been developing an even longer-ranging missile called the KN-08. The Pentagon believes the Asian nation could have six or more KN-08 missiles. Source: BBC Advertisement

Pictured is a satellite image take in 2013 of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province

Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities, and last month announced a suspension of all coal imports from the North until the end of the year - a crucial source of foreign currency.

Pyongyang wants to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland - something Trump has vowed would not happen.

It has undoubtedly made progress in its efforts in recent years, although questions remain over its ability to master re-entry technology and miniaturize a nuclear weapon sufficiently to fit it onto a missile warhead.

Seoul said Monday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province, travelling about 620 miles.
FBI Director James Comey was 'incredulous' over President Donald Trump's allegation over the weekend that Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of his phones during the election campaign, CNN reported on Monday.

Trump dropped the latest political bombshell on Washington this past Saturday when he tweeted: 'Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!'

The jaw-dropping allegation was denied by Obama's spokesperson and roundly denounced by Democrats.

Republicans, meanwhile, urged the White House to come forward with evidence to support Trump's charge.

Comey was so taken aback by Trump's allegation that he reportedly ordered his aides to lobby his bosses at the Justice Department to publicly refute the president's claim.

The FBI chief is eager to push back on the allegation because it insinuates that his agency broke the law by conducting politically motivated espionage against an opposition candidate for president, according to CNN.

FBI Director James Comey (left) was 'incredulous' over President Donald Trump's (right) allegation over the weekend that his predecessor, Barack Obama, ordered a wiretap of his phones during the election campaign

A spokesman for Obama (pictured in Washington on Sunday) denied Trump's allegation as 'simply false' on Saturday afternoon

A top-level source told CNN that Comey felt compelled that 'institutionally he has to push back on this' due to the magnitude of the unsubstantiated allegations.

Comey is reportedly frustrated by the Justice Department's unwillingness to forcefully knock down Trump's claims.

It is not clear why Comey himself did not issue a statement on his own behalf.

CNN reported that Comey is now mulling the appropriate forum and manner in which he will seek to refute the allegation.

'He might come out and say only time will tell, but right now they (FBI and DOJ) should be in the exact same place and they're not,' CNN quoted a 'source familiar with the matter' as saying.

If Comey publicly shoots down the president's claims, it may very well set up a confrontation between the two men that could ultimately cost the FBI director his job.

DID OBAMA ORDER THE WIRETAPPING ON TRUMP TOWER? President Trump claimed in a series of tweets that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower back in October, early Saturday morning. The Obama administration quickly denied Trump's allegations that the former president had ordered a wiretap on the New York building on Saturday. A statement put forth by his team said: '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.' However, most glaringly, the statement did not deny allegations that there was a wiretap. It simply said Obama never ordered one on Trump. This means that another federal agency may have sought authorization to listen in on Trump Tower and received it. Advertisement

'Does he know of possibility there might be a confrontation and be fired by the President? Sure,' the source said.

'Does he worry about it? No.'

Earlier on Monday, top Trump aides said they do not believe Comey's reported denial that Obama ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower before the election.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told ABC News Trump 'firmly believes' that the wiretapping allegations that they say have been 'reported pretty widely' should be looked at by Congress.

The White House is claiming that reports from the New York Times, BBC and Fox News back up the explosive charges against the previous president, even though there's no such evidence as Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos today pointed out.

Sanders insisted, 'It does back up the fact that the administration was wiretapping American citizens.'

'There was wide reporting suggesting that his administration, whether it was directly ordered by this president specifically, his administration could have done this.'

The reports she mentioned appear not to have confirmed the existence of the wiretap, but reported Trump's tweets which first raised the issue.

Sanders also said Trump doesn't necessarily believe that Comey called on the Justice Department to publicly refute the president's wiretapping claims in the first place.

She argued that the president has not seen a 'firm denial from the FBI.'

The Trump spokeswoman could not say whether the president had called Comey himself to ask him about the possibility that the agency was spying on him.

She suggested that it would be improper, and that is why the president has requested that the House Intelligence Committee probe the matter.

Trump launched a Twitter tirade early Saturday accusing Obama of tapping his phones at Trump Tower prior to the election

Trump has not provided any evidence to support his claims

'From my understanding,' she said, 'there is a process that this has to follow.'

Sanders clashed repeatedly with Stephanopolous, who cut her off repeatedly - and said later, to DailyMail.com, that she misheard his first question, leading to claim that the president doesn't believe Comey.

Stephanopolous attacked her in the interview for claiming reports from the New York Times and others backed up the president, when they simply did not.

He said that only one report suggested there had been a court-ordered wiretap - which would not have been illegal.

After the shocking allegation of wiretapping that Trump compared to the Watergate scandal on Saturday, presidential aide Kellyanne Conway challenged Comey to reveal what he knows about the president's claims.

Conway last night demanded that Comey speak on the record if he wants to discredit the charges, although she could not confirm in the interview, on Fox News, that Trump knew for sure that the allegation is true.

Sanders had the same problem in a Sunday morning interview on ABC News.

This Week host Martha Raddatz challenged her to back up the president's previous claim that the wiretapping definitely happened.

'You keep saying, if, if, if. The president of the United States said it was a fact,' said Raddatz.

Trump's claims seem to have stemmed from a Thursday evening radio show hosted by Mark Levin that claimed Obama executed a 'silent coup' of Trump via 'police state' tactics, according to Breitbart News.

In June last year, the Obama administration filed a request with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) to monitor communications involving Trump and several advisers but the request was denied, according to multiple reports at the time.

Some media outlets say a follow-up request, narrower in scope was made in October, approved and led to an investigation, however this has not been verified.

According to those claims, the new FISA request was focused on a Trump computer server alleging possible links with Russian banks. Some claim the server was based in Trump Tower.
An orthopaedic surgeon has a bone to pick with a Bega hospital after it ran out of crucial surgical tools and he was forced to run to the local hardware to pick up a pair of bolt cutters.

Chris Phoon, a rural surgeon from Bega, was in the middle of removing a steel pin from a man's leg when his surgical tool snapped.

South East Regional Hospital had completely run out of the surgical bolt cutters and Dr Phoon first rang nearby Canberra Hospital to see if a pair could be sent down.

Chris Phoon (pictured) moved with his wife and three children to Bega to work as an orthopaedic surgeon

He was told Canberra Hospital also ran out of bolt cutters and they were borrowing a pair from another facility.

Running out of options, Dr Phoon then dashed to the local hardware store and bought a pair of $200 bolt cutters.

But hospital staff refused to sterilise the bolt cutters as it was not a regulatory surgical tool and no one was prepared to 'make the decision'.

Dr Phoon said the pressure of the operating table meant surgeons needed to think on their feet.

'Part of being a doctor is making the best decision you can with the best information available,' he told Bega District News.

'Cutters like these are used in numerous hospitals, theyre a basic bit of equipment.'

'Theyre a basic bit of equipment': Dr Phoon was denied use of the bolt cutters when hospital staff refused to sterilise them

Dr Phoon posted to Facebook that his contract at the South East Regional Hospital (pictured) was terminated despite receiving an outstanding performance review months earlier

His patient, David Rosseland, was suffering from a serious compound fracture and was forced to wait four days until his badly broken leg could be operated on at a Canberra hospital.

How can a $187million hospital not have the most basic piece of equipment?

'How can a $187million hospital not have the most basic piece of equipment?' Mr Rosseland said.

Since going public with his concerns over lack of hospital support, Dr Phoon's contract with South East Regional Hospital ended and he was let go.

In a post on Facebook the dad-of-three described his anguish over losing his role as orthopaedic surgeon at the Bega facility.

'I have not been reinstated. Representatives from the area in response to a threat of a no confidence motion by the medical staff council,' Dr Phoon said.

'They have suggest that I may be offered a contract with terms significantly damaging to my reputation and I will need legal advice.

'I feel that in light of these damaging claims I need to release private reviews of my own performance performed by the hospital general manager and director of medical services 3 months ago leading up to contract renewal.'

He added: 'I have brought my wife and three boys to live here. I love this area, my patients and colleagues. Too many other doctors are also gone and it needs to stop.'

The pressure of surgery means doctors must think on their feet, and Dr Phoon said using hardware store-bought bolt cutters was the next best option

South East Regional Hospital defended its decision to stop Dr Phoon from using the bolt cutters.

'Surgical equipment is made to exacting specifications to ensure it's fit for purpose and can withstand the high-pressure temperatures and pressure used in the sterilisation process,' The Southern NSW Local Health District told Daily Mail Australia.

'For this reason, it is not appropriate for anything but genuine surgical equipment to be used in surgical procedures.

The Southern NSW Local Health District added: 'The Australian Orthopaedic Association does not endorse the use of non-medical grade equipment or non-registered devices unless it is essential in a life-threatening emergency.'

Dr Phoon also shared his performance review papers to Facebook where he received outstanding results.

'I feel that in light of these damaging claims I need to release private reviews of my own performance performed by the hospital general manager and director of medical services three months ago leading up to contract renewal,' he said.

The Southern NSW Local Health District told Bega District News the decision to not continue Dr Phoon's contract with the hospital was due to 'organisation issues'.

'Dr Phoons current contract was due to expire. The decision not to offer Dr Phoon a new contract was not made lightly, however significant ongoing organisation issues led the health district to take this action,' it said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted South East Regional Hospital for comment and are waiting for a response.
Itai Ozderman, 35, has been charged with impersonating a police officer

A Washington Post worker is accused of impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, according to court documents.

Itai Ozderman, a 35-year-old Israel native, allegedly impersonated an ICE agent throughout Falls Church, Virginia. He had worked at the Washington Post for two years as an IT engineer, according to that outlet.

Court records said that Ozderman would wear a bullet proof vest with 'ICE' emblazoned on it and was 'trying to enforce criminal laws as he saw fit,' but didn't get specific, according to the Washington Post.

Ozderman was charged with impersonating a police officer and transporting a handgun in a vehicle, according to WJLA.

Ozderman allegedly was impersonating an ICE officer by wearing a bullet proof vest similar to the one above

Ozderman worked as an IT engineer at the Washington Post, he has reportedly been suspended (stock image)

The matter was taken over by the FBI when it was learned the suspect was allegedly impersonating an immigration officer.

His attorney also said Ozderman was suspended by the Post on Monday, according to the Washington Post.

Police raided his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland along the along the 100 block of Elmira Lane early on the morning of February 22, according to WJLA.

Authorities said police discovered 10 weapons, including seven handguns, two M4 style assault rifles and a shotgun, as well as body armor, tactical vests, weapon magazines, bullets, a Baltimore County police badge, a police radio and other items associated with police, according to the outlet.

It's unclear how he got the the badge and other items. Records show he had never been a Baltimore County police officer.

The suspect lived at 140 Elmira Lane (above) in Gaithersburg, MD, according to documents

His attorney, Thomas Degonia, told the Post that the weapons were purchased legally. He also said that his client was not charged with impersonating a federal officer.

According to WJLA, Ozderman lived in Gaithersburg with a wife and young child.

He faces up to five years in prison and $4,500 in fines and is currently out on bail.

He is due back in court on April 13.
Next week, Donald Trump releases his new budget. Its expected to cut spending on things like the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Good!

Government has no business funding art. When politicians decide which ideas deserve a boost, art is debased. When they use your money to shape the culture, they shape it in ways that make culture friendlier to government.

As The Federalists Elizabeth Harrington points out, the National Endowment for the Arts doesnt give grants to sculpture honoring the Second Amendment or exhibitions on the benefits of traditional marriage. They fund a play about lesbian activists who oppose gun ownership and art installations about climate change.

The grant-making establishment is proudly leftist. A Trump administration wont change that. During the Bush II years, lefty causes got funding, but I cant find any project with a conservative agenda.

Its not just the politics that are wrong. Government arts funding doesnt even go to the needy. Arts grants tend to go to people who got prior arts grants.

Some have friends on grant-making committees. Some went to the same schools as the people who pick what to subsidize. They know the right things to say on applications so they look serious enough to underwrite. Theyre good at writing applications. Theyre not necessarily good at art.

Defenders of public funding say their subsidies bring things like classical music to the poor. But the truth is that poor and middle-class people rarely go to hear classical music, even when subsidies make it cheap.

Subsidies pay for art rich people like. Like so many other programs, government arts funding is a way for the well-connected to reap benefits while pretending to help the common man.

The Trump-hating left is incensed at the idea that government might stop funding the arts.

USA Today reports that arts groups will battle President Trump. A Washington, D.C., lobby says it will mobilize 300,000 citizen activists.

We can count on the media to distort the issue.

The New York Times ran the headline: Why Art Matters. Of course it matters. But art is different from government-funded art.

New York Magazine ran a photo of Big Bird, or rather a protester dressed as Big Bird, wearing a sign saying Keep your mitts off me! What New York doesnt say is that the picture is three years old, and Big Birds employer, Sesame Street, no longer gets government funds.

We confronted the article writer, Eric Levitz. He said, Big Bird has long functioned as a symbol of public broadcasting ... Still, considering Sesame Streets switch to HBO, I concede that some could have been misled.

You bet.

Big Bird doesnt need government help. Sesame Street is so rich that it paid one of its performers more than $800,000.

Levitz also complains that Trumps cuts (which include killing despicable subsidies for the Export-Import Bank and the White House drug control office) would trim a mere $2.5 billion from the budget.

A mere $2.5 billion. Thats Washington speak. Its another reason Americas going broke.

It is true that Trumps arts cuts wont reduce the deficit, especially since he plans to preserve much of Obamacare and spend billions more on things like the military. But it would be a start  a dent in the foolish conceit that good things only happen if government funds them.

We will lose some propaganda if government money goes, but we wont lose art.

We might lose things like performance artist Karen Finley covering herself in chocolate, but most artists will keep doing what they do because they love it  and because sometimes other people love that work enough to pay for it voluntarily.

Let people pay for the art they really want instead of the art for which the government decides to make them pay.
The girlfriend of an Australian murderer knew he had hidden a body in his fridge, but helped him conceal it instead of alerting police.

One day in August 1994, Sydney killer Richard Leonard told his girlfriend Denise Shipley about the dismembered remains of Stephen Dempsey who he had shot with a bow and arrow.

'There's a person hidden in the fridge,' Leonard told her, according to 9News.

The girlfriend of Australian murderer Richard Leonard (right) knew he had hidden the body of a Sydney man in his fridge, but helped him conceal it instead of alerting police

One day in August 1994, Sydney killer Richard Leonard told his girlfriend Denise Shipley (pictured) about the dismembered remains of Stephen Dempsey

Leonard shot Dempsey (pictured) with a bow and arrow in the heart

Instead of telling authorities, Shipley continued to date Leonard and would witness him stabbing taxi driver Exxedine Bahmad to death just three-and-a-half months later.

The pair later detailed their eerie conversation about the fridge to police during separate interviews.

Leonard received a life sentence for murdering Mr Dempsey, but Shipley has already been released.

The footage will be featured on Channel 9's new show 'Murder Calls' on Wednesday night.

Mr Bahmad would still be alive if Shipley had spoken up, the taxi driver's daughter Diane Barrera told the crime program.

Instead of telling authorities, Shipley continued to date Leonard and would witness him stabbing taxi driver Exxedine Bahmad (pictured) to death just three-and-a-half months late

Mr Bahmad would still be alive if Shipley had spoken up, the taxi driver's daughter Diane Barrera (pictured) told 'Murder Calls'

'He [Leonard] showed his girlfriend the body of Stephen and she didn't run away, she stayed there and that was before my dad died,' she said.

'There was another person in the car that day, there was another person that contributed to my dad's murder and she only got eight years.'

Ms Barrera said she was just 14 when her father was stabbed 37 times.

'Before that our life was pretty amazing. We were happy, we were close, we did everything together. And the day he died the world stopped and shifted and everything changed.'
FBI Director James Comey is set to break cover today for the first time since denying, through senior officials, that Barack Obama ordered the agency to wiretap Trump Tower during the election campaign.

He is visiting Boston to officially open the FBI's new offices in the city and to speak at a cyber-security conference.

Trump claims President Obama tapped his phones during the election but Comey has privately asked the Department of Justice to dispute Trump's wiretapping allegations as false.

James Comey (right), shaking hands with the president in late January, is in an awkward position but has maintained that the Obama administration did not wiretap Trump Tower

Trump tweeted on Saturday: 'Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!'

Obama's camp has flatly denied Trump's claims and yesterday was the third straight day that the White House has failed to produce any evidence of wiretapping.

A top-level source told CNN yesterday Comey felt 'institutionally he has to push back on this' due to the magnitude of the unsubstantiated allegations.

Comey is reportedly frustrated by the Justice Department's unwillingness to forcefully knock down Trump's claims.

The 56-year-old, who took over from Robert Mueller in 2013, is expected to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at the Boston FBI's new headquarters in Chelsea, just north of Boston.

Tomorrow he is scheduled to speak at a cyber-security conference at Boston College.

Comey became a polarizing figure in the presidential race when he spoke publicly about an investigation into Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's emails.

FBI Director James Comey (pictured) waits for the start of a meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month. Today he is visiting Massachusetts STOCK PHOTO

Comey will be cutting the ribbon to officially open the FBI's new office in Chelsea, near Boston (pictured)

He was retained by Trump but his efforts to maintain political impartiality have suffered as the row over Trump Tower wiretapping rumbles on.

The FBI's new 268,000 square foot facility in Chelsea is being leased for 20 years from a private company. The Feds were previously housed, for 23 years, at One Center Plaza in Boston's downtown financial district.

Harold H. Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston Division, said: 'This new facility will give our employees and law enforcement partners better security, upgraded technologies, and provide more room for our growing task forces.

'We look forward to continuing to build upon the relationships we've established here in Chelsea while maintaining the critical partnerships we've developed over the years in Boston. We hope our presence in the neighborhood will have a positive impact.'

The Boston office serves Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
A herbs and spices company has been fined nearly $11,000 after one of its products was found to contain only 50 per cent of the listed ingredient.

Twelve packets of Hoyt's Oregano Leaves Rubbed were tested by consumer advocacy group CHOICE in April 2016 with only five of them found to contain 100 per cent oregano.

The other seven packets were found to contain up to 50 per cent olive leaves.

Herbs and spices company Hoyt's has been fined $10,800 after making false and misleading representations about its Oregano Leaves Rubbed

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission authorised the testing fined the company $10,800 for making false and misleading representations.

ACCC commissioner Sarah Court said that companies must ensure products are labelled correctly.

'Suppliers of food products must ensure the accuracy of representations about the ingredients on labelling and any other packaging,' Ms Court told choice.

'Consumers use labelling on food products to make their purchasing decisions and are entitled to expect accurate labelling.'

Hoyt's has vowed to test its products more stringently in the future.

Twelve packets of Hoyt's Oregano Leaves Rubbed were tested by consumer advocacy group CHOICE in April 2016 with only five of them found to contain 100 per cent oregano
Health authorities are on high alert, urging people to become properly immunised after a seventh person contracting measles overseas has been brought back to Sydney.

Spending time at Guns N' Roses concert on February 28, the infected person travelled from Bangkok to Sydney on March 2.

The person is known to have had lunch at a restaurant in Marrickville on March 5.

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The infected person arrived in Sydney on March 2 and visited a Marrickville restaurant for lunch on March 5

Symptoms of the measles include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by three or four days of a red, blotch rash rash that spreads all across the body

It is the seventh such case in nine weeks and comes just after a month from the last reported incident from a young adult who frequented Sydney hot spots.

Director of communicable disease for NSW Health, Dr Vicky Sheppeard urged the public to be vigilante when travelling overseas.

'It's extremely important to be vaccinated against measles, particularly when travelling overseas to countries where the risk of contracting the disease is higher.

'People who have not received two doses of measles vaccine are at particular risk of contracting the disease and should be alert to symptoms in the coming days and weeks,' Dr Sheppeard said.

Symptoms of the airborne virus include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by three or four days of a red, blotch rash rash that spreads all across the body.

Particularly susceptible to young children, the disease is highly contagious and Dr Sheppeard recommends parents to be on the lookout for any symptoms.

Director of communicable disease for NSW Health, Dr Vicky Sheppeard insists that the vaccine is safe and that parents should be on the lookout for young children that exhibit the symptoms

The latest outbreak comes after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson spoke out against the federal government's 'no jab, no pay' strategy that requires parents to vaccinate children to receive tax benefits on Sunday.

'That's a dictatorship and I think people have a right to investigate themselves,' Ms Hanson told ABC's Insiders program.

But Dr Sheppeard insists the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine is safe saying that if you are unsure of your vaccination history 'it is better to err on the side of caution and be vaccinated again.'
A Jamaican pimp called Dracula has been ordered to pay $500,000 to an Australian woman he physically abused and forced into prostitution.

Damion Baston, who styled himself as the Transylvanian vampire and even wore gold-plated fangs, was jailed in 2014 after being found guilty of 21 charges including sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, identity theft and money laundering.

He was found to have lured Australian girls he met on the Gold Coast and turned them into international sex slaves.

Baston was jailed for 27 years and was ordered to pay compensation, but appealed against the amount of money he was made to pay one of his Australian victims.

Jamaican pimp Damion Baston, nicknamed Dracula, has been ordered to pay $500,000 to an Australian woman he physically abused and forced into prostitution

Baston was jailed for 27 years and was ordered to pay compensation, but appealed against the amount of money he was made to pay one of his Australian victims

In his trial in Miami, Florida, in 2014, Baston was ordered to pay the Australian woman, who can only be identified as KL, $102,000 (US$78,000).

He appealed against the fine last year, only to be told he would now have to pay $524,000 (US$400,000).

Baston took his appeal to the US Supreme Court, but his case was thrown out on Monday. The decision means that Baston must pay the huge sum of money to KL.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that the money is equal to the amount of cash that Baston stole from KL when she was working as a prostitute and stripper.

At his trial, the court heard how Baston and KL met at a Gold Coast restaurant in July 2011.

The trafficker, who was posing as a music producer, convinced his victim that they would open a restaurant together but instead their relationship quickly turned violent.

Baston's trial brief described him as 'a violent pimp who used the stolen identity of an American citizen to travel the world recruiting, prostituting and violently abusing women everywhere he went'

Baston was jailed in 2014 after being found guilty of 21 charges including sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, identity theft and money laundering

Baston was found to have lured Australian girls he met on the Gold Coast and turned them into international sex slaves

Prosecutors said Baston 'began using violence and the threats of violence to coerce her into prostitution'.

The court heard he used a similar tactic on other prostitutes, as well as threatening to hurt their families.

While Baston and KL opened a call girl business together on the Gold Coast, he would keep all the money - making upwards of $200,000 for himself.

He then took KL to Dubai and Miami, where he continued to take all of the money she made from stripping and sex work, according to prosecutors.

'KL estimates that she earned approximately $US150,000 ($197,000) from stripping and prostituting in her two months in Miami - all of which Baston kept,' the court was told.

Assistant US Attorney Roy Altman told jurors during Baston's trial that he was 'a kind of monster' who converted girls 'into little more than sex slaves'.

Baston's trial brief described him as 'a violent pimp who used the stolen identity of an American citizen to travel the world recruiting, prostituting and violently abusing women everywhere he went' according to his 'ongoing scheme ... to live off the prostitution of women who he beat, raped and psychologically manipulated'.

He had come to Australia in 2009 on a passport he acquired using a fake identity.
A horrific car crash on Sydney's Hume Motorway left a mother and her seven-year-old son dead, and the boy's twin sister critically injured.

Julie Bullock, 49, and her son Hudson died at the scene, and twin sister Sienna was fighting for life in hospital after their car was hit on the way to school.

The 49-year-old driver of the second car, which cut through the median strip on to the wrong side of the highway, was also in critical condition.

The head-on crash happened shortly before 8am in the southbound lanes of the Hume Motorway, about 1km south of Picton Road, as they were driving to Wollondilly Anglican School.

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Julie Bullock, 49, an occupational therapist, died at the scene of the crash on Hume Highway

Her son Hudson (L) died at the scene, and twin sister Sienna (R) was fighting for life in hospital after their car was hit on the way to school

A fatal crash on Sydney's Hume Motorway left two people dead, including a seven-year-old boy

Ms Bullock, an occupational therapist formerly at a children's clinic in nearby Picton, and her son are survived by her husband Darren and their adult daughter Maddison.

Darren, who was not in the car, has rushed to The Children's Hospital to be with daughter Sienna.

Hudson and Sienna were transported to hospital with serious injuries, according to NSW Ambulance.

But the boy could not be saved and died on arrival at Liverpool Hospital, police announced shortly before noon.

Sienna was transported in critical condition with chest and head injuries to the Children's Hospital at Westmead, according to the NSW Ambulance spokesperson.

Heart broken tributes over the family's loss have been posted to social media.

'Today we all lost an amazing lady who helped our community so much and also sadly lost one of her twins while her little girl fights for her life,' one friend wrote.

'Julie Bullock you did so much for Jacob being his Occupational Therapist for all that time. I know you'll be in heaven with your little man. We'll pray for your little princess. My condolences go to your family.'

A 49-year-old woman was among the dead after the crash on Tuesday morning

A seven-year-old girl - reportedly the deceased boy's twin sister - and another 49-year-old woman are fighting for their lives in hospital

The head-on crash happened shortly before 8am in the southbound lanes of the Hume Motorway, about 1km south of Picton Road, police said

A truck was seen removing one of the cars involved in the deadly crash 100km south of Sydney

This picture reportedly shows one of the vehicles in the aftermath of the deadly crash

A 49-year-old woman also died, while a seven-year-old girl and another 49-year-old woman are fighting for their lives in hospital, police said

Wollondilly Anglican School headmaster Stuart Quamby told The Daily Telegraph that the tragedy had stunned the local community.

'The kids were and are very well loved by the community and the school,' Mr Quamby said.

'He (Hudson) was a great little kid and his sister (Sienna) is a terrific kid as well.

Mr Quamby added the tragedy would be particularly tough for the small country community and said the school was offering counselling to those who needed it.

A witness to the crash said he and other motorists, including a trained nurse, rushed to help the victims after one of the vehicles was seen driving across the grass median strip and crashing into the other car.

He said the mother crawled out of her car after being assisted by the other motorists.

The two children traveled with their mother in a Mazda 4WD.

The other woman became trapped in her Holden Astra after the crash but was freed and sent to Liverpool Hospital, where she is in critical condition.

The victims' families were notified.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was incorrectly reported that the second woman had also passed.

A police spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the second 49-year-old is still alive in hospital as of 12.30pm.

Chief Inspector Mick Pearsall told 9 News that while 'all accidents are difficult but when there's young children involved it affect's everyone'.

'It's very difficult for me to say at this stage ho it occurred.'

A caller to Sydney's 2GB radio described seeing a car's tyre marks leading from the northbound lanes of the highway through the centre nature strip and on to the southbound lane, the Australian Associated Press reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, police incorrectly stated that the second woman had also passed. A spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the second 49-year-old is still alive

The southbound lane remains closed and Crash Investigation Officers are on the scene

The Hume Motorway closed on Tuesday morning after a fatal two-vehicle crash at Pheasants Nest, causing massive delays

Massive delays resulted from the fatal crash on the Hume Motorway 100km south of Sydney

Aerial footage showed more than a dozen emergency officials attending the scene of the crash on Tuesday morning.

The southbound lane remains closed and Crash Investigation Officers are on the scene.

Southbound traffic was diverted via the westbound lane on Picton Road, according to Live Traffic NSW.

There were 5km-long queues southbound from Picton Road, and a 1km queue at the accident site, according to Live Traffic NSW.

The Hume Motorway is part of the Hume Highway, one of the main traffic links between Sydney and Melbourne.

The accident site is around 100km south of Sydney.
North Korea has banned all Malaysians from leaving the country in a dramatic escalation of the row over the death of Kim Jong-Un's half brother.

Malaysia likened the travel ban to hostage taking and then responded in kind, closing its borders to North Koreans who want to leave.

The tit-for-tat directives come as relations between the two countries disintegrate over the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on February 13.

Pyongyang's extraordinary move came as it faced growing international condemnation for a volley of missiles it fired into the Sea of Japan, defying stringent global sanctions aimed at halting its weapons programme.

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North Korea has banned all Malaysians from leaving the country in a dramatic escalation of the row over the death of Kim Jong-Un's half brother. The North Korean dictator is pictured above

A North Korean embassy worker asks police if they are allowed to leave as police puts a cordon at North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tuesday's developments marked a dramatic heightening of tensions with Malaysia three weeks after the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was murdered at an airport with the banned VX nerve agent.

The North decided to 'temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens in the DPRK', the official news agency KCNA said, citing the foreign ministry and using the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The prohibition would remain in place 'until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of the DPRK in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia'.

The Malaysian foreign ministry said 11 of its citizens were currently in North Korea, including three embassy staff, six family members and two others who work for the UN's World Food Programme.

The tit-for-tat directives come as relations between the two countries disintegrate over the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on February 13. He is pictured shortly after the attack

ndonesian Siti Aisyah (right), 25, and Doan Thi Huong (left), 28, from Vietnam, have been charged with the murder and face the death penalty if found guilty

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned the bar, and said he was ordering a similar ban on the movement of 'all North Korean citizens in Malaysia'. Analysts said they could number around 1,000.

The home ministry had previously indicated the ban only affected diplomats and embassy officials.

'This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms,' Najib said, according to a statement.

'As a peace-loving nation, Malaysia is committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries.

'However, protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened.'

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but ties have rapidly degenerated in the weeks since Kim Jong-Nam was attacked at a Malaysian airport by two women who wiped a deadly chemical on his face.

Journalists chase a North Korean diplomatic vehicle as it leaves the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur this morning

The North Korean flag waves above the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

An autopsy revealed that to be VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants to question several North Koreans, although the only one it arrested was released last week for lack of evidence.

The North has never confirmed the dead man's identity, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Kuala Lumpur announced the expulsion of the North's ambassador over the weekend. He flew to Beijing on Monday, after launching a final verbal assault on his hosts.

Kang Chol slammed what he called a 'pre-targeted investigation by the Malaysian police'. Photographs later showed him sitting in the economy section of the plane.

Pyongyang retaliated by formally ordering out his counterpart - who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, the foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue 'as early as possible' from a position of 'goodwill' and 'setting store by and developing the bilateral relations'.

Malaysian police used a patrol car to block the entrance of the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants to question several North Koreans, although the only one it arrested was released last week for lack of evidence

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North 'may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before' while the travel ban is in place, it added.

The escalating row comes as the United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting to coordinate the global response to the North's latest missile launches, which KCNA said Tuesday were trial runs at hitting 'the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan'.

Three of the four projectiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to Japan, in what observers said was a test of US President Donald Trump's inchoate North Korea policy.

In phone calls to his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Trump reaffirmed Washington's 'ironclad commitment' to its allies.

The US will demonstrate to Pyongyang that there were 'very dire consequences' for its actions, the White House said in a statement.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, but six sets of sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

New US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Japan, China and South Korea later this month, a weekend report said, with North Korea expected to top his agenda.
A service station bandit who blessed his victim with God's grace and a kiss to the hand before hightailing it with $650 and a recharge card allegedly had a 'tragic' childhood.

The County Court of Victoria heard on Tuesday that in September 2014, Ajak Magok attended the service station in Springvale South, telling the attendant: 'Just give me what I want, I don't want to hurt you'.

The victim attempted to delay handing over the money in the cash register, hoping another customer would enter and interrupt the scene.

A service station bandit who blessed his victim with God's grace and a kiss to the hand before hightailing it with $650 and a recharge card allegedly had a 'tragic' childhood (stock photo)

However, Magok then told him: 'Don't make me do anything stupid; I know you are a good person'.

The attendant then handed $650 in cash to Magok and a recharge card.

Judge John Bowman said Magok's behaviour then became 'peculiar', kissing the attendant's hand and telling him 'God would bless him'.

The court heard that Magok, then 24, also committed perjury when he concocted a fake story to police that he knew the victim and that the robbery was staged.

The court heard Magok had a 'tragic background' as a child, with his father murdered before his eyes by a soldier in a Sudanese village.

He was relocated to a Kenyan refugee camp, where conditions were tough.

Judge Bowman described Magok's chances of rehabilitation as 'cloudy' considering his prior convictions, but 'reasonable' nonetheless.

Magok, who is in custody for previous matters until July 14, will be required to undergo mental health assessment and treatment during his 18-month community corrections order.
Chelsea Clinton relived her glory days as a ballerina while attending a ballet ball with her husband in New York City.

The former First Daughter turned up hand-in-hand with Marc Mezvinsky to celebrate The School Of American Ballet's 2017 Winter Ball at Lincoln Center on Monday night.

The mother-of-two may have given a few pointers to the dancers, as she once was involved in the art and performed with the Washington Ballet in her youth.

Clinton, 37, took the night to step away from her Twitter account, where she has recently stood up for Kellyanne Conway over crude Oval Office couch comments and picked a fight with Ben Carson who suggested slaves were immigrants.

Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky attended The School Of American Ballet's 2017 Winter Ball at Lincoln Center on Monday night

Clinton, 37, may have given a few pointers to the dancers as she once was involved in the art and performed with the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker in 1996 (pictured)

It was hosted at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Tickets to just the final portion of the evening costed $125 each

The night was filled with cocktails, food, dessert and dancing that lasted until midnight. Tickets to just the final portion of the evening costed $125 each, according to The School of American Ballet's website.

The event is described as a 'glamorous, black-tie dinner dance' and Clinton and her husband were dressed to match the code.

She donned a little black dress with a floral design, paired with black patent heels that had a pop of olive green near the heel. Mezvinsky wore a dark colored suit with a light blue shirt and tie to the 13th annual event.

The simple and demure dress was a far cry from the pink and frilly numbers she wore in her ballet days. She had appeared in the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker performance in 1996.

The event is described as a 'glamorous, black-tie dinner dance' and the mother-of-two and her husband were dressed to match the code. Clinton wore a little black dress with a floral design

'Despicable': An unlikely supporter of Kellyanne, Chelsea Clinton defended her on Twitter after Congressman Cedric Richmond made a crude joke about Conway being on her knees

Clinton took her night at the ballet as a chance to step away from her Twitter account, where she has recently come to the aid of Kellyanne Conway.

It happened after a Democratic congressman made a distasteful joke about a picture of the Trump adviser being on her knees.

'Despicable. I hope [Kellyanne Conway] receives the apology she deserves-certainly never thought I'd write that & I mean every word,' Chelsea said.

Conway thanked Chelsea on Twitter after having expressed her disappointment in the lack of support from 'sisterhood' last night.

'Thank you, @ChelseaClinton, As strong women, as moms to Charlottes...appreciate you speaking out on this,' she said.

The former first daughter is an unlikely supporter of Conway as Chelsea has previously mocked Kellyanne and the Trump administration on Twitter for their recent public gaffes.

Conway had previously expressed her disappointment of the lack of support from the 'sisterhood'. She thanked the former first daughter for defending her

Richmond's joke was in reference to Conway's seating position on the Oval Office couch last week when she sat on her knees with her heels digging in to the sofa to take a photograph of the president as he met with leaders of black colleges and universities

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Monday likened slaves who came to this country centuries ago to modern-day immigrants searching for a better life

Clinton couldn't believe that Carson made the comment and said: 'This can't be real'

However, Clinton had a different tone for another Trump staffer, Ben Carson on Monday.

The Housing and Urban Development Secretary had likened slaves who came to this country centuries ago to modern-day immigrants searching for a better life.

Carson's remarks, his first since being appointed to head HUD by President Donald Trump, outraged social media and with Clinton.

The secretary was addressing the federal workers at his department in Washington as well as employees in HUD offices throughout the country.

She said: 'This can't be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017.'
A doctor has been charged with a string of offences for allegedly sexually assaulting three female patients at a medical centre.

The 60-year-old man was arrested after police received multiple complaints from patients at Camden Healthcare Centre, in Sydney's south-west.

The man is accused of sexually assaulting the women while conducting medical examinations, police said.

A doctor has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting three female patients at Camden Healthcare Centre

'It's an extreme breach of trust that we put in our medical practitioners,' Detective Inspector Jayne Doherty told 9News.

Police arrested the man at Campbelltown Hospital, where he was being treated for a health issue, and after his release took him to Narellan Police Station.

The man was charged with fourteen separate offences including eight counts of sexual assault and six counts of indecent assault.

He was refused bail and will appear before Campbelltown Local Court today

Police believe there are other people in the community who may have information about the allegations.

They are urging anyone with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Detective Inspector Jayne Doherty said the allegations were an 'extreme breach of trust'
Lord Hague has urged Theresa May to call a snap general election to get a 'decisive' majority for Brexit.

The former Foreign Secretary said the PM should take advantage of Labour's dire condition to head off damaging stand-offs in parliament.

Securing a new mandate would put the country in a 'stronger position' before we cut ties with Brussels, he insisted.

Lord Hague has said the PM should take advantage of Labour's dire condition to secure a bigger Commons majority

Mrs May, pictured on a visit to Kings College London yesterday, has warned peers they could 'incentivise' the EU to offer Britain a bad Brexit deal if they amend to the Article 50 Bill tonight

Jeremy Corbyn has reiterated that he supports holding an election before 2020 - potentially easing the way for Mrs May.

But Downing Street has again dismissed the prospect, with a source saying: 'It's not going to happen.'

The Tory grandee's intervention came as ministers braced for another defeat over the Brexit Bill in the House of Lords, with peers demanding a 'meaningful' vote on any deal with the bloc.

An amendment is expected to be passed tonight which would prevent Mrs May from presenting whatever she negotiates as a 'take it or leave it' package.

Lord Hague said there was 'no doubt' Mrs May would have a better chance of making Brexit a success with a 'decisive' majority in the Commons, warning that different factions at Westminster would inevitably find parts of the exit deal 'difficult to stomach'.

With Labour near rock bottom in the polls under bungling Jeremy Corbyn, Lord Hague said the PM should underline her authority by repealing the Fixed Term Parliaments Act - which lays down an election date of May 2020 - and calling a poll now.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the peer said that while the Act was necessary under the coalition to satisfy the Liberal Democrats, the situation was now 'very different' and 'it is time to question whether a fixed parliamentary term is in the interests of the country as we withdraw from the European Union'.

Lord Hague, the most senior Tory figure yet to call for an early election, went on: 'We have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues.

'There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them.'

Mr Corbyn was repeatedly pressed on whether he wanted a snap general election and whether he could win during an interview on the BBC today

Mr Corbyn has insisted he wants an immediate general election and would help trigger one - even though his aides admit he would lose.

Lord Hague went on: 'Any deal is bound to be full of compromises which one group or another in Parliament finds difficult to stomach.

'As British law needs to be amended countless times to take account of leaving the EU treaties, the Government could face many close votes, concessions or defeats as it tries to implement Brexit.

'That prospect will embolden the EU negotiators, and makes an agreement that is good for the UK harder to achieve.

'It could also lead to a situation where the Prime Minister faces a stand-off with Parliament over a deal that will have taken two years to negotiate and is nearly impossible to change.'

Mrs May has warned peers they could 'incentivise' the EU to offer Britain a bad Brexit deal if they pass the amendment to the Article 50 Bill tonight.

Downing Street has insisted that other member states must believe she is ready to walk away from the table if the UK is to get the best possible deal.

Peers inflicted a first defeat on the Bill last week, when they said the government had to unilaterally guarantee rights for EU nationals already in Britain.

The government is expected to try to overturn the changes when the legislation returns to the Commons next week - but Mrs May could face a battle with some Tories threatening to rebel.
A mother-of-four became embroiled in a divorce court fight over a holiday house in her 'ancestral territory' in rural Ireland after having an affair, a court heard yesterday.

Margie Hanley, 56, and estranged husband Michael, 60 - who once shared a home in Wentworth, Surrey - both want a property they jointly own in County Galway.

They are staking rival claims at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Margie Hanley, 56, and estranged husband Michael, 60, pictured on holiday in India in 2013, are staking rival claims at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London

The judge has heard that the couple, who are both Irish, had lived in Europe, the Far East and the United States because Mr Hanley's work had taken him abroad.

Mr Hanley has told Mr Justice Holman how their 33-year marriage hit the rocks after he discovered that his wife had an affair with a man he knew.

Mrs Hanley, who denies adultery, said Mr Hanley had told her that she could have the house in the village of Cornamona and he was 'punishing' her.

They had built the house about 16 years ago and had gone there for holidays and at Christmas.

Mr Hanley, who retired last year after a career with multi-national conglomerate GE, had been living at the house for the past few months.

Mrs Hanley, who still lives in Wentworth, has told Mr Justice Holman how generations of her family had lived in Cornamona.

Mrs Hanley explained how the couple had built a house in the County Galway village of Cornamona (file picture) several years ago and went there for holidays and at Christmas

The impressive view from a road in the rural Irish village of Cornamona in County Galway

She said her 92-year-old mother still lived there and was the oldest person in Cornamona.

'It's where I have been all my life - generations of my family,' Mrs Hanley told Mr Justice Holman. 'Life is full circle. It's where I started out. It's where I ended.'

The judge said Mrs Hanley felt that Cornamona was her 'ancestral territory'.

He is just torturing me. He is just punishing me Margie Hanley

Mrs Hanley said life was 'much simpler' in Cornamona, and that 'one-horse town' was a good description.

'There is one road in and one road out,' she said. 'There is one shop, one pub. The doctor visits once a week.'

Mrs Hanley said Mr Hanley did not really want the house in Cornamona. She told the judge: 'He is just torturing me. He is just punishing me.'

Mrs Hanley said she had put 16 years' work into the house.

'It's my backbone,' she said. 'It's like my fifth child. If I were to lose it, it would be like losing a child. 'It's my heart, my soul, my life. It's where I feel safe and secure.'

She added: 'He said I could have (it).'

The couple, who are both Irish, once shared a home (above) in Wentworth, Surrey

Mrs Hanley said life was 'much simpler' in Cornamona (file picture), and that 'one-horse town' was a good description

Mr Justice Holman heard there had been suggestions of Mrs Hanley living elsewhere in Cornamona.

He also raised the possibility of the pair, whose children are grown up, using the house at different times of the year.

We are getting divorced. The village isn't big enough for both of us Michael Hanley

But Mrs Hanley told him: 'We are getting divorced. The village isn't big enough for both of us.'

Mr Hanley said he wanted to live in the Cornamona house, and denied that he was trying to hurt Mrs Hanley.

He said the house had been extended over the years and had Jacuzzis and a work-out area. He also told the judge about 'spectacular views'.

'I like to fish,' he said. 'I like to walk, I play guitar, I like to cook, I like to read, I like to meditate.'

The judge heard the marriage had broken down about two years ago. 'I found out that my wife was having an affair,' said Mr Hanley. 'It's somebody I knew.'

Lawyers representing Mrs Hanley told the judge that she denied adultery. The hearing continues.
Protesters have taken to the streets and demonstrated outside the White House against President Trump's latest travel ban, which targets people from six predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.

The new ban, which will take effect on March 16, will prevent people from Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya from entering the United States.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters the revised order was 'part of our efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamist terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends'.

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Dozens of demonstrators protested against the order in Lafayette Park, within sight of the White House, last night

A policeman speaks to the demonstrators opposite the White House

He said the order would 'bolster the security of the United States and her allies.'

Iraq has been removed from the list and there is no place on the list for Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the order should be repealed, adding: 'A watered down ban is still a ban.'

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez (right) speaks during the protest against President Trump's revised travel order

Protesters chant during a rally against the travel ban at San Diego International Airport last night. The demonstrators claim the order is anti-Muslim

Dozens of protesters rallied outside the White House last night, holding signs with messages like 'Fight ignorance, not immigrants'.

Caroline Short, 29, said the idea the ban would make America safer was 'totally ridiculous' and added: 'It will be used as a tool for people that want to say America hates Muslims.'

There were also protests and demonstrations in San Diego, California and in several other cities around the country.

A group of demonstrators protesting at San Diego International Airport. Many Jews feel the targeting of Muslims has echoes of the 1930s

A woman holds up a 'Rabbis Against The Ban' placard during the demo in Washington

Protesters hold placards at a rally against the travel ban at San Diego International Airport

A demonstrator makes their point at the protest in Washington

Trump's first order had sparked a legal, political and logistical furor and many countries remain confused by the new administration's immigration stance.

Yesterday Nigeria advised its citizens against all but essential travel to the United States, citing the lack of clarity on new immigration rules.

'In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to Nigeria,' said special adviser to the president Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

According to a report released Monday by travel data firm Forwardkeys, travel from the United States to the Middle East has also fallen sharply, with bookings for departure in the next three months falling 25.4 percent behind the equivalent time last year.
The world-renowned physicist is a long-standing Labour supporter

Tetchy Jeremy Corbyn insisted he can win a general election today despite Professor Stephen Hawking branding him a 'disaster' and urging him to quit.

The veteran left-winger angrily rejected complaints that he is a liability after the world-renowned physicist, a long-standing Labour supporter, said he should go for the 'sake of the party'.

Hawking - known for his work on the nature of black holes - told the Times in an interview: 'I regard Corbyn as a disaster.

'His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a left-wing extremist.

'I think he should step down for the sake of the party.'

The latest blow for the Labour leader comes after his personal ratings plunged to record lows and with the Tories on track for a bumper majority the next general election.

Pressure on him has grown in the wake of the humiliating defeat in the Copeland by-election, which saw the party lose the seat to the Tories for the first time in more than 80 years.

A YouGov poll yesterday found that more than half of Labour members are unhappy with his approach to Brexit.

And some 50 per cent think he should stand down before the time of the next scheduled election in 2020.

Former Foreign Secretary Lord Hague fuelled speculation about a snap general election today when he urged Mrs May to go to the country to secure a 'decisive' majority in parliament.

Asked whether he would still welcome the prospect of the public delivering a verdict on his performance, Mr Corbyn told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show: 'I want to see a different government. I don't want to see this Government in office.'

Mr Corbyn was repeatedly pressed on whether he wanted a snap general election and whether he could win during an interview on the BBC today

But when the presenter pressed him repeatedly on the issue, he replied: 'We will take our case out, we will do our very best to win the election.

'Nobody knows the result of a general election before they go into it, but we do know we have a very strong, moral and just case to put to this country of the kind of country we could be.'

It was only when Derbyshire demanded a 'yes or no' answer to the question of whether Labour could win that Mr Corbyn replied: 'Listen, you've asked me the question many, many times.

'How many times do I have to tell you, we are taking our case out there to win because we believe we can win.'

Aides to the Labour leader have previously admitted that the party would lose if an election was held now.

In a sign of the chaos at the heart of the Labour operation, Mr Corbyn lashed out at the Cabinet Office and the media yesterday after bungling the release of his tax return.

As presenter Victoria Derbyshire challenged him on whether he could win an election, a tetchy Mr Corbyn finally snapped: 'We believe we can win.'

Aides proactively published the document on his personal website on Sunday but were unable to answer basic questions about why it appeared to be missing tens of thousands of pounds he had earned for his official role as leader of the Opposition.

It took some 18 hours before they finally confirmed that around 30,000 of salary had bizarrely been listed under 'pension and state benefit' on the summary.

It is still not clear why the 67-year-old classed it among his other pensions. The HMRC form that politicians and office-holders are meant to fill out has a box marked 'income'.

A spokesman insisted yesterday morning that they 'welcomed scrutiny' of Mr Corbyn's income and tax.

But in the afternoon the leader's office released a statement accusing journalists of failing to 'verify' information - even though repeated requests had been made for clarification.

The confusing row risked overshadowing the fact that Theresa May and Philip Hammond have both refused to release their own tax details.
A huge manhunt is underway in Germany for a teenage killer who knifed a nine-year-old boy to death - and then posted a video of the murder on the Internet.

The suspect has been identified as Marcel H., 19, a bespectacled martial arts enthusiast who allegedly murdered the youngster in the small town of Herne in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The body of the child was discovered by police in the cellar of a shared family home in the town shortly after dusk on Monday.

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The suspect has been identified as Marcel H., 19, a bespectacled martial arts enthusiast, left, who allegedly carried out the murder at a home in the town of Herne, right

Police stand guard outside a house in the town of Herne where a nine-year-old boy was brutally murdered

The victim was not related to his murderer but may have known him from the area. As the boy was stabbed multiple times Marcel H. filmed his demise and posted the video on the so-called 'Darknet' - the lurid, unpatrolled side of cyberspace specialising in pornography, paedophilia, drugs and 'snuff' movies.

It was a Darknet user - who claimed to know the killer - who was upset by the images of the little boy who contacted police to tell them; 'I have just seen a boy murdered on the internet.'

Police did not reveal just how much of the crime was videoed and shared but media reported that the corpse of the boy was visible.

The killer also entered a chatroom after the murder and held his bloodstained hands up to the camera.

The body of the child was discovered by police in the cellar of a shared family home

A huge manhunt is underway, but police admit they have little idea where the suspected killer may have gone

Several cities in the old Ruhr industrial area of Germany, where Herne (pictured) lies, were being searched by police on Tuesday morning

Little is known about Marcel H. except that police have said he is dangerous and warned the public not to approach him. They do not know if he has other weapons with him.

Several cities in the old Ruhr industrial area of Germany, where Herne lies, were being searched by police on Tuesday morning.

Marcel H. fled in camouflage clothing. Police admit they have little idea where he may have gone to or what twisted motive he had for the crime.
A concerned friend of the 22-year-old Brit who was allegedly held against her will by a man she 'met at a doof over the Australia Day weekend' has described how the man was 'clingy from the start'.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 27-year-old friend said the British backpacker had known her alleged attacker for just one and a half weeks before he changed his Facebook profile to 'married'.

'He was really clingy it was like he just blew in to town and latched on to the first single girl,' he claimed.

'When he changed his relationship status on Facebook I thought it was too fast - she never changed hers.'

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The British backpacker (left) walked into a petrol station crying and 'shaking uncontrollably' shortly before she was rescued in what her 27-year-old friend (right) described as a 'brilliant cry for help' which led to her being saved

The alleged attacker has been described as 'clingy from the start' after he met the tourist on Australia Day

The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty

CCTV footage shows the British backpacker walking into an outback petrol station just moments before she allegedly got back into the car and drove off

He met the 22-year-old man through his British friend a hand full of times and even had him over to his place.

'He would try to sell me a bike every week - but as far as I could tell he didn't own anything,' he said.

The friend claimed the backpacker had been living out of her alleged attacker's car - and when she went missing two weeks ago it 'wasn't out of character'.

'I didn't worry too much because going away for a few weeks was normal for her,' he said.

'I tried calling her a few times but couldn't get through.

'I have spoken to her aunt from the UK since.'

The friend, who met the young woman at a pub in Cairns just before Christmas, described her as a nice girl who was 'very trusting'.

Pictured: The Australian Outback petrol station where the tourist wandered in on Sunday

The concerned worker said the backpacker allegedly got back in her car and took off, prompting her to alert police moments before she was finally rescued

This is the white 4WD police stopped in south-west Queensland on Sunday afternoon

He was shocked to hear about his friend and said he believes the 'stunt at the petrol station' where the young woman is accused of failing to pay for petrol was just a 'brilliant cry for help'.

The woman, from Liverpool, England, is recovering in hospital after she was rescued by police following a tip-off.

CCTV footage emerged showing the injured tourist walking into a petrol station after filling up the SUV.

The woman wandered into the roadhouse with black eyes and marks on her throat as she told the owner behind the counter she was unable to pay for the fuel.

Moments later, the tourist allegedly got back into the car and took off without paying, prompting the concerned cashier to alert authorities.

The inside of the 4WD is pictured here on Tuesday after the woman was rescued by police

Police found a 22-year-old woman in extreme distress and a 22-year-old man in a back alcove

She was pulled over by police during a routine traffic stop near Mitchell in Queensland following the tip-off.

The woman was found in a state of distress and suffering from injuries, including facial fractures.

Police alleged she was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' by her ex-boyfriend, also 22, after she was held against her will for two months.

Her accused captor was found in an alcove built in the back of the white Mitsubishi Pajero, hidden underneath clothes and 'other items'.

The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

He was remanded in custody to face court on May 23.
Up to 3,000 people in one Moroccan town are earning money by duping men into performing lewd acts on camera and then blackmailing them, it has emerged.

Oued Zem, 100 miles south east of Casablanca, has been dubbed the sextortion capital of the world with criminals increasingly targeting British men.

Victims are duped into performing sex acts on webcam before blackmailers threaten to send the video to their friends and family on social media.

Up to 3,000 people in one Moroccan town are earning money by duping men into performing lewd acts on camera and then blackmailing them, it has emerged. One former scammer revealed how he and three others used images of Colombian porn star Dayana Perez Sosa (pictured) without her knowledge as a way of tricking victims

Victims were lured in via fake Facebook profiles using pictures of Colombian porn star Dayana Perez Sosa (pictured) that were used without her knowledge

They are then paying up to 10,000 dirham (800) in return for the clip to be destroyed, according to an investigation by The Sun's reporter Robin Perrie who interviewed a man from Oued Zem who was involved in the scam for two years before being jailed.

Hamzer Danjer told him his team of four used images of Colombian porn star Dayana Perez Sosa - without her knowledge - as part of a sophisticated method of luring victims and that 'just about every man would fall for it'.

The Sun reports that Morocco has detained more than 350 people in a crackdown on the industry - with most of the arrested being made in Oued Zem, a town of 90,000.

THE SEXTORTION SCAM EXPLAINED Criminals search for suitable male victims by setting up Facebook profiles pretending to be a woman. Scammers then make contact in a bid to entice the victim into a Skype video chat. Men are then shown footage of a porn star in a webcam video and eventually tricked into performing a sex act. Victims are then sent a message with a link to the clip and a demand for cash. Funds are then sent to money exchange agencies in the town before being collected by the criminals. Advertisement

The country is also said to have set up a series of designated cyber crime units in a bid to destroy the illegal industry.

According to National Crime Agency Statistics, the number of Britons reporting cases of sextortion has rocketed by nearly a thousand from 385 in 2015 to 1,245 in 2016.

Experts suspect thousands more have fallen prey to the gangs without contacting the authorities about their plight.

On its advice page, the agency urges victims to call police, not to communicate with or pay blackmailers and to preserve evidence such as their Skype ID.

In November, police said young professionals were increasingly being targeted in a rising tide of attacks by online 'sextortion' blackmail gangs.

Overseas criminals were said to be using 'honey traps' to entice affluent businessmen and promising young male students to commit compromising acts on webcams.

The gangs were making millions in ransom payments by threatening to share the footage with family, friends and colleagues.

Officers from the NCA warned that Britain was being targeted by gangs in Morocco, the Philippines and the Ivory Coast.

Oued Zem, 100 miles south east of Casablanca, has been dubbed the sextortion capital of the world with criminals increasingly targeting British men

They have discovered criminals running factory-style centres, with 'honey trap' actors, blackmailers and financial centres laundering payments.

Investigators said the gangs targeted individuals through Facebook, dating sites and even professional networking site LinkedIn. In most cases they appear to single out potential victims based on their 'ability to pay' and because 'they have something to lose'.

In a sign of the dreadful toll that the crime can take, four men  all aged between 18 and 24  are known to have killed themselves as they faced extortion.

Scottish prosecutors are trying to extradite a Filipino man over the death of 17-year-old Daniel Perry in July 2013. The teenager, from Dunfermline in Fife, killed himself after being lured into a webcam chat.

In 2015, schoolboy Ronan Hughes, 17, from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, also took his own life after posting pictures of himself online.
The new presenting team of Top Gear has been slammed by a section of its fanbase, with new co-host Chris Harris branded the new Chris Evans.

Former racing driver Harris heads a new-look presenting trio along with Matt le Blanc and Rory Reid following Evans much-maligned run as the face of the series.

However after one episode it seems as though many Top Gear fanatics have already had enough of Harris, with some branding him as 'insulting', 'rude' and 'annoying'.

Viewers also questioned the decision to devote more screen time to Harris over le Blanc, who was expected to be the main presenter following Evan's departure.

The new presenting team of Top Gear has been slammed by a section of its fanbase, with new co-host Chris Harris (pictured on Sunday's show) branded the new Chris Evans

After just one episode it seems as though many Top Gear fanatics have already had enough of new presenter Chris Harris, branding him 'annoying' and comparing him to Chris Evans

Former racing driver Harris heads a new-look presenting trio along with Matt le Blanc (middle) and Rory Reid (right) following Evans much-maligned run as the face of the series

Posting on Twitter, Dominic Stewart said: 'Chris Harris is turning into last seasons Chris Evans #TopGear.'

Meanwhile, Jeremy Diem wrote: 'Chris Harris has no likeable qualities to engage the viewer. He thinks irony/charisma is achieved by insulting people #TopGear'

And use LukeAlt1c added: 'Tone it back Chris Harris, you're trying a Chris Evans level of hard.'

Meanwhile, figures revealed the Sunday night's show on BBC2 was seen by an average of 2.8million  nearly two million fewer than its series debut last year.

New presenter Harris came under fire from fans for his abrasive style with his co-hosts, which they branded as insincere

Friends star Matt le Blanc (left) and Chris Evans (right) were the co-hosts of last year's season, however Evans would quit after just one series following a backlash from fans

Viewers also questioned the decision to devote more screen time to Harris over le Blanc, who was expected to be the main presenter following Evan's departure

Evans was announced as the new face of Top Gear for that season following the high profile departure of Jeremy Clarkson.

Clarkson's contract with the BBC was not renewed following a 'fracas' with one of the show's producers, Oisin Tymon.

Shortly afterwards his co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, confirmed they would not be returning to the show.

The trio would sign a lucrative deal to launch their own motoring show on Amazon Prime, titled Grand Tour.
An online petition is demanding an inquiry into the Department of Educations decision to remove the former principal of a boy's high school.

Chris Griffiths was appointed to lead Punchbowl Boys High School in south-west Sydney in late 2015.

Mr Griffiths and his deputy, Joumana Dennaoui, were stood down after a series of allegations over his running of the school.

The Education Department has confirmed an investigation into the school was prompted by its refusal to participate in a government-funded anti-radicalisation program called School Community Working Together.

An online petition is demanding an inquiry into the Department of Educations decision to remove Chris Griffiths as principal of Punchbowl Boys High School

The petition was started by Ahmed El-Hassan who believes the dismissal of Mr Griffiths is 'unfair and requires immediate action'.

'There needs to be an inquiry into the NSW Department of Education's decision making process and a public statement made to explain the unfair dismissal,' Mr El-Hassan writes.

He added there had been no comment of explanation from the department about the dismissal of Mr Griffiths and his deputy.

He said the appointment of Robert Patruno, an ex-Principal of a Juvenile Justice Centre, 'only exasperates the situation'.

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 petition was started by Ahmed El-Hassan who believes the dismissal of Mr Griffiths is 'unfair and requires immediate action'

The investigation was prompted by its refusal to participate in a government-funded anti-radicalisation program called School Community Working Together

The Department told Daily Mail Australia new principal Robert Patruno, who previously ran the education unit inside Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre

Mr Griffiths and Ms Dennaoui were removed from the school for allegedly stopping female teachers from participating in official events such as the Year 12 graduation ceremony, along with other issues.

The investigation was prompted by its refusal to participate in a government-funded anti-radicalisation program called School Community Working Together, Department boss Mark Scott confirmed.

Mr Griffiths and Ms Dennaoui were removed from the school for allegedly stopping female teachers from participating in official events

'The former principal and deputy principal are still employed by the department but are currently on leave and will not return to the school,' the Education Department 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.
A man has been arrested after a woman's dead body was found by her son in a home in Sydney's west.

Police found the 56-year-old's body on Tuesday afternoon in the Glenwood residence after her son spotted her lying on the floor.

The woman's husband has since been arrested and is expected to be charged over her death, according to Daily Telegraph.

Police found the woman on Tuesday afternoon inside the Glenwood residence

'Police spoke with a family member, and as a result, a search began for a 57-year-old male, who police will allege is the husband of a deceased lady,' Detective Acting Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said.

'It is anticipated that later this morning he will be charged with a number of serious indictable offences.'

Neighbour Monir Bahadori told the publication police had attended the home on several occasions.

She said she had seen the woman's husband walking up and down outside the house on Monday night.

The husband's car was nowhere to be seen when one of the woman's sons came from work to find to find the crime scene.

The deceased woman was living separately in the garage since the family moved to the home earlier this year.
CARSON CITY  Legislative business picked up after the weekend recess with Monday designated as Mining Day.

Walking the halls, there were displays from Barrick, Newmont, and the Nevada Mining Association, as well as lithium producer Ablemarle.

In front of the Legislature were the men of the Newmont Mine Rescue team in Carlin, who came to Carson City with rescue equipment to display.

At the conference welcoming the Mining Association, Assemblywoman Heidi Swank, D-Las Vegas, voiced her support for mining. Swank stated her opinion that more people need to know about the benefits mining brings to Nevada as an industry, creating jobs and utilizing the land.

Legislators held multiple press conferences Monday discussing issues ranging from Womens History Month to the blueprints they have created for the session.

Contraceptives

Assembly Democrats highlighted Assembly Bill 249, which went to committee on Monday. The bill, sponsored by Speaker Jason Frierson and Majority Leader Benitez-Thompson, would remove the religious exemption from a provision requiring the State Plan for Medicaid to provide 12 months of contraceptives to be dispensed without any additional costs to the enrollee.

When the original requirement was introduced in 1999, the only provider that spoke out against it was St. Marys Hospital from Reno. Benitez-Thompson said she imagined the debate on the bill would be more focused on ideology than policy, and she was correct. Favorable testimony in front of the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services centered around the fiscal benefits of making contraceptives widely available.

One Las Vegas woman testifying in favor of the measure called the arguments of those who oppose birth control based on the cost to the taxpayer to be that of profound ignorance. Testimony against the bill was largely religiously based, with one woman citing the erosion of religious liberty she has seen over the last few sessions of the Legislature.

Assemblywomen Robin Titus, Melissa Woodbury, Lisa Krasner and Jill Tolles held a press conference addressing womens history month, womens issues, and the profile of each of the Republican caucus women.

Body cameras

In the Senate committee rooms, discussion was heard on Senate Bill 176, which will require peace officers in the state who regularly interact with the public to wear body cameras in the line of duty.

Testimony on the bill began with Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, who presented the bill to the Committee. Ford presented testimony heard in favor of the bill during the 2015 session by his son, who was present to testify yet again.

During that session, a similar bill was passed requiring only Nevada Highway Patrol officers to wear the cameras. On January 10, 2017, the Nevada Board of Examiners approved a contract with Taser International to supply all officers with cameras by the summer of 2017, which will bring the agency into full compliance.

Sen. Ford highlighted the fact that since the 2015 session, body camera technology has progressed when it comes to convenience and improving officer safety. Additionally, the bill will allow all counties to utilize the 25-cent surcharge that can be placed on 911 calls to be used to implement body camera legislation.

Senator Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, challenged the bill based on the question of whether the surcharge would be sufficient to fund the body cameras in smaller counties like Lincoln and Esmeralda.

Senator Hardy, R-Las Vegas, referred to the bill as an unfunded mandate, and challenged the bill from the standpoint that there may be some counties in Nevada which will be challenged in funding the measure should it pass.

While both Hardy and Goicoechea disagree with the bill from a fiscal standpoint, they did state their agreement with the concept of cameras worn by law enforcement. The bill received testimonial support from multiple local police departments, county representatives and concerned citizens.

The Nevada Association of Counties came forward providing strong support for the bill, saying that while they cannot speak to what the individual counties plan to do to fund the mandate, the board of the association voted to support the bill unanimously.

Resident identification

On the next floor, testimony was heard on AB162, requiring any business that accepts a Nevada drivers license for identification to similarly accept a permanent resident card.

Sponsor Assemblyman Edgar Flores said the bill came about when someone in his district tried to utilize a green card to enter a bar, and was denied, being told he must go home and get his passport.

The Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections heard testimony on Initiative Petition 1, dubbed the motor voter registration bill, which requires information collected for purposes of a drivers license to be automatically used for voter registration.

At the Assembly Republican conference in the afternoon, leaders spoke about their priorities going forward into the session. The Battle Born Priorities, which can be found at www.mynevada.gop, prioritize school choice, removing obstacles from businesses looking to come to Nevada, and public safety.

Assembly Minority Leader Paul Anderson also highlighted the importance of healthcare in the priorities, saying We must ensure our Nevadans have the best access to healthcare.

Going forward, the Assembly Republicans said they believe they will be able to work with Democrats toward the common goal they share of advancing a better Nevada.
Nearly half of people exonerated for crimes they did not commit are African-American, a new report has found - strengthening claims of discrimination in the justice system.

Research also reveals that black people spend longer in prison before being exonerated than white prisoners.

The study by the National Registry of Exonerations found innocent black people are seven times more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder than white defendants.

Innocent black people are seven times more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder than white defendants

The registry found that 47 per cent of 1,900 people wrongly convicted were black, despite African-Americans making up just 13 per cent of the US population.

Its report states: 'Many of the convictions of African-American murder exonerees were affected by a wide range of types of racial discrimination, from unconscious bias and institutional discrimination to explicit racism.'

And it continued: 'Most wrongful convictions are never discovered. We have no direct measure of the number of all convictions of innocent murder defendants, but our best estimate suggests that they outnumber those we know about many times over.

'Judging from exonerations, half of those innocent murder defendants are African Americans.'

It also found that police misconduct was 22 per cent more likely to be a factor in exonerations involving black defendants than whites.

Figures reveal that 47 per cent of those exonerated for crimes they did not commit are black

The report stated: 'There is no one explanation for the heavy concentration of black defendants among those convicted of crimes they did not commit.

'The causes we have identified run from inevitable consequences of patterns in crime and punishment to deliberate acts of racism, with many stops in between. They differ sharply from one type of crime to another.'

The report focused on wrongful convictions for murder, sexual assault and drug crimes.

It concluded that the murder rate is higher within the black community, meaning innocent people are more likely to become suspects. Researchers also found that in cases of sex assault, African-Americans are more likely to be wrongly identified.

One of the most high profile cases of wrongful conviction was that of Marvin Anderson (pictured in 2002), who at the age of 18 was sentenced to 210 years in jail for rape, sodomy abduction and robbery

It found white people are less likely to identify black faces, an issue known as 'cross-racial identification'.

One of the most high profile cases of wrongful conviction was that of Marvin Anderson, who at the age of 18 was sentenced to 210 years in jail for rape, sodomy abduction and robbery.

He was behind bars for 15 years before being freed thanks to DNA testing.

Anderson told CNN: 'I trusted in the justice system and it failed me.'
Four-yerar-old Isabella Hristova was sucked into a hot tub filter at a hotel in Bulgaria, severely damaging her bowel and intestine

A mother has revealed the horrifying moment that her four-year-old daughter was sucked into a hot tub filter.

Isabella Hristova was placed in an induced coma and hooked up to a life support machine after severely damaging her bowel and intestine in the shocking incident at a hotel in Bulgaria.

Her mother Nicola Floyd, 28, originally from Waterlooville, Hampshire, took Isabella - who could swim before she could walk - for a dip every Saturday before their weekly routine was marred by tragedy on February 25.

But four days ago Isabella woke for the first time since being taken to hospital, asking her mother to read her a story - and she has now been moved from intensive care onto a children's ward.

'Isabella is a happy, full-of-life little child. She's absolutely everything to me,' said call centre worker Miss Floyd.

'As a mum, I feel guilty but I had no idea the filter was there. I'd never have put her at risk like that. My priority now is her recovery. I don't want to let her down again.'

Miss Floyd moved to Bulgaria with her family in May 2007 after seeing an advert and being drawn in by the beauty of the country.

Mother Nicola Floyd, 28, had taken her daughter Isabella for a swim every Saturday

Plumber Hristo Hristov, 36, is pictured with his partner Miss Floyd and daughter Isabella

Now, she is now settled in the country with her partner plumber Hristo Hristov, 36, who she met eight years ago.

Eager to start a family, they tried for three years, before their 'miracle' daughter Isabella was born in June 2012.

Keen for her to learn to swim, Miss Floyd would take Isabella to the open air pool outside their home from an early age.

The clever youngster took to it right away, learning to swim at three months - before she could even walk.

'She's like a little fish. She absolutely loves swimming,' said Miss Floyd. 'Her favourite Disney princess is Ariel.'

Now, Isabella is on the up has been moved from intensive care onto a children's ward

Keen for her to learn to swim, Miss Floyd would take Isabella to the open air pool outside their home from an early age

For the past four years, the pair have gone swimming together virtually every Saturday.

After undergoing surgery on her bowel, Isabella was placed in an induced coma and hooked up to a life support machine

But, on February 25, the weather was too cold to swim outside, so instead, Miss Floyd, her mother Barbara Burchell, 49, and Isabella went to the Admiral Hotel in Zlatni Piasatzi around 20 minutes away.

There, she and Isabella enjoyed splashing around for about an hour-and-a-half. Then, they decided to get into the hot tub to warm up.

'We all got in to the hot tub together. I never left Isabella alone for a second,' said Miss Floyd. 'I was sitting in the left hand corner, and mum was in the right. Isabella was playing between our legs.

'She hates getting out of the water, so I was preparing her to leave. A few minutes before we were due to go, she went to sit in a corner too. She wanted to be like me.'

But the family did not realise that the hot tub filter was lying open under the water, according to Miss Floyd.

She continued: 'Isabella never cried, but she just started screaming, 'My tummy, my tummy.'

'She'd been sucked in and wasn't strong enough to push herself out. I tried with everything I had, pulling away, but I couldn't free her either.

On March 3, Isabella woke for the first time, asking her mother to read her a story

Isabella has been downgraded from critical condition to serious and is walking about, but still has a long way to go

'Mum ran to get the lifeguard and the staff turned the electricity off. It was only then that I could get hold of her. When I pulled her out, her intestine was in my hands.'

After the incident, Isabella (pictured at Disneyland Paris last December) was raced to hospital, where she has been ever since

Emergency services were called and Isabella was raced to St Anna's Hospital, where she has been ever since.

After undergoing surgery on her bowel, she was placed in an induced coma and hooked up to a life support machine.

'The surgery lasted about three hours. All we could do was pace up and down the corridors outside,' Miss Floyd added.

On March 3, Isabella woke for the first time, asking her mother to read her a story.

Now, she has been downgraded from critical condition to serious and is walking about, but still has a long way to go.

'Nobody can say much right now. We've no idea what the lasting impact will be,' Miss Floyd explained.

'Her stomach is still open at the moment, so she'll need surgery to close it up and then we'll go from there.

'We're taking things day by day, but at least it's not hour by hour anymore. The doctors have been amazing. They've saved my little girl's life.'

On February 25, the weather was too cold to swim outside, so instead, Miss Floyd, her mother Barbara Burchell, 49, and Isabella went to the Admiral Hotel in Zlatni Piasatzi (pictured)

The hotel has said it is ready to give the family 'any kind of support for the medical treatment and the convalescence of the child'

A spokesman for the Admiral Hotel said: 'The management body of Zlatni Piassatsi PLC / owner of Admiral Hotel expresses its concern and compassion on the occasion of the serious accident on February 25, 2017 at the Admiral Hotel.

'We would like to assure all the interested parties that we are giving the investigation bodies our total support for clarification of the reasons, which have caused the accident.

'We express our most sincere sympathy to the parents and relatives of the injured child and we would like to assure them, that we are ready to give them any kind of support for the medical treatment and the convalescence of the child.

'We would like to declare with this letter that further detailed information on the accident would be given by our side after all the requiring examinations and investigation actions are accomplished.'
Iraqi security forces have recaptured Mosul's central bank, which was looted by Islamic State when the terror group overran the city in 2014, a military spokesman said.

Government forces have also taken back control of a building where the Islamic State housed its brutal Sharia court, which ordered barbaric punishments including executions and stonings.

Rapid Response soldiers seized the building that housed Islamic State's main court of justice, Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi, a spokesman for the elite interior ministry units, said.

Smoke rises over Mosul following an airstrike during an offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the western parts of the city from Islamic State

The court was known for delivering harsh sentences, including stonings, throwing people off building roofs and chopping off hands, reflecting Islamic State's extreme ideology.

The central bank branch and the justice court are in the same area as the main government buildings complex that Rapid Response stormed overnight.

Soldiers also recaptured the city's main government building, which had been under ISIS control.

The government buildings had been destroyed and were not used by Islamic State, but their capture still represented a symbolic victory in the battle over the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq.

Iraqi security forces have also recaptured the Mosul museum, where Islamic State group militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artefacts just over 18 months ago, police said.

Iraqi forces 'recaptured the archaeological museum,' Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying when this occurred.

Displaced Iraqis flee their homes in Al Mansour district, while Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, retaking several key buildings from the militants

The capture of the buildings from Islamic State represented a symbolic victory in the battle over the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the Rapid Response Division, the special forces unit that usually spearheads operations with the federal police, also confirmed the museum's recapture, saying it was retaken on Monday.

IS 'stole the artefacts and completely destroyed the museum,' Mohammedawi said.

The jihadist group released a video in February 2015 of militants destroying ancient artefacts at the museum, after overrunning the city of Mosul the previous June.

The five-minute video shows militants at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces.

The bank was looted by Islamic State when the terror group overran the city in 2014

Most of the 3,000-year-old sculptures destroyed during an ISIS rampage through Mosul museum were worthless replicas of real artefacts which are housed safely in capital Baghdad

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city.

IS also smashed stone carvings and detonated explosives at the site of Nimrud near Mosul, and vandalised sculptures at Hatra, another ancient city located in north Iraq.

The destruction at the museum and the archaeological sites has drawn widespread condemnation internationally and inside Iraq.

While IS has cast its destruction of Iraqi heritage as a religiously mandated removal of idols, the jihadists have had no qualms about selling smaller artefacts to fund their operations.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since recaptured most of the territory they lost.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul on October 17, first recapturing its eastern side and then setting their sights on the west in a push launched last month.
A daycare worker in Pennsylvania was caught on camera pushing a little girl down a flight of stairs.

Sarah Gable, 52, glanced up seconds after pushing the child, perhaps only then noticing the camera, which had only been installed a few minutes earlier.

Police Chief Michael Chitwood, from Upper Darby Police Department, told CBS: 'It's every parent's worst nightmare that sends their kid to daycare.'

He said: 'This was a horrific act, a betrayal of trust.'

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: The surveillance camera, which had only just been installed, caught the moment when Gable pushed the little girl down the stairs after struggling with her

GOTCHA: Seconds later Gable looked up at the camera, perhaps only noticing it for the first time

The Delco Times reported an affidavit stated that: 'Gable was seen struggling with the child prior to pushing her down the steps. After the child fell, Gable was observed grabbing her and continuing on.'

Gable was fired from the Child Care of the Future daycare center in Clifton Heights, near Philadelphia, after the incident on Friday.

She was arrested and faces charges of assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She has been released on bail of $25,000.

Gable had worked in the daycare industry for 25 years but had only been employed at Child Care of the Future for 12 months.

Co-worker Shawayne Tavares told CBS: 'It still hurts me, just seeing the video. When I saw it air I was just like wow. It still hurts. 'The little girl was just really shaken up. Her eyes were literally like 'help me'.''

The girl suffered a knee injury and Ms Tavares said when she returned to the daycare center yesterday 'she was a little scared of the steps'.

Gable (pictured, left) had worked in the daycare industry for 25 years but had only worked at the center (right) for a year. She was fired immediately after the incident

Chief Chitwood said the girl was 'scared to death'.

Ronnie Siekor, whose son goes to the daycare center, said: 'She would greet him with a hug. I always thought she was one of the best teachers. For us to hear this is very disheartening.'

A preliminary hearing for the case has been listed for March 16 before Magisterial District Judge Kelly Micozzie-Aguirre.
Brexit will be an 'opportunity' to strengthen the car industry, the boss of the French firm buying Vauxhall has said.

Carlos Tavares, chief executive of PSA Peugeot Citroen, voiced optimism about the UK's prospects after leaving the EU whether our departure is 'hard' or 'soft'.

The comments came as he offered reassurance that there would be no 'simplistic' moves to close plants in Britain after its purchase of the European arm of American General Motors  which includes Vauxhall in the UK and German-based Opel.

Vauxhall employs 1,830 staff at its factory in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, home of the Astra, and a further 1,530 at the plant in Luton, where they make the Vivaro van.

PSA Peugeot Citroen chief executive Carlos Tavares - pictured with GM boss Mary Barra yesterday - has voiced optimism about the UK's prospects after leaving the EU

1.9m deal: The Paris-based PSA Group has agreed to buy the European arm of American General Motors  which includes Vauxhall in the UK (pictured in Ellesmere Port) and German-based Opel

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, Mr Tavares said: 'Brexit is interesting because nobody knows how it will unfold. It could be hard or soft.

'If soft, it is good (for) performance to be competitive in the UK against all other countries, strengthened maybe by the weakness of the pound.'

He added: 'A hard Brexit from UK plants will be a nice opportunity in terms of business.

'This is something that the UK government completely understands. If it is a hard Brexit, then the supplier base needs to be developed. It is important that we source parts from the UK, so that the cost structure will be more in pounds.

"We do not need to shut down plants. We believe we need to trust the talents of people. They always come up with ideas and solutions we could not imagine.'

Fears had been raised last weekafter Mr Tavares, who built a reputation as a ruthless cost-cutter, said he would make savings of around 1.5bn in 'quite a speedy way'.

Teresa Carway, 63, (left) and Robert O'Driscoll, 47, both work in the the Luton Vauxhall plant

The deal with GM will create Europe's second-largest carmaker behind Volkswagen and bring brands including Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall under the same roof.

But unions have urged the government to seek assurances for British workers. The row is shaping up to be the biggest industrial headache for Theresa May since she became Prime Minister.

Downing Street said Mrs May had been assured in a phone call with General Motors chief Mary Barra that Vauxhall would remain a 'British brand.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said thousands of Vauxhall workers at Ellesmere Port and Luton had endured a 'nerve-racking' few weeks.

'While initial discussions with the PSA Group have been relatively positive, our priority now is to ensure a long-term future for our plants and the tens of thousands of workers depending on them,' he said.

Factory: In Luton Vauxhall produces its popular Vivaro in Britain's only remaining van factory

Luton South's Labour MP Gavin Shuker said: 'Glad to see the uncertainty over the PSA/GM deal is now over.

'Our UK plants are among the most efficient of any in the new company. They deserve a bright future.

'Now Government needs to play its part, delivering a Brexit deal that keeps Vauxhall building in the UK.'

Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston Justin Madders tweeted: 'We have a commitment from Peugeot until 2020/21, the work starts now on protecting jobs beyond that.'

Alison McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South in Merseyside, said on Twitter: 'We need certainty asap. And we need to see Government commitment to automotive production in Brexit plans.

Giant: The deal will create Europe's second-largest carmaker behind Volkswagen and bring brands including Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall under the same roof

'Working with Justin Madders & the Unite union to get clarity on future. Brexit risk shouldn't threaten automotive work'

GM's European business has a total of 38,000 staff, including more than 19,000 in Germany over 12 factories.

Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable warned Brexit could make it harder to save the Vauxhall jobs.

The Liberal Democrat, who backed the Remain cause, said there is a 'serious question mark' about the Vauxhall plants in the medium term.

He added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government will put pressure on the French to protect Vauxhall's sister company Opel's plants in her country.

Brexit could free the UK from state aid rules, allowing greater taxpayer-funded support for the plants, he acknowledged.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: 'We are hopeful that this deal will provide a positive future for the plants at Luton and Ellesmere Port and the wider supply chain given their inherent advantages.

'The outlook for vehicle production remains positive with investment commitments made over the past few years still delivering growth.'

PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares  who has built a reputation as a ruthless cost-cutter having slashed thousands of jobs at Peugeot and Citroen

British ministers are under pressure to offer PSA incentives to keep Ellesmere Port and Luton open - just as it did with Nissan to convince the Japanese car maker to increase its investment in Sunderland.

Following talks with the PSA boss last week, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'The prime minister and Mr Tavares discussed the importance the UK attaches to Vauxhall's plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton and their shared desire to protect and promote the jobs it supports and what Mr Tavares referred to as the 'iconic' Vauxhall brand within the wider group.'

The announcement said the transaction will allow 'substantial economies of scale and synergies' in purchasing, manufacturing and research and development.

PSA, together with BNP Paribas, will also acquire all of GM Financial's European operations through a newly formed 50-50 per cent joint venture.

PSA will become the second-largest automotive company in Europe, with a 17 per cent market share.
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has reportedly offering executive clemency to 127 inmates across the country.

Duterte, dubbed 'The Punisher', was warned by a Senator he will be held accountable for his alleged extrajudicial killings during the President's anti-drug campaign.

However, in the meantime Duterte took a trip to National 'Bilibid' Prison in Muntinlupa city, with reports claiming the President released 127 inmates across the country under the recommendation of the Department of Justice.

A released prisoner granted clemency from President Rodrigo Duterte

An inmate shakes the hand of a prison official following his release

Up to 127 inmates were released across the nation following the order

The Punisher granted clemency to some of the elderly and sick inmates at Bilibid Prison on Tuesday.

Duterte's order was granted to some of the inmates and the excited sick and elderly were pictured with Filipino Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

The President's actions come after the self-proclaimed head of the infamous Davao Death Squad claimed under oath was paid by Duterte to kill.

Arturo Lascanas told the Senate that the Death Squad had received money from Duterte - was was mayor at the time - to kill.

The revelations were quickly denied by the Philippines government labelling the claims as a 'fabrication'.
A thoughtful letter from Princess Diana to a police sergeant who put on a dazzling motorbike display for Prince William's seventh birthday party is going on sale at auction.

In the letter, dated June 21, 1989, Diana thanked Sergeant George Plumb of the Metropolitan Police and the Special Escort Group for putting on an elaborate show for William, Harry and their friends in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

The letter, which is written on Kensington Palace headed paper, was signed by William and Harry, who would have been just four years old at the time.

Retired police officer Sgt Plumb has decided to sell the letter after 28 years and it is tipped to fetch 2,500.

A letter, pictured, written by Princess Diana to Metropolitan Police Sergeant George Plumb thanking him for putting on an elaborate motorbike show for Prince William will go on sale at auction

The note, pictured, was written after the Met's Special Escort Group treated William, Harry and friends to a display for the elder prince's seventh birthday party in 1989. The letter is also signed by William and Harry

The letter reads: 'Dear Sgt Plumb, It was so very kind of you and your team to have come here today on William's birthday - I cannot begin to tell you what pleasure the display gave to all those little people and their mothers!

'I know how particularly busy you all are at the moment, so it meant even more to us that you and the motorbike boys were able to take part in the birthday celebrations!

'This comes with our warmest possible thanks. Yours sincerely Diana, William, Harry.'

When Diana mentioned knowing how 'busy' Sgt Plumb and his team were, she was referring to rail, underground and bus strikes which were taking place that day.

The collection includes an accompanying letter from Diana's assistant private secretary Ann Beckwith-Smith thanking Sgt Plumb and his team for putting on a 'superb display'.

There is also a bullion lapel badge given to Sgt Plumb by a chauffeur from St James Palace.

Sgt Plumb, who has been retired for 20 years, could receive up to 2,500 for the letter

Both princes, pictured on a BMW police motorbike in 1987 with Diana, are known as keen petrolheads, with the 1989 party possibly a factor in their love for motorcycles

The Prince of Wales, Diana and their children pictured in 1989 around the time of William's seventh birthday party

Glen Chapman, of C&T Auctioneers of Ashford, Kent, which is selling the letter, said: 'At that time the Metropolitan Police had a motorbike display team and they turned up at William's birthday party at Kensington Palace.

'They put on a 20 minute show where they got in formation and did crossovers for the princes.

'The Special Escort Group would have been known to the Royals because they did escorts for the family.

'Diana's letters are very warm and it is like she has known you forever, almost like she's the lady next door.

'What is particularly interesting about this letter is that it is signed by a young William and Harry.

'Sgt Plumb has been retired for about 20 years now and he has decided now is the right time to sell the letter.'

Prince William, pictured at a motorcycle event in 2013, is well known for his love of the vehicles

The Duke of Cambridge, pictured on a Ducati Diavel, is believed to have owned a Ducati 1198s which can hit top speeds of 180mph

William and Harry were both keen bikers from a young age and later each purchased powerful machines to ride at weekends.

William is said to have owned a Ducati 1198s and Harry a Ducati 848 - with top speeds of 180mph and 166mph, respectively - leading Prince Charles to express concern in 2010 at his sons' obsession with motorbikes.

In 2008 the heirs to the throne took part in an arduous motorcycle rally across Africa to raise money for a variety of charities including Sentebale, which was jointly founded by Prince Harry.

The Special Escort Group provides armed motorcycle escorts for members of the royal family, visiting royals, heads of state and other visiting dignitaries.

They are skilled riders who carry firearms and are trained to combat terrorists.

The auction takes place on March 15.
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More images have emerged of the Manly ferry being engulfed by massive waves and tourists on-board being drenched by epic swells near Sydney's north head.

The pictures were taken during a weekend of wild weather on the east coast which saw large parts of New South Wales battered by windy and rainy conditions.

An unsuspecting couple feature in the latest set of pictures as they sit on a bench while a giant wave approaches them from the side of the vessel.

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More images show the Manly ferry being engulfed by massive waves, while tourists on-board are drenched by epic swells near Sydney's north head

The unsuspecting couple feature sit on a bench while a giant wave approaches them from the side of the vessel

The pictures were taken during a weekend of wild weather on the east coast which saw large parts of New South Wales battered by windy and rainy conditions

The couple hold their ground as the wave draws nearer but they end up being soaked from head-to-toe - giving them a memory of their ferry trip most people won't experience.

The pictures come after a warning from the Bureau of Meteorology who have predicted severe swells will pound the east coast, causing dangerous surf conditions until Wednesday.

Swells peaking at three to four metres are forecast for some areas, with even larger and stronger conditions further offshore.

The couple hold their ground and remain sitting on the bench as the wave encroaches the ferry

But the couple end up being soaked from head-to-toe, giving them a memorable experience from their journey

Earlier in the week deckhand Haig Gilchrist, 47, also captured stunning images from the ferry as it was thrown around on rough surf.

'East Coast Low intensifying,' Mr Gilchrist captioned the photo he shared on Instagram, later commenting: 'Great day to be working.'

The image has taken the internet by storm, with hundreds of commenters praising his talents as a photographer.

Others were more interested in the damage the monster wave had caused.

'Amazing, so what happened next?' one commented.

Another snap taken over the weekend shows the bow of the ferry almost completely disappearing as it travelled through Sydney Heads.

Earlier in the week, Sydney deckhand captured amazing images of the Manly ferry being swamped by monster waves. One snap shows a huge wall of water about to crash into the side of the ferry

Another image shows the bow of the ferry almost completely disappearing as it travelled through Sydney Heads

The Queenscliff ferry makes the trip across Sydney Harbour from Manly in heavy surf

The monster waves were a result of a developing weather system rolling through the state.

While the Sydney ferries could struggle with more dangerous swell, surfers will embrace 'Big Wednesday,' with massive offshore waves.

The warning comes just days after two men drowned in separate incidents at Bondi and Bellinger, near Coffs Harbour.

'The best advice we can give people is to be aware of their environment and the changing conditions,' Surf Life Saving NSW operations manager Andy Kent said in a statement on Sunday.

The weekend footage is not the first time Mr Gilchrist has shared photos of a treacherous journey on the Manly Ferry (pictured is massive swell smashing the ferry in January)

In January, Mr Gilchrist also captured the moment the boat was thrown around on the rough surf

The Sydney ferries often battle through massive swells and are rarely cancelled (stock image)

The weekend footage is not the first time Mr Gilchrist has shared photos of a treacherous journey on the Manly Ferry.

In January, Mr Gilchrist captured the moment the boat was thrown around on the rough surf.

'I would have spent that trip in the ladies throwing up. It used to really scare me when it was like this between the heads! (sic)' one Instagram commenter wrote.

'Strong stomach required! This really captures how ferocious the sea can get,' said another.

Mr Gilchrist often captures treacherous ferry rides across Sydney Harbour and shares them to his Instagram page

The Manly Ferry takes the 30 minute trip from Circular Quay every half an hour, cutting the time it takes on a bus by half

There are eight Sydney Ferry lines, including Manly, Taronga Zoo, Parramatta River, Darling Harbour, Neutral Bay, Mosman Bay, Eastern Suburbs and Newcastle
A couple who planned the trip of a lifetime have been left devastated after contracting severe gastric bug which ruined their dream 5* holiday.

David Barratt from Prudhoe, Northumberland, has lost 20lbs in weight and is continuing to suffer as a result of the gastric illness he developed during a Christmas break with wife Jacqui at Riu Touareg in Boa Vista, Cape Verde.

The holiday was arranged to mark his 70th birthday, her 60th and their 40th wedding anniversary.

David Barratt (pictured right, wife Jacqui, left) lost 20lbs in weight and is continuing to suffer as a result of the gastric illness he developed during a Christmas break in Cape Verde.

Father-of-two Mr Barratt was advised that his symptoms were so severe that, following his return to the UK, his GP referred him for further tests to the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

And now the problems have led the Barratts to call on specialist lawyers to investigate how their dream 10-day holiday arranged through Thomson became 'a nightmare'.

Mr Barratt said: 'This holiday was meant to be the best we had ever been on, but it was terrible.

'To make matters worse, the illness means we've had to put plans to visit my daughter and her wife on hold even though we haven't seen them for nearly six months.

Grandfather Mr Barratt first began experiencing symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea and joint pains on Christmas morning 2016, a couple of days into the holiday at this resort

'They are expecting their first baby and we are yet to celebrate with them because I'm afraid to pass anything on.

'We are hugely frustrated by everything that has happened and want to know how I came to fall ill. We just want answers.'

Grandfather Mr Barratt first began experiencing symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea and joint pains on Christmas morning 2016, a couple of days into the holiday.

He said: 'We spent a huge amount of time researching the holiday to ensure it would be perfect and it just turned out to be a nightmare.

Mr and Mrs Barratt with their son Craif (centre). They say the shower and balcony of their room had not been cleaned and towels were not replaced

'In addition to my illness, we were also concerned by the condition of the swimming pool, the water was cloudy, tiles were missing and we did not see it being cleaned.

'We were also unhappy with the state of our room upon arrival, from what we could tell, the shower and balcony had not been cleaned and towels were not replaced.'

Retired painter and decorator David also claims to have spotted kitchen staff handling both raw and cooked meat with the same gloves.

He also said cats roamed the resort to the extent they were climbing on tables.

Mr Barratt added: 'The hot food was sometimes cold, even if we were in the restaurant as soon as it opened. On several occasions I witnessed the staff top up the food trays with fresh food and leave the existing food at the bottom.'

Jacqui, a retired hairdresser who looked after David following his illness, described the hotel as 'absolutely filthy'.

She is 'extremely worried' about him and said 'the holiday has had a big impact on both of our lives'.

The Barratts have called lawyers to investigate how their dream holiday became 'a nightmare'

Mr Barratt added: 'Unfortunately the holiday was memorable for all the wrong reasons.'

Nichola Blackburn, the specialist illness lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, who is representing the couple, said: 'The impact of gastric illness should never be underestimated, as the problems can leave victims with symptoms from which they never fully recover.

'We are now determined to help our clients gain answers regarding the issues they faced and, as part of our investigations, we would be keen to hear from anyone else affected by similar issues at the resort.'

A spokesman for Thomson said: 'We're sorry to hear of Mr and Mrs Barratt's experience. As this is now subject to legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.'
Two-thirds of E.On customers could see their energy bills soar after the supplier today announced an 8.8 per cent fuel price hike from next month.

The energy giant said its standard electricity prices will increase by an average of 13.8 per cent and standard gas prices will rise by an average of 3.8 per cent.

Around 2.5million of E.On's residential customers - 62 per cent - will 'potentially' see an increase if they take no action before April 26, the company revealed.

E.On said standard electricity prices will increase by an average of 13.8 per cent and standard gas prices will rise by an average of 3.8 per cent 'due in large part to increasing policy costs'

E.On - whose increase follows a spate of recent energy price rises - said its rise was 'due in large part to increasing policy costs and other costs it doesn't control'.

It also said that the hike was 'largely due' to an increase of around 36 per cent in the cost of supporting various social and environmental programmes, such as the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Electricity Market Reform (EMR).

Tony Cocker, chief executive of E.On UK, said: 'This is the first time since January 2014 that we have increased our standard variable prices.

Tony Cocker, chief executive of E.On UK, admitted that news of a price rise was 'an announcement we never want to make'

'It is an announcement we never want to make but is due in large part to the fact that many of the costs we don't directly control, such as policies including EMR, RO and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which are paid for via people's energy bills, are increasing.

'We have been able to partially offset some of these rises through our wholesale hedging policy and other means, but we do have to make an increase.'

He added: 'We will continue to work to make sure our customers are on the best tariff for them; for example, we will be sending more than three million letters to customers this month with personalised savings messages making it clear how easy it is to swap to another tariff that might offer cheaper prices.

'In addition we will also be working to contact a number of potentially vulnerable customers currently on our standard variable tariff with a personalised quote for an exclusive product, which will be E.On's cheapest tariff.'

E.On's rise follows various companies increasing energy prices in recent months.

Npower, EDF and Scottish Power are among those to have ramped up bills, with many blaming rising wholesale costs.

2016/17 WINTER PRICE RISES - SELECTED SUPPLIERS - STANDARD TARIFFS Supplier Annual Standard Tariff Cost Announced Price Rise (Dual Fuel, Monthly DD) npower 1,187 9.8% - March 16 Co-op Energy 1,179 3% Oct, 5% April 1 Scottish Power 1,167 8.0% - March 31 E.On 1,154 9.2% - April 16 first:utility 1,148 9.7% - April 1 EDF 1,082 1.2% - March 1 SSE 1,068 Price freeze until April 17 British Gas 1,044 Price freeze until August 17 AVERAGE 1,129 Source: Energy Helpline

Co-operative Energy is also increasing the cost of its standard variable tariff by an average of 5 per cent, a change that will affect around 96,000 customers when it comes in from April 1.

Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: 'Loyal customers will bear the brunt of yet another steep price rise from a large energy firm.

'Millions of E.On customers on the standard variable tariff could find their bills have been pushed up further after years of paying more than other customers for the same gas and electricity.

This massive increase will be very tough for customers to swallow Mark Todd, Energy Helpline

'It is positive that E.On will identify some of its vulnerable customers on the standard variable tariff and make it easier for them to get the cheapest deal on offer. But action is needed to lower the bills for loyal customers of all suppliers.

'The Government is right to say it will set right markets that don't work for consumers. Extending the prepayment meter cap to standard variable tariff customers who are on the Warm Homes Discount would be one way to help some of those who can least afford rising bills.

And Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: 'Moaning that prices are going up won't help. Instead this should be seen as a clarion call for action.

'After this price rise, an E.On customer will typically be paying 1,144 a year - our Cheap Energy Club shows the cheapest tariff on the market would charge you 834 for exactly the same, and all the cheap deals are one-year fixes, so you're guaranteed no price hikes.

What does this mean for E.On customers? The price rise only affects customers on the E.On standard variable tariff from April 26. The company is writing to those who may be impacted with information on how the price change affects them. For example, based on Ofgem national average consumption, dual fuel customers that pay by fixed monthly Direct Debit with paperless bills will see an average increase of 97 a year. But customers who are on a fixed tariff, or a prepayment or Smart Pay-As-You-Go billing will not be impacted. E.On says one of the simplest ways for customers to protect themselves from the rise is to switch to a fixed tariff. Customers can also save by choosing to have both their electricity and gas with E.On, paying by fixed monthly Direct Debit, according to the firm. Advertisement

'The best thing for E.On customers and all others to do is a whole-of-market comparison, but even if you're not willing to do that, call up your existing company and say "Am I on your cheapest deal?". Most people aren't, and hundreds can be saved with just one phone call.'

Meanwhile Mark Todd, co-founder of price comparison website Energy Helpline, said: 'E.On delivered yet another bitter blow to households this morning as it announced a monstrous price rise.

'This massive increase will be very tough for customers to swallow and once again it's loyal standard rate customers who are hit the hardest.

'Sixteen UK energy suppliers have now announced hikes to their prices with more set to follow as the market shifts upwards by around 8 per cent. There is pretty much no escape from these hikes unless you get on a fixed rate energy tariff.'

And Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of Money.co.uk, said: 'This is yet another huge blow to families who are struggling to make ends meet - these massive energy increases from the big power companies seem really unfair.

'With energy prices shooting skyward and cheap deals being pulled, the harsh reality is you dont have time to lose  you must look at your bills now and work out whether or not switching could save you a bundle.

'If youre an E.On customer, you need to check if you're on their standard variable tariff ASAP then compare your options and switch to a different tariff that saves you money and protects you against future price increases.'

Emma Bush, energy expert at uSwitch, added: 'This is a crippling blow to energy customers and only serves to pile further pressure on household budgets, many of which are already at tipping point.

'While E.On should be commended for its plans to reach out to its most vulnerable customers, millions will still be affected by this news.

As usual, it's the customers already overpaying on their energy  those sitting on poor value standard tariffs  who are being hit by this rise Emma Bush, uSwitch.com

'As usual, it's the customers already overpaying on their energy  those sitting on poor value standard tariffs  who are being hit by this rise.'

Which? managing director of home services, Alex Neill, said: 'E.On's customers on standard tariffs will be rightly outraged that their energy bills are set to go up when the regulator suggested that inflation-busting rises are unnecessary.

'Customers sitting on their standard tariff should look to switch to better deals now. Millions of hard-pressed energy bill payers are continuing to suffer due to a lack of competition in this market.

'If energy companies fail to properly engage with their customers, then the Government and the regulator must step in.'

And a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesman said: 'We expect energy companies to treat their customers fairly and continue to be concerned by these price rises which will hit millions of people already paying more than they need to.

'Wherever markets are not working for consumers, this Government is prepared to act.'
Suspect in deadly Reno shootout

still at large

RENO (AP)  Authorities in Reno say the 17-year-old boy accused of being involved in a shooting last week that left an officer injured and another suspect dead is still at large.

Reno Police Lt. Zachary Thew tells the Reno Gazette-Journal that authorities are searching for the teenager. Thew says the officer who was shot remains in stable condition at an area hospital.

Authorities have said the incident happened when Reno police tried to conduct a traffic stop Thursday near the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

A male suspect who was shot by officers while fleeing from a sport utility vehicle was pronounced dead at a hospital. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect.

The incident was the second fatal shooting within a week involving Reno police. A 24-year-old Las Vegas man was shot and killed Feb. 23 at the downtown Eldorado hotel-casino.

Democrats pick McCurdy as chairman

LAS VEGAS (AP)  The Nevada Democratic Party has chosen a sitting state legislator as its new chairperson.

Assemblyman William McCurdy, D-Las Vegas, was picked Saturday at the Central Committee meeting.

Officials say the 28-year-old McCurdy is the youngest chairperson in the partys modern history.

Nevada law bars legislators, the governor and lieutenant governor from fundraising during and in the weeks immediately before and after legislative sessions.

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske says if the Democratic Party chose a legislator as chair, the law would not prohibit the party from fundraising.

It bans McCurdy and all other sitting lawmakers, the governor and lieutenant governor from personally soliciting funds for a political party during the blackout period, but not the party itself.

Other party officials could continue to seek donations and hold fundraising events.

Supreme Court punts transgender issue

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is returning a transgender teens case to a lower court without reaching a decision, leaving in limbo the issue of transgender rights in school settings.

Mondays action comes after the Trump administration pulled back federal guidance advising schools to let students use the bathroom of their chosen gender, not biological birth.

The justices said in a brief order that they have opted not to decide whether federal anti-discrimination law gives high school senior Gavin Grimm the right to use the boys bathroom in his Virginia school.

The case had been scheduled for argument in late March. Instead, a lower court in Virginia will be tasked with evaluating the federal law known as Title IX and the extent to which it applies to transgender students.

For Grimm, the order means that he probably will graduate with the issue unresolved and his ability to use the boys bathroom blocked by a policy of the Gloucester County school board. Although he won a court order allowing him to use the boys bathroom, the Supreme Court put it on hold last August, before the school year began.

This is disappointing for trans kids across the country and for Gavin, who are now going to be held in limbo for another year or two, said Joshua Block, the American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents Grimm.

Thousands rally for public lands in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  More than 2,000 people braved a chilly drizzle and rallied at the Idaho Capitol on Saturday to demand that public lands be kept in the hands of the federal government.

Boise hunter Kevin Braley told the Idaho Statesman he doesnt think politicians fully understand the groundswell of opposition to transferring management of public lands to states. Some called out President Donald Trumps new Interior Secretary, former Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, even though he has said hes against public land transfers.

But a woman at the rally said she doesnt trust anyone in office right now, and several others echoed her sentiment.

The Statesman reports that polls show a majority of Idahoans liked the idea of state takeover of federal land until they learn that doing so could cost billions of dollars annually.
A 'Gone in 60 Seconds' gang of hi-tech car thieves who used sophisticated software to steal keyless 60,000 Range Rovers in a 2.5million crime spree are facing jail.

Manjit Sandhu, 32, ran a criminal enterprise targeting around 100 cars and sold them on the black market in the UK and overseas between March 2015 and August 2016.

Heena Bux, 21, identified cars to break into and arranged for Khuram Zaman, 19, Mohammed Islam, 20, and Geoffrey Cairns, 55, to do the 'dirty work' and drive away.

Manjit Sandhu, left, ran the criminal enterprise while Heena Bux, right, identified cars to break into

Khuram Zaman, left, and Mohammed Islam were used to carry out the 'dirty work'

CCTV of Sufiyan Mahmood and Bux in a stolen car at a drive-thru McDonalds

The gang bought specialist equipment used by locksmiths to bypass keyless cars' security systems in seconds, London's Southwark Crown Court was told.

They also burgled car keys from homes in the east and west of the capital and drove the owners' vehicles away from their driveways 'within minutes'.

The court heard the vehicles were then fitted with false number plates and either sold in the UK or shipped overseas for sale on the black market.

Sandhu, Bux, Zaman, and Islam were each convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to convert criminal property yesterday.

Cairns admitted conspiracy to steal and was convicted of the other two charges following a month-long trial.

Sufiyan Mahmood, 19, Faisal Khan, 23, and Humza Bhariwala, 23, had already admitted related offences including conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal.

Car keys belonging to luxury vehicles stolen by the gang

Geoffrey Cairns, left, and Sufiyan Mahmood, right, were both involved in the gang

Humza Bhariwala, left, and Faisal Khan, right, along with Mahmood, had already admitted related offences including conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal

Jane Osborne, prosecuting, said: 'In this case the prosecution say that there are 122 offences which involved the theft or attempted theft of many vehicles that are worth a combined total of over 2.5million.'

She continued: 'The first way in which they were being stolen was simply by breaking into the owner's address, normally through a front door that wasn't double-locked and simply taking the car keys from wherever that person may have left them overnight.'

The court heard the thieves would get in and out of the houses in 'less than three minutes'.

The crooks purchased specialist devices normally reserved for devices to 'circumvent the cars' security services'.

How did the gang carry out their crimes? One method the gang employed was getting hold of specialist devices normally used by locksmiths to bypass keyless cars' security systems. Keyless ignition sees a car detect a key, activating the electrical system and releasing the steering lock. And in this case, the gang were able to start and drive away the vehicles once they were unlocked, probably with the press of an 'engine start' button. Another technique used by the gang was simply burgling car keys from homes and driving vehicles away from their driveways. The vehicles taken by the gang were fitted with false number plates and either sold in the UK or shipped overseas for sale on the black market. Advertisement

Miss Osborne said: 'In the wrong hands, such as the hands of these defendants, they allow them to simply start and drive away vehicles when they don't have the actual key.'

She added: 'In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing that entire process can take, really, seconds.'

Miss Osborne said one of the cars was found hidden among furniture in a shipping crate bound for Uganda, Africa.

She said: 'There is some evidence that the vehicles being stolen were being shipped overseas. One of the higher-value cars was recovered from a shipping crate in Felixstowe.

'Those exporting the vehicle knew that it was stolen, it was on false plates at the time and it wasn't listed in the shipping manifest.'

The defendants were arrested in August 2016 after an investigation by the police's Organised Vehicle Crime Unit.

Miss Osborne said: 'The cars that these defendants were dealing with were frequently worth, on the legitimate market, more than 30,000.

'They often targeted Range Rovers and Land Rovers that were worth as much as 60,000 - they would still have yielded a significant amount even as stolen vehicles. All of the money they got would have been profit.'

The 'Gone in 60 Seconds' gang of hi-tech car thieves often targeted Range Rovers and Land Rovers (file picture) that were worth as much as 60,000, the court heard

London's Southwark Crown Court was told that the gang bought specialist equipment used by locksmiths to bypass keyless cars' security systems in seconds

Cairns, of Romford, admits one count of conspiracy to steal and was convicted of one count of conspiracy to burgle and one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property.

Islam of Forest Gate, Zaman of Bow, Bux of Leytonstone, and Sandhu of Hornchurch denied but were convicted of one count of conspiracy to burgle, one count of conspiracy to steal, and one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property.

Bhariwala, of Wood Green, has admitted one count of conspiracy to burgle. Khan, of Manor Park, and Mahmood, of Forest Gate, have admitted conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle.
A former gay lover of Diana's 'rock' Paul Burrell has claimed he planned a gay wedding more than thirty years ago - and wanted to wear white for the ceremony.

Greg Pead says he had a passionate two year affair with the royal butler in the early 1980s, before he wed wife Maria and had two children, and even received a marriage proposal by letter.

The 63-year-old, who now runs a vintage clothes store on Australia's Gold Coast, told MailOnline he still possesses the letter from Burrell where he talks about marriage.

Speaking exclusively to Mail Online Pead said: 'I've still got the letter Paul wrote to me saying he wanted to get married and he would wear white.

'I wonder if he will be wearing white for his own wedding?'

Gay affair: Greg Pead, now 63, says he had a passionate two year relationship with the royal butler in the early 1980s, before Burrell wed wife Maria and had two children, and even received a marriage proposal by letter

Close: Burrell, 'Mandy' and Mr Pead in London, 1981, when Pead says he was in the midst of a passionate affair with the royal butler and was invited to Buckingham Palace

Getting married: Princess Diana's former butler Burrell is believed to be tying the knot to his lawyer partner Graham Cooper next month (both pictured)

Claims: Mr Pead, left, pictured being interviewed on What Really Happened with Jacques Perretti, who now lives on Australia's Gold Coast, received love letters from Burrell

Burrell, 58, has never talked about his sexuality even though it was well known within royal circles that he was gay.

His spokesman confirmed that Burrell and his partner Graham Cooper, also 58, will marry in April. They have reportedly been together for a decade.

The ex- royal flunkey and his wife Maria have been living separate lives for over five years. They divorced last year after 32 years of marriage.

Pead, who first went public with details of his affair with Burrell in 2002, said the announcement of the gay marriage had vindicated him.

'He has always denied being gay but now he is getting married I have been vindicated,' said Pead from his home on Australia's Gold Coast.

'For a long time I thought I must be going mad as I knew we had an affair but he always denied it. I do feel completely vindicated.

'It is all so long ago, but I still have many of the letters that he sent to me. A lot of people do not know that I am gay so this will come as a shock to them'

Pead, who runs a retro clothes store, questioned the timing of Burrell's wedding and suspected it was aimed at gaining maximum exposure.

Royals: Burrell, who served Princess Diana (pictured together in 1994) for ten years, claimed the Princess of Wales called him her 'rock' and the 'only man I ever trusted' - her sons would later accuse him of 'betrayal'

New job: Burrell now runs his florist, Burrell Flowers, close to where the family used to live in the village of Farndon, Cheshire

Previous relationship: Burrell and ex-wife Maria, who divorced last year after 32 years of marriage, left in 1984, and have two sons, who were only told recently their father was gay

Relationship: Pead, pictured, who now runs a vintage clothes shop on Miami Beach, Australia, revealed Burrell wrote to him revealing secrets of Princess Diana's wedding dress - and let him visit Buckingham Palace during their time together

'BUTLER ONLY TOLD DIANA HE WAS GAY' A source close to Mr Burrell has claimed the only person her ever told about his sexuality was Diana. The couple's adult sons Alexander, 27, and Nicholas, 24, are expected to fly over from the US to attend the wedding ceremony in the Lake District. Their 'lavish' wedding ceremony will be 'circus themed'  with waiters dressed as clowns and ringmasters  and Paul and his boyfriend have already held their stag do with friends at a Blackpool drag club, according to The Sun . Mr Burrell and Mr Cooper live together and were listed as directors at the same company in records from 2011. Mr Cooper is believed to be a Legal Director for HBOS in Chester since 2010, having previously spent 22 years working for Lloyds Bank. They were also pictured together on Facebook at the Blackberry Creek Retreat Bed & Breakfast, during a holiday in Missouri, US, in 2014, two years before Mr Burrell's divorce. Mr Burrell has always refused to discuss his sexuality despite a 2002 expose in which an Australian man claimed they had enjoyed a three-year relationship in the early 1980s before he married Maria. However, a source close to the former butler has revealed that he confided in his special friend, Princess Diana. They told the Sun : 'Paul's friends and family all know but for a long time he kept it a closely guarded secret. 'He did share it with Diana while he worked with her because they were so close. 'But at the time she was the only woman he felt he could tell.' Advertisement

'I find it strange that he is getting married in the year that is the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana,' he said.

'Paul liked being in the limelight and this will put him back in the news where he likes to be. I just find it strange that he comes out as being gay on the 20th anniversary of Diana's death.'

Burrell's wedding to his 58 year old partner is due to take place in April.

He went public with the wedding after being approached by a national newspaper who had been tipped off about the nuptials.

The ex-royal butler is said by a close friend to be 'devastated' that he couldn't keep his sexuality secret until after the wedding.

The friend said:'Paul has managed to keep details of the wedding under wraps for a long time. It was never his intention to have it all over the papers. The wedding was always going to be a private and intimate affair with just family and few friends.

'It was never going to be very big and nonsense as one report suggests having a circus theme. It was always going to be very small and private.

'He is devastated and when I spoke to him he was sick with worry. He just wanted it as a quiet affair.'

Burrell's sexuality will come as no shock to members of the royal family and other members of staff.

While he always denied being gay  except to Princess Diana  others within the royal circle were aware.

One story circulating within the royal household was that Burrell, then a footman at Buckingham Palace was told to get married or lose his job after allegedly being linked to gay pornography on the royal yacht Britannia.

In 1983 he wed Maria Cosgrove, a maid to the Duke of Edinburgh and they had two sons Alexander, now 27 and Nicholas,24.

The marriage took place three years after the alleged affair with Pead had ended.

The Australian shop owner had revealed how he met Burrell in a gay bar called Scandal near Buckingham Palace in 1980 when he moved to London to work as a waiter.

New love: Mr Burrell and partner Mr Cooper while on a holiday in Missouri, US, in 2014

New life: Paul (far right) shows friends some pictures during the US holiday with his new partner Graham (far left)

Home: Paul Burrell lives in this rural Cheshire mansion with his fiance Graham, who he plans to marry next month

Recalling the meeting to the Daily Mail in 2009 he said: 'Paul was with a group of six gay friends, most of whom also worked at Buckingham Palace. We spent a couple of hours looking at each other across the room. Then one of his party came over, pointed at Paul and said: 'My friend finds you very attractive.'

'Almost immediately he came over to talk to me. I was very drawn to him. When it was time to go, I realised I didn't have enough money for my taxi fare back to where I was staying. I asked for a loan promising to pay it back. He instantly agreed and said he'd pick up the money from home.

'As we walked down The Mall together he pointed to Buckingham Palace and told me that was where he lived. I thought he was joking until the guard at the gate said: 'Good evening, Paul.'

'He gave me the money and we arranged to meet five days later so I could pay him back, which I did. Our relationship started there. We quickly became besotted with each other.'

Pead even claimed that Burrell later invited him into the Queen's private quarters to see her corgi dogs.

Although only a footman Pead said Burrell was treated like royalty by the other staff.

Pictured: Paul Burrell outside his florist, Paul Burrell Flowers, in the Cheshire village of Farndon last month

Pictured: Mr Burrell serves a customer in the florist, which is not far from the home he shared with ex-wife Maria

Pictured: Paul Burrell Flowers in the Farndon High Street, Cheshire, where the former Royal butler was seen working last month

He said Burrell would write love letters to him on embossed stationary from the royal yacht , Windsor Castle and the Palace.

In the letters Burrell's term of endearment for his lover was 'Pumpkin Pie' and called a part of his anatomy 'roo'.

In one letter dated July 11, 1980, Burrell makes clear his feelings for Pead saying 'My dear Greg! From the very beginning of our relationship I said I would always be honest and truthful with you! I always will! And so if I meet someone, I promise that I will tell you.

'To be perfectly honest, I haven't really wanted anyone else. I am quite content being self-sufficient and have very vivid memories of you to keep me going.

'I don't see any fun in whoring around night after night. It's so familiar in the gay scene though - and is what most gay people live for - sex!! Not for me!'

A further letter dated July 21, 1980, written on Buckingham Palace headed paper, says: 'My dearest Greg. . . do you feel the . same way as I do, lonely and wanting to be with you so much?

'There hasn't been a day gone by when I haven't wanted you.'

In 1980 when Burrell was caught up in the gay porn investigation aboard the yacht Britannia he wrote to Pead explaining how he had lost his job only to be re-instated by the Queen.

Pictured: Mr Burrell met Maria while the pair were both working at Buckingham Palace,

Paul and Maria Burell have two sons together, Alexander and Nicholas (pictured, in 2002)

Pead said: 'He wrote to me saying: 'As you are aware, Greg, this has been a terrible time for me - I was dismissed from royal duties and thought my life had ended. . . the Queen reinstated me and said: 'Paul, I am so glad to have you back. Let's put this unsavoury business behind us.'

'I believe it was her way of trying to stop his homosexual behaviour.'

The affair continued in 1981 when Pead made trips to London, and also when Burrell visited Sydney, Australia for a three weeks arriving on New Year's Eve.

Pead recalled that the affair fizzled out when Burrell refused to move to Australia and they last saw each other in 1982 when Pead said they slept together twice.

He had no further contact with Burrell but said he was stunned when he saw photos of his ex-lover's wedding to Maria in the Australian press.

'I felt utter disbelief,' says Pead. 'He had never showed the slightest physical interest in women. I am sure he dumped me because he needed to save his own skin. If you cannot be honest about your sexuality, how can people believe anything about you?'

In 2006 Mr Burrell released his second book about his time serving Princess Diana, called The Way We Were

How William and Harry blasted Burrell's 'betrayal' of their mum Princes William and Harry attacked former royal butler Paul Burrell for his 'cold and overt betrayal' of their mother. In a 2003 statement unprecedented for its strength of feeling, William, then 21 and also speaking on behalf of his younger brother, showed his deep pain at Mr Burrell's revelations in his tell-all book. The Princes said the late Diana, Princess of Wales, would have been 'mortified' at his actions if she were alive today. They called on him to put an end to his disclosures. Mr Burrell, who worked for the Princess, made a series of claims including one that Diana feared for her life and spoke of a plot to tamper with the brakes of her car. Prince William said in the statement released by Clarence House: 'We cannot believe that Paul who was entrusted with so much could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal. 'It is not only deeply painful for the two of us but also for everyone else affected and it would mortify our mother if she were alive today and, if we might say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul'. Advertisement

Pead first went public with details of the affair 20 years after it ended when Burrell was in the headlines for allegedly stealing Diana's possessions following her death in 1997.

His trial at the Old Bailey was sensationally stopped when the Queen 'remembered' he had told her he was holding on to them for safe keeping.

Following his acquittal Burrell cashed in on his close relationship with Diana by writing a tell all book.

But in a rare public statement, Prince William and Prince Harry accused him of betraying their mother and said she would have been mortified by his breach of confidence.

'We cannot believe that Paul, who was entrusted with so much, could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal,' they said in 2003.

'If we may say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul. We ask Paul to bring these revelations to an end.'

With the proceeds of the book, he bought a property in Clermont, near Orlando, Florida, in 2004 but his wife and children remained at their home in Cheshire.

Burrell spent weeks at a time touring the US as he gave speeches on etiquette and his life in royal service.

His Florida home was ironically on a road called Majestic Isle in an up market gated community about 30 miles from the Disney theme parks of Orlando.

Maria and the children later moved to Florida and the boys attended US college. Alexander worked as a swimming pool cleaner part time during breaks from his studies.

When Burrell moved back to Cheshire to run a flower shop his wife and children remained in Florida.

They were divorced last year by mutual consent.

Maria has never publically spoken about her husband's alleged sexuality.

Her only comment on the subject came when her brother Ron Cosgrove sold a story to a Sunday newspaper alleging that she knew he was bisexual.

Cosgrove also claimed Burrell had a gay affair with his neighbours in Florida and he and Maria only stayed married for the sake of their children.

Mr Burrell has made a number of TV appearances since Diana's death, including on Ant And Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (left) and on ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2004 (right)

He later sold another story for 45,000 alleging Burrell had told him he had slept with Princess Diana. Solicitors for the ex-butler said the story was false and filed a complaint to the press watchdog and Maria denied the allegations.

As the most high profile of royal servants Burrell has been subject to numerous stories about his sexuality.

In 2002 comic Michael Barrymore claimed Burrell had tried to seduce him while he was grieving over the death of the Princess.

Paul and Maria Burrell met while they were both working at Buckingham Palace, with Maria serving as the Duke of Edinburgh's maid, and married in 1984.

An established tradition suggested one of them should give up their job with the Royal Family, but the Queen made an exception for them, allowing both to remain in Royal service.

Mr Burrell started working for Diana four years later and went on to become one of her most trusted members of staff.

He joined Prince Charles and Diana at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire in 1987 and remained there until her death in 1997.

Mr Burrell then made millions from a series of books about his life with the princess and from appearing on reality shows such as I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

In the international bestseller he claimed Diana described him as her 'rock' and 'the only man I can trust'.

In 2003 he wrote a tell-all memoir 'A Royal Duty' that went into detail about his time serving the Prince and Princess of Wales, and featured letters to him from Diana.

HOW PAUL BURRELL BECAME THE 'ONLY MAN' PRINCESS DIANA TRUSTED Paul Burrell served as Princess Diana's private butler for 10 years Burrell, who entered Royal Service at age 18, as a Palace footman, became the Queen's personal footman a year later. He joined Prince Charles and Diana at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire in 1987 and remained there until her death in August 1997. Burrell was the only non-family member to be present at Diana's private burial at the Spencer estate Althorp. In 1993 she wrote a letter to him that claimed the Prince of Wales was plotting to kill her so he could marry Tiggy Legge-Bourke, the former nanny to Princes William and Harry. The note was shown at the inquest into her death and was sent to Burrell in October - 10 months after her separation from Prince Charles was announced. Burrell wrote two tell-all books after her death - A Royal Duty in 2003 and a follow-up book called The Way We Were in 2006 - in which he claimed she had called him 'the only man I can trust'. It is believed the Princess of Wales entrusted him with her private papers during her divorce. He said: 'She was surrounded by the richest, most educated people and she chose a lorry driver's son from Derbyshire. 'She called me her rock and I took care of her.' Advertisement

But in a rare public statement, Prince William and Prince Harry accused him of betraying their mother and said she would have been mortified by his breach of confidence. 'We cannot believe that Paul, who was entrusted with so much, could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal,' they said in 2003.

'If we may say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul. We ask Paul to bring these revelations to an end.'

With the proceeds of the book, he bought a property in Clermont, near Orlando, Florida, in 2004.

The relocation came two years after he was accused of stealing 352 items from Princess Diana's estate after she died - charges that were later dropped.

In 2006 he also released a follow-up book called The Way We Were. In this work, he claimed Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd didn't like him and believed he was 'just another hanger-on grasping at Diana's celebrity'.

Maria Burrell moved to Florida in 2010 after her husband admitted he had not told 'the whole truth' at the inquest into Diana's death in 1997, which was held in 2008.

Last year they divorced.

Mr Burrell was quoted as saying: 'I still love my wife. Marrying her was the best thing in my life, and to witness the boys being born  nothing compares. It's sad when people part, but it happens a lot.'

A spokesman announced last year that their decision to divorce was a 'mutual one'.

A statement said: 'Our clients Paul and Maria Burrell would like to end any speculation over the past few days by confirming that they are currently going through a divorce.

'The decision to file for divorce was a mutual one, both Paul and Maria remain the best of friends and have two wonderful sons together who remain their priority.

'Paul and Maria will not be giving any further comments and would kindly request that their privacy is respected during this time.'

After his career serving the Royals, Mr Burrell made a number of TV appearances.

In 2004 he was runner-up in series four of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in which he stayed in the Australian jungle for three weeks - coming second to comedian Joe Pasquale.

He was also a judge and trainer on Australian Princess in 2005, and in March 2006 appeared on Countdown in Dictionary Corner.

In early 2006, he appeared as Richard Gere on ITV's Stars In Their Eyes, singing Razzle Dazzle from the film Chicago.

In September 2015, Paul appeared in Celebrity Big Brother as part of a shopping task.
A people smuggler has been jailed for three years after he tried to sneak an Albanian woman into Britain inside the engine of his van.

A picture taken by the UK Border Force shows the woman's head poking out of a specially-adapted engine compartment in the vehicle.

Border guards stopped the Nissan van at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles, France on February 1.

Astonishing pictures taken by the UK Border Force show an Albanian woman hiding inside the engine of a specially-adapted van in a bid to get into Britain

A compartment had been made in the Nissan van's engine to hide the woman away

Driver Nicolae Chirvas initially said he had been to Romania to visit his sister, before changing his story and telling officers he had been to Germany.

While Border Force officers were examining the front of the vehicle they asked Moldovan-national Chirvas how many people were in the van and he replied, in German, two.

Paul Morgan, Director for Border Force South East and Europe, said: 'When officers flipped the hood of the van to examine the engine, they found it had been specially adapted.

'The whole engine had been lowered and in the void where you would normally expect to find a spare wheel, officers instead found a woman.

Driver Nicolae Chirvas has been jailed

'This was a particularly elaborate concealment and it is a demonstration of the desperate lengths that individuals - and people smugglers - are prepared to go to in their attempts to breach the UK's border controls.

'It is Border Force's job to stay one step ahead and secure the border, which is exactly what has happened in this case.'

The woman, who immigration checks revealed to be an Albanian national, was passed to the French Police Aux Frontieres.

Chirvas, 31, of Enfield, north London, was arrested and the investigation passed to Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation officers.

He was subsequently charged with assisting unlawful immigration into the UK and remanded in custody.

Chirvas has since admitted the offence of assisting unlawful immigration into the UK and was jailed for three years when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court.

David Fairclough, from Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigations Team, said: 'It is impossible to tell exactly how long the woman had been hidden inside the cramped 1m by 75cm space, but needless to say, smuggling a person in such circumstances is extremely dangerous.'

A metal plate had been welded onto the bottom of the vehicle for the woman to stand on

Mr Fairclough added: 'The only thing preventing the woman from falling on to the road was a metal plate welded to the bottom of the vehicle. Had the car been involved in any kind of collision the end result does not bear thinking about.

'Chirvas gave no thought to the safety of the woman he was attempting to smuggle into the UK. His disregard for another human being is quite breathtaking.'

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said: 'This shocking case shows the extreme lengths ruthless people traffickers will go to.

'This poor woman could have been badly burnt or choked to death on the engine fumes. It also underlines how desperate these vulnerable people are to break into Britain.

'This is why we must be more vigilant than ever at the border  and to wage war on the people traffickers and end their evil trade of modern slavery.'
Hungary has approved plans to detain asylum seekers in shipping containers in a move the UN said will have a 'terrible physical and psychological impact' on refugees.

The measures, passed by parliament, will also tighten controls on the country's border, which has been a focal point of Europe's migration crisis since 2015.

The southern border with Serbia marks the external frontier of the EU's passport-free Schengen area, and hundreds of thousands of people have crossed into the country.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has tried to justify the move, saying Hungary had to act to defend itself and describing the influx of migrants - many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa - as a 'Trojan horse for terrorism'.

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Hungary has approved plans to detain asylum seekers in shipping containers in a move the UN said will have a 'terrible physical and psychological impact' on refugees. The country's controversial border fence is pictured above

Prime Minister Viktor Orban (pictured) has tried to justify the move, saying Hungary had to act to defend itself and describing the influx of migrants - many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa - as a 'Trojan horse for terrorism'

'Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isn't a refugee policy - it's avoiding one,' Amnesty International said, denouncing the Hungarian moves as a 'flagrant violation of international law.'

It called on the European Union to step up against Hungary's 'illegal and deeply inhumane measures.'

Orban's chief of staff said last month that Hungary planned two or three camps along its southern border, where migrants will be kept while their applications for asylum are processed .

Migrants whose applications are not immediately approved will not be allowed to move freely around Hungary but will be detained in camps that they can only leave outward, toward Serbia, according to the bill approved by parliament.

UNHCR spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly said that would effectively condemn asylum seekers, including children, to prolonged detention in shipping containers surrounded by barbed wire.

Expanding a five-mile zone along the border where summary expulsions have been the practice since last summer, police can now detain illegal migrants anywhere in the country and return them to the Serbian border to be expelled.

'Nobody can step onto Hungarian or European Union soil without a permit,' interior minister Sandor Pinter said in the bill.

The measures, passed by parliament, will also tighten controls on the country's border, which has been a focal point of Europe's migration crisis since 2015

In a speech to newly appointed border guards on Tuesday, Orban described a country under siege.

Although the daily tally is down significantly, Hungarians 'cannot lean back in our chairs... we merely gained some time in between two major waves (of migrants).'

The country must use this time to fortify its defences, he said. Hungary has begun to put in place the second line of a 'smart fence' along the Serbian border, complete with electroshock, surveillance and audio-visual warning systems.

Orban added the EU 'made this work more difficult, so we can only count on ourselves, we need to defend our own borders... This will remain on the agenda until everyone admits that migration is a Trojan horse for terrorism.'

'That is the reality, which cannot be pasted over by any rose-coloured human rights dream talk.'

UNHCR's Pouilly said the number of asylum applications in Hungary had fallen sharply from 177,000 in 2015 to 29,000 last year, with just 912 in the first two months of 2017.

All asylum seekers, including those already in the country, would be kept in a transit zone where the detention centres are located, she said.

'In practice, it means that every asylum-seeker, including children, will be detained in shipping containers surrounded by high razor wire fence at the border for extended periods of time,' Pouilly said in a statement.

'This new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered.'
A man has been found dead in the stairwell of a car park following 'a fire' in the early hours of this morning.

Police officers were called to Vale Road in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, shortly after 4am on Tuesday after firefighters discovered the man's body 'lying on the ground' in the Torrington car park.

The car park is currently closed for investigation and police are believed to be treating the death as 'unexplained' following reports of a fire.

Police officers were called to Vale Road in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, shortly after 4am on Tuesday after firefighters discovered the man's body 'lying on the ground' in the Torrington car park

A Kent Police spokesman said: 'Kent Police officers remain in Tunbridge Wells following the discovery of a body in the stairwell of a public car park in Vale Road.

'Officers were called to the first floor of the car park by Kent Fire and Rescue Service at 4.04am on Tuesday 7 March 2017 after the body of a man was found.

'Kent Police is currently treating the death as unexplained and the car park is likely to remain closed for several hours while officers carry out their investigation.'

Residents of the town have paid tribute to the dead man and suggested he may have been a rough sleeper.

A forensics officer at the scene - investigating officers are treating the death as 'unexplained'

The car park is currently closed for investigation and police are believed to be treating the death as 'unexplained' following reports of a fire

Mike Alan said: 'This town is getting worse, sad to hear someone has died - what's going on?'

Kim Thornewell added: 'My first thought is that it might be a homeless person. Awful.'

Helen Jane said: 'Oh my gosh, that car park is jinxed. RIP to the man found.'

It is not the first time a body has been found in the car park.

The body of 17-year-old Terry Edmonds was found in a suitcase underneath a ramp in the same car park in 2006.

She had been sexually assaulted and strangled by 23-year-old homeless man Philip Bell before being put into the case on April 17. Her body was discovered 12 days later.

Bell was convicted of murder in 2009 and jailed for 28 years.
A Russian mistress stabbed her married lover and his wife to death and then drowned two of their young children, police say.

Ruzanna Shvarts stabbed to death Russian economist Vladislav Saaya and his wife Lilia, both 35, according to her confession.

The 25-year-old also drowned girls Darimaa, six, and Aisel, four, in their bath, say prosecutors.

She is accused of setting ablaze the family flat in Ak-Dovurak in the southern Tuva region of Russia to cover-up the murders.

Russian mistress Ruzanna Shvarts (pictured) stabbed her married lover and his wife to death and then drowned two of their young children, police say

Shvarts stabbed to death Russian economist Vladislav Saaya (pictured) and his wife Lilia, both 35, according to her confession

Lilia Saaya (pictured holding a child) and her husband were both stabbed to death by Ruzanna Shvarts, police say

Police are investigating whether Shvarts' 19-year-old sister Melina was also involved after being implicated by her sibling.

The dead couple's eldest child, daughter Aiza, 12, was not home at the time and has been orphaned by the tragedy.

A police source cited by The Siberian Times said: 'Ruzanna was Vladislav's lover, and she came to visit him with her sister.

'They drank alcohol. Suddenly Vladislav's wife Lilia came back home with the children. She started to argue with Ruzanna and this turned into a fight.

'Melina insists that at this moment she left the flat. And when she came back, it turned that her sister had stabbed Vladislav and Lilia and killed their kids.'

An anonymous friend of the family's said she was said she was astonished that the respected family man had a lover.

Shvarts is accused of setting ablaze the family flat in Ak-Dovurak in the southern Tuva region of Russia to cover-up the murders

As well as stabbing Lilia (left), Shvarts also drowned girls Darimaa (bottom in the picture, right), six, and Aisel (top in the picture, right), four, in their bath, say prosecutors

Gruesome pictures show the scene of the tragedy in Ak-Dovurak in the southern Tuva region of Russia

'He graduated from university and worked as an economist,' she said.

'His wife was an accountant, and worked as the head of storehouse. I still cannot understand how this could happen.

'Our town is very small, everyone is talking about this tragedy, this horror. He was an exemplary family man, not one of those who would have the affairs on the side. He hardly drank.'

A local woman said that the mistress was 'a beautiful girl, very bright' from a 'good' family, and that she had a three year old son. It is not known if the man she is accused of killing was the child's father.

'The younger one is married and has two kids already,' she said.

The dead couple's eldest child, daughter Aiza, 12, was not home at the time and has been orphaned by the tragedy

An anonymous friend of the family's said she was said she was astonished that the respected family man had a lover

A local woman said that the mistress was 'a beautiful girl, very bright' from a 'good' family, and that she had a three year old son. It is not known if the man she is accused of killing was the child's father

Police are investigating whether Shvarts' 19-year-old sister Melina was also involved after being implicated by her sibling. Pictures of those killed are shown above

Pictures show the interior of the flat as police investigate the scene of the four deaths

The local governor Sholban Kara-ool expressed horror over the murders, and called for children to be protected from 'adult madness'

'I am shocked that they are capable of this. They are mothers themselves, how could they kill children?'

The local governor Sholban Kara-ool expressed horror over the murders, and called for children to be protected from 'adult madness'.

Ordering a day of mourning he said: 'I have a lump in my throat. I'm so sorry for the children, brutally murdered in their own home.

'I'm so sorry for the young mother, who was guarding the family's well-being. What a pity that the head of the family failed to save himself and his loved ones. All Tuva mourns these innocent children.'

He said: 'It is necessary to think more deeply about what caused such a bloody accident. And how we can protect children from adult madness.'
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Paul Burrell showed TV viewers around the mock-Tudor mansion he shares with his new fiance just weeks before he revealed he was gay and that they were about to marry.

Diana's former butler appeared on ITV's Through the Keyhole who revealed the grand Cheshire home is packed with his commemorative royal mugs, antiques, art and crystal glasses he described as 'expensive clutter'.

The home has a large country kitchen with the slogan 'It's all about me!' on the wall above its Aga cooker and the property contains a number of photographs that may show the couple together - although these were all blurred by producers.

And outside it has large grounds including a giant pond and even a large stone circle in an area of Cheshire known to have had settlements since the Bronze Age.

Throughout the episode of Through The Keyhole, broadcast on February 11, presenter Keith Lemon refers to Mr Burrell as the homeowner and he was later asked how he could afford such a grand home.

Mr Burrell responded: 'A butler isn't paid that much. I was very lucky I wrote a book which became a best seller, it sold two million copies so if you get a pound for every one you sell you're doing ok'.

But in fact the property is owned by his lawyer husband-to-be Graham Cooper, who bought it in 1999 from the local Baron, who also owned the nearby castle.

Home sweet home: This is the mansion Paul Burrell shares with his fiance in a tour filmed and broadcast before he revealed he was gay and they were about to marry

Getting married: Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell is believed to be tying the knot to his lawyer partner Graham Cooper next month (both pictured)

Grand: Diana's former butler appeared on ITV's Through the Keyhole and showed off the large Cheshire home, once owned by the local Baron

Expensive: It is packed with his commemorative royal mugs, antiques, art and crystal glasses he described as 'expensive clutter'

Nod to the past: The mansion has lots of commemorative royal china and cups, used as a clue for viewers to guess who lived there

Ancient: The area has settlements dating back to the Bronze Age and a circle of these stones sit in its large gardens - and it was used a clue to his identity because Diana called him 'her rock'

It has been reported that the couple may have been in a relationship for up to ten years and are getting married nine months after his divorce from Mr Burrell's wife Maria, who lives in America.

The couple were pictured holidaying together in America in 2014 and they were also business partners as far back as 2011.

During the episode he also revealed that the Queen eats a banana with a knife and fork, and even showed the audience how it was done.

He laughed when he was asked if he was given to Diana as a wedding gift by the Queen and said: 'I was a lucky guy who got to look after two of the most incredible, unique, inspirational women of our times  The Queen and Princess Diana and I'm proud of that.'

Mr Burrell, who was accused of cashing in on his relationship with Diana, is to tie the knot next month with lawyer Graham Cooper.

He and his former wife Maria, who have two grown-up sons, had been living separately for years.

She lives in Florida where the couple settled after he was accused of stealing hundreds of items from the royal household. That case collapsed after an 11th-hour intervention from the Queen.

A few years ago Mr Burrell, 58  who Diana called 'her rock'  returned alone to the UK to run a flower shop in Cheshire, although he insisted his marriage was still strong.

But last June he and Maria, 62, released a statement confirming they were 'going through a divorce'. The decision was 'mutual' and they remained 'the best of friends'.

It is not known how long Mr Burrell and Mr Cooper, 58, have known each other. They were listed as directors of a company in 2011 and were pictured at a US bed and breakfast together in 2014.

Mr Burrell has always refused to discuss his sexuality despite a 2002 expose in which an Australian man claimed they had enjoyed a three-year relationship in the early 1980s before he married Maria.

The disclosure of his forthcoming marriage is the first public acknowledgement that he is gay. He was a footman to the Queen at Buckingham Palace where Maria worked as the Duke of Edinburgh's maid. They married in 1984.

Mr Burrell started working for Diana four years later and went on to become one of her most trusted members of staff.

The couple's sons, Alex, 27, and Nick, 24, both of whom live in the US, will be at the Lake District ceremony next month, according to the Daily Mirror.

New life: Paul (far right) shows friends some pictures during the US holiday with his new partner Graham (far left) in 2014 - they have been business partners since 2011

The home has a large country kitchen with the slogan 'It's all about me!' on the wall above its Aga cooker alongside holiday photos - but all family pictures including pictures of the couple were blurred

Guide: Through the Keyhole host Keith Lemon claimed Mr Burrell had royal pants in the laundry and the Queen's favourite cheese in the fridge

New love: Mr Burrell and partner Mr Cooper while on a holiday in Missouri, US, in 2014

Last year Mr Burrell was quoted as saying: 'I still love my wife. Marrying her was the best thing in my life, and to witness the boys being born  nothing compares. It's sad when people part, but it happens a lot.'

The Sun quoted a spokesman for the former butler confirming his gay relationship with Mr Cooper and saying: 'I can confirm their forthcoming marriage.' The newspaper claimed that Mr Burrell had confided in Diana about his sexuality when he worked for the princess but he kept it from his closest family and friends for years  and only broke the news to his sons very recently.

It quoted a source as saying: 'He's so much happier now that he can tell the world and be comfortable with himself and his relationship.'

It said the ceremony would be 'circus themed'  with waiters dressed as clowns and ringmasters  and that he and his boyfriend had already held their stag do with friends at a Blackpool drag club.

'It's going to be suitably lavish, no expense has been spared. Paul sees this as a new chapter in his life,' a source told the newspaper.

Mr Burrell made millions from a series of books about his life with the princess and from appearing on reality shows such as I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

But in a rare public statement, Prince William and Prince Harry accused him of betraying their mother and said she would have been mortified by his breach of confidence. 'We cannot believe that Paul, who was entrusted with so much, could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal,' they said in 2003.

'If we may say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul. We ask Paul to bring these revelations to an end.'

New job: Burrell now runs his florist, Paul Burrell Flowers, close to where the family used to live in the village of Farndon, Cheshire

Pictured: Paul Burrell outside his florist, Paul Burrell Flowers, in the Cheshire village of Farndon last month

Paul and Maria Burell have two sons together, Alexander and Nicholas (pictured, in 2002)

In 2006 Mr Burrell released his second book about his time serving Princess Diana, called The Way We Were
Alec Baldwin has announced that he will soon quit his role as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, because the president himself is sapping the fun from the role.

Baldwin, who made his first appearance as Trump in the run-up to the election in October, told Extra that, six months on, the real-life administration is taking its toll.

'The maliciousness of this White House has people worried that's why I'm not going to do it much longer, the impersonation,' he said. 'I don't know how much more people can take it.'

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Trump card: Despite the popularity of his turns as Donald Trump on SNL, Alec Baldwin (pictured with Beck Bennett as Vladimir Putin) says he's likely to give up the role soon

Video courtesy of Extra

Baldwin, 58, credits the role with reviving his 'dead' comedy career.

'I didn't realize in the comedy terms that I was dead,' Baldwin told Reuters on Monday when asked if he felt he was entering a new era with his comedy.

'Maybe I was in a coma ... now I'm waking up from a coma and now I'm ready to do some comedy.'

The actor spoke to both outlets while promoting his latest film, DreamWorks' animated comedy The Boss Baby, in which he voices the suit-wearing infant manager of a corporation for babies on a covert mission.

The CGI role has echoes of Baldwin's previous turn as Jack Donaghy, the charming corporate boss he played for six years in NBC's quirky comedy series 30 Rock.

Since then, he has appeared in a handful of movies in supporting roles, but the actor saw a new surge in popularity when he took over as Trump on Saturday Night Live ahead of November's US presidential elections.

Baldwin quipped that his comedy career 'did die' but that 'I'm being reincarnated. As Trump! Oh God!'

'Malicious': Baldwin said the 'maliciousness' of the White House has so many people 'worried' that he doesn't think they can enjoy his Trump parody for much longer

Viewer ratings have soared for Saturday Night Live since Baldwin started portraying Trump in a series of skits mocking the billionaire as a dim-witted commander-in-chief with a short attention span, an oversized-ego and a Twitter addiction.

Trump criticized the NBC show in December, calling it 'totally unwatchable' and a 'hit-job' - likely only adding to its allure for his opponents.

Baldwin hit back several times, including tweeting a picture of a hat with 'Make America Great Again' in Russian and saying he would leave SNL if Trump released his tax returns.

If Baldwin does go, SNL will have a challenge replacing him; Taran Killam, who played Trump before Baldwin, did not have his contract renewed for this latest season.

In recent weeks the show has shifted its focus to other members of Trump's administration, including turns by regular cast member Kate McKinnon as both Kellyanne Conway and Jeff Sessions.

'Worst': The real Donald Trump has been highly critical of Baldwin's run on SNL, calling the portrayal a 'hit job' in January. But it's coincided with huge ratings for the show

Jab: Baldwin took a jab back at Trump through his foundation's Twitter account, saying he would drop the role if Trump released his tax reurns

Baldwin also said that he would likely not be performing at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where presidents traditionally come in for a roasting, because Trump - in a break with decades of tradition - refused to attend.

But he said that was most likely because the organizers wouldn't want him to come if Trump isn't there - and he said he would be open to performing at it if asked.

Asked whether he felt playing the president took a toll on him, Baldwin said the challenge of the role was that it would 'delight some people and offend other people.'

'A large plurality of the country voted for Trump as president, and I think many of them are people that are not fond of the way Trump is treated, not just by Saturday Night Live but the comedy cosmos in general,' he said.

'I think for me playing Trump has been, it's been a fun experience because it's like going home when I do SNL.'

But the reality of Donald Trump the president casts a shadow over Donald Trump the character, Baldwin said.

'Trump just overwhelmingly lacks any sportsmanship,' he told Extra. 'He remains, bitter, and angry, and you just want to look at him and go, "You won!"'

'His policies aside, which you can hate, I thought he would have just relaxed.'
A Romanian man who died after a Mercedes ploughed into five people at a London car wash donated his organs to save the lives of other people.

Claudiu Girdoc, 31, died in hospital a week after the car mounted the pavement in Bellingham, south London and hit five people.

A crowdfunding webpage has been set up to raise money for funeral costs and to return his body to Romania.

Claudiu Girdoc was killed when the Mercedes left the road and hit five car wash workers

The car was left in a hedge after it mounted the pavement and hit five people at the car wash

Mr Girdoc's cousin, Raul, said: 'Girdoc came from a small town in Romania, to the big town of London with ambitious dreams of working to help his family.

'Last week Claudiu was at work having a chat with his colleagues when a split second later a car drove into him.

'Claudiu didn't know what happened or why it happened at that instance.

'Claudiu's mother has left her town in Romania for the first time ever to fly to London, sadly to see only flowers and photos lay next to the Catford Bus Garage in memory of her son.

'Claudiu's last wish was to save lives by donating his organs to those more in need.

'The doctors and nurses at the NHS have done everything to save Claudiu. From all of his family, we appreciate that so much.'

Police cordoned off the car wash as the investigation into the incident continued

Adam Niazi, who set up the Crowdfunder appeal, said: 'I personally don't know Girdoc well, however he was a familiar face to all the local users of the car wash in and around Bellingham and Catford.

'Merely from my observations, Girdoc and all his colleagues were hard workers - rain or snow, sleet or cold they worked hard to earn a living.

'Knowing somebody passed away as young is nothing but sad and unfortunate.

'We should all unite communities whether Romanian, English, Turkish or whatever ethnicity, race or religion to show that we do have a sense of humanity, compassion and unity for one another in these sad times.'

Dramatic footage captured desperate bystanders tending to motionless victims following the smash on the morning of Sunday, February 26.

Witnesses told how the suspected drunk driver, a well-dressed man, was chased down the street by angry bystanders who shouted: 'Why have you done this?'

Detectives said a 25-year-old man also injured in the incident remains in a 'critical' condition in hospital.

The car was removed by investigators after the victims were taken to hospital on February 26

A 35-year-old woman also remains in hospital in a 'serious but stable' condition and a 46-year-old man remains in hospital with a leg injury.

A 36-year-old man, who sustained less serious injuries, has been discharged from hospital.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'The 23-year-old driver of the car was detained at the scene by an off-duty police officer before being arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

'He was also arrested on suspicion of drink drive before being taken to a south London hospital with a head injury.

'The arrested man was subsequently taken to a south London police station from where he has been bailed to a date in early May, pending further police inquiries.

'Detectives from the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating.'
Rachel Mosley, pictured, is suing Benjamin Brittain over an alleged nightclub assault

A hostess at a Manhattan nightclub is suing a patron who grabbed her by the crotch during a night out last year.

Rachel Mosley, who is 4ft 11in and weighs just 105lbs, is suing Benjamin Brittain - who is 6ft 6in - for his actions during the early morning of October 15 at 1.30 in Le Bain, in the Meatpacking District.

Brittain was arrested by the NYPD but was sentenced to just four days of community service.

According to papers in Manhattan Supreme Court, Ms Mosley said she was 'working hard and minding her own business' when Brittain 'savagely grabbed her and kneed and kicked her in the vagina multiple times, causing her severe and significant injury'.

Ms Mosley, 27, is seeking unspecified damages from Brittain, who is understood to work in the computer industry after gaining a degree in computer science.

Ms Mosley claims she has suffered ongoing pain since she was attacked in the club, pictured, in October

Ms Mosley claims she has suffered paralyzing flashbacks since October's incident

She told the New York Daily News: 'It was extremely horrible. I felt like I was living in a nightmare. He just attacked me for no reason.'

She said since the incident she has been undergoing physical therapy three times a week and claimed she is suffering 'paralyzing nightmares and flashbacks'.
President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that 122 former Guantanamo Bay prisoners released by former President Barack Obama administration have returned to the terror battlefield.

The vast majority of those released prisoners, however, were turned loose during the George W. bush administration.

'122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!' Trump tweeted.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said hours later that Trump didn't mean what he had written.

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President Donald Trump (left) mangled his claim about former Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been turned loose, blaming Barack Obama for more than 100 releases that came during the Bush administration  and forcing press secretary Sean Spicer (right) to play cleanup later

Trump tweeted, incorrectly, that 122 former detainees who returned back to the battlefield were 'released by the Obama Administration'

The second row of this chart from the Director of National Intelligence sorts out how many 'reengaged' former Guantanamo detainees were let go under Obama  just 9 of 122

'Obviously,' Spicer told reporters, 'the president meant in totality, the number that had been released on the battlefield  that have been released from Gitmo since individuals have been released.'

Former Guantanamo inmate Yasir Ahmed Ali Taher, known as Yasir Al-Silmi, was killed by a U.S. drone strike this week in Yemen

'So that is correct,' he cryptically added.

His message came less than an hour after 'Fox and Friends' broadcast a story about a former Gitmo detainee who was killed Monday in a drone strike.

That story included the claim that '122 prisoners released from Gitmo have returned to the battlefield.'

That much is true. The latest report from the Director of National Intelligence, published in September, confirms that as of July 2016 there were 122 former Gitmo prisoners confirmed to be back in the terror fight.

But 113 of those were released during Bush's presidency. Obama released just nine.

Trump was likely watching 'Fox & Friends' at 6:13 a.m. on Tuesday, when the show broadcast this graphic

'Gitmo' is a U.S. Marine Corps facility on the island of Cuba where terror suspects are held in conditions that would be illegal on U.S. soil

Former president Barack Obama tried to empty out Guantanamo's cells but never managed to close down the military prison

Fox News cited the 122 released prisoners in a story about one of those nine, Yasir Al-Silmi, whom the Trump administration killed this week in a drone strike in Yemen.

Al-Silmi was sent back to his native Yemen in December 2009 as part of Obama's initial push to empty Guantanamo's cells.

That move came despite a Defense Department evaluation that declared him a high risk of posing 'a threat to the US, its interests and its allies.'

Obama's first executive order in January 2009 was a promise to close the prison, something he couldn't manage to do after eight years in office.
Do YOU know him? Police are searching for this man who is suspected of smashing a glass bottle over the head of a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday

Police in New York City are on the hunt for a man who they say assaulted a security guard with a glass bottle at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

The bearded perpetrator, dressed in all black, approached a security guard at the world-renowned museum on the Upper East Side at 6.15pm on Friday to inform him that an artwork hanging in one of the galleries was crooked.

According to police, the 46-year-old museum staffer told the eagle-eyed art connoisseur not to touch the painting and to bring his complaint to the information desk.

Officials say in response, the man smashed a glass bottle on the back of the guard's head as he turned away and yelled, 'Do your job!'

The suspect then fled, leaving a bloody trail throughout the museum from what was believed to have been a serious cut.

Authorities were unable to track down the thug after following the trail out of the building.

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Iconic: The bearded perpetrator approached the guard at the world-renowned museum in Manhattan to tell him that a painting was crooked

The victim was taken to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center to be treated for a laceration on his head and another on his hand.

The Met released a statement regarding the assault Monday saying, in part: 'The safety of our staff and visitors is our number one priority.'

The suspect is described as white male in his early to 20s, approximately 5-foot-8 and weighing 150lbs. He was last seen sporting a long beard and wearing all black clothing.

When the guard told the man to take his complaint to the information desk, police say he hit him with the bottle and yelled, 'Do your Job!' He then fled, leaving a bloody trail from a cut

On Monday, the NYPD released on Twitter a 15-second surveillance video showing the wanted man standing at a kiosk inside the museum.

As of Tuesday morning, the suspect has not been named or apprehended. Anyone with information on the man is being asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
A British zoo has stepped up its security measures after poachers killed a rhino in a French safari park and cut off its horn with a chainsaw.

The four-year-old animal, called Vince, was found dead in Thoiry zoo, not far from Paris, after the savage raid on Monday night.

In light of the attack, keepers at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, have decided to increase the guard around their herd of rhinoceroses.

The Zoological Society of London, which runs Whipsnade, Britain's biggest zoo, announced its decision earlier last night.

There are 111 rhinos in captivity at zoos across the country, but it is not known if other facilities have taken similar precautions.

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Whipsnade Zoo has stepped up its security measures after poachers killed a rhino in a French safari park and cut off its horn with a chainsaw

White rhino Vince, pictured, has been killed by poachers at a French zoo

A source speaking to Le Parisien newspaper said the animal had been shot with three bullets to the head, and his horn was cut off with a chainsaw.

In a statement the zoo said that Vince's second horn had only been partially cut, leading staff to believe that the criminals had been disturbed or that their equipment turned out to be defective.

The Rhinoceros Enclosure at Thoiry zoo is situated at the back of the hugely popular African Animal Park Reserve.

Police believe that one or more killers forced a door open at the back of the zoo, before entering the building where three rhinoceros lived under cover.

The other two rhinos managed to escape the attack and were unharmed, the zoo said in a statement.

Four-year-old white rhinoceros Vince, pictured, was shot dead at Thoiry zoo. He was expected to reach between 40 and 50-years-old

Vince had lived happily at the zoo since he arrived there in 2015 from a Dutch zoo

It is possible that the thieves did not have time to attack other animals, said a source.

The white rhinoceros was called Vince and was one of the most popular attractions at the zoo, said park director Thierry Duguet.

He said the murderous attack was unbelievable, adding: Our fellow European park managers are astonished.

Police and soldiers examining the scene were deeply moved, and angry at what had happened, added Mr Duguet.

There have previously been fears about the threat posed to rhinos in Britain, with the National Wildlife Crime Unit telling 15 zoos and wildlife parks to tighten security in 2014.

In Africa, rhinos are regularly de-horned to deter poachers, but this practice is not thought to occur in Britain, according to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Vince had lived at Thoiry zoo, west of Paris, since being transferred there from Holland in 2015

There are around 21,000 white rhinos in the world, many still living in the wild, mainly in South Africa and Uganda, but the species is hugely under threat from poaching.

The white rhino is particularly vulnerable, because it is generally an unaggressive animal with very poor eye-sight.

Rhino horns are highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, where they are ground into a fine powder or turned into tablets to be used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including a loss of libido.

Rhinoceros horns, which are said to be an aphrodisiac, can fetch up to 180,000 on the black market.

Rhinoceros horns are in fact composed of keratin with small mineral deposits at the centre. This is often described as 'Ivory' in the illegal trade.

Vince (pictured) was one of the most popular attractions at the zoo according to the park's director Thierry Duguet

Vince arrived at Thoiry from a Dutch zoo in March 2015, along with another white rhino called Bruno (pictured together)

Vince, pictured as a baby, came from a Dutch zoo, along with another Rhino called Bruno

There is a well known smuggling route between France and China, but until now most of the horns have come from poaching gangs working in Africa.

It is not only the first time that a horn has been stolen in Europe, but also the first time that an animal has been slaughtered in a French zoo.

Soldiers from the Thoiry gendarmerie were today leading the criminal investigation, which is being led by an examining magistrate.

Forensic evidence has been found at the scene, but the rhinoceros hide has so far been considered too thick to get an idea of what calibre of weapon was used.

Vince arrived at Thoiry from a Dutch zoo in March 2015, along with another white rhino called Bruno.

It was hoped that they would eventually mate with Gracie, a female rhino already in Thoiry.



In a statement the zoo said: 'The other two white rhino living in Thoiry, Gracie 37-years-old, and Bruno five years of age, have escaped the massacre and are safe and sound.

'Vince was found this morning by his keeper who, very attached to animals which she attends, is deeply affected.

'This heinous act was carried out despite the presence of five members of the zoological staff living on site and surveillance cameras.'

White rhinoceros Bruno (R) and Gracie are seen in their enclosure at Thoiry zoo and wildlife park after fellow rhino Vince was killed in front of them
Lisa Nussbaum was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old son to drive her jeep

A Connecticut mother has been arrested after live streaming her 10-year-old son driving her jeep on public roads.

Lisa Nussbaum, 38, was reported to police in Monroe, Connecticut, by several concerned Facebook friends who saw the video on Monday.

It showed the child driving around the town's streets as she gave directions, according to police.

At one point the child, who did not appear to be wearing a seat belt, shouted: 'This is fun!'

She recorded the video from the passenger side, authorities said.

Nussbaum was charged with risk of injury to a minor and will appear in court on March 10.

The woman told The Connecticut Post there was more to the story but did not elaborate.

Several of the woman's Facebook friends told police the video was taken near her home in Monroe, Connecticut (above)
More than a dozen travellers' caravans are now parked up in the car park of a home furnishings store with the motto 'The Home of Homes'.

The mobile homes, some with blacked out windows, and work vans are thought to have appeared outside the Dunelm store on Spence Lane in Leeds yesterday.

They are currently blocking spaces for customers in the car park, which is believed to be private land.

A group of travellers have set up camp in the car park of a UK furniture store

More than a dozen caravans have moved onto the car park in front of the Dunelm store on Spence Lane in Leeds

The caravans are said to have moved onto the site after the store closed yesterday or early this morning

Leeds City Council say that steps are already being taken to evict the travellers from the car park outside the store, which boasts it is the 'home of homes'.

But a member of the group said they were due to leave tonight.

John, 23, said: 'We came on here because we had nowhere else to go. We will only be here today. Leaving about 6pm or 7pm.

'People act like we are aliens but we are just normal people. There is no difference between me and you.'

Cars have been seen entering the car park and customers appear to still be going into the store, ignoring the makeshift campsite outside.

Nick 56, from Horsforth, who was shopping at Dunelm, said: 'I think they are disgusting. You can see the rubbish floating around and it gets worse as you get closer to the caravans.

'If I had know they were here I probably would not have come.'

Gwen, 72, from Dridlington, also coming to shop, said: 'I don't think it is right that they can be on there. It does not put me off but I know it would stop some others coming. I just feel sorry for the store.'

The travellers are currently blocking spaces for customers in the car park, which is believed to be private land

It's just weeks after shoppers in Hull were left terrified by travellers who pitched up in a Lidl car park and started 'running riot and trashing shopping trolleys'.

Five children ploughed trollies into the flowerbeds outside the supermarket and a dog was chained up to a lamppost barking, witnesses claimed.

Lidl reported the incidents to the authorities in a bid to prompt the eviction of the travellers as their presence was scaring customers away from the store.

Although the process to formally evict them can take weeks and requires the land owners to jump through a number of legal hoops.

Cars have been seen entering the site and customers appear to still be entering the store, despite the presence of the travellers

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: 'Leeds City Council officers have attended the traveller encampment at the Dunelm Mill outlet in Holbeck.

'This is a privately-owned site and the landowners are aware and taking necessary steps to evict the group.'

A spokesman for Dunelm said: 'Colleagues at the Leeds Dunelm store arrived this morning to find a number of caravans parked on the store car park.

'We have been in contact with the police who are currently handling the situation. The store is trading as normal and there will be no disruption to services.

'We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this cause.'
A witness to a horrific car crash on Sydney's Hume Highway says he cradled a dying 7-year-old boy, as his twin sister now fights for life in hospital.

Hudson and the children's mother Julie Bullock, 49, were both killed when another car slammed into theirs as they drove to Wollondilly Anglican School on Tuesday morning - twin Sienna was left in a critical condition.

She was in a stable condition on Wednesday morning, a Westmead Children's Hospital spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

The 49-year-old driver of the second car, which cut through the median strip on to the wrong side of the highway, was also in critical condition at Liverpool Hospital.

The head-on crash happened shortly before 8am in the southbound lanes of the Hume Motorway, part of the highway, about 1km south of Picton Road.

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A witness to a horrific car crash on Sydney's Hume Motorway says he cradled a dying 7-year-old Hudson (left), as his twin sister Sienna (right) now fights for life in hospital

Julie Bullock, 49, an occupational therapist, died at the scene of the crash on Hume Highway

A witness to the fatal collision described their horror as they watched a silver Holden Astra slam into the Picton family's Mazda 4WD

A witness to the fatal collision described their horror as they watched a silver Holden Astra slam into the Picton family's Mazda 4WD.

He and other motorists, including a trained nurse, rushed to help the victims - young Hudson passing out while in the arms of the unnamed witness.

'We were trying as hard as we could to keep the little boy alive and awake but he went unconscious on us,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'There was nothing we could do.

'Some of the guys who had stopped jumped down and cut the kids out because they were both trapped upside down,' the witness said.

A truck-driver freed Ms Bullock by pulling the dashboard off and she was able to pull herself out of the totalled car where people attempted to apply medical aid.

Hudson and Sienna were transported to hospital, but the young boy could not be saved and died on arrival at Liverpool Hospital, police announced shortly before noon.

Sienna was transported in critical condition with chest and head injuries to the Children's Hospital at Westmead, according to the NSW Ambulance spokesperson.

Ms Bullock, an occupational therapist and her son are survived by her husband Darren and their adult daughter Maddison.

Darren, who was not in the car, rushed to The Children's Hospital to be with daughter Sienna.

'We were trying as hard as we could to keep the little boy alive and awake but he went unconscious on us,' a witness said

Sienna was transported in critical condition with chest and head injuries to the Children's Hospital at Westmead, according to the NSW Ambulance spokesperson

One witness said he and other motorists, including a trained nurse, rushed to help the victims - including young Hudson who passed out while in his arms

Hudson and Sienna, both 7, were transported to hospital, but the young boy could not be saved and died on arrival at Liverpool Hospital

A truck-driver freed Ms Bullock by pulling the dashboard off and she was able to pull herself out of the totalled car where people attempted to apply medical aid

This picture reportedly shows one of the vehicles in the aftermath of the deadly crash

Heart broken tributes over the family's loss have been posted to social media.

'Today we all lost an amazing lady who helped our community so much and also sadly lost one of her twins while her little girl fights for her life,' one friend wrote.

'Julie Bullock you did so much for Jacob being his Occupational Therapist for all that time. I know you'll be in heaven with your little man. We'll pray for your little princess. My condolences go to your family.'

Wollondilly Anglican School headmaster Stuart Quamby told The Daily Telegraph that the tragedy had stunned the local community.

'The kids were and are very well loved by the community and the school,' Mr Quamby said.

'He (Hudson) was a great little kid and his sister (Sienna) is a terrific kid as well.

Mr Quamby added the tragedy would be particularly tough for the small country community and said the school was offering counselling to those who needed it.

Chief Inspector Mick Pearsall told 9 News that while 'all accidents are difficult but when there's young children involved it affect's everyone'.

'It's very difficult for me to say at this stage how it occurred.'

The 49-year-old driver of the second car, which cut through the median strip on to the wrong side of the highway, is in critical condition at Liverpool Hospital

A truck was seen removing one of the cars involved in the deadly crash 100km south of Sydney

A truck-driver freed Ms Bullock by pulling the dashboard off and she was able to pull herself out of the totalled car where people attempted to apply medical aid

Massive delays resulted from the fatal crash on the Hume Motorway 100km south of Sydney

Aerial footage showed more than a dozen emergency officials attending the scene of the crash on Tuesday morning.

Southbound traffic was diverted via the westbound lane on Picton Road, according to Live Traffic NSW.

There were 5km-long queues southbound from Picton Road, and a 1km queue at the accident site, according to Live Traffic NSW.

The Hume Motorway is part of the Hume Highway, one of the main traffic links between Sydney and Melbourne.

The accident site is around 100km south of Sydney.
A fraudulent doctor has been dubbed Australia's own Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, after he allegedly posed as a doctor in New South Wales hospitals for more than 10 years.

Indian-born Shyam Acharya is believed to be on the run after he was caught allegedly treating patients in NSW state hospitals and emergency departments from 2003 to 2014.

Authorities do not know where he is hiding and believe he may have fled overseas.

A doctor has been dubbed Australia's own Leonardo DiCaprio (centre) in Catch Me If You Can, after he allegedly posed as a doctor - mirroring what DiCaprio's character did in the movie

Acharya allegedly stole an Indian doctor's identity before moving to Australia where he faked his citizenship, forged passport documents and doctored medical qualifications.

He allegedly worked at Manly, Hornsby, Wyong and Gosford hospitals under the name Sarang Chitale, where he went undetected for 11 years.

He was officially registered with the Medical Board of NSW in 2003, allegedly using fraudulent documents and stolen medical qualifications.

Acharya was reportedly respected as a medical professional, and received no direct complaints over the course of his 11-year long stint as a doctor, according to NSW Health.

NSW Health admitted on Monday it had no idea about the alleged fraud until November 2016.

But after tracing back through Acharya's records, it confirmed there were concerns about a medical treatment involving a broken limb.

He allegedly worked at Manly (pictured), Hornsby, Wyong and Gosford hospitals under the name Sarang Chitale, where he went undetected for 11 years

Acharya allegedly posed as a doctor at Hornsby Hospital (pictured) in New South Wales

A fraudulent doctor has been dubbed Australia's own Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, after he allegedly posed as a doctor in New South Wales hospitals

Acharya was reportedly a junior 'doctor' at the time and only part of a larger team responsible for treating the patient. No date was revealed for the bungled procedure.

Aside from that, the Medical Council of NSW and the Health Care Complaints Commission said there were no complaints made against Acharya directly.

Acharya has been charged with breaching the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, which carries a maximum penalty of $30,000.

NSW opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said the case represented a widespread failure of the system.

'If this matter wasn't so shocking, the details would read like a shoddy Down Under version of Leonardo DiCaprio's Catch Me If You Can,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

Mr Secord called for the State Government to release more information about the alleged fraud.

He also called for the government to reveal whether it contacted every patient Acharya treated during his 11 year stint working as a doctor.

'It is incredible that this man could practice for 11 years and come into contact with hundreds of patients and go unnoticed,' he told ABC news.

NSW opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said the case represented a widespread failure of the system

Acharya is also alleged to have worked at Gosfor Hospital during his 11 year stint as a doctor

NSW Health deputy secretary Karen Crawshaw told the ABC 'the root cause of this was false identity to get into the country in the first place'.

She said the documents which saw him registered as a doctor were in fact legitimate.

Ms Crawshaw said procedures had changed since Acharya was registered and the state now required written references and contacted referees directly.

She denied NSW Health was to blame.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said an overhaul of national security practices should be considered in light of the allegations.

'It is quite disturbing that a foreign national could get through our border protection with a false passport and ID based on an Indian citizen who had trained as a doctor,' he told ABC news.

Mr Hazzard also said he planned to meet with a family who held concerns about 'the adequacy of his treatment'.

The Australian Federal Police told Daily Mail Australia it was investigating the allegations.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (pictured) said an overhaul of national security practices should be considered in light of the allegations

'It is quite disturbing that a foreign national could get through our border protection with a false passport and ID,' Mr Hazzard said

The case was mentioned at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday but Acharya did not appear.

The case will return to court in April.

Patients with concerns have been told to phone the Northern Sydney Local Health District on (02) 9462 9778 or the Central Coast Local Health District on (02) 4320 3920.
Horrifying footage reveals the squalid conditions endured by chickens at 'concentration camp' farms which supply eggs to supermarkets.

The film feature squawking hens packed into rows of cages in clips filmed as part of a year-long investigation by vegan charity Viva.

The enclosures were designed to give chickens more 'freedom' after smaller battery cages were banned in 2012.

But activists who visited farms across the UK - each of which was accredited with the British Lion Quality codes of practice - claim the conditions remain dire.

The film feature squawking hens packed into rows of cages in clips filmed as part of a year-long investigation by vegan charity Viva

One frame in the video features a hen with mangled skin and missing feathers (pictured)

They visited caged and free-range farms across the UK in 2015 and 2016 in an attempt to expose the conditions experienced by egg-laying hens.

It comes as farmers are forced to keep stocks of poultry birds inside to stop them catching avian flu, a restriction that has been in place since December 6.

Under EU rules they were allowed to continue labelling the meat and eggs as free-range until February 28.

However, after that date they were no longer permitted to do so, instead being labelled as coming from barn-reared birds.

Supermarket giants including Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, and Lidl pledged to stop selling eggs from caged hens - but not until 2025.

During filming at one farm, Julia Gellatley, Viva's founder and director, says: 'This place is like a concentration camp.

The shocking footage also shows young chicks on a conveyor belt in a unspecified factory

Shocking footage shows mangled corpses lying uncollected on the soiled floor among live birds (pictured)

'These so-called enrichment cages which are supposed to be better welfare are absolutely appalling.

'The cages are stacked one on top of another with these rows of them going on for how long? I don't know, maybe 200 metres (650 feet).'

Campaigners visited farms across England, ranging from the south coast to the north of the county.

At one farm, they claim they found up to 400,000 birds crammed in a single shed, and chickens had a postcard-sized plot of space in which to spread their wings.

Maggots gather around the lid of a large dustbin, containing the carcasses of dead chickens

Viva say they visited caged and free-range farms across the UK in 2015 and 2016 in an attempt to expose the conditions experienced by egg-laying hens

Shocking footage shows mangled corpses lying uncollected on the soiled floor among live birds, some of which have been left for so long they are just feather and bone.

Another clip shows birds having their beaks trimmed on a conveyor belt.

Piles of discarded, dead hens are heaped in a wheelie bin teeming with maggots at the same farm, while most birds at all sites had few feathers and mutilated beaks.

Evidence from 'free-range' sites shows chickens locked into equally cramped conditions - this time a dimly-lit stone shed, with not a blade of grass in sight.

Some farms were accredited under the RSPCA Assured Scheme, which is dedicated to farm animal welfare.

Activists, who visited farms across the UK claim the conditions remain dire at many facilities

Report author Claire Palmer said the investigation shows that regardless of the labels on boxes, eggs 'cause pain, ill-health and suffering on an unacceptable scale'.

She said: 'Four years on from the battery cage, 18 million hens remain incarcerated in cages, and those categorised as 'free-range' fare little better.

'Customers buying "higher-welfare" eggs may be unaware that they are funding the caging of hens by the very same companies.

'British consumers are being duped and we urge them to not support the cruelty by going vegan.'

Viva said mounting public pressure has resulted in a surge of cage-free pledges by supermarket giants like Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, and Iceland.

But they said these bans will not come into force for another nine years, and called for them to be brought forward.
An illegal Mexican immigrant with a long rap sheet who has been deported five times allegedly killed a Californian woman in a violent drunk driving crash.

Estuardo Alvarado, 45, was arrested after slamming his car into the back of Sandra Duran's vehicle in North Hills, Los Angeles on February 19 after fleeing another crash he had just been involved in.

The 42-year-old mother died at the scene of blunt force trauma.

Illegal immigrant Estuardo Alvarado allegedly killed Californian woman Sandra Duran (above) in a violent drunk driving crash on February 19

Alvarado was charged with five felony counts over the accident, including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He had been on the radar of immigration officers since at least 1998 when he was first deported, the LA Daily News reports.

Alvarado has been charged with more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors since he was first deported from the U.S. almost 20 years ago, according to court records.

Some of the charges include being a felon in possession of a weapon, possession of marijuana for sale and DUI.

Sandra Duran (pictured on right with her sister) was a 42-year-old mother. She died at the scene of the crash in Los Angeles of blunt force trauma

He has been convicted or pleaded guilty to several charges before, including DUI and a misdemeanor hit-and-run. It isn't clear how long he has spent in prison previously.

ICE is now planning to take action against Alvarado, who is currently being held in the Men's Central Jail on $2.23 million bail in relation to the crash.

He is accused of driving his 1999 Dodge Durango on a rain-stricken road on February 19 when he tried to overtake other cars and struck a vehicle parked near the curb.

Alvarado allegedly hit Duran's Toyota Camry as he tried to flee the initial crash.
A family member of the chief justice who presided over the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision has apologized to the family of the slave who tried to sue for his freedom.

On Monday, the 160-year anniversary of the decision, Charles Taney IV of Greenwich, Connecticut, stood a few feet from a statue of his great-great-grand-uncle Roger Brooke Taney outside the Maryland State House and apologized for the decision, in which Roger Taney wrote that African-Americans could not have rights of their own and were inferior to white people. Roger Taney lived in Maryland.

'You can't hide from the words that Taney wrote,' his ancestor said. 'You can't run, you can't hide, you can't look away. You have to face them.'

The Scott family has said they hope the apology can lead to a greater reconciliation.

Charles Taney III, a descendant of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, center, offers apology to Lynne Jackson, a descendant of Dred Scott, right, on the 160th anniversary of the Dred Scott decision in front of the Maryland State House on Monday

Taney and Jackson were invited to participate in a 'talk-back' session with the audience after the performance. They have since begun working together, with Taney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations, helping Jackson's group develop a strategic mission

Dred Scott was a slave in the 1800's preceding the United States Civil War. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that Scott was not entitled to freedom - despite living in the free-state of Missouri, which prohibited slavery

'A Taney bringing an apology to a Scott is like 'bringing a Band-Aid to an amputation,' Taney quoted his daughter as saying.

'An apology is not enough,' he said. 'But it is necessary.'

He apologized on behalf of his family, to the Scott family and to all African-Americans, for the 'terrible injustice of the Dred Scott decision.'

Lynne Jackson of St. Louis, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott, accepted the apology for her family and 'all African-Americans who have the love of God in their heart so that healing can begin.'

Jackson said she had looked forward to a meeting of the two families ever since she created The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation a decade ago.

On Monday, the 160-year anniversary of the decision, Charles Taney IV of Greenwich, Connecticut, stood a few feet from a statue of his great-great-grand-uncle Roger Brooke Taney outside the Maryland State House

CASE OF DRED SCOTT Dred Scott was a slave in the 1800's preceding the United States Civil War. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that Scott was not entitled to freedom - despite living in the free-state of Missouri, which prohibited slavery. It ruled that 'African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States' - and also rendered the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. It has since been widely known as the worst US Supreme Court ruling in history and referred to as the court's largest 'self-inflicted wound'. Information courtesy of Brittanica Advertisement

She and Taney met for the first time last year, brought together by the production of a one-act fictional play written by Charles Taney's daughter, Kate Billingsley. 'A Man of His Time,' tells the story of a Taney descendant meeting a Scott descendant.

Taney and Jackson were invited to participate in a 'talk-back' session with the audience after the performance. They have since begun working together, with Taney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations, helping Jackson's group develop a strategic mission.

'It's an open door for us to say if the Scotts and the Taneys can reconcile,' Jackson said. 'If you look at relationships in our nation, these are supposed to be the two who are really supposed to hate each other. But it's not about hatred; it's about understanding, and then relationship-building and trust.'
A West Virginia mother who reported her three-year-old daughter missing in 2011 has been indicted in her death.

A grand jury in Lewis County on Monday returned a four-count indictment against 34-year-old Lena Marie Lunsford Conaway in connection to the death of Aliayah Lunsford.

She is charged with murder of a child by parent by failure to provide necessities; death of a child by parent by child abuse; child abuse resulting in injury and concealment of a dead human body.

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Mom indicted: Grand jury in West Virginia has indicted Lena Lunsford Conaway, 34 (left), on four criminal charges in connection to daughter Aliayah Lunsford's (right) death in 2011

Crime scene: The mother-of-six told police the toddler vanished from their home in Weston, West Virginia (above), on the morning of September 24, 2011

Aliayah Lunsford was reported missing by her mother on September 24, 2011. Her body was never recovered.

According to a criminal complaint, Lena Lunsford Conaway killed the toddler by striking her in the back of the head with a blunt object at their home in Weston in the presence of other family members.

'The child victim was knowingly and intentionally struck by her mother while inside their residence,' the complaint read.

According to witnesses, Aliayah collapsed to the ground with an injury to her head.

Her mother made no effort to administer medical aid to the three-year-old and prevented others from helping Aliayah, the complaint read.

Within hours of the attack, the girl died, prompting Lunsford Conway to 'knowingly and intentionally take steps to conceal the crime.'

Futile efforts: Her disappearance sparked a massive police search effort which involved local authorities and FBI agents who combed nearby rivers and woodlands for the girl

The mother-of-six allegedly disposed of her daughters lifeless body, destroyed evidence, instructed witnesses to lie to the authorities and concocted a 'fictitious narrative' about what happened, the document stated.

Lunsford Conaway reported Aliaya missing the same day, prompting hundreds of law enforcement officials, FBI agents and volunteers to scour the area in search of the child, but to no avail.

Lunsford Conaway, who was pregnant with twins at the time of her daughters presumed death, later moved to Florida.

In early November, she was arrested in Clearwater and extradited back to West Virginia to face charges in Aliayahs death.

If convicted of the most serious count of murder of a parent by failure to provide necessities, which is a capital charge, she could face life in prison, reported The State Journal.

The other three counts in the indictment carry a combined sentence of up to 50 years in prison.

The charge of concealing of a dead human body alleges that the woman drove Aliayahs corpse to a wooded area and dumped it there. The exact location is unknown to this day.

Left, fliers handed out after Aliayah's disappearance showed her to have a bruised face. Right, an artist's rendering of how Aliayah would have looked age five

Lena Lunsford Conaway told police that her daughter Aliayah had vanished from her bed in their home in Weston, West Virginia, sometime between early and late morning on September 24, 2011.

She said the toddler had been vomiting the night before and had 'flu' symptoms. Lunsford claimed to have seen her asleep in her bed in Dora the Explorer pajamas at 6am.

By 9am she said she was missing. Lunsford did not call police for another two and a half hours.

Within hours of the report, scores of people had volunteered to help find the girl.

Police conducted diver searches of nearby rivers and combed woodland near the house but never found her.

In the years after Aliayah's death, the mother-of-six had moved to Florida. In early November 2016, she was arrested in Clearwater and extradited back to West Virginia. In this photo, Lunsford Conaway is shown at the Lewis County Judicial Annex in Weston on November 16

The mother, pictured during a court hearing in November, is charged with murder of a child by parent by failure to provide necessities; death of a child by parent by child abuse; child abuse resulting in injury and concealment of a dead human body

The search was called off four days later.

Within two weeks of her disappearance, Lunsford Conaway was arrested for welfare fraud and her four other children were removed from her care.

After spending eight months in prison, she was released on probation but later jailed again for violating it.

Lunsford Conaway and her then-partner have lost all their parental rights to their six children.
The ex-wife of a man who has donated tens of millions of dollars to a Massachusetts university wants some of that money back.

Janet Foisie says in a federal lawsuit filed on Friday against Worcester Polytechnic Institute that her ex-husband concealed $4.5million from her during divorce proceedings in 2011 and then gave that money to WPI.

In 2014, her ex-husband Robert Foisie, donated a record $40million to the university, where he graduated in 1956.

The university is now constructing a new building named in his honor - The Foisie Innovation Studio.

Janet Foisie, the ex-wife Robert Foisie, who donated tens of millions of dollars to a Massachusetts university, wants some of that money back

Janet Foisie says in a federal lawsuit filed on Friday against Worcester Polytechnic Institute that her ex-husband concealed $4.5million from her during divorce proceedings in 2011 and then gave that money to WPI

Her ex-husband is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. However, Ms Foisie believes her husband hid the $4million she is seeking in a 'Valduz Trust' at a Swiss bank during the time of their split, according to the Telegram.

As a condition of the divorce in 2010, both parties were required to divulge all of their assets. They had reportedly been married since 1960.

According to a copy of their settlement, both were set to receive $20million from securities and divided ownership of their homes.

The university is now constructing a new building named in his honor - The Foisie Innovation Studio

The couple are seen together above in a photograph shared to Facebook

WPI said that Mr Foisie began his career in mechanical engineering but later made millions from entrepreneurship.

He reportedly owns a Swiss company that manufactures packing machines and a Connecticut based company that makes paper processing machinery.

Ms Foisie currently lives in Long Boat Key, Florida, which is located on a barrier island off the coast near Sarasota.

Worcester Polytechnic University has not yet responded to the DailyMail.com regarding the lawsuit.
Jordan Peisner was attacked and filmed by strangers on December 2

A California Assemblyman proposed a bill that would punish people who plan to film violent attacks to share on social media after a West Hills teen was attacked and filmed.

Jordan Peisner, 14, was hospitalized after being sucker punched near a Wendy's by a complete stranger on December 2.

He is still recovering from brain injuries and is not able to return to school for the rest of the year.

The attack left his skull fractured, his ear drum ruptured and caused bleeding in his brain according to KTLA.

The El Camino Real Charter High School freshman was baffled why the assault happened in the first place.

He told KTLA: 'I asked myself why, because this kids in middle school, Im in high school, I dont even know him.'

Peisner suffered bleeding to the brain and a skull fracture and still has headaches from the brain injuries months later. People filmed the horrible attack and posted on social media (right)

To add insult to injury, the incident was filmed on cellphones and shared on social media.

One girl was questioned by police after posting Peisner's attack on Snapchat.

Assemblymember Matt Dababneh proposed a bill that aims to punish people who conspire to film violent attacks for the purpose of sharing videos on social media.

On February 17, Assemblymember Matt Dababneh proposed Jordan's Law which would criminalize someone who conspires to record a violent felony.

Breaking Jordan's Law could cost up to $5,000 and 16 months in prison.

Dabadneh told KTLA: 'When you think about this attack and the nature of it, one thing Ive learned in government in this: That our laws, unfortunately, do not always catch up to the technology that we use every day.'

The bill would not punish bystanders who decided to record the incident or news organizations.

The exact text reads: 'This bill would make it unlawful to willfully record a video of the commission of a violent felony pursuant to a conspiracy with the perpetrator of the violent felony to record the video, with the intent to encourage the commission of the underlying violent felony.'

Ed Peisner (right) said the person who filmed his son's attacker is equally at fault

Ed Peisner, Jordan's father, is in shock that he attack happened in the first place. He told Los Angeles Daily News: 'Its a cowardly move. But the person who followed him and filmed it is equally at fault.'

'My sons brain was bleeding because someone wanted to see a video?'

One teenager was arrested on suspicion of felony assault on the day of the attack and another was arrested on on suspicion of felony conspiracy six days later according to Los Angeles Daily News.

Peisner's friends created a GoFundMe to help with his medical expenses and have raised over $23,000 so far.
The heartbroken mother and father of ill baby Charlie Gard today urged the judge deciding his fate to trust them as parents and said: 'If we suspected he was in pain we would let him go'.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard are trying to save their seven-month-old son, who suffers from a genetic condition so rare he is believed to be only the 16th person diagnosed with it in the world.

Charlie's parents have a month to convince a judge he should receive pioneering treatment in the US - Great Ormond Street he should be allowed to die with 'dignity'.

The couple have been overwhelmed by public support and they have raised 250,000 towards his treatment since their case was heard at the High Court on Friday - with one BBC viewer called 'Helen' pledging 20,000 live on TV.

In a message for the judge who will decide his fate on April 3 Mr Gard told Victoria Derbyshire: 'If we suspected he was in pain we would let him go. He's our boy, we love him, we're doing all of this for Charlie.

Plea: Charlie Gard's doctors believe he should be allowed to die - his mother and father Connie and Chris (pictured today) have asked the judge who'll decide his to 'trust them as parents'

Battle: Parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard are trying to save their seven-month-old Charlie Gard, who suffers from a genetic condition, and were told they now have a month to prove their case

Unwell: Six-month-old Charlie Gard is believed to be only the 16th person in the world to be diagnosed with his ultra-rare genetic condition

'He can move his mouth, he can move his hands. He can't open them fully, but he can still open his eyes and see us, in response to us. We don't feel he's in pain at all'.

His parents have refused to give up on their son and scoured the globe for a cure. They found a neurological specialist at a hospital in the United States who has offered to try an experimental treatment on him.

Much loved: Miss Yates (pictured with Charlie) insists: 'If he is suffering then of course I would let him go'

His mother Connie said: 'The judge needs to trust us, we are his parents. We don't want him to suffer. If he is suffering then of course I would let him go.

'I want the judge to have the belief I have in this medication. [Great Ormond Street Hospital] have never used this medication,' Miss Yates said.

She added: 'Someone else in the world is willing to take him and help him. Why can't we try that?'

Miss Yates and Mr Gard, 32, of Bedfont, south-west London, are fundraising for the 1.2million cost of an air ambulance to get their little boy across the Atlantic and for the cost of his treatment.

Since telling their story in the Mail last week, our generous readers have helped quadruple the 50,000 previously raised.

Charlie, who was born on August 4 last year, suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome  which saps energy from the organs and muscles  and has a particularly rare strain which has no accepted cure.

His parents (pictured on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show today) have refused to give up on their son and scoured the globe for a cure

In a message for the judge who will decide his fate on April 3 Mr Gard told Victoria Derbyshire: 'If we suspected he was in pain we would let him go'

His lungs are so weak he is being kept alive on an artificial ventilator in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The hospital has asked the High Court to agree it would be in Charlie's best interests to withdraw ventilation and allow him to die.

Great Ormond Street Hospital said: 'Charlie has a very rare and complex disease, for which there is no accepted cure.

'We appreciate how hugely distressing this is for his family and we continue to support them in every way we can, while advocating, what we believe, is best for Charlie.'

Tragedy: Connie Yates and Chris Gard with their baby son Charlie, who has a genetic condition so rare it's believed he's only the 16th person to have been diagnosed with it

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London, where Charlie is in intensive care (pictured), is asking the High Court to sanction withdrawing his life support

Mr Justice Francis said it was one of the saddest cases to come before the court and the most tragic situation.

He promised them whatever the rights and wrongs of the case and whatever the outcome they had his deepest sympathy.

The court heard that a hospital in Spain has also taken the view that Charlie cannot be effectively treated, but that medics in the US have offered an experimental therapy which is said to have shown promising signs.

The American hospital, which cannot be named for legal reasons, accepted Charlie as a prospective patient on Wednesday this week. He would require an air ambulance equipped with intensive care facilities and doctors and nurses to fly him there.

His family has set up a GoFundMe web page to raise money.
Alexander Olaik, 22, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery on a person older than 65, petty theft and property damage

An 81-year-old woman, who was beaten from 'her head to her toes', initially told police that she slipped and fell, but after spending three days in a Florida hospital, she admitted that she had been abused by a family member.

The woman, who has not been identified, wrote a note to her physical therapy nurse after being admitted into Delray Medical Center's intensive care unit, according to the Palm Beach Post.

She told the nurse that she hadn't actually fallen like she originally told medics, but instead had been beaten from head to toe by 22-year-old Alexander Olaik.

It's unclear how Olaik and the woman are related because their relationship has been redacted in the arrest report.

According to Palm Beach County sheriff's records, Olaik came to the woman's home on February 23.

Olaik, who had been living in a halfway house, told the woman he hadn't eaten in days.

The woman made Olaik dinner, then reminded him that he was under court orders not to have contact with her, according to the Post.

She told police he became angry over the court order and for about 15 to 20 minutes, Olaik beat her 'from her head to her toes,' sheriff's office records show.

Olaik cried and apologized to the woman after he was done, but refused to allow her to call 911.

He called first responders only after she stopped breathing and fled the home with her cellphone.

The woman told medics she had fallen. She later told authorities that she was trying to protect Olaik, according to the Post.

She spent several days in the ICU with severe bruising to her face, a brain bleed and excruciating pain in her abdomen.

The woman told medics she had fallen. She later told authorities that she was trying to protect Olaik. She spent several days in the Delray Medical Center's ICU with severe bruising to her face, a brain bleed and excruciating pain in her abdomen

After telling the truth about the incident, she allowed a detective to search her home, where authorities found a bloody pillowcase and her smashed TV, according to sheriff's office records.

In January, Olaik was arrested on a battery charge after reportedly pushing her and grabbing her arm during an argument, according to the Post.

A neighbor told detectives the woman was afraid Olaik would kill her, prompting her to update the deed to her home.

Just days later, Olaik was court-ordered to receive mental health and substance abuse evaluations, but was back in the Palm Beach County Jail for violating the terms of his release.

He blamed the woman for the court ordering he not have contact with her, which led to him abusing her on February 23.

Olaik was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated battery on a person older than 65, petty theft and property damage.

He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on a $220,000 bond.
President Donald Trump kept up his attacks on his predecessor on a day when his own team's Russia connections are set for another airing in the Capitol  blasting President Obama for losing Crimea during his tenure.

Trump wrote that Russia got 'stronger and stronger' during the Obama administration, sending out the hit just hours before his nominee to be deputy attorney general was set to get grilled at his confirmation over whether he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Trump's Russia ties.

'For eight years Russia "ran over" President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak! @foxandfriends' Trump tweeted.

Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, eventually bring the territory back into the federation after a referendum that Ukraine said was a sham.

Under a painting of Hillary Clinton, U.S. President Donald Trump makes a surprise appearance in front people touring the White House Tuesday. He tweeted that Russia 'ran over' President Obama, who nominated Clinton to be his secretary of state

The Obama administration and the international community imposed sanctions in response to the action, sending relations with Russia into a deep chill.

Trump has leveled the accusation at Obama before. "Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?" Trump tweeted last month.

Trump's tweet Tuesday mentioned Fox & Friends, a show he frequently praises. On the show today, conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, who had been under consideration for White House press secretary, blasted Democrats as being 'obsessed with Russia' and accused them of being soft on communism.

'When we needed them in the '80s to fight with us rhetorically and philosophically against the old Soviet Union they were nowhere to be found. In fact, they were siding with the Soviet Union,' she said, without providing any specifics.

Trump called the Obama administration's record on Russia 'weak,' after a campaign in which his own praise for Russian president Vladimir Putin and his associates' ties to Russia drew scrutiny

Trump quoted a line from Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who said Russia 'ran right over President Obama'

Fox guest Laura Ingraham accused Democrats of 'siding with the Soviet Union' during the 1980s, without providing specifics

Host Brian Kilmeade jumped in, 'The thing is, Laura, for eight years they've been the kindest to Russia than ever. Russia ran right over President Obama for eight years. Until this last month  they got tough.'

Ingraham responded, 'Russia and Putin got stronger and stronger and more influential and grabbed more territory under Barack Obama than I would imagine they would be successful in doing so against a Trump presidency. So they're obsessed with Russia. We get that. There will be an investigation. It will find nothing.'

Trump stood out during the campaign from the vast majority of congressional Republicans by frequently praising Putin and seeking better relations with Russia. Last month, when Fox News host Bill O'Reilly called Putin 'a killer,' Trump responded, 'What do you think? Our country's so innocent?'

During his last days in office, following the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia engaged in U.S. election hacking, Obama threw out 35 Russian spies and imposed additional sanctions.

Mike Flynn, who served as Trump's White House national security advisor, quit his post after it was revealed he had conversations with the Russian ambassador about the sanctions that he hadn't revealed to Vice President Mike Pence.
Charles and Camilla are being dispatched to Romania, Italy and Austria later this month for high-profile visits as the Government triggers Brexit.

The Prince of Wales and his wife will make the visits at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

News of visits comes days after it was announced William and Kate would be making a trip to Germany and Poland in July.

The whirlwind of Royal activity comes amid Theresa May's diplomatic push for a smooth Brexit.

Charles and Camilla are being dispatched to Romania, Italy and Austria later this month for high-profile visits as the Government triggers Brexit

Ministers will hope highly visible Royal visits will reassure EU allies that while Britain is quitting the trading bloc it will still remain a close ally.

Charles and Camilla's mini-EU tour which begins on March 29 will see them spend three days in Bucharest and the surrounding area in Romania, before heading to Italy and the Holy See for six days.

They will then travel on to spend two days in Vienna, Austria.

Clarence House said the trip is being made at the request of the British Government and to celebrate links between the UK and Romania, Italy, the Holy See and Austria.

A spokesman for the Prince said: 'The tour will highlight the UK's relationship with European partners in areas including social cohesion, military ties and combating human trafficking.'

Future king Charles - who will one day be head of the Church of England - and Camilla will have an audience with Pope Francis during their visit to the Holy See.

They met Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican during a trip to Italy in 2009.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are being sent to Germany and Poland on official visits just weeks after the start of official Brexit talks

William and Kate are visiting the continent for a two-day trip to Paris later this month. They will also travel to Poland and Germany in July.

Senior Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg last week told MailOnline: 'An excellent move to secure and improve relations with an important ally.'

Laws handing Mrs May power over Article 50 - the clause in the EU treaties that contain the divorce procedures for the bloc - are expected to be law on or around March 15.

This will allow her to meet her timetable of triggering Article 50 and starting the two years of official exit talks before the end of the month.

The Royal Family have long been seen as crucial levers of 'soft power' to the Government.

William travelled to Germany last summer, visiting Dusseldorf for a series of events honouring the role of British armed forces based in the country.

During a gala event, where the Duke gave a speech alongside Chancellor Angela Merkel, William claimed the 'depth' of Britain's friendship with Germany would not change after Brexit.
Police in southeast Georgia are investigating after two soldiers were found dead in an apartment outside Fort Stewart.

Hinesville police Capt. James C. Reid said Tuesday that an anonymous tip made to a police department in another city led officers to the bodies late Sunday.

Reid called the deaths suspicious, saying there were injuries to the bodies, but declined to give further details about the deaths.

Two active duty soldiers assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, have been found dead. They're identified as Malika Jackson, 21 and Marquez Brown, 23. Police pictured outside the apartment

Marquez Brown, 23, pictured, was a former drum major at Southwest High School in Macon, Georgia

He said autopsies were scheduled to be performed Tuesday.

Reid said the soldiers were identified as 23-year-old Spc. Marquez S. Brown and 21-year-old Pvt. Malika D. Jackson.

Brown, of Macon, was a former drum major at Southwest High School, according to condolences left by friends on a Facebook page in his name.

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson confirmed the men were active-duty soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart, the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River.

'Our condolences go out to the friends and family of the two soldiers', he told Georgia Newsday.

He said the Army is cooperating with local authorities.
A transgender florist was hacked to death, shot and mutilated in Malaysia while two men faced trial for a separate incident in which she was tortured and raped, it has emerged.

Sameera Krishman was brutally murdered in the city of Kuantan, eastern Malaysia, the day before her 28th birthday.

The attack came as two men were due to appear in court accused of a separate attack two years ago in which she was kidnapped, raped and tortured.

Although a motive for the killing has yet to be revealed, campaigners say she was targeted for being transgender amid fears over the rising influence of sharia law in the country.

Transgender florist Sameera Krishman (pictured) was hacked to death, shot and mutilated in Malaysia while two men faced trial for a separate incident in which she was tortured and raped, it has emerged

Shocking photos show her body covered with a white sheet as medics were working at the scene

Krishman was repeatedly knifed and shot after going out to buy some food on February 23. Her dead body was then mutilated by her attackers.

Shocking photos show her body covered with a white sheet as medics were working at the scene.

Meanwhile, two men are standing trial over an attack on the 27-year-old in 2015.

She was only rescued from that ordeal when police checked a car that had been involved in a minor accident and found her tied up on the back seat, according to The Star.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports activists as pointing to the rise in Malaysia of sharia law, under which even cross dressing is illegal.

This means that Muslim transgender people 'can be arrested and prosecuted simply for stepping outside of their house wearing the clothes that they believe reflect their true gender,' said

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division said Muslim transgender women in Malaysia 'can be arrested and prosecuted simply for stepping outside of their house wearing the clothes that they believe reflect their true gender.'

The attack on Krishman (pictured) came as two men were due to appear in court accused of a separate attack two years ago in which she was kidnapped, raped and tortured

The newspaper said a sermon from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department in 2014 warned that confusion of identity 'bring disaster or the punishment of Allah'.

Surgeons are said to be increasingly fearful of offering gender reassignment surgery for fear of reprisals - though the procedure can be carried out in Malaysia.

Human Rights Watch said in a 2014 report that Malaysia was 'one of the worst countries' in the world for transgender people.

Transgender is the umbrella term for individuals who identify with a gender different to their sex at birth.

While there are no official figures for Malaysia, transgender women are commonly seen -especially in the capital Kuala Lumpur - working in restaurants and retail outlets.

But violent attacks remain an ever-present threat.

Activist Nisha Ayub said she had endured virtually everything thrown at Muslim-majority Malaysia's repressed transgender community including contempt, violence, arrest and sexual assault in a prison where she was sent to become a 'real man'.

She attempted suicide, beaten down by strict Islamic laws that activists say subject transgender people to increasing legal constraints, discrimination and marginalisation.

'The way they treat you is like you don't have any rights, you don't have any dignity,' said the 37-year-old in an interview last year.

In 2000, just 21-years-old, she was arrested by the feared state religious enforcers who swoop on Muslims suspected of 'un-Islamic' behaviour.

Krishman was repeatedly knifed and shot after going out to buy some food. Her dead body was then mutilated by her attackers

Human Rights Watch said in a 2014 report that Malaysia was 'one of the worst countries' in the world for transgender people

A sharia court - which handles civil-religious matters involving Muslims - jailed her for three months under an anti-crossdressing law.

Nisha said she had fully transitioned to a woman by then, although like many in the transgender community she did not disclose details which are considered private. However, she was sent to a men's prison.

Bald-shaven, she was mocked and repeatedly made to bare her breasts for other inmates. Once, several prisoners forced her to perform sex acts on them.

She attempted suicide in prison, and again after release. Traumatised, she drifted briefly into sex work, like many others in her situation.

But violent attacks remain an ever-present threat. One recent assault left a transgender woman in a brief coma, Nisha said. The attacker was fined just 400 ringgit (75).

Many transgenders fear seeking police help over abuses, she said.

Many keep their sexuality private even from their families and a 2015 HRW report said discrimination against such groups was 'pervasive'.
Reports of White House discord are greatly exaggerated, suggested President Donald Trump on Twitter today, as he slapped back at news stories that said he let loose on senior staff Friday.

'Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!' the president tweeted this morning.

That's contrary to a number of media reports, and video, which showed Trump going 'ballistic' in the Oval Office on Friday, before leaving for Mar-a-Lago without two of his top aides, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.

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President Donald Trump again used the term 'FAKE NEWS' to describe reports coming out of the White House that indicated there is 'big infighting' among his senior staff

President Trump's Tuesday morning tweet was likely his attempt to push back on media reports of a row that occurred in the Oval Office on Friday with senior staff

The president's explosive lecture was originally thought to have been aimed at chief of staff Reince Priebus (left) and Bannon (right), but senior administration officials say that's not how it played out

White House Counsel Don McGahn, shown in January in the Trump Tower lobby, was the target of Donald Trump's ire  not senior aides Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon  during a rage-filled Friday dressing-down in the Oval Office

Jared Kushner (right) was also present in the Oval Office when Steve Bannon (left) was filmed in an animated conversation

Trump was upset the news that his Attorney General Jeff Sessions was recusing himself from Russia-related matters, had stepped on the positive reviews of his Tuesday night joint session speech.

DailyMail.com learned yesterday that much of the president's ire was actually aimed at White House Counsel Don McGahn, instead of Priebus and Bannon, who were in the room, along with Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner, his daughter Ivanka Trump, Communications Director Mike Dubke, and Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

'He was chewing out the White House counsel about Sessions,' a senior administration official told DailyMail.com.

Trump, according to that source, believed the White House counsel's office should have met with Sessions before his announcement, in a show of support, might Sessions decide he didn't want to recuse himself from investigations pertaining to the Russian hacks, which intelligence agencies have said benefited Trump.

Bannon was there to calm the president down, the source said, though footage showed him appear to drop the f-bomb at someone in the Oval Office during Friday's shout-fest.

Footage emerged of chief White House strategist Steve Bannon during that shout-fest, as he appeared to drop an F-bomb at someone to the camera's left

'He was on blast mode,' the source said of the president's reaction to the attorney general's decision, and he was 'hitting the White House counsel for not explaining it better.'

Bannon, along with McGahn and Sessions, eventually flew to Trump's Florida estate Saturday night so they could discuss the second roll-out of the travel ban, which happened Monday.

But even if a different individual was in the doghouse than originally reported, leaks and gossip have created an overall impression that Trump's top aides aren't all playing for the same team.

For example, CNN reported last month that Spicer's allies in D.C. believe Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway is spreading negative stories around town about him.

'She's clearly guiding a press narrative that he's not up for the job, and that they're reviewing other candidates,' one GOP strategist told the network's Dylan Byers. 'It's becoming abundantly clear that Kellyanne is making Sean's job impossible.'

Bannon and Priebus took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference together last month in an attempt to change the narrative, which so far suggested the two men  one of whom came from the right-wing world of Breitbart News and the other, the more traditional Republican Party  didn't get along.

Not so, the two said, as they sat together onstage.

'I think the biggest misconception is everything that you're reading,' Priebus explained.

'We share an office suite together. We're basically together from 6:30 in the morning until 11 at night,' Priebus said, laughing, later calling Bannon a 'very dear friend.'

Bannon piggybacked on Priebus' comment about their White House digs.

'I have a little thing called The War Room,' the ex-Breitbart exec said. 'He has a fireplace with, you know, nice sofas,' Bannon added, before calling Priebus 'indefatigable.'
Now that Brexit is unavoidable for Britain, the time has come to strengthen the relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom, to address the complex challenges of an unprecedented process full of unknowns, and to make the most of any opportunities that might arise.

Workers in London's financial district make an early start. Eddie Keogh (Reuters)

These were some of the conclusions at La oportunidad del Brexit (The opportunity of Brexit), a business breakfast on Monday morning organized by EL PAIS and Sabadell Bank that brought together business, political and media leaders to discuss the repercussions of Britains upcoming exit from the European Union.

The group of experts agreed that the negotiations between Britain and the EU should not be punitive. First, because this could put both parties growth at risk, said Sabadell CEO Jaime Guardiola, adding that the circumstances demand an active role by the Spanish authorities and businesses alike to ensure that the new framework for relations is the best possible one.

Our diplomacy is not doing much, despite the enormous interests at stake

Leon Fernando del Canto, lawyer

And secondly, because Europe has no desire to create confrontation during negotiations, said Javier Solana, a former Spanish cabinet minister who later served as NATO chief and the EUs High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Besides, as former Spanish ambassador to Britain Carles Casajuana pointed out: It wont be necessary: they are already punishing themselves with the decision to leave the EU. We are all losing out here.

The event was also attended by Andy Mackay, director of British Council Spain; Antonio Vazquez, chairman of IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia; Leon Fernando del Canto, from London-based law firm Del Canto Chambers; Christopher Dottie, head of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, and EL PAIS senior executives Jose Manuel Calvo and Javier Ayuso.

Strong ties

The economic ties between both countries are more than enough reason for Spain to adopt an active role in the negotiations over future relations with the United Kingdom. Britain is the primary destination for Spanish foreign investment, making up 17% of the total. Every year around 15 million British tourists visit Spain, contributing around 13 billion to the Spanish economy.

Spain is the EUs third largest investor in Britain, behind France and Germany. Nearly one million Britons own property in Spain, and around half of those are permanent residents. At the same time, nearly 300,000 Spaniards live in Britain.

A total break

As Britain and Europe enter uncharted waters to negotiate an exit from the EU and a new framework for relations, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has opted for a complete break with the single market, rather than a middle-of-the-road solution, noted Solana.

We need to negotiate from that perspective, said Solana, who currently presides the Center for Global Economics and Geopolitics at the Esade business school. First you need to undo the membership, and then negotiate a new agreement. And that is tremendously complex.

Solana, who has personal experience as a negotiator, expressed his regret that the Spanish government lacks a team of people with a background in this kind of process, and asked the executive to call back the individuals who participated in Spains own EU membership process.

Leon Fernando del Canto said that new opportunities are arising in the services sector, as companies seek out professional advice on how to uncouple from Europe or how to incorporate EU legislation into their own activities.

Christopher Dottie noted that talented Spaniards working in the UK could be persuaded to come back if things get tougher there.

If young Spaniards have fewer opportunities in Britain, Spanish companies should make an effort to attract them back, he said.

The fact that Britain is going to leave the single market is making some companies consider the option of having a second base on the continent, and Spain should make sure that it remains attractive in that sense, said Dottie.

This search for new locations by British firms is most obvious in the financial sector, given the importance of the City both at the European level and for the global financial system.

To Jaime Guardiola, dismantling Londons financial center would create a global productivity problem that would create hurdles to access to funding by capital markets.

Yet there are parts of the system that will unquestionably leave London, he added, alluding to institutions like the European Banking Authority (EBA).

Spain is also in the running to become the headquarters for the European Medicines Agency, which Barcelona already bid for in its day, and which could also serve as a tool for the Spanish government in its attempt to extend a hand to Catalan society.

Not so fast

But not everyone at the breakfast was equally optimistic about the business opportunities created by Brexit.

I am not very optimistic about it, admitted Antonio Vazquez, of IAG. Although perhaps the right environment is being created to eliminate unnecessary regulation in the European Union.

If so, he said, this would increase the eurozones growth potential and its companies ability to compete. Vazquez also asked for a greater Spanish presence at the negotiating table to ensure that Spanish companies are well positioned.

Del Canto agreed. Our diplomats are not doing much. Spain is not getting near the negotiations, despite the enormous interests at stake  not even as a lobby, he said.

You cannot play a leading role if you are not on the front lines, added Dottie. This is not just a negotiation between Britain and the European Union. Each country needs to mobilize and underscore what it is that it cannot afford to lose in this process.

English version by Susana Urra.
A fantasist who claimed to be a surgeon gave 'false hope' to a terminally-ill woman by telling her that she could get her new lungs.

Julie Higgins, 54, pretended she was a surgeon and oncology specialist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to dupe victim Angela Murray.

Higgins, a self-confessed compulsive liar, was introduced to the victim through a hairdresser they both knew, where she had pretended to be a doctor for a decade.

Julie Higgins, 54, gave 'false hope' to terminally-ill Angela Murray (right) woman by claiming to be a doctor and telling her that she could get her new lungs

Mrs Murray suffered from pulmonary hypertension and a very rare dry fibrosis of the lungs, similar in effect to cystic fibrosis.

Over a period of 12 months, Higgins gave Mrs Murray 'false hope' that she could get her a lung transplant.

Mrs Murray died last October and her distraught family claim Higgins' charade 'took away her will to live', accelerating her death once she realised there was no cure.

Her brother, Dave Drummond, said: 'The lack of a transplant was going to kill Angie anyway, but I am totally convinced her death was due to this. It took away her will to live, she deteriorated so quickly.'

Through a series of texts, Higgins claimed to Mrs Murray that she was travelling around the world searching for donor organs, including a visit to Nice after the terrorist atrocity of July 14 last year.

The Walter Mitty character also told the victim that she was carrying out aid work in Syria and claimed she was badly injured when the convoy she was in came under attack.

Higgins, from Poole, Dorset, texted Mrs Murray to say that if she didn't 'make it', she could have her lungs.

On another occasion, Higgins pretended to be a scrubs nurse called 'Squiby' then contacted Mrs Murray and told her to go nil by mouth as a potential donor had been found.

Higgins met Mrs Murray at the Inspire hair salon (pictured), in Poole, Dorset, where she enjoyed free haircuts due to the 'good work' she was doing for Mrs Murray

She later texted her to say the donor's lungs were 'too badly damaged' but that 'Ju tried for hours to save them'.

During this time, Higgins obtained free haircuts at the hairdressers in Swanage, Dorset, on the strength of her 'good work' in helping Mrs Murray.

Her lies unraveled in September 2016 after Mrs Murray's family questioned the fake surgeon's claims and checked out her credentials.

They reported Higgins to the police and she pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud relating to obtaining free hair cuts and another of impersonating a doctor at Poole Magistrates' Court.

I am totally convinced her death was due to this. It took away her will to live, she deteriorated so quickly Dave Drummond, brother

Mr Drummond explained how family and friends were 'sucked in' by the deception and found themselves in a difficult position, not wanting to disappoint Mrs Murray.

He said: 'Even when it was at its most unbelievable, I didn't want to say to Angie 'I think she's a con-woman', it would have just taken all the hope away from her.

He added: 'It wasn't done off the cuff. I am sure it was elaborately planned, she must have rehearsed it.'

Nicola Reece, prosecuting, said the cruel con on Mrs Murray began in 2015.

He said: 'They met on two occasions and Ms Higgins obtained personal details including her NHS number, and said she would assist her in finding some new lungs.

Julie Higgins, 54, pretended she was a surgeon and oncology specialist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to dupe victim Angela Murray

BROTHER SAID TRUTH CAUSED EARLY DEATH Angela Murray's brother revealed how he believes hearing the truth after being given false hope for so many months brought her an early death. Retired oil refinery worker Dave Drummond, from Dibden Purlieu in the New Forest, said: 'I honestly believe Julie Higgins brought her life to an end prematurely. 'We all got suckered into it. I thought it was too good to be true and I said that often to Angela, but we didn't want to give up hope. 'She had built Angela's hopes up so much and basically said 'I'm the only person who can give you the lungs'. 'When we found out she was a fraud, Angela's health deteriorated almost immediately. 'I spoke to her most days after we found out and she just went downhill. The GP talked about counselling and diagnosed depression. 'It was maybe three or four weeks later she died. The hope had just gone. 'Hearing that she is hiding behind this mental illness just turned my stomach. She's been doing this for ten years. It's difficult to have any sympathy for her.' Advertisement

'It was an ongoing relationship, mostly via text messages.'

Higgins, who is married to her partner Sue Hole, admitted she was a 'compulsive liar' and said her deception of Mrs Murray resulted from a recently diagnosed mental illness.

Higgins said she believed she had supported and helped Mrs Murray as she attempted to get treatment.

She said: 'I rang her twice a week to keep her going and support her.

'She relied on me and said I was her 'sanity'. Her family were getting more and more desperate, and so was I.

'I was feeling the pressure of keeping her going.

'When I'm under pressure, and feeling vulnerable mentally, I tell lies compulsively and exaggerate who I am or what I do, even believing I'm someone else.

'This is due to my childhood abuse.

'I am doing everything I can to find out what is wrong with me and to put it right.

'There are no words to express my grief, remorse and sorrow for the unintentional hurt and damage I have caused to the people around me due to my mental condition.'

Higgins has a previous conviction for impersonating a doctor from 2007, having tricked her patient out of 700 supposedly to fund an operation.

The court heard the magistrates' sentencing powers were deemed insufficient to deal with the offences, and Higgins was released on bail to attend Bournemouth Crown Court on March 24.
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These incredible pictures offer a fascinating insight into the rich and diverse traditions of Peruvian shamans, known as Curanderos.

Shamans are believed to be a bridge between this world and the next, able to communicate with spirits through magic, rituals and spiritual visions.

In the Peruvian Amazon Basin, shamans use medicine songs called icaros to evoke spirits, communicating with them using totemic items such as rocks that Curanderos believe have special powers.

Although shamans are not as common as decades past, they continue to shepherd their communities across remote Peruvian regions.

Dona Juliana, 85, makes an offer to the mountain spirit with her 100-year-old husband Lorenzo, in Ocongate District, Peru

Juliana, pictured in previous image with husband Lorenzo, collects her things to leave on the way to the annual Qoyllur Ritii festival in Ocongate Disctrict, Peru

Dancers gather at the Qoyllur Ritii festival in Sinakara Valley, Peru. Known as the Snow Star festival, the gathering is held every year shortly before the Christian feast of Corpus Christi

A young shaman called Isidro plays with a chicken in the farmland off her family's house in Taquile Island, Peru

People go to Qoyllur Ritii to make a wish. They believe that if you go there at least three times in your life, then your desire will be fulfilled

Dona Juliana is offers the mountain spirits some of her wine in sign of gratitude and sharing. She performs the ceremony close to her husband Lorenzo, 100

After the Spanish conquest and the subsequent indigenous repression in Peru, pagan traditions have been assimilated by other religions, notably in the Catholic tradition through the use of pagan holy figures.

One example of this is the Qoyllur Rit'i festival, which is a pagan and Catholic event, which is held annually in the Sinakara Valley in the Cusco region of Peru.

Photographer Diana Bagnoli decided to find out more about shamans - or Curanderos - and their intricate traditions after the Mayan 'end of days' prophecy for December 2012 sparked worldwide intrigue.

During June and July of 2015, Diana travelled to three different locations in Peru to track down true shamans and document their practices.

A shaman conducts a spiritual ceremony. Despacho is a typical Qiero people ceremony, to honour Pachamama (Mother Earth), the sacred Apus (mountains) and the spirit in all of nature

Festival goers wrapping up warm. Due to the high altitude, during the night in Qoyllur Ritii it is several degrees down zero in Sinakara Valley, Peru

Morning light streams through an elderly woman's home high up in the mountains in Ocongate District, Peru

A parade of different dance groups in Mayantuyacu, Peru. Musicians with drums accompany them as they perform traditional dances in their multi-layered skirts

A shaman couple having breakfast in the Ausangate Mountain in the Andes of Peru. The mountain in the Cusco region has significance in Incan mythology

The Italian photographer travelled to Taquile Island on Titicaca Lake, Ausangate Mountain - where the people live at 4600m above sea level - and to the Mayantuyacu centre in the Amazonian forest.

She said: 'In Peru - from the high places in the Cordillera to the southern islands of Lake Titicaca and in the depths of the Amazon jungle - it's a tradition that is still alive and indeed attracts new waves of 'mystic' tourism.

'The first difficulty was to find an authentic shaman, not a touristic one. I was helped by an anthropologist called Dario Astengo, who directed me up to 5000m to find ancestral and authentic shamans.

'It was difficult to find the right one, to reach them and also to communicate with them as the only language they usually speak is Quechua. They were quite surprised by my interest and motivation, so they mostly welcomed me.'

Ashaninka shaman master Juan Flores stands by a river in Mayantuyacu, Peru wearing traditional clothes

Grimaniza, 14-years-old, the shaman's niece, plays with a skipping rope in Ocongate District, Peru

A parade of different dance groups meet in Mayantuyacu, Peru, each carrying their own colourful banners

Pilgrims with a young baby find a quieter and warmer place to rest and spend the night, in Sinakara Valley

Two men dressed all in white pray amidst a cloud of smoke in Mayantuyacu, Peru

Bagnoli said that each rural community has its own shaman, although many are elderly, as less people are observing traditional rituals.

She explained: 'Today, the figure of the Curandero is far less widespread because it is no longer recognised in society.

'There are still a few and for the most part they are elderly people, holders of ancestral wisdom verbally handed down from their ancestors.

'Each rural community has its own Curandero as a spiritual guide for the village. They work by using the energies of the universe and Pacha Mama - Mother Earth - to help his community dispel the evil eye, have healthier harvests or to cure incurable diseases.

Enharte, 36-years-old, who has been a shaman since the age of 30, stands on the edge of a river in Mayantuyacu, Peru

Enharte, dressed in traditional clothing and jewellery, stands in his wooden house

A shaman called Isidro displays his catch in his hands as he goes fishing in Ausangate Mountain, Peru

Dona Juliana, 85, in the house where she lives with her husband and many pet Guinea pigs. Juliana and Lorenzo, married for more than sixty years, live alone in the stone and thatched hut on Laguna Verde, at the foot of the Caliangate mountain

People leaving the Qoyllur Ritii festival in Sinakara Valley, Peru after the occasion has drawn to a close

A river in Mayantuyacu. Mayantuyacu healing and traditional knowledge centre is built on a hot water river and lake in Mayantuyacu, Peru

'He's the person who solves mystic but also pragmatic problems of the society. He's the bridge between people and physical matter and the spiritual and esoteric world.

'Through his magic, rituals and spiritual visions he's able to communicate with both worlds and even influence the physical world.'

Bagnoli also attended the Qoyllur Ritii festival. Known as the Snow Star festival, the gathering is held every year shortly before the Christian feast of Corpus Christi.

It brings together shamans and the indigenous population of the Andes with large groups of devoted Catholics. Up to 100,000 pilgrims attend the event every year.

A parade of different dance groups perform in Mayantuyacu, Peru. Some have elaborate bird costumes and are accompanied by musicians playing traditional wooden flutes

Members of the Ukukus ethnic group dance and beat themselves with a whip. They play pranks and keep order among pilgrims in Sinakara Valley, Peru

The Qoyllur Ritii festival attracts a large number of people from the surrounding regions. It joins together indigenous population of the Andes celebrating the stars with a devoted group of catholic people with their own legend

A girl relaxing in the forest in Mayantuyacu, Peru. Mayantuyacu is one of the two native Amazonian healing and traditional knowledge centers located on the Boiling River

A woman in Mayantuyacu, Peru makes Ayahusca, which is a combination of a wine and leaves. They need to boil for almost one day, before they are filtered

Pilgrims flock to the Sinakara mountain for The Lord of Snow, Qoyllur Ritii Festival on Sinakara Mountain

A pilgrim touches one of the twelve crosses on the path to the Lord of Qoyllur Ritii. The festival has a strong catholic associations mixed in with the indigenous beliefs

The festival is a clear display of how pagan idols have been adopted by the Catholic faith. At the end of an 8km pilgrimage Christians pay homage to the image of Christ on a boulder high up in the Valley, while traditionalists celebrate their devotion with colourful dances, lighting of candles, singing and prayers.

Shamans cross many cultural divides in Peru and their traditions remain steadfast, even against the growing tourism in the region and the dominant presence of Catholicism.

Diana added: 'I slept in a camping tent in the mountains, in a shaman family house on the Titicaca Lake and a hut on a hot river in the Amazonian river.

'Every ritual I attended with them has been memorable in a personal and spiritual way, which is difficult to describe in words.

'The nature there was so majestic and unspoilt that it is easy to be constantly fascinated by it.'

Shamans praying in Qoyllur Ritii in Sinakara Valley in the southern highlands in the Cusco Region of Peru

A shaman performs a tabac ceremony, a form of spiritual healing, in a kitchen in Mayantuyacu, Peru

A young Curandero connecting with nature in Mayantuyacu healing centre, Peru, the day after the Ayahuaska ceremony, when attendees need to be focused and relaxed

The Qoyllur Ritii festival attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims from the surrounding regions in Sinakara Valley, Peru

Dona Juliana, 85, makes an offering to the mountain spirit in Ausangate Mountain
An off-duty firefighter rescued a blind elderly Labrador after going missing in the mountains for more than a week.

Owner Beth Cole said her family went to bed on February 24 from their home in Boulder Creek, California when 12-year-old Sage went missing.

The ageing Labrador had lost the sight in both eyes having contracted glaucoma.

Sage the Labrador was found was found in a mountain creek by Dan Estrada

The off duty fire fighter carried Sage the dog away from the creek and back to civilization

The Cole family asked members of the local community to help find their missing dog, but as the hours and days passed, they were increasingly fearful that Sage would not make it.

Apart from having lost her sight, it was reported that there were plenty of mountain lions in the area.

Cole told the Santa Cruz Chronicle: 'Our neighbors and other members of the community helped us search day and night for a week. We looked everywhere.'

Off-duty firefighter Dan Estrada was out hiking with his friend Victor Lopez when he spotted what he thought was some rubbish dumped in the stream.

Sage's owners feared they would never see the dog again after it vanished for eight days

He said: 'At first I thought it was a garbage bag in the water. My vision is not very good so it wasnt until I got closer that I saw its actually a white lab laying there lifeless in this stream - her chin just above water level.

'When we saw she was alive, I jumped in the stream and hugged her.'

He said it was threatening to rain so Sage probably wouldn't have lasted another night in the open.

As a result of the successful rescue, a fundraising event is being held in Joe's Bar for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter on March 18 between 4-6pm.
Shane Schindler, 30, is suspected of bludgeoning to death two other homeless men in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this year. He was arrested last week after attacking a decoy homeless man with a hammer

A man has been arrested after attacking a mannequin posing as a homeless man in a decoy set up by police.

Shane Schindler, 30, is suspected of bludgeoning to death two other homeless men in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this year.

After a month of proceeding without leads, police set up the decoy in the same spot one of the men was murdered.

Schindler reportedly smashed the fake body with a four-pound engineer's hammer before being arrested.

Las Vegas Judge Karen Bennett-Haron has set bail at $50,000 for Schindler, who is charged with one count of carrying a concealed weapon, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Deputy public defender Ashley Sisolak has called the bail fee 'excessive', as it is ten times more than the standard fee for the crime he is charged for.

Daniel Aldape and David Dunn were bludgeoned to death within a month of each other earlier this year

After a month of proceeding without leads, police set up the decoy in the same spot one of the men was murdered, the intersection at City and Grand Central parkways in Las Vegas

Video courtesy of KSNV

She said her 'client has proclaimed his innocence, and I look forward to fighting these allegations'.

Daniel Aldape, 46, and David Dunn, 60, were bludgeoned to death within a month of each other earlier this year.

Both had suffered apparent head trauma on the same intersection at City and Grand Central parkways in Las Vegas.

Schindler's arrest report says police set up the mannequin resembling a sleeping man after detectives had no leads on the slayings of two homeless men earlier this year in downtown Las Vegas.

The report says Schindler, 30, approached the 'decoy', looked around for traffic and struck it with a 4-pound engineer's hammer he had in a Little Ceasar's Pizza bag.

Schindler's arrest report says police set up the mannequin resembling a sleeping man after detectives had no leads on the slayings of two homeless men earlier this year in downtown Las Vegas

The report says Schindler, 30, approached the 'decoy,' looked around for traffic and struck it with a 4-pound engineer's hammer he had Little Ceasar's Pizza bag

Surveillance video captured the incident on February 22 and Schindler was arrested last week.

According to the report, Schindler told police he 'knew it was a mannequin' before hitting it. But police dispute that statement.

'The decoy mannequin was staged in a manner which would have made it impossible for Schindler to have determined the mannequin was not a human being before he struck,' according to the arrest report.

'Schindler swung the hammer using both arms to generate maximum force to his blow.'
Briony Clarke has become the youngest woman in Britain to become a judge aged 31

A lawyer who started her legal career as a 15-year-old schoolgirl on work experience is believed to be the youngest woman in Britain to become a judge aged just 31.

Briony Clarke was sworn in as a deputy district judge at Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex today after a meteoric rise through the legal ranks.

Sixteen years on from her work experience with solicitors, she will now sit in judgment at magistrates' courts on the London and South East circuit.

Ms Clarke's legal experience began as a schoolgirl when she had a placement with the Chelmsford firm Taylor Haldane Barlex LLP.

In 2001 she joined the firm as a trainee solicitor and from there rose through the ranks.

Ms Clarke was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2009, became an accredited Duty Solicitor in 2010, an associate at THB in 2013, and a partner there in 2014.

Impressive achievement: Ms Clarke was sworn in as a deputy district judge at Chelmsford Crown Court (pictured) in Essex today after a meteoric rise through the legal ranks

Today as she took her judicial oaths in a packed court room Recorder of Chelmsford, Judge Charles Gratwicke described Ms Clarke as 'one of our own'.

Praising her for her achievement, he added: 'It's nice to have someone from our own community, embarking on the same career that we have all at some stage had to launch ourselves into.'

Ms Clarke took her judicial oaths in a packed court room in Essex today

And commenting on how young Ms Clarke was to achieve what she has, Judge Gratwicke said her compulsory retirement date would be in January 2056.

He added: 'It's a long time. It just goes to show how young you are and how long a career you have. Many congratulations. Enjoy it.'

A spokesman for THB said: 'We believe she is the youngest female applicant to have been successful.

'It is without doubt an extraordinary personal achievement and the partnership is absolutely delighted for her.

'Briony will continue her practice and sit as a Deputy District Judge part time.'

Also she is believed to be the youngest woman to become a judge in the UK, Ms Clarke is not the youngest person to take on the role.

In 2006, Leeds-based Richard Wright became a deputy district judge aged just 29.
Jonathan Hunt, 41, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, set up a profile on the internet site Badoo and allegedly groomed a girl, 15

A financial advisor was snared allegedly trying to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex by a group of vigilantes known as the Internet Interceptors, a court heard today.

Jonathan Hunt, 41, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, set up a profile on the internet site Badoo and wrote on his profile: 'looking for a pretty girls to date. Will treat you on dates and make you feel very special xx...'

The Old Bailey heard he began chatting with a girl called 'Holly' whom he believed to be 15 years old, allegedly telling her she was attractive and asking if she was looking for a date.

The court was told Hunt did not realise he was in fact talking to Sarah Doherty, a 36-year-old member of the 'Internet Interceptors'.

He offered to take her for lunch and take her shopping, promising her he earned 'loads of money' and that he could buy her things, the jury heard.

Between September 8 and 14 last year it is alleged that his messages to her became more sexually explicit, and he repeatedly tried to arrange to meet her.

In their first conversation, he is said to have written: 'Hi Holly x what are you looking for? Your photos are beautiful. Are you looking for a date?'

She replied 'Hi. Yes, I'm from London I am 15 years old as well as just on hear talking to a friend I bet you don't want to chat now.'

He replied: 'Haha I'd think my age would put you off not the other way round' and commented that she looked 18 rather than 15.

'Holly' repeatedly confirmed that she was just 15 years old, and that she couldn't stay up too late because she had school the following day.

He replied: 'Haha of course. Would you date me though? I'd love to.'

The Old Bailey heard he began chatting with a girl called 'Holly' whom he believed to be 15 years old, telling her she was attractive and asking if she was looking for a date

Hunt, who runs his firms Cedars IFA from his home in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, then allegedly coaxed the girl into exchanging details about where they lived.

He is said to have told her: 'Still don't believe you are 15 but gorgeous either way' and 'Would love to date you some time. Just in case I forgot to say... you look really lovely xx.'

He asked her about her school and where it was, although she refused to tell him, and asked for a selfie in her school uniform.

Hunt repeatedly asked her to send him selfies, and when she told him the camera on her phone was broken he offered to buy her a new one.

The pair then began communicating via WhatsApp, with Hunt trying to arrange a meeting with her after school.

At one stage he asked her: 'I don't suppose you've dated anyone older like me before have you?'

He then claimed he'd been out with a 16-year-old a short while before but that her dad had put a stop to it.

Prosecutor David Malone told the court: 'He went on to share with Holly that he had 'been very intimate' with his 16-year-old girlfriend before going on to write 'doubt your mum would be happy either'.'

Hunt offered to take her shopping because he earned loads of money, saying she could 'check out some clothes' and model them for him.

'Best of all if I could sneak into the dressing room with you... then I could see you try on some clothes... and see you take them off,' he wrote. 'I bet you look gorgeous without clothes on xx.'

He also sent her a picture of his car and wrote: 'What's a good car without a beautiful girl to sit beside you whilst you drive?'

Hunt was apparently aware that he could be trapped by police or vigilantes, asking her once: 'I do have one little worry... are you really real?'

He added: 'You know, older guy talking to 15-year-old girl... can be jailbait lol, sorry, true though. Even if I did start off thinking you are 18.'

'There's no doubt the defendant knew exactly what he was doing in communicating with Holly,' said Mr Malone.

As the messages allegedly became more sexually explicit, he wrote: 'Would turn me on to see you lying in your bed I bet you look so sexy... you're very attractive. Wish I was lying next to you right now looking into your eyes. Would be so intimate.'

The court heard he followed up with lots of graphic messages about what exactly he wanted to do to her.

Apparently realising how far he had gone, the following he said he still wanted to meet her but they shouldn't have sex, saying: 'You're only 15. It would be a crime'.

Hunt eventually arranged to meet the teen at Plumstead Station at 1pm on Wednesday 14 September 2016.

Instead he was confronted by Ms Doherty, who filmed their exchange until police arrived.

Mr Malone said: 'The defendant knew full well that what he was doing and importantly seeing to do was against the law.

'He was clearly aware of the potential for vigilante or police officers posing online as you girls.

'The only reason to meet her, against that background of communication was you May think to pursue a sexual relationship either on that day or subsequent occasions.'

Hunt denies one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

The trial continues.
Switzerland has been named as the best country in the world to live in according to a new report that has seen Germany fall from top spot to fourth.

The list - 2017 Best Countries - is now in its second year and rankings evaluate nations' cultural influence, heritage, power and quality of life among other things to come up with a score.

The scores are then pitted against each other to come up with a definitive list of the best countries in the world.

Canada missed out to Switzerland in the top spot with Britain in third, Germany in fourth and Japan making up the top five.

Mount Eiger in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, which has come top of the pile in the rankings

The top 20 overall best countries to live in According to the 2017 Best Countries Report, the top ten overall best countries to live in are: 1. Switzerland 2. Canada 3. United Kingdom 4. Germany 5. Japan 6. Sweden 7. United States 8. Australia 9. France 10. Norway 11. Netherlands 12. Denmark 13. Finland 14. New Zealand 15. Singapore 16. Italy 17. Luxembourg 18. Austria 19. Spain 20. China Advertisement

It will be a blow to the Germans, who topped last year's list created by experts from US News and World Report, Y&R's BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Germany was downgraded due to a range of events, including the growing public fear over the influx of migrants and the string of deadly terror attacks in 2016.

The US also fell down the pecking order from fourth to seventh.

Although the report considered the US the world's most powerful nation, 75 percent of the survey's respondents said they lost respect for the leadership in the White House after Donald Trump was elected.

It holds on to its most powerful tag, beating off the competition on Russia in second.

The US is sandwiched by Sweden in sixth and Australia in eighth in the top ten best countries on the planet, with France in ninth and Norway in 10th.

Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of US News said: 'We wanted to capture how tumultuous political change can affect a country's perceived standing in the world.

'Similar to what we have done with hospitals, universities and other institutions, the best countries portal pairs fact-based metrics with storytelling to help citizens, business leaders and governments better evaluate their countries and make sense of a range of important global issues.'

The list - 2017 Best Countries - is compiled using data gathered from a perception survey which was conducted after the US presidential election.

Toronto's skyline in Canada, which was ranked as the second best place to live in the world

It considered the views of 21,000 business leaders, informed elites and citizens before ranking them one to 80.

Although not every country in the world is listed, the bottom three are Serbia, Iran and Algeria.

David Reibstein, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School said: 'The Best Countries project allows us to chart how global perceptions of a country affect its prosperity.

'We've learned that a focus on education and citizenship  including human rights, gender equality, religious freedom and more  can drive prosperity more than traditional forms of power, like military prowess.'

The Houses of Parliament on the River Thames in the UK - which is third on the definitive list

A panoramic view over Berlin in Germany, which has fallen from the top spot to fourth in a year

Sunset over Tokyo, Japan, which gained an almost perfect score (9.9/10) for entrepreneurship

Best countries for retirement 1. New Zealand 2. Australia 3. Switzerland 4. Canada 5. Portugal Advertisement

Best countries to raise children 1. Sweden 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Finland 5. Canada Advertisement





The top of of the list is dominated - as it was last year - by Nordic nations known for their forward thinking social and environmental policies with Finland and Denmark joining Sweden and Norway in the top 15.

Asian and Middle Eastern countries appear to be economical sleeping giants in the list, with the United Arab Emirates ranked top for up-and-coming economies and Thailand is considered the best country to start a business in.

Malaysia is seen as the best country to invest in.

Elsewhere, the list says that Panama is world's most business-friendly nation while Canada is the best place on the planet for quality of life and education.

The number-one destination for visiting is Brazil and the country with the richest tradition is Italy for the second successive year.

John Gerzema, chairman and CEO of Y&R's BAV Consulting, told US News: 'Our data captured widespread global concern for the social and geopolitical changes that cast many nations into uncertainty and turmoil.

A picturesque setting in Bohuslan, Sweden, where citizenship is ranked at a huge 9.8 from 10

Manhattan, New York, as the sun sets in the US, which plummeted three spaces to seventh

'The new rankings reflect people's desire to restore some sense of order by rewarding nations they perceive as championing neutrality, stability and diplomacy.'

As well as ranking the nations in terms of their qualities, the survey also throws up interesting worldwide trends.

The recurring theme among those taking part in the survey was the election of Republican Donald Trump.

His competition - Democrat Hillary Clinton - won the popular vote in the US and would have done if it was a global election, judging by the responses.

But, in many countries, Trump would have walked the vote.

In Russia, 83 percent of the survey viewed him favourably as well as 54 percent of the Chinese respondents.

He also polled well in Israel with 46 percent of respondents liking him, 42 percent in Nigeria and 37 percent in Turkey.

The top issues facing the world, according to the report, is gender inequality, climate change and the war in Syria while only a small portion of the feedback mentioned the gap in people's incomes.

Given the contentious election of Donald Trump as President of the US, nearly two-thirds believed there was a leadership crisis in the world today.

Almost three-quarters said a new generation of leaders is needed across the globe.

The Sydney Opera House is lit up in Australia where quality of life is graded as 9.4 out of 10

A view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris where cultural influence is considered 9.6 out of 10 in the list

Citizenship in Norway, depicted here by Oslo, scores a perfect 10 in the list by US News

Best countries for women 1. Sweden 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Netherlands 5. Canada Advertisement
Acknowledging Russia is the 'issue du jour,' President Donald Trump's pick to be the Number Two Justice Department official resisted efforts to get him to commit to naming a special prosecutor to probe Russian election ties Tuesday.

Rod Rosenstein, Trump's pick to be deputy attorney general, would assume ultimate responsibility for any investigation of Trump associates' Russia ties, now that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself, following disclosures Sessions met with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the campaign.

But he told senators from both prosecutors that any department investigation was 'independent'  essentially arguing for the ability for the investigation to conduct its own probes.

'As far as I'm concerned, every investigation conducted by the department of Justice is an independent investigation,' Rosenstein said. 'We prosecute tens of thousands of people every year, and every one of those defendants deserves an independent prosecutor.'

U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, center, got grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee over probes into the ties of Trump associates to Russia

Rosenstein, a US attorney in Maryland, refused to get pinned down on the matter, noting that he doesn't know all the facts, but said he would rely on 'independent investigators.'

'And so I would be certain that we had independent investigators to conduct those investigations along with law enforcement agents who are trained to conduct their invests in an appropriate way and comply with the statutes, the regulations, the Constitution and the poliicies of our law enforcement agencies,' Rosenstein said.

Democrats hailed his credentials at the top of his confirmation hearing, but that didn't keep them from pressing on the Russia issue, which has the Trump administration on its heels early in his tenure.

President Trump was allegedly upset over Sessions's decision to recuse himself from all investigations involving the presidential campaign in order to save his job, after it was revealed he had met a Russian ambassador twice during the campaign, which he announced on Thursday, March 2

FILE- In this Sept. 6, 2013, file photo, Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the U.S. speaks with reporters at the Center for the National Interest in Washington. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had two conversations with Kislyak during the presidential campaign season last year, contact likely to fuel calls for him to recuse himself from a Justice Department investigation into Russian interference in the election, the Justice Department said

Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) arrive for a hearing for Rod Rosenstein, nominee to be Deputy Attorney General. Members of both parties tried to pin Rosenstein down over a Russia probe

Rosenstein got questioned by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who used to chair the Intelligence Committee and received top access to classified information.

She mentioned the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia conducted an influence campaign during the presidential election. 'The goal was to undermine public faith in the United States democratic process, and to harm the campaign of Secretary Clinton in favor of President Trump,' she said.

Feinstein brought up the Valerie Plame spy case, where attorney general John Aschcroft recused himself.

Rosenstein countered by noting that President Obama's attorney general, Loretta Lynch, resisted a call for a special counsel on a Russia matter.

'At least one of your colleagues called for a special counsel for something related to this mater while Attorney General Lynch was in office in early January. And she rejected the request,' Rosenstein noted.

Ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said she feels 'very certain that the reports of the intelligence community are in fact correct' about Russian interference

Rod Rosenstein testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his deputy attorney general confirmation hearing

'She said exactly what I said. That she had confidence in the career prosecutors in the department. But she had an additional piece of information. She presumably knows the facts. And I didn't, and she rejected that request,' he continued.

Rosenstein refused, when pressed, to commit himself to appointing a special counsel who would be outside the authority of the department.

'Are you willing to appoint a special counsel to examine Russian interference in our elections in other criminal activity?' asked Vermont Democratic senator Patrick Leahy.

'I'm willing to appoint a special counsel senator whenever I determine it's appropriate based upon the policies and procedures of the Justice Department,' Rosenstein answered.

After Rosenstein said he had read media reports, but not an unclassified version of what the intelligence committee found about Russian election interference, Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) returned to the issue.

'I respect the fact that you haven't read this report, but it's 15 pages long and it's on the internet, and it's not classified,' Durbin said, before reading from it.

Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa said calls for a special counsel were 'premature at best.''

'Special counsel inquiries under the current department regulations are not the best way to ensure transparency and accountability,' Grassley said. 'There is no mandatory public report or other finding at the end of the investigation if no charges are filed. The investigations can just disappear without the public ever understanding what the facts were. So, the notion that somehow a special counsel will bring facts to light just isn't true.'

Former Hillary Clinton campaign chair Robby Mook addressed Russian hacking on 'Fox & Friends' Tuesday.

'The facts are that Trump aides were caught talking to Russian agents and those conversations were captured because the intelligence community regularly taps the phone lines of those Russian agents,' Mook said, asked about Trump's tweets that accused President Obama of tapping his phones.

'There was a wiretap of Russian agents and that those Russian agents were communicating with Trump staff and that's why they were picked up.'

He continued: 'That's what the intelligence community has told us, that's what's been reported very widely  those are the facts. So were there wiretaps of Russian agents? Absolutely. The question is why in the world were Trump aides talking to Russian agents so much?'
Walmsley, 28, fled the Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool, sparking a major operation to find him by Merseyside Police

Police are hoping a silver Hyundai holds the vital clues in the hunt for an escaped murderer, who fled a hospital visit after two men held up prison officers with a gun.

Shaun Walmsley, 28, is still on the run after friends armed with a knife and a gun plucked him from the hands of prison officers taking him to hospital from HMP Walton in Liverpool.

A gold-coloured Volvo, which was used for the escape, was later found abandoned in the Fazakerley area of Liverpool.

And today, Merseyside Police released a picture of a silver Hyundai i10 which was seen in the Fazakerley area in the hours after his escape.

A force spokesman said the car 'may provide vital clues as to his whereabouts'.

Detective Superintendent Natalie Perischine said: 'We believe this car was being driven in the area of Fazakerley on Tuesday, February 21 with at least two people inside and I'm asking people to think back to what they were doing that day and if they remember seeing this car in the area.

'If you recognise the car, I'd urge you to get in contact and give us any information you may have, no matter how small, as this could assist with our investigation.'

She added: 'I want to remind people, Shaun Walmsley is a convicted murderer who should not be on our streets and we have put significant resources into this investigation - we want him back behind bars and are asking the public to assist us.

'As I've previously stated, my message is clear, we will not rest until Walmsley is back behind bars, and the offenders who orchestrated the incident are put before the courts.'

Today, Merseyside Police released a picture of a silver Hyundai i10 which was seen in the Fazakerley area in the hours after his escape

Walmsley was serving life with a minimum term of 30 years for the murder of Anthony Duffy, 33, in May 2014.

Detectives are continuing to work with police forces across the UK and abroad to locate Walmsley.

Last week armed police hunting for the escaped lag arrested four suspects in Poole, Dorset after dramatically shooting out their car tyres.

Armed police in Poole were photographed swooping in on the four men, who were driving a silver Vauxhall Corsa

Four men were arrested at around 3.45pm yesterday on suspicion of assisting offender Shaun Walmsley

Two armed men confronted prison officers who were escorting Walmsley to hospital

CCTV images show the moment escaped prisoner Shaun Walmsley was helped to get away

A spokesman for Dorset Police confirmed no other shots were fired and no one was injured when the armed police unit swooped on the men.

It is not known what the four men from Liverpool were doing in Dorset but one theory is they were helping Walmsley escape the country by sea.

The new arrests in Dorset come after Merseyside Police arrested and questioned a 27-year-old man and a woman, aged 26 years, at a property in Norris Green, Liverpool, on suspicion of helping an offender, and a 25-year-old man from the area on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
A second mistrial has been called in the case of a father accused of letting his wife scald his four-year-old son to death.

Robert Ritche, 31, got sick during testimony on Tuesday in Lebanon, Ohio court and had to be taken from the room in stretcher.

After Ritchie was taken to the hospital, the prosecution asked for a mistrial to be called.

The first mistrial was called in December, when the jury could not reach a verdict after four days of testimony and seven hours of deliberation.

A second mistrial has been called in the murder trial of four-year-old Austin Cooper, after the defendant, his father Robert Ritchie (pictured), got sick in court on Tuesday

Austin (right) died in 2015, after his stepmom scalded him in 130-degree water. Prosecutors said that his father (left) knew about the punishment, but didn't get his son help

Ritchie is charged with felony child endangering and involuntary manslaughter in the March 2015 death of his four-year-old son Austin Cooper.

Prosecutors say Ritchie knew that his wife, 25-year-old Anna Ritchie, scalded his son in hot water as a punishment, but didn't check on his son for 15 hours.

Investigators said that if he immediately took Austin to the hospital, the boy likely would have survived.

Ritchie had to be taken from the court room in a stretcher, after getting sick while listening to testimony from the coroner who conducted his son's autopsy

The jury in the second trial was seated on Monday, when opening statements also occurred.

On Tuesday, Dr Christopher Kiefer, the former deputy coroner of Montgomery County who conducted Austin's autopsy, testified.

It was during Dr. Kiefer's testimony, which reportedly included photos, that Ritchie became sick.

During the first trial, Ritchie testified in his own defense, and said that his wife had been aggressive in punishing his son and that she was also aggressive with him.

Anna Ritchie (pictured) is currently serving an 18 years to life in prison sentence after pleading guilty to several charges related to Austin's death in September

Anna reportedly burned the boy by holding him in scalding 135-degree water as a punishment. She then dressed him in his pajamas and put him to bed. Prosecutors said Anna carried out the punishment because she had grown to resent becoming the boy's primary caregiver.

Ritchie allegedly wasn't home when the punishment happened, but knew about it because he had been in contact with his wife.

When he returned home, he said he went to check on his son, but Anna stopped him.

It wasn't until 15 hours later that the boy was checked on, by which point he was dead.

Doctors who testified during the first trial said the boy suffered second- and third-degree burns to about 28 per cent of his body and that he died from hypovolemic shock.

Anna Ritchie is currently serving an 18 years to life sentence after pleading guilty to several charges in September.

A new trial for her husband has been set for August 21.
Around a dozen Spanish journalists have filed a complaint with the Madrid Press Association (APM), claiming that the leftist party Podemos is intimidating them every time they produce critical news stories. Harassed, pressured and in a state of fear is how these reporters, who work for a variety of news organizations, have described their personal situation.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias talks to journalists. Zipi (EFE)

On Monday, the APM issued a release confirming the existence of intimidatory messages, and told Podemos to put an end, once and for all, to the systematic campaign of personal and online harassment against members of the press.

The APM considers it completely incompatible with the democratic system for a party, no matter which one it may be, to try to guide and control the work of journalists and curb their independence, reads the release. APM President Victoria Prego has called party leaders for a meeting on Friday to discuss the issue.

Evidently, whats at stake here is freedom of the press, but it comes at a terrible personal price

Anonymous Spanish reporter

EL PAIS has seen insulting and threatening messages sent to journalists by individuals who are within Podemos leader Pablo Iglesiass circle of trust.

Some of the messages use expressions such as either youre stupid.. while in other cases, reporters say they have been told in conversation that if you write this, I will destroy you. There is no written record of this latter statement.

The anti-establishment party denies pressure of any kind on the media. Podemos organization secretary Pablo Echenique said on Monday that he was puzzled by the complaint, given that Spain is the country of the gag law, where 75% of journalists, according to the association itself, admit to being pressured not by the parties but by media owners.

AMP President Victoria Prego has asked to meet with Podemos on Friday. EFE

Another senior party member, Gloria Elizo, suggested that the complaint is part of a plot against Podemos.

Another campaign in the scheme to discredit Podemos, she tweeted.

But the APM has confirmed the existence, content and origin of these messages. Some of the reporters talked to EL PAIS on condition of anonymity.

I accept that all professions have their own set of difficulties, but reporting on Podemos requires being a hero every day, said one journalist.

Evidently, whats at stake here is freedom of the press, but it comes at a terrible personal price, because you are dealing with terrible bullying and threats on a daily basis, this source continues. In the long run, what they are trying to do is to delegitimize journalism itself, so that any news that is critical of them becomes illegitimate too.

Eroding relationship

The APMs public defense of its members is a turning point in an eroding relationship between Podemos and the media  a process that has long since left the private sphere and is now playing out in the public limelight.

In 2016, during a public lecture, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias pointed out a journalist and accused him of writing news stories that dont necessarily have to be true.

At a dinner organized by the Association of Parliamentary Reporters (APP) that same year, Iglesias criticized two journalists in front of dozens of fellow reporters and politicians.

Online, Podemos typically attacks unfavorable media coverage by mobilizing its own social media followers under the hashtag #lamaquinadelfango (themudmachine). After that, it occasionally provides the names of targeted journalists in articles, blogs and tweets.

A senior party member has suggested that the complaint is part of a plot against Podemos

As a result, reporters are flooded with angry messages from Podemos supporters, to such an extent that the former sometimes hesitate to disseminate their own work.

Sometimes I dont tweet news items that I know might generate more of a reaction against me from the partys followers, admits one journalist who says he is being pressured on Twitter. When youve gone through that 15 times, you wonder whether its even worth it to cover the story at all.

As soon as the critical stories get tweeted, reporters are treated to a barrage of insults from social media users who regularly retweet Podemos content. Often, hoaxes begin circulating to propagate fake information about the reporters personal and professional background. Some journalists say they have seen messages that include emoticons holding a gun.

Asked about it, sources at Podemos denied any ties to these cases. In an internal document that EL PAIS has had access to, the party notes that it cannot be held responsible for what its followers may or may not do on social media. It also defends freedom of speech (not freedom of slander) and says that it is absolutely false that Podemos is exercising any kind of harassment or issuing threats.

One reporter who has been following Podemos since its foundation says that I have not received direct messages from Iglesias or his immediate circle. Instead, what they do is to ridicule our work through public comments or sarcastic online messages, all of which encourages their army of trolls [people who bombard others with online criticism], who then turn on you and harass you.

At public events they always try to put the journalist in an uncomfortable position through jokes, he continues, who notes that some reporters have been banned from Podemos informal meetings with the media.

On one occasion, he recalls, members of a Podemos candidate list booed down a question. The partys hardliners act like this, although there are lots of exceptions as well, he adds.

English version by Susana Urra.
Forget moving to Canada, Americans looking to find happiness in these turbulent times should head down south instead  to Naples, Florida, home of the happiest and healthiest community in the US, for the second year running!

Naples and its neighboring Immokalee and Marco Island have been awarded the No. 1 spot on the Gallup-Healthways State of American Well-Being 2016 Community Well-Being Rankings list, released today.

The Florida community topped the pollster's list which ranked 189 communities based on responses regarding five 'key elements of well-being'  sense of purpose, positive social relationships, financial management, community pride and physical health.

Living the good life in Naples, Florida, named the No. 1 community in overall well-being

The Top 10 highest-scoring in well-being communities in the US according to a Gallup poll

Naples once again scored highly on the overall list, because 'Naples does a lot of things right,' Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index told TODAY. '[People in] Naples really take care of themselves well.'

'Naples had the country's highest number of residents thriving in community well-being, highest rates of healthy eating, lowest rates of daily stress and lowest lifetime diagnoses of depression,' the report stated.

Never mind the good weather, beach proximity and affluence of the community, says Gallup.

Naples' top marks can be attributed to the 2015 launch of the Blue Zones Project in Southwest Florida, aimed at improving community well-being, coupled with the city's completion of a redevelopment project that added roundabouts, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Unfortunately, it's continued bad news for residents living in communities at the bottom of the list, though, with many of those communities repeatedly fairing poorly to as far as 2008, according to Gallup.

It's no surprise that toxic drinking water-bedeviled Flint, Michigan (which has been experiencing drinking water contamination issues since 2014) came in at a dismal No. 184, marking its second year in the bottom five.

But, in very last place on the list is Fort Smith, ArkansasOklahoma, which scored the lowest or second-lowest well-being ranking in four of the poll's five key elements: purpose, social, financial and physical.

Street scene from Fort Smith, Arkansas, the most poorly-rated community in overall well-being

The 10 communities that scored the lowest marks in overall community well-being

Fort Smith, Witters noted to TODAY, has a very high smoking rate, coupled with a 'through the roof' obesity rate, clocking in at a whopping 40 percent.

Poll respondents also gave the community some of the worst marks in the country when it came to doing something interesting in their day-to-day life or having someone who encouraged them to be healthy.

'That's a really big missed opportunity,' Witters told TODAY. 'Learning and growing is a very important psychological need.'

The report also revealed how communities fared in individual categories.

Despite clocking in at No. 16 overall, El Paso, Texas residents reported feeling the highest sense of purpose out of all respondents. Meanwhile, Burlington, Vermont (No. 90) dwellers felt the least purpose.

Witters noted that No. 1 overall Naples had the most carefree residents in the country, versus Chico, California (No. 183), which claimed the most tightly-wound population.

Despite Provo-Orem, Utah (No. 18), and Boulder (No. 10) routinely faring well as places with high levels of well-being, the report found that they had the second and third-highest stress levels in the country.

Witters attributed the seeming dichotomy to the difficulty of using stress as a measurement.

'In places that have high percentages of professionals, you'll have a lot more of what's sometimes called productive stress, where people will carry out otherwise high well-being lives, but will feel the stress most days,' he told TODAY.

When it comes to safety, the report found that 90 percent of Boulder-ites felt secure where they lived, while Rockford, Illinois (No. 178) felt least safe. Respondents from major cities including New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (No. 103) and Las VegasHendersonParadise, Nevada (No. 94) also gave their communities low marks for safety.

All rankings were based on community-level data distilled down from more than 354,000 interviews with US adults across all 50 states, taking place between January 2, 2015 through December 30, 2016, according to Gallup.

Top 10 Communities in Overall Well-Being 1. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida 2. Barnstable Town, Masachusetts 3. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California 4. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii 5. Charlottesville, Virginia 6. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida 7. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California 8. Lynchburg, Virginia 9. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, South Carolina 10. Boulder, Colorado (Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index) Advertisement
A nine-year-old Indiana boy, who was blind and suffered from cerebral palsy, had methamphetamine in his system when he died from starvation last month, according to an autopsy.

The Vigo County Sheriff's Office said an autopsy report showed that Cameron R. Hoopingarner, who barely weighed 15 pounds, had traces of meth in his system when he went into cardiac arrest and died on February 21.

Police arrested Cameron's guardians, Hubert Kraemer, 56, and Robin Lee Kraemer, 53, who were charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Their son, Chad Kraemer, 33, and his girlfriend, Sarah Travioli, 30, were also arrested on charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent and failure to report child neglect.

Robin Lee Kraemer (left), 53, and Hubert Kraemer (right), 56, have been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death after nine-year-old Cameron Hoopingarner died last month. An autopsy report recently found Cameron had meth in his system at the time of death

Housemates: Two other occupants of the Indiana home where Cameron lived, Sarah Beth Travioli (right), 30, and Chad Kraemer (left), 33, are facing counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent and failure to report child neglect

In addition, they are all facing charges of maintaining a common nuisance and visiting a common nuisance in connection with the drugs discovered in the child's system, according to a police statement.

Rescue units responded just before 4am on February 21 to a 911 call about a child in cardiac arrest at 11321 East Lewsader Avenue near Fontanet, 60 miles west of Indianapolis.

Cameron was then rushed to Union Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Forensic pathologist Roland Kohr declined to specify how much meth was in Cameron's system, but he said it wasn't enough to directly affect his health, according to the Indy Star.

'It's not a high enough level that I think it's been actively administered, but I think he's been in close enough proximity to someone using it,' Kohr said.

Last month, Sheriff Greg Ewing said Cameron was blind and weighed less than 15lbs, which is the average weight of a three-month-old baby boy. Ewing described the neglect case as 'beyond terrible'.

Officials said none of the suspects were biologically related to Cameron and all four are unemployed, reported the Tribune Star.

According to a corner's preliminary findings, Hoopingarner's cause of death was severe malnutrition and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Doting parents: While Cameron was bedridden and weighed just 15lbs, Travioli and Chad Kraemer's two children (pictured) appeared healthy and well-fed

Both of the couple's kids, a three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl (pictured) are now in protective custody

Ewing, who has a nine-year-old child of his own, said that this is the worst case of neglect he has ever encountered in his 26-year career as a law enforcement officer and compared photos of the emaciated child to images of Holocaust victims at the Auschwitz death camp.

Hubert and Robin Kraemer had been caring for Hoopingarner since he was three days old. The special-needs boy was bedridden and never attended school.

'It makes me mad that somebody could do this to a child, let alone a child that has physical handicaps and is blind, who was given to a guardian to take care of,' he told reporters.

'And this is how he gets treated? This is what he deserves? To be starved to death? What kind of animals are they?'

Chad Kraemer and Sarah Travioli's two children, a five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, who were found inside the home were taken into protective custody, reported WTHI-TV.

In photos shared on the couple's Facebook pages, both children appear healthy and well fed.
Former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega suffered a hemorrhage after surgery Tuesday to remove a benign brain tumor and was in critical condition, his daughters reported.

Thays and Sandra Noriega told reporters at the Santo Tomas public hospital in Panama City that their 83-year-old father was returned to the operating room after being in intensive care earlier.

Immediately after the four-hour operation, Noriega's lawyer called the procedure a 'success' and told reporters his client was recovering in intensive care.

Noriega, 83, who ruled the Central American nation from 1983 to 1989, was released from prison in January for the first time in three decades ahead of Tuesday's four-hours operation at Santo Tomas public hospital.

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Fighting for his life: Ex-Panama dictator Manuel Noriega, 83, pictured here in January, suffered a hemorrhage after surgery Tuesday to remove a benign brain tumor and was in critical condition

General view of the Santo Tomas Hospital where Noriega was returned to the operating room after being in intensive care earlier.

Immediately after the four-hour operation at Santo Tomas Hospital, Noriega's lawyer called the procedure a 'success'

Noriega's daughter Sandra Noriega Sieiro, said earlier of the operation: 'Its over, but we don't know anything yet about his condition,' reportedThe Costa Rica Star.

Judicial authorities granted the aging inmate a period of home arrest until April 28 to undergo the operation after which they will decide whether he is fit to return to prison.

Noriega, who spied for the CIA before his drug trafficking and brutal regime sparked a US invasion in 1989, was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992.

The former strongman was then imprisoned in France for money laundering and returned to Panama in 2011.

The administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H W Bush had supported General Noriega for years as a bastion against communism, but he was ultimately exposed as being behind the smuggling of massive consignments of drugs to the US and money laundering in Panama.

Noriega who ruled the Central American nation of Panama from 1983 to 1989. This file photo shows the former strongman shaking hands on February 13, 1988

Noriega, pictured left in 1988, had spied for the CIA before his drug trafficking and brutal regime sparked a US invasion in 1989. He was nicknamed Old Pineapple Face because of his pock-marked complexion

Noriega's brutal rule included the torture and murder of any political opponents. In 1985, Hugo Spadafora, a prominent opponent, was seized by one of Noriega's death squads. His decapitated body was found, showing signs of extreme torture, wrapped in a US mail bag.

When US troops invaded in December 1989, Noriega, who was nicknamed Old Pineapple Face because of his pock-marked complexion, famously sought sanctuary in the Vatican mission and only surrendered when the Americans played loud rock music for days on end.

Noriega was extradited to the US and spent nearly 20 years in prison in Florida after being convicted on drug trafficking charges.

Imprisoned: Noriega was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992 after being convicted on drug trafficking charges. He was then imprisoned in France for money laundering and returned to Panama in 2011

This file photo taken on December 11, 2011, shows a wheelchair-bound Noriega arriving at the Renacer prison to serve three 20-year prison sentences for rights abuses while in power

He was then sent back to Panama, via France, and has spent the last six years in El Renacer prison near Panama City, for crimes including murder committed under his regime.

In 2014, Noriega reportedly sued the makers of the computer game Call Of Duty after they named a treacherous character Manuel Noriega and also referred to him as Old Pineapple Face.
Corrie McKeague went missing in September and police now believe he may have fallen into a bin

The heartbroken mother of missing airman Corrie McKeague has said new evidence suggesting that he may have been crushed in the back of a bin lorry 'can only mean one thing'.

She wrote online after it emerged that a bin lorry which collected rubbish from where the 23-year-old was last seen picked up an extra 184 pounds in weight than previously thought - almost the same as that of 14-stone Corrie.

A blunder by the collection firm meant that it was initially thought that the vehicle transported just 24 pounds of rubbish.

But analysis of system inside the lorry which calculates the weight of its load shows it was carrying something that significantly raised the weight.

It raises the possibility that the RAF gunner may have crawled or fallen into the bin after a night out and had been dumped in the crusher of the bin lorry.

Corrie's mother Nicola Urquhart, 48, from Dunfermline, Fife, said she accepted that her son was dead and on a landfill site which is being searched by police.

She wrote on her Find Corrie Facebook page: 'With the weight of the bin that was lifted the night Corrie went missing has been incorrect and the true weight is over 100kg. This can really devastatingly only mean one thing.'

It came as Corrie's father Martin McKeague and his wife Trisha joined the painstaking search at the rubbish dump where it is thought the airman's body may be.

Corrie's father Martin McKeague and his wife Trisha joined the search for the body at a landfill site in Cambridgeshire

Martin McKeague, the father of missing Corrie, pictured above right, embraces his partner Trisha, pictured above left, while joining police at a rubbish dump in Cambridgeshire

Trisha, pictured above left, shed a tear as she held hands with her partner Martin at the waste disposal site

The bin company Biffa had previously told police that their lorry had picked up only 11kgs of waste from the bin containing rubbish from a Greggs takeaway.

Police said the wrong information appeared to have been given at the start of the inquiry in good faith and was a genuine mistake.

The information was released as police searched through 8,000 tons of rubbish for Corrie's body at a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire.

Ms Urquhart wrote on Facebook: 'I can only pray that Corrie is found quickly and that we are able to get answers as to how this could have happened.

'Please can I ask everyone on here to try really hard not to speculate just now. Each second waiting to find Corrie is torture enough. This page was set up to find corrie. We still need to do this.

'From myself, makeyan and darroch thank you for your never ending support more than ever. X x x'

Specialist search teams are scouring an enormous landfill site, pictured above, as they search for the body of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague

Trained police officers are looking through 8,000 tonnes of bulk material in Milton, Cambridgeshire, pictured above

Corrie who was based at RAF Honington, Suffolk, was last seen on CCTV on a drunken night out at 3.25am on September 24 last year as he walked into the refuse collection area in Bury St Edmunds.

Police quickly realised that the movement of his mobile phone signal matched that of the bin lorry which had picked up the contents of the Greggs wheelie bin in the early hours of September 24.

The signal from the phone stopped at around the time the lorry reached the Barton Mills area about 14 miles away, possibly when it picked up more rubbish.

The lorry was immediately impounded, but no forensic clues linking it to Corrie's disappearance were found.

No CCTV cameras captured images of the RAF Regiment soldier leaving the 'horseshoe shaped' area, although some cameras were swivelling through different positions, suggesting he might have been missed.

The search of the landfill in Cambridgeshire, pictured above, could take up to ten weeks with 920 square metres of rubbish to sift through

'This can really devastatingly only mean one thing': Corrie McKeague mum's Facebook post in full Advertisement

Haydn Stephens, pictured, 26, was arrested by police as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Corrie McKeague but it was later revealed that no further action would be taken against him

Officers concentrated on theories that Corrie may have been abducted or come to harm while trying to walk back to his base in a drunken state and launched a huge search for him.

Last night a Suffolk Police spokeswoman said that Biffa had given the wrong information about the weight of the rubbish in the bin due to staff being confused by the collection data.

She said that the company charged customers for each collection, regardless of the weight of rubbish collected, meaning that they had not been familiar with analysing the individual weight of collections.

The blunder was uncovered when the information was checked and led directly to the arrest of a 26-year-old man who was named as Haydn Stephens, a special constable who works as a dispatcher for Biffa.

The spokeswoman confirmed that the arrested man who was released on police bail after being quizzed last week had now been told he faced no further action.

Police have released CCTV of two people in the area at the time of Mr McKeague's disappearance

She said: 'Police have been carrying out extensive work to check and re-check data provided to officers.

'The investigation has identified that the company who provided the data usually charge per collection, not per weight of load collected, and it appears that it was genuinely believed by the company that the data provided was correct.

'There was no intention to mislead the investigation, however our discovery, through persisting with this through our enquiries and evidence gathering, now puts a new emphasis on the search.

'Corrie's family have been made aware of this new information and we continue to liaise with them as we move forward.

'Our extensive work around CCTV to see if Corrie could have left the Brentgovel Street area and the vast number of other enquiries we have been making have been crucial to getting us to this point.

'We have had to be methodical and systematic in our approach to ensure we were not ruling out the line of enquiry that may give us the answers.

'The search of the landfill is a huge undertaking, and still may not provide the answer as to what happened, but now, with new information uncovered by the officers working on the case, this is the priority.

Mr McKeague and girlfriend April Oliver. His mother has said she thinks his body may be found

'We would like to thank all of those organisations who have been assisting with the investigation.

'Their assistance and co-operation throughout has allowed us to conduct the enquiries we needed to do and we are grateful that they have been supportive of our work.'

Mrs Urquhart has previously said there is a 'good possibility' her son's body will be found at the landfill site.

Speaking last month, she said: 'I think there's a good possibility that that's where he could have ended up, because I try to look at things logically.

'What we know is that he's not left on foot, he's not still in there now, so he's left in a vehicle. That means he could have gone in a bin and then in the bin lorry, or in one of the other vehicles that were there.

Mrs Urquhart added: 'I don't think anyone who has put Corrie there is going to come forward - they would have done it by now.

'But if someone knows how someone is behaving, if they are behaving oddly, we're going to find Corrie if he's in that landfill, so come forward now, so whoever has put him there doesn't get away with saying he's fallen in a bin and it's an accident.

'At least give us some more closure, not just finding Corrie, but also how he got there and what happened to him.'

Mr McKeague was last seen walking through Bury St Edmunds after a night out in September

Detectives have so far spent more than 300,000 in their search to find Mr McKeague, including using Cadaver dogs, trained to sniff out dead bodies.

The investigation is one of the most expensive ever carried out by Suffolk and Norfolk Constabularies.

Mr McKeague's family have also raised more than 50,000 to draft in private investigators to help and have organised three private searches in their desperate hunt for clues.

Since Corrie's disappearance, it has also emerged that his girlfriend April Oliver, 21, is pregnant with his child.

Miss Oliver said Corrie did not know about the baby which is due in late spring or early summer.

Corrie is originally from Fife in Scotland and moved down to Suffolk to live at RAF Honington where he worked as a gunner and team medic in the air force.

Anyone with information about his disappearance is asked to call the incident room at Suffolk Police on 01473 782019.
Amanda Telfer, 44, pictured, died after the wooden structures weighing 655kg each fell on her in Hanover Square in central London

Three half-ton window frames that crushed a lawyer to death when they were blown over by the wind were 'obviously' dangerous, jurors were told by a prosecutor as he said: 'It's not rocket science.'

Amanda Telfer died after the 13ft-by-13ft wooden structures weighing 655kg each fell on her as she passed a building site in central London's Hanover Square.

The 44-year-old intellectual property and media law specialist at Keystone Law, near Oxford Street, was pronounced dead at the scene just before midday on 30 August 2012.

Three construction companies and key staff are alleged to have ignored the obvious risk to public safety and are standing trial at the Old Bailey accused of health and safety breaches.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson, delivering his closing speech to the jury, said that nothing was done between a meeting on 23 August and the arrival of the frames on 29 August.

Each on the basis of their respective interviews seems to have thought someone else was dealing with it, all working on the basis of assumptions, he continued.

Ms Telfer was pronounced dead at the scene, pictured, just before midday on 30 August 2012

Three construction firms and key staff are alleged to have ignored the obvious risk to public safety over Ms Telfer's death

The 13ft-by-13ft wooden structures, pictured left, weigh 655kg each and were blown over by a gust of wind in central London's Hanover Square, pictured right

Its not rocket science. Its obvious if you are waiting for large frames, which can kill someone if they fall over, and are having them delivered onto a busy London site...then you check, you plan and you speak to people. Here, the exact opposite.

Mr Atkinson told jurors that when the frames arrived there was no alternative to them being left on the street until they were installed.

A risk was created that had not even begun to be addressed when the frames were delivered and that risk resulted in that dreadful tragedy, the prosecutor added.

The court has heard the delivery of the windows could have been delayed until they were ready to be installed or stored properly rather than being left overnight on the public pavement leaning against the building.

The frames could also have been strapped down to prevent them falling over, it is claimed.

Mr Atkinson told jurors that when the frames arrived there was no alternative to them being left on the street, pictured above

Project managers Damian Lakin-Hall, 48, Claire Gordon, 35, and window installer Kelvin Adsett, 63, are charged with gross negligence manslaughter and breaching a general duty at work.

Steve Rogers, 62, the senior project manager responsible for overseeing health and safety is charged with breaching a general duty at work.

The three companies accused of health and safety failures are the principal contractor Westgreen Construction Ltd, the manufacturer of the window frames Drawn Metal Limited, and the window installers I S Europe Ltd.

Rogers and Lakin-Hall, who worked for Westgreen, were both on site after the frames were delivered and had a reasonable duty of care to make sure they were secure, jurors have heard.

Gordon was also on site as the planning manager for Drawn Metal but also took no meaningful steps to make the frames safe.

It was also claimed that the frames, pictured above with flowers left at the scene, could have been strapped down to prevent them from falling

Adsett, the sole employee of I S Europe, personally supervised the delivery of the window frames, the court heard.

Lakin-Hall, of Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey; Claire Gordon, of Ashby Crescent, Leeds; and Adsett, of New Road, Slough, Berkshire, all deny manslaughter and breaching a general duty at work.

Rogers, of Sheering Mill Lane, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, denies breaching a general duty of work.

I S Europe Ltd, from Slough, Westgreen Construction Ltd, from Richmond, Surrey, and Leeds-based Drawn Metal Ltd, all deny with breaching general duty of care to an employee and breaching general duty of care to a non-employee.

The trial continues.
An Alabama woman charged in connection to a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a retiree last month has a history of driving under the influence arrests going back four years, according to court records.

Police in Madison suspect that 26-year-old Erica Leigh Nail, of Huntsville, was drunk and speeding when she struck 75-year-old Carol Ann Arey as she was crossing the street on February 19.

A crash report indicated that Nail was going at a rate of speed of 35mph in a 25mph zone when she struck Arey from behind just before 5.45am along Edgewater Drive.

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Accused: Erica Nail, 26 (left), is suspected of mowing down Carol Ann Arey, 75 (right), in Madison, Alabama, on February 19 while under influence of alcohol

Hit-and-run: Arey was taking a power walk along Edgewater Drive shortly before 6am when police say Nail struck her from behind and then fled the scene

Speeding: Accident report states Nail was going at a rate of speed of 35mph in a 25mph zone

However, the report cited as the primary contributing factor in the crash the fact that Arey, known to her friends as 'Karlee,' allegedly failed to yield to Nail's 2006 Dodge Stratus in violation of the state's traffic laws, according to Al.com.

The Madison County coroner has ruled that Arey died of blunt force trauma.

Police said Nail took off from the scene of the deadly collision and was arrested several hours later at her home.

Nail was charged with leaving the scene of an accident but not with a DUI because police did not observe her while she was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

Investigators have obtained a warrant for a blood test sample that has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science, according to the accident report.

The results of the blood test are still pending and could determine if Nail would face additional criminal counts.

Following her arrest, Nail was booked into the Madison County Jail and was later released after posting $30,000 bond, reported WAFF.

She is due in court for her initial appearance on Wednesday morning.

Court records indicate that Erica Nail had been charged with DUIs twice before.

Her first run-in with the law occurred on December 17, 2013, when she slammed her 2003 Mazda head-on into a 1999 Buick Regal, leaving both cars totaled.

Tests showed that Nail's blood alcohol content at the time of the collision was 0.191, which is more than twice the legal limit in Alabama.

Priors: Court records indicate that Erica Nail had been charged with DUIs twice before: the first time in 2013 (left) and the second time in 2015 (right)

The woman was arrested nine days after the wreck on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, which was dismissed after she agreed to pay court fees.

Two years later, on the morning of March 29, 2015, then-24-year-old Nail was arrested again for DUI and failure to have liability insurance after she overturned her 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Responding officers observed in an accident report that the driver 'had a strong smell of alcohol coming from her breath' and the interior of her wrecked vehicle smelled of liquor.

She was eventually found guilty of the DUI charge and sentenced to 12 months of probation, a 60-day suspended jail term and nearly $900 in fines and court fees.

However, the charge against Nail was dismissed after she appealed her sentence and completed a DUI diversion program.

Friends of Carol Ann Arey told the station WHNT she was a retired US State Department employee who lived with her sister and loved taking early morning power walks, usually with her dog, Honeybear.

The 75-year-old woman was said to have been active in exercise classes in the community and taught Spanish in her free time.
Police swarmed on Victoria Station after two men were stabbed in front of shocked commuters.

The men, who are now being treated in a central London hospital, suffered the injuries at around 4.20pm today.

It is not known if the pair were attacking each other, but witnesses say that the incident was a result of a chase.

Pictures posted on social media appeared to show a white shirt covered in blood lying on the pavement near the scene of the stabbing.

Police swarmed on Victoria Station after two men were stabbed in front of shocked commuters

Officers were later seen holding a gang of youths close to the seen in the Wilton Road area, which is adjacent to the busy station.

Police are yet to make arrests but an investigation is ongoing.

One passer-by claimed that a gang of schoolchildren were involved.

He said he saw around a dozen 15-years-olds outside the Apollo Victoria Theatre with one of the boys later put into an ambulance.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: 'There were about a dozen of them, one of them was being put in the ambulance when I got there.

'They were a load of kids, around 15 or 16-years-old, in school uniform.

Pictured: The bloody clothes of one of the victims lies on the floor behind a police screen

'I think they had got into a fight and stabbed each other. There was blood all over a school shirt.'

A local security guard said: 'The spot is where a local beggar sits, When I looked earlier there was a white sheet covered in blood.'

A passerby, who was on her way to the station, added: 'My friend saw some schoolboys running around earlier.

'I heard that two people had been stabbed, but the police have cornered it all off now.'

A 43-year-old man, who asked not to be named, told the Evening Standard: 'I came out of the station and things were calm inside but there were some youths being held by Met police outside and an increasing number of police cars were arriving.

Pictured: Police officers stand on guard at the scene of the brutal attack this afternoon

'A medical team was attending to a man sitting down on a stretcher but he was conscious and speaking to an officer.

'It seems like there may have been a chase going on because the crime scene was split in these two locations. The cordoned off alley was close to the Sainsbury's on Wilton Road.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at around 16:20hrs on Tuesday, 7 March to reports of a stabbing in Wilton Road, SW1.

'Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found two males with stab injuries.

'They have been taken to a central London hospital. We await an update on their condition.

'There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.'
A missing South Carolina woman was found dead in her car just days after the vehicle was towed from an apartment complex.

Hanahan Deputy Police Chief Michael Fowler confirmed that Kelly Kenney's body was discovered in the back seat of her car on Monday, according to The Post and Courier.

The 23-year-old had been missing for nearly a week, but police have not said if foul play is suspected.

Kelly Kenney (pictured), 23, was found dead in her car just days after the vehicle was towed from an apartment complex

Hanahan Deputy Police Chief Michael Fowler confirmed that Kenney's body was discovered in the back seat of her car on Monday. Kenney was last seen at a bar called the Recovery Room (pictured) on February 28

Authorities said a scheduled autopsy could determine the cause and manner of Kenney's death.

Kenney was last seen at a bar called the Recovery Room on February 28. Last week, her family took to Facebook asking the public for help in finding Kenney.

'We haven't been able to locate her since Tuesday. If you've heard from her since then or seen her, please contact the Hanahan Police Department,' the family wrote on Facebook.

Hanahan police said after her disappearance that Kenney might be a threat to herself.

Kenney's white Subaru Impreza was towed on Friday after it was labeled as an abandoned vehicle, police said. However, her body wasn't found at the time.

The neighborhood manager saw the news of Kenney's disappearance and reported what happened to the Subaru, according to the Courier.

The 23-year-old (left and right) had been missing for nearly a week, but police have not said if foul play is suspected. Kenney's white Subaru Impreza was towed on Friday after it was labeled as an abandoned vehicle, police said. However, her body wasn't found at the time

Authorities found the body after they obtained a search warrant.

Fowler said it's unclear where Kenney died, but the case has been turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division.

After receiving the news of Kenney's death, her family posted a tribute to her on Facebook.

'Kelly lit up a room when she entered and left it hollow as she left,' her mother Lori Kenney said.

'And the moments in between were filled with laughter, love and that unforgettable smile.'
It may have been rainy and cold in New York City Tuesday morning, but Malia Obama looked warm and cozy in her favorite oversized shearling jacket.

The former first daughter headed into work at the Weinstein Co. wearing the Alexander Wang coat, which retailed for $798 before it sold out.

Malia completed the look with black leggings, a navy turtleneck sweater and a pair of quilted black leather Dr. Martens boots.

Malia Obama donned her favorite Alexander Wang jacket to walk to work in the rain on Tuesday

The former first daughter completed the look with a navy turtleneck sweater, black leggings and quilted black leather Dr. Martens boots

Wang was one of the many American designers that Malia's mom patronized during her time as first lady.

In 2011, Mrs Obama donned a pair of the designer's doodle print jeans to paint a mural with children in Botswana, Africa.

Eighteen-year-old Malia is currently interning at the Weinstein Co., in the film development and production department.

Sources who spoke with TMZ said that Malia is reading scripts and pitching them to executives.

Malia was all smiles later in the day when she popped out for some lunch. She made sure to stay hydrated with a bottle of Fiji water

Malia is interning at the Weinstein Co. in the film production and development department

Sources told TMZ that the former first daughter is reading scripts and pitching them to executives during her internship

Malia is currently on a gap year between high school and college. She graduated from high school last spring, but put off her admission to Harvard until the fall of 2017.

In addition to her internship at the Weinstein Co., Malia spent the fall traveling South America.

Over the weekend, Malia's family was back in the news again when President Trump accused her father of wiretapping him during the campaign.

President Trump provided no evidence of the alleged tapping, and former President Obama has denied the accusations.

Even FBI Director James Comey was upset by the allegation, reportedly demanding that the Justice Department issue a statement saying the allegations were baseless. So far, the DOJ has not done so.
Miklos Verebres, 29, was jailed for life after murdering Melinda Korosi

A suspected rapist was allowed to walk free just two days before he murdered his former girlfriend.

Miklos Verebres, 29, beat Melinda Korosi, 33, to death using a rock on September 13 last year and was found next to her body covered in blood.

When officers arrived at the scene he told them: 'It's too late, she's dead.'

Just two days earlier, he had been released by Cumbria Police without charge after he was suspected of raping Ms Korosi - a decision now under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

As he was jailed for life at Carlisle Crown Court today, judge Mr Justice Oakenshaw criticised the force for freeing Korosi, allowing him to commit a 'murder of quite unusual savagery and brutality, causing the most dreadful of injuries'.

The court heard how Verebres smashed a window to gain entry to Ms Korosi's home at 6am last September.

Once inside, he beat her so viciously with a sharp rock that he left a 'gaping wound in her neck'.

Melinda Korosi, 33, (pictured left and right) was murdered on September 13 last year

Police at the scene of the crime in Carlisle: When officers arrived at the scene Verebres told them: 'It's too late, she's dead'

Neighbours who heard the window smash and a woman scream alerted police, who found Verebres covered in blood next to Ms Korosi's body. He told officers: 'It's too late. She's dead.'

Ms Korosi, a qualified English teacher who worked in a pizza shop, had told police that he routinely subjected her to abusive and controlling behaviour, which included forcing her to have sex.

The pair had met in their native Hungary in 2008 but split last July after he was jailed for attacking her.

He was jailed for 100 days but served just 50 before being released on licence.

The judge said: 'It was a murder of quite unusual savagery and brutality, causing the most dreadful of injuries.

'For reasons which I don't begin to understand, [Verebres] was released without charge, still subject to the terms of his licence, and that decision is now under review by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.'

Ms Korosi had told police that he routinely subjected her to abusive and controlling behaviour, which included forcing her to have sex

Miklos Verebres was jailed for life and must serve at least 28 years before he is released

At Carlisle Police HQ after his arrest for murder, he told officers: 'I know what I did. I wanted to kill her.'

Two months later, the defendant admitted the killing in court, but said he was guilty of manslaughter through a 'loss of control' rather than murder.

He then claimed he had arrived at Korosi's home after the attack and said he arrived there to be confronted by a knife-wielding stranger.

He said the killer had spoken his native Hungarian but the man was a stranger, and claimed the man threatened to kill him also if he spoke of what he had seen.

But the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict after just one hour and 45 minutes.

He was jailed for life and must serve at least 28 years before he is released.
Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris will be affected by the strike. EFE

The French air-traffic controllers strike taking place until Friday caused the cancellation of 14 flights into or out of Spanish airports on Monday, said AENA, Spains airports authority.

The strike will affect the air regions of Brest, Bordeaux and Marseilles until 5am on Friday morning, according to a note issued by Frances DGAC civil aviation authority, which will impact on Pariss Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, as well as others in the southwest of the country. Routes passing over French airspace will experience delays, said the DGAC.

The French authorities have asked airlines to reduce flights over southern France by 25% this week, and by 33% in the southwest of the country. The strike will particularly affect flights into and out of Spain, Portugal, Italy and North Africa, which may lead to hundreds of flights being cancelled or delayed.

The strike will hit Spains Vueling hard, given that 75% of its flights pass over French airspace

Air France has said it intends to maintain all its long-haul flights, 99% of European routes, and more than 80% of internal flights. The strike will hit Spains Vueling hard, given that 75% of its flights pass over French airspace.

Vueling has said that it will allow affected passengers to change their flights up to 15 days following their initial departure date or return the price of their ticket in full.

Alain Vidalies, the French secretary of state for transport, has criticized the UNSA-ICNA labor unions that have organized the stoppages. They accuse the DGAC of not respecting a labor agreement signed in 2016 and of failing to study their working time proposals.

English version by Nick Lyne.
A widow has blamed a drunk naked man for killing her elderly husband by appearing on their doorstep in the middle of the night.

Mike O'Riordan died in hospital two days after suffering a heart attack at his home in Bay City, Michigan, last year.

The 83-year-old veteran fell to the floor in cardiac arrest after finding Jordan Litzner, 23, naked at his doorstep, pounding on the door and pleading for help.

His widow Mary Lu said he was 'scared to death' by Litzner, a serial offender who was later arrested for indecent exposure.

She told The Bay City Times how Litzner tried to break in to their house at 12.34am on June 26, jostling their patio doors before starting to pound on another to get in.

Mike O'Riordan (left with his widow Mary Lu) died two days after Jordan Litzner (right) appeared on his doorstep naked and drunk in the middle of the night

'My husband woke up and I said, "Someone's trying to get in the house." Mr O'Riordan threatened to call the police but Litzner begged him not to and continued pounding on the door.

She got out of bed to phone 911 while her husband went to the door to see the man.

By the time she returned to him to give the dispatcher a description of Litzner, her husband was on the floor in agony.

'I didn't even hear him fall. This guy was pounding on the door, yelling, "Help me, help me, help me."'

While Mr O'Riordan had suffered heart problems before the incident, his wife believes the fright of seeing Litzner killed him.

'I think he was scared to death,' she said.

It's not clear why Litzner was naked or if he was in any real danger when he ran to the couple's home for help.

Mike and Mary Lu were asleep when Litzner woke them up first by trying to break in to the house then by banging on the door

O'Riordan served in the U.S. Army before starting a career as a pattern maker for General Motors.

The serial offender returned to court for driving drunk in February

He was a father-of-three and had 12 grandchildren.

Litzner was arrested and charged with indecent exposure.

He spent 89 days in jail before being released after pleading no contest.

As part of his probation, he was ordered not to drink alcohol. He violated it by being caught driving drunk months later.

He failed a sobriety test after being pulled over and refused to submit to breath tests.

He already had a previous conviction for driving under the influence as well as convictions for assault and breaking into a car.

He return to court in April.
John Lennons son has reportedly caved to the legal demands of his neighbors, who sued him for $10million over a tree in their front yard last year.

Gary and Addie Tomei, parents of Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei, claimed the 70-year-old tree in Sean Lennon's yard was causing substantial damage to their Greenwich Village townhouse inNew York City.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that a private settlement was reached between the parties and that the offending tree was quietly removed 'about a month' ago.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that a private settlement was reached between the parties and that the offending tree was quietly removed 'about a month' ago - the townhouse is seen after the tree removal here

The Tomeis stated in court papers that the tree had 'compromised the basement wall and interior ... (causing) irreparable damage to the structural integrity of the building'. The properties are pictured above before the tree was removed

When the multi-million dollar suit was filed in September, a judge ruled in the Tomei family's favor.

Lennon filed an appeal, but eventually stopped pursuing it, according to NY Daily News.

The court battle over the Tomeis' Greenwich Village property, which is next door to Lennon's own $9.5million pad, went on for more than a year and a half.

A judge charged earlier in September that the 60-foot-high Ailanthus tree must be cut down immediately, after the Tomeis successfully argued that their front stoop and basement were being wrecked by its roots.

Chopping time: Sean Lennon (pictured in September) quietly removed the offending tree 'about a month' ago

The tree was ruled to have caused damage to the home of Gary and Addie Tomei, whose daughter is Oscar-winning actress Marissa Tomei (right)

Judge Debra James quoted the Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever in her decision, closing out the opinion by writing: 'No one I think is in my tree / I mean it must be high or low.'

Sean Lennon originally moved into the Greenwich Village property six years ago

She attributed the lyric however to John Lennon and Paul 'McCarthy' rather than McCartney.

Lennon originally moved into the property six years ago.

The Tomeis allege that he has repeatedly refused to cut down the tree since then.

The Tomei's said Lennons contractor had dug 22 feet below basement level and disrupted the underground stream that washed out soil from under the couples foundation and as a result their whole house had shifted.

In their February court filing early last year, the couple stated that Lennon was 'arrogantly' demanding they change the entrance to their house so that he did not have to cut down the ailanthus tree.

They demanded that the troublesome plant be removed - and that Lennon pay them $10million.

The couple's lawyer, Gerald Walters, said in court papers: 'To suggest that [the Tomeis] forever transform their 170-year-old property so that [Lennon] may temporarily enjoy viewing its tree is absurd.'

The Tomei's said Lennons contractor had dug 22 feet below basement level and disrupted the underground stream that washed out soil from under the couples foundation and as a result their whole house had shifted - the property is seen here after the tree's removal

The Tomeis also stated in court papers that the tree had 'compromised the basement wall and interior ... (causing) irreparable damage to the structural integrity of the building.'

They also included a photograph that appeared to show the root coming through the floor of the basement.

The couple went on to state that the concrete foundation and front stoop have also been compromised, all 14 doors in the two-family home are unable to close because of the damage to the foundation and the facade of the home could become damaged next if the tree does not go soon.

As for the reason behind the lawsuit, the Tomeis claim they had been trying to get in touch with Lennon for a year to no avail.

The damage done by the tree to the stoop and railing can be clearly seen in the Tomeis' photos

A root appears to be coming through in the basement as well

Judge Debra James attributed a Beatles lyric to John Lennon and Paul 'McCarthy' rather than McCartney in her decision

Earlier this year, Mr Tomei said: 'He refuses to do anything. Hes owned it for six years and neglected it. I like him personally but hes stubborn and he has a lawyer who is very belligerent,'

Even Ms Tomei, who says she is pro-tree, wants the tree gone.

'I hate to see this tree come down, but its destroying my stoop,' said the actress in an interview with the New York Daily News.

'There are cracks everywhere. The masons dont want to make repairs because they say its just going to happen again,' added Mr. Tomei.

'I want him to take the tree down and pay my expenses. Its not cheap. I tried but you cant talk to him. Hes always traveling.'

Tomei, Waris Ahluwalia and Lennon at the threeASFOUR show during Spring 2014 Fashion Week in NYC

Lennon's tree surgeon has said that the huge tree could survive another 25 years.

And his architect, Sam Trible, said the removal of the tree would be a 'dramatic measure'.

Lennon's team suggested that the Tomeis could solve the problem by taking a small hand-held grinder to their railings.

But the Tomeis' reaction was to call such a plan 'ludicrous'.

As for the tree, it is an invasive species that was introduced to the United States through China, nicknamed by some as the Tree of Heaven.

It is also known the for the sour odor it produces when cut, grows new roots constantly and moves those roots around to steal from the supply of other plants - or even crack the walls of a basement.

This is not the first time Lennon's home has wrecked havoc on the Tomeis, with a pipe burst happening early last year that forced the duo to move in with their daughter.
Doctors are refusing to treat unvaccinated children because they are concerned of the risk they may present to other patients, a new report has revealed.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne's latest Australian Child Health Poll found one in six children who are not up-to-date with their vaccines have been refused service by a health care provider.

About 25 per cent of children under six who were under-vaccinated were turned away by doctors, the poll found.

One in five primary-school aged children were also refused as well as five per cent of teenagers.

Doctors are refusing to treat unvaccinated children because they are concerned of the risk they may present to other patients, a new report has revealed. File photo

The findings prompted the poll's director, paediatrician Anthea Rhodes, to urge doctors not to discriminate against children because of decisions made by their parents.

She added while in the United States, a physician's right to refuse care to unvaccinated children has been on the radar for some time, it's a 'worrying' trend not previously identified in Australia.

'All children, regardless of their vaccination status, have an equal right to health care,' Dr Rhodes said.

'While some medical professionals will argue that unvaccinated children can present a risk to other patients, we must remember that children aren't making these choices about vaccination for themselves.

'By turning them away, health care providers not only deny health care to a child, but remove the possibility of educating parents and helping them to eventually choose to vaccinate.'

The most common reason for delaying vaccination was due to a fever or other minor illnesses

The poll also found the vast majority of Australian parents support childhood vaccination and strong policies to help get children up-to-date on vaccines.

And 74 per cent of parents believe they should be informed of the number of children who are not up-to-date on their vaccinations at their children's school, kindergarten or childcare centre.

Seven out of ten parents said knowing the number of under-vaccinated children at a school or centre would influence their decision on whether to send their child there.

Of the 3,492 children studied in the poll, 95 per cent of them were said to be fully immunised.

The most common reason given for delaying vaccination was due to a fever or other minor illnesses.

Almost a third of parents have some concerns about vaccination for their children

But the report also said almost a third of parents have some concerns about vaccination for their children  with six per cent of parents saying they have major concerns about vaccine safety.

Dr Rhodes writes in the report that despite extensive medical research showing no causal link between vaccines and autism, nine per cent of parents believe there is  and a further 30 per cent are unsure about it.

She said the poll served as an important reminder that while most parents follow the National Immunisation Program for their children, the level of vaccine-related concern and misconceptions among parents is significant.

Ongoing education and communication to tackle parents' concerns is vital to ensure high levels of vaccination among families, she added.

'We also know that the majority of parents have poor knowledge about when vaccines may need to be delayed, so this poll highlights the need to encourage them to see their health care provider for advice before assuming their child can't be vaccinated when they've got a runny nose or are on antibiotics,' Dr Rhodes said.




Police are hunting a man who was caught masturbating in front of a primary school.

The man, believed to be aged between 18-and-20-years-old, was seen by children performing the lewd act in a playground outside a school in Melton, Victoria.

A group of students sitting on a bench saw the man had unzipped his pants and was masturbating at Blackwood Drive Recreational Reserve near Reynolds Place about 1pm on February 23.

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Victoria Police have released a digital face image of a man they want to speak after children caught a man masturbating outside a primary school

A man was caught masturbating at Blackwood Drive Recreational Reserve in Melton, Victoria (pictured)

The terrified children ran to a teacher, who saw the man flee towards Richard Road.

The man hid behind a vehicle, before realising someone was watching him from a nearby car.

He then fled towards Station Road.

He was wearing black jeans and a grey hooded top at the time.

Two digital face images of the man police would like to speak with have been released in the hope he can be identified by members of the public.

Police are appealing for public help to track down this man, believed to be aged between 18-and-20-years-old

A grey hooded man was also captured on CCTV walking near the school on March 1

The CCTV images show the man possibly with his hands down his pants

Police have also released CCTV footage captured on March 1 which shows a man near the school.

The footage captured an unidentified man walking towards the school, possibly with his hands down his pants, before turning and walking away, police said.

Police are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incidents to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A Texas woman has called off her wedding after realizing the man she was about to marry was a Tinder love rat.

Stephanie Hoskins, 23, was set to marry an Australian man she knew as Brett Goodman in Parker, Texas on March 31.

Hoskins had bought her dress and she was ready to walk down the aisle at Southfork Ranch - the setting for the original Dallas series - in just a few weeks.

But she then discovered her soon-to-be husband was not the wealthy oil exploration worker he had claimed to be.

Stephanie Hoskins, 23, called off her wedding to an Australian man she knew as Brett Goodman in Parker, Texas on March 31 after realizing he was an accused Tinder love rat

Goodman was actually an unemployed accused conman named Brett Joseph who has allegedly defrauded dozens of women back in Australia in similar circumstances.

The pair had met on dating site Plenty of Fish back in November. After dating for only a few months, the 29-year-old asked her to marry him.

'My father is very ill, he has stage four cancer so Brett used that to push the wedding along sooner,' Hoskins said.

'We had our whole wedding planned. I bought a dress, and my parents had purchased a bridesmaid dress for my best friend.'

Hoskins' parents were excited about their daughter's nuptials and helped set up a page on a wedding planning site.

Hoskins had bought her dress and she was ready to walk down the aisle at Southfork Ranch (above) - the setting for the original Dallas series - in just a few weeks

The couple had set up a page on a wedding planning site to notify family and friends of the March 31 wedding date in Texas

Hoskins said she never suspected anything until Joseph started pushing to get legally married at a court house before their scheduled big day so he could get a jump start on his spouse visa and green card process.

They went to the local registry to get their marriage licence when she claims he told her the legal paperwork would need to be under Brett Joseph, which unbeknownst to her was his real name.

Hoskins ran a Google search on her fiance's real name before they were legally married.

She discovered his alleged love rat past back in Australia, which had been covered extensively through various news reports and a website set up by one of his previous lovers Daisy Armstrong.

Hoskins immediately kicked Joseph out of her apartment and contacted police. She has since accused him of just trying to get an American visa.

Joseph told Dallas Morning News via email that he had come to the U.S. to be with Hoskins. He denies using her father's illness to convince Hoskins to marry him.

After dating for only weeks, Mr Joseph gave her a ring he claimed belonged to his 'dead grandmother' and asked her to marry him

'He made me believe we were looking for the same things in life starting a family and building a life together in Texas,' Ms Hoskins said

He said Hoskins was aware of his real name several weeks prior and encourage him to finalize his name change prior to their wedding.

'I have not conned her out of anything,' he said.

Joseph said his lawyers in the U.S. and back in his native Australia were preparing litigation following the allegations.

'Women will do anything or say anything for a feel sorry for me story,' he said of the women in Australia who have accused him of being a conman.

Police in Australia confirmed they began investigating Joseph back in 2015 and have taken statements from several of his alleged victims.

The investigation is ongoing, according to authorities.

'He was very charming, very handsome and he knew all the right things to say,' Hoskins said.

'He made me believe we were looking for the same things in life starting a family and building a life together in Texas.'

Joseph pictured in a plane he claimed to own, but actually belongs to the father of one of his previous alleged victims Daisy Armstrong
A 14-year-old girl has revealed how she was hired by Boko Haram to become a suicide bomber.

In footage obtained by Sky News, the girl tells Nigerian police she was offered just 200 Naira (40p) by the militant Islamist group to detonate a suicide vest in a 'crowded place' in the city of Maiduguri.

She says her and another girl had waited for three days before plucking up the courage to carry out their deadly missions.

In the video the girl, who has been arrested by Nigerian police, says she was offered just 200 Naira (40p) to carry out a suicide mission

But they were spotted acting suspiciously and ordered to rip off their suicide vests by police.

The girl, wearing a yellow hijab in the video, obliged but her accomplice is believed to have blown herself up.

Now forces fighting Boko Haram say the new tactic is a sign the terrorist organisation is getting desperate.

The group, which is aligned to ISIS, have been fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government and impose an Islamic state for eight years.

Firefighters battle flames following a separate suicide attack by three bombers in Maiduguri on Friday

Nigerian soldiers who have been battling Boko Haram since 2009

The crisis has become increasingly widespread, spilling over into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The organisation has spread fear across the northeast of Nigeria, with many people forced to flee their homes to camps.

Among them are the so-called 'Boko Haram brides', who had been captured and forced into marriages with fighters.

The teenage girls are beaten and raped by their husbands and many carry their children.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. In 2014 the organisation abducted and enslaved more than 200 schoolgirls in the Nigerian town of Chibok

One escaped bride, Rabi Ali, 17, told Sky News of life with a Boko Haram husband.

She said: 'He would try to have sex with me and when I refused he would beat me.

'When he was tired he would push me down and make use of me.'

Even though these women have managed to escape their horrifying lives with Boko Haram they now find themselves being shunned by their communities as people fear they remain loyal to the terrorists.

Another bride Saratu Uma, 18, said: 'Anywhere we stay, they just says, "get away, move away from us Boko Haram wife. Move away from us Boko Haram daughter."'

In 2014, Boko Haram provoked international condemnation when they abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in Borno State.

The fighters said they would enslave them and marry them off.
A shocking video has emerged of a YouTube vlogger and firearms manufacturer shooting a machine gun out of a plane over the Gulf of Mexico.

YouTube host Dan Kame put the video on his Do It With Dan channel last month. It shows him taking to the skies with Florida firearms manufacturer Mark Serbu and his 22-year-old daughter Valerie.

They filmed each other taking turns shooting the MP5 into the water below, laughing and smiling between shots after taking off in the single-engine plane from Tampa, Florida.

Kame, 23, described it as the 'most American thing' he'd ever done while 55-year-old Serbu deemed the stunt 'f****** awesome'.

Viewers weren't as enthusiastic, with many pointing to safety of the stunt in comments beneath the video.

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YouTube vlogger Dan Kame shared the video of him shooting the gun over open water out of an open window in the single-engine plane on his channel last month

They questioned whether it was even legal to shoot a gun from the sky.

'This might very well be legal. But it's also really stupid, you're putting the aircraft and yourselves at an elevated level of risk for a catchy title,' said one viewer.

'What a stupid, senseless thing to do,' said another.

Speaking to DailyMail.com on Tuesday, Serbu said safety was of 'paramount' importance and that they'd flown for hours to find a spot where they felt they could fire freely without hitting anything.

'Of course we were concerned about safety, we were extremely careful. We flew for quite a while and to various altitudes to make sure nothing was going to get shot and we didn't load the gun until we had the barrel pointed out of the window each time.

'Don't confuse the tone of the video for us not taking care with safety,' he said.

He said he was confident they wouldn't harm any sea life because of the height they were flying it and that he had deliberately chosen a spot where there were no obvious signs of life.

'I'm a mechanical engineer so I understand that when things drop from altitude, they hit a terminal velocity. Yes, I'd feel bad if I killed a dolphin or whatever but they don't hang out (where we were). We circled it, we didn't see any fins or anything.'

Firearms manufacturer Mark Serbu, 55, who was flying the plane also took a shot as Kame took over the aircraft's controls

Serbu's 22-year-old daughter Valerie (above) also had a turn firing the MP5 machine gun

The group said they did not load the gun until the barrel was pointing outside the aircraft to ensure safety

He insisted the group checked FAA guidelines before the trip last month and said they believed they weren't in breach of any rules.

Serbu, who has had his pilot's license for 10 years, was however contacted by officials to discuss it after it was reported by concerned viewers.

'I got a call from the FAA, even though we checked all the regulations and were almost 100% certain no laws were broken, it's still one of those things. If people are going to call then they have to check it out, I get it.'

The plane's owner wasn't aware of their plans when he rented it through his flying club, he revealed.

'You don't talk about that kind of thing but we knew we wouldn't put any holes in it. I'm sure they do mind (that we did it), but whatever.'

He said he was surprised by the public's response to the video.

'My friends thought this was normal and cool but to the average person, you say the words machine gun and airplane and maybe not. Aside from the shooting part it's a beautiful video.'

Dan Kame (left) and Mark Serbu (right) both told DailyMail.com they'd taken steps to make sure the stunt was safe

Valerie Serbu, 22, also saw no issue with the video, her father said on Tuesday

Serbu brought the gun in to the plane, which he'd rented, in a backpack

The group insisted in the video and since that they flew for 'hours' to a safe location. Kame told DailyMail.com on Thursday they'd flown roughly 10 miles

Kame reiterated his comments, explaining how the group had taken special efforts to make sure nothing was beneath the aircraft before they opened fire.

He told DailyMail.com that he was attracted to the idea because it would make for good commercial viewing.

'I make a living off making YouTube videos. I get paid off ads that are placed on my videos, so I often try and record as many fun and interesting things as I can.

'My first thought when I heard the idea of shooting from an airplane was, "Now how many people have done THAT?" So, when I'm not making videos about motorcycles or cars, I often throw in new things.

'Either way, there was both positive and negative response regarding the video. Mostly people bickering in the comments section on if it was legal or not.'

The FAA confirmed it was investigating the video on Tuesday.

Tampa Police Department, whose jurisdiction applies to the airport where they took off and landed, has reviewed it but is not bringing any charges against the trio.
Minnesota police arrested three men after seizing $1.75 million worth of marijuana during a traffic stop last week.

State Trooper Aaron Myren was making a traffic stop along Interstate 94 on March 1 when he uncovered the million-dollar pot around 3pm after stopping a white Ford F-150, according to the Star Tribune.

Vontrail Dante Kendle, 32, Michael Corey Dunnorm, 23, and Anthony Pillar Williams, 21, were each charged with possessing 50 kilograms or more of marijuana and were booked in the Otter Tail County jail.

Minnesota police arrested three men after seizing $1.75 million worth of marijuana (pictured) during a traffic stop last week

State Trooper Aaron Myren stopped Vontrail Dante Kendle (left), 32, Michael Corey Dunnorm (center), 23, and Anthony Pillar Williams (right), 21, during a traffic stop. They were each charged with possessing 50 kilograms or more of marijuana

Authorities said the 570 pounds of marijuana was likely on the way to the Twin Cities.

At the time of the stop, Kendle told the trooper that they picked up the truck in California from his in-laws and was driving it home, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Tribune.

Kendle said he flew to California and stayed a couple of days before they began driving back to Minnesota.

The high-grade pot was shrink-wrapped and stacked inside 18 large duffel bags in the bed of pickup truck.

Police said the marijuana was in 1-pound packages and when stacked, the packages stood nearly 7 feet high and 10 feet wide.

'It not an everyday find during a traffic stop here in Otter Tail County,' said Assistant County Attorney Ryan Cheshire.

The three men were traveling along Interstate 94 in a white Ford F-150 when they were stopped by the trooper. Police found the 18 duffel bags (left) that contained 1-pound packages (right). It's unclear where the men picked up the pot, but the truck had CA plates

The trooper wrote in the complaint that he asked why the men chose to travel I-94 back to Minnesota.

Kendle reportedly told the trooper he was using a GPS and it was the quickest route, but Myren knew I-94 isn't the quickest route from California to the Twin Cities.

Myren also said Kendle gave conflicting information regarding his travel timeline and the other two men also provided conflicting information.

'None of their individual stories matched regarding days spent traveling and stops made along the way,' according to the criminal complaint.

The marijuana was discovered after the vehicle was towed and searched.

It's unclear where the men actually picked up the marijuana, but the vehicle did have California plates.
Prosecutors said his Amazon Echo device could have incriminating recordings

Ex-cop Collins was found dead in Bates' hot tub in 2015

An Arkansas man who is accused of murder after a former officer was found dead in his hot tub is offering his Amazon Echo recordings as evidence after the company fought to protect his privacy.

Amazon handed over the Echo recordings Friday when James Andrew Bates said he would volunteer the data for his defense.

Bates's case is being handled by Kathleen Zellner who represented Steven Avery. She tweeted on Tuesday her client is handing over the recordings because he is innocent.

Amazon initially resisted the subpoena by Arkansas prosecutors to obtain potential recordings from a slaying suspect's Amazon Echo smart speaker, saying authorities haven't established that their investigation is more important than a customer's privacy rights.

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James Andrew Bates (left) of Bentonville, Arkansas, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Victor Collins (right)

Zellner said her client released the Amazon Echo recordings because he is innocent

The issue comes in the investigation into the death of Victor Collins, who was found floating face-up in a hot tub in a friend's Bentonville home in November 2015.

Kathleen Zellner (pictured) and her client ended Amazon's fight with Arkansas prosecutors by volunteering the Echo data

The friend, Bates, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is currently free on a $350,000 bond according to CNN.

According to Bentonville police and state coroners, Bates, 31, strangled Collins, 47, at his home just after midnight on November 22, 2015.

Benton County prosecutors asked a court to force Amazon to provide data that Bates' Echo may have collected.

Echo devices 'listen' for a user's voice and respond to commands.

The authorities believe the Echo's 'always on' status could enable it to pick up sound without anyone nearby noticing.

Echo begins streaming audio to a cloud  or Internet-based server  when it is activated by someone uttering the word Alexa.

According to Bentonville police and state coroners, Bates, 31, is accused of strangling Collins, 47, at his home (above) just after midnight on November 22, 2015

When a ring on top of the device turns blue, that means it is recording.

Recorded audio clips are then stored in the cloud until the costumer deletes them either individually or all at once.

AMAZON ECHO - THE VOICE-CONTROLLED SMART SPEAKER Amazon Echo is a voice-controlled smart speaker that works alongside a smartphone app. Using a virtual assistant called Alexa, the speaker can respond to voice commands from the user, such as setting an alarm or ordering a cab. Echo also works with services like Spotify as a 360-degree wireless speaker. Advertisement

In a response filed Friday, Amazon said prosecutors hadn't established the need for Amazon to violate its customers' constitutional rights.

Amazon said prosecutors must prove the information isn't available elsewhere.

Amazon also wants the court to review the recordings before turning them over to prosecutors to ensure they're actually relevant to the case.

'Given the important First Amendment and privacy implications at stake, the warrant should be quashed unless the Court finds that the State has met its heightened burden for compelled production of such materials,' Amazon said in the court documents.

The company had previously spoken about prosecutor's request for the information in more general terms, but this is Amazon's first formal legal response to the subpoena for audio recordings and transcripts from the night of Collins' death.

'Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us.

Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course,' the company said in a statement.
The House Intelligence has scheduled its first high-stakes hearing into Russia for March 20th, the same day a Senate panel will take up President Trump's Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch.

The House panel has already been meeting to establish the scope of its ongoing probe, which includes Russian interference in the U.S. elections.

House Intelligence panel chairman Rep Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said FBI Director James Comey and NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers would be called as witnesses.

Nunes told reporters in the Capitol that he didn't yet see evidence to back up President Trump's claim that President Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower, while admonishing reporters for taking President Trump too 'literally.'

'At this point, we don't have any evidence of that,' he said.

'My only request of the president would be, 'I don't want him to be completely lawyered up, but at the same time, I want him to be clear in what he's asking and the assertions that he's making.'

Chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, announced that the panel's first public hearing on Russia will occur March 20

The White House on Tuesday acknowledged that President Trump had not yet spoken to Comey about his claim, which he offered without providing evidence.

'Sometimes he doesn't have 27 lawyers and staff looking at what he does, which is I think at times refreshing and at times can also lead us to be sitting at a press conference like this answering questions that you guys are asking.'

The White House released a list of attorneys in the White House counsel's office Tuesday indicated there are currently 27 lawyers on staff.

Nunes described Trump's string of tweets, as 'asking a question.' Trump tweeted early Saturday morning: 'Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower.'

'I think it's a valid question,' Nunes said, 'if indeed it was a question.'

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, answers questions at the U.S. Capitol during a press conference March 7, 2017 in Washington

Trump called for an investigation into the claim, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer said today the House and Senate Intelligence panels were the right forum to investigate it.

'The president is a neophyte to politics,' said Nunes, before tweaking reporters.

'A lot of the things he says you guys take literally. I don't think we should attack the president for tweeting,' he said.

The Senate Intelligence committee is conducting its own investigation into what the intelligence committee concluded was interference in the U.S. elections.

INVITED: FBI Director James Comey has been invited to testify

Russian President Vladimir Putin is accused of directing hacking into the U.S. presidential elections

Rod Rosenstein testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his deputy attorney general confirmation hearing. Democrats on the panel tried to get him to commit to appointing a special counsel to pursue Russia issues

Texas Senator John Cornyn, the Republican majority whip, said at a confirmation hearing Tuesday that he had been to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia to view 'four large binders full of classified information' made available to committee members.

The FBI is conducting its own investigation into Russian hacking. Investigators are also probing contacts between associates of President Trump and Russians.

President Trump this weekend accused President Obama of having his wires tapped, without providing evidence

President Trump this weekend accused President Obama of having his wires tapped, without providing evidence

President Trump this weekend accused President Obama of having his wires tapped, without providing evidence

Several outlets confirmed that Comey has asked the Justice Department to publicly refute the president's claims about Obama tapping Trump's phones.

Asked whether Trump had spoken to Comey about the charge, Spicer said, 'The president has not.'

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the Senate panel has contacted former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page about its investigation.

Page said he would 'provide any information' that might assist the committee.

'I will do everything in my power to reasonably ensure that all information concerning my activities related to Russia last year is preserved,' Page the top Republican and Democrat on the committee.
One of Mexico Citys most iconic landmarks is about to undergo a major overhaul. Already one of the worlds largest city squares at 46,800m 2 , the Plaza de la Constitucion  as it is formally called, even though residents refer to it as El Zocalo  will add a further 2,000 square meters by swallowing up one of the six traffic lanes that surround it.

A march at Mexico City's central Zocalo square. EFE

More information El Zocalo de la Ciudad de Mexico crece y se rejuvenece

The expansion project will begin this month and cost around 150 million pesos (around 7.2 million), according to the local government. However, the National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH) is currently reviewing the details, and a start date has not yet been announced.

When it does begin, it will the first time that the Zocalo has been revamped in 60 years.

It will all start with improvements to the pavement, which is currently uneven, broken and full of patches, explains Roberto Remes, coordinator of the Public Space Authority and one of the contributors to the project.

In high congestion areas, it is much faster to walk to your destination than to drive

Eugenio Riveroll, Sin Trafico

This entails removing the entire surface of the square and digging 50 centimeters down in order to level the ground.

Because the city center is built in a lake area over the ruins of the ancient city-state of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, many nearby monuments have sunk with the passing years.

This also means that the INAH needs to greenlight any reform work, to ensure that the citys historic and architectural heritage is not damaged in the process.

Bad for traffic?

One of the most controversial points of the expansion is how it will affect traffic in a city where car congestion is already an everyday occurrence. But authorities say that drivers will not suffer from the change.

There is no need for six lanes, there is ample room for circulation around the square, although it is true that access lanes are limited, says Remes. Another positive point, he adds, is that less space for vehicles will mean safer pedestrian crossings and fewer accidents.

When work begins, it will the first time that the Zocalo has been revamped in 60 years

Eugenio Riveroll, head of a company called Sin Trafico (Without Traffic), agrees that limiting traffic on wheels is the right way to go.

In high-congestion areas, it is much faster to walk to your destination than to drive, so projects that favor pedestrians and cyclists contribute to a more sustainable and efficient mobility, he said.

His company estimates that around 15,000 vehicles pass around the square on traffic-heavy days.

Authorities are also planning to invest 500 million pesos (24.2 million) in supplemental items such as public lighting in a square that is routinely used for concerts, marches and protests.

Remes noted that, save for subway construction work in the 1960s, the last changes to the Zocalo were made under Ernesto P. Uruchurtu, who was mayor between 1952 and 1966.

English version by Susana Urra.
Paul Burrell has dined out on his relationship with Princess Diana for nearly 20 years.

So it was perhaps inevitable that, when making the announcement he is to marry another man, she would somehow be part of the story.

A spokesman for Burrell confirmed reluctantly to a red-top newspaper on Monday that he is engaged to Graham Cooper, a 58-year-old lawyer, following his divorce from Maria, his wife of 32 years, last September.

The newspaper reported, quoting a source, that the late Princess was the only person to whom hed confided the secret he was gay.

Celebration: Pictures of Paul Burrells stag party in Blackpool last month were posted on social media

Together: Burrell and Graham Cooper, a 58-year-old lawyer (left) at a B&B in the U.S. in 2014

To which the response from anyone who knows Dianas former butler  and those who dont, for that matter  was an archly raised eyebrow. As a tweet read yesterday: In other news, the Pope announces hes a Catholic.

But according to the source, 58-year-old Burrell believed nobody had an inkling  apart from the Princess. He did share it with Diana while he worked with her because they were so close. But at the time she was the only woman he felt he could tell.

Hes so much happier now that he can tell the world and be comfortable with himself and his relationship.

Its not clear how long he and Mr Cooper have been together. The pair were listed as directors of a company in 2011 and were pictured at a B&B together in 2014. Burrell has been uncharacteristically low-key  but then he had a wife and children to consider.

Burrell has released limited details of next months wedding. Reports claimed the couple are to tie the knot in a circus-themed ceremony in a five-star hotel in the Lake District.

But a friend said reports that waiters will be dressed as clowns and ringmasters are wide of the mark. It is, says the friend, to be a quieter affair. They dont want too many people there and have limited the guestlist to close family and friends. But its going to be suitably lavish. Paul sees this as a new chapter.

Guests have a rough idea of where it will take place. But to increase the suspense, Paul and Graham have kept the exact details of the venue quiet.

It would seem Burrell, who could not be found at the florist he runs in Chester yesterday, has not just kept the venue quiet from his family, but the wedding itself.

According to the source, 58-year-old Burrell believed nobody had an inkling  apart from the late Princess Diana

Speaking at a semi-detached house in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, yesterday of his sons decision to come out and announce his marriage, Burrells father, Graham, 81, said: We only know whats in the paper. Were none the wiser.

Paul himself is said to be aggrieved at the way the news has come out. With hindsight, perhaps the raucous stag party he and Mr Cooper held last month at Funny Girls drag club in Blackpool was a mistake.

While it seems inconceivable that his 63-year-old former wife, Maria, is the only person on earth who had no idea that Burrell is gay  the first of several newspaper reports containing claims of affairs with other men was published back in 2002  the divorce and subsequent engagement to Mr Cooper may be unwelcome.

Who knows what the couples sons, Alex, 27, and Nick, 24, make of it; Maria herself may have been happy with the status quo?

In Florida, where she and Burrell moved in 2004 after he was acquitted of stealing items belonging to Diana, Maria has a celebrity status of sorts, as the wife of the former butler to the Princess of Wales. Now that that marriage is over, some of that prestige is inevitably lost. And what of Burrells new love? Mr Cooper, the Mail has learned, was in a relationship with a man called John Beddard for almost 20 years before he took up with Burrell.

Yesterday, Mr Beddards mother said: We were very fond of Graham, he was a lovely chap, and added that she had had no contact with her son since 2008. He decided he didnt want to speak to us any more and we dont even know where he is.

But Burrell and Mr Cooper are said to be blissfully happy. Appropriately enough, given Burrells former royal role, they live together in a mock-Tudor house near the grand Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, which was built in the 19th century for John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache.

Burrell, used to living at Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace, albeit below stairs, feels at home in these surroundings.

Within the grounds of Burrells detached home is a large pond, with grounds overlooking a stone circle believed to date back to the Bronze Age.

The circle featured in a recent episode of ITVs Through The Keyhole, in which viewers are asked to deduce the identity of the homeowner.

The stone circles were a key clue  as Diana is said to have referred to Burrell as her rock.

The former royal butler pictured wife his wife of 32 years, Maria, in 2000

True, the property is only mock-Tudor, but Burrell has added his own little touches to make it suitably regal  such as the commemorative royal mugs scattered about the place.

There are antiques, art and crystal glasses, and a country kitchen with the slogan Its all about me on the wall above the Aga.

No prizes for guessing who that might be referring to.

In the episode, Burrell is referred to as the homeowner. Photographs which may show Burrell and Mr Cooper together are blurred in the film  presumably at Burrells request.

Its all a long way from Burrells childhood as the eldest of three sons of a Coal Board lorry driver from Derbyshire.

Burrell left his secondary school, William Rhodes, in Chesterfield, in 1973 with six O-levels and took a course in hotel management and catering at High Peak College in Buxton where his former tutor, Ken Weir, later recalled: Paul always knew exactly where he was going  Buckingham Palace.

Armed with a diploma in food preparation and service, he worked at a hotel in Bournemouth before writing to the Palace. Nine months later, he was accepted.

Burrell began working at Buckingham Palace on December 10, 1976. After a year, he became the Queens footman. Romance blossomed between him and Maria below stairs  she was the Duke of Edinburghs maid.

Upon their marriage in July 1984, the couple received a telegram from the Queen and Prince Philip reading: Wishing you every possible happiness for the future, Elizabeth and Philip, along with a set of Coalport candlesticks with the Queen and Dukes monograms.

The service was assisted by the Queens chaplain, Canon Anthony Caesar. But even then there were rumours that Burrell was gay.

In 1988, the Burrells began working for Diana and Prince Charles, who were still together, but unhappily so. In 1992, following the royal couples separation, the Burrells transferred to Kensington Palace.

Maria was housekeeper/dresser at KP, as it is known, until 1994. Interestingly, while Burrell ingratiated himself with the Princess and became her confidante, Maria felt marginalised. She left in 1994 because of unhappiness about the nature of her duties. Am I really expected to go round this place with a vacuum cleaner? she is said to have once asked.

Burrell has released limited details of next months wedding. Reports claimed the couple are to tie the knot in a circus-themed ceremony in a five-star hotel in the Lake District

You could say that  echoing Dianas explosive Panorama interview in which she discussed Charless affair with Camilla for the first time  that there were three of them in the marriage: Burrell, Maria and Diana.

Today on his website, a quote attributed to Diana is proudly displayed: You [Burrell] are the captain of my ship. I am safe with you at the helm.

Burrell would bow to his mistress every morning and say: Good morning, Your Royal Highness. He said in an interview in 1999: Every single morning, the minute she rose Id bow.

It was my way of showing my respect, saying: This is where I belong. This is my world. 

He was distraught after she died in the car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. The night before her funeral, he kept vigil beside the coffin and read to his mistress.

The late Princess was the only person to whom hed confided the secret he was gay

But the image of the devoted butler came into question four years later, in 2001, when Burrell was arrested over the alleged theft of a 500,000 jewel-encrusted model boat and other items belonging to the late Princess.

At his trial at the Old Bailey the following year, the court heard that the police had seized 310 items belonging to Diana when they raided his home in Farndon, Cheshire.

The items included dresses, shoes and hats, a pair of her pyjamas as well as personal letters to her son, William. The items were found all over the house  in the loft, study, living room and hall of Burrells home.

He was sensationally cleared, however, after the Queen herself came forward with crucial information.

She first told Prince Charles of a conversation she had with Burrell in the weeks after Dianas death when the butler said hed taken some of her papers for safe keeping. Charles told his private secretary and the police were informed.

The revelation fatally undermined the prosecutions case, which was based on the claim Burrell had removed Dianas belongings without telling anyone.

Just as Burrell was due to give evidence, the 12-day trial collapsed. He was found not guilty on all three counts of theft  against Diana, the Prince of Wales and Prince William and he told he was free to leave the court.

But this was by no means the last the world was to hear of Burrell and his relationship with Princess Diana.

There were sordid revelations in a Sunday newspaper that Burrell had had a two-year gay affair with an Australian man, Greg Pead, while working as a young footman at Buckingham Palace.

A few years ago, with he and Maria leading increasingly separate lives, Burrell returned to Britain to concentrate on his florist shop, which was set up in 2001

He claimed Burrell sneaked him into Buckingham Palace, where they had sex in his quarters. On another occasion, Pead claimed, Burrell took him into the Queens private apartments while she was away and introduced him to her corgis.

Burrell denied the allegations; yesterday, Mr Pead, now 63, came forward to say the news that Burrell was marrying another man had vindicated him.

He has always denied being gay but now he is getting married I have been vindicated, said Pead from his home in Australia.

His wife said at the time: There are no secrets between Paul and me. Whats in the past is in the past. I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open. We have already confronted these issues.

But there was yet more.

After saying time and time again he would not write a book about the Princess, he went and did it.

The allegations in A Royal Duty, published in 2003, were explosive. One of the claims he made was that Diana believed her life was under threat and feared a car accident would be arranged  ten months before her actual death in a car crash in Paris.

She entrusted the butler with a letter, he claimed, setting out her belief that her car brakes would be tampered with to cause her serious injury and so clear the way for the Prince of Wales to remarry.

As proof, he published extracts from the alleged letter, handwritten, in a style similar to the Princesss handwriting.

But the letter appeared not to be dated, with the only reference to time being its first sentence: I am sitting here at my desk today in October...

Burrell made millions from the book. A sequel, The Way We Were: Remembering Diana, did not fare quite so well.

A few years ago, with him and Maria leading increasingly separate lives, Burrell returned to Britain to concentrate on his florist shop, which was set up in 2001.

At some point his relationship with Mr Cooper began. They will make it official next month.

Whether the Queen will send a telegram this time round is open to question.




One day, not far hence, we will look back at the 2017 House of Lords and be appalled and comically embarrassed.

How could a chamber of unelected busybodies, many of them booby-rejects of the electoral system, have been tolerated as they tried to obstruct the popular vote for Brexit?

We will gaze at yellowing snapshots of the likes of the 3rd Viscount Hailsham, the Lib Dems Lord Newby, oleaginous lawyer Lord Pannick and indignantly pink-cheeked diplomatic crawler Lord Hannay, and be amazed we did not pelt them with stinkbombs as they held out their little pinkies, sucked pompous gusts into their lungs, and insisted that the people had no idea what they were voting for with Brexit.

Shaky: Lord Heseltine, pictured above, addresses the Lords yesterday

The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was again before the Upper House. This is the Bill giving Theresa May parliamentary approval for doing what the electorate already instructed her to do last June.

The current Lords, most of its members still stamping their booties in protest at that result, were debating amendments to a starkly simple Bill. Some wanted a second referendum. Others wanted Mrs May to be told what to do. Yet others wanted the Lords to be able to stop the PM coming back from Brussels with no deal.

Lord Hailsham  aka Lord Moat since he listed moat-clearance in one of his expenses claims when he was an MP  screwed up his face like a constipated prune.

Only dictatorships do not allow people to change their minds, he said.

A weirdly archaic delivery. Was he trying to sound Churchillian? His voice so spittle-flecked and tacky-toothed, any dentist watching might have asked him to rinse now, please.

Lord Newby, a grey-shoed sort of specimen who never managed to become an MP and later worked as a spin doctor for Lib Dem leaders, wanted 16-year-olds to have a vote if there was a re-run of last summers plebiscite.

It was a rare attendance by the vain old lion Lord Heseltine, pictured above left, who used the votes of parliamentary colleagues to topple Mrs Thatcher in 1990

Lord Dykes, another Lib Dem Remainer, said we had joined Nato and the United Nations without a referendum. He seemed to be suggesting Parliament should just announce it was going to rejoin the EU without asking the people.

It is the primordial duty of parliamentarians to restore the true, deep sovereignty of the British Parliament, harrumphed Dykes, one of the most gaseous bores on the Westminster estate.

Primordial. It is a word we often associate with dinosaurs and their swamps. Indeed.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, sore after a recent leg operation, said a second referendum would do nothing to heal divisions in the land.

The Archbishop of York made a speech but his accent was sadly impenetrable. Lord Forsyth (Con) was a hero for the Leave side. Overcoming boos from the packed Lib Dem benches, he said the Lords was trying to grab the mace and challenge the authority of the Commons.

We heard from a shaky Lord Heseltine (Con), who indeed did once grab that mace.

This was a rare attendance by the vain old lion who used the votes of parliamentary colleagues to topple Mrs Thatcher in 1990.

Lord Heseltine, pictured above, said Oppositions always opposed the electorates wish

He did that usual Remainer thing of claiming he accepted the result of the referendum  and then said he was going to oppose it.

Such, he said, was the nature of parliamentary life. He said Oppositions always opposed the electorates wish.

This argument was later taken up by a low-wattage windbag, Lord (Adair) Turner  all hairdo and bluster. The referendum was no more and no less legitimate than any general election.

But this simply is not the case. The referendum was not a party-political contest for election to Parliament. It was a yes or no vote, on a greater scale, on a matter which had divided the people from most of their politicians.

It was ultra-parliamentary, even uber-parliamentary.

It was needed because the occupants of the Parliament were no longer willing to defend the peoples sovereignty.

This noble House, was how Lord Cormack (a Tory Remainer) referred to it. No. Ignoble. And delusional.
This was one hot wedding.

An Iowa bride and groom got some surreal wedding photos after the bus transporting their wedding party to church exploded into a fireball while the group stood in front of it posing for pictures.

Groom Shane McCollow, 29, and bride, Krissi, 26, were on their way to the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua on Saturday for their wedding when the bus full of a dozen wedding attendees grew unbearably hot.

Shane and Krissi McCollow (center) are surrounded by their astonished wedding party as the party bus behind them explodes in flames on the way to the church in Nashua

The bride was 'calm' says wedding photographer McKaila Hanna; the rest of the group had a good laugh

The driver was asked to turn on the air conditioning, which he did. But then the bus grew wintry chilly. The riders asked the driver to turn the heat back on, but this time it wouldn't work.

Soon, smoke began creeping into the Dolly's Party Bus. But the driver continued on to the church.

'I just knew something wasn't right because of the smell and smoke,' Krissi told the Des Moines Register.

Krissi posed with the fire department which came to douse the unexpected flames, not of passion but of wedding bus

'We started to get a lot of smoke, it was almost like an exhaust smoke, kind of halfway until we got there. It was so smoky by the time we got there. It was pretty rough,' the wedding photographer, McKaila Hanna, told The Washington Post.

But things were just getting heated up.

The wedding party quickly piled out of the bus. As they stood there agape, they heard a loud popping noise - one of the tires had burst from the heat.

'It literally exploded,' Shane McCollow told the Register. 'It sounded like a gunshot.'

The couple managed to make it to the church on time and were married despite their earlier drama

That's when the bus also seemed to explode, bursting into a wall of fire.

Hanna encouraged the party to pose for wedding photos. The bride's smile is somewhat strained, and her eyes betray her astonishment. The rest of the party laughs and smiles, many giving the thumbs up sign.

When the fire brigade arrived, the firemen happily posed for photos too.

The couple weren't expecting such a scene on their wedding day, but got 'incredible pictures' out of it said the groom

Hanna posted the photos to her Facebook page. 'Interesting unplanned entrance to a wedding ceremony today,' she wrote.

Despite that, Hanna says the bewildered bride was calm. 'I can't believe as a bride she was that calm,' she said. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the bride's father is the captain of fire prevention with the Cedar Falls Fire Department.

Hanna said her goal is to document a wedding 'from beginning to end' so she had to take the pictures of this flaming detour.

The groom is happy with the results. 'They're incredible pictures,' he told the outlet.

A wedding day is always memorable, but this is one the couple will be telling their grandkids about ... over and over.

The bus company said the fire was caused by a leak in the brake chamber, and a new bus was sent to the church to whisk the couple to their reception.
Google has vowed to fix a glitch with its new AI voice assistant after the device was caught reading out fake news.

The Google Home device, which is currently available in the US but not in the UK, has been filmed making wild claims about political figures including Barack Obama.

The voice-activated home device read out fake news from Google that claimed Barack Obama is planning a 'coup d'etat' and that four former US presidents were members of the Ku Klux Klan.

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Google Home (pictured) will go on sale in the UK by the end of June of this year. The voice-activated device was caught reading out fake news

GOOGLE HOME Google Home is an artificially intelligent speaker that responds to voice commands. It can answer queries as well as control other internet-enabled appliances around the home. Google's Home is the firm's latest AI move after introducing its smart assistant in the new Pixel handsets at the end of last year. The Google Home speaker costs 106 ($130) Advertisement

When asked 'is Obama planning a coup?', the home assistant responded with 'According to details exposed in Western Center for Journalism's exclusive video, not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese, but Obama may be in fact be planning a communist coup d'etat at the end of his term in 2016.'

The off-the-wall response was read out from a conspiracy website called Secrets of the Fed.

The 'inappropriate glitch' was first highlighted by Search Engine Land editor Danny Sullivan.

He said the robot's glitch is caused by a problem with Google's smart search results.

In an attempt to speed up searches, the Google Home reads out the small passages of text that appear on the Google's search results page rather than clicking through different webpages.

And here's what happens if you ask Google Home "is Obama planning a coup?" pic.twitter.com/MzmZqGOOal  Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) March 5, 2017

'The problematic examples I review don't appear to have been deliberate attempts,' Sullivan wrote.

'Rather, they seem to be the result of Google's algorithms and machine learning making bad selections.'

Sullivan said when he asked the speaker if US Republicans were the same as Nazis, the robot said yes.

Similarly, he cited an example in which Google's search engine listed four former US presidents as 'active and known' KKK members, even though there has been no conclusive historical evidence supporting that.

A fault with the Google Home's algorithm led it to read out a fake report claiming Barack Obama, pictured with Michelle at the White House in September, 2015, was planning a coup

The news comes amid a growing controversy over 'fake news' circulating online via Google or Facebook, and efforts by the internet giants to weed out hoaxes and misinformation.

In a statement to AFP, Google said its boxed results at the top of a search query, known as 'featured snippets,' are based on an algorithmic formula.

'Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content,' Google's statement said.

'When we are alerted to a featured snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused.'

Google also noted it includes a 'feedback' link under these snippets that can allow the search giant to flag or remove inappropriate content.

The technology giant launched the voice-activated device in the US last October but is yet to extend its release outside of the country.

However, the company has now confirmed Home will go on sale in the UK during the 'second quarter' of this year, meaning it will be released before the end of June.
A species of elusive deep-diving whale has been captured on film for the first time in its underwater environment.

The footage was recorded in the coastal waters of the Azores and shows three majestic True's beaked whales surfacing.

Trues beaked whales spend 92 per cent of their time underwater, which means sightings are scarce.

So far, only seven live sightings of the species have been reported in Macaronesia, a region in the North Atlantic ocean.

BEAKED WHALES True's beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae, the second largest family of cetaceans - which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Many of the 22 species of beaked whales are among the least known or understood mammals in the world. So rarely are they seen in the wild that three new species of beaked whales have been discovered in just the last two decades. Living in deep waters, usually far offshore, these creatures spend 92 per cent of their time underwater. Advertisement

The new footage was released by a group of international scientists, led by St Andrews University, who have been studying recorded sightings of the mammals.

It was captured by staff from a German educational firm who were leading a school expedition.

Three beaked whales surfaced and milled near a drifting small inflatable boat for about ten minutes, allowing the group the opportunity to capture the footage.

'Suddenly this group of whales appear from nowhere and start to surround the boat,' Natacha Aguilar de Soto, a marine biologist from the University of St Andrews told New Scientist.

'These are whales that very few people in the world have ever seen.'

So few people have seen them, that little is known about the appearance and behaviour of True's beaked whales.

This makes these species difficult to identify by whale experts.

But the latest footage provides some surprising new insights on their appearance and travel habits.

For instance, the researchers found variations in the Trues coloration.

A whale found off the Canary Islands had white markings from its beak to its blowhole.

The new footage was released by a group of international scientists, led by St Andrews University, who have been studying recorded sightings of True's beaked whales. It was captured by staff from a German educational firm who were leading a school expedition

So few people have seen True's beaked whales, that little is known about the appearance and behaviour of the mammals

This goes against the previous theory, based on mass strandings, that they were completely grey.

The footage also suggests the Northern Hemisphere territory of the elusive whale goes even farther south than previously observed.

As well as including the first underwater video of True's beaked whale, the video also reveals the first image of a very young calf in the wild, also shot in the Azores.

Their findings have been published in the journal Peerj.

This is the first image of a young calf of Trues beaked whales, showing a characteristic white band on the head and demonstrating that this band may occur in different development stages, rather than being a characteristic of specific sex or age

The first underwater images of True's beaked whales was shot by educators in the Azores, who filmed the unique recording while escorting school children on a whale watching trip

SCARCE SIGHTINGS Beaked whales break diving records, feeding at depths that can reach almost two miles deep (three kilometres) and last up to two hours. After these diving feats, they rest, performing shorter and shallower dives with brief surfacing intervals. These behaviours, combined with the fact that they live in small groups, are not usually attracted to boats, and do not perform aerial acrobatics as much as dolphins, mean that beaked whales are not easy to detect at sea. Many beaked whales also share colour patterns with other ziphiid species, making identification of the whales difficult during sea encounters when often only a short glimpse of their bodies is available. Advertisement

True's beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae, the second largest family of cetaceans - which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.

But many of the 22 species of beaked whales are among the least known or understood mammals in the world.

So rarely are they seen in the wild that three new species of beaked whales have been discovered in just the last two decades.

Living in deep waters, usually far offshore, these creatures spend 92 per cent of their time underwater.

Speaking in the report, its authors said of the findings: 'The relative abundance of live sightings of True's beaked whales in deep coastal waters off the Azores, and to some extent off the Canary Islands, suggests that these archipelagos could be ideal areas to research True's beaked whales in the wild.

'This is relevant because the identification of hot-spots where some species of beaked whales are found with reliability has provided most of our current knowledge about the natural behaviour of ziphiids.'

Beaked whales break diving records, feeding at depths that can reach almost two miles deep (three kilometres) and last up to two hours.

True's beaked whales sometimes breach and this gives observers a better opportunity to identify the species. Here, the two little white dots in the front of the beak show that this animal is a male True's beaked whale. Females do not have erupted teeth and males of other similar beaked whale species have the teeth in different positions along the mouth-line

The study collected data gathered by scientists from such standings and other sightings of the whales. This included whale watch companies and educational teams in the Azores and Canary Islands, which were revealed as an ideal location to study the elusive mammals

After these diving feats, they rest, performing shorter and shallower dives with brief surfacing intervals.

These behaviours, combined with the fact that they live in small groups, are not usually attracted to boats, and do not perform aerial acrobatics as much as dolphins, mean that beaked whales are not easy to detect at sea.

Many beaked whales also share colour patterns with other ziphiid species, making identification of the whales difficult during sea encounters when often only a short glimpse of their bodies is available.
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It has been described as a cross between 'an angry toaster and an old school Apple iMac on wheels'.

But this bizarre-looking driverless pod concept is what Volkswagen believes will be the future of self-driving cars.

Dubbed Sedric, the design was unveiled by VW ahead of the Geneva Motor Show this week.

The firm said it also plans to launch more than 30 purely battery-powered vehicles by 2025.

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Volkswagen have built a self-driving concept car called Sedric which is a so-called Level 5 vehicle capable of fully automated operation. Users can summon Sedric with the touch of a button, voice control or with a smartphone app

WHAT DOES SEDRIC DO? Users can summon Sedric with the touch of a button, voice control or with a smartphone app. Inside there are no pedal controls as the car is run by artificial intelligence. Passengers can talk to Sedric about the destination, how to get there and driving time. The battery-run car can carry up to four passengers - and no need for a license because no one is actually driving. It can also find parking spaces by itself, collect shopping or go and pickup friends from the station. Advertisement

The German carmaker is trying to position itself at the forefront of new technologies in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal.

The Wolfsburg-based company said 'battery technology, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence will become new core competences' for the company.

Europe's biggest carmaker has said it will invest billions of euros in electric cars, ride-hailing and automated driving.

The self-driving concept car - a so-called Level 5 vehicle capable of fully automated operation - is a precursor for more such models from the Volkswagen group in years to come, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said on Monday on the eve of car executives' annual gathering in Geneva.

Users can summon Sedric with the touch of a button, voice control or with a smartphone app and it will take its passengers to their destination - so no need for a driver's license.

When inside, passengers can talk to Sedric about the destination, how to get there, the driving time and current traffic situation.

A generated image of the inside of Sedric. There are no pedal controls and no driver as the battery-powered car is run by artificial intelligence. Passengers can talk to Sedric about the destination, how to get there, the driving time and current traffic situation

Volkswagen will show off a fully self-driving car at the Geneva auto show, as part of the German carmaker's drive to be at the forefront of new technologies in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal

Sedric can carry four passengers and could be used for ride-sharing fleets as well as for individual passengers.

The autonomous car can drive children to school and then take parents to the office, look independently for a parking space or collect shopping.

'It is the "Father" of numerous concepts for a new form of individual mobility.

'Soon Sedric will also get "children" and "grandchildren" with the Group's various brands', according to the company.

A Sedric concept car is displayed during a Volkswagen event prior to the 87th Geneva Auto Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday 6 March. Sedric can carry four passengers and could be used for ride-sharing fleets as well as for individual passengers

The autonomous car can do all kinds of chores - drive children to school, look independently for a parking space or collect shopping

Matthias Mueller, the CEO of Volkswagen, presented the VW autonomous concept car. The Wolfsburg-based company said 'battery technology, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence will become new core competences' for VW

VW is hiring top specialists and plans to spend several billions of euros on automated driving alone, Mr Mueller said, without being more specific.

The company is the first automobile manufacturer to present a Concept Car developed from scratch for autonomous driving.

With VW's family set to roll out 60 new vehicles this year, Mr Mueller said Sedric was part of a study aiming to show 'how a new, integrated mobility system of the future could function.'

Matthias Mueller, the CEO of Volkswagen, sits inside the VW autonomous concept car Sedric, during a presentation at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show. The battery-run car can carry up to four passengers - and no need for a license because no one is actually driving

The company is the first automobile manufacturer to present a Concept Car developed from scratch for autonomous driving. With VW's family set to roll out 60 new vehicles this year

Europe's biggest carmaker has said it will invest billions of euros in electric cars, ride-hailing and automated driving. Mr Mueller said Sedric was part of a study aiming to show 'how a new, integrated mobility system of the future could function'

Volkswagen has a badly dented image following the revelation that nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles deliberately circumvented U.S. emissions tests, and court cases continue against it.

Internet giant Google was a forerunner in self-driving technology with its 2015 prototype vehicle, but has since been challenged by companies ranging from Uber to Apple, as well as traditional carmakers.

Manufacturers and their suppliers are working on different technology suites - including cameras, radar and laser imaging technology lidar - to enable vehicles to drive themselves, but it will take years for these vehicles to come to market.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled its fully autonomous F 015 luxury concept two years ago.

However, Toyota has said it does not expect to see Level 5 cars in widespread use for another 10-15 years, while Ford does not plan to offer such vehicles for consumers until 2025 or later.
The three 'norths' are due to combine over Britain this month for the first time in history, and will stay over the country for the next three-and-a-half years. What this means is that true north, magnetic north and grid north will all line up, according to national mapping service Ordnance Survey. True north is the direction along the surface of the Earth that ends at the North Pole, while magnetic north points where the planet's magnetic field goes downwards. Grid north is the direction of the grid lines on maps, that usually point towards or near the North Pole. The three norths will make landfall at the village of Langton Matravers just west of Swanage in early November, before slowly travelling up the country. Dr Susan Macmillan, of the British Geological Survey, said: 'This is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Due to the unpredictability of the magnetic field on long timescales it's not possible to say when the alignment of the three norths will happen again.'
Humanity is currently producing data at exponential rates and we need devices to store it all.

Scientists are solving this modern problem with natures age-old solution for information-storage - DNA.

Using this amazing technique the team believe we could compress all the world's data into a single room.

Now researchers have been able to pack 215 petabytes of data on a single gram of DNA - 100 times more than previous efforts.

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Researchers from New York Genome Centre and Columbia University have used DNA to create the highest-density data-storage device ever. DNA is an ideal storage medium because it's ultra-compact and can last hundreds of thousands of years if kept in a cool, dry place

HOW DOES IT WORK? The researchers began with a method that converts the long strings of ones and zeros in digital data into the four basic blocks of DNA sequences  adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. The digital data was then chopped into pieces and stored by synthesizing a massive number of tiny DNA molecules, which can be dehydrated and preserved for a long time. In all they generated a digital list of 72,000 DNA strands, each 200 bases long. To retrieve their files, they used modern sequencing technology to read the DNA strands, followed by software to translate the genetic code back into binary. They recovered their files with zero errors. Advertisement

Researchers Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski from New York Genome Centre and Columbia University created a algorithm, called DNA Fountain, which could provide large-capacity information storage.

Using the algorithm researchers squeezed six files into a single speck of DNA - a full computer operating system, an 1895 French film, 'Arrival of a train at La Ciotat,' a $50 Amazon gift card, a computer virus, a Pioneer plaque and a 1948 study by information theorist Claude Shannon.

The algorithm can unlock DNAs nearly full storage potential by squeezing more information into its four base nucleotides.

The team believe they are approaching the theoretical maximum for data storage.

'DNA won't degrade over time like cassette tapes and CDs, and it won't become obsolete  if it does, we have bigger problems,' said Yaniv Erlich from Columbia University.

The result, according to Dr Erlich, is the 'highest-density data-storage device ever created.'

DNA is an ideal storage medium because it's ultra-compact and can last hundreds of thousands of years if kept in a cool, dry place.

The technique could help us preserve knowledge forever - unlike current technology media which gets all kinds of faults with time, according to the paper published in the Science Mag for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr Erlich and Zielinski compressed the files into a master file, and then split the data into short strings of binary code made up of ones and zeros.

Using an erasure-correcting algorithm DNA Fountain they randomly packaged the strings into so-called droplets, and mapped the ones and zeros in each droplet to the four nucleotide bases in DNA: A, G, C and T.

The algorithm deleted letter combinations known to create errors, and added a barcode to each droplet to help reassemble the files later.

Scientists chose chose six files to encode into DNA: A full computer operating system, an 1895 French film, 'Arrival of a train at La Ciotat,' a $50 Amazon gift card, a computer virus, a Pioneer plaque and a 1948 study by information theorist Claude Shannon

In all they generated a digital list of 72,000 DNA strands, each 200 bases long.

To retrieve their files, they used modern sequencing technology to read the DNA strands, followed by software to translate the genetic code back into binary.

They recovered their files with zero errors.

The researchers show that their coding strategy packs 215 petabytes of data on a single gram of DNA - 100 times more than previous efforts.

Using an erasure-correcting algorithm DNA Fountain the researchers randomly packaged the strings into so-called droplets, and mapped the ones and zeros in each droplet to the four nucleotide bases in DNA: A, G, C and T. In all they generated a digital list of 72,000 DNA strands, each 200 bases long

Cost still remains a barrier. The researchers spent $7,000 (5,700) to synthesize the DNA they used to archive their 2 megabytes of data, and another $2,000 (1,600) to read it.

Though the price of DNA sequencing has fallen exponentially, there may not be the same demand for DNA synthesis, says Sri Kosuri, a biochemistry professor at UCLA who was not involved in the study.

'Investors may not be willing to risk tons of money to bring costs down,' he said.

But the price of DNA synthesis can be vastly reduced if lower-quality molecules are produced, and coding strategies like DNA Fountain are used to fix molecular errors, says Dr Erlich.

'We can do more of the heavy lifting on the computer to take the burden off time-intensive molecular coding,' he said.
A new species of frog found in South America is the first amphibian to be named after Sir David Attenborough - and it is already endangered.

There are already a number of species named after 90-year-old national treasure Sir David, including mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants.

However, this is the first time the veteran broadcaster and naturalist been honoured with an amphibian.

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A newly discovered species of fleshbelly frog found in rainforests of central Peru will bear the broadcasters name. Pictured is a typical example of a male Pristimantis attenboroughi

ATTENBOROUGH'S RUBBER FROG Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located in central Peru. The adult males reach size of 14.6 to 19.2mms in length, while the females are larger measuring between 19.2 and 23mms. Their ground colour ranges from pale to dark gray, or reddish brown to brownish olive with dark gray scattered flecks. Meanwhile, the juveniles are paler with contrasting dark brown flecks and distinct stripes. Advertisement

A new fleshbelly frog, recently discovered in the Peruvian Andes, is formally described as Pristimantis attenboroughi, while commonly it is to be referred to as the Attenborough's Rubber Frog.

It was discovered by scientists Dr Edgar Lehr from Illinois Wesleyan University, and Dr Rudolf von May from the University of Michigan who spent two years surveying montane forests in central Peru.

During that time, they documented amphibians and reptiles in the area in order to evaluate their conservation statuses.

Their efforts have been rewarded with several new species of frogs and a new spectacled lizard, according to a report published in the journal ZooKeys.

The Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located in central Peru.

The adult males reach size of 14.6 to 19.2mms in length, while the females are larger measuring between 19.2 and 23mms.

Their ground colour ranges from pale to dark gray, or reddish brown to brownish olive with dark gray scattered flecks.

Meanwhile, the juveniles are paler with contrasting dark brown flecks and distinct stripes.

Among the numerous namesakes of Sir Attenborough (pictured) are a rare genus of flowering plants, a species of butterfly commonly known as Attenborough's black-eyed satyr, a type of flightless weevil, number of extinct species

Due to the amphibian being known from fewer than 10 localities, the species should be deemed either Vulnerable or Endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature 'Red List' Categories and Criteria.

ENDANGERED? Some experts believe the frog should be considered at risk of extinction, due to the amphibian being found in fewer than ten locations. The species should be deemed either 'vulnerable' or 'endangered', according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature 'Red List' Categories and Criteria. The study's authors suggest that Attenborough's Rubber frog should be listed as 'near threatened' instead. Its home is formally protected and still largely unknown, so there may be additional populations waiting to be discovered. But the academics added that factors including fungal infections, climate change and pollution continue to be threats for many Andean amphibians even inside protected areas. Advertisement

But the scientists suggest that the Attenborough's Rubber frog should be listed as 'Near Threatened' instead, since the Piu Piu forest is formally protected and still largely unknown, so it is likely that there are more additional populations of the new species.

But they said factors such as fungal infections, climate change, pollution, and man-made fires continue to be threats for many Andean amphibians even inside protected areas.

Dr Lehr, of Illinois Wesleyan University, said: 'We dedicate this species to Sir David Frederick Attenborough in honour for his educational documentaries on wildlife, especially on amphibians, and for raising awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.'

Among the numerous namesakes of Sir Attenborough are a rare genus of flowering plants, a species of butterfly commonly known as Attenborough's black-eyed satyr, a type of flightless weevil and a number of extinct species.

But this is the first has veteran broadcaster has been honoured with an amphibian.

A female Attenborough's Rubber Frog guarding her eggs in a moss pad

Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located in central Peru

This is the type of location inhabited by Pristimantis attenboroughi. Pictured is the upper Tarhuish valley at Laguna Udrecocha, Puna, at 3,936 metres above sea level

Earlier this year, after five years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats in India, researchers discovered seven new frog species, known as Night Frogs.

The adorable creatures are among the smallest in the world, and four of the new species are tiny enough to fit on a fingernail.

Despite only just being discovered, the researchers warned that five of the new species are also under threat of extinction, and urged environmentalists to set up conservation programmes immediately.
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Hyperloop, a futuristic transit system that allows travellers to reach their destinations at near-supersonic speeds, is coming a step closer to reality.

Los Angeles-based start-up Hyperloop One has unveiled new photographs of its full-scale prototype, which stretches for more than 1,600ft (500 metres) across the Nevada Desert.

The first tube of 'DevLoop', which looks set to become the first full Hyperloop system, is now being put through its paces in the desert in North Las Vegas.

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Hyperloop One has released never-before-seen images of its development site ('DevLoop') in the Nevada desert, featuring its first large-scale prototype (pictured)

WHAT IS DEVLOOP? The 'DevLoop' project, short for 'development Hyperloop', will test both track and pod systems. If the company completes this DevLoop, it will be the first full-scale Hyperloop system and the world will see a whole new mode of transportation. The 1.8 mile (3 km) full-scale and full speed enclosed prototype is taking shape in the desert in North Las Vegas in Nevada. Advertisement

Hyperloop One released the never-before-seen images at a conference for Middle East Rail, held in Dubai.

Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, shared a bird's-eye view of how construction is progressing at the world's only Hyperloop test site.

'While technology is revolutionizing many facets of our lives, we have not seen a radical change in transportation since the Wright brothers introduced air travel over 100 years ago,' said Mr Lloyd.

'Tying together the Middle East region would produce greater virtual density, without congestion and pollution, spurring innovation, productivity, job growth and more powerful sharing of knowledge, labor and investment.

'Building a Hyperloop would vastly impact the economy and make any major city in the GCC accessible within one hour.'

Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, shared a bird's-eye view of how construction is progressing on the prototype for the world's most futuristic transit system

The company is expected to perform a public trial in the first half of 2017.

If the companies complete this DevLoop, it will be the first full-scale Hyperloop system and the world will see a whole new mode of transportation.

The 1.8 mile (3 km) full-scale and full speed enclosed prototype is taking shape in the desert in North Las Vegas in Nevada.

The prototype stretches for more than 1,600ft (500 metres) across the Nevada Desert and will be tested later this year

Josh Giegel, co-founder of Hyperloop One, said: 'I am so excited to be able to share images of DevLoop at Middle East Rail and update the world on our progress.

'Our team of more than 150 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been transforming what was, just over five months ago, a barren stretch of desert, into a hive of activity and now home to the world's first full-scale Hyperloop test site.

'We have come so far in such a short space of time, and our team of over 240 employees are working tirelessly to eliminate the barriers of distance and time and reinvent transportation.'

The Hyperloop's co-founder Josh Giegel said a team of 150 people 'transformed the barren stretch of desert' by building the prototype

Speaking at a Middle Eastern Rail conference in Dubai, Mr LLoyd said the futuristic system of tubes will to the most 'radical change in transportation' since the aeroplane

Hyperloop is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum.

The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes.

The DevLoop tube will contain a low-pressure environment to achieve speeds of more than 700 mph (1126 km/h) with pods full transporting people or cargo.

The 'DevLoop' project, short for 'development Hyperloop', will test both track and pod systems.

Passengers would sit in either individual or group pods, which would be accelerated with magnets.

Hyperloop One has raised a total of $160 million (128 million) to date in order to make DevLoop a reality.

Around 240 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been working on the prototype in the Nevada Desert for the last five months

The first tube of 'DevLoop', which looks set to become the first full hyperloop system, was first installed in a desert in North Las Vegas in November 2016 (pictured)

If the companies complete this DevLoop, it will be the first full-scale hyperloop system and the world will see a whole new mode of transportation

'Our co-founder was out at our test&dev site today to congratulate the team on our big week w/1st tube!' the company tweeted

Hyperloop is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum. The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes

The DevLoop tube will contain a low-pressure environment to achieve speeds of up to 700 mph (1126 km/h) with pods full transporting people or cargo

Hyperloop One has raised a total of $160 million (128 million) to date in order to make DevLoop a reality. The company hopes to reach speeds of 700 mph (1126 km/h) with DevLoop in early 2017

HYPERLOOP IN EUROPE Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) met with Slovakian government officials earlier this year to finalise and sign an agreement. They are looking to build a local Hyperloop system, with the vision of creating future routes connecting Bratislava with Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary. They wants the first stage to be complete by 2020. But the company has not secured funding yet, and the project is expected to cost $200-300 million (141  211 million). Hyperloop One is working with FS-Links AB on a Hyperloop system that will operate between Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Advertisement

The company hopes to reach speeds of 700 mph (1126 km/h) with DevLoop in early 2017.

The first public test of the Hyperloop system went off without a hitch in 2016.

The seconds-long, outdoor demonstration featured a sled of metal gliding across a 3,280 foot (1,000 metre) track.

The sled accelerated at 2.5G and reached a top speed of 116mph in two seconds before disappearing into a cloud against the desert landscape.

But engineers still have a long way to go before building the full-scale system envisioned by Elon Musk.

The demonstration focused on only one piece of a very challenging design, and was run on traditional rail tracks rather than in semi-vacuum tube to reduce air resistance.

'This is about validating the hardware and software,' said Hyperloop One co-founder and chief technology officer Brogan BamBrogan, at the time.

'By the end of the year hopefully we'll have a full test, with the sled in a tube accelerating with our custom propulsion.'

The sled bracketed to the rail was slung into motion using magnetic force generated by engines referred to as 'stators' set in a line at the start of the track.

Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at 740mph (1,200km/h) between distant locations

The idea behind hyperloop was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes - half the time it takes a plane

Passengers would sit in either individual or group pods, which would then be accelerated with magnets

Capsules carrying six to eight people would depart every 30 seconds, with tickets costing around $20 (13) each way. The cost of building a line from LA to San Francisco has been estimated at $16 billion (10 billion) - although critics say it would be nearer $100 billion (65 billion)

The first public test of the Hyperloop system went off without a hitch earlier this year, also in the Nevada desert. The Hyperloop One test track is shown

Dubai officials announced a deal with Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi within the next five years.

The announcement of the deal took place atop the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, with the panorama view of the skyline of this futuristic city-state serving as both a backdrop and a sign of Dubai's desire to be the first to rush toward the future.

Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Hyperloop One are working along with engineering and architecture firms AECOM and Arup to introduce the world's first Hyperloop in Dubai.

Hyperloop One estimates the Hyperloop would cut the two-hour trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi down to 12 minutes.

This is significantly down from the hour-plus journey it now takes by car between the two cities.

BIG revealed its designs for the world's first Hyperloop transportation system earlier in November, featuring sleek, glass-walled cubic pods just large enough for six passengers to relax in.

The system could later be expanded to link the UAE with neighbouring Gulf countries so that a trip between Dubai and Saudi capital Riyadh - currently two hours by plane - could be completed in under 50 minutes.

A spokesman from Hyperloop One told MailOnline the company plans to build the system within five years.

'Technology is evolving and transforming how we live, yet we lack real innovation in mass transportation and the current system has stagnated,' said Shervin Pishevar, Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One.

'Hyperloop One is focused on transport that's far more efficient, fast and clean. It will change the dynamics of how we move goods and people.

 Slide me  How the tubes will work: Two two tubes will be used to allow trains to travel both ways on the system

The futuristic city-state of Dubai announced a deal with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One, to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi. Artist's impression of the Hyperloop with Dubai in the background, pictured

Pods would also be able to operate autonomously away from the pressurized tubes, meaning they could travel on regular roads.

Inside a pod: Different interior environments and seating arrangements offer passengers a travel experience tailored to their needs, whether travelling solo or in groups, for business meetings or casual trips

'Dubai makes perfect sense for Hyperloop One because this is the 21st century's global transport hub and its leaders understand that Hyperloop One is ushering in the next era of transportation.'

Hyperloop One is working with McKinsey & Co. and the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on a detailed feasibility study.

According to BIG, the design of the scheme is based on a study of 'how an urban and inter-city transport network should integrate with existing infrastructure.'

They describe it as autonomous, point-to-point and able to vastly simplify the experience of 'getting from front-door to final destination.'

The locations of the initial route in the UAE were selected by passenger density and proximity to existing or planned transportation hubs.

The designers said that 'all of the portals have been designed as individual answers to different contexts, yet appear similar and easily recognizable.'

According to the designers, 'all elements of the travel experience are designed to increase convenience and reduce interruptions.

The main objective of the design is to eliminate waiting from the passenger experience.

Hence, the stations are called portals.

All departure gates are immediately visible upon entering the portal, and a simple numbering system allows passengers to quickly identify them.

The announcement of the deal took place atop the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, with the panorama view of the skyline of this futuristic city-state serving as both a backdrop and a sign of Dubai's desire to be the first to rush toward the future.

Rob Lloyd, the CEO of Hyperloop One, left, shows a model to Emirati officials including Mattar al-Tayer, the director-general and chairman of Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority, third left, in Dubai.

Passengers will travel in pods that have room for 6 people.

The pods are contained within a transporter, a pressure vessel attached to a chassis for levitation and propulsion that can accelerate the transporter to 1,100km/h.'

'Passengers board the next pod that is available, which moves onto a transporter to their final destination.

The relatively small unit-size of the pods paired with a high arrival and departure-rate allows for on-demand travel.

Different interior environments and seating arrangements offer passengers a travel experience tailored to their needs, whether travelling solo or in groups, for business meetings or casual trips.'

The Hyperloop station design for the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.

The two designs will fit into the existing city infrastructure, the designers claim

'The pods operate autonomously from the transporter, which means they are not limited to the portal area and can move on regular roads and pick up passengers at any point.

'At portals, pods are loaded onto the transporter and hyperjump to another portal, where they merge onto the street and drop passengers off at their final destination.'

No financial terms were immediately discussed and the technology itself remains under testing.

'This is an opportunity to help transform the UAE from a technology consumer to a technology creator, incubating expertise for a new global industry, in line with the UAE's Vision 2021,' Chairman of the RTA, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, commented on the agreement.

There would be several stations throughout Dubai connecting the hyperloop system to Abu Dhabi. The amin station there is pictured here.

At portals, pods are loaded onto the transporter and hyperjump to another portal, where they merge onto the street and drop passengers off at their final destination.

An Emirati takes a photograph of the Hyperloop One logo with his mobile phone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The futuristic city-state of Dubai announced a deal on Tuesday with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.

'With Hyperloop One, we will create a new means of transportation, keeping our region at the forefront of transportation technology and innovation.'

There would be several stations throughout Dubai connecting the Hyperloop system to Abu Dhabi.

The pods would then be able to carry passengers and cargo between the cities.

Already, government-backed port operator DP World has signed an agreement with Hyperloop One to explore the feasibility of the using the technology at Dubai's sprawling, man-made Jebel Ali Port.

'With Hyperloop One we have given form to a mobility ecosystem of pods and portals, where the waiting hall has vanished along with waiting itself,' says Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG.

'Collective commuting with individual freedom at near supersonic speed.

'We are heading for a future where our mental map of the city is completely reconfigured, as our habitual understanding of distance and proximity  time and space  is warped by this virgin form of travel.'

Hyperloop One will work with McKinsey & Co. and the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on a detailed feasibility study

'The momentum is global and accelerating,' adds Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd.

'The world will see the test of the first full-scale Hyperloop system in early 2017 at our Test and Safety Site in Nevada and we will have multiple operational Hyperloop systems within five years.'

In October, Dubai hosted a competition to design a Hyperloop track.

In that 48-hour project, designers presented ideas for a possible track between Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai International Airport and Fujairah International Airport.

Under their plans, the Hyperloop trip of some 90 miles (145km) over a mountain range would be 10 minutes or less, compared to the current hour and 20 minutes by road.

There would be several stations throughout Dubai connecting the hyperloop system to Abu Dhabi. The pods would then be able to carry passengers and cargo between the cities. Artist's impression of the pods pictured

The hyperloop is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum. The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

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PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

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Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

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Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, has revealed how its New Glenn 'megarocket' will operate - and revealed its first customer.

The reusable rocket will be able to land on a drone ship, and is expected to blast off in 2021 with France's Eutelsat Communications SA as its first customer for satellite launch services, Bezos said.

It will compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon Heavy, which is expected to send tourists around the moon next year.

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The reusable rocket is expected to blast off in 2021 with France's Eutelsat Communications SA as its first customer for satellite launch services, Bezos said.

'We couldnt hope for a better first partner,' Bezos said during a keynote address at the Satellite 2017 conference in Washington.

The target date for the first launch is around 2021, Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer said.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

New Glenn is a follow-on program to Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard launch system, a rocket and capsule designed to fly payloads and passengers to about 62 miles above the planet.

Test flights with crew members aboard are expected to begin this year.

The company has not yet set a price for rides.

Like New Shepard, the New Glenn booster is designed to fly itself back to Earth so it can be recovered and reflown, slashing launch costs.

Tech billionaire Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, also favors this approach.

New Glenn will have about twice the lift capacity of SpaceXs current Falcon 9 rocket, with the ability to put about 100,000 pounds (45,400 kg) into low-altitude Earth orbits.

Blue Origin will compete with SpaceX, as well as the United Launch Alliance owned by Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, Europes Arianespace and other companies, for commercial satellite launch business.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin and CEO of Amazon, speaks about the future plans of Blue Origin during an address to attendees at Access Intelligence's SATELLITE 2017 conference in Washington.

Eutelsat operates a fleet of 39 communications satellites launched by several companies, including SpaceX, whose launches sell for about $62 million, the companys website shows.

'We think that our role as an industry leader is to stimulate competition so that there is a stream of innovation ... and that access to space is easier,' Belmer said.

'When the opportunity of ... New Glenn presented itself, we jumped on it.'

Bezos said his goal was to lower the cost of flights so that millions of people can live and work in space.

His vision is to shift energy-intensive, heavy industry into orbit and preserve Earth for human life, while Musk wants to colonize Mars.

'We couldnt hope for a better first partner,' Bezos said during a keynote address at the Satellite 2017 conference in Washington. The target date for the first launch is around 2021, Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer said.

Yesterday Bezos revealed his space firm Blue Origin has finished building its first 'megarocket' engine.

The BE-4 engine will be one of seven powering the firm's New Glenn 2- and 3-stage rocket.

Like its predecessor the New Shephard and SpaceX's Dragon, it will be a reusable space vehicle with a first stage capable of returning to the launch site and landing itself upright after each flight.

The BE-4 engine will be one of seven powering the firm's New Glenn 2- and 3-stage rocket, which will have enough power to put heavy cargo payloads and astronauts into orbit around the Earth.

The engine is a major step forward for the fledgling space firm

'1st BE-4 engine fully assembled. 2nd and 3rd following close behind,' Bezos tweeted.

Bezos, left and Musk, right are locked in a battle to create reusable rocket systems

Unlike the smaller New Shepard, the Glenn will have enough power (using either configuration) to put heavy cargo payloads and astronauts into orbit around the Earth, putting it in direct competition with SpaceX's upcoming Dragon Heavy, which will also launch paying customers around the moon, it was revealed last week.

The BE-4 engines will now undergo rigorous certification at Blue Origin's West Texas-based test site until the rocket is ready for its first tests in 2019.

The New Glenn itself is still years away from its maiden voyage, and the factory where it will be built is still under construction in Cape Canaveral.

The BE-4 engines will undergo rigorous certification at Blue Origin's West Texas-based test site until then.

Last week Bezos revealed what its first missions could be.

The boss of Amazon, says he wants to start delivering equipment to the moon to help set up the first human settlement.

The Earth-to-Moon cargo delivery service would carry as much as 10,000 pounds of goods to the Moon's South Pole and could be lifting off in 2020.

BLUE ORIGIN'S NEW GLENN Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled the new rocket in October last year that will launch payloads and people into orbit. Called 'New Glenn', this launcher comes in two stages that make it larger than SpaceX's future Heavy rocket. 'New Glenn 3-stage' is 23 feet in diameter and stands 313 feet tall. And 'New Glenn 2-stage' is also 23 feet in diameter, but measures 270 feet tall. Each stage lifts off with 3.85 million pounds of thrust from seven BE-4 engines. Blue Origin has a range of rockets. As well as sending goods to the moon in 2020, the firm has also confirmed that it is still on schedule to send paying customers into orbit as soon as 2018 A single vacuum-optimized BE-3 engine, burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, will power New Glenn's third stage. However, the booster and the second stage are identical in both variants. Blue Origin plans to fly New Glen by the end of the decade from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft come in two stages that are designed with half the power of Nasa's Saturn V launcher, and will bring Blue Origin one-step closer to its goal of 'millions of people living and working in space'. Bezos said the tests had validated the design. A second picture revealed the bottom of the rocket Advertisement

Bezos owns a private space company called Blue Origin and he hopes it will provide the lunar equivalent of Amazon Prime.

It will mainly be delivering equipment that early moon settlers would need, he wrote in a white paper outlining his ideas.

Bezos has already reserved his parking spot near the Shackleton Crater on the South Pole.

It's a prime spot because it has constant sunlight and water nearby could be used as a source of hydrogen for rocket fuel, according to The Verge.

Jeff Bezos owns a private space company called Blue Origin which he hopes to use to deliver equipment for early settlers on the moon - it could be the lunar equivalent of Amazon Prime

The sunny spots of the moon are quickly becoming valuable real estate.

Shackleton Crater could be turned into 'an oasis of warm sunlight surrounded by a desert of freezing cold darkness' Nasa said.

Some experts believe that that routinely parking a piece of equipment on one spot could mean they take ownership of that piece of land.

This cargo service would help to enable 'future human settlement' of the moon, Mr Bezos wrote in his white paper, which was obtained by the Washington Post.

Bezos (pictured) has already reserved his parking spot - near the Shackleton Crater on the south pole. It's a prime spot because it has constant sunlight and water nearby could be used as a source of hydrogen for rocket fuel

'It is time for America to return to the Moon  this time to stay,' Bezos told Washington Post.

'A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this', he said.

This proposal came just days after Elon Musk said his company would fly two citizens around the moon next year.

This cargo service would help to enable 'future human settlement' of the moon. 'It is time for America to return to the Moon  this time to stay,' Bezos said

The Earth-to-Moon cargo delivery service would carry as much as 10,000 pounds of goods to the Moon's South Pole and could be up and running by 2020

Rather than visiting and then leaving, Bezos' plans would mean actually leaving things on the moon for the first time.

He said the mission could only happen with partnership with Nasa.

'Our liquid hydrogen expertise and experience with precision vertical landing offer the fastest path to a lunar lander mission.

'I'm excited about this and am ready to invest my own money alongside NASA to make it happen', he wrote in the white paper.

With the help of Nasa, Bezos wants to develop 'incentives in the private sector to demonstrate a commercial lunar cargo delivery service'.

With the help of NASA, Bezos wants to develop a commercial lunar cargo delivery service

Just last month, Nasa's top staff were given instructions to assess the feasibility of sending humans to space with the first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The mission was originally designed to be uncrewed, and was set to launch in 2018.

In a press conference in February, officials leading the study revealed the evaluations are now well underway, and they've already created a 'hard, crisp list' of everything that will need to change 'from a hardware standpoint' in order to add crew.

THE RACE TO BUILD REUSABLE ROCKETS Reusable rockets would cut costs and waste in the space industry, which currently loses millions of dollars in jettisoned machinery after each launch. Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency are also developing similar technology and are in testing stages. Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and owner of The Washington Post newspaper, said last month that Blue Origin expects to begin crewed test flights of the New Shepard, the company's flagship rocket, next year and begin flying paying passengers as early as 2018. SpaceX has managed to land four rockets from space back on Earth, three on sea and one on land, while Blue Origin's New Shepard successfully completed a third launch and vertical landing in April this year. The Indian space agency also hopes to develop its own frugal shuttle, as it seeks to cash in on a huge and lucrative demand from other countries to send up their satellites, after a successful test launch last month. Advertisement

Blue Origin space firm has confirmed that it is still on schedule to send paying customers into orbit as soon as 2018.

The company completed a crucial in-flight escape pod test on its New Shepard rocket in October last year.

'We're still on track for flying people  our test astronauts  by the end of 2017, and then starting commercial flights in 2018,' said Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson, speaking at the International Symposium on Commercial and Personal Spaceflight (ISPCS) in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The company expects to build six New Shepard vehicles, which are designed to autonomously fly six passengers to more than 62 miles (100 km) above Earth, high enough to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the planet set against the blackness of space.
Researchers have discovered the remains of a dinosaurs last meal, preserved for roughly 180 million years in the ghost-gut of a 6-meter-long herbivore.

The fossils found in Argentina belong to a newly described dinosaur species, which dates back to the Early Jurassic.

An analysis of the gut contents reveals these creatures likely gobbled their meals without chewing, and may have played an important role in seed dispersal across the ancient Patagonian landscape.

Researchers have discovered the remains of a dinosaurs last meal, preserved for roughly 180 million years in the ghost-gut of a 6-meter-long herbivore. While the gut itself has since decayed away, it left behind the indubitable remains of cycads and other plant seeds

DINO'S LAST MEAL Along with the fossilized bones, researchers discovered indubitable remains of cycads and other plant seeds in the place where the gut was. Some even appeared as though they hadnt been chewed at all before the dinosaur ingested them. Cycads can produce harmful toxic compounds  including cycasin  which are stored in the stems, leaves, and seeds. But, these dinosaurs were likely equipped with active enzymes in their microbial gut flora that can break these harmful chemicals down. After those seeds were eaten, they would be processed by the gut flora, and those with a thick, hard inner tissue would be excreted as seed kernels. Advertisement

The bones of the new species of ornithischian dinosaur, now known as Isaberrysaura mollensis, were discovered in the marine-deltaic deposits of the Los Molles Formation in Argentina.

And, along with finding a near-complete skull and much of the skeleton, researchers found that some of the gut content was still intact.

While the gut itself has since decayed away, it left behind the indubitable remains of cycads and other plant seeds.

This, the researchers explain, helps to paint a picture of the relationship between this extinct species and its ecosystem.

Dinosaurs were present in most terrestrial ecosystems for about 185 million years, interacting with their physical environment and other living organisms, including plants, the authors explain in the paper, published to the journal Scientific Reports.

As in modern ecosystems, there were complex ecological relations between plants and plant-eating organisms.

However, there is little evidence of the type and the parts of plants on which different phytophagous dinosaurs fed.

Analysis of the gut contents revealed that the seeds were permineralized  meaning theyd been replaced by hard minerals over the years.

And, some appeared as though they hadnt been chewed at all before the dinosaur ingested them.

The largest fossil seeds were found with an entire sarcotesta, suggesting that they were gobbled down, and not chewed, the authors wrote.

And, along with finding a near-complete skull (pictured) and much of the skeleton, researchers found that some of the gut content was still intact.

The bones of the new species of ornithischian dinosaur, now known as Isaberrysaura mollensis, were discovered in the marine-deltaic deposits of the Los Molles Formation in Argentina

This is consistent with the morphology of the maxillary teeth of Isaberrysaura mollensis and analogous with some living tetrapods (e.g. elephants and peccaries), which eat the seeds of cycads but avoid masticating them.

According to the researchers, cycads can produce harmful toxic compounds  including cycasin  which are stored in the stems, leaves, and seeds.

But, these dinosaurs were likely equipped with active enzymes in their microbial gut flora that can break these harmful chemicals down.

After those seeds were eaten, they would be processed by the gut flora, and those with a thick, hard inner tissue would be excreted as seed kernels.

Based on this, the researchers explain, the discovery suggests this species may have played an 'unexpected role' in seed dispersal.
When you age, it's normal to become slightly more forgetful and less mentally sharp.

But when it comes to music, older people are just as able to spot a bad song as young people.

Researchers found that people over the age of 62 were just as able to detect a 'bad song' as people under the age of 33.

To conduct the study, researchers at Goldsmith's, University of London recruited 29 neurologically healthy adult volunteers. The were divided into two groups: younger adults aged between 19 and 32 years old, and older adults aged between 62 and 76 years old. The participants all listened to 100 melodies written by a professional composer especially for the research, 50 of which had an expected ending, while the other 50 had an unexpected ending

The research is based on a key aspect underlying what makes people enjoy music: The ability to predict what note, or set of notes, is likely to follow after hearing the first part of a melody.

When the note isn't what was expected, it can be pleasing to the listener, but frequent deviations to the expected tune are likely to be disliked or not understood.

To conduct the study, researchers at Goldsmith's, University of London recruited 29 neurologically healthy adult volunteers.

The were divided into two groups: younger adults aged between 19 and 32 years old, and older adults aged between 62 and 76 years old.

The participants all listened to 100 melodies written by a professional composer especially for the research, 50 of which had an expected ending, while the other 50 had an unexpected ending.

Participants sat in front of a computer in a dimly lit room while listening to the melodies, and at the end of each melody they were told to rate the 'goodness-of-fit' of the last note of the melody, on a scale of 1 (very good) to 4 (very bad).

The researchers analyzed data on the participants' ratings, as well as 'event-related potential' (ERP) - the measured brain response to a specific sensory event.

ERP measurements require a technique called electroencephalography (EEG) to record the electrical activity of the brain.

It's usually noninvasive and uses flat metal disc electrodes attached to the scalp.

Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses, and this shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording.

The researchers found that both groups rated the melodies with unexpected endings as having a poorer fit compared to the ones with expected endings. But the ERP brain responses differed between the two groups. At the end of each melody, older adults showed a brain response that was both larger and spread in a wider region of the brain

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that both groups rated the melodies with unexpected endings as having a poorer fit compared to the ones with expected endings.

But the ERP brain responses differed between the two groups.

At the end of both types of melodies, older adults showed a brain response that was both larger and spread in a wider region of the brain than in younger adults

Dr Joydeep Bhattacharya, a Professor of Psychology at Goldsmith's and the lead author of the study, told New Scientist: 'Recruiting a broader region perhaps compensates for the expected impairment that often takes place with age.'

The study concluded that older adults refine their understanding of this aspect of music throughout life, with the ability supported by changing patterns in brain activity.

HOW THEY DID THE STUDY The research is based on they key thing behind what makes people enjoy music: The ability to predict what note, or set of notes, is likely to follow after hearing the first part of a melody. When the note isn't what was expected, it can be pleasing to the listener, but frequent deviations to the expected tune are likely to be disliked or not understood. To conduct the study, researchers at Goldsmith's, University of London recruited 29 neurologically healthy adult volunteers. The were divided into two groups: younger adults aged between 19 and 32 years old, and older adults aged between 62 and 76 years old. The participants all listened to 100 melodies written by a professional composer especially for the research, 50 of which had an expected ending, while the other 50 had an unexpected ending. Participants sat in front of a computer in a dimly lit room while listening to the melodies, and at the end of each melody they were told to rate the 'goodness-of-fit' of the last note of the melody, on a scale of 1 (very good) to 4 (very bad). The researchers analyzed data on the participants' ratings, as well as 'event-related potential' (ERP) - the measured brain response to a specific sensory event. ERP measurements require a technique called electroencephalography (EEG) to record the electrical activity of the brain. It's usually noninvasive and uses flat metal disc electrodes attached to the scalp. Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses, and this shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording. Advertisement




A drone is being hailed a hero in New York City.

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) employed a drone to assist firefighters in extinguishing a 4-alarm blaze in the Bronx on Monday.

Using the drone's cameras, firefighters on the ground were able to get a bird's-eye view of the building and help direct those working to put out the flames on the roof.

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The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) employed a drone to assist firefighters in extinguishing a 4-alarm blaze in the Bronx on Monday. Using the drone's cameras, firefighters on the ground were able to get a bird's-eye view of the burning building

THE FDNY DRONE The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) used a drone to assist firefighters in extinguishing a 4-alarm blaze in the Bronx on Monday at 6:20PM. Drone is fitted with a high-def and infrared camera. Allowed it to capture a bird's-eye view of the 6-story building that was one fire. Drone captured and transmitted live images of the fire to the Chief in charge and others responsible for the mission. This allowed them to direct those on the roof. Advertisement

The fire broke out around 6:20 pm Monday night on the top floor of a 6-story apartment building near Cortona Park North and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.

'We deployed the drone for the first time in support of a 4th alarm fire in the Bronx,' said FDNY Director of FDNY Operations Center, Timothy Herlocker.

'We were able to get a good view of the roof, which allowed the Incident Commander on the ground to view the Firefighters as they were conducting roof operations, venting the roof and putting water on the fire.'

The tethered drone, which cost $85,000, weighs 8 pounds and is fitted with both a high-definition and infrared camera.

These capabilities allow the drone to transmit live images of a fire operation to the Chief in charge of the incident.

The fire broke out around 6:20 pm Monday night on the top floor of a 6-story apartment building near Cortona Park North and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. The Chiefs on the ground were able to monitor the other firefighters via a screen thanks to the drone

The tethered drone, which cost $85,000, weighs 8 pounds and is fitted with both a high-definition and infrared camera. These capabilities allow the drone to transmit live images of a fire operation to the Chief in charge of the incident

And the cameras on the drone gives Chiefs at the command post a close look at where firefighters are working on the roof.

This ability lets them help navigate those on the roof to where the fire is and also lets them to monitor those firefighters who are putting their lives on the line.

The images are then fed directly to the Incident Commander, which is a designated person in charge of all aspects of the emergency response.

And it is also shared with senior decision makers in the Fire Department through the FDNY Operations Center.

'This fire was helped by our drone, said Deputy Assistant Chief Dan Donoghue, the incident commander at the 4th alarm fire.

The drone (circled) let those one the ground get a bird's-eye view of the blazing 6-story building. The drone (left) is fitted with both high-definition and infrared cameras

'The roof started to fail and we had a lot of great radio reports but that's only verbal, so with the drone we had good visual pictures and it really helped us make decisions to put this fire out and keep our members safe.'

Approximately 168 firefighters responded to the scene Monday night and two suffered minor injuries while tackling the 4-alarm blaze.

It has not yet been revealed by the FDNY what caused the fire, but all of the residents evacuated the building shortly after the fire broke out.
A new robo nurse that measures patient's vital signs could be coming to your hospital soon.

The WellPoint, a self-testing health kiosk, lets people measure their own vitals such as blood pressure and weight without the need for a nurse or doctor.

With the classic measurements taking 3:07 minutes on average, transferring the task to a self-service kiosk could free up time for health care providers to provide more critical care.

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The Belgian company BeWell innovations designed the touch screen kiosk that can quickly check your vitals before you see a doctor. It works by patients sitting down at a seat on the kiosk and following steps on the touchscreen

The machine measures blood pressure, weight, blood oxygen saturation and heart rate. It works by patients sitting down at a seat on the kiosk and following steps on the touchscreen

The Belgian company BeWell Innovations designed the touch screen kiosk that can quickly check your vitals before you see a doctor.

The machine measures blood pressure, weight, blood oxygen saturation and heart rate.

It works by patients sitting down at a seat on the kiosk and following steps on the touchscreen.

The screen guides people through steps to use the medical devices on the kiosk.

Blood pressure is measured by sliding the arm into a blood pressure cuff on the machine, and weight is measured by standing on a foot plate that acts as a scale.

Then, an oximeter which clips over the finger measures blood oxygen levels and heart rate within a few seconds, according to BeWell Innovation's website.

After results are recorded in a patient medical records database, your doctor sees the results on their screen instantly and they can be printed on a ticket.

While these are the basic vitals the machine can measure, it could soon be adapted to integrate other medical devices to conduct a height measurement, certain types of blood analyses, a urine analysis, a glucose analysis and other disease risk assessments.

It could also playback video and the touchscreen can administer customizable questionnaires to update your medical history records.

Blood pressure is measured by sliding the arm into a blood pressure cuff (pictured) on the machine, and weight is measured by standing on a foot plate that acts as a scale

One WellPoint kiosk would cost a hospital around $8,800 per year (7,200). Nurses in the US earn around $67,000 (54,890) on average, so a WellPoint has the potential to reduce costs in hospitals

Over 20,000 individual tests in several setting, including leading Belgian university hospital have proven the WellPoint to be cost saving, effective and easy to use,' a BeWell Innovations representative said in a video promoting the WellPoint.

The WellPoint kiosk is not especially expensive when considering how expensive medical equipment can be.

One WellPoint machine would cost a hospital around $8,800 per year (7,200).

Nurses in the US earn around $67,000 (54,890) on average, so a WellPoint has the potential to reduce costs in hospitals.

HOW THE HEALTH KIOSK WORKS Patients first sitting down at a seat on the kiosk and following steps on the touchscreen. The screen guides people through steps to use the medical devices on the kiosk. Blood pressure is measured by sliding the arm into a blood pressure cuff on the machine, and weight is measured by standing on a foot plate that acts as a scale. Then, an oximeter which clips over the finger measures blood oxygen levels and heart rate within a few seconds, according to BeWells website. After results are recorded in a patient medical records database, your doctor sees the results on their screen instantly and they can be printed on a ticket. Advertisement




A packed passenger plane was forced to divert after an offensive smell emanating from the cabin toilets became unbearable for fliers.

The SpiceJet aircraft - which has a brand tagline of 'Red, Hot, Spicy' - was flying from Bangalore to Delhi in India when the odour began to spread, a few minutes into the flight.

The Boeing 737 jet carrying 200 passengers, including four infants, as well as cabin crew changed course after complaints over the pungent stench.

The SpiceJet aircraft - which has a tagline of 'Red, Hot, Spicy' - was flying from Bangalore to Delhi in India when the odour began to spread, a few minutes into the flight (file image)

The pilots - who were also disturbed by the strong smell - decided to divert flight SG192 to the city of Hyderabad to investigate its cause.

The foul odour reportedly originated at the aircraft's front toilet, near the cockpit although the cause of the odour has not yet been revealed.

On arrival at Hyderabad the plane was cleaned and ventilated and returned to service around three hours later.

After the delay the passengers continued their journey onwards to Delhi.

A SpiceJet spokesman said: 'SpiceJet B-737 operating SG192 had to be diverted to Hyderabad due to very foul smell from forward lavatory coming into the cockpit.

'After landing in Hyderabad, the lavatory and cockpit were thoroughly cleaned and ventilated before the aircraft was released for service.'

The Boeing 737 jet carrying 200 passengers, including four infants, as well as cabin crew changed course after complaints over the pungent stench (file image)

This isn't the first time a flight has been aborted due to a bad smell.

In March 2015, MailOnline reported that a British Airways flight to Dubai was forced to return to London because of a smelly poo in the toilet.

Cabin crew were unable to fix the problem and the smell became unbearable for passengers seated nearby, forcing the plane to turn around near Brussels and land at Heathrow Airport.

At the time, a British Airways spokesperson told MailOnline Travel: 'We're very sorry for the discomfort to our customers. 

'We provided them with hotel accommodation and rescheduled the flight to depart the next day.'
Even at five years old Beyonce's daughter is learning first hand the price of being a diva.

Blue Ivy's attire for the Hollywood premiere of Beauty And The Beast came with a price tag only a pop star mother could afford - $26,000.

While Beyonce and her family popped by unobtrusively at the El Capital Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday they still made sure to make a statement.

Family photo: When Beauty And The Beast threw a premiere a the El Capital Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday, Beyonce and her family, including husband Jay-Z, popped by unobtrusively

The expectant mother of twins uploaded a string of photos to beyonce.com on Monday revealing she'd been there with her husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.

Mother and daughter had turned up in complimentary green dresses, the five-year-old's being a child-sized version of a $26,000 silk-chiffon Gucci gown.

As Net-A-Porter's pointed out, the original dress hails from Gucci's Fall 2016 collection, and has faux pearls as well as crystals studded across it.

Hand in hand: Yet the expectant mother of twins uploaded a string of photos to beyonce.com on Monday revealing she'd been there with her husband their daughter Blue Ivy

Both versions of the gown feature a splashily colored duo of parrot designs. as well as tiered hems in green, various shades of pink, and plum.

Meanwhile, the Lemonade impresaria - who'd announced her current pregnancy last month - wore a flowing lime green gown that gave a generous view of her cleavage.

Cinched above her bump, it was heavily pleated below, as well as over its robe-like sleeves, which stretched to the elbow.

White, green purple floral designs spread about her neckline, and she'd garnished the ensemble with beaded hoop earrings and several immense rings.

The 35-year-old songstress' 47-year-old husband seemed to have opted for Gucci as well, by way of the denim jacket he'd flung on for the event.

Mugging for the cameras: Mother and daughter had turned up in complimentary green dresses, the five-year-old's being a child-sized version of a $26,000 silk-chiffon Gucci gown

An image of a roaring tiger had been stitched above that of a floral wreath, and white cursive text read: 'L'Aveugle Par Amour.'

Beyonce and her firstborn did a bit of mugging for the camera beneath a sign advertising the movie, both making faces as they held their hands to their heads.

This new iteration of Beauty And The Beast is a live-action remake of the 1991 Disney cartoon version, the first animated feature ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

When you got it: Meanwhile, the Lemonade impresaria - who'd announced her current pregnancy last month - wore a flowing lime green gown that gave a generous view of her cleavage

Emma Watson's the leading lady as Belle, whereas Dan Stevens will star has her love interest, the titular prince-turned-massive-sentient-animal.

Directed by Bill Condon, the film boasts a star supporting cast including Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson and Ewan McGregor, as well as Luke Evans as the villainous Gaston and Josh Gad as his reportedly besotted sidekick LeFou.

Having rung in its world premiere on February 23 in London, the film will enjoy a wide release in both Britain and America come March 17.
It's a problem that nearly all Hollywood stars face at some time in their career - their weight.

And Amy Schumer is no exception.

The comedienne reveals that she was asked to shed some pounds before her comedy movie Trainwreck began filming in 2015.

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'I'm what Hollywood calls very fat': Amy Schumer dished about weight in a taster for her stand-up show Amy Schumer: The Leather Special, which Netflix is due to release on Tuesday

'Im what Hollywood calls, very fat,' the 35-year-old said in her upcoming Netflix show Amy Schumer: The Leather Special.

She added: 'Somebody, like, explained to me, "Just so you know, Amy, no pressure, but if you weigh over 140 lbs, it will hurt peoples eyes." I just bought it. I was like, "Okay, Im new to town." So I lost weight.'

But she didn't like her new, slender self.

'I look very stupid skinny. My dumb head stays the same size but then my body, like, shrivels... Nobody likes it. Its not cute on me.'

Not a fan of thin: The 30-year-old said she was advised to lose weight before Trainwreck in 2015 so she did, adding, 'I look very stupid skinny'

The star adds she 'revenge ate' to regain all the weight she lost.

And Amy was given very dubious advice at her first audition when she was 21.

'They were like, "You should either lose weight or gain a bunch of weight, like be the fat friend or the romantic lead." Can you believe they said this?'

Nine years later she now has far more confidence in her body, saying: 'I feel very good in my own skin. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I do. I feel sexy.'

Having said that, Amy has already admitted that she had misgivings about her wardrobe choice for the special in a trailer released on February 28.

'Every comic has some special where they wear all leather and they regret it later,' she revealed 'It's my f****** moment: Leather Special! Already regret it!'

It's a bit too late for regrets now. Amy wrapped her 60-date stand-up tour Amy Schumer: The Leather Special at the weekend.

Netflix recorded her November gig at the Bellco Theater in Denver, Colorado, and is due to air it on Tuesday evening.

Here's the skinny: A more slender Amy and co-star Bill Hader on the set of Trainwreck in New York's Central Park on June 26, 2014. She revenge ate to regain the weight after wrapping




For regular viewers of reality TV, being left with a cliffhanger ending is nothing new.

But for fans of Channel Seven's new love hit Bride & Prejudice, Monday night's latest episode was a step too far.

After ads promoting the 'wedding' of popular gay couple Chris and Grant had run all week, excited viewers tuned in eager to find out if the controversial 'marriage' would go ahead - only to be forced to wait until at least the next episode.

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Furious: Fans of Channel Seven's new love hit Bride & Prejudice were left fuming on Monday night as the episode ended on a cliffhanger, despite ads promoting the wedding of Chris and Grant

All week ads for the episode had teased: 'Tonight. His big day. Will his dad be there? Will his mum?'

But when a conclusion wasn't reach, fans flooded social media to voice their anger at watching the entire episode - only to be let down.

'Dragging out the Grant and Chris storyline on Bride and Prejudice? Playing these games with viewers is f*****,' an angry fan wrote.

'False advertising! Why did you end tonight's episode before Chris' wedding! Am so P****D OFF! Will not be watching next season!' another commented.

Unimpressed: Fans of the show flooded social media to vent their outrage at having to wait one more week for a conclusion to Chris and Grant's wedding

Will he fly to Palm Springs? The tense episode centred around Chris offering his father - who had previously told his son he wouldn't attend the wedding - one last chance to be there

But it wasn't just the fact that the story hadn't been resolved that upset fans, with some saying their everyday lives had been affected by the show.

'Have to get up early for work and your false and misleading advertising has cost me sleep. Not very impressed,' one tired viewer wrote.

'Agh I just stayed up later to watch Bride & Prejudice to see if Chris's parents come to the wedding & we don't find out till next week...' another said

The tense episode centred around Chris offering his father - who had previously told his son he wouldn't attend the wedding - one last chance to be at his special day.

Sleep deprived! One of the biggest complaints viewers made was being kept up late as they hoped to find out what happened, leaving them exhausted as they went to work on Tuesday

Still celebrating: In Palm Springs Chris (right) and Grant (left) were joined by Grant's supportive parents

Having given his father a final chance to attend his wedding in America by offering him paid plane tickets, a very anxious Chris held out hope his Dad would arrive.

'Maybe he's had time to think about it,' Chris said after arriving in Palm Springs, California, the location of his wedding.

'I guess we'll see.... It would be absolutely massive if my Dad turns up,' he continued, as he and Grant were joined by Grant's supportive parents, toasting to the couple.
As a 90s baby herself, she was too young to experience the decade's fashion first-time round.

So for 18-year-old Sofia Richie - born in 1998 - the decade is fair game when it comes to going retro.

And the young starlet rocked the trendy look as she wore an oversized denim jacket while out for breakfast in West Hollywood on Monday.

Sofia looked casual in a pair of baggy Givenchy track pants and retro sunglasses.

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Retro! Sofia Richie wore an oversized denim jacket while out for breakfast in West Hollywood on Monday to show her cool 80s style

Bringing the 90s back! The 18-year-old looked casual in a pair of baggy Givenchy track pants and retro sunglasses

The daughter of Lionel Richie completed her look with a simple pair of black leather shoes and kept warm with multiple layers under her jacket, including a tucked-in black hoodie with the hood popping out of the jacket.

The Candidly Nicole starlet skipped out on any other accessories, choosing only a stylish handbag,

Sofia also held tightly onto her cell phone as she made the short trip from the restaurant to the car.

The runway beauty, who walked the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week, recently returned home where she shared a collection of goodies she received from top designers.

Casual and chic: The daughter of Lionel Richie completed her look with a simple pair of black leather shoes and kept warm with multiple layers under her jacket

Free stuff! The runway beauty, who walked the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week, recently returned home where she shared a collection of goodies she received from top designers

The Chanel model appeared grateful for her free items, which included a purse from Karl Lagerfeld and sportswear from Alexander Wang/Adidas.

'Love you Alex,' she said of the designer.

She also shared a note from Karl's team that hoped to welcome her in Paris whenever she planned to return.

Lucky girl! She also received a personalized note from the Alexander Wang/Adida line
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
She admitted to having a breast augmentation in a shock interview with NW magazine published on Monday.

And Married at First Sight's Cheryl Maitland, who often shows off her cleavage in racy low-cut ensembles, conservatively covered up at the airport on Tuesday.

Her appearance also comes after the 25-year-old TV star slammed her onscreen husband Andrew Jones's degrading boy chat comments as 'disgusting'.

Covering up: Married at First Sight star Cheryl Maitland opted for a conservative outfit as she made her way through Sydney airport, just a day after she confirmed she had a boob job

Pretty in pink: The TV star chose a flowing pink top that criss-crossed her chest and stared at her phone as she towed her bright suitcase through the airport

Cheryl was all smiles as she made her way through Sydney airport, her bright pink suitcase in tow.

The reality star looked stylish in a pair of black jeans, teaming them with an ebony top and flowing dusty pink over-shirt.

She completed her look with simple black thongs and a charcoal tote, letting her long chocolate-brown tresses hang loose around her face.

The conservative outfit covered up the 25-year-old's bust after Cheryl revealed she underwent a boob job in her teens.

Revelation: Cheryl admitted that she had a breast augmentation after she finished school, having been bullied for having no bust when she was younger

In an interview with NW magazine, the reality star admitted to having her breasts augmented after finishing school.

She said: 'I hit puberty really late, and as a result, I was teased for many years for my lack of bust'.

In the same interview, the brunette beauty also spoke about her plumped up pout, saying she loved 'full lips, it's a look I like and I think it looks good.'

She added: 'It's my body, I can do what I want with it as long as it makes me feel good'.

'I hit puberty really late': Cheryl admitted that she changed her breasts, as well as gained a plumper pout

Cheryl also spoke out after her groom Andrew Jones made disparaging comments about her on the show Sunday night.

While the girls enjoyed a night out, the boys discussed their feelings without their other halves present.

It was then Andrew admitted that he thought he was a better match with Lauren because she was 'heaps more fun to hang out with than Cheryl.'

During the boys night in, firefighter Andrew made it clear his feelings for Cheryl are not that strong.

'You talk about affection being too much? A conversation seems too much for Cheryl!,' he exclaimed.

Cheryl can't seem to catch a break on the show, with the star saying twins Michelle and Sharon Marsh are picking on her because they needed some drama.
Orange Is The New Black's Samira Wiley announced her engagement to writer Lauren Morelli back in October.

And on Friday night, it was time for the 29-year-old star's bachelorette celebration.

The Juilliard alum partied at the Miami club E11EVEN with 13 of her closest pals, which included OINTB co-stars Danielle Brooks and Uzo Aduba, according to E! News.

Poussey's paramour: Actress Samira Wiley enjoyed an all night bachelorette celebration in Miami Friday. Here you can see the 29-year-old talent with her bride-to-be Orange Is The New Black screenwriter Lauren Morelli

Samira - who plays Poussey Washington on the hit Netflix series - was dressed for some laid back fun, seen donning a dark cap and hoodie while at the club celebrating her upcoming nuptials with the 34-year-old screenwriter.

The drinks were flowing during the all-night celebration, as the Washington DC native and pals polished off a magnum of Don Julio 1942 and a magnum of Belvedere before the night was over.

It seemed that the former stage actress and friends kept the party raging into the wee hours of the night.

Close co-stars: It was reported the bachelorette was joined by her OITNB co-stars Danielle Brooks and Uzo Aduba Friday. Here you can see on screen jailbirds Danielle and Samira celebrating New York Pride in 2014

All night long: Danielle Brooks joined her fellow Juilliard alum until the wee hours of the night, sending out early Saturday morning tweets that read 'Real?? 6am.?' and 'Tonight was lit!'

Early Saturday morning Danielle Brooks shared a Tweet which read 'Really?? 6am.? Time you're moving too fast for me,' adding 'Tonight was lit!

The couple's dreamy October proposal left the pair with quite a story to tell.

Lauren explained how she had the epiphany to propose while she and her then-girlfriend enjoyed a weekend getaway in Palm Springs in a November interview with Out Magazine.

Simple answer: Samira and Lauren announced their engagement in a charming Instagram post which simply read 'yes'

'I realized I could propose right before and then we'd have the weekend there to celebrate,' the writer told the magazine.

She continued, 'I found a ring, and they shipped it to me, and it was as if someone had handed me a ball of fire and said, "Here, tend to this."'

Samira sealed the deal with an Instagram announcement of the adorable couple beaming, while showing off the dazzling engagement ring in the pics which was simply captioned 'Yes.'
It has enjoyed spellbinding reviews - and now Harry Potter And The Cursed Child has now been nominated for eleven Olivier Awards, the most ever for a new West End play.

Those hoping to see play are likely to be bitterly disappointed, however, as tickets are now harder to come across than a muggle at Hogwarts.

Although there were a few tickets on the shows website yesterday they were priced at 199 each to see Part One and Part Two  way out of reach for the average wizard-loving fan.

Magic: Harry Potter And The Cursed Child has now been nominated for eleven Olivier awards, the most ever for a new West End play

New trio: Jamie Parker, who plays Harry, has been nominated in the best actor category, while Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione, is up for best supporting actress

Ticket resale sites were also selling tickets yesterday, but at hugely inflated prices, with one pair priced at more than 1,500 on GetMeIn.

Currently the shows booking period is until April, next year, but that is expected to be extended with more tickets going on sale next month.

Yesterday Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received nominations in several categories including best director, best new play and outstanding achievement in music.

In the best actor category, Jamie Parker, who plays Potter in the sequel to JK Rowlings books, is up against Buried Child actor Ed Harris, Travesties star Tom Hollander and six-time winner Sir Ian McKellen who received his 10th nomination.

All grown up: Jamie Parker, Sam Clemmett and Poppy Miller play Harry, Albus and Ginny

Bewitching: The West End play also received nominations for best director, best new play and outstanding achievement in music

Sheridan Smith was nominated for best actress in a musical for her role in Funny Girl and yesterday she paid tribute to her father, who died in December from cancer.

Sheridan, 35, who took time off from the show following Colin Smiths diagnosis paid tribute to him on Instagram yesterday.

Posting a picture of herself with her father on the red carpet she wrote: No-one ever does this job for the awards but @olivierawards hold a special place in my heart, dad would never let me take a date other than him, nor would I want to! Miss u SO much papa smith (sic) glad @funnygirluk was the last show he saw me in. #myhero

Former Labour MP Glenda Jacksons role in King Lear sees her up for her first Olivier since 1984 in the best actress category.

Unbelievable success: The play is co-written by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

Jackson will go up against former Doctor Who actress Billie Piper, who has received rave reviews for her performance in the title role of Yerma, The Glass Menageries Cherry Jones and Hedda Gablers Ruth Wilson.

In the musical categories, Groundhog Day, which opened on Broadway this month, receives eight nominations while Andrew Lloyd-Webber, as a composer, collects three nods for three separate shows, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar and School Of Rock The Musical.

Co-written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, who is up for best director, The Cursed Child is also nominated for best set design, best lighting design, best costume and best sound.

Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione in the play, is shortlisted for best actress in a supporting role while the productions choreographer, Steve Hoggett, is also nominated.

Moving on: Although Daniel Radcliffe does not star in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, he is currently appearing in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Old Vic

First look: He plays Rosencrantz in the play alongside Josh McGuire's Guildenstern

In the best supporting actor category, Anthony Boyle, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, will face competition from Rafe Spall who is nominated for his performance as sinister Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler.

Although Daniel Radcliffe does not star in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, he is currently appearing in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at the Old Vic.

Julian Bird, executive producer of the Olivier Awards said: In a year of global change, the nominees for this years awards demonstrate London theatres ability to challenge our perceptions, stir our emotions, and entertain us.

From new British plays and musicals, to reinventions of well-known titles, the Oliviers proudly celebrate an extraordinary range of acting and creative talent.

The Olivier Awards 2017 with Mastercard will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday April 9.
Madonna uploaded a heartwarming snapshot of her newly adopted twins - reportedly called Stella and Esther - to Instagram on Monday.

Both little girls were wearing matching camouflage-patterned coats and crimson headbands, but only one of them faced the camera, pouting.

'Chill out People!!!,' the 58-year-old captioned, writing: 'My Mom is thinking about releasing her Rebel  dvd for her birthday,' and taunting: 'Can you wait that Long??'

Matching in camou: Madonna uploaded a heartwarming snapshot of her newly adopted twins - reportedly called Stella and Esther - to Instagram on Monday

The Rebel Heart DVD will feature onstage footage from the Material Girl's eponymous 10th worldwide concert tour, which ran from 2015 until last year.

Directed by Madonna stalwarts Danny B. Tull and Nathan Rissman, the concert film - which aired on Showtime December 9 - contains behind-the-scenes clips as well.

The tour was named for her 13th studio album, and if the DVD truly will be out when its star turns 59, her throngs of fans will have to wait around for it until August 16.

Heralding: She also teased an August release for her Rebel Heart DVD, which will feature onstage footage from the Material Girl's eponymous 10th worldwide concert tour, which ran from 2015 until last year

Madonna had received court approval to adopt her new four-year-old children from Malawi last month, as she'd announced on Instagram.

The toddlers join a quartet of children their mother's brought home from the African country: David and Mercy are both 11 years old.

She's also got two biological children: 20-year-old Lourdes Leon by actor Carlos Leon, and 16-year-old Rocco Ritchie by Madonna's second husband Guy Ritchie.

The contents: Directed by Madonna stalwarts Danny B. Tull and Nathan Rissman, the concert film - which aired on Showtime December 9 - contains behind-the-scenes clips as well

Incoming: The tour was named for her 13th studio album, and if the DVD truly will be out when its star turns 59, her throngs of fans will have to wait around for it until August 16

Stella and Esther's father's given an exclusive interview to The Mail On Sunday and expressed shock at the revelation they were being taken from him permanently.

I was told from the start that Esther and Stella were going to a rich womans home abroad, that she would give them a good education, then return them to me, to live with me and help all of my family,' said Adam Mwale.

'Now you are telling me the adoption is permanent. That cannot be true  I dont want it to be true. I am their father and I will always be their father.'

Hand in hand: Madonna had received court approval to adopt her new four-year-old children from Malawi last month, as she'd announced on Instagram

Mwale's maintained: The orphanage boss told me it would be a wonderful chance for my little girls, and for their brother and sisters at home.'

To hear him tell it, 'I was told to agree with everything in court. I did not believe I would never see my girls again.'

The 40-year-old farmer, who lives in the village of Kayembe, told The Mail On Sunday: 'I was standing with my brother-in-law who signed the consent forms with me, and we just continued to believe that I would always be the twins father and they would be coming home to me.'
With five children by three wives, he was always going to struggle to be the perfect dad.

Now Phil Collins has received some very public feedback from his daughter Lily.

Miss Collins, a rising Hollywood star, has written an open letter to her father, reassuring him he is forgiven for not being the dad I expected.

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'I forgive you for not always being there': Lily Collins, 27, has published an open letter to her famous father forgiving him in her new book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me

The 27-year-old actress, who recently received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Warren Beattys Rules Dont Apply, has published the letter in her debut book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.

In the book, released today, she writes: I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected.

I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like its too late, its not. Theres still so much time to move forward.

Hollywood starlet: The actress, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe, also opened up about her battles with anorexia and bulimia in the memoir

Tension: Lily admitted, 'Many of my deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad

Lily, who was born in Surrey, is the only child from her fathers second marriage to American Jill Tavelman.

She was five when Collins split from her mother, reportedly ending the marriage by fax, before moving to the tax haven of Switzerland for the next 20 years.

Following the break-up in 1994, Lily and her mother, an antiques dealer, moved to Los Angeles and the star would only see her father during school holidays.

In her open letter, part of a collection of personal essays aimed at teenage girls, she also wrote of her father: We all make choices and, although I dont excuse some of yours, at the end of the day we cant rewrite the past.

Famous in her own right: The budding actress, who starred in Mirror Mirror, has written a collection of personal essays aimed at teenage girls

Im learning how to accept your actions and vocalise how they made me feel. I accept and honour the sadness and anger I felt toward the things you did or didnt do, did or didnt give me.

Lily also opens up about her battle with anorexia and bulimia in the new book, which she links to the stress caused by her fathers divorce from third wife Orianne Cevey in 2008.

Writing about the period, she said: Not only did I start viewing myself differently physically, but I began limiting my happiness by controlling my eating habits.

I couldnt handle the pain and confusion surrounding my dads divorce, and I was having a hard time balancing being a teenager with pursuing two different grown-up careers.

A difficult relationship: Lily described a 'terrible disconnect' that grew between her and her father as the pair lived on different continents

Lily describes the terrible disconnect that grew between her and her father as she got older, living on a different continent from him, and declares that, Many of my deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad.

Collins, who is worth around 115m and has sold 150m albums worldwide, recently reunited with Miss Cevey following their 25m divorce.

He lives in Miami with their sons Matthew, 12, and Nicholas, 15, who is set to play the drums during Collins forthcoming comeback tour this year.

The musician had son Simon, 40, with first wife Andrea Bertorelli, as well as adopting Miss Bertorellis daughter Joely, 44.

Last year, Miss Bertorelli issued legal proceedings against Collins over wholly false statements published in his recent autobiography.

Stepping out: On the day her book was released, Lily was looking in good spirits as she went on an iced coffee run in LA




Will it be happily ever after for Vanessa Grimaldi?

The Bachelor star paid a visit to Le Chateau bridal store in Montreal recently, sending fans of the reality series into a frenzy.

With just three contestants left standing on this season of the long-running series, the timing of the brunette beauty's visit couldn't have been more perfect, as this year's bachelor, Nick Viall, prepares to choose his final lady.

Is she the one? The Bachelor's Vanessa Grimaldi (R) set tongues wagging when she stopped by Le Chateau bridal store in Montreal recently

A photo emerged on Monday of the 29-year-old in the bridal store, alongside the shop's creative coordinator, Holly Wiancko.

Dressed in a long grey cardigan, dark blue jeans, black boots and a black top, the pony-tailed contestant smiled for the camera, while bridal gowns filled the racks behind her.

But Le Chateau denies they have any inside information on Vanessa's status on the hit show, claiming they invited her into the store to check out their new designs and discuss a potential partnership once the series ends.

Happily ever after: Will The Bachelor's Nick Viall choose the brunette beauty in the finale of the hit show?

Crossroads: The couple encountered the problem of where they'd live after the Canadian contestant took the American Bachelor star to her hometown

Despite appearances though, the special education teacher may not have the competition in the bag just yet.

The cute couple encountered a roadblock after Vanessa recently took the 36-year-old hunk home to her native Canada.

'I never imagined living in Canada, and I'll be honest, that's not easy for me to picture. I hope that's not a non-negotiable,' Nick told the Montreal-based beauty. 'Not to sound corny, but I'm really proud to be an American.'

Back to school: Vanessa gave Nick a tour of the school where she works as a special education teacher in Canada

Plane stubborn: 'I never imagined living in Canada, and I'll be honest, that's not easy for me to picture. I hope that's not a non-negotiable,' The Bachelor hunk told Vanessa

Seemingly unimpressed by his stubborn remarks, Vanessa fired back at her beau, telling him exactly how she felt, too.

'And I'm very proud to be a Canadian,' she told him.

All will be revealed when The Bachelor finale airs on March 13.
Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep, 67, and Tom Hanks, 60, are to team up on screen for the first time under the direction of Steven Spielberg.

In The Post the pair will defend the media and showcase the heroic side of journalism, playing Washington Post staff members who had a role in the unveiling of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, according to Deadline.

Co-starring: Meryl Streep, 67, and Tom Hanks, 60, will team up on screen for the first time under the direction of Steven Spielberg, to star in The Post

Meryl will play the Post's publisher Katherine 'Kay' Graham, who along with Benjamin Bradlee, played by Oscar winner Hanks, fought the federal government over their right to publish the leaked documents.

The Pentagon Papers was a classified U.S. Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967.

The papers were released by Daniel Ellsberg, who gave Bradlee portions of the document to publish.

When Assistant U.S. Attorney General William Rehnquist asked the Post to cease publication, Bradlee refused, leading Rehnquist to seek an injunction in U.S. district court.

Katharine Graham, publisher, and Benjamin Bradlee, executive editor, look over the reports of the Supreme Court decision on June 30, 1971

The Post and the New York Times - who had originally broken the news of the classified document - appealed to the Supreme Court together on First Amendment grounds.

The spec script, written by Liz Hannah, was bought last fall by Pascal Pictures, and deals are currently being negotiated.

When the news was announced on Monday, Hannah took to Twitter to voice her excitement.

Hanks can next be seen in sci-fi thriller The Circle, starring alongside Emma Watson, Bill Paxton, and Karen Gillan

Retweeting a Washington Post tweet that revealed Hanks and Streep's involvement with her upcoming film, she added: 'This is, without exaggeration, a dream come true.'

Meanwhile, Streep is filming for the 2018 musical, Mary Poppins Returns, and Hanks can next be seen in The Circle, starring alongside Emma Watson, Bill Paxton, and Karen Gillan.

The sci-fi thriller hits theaters April 28.
They got engaged last May.

But Tina O'Brien has admitted she's guilty of procrastination when it comes to planning her wedding to hunky fiance Adam Crofts.

Speaking to OK! magazine, the Coronation Street actress was pressed on the plans for her upcoming nuptials, which she has barely started to arrange yet.

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'Im struggling!' Corrie's Tina O'Brien admits she's putting off planning her wedding to fiance Adam Crofts... and says her daughter wants her to wear a 'meringue dress'

The pair met six years ago when Tinas daughter Scarlett approached Adam in a branch of Starbucks in Manchester and introduced herself.

Rather than 'I'm Scarlett' she only said 'Hello, man'.

And the rest, it seems, is history.

Stalling: Speaking to OK! magazine, the Coronation Street actress was pressed on the plans for her upcoming nuptials, which she has barely started to arrange yet

Read the full interview in this week's edition of OK! magazine, on sale now

On their upcoming vows, Tina told the publication: Hearing Adam say he always wants to be with me will be the most amazing thing in the world.'

Gushing a little less than Tina, Adam chimed in with: 'Ill be happy when I can call Tina my wife.

Originally planning their nuptials for August of this year, Tina admits they have also considered New Years Eve.

We started the initial planning and we have stalled a little,' she revealed. 'Im kind of struggling with what style of wedding I want.

Elaborating further, she explained: 'Originally I was thinking of having a big wedding, now Im thinking about something more intimate. Im very indecisive at the minute!

Tina also said that eight-year-old Scarlett would see her in 'the biggest meringue dress you could imagine! for the big day.

The pair are now parents to two-year-old son Beau, and took the kids off to a family vacation in Orlando.

Of the trip, Adam said: Its been amazing. The scale of Walt Disney World is quite mind-blowing. You cannot believe how vast the place is until you have actually visited it.
Top Gear (BBC)

Rating:

If the BBC was hoping its revamped Top Gear with Matt Le Blanc would be a speeding success, it was bitterly disappointed yesterday.

Overnight data revealed the BBC2 show on Sunday night was seen by an average of 2.8million  nearly two million fewer viewers than its series debut last year.

Top Gears series launch in 2016  with Chris Evans and LeBlanc  had scored 4.4million viewers overnight. Here our reviewer Christopher Stevens gives his verdict.

'If the BBC was hoping its revamped Top Gear with Matt Le Blanc would be a speeding success, it was bitterly disappointed yesterday'

Rumours, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, were playing in Inverness. Brit Floyd were performing Dark Side Of The Moon in Basingstoke. And on BBC2, Matt LeBlanc & co were presenting an homage to Top Gear.

Really, the show should have a punning new title, to emphasise that its not the real deal. Matt and his new pals Rory Reid and Chris Harris should be more honest, and call it Not Gear.

Like a tribute act who have learned to be note perfect as they reproduce their idols songs on stage, this trio are doing and saying everything that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May used to do. They present the show from Dunsfold aerodrome in Surrey, where they challenge a celeb to tackle a test lap  this week it was James McAvoy.

They have the Stig, the catchphrases, the whole works faithfully reproduced.

The budget is higher than ever  LeBlanc is believed to be earning 2million for this series. But it all feels forced. The centrepiece of the episode was a trip to Kazakhstan, where the three stand-ins drove cars with half a million miles on the clock while they honed their impressions of the original presenters. That meant heavily scripted sequences that turned the spontaneous banter of yesteryear into a laboured performance.

It started with the trio revealing the cars they had chosen for the trip  a Volvo, a Mercedes and a London taxi  to hoots of derision from the others.

This mocking rivalry instantly felt false. Why on earth should LeBlanc be taking the mickey out of Reid and Harris? He barely saw them in the previous series  while he was co-hosting with Chris Evans, they were presenting Extra Gear on BBC3.

The edgy mateyness of Clarkson, Hammond and May evolved over several years, out of their genuine sense of competition and middle-aged irritability. The attempt to reignite it with three new blokes was simply synthetic. And the formulaic effect was magnified when a Kazakh mechanic arrived to silently hand them a challenge in an envelope, which LeBlanc read in wide-eyed disbelief, as if he didnt already know what was scheduled down to the nearest minute for the entire trip.

If the producers want us to believe the agenda was a surprise, they should have hired an actor who doesnt look like a walking flitch of bacon. LeBlanc is all ham from the boots up. He has one facial expression only, and it says, Shucks yeah, you got me, Im Joey from Friends. How you doin?

'The edgy mateyness of Clarkson, Hammond and May evolved over several years, out of their genuine sense of competition and middle-aged irritability. The attempt to reignite it with three new blokes was simply synthetic'

Because the challenges were artificial, they were dull. We didnt care which of them won the race around a disused quarry.

And of course, at the end of the show, all three men had fallen in love with their heroic cars  just as the original threesome always did. By now, the script was apparently computer-generated.

Its two years since Clarkson biffed that office junior. The Beeb needs to accept he and his chums have gone. Theres still room on the BBC for a great car show, of course. Harris proved he can convey the excitement of a high-speed test drive, with his opening sequence about the Ferrari FXX K.

But as long as the Beeb yearns to reproduce its past magic, Top Gear is doomed to flop  just as the pale imitators of Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac will never be genuine rock gods.
She's been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump.

And now Australian actress Cate Blanchett is taking things one step further by following in the footsteps of fellow A-lister Meryl Streep by defending the voice of 'marginalized' Hollywood celebrities.

Speaking to left wing comedian Stephen Colbert, the Oscar-winning star said: 'The wonderful thing about America is that success is rewarded.'

'Since the inauguration, this notion of the cultural elite has really got going': Cate Blanchett opened up about being a cultural elite on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Cate, who has an estimated net worth of $45 million, continued: 'But now, since the inauguration, this notion of the cultural elite has really got going.'

'So anybody who's got a voice and success in the cultural industries is suddenly marginalized, or their voice isn't considered significant or worth being part of the popular parlance,' she lamented.

The beauty then said that the cultural Hollywood elites were 'not idiots' despite the recent Oscars Best Picture blunder, in which La La Land was mistakenly awarded over Moonlight, a timely drama about a gay black man who is victimized by society due to his minority status.

'So anybody who's got a voice and success in the cultural industries is suddenly marginalized, or their voice isn't considered significant or worth being part of the popular parlance,' the millionaire actress mused

The striking star followed this by joining Colbert in mocking President Trump for calling the Oscars "sad".

That wasn't the only controversial thing Cate said, with the politically-aware star also referencing Russian President Vladamir Putin, as well as her vagina, while discussing her new play, The Present.

'[Playright] Andrew [Upton] updated it to the nineties in Russia, when [Vladamir] Putin is coming to power, which feels particularly relevant to what's going on in the country at the moment,' said the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull actress.

Putin here, Putin there, Putin everywhere! The 47-year-old also revealed that she's starring in a Broadway play about Russian president Vladamir Putin's rise to power

'It's in my vagina!' The blonde beauty proudly revealed that her 'moral compass' is her vagina

'It's all about, as you move forward in life, what is your moral compass,' the thespian explained.

Stephen then asked: 'What is your moral compass? Where does kindness and humanity sit in a brutal world?'

'It's in my vagina,' smirked Cate as she gestured towards her nether regions.

Looking quite satisfied with herself as the crowd whistled and clapped, the actress then shook Stephen's hand before the pair took a few moments of silence to soak up the applause.
She is rumoured to have split from her girlfriend and fellow Bachelor star Megan Marx.

And Tiffany, 30, once again took to Instagram on Tuesday with a cryptic message that could relate to her relationship.

Taking the opportunity to flaunt her extremely ripped abs in a white bikini while standing atop a cliff, she wrote in a very poetic caption: 'You have to get above it all before you can see things more clearly.'

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'Without challenge, there cannot be growth': Bachelor star Tiffany Scanlon flaunts washboard ABS in skimpy bikini alongside cryptic Instagram post on Tuesday... amid breakup rumours from girlfriend Megan Marx

Appearing in high spirits, she beamed as she posed with her arms outstretched in the skimpy swimsuit.

Her philosophical post continued: 'Once you catch your breath, you can truly appreciate from where you have come and see the possibilities of the beyond.

'Without the lows, there cannot be highs; Without challenge, there cannot be growth.'

Ending the post In a more up-beat tone, she wrote of a 'struggle'.

'In the midst of the struggle sometimes its hard to believe you will ever reach the top, but inch by inch, you always do,' she continued.

'In the midst of the struggle': The blonde stunner continued to write a cryptic and philosophical post about 'highs' and 'lows', and going through a 'struggle'

Tiffany, who is usually seen side-by-side her partner Megan, is believed to be flying solo in the pictures, uploaded from her trip to Rottnest Island.

The blonde bombshell has been keeping her social media followers up-to-date on her exploits while the pair seem to be spending time apart.

She recently posed for a topless beach photo in a sizzling red bikini at a secluded beach while soaking up the sunshine.

Freedom! Former Bachelor star Tiffany Scanlon bares all to her Instagram followers while on holiday at Rottnest Island following rumours of a relationship breakdown

Posing with her back to the camera in her red Isidora Swim bikini bottoms, she had no top on as she flaunted her svelte figure.

She was holding a beige Billabong hat to match her relaxed beach look.

Tiffany let her blonde hair flow down her back as she rocked the effortless beachy waves.

Suns out! After flying back to Western Australia from Bali, Tiffany went on a solo getaway to Rottnest Island to soak up the sun

Flying solo: Tiffany has been keeping her Instagram followers up-to-date with her tropical antics while her loyal fan base wait for official confirmation on her relationship status

Tiffany's getaway comes after a rumoured split with her girlfriend Megan, who she met on The Bachelor Australia in 2016.

The pair moved to Bali together in January for the start of a new life together.

But rumours of a relationship breakdown came last week when Tiffany was seen flying into Western Australia solo and Megan flying in a week later.

Trouble in paradise? After being seen flying to Western Australia solo, there are rumours that Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon are breaking up

Tiffany's partner Megan has also alluded to a split when she posted a solo snap of herself on a boat, claiming she needed 'solitude'.

While Tiffany is yet to comment on the rumoured split, Megan did reveal exclusively to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that she's endured a tough time recently.

'I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks,' she said.




He has the reputation to be confident, especially when it comes to cooking seafood.

And on My Kitchen Rules on Tuesday, contestant Amy branded seafood king Josh a 'moron.'

Amy hit out at her co-star after he was cooking in the kitchen HQ challenge and spilled crab sauce over Mell and Cyn's spatchcock.

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'Josh could not give a f**k': MKR's Amy (L, seen with brother Tyson) lashed out at seafood king Josh on Tuesday's show after he spilled crab sauce over Mell and Cyn's spatchcock

'Josh could not give a f**k,' Amy fumed to camera.

'What a moron,' she added.

Josh and Amy and Mell and Cyn were cooking at stations next to one another, where their saucepan was next to the housewives' grill.

Watch out! Amy called Josh a 'moron' after the incident, with Josh (R) being close to Cyn (L) during the cooking challenge

Eek! Josh and Amy and Mell and Cyn were cooking at stations next to one another, where their saucepan was next to the housewives' grill

After the splash onto her bird, Cyn was not impressed, telling Josh: 'So now my spatchcock tastes like crab, hey!'

'Pretty sure that's not how I wanted my spatchcock to taste,' she added.

She told him if her bird tastes like crab, he'll be in 'big trouble.'

During Tuesday's episode, all the teams from the latest season reunited at kitchen HQ for a cook off.

All the contestants on the series were split into two rounds - the entree and main round - with the bottom teams of each going into a sudden-death cook off, where they would have to make dessert.

Fuming! After the splash onto her bird, Cyn was not impressed, telling Josh: 'So now my spatchcock tastes like crab, hey!'

The team who cooked the best dish in the main and entree would be safe from the next two eliminations.

The top scoring teams from each instant restaurant round were safe from elimination that evening and didn't have to cook, and were Kelsey and Amanda, Amy and Tyson and Valerie and Courtney.

In a twist, the teams had to cook a dish from judges Manu Fieldel and Pete Evan's cook books.

One team in sudden death were Court and Duncan, who landed at the bottom after cooking up a luck lustre entree.
The Australian hunk has been enjoying the landscape of his native home with wife Elsa Pataky and their three children.

And Chris Hemsworth took to Instagram on Monday to showcase how his two sons are settling in to the Aussie culture just fine since returning from Los Angeles.

The actor, 33, shared a hilarious conversation he overheard between his two sons that involved an odd way they hoped to prevent being 'eaten by a crocodile.'

'Little legends': Chris Hemsworth shares hilarious Instagram post after overhearing his son's advice for not 'being eaten by a crocodile' in Byron Bay on Monday

His sons, Tristan and Sasha, walked barefoot along a winding wooden path holding each other's hands in a tight grip.

Chris revealed: 'My son said to his brother "Tristan hold my hand so you don't get eaten by a crocodile"'

The doting father proudly added the hashtags 'my kids' and 'little legends'.

Doting dad! Chris regularly posts about his adorable twin boys Sasha and Tristan, 2,

Last Friday, Chris appeared to be camping with his family as he found a bush setting so isolated even the fish left him alone - despite his best efforts.

The Thor actor took to Instagram to share a relaxed snap from a camping trip he described as 'magical,' despite having no luck reeling-in dinner and dealing with 's***loads' of mosquitoes.

Chris went without his typical dapper suit he's been sporting this award season, cutting a hunky mountain man physique with his thick beard.

'Magical': Chris Hemsworth took to Instagram to share a relaxed snap from a camping trip he described as 'magical,' on Friday

His buff biceps bulged from beneath his sleeveless singlet top, while his look was completed with a simple pair of of board-shorts.

Hiding his eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses and a cap, he stuck his tongue out while clutching a fishing rod.

The actor was surrounded by water and rock in the image, looking calm as he embraced his tranquil surrounds.

Still dapper: The 33-year-old went without the typical dapper suit he's been sporting this award season, cutting a hunky mountain-man physique with his thick beard and exposed biceps

His calmness was in spite of the fact he failed to catch any fish on the trip.

'What a magical place this was - not a soul in sight, or fish either,' the hunk captioned the image.

'Shit loads of mosquitos though (sic)'.

Judging from images posted on Spanish wife Elsa Pataky's account, the family were seemingly present for the relaxing trip.

Family fun? Judging from images posted on Spanish wife Elsa Pataky's account, the family were seemingly present for the relaxing trip, as the beauty shared a snap from a very similar location

A very similar snap showed what appeared to be the couple's kids swimming in a body of water that resembled the one from Chris' post.

'We are in paradise!/ estamos en el paraiso!' she captioned the image.

The 40-year-old also appears to be recouping from a busy awards season, having been previously snapped en route to the Golden Globes with Chris.

Recouping! The 40-year-old also appears to be recouping from a busy awards season, having been previously snapped en route to the Golden Globes with Chris

Their adorable twin boys Sasha and Tristan, 2 and daughter India, 4 watched the Thor actor on TV as he presented an award.

The happy family live in Australia's Byron Bay, with Chris regularly snapped enjoying the region's world-class surf.

On Saturday, he shared yet another idyllic snap that pictured him shirtless and about to enjoy a twilight boarding session.

Living the life! The happy family live in Australia's Byron Bay, on Saturday, he yet another idyllic snap that pictured him shirtless and about to enjoy a twilight boarding session




Nick Viall enjoyed passionate nights in the Fantasy Suite with all three of his final women during Monday's episode of The Bachelor.

The 36-year-old Chicago software sales executive then tearfully sent home Rachel Lindsay who already has been named as the next star of The Bachelorette.

Nick  who famously complained about Andi Dorfman rejecting him despite having sex during their Fantasy Suite night  was seen waking up with kisses after spending separate nights with Rachel, Raven Gates and Vanessa Grimaldi.

Down to two: Nick Viall narrowed the field down to the final two women during Monday's episode of The Bachelor

He decided whether or not to invite them to stay the night with him or return to their own rooms for the night after their dates in Lapland, Finland.

Nick offered all three the key to the Fantasy Suite and was shown laying on a bed with them and sharing kisses before waking up the next morning with each woman clearly smitten.

Raven, who admitted before her night to never having had an orgasm, was the most suggestive, saying of 'being alone physically' with him: 'I will say this  Nick is really good at what he does. So, I'm pretty satisfied today.'

Vanessa, however, seemed to struggle the most, ending with tears as she admitted her 'insecurity' was overwhelming knowing she was sharing him with two other women.

Sent home: Rachel Lindsay got emotional after being sent home by Nick

Tears flowing: Vanessa Grimaldi also started crying while sharing her insecurities about Nick

Nick had seemed to push Rachel, a 31-year-old attorney from Dallas, Texas, to finally confess that she was 'falling in love with' him  and even replied with a similar declaration.

'Rachel, I am falling for you. One hundred percent. It's easy to say  I love that,' he told her, smothering her with kisses before handing her the key to the Fantasy Suite.

She was seen straddling him as they went to lay on a bed, with Nick shirtless the next morning before cooking her breakfast.

Fantasy suite: Rachel woke up with Nick in the Fantasy Suite

'Waking up this morning next to Nick feels amazing, and last night was so perfect,' she had insisted, claiming it had 'moved us to another level' and left her 'so all-in.'

'Nick has completely erased all my doubt,' she had insisted. 'This is exactly the man that I'm supposed to be with.'

But she was left in tears during the rose ceremony after watching Raven and Vanessa both get offered flowers by Nick who struggled to contain the emotion in his voice.

Final three: Raven Gates, Rachel and Vanessa took part in the rose ceremony

Tough call: Nick only had two roses and three women in front of him

He walked out Rachel and sat in awkward silence with her before Rachel told him: 'I really thought we had a really really good thing'

'You're one of the most incredible women I've ever met in my life,' Nick told her, his voice trembling with emotion. 'I was just really lucky to have you in my life.

'Selfishly I hope someday this won't be a goodbye forever because it is so hard to say goodbye to you right now.

Fighting tears: The Wisconsin native fought back tears during the rose ceremony

Tough goodbye: Rachel told Nick that she thought they had a 'really really good thing'

'I just want you to know how I know you're amazing and how much I think about it all the time. That has never changed and will never change,' he added.

Before the ceremony, Rachel had admitted that 'to be so close and to lose it would just be devastating to me.'

She had more tears in her car ride from the show as she said: 'It's hard to hear how great you are and how much love somebody has for you  and they still don't choose you. And I swear that's the story of my life. I know how great it could have been.'

Feeling it: Nick was struggling with his emotions after sending Rachel home

Ride home: Rachel cried while in the car being sent home

Rachel, who was named the next Bachelorette despite still being in the running with Nick onscreen, added: 'I want someone to have that undeniable, unconditional, unexplainable love for me. And I want to be able to feel it the same way for them. It feels like back to square one.'

The episode started with Raven, who previously confessed that she 'never had an orgasm before,' smothering Nick with kisses in the morning and telling him: 'I had a really nice night with you last night.'

'Last night meant a lot to me,' she told him, with him telling her amid more kisses: 'It meant a lot to me. I had an amazing time with you.'

Fantasy suite: Raven told Nick that she had a nice night with him in the Fantasy Suite

Later in an on-camera confessional, Raven, 25, from Hoxie, Arkansas, said: 'To think that I just shared my first meaningful ''I love you'' to my potential future husband but also spent the night with him was just the most special thing.

'To be alone physically with him was just so nice and relaxing.

'I will say this  Nick is really good at what he does. So, I'm pretty satisfied today,' she added with a smile.

Feeling satisfied: The Arkansas native was feeling satisfied after her night in the Fantasy Suite after never experiencing an orgasm

Nick had an unusual date with Vanessa, a special education teacher from Montreal, Canada, stripping off to tight bright blue bathing suits as they had to plunge into freezing outdoor ice baths.

'I want to murder Nick, chop him up and feed him to the reindeer,' she had joked, before quickly embracing the challenge.

But they soon struck up an awkward conversation as Nick reminded her of his hometown visit.

Date time: Vanessa joked about killing Nick for taking her on an outdoor ice bath date

Cold outing: Nick and Vanessa stripped down to blue bathing suits to jump in ice baths

That's cold: Vanessa was freezing as she lowered herself into the water

Candid conversation: Nick and Vanessa talked about being in a 'traditional' relationship

Vanessa became upset after he called her family 'very traditional' and made it clear he was wary of being too close.

When she insisted she would never give up on her three-hour family lunches every Sunday, he admitted: 'I've never imagined living in Canada, and I'll be honest that's not easy for me to picture I'm, like, really proud to be an American.'

They never seemed to clear up the issue, and Vanessa admitted: 'Today was a very confusing day for me, because Nick is someone that I can actually picture spending the rest of my life with. But at the same time our conversations are always so heavy.

Warming up: Vanessa and Nick got closer inside a spa

So cold: Nick tried warming up as Vanessa curled up after their ice bath dip

'I felt as if Nick was questioning whether or not he wants to be as close to my family as I am. And it's been upsetting me.'

Vanessa however soon told him that she had 'been waiting to tell you that I love you for a while,' with Nick saying it was 'an amazing feeling' to hear it.

Nick though admitted in a confessional: 'I think my relationship with Vanessa has the potential to have more conflict given the big personalities we have and how similar we are.

Hot water: The couple talked about their feelings for each other in a hot tub

'But if we can figure out and accept our differences I think it has a chance to be an incredibly passionate, amazing relationship.'

After their night in the Fantasy Suite  where they were both clearly topless in bed as she again told him 'I love you' in the morning - Vanessa insisted: 'Waking up this morning I have more of an appreciation for who Nick is.

'And he is everything I want in a partner, everything I want in a husband.'

Being honest: Nick admitted that his relationship with Vanessa was the most open to conflict

She also insisted: 'It's just right when I'm with Nick. Nick is my other half, the person I know I want to spend the rest of my life with. I really feel like the luckiest person in the world. Wishes do come true.'

However, she was later shown in tears waiting for the rose ceremony at the realization she had to share Nick with the other two.

'I think I'm bothered by the fact that Nick can have feelings for another woman,' she admitted. 'My insecurity hasn't come out until now. It does make me question whether or not I am good enough.'

The Bachelor will conclude next week as Nick chooses between Raven and Vanessa.
Her husband Sting had a huge hit with Englishman in New York.

And Trudie Styler looked every inch the English rose, as she stepped out solo in NYC on Monday.

The 63-year-old actress was effortlessly elegant on the red carpet at the premiere of Our Dream Of Water at Metrograph.

Super stylish! Trudie Styler looked every inch the English rose, as she stepped out solo in NYC on Monday

The activist was clad in black as she made a remarkably youthful appearance without her devoted husband.

She wore a simple but stylish black dress which was cinched at the waist by a belt.

The beauty teamed her LBD with statement lace-up platform satin boots.

Thumbs up! The 63-year-old actress was effortlessly elegant on the red carpet at the premiere of Our Dream Of Water at Metrograph

Trudie is well known to be a huge fan of pilates and to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even when travelling the world with her rock legend husband Sting, 65.

Being part of one of the most stable marriages in music history might also have helped Trudie maintain her incredible aura of wellness.

She has been married to the former Police frontman for more than a quarter of a century.

The pair regularly appear loved-up at events or on holiday together and recently won awards for their Italian wine venture - though Sting confessed he is still more partial to a beer.

Couple: She has been married to former Police frontman Sting for more than a quarter of a century

The world renowned couple have four children together and also run a successful international charity.

Sting also has Joseph, 40, and Kate, 34, from his first marriage to Frances Tomelty.

Sting and Trudie launched the Rainforest Fund back in 1989 in a bid to help the indigenous Amazonian people of Brazil.

And today it now operates in 23 countries across three continents including Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Peru.
Rachel Lindsay gave The Bachelor star Nick Viall credit Monday for making her a believer about finding love on television.

The 31-year-old Dallas lawyer made a guest appearance during the two-hour special The Bachelor: The Women Tell All.

Rachel was eliminated during Monday's episode of The Bachelor after spending a night in the Fantasy Suite with 36-year-old Chicago software sales executive Nick.

Bachelorette star: Rachel Lindsay appeared on The Bachelor: The Women Tell All on Monday after being eliminated from The Bachelor by Nick Viall

She was named as the next star of The Bachelorette last month while still competing for Nick's heart.

The Women Tell All special featured 19 women who Nick had earlier sent home on The Bachelor.

They gave Rachel a standing ovation when she came on the stage to be interviewed by host Chris Harrison.

Rachel made history as the first black to be cast as the lead in the history of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

Together again: Nick and Rachel were reunited on the two-hour special

Standing ovation: The 19 women participating in the Women Tell All special gave Rachel a standing ovation

'It is a very big deal. I'm very honored to represent an African-American woman in this position,' Rachel said.

She added that she didn't want race to be the focus of her journey but she was happy to acknowledge it.

Rachel revealed that she doesn't have a physical 'type' but she was a 'sucker for a great smile'.

Making history: Chris Harrison asked Rachel her thoughts on being the first black lead in the history of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise

'I'm corny, so it's easy to make me laugh,' she said.

'I'm looking for a guy who's secure and confident. ...I'm looking for a guy who is ready to get married and start a family,' Rachel said.

Chris, 45, then brought out Nick who sent Rachel packing after she declared she was 'falling in love with' him and they spent a night together in the Fantasy Suite.

Hugged it out: Rachel and Nick hugged as host Chris looked on

They hugged and Nick said he couldn't 'imagine anyone better' becoming the next Bachelorette.

'Nick definitely made me a believer. I was so skeptical. ...It was because of you,' Rachel told him.

'I learned so much about myself and what's missing in my life. ...I give you credit for that,' Rachel said.

Giving credit: The Dallas lawyer gave Nick credit for making her a believer in finding love on TV

'Thank you,' Nick said.

'We couldn't be happier that you're the Bachelorette,' Chris told Rachel.

The Bachelorette will premiere on May 22 on ABC.
Gillian Jacobs stepped out Monday night in a denim mini dress decorated with pretty floral motifs.

The star of Netflix original series Love looked ready for spring in the pretty number that was gathered at the waist as she attended a premiere for season two In New York.

The dress featured poppers down the front of the bodice and a collar.

Floral theme: Gillian Jacobs stepped out in NYC in a denim mini dress decorated with pretty floral motifs for a special screening to promote season two of her Netflix series Love

The 34-year-old actress, who previously starred on NBC's sitcom Community, and had a recurring role on HBO's Girls, went bare-legged in the thigh-skimming dress.

She added black shoes with chequered heels and wore her long brunette hair styled into a chignon at the base of her neck.

Gillian was joined at the special screening by her co-star Paul Rust and series creator Judd Apatow.

Spring style: The actress, 34, who previously starred on NBC's sitcom Community and had a recurring role on HBO's Girls, wore her hair styled into a chignon at the base of her neck

Gillian went bare-legged in the thigh-skimming dress that was gathered at the waist and she added black shoes with chequered heels

In the dramatic comedy, Gillian and Paul play couple Mickey and Gus.

The show follows them as they experience 'the thrills and agonies of modern relationships.'

Season two premieres on the streaming service on March 10.
Irina Shayk greeted her Instagram following on Monday with a smoldering photo of herself modeling for the Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi.

She's been the face of the company since 2007, and showed off her ample endowments in a lacy black bralette from the brand.

The 31-year-old, who's reportedly expecting her first child by Bradley Cooper, had artfully draped an arm over her middle.

'Obsessed': Irina Shayk greeted her Instagram following on Monday with a smoldering photo of herself modeling for the Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi

Her wavy dark brown hair tumbled freely behind her shoulders, and she'd worn purple lipstick complementing the pale pink backdrop.

'Obsessed with my new #bralette..,' she'd wrote in her caption, adding: 'Be beautiful, be comfortable,' before tagging the brand and photographer Rowan Papier.

Papier's previously photographed Shayk for the cover of S Moda, the weekly fashion magazine offshoot of Madrid-based daily newspaper El Pais.

Pictured last March: The Yemanzhelinsk native, born when her hometown was part of the Soviet Union, has been with her 42-year-old beau Bradley Cooper since early in 2015

The Yemanzhelinsk native, born when her hometown was part of the Soviet Union, has been with her 42-year-old beau since early in 2015.

She'd sent pregnancy rumors haywire last November while parading - midriff largely bare - down the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris.

Neither Shayk nor Cooper's confirmed the pregnancy, but a source gushed to E! News in January: 'She can't wait to be a mom and would like more kids after this.'

The announcement?: She'd sent pregnancy rumors haywire last November while parading - midriff largely bare - down the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris

Meanwhile, 'Bradley has been there for her and is loving seeing the baby grow inside her. They share those moments when the baby kicks and they can't wait!'

Per the source: 'Bradley been taking her to her doctor visits and is so excited every time they see the baby. She is very healthy and the baby is as well.'

She'd been spotted on Thursday playing down her burgeoning belly in a flowing black dress while out and about in the Pacific Palisades.
Kylie Minogue has reaffirmed her support for Australian marriage equality after her ex-fiance Joshua Sasse abandoned their campaign just a week following their break up.

Speaking at a press conference for her new range of Specsavers glasses on Tuesday in Sydney, Kylie said her support for same sex marriage remained the same.

Last year, Joshua started the high profile Say I Do Down Under campaign, which saw the engaged couple attend last year's ARIAS in matching T-shirts and give a joint speech in support of marriage equality.

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'Can we please just do it already?' Kylie Minogue reaffirms her support for Australian marriage equality campaign after ex-fiance Joshua Sasse ditches their Say I Do Down Under movement

Kylie told the crowd attending the eyewear launch her views around marriage and gay rights were the 'same message as always'.

'Can we please just do it already?' she added, causing onlookers to clap in support.

Last month, Kylie confirmed she had split from her fiance and partner of more than two years Joshua, amid rumours he had become close to a television costar.

Unchanged: Kylie told the crowd attending the eyewear launch her views around marriage and gay rights were the 'same message as always'

Activism: Kylie had made a surprise appearance at last year's ARIAs alongside Joshua, opting to go casual in jeans and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the campaign's slogan

A week after the pop princess announced their breakup, a representative for Marriage Equality Australia told The Daily Telegraph Joshua's campaign was ending.

'The campaign has run its course,' the spokesman said. 'It is now over.'

Kylie had made a surprise appearance at last year's ARIAs alongside Joshua, opting to go casual in jeans and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the campaign's slogan.

Taking to the stage, the couple called on the federal government to make same sex marriage happen.

Planned to make a statement: Joshua even took the step of declaring that he would not wed the 48-year-old until Australian laws had been changed

The campaign also gathered the support of high profile international celebrities, with the likes of Rose Byrne and Margot Robbie all being photographed in the movement's T-shirts.

Joshua even took the step of declaring that he would not wed the 48-year-old until Australian laws had been changed.

In October, he told Sunrise: 'I wanted to tell you today on her (Kylie) behalf and our behalf that until this law has passed in Australia, we will not be getting married.'
A former Neighbours star has shared a powerful selfie of her feeding her baby boy in an effort to push for breastfeeding to be 'normalised'.

Natalie Hoflin - who played Carmella Cammeniti on the hit drama between 2003 and 2011 - became a mother for the first time in mid-2016, welcoming a young son Finn.

Lying down on her bed, Natalie lifts the camera high above her to ensure both she and baby are in shot

Revealing: former Neighbours star . Natalie Hoflin has shared a powerful selfie of her feeding her baby boy Finn in an effort to push for breastfeeding to be 'normalised'

'Not that long ago I had to guide you, position you just right for a comfortable feed,' she captioned her image.

'Now, I hike up my top and wait for you to notice... just to see your eyes light up and your little body begin to wiggle across the bed... until you clumsily face plant my breast.

'In that moment I am all kinds of proud you my dear Finn Odin.'

Doting: Natalie became a mother for the first time in mid-2016, welcoming a young son Finn

Actress: Natalie played Carmella Cammeniti on the hit TV drama between 2003 and 2011

The mother-of-one, who now lives in California with her husband David, also added a number of pro-breastfeeding hashtags to her post.

The former Ramsay Street regular often shares sweet photos of herself and her son with her 3,700 followers.

A clear nature lover, she also posts images of her, her husband and her son enjoying the great outdoors in the US.

Speaking out: The mother-of-one, who now lives in California with her husband David (left), also added a number of pro-breastfeeding hashtags to her post

Mother and son: The former Ramsay Street regular often shares doting photos of herself and her son with her 3,700 followers

At home: A clear nature lover, she also posts images of her, her husband and her son enjoying the great outdoors in the US

Despite being a major star on Neighbours, Natalie now spends much of her time with her son as David goes about his roles on major US shows.

A former Neighbours regular himself, he has had roles on shows including NCIS and American Crime, and will star on an upcoming spin-off of the Zelda tale.

Natalie and David, who met on the hit Channel Ten show, married in 2013 and their son Finn was born on 29 July, 2016.

Stay-at-home mum: Despite being a major star on Neighbours, Natalie now spends much of her time with her son as David goes about his roles on major US shows
They were the unlikely couple from The Bachelor who won themselves a legion of supporters.

But fans of Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon's relationship have taken to social media in droves, demanding the couple confirm whether they are still together after hints of a breakup.

The attacks via the two girl's Instagram pages have seen some go so far as to accuse the pair of faking a split for further publicity.

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'The public is going to ask': Fans of Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon DEMAND they confirm whether they have broken up, as some even accuse the pair of FAKING a 'split'

Since it was revealed the girls had left Bali last month, all of their social media posts have been peppered with questions about their relationship status.

And several fans have taken to begging in order to get either Tiffany or Megan to confirm whether they are still together.

'The reason people are asking is because they feel like they deserve to know because you were so public,' one frustrated social media user wrote on Tiffany's Instagram profile last week.

Fans want answers: Since it was revealed the girls had left Bali last month, all of their social media posts have been peppered with questions about their relationship status

Questioned: But some fans have even gone so far as to question whether their silence means any possible break up - or even a relationship - was faked

'They put themselves in the public light .... the public is going to ask,' another follower commented. 'I think they're both regretting going so public so quickly.'

But some fans have even gone so far as to question whether their silence means any possible break up - or even a relationship - was faked.

'Tagging fashion labels and blogs in an artfully composed because shot taken by someone else is exactly how I wouldn't handle heartbreak,' one fan speculated.

Going their separate ways? Tiffany has since returned to her hometown of Perth, while Megan took to social media on Monday to announce she was going travelling through Europe

' ... This "break-up" just adds fuel to the fact that had all been an elaborate ruse.'

Neither of the women have confirmed their break up, however Tiffany admitted to feeling 'lost in life' in one photo shared while Megan told Daily Mail Australia she had gone through 'a pretty rough couple of weeks'.

Tiffany has since returned to her hometown of Perth, while Megan took to social media on Monday to announce she was going travelling through Europe.
She's got just weeks to go until she gives birth to her and husband George Burgess' first child.

And WAG Joanna Burgess showed off her huge baby bump in a leopard print bikini on Tuesday.

Taking to Instagram, the blonde beauty posed up for a selfie, revealing to her fans she was 35 weeks along.

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'35 weeks with chunky monkey': Pregnant Joanna Burgess showed off her huge baby bump in a leopard print bikini on Tuesday

She wrote: '35 weeks with chunky monkey, measuring 38 weeks #LittleBigMan.'

In the snap, the interior design student stunned in her swimwear as her long locks were out loose and tumbling in curls around her shoulder.

Appearing to be makeup free, Joanna showed off a soft golden glow.

Beauty in blue! Two weeks ago, Joanna - formerly Joanna King - celebrated her baby shower, stunning in a blue floral Zimmerman slip dress

Two weeks ago, Joanna - formerly Joanna King - celebrated her baby shower, stunning in a blue floral Zimmerman slip dress.

Also in attendance at the bash was her sister-in-law, journalist and new mother Phoebe Burgess, who is married to George's brother Sam.

Joanna and George have recently hinted they would be calling their first baby Boston in numerous social media hashtags.

Blonde bombshells! Also in attendance was her sister-in-law, journalist and new mother Phoebe Burgess, who is married to George's brother Sam

The couple married in an intimate ceremony in Noosa in December, with Joanna stunning in a gorgeous Pallas Couture gown.

'What an unbelievable day it was last Saturday getting married to my queen,' George sweetly wrote online at the time.

'It was everything we could have imagined. Thanks to everyone who was a part of our special day, and those who were there in spirit,' he added.
She revealed last year that she'd sent a male pal a 'boozy' text message asking for his semen.

And now, more than six months later, the unidentified fella has finally agreed to give Mel Greig his 'swimmers.'

'He said yes!' the 35-year-old proudly announced during an appearance on The Daily Edition on Tuesday.

'He said yes!' One of Mel Greig's mates has finally agreed to give her his sperm so she can have a baby, revealed the radio star on The Daily Edition this week

Despite locking down a donor, the blonde personality confessed that she'd also be open to having one of the male strippers from Magic Mike Live father her future child.

'I'm going to Vegas soon, I'll be divorced, and I'm going to Magic Mike. One of those strippers might want to start a new life in Australia.'

She added: 'So I'm going to bring him back here, marry him, and everything will be okay.'

'So I'm going to bring him back here, marry him, and everything will be okay': The 35-year-old is also open to fathering a child with a male stripper if the opportunity arises

She's got text appeal! Mel, who says she 'can't date sober', asked her pal for his 'swimmers' via text after enjoying a few too many wines

The outspoken radio DJ also confessed: 'I can't date sober.'

Last August, the busty beauty wrote about her search for a sperm donor in her monthly sex and dating column for Yahoo7 Be.

'Yep, I just asked my male friend to donate his sperm. I was a few wines in and I was starting to fret about my future,' she wrote.

'Yep, I just asked my male friend to donate his sperm. I was a few wines in and I was starting to fret about my future,' she confessed last year

'Soon to be divorced, and a sufferer of endometriosis, my baby making timeline is diminishing quickly. So clearly, the smartest thing for me to do was scroll through my phone and pick my own sperm donor,' she went on.

Mel revealed that once she'd sobered up the next morning, she retracted the offer by sending the poor guy an 'apology text' for the 'boozy message.'

Mel announced that she had broken up with her husband Steve Pollock in April last year during an appearance on Channel Ten's morning program, Studio 10.
It has been said that smoking, while horrible for your health, helps to curb the appetite.

And it seems that Jonah Hill can make such claims, too.

The 33-year-old actor revealed a much thinner frame on Monday in Beverly Hills, California, while puffing away on a solo outing.

Smoking hot! Jonah Hill enjoyed a cigarette on a solo outing on Monday in Los Angeles and revealed a much thinner figure

Dressed in a denim jacket and matching pants, the Wolf Of Wall Street star chatted away on his mobile phone while sparking up streetside.

The Oscar-nominated actor has undergone dramatic weight transformations year after year.

In 2016 he shed pounds after the release of his film War Dogs, where he sported a much fuller figure opposite Miles Teller. A year ahead of that release he was far more generous in proportion throughout 2015.

Shrinking: In 2015 the Oscar-nominated star was much heavier after years of an on-off battle of the bulge

In 21 Jump Street, released in 2012, he was possibly at his thinnest size staring alongside Channing Tatum in the cop film.

Jonah shot to fame in the raunchy 2007 comedy Superbad, where he had a heavyset figure.

Speaking to NY Magazine in 2011 when he shed a dramatic amount of weight after filming Moneyball, he said it was a sign of being older and wiser.

Hidden figures! The Superbad star's outfit helped enhance a much leaner silhouette with layering a denim jacket over a T-shirt and jeans

'I met you guys  meaning everyone, media, audiences, strangers  when I was 21 or 22 years old, with Superbad,' he said. 'And I was a kid  I was drinking beer, smoking weed all the time... who I was then is a lot different than who I am now. So being healthier came along with maturity.'

He continued, 'And it's hard, because a lot of times people want you to be the guy you were when they met you. And I love doing funny movies, but I want to mature, literally, in how I treat myself.'

Big steps: The Wolf Of Wall Street star has had dramatic transformations in size over the years

It's possible that Jonah is losing weight as he prepares to film a forthcoming high profile Netflix series that will reunite him with his Superbad co-star Emma Stone.

He will begin filming the 10-episode dark comedy in August, Deadline reports.
She has a figure that puts many half her age to shame.

And Lisa Kudrow flaunted it to the maximum in a flattering all-black ensemble at a Boss Baby event in Beverly Hills on Monday.

The blonde beauty seemed in high spirits indeed as she promoted the animated film at the bash at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles.

Lady in black: Lisa Kudrow showcased her figure at a Boss Baby event in Beverly Hills Monday

Friends favourite Lisa, 53, was looking great for her age in a black pullover, brown blouse, trousers and leather shoes.

The actress, who voices the character of the Boss Baby's mother in the film, was joined by producers Ramsey Ann Naito, Denise Alberts, Melissa Gerstein and director Tom McGrath

The picture tells the story of a suit-wearing baby, voiced by Alec Baldwin, who teams up with his seven-year old brother to foil a dastardly plot

Last week she revealed to Andy Cohen she was victim of a shocking remark from one of the many guest stars who appeared on her hit show Friends.

When asked on Watch What Happens Live to tell the worst behaviour by a guest star on the series, Lisa said that she had been victim of a misogynistic remark off camera.

Drinking at the fountain of youth? It is hard to believe the beauty is really 53-years-old

Star of the show: She was joined by producers Ramsey Ann Naito, Denise Alberts, Melissa Gerstein and director Tom McGrath

Starring role: She voices the mother of Alec Baldwin's Boss Baby character

Without saying who the guest star was, Lisa explained: 'I rehearsed without makeup most of the week and then on show night I'm in hair and makeup and I was told, "Oh wow, NOW you're" - can I say it? "Now you're f**kable."'

Joined on the sofa by Taken star Jennifer Beals, Lisa added: 'That's bad behavior, I say.'

'Did you retaliate?' Beals asked.

'I told Matt LeBlanc,' Kudrow laughed. 'He's like a big brother.'

During the Watch What Happens Live aftershow, Cohen grilled Kudrow on the guest star's identity, and while she wouldn't name names, however she confirmed it was not Charlie Sheen.

Shocker: She rocked Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen last week by revealing was victim of a shocking remark a Friends guest star
She's usually entertaining listeners on KIIS FM 106.5 radio in Sydney.

But now, Sophie Monk is taking a break to become the proud owner of brand new puppy.

The radio host posted this adorable photo to Instagram on Tuesday of a Bulldog puppy that she's 'getting in two weeks'.

'I'm in love already!': Sophie Monk have reached out to her fans on social media for name suggestions for her new Bulldog puppy

She has reached out to her 157k Instagram followers to help come up with a name for the gorgeous puppy.

Sophie told her fans how excited she was for the new addition to her family and asked for 'cute names to call my little boy'.

The replies were coming through think and fast as her loyal followers offered up their best puppy names.

Some of the most popular choices are Louie, Freddy, Roger, Alfie and Prince.

The KIIS FM radio host is famous for her witty banter and one-liner jokes

The blonde bombshell is 'in love already' with her adorable new Bulldog puppy that she is 'getting in two weeks'

In the first hour of being on Instagram, the photo racked up over 2,000 likes and 500 comments of name suggestions.

She also shared the photo to Twitter which brought on more responses to name her new pup.

Famous friend Eddie Perfect suggested she simply call the pup 'Gavin'.
She's been coy about the status of her relationship with Tiffany Scanlon with hints of their break up dotted all over their Instagram.

But Megan Marx now is baring all.

In a new saucy Instagram post, the 27-year-old shared a picture of herself naked and perched on the ledge of a hut.

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Baring it all! Megan Marx has taken to Instagram to share a snap of herself naked and perched on the ledge of a hut

Wearing what appears to be a barely-there, skin-toned underwear, she strategically positioned her arms to cover her assets.

In the caption, she thanked her Balinese spa clinic, saying: 'Wearing my birthday suit straight after my nitrogen facial with @cocoonmedicalspa FEELIN GOOOD.'

Followers of The Bachelor reject who commented on the post complimented her on her toned and tanned physique.

'The public is going to ask': Fans of Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon DEMAND they confirm whether they have broken up, as some even accuse the pair of FAKING a 'split'

One fan wrote: 'If I was your former lover and I see this in my feed in the middle of a meeting, without even blinking, I'd excuse myself, book a flight and dramatically run towards you with wild abandon.'

While another said: 'Great glow!'

However, in recent days she has dodging questions from followers asking about her relationship status with fellow Bachelor reject-turned-lover Tiffany Scanlon.

Fans want answers: Since it was revealed the girls had left Bali last month, all of their social media posts have been peppered with questions about their relationship status

Questioned: But some fans have even gone so far as to question whether their silence means any possible break up - or even a relationship - was faked

On Megan's nude post, a fan said: 'Why aren't you and @tiffany_janes together?!' along with crying emojis.

After finding love with each other on the matchmaking reality show last year, they openly shared their same-sex relationship on their respective social media accounts.

As a result, the unlikely couple won a legion of supporters.

But it appears that soon after making the big move together to Bali - rumors of trouble in paradise swelled following Megan's decision to return to Perth and abrupt announcement that she would be flying out to travel around Europe.

Going their separate ways? Tiffany has since returned to her hometown of Perth, while Megan took to social media on Monday to announce she was going travelling through Europe

On social media, some fans have begged either Tiffany or Megan to confirm whether they are still together, while others have gone as far as to accuse the pair of faking a split for further publicity.

'The reason people are asking is because they feel like they deserve to know because you were so public,' one frustrated social media user wrote on Tiffany's Instagram profile last week.

'They put themselves in the public light .... the public is going to ask,' another follower commented. 'I think they're both regretting going so public so quickly.'

Spoken of difficult times: Megan told Daily Mail Australia she had gone through 'a pretty rough couple of weeks'

'Tagging fashion labels and blogs in an artfully composed because shot taken by someone else is exactly how I wouldn't handle heartbreak,' one fan speculated.

' ... This "break-up" just adds fuel to the fact that had all been an elaborate ruse.'

Neither of the women have confirmed their break up, however Tiffany admitted to feeling 'lost in life' in one photo shared while Megan told Daily Mail Australia she had gone through 'a pretty rough couple of weeks'.
She set up a talent agency last September in a bid to promote young models.

And Kate Moss has staged her very first shoot featuring her proteges Elfie Reigate and Louis Baines in her role as Contributing Fashion Editor for British VOGUE.

The 43-year-old supermodel has joined forces with her photographer boyfriend Nikolai von Bismarck for the project.

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Covert girl: Kate Moss has staged her very first shoot featuring her proteges Elfie Reigate and Louis Baines in her role as Contributing Fashion Editor for British VOGUE

It is the first-time Kate and Nikolai have worked together on a shoot, and the first-time Nikolai has photographed for Vogue.

Kate also covers the fashion bible, displaying her timeless looks and sporting a jewel embellished silk gown.

Starting out in the modelling business aged just 17, Kate confessed she is very protective towards her young talent.

'I'm maternal': Starting out in the modelling business aged just 17, Kate confessed she is very protective towards her young talent

She said: 'Im maternal; I dont want the girls to feel insecure.'

Discussing her decision to set up the modelling agency, she explained: 'As I get older, it seemed like the natural thing to do was to take responsibility for my choices both as a model and with the branding I put my name to.'

Kate launched her agency, aptly called Kate Moss Agency, after leaving her long-time reps Storm Models last April.

Joining forces: It is the first-time Kate and Nikolai have worked together on a shoot, and the first-time Nikolai has photographed for Vogue

Camilla Johnson-Hill, brand and business manager for Kate's agency, told Business of Fashion at the time: 'Its more of a management company with creative people, but well be working with them as models.

Insisting that Kate is the brains behind the operation, she said: 'I bring things to the table and add some things and help shape things, but every project is hers.'

The agency aims to find models who are a little out of the ordinary, and personality is so important that hopefuls must demonstrate the 'talent' and 'interests' which make them unique when applying.

Read the full interview with Kate when the issue arrives on newsstands and for download this Friday.

Branching out: Kate launched her agency, aptly called Kate Moss Agency, after leaving her long-time reps Storm Models last April




Call The Midwife has become one of the nation's most popular dramas, attracting an average of 8.55 million viewers this series.

But star of the BBC One show Charlotte Ritchie has revealed it isn't always easy working with newborn babies, joking that the young actors can be 'real divas'.

The actress, who plays Nurse Barbara Gilbert, also teased her big wedding scenes in this week's series finale.

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'They're real divas': Call The Midwife star Charlotte Ritchie has revealed it isn't always easy working with newborn babies... as she teased the BBC One show's upcoming wedding finale

Speaking to the new issue of Radio Times magazine, Charlotte revealed: 'They are real divas. They cry all the time. They have 15-minute breaks every 15 minutes and everyone has to be hushed when they turn up! They get everything they want.'

Series producer Ann Tricklebank also opened up about the intricacies of working with infants.

Despite being inundated with requests from parents-to-be for their babies to appear in the drama, she revealed they only use children up to eight weeks old from a specialist talent agency.

She explained: 'Sometimes we have special demands, for example with regard to ethnicity. Or perhaps if were covering a premature birth, we will need a tiny baby.

Teething problems: The actress, who plays Nurse Barbara Gilbert, said it can be very tricky working with such young children, joking, 'They get everything they want'

'We cant use babies of people who write in because the baby has to tie in to the shooting schedule, not the other way round.'

It's also a challenge for the actors to cope with a wriggling, slippery baby and remembering to hold the cord in the right place.

'Grape juice and stage blood, basically', the producer explained when quizzed about the authentic birth scenes, with a touch of CGI sometimes needed to correct gaps between the cord and baby on screen.

Big day: The babies' mothers are always present on set, 'They can either sit on set with us or watch the filming on a nearby monitor. Its a big day for them, too'

Baby joy: Despite being inundated with requests from parents-to-be for their babies to appear in the drama, the series producer revealed they only use children from a specialist agency

The babies' mothers are always present on set, with Ann revealing, 'They can either sit on set with us or watch the filming on a nearby monitor. Its a big day for them, too.'

In the new interview, Charlotte also teased the romantic finale to the sixth series, which will see Barbara tie the knot with Reverend Tom Hereward (Jack Ashton).

'That was very nerve-racking, wearing a real wedding dress and going through the whole ceremony', she explained.

'Having to keep my dress white and make sure I didnt spill tea down my front was a major concern.'

Call The Midwife airs on BBC One on Sunday 12 at 8pm.
They became engaged on Christmas Day in 2014 after just six months of dating.

And Joe Manganiello proved himself to be the true romantic as he revealed his efforts to woo Sofia Vergara in the latest issue of Cosmopolitan.

Gushing that the actress was 'the one', the Magic Mike star, 40, admitted that he flew all the way to New Orleans to take her on a date when he first discovered she was single - and even wrote her a 40-page book to celebrate their anniversary.

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True gentleman: Joe Manganiello proved himself to be a real romantic as he revealed his efforts to woo Sofia Vergara in the latest issue of Cosmopolitan

The actor confessed in the interview that he had always had his eye on the 44-year-old beauty - making the first move before she had even announced she was splitting from her former fiance Nick Loeb.

He explained: 'I was on a press tour when I found out Sofia was single. My friend is an editor, and told me she was about to make the announcement.'

Not willing to let the chance pass him by, the True Blood star went on to admit that he then jetted across the country to whisk her off on their first date.

I want you: The actor confessed he had always had his eye on the 44-year-old - making the first move before she had even announced she was splitting from her former fiance Nick Loeb

'I got her number from Jesse Tyler Ferguson [Sofia's Modern Family co-star], then flew to New Orleans to take her on a date,' he confessed.

Having agreed to marry after a whirlwind six-month romance, the pair subsequently wed in November 2015, in a stunning ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida.

Joe continued to the magazine that it had not taken long for him to realise he wanted to commit to the Modern Family star, after witnessing her compassionate and caring nature.

Still goin strong: The pair wed in November 2015 in a stunning ceremony in Palm Beach, and confessed he knew she was the one as they had always 'put each other's wellbeing first'

He gushed: 'Sofia and I have always put each other's wellbeing first and that's how I knew she was the one.'

Confirming the pair were still as loved-up as ever, he then confessed: 'I wrote her a book as a gift for our first anniversary. It was about how we met, as well as our courting, and was about 40 pages long I love my wife a lot.'

Joe further explained that the pair, who recently enjoyed a winter getaway in the French Polynesia, always manage to diffuse any tension between them by evaluating the bigger picture of happiness.

'I love my wife a lot': He also admitted he wrote Sofia a 40-page book for their one year anniversary, which confessed his love and discussed their initial romance

He said: 'The best advice I've been given about women came from a good friend. He said ''When it comes to an argument would you rather be right or happy?'' I go for happy every time.'

Joe and Sofia have recently returned to LA from their festive break in Mexico and Bora Bora with the actress' 24-year-old son Manolo.

Returning home but also to reality, the pair now have a busy few months ahead of them promoting their respective acting projects.

Sofia is currently seeing the release of the eighth season of her hit TV series Modern Family, which is set to air until mid-March.

Quality time: Joe and Sofia have recently returned to LA from their festive break in Mexico and Bora Bora with the actress' 24-year-old son Manolo (above)

Playing the famous character of Gloria Pritchett, it was reported by Forbes in September that Sofia had earned the title of the highest paid TV actress for the role - at a whopping $43million.

Meanwhile Joe is set to star in five films in 2017 - including the much-anticipated The Batman, alongside Hollywood star Ben Affleck.

However despite having a number of films and genres under his belt, the Pennsylvania native admitted that it is his role in the sexy Magic Mike flicks that garners the most attention.

'People always ask me to demonstrate my Magic Mike moves for them,' he laughed. 'I have to tell them I'm not actually a stripper. But that's the fun thing about acting  doing something that really isn't you.'
Founding Parliament members visit Artur Sargsyan

Members of the Founding Parliament movement today visited Artur Sargsyan, who was released from pre-trial detention on Monday following his 25-day hunger strike. Sargsyan has been transferred from the intensive care unit of the Armenia Medical Center to a general ward since his condition has considerably improved. He was taken to the Armenia Medical Center yesterday after he was released from the Hospital of Convicts penitentiary institution. We visited him. He is invincible Sunken but not weakened, with an unconquerable spirit, FP member Syuzan Simonyan wrote on her Facebook page publishing the photos of Artur Sargsyan. The Office of the Prosecutor-General ordered Artur Sargsyans release after six opposition lawmakers posted bail for him in the amount of 3 million drams. Artur Sargsyan (nicknamed the bringer of bread) drove his car through a police cordon to take food to the Sasna Dzrer group members during their two-week standoff with security forces. He surrendered to law enforcement authorities on July 31 along with the remaining gunmen barricaded in the police compound which they seized on July 17. Sargsyan was freed in December due to his deteriorating health condition. The Special Investigative Service again detained him on Feb. 9, saying he ignored a summons to show up in his court hearing. Sargsyan began a hunger strike the next day in protest against his detention.
She is fast approaching her May due date, having announced that she was expecting a little girl over Christmas.

And Cally Jane Beech looked more radiant than ever on Sunday, as she stocked up on baby clothes for her new arrival during a shopping trip in Ilford.

The reality star, 25, showed off her blossoming bump in a tight-fitting black top and chic velvet blazer as she headed to the luxurious Childsplay store with some of her nearest and dearest.

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Not long now: Cally Jane Beech looked more radiant than ever on Sunday, as she stocked up on adorable baby clothes for her new arrival during a shopping trip in Ilford

Gorgeous: The reality star, 25, showed off her blossoming bump in a tight-fitting black top and chic velvet blazer as she headed to the luxurious Childsplay store

The former Miss Great Britain looked every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she stepped out to stock up on supplies for her impending arrival.

Keeping comfortable for the outing, Cally opted for a tight-fitting black T-shirt and leggings, which showed off her ever-growing bump for all to see.

Maintaining her chic style in pregnancy however, the Love Island star then layered a khaki crushed velvet blazer on top to up the glamour of her simple look.

Gorgeous: The former Miss Great Britain looked every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she stepped out to stock up on supplies for her impending arrival

Blossoming: Keeping comfortable for the outing, Cally opted for a tight-fitting black T-shirt and leggings, which showed off her ever-growing bump for all to see

Hot mama! Maintaining her chic style in pregnancy however, the Love Island star then layered a khaki crushed velvet blazer on top to up the glamour of her simple look

All eyes on me: She perfectly nailed casual-chic in black heeled ankle boots and accessorised with sleek Louis Vuitton handbag as she headed into the store

She stepped out in a classic pair of black heeled ankle boots and accessorised with sleek Louis Vuitton handbag, to perfectly nail casual-chic as she embarked on her exciting day of baby shopping.

Showing no signs of strain or fatigue from her pregnancy, Cally left her hair sleek and straight and sported perfectly applied make-up, to showcase her clear and glowing complexion.

The reality star was seen spending an afternoon happily browsing the rails of adorable T-shirts, baby-grows and shoes - before heading out for lunch with numerous shopping bags in hand, proving the trip to be a success.

Stunning: Showing no signs of strain or fatigue from her pregnancy, Cally left her hair sleek and straight and sported perfectly applied make-up, to showcase her clear complexion

Which to pick? The reality star was seen spending an afternoon happily browsing the rails of adorable T-shirts, baby-grows and shoes

The brunette first announced her pregnancy with her boyfriend Luis Morrison, who she met on the 2015 series of Love Island, in November.

The pair have since heavily documented their exciting journey on social media - with Cally and the 22-year-old sharing a sweet video on Christmas Day revealing that their new arrival is to be a little girl.

The beauty is expected to give birth in a matter of weeks, after revealing she is due within a few days of fellow reality star Amy Childs' date on May 2.

However she recently admitted that as exciting as pregnancy is, it has put a strain on their previously vigorous sex life as she is anxious the act may harm her baby.

Chic: She later browsed the selection of winter clothes and accessories on offer alongside a relative

Stocking up: She later headed out for lunch with numerous shopping bags in hand, proving the trip to be a success

Exciting: The brunette first announced her pregnancy with her boyfriend Luis Morrison, who she met on the 2015 series of Love Island, in November

Theres a fear, she told new! magazine. People tell you that having sex doesnt harm the baby, but it just feels different and you cant be as rough. You have to be careful and not bang the bump.

So we havent done it as much, but not because we dont want to.

The TV personality fell pregnant despite 'being careful' after suffering problems with her womb for more than year.

But despite their incredulity - with the events company owner asking Cally to take the test twice at the time because he didn't believe her - the couple are already thinking about adding to their brood.

'We'll hopefully have two or three,' said Luis. 'I don't think it's fair on the little one to not have a brother or sister.'
She is thought to be replacing Mary Berry on The Great British Bake Off.

But it has now emerged that Prue Leith previously slammed cookery shows like the BBC One baking contest, branding them as interesting as 'wallpaper on TV'.

The 77-year-old chef's comments are all the more surprising since prior to GBBO, she appeared as a judge on the Great British Menu since 2006.

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Spoke too soon? It has now emerged that new judge Prue Leith previously slammed cookery shows like the The Great British Bake Off, branding them as interesting as 'wallpaper on TV'

She told the Daily Express back in 2012: 'I only watch them very occasionally and I'm frankly not interested in them.

'Cookery shows are like wallpaper on TV. They are very cheap to produce so everybody does them.'

And it seems Prue has never even watched herself on Great British menu, joking that the only reason she accepted the role - despite her aversion to cookery programmes - was the 'ego trip'.

The South African restaurateur and cookery writer laughed: 'I adore being referred to, even as a joke, as "the talent".'

MailOnline has contacted Prue's representatives, who declined to comment.

So long, Mary: Prue revealed she was 'close' to signing a deal to step into Berry's shoes, saying, 'I'm certainly one of the runners'

Prue has reportedly signed a six-figure contract to star alongside Paul Hollywood in the revamped Channel 4 version of Bake Off.

A source told the Mirror: 'The deal has taken its time to iron out the details, but it has now been signed and Prue is going to be on the show.

'We think her and Paul will be another winning combination. Prue is excited about the show and cant wait to get started.'

This comes after the veteran cook revealed she was 'close' to signing a deal, saying, 'I'm certainly one of the runners'.

The likeness between Prue and fan favourite Mary has been drawn no doubt as food writer Prue is the same age Mary - now 81 - was when Bake Off debuted in 2010.

'Ego trip': Prue has never even watched herself on Great British menu, joking that the only reason she accepted the role - despite her aversion to cookery programmes - was the 'ego trip'

A Channel 4 spokesman said: 'We'll be announcing the line up for The Great British Bake Off in due course'.

Leith started out in the cookery world as a caterer in the 60s, before opening her famous Michelin-starred restaurant Leith's in 1969.

In 1975 she founded her own cookery school, Leiths School of Food and Wine, to train professional chefs and amateur cooks.

Reaching a reported turnover of 15m, Prue sold all but the restaurant in the group in 1993.

Two years later she sold the restaurant, and later that year helped found the Prue Leith College, (later renamed Prue Leith Chef's Academy) in South Africa.

New judge? Prue has reportedly signed a six-figure contract to star alongside Paul Hollywood in the revamped Channel 4 version of Bake Off, following the departure of Sue Perkins, Mary Berry and Mel Giedroyc (from left to right)

Proving her television experience, she has been a judge on the BBC television programme Great British Menu since it launched in 2006.

Adding to her list of accolades, Prue was awarded an OBE in 1989, and a CBE in 2010.

Michel Roux Jr, 56, a two-star Michelin chef, was previously tipped as a hot favourite to replace Mary after he was spotted arriving at a test shoot in London in January.

The 56-year-old boasts previous presenting experience on Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen.

He was joined by Irish chef Rachel Allen, a baking whizz, 44, who has hosted the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen show and a series called Rachel Allen: Bake! for RTE.

Joining them at the secret venue appeared to be potential replacements for baking queen Berry herself, including Frances Atkins - one of only six female Michelin starred chefs in the UK.

A source told the Mirror : 'The deal has taken its time to iron out the details, but it has now been signed and Prue is going to be on the show'




When we thought we had our fill of blunders this award season.

It appears the curse has yet to fade as it's been reported that Zayn Malik was mistakenly given the wrong honour at the iHeart Radio Awards over the weekend that was actually meant for American girl group Fifth Harmony.

Currently in Paris supporting his supermodel girlfriend Gigi Hadid during fashion week, the 23-year-old brushed the controversy to one side as he experimented with a new hairstyle, working his floppy mane into a sleek man bun.

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It's there in his mun! It's been reported that Zayn Malik was mistakenly given the wrong honour at the iHeart Radio Awards on Sunday that was actually meant for American girl group Fifth Harmony

The Love You Like I Will hitmaker managed to switch up his look on Monday with his new 'do.

Clad in a shearling lined knee-length jacket, he offset his top knot while wearing a white jumper and beige chinos.

His hair-raising appearance comes as the Bradford native took home Best Video for Pillowtalk at the iHeart Radio Awards and at the time shared a PDA packed video message with girlfriend Gigi - who also starred in the steamy video.

However, according to the award show's website the now four-piece should have won the award for their video for Work From Home featuring rapper Ty Dolla $ign.

New look: The Love You Like I Will hitmaker managed to switch up his look on Monday with his new 'do

Winners: Fifth Harmony have been listed as the winners on iHeart Radio Awards' website for the Best Video honour

It now appears that the wrong 'little birdie' told the British popstar that he won the award as iHeart tweeted it was Fifth Harmony that actually landed it.

The awards wrote: 'Congrats #Harmonizers. You helped @fifthharmony win #BestFanArmy, #BestCover and #BestMusicVideo at our #iHeartAwards!'

In shock from the announcement, band member Lauren Jauregui retweeted the news, writing: 'Ayyeee so we won three babes!!!!'

While rapper Ty Dolla $ign - who featured on the track - shared: 'Wait we won ? Ayeeeeeeeeee !!!! Congrats'.

MailOnline have contacted iHeart Radio, Zayn Malik and Fifth Harmony for comment.

Winners: According to the award show's website the now four-piece should have won the award for their video for Work From Home featuring rapper Ty Dolla $ign

Excited: In shock from the announcement, band members Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane Hansen as Ty Dolla $ign tweeted about their win

Since the confusion, iHeartRadioAwards have confirmed that their was a miscalculation with the Best Video vote and announced that Fifth Harmony had infact won the honour.

Taking to Twitter, they wrote: 'We want to apologize to all fans for the confusion. Incorrect messaging was pushed out on Saturday night during rehearsals.

'Combining Online, Digital and Social Media voting, fans voted Fifth Harmony as the winners for #BestMusicVideo at our #iHeartAwards.

Adding: 'Zayn was the winner of Best Solo Breakout artist at the #iHeartAwards. Congratulations again to all of our winners!'

Confirmation: Since the confusion, iHeartRadioAwards have confirmed that their was a miscalculation with the Best Video vote and announced that Fifth Harmony had infact won the honour

Despite the confusion, Zayn still managed to bag Best Solo Breakout at the ceremony.

At the time of his award, Zayn shared a 25-second clip on Twitter account apologising that he wasn't at the US award show, explaining that he is in the fashion capital with his model love.

'I'm currently in Paris. Sorry I can't be there,' the heartthrob explains in the video.

'A little birdie told me that I've actually won an award, so thank you very much.

Lovebirds: Gigi Hadid popped up in her boyfriend Zayn's thank you clip after he wrongfully received an iHeartRadio award for Pillowtalk

Supportive boyfriend: Zayn was in the French capital to support his supermodel girlfriend Gigi as she faces a hectic schedule of Paris Fashion Week catwalk shows

Affection: Gigi strokes Zayn's face as he says thank you for his award for video Pillowtalk

'I'm very honoured. To everyone that voted, it means a lot, and my co-star's actually sitting next to me right here, so she's gonna say hello as well.'

Suddenly Gigi pops into the frame, snuggling close to her pop star boyfriend, now irrelevantly sharing: 'Hello guys. Thank so much', finishing by blowing a kiss to the camera.

The former One Direction star flew to the French capital to support his other half as she faces a hectic schedule of catwalk shows.

Last week, she put on a futuristic display at the Balmain runway show, going bra-less in a bondage-inspired caged sheer top, while Zayn watched from the front row.

Futuristic: The blonde beauty looked unrecognisable in the Balmain show on Thursday, wearing a bondage-style caged top and a gold lip ring

The versatile model stunned in the avant-garde show with her blonde locks styled into tight cornrows and her pillowy lips embellished with a gold lip ring.

She sported dramatic eye makeup at the show with streaks of eyeliner transforming the Tommy Hilfiger model into a Gothic vision.

Boyfriend Zayn watched as his supermodel girlfriend stormed the catwalk, donning a camouflage and black sheepskin jacket and letting his silky black locks fall across one eye.
She has been busy filming her new post WWII drama The Aftermath in Prague over the last few weeks.

But Keira Knightley made the most of her time off at home this weekend as she enjoyed a relaxing Sunday with her husband James Righton and their daughter Edie.

The actress, 31, looked effortlessly chic in checked trousers and minimal make-up, as she headed on a family day out with her partner and their sweet 22-month-old.

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Day off: Keira Knightley made the most of her time off at home on Sunday, as she enjoyed a chilled out Sunday with her husband James Righton and their daughter Edie

Casual chic: The actress, 31, looked completely relaxed in checked trousers by Toast as she got into a taxi with her partner and their sweet 22-month-old ahead of their family day out

Known for her natural sense of style as much as her skill on screen, Keira looked typically stylish as she enjoyed a day away from filming.

The Pride and Prejudice star displayed her slim figure in a pair of loose-fitting checked trousers by Toast, which she teamed with a preppy shirt and knit jumper combo for a casually stylish look.

Remaining co-ordinated from head to toe, she then layered a smart navy coat on top before tying the look together with dainty silver heels, for a subtle hint of glitz.

Effortless chic: The Pride and Prejudice star displayed her slim figure in a pair of loose-fitting checked trousers, which she teamed with a preppy shirt and knit jumper combo

Centre of attention: Remaining co-ordinated from head to toe, she then layered a smart navy coat on top before tying the look together with dainty silver heels, for a subtle hint of glitz

Never without a touch of glamour, the Pirates of the Caribbean beauty accessorised with a tiny quilted Chanel handbag, which she slung across one shoulder as a leading campaign model for the French designer.

Leaving her make-up minimal and her hair in loose, soft waves, Keira displayed her naturally striking features and enviably clear skin to all as she embarked on her low-key day out.

With rocker husband James close by her side, the brunette looked comfortable and content as they headed out with her little girl - clearly already following in her mother's fashionable footsteps, in a stylish fluffy coat.

Excited: With rocker husband James close by her side, the brunette looked comfortable and content as she embarked on a fun-filled weekend with her little girl

The British beauty welcomed her daughter Edie with the Klaxons frontman in May 2015.

Talking about motherhood to Elle magazine last year, the actress admitted the whole experience was 'astonishing', and that no job or experience in life can begin to prepare you for it.

'It's a very primal, primal love, that's quite extraordinary,' she explained. 'And the ability to have no sleep and continue going.

'It's not pleasantI never thought that I could actually do it for the amount of time that I've done it.'

Model material: Never without a touch of glamour, the Pirates of the Caribbean beauty accessorised with a tiny quilted Chanel handbag, which she slung across one shoulder

Natural beauty: She kept make-up minimal and left her hair in loose, soft waves to display her naturally striking features and clear skin to all

Keira appears to be enjoying quality time with her family after a lengthy stint of filming in the Czech Republic, for her new post WWII drama The Aftermath.

The film marks Keira's full return to the acting world - having only released Collateral Beauty in 2016, as she adapts to life as a mother.

The beauty is also slated to appear in the new Comic Relief reboot of classic chick-flick Love Actually, alongside most of the original cast - including Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Colin Firth, Andrew Lincoln, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Bill Nighy, and Rowan Atkinson.

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.
She usually favours a super glamorous look.

But Ariel Winter proved she can rock off-duty chic like the best of them when she stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Modern Family actress, 19, showed off her legs in a simple black T-shirt dress teamed with comfy trainers.

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Out and about: Ariel Winter proved she can rock off-duty chic like the best of them when she stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday

Ariel balanced out the thigh-skimming hem with a modest neckline and loose sleeves.

She opted for minimal make-up and pinned back hair, a pair of large spectacles perched on her nose.

The TV starlet was enjoying a laid-back outing, clutching her phone in one hand as she sauntered down the street.

Casual: The Modern Family actress, 19, showed off her legs in a simple black T-shirt dress teamed with comfy trainers

Specs appeal: She opted for minimal make-up and pinned back hair, a pair of large spectacles perched on her nose

Ariel recently credited her co-star Sofia Vergara for being a great role model and helping her blossom into a confident young woman.

'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."'

Laid-back look: Ariel balanced out the thigh-skimming hem with a modest neckline and loose sleeves

Inspiration: Ariel recently credited her co-star Sofia Vergara for being a great role model and helping her blossom into a confident young woman

Modern Family 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. 'We know the set. I know the character so well. Ed O'Neill is amazing. I'm going to be very sad.'

Selfie fan: The TV favourite has been keeping her social media followers updated with regular snaps on her account
The stars of Kong: Skull Island shot their CGI-heavy blockbuster in Australia on the Gold Coast.

But the cast came away with vastly different experiences of the sunburnt country.

Tom Hiddleston's love of Australia was prompted by friend and Thor co-star Chris Hemsworth while Samuel L Jackson noted that he felt the Gold Coast was 'raucous' and seemed to feel it was just a poor man's Reno.

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Conflicting opinions: The stars of Kong: Skull Island came away from Australia with vastly different experiences of the sunburnt country

Speaking on The Project to promote the movie which releases this week, the stars delivered their verdict on their host country.

'The Gold Coast is a very interesting spot,' volunteered the Pulp Fiction star.

Pushed to elaborate, he suggested that the Queensland city 'tends to be a bit raucous.'

Not a fan? 'The Gold Coast is a very interesting spot,' volunteered Samuel L Jackson before suggesting the city 'tends to be a bit raucous'

He then tried to compare the home of Schoolies to an American city, saying 'It is like going to not Vegas... but Reno.'

The Project interviewer Maude Garrett suggested the Gold Coast's preferred comparison of Miami, Florida.

Samuel judged that comparison barely worthy of response, responding with a cold star finally followed by a mutter 'nah'.

Poor man's Vegas? Samuel then tried to compare the home of Schoolies to an American city, saying 'It is like going to not Vegas... but Reno'

Pro Australia: The response from his co-star Tom Hiddleston who has also since shot Thor: Ragnarok in Australia was quite the reverse

Happy with Hemsworth: Tom declared that Australia 'was good fun and you have Hemsworth there, so that helps'

The response from co-star Tom who has also since shot Thor: Ragnarok in Australia was quite the reverse.

Tom declared that Australia 'was good fun and you have Hemsworth there, so that helps.'

All of the film's stars who spoke to The Project, including Brie Larson and John Goodman had enjoyed working on a film dominated by computer generated monsters.

Kong sized fun: All of the film's stars, including Brie Larson and John Goodman had enjoyed working on a film dominated by computer generated monsters

John Goodman predicted that in two to three years actors would only be required for voice over work.

He admitted to feeling a little relieved over the development as he joked he is getting old, before dismissing any concerns about working opposite CGI characters with a broadside at some of his former co-stars.

'I've worked with plenty of actors who weren't there,' he deadpanned.
He was released from prison on Friday morning - with her posting an excited selfie outside the jail to commemorate the occasion.

And Cara Kilbey stepped out with her boyfriend Daniel Harris later that day, for their first outing together since his departure from Wandsworth Prison.

The former TOWIE star and her beau were seen chatting as they filled their car up with petrol in central London, hours after Daniel completed a year of his 24-month spell behind bars.

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Daddy's home! Cara Kilbey stepped out with her boyfriend Daniel Harris on Friday afternoon, for their first outing together since his departure from Wandsworth Prison

Dressed in a simple grey hoody and jeans, Daniel looked more than comfortable as he headed straight out into the fresh air following his release.

Accompanied by Cara, who had patiently awaited his pardon for several months, the pair were seen happily chatting together as they filled their car up with petrol.

Later driving off together, the couple were no doubt excited to be heading home in order for Daniel to reunite with his baby daughter Penelope Blu, who he saw once a week during his stint in jail.

Ready to go: Dressed in a simple grey hoody and jeans, Daniel looked more than comfortable as he headed straight out into the fresh air following his release

Cara had revealed that Daniel was being let out of prison earlier on Friday - after he was slapped with a two year sentence for stashing ill-gained cash last month.

The former TOWIE star took to Instagram on Friday to share a selfie with their 13-month-old girl, which she captioned for her 346,000 followers: 'Daddy we're waiting... it's hometime'.

In the snap, the pretty star posed in a car, pouting while her daughter sat peacefully behind her - with the view of a police van and bars in the rear.

Yay! Cara Kilbey has revealed her boyfriend Daniel Harris has returned home from prison after he was slapped with a two year sentence for smuggling cash last month

Daniel was accused of masterminding a drugs empire, but was cleared of drugs charges and instead found guilty of stashing 116,000 in ill-gotten gains, hidden in his daughter's bedroom.

Cara, who starred on the ITVBe show for four seasons before departing in 2012, had been patiently waiting while her partner languished in jail, shortly after the birth of Penelope, who she brought to visit him one to two times a week.

The image comes shortly after her LA-based brother Tom, who also appeared on TOWIE, took to Instagram to applaud the news that Daniel was to be released.

With a sweet image of Cara and Penelope, he added the caption: 'I don't think I've ever had a phone call that has made me cry like that, you have your daddy back.

Happier than ever: The former TOWIE star took to Instagram on Friday to share a selfie with their 13-month-old baby daughter in which she penned a caption to her 346,000 followers reading: 'Daddy we're waiting... it's hometime'

Happier times: Cara, who starred on the ITVBe show for four seasons before departing in 2012, has been patiently waiting while her partner languished in jail, shortly after the birth of Penelope, who she brought to visit him one to two times a week

'I love you so much Cara the s**t they have put you through this whole year, no one will ever understand but the truth always come out in the end. Thank you @hannahgaboardihair @shaunasmithxx for putting a smile on everyone's faces. To you Penelope and Daniel I love you three x'

Daniel was accused of making 'vast profits' by sending drug couriers on mopeds disguised as trainee cab drivers around central London over three-and-a-half years.

He was also charged over a 200,000 heroin deal which was scuppered by police in May 2015.

Relieved: He was cleared of making 'vast profits' by sending drug couriers on mopeds disguised as trainee cab drivers around central London

On the hunt: When police searched the lavish apartment Harris shared with Ms Kilbey and their daughter Penelope Blu in Theydon Bois, Essex, officers found 116,000 in cash in an Asda shopping bag inside a black holdall in the child's bedroom

An Old Bailey jury deliberated for a day to clear him of plotting to supply cocaine and heroin, but found him guilty of stashing the money.

Police launched a covert surveillance operation tracking Harris's movements over the course of more than a year before swooping to arrest him in March 2016. The couple have been separated for almost a year when he was taken into custody in early 2016.

The couple met while Harris was living out in Spain with his father and she was on holiday there. They returned to the UK in September 2015 when she fell pregnant.

Other men, some of whom were his friends, went on to plead guilty to their part in the plots and have been jailed for more than 68 years.

That was then... He lived in a luxury flat with the star and their baby daughter surrounded by designer clothes and shoes

Just the two of us: Cara appeared on the first four seasons of The Only Way is Essex, has 458,000 followers on Twitter and 344,000 Instagram followers

Mastermind: Jay Tripp, 34, was jailed for 16 years and six months (left), along with his right hand man Joseph Maloney, 33, (right) who was jailed for 15 years

Evidence suggested the cocaine gang had a turnover of nearly 500,000 a week at the height of their activities.

They kept it under wraps by hiring an East End flat and lock-up where they stored six scooters and packaged the cocaine after it was cut with benzocaine.

He knew some of his friends were drug dealers and, after being let in on their secret during a ski holiday to Verbier in Switzerland, he made use of the moped delivery service once, he said.

DRUGS GANG JAILED FOR OVER 68 YEARS The other defendants have already been sentenced for their various involvement in either or both of the drugs plots. Joseph Maloney, 33, of Tower Hamlets, east London, received 15 years; Jay Tripp, 34, of Fyfield, Essex, 16-and-a-half years; Jack Lyman, 28, of Bexley, Kent, seven years; Danny Ward, 34, of Beckenham, Kent, 11 years; Nial Kellaghan, 29, of Greenwich, south-east London, seven years; Dean Standen, 34, of Sidcup, Kent, seven years and nine months; and Daniel Crook, 32, of HMP Peterborough, five years. Frederick Jennings, 20, of south-east London, was handed 21 months' detention suspended for 18 months with 200 hours of unpaid work. Advertisement

Daniel's father was arrested in December 2015 for allegedly smuggling drugs from Spain to the UK but he said that he in 'no way' had anything to do with it.

Prosecutor Peter Clement told the judge that he had been 'no mere custodian' of the money, but arranged for it to be gathered, collected it and kept it for weeks before it was discovered - 'all with a view to smuggling to another jurisdiction'.

He acknowledged the offence was not motivated by personal gain, instead arising 'out of his father's crisis rather than his own'.

But, he said, an aggravating factor was that the cash was tainted by organised crime and that its intended destination was outside the UK - Spain.

Defending, barrister David Whittaker told the court the unemployed defendant had no money and had not funded the costs of his trial.

Mr Cooke ordered him to pay 4,576 costs to be paid within 56 days and a victim surcharge of 120.

He said he was satisfied that, while Daniel may not be able to pay the sum himself, he could draw upon others for assistance. While three men watched proceedings from the public gallery, the defendant's TV star girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.

From left: Nial Kellaghan, 29, jailed for seven years; Jack Lyman, 28, jailed for seven years and Dean Standen, 34, jailed for seven years and nine months

From left: Frederick Jennings, 20, 21 months' detention suspended for 18 months with 200 hours of unpaid work; Daniel Ward, 34, jailed for 11 years; Danny Crooks, 32, jailed for five years

From a distance: Cara's father Gary, 58, was called to give evidence as part of the defence case

Helping hand: Cara's millionaire father bankrolled the luxury lifestyle of his daughter and Daniel the court heard
She's impressed on screen with her sensitive and emotional handling of a tragic miscarriage storyline.

And Corrie's Kym Marsh, 40, escaped the hardship of her character Michelle Connor's plight by attending a celebratory event in aid of the Jo Cox Charity Foundation at Akash restaurant in Clackheaton, West Yorkshire.

The actress was joined by her boyfriend Matt Baker, 24, and the pair were sartorially in sync for the occasion.

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A worthy cause: Corrie's Kym Marsh, 40, attended a celebratory event in aid of the Jo Cox Charity Foundation at Akash restaurant in Clackheaton, West Yorkshire

She wore a thick-rimmed pair of specs, black blazer, floral minidress and black tights.

While rugged Matt sported matching glasses and a dapper black mac which he wore with the collar popped and his hands tucked in the pockets.

The foundation was formed following the untimely death of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was gunned down just before a constituency surgery in Birstall by Thomas Mair in June 2016.

Good together: The actress was joined by her boyfriend Matt Baker, 24, and the pair were sartorially in sync for the occasion

It works to raise awareness and funds for causes Jo was passionate about such as combating loneliness, the Syrian conflict, women in public life and protecting civilians in conflict.

Kym is set to star in Coronation Street until summer 2018, according to reports, after impressing ITV bosses with her sensitive portrayal of her character's tragic miscarriage.

The actress drew on her own experience when she performed the heartbreaking miscarriage scenes.

Handled with care: Kym's impressed on-screen recently with her sensitive and emotional handling of a tragic miscarriage storyline

Kym tragically lost her son Archie Jay Lomas in 2009, just moments after he was born.

A source told The Sun that Corrie bosses are delighted with Kym.

'Over the past year she has been handed some really challenging storylines, and she has handled them all brilliantly,' the source said.

'But it was the miscarriage scenes that really blew them away.'
She was recently spotted smooching a mystery man on a glamorous night out, following her difficult breakup from cheating ex Lewis Bloor.

But Marnie Simpson has now revealed that she still loves the former TOWIE star despite his unfaithful ways, leaving her very 'confused' over the status of their relationship.

The Geordie Shore star, 25, took to her Star magazine column to vent her romantic woes to fans - admitting she is not sure if she can forgive the 27-year-old after how much he hurt her.

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Romantic woe: Marnie Simpson has now revealed that she still loves Lewis Bloor (R) despite his unfaithful ways, leaving her very 'confused' over the status of their relationship

Discussing the progress in their troubled relationship, a heartbroken Marnie began by revealing the pair had become embroiled in tense rows in recent weeks.

She began: 'Im really confused about where things stand with Lewis. When I saw him last week, I was so angry I screamed at him.'

However hinting at turbulence before the video of him kissing another girl emerged, she went on to admit: 'Hes apologetic and I know there are reasons why he cheated, but I dont want to go into that. Its not like he just went out and did it.'

Emotional: She said: 'Its hard to say if Ill take Lewis back because I dont know if Im strong enough to forgive him. I do still love him even though hes hurt me'

Clearly struggling with her emotions over the star, she added: 'Its hard to say if Ill take Lewis back because I dont know if Im strong enough to forgive him. I do still love him even though hes hurt me.'

Marnie and Lewis had embarked on a romance after their appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, and enjoyed a number of dates and holidays together since leaving the Borehamwood mansion.

However their relationship was rocked when footage emerged of the Essex hunk kissing another girl in bed, after a wild night out on Valentine's Day.

Happier times: The pair's relationship was rocked when footage emerged of the Essex hunk kissing another girl in bed, after a wild night out on Valentine's Day

Marnie took to Twitter to confirm their split hours after the clip emerged, writing: 'Didn't really want the whole country to know but looks like that didn't last long . Happy Valentine's Day to me. U f***ing scumbag.'

However on Tuesday, the brunette appeared to be moving on from her cheating ex, as she puckered up to a mystery man while leaving the Boardroom To Boudoir launch party in London.

The Geordie Shore star clad in a skin-tight ensemble, hopped into a taxi with the hunky potential suitor, who pulled her forward for a steamy cinch.

Locking lips: However on Tuesday, the brunette appeared to be moving on from her cheating ex, as she puckered up to a mystery man following a night out in London

Stunning Marnie was all giggles as she put on an incredibly flirtatious display with the male as they headed to the awaiting vehicle.

The reality sensation flaunted her incredible figure in a suedette jumpsuit that showcased her endless curves as she supported Apprentice star Jessica Cunningham's new racy lingerie brand.

However her flirty antics may have been a spur of the moment event after her night out - as she had revealed her 'devastation' over Lewis' love rat ways again the previous day.

'Worst betrayal': Marnie, who dated the TOWIE star, 27, after they met in the Celebrity Big Brother house, described his infidelity as the 'worst betrayal'

Speaking in her Star magazine column last week, she had admitted: 'It's the worst betrayal and I can't even describe how I feel. I only found out when I was sent the article and it made me feel physically sick.

'I wanted a future with him  kids and even marriage. We'd planned to buy a house together. I'm broken into a million pieces. I feel like I've loved someone who doesn't exist. He doesn't know how to be truthful and will continue to lie until the day he dies. 'I'll never speak to him again.'

The scenario had led to a tiff between Lewis and Marnie's other ex Aaron Chalmers, who engaged in an increasingly bitter war of words on Twitter - with Aaron accusing Lewis of 'sponging 25,000 from Marnie's handbag.'

Marnie then attempted to calm the stormy waters by admitting she 'may have exaggerated things' to Aaron following her split from Lewis.

Taking to Snapchat, she wrote: 'After finding loads of s**t out, I think I might have exaggerated things to Aaron out of anger, meaning the 25k. I was really hurt and think I might have fabricated out of hate. But I can say now, Lewis did not steal 25,000 from us. That is ridiculous.'
Married at First Sight Viewers took to social media to express their gratitude to Sean when he stood up for Cheryl after Andrew's controversial comments about her.

During a 'boys night' on Sunday, the 38-year-old had previously made fun of Cheryl's intelligence, pretended to grope her breasts and said he considers himself single.

The boys rallied around Andrew, claiming he didn't slam Andrew's TV wife, but Sean spoke up, winning the appreciation of many of the show's audience.

Hero! Married at First Sight Viewers took to social media to express their gratitude to Sean when he stood up for Cheryl after Andrew's controversial comments about her

@BellaBatkovic Tweeted: 'SEAN FOR PRESIDENT!' while @pm_phd wrote, 'Come on #MAFS producers, buy Sean a horse farm near Perth. He's earned it!'

Twitter user @ltlblkdress weighed in, 'And mothers everywhere applaud Sean for showing his respect for women.'

Another fan, @KateDash1, Tweeted, 'Sean is a top bloke. No guy would think those comments were okay if it was about their daughter (or mother or sister)'.

The drama began after Cheryl discovered Andrew had made comments about her, and she confronted him at the dinner party about the events of the night.

Good man! The boys rallied around Andrew, claiming he didn't slam Andrew's TV wife, but Sean spoke up, winning the appreciation of many of the show's audience

But Andrew refused to admit any wrongdoing, lying to the 25-year-old and saying that she was 'full of s***'.

Soon some of the other grooms came to his aid, also claiming nothing was said about Cheryl  even though it was.

'It was an awesome night, nothing was too crazy,' Nick told Cheryl.

Married At First Sight villain Anthony also claimed the hair salon manager was angry over nothing.

Trouble: Cheryl and Andrew argued at the weekly Married At First Sight dinner party

Boys night: Cheryl was upset over comments the 38-year-old made to the other grooms about her intelligence and looks

Lies: But Andrew denied he said anything about Cheryl, and turned 'nasty' on her

Andrew then turned quite nasty to Cheryl when she didn't believe him, intimating her voice and responding to her concerns by saying 'blah, blah, blah'.

But farmer Sean was shocked at the lies the other men were telling, and voiced his opinion to producers.

'I'm thinking, how much are they trying to play this right down, how bulls**t is that?' he told the camera.

Bro code: Other grooms like Nick also lied, saying Andrew had done nothing wrong

All together: MAFS villain Anthony also claimed the comments were just 'boys being boys' and joking around

Speaking out: But Sean came clean and told Cheryl what really happened, and what was said

Finally he cracked, telling the entire table what really happened.

'I didn't feel comfortable with the night,' the 37-year-old said. 'There was a lot there throughout the night that was bagging out Cheryl and putting Cheryl down.'

'There was a comment, something about "Lauren and Cheryl, well that's good for Jonesy, now we can have threesomes with them."'

'Didn't feel comfortable': Simon also agreed with Sean, saying everyone was there when the comments were made

While Anthony tried to claim he didn't hear that and must have been out of the room, Simon jumped in and supported Sean, saying they were all there when it happened.

Andrew still tried to deny what he said, claiming it was just 'boys being boys', and even the experts were shocked by his reaction.

'This is unbelievable, they're buying his victim act,' Dr Trisha Stratford said, while John Aiken agreed, saying Andrew was 'getting really nasty'.
She's known for appearing on season two Married At First Sight.

But on Tuesday, Clare Verrall stepped out solo to attend the Glass Merchants Re-Launch Event in Melbourne.

The bubbly blonde stunned in a classy all black outfit for event.

Classic: The former MAFS star stunned in all-black in Melbourne on Tuesday night

She wore a black bodysuit with lace detail around the neckline and teamed it with a black high-waisted knee-length skirt to show off her curvy figure.

Her patterned black sequined ballet flat shoes matched the all black outfit while adding in more subtle details.

Her cropped blonde hair was pulled back off her face with a silver headband and was left down flowing over her shoulders.

She accessorised with subtle silver stud earrings, a Fitbit around her wrist and added a splash of colour with a dark pink lipstick.

The elegant black bodysuit teamed with a black skirt showed off Clare's curvy figure

Clare first shot to fame after gaining a huge following after appearing on Married At First Sight in 2016.

Since then she has appeared in a documentary titled Creating A Monster, in which she claimed producers of MAFS matched her with former partner Jono Pitman despite knowing that they were incompatible.

The event on Tuesday night was a re-launch for the famous Glass Merchants venue in Melbourne.

Other stars such as Susie Mclean, Sarah Roza, Emily Simms, Laurina Fleure and Mark Hughes were in attendance and most of the notable outfits were awash of blues and reds.

Former Married At First Sight star Mark Hughes and his girlfriend Maria were matching in blue and black at the event in Melbourne

Real Housewives Of Melbourne star Susie Mclean kept it causal with flowing off-the-shoulder red floral dress

Former Married At First Sight star Mark Hughes and his new girlfriend had a matching colour scheme as Mark wore a blue button-up shirt with black pants, while Maria wore a black leather crop-top and a blue denim skirt.

Real Housewives of Melbourne star Susie Mclean stayed with a simple casual summer look as she rocked a flowing red floral dress with shoulder cutouts and tanned wedge heels.

Former star of The Bachelor Laurina Fleure stepped out in a white jumpsuit that had lace trimmings around the neckline and ankles, and was cinched at the waist with a white silk-look material.

Former Amazing Race Australia contestant Sarah Roza wowed in a knee-length figure hugging powder blue dress with a plunging neckline and accessorised with simple nude wedge heels.

It's all in the details: Laurina Fleure stepped out in a top-to-toe white ensemble at the event on Tuesday and paired it with subtle silver accessories
She started playing know-it-all Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise at the tender age of nine.

And Emma Watson's embarrassing childhood habit came back to haunt her on Monday night when she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

The 26-year-old actress and women's rights activist was mortified when the TV host aired an outtake from the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, which saw her mouthing along to co-star Rupert Grint's lines.

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Red-faced: Emma Watson's embarrassing childhood habit came back to haunt her on Monday night when she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Emma was left giggling with embarrassment, putting her head in her hands as the clip played for the audience to see.

'You're helping them with their lines!', Jimmy joked.

The British beauty explained: 'You laugh, but this was quite traumatic for me because I created issues because of this! I would ruin takes!

'I would be like, "I'm so sorry! I feel so bad!" I couldn't help myself.'

Old clip: The 26-year-old actress and women's rights activist was mortified when the TV host aired an outtake from the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

Cringe: Emma could be seen mouthing along to co-star Rupert Grint's lines

The star explained: 'You laugh, but this was quite traumatic for me because I created issues because of this! I would ruin takes!'

The star explained that she was such a big fan of J.K. Rowling's wizarding series that she couldn't help uttering the words from memory.

She laughed: 'I was such a loser, I really loved those books, I really wanted to do my job well, and I kind of overdid it...'

The Hollywood favourite also touched upon how lucky she was to land the part that launched her career.

Superfan: The star explained that she was such a big fan of J.K. Rowling's wizarding series that she couldn't help uttering the words from memory

Getting the giggles: Emma was left with her head in her handsee

The Beauty And The Beast star enthused: 'No one goes for the first audition they've ever gone for in their life - and makes those movies for over a decade.'

Emma recently explained why she's decided not to take selfies with fans anymore, revealing it was taking over her life.

Although she's now selective about her interactions, Emma says she's still happy to give people a piece of her time.

Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, she said: 'Ill say, "I will sit here and answer every single Harry Potter fandom question you have but I just cant do a picture" - and much of the time people dont bother.

'I have to carefully pick and choose my moment to interact. When am I a celebrity sighting versus when am I going to make someones freakin week? Children I dont say no to, for example.'
The real-estate tycoon turned reality star shot to fame after starring in Real Housewives of Sydney.

Now Krissy Marsh doesn't want her family to watch the show in anticipation of a fellow cast mate 'assassinating' her character in an upcoming episode.

Krissy told The Daily Telegraph: 'I have now watched up to episode eight and there is one episode I have told people, especially my mum not to watch.'

The mother-of-three shot to fame after trading in her life in real estate for a spot on Real Housewives of Sydney, in which she became a fan favourite

Krissy said that even though filming the show was extremely emotionally taxing, she would love the chance to return for a second season

She continued: 'I can't say much, but someone assassinates my character... That is a difficult thing for my parents to watch.'

Krissy described the argument with a cast mate and said she took off her microphone and stormed out to call her husband and refused to speak to anyone else.

After the first episodes where she was called Chewbacker by fellow housewife Lisa Oldfield, Krissy says her family have been very protective of her.

'They get so protective, I keep telling everyone to calm down it is just TV, my mum have to keep telling her to relax,' she said.

'Calm down, it's just TV': Krissy says her family are overprotective of her ever since she was called Chewbacker by fellow housewife Lisa Oldfield

Krissy doesn't want her family to watch an upcoming episode of RHOS because 'someone assassinates my character' and it is 'a difficult thing for my parents to watch'

She continued: 'My family called my upset after the first episode saying 'You've never been a mean girl'.'

The mother-of-three says she doesn't let her kids watch the show because she doesn't think they need to see it.

She said: 'I let my older son watch, but my two younger children do not,' she said.

'My younger son complains, saying his friends and even teachers at school are talking about the show.'

Girl power: The cast of Real Housewives of Sydney have said they would love to return for a second season of the show

Krissy says there is an upcoming episode in which all the housewives do charity work together and she plans on letting all three of her children watch.

While all of the cast said filming the show was extremely emotional, Krissy has said she would love the chance to return for a third season.

'I think we all questioned it (coming back) at different times,' she said.

'There have been points where you rip the microphone off but now, I think I would jump at the chance for season two.'
She's known for playing a werewolf on hit show The Originals and The Vampire Diaries.

But on Tuesday Phoebe Tonkin stepped out in style at the Chanel show as part of Paris Fashion Week's Womenswear Fall 2017 collection.

The Australian actress and model stunned in a unique Chanel embroidered jumper and classic blue denim jeans.

Showstopper: Phoebe Tonkin paired a unique Chanel embroidered jumper with classic blue jeans at the Chanel show as part of Paris Fashion Week

The Aussie beauty went for a natural makeup look to let her outfit shine

The grey Chanel jumper was bejewelled along the neck line and down the shoulders with gold and titanium gems.

She paired the jumper with a pair of faded blue denim jeans that cut off at the ankle.

She accessorised with black pointed high heel shoes and a black handbag to match.

The Aussie beauty kept her brown hair swept back into a messy bun and went for a natural makeup look to let her outfit shine.

Effortlessly beautiful: The actress cut a slim figure as she mixed classy with casual at the Chanel show as part of Paris Fashion Week

The actress arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport ahead of her Paris Fashion week appearance on Monday looking bare-faced and beautiful.

The Sydney-born star is in France to attend the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week, with fellow Australian beauty and friend Teresa Palmer also spotted at the Valentino show on Monday.

The 27-year-old was flying solo on the Paris trip, with boyfriend Paul Wesley notably absent.

The pair have been dating for three years after they met on the set of The Vampire Diaries.
She's been enjoying a whirlwind stop-over in Paris.

Now the fashion fun and games for this season are over for Cara Delevingne, 24, as she stepped off the Eurostar in London on Tuesday after two and a half days in the city of lights.

The model-turned-actress kept her look casual, sporting an eye-catching rainbow hued tracksuit for her travels through London's St Pancras International.

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Laidback chic: Cara Delevingne, 24, as she stepped off the Eurostar in London on Tuesday after two and a half days in the city of lights

Her relaxed two-piece swallowed her slender frame as her loose-fitting joggers hung low on her hips, while attempting to cover her face from the waiting flashes.

The fashion muse looked ready to take on the city as she pounded the pavement in a pair of lace-up trainers, that teased at her teal socks on show.

Style darling Cara kept warm in a chic black coat, injecting some extra style points thanks to her Chanel choker, circular retro shades and studded leather backpack.

Her icy blonde locks were styled in a severe side part with a shaved section on display near her temple.

Tres chic: The model-turned-actress kept her look casual, sporting an eye-catching rainbow hued tracksuit for her travels through London's St Pancras International

Also arriving into the city following her successful show at PFW was designer Stella McCartney in her ankle-grazing grey jacket.

The wide lapel wool piece made her look effortlessly chic as she stepped off the train, pulling her luggage behind her.

The sunglass clad 45-year-old strolled through the station wearing bootleg denims, a navy long sleeved top and her statement cross-body bag over her shoulder.

Making a sartorial display off the Eurostar, Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Donaldson wrapped a shearling soft leather jacket around her leafy frame as she welcomed the London chill.

Work it: Also arriving into the city following her successful show at PFW was designer Stella McCartney in her ankle-grazing grey jacket

No shade: The sunglass clad 45-year-old strolled through the station wearing bootleg denims, a navy long sleeved top and her statement cross-body bag over her shoulder

Wrapped up: Making a sartorial display off the Eurostar, Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Donaldson wrapped a shearling soft leather jacket around her leafy frame as she welcomed the London chill.

Taking a leaf out of Cara's style book, the 30-year-old showcased her enviable pins in a cream pair of joggers while covering her model features with a pair of large sunglasses.

Meanwhile, David Furnish, 54, followed the style brigade through the international station equipped with his luggage in both hands.

The husband of Elton John appeared to take inspiration from the city of love as he stepped out in a black turtleneck, suit trousers and eye-catching camel coat.

Luggage lad: David Furnish followed the style brigade through the international station equipped with his luggage in both hands

Earlier in the day, Cara attended the Chanel Fall/Winter 2017 show, proving that she's still one of head honcho Karl Lagerfeld's top muses.

She showcased her stomach in a navy and gold cropped cardigan which was a modern take on a Chanel classic.

She flashed the waistband of her Supreme boxers, also showing her support to the latest Louis Vuitton collaboration

Cara was also joined by former 'wifey' Rita Ora at the Haute Couture show.

Over the rainbow: The model was spotted leaving her hotel in Paris earlier in the day

New look: Her icy blonde locks were styled in a severe side part with a shaved section on display near her temple

Stylish: Cara kept warm in a chic navy coat, injecting some extra style points thanks to a Chanel choker and round shades

Paris pals: After the show, Cara stepped out with pal Kendall Jenner

The pair had been the best of friends and inseparable in 2013, but have rarely been seen together of late.

Last year, it was reported the pair were reconnecting after reportedly falling out of touch due to Rita's then serious romance with Calvin Harris.

A source told Grazia magazine: 'They are rebuilding their friendship and Glastonbury was a big part of that.

'Its been a long time coming but they are friends again, a source told Britains Grazia magazine.'

Fashion favourites: Cara attended the Chanel Fall/Winter 2017 show, joining Lily-Rose Depp to prove that she's still one of head honcho Karl Lagerfeld's top muses

Fancy seeing you here: Cara was also joined by former 'wifey' Rita Ora (right) at the Haute Couture show
Indiana Jones 5 will be released in July 2019.

The fifth installment of the adventure franchise - which stars Harrison Ford in the titular role - will be released on July 19, 2019, 11 years after the fourth movie Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull was released.

Disney chairman Alan Horn confirmed in a statement: 'Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we cant wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019.'

He's back in two years! Indiana Jones 5 will be released in July 2019, it was revealed on Tuesday. Here Harrison Ford is seen in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade in 1989

Still going: The actor seen in November at the 10th Annual California Hall Of Fame Ceremony at The California Museum in Sacramento, California

It was added: 'Its rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldnt be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.'

It also marks the first time the film franchise has been under the Disney studio label after Lucasfilm - who owns the franchise's rights - was sold to Disney in 2012.

Ford will reprise his role as the iconic character while Steven Spielberg will direct.

On the go: Ford is seen here in his Indy character. He also is linked to the Blade Runner

Husband and wife duo Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy will produce and John Williams is set to score the film's theme tune.

Spielberg has also confirmed that George Lucas - who created the character to pay homage to the action heroes of 1930s - will serve as executive producer.

Meanwhile, David Koepp previously revealed he has begun writing the script for the hotly-anticipated movie.

Another one: Ford in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom in 1984

He said: 'I'm deeply immersed as we speak. All I can say is that there's lots of aliens and Indy dies at the end.

'Lots of hiding in lead-lined refrigerators, aliens, and he dies. Should go over very well.

'I really like our idea; I think it's clean and simple and makes a lot of sense, and I feel like the writing is going really well.'

From the Eighties: Ford and Sean Connery as Professor Henry Jones from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade in 1989

And Koepp doesn't feel the last Indiana Jones was as successful as the previous movies in the franchise.

He added: 'It's hard because you can learn like if something maybe didn't work as well as you think it would well we certainly wouldn't do that again, but you wouldn't have done that again anyway, you already did it, so it's hard to say.

'For me it was the MacGuffin dictates everything, and so we tried to make the best possible choice we could. Not that nobody didn't try to make the best choice that they could in the past, but we tried to give us the one that gave us the Indiana Jones movie we most wanted to see.'

Ford's last big film was Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens from 2015.
She has kept a low profile since an alleged domestic violence incident with partner Jean-David Blanc but on Monday Melissa George dined in Paris with a female friend.

The Aussie actress was seen with a pal at the upmarket l'Avenue Restaurant, seated at an outdoor table and deep in conversation.

Melissa seemed in good spirits and appeared to enjoy a glass of wine as she chatted with her dark-haired companion.

Luxe: Leaving the eatery later, the former Home and Away star was dressed in the same outfit she'd worn to the Hermes launch at Paris Fashion Week earlier in the day

Leaving the eatery later, the former Home and Away star was dressed in the same outfit she'd worn to the Hermes launch at Paris Fashion Week earlier in the day.

The star looked chic in an off-white silk pussy bow blouse teamed with ankle-length floral pencil skirt.

She teamed the ensemble with a pair of black leather Christian Louboutin pumps and a tan Hermes Kelly bag.

The savvy star carried an umbrella to protect herself from the rain outside and kept warm from the early Spring chill with a black wool coat.

Chatting: The Aussie actress was seen with a pal at the upmarket l'Avenue Restaurant, seated at an outdoor table and deep in conversation

Wine and dine: Melissa appeared to enjoy a glass of wine while her friend stood nearby

Fashion savvy: The star looked chic in an off-white silk pussy bow blouse teamed with ankle-length floral pencil skirt

The 40-year-old flaunted her flawless skin by wearing very minimal makeup and pulled her golden locks back into an up do.

Melissa posed for photos at the event solo, no doubt meeting up with her fashionista friends inside the catwalk show.

In September, the actress was admitted to Cochin hospital after turning up to a local police station with bruises to her face and complaints of pain.

Glowing: The 40-year-old flaunted her flawless skin by wearing very minimal makeup and pulled her golden locks back into an up do

The Perth-born star was allegedly assaulted by her partner of four years - allegations Jean-David denies, according to a report in French newspaper Le Parisien.

The pair were seen separately outside a Parisian court back in October, where Jean-David Blanc appeared on charges of domestic assault against her. He denied the charges.

The couple first met in 2011 at a BAFTA after-party and welcomed their first son Raphael in February 2014 and their second son Solal the following year.

Back on the social scene: Melissa George attended the Hermes show during Paris Fashion Week on Monday

Jean David is a businessman, writer and film producer, famed for founding cinema service organization AlloCine.

When announcing Solal's birth on social media, Melissa publicly gushed over her longtime de facto.

'Thank you to my love, Jean David, for giving me the best gift in my life. I love you,' she wrote at the time.

Melissa was previously married to Chilean film director Caludio Dabed.
She started out auditioning for a spot in the David Jones runway.

And Jessica Gomes has gone from strength to strength in her modelling career, now branching out into beauty.

Following in the footsteps of Miranda Kerr, the 32-year-old model has launched her own line of skin care called Equal Beauty, exclusively available at the high end department store that discovered her.

In the beauty business: Model Jessica Gomes has launched her own skin care brand called Equal Beauty

Jessica has been hard at work developing products for the past three years, noting that this passion project was her way of setting herself up for her next phase in life.

'I wanted to create something that was going to reflect my background and my beauty beliefs,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

'I wanted to create something that was going to reflect my background and my beauty beliefs,' the half-Chinese, half-Portuguese stunner added.

Hard work: She developing products for the past three years, noting that this passion project was her way of setting herself up for her next phase in life

Bare faced beauty: 'I wanted to create something that was going to reflect my background and my beauty beliefs'

The Perth-born beauty said that she acknowledges she has to be a career chameleon, particularly in the modelling industry where being able to adapt is key to the longevity in the business.

'Look at Kate Moss, Elle Macpherson and Cindy Crawford. They have transformed themselves in different ways and it has worked for them,' she noted.

Jessica has even made a foray into the acting world with roles on Transformers: Age of Extinction and in the up coming Hollywood comedy Once Upon a Time in Venice, alongside Bruce Willis and Jason Momoa.

Career chameleon: The brunette beauty said, 'look at Kate Moss, Elle Macpherson and Cindy Crawford. They have transformed themselves in different ways and it has worked for them'

Meanwhile, her personal life has also been just as successful with the model dating Australian actor Xavier Samuel for the past year.

The love birds, who were first spotted kissing in Los Angeles in October last year, have managed to keep their romance low key.

In a previous interview with the publication, Jessica opened up about her love life saying, 'I am very happy in my life at the moment, very happy.'
She is one of the best known models in the industry, thanks to her naturally striking look.

And Lara Stone looked as show-stopping as ever on Tuesday as she made her glamorous arrival at the Miu Miu show for Paris Fashion Week.

The blonde beauty, 33, displayed her famously statuesque frame in a thigh-skimming mini dress patterned with shimmering red sequins, as she posed outside the star-studded event.

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Model material: Lara Stone looked as show-stopping as ever on Tuesday as she made her glamorous arrival at the Miu Miu show for Paris Fashion Week

The mother-of-one looked incredible in her modern twist on the classic LBD, which was embellished with clusters of shimmering red sequins all over.

Following a Victoriana style, the frock cut into a feminine frill across her chest and pulled into a high neck, tied with a chic chiffon pussy bow ribbon.

Keeping the look both sexy and demure, the sleeves and top section were also formed of semi-sheer black mesh, to flash her smooth skin and decolletage beneath.

Stunning: The mother-of-one looked incredible in her modern twist on the classic LBD, which was embellished with strands of shimmering red sequins all over

Cinching in at her middle to emphasise her petite waist, the black dress then cut off at an eye-watering height on her thigh - to display her unbelievably long and slender pins for all to see.

Lara added further height to her frame with a pair of black stilettos, decorated with a pearl brooch on the toe, and accessorised with a co-ordinated black leather clutch.

Pulling her blonde hair off her face and adding a minimal sweeping of bronzer, the Dutch beauty let her naturally striking features do the talking as she smouldered for cameras at the catwalk show.

Leggy lady: Cinching in at her middle to emphasise her petite waist, the black dress then cut off at an eye-watering height on her thigh - to display her unbelievably long and slender pins

Lara has enjoyed a hectic week in the French fashion capital, attending a number of high-profile events - such as the L'Oreal dinner - as one of the most iconic models of the generation.

However despite years of success under her belt, she recently told The Edit that it is only in her maturity that she finally feels comfortable posing naked having believed she was unattractive in her youth.

Talking of the numerous raunchy shoots she has embarked on in the past, she admitted: 'I don't mind being naked in front of people, that's fine'

Put together: Lara added further height to her frame with a pair of black stilettos, decorated with a pearl brooch on the toe, and accessorised with a co-ordinated black leather clutch

All eyes on her: Pulling her blonde hair back and adding a minimal sweeping of bronzer, the Dutch beauty let her naturally striking features do the talking as she smouldered for cameras

'On a shoot, no one is staring at the naked model. They're doing a job and they've seen it all 100,000 times before. No one's interested.'

Yet, she did go on to state that after signing her professional modelling contract, she never felt uneasy about her appearance in general in the fashion world, whether fully clothed or not.

Lara said of the brutal reputation of the fashion industry: 'Maybe I was just naive, but I've never felt uncomfortable. All those stories you hear about fashion Nobody told me to lose weight.'
She pulled out all the sartorial stops during last night's screening of The Sense Of An Ending.

And Michelle Dockery looked equally as chic as she headed out in New York on Tuesday after talking about her upcoming drama on CBS Film.

The 35-year-old Downton Abbey actress wrapped up against the Big Apple chill in a sophisticated beige coat and figure-hugging pencil skirt, which showcased her trim legs.

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All eyes on her: Michelle Dockery, 35, looked chic in a statement coat as she headed out in New York on Tuesday after talking about her drama The Sense Of An Ending on CBS Film

The British beauty stole the limelight as she manoeuvred down the streets of New York in a pair of towering white strappy heels.

Michelle kept her statement outerwear unbuttoned to show off her waist-cinching lime green top.

A chic black handbag was draped expertly over one arm and she accessorised with a pair of silver earrings.

The stunner worked her glamorous side-parted blowdry, which framed her make-up accentuated features.

Chic: The former Downton Abbey actress wrapped up against the Big Apple chill in a sophisticated beige coat and figure-hugging pencil skirt, which showcased her trim legs

Walking the walk: The British beauty stole the limelight as she manoeuvred down the streets of New York in a pair of towering white strappy heels

Michelle looked in high spirits as she stopped to sign autographs and mingle with fans.

This comes after she spoke about her new TV venture on CBS films, which she also documented on Instagram with a black and white snap.

The talented star stunned the night before in a monochrome jumpsuit that showed off her svelte figure and tiny waist for the screening of The Sense Of An Ending.

Sartorially savvy: Michelle kept her statement outerwear unbuttoned to show off her waist-cinching lime green top

Details: A chic black handbag was draped expertly over one arm and she accessorised with a pair of silver earrings

Exciting project: This comes after she spoke about her new TV venture on CBS films, which she also documented on Instagram with a black and white snap

Her cigarette style trousers were black whilst her top was white with two thick black straps.

She exuded old Hollywood glamour as she styled her dark chocolate brown tresses in subtle waves as she pinned the other side back away from her face.

Michelle opted to wear dark black eye make-up and a slick of red lippy to complete her glam red carpet look.

Lovely: Michelle exuded elegance and sophistication as she graced the red carpet for her new film at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City the day before

The film, which is based on the novel written by British author Julian Barnes, is about a man who becomes haunted by his past.

He is presented with a mysterious legacy that causes him to re-think his current situation in life.

Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Matthew Goode and Emily Mortimer lead the impressive cast in this anticipated drama.

The film will be out in theatres March 10.
He has a thing for ladies with curves but it was his own stealing the limelight in Hawaii this week.

French Montana let his hair down and stopped sucking in as he holidayed in Oahu with model Rosa Acosta.

The 32-year-old kicked back on Kailua Beach as he and A$AP Rocky celebrated the release of their new video for track Said N Done.

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Ain't worried bout nothin': French Montana let his hair down and stopped sucking in as he holidayed in Oahu, Hawaii, on Friday

Curve competition: The rapper is on holiday with friends and stunning model Rosa Acosta

As always the former boyfriend of Khloe Kardashian was keeping fans up to date with his vacation by sharing Instagram and Snapchats from the holiday spot.

The Moroccan star shared an obligatory beach snap of himself flexing his muscles and showing off his impressive abs.

But it seems this hip hop star really knows his angles, as on Friday that washboard stomach was nowhere to be seen.

Instead the Ain't Worried About Nothin' rapper sported a bit of a beer belly as he smoked and drank from a red solo cup on the beach.

Knows his angels: The Moroccan star shared an obligatory beach snap of himself flexing his muscles and showing off his impressive abs but on Friday that washboard stomach was nowhere to be seen

But his curves were not the only ones turning heads.

Love & Hip Hop star Rosa was also impressing with her curvaceous physique as she paraded around the beach in a thong.

Media Take Out claims French and Rosa are dating and so he whisked her away on to Hawaii to help him celebrate with his crew.

New flame? Media Take Out claims French and Rosa are dating and so he whisked her away on to Hawaii to help him celebrate with his crew

Dared to bare: The model wore a tiny crocheted pink and lime bikini which was no match for her assets

Oh la la? The thong bottoms featured two strings which tied together at the sides and had just a tiny lime green string that ran between her ample cheeks

Rosa - who was romantically linked to Rob Kardashian but later said she agreed to be the reality star's girlfriend for a story line on Keeping Up With The Kardashians - certainly is French's type.

However, the 32-year-old model was quite the booty-ful upgrade from the rapper's exes Iggy Azalea and Khloe as her derriere seemed to have the beat in terms of size.

The model wore a tiny crocheted pink and lime bikini which was no match for her assets.

Look back at it: It seems French or someone else got a little hands-on, as the model had sand hand marks on her bottom

Snap to it: The reality star was obviously feeling her look as she snapped a series of selfies

The triangle top was little more than a nipple covering but was modest in comparison to her bottoms.

The thong bottoms featured two strings which tied together at the sides and had just a tiny lime green string that ran between her ample cheeks.

The reality star was obviously feeling her look as she snapped a series of selfies.

Booty-ful display: She then enlisted some help to shoot some more glamorous snaps of her in the daring bikini

Splish splash: In those photos, the glamorous model posed up on the shoreline before getting into the water for some even sexier poses

Spotted: Whispers of whether French had moved on from Iggy started over the weekend after the Don't Panic shared a picture of himself enjoying a bottle of Circoc with a curvaceous woman in a thong with her back to the camera

She then enlisted some help to shoot some more glamorous snaps of her in the daring bikini.

In those photos, the glamorous model posed up on the shoreline before getting into the water for some even sexier poses.

Whispers of whether French had moved on from Iggy started over the weekend after the Don't Panic shared a picture of himself enjoying a bottle of Circoc with a curvaceous woman in a thong with her back to the camera.

Fun in the sun: The 32-year-old kicked back on Kailua Beach as he and A$AP Rocky celebrated the release of their new video for track Said N Done

No sand between their toes: Both the Moroccan rapper and his two friends opted to wear sneakers on the beach

Having a blast: A$AP, who is rumored to be dating Kendall Jenner, could not stop smiling as he enjoyed their day at the beach

Media Take Out quickly linked the pair as Rosa later shared some images of herself in the same pool.

In those snaps she wore a sheer silver dress and wandered into the water.

Rosa was previously on Love & Hip Hop with girlfriend Nikki Mudarris and they were still romantically linked late last year.

Ex files: The model had previously appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2011 when she went on a filmed date with Rob. She latter claimed their relationship was set up for a storyline on the show

Passionate pair: In 2011, Rosa was also linked to Amber Rose. The model shared this picture as a reminder of the relationship eight months ago

All over: French is back on the market after splitting with Australian rapper Iggy

Nikki is not the first woman the model has dated as she also had a fling with Amber Rose.

The model had previously appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2011 when she went on a filmed date with Rob.

French is back on the market after splitting with Australian rapper Iggy.

Before that, he dated Khloe for a year but the pair went their separate ways.
Kylie Jenner posed in a leather bikini while in the hills of Malibu for photographer friend Sasha Samsonova on Monday.

But the next day it was back to selfies for the 19-year-old reality star.

The girlfriend of rapper Tyga looked impossibly shapely as she posed in front of a mirror in a grey crop top and matching drawstring sweat pants.

Looking curvy! Kylie Jenner shared this selfie on Tuesday plugging a fashion brand

The beauty was plugging a fashion brand. Her caption read: 'Obsessed with my @fashionnova set. The teen wisely marked the post #ad as she was being paid to plug the brand.

The star's figure looked super hourglass with a tiny waistline and large hips, almost like her older sister Kim Kardashian's shape. Her glam was done well as Kylie modeled long raven locks and heavily filled in eyebrows.

This snap comes after the teen looked lusty while posing above the shores of Malibu.

Nature girl: The teen made a busty display on Instagram Monday, wearing a leather bathing suit while posing in a number of idyllic nature shots

Great view: The teen beauty wowed in the series of photos by Sasha Samsonova

In the images, Kylie can be seen sporting a shiny leather suit consisted of a bandeau and high waisted briefs while she posed candidly in front of the idyllic California coastline.

The makeup mogul's raven hair is slicked back with a center part to compliment the Snapchat star's fan-like earrings.

She captioned one pic 'inhale the good exhale the bad' while another that shows the star gazing downward was paired with the words 'always looking for something.'

Reclining in style: The makeup mogul continued to sport leather in another beautiful photo of her resting cliffside

Another image shows the reality personality elegantly reclining cliffside.

As the girlfriend of Tyga lies down on the barrier her dark locks spill onto the stone while the youngest Kardashian perches her legs seductively.

She continues to embrace the leather look, this time in a shiny patent skirt paired with a revealing bustier and towering heels.

Crazy talent! The social media starlet shared a Polaroid pic of photographer Sasha Samsonova going to an extreme length to take the perfect portrait

Quiet moment: Kylie shared a number of candid behind the scenes Polaroids from the shoot on her website. Here, you can see her enjoying a calm moment to herself

King Kylie was also happy to share a behind the scenes view on her thekyliejenner.com website.

She posted a Polaroid photo of her daredevil photographer Sasha going to extreme lengths to snap the perfect photo, climbing onto a cement beam high above the rocky cliffs.

The teen celeb captioned the shot saying, 'Find someone who matches your crazy' while giving a big thanks to the risk taking photo talent.

On her website, the star told fans what a joy it was to work with the LA based photographer.

With her friends: The star seen in a topless bus on their way to a zoo

Pucker up! Kylie's been on a nature kick lately. Last week, the star went to the zoo with friends where she took a pic kissing a giraffe

'Whenever I work with Sasha Samsonova, it's magic. Our latest collaboration is going to blow your minds.

'That's coming soon, so be patient ... but until then, check out these behind-the-scenes photos shot by Victoria Villarroel!' Kylie revealed.

Kylie's been on a wildlife kick recently. Last week the teen sensation went on a Malibu safari to celebrate her pal Victoria Villarroel's birthday.

The snap happy celeb was sure to share everything on social media, where she showed off an image of herself puckering up for a giraffe.

The animal friendly star has her own menagerie at her Hidden Hills, California home. Kylie has several dogs including her Italian Greyhounds Norman and Bambi and other furry friends.
She is one of the best known actresses in the world.

But that did not stop Angelina Jolie doing as the locals do.

The 41-year-old actress was recently pictured enjoying a tuk tuk ride with her youngest children during their holiday in Seam Reap, Cambodia.

Bonding time: Angelina Jolie recently enjoyed a ride in a tuk tuk with daughter Vivienne during their holiday in Seam Reap, Cambodia

Angelina did not need a special private form of transport as she was joined by eight-year-old twins: daughter Vivienne and son Knox.

No doubt the mother-of-six enjoyed the trip into town with her two youngest as she looked content while riding in the two-wheeled carriage.

The trio even walked around to check out the sights and sounds of the capital city.

Tremendous trio: The 41-year-old was also joined by eight-year-old son Knox

Fun times: The trio even walked around to check out the sights and sounds of the capital city

Looking good: Angelina was dressed for comfort in a long flowy white patterned sweater over a matching striped maxi dress

Angelina was dressed for comfort in a long flowy white patterned sweater over a matching striped maxi dress.

Her signature dark locks were worn down flowing over her shoulders as she sported a pair of black aviator shades.

She made sure to watch over the only two children who were on the outing as she placed her hands on their backs as they strolled around.

Natural beauty: Her signature dark locks were worn down flowing over her shoulders as she sported a pair of black aviator shades

I'll be there: She placed her hand on her youngest son's back as they made it through the streets

Out and about: She also followed closely behind Vivienne

According to a report Angelina had purchased two 18-karat gold bracelets worth $260 in total.

Days earlier she was joined by the rest of her brood at the premiere of her new film First They Killed My Father.

Though the two youngsters Knox and Vivienne didn't seem to be there, she was supported by Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, and 10-year-old Shiloh.

On-the-go: Just days earlier she attended the premiere of her new film First They Killed My Father

Elegant: She wore a lacy black number at the gathering

Family affair: The mother-of-six, 41, attended with children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, though 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne didn't appear present

Back in black: She matched her frock with a pair of leather heels

The mother-of-six whose eldest child Maddox was adopted in 2002 from an orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia, gave a free public screening of the memoir-based drama.

Angelina was also invited to the royal residence for an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix.

Watchful eye: There was a man following closely behind Jolie to keep her safe

Good spirits: She was all smiles at the gala

Project: The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix

All in attendance: The brood also attended an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

Jolie, who directed the project, credited Maddox with convincing her to make the film after it languished for years.

Her arrival in Cambodia marked a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt in September.
Her feminist stance has recently come under fire after she posed topless for Vanity Fair.

But Emma Watson, 26, shunned the negative attention as she caught a flight out of Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday, a day after appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The British actress and women's rights activist - who was in town to promote her flick Beauty And The Beast - was all smiles as she put on a leggy statement in a green checkered mini-skirt.

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Stylish: Emma Watson, 26, was all smiles as she put on a leggy statement in a green checkered mini-skirt as she caught a flight out of Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday

All eyes were on the talented star as she strolled through the airport with her funky ensemble, which bared her enviably lean legs.

Emma, who soared to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise at the age of nine, teamed the look with a cropped white top, super cool leather jacket and grungy Dr.Marten boots.

Her pretty features were on full display with just a slick of make-up, while a pair of chic shades tamed her messy brunette updo in place.

The Paris born beauty was in high spirits as she waved to on-lookers while manoeuvring through the airport to catch her flight.

Chic: All eyes were on the talented star as she strolled through the airport with her funky ensemble, which bared her enviably lean legs

Sartorially savvy: Emma, who soared to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise at the age of nine, teamed the look with a cropped white top, super cool leather jacket and grungy Dr.Marten boots

Stunning: Her pretty features were on full display with just a slick of make-up, while a pair of chic shades tamed her messy brunette updo in place

Her appearance comes after she was mortified when Jimmy Kimmel aired an outtake from the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, which saw her mouthing along to co-star Rupert Grint's lines.

Emma was left giggling with embarrassment, putting her head in her hands as the clip played for the audience to see.

'You're helping them with their lines!', Jimmy joked.

The British beauty explained: 'You laugh, but this was quite traumatic for me because I created issues because of this! I would ruin takes!

'I would be like, "I'm so sorry! I feel so bad!" I couldn't help myself.'

Red-faced: Emma's embarrassing childhood habit came back to haunt her on Monday night when she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Old clip: The women's rights activist was mortified when the TV host aired an outtake from the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

Cringe: Emma could be seen mouthing along to co-star Rupert Grint's lines

The star explained: 'You laugh, but this was quite traumatic for me because I created issues because of this! I would ruin takes!'

The star explained that she was such a big fan of J.K. Rowling's wizarding series that she couldn't help uttering the words from memory.

She laughed: 'I was such a loser, I really loved those books, I really wanted to do my job well, and I kind of overdid it...'

The Hollywood favourite also touched upon how lucky she was to land the part that launched her career.

Superfan: The star explained that she was such a big fan of J.K. Rowling's wizarding series that she couldn't help uttering the words from memory

Getting the giggles: Emma was left with her head in her handsee

The Beauty And The Beast star enthused: 'No one goes for the first audition they've ever gone for in their life - and makes those movies for over a decade.'

Emma recently explained why she's decided not to take selfies with fans anymore, revealing it was taking over her life.

Although she's now selective about her interactions, Emma says she's still happy to give people a piece of her time.

Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, she said: 'Ill say, "I will sit here and answer every single Harry Potter fandom question you have but I just cant do a picture" - and much of the time people dont bother.

'I have to carefully pick and choose my moment to interact. When am I a celebrity sighting versus when am I going to make someones freakin week? Children I dont say no to, for example.'
She's been busy walking the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week.

And Gigi Hadid looked sensational as she celebrated the end of the style spectacle by heading to the V Magazine dinner party at La Perouse restaurant in the French capital on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old model of the moment dressed to accentuate her svelte frame in a semi-sheer top, which bared her skimpy black bra.

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Plaid to the bone! Gigi Hadid, 21, looked sensational as she celebrated the end of Paris Fashion Week by heading to the V Magazine dinner party at La Perouse restaurant in the French capital

Gigi oozed confidence as she strutted along in her black ankle boots in the sartorially savvy ensemble.

She teamed the racy top half of her look with a pair of chic tartan trousers which boasted a slight seventies edge with its flared bottoms.

A super cool biker jacket protected the daughter of reality star Yolanda Foster from the night-time chill.

The blonde bombshell showcased her striking features by tying her locks into a tight bun, which also flaunted her large silver hoops.

Sexy: The model of the moment dressed to accentuate her svelte frame in a semi-sheer top, which bared her skimpy black bra

Chic: She teamed the racy top half of her look with a pair of chic tartan trousers which boasted a slight seventies edge with its flared bottoms

Wrapping up in style: A super cool biker jacket protected the daughter of reality star Yolanda Foster from the night time chill

Gigi opted for heavily bronzed cheekbones and autumnal eye-shadow, while her lips boasted nude lipstick.

The older sister of Bella Hadid was recently joined in Paris by her boyfriend Zayn Malik.

Uploading a snap to Instagram, the couple looked the picture of happiness as they both appeared to be naked.

Meanwhile, the stunning star was also joined by Rita Ora who worked her honed frame in a stunning denim ensemble.

Partied out? Gigi has been non stop while in Paris for Fashion Week

Beauty: The blonde bombshell showcased her striking features by tying her locks into a tight bun, which also flaunted her large silver hoops

Side by side: The supermodel posed for a snap alongside Nicki Minaj

Loved up: Gigi was joined in Paris by her boyfriend Zayn Malik and the couple looked the picture of happiness in a risque shot in which they both appeared to be naked

Wow factor! Emily Ratajkowski looked sensational in a stunning silver slip dress

Stunning in silver: Emily proved to be an eye-catching sight thanks to her bold metallic ensemble

Cheek to cheek: Emily also joined R&B star Nicki for a glamorous snap

The America's Next Top Model host donned a sparkly studded denim jacket, which she teamed with a pair of matching skinny jeans.

A silver tiara tamed her wavy blonde tresses in place and she sported an immaculately preened coat of make-up.

Nicki Minaj also made a head-turningly glamorous appearance at the eagerly anticipated dinner.

Sitting pretty: Rita Ora also made her presence felt at the event on Tuesday evening

Feeling blue: The singer donned a sparkly studded denim jacket, which she teamed with a pair of matching skinny jeans

She has that Ora! A silver tiara tamed her wavy blonde tresses in place and she sported an immaculately preened coat of make-up

Showing some skin: Rita flashed a look at her skimpy top as she left the bash

The Ananconda hitmaker was hard to miss in an over-sized faux fur coat and ample asset flashing bustier top.

A flirty silver skirt fell at knee level and allowed her to flaunt her trim legs, which were clad in towering strappy heels.

Nick Jonas also looked incredibly suave in a long tweed grey coat, which he placed over a polo-neck brown top and black trousers.

Striking: (L-R) Stella Maxwell, Barbara Palvin and Soo Joo upped the glamour on Tuesday night

Say cheese: Karl Lagerfeld and Stephen G were united at the Parisian party

Statement: Nicki Minaj also made a head-turningly glamorous appearance at the eagerly anticipated dinner

Up close: (L-R) Carolyn Murphy, Mario Testino and Lara Stone

Good times: Celebrated designer Mario later posed for a snap with Nicki

Glamour: The Ananconda hitmaker was hard to miss in an over-sized faux fur coat and ample asset flashing bustier top

Fancy meeting you here: Carolyn Murphy joined Pharrell Williams at the bash

My girl: Lucky Blue Smith attended the Parisian event with Stormi Bree

Quite a gathering: (L-R) Nicki Minaj, Stephen Gan, Soo Joo, Karl Lagerfeld and Pharrell Williams

A good looking pair: Lara Stone and Jordan Barrett were also in attendance at the star-studded event

Hunk: Nick Jonas also looked incredibly suave in a long tweed grey coat, which he placed over a polo-neck brown top and black trousers

Sensational: The catwalk queen tied her locks into a tight ponytail, which placed emphasis on her stunning features and flawless decolletage

Party pals: Lara arrived and left the party with handsome fellow model Jordan

Red hot: Devon Windsor flaunted her enviable frame in a skin-tight frilly red dress as she arrived in style

Another red hot look! Barbara Palvin matched Devon in her own scarlet number

What a dress: Stella Maxwell chose a miniscule little black dress for the final night of PFW

Fashion royalty: Designers Mario Testino and Karl Lagerfeld caught up as Paris Fashion Week culminated

Quirky: Pharrell Williams was typically trendy in a camo jacket, logo-clad grey top and bright red satin trousers

Wow: Model Lucky Blueand Stormi were dressed to impress for the event
Her latest movie, The Zookeeper's Wife, sees her portraying a keeper of the Warsaw Zoo, who helps save hundreds of people and animals during World War II.

And Jessica Chastain stepped out in style on Tuesday night, as she attended a special premiere for the film in the Polish city where it's set.

The 39-year-old actress looked sensational as she walked the red carpet in a floor-length, short-sleeved electric blue dress, which featured a cleavage cut-put detail.

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Big night on the town: Jessica Chastain attended the Polish premiere of her new movie The Zookeeper's Wife in Warsaw on Tuesday night

Her signature red tresses were neatly styled in a Heidi braid, while deep magenta lipstick and glittering colourful earrings provided contrast to her gown.

Going otherwise accessory-free, she was the centre of attention as she made her way down the red carpet and spoke with a number of media outlets.

Earlier in the day, Jessica - who plays Antonia Zabinski in the film alongside Johan Heldenbergh (Jan Zabinski) - returned to the real-life couple's home with her screen husband and posed for a shot together by a piano.

Electric blue: The Hollywood actress wowed as she stepped out in an electric blue dress

Cutting it out: The actress's form-fitting, short-sleeved gown featured a cleavage cut-out detail

Contrast: Magenta lipstick and glittering colourful earrings provided contrast to her gown

Plait's the way to do it! Her signature red tresses were neatly styled in a Heidi braid

'It was very emotional to be back at the Zabinski villa,' she captioned the shot. 'I am honored to share this story of human kindness.

'Antonina & Jan were ordinary people who used compassion as their weapon against hate. Not only did they save hundreds of lives, but fostered hope in a time of darkness.'

She has also taken to social media to announce that she will be participating in International Women's Day on Wednesday, joining plans to 'strike'.

In March's edition of American Way magazine for American Airlines the actress discussed the Hollywood gender pay gap.

Centre of attention: Jessica was the centre of attention as she made her way down the red carpet and spoke with a number of media outlets

TV show: A day earlier, she made an appearance on a local TV show to promote her movie

Family ties: Jessica, who plays Antonia Zabinski in the film, posed with the late zookeeper's daughter Teresa Zabinska on the red carpet

All smiles: The duo were all smiles as they lapped up the attention on the glamorous night

Strike a pose: She also posed for selfies with fans as she made her way down the red carpet

She explained: 'I had one male director say to me that I talk too much about all of this "women stuff". This is a person I love, and maybe he was concerned I would hurt my career.'

'I'm not attacking anyone,' she added. 'I'm trying to create more inclusiveness, compassion and empathy - which in turn makes better movies, better art.'

Jessica, a twice Oscar nominated actress, tackled gender equality by launching the female-led production company, Freckle Films, last year.

'I just don't know why it's not changing,' she told the publication. 'I'm doing my part to make the change, so why isn't everyone else?'

Co-star: Actress Efrat Dor, who appears in the movie, was also on the hand for the festivities

Glam: She stepped out in an eye-catching green dress, while she wore her hair in a side plait

Black to basics: Film director Niki Caro went for an off-shoulder black gown for the event

The crew: Jessica posed with members of the cast and crew, including Daniel Bruhl, Shira Haas, Timothy Radford, Michael McElhatton and Johan Heldenbergh

But even with a career as successful and demanding as her own, Jessica has managed to squeeze in time away from it all with loved ones, including her long-term boyfriend, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo.

She added: 'Every August, for example, we do a big vacation, with all of my family and all of Gian Lucas family, and we all go away together. It's a tradition we've started.'

The Zero Dark Thirty actress said starting a family was still up in the air, explaining: 'I haven't made any kind of decision about my life in terms of that. I would never prioritise my career over any of my loved ones.'

Villa: Earlier in the day, she shared a shot of herself and co-star Johan at the Zabinski villa
Given her reputation for bold fashion statements it was an unsurprisingly daring Rita Ora who made an appearance in Paris on Tuesday evening.

The Hot Right Now singer, 26, flashed her cleavage in a plunging, negligee top as she departed local restaurant Laperouse and the the star-studded V Magazine fashion party.

With her embellished denim jacket casually worn off the shoulder she ensured plenty of flesh was on while climbing into the rear of a waiting car.

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Here she comes: Rita Ora flashed her cleavage in a plunging, negligee themed top as she departed Paris restaurant Laperouse and the the star-studded V Magazine fashion party on Tuesday evening

On a busy night in the French capital Rita was promptly driven to popular nightspot Fish Club as Paris Fashion Week drew to a close - and she accessorized accordingly a sparkling diamond tiara.

The singer looked sensational as she dressed her enviable frame in a stunning denim ensemble as she headed indoors to join a slew of her high-profile pals.

A sparkly studded denim jacket gave her ensemble a distinctive flourish, while a pair of matching skinny blue jeans accentuated her lean legs.

Recurring theme: Given her reputation for bold fashion statements it was an unsurprisingly daring Rita Ora who made an appearance in Paris on Tuesday evening

With her embellished denim jacket casually worn off the shoulder she ensured plenty of flesh was on while climbing into the rear of a waiting car

Good times: The singer enjoyed a late night out in Paris on Tuesday evening

True blue: The singer looked sensational as she dressed her enviable frame in a stunning denim ensemble

So many parties: On a busy night in the French capital Rita was promptly driven to popular nightspot Fish Club as Paris Fashion Week drew to a close

The hit-maker wore her blonde locks in effortless waves and ensured they were tamed in place with her silver tiara.

Despite already boasting striking features, Rita ensured to enhance her look with smokey eyeshadow, bronzed cheekbones and a glossy nude pout.

Rita's French appearance comes after she enjoyed a night out with a group of friends and her stylist, Kyle Devolle, at London's exclusive 100 Wardour Street on Saturday.

The pop princess and her pals looked as though they were having a blast as they giggled away, sipping on Belvedere Vodka and wine throughout the night.

A source told MailOnline: 'The whole gang looked as though they were having a blast and Rita was in a great mood.

Sparkling! Rita exuded stardom by accessorizing with a diamond tiara

All eyes on her: The star looked sensational as she dressed her enviable frame in a stunning denim ensemble as she headed indoors to join a slew of her high-profile pals

Stylish: A sparkly studded denim jacket gave her ensemble a distinctive flourish

Glam: A pair of matching skinny blue jeans accentuated her lean legs and she boosted her height in a pair of towering strappy heels

Royalty: The RIP hitmaker wore her blonde locks in effortless waves and ensured they were tamed in place with her silver tiara

Beauty: Despite already boasting striking features, Rita ensured to enhance her look with smokey eyeshadow, bronzed cheekbones and a glossy nude pout

Sitting pretty: Rita made her presence felt in Paris on Tuesday evening

'She welcomed the attention she got from fans who asked for selfies. Rita treated her friends to their night out and paid the bill for everyone at the end.'

The musician hit the Soho venue just hours after travelling back to the capital from Paris Fashion Week, where she attended the star-studded Vivienne Westwood autumn/winter '17 showcase on Saturday.

She was joined by the likes of Gigi Hadid, Nick Jonas, Nicki Minaj and Lara Stone at the Paris Fashion Week culmination dinner.

Quite a gathering: (L-R) Nicki Minaj, Stephen Gan, Soo Joo, Karl Lagerfeld and Pharrell Williams

Star-studded arrivals: Gigi Hadid (L) opted for tartan trousers at the event, while Nicki Minaj (M) donned a faux-fur coat and Lara Stone (R) went androgynous chic

Red hot: Devon Windsor flaunted her enviable frame in a skin-tight frilly red dress as she arrived in style

Wow factor! Emily Ratajkowski looked sensational in a stunning silver slip dress

Stunning in silver: Emily proved to be an eye-catching sight thanks to her bold metallic ensemble

Hunk: Nick Jonas also looked incredibly suave in a long tweed grey coat, which he placed over a polo-neck brown top and black trousers

Say cheese: Karl Lagerfeld and Stephen G were united at the Parisian party

Another red hot look! Barbara Palvin matched Devon in her own scarlet number

Fancy meeting you here: Carolyn Murphy joined Pharrell Williams at the bash

What a dress: Stella Maxwell chose a miniscule little black dress for the final night of PFW

Fashion royalty: Designers Mario Testino and Karl Lagerfeld caught up as Paris Fashion Week culminated

Quirky: Pharrell Williams was typically trendy in a camo jacket, logo-clad grey top and bright red satin trousers

Wow: Model Lucky Blue Smith and Stormi Bree were dressed to impress for the event
Trishelle Cannatella has married John Hensz.

The Real World: Las Vegas vet said 'I do' to her airline pilot fiance in front of 150 people at Southern Oaks Plantation in New Orleans over the weekend.

'My wedding was absolutely perfect,' Cannatella told TooFab. 'It was really like a fairytale. The food was incredible and our flowers were beautiful. John and I couldn't have imagined our day would be more perfect.'

Wed! Trishelle Cannatella has married John Hensz. The star shared an image of her wedding gown on Instragram with the note: '4 outfit changes in 24 hours, thank you @idobridalcouture'

First wedding photo: Her pal Ty Brocks shared this image of the wedding party. Trishelle is fourth from the left

Her new husband: The groom wore his Air Force uniform. 'He looked ridiculously handsome,' added Trishelle

The engagement ring: He proposed in August

The bride wore a lace on tulle mermaid gown from Liancarlo.

The groom wore his Air Force uniform.

'He looked ridiculously handsome,' added Trishelle.

'The wedding venue was gorgeous.

'We had an outside ceremony under huge oak trees and lanterns.

'I was brought in by a horse and carriage and after we said I do, a jazz band came out to play, and then we had a huge fireworks display!'

'We both agree this is the best time of our lives but the most special thing was all the friends and family who traveled from so many different places to spend this day with us.

Romantic: She said 'I do' to her airline pilot fiance in front of 150 people at Southern Oaks Plantation in New Orleans over the weekend

'Also Mr. Bobby, the owner of Southern Oaks Plantation made my day extra special. I feel so lucky.'

'Our officiant was one of my friends, Saul Friedman, who got ordained online just for our wedding, gave a hilarious account of John and I's first date and even did a little play on The Real World This is the true story.'

Katie Doyle from Road Rules and several Challenges stars as well as Brittany Brower from America's Next Top Model attended.

Hensz is a fighter pilot with the Louisiana Air National Guard and pilot for Delta.



The two are currently on their honeymoon, where they'll visit Tahiti, Moorea and New Zealand.

The night before: : The star wore a white lace dress to the rehearsal dinner

Celebrating: Here she is seen with her wedding guests that included many reality stars

He proposed in New Orleans in August 2016 with a diamond engagement ring.

'My engagement was amazing,' she told TooFab.

'He completely surprised me. We went to brunch at Brennan's with my sister then walked outside and saw my best friend standing there with a few friends listening to a jazz band. I thought we just ran into them randomly then we walked down the street and I saw more of my friends.'

The former Stuff model added: 'At that point, I realized that the jazz band was following us and we had police escorts.

Top gun: Hensz is a fighter pilot with the Louisiana Air National Guard and pilot for Delta

'Then ran into more friends who gave me a parasol. So we all danced down the street in the French Quarter until we reached Jackson Square and my daddy and step mom and more friends were there and he got down on one knee in the park in front of the church with the band playing!'

Trishelle added: 'It was insane. He had to get a city permit for the second line and everything, I was so shocked. He did so well with the ring too!!'

This is the first marriage for Trishelle.

The star came to fame in 2002 with her Real World season. She told TooFab last year what she thought about her appearance on the reality series.

A reality star: Canatella during MTV'S Real World Las Vegas Reunion - Viewing Party at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2007

Hollywood past: The Playboy model has also appeared in the TV movie The Scorned in 2005, VIP Passport in 2006, The Dukes Of Hazzard movie in 2007, and 33 Griffin Lane

'I can't deny my actions, because they were on camera. Did I make out with two people in a hot tub? Yeah. Could they have made it seem a little less shocking than it was? Yeah. Was there really a pregnancy scare? No, there wasn't!' she said.

And she also said all she did was kiss the two men, nothing more happened.

'A hundred percent never happened, ever! Like, look, I would say it. Im thirty-six now. I would tell you guys/ I would tell you! Like, there was nothing that happened. It was just a three-way kiss. It was not a big deal!'

The Playboy model has also appeared in the TV movie The Scorned in 2005, VIP Passport in 2006, The Dukes Of Hazzard movie in 2007, and 33 Griffin Lane.
Popular renovation reality show House Rules has had a refurbishment this year, with British personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 51, joining the judging panel.

The flamboyant Changing Rooms star will replace Sydney architect Joe Snell, and will appear alongside Wendy Moore, Carolyn Burns-McCrave and Drew Heath in the show's upcoming fifth season.

Johanna Griggs will also resume her role as the show's host this season.

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'You've got to treat your house as if you're having an affair with it': Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 51, has reveals his risque renovation mantra as he joins House Rules judging panel

Speaking to The Herald Sun, Laurence offered his rather risque renovation mantra to fans, proclaiming that: 'You've got to treat your house as if you're having an affair with it. Take it out for dinner.'

'Buy it pretty things, flirt with it, really celebrate it,' he mused.

The father-of-two later continued: 'Let's go further than you've ever gone before  turn your interiors into a background for sex, for rock 'n' roll, for chocolate, for all of the things that really rock your world.'

In good company! The flamboyant Changing Rooms star will replace Sydney architect Joe Snell, and will appear alongside Wendy Moore

Saucy interiors: The father-of-two later continued: 'Let's go further than you've ever gone before  turn your interiors into a background for sex, for rock 'n' roll, for chocolate, for all of the things that really rock your world'

Comparing his judging style to the likes of Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay, Laurence promised to ruffle feathers with his harsh critiques.

Twins Luke and Cody Cook took out last year's competition thanks to their coastal, cabana-style haven on the Mornington Peninsula.

In a shocking twist of fate, the Queensland duo managed to sway the public vote and win the competition, despite the judges initially awarding Clare and Hagan higher points.

He won't hold back! Comparing his judging style to the likes of Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay, Laurence promised to ruffle feathers with his harsh critiques

Winners: Twins Luke and Cody Cook took out last year's competition thanks to their coastal, cabana-style haven on the Mornington Peninsula

Experts on board: Architect Drew Heath will also appear on the show this season

Luke's house was completely transformed by Claire and Hagan who used the brothers' love of fishing as inspiration in their outback billabong-themed backyard.

The teams were given a strict set of rules and four days to complete an area worthy of winning the House Rules Grand Final.

Following the competition, the pair confessed to OK! magazine that they would think twice about joining such a high-stakes competition again.

'Its one of those things that I wouldnt go rushing back into it because it was so full-on, mechanic Cody confessed when quizzed by the publication.

House Rules season five will hit screens later this year on Seven.
He announced he had moved on from his failed TV marriage to 'bride' Christine Jordee last year.

And former Married At First Sight star Mark Hughes was spotted locking lips with his new girlfriend Maria Angeleski at the Glass Merchants Re-Launch in Melbourne, on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old farmer looked smitten with the blonde, showing his affection by posing for numerous loved-up photos on the red carpet.

Date night! Former Married At First Sight star Mark Hughes packs on the PDA with new girlfriend Maria Angelesk at the Glass Merchants Re-Launch in Melbourne on Tuesday

Mark announced the pair were an item via an Instagram selfie in November, followed up by a collage that used the hashtag 'mylove'.

Still going strong four months later, the couple couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other at the event.

Mark was seen resting his hand on Maria's behind as he leant in for a passionate smooch with his partner.

Smitten! The 38-year-old farmer looked smitten with the blonde, showing his affection by posing for numerous loved-up photos on the red carpet

Sealed with a kiss: Mark was seen resting his hand on Maria's behind as he leant in for a passionate smooch with his partner, with Maria draping her hand lovingly around the neck of her partner

Maria reciprocated by draping her hand lovingly around his neck as she brought her lips closer to his.

Both holding alcoholic beverages, the pair kept their bottles at arm's length as they continued with their lengthy kiss.

Mark wore a blue denim-look button-up shirt with black pants to the laid-back restaurant and bar outing.

Casual: Mark cut a casual figure in a blue denim-look button-up shirt with black pants to the laid-back restaurant and bar outing

Matching! Appearing to match with Mark, the group commercial director paired a tight denim skirt with a midriff-baring black leather crop top, in which she accessorized with a black clutch and a neck-tie choker

Appearing to match with Mark, the group commercial director paired a denim skirt with a black leather crop top.

Her pert derriere was on display in the tight blue skirt, while her midriff and snakeskin bra were visible in the crop.

Maria wore a bright pink lipstick for her date night with boyfriend Mark, which seemed to remain perfectly applied on her pout throughout the evening.

Perfect pout: Despite being spotted kissing and drinking at the event, Maria's bright pink lipstick seemed to remain perfectly applied on her lips throughout the evening

Meanwhile, Mark and ex 'bride' Christie left fans in shock after announcing that they had broken up amid rumours of infidelity last year.

But Mark set the record straight on his split with Christie last year, revealing that things were still amicable between the two and that his text messages to another woman took place after separating from his TV 'wife'.

'We're still friends,' the farmer told Mamamia, adding that they're still very much on speaking terms.

'We're still friends': Mark and ex 'bride' Christie left fans in shock after announcing that they had broken up amid rumours of infidelity last year, but he set the record straight claiming things were still amicable between the two




Dutch Supermodel Lara Stone made sure all eyes were on her on Tuesday night when she headed out with her rumoured model boyfriend Jordan Barrett.

The 33-year-old and her 20-year-old companion attended a V Magazine party in Paris, with Lara displaying her very ample assets in a black lace bustier which struggled to contain them.

It's just the latest instance the two have been spotted together, making a string of public appearances in each other's company since 2016.

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Catwalk sensations: Dutch supermodel Lara Stone, 33, and her rumoured model boyfriend Jordan Barrett arrived at the V Magazine party together in Paris on Tuesday night

Lara cut a sexy and stylist look in a white pantsuit paired with her cleavage-baring lace corset.

The mother-of-one, who was once married to David Walliams, teamed the look with strappy black heels and a matching clutch by Miu Miu, wearing her hair back in a chic bun.

Meanwhile, Jordan looked dapper in a black fitted suit, which he paired with matching lace-up leather shoes.

The Byron Bay born male model also wore a white shirt with several necklaces, including a crucifix.

Dressed to impress! Lara cut an equally fashionable look in a white pantsuit paired with a cleavage-baring lace corset

The popular model wore his blonde hair in typical tousled style, brushed over in a side parting.

The two models have been pictured together on previous occasions, most notably walking the runway together for the Cannes amfAR's disco themed fashion auction in May 2016.

The two held hands and Jordan later planted a kiss on Lara as the two strutted their stuff on the charity runway.

Good friends: The two models walked the runway together for the Cannes amfAR's disco themed fashion auction

Close: The two held hands and Jordan later planted a kiss on Lara as the two strutted their stuff on the charity runway

Soon after the pair were photographed enjoying an intimate al fresco lunch at a Cannes cafe.

Lara has been previously married to Little Britain comedian David Walliams, with whom she had a three-year-old son Alfred with.

The two tied the knot in 2010, however, split in 2015.

Meanwhile Jordan has been seen out and about with a string of beautiful female celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Hailey Baldwin, Megan Blake Irwin and Kate Moss.

Age difference: Jordan is 20 while divorced Lara is 33-years-old
She seldom puts a sartorial foot wrong.

And Jennifer Connelly once again proved herself to be an accomplished fashionista as she headed to the famous I.M. Pei-designed glass Pyramide du Louvre to see the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2017 Paris Fashion Show on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old stunner showed off her ageless good looks and sensational style in her mod-style ensemble complete with racy PVC boots and a flirty swing dress to nail her Sixties look.

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A classic beauty: Jennifer Connelly once again proved herself to be an accomplished fashionista as she headed to the famous I.M. Pei-designed glass Pyramide du Louvre to see the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2017 Paris Fashion Show on Tuesday

Jennifer joined the creme da la creme of the showbiz world to view the sensational sights walking the runway, dreamed up by LV creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere, who she joined for an snap after the show.

Ensuring she was as perfectly clad as her fashion-eyed cohorts, the stunning star stuck to the monochrome theme of the guests while punctuating her own unique style.

Game Of Thrones beauty Sophie Turner arrived in the same white PVC thigh-highs as Jennifer - with both women opting for contrasting vibes with the look.

Proving the versatility of the pieces, Jennifer wore the same boots as Sophie, who is 25 years her junior, yet took a totally different stance on the style to help illustrate the ageless form of fashion.

Striking: The 46-year-old stunner showed off her ageless good looks and sensational style in her mod-style ensemble complete with racy PVC boots and a flirty swing dress to nail her Sixties style look

Changing it up: Proving the versatility of the pieces, Jennifer wore the same boots as Sophie Turner, who is 25 years her junior, yet took a totally different stance on the style to help illustrate the ageless form of fashion

She wore a stunning black gown with a polo-neck and bell sleeves which helped give the retro vibe which seemed to sweep the entire show, while she carried the same monochrome clutch as her younger counterpart.

Showing off her incredibly ageless good looks, Jennifer scraped her raven tresses into a tight chignon while pencilling in her heavy and painfully trendy thick brows.

Her make-up was flawlessly applied, with dewy foundation dabbed on her line-free skin, while her glimmering green eyes stood out from beneath a red eyeshadow.

Natural beauty: Showing off her incredibly ageless good looks, Jennifer scraped her raven tresses into a tight chignon while pencilling in her heavy and painfully trendy thick brow

Man of the hour: Jennifer posed alongside man of the hour Nicolas Ghesquiere

Jennifer's descent on fashion week comes shortly after she enjoyed a family vacation, in the midst of the two projects she has set for imminent release.

In September, she'll star alongside Miles Teller, Josh Brolin, and Jeff Bridges, among others in Granite Mountain.

The based-on-a-true-story film tells of the 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. Jennifer will also appear in the action-adventure movie, Alita: Battle Angel, out next year.

Pals all over the show: Jaden Smith posed alongside Jennifer from within the show, where they both maintained model glares to help fit in to their fashion surroundings
It's one of the most popular new shows on television.

And come June, Australians fans will finally get the chance to meet some of the stars from Stranger Things.

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, and David Harbour, who plays police chief Jim Hopper, are set to appear at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo.

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Exciting: Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, and David Harbour, who plays police chief Jim Hopper, are set to appear at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo

The pair will be at the Sydney stop on June 17th, and Perth at the 24th.

Season two of the Netflix drama started filming in November, with an official premiere scheduled for October.

A teaser trailer for season two premiered last month during the Super Bowl.

Coming soon: Season two of the Netflix drama started filming in November, with an official premiere scheduled for October

In the trailer, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) dress up as Ghostbusters in a nod to the show's eighties time period.

The boys stand outside of the middle school in the town of Hawkins, wearing the costumes.

The trailer hints to even more fantastic and horrifying events, concluding on an image of a terrifying force overwhelming the small Indiana town.

The only other hint plot-wise, was a statement from showrunners earlier this week: 'The Demogorgon was destroyed but evil wasnt.'

Night and day: Millie, 13, looks much different in real life (R) compared to her role in Stranger Things (L)

The release date for the second season was also teased, letting fans know they have to wait until Halloween for the next installment.

The addition of Ghostbusters now includes Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in the hallowed list of Eighties homages, which previously featured such luminaries as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Robert Zemeckis.

The cast of the show are coming off a highlight for the year after earning a gong for best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She has not only conquered the music and television worlds but also the style stratosphere.

And Billie Piper proved just how well-acquainted she is with high fashion as she slipped into a sensational ensemble while rubbing shoulders with the stars at the Up Next Gala, held at London's National Theatre, on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old Secret Diary Of A Call Girl star looked sensational in a floor-sweeping maxi dress which she added uber glamour to with the addition of a black fluffy bolero.

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Striking: Billie Piper proved just how well acquainted she is with high fashion as she slipped into a sensational ensemble while rubbing shoulders with the stars at the Up Next Gala, held at London's National Theatre, on Tuesday night

Billie looked stunning as she attended the star-studded bash where she rubbed shoulders with peers including Lily James and Olivia Colman.

Slipping into the lurex gown which boasted autumnal hues with a glimmering sheen worked throughout with a leaf design layered on top.

Fluffing up the look, her bolero was created through marabou feathers, which added an extra touch of Hollywood glamour to the ensemble.

She boosted her height with the addition of staggering heels yet the identity of her shoe was shielded by her incredibly long skirt.

Out and a pout: The 34-year-old Secret Diary Of A Call Girl star looked sensational in a floor-sweeping maxi dress which she added uber glamour to with the addition of a black fluffy bolero

Sizzling: Billie looked stunning as she attended the star-studded bash where she rubbed shoulders with peers including Lily James and Olivia Colman

Billie opted for minimal make-up as she wore dewy foundation while her lips were plumped up with the addition of a thick slick of taupe lipstick.

Her hair switched from going up to down as she appeared to head out straight from the shower as the lengths fell in loose waves.

Last month, Billie won the Best Actress gong at the 17th annual WhatsOnAwards for her role in Yerma - and she pulled out all the stops to attend the event.

Striking look: Billie opted for minimal make-up as she wore dewy foundation while her lips were plumped up with the addition of a thick slick of taupe lipstick

Accepting her award, the radiant redhead gushed: 'I'd like to share this award with my onstage husband Brendan Cowell.' She is set to return to the West End this year with an extended stint in the acclaimed play.

She bewitched audiences and critics alike with her stage performance in the theatre show, about a woman driven wild by the desire to have a baby.

In January, she was given just recognition at The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, where she proudly picked up the gong for Best Actress.

No way! Meanwhile, Billie revealed she has ruled herself out of replacing Peter Capaldi when the Time Lord regenerates at the end of the upcoming series - but has backed calls for the new Doctor to be female

Meanwhile, Billie revealed she has ruled herself out of replacing Peter Capaldi when the Time Lord regenerates at the end of the upcoming series - but has backed calls for the new Doctor to be female.

Capaldi announced that he will leave the Tardis in the Christmas special later this year, saying his time as the 12th Doctor has been 'cosmic'.

Billie played companion Rose Tyler opposite Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant's Doctors, reprising the role for later specials, and is one of the female stars fans have said they would like to see in the title role.

Feathered fancy: Capaldi announced that he will leave the Tardis in the Christmas special later this year, saying his time as the 12th Doctor has been 'cosmic'
US President Donald Trump (R) and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke by telephone after North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned Monday that the threat from North Korea had "entered a new stage," following another defiant missile test.

The two leaders spoke by telephone after North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles, in what Pyongyang provocatively called a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan.

"Japan and the United States confirmed" the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions and presented a "clear challenge to the region and international community," Abe told reporters in Tokyo.

They also agreed that "the threat has entered a new stage," Abe said.

The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.

North Korean weapons programs are rapidly proving to be the most prominent foreign policy question facing Trump's young White House.

The president -- who has little foreign policy experience -- has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly."

Intelligence officials believe that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States.

Trump has baldly declared that "it won't happen!" but has yet to articulate how he proposes to neutralize the threat.

Diplomacy has stalled and military options remain fraught.

Monday's launches were the latest in a series of test-firings that have increased in tempo.

Last month, Abe's visit to Trump's Florida resort was marred by another North Korean missile test.

On that occasion social media posts showed Trump and Abe huddling with aides in a public dining room as they weighed how to respond.

As a presidential candidate, Trump had called into question a mutual defense pact with Japan, insisting Tokyo must pay its own way. He has since softened that rhetoric.

Abe said that "President Trump said the United States is 100 percent with Japan and he told me to convey his remarks to the Japanese people."

"He said he wanted us to trust him and the United States 100 percent," Abe added.
The Philippines complains that the portrayal of a fictional Filippino president in a US television drama denigrates the country

Manila on Tuesday "strongly protested" about an American television drama which shows a fictional Philippine president making a sexual advance on the US secretary of state.

In the trailer for the latest edition of "Madam Secretary", the lead character punches "the Philippines' unconventional new president" in the face and gives him a bloody nose in reaction to his unwanted pass.

"I clobbered a world leader instead of saving a major regional agreement," the secretary of state says.

The Philippine embassy in Washington said in a statement it had written to the producers of the show, the CBS network, to urgently request it "take the necessary corrective actions".

"This highly negative portrayal of our Head of State not only casts doubt on the respectability of the Office of the Philippine President but also denigrates (the) way our nation navigates foreign affairs," the statement said.

While the description for the trailer used a fictional name for the Philippine president, the embassy said the show mirrored current events.

The real Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has previously caused controversy with comments seen as sexist and offensive.

On Tuesday he added to that list when he addressed a female guest while giving a nationally televised speech at the presidential palace.

"I am distracted. You close your legs, God damn," said Duterte, 71, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Is this on national TV? Your dad's listening."

The president had previously been criticised for wolf-whistling at a woman journalist at a press conference and joking about looking at his female vice president's legs.

During last year's presidential campaign, the Australian and American ambassadors in Manila criticised Duterte for saying he had wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was murdered in a prison riot.

Duterte reacted angrily to that criticism, saying the remarks had been misinterpreted.

- Womanising leaders -

Duterte also boasted on the campaign trail about having two mistresses but said the women would not cost taxpayers much because he kept them at cheap boarding houses and took them to by-the-hour hotels for sex.

However Duterte has won praise for a range of policies promoting women's rights, including reproductive health.

His spokesman Ernesto Abella also criticised the show on Tuesday while making an apparent reference to womanising American leaders.

"I think they are projecting something they would really like to say about their own situation. I think they should use a fictional US president," Abella told reporters.

"It's their business. It's their craft. You cannot deny them their craft, their taste perhaps."

On social media, some Filipinos pointed out that thousands of people had been killed under Duterte's controversial drugs war and questioned why Philippine authorities should be outraged at a fictional television show.

"So it's not OK for a TV show to punch the fictional President of the Philippines but it's OK for 7,000+ people to be shot without trial? The hypocrisy is particularly juicy," one Facebook user posted.

Philippine authorities have a history of protesting against negative portrayals in Hollywood of Filipinos.

In 2009 the government demanded an apology from actor Alec Baldwin for joking about wanting to get a Filipina mail-order bride.

The producers of the top-rated "Desperate Housewives" show also apologised in 2007 after a lead character put down Filipino doctors.
Malaysian authorities briefly blocked the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur with police tape

Malaysia will wait to question suspects in the Kim Jong-Nam killing believed to be holed up in Kuala Lumpur's North Korean embassy "even if it takes five years", the country's police chief said Tuesday.

A police cordon was set up outside the embassy after Pyongyang announced it would ban Malaysians from leaving North Korea, prompting an immediate tit-for-tat move from Kuala Lumpur.

The travel bans are just the latest twist in a heated diplomatic row over the Cold War-style assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader in Malaysia last month, which has seen Kuala Lumpur expel Pyongyang's envoy and vice-versa.

"We will wait, if it takes five years, we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said at a press conference in Penang, adding that he believed three people wanted in connection with the murder were in the building.

"This morning the deputy prime minister issued instructions not to allow any North Korean embassy staff to leave the country," Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told journalists outside the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Two cars were allowed to leave the North Korean embassy

"At the moment we're trying to ascertain their numbers and their movements."

Prime Minister Najib Razak later said all North Korean citizens in Malaysia, not just embassy staff, would be barred from leaving the country.

Police set up a barricade with cars blocking both ends of the street leading to the North Korean embassy shortly after noon, an AFP journalist said.

Around a dozen armed officers wearing bulletproof vests were stationed at each end of the road.

They rolled out yellow ticker-tape reading "do not cross" and initially denied a request from an embassy official to remove the barricade so a car could leave the compound.

Shortly afterwards the tape was removed and two cars were allowed to leave. The police presence was scaled down but officers remained patrolling the road and were seen recording movements out of the embassy in a ledger.

Around 100 journalists and photographers were also gathered outside.

The embassy, a two-storey neo-colonial house with a North Korean flag fluttering, is situated in Kuala Lumpur's well-heeled Bukit Damansara district, known for its hipster cafes and restaurants.

The nascent stand-off has already been compared to the Julian Assange case, which has seen the founder of the secret-spilling Wikileaks website holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012.

Two women -- from Indonesia and Vietnam -- have been charged with the killing, but Malaysian police have also named several North Korean suspects, including the embassy's second secretary and an employee of North Korea's national airline.
A number of Shiite holy sites in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by Sunni extremists

More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Iran's veterans' affairs office said on Tuesday.

"Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the holy mausoleums," Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Shahidi, who is head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran.

The figure was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to Syria.

Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and also organises militias fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Shahidi did not provide details on the nationalities of those killed.

Iran oversees "volunteer" fighters recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The families of those killed in battle are given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.

Tehran refers to the fighters as "defenders of the shrines" -- a reference to Shiite holy sites in Iraq and Syria that have been targeted by Sunni extremists.
Otto Warmbier, a US college student, was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour for stealing propaganda materials in 2016

Pyongyang's travel ban on Malaysians leaving North Korea sharply escalated the already-high tensions with Kuala Lumpur -- but is only the latest episode of the isolated country's diplomatic brinkmanship.

The authoritarian, nuclear-armed state has a long history of using foreigners -- especially American tourists or missionaries -- as bargaining chips in its nuclear and aid negotiations with the US.

The reclusive nation has also occasionally shut its borders in the face of external health threats, or in protest at times of military tension with the South, despite the potential consequences.

Here are some of its most notable measures:

- American hostages -

A number of Americans have been arrested and jailed for crimes including hostile acts and illegal religious activity, sometimes for years.

Many were released after visits by high-profile US figures including ex-presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, but with relations between Pyongyang and Washington in the deep freeze two remain in the North.

Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student, was last year sentenced to 15 years' hard labour for stealing propaganda materials. Kim Dong-Chul, a Korean-American pastor, has been jailed on spying charges.

- Ebola scare -

The North receives a tiny number of overseas visitors, but closed its borders to foreign tourists for more than four months from October 2014 in a bid to keep out the Ebola virus -- when no cases had been reported in Asia.

It went so far as to enforce a 21-day quarantine period on anyone entering the country, including foreign diplomats and businessmen.

Tourism is a crucial source of hard currency for the impoverished nation, but the country, notorious for weak medical infrastructure and chronic lack of medicines, appeared willing to take a financial hit.

When South Korea suffered from the world's largest outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, in summer 2015, the North reportedly prohibited its diplomats and workers overseas from returning to their homeland for months to prevent the spread of the virus.

Pyongyang also suspended foreign tours for three months due to fears over SARS in 2003.

- South Koreans in joint project -

The Kaesong industrial complex -- where more than 100 South Korean firms employed over 50,000 North Korean staff in a reconciliation project -- suffered several political setbacks after it was set up in 2004, eventually closing in 2016.

Pyongyang abruptly withdrew all its workers in April 2013 in protest at joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, and ordered all South Korean managers to leave immediately.

Most South Koreans managed to depart, but seven were ordered to stay until remaining wages for North Korean workers were paid, stoking fears that they would be held as hostages.

The group were eventually allowed to return home nearly a month later, after Seoul sent a convoy carrying more than $10 million in cash across the border.

The complex resumed operations in September 2013, but last year Seoul declared the project would shut down to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests.

The North responded a day later by expelling all southern managers and freezing all South Korean assets in the zone.
Protesters rally against the travel ban at San Diego International Airport in California on March 6, 2017, after US President Donald Trump signed a revised ban on refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority nations

Sudan expressed "deep regret and discontent" on Tuesday over US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban barring its citizens from travelling to the United States.

"The ministry of foreign affairs expresses its deep regret and discontent over the executive order issued by the American president," a statement said.

On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations, among them Sudan.

It came after a first ban was frozen by US federal courts.

The new executive order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and halts new visas for travellers from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. Iraqis who had been targeted by the original ban were not included.

Sudan said it renews its "condemnation" of the order as it comes despite Khartoum engaging in talks with Washington on fighting regional and international terrorism.

"These negotiations confirmed that Sudan plays a big role as a partner in fighting terrorism that endangers people of both countries and of the world," the foreign ministry said.

Urging Washington to drop Khartoum from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said the US adminstration should review the "harsh decision" taken against Sudanese citizens.

"Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," the statement said.

Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist.

Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

Washington believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but has kept sanctions in place because of the scorched-earth tactics it has used against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots -- Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as the Darfur region -- had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted.

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the Darfur conflict erupted in 2003.

Veteran President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to the conflict in Darfur. He strongly denies the charges

Khartoum said it was keen to improve relations with Washington.

"Sudan renews its commitment to continue a bilateral dialogue in order to reach full and normal relations between the two countries in the interests of their peoples," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Beijing criticises the US deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea, March 7, 2017

China said Tuesday it would "resolutely" defend its security interests as the US began deploying the THAAD missile-defence system in South Korea that Beijing fears will undermine its own military capabilities.

"We are firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD in the Republic of Korea by the US and the ROK," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"China will resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interests. All consequences entailed from this will be borne by the US and the ROK."

The US Pacific Command said Monday its military had begun deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea, which is aimed at defending the US ally from a North Korean attack.

The latest tests by nuclear-armed North Korea came Monday when it launched four missiles that it said were part of training for a strike on US bases in Japan.

Three of the missiles came down in waters provocatively close to Japan.

Beijing has railed against the deployment of THAAD, while the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group has come under pressure in China for providing land to host the system.

Geng, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, did not specify what measures China would take.

"We strongly urge relevant parties to stop the deployment and not to travel down that wrong path," he said.

Chinese protesters have held demonstrations denouncing Lotte, which also faces multiple threats of consumer or business boycotts.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday that Chinese authorities had shut down 39 of Lotte's retail outlets in the country, citing fire-safety concerns.

The THAAD system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.
Nearly 75 percent of sex crime victims in Japan do not seek criminal punishment for their perpetrators, according to a new study

The Japanese government on Tuesday took a major step to overhaul century-old sex crime laws as it seeks to impose tougher penalties and make prosecutions easier.

The Cabinet approved a bill to revise the 110-year-old law and wants parliament to pass it as quickly as possible, officials said.

Victims and their supporters have long claimed that the current law, which took effect in 1907, is out of date and that penalties are too lenient.

"As people's interest in the revision of penalties on sex crimes is high, we want to do our best to pass it swiftly," Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda told reporters.

Under the revised law, the minimum prison term for those convicted of rape will be raised to five years from the present three.

A victim will no longer have to file a complaint before prosecution for sexual crimes can occur. The current requirement is seen as a major reason for the underreporting of rape cases.

Rape victims for the first time will include men.

The number of rape cases in Japan recognised by police declined to some 1,200 in 2015 from more than 2,000 a decade ago, according to police.

But data from a Justice ministry study group found that nearly 75 percent of sex crime victims do not seek criminal punishment for perpetrators.

Support groups said victims tend to hesitate to take legal action as they are traumatised and feel embarrassed to speak out.

Shinichi Kumada, an official with the Victim Support Center of Fukushima in northeastern Japan, said many victims feel that current punishment is insufficient.

"The revision does not mean all sex crimes will be eradicated, but I hope it will deter potential cases," Kumada added.
Lotte has invested more than $8 billion in its Chinese operations and has a total of 120 outlets across the country, such as this store in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

South Korean retail giant Lotte has been forced to shut down dozens of stores in China, it said Tuesday as diplomatic rows over a controversial US missile system sparked boycott calls against Seoul.

Lotte has faced growing opposition in China since signing a deal to provide land to host the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system loathed by Beijing.

The first parts of the system -- intended to guard against threats from nuclear-armed North Korea -- arrived on Monday and China fears it would undermine its own military capabilities.

Chinese officials have shut down 39 out of retail chain Lotte Mart's 99 stores in the country over fire safety concerns, a Lotte spokesman said.

Each Lotte Mart employs about 130 Chinese workers, the spokesman said, adding the suspensions, if prolonged, would put nearly 5,000 jobs at risk.

"We are afraid that the recent development may cause a loss of thousands of jobs for Chinese people," he told AFP.

"We will ask the South Korean government for diplomatic support to help resolve the incidents believed to be retaliations," he said, without elaborating further.

Beijing fears the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system will undermine its own ballistic capabilities

Lotte -- the South's number five business group -- has invested more than $8 billion in its Chinese operations and has a total of 120 outlets in the country.

Chinese protesters have held demonstrations denouncing Lotte, which was previously forced to halt construction of $2.6 billion theme-park project in the northeastern city of Shenyang by state safety inspectors.

Beijing has not directly threatened Lotte Group, but it vowed Tuesday to "resolutely" defend its security interests.
Image grab taken from a video released by the Media Office of the Nineveh branch of the Islamic State (IS) Group on February 26, 2015 allegedly showing an IS militant pushing a statue inside the Mosul museum

Iraqi security forces recaptured the Mosul museum, where Islamic State group militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artefacts, police said on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces "recaptured the archaeological museum," Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying when this occurred.

The museum was on a police list of sites recaptured from IS during an ongoing offensive to reclaim Mosul, along with the central bank building, which was looted by the jihadists.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the Rapid Response Division, the special forces unit that usually spearheads operations with the federal police, also confirmed the museum's recapture, saying it was retaken on Monday.

IS "stole the artefacts and completely destroyed the museum," Mohammedawi said.

The jihadist group released a video in February 2015 of militants destroying ancient artefacts at the museum, after overrunning the city of Mosul the previous June.

The five-minute video shows militants at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces.

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city.

IS also smashed stone carvings and detonated explosives at the site of Nimrud near Mosul, and vandalised sculptures at Hatra, another ancient city located in north Iraq.

The destruction at the museum and the archaeological sites has drawn widespread condemnation internationally and inside Iraq.

While IS has cast its destruction of Iraqi heritage as a religiously mandated removal of idols, the jihadists have had no qualms about selling smaller artefacts to fund their operations.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since recaptured most of the territory they lost.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul on October 17, first recapturing its eastern side and then setting their sights on the west in a push launched last month.
Australian businessman Giuseppe Serafino (right) attends his trial in Denpasar, on Bali island, on March 7, 2017

Indonesian prosecutors Tuesday demanded a one-year jail term for an Australian businessman on trial for allegedly using hashish on the resort island of Bali.

Giuseppe Serafino, 48, was arrested with British former Reuters journalist David Fox, who said he was using hashish to relieve stress caused by covering conflicts.

The pair are charged with using, possessing and transporting hashish after allegedly being caught in possession of small amounts of the drug in October.

Serafino, who ran a bar in the Bali resort area of Sanur, told the court he had been using hashish for nine years to help alleviate the symptoms of mouth cancer.

The Australian could have faced several years in jail for breaking Indonesia's tough anti-drugs laws.

But prosecutor I Gede Wiraguna Wiradarma recommended a lower sentence because Serafino was a first-time offender who had admitted his wrongdoing.

He called on the judges to "declare the defendant to be convincingly guilty of using drugs and sentence him to one year in prison, reduced by the period he has served in the detention".

The court is expected to hand down a verdict and sentence next week.

A one year jail term would likely see Serafino freed from jail in a matter of months as the sentence would include time already served in detention.

Prosecutors last week also recommended a one year sentence for Fox, who is being tried separately.

Judges do not have to follow prosecutors' sentence recommendations but they often do.

Authorities raided Serafino's house and found about seven grams (a quarter of an ounce) of hashish, after which Serafino said Fox had helped him buy the drugs.

Indonesia imposes the death penalty for drug-trafficking but Fox and Serafino will escape capital punishment as they face less serious charges.
Intensified protests over Israel's nearly 50-year occupation of the West Bank have led the country's parliament to bar entry to supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement

A new Israeli law banning entry to foreigners who support boycotting the country came under fire Tuesday from human rights groups and the opposition, who called it "thought control" harmful to Israel's international standing.

The approval of the law late Monday was defended by government ministers and supporters as a necessary response to the movement that calls for Israel to be boycotted over its 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Israel sees the boycott movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism -- a claim activists deny, saying they only want to see the occupation end.

The law follows other recent measures seen as targeting left-wing NGOs, and human rights groups said it could affect their work.

Israel has been faced with boycott calls for decades, but the movement known as BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) has raised its profile in recent years with help from famous backers such as Roger Waters.

In response, Israeli politicians have become more combative under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current coalition government, seen as the most right-wing in the country's history.

Last year, Israel budgeted 118 million shekels ($32 million, 30 million euros) to fight the movement.

The bill, which passed by a vote of 46 to 28, means visas and residence permits will not be given to those who have "knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel or pledged to take part in such a boycott," a parliament statement said.

It applies to those who are not Israeli citizens or permanent residents, and includes those who are members of organisations calling for a boycott, it said.

"We think that border control should not be used as thought control," Hagai El-Ad, executive director of prominent Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, told journalists.

He moted that Israel also controls who enters the Palestinian territories, apart from through one border crossing into Gaza from Egypt, and said the law could "absolutely" affect his group's work.

- Invoking Trump -

The law defines boycott as "deliberately avoiding economic, cultural or academic ties with another person or body solely because of their affinity with the state of Israel, one of its institutions or an area under its control, in such a way that may cause economic, cultural or academic damage."

The reference to "an area under its control" means the law also applies to activists' calls to shun dealings with Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended the law on Tuesday, saying "every country has the right to determine who enters its borders."

He called it "another step in our struggle against those who seek to delegitimize Israel while hiding behind the language of human rights, and they do it from time to time."

But Jewish Voice for Peace, a US human rights group supporting BDS, went as far as to compare the law to US President Donald Trump's revised ban on refugees and travellers from six Muslim-majority nations.

"Israel just passed its own discriminatory travel ban barring supporters of nonviolent tactics to end Israelus violations of Palestinian rights," its executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson said in a statement.

"My grandparents are buried in Israel, my husband and kids are citizens, and I lived there for three years, but this bill would bar me from visiting because of my work in support of Palestinian rights."

Anti-settlement NGO Peace Now called the law "neither Jewish nor democratic."

It said it "will not prevent the boycott but just erode Israel's standing in the world and lead us toward international isolation."

Those who supported the bill however said it was simply a matter of self-defence, saying Israel should not open its doors to those they allege want to harm the country.

"If someone demeans me, I do not let them into my home," said David Amsalem, a lawmaker from Netanyahu's Likud party, according to the Jerusalem Post.

MP Manuel Trajtenberg, of the main opposition Zionist Union alliance, said he believed constructive engagement with the boycott lobby was a better option.

"For 10 years I've repeatedly confronted BDS and I have brought some of them here to show them that they are mistaken," he said during Monday night's debate.
South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Leader Julius Malema has been ordered to stop calling on supporters to seize land

A South African court Tuesday issued an order banning radical political leader Julius Malema from calling on supporters to seize land, as he faces two charges for ordering illegal occupations.

The High Court in the capital Pretoria ruled that Malema, head of the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, could face arrest if found guilty of contravening the order.

The ruling followed an application by an Afrikaner lobby group, AfriForum, which voiced concern over Malema's calls for seizure of white-owned land by blacks.

Malema was not in court to hear the order.

The firebrand leader of the leftist EFF is facing two charges related to encouraging party supporters to illegally occupy agricultural land.

In November 2016, during one of his cases, he repeated his call for land grabs and accused the government of failing to redistributed land, 22 years after the fall of apartheid.

"You like it, occupy it, it belongs to you... It is the land that was taken from us by white people by force through genocide," he told supporters gathered outside the court.

He said that he was not fazed by the threat of imprisonment.

Malema, who was expelled from the ANC in 2012, is due back in court on May 5.

He also faces another charge for a similiar statement he made in 2014.

The EFF, which won six percent of the national vote in 2014, advocates land redistribution without compensation.

Last week the governing African National Congress (ANC) voted against a proposed amendment of a land ownership law to allow expropriation of land.

Malema's EFF was in favour of the amendment.

The government has in the past admitted that progress in land redistribution, which allows the state to buy back property from willing sellers, has been slow.
The lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water has declined to its lowest level in a hundred years, an Israeli official said Tuesday.

The Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake, has suffered from four consecutive years of rain shortages, Amir Givati of Israel's Water Authority told military radio.

'The situation is serious,' he said.

The Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake, has suffered from four consecutive years of rain shortages, Amir Givati of Israel's Water Authority told military radio. The northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, pictured in September 2016

'The lake has fallen to its lowest level for a century.'

The level is 20 centimetres below what experts consider acceptable, the so-called 'red line,' he added.

The 'regional drought affects the whole of the Middle East,' Givati added.

The shortage of rainfall is affecting agriculture, the environment and animal life in the nearby area, he added.

The rest of Israel is spared from shortages thanks to five seawater desalination plants built along the Mediterranean coast.

They pump water through a pipeline system to homes throughout the country except for an area in northern Israel that is supposed to be supplied by the Sea of Galilee.

'A project to supply this entire part of northern Israel is under consideration. It is a challenge for the years to come,' Givati added.

THE SEA OF GALILEE The Sea of Galilee is a site of great religious importance in the Christian and Jewish faiths. It is not a sea at all, but a large freshwater lake in Israel where its said that Jesus walked on water. In the Old Testament, it was known as the Sea of Chinnereth, and was later dubbed the Lake of Gennesaret, among a number of other names. The lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water has declined to its lowest level in a hundred years, an Israeli official said Tuesday Its also appeared in other biblical scenes, including the Sermon on the Mount. The sea is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth, and sits in the depression of Jordan River at between 215 and 209 meters below sea level. But, for decades, the water level has been dropping. Now, officials say it's reached the lowest point in the last century. Advertisement

Three-quarters of the drinking water consumed by Israeli households comes from these desalination plants.

The Sea of Galilee covers roughly 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and is located 200 metres (656 feet) below sea level.

It is also an important Christian and Jewish pilgrimage site.

Christians believe the lake to be the site of a number of Jesus's miracles, including walking on water.
Indian activists protest in Kolkata against the Indian government's decision to link free lunch meals for children at state-run schools with the national Aadhaar biometric cards

An Indian government initiative to tackle malnutrition by providing millions of school children with free lunch could be jeopardised if students are forced to obtain an identity card to get their meal, activists said Tuesday.

India has been providing lunch to roughly 120 million children enrolled in government schools for nearly two decades, in what is one of the world's largest state-run food programs.

But from June 30 students will need a biometric ID card to receive their rice and pulses -- despite estimates that 200 million Indian children are not yet registered on the database.

The government says it wants to streamline its lunchtime delivery system but the move has puzzled those who thought the scheme was succeeding in keeping children in school and well fed.

"Instead of improving the delivery system it will actually create a barrier for children to access meals," Dipa Sinha, who campaigns for a food rights charity, told AFP.

"The beneficiaries are bona fide students and every single meal is accounted for. There is no pilferage and all we need is to improve the quality, not exclusion."

India spends nearly $2 billion a year on the scheme, which has a particular focus in rural areas where malnutrition rates are highest.

A global index last year ranked India the 22nd 'most hungry' nation in the world, with the World Bank estimating it has the highest levels of childhood malnutrition, outstripping Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a bid to weed out welfare cheats, the government has made it mandatory to produce unique biometric identity cards to receive cash benefits from dozens of state schemes.

The Supreme Court declared in 2014 that possessing such a card was voluntary, but the case is ongoing.

More than one billion Indians are already registered on a national database that records fingerprints and iris signatures to generate a 12-digit ID number for each citizen.

The mass collection of personal information -- the largest database of its kind anywhere in the world -- has proved controversial, with critics saying it forces citizens into signing up.

"They have taken it to a level where either you obey and enrol or you don't exist," said Usha Ramnathan from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Almost two-thirds of Sierra Leone's population live below the poverty line, the UN says

Since he accused Sierra Leone's parliament of diverting public funds from some of the world's poorest people, including Ebola crisis victims, Abdul Fatoma's life has taken a dark turn.

Fatoma has become the largest thorn in the side of Sierra Leone's politicians for demanding greater transparency about public finances in a country riddled with corruption, just over a year before elections.

The sharp-suited rights defender, who is in his 30s, risks being charged with serious offences, lawmakers have warned, although the government's own auditors have found grave inconsistencies in spending by members of parliament.

"I have been harassed, threatened, spat upon, abused, lampooned and vilified for my organisation's legitimate right to ask questions of those who have been entrusted with the future of Sierra Leone," Fatoma told AFP.

The campaigner appeared on a January 31 radio show in which he challenged the government and the anti-corruption commission to do more to make authorities accountable, in a system that he says answers only to itself.

Since then Fatoma has been arrested, bailed without charge, and summoned twice to parliament to answer questions -- yet denied an audience when he showed up.

Fatoma, a Sierra Leonean national, divides his time between his country and Britain, where his family reside.

His Britain-based non-profit organisation, the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), was behind a report released last year that found 120 billion leones ($16.1 million, 15.1 million euros) was spent by parliament in the last five years, with no clue as to where exactly it went.

"There is no supporting evidence to show how these monies were spent," he told AFP, adding that the opaque nature of the legislature's activities carried a high risk of fraud.

- Ebola funds unaccounted for -

Polling firm Afrobarometer found last year that four fifths of Sierra Leoneans consider their economic and living conditions "very bad". A similar percentage thought government efforts to narrow the wealth gap were not working.

With presidential and legislative elections expected in March 2018, politicians are nervously watching their backs for allegations of misbehaviour.

Fatoma's passport has been seized, leaving him unable to return to Britain, a move his lawyer thinks is a deliberate strategy to wear him down.

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai said that while parliament had told the campaigner his problems would stop if he simply apologised, he advised his client to refuse.

"It also violates the rights of citizens to hold their elected officials accountable," Abdulai told AFP.

Cyril Juxon-Smith, parliament's chief press officer, told local media that Fatoma was "recklessly casting aspersions" and had grossly overestimated funds given to MPs.

Furthermore, he said, the government's own audit would give lawmakers a clean bill of health, though previous internal assessments have been far from squeaky clean.

In 2015, government auditors found that just 29 percent of recommendations were followed by eight ministries and departments being monitored.

In addition, 30 percent of Ebola funds under parliament's control could not be accounted for, they said, amounting to $5.7 million.

More than 3,500 people died in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak that hit in 2014, overwhelming a creaking health system and shattering an already fragile economy.

Opposition MP Frank Kposowa has claimed that demands for financial help from lawmakers meant that their allowance could barely cover costs, in spite of discounts on travel, fuel and food.

"The culture in Sierra Leone is that people approach you for help with their marriage and funeral ceremonies, school fees and hospital bills," he told journalists.

- 'Absolute poverty' -

Kposowa warned that Fatoma's actions could leave him open to the charge of seditious libel, under an arcane law long used against investigative journalists and supposedly under reform.

The British government has described the law's use as "denting Sierra Leone's international reputation as a modern, democratic country."

A child born today in Sierra Leone can expect to live an average of 48 years, 70 percent of youth are unemployed or underemployed and almost two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations development agency.

"I believe that the absolute poverty under which the majority of Sierra Leoneans live at the moment is the greatest violation of their rights as human beings," Fatoma said.

In a country riddled with corruption, most Sierra Leoneans consider their living conditions "very bad"

The daily grind imposed by hardship "compromises their capacity to be effective citizens and makes them vulnerable to bad governance and corruption," he added, playing down threats to his mission.

"This is a lifelong commitment to make Sierra Leone a better place and nothing will stop us."
The director of "Beauty and the Beast" has revealed that it contains Disney's "first exclusively gay moment", although some critics have said this was less than overwhelming

Russia on Tuesday said the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast" will be released with an adults only rating after an ultra-conservative lawmaker sought its ban over a "gay moment."

A spokesman for the culture ministry said the "film is coming out with a 16+ age certificate," RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The film's director Bill Condon has revealed that it contains Disney's "first exclusively gay moment", although some critics have said this was less than overwhelming.

Disney had previously announced the film as a 6+ in its promotional campaign for Russia, where it is due to come out March 16.

Walt Disney Company Russia & CIS confirmed the 16+ age rating in a statement sent to AFP. A spokeswoman said the company would not make any comment.

National lawmaker Vitaly Milonov on Saturday asked Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky to check the film for breaches of a controversial law that bans "gay propaganda" to minors.

Milonov was one of the chief architects of the law that President Vladimir Putin signed in 2013 despite a storm of international condemnation.

Milonov said Tuesday he was pleased with the age restriction. He said it aims to impose "new European standards of tolerance so (children) think this is all the norm."

In his letter to the culture minister, Milonov called the Disney film "blatant, shameless propaganda of sin and perverted sexual relationships."

He called for it to be banned from cinemas if it was found to contain "elements of propaganda of homosexuality."

The law bans disseminating information that could interest minors in "non-traditional sexual relationships." It has been used as a pretext to ban gay pride events.

With outspoken views, Milonov has attacked everything from Facebook to the Eurovision Song Contest and called for the creation of a morality police to fine people who violate "traditional values".

Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 and only in 1999 lifted its classification as a mental illnesses.
Syrian refugee Anas Modamani (left) and his lawyer Chan-jo Jun, had demanded that Facebook actively search out and take down all slanderous posts using the famous selfie he took with Chancellor Angela Merkel

Facebook clinched victory Tuesday in a German court case brought by a Syrian refugee whose selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel had made him the target of racist trolls.

The court ruled that the US social media giant was not obliged to actively search out and delete defamatory posts, like those that had falsely linked the claimant to Islamist attacks and violent crimes.

Anas Modamani, 19, had sought an injunction demanding that the company, represented by Facebook Ireland Limited, stop the spread of such slanderous fake news, which have been shared countless times.

Modamani and his lawyer Chan-jo Jun had demanded that Facebook actively search out and take down all libellous posts using the famous selfie images -- not just those they had flagged to the company.

They argued Facebook could use its algorithms to automatically identify them, just as it does to take down copyrighted music or images with nudity.

The court however judged that Facebook had not "claimed ownership" of the posts in question -- suggesting primary responsibility lies with those who wrote and posted them.

In cases of "serious personal injury", it was justified to demand an "increased search effort" by Facebook, the court in the southern city of Wurzburg found.

However, it also said it was unclear whether Facebook could reasonably conduct such pro-active searches "without major technical hurdles".

The court said this question may have to be settled by another court hearing that could ask IT experts to testify.

- 'Difficult situation' -

Chan-jo Jun, lawyer of Syrian refugee Anas Modamani, talks to the media in the district court in Wuerzburg, on March 7, 2017

Jun, the IT lawyer, declared himself "disappointed" and said he would not pursue the case further as he had himself become the target of personal threats on social media.

He also said that if German law could not prevent such online vitriol against his client, then "we need new laws".

Jun has demanded stiff fines in cases where Facebook spreads content illegal under German law, such as incitement of racial hatred, arguing that "it must become more costly to break the law".

Facebook voiced sympathy for Modamani's "difficult situation" but greeted the court's position that legal action was "not the most effective way to resolve the situation".

It said that, just as it had blocked previously reported hate posts targeting the Syrian man, "we will continue to respond to all legitimate reports by Mr Modamani's legal representatives".

A Facebook spokesman added that, "in terms of the content people share on our platform, we are continuing to comply with our obligations under German law".

- 'Xenophobic fury' -

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits a shelter for asylum-seekers in Heidenau, eastern Germany on August 26, 2015

Modamani arrived in Germany in 2015, along with a mass influx of almost 900,000 refugees and migrants.

When Merkel visited his Berlin refugee shelter in September that year, he took two selfie images with her in jubilant scenes also captured by news photographers.

Since then, those emblematic images have been reposted in different, often false, contexts, at a time when xenophobic fury flared online against Merkel's liberal stance on refugees.

Often anonymous users have cut and pasted Modamani's picture into "wanted" posters and fake reports, typically alleging that the refugee made famous by the Merkel selfie had later turned out to be a terrorist.

Other posts have falsely linked Modamani -- who is now taking German language courses and working in a fast food restaurant -- to delinquents who tried to set fire to a homeless man in Berlin last Christmas.

A surge of far-right and other hate speech on Facebook and other social media in Germany has raised political heat on the companies in recent years.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas has warned they could be punished if they do not comply with German law.

Facebook and other web giants pledged in 2015 to examine and remove within 24 hours any hateful comments spreading online, in particular over the mass influx of migrants.

This January -- in the wake of the US presidential election when Facebook was accused of helping the spread of fake news -- the company pledged measures to take down "unambiguously wrong reports" being shared on its platform.

It also said it would offer a simpler reporting process for fake news, display warnings next to statements identified as false by independent fact-checking organisations, and cut off advertising revenue to fake news sites.
Dozens of Egyptians take part in demonstration in front of a government office in downtown Alexandria on March 7, 2017, against the decision of the supply ministry to limit the distribution of subsidised bread to holders of new digital cards

Dozens of Egyptians protested across the country on Tuesday because they were unable to get their share of subsidised bread, police said.

The protests followed a supply ministry decision to limit the number of subsidised loaves bakeries can sell people who do not yet have digital cards introduced under a new distribution system, Supply Minister Ali al-Meselhy said.

The new system, which the government launched in 2014, replaces paper documents, and is designed to allow stricter state control and oversight to ensure no subsidised flour is stolen by bakeries.

Protests were reported on Tuesday in the provinces of Alexandria, Kafr el-Sheikh, Minya and Assiut, with a small demonstration also taking place in Cairo, officials said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.

In Alexandria, angry protesters gathered outside the ministry's offices.

Meselhy said at a press conference later in the day that the ministry had limited to 500 the number of loaves that could be distributed by each accredited bakery to non-digital card holders.

He said data on people still using paper documents for their subsidised bread will be collected so they can be issued with digital cards within a week.

Until then, the minister promised citizens who did not get bread on Tuesday that the problem will be resolved within 48 hours.
Two new museums dedicated to the life of fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent will open in Morocco and Paris in October 2017

Two museums dedicated to the life and work of fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent will open in Paris and Morocco later this year, his foundation said Tuesday.

The larger museum in Marrakesh -- where the late designer often retreated to work in the home he shared with his partner Pierre Berge -- hopes to attract up to 700,000 visitors a year.

"Both museums are aimed at the general public as well as fashion lovers. Yves Saint Laurent was a major artist of the 20th century," the couple's foundation said in a statement.

It holds a collection of more than 5,000 outfits and 15,000 accessories the Algerian-born designer created during his 40-year career.

Berge opened Morocco's first museum of Moroccan Berber art in 2011 -- three years after the death of his partner -- to house the collection they built together.

The new purpose-built Marrakesh museum is near the historic riad mansion the couple shared.

Both museums will open in October, with the Paris site housed inside the foundation's headquarters.
The ex-head of The Gambia's notorious prison system has been charged over the disappearance of the former spy chief and senior military figures after a coup attempt in 2006.

David Colley ran the prisons nearly nonstop from 1997 onward under Yahya Jammeh, the longtime leader of the west African state, who was forced out of power in January after a contested election.

"(Colley) is charged with abuse of office, but is yet to appear in court," Gambia Police Force press officer Foday Conta told AFP on Tuesday.

Colley was charged and released on bail on Thursday after his arrest in late February, and has been cooperating with an inquiry into the disappearance in 2006 of Daba Marenah, former director of the country's National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and several military officials.

The men went missing after being implicated in an attempt to overthrow Jammeh, one of several during his 22 years in power.

Colley is also being investigated over the deaths of dozens of inmates who were fed rotten meat at the infamous Mile Two prison, a source at the prison told AFP on Tuesday.

Colley testified at a trial in 2009 that 63 inmates died primarily of food poisoning and stomach diseases in 2006 and 2007, according to the US State Department's 2010 Human Rights reports, and the new charges are thought to relate to these deaths.

The United Nations and rights groups repeatedly condemned The Gambia's security services under Jammeh, blaming them for arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings and torture.

They also criticised the sordid conditions and detainee treatment in Gambian prisons, especially at Mile Two, the country's biggest, just outside the capital, Banjul.
A Saharawi man holds up a Polisario Front flag in the Al-Mahbes area near Moroccan soldiers guarding the wall separating the Polisario-controlled Western Sahara from Morocco on February 3, 2017

An official from the Polisario Front fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara on Tuesday blamed Morocco for the resignation of a UN envoy to the disputed territory.

Christopher Ross quitting last week was a result of "Morocco blocking negotiations since 2012" on the future of the former Spanish colony, M'hamed Kheddad said.

Morocco insists that the Western Sahara is an integral part of its kingdom, but the Algeria-based Polisario is demanding a referendum on self-determination.

The two sides fought for control of the territory from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat gaining control of it before a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect.

Ross submitted his resignation after spending eight years trying to resolve the dispute.

An American who served as US ambassador to Algeria and Syria, he had been harshly criticised by Morocco who accused him of being pro-Polisario.

Morocco has not officially reacted to the news of Ross's resignation.

After then UN chief Ban Ki-moon last year used the term "occupation" to describe the status of Western Sahara, Morocco reacted with fury and expelled dozens of staff from the world body's MINURSO mission in the territory.

Kheddad on Tuesday also blamed the resignation on "the indifference of the Security Council over the expulsion of (MINURSO) staff".

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, declared by the Polisario in 1976, is a full member of the African Union.

Morocco left what was then the Organisation of African Unity in 1984 after the SADR was admitted, but was readmitted at an AU summit at the end of January.
US actress Uma Thurman is famous for her roles in Quentin Tarantino's cult classic movies "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill"

Uma Thurman is to star in Lars von Trier's new serial killer movie "The House That Jack Built", producers announced Tuesday as shooting got underway in Sweden.

The US actress -- no stranger to gore thanks to her roles in "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill", will appear alongside Matt Dillon and Bruno Ganz for the controversial Danish director's first feature since 2013's "Nymphomaniac", which also starred Thurman.

"Uma and Lars first worked together on Nymphomaniac and complimented each other in an exceptional way; I can't wait to see which character they'll create together this time," producer Louise Vesth said in a statement.

Elvis Presley's grand-daughter Riley Keough of "Mad Max" fame has also joined the cast.

Due out in 2018, the first stage of filming is taking place in Bengtsfors, close to the western city of Trollhattan which serves as the hub for the Swedish and Danish cinema industries. Shooting will move to Copenhagen in May.

"The House That Jack Built" is set in the 1970s and stars Dillon as Jack, an extremely intelligent serial killer who considers murder to be an art form.

"Despite the fact that the final and inevitable police intervention is drawing ever near... he is -- contrary to all logic -- set on taking greater and greater chances," producers said.

Known for his black humour and shocking scenes of sex and violence, von Trier has avoided the media since 2011 when he was kicked out of the Cannes festival for telling a news conference he sympathised "a little bit" with Adolf Hitler. He later apologised for the comment.
Boeing's mid-range 737 MAX 10X plane would rival the Airbus A321neo

Boeing is in talks with potential clients about developing a new plane to fit into a niche category now dominated by rival Airbus, a Boeing executive said Tuesday.

The new plane, known as the 737 MAX 10X, would offer more range to Boeing's current fleet of single-aisle jets, rivalling the Airbus A321neo, which will carry up to 240 passengers.

Such planes are popular with budget airlines that comprise a key market for both aircraft manufacturers. They are built for cross-country routes, such as New York to Los Angeles.

"Boeing is actively engaged in discussions with customers about the 737 MAX 10X," Boeing's Randy Tinseth said in a company blog post. "In fact, weve already extended business offers to some of those customers."

The new Boeing plane is expected to enter service in 2020, said Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing's commercial division.

That would make it one year after the Airbus plane, which has racked up numerous orders since it was unveiled in late 2014.

Tinseth, who described the development plan at an industry event in California, called the build out a "relatively minor development" program.
The Gambia Press Union said President Adama Barrow should "put words to action by publicly condemning the unwarranted conduct that threatens and dents his government's outlook as a democracy" after an attack on a journalist by government ministers

Journalists in The Gambia on Tuesday urged the country's new leadership to uphold their pledge to respect media freedom after a violent public assault on a reporter by President Adama Barrow's supporters.

Kebba Jeffang, a journalist for Foroyaa newspaper, was hit, scratched and insulted at a press conference on Sunday held by ministers from three parties who joined together to form Barrow's new coalition government.

Barrow has made press freedom a pillar of his reforms since taking power this year from Yahya Jammeh, whose authoritarian 22-year rule was marked by arrests and intimidation of reporters.

"We condemn the attack on Kebba Jeffang and call on the leaders of the three political parties to take appropriate action," said Gambia Press Union (GPU) Secretary General Saikou Jammeh.

"Now is the time for (Barrow) to put words to action by publicly condemning the unwarranted conduct," said a GPU statement released later on Tuesday.

Witnesses said Jeffang was attacked for asking pointed questions to the ministers about whether their parties would continue to maintain their coalition in The Gambia's legislative elections, a thorny topic just a month before the vote.

"The journalist's only 'offence' (was) to ask questions to Ousainou Darboe and Mai Ahmad Fatty, the respective leaders of United Democratic Party (UDP) and Gambia Moral Congress (GMC)," said Amadou Bojang, who saw the attack take place.

The press union called on Fatty, who is also the interior minister, to help the police in identifying the perpetrators.

Members of UDP, GMC as well as the National Reconciliation Party -- all member parties of the coalition that brought Barrow to power -- are alleged to have taken part in the assault.

Barrow had been a member of the UDP until he resigned to stand as the coalition candidate in a December election that unseated President Jammeh from power.

He won largely because the broad backing of every Gambian opposition party except one, but it is now unclear whether the parties who joined him will run again as a coalition on April 6.

In a sign of the president's desire to lower the simmering tensions within the coalition and also with supporters of Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reconstruction and Conciliation, representatives from all major political groups signed a pact late Tuesday.

Barrow said he hoped the agreement would "encourage dialogue and cooperation", and made clear it would "restrict them from using offensive language, violence, intimidation and undue use of power for political purposes."
Although similar to the first travel ban, Trump's revised immigration order has been changed in significant ways to pass muster with US federal courts

States' attorneys general, civil liberties groups and others are already lining up to challenge President Donald Trump's revised ban on refugees and travelers from six mainly Muslim countries.

But can they succeed in overturning a measure that was deliberately crafted to remove the red flags raised by US courts over the first attempt? That may be more difficult.

The White House has rolled out a process that aims to avoid a repeat of the confusion caused by its first travel ban, imposed with no notice and little preparation one week into Trump's presidency.

This time, it's unlikely there will be a backdrop of airport chaos and mass detentions to help lawyers make the case that people's rights are being trampled.

The new order issued Monday suspends US entry for all refugees for 120 days, and suspends the issuing of new visas for nationals of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan for 90 days.

Trump's revised plan on travellers

Although similar to the first travel ban, it has been changed in significant ways to pass muster with the courts.

For one, the new restrictions do not go into effect until March 16, giving travelers 10 days to prepare for the changes.

Crucially, the new order exempts permanent US residents and existing visa-holders and allows for waivers on a case-by-case basis. It also drops Iraq from the list.

The strategy appears designed to address the situations that ignited outrage and made the earlier travel ban politically radioactive.

Among the prominent cases was that of an Iranian baby who could not travel for specialized medical treatment in the United States. That could now be dealt with using a waiver.

Foreign students and Silicon Valley executives were also stranded abroad, and entire families detained at airports. As long as they have visas under the new rules, they should no longer face that risk.

- Muslim ban? -

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly arrive to deliver remarks on visa travel at the US Customs and Border Protection Press Room on March 6, 2017 in Washington, DC

Lawyers for the state of Hawaii on Tuesday told a US district court there of their plan to file a challenge to the revised ban on Wednesday, which would probably make it the first legal test.

The state has asked for an expedited process to consider a motion for a temporary restraining order on the ban. If the judge agrees, "this schedule will allow the court to hear the state's motion before the new travel ban goes into effect on March 16," Hawaii's attorney general Douglas Chin said in a statement.

The federal judge who blocked the first ban in the state of Washington last month was persuaded by the argument of two state attorneys general that it was causing "irreparable harm." It is less clear those arguments would prevail the next time around.

"We are carefully reviewing the new executive order to determine its impacts on Washington state and our next legal steps," Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Monday.

He said he was still concerned but needed two or three days to decide on next steps.

- 'Backdoor ban' -

A protesterholds a "We the People" sign during a rally against the travel ban at San Diego International Airport on March 6, 2017 in San Diego, California

Camille Mackler, director of legal initiatives at the New York Immigration Coalition, called Trump's new order a "backdoor Muslim ban."

"We still think it's as problematic as the first travel ban," she said. "It didn't happen in a vacuum, it happened within the context of the comments that have been made before and since the election, this sort of broader war on immigrants that the Trump administration is fighting."

The next wave of legal challenges will have to directly confront the question of whether the immigration order constitutes a Muslim ban, an issue the courts have so far set aside.

"While the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains," New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman said.

The administration has tried to make it harder to prove religious discrimination by stripping out language that would have given preference to religious minorities once refugees are allowed in again.

Critics had said the preference benefiting Christians underscored that the ban was directed at Muslims.

"I believe the new order will withstand legal challenges as it's drafted in a fashion as to not be a religious ban, but a ban on individuals coming from compromised governments and failed states," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

The Trump administration considers three of the nations targeted -- Iran, Sudan and Syria -- as state sponsors of terrorism, and the other three as "safe havens" for terror operatives.

Its critics question the list, which includes countries whose citizens have never been involved in terror attacks in the United States.

And they point to Trump's own past campaign statements promising to bar entry to Muslims as evidence of animus that will be difficult to shake.

"The clear intent is to convince the courts that the ban is the result of careful deliberation rather than religious animus," said Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty and National Security Program.

"But the tactical tweaks in this latest edition cannot rescue the order's constitutionality," she added.

"Underneath the softened rhetoric and other adjustments lies the same poisonous policy: an effort to restrict Muslims' entry into the United States."
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, pictured in January 2017, welcomed Iraq's exemption from the Trump administration's new executive order on travel

US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Washington this month, the White House said Tuesday, a fence-mending meeting as the two countries fight the Islamic State group in Mosul.

Press secretary Sean Spicer said Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany will visit next week and "the following week, the president will welcome the prime minister of Iraq."

Tensions between Washington and Baghdad have built since Trump introduced a ban on Iraqis visiting the United States.

That measure was later frozen by the courts and after fierce lobbying from inside and outside the administration, Iraqis were excluded from his new travel ban unveiled Monday.

The Iraqi government hailed the country's exemption as an "important step" that strengthens relations between Baghdad and Washington.

"The Iraqi foreign ministry expresses its deep satisfaction with the executive order issued by President Donald Trump which includes an exemption for Iraqis from the ban on travel to the United States of America," spokesman Ahmed Jamal said.
The status of Jerusalem, the Old City area of which is seen in January 2017, is one of the thorniest issues in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Arab League foreign ministers adopted a resolution Tuesday against any attempt to move diplomatic missions to Jerusalem, following Donald Trump's presidential campaign pledge to move the American embassy in Israel.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, later annexing east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

The League "considers setting up any diplomatic mission in Jerusalem or moving it to the city an explicit attack on the rights of the Palestinian people and all Muslims and Christians", Tuesday's resolution read.

The resolution, which did not explicitly mention Trump or the United States which has its Israel embassy in Tel Aviv, was adopted unanimously adopted by the 22-member bloc.

Moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem would be "a serious violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, and relevant Security Council resolutions," it said.

The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.

Departing from Washington's long-standing position, Trump promised while campaigning to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the American mission there, drawing a fierce rebuke from Palestinian officials and concern from the European Union.

Last month Trump said he would "love to see that happen", and on January 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump to keep his promise.

On Sunday, US Congressman Ron DeSantis, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, met Israeli leaders to examine the possibility of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli officials said.

Israel's deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely, who met DeSantis, said she was "optimistic" it would happen.

The League resolution asked states and Arab League missions to "monitor and follow up on any move to breach the Security Council resolutions and international law regarding moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem."

The foreign ministers also tasked the Arab Group of States in New York "to study effective measures to counter any such move through the United Nations, including the security council".
Papa Massata Diack, son of former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack, speaks during an interview with AFP on March 6, 2017 in Dakar

Senegalese authorities have blankly refused to allow French judges to question Papa Massata Diack as part of a corruption probe into his father, disgraced former IAAF chief Lamine Diack, judicial sources said on Tuesday.

Both Papa Massata Diack and his 83-year-old father face charges in France over millions of dollars paid to cover up doping failures by Russian athletes.

Lamine Diack is barred from leaving France, while Papa Massata Diack has been in hiding in Dakar where Senegalese authorities have refused to extradite him.

Also implicated in possible corruption over the awarding of the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio, Papa Massata Diack has slammed the French investigation as a "witch hunt" against him.

"They should come to Senegal to investigate and I can respond formally instead of organising leaks in the press," he told AFP in an interview on Monday.

However, a French judicial source told AFP on Tuesday that in addition to the arrest warrant, a formal rogatory international letter was sent to Dakar in May 2016 calling for Papa Massata Diack's indictment.

"The Senegalese authorities have indicated that they will not execute this request," added the same source.

Meanwhile, former sprinter Frankie Fredericks quit as head of the IOC commission monitoring candidates for the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday amid a corruption probe.

Fredericks, 49, strongly denied any wrongdoing in accepting nearly $300,000 (283,000 euros) on the day that Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympics.

Le Monde newspaper on Friday said that Fredericks, a four-time Olympic silver medallist, received the sum from Papa Massata Diack's Pamodzi company on the day Rio won the right to host the 2016 Games.
Acting spokesman Mark Toner calls on reporters in the first State Department briefing held since Donald Trump came to power

After 45 days of silence the US State Department held its first news briefing of Donald Trump's presidency on Tuesday, forced to deny suggestions that it is sliding into irrelevance.

What foreign policy there has been since Trump came to office on January 20 has been driven by his personality, his inner circle of advisers and relatives and his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has cut a discreet figure, shunning the media and public appearances while working to recruit a leadership team and prepare budget cuts.

For many, the cancellation of the daily briefing -- which is keenly watched around the world by journalists, academics and diplomats -- had become a symbol of State's diminished role.

But acting spokesman Mark Toner, a career diplomat who was deputy spokesman under the previous administration, returned to the podium on Tuesday and took questions from a packed room.

"Feels good to be back up here," he said, before fielding queries on Trump's ban on travellers from six Muslim-majority countries, North Korea's missile tests and Middle East peace.

Toner confirmed the widely reported fact that Tillerson plans to visit Japan, China and South Korea next week to talk, among other things, about the North Korean nuclear threat.

He defended the travel ban, insisting it was a security measure and would be lifted if Washington can develop a vetting system that can guarantee a traveller from the country poses no threat.

He insisted there had been no change to Washington's "One China" policy, and tried to clarify US policy on Israeli settlements.

But he also took questions on Tillerson's extremely low profile and a reported White House plan to slash the State Department and USAID budgets by more than a third.

"I appreciate the patience of all of you over the past month or so as this new administration got its sea legs underneath it," Toner told the assembled diplomatic press corps.

"I can also assure you that Secretary Tillerson is very engaged with the White House, very engaged with the president, he speaks to him frequently.

"He was over there I believe just yesterday for a meeting and I can assure everyone that the secretary's voice or the State Department's voice is heard loud and clear in policy discussions."
Serena Williams of the US hits a return against Venus Williams of the US during the women's singles final on day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 28, 2017

World number one Serena Williams has pulled out of upcoming WTA tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because of a knee injury, organisers said on Tuesday.

A statement issued by BNP Paribas Open organisers in California quoted Williams as saying she was withdrawing because of a problem with her left knee.

"Sadly, I have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open," Williams said.

"I have not been able to train due to my knees and am disappointed I cannot be there. I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can."

Organisers of this week's event in Indian Wells, which gets under way on Friday, said a revised draw would be issued later.

Williams's withdrawal means Germany's world number two Angelique Kerber will take over the world number one ranking at the conclusion of the BNP Paribas Open, which ends on March 19.

Williams, 35, has not played since defeating sister Venus in the final of the Australian Open in January to clinch a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title.

The American star finished runner-up in the Indian Wells final last year, a tournament she only started playing again in 2015 after a 13-year boycott.

Williams has long been a staple at the Miami Open, winning the tournament a record eight times with her most recent victory coming in 2015.

This year's tournament runs from March 21 to April 2.
Editors/News Directors:

The American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2005 launched the first national Sunshine Week. The celebration of access to public information has been held every year since to coincide with the March 16 birthday of James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution and a key advocate of the Bill of Rights.

This year, ASNE (now the American Society of News Editors), The Associated Press and the Associated Press Media Editors, a group representing AP-affiliated news organizations, are teaming up to mark the importance of press freedoms for Sunshine Week and beyond.

The ongoing collaboration will help the public understand the necessity of a free press, the importance of a transparent government and the role that a free flow of news and information play in a well-informed citizenry. It will involve explanatory and accountability-related news stories and related content, as well as opportunities for public engagement in local communities to promote media literacy.

The effort will kick off during Sunshine Week, which begins Sunday, March 12, with the following stories. They will move in advance, embargoed for use Sunday and thereafter.

For questions or more information, contact Tom Verdin, the AP's national editor for state government coverage, at taverdin@ap.org

___

SUNSHINE WEEK-FIRST AMENDMENT

NEW YORK - The running political battles over gun rights and gun control have made the Second Amendment one of the most hotly debated and defended parts of the U.S. Constitution. But what of the provision that precedes it - the First Amendment? Perhaps at no time since the country's founding has the initial entry in the Bill of Rights faced such pressure, including a president who attacks journalists as the "enemy of the people." What the First Amendment stands for - independent and robust journalism that informs the citizenry about its government and political leaders - seems misunderstood and unappreciated in the anything-goes era of social media. By Hillel Italie, The Associated Press. 1,200 words. Photos.

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SUNSHINE WEEK-INFORMATION UNDER ATTACK

WASHINGTON - Wondering who is visiting the White House? The web-based search has gone dark. Curious about climate change? Some government sites have been softened or taken down. Worried about racial discrimination in housing? Laws have been introduced to bar federal mapping of such disparities. Federal rules protecting whistleblowers? At least one has been put on hold. Since taking office, the Trump administration has made a series of moves that have alarmed groups with a stake in public access to information. Some are so concerned they have thrown themselves into "data rescue" sessions nationwide, where they spend their weekends downloading and archiving federal databases they fear could soon be taken down or obscured. Previous presidential transitions have triggered fears about access to government data, but not on this scope. By Stuart Leavenworth and Adam Ashton, McClatchy. 1,500 words.

___

SUNSHINE WEEK-DAZED AND CONFUSED

Fake news, social media bots, a post-fact world. One of the great lessons of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign is that people could not - or would not - distinguish between actual news stories and fabrications. More fact-checking may or not be the answer, given the information bubbles most people inhabit and a president-elect who routinely distorts reality to create his own narratives. Why is it important to solve the fake news conundrum, and is it even solvable? By Gannett Washington Bureau.

___

SUNSHINE WEEK-TEXAS RECORDS

DALLAS - When Texans ask state and local officials for records detailing their operations, more and more the answer is no. The reason why is in dispute. A quirk of the Texas public records law, adopted almost 45 years ago, says that when officials deny the public the right to see something, they usually have to run that decision by the state attorney general's office. The number of those denials has been soaring. In the fiscal year that ended in August 2001, governments forwarded about 5,000 denied record requests to the attorney general's office for review. That number had jumped to more than 27,000 by 2016. By Terri Langford, The Dallas Morning News. 1,300 words. Photos.

___

SUNSHINE WEEK-RHEE COLUMN

As I've listened to President Donald Trump go on tirades against the "very dishonest" media, I've tried not to take his criticism personally. Lord knows, I've made my share of mistakes in my career. But they've never been on purpose, or out of malice. So here's the truth: The press is not the opposition party. The media is not the enemy of the American people. Negative stories are not fake news. And when Trump keeps making these claims, he isn't just attacking the press; he is chipping away at one of the pillars of our democracy. By Foon Rhee, The Sacramento Bee. 900 words. Photo.

With:

- Editorial cartoons related to Sunshine Week from around the country.

___

The AP
SYDNEY (AP) - Officials say a British backpacker was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks in the Australian Outback before being rescued by police who pulled over the car she was driving during a routine traffic stop.

Queensland state police said on Tuesday that officers noticed the 22-year-old woman had facial injuries and appeared distressed when they stopped the four-wheel drive along a highway in the rural town of Mitchell on Sunday.

The officers then found a 22-year-old man hiding in a storage alcove in the back of the vehicle.

The man was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, two counts of deprivation of liberty and various drug charges.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has offered to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood if the group stops providing abortions. Its president has spurned the proposal and noted that federal money already is not allowed to be used for abortion.

Trump confirmed there had been discussions after The New York Times inquired about what it described as an informal proposal. In a statement to the newspaper, Trump says "there is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of women's health, while not providing abortion services."

In a response to the report of the proposal, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards says the group "will always stand for women's ability to make decisions about their health and lives, without interference from politicians."
An author of a book discussing racial differences in intelligence who was shouted down by protesters at Middlebury College when he gave a guest lecture and was confronted by some of them afterward says he wants the college to sanction those involved.

Charles Murray, who describes himself as a libertarian and social scientist but has been called a 'white nationalist,' warned that anything less could become an inspiration for other protests and has the potential 'to be a disaster for American liberal education.'

He says when he left the building where his lecture was held last week he walked into 'the middle of a mob.'

Middlebury College students turn their backs to author Charles Murray during his lecture in Middlebury, Vermont

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

'If that's the new normal then why would any college in its right mind allow a controversial speaker to arrive?' he said on Monday. 'Because no college wants to go through what Middlebury's gone through.'

Middlebury police are investigating what happened after Murray's talk Thursday. A professor had her hair pulled and injured her neck, but Murray was unharmed, the college said.

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.'

The college has initiated an independent investigation, college President Laurie Patton said in a letter to the school community.

Murray (right) has been called a white nationalist and protesters chanted 'Who is the enemy? White supremacy' among other things for 25 minutes

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

'Once that work is completed, the college will follow a process of determining a course of action for each individual understood to be involved in some way in the events of last Thursday,' she wrote.

She said people have the right to make their voices heard in support of and in opposition to other people and ideas.

'Our concern,' she said, 'is acts of disruption and violence, where available means of peaceful protest were declined.'

Murray is known for co-authoring the 1994 book 'The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life,' which suggested genetics and environmental factors play a role in explaining racial differences.

The Bell Curve makes an argument that blacks are intellectually inferior to whites because of genetics, reported the New York Times.

He was invited to speak at Middlebury by a student group, the American Enterprise Institute Club.

Hundreds of students chanted as Murray began to speak Thursday, forcing the college to move the lecture to an undisclosed location. Murray's talk was live-streamed to the original venue, but protesters drowned it out.

The topic, he said, was the divergence of the country's culture into a new upper class separated from mainstream America.

Afterward, a group of protesters surrounded Murray, professor Allison Stanger and college administrator Bill Burger as they were leaving, he said. The protesters became violent, with one pulling Stanger's hair, twisting her neck, the college said.

After Murray and the two Middlebury staff members got into a car to leave, protesters banged on the windows, climbed onto the hood and rocked the vehicle, the college and Murray said.

'If it hadn't been for Allison and Bill keeping hold of me and the security guards pulling people off me, I would have been pushed to the ground,' Murray said.

The college said it believes outside agitators were involved.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - A court in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca has convicted a former municipal police commander in last year's murder of a local journalist.

The Oaxaca State Attorney's Office says in a statement that Jorge Armando Santiago Martinez was sentenced to 30 years in prison at the conclusion of a weeklong trial.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists applauded Friday's verdict but is calling on Mexican authorities to find the crime's mastermind.

The case involved the slaying on Jan. 21, 2016, of Marcos Hernandez Bautista, who was a reporter for the newspaper Noticias, Voz e Imagen de Oaxaca. He was shot outside a bar he owned in Jamiltepec township.

A statement Monday from the Committee to Protect Journalists says his colleagues reported Hernandez had received threats.
BEIJING (AP) - China is violating its free-trade pledges by pressing foreign makers of electric cars and other goods to share technology under an industry development plan that is likely to shrink access to its markets, a business group said Tuesday.

The report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce adds to mounting complaints Beijing improperly shields its fledgling developers of robotics, software and other technology from competition.

Technology is a growing flashpoint in trade tensions with Washington and Europe, which worry their competitive edge is eroding as Beijing buys or develops skills in semiconductors, renewable energy and other fields.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 file photo, a worker tests LED lights at a factory in Suining city in southwestern China's Sichuan province. China is violating its free-trade pledges by pressing foreign makers of electric cars and other goods to hand over technology under an industry development plan that is likely to shrink access to its markets, a business group said Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

European companies express frustration Chinese enterprises have been permitted to acquire technology leaders such as German robot maker Kuka while most of China's assets are off-limits to foreign buyers. In December, Germany blocked the Chinese purchase of a chipmaker, Aixtron, after Washington objected on security grounds.

The European chamber warned tactics Beijing is using to carry out its "China Manufacturing 2025" initiative might inflame sentiments in Europe and the United States in favor of trade controls.

The plan calls for China to be able to supply its own high-tech components by 2020 and materials by 2025 in 10 industries from information technology and aerospace to pharmaceuticals. A broad outline was issued in 2015 and officials have been gradually releasing details.

Suppliers of electric cars and other goods are under pressure to hand over technology in violation of Beijing's World Trade Organization commitments, the European chamber said. It said that also contradicts the ruling Communist Party's repeated promises of equal treatment and to give market forces a bigger role in the state-dominated economy.

That strategy "is in fact a large-scale import substitution plan aimed at nationalizing key industries, or at least severely curtailing the position of foreign business in them," the chamber said.

In a possible response to such criticism, China's top economic official, Premier Li Keqiang, promised in a speech Sunday foreign companies would receive "equal treatment" under the manufacturing plan. He gave no details.

Foreign suppliers of technology from X-ray scanners to wind turbines to bank security software complain they face growing official obstacles to making sales in China. Those range from controls based on national security concerns foreign suppliers say might be exaggerated to procurement rules that encourage hospitals and other customers to favor Chinese suppliers.

Beijing has clashed repeatedly with Washington and Europe since the 1990s over its efforts to induce foreign companies to hand over encryption and other technology.

In November, Chinese legislators approved a cybersecurity law business groups warned would hamper access to technology markets. They said a provision requiring security technology to be "secure and controllable" might require providers to disclose how products work, raising the risk trade secrets might be leaked.

In electric cars, where Beijing sees major opportunities, the manufacturing plan says two of the top 10 global brands by 2025 should be Chinese, the European chamber said. It said that rules out joint ventures created by foreign companies with Chinese partners.

The chamber appealed to Chinese leaders to discard quotas and other controls and focus instead on encouraging basic research and improving their manufacturing base.

"Perfecting the market would do far more to ensure that China reaches its full potential for economic development and innovation than more old-school, expensive industrial planning ever could," the chamber said.

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2013 file photo, a worker walks among electric cars in a factory in Zouping county in eastern China's Shandong province. China is violating its free-trade pledges by pressing foreign makers of electric cars and other goods to hand over technology under an industry development plan that is likely to shrink access to its markets, a business group said Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (Chinatopix via AP, File)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Former Obama administration spokesman Josh Earnest says Republican President Donald Trump is cynically using the press while also relying on it to boost his image and appeal to the public.

Earnest said Trump has a complicated relationship with the media. He said he doesn't believe Trump has any grand ambitions to do away with the First Amendment but lashes out when reporters don't echo his version of events.

"He doesn't want the news media to just go away. He just wants them to be nice to him. But that's not their job," Earnest said Tuesday during a Harvard University John. F. Kennedy School of Government forum on the press and the presidency.

Former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest participates in a forum called "The Press & the Presidency," Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. Earnest has accused President Donald Trump of using wiretapping allegations as a distraction. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Earnest said a stark difference between Trump and Democratic former President Barack Obama is Obama relished the opportunity to marshal facts to make an argument.

In contrast, when Trump is under pressure, Earnest said, his instinct is to create a distraction. He said that's what Trump did by accusing Obama of wiretapping his campaign while offering no proof.

Earnest said no president has the authority to unilaterally wiretap someone.

Earnest said one reaction he's seen to the Trump presidency is a renewed interest in newspapers, television news and other news outlets.

He also said that the election of Trump is a reminder that elections matter - a message he said he sometimes had trouble impressing on younger voters.

"Somehow, I think I'm going to have a little easier time making that case before the next election," he said.

He said one of the biggest changes he has seen in the relationship between the White House and the press corps is new technology. He said cellphones combined with social media platforms puts intense pressure on reporters to push out every new tidbit of information instantly.

Despite the online technology, Earnest said, he still believes it's important to have a daily White House press briefing to let reporters press the administration on the issues of the day.

"There's something that's symbolically important about the briefing - the idea that there is a senior member of the White House staff who the president designates as the person who will every day prepare himself or herself to go out and speak on camera, on the record, and answer any question that any journalist can come up with," he said.

Earnest was White House press secretary under Obama from 2014 until Trump took office in January.

Former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest, right, participates in a forum called "The Press & the Presidency," as Harvard professor and former presidential advisor David Gergen, left, looks on, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. Earnest has accused President Donald Trump of using wiretapping allegations as a distraction. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest, right, participates in a forum called "The Press & the Presidency," as Harvard professor and former presidential advisor David Gergen, left, looks on, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. Earnest has accused President Donald Trump of using wiretapping allegations as a distraction. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest waves at the conclusion of a forum called "The Press & the Presidency," Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. Earnest has accused President Donald Trump of using wiretapping allegations as a distraction. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest participates in a forum called "The Press & the Presidency," Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. Earnest has accused President Donald Trump of using wiretapping allegations as a distraction. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
ASIA:

MALAYSIA-NORTH KOREA - North Korea said Tuesday it was banning Malaysians from leaving the country as its bitter diplomatic battle with Malaysia escalated dramatically over the poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. SENT: 640 words, photos. With MALAYSIA-NORTH KOREA THE LATEST

KOREAS-TENSION-THAAD - U.S. missile launchers and other equipment needed to set up a controversial missile defense system have arrived in South Korea, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said Tuesday, a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan. By Kim Tong-hyung. SENT: 500 words.

AUSTRALIA-BRITISH BACKPACKER ATTACK - A British backpacker was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks in the Australian Outback before being rescued by police who pulled over the car she was driving during a routine traffic stop, officials said Tuesday. SENT: 280 words.

ASIA-CORRUPTION - A survey by the anti-graft group Transparency International shows that bribery and other forms of corruption are hindering poverty alleviation and hurting public health in Asia by channeling resources away from those who need them. By Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 400 words, photos.

INDIA-AIR AMBULANCE - India's external affairs minister says an Indian hospital air ambulance plane with five people on board caught fire and crash landed near Bangkok. The pilot was killed. SENT: 120 words.

CHINA-XINJIANG-MORE POLICE - Authorities in China's western region of Xinjiang are offering high salaries and other benefits to recruit police in the restive area, which has seen bloody attacks blamed on separatists. SENT: 130 words.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

FINANCIAL MARKETS - Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday with little major news to drive trading. Japan's benchmark edged lower, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose as China's finance minister expressed confidence over the government's ability to handle rising levels of debt. By Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 450 words, photos.

CHINA-TECH AMBITIONS - China is violating its free-trade pledges by pressing foreign makers of electric cars and other goods to share technology under an industry development plan that is likely to shrink access to its markets, a business group said Tuesday. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 560 words, photos.

___

HOW TO REACH US:

The editor in charge at the AP Asia-Pacific Desk in Bangkok is Scott McDonald. Questions and story requests are welcome. The news desk can be reached at (66) 2632-6911 or by email at asia@ap.org. The Asia Photo Desk can be reached at (81-3) 6215-8941. Between 1600 GMT and 0000 GMT, please refer queries to the North America Desk in New York at (1) 212-621-1650.

Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call (1) 877-836-9477.
BEIJING (AP) - China's finance minister on Tuesday rejected accusations that the country is keeping its defense budget under wraps after the figure was omitted from an annual report released to the media.

The defense budget and budgets for foreign affairs and domestic security had been included in a draft submitted to members of China's rubberstamp parliament, Xiao said at a press conference on the margins of the annual 10-day legislative session.

"Let me be very clear, there is no such thing as opacity in China's military spending," ''We made some new changes in the way we compiled the files," he said, without giving any details on why the figures had not been publicly released.

Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie waves as he arrives for a press conference on the sideline of the National People's Congress at the media center in Beijing, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. China's finance minister is rejecting accusations that the country is keeping its defense budget under wraps. Xiao's remarks came after China released its national budget without the usual figure for defense spending. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A finance ministry official on Sunday told The Associated Press that the budget was rising 7 percent to 1.044 trillion yuan ($151 billion) this year, pushing it to its highest level ever, even while the rate of economic growth slows to its lowest this century.

The U.S. and others have routinely asked China to be more forthcoming about the goals of its ambitious military modernization program, under which the budget has grown by double-digit percentages for most of the past two decades.

China now has the world's second-largest defense budget, although it totals less than a quarter of what the U.S. spends.

Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie pauses while listening a question from a journalist during a press conference on the sideline of the National People's Congress at the media center in Beijing, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. China's finance minister is rejecting accusations that the country is keeping its defense budget under wraps. Xiao's remarks came after China released its national budget without the usual figure for defense spending. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie is displayed on a camera monitor during a press conference on the sideline of the National People's Congress at the media center in Beijing, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. China's finance minister is rejecting accusations that the country is keeping its defense budget under wraps. Xiao's remarks came after China released its national budget without the usual figure for defense spending. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces were fighting their way through a government complex in the heart of western Mosul after storming the buildings in an overnight raid, and were facing fierce counterattacks Tuesday from the Islamic State group.

According to Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, the troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood earlier in the morning, hailing the federal police units who stormed the compound as heroes.

By noon, troops on the ground said the complex has not yet been fully secured and that they are battling a wave of intense IS counterattacks.

Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, March 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Sgt. Azam Ibrahim of the federal police was one of the first troops to storm the Mosul government complex. His unit then pulled back to a base on the edge of Mosul's Tayran neighborhood, saying the clashes were still underway at the complex later Tuesday.

"We were pulled back because we had killed and wounded," Ibrahim told The Associated Press. "The (Iraqi) forces there are surrounded, the Humvees cannot reach them, nor can the ambulances."

The consistent advance - more than two weeks since the new push started to clear Mosul's western side of IS militants - has been a major blow to the extremists who once controlled nearly a third of Iraq.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October

Yar Allah, who commands the army operations in Ninevah province, where Mosul is the provincial capital, said the troops now also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River, known as the Hurriyah Bridge.

Last week, the troops reached the first bridge from the south in western Mosul, known locally as the 4th Bridge. U.S.-led airstrikes disabled all of Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Hours after announcing Tuesday's advance, Iraqi state TV said Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi visited the troops in Mosul. Al-Abadi was shown descending from a military plane at the city's airport and meeting with senior military officers. It was unclear if al-Abadi visited the western part of Mosul.

"They have two choices, first either they surrender and they will have fair trial and the second choice they will be killed," al-Abadi told reporters in Mosul as he was clad in a black counterterrorism forces uniform. "Some are escaping but even the escape path is closed and they have no hope, so that is why they should surrender."

He called upon Mosul residents to cooperate with the security forces, vowing to rebuild their city and to restore services.

Private broadcaster Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen aired live footage from inside western Mosul, with thick black smoke rising from different areas as gunfire rattled. The TV footage also showed what it said were explosions from two suicide attacks carried out by IS militants against the security forces.

The footage also shows the city's iconic 840-year-old "Crooked Minaret," which leans somewhat like Italy's Tower of Pisa.

Unlike other heritage and archaeological sites in and around Mosul, the Islamic State militants couldn't destroy it as residents formed a human chain around it to protect it when they came to blow it up.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the United Nations said that by Sunday, it had registered that about 42,000 people fled their homes in western Mosul since the start of the operation last month. The U.N. Office for Humanitarian Coordination, OCHA, said in a statement that 13,350 people fled to government-run areas in one day alone.

The troops expect to encounter far more fleeing civilians once they enter deeper into the more densely populated part of the city. The U.N. estimates that about 750,000 civilians are still trapped in their houses on Mosul's western side.

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city, and its western half - the Tigris divides the city into an eastern and a western sections - is the last significant urban area held by IS in the country. Mosul fell to IS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq.

___

Salaheddin reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Bassam Hatoum in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, March 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, March 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, March 6, 2017. Iraqi government forces are reported to have captured further ground after launching a new push against the western part of Mosul. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, March 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
BANGALORE, India (AP) - Ravichandran Ashwin's 25th five-wicket haul and a cracked and uneven pitch propelled India to a series-leveling, 75-run win on Tuesday, when Australia's batting lineup capitulated chasing a victory target of 188 in the second test.

On momentum-swinging day that favored the bowlers, 16 wickets tumbled on the deteriorating Bangalore pitch.

Ashwin snared a match-winning 6-41 and Australia lost its last six wickets for 11 runs to be all out for 112.

India's Ravichandran Ashwin, facing camera, celebrates the dismissal of Australia's Mitchell Marsh during the fourth day of their second test cricket match in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

It was the third time India had defended a target of 187 or less in bilateral tests against the Australians, and will give the hosts a confidence boost after a crushing 333-run defeat in the series-opening match at Pune.

"After losing the first Test the way we did, we wanted to bounce back and not show anyone but ourselves what we are made of," India skipper Virat Kohli said. "They showed the intent and the belief that we can win from any position. It was about taking responsibility.

"The way they showed heart and character, along with the crowd, is unbelievable."

The Australians were surprisingly dominant on a crumbling wicket at Pune, and were again in control for the first three days of the second test - dismissing India for 189, setting up an 87-run lead by getting 276 in reply and then having Virat Kohli's team reeling at 120-4 in the second innings.

But a crucial 118-run fifth-wicket partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara (92) and Ajinkya Rahane (52) swung the momentum back to India. Lokesh Rahul's 90 in the first innings and gritty 51 in the second earned him the player of the match award.

Kohli said he had become more confident the closer to 200 India's lead got on the fourth day.

"Pujara and Rahane had a champion partnership - the two best test batsmen we have got, so much character and technique and heart," Kohli said. "Can't wait for Ranchi - we need to push that momentum further. The team is not going to look back now."

The Australians rallied again on the fourth morning, with paceman Josh Hazlewood leading the way with a career-best 6-67 and India losing its last six wickets for 36 - including four in deliveries - en route to being bowled out for 274.

The Indian bowling attack responded quickly, though, by exploiting the conditions and ensuring Australia's batsmen didn't get any traction as wickets fell regularly.

Ishant Sharma (1-28) took the first wicket when he had Matt Renshaw (5) caught behind with the Australian total at 22 in the fifth over.

Ashwin took his first when he had David Warner (17) adjudged lbw attempting a sweep shot, not long after lofting the Indian spinner for six, and Australia slipped to 42-2 in the 10th.

The Australians were 101-6 by tea after a terrible session, and Ashwin wrapped up the tail quickly in the evening session to complete a memorable victory.

It was all over 35 minutes after the interval, with Ashwin taking three of the last four wickets.

First, he bowled Mitchell Starc (1) in the third over after the break and, after Ravindra Jadeja bowled Steve O'Keefe (2) at the other end, Indian's foremost spinner dismissed Peter Handscomb (24) and accepted a simple return catch from Nathan Lyon (2) to complete the formalities.

It was Ashwin's 25th five-wicket haul in test cricket, and he is quickest bowler to achieve this feat by doing so in 47 tests. New Zealander Richard Hadlee achieved 25 five-wicket hauls in 62 tests.

The third test begins in Ranchi on March 16, and the Border-Gavaskar trophy is still on the line.

Many pundits expected India to sweep the four-test series but its run of 20 unbeaten tests at home ended in the upset loss to Australia at Pune. There have been positives for Australia, which was swept 4-0 on the last tour to India, with left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe taking 12 wickets in Pune and veteran offspinner Nathan Lyon snaring 8-50 in the first innings in Bangalore. The batsmen are still coming to grips with the conditions.

"Certainly ebbed and flowed," Australia captain Smith said. "I am proud of the way the boys played it.

"The series is well and truly alive - great two tests. Plenty to play for when we go to Ranchi."

India's Ishant Sharma celebrates the dismissal of Australia's Matt Renshaw during the fourth day of their second test cricket match in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

India's Ishant Sharma, left, reacts after bowling a delivery to Australia's captain Steven Smith, right, during the fourth day of their second test cricket match in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood, center without cap, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of India's Ravichandran Ashwin during the fourth day of their second test cricket match in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

India's Karun Nair looks at the broken stumps after he was bowled out by Australia's Mitchell Starc during the fourth day of their second test cricket match in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine police killed eight crime suspects in separate gunbattles and arrested 21 others in a northern province Tuesday, a day after police were allowed to rejoin the president's deadly anti-drug crackdown while also launching a drive against illegal guns.

Police Senior Superintendent Romeo M. Caramat Jr. said the suspects were killed or arrested in 19 raids in Bulacan province, north of Manila, some of whom turned violent when policemen were fired upon. He said most of the slain suspects had links to illegal drugs.

President Rodrigo Duterte angrily banned the national police more than a month ago from enforcing his anti-drug crackdown, which has left thousands of suspects dead, after some antinarcotics officers were implicated in an extortion bid that left a South Korean businessman dead.

National police chief Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa, however, announced Monday that the 170,000-strong police force was being redrafted to enforce the campaign after the police's brief absence sparked a resurgence in illegal drug trade in many communities.

"We cannot turn our back in this fight because the future of succeeding generations depends on how well we fight the war on drugs today," Dela Rosa said.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - One day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties, Malaysia said Wednesday that it wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite an increasingly bitter dispute over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea's ruler.

Malaysia has said two female attackers wielding VX nerve agent killed Kim on Feb. 13 at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated.

The dispute took a surprising turn on Tuesday, when North Korea announced that it was blocking all Malaysians from leaving the country until the dispute is resolved. Malaysia responded in kind and barred North Koreans from exiting its soil.

A North Korean embassy staff asks police if they are allowed to leave as police puts a cordon at North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday that Malaysia is willing to negotiate.

"So far, we believe they are going to act rationally," he said. "We believe what is important for us is to maintain our diplomatic relationship with them because I think what is important is the safety of our citizens in Pyongyang."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has denounced North Korea's order "an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage" and a violation of international law.

"I can't think of anything like this" happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based scholar and longtime top Indian diplomat, said of North Korea's directive. "This is way out of normal diplomatic practice."

But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.

"It's the North Korean way of doing things - dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions," said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University who has written extensively on North Korean diplomacy.

Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea: three working at the embassy, two U.N. employees and six family members. About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.

North Korea's surprise order came Tuesday morning, when the official Korean Central News Agency said the country was banning Malaysians from leaving "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case."

It was not clear, however, what would constitute a "fair settlement."

North Korea said Malaysia's diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally" during the temporary exit ban.

Malaysia is searching for seven North Korean suspects in connection with Kim's assassination, including a North Korean diplomat. Police say three suspects are believed to be in hiding at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a hulking concrete mansion behind a wall streaked with water stains.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia would not raid the embassy, which is protected under diplomatic law, but would wait for the suspects to emerge.

"We will wait. We will wait, and if it takes five years we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," Khalid said.

Malaysian police briefly blocked the embassy gates Tuesday with a pair of police cars, but within hours embassy cars were again freely going in and out. By late afternoon there were only a pair of Malaysian patrolmen waiting in a police car outside the compound.

Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of killing Kim, though it has said the two women who poisoned him were recruited by a team of North Koreans. Malaysia says Kim was killed with VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that causes convulsions and leaves victims unable to breathe. North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX.

In the attack, grainy surveillance video shows a woman approaching Kim from behind in the airport terminal and reaching around to wipe something on his face. The other woman, who was apparently standing in front of Kim, cannot be seen in the video.

The women, one from Vietnam and the other from Indonesia, were quickly caught and have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.

Kim, who was in his mid-40s, had lived abroad for years and had reportedly never met younger half brother, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.

___

AP writers Tim Sullivan in New Delhi and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Police officers guard outside the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says the North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Daniel Chan)

Journalists chase a North Korean diplomatic vehicle as it leaves the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak poses for a group photo at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. The bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Pyongyang saying it had banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea. Najib in a statement said North Korea is "effectively holding our citizens hostage" by barring them from leaving. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

The North Korean flag waves above the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Police car blocked the entrance of North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Police cordon off the North Korean embassy i in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A North Korean embassy staff walks out from embassy as police puts a cordon at North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Police cordon off the entrance of North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to back out of a lawsuit over transgender students' bathroom access is a disappointment that will keep transgender children in limbo, said 17-year-old plaintiff Gavin Grimm, who's become a national face of the issue.

But Grimm, who sued his eastern Virginia school district to be able to use the boys' bathroom, said Monday that he's ready to keep up his fight.

"I am still as passionate and as happy to be doing this as ever," he said. "I think everyone is just as empowered and ready for it as we've always been. And if it took 10 years, I'd stick with it."

Gloucester County High School senior Gavin Grimm, a transgender student, arrives for a news conference in Richmond, Va., Monday, March 6, 2017. The Supreme Court is handing the Gloucester High School transgender teen's case back to a lower court without reaching a decision. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Grimm spoke to reporters hours after the justices issued a one-sentence order handing his case back to a Richmond appeals court without reaching a decision. That means attention now will turn to the Richmond court and other appellate panels around the country that are grappling with rights of transgender students to use school bathrooms that correspond to their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth.

A high school senior, Grimm likely won't see the issue settled before he graduates, but he said he accepted that long ago.

"I already knew that the decision wouldn't be handed down until after my senior year anyway. ... For me it's more about the impact it could have on trans kids who come after me," he said.

Grimm said the order will "drag this conversation out," leaving school-age kids "in limbo for an extended period of time."

"It's not just about bathrooms but the rights for trans people to exist in public spaces. . If you had to plan your day around not having a bathroom in public, what kind of nightmare would that be?" he said, adding it's "not feasible to keep trans people out of restrooms."

Grimm's case had been scheduled for argument in late March. Now, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be tasked with evaluating the federal law known as Title IX and the extent to which it applies to transgender students. Lawsuits involving transgender students are making their way through the courts in at least five other states: Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Joshua Block, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents Grimm, said he remains convinced that courts ultimately will side with transgender students.

"Title IX means the same thing today as it meant yesterday. Lower courts already have held that it protects trans kids," he said.

In a statement relayed by school board lawyer Kyle Duncan, the board said it "looks forward to explaining why its commonsense restroom and locker room policy is legal under the Constitution and federal law."

The Supreme Court's action follows the Trump administration's recent decision to withdraw a directive issued during Barack Obama's presidency that said which bathroom to use should be based on students' gender identity.

The administration action triggered legal wrangling that ended with Monday's order. In essence, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, had relied on the Obama administration's interpretation of Title IX to side with Grimm. The appeals court accepted the administration's reading of the law without deciding for itself what the law and a related regulation on same-sex bathrooms and locker rooms mean.

No appeals court has yet undertaken that more independent analysis, and the Supreme Court typically is reluctant to do so without at least one appellate opinion to review, and usually more than one.

Another possible explanation for Monday's order is that the court might want more of a societal consensus to develop before it issues a ruling in favor of transgender rights, said John Neiman, an Alabama lawyer who served as a law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The court's reluctance to take on transgender rights now may have been underscored by the high court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia nearly 13 months ago and the refusal of Senate Republicans to consider Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the seat. Eleven days after taking office, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the court.

Ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court arguments, Grimm's case drew attention from all over the world. Apple, IBM and Microsoft were among the 53 companies that signed onto a brief filed last week urging the court to rule in his favor. He's been profiled in national media and made an appearance on "The View." At the Grammy Awards last month, actress and transgender rights advocate Laverne Cox told the audience to "please google 'Gavin Grimm.'"

He said Monday that he'd been overwhelmed by the "incredible" support, especially from the technology companies. "You know, I'm a teenager, I like my tech," he joked.

Being in the spotlight has been stressful, he said.

"But it's been worth it," Grimm said. "I think that it's absolutely all worth it."

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report. Sherman reported from Washington.

FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2016 file photo, transgender high school student Gavin Grimm poses in Gloucester, Va. The Supreme Court is returning a transgender teen's case to a lower court without reaching a decision. The justices said Monday, March 6, 2017, they have opted not to decide whether federal anti-discrimination law gives high school senior Gavin Grimm the right to use the boys' bathroom in his Virginia school. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Shaelyn McNeil, a 17-year-old senior at Grimm's high school, speaks while working at The Silver Box, a jewelry and gift shop in downtown Gloucester, Va., Monday March, 6, 2017. McNeil, who goes to the same school as transgender student Gavin Grimm, said that while she thought Grimm should be free to make any physical changes he wants, his use of the boys bathroom made some classmates uncomfortable. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Gloucester resident Andrew Snyder gestures during an interview in Gloucester, Va., Monday, March 6, 2017. Snyder, a 57-year-old Coast Guard retiree whose son attends the same high school as transgender student Gavin Grimm, said Monday that he thought the district had "more than accommodated Gavin." But said he didn't want to see Grimm ostracized. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Gloucester County High School senior Gavin Grimm, a transgender student, speaks during a news conference in Richmond, Va., Monday, March 6, 2017. The Supreme Court is leaving the issue of transgender rights in schools to lower courts for now after backing out of a high-profile case Monday of the Virginia high school student who sued to be able to use the boys' bathroom. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
MOSCOW (AP) - Children under age 16 won't be able to go to the new Disney film "Beauty and the Beast" in Russia because it includes a gay character, the Russian Culture Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry told The Associated Press in an emailed statement that its decision for the 16-plus rating followed petitions by lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, known for his ultraconservative views, petitioned for the live-action film to be banned.

In a letter released Saturday by the RIA Novosti news agency, Milonov protested the screening of a movie that disseminates "overt and shameless propaganda of sin and sexual perversion under the guise of a fairy tale."

This image released by Disney shows Luke Evans as Gaston, left, with Josh Gad as LeFou, in "Beauty and the Beast." (Laurie Sparham/Disney via AP)

Milonov, who was elected to the State Duma last year, is a former local lawmaker in St. Petersburg who has built his political career on opposing LGBT rights.

In 2013, Russia passed a federal law banning "gay propaganda" among minors. It was worded vaguely so it can be applied in a wide range of circumstances, for example, making it easy to target gay and lesbian teachers in Russia because they work directly with children. The law was modeled on a St. Petersburg bill that Milonov authored a year earlier

The film's brief scene in question involves the character of LeFou (Josh Gad), the timid and lovable sidekick to the preening villain Gaston (Luke Evans).

At the film's March 2 premiere in Los Angeles, director Bill Condon suggested that describing LeFou as Disney's first gay character went too far.

"I keep saying it's more like the first gay moment," he said. "Because I think it's a very fluid character." The director added: "You can't help but wonder in his adoration of Gaston ... (is there) something more going on?"

One Alabama drive-in theater has canceled plans to show the film, which opens next week and stars Emma Watson as Belle.

FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, May 7, 2016, Vitaly Milonov, a member of the city legislature and outspoken opponent of LGBT rights, speaks to the Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia. Milonov petitioned to have Disney's new "Beauty and the Beast" movie banned, but Russia's Culture Ministry on Tuesday March 7, 2017, has given the green light to the movie release in Russia, despite protests over a gay character. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, file)

This image released by Disney shows Emma Watson as Belle, right, and Kevin Kline as Maurice in a scene from "Beauty and the Beast." (Laurie Sparham/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows Dan Stevens as The Beast, left, and Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action adaptation of the animated classic "Beauty and the Beast." (Disney via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pardoned a woman convicted of treason last year for sending text messages about military movements near Georgia's breakaway republic.

The Kremlin published Putin's decree on Tuesday to pardon 46-year-old Oksana Sevastidi on humanitarian grounds.

The shopkeeper from the Black Sea resort of Sochi was sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2016 for sending two text messages to a friend in Georgia in 2008 about Russian military movements near the breakaway republic of Abkhazia, several months before Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over Abkhazia and another breakaway region. Sochi is several kilometers (miles) away from the Russian-Georgian border.

Sevastidi's conviction came amid a spike in treason convictions in recent years of Russians who seemingly weren't in a position to obtain any top-secret information. They included a mother of seven, a Sochi traffic controller, a Black Sea Fleet sailor, a Siberian police major, a Russian Orthodox Church employee, a Moscow university lecturer and a retired nuclear scientist.

The variety of suspects is not in itself evidence of a harsher crackdown, but Russia is clearly widening its net on treason and hauling in the most people in years.

Sevastidi is also the third person who faced controversial charges to have been released in the recent weeks. A cleaning lady who was convicted of disseminating child pornography in a social media post decrying abuse was released on Monday after her case was overturned, and an opposition activist was freed last month after the Supreme Court annulled his 2-year sentence because of procedural violations.

This recent wave of prison releases coincided with increased pressure on the opposition and civil activists. Last week, Russia's top investigative agency searched the apartment of a prominent opposition journalist and prisoner-rights activist.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments on a long-running feud over the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday over reviving a 2016 lawsuit filed by an African-American attorney, Carlos Moore.

Moore contends the flag is "state-sanctioned hate speech" and that it sends a message to black residents that they're second-class citizens.

A federal judge dismissed Moore's lawsuit in September, saying he lacked legal standing to sue.

Moore wants the appeals court to order the judge to hold a full trial on his arguments.

Republican Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has said repeatedly that if the flag is to be reconsidered, it should be done by the voters, not lawmakers or courts.
BRUSSELS (AP) - The Latest on migration to Europe (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Greece's coast guard says 113 migrants have been rescued from a boat that ran into trouble in rough seas in the Ionian off the western coast of Greece.

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2015 file photo migrants cross the Austrian - Slovenian border in Spielfeld, Austria. Austria was among the first countries in Europe to put out the welcome mat to migrants when the first waves of people fleeing war and poverty reached the continent. Now, its focus is showing them the door. Parliament is set to pass a law stripping denied asylum-seekers of pocket money, food and shelter, potentially leaving them on the street. (AP Photo/Christian Bruna, file)

The migrants were found sailing 32 nautical miles (36 miles; 59 kilometers) west of the islands of Paxos and were picked up by a nearby cargo ship, the coast guard said.

The cargo ship was heading to the western port of Patras, where the migrants would disembark. No information was immediately available on their nationalities or where they had set sail from.

Greece has been the main point of entry of hundreds of thousands of migrants heading into the European Union. Since an EU-Turkey deal limited new arrivals on Greece's eastern Aegean islands, many have been seeking alternative routes.

___

5:20 p.m.

Humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders says border officers in Hungary are systematically beating and abusing migrants trying to enter from Serbia.

General director of the group's Belgian operations, Christopher Stokes, said Tuesday that "there seems to be a kind of 'welcome to the EU' package of abuse that's provided by the Hungarian border police."

Stokes told The Associated Press that it "involves at a minimum beatings, practically systematically the application of tear gas at very close range and some sprays in the eyes."

He said migrants, mostly Afghans and Pakistanis - some of them injured - have reported being forced to remove shoes or clothing, with border police "obliging people to go back to Serbia in the snow and in the cold."

Stokes said the abuse is systematic and not just isolated incidents.

"I don't know on what level this is being authorized but it is clearly being authorized," he said.

___

2:50 p.m.

A boat carrying 24 Syrian migrants which landed in a remote area of Cyprus' northwestern tip had set sail from Mersin, Turkey, a Cyprus police spokesman said Tuesday.

Spokesman Nicos Tsappis told the Associated Press that the eight men, five women and 11 children had departed from the Turkish coast Monday.

Tsappis the migrants appear to be healthy and are currently being taken to the nearby town of Polis before being transferred to a migrant reception center outside the capital Nicosia.

___

2:30 p.m.

A court in southern Germany has dismissed a case brought against Facebook by a Syrian refugee who wanted the company to seek and delete posts falsely linking him to crimes committed by migrants.

Anas Modamani was one of several asylum-seekers who took a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. These started appearing in Facebook posts following high-profile crimes in Germany where migrants were identified as the perpetrators.

Modamani wanted an injunction forcing Facebook to actively identify and remove such posts, rather than wait for users to flag them.

German news agency dpa reports the court in Wuerzbuerg has ruled that Facebook hadn't made the slanderous posts its own and therefore couldn't be forced to abide by a cease and desist order.

___

1:30 p.m.

A Cyprus police spokesman says a boat carrying 25 people believed to be Syrian migrants has landed in a remote area off the northwestern tip of the east Mediterranean island.

Nicos Tsappis told The Associated Press that authorities are in the process of transferring the group, which includes women and children, to the town of Polis where they will receive a medical check-up.

Tsappis said it's unclear where the boat set sail from.

Tuesday's arrivals came a month after another boat loaded with 93 Syrian migrants - including 42 children landed on the island's northwestern shore.

Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos said last month that up to 700 migrants could have been on their way to the island on smuggling trips from Turkey.

___

1:05 p.m.

Migrants trying to reach the European Union from Serbia are worried because Hungary has imposed even tighter asylum rules for people fleeing war and poverty.

A 19-year-old migrant from Afghanistan, Fajaz Khan, said Tuesday that "we are going to Europe because we have many problems" back home.

Khan has been squatting at an abandoned warehouse in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, looking for an opportunity to cross either to Hungary or Croatia, both EU member states.

Many migrants have made several attempts to cross and failed. Some have accused Hungary's border guards of beatings.

Hamid Khan from Pakistan says "for us, everywhere is difficult: here we are homeless and we are innocent."

Graffiti on the warehouse wall reads: "Open the border of Hungary!"

___

11:10 a.m.

The European Union has adopted new rules to tighten checks at EU borders to the outside world to better track people who might have travelled to fight in war zones like Syria or Iraq.

The rules adopted Tuesday oblige EU countries to check everyone leaving or arriving in the bloc against customs, crime and visa databases. Until now, EU nationals have been exempt from such ID checks.

Malta's interior minister Carmelo Abela, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said they will help "address potential risks to internal security, including that posed by foreign terrorist fighter returnees."

Fears that foreign fighters might return and create havoc in Europe have grown acute since the Iraqi government-led attack on the Islamic State group stronghold in the northern city of Mosul.

___

10:55 a.m.

Hungary's prime minister says migrants are keeping his country "under siege" and he expects the current lull in the migrant flow to be temporary.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of President Donald Trump, has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants. Orban says the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, are a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for a new group of border guards known locally as "border hunters," Orban said that Hungary could only count on itself for protection.

While Orban attended the ceremony, lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party approved new rules which further limit the rights of asylum-seekers and give police more power to send migrants back to Serbia.

___

10:25 a.m.

Europe's top court has ruled that European Union member states aren't obliged to grant humanitarian visas to people who want to enter their territory to apply for asylum.

The decision announced Tuesday came after a Belgian court in October ordered the government to give humanitarian visas to a family in war-torn Syria.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that allowing people to choose where to get international protection would undermine the EU system establishing which country should handle asylum applications.

But the Luxembourg-based court said member state courts remain free to grant the visas under national law.

Friends in Belgium had offered to lodge and feed the family, believed still to be in Syria. The government fears that granting visas would open the floodgates to more applications.

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo Hungarian soldiers, front, and police officers patrol at the transit zone at Hungary's southern border with Serbia near Tompa, 169 km southeast of Budapest, Hungary. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants, many of whom are Muslims. (Sandor Ujvari/MTI via AP, file)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Russia on Tuesday rejected allegations that it sponsors terrorism by funneling arms and money to separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine and is also responsible for discriminating against ethnic groups in Crimea.

Roman Kolodkin, the legal director of Russia's foreign ministry, said that a case filed by Ukraine at the International Court of Justice making the allegations is an attempt to draw the court into ruling on "issues between Ukraine and Russia that are clearly beyond the court's jurisdiction in this case."

The opening of a legal front in the long-running dispute between Moscow and Kiev comes as clashes continue between rebels and Ukrainian forces in conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.

Relatives of the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, MH17, are interviewed while protesting outside the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, where Ukraine takes Russia to court on allegations of financing terrorism and racial discrimination against ethnic groups in Crimea. Russia says that the United Nations' highest judicial body does not have jurisdiction to rule on Ukrainian allegations that Moscow sponsors terrorism by funneling arms and money to separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)

Kiev wants the world court to rule that Russia is breaching treaties on terrorist financing and racial discrimination. Hearings this week are focused on Ukraine's request for the court to issue "provisional measures" including an order for Moscow to halt financing to rebels in eastern Ukraine and to stop discriminating against non-Russians in Crimea.

As part of its main case, Ukraine also wants the court to order Russia to pay reparations for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

International investigators have concluded that the Buk missile was fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there, a finding that Moscow rejects.

Parents of victims of the downing demonstrated outside the court Tuesday, setting up signs calling for "Justice for MH17."

"The message is a very simple one: We are asking for the truth regarding the MH17 disaster," said Thomas Schansman, whose 18-year-old son Quinn, a joint Dutch-American national, was killed. "We are asking the Russian government to take responsibility finally for what they did."

Samuel Wordsworth, a lawyer representing Russia, told judges in the ornate Peace Palace that there was no evidence linking Russia to the downing of the aircraft. "There is no evidence, plausible or otherwise, that Russia provided weaponry to any party with the intent or knowledge that such weaponry be used to shoot down civilian aircraft," he said.

Lawyers for Russia said that no international organizations monitoring clashes between rebels and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine have characterized acts such as indiscriminate shelling as terrorism, and added that Ukrainian forces also were responsible for such shelling in rebel-held regions. They also rejected claims that Russia discriminates against Tatars in Crimea.

The main case will likely take years to resolve. Judges are expected to take weeks to rule on the request for interim measures.

Roman Kolodkin, head of the legal department of the Russian Foreign Affairs ministry, left, looks at the Ukraine delegation table at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, March 6, 2017. Ukraine is taking Russia to the United Nations' highest judicial organ, accusing Moscow of financing separatist rebels and racially discriminating against ethnic Tartars and Ukrainians in the annexed Crimea peninsula. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Olena Zerkal, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister, left, shakes hands with Roman Kolodkin, head of the legal department of the Russian Foreign Affairs ministry, at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, March 6, 2017. Ukraine is taking Russia to the United Nations' highest judicial organ, accusing Moscow of financing separatist rebels and racially discriminating against ethnic Tartars and Ukrainians in the annexed Crimea peninsula. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Roman Kolodkin, head of the legal department of the Russian Foreign Affairs ministry, right, looks at Olena Zerkal, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister, left, at the start of proceedings at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, March 6, 2017, where Ukraine is taking Russia to the United Nations' highest judicial organ, accusing Moscow of financing separatist rebels and racially discriminating against ethnic Tartars and Ukrainians in the annexed Crimea peninsula. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Presiding judge Ronny Abraham of France, second right, enters the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, March 6, 2017, where Ukraine is taking Russia to the United Nations' highest judicial organ, accusing Moscow of financing separatist rebels and racially discriminating against ethnic Tartars and Ukrainians in the annexed Crimea peninsula. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for steering Britain out of the European Union ran into more opposition Tuesday as Parliament's unelected House of Lords approved legislative changes restricting the government's room to maneuver in divorce talks.

Parliament's upper chamber voted for a bill authorizing the start of exit negotiations, but with an amendment requiring lawmakers, not just the government, to approve Britain's exit deal with the EU.

The 366-268 vote is a headache, but not a roadblock, for the government. The bill now returns to the elected House of Commons, which can - and likely will - undo the change next week.

FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, March 1, 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament. The British government appears to be facing more opposition to its plans for leaving the European Union, as it seems likely Tuesday March 7, 2017, that Parliament's unelected House of Lords may pass an amendment to require Parliament to approve Britain's exit deal with the EU. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, FILE)

May's Conservative Party has a majority in the Commons, but not the Lords.

The House of Lords inserted another change into the bill last week, promising that EU citizens living in Britain can stay after the U.K. leaves the bloc. It, too, is likely to be reversed.

Brexit Secretary David Davis accused some members of the Lords of trying to frustrate the government's aim of "negotiating a new partnership with the EU" following last year's national referendum in which Britons narrowly voted to leave the bloc.

"We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons," he said.

May has promised that Parliament will get a vote on Britain's EU exit terms - but only on a "take it or leave it" basis. If lawmakers reject the agreement she obtains, the U.K. could stumble out of the EU without any deal in place. That's not good enough for many pro-European legislators.

Michael Heseltine, a former Conservative Cabinet minister, said Britain faces "the most momentous peacetime decision of our time."

Giving lawmakers a vote on the terms of Brexit would ensure "that Parliament has the critical role in determining the future that we will bequeath to generations of young people," Heseltine said.

Supporters of the government argue that giving Parliament a veto on the exit deal would encourage the EU to offer Britain bad divorce terms, because lawmakers could always send May back to the bargaining table.

May wants to invoke Article 50 of the EU's key treaty, triggering two years of exit negotiations, by March 31. She can't do that until Parliament passes legislation sanctioning the move, and pro-EU lawmakers have been determined to put obstacles in the government's path.

Back-and-forth between the Commons and the Lords - a process known as "parliamentary ping pong" - could delay passage of the legislation and potentially threaten May's timetable for starting EU exit talks.
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli police official says Israeli investigators questioned Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in the U.S. last week as part of a corruption investigation into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The police official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with police regulations.

The investigation, dubbed "File 1000," reportedly concerns claims that Netanyahu improperly accepted lavish gifts from wealthy supporters, including Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.

The Netanyahus are said to have received more than $100,000 worth of cigars and liquor from Milchan. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing.

Israeli police questioned Milchan once before while he visited Israel.

Police questioned Netanyahu for a fourth time in corruption investigations concerning his ties with Milchan as well as top executives in media and international business, according to media reports.
BANGKOK (AP) - In a decision welcomed by rights groups, Thailand's military on Tuesday withdrew criminal complaints against three human rights activists who issued a report alleging torture by security forces in the country's insurgency-plagued south.

"We have withdrawn the lawsuit," said Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the military's Internal Security Operations Command, the department that filed the charges. "We want cooperation between NGOs and officials to be able to move forward in the future."

The activists' report detailed 54 accounts of alleged torture by officials during interrogations in southern Thailand. The three human rights defenders, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Anchana Heemima, and Somchai Homla-or, published the report and posted it online in February 2016.

The military's security command is largely responsible for overseeing efforts to quell a Muslim separatist insurgency in Buddhist-dominated Thailand's far southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. The violence has taken about 7,000 lives since escalating dramatically in 2004.

"There is no hidden agenda," said Maj. Gen. Chinnawat Mandech, deputy director of the command's southern zone. "We want to work together to stop the issue of violence. There is no point in us working separately when we are trying to achieve the same goals."

Activist Somchai told reporters that he did not think officials would turn a blind eye to the report's allegations, "but we will work together to better understand them."

"If there are officials who really have done something wrong, they need to be processed by the law," he said. "There will also be changes to compensate those who have been victims of violation. This is not limited only to cases of those who have been mistreated by officials but also applies to those who have been impacted by the violence. "

His fellow activist, Pornpen, said the decision "could be an example for others in terms of cooperation and reconciliation in Thai society."

Thailand's military government has repeatedly come under pressure from rights groups for alleged abuses of power including overzealous prosecution of critics. Other human rights defenders remain under threat of imprisonment.

Several rights groups welcomed the military's decision to withdraw the criminal complaints of defamation and violating the computer law.

"Today's developments are very positive, and we encourage the government of Thailand to take additional steps to strengthen measures to protect activists carrying out human rights reporting and monitoring," said Laurent Meillan, officer-in-charge at the Southeast Asia regional office of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He urged authorities to drop similar charges against other human rights defenders.

A similar call was issued by the London-based human rights group Amnesty International, which also urged Thai authorities to reform or repeal repressive laws such as criminal defamation.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the report was released in February 2016 instead of January 2016.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill to restore the death penalty by hanging, lethal injection or firing squad for drug offenses despite opposition from the influential Roman Catholic church and human rights groups.

The House said 216 members approved the proposed legislation, 54 voted against it and one abstained Tuesday, bringing nearer to reality President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promise to restore capital punishment for hardcore criminals, especially drug traffickers.

The death penalty could have been applicable for several crimes, including economic plunder in a country rife with corruption scandals, under earlier House bill versions but lawmakers later agreed to allow it only for drug offenses, including production and trafficking.

Protesters lie on the streets as they shout slogans during a rally outside the House of Representatives in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Various rights groups held demonstrations to oppose the revival of the death penalty by the Philippine Congress. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

House bill 4727 must be merged with the version being deliberated in the Senate and then signed by Duterte to become a law. Both chambers of Congress are dominated by Duterte's allies.

Proponents argue the death penalty would help combat the drug menace, which Duterte has elevated to a national security threat. His anti-drug crackdown has left thousands of drug suspects dead since he took office in June.

Opponents led by the dominant Catholic church held an anti-death penalty rally attended by more than 10,000 people in Manila three weeks ago. More than 200 activists protested against the death penalty outside the House as lawmakers voted on the bill Tuesday.

"The death penalty is an abhorrent punishment. It forecloses the reformation of the convict. It victimizes the poor. It is not the solution to criminality," Rep. Edcel Lagman, a key critic of the bill, said Tuesday. Rep. Tom Villarin cited corruption among law enforcers and weaknesses in the country's judicial system to vote against the bill.

Capital punishment has long been a divisive issue in the Philippines, Asia's bastion of Catholicism that has also grappled with widespread crime. It was abolished in 1987 but restored in 1993 for heinous crimes such as murder, child rape and kidnapping. Seven people were executed then.

Then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo again abolished the death penalty in 2006. Now the deputy House speaker, she voted against its reimposition, despite a threat from House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a key Duterte ally, to strip lawmakers of committee chairmanships and other key posts if they vote against the bill.

A protester holds a slogan during a rally outside the House of Representatives in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Various rights and church groups held demonstrations to oppose the revival of the death penalty by the Philippine Congress. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
NEW YORK (AP) - "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson says he has quit drugs and is "happy and sober for the first time in eight years."

Davidson made the announcement on his Instagram account . He says he has been missing from the show and from social media and wanted to let people know that he's OK. He says getting clean "wasn't easy," but he says he has "a great girl, great friends" and considers himself "a lucky man." He adds that "it's nice to be back in action."

At 23, Davidson is SNL's youngest cast member.

FILE - In this March 14, 2015, file photo, Pete Davidson speaks at a Comedy Central Roast at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. The "Saturday Night Live" cast member said on Instagram Monday, March 6, 2017, that he he has quit drugs and is "happy and sober for the first time in 8 years." (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

He has been open about his drug use in the past. He told High Times last year that he depended on marijuana to help manage pain from Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Latest on wildfires burning across the country's midsection (all times local):

9:20 p.m.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency in 22 counties due to wildfires.

A National Guard helicopter flies to pick up water from a farm pond near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Emergency crews on Tuesday struggled to contain deadly wildfires that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the wind-whipped flames. The fires were burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that fire conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

The order issued Tuesday allows state agencies to make emergency purchases needed to deliver necessary resources to local jurisdictions and is the first step toward possibly seeking federal assistance.

Fallin's office said in a news release that up to 465 square miles have burned in Beaver, Harper and Woodward counties in northwestern Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle. The release says dangerous fire conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday. Counties included in the declaration range from the Panhandle across the northern tier of the state from northwestern to northeastern Oklahoma.

The order is in effect for 30 days and can be amended to include additional counties, if necessary.

___

6:30 p.m.

Officials say one of three wildfires in the Texas Panhandle is now 100 percent contained.

The Texas A&M Forest Service says a fire measuring about 46 square miles near Amarillo was fully contained by late Tuesday afternoon.

Another fire that's burned more than 492 square miles in the northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border is 50 percent contained. It's destroyed two homes.

A third wildfire south in Gray County and measuring nearly 145 square miles is 25 percent contained.

Phillip Truitt, a spokesman for the Texas A&M Forest Service, says his agency has confirmed three firefighters were injured battling the blazes. All have been released from hospitals.

Truitt says the death toll in Texas remains at four: three deaths in Gray County and one in Hemphill County.

___

4:35 p.m.

A forecaster says conditions should improve a bit in the coming days for firefighters battling blazes in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Colorado.

Bill Bunting, the forecast operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said the powerful wind gusts that have helped the wildfires spread quickly will die down to around 10 to 20 mph on Wednesday. He says temperatures should top off in the 70s.

Bunting says cold and rainy weather would be ideal, but the region isn't going to get it.

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4:15 p.m.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is urging people not to burn anything outside or have barbeques because of the dangers of fires across the state.

Brownback noted during a news conference Tuesday that 98 percent of the state is under a warning for extreme fire danger.

Kansas officials say about 625 square miles of land in the state has burned and they are worried that more wildfires might ignite Wednesday.

Brownback also urged people in the nine counties where fires are burning not to travel if they can avoid it. State officials don't have any damage estimates yet, but Brownback says he's worried there could be significant losses of livestock.

___

3:10 p.m.

Authorities say an Oklahoma woman had a fatal heart attack while trying to save her farm from a wildfire, raising the four-state wildfire death toll to six.

Harper County Emergency Management Director Dale Spradlin says the 63-year-old woman was fighting the fire Monday with her husband on their farm near Buffalo when she suffered an apparent heart attack.

The woman's name wasn't released.

Spradlin estimates that the fire has burned just more than 155 square miles. A separate blaze has burned an estimated 390 square miles in neighboring Beaver County and about 550 square miles across the state border in Clark County, Kansas.

Authorities also blame wildfires for the deaths of four people in Texas and one in Kansas.

___

2:25 p.m.

Oklahoma authorities have lifted evacuation orders pertaining to the wildfires in the state.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Tuesday orders were lifted for parts of Woodward, Harper and Beaver counties and that it doesn't know of any other evacuation orders still in place in the state.

Oklahoma Forestry Commission fire management chief Mark Goeller says the largest fire burned about 390 square miles in Beaver County. The same fire scorched about 550 square miles across the border in Clark County, Kansas.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reports that U.S. Highway 283 and 183 in Beaver County were closed Tuesday because of smoke from fires in the area.

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2:15 p.m.

Gov. Sam Brownback says Kansas has asked Wyoming and South Dakota for equipment to help fight wildfires that have burned hundreds of square miles of land in his state.

Brownback told reporters Tuesday that 10 communities in the state saw residents evacuated at least temporarily Monday and Tuesday as fires burned about 625 square miles.

Most the area burned was in Clark County, in southern Kansas. But between 10,000 and 12,000 people left their homes in Reno County because of a fire north of Hutchinson, which is about 40 miles northwest of Wichita.

Brownback says Kansas is asking Wyoming to send helicopters for dropping water and South Dakota to send communications equipment.

He's says he's concerned that the dry, windy conditions will continue for another day or two and could return later in the spring.

___

2 p.m.

Officials say the largest of three wildfires in the Texas Panhandle is now 50 percent contained.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said earlier Tuesday that the fire in the northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border was only about 5 percent contained. But it says firefighters have since broadened their containment, aided in part by weaker winds.

Fire officials say the wildfire is much larger than originally thought. They say it's burned about 460 square miles, up from earlier estimates of 156 square miles.

It's one of the three wildfires in the Panhandle, with one just south in Gray County and another to the west near Amarillo. Wildfires are also burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado.

___

12:50 p.m.

Authorities say one of the three wildfires in the Texas Panhandle is about three times larger than they had thought.

Phillip Truitt, a spokesman for the Texas A&M Forest Service, says the fire in the northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border has burned about 460 square miles of land, not the 156 square miles officials estimated earlier Tuesday.

He says authorities were finally able to fly over the area to get a more accurate sense of the damage.

The fire is only about 5 percent contained but the winds have died down since Monday.

Local officials estimate that a separate fire to the south has burned about 100,000 acres, or roughly 156 square miles. But Truitt says the state Forest Service hasn't yet given its own assessment.

A third, smaller fire near Amarillo was about 75 percent contained.

Authorities say four people have died in the two larger wildfires.

___

11:50 a.m.

Authorities say about 70 structures have been damaged or destroyed in Kansas as crews battle wildfires that have burned about 625 square miles in the state.

The State Emergency Operations Center said Tuesday that at least 30 homes are destroyed in Reno County, with the possibility that more are damaged. Crews have been unable to assess damages because of the fire in the area about 40 miles northwest of Wichita.

The heaviest damage has been in Clark County on the state's southern border with Oklahoma, where about 545 square miles have burned. About 30 structures and bridges in the county have been damaged.

In the western part of the state, seven homes in Ford County, two homes in Rooks County and a bridge in Meade County were destroyed.

Fires also are burning in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado.

___

11:40 a.m.

Authorities say wildfires in the Texas Panhandle have claimed another life, bringing the four-state death count from wildfires to five.

Hemphill County Judge George Briant said Tuesday that the fourth death in the Texas Panhandle was caused by a blaze near the Oklahoma border that has burned 156 square miles of land. That fire was only about 5 percent contained Tuesday morning.

Authorities said earlier Tuesday that three ranch hands were killed by another fire in the Panhandle. Gray County emergency management coordinator Sandi Martin identified the three as Emmert Sloan, Cody Crockett and Sydney Wallace. She says Crockett and Wallace were in their early 20s and Sloan's age was not known.

The fifth death was that of an Oklahoma truck driver who was killed by smoke inhalation on a highway in southern Kansas.

The fires in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado have driven thousands of people from their homes and scorched hundreds of square miles of land.

___

10:30 a.m.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says the state faces a few more days of dry, windy weather that has made battling wildfires more difficult.

Brownback said Tuesday that Kansas is seeing dry conditions across the state. He made his comments in a video posted on the state Division of Emergency Management's Facebook page.

Between 10,000 and 12,000 people left their homes Monday night in Reno County in central Kansas. Hundreds of other people were evacuated in other counties as fires burned 625 square miles.

Brownback said good weather last year caused grasses to grow, creating tinder when the weather became dry and windy.

He said in such weather, firefighters suppress blazes, only to see the wind switch directions and have fires break out again.

___

10:20 a.m.

Firefighters have lost some ground against a grass fire burning on the plains of northeastern Colorado.

The fire in rural Logan County near the Nebraska border was considered 90 percent contained on Monday evening, but managers on Tuesday revised that figure to 50 percent after some flare ups.

The fire has burned more than 45 square miles and destroyed three homes.

An unknown number of nearby residents have been warned to be ready to evacuate if the fire spreads toward them. The warnings were sent to 900 telephone numbers.

Three schools were evacuated because of the fire on Monday but no one took advantage of a Red Cross shelter set up for potential evacuees.

Wildfires are also burning in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma and have killed at least four people.

___

9:50 a.m.

Authorities say a wildfire has killed an Oklahoma truck driver in Kansas.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 39-year-old Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, jackknifed Monday while trying to back up his tractor-trailer on highway 34 in Clark County because of poor visibility and dust from the fires. The patrol says he succumbed to smoke when he got out of his vehicle.

Clark County, which is on Kansas' southern border with Oklahoma, is the hardest hit by wildfires that have consumed an estimated 625 square miles in the state. State officials say 545 square miles of the burned land was in the county.

Wildfires are also burning in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, where a blaze killed three ranch hands on Monday.

____

9:35 a.m.

Authorities say a wildfire killed three ranch hands in the Texas Panhandle who were trying to usher cattle away from the flames.

Gray County Judge Richard Peet said Tuesday that the two men and the woman were killed by a wildfire that flared Monday afternoon.

Peet, the county's top administrator, says one of the three apparently died of smoke inhalation late Monday while the other two suffered severe burns and died while being taken to hospitals. Peet says winds of more than 55 mph fanned the flames.

The Gray County fire was separate from one to the west near Amarillo and from another much larger one just to the north near the Oklahoma border that has burned 156 square miles of land.

____

8:35 a.m.

Authorities say wildfires have burned about 625 square miles in Kansas, damaging dozens of structures and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Kansas Department of Emergency Management Katie Horner says 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily evacuated their homes Monday night in Reno County. She says 66 people were in shelters Tuesday in Hutchinson as crews continued fighting fires that started over the weekend.

The largest of the blazes was burning in rural southwest Kansas' Clark County, where about 545 square miles has burned. Horner says 30 structures have been damaged, and bridges have been compromised. That fire is now 61 percent contained.

Evacuations also have been ordered in Russell, and Comanche counties.

Horner says all but four of the state's 105 counties are under red-flag warnings of critical wildfire conditions.

___

8:25 a.m.

Authorities say as many as four firefighters have been hurt battling fires in the Texas Panhandle.

Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Phillip Truitt says the four were hurt Monday as one fire intensified near Amarillo and another larger one spread in the far northeast corner of the Panhandle near the Oklahoma border.

Truitt said Tuesday that one of the firefighters injured worked for Pantex, the nuclear facility northeast of Amarillo, and the other for a volunteer department in the region. He provided no details on the nature of their injuries.

It was not immediately clear how the other firefighters were hurt or the extent of their injuries.

Truitt says the larger fire covers some 156 square miles near the Oklahoma border.

___

6:40 a.m.

Wildfires burning in Colorado, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have forced evacuations and destroyed several buildings.

A pair of fires in the Texas Panhandle burned more than 100 square miles. One of the blazes near Amarillo threatened about 150 homes.

In Colorado, a fire in rural Logan County burned more than 45 square miles, forced the evacuation of three schools and threatened as many as 900 homes. The Logan County Emergency Management Office said at least four structures, including three homes, were destroyed.

In Kansas, wind-blown fires, some originating in Oklahoma, forced the evacuations of several small towns and the closure of some roads, including a couple of short stretches of Interstate 70. Crews used two Black Hawk helicopters Monday to dump water on some of the Kansas fires.

Cattle graze by a wildfire near Protection, Kan., early Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closure of some roads. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansas State Fairgounds as a grassfire continues to rage north of Hutchinson, Kan. (Katy Kildee/The Hutchinson News via AP)

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

A tree burns as firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

A National Guard helicopter drops water on trees on the west side of the Highlands in Hutchinson, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017. Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of two towns and the closure of some roads. (Lindsey Bauman/The Hutchinson News via AP)

A National Guard helicopter flies over the Highlands in Hutchinson, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017, as efforts continue to extinguish a grass fire. (Lindsey Bauman/The Hutchinson News via AP)

A National Guard helicopter picks up water from the Gravel & Concrete Inc. sandpit on Monday, March 6, 2017, in Nickerson, Kan. The helicopters were conducting water airdrops on hotspots and smoldering tree rows Monday in the Highlands subdivision north of Hutchinson. (Lindsey Bauman/The Hutchinson News via AP)

Wildfires swept by high winds burn near Protection, Kan., early Tuesday, March 7, 2017. The Wichita Eagle reported that Protection, a resident community in Comanche County, was evacuated Monday evening. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

A cow grazes by a wildfire near Protection, Kan., early Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closure of some roads. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

Travis Pohlman checks for hot spots in the trees along Dull Knife Drive in the Highlands community area north of Hutchinson, Kan., on Monday, March 6, 2017. Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closure of some roads, including a couple of short stretches of Interstate 70. (Lindsey Bauman/The Hutchinson News via AP)

A National Guard helicopter carries water to a wildfire near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Emergency crews on Tuesday struggled to contain deadly wildfires that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the wind-whipped flames. The fires were burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that fire conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A National Guard helicopter flies past a silo while picking up water from a farm pond near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Emergency crews on Tuesday struggled to contain deadly wildfires that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the wind-whipped flames. The fires were burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that fire conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A National Guard helicopter picks up water from a farm pond near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Emergency crews on Tuesday struggled to contain deadly wildfires that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the wind-whipped flames. The fires were burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that fire conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A National Guard helicopter picks up water from a farm pond near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Emergency crews on Tuesday struggled to contain deadly wildfires that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the wind-whipped flames. The fires were burning in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that fire conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
PARIS (AP) - A zoo director says a 5-year-old rhinoceros at the wildlife park he runs near Paris has been shot three times in the head by assailants who stole the animal's horn.

Thierry Duguet told The Associated Press that poachers broke into the Thoiry Zoo overnight and used a chain saw to remove the horn from the rhino named Vince. Zookeepers discovered his carcass Tuesday in the rhinoceros' enclosure.

Duguet says police are investigating and the suspects still are at large.

This undated photo provided Tuesday March 7, 2017 by the Thoiry zoo shows the rhinoceros Vince, center, at the zoo, west of Paris. A zoo director says a five-year-old Rhinoceros living in the wildlife park he runs near Paris has been shot three times in the head by poachers who stole its ivory horn. (Domaine de Thoiry via AP)

The Thoiry Zoo is famous for its safari park that can only be explored from inside a vehicle.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, a rhinoceros horn can be sold for up to 40,000 euros on the black market because of a strong demand linked to the belief that the horns have aphrodisiac powers.

___

This version has been corrected to remove reference to Vince's horn being made of ivory; rhino horns are primarily made of keratin.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Hailed nationally as a success story on school choice, Hartford in the two decades since a desegregation order has seen growing racial integration and new levels of academic achievement. That is, at least for students who win seats at magnet schools through a lottery.

Traditional public schools still educate about half the city's children, but they are not moving in the same direction. The schools serve disproportionately more students from disadvantaged backgrounds, have lower graduation rates and their racial isolation remains as severe as ever.

With U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stressing alternatives to traditional public schools, Hartford illustrates a key challenge: how to manage the loss of students, and the funding that goes with them, for the schools and communities left behind.

In this Feb. 23, 2017 photo, Natalie Langlaise snaps the jacket of her son Justin outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Hartford, Conn. The city of Hartford has been hailed nationally as a school choice success story. Its magnet schools have promoted racial integration and new levels of academic achievement. For traditional public schools, such as Martin Luther King Jr., it's a different story. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The disparities pain parents like Natalie Langlaise, whose 8-year-old son Justin attends the dilapidated Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. A proposal to shutter the hollowed-out, 1920s-era Gothic hilltop school building has only heightened a sense of neglect among many in the poor, largely African-American neighborhood.

"School days are supposed to be happy days," Langlaise said. "It's like, 'Come on man, our kids deserve it, too.'"

A poor city in a wealthy state, Connecticut's capital city responded to the 1996 Sheff v. O'Neill desegregation ruling with market-oriented solutions. The legislature created a network of magnet schools and school choice options to attract a mix of city children and suburban whites. The lottery system was needed because of strong demand for the new options, but critics complain it reinforces a two-tiered system, with one for traditional public school kids and another for those at their school of choice.

In the aggregate, officials say, students today are better off. The graduation rate for the 21,000-student Hartford Public Schools system has risen from 29 percent to 71 percent. While the improvements have not been evenly shared, Hartford School Board Chairman Richard Wareing likens the moral dilemmas of school choice to those posed by the board game Lifeboat.

"I know I'm helping somebody, but if somebody else is being left behind, how do I decide?" he said. "Is it the greatest good for the most people? For the most promising? For the most marginalized?"

The lottery and investment in magnet and charter schools have been sore subjects in some corners for years, but the tension became more visible in protests over the push to close the MLK school, which fell into disrepair. The district agreed to leave it open at least another year, but last fall consultants also suggested closing it, along with other north end schools, based on factors including academic performance and shrinking enrollment.

The Rev. Maurice Porter, of the nearby Shiloh Baptist Church, has begun addressing in his preaching and Bible studies the injustices he sees in local schools. While families of students who win a seat through the lottery at Capital Preparatory Magnet School feel as though they got into Harvard, he sees others stressed by a shortage of options.

"The system is tainted," he said.

Langlaise, a single mother and college student, enjoys the sense of community at the MLK school. But for her it's not just the state of the building that shows neglect. At a school that relies on donations from churches and community groups for things like tissues, winter clothing for disadvantaged kids and after-school care, she sees it in the absence of art clubs, dance classes or other offerings beyond the basics.

"I love the idea of magnets and charters," she said. "But I want a win-win."

Nationally, the Hartford experience echoes that of many other American cities including Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit, where enrollment in traditional public schools has been dropping due partly to students leaving under school choice. Although enrollment at the MLK school, for one, is only about half of what it was a decade ago, it doesn't cost any less to maintain the campus.

The needs of the students, many living in extreme poverty, also weigh heavily on the neighborhood schools. A self-selecting group applies through the lottery, and special needs students and English language learners do not pursue seats at the magnet schools in the same numbers as others.

And while the award-winning magnets have succeeded in creating alternatives to low-performing, segregated schools, the high percentages of blacks and Hispanics concentrated in neighborhood schools have barely budged. From 2002 to 2013, the average size of a Hartford magnet school grew from 357 to 483 pupils, with average white enrollment rising from 35 to 123. At traditional schools, over the same period, average enrollment dropped from 625 to 411 pupils, with the average number of whites falling from 28 to 20.

There are also persistent allegations that magnet schools weed out and send back students who are behaviorally or academically unfit. Wareing said he understands the practice was once more common, but he does not know of any study on the claims.

"The system we are in now perpetuates junk drawers," said Aldwin Allen, a north Hartford parent who sent his own children to magnet schools and directs school-based services for the Village for Children and Families. "The things we throw into this drawer are children."

So how can Hartford even out the disparities?

Wareing, the school board chairman, said the first step would be to have magnet schools take in a higher, proportionate share of high-needs students. One possibility is to have families opt out of the lottery, rather than opting in, although he noted the school board does not control the lottery and any changes would have to consider the regional desegregation effort.

"You cannot expect a school that has a hyper concentration of high-needs students," he said, "to be able to accomplish the same kind of things that a school with a much, much lower percentage of needs student will be able to accomplish."

___

Associated Press data journalist Larry Fenn in New York contributed to this report.

In this Feb. 23, 2017 photo, Justin Beckles works on a project in his third-grade classroom at the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Hartford, Conn. A proposal to shutter the hollowed-out, 1920s-era Gothic hilltop school building has only heightened a sense of neglect among many in the poor, largely African-American neighborhood. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
SPRING GROVE, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania politician who apologized for criticizing a church that wished Muslims a "blessed Ramadan" is under fire again - this time for a slur referring to Mexicans on his Twitter page.

Spring Grove school board member Matthew Jansen insisted his Twitter account was hacked and he was not responsible for the slur in a response to an illegal immigration article on Feb. 6.

More than 50 people attended Monday night's school board meeting to demand his resignation, some holding signs reading "Jansen resign now" and "No place for hate."

Jansen acknowledged in February that he might have used the slur previously, but he would never use that language now. He said he's had a change of heart since the uproar over his Muslim criticism last summer. The tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted.

School board president Cindy Huber gave a statement before the public-comment portion of Monday's meeting explaining that the board can't force a member to resign and distancing the board from Jansen's personal social media activity.

After the meeting, Jansen said he will not resign.

Last June, Jansen called St. Paul's United Church of Christ, in Dallastown, to complain about a message on its sign "Wishing a blessed Ramadan to our Muslim neighbors." The Rev. Christopher Rodkey said the caller termed the sign "despicable" and referred to Islam as a "godless" and "pagan" religion. Jansen, who also was an elected delegate to the Republican National Convention, also posted a photo of the sign on social media with the church's phone number.

He apologized for what he called "venting" and later attended a worship service and dined at a Harrisburg mosque.

He told members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that his remarks were part of a "knee-jerk reaction."
BANGOR, Maine (AP) - Best-selling author Stephen King is proving he can cook up a short story about President Donald Trump in 130-character increments.

King took to Twitter over the weekend to ridicule Trump's claim that his predecessor tapped the phones at Trump Tower before the election.

The horror writer from Maine concocted a mocking scenario of former President Barack Obama wearing a utility worker's coveralls to tap phones in Trump Tower while Obama's wife, Michelle, served as lookout. King joked that Obama was still in the White House closet - armed with scissors.

King was so angry over Trump's election that he took a brief break from Twitter. Since his return, Trump has been a frequent target of King's.
LONDON (AP) - A former British spy who compiled an explosive and unproven dossier on President Donald Trump's purported activities in Russia has returned to work.

Christopher Steele said Tuesday he is "really pleased" to be back in his London office after a prolonged period out of public view. He went into hiding in January after his name was published in connection with the dossier.

The 52-year-old runs London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, a private security firm. He made a statement outside the firm's central London office.

Christopher Steele, former British intelligence officer in London Tuesday March 7, 2017 where he has spoken to the media for the first time . Steele who compiled an explosive and unproven dossier on President Donald Trump's purported activities in Russia has returned to work. Christopher Steele said Tuesday he is "really pleased" to be back at work in London after a prolonged period out of public view. He went into hiding in January. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)

"I'm now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here," he said without addressing the Trump dossier.

He thanked the public for its support and said he won't be making any further comments.

Trump has described the lurid reports in the dossier as "phony allegations" concocted by his political opponents.

The dossier was reportedly produced as opposition research for the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

It contains unproven allegations of coordination between Trump's advisers and Russians on hacking the emails of prominent Democrats and claims about sexual activities.

The 35-page dossier was circulated in political and media circles in the United States but was not published for some time because the information could not be verified.

The entire contents became public in January when it was published by BuzzFeed.

The Associated Press has not authenticated the claims.
PARIS (AP) - The prosecutor's office for the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis said that some 50 young people have been detained for allegedly throwing stones at police cars, setting fires and lobbing smoke bombs into a school.

Police rounded up the youths on Tuesday morning and were questioning them.

The prosecutor's office says investigators must ascertain whether each of those arrested was involved in the unrest, which began at the school. The group can be held for 24 hours.

The prosecutor's office says it is unusual to detain such a large number of suspects at once. There was no clear information about a possible motive.

One hypothesis linked the turmoil to ongoing outrage over the Feb. 2 assault of a young man who was allegedly raped with a police baton.
LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - A second trial for the father of a 4-year-old boy who died after the boy's stepmother put him in a scalding bath has been declared a mistrial after the father got sick in court.

Robert Ritchie became ill Tuesday as the doctor who performed the child's autopsy testified. Court officials say Ritchie began to vomit when the autopsy photos were shown and was taken to a hospital.

Prosecutors contend the 31-year-old Ritchie failed to get medical treatment that could have saved Austin Cooper's life. The defense has said Ritchie's wife covered up her crime.

Ritchie pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges. His first trial ended in a mistrial when Warren County jurors couldn't reach a verdict in December.

A new trial is set for Aug. 21.
TUNBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) - Residents of four small Vermont towns on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly against a massive development by a Utah businessman that is based on the papers of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, who was born in the area.

The votes in Tunbridge, Royalton, Sharon and Strafford took place on the annual Town Meeting day.

David Hall's family foundation NewVistas has been buying land near Smith's birthplace in Sharon, Vermont, to build - years in the future - what the foundation's website says is an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable development with housing for 20,000 people, offices, gardens, 48 basketball courts and 48 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Residents line up to vote at the annual Town Meeting Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Tunbridge, Vt. The town voted overwhelming against a large-scale development by a Utah businessman that would be based on the papers of Mormon leader Joseph Smith. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

He has said the community wouldn't be based on religion and would be open to anyone.

Many residents in the rural, mountainous region with a total population of about 6,600 think such a large-scale development would change the character of their small communities, tax resources and limit access to recreational areas and mountain views.

"The NewVistas development threatens what many Vermonters hold most dear, which is strong communities and local control over governance," Michael Sacca, president of the nonprofit Alliance for Vermont Communities, told fellow Tunbridge residents before the vote.

The nonbinding resolution against it "will tell our local, state officials and our neighbors and especially David Hall how we, the voters of our town, feel about this development," he said.

Resident Bob Dunkle, who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, warned that he's seen sprawling developments out West and doesn't want that to happen in his town.

"It's more like a family community than anything else, but you will lose that identity if you don't do something quickly and take this guy seriously," he told the crowd. "He doesn't intend to stop. And he hasn't asked for anyone's permission, and he really doesn't care what your opinion is."

Hall didn't immediately return a phone call or email seeking comment. He has said he expected locals to be opposed but hope they will grow more accustomed to the idea as they see other such developments built.

Last year, he said the family foundation was also pursuing NewVistas developments in Nevada, China, India and Bhutan, but he would not disclose the exact locations.

So far, the foundation has bought about 1,500 acres in central Vermont and plans to buy more.

"No actions by any group will dissuade us from continuing to purchasing land as it becomes available and as we have budget," he said in January.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Royalton, not South Royalton, voted on the plan.

An assortment of pies sits ready for residents to enjoy at the annual Town Meeting Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Tunbridge, Vt. The town voted overwhelming against a large-scale development by a Utah businessman that would be based on the papers of Mormon leader Joseph Smith. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Ted Hoyt talks to fellow residents at the annual Town Meeting Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Tunbridge, Vt. The town voted overwhelming against a large-scale development by a Utah businessman that would be based on the papers of Mormon leader Joseph Smith. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
MIAMI (AP) - President Donald Trump targeted the wrong president Tuesday when he criticized the Obama administration for releasing "122 vicious prisoners" from the Guantanamo Bay detention center who later resumed militant activities.

The latest report from the office of the director of national intelligence shows that 122 men who were held at the U.S. base in Cuba are confirmed to have re-engaged in hostilities after they were released. But more than 90 percent of those were released by President George W. Bush, the report says.

Every six months, the DNI is required by law to publish statistics on the number of former Guantanamo prisoners either confirmed or suspected of recidivism, a response to congressional fears that potentially dangerous terrorists would be released amid efforts to close the detention center.

FILE - In this June 27, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, U.S. military guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Trump said during last year's presidential campaign that he wants the detention center, often referred to as "Gitmo," to be kept open. At one point, he pledged to "load it up with some bad dudes."

On Tuesday, he said on Twitter that "122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!"

But his statement lumped together the prisoners who were released under Bush and Obama and were later determined to have resumed some association with al-Qaida, the Taliban or some other militant group.

The U.S. opened the detention center on the base in January 2002 to hold and interrogate suspected enemy combatants. At its height in July 2003 it held about 680 prisoners. Over time, a total of nearly 800 passed through the facility.

Most of the releases occurred under Bush, who ultimately agreed the detention center should close. His administration freed 540, sometimes dozens at a time, to countries around the world.

The latest DNI report, from September, concludes that 122 detainees re-engaged in fighting but 113 of them had been released before Obama took office in January 2009. It said an additional 86 detainees are "suspected" of militant activities - again, nearly all freed under Bush.

Lawyers and other advocates for prisoners have disputed the description of men "returning" to the battlefield, arguing that at least some may never have been fighting the U.S. in the first place and could have been radicalized at Guantanamo.

As it sought to close the detention center, the Obama administration tried to minimize the recidivism problem through a "rigorous interagency review process" and parole-style hearings. The administration ultimately failed to close the center, though, because it deemed some detainees not releasable and Congress prohibited moving any of them to the U.S. for any reason. Today there are 41 men left.

Find all AP Fact Checks here: http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
WILLARDS, Md. (AP) - Authorities say a man who barricaded himself in a bedroom and pointed a shotgun at officers was shot in the arm by a Maryland State Police trooper.

Police charged 25-year-old Alex Bartell with attempted murder, assault, false imprisonment and other offenses stemming from the incident in Wicomico County.

Police say officers were sent to a house where Bartell had barricaded himself inside the bedroom with several loaded guns. Bartell's girlfriend, who was in the house with her 3-year-old child, said he'd assaulted her. Police say officers heard Bartell fire several shots, but he didn't hit anyone.

Police say a state trooper shot Bartell just after 2 a.m. Tuesday after Bartell pointed what appeared to be a shotgun at troopers and deputies. The officer has not yet been identified.

Bartell is being treated for his injuries at Shock Trauma. No one else was injured.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The Federal Election Commission is raising questions about last-minute election expenditures by a pro-Donald Trump super PAC that has already acknowledged making mistakes regarding the sources and amounts of its contributions and whose contributors include an L.L. Bean heiress.

The FEC contends the Making Maine Great Again political action committee may have violated rules that give PACs 24 hours to report expenditures of $1,000 or more in the two to 20 days before an election. Previously, the FEC asked the PAC to clarify contributions that appeared to be too large.

L.L. Bean heiress Linda Bean is an outspoken conservative who ran for Congress in 1988 and 1992 and has opposed gay rights legislation, abortion rights and gun control. Her contributions garnered calls for a national boycott of the Freeport-based outdoors retailer and a tweet from Trump supporting the company.

FILE - In this June 2012 file photo, Linda Bean speaks to reporters outside the Cabinet Room after a meeting with Maine Gov. Paul LePage at the State House in Augusta, Maine. The Federal Election Commission is questioning last-minute expenditures by a pro-Donald Trump super PAC linked to Linda Bean. The FEC said the Making Maine Great Again political action committee may have violated rules that give PACs 24 hours to report expenditures right before an election. (Joe Phelan/The Kennebec Journal via AP, File)

The PAC originally reported Linda Bean donated $60,000. Revised reports show she contributed $25,000 while her sister gave $20,000. Another $20,000 came from five other previously undisclosed donors including a Westbrook-based company and the PAC's chairman.

The Associated Press in January brought to light that the FEC was questioning whether Making Maine Great Again was properly registered as a super PAC.

PAC Chairman David Jones contends its paperwork, which it later revised, is now "crystal clear" and all of the donations were legal. He suggested there was confusion over the source of donations because "they came in through wire transfers with no name attached."

"The FEC has reviewed it and given us their blessing," Jones said. "They're 100 percent in our court. They agree it's not a problem, no wrongdoing whatsoever."

The FEC has the power to bring penalties but infrequently does. It assessed nearly $600,000 in civil penalties in 2016 compared with $5.5 million in 2006.

In a letter dated Sunday, the FEC said the PAC failed to promptly report $2,250 in last-minute expenditure reports for Atlantic Coast Radio and Tim Pro Media.

"Although the commission may take further action concerning this matter, your prompt response will be taken into consideration," FEC analyst Kevin Fortkiewicz wrote.

Jones said the PAC will "clarify two small transactions" immediately.

The PAC reported $70,000 in expenditures. That includes roughly $51,000 for radio ads, website work and television ads to Atlantic Coast Radio, ACR host Ray Richardson and a solely owned company he used to buy pro-Trump Time Warner Cable ads for the PAC.

The anti-Trump Grab Your Wallet campaign includes L.L. Bean on its list of companies to boycott. It called for Linda Bean to leave the company's board.

Linda Bean, who remains on the board, didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday. She previously said she donated to the PAC after hearing about vandalism of its signs.

L.L. Bean tries to stay out of politics, and its leaders have made individual donations to both major political parties.

Company president Stephen Smith donated $200 to Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012. Former company president Leon Gorman and his wife donated widely to Democratic, environmental and civic causes.

___

This story has been corrected to show the name of the commission is the Federal Election Commission, not the Federal Elections Commission.
NEW YORK (AP) - Up went the tweet, and down went drug company stocks.

Just before the stock market opened on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he is working on "a new system" to reduce prices. He also said he'll bring "competition" to the drug industry. It's not the first time comments from Trump have had a big effect on pharmaceutical stocks: he hasn't gotten into specifics and investors aren't sure how committed he is to doing something.

In January Trump accused drugmakers of "getting away with murder" on drug prices, and pharmaceutical and biotech stocks fell sharply. Less than three weeks later, he held an apparently friendly sit-down with industry executives at the White House and said he wants to speed up the drug approval process, which could bring costs down for drug companies. The stocks moved higher afterward.

"We certainly lack the understanding of what he wants to do," said Les Funtleyder, health care portfolio manager for E Squared Asset Management. "He keeps making conflicting statements it's hard to really pin him down."

Some of the biggest losses Tuesday went to biotechnology companies, which make drugs that are complicated to engineer and can be extremely expensive. Companies that make generic drugs, generally the least costly pharmaceuticals, also traded lower. Several generic drugmakers are under scrutiny over allegations of price-fixing.

Democrats and a few Republicans in Congress have some ideas that are aimed at reining in drug prices, both before and since Trump's election. They've proposed letting patients import medicines from Canada, where government price controls keep costs much lower, and allowing the federal Medicare plan to negotiate prices for the drugs it buys for seniors.

But bills containing those ideas haven't gone anywhere. That's mainly because of opposition from Congressional Republicans and pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, which is among the top spenders on lobbying Congress.

Top drugmakers have argued for years that any type of price controls would crimp innovation because research is so expensive. Their trade groups are running tear-jerker ad campaigns touting how new drugs help patients with awful diseases.

Patients and politicians have blasted drugmakers over soaring drug prices in the past, but this round of criticism is more intense and it has lasted almost two years.

A key reason is that insurance plans have shifted a bigger portion of drug costs onto patients, and many now have high-deductible plans requiring them to spend thousands of dollars before coverage kicks in.

Meanwhile, prices for many new drugs now top six figures a year, and the prices of older drugs can quickly double or triple thanks to repeated price hikes. Several companies have been called out by Congress for price-gouging on products with little competition, such as Mylan's EpiPen.

Trump's proposal about speeding up drug approvals has detractors, too. Analysts say there's no reason believe faster approvals would bring lower initial prices for drugs.

Jim O'Neill, who Trump has nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration, once proposed that drugs be allowed on the market once it's determined they are safe but before they are proved to work.

Drugmakers oppose the idea, saying that not determining drugs' effectiveness would create confusion for doctors and patients and make it difficult to get insurers to cover those unproven drugs.

___

Johnson reported from Trenton, New Jersey.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The next battle in the criminal case against Bill Cosby will be whether prosecutors can use his lurid deposition testimony about giving pills and alcohol to a string of women before sex - material that may be disallowed at his trial since the judge ruled most of the women themselves can't testify.

Judge Steven O'Neill must resolve the seeming conflict between two key pretrial rulings he made in recent months: One lets the deposition in, while the other excludes most of the accusers Cosby discusses.

The two sides will slug it out in briefs being filed in the coming weeks. The case is set for trial June 5 in suburban Philadelphia.

In this Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, file photo, Bill Cosby departs after a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. The next battle in the criminal case against Bill Cosby will be whether prosecutors can use his lurid deposition testimony about giving pills and alcohol to a string of women before sex - material that may be disallowed at his trial since the judge ruled most of the women themselves can't testify. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and molesting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. The TV star whose reputation as America's Dad has been destroyed by a barrage of sexual assault allegations could get 10 years in prison if convicted. He has said the sexual contact was consensual.

The comedian gave the damaging testimony more than a decade ago as part of a lawsuit filed against him by Constand, who later settled for an undisclosed sum.

Some veteran trial lawyers doubt prosecutors can get in any of his testimony about other women, since that would amount to a backdoor way to bring in evidence the judge has blocked.

"It should all be excluded," said Alan Tauber, a defense attorney who faced a similar issue in a Philadelphia priest-abuse trial. Otherwise, Tauber said, the ruling barring several other women from taking the stand would be rendered "entirely an academic gesture, with no meaning."

If the material is excluded, the jury won't hear Cosby admit giving quaaludes to a 19-year-old he met in a hotel gift shop before having sex with her; describe giving three drinks to a teen actress at his New York townhouse during a supposed acting lesson before moving to the couch where, she says, he sought oral sex; or deny knowing a Las Vegas masseuse or a Sausalito, California, waitress who say they were drugged and attacked.

"I doubt if any of that comes in," said David Rudovsky, a criminal lawyer and University of Pennsylvania law professor.

Prosecutors had hoped to call 13 other accusers to try to show Cosby had a pattern of drugging and molesting women that spanned 50 years.

In a victory for Cosby that could prove even bigger at trial, O'Neill ruled last month that the jury can hear about only the most recent of those allegations, involving a woman who worked for Cosby's agent at the William Morris Agency. She said Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her during a lunch meeting in 1996.

Cosby was not asked about her in the deposition because she had not yet come forward.

However, the judge could still allow Cosby's more general testimony about the use of quaaludes. In the deposition, Cosby said he obtained about seven prescriptions of the powerful sedative from his doctor in the 1970s.

"When you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" Constand lawyer Dolores Troiani asked him.

"Yes," Cosby replied.

Joseph Cammarata, the attorney for the accuser who met Cosby in the Las Vegas gift shop, said the quaalude testimony should be allowed because it's not specific to his client or anyone else.

"He talks about his approach to sexual contact with women. His approach is, 'I've got quaaludes that are not for my own use. ... I'm going to use them to have sex with young women.' That's pretty powerful, important admissions," Cammarata said.

When Cosby was asked during the deposition if he had any quaaludes or similar drugs on hand when he met Constand, his lawyer intervened before the actor could answer.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers pulled back on credit card debt in January, leading to the smallest increase in consumer borrowing in more than four years.

The Federal Reserve says total borrowing rose $8.8 billion in January compared to an increase of $14.8 billion in December. It was the smallest monthly gain since borrowing only went up $7.6 billion in July 2012.

The slowdown reflected a big reduction in the category that covers credit card debt, which fell $3.8 billion in January. It marked the first time credit card debt had fallen since February 2016 and was the biggest reduction since October 2010.

FILE - In this June 8, 2015, file photo, credit card customers are directed to a pay station at the green market in downtown Miami. On Tuesday, March 7, 2017, the Federal Reserve releases its January report on consumer borrowing. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)

Borrowing for auto loans and student loans rose $12.6 billion in January, slightly more than in December.
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - The mayor of Paterson directed three supervisors in the public works department and other municipal employees to perform work at a warehouse leased by his daughter and nephew while being paid overtime by the city, state authorities said Tuesday.

Paterson Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres and the supervisors were charged with theft, misconduct, tampering with public records and other offenses, Attorney General Christopher Porrino said.

"This is a case of old-school public corruption and abuse of power," Porrino said. "We have zero tolerance for this type of abuse of public office in New Jersey."

Imad Mowaswes, left, and Timothy Hanlon, who are supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works, leave the State Police Totowa Sub-Station, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced corruption charges for the two men, Paterson Mayor Jose Torres and another supervisor. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Standing on the steps of city hall later Tuesday, Torres' executive assistant read a statement as he stood next to her. In the statement, Torres said he would "vigorously defend myself" against the charges and said he is confident he will be "vindicated when the full story is told."

"I am extremely disappointed and surprised that the attorney general has elected to pursue this case and file these charges against me today," the statement said, noting that Torres and his attorneys were "addressing certain issues" with that office when "we were notified at the last possible moment that the state would be unsealing an indictment today."

Torres later left city hall without speaking to reporters, driving through a stop sign in his SUV .

The indictment alleges Torres directed the supervisors to work at the warehouse leased by Quality Beer, a company formed by Torres' daughter and nephew. The work included renovation, painting, carpentry and electrical work, officials said.

Torres' daughter and nephew intended to use the warehouse as a wholesale liquor distribution facility, Porrino said, but they terminated the lease after failing to obtain the necessary permits and license from the state.

The public works officials charged were Joseph Mania, who supervises the facilities division; Imad Mowaswes, who heads the traffic division; and Timothy Hanlon, assistant supervisor of the facilities division. It wasn't immediately known if the men had attorneys to comment on their behalf.

Mania had false time-keeping records submitted to the city, including overtime verification forms and bi-weekly timesheets that falsely stated he and other employees were working on legitimate city projects, Porrino said.

Torres, the first Hispanic mayor of Paterson, won his first term in 2002 as a Democrat and was re-elected in 2006. He lost another re-election bid in 2010 but won the office again in 2014, running as an independent.

Torres previously has said no city workers had ever done private jobs for him, but he has repeatedly declined to comment about the allegations at length. NBC New York videos have appeared to show city employees doing such work for Torres, from washing his scooter and building bookshelves to doing construction at his nephew's would-be business.

The indictment does not prevent Torres from continuing to serve as Paterson's mayor while the charges are pending, and city officials say they don't expect him to resign.

Torres' predecessor, Martin Barnes, was indicted in 2002 while in office. He fought the indictment and unsuccessfully sought re-election that year, losing to Torres. Barnes later pleaded guilty and served more than two years in federal prison.

Paterson, New Jersey's third-largest city, is a few miles from New York City.

New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino speaks during a news conference talking about corruption charges against Mayor Jose Torres, of Paterson, N.J., and three supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino, left, speaks during a news conference talking about corruption charges against Mayor Jose Torres, in poster at right, of Paterson, N.J., and three supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino, center left, addresses reporters during a news conference talking about corruption charges against Mayor Jose Torres, of Paterson, N.J., and three supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The image of Jose Torres, mayor of Paterson, N.J., is seen off a poster in the eyeglasses of New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino during a news conference talking about corruption charges against Torres and three supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Imad Mowaswes, left, and Timothy Hanlon, who are supervisors for the Paterson Department of Public Works, leave the State Police Totowa Sub-Station, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Totowa, N.J. New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced corruption charges for the two men, Paterson Mayor Jose Torres and another supervisor. Torres has been the focus of a state investigation for the past year involving work city public works employees allegedly did at his home while being paid overtime. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A new Congressional Budget Office study says the Trump administration and its GOP allies in Congress won't have to act until sometime this fall to increase the government's borrowing limit.

Current law permits the administration to freely borrow through March 15m but the Treasury Department is permitted to use a variety of bookkeeping maneuvers to continue to finance government operations after that.

The CBO report calculates that such "extraordinary measures" would enable the government to meet all of its obligations - including interest payments, Social Security benefits and federal salaries - through the fall.

At that point, lawmakers would have to enact an increase in the government's borrowing limit to avoid a first-ever, economy-rattling default on U.S. obligations. That's expected to be a difficult vote for tea party Republicans.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps condemned the use of a secret Facebook page by some Marines to share nude photos of women, including female Marines. And he urged victims to come forward if they have been harassed or abused, including over social media.

Gen. Robert Neller, in a sharp video message released Tuesday, said Marines should be focused on preparing to fight, "not hiding on social media participating in or being aware of actions that are disrespectful and harmful to other Marines. It's embarrassing to our Corps, to our families and to the nation."

The nearly four-minute video, distributed on various Marine websites and social media pages, represents the first expansive comments Neller has made about the jarring controversy that has triggered an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2016 file photo, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Neller is condemning the use of a secret Facebook page by some Marines to share nude photos of women, including female Marines. He's urging victims to come forward if they believe they were harassed or abused, including over social media. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Nude photographs of female Marines, veterans from across the military, and other women were shared on the Facebook page "Marines United," and the accompanying posts included obscene and threatening comments. The photos, which have now been taken down, showed women in various stages of undress, and some were identified and others were not. The site was touted as being for men only.

It's not clear how many active-duty Marines and other service members were involved or are under investigation. A Marine Corps official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss personnel matters by name, said at least one government contractor was removed from his job after he posted a link to the photographs.

An internal Marine Corps document obtained by The Associated Press said a former Marine maintained the Google Drive where the photos were shared, and that it had a following of about 30,000. Two active-duty female Marines filed complaints about the photos, leading to the NCIS investigation. But it's not known how many more may step forward as victims in the coming days.

In the video, Neller talks at length about Marine Corps values and the need for service members to treat each other with dignity and respect.

"It appears that some Marines may have forgotten these fundamental truths and instead have acted selfishly and unprofessionally through their actions on social media," he said.

In addition to encouraging victims to come forward, Neller said commanders must make sure that all Marines understand the rules governing their conduct, including on social media. And he said that officers must protect victims who come forward from any retaliation, harassment or abuse.

Neller ended by saying that if "changes need to be made, they will be made." And he warned: "If you can't or are unwilling to commit to contributing 100 percent to our Corps' warfighting ability by being a good teammate and improving cohesion and trust, then I have to ask you, 'do you really want to be a Marine'?"

The ongoing investigation is likely to involve a tangled web of legal questions about privacy and online activity -- including who can be held liable or criminally responsible if a photo that was willingly taken is then shared publicly. And there may be questions about the Marines who knew about the site, but never reported it.

In addition, Marines who made comments on the photos - including threats of violence - could face punishment.
NEW YORK (AP) - A man who led a violent Honduran drug trafficking organization has told a federal court in New York that he bribed a president of the Central American country.

Devis Rivera Maradiaga, a onetime leader of a gang known as the Cachiros, made the allegation while testifying Monday in a pre-sentencing hearing for the son of now retired Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa. The son has pleaded guilty to cocaine smuggling.

Rivera said he paid Lobo and the son to protect the gang's operations and to secure government contracts to help launder money.

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2010 file photo, Honduras' President Porfirio Lobo, waves during his presidential inauguration ceremony in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. A man who led a violent Honduran drug trafficking organization has told a New York court on Monday, March 6, 2017, that he bribed the former president and his son to protect his drug trafficking operations and to secure government contracts to help him launder money. The alleged bribes occurred from 2009-2013. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

The former president denied the claims. "I never received money from those criminals," Lobo told reporters from his home on the outskirts of the Honduran capital Tuesday.

Rivera described a series of payments in 2009-2013 that he said were aimed at buying protection from the president to move South American drugs destined for the U.S. into Honduras and to keep him and his brother from being extradited to the U.S. to face charges. He testified that he met with Lobo, at one point passing a suitcase with about $300,000 to the president through his security detail.

Rivera also said that he and other traffickers arranged to have a senior Honduran security official killed and that he worked with the president's son, Fabio, to get government contracts so he could launder proceeds from the drug trade.

Rivera surrendered to U.S. authorities and pleaded guilty to charges that include murder, drug and weapons offenses and agreed to cooperate with the Drug Enforcement Administration. He told the court he was involved in 78 murders.

His testimony came in a pre-sentencing hearing for Fabio Lobo, who pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. The hearing was expected to resume next week.
NEW YORK (AP) - Maybe the CIA is spying on you through your television set after all.

Documents released by WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveillance program that targets everyday gadgets ranging from smart TVs to smartphones to cars. Such snooping, WikiLeaks said, could turn some of these devices into recorders of everyday conversations - and could also circumvent data-scrambling encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp.

WikiLeaks is, for now, withholding details on the specific hacks used "until a consensus emerges" on the nature of the CIA's program and how the methods should be "analyzed, disarmed and published." But WikiLeaks - a nonprofit that routinely publishes confidential documents, frequently from government sources - claims that the data and documents it obtained reveal a broad program to bypass security measures on everyday products.

FILE - This April 13, 2016, file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. An alleged CIA surveillance program disclosed by WikiLeaks on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, purportedly targeted security weaknesses in smart TVs, smartphones, personal computers and even cars, and enabled snooping that could circumvent encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp. WikiLeaks is, for now, withholding details on the specific hacks used. But WikiLeaks claims that the data and documents it obtained reveal a broad program to bypass security measures on everyday products. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

MORE PRIVACY CLASHES

If true, the disclosure could spark new privacy tensions between the government and the technology industry. Relations have been fraught since 2013, when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden disclosed secret NSA surveillance of phone and digital communications.

Just last year, the two sides feuded over the FBI's calls for Apple to rewrite its operating system so that agents could break into the locked iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers. The FBI ultimately broke into the phone with the help of an outside party; the agency has neither disclosed the party nor the nature of the vulnerability, preventing Apple from fixing it.

According to WikiLeaks, much of the CIA program centered on dozens of vulnerabilities it discovered but didn't disclose to the gadget makers. Common practice calls for government agencies to disclose such flaws to companies privately, so that they could fix them.

Instead, WikiLeaks claims, the CIA held on to the knowledge in order to conduct a variety of attacks. As a result, tech companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft haven't been able to make the necessary fixes.

"Serious vulnerabilities not disclosed to the manufacturers places huge swathes of the population and critical infrastructure at risk to foreign intelligence or cyber criminals who independently discover or hear rumors of the vulnerability," WikiLeaks wrote in a press release. "If the CIA can discover such vulnerabilities so can others."

A BIG YAWN TO SOME

Not everyone is worried, though.

Alan Paller, director of research for the cybersecurity training outfit SANS Institute, said the case boils down to "spies who use their tools to do what they are paid to do." He said criminals already have similar tools - and he's more worried about that.

Rich Mogull, CEO of the security research firm Securosis, said that agencies gathering intelligence on other organizations and governments need, by definition, technical exploits that aren't public.

If they're authentic, the leaked CIA documents frame a stark reality: It may be that no digital conversation, photo or other slice of life can be shielded from spies and other intruders prying into smartphones, personal computers, tablets or just about device connected to the internet.

"It's getting to the point where anything you say, write or electronically transmit on a phone, you have to assume that it is going to be compromised in some way," said Robert Cattanach, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney who now specializes in cybersecurity and privacy for the law firm Dorsey & Whitney.

SIDESTEPPING ENCRYPTION

WikiLeaks claims the hacks allowed the CIA to collect audio and other messages from data-scrambling communication apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Confide by intercepting data before it is encrypted or after it's decoded. The CIA didn't appear to compromise the apps themselves, but rather the phone's underlying operating system.

WikiLeaks says the CIA had separate teams looking for vulnerabilities in iPhones and Android phones and also targeted tablets such as iPads. According to WikiLeaks, the vulnerabilities were discovered by the CIA itself or obtained from other government agencies and cyberweapon contractors.

CARS, TRUCKS AND TVS

WikiLeaks also claims that the CIA worked with U.K. intelligence officials to turn microphones in Samsung smart TVs into listening devices. The microphones are normally there for viewers to make voice commands, such as requests for movie recommendations. If the TV is off, there's no listening being done.

But WikiLeaks claims that a CIA hack makes the target TV appear to be off when it's actually on - and listening. WikiLeaks says the audio goes to a covert CIA server rather than a party authorized by Samsung. In such cases, audio isn't limited to TV commands but could include everyday conversations.

Other tools in the CIA's arsenal target PCs running Microsoft's Windows system, according to WikiLeaks, which says many of the attacks are in the form of viruses designed to spread through CDs and USB drives.

WikiLeaks also says the CIA was also targeting control systems used by cars and trucks. Although WikiLeaks didn't have details on how that might be used, it said the capability might allow the CIA to "engage in nearly undetectable assassinations."

Microsoft said it was aware of the reports and was looking into them.

Apple said an initial analysis showed many of the security gaps brought up in the leaked documents were already patched in the latest iOS.

"We will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities," it said.

Google and Samsung didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement, General Motors said it would be premature to comment on the documents, including its authenticity. But GM added that it knew of no injuries or death resulting from the hacking of a vehicle.

___

AP Technology Writers Michael Liedtke in San Francisco and Mae Anderson in New York and Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - The Latest on the execution in Texas of Rolando Ruiz (all times local):

10:07 p.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to stop the scheduled execution in Texas of a hit man paid to kill a San Antonio woman in a life insurance scheme nearly a quarter-century ago.

FILE - This undated file photo released by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows death row inmate Rolando Ruiz. Ruiz is scheduled to die Tuesday, March 7, 2017, for the murder-for-hire slaying he carried out more than 24 years ago. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP, File)

The high court rejected appeals from lawyers for 44-year-old Rolando Ruiz. His execution had been delayed about four hours, pending the ruling from the court Tuesday night. Justice Stephen Breyer would have stopped the execution, saying arguments that Ruiz's more than two decades on death row should be examined to see if that lengthy confinement was unconstitutionally cruel.

Ruiz was convicted of accepting $2,000 to fatally shoot 29-year-old Theresa Rodriguez outside her home in 1992 as she was getting out of a car with her husband and brother-in-law, who both orchestrated her murder.

Evidence showed the victim's husband, Michael Rodriguez, stood to collect at least a quarter-million dollars in insurance benefits from his wife's death. He was executed in 2008 in an unrelated case

___

430 p.m.

Texas death row inmate Rolando Ruiz has been moved to a small cell near the death chamber to await his scheduled Tuesday evening execution for the contract killing of a San Antonio woman in 1992.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark says the 44-year-old Ruiz is calm as the U.S. Supreme Court considers at least three appeals his lawyers have filed seeking to halt his lethal injection.

Ruiz could be taken to the Texas death chamber as early as 6 p.m., but prison officials will wait until all appeals are resolved before carrying out the punishment. The execution warrant remains in effect until midnight.

Ruiz was convicted of accepting $2,000 to fatally shoot 29-year-old Theresa Rodriguez outside her home. Evidence showed her husband and brother-in-law arranged her murder.

_____

1:15 a.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering appeals from attorneys trying to keep a paid hit man from execution in Texas for gunning down a San Antonio woman in a life insurance scheme nearly a quarter-century ago.

Rolando Ruiz was convicted of accepting $2,000 to fatally shoot 29-year-old Theresa Rodriguez outside her home in 1992. Evidence showed her husband and brother-in-law both orchestrated her contract murder.

Ruiz's lethal injection Tuesday evening would be the third this year in Texas and the fifth nationally.

His appeals included arguments his execution would be unconstitutionally cruel because he's been on death row since 1995, had multiple execution dates and two reprieves, and the lengthy time was the result of poor state-appointed lawyers. The Texas Attorney General's office disputed the claims.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A coalition of commercial fishing groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to challenge the creation of a national monument off the coast of New England.

President Barack Obama created the monument in September using executive authority under the Antiquities Act. The monument is called the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, and it is made up of nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains.

The creation of the monument closed the area to most commercial fishing and has been opposed by fishing groups for months. A coalition of the groups filed their lawsuit Tuesday in federal court.

The groups said creation of the monument was a "unilateral" action by Obama that is bringing economic distress to fishermen and their families. They want it ruled an unlawful use of the Antiquities Act.

"The Northeast Canyons and Seamount National Marine Monument purports to designate a monument in the ocean 130 miles from the nation's coast. This area of the ocean is not 'lands owned or controlled' by the federal government," says the lawsuit, filed by the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation. "Therefore, the Antiquities Act does not authorize the President to establish the Northeast Canyon and Seamounts Marine National Monument."

Groups signing onto the lawsuit include the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and the Rhode Island Fishermen Alliance.

Environmental groups have rushed to defend the monument, which conservationists have touted as a way to protect habitat for whales and sea turtles.

"The president has the authority to declare national monuments, and we believe he did so properly here," said Brad Sewell of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Also Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican and the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling for the removal of all marine monument fishing prohibitions. He called the prohibitions "a clear example of federal overreach."
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - African women have made significant progress including higher female participation in many legislatures than in Britain and the United States - but women on the continent also face "daunting" challenges in high rates of sexual violence, maternal mortality and HIV infections, said a report released Tuesday.

Across the continent, the report said, constitutions, laws and policies enshrine the principle of equality and non-discrimination and economic, social and cultural rights for women.

However, gaps in legislation and policies as well as a lack of implementation and enforcement reinforce discrimination against women, it said. For example, the report said Burundi, Guinea, Congo, Kenya, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania "all have family and personal codes that discriminate against women in issues of marriage" and only five countries in Africa have an absolute prohibition on marriage for girls under age 18.

Released ahead of International Women's Day on Wednesday, the report by the U.N. human rights office, UN Women and the African Union special investigator on women's rights makes a series of recommendations to promote gender equality.

U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein warned in a message Tuesday that "in too many countries, we are now seeing a backlash against women's rights, a backlash that hurts us all."

He pointed to recent rollbacks on legislation in many parts of the world aimed at "controlling and limiting women's decisions over their bodies and lives," fueled by a view that a woman's role should be limited to reproduction and the family.

In Burundi, Zeid said, "a law on violence against women is progressive in many ways as it criminalizes marital rape and prohibits harmful practices. However, the law also pins the blame on a woman who suffers gender-based violence for her "indecent dress" or "immoral behavior."

On the plus side, the report on "Women's Rights in Africa" said that "women are more economically active in Africa particularly as farmers, workers and entrepreneurs than anywhere else in the world."

"They perform the majority of agricultural activities, and in some countries make up some 70 percent of employees," it said.

In legislatures, women have a higher rate of participation, with Rwanda ranked No. 1 in the world at 63.8 percent, and Senegal and South Africa in the top 10, the report said.

"Fifteen African countries rank ahead of France and the United Kingdom, 24 rank ahead of the United States and 42 rank ahead of Japan," it said.

On the minus said, the report said more than one in three women in Africa have experienced either physical or sexual violence, or both, from an intimate partner or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lifetime.

"On the continent, in six countries there is no legal protection for women against domestic violence," it said, citing Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Lesotho, Mali and Niger.

In 2013, the report said African women and girls accounted for 62 percent, or 179,000, of all global deaths from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. But it also cited newer World Health Organization statistics, which say 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have reduced maternal death rates to just under 550 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 from about 999 deaths in 1990.

While African countries have made "significant progress" in combatting new HIV infections, the report said, the continent is still dealing with high numbers of women who are living with HIV, the report said. "Statistics indicate that women have remained at a much higher risk of HIV infection than men, the highest rates of new infections are among young women," it said.
NEW YORK (AP) - Manhattan's top federal prosecutor launched a new personal Twitter feed, and one of his first posts was a reference to decade-old "political interference" at the Department of Justice.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara started his latest social media feed last week by adding "USAtty" before his name in his previous handle to conform with new Department of Justice guidelines.

On his work Twitter site, he gave a shoutout to roughly 260,000 followers, urging them to follow his personal account: @PreetBharara. By late Tuesday afternoon, nearly 7,000 people had.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, file photo, United States District Attorney Preet Bharara announces charges in New York, against Navnoor Kang, a former portfolio manager at the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and two broker-dealers, Deborah Kelley and Gregg Schonhorn, for participating in a "pay-for-play" scheme. Bharara launched a new personal Twitter feed, and one of his first posts was a reference to decade-old "political interference" at the Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

In his profile, the India-born prosecutor described himself as "Patriotic American & proud immigrant. Movie buff. @Springsteen fan."

The outspoken Bharara, 48, was appointed to his job in 2009 by Democratic President Barack Obama and was kept on as U.S. attorney after meeting with Republican President Donald Trump.

On Monday, the prosecutor wrapped humor around footage from The Associated Press of a Senate hearing that focused on whether federal prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

"This Senate hearing on political interference @ DOJ was 10 yrs ago today," Bharara wrote. "Is that me in background? Boy I've aged."

The prosecutor is known as tough on insider trading and public corruption, and he mixed humor with serious subjects in his first dozen tweets, just as he does in numerous speeches he delivers each year. His first retweet was of a follower who suggested all his tweets be commentary about Bruce Springsteen's set lists.

"Not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all," Bharara wrote.

As he watched the movie "Wall Street," he sent along a quote from the film's brash character Gordon Gekko, someone he had referenced at a news conference about insider trading years ago: "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works," Bharara quoted Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, as saying before the prosecutor added his own observation: "Well, not always."
DEER LODGE, Mont. (AP) - A handyman and probationer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for killing a man and his mother after being confronted over the theft of 1,700 ounces of silver.

David Wayne Nelson, 54, of Deer Lodge must serve at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole, District Judge Ray Dayton ruled. Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of deliberate homicide last September for the deaths of Greg Giannonatti, 57, and Beverly Giannonatti, 79.

The Giannonattis were reported missing in late October 2015, beginning a monthlong mystery that shocked the small southwestern Montana town, home to the Montana State Prison.

The investigation ended when Nelson confessed to stealing the silver from Greg Giannonatti, selling it for $26,000 and killing the Giannonattis on Oct. 24 or 25 during a confrontation over the theft.

Investigators learned that a registered violent offender, Nelson, had done work at Beverly's rental properties and was making improvements at the home of Beverly's late ex-husband, Bill, at the time the Giannonattis disappeared.

Officers received a tip that Nelson had traveled to Missoula to sell the silver at Grizzly Gold and Silver. One bar still in the store had previously been sold to Greg Giannonatti, court records said.

Nelson, who was still on probation for a 1998 kidnapping and accountability to robbery in Ravalli County, was initially jailed for violating his probation for traveling out of the county without his probation officer's permission.

On Nov. 29, 2015, Nelson made a jailhouse confession, saying he killed Beverly and Greg in the bathroom of Bill Giannonatti's house. Nelson said he hit Greg in the head with a hammer and threw Beverly against a wall before strangling her with an electrical wire.

Nelson said he dumped their bodies and went back to the house to clean up.

Nelson led investigators to the bodies of Greg and Beverly Giannonatti, court records said.

"The money Nelson received from the sale of the silver was recovered from his residence, less $2,000 he used to repay his stepdaughter for his recent shoulder surgery and other amounts he said he'd used for living expenses," court records said.
Professor Stephen Hawking has called for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down as Labour leader, claiming he is a disaster for the party.

The Labour-backing physicist said he would vote for Mr Corbyn and that he approves of many of his policies but he believes he should quit for the sake of the party.

The Cambridge University academic told The Times: I regard Corbyn as a disaster. I think he should step down for the sake of the party.

Prof Hawking backed Labours Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner at the general election in 2015 and was pictured with him on a campaign leaflet.

At the time, Mr Zeichner said: I think he fully appreciates the huge investment that the last Labour government made in science and you can see that in a lot of the buildings and laboratories around Cambridge.

Mr Zeichner, a shadow minister, did not immediately respond to a request for his response to Prof Hawkings criticism of his leader.

The acclaimed physicists intervention is the latest sign of unease within Labour ranks after shadow chancellor John McDonnell suggested there was a soft coup being mounted against Mr Corbyn.

John McDonnell

Mr McDonnell, a key ally of the leader, attempted to smooth over divisions at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday night.

The shadow chancellor made a fresh plea for unity because it is what the Tories fear most ahead of Wednesdays Budget.

But Labour MPs Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle raised concerns with him, apparently referring to his soft coup claims.

Mr McDonnells spokesman said his element of contrition was about not just that, but over the past as well.

One Labour MP present at the meeting said Mr McDonnell did not apologise for claiming last week that elements in the party, in alliance with the Murdoch media, were intent on destroying Mr Corbyn.

But the shadow chancellors spokesman said: His element of contrition was about not just that, but over the past, from the summer when he chaired Jeremys campaign, and also since then, it was about putting most importantly and front and centre that the Labour Party is united on this front (the Budget).
Gareth Bale believes English clubs are suffering in the Champions League because they do not have a winter break.

The Real Madrid winger has won the competition twice since his big-money move from Tottenham in 2013 and is targeting a third crown with the Spanish giants this season.

The LaLiga side hold a 3-1 lead over Napoli heading into Tuesdays second leg in Italy while only one out of three Premier League clubs are currently ahead in their last-16 ties.

Real Madrid won the Champions League last season (Mike Egerton/Empics)

Arsenal trail 5-1 against Bayern Munich and Leicester fell to a 2-1 first-leg defeat at Sevilla, leaving Manchester City - who beat Monaco 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium last Tuesday - as Englands best hope of success in Europes top competition.

Bale - who recently returned from a lengthy ankle injury - concedes the level of competition in the Premier League is higher than in LaLiga, but the 27-year-old says there is still plenty to learn from the rest of the continent.

Speaking to several national newspapers, Bale said: Every game in the Premier League you have to be at 100 per cent for 90 minutes or you will lose.

In Spain, you can be up at half-time against the bottom club and take your foot off the gas. You can rest players and take people off. If you try for 45 minutes you wont win a match in the Premier League.

Obviously the winter break is massive. In England youll play four or five games and we dont play any. You dont get many rest days and it really does burn you out for a long time after that.

Chelsea were the last English club to win the Champions League in 2012, while Spain boasts five of the last six finalists in the competition.

Speaking about the benefits of a winter break, Wales forward Bale added: Its nice to really get away from it, mentally as well as physically.

Spanish teams definitely know they have this edge over the English. Every country does: Spain, Italy, Germany, they all have the winter break.
Wayne Rooney and Luke Shaw have been left out of Manchester Uniteds 20-man travelling squad for Thursdays Europa League clash with FC Rostov, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan does feature in the group.

Rooney and Shaw both came into Uniteds starting XI for the 1-1 Premier League draw with Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday, with each being substituted in the 70th minute.

Mkhitaryan missed that game and the EFL Cup final win against Southampton the previous weekend due to a hamstring problem, but could now make his comeback in Thursdays last-16 first leg.

Wayne Rooney (Martin Rickett/PA)

Eric Bailly is another man not travelling for the match as he is suspended following his sending off in the second leg of the last-32 triumph over St Etienne.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is also absent from the party heading to Russia, with United saying that is presumably with the minor injury that the boss (Jose Mourinho) revealed last Friday.
The former British intelligence officer behind a dossier of allegations about Donald Trump has broken his silence.

Christopher Steele, who runs London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, said he was returning to work and thanked people for their support.

Speaking outside his firms offices in Belgravia, he told the Press Association: Im really pleased to be back here working again at the Orbiss offices in London today. Im now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here.

Id like to say a warm thank you to everyone who sent me kind messages and support over the last few weeks. Just to add, I wont be making any further statements or comments at this time.

The company said in a statement that it remains committed to the secure provision of services to clients.

The building where Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd is located in central London (Yui Mok/PA)

Orbis Business Intelligence has an established track record of providing strategic intelligence, forensic investigation and risk consulting services to a broad client base, it said.

The nature of our business, and our high standards of professionalism, dictate that we would not disclose to the public information on any specific aspects of our work. We remain fully committed to the secure provision of our services to our clients and partners worldwide.

A former MI6 agent, Mr Steele was forced into hiding in January when he was named in connection with the report.

The dossier contained politically explosive claims that Russia was in possession of compromising information  known in Moscow as Kompromat  on Mr Trump, which could be used to blackmail or exert pressure on the new president.

Christopher Steele

It detailed allegations that the Trump team had multiple contacts with Russian officials during the election campaign, and that the billionaire tycoon had been cultivated by Moscow over a number of years as a possible presidential candidate, with the aim of encouraging splits within the West.

Among its more lurid allegations was a claim that the Russians held evidence of Mr Trump hiring prostitutes during a visit to Moscow to urinate on a hotel bed which he believed to have previously been slept in by Barack and Michelle Obama.

Mr Trump denounced the document as fake news, and its veracity has been widely questioned, with Vladimir Putin himself saying it contained obvious fabrications.
A rhinoceros has been shot dead at a wildlife park near Paris by poachers who then used a chainsaw to remove the animals horn.

Thoiry Zoo director Thierry Duguet said poachers broke into the park overnight for the five-year-old white rhino, named Vince.

Zookeepers discovered the carcass in the rhinoceros enclosure on Tuesday. Mr Duguet said police are investigating and the suspects are still at large.

A southern white rhino (Andrew Milligan/PA)

According to Le Parisien newspaper, a rhinoceros horn can be sold for up to 40,000 euro (34,000) on the black market due to strong demand linked to a belief that the horns have aphrodisiac powers.
President Donald Trump comes up with the idea of requiring the projects to use pipes and steel made in the US, moments from signing orders to advance the stalled Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

He inserts a little clause to that effect and vows the projects will only happen if his buy-American mandate is met.

Now, it turns out, those projects are advancing without it.

President Donald Trump (Andrew Harnik/AP)

In recent days, the White House exempted Keystone XL from the rule. It was a stretch from the beginning to think it would apply to Dakota Access, because that pipeline is almost complete.

A look at Trumps comments a month apart and what really happened:

I was sitting at my desk and Im getting ready to sign Keystone and Dakota. I said, wheres the pipe coming from? And I wont tell you where, but you wouldnt be happy. I say, why is it we build pipelines and were not using pipe thats made in our country? I say, lets put that little clause in, like its a one-sentence clause, but that clause is gonna attract a lot of people and were gonna make that pipe right here in America. Okay?- January 26, at a Republican retreat in Philadelphia.

President Trump, in Oval Office, signs executive orders on Dakota & Keystone pipelines. Says SCOTUS pick next week pic.twitter.com/Vo21CD8qPv  Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) January 24, 2017

We have authorised the construction, one day, of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, and issued a new rule. This took place while I was getting ready to sign. I said, who makes the pipes for the pipeline? Well, sir, it comes from all over the world, isnt that wonderful? I said, nope, comes from the United States or were not building it. American steel. If they want a pipeline in the United States, theyre going to use pipe thats made in the United States, do we agree?  February 24, at the Conservative Political Access Conference.

For starters, the buy-America improvisation Mr Trump describes does not resemble the ceremony staged and recorded on video in the Oval Office on January 24, when he displayed a series of executive actions that had been prepared for his signature.

Among them, he signed two reviving Keystone XL and Dakota Access projects  each close to 1,180 miles long  that had been sidelined by President Barack Obama. Neither directive specifies US content. He signed a third memorandum aimed at having new, expanded or repaired pipelines made from US material.

This memorandum does not name Keystone XL or Dakota Access and does not mandate all US content in future projects. Instead it says materials and equipment should be made in the US to the maximum extent possible and to the extent permitted by law, and gives the Commerce secretary until July to come up with a plan.

President Trump ignored the voices of millions and put the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the future of our planet. https://t.co/veEc0AJeeH  Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 24, 2017

Mr Trump continued either to state or to imply that the two projects were subject to this directive until last week. A careful parsing of his speech to Congress shows that he was no longer saying explicitly that the projects were required to use US steel or pipes, even if he left that impression.

We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, he told lawmakers, thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs. And Ive issued a new directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel.

By the end of the week, Trumps original story had come apart.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Keystone is not affected by the directive because its specific to new pipelines or those that are being repaired, and since the steel is already literally sitting there, it would be hard to go back. Dakota Access, meantime, is almost ready to carry oil.

TransCanada said in 2012 that half the pipe for its Keystone XL pipeline would come from a mill in Arkansas, almost a quarter from Canada and the rest from India and Italy.

Trumps Keystone XL order invited TransCanada to resubmit its application, which it did, and laid out a fast track for a US decision. He has stated prematurely that he has approved the project.
Serena Williams has pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open tournaments due to injury and will lose her world number one ranking as a result.

The 35-year-old, who landed her 23rd grand slam singles title at the Australian Open in January, said she hoped to be back in action soon.

The BNP Paribas Open, in Indian Wells, gets under way on Wednesday, while the Miami event begins on March 21.

Serena Williams (Adam Davy/PA)

News: @serenawilliams has withdrawn from the 2017 Miami Open due to injury.



We wish her all the best in a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/QB0gectrMe  Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 7, 2017

Indian Wells tournament organisers said Williams had cited a left knee injury as the reason for her withdrawal.

Williams said in a statement: Sadly, I have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open. I have not been able to train due to my knees and am disappointed I cannot be there. I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can.

Germanys Angelique Kerber will climb to number one after the BNP Paribas Open, as Williams loses the points she gained for reaching the 2016 final.
DUBAI, March 6 (Reuters) - The leader of al Qaeda's Yemeni wing has said the United States refused to exchange jailed Muslim cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman for a U.S. journalist who died in a failed rescue attempt in 2014, according to a recording posted on its media channel.

Abdel-Rahman, also known as "the blind sheikh", died in a North Carolina jail last month while serving a life sentence for conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York.

"The mujahideen sought to rescue the blind and crippled sheikh more than once, but the Americans did not heed demands for the release of this revered scholar," Qassim al-Reymi, who became leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in 2015 after his predecessor killed in a U.S. bombing, said.

"In the Arabian Peninsula, the mujahideen kidnapped an American and their only demand was the release of the crippled and blind sheikh and the afflicted sister and Pakistani neurosurgeon ... Aafia Siddiqui," he added, referring to American journalist Luke Somers.

"America refused vehemently to exchange prisoners, and even sacrificed their citizen so as not to release them," Reymi said.

Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the recording. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials.

John Kerry, then U.S. secretary of state, and Yemeni officials said at the time that Somers, 33, along with South African teacher Pierre Korkie, 56, were shot by their kidnappers shortly after the raid began in the Wadi Abadan district of Shabwa, a province long seen as one of al Qaeda's most formidable strongholds.

Siddiqui is serving 86 years in a prison medical centre in Texas. She was convicted in 2010 of attempting to shoot and kill a group of FBI agents, U.S. soldiers and interpreters who were about to interrogate her in Afghanistan for alleged links to al Qaeda.

Movements across the Islamist spectrum from the Muslim Brotherhood to al Qaeda have issued statements mourning Abdel-Rahman, who was buried in Egypt last month.

The United States, which sees AQAP as one of the deadliest branches of the network founded by Osama bin Laden, has carried out several attacks against the group in Yemen.

(Reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay in Washington; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Alison Williams)
SYDNEY, March 7 (Reuters) - A 22-year-old British woman was raped and assaulted a number of times while she was held hostage by a man during a two-month ordeal in the remote outback of northern Australia, police said on Tuesday.

The British backpacker was rescued on Sunday after officers stopped a car in Mitchell, a small rural town more than 550 km (340 miles) west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane, police said.

The unidentified woman, who was driving the car, had visible injuries to her face and was noticeably distressed, prompting the officers to search the car, police said, and a 22-year-old man was found hiding in a small alcove in the back.

Police allege the woman was attacked repeatedly between Jan. 2 and March 5 after the pair met several months ago and agreed to go on a road trip together, during which she was held against her will.

The unidentified Australian man faced court on Monday, when he was charged with multiple counts of rape, assault and holding the backpacker against her will. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Paul Tait)
By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, March 7 (Reuters) - A decision by Saudi Aramco to cut the price of its benchmark Arab Light crude to Asian refiners for April-delivery cargoes has prompted speculation that the world's top oil exporter is chasing market share.

There is always a risk in over-interpreting moves in Aramco's official selling prices (OSPs), and trying to fit them into a narrative that supports a particular view of the state of the market.

Perhaps a better approach is to look at whether the move in the OSP goes beyond what might be justified by changes in the market structure for crude oil in Asia, the region that buys about two-thirds of Saudi oil.

First, the facts. Aramco cut the OSP for Arab Light for Asia to a discount of 15 cents a barrel over the Oman-Dubai benchmark for April cargoes from a premium of 15 cents the prior month.

The effective 30 cents a barrel reduction came against a backdrop of a weakening premium for Dubai crude over global benchmark Brent and softer margins for key oil products in Asia, such as gasoline, naphtha and to a lesser extent, diesel.

The Brent-Dubai exchange for swaps <DUB-EFS-1M>, a measure of the premium of Brent over the Middle East grade, dropped to $1.08 a barrel on Feb. 28, the lowest in 18 months.

The profit of making a barrel of gasoline in Singapore <GL92-SIN-CRK>, known as the crack, has almost halved in just under a month, dropping to $7.30 a barrel on Monday, down from a recent peak of $13.16 on Feb. 2.

The same measure for gasoil, the base product for diesel, was at $11.66 a barrel on Monday, down from $12.66 on Feb. 23.

The narrowing of the Brent-Dubai premium and lower refinery margins was always going to make it likely that Aramco would cut the OSP for Arab Light for Asian refiners.

The question is whether the cut is big enough to justify claims that the Saudis are taking the view that they need to offer deeper discounts in order to maintain market share.

This question doesn't have a definitive answer, but past evidence suggests that the lowering of the OSP is largely in line with the underlying market structure, and therefore doesn't show any untoward concern about market share on the part of Aramco.

When the Brent-Dubai premium was last around current levels in mid-2015, the Saudis responded by cutting the OSPs, with the Arab Light OSP going from a premium of 40 cents a barrel for September 2015 to a discount of $1.60 by November of that year.

Of course, this was at a time when the Saudis were actively engaged in a battle for market share in Asia with other Middle East producers such as Iran and Iraq, as well with Russia and Atlantic Basin countries such as Angola.

LIGHT-HEAVY DIVERGENCE

With the decision by OPEC and its allies, including Russia, to reduce output for the first six months of 2017, in theory the Saudis shouldn't be engaged in a market share war.

In practice, though, no doubt they wish to maintain their share among key Asian buyers such as China and India.

Hence, the reduction of the OSP for April cargoes for Arab Light should be seen as the Saudis doing just enough to hopefully maintain market share, while still meeting their commitment in terms of the November agreement to curb output.

It should be borne in mind that Arab Light isn't actually a light crude like Brent, having an API gravity of around 32-33 degrees.

This makes it a medium crude, and considerably heavier than Brent's 38.3 degrees API gravity, although it is considerably lighter than Aramco's Arab Heavy grade, with an API gravity of 27.7 degrees.

Aramco's Brent competitor is Arab Extra Light, which has an API gravity of around 39.4 degrees.

The OSP for this grade for Asian buyers was cut by 75 cents a barrel for April cargoes, to a premium of 95 cents a barrel over Oman-Dubai.

This deeper cut is likely a reflection of the higher availability of light crudes in Asia, especially from Atlantic Basin producers such as Angola and Libya.

A side-effect of the cuts by OPEC and its allies has been to narrow the premium of light crudes over heavier grades, as it has largely been heavy barrels that have been taken off the market.

The Saudi cuts for its lighter crudes is a response to that dynamic, and it's worth noting that Aramco kept the OSP for its Arab Heavy grade for April unchanged at a discount of $2.60 a barrel to Oman-Dubai.

What the Saudis are most likely doing is simply responding to market conditions, making their lighter grades competitive in what is a well-supplied market, but keeping prices steady for heavier crude, the market for which is now tighter than it was prior to the start of the OPEC cuts. (Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Adriana Barrera

MEXICO CITY, March 7 (Reuters) - Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States to avoid penalties, a document obtained by Reuters on Monday showed, in a dispute over the pace of shipments it partly blamed on unfilled positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It was not immediately clear what impact the cancellation would have on exports to the United States. The document, sent by Mexico's sugar chamber to mills on Monday, said existing permits would be reissued in April. (Writing by Natalie Schachar; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
By Laurie Goering

LONDON, March 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Less than 10 percent of finance from international climate funds to help developing countries adapt to climate change impacts and adopt clean energy is reaching local-level projects, finance researchers say.

In part, that is because international climate funds, under pressure to get donated funds into action, are opting to work with development banks and other big international agencies that can quickly spend millions - rather than with smaller-scale local governments and projects, said researchers at the London-based International Institute for Environmental and Development (IIED).

Weak local ability to design and evaluate projects, and to fill out complicated forms to access money are another problem, they said, as is the smaller scale of local projects, as vetting each one takes more time.

Another obstacle is the lack of a specific target in the Paris Agreement on climate change to spend more finance at the local level, the researchers said in a report released Tuesday.

"Understanding how to get money where it matters is the challenge of the moment," said Clare Shakya, climate change director at IIED and one of the reports authors.

Today, donors have given only 11 percent of the climate funds they promised, in part because of the obstacles, she said.

Richer nations have promised to donate or otherwise mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poorer countries switch to clean energy and adapt to problems such as worsening droughts, flooding and sea level rise.

But getting that money raised and flowing has proved challenging.

The United States, for instance, has promised $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund and so far delivered $1 billion. But President Donald Trump has suggested he would not make any additional contributions, and may pull the United States out of its international climate agreements.

The lack of international finance is a problem for countries such as Ethiopia, which has estimated it needs $7.5 billion a year to switch to clean energy and adapt to climate change, but is so far receiving between $100 million and $200 million a year in international support, said Saleemul Huq, a senior fellow at IIED.

ETHIOPIA PUSHES AHEAD

Ethiopia is nonetheless moving ahead with a large-scale national push toward hydropower and wind, solar and geothermal energy, and on projects to adapt to climate change, including worsening drought, said Gebru Jember Endalew, the programme coordinator for Climate Change Forum-Ethiopia and the new chair of the Least Developed Countries group in international climate change negotiations.

The east African nation is saving money by incorporating its clean energy projects into its national plans, rather than carrying out each piece of the effort as a separate internationally funded project, he said.

Such work "needs to be part of the development plan of the country," he said. "It needs to be managed there. Its much less costly than using consultants."

But Paul Steele, IIED's chief economist, warned that donors sometimes balk at directing funding into national plans, arguing they don't trust the systems for accounting for it.

Endalew said poor countries have little option but to push ahead on climate change adaptation efforts as much as possible on their own because the impacts of climate change "are already more severe" than anticipated, with the world just 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial temperature levels.

"Imagine when theyre 3 to 4 degrees" higher, he said. He said the Least Developed Countries group would continue to push for swift action on climate change because "our main goal is for the world to remain safe".

LOCAL LEVEL FINANCE

Some examples of how international climate finance could reach local level - and the most vulnerable people - are emerging, however.

In Mali and Senegal, a three-year effort by IIED and the Near East Foundation has led to the creation of six $700,000 funds to help local communities build resilience to climate variability and extreme events.

The funds, administered by local governments, allow communities to choose the actions they think will most help them. In Senegal, for instance, a salt harvesting community has used money to plant salt-resistant trees to help protect the estuary where they work.

The effort, part of the UK-funded Building Resilience to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) project, aims to help local governments and communities develop better skills to manage climate funds and to use money in a transparent and cost-effective way.

"We really need to focus discussion on making sure that (climate finance) gets to the right places," said Archie Young, the UKs lead climate negotiator, during a discussion at IIED. (Reporting by Laurie Goering @lauriegoering; editing by Alex Whiting:; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
SOFIA, March 7 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Bulgaria joined central and eastern European countries in their demand that goods that are sold throughout the European Union under the same brand should be with the same content and quality, after a study showed goods sold in Western Europe were of better quality than the same sold in the East. (Trud, Duma)

-- The funds Bulgarians living abroad sent home exceeded the foreign direct investment in the country last year, central bank data showed. In 2016 emigrants have sent 1.66 billion levs ($898.7 million), while foreign direct investment stood at 1.3 billion levs. (Standart, Duma)

-- The environmental ministry revised its decision to give a green light for a development plan for the Pirin mountain after protests by environmentalists and remarks from the president that the ministry needs to work in a more transparent manner. (Capital Daily, Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Monitor, Standart, Duma)

($1 = 1.8471 leva)
By Adriana Barrera

MEXICO CITY, March 7 (Reuters) - Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States to avoid penalties in a dispute over the pace of shipments, a document seen by Reuters said, partly blaming the issue on unfilled positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It was not immediately clear what impact the cancellation would have on exports to the United States. The document, sent by Mexico's sugar chamber to mills on Monday, said existing permits would be reissued in April.

Mexico's sugar mills are currently in full swing at the height of the harvest. The amount of sugar sent to the United States varies from season to season, with the document referring to a quota of 820,000 tonnes in 2016/2017.

Ties between the United States and Mexico have frayed under Donald Trump, who sees trade skewed to favor the southern neighbor and is seeking to renegotiate the North American Free Trade agreement.

The document made no suggestion that the present dispute was related to the wider politics, but described as "absurd" an interpretation by "low-level" Commerce Department officials of a clause in so-called suspension agreements, which have regulated the sugar trade between both countries since the end of 2014.

In the document, Chamber president Humberto Jasso says the interpretation relating to how much sugar Mexico can send in the six months up to March 31 means it would only be able to export 40 percent of the quota allocated by the United States in the period, causing a concentration in the second half of the season.

The Economy Ministry said it could not immediately comment. Officials from Mexico's sugar chamber could not be reached for comment. It was not immediately clear how many sugar export permits were canceled or what penalties Mexico had faced.

The Mexican Economy Ministry decided to cancel the permits since it has no counterparts at the Commerce Department to resolve the issue, the document said.

"Because the Ministry cannot resolve the issue with the DOC, since officials in charge of making decisions have not been appointed, Economy Ministry attorneys in Washington insisted on sending a statement to the DOC acknowledging the problem and canceling existing exports, so that they can be re-issued as of April 1," the document adds.

Mill owners should consider legally challenging the decision, it said.

Trump has not filled staff positions in several departments, a situation Mexican officials say has made it hard to negotiate on trade issues. (Writing by Natalie Schachar; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Louise Heavens)
BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire between ethnic rebels and Myanmar security forces in a restive border area, urging the two sides to resolve their differences through peaceful means instead.

China is giving humanitarian help to people from Myanmar who have fled fighting that has killed about 30 people and dealt a blow to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's goal of reaching peace with minorities.

"The situation in northern Myanmar relates to the peace and tranquillity of the China-Myanmar border," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing.

"The relevant parties should have an immediate ceasefire to prevent the clashes from escalating and return normal order to the border as soon as possible."

He added, "Since the clashes began, some Myanmar border residents have entered into China on safety considerations."

China is providing assistance on humanitarian grounds, Geng said, adding that he had no information about any Chinese casualties.

He urged both sides to adopt peaceful means in resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation.

Suu Kyi's nearly one-year-old government is increasingly besieged by ethnic rebels, grappling with an alliance of militias in the north and a new Rohingya insurgency rebelling against decades of persecution in the country's northwest.

The attack came after the Nobel Peace Prize winner met a delegation of ethnic armed groups last week to convince them to participate in a major peace conference.

Suu Kyi swept to power in 2015 on promises of national reconciliation and the meeting was aimed at giving fresh impetus to the stuttering peace process.

Fighters of the predominantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched a pre-dawn attack on police, military and government sites in Laukkai, the capital of Myanmar's northeastern region of Kokang.

MNDAA is a part of the Northern Alliance coalition of rebel groups comprising one of Myanmar's most powerful militias, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and two smaller groups caught in a stand-off with the military since 2015 clashes in the region.

Many died and tens of thousands fled during that fighting, which also spilled over into China's territory and resulted in the death of five of its people, angering Beijing. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Jeanny Kao and J.R. Wu

TAIPEI, March 7 (Reuters) - Trade-dependent Taiwan produced solid export figures for the start of 2017 that showed a sharp narrowing of its surplus with the United States from a year earlier.

In February, exports jumped 27.7 percent from a year earlier, their fastest pace in six years. That was due in large part to a low base a year earlier, but the figures signalled continuing good demand for the island's technology gadgets.

Data for January and February tends to be analyzed together for a better reading on how a year is starting, because of distortions from the timing of Taiwan's long Lunar New Year holiday.

This year the holiday began in late January, and last year it started in February.

Total exports rose a solid 16.2 percent for the January-February period from a year earlier, with their performance swinging from a contraction in early 2016 when Taiwan was emerging from a technical recession.

Imports in January-February were nearly 23 percent higher than a year earlier.

The value of February exports was $22.66 billion, compared with January's $23.74 billion, finance ministry data showed on Tuesday.

LOOKING GOOD

"Today's strong numbers imply that this round of trade recovery will last for a while," said Claire Huang, economist with Societe Generale, adding that Taiwan's export outlook for the first half looks good.

Exports of electronic components were up 18.9 percent for the first two months of the year from the same period a year earlier, gaining nearly 30 percent in February alone.

Shipments of information, telecommunication and audio goods were also up by strong double-digit percents, the data showed.

The outlook for Taiwan exports is helped by expectations there will be a new iPhone this year, and many of its components will be made on the island.

In February, the annual growth pace of exports to major trading partners China and the United States more than doubled from January.

Taiwanese government officials have been focused on the island's trade with the United States out of concern President Donald Trump could direct punitive trade policies against the export-driven island if Washington thinks the Taiwan dollar is being manipulated.

The Taiwan dollar has strengthened more than 4 percent against the U.S. dollar in 2017, making it one of the best performing Asian currencies this year, in part as the island's central bank has reduced its intervention.

In the past week, Taiwan authorities have gone to unusual lengths to analyze trade data to show Taiwan's trade surplus with its second largest export destination was shrinking.

At a briefing on the February trade data, finance ministry official Beatrice Tsai said "Companies have globalized for a long time so they should have ways to hedge against forex effects."

Taiwan's trade surplus for the first two months of 2017 with the United States was $137 million, less than one-fifth of the $756 million surplus in January-February 2016. (Additional reporting by Jess Macy Yu; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
ISTANBUL, March 7 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said nobody would be able to prevent his visit to Germany later on Tuesday and that Turkey would give the necessary response if faced with hostility on the matter.

Cavusoglu made the comments at a meeting in Istanbul with foreign diplomats ahead of a visit to Hamburg where he is due to attend a rally with Turkish voters despite local authorities' closure of the venue where he had been due to speak.

A row between NATO allies Turkey and Germany escalated over the past week after German authorities withdrew permission for three other rallies in support of President Tayyip Erdogan's plans to overhaul Turkey's constitution and win greater powers. Cavusoglu called the cancellations "biased and shameful".

Cavusoglu also warned that Europe would return to a pre-World War II era if it did not prevent the rise of "racist parties", and said the continent had become captive to populist politicians such as Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler)
BEIRUT, March 7 (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies have captured the main water pumping station that supplies Aleppo in a sweeping advance against Islamic State that has brought them to the bank of the Euphrates, a group that monitors the conflict said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army and allied forces made rapid gains east of Aleppo city, as Syrian and Russian planes pounded the rural areas.

They recaptured the al-Khafsa area on the western bank of the Euphrates River, where the water treatment and pumping plants are located, after the jihadist group withdrew the Observatory said.

A Syrian military source had said earlier on Tuesday that the army had advanced to areas "very close" to both.

Aleppo's main water supply has been cut off for nearly two months, and the city's residents now rely mainly on ground wells or water purchased from private vendors.

A military media unit run by Hezbollah, a Lebanese ally which is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's government forces, also quoted a military source as saying the army had advanced and regained the al-Khafsa area.

Islamic State is losing ground in northern Syria to three separate campaigns - by the Russian-backed Syrian army, by U.S-backed Syrian militias, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel groups.

Aleppo was Syria's most populous city before the war began nearly six years ago and has been entirely in government hands since December when the last rebel enclave in its eastern districts was overrun following months of intense fighting. (Reporting by Ellen Francis, Tom Perry and Angus McDowall; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
OSLO, March 7 (Reuters) - Norway's $900-billion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, is in a dialogue with an additional 26 companies because they use or produce coal, its CEO told reporters on Tuesday.

Norway's parliament decided in 2015 that the fund would sell holdings in companies that derive more than 30 percent of their turnover or activity from coal because it is a big contributer to climate change and air pollution.

Earlier on Tuesday, Norway's central bank, which manages the country's wealth fund, excluded another 10 companies from its investment portfolio on this criterion. (Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Ole Petter Skonnord)
By Sergiy Karazy

KIEV, March 7 (Reuters) - A judge ordered Ukraine's top tax official on Tuesday to be jailed or pay a hefty bail pending his trial for suspected embezzlement, in a landmark ruling hailed by protesters as a blow for transparency in one of Europe's most corrupt countries.

Pro-reform activists and lawmakers had kept up a noisy, two-day vigil outside the Kiev court house, worried that Roman Nasirov might otherwise try to escape justice as other senior officials have done in the past.

Since investigators first tried to detain Nasirov last week, the case has almost been derailed several times - by legal wrangling, bomb threats and a mysterious illness that saw him hospitalised on Thursday complaining of high blood pressure.

The judge's verdict, which came in the early hours of Tuesday morning, said Nasirov, 38, must be jailed for 60 days or pay bail of $3.7 million while state agencies prepare a case against him over the alleged embezzlement of $75 million.

Nasirov, who heads Ukraine's tax and customs service, denies all charges against him.

"In the history of our country, this is the first court decision on the jailing of an official of this level. It is the highest bail ever set," reformist lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem said in a post on Facebook.

"Thanks to our action, Roman Nasirov did not hide, did not escape, did not get sick, but took full part in the court session," Nayyem said.

"HISTORIC TRADITION"

Ukraine has so far made patchy progress in rooting out endemic official corruption, despite repeated promises from the Western-backed government that took power in 2014 after a popular uprising driven partly by public anger over sleaze.

Ukraine's top anti-graft prosecutor was scathing about Nasirov's sudden hospitalisation shortly after prosecutors ordered his detention, saying it was in keeping with a "historic tradition" among the country's officials to fall sick at convenient moments.

Video footage showed detectives reading the charges to Nasirov as he lay sprawled, apparently unconscious, in a hospital bed.

Photos of his subsequent appearances in court, where he was still comatose and strapped to a gurney, were widely shared online, fuelling speculation that he was seeking to delay his bail hearing beyond the 72-hour deadline in order to give himself a chance to leave the country.

On Saturday, a judge ruled that Nasirov was healthy enough for the bail hearing to commence, but a late night bomb threat delayed proceedings until the next day.

The anti-graft protesters lost patience on Sunday when a request from Nasirov's legal team for a new judge threatened to push the hearing beyond its deadline.

Shouting "Roman, wake up!" the protesters converged on the court house and blocked its three exits to prevent Nasirov leaving and force the hearing to continue.

After the verdict, which came at 3 am (0100 GMT) on Tuesday, Nasirov made no comment and his legal team said they would appeal, but the protesters waved red flares and flags with Ukrainian symbols in celebration.

In a joint statement, the U.S. embassy and the European Union's delegation to Ukraine welcomed the ruling, "while noting the last several days underscore the need to establish a specialised anti-corruption court". (Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Sophie Hares

TEPIC, Mexico, March 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Staying up late into the night, Lilia Lobato Martinez watched endless YouTube videos to teach herself the computer code she used to help build her prize-winning Ool app for volunteers in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In her country, she is usually the only woman in tech competitions, which often hand out mens T-shirts to the winners.

Now the 18-year-old electrical engineering student is using the $10,000 she won for her app in last years international girls-only Technovation competition to further develop Ool, which has so far linked over 1,000 volunteers with 20 non-profit groups in Mexicos second-biggest city.

"A lot of people were constantly complaining everythings wrong, but I found that no one was going out to the street to volunteer," said Lobato. "So I decided to develop an app thats a compendium of all the non-profit organisations, so we can learn what Mexico is building."

With plans to eventually set up a centre to teach children to code, she said many of her female friends shied away from IT development because it was male-dominated. Only four out of 40 students on her degree course are women, she pointed out.

Across Latin America, the participation of girls and women in technology and science has lagged far behind men, experts say.

And while awareness of the need to correct the imbalance is growing, social and economic pressures mean many are still pushed into other areas or expected to start work straight after school rather than going into higher education.

"Boys think its easy for them and they expect to be smart in technology... its not expected for girls, and thats reinforced by the education system quite often," said Gloria Bonder, Buenos Aires-based UNESCO chair on women, science and technology in Latin America.

The portrayal of women in the media, and a lack of role models also contribute to making it a system-wide problem, added Bonder, who is working on a Central American pilot project to incorporate gender equality into science and technology education.

While 44 percent of all science research positions - including social sciences - in the region are held by women, they are under-represented in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), according to UNESCO.

For example, in Peru and Colombia, around a third of natural science researchers are women, but they account for just a quarter of engineering and technology researchers.

Now a number of projects are striving to improve access for girls and give them the skills and confidence to compete in those jobs.

DEVELOPERS BOOTCAMP

One of these is the Laboratoria coding academy in Lima, which spots talent "where no one else is looking", said its chief executive, Mariana Costa Checa. More than 1,000 women applied for 70 places at its intensive bootcamp where candidates from low-income backgrounds train as front-end web developers.

The application process involves a series of rigorous tests, alongside interviews with candidates families to reduce the drop-out rate for the course, which also runs in Santiago, Mexico City and the Peruvian city of Arequipa, and helps participants land jobs with companies such as IBM.

Along with computer programmes like JavaScript, it teaches workplace skills that are crucial for women who have little experience of formal-sector employment, said Costa.

She expects some Laboratoria graduates will go on to develop technical solutions for problems in their communities.

"The first thing we look for is a job, because it gives them economic stability, and for our average student, it triples their income," said Costa.

It also gives them "a new perspective in life", she added. "It starts changing the way they look at the world - and I think theres enormous value in then bringing that change to their own communities."

With many girls from poor families under pressure to start earning as soon as they finish school, Rebeca Vargas, president of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation, said most of those who signed up for the international STEM mentoring programme she helped set up in Mexicos Puebla state did so without telling their parents.

Nearly all are now studying STEM subjects at college or university.

"Some of the girls we worked with last year had to sell bread and food on the street to be able to earn money to eat," said Vargas, whose foundation developed the programme with Mexicos public education secretariat and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Families often expect girls to pay their way at home but not to seek senior positions at corporations or well-paid jobs. "Theyre supposed to work but theyre not supposed to be educated," Vargas said.

Wendy Arellano Martinez, who won a scholarship to study biotechnology engineering at the prestigious Monterrey Technology Institute after the mentoring programme, is now part of a team developing a project to make spectacle frames from recycled plastic bottles for older people on low incomes.

"Were going to be looking for funds from organisations or foundations to help us distribute our products to people who need them but dont have the resources," said the 18-year-old student from Puebla. "I want to give the same support that I received." (Reporting by Sophie Hares; editing by Megan Rowling. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
SOFIA, March 7 (Reuters) - A Bulgarian man who posted a video showing three Afghan migrants lying tied up on the ground near the Turkish border was acquitted on Tuesday of illegally detaining them, after a court ruled there was insufficient evidence against him.

Petar Nizamov, 31, nicknamed Perata, was arrested last April after posting the video on social media.

It showed two men lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. A third man lay flat on his stomach, restrained with long plastic cable ties, while an unidentified voice shouted in English: "Go back. Back Turkey. Now. No Bulgaria, go Turkey immediately".

All three men were later found by border police, no longer tied up, and were taken to an accommodation centre for migrants.

The video was included as evidence but the regional court in Burgas said it could not confirm Nizamov's participation since witnesses said they could not remember who tied up the migrants.

National television bTV reported that Nizamov thanked the judge, who he said was "one of the few courageous judges who oppose the organised trafficking of migrants". He also told the court he intended to continue to patrol at the border.

Prosecutors plan to appeal against the court's decision.

Tough measures to restrict asylum seekers and migrants are supported by all political parties in the Balkan country, which has built a wall along its border with Turkey.

Figures from Bulgaria's Interior Ministry show the number of people officially detained at the Turkish border dropped to 64 in January, compared to 712 in January 2016. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Julia Glover)
LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Canadian miner Kincora Copper plans over coming months to start exploration drilling in Mongolia, its CEO told Reuters, calling the area "one of the last frontiers" for top quality copper assets.

With technologies such as electric vehicles expected to stoke demand, the mining industry is keen to discover copper reserves as existing mines get depleted.

Kincora's CEO Sam Spring compared Mongolia to Chile, the world's largest copper producer, in the 1970s when it was still under-explored and said he hoped to find another Oyu Tolgoi, using a team with experience of finding tier-one copper assets.

Last year Rio Tinto gave the go-ahead for a $5.3 billion expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi mine in the South Gobi desert, one of the world's largest copper deposits.

"In the upcoming months, Kincora is looking to drill two targets," Spring said in a telephone interview.

One -- named Bayan Tal -- is the first identified since Oyu Tolgoi with similar geology. The other -- East Tsagaan Suvarga -- is in the same mineral system as the existing Tsagaan Suvarga mine, included in the government's list of strategic mineral deposits.

So far Kincora has 10 licences, giving it acreage of 15,000 square kilometres (5,800 square miles), and has applied for two more. Spring says the company has overtaken Rio "as the most aggressive group" exploring in this area.

Mongolia, almost entirely dependent on coal and copper for foreign export earnings, needs international investment following an IMF-led loan agreement.

It has said it plans to double the amount of land available for exploration of raw materials. (Reporting by Barbara Lewis; Additional reporting by Susan Taylor in Toronto; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Thirteen kilogrammes of heroin (brown sugar) said to be the largest haul in the Grandpass area, were seized by the Police Narcotics Bureau this evening during a search operation carried out to find firearms in the area, Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said.

He said the heroin haul was found hidden inside the baggage of a 37-year-old person at Nagalagam Street.

The suspect was inspected during the operation carried out to search for firearms. This was the largest heroin haul seized from the Grandpass area, he said.

After the purity test found it to be pure brown sugar, police said the heroin haul probably carried a street value of about Rs.800 million.

He said during the investigations, police had found local currency worth nearly Rs.3 million from the location where the heroin haul was found.

He said the Police investigations had revealed that this was part of a well organized heroin racket and the police are still inspecting a luxury house and the area for suspicious narcotics and firearms.

Further investigations revealed the heroin haul was brought to the location in a car. A team of police officers was deployed to investigate the car and the detection of the heroin haul. Another special team was appointed to carry out further investigations based on CCTV footage in the area, DIG Jayakody said.

The raid and the investigation were carried out under the instructions of the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) Colombo North SSP Lionel Gunathilaka and the Grandpass police OIC Nimal Shantha. The raid was carried out by a team headed by the Police Sub Inspector Laksiri. (Chaturanga Pradeep)
Last week, an eerie ring of fire rose over the Southern Hemisphere as the moon passed in front of the sun in an annular solar eclipse.



Stunning footage from space now reveals the phenomenon cast a shadow over

Earths surface.



Images from NASAs Moderate Resolution show the massive shadow as the moon blocked sunlight over the Atlantic Ocean, creating what appears like a large ink-blotch just off the coast of South America.



The annular eclipse was visible from the southern tip of South America all the way to

southern Africa.



In one of these events, the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the light  but, at this distance, it doesnt obscure it completely.



This creates the appearance of a ring of fire.



An animation from NASAs DSCOVR Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera shows what this phenomenon looked like from space.



While most of Earth appears normal, the waters between South America and Africa are marred by a large shadow.



Different views from the satellites show the shadows movement across the area.



Stunning pictures from Brazil and Chile show the moon coming between the Earth and the sun to create the spectacular ring of fire.



More than half a billion people across the world had the opportunity to see the annular eclipse, which first passed through, Chile and Argentina before moving across the South Atlantic Ocean to Africa.

The moment of greatest eclipse occurred midway between the two continents at just before 10am ET (3pm GMT) when the moon covered more than 99 per cent of the sun.



It ended just after 5:30 p.m. GMT on Sunday in southern Africa - between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.



Later this year, the moon will completely block out the sun, in a total solar eclipse.



This will take place on August 21, 2017, and will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina.
Earth Hour: Saturday 25th March 8:30pm-9.30pm

Join the movement at https://www.earthhour.org/join-the-movement

Following a landmark year for climate change WWFs (World Wide Fund for Nature) Earth Hour is calling on people around the world to escalate the charge and be a part of the global momentum. Earth Hour 2017 will be celebrated on Saturday, 25 March between 8:30pm and 9:30p.m. local time.

Last year was the hottest year on record. Earth Hour 2017is our time to shine a light on climate action and build the foundation for a better future for our planet and future generations.

Climate action today will decide what tomorrow looks like for years to come. Earth Hour empowers each individualto be a part of making climate change history, be it through a social event, interactive campaigns and even social networks, said Siddarth Das  Executive Director, Earth Hour Global.

Since 2007, Earth Hour has mobilized businesses, organizations, governments and hundreds of millions of individuals in over 7,000 cities and more than 172 countries and territories to act for a sustainable future.

In the past years, WWF and Earth Hour teams around the world have harnessed the power of the movement to raise support and funds for access to renewable energy, protection of wildlife and their habitats, building sustainable livelihoods and driving climate-friendly legislation and policy.

In 2017, Earth Hour will continue to power grassroots efforts to change climate change. In addition, as the worlds most iconic landmarks prepare to switch off their lights for Earth Hour, supporters are also invited to take a stand for climate action on their own personal landmarks  their social media accounts. From donating their Facebook feeds to spread climate awareness and action on www.earthhour.org/climateaction to adding a custom-made Earth Hour filter to Facebook and Twitter profile pictures, users can show their friends and followers they care about the planet in a few simple clicks.

Social media knows no physical boundaries and neither does climate change, added Das. A simple action on social media is the kind of powerful statement that can excite friends and communities to be a part of the climate action we need to take on this global challenge.

Its evident that Climate Change is real and its the most urgent threat our planet is facing today. For an issue of this magnitude we need to work collectively together in order to Change Climate Change. We need to take action now to save this beautiful planet, which is our only Home said, Abdul Qadir Uvais  Country Manager and Coordinator of Earth Hour Sri Lanka.

Growing up, we have all had dreams about our future, and the children of today are no different. But their dreams for tomorrow depend on our actions today. Therefore we urge you to join us to #ChangeClimateChange and help shape the Future of our Children and our Beautiful Country  Sri Lanka, added Abdul Qadir Uvais.

Earth Hour Sri Lanka is calling on all Sri Lankans to take a stand against climate change and to preserve the natural resources of our beautiful country. Through traditional and social media, the campaign aims to shine a light on the positive actions Sri Lankans can take both as individuals and as communities to change climate change and help protect our countrys incredible natural resources.

When asked about what actions individuals can do to be part of this global campaign, the local Earth Hour Country Manager and Coordinator, Abdul Qadir Uvais had this to say;

Earth Hour Sri Lanka is asking the government, businesses, organizations & individuals to:

 Switch off non-essential lights(corporate signage) on Saturday 25th March 2017 from 8.30 pm- 9.30 pm

 Join the movementby signing up and taking part at https://www.earthhour.org/join-the-movement

 Spreadawareness about climate change issues & solutions! Please visit www.earthhour.org for more information!

 Go beyond the symbolic gesture of switching off non-essential lights for Earth Hour and drive climate action throughout the year, leading an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

For those organizations, Hotels & Schools who wish to go beyond the hour are invited to visit https://www.earthhour.org/corporates-organisations or write to info@earthhour.lk to get How to Guide and get more information about how you could take part!
As Sri Lanka gets placed, once again, on the Human Rights Council agenda this month, it is difficult to ignore the significant shifts -- internal and external -- that have taken place since Sri Lanka was last on the Councils agenda in September 2015. Then, flush with victory and the confidence to champion reform, the Sri Lankan Government negotiated a finely-crafted resolution amid global plaudits. Back at home, the President was credited with what was termed an historic victory in Geneva. The government braved and comfortably carried a two-day debate on the text of the resolution itself and even convened a number of seminars and meetings through which to publicize the specifics concerning the resolution it co-sponsored. Contrary to mischievous mis-characterisations of the political dynamics among political leaders at the time, observers noted that there was in fact a remarkable unanimity between the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on the terms of the resolution. While the Prime Minister led the line-by-line negotiations surrounding the text, the President is by all credible accounts said to have been fully briefed on its contents with aides providing him a full translation of the text under negotiation. The Presidents early leadership of an all-party conference on the implementation of the resolution and his early speeches on the need for introspection underscored this point.



Today, the situation is sharply different. While there will inevitably be another resolution requesting Sri Lanka to fully implement the terms of the 2015 resolution, the reporting period appears to be extended by two years, providing the government ample time within which to devise its strategy. Sri Lankas claim that the constitutional reform process must be given priority has been respected. However, the global mood with respect to Sri Lanka, and the appearance of credibility carried by the government has shifted. High Commissioner Zeids report was critical of the government, noting that the government has failed to advance accountability in sufficient measure. This frustration at the governments failure to make use of existing political space will also likely be reflected by other country delegations in Geneva. Meanwhile, a number of UN Special Rapporteurs and treaty bodies have also released reports critical of the governments human rights record.



While these reports point to the lack of progress on a range of human rights issues such as Transitional Justice, land releases, the PTA and witness protection, the fundamental driver of skepticism and frustration manifested in these reports comes from a growing feeling that the government is insincere. The Presidents unilateral statements seeking to renegotiate a hard-fought compromise on international participation in the proposed special court may even have been forgiven by the international community, had he not gone further. His needless refusal to assign the Office of Missing Persons Act -- and thereby increasing the agonizing wait by families of the disappeared -- as well as his frequent presidential diatribes against NGOs that champion criminal accountability for human rights abuses have not gone unnoticed.



Left unchecked, the growing skepticism at home and abroad will in time exact a heavy reputational cost on Sri Lanka. For a government whose strategy of progress is hinged so heavily on international support and financial interaction, the loss of global face will not merely be symbolic and will in time come to affect financial bottom lines. Indeed, by failing to make good on its own promises and projecting hostility towards an agenda it voluntarily committed itself to less than two years ago, the government risks alienating a Tamil population which had resoundingly rejected extremists within its ranks. The loss of face for Tamil moderates occasioned by the governments insincerity could have long-lasting and unanticipated results.



Ironically, the Presidents posturing is unlikely to yield results within the constituencies he now attempts to represent. As many have pointed out, the best antidote to the abundant misconceptions on Transitional Justice is to in fact implement the promised mechanisms fully. Special courts tasked with hearing cases pertaining to human rights abuses, whether international, hybrid or purely domestic, only target a handful of cases, particularly those bearing the greatest responsibility up the chain of command. For instance, the ECCC in Cambodia has thus far convicted only four persons, while the ICC has convicted three. The Rwanda and Yugoslavia processes accounted for more convictions, but that intensive decades long effort is unlikely to be replicated ever again. In contrast, Sri Lankas regular criminal justice system has already tried dozens if not hundreds of low-ranking officers, most often trigger pullers, when information pertaining to human rights abuses came to light. The choice for the vast majority of the militarys cadres should therefore be clear: a relatively short process focusing on a handful of those in leadership positions, or a steady trickle of cases over decades targeting those who were compelled to carry out orders, while the real culprits escape punishment. And yet, given the governments refusal to speak truthfully to its own constituency about Transitional Justice, misconceptions will continue to proliferate.



Unless and until a proper mechanism is in fact operationalized, the fear mongering around it will continue, even though such a mechanism should provide more comfort to the rank and file than the ordinary systems preoccupation with punishing privates for the sins of the generals. As long as the government speaks with two tongues, with one message for Geneva and another for its own constituency, it will continue to haemorrhage support at home and abroad. In politics, as in life, sincerity is often the best policy.
The cheque was received by the owner W S S Prasanna in the presence of Fazal Ghaffoor  CEO, ATL. This occasion was also attended by Janaka Wijeyakumara - Regional Manager for South and Sabaragamuwa Provinces, TharangaSuren - Branch Manager, Hambanthota and W.M.R.M Bandara - Assistant Sales Manager.

Amana Takaful (ATL) paid full reparation for a fishing trawler that collided with a ship off the coast of Kaduwella recently. The cheque was received by the owner W S S Prasannain the presence of Fazal Ghaffoor  CEO,ATL. This occasion was also attended by Janaka Wijeyakumara- Regional Manager for South and Sabaragamuwa Provinces, TharangaSuren- Branch Manager, Hambanthotaand W.M.R.M Bandara - Assistant Sales Manager.

Speaking atthe occasion, the recipient Mr. Prasannahad this to say, Soon after the accident our initial response was to call ATL and inform the agents of the damage to the fishing vessel. Then the assessors came for an inspection and all the necessary documents were submitted for processing. Within three days I received a call from the Manager of the ATL Hambantota Branch, saying that after careful evaluation of the damage, a substantial claim settlement has been finalised as compensation for the incident. He continued The speed, professionalism and efficiency demonstrated by ATL were truly exceptional. I received the claim within 10 days. I honestly encourage all my fellow fishing community members to go ahead and subscribe to aSamudra Shakthi insurance scheme with ATL without any hesitation. Concluded the recipient Nowwe finally have an insurance company that feels for us, and we could rely 100% on ATLs  Samudra Shakthi Insurance scheme presently has a strong presence in the following geographies; Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Beruwela, Ambalantota, Negombo, Puttalam, Mannar, Mulathivu, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Kinniya, Muthur, Batticoloa, Kalmunai and Akkrapattu.

ATL continues to be in the forefront of the insurance industry in Sri Lanka and caters to all segments of customers. The Takaful way of insurance operates on the concept of bringing people together to be part of a system that gives them the opportunity to help each other. Since its inception 17 years ago, ATL has been successful in establishing a strong position for the concept of Takaful amidst competition from established conventional players. As the pioneer Takaful provider, ATL operates 27 branches and is set to expand further to better serve customers across the country. ATL continuously reaches out to customers from all segments of society and offers innovative and state-of-the-art insurance products that are convenient, affordable and reliable. As part of its commitment to remain open to all, ATL serves all communities and employs a multi-ethnic team across its network.
Fear, hurt and disbelief weighed on the minds of those who gathered at a Sikh temple Sunday after the shooting of a Sikh man who said a gunman approached him in his suburban Seattle driveway and told him go back to your own country.



Everybody who is part of this community needs to be vigilant, Satwinder Kaur, a Sikh community leader, said as several hundred people poured into a temple in Renton for worship services about one mile from Friday nights shooting.



It is scary, she added. The community has been shaken up. Authorities said a gunman approached the 39-year-old Sikh man as he worked on his car in his driveway in the city of Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle. The FBI will help investigate the shooting, authorities said. Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas said the department is investigating the shooting as a hate crime. He said no arrests have been made yet after the victim was shot in the arm but that he did not believe anyone was in imminent danger.



Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas said the department is investigating the shooting as a hate crime. He said no arrests have been made. The victim was shot in the arm.



This is a top priority investigation, and we are doing everything possible to identify and arrest the suspect, Thomas said in an email, adding that residents in the city of about 125,000 should be vigilant but also not let the shooting hurt their quality of life.

Kent, (Hindustan Times), Mar 06, 2017-
World of Outdoor receiving the Excellence Award at SLIA Architect 2017. From L-R: Farshad Farook - Production Manager, Jehan Noor - Brand Manager, Razeen Mahroof - Head of Operations, Archt. Gibson Rhie - Korea and SLIA Senior VP Archt. D H Wijewardena

With a drive towards transforming outdoor living as a lifestyle, World of Outdoor, Sri Lankas leading furniture brand renowned for its top-notch designer, elegant and durable furniture, recently clinched the prestigious Excellence Award at SLIA Product Awards & Architect 2017 inauguration by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA).

We are delighted to have won this pinnacle award considered to be the highest achievement in the furniture trade. The World of Outdoor is in a focused vision to spearhead as an exceptional brand with trending designs and expertise whilst contributing to the industrys economic growth and putting Sri Lanka in the spotlight globally, said Mr. Fazal Fausz, Managing Director  Avarna Ventures.

The company won the award, proving and assuring its highest quality standards and elegant designs. World of Outdoor is renowned for its stylish, elegant, and comprehensive collection of trendy furniture to suit any lifestyle situation, constructed to withstand harsh tropical climatic conditions such as high humidity, sun and rain. It uses the finest raw materials including the famed Ceylon Teak and highly durable Synthetic Rattan.

Jehan Noor, Brand Manager - World of Outdoor, said The award marks a great milestone in the brands journey of providing designer furniture that is of world class. This exhibits a great sign of our brands value and with the awards nature were well positioned to take our brand regional.

World of Outdoor continues to prove its leadership in the furniture business with a determination to evolve and expand its innovative portfolio and markets while also contributing to the industry and economy, said Razeen Mahroof, Head of Operations - World of Outdoor.

Mahroof further stated We are very focused on improving our furniture design and are ambitious to invite and involve local designers to develop products that are built with local tastes and preferences.

World of Outdoor continuously innovates and introduces beautiful and elegant furniture by using only the finest raw materials that are eco-friendly and recyclable, also including the world famous Ceylon Teak. Every piece of furniture is meticulously checked with a high attention-to-detail mindset, and carries a comprehensive warranty against any damages.

The treated Teak and the Wicker furniture are completely weatherproof, eco friendly, UV resistant and is suitable for both indoors and outdoors, adding that special close to nature touch to your surroundings. Synthetic rattan weaving is done elegantly by hand utilizing the services of traditional rattan weavers, and thus not only assisting these people by providing employment but also keeping the age old tradition of Rattan weaving alive. Quality US and French fabrics are used in the cushion manufacturing process and are UV resistant, water repellant, water and stain proof and carry a 10 year warranty against fading.

World of Outdoor caters to many iconic star class hotels, boutique hotels, villas, restaurants and cafes, multi-story apartments, residencies, modern day houses and properties, as well as top architects and interior designers, in Sri Lanka and overseas. The company has always been a high-end producer of outdoor furniture, producing specialized and tailor-made products for its exclusive clients.

With a reputation of innovating products for many years and fulfilling the ever-changing demands of the local and international markets, World of Outdoor is definitely the trendsetter in elegant world class furniture with a promising superior quality, excellent service and value for money and a continuous drive towards expanding its portfolio and horizons.
China has once again "warned" India against allowing the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader in exile in India, to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, in April 2017.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the press that China was "gravely concerned over information that India has granted permission to the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh".

He did not fail to add the usual tagline "the Dalai Clique", which he said had for a long time carried out anti-China separatist activities and on the issue of China-India border has a history of disgraceful performances.

The Communist Party of Chinas tabloid Global Times delivered the "warning" in more acerbic tone, as it usually does.

The Chinese media did the same when the Chinese foreign ministry "warned" India in October 2016, when Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu had invited the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the state to attend a Buddhist conclave to be held in Tawang in 2017.

The Chinese seem to have forgotten the chief minister had good political and religious reasons to do so because it would provide a lifetime opportunity for more than 1,60,000 Indian followers living in the state to have the Dalai Lamas darshan and seek his blessings.

It is not going to make much difference to India-China relations because the two countries know there are larger issues at stake. Photo: PTI

Without being offensive, union minister for home Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, pointed out that the Dalai Lama was the guest of the state and that as a devotee I will meet him.

At the same time, Rijiju firmly said, "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 was reiterating India's position on the Dalai Lama, which has remained the same. Only India is saying it more confidently after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.

There are two parts to the Chinese objection: visit to Arunachal Pradesh, particularly Tawang, and the other to the Dalai Lamas continued presence in India.

There is nothing new in Chinas allergic reaction to any dignitary visiting Arunachal Pradesh, which has been claimed as the Chinese territory of "Southern Tibet".

Sometime back, they objected to the US ambassador to India, Richard Verma visiting Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chinese had even objected to Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs visit to Arunachal Pradesh!

Though Tawang is in the eye of Chinas territorial claim in the Northeast, in November 2006, Chinas ambassador to New Delhi, Sun Yuxi enlarged the claim to the whole Arunachal Pradesh, trivialising Tawang as only one of the places in it.

The anachronism of it was, a week later, Chinas President Hu Jintao came on a state visit to New Delhi and the joint declaration issued after the visit spoke of a ten-pronged strategy "to intensify cooperation" between China and India!

The 430-year-old Tawang monastery is considered the holiest and the largest Buddhist monastery in the world after the Dalai Lamas traditional seat at Potala Palace in Lhasa.

This is the reason for Tawang remaining the visible symbol of the living traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, giving hope to 20 million followers around the world dismayed by Chinas continuous efforts to crush their identity.

Chinas "Dalai Lama phobia" has its roots in the Tibetan spiritual leader seeking refuge in India in 1959 to escape the wrath of the Chinese army, which went on a rampage to suppress a mass uprising in Tibet.

China had never taken kindly to India receiving the Dalai Lama and his followers with all the honour in keeping with his exalted status as a spiritual and temporal head of Tibet.

India has helped the Dalai Lama establish his religious abode in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. From there, he continues to keep alive the Tibetan struggle to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural and religious traditions.

The Dalai Lamas seat in Dharamsala has become a beacon of attraction for Tibetans fleeing from Chinas religious and ethnic persecution.

During the last five decades, India had attracted nearly 1,50,000 Tibetan refugees.

This hurts Chinas pride as it is not much of a "testimony" to the much-touted "autonomy" Tibetans enjoy in China.

India has gone the extra mile to create infrastructure for education and healthcare for the Tibetan refugees who live in "little Tibets" dotted all over the country.

Chinas description of the 81-year Dalai Lama as a "dangerous separatist" in its official discourse would be considered laughable, because China does not recognise Masood Azhar, one of the masterminds of jihadi terrorism as a terrorist.

But in the Chinese's eyes, Dalai Lama, respected globally for his contribution to the message of peace and amity, is a "dangerous separatist".

In fact, the Tibetan spiritual leader has opted for negotiating with the Chinese for autonomy rather than carrying out an armed struggle for Tibets independence, although sections of his own followers did not like it.

The high watermark of Chinas "Dalai phobia" was the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Dalai Lama in 1989, bringing international limelight to the Tibetan cause China wants the world to forget.

The citation said the award was being given to the Dalai Lama as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi for practising non-violent means of struggle for freedom.

Perhaps, the Dalai Lama earned the Chinas abusive honorifics like "traitor" and "dangerous terrorist" when he delivered the Nobel acceptance speech.

He referred to Tibetans confronting "a calculated and systematic strategy aimed at the destruction of their national and cultural identities".

He added, The prize reaffirms our conviction that with truth, courage and determination as our weapons Tibet will be liberated.

The Dalai Lama's expression of solidarity of the Tibetan people with the popular movement for democracy in China crushed by brutal force in June this year [1989] and that it had rekindled the spirit of freedom among the Chinese people, was perhaps the final straw for the Chinese to blacklist him, perhaps forever.

His words China cannot escape this spirit of freedom sweeping many parts of the world underline Chinas problem in digesting the idea of a free society.

Hence, we can expect the Chinese to keep calling him names and objecting to India's asylum to Tibetans.

It is not going to make much difference to India-China relations because the two countries know there are larger issues at stake.
The ongoing anti-terror operation by the Uttar Pradesh ATS against a holed up suspected terrorist at a house in Thakurganj, Lucknow, is everything the day before the seventh and last phase of UP Assembly polls didn't need.

The "Lucknow terror siege", as the counter-terror operations are being called, is reportedly the result of the UP police receiving inputs regarding possible terror suspects in the state. A team was sent to Kanpur, while another arrived in Lucknow, where the operations are currently on.

Terror suspect linked to #UjjainTrainBlast holed up in a building on Lucknow outskirts, UP #ATS operation on: ADG #DaljitChaudhary.  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 7, 2017

The Lucknow op comes hours after a blast on a Bhopal-Ujjain train, in which eight people were injured. The terrorist suspect, called Saifullah,and a resident of the Hahi colony of Thakurrganj area, is reportedly armed and is refusing to surrender.

#LucknowTerrorSiegeEncounter is going on the basis of central agencies' input: Bhupendra Singh, HM, MP Live https://t.co/4fqxBVUizL pic.twitter.com/8J1q2aA65l  India Today (@IndiaToday) March 7, 2017

The Lucknow op comes hours after a blast on a Bhopal-Ujjain train, in which eight people were injured. The terrorist suspect, called Saifullah,and a resident of the Hahi colony of Thakurrganj area, is reportedly armed and is refusing to surrender.

According to a report in the Indian Express, the clues leading up to the anti-terror op are still emerging. As per the report, "In a press conference today, ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Chaudhary said they had received inputs about presence of some suspects linked to Ujjain train blast in Kanpur and Lucknow, following which senior officials searched the areas."

One suspect has been arrested from Kanpur, the second one is inside a building in Thakurganj. He has not come out yet. Chaudhary refused to divulge any details on whether the suspects had any links to the train accidents as well as whether the suspect belonged to any terror organisation. We will have to arrest and interrogate him first, Chaudhary has said. The ADG added that the commandos were well trained in the operation and that they would complete the operation soon."

Evidently, incidents such as the MP train blast and the Lucknow siege have put the agencies on high alert, particularly because it's the final day before the last phase of the seven-phase UP Assembly polls concludes. The Madhya Pradesh IG law and order, Makrand Devaskar, has "confirmed that the blast was a terrorist atatck".

Badshah from Saudi Arabia rented out his house to 4 students.Watch @mausamii2u's report on #LucknowTerrorSiege#ITVideo pic.twitter.com/p2zHBC47KO  India Today (@IndiaToday) March 7, 2017

Though reports are still coming in of all the efforts to nab the suspect alive, with police indulging in "restrained operations", the situation is extremely volatile, and is likely to rile up the voters who cast their ballot tomorrow.

Some of the key points of the siege are the following:

A. The suspect has no hostages, but might be armed.

B. The house is owned by a Saudi Arabia-based person named Badshah

C. Noida, NCR are on high alert. Raids are going on in other places of Uttar Pradesh.

When you create atmosphere to abuse soldiers, misuse Kargil martyrs, shout Bharat were Tucked Honge #RamjasLeftGang , then Lucknow happens  Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) March 7, 2017

What view can there possibly be on an ongoing anti terror op? https://t.co/Nnid6kNTXx  Rohini Singh (@Rohinisgh_ET) March 7, 2017

Some observers and senior journalists have expressed their discomfort at the timing of this rather spectacular terror-op occuring on the eve of the seventh poll. While some have opnely questioned even the possibility of the tenuous connection that is currently being made.

Nevertheless, it is a shocking turn of events for poll-bound UP, which has seen an extremely tense few months in the wake up to the Assembly polls.

UP police says it is conducting "restrained" ops against Lucknow terror suspect. If intel came from New Delhi where are spl commandoes?  M K Venu (@mkvenu1) March 7, 2017
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BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools. The company also provides fragrance products in various forms comprising eau de parfum sprays and colognes, as well as lotions, powders, creams, candles, and soaps; and hair care products that include shampoos, conditioners, styling products, treatment, finishing sprays, and hair color products, as well as sells ancillary products and services. It offers its products under the Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Smashbox, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, Kilian Paris, Too Faced, Dr. Jart+, DECIEM, and The Ordinary brands. The company sells its products through department stores, specialty-multi retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and salons and spas; freestanding stores; its own and authorized retailer websites; third-party online malls; stores in airports; and duty-free shops. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
HDFC Bank Limited provides banking and financial services to individuals and businesses in India, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Dubai. It operates in Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Other Banking Business, and Unallocated segments. The company accepts savings, salary, current, rural, public provident fund, pension, and Demat accounts; fixed and recurring deposits; and safe deposit lockers, as well as offshore accounts and deposits, overdrafts against fixed deposits, and sweep-in facilities. It also provides personal, home, car, two wheeler, business, educational, gold, consumer, and rural loans; loans against properties, securities, rental receivables, and assets; loans for professionals; government sponsored programs; and loans on credit card, as well as working capital and commercial/construction equipment finance, healthcare/medical equipment and commercial vehicle finance, dealer finance, and term and professional loans. The company offers credit, debit, prepaid, and forex cards; payment and collection, export, import, remittance, bank guarantee, letter of credit, trade, hedging, and merchant and cash management services; insurance and investment products. It provides short term finance, bill discounting, structured finance, export credit, loan syndication, and documents collection services; online and wholesale, mobile, and phone banking services; unified payment interface, immediate payment, national electronic funds transfer, and real time gross settlement services; and channel financing, vendor financing, reimbursement account, money market, derivatives, employee trusts, cash surplus corporates, tax payment, and bankers to rights/public issue services, as well as financial solutions for supply chain partners and agricultural customers. The company operates 6,378 branches and 18,620 automated teller machines in 3,203 cities/towns. As of March 31, 2022, it had 21,683 banking outlets. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Mumbai, India.
An umbrella organization created to boost awareness of senior issues has been formally endorsed by both the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and Charlottesville City Council.

By 2024, our area will have one in four people over the age of 65, said Marta Keane, CEO of the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and an organizer behind the new Charlottesville Area Alliance.
The Parent Resource Center of the Piedmont Regional Education Program will host its annual Life after High School Transition and Resource Fair on Saturday.

The event is free and open to students with disabilities and their families to give attendees an opportunity to gather information and connect with resources in the community to help them plan for life after high school.

The event will be held at the Main Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The resource fair will feature presentations, breakout information sessions and giveaways for prizes and food.

The event is aimed at families with children in middle or high school.

Registration for the event is not required, but it is encouraged. For more information, contact Deborah Anama, coordinator at the parent resource center, at danama@k12albemarle.org, or (434) 975-9400, ext. 68032.
Charlottesville resident Kat Maybury had planned for weeks to speak to Rep. Tom Garrett, R-5th, face-to-face Monday at his office in Albemarle County.

She went there to speak about the Affordable Care Act, which Garrett is in favor of repealing and replacing. Maybury said she hoped talking to him in-person would be the best way to express her concerns about the ACA and his stance on it.

But while she and a few others said they had been assured by his staff that they would be meeting with the congressman on a date, time and place that worked with his schedule, they discovered shortly before their meetings were to begin that Garrett was in Nelson County instead.

Several constituents and groups had set up times to meet with Garrett through his scheduler and were not given any notice ahead of time that he would not be able to meet anymore. Andrew Griffin, Garretts spokesman, said that was a mistake on their part and that Garrett had not planned to be in Charlottesville on Monday.

In addition to Maybury and others who planned as early as in January to speak with Garrett, dozens of people attended a rally outside his area office Monday afternoon in anticipation that he would be there.

Groups such as Indivisible Charlottesville, a local progressive political advocacy group, have been pressuring Garrett to hold a town hall or some other in-person event to meet with as many constituents in the 5th District as possible. Many who have rallied and protested outside of Garretts office over the past several weeks have wanted to speak with him about health care and immigration, among other topics.

Maybury and the others were instead met by members of Garretts staff, including Kevin Reynolds, his chief of staff.

Griffin said in a text message that Garretts absence in Charlottesville was a scheduling mix-up  despite the confirmations many had received.

It was bad coordination on behalf of myself with our scheduler, Griffin said.

An email Maybury received from Garretts staff dated Jan. 26 said Garrett was planning to be at his Berkmar Drive office on Monday and that a meeting that afternoon would work out. She responded with a time, 1:30 p.m.

I have set aside March 6 to be a day for Mr. Garrett to take meetings from Charlottesville, the email from Tripp Grant, Garretts scheduler, read.

For Maybury and others who rallied outside his office Monday, it felt like another failed attempt to reach the congressman in person.

It was really disappointing, Maybury said. At the very last minute, he didnt show up today after having this appointment for so long.

Jason Becton, a city resident and co-owner of MarieBette Cafe and Bakery, went to Garretts office hoping to share his personal story about how the ACA has benefited him and his husband, but was only able to communicate that to the congressmans staff.

We had been told it was a scheduling conflict, but the meeting had been planned and confirmed and so it is disappointing that it seems like hes avoiding any kind of criticism or any kind of discussion with constituents who dont necessarily agree with what he plans on doing, he said.

Joe Szakos, executive director of Virginia Organizing, said he and others with the statewide grassroots group set up a meeting with Garrett through his scheduler back in January over the phone. Some of them came from Danville  about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the 5th Districts southern border  to talk about health care.

Indivisible chapters in the area have been pressuring Garrett, who was sworn in to his first term in early January, to hold a town hall for several weeks now.

Part of this effort came in reaction to Garretts Facebook Live events that he and his staff referred to as town halls, which came under criticism from the organization.

Indivisible Charlottesville organized a town hall on Feb. 26  which drew more than 1,000 attendees  and invited Garrett, who did not attend. Garrett was traveling back into the country the day before, which was the original date for the town hall before it was moved back a day in hopes of accommodating his travel schedule.

Garrett has since announced that he will hold two in-person town halls, one of them in Charlottesville.

Originally scheduled for a week after Mondays rally, Garrett announced on Wednesday that the Charlottesville town hall had been moved to March 31 at the University of Virginias Frank D. Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and that attendance would be limited to 135. Tickets for the event will be distributed through a lottery system.
Theyve raised the roof, fixed the walls, refurbished the building and theyre ready for members.

Common House, a member-based social club and event space, is expected to open in May in the Market Street site of the former Mentor Lodge, one of the citys first social clubs that for decades served the African-American population in town.

The site will provide space to relax, talk, meet, dine and listen to music both live and recorded, club officials said.

The clubs most recent incarnation has been in the planning stage for a couple of years but hit a setback last winter when wet snow caused a partial roof collapse at the 206 W. Market St. space, built in 1913.

We did have quite a time with our roof that collapsed last year, admitted Josh Rogers, cofounder and chief brand officer. If anything, that renewed our focus and passion to bring the building back to its rightful social place.

Rogers said an attempt was made to reuse as much of the building as possible.

We didnt make it easy on ourselves, he said. [We salvaged] hardware and reused our antique joists and sheathing as floors. But, we wouldnt have done it any other way, and were on track to open in May.

Rogers, Derek Sieg and Ben Pfinsgraff, all University of Virginia graduates, came together to create Common House based on the historical role of social clubs, club officials said.

In larger markets, contemporary social clubs are definitely a thing, Rogers said. People arent so different here relative to bigger cities like New York or Chicago or Los Angeles or San Francisco  places weve also lived.

Common House members will access the club using individual brass keys, the clubs website states. The first floor features Vinegar Hall, which acts as a co-work space for members during the day and a rentable venue for the community by night. The main level also includes full-menu food service.

Plans for the second floor, accessed by a floating oak staircase, include the Social Hall, an open central space anchored by a prominent hearth with seating and bar service, plus a tea room with coffee station.

The Bridge Room offers space for games of bridge, chess, backgammon or even Chickapig, with bar service available.

A library and billiard room also are available on the second floor and a 2,000-square-foot roof terrace is planned, the website states.

These days, especially for our members, theres somewhat of a marriage between work and life, so we expect quite a bit of work to occur at Common House, Rogers said. But we do have rules about technology to preserve the humanity of the experience.

Rogers said he and his partners hope Common House can spark creativity and bring people together.

Were from Charlottesville, and we love this town and its people, he said. We see the possibility of an even more progressive, productive hometown, and were just trying to do our little part by uniting the diverse group of like-minded people already making a difference.
The anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks said Tuesday that it has obtained a vast portion of the CIA's computer hacking arsenal, and began posting the files online in a breach that may expose some of the U.S. intelligence community's most closely guarded cyber weapons.

WikiLeaks touted its trove as exceeding in scale and significance the massive collection of National Security Agency documents exposed by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

A statement from WikiLeaks indicated that it planned to post nearly 9,000 files describing code developed in secret by the CIA to steal data from targets overseas and turn ordinary devices including cellphones, computers and even television sets into surveillance tools.

The authenticity of the trove could not immediately be determined. A CIA spokesman would say only that "we do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents." But current and former U.S. officials said that details contained in the documents suggest that they are legitimate.

Such a breach of U.S. intelligence capabilities, and the potential fallout it might cause among U.S. allies, could pose a significant challenge to President Trump, who in the past has praised WikiLeaks and disparaged the CIA.

WikiLeaks indicated that it obtained the files from a current or former CIA contractor, saying that "the archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive."

"At first glance," the data release "is probably legitimate or contains a lot of legitimate stuff, which means somebody managed to extract a lot of data from a classified CIA system and is willing to let the world know that," said Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the University of California at Berkeley.

Faking a large quantity of data is difficult, but not impossible, he noted. Weaver said he knows of one case of WikiLeaks deliberately neglecting to include a document in a data release and one case of WikiLeaks deliberately mislabeling stolen data, "but no cases yet of deliberately fraudulent information."

U.S. officials also allege WikiLeaks has ties to Russian intelligence agencies. The website posted thousands of emails stolen from Democratic Party computer networks during the 2016 presidential campaign, files that U.S. intelligence agencies concluded were obtained and turned over to WikiLeaks as part of a cyber campaign orchestrated by the Kremlin.

U.S. intelligence officials appeared to have been caught off guard by Tuesday's disclosure. Senior White House and Pentagon officials had not been aware of the breach.

One U.S. official said investigators were only beginning to look at the files being posted online and declined to say whether the CIA had anticipated the leak or warned other agencies.

"We'll see what it is whenever they release the codes," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

WikiLeaks said the trove comprised tools - including malware, viruses, trojans and weaponized "zero day" exploits - developed by a CIA entity known as the Engineering Development Group, part of a sprawling cyber directorate created in recent years as the agency shifted resources and attention to online espionage.

The digital files are designed to exploit vulnerabilities in consumer devices including Apple's iPhone, Google's Android software and Samsung television sets, according to WikiLeaks, which labeled the trove "Year Zero."

In its news release, WikiLeaks said the files enable the agency to bypass popular encryption-enabled applications - including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram - used by millions of people to safeguard their communications.

But experts said that rather than defeating the encryption of those applications, the CIA's methods rely on exploiting vulnerabilities in the devices on which they are installed, a method referred to as "hacking the endpoint."

WikiLeaks said the files were created between 2013 and 2016, and that it would only publish a portion of the archive - redacting some sensitive samples of code - "until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA's program."

The data release alarmed cybersecurity experts.

"This is explosive," said Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec, a cybersecurity firm. The material highlights specific anti-virus products that can be defeated, going further than a release of NSA hacking tools last year, he said. The CIA hackers, according to WikiLeaks, even "discussed what the NSA's . . . hackers did wrong and how the CIA's malware makers could avoid similar exposure."

Hackers who worked at the NSA's Tailored Access Operations unit said the CIA's library of tools looked comparable. The implants, which are back doors, or software that enables a hacker to get into a computer, are "very, very complex" and "at least on par with the NSA," said one former TAO hacker who spoke on the condition that his name not be used.

Beyond hacking weapons, the files also purportedly reveal information about the organization of the CIA's cyber directorate, with an organization chart and files that indicate that the agency uses the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, as a hub of digital operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Though primarily thought of as an agency that recruits spies, the CIA has taken on a larger role in electronic espionage over the past decade. In a measure of that shifting focus, the agency created a special office, the Directorate of Digital Innovation, as part of a broad reorganization in 2015, effectively putting cyber work on equal footing decades-old divisions devoted to human spying and analysis.

The CIA's focus is more narrow and targeted than that of the NSA, which is responsible for sweeping up electronic communications on a large scale around the globe. CIA efforts mainly focus on "close in" operations in which the agency at times relies on individuals to implant code on computer systems not connected to the Internet.

The CIA and NSA have historically been rivals in cyberspace, although, by some accounts, they increasingly have put aside institutional rivalries to join forces in gathering intelligence on adversaries, and they cooperated under the Obama administration in an operation code named Olympic Games aimed at disrupting Iran's nuclear capability.

The WikiLeaks release revealed that they have sophisticated "stealth" capabilities that enable hackers not only to infiltrate systems, but evade detection, and abilities to "escalate privileges" or move inside a system as if they owned it.

"The only thing that separates NSA from commodity malware in the first place is their ability to remain hidden," the former TAO hacker said. "So when you talk about the stealth components, it's huge that you're seeing a tangible example here of them using and researching stealth."

The breach, if proven legitimate, adds to WikiLeaks's expanding library of sensitive U.S. government documents, after previous releases of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables and military records.

The leak is also likely to create political ripples for the Trump administration. Trump declared "I love WikiLeaks" last October during a campaign rally when he read from a trove of stolen emails about his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Trump also initially sided with WikiLeaks, which disputed that its Clinton email archive had been stolen by hackers associated with Russian intelligence services. Trump dismissed the CIA's conclusion that Russia was behind the hack, but has since said he now thinks Moscow may have been responsible.
As a student attending the University of Virginia, I dont think Kelsey Kilgore was treated fairly during the student election process.

To start, I am hugely opposed to Donald Trump as our president, but he is our president at the end of the day.

Ms. Kilgore was put in a vulnerable position by being true to herself as a conservative person, and she was judged unfairly by her political opinion.

I could not imagine the constrained choices she had to make when she was in the running. It was probably really difficult for her to find a balance to being a culturally open-minded student, to appease her peers, as well as to keep her own political views in mind.

For all we know, she was mischaracterized by the group called Concerned Students at UVa and she isnt even a Trump supporter.

To brutally ostracize her, to me, speaks volumes about the students at the university. The vast majority of students would appear to be liberals; and it seems that if they catch a whiff of those who are not, they exclude them in any shape or form.

Its a bit ironic: These people are so open-minded that they forget theyre creating their own prejudices in the process. So I think if these liberal students are going to have this shared meaning of what they deem is right and wrong, they should consider the consequences and consider both sides of the story.

Kathryn A. Morris

Charlottesville

Reference:
This paper has reported on the town hall discussion held at Charlottesville High School on Feb. 26.

That meeting of more than 1,200 residents was an invigorating example of the power of local democracy. We heard from a transgender woman who was a 25-year Navy vet. A woman with dual Colombian-U.S. citizenship, married to a man with joint Indonesian-U.S. citizenship, testified powerfully about the real fears in the immigrant community. Two students acted as our respectful and mature moderators. It was the kind of meeting any elected representative should have been proud to participate in.

But now we learn that Congressman Tom Garrett will not hold a town hall until March 31. The venue, the University of Virginias Batten School, will only allow for 135 tickets. Initially, these were to be distributed to UVa students and via the local Democratic and Republican parties; now they will be distributed via a lottery system. These constraints on how many people are able to participate and how they can gain access are profoundly undemocratic.

The Albemarle County Democratic Party confirmed it received an invitation to participate in the event, but has said it "will not participate in any event that doesn't facilitate open participation by as many constituents as possible."

The congressman must hold a truly open town hall forum at a venue that can accommodate the interest in the Charlottesville area. At the same time, the Batten School ought to consider whether acting as host is in fact limiting the free access of citizens to their elected representatives.

Matt Gruenburg

Charlottesville

References:
CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND  A plan to build a waterpark on Chincoteague Island is moving forward, despite some residents' fears that the project would change the town's landscape.

The Daily Times of Salisbury reports the Chincoteague Town Council voted 5-1 Monday to approve a conditional use permit for the waterpark at the 2.5-acre former Maddox Family Campground.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, 10 residents either voiced concerns or spoke outright against the project. Three spoke in favor.

Councilwoman Denise Bowden said she had spoken to hundreds of residents since November, with the large majority being in support of the waterpark.

The project has been proposed by Blue Water Development Corporation from Berlin, Maryland. Blue Water owns properties up and down the Delmarva Peninsula, including the Commander Hotel in Ocean City.
President Tran Dai Quang hosts Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou (Photo: VNA)



During a reception for Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou in Hanoi on March 6th, the President asked the two countries to further collaboration and share experience in building institutional and legal systems as well as inspecting law enforcement.

He expressed his belief that the ongoing visit to Vietnam by the top Lao legislator will help tighten traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries Parties, States, National Assemblies, Governments, and peoples.

The President also showed his pleasure at the bilateral growing relations in various fields from economics and trade to defense, security, culture and education.

He proposed both nations jointly host activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of Vietnam - Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (1977), and the 55th anniversary of the diplomatic ties (1962) to help young generations understand better about the bilateral rapports.

For her part, Pany Yathotou pledged to do her utmost to push the implementation of joint projects between the two governments in the most efficient manner for the benefits of people.

She congratulated Vietnam on hosting the APEC Year 2017 and believed the event will be a success./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc eceives Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou on March 6th (Photo: VNA)



The PM applauded the two legislative bodies for their active information and experience exchange and good coordination in external activities, especially at regional and international parliamentary forums such as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

He asked the two parliaments to increase supervision of and create optimal conditions for the countries investment cooperation projects, including Vietnamese investments in Laos.

PM Phuc said Vietnam always gives wholehearted support to the reform process and national defence and development in Laos.

Highlighting that Vietnam treasures the special solidarity with Laos, he noted the two countries have held regular delegation exchanges and worked together to tackle any problems arising in bilateral relations, resulting in positive outcomes of their cooperation over the recent past.

The Government leader suggested the two sides should continue enhancing relations across the fields while bolstering economic, trade and investment partnership to raise bilateral trade value by 10 percent in 2017.

He urged close coordination to seek solutions to problems in the implementation of joint projects, including the construction on a Hanoi-Vientiane expressway, upgrades to roads linking with the East-West Economic Corridor and other regional countries, and a potassium salt project in Laoss Khammouane province. The two sides should also work more closely to carry out the two governments agreement on developing hydro-power projects in Laos and electricity trading by 2030, the Vietnamese leader said.

He also asked the parliaments to push relevant agencies in carrying out plans on activities marking the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, along with stepping up education about the two countries special solidarity to younger generations.

PM Phuc hopes that both sides will maintain mutual support at international and regional forums and mechanisms. They should also work to help intensify the ASEAN Communitys cooperation and connectivity process, boost the unity and central role of ASEAN, and maintain the blocs common voice in the regions strategic issues, including the East Sea problem.

The Vietnamese Government and people will exert every effort to continue fostering the two countries great relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, he added.

For her part, Chairwoman Pany Yathotou, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, spoke highly of the fruitful bilateral ties, particularly the outcomes of the recent meeting of the countries inter-governmental committee.

She noted with satisfaction that the two sides agreed to further solidify cooperation in politics, economy, trade, investment, security, education, and many other spheres. She hoped that the two governments close cooperation will create an important momentum for trade expansion in the time ahead.

The Lao legislative leader informed her host that during her talks with her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration between the two parliaments and peoples, maintain mutual support in regional and international arenas. They were also unanimous in speeding up cooperation programs and projects for the sake of their own interests, as well as peace and prosperity in the region and the world, Yathotou said.

Laos is amending its legal system so as to facilitate business and investment activities, including those of Vietnamese enterprises, she noted.

Yathotou also affirmed that leaders and people of her country will also work to promote special relations between the two Parties, States and peoples./.
Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaign (Photo: VNA)



The agreement was reached during talks in Hanoi on March 6th between Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaign, who is on a four-day visit to Vietnam from March 5th at the invitation of the Vietnamese Defence Minister.

At the talks, the two sides briefed each other on political, socio-economic and defence-security situation in each country, and shared experience in building the armed forces.

Noting that defence cooperation between the two countries over the past years has become one of key pillars in partnership between Vietnam and Myanmar, the officials discussed the orientations and contents for cooperation in 2017 and beyond.

On the foundation of the defence collaboration agreement signed in 2011, the two armies have implemented various cooperation activities such as exchanging of delegations at all levels, holding exchanges for young officers, organising Vietnamese and Myanmar language training, and partnering in the fight against illegal migration and smuggling.

They have also actively consulting and supporting each other at multilateral forums, contributing to strengthening the Vietnam-Myanmar ties in an effective and practical manner, thus bolstering the traditional friendship between the armies and peoples of both countries, making the ties more effective, benefiting people of both sides.

The same day, the military-run Viettel Global Investment JSC and Myanmars Telecommunication Joint Venture MYTEL signed a contract on technology and management assistance./.
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and her visiting Lao counterpart Pany Yathotou (Source: VNA)



During their talks in Hanoi on March 6th, Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and her visiting Lao counterpart Pany Yathotou stressed that the two sides need to maintain regular visits by the two countries senior officials, and experience sharing among ministries, sectors and localities.

Both sides will continue working closely together and supporting each other at global and regional forums, and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms in the context of increasingly complicated developments in the world and the region, they said.

NA Chairwoman Ngan agreed that the two parliaments will coordinate in accelerating the construction of the parliament building in Laos, affirming that this is vital to strengthen the bilateral ties.

They will also partner in organising exchange activities between friendship parliamentarians groups, female NA deputies and young law-makers of the two countries, she said.

The Vietnamese NA will work hard to prepare for the organisation of activities to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties and 40 years of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, she added.

The two NA leaders highlighted the significance of the upcoming inauguration of the Vietnam-Laos revolutionary historical site in Son La province, saying that it is necessary to educate the two countries young generations about the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity.

For her part, Pany Yathotou, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from March 5-10, hoped her visit will contribute to further deepening the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and legislatures.

She thanked Vietnam for its valuable, timely and effective assistance to her country in the past struggle for national liberation as well as in the current national construction and defence.

The Lao Party and State highly value Vietnams financial assistance to Laos in constructing the parliament building, considering it a vivid manifestation of the special friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

Regarding the legislative ties, the Lao leader said the two NAs should hasten the Governments to roll out policies and measures to further bolster bilateral links in trade, investment and education.

Committees of the two legislative bodies need to continue their supervision of the implementation of commitments and cooperation agreements reached between their Governments, especially those concerning border, natural resources and the environment, she suggested.

Pany Yathotou expressed her hope that the Vietnamese NA and provincial-level Peoples Councils will continue support for and share experience with their Lao counterparts in the coming time.

After their talks, the top legislators signed a cooperation agreement between the two legislatures in 2017-2021, and witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two NA Offices in the period.

Earlier the same day, the Lao delegation paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum./.
Shares of Cadila Healthcare were today trading at Rs 441, per scrip in afternoon trade on BSE, up 0.56 per cent from its previous close.

New Delhi: Cadila Healthcare today said that it has finalised a pact with Supernus Pharmaceuticals to settle patent litigation regarding Trokendi XR extended-release capsules, used for treatment of seizures.

Cadila Healthcare, along with subsidiary Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc, have finalised an agreement with Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc to settle all outstanding patent litigation related to Trokendi XR (topiramate) extended-release capsules, Cadila Healthcare said in a BSE filing.

Under the terms of the pact, Supernus grants a license to market Zydus' generic version of Trokendi XR (topiramate) extended-release capsules beginning on January 1, 2023, or earlier, under certain circumstances, it added.

Both companies, however, did not disclose the other terms of the settlement. The drug is used for treatment of certain types of seizures. Shares of Cadila Healthcare were today trading at Rs 441, per scrip in afternoon trade on BSE, up 0.56 per cent from its previous close.
The city-based company has opened seven new outlets in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka over the last two days, taking the total number of outlets to 330.

Chennai: As part of its Pan India expansion plans, Multi-brand car service provider, MyTVS will soon foray into East and Northern markets, a company official said today.

The city-based company has opened seven new outlets in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka over the last two days, taking the total number of outlets to 330. "We are extremely bullish on the growth of Indian automotive aftermarket and are of the firm belief that service as a category has a high growth potential," TVS Automobile Solutions, President, Vinay Piparsania said in a statement.

On expansion plans, he said, "we aim to double our service network in next two years and will shortly enter North and Eastern part of the country to be a PAN India player". The seven new outlets were inaugurated at Karur, Nagercoil, Uthangarai in Tamil Nadu, Pathanamthitta in Kerala, Medhipatinam, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru in Karnataka.

The service provider has been on an expansion spree to add more service bays to its network. In the last one month, the company has added 100 service bays, it added.
The country's steel production and consumption are likely to come in higher in 2017-18.

New Delhi: The steel ministry will soon seek Cabinet nod on a proposed policy which will make it mandatory to use locally manufactured steel for all infrastructure and construction projects of the government, a top official said today.

The move is aimed at raising domestic steel consumption as India's per capita steel usage -- at 61 kg -- is much lower than the global average of 208 kg. "The Cabinet note (on the proposed policy) is ready and soon we will move the note for inter-ministerial consultations," Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma told PTI.

The proposed policy aims at giving "priority to steel made in India and value additions done in India", Sharma said. The government had earlier said it was mulling making domestic steel use binding for government projects.

"Talks are going on with the ministries concerned for introduction of policy to make it mandatory to use India-made steel for all infrastructure and construction projects of the government," Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier said during a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee.

The country's steel production and consumption are likely to come in higher in 2017-18, backed by an increase in infrastructure allocation in the Budget, a report had earlier said.

The steel ministry has prepared the draft policy  the National Steel Policy (2017 -- to ensure the sector follows a sustainable path of development in respect of augmenting capacity to 300 mt by 2030-31.
Of this, income funds, which invest in a combination of government securities saw Rs 10,864 crore coming in while liquid funds or money market category.

New Delhi: Mutual fund industry's asset base rose to an all-time high of Rs 17.89 lakh crore at the end of February, primarily on account of strong inflows in equity, income and money market segments.

The industry, comprising 43 active players, had an average assets under management (AUM) of Rs 17.37 lakh crore at January-end, the latest data of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed. Industry experts attributed the monthly rise in asset base to inflows in income and equity categories.

Besides, buoyant investor sentiment and phenomenal growth in systematic investment plans (SIPs) also helped in the growth of assets under management, they added.

"Continued positive net inflows in long-term assets like Equity and Balance funds are an indicator that 'India is using mutual funds as long-term savings vehicle'," Bajaj Capital National Head Mutual Funds Anjaneya Gautam said.

"With balance funds are fast catching up with equity funds in terms of getting almost same fresh flows. It indicates asset allocation approach is setting in among investors," he added.

The industry AUM had crossed Rs 10 lakh crore in May 2014, and it is expected to reach Rs 20 lakh crore this year.

"The asset under management of the mutual fund industry is quite likely to cross the Rs 20 lakh crore mark in 2017," Quantum Mutual Fund Chief Executive Jimmy Patel said.

Overall inflow in mutual fund schemes stood at Rs 30,273 crore in last month.

Of this, income funds, which invest in a combination of government securities saw Rs 10,864 crore coming in while liquid funds or money market category, invest in cash assets such as treasury bills, certificates of deposit and commercial paper for short investment horizon, witnessed an infusion of Rs 8,227 crore.

Further, equity and equity-linked saving schemes saw an infusion of Rs 6,462 crore. However, gilt and gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) witnessed a pull out of Rs 772 crore and Rs 46 crore, respectively during the period under review.

Mutual funds are investment vehicles made up of a pool of funds collected from a large number of investors. The funds are invested in stocks, bonds and money market instruments, among others.
According to Hurun, there are 132 Indians enjoying a minimum networth of $1 billion and above.

Mumbai: The pharmaceutical sector has produced the most number of ultra high net-worth individuals in India, accounting for almost 16 per cent of the total 132 wealthy Indians featured in the latest Hurun Global Rich List India report.

According to Hurun, there are 132 Indians enjoying a minimum networth of $1 billion and above. Out of this, 21 billionaires are from the pharma sector. Dilip Shanghvi, the founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals, is the third most richest Indian after Mukesh Ambani and London based S.P. Hinduja & family. Mr Shanghvi with a net worth of Rs 99,000 crore is the biggest pharma billionaire followed by Cyrus Poonawalla (Rs 75,400 crore), the chairman of Serum Institute of India, one of the worlds largest vaccine manufacturers.

The manufacturing sector turned out to be the second biggest contributor of dollar billionaires from India followed by technology, media and telecommunication (TMT) sector. While both the sectors have 13 billionaires each, manufacturing scored over TMT in terms of the value of total net-worth.

When it comes to generating wealth, women are not far behind their male counterparts. There are 9 women billionaires from India with Savitri Jindal topping the list with Rs 31,500 crore.

The report pointed out that the combined wealth of 132 Indian billionaires increased to Rs 26.90 lakh crore, up 16 per cent from last year. There were also 27 new dollar billionaires from India. With a net worth of Rs 24,900 crore, Acharya Balakrishna of Patanjali Ayurveda, tops the list followed by Nadir Godrej and Smitha V Crishna.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm with a net worth of Rs 10,300 crore is now the 79th richest Indian. Divyank Turakhia of Directi who successfully sold his company media.net to Miteno, a Chinese conglomerate at a valuation of $1 billion is the 99th richest dollar billionaire in India.

NEWCOMERS

There were also 27 new dollar billionaires from India. With a net worth of `24,900 crore, Acharya Balakrishna of Patanjali Ayurveda, tops the list followed by Nadir Godrej and Smitha V Crishna.
Mumbai: Director Nikhil Advanis upcoming film Lucknow Central starring Farhan Akhtar and Diana Penty in lead roles is all set to release this year on September 15.

Farhan took to Twitter to share the news with his fans, he wrote: Happy to share that #LucknowCentral will release on Sept 15th.   .. (Please take note)

Lucknow Central is a comedy which revolves around the life of a man and the circumstances that land him in jail. Directed by debutant Ranjit Tiwari, the film also stars Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Ronit Roy and Rajesh Sharma in crucial roles. Majority of the film will be shot in a jail set and the lead actor is rumoured to form a band within the confinement of the four walls of a jail.
Mumbai: Akshay Kumar was at an event when he shared a very important advice for the young actors in the industry. The actor was at the song launch of Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast remixed version from film Machine, where he was asked what would he like to advice the young gen of the film industry.

Akshay Kumar said, My advice to the gen-next stars is to be producers actors. It is important because if the producer is alive, then you will be alive. It is important that you come on time. You should work properly. Finish your films on time. I also remember a big advice by Pramod Chakravorty sir. So, at that time there were no mobile phones, we used to call from the hotel room and the bill was paid by the producer. But I still remember he told me that never let the producer pay that bill.

So now I will tell the youngsters that if you drink alcohol, dont give the bill to the producer because you are responsible for it. Only lodging and boarding is their responsibility, he added.
Mumbai: Karan Johar may have taken Kangana Ranauts very public rant ( on his chat show Koffee With Karan) against his alleged nepotistic approach towards cinema very sportingly but when the Dharma honcho was given a platform to get back at her, Karan grabbed it like this was an opportunity of a lifetime which he wouldnt miss for the world.

At a recent event in London, when the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Director was asked to share his thoughts on Kangana labelling him the flag bearer of nepotism and a snooty mafia who is completely intolerant to outsiders, Karan blatantly said he is done with her playing the victim card if she is so unhappy with the film fraternitys treatment of her.

However, an industry insider reportedly told a daily that Karans anger or sharp choice of words stems out of his cinematic association with silly ex Hrithik Roshan who is all set to team up with Dharma Productions for a big project. By dismissing Kanganas thoughts on him or industry in general, Karan kind of showed his solidarity with the mega star who, we all know, had a very public fall out with the Queen actress.

It is strange that Karan is accusing Kangana of playing the victim card a little too much when he himself has milked the sexual orientation many a time.
New Delhi: Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu have perfect gift for the women out there, ahead of 'Naam Shabana' release.

The two took to social media to demonstrate 'kohni maar' for the ladies, where they can use their elbows in self-defense.

The video also sees the 'PINK' actress talking about how, instead of reacting, women freeze out when touched inappropriately. She even asks everyone to use their own body parts to protect themselves and finally demonstrates the stunt with the 'Khiladi' actor.

She says in the video, "I fail to understand how weak are we that we can't protect ourselves. When someone touches us, our mind doesn't work. When a man comes and touches our breast or back, we freeze, and they take advantage of that moment and do whatever they want." Adding, "To answer this, we should know what to do. Throw a stone and run, kick, use your hands... Your body parts are your weapons. Use your 'kohni' (elbow), trust me it hurts a lot."

Akshay tweeted the video and wrote alongside, "Don't just freeze...ACT & REACT coz ur biggest weapon is with YOU! Watch, learn & show your move with #KohniMaar! Kya pata kab kaam aa jaye."

Don't just freeze...ACT & REACT coz ur biggest weapon is with YOU! Watch, learn & show your move with #KohniMaar! Kya pata kab kaam aa jaye pic.twitter.com/ugDEtRvouz  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 6, 2017

'Naam Shabana', with the 29-year-old actress in the lead, is a spin-off, based on her character in the film 'Baby'.

She essays the role of an undercover agent. The Shivam Nair-directed film, which also features Akshay in a special role, will release on March 31.
Mumbai: Actress Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Noor', which is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel 'Karachi, You're Killing Me', will release in Pakistan.

When asked if 'Noor' will have a release across the border, producer Bhushan Kumar said, "Yes, we are releasing the film in Pakistan."

The Sunhil Sippy-directed film follows journalist-writer Noor's misadventures and love life as she navigates her way through Mumbai.

The setting of the movie has been changed from Karachi to Mumbai and the director says it was meant to be like that as the team worked hard to adapt the book into Indian setting.

"The book was really just the germ of the idea. We took those characters and adapted it to Mumbai. There is no link at all between the two, it's just the germ of the idea," Sippy says.

Sonakshi says her respect for journalists has grown after playing one in the movie. "I have tremendous respect for journalists. It is not easy being a journalist and especially the way you all work. I really respect that. Noor is also one of you."

"As celebrities we don't know in detail what journalists go through. While doing the film, I realised the kind of work journalists do." 'Noor' is scheduled to release on April 21.
Mumbai: Deepika Padukone was in the USA few days ago to celebrate the success of her Hollywood debut, xXx: Return of Xander Cage and the actress had also attended pre and post-Oscars events.

However, an incident when the actress reached the country went unnoticed and is now going viral.

When Deepika had reached the Los Angeles airport few days back, in a case of mistaken identity, she was referred to as Priyanka by the media persons.

In a video that captures the incident, we see the paparazzi repeatedly trying to gain Deepikas attention by calling her Priyanka and even saying welcome back and posing other questions. The actress doesn't react and eventually is seen getting into her car.

Watch the video here:

This is not the first time, Deepika has been called as Priyanka before when she was in the USA for the promotions of 'xXx.'

The goof-up is surprising considering Priyanka and Deepika are both the most popular Indian faces seen in Hollywood films and talks of their rivalry because of the same reason and their co-starring in Bajirao Mastani have been going on for a while now.
Mumbai: Sonakshi Sinha has fairly been credited for being a talented actress, but her choice of films have surprisingly been lacklustre.

However, the actress seems to be in no mood to compromise now, with 'Noor' looking like a film that is hell-bent on exploiting her acting credentials.

The breezy film, has Sonakshi play the eponymous character, a vivacious and spunky journalist based out of Mumbai, with her own quarter-life crises.

The actress has a funnyman for a best friend in Kanan Gill, who's making his feature film debut with the film, and quite the hots for a salt-and-peppered Purab Kohli.

The actress is credibly vulnerable and ambitious, and quite convincing in her portrayal from what one can see in the trailer.

The film has also jumped into the bandwagon of revisiting old classics, with a revamped version of the cult hit 'Gulaabi Aankhen' featured in the film.

Helmed by Sunhil Sippy and adpated from the bestseller, 'Karachi, You're Killing Me!', 'Noor' is slated to release on April 21.

Watch the trailer here:
Sonakshi Sinha is all set to star as a spunky, vivacious journalist residing in Mumbai in her upcoming movie Noor, alongside funny-man Kanan Gill, whos making his feature film debut, Purab Kohli.

At the trailer launch of the movie, Sonakshi said that she felt a sort of camaraderie with the media present there. Ive interacted with you all so much all these years, and Ive learned a lot. My character, Noor, is a journalist and wants to do serious journalism, she explained.

Honestly, whatever knowledge I applied in the film for my role has come from you all. I thank each and every one of you for helping me do my research. All the credit goes to my director and writers for portraying such a powerful character on canvas, she said, addressing the media.

When asked about the disturbing things she reads about herself, Sonakshi laughed and said,  Ive forgotten the count. Its all part and parcel of the business were in. Everything happens for a reason, and you need to have the strength to move on.

The film is set to release on April 21 and will also feature a revamped version of the cult hit song, Gulabi Aankhen. Noor is based on the bestseller, Karachi, Youre Killing Me!
Soon after the release of a film, actors hold success meets and go gaga about how everyone liked their film, and how it is the happiest moment of their lives since they have the next big hit in hand. But away from the rest is actor Vijay Devarakonda, whose speech at a presser organised post the release of his latest film Dwaraka, left everyone talking. While the actor thanked everyone who appreciated the film, he also had some words for all those who didnt like the film. I know some of you may not have liked our film. I am sorry that we couldnt impress you. But I am sure all of us will work on other films in the future and hopefully we will be able to impress you then, he said. Everyone has since begun to appreciate him, saying that he is a great sport, taking both criticism and praise equally well.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Battle lines have been drawn for a major show down in the medical education sector with the state government introducing a three-year compulsory bond for post-graduate students in government medical colleges and the junior doctors vehemently opposing the move. The three-year bond period will come into effect in the current academic year. Medical PGs had just one year bond after completion of their course till last year. The Kerala Medical PG Association said the new order amounted to exploitation. Instead of filling up the existing 545 posts which are mainly in entry cadre of assistant professors, the government is looking up to the bond system to get the work done in medical colleges. This is unacceptable, said Dr U.R. Rahul, KMPGA state secretary.

The doctors allege that bond will delay their chances of getting regular appointments. Look at the timeline of a doctors professional life once the bond system kicked off, Dr Rahul said: It takes six years for MBBS, nearly two years for preparation for post-graduation, three years for PG, three year bonded service as senior residents and another three years for super specialty. A person who joins for MBBS at 18 years would be 34-35 years on the completion of bond period. This means he would not get a permanent job in the medical education sector till he is 34. It could be more in the case of an average student, Dr Rahul said.

However, the government is firm on the three-year compulsory bond. The government is going to provide specialty and super specialty services in taluk and district hospitals as part of the Ardram mission, said additional chief secretary (health) Rajeev Sadanandan. We need a large number of senior residents to take up these responsibilities. The doctors are availing subsidised education in government medical colleges and they have a responsibility towards society. He said senior residents were also needed for Idukki medical college which will start functioning from next year. Kasargod and Wayanad medical college are also coming up subsequently. Efforts are on to fill up the vacant posts in medical colleges through PSC, he added. Government sources say most post-graduate doctors tend to keep off government services in the name of preparing for super speciality if there is no bond. The special rules demand that one must have a one year senior residency and another one year teaching experience for appointment as assistant professor.

However, doctors refute the claims that senior residents were not available. Over 400 candidates had applied for the 12 posts of permanent junior residents in Palakkad Medical College recently, said Dr P.S. Jinesh of Kottayam medical college. This shows that doctors are waiting for jobs in the government sector. This rush of candidates also exposes the claim that specialist doctors prefer private sector, he said. Dr Jinesh suggested that the government make senior resident doctor a permanent entry cadre post. This is a win-win situation that ensures the services of qualified doctors for the people, and offers an assured career for the doctors. Government sources claimed that 40 posts in the entry grade were filled up last month. Efforts are to fill up posts in all clinical departments. But it important to retain a minimum number of senior residents for which bonded services are required, they added.

Doctors in the medical education sector are irked by the rough deal given to the sector in the budget. It has proposed an addition of only 45 posts which is too low when compared to over 1000 posts planned for the health services department. Recently the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) took up issues related to medical colleges with health minister K.K. Shailaja. We have requested the government to take into consideration workload and deficiency while finalising the posts in medical colleges, said KGMCTA state president Dr Kavitha Ravi. We are preparing a status report on the sanctioned posts, number of vacancies and the posts required considering the work load in each government medical college hospital. The report will be submitted to the minister after Assembly session.

Even as the government claims to make ground-breaking changes in medical sector, the ground situation in the state remains pathetic. While the existing medical colleges are plagued by acute shortage of doctors seriously hitting patient care activities, the clamour for new medical colleges has only aggravated the situation. Premier institutions such as Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram should ideally have only 900 beds considering the existing number of MBBS seats. However the current bed strength is 2750. But what is more alarming is that at a given time there are 4000 in patients availing treatment, many without beds.

Kozhikode medical college has the highest number of medical seats at 250. It should have 1100 beds. But the existing bed strength is 2800. The gap between the sanctioned and existing strengthen of doctors is as high as 100 in many of the medical colleges. The older ones are working with a staff pattern which was approved more than 50 years ago. There has not been any significant change on the ground barring little recruitment here and there. Many hope the KGMCTA exercise to carry out a realistic assessment of existing staff strength, work load and required strength will help the government find a solution to the chronic problem confronting the medical education sector.
Berlin: The social media is a way for people across the world, engaged in any occupation, to portray their talent for everyone to see, and several artists have been reaching out to other users through Facebook.

But a drug dealer in Germany landed in a soup when his neo-Nazi sentiments were exposed from images of Hitler images scorched on toasts that he made. This was a violation of Germanys stringer post-war regulations against display of Nazi imagery, and prompted the police to track him down.

(Photo: Facebook)

When police raided Sven Pohl residence, they unearthed a massive drug trafficking racket as he was found dealing in cannabis and crystal meth. He will now be charged with heavy drug trafficking and the Hitler on toast case as well.

Pohl was previously imprisoned for violence and took to dealing drugs after coming out of jail.
Famous as "Superwoman" in the online world, Lily Singh, 28, will arrive in the country in April to promote her first book. (Photo: Facebook)

New Delhi: Indo-Canadian YouTube personality Lilly Singh is all set to return to India as a part of her 'How To Be A Bawse' tour.

Famous as "Superwoman" in the online world, Lily, 28, will arrive in the country in April to promote her first book titled as "How To Be A Bawse: A Guide to Surviving Conquering Life". Narrated in Lilly's hilarious, bold voice, the book is

packed with photos and candid stories from her journey to the top.

Talking about her first stint as an author, Lilly says, "I am so thrilled to write my first book and share, all in one place, what I've learned about achieving success and happiness. "This journey has taught me to always pick yourself up, not allow anything to stand in your way and that the only secret to achieving your dreams is hard work."

She will begin touring in Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi on April 19, 20 and 21, respectively. The whirlwind tour also includes dates in USA, Canada, South East Asia, Dubai, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad, Tobago and UK.
New Delhi: Former external affair minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid was reportedly cheated to the tune of Rs 59,000 by two men on the pretext of selling him Maltese puppies through an e-commerce website. Following a complaint by Mr Khurshid, the crime branch of the Delhi police registered a case and started investigations in the matter.

Sources said that Mr Khurshid came to know about the sale of the Maltese puppies on an e-commerce portal. The accused persons had given an advertisement that they had two Maltese puppies for sale. They had also quoted a price of Rs 12,000 per puppy and had given an email address for those interested to communicate with them to buy the puppies.

A source in the police, privy to the investigations, said: The advertisement was given by one Tonny Wallace. Mr Khurshid sent him an email and expressed his interest in buying both the puppies. Tonny replied to the email and told Mr Khurshid that he was in Thekkad, Kerala. After communicating with Tonny, Mr Khurshid agreed to buy the puppies by paying money through e-transactions.

Tonny mailed Mr Khurshid the bank details of one of his friends, Ankit Bhandari, and requested him to transfer the money to his account. The source said that Mr Khursaid had asked Tonny to speak to his office boy, Sachin Kumar.

Preliminary investigations show that Mr Kumar transferred Rs 59,000 to Ankit Bhandaris account. After receiving the payment, Tonny told Mr Khurshid that he would be available on his US toll free number.

According to the source, Tonny also told Mr Khurshid to speak to him through his Facebook profile. After this, he started demanding more money from Mr Khurshid in the name of health checks and health certificate of the puppies and for their travel expenses to Delhi. Tonny told Mr Khurshid that the puppies will be delivered to him through a pet travel agency, namely Pacific Pet Re-Locator Agency. But the puppies were never delivered to him.

It is learnt that Mr Khurshid grew worried when Tonny started ignoring him and did not reply to any of his emails. The source said, Mr Khurshid tried to contact him, but he was not responding through any channel. Mr Khurshid then decided to approach the police. He discussed the matter with one of his advocate friends and complained to the crime branch.

A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered and investigations are ongoing.
Kalpetta: Seven girl students of a well-known Muslim orphanage here have been subjected to sexual abuse by a gang of youngsters, according to police. Police has already taken into custody six of the suspects and three more are yet to be nabbed, it is learnt.

The incident came to light when the security of the orphanage found a girl coming out of a nearby shop the other day. After inquiry it was revealed that many girl students of the orphanage were lured by the youngsters into the shop and subjected to sexual abuse for about a year.

Police filed the complaint after the administrator of the institution approached the police seeking action against the youngsters.

The youngsters lured the students of the institution while they went to school. They gave them sweets and forced them to watch porn films before subjecting them to abuse. They were threatened of serious repercussions if they complained, said the complaint by the administrator. The students are from 7th, 8th, 9th standards of the school.

Though only seven students came out with complaints, police suspect that about 30 students were subjected to abuse. Police had sent the students for medical examination on Monday night itself. Wayanad SP Rajpal Meena is monitoring the investigation.

The youngsters taken into custody were being questioned till late night on Monday. More arrests are likely on Tuesday, police said. Confirming the sexual abuse, Mr Meena told this newspaper that police will register a case and the probe has started. A few are in custody. There are chances more cases would follow, he added.
Nagpur: In a landmark judgement, a local court in Gadchiroli on Tuesday sentenced former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba and four others to life imprisonment for links with the Maoists.

A sixth accused was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment. In the sedition case slapped against him, Saibaba, who is 90 per cent disabled and bound to a wheelchair, is charged for being a member of a banned anti-national Maoist organisations.

Saibaba was arrested in May 2014 by the Gadchiroli police, which recovered a lot of incriminating data from his hard disk.

Saibaba verdict historic

Saibaba was found guilty of offences punishable under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Amendment 2008).

Principal Gadchiroli district sessions judge Suryakant Shinde announced the verdict in a packed courtroom. Other accused Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirke and Pandu Narote were also found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The sixth accused, Vijay Tirke, who was described as a first-timer, was however given a milder punishment of 10 years RI. Noted lawyer Prashant Sathinatahan who was special public prosecutor, expressed satisfaction over the verdict.

He told this newspaper from Gadchiroli where he was personally present in the court, that all the accused deserved life sentence. This is a historic judgement, Mr Sathianathan added.

The prosecution had examined 23 witnesses including two then Maharashtra home secretaries, Amitav Ranjan and K.P. Bakshi, who had accorded sanction to prosecute Saibaba under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Amendment 2008) Act.

Mr Sathianathan, who led the prosecution legal team, said they presented glaring evidence and concrete facts before the sessions court. We had rock-solid evidence against him and his role in anti-national Naxal activities, he stated.

Commenting on the verdict, Gadchiroli superintendent of police Abhinav Deshmukh said it is a Legal strike on white-collar naxalism.

Saibaba had applied for bail, but the high court here had rejected his plea on all counts, particularly the health ground cited by Saibaba and his supporters citing medical reports, which clearly stated that proper medical aid was extended to him from super specialty hospital doctors when he was lodged in Central Prison in Nagpur.

The High Court earlier had also rejected the argument of Saibaba about there being very weak evidence against him.
Shillong: Three persons were injured in an alleged police firing triggering a mob to torch a police station and five vehicles at Resubelpara in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills district, police said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has ordered a judicial enquiry into the police firing.

The three persons, while they were returning from a weekly market, were fired at by police after the vehicle they were travelling did not stop at a police check point last night, North Garo Hills District Deputy Commissioner S C Sadhu told PTI.

All the three occupants of the car were critically injured and shifted to Guwahati where their conditions were reported stable, he said.

As the news spread, a mob set afire the local police station, five police vehicles and a makeshift shelter for police guards within the premises, he said.

While the police team maintained that the occupants of the vehicle were asked to stop in the first and second check points, their refusal led the policemen at the last layer to fire at them suspecting to be armed militants.

District SP Dalton Marak said, "we had information about William Sangma (who had earlier evaded arrest by running away in a vehicle which was asked to stop) and had duly set up a check point, close to the Belpara Baptist Church. However, at about 10:30, when we asked the vehicle to stop, it refused to do so."

The situation, however, was brought under control this morning after the residents of the town took out a march against the "excesses of the police", he said.

The Meghalaya government will constitute a judicial enquiry into the police firing Sangma informed the Assembly on Tuesday.

"In order to clear all doubts and instill confidence, the government will take a call and have a judicial inquiry," Sangma told the Assembly after Home Minister H D R Lyngdoh made a suo motu statement on the incident.

The chief minister also announced adequate compensation for the injured civilians.

Appealing to the people of the area to maintain peace, he said Chief Secretary K S Kropha and Director General of Police S B Singh were monitoring the situation.

Home Minister Lyngdoh in his statement said that a mob ransacked and burnt down a police station and five vehicles after three traders were injured in police firing at Resubelpara.

Former Chief Minister S C Marak, a local MLA, demanded judicial inquiry and adequate compensation for the victims.

While supporting Marak's demand, Opposition Chief Whip James K Sangma alleged that "trigger happy" policemen were responsible for the incident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi during an election campaign in Allahabad. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The average assets of 311 MLAs re-contesting in Uttar Pradesh went up by Rs 2.84 crore -- roughly an increase of 82 per cent -- in the last five years, says a report.

The average assets of the 311 re-contesting MLAs from various parties in 2012 was Rs 3.49 crore (Rs 3,49,08,073) while this year, it stood at Rs 6.33 crore (Rs 6,33,64,781), a report by think-tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said today.

"The average assets of these 311 re-contesting MLAs, between the Uttar Pradesh elections of 2012 and 2017, have increased by Rs 2.84 crore (Rs 2,84,56,709)," it said.

As per the analysis, which was jointly done by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and ADR, BSP's Shah Alam Urf Guddu Jamali saw the highest growth in assets from 2012 to 2017, an increase by over Rs 64 crore, followed by Nawab Kazim Ali Khan at Rs 40 crore, also from BSP, and SP's Anup Kumar Gupta Rs 35 crore.

On party-wise analysis, ADR said SP's 162 MLAs' average assets increased by over Rs 2 crore while that of BSP's 57 MLAs by over Rs 4 crore.

It further said BJP's 55 MLAs' average assets increased by more than Rs 2 crore and the same for the Congress' 19 MLAs read over Rs 2 crore.
Deccan Chronicle spoke to Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur (20), who was at the centre of a controversy over her comments on the death of her martyred father and her social media campaign. In her first-ever interview after she was embroiled in a battle among leading political parties, Kaur told Sushmita Ghosh that the need of the hour was to teach young boys about feminism and women safety at the grassroots level. Sharing her views on gender inequality, the Lady Sri Ram College student said that gender equality needs to be taught just the way inequality has been taught for generations.

Q. There is a lot of debate on gender related issues all over the world. What according to you is the essence of these issues?

A. This is not a recent problem we are facing. Women have been facing the patriarchy and the misogyny for a very long time. Even if we go back to the Shakespearean time, women were not allowed to go on stage or act. But right now we are in a very comfortable space. Even though it is terrible, we have much more forward thinking space as compared to the past. Women are still able to ask for their rights and its about time to move forward. When it comes to feminism and women safety, this needs to be taught to young boys from the grassroots level that girls are not different from them and neither are they weaker.

Q. There was a hullabaloo over your social media ca-mpaign over the Ramjas issue. What challenges soc-ial media is posing before women in raising their voice?

A. I believe the situation for women on social media has become worse. On social media, people can easily troll you sitting behind the screen and say whatever they want to.

They usually know there arent any consequences because cyber space is a new concept for the government to wrap their head around which I have realised. It is terrible that women are being harassed on social media. I went through the same. Even now if I open my Twitter account, there will be horrible comments.

Q. We talk about women empowerment all the time. How much do you think this notion exists in reality?

A. Girls like you and me come from upper middle class families. Here the dialogue of women empowerment is important, but it is something which does not come out of the blue. If we talk about the rural sections, the women need to be empowered.
New Delhi: After Arvind Kejriwal and Manohar Parrikar, it is now the turn of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to face the ire of the Election Commission over bribery remarks.

The Samajwadi Party supremo was on Monday served with a showcase notice for reportedly asking voters in Bhadhoi on March 4 to accept money but vote for the cycle, his party's election symbol.

Prime facie finding him guilty of violating the model code, the Commission asked him to respond by March 7 as to why action should not be taken against him.

According to the Commission's notice, Yadav had asked voters to accept money from other parties, but vote for the 'bicycle' symbol of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

"I (have) heard that voters are being given money. My advice to you is to keep the money with yourself and vote for the bicycle," Akhilesh had said.

The poll watchdog reminded him that bribery and abetment of bribery of voters is a penal offence.
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said the government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman, adding that the Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation in the matter.

"Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation," MEA official spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy has categorically denied reports of firing at the Indian fishermen.

"It is stated that the Sri Lankan Navy patrols in the Northern waters are conducted by Fast Attack Craft and Fast Gun Boats and at no time are small boats being engaged for patrols off the Northern waters, since Indian trawlers are of quite large size," the navy said in a statement.

"Since, naval units are engaged in the scheduled Kachchattivu feast on 11th & 12th March, even patrols in this area have being concentrated towards Kachchattivu. According to reports around 5000 Indian fishermen and 150 boats are expected for the feast," it added.

However, the Sri Lankan Navy also stated that since there is an allegation of a shooting incident, it is carrying out a comprehensive investigation to find out the veracity of this alleged incident.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government has announced Rs. five lakh for the dead and Rs. one lakh for the fisherman injured in shooting by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Condemning the killing of the fisherman, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin has urged the Central Government to react strongly and demanded it to hold embassy-level talks at once on the issue.

"It's high time the Central Government reacts strongly to this problem. The Central Government cannot be a mute spectator. It should take up this issue with Indian ambassador in Sri Lanka or the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India," Stalin said in a statement.

The deceased was identified as a 22-year-old man named Pricho and his body was brought to the Rameshwaram Government Hospital at around 12:30 p.m.

As per reports, around 500 boats went for fishing on Friday evening from here and around 9 p.m.

The Sri Lankan Navy started firing in which Pricho died of the bullet injury on his neck and another man named Saravanan got injured.

Meanwhile, a case had been registered in the local police station.

According to reports, around three more fishermen have suffered injuries in the firing which occurred in Adambalam, that comes under Indian territory.

Last week, 15 Indian fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy and all their equipment and fishing gear was taken away.

The fresh incident of opening fire comes a day after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami wrote to the Centre over it not taking concrete steps in stopping the steady harassment of fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

The letter spoke in detail about how Indian fishermen were constantly being hauled by the Lankan Navy and also about their equipments and boats being seized without any law being followed.
New Delhi: Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi came under fire following her comment on Monday that hostels should have an early curfew as youngsters are "hormonally challenged" and to protect them from such hormonal outbursts, a "lakshman rekha" needs to be drawn.

Gandhi made the statement in an interview with NDTV ahead of International Womens Day on March 8.

As a parent who's sending a daughter to a college - or a son - I would expect her and him to be protected. And perhaps one of the protections is against themselves. When you are 16 or 17 you are also hormonally very challenged. So to protect you from your own hormonal outbursts, perhaps a lakshman rekha is drawn. It really is for your own safety, said Gandhi, when asked by a college student the justification for having early curfew only for girls in hostels.

Maneka also said the security at women's college cannot be ensured by making "two Bihari gentlemen stand at gate with dandas. It has to be solved literally by giving time limits for everything. Give them (boys) two nights to go to the library and two nights for girls--if you want to go to library, that is".

She further said that the deadlines should be the same for both boys and girls. Why should the boys be allowed to wander about in the campus after 6'o-clock? Let them also stay in and do their work.

College students have been advocating the Pinjra Tod movement  to break such curfews and let women reclaim public spaces.
New Delhi: Tihar jail authorities on Tuesday told a Delhi court that there is no solitary cell in the prison while opposing Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal's plea that he was being kept in solitary confinement.



The officials informed the court that Bhatkal was kept under surveillance since there are several cases pending against him.



The response came in response to Bhatkal's plea seeking a direction to the jail superintendent not to keep him in solitary confinement. The court has reserved its order on the plea.



Bhatkal, who was recently awarded death penalty in the 2013 Hyderabad blast case, had moved an application before the court saying that in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, lodging him in isolation in a separate cell was in violation of the Constitution.



Bhatkal's counsel M S Khan also claimed in the application that his solitary confinement amounted to contempt of court.



Bhatkal is at present in judicial in several terror cases, including Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case in which he has been awarded capital punishment by an NIA court.
Kochi: BJP on Tuesday moved the Kerala High Court questioning the continuance of state Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac in the post in view of alleged leak of 2017-18 budget before it was presented in the assembly on March 3.

In a quo warranto petition against Isaac, BJP state unit President Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that the Finance Minister has violated the provisions of Official Secrets Act and also the oath of office by leaking the budget documents.

Rajasekharan submitted that following the allegations of leakage, the government has taken action against some officials associated with the office of the Finance Minister.

This itself proved that the government was admitting the leakage of budget before its presentation, he claimed.

He prayed the court to issue a quo warranto declaring that the Finance Minister has no authority to continue in his post.

The petition is likely to come up tomorrow for consideration of the court.

On the day of budget itself, opposition UDF and BJP demanded the resignation of Isaac who had maintained that only some highlights, which was to be released to the media later, had surfaced on social media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to Mumbai, proposed the formation of a statue of the great Marathi warrior Shivaji. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government spent Rs 8 crore from Contingency Fund to meet publicity expenses for the foundation stone laying ceremonies of various projects which were kicked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December.

The projects also included the "jal poojan" of the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial in Arabin sea.

"It was decided to provide funds of Rs 8 crore for advertisement and publicity for the 'Jal Poojan' ceremony of the memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and (for) inauguration of Mumbai Metro line, Sweree-Nhawa Sheva project and new railway projects under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)," the PWD Department stated in the supplementary demands for grants tabled by Finance department in both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature on the first day of the Budget session.

The supplementary demands for grants worth Rs 11104 crore, 96 lakh, 25 thousand would be discussed on March 14 and 15.

During his visit to Mumbai on December 24, Modi had performed "Jal Poojan" for the Shivaji memorial in Arabian sea. He had also laid the foundation stones for key infrastructure projects, including 22.5-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, two new metro projects, and for multiple works to be carried out as part of the third phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project.

The PWD stated that the amount was withdrawn from contingency fund (CF) since the expenditure was of an "urgent nature".

However, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP) criticised the government over withdrawal from the CF.

"The CF is reserved for purposes of urgency and this fund must be used carefully. However, the state has a normal practice of using the CF for any purpose.

"We are asking for financial assistance to farmers, but the government has no money for farmers. At the same time, it is using CF for publicity purposes. This is disgusting," he said.

The government has made a provision of Rs 14.07 crore in the supplementary grants as an expenditure to provide financial assistance to the kin of farmers who had committed suicide.

Besides, Finance Department had made a provision of Rs 1000 as a token for the purchase of 88 branded touchscreen detachable laptops for members of the Legislative Council, the total expenditure for which was Rs 1.44 crore.
New Delhi: A Harvard University student has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to his recent jibe at the renowned US varsity, and said "mocking" economists and credible academic institutions will only "isolate" India from the world.

The letter from Prateek Kanwal, who hails from Chandigarh and is pursuing a Master's Degree course in public policy at Harvard University, has been released online and has gone viral.

He said when Modi made these remarks at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh last week, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan was addressing the students at Harvard University and "he specifically asked the university and the students to collaborate with your government".

He said the Prime Minister's remarks will push away Indians like him who wish to return to their country after studying abroad.

Armed with the latest GDP figures, Modi had last week mocked economists and made a veiled attack on his predecessor Manmohan Singh who had said the Centre's demonetisation decision would lead to a low growth rate.

"Big scholars, some from Harvard, some from Oxford...some said there will be a drop of 2 per cent in the GDP, others said 4 per cent drop (after demonetisation)... But the country has seen what the people from Harvard think and what hard working people think," he had said.

In his letter, Kanwal said, "To develop a country as diverse as India, you will need the help of people who bring a different perspective to the table. Mocking economists and credible academic institutions will only isolate us from the world."

Calling himself, a hardworking nationalist, the student said, "We are trained in the 'evidence-based learning' approach, which helps in designing and implementing policies effectively so that disasters such as demonetisation can be avoided."

Kanwal also claimed that Harvard alumni hold important positions in the Modi Cabinet as well as the Prime Minister's Office.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered an inquiry into the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast on Tuesday in Shajapur district.

At least eight persons were injured, two of them seriously, in the blast in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur.

Chouhan has asked state Director General of Police, forensic experts, and officials of the Special Task Force and Anti-Terrorism Squad to inquire into the blast, an officer from the Public Relations department said.

The state government also announced a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs 25,000 each to the other injured passengers.

A bomb disposal squad earlier went to the accident site, which is around 81 km from Bhopal, to ascertain the cause and nature of the blast.

The two seriously injured persons were referred to a hospital in Bhopal. The others were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kalapipal town, which is close to the accident site.
New Delhi: A whopping Rs 124.95 crore in cash, 23.77 lakh litres of liquor and 3,655 kgs of drugs were seized by the EC-appointed surveillance squads during two-month-long polls process in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur.

UP led the tally with seizure of Rs 119.40 crore in cash, 22.14 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 63.52 crore, and 3,210 kg of drugs with an estimated prize of Rs 8.66 crore, an official data compiled for the entire poll process period said.

Elections to these states were declared on January 4 and the campaigning for the last phase of polls in UP and Manipur ended on Monday. Polling in the two states will be held on March 8.

Voting for one seat each in UP and Uttarakhand had been postponed to March 9 following the death of candidates during the poll process.

The data, compiled after including all the seizures made by the police and other surveillance teams, state that over Rs 124.95 crore of "suspect" cash, 23.77 lakh litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 67.36 crore and 3,655 kg of drugs with an estimated price of Rs 12.24 crore were seized from these states till the close of campaigning today.

"Suspect" gold and silver worth Rs 25.61 crore were also seized by these teams along with special Election Commission-appointed flying squads from these states, with almost the entire recovery being reported from UP.

"These seizures have been one of the highest recorded by EC teams in any of the Assembly polls in the country. They are surely much higher than the polls of 2012 in these states," a senior official, supervising anti-black money operations at the hustings, said.

UP, with 403 seats in the Assembly, was followed by Uttarakhand, which has 70 Assembly constituencies, in terms of volume and value of seizures of money, liquor and drugs, which were suspected to be distributed to lure voters.

Uttarakhand accounted for seizure of Rs 3.40 crore suspect cash, 1.02 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 3.11 crore and 84.11 kg of narcotics estimated to be worth Rs 40.08 lakh.

Manipur saw seizure of Rs 2.15 crore cash (including Rs 4.50 lakh in old notes), 61,477 litres of liquor worth Rs 72.75 lakh and drugs worth Rs 3.18 crore, the data said.

Counting of votes in these states as also in Punjab and Goa is scheduled for March 11.
New Delhi: Concerned over the killing of its fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, India today raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

"Government of India is deeply concerned over the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," sources here said.

"The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation," they said.

Bridgo, 22, from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu was shot dead yesterday allegedly while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot, he said, adding another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing while others who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore at 12.30 AM.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said that more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot taking them by surprise. The Lankan navy officials did not even fire a warning shot, he alleged.

Kulanchinathan said the body has been brought to the Rameswaram hospital and a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam coastal hamlet gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

According to reports, people have gathered at the home of Bridgo in Rameswaram, and his family has refused to accept his body without an assurance of action.

Tamil Nadu government announced Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the dead fisherman and Rs 1 lakh for the fisherman injured in shooting.

The Tamil Nadu government had yesterday protested the "escalation" in apprehension of its fishermen by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the matter.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K Palanisamy had referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities in the last few days and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the fishermen community.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he had urged Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
Chennai/Rameswaram: Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday staged a demonstration in Rameswaram island to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy dashed off a letter seeking the Centre's intervention.

Tamil Nadu opposition parties also condemned the killing and sought action from the Centre.

The 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead on Monday allegedly by Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

The protesting fishermen at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram and the bereaved family have refused to accept the body of the fisherman unless a Central Minister visits the island and gives them an assurance that such incidents would not happen again, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.

Police said during the autopsy, an AK-47 bullet was found lodged in the neck of the deceased.

In a letter to the Centre, Palanisamy said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and "the strong feelings of the Government of India and government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms."

Lanka resorting to "such inhuman and barbaric tactics" completely belies all the diplomatic efforts that have been undertaken including the understanding reached in several meetings between the two countries, including the recent one at Colombo, Palanisamy said in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said at the ministerial level meeting in Colombo in January, "it was clearly agreed not to use force against bona fide fishermen at sea."

While the fishermen were fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay, at about 9.30 pm (yesterday), "a fleet of four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded the fishing boat and opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire on the unarmed fishermen," he said.

"Two fishermen received bullet injuries and while Bridgo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in hospital," he added.

"Even as action is taken on longer term issues like retrieval of Katchatheevu (islet) and on diversification to deep sea fishing, under no circumstances can the present escalation of actions by the Sri Lankan side be ignored or tolerated," the Chief Minister said.

He urged Modi to intervene "personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen".

In another statement, Palanisamy condemned the killing and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for the victim's family. He also announced Rs one lakh to the other fisherman, who was injured in the attack, and directed that the best medical treatment be offered to him.

DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, M K Stalin, called for diplomatic action by New Delhi on the issue.

"Centre should convey to Sri Lanka, either through consular channels or by summoning its envoy to India, that killing of Indian fishermen cannot be tolerated and that it would face the consequences if such incidents recur," Stalin said.

Stalin said Lankan Navy's gunning down of the fisherman Bridgo was in contravention to assurances made in a meeting of fishermen of India and Sri Lanka last year that no force will be used on the Indians and criticised the "inhumane" incident.

"One gets a feeling if there is any meaning in calling Sri Lanka a friendly nation even after this incident," he said in a statement.

The killing has given rise to apprehension among fishermen of returning alive after venturing into the sea, he added. The DMK leader also demanded that the next of kin of the victim be paid a relief of Rs 25 lakh.

MDMK founder Vaiko alleged that the Lankan navy has killed 583 fishermen from Tamil Nadu even as they were frequently arresting fishermen and detaining their boats.

He urged the Centre to to file a case against the alleged Lankan perpetrators and press Sri Lanka to hand them over to India. "Else New Delhi should snap diplomatic ties with Colombo," he added.

India should also seek a compensation of Rs one crore for the victim's family from Sri Lanka, he said.

CPI, VCK, PMK and many other political parties and outfits have expressed concern over the killing.

The protesting fishermen in Rameswaram alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait.

They demanded release of all Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy and boats seized by them. Policemen have been deployed in the island to monitor the situation.
Police personnel during their operation against a suspected terrorist holed up inside a building in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow on Tuesday evening. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Anti-terror operations to flush out two terrorists, suspected to be linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast, holed up in a house in the outskirts of Lucknow continued late tonight, police said.

It said it had found that two terrorists, instead of one, were hiding in the house and had earlier resorted to intermittent firing. An Anti Terror Squad (ATS) officer said "we have withheld firing from our side" to try to catch them alive.

At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh early today.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary tonight said "after drilling a portion of the roof of the house (where the terrorist are holed up), we were surprised to know that actually there are two terrorists holed up in the house. Initially, we had thought that there was only one terrorist."

"Both of them are very much alive. Two weapons have also been spotted lying there," he said. Chaudhary said that adequate time was given to the suspected terrorists to surrender, but they did not choose to do so.

The ADG also said that the UP Police want to capture them alive. "We still want to arrest them," he said. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to UP DGP Javeed Ahmad, who briefed him about the incident and the action taken.

Commandos of paramilitary forces are being rushed to assist the anti-terror squad and local police in capturing the person hiding here. The ATS operation was launched hours before the final phase of polling in Assembly election covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

According to the locals, at around 3.30 PM ,over 30 policemen started vacating the houses in the locality to corner the suspects. The residents said as the suspect got wind of police plans, he started firing at police party and gunshots were fired from both the sides. IG ATS Aseem Arun summoned elite commandos from Bijnaur police facility. The ATS team is trying to ensure that the suspect runs out of ammunition before barging inside.

IG Lucknow Zone A Satish Ganesh said, "The suspect was not surrendering. Instead he was resorting to firing. Chilli bombs were used to smoke him out." Arun, who was conducting the operation, said, "When the police knocked the door (of the house where the terror suspect is holed up), he closed the door, and then there was a sound of pistol cocking, which proved that he has weapons." He said the suspect resorted to intermittent firing. "We have withheld firing from our side. It appears only one person is hiding inside the house," he said.
Lucknow: Hours before the penultimate phase of polling in the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a suspected terrorist on Tuesday was cornered in the thickly-populated Thakurganj area of Lucknow.

The man refused to surrender to the police and the operation at the Haji colony is underway.

According to PTI, the suspect is linked to a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur.

"We were informed that few suspects were lodged in Kanpur and Lucknow. The police and senior officials of the ATS went in the search. The suspect who was found in Kanpur has been arrested. The second suspect has holed himself up in a house in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The operation is still on to get him out of the house," Additional Director General (ADG) of Police of Uttar Pradesh Daljeet Choudhary told ANI.

"We believe this man is a resident of Lucknow. The tip-off that we received came from outside the state. We also suspect him of possessing weapons. We will try our best to bring this operation to its logical end as soon as possible," he added.

ADG Choudhary also said that they only suspect the presence of just one inside the house. The suspect, said to have fired shots at security forces, has holed himself up in a house.

"We have been working on the tip-off, but, as far as the linkages and modules are concerned, the details can only be revealed once we get hold of the person. For now, we suspect the presence of just one in the building," ADG Choudhary said.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) commandoes are trying to catch the person alive.

In order to arrest him alive, we used chilli bombs but he has not come out yet. He is firing intermittently,ANI quoted IG ATS as saying.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh's IG Law & order Makrand Devaskar has confirmed that Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion that took place on Tuesday was a terrorist attack. At least eight people were injured in the attack.
Mumbai: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday dissolved the Maharashtra core committer of the party with immediate effect.

Owaisi took the decision in view of the dismal performance of some members of the panel during campaign for the recent municipal and zilla parishad polls in Maharashtra, party sources said.

Some members of the panel were also facing allegations of financial irregularities, the sources added.

In a letter to the committee members, Owaisi said the nine-member committee stands dissolved with effect from today, party sources told PTI.

AIMIM won 26 seats in the recently-held elections to ten municipal corporations in Maharashtra. It has two MLAs in the state.
Vijayawada: Central intelligence agencies have reportedly collected the video footage of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidus press conference at the Velagapudi Secretariat here on Monday, where he was seen attacking US President Donald Trump.

Because of Trump, the US has been facing problems. Similarly a few forces have been trying to disturb the communal harmony and law and order situation in the state, the CM said. This was the remark that was said to have attracted the attention of US officials.

A few people are trying to create such a situation in Andhra Pradesh, he said. He recalled how the US was considered to be the safest country in the world earlier. There is no security for anyone in America today. Now, our people are wary of migrating to that country, he said. We are seeing whats happening to the prestige of America. Its future is in jeopardy because of one leader.

The CM avoided straight answer on the Supreme Courts notice in the cash-for-vote case. Nothing new in this case. There have been 26 cases on me, Mr Naidu said.

He also avoided giving a straight reply when asked when he would reshuffle the Cabinet. I never spoken about a Cabinet reshuffle earlier, he observed. He wished his son and TD leader Nara Lokesh, who has been no-minated for the election to the Legislative Council, all the best in his political endeavours. We have given MLC seats on merit, Mr Naidu said.

Expressing happiness at the inaugural session of AP Legislative Assembly in Amaravati on Monday, Mr Naidu said Governance from our own region will improve confidence among people. He said the transit Assembly would help improve administration.
Onboard: Asserting that the revelation made by Pakistan's former national security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani on Mumbai 26/11 terror attack is a victory of the Indian Government's diplomacy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday said the BJP government at the Centre has always strongly raised this issue in various international forums.

"From the very beginning, the Indian Government has maintained this stand. Now, when the former national security advisor of Pakistan is saying the same, it is good for us. This is a victory of the Indian Government's diplomacy. I believe what he said is true," Shah said News Editor Smita Prakash in an exclusive conversation, while on his way to Somnath.

"Whatever he said is absolutely true. We need to take action against Hafiz Saeed and the plan of the 26/11 attack was made on the soil of Pakistan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has always categorically raised this issue in various international forums," he added.

Earlier in the day, Durrani said the Mumbai terror attack was carried out by a terror outfit based in Pakistan and added that it was a classic trans-border terrorist event.

"The 26/11 Mumbai attack, carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, is an example of a classic trans-border terrorist event," he said while speaking at the 19th Asian Security Conference being held at the Institute of Defence and Studies and Analyses.

He said that because he held on this view, the government was not too pleased with, and it could one of reasons why he lost his job as the National Security Advisor (NSA).

Durrani also said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed had no utility and Pakistan should act against him.

Mahmud Ali Durrani, a retired army general, was the National Security Advisor to the Pakistani government when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai after hijacking a boat and killed at least 164 people and wounding 308 across the city.
If the 2012 results are to be taken into consideration, the BJP will need a major swing of votes to make its mark.

New Delhi: The stage is set for the final lap in the high-stakes seven-phase Uttar Pradesh elections. Reports emanating from ground zero so far indicate a close fight between the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and the BJP.

On the fate of Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party, opinions vary from one extreme to another. While one section of political pundits claim Maya is no illusion, others feel the BSP supremo will lag far behind in the race for the throne in Lucknow.

Of the 40 seats going to the polls on Wednesday, the SP is contesting 31 and the Congress the remaining nine. If the 2012 results are to be taken into consideration, the BJP will need a major swing of votes to make its mark.

In 2012, of the 40 seats, the SP won 23, the BSP five, the BJP four, the Congress three, and the rest were won by others. All eyes, however, are now on Varanasi, the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

That all is not well for the BJP in Varanasi became clear with the PM not only camping there three days but also holding two roadshows in his home constituency. Aware that the outcome of the UP polls would decide the tone of the 2019 general election, the BJP placed all its cards on the deck.

The BJP, which had initially decided to stick to the development plank, shifted to the politics of polarisation, bellicose nationalism and religion. BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said that the SP has already lost the elections.

The SP-Congress alliance is, on the other hand, banking on youth power, as well as Muslim and Yadav consolidation. Stressing the age factor, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said in Jaunpur on Tuesday: We will form a government of young people. Age has caught up with Modi and it is showing its impact on him.
As the country gets increasingly polarised on ideological lines, everything and everyone, including feminists, risk being pigeonholed into nationalist and anti-national (Representational image) (Photo: Pixabay)

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem famously said, The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. There is just one tiny complication. The truth has never been monochrome and there is no one-size-fits-all feminism.

That, to me, is the starting point for an honest conversation about what feminism means today. Like every ism, feminism is riddled with contradictions. Feminists share struggles and joys. They also joust with one another. They play the my feminism is better than yours game. Feminism has its part-cause and part-commerce avatar. It is being leveraged to sell merchandise.

There is nothing wrong with these contradictions. There are a thousand different ways of seeing the world as a feminist, and there should be.

To me, as a woman and a feminist, feminism is ultimately about choices and about agency, a voguish word these days, which simply refers to a persons ability to act for herself or himself.

It does not really matter whether you define yourself as a feminist or whether you attach labels to your feminism. The choices you make define you. Choices often depend on the context. Contexts change, so do choices.

My maternal grandmother, a child bride, was a fierce feminist even though she had never heard the word. It was her choices that defined her. Often, she had little say in many things that vitally affected her. But whenever could, she fought back. She was married off before she could finish school but no one could stop her from reading books. She read voraciously, including books with ideas that were considered subversive at that time.

Through reading and reflection, she acquired the ability to view the world, including the world of women, through her own lens. The battles she fought within the confines of home were and remain feminisms everyday battles in huge swathes of this country.

For my mothers generation, urban, middle-class feminism pivoted around social and economic issues. Fights were about whether or not women should attend co-ed colleges, what they should study. Marriage was taken as a given but battles raged within families about whether women should work after marriage, the kind of work that was acceptable. Many families were eager to have daughters excel in academics not because they had visions of them evolving into competitive career women but because such academic excellence would mean they would be well-equipped to tutor their children, the next generation, who would carry the family name.

My mother majored in physics from a prestigious co-educational college in Kolkata in the late 50s/early 60s. There was only a handful of girls in her class, both at under-graduate and post-graduate levels. But even that was resented by some professors who openly chastised them for blocking the seats of young men. In my college days, city-bred feminists took the fight for agency to a higher level.

To be a feminist is to imagine occupying the marginal, relatively powerless position with reference to every dominant framework that swallows up the space at the centre, writes Nivedita Menon, feminist and professor of political thought at JNU in her book Seeing like a Feminist.

Ms Menon asserts that any possible female reader of her book would be in a relatively powerful position with regard to the working-class men she interacts with daily  the auto-rickshaw driver, the janitor and so on, and if she is an upper-caste Hindu in India, or a white American anywhere, with regard to men who are not.

But at the same time, despite her privileged position, she would experience her relative powerlessness as a woman if confronted by a man in a position to attack her sexually, regardless of his class or caste.

Today, for much of the Indian middle-class, the battleground is about personal choice  the fight against dress restrictions in the campus, against khap panchayat-like diktats banning use of cellphones by young girls and unmarried women, against a brand of honour that legitimises murder of young girls simply because they dared to fall in love without caring for social approval.

The threats to 20-year-old Gurmehar Kaur are also part of this broad picture. She has a right to her own views. Those can evolve and change. But by not being afraid to loudly say what she feels, Ms Kaur shows agency, and that is what really scares the people who threaten her. The validity or otherwise of her views is a separate issue which can and must be debated without intimidating her.

Like everyone else, feminists are being sucked into the fierce fight between the Right and Left-Liberals in this country and elsewhere. The personal is political  for long the feminist rallying cry  is truer than before and the positions one takes in these ongoing debates reflect the politics one aligns with.

The social justice prism through which many feminists view the world puts them firmly in what Indias resurgent Right labels Left-Lib. The new entrants in this battlefield are Hindu feminists whose words and phrases draw from the political slugfests of the day. As the country gets increasingly polarised on ideological lines, everything and everyone, including feminists, risk being pigeonholed into nationalist and anti-national.

A 2016 article in the portal Swarajya, which describes itself as a big tent for liberal right of centre discourse described the angst of the Hindu feminist thus: The hypocritical selective attacks on mangalsutra, Karwa Chauth, Raksha Bandhan, menstruation-related discrimination in Hinduism, the racist remarks accompanying Nirbhayas documentary, etc. filled me with cognitive dissonance on typical feminism. I felt betrayed, as if no cause remained just anymore. Then occasionally, I would come across these ridiculous nude feminist protests in the West which filled my mind with apathy towards the materialist values of freedom of the West.

The writer chooses to contextualise feminism in India as a clash between what she calls West-driven elite NGO feminism and India-driven women empowerment aka Hindu feminism. If that sounds like a familiar argument and familiar framework within which politics in India is panning out, it is meant to be so.

The choices are clear, and I, for one, will battle for a womans right to choose; though I may not agree with that choice. Happy Womens Day!
It is a strange anomaly. Whenever India or Pakistan, or both, go into cobra pose, threatening to decimate each other, the world cries foul.

When Nawaz Sharif visits Delhi or when Narendra Modi drops in uninvited at a Lahore wedding, Indian and Pakistani peaceniks applaud. Yet, when Donald Trump wants to improve his countrys troubled relations with Vladimir Putin he is pilloried for even making the suggestion.

Granted he is not gender sensitive, and his mindset is possibly racist. I would liken Russia in this equation to the baby in Trumps dirty bathtub. The deep state that contrived lies to invade Iraq or exulted in the wrecking of Libya, in cahoots with the media, seems to be facing an existential crisis with Trumps presidency over his plans to touch base with Putin. One day Trump excelled himself in his collaring of the deep state, which includes all major parties and the media. He said something to the effect that his countrys image was not exactly squeaky clean when it came to shedding blood around the world. That was his response to a Fox TV question about Putins alleged bloodlust in Aleppo.

Trumps criticism of his countrys savagery has been at par with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the priest who baptised Obamas children. When in a fit of rage over an Israeli assault on Palestinian camps he yelled goddamn America Obama cut off ties with the African-American priest.

Then suddenly it began to rain scams on Trump. So and so met the Russian ambassador. Trumps attorney general is said to have a racist background. That was forgiven. Instead his alleged dalliances with Russian diplomats and/or businessmen were picked up for censure. A wider conspiracy was unleashed to torpedo the new Presidents still unwavering plans to improve relations with Putin. BBC dug out dirt on the Russians.

Cut to the day when Prime Minister Theresa May sauntered into Washington and Ankara recently and the media said she was fixing business deals. They omitted the fact that both her destinations involved allies who seemed to have lost interest in the old British fear-mongering called Russophobia. Trumps fascination with Putin was by now legendary and Turkeys President Erdogan too had shown signs of becoming disenchanted with the British-assigned role of playing an anti-Moscow Sancho Panza.

Russophobia is a British innovation. It was left to Winston Churchill to give the Cold War a newer variant of an old pursuit. The new seeds were planted in Churchills Iron Curtain speech. Then James Bond took over while Alfred Hitchcock also embraced the diabolical imagery of the Russians. Until then, Hollywood had been in hot pursuit of Germans.

Much earlier, before Western democracies were swamped with the Churchillian exhortations against Russia, British governors general and viceroys in India took it upon themselves to deepen fear mongering. Delhis imposing colonial monument  India Gate  is a testimony to this perpetually induced fear with the rulers of Moscow. All sides of the landmark sandstone monument are lined with thousands of names of Sikh and Muslim soldiers who were sacrificed in the suicidal Afghan wars.

Going by usually trustworthy accounts Trump is an unpredictable person, which makes him a dangerous leader of an already error-prone military power. Nevertheless, Noam Chomsky must have shocked the Democrats by suggesting that John Kennedy was the most dangerous of Presidents. Trump is lampooned daily as an unqualified gatecrasher in the White House. The suggestion, however, implies that the world was somehow better off under George W. Bush and, more worryingly, under his colleagues  Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Is Trump really worse than the marauders of Iraq and Libya?

By arrangement with Dawn
Two words, asymmetry and symmetry, need to be revisited. Asymmetry in Greek Asymmetrica means incommensurability, lack of proportion, and in French Asymmetros also means incommensurable, ill-proportion, skewness. In English too it means a lack or absence of symmetry, specially want of bilateral symmetry; also in the development of two sides of the brain. There is another term called asymmetric bars, which describes a pair of bars of different heights used in womens gymnastics. Symmetry, on the other hand, means the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis, correct or pleasing proportion of parts, similarity or exact correspondence.

Chinas newfound knowledge of the English language at the end of the February 2017 strategic dialogue between Indias foreign secretary and Chinas vice-foreign minister can be summed up as: India should accept and acknowledge asymmetry in its ties with China and learn from Beijing how it took a back seat to maximise gains from bilateral ties with the US. Indeed, so beautifully put by the Chinese themselves about their own leaders and the government thereof while dealing with foreigners, thereby resulting in President Donald Trumps shouting from the rooftops about the loss of jobs of millions of American boys and girls owing principally to the destruction of indigenous US industry at the hands of Chinese. That is called the art of deception and craft of deceit of Sun Tzus art of war and Mao Zedong Red Books one step backward, for two step forward. Preserve the self and decimate foreigners through Taqiya Kalam! Several questions need to be addressed and answers thereof sought by India. What does India want? Does India want to subscribe to the sanctimonious pontification of China? Or does it have an action plan to deal with the situation? Can India show China that fundamentals of bilateral relations are based on mutual respect and reciprocation and that there is a difference between retaliation and reciprocation? Friendly countries follow the latter. Unfriendly neighbours resort to former.

Acknowledging this asymmetry in a hard-headed pragmatism, rather than obsessing with the false parity, may better help India achieve its emulation quickly It is understandable that if India makes up its mind to play second fiddle to its stronger neighbour, its cherished self-esteem may be troubled from time to time, the revolutionary words from the Chinese. It seems the implication is clear: China plays second fiddle to the US. So India plays second fiddle to China. Pakistan plays second fiddle to India. Bangladesh plays second fiddle to Pakistan. Myanmar plays second fiddle to Bangladesh. Afghanistan plays second fiddle to Myanmar. Sri Lanka plays second fiddle to Afghanistan. Nepal plays second fiddle to Sri Lanka. And finally, the Maldives plays second fiddle to Nepal. A new South Asian order is born at the behest of China. To be emulated subsequently by the world and unanimously passed by all 194 members of the United Nations General Assembly in its forthcoming annual session in September 2017, a week before Chinas National Day (October 1) as Beijing completes 68 years of its independence.

We, therefore, can head towards a brand new world order, superseding the very concept of the independent, sovereign nation state of the Treaty of Westphalia 1648. Henceforth, every state has to play second fiddle to someone or the other to make asymmetry a grand success. Since asymmetry is a novel idea to/of the global polity and economy, perhaps the wisdom of China could be given a chance! Why not experiment with the new 21st-century idea of the Orient?

As we all know that power originates from the barrel of the gun, and the best gun and the unmatched man behind the gun, in recent times, has repeatedly been found to have originated from Indias western neighbourhood, which is also Chinas all-weather friend, the responsibility of Beijing increases. Logic and common sense demands that to make asymmetry effective, China starts playing second fiddle to Pakistan for its own credibility and re-establishment of the world orders faith in the old adage: Charity begins at home.

In the midst of this novel asymmetry proposal, however, China maintained that most Chinese scholars and critics received the dialogue positively, even as their Indian counterparts turned out to be rather pessimistic, if not cynical owing to unresolved issues like the NSG and Azhar. Here China appears to have jumped the gun. Why? Because the spokesman of Indias ministry of external affairs, like a typical gentleman (and unlike some eternally jingoistic alien diplomats), politely countered: Our assessment is that the recent meeting was positive and constructive.

How then does one proceed? To ones perception, there is little scope to proceed at this point in time, owing to Chinas consistent and predetermined psychological war to keep its competitors under ceaseless pressure thereby restricting manoeuvring options. China does not believe, at least in matters relating to India, in resolving major issues. Instead, it constantly opens new fronts to keep major issues suppressed in the background.

Beijing, like its pictographic language, throws hints and signals. When it talks of world trade, it would deliberately trample on Indian territory. When India talks of NSG and terrorists, Beijing would like to deflect them under the guise of technical issues and further proof.

When India, the US, Japan and the rest of the world talk of right to freedom of navigation, Beijing would come up with historical evidence to claim its sovereign rights on/over waters of the ocean! One wishes to counter-suggest and propose to the Chinese, just as they do to the world and to India with asymmetry  why not China build another Great Wall deep into the water body connecting oceans? That would not only ensure safety for China, but will also enable it to possess a vast swathe of liquid (water) territory. Thus once China pioneers in building concrete water-wall, it can be rest assured to have entire world following the doctrine of asymmetry. A la the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Amidst the Sino-Indian asymmetry, however, a sudden discordant tone and cacophony has emerged from unexpected quarters.

The head of a Pakistani parliamentary panel, Abdul Majeed Khan Khanan Khail, has cautioned its government: We are giving roads, land and entire routes to Chinese trucks as they were utilised by Nato, but on what terms and conditions? One sincerely hopes China reminds its all-weather friend to calm down and fall in asymmetric line, lest others start defying the wisdom of the Orient! It is time China realises the futility of psychological war. Positivism, rather than negativism, speaks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, congratulates the first woman in space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, on her 80th birthday in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia on Monday honored the world's first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, who recalled tense moments of her pioneering mission on her 80th birthday.

Soviet officials at the time said the 1963 mission went without a hitch, and only a few years ago Tereshkova first spoke about a technical glitch that could have left her stranded in space.

"When the spacecraft reached the orbit, I realized that I wouldn't be able to return to Earth because the ship was programmed to move to a higher orbit instead of deorbiting," Tereshkova said in remarks broadcast by Channel 1 television. "I reported the situation to the mission control, they told me how to change the parameters and everything went on without trouble."

Soviet space officials started planning for a space mission by a woman soon after Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly to space on April, 12 1961, seeing it as a way to cement the nation's lead in a race for space supremacy against the United States.

Tereshkova, a textile factory worker who liked parachute jumps, was chosen for the flight after a rigorous selection from hundreds of candidates. While heading to the launch pad, she told her relatives that she was going to attend a parachute competition  a reflection of deep secrecy that surrounded the Soviet space program.

The three-day mission made her an instant global celebrity and a poster figure for Soviet space glory. Tereshkova received a hero's welcome after the flight and was showered with awards and honorary titles.

"It was hard, but we realized that we were working to make the country's glory shine and prevent the competitors from thrusting ahead," Tereshkova said Monday. "It was a great happiness to be the first in space."

Her birthday led the news on national television.

President Vladimir Putin hosted Tereshkova at the Kremlin, praising her as "a role model for us and a symbol of service to the Fatherland."

He presented Tereshkova with a painting of seagulls over the Volga River, a reference to her call sign Chaika (Seagull) during her mission in June 1963.

"I often see my flight in my dreams," she said in televised remarks.

Tereshkova is still a member of the Russian parliament, serving as a deputy chair of committee for municipal issues. Fellow lawmakers greeted her at a photo exhibition about her flight in the lower house, the State Duma.

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India accounted for more than half of the 500-million new Internet users globally who have come on board in the last three years, a report by software firm Adobe said on Sunday.

According to Mobile Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) Report, India has a strong position in driving momentum of smartphones and number of new Internet users globally and in the Asia Pacific region.

"The report, based on the global analysis of 1.7 trillion visits to more than 16,000 websites between January 2014 and January 2017, found that smartphones were the source of 500 million new Internet users globally. Within this, India delivered a staggering 268.9 million new consumers," the report said.

This was followed by China and Indonesia that accounted for 97.4 million and 15.7 million new Internet visitors respectively, it added.

The report said smartphone traffic in India increased by 290 percent since 2014, while desktop traffic was recorded as six percent lower, and tablet traffic stayed stagnant at three percent.

When it comes to app installation growth, the report showed that India led the pack with a 49 percent increase since 2014, in contrast to most countries like the US and UK that have experienced a nine percent and 38 percent decrease in the use of apps respectively.

"Smartphones are allowing millions of people to access the Internet, who otherwise might never have had the opportunity. India has latched on to smartphones and outpaced many affluent countries around the world in Internet usage, which is representative of the country's drive towards digital transformation.

"India continues to possess great untapped market potential and the growth numbers showcase huge legroom for the adoption of mobile technology in a big way," Adobe Managing Director South Asia Kulmeet Bawa said.

The report found that consumers in developing countries are bypassing desktops and laptops and going straight to smartphones to access the Internet. These regions have 34 percent higher smartphone-share growth, compared with affluent nations.

According to the report, India, which already has a high share of Internet smartphone traffic, is showing no signs of slowing growth.

"With a forecast of 46 percent of the world's smartphone share by 2018, India's rapidly expanding digital story continues to present a massive opportunity for marketers.

Organisations focused on delivering compelling customer experiences and leveraging this strong penetration of mobile to amplify their marketing efforts are likely to gain a competitive edge in the long run, Bawa said.

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Googles Play Store completed five years recently. To commemorate this moment, the search giant published a list of most popular apps and games on its Play Store.

The results arent surprising as such. The Facebook app took the first position, followed by Facebook Messenger and Pandora Radio. Photo-editing apps Instagram and Snapchat ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

Whats surprising is that WhatsApp didnt make it to the top five list.

Alongside this, the company also released a list of most popular games with Candy Crush Saga topping the list followed by Subway Surfers, Temple Run 2, Despicable Me and Clash of Clans.

Google also shared a list of most popular movies, books and music. While the top movie is The Interview, the best selling book is Fifty Shades of Gray followed by The Hunger Games and A Song of Ice and Fire.

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The spam operation has gathered and conglomerated a database of 1.4 billion individual email addresses, full names, IP addresses, and other physical addresses.

A database of about 1.4 billion email addresses has been leaked by one of the largest spamming operations in the world due to a failing backup configuration of its entire operation.

The spam operation has gathered and conglomerated a database of 1.4 billion individual email addresses, full names, IP addresses, and other physical addresses, according to security researchers at MacKeeper.

The situation presents a tangible threat to online privacy and security as it involves a database of 1.4 billion email accounts combined with real names, user IP addresses, and often physical address, said Chris Vickery, a security researcher at Mackeeper.

Chances are that you, or at least someone you know, are affected, he added.

The leaked information represents the backbone operation of a marketing firm called River City Media (RCM), responsible for up to a billion daily emails it sends across the world.

Vickery is still investigating on the credibility of the leaked data, but claims he has found addresses, which he says is accurate in the database. It is a type of Slowloris attack, Vickery said, purposely throttling your own machinery to amass open connections on someone elses server.

He explained it is a technique in which the spammer seeks to open as many connections as possible between themselves and a Gmail server. This is done by purposefully configuring your own machine to send response packets extremely slowly, and in a fragmented manner, while constantly requesting more connections. Then, when the Gmail server is almost ready to give up and drop all connections, the spammer suddenly sends as many emails as possible through the pile of connection tunnels. The receiving side is then overwhelmed with data and will quickly block the sender, but not before processing a large load of emails.

Well-informed individuals did not choose to sign up for bulk advertisements over a billion times, Vickery said. The most likely scenario is a combination of techniques. One is called co-registration. Thats when you click on the Submit or I agree box next to all the small text on a website. Without knowing it, you have potentially agreed your personal details can be shared with affiliates of the site.

As the size of the breach is large, the Indias Aadhaar UID system, which individually holds a database of more than a billion citizens, could have been considered among possible sources for the breach.

However, in a publically released statement, issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY), India, denied allegations over the misuse of Aadhaar biometrics. There has been no incident of misuse of Aadhaar biometrics leading to identity theft and financial loss during the last five years when more than 400 crore Aadhaar authentication transactions have taken place, according to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), MEITY stated.

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Scientists here have identified three new species of microbes that flourished on mobile handsets. How grimy are the ubiquitous mobile phones?

Reports from Western nations have suggested that mobile phones are more often dirtier than toilet seats, with some smart phones even known to harbour deadly drug resistant bacteria.

The startling finding is by scientists of the government-owned National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune who have been able to identify three new species of microbes from screens of mobile phones.

Two bacteria and fungus, never before reported in scientific literature, were identified by this laboratory funded by the Department of Biotechnology.

Earlier a study done in 2015 by William DePaolo, an assistant professor in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Department at the University of Southern California, found that toilet seats usually contained three different types of bacteria but mobile phones on an average housed some 10-12 different types of fungi and bacteria.

Mobile phones since they are carried in almost all human environments from the kitchen to the public transport harbour a larger diversity of micro-organisms. These microbes grow well on the sweat and grime left on the phones as humans carry them around.

In Pune, Yogesh S Shouche and his team from the Microbial Culture Collection group of the NCCS collected samples from 27 mobile phone screens and they were able to isolate 515 different bacterial types and 28 different fungi.

These microbes are friendly to humans and usually thrive on our bodies, says Praveen Rahi, a co-investigator for the work.

The team used sterilised cotton swabs and sterile saline solution to wipe from the surface these microbes which were then grown using standardised culture media at 30 degrees centigrade.

But what surprised this six-member team was that they encountered three new species of organisms -- two bacteria they have named Lysinbacillus telephonicus and Microbacterium telephonicum and a new species of fungi that they named Pyrenochaeta telephoni.

There is some good news, Rahi emphasises.

In the samples they collected none of the highly dangerously pathogenic microbes like Staphylococcus aureus, the most common multi-drug resistant superbug. Yet he emphasises they did not actively sample smart phones used by healthcare workers where these super-bugs usually reside.

This Pune finding on the hygiene of mobile phones suggests that the situation is not as bad in India even though in this nation of 1.3 billion people there are more mobile phones than toilets.

On the other hand, a 2015 study from Alexandria in Egypt where more than half of the 40 samples collected from doctors at the university hospital harboured the super bugs.

This week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) gave out an alarming finding that 12 families of microbes were winning the war against anti-biotics and humanity urgently needed to discover new chemicals to kill these super bugs.

The WHO said, "antibiotic resistance is growing, and we are fast running out of treatment options."

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Named after the Greaek god of safety, ITUS, the wearable product, weighs only 15gram, and can trigger an SOS even if the woman is 20 feet away from his or her phone. (Representational image)

When crime against women is on the rise and the police seem helpless to combat it, a telecommunications professional from Bengaluru has designed an emergency device that may be able to offer them the protection they are looking for.

Named after the Greaek god of safety, ITUS, the wearable product, weighs only 15gram, and can trigger an SOS even if the woman is 20 feet away from his or her phone. Even better, it can be worn discreetly around the neck and requires only a prolonged touch to activate. The brainchild of Krishnendu Das Gupta, founder and CEO of SafeInCity, a safety solution provider, the device can help women employees of a company , who may be in distress reach out to a Corporate Security Team in an emergency. All they need to do is press the button for four seconds to trigger the SOS call and send the location to the receiver. It provides the location even with the GPS turned off. And as most employees carry an ID Card to work, we figured it was the best place to integrate ITUS, Mr Gupta explains.

The designing was not a simple process and his team spoke to many security providers at various MNCs to do the research. "We met with several health and safety experts from the safety and security domain and found that despite having a mobile phone, people are not able to raise an alarm in an emergency as the panic made it difficult for them to reach out for it, unlock it and make a call. Additionally, giving someone a precise location is virtually impossible in such circumstances," he points out, adding, "We soon realised that there was an urgent need for something very simple which does not require any thought process. As we started to design the product, we wanted to make it extremely simple to use and yet very reliable. We also wanted to make sure it could be carried in multiple ways, thereby making it difficult for the perpetrator to guess the location of the wearable trigger."

While ITUS allows friends and family to receive an SMS and a link to the persons location, the company security can view the SOS real-time on a dashboard, which pinpoints the location along with all necessary details like the name, blood group, emergency contact numbers and so on of the employee concerned, thereby saving crucial time in case of an emergency.

Mr Gupta has made sure to file for a provisional patent to protect the IP as he believes there is no such product anywhere else in the world today.

How does ITUS work

While friends and family receive an SMS with the link to the employee location, the company security can view the SOS real-time on a Dashboard which pinpoints the location of the employee along with all necessary details like Name, Blood Group, Emergency Contact numbers etc thereby saving crucial time in case of an emergency.

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The release date of the Samsungs next flagship Galaxy S8 has been rescheduled to April 28, according to a report by VentureBeat.

A person familiar on Samsungs revised target told VentureBeat that Samsung is planning on skipping the release date of the Samsung Galaxy S8 duos, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 + by another week.

The firm didnt confirm any particular reason for pushing back the release date by a week to April 28 from April 21. However, the firm is under immense pressure to ensure it next flagship smartphone runs smoothly and safely, following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco it had faced last year.

Along the side-lines of launching its new products at a press conference in Barcelona lat last month, Samsung confirmed to launch Galaxy S8 on March 29 at an event in New York.

According to recent rumours the Galaxy S8 series are likely to come at a hefty price. The two models, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, could carry a price tag of price of $950 (approx. Rs 64,000) and $1050 (approx. Rs 70,000) respectively.

The smartphone is also reported to be available for pre-orders starting April 10, however, the worldwide sale of the phone will only begin from April 28.

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New Delhi: U.S. President Donald Trump early Tuesday took to Twitter to criticise previous administration's decision to reduce the population at the detention facility of Guantanamo Bay, which houses terrorism suspects, by repatriating detainees to their homelands and third countries.

"122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!" tweeted Trump.

Some reports have suggested that many released prisoners have committed new acts of terrorism.

In latest developments, a U.S. air strike killed a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Yasir al-Silmi, who was held at the military prison, from 2002 to 2009. the March 2 strike also killed Usayd al-Adnani, a top operative for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in Yemen's Abyan Governorate.

Earlier in February, a British suicide bomber, Jamal al-Harith, who blew himself up in Iraq was identified as a former Guantanamo Bay detainee. He was said to have detonated a bomb in last month at an army base near Mosul.

In another tweet, the new Healthcare Bill topped the President's agenda as he tweeted, "Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster - is imploding fast!."

Yesterday, the Republicans unveiled a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a plan that shrinks the government's role in healthcare. Called the American Health Care Act, the bill would eliminate the individual mandate, which required Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine; cut the number of people insured under Medicaid; and allow insurance companies to charge the elderly up to five times more than the young, according to the Guardian.

"The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them," said House speaker Paul Ryan.

"Working together, this unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare. This will proceed through a transparent process of regular order in full view of the public."

Patient advocacy groups were quick to attack the plan, pointing out that it is a far cry from plans promised by Trump.
American Indians from across the United States are bringing their frustrations with the Trump administration and its approval of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to the nation's capital Tuesday, kicking off four days of activities that will culminate in a march on the White House.

Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and speakers. Native American leaders also plan to lobby lawmakers to protect tribal rights.

"We are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us," said Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. "We must march against injustice. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

On Friday, the 2-mile "Native Nations March on DC" will lead participants from the Army Corps of Engineers office to a rally near the White House. Organizers have not released an estimate on how many people or tribes planned to take part.

The White House hasn't responded to a request for comment.

The protest comes as a federal judge in Washington weighs a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to halt construction of the last section of the Dakota Access pipeline pending the outcomes of their lawsuit to stop the project. The tribes say that section of the pipeline, which will pass under Lake Oahe, a large Missouri River reservoir, will threaten their water supply, sacred sites and religious rights. The judge is expected to rule this week.

The march Friday will begin at the Army Corps of Engineers office because the agency manages the Missouri River and last month gave the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, permission to finish the project. The company expects to wrap up the work and have oil flowing this month.

The two tribes feel they weren't properly consulted about the pipeline route, which the government disputes. They also maintain their treaty rights were violated when the government changed its mind about conducting further environmental studies of the Lake Oahe crossing after President Donald Trump took office in January.

"This fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has been the tip of the spear of a powerful global movement calling for the United States government and Donald Trump to respect indigenous nations and people in our right to water, land, sovereignty, and culture," said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network.
Washington: Senior Trump administration officials today defended a revised travel ban that prevents people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, saying the order is not aimed at Muslims but is an effort to safeguard the nation from foreign extremists.

"This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call after President Donald Trump signed the revised executive order.

"This is a temporary suspension on the entry of nationals from six countries that have either failed states at this point, or that are state sponsors of terror; that we don't have the ability to make safe, adequate screening and vetting determinations for nationals under current procedures because of those weaknesses," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

"There are dozens and hundreds of millions, if not one-point-something billion Muslim individuals -- followers of the Islamic faith, who are not subject to this executive order, who are free to come to the United States under our visa and -- and admissions regime, the same way that they were a week ago, four weeks ago, four months ago, four years ago for the most part," the official said.

"Again, this is not in any way targeted as a Muslim ban and we firmly want to make sure that everyone understands that very, very important provision," the official said.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at a news conference that Trump concluded that these actions are necessary to protect the US from those who, unfortunately, wish to do harm to the country.

Under the new order there will be a 90-day suspension of travel to the US by nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, during which the Department of State and Homeland Security will conduct a review to determine how it can improve the screening process for foreign nationals seeking to enter the US.

"These governments simply cannot or not adequately supply satisfactory information about their own nationals. In the absence of adequate information from these governments, the President has had to act to protect the security of the American people," Spicer said.

Spicer explained that after the original executive order, Iraq's government took steps to increase their cooperation with US immigration authorities and improve their vetting process, leading them to be removed from the list of countries covered by the temporary travel suspension.
Delaware: A Delaware court has sentenced a man to 25 years in prison for stalking and later brutally abusing his girlfriend and the mother of their son. On February 12, 2016, the accused threw Emily Hill, 26, on the floor and strangled her till she blacked out. He went on to whip her with a cable, beat her until her eardrums ruptured and stab her in the arm with a kitchen knife.

According to a report by The Daily Mail, Hill was being stalked by Wayne E Carter Jr, 25 for months into their relationship. She claimed that he would mistreat and hurt her whenever possible. He would stop her in stairwells and push her down the stairs or suddenly appear in the rear-view mirror as she picked up their four-year-old son, Harlem, from daycare.

She was quoted as saying that once when she was sitting in the car, he sneaked up on her, reached in and slammed her head against the steering wheel. He proceeded to hit the car as she rolled up the window and called 911.

Their relationship only when downhill as time passed, but she only stayed with him for the sake of Harlem. The horrific torture that took place on February 12 started with him stalking her till her bedroom.

Hill was about to ask him to leave when her phone went off. In a fit of jealousy, he demanded to know who was calling her and asked for her password. He then got angry and began beating her, saying, I'm going to make you so ugly that no one ever wants you again.

Recounting the incident, she said, I'll never forget his face at that moment and the rage and the anger that I saw in his eyes."

Hill begged Carter to spare her, saying that she would blame an unknown intruder for the injuries. But once he left, she realised that she could not take this violence anymore. She cooperated with the police and testified against her abuser.

Initially, everything is heated but shortly thereafter, it all falls apart, said Detective Michael Watson, the Newark cop who investigated Hill's case, of most abuse cases. The victim goes back to the abuser or you're not getting the cooperation you need for a prosecution.

Prosecutors had hoped he might get 15-20 years in prison, at best. But the judge handed down a heftier sentence.

Carter was suffering from mental health issues when the incident occurred. But he was never treated for them. Hill has been granted a protection from abuse order that will last her entire lifetime.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that nationally, 1,300 women die every year due to violence by partners. In 2015, six people died from domestic violence in Delaware alone. Hill has shared the story of her ordeal so that other women can understand what she has endured, and speak up against any such violence, they are subjected to.
Lima: Peru has recalled its ambassador in Caracas for consultations as the countries' governments traded insults over the crisis in Venezuela and ties with Washington.

In a protest note to the Venezuelan embassy in Lima, Peru expressed "total rejection of the insolent comments" against its President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Kuczynski had annoyed Venezuela's socialist government by calling for Latin America to intervene in what he termed a "humanitarian crisis" in the country.

The United States "does not invest much time in Latin America since (that region) is like a friendly dog sleeping on the rug, but in the case of Venezuela it is a big problem," Kuczynski said, during a recent speech in the United States.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez retorted, by calling Kuczynski a "coward," during a speech in Caracas on Monday.

She said he was the "dog wagging its tail at the empire", a reference to Kuczynski's recent diplomatic visit to the United States.

Peru's protest note called the Venezuelan comments "unacceptable between two states with diplomatic relations, in which framework the authorities should show mutual respect."
Washington: President Donald Trump's housing secretary provoked a firestorm Monday by saying slaves brought from Africa were "immigrants" who dreamed of success for their families in the United States.

Ben Carson, who is black, made the stunning remarks during an address to employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington.

"That's what America is about: a land of dreams and opportunity," said Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who grew up poor in a Detroit ghetto.

"There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less," he said.

"But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land."

The comments provoked an instantaneous backlash.

"Immigrants???" tweeted the NAACP, the nation's largest civil rights organization aimed at ending racial discrimination.

The remarks were condemned as "tragic, shocking and unacceptable" by the US office of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, a social justice group named after the Jewish girl whose diary, written before she was killed in the Holocaust, became a globally respected account of discrimination and hope.

"No, Secretary Carson. Slaves didn't immigrate to America," the group's executive director Steven Goldstein wrote.

"This is as offensive a remark as it gets."

The HUD department pushed back, saying on Twitter that the flurry of US media reports on Carson was "the most cynical interpretation" of his remarks.

"No one honestly believes he equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude," the department added.

It was not the first such controversy for Carson, a former Trump rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and someone who routinely blasts political correctness.

He once said Joseph, the Biblical figure, built Egypt's pyramids in order to store grain, and not as tombs for the pharaohs.

In 2013, he blasted the health care reforms of Trump's presidential predecessor Barack Obama as "the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery."
Washington: President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from travelling to the United States but removing Iraq from the list, after his controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts.

The new order, which takes effect on March 16, keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning some 60,000 people whose visas were revoked under the previous order will now be permitted to enter.

Immigration advocates said the new ban still discriminated against Muslims and failed to address some of their concerns with the previous order. Legal experts said it would, however, be harder to challenge because it affects fewer people living in the United States and allows more exemptions to protect them.

Trump, who first proposed a temporary travel ban on Muslims during his presidential campaign last year, had said his original Jan. 27 executive order was a national security measure meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants.

It sparked chaos and protests at airports, where visa holders were detained and later deported back to their home countries. It also drew criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America's leading corporations before a U.S. judge suspended it on Feb. 3.

"As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters after Trump signed the new order.

Pelosi says ban still 'immoral'

Democrats, a minority in Congress, quickly signalled fierce opposition to what they called a discriminatory ban.

"The Trump administrations repackaging has done nothing to change the immoral, unconstitutional and dangerous goals of their Muslim and refugee ban," House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group in Washington, said the Trump administration had "doubled down on anti-Muslim bigotry."

She told reporters on a conference call: "Its crystal clear this is a Muslim ban."

But some Republicans who had been critical of Trump's original order were more positive on the new one.

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was "very encouraged" by the approach and pleased that Iraq was removed from the list.

Iraq was taken off the banned list because the Iraqi government has imposed new vetting procedures, such as heightened visa screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the United States in countering Islamic State militants, a senior White House official said.

Trump's original ban resulted in more than two dozen lawsuits in U.S. courts. The Justice Department estimated 60,000 people had their visas revoked by the first order but senior administration officials said on Monday those visas were now valid again for entry into the United States.

"By rescinding his earlier executive order, President Trump makes one thing perfectly clear: his original travel ban was indefensible - legally, constitutionally and morally," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington state, which succeeded in having the previous ban suspended.

His office will likely decide this week on whether to proceed with litigation over the new order, he said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he expected the revised order to have the same uphill battle in the courts as the original version.

"A watered down ban is still a ban," he said in a statement. "Despite the administration's changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed."

Harder to challenge

The fact the ban affects fewer people already in the United States means it will be more difficult for opponents to find plaintiffs who have been harmed by the order and thus have legal standing to challenge it, legal experts said.

The revised order expressly makes waivers possible for a foreign national seeking to enter the United States to visit a spouse, child or parent who is a U.S. citizen, or for "significant business or professional obligations."

"They dotted their i's and crossed their t's in trying to anticipate what litigation might result," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor.

The revised order means that tens of thousands of legal permanent U.S. residents - or green card holders - from the listed countries will no longer be affected.

The original order barred travellers from the seven nations from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days. Refugees from Syria were to be banned indefinitely but under the new order they are not given separate treatment.

Refugees "in transit" and already approved would be able to travel to the United States under the new order.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who along with several other senior Cabinet members had lobbied for Iraq's removal from the list of banned countries, was consulted on the new order and the updated version "does reflect his inputs," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.

Thousands of Iraqis have fought alongside U.S. troops for years or worked as translators since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Many have resettled in the United States after being threatened for working with U.S. troops.
Los Angeles Airport police guard a protest against the executive order by US President Donald Trump, banning immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: AFP)

New York: The new, more narrowly tailored temporary travel ban President Donald Trump signed on Monday will be more difficult to challenge successfully in court, legal experts said.

They said that since his order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travelers, challengers are likely to have a harder time finding people in the United States who can legally claim they have been harmed, and thus have so-called "standing" to sue.

Trump's first executive order signed on Jan. 27 banned travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days and halted refugee admission for four months, barring Syrian refugees indefinitely. Its hasty implementation caused chaos and protests at airports. The order was hit with more than two dozen lawsuits, many that claimed it discriminated against Muslims.

The new ban, which goes into effect on March 16, removes Iraq and adds categories of people who would be exempt from the order. The Trump administration said the executive order is necessary for national security reasons.

It also lists groups of people that could be eligible for waivers, including travelers who have previously been admitted to the United States for work or school, those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry; infants, young children and adoptees or people in need of medical care, employees of the U.S. government and international organizations among others.

All the exceptions make the new order "a lot harder to attack," said Andrew Greenfield, an immigration attorney with Fragomen law firm in Washington D.C.

Trump had promised to make the new directive harder to fight in court and many of the changes were expected.

"They dotted their 'i's' and crossed their 't's' in trying to anticipate what litigation might result," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor who specializes in immigration. He said opponents might still be able to find plaintiffs - a U.S. citizen could potentially sue if the government denies a waiver to their foreign spouse for an arbitrary reason, for example.

'DO OUR HOMEWORK'

In a legal challenge to the original order, the state of Washington was successful in preventing it from being carried out. A federal judge in Seattle and then an appeals court in San Francisco ruled that Washington could claim standing, in part because the order adversely affected legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, in the state. More than 100 businesses, including many of the best-known tech companies, filed briefs in court that argued their employees were harmed.

Bob Ferguson, the Attorney General for Washington State said on Monday that he will likely decide on the next litigation steps this week after consulting with state universities and businesses about potential harms.

"We need to do our homework and be thoughtful about this," Ferguson said.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in a filing in Seattle federal court on Monday, said the new order applies "only to those who are overseas and without a visa."

Foreign nationals outside the country who do not have a U.S. visa do not have the same protections under the U.S. Constitution as people already here, legal experts said.

Rosemary Jenks, the director of Government Relations at NumbersUSA, a conservative group that favors less immigration overall, said that the new order would leave the state of Washington having to argue on behalf of unidentified foreign nationals who have not been screened, vetted or processed yet by U.S. authorities.

"That would be a pretty big stretch," Jenks said. And unlike the old order, the new one lays out with more detail why the specific countries were selected, she said.

Attorneys challenging the ban, including the American Civil Liberties Union said there were still questions about whether or not the ban is justified by national security reasons and the revisions do not address concerns that the order discriminates based on religion.

Adam Lauridsen, a Keker & Van Nest attorney in San Francisco representing students challenging Trump's first order, noted the revised directive still targets Muslim-majority countries.

Stephen Legomsky, chief counsel at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the previous Obama administration, pointed to statements by Trump about wanting a Muslim ban.

"That evidence is baked in, you can't change the past," said Legomsky. He said, however, that does not mean the inevitable legal challenges will ultimately be successful in the likelihood that they reach the U.S. Supreme Court. "It's not a slam dunk."
Seoul: China has said it will take unspecified measures against a US missile system being deployed in S Korea, and warned that Washington and Seoul will bear the consequences.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a regular briefing today that China "firmly opposes" the deployment of the missile defense system, after US missile launchers and other equipment needed for it arrived in South Korea.

Geng Shuang said China will "definitely be taking necessary measures to safeguard our own security interest."

Geng added that "all consequences" resulting from that will be borne by the US and South Korea.

The equipment arrived today, a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan.
Seoul: Nuclear-armed North Korea said on Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, as a global condemnation of the regime swelled.

Three of the four missiles fired on Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

In a phone call, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had "entered a new stage".

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday after a request by Washington and Tokyo to discuss additional measures following the launch.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world "won't allow" North Korea to continue on its "destructive path".

But six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, the North's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets", he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.

"The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said," the agency added, referring to Kim.

The military units involved are "tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency", KCNA said.

But a US defence official said that North Korea had launched five extended-range Scud missiles on Monday, with one crashing somewhere over the Korean peninsula.

Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-Un ordered his military "to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime", KCNA reported, and to be ready to "open fire to annihilate the enemies" when ordered.

A series of photographs published by the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the missiles rise into the air and another of him smiling gleefully, clapping with other officials.

Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but Monday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.

The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region.

Choi Kang, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the launch was a warning to Tokyo.

"North Korea is demonstrating that its target is not just limited to the Korean peninsula anymore but can extend to Japan at any time and even the US," he said.

Trump has described North Korea as a "big, big problem" and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly".

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday the administration was taking steps to "enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles".

The New York Times reported at the weekend that under former president Barack Obama the US stepped up cyber attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off.

Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defence system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its ways.

Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities, and last month announced a suspension of all coal imports from the North until the end of the year -- a crucial source of foreign currency.

Pyongyang wants to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland -- something Trump has vowed would not happen.

It has undoubtedly made progress in its efforts in recent years, although questions remain over its ability to master re-entry technology and miniaturise a nuclear weapon sufficiently to fit it onto a missile warhead.

Seoul said Monday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province, travelling about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).

South Korea's acting president Hwang Kyo-Ahn called the North's nuclear and missile provocations "immediate and real threats" to his country.

"The results of the North having a nuclear weapon in its hands will be gruesome beyond imagination," he said, citing the "brutality and recklessness" shown by the murder of Kim Jong-Nam.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the killing of the half-brother of the North's leader by two women using VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last month.

Malaysia has expelled the North's ambassador over the incident. Pyongyang responded by formally declaring the Malaysian envoy persona non grata.
Seoul: Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur.

"All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved," the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

The North has yet to confirm the dead man's identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Malaysia expelled the North's ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated yesterday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyang's foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a "fair and timely manner based on goodwill".

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to "conduct business and live normally" while the travel ban is in place, it added.
The navy's reaction comes after India said that a 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.

Colombo: The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday ordered a probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy, after India raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Sri Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them.

The navy's reaction comes after India said that a 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.

The Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera wrote to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to carry out an investigation on the alleged shooting.

In his letter, Amaraweera said the navy has denied firing at the fishermen but in order to maintain good relations with India, it was important to launch a probe into the Indian accusation.

Amaraweera said he had spoken with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjith Singh Sandhu and assured that Sri Lanka was keen not to allow the good relations between the two countries hampered by any incident.

There was no response from the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's office on the Indian media reports that New Delhi had taken up the matter with him.

Indian fisherman Bridgo along with others was fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, fisheries department officials in Tamil Nadu had said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot and another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing. Other fishermen who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore.
Bangkok: Thailand's army said on Tuesday it would drop a defamation case against three human rights workers who alleged that troops tortured insurgents, a rare climbdown by a military notorious for taking critics to court.

The charges against Pornpen Khongkachonkiet -- the chair of Amnesty International Thailand -- Anchana Heemmina and Somchai Homlaor were widely seen as seen as an attack on the reporting of alleged army abuses.

The 2016 report, based on interviews with 54 former detainees, described alleged torture tactics used by soldiers and police across the Muslim-majority south, which has been blistered by a 13-year conflict.

More than 6,800 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed in the insurgency by Malay Muslim locals against the Thai state, which governs the region with strict emergency laws.

The trio faced up to seven years in jail for defamation and a separate charge filed for publishing the report online.

But on Tuesday the army's southern command spokesman unexpectedly said the charges would be dropped.

"We didn't want the three human activists punished," Colonel Pramote Prom-in told reporters after meeting the trio in Bangkok, adding the charges would shortly be withdrawn.

He repeated the army's denial of any torture and said the military has its own "measures to punish" abuses.

Pornpen said she and the other activists stood by their report and welcomed the army's pledge to "re-establish the relationship" with rights workers in the south through a committee to report abuse.

The case was closely watched inside a kingdom where the room for rights campaigners has been severely cramped since a 2014 coup.

The UN's rights office in Southeast Asia applauded the move and urged Thai authorities to drop similar charges against other human rights defenders.

"Today's developments are very positive, and we encourage the Government of Thailand to take additional steps to strengthen measures to protect activists carrying out human rights reporting and monitoring," said Laurent Meillan, the UN Human Rights Office's acting regional representative.
The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving on Monday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres (350 miles) west of Brisbane. (Representational image)

Sydney: A backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged Tuesday after she was rescued during a random traffic stop.

The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving on Monday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres (350 miles) west of Brisbane.

A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle.

Authorities say she had been "held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks".

Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations.

The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

"The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body," police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.

Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year.

They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia.

Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest southwest of Sydney.
Tignes: An avalanche hit a ski slope in the popular French Alps resort of Tignes on Tuesday, engulfing "many" skiers, police said. Rescue workers and sniffer dogs were being deployed and staff mobilised at the sprawling resort, an AFP journalist said at the scene.

"According to witnesses there are many people under the avalanche," a police spokesman told AFP. Poor visibility is so far preventing the deployment of rescue workers by helicopter to the scene, which is close to where an avalanche last month killed four people who were exploring in an off-piste area.

TV pictures showed firefighters' vehicles and ambulances at the scene. The avalanche hit at about 10:00 am (0900 GMT). Tuesday's avalanche risk -- normally assessed only for off-piste and closed slopes -- was at four on a scale of five. At level five, all slopes are closed.

The avalanche on February 13, which hit during school holidays, was a "slab" avalanche, caused when dense wind-packed snow breaks off from a slope. Rescuers quickly retrieved the bodies because the victims were carrying transmitters designed to assist in locating them.

They had been only a few dozen metres from a ski lift when the 400-metre-wide avalanche ripped down the mountain. That incident brought to 14 the number of accidents recorded in the French Alps and Pyrenees so far this winter, claiming a total of seven lives. Last winter there were 45 accidents and 21 fatalities.

One of the worst avalanches in the Alps in the past decade took place in the summer of 2012 in the Mont-Blanc range. Nine climbers from Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland were killed as they tried to scale the north face of Mont Maudit, which translates as Cursed Mountain. Avalanches can travel at speeds of up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour.

In January, 29 people died in Italy after an avalanche buried a hotel in the central town of Rigopiano. The force of that impact was calculated by police as being equivalent to the three-storey stone and wood structure being hit by 4,000 fully loaded trucks.

Most avalanches are the result of a combination of weather and geological factors. In general, an avalanche results from fresh heavy snowfall that fails to stick to snow already on the ground.
Rescue workers and sniffer dogs were sent to the scene but helicopters could not be scrambled because of poor visibility. (Photo: AP)

Tignes (France): An avalanche hit a ski slope in the popular French Alps resort of Tignes today but no one was hurt, the resort said.

Police had told AFP earlier today that the avalanche, which hit at about 10:00 am (0900 GMT), had engulfed "many" skiers.

Searches later found that no one had been hurt. "Several skiers were affected who were cared for by resort staff," the resort said in a statement.

"Rescue workers were immediately deployed. After search operations, no victims were found," it said.

The slope is close to where an avalanche last month killed four people who were exploring in an off-piste area.

Rescue workers and sniffer dogs were sent to the scene but helicopters could not be scrambled because of poor visibility.

TV pictures showed firefighters' vehicles and ambulances at the scene.

Today's avalanche risk -- which is normally assessed only for off-piste and closed slopes -- was at four on a scale of five.

At level five, all slopes are closed.

The avalanche on February 13, which hit during school holidays, was a "slab" avalanche, caused when dense wind-packed snow breaks off from a slope.

Rescuers quickly retrieved the bodies because the victims were carrying transmitters designed to assist in locating them.

They had been only a few dozen metres from a ski lift when the 400-metre-wide avalanche ripped down the mountain.

That incident brought to 14 the number of accidents recorded in the French Alps and Pyrenees so far this winter, claiming a total of seven lives.

Last winter there were 45 accidents and 21 fatalities. One of the worst avalanches in the Alps in the past decade took place in the summer of 2012 in the Mont-Blanc range. Nine climbers from Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland were killed as they tried to scale the north face of Mont Maudit, which translates as Cursed Mountain.

Avalanches can travel at speeds of up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour.
United Nations: US President Donald Trump's new travel ban can "compound" the anguish of refugees fleeing deadly violence and persecution, the UN refugee agency has warned.

"The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said in a statement.

Grandi's statement follows the signing of the revised executive order yesterday by Trump that would, among other things, suspend the country's refugee programme for 120 days.

It would also bar for 90-days travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The new measure follows a similar order signed by Trump in January, which barred all nationals from seven Muslim- majority countries from entering the US for 90 days.

Under that order, Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely. In the wake of the new order, the UN refugee agency reiterated its readiness to engage constructively with the US administration to ensure all refugee programmes meet the

highest standards for safety and security.

"Americans have long played a crucial role in promoting global stability while simultaneously exemplifying the highest humanitarian ideals, from support for refugee emergencies overseas, to welcoming some of the most vulnerable refugee families in the US to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom

and dignity," said UNHCR.

"This is the gold standard in refugee protection and a powerful model for all countries," it said, adding that at a time of record-high levels of forced human displacement, "this kind of humane leadership is needed more than ever."

He said the UN refugee office has long been a partner for the US in finding solutions to refugee problems, "and we look forward to continuing this partnership."
People watch a TV news channel airing an image of North Korea's ballistic missile launch published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper (File Photo)

United Nations: A day after North Korea fired ballistic missiles creating outrage all over the world, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing.

Guterres said in a statement that such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the DPRK leadership to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations, concluded the statement.

The three missiles launched by South Korea landed in Japans Exclusive Economic Zone.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said three of the North Korean missiles came down in Tokyo's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) -- waters extending 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) from its coast.

In Washington, the State Department strongly condemned the launches, saying the US was ready to "use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat".

This is the latest in a series of reported missile launches by the DPRK, all of which have been condemned by the United Nations.

After urgent closed-door talks last month, the UN Security Council, condemning a reported incident in February, issued a press statement expressing serious concern that North Korea conducted these ballistic missile launches.

These launches came after similar exercises by North Korea 12 times since last April, as well as the nuclear test of September 9, in flagrant disregard of its repeated statements, the statement said.
Finance Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk has left for the United States on a two-day visit, where he will hold talks with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"The minister is in the United States to finalize negotiations with the IMF and discuss the further implementation of the reform program," the ministry's press service told Interfax-Ukraine.

As reported, on Saturday, March 4, the IMF mission reported on the agreement of the updated memorandum on economic and financial policy of Ukraine, which allows Kyiv to obtain the fourth tranche of $1 billion within the loan under the EFF program. The IMF Executive Board is expected to consider this issue in the second half of March.
Men at a cafe in Baghdad watch the news on Iraq being removed from the US travel ban. (Photo: AP)

Baghdad: Iraq on Monday welcomed its removal from a revised US travel ban, calling it a positive message at a time when American and Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group.

Iraq was among seven Muslim-majority countries whose nationals were temporarily banned from travelling to the United States in an earlier order issued by President Donald Trump in January, which was blocked by the courts.

The White House had said the earlier ban was needed to prevent would-be terrorists from entering the country. It removed Iraq from the list under pressure from the State Department and the Defense Department, which had noted the close cooperation between the two countries in battling IS militants in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said the revision to the travel ban shows that the two countries have a real partnership.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said it reinforces the strategic alliance between Baghdad and Washington in many areas in the forefront in the fight against terrorism.

The original order angered many Iraqis, and prompted parliament to call for a reciprocal ban on Americans entering Iraq. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declined to impose such a measure.

The revised US travel order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

A fact sheet detailing the order was distributed to US lawmakers and obtained by the Associated Press. The fact sheet cites negotiations that resulted in Iraq agreeing to increase cooperation with the US government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States.

Thousands of American forces are in Iraqi providing air support and logistical help for a massive operation to drive IS militants from Mosul, the countrys second largest city. Smaller numbers of US special operations forces are embedded with some Iraqi units.

Support from a US-led coalition has been critical in the fight against IS, helping Iraqi forces to slowly roll back the militants over the past two and a half years. Iraqi forces are now in the midst of their toughest battle yet against IS as they push to retake Mosuls west after the eastern half of the city was declared full liberated in January.

Iraqi troops on the front lines welcomed the revision to the travel ban while still expressing anger over the original order.

To be honest, (the original ban) made me upset and that will not change, said Sgt. Maj. Asad al-Asadi of Iraqs special forces, who has been away from home battling the IS group for nearly three years. Ive lost three friends fighting terrorists and Trump calls me a terrorist.
Mosul: Iraqi security forces recaptured the Mosul museum, where Islamic State group militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artefacts, police said on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces "recaptured the archaeological museum," Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying when this occurred.

The museum was on a police list of sites recaptured from IS during an ongoing offensive to reclaim Mosul, along with the central bank building, which was looted by the jihadists.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the Rapid Response Division, the special forces unit that usually spearheads operations with the federal police, also confirmed the museum's recapture, saying it was retaken on Monday.

IS "stole the artefacts and completely destroyed the museum," Mohammedawi said. The jihadist group released a video in February 2015 of militants destroying ancient artefacts at the museum, after overrunning the city of Mosul the previous June.

The five-minute video shows militants at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces.

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archaeological site in the city.

IS also smashed stone carvings and detonated explosives at the site of Nimrud near Mosul, and vandalised sculptures at Hatra, another ancient city located in north Iraq.

The destruction at the museum and the archaeological sites has drawn widespread condemnation internationally and inside Iraq.

While IS has cast its destruction of Iraqi heritage as a religiously mandated removal of idols, the jihadists have had no qualms about selling smaller artefacts to fund their operations.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since recaptured most of the territory they lost.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul on October 17, first recapturing its eastern side and then setting their sights on the west in a push launched last month.
In a bizarre twist of fate, a Turkish gunman who shot and killed a toddler nearly 14 years ago was shot dead at his own wedding.

Daimi Akyuz, 46, was jailed for life in 2004 at a court in Izmir in Turkey for killing the two-year-old and another man during a shootout, said a report in The Mirror.

However, he was released early, and six days later, died at his own wedding.

The report added that Akyuz had stepped out for a cigarette when he was shot and killed.

Alistair Grimason, 2, was hit by a bullet as he slept in his pram after a gunfight broke out in a cafe in Foca, Turkey, in 2003, said the report.

"He was sentenced to 58 years with a maximum of 36, so I really expected he was going to spend a long time in jail. I don't take any joy in what has happened. I would rather that he was in prison and being punished for what he did. I was told that he was at his wedding and stepped outside for a cigarette and someone came along and shot him. It's a big story over in Turkey because the man that killed Alistair has been killed in the same manner I suppose," the boys father told The Mirror.

Deploring that his sons murderer had been let out after just 13 years, the father claimed that they let him out to be killed and added that the family was not informed of his release.

According to Turkish media, police are interviewing five suspects in relation to Akyuz shooting, said the report.
Mosul: Crawl through a labyrinth of narrow tunnels in near total darkness and suddenly they appear: two great winged bulls dating from the Assyrian empire found intact under the ground of Mosul.

But as fighting rages to evict the Islamic State (IS) group from the main city in northern Iraq, it will be a race against time to save the archaeological treasures uncovered in the tunnels.

The jihadists dug the network of tunnels to plunder artefacts under a hill housing the tomb of Prophet Jonah, the Nabi Yunus shrine which they dynamited in July 2014.

"We fear it could all collapse at any time," entombing the treasures, said Layla Salih who is in charge of antiquities for Nineveh province.

"There are cave-ins in the tunnels every day."

Iraqi authorities discovered the underground labyrinth, from which IS plundered to sell on the black market, after they recaptured east Mosul at the end of January.

Miraculously, several choice pieces survived the looting and appear as the crouched visitor winds through the maze of tunnels with its scent of damp clay.

Salih said the artefacts date back to the eighth century BC in the Assyrian period and hail from the palace of King Assarhaddon whose existence in the area was known to Iraqi archaeologists.

Two mural sculptures in white marble show the winged bulls with only the sides and feet showing.

The tunnels lead to bas-reliefs with inscriptions in cuneiform alphabet and two mural sculptures of four women's faces from the front.

"These finds are very important. They teach us more about Assyrian art. In general, their sculptures show people in profile, whereas here we have women face on," said Salih.

She said IS had not been able to extract many of the treasures for fear of the hill collapsing altogether but other removable artifacts, especially pottery, were certainly plundered.

Iraqi authorities found 107 items of pottery in a house east of Mosul that were in good condition and most likely exhumed from the tunnels of Nabi Yunus.

After their capture of swathes of Iraqi territory to the north and west of Baghdad in 2014, the jihadists carried out a widespread campaign of destruction of archaeological and religious sites.

Many shocking scenes were filmed and posted on the internet, such as the destruction of Nimrud, jewel of the Assyrian empire founded in the 13th century BC, with a bulldozer, pickaxes and explosives.

The hilltop of Nabi Yunus is a picture of desolation, the once elegant Jonah's tomb reduced to a ruin of smashed and twisted columns.

In the Mosul region alone, "at least 66 archaeological sites have been destroyed, some of them transformed into parking lots. Muslim and Christian places of worship have suffered massive destruction, thousands of manuscripts have disappeared", Iraq's Deputy Culture Minister Qais Rashid told a UNESCO-organised conference in Paris last month.

Salim Khalaf, a ministry official, said at the forum that more than 700 archaeological items had been exhumed from the tunnels of Nabi Yunus and sold on the black market.

The priority at the site is to carry out studies on how to stabilise the tunnels and save the hill from collapse, explained Salih.

"The security situation in the eastern sector of Mosul is still unstable. There's fear of (IS) drones and terrorist attacks," she said. "We need foreign expertise, but to have that, security must be improved."

As if to underline her point, columns of black smoke wafted into the sky over west Mosul as Iraqi forces kept up their anti-IS assault with shelling and air strikes.
Beijing: Chinese government on Monday strongly refuted the Unites States human rights report and called China-related part in the report as unfounded and full of bias.

Speaking to the media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang said We firmly oppose the report and have lodged solemn representations with the US side.

The US State Department, last week, released an annual report on global human rights Friday, which pointed a finger at China and some other countries.

Talking about how China attaches great importance to protecting and promoting human rights, the spokesperson said We have scored tremendous achievements in this since the founding of new China, which cannot be denied by anyone without political prejudice.

Geng further added that we always maintain that countries should conduct dialogue and exchanges on human rights on the basis of equality and mutual respect for the purpose of mutual learning and joint progress.

Meanwhile, he also urged the US to be objective and unbiased about China's human rights condition and stop interfering in China's domestic affairs using human rights as an excuse.

The US human rights report also singled Hong Kong and Macao out for criticism, to which, Geng said it is totally wrong for the US report to make groundless accusation against SAR affairs. The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to that, he added.

He stressed once again that both Hong Kong and Macao are China's SARs whose affairs belong to China's domestic affairs, and that the US has no right to interfere.

The United States in report has accused China of encroaching on Hong Kongs autonomy. The most important human rights problem reported was the central governments encroachment on Hong Kongs autonomy, the report said.

The China and the United States relations have become fragile after US President Donald Trump had taken office in January over his communications with Taiwan, the independence of which is not recognized by China, as well as, Trump's criticism on various issues including Chinas military build-up in the South China Sea.
Beijing: In violation of Security Council resolutions, Chinese government opposed the ballistic missile launches by North Korea, and raised concern over US missile system being deployed in South Korea, and warned that Washington and Seoul will bear the consequences.

While addressing press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that the Chinese side has noted the move and the relevant Security Council resolutions are explicit about the North Korea's launches with ballistic missile technologies.

Noting that the ongoing military drills of the US and South Korea, Geng said, Under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should exercise restraint and refrain from any action that may provoke each other and heighten tensions in the region.

As for the issue of THAAD, Spokesperson said We have been saying that we are firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD by the US and the South Korea in the Seoul.

He further said, We believe that the deployment disrupts strategic balance of the region, undermines strategic and security interests of countries in the region including China, and does harm to peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

We urge relevant parties to face squarely China's reasonable concerns, call off the deployment and avoid travelling further down the wrong path, Geng said in statement.
Speaking to US comedian John Oliver in India's northern town of Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, he also said he might be the last Dalai Lama.

Beijing: Chinese hardliners have parts of their brains missing, exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said in an interview aired this week, comments likely to infuriate Beijing, which views the Nobel Peace laureate as a dangerous separatist.

The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet.

The animosity between the two sides, and their rivalry for control over Tibetan Buddhism, is at the heart of the debate about reincarnation.

Speaking to US comedian John Oliver in India's northern town of Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, he also said he might be the last Dalai Lama.

"Very possible," he said. "If I become the last Dalai Lama, I feel very happy."

Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death.

China says the tradition must continue and its officially atheist Communist leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor, as a legacy inherited from China's emperors.

The Dalai Lama has suggested previously the title could end with him, when he dies. China accuses him of betraying, and being disrespectful of, the Tibetan religion, by saying there might be no future reincarnations.

Asked if he was worried China might appoint its own Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader said it would be foolish.

"Our brain usually, you see, has the ability to create common sense," he said. "The Chinese hardliners, in their brain, that part of the brain, is missing."

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tibet's delegation to the annual meeting of China's parliament, which opened on Sunday, is likely to hold a news conference some time this week. Such meetings tend to be dominated by the issue of the Dalai Lama.
Islamabad: Almost after 18 days, Pakistan on Monday decided to open the Pak-Afghan border gates to allow hundreds of stranded Afghanistan citizens to return home.

Pakistan in an official press statement said, In order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas, and wish to return to their country, the Government of Pakistan has decided to open the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman on 7th & 8th March 2017.

The announcement came after Afghan authorities said they would airlift Afghans stranded in Pakistan if the border crossings were not opened.

In the wake of recent bomb blasts on February 16 near border area which killed at least 110 people, Pakistan had closed all the gates shared with Afghanistan as they allege the bombers were from the other side of the land.

The statement also reads that the crossing points will also be opened on these two days for those nationals of Pakistan who had gone to Afghanistan on valid visas and wish to return to Pakistan.

In this regard, the Afghanistan officials have denied the allegations of cross border terrorism and have even exchanged lists of terrorists who they allege are present in the others territory.

The decision has been conveyed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to the Afghan Ambassador by telephone. All concerned at the two crossing points have also been informed.

Earlier on Monday, authorities said five Pakistani soldiers were killed in an overnight attack from Afghanistan at Mohmand Agency. At least 10 terrorists were also killed in the resulting fighting, according to the Army.
Hundreds of fishermen today staged a demonstration in Rameswaram island to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami dashed off a letter seeking the Centre's intervention.



Tamil Nadu opposition parties also condemned the killing and sought action from the Centre. The 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead yesterday allegedly by Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.



The protesting fishermen at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram and the bereaved family have refused to accept the body of the fisherman unless a Central Minister visits the island and gives them an assurance that such incidents would not happen again, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.



Police said during the autopsy, an AK-47 bullet was found lodged in the neck of the deceased. In a letter to the Centre, Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and "the strong feelings of the Government of India and government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms."



Lanka resorting to "such inhuman and barbaric tactics" completely belies all the diplomatic efforts that have been undertaken including the understanding reached in several meetings between the two countries, including the recent one at Colombo, Palaniswami said in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



He said at the ministerial level meeting in Colombo in January, "it was clearly agreed not to use force against bona fide fishermen at sea." While the fishermen were fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay, at about 9.30 pm (yesterday), "a fleet of four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded the fishing boat and opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire on the unarmed fishermen," he said.



"Two fishermen received bullet injuries and while Bridgo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in hospital," he added. "Even as action is taken on longer term issues like retrieval of Katchatheevu (islet) and on diversification to deep sea fishing, under no circumstances can the present escalation of actions by the Sri Lankan side be ignored or tolerated," the Chief Minister said.



He urged Modi to intervene "personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen".



In another statement, Palaniswami condemned the killing and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for the victim's family. He also announced Rs one lakh to the other fisherman, who was injured in the attack, and directed that the best medical treatment be offered to him.



DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, M K Stalin, called for diplomatic action by New Delhi on the issue. "Centre should convey to Sri Lanka, either through consular channels or by summoning its envoy to India, that killing of Indian fishermen cannot be tolerated and that it would face the consequences if such incidents recur," Stalin said.



Stalin said Lankan Navy's gunning down of the fisherman Bridgo was in contravention to assurances made in a meeting of fishermen of India and Sri Lanka last year that no force will be used on the Indians and criticised the "inhumane" incident.



"One gets a feeling if there is any meaning in calling Sri Lanka a friendly nation even after this incident," he said in a statement. The killing has given rise to apprehension among fishermen of returning alive after venturing into the sea, he added.



The DMK leader also demanded that the next of kin of the victim be paid a relief of Rs 25 lakh. MDMK founder Vaiko alleged that the Lankan navy has killed 583 fishermen from Tamil Nadu even as they were frequently arresting fishermen and detaining their boats.



He urged the Centre to to file a case against the alleged Lankan perpetrators and press Sri Lanka to hand them over to India. "Else New Delhi should snap diplomatic ties with Colombo," he added.



India should also seek a compensation of Rs one crore for the victim's family from Sri Lanka, he said. CPI, VCK, PMK and many other political parties and outfits have expressed concern over the killing.



The protesting fishermen in Rameswaram alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait. They demanded release of all Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy and boats seized by them. Policemen have been deployed in the island to monitor the situation.




Independent anti-corruption infrastructure has been established in Ukraine, as it has been proven by the detention of State Fiscal Service chief Roman Nasirov on suspicion, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said while meeting with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer.

Poroshenko recalled that the criminal proceedings began last week and Nasirov, a high-ranking official, was notified of suspicion, the president's press service said on Monday.

"I think this is a shining example: firstly, effective anti-corruption infrastructure has been established in Ukraine, and secondly, it serves as concrete proof that the anti-corruption agency is completely independent," the president said.

It demonstrates the effectiveness of reforms in Ukraine, in particular, in the fight against corruption, Poroshenko said.

"As of today, a high-ranking official is notified of suspicion without informing the president. I think this is exactly what we sought while creating an independent agency," he added.
Suspended Delhi University Professor G N Saibaba and five others were today convicted by a sessions court for their links with the Maoists. Apart from Saibaba, those convicted were Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey, Pandu Narote and Vijay Tirkey.



They have been found guilty under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act dealing with conspiracy, being a member of terrorist gang or organisation and offences relating to support given to a terrorist organization Saibaba is currently out on bail.



Special Public Prosecutor P Sathianathan demanded life sentence for all the six convicts. He also demanded that no reprieve should be given to Saibaba on health grounds, saying that inspite of his disability he had attended several conferences and seminars in India and abroad and allegedly propagated Maoist ideology.



The defence lawyer did not counter the allegations. Hem Mishra was arrested along with Mahesh Tirkey and Pandu Narote at Aheri in Gadchiroli district in August 2013. Based on the leads provided by them, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirkey were then arrested from Deori in Gondia district.



Saibaba was arrested in May 2014 by Maharashtra's Gadchiroli police on charges of being a member of the banned CPI (Maoist), providing logistics and helping in recruitment for the group.
China today hit out at the Dalai Lama over his snide remarks that Chinese hardliners have parts of their brains missing, saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is a highly "deceptive actor". "Remarks of the Dalai Lama appeared to be funny and humorous but they are all lies and they are not facts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media here when asked about his comments on the contested issue of his reincarnation during an interview to prominent comedian John Oliver.



Speaking to the British-born comedian in Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader said he might be the last Dalai Lama. Asked if he was worried that China might appoint its own Dalai Lama after his death, he said it would be foolish. "Our brain usually, you see, has the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brain, that part of the brain, is missing," the Dalai Lama said.



The Foreign Ministry spokesman said China has "noted the programme." "On the Tibet issue, the Chinese position is clear. You know it very well and I will not repeat it. The 14th Dalai Lama is in political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the disguise of religion," he said. "From now he can say that he is also an actor. He is very good at acting and is highly deceptive," Geng said.



China views the Nobel Peace laureate, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, as a dangerous separatist. China in the past held talks with him for reconciliation after he fled from Tibet. But no such talks were held after President Xi Jinping took over as the new leader in 2012 and Beijing kept pressure on various countries not to host him. China has also recently criticised India for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.


A homoeopathic doctor, who allegedly performed sex-selective abortions in Maharashtra, was arrested by police from Karnataka, two days after 19 aborted foetuses were found dumped near his hospital in a suspected cross- border female foeticide racket.



Babasaheb Khidrapure, who runs Bharti Hospital at Mhaisal village in Sangli near the Karnataka border, was nabbed by the Miraj police from Belgaum last night, police said today. The foetuses were found alongside a road, a short distance away from the hospital.



"We have sent DNA samples of the 19 foetuses to the lab to ascertain their gender," Sangli SP Dattatray Shinde said. The foeticide issue also figured in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly with Opposition members demanding the resignation of Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde.



According to the police, the horrific practice in which the doctor was allegedly involved came to light when a 26-year-old patient died on March 1 after a botched medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) on February 27. Her parents had then filed a case against her husband Praveen. She was allegedly forced to abort her third female foetus after giving birth to two girls.



On the investigation trail, policemen found the 19 foetuses and busted the abortion racket. They were found alongside the Miraj-Belgaum road in Mhaisal village, where Bharti Hospital is located. While some of them were found buried, others were thrown carelessly in blue plastic bags along with animal and sewage waste, police said.



Forty bags of skeletons, umbilical cords and other remains were also found and sent for tests, it said. Bharti Hospital, where the abortions were allegedly performed, was being run by Khidrapure. The hospital, located around seven km from the Karnataka border, had two hidden basement rooms to terminate pregnancies in advanced stages, police said.



At one end of the room is a fridge stocked with medicines used to induce abortion. On the other end, there is an opening that led to a drain outside the building where blue plastic bags, half-destroyed medicine bottles and charred bio-medical waste were found, police said.



Neither is the hospital registered under the Nursing Home Act, nor are the homoeopaths allowed to carry out MTP under the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines, it said.



In the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Dilip Walse Patil said that the government must take moral responsibility for its failure to detect and prevent female foeticide in the state. "Health Minister and Women and Child Welfare minister should resign owning moral responsibility in the case," Jayant Patil said.



Sawant told the House that the abortion racket was prevailing since 2009. "The women who used to come for abortion already had one or two daughters and were not keen on another girl child. The sonography reports of these women would be sent to Karnataka and after confirmation, the foeticide would be carried out in Sangli. The racket involves doctors, radiologists, sonographists, gynaecologists, general surgeons and anaesthetists from Satara, Sangli, Miraj and Kolhapur," he told the House.



Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the incident was unfortunate and the government has taken a serious note of it. "The culprits would be punished severely," he said. Sawant said investigation into the case is underway and he would be visiting Sangli tomorrow.



Earlier, as soon as the House assembled for the day, Vikhe Patil moved an adjournment notice seeking discussion on the Sangli issue but Speaker Haribhau Bagde rejected the demand.
Tata Motors today said it is in talks with the world's largest auto maker Volkswagen for a possible partnership. The company is exploring various opportunities, including partnership in its new advanced modular platform (AMP) development, possibilities of a joint venture or a contract manufacturing with the German auto major, in its bid to scale up.



"I can only confirm that we are in talks but nothing to be announced yet," Tata Motors CEO & MD Guenter Butschek told PTI here. When asked how far the talks have progressed, he said: "We are in the midst of discussions. We will let you know in good time." Explaining the rationale behind such a move, Butschek said although the company has set sights on becoming among the top three passenger vehicle makers in India by 2019, it might not be enough to get the scale up effects.



"Even if we get a large scale in the national business we might still not be up to the mark as far as scale effects are concerned," he said. "Therefore, we are, since a while, have been having intensive talks with different potential partners, who might join us on the AMP," Butschek added. It is aimed at bringing additional volumes through the new platform that the company will introduce to the market by 2018.



"These additional volumes will bring higher economies of scale, which is going to give us the cost advantage and competitiveness," he added. The company is hoping to translate competitiveness into volume on one hand and into new feature capabilities on the other that will help it become more aggressive and desirable in the market place, he said.



"This is the reason why we believe if we can find a partner it would be a very helpful strategic move," Butschek said. He, however, insisted that it needed to be the right partner in terms of alignment, on the objectives of joint development with the AMP as the reference point and right partner as far as volume is concerned.



"Just getting a partner for the sake of getting one but not really adding substantial volume is not expected from such kind of partnership," he said. When asked what type of partnership would it be, a joint venture or a technical collaboration he said, "I am not ruling out one or or the other...It is always about the right fit."



"If this is finally going to end up in a development JV or production JV or sharing of capacity contract manufacturing agreement, these are all subject for further discussion in order to make it a win-win for both the parties," Butschek said.
The NIA today issued a notice to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before it on March 14 in a case filed against him under anti- terror law.





The notice was served at the Mumbai-based residence of 51-year-old Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner following accusations that he had inspired some of the terrorists who attacked a cafe in Dhaka last year.



Naik, the founder of proscribed Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has been asked to appear before the anti- terror agency at its headquarters in Delhi on March 14, an NIA official said here.



The notice was received by his brother, Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik, at his residence in Jasmine Apartments in Mazagaon here, he said.



An FIR against Naik and his associates was registered by the NIA in November.



The physician-turned-preacher has been booked for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been slapped on him.



In the FIR, the NIA alleged that Naik incited Muslim youths to commit unlawful and terrorist acts, the official said.



The Centre has declared IRF, an NGO based at Dongri in south Mumbai, an unlawful organisation under the UAPA.



Besides the IRF, Naik is also founding trustee of the IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust.



"The televangelist is also linked with a slew of other entities like Peace TV, Harmony Media Pvt Ltd, Longlast Constructions Pvt Ltd, Right Property Solutions Pvt Ltd, Galaxy Multichannel Network Pvt Ltd, Majestic Perfumes Pvt Ltd and Alpha Lubricants Pvt Ltd," he added.



The speeches of Naik are banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia.



Naik has rejected all allegations of involvement in terror-related activities and opposed ban on the IRF.
The Army has yet again been hit by allegations of ill treatment of soldiers with a sepoy posting online a video criticising the Sahayak or buddy system and "poor amenities" including food, which he said is only to keep them alive.





Strongly rejecting the allegations levelled by Sepoy Sindhav Jogidas Lakhubhai from Army Medical Corps (AMC), the Army said the matter has been investigated and his charges were found to be false and baseless.



Lakhubhai claimed that though huge amount of money is given for welfare of soldiers, the facilities provided are just a "facade" and that he approached the PMO, the Defence Minister and the Army Chief seeking justice but to no avail.



The Army said Lakhubhai was posted at Military Hospital (MH) Ranikhet and has never been employed as 'Buddy' of any officer nor has he ever been asked to perform any such a duty.



The four-minute-long video by Lakhubhai, who hails from Gujarat, came a week after Roy Mathew, a jawan who featured in a sting video by a news website against the Army's 'buddy' or Sahayak system, was found dead in an abandoned barrack in Nashik district of Maharashtra.



"I apologise to the citizens of this country and the government. My video will hurt your sentiments and the army's respect. But every soldier wants respect. How long will we tolerate this," he said in the video posted on social media.



The army said his complaints were investigated by a 'One-Man Inquiry (OMI)' and were found to be baseless, adding as per his request, he has been transferred to a military hospital in Leh last month. He is on transit to his new posting.



Slamming the "Sahayak" system, the jawan alleged that some officers in the army treated soldiers attached to them for household work as their servants and they do not have any option but to follow the orders.



"Because those who speak are victimised. They have to face the consequence," Lakhubahi said adding he had to suffer for refusing to follow the orders

He said he faced Court of Inquiry twice.



"The food given to us is only to keep us alive," he said adding, "Nobody hears our voice. I will stick to my position. I hope reform will come to army."



The jawan said he had approached the PMO and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's office on January 21, 2016 and had again approached the PMO in October last year but there was no reply.



He said he was denied entry into the Sena Bhavan on January 28 and there was no response from the Army Chief to his letter.



"At the end, I was given a charge sheet for writing against my officers. I have already been punished twice... If we refuse any duty or break a rule, we are punished immediately. But when officers break rules, there are no rules for them," he said in the video.



Lakhubhai said, "Besides fighting the enemy, we have to fight within the force."

"Sabse sasta sabzi, sabse sasta fruits, aur sabse ghatiya khana diya jata hai. (The cheapest fruits and vegetables and low quality food is served to us)," he alleged, but added he does not have any proof to back his claim.



The Army, in a statement said, Lakhubhai had rendered nearly three years of service in the Army and that while on his initial posting at Military Hospital (MH) Ranikhet, he

was late in rejoining duties after availing leave for 2015.



"He was awarded Pay Fine for unauthorized absence from duty," it said, adding he had applied for premature release from the Army for which his application was duly processed.



The AMC Records, considering his limited service, advised counseling of the individual before taking the final decision and following counseling, he changed his mind and decided to continue in service.



"Subsequently, while still at military hospital, Ranikhet, he, while on duty at the ICU, refused to obey instructions of Duty Nursing Officer to clean 'bed pan' of a bed-ridden patient at the hospital," it said



The Army said he had refused to perform a mandated task of his trade of Housekeeper. For this act of indiscipline, he was awarded seven days imprisonment

"Subsequent to his release from confinement, while on leave in January 2016, the individual submitted written complaints to the PM, RM and Director General of Medical Services, Army (DGMS-Army) against CO MH Ranikhet and OIC Section Hospital Haldwani.



"The complaints were independently investigated through a 'One-Man Inquiry (OMI)' and were found to be baseless. A Staff Court of Inquiry by the Formation HQ also found him blameworthy for having violated the established Chain of Command and laid down Chain of Correspondence," the Army said.



He was tried summarily for act of indiscipline and awarded 14 days' pay fine.

As per his request, he was posted to a military hospital in Leh and was "dispatched" on posting on 27 February, it said, adding he is currently in transit to his place of posting.



"The operational and professional effectiveness Indian Army which rests on bedrocks of discipline, trust and spirit de corps cannot be diluted based upon false and non-existent perceived grievances and misdemeanors of a few," the Army said.


India has announced a new hydrocarbon exploration licensing policy which offers single licence to explore conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources, as the country seeks to propel investment in the energy sector.





Christened Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy or HELP, the new policy also gives the investors the much needed freedom in pricing and marketing for crude oil and natural gas.



The new policy is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor-friendly destination and achieve the plan to double Indias existing oil production from current 80 million metric tonnes to about 150-155 million metric tonnes by 2022, said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.



Pradhan is leading a high-powered delegation to Houston to attend CERAWeek 2017  an international meeting of top leaders from the oil, energy and natural gas industry. In addition to the Canadian Prime Minister, the week-long meeting is being attended by oil and energy ministers from countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.



In the new model, the government will not micromanage, micro monitor with producers. The government will only share revenue. It will be an open and regular affair, he said.



The policy aims to propel investment in the energy and petroleum sector and provide operational flexibility to the investors, the minister said.



India moving to the centre stage of global energy market: IEA



India is moving to the centre stage of global energy market and by the early 2020s it will replace Russia as the worlds third largest refiner, a top official of the International Energy Agency said.



That India is moving to the centre stage of global oil and energy markets. It is not only oil. It is coal. It is solar. It is out of the strong growth in the economy and the population growth, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of IEA on Tuesday told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the internal oil and gas meet CERAWeek.



Birol, who met Pradhan on the sidelines of the meet, told reporters that the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided a strong impetus to Indian economy, particularly in terms of boosting oil and gas production.


President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko expects the decisions from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague (Netherlands) on the suit of Ukraine against Russia that will stop the supply of weapons to the occupied territories of Donbas and stop the oppression of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea.

"The International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearings on Ukraine's lawsuit against the Russian Federation on the financing of terrorism and the discrimination of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea. We expect decisions that will stop the supply of weapons to the occupied territory and will be able to put things in order on the uncontrolled part of the Ukrainian-Russian border, and also help lift the ban on functioning of the Mejlis in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, will stop the oppression of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

As reported, on January 16, 2017 Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against the Russian Federation in order to bring it to justice for the acts of terrorism and discrimination in the course of its illegal aggression against Ukraine. The lawsuit was filed under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Hearings at the ICJ in The Hague (Netherlands), involving the suit of Ukraine to bring Russia to justice for committing acts of terrorism and discrimination in the course of its illegal aggression against Ukraine, will be held on March 6-9, 2017
Global rating agency Fitch on Tuesday joined the critics of Indias economic growth numbers which posted an acceleration of 7% in the October-December quarter.





This number looks somewhat surprising as real activity data released since demonetisation pointed to weak consumption and services activity because these transactions are cash-intensive. By contrast, official data suggest that private consumption was strong in October-December, Fitch said in its latest Global Economic Outlook, adding that one reason for discrepancy could be the inability of the official data to capture the negative effect of demonetisation on the informal sector.



However, the formal sector also remained surprisingly robust. This raises the possibility that these initial estimates of the growth impact of demonetisation could well be underestimated, with the possibility of revisions to official GDP data later on, Fitch said.



The rating agencys comments comes a day after the Reserve Bank of India cast doubts on the veracity of the December quarter numbers. Deputy Governor Viral Acharya cautioned that the impact of demonetisation could spill over the next financial year 2017-18.



Central statistical organisation has also projected a 7.1% growth rate for the economy as a whole. Fitch, however, is in conformity with this projection. Gradual implementation of the structural reform agenda is expected to contribute to higher growth, as will higher real disposable income, supported by an almost 24% in civil servants wages at the state level, the agency said.
The Indian government has conveyed its concern to the US administration about the curb on HI-B visa, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Tuesday.





We have conveyed our concern with the highest level in the US administration, the minister told reporters here adding that Indian IT companies are giving good value addition to US companies.



Last week, the US government said that it will temporarily suspend premium processing of HI-B visas from April 1, eliminating the option of shorter waiting period of the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms.



Since HI-B visas are highly used by Indian IT companies, the decision of the government has directly hit domestic firms.




In a bid to attract global investors in Indian startups, the government will provide a platform where startups can register themselves highlighting their unique feature, said Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on Tuesday.





The DIPP will start a new website where startups can register themselves from March 15 to March 31. The government will make sufficient advertisement for registration, which is aimed at attracting global investors and mentors, as well as providing international marketing access to local companies, Abhishek told DH on the sidelines of workshop on Intelligent Transport System (ITS) organised by the International Road Federation (IRF) here.



With India having the third largest startup base in the world, after the US and China, the DIPP wanted to give them international exposure by highlighting their uniqueness so that they can attract investors, he said.



Earlier, while addressing the gathering, he said the government will launch the virtual hub next month where details of startups, investors, mentors, and venture capitalists will put in one place.



Though some of the startups have been able to get investment from foreign venture capitalists, the government wants more such investments to flow to Indian companies for their long-term sustainability, he said.



Currently, around 20,000 startups are in operations in India, in which 4,500 are related to technology or IT. The government wanted to encourage startups to provide innovative solutions for challenges unique to India, especially in education, health, manufacturing, transport, agriculture and infrastructure sector, and not just be skewed towards developing apps, he said.




President Donald Trump on Monday morning approved a new travel ban executive order, replacing the one he issued in January that had spawned chaos nationwide and was blocked by the federal courts.





The new order bars entry of some people from six predominantly Muslim countries  Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for 90 days and suspends entry of some refugees for 120 days. But it carves out many exceptions and is less sweeping than the original. The administration hopes that the narrower order will survive court challenges.



Here are some excerpts from the executive order, with comments by The New York Times:



 It invokes a vague threat of terrorism.



The screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and the United States Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) play a crucial role in detecting foreign nationals who may commit, aid, or support acts of terrorism and in preventing those individuals from entering the United States. It is therefore the policy of the United States to improve the screening and vetting protocols and procedures ...



This is toned down from Trumps original order, which invoked the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, even though none of the 19 hijackers were refugees or nationals of the countries targeted by the directive, which had also included Iraq.

 It defends the previous order against accusations of religious discrimination.



Executive Order 13769 did not provide a basis for discriminating for or against members of any particular religion. ... That order was not motivated by animus toward any religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities  whoever they are and wherever they reside  to avail themselves of the USRAP in the light of their particular challenges and circumstances.



During the presidential campaign, Trump flatly proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States. That evolved into his original order, which permanently barred Syrian refugees and temporarily barred entry of nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.



This was done while prioritising admission of refugees who are persecuted religious minorities  an exception that many understood to be an implicit reference to welcoming Christians from West Asia. One of the federal judges who blocked the original order, citing its history and context, ruled that it likely amounted to unconstitutional religious discrimination.



 Iraq is off the list.



The close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraqs commitment to combat Islamic State, justify different treatment for Iraq.

Trumps original order blocked Iraqis, too, but his new one left them out. The Pentagon had lobbied the White House to drop Iraq from the list because the backlash was undermining the joint campaign to battle the IS.



The new order emphasises that Iraqis who have battled the IS have earned enduring respect. It also says that since the original order, Iraq has undertaken unspecified steps to improve travel documentation and information sharing.



 It is vague about what it will achieve.

The secretary of homeland security, in consultation with the secretary of state and the director of national intelligence, shall conduct a worldwide review to identify whether, and if so what, additional information will be needed from each foreign country to adjudicate an application by a national of that country for a visa, admission or other benefit under the INA (adjudications) in order to determine that the individual is not a security or public safety threat.



Obviously, officials screening visa applicants and refugees are already looking for security threats and already gather many types of information for that purpose. The order justifies undertaking this pause so officials can try to think up some

additional category of information to ask for while vetting people from troubled countries.



 It carves out numerous exceptions.



Notwithstanding the suspension of entry pursuant to Section 2 of this order, a consular officer, or, as appropriate, the commissioner, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), or the commissioners delegee, may, in the consular officers or the CBP officials discretion, decide on a case-by-case basis to authorise the issuance of a visa to, or to permit the entry of, a foreign national for whom entry is otherwise suspended if the foreign national has demonstrated to the officers satisfaction that denying entry during the suspension period would cause undue hardship, and that his or her entry would not pose a threat to national security and would be in the national interest.



One of the controversies of Trumps original order was that it swept too broadly, initially including green-card holders, people who already had valid visas, and refugees whose travel to the United States had already been approved. His new order specifically exempts numerous such categories of travellers. It also includes a potentially huge exception for everyone else: consular officials are empowered to permit new applicants to travel immediately case by case.



 It still curbs the refugee programme, but not as much.



The secretary of state shall suspend travel of refugees into the United States under the USRAP, and the secretary of homeland security shall suspend decisions on applications for refugee status, for 120 days after the effective date of this order, subject to waivers.



The original order shut down entry by most refugees for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees permanently. The new version is significantly watered down. Syrians are not singled out for a permanent ban, and refugees whose travel has already been approved may still come into the United States without delay.



Like the original order, however, the new order caps the number of refugees who may be admitted each year at 50,000, down from 1,10,000 under president Barack Obama.



 It calls for publicising reports of terrorism crimes committed by foreigners.



To be more transparent with the American people and to implement more effectively policies and practices that serve the national interest, the government will compile and periodically publicise reports about the number of foreign nationals in the United States who have been charged with terrorism-related offences while in the United States and acts of gender-based violence against women. It will also publicise the immigration status of foreign nationals charged with major offences.

Trump is directing the government to generate a regular cycle of news stories focusing peoples attention on crimes committed by non-citizens.




Undaunted by a crumbling economy at home, Saudi King Salman mo-unted an air-borne expedition to Asia, with a stop in Jordan on the way back to his kingdom.





He has taken an entourage of 1,500 with 450 tonnes of cargo, including two limousines, on seven aircraft during this month long trip to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, China and the Maldives.



The delegation includes 10 ministers and 25 princes, clerics and 100 security personnel. At each stop, the Saudis take over several luxury hotels and hire fleets of cars and buses to transport family and retainers.



The kings father Abdel Aziz ibn Saud (1875-1953), founder of the kingdom, would have been appalled over this show of wealth. During his lifetime, he was highly critical of the profligacy of his sons and other relatives. By mounting a travelling circus, King Salman clearly seeks to counter the impression that the kingdom is in austerity mode due to the low price of oil and the drain on the kingdoms coffers posed by the costly, destructive and deadly war in Yemen.



Last year, the three major Saudi construction firms were unable to pay their foreign and local workers due to the failure of the government to pay for completed projects. Some payments remained in arrears early this year. The majority of unpaid workers come from countries not on his tour: India, Pakistan and the Philippines. He might have faced protests if he had visited their capitals.



The kings main aim is to demonstrate that the kingdom is still a major economic and political player on the world stage. He seeks to shore up relations with the six Asian nations on the tour. They, along with India, consume 70% of Saudi Arabia's oil exports.



The king seeks to persuade Asian banks and companies to pour money into projects in the kingdoms non-oil sector, diversifying the economy to reduce dependence on oil. The Saudis have embarked on a major economic reform plan with the intention of transforming their economy by 2030.



Riyadh is particularly eager to interest investors in the 2018 share flotation of Saudi Aramco, the state-run oil firm with an estimated worth of $2 trillion. The Saudi aim is to convince Asian investors to buy 5% of the shares in the firm. Energy Minister Kahlid al-Falih and Aramco executives are accompanying the king.



China and Japan, along with the US, are the largest importers of Saudi crude. Each bought $20 billion of Saudi oil products in 2015. Saudi Arabia seeks to defend this market share against competition from discounted oil from Iran, the kingdoms rival in oil exports as well as political influence in West Asia.



Last August, Riyadh signed agreements with China for house construction, water

projects and oil storage facilities in the kingdom during a visit by the kings favourite son, Muhammad who is deputy crown prince, defence minister and economic czar. Saudi Arabia has already agreed to invest $45 billion in a technology fund to be set up by Japan's SoftBank Group.



During visits to Muslim countries, the Saudis have had talks on expanding tourism and increasing pilgrimage delegations. However, the Saudis have also to reassure the governments of these countries that mosques and religious schools built and funded by the Saudis are not making converts to the puritanical Wahhabi sect adhered to by Islamic State and al-Qaeda.



Oil refinery



During the kings halt in Malaysia, the first country on his tour, he proposed to invest $7 billion in an oil refinery established by the Malaysian firm Petronas. King Salman was warmly welcomed in Kuala Lumpur by Prime Minister Najib Razak who has faced down a scandal caused by a personal gift of $681 million from Saudi royals.



In Indonesia, King Salman promised to increase investments in that country to $25 billion. Jakarta seeks to secure funds of a refinery and deepen relations between its state-owned petrol company and Saudi Aramco.



As King Salman has embarked on this trip ahead of a visit to Washington, former Saudi diplomat Abdullah Shammary told The Wall Street Journal that Riyadh seeks to send a message to the US, saying, Yes, you are our friend. But we also have alternatives.



However, it is unlikely the Saudi monarch would have to send such a message as he was one of the first world leaders to speak to Donald Trump following the US presidents inauguration. The king has been assured that the US will resume deliveries of cluster munitions and guided bombs suspended by the former Obama administration due to the kingdoms brutal war on rebels in Yemen.



Saudi Arabias pivot to the east began with the January 2006 trip to India and China by the late King Abdullah, the current monarch's predecessor. Riyadh aims to not only diversify its economy but also expand its collection of allies after more than seven decades of relying on the US, a tie forged in 1945 when King Abdel Aziz

met president Franklin Roosevelt on a ship in Egypts Great Bitter Lake.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to interfere with the Allahabad High Courts orders that issued bailable warrants against Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan in a service matter concerning an engineer of Jal Nigam.





A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar directed senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan to appear before the Lucknow bench of the high court on Wednesday after recording his unequivocal and unqualified submission that he would surrender to the high courts jurisdiction and tender his explanation in the matter.



On his fervent plea that he could not earlier as well as on Tuesday appear before the high court as he was busy in campaigning and other poll-related activities, the bench asked, Does he have a helicopter or not?



On Khans counsels inability to furnish a response, the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, explained, We asked this as we have an insider with us (in an obvious hint to Justice Chandrachud, former high court chief justice).Khan, who was appear before the high court on Tuesday, was also questioned by the bench as to how far his office as ex-officio chairman of the Jal Nigam (being urban development minister), was from the high court as he could not appear there.



Is he free tomorrow (Wednesday), the bench further asked his counsel senior advocate V Giri, who explained the minister had nothing to do with the case.

After hearing his counsel for about one hour, the bench said, Petitioner (Khan) has attempted to tender his explanation with reference to order passed by the high court on February 17, March 1 and 6. Even though we heard his counsel, we consider it just and appropriate to record that it is not within our purview to hear petitioner at this juncture.
The NDA government has been successful in curbing price rise in the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the start of his two-day visit to homestate Gujarat after a gruelling poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh.





You would have seen in recently concluded poll campaigns. All the parties accused us of many things but none could accuse us of not curbing price rise, he said.



Speaking at Bharuch in South Gujarat at the dedication function of ONGC Petro additions Ltd plant, Modi said that India was the shining spot on a turbulent global map.



He also revisited his decision of demonetisation of November 8, 2016, and quoted several global corporate leaders and economists to counter critics of his decision.



When in November, we announced the decision to fight corruption and black money, many rumours were spread, allegations made that everything would collapse and that economy would crumble. Some people had to suffer. However, last quarter report suggests that the steps initiated in November have helped India move forward, he said.



Among many global leaders, the prime minister quoted Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft chief Bill Gates and Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus of Bangladesh, to

show support of global community.
The CBI has registered a case against two officials of Union Bank of India and three proprietor/director of private firms and others for alleged violation of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.





According to sources, the persons against whom the case has been filed include Ashok Kumar Dhabhai, DGM, Regional Office, Union Bank of India, Mumbai; K Shivashankarrao, AGM/Branch Manager, Union Bank of India, Zaveri Bazar Branch, Mumbai; Rakesh Patel, proprietor of Pihu Gold, Mumbai; Mayur Deepak Chawla, proprietor of Satnam Jewellers, Mumbai; Amit Sampat, director, Pushpak Bullion, Mumbai and Pushpak Bullion , Jewel World, Kalbadevi Road, Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai. It was alleged that during November 15, 2016 to December 26, 2016, huge cash amounting to Rs 47.45 crore (approx) and Rs 37.15 crore (approx) were fraudulently shown as deposited in the accounts of two private firms based at Mumbai with Union Bank of India, Zaveri Bazar Branch, Mumbai respectively by fabricating records. The said amounts were further shown as transferred to another private firm based at Jewel World, Kalbadevi Road, Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai which a NPA account, also maintained in said branch of Bank, CBI said.



It was further alleged that cash of Rs 47.45 crore (approx) and Rs 37.15 crore (approx) were directly deposited into the currency chest of Union Bank of India in old demonetised currency notes in the guise of outright purchase (cash purchase) of gold from Standard Chartered Bank /other authorised bank by said another private firm based at Jewel World, Kalbadevi Road, Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai. The huge cash was deposited in the currency chest of bank purportedly by representative of the said firms in an alleged conspiracy with DGM and AGM. Thus, the accused persons violated the RBI guidelines issued on November 8, 2016, CBI said.



Searches were conducted at 12 places including residential and office premises of accused persons which led to recovery of Incriminating documents, CBI said, adding that further investigation is in process.
Tension prevailed in a village in Haryanas Karnal amid reports of dalits leaving the village out of fear and in protest following recent clashes with upper caste Rajputs.





The village falls in the constituency represented by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Scores of members from the upper caste community had disrupted a dalit groom, Sombir, in village Sagga from sitting on a mare to reach the brides place on the day of his marriage as part of the traditional ceremony of ghurchari.



Chief Minister Khattar said that minister of state for social justice and empowerment Krishan Kumar Bedi and MLA Bhagwan Dass Kabirpanthi have been rushed to the village to pacify the members of both the communities and ease out tension. The dalits have been demanding arrest of the people of the upper caste who thrashed them and stopped the ghurchari ceremony on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. They are also seeking rehabilitation in the city. The police have booked more than 40 people in this regard.



While replying on the issue of migration by some members of dalit community from Sagga, Khattar said on the floor of the House that the government was making efforts to normalise the situation. He said that as per the information, the villagers had unanimously decided to do away with the ghurchari pratha. But when the members belonging to the SC community wanted to perform ghurchari, they were stopped by members of another community, which made the situation tense.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) together with Fiscal Service and State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine have prevented execution of the court order on lifting the arrest of funds on the bank account of Oleksandr Yanukovych, son of ex President Viktor Yanukovych. The funds are on deposit in the International Investment Bank (MIB), PGO press secretary Larysa Sarhan said.

"The arrest of the Oleksandr Yanukovych's accounts remains in force. The PGO together with the Financial Monitoring Bureau immediately blocked the bank accounts. We thank concerned employees of the bank, who notified the PGO about the court decision to unblock the accounts," Sarhan said on her Facebook page on Monday, promising to provide more details on Tuesday.

As earlier reported, Kyiv's Pechersky District Court had ruled to lift the arrest of the accounts. According to a January 25, 2017 ruling entered in the unified state register of court decisions, four individuals in January 2017 transferred UAH 312.5 million to the MIB account.

MIB on February 24 froze the funds on the account. "Bank employees informed the Financial Monitoring Service about the suspect transactions, pursuant to the Law On Preventing the Legalization of Laundered Funds of Criminal Origin, Financing Terrorism and the Spread of Weapons of Mass destruction," MIB said on its website.

MIB was founded in 2008. According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of January 1, 2017, bank assets (UAH 6.893 billion) ranked 25 among 93 functioning Ukrainian banks. NBU data show that as of January 1, 2016, the principal owners of the bank were Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (60% of shares), Ihor Kononenko (14.94%), Oleh Zymin (9.908%) and Oleh Hladkovsky (9.908%).

Poroshenko announced in January 2016 that he had placed his confectionary company Roshen and MIB in a blind trust.
Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday supported disgruntled party leaders who have been expressing their resentment against the style of functioning of the partys state president B S Yeddyurappa.





The leaders have set a deadline of March 15 for Yeddyurappa to review the appointment of office-bearers and district unit presidents. There is nothing wrong in their demand. If a mistake has been committed, then it needs to be rectified. What they are seeking is in the interest of the party. They cannot be called rebels, Eshwarappa told reporters here.



The disgruntled leaders, led by BJP state vice-president M B Bhanuprakash and former minister Sogadu Shivanna, have objected to Yeddyurappas unilateral decisions while appointing party office-bearers, district unit presidents and other functionaries.



Eshwarappa said he held discussions with Yeddyurappa on holding OBC conventions across the state in the name of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna, as directed by party national president Amit Shah.



In another development, senior leader R Ashoka met former minister M H Ambareesh and held talks with him. BJP is keen that Ambareesh, who has been sulking ever since he was dropped from the state Cabinet by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, join the BJP. But Ambareesh was not available for comment.



The BJP will organise protests across the state on March 9 seeking that the state government waive crop loans availed by farmers, BJP state General Secretary N Ravikumar stated in a press statement.



Meeting with BSY



Late in the evening, Yeddyurappa told reporters that the partys presidents of Belagavi city unit, Ballari and Kodagu district units will be changed.



He took the decision after a group of disgruntled leaders, including Sogadu Shivanna, Bhanuprakash and Nandish, met him at the party office in Malleswaram and discussed about their demands.


A soldier from Junagadh in Gujarat has now complained about the poor quality of food served to jawans and has also lashed out at some army officers for their attitude towards low-ranked men in the force.





Sindhav Jogidas Lakhubhai, a housekeeper in the Army Medical Corps, aired his grievances through a video on social media about his task as a buddy (sahayak or batman) of a senior officer.



I apologise to the people of the nation and the government (because) my video will hurt your sentiments...But how long can we tolerate? he says in the video.



The food that is given is only for survival and of poor quality. I do not have proof of that so shall not speak much about that, says the soldier.



Referring to the batman system, Lakhubhai says some officers treated soldiers attached to their residence as their servants. Lakhubhai goes on to say that while the jawans get punished for the smallest violation of discipline, officials go scot free.



An army officer said: The individual has never been employed as buddy of any officer or junior commissioned officer nor has he ever been asked to perform such a duty. His allegations are false and baseless.



The army said Lakhubhai had earlier worked at the military hospital in Ranikhet. While on duty at the ICU, he refused to obey instructions of a duty nursing officer to clean a bedpan.



The task which Lakhubhai refused to perform is a mandated task of a housekeeper. For this act of indiscipline, he was awarded seven-days imprisonment.



Inquiry initiated

The army, however, said that it has initiated an inquiry.



After his release, Lakhubhai submitted written complaints to the prime minister, defence minister, director general of medical services and the army against the commanding officer of the military hospital.



Nobody cared to reply, instead I have been charge-sheeted and disciplinary action has been initiated against me. I have been harassed and twice a court of enquiry has been initiated against me, he adds.



Last year, a Border Security Force soldier had released a video on social media complaining about the quality of food being served to jawans.




An Indian fisherman was shot dead allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy on Monday night, triggering outrage in Tamil Nadu. New Delhi has conveyed to Sri Lanka its deep concern over the killing.





Britjo (22) from Thangachimadam in Rameswaram was killed on the spot and another fisherman Saron (31) was admitted to the Rameswaram Government Hospital with bullet injuries.



The shooting took place near Katchatheevu Island, close to the international maritime boundary line between the two nations.



Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramesinghe on Tuesday.



The Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation, Gopal Bagley, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson told journalists in New Delhi.



Colombo conveyed to New Delhi that an initial investigation revealed that Sri Lankan Navy was not involved in the alleged incident.



Irrespective of the parties involved, if in fact a shooting has taken place, it is a matter of grave concern, and all possible action will be taken in cooperation with the relevant Indian authorities to investigate into this incident, utilising GPS technology as well, Sri Lankas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on Facebook.



Tension prevailed in Thangachimadam as thousands of fishermen staged a demonstration over the killing.



Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to summon the Sri Lankan envoy and convey the strong feelings over the `unprovoked firing, while ensuring the safety of fishermen.



He termed the killing inhuman and cruel and asked the Centre to ensure the `traditional right of Tamil Nadu fishermen to fish in Palk Strait.



Palaniswami announced assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family.



The incident came as a jolt to the efforts being made by New Delhi and Colombo to resolve the dispute over fishing in the waters between India and Sri Lanka.


Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and four others were on Tuesday sentenced to life in jail by the Gadchiroli Sessions Court.





The professor and five others were accused of having links with banned Maoist outfits and their leaders. The sixth convict in the case was asked to undergo a jail term of 10 years.



Additional Sessions Judge S S Shinde convicted the accused under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).



The other convicts are Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirkey, Pandu Narote and Vijay Tirkey.



Saibaba, a wheelchair-bound English professor at the Ram Lal Anand College, was arrested by the Maharashtra Police on May 9, 2014, for his links with Maoist leaders.



He was initially lodged in the Nagpur jail, but later granted bail by the Supreme Court.

He had been suspended by the Delhi University.


The department of health and family welfare has sought a report from the district health officer, Belagavi, over dumping of 19 female foetuses in Maharashtra. The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) section of Karnatakas Health Department is extending support to Maharashtra.





The district health officer has been asked to check if sex determination tests are being carried out in Karnataka as the village where the foetuses were found, borders the state.



Dr M Rajini, deputy director, PCPNDT to DH on Tuesday that the department has begun investigations. Preliminary investigations show that the women did not undergo sex determination. However, we are examining centres in Belagavi, she added. She said that last year, centres conducting sex determination were shut.



She said the department is coordinating with Maharashtra police to understand how the sex of these foetuses was determined. If they were able to identify the sex physically, this means the foetus should is in the third trimester, she added. This illegal, she said.
Indian Navy is set to decommission its Tu-142M maritime reconnaissance aircraft by March end.





For close to 30 years, India used these Russian-origin reconnaissance planes, also known as Albatross, to watch the maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean region.



After taking off from their base at Arakkonam, these planes flew all over the high seas to keep an eye on the vessels passing through the blue waters. The vigil came particularly handy during the anti-piracy operations in the recent years.



However, as the technology was getting old, the navy was retiring these planes one by one in the absence of any mid-life upgrade. Out of eight aircraft, the navy is now left with only three, which would be decommissioned by the end of this month, said a source.



Two proposals to upgrade these platforms did not materialise because of the high project cost. The government later purchased eight US-origin P8I aircraft from Boeing for long-range maritime surveillance at a cost of $2.1 billion. Last year, a second contract was signed with Boeing to buy four more aircraft at a cost of $1 billion.



The naval aviation squadron (INAS 312) flying the big birds was re-commissioned with the Tupolev 142M aircraft in 1988. When the squadron was celebrating its silver jubilee in 2013, it was found that the squadron flew over 28,000 hours without even a minor accident.


Pratibimba, a web-based platform will provide citizens access to information on flagship schemes, key programmes and projects of the state government.





The platform, launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Tuesday, will also enable citizens to check the performance and track actions taken on budget proposals and election manifestoes among others. The platform can be accessed at https://pratibimba.karnataka.gov.in.



Siddaramaiah said it is a move towards ushering in transparency in administration and governance. Karnataka is the second state after Andhra Pradesh to have such a platform.



Former chief minister



H D Kumaraswamy had tried to use the internet as a medium to interact with citizens. However, the project did not take off.
Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorist squad (ATS) on Tuesday surrounded a house in the walled city after information that two suspected terrorists with sophisticated weapons were holed up there.





Police suspect they might be linked to a train blast in Madhya Pradesh earlier in the day. Shots were fired from both sides, local residents said.



The operation is the result of the UP police receiving specific inputs regarding possible terror suspects in the state, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljeet Chaudhary said.



He added that the suspects might be linked to the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in Shajapur district in which 10 people were hurt.



The terrorists were asked to surrender by the ATS, but they refused. One shouted that he would prefer to become a martyr rather than surrender. Earlier reports said there was only one terrorist in the house, situated at Haji Colony locality in Thakurganj area in the old city.



We are trying to capture the terrorist alive. We have used chilli bomb to smoke him out, we have plenty of time, said Inspector General (ATS) Aseem Arun.



The encounter came within hours of the arrest of two suspected terrorists in Kanpur, police sources here said.



The operation began hours before the final phase of polling in the Assembly election, covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.



Arun told reporters that the police had inputs about a suspected terrorist living in a rented house in Thakurganj locality in Lucknows old city.



A team of commandos was rushed to nab him.



The terrorist refused to open the door. We could hear the sound of the cocking of a pistol, Arun said.



According to locals, around 3.30 pm, over 30 policemen started getting houses vacated in the locality.



Sources said the terrorist fired shots from his hideout and the policemen retaliated.

He had been living there for the past two months, Arun said.



The state police were tipped off by central intelligence agencies, ADG Chaudhary said.



He added that one arrest was made in Kanpur and there could be more than one terror suspect in Lucknow.



He said the terror linkage, connection to the Ujjain train blast and details of the module would be revealed only after interrogation of the suspects.



An alert was sounded across the state and security beefed up along the India-Nepal border.



Extensive checking was being undertaken there.


Three labourers died of suffocation when they were trying to clear a clogged sewerage line in CV Raman Nagar early on Tuesday.





Anjaneya Reddy (34), Eeraiah (35), and Davitha Naidu (40), all from Andhra Pradesh, had descended into a manhole when tragedy struck.



The BWSSB has outsourced maintenance to Ramky Infrastructure. Though manual scavenging is banned, the company sent the three men to clear the block, police said. BWSSB Chief Engineer Ravindra will conduct an inquiry.



A sewerage line from KR Puram to Marathahalli was blocked on the Kaggadaspura main road. The BWSSB zonal office had logged a complaint a week ago. When it rained on Monday, the line started to overflow, prompting citizens to call the authorities.



Ramky Infrastructure hired the workers to save on sending a machine, police said. Prashant Muniraju, who lives in Kaggadaspura, was passing by when he heard eyewitnesses talking about the workers collapsing into the manhole.



He called the fire and emergency services, who arrived and began rescue operations. By 2.30 am, they had pulled out the three bodies. The workers had come in a tractor. It had bricks loaded in it. We dont know who was around when the incident took place, a senior police officer said.



The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act of 1993 and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act of 2013 prohibit hazardous manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George announced Rs 10 lakh as compensation to each of the victims families. The government has banned manual scavenging. The contractor will have to pay for it, George said. Social Welfare and Public Works Department Minister H Anjaneya visited Bowring Hospital and promised to help the victims families.



We dont know if they were registered sanitary workers. I have ordered an investigation. The guilty will face strict action, he said. The victims families are coming to Bengaluru. Once they give their consent, the bodies will be sent for post mortem, a police officer said. George and Mayor Padmavathi visited Bowring Hospital, where the bodies are being kept. Padmavathi blamed Ramky Infrastructure for the incident. A sanitary worker is paid between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 to clear a sewerage block, said Padma M, member of the governments Manual Scavenging Monitoring Committee. They are also given cheap liquor to help them brace for the stench. It takes them 30 minutes to two hours to clear a block, she told DH.


Pressure from the West, which expects progress in Ukraine's battle against corruption, may become a factor in the case of head of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, discharged from duties, Global Strategies Institute Director Vadym Karasiov has said.

"What kind of pressure could there be? Perhaps, from Ukrainian authorities in order prevent [the case against Nasirov] from entering the danger zone, because it could shake the entire foundation of the state authority. Maybe, from the grassroots level, from activists, and the street, as it took place. I also don't rule out the role played by several foreign embassies, or that activists are coordinating their efforts with these embassies," Karasiov said.

The political expert said the corruption case against Nasirov could be linked to the EU's decision to grant Ukrainians visa-free travel, with failure to address corruption linked to not granting this status.

As earlier reported, Kyiv's Solomyansky District Court on March 7 remanded acting head of Ukraine's State Fiscal Service to 60 days in pretrial confinement, setting a bail at UAH 100 million.
It is March 8 and womens inboxes are flooded with messages from restaurants, bars and shopping outlets with discounts and offers to make them feel special on International Womens Day.





The day - once celebrated to commemorate womens struggles worldwide for equal rights - today seems to have been reduced to discounts to draw women to pubs, restaurants and salons.



Bengaluru-based womens rights activist Asha Ramesh said, This occasion is for discussing womens issues, both negative and positive. Instead, objectification of women is being extended to Womens Day too, with such sops. It undermines the womens rights movements, to which we owe the right to vote and decent working hours among other things, she said.



Many issues still persist, such as unequal pay in the agriculture sector and glass ceilings. It is okay to celebrate and enjoy Womens Day. But its significance must reach everyone, she said.



Womens Day has become a frivolous affair. But the market alone cannot be blamed for this, since even the government does not make any serious effort for change, feels citizen activist Tara Krishnaswamy.



The government should make serious pledges on issues like labour laws or equal pay for women. If no such systematic policy is introduced, Womens Day will not be significant, said Tara.



Discussions and seminars are conducted in colleges and other platforms to celebrate achievers and talk about the way forward for equality. But without any commitment from policymakers, change will be slow, she said.



Dr Corinne Kumar, founder of womens rights forum Vimochana, is not troubled by the commercialisation because she believes the movement is generating serious discussions too.



There is a commercial aspect to everything. Alongside this, there are meetings happening all over the country, lectures are being organised, womens issues are being talked about and even achievements are being highlighted. Other marginalised communities such as dalits, religious and sexual minorities are also coming forward on this day in solidarity, Corinne said. Womens Day is relevant because it gives people a moment to focus on the movement, she added.




Though manual scavenging was banned around 25 years ago, Karnataka continues to be one of the top five states in the country where the practice still exists. As many as 19 manhole deaths have been reported in the last three years in Bengaluru.





The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 prevents hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.



According to the state government, there are around 300 scavengers in the state. However, the Safai Karamchari Commission has put the number at more than 4,000, of whom around 500 are from Bengaluru city itself. The commissioner said that Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have the highest number of scavengers in that order and the fourth place goes to Karnataka.



Chairman, Karnataka State Safai Karamchari Commission, M R Venkatesh said, Along with compensation, a job should be given to one of the family members ofthe victim. However, this is not being done. Will the victims life come back by awarding compensation and other facilities to the family?



What the rules say

According to the 'Underground Drainage Safety Manual - 2012', only during emergency cleaning workers should be let inside manholes. The manholes should be kept open one hour before a worker goes in. The rules further state that the worker should wear boots and hand gloves mandatorily and must be provided with an oxygen mask.



A senior official and two assistants should be present during the operation. A first-aid kit should be kept ready and a ventilating blower to supply fresh air into the manhole should be provided. One of the pourakarmikas said that these rules are rarely followed and hence, accidents happen.


Madhukar Reddy, the suspect in the attack on bank employee Jyoti Uday at an ATM, was remanded in eight-day police custody by a local court on Tuesday.





The police said Reddy was brought from Chittoor jail (Andhra Pradesh) on Monday morning on body warrant. On Tuesday, the SJ Park police took him to Victoria Hospital, where he underwent medical examination. Later, he was taken to an undisclosed location, where he was interrogated for a while. In the afternoon, he was produced before the 6th ACMM court and was remanded in police custody till March 14.



Reddy will be taken to the spot where he attacked Jyoti on November 19, 2013, and the scene will be recreated. The weapon used during the attack and the clothes he was wearing that day will be seized. Reddy will be subjected to an identification parade in the presence of Jyoti, police said.



The Corporation Bank employee was attacked inside the ATM at NR Square, near Corporation Circle, when she was drawing money. The attack was captured in the CCTV camera and the footage went viral. Over 500 police personnel were involved in the efforts to nab the suspect. The city police had filed a C report in the case, which will be reopened now. Recently, he was arrested by the Madanapalle police (Andhra Pradesh) as he was wanted in several cases.


The polarisation of America is not new but the 2016 election allowed us to see the decades-long phenomena in a crystal clear way, said University of Chicago distinguished professor John Mark Hansen.





Hansen, one of the leading scholars of American politics, was speaking at the second edition of Deccan Heralds Spotlight on America in Red and Blue: The polarisation of American Politics.



Tracing the trajectory of the American divide with the help of charts, Hansen showed the gradual disappearance of moderates in Republican and Democratic parties between 1976 and 2008.



Each party had a fair share of liberal, moderate and conservative politicians even during the administration of Richard Nixon. The ideological divide became more and more consolidated in the last 10 years, he added.



Award winning journalist and writer Sugata Srinivasaraju, who shared the stage, asked Hansen whether the recent attacks on persons of Indian origin would change the mind of Indian Americans who supported Donald Trumps candidature.



Hansen noted that Indian Americans were part of the immigrant community that has been the mainstay of Democrats for decades and only a few of them supported Trump. Only a few supported Trump. More importantly, a racist white American doesnt differentiate the brown-skinned persons according to their religion or country, he added.



Srinivasaraju said the us vs them binary opposition has played a major role in the election and was influencing the behaviour of Americans even at present. Trump has antagonised the press, judiciary and half of the world. The future looks bleak in the face of racial attacks, he added.



Hansen agreed but noted that racism and partisan politics are correlated. Slow economic growth, lesser jobs and reduced resources had led to lot of stress. Add to this the elements of immigration, class and income and the polarisation is complete, he added.



Litterateur Girish Karnad, who was in the audience, said it is troubling to note that US would vote for a person like Donald Trump and asked whether there were any means to stop him.



Hansen said even during his first month in office, considered as honeymoon days for a president, Trump has got the lowest rating compared to all the previous presidents. The only possibility of stopping a president is through impeachment for which we have to see if there is evidence of a big scandal in his Russia connection, he said, referring to the allegations that Kremlin hacked the Democrats computers to help Trump victory.


The government will take up a project to provide round-the-clock water supply in nine towns at an estimated cost of Rs 205.87 crore.





Urban Development Minister Roshan Baig told reporters that the towns are: Mudgil, Teredal, Mulki, Mundargi, Shiralkoppa, Kottur, Kampli, Tekkalakote and Mahalingapura. These are among the 27 towns identified for 24X7 water supply. Already, we have made round-the-clock water supply possible in Ilkal, said Baig.



He added that the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation are taking up the projects.



The target is to provide 24X7 water to 55 towns in the next three years, of which 15 towns will be taken up in one year.



He said the government has taken up the Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project at a cost of Rs 1,364 crore with funding from World Bank for urban local bodies other than Bengaluru. Computerisation of basic municipal functions, streamlining finances and scientific base maps using satellite images will be covered.
Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Hugues Mingarelli, notes the importance of creating an Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine, and also stresses the importance of independent work of anti-corruption bodies.

Mingarelli said the fight against corruption is the main challenge and Ukraine needs specialized anti-corruption courts for this purpose, the press service of the EU Delegation to Ukraine said on Twitter on Tuesday.

The head of the office also stressed that the anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine should act independently, and independent experts should audit the work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

Mingarelli said that NABU and SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) are doing important work, especially in the last days it's nice to see when courts resort to actions ... It is important that future audit of NABU will be carried out by independent specialists, he said.
Swiss authorities have confirmed in writing the absence of any accounts or assets there belonging to the son of disgraced former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's son Oleksandr.

"Swiss authorities in a letter, dated March 1, 2017, confirmed that in Switzerland there are no frozen personal accounts or other assets owned by Oleksandr Yanukovych, the son of disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, with the exception of those controlled by his company MAKO Trading SA and its assets. Other measures involving freezing assets undertaken by Switzerland relate to other persons listed in the addendum to the order on freezing assets in connection with Ukraine," a statement by Oleksandr Yanukovych's press services says.

The note says Oleksandr Yanukovych has always insisted that he has no personal bank accounts or assets in Switzerland, with the exception of those controlled by the MAKO Trading SA company, which has a transparent and audited bank account with a balance CHF 1 million.

Yanukovych's press service said that on December 9, 2016 the Swiss Federal Council said it would continue measures to freeze all assets of Viktor Yanukovych, as well as those belonging to physical entities from Ukraine connected to him. The total amount of frozen assets amounted then to about CHF 70 million.
By Ian Johnston

2 March 2017 (The Independent)  The US Secretary of State, former oil industry mogul Rex Tillerson, has not responded to a request from the United Nations most senior climate change official for a face-to-face meeting amid concern about the Trump administrations stance on global warming. Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told a conference about the issue in Chicago that progress towards a low-carbon economy was now unstoppable with many businesses already making the transition. However she admitted the UNFCCC was worried about rumours that the US could withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Ms Espinosa also smiled about the prospect of a Mexican woman trying to talk about global warming with the United States new leadership  given Donald Trumps talk about building a wall between his and her country to prevent migration, dismissal of climate science as a Chinese hoax and remarks about being able to sexually assault women because he was a celebrity that helped spark the worldwide Womens March protests. [] We are of course worried about rumours that the possibility of the US pulling out of the Paris Agreement and the convention on climate change, she said. It would be very bad if there were a change of position in the US. Thats why Im looking forwards to engaging with the US as a partner. But she suggested the momentum behind efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions was such that they would carry on regardless of the views of political leaders. [more]
State-run Oschadbank will challenge the decision of the higher specialized court of Ukraine revoking the UAH 4.2 billion guarantees of the owner of Delta Bank under liquidation Mykola Lahun in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, Oschadbank has said in a press release.

"The decision of the higher specialized court of Ukraine that satisfied the counterclaim of Lahun is not final. Oschadbank is preparing a claim to the Supreme Court of Ukraine seeking to annul this unlawful decision of the higher specialized court and leave the decision of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv and the appeal court of Kyiv," the bank said.

According to the press release, Oschadbank twice proved the lawfulness of their requirements. The courts of lower instance and the appeal court rejected evidences of Lahun that the guarantee agreement is invalid.

However, the higher specialized court in violation of Ukrainian legislation on the unlawfulness of the deals and in contradiction of the court practice declared invalid the guarantee agreement.

Oschadbank was founded in 1991. Its sole owner is the state.

Oschadbank ranked second among 93 banks operating in the country on January 1, 2017 by total assets (UAH 210.099 billion), according to the National Bank of Ukraine.
The U.S. Embassy and the European Union Delegation in Ukraine have welcomed the court's choosing pre-trial restriction for the suspended head of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, and noted the need to establish a specialized anti-corruption court in Ukraine.

"We commend the increasingly effective efforts of Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office to deliver on their mandates. We welcome the court's taking action on March 7, while noting the last several days underscore the need to establish a specialized anti-corruption court," the U.S. Embassy and the EU Delegation in Ukraine said in a joint statement on Thursday.

These events also highlight why the pending NABU audit must be independent, transparent and lead to an objective analysis of NABU's operations over the last year, the diplomats said.

"Ukraine's success in its anti-corruption efforts is critical to delivering results demanded by the people on the Maidan as well as to attracting the foreign direct investment that is needed to support Ukraine's economy," the U.S. Embassy and the EU Delegation said.

As reported, on March 7, Solomyansky District Court of Kyiv chose a pretrial restriction for the suspended chief of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, in the form of arrest for 60 days and levied a bail of UAH 100 million.

The court had been considering the matter of choosing a pretrial restriction for Nasirov since Saturday evening.
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Ukraine-NATO Commission meeting to take place in Brussels on March 8

The Ukraine-NATO Commission will meet in the headquarters of the Alliance in Brussels on Wednesday, March 8, with participation of Deputy Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.

"On March 8, 2017, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held at the NATO HQ with the participation of Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Prystaiko," Ukraine's Mission to NATO wrote on Twitter.
Documents on Judge Chaus extradition sent to Moldova

Documents on the extradition arrest of Judge of the Dniprovsky District Court of Kyiv Mykola Chaus have been sent to the Moldovan side, Interfax-Ukraine learnt at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP).

"The documents for the extradition of Chaus were sent to Moldova," the SAP said on Tuesday.

As earlier reported, on August 9 agents from NABU with agents from the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) discovered Chaus had received a bribe of $150,000. The money was found in two glass jars, which Chaus dug in the yard of his residence.

Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on September 6 supported the representation of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) to detain and arrest Chaus.

SAPO the same day said Chaus had fled to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Kyiv's Solomyansky District Court on September 12 gave permission to arrest Chaus.

On November 11, 2016, Chaus was placed on Interpol's international wanted list.

Chaus is suspected of committing a crime pursuant to Part 4 of Article 368 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (accepting, offering or promising a bribe).

On March 1, 2017, the judge was detained in Moldova.
The data offer is reportedly restricted to 1GB per day, and we have reached out to Vodafone India for further confirmation on how the plan would work.

Kulveer Sharma, editor of Digit Hindi, received a plan on his MyVodafone prepaid account, detailing unlimited calls and 56GB data for validity period of 28 days and fair usage cap of 1GB per day. The plan, as of now, seems to be for prepaid users, the details of which is included in the image below.

Ever since Reliance Jio disrupted the telicom market with its data and voice plans, other telecom operators have been scurrying to cut data costs and introduce competitive data plans with bundled free calling. The new offer seems to be comparable to that of Reliance Jio's Prime Membership Offer, and even offers double of what Jio is presenting for its Prime members. Jio requires you to pay Rs. 303 for 1GB of data per day for 28 days, while Vodafone's Rs. 352 pack offers 1GB data every day for 28 days. There, however, seems to be some confusion, with Vodafone stating 1GB/day for 56 days on the offer title, and mentioning 28-day validity in the details.

With the details not being clear, we have reached out to Vodafone India for further explanation of the plan. It also remains to be seen which users are presented with this plan, and what are the specific criteria of eligibility. In a statement released so far to Digit, a Vodafone spokesperson has stated, "Vodafone customers are diverse as are their wants. To satisfy these diverse needs and wants, Vodafone offers various segmented propositions. This is one such segmented offering and the offer is valid to take-up only till 15 March." The company, however, is yet to explain the duration of validity of the plan.
Shares in SQS Software Quality Systems are down more than 11% after it flagged an expectation of subdued growth in the US market, but anticipated growth in German-speaking countries, UK, Ireland and Italy.

Current trading, it said, however, and ongoing strategic developments were in line with management expectations following recent significant contract wins.

Chief executive Diederik Vos described the results as strong, including the highest pre-tax profit margin since the global financial crisis. SQS had entered 2017 with confidence, he said.

"In line with economic forecasts, we expect to see growth particularly in the German speaking countries, the UK, Ireland and Italy," Vos added in a statement.

"We expect growth of the overall US market to be relatively subdued following recent policy changes such as on health insurance."

Vos noted the US was the world's largest IT market, and, given the progress SQS had made after the integration of its acquisitions there, it was well positioned to address growing market share there over the next few years.

"Though it is too early to tell, the well-documented recent issues for a number of large IT outsourcers operating in the US could create opportunities for SQS," Vos said.

He concluded that SQS was reassured by the continuing momentum within its existing, globally diverse client base.

"Our evolving product and service offering are also opening up new opportunities for higher margin client engagements. We have a solid pipeline and the Board believes it is well positioned to deliver further growth in the year ahead."

At 12:41 GMT, shares in AIM-quoted SQS were down 11.01% to 557.5p each.
KYIV. March 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The professional community is concerned about the non-availability of documents that define the concept, strategy and plan for reforming and developing the health care system in Ukraine.

"We are concerned about the non-availability of a system of the proposed reforms. First of all, there is no funding system in all the documents, and it defines a particular healthcare system," chairman of the council of the Kyiv City Health Workers' Trade Union Larysa Kanarovska said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

She said the documents posted on the website of the Ministry of Health violate a number of articles of the Constitution of Ukraine and other legislative acts.

Member of the board of the All-Ukrainian Medical Community Kostiantyn Naduty, in turn, also noted the absence of a clear plan for reforming the health care system in Ukraine.

"Ideas that are mentioned only in presentations and are indicated only in some documents that we saw are not properly documented in the form of legal documents," he said.

According to Naduty, this creates risks of subjective interpretation of the health care system reform and its possible sabotage. At the same time, the existing concept of reforming health system financing is one of the fragments of necessary changes.

"Nothing is said about governance and leadership," he said.
Outsourcing and energy services company Mitie was under the cosh on Tuesday as Jefferies downgraded the stock to 'underperform' form 'hold' and cut the price target to 175p from 195p as it said accounting changes could create headwinds.

It said the shares have been volatile as the market assesses the outlook for recovered earnings and the balance sheet.

"In our view, the new CEO is taking many necessary steps to rehabilitate Mitie but risk/reward is unfavourable ahead of the KPMG accounting review," Jefferies said.

The bank said accounting is a key issue for the shares as prepayments/accrued income have expanded considerably and material accounting restatement is a major pillar of the bear case.

Jefferies said percentage of completion method accounting may have flattered group earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation by around 20m to 30m annually for the past three years, with the cash impact offset by a receivables discounting facility.

The bank cut its earnings per share estimates for FY17 and FY18 by 23% and 20%, respectively, to 13p and 16.50p. The estimates now sit 5-7% below consensus.

Travis Perkins

Analysts at Berenberg upgraded their recommendation on Travis Perkins, hailing the builders merchant's decision to invest in a heavyside distribution network.

It was the only firm in its space that did so, meaning it had the best supply chain management in the industry with a best-in-class customer proposition, they said.

The German broker upped its recommendation on the stock to 'Buy' lifting its target price to 1,800p in the process.

The anlaysts said they were 2% ahead of consensus for 2017 and 2018.

Of interest, they pointed to the experience of the firm's US peers, early adopters of supply chain best practices which "provide evidence that margins and returns should improve over time".

Lease-adjusted return on capital employed should grow by 255 basis points by 2021, Berenberg said, reaching 13.5%.

Travis Perkins was also in the midst of revamping its IT to support its multichannel offering, helping to achieve both scale and best-of.breed fulfillment for competitive differentiation.

"We forecast that online sales will reach 145m in 2021E (5% of sales) at General Merchanting; we believe this is conservative and not in consensus forecasts," they pointed out.

The 'self-help' story in the company's ailing Plumbing and Heating and Consumer arms was also intact, with a review already underway in the former, Berenberg explained.

However, in Consumer management needed to accelerate investment were LAROCE was over 25%.

Berenberg also added the shares to its high-conviction list of ALPHA stocks.

From a valuation standpoint, Travis Perkins was trading on 11.4 times' Berenberg's estimate for the outfit's 2018 earnings per share, which was towards the bottom end of the P/E range between 2013 and 2017 of 10.6 to 15.9.

SDL

Canaccord Genuity bumped up its target price on SDL as the company increases the technology content of its offering, which it delivers as a managed service.

Early results from its transformation plan were already to be seen too, it said.

Research and development spend ran at 10% of sales in fiscal year 2016, anchoring the broker's investment thesis.

Together with a high level of intellectual property, that technology was helping SDL deliver global content by combining man and machine, Canaccord said.

"We believe this model brings significant competitive advantages," analyst Paul Morland said as he bumped his target on the stock from 540p to 565p, while sticking to his 'Buy' recommendation on the shares.

Only 19% of firms have a global content operating model, Canaccord said citing research from Forrester.

"Advantages for clients that adopt a global content operating model include: better brand consistency, higher experience consistency, better compliance, more content re-use, improved customer experience, faster time-to-market and lower costs."

Regarding the transformation plan, SDL had strengthened its management team, disposed of some non-core units, diversified its client base and made good progress on sales into premium sectors.

Sixty new enterprise customers had been secured with some "world leading brands", Morland said.

"We believe that, in time, this business model will attract a higher rating for its more scalable revenues, higher gross margins and better visibility ... and as the transformation plan progresses and growth accelerates, we see further possible upside."
Wednesday will largely revolve around the Budget in the UK, with several large companies reporting include giant insurers Admiral and Legal & General , plus the perenially-unpredictable G4S .

Almost all eyes will be on the Chancellor for news of the Office for Budget Responsibility's UK growth forecasts, targets for much improved government borrowing and what fiscal plans that allows, further cuts to corporation tax, a possible rejig of business rates plans, plus any other fiscal adjustments such as raising duties on alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.

The total public sector net borrowing (PSNB) requirement for the 2016/17 fiscal year is now on course to be around 10bn below the 68bn forecast by the OBR in the autumn statement, thanks in part to stronger-than-expected growth seen in the second half of last year that has helped to boost tax revenues.

Caution likely to reign

Over the weekend, Philip Hammond said he was likely to continue his prior cautious approach, repeatedly cautioning against "reckless" spending with the current Brexit-related uncertainty offering such huge potential risks and costs ahead that a 60bn "fighting fund" is being held back.

Economists at broker Peel Hunt said the OBR is likely to upgrade its GDP growth forecast for this year, which is currently at the lower end of the range.

"Hence the borrowing projections are likely to be lowered, giving the Chancellor some scope for politically desirable discretionary spending increases."

In practice, Peel Hunt conceded, Hammond is likely to continue his prior cautious approach, with some tax increases even likely to be under consideration.

In an article in the Sunday Times, Hammond asserted that we cannot take our foot off the pedal in the mission to eliminate the budget deficit by the end of the next parliament and then reiterated this message in a series of television interviews on Sunday.

Liberum strategists also pointed out that the decision to discontinue the spring budget in favour of one major fiscal policy event a year, in the autumn, as a further reason to expect no major announcements.

Last autumn, 'Spreadsheet Phil' stated that 2017 will be a year of transition: The government will retain the option to make changes to fiscal policy at the spring statement if the economic circumstances require it."

Although Chancellors often downplay expectations so they can then exceed them at the ballot box, Hammond is not bluffing, said Pantheon Macroeconomics, as while OBR will forecast lower near-term borrowing the fiscal headroom further ahead will not rise.

Possible policies

"Accordingly, we think that the Chancellor will announce a package of measures that results in only a modest increase in borrowing. At the top of the Chancellors list of priorities appears to be finding more money for social care and for a new technical training qualification.

"Mr. Hammond also looks set to alleviate the impact of Aprils business rates reform, which will result in large increases in property taxes for businesses where rental values have increased sharply over the last decade. Last month, he said he was in listening mode when hearing of businesses plight."

The Chancellor is also expected to announce extra cash to relieve the pressure on local authorities, plus some transitional relief for those small businesses hit by the business rates changes and funding for the introduction of new vocational T-levels to boost technical education.



Press reports, nestled among rumours that his aides joke that detail-focused Hammond has a 'mind palace' akin to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes, have suggested other revenue-raising measures could include increasing the rate of duty on alcoholic drinks significantly, while extra money for social care also might be found by increasing the intensity of cuts to other departments budgets.

There may also be further cuts to corporation tax, with the Treasury scheduled to cut the main rate to 19% from the current 20% in 2017/18, and to 17% in 2020/21.

One suggestion is that the Chancellor might announce the personal allowance for income tax will rise in 2018/19, although he has another opportunity to act in the autumn.

To offset this, the Chancellor is mooted to be planning to ensure self-employed income is taxed at broadly the same rate as earned income, by increasing the rate of Class 4 National Insurance contributions paid by self-employed workers to 12% from 9%.

Corporate results

Among stocks, Admirals results, as with Direct Line on Tuesday, will be dominated by the impact and consequences of the recent change in the discount rate on personal injury claims, which the company has already said it expects to reduce FY16 results by 70-100m.

Noting that the results cover an unusually long gap of six months since August's interim results, broker Numis sees UK customer growth remaining at least as strong as the 11% in the first half, with upside risk expected to 2017 forecasts from a continuation of this trend against recent expectations for a slowdown in growth.

At Legal & General, investor focus will be on Solvency II: capital ratios, solvency capital generation and any details pre-released from the new Solvency II disclosure to be release on the 20 May, said UBS.

Solvency II capital generation has been guided to 1.1bn, with consensus operating profit forecasts of 1.67bn.

Down on the FTSE 250, volatile G4S and Restaurant Group report.

Security and other government outsourcing specialist G4S is forecast to report underlying revenues of 6.7bn with organic growth of 5.4%, said UBS.

The focus of the results is likely to remain on the balance sheet and working capital, analysts said.

"We believe G4S will likely continue to guide for 4-6% organic growth into FY17 versus our forecast of 4.6%."

Casual dining focused Restaurant Group has changed its CEO and CFO and has embarked upon a strategic review to turnaround its profit momentum, cutting costs, revitalising menus and revisiting site opening plans at core chains such as Frankie & Bennys, Chiquitos and Coast to Coast, with a trading statement in January revealing weak fourth-quarter sales.

For 2016, Analysts are looking for sales of 711m, pre-tax profit falling to 75m and a possible cut to the dividend to 16.2p.

"Of greater importance will be any guidance for 2017, as the consensus is already looking for a 24% drop in profits to 57 million, so at least the base for expectations is pretty low," said broker AJ Bell.
Power supplier Aggreko issued a profits warning on Tuesday as it said 2017 results would be offset by the significant impact of a reduction in pricing on contracts in Argentina.

The company reported a 24% fall in 2016 pre-tax profits to 172m after exceptional items with revenues 3% lower at 1.5bn. The dividend is held at 27.12p a share.

"We expect to see growth across the group in 2017, augmented by incremental annualised cost savings of 25m from the second half. However, this will be more than offset by the significant impact of Argentina and as a result we expect full year profit before tax and pre-exceptional items to be lower than last year."

Aggreko said its North American rental business was showing signs of stabilisation after a difficult 2016, impacted by the low oil price.

Most sectors are up on the prior year to date and the higher oil price is giving ground for cautious optimism. We expect our Europe and Australia Pacific businesses to continue to perform well throughout 2017, the company said.

In power solutions, the industrial business is expected to perform well, driven by two of our largest businesses, the Middle East and Eurasia.

In power solutions utility, the pipeline remains healthy and is well spread geographically, although at this early stage in the year the order intake has been lower than in the prior year. Results in this division will also reflect the material impact of pricing renegotiations in Argentina, our last legacy contract.
Oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco have agreed to separate the assets, liabilities and businesses of their Motiva Enterprises downstream joint venture.

SOPC Holdings East, a US downstream subsidiary of Shell, and Saudi Refining, subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Oil Company or Saudi Aramco, have signed binding definitive agreements to separate the assets, liabilities and businesses of Motiva, their 50/50 joint venture, subject to regulatory approval.

A payment of $2.2bn, subject to adjustments including for working capital, has been agreed between the companies, which will include Saudi Refining assuming more than its 50% share of Motiva's net debt on completion of the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017, and a cash payment for the balance.

At the end of last year, Motiva had $3.2bn of net, of which Shell will assume $100m due to a deduction to the cash portion of the balance payment of $1.5bn.

Shell said that as as a result of the deal, no material effect is expected on its balance sheet.

Shares in were up 0.28% to 2,144.50p at 0922 GMT.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the Conservative peer said the government should should repeal the Fixed-term Parliament Act and hold a snap general election before 2020, as it would "would strengthen the government's hand at home and abroad" to deal with Brexit.

He said: We have a new prime minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues.

There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them.

However, Number 10 ruled out an early election before May 2020 in accordance to the Fixed-term Parliament act which was passed by the coalition government. It can only be overturned with a two-thirds of majority in the House of Commons.

A spokesperson for the PM said May "has no intentions" of calling an early election.

Lord Hague argued that calling an election would strengthen the governments hand at home and abroad and would resolve a clash between ministers and parliament over the exit terms from the EU, it would require all parties to say what they would do if they won, rather than just oppose the agreement.

He added that not calling one could be a risk as Parliament could overturn Prime minister Theresa Mays Brexit plans or the final deal reached with Brussels.

"Any deal is bound to be full of compromises which one group or another in Parliament finds difficult to stomach. As British law needs to be amended countless times to take account of leaving the EU treaties, the government could face many close votes, concessions or defeats as it tries to implement Brexit.

"That prospect will embolden the EU negotiators, and makes an agreement that is good for the UK harder to achieve. It could also lead to a situation where the prime minister faces a stand-off with Parliament over a deal that will have taken two years to negotiate and is nearly impossible to change."

According to the latest Guardian/ICM opinion poll, the Conservatives have a 16 point lead over Labour. It had the Conservatives at 44% unchanged from two weeks ago, Labour at 28% (up two), Ukip at 11% (down two), Liberal Democrats unchanged at 8% and the Green party at 5% (up one).

Elsewhere, the House of Lords continued to debate the Article 50 bill to trigger the clause, which starts formal negotiations with the EU, by the end of the month. Peers will vote on Tuesday on whether Parliament should have a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal, which is expected to pass.
London's FTSE 100 was flat at 7,352.67 in afternoon trade, as investors looked ahead to Wednesday's Budget.

Testing, inspection and certification specialist Intertek rose as it said full-year 2016 sales rocketed 18.5% to 2.57bn as weakness in the pound continued to bolster its top line.

Medical products and technologies company Convatec was on the front foot as Goldman Sachs reiterated its 'buy' rating on the stock and lifted the price target to 310p from 300p following the second half results on 2 March and investor meetings with management.

The bank said the stock's valuation is undemanding.

On the downside, newly merged bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair slumped after it reported a loss of 5.7m for the full year, despite a jump in revenue, as merger costs hit profits.

Equipment rental firm Ashtead was in the red despite its third-quarter results revealing that it remained en route to a strong year of growth, with gross capital expenditure expected towards the upper end of its our previous guidance

Direct Line Insurance Group was under pressure after it reported a drop in full-year profit as it took a 175m hit from the change in the discount rate used to calculate lump sum payouts.

Centrica was lower after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to 'neutral' from 'outperform' and cut the price target to 230p from 255p as it pointed to the accounting pension deficit of around 1.1bn.

Also on Tuesday, Citigroup reiterated its 'sell' rating on Centrica.

SSE was also hit by a downgrade as Citigroup cut its stance on the stock to 'sell' from 'neutral'.

Payments processor Worldpay fell back despite posting a big jump in 2016 pre-tax profit.

Risers

Intertek Group (ITRK) 3,725.00p 3.64%

Convatec Group (CTEC) 259.70p 1.84%

WPP (WPP) 1,749.00p 1.69%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,325.00p 1.67%

Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 189.00p 1.56%

Croda International (CRDA) 3,606.00p 1.29%

Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) 2,224.00p 1.23%

Mondi (MNDI) 1,931.00p 1.15%

GKN (GKN) 374.40p 1.05%

Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,956.00p 1.03%

Fallers

Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) 8,360.00p -4.84%

Standard Life (SL.) 386.80p -3.30%

Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,690.00p -3.10%

Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 338.30p -2.90%

Informa (INF) 661.00p -2.22%

Centrica (CNA) 221.60p -1.99%

SSE (SSE) 1,514.00p -1.88%

Mediclinic International (MDC) 723.00p -1.57%

Worldpay Group (WPG) 270.90p -1.49%

Severn Trent (SVT) 2,323.00p -1.36%
London's FTSE 250 was up 0.3% to 18,938.82 in afternoon trade as investors sifted through corporate releases.

Building supplies company Grafton was the standout gainer as it said a strong contribution from its Isero acquisition in the Netherlands helped to boost full year operating profits by 14% to 142m.

Just Eat rallied after it reported a surge in 2016 revenue and earnings as it seeks to capture further share of the online food delivery market.

Ibstock advanced after posting a jump in 2016 revenues due to a stronger second half from increased activity in the housing sector.

Travis Perkins racked up healthy gains after Berenberg bumped up the stock to 'buy' from 'hold' and hiked the price target to 1,800p from 1,540p.

"The groups structural advantage should enable Travis Perkins to outcompete, outperform and offer returns ahead of peers," it said.

On the downside, power supplier Aggreko tanked as it issued a profit warning, saying its 2017 results would be offset by the significant impact of a reduction in pricing on contracts in Argentina.

Outsourcing and energy services company Mitie was under the cosh as Jefferies downgraded the stock to 'underperform' form 'hold' and cut the price target to 175p from 195p, saying accounting changes could create headwinds.

Payment solutions provider Paysafe was under pressure. Although it posted year-on-year revenue growth of 63% to $1bn, analysts pointed to the fact that its adjusted tax charge rose to $28.9m from $10m in 2015 and is set to rise again this year and beyond.

Risers

Grafton Group Units (GFTU) 669.00p 10.21%

Just Eat (JE.) 553.00p 6.76%

Ibstock (IBST) 213.30p 5.02%

Carillion (CLLN) 225.80p 4.30%

esure Group (ESUR) 221.90p 3.21%

Essentra (ESNT) 556.50p 3.06%

Vedanta Resources (VED) 876.00p 2.94%

Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,479.00p 2.64%

Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 514.00p 2.59%

ZPG Plc (ZPG) 400.00p 2.56%

Fallers

Aggreko (AGK) 923.00p -12.76%

Mitie Group (MTO) 200.00p -4.81%

Sports Direct International (SPD) 288.20p -3.74%

Paysafe Group (PAYS) 410.30p -2.91%

Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 289.90p -2.82%

Cobham (COB) 126.90p -2.08%

Berendsen (BRSN) 803.00p -1.95%

Wetherspoon (J.D.) (JDW) 944.50p -1.82%

Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 1,809.00p -1.79%

Brown (N.) Group (BWNG) 205.00p -1.54%
MTI Wireless Edge has won a new contract worth $600m from an existing European customer in the military sector.

The AIM-listed developer and manufacturer of sophisticated antennas and antenna systems said the contract represents an additional element to the one announced on 14 June and will be delivered until mid-2018.

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AIM-listed 1PM has announced plans to launch a secured loan note programme (SLNP) to raise up to 7.5m in borrowing from private and institutional investors to meet demand for loans from SMEs and provide the flexibility to fund adjacent products and potential acquisitions.

The company, which provides finance facilities to the SME sector, said the SLNP will be arranged and administered through LGB Corporate Finance, which will also act as a security trustee.

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Producer and marketer of stevia sweetening ingredients PureCircle announced its unaudited interim results for the six months to 31 December on Tuesday, with sales of $47.2m, a decrease of 13.4%, as a direct consequence of temporary import restrictions from US Customs and Border Protection.

The London-listed firm said sales outside of the US increased 10%.

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Radiation detection technology company Kromek announced on Tuesday that it was awarded a contract, valued at $0.99m, by an existing US-based customer for the upgrade of its advanced security screening detectors that have been deployed since 2009.

The AIM-traded firm described the unnamed customer as a global leader in aerospace and defence technologies.

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Domain name sales and services platform CentralNic Group updated the market on its performance in 2016 on Tuesday, as it outlines its strategy for the year ahead.

The AIM-traded company said it continued to grow in 2016 as recurring revenues increased, with group revenue improving by more than 110% to 22.1m.

-

Shares in Mountfield Group are up almost 40% after saying the problems it had faced in past years were now behind it.

It added subsidiaries Connaught Flooring Ltd (CAF) and Mountfield Building Group (MBG) had traded profitably in 2016.

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East Russia-focussed nickel-copper sulphide mineral exploration and resource development company Amur Minerals Corporation announced its plans for the 2017 field programme on Tuesday.

The AIM-traded firm said the programme would be comprised of the continuation of exploration drilling and the completion of additional site investigation work related to engineering work for consideration in the development of Kun-Manie.

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Shares in RedstoneConnect are up more than 10% after stating it expects reported pre-tax profit to be about 1.5m, with adjusted EBITDA seen coming in at about 2m.

Chief executive Mark Braund noted RedstoneConnect's progress in the past year.

-

Shares in SQS Software Quality Systems are down more than 11% after it flagged an expectation of subdued growth in the US market, but anticipated growth in German-speaking countries, UK, Ireland and Italy.

Current trading, it said, however, and ongoing strategic developments were in line with management expectations following recent significant contract wins.

-

Shares in exploration and mine development company Ortac Resources are up almost 8% after it lifted its investment in Casa Mining to 21.71%.

It acquired 69,444 shares through a private placement at $0.72 a share, taking the company's total stake to 1.56m shares.

-

Sunrise Resources' shares fell almost 9% after the diversified mineral exploration and development company raised 250,000 at 0.1p a share in a placing.

The company said net funds raised would be used to progress its industrial mineral and precious metal projects in Nevada, as well as for general working capital.

Ireland-based agri-services group Origin Enterprises is to buy Bunn Fertiliser for up to 18.2m, in order to expand its fertiliser capacity.

The acquisition, which is subject to clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK, would extend Origin's existing fertiliser blending activities, as well as its customer service capabilities, and enable it to optimise operation and logistic efficiencies.

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AIM-listed Craneware reported a rise in half-year revenue and profit and said it was well positioned for future growth.

In the six months to the end of December, revenue grew 16% to $26.8m, with adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation up 16% to $8.2m.

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AIM-listed FastForward Innovations has invested in Canadian medicinal marijuana company Nuuvera Corp in a bid to capitalise on the increasing global deregulation of the drug.

FastForward paid CA$3m for a 4.7% stake in Nuuvera as part of a CA$43.65m equity fundraise, of which it subscribed for 3m Nuuvera shares at CA$1 each.

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AIM-listed Staffline has announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Oak Recruitment, which specialises in industrial recruitment on a temporary and contract basis, for an undisclosed sum.

Established in 2006, with premises in Cork, Dublin and Limerick, Oak Recruitment has been supplying staff to the industrial supply chain for 11 years and brings with it specialist recruiters with in-depth knowledge and experience.

-

AIM-listed Benchmark Holdings has signed a long-term agreement with salmon producer SalMar to provide genetics, health and knowledge services to the company.

Benchmark said the full suite of services it is providing illustrates its "leading position in the market, as well as its ability to offer a wide spread of products and solutions across the salmon's life cycle".

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Footwear retailer Shoe Zone has promoted Jonathan Fearn as chief financial officer and a member of the board with immediate effect.

Fearn joined the AIM-listed company in July last year as finance director from Celesio Group, formerly Lloyds Pharmacy.
Commentary: The rise of 10.5/11G lines and new forces in global flat panel industry

The groundbreaking ceremony held for a 10.5G IGZO TFT-LCD panel plant to be built by Japan-based Sakai Display Products (SDP) in Guangzhou, China heralds a drastic change of the landscape of the global flat panel industry in the coming years.

Including SDP, a total of seven flat panel companies have intentions to invest in 10.5G/11G plants. Among them, China-based BOE Technology and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) have also started building their 10.5G lines.

Apparently, a likely result of this "super-generation" race in the flat panel industry is that some of the existing players are to be overwhelmed by rising stars such as SDP (a 53.05%-owned subsidiary of the Foxconn Group), BOE and CSOT.

It took less than three months for SDP/Foxconn from starting negotiating with the city government of Guangzhou to beginning to construct the 10.5G plant, which will require an input of CNY61 billion (US$8.838 billion) in capital.

However, due to the heavy investment amounts and the supply of needed LCD equipment and machinery, four other flat panel makers, LG Display, Samsung Display, Chongqing HKC Optoelectronics Technology and China Electronic Corporation (CEC) which have expressed interests in stepping into the 10.5G lines, have yet to kick off their investment plans.

Since the 10.5/11G lines are the world's highest generation of the flat panel industry currently, the supply capacity of the upstream equipment and component suppliers are essential for potential investors.

For glass substrates, only Corning and Asahi Glass have expertise in producing large-size glass substrates. The two makers reportedly are to build related factories in China to support the 10.5G lines of BOE and CSOT, respectively.

The Japan-based Nikon is currently the only supplier of steppers for the 10.5/11G lines, and therefore winning support from Nikon will also be a key for building the next-generation flat panel plants.

But more importantly, the support of local governments in China plays the ultimate role for BOE, CSOT and SDP/Foxconn to push ahead their 10.5G projects.

It is also worth to note that Taiwan-based flat panel makers AU Optronics (AUO) and Innolux, both are now still major display suppliers to China-based LCD TV makers, appear to have been left out of the race, and that the mighty suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display may no longer play the leading role.
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The path would go around Lake Lowell.



CALDWELL, Idaho (AP)  A plan to build bike lanes and pedestrian pathways around Lake Lowell that also connects the nearby cities of Caldwell and Nampa is taking shape, officials in southwest Idaho say.

The lake portion of the plan could begin this June, Canyon Highway District engineer Timothy Richard told the Idaho Press-Tribune (http://bit.ly/2mRrh8w). Over the years, we have received a lot of concerns from people who bike out there for a need for more facilities, he said.





. . .
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KIRKLAND  Two medical office building properties have been sold to LLCs associated with Harrison Street Real Estate Capital of Chicago, according to King County records.

The Lakeshore Clinic at 12750 Totem Lake Blvd. N.E. in Kirkland sold for $7.45 million. The seller was Apollo Investments, which bought the land in 1993 for $495,000. The 1.1-acre property was then developed by Apollo. It has a two-story building with about 15,000 rentable square feet.





. . .
Chinese media equates PoK with Taiwan, says India should be part of CPEC

India should cooperate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) despite it passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in the same way Beijing doesn't object to New Delhi having economic ties with Taipei, the state media argued on Monday.

Equating the status of the disputed region of PoK with Taiwan as a ''sovereignty'' issue, the comment piece in the state media argued that India should be ''pragmatic'' about the CPEC and participate in the $46-billion project for economic benefits.

The Communist country sees Taiwan as a breakaway region. India's argument against the CPEC  part of the larger China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) connectivity project  has been that it violates India's sovereignty.

China doesn't object to India-Taiwan trade ties. So New Delhi should not only have no problem with China-Pakistan economic ties through the CPEC but it should actively join in them, the article argued.

Taiwan, an independent democracy with a free press, is officially known as part of the Republic of China and was the island where Kuomintang rebels fled after losing the civil war to the Communist Party of China in 1949.

Since then, Beijing claims Taiwan as a breakaway region to be reunited by force if necessary. A majority of countries, including India, follow the 'One China' policy or the policy of recognising China's authority over Taiwan.

But many countries such as India also maintain trade and economic ties with Taiwan  so does China itself, while calling it one of its ''provinces''.

India-Taiwan trade stands at around $5 billion while China-Taiwan trade, according to state media, was nearly $180 billion in 2016.

Long Xingchun from the Centre for Indian Studies at China West Normal University equated Taiwan's status with the status of PoK, which India claims as its territory.

''Beijing has reiterated its stance on the India-Pakistan disputes over Kashmir many times. Just like the Taiwan question, Beijing doesn't object to any economic links between Taiwan and other countries including India, because economic activities won't alter China's sovereignty over the island,'' Long wrote in the piece for the nationalistic tabloid Global Times.

Long said, ''The CPEC won't affect the status quo of Kashmir disputes. The project itself is an economic plan set to connect China and Pakistan and advance Pakistan's economy and improve the lives of its people.

''The investment from Chinese companies and their participation in some architectural construction won't affect the situation of Kashmir either,'' he said. ''Hence, India should be flexible and pragmatic, and be more open to economic activities in the Kashmir region conducted by Chinese companies.''

The CPEC, Long said, could be brought to Kashmir, which China and its media refer to as India-administered Kashmir, to alleviate poverty.

''The CPEC will boost the economic development in the region, bringing jobs and improving the quality of life. The project can be extended to the India-administered Kashmir area if India allows, and benefit the Indian people, as well as regional stability,'' he said.
EU court rules regulator wrongly blocked UPS-TNT merger

United Parcel Service (UPS) can potentially sue the European Union after an EU court ruled that the European anti-trust regulator had wrongly blocked its takeover of Dutch peer TNT in 2013.

In 2012, UPS, the world's largest package delivery and logistics company offered to buy TNT Express, after raising its bid to $6.85 billion (See: UPS to acquire European rival TNT Express for $6.85 billion).

UPS withdrew its offer after the European Commission (EC) said it would block the proposed merger on the grounds that the transaction would limit competition in the express-delivery segment in the 15 EU countries.

UPS then filed an appeal against the EC's decision of blocking the merger with the Luxembourg-based General Court since it believed that the ruling was "factually and legally erroneous."

TNT has since been acquired by UPS rival FedEx for 4.4 billion, which was approved by the EC last year.

UPS had offered concessions to the EC by agreeing to divest certain European business units and granting access to some of its airline network to rivals.

In order to ease antitrust concerns, TNT had also agreed to sell its airline operations to ASL Aviation Group, comprising TNT Airways and Pan Air Lineas Areas on condition that the sale would become effective immediately prior to completion of its proposed merger with UPS.

UPS had also agreed to sell some of its European assets to French state-owned La Poste SA's DPD parcel distribution unit, and divest a few of TNT's subsidiaries.

The EC rejected the concessions since DPD was a marginal player in the 15 EU countries unlike the four big competitors like UPS, TNT, DHL Express and FedEx.

The court said the EC had infringed UPS's rights of defence by using a different econometric model in its analysis than that used in previous exchange of views and arguments.

"UPS might have been better able to defend itself if it had at its disposal, before the adoption of the contested decision, the final version of the econometric model chosen by the Commission," the court said.

UPS could potentially now sue for damages, if it chooses to, but it will not be able to undo the FedEx-TNT merger.


The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has announced ''significannt price reduction'' for certain major cancer drugs, of up to 86 per cent in some cases, in its latest regulatory action.

With this the drug price regulator has reduced the costs of around 1,450 drugs since late 2016.

NPPA cut the price of Iressa, a drug mainly used for breast and lung cancer, by 86 per cent. Other drugs whose prices were reduced include Doceaqualip (37 per cent) and Levin (25 per cent), the regulator said on Monday.

The drug prices regulator, in a tweet, said that since March 2016, there has been "significant price reduction" by up to 86 per cent in some major cancer drugs, and by up to 42 per cent in major diabetic drugs.

Among the major cancer drugs, the price of Iressa of Astrazeneca Pharma India, which cost Rs29,259 (before revision), has been cut down by 86 per cent to Rs3,977.

The prices of other important cancer drugs, such as Nanoxel (Rs1,035) and Frastim (Rs1,273) have been slashed by 55 per cent and 51 per cent respectively.

The price of diabetic drug, Glypride by Sun Pharmaceuticals has been brought down by 42 per cent to Rs53 (from Rs91 earlier).

Other pharma firms whose drug prices have been revised downwards are Dr Reddy's Lab, Abbot Healthcare, Micro Labs, Dabur India, Lupin and others.

Apart from cancer drugs, important medicines used in the treatment of diabetes, bacterial infections and blood pressure have been capped by the government, thereby reducing the cost by an average of around 25 to 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, reports said, Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, a premier hospital for cancer treatment, has played a part in lowering the prices.

The hospital had sent a list of drugs it believed to be overpriced to the government.


The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths:

- John McLaughlin, Glenagivney, Moville

- Anne- Margaret Wilson, St. Johnston

- Father Pat Prendergast, Inniskeel Parish, Glenties

- Sister Assumpta Doherty, Ballyshannon and Kincasslagh

Sister Assumpta Doherty, Ballyshannon and Kincasslagh



The death has occurred at Aras Mic Suighne Nursing Home, Laghey of Sister Assumpta Doherty, late of St. Catherines Convent, College Street, Ballyshannon and formerly of Kincasslagh.

Reposing at St. Catherines Convent, College Street, Ballyshannon on Wednesday from 2pm to 7pm strictly.

Funeral mass is at the convent on Thursday morning at 11am with burial afterwards in the Abbey cemetery, Ballyshannon.

Father Pat Prendergast, Inniskeel Parish, Glenties

The death has occurred in St Vincents Hospital, Dublin of Very Reverend Father Pat Prendergast, Parish Priest of Inniskeel Parish, Glenties.

His remains will repose at his sister in law Mary Prendergasts residence Carolina House, Loughnagin, Letterkenny from 10pm on Tuesday 7th March.

Family time tonight (Tuesday 7th March) from 11pm until 10am.

Removal on Wednesday 8th March at 4.45pm going to St Conals Church, Glenties to arrive at 6pm to repose overnight.

Requiem mass on Thursday, March 9, at 2pm, followed by interment in the local cemetery, Glenties.

Enquiries to James Mc Guinness & Sons Funeral Directors Glenties.



John McLaughlin, Glenagivney, Moville



The sudden death has taken place of John McLaughlin, late of Glenagivney, Moville.

He will be in repose at his brother-in-laws Patrick OHaras home, 65 Craigbrack Road, Eglinton, on Thursday, March 9, at 11.15 am for 12 noon Requiem Mass in Star of the Sea Church Faughanvale.

Interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.



Denis Doherty, Clonmany

The tragic death has taken place of Denis Doherty ( Reilly Junior ) late of 8, Gaddyduff, Clonmany.

His remains will be in repose at his late home.

Funeral from there on Wednesday , March 8th morning at 10.40am going to St Marys Church, Clonmany for Requiem Mass at 11 oclock.

Interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.



* If you wish to have a death notice included, please e-mail: editorial@donegaldemocrat.com and include a contact telephone number for verification.
The next phase in the citys plan to revitalize downtowns sidewalks will begin shortly.

During a meeting at the Enterprise Farmers Market on Thursday, business owners and project leaders discussed what the project will entail and if it will cause problems for downtown businesses.

Business owners said they were concerned about patrons being able to visit the businesses while construction equipment is outside and concrete is being poured.

I think the end result will be well worth it, said Enterprise Mayor Kenneth Boswell.

Geisler Contracting, Inc. will be handling the project, and owner Jim Geisler said they would do everything in their power to make as little disturbance as possible for the businesses.

Let me ask our business owners to be very patient with us. We understand that when you interrupt trade, it interrupts profit margins and that we will do everything that we possibly canalong with a great contractor because hes been utilized beforebut that to be very patient and communication is the key, Boswell said. We think the overall result will be very much worth it. It will take on the same aesthetic look of the rest of downtown, and we think that it will not only improve the property values there but also will continue with the symmetry thats going on downtown.

The project is set to start on March 13, but could begin earlier than that and must be completed within 75 working days. It is estimated to be complete on July 27.

Sidewalks on either side of North Main Street beginning at Adams Street and ending at Watts Street will be a part of the revitalization, and First Baptist Church will see the first part of the project.

This project was paid for through a $400,000 grant.

Boswell also said that all the sidewalks will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Acts.

As far as traffic is concerned, Boswell said that the city will be sending out public service announcements to let the community know when travel may be interrupted by the construction.

For those that will be traveling early in the mornings, late in the afternoons -- school traffic if you will -- we ask to be ever so mindful of the construction zones, but not only that but if you can take alternate routes to avoid the construction zones and well be getting PSAs out about that. We ask that they take that into consideration.
(Xinhua) 20:45, March 06, 2017

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for more efforts to create a favorable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship and seek new driving forces for the economy.

For China to maintain medium-high economic growth, the biggest potential lies in bringing out the creativity of the country's population of more than 1.3 billion, said Li while joining a group of lawmakers from Shandong Province to discuss the government work report.

He stressed the need to further cut taxes and fees, and promised to build innovation platforms to meet the demands from emerging industries and new business models.

"The gathering of new growth momentum could help create jobs and lead the economy to higher levels," he said.

In the government work report the premier delivered Sunday, China set the growth target for 2017 at around 6.5 percent, with the goal of creating over 11 million urban jobs.

The premier said this year's growth rate, which remains at a medium-high level, could support enough employment.

While reiterating the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability," he called for more focus on improving growth quality and efficiency to strengthen internal impetus for the economy.

Premier Li also demanded more attention on issues related to the people's well-being, such as education, medical care, social security, housing and environmental protection.
Mitsubishi appears set to send the Lancer to the big carpark in the sky.

The under pressure Japanese brand was taken over by the Nissan-Renault alliance in 2016 and long-time Nissan executive Trevor Mann was promoted to the role of chief operating officer.

Speaking to media at the 2017 Geneva motor show, Mann said his vision for the brand is to focus on the expanding SUV segment with the resources he has available. The new Eclipse Cross SUV was publicly unveiled in Geneva to fill a gap between the compact ASX and mid-size Outlander.

The current fifth generation Lancer is now in its 10th year on sale, putting it at least three years past typical replacement for a passenger car.

While Mann said he was not in a position to confirm the company's plans for the Lancer in the future he did paint a bleak picture of its chances continuing.

"We can never say never but obviously we've got a short-term focus," Mann explained. "We've got a pipeline that's coming with vehicles we've developed and Eclipse Cross is the latest one, it was obviously done before I came and before the alliance. But the design symbolises what we're going to do in the future.

"Some of the old cars and some of the stronger names might not continue. But I don't think that's a problem. You look at many brands and you look at their history they have changed their names and changed their history because you got to. You've got to keep changing to move forward and you've got to keep up with what customers want You shouldn't necessarily keep banging the same drum just because you used to have a car everybody liked."

Mann played down the suggestion that Mitsubishi's new place as part of the Nissan-Renault alliance could help save the Lancer. To save development and manufacturing costs a new Lancer could be based on an existing Nissan or Renault small car platform.

"I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no," Mann said. "Obviously with the scale we will be able to share common platforms, common powertrains, be able to have the same types of product line ups - if we want. I'm questioning internally what we want and what do our customers want. Because if you just start saying 'we should make another Lancer because we've always had a Lancer' - well should we?"

Despite the small car segment still being one of the largest around the world, Mann appeared unconvinced it was the right place for Mitsubishi to be playing in.

"It's also the most competitive segment and it's also shrinking on a global basis," he said.

He added: "We have a great opportunity to reflect on where we are and where we want to be."

Mann has been working on a new product plan for Mitsubishi under the Nissan-Renault alliance and said he was aiming to have it finished by the end of the Japanese financial year which comes at the end of March.
(Xinhua) 21:01, March 06, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother, former Queen Norodom Monineath, on Monday.

Xi hailed the profound friendship between Chinese and Cambodian people, adding the friendship is very precious as it was started and fostered by the older generations of Chinese leaders and Cambodian former King Norodom Sihanouk.

Xi and Sihamoni exchanged visits in 2016. Xi said China-Cambodia ties have witnessed rapid growth, citing high political mutual trust, win-win economic cooperation, mutual support in domestic development and close coordination in global and regional affairs.

The Cambodian royal family has been committed to boosting friendship with China and has made great contributions in this regard, he added.

Xi called on both sides to maintain high-level contacts, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, synergize their development strategies, boost cooperation on key projects, and strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs.

Sihamoni and his mother recalled Xi's visit to Cambodia last year, adding bilateral friendship and cooperation had been consolidated through the visit.

The Cambodian royal family, government and people appreciate China's support for the country's economic and social development, they said, vowing to carry on the former King Sihanouk's friendship policy toward China and boost stronger bilateral ties.

Sihamoni and his mother arrived in Beijing on Friday.
Ella Taylor, age 7, from Scoil Mhuire na nGael here in Dundalk has been chosen as one of Irelands best young painters for her entry to the Sightsavers Junior Painters Awards 2017. Ellas painting was inspired by this years theme of Framing the Future and came 2nd place in the competition.

Competition was as tough as ever with thousands of children from over 200 primary schools across the country entering this hugely popular annual art competition.

Ella was one of the 15 finalists chosen to have their painting displayed at the awards ceremony in Dublin on Monday 27th February.

Embracing creativity and education are the core objectives of the Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards which is open to primary school students of all ages across the country. Sightsavers envisions an inclusive future where children living with disabilities get to go to school.

This years Framing the Future theme inspired thousands of imaginative entries.

All three judges, Emmy-award winning costume designer Joan Bergin, Childrens Laureate PJ Lynch, and artist and director of Arts and Disability Ireland Padraig Naughton, were astounded by the entries received. They especially noted the fantastic expression and colour and time that went into each and every painting.

Catrina Sheridan, Sightsavers CEO, said: We always love seeing the wonderful paintings which children across Ireland create for the Junior Painter Awards. The competition has shown us that Irish children are caring and compassionate.

It allows us to teach them about the value of sight and how some children living with blindness in developing countries around the world dont always have the opportunity to go to school like they do. Congratulations to all of the winners.

The Junior Painter Awards competition is proudly sponsored by The Irish Times and ReCreate, an arts and creative reuse project which collects unused materials from businesses around Ireland for art, craft, theatre and creative projects. This years top four finalists won substantial cash prizes for their schools. Every child that entered received a Certificate of Participation in recognition of their creative efforts.

The 15 finalist paintings will be exhibited in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre from July 1st through to August 5th.
Two Dundalk students are getting set to take part in Irelands largest university-led fundraiser.

Jailbreak, which is now in its fifth year, is a 36-hour race which sees teams of two escape from their starting point in Dublin in search of a mystery location.

Although the target destination is revealed over the course of the competition, teams may not spend any of their own money in order to get there.

The race gets under way this Saturday (March 11th) and local pair Ailsa McGuinness and Tess McGlynn, both from Kilkerley, are seeking your support.

We are currently trying to raise two types of donation; those which are submitted in our name to Amnesty International and SVP, and then donations by companies towards our travel fund.

The team which can raise the most money for those charities will also get a headstart in the race so we would be really appreciative of any sponsorship or corporate support from local businesses.

In terms of funding our own trip, we had an event in Toale's last month which was really well-supported and we're extremely thankful for all of the help thus far.

If people want to donate to the charities in our name they should go to jailbreakrace.com, select 'teams' and then click on 'Tess and Ailsa'.

Likewise, if any company or business out there wants to sponsor us the cost of a flight or a ferry they should search 'Tess and Ailsa Jailbreak 2017' on Facebook and get in touch.

Over the course of the last four years, Jailbreak has grown exponentially, encompassing several colleges across Ireland and seeing a massive increase in the number of teams participating. In all, the initiative has raised over 165,000 since its inception.

The first Jailbreak was set up in 2013 by a number of student societies in Trinity College Dublin.

TCD Law Society then joined forces to track 60 students as they raced as far away as possible from Trinity Campus in a 36-hour dash across the globe. The competition was an unprecedented success raising over 11,000 for Amnesty International and St. Vincent de Paul, with the winning team getting to Buenos Aires in Argentina.

In 2014, Jailbreak expanded to include students from NUI Galway, University College Cork and University College Dublin.

JB14 saw over 100 contestants escape from the launch location in Kilmainham Gaol to race to other side of the world in less than 36 hours.

The winners were found in Sydney, with runners-up getting as far away as Singapore, Hawaii, and Dubai. In total, that years competition raised over 40,000.

The competition continued to grow in 2015, expanding to a total of seven higher level institutions, thus making the competition a truly national event.

In order to continue the momentum from the previous years the competition was remodelled into a rat race to a secret finish line.

The finish line, Code-named Location X, was gradually revealed to the public over the weekend through a number of clues posted on social media.

JB15 was an even greater success, raising over 65,000, with over 10 teams reaching Location X, revealed as the iconic castle in Lake Bled Slovenia, within the 36 hours.

In 2016, Jailbreak saw over 100 teams race toward Krakow, stopping along the way in Warsaw and raising over 50,000 for Amnesty and SVP. Jailbreak 2016 was also TCD Law Socs last year participating in Jailbreak.

For further information on the race itself, and to donate in Tess and Ailsa's name, simply head to jailbreakrace.com and search for them in the 'Teams' section.

Alternatively, you can donate directly by visiting gofundme.com/tessailsa-jailbreak-svp-amnesty

The pair can also be found on Facebook through 'Tess and Ailsa JailBreak 2017',
Having a pool of regular, paying customers is a huge boon in business but its by no means a guarantee of healthy cash flow  without question, the lifeblood of every organisation.

As the general manager of InstallEx  an installation and constructions services provider with national clientele  Jeremy Turner knows that optimal working capital is, to a large degree, reliant on the ability to process multiple customer payments in a timely manner.

When there is a major exhibition or event, such as the Grand Prix, Australian Open or V8 Super Cars, our guys are on the ground erecting stands, laying carpet and, once its over, they pull it down and pack it up. They also install joinery into high rises, and complete store displays as well as shop fit-outs and kiosk installations. Meanwhile, The Inside Project division involves staff performing interior design as well as kitchen and bathroom renovations. To meet the needs of our national customer base, we have staff both in Melbourne, where we have our head office, and interstate.

In early 2016, Jeremy was involved in a decision to vastly improve the way InstallEx processed payments. Until that point, the company had relied on a bank-issued EFTPOS terminal, kept at its head office. Aside from the hefty bank fees, Jeremy revealed this approach was cumbersome: Due to the nature of our business, its rare for customers to come into our head office to make a payment. They tend to either phone in a payment to our office or, more commonly, when our staff attend their site, make arrangements with them.

The problem was that our incumbent system didnt allow staff to directly accept payment from a customer when they were on site. Instead, site staff had to jot down their credit card details and send it through to head office, where someone then had to stop what they were doing to push the payment through. If their workload was heavy, it would take a couple of days to process payment. Plus, whenever site staff had a job on the weekend, payment couldnt be processed by head office until at least Monday. Not only was this laborious for all involved, due to delays in the payment process, we ran the risk of not immediately picking up when a credit card was maxed-out or when card details were incorrect and the cash flow issues that stem from that.

InstallEx ditched its bank-issued EFTPOS terminal in April, last year, shortly after the Square Chip Card Reader launched in Australia. Developed by global payment technology company Square, InstallEx saw the mobile card payment reader  along with Squares free Point of Sale (POS) app  as the means to empower site staff to process payments on the spot, thus freeing up head office. The company was also sold on Squares simple pricing structure  1.9% per card transaction (regardless of the card provider), no lock-in contract and a low price of $19 per reader.

Not only have we added more dollars to our bottom line due to the lower fees, weve also equipped staff with technology that allows them to accept customer payments on their smartphones, wherever they go, without fuss either using the Square Reader and the POS app. Our employees find it easier to take payment now that they ever did with the traditional card terminal, Jeremy said.

Our customers have also benefitted because they dont have to concern themselves with sending credit card details to us via, say, SMS or email. Square is both a lot more secure and a lot more transparent: our site staff take payment directly from the customer, who instantly receives a digital receipt, sent either to their email or mobile number.

Further, our office staff can log into Square Dashboard on their PC to analyse data on  and keep track of  transactions, including who is taking payment, how much theyre taking and how may transactions they are involved in. This feature basically allows us to track payments and, while we havent yet explored this option, it also allows businesses to analyse sales trends.

Recently, InstallEx has begun delving deeper into Squares ecosystem of tools. It is currently looking to introduce Square Invoices, which would enable staff to create, customise and issue invoices directly from the Square POS app or Dashboard and send to customers via email. Meanwhile, Jeremy said InstallEx has been using Squares new Virtual Terminal to simplify the process of accepting keyed-in card payments for office staff.

Virtual Terminal allows our office staff to accept payment directly from their PC using Square Dashboard, which is incredibly useful as they generally field sales-related calls on their smart phones. In the past, this made processing payments difficult because staff had to either write down a customers payment details and key it in later or put the customer on speaker phone so they could access the POS app on their phone and key in their details. With Virtual Terminal, they no longer need to do this  they just log into the Square Dashboard in their web browser and key in the customers details while theyre still on the phone. Plus, the per-transaction fee of 2.2% was very attractive to InstallEx.

InstallEx is just one of many organisations benefitting from Squares ecosystem of tools, which Squares Australian Country Manager, Ben Pfisterer says is an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to streamline the payment process.

Our platform grants small, micro and mobile businesses, including bricks-and-mortar and online retailers, with affordable access to the same technological capabilities that have been the privilege of large companies, he said

We recognise that businesses come in all shapes and sizes, which is why we offer a range of solutions.

In addition to the tools used by InstallEx, Square also offers a Contactless + Chip Reader, which retails at $59, the ability to accept payment online for a flat fee of 2.2% with Squares Ecommerce API, and the ability to track staff performance and manage employee access with the new Employee Management features. Plus, when customers receive a digital receipt from a Square merchant, they have the opportunity to provide real-time feedback about the transaction, which provides businesses with useful insights.

Squares tools are designed to take the burden out of processing payments, by providing businesses with a single platform for all their needs, so they can focus on finding and onboarding customers, Pfisterer added.
Think about the last time you ordered an Uber how did you find the experience? Convenient and time-efficient? Perhaps, enjoyable?

Now, think about the last time you lodged a request either for leave or help from IT, or tried to raise a purchase order (PO)? How would you rate that experience compared to your last Uber ride. In contrast to the simplicity of this ride sharing service, day-to-day workplace services can sometimes be more trouble than they are worth.

There is a dramatic gap between the services we seek out in our personal lives and those we tolerate at work. Tried and tested models of service seem to prevail in many workplaces due to the belief that installing new practices will be too difficult, cost too much and ultimately, offer little return.

This reality was strongly echoed in a recent State of Work survey commissioned by ServiceNow, which asked 300 Australian managers about their experiences with consumer and workplace service tools.

The results showed that although we are technically savvy and expect seamless and automated processes from consumer services, our workplaces lag far behind when it comes to technology adoption  and this is impacting our productivity at work.

For example, email, which was introduced into the workplace over 20 years ago, still accounts for 66% of workplace service requests in Australia, although consumers have widely adopted web and mobile. Workplace mobile adoption lags particularly far behind in Australia, with managers nine times less likely to use a mobile app in the workplace for interdepartmental services compared to consumer services, according to the findings.

Employees want simple, self-service support processes that are as easy to use as shopping on eBay or Amazon. These types of services are not just automated  they are consumerised, which is the direction companies must take sooner rather than later. When these processes are missing from an organisation, teams are slower, less informed and unable to peruse billable, more lucrative activities within the business.

Businesses can easily streamline and automate their workplace services. The technology to do this exists. By doing so, businesses create the opportunity to break the chains of unnecessary and time-consuming admin tasks and ultimately increase productivity.

Here are my top five tips for streamlining workplace processes:

1. Identify tasks that require coordination among employees or across departments

Target those coordination activities that currently use email, team rooms or phone calls. Consider typical interdepartmental processes that require heavy coordination, such as employee on-boarding and off-boarding.

2. Outline coordination process and then define what it should be

Start by identifying the requesters, fulfillers and approvers of a given process, and then define the rules or logic that it should follow. What parts of the existing process can be removed or should something be added to the workflow?

3. Design an intuitive, frictionless interface for employees

Ensure employees can engage with a workplace service in a natural, intuitive way. If the interface is not as easy to use as email  or easier  theres likely too much complexity.

4. Tap into consumer-like techniques such as portals

Organisations should expose their employees to the right information and create a standard, consistent way for everyone to request and fulfil services. This parallels online portals, one-click shopping carts and online delivery tracking  all of which employees enjoy in their personal lives but tend to lack in the office environment.

5. Track and analyse

Service management software turns a coordination process into an automated service workflow that produces metrics on service delivery. This gives managers insight into how well and when services are delivered, and pinpoints where there should be tweaks.

The bottom line

The gap between consumer and workplace services is considerable in the Australian workplace. But we are seeing many innovative Australian organisations take considerable steps towards increased productivity through becoming service-driven. Its a journey that begins with a business thinking of their own employees as consumers.

About the author

David Oakley is the Managing Director, ANZ at ServiceNow, a cloud company delivering IT service management capabilities.
(Xinhua) 08:10, March 07, 2017

China on Monday questioned the findings of a United States human rights report and cautioned against using the issue of human rights to interfere in China's internal affairs.

The U.S. State Department released an annual report on global human rights Friday, which pointed a finger at China and some other countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang voiced firm opposition to the "2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," which he said was full of unfounded accusations and prejudice.

China has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side, Geng said at a regular press conference.

He said anyone free of political bias about China's human rights situation would not deny the remarkable improvements since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

China holds that countries should have dialogue and exchanges with one another on human rights on the basis of equality and mutual respect, Geng said.

He urged the United States to view China's human rights situation in an objective and fair manner and stop using the issue to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Regarding the report's accusations about the human rights situation in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Geng dismissed the false accusations and stressed that the United States has no right to intervene in the internal affairs of China.

Since the return of Hong Kong and Macao, the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and the Basic Law have been implemented comprehensively, and Hong Kong and Macao residents enjoy full rights and freedom in accordance with the law, said Geng.

These are well-established facts and cannot be called into question, he added.
(Xinhua) 08:11, March 07, 2017

Several countries are condemning Monday's test-launch of four ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as it was in violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions once again.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the DPRK fired four ballistic missiles of a new type into east waters at about 7:36 a.m. local time (2236 GMT on Sunday). The missiles flew eastward some 1,000 km on average, and three out of the four fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

"China opposes the DPRK's violation of the U.N. Security Council's stipulation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

In response to the launch, the U.S. State Department said it was "prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat."

"The United States strongly condemns (the DPRK's) ballistic missile launches ... which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's (the DPRK's) launches using ballistic missile technology," acting state department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

Under the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, Pyongyang is banned from testing any ballistic missile technology.

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who serves as caretaker president following the impeachment in December of the defamed President Park Geun-hye, denounced the missile launch as a grave provocation and a direct challenge to the international community as it defied repeated warnings from the international community against ballistic missile launches.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the launch was in blatant and clear violation of the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions while threatening peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the entire international community.

In Japan, Prime Minister Sinzo Abe confirmed the missile launch during an Upper House Committee session on Monday, saying "the launch clearly showed that North Korea (the DPRK) has reached a new dimension of threat and the repeated launches are serious provocation to our security".

Japan has also filed an official protest against the DPRK over the latest missile launch, the Japanese leader said.

While saying there were no immediate reports of damage to ships, vessels, or aircraft flying in the vicinity of the missiles' flight path, Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference in Tokyo that the DPRK's launch was a "grave threat to national security", and Japan would be fully on alert for any future contingencies.

Senior security officials of South Korea and the United States also had phone talks over the missile launch.

Kim Kwan-jin, top security advisor to impeached President Park Geun-hye, talked with U.S. national security advisor Herbert McMaster of the White House via phone for 15 minutes from 10:45 a.m. local time (0145 GMT), South Korea's presidential Blue House said in a statement.

During the talks, Kim and McMaster strongly denounced the missile launch, agreeing to strengthen cooperation to put effective sanctions and pressure on the DPRK.

South Korea's chief negotiator to the Six-Party Talks also held emergency phone talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts following the DPRK's missile test-launch, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also criticized the United States and South Korea for their recent military measures against the DPRK, which could have triggered retaliation.

"China has also noted that both are holding large-scale military exercises targeting the DPRK," Geng said, "All sides should exercise restraint and not do anything to irritate each other to worsen regional tensions."

The Foal Eagle field training exercise, which kicked off on Wednesday, is scheduled to last by the end of April, mobilizing U.S. strategic assets such as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and stealth fighter jets. Pyongyang has denounced it as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion.

About 10,000 U.S. troops, including U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), will be mobilized for the drill together with 290,000 South Korean soldiers.

It would be almost the same as the largest-ever spring war game carried out in 2016.

On Feb. 12, Pyongyang successfully test-launched a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) under supervision by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

Expectations had been running high for the DPRK's test-firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the near future based on the IRBM technology, but the JCS said the missiles launched Monday were unlikely to be new ICBMs of the DPRK.
(Global Times) 08:14, March 07, 2017

Govt offers 5,000 yuan a month plus 500 yuan to maintain stability

Police in the city of Kashgar, Northwest China's XinjiangUyghur Autonomous Region plan to offer an attractive package to thousands of new recruits.

An online recruitment site of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Kashgar, Kashgar prefecture shows that the police in the city of Kashgar will recruit 3,000 men aged between 18 and 35, according to a notice posted on the government website on Sunday.

The police stations will be located along streets and residential communities, according to news site xinjiangnet.com.cn.

Each new recruit would be offered 5,000 yuan ($725) a month, with an additional 500 yuan for "maintaining stability," said the recruitment notice.

Applicants should sign up in person at the Human Recourses and Social Security Bureau of Kashgar from Sunday to March 25, said the recruitment notice.

According to the Xinjiang Daily, the Xinjiang regional government has set an income target for urban residents of 2,500 yuan a month for 2017.

The notice also said that they could provide apartments for couples from other regions if the husband is recruited.

"The recruitment is real. The salary and housing benefits are real as well," a police officer in Kashgar told the Global Times on Monday.

But he did not provide further details, saying it is the Human Recourses and Social Security Bureau that is responsible for the applications, examinations, interviews and qualification reviews.

According to the Kashgar city government, the city's population is 600,000, with Uyghurs comprising around 70 percent.

The Kashgar prefecture, which shares a 970-kilometer-long border with Tajikstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, has a population of over 3 million, 94 percent of whom are Uyghurs, said the Xinhua News Agency.

Southern Xinjiang, including the Kashgar prefecture, has been plagued with terrorist attacks. In August 2014, 37 civilians were killed and another 13 injured in a terrorist attack in Shache county, Kashgar prefecture, Xinhua reported. Fifty-nine attackers were shot dead and 215 arrested, according to Xinjiang news website ts.cn.

Local police in a township near Kashgar prefecture detained six people allegedly involved in a terrorist attack on December 15, 2013, which killed 16 people, including two police officers and 14 attackers. Two weeks later, nine terrorists attacked a police station in Shache county. They wielded knives, threw explosives and set police cars on fire, Xinhua reported.

Chen Quanguo, Party chief of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, said in January that maintaining stability is a major task for all levels of the regional government, and it overrides all other work.

He said that Xinjiang's fight against the "three evil forces" is urgent, complicated and time-consuming.
In fallout from his flippant remarks before a Senate Education Committee panel where he said he wanted to shake School Reform Officer Natasha Baker like I like to shake my wife, Gary Naeyaert has resigned from his position as Director of the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP). GLEP is a corporatist anti-public education group founded and largely funded by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Democrats in the state legislature had called for Naeyaerts resignation days before.

School choice lobbyist Gary Naeyaert has resigned from @GLEP_MI after coming under fire for joking about domestic abuse at committee hearing pic.twitter.com/OKRuvAZCTD  Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) March 7, 2017

Naeyaert issued a statement on Facebook where he apologized and called his hideous remarks a verbal gaffe and a poorly-worded ad-lib and bad analogy. Many, including me, saw his comments as revealing of a person whose first instinct is to make a joke about abusing women he is frustrated with.

Sam Inglot, Deputy Communications Director at Progress Michigan, the group who first revealed Naeyaerts comments, issued this statement:

For the first time during his career at GLEP, Gary Naeyaert has done the right thing by stepping down after his comments making light of domestic violence. His comments were unwarranted and disgusting and he needed to go. However, the work that GLEP does at the behest of Betsy DeVos to dismantle public education and attack teachers in Michigan continues and must continue to be exposed as well. The DeVos model for education is based on an out-of-control, ineffective free market ideology and in turn they got a director that was out-of-control and lobbied for robbing children of an equal education during the last six years of total Republican control in Lansing. Mr. Naeyaert may be gone, but well continue to scrutinize right-wing groups like GLEP and advocate for equal public education for all.

This is a great example of how the voices of resistance that have been wakened in the past four months can have a profound impact. We may not control the levers of power but, united, we are powerful and must always #RESIST wherever and whenever its needed.
MI-07 Republican Congressman recently posted a link to an article from The Hill on his Facebook page with the comment, Im proud to be on this list of the top 10 town hall holders in all of Congress. Its a remark so ridiculous that it strains the bounds of credulity. The article claims Walberg has done 66 town halls since January 1, 2015. However, Walberg hasnt done one since May of last year.

What the article doesnt say and what Walberg doesnt mention is that most of his town halls are telephone town halls that are only accessible with a land line. These telephone town halls are completely controlled by Walberg and his staff. They screen the questions and there is literally no opportunity for the people on the call to interact with him. Walberg is also known for including private events at senior centers and with veterans in his list of town halls.

This past Friday, Walberg finally dared to venture into the public for what he called a coffee hour. It was held on a weekday (work day) morning in Hillsdale, Michigan, far off the beaten track for most residents of the 7th Congressional District. Still, there was an overflow crowd.

When participants arrived, they were met by no fewer than 11 law enforcement officials from the local police and sheriff departments. They were also confronted with this sign:

CONGRESSMAN TIM WALBERG EVENT RULES Questions must be submitted using a question card.

Question card must be completed with required information.

Completed question card should be returned to staff.

For the safety and visibility of all attendees, no sign shall block the view of another attendee.

Individuals who interrupt, disrupt, or interfere with the orderly conduct of the event will be asked to leave. Thank you for your attendance at todays event.

That last one was made more intimidating by the nearly dozen law enforcement officials monitoring the event. The questions were read, often paraphrased, by staff. Beverages including, ironically enough, coffee, were not allowed in the 60-person, standing room only room.

At one point during the event, Walberg cautioned the audience that their applause for specific questions would reduce the amount of time he had for questions. A short time later, he asked why he couldnt get applause for a comment HE made. At the end, as participants grew frustrated by the one-way nature of the conversation, one person asked about womens issues. And, with that, Walberg abruptly ended the event.

The event was little more than a telephone town hall conducted in public, completely controlled by Walberg and his staff with little to no interaction or dialog with the participants.

You can read the perspective of one of the participants HERE at the website WheresWalberg.com. It is VERY insightful, particularly coming from someone new to activism.

The week before this event, several women from the Indivisible group in Dexter (which is in the 7th District), went to Walbergs office to put sticky notes on the front door with questions for him from 7th District constituents frustrated by his lack of access. They arrived two hours before the office opened to a dark and nearly empty parking lot. As soon as the women got out of their car, all of the office lights suddenly came on and several staff members came outside, greeting the women by name. In other words, Congressman Walberg is so terrified by the prospect of having to deal with his constituents who disagree with him that he has staff infiltrating private Facebook groups to thwart their activism. Its an astonishing thought and a real tribute to the rising power of these grassroots, homegrown activist groups that have sprung up in the past four months.

This coming Saturday, Walberg is set to make another public appearance, this time at a mens-only church breakfast in Dexter (ironically during International Womens Month.) Local residents have asked to be allowed to participate but the church declined saying its for male members of their church only.

Not to be deterred, local organizers have persisted. They have found another church in Dexter that has opened their doors to a separate event following the mens breakfast that the public  including WOMEN!  can attend:

The event will take place Saturday, March 11th starting at 10:30 a.m. at the St. James Episcopal Church (3279 Broad Street in Dexter.)

Congressman Walberg has been sent an invitation but, several days later, he has still failed to respond. I predict that, since he is unable to control every single aspect of the event, he will not participate.

Nevertheless, they will persist. If Congressman Walberg fails to show, residents in the 7th District will hold a peaceful rally along the road on the way into the mens breakfast event so that Tim Walberg can see their views on everything from the Affordable Care Act to the interference in our elections and of our government by Russian agents and from immigration reform to the rolling back of environmental protections by the Bannon/Trump administration. If youre in the 7th District, please join us. You can RSVP HERE.
The U.S. House Republicans super-secret Obamacare replacement is out and its all about freedom.

Yes, if youre one of the 20 million Americans who gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, you may soon enjoy the freedom of no longer being covered. We dont know how many people will be covered, but even Republicans acknowledge that it will be a lower number than the ACA.

As President Donald Trump finally noticed last month, health policy is kinda complicated. So it will be awhile before we know all the details of the GOP plan. But one key element to reducing coverage is that theyd end the federal funding in 2020 for states who expand Medicaid. Currently, 31 states, including Michigan, have expanded Medicaid to cover 10 million people.

That could definitely put Michigans program in jeopardy. Gov. Rick Snyder had to fight tooth and nail with his fellow Republicans in the Legislature just to get the expansion in the first place. The Legislature has only gotten more conservative since then and Snyder is term-limited next year. Its easy to imagine a Gov. Bill Schuette, who fought Obamacare all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, joining together with GOP lawmakers to scrap Michigans Medicaid expansion.

There are 640,000 Michiganders who now have health coverage due to the expansion  more than 6 percent of the states population. Yanking away health insurance from them would be unnecessarily cruel. And its not even smart economic policy. The expansion will have a $432 million impact this year, according to a University of Michigan study commissioned by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund. And thats created 30,000 jobs. Given the fact that Trump goes around irresponsibly taking credit for companies keeping a couple hundred jobs in the United States, youd think that losing 30,000 jobs in just Michigan alone might give him pause.

There are many other ways that people could lose their health insurance under the GOP plan. Insurance subsidies for low-income people would be replaced with age-based subsidies, which would likely reduce benefits and the number of people who are insured. The New York Times reports that people with preexisting conditions would face new uncertainties in a more deregulated insurance market. And the plan cuts off funding to Planned Parenthood.

But at least people who didnt want to buy health insurance will escape paying that freedom-sucking penalty, right? Well, yes  but if you let your insurance coverage lap because youve changed jobs, didnt want to pay for it, etc., the GOP plan allows insurance companies to sock you with a 30 percent premium increase. Thats probably going to be a much bigger hit to your wallet.

The Republican concept of freedom always seems to come with a lot of not-so fine print.

If theres one thing Americans love, its when politicians meddle and make things worse. And they really love having things taken away from them. So this new GOP plan should really go over well.

[Photo by Amy Lynn Smith]
I have never been so excited about an email subscription before.

 Zak S.
By Brooke Barton

A majority of Americans value strong federal protections for clean air and water, which provide both environmental and economic benefits.

But they should be very worried that the basic human expectations of healthy air and safe water will quickly turn cloudy if the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrators pledge to regulate through cooperative federalism becomes a reality.

https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1460041177342148/

Cooperative federalism, at its most benign, is about allowing each state to tailor its own approach to enforcing environmental rules. At its worst, its about the federal government turning a blind eye to states that shirk the nations environmental laws or that simply dont have the coffers to pay for monitoring and enforcement.

Process, rule of law and cooperative federalism, that is going to be the heart of how we do business at the EPA, said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who has promised to follow the Trump administrations will to slash EPAs budget and soften its rules.

To see how cooperative federalism erodes environmental protection, look no further than the 2015 Waters of the United States rule. President Trump issued an executive order last week announcing plans to undo the rule, which clarifies the federal governments authority to limit pollution in bodies of water not explicitly covered by the Clean Water Act.

Interactive Map Shows if Your Drinking Water Is at Risk From Trump's Executive Order https://t.co/tnV4CwKmaq (via @EcoWatch @ewg)  Sierra Club (@SierraClub) March 5, 2017

Those smaller bodies of watertypically streams, wetlands and rivers, which account for more than half of the nations freshwater resourcesfeed into larger water bodies that provide key drinking water and recreational opportunities for the public, as well as water supplies for business. Keeping them clean is vital for the nations health and economic prosperity.

The executive order, coupled with the administrations penchant for cooperative federalism, send a strong message that if states choose not to protect smaller streams and wetlands, they wont get pushback from the federal government.

And as state environmental budgets shrink, many simply dont have the resources to ensure healthy streams and clean drinking water on their own, even if they wanted to. Forty state environmental agencies have reduced staff in recent years, with the biggest cuts being in North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, New York, Illinois and Arizona, according to a fall 2016 report by the Center for Public Integrity.

Center for Public Integrity

Pruitts home state, Oklahoma, for example, spends a paltry $13 million on environmental protection. Compare that to Connecticut, which has an environmental budget twice the size of Oklahomas but less than one-tenth the land mass or with neighboring Arkansas, with a budget nearly triple the size of Oklahomas.

Water pollution from industrial-sized poultry farms operating in the northeast corner of Oklahoma and in neighboring Arkansas, has been a source of huge controversy, health concerns and lawsuits for more than 25 years. Phosphorus, the primary pollutant in poultry manure, can trigger toxic algae blooms, threatening rivers, lakes and other waterways that feed into the Illinois River.

Algae bloom in Florida.

Cooperative federalism gives Oklahoma and Arkansas more opportunity to turn a blind eye to manure runoff and other untreated pollution in waterways covered by the Waters of the United States rule.

Similarly, though the U.S. Geological Survey has linked oil and gas hydraulic fracturing drilling to groundwater and surface water pollution, Oklahoma has yet to identify whether its surface waters face pollution threats from fracking activity. J.D. Strong, executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board said that Oklahoma does not have the budget for widespread testing in the state.

These same challenges can be found in states across the country.

North Carolina has a long history of water pollution from coal ash spills and manure lagoonsa legacy that gained national prominence last fall when Hurricane Matthew triggered massive flooding and pollution overflows from thousands of hog farms. At the same time, contentious political battles in that state have contributed to a dramatic decrease in its environmental budget, from $126 million in 2011 to just $81 million in 2015.

Even states with larger environmental budgets may struggle to protect smaller waterways under cooperative federalism because of political fights that play out at the state level.

In Kentucky, regulators and utilities are pushing to loosen regulations on the states coal ash ponds and landfills. Yet over the past six years, arsenic and selenium have been found to be leaching from a coal ash pond at a major power station into groundwater and directly into Herrington Lake. Despite remedial measures taken by Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities, the pollution persists and is poisoning fish in the lake.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott has gutted the state environmental agencyearning him a scathing environmental disaster editorial in the Tampa Bay Tribune. In addition to cutting support for clean water and conservation programs, state-driven enforcement has disappeared nearly altogetherenforcement cases fell by 81 percent from 2010 to 2015.

Pruitts cooperative federalism mantra, where states should see us as partners, not adversaries, sends us down a perilous path of continued diminishment of precious natural resources across the country.

Leaving states on their own to protect the nations vital water resources, without holding them to minimum standards or supporting them financially, is a slippery slope indeed towards a dirtier Americaan America that the vast majority does not want.

Brooke Barton is the senior program director of Ceres water and food programs.
(Global Times) 08:15, March 07, 2017

South Korea's Lotte Group said Monday more than 10 of its retail stores in China were closed following fire inspections by local authorities.

Those closed include two stores around the city of Dandong in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on the North Korean border, said a spokesman for Lotte Mart. The company had 115 stores in China as of January 2015, Reuters reported on Monday.

Two outlets in Anhui Province - one in Fengtai county and another in the city of Suzhou - were also closed due to potential fire hazards.

"Our supermarket has been closed since Monday to improve fire safety facilities," read a notice pasted on the door of the Fengtai Lotte Mart supermarket.

"I feel sorry that our supermarket had to be closed for a while during this fire control inspection, but I think it will reopen after we fix fire safety facilities," an employee at the Fengtai Lotte Mart, who asked not to be named, told the Global Times Monday.

According to the Suzhou fire department's Sina Weibo account, 30 establishments have been closed during inspections from February 6 to March 6.

The Suzhou fire department's notice states that the Suzhou Lotte Mart will be shut down for 30 days starting March 6 due to faulty fire alarm systems, sprinklers and fire escapes.

"The establishments were shut down over potential fire accidents. Many people have died in recent fire accidents, including 18 people at a foot massage store in Zhejiang Province," a female officer from the Anhui fire department, who asked for anonymity, told the Global Times Monday.

"I don't think it's linked to the anti-South Korea or anti-Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) sentiment. We have documents to prove that some facilities in the two Lotte Mart supermarkets failed to meet the requirements of the local fire department," she added.

The Dandong fire department, which is believed to have closed the Dandong Lotte Mart stores, declined to comment when contacted by the Global Times. "We are still investigating the closure and will release a public statement soon," a PR manager with Lotte Group in China surnamed Jin told the Global Times on Monday.
By Jenny Shalant

Last fall, a whale made a go of Manhattan. The humpback, eventually named Gotham, chased schools of herring from New York Bay into the Hudson River, as delighted onlookers snapped photos of its tail flukes framed by the city skyline. For a couple of weeks, the whale rose to social media stardom; it even started tweeting.

Wildlife experts say both the whale and its abundant prey testify to the improving water quality of the Hudson, which is a federally designated American Heritage River as well as one of the largest Superfund sites in the U.S. The river has come a long way since General Electric and other companies dumped toxic waste into its channel, but new threats may be on the horizon. The U.S. Coast Guard is considering a proposal to allow the construction of 10 anchorage grounds for massive oil barges (currently there are two). If approved, an influx of tankers up to 600 feet long would be able to dock in riverside communities between the George Washington Bridge and the Port of Albany.

Proposed oil barge anchorages for the Hudson River between Yonkers and Kingston-Rhinecliff, New York. Hudson River Trustee Council

Fossil fuel companies hope to take advantage of a recently lifted ban on crude oil exports by making the river a conduit to ports overseas. Meanwhile, environmental advocates fear the recovering rivera resource for wildlife, recreation and drinking waterwill once again be steeped in industry.

The anchorage proposal submitted last year by the Maritime Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey, which represents oil and shipping interests, threatens to transform more than 2,400 acres of the waterway. In the south, the 43 new berths would extend down to Yonkersa city in the midst of revitalizing its blighted industrial waterfront. On the northern end, the barges would dock in Kingston, which fronts one of the rivers only public swimming beaches. All but one of the berths would allow for long-term anchorage, which would essentially convert the Hudson into a parking garage for crude oil.

During the comment period that ended in December, more than 10,000 people voiced their objections. Some opponents, like Mark Chertok, an environmental lawyer who represents the Hudson River Waterfront Alliance, pointed to the industrys practice of stockpiling oil on bargesas it does in the Gulf of Mexicountil higher market prices make it advantageous to unload its cargo. This use of the river for arbitrage purposes would be an abuse of federal navigational authority, wrote Chertok. The project, he said, would enable an invaluable public resource to be converted into free warehousing for private commercial benefit.

Sending more crude down the Hudson would also make old problems even worse, because much of the cargo may not be just any oil, but tar sands oil. Once stripped out of Canadas boreal forest, this volatile fossil fuel is transported by pipeline or train, then refined in a highly carbon-intensive process. Global Partners LP has applied for a permit to add new equipment to its storage facility at the Hudson port of Albany for the processing of tar sands oil. The companys refinery sits right beside the Ezra Prentice Homes, a low-income housing development.

Oil barge on the Hudson, 2016. Carolyn Blackwood

Its a classic example of a polluting facility being sited directly adjacent to a low-income community of color, said Rob Friedman, a campaigner on the Natural Resources Defense Councils (NRDC) environmental justice team. Public housing is often built on the cheapest land in a community and here you have people breathing in toxic fumes every single day, next to a facility that has already been shown to be violating the Clean Air Act.

NRDC is currently suing Global Partners and challenging its permit as part of a clean air case represented by Earthjustice. The lawsuit asks the court to force Global to apply for a new air pollution permit and prohibit the Albany facility from handling Bakken crude oil.

Its amazing to have communities up and down the river in a state of resistance saying were not going to stand for this, Friedman said. Beyond worries about how the barges will affect the look and feel of the river, its the prospect of an oil spill that has many local citizens taking action.

Communities have ample right to be concerned. When a crude oil barge collided with a towboat on the Mississippi River in February 2014, responders were able to recover only a tiny fraction of the spilled fueljust 95 of about 30,000 gallons. And tar sands crude is particularly disastrous for river ecosystems, explained NRDC staff attorney Kimberly Ong. This oil immediately sinks to the bottom and there is, to date, no known way of effectively cleaning it up. (Just ask the residents of Kalamazoo, Michigan).

Oil spill on the Mississippi River, 2014. Coast Guard

The Hudson is extremely turbid, so its silty and there are a lot of suspended sediments in the water, added Friedman, who once worked on the river conducting water sampling tests for Riverkeeper. If there were to be a spill of crude oil in the river, its likely that a very small percentage would be recovered based on its turbidity and the fact that the Hudson is a tidal estuary, he said. Its changing directions constantly.

In September, Riverkeepers boat captain, John Lipscomb, gave a town hall presentation in Rhinebeck, New York. He discussed the deadly bomb train derailment in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic in 2013. In addition to killing 47 people, the accident sent 26,000 gallons of crude into the Chaudiere River. In the year that followed the spill, government-commissioned biologists found unprecedented levels (up to 47 percent) of deformities in many of the rivers fish species. Lipscomb, who has spent the past 17 years on the Hudson conducting pollution patrols and scientific studies, fears that lessons from the Chaudiere are going ignored.

Here we have endangered species that weve prioritized for recovery in the Hudson, Lipscomb said, referring to species like Atlantic sturgeon and bog turtles. And were running a product that if spilled cant be collected and has proven to cause problems for wildlife in the river. These incidents are also a toxic threat to the surrounding communities, he pointed outand not just to the people who fish on the river. The 40 percent of it that flashes off into fumes, if it happens in your community, is mutagenic and carcinogenic. (While few studies have examined the long-term impacts of oil spills on human health, many Gulf Coast residents were still suffering from respiratory and cardiovascular problems, memory loss and other degenerative issues five years after BPs Deepwater Horizon spill).

In light of New Yorks clean energy priorities, plus those 10,000 public comments and the pressure from organizations like NRDC, Riverkeeper and Earthjustice, Friedman remains hopeful that the new anchorages will be scrapped.

Protest in Albany, New York against Bakken crude oil coming into the Port of Albany. Pilot Girl / Flickr

Hudson Valley residents will need to keep this pressure up to protect the waterway in their backyards, but this is not just a local fight. By blocking the expansion of the tar sands industry, theyre going to bat for all of usfrom Albertas First Nations, whose lands have been poisoned by the open-pit mining of this toxic fuel, to upstate New York residents breathing fumes from refineries next door, to the countries trying to curb carbon emissions instead of unleash them and finally, to the odd whale that chases its dinner up a welcoming river.

Jenny Shalant is a senior editor for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
By Jamie Henn

Its not yet halfway through Trumps first 100 days in office and his administration has already shown theyll go to any length to dismantle the laws and regulations that protect our air, water and climate.

Trumps team has already started to dismantle some of the nations most important environmental laws, from the Waters of the United States rule that keeps our rivers and streams free from pollutants, to regulations intended to prevent dangerous methane emissions from fracking, an already dangerous and controversial practice.

Now, reports in the New York Times and elsewhere that Trump and his denier cabinet are going to start dismantling the the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that limit pollution from cars and trucks, rules that save consumers trillions of dollars by getting automakers to produce more fuel efficient vehicles. Also on the chopping block is the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administrations rules cutting back on carbon emissions from coal fired power plants.

We already know that we wont be able to count on Congress to intervene. The GOP didnt bat an eye in approving climate change denier Scott Pruitt as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency hed sued numerous times. Revelations that Pruitt worked directly with industry to weaken environmental laws only seemed to encourage Republicans to vote for him. They saw him as one of their own: a fossil fuel industry shill, ready to put profits over public health each and every time.

That means that its up to all of us. The American people still overwhelmingly support laws to protect our air, water and climate. Recent polling shows that even Trump voters support rules to put a price on carbon pollution. And why not? Climate change wont just impact blue states and leave red states alone. From sea level rise in Louisiana to increased drought in Utah, conservative areas are also beginning to feel the impacts of climate change.

Public opinion is on our side, but the politics are steeply against us. That means that our primary job isnt to convince people to care about whats happening, they do. Its to mobilize the millions upon millions of Americans who are deeply concerned and want to do something about it. We need to remind people (and ourselves) that there are clear and powerful ways to make our voices heard, to push back on Trumps agenda and to hold our representatives accountable.

One of those ways is by taking part in the Peoples Climate Mobilization this April 29. Marches and rallies are already being organized across the country and in Washington, DC. Were going to show Trump that he can try and deny the reality of the climate crisis, but he cant deny the power of the American people. Together, were going to stand up to this administrations attacks on our climate and communities and put forward the vision of a clean energy economy that works for all.

We know that the real opportunity to create a better economy isnt by stripping away environmental regulations, but by investing in the transition to 100 percent renewable energy. We also know its often low-income workers and people of color who get hit the hardest when we roll back environmental protections and that those same communities would benefit most from a new, clean energy economy.

With a week of action kicking off with the Science March on April 22, the Peoples Climate Mobilization will be a powerful way to help defend the EPA and continue to demonstrate that the public cares deeply about climate, jobs and justice. Trump and the GOP can only continue to get away with their radical, anti-climate agenda if we stay silent. Sustained public outcry is our best shot at beginning to reign in the worst excesses of this administration and force other politicians at the local, state and national level to stand up and fight back.

The EPA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Protection Act werent put into place because their was some hippy environmentalist in the White House, but by none other than Richard Nixon, who couldnt have given a damn about the environment. The only reason Nixon took action was because tens of millions of Americans took the streets during the first Earth Day in 1970 and turned that into real political power by sustaining that pressure.

https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1460041177342148/

Now, nearly 50 years later, its our turn to fight and protect that legacythe future that depends on it. The Peoples Climate Mobilization on April 29 is a huge chance to show that we wont let our climate and communities be sacrificed so that the fossil fuel industry can have one last hurrah before renewables inevitably take their place. Lets get to work.

Jamie Henn is the director of communications and strategy for the international climate campaign 350.org. Follow him on Twitter @Agent350.
The oil industry and its deep state allies in the Trump administration have lured U.S. auto companies into a potentially fatal political trap, chumming Detroit by tapping into the deeply embedded penchant of the Big Three for chasing short-term market trends at the expense of long term value.

Excited by the arrival of a Big Oil ally, Scott Pruitt, to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the auto industry asked the Trump administration to undo the recent Obama Administration rule locking long term, reliable standards for emissions and fuel economy. The industry argued that the standards, which it agreed to back in 2009 as part of the auto bail-out, were now too onerous because consumers were shifting to buy SUVs again with lower oil prices. The argument is utterly bogus. The 2009 rules set separate, if ambitious, standards for each size class of vehicle, so while more SUV sales do drive up average emissions and oil consumption, they do not require the companies to make a single vehicle to a higher standard than they agreed to.

Whats really at stake here is the pace of vehicle electrification. Meeting the 2009 standards for each vehicle class was always dependent on a significant portion of those vehicles being zero-emission electric drive. Thats an existential threat to the oil industryand in many ways to Detroits dealers, who make most of their money repairing the drive trains of internal combustion cars. Electric drive vehicles (EV) have a fraction of the maintenance costs of gas or diesel.

But a rapid deployment of electric drive cars is vital to the long term global viability of automobile manufacturers. Whatever happens in the U.S., global auto markets are going electric and the Big Three need a major U.S. EV market to compete in the 21st century.

https://twitter.com/climatehawk1/status/837883051321470976 expand=1]

A few days before the Trump administration announced thatsurprise, surpriseit was giving the auto industry everything it had asked for and more, not only waiving the post 2022 economy standards but also seeking to strip California of its historic right to set its own vehicle emissions rules, I attended a high level strategy session in New Delhi devoted to the future of Indias auto fleet. If Detroit had been listening it might have realized the folly of resuming its servile junior partner status with oil.

The message could not have been clearer. Minister after Ministerroads, industry, rail, urban developmentproclaimed Indias urgent need for transportation without oil. The government of Indias top planners made clear that they were uniformly committed to an all electric vehicle economy by 2030, a step which would dry up the oil industrys biggest remaining growth target. It would also shut off the worlds fastest growing automotive market to U.S. manufacturers if they continue to rely on internal combustion engines.

Indias domestic ride-hailing service, Ola, announced a partnership with Indian auto maker Mahindra to test electric taxis. The government indicated it would suspend the permit process for electric vehicles, as the City of Beijing has already done, giving electric car ownership a big boost. Toyota boasted that 46 percent of the Camrys sold in India are already hybrids or electrics. The electric drive train has already left the station. With China already far down the electric vehicle pathway, Europe being forced onto it by air pollution problems and India trying to leap-frog both, an auto industry that continues to rely on 20th century technology will rapidly become a 20th century relic.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/818912423784644608

Why would U.S. auto companies, like General Motors with its bigand boldbet on the ground-breaking electric Bolt, give up the level playing field and predictability which the 2022 emission and economy rules had given them in 2009? Just as Trump was signaling that he will ease the requirements, Rob Threlkeld, global manager of renewable energy for General Motors, said the automaker is pushing to source all of its power from clean sources by 2050 because thats what consumers want. Why would manufacturers choose a strategic pathway so clearly at odds with where world auto markets are going?

Why would they pick such a big fight with their biggest domestic market. California, joined as it is by a bevy of other states seeking cleaner and cheaper transportation options? Well, dealership pressure is one reason. Dealers hate EVs, because they dont break down and dont fatten their service departments. Another is that the auto industrys lobbying apparatus thrives on the message, the government is out to hurt you. Fight back! (After all, if Government Affairs departments concede the reality that government regulations have been, net, good for the industry, keeping it competitive with the German and Japanese manufacturers, whats the argument for fat lobbying budgets?)

From 2004 to 2008, as oil prices soared, Detroit clung to its SUV dependent business model, pronouncing that gasoline prices could never reach the $2.50 mark at which customers starting seeking fuel economy. When that marker was crossed in 2006, Chrysler and GM headed for bankruptcy, Ford for massive debt and value loss and the U.S. industry almost went away except for the Obama administration rescue.

Now, just as happened in that era, the auto industry is once again barreling towards long-term bankruptcy for short-term relaxation of standards. What can rescue Detroit from its own death wish?

Primarily California and its allied states, (Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont), which have adopted their own version of the 2022 fuel efficiency rules and an electric vehicle mandate to go with it. Representing 30 percent of the U.S. auto market, these states alone can drive Detroit to remain competitive in the electric drive segment. While the Trump administration appears ready to deny California the waiver which enables it to maintain its own rules, there will be a major legal battle in the courts over whether the federal government can revoke a waiver once it has been issued. And even if, in the short turn, the Trump administration prevails, California and its allies can make clear that once political attitudes in Washington change, as they always do, that the next round of economy and emissions standards will be much, much tougher than those Detroit is seeking to weaken today. The 2022 rules were very much a compromiseand with foreign manufacturers racing to electrify, California holds a much stronger long term hand than Detroit.

So what the auto companies and auto workers and auto communities, all ought to be praying for is that the Trump administrations ploy to reinforce Detroits dependence on oil failsbecause the courts uphold states rights and Californias ability to insist that the auto industry remain globally competitive.

[facebook https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/10154215018081479/
ECSU Sets Out to Educate Latino Community

Elizabeth City State University reached across international lines Tuesday, March 07, 2017, when it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc. (AMEXCAN), detailing a partnership to provide higher education to members of the Northeast North Carolina Latino community.

This is the recognition of an obligation to a part of our community in North Carolina for a long time, said ECSU Chancellor Thomas Conway during the signing the ceremony. The university is committed to serving all of our communities.

Present at the signing was AMEXCAN executive director, Juvencio Rocha-Peralta, and Mexicos Consulate-General to North Carolina, Remedios Gomez Arnau, as well as a number of university officials, and area advocates for the Latino community.

According to ECSUs special projects director, Russ Haddad, 17 percent of the areas population is Latino. That, he said, is according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The university is here to become a greater resource to the community that it serves, in this case the Latino community, Haddad said of the MOU.

According to the MOU, the partnership between AMEXCAN and ECSU begins a collaboration to improve education and reduce disparities among Latinos in Eastern North Carolina.

AMEXCAN and ECSU herein agree to work collaboratively to achieve our mutual goal of improving Latino education and reducing Latino education disparities in Eastern North Carolina by increasing its outreach and accessibility to the Latino Community, the MOU states.

ECSU and AMEXCAN will work together to help bring higher education to the Latino community by assisting with grant proposals for funding educated-related programs, as well as a number of in-kind services such as space for programs, expert speakers and more.

AMEXCAN will assist with expert consultation on programs for the Latino community, advice on promoting programs, and assist with obtaining participants for ECSU programs.

AMEXCAN is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 to improve the lives of Latinos in North Carolina.
(Photo: . REUTERS / Ahmed Malik)A man looks at the site of bomb attack at a marketplace in Baghdad's Doura District December 25 2013. At least 20 people were killed in bomb attacks in Christian areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, including a car bomb that exploded near a church after a Christmas service, police and medics said. Two bombs also went off in a crowded market in a separate, mostly Christian area in Doura, killing another six people and wounding 14, police and medics said.

Members of Jihadist group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are believed to have unearthed the remains of revered biblical Prophet Jonah in Mosul.

This act is fueling the fears of Christian leaders in Iraq that the persisting violence could spell the end of 2000 years of Christianity in the country.

Iraq's Christians have long faced a siege but the latest onslaught by ISIL, also known as ISIS, has them caught in the crossfire of Islamic sectarian violence and also being directly targeted.

A local Nineveh official Zuhair al-Chalabi told IraqiNews.com Friday there was information "certainly confirming" that members of the militant group dug up and disturbed the grave of the prophet in the capital of northern Iraq's Nineveh Province.

A video of the attack believed to be on the revered tombstone of prophet Jonah has also been posted on Youtube.

Al-Chalabi said members of ISIL have gained control of the mosque of the Prophet Jonah ever since they invaded the city, about 400 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

"It is still held by them...elements of ISIL engaged in the process of tampering with the contents of the mosque," he was quoted as saying.

The group has also torched 11 churches and monasteries out of the 35 across the city.

It has destroyed statues of poets, literary and historical figures important to the city, all in a day, IraqiNews.com quoted police spokesman Maj. Ahmed alObaidi, Ninawa as saying.

The looting and violence in Iraq have driven Christians away to neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon and to Western Europe.

If this persists, the it will likely hasten the demise of the nearly 2,000-year-old Christian heritage in the country, archbishops from Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk have warned, Reuters news agency reported.

The church leaders recently visited Brussels seeking the help of the European Union to protect the faithful.

The Christian leaders said war and sectarian conflict have depleted Iraq's Christian population from 1.5 million before the US-led invasion in 2003 to a mere 400,000.

"The next days will be very bad. If the situation does not change, Christians will be left with just a symbolic presence in Iraq," said Baghdad-based Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako.

Youssif Mirkis, Kirkuk's Chaldean Catholic Archbishop, also said, "Our presence was a symbol of peace, but there's so much panic and few Christians see their future in Iraq."
(Photo: REUTERS / Ahmed Jadallah)A displaced Iraqi Christian girl who fled from Islamic State militants in Mosul, eats an ice-cream at a mall still under construction, which is now used as a refugee camp in Erbil September 6, 2014.

Pope Francis has commiserated with Christians "driven from the Middle East" by militants calling themselves the Islamic State as the jihadists continue to wrest control over areas in the country.

In a video message aired during the visit of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin in Arbil, Iraq, the Pope lamented the continuing persecution of Christians from their native land.

"It would seem that they [the extremists] do not want there to be any Christians, but you bear witness to Christ," Francis said in the address, the transcript of which was made available by Asianews.it.

"I think of the wounds, of the pain of women with their children, the elderly and the displaced, the wounds of those who are victims of every type of violence," the Pope said.

The Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil has served as a refuge for minority groups such as Christians and Yazidis, who arrived in droves after jihadists seized Mosul, the country's second largest city, in June.

The IS forced Christians away from Mosul, threatening to kill them unless they converted to Islam. Many Christians were forced to leave their belongings behind.

Francis pointed out that the systematic eradication of Christians in the area appeared to be a way by which the IS would strengthen its grip in the territory they are taking control.

"Due to an extremist and fundamentalist group, entire communities, especially, but not only, Christians and Yazidi, have suffered and continue to suffer, inhuman violence because of their religious and ethnic identity," Pope Francis.

"Christians and Yazidi have been forced out of their homes; they have had to abandon everything to save their lives, but they have not denied their faith," the pontiff went on.

He lamented that extremists are trying to wipe out all proof of Christian existence in the area, such as destroying structures that closely identify with faiths other than Islam.

"Even holy buildings, monuments, religious symbols and cultural heritage have been affected by the violence, almost as if to cancel every trace, every memory of the other," said the Pope.

Cardinal Barbarin, the Catholic archbishop of Lyon, visited Arbil for the second time this year as his diocese was twinned with Mosul.

He celebrated Mass and led a procession in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
(Photo:  Paul Jeffrey / WCC)The WCC general secretary Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Rafael Sako and Iraqi President Fuad Masum meeting in Baghdad in January 2017.

Recent years have not been easy for Iraq's embattled Christians one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world.

So Church of Sweden Archbishop Antje Jackelen on March 5 called for more international support to be offered to Iraq's Christian population.

The Swedish Lutheran archbishop recently returned from a visit to Iraq with church leaders from the UK, Germany and the United States as well as Syria and Lebanon.

She asserted that the situation faced by internally displaced refugees in the country is extremely difficult and she said many young Christians are giving up and leaving the country altogether.

In an opinion piece in Dagens Nyheter newspaper, Jackelen, the first woman to hold the post of archbishop in Sweden, wrote that she believes a number of measures are need to ensure the continued existence of Iraq's Christian minorities.

"Prejudices between Christians and Muslims [in Iraq] run deep. Marginalization and hostility have existed since long before Da'esh [the Arabic acronym for ISIS]. Sectarianism, especially within Islam, will still be a problem after Da'esh has been defeated," Jackelen wrote.

Both physical security, allowing people to return to their homes, and social and economic security must be improved to enable the minority population to educate itself and prosper, she said.

Jackelen wants church institutions as well as the European Union and the United Nations to engage in offering support and aid to Christians in the country, both economically and through psychological and social help.

She also wants to promote interreligious cooperation to encourage reconciliation, improve social cohesion and create understanding for coexistence.

Most of Iraq's Christians are indigenous Eastern Aramaic-speaking ethnic Assyrians and there is also a small community of Armenians along with populations of Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen Christians.

CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

The most widely followed tradition among Iraq's Christians is the Chaldean Catholic Church that is under the Holy See in Rome.

For some Iraq Christians hope has returned, after years of darkness in Telekuf-Tesqopa only 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Mosul, the village is rebuilding after being liberated from the ISIS.

A visible sign of the rebuilding, was a giant cross was erected on a hill, marking the victory of the Christian faith against the darkness of the jihadists, Catholic News Agency reported.

On Feb. 18, the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad, Louis Sako, visited the village, where he blessed the large cross and took part in the celebration of the first Mass after two and a half years in Saint George Church.

(Photo: Church of Sweden / Jan Norden) Bishop Antje Jackelen

The website of the Patriarchate of Babylon reported that authorities and officials of the region were present at the celebration.

In his homily, Patriarch Sako said that this event is "the first spark of light shining in all the cities of the Nineveh Plain since the darkness of ISIS, which lasted almost two and a half years."

"This is our land and this is our home," he told the faithful. He also said that now is the time to regain hope and for the people to return to their towns to begin a new stage of life.

The patriarch said that Christians will thereby demonstrate to the world that the forces of darkness, which inflicted mayhem and ravaged their land, are transient and that the Church of Christ, although it suffers, is built on rock.

After the Mass was over, those attending went to a hill on the outskirts of the city and Patriarch Sako blessed the huge cross which was raised amid fireworks and cries of "Victory! Victory! Victory! For those who chose the faith and those who return!"
(Global Times) 08:16, March 07, 2017

More agile fleets needed to tackle sea challenges

China will further strengthen its navy by both expanding its personnel and improving its vessels to safeguard the country's maritime rights and promote its maritime interests, said a retired PLA Navy admiral on Sunday on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Liu Xiaojiang, former Navy political commissar and now deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC, said that China will "certainly" build a larger navy roster, as he believes the navy will have a bigger role considering the need to defend its maritime rights and interests, the China News Service reported on Monday.

His comments came after Li Yanming, political commissar with the Navy's Armaments Department, said on Saturday that the development of navy equipment has accelerated, as the Navy has been equipped with quite a few new vessels.

Li described the addition of vessels as "putting dumplings into the pot."

China is now faced with many critical challenges, most of which come from the seas, Li Jie, a naval military expert, told the Global Times, citing the increasingly perplexing Taiwan question as an example. "As the pro-independence forces have become somewhat emboldened, we need to consider the possibility of interference from the US."

Li Jie said the new vessels coming into service include 7,000-ton missile cruise ships which mainly operate in the open seas, as well as 1,000-ton missile destroyers and corvettes, which are in charge of off-shore tasks including securing the convoys and base defense.

The navy will also incorporate some army combat forces, the NPC lawmaker said.

"North, East and South China seas fleets will all be strengthened, and the deployment of such fleets will be more agile to cope with more complicated situations," Xu Guangyu, a senior advisor to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times.

The East China Sea will be the prime focus for the deployment of naval forces, as it is linked to the country's core interests including territorial sovereignty, while the South China Sea will also be stressed as the region is a key area for the country's strategic development projects, such as the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Li Jie estimated.

As reforms of the naval academies constitute part of the military reform, Li Jie expected that the development of special forces under the Navy such as marines will drive academies to cultivate talent with marine combat skills.

Xu said that in the naval academies, which he believes are already sufficient in number, new majors for marine corps and engineering technicians who will work for the newly equipped vessels will be added.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
The Ohio education department could seek repayment of more than $80 million from nine full-time online schools, based on audits of software-login records that led state officials to determine the schools had overstated their student enrollment.

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, for example, was paid for 15,322 full-time students during the 2015-16 school year. But state officials said they could document just 41 percent of that total.

An Education Week analysis of both the login records submitted by ECOT and the results of the states audit for that year further demonstrates the scope of the discrepancy: Under Ohio law, schools are expected to offer students 920 hours of learning. But for the average ECOT student, state officials were able to document just 227 hours spent using the schools learning software, Education Weeks review found.

See Also Rewarding Failure: An Education Week Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry

Last fall, the Ohio education department completed attendance audits of 13 e-schools. Nine were found to have overreported their student enrollment. Eight are still contesting their results via administrative appeals with the department. The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow has also sued to throw out the audits, alleging the state education department unfairly and retroactively applied new attendance-reporting requirements to e-schools.

Its like someone telling you three years after the fact that they need to see your receipts, Marion Little, a lawyer for ECOT, said.

Judge Jenifer French of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas ruled against the school in December. An appeal to Ohios 10th District Court is pending.

The Ohio dispute comes amid growing scrutiny of the countrys full-time online charter schools. For years, the sector has had to contend with reports of poor academic performance, lack of transparency, and mismanagement.

State regulators, school operators, and online-learning experts continue to disagree about such basic questions as how to track e-school student attendance. Issues related to improving public oversight have proved even thornier. Such debates took on added significance with the selection of Betsy DeVos, a prominent advocate of school choice who supports expanding online school options, as the new U.S. education secretary.

When it comes to figuring out how to best regulate e-schools, the devil is in the details, said Michael K. Barbour, an education professor at Touro University in California.

But one thing is clear, he said: Its a major red flag if a full-time online school cant clear the low bar of getting its students to log in and use learning software.

These audits reveal a significant lack of engagement among Ohio e-school students in their online studies, Barbour said. The operators of these schools should be focused on what they can do to address the fact that they simply arent providing a quality educational experience for their students.

Measuring Attendance

Across the country, roughly 200 full-time online charter schools in 26 states now serve 200,000 students and counting. A 2015 study by Stanford Universitys Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that more than two-thirds of those schools performed worse academically than comparable brick-and-mortar charter and regular public schools.

Ohio is home to 23 full-time online charter schools, 12 of which draw students from across the state. Researchers at New York University and the RAND Corp. recently found that Ohio e-school students typically lose between 75 days and a full school year of learning compared with their peers in the states brick-and-mortar schools.

Like most states, Ohio funds its e-schools on the basis of enrollment. It provides a base per-pupil allotment of $5,900.

Historically, the Ohio education department determined student attendance, and thus enrollment, based on paperwork submitted by e-school representatives, who certified that students were enrolled and had been offered the 920 hours of learning required by state law.

Problems with that enrollment-verification system date back more than a decade. In 2003, for example, the Associated Press reported that ECOT billed the state for a number of ineligible students, including nine children under 5 years old. In other years, the school did not receive all the funding to which it was entitled, because it underreported enrollment, according to media accounts at the time.

In 2014, the state education department began adopting a more aggressive approach for documenting student attendance, based on asking e-schools to submit records showing when students had logged into and out of their online-learning systems. The department maintains it has long had the authority to do so, but had previously chosen not to exercise that power.

The first e-school test case was the online Provost Academy Ohio. For the 2014-15 school year, Provost had reported the equivalent of 162 full-time students. State officials said the login data showed just one-fifth of that total. Provost agreed last year to repay nearly $800,000 of the $1 million in state funding it had received.

The use of software-login and usage data to hold e-schools accountable represents a significant development in the online-learning field, said Barbour, the Touro University professor.

If we are looking for a way to measure attendance that is specific to the e-school context, data from the learning management system is probably the best we have available, he said.

In the second half of 2016, the Ohio education department expanded its efforts, using software-login records to audit 13 more e-schools.

State officials ultimately concluded that nine of the schools had overreported their enrollment, by a combined total of more than 12,000 students.

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, the states largest e-school, was determined to have overstated its 15,000-student enrollment by more than 9,000 students, according to state officials.

Through an open-records request, the Columbus Dispatch obtained the records behind the Ohio education departments audit of ECOT. An analysis by the newspaper found that as many as 70 percent of the e-schools students had missed enough time during the 2015-16 school year that they could be declared truant under state law.

An Education Week analysis of those same records found that ECOT typically reported that students spent three times more hours learning than state officials were able to document.

Some critics of online schools viewed the results of the state audits as vindication.

The [education department] should have put its foot down earlier, said state Sen. Joseph Schiavoni, a Democrat who for years has pushed for greater oversight of Ohio e-schools.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Neil Clark, a spokesman and lobbyist for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, has a different view of the state audits.

Garbage in, garbage out, said Clark. Thats my response to the departments findings.

Founded in 2000, ECOT has attracted criticism for low graduation rates and millions of dollars in payments to for-profit companies led by its founder, William Lager.

For almost a year, the school has strongly resisted the states attempts to change how it counts e-school attendance. When the state education department first requested that ECOT provide student software-login records for state review, the school refused to supply the information.

In August, Judge French, of Franklin County, ordered the school to turn the records over. ECOT complied, then filed a lawsuit seeking to block the department from moving forward with an audit based on its new methodology. French denied the schools request for an injunction in September, then ruled against the school on the merits of its case in December.

In its suit, ECOT made a series of arguments: The Ohio education department was violating its years-old funding agreement with the school. The department was unfairly applying a new standard to e-schools, without giving them adequate time to prepare. Existing state law required only that e-schools offer 920 hours of learning opportunities, not that students actually take advantage of them.

Furthermore, said Clark, the ECOT lobbyist, the states narrow focus on login records is blatantly unfair because it does not capture all the ways students learn in e-schools. What about children who read a book or go on a field trip? What about supplemental-learning software programs that dont track student time spent logged in? And why arent Ohios traditional brick-and-mortar schools, some of which have high chronic truancy rates, also required to document evidence of student engagement?

ECOT will soon have another chance to press such arguments in court. Oral arguments in the schools appeal to Ohios 10th District Court could begin later this month. Administrative-appeal hearings for eight other Ohio e-schools are also scheduled for March and April, according to a spokeswoman for the state education department.

And 18 new e-school attendance audits will also begin this spring, with final determinations expected in September.

The online education world will be paying close attention. Problems with low student attendance and engagement have cropped up in states such as Colorado, where an Education Week investigation found that just 1 in 4 students at the states largest cyber charter used the schools learning software on a typical day. A handful of other states, including New Hampshire and Utah, have begun experimenting with a new approach, funding e-schools on the basis of course completion rather than on enrollment or attendance.

But the question of how best to track student attendance in online schools remains very much up for debate. Perhaps the only thing all sides can agree on is that policy and regulations have failed to keep up with e-schools rapid growth.

We dont have a silver bullet to change the system, said Clark, the lobbyist for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.


News Date: 03/07/2017 IESAVS 2017: Smart phone design and manufacturing in India growing fast At this year's electronics industry event Vision Summit 2017 , organised by industry body IESA, there was strong message about the growth of mobile phone manufacturing plants in India.



Rajiv Bansal, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Govt. of India shared to the audience at the event, how the mobile phone manufacturing is picking up in the country and the way government is supporting. With the news of Apple deciding to make its smart phones in Bengaluru, India's attempt to bring in high-end electronics manufacturing is showing results. With the announcement of Apple's intention to do manufacturing in India, most of the top smartphone brands in the world now have manufacturing facilities in India. It is estimated more than 100 million mobile phones are produced locally in India in 2016. Rajiv Bansal was confident of the good growth continuing for some more years.



There is also some progress in the local design of smart phone, where Mediatek has trained electronics design engineers from Indian smart phone OEMs such as MicroMax, karbonn, and Lava on the various practical aspects of smart phone design including, embedded software and sourcing information of various mechanical electronic components required for smart phone design.



Under the make in India program mobile phone manufacturing is important due to rise in use of mobile phones among all types of people. Though it's late, there is still a lot of scope and benefits in India focusing on smart phone design and manufacturing locally.



The benefit to the smartphone buyer in India is the cost of the device will be lower than imported smart phone. If you take for example Apple iPhone, the high-end phone cost easily around Rs.10,000 lesser than the imported phone. Since government of India is fully supporting domestic manufacturing, there will be hardly any administrative and bureaucratic obstacles for electronics manufacturing companies to set up factories in India, at least as of now there is a red-carpet welcome not only from central government but also from many state governments. The present infrastructure is OK to support assembly type electronics manufacturing, except for the component supply chain. While the infrastructure is improving faster even to support building of advanced semiconductor fab. If not a semiconductor fab, there is a better chance of having LCD display manufacturing facility in India earlier than a semiconductor fab.



The Schemes such as Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) and Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) adding significant value in boosting the electronics production, where funding and land/infrastructure resources are issues. There are 10s of electronic manufacturing clusters all over India.







Compared to China, the cost of labour, transportation and other logistics related expenses is cheaper in India and is not raising that fast.



Foxconn, the contract manufacturer for Apple iPhone is actively participating in make-in India program. There are a lot of Taiwanese companies who have invested very early in India even before the start of make-in India campaign. As early birds, their revenues are growing significantly faster than their competitors in Indian market.



Nearly 100% e-governance unfolding at high speed, the Digital-India program demands use of electronics in all aspects of everyday life, it will be increasingly important for the government to ensure the cost of electronics devices such as basic entry-level mobile phones as client side devices for e-govenance system access are affordable enough for people with lesser income, and more importantly locally made and secure in all aspects.



The issue with the India's electronics manufacturing is not the infrastructure and the workforce. The challenge is availability of local source of electronic components, electronics manufacturing equipments- which is hardly there. To sustain electronics manufacturing, the electronic component manufacturing need to be established including the semiconductor fab. There is a very good base of automotive and industry/process automation focused mechanical engineering companies who can take on the opportunity of producing electronics manufacturing equipments including semiconductor fabrication equipments. China has already advancing in this by producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment locally.



India has to beat China in the overall availability of electronic manufacturing eco- at a cost and quality better than China to become a successful electronic manufacturing location. That's a tougher task, but there is no alternative.



The advantage for newcomers in this area is the availability of full reference designs from mobile phone chip vendors such as MediaTek, and Qualcomm. By using Qualcomm reference designs some of the OEMs could design a smart phone within two months. Indian smart phone OEMs need to leverage the software strength to differentiate from the imported phones. The market trends such as growth in smart home, industrial IOT, consumer IOT, wide types of wearables, smart city needs, personal medical/health care, advanced automotive electronics, and "artificial intelligence analytics at edge/node level" can fuel the demand further.



What is really required is speed of implementation-- from thought to product should be few months with long-term strategy well-defined.

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Southwest China's Guizhou Province is mulling establishing a mega computing center that can both process data from the world's largest fill-aperture radio telescope, which will finish testing in two years, and fulfill the computing needs of the local government and enterprises.

Liao Fei, head of the Science and Technology Department in Guizhou government, told the Global Times that the cost for the center is estimated to be below 1 billion yuan ($145 million) and the government is open to cooperation with both domestic and overseas enterprises.

Liao said that the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), nicknamed Tianyan, will start a test run in the second half of this year. The testing will be completed in two years and the telescope will be put into full use.

FAST is located in Pingtang county, Guizhou, constructed in a natural depression sinkhole caused by karst processes in the region. It is the world's largest fill-aperture radio telescope and was completed in September 2016.

Liao said on Monday that the data collected by the FAST will initially be available to Chinese scientists only but can be made available to other countries after a few years, following a common international practice.

He also noted that Guizhou's data processing center will be different from other super computers, such as the Taihu Light supercomputer located in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

"The cost of building another supercomputer with Taihu Light's processing speed is above 3 billion yuan. Given Guizhou's development level, it is not reasonable to invest such a great amount of money. What we are looking for is a machine that is capable of dealing with computing algorithms that also complies with our demands."
Five Chinese companies to invest USD 10 billion in the Philippines

Five Chinese companies confirm USD 10b investment plan in the Philippines. [Photo: flw.ph]

Five Chinese companies plan to invest over 10 billion US dollars in the Philippines and create 15,000 jobs, according to Manila Bulletin, reported by Chinanews.com on Monday.

The five companies are AVIC International Holding Corporation, Liaoning Baolai Enterprise Group, Huili Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd., Dalian WanYang Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. and Yi Ding Tai International Group.

Among the five companies, Liaoning Baolai and Huili Investment are each going to invest 3 billion US dollars.

Liaoning Baolai plans to build and run the downstream facilities for an oil project, including the retail network, an oil storage terminal, a refinery and related businesses. The whole project is expected to provide 3,000 job opportunities.

Huili Investment plans to build a world class steel plant and create 6,000 job opportunities in the Philippines.

Dalian WanYang plans to spend 2.8 billion US dollars setting up a waste-to-energy project in Manila, which will convert 4,000 to 5,000 tons of waste into 312 megawatts of electricity and create 4,500 job opportunities.

Yi Ding Tai plans to spend 1.5 billion US dollars in the Philippines on ship building and repair facilities and, and help create 2,000 job opportunities.

Investment details in the Philippines by AVIC International have not yet been disclosed.
In the past six decades, China has provided nearly 400 billion yuan of aids to 166 countries and international organizations, lending a helpful hand when the latter were in need. But an emerging trend is that the focus of such assistance has been shifted from infrastructure construction to projects related to people's livelihood.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Feb.19 reached an agreement with Mongolia on a $5.5-billion bailout scheme. In the bailout package, China has extended its currency swap agreement worth 15 billion yuan (about $2.2 billion) with the latter to relieve its pressure on the balance of payments and help with its urgent debts.

Chinese government donated $1 million as humanitarian aid to Surigao City in the southern Philippines which was hit by the most destroying earthquake in the past century on Feb. 10. In addition, China will also provide two sums of non-reimbursable assistance to Syria for humanitarian supplies and projects.

The above are several of the latest foreign aid initiated by Chinese government. Merely in 2016, China assisted nearly 250 engineering and supply projects, trained 29,000 professionals, and sent 5,000 managerial or technical staffs, medical personnel and volunteers, to overseas destinations, benefitting 156 countries, regions and international organs.

China has so far provided more than 50 batches of emergency humanitarian assistance to nearly 30 countries and international organizations including Fiji, Surinam, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka, winning recognition from the international society.

Talking about these aids, Dr. Zhang Fei, associate research fellow of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said in an interview with the Peoples Daily that compared with building stadiums, government halls and other large-scale constructions in the past, China is giving more money to develop economy and improve people's livelihood in assisted countries.

China has not only built highways, railways, bridges, harbors, power and communication facilities for assisted countries, but also lent a helpful hand in building hospitals and schools, cultivating agricultural experts, training business and technical talents, Zhang added.

China's assistance in recent years concentrated more on the need of economic and social development of recipients, especially the industrial need and people's desire for a better life, the scholar said.

"For instance, China's aid money may be better used to train skilled agricultural talents than adding more stadiums, for a country suffering from food shortage that needs to improve grain yield, " she explained.

China is now on one hand concentrating efforts to accelerate industrial upgrade, international capacity cooperation and overseas expansion of Chinas equipment manufacturing, and on the other hand committing to regional connectivity through the "Belt and Road" initiative and other approaches, Liu Haifang, deputy director of Center for African Studies at Peking University told People's Daily, advising China to combine the two tasks with its future foreign aid programs.
A new highlight of this years government work report is a printed QR code that enables the readers to get through an electronic version of the report. Analysts believed this digital innovation offers a glimpse into Chinas achievements in political transparency and improvement of work efficiency.

On the handout of the report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the opening ceremony of the 5th session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) on March 5, a QR code is printed on the page, and the readers can access to the full text, H5 pages of the report to have detailed information about the indexes.

It reminded the public of Lis pledges at the press conference closing the 4th session of the 12th NPC in 2016, when he vowed that government affairs should be kept open and transparent so that the public can learn about it as easy as just scanning a QR code.

According to the work report this year, China presented a satisfactory record by achieving all the major economic indexes and tasks set last year.

The country's GDP officially grew 6.7 percent in 2016, falling in between the expected range of 6.5 percent to 7 percent. A total of 13.14 million new urban jobs were added, beating the expected over 10 million growth.

In addition, energy consumption per unit of GDP was reduced by 5 percent, over-fulfilling the task set at 3.4 percent.

These evidence showed Chinas governments determination to honor its word with real actions, the deputies said, adding that the innovative "digital" two sessions not only signal an improved efficiency of the government work, but also its sincerity to serve the people.
Chief Minister holds more Westminster talks



Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK

The Chief Minister has been highlighting the Island's contribution to the British economy during a meeting with members of the UK Parliament.

Howard Quayle and Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Geoffrey Boot were in Westminster yesterday to hold talks with the Minister responsible for the Crown Dependencies and the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

The talks included discussions about the ongoing Brexit negotiations, as well as the Island's position as an international business centre.

The Government says the trip was part of the Island's ongoing programme of engagement with Westminster to raise awareness of the Island's position.
S. Korean acting president has phone talks with U.S. president over DPRK missile launches

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is serving as acting president, held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s missile test-launches, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing multiple government sources.

The phone conversation lasted for 20 minutes from 8:40 a.m. local time (2340 GMT Monday) by the request of the U.S. president. It was the second phone talks between the two following the first on Jan. 30.

Hwang and Trump coordinated each other's positions on situations on the Korean Peninsula, including the DPRK's nuclear program, an unnamed government source was quoted as saying.

The phone talks followed the DPRK's test-launches on Monday of four ballistic missiles that flew around 1,000 km toward its eastern waters. Among the four, three fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo also had phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada earlier in the morning, discussing countermeasures to the DPRK's recent missile launches.

According to Seoul's defense ministry, Han and Inada agreed to maintain a close coordination based on a shared view on the graveness of the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats, strengthening cooperation with the international community for pressures and sanctions on the DPRK.

The two ministers shared a view that the DPRK's missile launches on Monday as well as on Feb. 12 posed a grave threat to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, the region and the international society.

On Feb. 12, Pyongyang successfully test-launched a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), supervised by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The IRBM, which was fired at an almost vertical angle of 89 degrees, blasted off to the highest altitude of 550 km and traveled about 500 km. If it was launched at a normal angle, it would have flown over 2,000 km.
Queen Elizabeth just designated Kate Middleton and Prince William to another royal task amidst the royal couple's few planned trips for the next several weeks. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are headed for France, Poland, and Germany and people can't help but think if the Queen is suing them as her unofficial ambassadors for Brexit.

Reports were escalating that Kate Middleton and Prince William will be heading to Paris for a two-day trip perhaps later this month. After that, it has been claimed too that the couple has another trip to Poland and Germany in July at the request of the Foreign and Common Wealth Office as per Telegraph.

As reported by one publication, after Queen Elizabeth, Kate Middleton and Prince William are considered as the last in soft diplomacy. Because of this, some royal critics suggested that they are very much considered as the unofficial ambassadors for the Brexit.

With this report, some wondered if the Queen is using Kate Middleton and Prince William to charm and get the interest of the leaders in the European nations. However, there is a bog catch in this report if the Queen and William are to be considered. It can be recalled that Queen Elizabeth supported Brexit since she has the goal to hold together all the nations in the British Commonwealth. On the other hand, Prince William was totally against the Brexit which is a definitely opposite from the report.

But that issue did not hinder Queen Elizabeth from sending Kate Middleton and Prince William on a trip to The Hague and Rotterdam last October. In their visit, they were expected to smile, wave and interact with the diplomats in order to maintain their soft diplomacy and to sustain their ties with the European nations as reported by Daily Mail.

Nevertheless, some royal critics still think that sending Kate Middleton as an ambassador to the European nations is a big mistake of the Queen since this will not really be a big help for her. Many people see the Duchess of Cambridge as a celebrity rather than a representative of the royal family.

Kate Middleton and Prince William's trips to the European nations to wave, smile, and greet will help the monarchy gain headlines but not more than that or for Queen Elizabeth's benefit. The royal couple openly let the public know that they would rather stay home for Prince George and Princess Charlotte rather dealing with many overseas trips and royal engagements.
An upcoming film of 'Harry Potter' star, Emma Watson, is making a lot of buzz because of the controversial character featured in it. Disney, the producer of the animated film remake Beauty and the Beast, announced that it will have its very first gay character by the name of Le Fou, who will be played by Josh Gad. The film also stars Dan Stevens as The Beast and Luke Evans as the antagonistic Gaston.

The story of Watson's Beauty and the Beast is pretty much the same as the 1991 film with just the gay character added to it. In an interview with Attitude, director Bill Condon revealed how he was inspired to create a character that would help promote the visibility of LGBT on screen. This is where the character of Le Fou, Gaston's sidekick who seems to have love interest in him, came to life in the movie.

The addition of a gay character to the remake of the 1991 film top billed by Watson, however, has garnered different reactions from film viewers from all across the globe. Some people are drawn in to seeing the old story of Beauty and the Beast while others feel offended with the idea of the inclusion of a gay as one of the main characters in the story. Russian MPs and Christian-run cinemas in America have even threatened to boycott the movie, according to reports made by Independent.

Despite some angry at the the addition of gay character to the story, Beauty and the Beast is expected to hit big on its opening day. The trailer alone was recorded to have been watched 130M times in its first 24 hours making it one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Watson is even gaining recognition on her portrayal of Belle. A recent review by The Guardian mentioned that she is well cast and that it is a good performance from her. The 2017 romantic fantasy musical film is set to be released in the United States on March 17, 2017.
Dating a British royal, specifically, Prince Harry, is not an easy feat and takes a woman with a strong personality like Meghan Markle to pull it off. Aside from the constant nuasances she has to face thanks to the paparazzi, the "Suits" actress is reportedly feeling pressured if she will be accepted wholeheartedly in the royal family. Many are wondering if the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is on the same boat with Meghan, considering that she started out as a commoner herself. Will Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle get along well as the lady loves of two of the British royals?

Ever since the "Suits" actress and Prince Harry's relationship was confirmed, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have been compared. With noticeable physical similarities, the two ladies are pitted against each other, with some people saying that if Prince Harry decides to marry the 35-year old actress, it would surely be the beginning of a lifelong comparison with Kate Middleton.

Since it's quite too early to assume that Prince Harry will propose to the "Suits" actress, people have decided to shift their attention to the comparison of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's fashion style. Since Meghan Markle is a celebrity in her own right, it's safe to say that she has a killer style that a lot of ladies are envious of. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton is also popular for her choice of clothing, so basically, there will be moments when the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle might have the same outfit.

According to Harper's Bazaar, there's no recorded instance as of writing that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle wore the exact same outfit. However, they were able to highlight some outfit similarities but noted that while Kate Middleton's outfit choices were more conservative and fit for a royalty, Meghan Markle's choices were more sexy and alluring.

The fact that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are of the same age is something that people have accounted for. According to Mail Online, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have already met in Jan. However, it is still unclear as to whether the Duchess of Cambridge finds Meghan Markle as a potential friend or competition.
In "The Originals" Season 4, Marcel's authority as king of New Orleans will encounter a lot of challenges. "Gather Up The Killers" episode will see an uprising from the new enemies. Their goal is dethrone him from his position.

Marcel, played by Charles Michael Davis, has defeated Klaus, portrayed by Joseph Morgan, five years ago. Since then, Marcel took over the city and made a lot of changes. In "The Originals" Season 4, the king of New Orleans will see that he made a mistake by letting unsired vampires to enter and live in the city. Klaus, who has a brilliant foresight, never allowed this practice.

The visitors that Marcel allowed to live in his city are reported to want to dethrone him in "The Originals" Season 4. He thought they come in peace, but they have other agenda. With all the chaos going around New Orleans, Marcel just might seek the help of the former king, Klaus.

However, fans are thinking if the uprising looming in New Orleans is a plot of Klaus to oust Marcel in his position. If Marcel will indeed seek help from Klaus, will the latter help?

The promo teaser of "The Originals" Season 4 shows the vampires talking. Klaus looks better with the Tunde blade gone in his chest. Still, he is on his knees with his hands shackled. Will Marcel let go of his pride and ask for advice? The king of New Orleans is apparently still angry with the former king.

The uprising is first for Marcel even though he has walked on earth for centuries. In the past, he has the support of Mikaelson and he is part of the Original family. Now, though he is king, he seems alone after denouncing any relation with Klaus and his siblings. Watch as story unfolds on "The Originals" Season 4 on March 17 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
India 189 (Rahul 90, Lyon 8-50) and 274 (Pujara 92, Rahane 52, Rahul 51, Hazlewood 6-67) beat Australia 276 (S Marsh 66, Renshaw 60, Jadeja 6-63) and 112 (Ashwin 6-41) by 75 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 189 (Rahul 90, Lyon 8-50) and 274 (Pujara 92, Rahane 52, Rahul 51, Hazlewood 6-67) beat276 (S Marsh 66, Renshaw 60, Jadeja 6-63) and 112 (Ashwin 6-41) by 75 runs

India have applied a defibrillator to this series, surging to a dramatic victory on the fourth day against Australia in Bengaluru. After the first day of this Test, it was hard to tell what was deader: India's hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, or any stray blades of grass that were left on the dry pitch. Nathan Lyon had just taken eight wickets, India had been rolled for 189, and Australia had gone to stumps on 40 for 0. But then came three days of Indian fightback.

It all culminated in a thrilling fourth day, which began with a six-wicket haul from Josh Hazlewood as India were bowled out for 274. That gave Australia renewed hope: on a cracking surface with variable bounce, a target of 188 would be tough but, they hoped, not impossible. And with the score moving quickly, at 42 for 1 Australia were perhaps favourites. The pressure was inescapable: on the batsmen, on the umpires, and on the Indians to live up to their dominant reputation at home.

And then the wickets began to tumble, the DRS played its inevitable role, and by the time R Ashwin had Lyon caught and bowled in the 36th over, India had triumphed by 75 runs. Ashwin finished with 6 for 41 and it marked the first time in history that four different bowlers - Lyon, Ashwin, Hazlewood and Ravindra Jadeja - had taken six-wicket hauls in the same Test. It was that sort of match: wickets fell in quick succession and momentum was hard to stop.

In many ways, this result was simply the resumption of normal service. There was a glitch in proceedings in Pune, where Australia ended India's sequence of 20 home Tests without a loss. The malfunction looked like continuing after day one in Bengaluru, but for the remainder of the match India scrapped, wrestled, and fought their way back into the contest. And every time Australia looked like regaining the advantage, India wrested it back.

Such was the situation on the fourth morning, when Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc delivered searing spells with the second new ball and India lost five wickets in 19 deliveries. But then India's last pair, Wriddhiman Saha and Ishant Sharma, survived for nearly 10 overs to take the sting out of Australia's charge. They put on only 16 runs but by slowing the speed of the match from breakneck to simply swift, they gave their team a chance to regroup.

Australia knew that to succeed in their chase, they would have to score quickly. The loss of Matt Renshaw early, caught behind to a fine seamer from Ishant, did not stop them doing just that. David Warner launched one six on his way to 17 from 25 balls before he was adjudged lbw trying to sweep Ashwin. Warner asked for a review but by the barest of margins, HawkEye showed the impact in line with off stump and umpire's call for clipping off, and Warner was gone.

That moment had repercussions for Australia, for it left them with only one review and made Shaun Marsh hesitate when he was given out lbw shouldering arms to a delivery from Umesh Yadav around the wicket. An uncertain Marsh consulted with his partner, Steven Smith, who had been off the pitch to leg side and was in no position to make a definitive call. Unwilling to risk Australia's final review, Marsh walked off: replays showed the ball was missing by a long way. But such is the pressure in a situation like this: umpire Nigel Llong had made a poor decision, and Marsh had made an equally bad one not to ask for a review.

That left Smith as a key man for Australia, and he struck three boundaries on his way to 28 before he too was lbw to Umesh. Smith was done by a grubber and seemed to signal to Australia's dressing room for advice on a review; umpire Llong stepped in to prevent the communication, and Smith walked off. A review would have been futile: he couldn't have been plumber if he'd been wearing a Super Mario costume.

From there, India were clearly in the box seat, and the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade shortly before tea only made it more so. Marsh tickled a catch to short leg off Ashwin, and Wade inside edged onto his pad and a catch lobbed up for the diving wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. The match was slipping away from Australia.

It took India less than eight overs after tea to wrap up the win. Starc was bowled by a straight ball from Ashwin, and Jadeja was then rewarded for his outstanding second-innings bowling by rattling the stumps of Steve O'Keefe. Peter Handscomb, the last recognised batsman, knew he had to score quickly, and on 24 was caught skying a slog off Ashwin, who then completed the win by having Lyon caught and bowled two balls later. The series was level at 1-1, and very much alive.

India's margin might have been even bigger but for their own collapse early on the fourth day. Hazlewood's 6 for 67 were the best figures by an Australia fast bowler in a Test innings in India for 37 years, since Geoff Dymock claimed 7 for 67 at Kanpur in October 1979. India started the morning at 213 for 4 and hoped to extend their lead past 200, but had to settle for an advantage of 187. They lost their last six wickets for 61 on the fourth morning.

Starc started the carnage by swinging the new ball in to Ajinkya Rahane, who on 52 was rapped on the pad and given not out, but adjudged lbw on Australia's review. Next ball, Karun Nair failed to handle Starc's pace and swing and tickled an inside edge onto his stumps, and such was the ferocity of the delivery that the leg stump shattered on impact.
Unique dinosaur eggs and a juvenile of the same species have travelled from their native Argentina to the ESRF to be studied with the powerful synchrotron x-rays. The goal: to understand more about the relatively unknown development and growth of the species and find out how dinosaurs evolved into giant creatures.

30 dinosaur eggs, one baby and a juvenile of prosauropod Mussaurus patagonicus, a primitive herbivorous dinosaur that lived about 200 million years ago, during the Late Triassic, an ancestor of the giant dinosaurs. For the first time, all these unique and rare fossils have travelled from their native Argentina to the ESRF, the European synchrotron, Grenoble, France, to be studied with the powerful X-rays of the synchrotron. The goal: to understand more about the relatively unknown development and growth of Mussaurus and find out how dinosaurs evolved into giant creatures.

It is the first time that such a collection of dinosaur specimens (from embryonic stage through to juvenile) are being studied in a synchrotron. Diego Pol, vertebrate palaeontologist, researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), at the Museum of Paleontology Feruglio, in Trelew (Argentina), well known for many important fossil discoveries made during his field expeditions across Patagonia and on other continents, thinks that the ESRF can provide many answers about the growth of the Mussaurus, but also of dinosaurs in general and in particular the transition from basal sauropodomorphs to sauropods. There has never been before such a range of fossils of the same species at different stages, so it is a really unique opportunity, he says.

Diego Pol (left) and Vincent Fernandez (right) placing the sample in the experimental hutch on ID19. Credits: ESRF/C. Argoud.

The origin of sauropod dinosaurs is one of the major landmarks of dinosaur evolution but is still poorly understood. How did dinosaurs evolve into the largest creatures on Earth, like Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus or Brontosaurus? Palaeontologists have known for decades about the beginnings and endings of a group of dinosaurs known as the Sauropodomorpha. Scientists also knew about a related group called prosauropods, dinosaurs that were intermediate in size and posture, like Mussaurus patagonicus. What they didn't know was exactly what steps filled in the transition between prosauropods and sauropods. This drastic transformation involved major skeletal modifications and Mussaurus is very close to this transition and the origin of sauropods. Thats why retrieving valuable data concerning the growth of this dinosaur species, the development of its skeleton and skull, can provide critical information to understand the evolutionary origins of sauropods.

Picture of the skull of a juvenile Mussaurus patagonicus, of roughly 2 years of age. Size of the skull: 10cm long. Credit: @ESRF/C.Argoud

In the 1970s, palaeontologists in a desertic spot in central Patagonia called El Tranquilo Formation discovered the whole skeleton of a baby dinosaur, which was later called Mussaurus (for its size similar to a mouse) patagonicus. It wouldnt be until 30 years later that researchers, led by Pol, went back to the original spot to find new fossils. The first fossil Pol found was a nest with several eggs. The feeling of finding something so unique is absolutely fantastic, he explains. But he and his team were in for a surprise: the site lodged 80 eggs, as well as a skulls and skeletons of juvenile Mussaurus, of roughly 2 years of age. The site seemed to have hosted a reproductive colony, where dinosaurs kept the younger ones during their most vulnerable stage.

Picture of one of the eggs. The larger eggs are spheroid, with a long axis ranging from 55 to 63 mm. Credit: @ESRF/C.Argoud.

Some of the eggs were found covered by a cemented-like sediment around them. Pol doesnt expect to find embryos in all of the samples he has brought, as it could be that with time some of the embryos decomposed and there is nothing to be seen inside. Among the fossils there is one egg which cracked, and palaeontologists saw bones of the embryo inside straight away. They tried to do a tomograph in their home lab, but, despite seeing the embryo, they couldnt distinguish the different parts.

Pol had followed for a while the synchrotron use for investigation of palaeontology specimens. When the studies using synchrotron radiation started, around a decade ago, it was eye-opening to see all the possibilities that we had from then on to find out what is inside fossils without destroying them, Pol says. Before that, the chances of discovering what was inside the eggs were very slim, as we couldnt cut the specimens.

The field site where the eggs were discovered, El Tranquilo Formation, Central patagonia. Credit: @Conicet-Documental.

Through a common contact, he got in touch with Vincent Fernandez, a scientist at the ESRF who was, at the time, a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Witwatersrand, in South Africa. They thought there were many potential answers to the evolution of dinosaurs in those eggs, so they tried to get them to the ESRF.

Over the last two decades, the ESRF has developed unique worldwide expertise in palaeontology, designing non-invasive techniques specifically for palaeontological studies. If fossil teeth, bones and skulls are examined on a daily basis by the ESRFs team of palaeontologists, the scanning of such a range of dinosaur eggs of the same species, so well preserved, remains exceptional. For this experiment, explains Vincent Fernandez, the ESRF allows to do long distance propagation phase contrast micro-tomography on a large sample at high energy with a dedicated sample stage. It allows to produce 3D data for anatomical studies of these embryos and to image regions of particular interest at higher resolution, such as the cranium, to quantify the ossification pattern throughout the development of these embryos.

During four days and nights, they scanned the 30 eggs, the skeleton of the baby and the skull of the juvenile at ID19 ESRF beamline. Its exciting and very promising. Its like a second discovery says Pol, examining the first scans and what is probably the femur of an embryo. But it wont be until they can treat all the data collected, that they will, hopefully, unveil the secrets of Mussaurus and try to answer the mystery of the evolutionary origins of giant dinosaurs.

References

-Pol D, et al. 2007. Skull anatomy of Mussaurus patagonicus (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of Patagonia. Hist. Biol., 19(1): 125-44.

-Otero, A., & Pol, D. 2013. Postcranial anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Mussaurus patagonicus (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33: 1138-1168.

-Cerda, I., Pol, D., & Chinsamy-Turan, A. 2014. Osteohistological insight into the early stages of growth in Mussaurus patagonicus (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha). Historial Biology 26: 110-121.

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's decision to ban Malaysians from leaving, calling on Pyongyang "to immediately allow our citizens to leave to avoid any further escalation."
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Captain Jiri Stanek, Commander of the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali

EUBULLETIN talked in an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Captain Jiri Stanek, a commander of the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali whose main objective is suppressing insurgents activities and delivering additional military equipment.

EUBulletin: You have recently spent six months in Mali where you served as a member of the EU military training mission. Can you give us a brief overview of the sources of the current instability in the country?

Captain Stanek: Mali is one of the worlds poorest states and it also has an ethnically very diverse population. It is these two factors that could be seen as the main sources of instability and insecurity in the country. From the economic point of view, there are significant differences between the northern and southern regions of the country. A large share of the public finances remains in the south where all the state power is centralized, while the countrys northern regions are allocated only a much smaller share of the state funds. The lack of funding coupled with unfavourable geographic conditions does not facilitate economic activity of the people, which in turn produces relative poverty and underdevelopment of the northern regions.

The second factor is the ethnic diversity of the population, which is comprised of more than 620 ethnic groups. In the post-colonial period, Malis north saw several violent uprisings that were stirred up by the Tuareg tribes and whose aim was to gain an autonomy for the northern part of the country called Azawad. The last uprising that occurred in 2012 has had implications for the security in Mali ever since. But the overall lack of security is also caused by the gradually increasing civil unrest and demonstrations all across the nation, as the disaffected population seeks to draw attention to the lack of transparency in the state power and the gradual decline of democracy.

EUBulletin: What is the Malian governments attitude to the growing civil unrest and the demonstrations?

Captain Stanek: These demonstrations are held despite them being banned through the declaration of the state of emergency in the whole territory of Mali following the November 2015 terrorist attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. The state of emergency was extended by the government several times and, at the moment, it is expected to last until at least mid 2017. The government uses the current state of emergency as a means to deal with the gradually deteriorating security environment all over the country, though I am not entirely convinced that this approach is effective as it only adds the fuel to the fire and thus it further aggravates the security situation and deepens the already widespread discontent with the state power among the population.

EUBulletin: A top UN official, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, argued last year that the dire security situation in Mali still cant be called a conflict. Do you agree with him that Mali is going through a situation that is neither war, nor peace?

Captain Stanek: I fully agree with Mr. Annadifs assessment. The conflict in Mali is mid-intensity and it is primarily confined to the countrys northern regions where government and international units carry out security operations aimed at increasing the security and consolidating the position of the state power. In contrast, in the south of the country, there have so far been only several terrorist attacks targeting mainly foreigners but the security in the capital city Bamako is generally comparable with any European metropolis. However, we must admit that also the southern regions of Mali have recently seen a gradual deterioration of the security situation and escalating violence.

EUBulletin: After months of negotiations, under Algiers auspices, a peace agreement was signed in May 2015 between the Government of Mali and the Platform Coalition of Armed Groups but the implementation of this agreement has so far proven rather difficult. Is this because the so-called Algiers agreement only seeks to manage the longstanding and primary conflict in northern Mali between the state and the minority populations over state power and political influence without also simultaneously addressing two parallel and mutually intertwined conflicts, namely an ideological one between different armed Islamist groups and local armed inter- and intra-communal conflicts between individual leaders and groupings of often ethnically based militias?

Captain Stanek: The compliance with the peace agreement signed in Algiers in May 2015 and then additional peace agreements signed on 21 June 2016 in Bamako among all the parties to the conflict is indeed a very complicated process. This is primarily because of the fragmentation among the leaderships from all groups involved in the conflict and also the diversity of their respective agendas and objectives. Some groups are primarily trying to gain political influence and power, some pursue largely religious goals, while others focus on purely economic objectives associated with the smuggling of weapons, drugs and people across the northern regions of the country. And there are also other groups whose agenda seeks autonomy for Malis northern regions and ultimately the declaration of an independent state there. In my view, it is very difficult to reconcile such a diversity of objectives pursued by different groups, which would lead to the full compliance and implementation of the peace agreement and the calming of the security situation.

EUBulletin: Looking at the current deteriorating security situation in Mali, is there a real danger that this could also lead to further destabilization of neighbouring countries, namely Mauretania, southern regions of Algeria or perhaps even Morocco?

Captain Stanek: At the moment, I dont see a major risk of the Mali conflict spreading to the neighbouring or nearby countries, such as Mauretania or even Morocco. However, the situation on the frontier with Algeria is a different matter because this region saw several serious incidents in recent years and the Tuareg fighters have also used Algeria as a safe haven where they could hide and restore their fighting capabilities. Another country where I can see a relatively high risk of conflict spill-over is the neighbouring Niger Republic due to the activities of the terrorist organization Al-Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, that pursues its objectives in the Nigerian, Malian and Algerian territory.

EUBulletin: To that end, as cooperation between the UN and the African Union is crucial for peace and security in Africa, what are the areas of possible greater cooperation when it comes to solving the on-going security challenges in the Sahel and Mali in particular?

Captain Stanek: When it comes to role of the African Union and its cooperation with the United Nations in Mali and more general in Sahel, we need to take a long-term view here, ten, twenty years or more. This is because, first and foremost, it is necessary to stabilize the security environment through the deployment of the UN forces, which will in turn enable the development of the infrastructure and the gradual improvement of technologies in the agriculture and industry and by that to increase the standard of living for the majority of the population. This will ultimately lead to the satisfaction of their basic needs and thus to the decrease of the need to achieve them through violence.

EUBulletin: In what ways can the European Union assist Mali to overcome its current challenges: is it mainly in the area of national reconciliation, demobilization of armed groups and reintegrating them into the army or rather more in the area of democratization and socio-economic development?

Captain Stanek: At the moment, the EU seeks to help Mali in several areas. The first one is the military assistance that is represented by the EUTM mission, whose aim is to provide military training and advice to the Malian armed forces and thus increase their effectiveness in carrying out military operations in the north of the country. The second area is the EUs assistance with the training of Malis police forces within the framework of EUCAP Sahel mission, which is ultimately designed to increase their efficiency in combating the threat of terrorism and organized crime.

Finally, the last area is the provision of the financial assistance through the European Development Fund whose main objective is to facilitate the political and economic development of Mali. In my view, all these three above mentioned areas are crucial to ensure the democratic functioning of the state and also to calm the security situation  having served in the EU military training mission in the country, I believe that the EU has taken the right approach in its continuous efforts to help Mali.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Tuesday immigration department has banned all embassy officials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country, after the DPRK announced similar ban on Malaysians in DPRK.
The association with Bachchan is yet another milestone in the brands growth story in India

OnePlus, a global mobile technology company, today, welcomed legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan into the OnePlus family as its first-ever OnePlus Star, a select group of distinguished OnePlus users. Association with Bachchan reiterates the brand philosophy of Never Settle and the companys pursuit of perfection.







The way Bachchan is regarded as not only the most admired actor in India but also a person of immense credibility, for OnePlus, its latest flagship OnePlus 3T is rated as the best smartphone based on consumer ratings on Amazon India, showcasing the love and trust placed in the brand.

Talking about the association, Pete Lau, CEO and Founder of OnePlus, said, We are delighted to welcome Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as our brand representative in India. As the brand grows to the next level, we aim to continue to bond with our community in a more meaningful and engaging way. Our association with Mr. Bachchan will further strengthen this bond, give our users a greater sense of purpose, and help the brand scale new heights.

Sharing his thoughts about the association, Bachchan said, It gives me immense pleasure to be working with the most exciting technology brand in India, OnePlus, a truly disruptive technology company known for its premium quality and craftsmanship. Being a OnePlus user myself, I am thrilled to represent the brand in India and become a part of the passionate community of OnePlus fans to take the brand legacy ahead.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
(Xinhua) 13:57, March 07, 2017

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that he had instructed the police to ban all citizens from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from leaving the country after Pyongyang announced a similar ban.

The prime minister also urged the DPRK to immediately allow all Malaysians to leave to "avoid any further escalation."

Describing DPRK's exit ban as an "abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage," Najib said it was in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms.

"Protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened," he said, adding he also instructed the police to prevent all DPRK citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until "we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea (the DPRK)."

In tia-for-tat moves, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled each otner's ambassador as an investigation into the death of a DPRK man strained bilateral relations.
HOUSTON  The old swagger isnt back  yet  but oil and gas industry leaders are expressing guarded optimism and relief as they exit a two lousy years.

Around 3,000 energy professionals and world leaders are gathered this week at IHS CERAWeek in Houston, the worlds energy capital and a doorstep to the explosion in U.S. shale drilling.

The mood couldnt be more different from last years conference, when oil prices scraped $26 per barrel a few weeks before, hitting a 13- year low last February down from a peak of $107 per barrel in June 2014.

It feels like more than a year, said Marcel van Poecke, a managing director at Carlyle International Energy Partners.

Oil closed at $53.20 Monday, and much of the talk at CERAWeek Monday centered on the new Republican administration in Washington and the expectation that it would be a friend to the oil and gas industry.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said at the conference that by the end of March he would offer up the Rebuild American Now Act to update the federal regulatory permitting system. He was vague on specifics, but spoke about the controversial, long delayed Keystone XL pipeline and said that federal permits for infrastructure projects from pipelines to bridges should be predictable, timely and not require, a mountain of documents that cost millions of dollars.

Sullivan said the American energy renaissance has become a diplomatic tool that benefits the U.S. and allies such as Japan which must import energy. Its an enormous win-win for deepening our security relationships, Sullivan said.

But speakers at CERAWeek pushed back in subtle ways at President Donald Trumps tough trade talk as they emphasized the importance of free trade to the global industry.

Trump has promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and House Republicans have pushed for a so-called border adjustment tax. A proposed corporate tax code overhaul would replace the current 35 percent corporate income tax with a 20 percent rate on imported goods sold domestically, rewarding companies that produce their goods in the U.S. and punishing those that rely on international suppliers.

The energy industry hasnt been as vocal as retailers  who are adamant in opposition to a border adjustment tax  but they dont like the idea either. The latest report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, whose territory includes Texas, eastern New Mexico and northern Louisiana, noted that its energy industry contacts were unanimously negative in their expectations about the impact of the proposed border adjustment tax on their firms.

Al Monaco, CEO of Calgary-based Enbridge, used the words North American competitive advantage over and over during his talk, and noted there are 80 pipelines and 30 transmission lines between the U.S. and Canada.

We have the largest most integrated energy market in the world, Monaco said.

At CERAWeek, no one talked tax policy, but instead focused on the global nature of the industry.

ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Darren Woods, said its hard to be in our industry and not support free trade. Its true in our business, but its also true in most businesses, Woods said.

Woods, who gave a keynote address at the conference, announced the company plans to spend $20 billion over the next decade on 11 chemical manufacturing, plastics and refining projects on the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

These projects are export machines, Woods says of it plans for Gulf Coast, noting that theyre being powered by U.S. shale  hydrocarbons coming from shale fields will both power the plants and feed into them to create products for export, much of it headed to Asia.

(ExxonMobil earlier this year said it would invest more than $6 billion to double its acreage in the Permian Basin, the biggest U.S. shale field).

One of Exxons Gulf Coast projects is across the bay from Corpus Christi near Portland, where the company is looking to build the worlds largest ethane steam cracker plant.

Exxon is buying up about 1,400 acres of farmland just outside Portland city limits to build a petrochemical plant in a joint venture with Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp., a public company 70 percent owned by the government of Saudi Arabia.

The proposed plant site also is just 2 miles from Gregory-Portland Independent School Districts high school and junior high, a point that has caused an uproar in nearby Portland, where the City Council voted unanimously to urge Exxon and SABIC to find another location.

Though more energy projects are being announced as the industry emerges from the bust, the International Energy Agency warned Monday that the dramatic pullback in investment during the downturn could come full circle in a few years.

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It said that investment in U.S. shale projects was strong, the international picture wasnt encouraging. By 2020, global supply could struggle to keep up with demand.

van Poecke, a managing director at Carlyle International Energy Partners, said that financing is widely available for U.S. projects, but its a different story for international oil and gas investment. The world is not short of capital, van Poecke said. You can find capital, but it can get very expensive depending on the part of the world and the nature of the project.

IEA said that the U.S. shale producers were responding faster than anyone else in the world to price signals.

Since May, U.S. companies have been hauling equipment from the storage yards and putting it back to work, nearly doubling the number of active drilling rigs that punctuate the sky like exclamation marks. Oil has been recovering too, and since early December has stayed above $50 per barrel  a price that ,while not robust, is enough to send more crews back to work in the oil field. Texas energy industry groups have declared the bust, which started mid-2014, a thing of the past.

The optimism picked up late last year when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to a production cut.

The OPEC cuts have been welcomed by the U.S. oil and gas industry because oil prices popped higher  and have stayed up above $50 per barrel  since they were announced.

So far, an S&P Global Platts survey of analysts released Monday indicates that the cartel is adhering to the cuts.

No one knows if the cuts will stick, but the industry is upbeat.

My view is next year we will still be a smiling crowd, van Poecke said.

jhiller@express-news.net

Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller
Leslie Kurtz needed three plates, eight screws and a big assist from her insurer after breaking every bone in her ankle while white water rafting.

Coverage she purchased through a public insurance exchange established by the federal health care law paid $65,000 toward surgery and the care she needed after the 2015 accident. But that protection may not exist next year because insurers have abandoned the Knoxville, Tennessee, residents exchange. As of now, Kurtz has no future coverage options, and she is worried.

I cant afford to have everything Ive worked for taken away because I fell down the steps, Kurtz said.

Her county is one of 16 in Tennessee that lack even a single insurance company committed to offering coverage for 2018 on the exchange, after Humana announced last month plans to exit.

Exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act were designed to give customers a chance to shop for coverage and then buy a plan, most with help from tax credits. The idea was that such a marketplace would push insurers to offer affordable plans to compete for customers.

But insurers in many markets have been pulling back from the exchanges after losing money. According to an analysis by the Associated Press and the health care firm Avalere Health, more than 1,000 counties, where about 2.8 million people are insured through the exchanges, are down to their last insurance carrier, according to the most recent data.

With less competition, that could mean sharply higher rates. And with more insurers still considering leaving other markets, customers around the country could be stuck like Kurtz with no affordable coverage options in 2018.

Insurers still have a few more weeks to decide to stay in their exchanges, and other insurers may jump into new markets, though that can be expensive and risky for them. The government recently announced several short-term fixes for the exchanges, and insurers have welcomed the moves. On Monday, Republicans in the House released legislative language for what is being called the American Health Care Act.

But insurers want to see the final version of the improvements before deciding on 2018.

No insurer wants the negative public backlash from dropping insurance for lots of people, but the companies need to feel like the market is stable and that theres a chance of making money, said Larry Levitt, a health insurance expert with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Chief among undecided companies is the Blue Cross-Blue Shield carrier Anthem Inc. It is the lone insurer on exchanges in 300 counties in seven states, according to data compiled by the AP and Avalere.

Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish would not commit to participating on exchanges next year and said in a statement last month that the market is sliding toward significant deterioration and requires changes to ensure future stability and affordability.

Anthem and the many other companies that sell coverage under the Blue Cross-Blue Shield brand will be crucial to the fate of the exchanges because they often specialize in insurance for individuals, and many have a long-standing presence in their markets. They also are the only remaining option on exchanges in nearly a third of the nations 3,100 counties.

For instance, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is the lone exchange option in 95 counties, covering more than 500,000 people, according to the analysis by AP and Avalere. The North Carolina insurer, which is not owned by Anthem, declined to comment on its 2018 plans.

Insurers typically are still sorting out coverage plans at this time of year, so its not unusual for them to be undecided about 2018. But never before have insurers bluntly stated that they cant commit until they see what the government does to improve the exchanges.

The Kaiser Family Foundations Levitt says insurers are worried about losses, but they also may be using the leverage their indecision gives them.

Insurers kind of want the threat that they may pull out to be taken seriously now, so that they get some of the changes they are looking for, he said.

Customers can buy coverage outside the exchanges, if insurers are selling individual plans in their market. But then they wont be able to use tax credits to help pay the bills, which may be particularly painful since many markets have seen prices soar.

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Customers wont know for certain who is selling on their exchanges until next fall. While insurers have to apply to sell coverage on their exchanges generally by late spring or early summer, they can drop out later if claims turn out worse than expected, noted Dave Dillon, a fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

Last fall, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nebraska announced a little more than a month before open enrollment started that it was shuttering its exchange business due to a loss of $140 million.

Insurance experts have said bigger metropolitan areas usually have more choice on their exchanges. But smaller cities or rural areas could be hurt the most if more insurers pull back.

Customers who already lost exchange options for 2018 are concerned. Knoxville resident Melissa Nance bought her Humana plan on the exchange without a subsidy, but shes worried that she wont find an affordable replacement after that insurer leaves.

The 45-year-old is fighting an aggressive form of leukemia. She needs insurance to cover blood tests and CT scans to detect whether the cancer has returned.

Im a sick person now, she said. I am constantly having to go to the doctor.

Fellow Knoxville resident Kurtz is thinking about moving. The self-employed television producer needs subsidies to afford coverage for her family of four.

Kurtz says she would have gone bankrupt if she had no insurance when she broke her ankle.

I dont have $65,000; I would have had to sell the house, she said. We need access to health care because (stuff) happens.
A deadly form of bird flu has been confirmed in a southern Tennessee operation that supplies Tyson Foods Inc. with chickens, marking the first U.S. case at a commercial farm this year and prompting South Korea to ban imports of American poultry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 73,500 chickens were destroyed at the facility after the highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza, or HPAI, was found in the breeding flock. No birds will enter the food system, the agency said. In addition, that farm and 30 others within a 6-mile radius have been quarantined. HPAI can be deadly to chickens and turkeys.

Based on the limited scope known to us at this time, we dont expect disruptions to our chicken business and plan to meet our customers needs, Worth Sparkman, a spokesman for Tyson, the largest U.S. chicken producer, said in an email Monday.

But the outbreak sent jitters through Wall Street. Shares of Tyson, based in Springdale, Arkansas, fell and the news dragged down shares of other companies in the sectors as well.

Were responding aggressively, and are working with state and federal officials to contain the virus, Tyson said in a company release.

The company said it tests all of its flocks for the virus before they leave the farm out of an abundance of caution. Results are known before the birds are processed, the company said, and animals are not used if bird flu is detected.

Tennessees Department of Agriculture is not identifying the farm where the chickens were destroyed, saying only that it is located in the states Lincoln County, which is just west of Chattanooga and boarders Alabama.

Only one commercial chicken farm in Alabama was within the 6-mile radius, the state said, and all the birds there tested negative for the flu. That Alabama farm was also used by Tyson, according to the state. Alabama said it also began testing chickens in peoples backyards within in the affected area, and all the tests have come back negative so far.

Tennessee borders several of the nations largest chicken-meat-producing states, including Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina. The virus is believed to spread partly by migratory wild birds, posing the risk that it may reach other farms.

Bird flu is a catch-all phrase for a variety of influenza viruses that spread among poultry. They can be very contagious and deadly among birds, but rarely spread to humans. That said, deadly human flu pandemics have been sparked by viruses that first emerged in birds, and health officials closely track whats killing poultry.

Flu can spread from birds to humans when through the air, or when people touch a bird or an infected surface and then touch their eye, nose or mouth.

The USDA said Monday that it does not yet know what type of H7 bird flu is affecting the chickens at Tennessee, but will know within 48 hours.

The U.S. Southeast was largely spared during the last major U.S. outbreak, which affected turkey and egg farms in the Midwest and led to the death of more than 48 million birds through mid-2015, either from infection or culling. HPAI was found once last year at an Indiana turkey farm.

Previous outbreaks have led some nations to restrict shipments of poultry from affected areas. South Koreas agriculture ministry said Monday it banned shipments of poultry and eggs from the U.S. unless theyve been heat treated. The Asian nation is already facing surging egg prices and has culled almost 34 million birds amid a domestic bird-flu outbreak.

While poultry producers across Europe and Asia have also been grappling with the virus in recent months, Brazil, the worlds largest chicken exporter, has so far remained untouched.

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson said all flocks within a 6-mile radius of the Tennessee farm will be tested and wont be transported unless they test negative for the virus. Since 2015s outbreaks, the companys U.S. poultry operations have been operating under increased biosecurity measures, including not allowing nonessential visitors access to contract farms and disinfecting vehicles to prevent spreading the virus.

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Pilgrims Pride has activated response plans with heightened on-farm biosecurity programs at all of its facilities, even though none of the companys operations are located in the area under quarantine, spokesman Cameron Bruett said Monday in an email.

Sanderson Farms has no assets in Tennessee but is implementing heightened biosecurity measures across the company, Chief Financial Officer Mike Cockrell said in an email Monday. Perdue Farms Inc., another large U.S. producer, has no live production in Tennessee, spokeswoman Andrea Staub said in an email.

The latest discovery of HPAI is the first in Tennessee, according to the states agriculture department. The highly pathogenic form of the virus can be fatal to domesticated chickens and turkeys. About 30 nearby poultry farms are also under quarantine, although none have reported an increase in mortality, the department said.

Animal health is our top priority, Charles Hatcher, Tennessees state veterinarian, said in a statement. With this HPAI detection, we are moving quickly and aggressively to prevent the virus from spreading.

The U.S. is expected to produce a record 41.081 billion pounds of chicken this year, the USDA forecasts.

Tyson fell 2.5 percent to close at $61.99 in New York. Rival U.S. chicken producer Sanderson Farms Inc. dropped 2 percent and Pilgrims Pride Corp. slid 1.2 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. is seeking more reciprocal trade with other countries in a bid to boost growth, reduce the trade deficit and keep American production capacity out of foreign hands, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said.

If we are able to reduce our trade deficit through tough, smart negotiations, we should be able to increase our growth rate, Navarro said at an economists conference in Washington on Monday. Without action to close the gap, foreigners will eventually own so much of America that there will be nothing left to trade, he warned.

One of the goals of the Trump administration is to reclaim all of the supply chain and manufacturing capability that would otherwise exist if the playing field were level, said Navarro.

On the campaign trail, Trump championed the idea of reducing the U.S. trade gap, promising to create millions of jobs by bringing back manufacturing positions from overseas. The message resonated in economically struggling states amid a widening of the deficit, which last year increased to the largest since 2012.

President Donald Trumps goal is to promote free, fair and reciprocal trade, Navarro said, adding that right now Americas trade with the world is anything but reciprocal. He identified 16 nations that account for the lions share of the deficit problem, such as Ireland, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Switzerland.

Asked if Chinas yuan is fairly valued, Navarro said its clear that the Chinese currency is undervalued when looked at based on the trade balance between the U.S. and China, though he acknowledged that Chinese authorities have recently been intervening to prop up the yuan. He declined to comment on the value of the U.S. dollar.

Navarro singled out India for having notoriously high tariffs, and said the U.S. trade deficit with Germany will be among the toughest to tackle.

The American plan seeking to reduce the trade deficit is not based on higher tariffs, but rather getting our partners to lower theirs, said Navarro, the director of the White House National Trade Council.

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 administrations strategy to narrow its trade gap by dealing directly with other countries wont work, the International Monetary Funds former chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, said on Bloomberg TV shortly after Navarros speech.

Even if we had completely balanced trade, we could well have  we should have  trade deficits with some, and trade surpluses with others, said Blanchard, now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. If we start trying to reduce the trade deficit from one country, the goods will go through another country. It will be a game of musical chairs.

Navarro said the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which Trump pulled out of almost immediately after taking office, would have been a death knell to Americas auto and vehicle parts industry that we urgently need to bring back to full life. The U.S. will aim to tighten the rules of origins provisions in almost all bilateral trade deals it pursues, he added.

More broadly, the Trump administration plans to implement tax, regulatory and energy policy reforms while targeting countries that engage in unfair currency and trade practices, said Navarro. A strong manufacturing and defense industrialist base is bedrock of Americas national security, he said.
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Some 4,000 troops with an Army brigade combat team from Fort Hood deployed to Kuwait last month. Another unit stationed at the base will finish training exercises in the coming weeks before shipping out to a country as yet unannounced, and a third recently returned from a nine-month tour in Afghanistan.

The deployment treadmill has seldom slowed for units at the massive base outside Killeen since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, even as the size of the Army has dropped over the past five years.

The nonstop rotations are expected to continue under President Donald Trump, who has proposed a $54 billion increase in defense spending and vowed to totally obliterate the Islamic State.

Much less certain is the impact on a military taxed by 16 years of war if Trump fails to deliver on his budget plan while escalating the campaign against ISIS and ordering more units to Afghanistan, Europe and elsewhere.

The troops will keep doing what theyre asked to do, said retired Army Maj. Gen. Kendall Cox, a former deputy commander at Fort Hood and head of the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance based in Killeen. The concern is that theres going to be fatigue at all echelons.

The Armys active-duty force has fallen from 570,000 soldiers to 475,000 since 2012, with 36,500 now stationed at Fort Hood. The decrease has coincided with the militarys reduced presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and Congress placing budget caps on defense and non-military spending.

During his campaign, Trump called for enlarging the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marine Corps by 18,000, along with expanding the fleets of the Navy and Air Force.

His proposal to boost the defense budget to $603 billion would require federal lawmakers to repeal the spending limits known as sequestration that went into effect in 2013. In a joint address to Congress last week, he declared his intent to send lawmakers a budget that removes the caps.

Trump would need the support of all 52 Republicans and eight Democrats in the Senate to pull off that legislative feat. His chances appear small in light of Democrats preparing to oppose his plan to gut assorted nonmilitary programs to offset the surge in defense spending.

The looming budget scrum has prompted Pentagon officials to warn that adding to the ranks without providing adequate funding for training and equipment would create what Gen. Mark Milley, the Armys chief of staff, has described as a hollow force.

Sequestration puts the military in a downward spiral, said retired Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, an associate vice chancellor with the University of Texas System, who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 35-year military career. As long as you have the budget caps, you will not be able to grow the Army and sustain or increase operations.

Perpetual wars, possible new conflicts

Gen. Daniel Allyn offered a stark appraisal of the Armys state of readiness to the House Armed Services Committee in January. The vice chief of staff testified that two-thirds of the forces 58 brigade combat teams lack enough troops, training and equipment to deploy within 30 days, and that only three could fight tonight.

The National Defense Authorization Act that Congress passed in December allocated funding for an Army of 476,000 soldiers. The legislation halted a drawdown that would have lowered the active-duty force to 450,000 by next year.

The change in course by lawmakers and former President Barack Obama reflected an awareness of the demands imposed on troops by the nations perpetual wars and the possibility of new conflicts.

The U.S. military has inserted about 6,000 troops into Iraq  including personnel from the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood  to aid that countrys army in driving out ISIS. Some 500 special operations forces fill a comparable role in Syria.

Defense Secretary James Mattis, fulfilling Trumps executive order to review the Pentagons strategy for defeating ISIS, revealed his plans to the president last week. Recent comments by the top U.S. commander in the Middle East have stirred speculation that more American troops could soon arrive in Syria.

An additional 8,400 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, among them 500 soldiers with the 1st Cavalry, a brigade combat team from Fort Bliss and a detachment of the Texas National Guard. The commander of U.S. forces there told Congress last month that he needs a few thousand more troops to assist the Afghan army in its fight against the Taliban.

The military has also bulked up its presence in Europe, where 70,000 troops are permanently stationed. An Army aviation battalion from Fort Bliss deployed to Germany three weeks ago, with its 400 soldiers joining 6,000 sent over since late last year in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

The NATO training and security mission, conducted with troops from seven Eastern European countries, seeks to bolster forces in the region amid Russias ongoing aggression in Ukraine that began with its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

The high likelihood of additional forces deploying to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Europe has sharpened questions about overextending the Army and weakening its ability to counter a prolonged, large-scale assault from Russia, North Korea or Iran.

The potential fear is that if something happened with one of those countries, then every soldier on Fort Hood would be deployed, said Cox, who commanded U.S. troops during three tours in Iraq. With the current level of readiness, that would put a very heavy strain on the force.

For soldiers at Fort Hood, one of the countrys largest bases, the frequency of overseas rotations  accelerated by the Armys smaller size  has compressed the time between tours. Senior commanders prefer an interval of two years to avoid grinding down troops; the typical gap is 14 to 16 months.

You can only do that for so long until you break the force, Cox said. And its very difficult to recover from that.

Former President George W. Bush ordered a surge of 20,000 troops into Iraq in 2007. Frederick Gellert, then chief of the Pentagons equipping plans division, recalled that the first two of five brigades to deploy had ample manpower and equipment.

But the amount of both dropped off with each brigade that followed, and the retired Army colonel asserted that the militarys supply-and-demand problem persists.

I have no doubt the next-to-deploy units have everything they need to do their mission, said Gellert, a professor of resource management at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. Its all the units after that  thats where the concern is.

Not if, but when

Mattis released a memo in January that outlined a defense spending plan to bolster readiness and remedy shortfalls in personnel, equipment and weapons programs.

The ultimate objective, the defense secretary wrote, is to build a larger, more capable and more lethal joint force, driven by a new national defense strategy.

The Army has resorted to cannibalizing its own units in response to the evolving nature of overseas operations and a reduced active-duty force. Senior commanders mix and match troops as missions and conditions on the ground dictate, a triage approach that disrupts cohesion and training across the ranks.

Cucolo recounted that in 2009, while preparing to deploy to Iraq, he received word that the Army would reassign almost one-third of his units 720 soldiers to another mission. He cautioned that the aggregate effect of the forces personnel shuffling after 16 years of war could diminish its operational capacity.

The Army knows what to do to accomplish the missions its given, he said. The issue is sufficient, predictable funding that allows the Army to come up for air. Without that, youll risk a slow decay of readiness in the areas of training and maintenance.

Trumps plan to add $54 billion to the defense budget falls short of the projected cost to expand the militarys ranks and its ship and aircraft fleets to the levels he laid out during his campaign.

An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., found his proposals would require annual funding of $63 billion to $75 billion over the next four years.

A similar study by Mark Cancian, a defense budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan policy research group in Washington, estimated the cost at $80 billion a year.

All indications are that the Department of Defense will not get that kind of money, he said. So theres going to have to be some trade-offs.

Two years ago, Rand Corp., a nonprofit policy think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif., examined the impact of troop reductions. By sinking below an active-duty force of 490,000, the reports authors concluded, the Army is headed for potentially low levels of capabilities and will have difficulty in meeting foreseeable challenges.

Timothy Bonds, director of Rands Army research division and the studys co-author, called the existing force of 475,000 inadequate given the rise of ISIS, Russias provocations in Eastern Europe and North Koreas instability.

Even at 490,000, we would struggle to have sufficient numbers of forces to meet the current needs on the ground, he said.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has proposed a defense budget of $640 billion, a figure that, if sustained over the next four years, could fund the buildup Trump envisions.

Yet Andrew Bacevich, a military and foreign policy analyst and retired Army colonel, pointed out that even then change would occur slowly.

Theres a lag between getting the money and getting a larger Army, he said. Training takes time, and you cant form professional units overnight.

As Trump seeks to augment the armed forces, Bacevich, author of Americas War for the Greater Middle East, published last year, identified leadership rather than funding as the militarys most urgent crisis.

Older senior officers have yet to come to terms with the gap between the idea of easy victory and these long, protracted wars, he said. Theres a reluctance to confront the disappointing outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so not much has changed in the last 16 years.

The constant for troops at Fort Hood remains the prospect of another deployment. Cox, the bases former deputy commander, explained that theres only one question for experienced soldiers and recruits alike.

They all know theyre going somewhere, he said. Its not a matter of if; its a matter of when.
A blank expression spread across the face of Michael Richard, a theater arts and communication teacher at Stacey High School. And then he grinned as a large red check bearing his name and the figure $1,000 was placed in his hands.

Across San Antonio just a few hours later, Georgette Carrasco, slack-jawed, put her hand over her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes. Her Northside ISD class erupted in applause. Another large red check with her name and $1,000 was slipped into her free hand.

Oh my God, she said breathlessly.

On Monday, the two teachers were surprised by H-E-B officials with the check and notification that they are finalists in the H-E-B Excellence in Education awards, which are considered the Oscars of Texas education. Another $1,000 goes toward each teachers school.

Four more teachers and two principals in San Antonio will be surprised with awards as finalists this week. They were selected out of a pool of 1,300 applications from across the state.

Richard had been in the middle of teaching his theater technician class at the Lackland ISD school when he was surprised with the award. He credited much of his success to his students.

I work with the best bunch of kids on the planet, he said. Theyre military kids so they come and go quite frequently, and a large part of what we do here with the theater program is providing a safe haven and a home away from home for some kids that have a lot of uncertainty in their life.

Richard said he will likely give his $1,000 to his wifes San Antonio-based charity, The Heart Smiles, which is building an orphanage in Ghana. When Richard first arrived at the school, there were few theater classes and performances were conducted black-box style. Now there are multiple theater courses and a full-fledged auditorium, where Richard was teaching Monday morning. Hell know if he won the statewide award in May when the winners are announced.

Kyla Osburn, 17, said Richard is her favorite teacher. She said she wants to be a theater teacher.

Weve had rougher times as high schoolers, and hes always been there, she said. He always listens to me and I can always go to him with anything. On top of that, even in class, if people are having problems, he really makes sure you push through because he actually cares and wants to make sure his kids understand.

Osburn lives with her mom, and she said they both rely on Richard to help her through difficult times. Good teachers, she said, do more than just help with academics.

Theyre not just teachers, theyre not just teaching you stuff for school, theyre teaching you life lessons and coping mechanisms, she said. Theyre helping you get through hard times and get through school. Its like being a parent and a teacher all in one.

Over at Franklin Elementary, Carrasco treated her fifth-grade class the same way  as more than just a teacher. Shes a source of support and inspiration to her students. She grew up in a physically abusive household, she said, and learned the power of education and good teachers through that experience.

Now, she helps special education students whose challenges range from learning disabilities to autism.

I grew up on the West Side of town in San Antonio. I did grow up in family that was abusive, which led to some other difficulties in my life, Carrasco said. At that moment in time I decided I was going to make a difference for myself and for my community, and thats why I came into the education field. Because I knew there are students out there struggling just like myself.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
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Theresa Rodriguez was naturally talented, excelling at everything she pursued  cheerleading, volleyball, piano, dance, you name it.

She was born into a close-knit Catholic family, the oldest of six children, and became a natural leader, volunteering to help her mother, Susie, baby-sit her younger siblings or to pick up tacos for her father, Eddie, after he finished work.

She was a very, very nice person, her father recalled. And Im not just saying that because Im her father.

Nearly 25 years ago, Rodriguez, 29, was murdered.

Her husband, Michael, and his brother Mark, after plotting for weeks, had hired a hit man so they could collect $400,000 in insurance money.

About 6 p.m. today, the hit man, 44-year-old Rolando Ruiz, is scheduled to be executed in Huntsville.

Michael and Mark Rodriguez were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the 1992 murder. In 2000, Michael Rodriguez was among the so-called Texas Seven inmates who broke out of the Texas Department of Criminal Justices Connally Unit near Kenedy by overpowering workers. On Christmas Eve that year, two weeks after the escape, the fugitives shot and killed an Irving policeman. Michael Rodriguez was executed for that crime in 2008.

Mark Rodriguez was released from prison several years ago but was arrested in November and charged with swindling at least $95,000 from 15 victims in a roofing scam.

The state has scheduled Ruizs execution two times before, in 2007 and 2016, but he received last-minute stays from federal and state appeals courts.

In those appeals, he claimed that his attorneys did not properly represent him and follow leads in a psychologists report that could have reduced his sentence.

Last month, Ruizs lawyers filed another motion for a stay of execution in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, but a judge denied that request Monday.

For Theresa Rodriguezs family, the execution will bring no relief from their loss, but at least justice will be delivered to the man who confessed to the crime and has shown no remorse. After the murder, Ruiz told police detectives, he went to play basketball and scored over 20 points. He had been paid $2,000.

Its not closure, Eddie Sanchez said. Its not going to bring my daughter back.

Good daughter

Theresa Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, where she attended Ursuline Academy and took part in a multitude of extracurricular activities. Her family was close, especially the siblings: Theresa, Yolanda, Ceceila, Roberto, Leticia and Veronica.

She was a good daughter, Susie Sanchez recalled. One day in high school, she said she would pick up her younger sisters at the Inspiration Hills neighborhood swimming pool. There, she met Michael Rodriguez, who was a lifeguard.

Theresa, who had long, dark hair and an enticing smile, attracted the attention of several boys, her parents said. She agreed to go on a date with Rodriguez, but after a failed excursion during which his car broke down, they lost touch for several years.

After Theresa graduated from Ursuline in the early 1980s, she attended St. Marys University and studied marketing while working part time. She reconnected with Michael, who was studying business at the university.

The two began dating and eventually decided to get married. Their parents didnt want them to wed. Michaels mother wanted her son to become a doctor, and, for some reason, Susie Sanchez didnt like her daughters fiance, though she never uttered those words to Theresa.

For a brief time, the couple called off the engagement. But in 1985, after the family came back from a vacation, Michael was there, flowers in hand.

That year, the couple had a big wedding at St. Lukes Catholic Church. Theresa, 22 at the time, wore a white gown with a veil that extended feet behind her. It was the same church where, seven years later, her family would hold her funeral.

Theresa didnt finish college, but instead began working as an insurance agent for USAA. Meanwhile, Michael and his brother owned a small Mexican restaurant called Taco House on San Pedro Avenue. Late in the marriage, Theresa and Michael expressed an interest in becoming teachers.

The couple had a seemingly good relationship, always around for family gatherings. Over the next few years, Theresa celebrated the marriage of sister Yolanda and the birth of three nephews and nieces. She regularly watched over her youngest sister, Veronica, who was was 13 when Theresa was killed.

That was odd

In hindsight, Eddie and Susie Sanchez began seeing troubles in their daughters marriage. Theresa expressed an interest in having children, but Michael didnt.

Later, before his execution, Michael told an Associated Press reporter that he had met a younger woman who was a student at the same university where he was taking classes.

The Sunday before Theresa was killed, the couple visited her parents in their North Side home. At one point, Susie Sanchez asked her daughter to help her apply fake eyelashes. Michael followed the two into the back bedroom and stood staring, eventually leaving.

That was odd, Susie Sanchez recalled her daughter saying.

At the time, Susie and Eddie Sanchez were planning a big vacation to Las Vegas, and Theresa and Michael were going to join them. The next morning, Theresa called her parents to tell them they wouldnt make the trip. She said she would explain later.

The next day, the Sanchezes got a call from their in-laws, who told them something bad had happened and urged them to hurry to Theresa and Michaels home.

As Eddie pulled into the driveway, he saw yellow crime-scene tape surrounding it. Even then, he was optimistic. Theresa probably set the house on fire by accident, he thought.

It wasnt until he overheard a police detective say, Thats the father, that he knew. His heart sank.

That evening, Michael Rodriguez told investigators that he, his wife and his brother had attended a movie. When they returned home, a man had approached Theresa in the driveway and shot her in the head.

But detectives quickly began seeing red flags: Mark told investigators that the suspect was black, while Michael said he was Hispanic. Michael sobbed uncontrollably, unable to tell investigators exactly what happened. Normally, loved ones are emotional but still able to provide key details.

Several days after Theresa was buried, in a ceremony that attracted over 1,000 people, police arrested the brothers, charging them with murder, and two accomplices. Ruiz had been arrested days earlier.

We were in a daze, Eddie Sanchez recalled. It was one thing after another.

Execution looming

Come 6 p.m. today, the Sanchezes plan to go about their normal evening routine. They have chosen not to attend Ruizs execution, although daughters Yolanda and Veronica and son-in-law Mark will.

The couple said the execution will bring no closure for their loss. Susie Sanchez feels sorry for Ruiz  and her late son-in-law  knowing that the two wasted their lives. And for what? she asks herself.

For Eddie Sanchez, a devout Catholic, he finds slight comfort knowing that Ruiz will appear before the ultimate judge who truly delivers justice.

If it was the electric chair, I would be the first one there, Eddie Sanchez said. Its not closure, but at least I know hes going to meet his maker.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
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A Texas author and Alamo defender descendant sounded a call Monday, the 181st anniversary of the famed battle, for Texans to get involved in plans to restore reverence and authenticity to the shrine and mission.

Lets ask questions. Lets find out what theyre going to do, Lee Spencer White, a descendant of Alamo defender Gordon C. Jennings of Connecticut, said in remarks about a planned multimillion-dollar makeover of the Alamo area downtown to about 100 people at the After the Fall of the Alamo ceremony of the Sons of the Republic of Texas.

White, co-author of Joe: The Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend, about a slave owned by Alamo commander William Barret Travis, said the area is on the verge of a very drastic change.

Many of us just sit back and wait for someone else to do it, she said. Are we going to wait until the turnstiles appear at the gate and then complain?

Her comments came a day before a meeting by George Skarmeas, lead planner of the Alamo master plan; the Alamo Society, an international group of Alamo enthusiasts; and Alamo Plaza Project, which supports partial reconstruction of the 1836 compound. Skarmeas is developing the plan for the city of San Antonio, Texas General Land Office and nonprofit Alamo Endowment, whose chairman is Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

A design team led by Skarmeas and the Alamo Plaza Project both have endorsed removing the 1930s Alamo Cenotaph from the city-owned Alamo Plaza, to restore openness and historical accuracy in the area once occupied by the main courtyard of the 1700s Mission San Antonio de Valero and the 1800s military fortress that became known as the Alamo.

White, addressing one of the major points of dispute over the plan, suggested that the Cenotaph needs to stay put.

Are we going to let them move this? This is basically the headstone of the defenders, whether you like the art or not, she said.

White urged the crowd to carry the same fire of defiance and character that inspired Texans, Tejanos and others to rally against an oppressive regime and win independence at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, after the deaths of all 189 Alamo defenders and the execution of 324 Texans three weeks later in Goliad.

Be the spark. Remember the Alamo. Remember Goliad, she said.

Another bone of contention in the Alamo plan is the primary focus of interpretation  mission era or 1836. Although many Alamo enthusiasts prefer emphasis on the 13-day siege and battle, Alamo officials have said many of the sites 1.6 million annual visitors ask about its origins.

Leaders in the Legislature have been at odds on whether proposed funding for an Alamo visitor center, pedestrian enhancements and plaza improvements will be a priority for the 2018-2019 biennium in a tight budget cycle. Faced with a request from the Land Office of $75 million, the Senate programmed an initial figure of $9.1 million for the Alamo, while the House entered an initial proposal of $83.5 million.

In an afternoon ceremony held by the Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, discussed a bill he is co-sponsoring with two San Antonio Democrats, Rep. Diego Bernal and Sen. Jose Menendez, that would declare March 6 an official state holiday known as Alamo Day.

Ive looked at that magnificent building, and its shaped my character, as it shaped your character, because it stands for what we stand for as Texans, Villalba said.

After the ceremony, he said he was confident that the bill would be approved without opposition.

In the ceremonys memorial address, Air Force Maj. Gen. Frederick H. Martin said the battle ended in a costly Pyrrhic victory for the Mexican army and a sacrifice that still inspires Americans.

Even today, Remember the Alamo has almost a magical way of stirring Americans to action. The Alamo continues as a metaphor for American military action, where the fighting is the most severe, where courage is most evident, Martin said.

shuddleston@express-news.net

Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
A jury sent two former police officers to prison Monday for victimizing women in a sex scam, stopping short of the maximum sentences prosecutors wanted but rejecting tearful pleas for leniency from family members  and the officers themselves.

Both had wept while testifying at the sentencing hearing. The sentences added up to six years in prison for Alex Chapa, 29, and 10 years in prison for Emmanuel Galindo, 31.

Chapa said his co-defendant had concocted the elaborate 2015 ruse that fooled at least four women into having sex with them by convincing them it was for an undercover operation.

Convicted Friday, both men knew they had to serve at least two years for each count of compelling prostitution, which does not allow for probation. The jury gave them slightly higher terms than the minimum, which State District Judge Steven Hilbig extended by stacking them.

Theyve lied to you and everyone else. Theyve not taken responsibility for their actions, prosecutor Ryan Wright told jurors before they began deliberating. These arent people who had a bad upbringing. They put their own families through this for their own pleasure. It was calculated.

After the sentencing, Wright said it sends a strong message about weeding out bad cops. And these were bad cops.

Galindo was sentenced to five years in prison for each of five counts of compelling prostitution, with Hilbig stacking two of them to run after the first three, in effect a 10-year sentence on that charge. Galindo also drew eight years in prison for each of three counts of sexual assault, to be served concurrently. He received 10 years probation for a fourth count of sexual assault.

Chapa got probation for three counts of sexual assault. The judge grouped Chapas four counts of compelling prostitution into a pair of three-year sentences, then stacked them for an effective sentence of six years.

Both defendants received probation for the Class A misdemeanor of official oppression: eight counts for Chapa, 12 for Galindo.

Prosecutors had asked the jury for the maximum sentence of 20 years for the compelling prostitution and sexual assault counts, both second-degree felonies.

Neither defendant had testified before the punishment phase. Chapa looked at the jurors directly and said that the undercover operation was for real, but that Galindo had proposed the sex scheme and supplied the official-looking but phony documents that backed up the offers of high pay for role-playing that they made to the women.

Chapa said he only reluctantly had sex with some of their victims. Of one of the women, identified by the pseudonym Charley Rose, Chapa said: I always asked, Are you sure? Are you sure? (about having sex), but she pushed for it hard. Im just sorry all of this happened.  I felt stupid and scammed. I felt horrible.

Rose, 26, a mother of two, said in an interview Friday, after the guilty verdicts were handed down, that she wished the officers could get life in prison.

Like two other victims who testified at the trial, she said she was driven to participate by a financial or legal crisis: She wanted to adopt her younger sister, who was placed in foster care by the state.

One victim said she was worried about a drunken driving charge she faced in Travis County. Another victim said her mother needed a kidney transplant. The officers said they could resolve the legal problems and sent text messages claiming they had helped three people get heart transplants, testimony showed.

The women testified last week that they were recruited into the confidential operation with promises of up to $5,000, the exact pay depending on a menu of sexual favors that if performed would earn them points and status within the operation. They said the officers showed them badges, carried guns, sometimes wore their uniforms, plied them with alcohol and told them they could go to prison if they told anyone about the plan.

Chapa testified Monday that Galindo assured him the bogus operation had nothing to do with SAPD and was being run by the National Security Agency, a federal surveillance agency. Chapa said he never saw any authentic documents from any law enforcement agency concerning the operation and lied to his wife about the scheme.

Chapa said Galindo persuaded him to participate but said he wasnt blaming Galindo and that he, Chapa, needed to take responsibility for his own actions.

Wright, the prosecutor, scoffed at the NSA story, telling the jury the pair had not told investigators about it and cooked it up, when they were beginning to delete text messages and cancel phone contracts.

Prosecutors presented a witness Monday who testified she had sex with Galindo in the summer of 2015, after Galindo claimed to be a film producer and promised her $10,000 to shoot an adult film in which she would play a stripper role and have sex with the killer.

I was not comfortable at all with this and I knew in my gut something was not right  but he was very persistent to the point of being intimidating, the woman said. And at that time I was in hardship and was going to lose my car, my job and my dog.

Prosecutor David Lunan adamantly made Chapa, as a defense witness, go through his previous statements to police in minute detail, extracting admissions that he had asked Galindo if they should buy condoms before meeting the women and took various actions to cover his tracks.

Im pleased that the jury validated the victimization of these women, many of whom were afraid to come forward, Lunan said of the sentence. It was a very unique case and hard to evaluate what it deserved as a penalty.

The defense had brought relatives and friends of the former officers to ask for leniency, including their wives, who told the jury Friday that they were good fathers who were needed to raise their families.

Galindos father, who is from Coahuila, Mexico, testified Monday that when he and his wife adopted Galindo as a baby just 3 days old, he barely fit in a shoebox. Chapas mother, Paula Chapa, 56, testified that she has stage 4 colon cancer, is in chemotherapy and faces a third surgery. She told the jury she would like to be able to see her son free from prison before she dies.

We all make mistakes and they made a tremendous one, defense attorney Leigh Cutter said of the defendants. They will never be cops again. They will be registered sex offenders for life. They cant drive their kids to school. They cant vote. They cant even take their kids to a Chuck E Cheese.

This is a dangerous time to be a cop, but an especially dangerous time to be a cop in prison, she continued. Theyre going to have a really hard time.

bselcraig@express-news.net
AUSTIN  The state would boost per-student funding and lower the recapture payments by property-rich school districts to their poorer counterparts under a bill filed Monday that supporters say would begin a years-long process of reforming Texas public school finance system.

The bill by House Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty comes with a price tag of roughly $1.6 billion, and would increase transportation spending, create a hardship grant and boost funding for students with dyslexia.

More than 95 percent of Texas school districts would benefit from House Bill 21, Huberty, R-Humble said Monday. Houston ISD, for example, could see its recapture payment cut almost in half under the bill, he said.

Texas knows that its time to help our children, Huberty said. When it comes to improving education in the state of Texas, theres no time like the present.

Even as he declared that the Legislature should get the bill passed this session, he acknowledged that HB21 is the first piece of a multi-year overhaul of the way Texas finances public education for 5.3 million students in more than 1,200 districts across the state.

The Texas Supreme Court last year ruled the states complicated school funding formula is constitutional but in need of a revamp. The ruling ended a years-long lawsuit in which hundreds of school districts and advocacy groups said Texas failed to adequately funding public education. It was the seventh time the high court had heard a challenge to the states school finance system since 1984.

Hubertys bill would cut school districts so-called Robin Hood payments by $163 million in the 2018 fiscal year, and $192 million the year after.

Houston ISD currently is on the hook for about $77 million in tax revenue through the states recapture mechanism because the city is deemed property wealthy even though the majority of the districts student population is economically disadvantaged and minority. That recaptured money, or expensive real estate on the districts property tax rolls, would be given to another, poorer district. Under Hubertys bill, the district stands to gain $36.7 million, lowering its recapture payment to about $40 million, according to a legislative analysis.

The measure also would increase base funding per student by $210, increase transportation funding by $125 a student, and establish a hardship grant for districts that lose money with the expiration of a decade-old state aid program.

The bill includes more money to educate the approximately 154,000 students across the state with dyslexia, of which Hubertys son is one.

The proposal for additional funding for dyslexia follows a Houston Chronicle investigation that found a state rule denied tens of thousands of students with disabilities access to special education services.

I hope that this is a first step toward additional funding for schools, that this will not the only additional funding that schools will see long-term, said Christy Rome, executive director of the Texas Schools Coalition, which took the state to court with some 600 school districts, arguing the state failed to adequately fund public education. Anything that will help to relieve the burden of recapture we see as a positive step.

Although school officials and state lawmakers agree Texas needs to change how it funds public schools, leaders in the House and Senate are taking different routes to a solution.

The Senate leadership is looking at rebuilding the school finance formula from scratch, according to Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood. The upper chamber will spend the next two years reviewing its ideal overhaul before passing a plan in the 2019 Legislative session, at the earliest.

Political tension between the two chambers also may complicate the prospects for passage of Hubertys bill.

While the House wants to pass a school finance bill this session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who controls the Senate, wants to pass a school choice bill that helps parents send their children to private schools using taxpayer dollars. Patrick has said he sees passage of school finance reform and school choice as linked.

Huberty, however, said last week that such a school choice bill is all but dead in the House, which could jeopardize prospects of his school finance bill winning approval in the Senate.

andrea.zelinski@chron.com

twitter.com/andreazelinski
(Xinhua) 14:17, March 07, 2017

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is temporarily banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving the country until safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is fully guaranteed, the official news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by the protocol department of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, which said the Malaysian Embassy in the DPRK had been informed of the decision.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry hoped that the Malaysian Embassy and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry would properly settle the dispute arising from the murder of a DPRK citizen in Malaysia, said the notice.

Pyongyang wants to see the case properly addressed "from the goodwill stand of setting store by and developing bilateral relations," the notice added.

In the period, Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before," it said.

The notice came after Malaysia on Saturday declared the ambassador of the DPRK to the country Kang Chol as "persona non grata," asking him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has decided to revoke visa-free entry for citizens from the DPRK starting from Monday, saying that the decision was made after its national security was taken into account as a priority.

A DPRK national who was identified as Kim Chol was attacked on Feb. 13 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. After seeking help from the airport staff, he died en route to hospital.

The Malaysian side said the DPRK man died a painful death minutes after being swabbed with a high dosage of lethal VX nerve agent after the body was examined.

However, the DPRK government claimed it was an anti-DPRK smear campaign and accused the Malaysian government of conniving with South Koreaand the United Stateswhich intended to use the death of the DPRK citizen to tarnish the DPRK image and even to overthrow the DPRK system.

Pyongyang also sent a high-level delegation to Malaysia to discuss the matter and has urged Malaysia to return the body as soon as possible. But the request was rejected by the Malaysian government.
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Manuel Medina on Monday doubled down on his assertion that San Antonio leaders spend too much time worrying about the future, while Mayor Ivy Taylor and Councilman Ron Nirenberg simultaneously refuted the notion while trying to distance themselves from each other  and him.

The three are the top contenders in the May 6 mayoral race that has 14 candidates seeking the citys top seat. They appeared on stage at Trinity University's Laurie Auditorium in what moderator Rick Casey said was their 12th debate.

In his final question of the night, Casey asked the candidates to outline their top priority, if elected to the seat.

Taylor said she would continue to address the same issue that shes been working on, she said, for her entire political career: breaking the chains of generational poverty and ensuring that everyone in San Antonio has access to opportunity.

Nirenberg, meanwhile, said his No. 1 focus would be on increasing civic engagement  a problem leaders face across the U.S.

Medina, the chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party, took the opportunity to lambast Taylor (and Nirenberg) for planning. Taking the populist bent hes becoming known for, Medina said, theres a legitimate concern in the community that the mayor is out of touch with the needs of San Antonians.

My top priority is to focus on today, he said, alleging the council is worried too much about the 1 million people headed to San Antonio over the next quarter century.

Its a common refrain from the candidate who often refers to himself in the third person. Nirenberg pointed out that residents are now dealing with the byproducts of immense growth, such as traffic quagmires, precisely because of past lack of planning.

The three candidates also staked out positions on Senate Bill 2, which would cap the amount of annual revenue increases Texas cities and counties could collect at 4 percent.

Both Taylor and Nirenberg dismissed the measure as something that would hurt cities and fail to help homeowners.

I am not going to, for political points, make up a solution that will not impact you whatsoever, Nirenberg said. And frankly, the reason why we have such poor turnout and participation in government today, whether its local or national, is because we have too many politicians trying to score a point.

If the measure passes and becomes law, homeowners wont get the relief they were seeking, he said.

But the aggregate amount of lost revenue, Taylor said, would be severely detrimental to the services offered by the city.

It does not provide real relief for the taxpayers, she said. The amount of money you would save on your tax bill for the average homeowner might be able to pay for lunch at a moderately priced fast-food restaurant.

The city has calculated that the measure would save the median homeowner about $4.30 a month.

Medina argued that while the city has not raised the ad valorem tax rate in more than two decades, it hasnt done enough to combat rising property values and argued that San Antonio should reduce the tax rate when values increase.

Casey, the moderator, questioned Medina about his plan as mayor, which includes some hefty promises, such as building a rail line between San Antonio and Austin, saying it seems costly and at odds with his push to cap tax revenues and lower the property tax rate.

I dont agree thats going to cost a lot of money, Medina replied. The city has to live within its means. We have too many six-figure salaries at City Hall, too many pet projects at City Hall.

On another controversial proposal at the Legislature, all three candidates generally agreed that the so-called bathroom bill, which would force transgender people to use the bathrooms that correspond with their sex at birth, is bad for Texas.

They differed a bit on the issue of sanctuary cities, however.

Nirenberg said everyone agrees that border security is important.

We should also believe in safe neighborhoods and streets in our community, he said.

Taylor underscored the need for San Antonio police officers to not act as immigration officers because everyone one in San Antonio, regardless of immigration status, should feel comfortable reporting a crime to SAPD officers or coming forward as a witness.

The city, she said, should avoid using the nebulous term sanctuary city and cooperate with the feds when asked so as not to jeopardize federal funding used to fight crime.

Medina embraces the term.

We are a sanctuary city. Why? said Medina, who has won support from some Tea Party activists. Because we protect good people.

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh
WASHINGTON  House Republicans on Monday released long-awaited legislation to supplant the Affordable Care Act with a more conservative vision for the nations health care system, replacing federal insurance subsidies with a new form of individual tax credits and grants to help states shape their own policies.

Under bills drafted by two House committees, the GOP would no longer penalize Americans for failing to have health insurance and would begin winding down the ACAs expansion of Medicaid three years from now.

The legislation would preserve two of the most popular features of the ACA, letting young adults stay on their parents health plans until age 26 and forbidding insurers from denying coverage or charging more to people with pre-existing problems. But it would allow insurers to impose a surcharge on such people if they have had a gap in coverage.

The drafts culminate two months of work by the committees to try to carry out the GOPs desire to replace the ACA with a more conservative set of policies.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement Monday that the plans release is an important step toward restoring health care choices and affordability back to the American people.

More Information At a glance Here's a look at some of the major components: PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE Provides tax credits for people buying their own health insurance. The subsidies would be keyed primarily to age, rising as people get older. Financial assistance would be phased out for individuals making more than $75,000 and married couples earning more than $150,000. Subsidies could be used to buy any plan approved by a state. Greatly expands contributions to health savings accounts, which allow people with high-deductible insurance to cover expenses that their plans don't pay for. Allows insurers to charge their oldest customers up to five times what they charge young adults. The ACA limits that to three times. MEDICAID Maintains the ACA's higher federal financing for expanded Medicaid through the end of 2019. After that, states can only continue to receive enhanced federal payments for beneficiaries already covered by the expansion, which has mainly helped low-income adults with no children living at home. But for newly enrolled beneficiaries, the federal government would provide a lower level of financing. Imposes a one-year funding freeze on Planned Parenthood, a major provider of women's health services, including abortion. PENALTIES & TAXES Repeals the ACA's tax penalties on people who remain uninsured and on larger employers thatdo not offer coverage. The repeal is retroactive to 2016. Repeals the ACA's taxes on upper-income earners, investors, health insurance plans and medical device manufacturers. Repeals 10 percent sales tax on indoor tanning. See More Collapse

He said President Donald Trump looks forward to working with Congress but is not weighing in on the plans merits.

To win enough support among Republicans who control the House and Senate, the bill must address concerns of both conservatives concerned about the cost of the overhaul and about worries that it might enshrine a new federal entitlement, as well as more moderate members who want to ensure that their constituents retain access to affordable care.

Even so, signs emerged Monday that Republicans in the Senate could balk at the cost of the proposal or if it leaves swaths of the country without insurance coverage.

Four GOP senators, all from states that chose to expand Medicaid under the ACA, said they would oppose any new plan that would leave millions of Americans uninsured. They are Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

The senators were split on exactly what proposals would meet their standards, but with 52 Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would not have enough votes to pass repeal without the support of at least two of them.

The tax credits outlined by the Ways and Means Committees part of the legislation incorporate an approach that Republicans have long criticized: income-based aid to help Americans afford health coverage.

Until now, the GOP had been intending to veer away from the ACA subsidies that help poor and middle-class people obtain insurance, insisting that the size of tax credits with which they planned to replace the subsidies should be based on peoples ages and not their incomes. But the drafts issued Monday proposed refundable tax credits that would hinge on earnings as well as age.

This big pivot, developed by the Ways and Means Committee, stems from a combination of problems that were arising with the idea of age-only credits that would have been available to any individual or family buying insurance on their own, no matter how affluent.

Estimates from congressional budget analysts and the White Houses Office of Management and Budget kept showing that the credits would be both too small to provide enough help to lower-income people and too expensive overall for a GOP determined to slash spending that the ACA has required.

Trump has made clear that he is sensitive to any changes that would strand large numbers of people who gained coverage under the ACA.

Under the bill, the government would continue for now the aspect of the ACA in which the federal government pays virtually the entire cost of covering people who have joined the Medicaid rolls because their states expanded their program.

Thirty-one states, plus the District of Columbia, have adopted that expansion. Texas is not among them.

But starting in 2020, the GOP plan would restrict the governments generous Medicaid payment  90 percent of the cost of covering people in the expansion group  only to people who were in the program as of then. States would keep getting that amount of federal help for each of those people as long as they remained eligible, with the idea that most people on Medicaid drop off after a few years.

For the 19 states that did not expand Medicaid, the legislation would provide $10 billion spread over five years. States could use that money to subsidize hospitals and other providers of care that treat many poor patients.
Photo taken on March 6, 2017 shows a part of equipments for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) arriving in the Osan Air Base, about 70 km south of the capital Seoul, South Korea. The photo was provided by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). (Xinhua/USFK)
SALEM, Ohio  The Ohio Senate Ways and Means Committee heard additional support for a bill that would reform the way farm property taxes are calculated.

The Ohio Cattlemens Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Ohio Conservation Federation and Ducks Unlimited all testified in favor of S.B. 36 during a committee hearing March 1, at the Statehouse.

The bill calls for the elimination of certain non-agricultural factors from the Current Agricultural Use Value formula, better known as CAUV. And it also calls for approved conservation ground to be taxed at the minimum values.

No crop produced

Proponents argue that land taken out of production  and devoted to specific conservation practices  should not be taxed as though it were producing a crop.

Why would any landowner want to install conservation practices like riparian areas, restore wetlands, or keep a woodlot intact if taxes keep going up asked Matt Misicka, president of the Ohio Conservation Federation, in written testimony.

The Nature Conservancy said conservation is going to be a key component in helping correct the states water quality problems, and that the current formula discourages farmers and landowners from engaging in additional conservation.

Frank Phelps, the immediate past president of the Ohio Cattlemens Association, said the problem has to do with economics, and conservation. He reminded lawmakers that the current formula led to a tax increase of 300 percent, which hurt crop farmers as well as livestock producers.

More accurate formula

A Logan County beef producer, Phelps said the bill would eliminate equity buildup and market appreciation from the formula  resulting in a more accurate, farm-income-based formula.

Phelps also echoed sentiments of the Ohio Farm Bureau and Ohio Farmers Union, which testified in the previous hearing, Feb. 22, saying that higher CAUV taxes are hurting voter support for school levies.

He wrote, in his testimony, that if the tax burden were reduced, rural districts would be able to support more levies.

No opponents submitted testimony for the March 1 hearing, but opponents and interested parties were invited to do so at the March 8 hearing.

Last year, a similar bill heard by the same committee drew criticism from some county auditors and school boards  because they feared the changes would bring about a tax shift that would affect residential property owners.

Cost to schools

The Ohio Legislative Service Commission, a nonpartisan agency which analyzed the bill, found that the bill could cost school districts $18 million or more a year, and also cost local governments $19 million or more.

But proponents have also noted that the fiscal analysis assumed all counties would go to the new CAUV values at one time, when in fact, the changes would be phased in on the three-year rolling basis currently in use for property tax revaluations.

The last hearing was scheduled for March 8, the same day Farm and Dairy prints. You can follow the bills progress online at www.ohiosenate.gov/committee/ways-and-means, and search for S.B. 36.
In an effort to reduce the lines at the Prince William landfill and compost facility, now that both are closed on Sundays, the county is encouraging residents who regularly visit such faciliti
It comes as no surprise that the authorities appear to have caught up with Mossack Fonsecas founders, Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca, who were arrested last month in Panama City and the firms offices raided.

The news is a further devastating blow to the firm, already reeling from the aftershocks of the Panama Papers scandal, which lays the blame squarely at its feet for some of the more infamous revelations.

In a statement, Panama Attorney General Kenia Porcell said the firm allegedly worked with contacts in Brazil to destroy evidence related to those implicated in the bribery scandal.

In short: Money from bribes circulate through various places to return laundered to Panama, Porcell said.

Although further details have yet to be released, tying the firm to the Brazilian Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) scandal is a huge development. The year-long investigation reads like a Whos Who of South American countries. Added to the mix are investigations in the United States and Switzerland.

The news about the Mossack and Fonseca arrests comes at a time when the Panama Papers scandal was fading into history, only for the embers to reignite. I for one have mused that silence was not linked to inaction. Most criminal investigations are cloaked in secrecy for obvious reasons.

The Panama Papers story was simply too big and too grave for law enforcement to ignore. Public interest was always going to dictate that a full investigation would be required to gauge the depth of the problems being unearthed. The Brazilian Lava Jato investigation is huge. The many levels of corruption and the losses incurred by the public purse, demands that many stones be overturned.

Although it remains to be seen if Mossack Fonsecas founders were aware and complicit in the events tying the firm to Operation Car Wash, it is highly unlikely that the authorities would target the founders without reasonable suspicion that they may have been involved, either directly, or by turning a blind eye. MF has issued a denial that it was connected to any entity linked to Operation Car Wash.

The underlying problems for the firm are those of a lack of plausibility and credibility. There have been too many revelations and too many blanket denials. At some stage mud is going to stick. Mossack Fonseca handled the initial and subsequent fallout very poorly.

Issuing denial after denial (or flimsy excuses) is not the way to limit damage when under a crescendo of criticism and volley after volley of journalistic cannon fire. Ramon Fonsecas analogy of Mossack Fonseca being like a car manufacturer, where you cant blame General Motors for a reckless driver, was a red herring: offshore incorporators are required to know their customers under AML law. At some stage they have to admit to some meaningful culpability.

If Mossack Fonseca has knowingly facilitated the movement of assets away from Brazil, then it deserves all it will get. Grand Corruption is an insidious crime against humanity and needs to be eradicated. In this instance, the ordinary citizens of Brazil have suffered the most as billions of dollars of value have been unlawfully diverted elsewhere.

There is going to be a lot more fallout from the Panama Papers scandal. The countries affected who have lost billions in tax revenue as a consequence of tax evasion will not let matters lie. Added to this the facilitation of money laundering for criminal gangs and organized crime, plus the potential links to terrorist extremists and their revenue streams, and you have a heady cocktail of reasons why this scandal is anything but dead. The global authorities owe it to their people to right the wrongs and bring those responsible to book. So watch this space.

____

Martin Kenney is Managing Partner of Martin Kenney & Co., Solicitors, a specialist investigative and asset recovery practice based in the BVI and focused on multi-jurisdictional fraud and grand corruption cases www.martinkenney.com |@MKSolicitors.
Bill Paxton's cause of death has been confirmed as a stroke following complications with heart surgery.

Bill Paxton in 2013

The 'Twister' actor passed away last month at the age of 61, and it has now been revealed that his cause of death came after he suffered a stroke 11 days after having undergone surgery to replace a heart valve and correct an aortic aneurysm.

According to Bill's death certificate, originally obtained by TMZ.com, the star went under the knife for surgery on February 11, and suffered the stroke which ended his life on the 25th.

At the time, Bill's family confirmed the sad news in a statement describing him as an "adored husband and father".

The statement read: "It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery.

"A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker.

"Bill's passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family's wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father."

Meanwhile, a number of stars have taken to social media to pay tribute to the actor, including his 'True Lies' co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.

She wrote: "Nooooo. Bill Paxton is gone. Such a funny, talented, loving human. Louise & the children & family my [love] & support 2 u. #truelies (sic)"

Meanwhile, 'Breaking Bad' actor Aaron Paul remembered one of the "greatest guys" he'd ever met.

He wrote: "Bill Paxton was hands down one of the greatest guys that I have ever met. I feel lucky to have called him my friend. Bill, I love you. RIP. (sic)"

Lou Diamond Phillips posted: "I am stunned & saddened at the passing of Bill Paxton. I just worked with him recently. A warm and beautiful soul and a talented actor. RIP (sic)"

And Zach Braff wrote: "Bill Paxton. A very talented man. As skilled with comedy as he was with drama. Carpe Diem. #rip (sic)"
Photo taken on March 6, 2017 shows a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arriving in South Korea. The photo was provided by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). (Xinhua/USFK)

The deployment of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea has gotten underway with the arrival of part of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, Seoul's defense ministry said on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Within a hour after CCTV divulged the news, more than 10,000 people had commented on the network's Weibo account, with many Chinese netizens expressing concern over issues of safety and patriotism. Some vowed to promote a new wave of boycotts against Lotte and other South Korean companies.

The hot button issue has already generated 535,000 page views and become one of the most discussed topics on Weibo by 1pm on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang explained in a Feb. 27 press release that China is firm in its resolve to oppose the deployment of THAAD in the ROK, and will resolutely take action to safeguard its own security interests. Any resultant consequences must be borne by the U.S. and ROK.

Lotte Group, a South Korean conglomerate that covers shopping malls to chocolate, has been facing boycotts in China since it approved a land swap outside Seoul last week, allowing South Korea to install the THAAD system.
Princess Anne visited Elgin in Scotland on Monday (06.03.17) to open a new youth kitchen.

Princess Anne

The 66-year-old royal unveiled a plaque at Elgin Youth Kitchen and spoke with volunteers about their plans for the small diner.

According to The Northern Scot, the Princess Royal said the kitchen was a "great idea".

She also attended Gordonstoun School for a ceremony put on to mark the 50th anniversary of the Consecration of St Christopher's Chapel.

Anne's trip to the former cathedral city in Moray, Scotland is far from over as today (07.03.17) she will head to Elgin centre to learn about the 'Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere' project, which was set up to teach visitors the story of its buildings, past and present, and those who visited the town and of those who lived and worked in the town.

Anne has been spending a lot of time in Scotland of late and the current trip will no doubt give her plenty more fond memories.

In January, the royal's yacht was repaired using a 20 fan belt from a Vauxhall Astra after the vessel broke down at sea off Scotland.

Celia, who runs a yacht charter business, previously explained: "A request was sent out and the good folk of Tobermory commandeered a Vauxhall Astra fan belt to set the royal engine to rights.

"She said it was a really good memory - she loves sailing around the Inner Hebrides.

"The Princess was quite amused the fan belt came off an Astra and was impressed by the resourcefulness of people here finding a way of getting something to work.

"When she came over to the Sail Scotland stand [at the Boat Show] she was not expecting a yachtswoman from [the Isle of] Eigg - her face lit up and told the story."
The market for sustainable fashion is enormous and it continues to grow, according to Morgan Mallett, a Canada based fashion designer. She recently introduced a sewless collection made of sustainable and ethically-sourced Portuguese cork fabric, which is tough, tear-resistant and waterproof. Her inspiration for the collection was the material itself.

"Consumers are tired of buying clothes whose quality deteriorates after few wears and washes. We are all becoming aware of the incredible damage our culture of consumption and planned obsolescence is having on our world. There is a significant rise in the number of people who want to know how and where their clothing is made. Consumers have more power than we realise," Mallett told Fibre2Fashion.

The transition from designing jewelleries to clothes has not been easy for her. "There is much more planning required when you are designing clothingespecially when you are importing materials from another continent. I found myself making more than twice the number of prototypes than usual, as more was at stake re: time and materials costs," informed Mallett whose sewless collection have been made from sustainable and ethically-sourced Portuguese cork fabric.

The market for sustainable fashion is enormous and it continues to grow, according to Morgan Mallett, a Canada based fashion designer. She recently introduced a sewless collection made of sustainable and ethically-sourced Portuguese cork fabric, which is tough, tear-resistant and waterproof. Her inspiration for the collection was the material itself.#

Talking of the sustainable material used in the sewless clothing collection, she explained, "I have used black and white cork fabric which looks so stunningly unusual all on its own. I intend to continue working with sustainable materialsits what we need to be focusing on as designers."

As an industry, we tend to focus on making existing materials used in clothing more sustainable, rather than asking why we need to include them in the first place, said Mallet. "Microplastics are a huge concern for the planet, and I realised last year that all of my faux-leather clothing in my closet contained plastics. I also observed that most of it was either disintegrating or wearing out quickly. I did some research, and ordered some cork leather samples. I was amazed at how the fabric performed and how tough and light it was. We are used to seeing cork being used for limited items in North America: wine corks, cork boards, and cork flooring. Cork textiles are quite a different entitytough, tear-resistant and naturally waterproof. "

Slowly, we are moving towards sustainable fashion but one of the main challenges is the already established fashion system. "It has been with us for so long, and it has been a huge financial success. When a sector generates so much income, its hard to create change and convince stakeholders to shift towards a new way of operating. I think the mental shiftnot the mechanics of physical changeis the big hurdle for sustainability in our industry," she said. (KD)

Click here to read the complete interview.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Version 5.0 of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has been released. It has stricter criteria for regenerated fibres. A category 'Combined Products' has also been added. GOTS is the worldwide recognised standard for the processing of textiles made with 95 per cent ('organic') or at least 70 per cent ('made with organic') certified organic fibres.

GOTS' core provisions such as the minimum content of certified organic fibres and the general bans on the use of toxic and harmful chemicals, conventional cotton, virgin polyester, GMOs, substances derived from GMOs and nanotechnology have been maintained.

The criteria for the 'additional fibre material' are now stricter regarding the environmentally improved and certified regenerated cellulosic fibres: The use of Viscose and Modal is now restricted to 10% (25% for sportswear and socks). Lyocell may still be used up to 30% because of its more sustainable manufacturing processes.

Version 5.0 of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has been released. It has stricter criteria for regenerated fibres. A category 'Combined Products' has also been added. GOTS is the worldwide recognised standard for the processing of textiles made with 95 per cent ('organic') or at least 70 per cent ('made with organic') certified organic fibres.#

For the first time GOTS will allow 'Combined Products' such as prams with textile fabrics, bassinets, car seats or furniture with textile fabric upholstery to have certified and labelled fabric components.

Regarding the GOTS social criteria, an explicit section on Ethical Business Behaviour including a corruption ban was added, based on the UN Global Compact Principles. The mandatory GOTS Social Compliance Management System for the first time includes guidance on the use of tools such as SAI Social Fingerprint to help companies measure and improve their social performance.

"Revision of GOTS always walks a fine line between strict and verifiable criteria and the needs of the market. For example, version 5.0 includes the tightening of composition requirements with respect to regenerated cellulosic fibres. On the other hand, the new possibility of combined products with fabric components certified to GOTS helps include a range of products that could not carry the GOTS label in the past. This helps to increase our contribution to sustainable development," says Rahul Bhajekar, GOTS director Standards Development and Quality Assurance.

GOTS 5.0 is the result of a year-long revision process with multi stakeholder input which is repeated every three years. All relevant stakeholders who operate internationally with expertise in the fields of organic production, textile colourants and chemicals, social criteria and industry, NGOs and consumer interests were invited to participate. Invited organisations included Greenpeace, Clean Clothes Campaign, Fair Labour Association, FairWear Foundation, IFOAM, ILO, Transparency International, Social Accountability International (SAI) and Textile Exchange. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Staubli, a leading manufacturer of high-speed textile machinery in Switzerland, displayed its new range of textile machineries at the recently held DTG 2017, the 14th Dhaka international textile and garment machinery exhibition, from February 23 to 26, 2017, at the BICC - Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh in booth 251, hall 2.The company displayed the automatic warp tying machine, TOPMATIC 201 PC, which has an integrated double-end-detection that works even with flat warps without lease. Its tying speed can attempt 600 knots per minute. In addition to its weaver profits of its long service life and the important flexibility, it offers yarn range from 0,8 to 500 tex and is suitable for warps with or without lease. At the Staubli booth, TOPMATIC 301 was being demonstrated on a TPF3 tying frame, showing its benefits tying multifilament.

Staubli, a leading manufacturer of high-speed textile machinery in Switzerland, displayed its new range of textile machineries at the recently held DTG 2017, the 14th Dhaka international textile and garment machinery exhibition, from February 23 to 26, 2017, at the BICC - Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh in booth 251, hall 2.#

Staubli displayed products from a large product portfolio that included solutions for frame weaving with air-jet, water-jet, rapier, and projectile weaving machines. The range included, for example, the new robust 1691 cam motion that is available with up to 8 lifting units, at a pitch of 12millimetres.Staubli also presented the new generation of reliable, state-of-the-art dobbies, S3000/S3200. These series feature the new concept of selection of heald frames by locking and are compatible with weaving machines made by all the major makers. Weavers can choose among several models the one perfectly adapted to their requirements.Adaptable to all types of air jet, rapier, and water jet machines, the SX Jacquard machine that produces excellent results in the form of terry cloth, decorative material, tapestry, silk fabric, apparels or seat covers, was also presented at the expo. With its optimised housing and performant lifting mechanism, this machine operates reliably under the most demanding conditions in weaving mills. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Bipasha Basu was roped in as the showstopper for the grand finale of London-based designers Lubna and Uzma Rafiq at the India-Pakistan London Fashion Show. For the event, Bipasha along with hubby Karan Singh Grover arrived in London on March 4.

As per a report in Mumbai Mirror, all was kind of well until 6 pm when Bipasha refused to step out of her hotel room. She even abused her manager who tried to talk to her. When contacted by Mumbai Mirror, the official talent scout of the show, Ronita Sharma recalled the horrific experience saying, "While still in India, Sana told us that Bipasha wanted her husband Karan to fly out to London with her and her stay be extended to five nights. We had already booked rooms at Mayfair but since there were no rooms available after she extended her stay, we shifted her to the Montcalm Hotel, another five-star property which cost us 600 pounds per night. All her requirements were taken care of and an advance fee was paid. Within minutes of landing in London, we handed her two local SIM cards which she literally threw back on my face because it only had a five pound recharge. There were around 20 people watching us, including the chauffeurs. The tantrums got worse once Bipasha reached the hotel."

And she refused to step out while the show began and ended without a showstopper. After the show got over, 5 hours later, Bipasha and Karan walked out of their room with a map of London in hand and headed out of the hotel.

While talking to Mumbai Mirror, Ronita also said that Bipasha refused to speak to her manager Sana who had to be helped out by Sunny Surani, who works in tandem with the UK Government to assist with visas for film projects.

"It was a pitiful situation when I was contacted. I had to organise accommodation and food for Bipasha's manager Sana, and book her on the next flight to Mumbai. The total loss suffered by the show organisers because of Bipasha amounts to 7800 pounds, apart from the travel expenses paid to her in cash at the airport. Bipasha used this as "honeymoon money" but we will fight this till the end. We are going to apply to the visa and immigration centre to debar her from working in the UK in future."

Ronita has given Bipasha and her agency 48 hours to reply to her emails, calls and messages to come to a solution and if not resolved, she plans to fight the actress for damages to herself and her client. "The agency doesn't want anything more to do with the affair. But I cannot forget how we, credible and respectable working professionals, cried and begged Bipasha to walk the ramp and how mercilessly she let not only us down but also India, and that too on a platform that was meant to portray the unity between two countries. As event organisers we are used to delays, complains and unreasonable demands but everybody always comes to an amicable agreement. Sometimes the organisers apologise, sometimes the celebrities and everybody goes home having earned some money and recognition. But this is unacceptable," Ronita signed off.

Moreover, Bipasha's spokesperson told Mirror, "Bipasha has always had a spotless reputation for more than 15 years in the industry and has been a thorough professional. Unfortunately, the organisers didn't honour their commitment as promised in terms of hospitality and logistics, on landing Bipasha had to book her own hotel stay. What happened was completely unprofessional on the organisers part."

This morning, Karan posted a picture of the couple on Instagram which read, You can not move us with your might, you can not hurt us with your words, you can not affect us with your lies. We are unstoppable because we are love and light. We are peaceful because we are the truth...We sleep well at night because we are free from corruption. Be with us not against us, let's spread the love and cure negativity."

Bipasha reposted the picture with its caption. She even took to twitter and spoke her mind.

Hearing about a con woman talking utter rubbish about my work ethics and some section of the media giving them space too.  Bipasha Basu (@bipsluvurself) March 6, 2017
On March 4, Bipasha Basu and her husband Karan Singh Grover arrived in London for the 'India Pakistan London Fashion Show' as she had been roped in as the showstopper for the grand finale at Gibson Hall. Sadly, just four hours before the fashion show kickstarted, Bipasha refused to come out of her hotel room or speak to anybody. When her manager Sana Kapoor tried to convince her to come out, Bips abused her and kept her out of the room. Apparently, she also hurled abuses and insulted the founder and organiser of the show, Gurbani Kaur, slamming the door in her face.

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Ronita Sharma Rekhi, the official talent scout of the show who was in charge of getting Bipasha to London opened up to Mumbai Mirror as saying, "While still in India, Sana told us that Bipasha wanted her husband Karan to fly out to London with her and her stay be extended to five nights. We had already booked rooms at Mayfair but since there were no rooms available after she extended her stay, we shifted her to the Montcalm Hotel, another five-star property which cost us 600 pounds per night. All her requirements were taken care of and an advance fee was paid. Within minutes of landing in London, we handed her two local SIM cards which she literally threw back on my face because it only had a five pound recharge. There were around 20 people watching us, including the chauffeurs. The tantrums got worse once Bipasha reached the hotel."



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Rekhi adds that an hour before the show was about to start, the designers, the hair-dresser and make-up artistes were waiting for Bipasha's arrival in the hotel lobby and Bips vehemently refused to come down and the fashion show went on without a showstopper.

However, Bipasha Basu has denied all these allegations made against her by the event organisers and tweeted as saying, "Hearing about a con woman talking utter rubbish about my work ethics and some section of the media giving them space too," and "15 years you don't last any business being unprofessional. You last because you are clear and particular and have self respect."

Check out Bipasha's tweets below! What do you guys think about the whole issue? Leave your comments!

Hearing about a con woman talking utter rubbish about my work ethics and some section of the media giving them space too.  Bipasha Basu (@bipsluvurself) March 6, 2017
Gubani On Choosing Bipasha

"I chose Bipasha because she is a name in the fashion world and my sponsors wanted her" Gurbani told Spotboye.

How Bipashas Drama Started

Gurbani reveals that the moment, Bipasha landed at the London airport, she started creating a big ruckus. "She (Bipasha) was not satisfied with the SIM cards we gave her. She threw them back at Ronita, who had gone to receive her," said Gurbani.

Bipasha Rejected A Lavish Hotel?

"I was not at the airport but had decided to greet her straight at the hotel. Now imagine my horror, when I learnt that she doesn't want to stay at the hotel where Shahrukh Khan gladly stays, Hotel Crange!"

Bipashas High Demand From Gurbani

Gurbani further revealed, "We then gave her the option of two hotels- Monteclan and Mayfair, and she turned around to say that she wanted a Parkland suite in Monteclam, and mind you that costs about 1500 pounds for a night. Add to this that she wanted us to extend her stay to 5 days, which would have made me shell out Rs 7 lakh."

When Bipasha Made Gurbani Cry

Taking about the same, Gurbani told, "Bipasha called me aside and said: I don't want to talk any rubbish. What the f**k is this? I want my f**k**g money. This is not the way to deal with a celebrity." Gurbani further added, "I felt so insulted. I started crying. This was my first show."

Bipasha Scratched Her Manager With Nails?

Gurbani also revealed that Bipasha's manager Sana, who had flown down with her (at Gurbani's cost) showed her Bipasha's nail marks on her arm. "Women are abusing women. Is this how Bipasha treats her manager? Are these guys human?" said Gurbani.

How Bipasha Reacted On The Allegations?

Post this controversy went viral online, Bipasha posted a tweet and referred the talent scout of the show, Ronita Sharma Rekhi as a con woman!

Heres What Bipasha Wrote:

15 years you don't last any business being unprofessional. You last because you are clear and particular and have self respect. Hearing about a con woman talking utter rubbish about my work ethics and some section of the media giving them space too.

Ronita Hits Back At Bipasha

Post her tweet, Ronita hits back at Bipasha and shared a long post, while challenging Bipasha Basu and also insisted Bipasha's manager, Sana, to reveal the truth to the media that how Bipasha ill-treated her.

Ronitas Post

"So now you all know how horrible this actress was to me and yes I am going to challenge her because after I posted about her she finally managed to speak but called me a con woman, but m here to fight with you woman!!!"

"Let me tell you my friends after I wrote this article so many people from every where in the world messaged me on what's app , Facebook, text that they have all gone through some kind of trouble and horrific experience by her. And they are ready to fight and are supporting me."
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/06/17 -- RepliCel Life Sciences Inc. ("RepliCel" or the "Company") (OTCQB: REPCD)(TSX VENTURE: RP)(FRANKFURT: P6P2), a clinical stage regenerative medicine company focused on the development of autologous cell therapies, announces that it has applied to the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") for an amendment to the exercise price of 148,226 non-transferable share purchase warrants (the "April Warrants") expiring April 10, 2017 from $5.00 to $1.14 and 173,900 non-transferable share purchase warrants (the "November Warrants") expiring on November 20, 2017 from $4.00 to $1.14. All other terms of the April Warrants and the November Warrants will remain the same. The amendment to the exercise price is subject to the approval of the Exchange.

About RepliCel Life Sciences

RepliCel is a regenerative medicine company focused on developing autologous cell therapies that address conditions caused by a deficit of healthy cells required for normal healing and function. The Company's product pipeline is comprised of two ongoing clinical trials (RCT-01: tendon repair and RCS-01: skin rejuvenation) as well as its RCH-01: hair restoration product under exclusive license by Shiseido Company for certain Asian countries. All product candidates are based on RepliCel's innovative technology, utilizing cell populations isolated from a patient's healthy hair follicles. The Company has also developed a proprietary injection device (RCI-02) optimized for the administration of its products and licensable for use with other dermatology applications. Please visit www.replicel.com for additional information.

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.

Contacts:

Lee Buckler

CEO and President

604-248-8693

lee@replicel.com




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/06/17 -- Blackbird Energy Inc. ("Blackbird") (TSX VENTURE: BBI) is pleased to report that it has closed the previously announced acquisition (the "Acquisition") of 13 gross sections of Montney rights (3.1 net) (the "Acquisition Lands") from Paramount Resources Ltd. ("Paramount") pursuant to the terms of a purchase and sale agreement dated February 21, 2017. The Acquisition is effective February 1, 2017.

Blackbird issued an aggregate of 5,000,000 common shares to Paramount as consideration for the Acquisition (the "Consideration Shares"). The Consideration Shares are subject to a hold period expiring July 7, 2017.

The Acquisition Lands increase Blackbird's Montney rights at Elmworth / Pipestone to 115 gross sections (99.9 net).

Blackbird's Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Corporation (the "AGM") will be held in the Wildrose North Room at the Sheraton Eau Claire, 255 Barclay Parade S.W., Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 1:00 P.M. Mountain Standard Time ("MST"). The AGM was originally to be held in the Wildrose South Room; however, in order to accommodate a larger audience it was moved to the Wildrose North Room.

Shareholders who are unable to attend the AGM in person may view a live webcast or listen to the conference call. The log-in and dial-in information for the webcast and conference call is as follows:

Date: March 8, 2017

Time: 1:00 P.M. MST (3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time)

Live Webcast Link: http://asquared.tv/blackbirdenergy.html

Please connect to the webcast URL at least 30 minutes prior to the AGM to test your system. Blackbird will play a video loop with sound so you will be able to test your audio levels and video playback before the event. For technical support please visit http://asquared.tv/support.html.

Conference Call Dial-in Numbers:

U.S. & Canada: 866 740 1260

Germany: 0 800 664 5316

Austria: 0 800 8866 3212

Switzerland: 0 800 705 351

United Kingdom: 0 800 496 0576

Other International Numbers: https://www.readytalk.com/rt/an.php?tfnum=8667401260

Access Code: 5228388

About Blackbird

Blackbird Energy Inc. is a highly innovative oil and gas exploration and development company focused on the condensate and liquids-rich Montney fairway at Elmworth, near Grande Prairie, Alberta.

For more information please view our Corporate Presentation at www.blackbirdenergyinc.com.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. 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 PRESS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Blackbird Energy Inc.

Garth Braun

Chairman, CEO and President

(403) 500-5550

gbraun@blackbirdenergyinc.com



Blackbird Energy Inc.

Jeff Swainson

Chief Financial Officer

(403) 699-9929

jswainson@blackbirdenergyinc.com



Blackbird Energy Inc.

Joshua Mann

Vice President, Business Development

(403) 390-2144

josh@blackbirdenergyinc.com

www.blackbirdenergyinc.com




(Xinhua) 15:49, March 07, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday spoke separately over phone with leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss the latest test-launch of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the White House.

Trump emphasized U.S. commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the "serious threat" posed by the DPRK, said a statement by the White House.

The Trump administration is taking steps to further enhance the ability to deter and defend against the DPRK's ballistic missiles using the full range of U.S. military capabilities, said the statement.

The phone talks followed the DPRK's test-launch on Monday of four ballistic missiles that flew around 1,000 km toward its eastern waters. Among the four, three reportedly fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The latest missile launch by the DPRK came as the United States and South Korea were conducting their joint military drill.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday it is opposed to the launch activities of the DPRK that was in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and urged all sides to keep restraint.

Citing the ongoing training exercise jointly conducted by the United States and South Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should keep restraint and avoid provoking each other and intensifying the tense situation in the region.

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday kicked off their joint springtime war game which would mobilize the massive U.S. strategic assets, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The Foal Eagle field training exercise is scheduled to last until late April, bringing USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, F-35B stealth fighter jets, B-1B strategic bombers, nuclear-capable B-52 long-range bombers and other strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK had denounced it as a rehearsal for northward invasion.
SINGAPORE -- (Marketwired) -- 03/06/17 -- Leader in print and enterprise content management Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia (BSA), is supporting the production of the special edition of the locally-authored book titled "History of Singapore -- Islands and Islanders."

A range of pages from the book feature modern printing techniques that adds a textured coating to images, creating a more enriching reading experience. It is achieved through Konica Minolta's JETVARNISH 3DS UV spot varnish device that turns printed jobs into a sensory encounter.

"We have seen a rise in the number of publishers and marketers applying textured finishes to their works," said Jonathan Yeo, General Manager, Konica Minolta BSA. "Hence, our print partners are looking for new and efficient solutions to enhance their print jobs and provide more value-added services to their customers."

Documenting Singapore's Island History with Lifelike Prints

Printed in a standard A4 edition and A3 Premium Edition, the book, written and produced by Captain Frederick James Francis, provides a seafarer's perspective on his discovery of Singapore's rich marine coral and marine life. It also aims to provide insights into the Republic's maritime past and progression over the years.

"The spot UV technology has allowed us to achieve high quality tactile effects that would not have been possible through any other printing technology," said Captain Frederick. "It enhances what the book has set out to do -- enabling readers to view the hidden beauty of our colourful corals and marine life, especially around the islands that are not accessible to the public."

MGI JETVARNISH 3DS and iFOIL S

In April 2016, Konica Minolta, Inc. announced an additional 30.5% stake in MGI, increasing Konica Minolta stake to 40.5%. With the strategic alliance with MGI, Konica Minolta added JETvarnish 3DS and iFOIL to its broad portfolio of digital print to provide value-added and innovative solutions. The MGI JETVARNISH 3DS is an accurate and fast production printer that turns regular prints into visually impactful jobs. It can varnish up to 100 microns for 3D raised effects and tactile finishes for more vivid and sensory communication.

The device is also equipped with iFOIL S technology, which enables print producers to perform hot foil stamping in-house. Through an innovative digital process, films and dies are eliminated, enabling users to produce hot foil stamping and embossing jobs from one to thousands of sheets with little set-up.

Huntington Communications

Eugene Chuang

Email Contact




CHICAGO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have invented a new foam, called Oleo Sponge, that can be used to clean up oil and diesel spills in water. The material not only quickly adsorbs oil from water, but is also reusable and can pull dispersed oil from the entire water column-not just the surface. The result is Oleo Sponge, a block of foam that easily adsorbs oil from the water. The material can be wrung out to be reused-and the oil itself recovered.

Video - https://youtu.be/v0QySTVqOJ0

"The Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials and a fellow of the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering.

The scientists started out with common polyurethane foam, used in everything from furniture cushions to home insulation. This foam has lots of nooks and crannies, like an English muffin, which could provide ample surface area to grab oil. They used a nanotechnology technique previously developed at Argonne to infuse a hard layer of "primer" into the foam. This gave the foam a new surface chemistry, so they could firmly attach a second layer of molecules that grab oil.

At tests at a giant seawater tank in New Jersey called Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, the Oleo Sponge successfully collected diesel and crude oil from both below and on the water surface.

"The material is extremely sturdy. We've run dozens to hundreds of tests, wringing it out each time, and we have yet to see it break down at all," Darling said.

Oleo Sponge could potentially also be used routinely to clean harbors and ports, where diesel and oil tend to accumulate from ship traffic.

The team is actively looking to commercialize the material; those interested in licensing the technology or collaborating with the laboratory on further development may contact partnerships@anl.gov.

The research was funded by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The team used resources of the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility, in the development of the material. To learn more, visit [www.anl.gov/articles/argonne-invents-reusable-sponge-soaks-oil-could-revolutionize-oil-spill-and-diesel-cleanup].
SINGAPORE -- (Marketwired) -- 03/28/17 --At a glance:

ALE expands cloud services with new Rainbow Connector, adds new flexible cloud models for OpenTouch, providing customers with a range of options for their UCaaS needs

Rainbow open architecture provides a set of services ("Rainbow Hub" CPaaS platform) that integrate with industry-specific applications and processes, adding collaborative value to customers' assets

ALE, operating under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, is introducing its hybrid communications blueprint to help businesses adopt Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). Rainbow Connected Platform, the ALE "relationship machine," is an overlay service that connects ALE and third-party communications platforms in a hybrid approach, enabling businesses to protect and leverage existing systems while accessing new unified communication services.

The new Rainbow Connector links any PBX (ALE or non-ALE) to the cloud and extends Rainbow UC capabilities (IM, Voice, Video, Screen and File sharing) as it enables calling via the PSTN, with Rainbow assuring call completion beyond the Rainbow community.

ALE is introducing OTEC-S, a multi-tenant cloud-based offer aimed at providing small and midsized companies with the benefits of Telephony as-a-Service coupled with Rainbow's UCaaS capabilities. This expansion of the Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch Enterprise Cloud (OTEC) offer further extends the ALE strategy to deliver connected platforms by enabling enterprises of any size to take advantage of new subscription-based models. Large enterprises have benefited from the OTEC multi-instance architecture since its introduction three years ago. All OTEC customers benefit from the latest release with no upgrade costs, while the providers help manage the subscription from their data center.

In parallel, ALE will introduce OTEC Flex, a unique offer delivering cloud flexibility to Large and X-Large customers. OTEC Flex enables these customers to deploy communications in a flexible and adaptable private cloud environment from one location to another, while dramatically reducing the cost of resources, operations and maintenance.

Rainbow also acts as a CPaaS platform, where everything connects, by using APIs to integrate with business processes and in-house and third-party apps, allowing multiple customers to access the platform at the same time within a separate secure environment.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Business Partners who deliver Rainbow services can offer applications that create greater value in communications via Rainbow Hub APIs portal. For example, a school district can take advantage of a broadcast lockdown and response application in a crisis, a hotel can leverage the Rainbow services integrated into their customer loyalty program application, or a bank can use Rainbow to integrate messaging and notifications over their customer relationship applications.

About Us

We are ALE. Our mission is to make everything connect to create the customized technology experience customers need. We deliver networking and communications that work for your people, processes and customers from your office, the cloud or in combination.

A heritage of innovation and dedication to customer success has made ALE, marketed under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, an essential provider of enterprise networking, communications and services to over 830,000 customers worldwide. ALE has a global reach and local focus with more than 2200 employees and 2900+ partners who serve over 50 countries.

For more information, visit our web site at: http://enterprise.alcatel-lucent.com.

For ongoing news visit our Newsroom, Blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Related Materials

Learn more and sign up for Rainbow at http://www.openrainbow.com/

Collaboration: Why is it so hard to work together?

Tags/Keywords

Rainbow, cloud, collaboration, CPaaS, UCaaS, Connected Platforms, APIs

Press contacts:

Amit Raj Bathla

Vice President, APAC Marketing, ALE

Email Contact



Kimberley Lim

Ogilvy Public Relations, on behalf of ALE

Email Contact

+65 9620 2779




iBasis, a KPN company, and Turkcell, Turkey's integrated mobile and fixed telecommunications operator, have collaborated to open an IPX Point of Presence (PoP) in Istanbul. The new IPX PoP builds on Turkcell's efforts to provide multiple services including 2G/3G and LTE Signaling and Roaming to enrich the customer roaming experience and is expected to stimulate growth in LTE services throughout the region. The PoP also expands the reach of the iBasis global IPX network, which already includes more than 450 LTE destinations worldwide.

As a result of this collaboration, Eurasian and Middle Eastern mobile operators now have a single point of contact for global IPX reach with secure end-to-end quality of service, enabling them to offer roaming subscribers the full range of LTE services. By offering roaming services from Istanbul, the new iBasis PoP will support growth of the mobile ecosystem and accelerate the market for LTE services throughout Eurasia and Middle East. The geographical redundancy, diversity of transmission routes and high availability of the Turkcell network infrastructure will secure service stability.

"We are very pleased to expand the partnership we started with Turkcell more than 10 years ago. Today, we provide the full range of global services voice, data, signaling and roaming, leveraging our IPX network to support their impressive growth," said Feddo Hazewindus, President and CEO of iBasis. "It's truly a win-win partnership, using our different capabilities to generate new revenue opportunities for both of us and strengthening the international communications ecosystem. This is how our industry can grow and better serve its subscribers around the world."

"With the target of transforming the Silk Road into the Fiber Road, Turkcell cooperates with international operators and continues to take important steps to advance the evolution of Istanbul into the world's newest Internet base due to it geostrategic location. Accordingly, we provide a bridge between East and West, which supplies a continuous connection with the speed of light, by partnering with Tier-1 operators. We have been working very closely with iBasis for many years, and together we have forged strong relationships across multiple teams to better address our business requirements. This successful collaboration is a result of our common focus on innovation and delivering the best user experience globally. We aim to provide fast and reliable service to inbound and outbound roamers, decrease latency and create resell opportunities for the service," said Emre Erdem, Carrier Relations Wholesale Director, Turkcell.

About iBasis

A wholly-owned KPN company, iBasis is a leading IPX Provider for carriers, mobile operators, OTTs and IoT service providers. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of voice services including HD Voice, VoLTE and anti-fraud services. The iBasis IPX is a single multi-service IP interconnect service to interconnect operators on a global scale with guaranteed quality and security, and offering mobile operators high-quality routes, redundancy, and diversity. It interconnects operators and service providers globally with guaranteed quality and security for the entire mobile service portfolio: SS7 Signaling, GRX and S8, Diameter Signaling, VoLTE Interconnect and Roaming, supporting both the LBO and S8HR models. iBasis' InVision advanced analytics enable operators to monitor and proactively manage the quality of roaming traffic on a global scale. iBasis customers include more than 1,000 operators and service providers, and iBasis' global IPX reach is unsurpassed due to its Open Peering Policy. For more information, please visit www.ibasis.com.

About Turkcell

Turkcell is a converged telecommunication and technology services provider, founded and headquartered in Turkey. It serves its customers with voice, data, TV and value-added consumer and enterprise services on mobile and fixed networks. Via its own 36,000 kilometers of fiber network reaching to all neighboring countries, it plays a strategic role in transporting data traffic and telecommunications services between Europe, the Caucasus, Asia and the Middle East; and transforming Turkey into a new junction in the "hyperconnected" world. Turkcell launched LTE services in its home country on April 1, 2016, employing LTE-Advanced and three carrier aggregation technologies in 81 cities. In 2G and 3G, Turkcell's population coverage is at 99.67% and 96.04%, respectively, as of December 2016. It offers up to 1 Gbps fiber internet speed with its FTTH services. Turkcell Group companies operate in six countries Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Northern Cyprus, Germany, Azerbaijan as of December 31, 2016. Turkcell Group reported a TRY14.3 billion revenue in FY16 with total assets of TRY31.6 billion as of December 31, 2016. It has been listed on the NYSE and the BIST since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306005207/en/

Contacts:

iBasis, Inc.

Chris Ward, +1-781-430-7500

http://www.ibasis.com




NEC Seiichiro Toda s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511

TOKYO, Mar 7, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) today announced that it has provided government agencies in Malaysia with hands-on cyber-defense training.More than 20 officials from The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Cyber Security Malaysia (CSM) attended the two-day training held in Cyberjaya, Malaysia recently.The hands-on cyber defense training organized by NEC Corporation and NEC Corporation Malaysia was aimed at enhancing the abilities of system administrators in government agencies to effectively handle the increasing threat of cyber-attacks. By providing simulations of a customer's ICT infrastructure, the practical training enables the cultivation of system administrators with comprehensive cyber defense capabilities."This project is another example of NEC's leading position in the field of cyber-crime prevention," said Chong Kai Wooi, Managing Director of NEC Corporation of Malaysia. "In order to cope with increasingly complex and sophisticated cyber-attacks, it is critically important to cultivate experts who can analyze vulnerability across an organization and respond to cyber incidents quickly and appropriately."NEC conducted this training as part of the "Hands-on pilot training aiming to increase cyber defense capabilities in ASEAN countries," a project commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).In January 2017, Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) and the MIC signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the area of Information and Communication Technologies, including cyber-security. As part of this cooperation, NEC, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, provided hands-on cyber defense training for two government agencies in Malaysia. This training was similar to the MIC's "Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence (CYDER)" provided in Japan.The program capitalized on simulated government office network environments to provide students with valuable first-hand experience in handling a full cyber-attack, from the onset of an information security issue, to its final resolution. The training not only imparted technical skills in handling a cyber-attack, but provided important organizational measures for preventing the spread of damages, including possible instructions for staff and the sharing of information with related institutions.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.Based on its Mid-term Management Plan 2015, the NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html.Source: NEC CorporationContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
HOUSTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabian Oil Company ("Saudi Aramco") and Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") announce today the signing of binding definitive agreements between Saudi Refining, Inc. ("SRI") (a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco) and SOPC Holdings East LLC (a U.S. downstream subsidiary of Shell) on the separation of assets, liabilities and businesses of Motiva Enterprises LLC ("Motiva").

This step marks a major milestone toward closing the transaction. Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Senior Vice President of Downstream, Saudi Aramco, said: "This transaction is well aligned with Aramco's global downstream strategy. Motiva is a strong competitor among U.S. refiners, and we value this important link with the dynamic U.S. energy sector. Our intent is to continue providing Motiva with strong financial support as it transitions into a stand-alone downstream affiliate. We have a long history with the Motiva team, and we're proud of the impressive strides they have made in recent years toward building on the company's core strengths."

John Abbott, Shell Downstream Director, said: "A simplified, integrated business structure will emerge from this deal for us in the United States and that's consistent with the stated goal of making Shell a world-class investment opportunity. We have today created a set of assets that plays to our strengths. This portfolio upgrade will increase optionality and strengthen Shell's Downstream business."

The discontinuation of the joint venture and redistribution of the assets allows each company to focus its downstream business. Per the terms of the non-binding letter of intent the partners signed in March 2016, both companies have evaluated options and through constructive and successful negotiations selected an optimal deal structure to divide and transfer Motiva Enterprises LLC's assets, liabilities and businesses between the companies. The final negotiated transaction includes the following:

SRI will assume full ownership of the Motiva Enterprises LLC name and legal entity, including the refinery at Port Arthur, Texas and 24 distribution terminals. Additionally, Motiva will have the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Virginia , Maryland and Washington, D.C. , as well as the eastern half of Texas and the majority of Florida .

and 24 distribution terminals. Additionally, Motiva will have the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in , , , , and , as well as the eastern half of and the majority of . Shell will assume sole ownership of the Norco, La. , refinery (where Shell operates a chemicals plant), the Convent, La. , refinery, 11 distribution terminals, and Shell-branded markets in Alabama , Mississippi , Tennessee , Louisiana , a portion of the Florida panhandle, and the North-eastern region of the U.S. These assets will be fully integrated with Shell's downstream business in North America .

Dan Romasko, Motiva President and CEO, said: "We are nearing completion of our preparations to support stand-alone operations upon transaction close. As always, we remain focused on safe and profitable operations and serving our customers exceptionally well."

Both Motiva owners are fully committed to supporting the venture during this period of transition and assuring excellent customer service and continued health, safety and environmental performance. Owner financing support arrangements for Motiva will remain in place throughout the transition, and both parties are committed to maintaining Motiva's balance sheet strength and liquidity.

Additional Notes to the Editor:

The refining assets from Motiva that will be owned and operated by Shell include the 230,000 barrel per day Convent refinery in St. James Parish, Louisiana and the 235,000 barrel per day Norco refinery, is located in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana .

refinery in and the 235,000 barrel per day refinery, is located in . The refining asset retained by Motiva is the 600,000 barrel per day Port Arthur refinery located in Port Arthur, Texas .

refinery located in . Distribution terminals, retail assets, branded and commercial customer agreements have been divided by geography in a way to ensure each partner has an integrated and robust business.

About Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco is a world leader in integrated energy and chemicals. We are driven by the core belief that energy is opportunity. From producing approximately one in every eight barrels of the world's crude oil supply to developing new energy technologies, our global team is dedicated to creating positive impact in all that we do. We focus on making our resources more sustainable and more useful. This promotes long-term economic growth and prosperity around the world.

Saudi Aramco subsidiaries and affiliates have operated in the U.S. for more than 60 years.

www.saudiaramco.com

About Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 18,000 people.

plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 18,000 people. www.shell.com

www.shellus.com

About Motiva Enterprises LLC

Headquartered in Houston, Texas , Motiva Enterprises LLC refines, distributes and markets petroleum products. With three refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Motiva has a combined capacity of over 1.1 million barrels per day. The company's marketing operations support a network of approximately 8,400 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the eastern and southern United States . Motiva is owned equally by affiliates of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company.

, Motiva Enterprises LLC refines, distributes and markets petroleum products. With three refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Motiva has a combined capacity of over 1.1 million barrels per day. The company's marketing operations support a network of approximately 8,400 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the eastern and southern . Motiva is owned equally by affiliates of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company. www.motivaenterprises.com

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. 'Subsidiaries', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this announcement refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations" respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'could', 'estimate', 'expect', 'goals', 'intend', 'may', 'objectives', 'outlook', 'plan', 'probably', 'project', 'risks', "schedule", 'seek', 'should', 'target', 'will' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. There can be no assurance that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this announcement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, March 6, 2017. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") today announces the signing of binding definitive agreements between SOPC Holdings East LLC (a U.S. downstream subsidiary of Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. ("SRI") (a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Oil Company ("Saudi Aramco")) on the separation of assets, liabilities and businesses of Motiva Enterprises LLC ("Motiva"), a 50/50 refining and marketing joint venture.

A balancing payment of $2.2 billion has been agreed between the parties, subject to adjustments including for working capital. This value will be satisfied by a combination of SRI assuming more than its 50% share of Motiva's net debt on completion and a cash payment for the balance. As at 31 December 2016, Motiva's total net debt was $3.2 billion, of which Shell will assume $0.1 billion, resulting in a deduction to the cash portion of the balancing payment of $1.5 billion. As a result of the transaction no material effect is expected on gearing reported on the Shell balance sheet.

Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. 'Subsidiaries', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this announcement refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations" respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'could', 'estimate', 'expect', 'goals', 'intend', 'may', 'objectives', 'outlook', 'plan', 'probably', 'project', 'risks', "schedule", 'seek', 'should', 'target', 'will' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. There can be no assurance that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this announcement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, March 6, 2017. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120917/MM76045LOGO
Adds leading positions in a growing market

Boosts revenue from Ontex brands above 50%

Regulatory News:

Ontex Group NV (Euronext Brussels: ONTEX), a leading worldwide producer of personal hygiene products, has completed the acquisition of the personal hygiene business of Hypermarcas S.A. (hereafter "HM personal hygiene"). The agreement for the acquisition was previously announced on December 23, 2016 and the required conditions have now been fulfilled.

Following the successful integration of Grupo Mabe in 2016, the addition of HM personal hygiene supports the Ontex strategy by extending our growth platform in the Americas to Brazil, increasing revenue from Ontex-owned brands and accessing a fast growing market.

HM personal hygiene is the market leader in the adult incontinence category, and holds a solid number 3 position in babycare in Brazil, the 4th largest hygiene market in the world. Pro-forma unaudited revenue for the financial year 2016 amounted to R$1.2 billion in compliance with Brazilian GAAP. Going forward, more than 50% of Ontex Group revenue will come from outside Western Europe, and more than 50% of Group revenue will come from Ontex-owned brands1. These two key milestones confirm that significant progress continues to be made in transforming Ontex into a leading international consumer company.

HM personal hygiene has a portfolio of strong local brands covering all segments of the adult incontinence and babycare categories:

Adult Incontinence

BigFral the market reference in adult incontinence

AdultMax entry proposition to the category

Babycare

PomPom a premium offering with nearly 50 years of heritage

Cremer a strong offering in the intermediate segment

Sapeka a regional leader in the value segment

Charles Bouaziz CEO: "I am pleased that we have completed this attractive deal, and can now start welcoming our colleagues at HM personal hygiene to Ontex as part of our Americas Retail Division. The business has achieved strong results with customers and consumers in Brazil over the past years, and we look forward to working with them to further develop the brand portfolio and delivering on operational synergies."

Consideration

The enterprise value agreed for the HM personal hygiene business was R$1 billion (305 million2), which has been paid from available cash, and from available and new debt facilities, after customary adjustments for net debt.

HM personal hygiene will be consolidated into the results of Ontex with effect from March 1, 2017.

About Ontex

Ontex is a leading producer of personal hygiene products, ranging from baby diapers to products for feminine hygiene and adult incontinence. Ontex's products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands as well as leading retailer brands.

The group employs over 8,000 staff and has a presence in 25 countries. Ontex is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels and is part of the Bel20 and STOXX Europe 600.

DISCLAIMER

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements regarding or based upon our management's current intentions, beliefs or expectations relating to, among other things, Ontex's and the HM personal hygiene business future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies or developments in the industry in which we operate. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied thereby. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding trends or current activities should not be taken as a report that such trends or activities will continue in the future. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

The information contained in this press release is subject to change without notice. No re-report or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, reasonableness or completeness of the information contained herein and no reliance should be placed on it.

1 Based on pro-forma revenue of Ontex Group and Hypermarcas' personal hygiene business for the period January to September 2016 (Hypermarcas revenue is according to Brazilian GAAP)

2 Ontex's payment obligations are denominated in Brazilian Reais. All amounts in this press release are computed at EUR/BRL rate of 3.2761

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170306005998/en/

Contacts:

Ontex

INVESTOR ENQUIRIES

Philip Ludwig

+32 53 333 730

philip.ludwig@ontexglobal.com

or

PRESS ENQUIRIES

Gaelle Vilatte

+32 53 333 708

gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com
An increasingly competitive market that requires localized service portfolios and robust end-to-end service capabilities offerings

SINGAPORE, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The key theme driving growth in the Asia-Pacific data center services market across is the explosive digital needs of economies with large populations as China, India, and Indonesia.

Furthermore rising complexities within the IT infrastructure brought about by virtualization and consolidation, coupled with various cost constraints, are encouraging enterprises to look into adopting third-party data center services. This is spurring the strong growth of managed hosting in the region.

Nevertheless in 2016, colocation services continue to account for the bulk of data center services revenue in Asia-Pacific at 62.8% of the market, with the remainder contributed by managed hosting services. Frost & Sullivan estimates the Asia-Pacific data center services market to be worth US$14.13 billion in revenue in 2016, representing a growth of 15.3% over 2015. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% from 2015 to 2022 to reach US$31.95 billion at the end of 2022.

Colocation services continue to dominate data center services revenue today, as they are largely driven by large enterprises and highly regulated verticals, such as Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI). In addition, cloud service providers are also generating new demand for colocation as they opt for third-party facilities to host their infrastructure for providing services to customers.

Increasingly, some enterprises have chosen to bypass management of their IT operations and migrate their services straight to cloud deployments such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). In response to this, many service providers have expanded data center service offerings to include cloud-based offerings as well.

The Asia-Pacific data center services landscape is highly competitive, and dominated by telecommunications companies/carriers, wholesale/retail data center service providers, as well as managed service players.

Frost & Sullivan has evaluated the top 12 service providers in the Asia-Pacific region and assessed them using the Frost Industry Quotient (Frost IQ) matrix. The 2017 Frost IQ - Asia-Pacific Data Center Service Providers matrix provides a snapshot for industry CIOs and other decision makers, on the selection of best-in-class data center service providers in the region.

The Frost IQ is a proprietary Frost & Sullivan vendor assessment tool that accurately operationalizes and captures the merits and challenges faced by technology vendors in their respective segments and geographies. The tool aims to provide key decision makers with a localized yet objective perspective of the industry in a highly heterogeneous business environment. The matrix comprises four quadrants: Champions, Challengers, Defenders, and Explorers.

In the Frost IQ for Asia-Pacific Date Center Services Providers, 2017, NTT Communications, China Telecom, Fujitsu and Equinixhave been positioned in the Champions quadrant, based on a combination of market share performance and future growth strategies as determined by Frost & Sullivan research. In total, the top four vendors accounted for approximately 28.4% of the data center services revenue generated in the region.

In the Challengers quadrant, Frost & Sullivan has identified Singtel, KDDI Telehouse, Telstra, Global Switch, Digital Realty, STT Global Data Centres CenturyLink and Keppel Data Centres. These service providers have demonstrated strong market potential in terms of future growth strategies with regard to go-to-market strategies and breadth of portfolio offerings, among others.

"Their high focus on growth backed by an effective go-to-market strategy puts the identified 'Challengers' in a good position to compete with the relatively established players in the market. The players are working towards creating differentiation by focusing on solutions for easier infrastructure management in hybrid IT models," noted Nishchal Khorana, Director, Digital Transformation, Asia-Pacific, Frost & Sullivan.

Keppel Data Centres is a relative newcomer in the industry and is placed in the Explorers' quadrant. Frost & Sullivan expects the vendor to grow strongly in the near future, given its aggressive growth strategy and expansion plans in recent years.

Ajay Sunder, Vice President, Digital Transformation at Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific believes that the data center services market in the region is becoming increasingly competitive owing to significant data center build-outs in countries such as Japan, Australia, and Singapore. This is compounded by the fact that increasing data sovereignty concerns in countries such as Indonesia and China are favoring dominating vendors in the respective countries.

Nevertheless despite intense competition, market participants can realign their strategies to capture market share.

"Having a comprehensive end-to-end portfolio of data center and cloud services, maturity of sales channel partner ecosystems and localized go-to-market strategies are key considerations for the selection of data center service providers," noted Sunder.

The Frost IQ (FIQ) for Asia-Pacific Data Center Service Providers, 2017covers colocation and managed hosting services in the Asia-Pacific region. The parameters used to determine relative positioning on the FIQ matrix include market share, product/service strategy, people/skills strategy, ecosystem strategy, and regional business strategy.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies? Contact us: Start the discussion

Media Contact:

Melissa Tan

Corporate Communications, Asia Pacific

P: +65 6890 0926

E: melissa.tan@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
LUGANO, Switzerland, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ESMO, the leading European organisation for medical oncology, announced it will take over the organisation of the Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Congress, with the aim of expanding its educational offer and ensure that professionals are kept up-to-date with the latest drug developments to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Starting in 2018, the TAT Congress , considered the "home of phase 1 in oncology," will take place annually in Europe, with next year's congress organised in March in Paris, France.

"Early drug development in oncology is undergoing a revolution," said Jean-Charles Soria, TAT Scientific Chair, Drug Development Department, Gustave Roussy, Paris, France. "Phase-1 trials are no longer the exclusive domain of highly specialised investigators and scientists but a field where academia, industry, clinicians, researchers, regulators, scientists discuss together to speed up the development of new anti-cancer treatment for the benefit of cancer patients."

"The role of early-phase trials in oncology drug development has changed dramatically with the advent of precision medicine," said ESMO President Fortunato Ciardiello. "ESMO is committed to organise educational activities that provide comprehensive updates on the latest developments, be it in clinical practice or earlier phases of development. It is only natural for ESMO to include such a fundamental event in our educational offer providing an expanded programme as well as a broader experience to attendees."

"TAT offers a top-quality programme, covering the most promising new drugs and targets under development in early-phase clinical and translational research, as well as drugs close to entering clinical development," explained Josep Tabernero, ESMO President-Elect, TAT 2017 Organising Committee. "If you want to know what your clinical practice is going to be like in five-10 years, this is the meeting to attend."

Full story: http://bit.ly/2lRynsV

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology, with over 15,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 130 countries worldwide.

ESMO Press Office

media@esmo.org

+41(0)91-973-19-07


At the exhibition stand of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Mars probe, which is in golden color, is placed in the center of the exhibition area on Nov. 2, 2015, and the engineers are preparing it for the next day's display. (Photo/Xinhua)

China plans to launch a probe satellite to Mars in July or August of 2020, according to Wan Weixing, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on March 6.

Wan is the chief scientist of China's Mars exploration program. He explained that China officially approved its first Mars exploration mission early last year. Before that, feasibility studies for the mission were carried out, and its scientific goals and basic plans were confirmed. Relevant work on satellite probes, ground data application, rocket launches, and monitoring and control systems have been started as well.

China's first Mars mission is poised to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies like orbiting, landing and inspection. The mission will also kick off comprehensive exploration and high-precision scientific probes of the planet. Research will cover the surface, atmosphere and underground environments of Mars, in addition to the space around the planet. Scientists will use the data to delve into the origin and evolution of the solar system and the search for external life.

According to Wan, the probe satellite will arrive on Mars about seven months after its launch, and will send back data in 2021. The designed life expectancy of the satellite is one Martian year, or about two years on Earth.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 2.00 am ET Tuesday, Destatis releases Germany's factory orders figures for January. Orders are forecast to grow 5.5 percent on month in January, faster than the 5.2 percent rise in December. Ahead of the data, the euro traded mixed against its major rivals. While the euro rose against the yen, Swiss franc and the pound, it held steady against the greenback. The euro was worth 1.0584 against the greenback, 120.64 against the yen, 1.0712 against the Swiss franc and 0.8658 against the pound as of 1:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LINKOPING, Sweden, Mar 07, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) reported positive trends for the Group's sales, operating profit and cash flow for the third quarter of 2016/2017. While the Group's future focus on the growth of new product areas and additional geographic markets will hamper its earnings trend in the short term, these activities have the potential to contribute to the Group's long-term expansion. The company's financial focus is to increase its operating profit per share while maintaining its operating margin and the company's key figures for its financial goals remained above its target level.

Nine-month period in figures

Order bookings amounted to SEK 828.1 million (874.2). Order bookings for the rolling 12-month period were 14.4% higher than net sales for the same period.

(874.2). Order bookings for the rolling 12-month period were 14.4% higher than net sales for the same period. Net sales totaled SEK 800.1 million (758.4), up 5.5%. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, sales increased 6.2%.

(758.4), up 5.5%. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, sales increased 6.2%. Operating profit rose 16.8% to SEK 125.6 million (107.5), corresponding to an operating margin of 15.7% (14.2). Adjusted for currency fluctuations, operating profit increased 15.0%.

(107.5), corresponding to an operating margin of 15.7% (14.2). Adjusted for currency fluctuations, operating profit increased 15.0%. Nonrecurring items during the third quarter had a positive impact of SEK 12.4 million attributable to the reversal of a contingent consideration and a negative impact of SEK 12.3 million attributable to depreciation, amortization and impairment. These items had a net effect of SEK 0.04 million on operating profit.

attributable to the reversal of a contingent consideration and a negative impact of attributable to depreciation, amortization and impairment. These items had a net effect of on operating profit. Cash flow after changes in working capital increased to SEK 174.9 million (123.8).

Third quarter in figures

Order bookings amounted to SEK 302.9 million (369.0).

(369.0). Net sales totaled SEK 294.2 million (268.9), up 9.4%. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, sales increased 8.3%.

(268.9), up 9.4%. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, sales increased 8.3%. Operating profit rose 7.0% to SEK 47.1 million (44.0), corresponding to an operating margin of 16.0% (16.4). Currency fluctuations contributed to a positive earnings trend, partly due to large purchases in GBP during the period. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, operating profit increased 11.8%.

(44.0), corresponding to an operating margin of 16.0% (16.4). Currency fluctuations contributed to a positive earnings trend, partly due to large purchases in GBP during the period. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, operating profit increased 11.8%. Cash flow after changes in working capital increased to SEK 104.7 million (65.3).

Torbjorn Kronander, President and CEO of Sectra AB, comments

Sectra is well positioned in a number of niches, with strong global potential and favorable underlying market growth.

"The US is one of the markets where our largest business area, Imaging IT Solutions, is growing and capturing market shares with its medical IT systems. Over the past three years, the US operations have reported average sales growth in excess of 20% per year. I recently returned from the US, where we once again received the prestigious award of "Best in KLAS" for our top ranking in customer satisfaction. This is the fourth consecutive year that Sectra's system for managing medical images has received this award in the US, and the third year globally. In my opinion, the fact that we have won this award for so many years in a row is directly attributable to our close cooperation with customers, our strong corporate culture and our outstanding employees.

"Our basic view is that it is better to be big in a few countries than to be small in many. Our goal is to be the largest or second largest supplier in the countries where we have subsidiaries. Just as we began operating in France last year, we plan to open offices in one or two additional countries during the coming year.

"Within the Secure Communications business area, we have turned a loss into a profit. With new security approvals from NATO and the Netherlands, the business area has begun delivering the latest generation of Sectra's Tiger products - products that protect phone calls and data communications from eavesdropping. While the business area's focus on the growth of the new critical infrastructure product area will hamper its earnings trend in the short term, it will ultimately contribute to continued expansion."

For further CEO comments and information, see the attached interim report.

Presentation of the interim report on March 7

Sectra will present its interim report during a teleconference with Torbjorn Kronander, President and CEO, and Mats Franzen, CFO. The presentation will be held in English.

Time: March 7, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. (CET)

To participate, call one of the following numbers five to ten minutes before the conference begins:

SE: +46 856642691

UK: +44 2030089810

US: +1 8557532235

or follow the report presentation online via: www.sectra.com/irwebcast. A recorded version after the conference will also be available via this link after the conference.

This information constitutes information that Sectra AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and/or the Swedish Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 8:00 a.m. (CET) on March 7, 2017.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Torbjorn Kronander,

CEO and President Sectra AB,

Tel: 46 (0) 705-23-52-27

Press photos: flickr.com/photos/sectramedicalsystems

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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DEARBORN (dpa-AFX) - Ford Motor Co. (F) and its joint ventures in China sold 64,641 vehicles in February 2017, up 2 percent compared to February 2016. Sales of Ford's large SUVs, the Edge and Everest, and the Ford Taurus, continue to grow. Edge sales increased 20 percent in February while Everest sales increased 34 percent. Ford Taurus sales increased 9 percent in February compared to February 2016. Ford performance vehicles remain popular for Chinese consumers with sales of the Ford Focus ST and RS up 67 percent compared to February 2016, while Ford Mustang sales more than doubled in February. Monthly sales for Changan Ford Automobile (CAF) totaled 42,695 vehicles, down 12 percent compared to the same time last year. CAF is rebuilding order banks in the first quarter after the strong close to 2016. Showroom traffic is improving and CAF expects 2017 to continue to strengthen with the launch key new vehicles such as the new EcoSport later this year. Jiangling Motor sold 20,794 vehicles, a 48 percent increase compared to February 2016. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Advanced Discovery, a leading global eDiscovery and litigation support provider, today announced that legal industry veteran Julia Chain has joined the company as the managing director of the UK Millnet office and a member of the Advanced Discovery corporate executive team as executive vice president, International. Millnet, the largest UK-based eDiscovery and legal document services firm, was acquired by Advanced Discovery in 2016. As part of this transition, James Moeskops is relocating to Australia as the managing director, Asia/Pacific, in support of the company's global business development expansion.

Chain comes to Advanced Discovery with 25 years' experience in the legal industry. Most recently Chain was at RPC Perform where she was instrumental in advising clients on technical implementations such as matter management, document assembly and contract management. In 2004, Chain founded Kite Consultancy where she advised law firms and in-house legal departments on a range of issues, from organisation and design, operations, technical implementations and strategy to leadership, development, and change management. The company merged with H4 and in 2009 was acquired by Huron Consulting with Chain becoming a UK-based managing director. Prior to these roles, Chain was a managing partner at Anderson Legal, general counsel and board member at T-Mobile UK and worked at Shearman & Sterling in New York, and Herbert Smith in London specialising in corporate law.

"Julia is a great addition to the London office and to the broader Advanced Discovery executive team," states Jim Burke, CEO, Advanced Discovery. "She comes to us with expertise and relationships that will be key assets for our corporate and law firm clients. Julia will be a great partner to me and leader for our UK-based international growth initiatives."

"I am thrilled to be part of the team at Advanced Discovery," states Chain. "I had the privilege of working with the company on a recent engagement and saw first-hand the innovation and expertise offered to clients. They take pride in making eDiscovery quicker, smarter and more cost effective. I look forward to working with our team's experts and guiding the organisation and our clients as we continue to grow and deliver exceptional results."

In addition, Chain is a non-executive director of Frontier Economics PLC and deputy chair of Norwood, a leading UK learning disability charity. She is a regular contributor to the legal press, has an honorary professorship in practice from BPP University, and is a member of the advisory board, School of Law and Management, at University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

About Advanced Discovery

Advanced Discovery is an award-winning and leading global eDiscovery and litigation support provider, partnering with law firms and corporations since 2002 to find what matters, when it matters. Advanced Discovery and its global family of companies, Millnet and Legal Placements Inc., offer expert advisory consulting, data preservation and forensic collection, early case assessment, hosting and processing, managed document review, legal placement solutions and more, supported by patent-pending applications and numerous state-of-the-art and secure facilities around the world. The company employs leading professionals in the industry, applies defensible workflows and provides proprietary and industry-proven technology across all phases of the eDiscovery life cycle. This devotion to excellence has earned Advanced Discovery inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the United States and recognition as the highest-level Best in Service Relativity solutions partner for five consecutive years.

For more information, please visit www.advanceddiscovery.com and www.millnet.co.uk. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Vidushi Patel

TagusPR

Email Contact

+44 7958474632




BRUSSELS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

New study finds that pets promote social skills and self-esteem in children

Growing up with a pet can bring social, emotional and educational benefit to children and adolescents according to a newly published study. Youngsters with pets tend to have greater self-esteem, less loneliness, and enhanced social skills. This research adds strength to claims that household pets can help support healthy child development.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/471523/Family_pets_child_development.jpg )



"Anyone that has grown up with, and loved a family pet intrinsically feels the value of their companionship," says Dr Carri Westgarth, project leader. "The scientific evidence investigating the benefits to children and adolescent development looks promising. We dug deep into that evidence to understand which potential benefits were most strongly supported. Ultimately, this will enable us to know more about how pets provide young people with emotional, educational and social support."

The University of Liverpool Study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health was funded by the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, part of Mars Petcare and led by Dr Carri Westgarth, Institute of Infection and Global Health. Researchers carried out an in-depth review and quality evaluation of studies investigating the effects of pet ownership on emotional, educational or behavioural development in children and adolescents.

"Critical ages for the impact of pet ownership on self-esteem, appear to be greatest for children under 6, and preadolescents and adolescents over 10. Generally dogs and cats are deemed to be the best providers of social support, perhaps due to a higher level of interaction and reciprocation in comparison to other pets," says Rebecca Purewal, lead author. "In both western and non-western cultures, pets may act as a form of psychological support, helping youths feel good about themselves and enabling a positive self-image."

"The patterns among sub-populations and age groups suggests that companion animals have the potential to promote healthy child and adolescent development," says WALTHAM researcher Nancy Gee, a co-author of the study. "This is an exciting field of study and there is still much to learn about the processes through which pet ownership may impact healthy child development."

University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions with 81% of research rated world leading or internationally excellent. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the Russell Group. Visit http://www.liv.ac.uk or follow us on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/livuninews

About the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition:

The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition is the fundamental science centre for Mars Petcare and focuses on the nutrition and wellbeing of dogs, cats, horses, birds and fish, and their benefits to humans. Located in Leicestershire, England, WALTHAM[TM] expertise and knowledge informs the development of innovative products that meet the needs of companion animals in a practical way. The centre recently celebrated its half century and has pioneered many important breakthroughs in the field, publishing over 600 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Today, WALTHAM continues to collaborate with the world's foremost scientific institutes, driving Mars Petcare's vision to create 'A Better World for Pets' and delivering the science that underpins leading Mars brands such as PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, ROYAL CANIN, BANFIELD Pet Hospital, and IAMS, CESAR, NUTRO, SHEBA, DREAMIES and EUKANUBA. http://www.waltham.com
BASEL, Switzerland and GREENWICH, Connecticut, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Bioversys AG and Aptuit today announced the start of a joint collaboration aimed at the identification and validation of novel targets and molecules for Gram-negative bacteria. Aptuit and BioVersys hope that innovative approaches can address antibiotic resistance in the treatment of serious infections.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150709/234432LOGO )



BioVersys is focused on the development of small molecules interfering with transcriptional regulation of bacteria, thus addressing novel targets to overcome the threat caused by antibiotic resistance. BioVersys provides one of its most innovative targets focused on Gram-negative pathogens into this collaboration.

Aptuit will provide deep expertise in integrated infectious disease drug discovery, including in vitro and in vivo capabilities, complementing the scientific platform and expertise demonstrated by Bioversys in the transcriptional regulator area.

Dr Marc Gitzinger, CEO, Bioversys, commented: "We are excited to collaborate with Aptuit on this project as they have a proven track record in antibacterial drug discovery. At BioVersys we focus on the continuous development of our TRIC technology and on new targets to address the global health threat caused by multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. In Aptuit, we found a strong partner to support us in further developing our innovative therapies".

Dr Jonathan Goldman, CEO, Aptuit, added: "I am delighted that Aptuit has been selected to support the development of Bioversys' innovative project pipeline. This is the result of our continued investment and collaborative approach in this research field. As a Partner Research Organization we are fully committed to leveraging our expertise in the renewed challenge associated to the discovery of new effective therapeutics against MDR Gram-negative pathogens".

About Aptuit

Aptuit provides the most complete set of integrated early discovery to mid-phase drug development services in the pharmaceutical industry including Drug Design & Discovery, API Development and Manufacture, Solid State Chemistry, CMC, Preclinical and IND enabling GLP/GMP programs. Fully integrated drug discovery & development services are available from our facilities in the UK, Italy, and Switzerland.

Aptuit Holdings, LLC is partnered with Welsh, Carson, and Anderson & Stowe, one of the world's leading private equity investors.

For more information, please visit http://www.aptuit.com

About Bioversys

BioVersys focuses on research and development of small molecules, which interfere with bacterial resistance mechanisms. With the company's award-winning TRIC technology it will be possible to restore the efficacy of established antibiotics. By this means BioVersys addresses the high medical need for new treatments against life-threatening bacterial infections that emerged in recent years due to the resistance of bacterial strains against existing antibiotics. BioVersys' compounds will be used in combination with existing antibiotics, thereby renewing efficacy of the established drug. The current research focus is Nosocomial Infections (hospital infections) and Tuberculosis. In collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and a consortium of the University of Lille, BioVersys is currently developing a preclinical candidate for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

For more information, please visit http://www.bioversys.com
STOCKHOLM, Mar 07, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

First to the Swedish market to launch contactless payments technology - SeqrTM is enabling consumer payments at over 30 million retailers globally.

Seqr is continuing in its quest to own its position as the standard for mobile payments with the most versatile technology and the largest network of retailers accepting the solution of any of its compet- itors in the global mobile payments market. Seqr was the rst one to o er contactless payments in Sweden. Easy to use and a secure alternative to carrying cash or cards, Seqr is designed for everyday payments using just an android smartphone - approximately 80% of the smartphone market. This can be done by simply holding the phone near the contactless card terminal and con rming payment. In Sweden this is possible at Ica, 7-Eleven, Pressbyran among many others.

3% cashback

Seqr's active markets, which cover by far the largest area with 16 countries where the Seqr app can be downloaded, and its global acceptance network of more than 30 million retailers makes Seqr a truly global leader in mobile payments. "The success of Seqr, next to its acceptance network, lies in its optimal security and user-friendly bene ts", says Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless. By paying with Seqr, users get up to 3% cashback on everything they buy, regardless whether they are shopping in a store or online. For optimal security, the Seqr application is protected by means of encryption and tokenization, making it impossible for registered accounts to be cloned for use on any other device without permission.

Near-Field Communication technology

Customers using the Seqr app across Sweden can pay with Seqr all over the world using Near-Field Communication (NFC), a contactless technology. The user simply holds the phone up to the contactless card terminal to pay in every shop where a contactless card terminal is installed, even if a retailer has no private agreement with Seqr. Seqr increases the freedom and independence via contactless technology for users of smartphones running on Android, approximately 80 % of the worldwide smartphone mar- ket. The number of contactless payment terminals, currently around 30 million, is increasing fast and it has been planned and projected by the card networks that all card terminals in Europe should accept contactless payments by 2020.

Next to Sweden, Seqr can today be downloaded by consumers in Germany, Romania, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Austria, Ireland, Malta, Luxembourg, Italy and the USA.

Contact:

Annika Blome,

COO.

Tel: +46-725-08-98-09

Dominique Tilleman,

Head of Communications

Tel: +32-473-27-04-90

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/seamless-distribution-ab/r/swedes-can-pay-contactless-with-their-smartphone-all-over-the-world-using-seqrtm,c2205591

The following files are available for download:
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Medgold Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE: MED) (the "Company" or "Medgold") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an Option Agreement with Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (TSX: FVI) ("Fortuna") whereby Fortuna has the exclusive option to acquire up to 70% in the Tlamino Project located in Southern Serbia (comprised of the Donje Tlamino and Surlica-Dukat licences), by spending a total of US$8.0 million in qualifying expenditures and completing a preliminary economic assessment.

Dan James, President of Medgold, commented: "We are very pleased with Fortuna's continued support of our exploration efforts in Serbia. Their decision to option the Tlamino Project is a clear demonstration of our joint excitement over the Project and a validation of our successful project generation work completed in 2016. We will continue to generate projects under our Strategic Alliance with Fortuna, and will also now commence a more focused exploration campaign at Tlamino under the Option Agreement. We have a combined budget of CAD$2.5m for 2017 in Serbia, which will allow us to complete a program of ground geophysics and diamond drilling at Tlamino aiming to test recently reported channel results of 40 m of 8.32 g/t Au and 193 g/t Ag, as well as continuing our project generation work across the country."

Fortuna Option Agreement

Under the terms of our Strategic Alliance whereby Fortuna has the exclusive right to option any two of Medgold's Serbian projects, Fortuna's first Selected Property is the Donje Tlamino and Surlica-Dukat licences, collectively the Tlamino Project, which cover a total area of approximately 200 sq km, and are located on the Bulgaria-Macedonia borders close to the town of Boseligrad.

Fortuna can earn a 51% stake in the Tlamino Project by spending US$3.0 million on the Project over three years. Once it has earned 51%, Fortuna can elect to form a 51:49 joint venture with Medgold to further develop the Project; or can elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Project by spending an additional US$5.0 million in qualified expenditures and completing a preliminary economic assessment on the Project. The Option Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.

The Tlamino Gold Project

The Tlamino Gold Project is located in southern Serbia, and includes two historical showings: Liska and Barje. Both showings are associated with a regional east-west striking detachment fault, which in the vicinity of these showings has been overlain by conglomerates. Mineralization is located at the contact of the basement metamorphic rocks and the base of the conglomerate cover. Liska, located approximately 1.5 km to the southwest of Barje, was drilled in the 1970s by Yugoslav state companies, and a lensoid-shaped mineralized volume of rock with 1-2 % combined Pb & Zn was found to strike NE towards Barje. The mineralization at Liska is located at the base of the conglomerate and parallel to the slope of the detachment fault. Liska was found to contain little precious metals. At Barje, base metal contents are lower, but precious metals are found in much higher concentrations. The area between the two showings is overlain by a thin conglomerate cover likely in the range of 50 - 100 m in thickness, and Medgold considers the exploration potential under the conglomerate, between the two showings, to be excellent.

After identifying the project in the fall 2016, Medgold completed a series of saw-cut surface channel samples over the outcrop at Barje, where approximately 70 m x 25 m of mineralized tectonic breccia is exposed on surface at the edge of the conglomerate cover. A total of 132 linear samples of 1 m in length by approximately 8 cm in width and 4 cm in depth, were collected from 7 channels, designed to test as large an areal extent of the outcrop as possible. Three channels were cut across the outcrop in an east-west direction, while 4 channels were cut across the outcrop in a general north-south direction. Gold assays ranged from 0.78 g/t Au to 132.5 g/t Au, with an average grade of 8.11 g/t Au and a median grade of 4.74 g/t Au. Silver concentrations ranged from 10.3 g/t Ag to 2110 g/t Ag, with an average grade of 210.6 g/t Ag and a median grade of 111.5 g/t Ag.

Applying a top-cut of 31.104 g/t Au (affects 4 / 132 samples) and 700 g/t Ag (affects 6 / 132 samples), the channel length-weighted assay averages are summarized as follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Length Au Ag AuEq Pb Zn Channel Orientation (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t)(i) (%) (%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EW 30 6.64 137.1 8.60 0.33 0.13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 EW 40 8.32 193.0 11.08 0.29 0.07 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 NS 11 5.55 189.3 8.25 0.20 0.03 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 NS 12 8.63 351.8 13.66 0.44 0.06 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 NS 18 5.71 207.1 8.67 0.54 0.18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 EW 14.5 3.23 59.6 4.08 0.28 0.01 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 NS 7 7.05 82.0 8.22 0.61 0.02 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)Gold equivalent (AuEq) calculated for gold and silver using a gold:silver price ratio of 70:1.

The channel samples described here represent the sampling of an outcrop face. Medgold's current exploration model for Barje is premised on the interpretation that the outcrop face represents a faulted oblique cross-section through 'strata-bound' mineralization striking NE-SW, and located at the base of the conglomerate sequence, directly analogous to the mineralization at Liska. However, Medgold does not yet have direct observational evidence to suggest its interpretation is correct. The reader is cautioned therefore that the true thickness of the mineralization described here is unknown, and further work will be required before the true thickness of mineralization can be determined.

A plan map showing the locations of the channel samples has been posted on Medgold's website at http://www.medgoldresources.com/.

A detailed structural interpretation of the Tlamino Project is currently underway, and previous historical exploration work is being integrated into Medgold's exploration model and conceptual understanding of the mineralization. Exploration drill targets for the Project will be developed over coming months, in anticipation of a first phase of drilling in summer 2017.

About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Fortuna is a growth oriented, precious metals producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Its primary assets are the Caylloma silver mine in southern Peru, the San Jose silver-gold mine in Mexico and the Lindero gold Project in Argentina. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit its website at www.fortunasilver.com.

About Medgold

Medgold is a European-focused, TSX-V listed, exploration and development company targeting gold properties in Portugal and Serbia. Run by a highly experienced management team with a successful track record of building value in resource companies, Medgold is aiming to become a leading European gold exploration company.

Qualified Person

Mr. David Clark, M.Sc., P.Geo., is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Clark prepared the technical information contained in this news release and has approved its disclosure.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Channel sampling at Barje followed a standardized protocol to ensure representative and unbiased quantities of material from across each sample. Samples were delivered by Medgold personnel directly to the assay lab prep facilities in Bor, Serbia. Samples were analysed by ALS Chemex using analytical method codes Au-ICP21 and ME-MS61, with overlimits for gold and silver analysed by GRA21, and for Ag, Pb, and Zn by OG62. Medgold routinely inserted appropriate multi-element geochemical standards and blanks into its sample stream at Barje, and additionally collected regular field duplicate samples.

Additional information on Medgold can be found on the Company's website at www.medgoldresources.com and by reviewing the Company's page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Daniel P. James, President & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna and the exploration plans for the Tlamino Project. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, advancement of the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna; the exploration plans for the Tlamino Project; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna will advance as anticipated; that the proposed exploration of the Tlamimo Project will proceed as intended; that the Company's stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

President

Dan James (UK)

dj@medgoldresources.com

+44 7972 579188




LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Public concern over the future of British fisheries underpins new Oceana campaign, StopOverfishing

A poll carried out by YouGov for Oceana has revealed that 65% of the public are either "not confident" (46%) or "don't know" (19%) when asked if they think the UK government will be better at stopping overfishing in the UK post-Brexit, compared to the existing guidance from the EU. Overfishing, or fishing too much, is one of the most critical issues facing our oceans. The fate of UK fisheries was a key feature of the Brexit debate with leading Brexit campaigners Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage frequently citing it as an example of EU mismanagement, even though the UK has always played an active role in setting catch limits.

"Brexit is an opportunity for the UK to revitalise its fishing industry, stabilise threatened ecosystems and create thousands of new jobs but this will only happen if overfishing is stopped. The UK government must fulfil the promises of the Brexit campaign that vowed British fisheries can thrive without EU guidance. This will only happen if overfishing is stopped," explains Lasse Gustavsson, Executive Director, Oceana in Europe.

Interestingly, although 46% of respondents are not confident Brexit will be a positive influence on stopping overfishing, this figure rises to 60% in Scotland. The Scottish fishing industry contributes up to two thirds of the total fish caught in the UK and the country voted heavily to remain in the EU in last year's referendum.

The poll also revealed a shocking lack of public knowledge about overfishing in Europe. A recent report commissioned by Oceana revealed that 64% of European fish stocks are currently overfished. However when asked, 83% of Brits either underestimated (31%) or said they didn't know (52%) this figure.

Overfishing, or fishing too much, is reducing year after year the amount of fish available in the water and threatening marine ecosystems and fishers' livelihoods. If overfishing was stopped and fish resources were managed sustainably, European fisheries could increase catches by almost 60% more fish in less than 10 years or 5 million tonnes. For this reason, Oceana has created a campaign that aims to mobilize European citizens in the fight against overfishing: StopOverfishing.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 7,203 adults from Italy, UK, Germany, Spain and Denmark, of which, of which 2085 were from the UK. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd - 6th February 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative on a country-by-country basis and are representative of all adults (aged 18+) in the Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Learn more: StopOverfishing
CAMPBELL, California and BRACKNELL, England, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Europe's leading cloud communications provider, Content Guru, this week marks its official launch into the North American contact center market with the announcement of a triple-header of exhibitions at leading US industry events.

Already identified by US industry analyst DMG Consulting[1] as one of the world's leading cloud contact center providers, Content Guru delivers an extensive range of customer engagement solutions via its multi-award-winning storm platform. Through storm US, Content Guru Inc will build on its initial North American customer base and drive increased penetration into the world's largest contact center market.

As a member of the Redwood Technologies Group, Content Guru Inc builds on 20 years of experience in the US market as it positions to deliver transformative cloud communications solutions. The company will begin its US events calendar this spring, exhibiting at Enterprise Connect in Orlando, FL, from March 27th to 30th alongside some of the industry's biggest names.

Enterprise Connect has been a major meeting hub in American enterprise communications for over 25 years. The 2017 gathering will bring more than 180 major system and software vendors from across the globe together with key enterprise decision-makers to experience next-generation communications and collaboration offerings. Content Guru will demonstrate the multi-channel customer engagement hub and cloud contact center capabilities of storm - the world's largest Communications Integration' platform - from booth 439 within the event's dedicated Contact Center Zone.

In May, the Content Guru team will return to Orlando for ICMI Contact Center Expo - the highest-rated and most trusted Contact Center event in the industry.

Over 1,500 senior decision makers and contact center professionals from across the globe are expected to attend the three-day event, which will take place from May 22nd to 25th at the Walt Disney World Resort. With this year's event aptly focusing on the topical theme of 'delivering exceptional customer experiences in a complex and changing world', Content Guru will demonstrate the multi-channel and integration benefits of storm and how it is helping organisations of all types to better manage their customers' evolving communications needs.

Finally, Content Guru will be heading to the 18th annual Call Center Week (CCW) at The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV, from June 26th to 30th. Widely considered by corporate practitioners and solution providers as the must-attend event for customer care and customer experience professionals, CCW blends conference and expo into one. This allows the event's 2000+ attendees to learn about the latest new technologies and then experience them first-hand under one roof. Content Guru will be among 1200 organisations exhibiting from across more than 25 countries, and will once again have the opportunity to demonstrate the award-winning features of its storm solution to a US and global audience.

Sean Taylor, CEO of Content Guru, says:

"2016 was a landmark year for Content Guru and the whole Redwood Technologies Group. We not only posted growth of more than 50% in pre-tax profits and 30% in revenues; we acquired a whole new slate of household name customers and gained industry-wide recognition by winning a number of key awards. It's no surprise that we feel this is the perfect time to push on with our global expansion strategy. We are thrilled to be making our debut at these three nationally-renowned US events.

"The USA represents the world's largest contact center market, and it is contested by the world's leading technology companies. Therefore it represents the ultimate stage on which to scale up our storm business. The Redwood Technologies Group has had a long and successful history in the US. I started my career as a software engineer in Silicon Valley and I'm thrilled to be coming back to this country now, as the head of an award-winning cloud provider, equipped with world-beating communications integration services."

About Content Guru

Content Guru delivers Communications Integration' services through its storm platform. storm is a feature-rich, multi-channel Customer Engagement Hub which delivers inbound and outbound contact center technology, including iACD (intelligent Automated Contact Distribution), to customers of all sizes. storm seamlessly integrates with almost any third-party information system, including leading CRM (Customer Relationship Management), WFO (Workforce Optimisation) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) packages.

Founded in 2005, Content Guru provides cutting-edge communications services through its cloud-based delivery model. Clients include large enterprise and government bodies throughout a range of sectors. In 2016, its UK operating company won the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation, the highest accolade in UK business, and a UK IT Industry Award for its transformational work with NHS England.

[1.] https://www.dmgconsult.com/research-reports-2016-2017-cloud-based-contact-center-infrastructure-market-report/

Sarah-Lee Marchesi

+44(0)1344-852-350,

SLM@contentguru.com
Colorful tiger-head shoes are a beautiful childhood memory for most Chinese people. As time goes by, however, fewer and fewer children wear such shoes, and the people who know how to make the shoes are also decreasing in number. Hu Shuqing, a woman in Qixian County, Henan province, has collected about 10,000 pairs of tiger-head shoes over 17 years. Her collection is worth more than 1 million RMB.

"I was given a pair of tiger-head shoes over 10 years ago, and I have been obsessed with the shoes ever since," said Hu.

Tiger-head shoes are a traditional Chinese folk handicraft that are also used as footwear for children. Their name comes from the toe cap, which resembles the head of a tiger.

Hu has traveled to many places around the country to buy tiger-head shoes, especially temple fairs during Spring Festival. Folk arts need to be protected, exhibited, shared and passed on, she emphasized.
AMSTERDAM, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Continued strong contributions across the Group

Highlights:

Total income increased by 3% (3.3% at constant foreign exchange rates)

Gross insurance result improved 15.5% to EUR 370.4 million

Investment result rose 24.9% to EUR 45.0 million

Net profit increased 18.8% to EUR 211.8 million

Shareholders' equity increased 8.4% to EUR 1,625.5 million

Atradius' aim is to lead our customers into the future by strengthening their credit and cash management to support growth of their businesses. We continue investing in new technologies and taking advantage of opportunities in the markets. Our strategy is anchored by our distribution network of brokers and agents who deliver quality services that make a difference and where our people and global footprint play a key role.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150513/743985 )



Isidoro Unda, Chairman of the Management Board of Atradius commented, "2016 was another strong year for Atradius. We were successful in making improvements to our operations to the benefit of our cost structure and also enabling us to further enhance our operational efficiency and effectiveness. Year after year we are committed to delivering our customers and business partners quality service, regularly updated buyer information, collections support and prompt reimbursement of claims. This resulted in a very high customer retention rate of 93%."

Key figures (in EUR ,000): 2016 2015 % change Insurance premium revenue 1,557,588 1,537,005 1.3% Service and other income 203,079 180,754 12.4% Total revenue 1,760,667 1,717,759 2.5% Gross claims and gross operating expenses (1,314,538) (1,337,813) -1.7% Investment income 44,968 36,016 24.9% Operating income before reinsurance 424,045 364,616 16.3% Reinsurance result (140,062) (102,958) 36.0% Income tax expense (62,792) (69,949) -10.2% Result after tax 211,772 178,221 18.8% Gross claims ratio (gross claims / total insurance revenue) 41.60% 43.50% -4.4% Gross expense ratio (gross expenses / total insurance revenue) 36.40% 37.10% -1.9% Gross combined ratio 78.00% 80.60% -3.2% Shareholders' equity 1,625,470 1,500,249 8.3%

Total Revenue

Atradius' total revenue grew 2.5% to EUR 1,761 million in 2016 compared to EUR 1,718 million in 2015. At a constant exchange rate this marked a 3.4% increase. Europe, Asia and Oceania showed encouraging revenue growth, consistent with our expansion ambitions in these regions. The business line for multinationals (Global), Bonding and Instalment Credit Protection performed well delivering increased revenues.

Claims

Gross claims ended at EUR 701.1 million in 2016, down 2.9% from EUR 721.7 million in 2015 despite a steady inflow of medium sized claims influenced by a weakened insolvency outlook in many markets. All Atradius business lines contributed to the improvement.

Expenses

Gross insurance operating expenses decreased 0.4% to EUR 613.4 million in 2016 from EUR 616.1 million in 2015, with an improvement in the expense ratio compared to 2015.

Investment result

The net investment result, including the share of income of associated companies, ended at EUR 45.0 million, an increase of 24.9% compared to 2015. The impact of the persistent low yield environment was partially offset by increased dividend income and the revaluation of our existing 45% stake in Graydon after the acquisition of the remaining 55%, adding EUR 19.9 million of non-recurrent profit.

Operating income before reinsurance

Operating income before reinsurance improved 16.3% to EUR 424.0 million from EUR 364.6 million in 2015.

The positive developments in claims and expenses resulted in an excellent gross combined ratio of 78.0% compared to 80.6% in 2015.

Reinsurance result

The Reinsurance result of EUR 140.1 million in 2016 was 36.0% lower than that of 2015 (EUR 103.0 million) largely due to lower claims recoveries following the decrease in gross claims.

Consolidated net income

The result for the year after taxes of EUR 211.8 million marked an 18.8% increase over the 2015 result for the year of EUR 178.2 million. In addition to the improvement in the operating income with better claims and expense ratios, there was a positive contribution from the service segment.

Solvency ratio

Atradius consolidates with Grupo Catalana Occidente. The overall Group, including Atradius, has a very strong capital position with an estimated coverage ratio to insurance risk of approximately 200% at 31 December 2016.

Outlook

There is a significant amount of uncertainty in 2017 for the outlook of global and regional trade. The expected renegotiation of numerous trade agreements across the world could potentially stall international trade growth. A side effect of this could be an increase in payment defaults as trade costs are expected to rise, putting pressure on some businesses to improve cash management. This should also increase the need for information and collections services to better monitor creditworthiness of buyers and collect overdue debts.



Isidoro Unda concludes, "Every year businesses are challenged with new potential hurdles to increasing profits and managing payment risks. At Atradius, we have a strong corporate culture that is focused on ensuring we are able to meet our customers' expanding needs for securing their receivables. We do this by expanding our credit insurance, bonding, credit information and collections capabilities into new markets, by constantly improving availability of information about buyers and by innovating to deliver new services to our customers."



About Atradius

Atradius provides trade credit insurance, surety and collections services worldwide through a strategic presence in more than 50 countries. Atradius has access to credit information on over 200 million companies worldwide. Its credit insurance, bonding and collections products help protect companies throughout the world from payment risks associated with selling products and services on trade credit. Atradius forms part of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC), one of the leading insurers in Spain and worldwide in credit insurance.





For further information:

Atradius Corporate Communications

Christine Gerryn

Tel.: +31-20-553-2047

E-mail: christine.gerryn@atradius.com

http://www.atradius.com


Michael Kuhlow will Head the New Office in Frankfurt



LONDONandFRANKFURT,Germany, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --TradingScreen, the leader in electronic trading solutions, has announced the expansion of its European operations with the opening of a new office in Frankfurt, Germany. Financial services veteran, Michael Kuhlow, has recently joined as Director, TradingScreen Frankfurt. Michael Kuhlow, equipped with 20 years of experience in financial services and awareness of regional needs in Germany, will take on a strategic role building out operations within the Germany, Austria and Switzerland region.

Michael Kuhlow commented, "Opening an office in Frankfurt will enable us to better understand theworkflows and specific requirements of our regional clients and to offer them the optimum level of local support and service."

"The financial sector in Germany is playing a key role in the European and global economy," said Pierre Schroeder, CEO ofTradingScreen. "After Britain voted to leave the European Union, financial services and investment firms started looking to other European cities.The new office is more than an opportunity to grow the European business; it will enable TradingScreen to better serve existing clients as they transfer operations to continental Europe."

"This is an exciting time to be opening the new TradingScreen office in Frankfurt.We look forward to working closely with regional clients including a number of Europe's largest asset management firms. Our local presence will enable us to service their multi-asset class trading and evolving regulatory requirements as we approach the year-end deadline for MiFID II compliance," said Michael Kuhlow.

A Greenwich Associates survey showed 40% of continental companies had plans to change the allocation of their banking business as a result of Brexit.The Financial Times data shows that 80% of the top EU banks and 60% of insurers have head offices or subsidiaries in Frankfurt or other German cities.

Contact

Michael Kuhlow

TradingScreen Frankfurt

Zeil 127, 60313 Frankfurt

T: +49 (0) 69 50600 5520

M: +49 (0) 170 3174541

T:+44 (0) 207 1493100

michael.kuhlow@tradingscreen.com

About TradingScreen

TradingScreen is the leading independent provider of liquidity, trading, and investment technology via SaaS to the financial community. TradingScreen's goal is to simplify the complexity of markets, by consolidating all investment workflows for exchange-traded and OTC instruments on a single platform. TradingScreen brings the major, global sell-side participants, leading regional brokers and the largest Buy side firms to a common environment, delivering market access, order-management, liquidity-management and investment services. The benefit to clients is an exceptional reach across counterparties, asset classes, and geography, and a full integration of services front to back. TradingScreen was named Best Sell-Side Technology: OTC Trading Initiative and Best Crossing Network Provider by WatersTechnology, in addition to winning numerous awards for best trading technology. TradingScreen provides global coverage from offices in Boston, Chicago, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. For more information on TradingScreen, go to www.tradingscreen.com.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475173/TradingScreen___Michael_Kuhlow.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475220/TradingScreen_Logo.jpg
Figure 1: Operation mechanism of NanoBridge (left), NB-FPGA chip (right)



NEC Seiichiro Toda s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511

TOKYO, Mar 7, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) today announced the development of an NB-FPGA(1) that incorporates NanoBridge metal atom migration-type switch technology utilizing TIA(2), an open innovation hub operated by five institutes in Tsukuba and Tokyo. This original NEC product featuring high radiation tolerance is expected to contribute to the use of LSIs in space.Current FPGAs (SRAM-type FPGAs)(3), when used in space, pose the problem of changes occurring to the information written in the SRAM and malfunctions being caused due to the effects of radiation. However, this NanoBridge technology enables a tenfold improvement over the power efficiency of conventional FPGAs as well as providing them with high radiation tolerance.NEC has conducted an operation demonstration jointly with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), using the newly developed NB-FPGA in a tough radioactive terrestrial environment. As a result, it has confirmed that the ON and OFF states of the NanoBridge remain unchanged, whether radiation is delivered or not. "Based on the result, NEC expects that the NanoBridge will be able to reduce the frequency of errors caused by radiation to one percent or less and contribute to the creation of an LSI that offers high radiation tolerance and ultra-low power consumption simultaneously," said Yuichi Nakamura, General Manager, System Platform Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation.This NB-FPGA was developed jointly by NEC and AIST, building on the success of NEDO's "Low-power Electronics Association & Project (LEAP)," and is one of the TIA's open innovation achievements.Going forward, NEC and JAXA will validate the usability and reliability of the NB-FPGA by incorporating it in the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration 1, which will be launched in FY2018.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_NECAISTLSI.jpgFigure 1: Operation mechanism of NanoBridge (left), NB-FPGA chip (right)NanoBridge Radiation ResistanceDevices used in satellites are required to be extremely reliable. Even so, they are susceptible to circuitry failures called single event phenomena due to the effects of strong radiation in space. The occurrence of failures due to radiation poses a similar challenge in terrestrial communication devices as well. For example, if radiation is delivered to an LSI, an electrical charge occurs in the semiconductor substrate. As a result, a failure occurs to the SRAMs in FPGAs that record information based on the amount of charge, causing a change in the circuit configuration.The NanoBridge uses the cross-link of metal atoms in a solid electrolyte to place the signals into the ON or OFF state (Fig.1). The ON or OFF state is maintained even after voltage is released. The cross-link created by metal atoms in the NanoBridge is free from the impact of electrical charges generated by the delivery of radiation. Accordingly, the possibility of rewriting is extremely remote in the circuit of NB-FPGA, even in a space environment that is exposed to a large amount of radiation, thereby making the product extremely reliable.Demonstration Experiment in SpaceThe NB-FPGA will be incorporated in the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration 1, which will be launched in FY2018, and a demonstration experiment of compressing and transmitting camera-captured images through the NB-FPGA will be carried out in a harsh environment.NB-FPGA for which the evaluation was performedCompatibility and usability have been improved by applying 4-input LUT(4) used in conventional FPGAs to the circuit system. Eight thousand LUTs are mounted on a 64x64 cell array chip. (In a demonstration experiment in space, 37,000 LUTs will be mounted on the NB-FPGA to compress images.)The reliability of the switch that is in the OFF state has been improved by applying a three-terminal structure to the NanoBridge switch(5). One NB-FPGA contains up to 51 million switches, which are used for changing signals and as the memory of LUTs.Going forward, NEC will develop NB-FPGA for application with satellite systems by utilizing the evaluation results in the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration program conducted by JAXA. NEC applies NB-FPGA to highly-reliable apparatus in harsh environments on the ground, i.e., robots, automobiles and commutations equipment(6).(1) FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array. Logic LSI design technology for rewriteable field programmable gate arrays.(2) https://www.tia-nano.jp/en/about/index.html(3) SRAM-type FPGA: FPGA based on SRAM (volatile memory that allows data to be read and written flexibly), which holds a circuit configuration that creates logic functions.(4) Look-Up Table (LUT): Circuit system that creates different types of logic gates by storing the output values of logic operations that correspond to input values in a memory called LUT and reading these values from it.(5) 3-terminal structure: The structure halves the voltage stress that is applied in the OFF state by transforming two serially-connected NanoBridges into one switch. It is a structure that makes the rewriting process possible with low voltages by applying voltage to the respective NanoBridges while rewriting is being performed.(6) Application of NB-FPGA to ICT apparatus has been carried out in NEDO's Strategic Program for Innovative Energy Efficiency Technology.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.Based on its Mid-term Management Plan 2015, the NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html.Source: NEC CorporationContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
BRUSSELS, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

To read the full article, published March 6, click here: http://www.esisc.org/publications/briefings/11800

The site of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center has published an article, which reports in some detail on the latest draft of the Syrian constitution presented by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the Syrian peace talks held last February in Astana, Kazakhstan. This new version of the constitution was drafted by Russian experts on the grounds of more or less joint views held by both Syrian government and the opposition, and is aimed at accelerating "the process to end the war."

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475469/Syria_Flag.jpg )



The text that consists of 85 articles recalls the fundamental principles on the rights of the citizens according to the ideas of freedom, democracy and division of power, and attempts to establish power-sharing between the rival factions. As the article notes, "the newly established equilibrium in the Syrian state is intended to appease the historically rooted rivalry between the Shiite Alawite minority ruling the country, the Sunni majority and the several communities in the country, notably the Turkmen, the Circassians, the Armenians and the Kurds."

The author of the article feels that despite considerable diplomatic efforts, which will be needed to persuade all the counterparts to accept a constitution that was created through international cooperation and doesn't fully satisfy neither faction, the document is remarkably thorough and "blows as a fresh breeze bearing hope for the future" in the war-torn country.
MADRID, Spain, 2017-03-07 10:26 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XM Group (Trading Point Group), a leading FX and CFD Broker, today has officially announced that it has signed an agreement with Academia de Mercados (ADM) in which ADM will be delivering webinars and seminars to XM clients in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.



The agreement which was signed by CEO of XM Group, Constantinos Cleanthous and CEO of Academia de Mercados (ADM), Humberto Toro has been announced today by both brands.



The cooperation will include daily webinars available on the XM site in Spanish and Portuguese and land based seminars focusing on the use of technical analysis, reading and understanding charts, money management and trading psychology.



The first land based seminars will be taking place in the beginning of May in Spain and will cover all major cities including Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.



For more information about ADM visit http://www.academiademercados.com/en/home For more information about XM visit http://www.xm.com/



About Academia de Mercados



Academia de Mercados (ADM) is the training division of the OSTC group. ADM teaches basic, intermediate and advanced courses in technical analysis focusing on the Forex market, the Equities market as well as the fixed income and futures markets.



Courses are delivered both online and in land based seminars. It is the first company in Spain offering specialized training in this sector with major experience arising from its own efforts in training and forming traders over the years for the OSTC group, a multinational prop-trading company specialized in investing its own capital in different markets worldwide.



Under the motto "we are traders that form traders", the objective of ADM is that its students learn from their solid experience in the sector.



About XM Group



XM the official trading partner of the Fastest Man in the World "Usain Bolt" is an award-winning Forex and CFD Broker serving over 1,000,000 clients.



XM is a brand name of Trading Point Holdings Ltd which wholly owns Trading Point of Financial Instruments UK Ltd (XM UK), Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd (XM Australia) and Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (XM Cyprus).



XM UK is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reference number: 705428), XM Australia is licensed by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Reference number: 443670) and XM Cyprus is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Reference number: 120/10).



Risk Warning



Forex and CFD Trading Involve a significant risk to your invested capital. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.



XM Global Address Book:



UK: Citypoint Building 1 Ropemaker Street EC2Y 9HT London, UK



AUS: Level 13, 167 Macquarie House, Macquarie Street Sydney 2000, NSW, Australia



CY: 12 Richard & Verengaria Street, Araouzos Castle Court, 3rd Floor, 3042 Limassol, Cyprus



For Media Enquiries Contact Person: Chris Anthony Zacharia - Marketing Director XM Group Contact Phone: 00 357 25 99 00

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
DUBLIN, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

FlowForma, the leading provider of BPM tools for Microsoft Office 365 is pleased to announce its partnership with Microsoft UK in hosting an HR Process Transformation event, taking place on the 21st of March 2017 in Microsoft's Paddington office in London.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/823123 )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474912/LSTM_Logo.jpg )



"Committed to putting the power back into the hands of the process owner, we are pleased to welcome Senior HR Executives to our upcoming HR Process Transformation event, to share their challenges, network with peers and get advice from both FlowForma and Microsoft experts," said Neil Young, CEO, FlowForma.

Attendees will hear directly from Martyn Coleman of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as to how their organization has recently revolutionised their paper based travel request process with a user friendly and informative electronic version powered by FlowForma BPM.

Tracey Haynes, HR Manager, Microsoft UK will share how Microsoft's HR department has embraced a digital transformation journey from recruitment and appraisal to learning and development, as part of their objective to improve the employee experience of their

thousands of employees and contractors.

Paul Stone, Solutions Architect, FlowForma will demonstrate to guests how the FlowForma BPM tool can be used as part of a digital HR strategy, empowering HR departments with a self-service tool to quickly automate HR business processes, such as employee onboarding, annual leave and contracts management. These use cases will showcase the intuitiveness of this no code, logic only BPM tool and reveal how power users can build and publish processes with speed and flexibility, with little or no help from the IT department.

Paul will also share examples of how FlowForma's customers have driven daily efficiencies through automated processes and increased visibility, enabling then to spend more time at what they do best, looking after the needs of their employees.

Seminar Details

When: Tuesday, 21st March 2017 from 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where:Old Bailey, Microsoft, 2 Kingdom Street, Paddington, London,United Kingdom

Who: Heads of HR, HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Business Partners, IT Managers

This is a free event but registration is compulsory, secure your complementary place today.

Supporting Resources

To learn more about FlowForma ' s upcoming HR Process Transformation event visit: http://www.flowforma.com/allevents/want-the-power-to-revolutionise-your-hr-processes-uk/?id=prnews

To read a case study on how Eurofound adopted FlowForma BPM to drive 75% efficiency improvement visit: http://www.flowforma.com/flowforma-bpm-becomes-a-strategic-asset-for-eurofound-download

To find out how the FlowForma Cloud BPM tool works visit: http://www.flowforma.com/howitworks

To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: http://www.flowforma.com/trial

About FlowForma

FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding.

FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100 customers across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners.

For further information, visit http://www.flowforma.com
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Norges Bank (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Shawbrook Group PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure Opening position disclosure 06/03/2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No (not required)

Pollen Street Capital Limited and BC Partners LLP

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security: 1p ordinary Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 5,213,169 2.08 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

TOTAL: 5,213,169* 2.08

*Norges Bank does not have discretion regarding dealing and offer acceptance decisions in respect of 3,095,950 shares that are included in the total above.

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit 1p ordinary Purchase 19,583 GBP 3.1999

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 07/03/2017 Contact name: Philippe Chiaroni Telephone number: +4724073297

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Garuda Indonesia- Benny S. Butarbutar VP Corporate Communication Benny@garuda-indonesia.com Tourism Australia- Amanda Vebryanti Cohn &Wolfe Amanda.Vebryanti@cohnwolfe.com

JAKARTA, Mar 7, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - The national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, in a joint press conference with Tourism Australia, announced that it will increase seasonal flight frequencies on the Jakarta - Australia routes from 4 to 5 flights per week and Bali - Australia routes from 6 to 7 flights per week from May until October 2017. This comes on the back of strong visitor arrivals from Indonesia to Australia in 2016 and improved route performance supported by its successful partnership campaign with Tourism Australia.Through the addition of the Australian frequency, Garuda Indonesia targets a growth rate of passengers in the market sector Australia to 650 thousand passengers in 2017. The additional flights will greatly improve convenience for passengers traveling from Indonesia to Australia, and vice versa, and are part of the airline's effort to meet the growing appetite of Indonesian travelers for Australia.The addition of these frequencies for each route of Australian sector will be adjusted to market demand in the period of the holiday season, so the number of frequencies will be different in each period.Garuda Indonesia's CEO M.Arif Wibowo revealed that the addition flight frequencies of Australian sector, in line with the high demand for the Australian market, as well as to accommodate the increase in traffic between Indonesia and Australia. In 2016, Garuda Indonesia successfully increase passenger growth rate of Indonesia to Australia by 17% compared to the same period in 2015."The enhancement of our services to Australia will offer our customers a wider choice of flight schedules and ultimately greater travel convenience to Australia. We also want to thank our customers for their trust in flying Garuda Indonesia, and to Tourism Australia for its continuous support for Garuda Indonesia through our partnership campaign. We hope this successful partnership between Tourism Australia and Garuda Indonesia will continue in the upcoming years," said Arif.Currently, Garuda Indonesia serves six routes in three cities in Australia from both its main hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar, namely Jakarta - Sydney, Denpasar - Sydney, Jakarta - Melbourne, Denpasar - Melbourne, Jakarta - Perth, and Denpasar - Perth.Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, The Hon Steven Ciobo MP, who is currently in Indonesia leading a high level delegation for the Indonesia Australia Business Week from March 6 to 10, expressed his excitement over Garuda Indonesia's move and the increased interest among Indonesian tourists to visit Australia."Indonesia is one of Australia's fastest-growing markets for international visitors and is Australia's 12th largest market for international visitor arrivals. Indonesia has the potential to be worth over $1 billion in overnight visitation by 2020 and we hope that today's announcement by Garuda Indonesia will help us achieve that. Tourism Australia is the first external national tourism organization to form a strategic partnership with Garuda, a relationship that I am sure will continue to flourish. On behalf of Tourism Australia, we look forward to the joint campaign promoting the increased services across the airlines' key gateways of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth," said Minister Ciobo.Indonesia is Australia's 12th largest inbound market for visitor arrivals, with a total of 174,400 arrivals recorded in 2016, an increase of 13.8%, year-on-year. In December 2016 alone, the total number of arrivals from Indonesia was 26,600, a year-on-year increase of 43.8%. For the year ending September 2016, Indonesians spent $0.7 billion in Australia, an increase of 19 per cent year on year.About Garuda Indonesia GroupGaruda Indonesia Group [IDX:GIAA] operates a total of 194 aircraft, consisting of ten (10) Boeing 777-300ER, twenty-five (25) Airbus A330-200/300, two (2) Boeing 747-400, seventy-six (76) Boeing 737-800NG, eighteen (18) Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen, and fifteen (15) ATR72-600, with a 146 aircraft operated by Garuda Indonesia, and forty (40) Airbus A320 and eight (8) Boeing 737-300/500, or 48 aircraft operated by Citilink, with an average aircraft age of 4.6 years.Concerning services performance, the management is implementing the "Excellent Services" program that requires sustainable service development. It has shown remarkable results with "The World's Best Cabin Staff" award received by Garuda Indonesia's cabin crew from Skytrax (an independent aviation rating institution in London) for the third consecutive time (a hat-trick) from 2014 to 2016.In addition to the World's Best Cabin Staff award, Garuda Indonesia has maintained its reputation as a five-star airline, including being named; Top 5 World's Best Airlines in Asia, Top 10 World's Best First Class Airlines, Top 10 World's Best Economy Class Airlines, and The Most Loved Airline.Aside from Skytrax, Garuda Indonesia also won the "Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier" award from Pax International Magazine, the Top 10 World's Most Favourite Airlines from TripAdvisor, Best Cabin Services by Smart Travel Asia, and Best First Class Sparkling Wine-Champagne from Business Traveller. For more information, please visit www.garuda-indonesia.com.Source: Garuda Indonesia GroupContact:Copyright 2017 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Atlas Mara Limited (LSE: ATMA)

LSE: ATMA

7 March 2017

Atlas Mara finalizes US$40 million Fintech and Financial Inclusion Debt Facility with OPIC

Atlas Mara Limited ("the Company") is pleased to announce closing of a US$40 million debt facility provided by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC") to its subsidiary, BancABC Botswana. The funding is part of the US$200 million multi-country facility that OPIC approved for Atlas Mara's banks in Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique in August 2015.

Atlas Mara has a focus on profit with purpose in financial services in sub-Saharan Africa and it has prioritized working with OPIC and other Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in the US, Europe, and Africa to facilitate these objectives. The debt facility will be used to provide access to finance for SMEs and to support the Company's efforts to accelerate it digital finance initiatives, which are key areas of the Company's strategy. It is consistent with Atlas Mara's objective of supporting financial inclusion and will allow the company to expand access to finance in underserved markets.

Bob Diamond, Chairman of the Board of Atlas Mara said, "The OPIC facility underscores our commitment to working with DFIs on financial development and access to finance for SMEs and individuals in Africa and reflects our multifaceted strategic engagement with DFIs. As we indicated with our third quarter results, we are increasingly focused on organic growth, scaling up our banking operations, and delivering accelerated growth in key areas of our operations. As a top tier bank in Botswana, we are excited to have the support and funding of OPIC to drive financial inclusion and support our growth ambitions."

For further information, please contact:

Investors

John-Paul Crutchley, +971 4 275 6000

Kojo Dufu, +1 212 883 4330

Media

Anthony Silverman

Teneo Blue Rubicon, +44 (20) 7260 2700

About Atlas Mara

Atlas Mara Limited (LON: ATMA) is a financial services institution listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its vision is to create sub-Saharan Africa's premier financial services institution through organic and inorganic growth by combining the best of global institutional knowledge with extensive local insights. With a presence in seven sub-Saharan countries, Atlas Mara aims to be a positive disruptive force in the markets in which we operate by leveraging technology to provide innovative and differentiated product offerings, excellent customer service and accelerate financial inclusion in the countries in which the Company operates. For more information, visit www.atlasmara.com.

About OPIC

OPIC is the U.S. Government's development finance institution. It mobilizes private capital to help address critical development challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy and national security priorities. Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets, catalysing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, political risk insurance, and support for private equity investment funds, when commercial funding cannot be obtained elsewhere. Established as an agency of the U.S. Government in 1971, OPIC operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to American taxpayers.

All OPIC projects adhere to high environmental and social standards and respect human rights, including worker's rights. By mandating high standards, OPIC aims to raise the industry and regional standards of the countries where it funds projects. OPIC services are available for new and expanding business enterprises in more than 160 countries worldwide.

END

Contacts:

RNS

Customer

Services

0044-207797-4400

rns@londonstockexchange.com

http://www.rns.com




GOTTENBURG, Sweden, March 7,2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SKF has today published its 2016 Annual Report. The report is available for download at www.skf.com.

At year-end 2016, the Group concluded a four-year programme to address climate change, resulting in a 14% absolute reduction in energy usage in its own operations and a 31% reduction in goods transport emissions. In addition, sales of SKF's BeyondZero customer solutions - products and solutions that bring significant environmental benefits to customers - reached SEK 6.8 billion in 2016, a 15% increase compared to the previous year.

SKF's new climate targets will stretch until 2025, with 2015 as a base year. The Group's ambition during this period is to reduce the CO2emissions per tonne of bearings sold and per tonne of products shipped to customers by 40%, respectively. In addition, the Group will continue to report on its expanding BeyondZero customer solutions business and the progress within its supply chain on energy efficiency.

Alrik Danielson, President and CEO, says: "Our customers, investors and society as a whole all benefit from the concrete actions we are taking to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. Being at the heart of rotating machinery and equipment means that we are in a unique position to work together with customers to provide solutions needed that help them address climate change, which is one focus area for the UN Sustainable Development Goals."

"Every percent of friction we save, every gram of weight we remove and every drop of lubrication we avoid contribute to helping customers reduce their environmental impact and costs. That is why we have today launched a set of clear targets, which follow the same value chain approach developed during 2012-2016."

Further information about SKF's climate target performance and new climate targets is available in the Annual Report and on skf.com/climate.



Aktiebolaget SKF

(publ)

For further information, please contact:

Press Relations:

Theo Kjellberg,

+46 31-337-6576; +46-725-776-576

theo.kjellberg@skf.com



Investor Relations:

Patrik Stenberg

+46 31-337-2104; +46 705-472-104

patrik.stenberg@skf.com



SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2016 were SEK 72 787 million and the number of employees was 44 868. www.skf.com



 SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/skf/r/skf-publishes-2016-annual-report-and-launches-new-climate-targets,c2205924

The following files are available for download:
China hopes to become a leading power in brain science by the end of 2030, with a primary focus on brain disease prevention and treatment, as well as artificial intelligence.

The research on brain science and artificial intelligence is at a crucial stage. Chinese scientists should seize the opportunity to make substantial contributions, Zhang Xu, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Science and Technology Daily.

According to Zhang, Chinas brain project will integrate brain science and brain-inspired intelligence technology, focusing mainly on diagnosis and intervention for brain diseases, as well as on the development of new AI computation methods and devices.

Neuroscience and artificial intelligence should not be separated. The country that can boost the integrated development of the two fields will be the true winner in future brain science, said Zhang.

There is now clear recognition by the international scientific community that brain science is an important frontier. The U.S., Europe and Japan have all announced massive projects to map the brain, giving them a potential advantage over China.

According to statistics from Science and Technology Daily, the U.S. and Germany have 24,624 and 7,328 neuroscience research groups respectively, while China has only 4,938. Though government investment in brain science increased from 348 million RMB in 2010 to 500 million RMB in 2013, financial constraints still hinder the development of brain science in China.

In response to the current problems, Zhang suggested that the country attract more scientists and experts from abroad to come work in China. He also hopes to see more efficient cooperation between scientists with different backgrounds to promote interdisciplinary research.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BANGALORE and ALGIERS, Algeria, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Housing Bank, one of the most respected banks in the Middle East, and Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), announced the selection of the Finacle suite of solutions to power the bank's operations in Algeria. The bank has chosen to deploy the Finacle core banking, trade finance and internet banking solutions and will also deploy the Finacle Islamic Banking solution for its Shariah banking product. The Finacle Analytics solution will enable the bank to offer targeted and customized offerings to its customers. With Finacle, the Housing Bank Algeria will not only achieve a significant jump in operational efficiencies, but will also accelerate growth, manage scale and drive innovation, thereby providing superior value to its customers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151104/283829LOGO )



Highlights

The solutions will help the bank eliminate various manual processes, enhance productivity, reduce errors and ensure 24X7 availability

It will help the bank automate processes and better manage real-time data with respect to its NPA (non-performing assets)

The solutions' componentized, service-oriented architecture will allow the bank to expose granular business functionality as services, thereby enabling enhanced collaboration with internal and external stakeholders

With the in-built product factory capability, supported by actionable insights from the analytics capability, the bank will be able to create and launch products easily with swift go-to-market

Due to Finacle's multi-entity capability, the need to install an instance on every bank system will no longer be required, making activities such as patch deployment, new branch, counter extension - direct and easy

The bank's ATM operations will now be always online, overcoming risks and service limitations such as low withdrawal limits

Quotes

Sanat Rao, Chief Business Officer and Global Head, Infosys Finacle:

"A truly digital transformation of banking operations is today no longer a matter of choice, but a necessary requirement for success. With the adoption of the Finacle Solution Suite, the Housing Bank Algeria is among the select few banks in the MENA region with a proven technology platform to deliver a digital-age banking experience to its customers. Building on our current partnerships in Jordan and Algeria, Finacle is well-poised to help the bank extend this success across its other regional entities for accelerating growth and profitability."

Houcine Hannachi, General Manager, Housing Bank Algeria:

"As a private bank in the Algerian market, we are continuously looking to offer our customers with new products and services. We recognize today's challenges and competition. Our strategy is to benefit from information technology evolvement by empowering and complementing the bank's business, sales and marketing. We believe that these Finacle Solutions will support us in our mission and help us enhance our customer's banking experience, and above all inspire us to innovate."

About Housing Bank Algeria

The Housing Bank Algeria is one among the 22 private and public banks in the country, and provides its banking operation through a network of 7 branches distributed among cities of Algiers (Dely Ibrahim and Dar El Baida), Blida, Oran, Bejaia, Setif and Constantina. The Housing Bank provides universal banking products and services for its corporate and retail customers across several channels (Branches, ATM, eBanking, and SMS Banking).

About Infosys Finacle

Finacle is the industry-leading universal banking solution from EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned product subsidiary of Infosys. The solution helps financial institutions develop deeper connections with stakeholders, power continuous innovation, and accelerate growth in the digital world. Today, Finacle is the choice of banks across 94 countries, and serves over 848 million consumers - estimated to be nearly 16.5 percent of the world's adult banked population.

Finacle solutions address core banking, online banking, mobile banking, CRM, payments, treasury, origination, liquidity management, Islamic banking, wealth management, and analytics needs of financial institutions worldwide. Assessment of the top 1000 banks in the world reveals that institutions powered by Finacle enjoy 50 percent higher returns on assets, 30 percent higher returns on capital, and 8.1 percent points lesser costs to income than others.

To know more, visit http://www.finacle.com

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. These filings are available athttp://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Prevoty announced today that Info Security Products Guide, a leading information security research and advisory guide, has named Prevoty a Gold winner of the 2017 Global Excellence Awards for Best Web Application Solution. Prevoty also won awards for its cutting-edge solution in the categories of Most Innovative Security (Software) of the Year and Companies with Tomorrow's Technology Today.

The security industry celebrated its 13th Annual 2017 Global Excellence Awards in San Francisco by honoring excellence in every facet of the industry including products, people behind the successes and best companies. More than 40 judges from a broad spectrum of industry voices from around the world participated and their average scores determined the 2017 Global Excellence Awards finalists and winners. Winners were announced during the awards dinner and presentation on February 13, 2017 in San Francisco attended by the finalists, judges and industry peers.

Prevoty was also a finalist for Best Web Application Solution in the 2017 SC Awards. With the awards, SC Media recognizes the achievements of cybersecurity professionals in the field, the innovations happening in the vendor and service provider communities, and the vigilant work of government, commercial and nonprofit entities

"Finalists for the Trust awards are selected by a panel of approximately 100 professionals and the SC Magazine product reviews team," said Illena Armstrong of SC Media. "It's a high bar to clear and we are proud to acknowledge Prevoty as a finalist."

Prevoty was recognized for its runtime application and data security solution, which delivers real-time, actionable security analytics and automated vulnerability mitigation. Prevoty's solution sets entirely new benchmarks because it evolves how security is delivered by being installed directly within an application and travels wherever it is deployed, in the cloud or on-premises. By using Prevoty, enterprises have a new security vantage point and thus unprecedented visibility and correlation across network, application and database activity.

"Info Security Products Guide and SC Media recognition of Prevoty is a soaring testament to how our runtime application self-protection (RASP) product continues to innovate and push industry boundaries -- not only in application security but in software and technology overall," said Julien Bellanger, CEO & Co-Founder, Prevoty, Inc.

The distinction also follows several other recognitions for Prevoty, including Momentum Partners, which listed Prevoty on its Q2 2016 Watch List of breakout companies in cybersecurity. For each Watch List, 10 companies are selected after carefully weighing feedback from the field and considering a variety of growth and innovation factors.

About Prevoty

Prevoty is dedicated to securing enterprises and the users they serve by automating defense and intelligence in all applications and services. These capabilities enable Global 2000 enterprises to dramatically improve remediation of vulnerabilities, enabling security and development teams to work together more effectively, even with agile release cycles. Prevoty was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information on the company's application security solutions, go to https://www.prevoty.com or follow @Prevoty on Twitter.

Media Contact:



Dan Chmielewski

Madison Alexander PR

dchm@cox.net

Office: +1 714-832-8716

Mobile: +1 949-231-2965




Knopp Biosciences LLC today announced the publication of results from multiple clinical trials demonstrating the eosinophil-lowering effects of dexpramipexole, a small molecule treatment in development for eosinophil-associated diseases.

Eosinophils are white blood cells associated with inflammation in numerous diseases, including hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), eosinophilic asthma, and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Dexpramipexole is an orally available small molecule in development for the treatment of HES, with a Phase 2 trial in eosinophilic asthma also planned to begin in the second half of 2017.

"The totality of the evidence to date, across multiple clinical studies in multiple indications, demonstrates that dexpramipexole is a targeted eosinophil-lowering agent with eosinophil-lowering effects equal to or greater than monoclonal antibodies against interleukin-5 or its receptor," said Michael Bozik, M.D., president and CEO of Knopp Biosciences. "These newly released data strengthen our plans to rapidly advance dexpramipexole as a novel non-steroidal, orally available treatment in both HES and eosinophilic asthma."

In a poster presentation (abstract #202) to the 2017 American Academy of Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) in Atlanta, Georgia, data were reported from a Knopp-sponsored multicenter study of dexpramipexole in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and eosinophilia. The Phase 2 trial was an open label study of dexpramipexole 300 mg/day in 16 CRSwNP subjects with baseline blood absolute eosinophil counts (AEC) =0.30x109/L and polyp eosinophilia. Co-primary endpoints examined were change in AEC and change in total polyp score (TPS) from baseline to end of study. Change in nasal polyp eosinophil counts from baseline to end of study was an exploratory endpoint.

Baseline AEC was 0.525x109/L. AEC at month 6 was 0.031x109/L, a 94% reduction (p<0.001). In the 12 subjects with baseline and end-of-study polyp biopsies, polyp tissue eosinophilia was reduced from 234 eosinophils per high-powered field at baseline to 5 eosinophils per high-powered field at end of study, a 97% reduction (p=0.001). There was no significant reduction in TPS despite profound reductions in blood and nasal polyp eosinophils. Dexpramipexole was well tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events. Five subjects elected to continue on a long-term extension study.

The magnitude of eosinophil lowering (>90%) by dexpramipexole further strengthen the rationale for its development in eosinophilic asthma, in which eosinophil lowering by anti-IL5 and anti-IL5Ra antibodies has been demonstrated to reduce exacerbations, as well as in other eosinophil-associated diseases.

Knopp also announced the publication of significant eosinophil-lowering effects of dexpramipexole in earlier Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The results were published in the journal Blood Cells, Molecules and Diseases. The article abstract is available at this link.

In the Phase 2 clinical trial, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of dexpramipexole in 102 ALS subjects, highly significant reductions from baseline in mean blood eosinophils were observed in the 150 mg/day (-69.9%, p p p

As previously announced, dexpramipexole has also demonstrated significant eosinophil lowering and corticosteroid sparing in an open label trial in hypereosinophilic syndromes.

ABOUT KNOPP BIOSCIENCES LLC

Knopp Biosciences, based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, is a privately held drug discovery and development company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory and neurological diseases of high unmet need in clearly defined patient populations. Our clinical-stage small molecule, dexpramipexole, will be entering late-stage clinical studies in hypereosinophilic syndromes and Phase 2 clinical studies in eosinophilic asthma. Our preclinical platform is directed to small molecule treatments for neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, a devastating brain disorder of infants caused by a rare mutation in the KCNQ2 gene. For more information, visit www.knoppbio.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including statements relating to planned regulatory filings and clinical development programs for dexpramipexole. All forward-looking statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including the uncertainties inherent in clinical trials and product development programs, the availability of funding to support continued research and studies, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments, the availability of patent protection for the discoveries and strategic alliances, as well as additional factors that may cause Knopp's actual results to differ from our expectations. There can be no assurance that dexpramipexole will be successfully developed or manufactured or that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market the product. Knopp undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Knopp's pipeline consists of investigational drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These investigational drug products are still undergoing clinical study to verify their safety and effectiveness.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005329/en/

Contacts:

Knopp Biosciences LLC

Tom Petzinger, +1-412-488-1776

tom@knoppbio.com
MANCHESTER, England, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Brits are becoming a nation of complainers, according to new research by a nationwide telephone answering service.

alldayPA has analysed its call data and found that calls of complaint made to its client base of 24,000 UK businesses have trebled over the last five years, now accounting for almost a fifth (18 per cent) of all enquiries received.

The company puts the finding down to influence from across the pond, as well as changes in technology and consumer habits.

Reuben Singh, CEO of alldayPA, said: "It appears we're beginning to lose our traditional British reserve and adopt a somewhat American culture of blame and complaint. Grievance calls accounted for just one in 20 calls a few years ago and now it's one in five. The quick pace of life we're now accustomed to has led to consumers demanding immediate responses and excellent customer service - if you can't offer this, complaints will come your way."

alldayPA also cites the rise of social media as a driving force behind the increase in phone call grumbles.

Reuben said: "Social media has, of course, become the go-to platform for people to vent their frustration or give negative feedback directly to businesses. As such, you'd expect the more traditional phone call of complaint to have declined. However, with social media facilitating quick and easy ways to complain to companies, and these companies aiming to immediately divert the issue away from the public domain by giving out phone numbers, calls of complaint have boomed.

"Not receiving a quick response on social media can also exacerbate the customer's dissatisfaction, leading to a not-so-nice conversation on the blower!"

The research suggests a need for British companies to invest in improved provision of customer service in order to reduce unwanted and time-consuming inbound calls.

Reuben added: "Of course, many of the extra calls will be down to the shift in more exacting consumer expectations; however, the part businesses play mustn't be ignored and, in order to tackle the problem, they may need to revise their approach to customer relations to handle complaints with care and efficiency."

For more information about alldayPA, visit http://www.alldaypa.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The globalsurgical instrument tracking systems marketis expected to reach a value of USD 442.9 million by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing incidence of surgical instruments being left behind after surgery is the most significant factor anticipated to boost the market growth during the forecast period. Annually in the U.S, around 4,500 to 6,000 surgical instruments are left in the surgical sites, which results in the need of additional surgery for removal of retained devices from the body. This in turn results in the need for operating instrument tracking products.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 )



Rising adoption of medical devices and instrument tracking products by private and public hospitals is another major factor contributing to the growth of the market. The inventory management and tracing of medical devices and instruments during work cycle, such as during sterilization procedures, surgery, and post-surgery, is a major problem faced by the hospitals. Thus, the need of medical devices and instrument tracking systems is growing at high rate, which is expected to propel the growth of the sector.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market Analysis By Product (Hardware, Software, Services), By Technology (Barcodes, RFID), By End Use, By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, MEA), And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/surgical-instrument-tracking-systems-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:

As a result of low installation cost and ease of handling, barcode technology was the largest grossing segment of the surgical instrument tracking systems market in 2015.

The software solutions segment was the highest revenue-generating segment in 2015, owing to increasing technological advancement in software solutions.

In 2015, hospitals segment held the largest revenue share in the market, owing to the increasing adoption of track-and-trace for inventory management and surgical instruments tracing to provide better patient safety.

North America held the largest share of the surgical instrument tracking systems market in the year 2015. This region is expected to uphold its dominance during the forecast period.

held the largest share of the surgical instrument tracking systems market in the year 2015. This region is expected to uphold its dominance during the forecast period. Highly developed healthcare infrastructure and availability of advanced products is anticipated to drive the demand for medical device and instruments tracking products in North America during the forecast period

during the forecast period Some of the key players include Censis Technologies, Inc.; Materials Management Microsystems, Inc.; Haldor Advanced Technologies. Ltd.; Xerafy; B. Braun Melsungen AG; Getinge Group; and Becton, Dickinson and Company

Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Glucose Monitoring Device Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucose-monitoring-device-market



Infectious Vaccines Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/infectious-vaccines-market



Beaker Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/beaker-market



Urolithiasis Management Devices Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/urolithiasis-management-devices-market

Grand View Research has segmented the surgical instrument tracking systems market on the basis of product, technology, end use, and region:

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 -2025) Hardware Software Services

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025) Barcodes RFID

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 -2025) Hospitals Others

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa



Read Our Blog: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/blog/surgical-instrument-tracking-systems-market-size-share

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. Thecompany provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com
LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ppi Media GmbH and the London-based company KnowledgeView Ltd, a producer of digital publishing solutions, have announced their cooperation for the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa). ppi Media, as a leading producer of software for automated newspaper production and a pioneer of the digital transformation for media companies worldwide, will support KnowledgeView with additional expertise in this region.

ppi Media, the leading producer of software for automated newspaper production with multiple installations in Europe, Africa, the US, Asia and the United Arab Emirates, and KnowledgeView,the leading supplier of digital publishing solutions in the ME with over 60 prominent news media clients are now announcing a partnership aimed at ensuring excellent support for media companies in the MENA region. ppi Media has more than 30 years of experience in comprehensive support for media companies - worldwide and for all levels of support. In future, customers of KnowledgeView in the MENA region will be able to benefit from this experience in the implementation and support of more than 100 prominent publishing houses and media corporations on four continents.

The close cooperation between two of the most important producers of publishing solutions for Europe and the Arab region will offer media companies in the MENA region the chance to make use of the best and most comprehensive portfolio of digital and print workflows, coupled with unparalleled robust support, ensuring excellent ROI.

"We are delighted to announce our collaboration with KnowledgeView and are confident that media companies in the Arab region will benefit from this cooperation. The combined expertise of the two companies guarantees excellent service for publishers," says Dr. Hauke Berndt, managing director of ppi Media.

Different solutions by ppi Media and KnowledgeView will be closely integrated and include planned Arab versions of the cross-channel publishing solution Content-X and the ad manager AdX. "Our cooperation with ppi Media is an important step for all those involved. Media companies in the MENA region will get access to the best and most comprehensive portfolio for publishing solutions in the world through this co-operationas well as enhanced support," says Dr Ali Al-Assam, managing director of KnowledgeView.

About KnowledgeView

KnowledgeView Ltd is a UK-based company with headquarters in London and MENA regional presence. KnowledgeView has a unique combination of industry leaders on its Board and powerful publishing technology used by leading media players globally.

The company was founded in 1995 to develop cross-media publishing, news management and editorial sharing systems, with over sixty media companies and 5000 journalists using its Publish live systems. KnowledgeView has also established a leading position in mobile apps development and users-centric products such as Rewardisement and NewsSocial. For more information knowledgeview.co.uk/

About ppi Media

ppi Media GmbH is the leading international workflow specialist for newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as printers, corporate publishers and groups and SMEs. Its main focus lies in the development of highly efficient software solutions on a global scale. ppi Media is the market leader in the field of automated newspaper production. 80% of all daily newspapers on the German market are produced using ppi Media products. Many more installations can be found in Asia, Europe, Africa and the USA. A subsidiary of the Eversfrank Group, ppi Media has its head office in Hamburg and branches in Kiel, Germany, and Chicago, USA. For more information see www.ppimedia.de.

Media Contact:

Ms. Diala Al Sharief

Email: marketing@knowledgeview.co.uk


AUSTIN, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Spredfast, the leading independent social marketing software provider, today announced Lynn Atchison has joined the company as chief financial officer. Atchison's expertise of scaling high-growth technology companies comes at a critical time for Spredfast, as the company reaches the $100 million run rate. In 2016, Spredfast experienced rapid growth, raised $50 million in funding, and continued to innovate its enterprise platform, built for the most sophisticated social teams.

"We are excited to have Lynn join our team at such a pivotal time in our business," said Rod Favaron, CEO of Spredfast. "Lynn's impressive career and experience transitioning fast-growth technology companies into viable public companies will make her a valuable asset to our business as we continue to expand. We look forward to tapping her knowledge and unique skill-set as we further on our mission to provide the best-in-class social media solutions and services to our customers and brands across the globe."

A seasoned financial leader and technology enthusiast, Atchison brings more than 30 years of experience to Spredfast, where she will play a critical role in accelerating the company's growth and contributing to its business strategy. Prior to joining Spredfast, Atchison was the CFO at HomeAway, Inc. (AWAY). With over nine years of tenure at the company, Atchison was instrumental in growing HomeAway's multi-million-dollar revenue by 50x from $10 million to $500 million and taking the company public before its sale to Expedia. Prior to HomeAway, Atchison was the CFO of Infoglide Software, where she played a key role in growing its revenue by more than 160 percent. Likewise, in her positions as senior vice president and CFO at Hoover's Online, Atchison led the business through an extremely successful IPO, increasing revenues by 10x which ultimately resulted in the sale of the company to Dun & Bradstreet in 2003.

"Spredfast is a fast, agile, and extremely successful company that is leading the booming social media marketing industry," said Atchison. "The company is a technology leader and poster child for business excellence -- its success lies in its leadership, innovation, and strong commitment to the customer experience. I am excited to be part of the team and share in its successes."

With deep roots in the technology community, Atchison is a board member of RealMassive, member of Women@Austin, and serves as vice chair of the Austin Technology Council (ATC).

Today, Spredfast has seven global offices, supporting more than 650 customers, including Target, Bank of America, Viacom, Airbnb, McCann, and NBC Universal. The fast-growing business is committed to providing best-in-class service to all customers, and integrates with more than 50 partners, including all major social networks and listening tools. Spredfast was named a leader in the 2015 Forrester Wave for Social Relationship Platforms.

About Spredfast

Spredfast is transforming the way companies connect with consumers. Spredfast's smart social software enables companies to build lasting relationships with today's digitally-connected consumer. Brand and media companies use the Spredfast Platform to manage, integrate, and amplify social content across any digital touch point in real time. With global reach, Spredfast customers manage over one billion social connections across 84 countries. More than 650 customers, including all five major broadcast networks and fifty percent of Interbrand's 2016 World's Best Brands, have partnered with Spredfast to create first-class social experiences.
DENVER, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Ubiquitech Software Corp. (OTC PINK: UBQU), through its operating subsidiary HempLife Today, is announcing first quarter revenue guidance. The company anticipates that revenues for the quarter ended February 28, 2017 will increase over 50% from $697,640 in the first quarter of last year to approximately $1,050,000. The revenue growth is due primarily to the continued acceptance and increased exposure of the HempLife Today product line.

HempLife Today is known for developing some of the purest and most potent Hemp derived CBD products available and sold through its proprietary CBD brand CannazALL. The Company expects to give full year guidance in the coming weeks.

The company continues to grow its revenues and increase margins as it progresses toward its goal of becoming the nation's preeminent provider of quality CBD oil products in the health and wellness marketplace. The company sells and markets its line of high quality products through its web portal www.HempLifeToday.com.

"We are excited to show what we have achieved over the past few years," said James Ballas, CEO, "and we pride ourselves on our process of delivering a superior product at a cost that makes our products available to the widest possible audience. Because, it is this process that makes our company continue to grow."

The Company also just completed a successful launch of its new CannazALL Dabbing "Honey" and will soon be announcing the next Direct Response mail campaign as well as other important additions to continue this upward trend.

About Ubiquitech (HempLife Today)

Ubiquitech Software Corp., through its subsidiaries is a dynamic multi-media, multi-faceted corporation utilizing state-of-the-art global internet marketing, Direct Response (DRTV) Television, Radio, and traditional marketing, to drive traffic to the new and emerging multi-billion dollar industries like its subsidiary HempLife Today.

HempLifeToday focuses on the exciting and dynamic new thinking in the world today that recognizes the important health and life enriching enhancement that CBD Oil from the Hemp plant can bring. Through its network of quality USA growers HempLifeToday.com has developed multiple and proprietary CannazALL CBD oil products that include; It's popular CBD Tinctures, Oils, GelCaps, CBD Powder, Skin Salve, Wax Crumble, and e-liquid, all offered @ www.HempLifeToday.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects", "intends', "believes', and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of products and technologies, the ability to secure additional sources of finance, the ability to reduce operating expenses, and other factors described in the Company's filings with the OTC Markets Group. The actual results that the Company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statement due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward- looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

Contact:

Investor Relations

IR@HempLifeToday.com




ALBANY, New York, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global market for industrial burners demonstrates a highly fragmented and a competitive landscape, owing to the presence of a large pool of participants.

The rivalry between these players is likely to increase in the years to come, as these players are actively involving into innovations, advancement in current offerings, and the acquisition of smaller players to gain more visibility in this market, states the report.

As per the report, the global industrial burner market stood at US$19.6 bn in 2015. Researchers predict that the rise of this market will be at a CAGR of 3.0% during the period from 2016 to 2024, increasing the opportunity in this market to US$25.6 bn by the end of the forecast period. The petrochemicals segment has been reporting a higher consumption of these burners compared to other end users. The scenario is likely to remain so over the next few years due to a robust rise in the demand for petrochemicals in developing regions, particularly in Asia Pacific.

Advanced Infrastructure and High Productivity to Ensure Dominance of North America Industrial Burner Market

The report also provides a geographical analysis of the worldwide market for industrial burners. According to it, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East and Africa are the key regional markets for industrial burners across the world. In 2015, North America dominated the global market for industrial burners with an overall contribution of US$6.3 bn in terms of revenue. The regional market is anticipated to retain its lead over the forecast period on account of the advanced infrastructure, high productivity, and the ample presence of natural resources. Currently, the North America industrial burner market is led by the U.S. and Canada and the scenario is expected to remain same in the near future. The U.S., being a prominent producer of oil and gas in the whole world, is likely to report a greater demand for these burners when compared to the other countries in this region.

Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=21056

Asia Pacific is also anticipated to witness a high-paced growth in its market for industrial burners in the years to come, thanks to the large pool of international industrial burner manufacturers, looking to establish their manufacturing units in China and India, prompted by the low cost of raw materials and labor. Apart from this, the significant expansion in the petrochemical and the mining industries and the increasing implementation of various government policies to reduce carbon footprints in emerging Asian nations is also projected to boost this regional market in the near future, notes the research study.

Deployment of BMSs to Boost Market's Growth

"The extensive deployment of burner management systems (BMSs) in a number of industries, thanks to the benefits these systems provide, such efficient protection against the explosion of boilers, has reflected greatly in the sales of industrial burners across the world," says the author of this report.

Going forward, the phenomenal increase in the demand for industrial boilers, fueled by the rising industrialization in developing regions and the expanding industrial application base of these boilers, is likely to add remarkably to the growth of this market in the next few years. However, the difficulties faced in the retrofitting of industrial burners may impede the progress of this market in the near future, reports the research study.

Get more information from Research Report Press Release:

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/industrial-burner-market.htm

The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled "Industrial burner Market (Burner Type - Regenerative Burner, High Velocity Burner, Thermal Radiation, Radiant Burner, Customized (Burner Boiler), Flat Flame Burner, and Line Burner; Fuel Type - Oil-based, Gas-based, and Dual fuel; Operating Temperature - High Temperature (>1400F) and Low Temp (<1400F); Automation - Monoblock and Duoblock; Application - Boilers, Furnace/Ovens/Kiln, and Air Heating/Drying; End User - Petrochemicals, Power Generation, Chemicals and Specialty Chemicals, Mining and Mineral, Metal , Pharmaceutical, Glass, Ceramics, Food Processing, Automotive, and Printing and Publishing) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2016-2024."

The global industrial burner market is segmented as below:

By Fuel Type

Oil-based

Gas-based

Dual fuel

By Automation

Monoblock

Duoblock

By Burner Type

Regenerative Burners

High Velocity Burner

Thermal Radiation

Radiant Burner

Customized (Burner Boiler)

Flat Flame Burner

Line Burner

Others

By Operating Temperature

High Temperature (> 1400F)

Low Temp (< 1400F)

By Application

Boilers

Furnace/Ovens/Kiln

Air Heating/ Drying

Others

By End User

Petrochemicals

Power Generation

Chemicals & Specialty Chemicals

Mining and Mineral

Metal

Pharmaceutical

Glass

Ceramics

Food Processing

Automotive

Printing & Publishing

Others

By Geography

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Rest of North America

Europe

The U.K

Germany

France

Russia

Turkey

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC)

(APAC) India

Japan

China

Australia

Rest of APAC

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

and (MEA) UAE

South Africa

Rest of MEA

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of South America

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/lithium-ion-battery-market.html Intelligent Transportation System Market - http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/intelligent-transportation-system-market.html

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TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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(Xinhua) 19:22, March 07, 2017

China's investment in Myanmar reached 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in this fiscal year 2016-2017 , drastically down by nearly 500 million U.S. dollars as compared with the previous fiscal year, official media reported Tuesday.

However, China still ranks first overally in the total foreign investment line-up with 18.53 billion U.S. dollars as of January 2017 since 1988, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration was quoted as saying.

In this fiscal year 2016-17, Singapore stood as the largest investor with 3 billion, followed by Vietnam as the second which climbed to the position for winning as the fourth telecom operator in the country.

Foreign direct investment mostly enters into transportation, communications and manufacturing sectors.

Myanmar's investment Commission carefully scrutinized foreign investment proposals after verifying sector-specific development, job opportunities and environmental impact assessment.

Meanwhile, the commission announced last week three zones where income tax for investment will be relatively exempted or relaxed in accordance with their development status.

Under the new investment policy, the investors will enjoy income tax exemption for a consecutive 3 to 7 years starting from the year of commercial operation for investment in the zones respectively.

The investors are encouraged to invest in the government's promoted sectors to enjoy the tax privileges.

Myanmar's new Investment Law, endorsed on Oct.18 with the approval of both Houses, was drafted in 2013 based on suggestions from experts and businessmen with the help of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the new law combines the Foreign Investment Law drafted in 2012 and the Citizens' Investment Law drafted in 2013.

The country attracted 69.536 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investments as of January since late 1988.


OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Terraform Global Inc. (GLBL), an operator of clean energy power plants, said Tuesday that it has agreed to be acquired by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM, BAM-A.TO), an alternative asset manager, for approximately $787 million in cash. Brookfield will also assume approximately $455 million in net debt.



The deal has an implied total equity value of $1.7 billion and represents an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion. Brookfield will assume the role of TerraForm Power's sponsor and also become the controlling shareholder with 51 percent ownership. Post transaction closing, non-Brookfield shareholders, will hold 49 percent ownership in TerraForm Power.



TerraForm Global owns and operates, or has contracts to acquire, a fleet of 31 wind and solar power plants totaling 952 MW of capacity spread across Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, and Uruguay.



Under the terms of the merger agreement, Brookfield will purchase all of the outstanding Class A shares of TerraForm Global for $5.10 per share in cash.



For Class A shareholders, this represents a premium of approximately 50 percent to TerraForm Global's closing share price on September 16, 2016, the last trading day prior to TerraForm Global's announcement that its board of directors initiated an exploration of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.



Immediately prior to the merger, pursuant to a settlement agreement entered into between TerraForm Global and SunEdison, Inc. (SUNEQ) will exchange all of its Class B shares and TerraForm Global, LLC Class B units into 25 percent of the outstanding Class A shares on a fully diluted basis.



The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of TerraForm as well as Brookfield. It also has the support of SunEdison.



TerraForm Global also said it has entered into a settlement agreement with SunEdison in connection with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of SunEdison. This agreement is subject to the approval of the U.S. bankruptcy court overseeing the SunEdison Bankruptcy.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Editors note: A photo for this release will be available on the Canadian Press picture wire via Marketwired.

It may be one of Canada's oldest and most reliable companies but Samuel, Son & Co., Limited is looking to reinforce its leadership position in the metals industry through an industry-first, innovative move into additive manufacturing and metal 3D printing.

Samuel has recently signed an agreement to purchase Burloak Technologies based in Dundas, Ontario, the Canadian leader in the engineering and design of additive manufacturing solutions including full 3D production metal printing capabilities.

"We are very excited about this announcement and what it will mean to Samuel and its customers," said Colin Osborne, President, Samuel Manufacturing. "Every indicator is pointing to additive manufacturing and 3D printing being a disruptive technology in many of the industries we supply."

Burloak Technologies designs, prototypes and develops production parts for aerospace, defense and commercial high tech companies. For Samuel, the acquisition will enhance Samuel's ability to support and partner with its customers and will pave the way for investment in the future of a significant market in the metals industry.

The acquisition will allow the two companies to provide the strongest independent supply chain solution in the North American market.

With facilities throughout North America, Samuel intends to rapidly scale the Burloak operations to deliver 3D metal printing solutions to customers globally.

Peter Adams, President, Burloak Technologies says the announcement will be welcomed by the market.

"I strongly believe this deal will deliver a level of stability and scale to the additive supply chain that both larger manufacturers and specialty players have been waiting for," Adams said.

"It combines the stability, expertise and financial strength of a 160-year-old North American powerhouse in the metals market, with the passion for transformational engineering and manufacturing solutions that is part of the Burloak culture."

About Samuel

Founded in 1855, Samuel, Son & Co., Limited is a family-owned and operated, integrated network of metal manufacturing, processing and distribution divisions. With over 4,800 employees and 100 plus facilities, Samuel provides seamless access to metals, industrial products and related value-added services. Supporting over 40,000 customers, we leverage our industry expertise, breadth of experience and the passion of our people to help drive success for North American business - one customer at a time. For more information, visit www.samuel.com.

About Burloak Technologies

Founded in 2005, Burloak Technologies is Canada's leading manufacturer of highly-engineered, additive components. Based in Dundas, Ontario with AS9100, ISO9001 and Controlled Goods registration, the company works with customers to move additive manufacturing from prototyping to production. Burloak became the first company in Canada to obtain a direct metal laser system for manufacturing and is committed to innovation and exceptional customer service. For more information, visit www.burloaktech.com.

To view the photo accompanying this press release, click on the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20170302-7672a.jpg

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Denny Allen

416-992-6621

denny@dennyallen.com

Note: Backgrounders on both companies available upon request






OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - TerraForm Power, Inc. (TERP), an operator of clean energy power plants, and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM, BAM-A.TO ) said they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Brookfield will assume the role of TerraForm Power's sponsor and also become the controlling shareholder.



Brookfield will become the cornerstone investor in TerraForm Power with 51 percent ownership. The transaction has an implied total equity value of $1.7 billion and an implied total enterprise value of $6.6 billion.



Under the terms of the deal, TerraForm Power Class A shareholders, excluding Brookfield, will receive $11.46 per share in cash with the option for shareholders to elect shares in order to participate in future upside potential.



Assuming full proration, the Class A shareholders would be entitled to $1.94 per share in the form of a special dividend, $4.50 per share in additional cash consideration for Class A shareholders, and $6.44 per share total cash consideration as well as 0.53 shares in TerraForm Power post-closing.



The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of TerraForm Power. It also has the support of SunEdison Inc. (SUNEQ).



As part of the transaction, Brookfield and TerraForm Power will enter into a Master Services Agreement whereby Brookfield will provide strategic services and long-term investment advisory services.



In return, Brookfield will receive an annual management fee as well as a management incentive fee and incentive distribution rights aligning Brookfield's incentives with TerraForm Power's public shareholders.



As part of its strategic alternatives process, TerraForm Power also said it has entered into a settlement agreement with SunEdison Inc. (SUNEQ) in connection with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of SunEdison. This agreement is subject to the approval of the U.S. bankruptcy court overseeing the SunEdison Bankruptcy.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Budget cuts compel manufacturers to offer high-quality, affordable PPE, finds Frost & Sullivan's Visionary Science team

SANTA CLARA, California, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Material and technology innovations in the firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) segment have made it possible to manufacture lightweight and ergonomic PPE that offers comfort, performance and durability. Manufacturers are addressing the rising awareness of cancer risk among firefighters by bringing to the market new firefighter gear. Grants such as Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) are making provisions for funding extra sets of firefighter PPE. Fire departments are likely to stock extra sets of turnout gear and gloves, giving a fillip to volumes and revenues.

North American Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment Market, Forecast to 2020, part of Frost & Sullivan's Future of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Growth Partnership Subscription, expects that the market will grow from $756.3 million in 2015 to $858.8 million in 2020, driven by unit volume increases in the turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) segments. Related studies from this subscription include construction PPE, respiratory protective equipment and industrial protective equipment. All studies in the subscription provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Click on the following link for complimentary access to more information on this analysis or to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders: http://frost.ly/1f8

"The search-and-rescue approach to firefighting in North America puts firefighters in close proximity to fires, which necessitates higher protection," said Frost & Sullivan Visionary Science Research Analyst Sanjana Prabhakar. "Firefighter PPE used in North America is heavier and more sophisticated than PPE used in other countries necessitating significant investments in R&D."

While spending on essentials is likely to remain unaffected in large, professionally run fire departments, smaller, rural fire departments are expected to face budget cuts. In response, PPE manufacturers are likely to do away with inessential trimmings while providing optimal thermal performance at low prices, without compromising on comfort.

"Thermal imaging technologies for budget-conscious users are likely to disrupt the industry going forward," noted Prabhakar. "Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification, near-field communication and long-range radios will be introduced as add-ons, enhancing the value to PPE."

Despite budget restrictions, the market for firefighter PPE is expected to grow steadily due to:

A rise in the number of wildland fires ; approximately a 556 percent increase over the 1970s and 1980s,

; approximately a 556 percent increase over the 1970s and 1980s, The need to provide protection against toxins and carcinogens, and

The untapped potential in the SCBA and turnout gear segments. SCBAs that were purchased post-9/11 are at the end of their replacement cycle; fire departments are also looking to equip firefighters with an extra set of turnout gear to lower the exposure to contaminated PPE.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

North American Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment Market, Forecast to 2020

NFD5-39

Contact:

Jaylon Brinkley

Corporate Communications - North America

P: (210) 247.2481

F: (210) 348.1003

E: jaylon.brinkley@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Tuesday said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the San Jose, California -based Nimble Storage, a provider of predictive all-flash and hybrid-flash storage solutions. As per the agreement, HPE will pay $12.50 per share in cash with a net cash purchase price of $1.0 billion. A subsidiary of HPE will commence a tender offer to purchase the outstanding shares of Nimble common stock. HPE will also assume or pay out Nimble's unvested equity awards, with a value of approximately $200 million at closing. The deal is expected to be accretive to HPE earnings in the first full fiscal year following the close. The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in April. Nimble will merge with a subsidiary of HPE and become a wholly owned subsidiary of HPE. Following the completion of the transaction, Nimble shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. HPE said Nimble's predictive flash offerings for the entry to midrange segments are complementary to its scalable midrange to high-end 3PAR solutions and affordable MSA products. Nimble, founded in 2007, has around 1,300 employees worldwide. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PUNE, India, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

According to the new market research report "Surface Mount Technology Market by Equipment (Placement, Inspection, Soldering, Screen Printing, Cleaning, Repair & Rework), Application (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Aerospace & Defense), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to be valued at USD 5.42 Billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% between 2017 and 2022.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse82 market data Tables and103 Figures spread through 198 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Surface Mount Technology Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/surface-mount-technology-market-99662691.html



Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The factors driving the growth of the market include the increased demand for miniaturized consumer electronics products and the increasing adoption of electric vehicles.

"Surface mount technology market for inspection equipment expected to grow at the highest rate between 2017 and 2022"

Placement defects can occur both before and after reflow. Thus, inspection equipment plays a vital role in the SMT manufacturing industry. The SMT inspection equipment market is driven by the improving product technology, responsiveness, reliability, and quality of inspection. The increasing need for this equipment in telecom, automotive, consumer electronics, and computing & storage is expected to drive its demand during the forecast period.

"The market for automotive is expected to grow at the second-highest rate during the forecast period"

The demand for SMT devices has increased due to their ability to meet the needs of the critical systems in the automotive industry with zero defects. The number of electric components used in an electric vehicle is more as compared with any conventional fuel combustion vehicle as former has an electric motor, battery, and other complex connections to ensure optimum utilization of power. Owing to the critical role of electrical components in these electrical vehicles, surface mount devices are used as they are lighter in weight, occupy less space, and are safe and durable over a longer period of time.

Download PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=59263483

"North America expected to hold the second-largest share of the surface mount technology market during the forecast period"

There has been an increasing demand for mobile and internet-connected devices, including smartphones and tablets, in North America. The demand for digital video content has also driven the production of a range of high-performance internet-connected devices and other similar technologies, which have further fuelled the growth of the overall semiconductor industry. Various associations such as Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) (U.S.), Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) (U.S.), and Electronics Components Industry Association (ECIA) (U.S.) are working toward the advancement and growth of microelectronics and packaging in the U.S. North America is the second-largest market for consumer electronics and one of the largest markets for electric vehicles. This is expected to drive the growth of the surface mount technology market in North America.

Inquiry Before Buy @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=99662691

The major players involved in the surface mount technology market are ASM Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), CyberOptics Corporation (U.S.), Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (Oregon), Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd.(Japan), Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Japan), Juki Corporation (Japan), Mycronic AB (Sweden), Nordson Corporation (U.S.), Orbotech Ltd. (Israel), and Viscom AG (Germany).

Browse Related Reports

Pin Insertion Machine Market by Method (Manual, Semi-Automatic, Fully Automatic), Technology (Surface Mount Technology (SMT), Press-Fit Technology, Through-Hole Technology (THT)), Industry, and Region - Global Trend and Forecast to 2022

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/pin-insertion-machine-market-59263483.html

Automated Optical Inspection System Market by Type (2D AOI Systems, 3D AOI Systems), Technology, Element, Application (Consumer Electronics, Telecommunication, Automotive, Medical Devices), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automated-optical-inspection-system-market-179056156.html

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MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Licensed marijuana producer Organigram Inc. and its parent company Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE: OGI)(OTCQB: OGRMF) (collectively, the "Company" or "Organigram") will launch a strong defense against a proposed class-action suit related to recent voluntary product recalls.

The Company was served with notice of the proceeding yesterday. The proposed suit was filed with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia by a Halifax-based law firm. The filing seeks to represent Organigram clients who purchased and consumed medical marijuana that was later found to contain trace elements of the pesticides myclobutanil and bifenazate which are not approved for use by licensed growers.

Denis Arsenault, Organigram's Chief Executive Officer, said the Company offered all non-insured clients impacted by the voluntary recall an account credit equal to the full purchase price of the recalled product. He also noted that public comments made yesterday by the lawyer seeking to bring the action had erroneously stated Organigram had offered refunds to its clients instead of providing account credits and newly harvested marijuana. "We have been in constant communication with clients who purchased recalled product. We have been clear that Organigram will meet their needs by providing account credits valued at 100 per cent of that product's value and will make freshly harvested and tested product available to them. The majority of our clients are very satisfied with this action and are already using their credits."

"In terms of the proposed class-action suit, we intend to vigorously defend our company and its actions related to the product recall," stated Arsenault. "We have already engaged Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, one of Canada's leading class-action defence law firms, to assist with our defence." The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia will likely take a number of months to determine if it will allow the proposed suit to proceed as a class action. "In the meantime, our primary focus will be on meeting the needs of our clients," he said.

"From a financial perspective, we believe there is very little exposure for Organigram going forward," said Arsenault. "We have already allocated $2.26 million this quarter to cover losses associated with the recalls," he said. "We are also talking with our insurer about the company's coverage related to the proposed class-action suit should the court allow it to proceed."

Organigram recently completed a thorough investigation into events that led to the December and January voluntary recalls. As a result of that investigation, the company put a number of new growing and harvesting protocols in place. All marijuana harvested since the recall has tested negative for pesticides. "We have also decided to post all testing results on our website beginning next week," said Arsenault. "With the new procedures in place, we are fully confident in our ability to deliver high-quality product to our clients."

About Organigram Holdings Inc.

Organigram Holdings Inc. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company whose wholly owned subsidiary, Organigram Inc., is a licensed producer of medical marijuana in Canada. Organigram is focused on producing the highest quality, condition specific medical marijuana for patients in Canada. Organigram's facility is located in Moncton, New Brunswick and the Company is regulated by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR").

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.

This news release contains forward-looking information which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, crop yields, outcome of litigation - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Organigram Holdings Inc.

Denis Arsenault

Chief Executive Officer

denis@Organigram.ca



Organigram Holdings Inc.

Giselle Doiron

Director of Investor and Media Relations

(506) 801-8986




International Launch Services (ILS) announces the availability of a 5 meter diameter payload fairing (PLF) for use with both the Proton Breeze M and Proton Medium launch systems for commercial launch services beginning in first quarter of 2020. The 5 meter PLF addresses the increased volume of today's larger satellites required to satisfy High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband capacity demands, stacked satellite height requirements, and supports multiple satellites for efficient deployment of large LEO constellations.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005885/en/

Kirk Pysher, ILS President said, "The introduction of the 5 meter fairing is in direct response to our customers' request for additional payload envelope capability to accommodate their evolving spacecraft designs. The 5 meter fairing in combination with optimized mission designs and the performance flexibility provided by the Proton M and Proton Medium launch vehicles, allows ILS to provide our customers with innovative, cost effective launch solutions that maximizes their satellites expected operational lifetime."

"Khrunichev State Research and Production Center (Khrunichev) has successfully completed their planned 2016 feasibility study which focused on developing the required technologies and design needed to support the 5 meter PLF development. The next phase of the program has begun with the start of detailed design activities for a 5 meter PLF with a selected baseline length of 16.25 meters to envelope the projected commercial satellite market requirements while minimizing Proton vehicle impacts. The 5 meter PLF will undergo a rigorous test program including aerodynamic modeling, static and dynamic structural tests, PLF separation and jettison tests, and acoustic testing," said Jim Kramer, Vice President of Engineering and Mission Assurance.

The Proton Breeze M vehicle is the heritage, 3-stage heavy-lift vehicle, with over 410 missions to date since 1965. The two-stage Proton Medium vehicle will serve the medium class satellite range starting in 2018. Both launch vehicles are manufactured by Khrunichev.

About ILS and Khrunichev

ILS provides launch services for global satellite operators and offers a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has the rights to market the Proton and Angara 1.2 vehicles to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, VA., near Washington, D.C. To date, ILS has launched 93 commercial missions. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.

A slide presentation with detailed drawings, developmental milestones and schedule and other schematics, please see:

Khrunichev Space Center (Khrunichev) manufactures the Proton the Angara family of launch vehicles. The Proton vehicle launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of more than 410 missions since 1965. The Angara 1.2 vehicle launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. For more information about Khrunichev, visit www.khrunichev.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005885/en/

Contacts:

International Launch Services

Karen Monaghan, +1-571-633-7549

Director of Communications

mobile: +1-571-282-5195

k.monaghan@ilslaunch.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 8:30 am ET Tuesday, the Commerce Department will release U.S. trade data for January. The deficit is expected to widen to $48.0 billion from the $44.3 billion in December. Ahead of the data, the greenback held steady against its major rivals. The greenback was worth 1.0577 against the euro, 114.02 against the yen, 1.0145 against the Swiss franc and 1.2199 against the pound as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
(Xinhua) 20:28, March 07, 2017

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet the press at the media center of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

NPC deputies will hold a plenary meeting in the Great Hall of the People at 3 p.m. to hear

-- a report on the NPC Standing Committee's work,

-- explanation of the draft general provisions of civil law,

-- explanation of the draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 13th NPC.
Eutelsat to fly on New Glenn from 2021

Regulatory News:

Eutelsat Communications (Paris:ETL) today announced at the Satellite 2017 Convention in Washington D.C. the conclusion of a contract with Blue Origin for a launch on the New Glenn rocket that is expected to initiate flights in 2020.

The new partnership with Blue Origin reflects Eutelsat's longstanding strategy to source launch services from multiple agencies in order to secure access to space and partner with launch agencies that combine the highest levels of performance, flexibility and competitiveness.

The agreement with Blue Origin covers the launch of a geostationary satellite in the 2021-2022 timeframe. The New Glenn launcher will be compatible with virtually all Eutelsat satellites, giving flexibility to allocate the mission 12 months ahead of launch.

Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat CEO, commented on the new relationship with Blue Origin: "Blue Origin has been forthcoming with Eutelsat on its strategy and convinced us they have the right mindset to compete in the launch service industry. Their solid engineering approach, and their policy to develop technologies that will form the base of a broad generation of launchers, corresponds to what we expect from our industrial partners. In including New Glenn in our manifest we are pursuing our longstanding strategy of innovation that drives down the cost of access to space and drives up performance. This can only be good news for the profitability and sustainability of our industry."

"Eutelsat is one of the world's most experienced and innovative satellite operators, and we are honoured that they chose Blue Origin and our New Glenn orbital launch vehicle," said Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin founder. "Eutelsat has launched satellites on many new vehicles and shares both our methodical approach to engineering and our passion for driving down the cost of access to space. Welcome to the launch manifest, Eutelsat, can't wait to fly together."

About Eutelsat Communications

Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat's satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user's location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 37 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com

www.eutelsat.com - Follow us on Twitter @Eutelsat_SA and Facebook Eutelsat.SA

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005920/en/

Contacts:

Eutelsat Communications

Press

Vanessa O'Connor, Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91

voconnor@eutelsat.com

Marie-Sophie Ecuer, Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91

mecuer@eutelsat.com

or

Investors and analysts

Joanna Darlington, Tel.: +33 1 53 98 35 30

jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Cedric Pugni, Tel.: +33 1 53 98 35 30

cpugni@eutelsat.com
Orlando, Fla.-based software company expands reach into Europe

EnableSoft Inc., a provider of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software for banks, healthcare and other organizations, announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Denmark-based Basico to offer Foxtrot RPA to its clients in Denmark and abroad.

Basico is a consulting firm that acts as a collaborative partner to its clients to help their support functions within CFO, Finance IT, Legal, GRC, Facility Management and recruitment services to the top 1,000 companies in Europe. Its services enable organizations to continue with their day-to-day operations while searching for a new, permanent employee. Through this partnership, Basico will offer RPA software as part of its recruitment and interim services to serve as a virtual employee, which helps its clients eliminate manual processes and increase productivity.

"Because we work closely with many different companies, we noticed a growing need for automating business processes to increase efficiency," said Poul Lindorf, Manager at Basico. "EnableSoft offers an intuitive RPA software solution that will enable us to meet this need. In addition to the market possibilities in Scandinavia, we both share the same goals and basic values, which will only strengthen our relationship as we venture down a new path."

EnableSoft's Foxtrot RPA enables organizations to increase productivity by automating mundane, rules-based processes and acting as an application program interface (API) to reduce operational costs. Foxtrot RPA can be easily installed to perform data automation tasks in ExcelTM, WindowsTM, web and other legacy applications without coding or programming. An organization's employees are then freed to focus on more customer-facing activities.

"There is a huge shift in the market as more companies are moving from outsourcing to automation," said Richard Milam, CEO of EnableSoft. "This shift has enabled us to connect with companies like Basico to expand our reach into other countries that have a need to remove manual processes. We've worked for more than 20 years to perfect our software, and we're thrilled to have a partner whose basic values and goals align with ours."

About Basico

Basico is a Denmark-based management and consulting company that provides interim and project assistance in the areas of Chief Financial Officer services, legal, finance IT and governance, risk and compliance, and facility management. The core of Basico's business is its extensive experience in operating and managing support functions in both Denmark and abroad.

About EnableSoft

As an early innovator in the Robotic Process Automation space, Orlando, Florida-based EnableSoft Inc. has helped organizations save time, save money, and improve productivity. Serving over 500 corporate clients worldwide, EnableSoft develops and markets Foxtrot, software that eliminates the burden of manual data processes by behaving, deciding and working just like a person.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005084/en/

Contacts:

For EnableSoft, Inc.

Kathryn-Amelia Simms, 678-781-7221

kathrynamelia@williammills.com
First-of-its-kind, long-term strategic partnership between Philips and stand-alone children's hospital system will accelerate co-creation of solutions specifically designed to address the unique needs of children

Partnership builds on established clinical excellence in diagnostic imaging, and accelerates care delivery for children in the Southwest and those who come to Phoenix Children's from around world

Collaboration, innovation and research between the organizations will also contribute to the way Philips addresses pediatric needs both now and in the future

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) a leading health technology company, and Phoenix Children's Hospital, a U.S. News and World Report "Best Children's Hospital," today announced a long-term strategic partnership with a total value of up to USD 65 million. Phoenix Children's is the first stand-alone children's health system to sign a long-term strategic partnership model with Philips. The partnership develops from a leading collaboration in diagnostic imaging to expand the Phoenix Children's programs and further drive clinical excellence. Phoenix Children's will have access to Philips' advanced medical technologies like imaging systems in CT, MRI and angiography, patient monitoring, clinical informatics, and a comprehensive range of clinical and business consulting services. These technologies and services will help Phoenix Children's expand its high standards of care and integrate its divisions and facilities for a seamless patient experience.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005914/en/

Phoenix Children's Hospital (Photo: Business Wire)

"Philips technology provides sophistication in patient diagnosis and strategic foresight that improves the solutions and care our teams deliver," said Dr. Richard Towbin, Division Chief of Pediatric Radiology at Phoenix Children's. "Together, Phoenix Children's and Philips developed technologies such as dose reduction using iterative CT reconstructions and pediatric MRI protocols that are now factory standards worldwide. We also have an advanced 3D print laboratory that constructs life-size models of patients' hearts and other organs, illustrates exact tumor size, and uses post-processing software to study heart and brain physiology using MRI and CT."

Philips and Phoenix Children's have a shared commitment to clinical excellence and connected patient care that can help drive efficiency, while improving the patient experience and outcomes. Through innovation, the two organizations want to make healthcare more sustainable and accelerate solutions and services specifically designed to address the needs of children.

"The staff at Phoenix Children's continues to push the boundaries of pediatric care and we want to build on the great work they have done, marrying their deep understanding of children's clinical needs with our leading technologies and research, to create integrated solutions that can support this precious segment of society, said Brent Shafer, CEO of Philips North America. "Phoenix Children's has helped us to take our innovations in diagnostic imaging to the next level and we look forward to working with them to do the same in the areas of patient care monitoring and informatics, exploring how to apply machine learning and accelerating the transformation of pediatric care."

Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties.

"Phoenix Children's values working with partners who understand treating children is more complex, and this population shouldn't simply be categorized as 'little adults'," David Higginson, Chief Administrative Officer at Phoenix Children's. "Philips understands the long-term value of investing in pediatric care, even though it is a relatively small subset of the healthcare market, and is willing to invest time and research into the unique needs of pediatric care, which makes us confident in this partnership. Our insights and research paired with the knowledge and scale of a technology leader like Philips will help us jointly develop solutions that can have meaningful impact on global pediatric health."

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About Phoenix Children's Hospital

Phoenix Children's Hospital is Arizona's only children's hospital recognized by U.S. News World Report's Best Children's Hospitals with rankings in all ten specialties. Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. The Hospital is poised for continued growth in quality patient care, research and medical education. For more information about the hospital, visit http://www.phoenixchildrens.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005914/en/

Contacts:

Philips North America

Silvie Casanova, +1 781-879-0692

silvie.casanova@philips.com

or

Philips Group Communications

Kathy O'Reilly, +1 978-221-8919

Kathy.oreilly@philips.com

Twitter: @kathyoreilly

or

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Erica Sturwold, 602-933-5871 (o)

847-571-0326 (m)

esturwold@phoenixchildrens.com

or

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Lia Steinberg, 602-933-1091 (o)

602-748-9331 (m)

lsteinberg@phoenixchildrens.com
Fidelity European Values PLC ("the Company")

Directorate Changes

The Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Yates as a non-executive Director of the Company with effect from 6th March 2017. He will also serve as a member of the Management Engagement and Audit Committees of the Board.

Mr Yates has had a long career in investment management beginning at Samuel Montagu & Co in 1980. He joined Phillips and Drew in 1985, being the year that it was acquired by UBS. He then held a number of positions at UBS, covering management, portfolio management, pensions, strategy and client service. He was CEO of UBS Global Asset Management (UK) Limited between 2001 and 2005 and after undertaking a number of global roles at UBS, he retired in 2007.

He is Chairman of the Advisory Board of 33 St James's Limited and is a non-executive director of Aberdeen UK Tracker Trust plc and The Merchants Trust plc.

As at the date of this announcement, Mr Yates has no interest in the ordinary shares of the Company. There is no other information to be disclosed pursuant to LR 9.6.13R.

After fifteen years serving as a non-executive Director, Simon Fraser will be stepping down from the Board at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on 15 May 2017.

Bonita Guntrip

FIL Investments International

Company Secretary

Tel: 01737 837320

7 March 2017
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- CEMATRIX Corporation (TSX VENTURE: CVX) (the "Corporation" or "CEMATRIX") announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, CEMATRIX (Canada) Inc. (the "Company") has entered into two agreements with the Business Development Bank of Canada (the "BDC"). The first agreement is for CEMATRIX's participation in the Federally sponsored Growth Driver Program (the "GDP"). The second agreement is for a new $100,000 of working capital financing (the "BDC Loan") to fund the Company's participation in the GDP.

"The GDP is a three year BDC program, which makes high quality Harvard-level consulting services available to qualifying companies to excel in their growth strategies. CEMATRIX qualified by being a BDC client that is successful, has significant growth forecasted and has a flexible forward looking management team. The GDP will assist in the refinement, formulation and implementation of CEMATRIX's growth strategy and how to best access the necessary resources to implement the strategy. This program is important to CEMATRIX, in that it will enable the Company to obtain an independent vetting of its existing strategy, while putting the Company in a better position to be able to facilitate the growth in the cellular concrete market in North America. The GDP is a new Federal government strategy to assist Canadian companies to excel in the current market place and CEMATRIX is primed to take advantage of this opportunity," stated Jeff Kendrick, CEMATRIX President and CEO.

BDC is the only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. With its 110+ business centres from coast to coast, BDC provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory services. Its investment arm, BDC Capital, offers equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions.

Interest on the BDC Loan, which is payable monthly, is at a variable rate of 1% above the BDC floating base rate, currently set at 4.70%. The BDC Loan is repayable over four (4) years, with seasonal repayments to commence in August 2017.

The BDC Loan is secured through existing security over the Company's current owned equipment and property as well as existing guarantees and security provided by CEMATRIX and certain subsidiaries of the Company.

CEMATRIX is an Alberta corporation with its head offices in Calgary, Alberta. The Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary, is a rapidly growing, cash flow positive company that manufactures and supplies technologically advanced cellular concrete products developed from proprietary formulations. This unique cement based material with superior thermal protection, delivers a cost-effective, innovative solution to a broad range of problems facing the infrastructure, industrial (including oil and gas) and commercial markets.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information: This news release contains certain information that is forward looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties (such statements are usually accompanied by words such as "anticipate", expect", "would' or other similar words). Forward looking statements in this document are intended to provide CEMATRIX security holders and potential investors with information regarding CEMATRIX and its subsidiaries' future financial and operations plans and outlook. All forward looking statements reflect CEMATRIX's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward looking information. CEMATRIX undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward looking information except as required by law. For additional information on the assumptions made and the risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ from the anticipated results, refer the CEMATRIX's Management Discussion and Analysis dated March 1, 2017 under CEMATRIX's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and other reports filed by CEMATRIX with Canadian securities regulators.

Contacts:

CEMATRIX Corporation

Jeff Kendrick

President and Chief Executive Officer

(403) 219-0484



The Howard Group

Jeff Walker

Investor Relations

(888) 221-0915 or (403) 221-0915

jeff@howardgroupinc.com




SAN MATEO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Zuora, Inc., the world's leading provider of subscription billing, commerce, and finance solutions, today announced that Ken Goldman, chief financial officer at Yahoo, has joined Zuora's board of directors as an independent director.

"I'm excited to have Ken join Zuora in the capacity of an independent director," said Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo. "He has tremendous experience in Silicon Valley and an excellent reputation for integrity and thoughtful leadership across many well-known brands. I'm looking forward to his participation and guidance as we continue to evolve our business."

Goldman is currently Chief Financial Officer at Yahoo, responsible for Yahoo's global finance functions including financial planning and analysis, controllership, tax, treasury and investor relations. Prior to joining Yahoo, he was the CFO of Fortinet Inc., and before that he was Executive Vice President and CFO of Dexterra, Inc. Goldman also served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration, and CFO of Siebel Systems, Inc., which was acquired by Oracle Corporation. Goldman currently serves on the boards of directors of GoPro, Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., TriNet Group Inc., and Yahoo Japan Corporation. He is a member of the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

"I'm thrilled to be working with a prominent SaaS company that is the clear leader of solutions for the Subscription Economy," said Goldman. "I look forward to providing guidance to help Zuora sustain its rapid international growth and reach the next stage of development."

Additional Resources

"The Subscription Economy: A Business Transformation" by Tien Tzuo, CEO of Zuora

SlideShare: "Drivers of Success in the Subscription Economy"

MGI Research Forecast on Agile Monetization Platforms 2016-2020

Follow us online:

Facebook.com/zuora

@Zuora

SubscriptionEconomy

About Zuora, Inc.

Zuora is a SaaS company and the world's foremost evangelist of the Subscription Economy. Zuora's leading subscription management platform helps enable businesses in any industry to launch or shift products to subscription, implement new pay-as-you-go pricing and packaging models, gain new insights into subscriber behavior, open new revenue streams, and disrupt market segments to gain competitive advantage. Zuora serves more than 800 companies around the world in every industry including Box, Komatsu, Rogers, Schneider Electric, Toshiba, Xplornet and Zendesk. The Subscription Economy Index (SEI) demonstrates that SEI companies are growing revenues approximately nine times faster than the S&P 500. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Zuora also operates offices in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, San Francisco, London, Paris, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo.

 2017 Zuora, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Zuora and Subscription Economy are trademarks of Zuora, Inc. Third party trademarks mentioned above are owned by their respective companies. Nothing in this press release should be construed to the contrary, or as an approval, endorsement or sponsorship by any third parties of Zuora or any aspect of this press release. To learn more about Zuora, please visit www.zuora.com.
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Societe d'exploration miniere Vior Inc. (TSX VENTURE: VIO)(FRANKFURT: VL5) ("Vior" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the declaration of a special in specie dividend of an aggregate of 13,796,955 common shares of Aurvista Gold Corporation (the "Aurvista Shares") or 0.45 Aurvista Share for every 1 common share of the Company held, to the holders of common shares of the Company (the "Dividend")(as further explained below, the distribution ratio of Aurvista Shares may be reduced to 0.341 in the event all outstanding Vior Convertible Securities (as defined below) are exercised). The Aurvista Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") under the symbol "AVA".

The Dividend will be distributed to shareholders of Vior pursuant to the Exchange's due bill trading policy. Pursuant to such policy:

-- the record date (the "Record Date") to determine shareholders of Vior entitled to the Dividend is March 15, 2017; -- the due bill trading date will be March 13, 2017 (two trading days prior to the Record Date); -- the payment or distribution date (the "Distribution Date") will be on or about March 20, 2017; -- the ex-distribution date will be March 21, 2017 (the next trading day following the Distribution Date); and -- the due bill redemption date will be March 23, 2017 (the second trading day following the ex-distribution date).

For clarification, "due bills" will represent the Dividend that Vior shareholders will be entitled to receive. The due bills will be deemed to be attached to Vior's common shares two trading days prior to the Record Date, and will continue to be attached to Vior's shares until the end of the Distribution Date. Accordingly, Vior's shares will trade on a "due bill" basis from March 13, 2017 until close of trading on March 20, 2017 (the "Due Bill Period"). This means that persons who sell or buy Vior shares during the Due Bill Period shall also selling or buying, as applicable, the entitlement to the Dividend. Vior's shares will commence trading on an ex-distribution basis (i.e. without an attached "due bill" entitlement to the distribution) from the opening of trading March 21, 2017 (i.e. the next trading day after the Distribution Date). The due bills will be redeemed on March 23, 2017 once all trades with attached due bills entered during the Due Bill Period have settled.

The common shares of the Company acquired upon the exercise of stock options or share purchase warrants (the "Vior Convertible Securities") on or prior to March 14, 2017 will have due bills attached to them. Presuming the exercise of all of the outstanding Vior Convertible Securities, a shareholder of Vior as of the Record Date will receive as of the Distribution Date 0.341 Aurvista Share for every 1 common share of the Company held.

The Company has designated the Dividend as an eligible dividend for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), Vior shareholders are cautioned to seek the advice of their own taxation and legal advisors.

In connection with the Dividend, the Company has engaged Computershare Investor Services Inc. ("Computershare") to distribute the securities representing a Vior shareholder's applicable portion of the Dividend to the addresses shown on the register of the Company's shareholders maintained by Computershare. Fractional Aurvista Shares will not be distributed. The number of Aurvista Shares to be received by a Vior shareholder will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Aurvista Shares.

Computershare Investor Services Inc. may be contacted at 1-800-564-6253 (inside North America) or 1-514-982-7555 (Outside North America) or by e-mail to the corporateactions@computershare.com.

Profile

Profile Vior's strategy is to generate, explore and develop quality projects in the best proven and accessible mining areas. Vior currently owns approximately 15,53% of the share capital of Aurvista Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: AVA), the owner of the gold Douay project, which contains a NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource of 2.7 million tonnes of Indicated Resources at 2.76 g/t gold for 238,000 ounces above a 0.3 g/t gold cut-off grade with an additional Inferred Resources of 115 million tonnes at 0.75 g/t gold for 2.75 million ounces above a 0.3 g/t gold cut-off grade (Aurvista press release of February 22, 2017).

Web site: www.vior.ca

SEDAR: Societe d'exploration miniere Vior inc.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts the responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Vior Inc.

Claude St-Jacques

President

418-692-2678

cstjacques@vior.ca



Vior Inc.

Marc L'Heureux

Vice-president Exploration

450-746-1771

mlheureux@vior.ca

www.vior.ca




Yourtyres.co.uk advises: stock up on summer tyres in plenty of time for the upcoming season.

The growing proportion of SUVs in Europe is behind an increasing demand for SUV/offroad tyres.

Yourtyres.co.uk offers flexibility to wholesale customers and enables them to expand their businesses through the use of Delticom's B2B services.

Yourtyres.co.uk, the online wholesale shop from Delticom, Europe's largest tyre dealer, recommends that specialist tyre stores and vehicle businesses stock up on summer and all-season tyres in plenty of time for the upcoming season. "Tyre dealers and workshops should be thinking about brand trends, and should be smart about stocking up early", advises Andreas Faulstich, Head of B2B at Yourtyres.co.uk.

Above all, Faulstich sees a growing trend for SUV/offroad tyres. This is borne out by current figures from vehicle market researchers, JATO Dynamics: according to them, the growth of the SUV market is continuing apace. In 2016, the number of SUV registrations increased by 21.4 to 3.9 million vehicles. This means that a quarter of all new cars registered in Europe are SUVs.

"When considering price-conscious SUV drivers who nevertheless do not want to compromise on quality or safety, the Yourtyres.co.uk range offers dealers a number of exciting alternatives", says Faulstich. "For example, as a premium partner of VIKING tyres, we are able to offer attractive prices on VIKING's SUV tyre range. This enables our wholesale customers to achieve interesting margins." At Yourtyres.co.uk, various dimensions of the VIKING City Tech II SUV tyre are available for small or medium-sized SUVs, while the XL ProTech HP meets the needs of large SUVs.

In addition, the importance of Delticom's comprehensive services and product ranges will continue to grow for tyre dealers and vehicle companies in 2017. "Through our partnership approach and B2B services, we want to support our wholesale customers in maximising their opportunities", explains Faulstich. "Even with the best preparation, flexibility remains important in meeting a wide range of needs quickly and conveniently. We provide this to our wholesale customers through our comprehensive product range, short delivery times, and fair payment options."

"Additional services such as the wheel storage tool on the deltipartners.com platform enable companies to expand their business by offering new services, and provides them with easy ways to capture new customer groups", explains Faulstich. "And through Yourtyres.co.uk's fitting partner approach, stationary offline trade also benefits from growing online sales in Delticom's end-user shops such as Mytyres.co.uk."

About Yourtyres.co.uk

Yourtyres.co.uk is the exclusive online store from Delticom AG for workshops, retailers, wholesalers, tyre fitters/service stations and car accessories. With over 15 years' expertise in the online tyre business, the Yourtyres.co.uk specialist B2B team offers its clients a spectacular range of car and motorbike tyres of all brands and dimensions for all types of vehicles, tyres for light trucks, trucks and buses, custom tyres, complete wheel sets, car spare parts and accessories, engine oil and batteries. In addition to favourable purchasing conditions, retail clients benefit from the online shop's time-saving tyre search function, high availability, reliable delivery thanks to in-house warehouses, as well as a simple registration process with no hidden costs from the very first tyre.

Information about the company: www.delti.com

Tyre tests: www.tyretest.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307005973/en/

Contacts:

insignis Agentur fur

Kommunikation GmbH (GPRA)

Henning Jahns

Tel.: +49-511-132214-14

Fax: +49-511-132214-99

delticom@insignis.de

or

Delticom AG

Anne Lena Peters

Tel.: +49-511-93634-8909

Fax: +49-511-93634-8301

anne.lena.peters@delti.com
RESTON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Govplace, a leading solutions provider for the federal government, and RackWare, a Hybrid Cloud Management software provider, today announced their partnership to introduce new software products that enable Federal agencies to quickly and safely kick start their data center consolidation and cloud migration efforts as well as enhance their disaster recovery readiness.

As Federal agencies continue to transform and transition their workloads to consolidated data center and cloud-based ecosystems, the ability to manage workloads between authorized service providers is key to ensure capabilities and costs are aligned with agency needs. RackWare's software will support Govplace's commitment to advising agencies on how to best optimize their IT workloads.

"We selected to partner with RackWare because their software suite offers an elegant solution for enabling Federal agencies to increase the mobility of their physical and virtual workloads. This means that agencies will finally have the needed automation capabilities that can empower their data center and cloud migration initiatives," said Majed Saadi, Govplace's CTO. "It also provides a most-needed solution for increasing workload portability. In other words, agencies can now eliminate lock-in risks by having the tools needed to switch or cut-off providers when problems arise."

"RackWare provides large enterprises with cloud management solutions that help manage thousands of complex workloads. We know the Federal space has similar challenges and want to provide that same service there," said Sash Sunkara, CEO and founder of RackWare. "We're excited to work with an experienced partner in the Federal space that has knowledge of complex IT environments. Govplace is a clear leader, with an impressive track record helping organizations improve their environments and take advantage of the cloud."

About RackWare

RackWare enables comprehensive cloud computing management for the enterprise and large institutions. Its solutions bring intelligence and automation to the cloud, to improve availability for, provide greater flexibility for IT users and reduce costs for IT providers. RackWare's approach enables users to dynamically scale physical, virtual and cloud resources across private and public environments as computing needs fluctuate. RackWare's unique cloud management platform allows enterprises to use the public cloud as just another resource for their internal infrastructure -- for disaster recovery, as well as scaling purposes. With its unique ability to be platform and cloud agnostic, RackWare's RMM suite of cloud management solutions, allows workloads to be ported between any platform, virtual or physical, and any cloud. RackWare has moved thousands of workloads for hundreds of customers and has partnerships with large Service Providers and VARs. RackWare was founded in 2009 and is based in Fremont, Calif. For more information, visit www.rackwareinc.com.

About Govplace

Govplace is a value-added reseller and systems integrator, exclusively focused on providing the public sector with best of breed products, services and solutions. We bring a unique combination of California innovation and beltway understanding into each engagement to ensure our federal customers are achieving measurable business and technical outcomes. Govplace takes a strategic approach to technology-lead transformation and modernization to improve performance, business and operational efficiency through automation of essential processes and functions to deliver exceptional mission results. Guided by a deep understanding of government contracting, an expansive portfolio of contracting vehicles, and demonstrated expertise in leading technologies and solutions, our core capabilities cover Cloud Computing & Infrastructure, Cyber Security & Privacy, as well as IT Automation & Orchestration. Visit www.govplace.com for more information.

A.J. Guenther

571-323-2585 x2130

aj@connellyworks.com




SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- TechCode, a global network of startup incubators and entrepreneur ecosystems, and Silicon Catalyst, the world's leading incubator focused on silicon and electronics systems, today announce a partnership to support startups set to deliver innovative silicon and electronics systems. Leveraging the unique strengths of each program, startups from TechCode's cohort will be able to utilize Silicon Catalyst's extensive semiconductor ecosystem to develop products in a variety of industries including healthcare, robotics, artificial intelligence and more, while Silicon Catalyst startups will benefit from TechCode's global locations and expansive investor network.

"As TechCode's startups today increasingly focus on innovations that require tapping into the semiconductor ecosystem, Silicon Catalyst will provide a critical element vital to the success of these startups," said TechCode CEO Erica Huang. "No one has built a better position in this ecosystem than Silicon Catalyst and we're thrilled to add them to our growing list of best-in-class partners in an effort to further assist the startups in our global accelerator programs."

With an extensive global network of incubators across locations such as Silicon Valley, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Berlin, Finland and Tel Aviv, TechCode is uniquely capable of helping startups scale globally. To help startups enter the China market, TechCode has a strategic partnership with CFLD, a leader in investment and operation of new industrial cities. CFLD integrates industry, university, research, government and finance resources in over 40 industrial new cities across the world.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley and servicing startups globally, Silicon Catalyst also offers silicon-focused startups opportunities to partner with leading industry players such as TSMC and Synopsys to provide guidance and connections throughout the semiconductor ecosystem. With the focus on developing an ecosystem that makes it feasible for semiconductor and electronic systems startups to thrive, the TechCode and Silicon Catalyst partnership will further allow participating startups to spur innovation in the semiconductor industry.

"TechCode's extensive global reach will allow us to work with entrepreneurs around the world as the startup ecosystem rapidly expands beyond Silicon Valley," said Silicon Catalyst CEO Rick Lazansky. "The TechCode worldwide presence provides an opportunity for global incubation at any of the TechCode's international locations for Silicon Catalyst's startups."

To learn more about TechCode, visit http://us.techcode.com/ and to learn more about Silicon Catalyst, visit http://siliconcatalyst.com/.

About Silicon Catalyst

Silicon Catalyst is the only incubator focused exclusively on solutions in silicon, building a coalition of in-kind and strategic partners to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of development. With a world-class network of mentors to advise startups, Silicon Catalyst is helping startups address challenges moving from idea to realization. The incubator/accelerator supplies startups with facilities, a path to funding, tools, networking and marketing acumen to successfully launch their companies' novel technology solutions. Silicon Catalyst was the recipient of the prestigious 2015 ACE Award for Start-Up Company of the Year.

About TechCode

Focusing on incubator operation management and technology startup cultivation, TechCode is committed to building the world's leading entrepreneurship ecosystem. Integrating a wide range of global resources, TechCode has established incubators in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guan, Silicon Valley, Seoul, Finland, Tel Aviv and Berlin to help get its startup members on their feet and grow rapidly.

About CFLD

CFLD (China Fortune Land Development Co, Ltd) integrates five resources: industry, university, research, government and finance in over 40 industrial new cities across the world. Depending on the layout of its business partner they pioneer an innovative technology chain including incubation -- acceleration -- industrialization -- commercialization, providing full support to entrepreneurs from the "first step" to "every step" of entrepreneurship to the last mile.

Press Contact:

Janice Gebhardt

Uproar PR for TechCode

Email Contact

312-878-4575 ex. 244




Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

Richard Hoagland, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will visit Azerbaijan by the end of this week, the US Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend.

He is expected to hold meetings with Azerbaijani officials.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has earlier said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit the South Caucasus region in March to mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

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.
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - March 07, 2017) - Tokyo Smoke has partnered with cannabis business visionaries Chuck Rifici (co-founder and ex-CEO of Canopy Growth [formerly Tweed]) and Ian Rapsey (formerly Creative Director of Tweed, The Greater Good Collective and Bruce Mau Design) of Nesta Holding Co, a cannabis-focused private equity firm to form Nesta Brand Co; a brand house that will license international cannabis brands for distribution in Canada.

The primary focus of Nesta Brand Co will be to provide 'northern exposure' to cannabis innovations and industry-leading products from around the globe, tailoring them for Canadian cannabis consumers. Nesta Brand Co will build partnerships with top international industry leaders to license existing products on sale in Europe, America and elsewhere for distribution in the Canadian market, soon to become the largest legal cannabis market in the world. Companies that partner with Nesta Brand Co will benefit from the significant strategic, operational and brand expertise that Rifici, Rapsey, and co-founders of Tokyo Smoke, Alan Gertner and Lorne Gertner, offer.

"Tweed brought a longstanding impact to medicinal marijuana consumers across Canada, elevating the industry through thoughtful branding and customer-first experience building under Chuck's and Ian's stewardship," says Alan Gertner, CEO of Tokyo Smoke. "Nesta Brand Co will share the values of quality, thoughtfulness and a consumer-first approach by focusing on bringing high quality products to Canadians."

The partnership is an ideal union between like minded businesses. Rifici was co-founder and CEO of Tweed, the key foundational marijuana brand in Canada that helped to establish the largest marijuana business in the world. Under Rifici's leadership, Canopy Growth became the first multi-licensed marijuana producer in Canada, helping to create a new quality for medicinal marijuana usage. Tokyo Smoke is the first modern cannabis brand in Canada, with an aim to normalize the cannabis space, creating unique experiences and offering a curated mix of designer products at all TS retail locations.

Rapsey will lead the business, serving as CEO of Nesta Brand Co, with Gertner and Rifici advising on product acquisition and development. Tokyo Smoke's focus on designer products and innovative technologies, combined with the shared emphasis on user experience philosophies, will ensure leading cannabis brands are curated specifically for the burgeoning Canadian marketplace, enhancing consumer options, right on the cusp of legalization.

"Like any good creative project, Nesta Brand Co will involve both research and vision. We've joined forces with Tokyo Smoke to help determine the next stage of the cannabis landscape in Canada; full of inventive, well-branded, user-forward products and experiences," says Rapsey. "Tokyo Smoke is an ideal partner for this venture as they represent a key element in the future of the Canadian cannabis landscape. Our combined knowledge and expertise will ensure that Canadian consumers have amazing experiences and a greater selection of products that are already available on the international market."

About Tokyo Smoke:

Tokyo Smoke is an award-winning lifestyle brand that brings sophistication and design to the cannabis space. With immersive experiences and designer retail spaces with coffee, clothing and designer products, Tokyo Smoke is developing an international reputation as the go-to destination for luxurious, creative offerings within the industry. With the recent completion of Series A funding, resulting in $3 million in raised capital, Tokyo Smoke will release four branded cannabis strains in the first quarter of 2017 in collaboration with Aphria Inc ("Aphria"), one of Canada's largest licensed producers of medical marijuana. Tokyo Smoke recently acquired fellow designer cannabis brand Van Der Pop and will expand into the U.S. market in spring 2017.



About Nesta Holding Co:

Nesta Holding Co is a private equity firm that creates wide ranging partnerships within the Cannabis sector. With significant expertise in the industry, Nesta Holding Co develops, advocates and invests in partner technologies and products. With the recent acquisition of Wikileaf, and creation of Feather, Nesta Holding Co is helping shape user experience across the medical and recreational cannabis industries in the United States.

Instagram: @tokyosmoke, @nestabrandco

Facebook: /tsmokecoffee

Twitter: @tokyo_smoke, @nestabrandco

Tokyosmoke.com

Nesta.co

Nestabrand.co

For more information or interview requests:

Abigail Van Den Broek

publicity@tokyosmoke.com
WILTON, CT -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Cadenza Innovation, a pioneering provider of energy storage solutions based on disruptive architectures for lithium-ion battery packs, today announced that Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud will keynote at the International Battery Seminar and Exhibit. Now in its 34th year and one of the most respected industry gatherings, the conference will showcase the state-of-the-art in energy storage technology developments for consumer, automotive, military and industrial applications. Slated for March 20-23 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center in Florida, this year's agenda will focus specifically on four tracks: R&D, Manufacturing, Applications and Engineering.

The battery industry is experiencing surging momentum on all fronts, most notably revenues, shipments and innovation. This is fueled by the success in providing the portable power era with customized lithium-ion battery technology and Six Sigma manufacturing -- all supported by now-well-established global supply chains. To build on this worldwide expansion, though, the battery industry must apply the knowledge it has gained during the past two decades; knowledge based on some of the sector's most tremendous successes as well as its most visible failures.

During her March 22 address, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud will delve into the key parameters for industry growth that are too often considered mutually exclusive -- greater energy density, better safety and lower cost. She will note that the unparalleled transformation underway in the transportation market is prompting unprecedented opportunities for collaboration across business and technology disciplines as well as country borders. Such partnerships will play a foundational role in defining the future of electric transport.

Emphasizing that integrated battery systems design is increasingly critical for electric utilities, the lithium-ion battery industry veteran will describe an evolving sector that encompasses open-ended, large systems interfacing with the present-day utility industry, the new electric car storage potential and renewable electricity generation.

Dr. Lampe-Onnerud will also comment on why China's rapid market development and progressive policies are adding to global complexity by enabling new supply and manufacturing industries. Notably, the U.S. and EU are doubling down with their own substantial investments to build very large centers of innovation and manufacturing. That, in turn, is fueling a global ecosystem that is opening doors to innovators who are teaming up with established battery and non-battery players alike to bring the next generation of energy storage products to market.

"The International Battery Seminar and Exhibit is the premier event for meeting with industry leaders from around the world," said Dr. Lampe-Onnerud. "My goal is to inspire global collaboration while staying true to best practices with respect to design and systems integration. The time is right for taking high-density, low cost, safe energy storage solutions to the next generation."

"With this year's conference exploring battery safety, engineering reliability and developments in delivering higher performance at lower costs, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud's industry experience and proven track record couldn't be more suitable," said Shep Wolsky, Conference Founder. "We're pleased to have her as a keynote speaker."

Among the world's foremost authorities on battery chemistry and design, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud is a 20-year battery industry expert. She is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer; has shared insights into energy storage and climate change at Davos and for various United Nations groups; is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame winner and MIT Technology Review Young Innovator award recipient; and has earned multiple distinctions for her commitment to environmental sustainability.

Dr. Lampe-Onnerud's latest venture, Cadenza Innovation, is bringing to market a safe, low cost and high-performance technology platform for licensing to lithium-ion battery manufacturers worldwide. Cadenza has secured more than $7 million in oversubscribed Series A funding. Led by Golden Seeds, investors include Connecticut Innovations, Scale Investors, Summit Power Group Co-chairman Eric Redman, and entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor Mark Torrance, along with prominent angel investors from Asia, Europe and North America. Additionally, the company has earned funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the state of New York. The company's first target markets are transportation and residential/grid energy storage. Earlier in her career, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud founded Boston-Power, which today is based in China.

About Cadenza Innovation

Cadenza Innovation was founded in 2012 by Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud, one of the pre-eminent battery experts in the world. With corporate headquarters in Wilton, Connecticut, the company's mission is to deploy its intellectual property, field-proven operational and mass production expertise along with its key technology partners to build Cadenza Innovation into a global technology leader in energy density, lowest cost and safety. Driven by an unmatched team of industry experts, a number of whom held key leadership roles at lithium-ion battery cell, pack and system provider Boston-Power and Arthur D. Little, Cadenza Innovation is licensing its technology to allow immediate access to its highly simplified design for large lithium-ion energy storage systems. For more information, visit www.cadenzainnovation.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3116800



Contact:

Liza Vilnits

CHEN PR for Cadenza Innovation

Email Contact

781.672.3141




JONESBORO, AR--(Marketwired - March 07, 2017) - The Arkansas Realtors Land Institute (RLI) has inducted charter member, Joel King, ALC, CAI, as President of the Board for 2017. King is a National Auction Marketing Specialist for J.P. King Auction Company, and takes over from 2016 President Jeramy Stephens, ALC, of Mossy Oak Properties.

Twelve years ago, King achieved the highest level of professional competence with the Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) designation through the RLI. Seeking greater resources for continued professional development in-state through RLI, in 2013, King helped charter and found the Arkansas chapter of RLI for land sales professionals.

"Becoming involved with the RLI was necessary for me to then be able to develop my skills to take the land brokerage business to the next level," explains Joel King.

"As president this year, I am excited to work with people who want to sell land and hone their skills of agriculture and timber redevelopment, and work with 1031 land exchange opportunities. RLI in Arkansas is a newer organization, and I am excited to grow our membership by scheduling multiple RLI University courses in-state this year. We are a small, focused and very experienced group specializing in land sales in Arkansas," said King.

Joel King has represented J.P. King since 2002. King began his career continuing the success of his father's real estate company that was founded in 1963, in Hardy, Arkansas.

"I have a passion for developing land and selling land at its highest and best use. We have been successful in not only selling land traditionally, but selling through the auction process where you can move large amounts of acreage while still bringing market prices," said King.

Properties he has sold through auction in Arkansas include Strickland Farm, which set the price per acre record in Arkansas at $8,100 for a 233-acre property owned by Arkansas State University's Real Estate Foundation. In December 2016, he auctioned the 18 acre Creek Place Development in Jonesboro for a total of $2.5 million.

King is one of only 1,100 auction professionals nationwide with the Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) designation. Last year, King was awarded the Arkansas Auctioneers Association's highest honor when he was inducted into their Auctioneers Hall of Fame.

As an independent premier real estate auction firm, J. P. King's impressive portfolio of property sales includes over a million acres of land, ranches and farms located throughout all 50 states. J. P. King Auction Company pioneered the use of auctions for land and luxury real estate and non-distressed clients. Under the current leadership of the fourth generation of the King family, the firm has sold and closed over $2 billion in property through more than 850 auction events. www.jpking.com.

The Arkansas RLI is a non-profit organization created for land sales professionals dedicated to gaining knowledge, building relationships, and increasing business for members who broker, lease, sell, develop, and manage our most precious resource: the land. RLI members strive to be the most knowledgeable and successful professionals in Arkansas' rural land industry. Arkansas RLI is the state chapter of the national Realtors Land Institute. For more information, visit www.arkansasrealtors.com/rli and www.rliland.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/6/11G132225/Images/King_Joel-34abbb2515a9bead8367a37b681e3d93.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/6/11G132225/Images/Natl_logo-b43b54d48a5cb188bf0ee37adfebc46c.jpg
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- HPQ Silicon Resources Inc ("HPQ") (TSX VENTURE: HPQ)(FRANKFURT: UGE)(OTC PINK: URAGD) is pleased to inform its shareholders that it has completed the second and final tranche closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement consisting of the issuance and sale of an aggregate amount of 2,488,234 units ("Unit") at $0.17 per Unit for gross proceeds of $423,000. The Net proceeds of the placement will be used for on-going R&D investments related to the development of 200 Ton/Year Solar Grade Silicon Metal PUREVAP Quartz Reduction Reactor Pilot equipment, general corporate expenses, legal expenses and placement fees.

Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share and one (1) common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") of the Company. Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the capital stock of the Company at an exercise price of $ 0.25 during a period of 24 months from the date of closing of the placement. Each share issued pursuant to the placement will have a mandatory four (4) month holding period from the date of closing of the placement. The placement is subject to standard regulatory approvals.

Bernard Tourillon, Chairman and CEO of HPQ Silicon stated: "Demand for participation in HPQ private placements continues to be strong, and it exceeded the over allocation allotment mentioned in our February 3, 2017 press release. Since December 2016, the Corporation as raised close to $3 million. These financings are key as they provide HPQ-Silicon the funds required to continue the development of the Pilot Plant project with Pyrogenesis, and the necessary time required for our discussions with Government based agencies that manage funding programs for which the PUREVAP QRR is eligible."

OTHER CORPORATE MATTERS Shares have been issued to pay an outstanding debt of $28,250 for services rendered during the period from July 16, 2016 ending Jan 15, 2017.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc is a TSX-V listed junior exploration company planning to become a vertically integrated and diversified High Value Silicon Metal (99.9+% Si), and Solar Grade Silicon Metal (99.999+% Si) producer.

Our business model is focused on developing a one step High Purity and Solar Grade Silicon Metal manufacturing process (patent pending) and becoming a vertically - integrated Solar Grade Silicon producer that can generate high yield returns and significant free cash flow within a relatively short time line.

Disclaimers:

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Shares outstanding: 164,704,382

Contacts:

Bernard J. Tourillon

Chairman and CEO

(514) 907-1011



Patrick Levasseur

President and COO

(514) 262-9239

www.HPQSilicon.com




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern that the United States Government's new decision on refugee resettlement may compound the anguish of people fleeing deadly violence. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi's statement follows the signing Monday by US President Donald Trump of an Executive order that would suspend the country's refugee program for 120 days. It would also bar for 90 days travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. He added that his Office (UNHCR) has long been a partner for the US in finding solutions to refugee problems, and it looks forward to continuing this partnership. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Europe Market Report for Final Abutments 2017 MedCore" report to their offering.

The European final abutment market can be segmented by fabrication process, yielding three segments: stock abutments, custom cast abutments and CAD/CAM abutments. In 2016, the largest segment in the total final abutment market was the stock abutment segment.

Historically, stock abutments dominated the final abutment market in Europe but there has been a shift towards customized and technology-driven solutions in recent years, which is expected to limit the growth of this segment over the forecast period. Generic products from low-cost competitors have largely contributed to price deprecation in the market and diminishing revenue growth across Europe.

Another recent development within the stock abutment segment also contributing to price depreciation is the introduction of Ti-Base abutments. Ti-Bases, also known as titanium bases or titanium interfaces, are pre-fabricated abutments that are intended for in-house milling machines and provide dentists with the option of creating a screw-retained or cement-retained restoration.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Research Methodology

2. Disease Overview

2.1 Basic Anatomy

2.1.1 Dental Anatomy: Oral Cavity And Intraoral Landmarks

2.2 Disease Pathology And Disorders

2.2.1 General Diagnostics

2.2.2 Indication For Dental Implant

2.3 Patient Demographics

2.3.1 General Dental Statistics

2.3.2 Tooth Loss Statistics

3. Product Assessment

3.1 Product Portfolios

3.1.1 Dental Implants And Final Abutments

3.2 Regulatory Issues And Recalls

3.2.1 Dental Implants And Final Abutments

3.3 Clinical Trials

3.3.1 Dental Implants And Final Abutments

4. Country Profiles

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1.1 Population

4.1.1.2 GDP Per Capita

4.1.1.3 Dental Implants Placed Per 10,000 Inhabitants

4.1.1.4 Price Index

5. Final Abutment Market

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Overview

5.3 Market Analysis And Forecast

5.3.1 Total Final Abutment Market

5.3.2 Stock Abutment Market

5.3.3 Custom Cast Abutment Market

5.3.4 Cad/Cam Abutment Market

5.4 Unit Analysis

5.4.1 Final Abutment Units Sold By Fabrication Process

5.4.2 Final Abutment Units Sold By Type

5.4.3 Final Abutment Units Sold By Material

5.5 Drivers And Limiters

5.6 Competitive Market Share Analysis

Companies Mentioned

Straumann

Dentsply Sirona

Nobel Biocare

Zimmer Biomet

CAMLOG

Sweden Martina

Medentis

MIS Implants

BEGO

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9nhfcm/europe_market

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170307006075/en/

Contacts:

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 Topics: Dental
ATLANTA, GA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- True Nature Holding, Inc. (OTCQB: TNTY) (the "Company") announced today that it continues its investment in new executive talent with the appointment of Ms. Susanne Leahy as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Separately, it is informing its shareholders of a change in the transfer agent which will affect all stock transactions.

Ms. Leahy, age 47, is an innovative senior executive with 20+ years of diversified corporate leadership experience, and brings expert and impressive knowledge in both finance and business administration to True Nature Holding, Inc. She will lead the Company's financial strategy and play a key role in strategic growth initiatives, with a focus on acquisitions and shareholder value.

"Susanne is a high-energy, action-oriented leader with a proven history of creating and executing strategies that drive customer and margin growth with attention to strong revenue, profitability and performance while managing budgets and prioritizing top stakeholder priorities," said Amy Lance, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Of note, Mr. Christopher Knauf will no longer serve as Chief Financial Officer and will focus solely on serving the Company as Chief Executive Officer.

"It is a pleasure to join such a laser-focused organization with a growing leadership team and a great future," said Leahy. "I look forward to working with the team to help achieve continued success as we gain momentum in closing our first projected acquisition."

About Susanne Leahy:

From 2013 - 2016, Susanne Leahy functioned as the Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations at Cinedigm, a $250M+ publicly held media company. She managed a large team across their corporate spectrum with special focus on audits for SEC and Sox compliance filings, financial analytics, disclosure statements related to GAAP, earnings and performance, adopted processes, impairments, acquisitions; and 10-K/10-Q schedules with supporting narratives.

From 2000-2012, Ms. Leahy worked at New Video Group, a $120M business, where she was VP of Finance & Operations through a period of transformation and extremely profitable growth. Leahy built and managed a 12-person team and held full directive responsibility for finance, operations, accounting, treasury, budgeting, human resources, and IT.

From 1999-2000 Leahy was General Accounting Manager for Bulgari Corporation of America. From 1996-1999 she was Assistant Manager of Passenger Revenue for British Airways. From 1990-1996 she worked as Assistant Payroll Supervisor for the New York Institute of Technology. Ms. Leahy earned her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from New York Institute of Technology - Old Westbury in 1995.

Announcement in Change of Transfer Agents:

Effective February 17, 2017 the Company's Board of Directors approved the changing of transfer agents from VStock Transfer in Woodmere, New York to Island Stock Transfer in Tampa, Florida. The contact information for Island is: Abby Lord, agent for Island Stock Transfer, 15500 Roosevelt Blvd, Suite 301, Clearwater, FL 33760, (727) 289-0010, www.islandstocktransfer.com.

The Mission of True Nature Holdings, Inc.

To unlock the potential of the compounding pharmacy industry to improve human and animal health, serve unmet patient needs, elevate the dignity of skilled pharmacists, and build shareholder value through the delivery of quality, cost effective, and innovative healthcare products and pharmaceuticals to the world.

The Vision of True Nature Holdings, Inc.

To become globally recognized for our best practices focused on driving quality, efficiency, and sustainability in the compounding pharmaceutical industry, natural solutions for healthy living, and novel approaches for delivery of these solutions.

Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or projected plans, performances, and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that could affect True Nature Holding, Inc. is included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

To learn more about the Company, visit www.truenaturepharma.com.

A one-page investor information document can be viewed at the following link: http://truenaturepharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/tnty-investor-info-sheet.20170227.pdf

True Nature Holding, Inc.

Mack Leath

404-913-1802

contact@truenaturepharma.com




DUBLIN, Mar. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Market for Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Testing Applications" report to their offering.

The Market for Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Testing Applications covers the global opportunity for mass spectrometry instruments and consumables, including mass spectrometry revenues for 2016 and 2021, regional markets for 2016 and 2021 (North America, Europe, Asia, Rest of World, Total Market), and mass spectrometry revenues by manufacturer for 2016 (%). The report provides revenue analysis and company activity in the market, such as mergers and agreements.

Agilent, SCIEX, and Thermo Fisher Scientific are among the manufacturers discussed in the report's competitor analysis.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1: Executive Summary



Market Overview

Future Prospects in the Mass Spectrometry Market

Chapter 2: Introduction



Brief History of Mass Spectrometry

Point-of-View

Chapter 3: Mass Spectrometry Overview



Types of Mass Spectrometry - Overview

Companies Marketing Mass Spectrometry Platforms and Related Products

Mass Spectrometry Platforms in the Clinical Laboratory

Chapter 4: Mass Spectrometry in Research and the Clinical Laboratory



Research Applications of Mass Spectrometry

Mass Spectrometry in the Clinical Laboratory

Early Applications of Mass Spectrometry in the Clinical Laboratory

Oncology

Infectious Disease

Other Clinical Applications of Mass Spectrometry

Other Applications of Mass Spectrometry

Chapter 5: Deals - Mass Spectrometry Companies



Investments and Financing Agreements

Mergers and Acquisitions

Other Corporate Agreements and Collaborations

Collaborations/Agreements Between Two Mass Spectrometry Companies

Collaborations/Agreements with Diagnostic Companies and/or Clinical Laboratories

Collaborations/Agreements with Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Companies

Other Company Collaborations/Agreements

Collaborations and Other Agreements with Universities, Non-Profit Research Institutes and Government

Chapter 6: Mass Spectrometry in the Clinical Laboratory - Market Drivers and Challenges



Mass Spectrometry Technology and Platforms

Need for Integration of Pre-analytical, Analytical, and Post-analytical Components of Mass Spectrometry Based Assays; Advances in Mass Spectrometry Platforms

Mass Spectrometry vs. Immunoassays - Advantages and Disadvantages

Mass Spectrometry Clinical Market Drivers

Increasing Number of Clinical Applications for Mass Spectrometry

Oncology Market Drivers

Newborn Screening and Genetic Analysis Market Drivers

Infectious Disease Market Drivers

Market Drivers for Other Segments of the Clinical Mass Spectrometry Market

Competition

Potential Impact of Mass Spectrometry on Other Markets

Most Mass Spectrometry Clinical Assays Today are Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs)

Regulation of Mass Spectrometry-Based In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Tests

Future Prospects

Chapter 7: Mass Spectrometry Market Analysis



Mass Spectrometry Market Overview

Research versus Clinical Mass Spectrometry Market

Mass Spectrometry Market - Geographical Distribution

Mass Spectrometry Market - Market Shares by Company

Mass Spectrometry Market (Products Sold to Clinical Laboratories) - By Intended Clinical Category, 2016

Mass Spectrometry Market - By Type of Mass Spectrometer

Chapter 8: Company Profiles - Mass Spectrometry Companies



Abbott Laboratories

Advion, Inc.

Agena Bioscience, Inc.

Applying MassARRAY System to Clinical Diagnostics

Agilent Technologies Inc.

Andromas SAS

Applied Proteomics, Inc.

Beckman Coulter , Inc. (Subsidiary of Danaher Corporation)

, Inc. (Subsidiary of Danaher Corporation) Revenue History

Biocrates Life Sciences AG

Biodesix, Inc.

Biodesix Lung Reflex

Research Activities

Investors/Financings

Other Agreements

Biognosys AG

bioMerieux SA

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

Bruker Corporation

Caprion Biosciences, Inc.

caprotec bioanalytics GmbH

Danaher Corporation

Fluidigm Corporation

ImaBiotech

Integrated Diagnostics, Inc.

Selected Deals

Indi Molecular

KineMed, Inc.

Microsaic Systems plc

PerkinElmer, Inc.

Proteome Sciences plc

Sera Prognostics, Inc.

Shimadzu Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Waters Corporation

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m5w97p/the_market_for

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
Toronto, Canada--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2017) - Nevada Zinc Corporation (TSXV: NZN) ("Nevada Zinc" or the "Company") announces that at the request of IIROC, this document retracts and updates in its entirety, the press release disseminated by the Company on March 3, 2017. The Company advises and cautions readers that the retracted disclosure may continue to be found in the public domain and the Company advises readers not to rely on such documents that are hereby superceded by the press release of this date.

The Company is pleased to report that it has correlated several lines of evidence including a new 2017 government report (Colpron et al, 20171) to define a significant bedrock gold target on its Livingstone gold project ("Livingstone Project") within the Tintina Gold Belt in Yukon. The Company has determined that a strong, steeply west dipping electromagnetic ("EM") conductor, identified in a comprehensive 2017 Yukon Geological Survey study (Colpron et al, 20171) coincides with soil geochemical anomalies identified by Nevada Zinc geologists. The anomaly also coincides with an area that covers the upstream portions of five active placer creeks, known for producing coarse placer gold (Colpron et al, 20171)(Colpron et al, 20162) for which no significant bedrock source has yet been discovered (Colpron et al, 20162). This is also the same area where Nevada Zinc geologists discovered gold values in outcrop that have geochemical indicator elements similar to those in the local placer creek gold nuggets (Stroink, L., 19923).

Bruce Durham, Nevada Zinc President and CEO, commented: "When we first identified Livingstone as a high priority bedrock gold target in 2010, we acquired the best available ground as a starting point for field investigations. Over the past six years our work produced positive results and we expanded our land position repeatedly based on those results. Now we have the targets defined and are ready to drill test some of these high priority targets. No drill holes have been reported in the district to test for the bedrock source of the estimated more than 50,000 ounces of placer gold that has been recovered (Colpron)1 in the Livingstone area. We have identified gold mineralization in bedrock at the head of one of those creeks, Cottoneva Creek, where Colpron1 postulates the placer gold may have originated, clearly identifying this largely overburden covered area as a prime drill target."

Yukon Gold Properties

Nevada Zinc controls a number of land package along the Tintina Gold Belt, a 2,000 kilometre gold district spanning Alaska and Yukon. Nevada Zinc's three priority projects in Yukon are the Livingstone Project, the VIP Project, and the Goodman Project, all in the Tintina Gold Belt. All three are 100% owned, have identified geochemical and geophysical targets, and have never been drilled.

Livingstone Project

The Livingstone Project (156 mineral claims) which covers an area of roughly 14 x 4 kilometres, is located 85 kilometres northeast of Whitehorse, Yukon and is accessible via a winter road and fixed wing aircraft and helicopter. Five west draining creeks, four of which have their headwaters on the Company's property, have produced some very large placer gold nuggets with individual nuggets reportedly weighing as much as 20.5 ounces4 and 39 ounces5 from Livingstone Creek and Summit Creek respectively (link to nugget photos). Colpron1 refers to the source of the placer gold as elusive. There has never been a hole drilled to test for gold in bedrock along the project's 14 kilometre length. Recently released 2016 and 2017 Yukon government reports highlight areas on the Company's property as a potential source for the placer gold (Colpron et al1,2). Airborne geophysical surveying, new geological mapping, age dating and interpretation point to the area along the western margin of an extensive felsic intrusion in contact with a strong conductive geophysical zone as an area likely to be a possible source of the placer gold (mostly on the Company's property). The Company has identified gold associated with galena bearing quartz veins in bedrock correlating to the target area identified by Colpron.

Colpron in the abstract for his recent Yukon Government report (Colpron, et al 20171) summarized as follows:

"The Livingstone Creek area, known for its coarse placer gold, is underlain by mid-Paleozoic metasedimentary, metavolcanic and metaplutonic rocks of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. These rocks were penetratively deformed, metamorphosed under high-pressure conditions in the Permian, and retrogressed to amphibolite facies before the Early Jurassic. A new VTEMTM Plus, helicopter-born geophysical survey over the area has helped to enhance the interpretation of the bedrock geology and to identify potential exploration targets. The lithological, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of metavolcanic rocks, as well as Early Mississippian U-Pb dates from two metagranitoid plutons in the Livingstone Creek area are consistent with the regional character of correlative assemblages in the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Mid Permian and Middle Triassic U-Pb dates from two granitic intrusions further constrain the timing of development of transposition foliation in the area. Magnetic anomalies and electromagnetic conductors define potential exploration targets for the source of placer gold in the centre of the Livingstone Creek area."

Much of this newly identified target identified by Colpron lies on land held by the Company. The full report and a presentation of the data (Colpron 2016) have been posted on the Company's website.

The Company has plans to carry out additional work on the Livingstone Project in 2017.

Any references to gold quantities or gold nugget size in this press release is historical in nature and as such could not be verified sufficiently by the Qualified Person.

VIP Project

The VIP Project (837 mineral claims) covers 17 kilometres west along the main structural trend from Goldcorp's recently acquired Coffee gold deposit (total indicated mineral resource of 63.7 million tonnes averaging 1.45 g/t Au for 2,968,000 ounces of contained gold, and a total inferred mineral resource of 52.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.31 g/t Au for 2,212,000 ounces of contained gold6) at a cost of approximately $520 million. The VIP Project contains the East Big Creek target, a 700 metre long northwest trending gold-in-soil and pathfinder element geochemical anomaly that remains untested and open in both directions along strike. The anomaly is up to 250 metres wide. An extensive, prominent magnetic low in airborne magnetic data defines a northwest trending structure directly associated with the East Big Creek target that remains open ended and unexplored along trend for several kilometres.

Goodman Project

The Goodman Project (379 mineral claims) covers 20 kilometres of favourable stratigraphy located along the projection of the Potato Hills Trend and immediately southwest of Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Deposit (222,193,578 tonnes indicated mineral resource grading 0.68 g/t Au containing 4,992,821 ounces gold and 77,930,767 tonnes inferred mineral resource grading 0.60 g/t Au containing 1,578,707 ounces gold7). The Goodman Project covers the upper reaches of at least five current or historic placer creeks for which there is no known source for the gold. A recent Company airborne magnetic survey clearly outlines a 5 x 1.5 kilometre elongate felsic intrusion (termed the Murphy Intrusion) similar to the host felsic intrusion at the Eagle Gold Deposit. This magnetic anomaly correlates with numerous geochemical anomalies, particularly an extensive, prominent magnetic low in the airborne magnetic data along the southeast margin of the Murphy Intrusion that may reflect strong alteration, possibly the result of gold mineralizing fluids.

Bruce Durham (P.Geo), President and Chief Executive Officer of Nevada Zinc, is a Qualified Person, as the term is defined in Canadian regulatory guidelines under National Instrument 43-101, and has read and approved the technical information contained in this press release.

Early exploration activities and results are preliminary in nature and not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit.

References

1Colpron, M., Carr, S., Hildes, D. and Piercey, S., 2017. Geophysical, geochemical and geochronological constraints on the geology and mineral potential of the Livingstone Creek area, south-central Yukon (NTS 105E/8). In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2016, K.E. MacFarlane and L.H. Weston (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 47-86.

2 M. Colpron, D. Hildes, S. Casselman, J. Bond, 2016. Geophysical constraints on the geology and mineral potential of the Livingstone Creek area, south-central Yukon

3 Stroink, L. and Friedrich, G., 1992. Gold-sulphide quartz veins in metamorphic rocks as a possible source for placer gold in the Livingstone Creek area, Yukon Territory, Canada. In: Yukon Geology, vol. 3, Yukon Geological Survey, p. 87-98.

4Whitehorse Daily Star; July 26, 1974 $6000 Gold Nugget Found Near City

5 Lindsay, Mark, 2006. LIV Assessment Report Livingstone Creek Area Yukon Territory Yukon Mining Recorder Assessment file 094603

6Kaminak Gold Corporation press release January 6, 2016

7Victoria Gold Corp, MDA dated June 22, 2012 SEDAR

Note: The referenced materials referred to above by Colpron et al from 2016 and 2017 will be posted on the Company's website.

About Nevada Zinc

Nevada Zinc is a discovery driven mineral exploration company with a proven management team focused on identifying unique mineral exploration opportunities that can provide significant value to its shareholders. The Company's existing zinc and gold projects are located in Nevada and Yukon, respectively.

Nevada Zinc cordially invites everyone to meet with its management in the Investors Exchange during the upcoming Prospectors and Developers annual conference in Toronto. We look forward to discussing the progress of the Company at booth #2215 on Tuesday March 7, 2017 and Wednesday March 8, 2017. Registration to attend the Investor's Exchange is free.

For further information contact:

Nevada Zinc Corporation

Suite 1660, 141 Adelaide St.

West Toronto, Ontario M5H 3L5

Tel: 416-504-8821

Bruce Durham, President and CEO

bdurham@nevadazinc.com

www.nevadazinc.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Today, in the Muslim world where women are fighting an uphill battle for gender equality and a seat at the decision-making table, Azerbaijan, where Mehriban Aliyeva has been appointed as the countrys first vice president, has taken a historic leap forward, wrote Rob Sobhani, director general of the Caspian Group Holdings, in his article published by the Washington Times.

Why does the appointment of a reform-minded, intelligent and worldly stateswoman halfway across the world matter for United States, and why is it important for Washington to applaud and wholeheartedly support Mrs. Aliyeva? If we are to successfully tackle the challenge of Islamic extremism, then we must find and support positive and uplifting alternatives. Mrs. Aliyevas success can become a model for the rest of the Muslim world to emulate. Thankfully, this wise woman of the East has the ingredients for success, said Sobhani in his article.

In many ways, Mehriban Khanum, as she is affectionately called by her countryman, embodies her nations core values, noted the author. These are values we Americans can both relate to and have championed throughout our history.

First, Mehriban Khanum, whose name literally means kind lady, represents the fundamental value of religious tolerance, which is in the DNA of this Shia Muslim country, he said adding that she has been a champion of Azerbaijans tolerance towards all religions.

Members of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Bahai faiths live side by side in peace and harmony in Azerbaijan. For example, when the Jewish community decided to build a new synagogue in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, she gave her full and public support, wrote Sobhani.

Not surprisingly, Mehriban Aliyeva represented her country in meetings with the pope to discuss interfaith dialogue, added the author.

Mehriban Khanum feels that it is in the deeds of a Muslim that one shows ones piety and not in intolerance toward members of other faiths, said Sobhani.

Mehriban Khanums second personality trait captures another feature of her nations core value: namely, being charitable toward those less fortunate. As founder and head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the kind lady has championed numerous philanthropic projects around the world. For example, immediately after the 2008 earthquake in Pakistan, she mobilized the resources of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to rebuild a school in one of the most remote regions of that country, noted the author.

Mrs. Aliyevas kind heart, motherly love and charitable acts have touched those in the Washington, D.C. area as well. For example, the Longview School in Montgomery County, which serves children with disabilities, has been a recipient of her foundations donation. And thanks to Mehriban Khanum, the inner city youth of Washington, D.C. have scholarships for internships during their senior year. This was the result of a partnership between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and D.C.-based Urban Alliance, he added.

Mehriban Khanums philanthropy has literally helped save the lives of children with life-threatening heart ailments, said Sobhani adding that through Bethesda-based Save A Childs Heart, Azerbaijani children were flown to Israel for life-saving heart operations.

Incidentally, where many narrow-minded Muslim leaders refuse to deal with Israel, this kind lady of charity has extended her hand of friendship, cooperation and charity to Israel, noted the author.

It should therefore not come as a surprise that Mrs. Aliyeva was awarded the prestigious French Medal of Honor for her tireless efforts on behalf of those less fortunate, he said.

The third factor that makes Mrs. Aliyeva tick stems from the Azerbaijanis love of nature, said Sobhani adding that with nine of the worlds 11 climate zones blessing their country, Azerbaijanis are farmers by nature.

As such, the environment and preservation of what they see as Gods blessing is paramount. In other words, they see their soil as a gift from God that has to be protected and preserved, noted the author adding that this Azerbaijani trait is what has led Mehriban Khanum to become an advocate of tree planting as a means to not only tackle climate change but preserve mans relationship with nature.

Suppression of womans rights continues unabated in many parts of the Middle East. At long last, one of Americas strongest allies in the broader Middle East has taken the bold step to address this issue head on. The United States must applaud and wholeheartedly support the appointment of the kind lady of Azerbaijan as vice president, added Sobhani.
During February 2017 AB Klaipedos Nafta (hereinafter - the Company) reloaded 561 thousand tons of petroleum products into its storage tanks of Klaipeda and Subacius oil terminals, i.e. less by 24.9 per cent compared to February 2016, when 747 thousand tons were reloaded.



During the first two months of 2017 the Company in total reloaded 1,186 thousand tons of petroleum products into its storage tanks or less by 23.0 per cent compared to the same period of 2016 when 1,540 thousand tons were reloaded. The transhipment volume decrease in 2017 is related with the lower volume of petroleum products delivered from Belorussia refineries in relation with a decrease of crude oil supply.



In the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal of the Company during February 2017 re-gasified and supplied to the natural gas transmission system total 105 thousand MWh of the natural, while in February 2016 - 1.704 thousand MWh. During the first two months of 2017 the Company in total re-gasified and reloaded 890 thousand MWh of the natural gas (during the same period of 2016 - 2,775 thousand MWh). In 2017 the LNG terminal started new services - LNG reloading and during 2017 the Company in total reloaded 166 thousand MWh of LNG. The LNG terminal activity level decreased in relation with lower capacities ordered by the terminal users.



The preliminary sales revenues for February 2017 of Klaipeda and Subacius oil terminals comprise EUR 2.6 million and are less by 27.8 percent compared to the same period of 2016 (EUR 3.6 million). The preliminary sales revenues for January-February 2017 of the Company's oil terminals comprise EUR 5.4 million and are less by 30.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2016 (EUR 7.8 million).



The preliminary sales revenues of the Company's LNG Terminal for February 2017 comprise EUR 5.4 million (January 2016 - EUR 6.2 million). This revenue comprise from the part of security supplement dedicated for compensation of LNG terminal exploitation expenses and regasification tariff. The preliminary revenues of the LNG terminal for the first two months of 2017 comprise EUR 13.1 million and increased by 6.5 per cent compared to the same period of 2016 (EUR 12.3 million).



In the Company's announcement regarding preliminary transhipment and revenue results for the January 2017 the preliminary revenue of LNG terminal indicated EUR 5.8 million. However after gas consumption capacities have been revised and adjusted the LNG funds administrator has recalculated the security supplement for January 2017 and calculated EUR 7.5 million of LNG terminal revenues for the January 2017, which are higher by EUR 1.7 million comparing to those indicated in the announcement about revenue for January 2017 released by the Company.



Total preliminary sales revenues of the Company for the 2017 comprise EUR 18.5 million, i.e. 8.0 per cent less compared to same period 2016 (EUR 20.1 million).



Petroleum products transshipment and LNG re-gasification and reloading:



February January - February -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 2016 Change, 2017 2016 Change, % % -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petroleum products transshipment, 561 747 -24.9% 1,186 1,540 -23.0% thousand tons -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LNG re-gasification and reloading, 105 1,704 -93.8% 890 2,775 -67.9% thousand MWh --------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Preliminary revenues of the Company, EUR million:



February January - February ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 2016 Change, % 2017 2016 Change, % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Klaipeda oil terminal activity 2.4 3.4 -29.4% 5.0 7.3 -31.5% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subacius oil terminal activity 0.2 0.2 0.0% 0.4 0.5 -20.0% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LNG terminal activity 5.4 6.2 -12.9% 13.1 12.3 6.5% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total: 8.0 9.8 -18.4% 18.5 20.1 -8.0% ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Marius Pulkauninkas, Acting General Manager, tel. 8 46 391763

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --ABI Research anticipates strong growth in the machine/embedded vision market for mobile, AR, and VR devices with shipments forecast to grow from just over one million units in 2016 to more than 460 million by 2021. Devices, such as Google Tango-enabled ones, with dedicated machine vision hardware like sensors and coprocessors will be led by mobile devices with a smaller number of VR and AR devices rounding out the forecast.ABI Research does not include devices with software-only embedded vision into this market.

"While the market is still nascent, tethered VR products rely on machine vision by nature and other device categories already include embedded vision in their near-term product road-maps," says Michael Inouye, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. "The mobile space is particularly intriguing, as many devices can already perform several vision applications with software alone-Blippar, for example, won Best Mobile App for Virtual or Augmented Reality at MWC 2017. Readily available software-based vision applications greatly expand the potential user base, but the added robustness and accuracy afforded by dedicated hardware will engender new use cases. This is especially true in enterprise and commercial settings; building off an already extensive foundation, mobile devices with dedicated embedded systems will support an extensive range of use cases and needs."

In the mobile space, companies and end users will over time find more applications that leverage vision hardware for security, photography/video, navigation, and more. ABI Research finds indoor positioning to be often cited as a likely candidate. Other industry trends like standalone VR, along with the emergence of mixed and merged reality products, will likewise push embedded vision both in the home and at work.

"Our market forecast is aggressive and counts on several major mobile device manufacturers releasing models with embedded vision," concludes Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "But current sentiments point to 2019 to 2020 as a key inflection period where the applications enabled by embedded vision will increasingly become integral elements of our day-to-day activities. There is also a confluence between some device categories, such as mobile and mobile-reliant VR, that further support these trends, but ultimately the applications will decide how pervasive embedded vision truly becomes-as of today, we're optimistic."

These findings are from ABI Research's Machine Vision in Augmented and Virtual Reality Markets (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1027172-machine-vision-in-augmented-and-virtual-re/) report.

About ABI Research

ABI Research stands at the forefront of technology market research, providing business leaders with comprehensive research and consulting services to help them implement informed, transformative technology decisions. Founded more than 25 years ago, the company's global team of senior and long-tenured analysts delivers deep market data forecasts, analyses, and teardown services. ABI Research is an industry pioneer, proactively uncovering ground-breaking business cycles and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info: Mackenzie Gavel Tel: +1.516.624.2542

pr@abiresearch.com

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Amarillo Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: AGC) ("Amarillo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of an updated Pre-feasibility Study ("PFS" or "Study") in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") on the Posse gold deposit within its 100% owned Mara Rosa project located in the state of Goias, central Brazil. Two open cut mining scenarios were investigated in the updated PFS, one where the mining equipment is owner operated, the other where the mining is carried out by contractors. The contract mining scenario was selected as our main base case, primarily due to a significantly lower initial CAPEX and a higher internal rate of return (IRR). A gold price of US$1,200 per troy ounce and a USD/BRL exchange rate of 3.20 were applied in the base case economic model, all currencies are quoted in US dollars unless otherwise specified.

Highlights of the contract mining scenario follow:

-- Initial capital expenditure (including working capital) $148M USD; -- Post-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 35.2%; -- Post-tax net present value using 5% discount rate of $178M USD; -- Post-tax project payback of 2.2 years; -- Cash operating cost: $545/oz Au; -- All-in sustaining costs (AISC) of $627/oz Au(i) -- EBITDA: Average $85.6M USD per year over first 4 years; -- Average annual gold production 140,000 ounces over first 4 years -- Average Life of Mine (LOM) production 112,000 ounces per year over 8 years; -- Proven and probable mineral reserves of 997,536 ounces of gold (2011: 945,000 ozs). -- Total gold recovered over LOM is 892,000 ounces- after considering dilution 3% and plant recovery 92%; -- Average operating strip ratio for waste to ore of 4.5:1 for LOM.

(i) AISC: Total cash costs + Royalties + Transportation & Refining + Sustaining Capital + Closure + Corporate G &A

The updated PFS indicates that the Mara Rosa project represents a robust, rapid pay-back, single open pit mining operation with key economic metrics showing a marked improvement compared to the previous 2011 study. The principal factors driving these changes are local currency devaluation, reduced strip-ratios, low grade stock piling, optimized pit scheduling and post 2011 drilling which increased gold reserves.

The project is expected to have a positive impact on the GDP of the surrounding region, generating over $1 billion of gross revenue and contributing approximately 300 permanent jobs over Life of Mine.

Buddy Doyle, Amarillo CEO commented: "This updated Pre-feasibility Study firmly establishes superior economics for our Mara Rosa project. The project benefits from being a simple, open pit, proposed mining operation with a rapid after-tax payback period of only 2 years." He further stated: "Amarillo is pleased to be in the pro-mining state of Goias where we are surrounded by excellent infrastructure and multiple operating mines, the project has already received it's LP permit and we have a clear road map to obtaining our, LI permit, which gives permission to mine."

The updated PFS was initiated in January 2017 after the release of an updated Resource Estimate for the Posse deposit in July 2016 which included geotechnical investigations and other fieldwork to support the study. The updated PFS was prepared and led by SRK Consulting in collaboration with ONIX Engineering & Consulting, both based in Belo Horizonte - Brazil. The resource statement was supplied by Australian Exploration Field Services out of Ballarat, Australia.

One of the highlights of the study is the greatly reduced strip ratio, this has resulted due to the following changes from the 2011 study:

-- The 2013 Geotechnical study allowed the footwall to be raised to 48 degrees reducing the 2011 PFS pit from an 8.2:1 strip to a 6.4:1 strip; -- By lowering the economic resource cut-off, from 0.5g/t in the 2011 study, to 0.38 g/t in this study; -- Post 2011 drilling converted inferred resources into indicated and measured; -- Using smaller 45 tonne domestically manufactured trucks thereby reducing the haul road width from 20m to 12m, effectively steepening the walls further.

The lower strip reduces the amount of material needed to be moved, greatly improving the project economics. A further significant improvement is the mine scheduling. Using low and medium grade stockpiles, allows the proposed mine to have a head grade of 2 g/t for the first 3 years. The exchange rate movement has also been favorable. Increased mining and power cost and the necessity to line the Tailings Dam have impacted negatively on the economics. Table 1 shows the main difference between the 2011 and 2017 studies.

Table 1: 2011 PFS criteria compared with the current update ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category 2011 PFS by Coffey 2017 PFS by SRK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exchange Rate USD: BRL 1.9 3.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial Capex $184M USD $148M USD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-tax IRR 26.6% 35.2% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-tax Payback Period 2.2 Years 3 Years ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash operating cost $464/oz $545/oz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average production (Years 1-4) 125,000 ounces 140,000 ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average annual production 124,000 ounces 112,000 ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOM recovered gold 870,000 ounces 892,000 ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOM operating strip ratio 8.2:1 4.5:1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pit Slope (inter-berm angle) 67 deg HW 40 deg FW 65 deg HW 48 Deg FW ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resource M & I 1,174,900 ozs Au(1 ) 5.46MT 1,210,100 ozs Au(2) 8.887MT combined 0.5g/t @ 2.04 g/t Au Measured, @ 1.98 g/t Au Measured, cut-off 15.39MT @ 1.65 g/t Au 13.149MT @1.53 g/t Au Indicated Indicated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 945,000 ozs Au Proven and 997,563 (table 4) ozs Au Mineable reserve Probable Proven and Probable ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stockpiling Not evaluated Evaluated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 110 tonne trucks imported 45 tonne only to be Mining fleet and 45 tonne domestic investigated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $1.40 per tonne owner $2.35 per tonne contract Mining cost operated mining ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Energy $US 0.05 per kWh $US 0.08 per kWh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Price $1,100/ounce pit shell; $1200/ounce pit shell; $1200/ ounce for economic $1,200/ ounce for economic model model ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tailings Membrane Lined $23M LOM Facility Clay lined $US14m LOM CAPEX CAPEX ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining dilution 3% mining and 3% handling 3% mining and 3% handling ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Metallurgical recovery 92% 92% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. QP for this reserve statement is Keith Whitehouse and Norman Lock, Nov 2011. 2. QP for this reserve statement is Keith Whitehouse for the resource at a 0.5g/t cut-off for a 0.35 g/t cut-off see table 3.

Contract mining was chosen to headline this study as it saves nearly $40 million in total capital expenditure and provides a higher IRR with only a small decrease in NPV compared to the owned mining equipment scenario, table 2 illustrates the basic economic parameters of the two scenarios. The contract mining cost were determined by selecting the second most expensive of four separate quotes, from Brazilian contract mining providers.

Table 2: Updated PFS comparing contract mining and owner operated mining ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category Contract mining Owner Mining ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV5 178M 190M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRR 35% 33.5% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Cost/ t $ 2.35 $ 1.75 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEX/ t $ 25.58 $ 22.28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPEX initial + working $ 148M $ 164M ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the pit optimization process carried out by SRK it became clear that a lower gold grade cut-off value of 0.38 g/t Au, aided in the scheduling optimization and lowed the strip. Company management agreed to this change and Keith Whitehouse the QP for the resource model provided a new block model at a 0.35g/t cut-off. Table 3 states this new resource.

Table 3: Posse Deposit Resource @ 0.35 g/t cut-off ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category Tonnes Mt Grade g/t Ounces of Au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured 10 1.80 580,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 15 1.40 670,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- M & I Total 25 1.56 1,250,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 8.4 1.10 300,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SRK applied a 0.38 g/t Au cut-off to the block model and generated optimized Pit, tails and waste rock designs based on the parameters given in the LP permit. The Measured and Indicated blocks that fit within this pit shell can be categorized as Proven and Probable reserves as listed in Table 4.

Table 4 Posse Deposit Reserves @ 0.38 g/t cut-off ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category Tonnes MT Grade g/t Ounces of Au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proven 9.27 1.81 540,567 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Probable 9.74 1.46 456,968 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- P & P Total 19.01 1.63 997,536 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SRK has also provided a gold price sensitivity analysis based on the projects economic model. This shows the project is robust down to $1000 per ounce and is highly levered to better but historic gold prices.

Table 5 Project sensitivity to the gold price ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Au price $ 1000 $ 1100 $ 1200 $ 1300 $ 1400 $ 1500 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRR 20% 28% 35% 42% 49% 56% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5 2.7 2.2 1.9 1.7 1.5 Payback Period years years years years years years ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV0 $ 130M $ 187M $ 243M $ 300M $ 357M $ 413M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV5 $ 84M $ 131M $ 178M $ 223M $ 273M $ 320M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV7 $ 69M $ 113M $ 157M $ 202M $ 254M $ 289M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV10 $ 49M $ 89M $ 129M $ 169M $ 210M $ 249M ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The PFS proposes a single open pit mined by conventional shovel and truck methods at a nominal ore mining rate of 2.5 million tonnes per annum for approximately eight years with Year 1 being the first full year of commercial gold production. A total of 105 MT of material will be mined to produce 19 MT of ore (strip ratio of 4.5: 1). Run-of-mine ("ROM") ore will be crushed and grinded to a 45 micron feed size and run through a conventional CIL mill.

The mine requires 4.5 million tonnes of waste pre-stripping during the pre-production period at a total cost of $14.0 million.

The project will employ contract mining with conventional open-pit mining using drill and blast, hydraulic excavators, haul trucks, and auxiliary mobile equipment to support a mining operation of a nominal 2.5 million tonnes per year of ore and a maximum of 20 million tonnes per year of waste.

The ROM ore will be hauled from the open-pit with 45 tonne haul trucks and dumped directly into a hopper that feeds the primary crusher. A small stockpile will be established at the primary crusher area. Two ore stockpiles are proposed for material grading between 0.3 g/t and 0.8 g/t Au which will be processed later in the mine life. Waste material will be alsp moved by 45 tonne trucks. The use of smaller local made trucks allow for simple switching between owners fleet and or contract mining.

The PFS incorporates a conventional Carbon in Leach ("CIL") circuit preceded by a pre-oxidation stage ("Pre-Ox").

The plant consists of a conventional crushing circuit (including tertiary crushing) followed by primary and secondary milling in closed circuit with cyclones. After adding lime to lift the pH to 12 (using 2kg/t of lime), the final pulp (P80 @ 45microns) is sent to the Pre-Ox tanks (3 tanks) where it is agitated for 12 hours using oxygen from a PSA (Pressure Swing Absorption) unit. The high pH and oxygen prevent passivation of the telluride surfaces. The pulp is then moved to the CIL tanks where it is contacted with cyanide (0.24kg per tonne of pulp) and activated carbon in a typical CIL circuit of six agitated tanks for a total of 24 hours.

Loaded carbon is extracted daily from the CIL circuit and processed in a typical Zadra-style elution circuit with a 4 tonne capacity. The eluted solution is passed continuously through the electrowinning cells until efficient desorption has been achieved. At intervals, the gold is removed from the cells and smelted into dore bars for sale. The activated carbon is regenerated in a gas fired rotating kiln before being sent back to the CIL circuit.

Tails from the CIL circuit are thickened to recover some of the solution before the thickened pulp is subjected to detoxification using SO2/air and a copper sulphate catalyst to destroy free cyanide before being pumped to a tailings storage facility (TSF"). The water from the TSF is re-circulated to the plant under conditions of zero discharge. Water for the mine is collected from the tailings catchment and from water made from the pit.

The Project benefits from good infrastructure development with the planned mine-site layout facilitating a compact design with pit-proximal process plant, TSF and waste dump. There is a railway within 1.5 km of the pit, a major national highway 11 km away and Mara Rosa, a small town of 12,000 people, 5 km away. A 4-km gravel road connects the deposit to a recently asphalted state highway. Electrical power for the project operations will be provided by installing a 63km long, 138kV power line. The present 69 kV power line does not contain enough excess capacity to be used during construction period. Peak demand of the process plant is calculated at 12.7 MW and continuous running demand is calculated at 11.3 MW. Power will be distributed throughout the site at 13.8 kV, reducing to 460 volts for all smaller motors. The line is expected to cost $7.9M and power will be provided at $ 0.08 kWh.

Amarillo is very pleased with the outcome of the updated PFS study. The Company is focused on completing the next stage of the permitting process which includes continuous environmental monitoring, detailed engineering of the tailings dam, basic engineering at feasibility level and procuring surface rights as well as other social and archeological studies. This LI (installation license) permit allows mine construction to begin.

As result of this study the company also plans further resource definition drilling, which would have the potential expand mine life. The planned pit shell is controlled in part by the availability of indicated and measured resource blocks. The pit reaches a depth of 260m in the SE. It is possible that the pit could be extended at similar depths to the NW if inferred blocks are converted to Measure and Indicated with further drilling.

Prior to initiating a Feasibility study the company has instructed SRK to investigate lower throughput alternatives designed to give management an understanding of options available to the project, with emphasis on lower CAPEX, lower through-put designs. Having more knowledge of different scenarios will give management the tools to navigate different market conditions, should this be required.

SRK will supply at 43-101 report which will be filed on SEDAR and Amarillo's website within 40 days of this release.

The principal Qualified Person for this news release is Rubens Mendonca, MAUSSIM and chartered professional of SRK Consultores do Brasil Ltda (SRK Consulting), Belo Horizonte who prepared in part and has supervised the preparation of, or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. Keith Whitehouse of Australian Exploration Field services of Ballarat, Australia, prepared the resource statement in this news release. Frank Baker qualified person for the company has also reviewed and help prepare the scientific and technical disclosure in this release. An updated presentation reflecting these results has been posted to the company's website.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AMARILLO GOLD CORP.

Buddy Doyle, President

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This news release contains Forward Looking Statements regarding our intentions and plans. Forward looking statements in this news release include the numbers estimated for 2017 and the time line for completion. Various factors may prevent or delay our plans, including but not limited to, the ability to raise funds, contractor availability and performance, weather, access, mineral prices and success and failure of the exploration and development carried out at various stages of the program. Permission from the Government and community is also required to proceed with future mining production. We may not be able to fulfill our obligations under the proposed gold loan and we may be unable to raise sufficient financing to carry out our plans. Readers should review risk factors applicable to junior mining exploration companies generally to understand the variety of risks that can affect the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contacts:

Amarillo Gold Corp.

Buddy Doyle

+ 1-604-689-1799 (Canada)

+1-604-760-0325 (Cell)

+55-31-3261-5974 (Brazil)

info@amarillogold.com



Amarillo Gold Corp.

Scott Eldridge

+1-604-722-5381

info@amarillogold.com




CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- NextTier Education Inc. today announced it has finalized a partnership to provide St. Mary's International School in Tokyo, Japan with its advanced web- and mobile-based platform that redefines how district personnel, school counselors, students, and their parents navigate the complicated college planning, search, and application process.

St. Mary's is a non-profit private, all-boys international high school based in Tokyo. With 900 K-12 students, including 310 high school students, St. Mary's boasts an almost 100 percent track record of graduates attending college with 61 percent going to universities in the United States.

The NextTier platform will prioritize real-time, active collaboration between students, educators, and parents to deliver critical information on every two- and four-year college in the U.S. The first platform of its kind, NextTier provides each student with a personalized, comprehensive college application plan, including a detailed list of every school's required tasks, step-by-step guidance, and deadlines for completing each task in the process. NextTier's database also includes information on more than 20,000 scholarships and grants, and helps students to successfully research and identify the right financial support opportunities.

The NextTier cloud platform enables St. Mary's administrators to quickly view every student's to-do list, supervise deadlines and status in the application process, and communicate directly with individual students and groups via mobile texts and alerts to keep them engaged, motivated, and on schedule.

"Our partnership with St. Mary's is the beginning of NextTier's planned global expansion," said Justin Shiffman, founder and CEO of NextTier. "With our translation capabilities, our goal is to eliminate the potential barriers to higher education for every student and empower students and parents to have full control over the search and application process across international markets."

Students attending St. Mary's schools are now able to access NextTier. They have been automatically connected with their school counselors, can instantly communicate with those team members, and begin building their college search and application work plans.

About NextTier Education

Founded in 2014, Chicago-based NextTier Education, Inc. is the first postsecondary readiness solution with user engagement as its top priority. NextTier helps students find the right-fit schools, navigate the process to plan and apply to schools, and identify ways to finance their investments. Additional information is available at www.nexttier.com or by calling 312.690.9996.

Contact:

Kevin Martin

Scott Phillips + Associates, Inc.

Email Contact

312.943.9100 x23




OKLAHOMA CITY, OK--(Marketwired - March 07, 2017) - APMEX, Inc. is proud to announce the 2017 Silver Maple Leaf Monster Box Sweepstakes, courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint. One lucky winner will receive a Monster Box of 500 2017 1 oz Silver Canadian Maple Leaf coins.

Beginning March 6, 2017 and running through April 2, 2017, the purchase of any eligible Royal Canadian Mint product will be an automatic entry into the 2017 Silver Maple Leaf Monster Box Sweepstakes.

"We are thrilled to offer a sealed Monster Box to one lucky winner," APMEX Vice President of Merchandising Andrew Martineau said. "The Silver Maple Leaf coin, as with all Royal Canadian Mint products, combines expert craftsmanship with unparalleled security features. This sweepstakes provides an incredible opportunity to add 500 ounces of investor-grade bullion to your collection."

The Silver Maple Leaf is one of the most popular and most recognized Silver bullion coins around the world. First minted in 1988 and struck every year since, Silver Maple Leaf coins contain 1 troy oz of pure Silver. Minted in .9999 fine Silver, Canadian Silver Maple Leafs are among the purest of all Silver dollar-size coins. Maple Leafs are magnificently designed, with attention to every intricate detail. Over the years, the Royal Canadian Mint has adapted the design to what it is today, including adding radial lines as a security feature in 2014.

To enter the 2017 Silver Maple Leaf Monster Box Sweepstakes, no purchase is necessary and an online entry form can be found in the official contest rules. Full details of the contest are also listed in the official rules. The winner will be selected the week of April 10, 2017.

The contest is open to U.S. residents, age 21 years or older at time of entry. Visit APMEX to find the full contest rules and more details about the 2017 Silver Maple Leaf Monster Box Sweepstakes.

About APMEX, Inc.

For more than 15 years, APMEX has been one of the nation's largest Precious Metals e-retailers. In 2016, APMEX was ranked the #1 Specialty E-Retailer and #42 out of 500 e-retailers by Internet Retailer Magazine. APMEX has the largest selection of bullion and numismatic items provided by a retailer, boasting more than 10,000 products. Product offerings include all U.S. Mint bullion such as Gold, Silver and Platinum American Eagle coins. APMEX also sells products from leading mints around the world including The Royal Mint, Perth Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and many others. APMEX is a member of the American Numismatic Association, the International Precious Metals Institute and the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. For additional information, visit www.APMEX.com or call (800) 375-9006.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/7/11G132343/Images/240x240_RCM-Month-blog-PR-banner-a1de48085cf3801c9c21eac953d3f1ad.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/7/11G132343/Images/690x194_RCM-Month-PR-image-banner-fed55ab7c8f196a38dc5ef22383eac64.jpg

Whitney McCown

Whitney.McCown@apmex.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Range Energy Resources Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: RGO)(CSE: RGO.CN)(FRANKFURT: YGK) is pleased to announce that further to the Company's news release of February 15, 2017, it has received a secured convertible loan for $2,007,600 (the "Loan") from Gulf LNG America, LLC ("Gulf"), which is the second advance under the credit facility pursuant to the loan agreement entered into with Gulf on February 14, 2017 (the "Loan Agreement"). Gulf is a significant shareholder of the Company. See the Company's news release of February 15, 2017 for information about the Loan Agreement. The Loan is evidenced by a secured convertible promissory note in favour of Gulf for the principal amount of $2,007,600 (the "Note"). The maturity date of the principal amount, interest and any fees of the Loan is March 5, 2018 and the rate of interest is 10% per annum.

The Loan is secured by the general security agreement dated February 14, 2017 pursuant to which the Company granted in favour of the lender a security interest in all the Company's present and after-acquired real and personal property (the "Collateral"). See the Company's news release of February 15, 2017 for information related to the exclusion from the Collateral of the Company's shares of NAZZ2 (the "NAAZ2 Shares") and certain rights of the Company derived from or connected to the NAAZ2 Shares (the "NAAZ2 Shares Derivative Rights"). If the Company obtains the consents necessary to grant to the lenders a lien on the NAAZ2 Shares and the NAAZ2 Shares Derivative Rights, this property will become part of the Collateral.

All or any portion of the principal amount, accrued interest and fees outstanding under the Note is convertible by the lender into common shares of the Company at any time before the maturity date, at a conversion price per share set out in the Note, subject to adjustment upon certain events occurring. The conversion price for the Loan was approved by the Company's board and by the Canadian Securities Exchange.

The principal amount advanced by the lender will be used by the Company for working capital requirements in respect of the production project in the Khalakan Block in the Kurdistan Region, general corporate purposes and any capital expenditures for the purchase by the Company of property or assets permitted under the Loan Agreements.

For further information on Range Energy Resources Inc., please visit the Company's web site at www.rangeenergyresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors:

Toufic Chahine

Chairman

THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed to include "forward-looking information". 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. Although Range Energy 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 forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Range Energy's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Range Energy Resources Inc. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

THE CSE AND FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGES HAVE NOT REVIEWED AND DO NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Toufic Chahine

Chairman

Tel: 604-688-9600

Fax: 604-687-3141

Email: range@rangeenergyresources.com

www.rangeenergyresources.com




IRVING, Texas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) (the "Company") today announced that management will present at the 29th Annual ROTH Conference to be held at The Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, CA. Randall C. Stuewe, Darling's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present on Tuesday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m. PT, and will hold one-on-one meetings throughout the day. Randy will be joined by Patrick Lynch, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Melissa Gaither, Vice President Investor Relations and Global Communications.

Additionally, Mr. Stuewe will be presenting at the Gabelli & Company 3rd Annual Waste Services Symposium at the Andaz 5th Avenue Hotel in New York on Thursday, March 16th at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The investor presentations will be webcast and accessible via the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded developer and producer of sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients, creating a wide range of ingredients and customized specialty solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, food, pet food, feed, technical, fuel, bioenergy and fertilizer industries. With operations on five continents, the Company collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into useable and specialty ingredients, such as gelatin, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstocks, green energy, natural casings and hides. The Company also recovers and converts used cooking oil and commercial bakery residuals into valuable feed and fuel ingredients. In addition, the Company provides grease trap services to food service establishments, environmental services to food processors and sells restaurant cooking oil delivery and collection equipment. For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release. Many of these risks and uncertainties are described in Darling's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending January 2, 2016 and our other filings with the SEC.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- The Government of Canada is committed to offering electronic services to Canadians so that they can quickly and easily access their information and complete their online transactions. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Families, Children and Social Development are working together to provide a service that is focused on the needs of Canadians.

Today the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, and the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced a new integrated online service linking the two organizations' respective secure portals, My Account and My Service Canada Account.

My Account and My Service Canada Account offer Canadians self-service options to update and manage their tax and benefit affairs online anytime. The CRA's My Account allows individuals to view or change their return, track their refund, check their benefit and credit payments and much more. My Service Canada Account allows Canadians to view and update their employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security information and more. Using the new link, Canadians who are registered for either CRA's My Account or ESDC's My Service Canada Account can now access both services using a single secure session. It's convenient, accessible and a secure way to make sure their personal information is always up to date.

The Canada Revenue Agency serves Canadians by delivering client-focused services. With the launch of Auto-fill my return, the MyCRA mobile app and MyBenefits CRA mobile app, as well as the redesigned notice of assessment that is simpler and easier to read, Canadians have more resources to help them easily file their tax return and get their refund faster.

Quick Facts

-- Families can use the linked accounts to view their Canada child benefit (CCB) information. This year, as a result of the introduction of the CCB, about 300,000 fewer children will be living in poverty. -- With the launch of the tax season on February 20, Canadians are reminded of the importance of filling out their tax return to make sure they get the benefits and credits they're entitled to. Tax returns have to be received at the CRA by April 30, 2017.

Quotes

"Our government is committed to providing Canadians with high-quality service and making sure they get the credits and benefits designed to support them. I am pleased to announce this partnership with my colleague, Minister Duclos. We believe this new connection between both organizations gives Canadians easy and safe access to the information they need to manage their benefits online."

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue

"This new service will focus on the needs of Canadians. Both points of entry will allow Canadians to have secure access to their information as well as benefits they and their families are eligible for. Services like this one are a perfect example of how the Government of Canada is making it easier for Canadians to manage online benefits such as the Canada child benefit, Old Age Security and Employment Insurance."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Associated Links

CRA - My Account for Individuals

ESDC - My Service Canada Account

Get ready to file your 2016 income tax return

Follow us on Twitter

Contacts:

Chloe Luciani-Girouard, Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of National Revenue

613-995-2960



Media Relations

Canada Revenue Agency

613-952-9184



Media Relations Office

Employment and Social Development Canada

819-994-5559

media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca




QUEBEC CITY, 2017-03-07 20:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, proudly announces the launch of PolyWorks Scandinavia, a joint venture created with a local business partner in Sweden to market the PolyWorks Universal 3D Metrology Software PlatformTM to the manufacturing industry in the Scandinavian region.



"The automotive and aerospace industries have a strong presence in this region, with key international manufacturers generating a strong and active market. In Sweden alone, the automotive sector represents 12% of exports making it the largest export sector. InnovMetric already has a base of PolyWorks users in the manufacturing plants of the region, and the next strategic step is to reinforce our presence there to fully take advantage of these evolving sectors," said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. To achieve this goal, InnovMetric Software Inc. has decided to form a joint venture with a long-time Swedish partner, Martin Elf, whose skill set combines excellent knowledge of the local manufacturing industries with solid expertise in 3D metrology.



PolyWorks Scandinavia will provide technical support, training, and sales assistance to InnovMetric metrology hardware partners located in the Scandinavian region. In addition, PolyWorks Scandinavia will market PolyWorks to VIP accounts, in the region's various manufacturing industries, that want to standardize their metrology operations on a single software platform. PolyWorks Scandinavia will also supply high-end services to PolyWorks customers, including metrology process consulting and software customization through macro programming.



"Industrial manufacturing customers in Scandinavia are very enthusiastic about the power, robustness, ease of use, and flexibility of the PolyWorks universal metrology platform. I am very proud to partner with InnovMetric to further develop PolyWorks business in this market," said Martin Elf, who looks forward to a very successful first year as head of PolyWorks Scandinavia.



PolyWorks Scandinavia started its operations on March 1, 2017.



About InnovMetric Software



Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Quebec, QC, Canada, with subsidiaries worldwide, InnovMetric Software Inc. is the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions. The world's largest industrial manufacturing organizations (Toyota, GM, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW, Daimler, Ford, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier, Apple, and many more) trust InnovMetric's PolyWorks software solutions and associated technical services to maximize the benefits of 3D measurement technologies for their engineering and manufacturing applications.



With its subsidiaries and joint ventures, InnovMetric has more than 250 employees in 14 countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, India, Thailand, China, and Japan.



For more information about InnovMetric Software, please visit: www.innovmetric.com.



Contact: Andre Desjardins Tel: 1-418-688-2061 Email: adesjardins@innovmetric.com Website: www.innovmetric.com

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and DUSSELDORF, GERMANY and OSLO, NORWAY -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- ForgeRock, the leading platform provider of digital identity management solutions, today announces that Hermann Wimmer is joining the company as General Manager, International. Wimmer's leadership role is a newly-created position following a highly successful year for ForgeRock, which saw the company's international business growth accelerate amid surging demand for the ForgeRock Identity Platform. As ForgeRock aims to build on this success in 2017, Wimmer is a key hire for the continued implementation of its international strategy. He will lead all revenue growth operations for ForgeRock outside North America, including EMEA and APAC, reporting directly to CEO Mike Ellis.

"ForgeRock's digital identity solutions stand out in that they enable enterprises across global industries to add top-line revenue by securing trusted digital journeys of people, devices, machines, data, and services," said Mr. Ellis. "Our unique capabilities -- along with demand for GDPR solutions for privacy and consent, and the surging growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) globally -- have driven the uptick in international business we've seen in the past year. We're thrilled to have Hermann on board, and his leadership skills and experience will be invaluable assets in driving forward our international growth strategy and continued global success."

Wimmer has years of experience leading successful teams in the technology sector, and an outstanding track record as a global executive. He spent the last 15 years of his career working in the big data and data analytics sectors, supporting businesses across different industries with managing digital transformation. He has held several high-level executive posts, most recently as Co-President of Teradata Corp., a US-based leader in analytic data platforms, marketing and analytic applications. At Teradata, Wimmer also served earlier as President of the International region, leading growth and developing new markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Wimmer has over 25 years' experience in business development, multi-channel development and growth strategy execution in international IT and software companies.

Wimmer said: "Digital identity management is one of the fastest-growing IT markets globally. The ForgeRock Identity Platform offers the best available technology to support businesses pursuing digital transformation strategies to increase customer engagement with the highest level of security. Additionally, having met so many smart and passionate people at the company, I'm convinced ForgeRock has the know-how and momentum to become a game-changer for businesses worldwide in the years to come."

About ForgeRock

ForgeRock is the Digital Identity Management company that transforms the way organizations securely engage with customers, employees, devices, and things. Organizations that adopt the ForgeRock Identity Platform as their digital identity system of record are better equipped to monetize personalized customer relationships, meet stringent regulations for privacy and consent (GDPR, HIPAA, FCC privacy, etc.), and gear up for the Internet of Things. ForgeRock serves hundreds of brands, including Morningstar, Vodafone, GEICO, TomTom, and Pearson, as well as governments like Norway, Canada, and Belgium, among many others. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, ForgeRock has offices in London, Bristol, Dusseldorf, Grenoble, Paris, Oslo, Singapore, Sydney and Vancouver, Washington. For more information and free downloads, visit www.forgerock.com or follow ForgeRock on social media:

Facebook ForgeRock |Twitter @ForgeRock |LinkedIn ForgeRock |

Press Contact:

Pelin Wolk

Sepia Communications

ForgeRock@sepiacommunications.com




Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

The European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC) on March 6 published a comprehensive report uncovering an Armenian connection network inside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that "has led a merciless propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan to benefit Armenia."

The report, entitled "The Armenian Connection - How a Secret Caucus of MPs and NGOs, since 2012, Created a Network within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to Hide Violations of International Law", states that "these unilateral and untruthful attacks are the tool of a hidden political agenda: to defend Armenia's illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh" and to hide "private interests behind the purview of the 'defence of human rights'".

Providing facts, figures and photos, the 27-page ESISC investigation links certain members of PACE to Armenia or Armenian-linked organizations.

"These dangerous politics that associate MPs and large NGOs must immediately stop," the report states.

The probe also condemns the report by the European Stability Initiative (ESI) entitled "Caviar Diplomacy", which accused Azerbaijan of corruption.

"The publication of this report had only one goal: to create a climate of suspicion based on slander to form a network of MPs that would engage in a political war against Azerbaijan," according to ESISC's report.

A second report into the "Armenian Connection" will be published by ESISC in the near future.

Source: ESISC (http://www.esisc.org)

ESISC was established in 2002 in Brussels and specializes in the collection and analysis of all sources of intelligence in the areas of security, geopolitics, economy and due diligence. On the basis of intelligence collected, ESISC produces customised reports and analyses.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Bowmore Exploration Ltd. (the "Company" or "Bowmore") (TSX VENTURE: BOW)(FRANKFURT: 0B5) is pleased to announce that it has signed a formal Purchase Agreement to acquire, from a private owner (The "Vendor"), 100% of the Brunswick Belt Property (the "Project"), a strategic zinc property located within the world-class Bathurst Mining Camp of New Brunswick, Canada.

The Project is composed of four (4) claim groups for a total of 586 claims covering approximately 12,892 hectares (129 sq kilometers) and is located in Gloucester County, roughly 25 km south west of City of Bathurst, and surrounds the original Brunswick No. 6 and No.12 mines, operated by Glencore Canada until closure in 2013.

THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement between the private owner and Bowmore Exploration Ltd., the Company will acquire 100% interest in the Project and will have the exclusive rights to explore and develop the Project by issuing to the owner 2,750,000 common shares of the Corporation. Under the terms of the Purchase agreement the Company will have no further financial obligations to the owner, Bowmore will retain 100% of all Net Smelter Royalties (NSR) from the proceeds of any commercial production and will not be encumbered with any area of interest. The Common shares issued to the Vendor in counterpart of the acquisition will be escrowed for a period 18 months with a release period every 6 months. The Transaction is subject to the TSX Venture exchange approval.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

-- The extensive Brunswick Belt Project (129km2) covers portions of the strike length that hosted both the former Brunswick No.12 and No.6 mines, the most prolific geology in the Bathurst Camp. The Brunswick No 12 Mine produced 137 million tons of ore grading 8.74% zinc, 3.44% Pb, 0.37% Cu, and 102 g/t Ag. -- Brunswick No. 12 mine produced for a period of 49 years from 1964 to 2013 and was the world's largest underground zinc mine. -- Historically a significant amount of previous exploration work was performed by Brunswick Mining and Smelting, Noranda, Xstrata, Glencore and most recently Votorantim. At that time the objective was to find additional mill feed for the Brunswick No.12 concentrator that produced at a rate of 10,500 tpd. -- The Brunswick Belt warrants exploration for smaller scale standalone operations within this highly prospective brownfield Brunswick horizon geology. The Brunswick Belt Project is adjacent to the north, south and west of both the former No. 12 & No. 6 mines. -- Thrust fault repetitions of the favorable Brunswick horizon are present to the west and have had significantly less exploration work performed on them. -- The Brunswick Horizon to the south and west of the Brunswick No. 6 mine has also had limited work performed on it. The Gilmour South occurrence amongst others merit further exploration work. (see BOW_NBBelt_Claim map Showings 030717.pdf)

Mr. Paul Dumas, President of Bowmore, stated "We are very pleased with the acquisition of the Brunswick Belt property. We have succeeded in securing a prime property in one of the most prolific historical zinc belts in Canada from a single landowner. This acquisition will allow us to diversify our portfolio by giving Bowmore exposure to the base metal market, particularly zinc given the improving price and lack of global resources for this increasingly valuable commodity. The zinc market has gained substantial value in the last year and the consensus is that the demand for zinc will continue to rise while the supply will tighten due to extremely low inventories, mine closures and very few development projects in the pipeline.

New Brunswick is one of Canada's top mining jurisdictions and among the top ten in the world, according to Fraser Institute's annual mining survey. Canada is also among the top ten zinc producers in the world as per the most recent data from US Geological Survey".

About BOWMORE

BOWMORE is a Canadian exploration mining company focused on precious and base metal exploration within Canada. The Company trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BOW". For further information on BOWMORE, visit www.bowmorexploration.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements: Except for statements of historical facts, all statements in this news release regarding, without limitation, new project acquisitions, future plans and objectives are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements

Contacts:

Paul Dumas

President & CEO

BOWMORE Exploration Ltd.

(514) 861-4441

info@bowmorexploration.com

www.bowmorexploration.com




MILWAUKEE, WI--(Marketwired - March 07, 2017) - The personal injury law firm of Hupy and Abraham has announced Attorney Ryan Truesdale as an addition to its legal team.

Attorney Truesdale joined Hupy and Abraham in 2013 as a law clerk, and was recently promoted to an Associate Attorney for the firm and will be working as a member of the Nursing Home and Neglect division in Milwaukee.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in clinical laboratory sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2009, Attorney Truesdale earned his Juris Doctorate from Marquette University Law School in 2013. Prior to joining Hupy and Abraham, he worked as a legal intern at a variety of institutions, including the Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel.

He is licensed to practice in the state of Wisconsin and is a member of the Wisconsin State Bar Association. In his spare time, Attorney Truesdale is an avid music fan and musician. Hupy and Abraham, S.C. is proud to have Attorney Truesdale begin his legal practice career at the firm.

Hupy and Abraham, S.C.

Founded in 1969 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, personal injury law firm Hupy and Abraham, S.C. has a proven record of success with large settlements in serious cases, collecting over a billion dollars for more than 70,000 satisfied clients. The firm has a long-established reputation of providing sound legal representation to accident victims, securing fair compensation for its clients and giving back to the community.

With 11 offices located in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, the law firm handles personal injury cases including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, pharmaceutical and medical device class actions and nursing home neglect and abuse cases.

The firm's 24 experienced attorneys are committed to going above and beyond the call of duty for their clients by tirelessly representing them to the best of their ability while being involved in the local community -- from raising funds for local charities to participating in safety and accident prevention initiatives. In the past three years, the firm has donated more than $500,000 to more than 250 worthwhile causes.

Hupy and Abraham, S.C. has received top ratings from a number of national professional organizations for many years and was voted Best Personal Injury Lawyers in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 and voted Best Personal Injury Law Firm in 2016, 2014, 2013 and 2012 in another popular poll, and named Best Law Firm in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Top Choice Award in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the firm was named a Webby Award Honoree in the Best Law Website Category and was honored at the Legal Marketing Association's "Your Honor Awards" for Best Website: Reboot.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/7/11G132369/Images/Ryan_Truesdale-666846aac4cca5dba4de4df0bd335255.jpg

Contact

Jill Wellskopf

Hupy and Abraham

(414) 982.2059 direct

jwellskopf@hupy.com
TRIPOLI, Libya, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

LPTIC, the Majority Shareholder in UTL, holding a 69% stake in UTL and ultimately owned by the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company, decided on Friday, 24 February 2017, to cease all further funding and investment in UTL. This was officially communicated to the Government of Uganda on Saturday, 25 February 2017.

The decision to cease funding was not made lightly. It followed 14 months of intense engagement with the Government of Uganda to seek to agree on the terms of a Transformation Business Plan for UTL, which included an indispensable funding offer from the Majority Shareholder. While these negotiations were ongoing, the Majority Shareholder continued to fund the substantial amount of working capital being incurred by UTL on a month-by-month basis. This was done to ensure that employee salaries and essential creditors could be paid and the business continue to operate in spite of making no sufficient operating profits partly due to the substantial amount of unpaid debt owed by the Government of Uganda for services provided to support the country's services and infrastructure.

Despite every effort by the Majority Shareholder to save UTL, and in addition to its readiness to fund the implementation of a Transformation Business Plan, it was not possible to conclude negotiations with the Government of Uganda. In straightforward terms, the process could not continue in the face of a protracted lack of substantive engagement from senior stakeholders within the Government of Uganda.

Therefore, given the institutional unwillingness of the Government of Uganda to commit to a transformation plan for UTL in addition to its lack of contributions, the Majority Shareholder, as a responsible investor ultimately accountable to its Libyan Government stakeholders, had no choice but to cease further funding of UTL.

Moving forward and notwithstanding the decision to discontinue funding UTL, the Majority Shareholder expects the Government of Uganda to fully comply with applicable laws and best practice concerning the protection of its investment interests in UTL, including with respect to its rights as UTL's largest creditor. As a Majority Shareholder, the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company will contest any plans or efforts to undermine its position.

Contact:

Libyan Post, Telecommunications and IT Holding Company (LPTIC)

Media & PR Team

Email: media@lptic.net

Website: http://www.lptic.net

Telephone: +35622477500


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - While some conservative groups and lawmakers have been critical of the House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, top officials from President Donald Trump's administration have come out in support of the proposal.



Vice President Mike Pence defended the plan an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, rejecting claims from Republicans such as Senator Rand Paul, R-Ken., that the bill is 'Obamacare Lite.'



'We'll listen to the senator and others about ways that we can improve it, but this is a bill that repeals the disastrous policy of Obamacare, which has resulted in premium increases for Americans in excess of 100 percent,' Pence said.



He added, 'We set up in our replacement bill a national marketplace that will lower the cost of health insurance, even as we allow Americans to take advantage of tax credits to offset some of the costs of the insurance that they'll be able to buy. We give states flexibility on Medicaid.'



Pence argued that the debate over the legislation would show the American people that Obamacare will be replaced with a system that captures the power of consumer choice in the private marketplace to lower the cost of health insurance.



Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price also expressed support for the plan in a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Tex.



Price claimed the proposals released by the committees align with Trump's goal of rescuing Americans from the failures of Obamacare.



'These proposals offer patient-centered solutions that will provide all Americans with access to affordable, quality healthcare, promote innovation, and offer peace of mind for those with pre-existing conditions,' Price said.



The HHS Secretary acknowledged that all of Trump's goals to reform healthcare are not possible using the budget reconciliation process but called the proposals a necessary and important first step.



(Photo: Gage Skidmore)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Ucore Rare Metals, Inc. (TSX VENTURE: UCU)(OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is proud to announce its support of the Materials Essential To American Leadership and Security Act of 2017 (the "METALS Act" or the "Act"). The associated House of Representatives (H.R.) Bill, sponsored by California Congressman, Rep. Duncan Hunter was introduced today.

http://ucore.com/METALS-act

The purpose of the METALS Act is to re-establish a domestic industrial base for the production of rare earths, reduce existing dependence on foreign nations, and ensure the Department of Defense always has a secure supply chain for critical materials regardless of the geopolitical environment.

The Act recognizes that the People's Republic of China dominates the supply chain for the production of rare earth elements, controlling more than 90% of the world's production and that they have used this dominance geopolitically in the past by selectively enacting a de facto embargo on the export of rare earth elements. Additionally, the Act acknowledges that a host of advanced defense related applications would be rendered ineffective if the United States' access to foreign sources of these materials was restricted. The potential for China to suspend exports of these crucial materials exists to today.

"Ucore has worked closely with a number of key legislators to affect the intent and the potential of this bill," said Jim McKenzie, President and CEO of Ucore. "The Act promotes the development of a domestic industrial base for the production of strategic and critical materials, and is in direct keeping with our present objective of establishing a US based Strategic Metals Complex (SMC). With a new administration focused on trade issues vis a vis China, our timing could not be better."

"We're pleased to support the METALS Act and the goal of providing the United States with a domestic source of these critical materials," continued McKenzie. "The Act is a concrete step toward developing a domestic industrial base for the production of strategic and critical materials, including rare earths. Further, we support provisions prohibiting the sale of US rare earth assets to certain foreign parties. Ucore strongly believes a domestic industrial base for the production of rare earths is essential to ensuring safe and secure defense supply chains and is in the best interests of U.S. national security."

To accomplish the foregoing, the METALS Act proposes to establish the Strategic Materials Investment Fund ("SMIF" or the "Fund") to provide 5-year, interest-free loans to companies who succeed in developing new production or manufacturing techniques for strategic and critical materials. These investments will ensure a sustainable domestic supply of rare earth elements by investing in U.S. suppliers and businesses. Additionally, the Fund would reimburse original equipment manufacturers for cost increases as a result of procuring strategic and critical materials from domestic sources, in the event that these materials were more expensive than those produced in foreign countries as a result of unfair trade or labor practices, or predatory pricing being introduced to impact global competition in the sector.

Additionally, the Act would implement a prohibition on the sale of rare earth assets located in the United States to any individual, entity, or subsidiary thereof, from either The People's Republic of China or the Russia Federation. The potential prohibition comes shortly after the Wall Street Journal reported that a group with ties to Russian billionaire Vladimir Lorich is attempting to take control of Mountain Pass, the rare earth mine formerly operated by Molycorp Inc. See the following link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-born-billionaire-makes-play-for-u-s-rare-earths-mine-mountain-pass-1486485426

Background

Ucore Rare Metals is a development-phase company focused on rare metals resources, extraction and beneficiation technologies. The Company has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan project. On March 31, 2014, Ucore announced the unanimous support of the Alaska State Legislature for the investment of up to USD $145 Million in the Bokan project at the discretion of the Alaska Import Development and Export Agency ("AIDEA").

Cautionary Notes

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, research and development timelines, and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. 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 or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes or setbacks, research and develop successes or setbacks, continued availability of financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

MRT is at advanced testing stages and has yet to be proven, at a commercial scale, for the separation of rare earth elements. The Company has not yet released an economic assessment on the use of MRT for the separation of rare earth elements and does not yet have any specific contracts for the processing of rare earths using MRT.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

James McKenzie

President and Chief Executive Officer

(902) 482-5214

info@ucore.com

www.ucore.com




Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2017) - Xylitol Canada Inc. (TSXV: XYL) ("Xylitol" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that effective at the open of markets on March 6, 2017 its common shares were consolidated on the basis of one new common share for every five common shares issued and outstanding, as previously announced by press releases on November 3, 2016, and February 28, 2017 (the "Consolidation").

Xylitol is also pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement offering today resulting in the issuance by the Corporation of 14,587,865 common shares (the "Common Shares") at a subscription price of $0.12 per share (post-Consolidation) for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,750,543 (the "Offering").

In connection with the Offering Xylitol paid $87,092.64 in finder's fees and issued 1,167,029 broker warrants (the "Broker Warrants") to a finder of subscribers in the Offering. Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.12 for period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a four month hold period expiring July 8, 2017.

The Corporation intends to use the proceeds for general and working capital purposes.

"The new equity proceeds solidifies our continued progress in our restructuring and begins to properly capitalize the balance sheet to now build and transform our business in 2017. On behalf of our team at Xylitol, we thank all the investors for participating in this Offering" said Steven Haasz, Chief Executive Officer.

A director of the Corporation subscribed for $10,000 worth of common shares in the Offering. Participation by a director in the Offering is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Offering is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities being issued to insiders, nor the consideration being paid by such insiders, exceeds 25% of the Corporation's market capitalization.

About Xylitol Canada Inc.

Xylitol Canada operates two business units that address the growing xylose and xylitol markets. Xylitol Canada's consumer packaged goods division is based in Denver Colorado and has grown from under $500,000 in revenue in 2010, to over $8,600,000 in 2014. Xylitol Canada operates a 50,000 square foot xylitol facility where it produces and packages a full catalog of natural sugar free products, most notably its natural sugar alternatives. Through this Denver based facility, the Company services major retail customers such as Loblaws, Whole Foods, Costco, Sprouts, and many others.

Xylitol Canada markets xylitol and xylitol based-products and is focused on becoming a major low-cost manufacturer of xylitol and related products, serving the global market from operations in North America. Xylitol Canada's business strategy is to leverage novel proprietary technology and processes to become North America's premier manufacturer of low cost, high quality xylitol from readily available environmentally-sustainable biomass. Xylitol is a natural sweetener which is marketed globally including Canada and the United States and is accepted by the American Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association. Xylitol contains 75% less carbohydrates and 40% less calories than sugar, has a myriad of oral health benefits including the prevention of tooth decay and is safe for diabetics. To date, wider spread use of xylitol has been limited by the lack of a reliable, low cost, high quality supplier.

For more information about Xylitol please contact:

Steven Haasz

CEO and a director of Xylitol Canada Inc.

416.804.8231

shaasz@xylitolcanada.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/07/17 -- Copper Lake Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: CPL)(FRANKFURT: W0I) ("Copper Lake" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a mineral property option agreement to acquire up to 100% of four separate properties made up of seven claims. The properties are situated in the Kenora and Patricia mining divisions in Northwestern Ontario and are known as the Queen Alexandria Gold Property, the Mine Lake Gold Property, the Grand Chibougamau Gold Property and the Centrefire-Redhat Gold-Copper Property.

These four properties are Greenstone hosted gold targets in Northwestern Ontario. Recent prospecting in the area has returned grab samples with gold assays of up to 340 g/t over the area which shows size potential. Channel sampling and limited drilling have returned significant results from limited follow-up. Management feels there is strong potential for the area to host numerous, significant deposits.

Queen Alexandria Gold Property

The Queen Alexandria Gold property is loacted in the lower Manitau Lake area, 47km south of Dryden and occurs within mafic volcanic rocks of the Blanchard Lake group. Quartz veining in chlorite-carbonate alteration, averaging 0.5m wide has been located within a major NNE-SSW shear zone which was historically mined via the Queen Alexandria shaft (1904) which occurs on the property. The property has not been subjected to modern exploration with grab samples from the waste dump at the old shaft returning gold assays of up to 28.8g/t, 140.9g/t, 340.8 g/t and 89.3g/t. Grab sampling of outcrops within a trench located 25m from the main vein returned gold assays of up to 9.26g/t, 5.05g/t and 14.31g/t.

Mine Lake Gold Property

The Mine Lake gold project is located in the Archean-aged Sturgeon Lake Greenstone Gold Belt near the community of Savant Lake, Ontario approximately 230 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The property consists of two claims comprising 16 units.

The Mine Lake claims cover three prospects, namely Mine Lake, Thomas Lake and the Stewart-Contact Zone. Historically, the Mine Lake and the Stewart-Contact Zone saw extensive trenching, blasting of several pits, and the sinking of two shallow shafts with limited underground development. No modern drill holes have been completed and no known assays have been reported from those 17 old historical shallow drill holes.

-- Mine Lake Prospect At the southerly Mine Lake prospect, a northwest trending shear zone or splay has been discovered. The zone is marked by intense iron-carbonate alteration and contains gold-bearing quartz and quartz-iron-carbonate vein zones measuring between 3 to 10 metres in width. Grab samples returned gold assays of up to 29.0 g/t. Historical trenching and channel sampling has returned 6.90 g/t gold over 3.2 metres including 20.1 g/t gold over 1.0 metre. The northwest trending shear zones are interpreted to represent gold-bearing dilational structures extending from the main north-south deformation zone. These structures have not been drilled. -- Thomas Lake Prospect Previous exploration work at the Thomas Lake area has outlined at least two, near parallel north south striking shear zones exposed over a 1500 metre strike length and up to 50 metres in width. Moderate to intense iron-carbonate and sericite alteration mark the shear/deformation zones with increased sulphide content and gold-bearing quartz veins developed at the contacts between felsic volcanic rocks and gabbro intrusions. Grab sampling of exposed quartz vein zones assayed gold of up to 62.80 g/t. The vein zones are hosted by strongly sheared quartz porphyry rocks measuring up to 15 metres in width. The vein zone remains open along strike. Historical trenching has returned values of up to 15.4 g/t Au over 0.5 metre. -- Stewart-Contact Prospect The westerly Stewart-Contact Zone is a parallel deformation zone located 500 metres west of the Thomas Lake - Mine Lake gold trend. Historical sampling has returned gold assays of up to 55.6 g/t from outcropping quartz veins (up to 40cm) that contain visible gold

Grand Chibougamau Gold Property

This property is located within the Kakagi Lake-Rowan Lake Greenstone Belt, 65km SE of Kenora and consists of a series of felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks hosted within massive mafic volcanics. Gold mineralization is hosted within quartz-ankerite alteration associated with pyrite and is associated with two main zones, the North Zone and Main Zone. Grab sampling of the zones returned gold assays of up to 2.40g/t and 6.51g/t from the Main Zone and up to 21.0g/t from the North Zone. Drilling from two holes completed in 1987 on the Main Zone returned gold assays of 3.45m @ 5.29g/t and 2.78m @ 6.22g/t. No subsequent follow-up has been completed.

Centrefire-Redhat Gold-Copper Property

The Centrefire-Redhat Property is located 40km NE of Dryden and occurs within mafic rocks which were originally targeted for copper mineralization on the Redhat VMS targets by Phelps Dodge who drilled up to 15.2m @ 0.39% Cu. Prospecting of pyrite zones associated with massive magnetite beds can be traced for several kilometres at Redhat and to the Centrefire prospect located 4km away. Follow-up drilling in one hole by Abitibi Mining in 2011 of a new zone at Redhat returned trench channel sample gold results of 18m @ 1.1g/t and drill intercepts of 1.2m @ 9.17g/t and 1.5m @ 3.36g/t. Grab sampling at the Centrefire zone returned grab assays from outcrop of up to 23g/t Au which has not been followed up.

Copper Lake Interim CEO Terry MacDonald stated that, "While the Marshall Lake Copper Zinc project remains our flagship property, these properties are a great opportunity in a much overlooked area in Northwestern Ontario. By acquiring these properties, we are expanding our portfolio by adding a precious metals asset with strong exploration potential to our existing core at a low cost."

Terms of the Option Agreement

Copper Lake can earn 25% interest of these properties by payment of $10,000 and 200,000 shares upon signing and an additional $10,000 and 200,000 shares within four months of approval by the TSX.

To earn 75% Copper Lake needs to pay $60,000 and issue 600,000 shares over 3 years and spend at least $2,000,000 on the properties.

If at any time Copper Lake decides to return any of the four properties, the future cash, share and expenditure commitments will also reduce by 25% for each property returned.

Copper Lake can earn up to 100% interest by completing a 43-101 compliant resource estimate with 500,000 ounces on the properties and payment of 250,000 shares.

The Optionor will retain a 2% NSR. Copper Lake can acquire half (1%) for $1 million and will have a right of refusal to acquire the remaining 1%.

Qualified Person

The content of this press release has been reviewed by Gary O'Connor, MAusIMM, a director of Copper Lake Resources.

About Copper Lake Resources

Copper Lake Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded Canadian company currently focused on advancing two significant properties located in Ontario, Canada:

1. The Marshall Lake VMS copper, zinc, silver and gold property is an advanced exploration stage property located 120 km north of Geraldton, Ontario via good all weather gravel road from the Trans-Canada Highway and just 22 km north of the main CNR rail line. Copper Lake currently has a 68.75% interest in the property and has the option to increase its interest to 75% by incurring additional expenditures of $670,000 by July 15, 2017. The Company can further increase its interest to 87.5% by taking the project to bankable feasibility stage. 2. The Norton Lake nickel, copper, PGM property (69.79%) is located approximately 100 km north of the Marshall Lake property.

On behalf of Copper Lake Resources Ltd.

"Terrence MacDonald"

Director and Interim CEO

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address such matters as future exploration, drilling, exploration activities, potential mineralization and resources and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements and, as such, are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors of which are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. 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 or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include such matters as market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Any forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date.

Contacts:

Copper Lake Resources Ltd.

Terrence MacDonald

778-867-9533




Canadian businessman guilty of contempt of court for illegal dredging

NASSAU, Bahamas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian clothing manufacturer Peter Nygard was fined $50,000 today by a Bahamian judge for violating a court order to stop environmentally damaging dredging near his beachfront home in the Bahamas.

Supreme Court Justice Rhonda P. Bain found Nygard in contempt of court for violating her 2013 order to stop dredging the seabed around his property on the western edge of Nassau Island. Justice Bain gave Nygard until March 21 to pay the fine or be remanded to Fox Hill prison for 14 days.

"This is an extraordinary triumph for environmental justice in the Bahamas," said attorney Fred Smith, who argued the case on behalf of Save the Bays (STB), a local environmental group. Over the years, according to Mr. Smith, Nygard has almost doubled the size of his property by digging up sand off-shore and spreading it along his beachfront, harming reefs and other natural habitats.

"Mr. Nygard has been damaging the environment for years, but instead of enforcing our laws, the government of Prime Minister Perry Christie has looked the other way," Smith said. "Today, everybody should be thankful that the Supreme Court of the Bahamas has once again upheld the rule of law and held Mr. Nygard accountable."

Justice Bain ruled that Nygard must remove the sand he piled along his beach in violation of her order by April 7 or pay another $50,000 fine, plus $1,000 per day for every day he violates her ruling. Nygard also was ordered to pay Save the Bays' court costs.

The issues surrounding Nygard's dredging have drawn intense international attention. Last year, when a Bahamian cabinet minister read purloined emails from STB during a session of Parliament, a Supreme Court justice ruled that the minister had violated the group's constitutional right to privacy and fined the minister $150,000. Following the ruling, the government threatened to hold the judge and STB in contempt of parliament, throwing the country into a constitutional crisis that has yet to be resolved.

Last week, in its annual human rights report on the Bahamas, the US State Department said that "the climate for civil society groups appeared to be worsening" and cited "government intimidation of nongovernmental organizations," referring to the public reading of Save the Bays' emails.

Contact: Paco Nunez at media@savethebays.bs

Related link: http://www.savethebays.bs/
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Japan will release a raft of data on Wednesday, setting the pace for a busy day in Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are final Q4 numbers for gross domestic product, January figures for current account and leading index, and February results for bank lending. GDP is expected to add 0.4 percent on quarter and 1.6 percent on year after gaining 0.2 percent on quarter and 1.0 percent on year in the third quarter. The current account surplus is pegged at 254.5 billion yen, down from 1.112 trillion yen in December. The leading index is expected to show a score of 105.4, up from 104.8, and the coincident is called at 114.3, down from 114.8. Overall bank lending was up 2.5 percent on year in January, while lending excluding trusts added 2.6 percent and bankruptcies slipped 10.37 percent. China will see February data for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to surge 20.0 percent on year after rising 16.7 percent in January. Exports are called higher by 14.0 percent after gaining 7.9 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at $27.50 billion, down from $51.35 billion a month earlier. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

The forthcoming 5th Global Baku Forum just like in the previous years will be a great success, Levente Kozma, the former Hungarian senior foreign policy advisor, told Trend Mar. 7.

The 5th Global Baku Forum titled Future of foreign relations: Power and interests will be held Mar. 16-17, 2017. The forum is organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center with the support of the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora.

Political leaders, scholars and leading experts in global politics will be brought together by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center to assess the current state of affairs in the world and the most pressing threats to peace and international security, Kozma said.

I am very much looking forward to this game-changing event in Baku and to participate in the debate of the current trends in international relations and different kinds of security issues, he added.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
NAPA VALLEY, CA--(Marketwired - March 07, 2017) - Molinari Private Reserve (MPR), an extraordinary new wine-infused coffee brand, is pleased to announce that it has officially launched. MPR -- the creation of Napa-based Molinari Caffe owner, Rick Molinari -- initially started as an experiment between Molinari and Wild Card Roasters, LLC's Master Coffee Roaster, John Weaver. Weaver worked closely with Molinari to combine the Bay Area's two most beloved beverages, wine and coffee.

The regular and decaf coffees start with hand-picked Arabica green coffee beans that are rehydrated to a specific liquid percentage using a special house-made red -- created exclusively for Molinari by local Napa wineries. The wine soaked beans are then dried and hand-roasted -- the result is an alcohol-free, rich, full-bodied coffee with an interesting blueberry note.

The process took Molinari over two and a half years to perfect. "Though the idea of combining wine and coffee is not altogether new, MPR is the first Napa-based company to successfully infuse coffee beans with wine," says Molinari.

The finished product is a labor of love for Molinari. "I was intrigued to see the way wine would interact with green coffee beans and ultimately how my roasting would affect the final product," says John Weaver, Master Roaster at Wild Card Roasters, LLC. "Using incremental changes in load size, time, temperature and airflow I was able to discover unique and distinctive notes in the flavor profile, which were enhanced with minimal changes throughout the roasting process. It is a new experience, to say the least, when you hand-roast these wine soaked beans. I am delighted with the finished product," Weaver explains.

MPR is sold at Molinari Caffe, Robert Mondavi Winery, Franciscan Estate Winery, JCB Wines, and online. Beginning in April 2017, it will also be available at Feast it Forward, the forthcoming first experiential estate in Napa which combines food, wine, art, music, philanthropy and MPR under one roof http://www.feastitforward.com. It will soon be served on several major cruise lines and in hotels.

For ordering information, please contact http://www.molinariprivatereserve.com and https://wildcardroasters.com

ABOUT MOLINARI CAFFE

The downtown Napa eatery opened its doors in 2012. Founded by Napa native Rick Molinari, whose Napa family once owned a well-known local deli in the area, the modern coffee shop is home to wine country natives and tourists alike. Forced to close its doors for several months following the Napa earthquake in 2014, Molinari was inspired to pursue other professional projects which led to the inception of Molinari Private Reserve, this exceptional wine-infused coffee.

ABOUT WILD CARD ROASTERS

Wild Card Roasters, LLC is a privately-held, California-based limited liability corporation. Corporate headquarters are located in San Rafael, California adjacent to their large coffee roasting facility and manufacturing plant. There are three representative sales offices in San Rafael, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Tokyo, Japan. Wild Card Roasters is an accomplished coffee & tea company, providing comprehensive corporate solutions in the areas of sourcing, wholesale, retail, brand licensing, training and consulting for specialty beverage programs around the world.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/7/11G132406/Images/Bigshot-4421final-3056b2f4b3308d008ab693f73c8abbc4.jpg

Molinari Private Reserve

info@molinaricaffe.com
Landmapp BV, an Amsterdam, The Netherlands-based property rights company that enables smallholder farmers to document and protect their land holdings, received an investment of undisclosed amount.

Backers included Omidyar Network and existing investor HERi Africa.

The company intends to use the funds to grow its customer base in Ghana and to expand into other countries following this rollout.

Established in 2015 by Simon Ulvund and Thomas Vaassen, Landmapp offers a mobile platform that provides smallholder farmer families with documentation of their land. Landmapp has a field-based team of surveyors who use handheld GPS devices to map each farmers plot. The team verifies the farmers identify, validates the land claim with neighbours, submits the claim to the authorities for legalization and delivers a final land certificate to the farmer. Already, the company has sold more than 2,000 documents to smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana.

FinSMEs

07/03/2017
LawGeex, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based A.I. contract review platform for businesses, closed a $7m Series A funding.

Backers included Recruit Holdings, the owner of Indeed.com, and previous investors Lool Ventures and LionBird. In conjunction with the funding, Rami Kasterstein, a seasoned VC and entrepreneur, joined the companys board as representative of the investor group.

The company, which has raised $9.5m in total funding, intends to use the capital to further advance its A.I. capabilities, enhance its SaaS offering, and continue building the team of engineers, data scientists and legal experts.

Founded in 2014 by international lawyer Noory Bechor and AI expert Ilan Admon, LawGeex provides an Artificial Intelligence powered platform that reviews incoming contracts, approves them if they match pre-defined criteria, and escalates them to the legal team if needed. Legal teams can define their criteria based on best practices, or create their own custom playbooks, outlining exactly what the platform should accept or reject in any contract.

LawGeex currently supports a wide range of standard business contracts, from NDAs to purchase orders and software licenses.

FinSMEs

07/03/2017
New Delhi - Demonetisation impact on GDP may be seen in the current quarter in some segments, while the remonetisation excersise should be completed in 2-3 months, RBI Deputy Governor Viral V Acharya said on Monday.

Asked if spillover of notes ban could extend to January-March quarter, Acharya said the impact could be felt in some segments.

"Ultimately, the cash shortage is like the liquidity shock and unless it had led to a substantial wealth destruction one would expect its effects to be quite temporary. I'm not saying that the temporary impact is not hard on some parts of the economy, you would expect the effect to be temporary," he said.

"There may be a couple of sectors, like 2-wheeler sales, where there is slightly slower rebound," he said.

When asked about the GDP estimate, he said, "you can see our MPC resolution which is that our estimate was actually reasonably close to that (of CSO estimate)."

"Of course, the drivers may have been slightly different, but I think there are a couple of things that people have raised which would be interesting and worth thinking about, which is how much of the informal sector gets fully captured other than through its links to the formal sector," he said.

He further said that the impact of the notes ban would only be temporary and would help in bringing informal sector into the mainstream economy.

"I think everyone should keep in mind that the remonetisation is taking place at a very fast pace. We have some way to go, but I think we expect that within two to three months we will reach full currency in circulation. It will be slightly lower, but it is in that ballpark (number)," he said.

The demonetisation of high value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 announced on 8 November led to scrapping of Rs 15.4 lakh crore from the system.

The newly appointed Deputy Governor also said that asset quality review (AQR) is on the track.

The RBI had set a deadline of March 2017 for completion of AQR exercise for the public sector banks.

It had embarked on the AQR exercise from December 2015 and asked banks to recognise some top defaulting accounts as NPAs.

It has had a debilitating impact on banks' numbers and their stocks.

The move resulted in a spike in bad assets with lenders recognising over Rs 1 lakh crore of bad assets in the December quarter alone.
New Delhi: Savvy politics dictates that data be interpreted to suit the narrative. That also leads to alliteration of the sort the Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked last week with his Harvard-hard work jibe at his predecessor Manmohan Singh, who had called demonetisation legalised plunder. It may have been a shrewd political remark on Modis part, but if private consumption figures are anything to go by, the real pinch from the sudden recall of over 80 percent of the currency in circulation is being felt now, more than ever. The growth in purchase of fast moving consumer goods, cement and steel, automobiles etc should be lower in the current quarter, thanks to demonetisation.

Why the official figures showed a robust growth in consumer spending in the quarter when demonetisation was actually done is still a mystery though. Experts say the Central Statistical Office (CSO) does not directly measure the informal sector, which accounts for over 40 percent of Indias GDP and which saw the maximum impact due to cash crunch. And this could be a major reason why GDP data showed a fantastic jump in private consumption expenditure to 10.1 percent year on year in the December quarter.

The worrying aspect of demonetisation continues, though, as analysts have begun predicting a drastic fall in private consumption expenditure in the current quarter as well, despite much of the currency having returned to the system.

Private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) is the expenditure incurred on final consumption of goods and services by households. Put simply, this measures sale of fast moving consumer goods like soaps, hair oils, toothpaste and shampoos; durables like television sets and refrigerators; automobiles like two wheelers and cars; cement and steel. PFCE has a large share in measuring overall GDP growth in India.

This piece explains how latest government GDP data for the December quarter show PFCE jumped Rs 1,62,563 crore compared to Q3 of last fiscal. In the previous two quarters of FY17, it had increased by just Rs 77,247 crore (Q2) and Rs 1,07,342 crore (Q1).

Now Deutsche Bank analysts have said that growth in private consumption expenditure will fall to 6 percent in the March quarter from 10.1 percent spike shown by the CSO in Q3. And the BSE-CMIE-UMich Index of consumer sentiments shows that on a weekly basis, the decline in consumer sentiments is already steep. This index shows that since the week starting December 18, consumer sentiment has dipped to its lowest in the current week starting 5 March.

What does this mean? Mahesh Vyas, MD and CEO of CMIE, has said in a piece in Business Standard that consumer sentiment indices suggest that consumer goods companies would be better off if they do not get carried away by the official numbers because consumer sentiments in the current quarter are much worse than they were in the preceding quarter. The little hope that existed in during November-December has evaporated.

And analysts from Antique Stockbroking have also bolstered Vyas contention by saying that spillover from demonetization will impact the growth in private consumption in the current quarter too. "From an expenditure side, the PFCE growth at 10.1 percent YoY (in the December quarter) is certainly better than most expectations. While 3QFY17 corporate numbers did reveal some loss of growth momentum in this segment (sub-par volume growth from FMCG players), the higher number could represent a shift in market share from the unorganized to the organized segment which was reported by many discretionary companies. Anyways, implied in the 4QFY17 data is a PFCE growth of 6.5 percent which reflects that growth in the current quarter could get impacted by some spillover from the demonetisation."

Dhananjay Sinha and Kruti Shah of Emkay Global said that government revenue expenditure has been the primary growth driver in the December quarter. "This trend is likely to continue in Q4FY17. Multiplier impact on higher private consumption from government spending has been delayed due to demonetization."

These analysts further said that consumption is likely to slow down in March due to demonetisation and high base last year. "Q3FY17 GDP growth of 7.0 percent is boosted by private and government consumption expenditure at 10.1 percent and 19.9 percent YoY respectively. Higher government spending is in line with our earlier thesis of the government reflationary approach driving growth. This has been reflected in both GVA and GDP growth figures. Private consumption growth increased sharply to 10.1 percent YoY maybe owing largely to high festive related consumption. Consumption is March is likely to slow down considerably showing the impact of demonetisation and high base in last year."

Ratings agency Fitch has projected the growth in consumer spending to touch multiple year high of 9.2 percent next fiscal from 7.2 percent in FY17 as GDP growth spikes to 7.7 percent next fiscal. Till then, however, one will have to wait and watch how the continuing impact of demonetization plays out in the informal sector in the current quarter. And whether the impact on the informal sector gets reflected in official numbers somewhere later this year.
Mumbai: India, which is yet to step up overall conditions conducive to the success of women entrepreneurs, has ranked among the lowest 'Women Business

Ownership' index, a survey has revealed.

"Women entrepreneurs have been carving out a niche for them across the globe, including India especially in niche and unconventional businesses. However, there is significant potential to harness the untapped potential of women's entrepreneurship in India", according to Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs.

According to the index India scored an overall 41.7 points, ranking 49 among 54 economies globally with comparatively low in Women Business Ownership percentages.

The index uses 12 indicators and 25 sub-indicators in 54 economies across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, North America, Latin America and Europe, representing 78.6 percent of the world's female labour force.

It said India presents lower opportunities for women to assume leadership roles, participation in the workforce or engagement in entrepreneurial activities - a disparity that explain the low scores for Business Ownership by Women in the country.

"While necessity and grit are often important to foster women entrepreneurship, strong supporting conditions are an imperative for ensuring a high business ownership by

women. While India is yet to travel a long road for scaling up opportunities that foster women entrepreneurship, the potential presented by the country is vast," said Mastercard Advisors Senior Vice President and Group Head - South Asia/Advisors CoE Sukanyya Misra.

She said, lack of education, technological know-how and cultural bias coupled with stringent business and government regulations are some key impediments that happen to

undermine women's ability to rise to positions of leadership and take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in India.

Overall developed markets top the index, led by New Zealand (74.4), Canada (72.4) and the United States (69.9). These countries have the strongest conditions that support women business ownership, such as robust small- and mid-sized business communities, a high quality of governance and ease of doing business, the survey said.

On the other hand, lower-income economies like Uganda (34.8 percent), Bangladesh (31.6 percent) and Vietnam (31.4 percent) have some of the highest percentages of women entrepreneurs, driven mostly by necessity as opposed to being inspired by business opportunities, it added.
To realise the national objective of our PM Narendra Modi- Housing for all by 2022, the government needs to encourage responses from all stakeholders in the private sector.

In fact, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has been designed envisaging a bigger role for private sector, but it's a cause of worry for the government since no private sector participation has been enlisted under PMAY so far. Urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the government till now approved Rs 90,000 crore of investments in affordable housing with none representing the private sector. He was disappointed that not a single proposal did come from them.

The private real estate sector faces considerable headwinds today. Rising cost pressures and a difficult regulatory scenario are among the primary concern areas that hold back private developers' participation in a big way.

Yet, reforms and policy initiatives of the Centre as well as some state governments have encouraged private developers to launch projects in the affordable segment in recent times. But the participation forms only a miniscule percentage.

Even though the government has laid the road by providing a new eco-system of opportunities for developers at the bottom and middle level of the pyramid, private developers still remain reluctant to the scheme.

So where does the challenge lies?

If we analyse there are several bottle necks and reasons that restrict the private developers, says M Murali, Managing Director, Shriram Properties. The bottlenecks are: the high gestation period of housing projects, lengthy and least transparent approval process, expensive capital, non-availability of land with absence of infrastructure and connectivity, spiraling land and construction costs, high fees and taxes as well as unfavourable development norms - needless to say about wafer thin margin private developers get through this business segment. Thus first and foremost is that we have to make these Housing projects attractive and a viable proposition for private developers and to kindle their interest to take up.

The only challenge we as developers face is the current extremely cumbersome and time taking approval process. Also, it should be made time bound to a maximum of 45 days for grant of all approvals to commence work, says Mudhit Gupta, CMD, EMGEE Group.

Undoubtedly, it is an priority for developers as currently it takes nearly two to three years for a developer to commence construction after having entered into an agreement for land purchase. It is a cumbersome procedure doing the rounds for approvals across 150 tables in about 40 departments of central and state governments and municipal Corporations. Everyday delay means it is a drain on profitability for the developers, says Murali.

Realising long approval procedure as the major factor holding back developers, the government recently initiated provisions for online housing approval within 60 days in two cities - Mumbai and Delhi. The Centre is now in talks with all the states to implement this on a wider scale.

Once a single window clearance mechanism comes into place for affordable housing then there will be a mass participation by developers and hence also by banks and HFC's, says Rohit Poddar, Managing Director, Poddar Housing and Development Ltd.

Another major reason why developers are reluctant to enter into the affordable housing segment is due to the thin profit margins of the business model and lack of availability of funds from the private equity players, says Santhosh Kumar, CEO  Operations & International Director, JLL India.

So what is the tweak needed in PMAY? What can be the appropriate business model so that the goal of ensuring Housing for all by 2022 is met?

The PMAY scheme should take into account the differing price points based on the ready reckoned rates for that area and the subsidy should be linked to the same, says Poddar.

According to Murali, measures to attract private sector in real estate under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana can be prioritised in following ways:

Approval process should be streamlined: There must be transparent digital online approval process taking minimum time for approval and putting an end to unethical practices. Digital approval mechanism, better co-ordination among the multiple authorities in dealing with various permissions/approvals will encourage private real estate developers to invest in the affordable housing segment.

States can be asked to frame by-laws in a transparent manner for every division / region of a city and bring out checklist for approval compliance and the approval process should be made online thus eliminating intermediaries, avoidable unethical payments and expenditure. Stricter penal provisions should be clamped within a time limit of 10 years for any wrong reporting /compliance if it comes to notice in future.

Infrastructure needs to be provided: Availability of land with infrastructure like road, water and sewerage is a big challenge for private developers. Providing infrastructure is the obligation of the state as it collects cess and tax from the project. If the state can take care of this area, it can encourage more private players to take up the projects.

Big bang measures are necessary: We need measures similar to one brought in 2000 by the then PM Shri Vajpayee ji by introducing Section 80 IB (10) of the Income Tax Act which aimed at promoting constructions of housing projects. We can undoubtedly say that this was a break through provision introduced bringing in a big real estate revolution particularly in augmenting the housing supply.

To recall, the years 2000-2004 was the turnaround period in the real estate sector and in housing supply - with large number of private players entering and augmenting the housing stock/housing supply. But this good progress with increased housing supply was short lived. The following government at the Centre introduces MAT (minimum alternate tax), which dis-incentivised many of the players leading to dip in housing supply. The kind of measures that was introduced in 2000 will attract private players to participate in the national mission like PMAY in a big way.

No doubt, affordable housing segment will be the top runner in the next five years and this is where we can expect more favourable provisions towards affordable housing and Economically Weaker Section / Lower Income Group Housing from the government. Moreover, this sector has been given infrastructure status now, which should encourage more private participation in the coming years to avail the associated benefits. Thus, the segment offers tremendous scope for private players.
New Delhi: Reliance Capital has sold its nearly 1 percent stake in popular digital payments firm Paytm for Rs 275 crore to China's Alibaba Group in a deal reaping huge gains for the Anil Ambani-led group firm.

The financial services arm of Reliance Group had invested Rs 10 crore for this stake in Paytm.

The deal gives a valuation of over $4 billion to Paytm, which is already backed by Alibaba group as a strategic investor.

Sources said that Reliance Capital has retained a stake in Paytm e-Commerce, which it had got free of cost by virtue of the investment in the parent firm. In the latest fund-raising round, Paytm e-Commerce was valued at $1 billion.

A Reliance Capital spokesperson declined to comment on the deal while Paytm spokesperson also did not comment. Earlier, Reliance Capital had said it would trim its

proprietary investment portfolio as part of its plans to monetise non-core assets.

In December last year, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma had sold 1 percent of his holding in One97 Communications, the parent firm of the digital payments firm, to raise about Rs 325 crore.

This money was to be pumped into the group's payments bank operations, which are slated to commence soon.

Alibaba Singapore E-commerce, along with investment firm SAIF Partners, is also slated to invest $200 million in Paytm's online marketplace unit.
State Bank of India, the country's largest bank, has decided to increase manifold the minimum balance required for maintaining savings account from 1 April, sparing the Jan Dhan accounts or 'Basic Savings Bank' accounts. However, media reports also said the government has asked the bank to reconsider its decision.

The monthly average balance (MAB) requirement has been increased to as high as Rs 5,000 for branches in six metros, according to a PTI report.

Savings bank account holders of SBI and its five associates (merging with it on 1 April) will have to maintain the monthly balance or else they will invite a penalty ranging from Rs 20 (rural branches) to Rs 100 in (metro cities).

SBI has 31 crore savings bank accounts.

As of now, monthly average balance (MAB) for a savings bank account is Rs 500 without facility of cheque book and Rs 1,000 with cheque book across the country.

India's largest bank has now decided to fix separate MABs for 'metro', 'urban', 'semi-urban' and 'rural' areas from the beginning of next financial year.

However, according to a report in The Times of India the bank will not apply the condition on the Prime Minister's Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts or to the 'Basic Savings Bank' accounts.

"This does not apply to any financial inclusion account. All banks as far as we are aware already have such charges," said bank chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has been quoted as saying in the report.

The benchmark for MAB and penalties are likely to be followed by other public sector banks.

MAB for metro branches will be Rs 5,000 and penalty for non-maintenance of minimum balance will be between Rs 50 and Rs 100. For urban and semi-urban branches, the MAB has been fixed at Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively.

In case of rural branches, the minimum balance has been fixed at Rs 1,000. Breach of MAB will attract a penalty ranging between Rs 20 and Rs 50.

Five associates banks of SBI -- State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Travancore (SBT), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) -- will merge with the parent on April 1.

With the merger of all the five associates, SBI is expected to become a lender of global proportions with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion (Rs 37 lakh crore) or over $555 billion, 22,500 branches and 58,000 ATMs. It will have over 50 crore customers.

However, another PTI report said the government has asked SBI to reconsider its decision to levy penalty on non-maintenance of minimum balance.

State Bank of India, according to a source, has also been asked to reconsider charges it proposes to levy on cash transactions and ATM withdrawals over specified limits.

"Government has asked SBI to reconsider it's decision to impose a penalty on non- maintenance of minimum balance in accounts from April 1 onwards," the source told PTI.

The government has also urged SBI and other lenders, including private sector banks to "reconsider the charges on cash transactions and ATM withdrawals above a certain limit".

Some private banks, like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, have started charging a minimum amount of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.

With inputs from PTI
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

First Vice President Mehriban Aliyevas name is written in gold letters in the worlds social and political history for her efforts to unite eastern and western civilizations and cultures, Vice Speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova said.

Muradova made the remarks Mar. 7 speaking in a plenary session of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

Today, Mehriban Aliyeva addressed the Parliament as an MP and told about the work done by her, Muradova said. But in fact, there was no need to talk about it, because Azerbaijani citizens, as well as other countries, international organizations, representatives of various religions and cultures have been observing Mehriban Aliyevas activity all this time, and many of them are benefiting from that activity.

Mehriban Aliyeva added her great achievement to the list of the historic attainments of Azerbaijani women, Muradova added. Today, Mehriban Aliyeva holds a high position in the supreme executive body, and by this she has demonstrated what the Azerbaijani women are capable of in the socio-political life of the country, and she will further prove what kind of benefit this will bring.

Muradova noted that on Mar. 6, the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan made a decision to terminate the parliamentary powers of Mehriban Aliyeva in connection with her appointment as first vice president of the country.

Muradova wished First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva success in continuing her mission to serve the people, the state, and the nation of Azerbaijan.
There is a big clamour after State Bank of India (SBI) decided to set a higher minimum balance requirement and penalties for non-compliance. SBI has hiked the minimum balance requirement to Rs 5,000 in metros, while for rural, semi-urban and urban branches, the cut off is set at Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 respectively. Failure to comply with these rules will attract penalty ranging from Rs 20 to Rs 100. The new rules will come into play beginning 1 April. SBI, being the largest bank and the mascot of Indias public sector character, logically saw its decision to make savings account rules more tight, creating a public uproar.

Those who argue against the move say this will repel customers from parking their money in banks, thus making it detrimental to the creation of a bigger formal economy as envisaged by various initiatives of the Narendra Modi government. Subsequently, there is pressure on the Modi government to nudge SBI to backtrack from the move. It has apparently already done so (read a report here). Most likely, SBI will fall in line eventually as no state-run bank can defy the North Block, particularly since they are at the mercy of the government for capital.

But, before vilifying SBI, one must look at whether there is any merit in the move it made and what is the existing situation in the Indian banking industry, especially, with respect to the rivals of State Bank of India. When one does this analysis, it leaves us with a few compelling reasons that tells us why the current clamour on SBI is somewhat unwarranted and why the government should rather let the bank have its way, else make the same rules apply to all banks ensuring a level playing field.

Consider these points:

First, the SBI rule of minimum balance and penalty for failure of meeting the same does not apply to basic savings accounts or financial inclusion accounts such as PMJDY, better known as Jan Dhan accounts. Hence, there is no question the rules impacting the poorest of the poor and those who are newly introduced to the banking system by way of Jan Dhan accounts. Hence, the argument that the move will deter a large section of basic banking customers from putting their money in the bank doesnt hold much water. As for other customers, even after the hike, this could still be the lowest charges in the industry.

Second, SBI has every right to operate in a level playing field competing with its private, foreign sector rivals. For long, state-run banks have been treated as extended division of the governments, past and present, and have been forced to operate like a charitable NGO and not like professionally run, commercially viable institutions unlike its aggressive private sector competitors. This situation needs to change for the survival of the banking sector and the same rules should apply to all.

SBIs private sector rivals such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank have had this minimum balance/ penalty on non-compliance requirement for long and in a much higher scale. For instance, according to the ICICI Bank website, the bank has fixed the minimum balance for metro and urban locations at Rs 10,000, semi-urban locations at Rs 5,000 and rural locations at Rs 2,000. It charges Rs 750 per quarter for non-maintenance of minimum monthly average balance.

Similarly, HDFC Bank website says it has a minimum balance requirement for metro / urban branches at Rs 10,000, semi urban branches at Rs 5,000 and rural branches Rs 2,500/- or fixed deposit of Rs 10,000 for minimum 1 year 1 day period. Penalties range from Rs 150 to Rs 600. Now, look at foreign banks.

What about foreign banks? According to HSBC website, The minimum average quarterly balance required to be maintained for HSBC Savings Account is Rs 150,000 and the bank will impose a quarterly service charge of 0.7 percent (plus applicable taxes) of the shortfall of the AQB will be levied for the quarters in which the eligibility criteria is not met. According to Citibanks rule, a minimum balance requirement for certain category (Suvidha accounts that are no longer salary accounts) accounts is as high as Rs 1,00,000.

Third, like all other banks, SBI too have a cost to maintain its accounts and is fully within its rights to set some rules to recover its cost. The lender opened the maximum number of accounts under the Modi-governments Jan Dhan programme, but it cannot charge the basic account holders or Jan Dhan account holders to recover the cost since this will repel the new entrants from continuing to use the facility. Somewhere banks need to recover the cost. The question is whether these minimum balance requirements and penalties are more than what it should be. This is where a debate is needed. As of now, as explained earlier, SBIs minimum balance requirements and the penalties still count the lowest in the industry compared with its peers.

Fourth, the recent decision by banks to impose charges on high value cash transactions beyond a limit is actually in support of the Modi governments digitalisation move. This will prompt more people to use non-cash methods to transact. It makes no sense to ask banks to repeal those charges citing the reason that it is against the digitalisation drive. But, here, banks decision to differentiate between home branch, non-home branch customers is a ridiculous move in the core banking era as this writer pointed out in an earlier column (read here) .

The idea of making these arguments is not to justify SBI rules but to make the point that SBI has every right to operate in a level playing field like its rivals, which is critical for its healthy survival. If these charges are unjustified, two scenarios can happen. Either the customer can choose another bank which offers a better deal. Else, if the government is determined to force SBI to backtrack from its decision on minimum balance rules, it should also ask other banks, which charge way too high, to fall in line too. Same rules should apply to all.
Two months ago, a picture leaked from the sets of Srijit Mukherji's upcoming period drama Begum Jaan. The still showed Gauhar Khan, who plays a prostitute in the film, massaging the back of Vidya Balan, who plays the madam of a brothel in the film set during the troubled times of the Partition.

Now, the makers have released the first look of the film that features Balan's character. Balan is known for choosing roles very wisely and this look hints at the fact that her fans can look forward to yet another National Award-winning performance from the actor.

Her outfits reflect the times and place that the film is set in. Her deep-cut three-fourth sleeves blouse is well adorned with embroidery in saffron, green and maroon. Since the story revolves around Balan and the other ladies of brothel having been forced to choose their allegiance between India and Pakistan after the Partition, the saffron and green in her blouse speaks volumes. The third colour, i.e., maroon goes hand in hand with the colour of her skirt.

She wears minimum jewelry but her eyes dazzle as dominantly as stones of emerald. They come across as both hypnotic and menacing. The hukka serves as the exclamation point of her appearance as it adds a dimension of authority to her character since indulgence in the smoking instrument had been mostly confined to men till the Partition.

Interestingly, we also saw Tabu puffing smoke from the hukka in Abhsihek Kapoor's romantic drama Fitoor last year. However, on the other side of the throne that she is sitting on lies a gun, loaded and ready to be used.

Overall, Balan comes across as a figure of authority, as suggested by her pose, who is fond of colours and vivacity, though her dark cold eyes suggest otherwise.

Begum Jaan also stars Pallavi Sharda, Ila Arun and Naseeruddin Shah. It is produced by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films. It is slated to release on 14 April.
Dear Karan Johar,

This is going to be long and sour. Hope you read it.

It is no secret that I am fond of you. I have always stood up for you when you were right and have championed you for your life decisions  whether it was to come out as gay and retaining the right to not spelling it out in those many words, or whether it was about you becoming a parent to two kids through the medium of surrogacy. I admire you and I adore you for that. I always tried to seek the real person that you are. And you were very beautiful in the above two circumstances that you shared. I have admired you for being true to yourself. I have to tell you, in the same vein, that kindness and truthfulness are difficult qualities to keep in a world that wants you to lie and fake it till you make it. And thats the quality of a true star. A star like Kangana Ranaut. She doesnt need to play the 'victim card' because she is not a victim. You dont become a victim if you state facts and call people out for their bigotry. You dont play victim if you stand there naked and bare and dont give in to the demands. She has never seen a reason to apologise.

Read  Karan Johar, not 'an unsuitable boy': Your life story makes you relatable, you are one of us

I stood up for you when you were victimised into issuing an apology for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil for casting a Pakistan-born actor. You were the one who was victim enough during your pet project with Ayan Mukerji called Wake Up Sid, when the same Raj Thackrey threatened you for using the word "Bombay". I stood for you when people said, 'He has the world at his feet and faces no trauma'  almost making an assumption that the rich and famous dont have a heart.

Therefore, I found your reactions  the complete lack of any empathy  very disturbing. And remember My Name Is Khan? How you apologised to the Shiv Sena? Well, that film was a flop. The little business it did was because of the controversy. It was one of your shoddiest films ever. As an audience member who is privy to firsthand cinema gossip, I can tell you that many have been thinking that it is some sort of a strategy to promote your films. I dont blame them. We see a pattern. And over the years, despite all the money and given the pedigree cinema family genes, you havent been able to devise a strategy minus an apology. Thats what people call being a victim. I empathise with you.

I stood with your vulnerability, when you decided to not spell out your eternal truth, your sexuality to the world. I protected your right to have your coming out the way you want it even when most in the LGBT world stood against you. Since you brought it up, this what is called being a victim, though I stood for your right to your fears.

I stand for Kangana's bravery now.

On Firstpost: Dear Karan Johar, living your life unabashedly is the truest form of activism

She stood up to the bigwigs of cinema, with their pedigrees, even as an outsider. She dared to run the risk of losing out on work with big banners. She has lost a lot because of refusing to endorse fairness creams. She braved it. She stood her ground. About nepotism, well, all the outsiders were insiders from your circle. They all were your assistant directors. When it comes to actors, you have one successful name (who is an 'outsider')  Sidharth Malhotra. Who else? Well, you have the right to cast whoever you want in your films. You have the money, you have the right. Film making is not like democracy. You are entitled to your right of making your kind of films and casting your kind of actors. You could, however, have been more dignified in your comments. You made fun of her understanding of English. Why dont you try speaking Haryanvi like she does, or for that matter, your parental tongue, Sindhi? And about her understanding of nepotism, well, how many of the non-cinema hoity-toity, regional tongued, dark and young, non perfume-breasted, non-attitude crested people have you cast in your film? They all come from a certain prototype. Dont they? And Karan, why dont you just type define nepotism on your Google search bar? You will realise that the definition of nepotism extends from family and blood relatives to favouring friends and that can be extended to the circle/the clan/community prototype that one favours.

You mentioned that you retained all parts of the show that had Kangana as if you did her a favour. Well, thats what decent talk show hosts do. Thank you for standing up for the values of talk show hosts. But no thanks, when you make it sound like some sort of a favour. You also mentioned that you sat quiet during your show as a sign of respect for your guests. Thats a lie. You sat quiet because she had a comeback to everything you said. You couldnt speak because she sat upright, with attitude on her face, and refused to budge or laugh when you joked. She went through your shows as an ardent fan would and pointed out that you had made fun of her English. And in your retort, at the London School of Economics, you made the same folly  you made fun of her English.

I value Kangana for what she is. You dont need to say she's playing the 'woman card'. Woman card? Gender is a biological accident, Karan. If you are so confident that she is using the woman card, kindly be brave enough to tell us how much your actors get paid, in comparison to your actresses?

Kangana is 100 percent authentic. To accept you are vulnerable at times is the bravest act I have seen. To accept that she has been silly in love, is the bravest she could get. Thats why she is who she is. You couldnt match up to her. No one could. She is the living example of the Michelle Obama quote  When they go low, we go high. You couldnt match her even with all your wit. Neither on your show, nor here at LSE.

Also read: Karan Johar is anything but gracious in his public attack on Kangana Ranaut

Yesterday, you had no one watching you. Today, your daughter Roohi is watching. Watch your words when you bully women who speak in a vernacular tongue, not-so-privileged people and women who stand up for equality. Roohi will have the same struggles. Parents are always expected to meet the expectations of their children, Karan. Any father would love to bring up a child like Kangana. Hope Roohi grows up to be like Kangana and fights vociferously for the rights of her fathers sexuality, her authenticity  just as Kangana is fighting for her own real space in a prejudiced world. Hope your kids, little Roohi and Yash see you are the brightest example of someone who stands up even for people who stand against you, people who dare to slam you to your face, on your couch and in your space, fearlessly and unapologetically because you care for them and you f**king care for free speech.

I adore you Karan, but in this case, there's no love lost between us. I still care for you when I care for you. But no, I am not blinded by you.

Your friend,

Harish Iyer.
Sonakshi Sinha has chosen not to play by the rules anymore, at least the rules that she had hitherto imposed on herself.

Right from her first film, Abhinav Kashyap's Dabangg, she played a typical leading lady who appeals to the masses rather than the classes. She continued to play similar roles in films like Tevar, R...Rajkumar and Rowdy Rathore.

With Sunil Sippy's upcoming film Noor, she takes a detour. She plays the titular character, an urbane girl next door who is a journalist. The first half of the trailer shows her clumsy nature and her frustration of not being able to devote much time to her love life, as a result of her hectic and unpredictable job of a journalist.

The second half of the trailer shows her making a conscious decision to change herself, a reflection of her real life trajectory. She struggles to sport the new exterior in front of new company but is seen enjoying herself as well.

Then, an untoward incident in her professional life lands her in trouble. Having compromised with journalistic ethics, she strives to redeem herself, or a part of herself that she had lost while transforming herself.

The trailer projects the film as a balanced narrative. While it has its share of lightweight moments, it also borders on a journalistic drama in the latter half. With a helping hand from Purab Kohli, Kanan Gill and Elli Avram, it seems like Sinha will have a good support system in the light scenes.

But it will also give her ample opportunity to prove her mettle when she carries the film on her shoulders in the second half. This will mark her second consecutive female-oriented film after AR Murugadoss' Akira last year.

Noor is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel Karachi! You're Killing Me!, though the film is set in Mumbai. Sinha is seen comparing her life with her city in the final moments of the trailer, which shows that the setting of the film has been changed in accordance with the national sentiment.

It is slated to release on 21 April.
Vishal Bhardwaj's romantic war drama Rangoon has failed to impress the audiences as it has garnered only Rs 22.30 crore till the second weekend after its release. Now, it has run into further trouble.

International Business Times reports that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has found the makers grossly violating its guidelines and instructions in the film. Bollywood Life reports that the CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani had objected to the multiple smoking scenes in the film, particularly the ones involving Saif Ali Khan.

"Since the film is set in the 1940s when it was considered fashionable to smoke, the characters are shown smoking constantly. Smoking may have been fashionable in the past. But now, it is as unacceptable as eve-teasing and stalking. To see glamorous characters getting high on drugs is not CBFCs idea of an evening of fun at the movies," said Nihalani, as per the same report.

The board had instructed the makers to show an anti-smoking disclaimer before the opening credits of the film. However, it has now learnt that not only the disclaimer but the Censor certificate and the mandatory anti-smoking short films are also not being shown in the screenings in both India and overseas.

Nihalani has termed this as a 'gross violation' and decided to sue the digital operators. "The digital operators are screening less footage than what has been approved by the CBFC. It is a serious offence. We are investigating to see how deep the offence goes," says Nihalani, as per the report by International Business Times.

Bhardwaj has also violated this CBFC norm in the past when he did not show anti-smoking short films before the screening of his 2013 political satire Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.

Rangoon stars Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. It is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.
Natalie Portman and Emma Watson have a lot in common.

They are both actresses with a keen interest in their academic pursuits, have pursued their educations from Ivy League colleges in the United States, with Portman graduating from Harvard and Watson is pursuing her degree from Brown University.

The two are also outspoken feminists, Portman has been outspoken about Hollywood's portrayal of women stereotypes and Emma Watson is the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.

And now both the actresses have been involved in controversies that involve their sartorial choices on magazine/newspaper cover shoots.

After Natalie Portman was criticised for going pantless for an article in The New York Times where she spoke about her directorial debut, Watson has now come under the line of fire for her Vanity Fair cover photo.

(Also read: The curious case of Natalie Portman's pantless interview with The New York Times)

The question is: Can you be a feminist and pose in a nearly see-through top for Vanity Fair?

Here is the said cover:

Maturing from Hermione to Belle in @beautyandthebeast is a true coming-of-age story for @EmmaWatson: "I couldn't care less if I won an Oscar or not if the movie didnt say something that I felt was important for people to hear." Read the full cover story at the link in bio. Photograph by Tim Walker. A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:02am PST

And the cover photo:

In our March cover story, the newest Disney princess @EmmaWatson opens up about her metamorphosis from child star to leading woman (link in bio). Photographs by Tim Walker. A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Feb 28, 2017 at 5:35am PST

The backlash was swift. Julia Hartley-Brewer, a British radio presenter and commentator, accused Watson of being hypocritical.

"Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my (t*ts)!" Hartley-Brewer tweeted.

Emma Watson: "Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!" pic.twitter.com/gb7OvxzRH9  Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) March 1, 2017

She later defended her tweet, saying Watson 'complains that women are sexualised and then sexualises herself in her own work. Hypocrisy.' and that 'Emma Watson has criticised Beyonce for her rauncy acts on-stage and now she is posing almost topless to promote her new film.'

Her comments launched a heated debate on social media.

Watson, whose Beauty and the Beast remake comes out this month, said she was stunned by the vitriol she's received.

"They were saying that I couldn't be a feminist and have boobs," she said in an interview with Reuters. She said she was also surprised by the 'misunderstanding' that exists around what feminism means. "Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It's about freedom. It's about liberation. It's about equality. It's not  I really don't know what my t*ts have to do with it."

Here's the interview:

So what does Gloria Steinem, arguably the most high-profile feminist, think about this controversy?

Steinem laughed at the notion that Watson was a 'bad feminist' because she appeared in a revealing photo.

"Feminists can wear anything they f****** want," Steinem told TMZ. "They should be able to walk down the street nude and be safe."
By Sharanya Gopinathan

When I watched Karan Johar get tighter and tighter-lipped on a recent episode of Koffee With Karan starring Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan, I could tell that he wasnt taking it with as much good cheer as he was trying to fake for the cameras.

As she called him a snooty flag-bearer of nepotism and made references to how Johar had made fun of her English on the show, and deliberately egged on others to do so as well, Johar swung between looking pained, murderous and faux-surprised as he grit his teeth and tried to look like he was taking it all with good cheer.

It was only a matter of time until he exploded, and explode he did.

Reading the newspaper on Monday was surreal. Karan Johar managed to be in two places at once in the news  one hand talking about his great love for his own mother and for the surrogate mother of his new twin babies, Yash and Roohi, while simultaneously spewing vengeful venom at Kangana Ranaut for playing what he called the woman card.

For someone whos presumably got his hands full with two new babies to look after, he has managed to cover a surprising number of different sexisms in his tirade against Ranaut  clearly an outburst born of suppressing his true feelings against her for too long, a full two weeks since what was clearly an episode meant to serve as promotion for Ranauts film, Rangoon.

Speaking at an event at the London School of Economics, he began his tirade against her with the very behaviour she had accused him of in the first place: By making snooty comments about her grasp of English. He said, When she says flag-bearer of nepotism, I just want to say her, I am glad she knows what it all means. I dont think she has understood the entire meaning of the term.

This was met by thunderous applause from the LSE Students Union India Forum, which further solidifies what you may have always thought about that bastion of London and the kind of Indian students that go there, but were unsure of whom to ask.

Johar went on to publicly name all the outsiders (he quoted what sounds like an arbitrary, Trump-meets-vastu kind of figure of 52 people) in the film industry that he gave careers to, which he quickly corrected by saying provided platforms for.

He also ups the ante of obnoxiousness by pointing out that he was gracious enough to keep everything and not cut it (portions of Ranaut talking) out of his show, which he helpfully reminds everyone that he could have.

He reminded me of that other stinker Kanye West where he sings about Taylor SwiftI made that b*tch famous. Similarly Johar, when he says that he alone gave Ranaut her platform to speak.

Sorry Johar, but Ranaut is truly famous and accomplished in her own right. She would have made headlines if she made the same statements anywhere in the world, including Twitter which she chooses not be on, but it was hilarious that it happened on your show. And you didnt keep it because youre gracious, you kept it because you knew it would make for great television and good publicity for your show.

Its not like we dont know how self-important Johar is. Recently, in his book, he mentioned how stunned he was that Kareena Kapoor once ignored him at a party before her first movie released and that he immediately thought, how dare she behave this way to me?. But its almost alarmingly boring how many men think they deserve immense respect from women by default and that they are responsible for all the good things that come a womans way.

At the LSE forum, he finishes by saying that hes done with Ranaut playing the woman card, which was also shockingly met with actual applause from students, although less enthusiastic response than when he made fun of her English.

For those of you who dont know, the woman card is an imaginary coupon that exists in the minds of self-important men, who frequently hurl it at women who occupy space that men think is theirs, make them check their privilege or force them to take a hard look at their own position in the world.

When he spews venom at Ranaut, the only thing I want to ask him is how he kisses his mother with that filthy mouth. Because he does. In practically the same breath, hes been talking about how blessed he feels to be a parent, how much he loves his own caring and supportive mother, and how the surrogate mother of his babies will always be in his prayers. He loves his mother so much that he named one of his twins, Roohi, an anagram of his mothers name, Hiroo.

One hopes he figures out what the role of women in the world is as he dons the 'father' hat.

Make no mistake though. Karan Johar is blessed (the term celebrities use for privileged beyond imagination) to become a new parent in these times. It looks like the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, a draft Bill thats been okayed by the Cabinet and introduced in the Parliament, will be approved in just a matter of months. While abolishing commercial surrogacy, and allowing only altruistic surrogacy (where the mother needs to be a close relative of the prospective parents), the Bill prohibits single parents, homosexuals and live-in couples from becoming parents through surrogacy.

Its obvious that its the extreme privilege, which Johar takes for granted, that allowed him to become a parent just months before several groups of people would be disallowed from doing so.

Given the framework of extreme privilege he operates within, dont you wonder at the strange double life he leads? When he has no problem publicly slamming an actress as Kangana Ranaut, wed like to know how exactly he treated the surrogate mother of his twins in private. Either way, doesnt he feel the least bit dissonant when he accuses one woman of playing the woman card while praising another for providing a warm, loving, nurturing environment for his babies? Maybe, maybe not.

To me, this bizarre behaviour seems emblematic of one of the most annoying features of faux Indian feminism: A great love and respect for women as mothers, creators-of-life and goddesses, and a filthy fear and hatred for outspoken women who dont fit into the boxes that culture has laid out for them; women who make you question your deepest or shallowest patriarchal instincts and your inherent privileges and power.

Speaking of inherent privileges, I also find it amusing that the two famous people who apparently took umbrage at Ranauts comments on nepotism are people who are undisputed insiders to the industry. Karan Johar is the son of the famous Yash Johar. Alia Bhatt, who came out against Ranaut by saying that not every filmy bacha makes it big in the movies, is the daughter of Mahesh Bhatt.

So maybe we dont have to wish Roohi luck. By the time she is an adult, Bollywood may have found some mechanism to ensure that no Kangana Ranauts sneak in.

While Johar is happy to name outsiders who made it, and Bhatt is happy to name insiders who didnt, I havent seen a single outsider actually comment negatively on what Ranaut so candidly said. And I think its because they know shes right and wished they had her guts.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine
If you think Spotlight was the best film on journalism to win at the Oscars, there's a new project here to steal the spotlight(pun intended)

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg will be joining hands with actors Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep for The Post  a film centered on the Washington Posts publication of the 1971 Pentagon Papers.

Spielberg will direct the film, while Hanks and Streep will star in it.

The film is a drama about the Washington Posts role in exposing the Pentagon Papers in 1971, and how the Posts editor Ben Bradlee and publisher Kay Graham challenged the federal government over their right to publish them.

According to History.com, the pentagon papers were the classified study about the Vietnam War that was commissioned by the Defense Department and revealed unreported facts about a secret dramatic escalation of troops and bombings in what was appearing to be an unwinnable war.

Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg became convinced it should be absorbed to set future policy, and leaked the classified information to The New York Times. That paper published a scathing first installment that charged the Johnson administration had systematically lied to the public and to Congress about Vietnam. When the incumbent Nixon administration Attorney General John Mitchell and Nixon failed to get the paper to stop, they got a federal court injunction forcing the Times to cease after three installments. he Washington Post grabbed the baton (Ellsberg gave the study to Bradlee) and published more revelations from the 47-volume study.

Hanks would play Bradlee while Streep will be seen as Graham.

If the reported casting holds up, Hanks will be at least the fourth different actor to play Bradlee. The Posts longtime editor, who died in 2013, was previously portrayed by Jason Robards in All the Presidents Men, Henderson Forsythe in Chances Are, and G.D. Spradlin in Dick.

(With agency inputs)
Fresh from her best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Fences, Viola Davis is at Harvard University to receive the 2017 Artist of the Year Award from the Harvard Foundation.

Davis attended the Cultural Rhythms Festival on Saturday, 4 February 2017. She briefly came on stage before taking a seat to watch a series of cultural musical performances by students.

After delivering an equally inspiring speech at the Oscars and a very politically charged Golden Globe acceptance speech about Trump and the racially charged atmosphere in Bollywood, Davis talked about art in a very inspiring way:

"Art  it's a very sacred place  the stage and the screen," Davis said. She said she views acting as a healing art form that helps people 'feel less alone,' including herself. "It's the reason why, for so many years, I did it."

For Davis, giving people the chance 'to be seen' comes from a personal place. The actress, who attended Rhode Island College and Juilliard, said she felt frustrated because she wasn't heard as an artist. "I spent so many years at Juilliard just wanting to beat someone up," Davis said. "I felt like my voice as an artist was being stifled ... Your job as an audience is to bear witness ... to come open and willing to transform."

In addition to the Oscar, Davis received the Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and British Academy of Films and Television Arts awards for her portrayal of Rose Maxson in the film adaptation of Fences, an August Wilson play.

Davis also won a Tony Award for the 2010 Broadway revival of the play.

Previous winners of the Harvard award include Quincy Jones, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Salma Hayek and Shakira.

Here is Davis's acceptance speech:

Thank you @Harvard for the Artist of the Year Award and an awesome day! pic.twitter.com/3rxmgpAldY  Viola Davis (@violadavis) March 5, 2017

(with inputs from agencies)
NEW DELHI India has approved a deal for Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) to fill part of a strategic oil storage facility, the government said on Monday.India imports most of its oil needs and ADNOC will supply about 6 million barrels of oil to the facility in Mangalore. Part of the supplies will be for commercial use while most will be kept for strategic purposes, a government statement said.India signed a deal with ADNOC in January to lease part of its Mangalore storage.

The government said it was ADNOC's first major investment in India's energy sector and would "augment India's energy security".ADNOC will begin supplying the oil in the last quarter of this year, a government official told Reuters in January, and is expected to deliver Murban grade.

It is building emergency storage in underground caverns to hold 36.87 million barrels of crude, or about 10 days of its average daily oil demand in 2016.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

Mehriban Aliyeva carries out multifaceted activity and one of the areas of this activity is her work as an MP, said Ogtay Asadov, speaker of Azerbaijans parliament.

Mrs. Aliyeva has always attached importance to development of the parliament culture, participated in the development of legislative framework and put forward a number of legislative initiatives, Asadov told the Parliaments plenary session March 7.

Asadov reminded that Mehriban Aliyeva was the initiator of four amnesty acts, through which tens of thousands of people were freed.

Mehriban Aliyeva makes a significant contribution to the development of the parliaments international relations, worthily represents the Azerbaijani people on international arena and brings the truth about the Azerbaijani people to the world community, he said.

He noted that Mehriban Aliyeva is also well-known for her social and charitable activities.

Asadov said appointment of Mehriban Aliyeva as the first vice-president will bring a new wind to Azerbaijans socio-political life.

On behalf of the Parliament, I congratulate Mehriban Aliyeva and wish her success.
By Laurence Frost and Edward Taylor

| PARIS/FRANKFURT

PARIS/FRANKFURT France's PSA Group (PEUP.PA) has agreed to buy Opel from General Motors (GM.N) in a deal valuing the business at 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), creating a new European car giant to challenge market leader Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE).The maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars vowed to return Opel and its British Vauxhall brand to profit, targeting an operating margin of 2 percent within three years and 6 percent by 2026 underpinned by 1.7 billion euros in joint cost savings.PSA shares jumped as much as 5.2 percent after Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said GM's European arm could be turned around using lessons from the French group's own recovery. Opel recently recorded its 16th consecutive full-year loss."We're confident that the Opel-Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support," he said.By acquiring Opel, PSA leapfrogs French rival Renault (RENA.PA) to become Europe's second-ranked carmaker by sales, with a 16 percent market share to VW's 24 percent.The disposal seals GM's exit from Europe and ends a relationship dating back to the 1920s.Eight years after coming close to a sale to Canada's Magna (MG.TO), the Detroit car giant has faced renewed investor pressure to offload the business to raise profitability, rather than chase the global sales crown currently held by VW.Last year, PSA and GM Europe recorded a combined 72 billion euros in revenue and 4.3 million vehicle deliveries.GM will receive 1.32 billion euros for the Opel manufacturing business in the form of 650 million euros in cash and 670 million in PSA share warrants.An additional 900 million euros will be paid by the Paris-based carmaker and BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) for Opel's financing arm, to be operated jointly and consolidated by the French bank.'PROUD NOT RELIEVED'

After fending off 2015 merger overtures by Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI) with support from her board, GM boss Mary Barra agreed to target a 20 percent return on invested capital and pay out more cash to shareholders.

"The way I look at this is positioning Opel-Vauxhall to be incredibly successful in the future," Barra said on Monday when asked by a reporter whether she was relieved."General Motors doesn't have to be relieved," PSA's Tavares interjected. "They can be proud of giving Opel-Vauxhall a better future."PSA shares were up 2.2 percent at 19.49 euros as of 0939 GMT, after reaching 20.06 euros earlier in the session. GM shares closed 1.2 percent higher on Friday after Reuters reported a deal had been struck.The two carmakers, which already share some production in an existing European alliance, confirmed last month they were negotiating PSA's outright acquisition of Opel, sparking concern over possible job cuts.Tavares said on Monday the targeted savings would come from purchasing and research and development - avoiding plant closures - as the Opel lineup is redeveloped with PSA technology and vehicle architectures.An ambitious technical convergence push will begin with the Opel Corsa, the CEO indicated, as earlier reported by Reuters.The next version of the popular subcompact will be delayed by a year to 2020 as it goes back to the drawing board, according to presentation slides shown to analysts.

"Our planning teams are already working on that," Tavares said when questioned about the model. Another five PSA-based Opel vehicles will follow by 2023.LABOR COSTS

The Opel deal caps a stellar two-year recovery for PSA, which avoided bankruptcy in 2014 by selling 14 percent stakes to the French state and China's Dongfeng (0489.HK), matching the Peugeot family's diluted holding.Tavares has since cut about 3,000 French assembly line jobs each year through voluntary departures to trim the wage bill to 11 percent of revenue from the 15 percent level he inherited - which is roughly where Opel's labor costs stand today. PSA reiterated pledges to run Opel as a distinct German subsidiary and honor existing job guarantees, which tend to cover production plans for existing models.

Beyond those horizons, however, the outlook for Opel plants may be less certain."Tavares wants to create healthy competition between the plants," said one person involved in the tie-up talks. "They will be competing for workload."With Europe's auto market near a peak, some analysts expect the new group to close two or three plants within five years. Britain's European Union exit adds to the uncertainty over Vauxhall's UK plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton.But Tavares said exports could help fill Opel plants, adding that UK manufacturing brought opportunities as well as risks in the event of a "hard Brexit" in which Britain leaves the EU without a free-trade deal."This may look to you a little bit romantic," he conceded.The transaction also sees GM retain most of Opel's pensions deficit, estimated by analysts at $10 billion. Earlier in the talks, the U.S. carmaker had sought to offload a larger share of the liabilities, sources said.Some smaller pension funds will be transferred to PSA, along with a 3 billion euro payment to cover their full settlement, the companies said on Monday.Existing Opel models will be barred from entering new overseas markets under "non-compete" agreements that had also complicated negotiations - while GM will be similarly excluded from marketing the same underlying technologies in Europe.The PSA warrants, exercisable in five years and maturing in nine, provide a financial incentive for GM to continue cooperating. The U.S. carmaker has agreed to sell the shares received upon exercise, keeping no stake in PSA.The Opel sale cuts GM's cash balance requirement by $2 billion, the company said, allowing it to accelerate share repurchases. GM will also take a charge of $4 billion to $4.5 billion on the deal, expected to close in late 2017. (Additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume; editing by Jason Neely and Keith Weir)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Assam minister Pramila Rani Brahma has come out in support of banned outfit Ulfa (I) chief Paresh Baruas demand of not making Sanskrit compulsory in schools, according to Pratidin Time.

Asomiya Pratidin, a regional newspaper, quoted the minister as saying, I welcome Paresh Baruas opinion. Various languages are spoken by different smaller ethnic groups. Those languages are our resources. It would be better if we could conserve those languages.

Earlier, Barua in a press statement had said that instead of Sanskrit, Bodo language should be made compulsory, as after Assamese, Bodo is the language that is spoken by the largest number of people in the state.

Assam has seen a series of massive protests after the BJP-led state government decided to make Sanskrit compulsory in schools till Std 8 on 1 March. Along with Sanskrit, computer education was also made compulsory, reported NDTV. The Sarbananda Sonowal government's decision did not go down well with the public with the literary body Assam Sahitya Sabha, along with other ethnic and tribal sahitya sabhas opposing the move.

The indigenous literary bodies held a joint press conference on Sunday in Guwahati and alleged that the move is a conspiracy to wipe out local languages and the group threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the state government does not roll back its decision.

Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabha's Assam president Govinda Taid said that at a time when ethnic literary bodies are demanding the government to allow students from different ethnic groups to pursue their school education in their mother tongues, the present BJP-led government has suddenly imposed Sanskrit on students due to reasons best known to it, reported The Sentinel.

The newspaper further reported Taid as saying that Sanskrit is an ancient dead language and learning it would have no positive impact on the students academic careers. It will be an additional burden on the students pursuing their school education under the Board of Secondary Education, Assam. The Assam Sahitya Sabha appealed to the state government to make Sanskrit an optional subject.

Meanwhile, in a press communique issued by the states apex literary body, mentioned, The sabha believes that learning Sanskrit helps a person to know India and its civilisation. It further added that if the language is imposed as a compulsory subject, it will be a burden on the students. So the sabha feels that Sanskrit should be introduced as an optional subject, reported The North East Today.

All Assam Students Union, the students' organisation, has also opposed the move. Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary of the organistion told Firstpost,  Introduction of Sanskrit as a compulsory subject in schools will increase the pressure on students. He also pointed out that though Sanskrit is a very rich language and has contributed to the growth of the Indian society, it is not in use anymore and will not help students in their careers.

Moreover, the language is not a compulsory subject in any other Indian states, then why is it being imposed on Assam. He added that the state government and the BJP has been saying that Sanskrit is the mother of all languages, but there are many languages in the North East which have no connection with Sanskrit.

Professor Apurba Kumar Boruah, a Left-wing intellectual, sees this move as an extension of the Hindu nationalism that has gained much impetus throughout India, but says it will not work in Assam. Assamese identity is formed by languages and not by religion. Many kinds of religions are included in this identity. Apart from Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, there are a number of indigenous tribal religions which are practiced in Assam for ages. So imposing Sanskrit will not be accepted by all, he said.

But Bisheswar Hazarika, an expert on language, shares a different opinion. He says that Sanskrit can be read without reading any of the Hindu scriptures, even if it is made a compulsory subject. There are many books in Sanskrit literature apart from the Hindu scriptures. Students can be provided with the option to choose from non-religious Sanskrit books, even if the subject is made compulsory, he said.

When asked whether the government will roll back its decision, Ramesh Kumar Jain, commissioner and secretary to the Education Department of Assam told Firstpost, We have not received any circular till now in this regard from the government.
After serving the Indian Navy for three decades, INS Viraat was decommissioned from service on Monday. With the aircraft carrier put into retirement, India now has only one aircraft carrier  INS Vikramaditya.

However, INS Vikramaditya is expected to be out of active service for at least eight months for regular maintenance work, according to a report in The Times of India.

In such a scenario, India effectively is left without an aircraft carrier till INS Vikramaditya is back in action.

Aircraft carriers hold an important place in modern military strategy. These mammoth vessels serve many purposes.

One of them is muscle flexing and intimidating an enemy in deep seas. A notable example of it was witnessed during the 1971 India-Pakistan war when the United States dispatched the USS Enterprise to deter India from attacking East Pakistan.

Another major benefit these vessels provide navies is the ability to expand the area of operation. Aircraft carriers hold fighter jets which help an navy to mount an air attack anywhere across the world.

Take for example, the US Navy could persist with its air strikes during the 1991 Gulf War through the USS Dwight D Eisenhower and other vessels. The naval help boosted US' land offensive which drove away Iraqi Army from Kuwait.

Indeed, these warships allow countries to turn their navies into a blue-water naval force.

Sameer Patil, director, Centre for International Security at Mumbai-based think-tank Gateway House, sums up the benefits of having such a vessel.

"From the way aircraft carriers are placed in present-day military strategies, it certainly helps countries to project their power," he told Firstpost.

Keeping this in mind, aircraft carriers have become an important benchmark for any aspiring superpower including India.

In fact, India was among the first countries to have an aircraft carrier when it bought HMS Hercules in 1957. Rechristened INS Vikrant, the warship did a yeomen service during the 1971 war when it succeeded in enforcing a naval blockade of East Pakistan.

Later in the 1980s, India added INS Viraat (originally HMS Hermes) to its naval armoury.

Indeed, a country with two maritime borders (East and West coast) needs a minimum of two fully-operational aircraft carriers.

But it is to be noted that these two erstwhile warships were British-built. In an era, when the world is moving towards defence indigenisation, India is also looking at building domestic aircraft carriers.

Media reports suggest that India first indigeniously built carrier, INS Vikrant ( the namesake of India's first aircraft carrier) will be ready by the end of the year before being commissioned into the navy next year. However, a CAG report last year blasted the navy over the delay in building the ship. According to the report, the ship is only expected to be fully operational in 2023.

Apart from INS Vikrant, the navy is also planning for another aircraft carrier INS Vishal, which is still in the design stage and one cannot expect it to be in service before 2025.

The retirement of INS Viraat leaves a major gap in the Indian Navy's firepower. The now decommissioned ship had the capacity of supporting both maritime and land-based operations and conducting anti-submarine warfare. Additionally, it had been armed with Israel's Barak anti-missile system.

INS Vikramaditya, which was commissioned after a two decade delay in 2013, is not yet to battle ready. Though media reports have been suggesting that the navy's lead battleship would be equipped with the latest defence system (Barak 8 missiles), it still seems everything is only on paper as of now.

The issues with the aircraft carriers just does not end there. The MIG 29 K fighter jets for the warships have been under the scanner of the CAG over its various defects. And with the navy rejecting the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, readiness of the aircraft carriers is doubtful.

Notwithstanding the inordinate delays as well as other pressing issues in India's aircraft carrier saga, Patil is optimistic. He believes that since India had never built an aircraft carrier, it will take some time for her to master it.

"We must appreciate the fact that India is gearing to have the capability to build an aircraft carrier which is in itself a huge thing," he added.

India is not the only country which is in the race to master indigenous aircraft carriers. China, after lagging behind for over three decades, is finally taking steps to become a major naval power. Beijing too is expected to launch its first domestic aircraft carrier this year.

While India has its own blue-water ambitions, China may well be India's rival in the coming years. The Indian Ocean will play an important role in the geo-political game between the two Asian giants and aircraft carriers will certainly help India maintain its pre-eminence here.
A sessions court in Gadricholi convicted a Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others for their alleged connection with the banned CPI-Maoists on Tuesday. Saibaba was sentenced to a life term.

Maharashtra: DU professor GN Saibaba and 5 others convicted by Gadchiroli court under UAPA act pic.twitter.com/VXRNRJ9H06  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

According to Financial Express, JNU student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi were among those convicted. Saibaba, an English professor of Ram Lal Anand College is disabled; earlier, he was lodged in Nagpur Central Jail for 14 months but granted bail on medical grounds by the Bombay High Court in June 2016.

The Indian Express reported that Judge SS Shinde convicted the accused under sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The others accused in the case are: Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote and Vijay Tirki.

According to DNA, the Supreme Court had granted Saibaba bail while citing that the Maharashtra government had been "extremely unfair" to him earlier this month. He requested his college to reinstate his services following which a one-member committee had decided to look into the issue.

While the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) was supporting Saibaba's reinstatement, a group of students led by members of ABVP had opposed it claiming that such a move will have a "bad influence" on students.

The Indian Express said that prosecution lawyer Prashant Sathianathan sought that the accused be given life imprisonment under section 20 of the Act. Sathianathan added that no reprieve should be granted to Saibaba for his disability as that did not deter him from aiding and abating violent activities that claimed many lives. Saibaba's visits to the college last week were met with protests from the ABVP.

He was allegedly heckled by a right-wing group with slogans like Deshdrohi wapas jao (Traitor! Go back!). Within a period of five days, three attempts were made to attack Professor GN Saibaba inside the college campus  allegedly by "the members and goons of the right-wing affiliated students union".

According to an earlier Firstpost article, on 9 May 2014, when Saibaba was heading back home from the university, a group of policemen in plain clothes stopped his car, dragged his driver out and drove him out of the university campus. The next morning, after his arrest from Delhi, he was flown to Nagpur, where the District Magistrate heard his case and sent him to prison.

Dr Vijay Kumar Sharma, principal, RLA College, had told Firstpost then, "The decision of the governing body has been communicated to GN Saibaba through a letter. It is based on the recommendations of the one-member inquiry committee. The governing body has mentioned that he cant be reinstated unless theres approval from the vice chancellor." The inquiry committee went through the documents related to Saibaba that allegedly shows his strong Maoist links.
"Complete your education and then get involved in politics." This is the farewell message of Chairman Gajendra Chauhan for the students of FTII.

Gajendra Chauhan, popularly known as Yudhishthira, is set to take an exit from the Mahabharata of FTII. The controversial chairman's tenure ended on Friday. He served a tenure of 1 year 3 months out of the 3 years, as no one was appointed for the first one and a half year. Chauhan did not get an extension despite serving for a short term.

"I have done what I could do in the small time that got. I am satisfied," Chauhan said, adding, "I got a tenure of one and a half year. I have tried to address the key concerns. FTII had a zero year for two consecutive years. This year we made sure that the previous batches completed their diplomas and we conducted the admission process for the new batch. We constituted the revised syllabus, bought new equipments, addresed the discipline issues, made 75% attendance compulsory. The construction plan of new studios is principally approved. I think this is more than enough for the small tenure I could serve."

Gajendra Chauhan was appointed as the chairman on 9 June 2015. Students opposed this move claiming that he was not fit for the job and landed up getting the position for being a BJP leader. Students went on an indefinite strike to oppose his appointment.

This strike ended after 139 days. Chauhan visited the institute and assumed the charge amidst the opposition from the students. This was they only time he visited the institute. Due to the flak he faced all the governing council meetings were conducted in Mumbai.

"When the debate over his capability going on he kept saying that the previous directors didn't have time to visit the institute as they were busy with their work. He would be able to do justice to the post by dedicating time. Was this what he meant?" asked a student who was a part of the strike.

Chauhan claims that he resolved many issues that the students were facing and helped them complete their long pending diplomas. But students have a different version.

"We had to battle everyday even for completing a diploma film" said Yashsvi, an ex-student of FTII who was actively involved in the strike. Student Ajayan Adats's story proved the students claims right. His diploma film was sent to Roterdam film festival only to be told that it cannot be an official entry as it was produced by FTII and he didn't seek an official permission. But this decision was later retracted and the film won the best film award.

Another issue for the students was cancellation of their scholarships. "I topped for two consecutive years but was denied the scholarship with no logical reason," one of the students said.

But according to Chauhan this was a right move. He felt that students had skipped their classes and hence did not deserve a scholarship. It was a part of the disciplinary move for him. Other moves included appointment of security personnel throughout the campus, and entry in hostel had to be recorded.

Along with these moves he also decided to keep the students out of the council meetings. "Students will be allowed. But they will have to go out if we ask them to. This will include decisions like finalising the syllabus. We cannot allow students to be the part of these meetings" Gajendra Chauhan said.

An attempt to saffronise the institute was the prime allegation since the appointment of Mr.Chauhan.

"I dont understand the meaning of the word saffronisation. For me saffronisation means sacrifice. I am ready to sacrifice for my country. And for me the country for the last 1 year was FTII," he said. Erecting a replica of Savarkar was claimed to be a part of such attempt. "Mr. Chauhan has sacrificed the institution and even then couldn't saffronise it," said a student.

During the agitation by students, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited FTII campus." I want to invite him again now and show what have we done" said Chauhan adding, "the kind of politics students here are involved in is the Rahul Gandhi kind of politics. They wouldn't get anything out of it. Hence I am advising them to stay away from politics till they complete their education."

"But it is this politics that gave us the power to oppose the his thoughtless decisions. If politics is bad why is he in politics?" asked Yashasvi, adding" they are just trying to govern FTII the way they are governing the country" he added.

Students are now gearing up for the appointment of new chairman. This one and a half year has united and has created a strong bond they say. "That doesn't mean we have grudges against anyone. We will wait and watch" said Nachimutthu, a student at FTII and the head of the students union.

The Chairman stepping down would mean the entire governing council will be dissolved. It will have to be reconstituted. Students are definitely keeping a close watch on the developments.
The HSC Mathematics & Statistics question papers for all three streams  arts, science and commerce  were leaked on a messaging app on Monday almost 40 minutes before the test started at 11 am. The leak comes 2 days after HSC Secretarial Practice and Physics papers were widely circulated on WhatsApp.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the Mumbai division of the Maharashtra State Board has filed a complaint with the Vashi police station, adding to the case against those that leaked the HSC Marathi paper and the other papers back-to-back.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case till now, including two students and a teacher at a private tuition centre, according to The Indian Express.

Hindustan Times reported that shots of the papers were shared on a students group on the messaging application at 10:30 am, while the papers were handed out to examinees at 10:50 am and the exam began at 11 am.

According to Hindustan Times, Dattatray Jagtap, chairperson of the Mumbai divisional board, which includes Thane, Palghar and Raigad, said, Both the question papers have come out on WhatsApp, we matched them to the original papers and found that they are the same.

Adding that a girl student was caught looking at the images in the exam room, Jagtap said, We immediately informed the centre to lodge a police complaint against her. The girl will be allowed to write the exam for now, and later on, action will be taken against her depending on the investigation.

According to The Hindu, Jagtap said, There seems to be a pattern. The papers are leaked when they are about to be distributed. Students are seated by 10:30 am and receive their papers by 10:50 am. The papers are circulated 40 minutes before the exams start. We suspect students who leak the paper deliberately turn up late for the exams at around 11:30 am, which is the deadline to enter the examination hall. We have directed teachers to keep an eye on all late comers to curb copying among students. The board has even banned teachers from carrying mobiles.

Though this was the fifth HSC paper leak in as many days, the state education minister refrained from acknowledging the leak and dismissed the incident as "mischief".

Calling the leaks a "very small matter", Vinod Tawde, according to The Times of India said, that a leak is when the paper is out a day or at least an hour before an exam; a few minutes are not enough to give candidates an unfair advantage. He also implied the HSC exams are not important enough to incentivise cheating.

Meanwhile, the education board is thinking of scrapping the 10-minute question reading time given to examinees, according to The Times of India.

The Times of India reported that the education board has also announced three steps: supervisors must record candidates entering the exam hall after the start of a test; cellphones cannot be used other than the centre-in-charge and the custodian of question papers; all paper custody centres must have an assistant custodian who must record each instance of question papers being physically shifted.

Five exam papers have been leaked in five days in the ongoing HSC exams  Mathematics and Statistics on Monday, Secretarial Practice and Physics on Saturday and Marathi on Thursday.
Ever since Narendra Modi assumed office in May 2014, the question of him becoming the first Prime Minister of India to visit Israel was never in doubt. After all, Modi has a special attachment to Israel  a country that had made considerable investments in Gujarat when he was the chief minister. Modi, it is said, strongly believes that Israel can play an important role towards the success of his "Make in India" programme too.

Additionally, Modis party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has always admired Israel for its pride in nationalism and respect for the military. In what was the first-of-its-kind by an Indian political party, it was the BJP convention in October 1991 that called for establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel. In fact, it was BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who as the then external affairs minister, had arranged a secret visit of his the then Israeli counterpart Moshe Dayan to India in 1978. And as the Prime Minister of India, Vajpayee, in September 2003, had also hosted Israeli premier Ariel Sharon.

However, the question always was when Modi would undertake his maiden visit to Israel. Now that question has been answered. Though a detailed itinerary is yet to be worked out, it is almost certain that Modi will make a trip to Israel in May or June and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit India before 29 January, 2018, the official closing-date of the yearlong anniversary celebrations to mark 25 years since India and Israel established full diplomatic relations.

Even otherwise, during the past two-and-a-half years, top leaders from India and Israel have had increased interactions. In fact, Modi had met Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2014. The meeting was so positive that Netanyahu had said that "the sky is the limit", as far as India-Israel relations were concerned.

Your wishes are gladdening PM @netanyahu. Friendship with Israel is deeply valued by the people of India. https://t.co/8xfrtEeZWZ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2016

Modi also met Israeli president Reuven Rivlin during the funeral of Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore in March 2015. President Pranab Mukherjee became the first Indian Head of State to land in Israel in October 2015. This, in turn, led to a reciprocal visit of Rivlin to India in November last year. In between, Israeli defence minister Moshe Yaalon had been to India in February 2015. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel in November 2015. And External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had made a trip to Israel in January 2016.

All this does not suggest that India and Israel did not have a warm relationship during the non-BJP or Congress-led regimes. Far from it. After all, it was during the PV Narasimha Rao regime in 1992 that New Delhi established full diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, even though way back on 17 September, 1950 India had "recognised" Israel as an independent country. In fact, even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, India under Congress rule had obtained military assistance during the wars in 1962 (with China), and 1965 and 1971 (with Pakistan). Israel, it is equally noteworthy, followed India in being one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh in 1971.

Similarly, under the two UPA regimes led by Manmohan Singh, the strategic relations between the two countries remained as close as before. So much so that the Congressled government in 2010 did not allow party MP Mani Shankar Aiyar to ask questions about the India-Israel defence relationship in Parliament on the grounds that it pertained to a "state secret". In fact, in the wake of the 26 November, 2009 attacks on Mumbai, Indias defence purchases from Israel increased so much that the latter replaced Russia briefly as New Delhis largest defence supplier in 2009.

However, there are two big differences between a BJP-led government and one led by the Congress party as far as their respective approaches towards Israel are concerned.

First, unlike the BJP government that openly justifies its deepening of ties with Israel, the Congress did so "privately" and took every care not to be seen publicly with Israeli leaders and officials. That explains why there were not many interactions during the UPA years, apart from then external affairs minister SM Krishnas visit to Israel in 2012. So much so that then defence minister AK Antony not only first postponed  and then cancelled  his scheduled visit to Israel, but also urged Tel Aviv to defer a visit by the Israeli defence minister (Ehud Barak) to India in 2008. And this despite the fact that Israel by then had become our second-largest supplier of military hardware after Russia.

What has been the Congress rationale? The party is under the notion that open and transparent ties with Israel will adversely affect Indias relations with the Islamic Arab world, including Palestine whose cause has India's "principled support". And more important, sharing platforms with the "racist Zionists" who rule Israel, will antagonise the Indian Left and Muslims. But, nothing can be more perverse than these rationales in a post-Cold War era. The end of the Cold War brought the collapse of the Soviet Union, Indias principal military and diplomatic patron, forcing India to search for alternative alliances. New Delhi also recognised that the staunch support it had given to the Arab world over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had not been reciprocated to India over the Kashmir dispute. Finally, with Muslim-dominated Egypt doing normal business after the launching of the Madrid Peace Process in 1991, the ideological foundations of Indias policy towards Israel had eroded. If countries like the US, Russia and China could do business with both Israel and the Arabs, there was no reason why India would not do so.

Be that as it may, the relationship between India and Israel has deepened over the recent years. The two countries now share several congruent interests and have acted to expand cooperation in a number of key areas such as agriculture, solar energy, space, and security that includes counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation. Counter-terrorism remains one of the greatest areas of cooperation between the two countries, stemming from the constant terror threat facing both the countries. Counter-terrorism cooperation has involved the exchange of information on terrorist groups, their finances, recruitment patterns, training, and operations; it has also entailed comparing national doctrines and operational experience.

India and Israel have also focused their efforts on border security: Israel has sold India motion detectors and other monitoring equipment to track infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan in the Jammu and Kashmir region. Israel also sold unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to India for high-altitude surveillance and has offered to provide anti-insurgency training for Indian forces in the area as well.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) that tracks global defence sales, over the last five years, defence trade between India and Israel has averaged more than $1 billion annually. It has been reported that in every likelihood India will shortly award a $2.5-billion contract for its army to buy a medium-range surface-to-air missile defence system from Israel Aerospace Industries.

India and Israel share certain strategic objectives: Qualitative (and in some cases quantitative) military supremacy over their rivals, and autonomy in technology and weapons procurement. India has also taken advantage of Israels global reputation for upgrading outdated weapon systems and Soviet-era military hardware. Israeli missiles, rockets, radar and communication equipments, ships, assault and sniper rifles, night-vision devices, and border monitoring equipment have all been added to the Indian arsenal.

The second aspect on which Modis approach towards Israel is different from that of his predecessors is that he has systematically tried to de-hyphen Indias ties with Israel with ties with the Arab countries and Iran. For him, both the relationships are important and can be pursued without affecting one another adversely. As India does not want to be hyphenated with Pakistan in major countries policies towards the subcontinent, Modi too will like to develop healthy relations with Israel and individual Arab country and Iran on their respective merits without interlinking the two. In fact, even with individual Arab countries, his approach remains the same. For instance, Indias relationship with Saudi Arabia is not linked with its ties with the UAE. And the same applies to Iran.

In fact, as prime minister, Modi has already visited the UAE, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran. And notably, each visit has been a stand-alone visit, a clear departure from the previous approach when an Indian prime minister clubbed two or three countries of a region for his visit. His forthcoming visit to Israel is also going to be such a standalone visit. There is not going to be a "balancing visit" to either Palestine or another Arab country in the region.

The moral of the story is clear: India under Modi is not going to be apologetic about its engagement with Israel.
New Delhi: The government is open for international collaboration in the field of cyber security and favours handling issue of cyber terrorism in cooperation with other countries, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday. "India is willing to have the widest cooperation world over in the quest of cyber security," Prasad said at international conference on e-governance, ICEGOV, here.

Cyber crime has been growing across the globe because lack of international cooperation in this field. As per experts, many countries have been hesitant in signing cooperation agreement to handle cyber crime because of suspected involvement of their security agencies in cyber espionage. "If Internet has to remain powerful, it must be safe and secure. Few people are using digital technology for terrorism, for hatred, for extremism, and we need to work together," Prasad said.

He said that the Internet is one of finest creation of human mind and must be available for all. "It should not become the monopoly of few. Therefore, right of its access must be without discrimination. In order to become truly global it must have link with the local," he added. The minister said that India would be voice of moderation, reason and assimilation as far as the Internet discourse is concern.

"Let me make it clear, India would be voice of assertion in favour of those who are digitally deprived, digitally discriminated because 'Digital India' is designed to bridge the gap between digital haves and digital have-nots," Prasad said. He announced that India will work upon to improve human resource for foreign students as well. "The government of India will ensure provision for 100 students from all the participating countries to do their PhDs in prestigious universities of India in quest of electronics manufacturing," the minister added.

He said that the government has laid special emphasis to promote electronics manufacturing in the country and has received investment of nearly USD 25 billion in last two years for electronics productions in the country. The minister also said that India is ready to connect its National Knowledge Network (NKN) with other nations of the world including East, South & Middle East Asia and Africa for knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

NKN connects nearly 1,600 universities and research centres in India on a high capacity broadband network. Around 30 countries including Portugal, Greece, Estonia, Norway, Uganda participated in the ICEGOV conference. "I am happy to note that ICEGOV 2017 has witnessed a record number of submissions of papers - around 560 of them on topics as varied as open government, digital citizenship, digital inclusion...I hope that the learning and sharing of experiences will be both ways," Minister of State for Law and IT PP Chaudhary said.
In all the sound and fury over jallikattu, many people from Tamil Nadu quoted the classic Tamil literature Thirukkural to justify their support to the sport, and for this horrendous cruelty towards helpless animals.

In fact, after it was forcibly restarted by a very strange notification by the state governor, who overrode two Supreme Court judgments, thereby weakening the very fabric of India's administration, hundreds of people have been wounded and some have died in these so called "peaceful" games that demonstrate the Tamil "love for the bull".

Subsequently, many of the maimed and injured bulls have been sent to Kerala for slaughter.

In any case, quoting the poet Thiruvalluvar to support violence is literally twisting everything he stands for. While the book of verses is revered all over the world and translated into 82 languages (the treatise has earned the title 'Ulaga Podhu Marai', the universal scripture or Potumarai  'The Universal Veda' or 'Book for All'), it is little known in India and it is time we learnt some of its wisdom.

The Thirukkural is the Bible of Tamil Nadu. It literally translates into "sacred/respected couplets", and was authored by the poet Thiruvalluvar (of whom nothing is known. The first instance of the author's name is found centuries later in a song of praise called the Garland of Thiruvalluvar in Thiruvalluva Malai) and has 1,330 couplets or kurals dealing with morality, ethics and virtue.

It is a truly sage and beautiful work, and is one of the finest non-religious works of philosophy. Written in old Tamil, it is a palm leaf manuscript of the 4th to 1st century BC. It was printed for the first time in 1812. The first complete English translation of Thirukkural was one by George Uglow Pope in 1886, which brought it to the western world.

It has 133 chapters of ten couplets each. Tirukkural was originally known as 'Muppaal', meaning three-sectioned book. There are three parts that it's is divided into: Aram/dharma (virtue), porul/artha (wealth), and inbam/kama (love). He has left out moksha, as he felt if a person followed the first three doctrines diligently in life, s/he would automatically attain moksha.

What is different about the treatise is that it expounds a moral and practical attitude towards life. It makes no promises of heaven beyond earth. It speaks of ways of behaving to achieve bliss in the present life itself. The ideas of the poet are luminous and humane: Humility, charity, nonviolence, forgiveness, asceticism, good administration. It is a perfect guide to live your life at the highest and purest level, so that you are happy and you make everyone around you happy.

Thirukkural deals with dilemmas that normal people face every day  over morals, politics, economics, love and domestic life, and provides practical solutions to these problems.

Albert Schweitzer had said "there hardly exists in the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find so much of lofty wisdom. Like the Buddha and the Bhagavad Gita, the Thirukkural desires inner freedom from the world and a mind free from hatred. Like them, it stands for the commandment not to kill and not to damage. There appears in Thirukkural the living ethic of love".

Leo Tolstoy was inspired by its concept of non-violence. "What are wanted for the Indian as for the Englishman, the Frenchman, the German, and the Russian, are not constitutions and revolutions; the knowledge of the simple and clear truth which finds place in every soul that is not stupefied by religious and scientific superstitions  the truth that for our life one law is valid  the law of love, which brings the highest happiness to every individual as well as to all mankind," he wrote.

Mahatma Gandhi studied Tirukkural in prison and called it "a textbook of indispensable authority on moral life" and went on to say, "The maxims of Valluvar have touched my soul. There is none who has given such a treasure of wisdom like him."

Here is the heart of the work: Verse 244  "Mannuyir ompi arulaalvaarkku illenpa thannuyir anjum vinai" (For he who treats other living beings with kindness, in his own soul the dreaded guilt of sin shall never feel). Another translation of the same verse is "The compassionate, who care for all other lives, do not fear for their own lives."

This week, let me give you more verses from the Thirukkural on not eating the flesh of animals: How can someone possess kindness, if one eats meat from another body to grow ones own body?

Verse 251:

One who doesn't value money can't be wealthy;

one who eats meat, can't be compassionate.

Verse 252:

The heart of one who has eaten and relished flesh, is like

the heart of one leading an army: it cannot be compassionate.

Verse 253:

The heart of one who has eaten and relished flesh, is like

the heart of one holding a deadly weapon: it cannot be compassionate.

Verse 253 V2:

What is compassion, and the lack of it: Not killing and killing;

it is not virtuous to eat meat got by killing.

Verse 254:

Compassion is exemplified by not killing; and the lack of it, by killing:

to eat meat so obtained, is not virtuous.

Verse 254 V2:

Kural 254 is structured very interestingly, allowing another interpretation: "Lack of compassion is exemplified by straying from the value of 'not killing'; to eat meat so obtained, is not virtuous.

Verse 254 V3:

Survival of species, depends on not being eaten;

those who eat them hell will not split its mouth to spit them out.

Verse 255:

The rationalist in Kalaignar, finds another interpretation (literally more accurate, but contextually not quite convincing) for Kural 255: "Even a swamp will not swallow a life; survival of species is ensured by presence of vegetarians."

Verse 255 V2:

There won't be anyone selling meat for the sake of earning,

if the world stops killing for the sake of eating.

Verse 256:

Meat is the wound of some body;

if one gets this realisation, stop eating it.

Verse 257:

Those who have wisdom, free of flaws, would not

eat a body, freed of its life.

Verse 258:

To desist from killing a life and eating it, is better than

doing a thousand rituals, offering oblation.

Verse 259:

To one who doesn't kill and refuses meat, all lives will

fold their arms and pay obeisance.

To join the animal welfare movement, contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org
An anti-terror operation was launched in Thakurganj area of Lucknow after the Anti-terror squad (ATS team) got reports of a top terrorist, identified as Saifullah, hiding in a house on Tuesday. Saifullah was killed in the operation, Uttar Pradesh police confirmed even though they were trying to arrest the 'alleged extremist'. The IG of Uttar Pradesh ATS is supervising the operations. According to CNN-News18, civilians in the area have been asked to stay indoors with the whole area being cordoned off by security forces.

Suspected terrorist holed up by UP ATS in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. Operation in progress. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/1SlD0Kp7az

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

Op still on. We thought initially that there is one youth inside,but there are two. Trying to arrest them as soon as possible:ADG Law&Order pic.twitter.com/0iUZjliZ0E  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

According to The Indian Express, the suspected terrorist opened fired at security forces on Tuesday afternoon starting an encounter. The security personnel have reached out to the suspect asking him to surrender, but he has reportedly declined. The security personnel are trying to ascertain the amount and kind of weapons the suspect possesses before planning their next move. The other option the police has is to storm the house and neutralise the suspect. A high-level meeting between government and police officials is underway before any step is taken.

NDTV reports said that central intelligence agencies alerted the state police about the alleged terrorist's location, along with information of possible connection to this morning's train explosion in Madhya Pradesh in which nine people were reported injured.

According to India Today, Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh, Daljeet Choudhary said there is a possibility of more than one terrorist being holed up in the house. The ATS team is using tear gas to flush him out from the house. "We are trying to ensure that he is arrested alive and there is no collateral damage as this is a residential area," said another official.

According to IANS at the spot, there is gunfire going on with both parties exchanging fire. However, there are no reports of anyone being injured.

With inputs from IANS
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

Trend:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Azerbaijani First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva on the occasion of the International Womens Day.

Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the occasion of the International Womens Day, Putin said in the congratulatory message. Throughout history women have been protectors of the family hearth, family values and traditions, and embodied love, faithfulness, warm-heartedness and hope.

May your life be filled with bright and happy days, and may success attend all your undertakings, the Russian president said. I wish you robust health, success and well-being.
A spate of vulgar text messages being sent to MLCs and MLAs in Maharashtra has alarmed the state's politicians and police officials. After an accused from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Sunday for sending lewd messages to BJP leader Shaina NC, Shiv Sena MLC and spokesperson Neelam Gorhe has also complained of receiving obscene messages. NCP MLC Vidya Chavan and Dharavi's Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad have also complained about the menace of these messages.

Gaikwad confirmed to Firstpost of having received lewd texts from an unknown number. "I received the message during the BMC elections. It's not good to see such women being harassed in a state like Maharashtra. And this is not the first incident; Neelam Gorhe and Shaina NC also received such messages. It's a serious law-and-order problem," Gaikwad said.

Neelam Gorhe said once the culprits are arrested, they should be tried under the most stringent of laws. "They should be tried under MCOCA, so nobody will dare do something like this again. The state's law-and-order situation is deteriorating by the day. Even the Thane municipal commissioner received threat calls. Police officers are receiving threat calls," she said.

Earlier, Deepak Kumar Gupta, a 40-year-old man from Jalgaon, was arrested for sending lewd texts to 12 politicians, including Gorhe and Gaikwad.

Meanwhile, MoS Ranjeet Patil has assured that the cyber cell will enquire into the issue of lewd messages. The state government has taken a serious note of this and we will arrest the culprits soon, he added.

Talking to Firstpost, Shaina NC was outraged at how people are still doing these things. "He sent me a message in December last year, but this crossed all limits in February. I registered an FIR to teach him a lesson. Furthermore, to educate and protect other women who have been targeted in this manner, I have also set up a helpline, which will offer legal help to women facing such a problem," she said.

So, on the eve of International Women's Day on 8 March, the helpline 'Stree Sanman' was launched to assist women in distress, and women who're victims of harassment on social media and through mobile phones. Shaina said the aim of the project is to ensure troubled women get justice and the rogue elements of society don't go scot-free.

"I complained to the cops, and I am thankful to the cyber police for acting promptly. I would like to appeal sincerely to all women and girls, to have the courage to come out and teach the stalkers a befitting lesson," she said. "The aim of the project is clear: Stalking is not acceptable in a civilised society, and perverts must be punished."

The toll-free number for the Stree Sanman helpline is 1800 2124434. Victims can leave their grievances on this number, and they will be provided with necessary police and legal assistance.
Imphal: One Assam Rifles jawan and one polling personnel got injured in two separate IED blasts in Manipur's Ukhrul district.

Sources said the two IEDs blasts went off in a span of half an hour from each other at two different places in Ukhrul district. One blast took place at about 3.15 pm targeting the troops of 31 Assam Rifles about 3km away from Aishi village under Kamjong police station. One rifleman identified as R Vasnet of 'D' Coy was injured on his right leg in the incident.

The second blast took place at about 4 pm near polling station 43/49 at Ashang Khullen under Kamjong police station. It is learnt that one civilian on election duty got a minor injury due to the blast. The blast is suspected to be carried out by Naga outfit, a source said.

Meanwhile, tension erupted in Churachandpur district due to political rivalries between former minister Phungjathang Tonsing and his rival candidate.

On Tuesday, some supporters of the rival candidate attacked the house of Phungjathang in Churachandpur town. Getting information of the mob, police rushed to the spot and controlled the situation.

Two persons were seriously injured after the mob allegedly beat them up in front of the gate of Phungzathang's house. It is reported that the mob attacked Phungzathang's house for allegedly abducting a woman by former's supporters.
Imphal: Tension erupted in Lamka block of Churachandpur district on Tuesday at around 5pm between supporters of NPP candidate Phungjathang Tonsing and their rivalries.

Source says that the results of tension crippled from NPP supporter on the voting day of Manipur Legislative Assembly Election.

On the eve of the second and final phase of pollin, one Maruti Gypsy was hired by NPP supporters to captured Lamjang polling booth. On reaching the Lamjang polling station they started ransacking the booth. The act went viral on social media following which NPP the National People's Party (NPP) supporters started looking for the Facebook user.

Two people suspected of sharing the violence on social media were beaten black and blue by the group. Police had arrested two people in this regard.

Meanwhile, in another incident at Lamjang village a woman was left unconscious who is believed to be the wife of the one who uploaded the event of capturing polling booths by some supporters of NPP in social media.

The victim Baby is the sister-in-law of Thangmuansang who was assaulted by unknown persons in a poll-related violence on 5 March.

Following the incident, angry villagers of Lamzang frisked vehicles plying within their areas looking out for suspects. The angry mob also gathered at the district hospital in Churachandpur.

The irate mob reportedly set on fire the house of Lamjang chief.
Barely two months into the new year, and already 117 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra's Marathwada region in 2017. Though last year's monsoon was above average in Maharashtra, the spate of farmers ending their lives has continued across the state, and especially in the agrarian belt of Marathwada.

A report in The Times of India said the highest number of farmer suicides was in Beed, the home town of Maharashtra rural development minister Pankaja Munde, with 23 cases, while Nanded followed shortly behind with 22. It also said financial compensation was provided to 46 cases out of 117, while 13 were denied and 58 proposals are being processed.

Farmer leader and head of a state-level task force for farmers' welfare, Kishore Tiwari, said measures taken by the state government weren't enough. "We'll have to redraft our strategy to halt farmer suicides," he was quoted as saying in the report. "We will have to provide remunerative prices for agriculture produce, along with market intervention. In addition, the government will also have to work out a plan to provide education to farmers' children and financial assistance for healthcare," he added.

While the figure of 117 farmers committing suicide in just about two months might seem staggering, it still does denote a drop from the statistics for the previous years. In 2016 and 2015, two years in a row, there were over 1,000 farmers who killed themselves. According to a report in The Indian Express, a total of 1,003 farmers killed themselves by December 2016. This followed a 2015 when 1,130 farmers committed suicide in a 12-month period. The report also mentioned Munde's home district Beed witnessing the highest number of farmer suicides in both calendar years. Meanwhile, Osmanabad, which had been picked as a "zero farmer suicide" district by the state government, witnessed over 200 suicides in 16 months.

Beed district collector Naval Kishore Ram was quoted by the report as saying farm distress was not the only reason responsible for farmer suicides. "Investigations have revealed that there are other causes like domestic issues for farmer suicides. But whatever may be the cause, every suicide of a farmer is worrisome for us. We are making efforts to bring down the suicide rate. Compared to 2015 (which was a drought year), suicides this year in Beed are certainly down by more than 30 percent (in 2016)," he said.

Meanwhile, the Budget Session of Maharashtra legislature started from Monday onwards, and the Opposition is likely to press the Devendra Fadnavis government to announce a full loan waiver for farmers. According to a report in The Asian Age, leaders of all parties met the governor on Sunday and requested him to instruct the government to waive off farmer loans.

Shiv Sena minister Ramdas Kadam said, "We have demanded relief for farmers. If Narendra Modi could promise loan waiver in UP then why is the CM not doing the same for Maharashtra? He should go to Delhi and get the PMs clearance for this."

Not too long ago, Uddhav Thackeray, executive president of Shiv Sena, which supports the Fadnavis government in the state, had said that the support of his party is dependent on the loan waiver.
Rahin KP, a supervisor at a construction company in Saudi Arabia, is planning to end his stay in the oil-rich Arab country after 15 years of work. There is not much hope in continuing here. Salaries are delayed and my company is not very hopeful about getting fresh projects. Oil price crisis has hit the entire country a lot, Rahin told Firstpost.

Rahin was staying with his family and his two small children were going to a school in Riyadh. Due to financial woes, he had sent back his family to Kerala last year in May. When the salaries started to get delayed, it became quite hard to manage my family budget. Moreover, my company started to cut many other benefits too. We were having family insurance coverage, they scrapped it citing financial issues. They also moved us to a smaller flat to save money on rent allowance. Financial woes were hurting us a lot. So I had to send back my family, and now, I am also going back in two months, Rahin added.

Rahins case is not an isolated one. Following the global oil price dip, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, are facing a tough time.

In a move to cushion the state budget, which was hit hard by oil price dip, the Arab governments started adopting several austerity measures. In September 2016, the International Monetary Fund, had forecast budget deficit for all the six GCC countries at USD 153 billion.

Additionally, to appease their own unemployed citizens, the governments also strengthened the nationalisation process across sectors.

Rafeek Ravuther, Director at Centre for Indian Migrants Studies, told Firstpost that oil price crisis and reinforced nationalisation process in the Gulf countries is resulting in the return of Indian migrant workers. Especially, the number of Keralites returning are increasing. The days of Keralites working as blue-collar workers in Gulf have gone. Now, either they are in mid-level jobs or senior level jobs. These two levels are the most threatened ones because Gulf countries can easily replace them or remove them to save money, Rafeek said. Many companies are centralising their activities to save money. Centralisation means jobs are cut, he added.

Bijukumar K, a Gulf returnee in Kerala, said that he and his 20 friends had to struggle a lot without salary in the UAE for seven months as the construction company broke financially. We had to run from pillar to post to get our dues cleared. Finally, we had to adjust with whatever they gave and leave the country. The situation is not at all good in any of the Gulf countries, Bijukumar, who is driving an auto rickshaw in Ernakulam in Kerala for survival, said. Bijukumar left UAE in September 2016.

Money Order Economy to be hit

According to a study from Thiruvananthapurams Centre for Development Studies, around 50 lakh families in Kerala depend on the money that the migrants send home. There are around 4 million Keralites abroad and around 80 percent of these are in the Gulf. The remittances from them accounts for 35 percent of the state GDP.

Last year, Keralas Finance Minister Thomas Issac had voiced his concern on how the state Budget would be hit as the number of Gulf migrants returning home are going up due to the oil price crisis.

There is going to be a very serious regional recession, the minister was quoted as saying in media.

Keeping in mind support mechanisms for the returnees, in his latest Budget presented last Saturday, the minister had announced an increased Rs 1500 in the Pravasi Welfare Pension from the current Rs 500.

It is a welcome move. We were asking for the same for a long time, Rafeek added. However, we have a few concerns. We know that only 1,50,000 Keralites have joined the scheme. So, we urge the government to start popularising campaigns for the scheme and also to have an online system so that workers can join without much hassles. The systems banking network also should have to be widened, Rafeek said adding that the scheme is quite important now as the situation in Gulf is worsening due to oil price crisis and workers are returning home.

Vijaykumar K, state vice-president of Pravasi Sangham, an organisation which works for the welfare of Non-Resident Keralites, said that those who are working outside India should remit Rs 300 monthly to Pravasi Welfare Fund. Those who remit the monthly amount will be eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 after the age of sixty when they return, Vijayakumar said.

As of now, subscribers to this scheme who continue to work even after the age of 60, get Rs 1000 as monthly pension. We hope that this will also be increased to Rs 3000 or Rs 4000, Vijayakumar added.

Amanullah M, a Gulf returnee, said that such schemes will be quite helpful for the blue-collar workers. It is they who return home without much savings. Such a kind of pension scheme will help them a bit, Amanullah, who worked for 13 years in UAE and returned last year, said.

The state Budget has also set aside a Rs 6 crores for the Welfare Fund for those who were compelled to return from Gulf. Additionally, Rs 61 crores is being allocated for Non Resident Keralites Affairs, the government arm which looks after Non-Resident Keralites, and a Rs 13 crore corpus has been set aside to support wedding, accident and healthcare for those who have been compelled to return. The state Budget has also set aside Rs 18 crore to support rehabilitation and skill development of Gulf returnees.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Indian governments eMigrate, the official recruitment channel, also reveal that, while in 2015, if 782,083 Indians migrated to 18 Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) countries, in 2016 the number came down to 520,960, which is a dip of around 34 percent. In 2016, there were 2.5 lakh fewer jobs in comparison with 2015 as regards the Gulf region.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to curb Sri Lanka's "aggressive actions" against innocent Indian fishermen.

In a letter to Modi released to the media, Palaniswami said: "I strongly urge the Prime Minister to intervene personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen."

Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned and told about the strong feelings of the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments about the unprovoked firing on Indian fishermen.

His letter comes as an Indian fisherman was shot dead and another injured allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Straits. Colombo has said its Navy was not involved.

According to Palaniswami, five fishermen in a mechanised fishing boat set sail from Rameshwaram on the Tamil Nadu coast.

On Monday night, when they were fishing in the Palk Bay, four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded their boat and opened "unprovoked and indiscriminate fire".

"Two fishermen received bullet injuries. While Britjo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in a hospital," Palaniswami said.

Referring to his letter of 5 March highlighting the "escalation in instances of harassment and apprehension" of Indian fishermen, Palaniswami said the latest killing marked a new low for the Sri Lankan navy.

"In no circumstances can such unprovoked violence from the Sri Lankan side be tolerated," the Chief Minister said.
Will Assam flare up again after allegedly a group of refugees ransacked the office of the All Assam Students Union on Monday. The students were in a rally demanding granting Indian citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis who crossed the border after facing religious persecution in their home country?

The question gains importance as the Centre proposes to amend the citizenship Act to grant Hindu migrants from Bangladesh Indian Citizenship, along with other minority communities who have migrated to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan.

The Sentinel reported the incident, In an unprecedented development with serious implications for the State, a rally taken out by a Bengali Hindu refugees organisation at Silapathar in Dhemaji district on Monday went out of control with rowdy elements attacking the local office of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and ransacking it.

The newspaper further stated that a meeting was held in Silapathar before the rally where members of Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NIBBUSS) took part. In the meeting, problems faced by the community including the D voter issue were discussed. The participants in the meeting reportedly rejected the Assam Accord and spoke in favour of the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill planned to be introduced by the Central government.

Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, advisor to AASU, warned the state government of a serious situation if the culprit of the incident was not arrested within 24 hours, reported the newspaper.

The attack on the AASU office has caused much tension in the state, where the administration had to impose prohibitionary order under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code to control situation. As per media reports, the administration arrested 11 persons for the ransacking.

But despite the state governments attempt to douse the situation, another incident where 4 shops were ransacked by a group of unidentified persons in Golaghat district occurred on Monday night.

Professor Apurba Kumar Boruah, a left-wing intellectual told Firstpost that these incidents may revive ethnic tension in the state, as clearing Bangladeshi immigrants is one of the most contentious issues in Assam.

While speaking to Firstpost AASU General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said, We do not know whether the situation will flare up. But a series of agitations will follow from today onwards to protest against this act of vandalism.

He further said that though the state government has arrested a few persons, the main culprit Subodh Biswas, who incited violence, is still at large.

Gogoi also alleged that the mischief happened due to the ruling BJPs move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis.

The BJP led NDA government has decided to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis, by amending the Citizenship Act. This has encouraged the illegal migrants who are sheltering in Assam to resort to the violence, he said.

It is noteworthy that the Assam Accord that was signed after the historic Assam agitation between the government of India and AASU in 1985 said that no foreign national entering the state of Assam after 24 March 1971, would be granted citizenship of India.

But the Centre has decided to amend the Citizenship Act to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis who entered Assam even after the cut-off date.

Though the move to amend the citizenship Act has been welcomed by refugees but is stiffly opposed by AASU that demands that the Accord must be adhered to.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi further alleged that Subodh Biswas is a person who is not a resident of Assam, but is close to a few BJP leaders at the Centre. So he smells BJP involvement in the incident.

All this may not only cause unrest in Assam, but also hinder passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act, which is presently being examined by the joint parliamentary committee.
Irish playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw once famously said that 'England and America are two countries separated by a common language'. Apart from his sterling literary achievements, including a Nobel Prize for literature, Shaw was equally well-known for his splendid gift of repartee. Currently, Assam is witnessing many protests and rallies by different powerful groups over a language. That language happens to be Sanskrit.

The state has been on the boil in last few days after its education minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarmah, announced the government's decision to make Sanskrit a compulsory subject for all students up to class VIII in government run schools. With this announcement, the spectre of Sanskrit suddenly appears to be haunting almost everyone in Assam.

Apparently, it seems to be an isolated decision taken by an overenthusiastic government to please their ideological bosses, who seem to be pulling the strings from that famous address of Nagpur. But with a strong NDA government at the Centre, there is a possibility that many other BJP ruled states may also get swayed by this syndrome, leading to an educationally suffocating atmosphere in the country in the name of showing reverence to a language. It is in this backdrop that the imposition of the language has to be examined dispassionately.

Readers would recall the outbreak of the furore in India when former HRD Minister Smriti Irani ordered the teaching of Sanskrit as a third language (in addition to English and Hindi) in all Kendriya Vidyalayas instead of German. Her order was in line with the desire of RSS groups like Sanskrit Bharati, which wanted Sanskrit to be made compulsory in all schools.

Subsequently, however, under the current HRD minister Prakash Javadekar, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has expressed the desire to implement the three language formula up to Class X. Javadekar also assured that no language would be imposed in the school.

The three-language formula, envisaged under the National Education Policy, means that students in Hindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language, apart from Hindi and English and, in non-Hindi-speaking states, they should learn Hindi along with the regional language and English. This system has been found to be more or less acceptable by the majority of the academics and educationists working in this field.

But the Assam government is moving on a completely different trajectory, effectively turning students of the state run schools into laboratory guinea pigs. In addition to opposition parties, BJPs alliance partners like Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) also demanded revoking of this decision in the larger interest of the students.

Three powerful non-political organisations  All Assam Students Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS)  also registered their strong protests against this move.

Only RSS-affiliated right-wing student association Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), along with one little-known organisation representing a section of the states Brahmin population, welcomed the decision.

It is interesting to note that after observing the sharp reaction of the people, BPF leader and state forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma faintly hinted that although the decision was earlier ratified by the state cabinet, it could still be open to review if the situation so warrants.

Some analysts are of the opinion that Brahmas volte face may be due to the demand made by the banned anti-talks ULFA-I to make the Bodo language compulsory instead of Sanskrit. The Bodos are numerically the largest indigenous tribal people of Assam and they are endowed with a glorious socio-cultural and literary heritage. Pramila Rani Brahma happens to be a senior Bodo leader.

Asom Sahitya Sabha, the hundred-year-old prestigious literary organisation of the state along with many leading Assamese intellectuals opposed the move of the government. They feel that instead of Sanskrit, the teaching of history and geography is far more important.

In this context, one question becomes pertinent: Why a major part of Assam, especially the Brahmaputra valley, is so strongly resisting the government decision? Does the Assamese language not owe anything to Sanskrit?

The majority of the educated and enlightened Assamese do not harbour any ill feeling towards the Sanskrit language. Rather, they have high regards for its ancient glory and intrinsic beauty. No one denies the positive influence of Sanskrit on the development of Assamese as a wonderful modern Indian language, dear to the heart of millions of people. Barring Tamil and some other tribal dialects, all other Indian languages have some roots in Sanskrit, making it their mother language.

But at the same time, there is no denying the fact that it is a 'dead' language. Some people find this nomenclature offensive. Sanskrit in India now is like Latin in Europe. Its modern use is extremely limited, especially among some scholars and priests. It had become a peripheral language long back.

As its use was shackled by a deeply exclusivist bias of Brahminical elitism, Buddha, Mahavira and Asoka also used Pali and Prakrit languages in ancient India to reach to the people. That is why, despite being grammatically sound and linguistically elegant, Sanskrit never resonated on the lips of the common people.

As time progressed, gradually, a perception also developed that Sanskrit is mainly associated with Hindu religion which further diminished its appeal among many people. Actually, that perception is wrong as it has a huge body of wonderful secular literature. But secular literature has always been overshadowed by the religious underpinnings of the language.

These are the reasons why people are opposing the move to make it compulsory. No one demanded removal of the subject as an optional one for students. Many educationists have in fact been telling the government to improve the infrastructure of the Sanskrit Tol (state run schools where mainly ancient scriptures are taught) and the Sanskrit University established a few years ago.

It is ironical that at a time when the government is trying to get some brownie points in the eyes of RSS by their recent decision, they have become quite apathetic to those genuine demands. This proves that the recent decision has been taken solely on the consideration of political expediency.

Second, the decision is discriminatory in nature as it is biased against the interest of the economically underdeveloped section of the population. As per the directive, students of state run schools have to compulsorily study Sanskrit up to class VIII. But the children of ministers, bureaucrats and other affluent people of the society hardly go these schools. So they would be exempted.

Whether Sanskrit should be called a 'dead' language or a peripheral one could be a part of a wider academic debate. But if the Assam government persists with its decision, the resistance is bound to intensify in the coming days. And it would not be a peripheral resistance. Hope the government would reclaim its sense and sensibility soon in understanding that mood correctly.

The author, an eminent writer, tweets @mayurbora07
Back in November 2014, the national media went hysterical over a viral video circulated on social media. It was a video of two girls giving a sound thrashing to three young men on a moving bus near Rohtak in Haryana. One of the girls was even seen wielding her belt, to good effect.

The narrative of the incident that accompanied the visuals was great stuff for the media, particularly television channels. The young men had been harassing the sisters and they gave it back like every harassed girl in India should.

The duo  Aarti and Pooja  was feted as the 'Sonepat bravehearts', named after the place they belonged to. They dominated the headlines for a few days. Social media was in a tizzy. The country finally had had a glimpse of the heroes it needed so desperately to fight off the evil men targeting women. The Haryana government announced a cash reward for the sisters soon after.

But, as is the case with many social media stories, it didnt take long for the episode to collapse. Soon, another video of the sisters thrashing a youth surfaced. Locals claimed that the duo was known to get into fights with people regularly.

Some passengers of the bus, including women, testified that the trouble was over a seat, and it was not a case of harassment, as alleged. Doubtful over the facts of the case, the government withheld the cash reward. In a lie detector test conducted on them, they were found to be 'secretive' about certain facts.

On Monday, a Rohtak court acquitted the accused  Mohit, Kuldeep and Deepak. It found no credence in the allegation levelled against them by the girls. They were relieved, but the 27-month long battle had left indelible scars on their lives.

Kuldeep and Deepak, who had cleared two rounds of tests for jobs in the Army, had to give up the pursuit after being denied further tests when the bus incident became a national issue. Mohit, meanwhile, had to give up on the hope of a job in the Delhi Police. With their reputations besmirched, a job wont be easy to come by for any of them. All this, besides the fact that they have lost two precious years of their lives and the humiliation they suffered.

Insaaf to mila, izzat aur naukri kahan se aayegi? (We got justice, but how do we get back our prestige or jobs?), asked Mohit, speaking to Hindustan Times.

All this would not have happened to the young men had the media not jumped to quick conclusions and made a huge hue and cry over the incident. It could have allowed the case to follow the legal course or at least wait for more facts to surface before making judgements. But no, what we had instead was a huge tamasha, that ran for days. Soberness is perhaps too much to expect in times when TRP overrides all other considerations.

It is obvious that the media had been callous and irresponsible. Will it say sorry to the three youth now? Or it is below its dignity to admit to a mistake?

Heres one admission. Writing on the topic about two years ago, this author had been effusive in his praise of the braveness of the girls.

Now one has no hesitation in saying sorry to those who appear to be the real victims in this case. One would forever admire acts of spirit and courage, but like this case reveals, the devil lies in the detail. Its never wise to run ahead of facts.

It is possible we have not come to the end of the story. The option for Aarti and Pooja to move higher courts is not closed yet and they might prove that they were right in the end. There could be some truth to the possibility that the witnesses were under pressure from the locally dominant Jat community to speak up against the girls.

But, the bigger truth is that after more than two years the court has passed a verdict. Its ruling overrides all other arguments. The youths deserve an apology, for now at least.

The case also reveals how easily the media could be manipulated. Perhaps its time for some introspection.
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. In part seven of the series, read about how Latha Nair, a retired government employee gives legs to children with a rare disease.

When you know that a disease has no cure, the fight against it needs a rare grit and determination that is never easy to come by. 59-year-old Latha Nair has been the epitome of this strength to scores of children affected by a rare degenerative condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), better known as the 'Brittle Bone Disease'.

OI is a genetic condition where bones have stunted growth leading to acute pain and fractures over the slightest of pressures. This disorder that affects one in 15,000 has no cure and often keeps the victim resigned to a wheel chair or a bed for the rest of his or her life.

For well over a decade and a half, Latha Nair, a retired government employee from Thiruvananthapuram has been relentlessly chasing a mission to change the way the world looks at OI children. It is a mission to alienate pain, suffering and enable the OI children stand on their legs of empowerment.

Amrithavarshini Charitable Society was the result of this effort and today the society is perhaps the only one of its kind in the country that caters to OI patients, helping them find a place in the society.

It was in the year 2000 that life changed for Nair. Having lost her husband and having married off her only daughter, Nair was at the crossroads of her life when she chanced up on 12-year-old Binu Devasya through a common friend.

The boy who was suffering from acute OI had a peculiar condition as his limbs intertwined rendering him unable to walk. I just wanted to help him walk somehow. But I had no idea what to do. We collected some money to get him treated and after some prolonged treatments very painful years, he was somehow able to walk. This was the starting point of everything, recollects Latha Nair.

Devasya today works at the front desk of a leading firm in the city and is also contributing a part of his hard earned money towards the cause of OI patients. It is very difficult to even explain in words how aunty helped change my life. I would have never thought I could have even walked, forget about coming this far in life, says a teary eyed Binu Devasya.

If meeting Devasya was the starting point, then soon came along Dhanya Ravi from Bangalore who had read about his plight in the media. Dhanya says she was first reluctant to reveal that she had OI when she first connected with Nair over the phone.

I was shy and thought what she would think if I say I also had OI. So initially I kept quiet. But when I realised how she helped Binu, I also wanted to join in. Then Athulya also came along and thats when aunty thought she should start a society for us all, added Dhanya.

19-year-old Athulya Venugopal now administers a WhatsApp group called Our World with over 40 members with OI. The group runs gaming sessions on general knowledge, English language, vocabulary and a special section called Know Your Friend where every member gets to know the other.

The biggest lesson I learned from Amrithavarshini is that I am not alone in this world with this disease. That gives all of us inspiration to live on and prove ourselves in the world, Athulya Venugopal told Firstpost over phone.

Athulya who hails from Koylandi in North Kerala is completely bedridden. But she has now managed to clear her eleventh standard as a part of the state literacy mission programme supported by Amrithavarshini.

The beginnings of Amrithavarshini

The story of Amrithavarshini has been that of struggle. A struggle, to bring forth a group of children who had been confined to their homes not by choice but by fate. It is here that Latha Nair adds a new meaning to their heartbreaking existence.

She goes on to say that while taking care of the initial few children never made her think that she was into something that would stand for a lifetime, the steady flow of such OI kids made her realise the depth of what she had started.

I started wondering initially why only such children were coming to me for help. In the beginning I had never reached out to children with such conditions. Now I feel it was my destiny and that I was perhaps chosen for this, says Nair.

Nair says while there had been no dearth in helping hands as college students and professionals have always joined hands with her in conducting annual events and fairs for these kids, its the money that has always been an issue.

But somehow Nair has marched on undeterred with whatever savings she has had from her government job and the cash that donations would bring from good Samaritans.

I had no idea how this would work. I still remember my father lending me Rs 1000 when I said I had to help Binu somehow. He then told me not to tell mother as she may get angry about me wasting money. See charity was never in the family. Its just that it chose me and not the other way round, adds Nair.

Amrithavarshini was registered as a charitable society in 2009 and held its first event, a get together of OI children, perhaps the first of its kind in the country in 2010 in Calicut.

It is here that 38 year old Vimala came into the picture. My world was just through the tiny window at my bedside for 30 long years. It is at the get-together in 2010 that I realised that there were people like me in this world. I just cannot explain how my life changed after that, says Vimala.

Empowerment is the motto

If Amrithavarshini opened a new world for people like Vimala, what it has done in life of 31-year-old Anoop Sahadevan is much more remarkable. Anoop had almost given up on life till Nair and the society came along. Hailing from Mavelikara in central Kerala, Anoop the eldest son in the family had his problems compounded when his father was also diagnosed with a brain tumour.

With Amrithavarshinis support, Anoop finished his higher secondary as part of the Indira Gandhi Open University (Ignou) and his now pursuing an Information Technology Course. Not just that, Anoop has now set up a provision store with the help of Nair. The young man says that Nair has empowered people like him who despite their inability to stand on their physical legs are now self sufficient and seeing the world in an entirely different way.

Anoop has one more wish. I am a huge fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its my dream to meet him once. Now Latha aunty is trying for that, he says with the enthusiasm of a child. In fact a letter sent by Amrithavarshini on Anoops behalf to the Prime Minister was recently acknowledged with a birthday post card singed by the prime minister for the young man.

The stories of such empowerment will perhaps call for a long list at Amrithavarshini. At Erumeli, just a few kilometers away from the famous Sabarimala Shrine lives Latheesa Ansari. From her wheel chair she has finished a Masters degree in Commerce and is now preparing for civil services examination in 2018.

Through aunty I got a chance to meet a number of civil servants in the state. From then on I decided I also want to be a part of the service and aunty tells me I can do it, says Lathisha.

Then there is Sumaya, who had been completely bedridden but takes motivational classes for school children and professionals. There is also Firoosa who runs a poultry farm along with her parents and not to forget Dhanya from Bangalore who has even appeared for Ted Talk.

All these children who would have otherwise been resigned to their beds, wheel chairs and fate owe it to the spark ignited by Latha Nair. No wonder what started as just a palliative care centre now has the motto Where caring is empowering.

I think at the end of the day that is what matters. There is nothing more you can give them than providing them a chance to express themselves, to show the world that they can indeed stand on their legs. Thats why we decided that empowerment should be our primary motive, says Nair.

Amrithavarshini had been providing laptops and desktops to those who need them. In association with Ignou and state literacy mission, classes are organised to facilitate the completion of their schooling. Making jewellery, candles, umbrellas  the list of what these children do go on and on. Most of the products are sold at exhibitions and fairs enabling the children to make some pocket money.

It has been more than a decade since Amrithavarshini took its infant steps. What started at the drawing room of Latha Nairs home has now reached a full fledged working space in the heart of Thiruvananthapuam city.

But Nair says there is still some distance to go before she can feel her mission is done. She now hopes to build an exclusive township or a village for OI children somewhere in Thiruvananthapuram. She says the idea crossed her mind when the majority of parents expressed concerns on what would happen to their children once they are gone from this world. Nair now hopes to make a huge nest for all these OI children who need help.

I feel there should be a space exclusively for them where they can share their problems and understand each other, a space that is completely OI friendly. We are looking out for some land and hopefully it will happen. We came this far from literally nothing. So am sure we will find a way for this too, adds a confident Nair.

Read parts one, two, three and four, five and six of the series.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

Trend:

Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev has congratulated Azerbaijani First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva on the occasion of the International Womens Day.

Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the occasion of the remarkable holiday of March 8, the International Womens Day, Medvedev said in the congratulatory message. This day gives people warmth, smile and bright emotions. A period of renewal, spring brings us joy and enthusiasm. On March 8, all our best wishes and most sincere words go to women.

You give attention and care to your family, friends and colleagues, and create an environment of comfort and harmony at home, Medvedev said. May success attend all your endeavors, and I wish your relatives and close ones happiness and well-being. I wish you robust health, and extend my best regards to you.
New Delhi: Setting the tone for the Congress campaign for the upcoming civic polls in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for their "politics of making false promises". Addressing a convention of Congress workers here, Gandhi accused Modi and Kejriwal of running "individual-centric" governments and "causing losses" to the country and Delhi respectively through their governance.

Attacking Kejriwal, Gandhi dubbed him as the "king" who calls shots only in the AAP. He promised that the "voices of the people of Delhi" will be heard in civic bodies when his Congress comes to power there. The civic boy polls are likely to be held next month. Gandhi took on the two leaders over the issue of combating corruption and asked the Prime Minister to first end corruption in the three corporations being ruled by the BJP.

Targeting Modi over the recent killings of Indians and Indian-origin people in the US, the Congress vice president asked why the Prime Minister was silent on the issue. Rahul alleged that Modi was "scared" to speak up to the superpower on the issue. "Both Modi and Kejriwal engage in politics of making false promises. They have caused loss to the country and Delhi respectively (by their individual-centric governance). They have wasted the country's time," Gandhi said, as he listed poll promises Modi and Kejriwal made ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha and 2015 Delhi assembly polls respectively.

Reiterating his recent "Ganga" barb against Modi, Gandhi said Modi had in the run up to the last general polls promised that he would clean Ganga, Varanasi, construct ring road, offer free internet, solar lights, build Bhojpuri film city and generate employment "if elected as PM". "Banaras (Varanasi) has made up its mind...Banaras has understood that Modi had lied to its people two-and-a-half years ago. No matter how many visits he makes to the city, the people of Banaras are going to defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in the assembly polls there. This is the truth," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader charged Modi with not keeping the "promise made to youngsters" on generating two crore jobs a year. "Modi talked about giving jobs...when we asked about it in Parliament, a BJP minister said only one lakh jobs created last year, while this year not a single job has been created...One person cannot change the entire country," he said, taking a dig at Modi. Similarly, Gandhi alleged Kejriwal thinks that he can "single-handedly" change Delhi.

"I want to ask what has Kejriwal government done for sanitation workers, street vendors? What has he done for contractual staff in the Delhi government? When slums were being bulldozed in Delhi, you saw me and (Delhi Congress chief Ajay) Maken there, and not Kejriwal," Gandhi said.
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. In part eight of the series, read about how actor-turned-politician Roja has now become the Achilles heel of the Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu.

RK Roja, 44, is perhaps the only legislator and for that matter a woman celebrity in Andhra Pradesh, who has become a target of derisive lampooning and public ridicule by her own tribe of politicians and policy makers.

Never has any other woman in public life been as abused, mocked and jeered at in public spaces of the state as actor-turned-politician Roja, a mother of two and MLA from Nagari. One of the best examples of such misogyny directed at her is that of Anam Vivekananda Reddy, earlier with the Congress and now with the ruling Telugu Desam Party.

Roja  Chittoor Bellam  bokka, tulku batting ave (Roja, a jaggery mound of Chittoor  is a rusty old hag), he said in a television programme in December 2016. Roja nee noru gabbu (Roja, your mouth is a sewerage), was his parting shot.

This is not the only crass and misogynistic comment faced by Roja. Here are some others by senior politicians and ministers:

Roja is definitely an iron leg (sic; 'bad omen'). She had referred to YSR (late Chief Minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy) as a shaneswarudu (God of evil) when in TDP and after she joined Congress, she doomed him (YSR died in a chopper crash in 2009), said AP minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy.

Roja who has acted as a villain in films, is now trying to don the same villain role in Assembly also, says G Butchaiah Chowdhary, a TDP MLA from Rajahmundry.

It is Roja who has to tour villages with covered windows as it could damage her make-up and not us (ministers), said Panchayat Raj Minister C Annayya Patrudu.

Did Roja say Kama CM? May be because of her knowledge about alleged call money sex racket she said it (sic), said TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy in the Assembly.

Roja is the first MLA in the legislative history of Andhra Pradesh and perhaps the country, to be suspended for an entire year from the state Assembly in December 2016. The gravity of the indiscipline warranted stringent action against her. Though she expressed regrets over her behaviour in the earlier session, she did not mend her ways and repeated the same, said AP Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao at the time, defending his endorsement of the harsh action on a first-time legislator.

The Speaker's action was upheld by the Privileges Committee and also the Ethics Committee of the AP Assembly. But a single judge bench of the AP High Court issued a stay on the action against Roja and directed the AP Assembly to allow her to function as an MLA. The AP government and Speaker refused to honour the courts injunction, preferring instead to file a counter in the Supreme Court.

The apex court, perhaps not wanting to meddle with the privileges of a Legislative Assembly, reversed the lower court verdict and also washed its hands of the entire issue by directing aggrieved legislator Roja to square the issue with the Assembly. Following the Supreme Court direction, the BJP, which initially felt the action against Roja was high-handed, also did not intervene. We were told that the Roja issue was taken personally by Chandrababu and that we should not intervene, said a senior BJP MP from Telangana.

This shows that they were scared of criticism despite claims of pioneering women's empowerment and social change movements, says YSR Congress MLA Giddi Eswari.

Whatever be her personality, Roja did deserve to be heard and participate in social activities as she represented over one lakh voters, says Marxist women activist Payam Padma of Telangana.

Roja was back in the news again in February this year when she was detained at the Gannavaram airport in Vijayawada as she arrived to attend the National Women's Parliamentarians conference. She was put in a room at the airport for an hour and later moved to a police station at Ongole in Prakasam district, 100 km away. The cell phone video from a police escort vehicle shot by her went viral on social media.

Refuting the charges that MLA Roja was kidnapped, as she alleged, DGP of AP N Sambashiva Rao said that she was detained on reliable information that she would stage a protest drama to embarrass the state government. TDP leader Sobha Hymavati rubbished the allegations that Roja was kidnapped and said that Roja came not as a delegate, but to create a ruckus. The high voltage episode had clouded and shrouded the acidic and sexist remarks of the speaker Kodela Shiv Prasad Rao on the sidelines of the event that women would be safe like parked cars if they stay at home.

From Film To Politics

Roja sprang to into the limelight in 1991 essaying the lead role in her first film, Prema Thapassu (Penance of Love), shot in the temple town of Tirupati. But today, almost 17 years later, her popularity and fame is due to her alleged hate-mongering.

While in the film industry Roja was known to be a helpful co-star  she assisted fellow actors in dialogue delivery, wardrobe and hair styling. Actors like Mumtaz, Khusbhu and Jayaprada spoke highly of her.

It was TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu, the present Andhra Chief Minister, who inducted the firebrand Roja into the party, making her president of the womens wing of TDP. Like Renuka Chowdhary of the Congress, Roja came in handy to TDP leaders to slam the Congress party during the 2004 general elections which they lost, as did Roja in her maiden poll fray.

When the TDP lost elections again in 2009 general elections, TDP leaders termed her as an iron leg. She exited the party and moved to the Congress and later to Jaganmohan Reddys YSR Congress. In the crucial 2014 polls, Roja surprised everyone by winning the Nagari assembly seat in Chittoor district trouncing veteran, Gali Muddukrishnam Naidu of the TDP.

Ironically it was one-time mentor Chandrababu Naidu who exploited her acidic and bitter tongue to lash out at the Congress and other TDP detractors. She became a firebrand anti-Chandrababu campaigner for YSRC both in and outside AP Assembly once she moved. The TDP leadership became vexed with Roja's rhetoric against Naidu.

In one assembly debate, she dubbed him as 'CM' Chandrababu (Call Money Chandrababu) when the House debated the notorious call money racket in Vijayawada town (where women were sexually exploited when they were unable to repay loans).

Roja was a much sought after campaigner for both TDP and Congress due to her spicy rhetoric. But the same party leaders who patted her earlier could not stomach her lampooning them from the other side of the table in the Assembly and targeting Chandrababu Naidu.

It is a matter of relief for Roja that the year-long ban on attending Assembly ended on December 16, 2016 and she is all set to enter the new Assembly premises for the Budget session at Amaravati next week. I have gone through the worst phase of my political career  ban for one year  for no fault of mine. Even after tendering an apology, the ruling party had targeted me with this kind of ill-treatment, which speaks volumes for the women's empowerment of Chandrababu Naidu, Roja told reporters last week.

[Note: There is a likelihood that Roja's suspension from Assembly could be extended by another year by the Privileges Committee. Roja had not appeared before the Disciplinary Committee of the Assembly to apologise for her comments on TDP MLA V Anitha and her apology was not considered "unconditional and satisfactory" by the Committee. The Committee is likely to submit a report to the Assembly during the Budget session which begins on 7 March, according to sources.]

When in TDP she let loose a fusillade against the Congress and its first family  Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi  to the delight of Chandrababu Naidu. Similarly, when she was in the Congress she lambasted TDP leaders and Naidu in typical Rayalaseema slang which made them furious.

Your pants and dhotis will get wet when you see YSR's picture. That is why your (TDP) government has removed the great leader's portrait, said Roja in September 2015 when the TDP MLAs wanted the late Chief Minister YS Rajashekhar Reddys life-size portrait to be removed from the Assembly lounge.

Earlier, in March 2015, commenting on the hooliganism of some TDP MLAs in the Assembly she said: What can they do to me? They do not have the guts to rape me. They may either kill me or file a case accusing me of atrocities on SCs and STs. They cannot do anything more than that.

Roja is irrepressible, possibly because she has to be. Her defense is that her utterances flow out effortlessly due to provocation by her political rivals. Whenever they provoke me, I hit back involuntarily, she says.

Some of Rojas equally acerbic remarks:

It is not enough to develop the body. You should mature mentally, she told AP Labour Minister K Atcham Naidu.

I did not beat my husband and go to a police station (to complain) like you (V Anitha, a legislator). I did not sleep with all and sundry (like you), she said on TDP MLA V Anitha, who later filed a complaint against Roja for abusing a member of a scheduled caste.

I will give you my sari. Wear it Bonda, she told TDP MLA Bonda Umamaheswar Rao during an Assembly debate.

Asked why she too makes sexist and misogynistic remarks when she claims that she champions the cause of women empowerment, Roja told Firstpost, I am speaking in colloquial Telugu and I hail from Chittoor district where only such language drives home the point. There is nothing wrong in my comments. Are they vulgar or obscene? It is the TDP MLAs who are directly attacking my personality and making wild allegations."

Asked why she has not approached women organisations or human rights organisations over the abuse directed at her, Roja is very candid. I am a public personality, both in legislative and also film space. I have lived all these decades by the strength of my personality and do not look for succour from such organised or corporate bargaining.

Asked whether the remarks against her have hurt her personally and also her family, Roja says. I will be lying if I pretend that they don't. I try to keep my family away from all this. But they all know what I have been going through. They extend their support but also appeal that I should give up politics and return to the normal life of films, cultural activities and family.

Roja says that maybe one day she will give a thought to their wishes and go away from the public glare. Then she smiles and says, I still have miles to go and achieve certain goals for society.

When I joined TDP, I came with a vision and stars in my eyes about what all I could do for empowering women all around and strove to campaign for their political reservation, security and also economic independence. That goal is yet to be achieved. So I will remain standing and fight for them as long as I can, she told Firstpost.

On being asked whether the acrimony toward TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu was personal in any way, Roja replies with a firm no. It was Chandrababu Naidu who recognised my skills in the political space and gave me chance twice to be in the Assembly. But as time changed, even Chandrababu has become outdated and is heavily dependent on consultants in promoting his personality cult, she said.

They may call her motor-mouth and iron leg but none of that has reduced either the charm or the fan following of this strong woman from Chittoor. Roja is a rage, wherever she goes.

Also read parts one, two, three, four, five, six and seven of the series.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu government on Monday cited Apollo hospitals and Aiims reports to deny that the health complications of late J Jayalalithaa due to wrong medication and said she passed away on 5 December after a massive cardiac arrest.

Listing multiple factors as the cause of her death, Apollo Hospitals said that late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had several medical problems.

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday released the treatment summary of Apollo hospital and the reports of Aiims doctors.

Against the background of suspicions into circumstances surrounding her death and demand for a probe, both reports said that she was given the best medical care. They said Jayalalithaa had multiple medical problems even before her hospitalisation.

"The late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa passed away at 11:30 pm on 5 December, 2016," the reports said.

Stating that "certain insinuations" had been made that administration of "wrong drugs" over a period of time prior to her hospitalisation had led to "health complications", Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan denied it in an official release here.

"The medical reports indicate that except for corticosteroids administered for atopic dermatitis, the late chief minister was only taking oral hypoglycemic and anti-hypertensive drugs to control pre-existing diabetes mellitus and hypertension," he said.

In the wake of suspicions related to circumstances under which she was hospitalised on 22 September, 2016, the reports said she was admitted that day at around 10 pm. When the ambulance went to her residence, they found her "breathless with low oxygen saturation, resulting in drowsiness."

The reports said Jayalalithaa suffered a massive cardiac arrest on 4 December while an intensivist was present at the ICU in Apollo Hospitals in Chennai.

Radhakrishnan told reporters in New Delhi after receiving the report by Aiims doctors that there "is no basis to the speculation which has been circulated in the media" on Jayalalithaa's treatment.

To end these speculations, the medical report by Aiims doctors has been received "from the Government of India at our request", he said.

"It is a very self-explanatory report and we have not held back anything," Radhakrishnan added.

The official statement quoting the reports here said Jayalalithaa was administered resuscitation and provided ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) support after the cardiac arrest.

"Every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival as per prescribed medical protocols," the statement said, quoting Radhakrishnan.

Radhakrishnan said a team of doctors, including experts from Apollo and Aiims, assessed the situation. It was clinically concluded that there was no heart function and also no neurological improvement, denoting futility of life support.

Hence, after following all procedures, the position was conveyed to senior ministers and political leaders - O Panneerselvam (former chief minister), Health Minister Vijayabhaskar, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, and AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala, who asked the medical team to act as per the protocol.

Radhakrishnan said though medical practitioners are bound to not reveal details of patients, it was done, "given the need to put at rest needless speculation on the circumstances surrounding the hospitalisation, treatment and sad demise" of Jayalalithaa.

Apollo hospitals listed "ventricular fibrillation, infective endocarditis and acute respiratory distress syndrome," as the cause of Jayalalithaa's death.

The report said she had a history of medical problems, including diabetes and obesity.

Aiims doctors, in their report, said she was fully conscious on 3 December, 2016, before she suffered the cardiac arrest which led to a deterioration in her condition and that she passed away on 5 December.
Imphal: Ahead of the second phase Manipur polls scheduled on Wednesday, NSCN (IM), which is undergoing peace talk with the government of India have served threat to the villagers in Naga inhabited areas in Manipur to cast vote in favour of their sponsored candidates, sources said.

Cadres of NSCN (IM), which is undergoing peace talk with the Centre have reportedly threatened the villagers of Chandel Assembly constituency to cast vote in favour of an independent candidate.

The villagers have been forced to sign a surety bond prepared and countersigned by the NSCN/GPRN.

The Naga outfit threatened the villagers of dire consequences if the latter failed to cast their votes to the particular independent candidate the outfit is supporting.

Meanwhile, NSCN (IM) have reportedly threatened the villagers of Laiching Minou (polling station no 42/5) in 42-Tengnoupal Assembly constituency that they would take away the voters slip on Tuesday night if they failed to support the candidate the oufit was sponsoring.

The cadres of a Naga militant group ransacked Tousang Khunaou village in Tamenglong and terrorised villagers to vote for Adim Pamei a BJP candidate. Villagers have fled to safer place in nearby jungles. All over fear and panic is on. Security forces are out on to hunt down the militants.
New Delhi: The Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has asked its students not to participate in any anti-ABVP protest in the wake of violence in DU saying it can't "afford" to be "dragged" into any controversy.

The TISS Students' Union had last week issued a statement against the RSS-affiliated ABVP blaming it for the recent Delhi University violence where cancellation of an event invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid had led to clashes.

"I request the students to not be swayed by disruptive forces. I am aware that there are disruptive persons within and outside the campus wanting to create trouble in the name of ideologies. Please be aware of them," TISS Director S Parasuraman said in an email to students.

He said the institute is "not in a position" to deal with all "presumed and real discrimination" that may be happening outside the prominent institute's campus.

"What is happening in Delhi University and JNU are very different," the director said, qualifying the two universities as "powerful institutions".

"TISS cannot afford to get dragged into problems. DU and JNU are very powerful institutions and they can afford to engage in matters of the kind that are happening there. Ours is a simple institution that is working very hard to stay afloat do not get it trapped into difficulties," he said.
For the better part of February, Tamil Nadu was on autopilot mode with an Acting Governor in Vidyasagar Rao and a caretaker chief minister in O Panneerselvam. Things have got a bit better with a full-fledged chief minister Edappadi Palaniswamy taking over though the public is not amused with the perception that instructions come from inside the barracks of the Bengaluru central prison. But Vidyasagar Rao continues to keep his feet in both the Raj Bhawans - Chennai and Mumbai, where he is a full time Governor.

The BJP high command has to zero in on a permanent Governor for Tamil Nadu given that most feel that the state is likely to see more political turmoil in the next few months. The Palaniswamy government is in power, with a razor thin majority and it will take just half a dozen legislators to upset the apple cart of the man from Salem.

The previous incumbent K Rosaiah's term ended just days before Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation. Though an UPA appointee and a Congressman all his life, Rosaiah got along well with both the Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa regimes, ensuring he did not suffer the embarrassment of being shown the door when the NDA government came to power in 2014. But instead of appointing a full-time replacement, Delhi sent in another Telugu bidda Vidyasagar Rao to hold charge of the Chennai Raj Bhavan.

The gubernatorial office in Tamil Nadu seems to have a soft corner for Telugus. Earlier, Marri Chenna Reddy served as Governor from 1993 to 1996. It was a tumultuous innings, marked by frequent run-ins with then chief minister Jayalalithaa.

Two other Telugus, according to sources, were on the radar for Chennai. The first was Krishnam Raju, a popular veteran Telugu film actor who was given the epithet of 'Rebel Star' for the kind of roles he essayed on screen. To the younger generation, Raju's introduction is as the uncle of Prabhas of 'Bahubali' fame. Raju has been associated with the BJP for long and was also MP for two terms from Kakinada in 1998 and Narsapur in 1999. He also served as Minister of State for External Affairs and Defence in the Vajpayee regime. But with Tamil Nadu in complicated political turmoil, it was felt that someone with very little experience of realpolitik would not be able to handle the state.

The Telugu Desam, a coalition partner of the BJP at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, has been lobbying for one of its leaders to be accommodated at a Raj Bhavan for the past two years. Chandrababu Naidu had recommended the name of Mothkupalli Narasimhulu, a senior Dalit leader from Telangana from the TDP quota. But Narendra Modi is unlikely to entrust Tamil Nadu to an ally given the political sensitivities involved.

The name of DH Shankaramurthy, veteran BJP leader from Karnataka also has been doing the rounds ever since Rosaiah signed off. The 76-year-old in keeping with his age, had reportedly requested for a posting near his home state. But the BJP High command is not favorably disposed given the Tamil Nadu  Karnataka dispute over the Cauvery. The Raj Bhavan, it then feels, could be accused of partisan behaviour over just about any issue and the blame put at the Governor's Kannadiga roots. This, the thinking is, will only add to the already existing tense relationship between the two neighbouring states.

Given that senior BJP leaders reportedly monitored the February political crisis in Tamil Nadu very closely, it is obvious that Modi and team would want one of their own, who can be trusted to be New Delhi's person in every sense.

It is no surprise then that the name of former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has been doing the rounds. She was the one Modi handpicked as his successor when he left Gandhinagar for New Delhi in May 2014.

But Patel has denied receiving any feelers from New Delhi about Chennai.

The RSS input also is likely to be factored in. But the RSS-BJP leadership, sources say, wants to be very careful after the embarrassment of the Shanmughanathan episode. V Shanmughanathan had to resign in January 2017 as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, whose additional charge he held, after he was accused of seriously compromising the dignity of Raj Bhavan. There were complaints of sexual harassment and charges of converting Raj Bhavan into a 'young ladies club'.

Modi is likely to turn his attention to Tamil Nadu only after the Uttar Pradesh elections. The assembly election results also will give the BJP an idea of how it will be placed in the electoral college for the Presidential and Vice Presidential election. The BJP would want the AIADMK to back its candidates for the top two posts in the land. Appointing a Governor, keeping Palaniswami in the loop, may be one way to ensure the AIADMK stands by the BJP.

Vidyasagar Rao came in for criticism for delaying the swearing-in of VK Sasikala on the grounds that the verdict in the DA case in which she was prime accused, was due any time. His stand was vindicated when she was convicted. Since Rao is by now familiar with the world of Tamil Nadu politics, there could be a move to shift him from Mumbai to Chennai. Rao himself may however, prefer the more quaint world of Mumbai Raj Bhavan, as the glue of the BMC where Shiv Sena is in a minority, is likely to ensure political stability to the government of Maharashtra ruled by the BJP-Shiv Sena combine.
In vying for a bigger share of the TRP pie, most news channels (both English and regional) hyped up the Assembly polls in five states with Uttar Pradesh as the centrepiece. Be it during campaigning or on the day of polling, all channels prepared sleek promos to attract and ensure viewer fidelity. All these promos have one thing in common: The picture of Narendra Modi prominently in the background.

A glance at newspaper headlines or a brief viewing of election shows on TV will give to the uninitiated viewer an impression that this isn't a race for Assembly seats at all, but presidential polls with Modi pitted against a battery of rivals. An index search of "Modi" in digital media will return the same result.

As campaigning comes to a close in a state which has 403 seats representing 200 million people and decides the course of national politics, it is pertinent to explore how and why Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, India's biggest and most diverse state, has become a de facto referendum on Modi, a prime minister who obviously can't be a chief ministerial candidate.

Not just the three-day campaign blitzkrieg in Varanasi at the fag-end of the UP sojourn; throughout the entire length of an exhaustive, cacophonous and acrimonious campaign, an elaborate family drama has unfolded before our eyes, new alliances have formed, old ties have fallen apart, candidates' lists have revealed the complex calculus of social engineering, dusty villages have seen netas and journalists descend in droves, choppers have crisscrossed the state's skies, road shows and rallies have been held and bitter barbs exchanged in keeping with sweeping changes in poll narrative.

Amid this sea of invective and divergent opinion, what has remained constant is the relentless focus on one man across both sides of the political divide. Right from the day the Election Commission announced the poll dates, Modi has moved to the centre of attention and has remained there ever since  forming the fulcrum of India's intriguing dance of democracy.

To a certain extent this focus is unavoidable because Modi is contemporary India's most charismatic politician. He's been in office for three years, but his personal ratings are still unusually high. Through careful image control and narrative genius, he has created an aura around himself which his rivals have found difficult to penetrate. Not that they didn't try. The incorruptibility that Modi enjoys made it possible for him to take risks which few of his peers would dare to. He is now seen as the "tough guy" of Indian politics.

And even more crucially, Modi is rapidly increasing BJP's national footprint by changing the party's core constituency from traders to the poor, cutting across many social divides. This will hedge BJP against inevitable future reverses.

Even so, that doesn't fully capture the way Modi has taken centrestage in the party's UP campaign. Is this by accident or design? The extent of Modi's involvement in an Assembly poll campaign is unprecedented  and unusual for a prime minister, a move that has riled the Opposition.

The Times of India's Rajiv Srivastava has crunched the numbers from Modi's UP campaign. He finds that the prime minister has spent 22 hours campaigning in Varanasi alone, a first for any incumbent prime minister. In the first six phases, he held 18 rallies and had spent 40 hours canvassing for votes; it's an impressive figure that still falls short by Modi's exalted standards.

And as the final phase neared, the PM ratcheted up the numbers even more. According to the TOI report, he led five rallies, held two "janata darshan" programmes, one road show, a meeting with intellectuals, visited Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples, paid a visit to Gadwa Ghat ashram where he fed cows, and also went to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri's house at Ramnagar.

Led by Amit Shah, BJP's ticket distribution algorithm has placed a premium on winnability of candidates and a complex caste calculus. The party has placed exclusive focus on non-Yadav and non-Jatav OBCs, even at the risk of irritating a few senior leaders who have openly questioned the policy of not giving any tickets to Muslim candidates.

As Pranav Gupta and Rahul Verma of Lokniti-CSDS point out in The Indian Express, BJP seems to have also taken a lesson from its Bihar defeat and ensured that local leaders such as Kalraj Mishra, Uma Bharti, Rajnath Singh and state minder KP Maurya feature in party posters alongside Modi. A renewed focus on pressing the party's grassroot machinery and RSS network into service to spread the central messages of demonetisation and ensure that committed voters reach the booths is also visible.

But these are mostly backroom manouvres designed for last-mile benefit. For BJP, Modi remains the biggest vote-catcher, who can not only mobilise the masses but also ensure that the floating voters are influenced, a difference that quite often determines winning and losing in first-past-the-post polling system.

There are also other reasons why Modi has made the Uttar Pradesh campaign a referendum on himself. The prime minister is at his best when running a presidential mode of campaigning. Given his oratorical command and superior communication skills, he can swiftly change the poll narrative and force his rivals to play on his terms. Right through the lengthy campaign ritual, Modi frequently coined provocative new terms like SCAM (Samajwadi-Congress-Akhilesh-Mayawati) or Behenji Sampatti Party (BSP) to irk opposition parties and compel them to retaliate in kind  Mayawati, for instance, came out with Negative Dalit Man, Rahul Gandhi tried a weak positive spin on SCAM and failed to capture imagination.

In rally after rally after rally, we saw a repetition of the same tactic. Modi would aim a barb at either Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi or Mayawati, and the trio would respond with gusto. This deflects attention from the fact that BJP has announced no chief ministerial candidate.

In this paradigm, Mayawati and Akhilesh are pitted against Modi, not weaker BJP candidates and their actions are judged against his. While it would be foolish to predict that this alone would affect the outcome  BJP otherwise wouldn't have lost in Bihar  but this invariably masks to a large extent the structural weaknesses that BJP suffers from in UP.

It also ensures that Modi remains the central figure in any narrative. His rivals, eager to get back at Modi, make it even more so. A quick look at some of the poll rhetoric will demonstrate how the opposition has played into Modi's hands.

Rahul Gandhi finds Modi's 'acche din' film has flopped and his barbs resemble khisiyani billi khamba nochay (an irritated cat scratches at a pole). He advised a visibly "tired and old" Modi to take some rest while SP and Congress form a government. His alliance partner says Modi should stop his 'mann ki baat' (radio addresses) and focus on kaam ki baat, describing BJP's Varanasi road shows as a failure. His wife Dimple invokes regional parochialism while warning the electorate not to vote for BJP. "Ab soch lijiye UP ka mukhyamantri agar koi Gujarati bhai ban gaya to kya karenge. Ya Uttar Pradesh koi Dilli ke remote se chala to kya karenge (Imagine if a Gujarati becomes the chief minister of UP, or if UP is run by remote control from Delhi)."

Even RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has no stake in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, feels compelled to take a shot at Modi by mocking his Ganga remark, telling a crowd in Varanasi that 'Ganga only calls when you are dead'. If 11 March returns a favourable result for BJP in UP, it could be read as a vindication of Modi's poll strategy to bend all headlights towards himself. Consequently, however, a failure too would be his burden alone.
Watching the Prime Minister of India go door-to-door for votes in an Assembly election is both amusing and confusing.

It is amusing because no prime minister in the history of India has resorted to street-nukkad politics for a few Assembly seats. But, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a 24x7 politician, a hands-on-campaigner who doesn't want to leave anything to chance, his unusual decision to hold two back-to-back street shows is understandable.

His decision is confusing because it sends out mixed signals about the BJP's chances in the polls. BJP spokespersons and politicians have been dripping in confidence about the outcome, claiming they would hit the 250-seat mark. But, if that is the case, why does Modi need to slog so hard in his own backyard, follow in the footsteps of 'UP ke ladke'  Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav  who also attracted huge crowds during their road show in Varanasi.

Three explanations of Modi's focus on Varanasi are possible. One, he wanted to end the campaign on a high with a home run. Two, the state is headed for a hung Assembly and the BJP is trying to make every seat count. And three, the BJP is stuck in tight contests in the prime minister's own backyard.

The big picture

A fractured mandate can't be ruled out. Since there is no discernible wave in the election  except in eastern UP where the BJP has the edge  the election has become more and more about individual seats. Caste arithmetic, candidate selection, local issues and factors would likely decide the outcome on almost every seat in the state.

The uncertainty of the contest is reflected in the betting market, which has swung wildly during the past one month. Just a month ago, it was betting on the SP-Congress alliance winning 220 seats and the BJP dropping below 100. Now, it is predicting a hung Assembly with the BJP as the largest party.

The BJP would have perhaps done a little better if Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal had not played spoilsport in the first phase. Singh's party has taken away a sizable number of Jat voters from the BJP. This may not translate into too many seats for the RLD but will definitely hurt the BJP in a sizable number of seats. Modi's last-gasp effort in Varanasi may be aimed at picking up almost every seat on offer in the last phase of the election to take the BJP closer to majority.

Though the perception in Delhi is that the BJP will sweep eastern UP, the SP-Congress alliance is also optimistic about its chances on the 40 seats in the final phase. Shashank Shukla, the campaign coordinator for the Congress told Firstpost the alliance would win more seats than the BJP in the final phase. "The BJP will trail us in its self-proclaimed backyard. Even if the difference is not much, the BJP will be behind us," he said.

With both the sides being equally confident of their chances, it thus becomes imperative for the BJP to aim for a very high strike rate in the final phase. And this is what Modi may be attempting.

The Varanasi conundrum

When the Congress launched its campaign in UP last year, Sonia Gandhi surprised everyone by attracting huge crowds at a road show in Varanasi. That momentum seems to have stayed with the Congress-SP alliance. The crowds at Akhilesh and Rahul road show was humongous, indicating the voter in Varanasi is not averse to change.

Out of the eight seats in Varanasi, the alliance is putting up a tough fight in five. Four of its candidates  Ajay Rai (Pindra), Rajesh Mishra (Varanasi South), Anil Srivasatav (Varanasi Cantt) and Surendra Patel (Rohaniya) are considered front-runners. In Varanasi-North, Samad Ansari is giving the BJP a hard time.

The BJP's problems were compounded because of the rebellion by its stalwart Shyamdeo 'Dada' Roy Choudhary, the seven-term legislator who was denied ticket from Varanasi South this year. Incensed by his humiliation, his supporters reportedly threw their weight behind the alliance, helping it make inroads into the BJP bastion. Though Modi reached out to Choudhary during his trip to Varanasi, the popular perception that "If Modi can ditch Dada, he can ditch us too" may harm the BJP.

Only 11 March will tell us who wins the election. But, at the moment, Modi seems to be working hard to ensure he retains his backyard and also goes on to win UP.
On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan moved Supreme Court against bailable warrant issued against him by Allahabad HC in a case related to the state Jal Nigam.

The SC agreed to hear the plea of this Samajwadi Party leader on Tuesday.

On 1 March, the Allahabad High Court had issued a bailable warrant against minister Khan after he did not appear in a case related to the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam which he heads.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered issue of the warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam in 2013.

The petition was filed challenging the judgement of the Uttar Pradesh Public Services Tribunal in favour of assistant engineer DK Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings for financial irregularities.

A division bench of Justices Sudhir Agarwala and RN Mishra passed the order against Khan after rejecting an exemption application moved on his behalf.

It said the warrant was being issued against him for securing his presence in the court on 6 March, the next date of hearing.

The high court, in its earlier order on 17 February, had said that a document filed by the petitioners appeared to be forged and fictitious and issued notices to the petitioners to show cause as to why appropriate proceedings not be initiated against them for forgery and committing contempt/criminal contempt of court.

On Monday, the Allahabad High Court had directed the chief judicial magistrate and the SSP of Lucknow to appear before it on Tuesday and explain as to why action not be taken against them for not complying with its order related to bailable warrant against Khan.

The Lucknow division bench of Agarwala and Mishra passed the order directing the CJM and the SSP to explain as to why action should not be taken against them for committing deliberate and intentional contempt of the court's order.

With inputs from PTI
OTTAWA A Canadian police officer has been charged with manslaughter for the death of a mentally ill black man following an arrest last year in Ottawa, the provincial police watchdog agency said on Monday. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a statement it has laid charges against Ottawa Police Service Constable Daniel Montsion, 36, in relation to the death of Abdirahman Abdi, who was of Somali descent.Abdi, 37, died in July last year after being hospitalized in critical condition following his arrest. Witnesses told local media he was beaten by Ottawa police officers who responded to calls of a disturbance.Abdi's death echoed a string of high-profile killings of black men by police in the United States, where such incidents and allegations of brutality and racial bias have sparked public outrage.

The man's brother then told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp that Abdi had been "sick" and rarely spoke to other people, while other media reports have said he may have been on the autism spectrum.The death sparked protests in Canada, a country that prides itself on its tolerance.

Montsion was also charged with aggravated assault and assault with weapon, according to the SIU.Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau said in a statement: "It is important that we remain patient and respectful of the judicial process," and that Montsion "deserves to be treated fairly."

Abdi's death has been "difficult" for police officers as well, Bordeleau said. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Ethan Lou in Calgary, Alberta; Editing by Sandra Maler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
UNEC Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov, member of the Parliament Tahir Mirkishili, Dean of UNEC Faculty of Turkish World of Business Administration Farrukh Tuzchuoghlu and Director of the Distance, Part-time and Secondary Education Center Sabuhi Tanriverdiyev were on business at the Suleyman Demirel University of Turkey. The trip was targeted in expanding cooperation between the two universities.

The delegation was received by the Governor of the city of Isparta Shehmus Gunaydin and the Chairperson of Isparta Municipality Yusif Ziya Gunaydin on the first day of the trip. UNEC Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov highlighted the importance of the development of education for both countires. The Governor of the city expressed confidence that the cooperation between the universities will reach the highest level. Head of Municipality promised to support the development between the universities.

Professor Adalat Muradov expressed interest in the development of the work of the Faculty of Turkish World Business Administration within the meeting with the rector of the SDU, Professor Ilker Huseyin Charikchi. Affairs to be done in this direction were debated. Initial agreement on the realization of the dual diploma project between the two universities in a short period of time has been achieved; expanded and real discussions on the affairs to be done in other fields were made.

The delegation was informed about the achievements gained by the SDU in the realization of distance education and the establishment of this process. It was noted that the SDU has a great tradition and experience in this area in Turkey, in addition it has a strong material and technical basis; the technical parts of the issue were clarified for the guests with practical examples. The delegation also studied the organization of the secretariats work, principle and its cooperation with other structures of the university. At the same time, they became familiar with the central library of the SDU called Knowledge Center.

Within the visit, representatives joined the conference on Azerbaijan in the 25th year of the Independence organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administration of the Suleyman Demirel University. Member of Parliament Tahir Mirkishili spoke about Azerbaijan achievements gained in internal and external policy and economy. UNEC Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov talked about the work done in the sphere of education in Azerbaijan and achievements gained, measures realized by the government in connection with the improvement of material and technical basis and in the development of highly skilled personnel in the worlds leading education centers, as well as great success gained by UNEC within 3 years.

The delegation met with economist students from Azerbaijan who study at the University of Suleyman Demirel. UNEC Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov and Member of Parliament Tahir Mirkishili heard the students opinions and impressions, answered their questions.

The delegation visited Suleyman Demirels grave and home museum within the trip. At the same time, they called at the Isparta Museum of Ethnography named after Turan Yazgan.

UNEC is the brand of Azerbaijan State University of Economics. The brand of UNEC has been registered and patented by the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patent on January 21, 2016.
Washington: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump affirmed America's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea's security following the latest missile test by North Korea.

Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the White House said.

During the phone calls, Trump emphasised the United States' ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.

"He emphasised that his administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities," the White House said.

"Trump agreed with Prime Minister Abe and Acting President Hwang to continue close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions," the White House said.

Meanwhile, the US Forces in Korea announced that Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) missile has arrived in Korean Peninsula.

Pentagon Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada to discuss North Korea's missile launches.

"Mattis and Inada both agreed that these launches are an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region," Davis said.

Mattis reaffirmed that the US remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment, he said.

"Both Mattis and Inada agreed to cooperate closely along with the Republic of Korea to strengthen deterrence and to maintain the peace and security of Northeast Asia," Davis said.

On Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters.
US President Donald Trump signed a revised, more limited executive order on Monday, one that temporarily halts entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations for 90 days, while dropping Iraq from the list.

Politico reported that the revised order will affect individuals from countries  Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  who are applying for visas for the first time. These individuals face a delay of at least 90 days while new vetting processes are developed.

"This will definitely be a more difficult constitutional target," Temple University law professor Peter Spiro was quoted as saying in the report. "To the extent it applies only to prospective visa applicants, they're sort of on the lowest rung of a ladder that's already pretty low. The executive has pretty broad authority in general in the immigration context and the authority is at its broadest with respect to non-citizens who have never entered the US."

Time reported reported senior administration officials as saying they have received "firm commitments" from the Iraqi government that they will comply with the vetting, screening, and information sharing the Trump administration has deemed adequate. "There is going to be a very orderly process. You should not see any alleged chaos. There are not going to be folks stopped tonight because of this executive order," the report quoted a senior official as saying.

The New Yorker reported that the 10-day delay in implementing the order was designed to avoid the chaos of mid-flight visa revocations that was caused by the first order. However, it undercuts the legal argument of the administration that the first order was an emergency measure. The order calls for the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the State Department and other agencies, to begin "a worldwide review to identify whether, and if so what, additional information will be needed from each foreign country in order to determine that a person who is seeking an immigration benefit is not a security or public-safety threat".

The DHS would have twenty days to figure out what information it needed, and then the country in question would have fifty days to start providing it. At the end of that period, the DHS "shall submit to the president a list of countries recommended for inclusion in a presidential proclamation  a new list of places suspected of producing bad people".

The revised order halts the admission of refugees for 120 days, but no longer bans Syrian refugees indefinitely. It does not favour Christians either. The order does away with the most legally vulnerable aspects of the original order eliminating its application to existing visa holders, be they in the US or overseas.

"The 90-day period will allow for proper review and establishment of standards to prevent terrorist or criminal infiltration by foreign nationals," it says.

With inputs from agencies
Washington: Senior Trump administration officials on Tuesday defended a revised travel ban that prevents people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, saying the order is not aimed at Muslims but is an effort to safeguard the nation from foreign extremists.

"This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call after President Donald Trump signed the revised executive order.

"This is a temporary suspension on the entry of nationals from six countries that have either failed states at this point, or that are state sponsors of terror; that we don't have the ability to make safe, adequate screening and vetting determinations for nationals under current procedures because of those weaknesses," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

"There are dozens and hundreds of millions, if not one-point-something billion Muslim individuals  followers of the Islamic faith, who are not subject to this executive order, who are free to come to the United States under our visa and  and admissions regime, the same way that they were a week ago, four weeks ago, four months ago, four years ago for the most part," the official said.

"Again, this is not in any way targeted as a Muslim ban and we firmly want to make sure that everyone understands that very, very important provision," the official said.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at a news conference that Trump concluded that these actions are necessary to protect the US from those who, unfortunately, wish to do harm to the country.

Under the new order there will be a 90-day suspension of travel to the US by nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, during which the Department of State and Homeland Security will conduct a review to determine how it can improve the screening process for foreign nationals seeking to enter the US.

"These governments simply cannot or not adequately supply satisfactory information about their own nationals. In the absence of adequate information from these governments, the President has had to act to protect the security of the American people," Spicer said.

Spicer explained that after the original executive order, Iraq's government took steps to increase their cooperation with US immigration authorities and improve their vetting process, leading them to be removed from the list of countries covered by the temporary travel suspension.

"We hope other countries will also take proactive action to ensure the security of all of our nations," Spicer said. He said there are a number of exceptions to this temporary travel suspension.

The order explicitly states that the suspension does not apply to green card holders; foreign nationals currently in the US; foreign nationals currently holding valid visas; foreign nationals who are dual citizens of a designated country travelling on a passport issued by a non-designated country and foreign nationals who have been granted asylum or admitted as refugees previously.

"We must find a way to better screen refugee applicants to maintain the safety of our own communities. This suspension will temporarily reduce the investigative burdens on the agencies that participate in our refugee program, allowing them to properly review and revise their standards and practices," he said.
US President Donald Trump's first executive order had sparked a legal, political and logistical furore. There was chaos at major airports and mass protests while several district courts moved to block its implementation and lawmakers expressed opposition.

The troubled roll-out also dominated the first weeks of the new administration, leaving many with the impression that it was badly planned and badly implemented. Polls show American public opinion is deeply divided over the issue. Most indicate a slight majority of voters opposed, with strong support among Trump's political base. The Republican president criticised a court order suspending the ban as "a very bad decision, very bad for the safety and security of our country. The roll-out was perfect."

Iraq's inclusion in the first order prompted outrage in that country, including from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Trump signed a revised ban on refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority nations on Tuesday, scaling back the order to exempt Iraqis and permanent US residents.

The US and Iraqi militaries are currently fighting side-by-side in northern Iraq, trying to wrest the city of Mosul from Islamic State control. After the revised order, the Iraqi foreign ministry expressed its "deep satisfaction", and described it as an "important step" in strengthening relations between Baghdad and Washington.

According to CNN, Iraqi government lobbied "at the highest levels." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iraqi government members spoke about vetting measures that could prevent terrorists from leaving Iraq. "Iraq is an important ally in the fight to defeat Islamic State (IS), with their brave soldiers fighting in close coordination with America's men and women in uniform... This intense review over the past month identified multiple security measures that the State Department and the government of Iraq will be implementing to achieve our shared objective of preventing those with criminal or terroristic intent from reaching the United States," Tillerson is quoted as saying.

According to a White House press release, Iraq has been left out of the travel ban as it "presents a special case," and that "the close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat IS justify different treatment for Iraq." Additionally, the press release states that "an application by any Iraqi national for a visa, admission, or other immigration benefit should be subjected to thorough review, including, as appropriate, consultation with a designee of the Secretary of Defence and use of the additional information that has been obtained in the context of the close US-Iraqi security partnership, since Executive Order 13769 was issued, concerning individuals suspected of ties to IS or other terrorist organisations and individuals coming from territories controlled or formerly controlled by IS."

With inputs from AFP
On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled 'Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States' around five-and-a-half weeks since he signed one titled 'Executive Order: Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States'. The new order, it has been pointed out, will not come into effect until a minute after midnight on 16 March  10 days from the day Trump signed it. And the differences between the first and second travel ban orders are a lot more than just the colon separating the words 'Order' and 'Protecting'.

Rather than representing a softening of Trump's position on immigration, the latest version (EO 13780, for short) is likely to be a more palatable form for judges across the country than EO 13769 was. While it still lays down very similar rules, the changes  subtle in some cases and not-so-subtle in others  are noticeable. It may be recalled that the first order 'suspended for 90 days the entry of certain aliens from seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen'.

So here's a brief rundown of what's changed:

Iraq's omission from the 'Shady Seven'

In the first version of the order, Iraq was among seven Islamic countries whose citizens had been 'banned' from entering the US. According to EO 13780, however, "(The) close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically-elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat (Islamic State) justify different treatment for Iraq".

And so, the order adds that "(decisions) about issuance of visas or granting admission to Iraqi nationals should be subjected to additional scrutiny to determine if applicants have connections with (Islamic State) or other terrorist organisations, or otherwise pose a risk to either national security or public safety".

Here's a more detailed explanation as to why Iraq was left off the list this time around.

No religious bias when it comes to refugees

EO 13769 had articulated Trump's demand to "prioritise refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality". Taken in context of the seven six countries on the travel ban list, it means that non-Muslims would be prioritised. However, in the second iteration, this clause disappears.

EO 13780 states: "While that order allowed for prioritisation of refugee claims from members of persecuted religious minority groups, that priority applied to refugees from every nation, including those in which Islam is a minority religion, and it applied to minority sects within a religion. That order was not motivated by animus toward any religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities  whoever they are and wherever they reside..."

Slight relaxation of USRAP suspension

The first executive order effectively suspended the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) for 120 days and that government departments would "review the USRAP application and adjudication process to determine what additional procedures should be taken". The second order saw Trump instruct "the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security to jointly grant case-by-case waivers when they determined that it was in the national interest to do so".

Visa revocation policy also relaxed

As pointed out by CNN, nearly 60,000 existing visas had been revoked (according to the Department of State) since the signing of the 27 January order. EO 13780 seeks to set this right by stating, "Any individual whose visa was marked revoked or marked canceled as a result of (EO 13769) shall be entitled to a travel document confirming that the individual is permitted to travel to the United States and seek entry".

Scope of exemption from suspension of entry broadened

As per Section 3 of Monday's executive order, people under the following categories will be exempt from having their entry to the US suspended:

1) Those who are in the US on 16 March  the date on which the latest order comes into effect

2) Those who had a valid visa at 5 pm ET on 27 January

3) Those who have a valid visa on 16 March

4) Those who are lawful permanent residents of the United States or are green card-holders

5) Foreign nationals admitted to or paroled into the United States on or after 16 March

6) Foreign nationals who have documents other than a visa, valid on 16 March or issued on any date thereafter, that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission, such as an advance parole document

7) Those who hold dual national of a country (not one of the six banned countries) and are travelling on a passport issued by that country

8) Foreign nationals travelling on diplomatic visas

9) Foreign nationals who have already been granted asylum

The new order exists, the old one doesn't

Perhaps expectedly, in EO 13780, Trump stated that he is "revoking (EO 13769) and replacing it with this order, which expressly excludes from the suspensions categories of aliens that have prompted judicial concerns and which clarifies or refines the approach to certain other issues or categories of affected aliens".

Read the full text of Trump's latest executive order here
President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has sent shockwaves through the Latino population across the United States and brought out scam artists who are preying on the vulnerable community.

From unscrupulous attorneys charging thousands of dollars for residency or work visas that never materialise to cheats bilking victims for documents freely available online and people passing themselves off as federal immigration agents, advocacy groups and officials say fraudsters are feasting on immigrant fears.

"When you have people worried and scared, you sadly have those that take advantage," says Enrique Morones, founder and director of the San Diego-based immigrant rights group Border Angels.

Morones says he has seen a huge surge in the number of people falling victim to scams since Trump signed an executive order in January targeting the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.

"The last time we saw a big increase like that was around 2006 (when a controversial immigration bill was proposed) and then it dropped down dramatically," he said. "Now, it's gone up again and the increase is higher than back then because of Trump's rhetoric and the fear he is creating in the community."

Prey on vulnerable

The executive order gives federal agents wider latitude to enforce immigration laws, enabling them to deport broad categories of undocumented immigrants who have not been convicted of any serious crime.

Human rights advocates say that while they support criminals being deported, the order has put almost all undocumented immigrants  the majority of them Mexican  at risk.

They point to a number of arrests in recent weeks as examples, including that of a father of four who was detained in Los Angeles after dropping one of his US-born children at school and an Arizona woman who had lived in the United States for more than two decades before she was deported last month.

Such cases have sent immigrants  many of whom have little formal education and don't speak English  scrambling for counsel from people posing as attorneys or anyone with an official title promising an easy path to legalisation.

Many scam artists show up at gatherings of immigrant communities during which they distribute flyers, offer their services or gather names and phone numbers, Morones said.

Some people also pose as federal immigration agents to rip people off, the authorities have warned.

One Mexican farmworker, who fell victim to a corrupt attorney, showed an immigration document for which he was charged $500 and which, unbeknownst to him, was freely available online.

Another family in California last week reported having been fleeced of $5,000 by a fake attorney who assured them they were eligible for residency permits before vanishing.

"They trusted him, they had their fingerprints taken and did everything the attorney asked and then he disappeared," Morones said.

Migrant defense centers

The authorities in Chicago, New York and other cities have issued warnings against those seeking to profit unduly from the immigrant population and have announced several arrests and convictions.

"Taking advantage of the most vulnerable is reprehensible," California's attorney general Xavier Becerra said last month after a couple was convicted  and the man sentenced to five years in prison  for defrauding immigrants.

"Today's sentencing puts on notice others who may want to carry out these crimes, and lets hardworking immigrant families know that our office has got their backs."

The 50 Mexican consulates across the United States have meanwhile opened migrant defence centres to help their nationals.

"We are warning the community and telling them to rely on accurate information and to come to the consulate and seek advice," said Marcela Celorio, Mexico's consul general for the San Diego area, where there are an estimated 120,000 undocumented Mexican immigrants.

Morones says his advice to the community comes down to simple common sense.

"Make sure you're talking to somebody you can trust, get references and make sure they have an office," he said.

"And if something looks too good to be true, it probably is," Morones said.
Sudan expressed "deep regret and discontent" on Tuesday over US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban barring its citizens from travelling to the United States.

"The ministry of foreign affairs expresses its deep regret and discontent over the executive order issued by the American president," a statement said.

On Monday, Trump signed a revised ban on refugee admissions and new visas for travellers from six Muslim-majority nations, among them Sudan.

It came after a first ban was frozen by US federal courts.

The new executive order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and halts new visas for travellers from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. Iraqis who had been targeted by the original ban were not included.

Sudan said it renews its "condemnation" of the order as it comes despite Khartoum engaging in talks with Washington on fighting regional and international terrorism.

"These negotiations confirmed that Sudan plays a big role as a partner in fighting terrorism that endangers people of both countries and of the world," the foreign ministry said.

Urging Washington to drop Khartoum from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, the ministry said the US administration should review the "harsh decision" taken against Sudanese citizens.

"Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States," the statement said.

Before leaving office, president Barack Obama eased decades-old sanctions against Sudan, but kept Khartoum on the blacklist.

Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its alleged support for Islamist groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

Washington believes Khartoum's terror ties have ebbed, but has kept sanctions in place because of the scorched-earth tactics it has used against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

An end to fighting in Sudan's hotspots  Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as the Darfur region  had been set as a precondition for sanctions being lifted.

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the Darfur conflict erupted in 2003.

Veteran President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to the conflict in Darfur. He strongly denies the charges

Khartoum said it was keen to improve relations with Washington.

"Sudan renews its commitment to continue a bilateral dialogue in order to reach full and normal relations between the two countries in the interests of their peoples," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
By Ayman al-Warfalli

| BENGHAZI, Libya

BENGHAZI, Libya East Libyan forces carried out fresh air strikes on Monday and said they were mobilising ground forces as they attempt to win back two of Libya's largest oil ports, military officials said.Forces loyal to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) lost control of the ports of Sider and Ras Lanuf on Friday to a rival faction known as the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB), and have been unable to dislodge them with air strikes and ground operations since then.The escalation risks reversing a recent recovery in Libya's oil production and reigniting conflict between military factions based in eastern and western Libya that have been fighting on and off for the past three years.Libya's oil production has recently been around 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), but has dropped to 663,000 bpd after Waha Oil Company cut output by about 35,000 bpd as a precaution due to the unrest, said Jadalla Alaokali, a board member of the National Oil Corporation (NOC).LNA forces are currently stationed at Al Uqaylah, about 70 km (45 miles) southeast of Ras Lanuf, military spokesman Akram Buhaliqa said. LNA war planes conducted strikes near Ras Lanuf and Es Sider early on Monday, he said.

The LNA took over the ports of Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Brega and Zueitina in September, allowing the NOC to end a long blockade in the area and more than double national output. BDB leader Mustafa al-Sharksi told reporters that the group controlled about 170 km of coast stretching either side of the oil ports.LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari urged citizens in the region to restrict movement and appealed to forces that captured Sirte, about 180 km east of Es Sider, from Islamic State last year, to stay within the coastal city to avoid being hit by air raids.

"There is a very large air and ground mobilisation of (LNA) forces to drive back the terrorist gangs in the Oil Crescent," he said in a statement. Since clashes began on Friday, 18 of the LNA's forces have been killed and 15 wounded, a medical official in the nearby town of Ajdabiya said. Al-Sharksi said two BDB members had been killed and two wounded.

The BDB includes fighters who fled Benghazi as the LNA won ground there against Islamists and other opponents. They say they are trying to return to the city but want to secure the oil ports first.Libya's oil production is more than double the OPEC member's output last year, but still far under the 1.6 million bpd it was producing before a 2011 uprising.A tanker that had been due to dock at Es Sider on Tuesday, the Amalthea, will instead go to Brega to load a cargo for Austria's OMV (OMVV.VI), a Libyan shipping source said. A second tanker, the Overseas Redwood, is due to dock at Es Sider on Thursday to load another cargo for OMV, the source said. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli, and by Ahmad Ghaddar and Julia Payne in London; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Julia Glover)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Patricia Zengerle

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON Diplomats from six Eastern European countries appealed to U.S. senators on Tuesday to help them stand up against interference from Russia, including cyber attacks, and insisted that sanctions imposed on Moscow should not be lifted anytime soon.The foreign minister of Ukraine as well as the ambassadors to Washington from Poland, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia appeared at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on Russian activity in their countries."Until Russia gets off Ukrainian land, there should be no easing up of sanctions. If anything, they should be increased," said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.Other diplomats agreed, describing efforts within their countries and others to lessen their dependence on Russian natural gas for their energy needs."We really think about diversification," said Piotr Wilczek, Poland's ambassador to Washington.Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the subcommittee overseeing the State Department and foreign aid, called the hearing amid concerns that President Donald Trump might not stand up to Moscow, including talk that he might lift sanctions imposed after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea.Graham signalled that he supported continued aid, calling it important to U.S. security.

"The safer you are, the safer we will be," Graham said.Trump has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for improved relations with Moscow while Graham has been one of the most vocal congressional critics of such statements.

'HYBRID WAR'

Graham also noted concern over Russian cyber attacks seeking to intervene in the 2016 U.S. election won by Trump. Graham said he did not believe Russia changed the election outcome.Members of congressional appropriations committees will soon be setting out spending plans for next year, and the Trump administration has already discussed steep cuts in foreign aid as well as to the State Department.Graham said he wanted a better relationship with Russia, but that would not happen until Russia changed. He spoke shortly after having lunch with Trump, and told the diplomats he expected the new president would be a good ally.

Several members of the subcommittee asked which type of assistance was most useful. The diplomats said military assistance, including defensive weapons.The United States in January began its largest military reinforcement of Europe in decades, when 2,700 troops arrived in Poland. The region requested U.S. and NATO troops after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.The diplomats described Russia's behaviour as "hybrid warfare," combining cyber attacks and propaganda with the threat or use of force. For example, Georgian Ambassador David Bakradze described Russian broadcasts that discouraged Georgians from supporting the country's efforts to join the NATO alliance.Moscow backed two breakaway regions in the 2008 war with Tbilisi and one-fifth of Georgian territory remains under the control of pro-Russian separatists. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by G Crosse)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Jakarta: India on Tuesday pressed the countries sharing the Indian Ocean to show zero tolerance towards "State-sponsored terrorism" and isolate and impose "strong sanctions" on the perpetrators and financiers of the menace, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, while addressing the first summit of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA), underlined that terrorism is an impediment to development and a threat to all open and pluralistic societies.

At the summit themed 'Strengthening maritime cooperation for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean', he said the Ocean must be protected from "traditional and non-traditional threats, particularly piracy" and all those using these international waters must act with responsibility and restraint.

He also made some proposals which India would like to implement for the safety of the Indian Ocean and making it a zone of prosperity and harmony.

"Today, terrorism has become the major impediment to development and threatens all pluralist and open societies," Ansari told the gathering of leaders from the 21-member countries and representatives of 7 Dialogue Partners here in the Indonesian capital.

Asserting that "no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians", the Vice President said, "IORA must show zero tolerance for State-sponsored terrorism", in an apparent reference to Pakistan which indulges in such activities. Pakistan is not a member of the IORA.

"The perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorism must be isolated and face strong sanctions," he said.

"We have reiterated our commitment to combating terrorism by adopting the IORA Declaration on countering violent extremism," he said. Ansari said the IORA members should "help each other by sharing intelligence, securing our cyberspace, and minimising the use of internet and social media for terrorist activities".

He said there was "a pressing requirement to work out the modalities for institutionalising an IORA cooperation mechanism to this end by pooling the resources available with the member states".

India, the vice president said, shares the vision for a peaceful region and the seas around it. "We believe that our ocean must be protected from traditional and non-traditional threats, particularly piracy," he said.

He described the IORA Concord signed at the summit on Tuesday as "a milestone document" that underscores the criticality of maritime safety and security.

In a veiled reference to China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, Ansari said, "All using these international waters must act with responsibility and restraint".

"We have an imperative need for open trade and open sea lanes that carry it," Ansari said.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of the waters that command strategic sea lanes and have rich fishing grounds as well as oil and gas deposits.

"I call upon the IORA member states to ensure that the freedom of navigation and over-flight in the Indian Ocean is respected by all, as an expression of our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."

He said maritime safety and security can be reinforced by institutionalising cooperative mechanisms such as White Shipping Agreements and by setting up an Information Fusion Centre for strengthening Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

"My government would be happy to host such a centre in India, with our in-house expertise supplemented by support from IORA member countries," he said.

Ansari said the Indian Ocean is at the crossroads of global trade as the Ocean and its littoral are rich in natural resources and a home to more than 2.3 billion people. "This creates limitless opportunities for growth and prosperity," he said. He noted that the Indian Ocean region is marked by great diversity of cultures and levels of economic development.

"Yet for centuries the people on the shores of this ocean have been linked by the winds that blow across it. These facilitated exchanges of ideas through trade, religion and culture." He said the IORA member States recognise that the sea does not separate; rather it is a bridge that connects.

"We have made a beginning by unveiling Project Mausam to re-kindle our cultural linkages. The recent launch of the Kalinga Indonesia Dialogue, that reminiscences an inspiring part of our history, is a welcome initiative. We look forward to more creative engagements, both bilateral and collective, among the member States," Ansari said.

He said India will also be happy to share its hydrographical capability with the member states for better navigation and understanding of marine topography.

He proposed a network of think tanks to enable the collation of available resources with member countries. This would help synergise the efforts of individual member States.

"In this context, I am happy to announce the intention of my government to establish 'IORA Centre of Excellence (ICE)' in one of the coastal cities of India. The objective would be to provide academics and researchers access to a collective source of data and resource material. We will shortly be circulating a concept note on the proposed Centre through the IORA Secretariat," he said.

Referring to the action plan adopted today, he described it as "a vision of our shared priorities" and said "India stands committed to working with other members to realise the regions untapped potential and to ensure that the Indian Ocean becomes a zone of prosperity and harmony".

The Association comprises India, Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It also has seven Dialogue Partners -- the US, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 8

Trend:

Azerbaijan marks the International Women's Day - March 8, the international day of solidarity of women in the struggle for economic, social and political equality.

The decision to celebrate the International Womens Day was adopted at the Second International Conference (Copenhagen) of the socialist women in 1910.

The first countries celebrating this day were Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark. In Russia this day was celebrated in 1913, while in Azerbaijan in 1917.

Till 1914 the International Womens Day was celebrated on different dates. Celebration of the Day  March 8 became a tradition after several countries started to celebrate this day simultaneously.

Since that time, March 8 is the day of solidarity for peace in the world. It is a day-off since 1965 when the former USSR declared March 8 to be a holiday. After gaining the independence, Azerbaijan celebrates March 8 as the International Womens Day.
The Indian Railways is taking the lead in a project where a train will potentially make a journey of 6,000 kilometers from Bangladesh to Afghanistan for the very first time. This container train will begin its journey at Dhaka, pass through India, Pakistan and Iran, with Istanbul being the final destination. The Indian Railways is in the process of setting up a group of different railway networks across West and South East Asia. Officials from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey are scheduled to meet to discuss this plan on 15 and 16 March, 2017.

The route it will be passing through is called the Trans-Asian Railway southern corridor, which was originally identified by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to build a rail link between Thailand and Turkey. Because Myanmar has incomplete railway links, the container will be sent from Dhaka instead.

In 2016, the Indian Railways and Container Corporation of India visited Dhaka for a reconnaissance of the route that has been proposed. One hurdle that this project faces is that Pakistan has not allowed container freight trains from India to enter in the past, citing security reasons.

"The demonstration-run will happen very soon in 2017 and we will sort out all the issues with the countries concerned. This will also demonstrate to the world that there can be a real, commercial trans-Asian container corridor of this magnitude in the rail sector," said Mohammad Jamshed, member of the railway board to the Indian Express.

Currently, Bhutan and Afghanistan lack rail networks. Bhutan will be connected to Kolkata by road and in Afghanistan, the containers will be connected by roads to the railway network in Quetta.

This train is being heralded as India's answer to the China-Europe freight link, which was set up in January 2017. Goods traded between Ludhiana and Lahore have to take a roundabout route as of now. The Indian Railways stand to participate in considerably increasing economic growth by facilitating trade in this region. The train will also connect the capital cities of the countries it passes through.
Penang: Malaysia will wait to question suspects in the Kim Jong-Nam killing believed to be holed up in Kuala Lumpur's North Korean embassy "even if it takes five years," the country's police chief said.

A police cordon was set up outside the embassy after Pyongyang announced it would ban Malaysians from leaving North Korea, prompting an immediate tit-for-tat move from Kuala Lumpur.

The travel bans are just the latest twist in a heated diplomatic row over the Cold War-style assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader in Malaysia last month, which has seen Kuala Lumpur expel Pyongyang's envoy and vice-versa.

"We will wait, if it takes five years, we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said at a press conference in Penang, adding that he believed three people wanted in connection to the murder were in the building.

"This morning the deputy prime minister issued instructions not to allow any North Korean embassy staff to leave the country," Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told journalists outside the embassy. "At the moment we're trying to ascertain their numbers and their movements."

Police set up a barricade with cars blocking both ends of the street leading up to the North Korean embassy shortly after noon, an AFP journalist said. Around a dozen armed officers wearing bulletproof vests were stationed at each end of the road. They rolled out yellow ticker-tape reading "do not cross" and initially denied a request from an embassy official to remove the barricade so a car could leave the compound.

Shortly afterwards the tape was removed and two cars were allowed to leave. Police presence was scaled down but officers remained patrolling the road and were seen tracking movements out of the embassy in a ledger. Around 100 journalists and photographers were also gathered outside.

The embassy, a two-storey neo-colonial house with a North Korean flag fluttering, is situated in Kuala Lumpur's well-heeled Bukit Damansara area known for its hipster cafes and restaurants.

The nascent stand-off has already been compared to the Julian Assange case, which has seen the founder of the secret-spilling Wikileaks website holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012.

Two women  from Indonesia and Vietnam  have been charged with the killing, but Malaysian police have also named eight North Korean suspects, including the embassy's second secretary and an employee of North Korea's national airline.
North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, prompting Malaysia to take tit-for-tat action, as police in Kuala Lumpur sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam.

Malaysia has been outraged by the murder of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 13 February by assassins using VX nerve agent, a super toxic chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employee. The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

As the row escalated on Tuesday, state-run KCNA news agency reported that North Korea's foreign ministry had issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia. It effectively made Malaysians hostage in the reclusive, isolated state.

Malaysia reacted promptly. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced a ban on North Koreans leaving the Southeast Asian country with immediate effect.

Zahid later clarified to reporters that only North Korean embassy staff and officials were banned from leaving Malaysia.

Before the murder, North Korea could count Malaysia as one of its few friends, but Malaysia has since stopped visa-free travel and on Monday it expelled North Korea's ambassador for questioning the impartiality of the murder investigation.

There are 11 Malaysians believed to be in North Korea, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry source, including three embassy staff and six family members, plus two others working in the country.

No raid

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said up to three of the North Koreans sought in connection with the murder had holed up at the embassy in the Malaysian capital.

"How much longer do they want to hide in the embassy... it is a matter of time before they come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

"We will not raid the embassy building, we will wait for them to come out. We have got all the time," Khalid said.

Police have cordoned off the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Aside from the suspects said to be hiding in the embassy, police have said that four other North Koreans left Malaysia in the hours after the murder.

The only North Korean suspect to be apprehended was deported on Friday, released due to insufficient evidence.

US officials and South Korean intelligence suspect North Korean agents were behind the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam, who had been living in Macau under China's protection, and had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept that the dead man is leader Kim Jong-Un's half brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack.

No next of kin have come forward to claim the body, but the Malaysian police chief said he was confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the murdered man.
The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced anti-missile defence system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles, US Pacific Command said, despite angry opposition from China.

The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong-Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike US bases in Japan, stepping up threats against Washington as US troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in a statement, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system.

The move by the US military is likely to deepen the brewing conflict between South Korea and China, which says the THAAD deployment destroys the regional security balance.

The four ballistic missiles fired by North Korea landed in the sea off Japan's northwest, angering Seoul and Tokyo, days after Pyongyang promised retaliation over the military drills that it sees as preparation for war.

US president Donald Trump and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe discussed the launches by the nuclear-armed North during a phone call on Tuesday.

"Japan and the US confirmed that the latest North Korean missile launches were clearly against UN resolutions and a clear provocation against the regional and international community," Abe told reporters. "(North Korea's) threat has entered a new phase."

Trump also spoke to South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn to discuss the North's missile launches, Hwang's office said.

"Mercilessly retaliate"

Reclusive North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of United Nations resolutions, issued a typically robust statement on state news agency KCNA after the missile launches.

"In the hearts of artillerymen ... there was burning desire to mercilessly retaliate against the warmongers going ahead with their joint war exercises," KCNA said.

It said Kim ordered the Korean People's Army's Strategic Force "to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out any time, and get fully ready to promptly move, take positions and strike so that it can open fire to annihilate the enemies".

The missiles North Korea fired on Monday were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), South Korea said, which can reach the United States. They flew on average 1,000 km (620 miles) and reached an altitude of 260 km (160 miles).

Some landed as close as 300 km (190 miles) from Japan's northwest coast, Japan's defence minister said earlier.

South Korean military and intelligence officials said on Tuesday the four North Korean missiles appeared to be an upgraded version of the Scud type.

North Korea is mired in a separate diplomatic row with Malaysia over the killing of Kim's estranged half-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport last month.

The two countries have expelled each other's ambassador from their capitals and on Tuesday announced tit-for-tat bans on departures of each other's nationals, sharply escalating tensions between two countries that, until the killing of Kim Jong-Nam, had maintained rare close ties.

Diplomatic standoff

The United States and Japan have requested a United Nations Security Council meeting on the latest North Korean missile launches, which will likely be scheduled for Wednesday, diplomats said.

The planned installation of the US anti-missile defence system has led to a diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea.

Chinese authorities have closed nearly two dozen retail stores of South Korea's Lotte Group, which approved a land swap with the country's military last week to allow it to install the system.

China's state-run Global Times warned the possibility of war on the Korean peninsula was growing because of the US-South Korean military drills and the North Korean missile launches.

"The Chinese public is angry that Pyongyang's nuclear programme has provided an excuse for Seoul to deploy THAAD," the tabloid said in an editorial.

"Pyongyang blindly believes nuclear weapons are the greatest guarantee of its national security regardless that the reality is the opposite," it said.China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only at curbing North Korean provocations.

The Yonhap news agency said the THAAD deployment could be completed in one or two months.

China's 'resolute' response

China said Tuesday it would "resolutely" defend its security interests as the US began deploying the THAAD missile-defence system in South Korea that Beijing fears will undermine its own military capabilities.

"We are firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD in the Republic of Korea by the US and the ROK," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"China will resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interests. All consequences entailed from this will be borne by the US and the ROK."

Beijing has railed against the deployment of THAAD, while the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group has come under pressure in China for providing land to host the system.

Geng, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, did not specify what measures China would take.

"We strongly urge relevant parties to stop the deployment and not to travel down that wrong path, he said.

Chinese protesters have held demonstrations denouncing Lotte, which also faces multiple threats of consumer or business boycotts.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday that Chinese authorities had shut down 39 of Lotte's retail outlets in the country, citing fire-safety concerns.

The THAAD system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.
SEOUL North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised Monday's test launches of four missiles, the country's official news agency reported on Tuesday, stepping up threats against Washington as U.S. troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over the military drills which it sees as preparation for war. [nL3N1GI0QZ]U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed North Korea's missile launches during a phone call on Tuesday. "Japan and the U.S. confirmed that the latest North Korean missile launches were clearly against U.N. resolutions and a clear provocation against the regional and international community," Abe told reporters. "(North Korea's) threat has entered a new phase."U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada also discussed the missile launches in a telephone call on Monday, the Pentagon said. [nL2N1GK00T]An "important contact" between South Korea and the United States would be made on Tuesday, South Korea's foreign minister Yun Byung-se told members of the ruling party.The missile test were undertaken by an army unit commissioned with attacking U.S. military bases in Japan, the North's official KCNA news agency said.

"In the hearts of artillerymen ... there was burning desire to mercilessly retaliate against the warmongers going ahead with their joint war exercises," KCNA said."He (Kim) ordered the KPA Strategic Force to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out any time, and get fully ready to promptly move, take positions and strike so that it can open fire to annihilate the enemies."THAAD DEPLOYMENT

The missiles North Korea fired on Monday were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), South Korea said, which can reach the United States. They flew on average 1,000 km (620 miles) and reached an altitude of 260 km (160 miles).Some landed as close as 300 km (190 miles) from Japan's northwest coast, Japan's Defence Minister said earlier. The United States and Japan have requested a United Nations Security Council meeting on the launches, which will likely be scheduled for Wednesday, diplomats said.

Condemning the launches as further "provocative behavior," the White House said earlier the United States was taking steps to enhance defense against ballistic missiles, including deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea.The U.S. anti- missile defense system to be deployed this year has irritated China and led to a diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea. Chinese authorities have closed nearly two dozen retail stores of South Korea's Lotte Group that approved a land swap with the country's military last week to allow it to install the system. [nL3N1GJ15G]South Korea needed THAAD for its national security despite "China's restrictions in various ways", foreign minister Yun said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Ju-min Park and Jack Kim in SEOUL and Kaori Kaneko in TOKYO; Additional reporting by Daewoung Kim and Phil Stewart; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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Chennai/New Delhi: A Tamil Nadu fisherman was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea dividing the two countries. As India voiced "deep concern", Colombo promised a thorough probe.

Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Navy targeted them on Monday night, Indian officials said on Tuesday.

Katchatheevu is located in the narrow Palk Straits dividing India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.

Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu against the killing. Another fisherman was injured.

The Sri Lankan Navy promised "a full and thorough probe" into the incident after India took up the matter at the highest level, informed sources said.

India voiced deep concern over the killing.

Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the sources said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the dead fisherman, K Britso, and a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the injured fisherman.

The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

"They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," Ramadoss said in Chennai.

He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been happening for the past 30 years, leaving more than 800 fishermen dead.

Ramadoss said India and Sri Lanka had agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner.

"It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreement," he said.

He said the Tamil Nadu government should put pressure on the Indian and Sri Lankan governments to arrest the Navy personnel who killed the Indian.
DRESDEN, Germany Eight Germans accused of forming a right-wing terrorist group that attacked refugee homes and an alternative housing project as well as an office and car belonging to the far-left Linke party went on trial in Dresden on Tuesday.Prosecutors say the seven men and one woman, aged between 19 and 38, formed a terrorist group called "Gruppe Freital" which carried out five attacks, including two on refugee homes.The group is named after a town about 8 kilometres from the city of Dresden in eastern Germany, where anti-immigrant sentiment runs high. In one attack, prosecutors say the suspects set off explosive devices at three windows of a home for refugees, aware that there were several people inside. One of the residents suffered cuts from glass splinters and an eye injury but three others were able to get to safety in the corridor."The chief federal prosecutor accuses the suspects of being members of a terrorist organisation," the prosecutor's spokesman Joern Hauschild said.

"We're talking about homicides and offences involving explosives. Furthermore, the chief federal prosecutor accuses the suspects of other crimes: five offences involving explosives and in one case the charge is attempted murder."More than a million migrants have arrived in Germany since early 2015, prompting concerns about security and integration and boosting support for anti-immigrant groups.

Data from the Interior Ministry shows attacks on refugee homes occurred more than twice a day on average last year.Prosecutors said the group on trial obtained a large quantity of pyrotechnic explosives from the Czech Republic that are illegal in Germany and in September 2015 began to research building pipe bombs.

The trial is due to last about 60 days and a verdict is expected at the end of September. (Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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TOKYO U.S. President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States was with Japan "100 percent" over phone talks they held to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches, Abe told reporters on Tuesday.The two leaders agreed that North Korea's latest actions were a clear breach of United Nations' security resolution and a challenge against regional and international security, Abe added."President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."

North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Tom Perry and Humeyra Pamuk

| BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL U.S.-backed Syrian militias cut the last main road out of Islamic State-held Raqqa on Monday, severing the highway between the group's de facto capital and its stronghold of Deir al-Zor province, a militia spokesman said.The development, confirmed by a British-based organisation that monitors Syria's war, marks a major blow against Islamic State, which is under intense military pressure in both Syria and Iraq.It is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias, by the Russian-backed Syrian army, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebels."Cutting the road between Raqqa and Deir al-Zor means that practically the encirclement of the Daesh (Islamic State) capital is complete by land," a Kurdish military source told Reuters, adding that the only remaining way out of the city was south across the Euphrates River."It is a big victory but there is still a lot to accomplish," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The SDF is an alliance of militias including the Kurdish YPG and Arab groups. It launched a campaign in November to encircle and ultimately capture Islamic State's base of operations in Raqqa city, with air strikes and special forces support from a U.S.-led coalition.Further west, the Syrian army has made its own, rapid progress against Islamic State in the past few weeks, advancing east from Aleppo city towards the Euphrates. The Syrian army last week captured the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State - an operation Russia said it had planned and overseen.A Syrian military source told Reuters the army would press on to reach the jihadists' main strongholds in Raqqa and Deir al-Zor.Syrian government forces, meanwhile, have taken over positions from a U.S.-backed militia in the northern city of Manbij on a frontline with Turkish-backed rebel forces, in line with a deal brokered by Russia, the militia's spokesman said on Monday.Last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Manbij would be the next target in the campaign Turkey is waging alongside Syrian rebels in northern Syria against both Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday Ankara was not planning a military campaign without coordinating with the United States and Russia.The U.S. military has also deployed a small number of forces in and around Manbij to ensure that the different parties in the area do not attack each other, a Pentagon spokesman said.BRIDGES DESTROYED

Islamic State still controls swathes of Syria, including much of the centre and nearly all the eastern province of Deir al-Zor stretching all the way to the Iraqi part of its self-declared caliphate.The SDF has been the main U.S. partner against Islamic State in Syria. "The road is under the control of the SDF," spokesman Talal Silo said in a voice message sent to Reuters. "The road between Raqqa and Deir al-Zor."

There was no immediate word from Islamic State on the social media channels it uses to communicate news.Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition have destroyed the bridges across the Euphrates to Raqqa city, the British-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said. The Observatory said families brought recently by Islamic State to Raqqa from areas to the west had been forced to cross the river by boat, reflecting the problem facing Islamic State in reaching the city.In Iraq, U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured the second of Mosul's five bridges on Monday, part of a major onslaught that began in October to take back the city lost to Islamic State in 2014.

EYES ON RAQQA

The Syrian army's advance towards the Euphrates River from Aleppo has added to the pressure on Islamic State.One of the targets of the army's advance appears to be to secure the water supply to Aleppo, which is pumped from the village of al-Khafsa on the western bank of the Euphrates.The Observatory said on Monday the army had advanced to within 8 km (5 miles) of al-Khafsa.The Syrian army push has also had the effect of deterring further advances south by Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels as they carve out an effective buffer zone near the border in areas seized from Islamic State."The army will not stop in its military operations against Daesh, and will certainly reach its most important strongholds in Raqqa and Deir al-Zor. This is a national Syrian decision," the Syrian military source told Reuters.The source said the army was advancing at a rapid pace and there was "great dysfunction" in Islamic State's leadership.Turkey, a NATO member, wants its Syrian rebel allies to lead the Raqqa offensive, and U.S. support for the YPG is a major point of contention between the two states. (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Alison Williams)

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By Idrees Ali

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON Multiple fast-attack vessels from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came within 600 yards (metres) of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to change course. The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional."

The IRGC could not immediately be reached for a comment.Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran last year after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But serious differences remain over Iran's ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

While still a presidential candidate in September, Donald Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that harassed the U.S. Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water."

Similar incidents happen occasionally, but the last serious one was in January when a U.S. Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down. (Reporting by Idrees Ali Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by James Dalgleish)

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Baku, Azerbaijan, March 2

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

As a response to European Commissions request, Azerbaijan has submitted its proposals on implementation of technical projects as part of the TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia), Akif Mustafayev, national secretary of IGC TRACECA told Trend.

Mustafayev noted that the European Commission has recently requested through the country chairing the TRACECA (currently, Ukraine) the member countries to prepare proposals on new projects.

"These proposals on behalf of Azerbaijan have already been presented," he said adding that other countries will also submit their proposals.

The European Commission has done great work within the TRACECA project, he added.

For instance, the new Red Bridge, linking Azerbaijan and Georgia, was built with funds of the European Commission, said Mustafayev.

Terminals were built, including a container terminal at the old Baku port, he noted adding that many projects on staff training, studying the experience of European countries were implemented.

The national secretary also noted that the member countries will be grateful for technical projects as part of TRACECA.

Mustafayev said that currently, the European Commission doesnt implement any technical projects.

Formerly, the European Commission was implementing 4-5 technical projects worth $3-4 million per year, he noted adding that however, currently, there are no technical projects and this is explained by the crisis in Europe.

On the other side, TRACECA countries have become economically stable and they are investing themselves and attracting investments worth billions of dollars, added Mustafayev.

Meanwhile, the European Commission says that TRACECA is a strategic project for it, he said.

TRACECA is an international cooperation program in the sphere of transport among the EU and partner-countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. The organization has a permanent secretariat in Baku.



TRACECA member-states are Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Iran.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
By Dustin Volz and Warren Strobel

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks on Tuesday said it had obtained a secret trove of hacking tools used by the CIA to break into or circumvent the security of phones, communication apps and other devices, and published confidential documents describing those programs.Among the most noteworthy WikiLeaks claims are that the Central Intelligence Agency, in partnership with other U.S. and foreign agencies, has been able to bypass the encryption on popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, by hacking phones that use Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Android platform to collect audio and message traffic before encryption is applied.Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents, but several contractors and private cyber security experts said the materials, dated between 2013 and 2016, appeared to be legitimate.The information in what WikiLeaks said were 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments appears to represent the latest in a string of breaches in recent years of classified material from U.S. intelligence agencies.Experts differed over how much the disclosures will damage U.S. cyber espionage. Many said that, while harmful, they do not compare to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013 of intrusive NSA surveillance.Stuart McClure, CEO of Cylance, an Irvine, California, cyber security firm, said that one of the most significant disclosures shows how CIA hackers cover their tracks by leaving trails suggesting they are from Russia, China and Iran rather than the United States.Other revelations show how the CIA took advantage of vulnerabilities that are known, if not widely publicized.In one case, the documents say, U.S. and British personnel, under a program known as Weeping Angel, developed ways to take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room. "You thought your technology was safe. It's never been safe," said James Lewis, cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.The CIA and White House declined comment. "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said in a statement.Google declined to comment on the reported hacking of its Android platform, but said it was investigating the matter.

Snowden on Twitter said the files amount to the first public evidence that the U.S. government secretly buys software to exploit technology, referring to a table published by WikiLeaks that appeared to list various Apple iOS flaws purchased by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.An Apple Inc (AAPL.O) spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.The documents refer to means for accessing phones directly in order to catch messages before they are protected by end-to-end encryption tools like Signal.Signal inventor Moxie Marlinspike said he took that as "confirmation that what were doing is working." Signal and the like are "pushing intelligence agencies from a world of undetectable mass surveillance to a world where they have to use expensive, high-risk, extremely targeted attacks."CIA CYBER PROGRAMS

The CIA in recent years underwent a restructuring to focus more on cyber warfare to keep pace with the increasing digital sophistication of foreign adversaries. The spy agency is prohibited by law from collecting intelligence that details domestic activities of Americans and is generally restricted in how it may gather any U.S. data for counterintelligence purposes.The documents published Tuesday appeared to supply specific details to what has been long-known in the abstract: U.S. intelligence agencies, like their allies and adversaries, are constantly working to discover and exploit flaws in any manner of technology products.Unlike the Snowden leaks, which revealed the NSA was secretly collecting details of telephone calls by ordinary Americans, the new WikiLeaks material did not appear to contain material that would fundamentally change what is publicly known about cyber espionage.WikiLeaks, led by Julian Assange, said its publication of the documents on the hacking tools was the first in a series of releases drawing from a data set that includes several hundred million lines of code and includes the CIA's "entire hacking capacity."The documents do not include actual computer code needed to conduct the cyber exploits they describe.

WikiLeaks said it published the CIA documents "while avoiding the distribution of 'armed' cyber weapons until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA's program and how such 'weapons' should be analysed, disarmed and published."U.S. intelligence agencies have said that Wikileaks has ties to Russia's security services. During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Wikileaks published internal emails of top Democratic Party officials, which the agencies said were hacked by Moscow as part of a coordinated influence campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidency.WikiLeaks has denied ties to Russian spy agencies.U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they did not know where WikiLeaks might have obtained the material.In a press release, the group said, "The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive."U.S. intelligence agencies have suffered a series of major security breaches, including Snowden's.In 2010, U.S. military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning provided more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to Wikileaks. President Barack Obama shortened her prison sentence in January.Last month, former NSA contractor Harold Thomas Martin was indicted on charges of taking highly sensitive government materials over a course of 20 years, storing the trove of secrets in his home.A longtime intelligence contractor with expertise in U.S. hacking tools said that people in the CIA and the NSA were "furious" about the apparent new breach. "This is not a Snowden-type situation," he said. "This was taken over a long term and handed over to WikiLeaks." (Reporting by Dustin Volz and Warren Strobel; additional reporting by Joe Menn, Mark Hosenball, Jonathan Landay and Jim Finkle; Editing by Bill Trott and Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Several Heads of State and Government have sent their video-address to the participants of the 4th International Caspian Energy Forum - 2017 and congratulated Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club) on the 15th anniversary, First Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club) and Caspian American Club Telman Aliyev said.

According to him, some of them plan to come to Azerbaijan or send their representatives for participation in the 4th international Caspian Energy Forum  2017.

Telman Aliyev noted that European Commissioners, heads of government agencies, ministries, committees and departments of Azerbaijan, Caspian-Black Sea and Baltic region states, representatives of diplomatic and international missions accredited in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as heads of large international companies will also attend Caspian Energy Forum  2017. In General, 500 delegates from 50 countries of the world will take part in the forum.

Science-Production Company R.I.S.K. is a sponsor of the 4th International Caspian Energy Forum-2017. Asia Sky Express & OCS, Azpetrol Ltd and Sinam are the partners of the event.

Registration for participation in the forum: http://caspianenergyforum.com/index.php/en/registration

The forum will consist of the three sessions. The first session will be dedicated to preliminary results of the implemented economic reforms. The second session will cover the issues concerning the development of the oil-gas and energy sectors of the Caspian region states. The third session will be dedicated to projects, which are implemented in the non-oil sector (finance, transport, ICT, agroindustry and tourism), and their promotion towards the world markets.

Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club) was established in June 2002 under support of the largest oil-gas companies operating in the Caspian-Black Sea region. His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is the Chairman of the Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club).

Since the moment of establishment Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club) has been promoting attraction of oil industry revenues towards the development of the non-oil sector. Caspian European Club (Caspian Business Club), which brings together over 5,000 companies and organizations, operates in 50 countries of the world, carries out an active work to maintain the dialogue between the government agencies and the private sector.
Vodafone India is celebrating International womens day by offering free 2GB data to all its women Red Post-Paid subscribers in Delhi-NCR. This day long offer comes with no restrictions on the 2GB data usage and the data benefit will be automatically credited to the users account and notified through an SMS, said the company.

This is part of its #ConnectedSheCan campaign which aims at encouraging women to get digitally connected. This offer is a part of the many initiatives by Vodafone to provide women access to information and help them experience the benefits of going digital.

Vodafone Foundation will also be launching 4th addition of Women of Pure Wonder book which acknowledges women for their inspiring stories.

Commenting on the offer and women empowerment, Alok Verma Business Head, Delhi-NCR, Vodafone India, said:

We as an organization firmly believe in giving equal opportunities to women in the work space, and this value system reflects in our work culture. Our data analytics have suggested that our women customers are as avid mobile internet users as our male customers. This offer reiterates our efforts to enable women to do more and achieve more in life. I urge all our women Red Post-Paid customers to experience the digital life on our network.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

A specialized economic court of Kazakhstans West Kazakhstan region satisfied a suit of the state enterprise Kapitalneftegaz against operator of Karachaganak oil field - Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V., the court said in a message March 7.

Kapitalneftegaz conducted an inventory of state property transferred to Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO) and went to court when revealed absence of 16 inventory objects worth 10.4 million tenge (316 tenge = $1).

The court sentenced Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. to fine in the amount of 10.4 million tenge to the republican budget for caused damage. The fine has been paid off.

Karachaganak field, located in the West Kazakhstan Region, is one of the largest oil and gas condensate fields in the world. Its reserve is estimated at over 1.2 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons and 1.3 trillion cubic meters of gas.

The field gives almost 45 percent of the total gas and 16 percent of the total liquid hydrocarbons produced in Kazakhstan.

Karachaganak is being developed within the production sharing agreement (PSA) reached between Kazakhstan and a consortium that includes Royal Dutch Shell (29.25 percent), Eni (29.25 percent), hevron (18 percent), Lukoil (13.5 percent) and KazMunaiGas (10 percent).

In 2016 KPO produced 139.7 million barrels of oil equivalent of stable and unstable liquids, raw gas and fuel gas compared to 141.7 million barrels of oil equivalent in 2015.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Foodie Quine

Blueberry, Mango, Banana and Skyr Smoothie inspired by a visit to Iceland's Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa.









I'm somewhat sad to say that is is the final in my series of four posts about our fantastic trip to Iceland. I'll just have to start saving up so we can return at some point - best buy that lottery ticket. One of the traditional Icelandic foods I did know about before we went to Iceland was Skyr, although I hadn't actually tasted it. Pronounced skee-er, it is officially a sour cheese but is yogurt like in texture with a really creamy flavour and texture. However the rather exciting part is that it has zero fat yet high in protein. Not quite sure how they manage that! We saw it most often served at breakfast natural, flavoured or layered with fruit. A local delicacy since the 11th century it's pretty widely available in UK supermarkets and we've been buying it since we came home and enjoying it for breakfast, as a desert and in smoothies like the one I'm sharing today.









Our first full day in Iceland took us from our accommodation at Keflavik on a journey round the Reykjanes Peninsula finishing up at the famous Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa . As we arrived a gorgeous rainbow appeared as if on cue to confirm the sheer magic of the place. Fear not, there are no photos of us luxuriating in the Lagoon with our face masks. We opted for the comfort package which provides you with a towel, algae mask and a drink. Whilst I quaffed my Prosecco Foodie Boy was raving about his Blueberry Skyr Smoothie and demanding a second. Time to memorise the ingredients so we could attempt to recreate at home. Blue Lagoon is an absolute must visit on any trip to Iceland but be sure to book well in advance as it is so popular. As it's close to the airport it works well do visit on your first or last day in Iceland.




As boys growing up in London, Nick and Simon Goodman regarded their father Bernard as an enigma.

I was not really sure what he did for a living, Nick recalls. He was a manufacturers agent, whatever that meant, but it allowed him to go to Europe all the time.

Simon says his father went into a funk any time they asked him about what he did on those trips  or about his past.

The mystery heighted after Bernard Goodman died in 1994 at age 80. Four months later, Nick and Simon  who moved to southern California in their twenties to pursue careers in the music industry  received an unexpected shipment of cardboard boxes.

Ultimately those boxes revealed the answers to their questions. The brothers, raised Christian, were the grandchildren of Fritz and Louise Gutmann, a wealthy Amsterdam banker and his wife Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

The brothers also learned they were the rightful heirs to their grandparents art collection that had been looted by the Nazis.

The Goodmans story is a powerful episode of the Fox Business Network program Strange Inheritance with Jamie Colby. It premieres Monday, March 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Nick and Simon learned the Allies art recovery team called "The Monuments Men  popularized in the 2014 film starring George Clooney and Matt Damon assisted their fathers efforts to reclaim his parents art.

It was his lifetime mission, Nick says. This was what he was all about, trying to find his family heritage.

The boxes that Nick and Simon received from their father contained Nazi records detailing the hundreds of artworks and antiques stolen from the Gutmanns. They also found negatives of some of the masterpieces.

One shows a landscape by the 19th-century impressionist master Edgar Degas, titled Paysage. The brothers found the masterpiece in the Art Institute of Chicago, on loan from pharmaceutical magnate Daniel Searle.

I nearly fell off my chair, says Simon.

After a legal battle, the brothers received approximately $250,000 under a settlement that allowed the painting to remain in the museum with a placard stating it had been part of their grandparents collection.

My grandfather didnt just die for nothing; he didnt just disappear, Simon says

It was the first dispute over Nazi-looted art settled in the U.S.

The case renewed hope to families who might not have recovered property after World War II that indeed they could, says Monica Dugot, an Art restitution specialist at the Christies auction house.

It certainly inspired the brothers to push even harder to recover the rest of their inheritance. In 2002, the Dutch government returned more than 250 artworks and antiques to the family. An auction of some of those pieces brought in more than $4 million.

But Simon says its not about the money.

Its justice, Simon says. Its about vindicating my father and my grandfather.
President Trump signed a revised executive order on immigration on Monday, which was designed to avoid the legal challenges that prohibited his first controversial order from being carried out.

The new order, which takes effect on March 16, bars citizens in six Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. for 90 days, but does not ban citizens from Iraq as the first did.

Administration officials told reporters yesterday Iraq made necessary changes to improve their vetting process, but critics continue to call the new order a Muslim ban.

Despite this, Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor emeritus, told the FOX Business Network that the new order is more likely to survive constitutional attacks.

From a view of constitutionality, Dershowitz said, they have dotted their Is, they crossed their Ts [and] they will probably prevail in court proceedings.

In his opinion, taking religion out was the most important change made to the executive order.

They didnt have a special exception for minority religions, which was perceived as discriminating in favor of Christians, he said. They made it clear that administrators can give case-by-case preference but it would have to be based not on somebody being a Christian, but on being a minority religious person.

Even so, Dershowitz pointed out that the order would still face opposition within some states.

I guarantee you that the attorneys general of Washington and Minnesota and New York are up and burning the midnight candles trying to figure out how to challenge this in court.
Former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden said Tuesday there was no body of evidence for President Trump to make the claim that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretaps of his phones during the election.

What was claimed is inconsistent with the way I know the system works, Hayden told FOX Business Neil Cavuto.

According to Hayden, the president hasnt had the authority to order a wiretap since the 1970s. Instead, the request would need to go through a court, he said.

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

Since the president took office, the White House has been plagued with intel leaks. Hayden, who took over as CIA director in May 2006, said he faced a similar issue.

"One of the biggest problems we had was leaks. And my first speech to the workforce was: this is stopping. We are out of this as source or subject, Hayden said, adding that he does not believe people within the intelligence community should immediately be blamed.

I would not automatically assume that the source of this are intel people, even when the data being leaked is intelligence, he said.

Furthermore, Hayden offered advice to the administration, based on his past experience.

My tool though wasnt a vendetta, wasnt an investigation, wasnt beating people up, he said. My tool was openness within the agency, so that people actually felt they had a place in which their views were valued. Id suggest that approach for the administration.

He added: What youve got is a situation that we as Americans have to agree is really bad. We cannot have the permanent government at war with the incoming administration. Both sides need to step back, take a breath.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Russia granted Kazakh airlines the right to fly on the Trans-Siberian routes, crossing Russian airspace, Kazakh Investment and Development Ministry said in a message March 7.

The corresponding agreement was reached between Kazakhstan and Russia after long negotiations.

This permission will allow Kazakh Airlines to launch new flights to Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Tokyo (Japan).

In addition, Kazakhstan carriers got permission to perform daily flights on Astana-Baikonur and Almaty-Baikonur routes.

Baikonur city is located next to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, however is rented and administered by Russia (currently until 2050).

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
What's worse than a melting ice cream cone on a hot summer day? Getting no ice cream at all.

McDonalds customer complaints have been heard loud and clear.

Amid an ongoing social media outcry over the perennially out-of-order ice cream machines, the fast-food chain has announced plans to introduce new and improved frozen treat making technology.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new machines will require less downtime to clean and can dispense more flavors than the ones currently in use. Theyll also have fewer parts and will be easier to maintain.

The new machines are already in use in some foreign locations and will soon be introduced at stores in the U.S. and in Europe.

The decision to switch up the ice cream makers follows a series of social media posts and inquiries where dismayed diners complained about the reasons why the machines seemed to be down or out of use, particularly later at night.

But the chain says it requires its machines to undergo a daily automated heat cleaning cycle that lasts up to four hours. That cycle is often triggered later at night during non-peak hours. The lengthy cleaning time often means that employees would start the process during hours of operation.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

We regularly service our soft-serve equipment during off-peak hours, a spokesperson told the Journal in January. Customers who come in during that time may encounter a longer wait time or soft-serve dessert unavailability.

But the elusiveness of the McFlurry, McDonald's signature frozen dessert with soft-serve ice cream with M&Ms or Oreo cookies, and other ice cream selections, hasnt been lost on fans of Mickey Ds.

@tacobell 's freeze machine works fine but @McDonalds' McFlurry machine never works.  Nicholas Smith (@MusicEveryDay12) February 25, 2017

The introduction of the new ice-cream makers comes amid the fast-food chains attempt to revive sluggish sales by refocusing on loyal customers.
A New Jersey man has sued a Fieldbrook Foods ice cream production facility amid claims that he suffered frostbite while on duty handling frozen treats.

According to the lawsuit, Raheem Muhammed, who worked at the Mister Cookie Face plant in Lakewood, N.J. suffered from such a severe case of frostbite that he had to endure partial amputations of some of his fingers.

Muhammed, from Elizabeth, who was working at the plant April 2016, claims that he was required to handle ice cream products during and right after the freezing process. In the suit, however, the former employee alleges that gloves the company gave him to use in the freezer for the work required were not adequate.

The suit is requesting copies of video recordings and photographs of the location where Muhammed worked and his lawyers also want copies of the companys policy and procedure manuals as well as their accident safety manuals. Muhammed claimed that Mister Cookie Face, which produces several ice cream treats and novelty foods for various private labels, was negligent for allegedly not providing employee safety measures.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

According to the suit, the gloves which (Muhammed) was provided for handling the ice cream products were woefully inadequate for handling frozen ice cream products.

Bob Charleston, the president and CEO of Fieldbrook Foods which owns Mister Cookie Face told NJ Advance Media that he was unaware of the lawsuit and could not comment on potential litigation.

In July 2016 Mister Cookie Face issued a voluntary recall of its Sundae Shop Novelty Ice Cream Dipped "Variety" Cones. According to The Morning Call, the product was recalled because peanuts in the product were not declared on the items allergen statement.

The product in question did have peanut sprinkles.
People have strong opinions about whether pineapple belongs on a pizza, but one Arizona pizzeria has apparently reached its breaking point.

On Saturday, a student at the University of Arizona in Tucson claims she ordered a pizza topped with the tropical fruit, but was instead delivered a pie sans pineapple. In its place was a five dollar bill, along with a note from the employee who was tasked with preparing her pizza.

EXPERT NAMES THE BEST CHEESE TO USE ON A PIZZA

Couldnt bring myself to put pineapple on it, the pizza maker wrote on the underside of the boxs top. Thats gross. Sorry.

I ORDERED A PIZZA WITH PINEAPPLE AND pic.twitter.com/VkmdaHYBwe  ali (@Try2ShootUsDown) March 5, 2017

Ali, the student who ordered the pizza, told Thrillist that everything else she wanted was accounted for  chicken, onion, BBQ sauce. Just no pineapple.

The student also claims she called the pizzeria afterward, but not to complain. She told them she thought their joke was funny, but asked if it was still possible to get the pizza she ordered.

"They said they'd be happy to compensate me with coupons, but I just let it slide," she told Thrillist. The $5 was enough!

Ali didnt specify which pizza place sent her the pineapple-free pizza, but a friend of hers has already defended the storys validity to critics on Twitter, as the two were allegedly FaceTiming when Ali received her delivery:

Look she's funny but not this funny to make it up. I witnessed this happen :) https://t.co/F4TqE0oVX8  dan  (@Freakin_Dani) March 5, 2017

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

This incident comes amid a growing debate over pineapples place on a pizza, which began in February after Icelands President Guni Th. Johannessonuring told a group of high-schoolers that hed make the topping illegal if he could.

Gunis remarks, while said in jest, kicked off a rousing discussion on social media between pineapple proponents and anti-pineapple factions.

When someone orders a pizza with pineapples #pineappleonPizza pic.twitter.com/kSTbKJ6P59  Dazmo  (@SuperDazmo) March 6, 2017

HOW U GONNA TELL ME U DONT LIKE PINEAPPLE PIZZA pic.twitter.com/CHHa33OtA1  JB (@breeezybouch) March 6, 2017

Guni himself even took to Facebook to clarify his stance, telling his followers that he enjoys pineapple, but just doesnt prefer it on a pizza.

I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza, wrote Guni in February. I am glad that I do not hold such power.
A 12-year-old boy who asked for a dog with three legs after losing one of his own to cancer has found a loving companion in a 2-year-old pitbull mix named Logan.

Quinn Scharn was first diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer as a baby, and underwent a year of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation by the time he was two, 9 News reported. Two years ago, he faced another cancer diagnosis and had his right leg and hip amputated.

Right after my surgery, I wanted a dog with three legs, Scharn told Fox 40. That was the first thing I said when I woke up.

Scharns mother, Teresa, set off on an extensive search to find the perfect match for her son, which led to the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento. She found photos of Logan, who had been picked up as a stray with a broken leg that had to be amputated, Fox 40 reported. However, before they had the chance to connect with the pup, another family had reserved him.

They were disappointed but decided to wait, Gina Knepp, of Front Street Animal Shelter, told Fox 40. So they sat down and waited and the woman changed her mind.

Logan and Scharn had an instant connection, bringing many who witnessed the union to tears.

"When I saw him and the dog together the immediate reaction was a welling of tears, there were a lot of tears yesterday, joyful tears, Knepp told Fox 40.
Patients with mental disabilities are regularly turned down for life-saving procedures despite federal law prohibiting such bias, a Washington Post report published March 4 reveals. At the center of the potential ethical dilemma is Paul Corby, a 27-year-old who needs a life-prolonging heart transplant but has been rejected from programs due to psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the processand the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior.

I couldnt even believe this would happen, that this would be the reason in this day and age, Karen Corby, Paul Corbys mother, told The Post.

Corby suffers from a form of cardiomyopathy that killed his father at age 27. There is neither a cure nor a surgical fix, but he was rejected from the University of Pennsylvania transplant program in 2011 despite a letter of recommendation for the procedure from his psychiatrist. His mother told The Post that in addition to autism, Corby was diagnosed with a mood disorder and impulse-control disorder as a teen but has since made significant progress, which was also noted in his therapists letter. He takes 19 medications and requires some adult supervision for occasional outbursts, but manages his pills on his own and can communicate well.

When individuals are referred for transplant evaluation here, all aspects of their medical status are reviewed, Susan Phillips, Penn Medicines senior vice president for public affairs, told The Post. This may include the potential impact of other existing health problems on the success of the surgery itself, and the potential interaction between a patients existing drug therapies and the drugs that would be necessary to stop transplant rejection. Given the criticality of post-surgery care following any solid organ transplant, the patients support system is also taken into account  the ultimate decision about whether transplant surgery is appropriate is, of course, made on an individual basis.

While a patient with Corbys disabilities may be rejected at one transplant center, its possible that he would be approved at another, the report found. The staff members who comprise transplant programs at 815 U.S. centers are able to weigh neurocognitive disabilities as heavily or lightly as they decide. According to the report, some of the centers, which were not identified, explicitly rule out all patients with certain disabilities.

As a society, we want individual transplant centers to maintain discretion about putting people on their list or not, Scott Halpern, an ethicist at the University of Pennsylvania medical center, told The Post. We dont want government playing doctor at the bedside. Having said that, the current system lacks the accountability that we might wish it to have. There are virtually no checks and balances on the decisions that transplant centers make.

There currently are no guidelines against discrimination based on disabilities for organ transplants, but in October members of Congress called on the Department of Health and Human Services civil rights office to produce them. An HHS spokesperson told The Post that the agency is working to clarify the obligations of covered entities participating in the transplant process and to provide equal access to their programs to individuals with disabilities.

Four states, including Pennsylvania which named its legislation after Corby, have passed laws in an attempt to bar discrimination in transplant decisions, according to The Post.
The mother of a special education student who drowned at his Chicago schools swimming pool earlier this year has filed a lawsuit claiming in part that her son was left unsupervised by a lifeguard who was using a computer in a nearby office. Rosario Gomez, an autistic 14-year-old student at Kennedy High School, was at the pool on Jan. 25 with a group of special education students, The Chicago Tribune reported.

His mother, Yolanda Juarez, said that the district should have known that her son could not swim, and that his cognitive disabilities made it difficult for him to understand the dangers of the pool. The lawsuit alleges that Gomez was not paired with a buddy before entering the pool, and that the lifeguard supervising the group was in an office on the computer, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The lawsuit claims Gomez "was allowed to struggle and drown while in the swimming pool without any intervention, and that he was allowed to remain unnoticed at the bottom of the swimming pool for a long enough period so that paramedics were unable to revive him, according to the report.

The lawsuit, which names the Chicago Board of Education, seeks more than $100,000 in damages.
Imagine the scene: Cambridge, Mass., on a crisp, sunny spring day, with Commencement just around the corner.

With over 200 girls still kidnapped in the forests of Nigeria by the Islamist terror organization Boko Haram, I decide to exercise my right to free speech and peaceful protest against extremism by urging classmates to pray toward Mecca five times in one day in Harvard Yard.

Heres the twist  we arent Muslim, and we dont believe in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

[pullquote]

Nope, Ill be urging my fellow protesters to buck Islamic law and show up in lingerie (as people did at Harvards recent Black Mass, a poke in the eye to the Catholic requirement that shoulders and knees be covered in a church), bearing pork sandwiches as sustenance for the long day ahead.

For good measure, Ill be passing out fliers explaining how some forms of Islam endanger womens rights. I will also be tweeting #BringBackOurGirls from my prayer mat, flying in the face of Islamic code (a prayer mat cant be open unless youre praying on it).

Is it my right to do so? Yes, on public property. But Harvard is a private institution.

Should I do it? Absolutely not. Whether its private or public property.

I said it. Especially, on private grounds that people pay to learn on, some things just shouldnt be allowed.

Would Harvard support me and would the Muslim community acknowledge that the protest is my right? As a former Harvard undergraduate student, I doubt it.

I think Harvard would do everything in its power to impede my protest, just as it did everything in its power, beginning in 2008, to bar men from Harvard gyms at certain hours to accommodate Muslim women, who said it was problematic to exercise around men.

What did Harvard do when it was reported that a Black Mass, which is sacrilegious to Catholics, would take place on campus? Harvard did not say that the Black Mass had to be moved off campus (which the Satanic Club ultimately did of its own accord) or that it could not take place. Words of support are important, but I wish colleges would just say flat out, Nope, you cant do that. We respect multiculturalism too much here to possibly allow that.

The Black Mass was Constitutional, but it wasnt appropriate at or near a private institution of higher learning. Private institutions should not hesitate to ban practices that deeply offend others  as they often do when those practices offend Muslims, like men exercising around women.

Harvard President Drew Faust admirably spoke out against the Black Mass as flagrantly disrespectful and inflammatory and abhorrent. She also visited the campus Catholic church on the night of the Black Mass with 2,000 others to show respect for the Eucharist, a consecration of bread which Catholics believe becomes Christs body. What takes place at a Black Mass with the Body of Christ is beyond words I can actually write, so Im heartened by President Fausts brave move to condemn the ritual and support saddened Catholics.

I would sincerely hope that, in an alternate universe, if I were to plan a protest denigrating Islam, Harvard  an institution that has received millions of dollars from Muslim donors (and an institution where Muslims pay to learn)  would ban it. I actually do think Harvard would ban my pork-and-lingerie prayer time, even though it did not ban the Black Mass. Supporting Islam is trendier than supporting Christianity right now, and not supporting Islam has far deadlier consequences than not supporting Christianity.

And while President Faust strongly condemned the anti-Catholic ritual, we cant know whats happening inside Harvard classrooms. I was in many where my adherence to Catholicism was questioned (or even mocked) with ire that would never be directed at a Muslim. And forget questioning Islamic law  youd quickly make enemies of many professors and classmates.

Sadly, in so many college classrooms across America, only Christianity is up for intellectual debate (mostly centered on many denominations lack of support for same-sex marriage). At least, when I was at Harvard in 2011, Sharia Law was not up for discussion  it was seen merely as a cultural difference.

Were living in a world where Black Masses arent blocked, but activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali is blocked from receiving an honorary degree at Brandeis University for speaking out against extremist Islam. If American colleges continue their tolerance of intolerance, the latter will quickly overpower the former.
As a democratic stronghold in a region synonymous with political instability, Colombia is a critical ally for the United States in Latin America. However, for years, negotiations surrounding a peace deal between the Colombian political establishment and narco-terrorist organizations like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have polarized the nation and hindered relations between leading Colombian officials.

This division was on full display at the Concordia Americas Summit in Bogota, where former Colombian President Andres Pastrana delivered a stern, critical address on the state of the nation just hours before current President Juan Manuel Santos vigorously defended his peace plan in a reassuring speech on the deal the has championed from its inception.

Until recently, discussions over the terms of the deal have diverted attention and resources away from necessary efforts to combat drug trafficking, a longstanding problem that has inhibited Colombias quest for peace for decades.

Now that the deal has been approved, Colombia should use this moment as an opportunity to revive its crackdown on the narco-trafficking industry that has made peace so elusive for so long.

For decades, a vision dubbed Plan Colombia has guided American policy toward Colombia.

The initiative, which was developed by Presidents Bill Clinton & Pastrana, mastered by Bush & Uribe, and maintained by Obama & Santos, has long been the cornerstone of an aggressive stance on drug trafficking, corruption, and more of Colombias most pressing issues.

Recently, however, its areas of emphasis have taken a backseat to the countrys peace negotiations, enabling a re-emergence of narco-trafficking during which potential cocaine production in Colombia skyrocketed 46 percent between 2014 and 2015 according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

This staggering rise has given Colombias coca farmers the ability to produce an estimated 646 metric tons of cocaine annually, a majority of which would make its way to American streets and threaten the livelihood of our communities.

In the words of William Brownfield, former ambassador to Colombia and an expert on narcotics production, [the United States has] to acknowledge that as the peace process and the negotiations have developed for the last four years, one of the elements of the Colombian government policy that has not been maintained at its previous levels is counternarcotic and eradication efforts.

With the election of President Donald Trump, American involvement in Colombia is being evaluated, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Going forward, the U.S. should offer financial support for the implementation of the peace deal contingent upon one major commitment from Colombia: a strong reaffirmation and reinstatement of Plan Colombias aggressive policies combating narco-trafficking and cocaine production.

As Colombias biggest customer in the drug trade, America should work to help eradicate the nations production of narcotics. Doing so will protect the security of our nation and that of the Western Hemisphere, and will help America retain a stable ally in a critical neighboring region.

With the approval of the peace deal, Colombia is uniquely positioned to emerge as a leader in Latin America and a model for resilience in the implementation of democracy.

No doubt elements of the peace deal, like integrating the FARC into the Congress, will remain highly controversial.

The new American president has many competing priorities vying for his attention at home and abroad, but in our own hemisphere there lies a chance for America to underscore the importance of fundamental values like democracy, freedom of the press, and economic opportunity for all.

Equally important, however, is a chance for America and Colombia to resume a crackdown on narco-trafficking that will be instrumental to lasting peace across Latin America and the protection of American families from illicit drugs.
Americas military has been at war for the last fifteen years and the threat from global terrorism and transnational criminal organizations is nowhere near subsiding. Its a fight that will continue even as the Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other criminal enterprises face operational and leadership setbacks.

The threats posed by these groups will continuously evolve as long as a there is the existence of a radicalized Islamic ideology and criminal interests. This is sure to persist regardless of Americas commitment to eradicating evilno matter the endurance for the fight or the ability to absorb the cost it bears.

President Trumps pledge to rebuild the Armed Forces is necessary to sustain any hope for lasting success.

In this context, it is often the Army, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Air Force that receive attention, which President Trump has bestowed. But there is another service of equal importance to U.S. national security that consistently fails to receive the same treatment and respect, not just from commanders in chief but the entire federal government, including Congress.

Often overlooked but no less critical to protecting Americas national security interests is the U.S. Coast Guardan Armed Force at its core with a domestic mission unlike any of its counterparts. And as the traditional military services are expected to be major benefactors of the Presidents call for stronger national defense, the Coast Guard continues to be neglected.

This reality was underscored yet again when details of the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) outline for Fiscal Year 2018 were recently revealed.

The Coast Guard, operating on an already shoestring budget of $9 billion, is being targeted by OMB for a cut of $1.3 billion in the next fiscal year. A dramatic cut of such magnitude is appalling and should alarm Americans given the Coast Guards complex and expansive mission in protection of Americas shores and waterways.

One of two scenarios is plausible. Either OMB is responsible for this negligence or the President and his leadership team are content with reducing the Coast Guard to bare bones. In all likelihood, the proposed cut is likely the exclusive doing of OMB due to its incongruity with the Presidents stated goals to rebuild the militarysomething he has stated with resounding consistency.

Seemingly lost on OMB is the fact that the Coast Guard is the only military service with an extensive counter-narcotics mission with direct alignment to border security and law enforcement. So too is the fact that the Coast Guard interdicts more cocaine at sea than what is intercepted at ports of entry and among all other elements of domestic law enforcement combined.

It is also the Coast Guardnot the U.S. Navythat is responsible for the U.S. surface mission in the Arctic in the face of Russian and Chinese military, economic and territorial interests.

One of the most urgent acquisition priorities facing the Armed Forces is the rapid acquisition of three heavy icebreakers and three medium vessels.

No less compelling is the Coast Guards need for additional vessels, among them the Offshore Patrol Cutter, the National Security Cutter and the Fast Response Cutter, to conduct its basic mission while giving support to the Navy as it pivots elsewhere.

And as preparations are made for a wall on the Southwest border, migrants, smugglers and potential terrorists will look to Americas shores and waterways for entry and it wont be any of the traditional military services standing in their way. It will be the men and women of the Coast Guard.

OMBs proposed Coast Guard budget is an insult. It undercuts the service to nearly the point of paralysis. It cancels a National Security Cutter, despite the need for as many as five-to-six more. And it impedes any recalibration of end strength and other asset acquisition, including the acceleration of a ground-based Unmanned Aerial System program, leaving the Coast Guard at the mercy of Customs and Border Protection to meet its needs.

It is nonsensical to cut the Coast Guard budget, especially to the degree recommended by OMB, and then pretend as if needless exposures and risks wont be created.

If President Trump truly means what he says, then hell reject OMBs blatant disrespect for the Coast Guard and its mission, and remind his cabinet that the service is a critical element in protecting American security.

Otherwise, America will be put at greater risk from the very organizations and criminal activity that President Trump himself has said must be confronted. Absent a strong Coast Guard, America will be less safe and President Trumps ambition to fully reconstitute the military and enhance security will go unmet.
The Trump haters say his campaign worked with the Russians to derail Hillary Clinton's chances to be president. That accusation has angered the president and tied up his administration with unwanted controversy. Showing his annoyance the president tweeted over the weekend that he now believes Barack Obama himself ordered phone taps at the Trump Tower.

Now, all hell is breaking loose. Let's look at the facts.

Unfortunately, there are only two facts in this whole swamp of accusations. Only two!

First, the calls between General Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador were tapped by somebody. And a portion of those conversations were given to "The Washington Post."

So, who tapped the call? We don't know.

Second fact. President Obama allowed Attorney General Loretta Lynch to change the way U.S. intelligence agencies share unconfirmed data. That happened in January, just a few days before President Obama left office. It used to be, the intelligence agencies would guard their secrets. Now, the NSA can give them to other agencies, even if the intelligence is not confirmed. The results? Leaks sprouting all over the place! Leaks that are damaging to the Trump administration.

So, why did President Obama change the intel standards? We don't know. But Donald Trump apparently believes it was to sabotage his incoming administration. That's it. That's the only factual information we can give you.

All the rest is blather, opinion, propaganda, speculation.

The entire tawdry mass is based on the Russian hacking, which bedeviled the Clinton campaign. As stated, some anti-Trump people accuse the president and his acolytes of working with the Russians. But Sunday, the former director of National Intelligence under President Obama said he found no evidence of that. Heres this exchange from Meet the Press:

MEET THE PRESS HOST, CHUCK TODD: Does intelligence exists that can definitively answer the following question, whether there were improper contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials?

FORMER DNI JAMES CLAPPER: We did not include any evidence in our report, and I say our, that is NSA, FBI, and CIA, with my office, the director of National Intelligence, that had anything, that had any reflection of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians. There was no evidence of that included in our report.

And that report was issued on January 6. Also, a senator investigating the Russian deal said the same thing. Heres this exchange with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday:

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS SUNDAY ANCHOR: I know you have been briefed by FBI Director Comey and other members of the intelligence community, investigative community, you have seen no evidence so far of collusion?

SEN. TOM COTTON (R), ARKANSAS: Thus far, I have not. Now, we are still in the relatively early stages for our inquiry and it will be thorough and wide-ranging, we'll follow the facts wherever they take us.

Senator Cotton will be on The Factor Tuesday night.

So, any fair-minded person has to acknowledge that there is no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, at least at this point. Correct?

Now, onto the tapping. In order for that to legally happen, a judge would have to issue a FISA warrant.

Heres this exchange from Sundays Meet the Press:

TODD: If the FBI, for instance, had a FISA court order some sort for a surveillance, would that the information you would know or not know?

CLAPPER: Yes.

TODD: You would be told this?

CLAPPER: I would know that.

TODD: If there was a FISA court order or something like this?

CLAPPER: Yes, something like this, absolutely.

TODD: And at this point, you can't confirm or deny whether that exists?

CLAPPER: I can deny it.

That is pretty definitive. President Trump has asked for an investigation into the alleged tapping. We assume that will happen but this whole thing is terrible for the country.

America's credibility is being damaged all over the world. And the federal government's ability to even operate is being impeded.

So, for the good of the country, perhaps we should tamp down the madness a bit.

Let Congress do its job and investigate. Okay?

Adapted from the Talking Points Memo on March 6, 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

International Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank in Kazakhstan will be built by September 2017, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said addressing the Agencys Board of Governors in Vienna March 6, IAEA said in a message.

Construction of the LEU Storage Facility is proceeding on schedule and Kazakhstan expects to have the facility built, and ready to receive LEU, by September this year, he said.

He noted that there is increasing interest in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and the need for Agency nuclear verification activities is growing steadily.

The IAEA LEU Bank will be a physical reserve of up to 90 tons of LEU, sufficient to run a 1,000 MWe light-water reactor. Such a reactor can power a large city for three years. The IAEA LEU Bank will be located at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Oskemen in north-eastern Kazakhstan. It will act as a supplier of LEU for the IAEA Member States in case they cannot obtain it on the global commercial market or otherwise.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
President Trump set off a firestorm over the weekend when he tweeted an accusation that his predecessor had wiretapped him and the Democrats and their cronies in the alt-left media predictably melted down.

For weeks, I've been reporting on former President Obama's shadow government and the career bureaucrats who are actively working against President Trump from inside the government. They include people in the intelligence community who are leaking information to try and damage and destroy President Trump and his inner circle. One by one, each of Trumps key advisers have been smeared, slandered and besmirched. Even Trumps wife and children have been targeted.

The alt-left propaganda media is colluding with these leakers and deep state bureaucrats with the sole purpose of stopping President Trump's agenda, to try and delegitimize the president with the hopes of eventually removing him from power.

This is no paranoid conspiracy theory. There's a disturbing pattern going on here.

Consider the case of former Trump national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Remember news reports that a December call Flynn made to the Russian ambassador was captured by what The New York Times described as a "routine wiretap?" We were led to believe it was the ambassador who was being spied upon.

It's not out of the ordinary for our government to monitor foreign officials. But protections known as minimization procedures have been put in place to protect Americans that are not under warrant from being caught up in surveillance operations. Their constitutional rights are supposed to be protected.

This was not the case with Flynn, because we know a transcript of his call was created and given to intelligence officials, who then leaked this information to the press. Thats a felony.

In February, when all this was going down, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., he called it "unprecedented." Nunes said Flynn could not have been the target of spying unless the relevant intelligence agency had a subpoena.

What I'm assuming is, is that this was picked up as they were tracking someone else, Nunes said. And if that's the case, that would have had to go up to the highest levels of the Obama administration to get approval to unmask who [the non-targeted party was], and in this case, it was General Flynn.

Fox News has not been able to confirm this, but the day before the election, on Nov. 7, the website HeatStreet published a report with the following headline: "Exclusive: FBI granted FISA warrant covering Trump camp's ties to Russia."

HeatStreet reported that in the previous month, the Obama administration went to the FISA court, which grants warrants for surveillance of potential spies or terrorists, and sought to monitor "U.S. persons in Donald Trump's campaign with ties to Russia." This was part of a larger probe into Russian banks, according to Heat Street. Other outlets, including the BBC and Guardian, also reported that a FISA court warrant was granted.

If true, it was no isolated incident. There are countless reports of various federal agencies under President Obama looking into activities of or intercepting communications with people associated with the Trump campaign.

For example, the news service McClatchy posted a story in January headlined: "FBI, five other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump." On the day President Trump was inaugurated, the front page of The New York Times ran an article with this headline: "Wiretap data used in inquiry of Trump aides."

The Times story even explained that, "in its final days, the Obama administration expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government's 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections."

Why would President Obama wait seven years and 11 months to issue that order? Because he wanted as much information  true or not - to be available to his appointed deep state shadow government officials so they could leak it to the press with maximum cover.

So if the surveillance was ordered, steps were also taken to help ensure that whatever was revealed would get to the alt-left propaganda media. But the Obama administration had nothing to do with the surveillance, right? Heres what Obamas spokesman said:

"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."

That very lawyerly statement doesnot say that President Obama did not know about the surveillance, just that he didn't directly order it. Even President Obama's former speech writer noted this on Twitter this past weekend.

So the old familiar question is, what did the president know and when did he know it? Did the president have any answers about surveillance of an opposition candidate in the middle of an election?

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey who knows a thing or two about this entire process, and here's what he said:

This is the difference between being correct and being right, Mukasey told ABC News Martha Raddatz, who cried on election night when Hillary Clinton lost. I think the president was not correct, certainly, in saying that President Obama ordered a tap on a server in Trump Tower. However, I think he's right in that there was surveillance and that it was conducted at the behest of the attorney -- of the Justice Department through the FISA court.

I believe what happened to Flynn and what we are now seeing with all these other intelligence leaks represents the tip of the iceberg. This accusation that President Trump made is serious. We need to get to the bottom of it. We need to know where the information came from and who leaked it. And we need to know what role, if any, former President Obama played in this sordid affair.

Adapted from Sean Hannity's monologue on "Hannity," March 6, 2017
In his first speech as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson likened slaves forced to come to America to immigrants seeking a better life.

Thats what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity, Carson told hundreds of federal employees Monday.

There were other immigrants who came in the bottom of slave ships, who worked even longer, even harder, for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land, Carson added.

HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan attempted to clarify Carsons comments telling CNN, Nobody here believes he was equating voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude - but it seemed the damage was done.

Carsons comments set off an uproar on social media.

Pulp Fiction star Samuel L. Jackson weighed in with a few choice words on Twitter.

OK!! Ben Carson I cant! Immigrants? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!!

The NAACP tweeted: Immigrants?

This is not the first time Carson has likened something to slavery.

During an interview with NBC in 2015, he compared abortion to slavery.

During slavery  and I know thats one of those words youre not supposed to say, but Im saying it  during slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought that they had the right to do whatever they wanted to the slave, he said. What if the abolitionists had said, I dont believe in slavery, I think its wrong, but you guys do whatever you want to do?

At the Values Voter Summit in 2013, Carson called ObamaCare the worst thing since slavery.

It is slavery in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care, Carson aid. It was about control.

Calls to HUD for comment were not immediately returned.
House Republicans on Monday evening released the text of their long-awaited ObamaCare replacement bill, proposing to eliminate the various taxes and penalties tied to the original legislation while still preserving certain patient protections.

Aiming to deliver on their signature campaign promise after several election cycles trying to reclaim control of Washington, majority Republicans unveiled what they call the American Health Care Act. The sweeping legislation would repeal ObamaCares taxes along with the so-called individual and employer mandates  which imposed fines for not buying and offering insurance, respectively.

It also would repeal the Affordable Care Acts subsidies, replacing them with tax credits for consumers.

CLICK TO READ THE TEXT OF THE OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT BILL.

The bill would continue Obama's expansion of Medicaid to additional low-earning Americans until 2020. After that, states adding Medicaid recipients would no longer receive the additional federal funds the statute has provided.



More significantly, Republicans would overhaul the federal-state Medicaid program, changing its open-ended federal financing to a limit based on enrollment and costs in each state.

We begin by repealing the awful taxes, the mandate penalties and the subsidies in ObamaCare, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, told Fox News Special Report with Bret Baier in an exclusive interview.

Asked about some conservatives concerns that GOP leaders are merely pushing ObamaCare Lite, Brady countered, It is ObamaCare gone.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., told Fox News they also are not pulling the rug out from under people. Rather, he said Republicans want to restore power to the states and control costs in Medicaid and elsewhere.

Itll amount to the biggest entitlement reform, probably in at least the last 20 years, he said.

The release of the bill touches off what is likely to be a contentious debate, not just with Democrats but within the Republican Party.

The White House signaled its approval of the plan, with spokesman Sean Spicer saying, "Today marks an important step toward restoring healthcare choices and affordability back to the American people."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill "hands billionaires a massive new tax break while shifting huge costs and burdens onto working families across America."

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the proposal "would cut and cap Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood, and force Americans, particularly older Americans, to pay more out of pocket for their medical care all so insurance companies can pad their bottom line."

The first test for GOP leaders, who have been under heavy pressure ever since President Trump took office to release a bill, will be whether the text satisfies the influential conservative wing  which has the numbers to torpedo the legislation. But it is a balancing act, as moderate Republican lawmakers, as well as governors of both parties, also have warned against going too far in rolling back consumer protections and benefits.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the bill would "drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance." He added, "This unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare."

However, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the bill "looks like ObamaCare Lite to me ... It's going to have to be better."

Rank-and-file Republicans were watching to see if the legislation brings down the cost of healthcare.

"If it doesn't, we haven't changed anything," one House Republican told Fox News.

While subsidies would be repealed in the new bill, they would be replaced by monthly tax credits. The credits, worth between $2,000 and $14,000 a year, could be used by low-and-middle-income families who dont get work- or government-sponsored insurance to buy state-certified plans.

The credits would be based on age and family size, unlike the income-based version under ObamaCare. Conservatives have objected that that feature creates a new entitlement program the government cannot afford.

"I cant believe many conservative groups are going to like this," one GOP lawmaker told Fox.

Republicans said they'd not yet received official cost estimates on the overall bill from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That office's projections on the bill's price tag and the number of people the measure would cover could be key in winning over recalcitrant Republicans, or making them even harder to win over.

It's unclear how many people might lose coverage under the new plan.

The legislation, meanwhile, would preserve protections for those with pre-existing conditions by prohibiting insurers from denying coverage or charging them more. It also would continue to allow young adults to stay on their parents plans up to age 26.

Further, the plan would call for a transition away from the current Medicaid expansion, which was used under the original law to cover millions more people. Republicans also say theyd give states $100 billion to design their own programs, while upping the amount of money families can contribute to so-called Health Savings Accounts.

A series of tax increases on higher-earning people, the insurance industry and others used to finance the Obama overhaul's coverage expansion would be repealed as of 2018.



In a last-minute change to satisfy conservative lawmakers, business and unions, Republicans dropped a plan pushed by Ryan to impose a first-ever tax on the most generous employer-provided health plans.

Fox News is told the plan is to go to both the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees on Wednesday for "mark-up" sessions where they will craft a final version of the bill. The legislation would tentatively go before the House Budget Committee next week.

The hope is that the bill would hit the House floor the week after that -- and the Senate before the Easter recess.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wouldn't rule out changes in the measure by his chamber, where significant numbers of moderate Republicans have expressed concerns that the measure could leave too many voters without coverage.



"The House has the right to come up with what it wants to and present it to the Senate by passing it. And we have a right to look it over and see if we like it or don't," Hatch told reporters.



Underscoring those worries, four GOP senators released a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., shortly before the bill was unveiled.



They complained that an earlier, similar draft of the measure "does not provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states." Signing the letter were Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Fox News Chad Pergram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Immigration rights groups on Monday were unhappy with President Trump's revised executive order on immigration, but stopped short of saying they would challenge it in court or find other ways to fight it.

The new order, which takes effect on March 16, makes it so people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who are outside the United States and don't have a valid visa are "not eligible to travel" to the country for 90 days.

The American Civil Liberties Union was part of the successful stay by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that caused Trump to revise the ban in the first place. That group said Monday that Trump's new version of the ban is still not acceptable.

"The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. "President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people."

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
Alabama lawmakers will meet Tuesday to discuss the possible impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley over an alleged affair with a former political aide.

Bentley, a Republican, admitted last year that he made inappropriate remarks to his former confidante and adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason, but denied having an affair with her.

Mason resigned from her post last March.

Bentley was also accused of misusing state property and violating campaign finance rules, AL.com reported. He has denied those charges.

Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, said he plans on continuing the investigation as soon as he gets clearance from current Attorney General Steve Marshall.

The Alabama House Judiciary Committee will examine a procedural inquiry concerning the impeachment investigation. The Senate will hold the trial should the House vote to impeach Bentley, the newspaper reported.

Click for more from AL.com
Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz sparked fury online Tuesday after saying Americans may have to choose between buying a new iPhone and health insurance  yet the criticism glossed over similar remarks made by then-President Barack Obama.

Chaffetz was speaking after House Republicans revealed their plan to replace ObamaCare. Responding to claims the plan doesnt guarantee access to care for low-income Americans, he said:

"Well, we're getting rid of the individual mandate. We're getting rid of those things that people said that they don't want. ... Americans have choices, and they've got to make a choice. So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care.

Chaffetzs remarks to CNN sparked a firestorm on social media as iPhones quickly became a top trending topic, as did TrumpCare.

Chaffetz's phone comment reveals truth behind this plan: GOP is literally wiling to let poor people die because they think they're greedy.  Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) March 7, 2017 Pick one. Healthcare or a way to contact your family. Chaffetz says you can't have both! pic.twitter.com/AJ2yc1zHkm  Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) March 7, 2017

The controversy was widely reported, with some outlets expressing outrage at the congressmans comments.

The Washington Posts Philip Bump wrote that Chaffetzs comment revives the poverty is a choice argument." Meanwhile, Slate declared: GOPs most embarrassing Congressman strikes again while Yahoo News went so far as to break down the exact cost of an iPhone, both for a Verizon contract and an AT&T contract, to compare the cost to health insurance.

Yet left unsaid was that Obama made similar comments in 2014. In a town hall meeting with Spanish-language outlets, Obama was asked about a man who had written in saying he still couldnt afford insurance.

In a lengthy answer, Obama speculated about someone making $40,000-$50,000 a year, who thinks an insurance option that costs $300 a month is too much.

I guess what I would say is if you looked at that persons budget and you looked at their cable bill, their telephone  cell phone bill, other things that theyre spending on, it may turn out that they just havent prioritized health care because right now everybody is healthy," he said.

Nobody actually wants to spend money on health insurance until they get sick, he added.

Chaffetz later clarified his comments on Fox News "Americas Newsroom," and conceded he didnt make his remarks as smoothly as he could.

"What we're trying to say -- and maybe I didn't say it as smoothly as I possibly could -- but people need to make a conscious choice and I believe in self-reliance," he said. "And they're going to have to make those decisions."
House Republicans long-awaited ObamaCare replacement bill already is being met with complaints from congressional conservatives who warn the proposed legislation comes with too much cost and too much government -- signaling a tough fight ahead for GOP leaders looking to send a bill promptly to President Trumps desk.

The legislation, released Monday evening, heads next to a pair of committees where lawmakers will start refining it.

The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them.

But influence-wielding conservatives are likely to seek significant changes.

On the Senate side, Kentuckys Rand Paul told Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning that the proposals call to continue the original laws Medicaid expansion through 2020 -- before ending additional federal aid to participating states -- is untenable.

While the House GOP bill would nix the so-called individual mandate to buy insurance and the accompanying penalties, Paul complained that the proposal would instead let insurers add a 30 percent premium surcharge for anyone whose insurance lapses.

Paul said thats effectively a mandate, only the penalty is paid to insurance companies instead of the government.

This is in all likelihood unconstitutional, Paul said. This is ObamaCare Lite. It will not pass. Conservatives are not going to take it.

Republicans behind the new legislation reject that tag.

It is ObamaCare gone, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, told Fox News Special Report with Bret Baier in an exclusive interview.

President Trump touted the new legislation on Twitter Tuesday morning.

Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster -- is imploding fast! he wrote.

The proposal indeed includes sweeping changes, to get rid of the original legislations various taxes, penalties and mandates.

But the Affordable Care Acts subsidies would be replaced by a different kind of monthly tax credit. It would preserve certain patient protections, including for those with pre-existing conditions -- while calling for an eventual transition away from the current Medicaid expansion.

The legislation reflects a balancing act, as GOP leaders try not only to deliver on their campaign promise to get rid of ObamaCare, but address concerns from the moderate wing that moving too drastically could result in significant reductions in coverage.

Several moderate GOP senators sent a letter late Monday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voicing concerns about the impact for families on Medicaid.

On the other end of the spectrum, conservatives pushed back against allowing the Medicaid expansion to continue while offering a new system of tax credits

It creates a new entitlement program and I've already heard from some constituents upset about [it], Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said. We're calling it tax credits, where we actually send people checks. I guess it's another way to do the subsidy.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Politico: This is ObamaCare by a different form.

Rank-and-file Republicans are watching closely to see the price tag of the bill, which still is unknown. Further, lawmakers want to see if the bill actually brings down the cost of health care.

I cant believe many conservative groups are going to like this, one House Republican said.

The legislation put out Monday evening apparently is just the beginning. Trump and a top aide to Ryan both said on Twitter Tuesday that Republicans want to tackle health care in three phases.

Trump tweeted that getting rid of state lines to promote competition will be in phase 2 & 3 of health care rollout.

Health Secretary Tom Price also talked up the proposal, calling it an important first step in a letter to key House Republicans.

Price later clarified, during the White House press briefing, that the second phase would include regulatory changes and the third would include additional legislation. This is about patients, he said.

Fox News Chad Pergram and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
President Trumps nominee for deputy attorney general, at his confirmation hearing Tuesday, pushed back on Democratic calls to name an independent special prosecutor to oversee the Justice Departments probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Democrats have shifted focus to nominee Rod Rosenstein in the wake of Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself last week from any such investigations. If confirmed, Rosenstein would be the point person on the election interference investigation.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said at Tuesdays hearing that Rosenstein has impressive credentials and she does not question his integrity. But she said, We need steel spines and there is a real danger the Justice Department could become politicized.

Rosenstein, though, said he is not aware of any circumstances that would demand his recusal, though he left the door open by saying he would become familiar with the evidence and reassess. But he would not commit to naming a special counsel.

Im not aware of any requirement for me to recuse at this time, Rosenstein said, under separate questioning from Republican Sen. Charles Grassley.

Meanwhile, fellow Marylander, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, praised Rosensteins record as U.S. attorney for Maryland and backed his nomination. But he also called for a special prosecutor and said Rosenstein should be willing to put his job on the line to uphold the values of the Justice Department.

Interviews with former colleagues and attorneys who know Rosenstein professionally all say he is a prosecutor that will work to defend the integrity and the independence of the Justice Department. And they dont expect him to bend to political pressure, from either side of the aisle, on a special prosecutor with broad jurisdiction to investigate alleged Russian influence on the election.

He may well decide to appoint a special prosecutor -- and if he does, it won't be because a senator demanded it during a confirmation hearing, said former DOJ attorney Jason Weinstein, who worked with Rosenstein during the Bush and Obama administrations. And it won't mean he lacks confidence in DOJ's ability to do the investigation right. It would be because he concludes it's the right thing to do for the Department and for the public's confidence in the integrity of the investigation. This is a partisan minefield no matter what he decides, but partisanship won't be part of the equation for him.

In explaining why shes already calling for a special prosecutor, Feinstein said, People have to trust  this investigation does not have even the appearance of conflict of interest.

Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn of Texas were skeptical of the Democrats intentions. Im confused that after praising Mr. Rosensteins credentials, the Democrats immediately went on to call for an independent investigation, he said.

Rosenstein said he has not spoken with Trump or Sessions about the possibility of appointing a special prosecutor, but hes willing to appoint a special counsel whenever I deem it appropriate based on the policies and procedures of the Justice Department.

Rosenstein has a long track record in high-profile cases that could bolster his reputation for independence.

As a young attorney in the 1990s, Rosenstein was tapped to join Kenneth Starrs team of prosecutors investigating shady Clinton real estate dealings in Arkansas.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Rosenstein to investigate who was leaking classified information about the Obama administrations role in cyberattacks against Iran. The DOJ later reached a guilty plea with retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright for making false statements about a covert cyberattack on Irans nuclear facilities. The New York Times decried the result, saying it would have a chilling effect on government employees leaking to the press.

Outside the Beltway scandals, Rosenstein also has prosecuted local corruption cases, including against former Prince Georges County Executive Jack B Johnson, who received a seven-year term for extortion and witness- and evidence-tampering. Rosenstein also has prosecuted allegedly corrupt Baltimore cops along with vicious gangs like MS-13.

The Maryland criminal defense bar knows that knowing Rod will get you nowhere when it comes to trying to influence decisions in his office. He simply does what is right and just and does not take personal relationships into account, said Baltimore criminal defense attorney Steve Silverman, who has known Rosenstein professionally for years.

Weinstein said, Regardless of his title and his position, he makes decisions the same way he did during his decades as a career prosecutor. That means following the facts wherever they lead, pursuing justice, and doing the right thing -- without regard for politics.
President Trump seems to have mended fences with most Republican governors, even hosting a cordial meeting last month with never Trumper John Kasich of Ohio. But one GOP governor from the land of Bernie Sanders is emerging as the exception  threatening to cause turbulence for the president from the same side of the aisle.

Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who was elected comfortably in one of the smallest and most liberal states on the same night Trump shocked the nation by defeating Hillary Clinton, is taking on Trumps executive orders boosting immigration enforcement. He has done so on two fronts: assembling a special cabinet to push back and promoting legislation to challenge what he calls federal overreach.

[I]t is increasingly clear that many elements in the orders have the potential to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens, and infringe on states rights afforded by the Tenth Amendment, Scott said last month, joined by a bipartisan group of state officials supporting the bill. This legislation serves to protect Vermont  against some of these potential violations, and to reassure our communities and citizens of their safety and security here.

Trumps orders vow to empower state and local law enforcement to perform the functions of immigration officers to whatever extent legally possible. To this end, it calls for reviving a partnership program known as 287(g).

Scott is a border-state governor, albeit on the border of Canada where illegal immigration is not nearly as rampant. Still, the governors office contends this portion of the orders could let the federal government commandeer state and local law enforcement assets.

The clash isnt necessarily surprising considering the blue tilt of Vermont, which has continually re-elected Sen. Sanders, an independent and professed democratic socialist, to Congress. Clinton won the state with 57 percent to Trumps 30 percent.

Scott, however, is making his case against the president in somewhat conservative-libertarian terms, arguing against federal encroachment, similar to contentions made by GOP governors that challenged then-President Barack Obama on the Affordable Care Act and his immigration executive actions.

We are a nation of United States  a constitutional republic made up of individually governed states empowering three equal branches of government to act on our behalf  not one nation-state governed exclusively by a president, Scott said on Jan. 30, when he announced his Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Cabinet to review the Trump orders composed of his legal counsel, the states attorney general, cabinet secretaries, state legislative leaders and one mayor.

It could be good politics, said one Vermont state elections expert.

It is a states rights argument, curiously, but Vermont has been a state known to buck the tide, Garrison Nelson, a political science professor at the University of Vermont, told Fox News. This is one of the most liberal states in the country. So, there is no punishment he will encounter for challenging the president. There is nothing to be gained by going along with the Trump agenda.

Scott won 53 percent of the vote, outperforming Trump by more than 20 points in the state. His victory was not an easy task as Obama recorded an ad for Democratic opponent Sue Minter  and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders stumped for her. He won on a fiscally conservative platform of vowing to veto any state budget that grew faster than the economy and was highly critical of the states health care system. Scott previously was the states lieutenant governor.

The proposed Vermont bill stipulates the decision for local law enforcement to take on federal immigration enforcement duties will rest solely in the hands of the governor, rather than the federal government or local officials. The bill further bars the collection of resident information based on race and religion for the purposes of a federal registry.

This bill has been carefully crafted  to confirm Vermont remains compliant with federal law, that we would not be established as a sanctuary state, and to address the needs and recommendations of our law enforcement partners, Scott said during a press conference in February.

Scotts spokeswoman Rebecca Kelly did not return numerous calls and emails from Fox News.

The federal government clashing with states over immigration is nothing new. Texas led a challenge to Obama executive actions that shielded about 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation. Before that, the Obama administration challenged the Arizona immigration enforcement law.

Now, the roles are reversed as some states and cities push back on more aggressive federal enforcement.

Legally speaking, Trumps executive orders on immigration dont yet appear to pose a Tenth Amendment issue, said Anthony Casso, a professor of law at Chapman University.

The executive order doesnt appear to be a coopting state and local resources, Casso told Fox News. The Department of Homeland Security is asking state governors to enter agreements, but a state can say no.

Casso cited the 1997 Supreme Court ruling in Printz v. United States that prohibits the federal government from coopting state and local law enforcement assets. But, he said, financial coercion is hardly different than withholding highway funds from states to enforce a federal 55 mile-per-hour speed limit, and other past practices by the federal government.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Heads of governments of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) signed a number of documents on further cooperation and integration within the meeting of the Eurasian intergovernmental council in Bishkek on March 7, Kyrgyz government said in a message.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration. Its members are Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

Within the meeting the EAEU member countries signed documents on the spheres of the economy with the integration potential, and measures aimed at its usage; on the progress in the preparation for the implementation of the digital agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union until 2025; on the results of the trade negotiations.

Moreover the heads of the governments signed a document on joint forecasts on the development of the agro-industrial complex and demand and supply for the main agricultural products and food in the EAEU member states in 2016  2017.

The parties also agreed to launch production of components for agricultural machinery and equipment in the EAEU member countries and on measures to develop exports of this machinery and equipment to the third countries.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
President Trump can hear him now.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, after getting into a political scrap with Trump at the start of the 2016 primary race that culminated in the billionaire businessman publicizing the senators personal phone number, indicated Tuesday they patched things up at a lunch meeting  and even gave him his new digits.

How good was the meeting? I gave him my NEW cell phone number, Graham said in a statement.

This could be a test of trust for Trump.

Back in 2015, Trump read aloud Grahams supposed phone number at a South Carolina rally, after Graham called him a jackass for questioning Sen. John McCains war hero status.

Graham later recorded a video with IJReview showing him destroying a cell phone, all set to classical music.

But all thats in the past. Graham reported Tuesday that he heard positive things from Trump about rebuilding the military during their lunch meeting.

I had a great lunch meeting with President Trump today. He is strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears, he said. President Trump is in deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded.
February continued the recent trend of gun-related background checks falling from record levels since former President Obama left office and President Trump was inaugurated.

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) ran 2,234,817 checks in February, according to FBI documents. That's a retreat of nearly 400,000 checks from last February.

The slowing but still historically high sales levels come on the heels of the highest year in history for gun sales. The FBI processed more than 27.5 million NICS checks in 2016. That's millions more than the previous record set in 2015.

NICS checks are widely considered the most reliable metric for how many guns were sold in a given time period since they are required on nearly all sales conducted by licensed dealers and between private parties in some states. They are not, however, an exact measure of actual sales because most states don't require NICS checks on sales between private parties, and more than one gun can be sold during a single check.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
The White House on Tuesday tried to walk back an erroneous tweet President Trump made about the number of Guantanamo Bay detainees U.S. officials said had returned to terrorist activity after being released.

Trump tweeted that 122 former prisoners returned to fight against the U.S. but incorrectly blamed it on the Obama administration.

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield, Trump tweeted. Just another terrible decision!

A closer look at the facts reveals that 93 percent of the 122 detainees were released before former President Barack Obama took office.

According to a September 2016 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 113 of the 122 prisoners were released under former President George W. Bushs administration.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tried to clarify Trumps tweet during his daily press briefing.

Obviously the president meant in totality the number that had been released on the battlefield -- that have been released from Gitmo ... since individuals have been released, Spicer said. So that is, that is correct.

Trumps morning tweet followed a segment on Fox & Friends about a former Gitmo detainee who was killed during a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last week. Mohammed Tahar had been transferred from the detention camp to Yemen during the Obama administration.

Unlike his predecessor, Trump has indicated that he favors keeping the controversial detention center open.

Last month, The New York Times reported that the White House was nearing completion on an executive order that would call on the Pentagon to send future ISIS detainees to the prison camp, despite warnings that such a move might undermine long-term efforts against the terror group.
With a portrait of then-first lady Hillary Clinton looming over his right shoulder, President Trump surprised a group of visitors Tuesday on the first public tour of the White House since the inauguration.

Trump was greeted with boisterous applause and cheers from the group of about 50 tourists, mostly children, who were gathered in the basement of the White House residence.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the president dropped in on the tour and then motioned for some of the children to join him for a picture. Only 10-year old Jack Cornish from Birmingham, Ala., was brave enough to take Trump up on his offer.

After taking a picture with Cornish, a 5th grader at Briarwood Christian School, the president left the group to resume their 45-minute tour, according to the White House pool report.

First lady Melania Trump announced the reopening of the White House, after it was closed to tours for several weeks, in a statement last month.

I am excited to reopen the White House to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come each year. The White House is a remarkable and historic site and we are excited to share its beauty and history. I am committed to the restoration and preservation of our Nations most recognizable landmark, she said.

It is common for public tours to be briefly suspended during a presidential transition, but the hiatus took longer as the Trump administration hired staff and performed routine maintenance.

The first lady's chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, said the White House Visitors Office was "using this time to tend to routine maintenance, updates and renovations along the tour route to ensure the guest experience is top notch."

The tours are self-guided and requests for public tours are made through one's member of Congress. They are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, except for federal holidays.
The Trump administration is suddenly making a whole lot of news.

The long-delayed rollout of a new temporary travel ban took place yesterdaywith Donald Trump offstage and three Cabinet secretaries in the spotlightreflecting a signature campaign issue for the president.

The White House is also working with Hill Republicans on an ObamaCare replacement bill with the aim of unveiling it this week.

When I talk to administration officials, they say these are precisely the kind of issues that ordinary folks care about and the media should cover them more. Fair point.

But the reason these policy initiatives are having to compete for ink and airtime is the presidents own doing.

His weekend tweeting of an unproven allegation that Barack Obama had him wiretapped during the campaign caused a media explosion. And its hard to complain about the medias priorities when the president accuses a former president of doing something that nefarious and everyone scrambles to cover it.

Since then, Republican members of Congress, such as Jason Chaffetz and Tom Cotton, have said in television interviews that they dont have any evidence to support Trumps allegation.

The FBI has leaked word that James Comey has no such evidence and wants the Justice Department to say so in a statement. (Hes suddenly publicity-shy?) Former intelligence director James Clapper flatly denied any such wiretapping.

Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have said on the air that Trump believes the wiretapping happened, that he has access to intelligence that others dont and that congressional investigations should look at thisbut have provided no further evidence.

News outlets have been filled with such stories as A Conspiracy Theory Born on Talk Radio (New York Times); Inside Trumps Fury: The President Rages at Leaks, Setbacks and Accusations (Washington Post); Wiretapping Allegations Accomplished What Trump WantedBut May Backfire (Post); Poll: Most Back Special Prosecutor for Russia Investigation (CNN, and its 65 percent); and Knives Are Out for Reince (Politico).

By the way, after every administration controversy there are leak-filled stories about how Reince Priebus is in trouble, but Trump is continuing to back his chief of staff.

Now theres been a fair amount of coverage of the revised travel ban, replacing the one that was blocked by a federal appeals court: It doesnt take effect for 10 days, green-card holders are exempt and Iraq has been removed from the original list of seven countries.

But heres whats telling. Sean Spicers regular White House briefing was switched to an off-camera gaggle yesterday, and what was to have been the first televised State Department press briefing was canceled.

One might assume that the new ban was announced by Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions and John Kelly to show the greater preparation that went into drafting it. But they took no questions, and the press pool wasnt even allowed in to watch the president sign the executive order.

My assumption is that Trump wanted to avoid reporters shouting questions about the wiretapping allegation, which would distract from the news he wanted to make by highlighting the news he was trying to leave behind.
Roof repairs are to homeownership what good nutrition is to overall health  a necessary component of keeping things in working order. They may not be the most glamorous projects, but they are definite musts. Here is a beginners guide to keeping your roof intact and your home dry.

While its obvious that you need to immediately address an active roof leak, its also wise to move quickly on more minor problems such as missing or loose shingles. That way, you can prevent water damage from starting or, if its already begun, from spreading further. A minority of homeowners may be willing to climb onto their roofs, but for reasons of safety and expertise, most will want to call a professional roofer.

Whats involved: For a leaking roof, the first step is identifying its location. Most leaks exist where theres already a pre-existing roof penetration, says John Koch, a roofing contractor at John Koch Construction in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Leaks tend to develop near a chimney, venting pipe, screw or satellite dish, or in a valley where two different roof pitches meet, Koch says.

To locate a leak, your roofer will get on the roof and probably also crawl into the attic. The repair method will depend on the cause of the leak. It may be a torn shingle, flashing installed improperly or a missing ridge cap, says Bill Collins, vice president of residential sales at Baker Roofing Co. in Raleigh, North Carolina. The source also could be an improperly installed skylight. Roofing cement can close a gap or hole at least temporarily, but if the problem is an improperly installed skylight or flashing, a more involved repair may be required.

Also, depending on how much water damage affected your ceiling, roof deck or wall Sheetrock, you may need to get a general contractor to repair that part of your home.

If the problem with your roof is a loose or missing shingle (or a few of them) without additional damage, your roofer simply can replace the shingles. This involves the professional pulling out the old nails from where the shingles used to be, applying roof cement to the back of the new shingles, sticking the shingles on and nailing them down. Roofers are skilled at where to insert the nail.

Theres a sweet spot in the architectural shingles where the manufacturers want you to nail. If you nail above that, wind gets in and blows [them] off, Collins explains.

Things to consider: If your roof has been damaged due to a weather event such as a hail storm, strong winds or even a tornado, your homeowners insurance policy may cover the repair cost. Call a roofer, says Brett Rostochil, vice president of sales and marketing at Allstate Roofing Experts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and a former insurance adjuster himself. The good ones will know whether theres enough damage to warrant an insurance claim.

Rostochil recommends having a roofer on-site during the appointment with the insurance adjuster. Some adjusters are more knowledgeable than others. Experience is a big deal, he says. Rot and mold are excluded from many policies  another reason to fix a roof problem as soon as you notice it.

Well-installed metal roofs should last at least 50 years, so if yours has a leak, its a bigger deal than for a shingle roof. Leaks dont just happen in metal roofs, says Paul Welch of Revered Metal Roofing in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Its got to be a hole coming through the metal before they start to leak. The most common places to spring a leak are a pipe boot (where a venting pipe comes out through the roof), a dormer or a chimney.

As long as the roof installation was professionally done, holes shouldnt occur except after a major event, such as a tree crashing into it. If you need to repair a metal roof within the first five years, either something happened to damage it, or you got a bad installation, Welch says. You should be looking at replacing it.

Similarly, when you need to fix a shingle roof, youll also want to consider the scope of the problem. If a shingle or two blows off, thats not an issue, Koch says. But if it continuously blows off, its time to replace.

RELATED: The Most Affordable Roofing Material With the Easiest Installation

If you need to replace shingles, youll want to have matching ones on hand. Ideally, you get an extra bundle when you purchase a new home. Alternatively, you might want to make sure there are extra shingles left over next time you get your house reroofed.

Whom to hire: A roofing contractor or a handyperson

Cost range: Fixing a leak or replacing a few shingles may incur the minimum trip charge, which can range from $250 to $750.

Typical project length: Anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours to fix a leak or replace a missing shingle

Permit: No

Best time to do this project: When the weather is mild

How to get started: Identify the source of the leak as best you can from inside the home. Put a bucket underneath the spot to catch drips until it can be repaired. Call a reputable roof repair company.
A 50-year-old giant tusker elephant was killed by poachers in Kenya, leaving only 25 surviving in the wild.

Satao II, named after another famed elephant who was poached in 2014, was found dead near the border of the Tsavo National Park.

WILDLIFE RANGERS IN ZIMBABWE KILL 3 SUSPECTED POACHERS

Conservationists believe that Satao IIs cause of death was a poisoned arrow, but this has not yet been confirmed.

The elephant, whose ivory tusks were long enough to nearly brush the ground as he walked, was adored by visitors of the Tsavo National Park.

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING CATCH NIGHTTIME POACHERS IN AFRICA

Im pretty gutted really, Richard Moller of the Tsavo Trust told AFP. This particular elephant was one that was very approachable, one of those easy old boys to find.

A statement from the Tsavo Trust website explained that Satao IIs carcass was found with his tusks still intact and they were recovered before the poachers could claim them and further fuel the illegal ivory market.

Two men suspected of being Satao IIs poachers were detained shortly after the giant carcass was discovered by routine aerial surveillance, BBC reports.

Of the 25 giant tusker elephants left in the world, 15 of them reside in Kenya, which is a poaching hotspot according to the trust.

The Tsavo Trust will continue its fight against poaching and to protect the friendly giants Moller calls icons and ambassadors for elephants.
The discovery of a new and rarely seen nebula 10 billion light-years away has created a cosmic mystery: What is lighting up this dusty cloud of gases?

Researchers led by Zheng Cai, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered an "enormous Lyman-alpha nebula," or ELAN, only the third of these vast cosmic structures ever seen. A nebula is an interstellar cloud of gases and dust; an ELAN is a special kind of nebula, so named because it emits Lyman-alpha radiation  a particular wavelength of light emitted when the electron in a hydrogen atom drops down to its lowest energy level.

The two other ELANS previously discovered are nicknamed the Slug Nebula (for UC Santa Cruz's idiosyncratic mascot) and the Jackpot Nebula (because it contains a whopping four quasars , extremely bright objects created by particles accelerating away from black holes). But the new ELAN is a head-scratcher. The Slug and the Jackpot have bright quasars illuminating their dust and gases, but the light source inside the newfound ELAN is a mystery. [Photos: The 12 Strangest Places on Earth]

"What's really odd here, and one of the hooks of the story, is there's nothing," said Jason X Prochaska, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and one of the authors of the paper reporting the new nebula, available on the physics preprint website ArXiv . "There's the faint smudge of a galaxy, probably, but no quasar shining toward us."

A peek at the early universe

The mysterious ELAN is named MAMMOTH-1, after the Mapping the Most Massive Overdensities Through Hydrogen (MAMMOTH) project, led by Cai, which turned up the strange nebula. The goal of the project is to search for dense areas in the early universe; because it takes light from MAMMOTH-1 about 10 billion years to reach Earth, scientists are looking back in time to about 3 billion years after the Big Bang . In particular, Prochaska said, the research team is searching for protoclusters, which are the precursors to galaxy clusters.

These are "the most massive single structures in the universe," Prochaska said.

Cai, Prochaska and their colleagues use light from quasars to find these protoclusters. When a quasar shines through a protocluster, the patterns of light absorption can reveal details about these networks of galaxies. The protocluster holding MAMMOTH-1 near its center  dubbed BOSS1441  is around 50 million light-years across, the researchers found. Or was, anyway. By now, the protocluster will have collapsed into a smaller, more mature galaxy cluster, Prochaska said. (A light-year is about 5.9 trillion miles)

Looking for the light

ELANs are difficult to detect because they are so diffuse, Prochaska said. Directly observing one provides an opportunity to study how gases coalesce into galaxies, something that is usually possible only with computer simulations. [See Amazing Photos of Nebulas]

As for MAMMOTH-1's mysterious light source, the most likely candidate is an active galactic nucleus, or AGN, Prochaska said. (Quasars are one type of AGN.) Local dust, a few light-years from the AGN, may be obscuring it from view, he said. It should be easy to find the AGN by searching for infrared or longer wavelengths, Prochaska said.

"If we didn't see anything, that would kill that hypothesis, and we'd be scratching our heads," he said.

The research will be published in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

Original article on Live Science.
Amid a trove of documents released by WikiLeaks that allegedly contains the entire hacking capacity of the CIA is chilling evidence that everyday devices like smart TVs and cell phones have potentially become critical tools in the effort to spy on American citizens.

Documents released in the 8,761 document and file dump dubbed Vault 7 Part 1 and titled Year Zero -- were obtained from an isolated, high-security network at the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Va., a press release from WikiLeaks said. The trove had been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors, one of whom allegedly turned the archive to WikiLeaks.

HOW TO TURN OFF SMART TV SNOOPING FEATURES

Among revelations still emerging from the shocking disclosure is an alleged CIA program named Weeping Angel, in which Samsung brand smart televisions were apparently being used as recording devices. Weeping Angel places the target TV in a Fake-Off mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on, WikiLeaks claims. In 'Fake-Off' mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the Internet to a covert CIA server.

In a statement to Fox News Investigative Unit, a Samsung communications rep said that [p]rotecting consumers privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung. We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter.

Smart TVs arent the only commonly used devices that may have a potentially more-sinister purpose. WikiLeaks is suggesting that Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows are also being turned into covert microphones. Infected phones, according to the release, can be instructed to send the CIA the user's geolocation, audio and text communications as well as covertly activate the phone's camera and microphone.

STOLEN APPLE IDs CAN HOLD YOUR IPHONE HOSTAGE

Gregory Keeley, an expert in the security of digital devices and co-founder of the consulting company Phosphorus, tells Fox News that the problem is also greater than the government's ability to listen-in. "The hacker on the street now has the Intelligence Communitys hacking tool kit. It's that simple."

Fox News also spoke with Matthew Hickey, co-founder and director of the cybersecurity team Hacker House, who thinks it is "unlikely that the exposure is going to cause anyone to stop developing attacks for smart devices.

"Televisions, refrigerators and the Internet of Things will continue to introduce new ways for technology to be used against us," he said. "As more devices are connected to the Internet or connected to our lives, it increases the likelihood of it being hacked and used to spy on us."

Once Mom and Pop start getting hacked through their Google Home or Amazon Echo, there's going to be some reckoning, Keeley added.

WikiLeaks claims that its information came from a source who wished to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons.

We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," a CIA spokesperson told Fox News.

FOR THE LATEST TECH FEATURES FOLLOW FOX SCITECH ON FACEBOOK

WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange in 2006, is an international organization that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources. The Australian-born Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for five years, in a bid to avoid what his supporters claim are trumped-up sex assault charges in Sweden.


Digital pioneering giant Google has an unlikely foe in its efforts to stem the tide of "fake news" flow: itself.



According to several recent articles, Googles search engine and smart speaker, Google Home, are prone to perpetuate misinformation rather than stop it. This is due to its reliance on bot assistance and algorithms in Search that comprise its Featured Snippets results.

TV NEWS REPORT PROMPTS VIEWERS' AMAZON ECHO DEVICES TO ORDER UNWANTED DOLLHOUSES

On a web search, Featured Snippets appear in the box at the very top of the results. Google's algorithm gathers information from unvetted sources, according to reports. This can lead to Google Home reading fake news to the user.

Digital Trends wrote that when Google Home was asked questions about former president Barack Obama planning to stage a coup, the Featured Snippets results read content from a less-than credible site claiming Obama intended to overthrow the United States government at the conclusion of his 2016 presidential term.

Featured Snippets was introduced sometime in 2014, and although it is an increasingly popular function, users noted its flaws shortly thereafter, according to the Outline. While bot-assisted search results for concrete questions such as the date of a holiday can bring factual answers, Its easy to find examples of Google grabbing quick answers from shady places, wrote the Outline.

6-YEAR-OLD ACCIDENTALLY ORDERS HIGH-END TREATS WITH AMAZON'S ALEXA



Although a web-based query quickly provides the user with the Featured Snippet source, alongside the opportunity to learn more about the result or submit feedback in the footnote, Recode noted that Google Home leaves more up to chance. Google Home doesnt tell you where its answer came from or give you options to see other answers, wrote Recode.

Google wrote in a statement to Recode, When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused.

Recode added that fellow smart speaker, Amazons Alexa, remained neutral when asked about Obamas alleged coup, replying, Hmm I cant find the answer to the question I heard, according to Recode.

Google has not yet responded to a request for comment from Fox News.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 7

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs visit to Turkmenistan confirmed his commitment to the development of trust-based and mutually beneficial relations with all countries, primarily with neighboring ones, according to the Uzbekistan National News Agency (UzA).

Mirziyoyev arrived on a state visit to Turkmenistan on March 6.

During the meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Mirziyoyev congratulated his counterpart with re-election as president and noted that lasting cooperation has been established between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The presidents noted the commonality of goals and approaches in the development of cooperation between the two countries in political, economic, cultural, humanitarian spheres, as well as in the issues of regional and international importance.

They also exchanged views on fighting terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and organized crime and on strengthening of regional security.

During the talks, the two presidents agreed to activate cooperation in implementation of the five-party agreement, signed in Ashgabat in 2011, on creation of international transport and transit corridor from Central Asia to the Middle East countries.

After the talks, Mirziyoyev and Berdimuhamedov signed a joint statement and an agreement of strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Also, a number of agreements were signed between the two countries ministries.
These boots are made for walkingin the jungle.

On Monday, the US Army updated plans for its Jungle Combat Boot (JCB), a boot that it hopes will tackle trench foot, among other things.

US ARMY ASKS FOR BIODEGRADABLE AMMO

Traditional issue footwear works well in sand, asphalt and high heat, but falls short in humid, wet conditions, which can lead to trench foot, according to the US Army. And, soldiers on the ground in jungle-like conditions are subjected to obstacles such as vines, which can snag their boots, and sharp objects, that can sideline foot patrols.

The JCB is designed to account for these obstacles by incorporating features that include a low heel to prevent snags and ballistic fabric-like layers under the soldiers feet. In addition, the JCB has extra drainage holes for water, an insert for water drainage and speed laces for faster putting on and taking off of the boots. The JCB also contains a lining that helps it to breathe and dry faster, according to the US Army.

In order to design a useful boot, the US Army said it worked with soldiers.

A NEW COMBAT VEHICLE THAT SWIMS FOR THE MARINE CORPS

"We take what soldiers want and need, we boil that down to the salient characteristics, hand that over to our science and technology up at Natick; they work with us and industry, the manufacturing base, to come up with this product," said Capt. Daniel Ferenczy, the assistant product manager for Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, on the US Army's website.

Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii will be the first to test out the JCB prototype, according to the Army. A final version is expected to be authorized to be worn by all soldiers, regardless of the terrain where they are stationed, according to the US Army.
If youre at the pool with your kids on a cruise ship and think a professional lifeguard is watching them while you turn your back to share a quick Facebook post, think again. Youve got to watch them every minute.

Get in the water with them, says B.J. Fisher, health and safety director of the American Lifeguard Association. The common wisdom: Be no more than an arms length away, particularly when you are with young children or novice swimmers.

Spring break is one of the most popular times for family cruising, and its not uncommon for megaships to have more than 1,000 kids on board. But despite the numerous aquatic features on many mega liners, there are no lifeguards on most ships. That's because theres no industry standard for water safety on ships.

Each cruise line has its own water safety initiatives-- if it has any at all.

Since 2013, there have been 17 drownings or near drownings on cruise ships, according to Jim Walker, a Miami attorney who specializes in maritime law and oversees the website CruiseLawNews.com. At least 10 of these instances resulted in the death of a child under the age of 11, says Walker, and two resulted in serious brain injury that spurred legal action from the families involved.

The most recent occurred last summer, when an 8-year-old boy drowned on a Royal Caribbean ship as it left New York City for Bermuda.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO CRUISE ON THE WORLD'S LARGEST SUPERYACHT

Currently ,there is no industry wide standard for reporting or keeping track of these cases. If there is a death, Walker said, there is no requirement to notify the Coast Gard or local police. Most cruise lines are required to notify the flag state, often Panama or the Bahamas, where the ship is registered.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions data on drownings comes from death certificates and, in the cases of near-drownings, from emergency departments  not from a government agencys incident reports, a CDC spokesman said. So the CDC has no way of knowing if a drowning or near-drowning occurred during vacation or on a cruise ship.

These incidents are exceedingly rare  more than a million kids cruise every year  but its easy to get distracted and lose sight of your child in a crowded pool or at the beach on a cruise lines private island. And drowning is fast and silent.

About 10 people  including two children  drown on an average day, according to the CDC, and some of them know how to swim, according to the American Red Cross.

More than 600 children under 15 drowned in 2015, and for each one who died, five others were treated in emergency departments. Non-fatal injuries can cause long-term disabilities.

This month, Royal Caribbean International began what may be the largest cruise water safety program ever: a fleet-wide rollout that includes lifeguards and Coast Guard-approved life jackets for kids as well as voluntary water safety sessions as part of the regular programming for its Adventure Ocean kids and teen clubs. There still are no lifeguards at the cruise lines private Caribbean island.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Attitudes about whether lifeguards are needed on cruise ships are starting to change, according to Cruise Critic. According to a poll on Cruise Critics home page, 34 percent of cruisers think ships should have lifeguards  a 10 percent increase over the past four years, says Colleen McDaniel, the websites senior executive editor.

At the same time, cruise lines that cater to families with ever larger water slides and water play areas, including some for toddlers, have quietly been adding water safety initiatives. Besides Royal Caribbean:

 Norwegian Cruise Line stations crew members trained in water rescue and lifesaving procedures to monitor the family pools on its largest ships with Aqua Parks and water play areas. But they arent lifeguards, said Norwegian spokeswoman Vanessa Picariello. Norwegian has lifeguards at its private islands.

-- Carnival Cruise Line ships have Coast Guard-approved life jackets on board, but no lifeguards. Carnivals sister brand, Holland America, has lifeguards on its private island, which Carnival uses.

-- Disney Cruise Line has had lifeguards and life jackets aboard its ships since 2013, and there are lifeguards at its private island. The action to introduce lifeguards came after a 4-year-old boy was left brain damaged and permanently disabled in May 2013 after a near-drowning aboard the Disney Fantasy.

But even if there are lifeguards, their job is to enforce rules and respond in an emergency  not to baby sit your kids, Fisher said. And dont rely on blow-up floaties to keep them safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns.

A key component of the American Red Cross Circle of Drowning Prevention is to have adults designate a watcher who does nothing but monitor the kids in the water for a set amount of time. The Circle also includes teaching kids to swim, and it insists that inexperienced young swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Older kids should always swim with a buddy, and parents should learn CPR, the experts say. In the time it takes for paramedics or trained rescuers to arrive, you could save a life.

Before you book youre next cruise vacation, water safety experts advocate visiting redcross.org/takeaclass to find swim programs in your area, and download the free American Red Cross Swim App with kid-friendly games, videos and quizzes to learn about best practices for fun and safe pooltime play.
Casey Anthony knows that much of the world believes she killed her 2-year-old daughter, despite her acquittal. But nearly nine years later, she insists she doesn't know how the last hours of Caylee's life unfolded.

"Caylee would be 12 right now. And would be a total badass," she told The Associated Press in one of a series of exclusive interviews.

But discussing Caylee's last moments, the 30-year-old Anthony spoke in halting, sober tones: "I'm still not even certain as I stand here today about what happened," she said.

"Based off what was in the media" -- the story of a woman who could not account for a month in which her child was missing, whose defense involved an accidental drowning for which there was no eyewitness testimony -- "I understand the reasons people feel about me. I understand why people have the opinions that they do."

This was the first time Anthony spoke to a news media outlet about her daughter's death or her years since the trial. Her responses were at turns revealing, bizarre and often contradictory, and they ultimately raised more questions than answers about the case that has captivated the nation.

It's been almost nine years since Caylee went missing, and six since the circus-like Orlando trial that ended in her mother's acquittal. The trial was carried live on cable networks and was the focus of daily commentaries by HLN's Nancy Grace, who called her "the most hated mom in America," and, derisively, "tot mom."

The child was supposedly last seen on June 16, 2008; she was first reported missing, by Casey Anthony's mother, on July 15. A day later, Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect. She told police that Caylee had disappeared with a baby sitter.

A utility worker working in a wooded area near the Anthony home on Dec. 11 found skeletal remains that were later determined to be Caylee's. Experts would testify that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthony's trunk.

In the end, prosecutors proved Casey Anthony was a liar, but convinced the jury of little else. The government failed to establish how Caylee died, and they couldn't find her mother's DNA on the duct tape they said was used to suffocate her. After a trial of a month and a half, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.

She was convicted of four counts of lying to police (though two counts were later dropped), and served about three years in prison while awaiting trial.

She admits that she lied to police: about being employed at Universal Studios; about leaving Caylee with a baby-sitter; about telling two people, both of them imaginary, that Caylee was missing; about receiving a phone call from Caylee the day before she was reported missing.

"Even if I would've told them everything that I told to the psychologist, I hate to say this but I firmly believe I would have been in the same place. Because cops believe other cops. Cops tend to victimize the victims. I understand now ... I see why I was treated the way I was even had I been completely truthful."

At the trial, lead defense attorney Jose Baez suggested that the little girl drowned and that Casey's father, George Anthony, helped cover that up -- and sexually abused his daughter. Her father has vehemently denied the accusations.

Asked about the drowning defense, Casey hesitated: "Everyone has their theories, I don't know. As I stand here today I can't tell you one way or another. The last time I saw my daughter I believed she was alive and was going to be OK, and that's what was told to me."

Anthony lives in the South Florida home of Patrick McKenna, a private detective who was the lead investigator on her defense team. She also works for him, doing online social media searches and other investigative work. McKenna was also the lead investigator for OJ Simpson, when he was accused of killing his wife and acquitted; Anthony said she's become fascinated with the case, and there are "a lot of parallels" to her own circumstances.

An Associated Press reporter met Anthony as she protested against President Donald Trump at a Palm Beach rally.

It's unclear why Anthony agreed to speak to the AP. She later texted the reporter, asking that the AP not run the story. Among other things, she cited the bankruptcy case in which she has been embroiled since 2013: "During the course of my bankruptcy, the rights to my story were purchased by a third party company for $25k to protect my interests. Without written authorization from the controlling members of this company, I am prohibited from speaking publicly about my case at any time."

In addition, she said she had violated a confidentiality agreement with her employer, and remains under subpoena and subject to deposition in her bankruptcy case.

Yet she had participated in five on-the-record interviews over a one-week period, many of them audiotaped.

She still dreads the supermarket checkout line for fear she'll see photos of her daughter on the cover of tabloid papers. Her bedroom walls are decorated with photos of Caylee and she weeps when she shows off her daughter's colorful, finger-painted artwork.

Occasionally she goes out with friends to area bars. But news that she there spreads quickly; people whispering and snap photos, and she retreats to her newly purchased SUV so she can return home, alone.

Anthony speaks defiantly of her pariah status.

"I don't give a s--- about what anyone thinks about me, I never will," she said. "I'm OK with myself, I sleep pretty good at night."
Two men with weapons and dressed as clowns scared a group of children in Pennsylvania over the weekend, police said Monday.

A group of children were playing hide-and-seek in the woods in West Mifflin at around 4:15 p.m. when they said two men dressed as creepy clowns and carrying weapons came out of nowhere and frightened them, KDKA-TV reported.

My kid came running in the house screaming that there were two guys chasing him, Michael Milkowski, the father of one of the children, told the station. He added that his son told him one man was carrying a shotgun and the other was carrying a pipe.

West Mifflin and Pittsburgh police searched for the men after Milkowski called 911. However, police did not find anyone in the woods.

West Mifflin police stepped up patrols around the area in case the men show up again.
An A-29A Super Tucano attack aircraft slated for the Afghan air force crashed in a residential area outside Moody Air Force Base on Monday, but neither the pilots nor residents on the ground were injured, the U.S. Air Force said.

Two pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron -- who weren't identified and whose nationalities weren't released -- ejected from the turboprop aircraft during a routine training flight around 2:50 p.m. near Homerville, Georgia, the service said in a statement late Monday.

While the aircraft crashed into a residential area, it didn't strike any structures, a spokesman at the base told Military.com on Tuesday morning. Both pilots were taken to the nearby Clinch Memorial Hospital for evaluation and were released, according to the statement.

The U.S. Air Force will investigate the cause of the mishap and release the findings at a later date, the service said.

As of last month, the Afghan air force had trained about 20 pilots to fly eight of the Super Tucanos. The training takes place at Moody.

A U.S.-funded $427 million contract calls for a total of 20 A-29s made by the Brazilian firm Embraer S.A. in partnership with the U.S.-based Sierra Nevada Corp. to be delivered to Afghanistan by 2018.

The A-29s, designed for close-air support, carry a 20mm cannon below the fuselage and one 12.7mm machine gun under each wing, and can also fire 70mm rockets and launch precision-guided bombs.

The Afghans have flown several hundred missions since the aircraft became operational in April 2016, though they're reportedly dropping munitions at a far higher rate than U.S. pilots at a time when civilian casualties from airstrikes are mounting.

The Military Times newspapers in 2016 reported 138 A-29 missions out of a total of 328, or 43 percent, involved firing or the dropping of munitions, while U.S. aircraft had a drop rate of about 12 percent.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, released a report in Kabul on Feb. 7 stating that in 2016, "Airstrikes carried out by Afghan and international forces caused 590 civilian casualties (250 deaths and 340 injured), nearly double that recorded in 2015 and the highest since 2009."

-- Richard Sisk contributed to this report.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.

Related Video:
An Uber driver is accused of pulling a gun on four passengers and leaving them on the side of the highway early Saturday morning.

Police said 25-year-old Jacques Daaboul picked the two men and two women up at Patriot Place and was driving them down I-95 to North Providence when the altercation happened.

According to a source, one of the passengers may have been smoking marijuana in the car and continued to do so even after being asked by Daaboul to stop.

The four passengers were left between exits 2 and 3 near the old weigh station.

I can't comment now until the investigation is over, was all Daaboul had to say when asked about the incident by FOX25.

A source told FOX25 that Daaboul went to the State Police Barracks in Foxborough and told troopers what had happened.

Read more from FOX25Boston.
Four people were killed and dozens injured after a train hit a charter bus Tuesday in Biloxi, Mississippi, officials said.

Biloxi Police Chief John Miller described the crash as a "terrible, chaotic scene" at a press conference, adding that 35 people have been hospitalized.

A total of 46 passengers were on the bus when the crash happened, according to Miller.

Officials initially said four people died in the crash and then revised it down to three, but Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city of Biloxi, told the Associated Press after consulting with the coroner's office that they can confirm that four were killed in the incident.

The CSX freight train was traveling east when it collided with the charter bus that was heading north around 2:15 p.m. local time and pushed it nearly 300 feet down the tracks, according to Miller.

"I just want everyone to know that we're doing everything we can do to help everyone on that bus," Miller said.

Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich called it a "tragic day" for the city, and asked for thoughts and prayers for those affected.

Emergency crews were spotted still removing people from the bus through the emergency windows 30 minutes after the initial crash, WLOX-TV reported. A witness reported most of the passengers on the bus were senior citizens.

Miller said the bus, operated by Echo Transportation, was out of Austin, Texas.

Ameet Patel, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said in a statement to WLOX-TV the bus was traveling from Hollywood in Bay St. Louis to Boomtown in Biloxi.

"It is with deep regret and sympathy that we can confirm the private charter bus that collided with a train this afternoon in Biloxi was transporting patrons from our Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis to our Boomtown Biloxi Casino approximately 45 miles away," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who tragically lost their lives and all those affected by this accident. As this is an ongoing law enforcement matter, we are withholding any further comment and are referring all calls to the Biloxi Police Department, with whom we are cooperating fully on their investigation."

The single track area where the crash took place is the CSX mainline along the Gulf Coast, passing through densely populated areas of southern Mississippi.

CSX officials told WLOX-TV all train traffic through the area has been stopped as a result of the crash.

"CSX personnel are working with first responders at a collision of a freight train and passenger bus in Biloxi, Miss," CSX spokesman Gary Sease said in a statement to WLOX-TV. "The collision this afternoon occurred at the Main Street crossing. The eastbound mixed freight train, traveling from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala., had three locomotives and 52 cars  27 loaded cars and 25 empty cars. The crossing has flashing lights and crossing gates. Authorities in Biloxi report three fatalities and many injuries, and our thoughts are with all involved. The train crew was not injured."

The train crossing that was the site of the crash has seen previous trouble, according to WLOX. Two months ago, a separate CSX train slammed a Pepsi delivery truck that got stuck on the tracks. There is a low clearance sign located near the intersection to warn drivers.

Read more from WLOX.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Justice Department says the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. has agreed to plead guilty and pay the United States $892 million for violating sanctions against Iran. The department said the company had illegally shipped sensitive U.S.-made equipment to Iran.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the corporation "not only violated export controls that keep sensitive American technology out of the hands of hostile regimes like Iran's," the company also "lied to federal investigators and even deceived their own counsel and internal investigators about their illegal acts."

According to legal documents, ZTE obtained the banned goods over a six-year period and shipped them to customers in Iran, knowing that the sales violated the sanctions. ZTE entered a guilty plea and also settled charges with the Commerce and Treasury departments.
University of Central Arkansas student Blayk Puckett was pulled over by police late Friday night and proved his sobriety to officers by juggling.

Puckett was on his way home from the library and was driving slower than usual because he had a break light out. Police pulled him over suspecting that his slower speeds were the result of impaired driving.

Puckett is a junior at the university who for fun performs magic tricks on social media. Ironically, his license plate is JUGGLER.

During the traffic stop, Police asked Puckett what was in one of his pockets, which turned out to be some of his magic equipment. Puckett offered to perform a juggling trick for officers, who caught the moment on cell phone camera.

Officer Michael Hopper of the UCA Police told FOX 32 that officers did not use Puckett's juggling as proof of his sobriety or as a way to get out of a ticket. Hopper said all police business had been concluded prior to the demonstration.

Story first appeared on Fox 32 News.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 7

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Japan has allocated grants worth $551,100 to Uzbekistan for the implementation of eight social projects, the Japanese embassy said March 7.

The grants are allocated through the Japanese governmental program "Official Development Assistance" (ODA), the embassy said.

Uzbek Deputy Minister of Healthcare Elmira Basitkhanova, the countrys First Deputy Minister of Public Education Bakhtiyor Daniyarov and Japanese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Nobuaki Ito signed the grant contracts March 7.

Japan is one of the biggest investors in the Uzbek economy. In total, Japan allocated more than $4.1 billion to Uzbekistan. Thirteen representative offices of Japanese companies and 10 joint ventures successfully operate in Uzbekistan.
Prosecutors say a Cuban man living in South Texas must serve 18 months in a U.S. prison for impersonating a Border Patrol agent to scam other immigrants.

Eugene Agustin Munoz-Canellas was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in McAllen, Texas.

Investigators say the 55-year-old man is a permanent U.S. resident who lived in Mission, Texas.

Authorities say Munoz-Canellas falsely portrayed himself as a Border Patrol agent in 2015 and 2016 to solicit bribes from people seeking legal status in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in November to impersonating a law enforcement officer.

Prosecutors say Munoz-Canellas has a history of theft and fraud. He faces deportation after serving his prison term.
Several schools in at least four states were closed Wednesday so teachers can participate in "A Day Without a Woman" strike in which organizers are urging female workers to stay home.

While the gender equality demonstration, which comes on the same day as International Women's Day, was organized prior to President Trump's election and inspired by women's protests in other countries, critics say it is meant to denounce his presidency and bring politics into the classroom.

STATUE OF LIBERTY GOES DARK DUE TO 'UNPLANNED OUTAGE'

The strike was created by the organizers of the historic Womens March on Washington in January, which drew hundreds of thousands in protest of Trump. Among the groups supporting Wednesday's demonstration are Planned Parenthood, MoveOn.org and Amnesty International, according to the Women's March website.

On Monday, school officials in Alexandria, Va., North Carolinas Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District and New York announced they are canceling classes in anticipation of staff shortages due to the event.

'A DAY WITHOUT WOMEN': WHO ARE THE WOMEN WHO WON'T BE MARCHING?

Conservative womens groups, such as Concerned Women of America (CWA), criticized the event as misguided and unrepresentative.

The U.S. has the highest proportion of women in senior management positions (43 percent) of any country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (women comprise 47 percent of the U.S. labor force); the U.S. was ranked eighth globally in gender equality by the World Economic Forum; 24 percent of working American women are in professional fields (compared to only 16 percent of working American men); 46 percent of American firms are owned or co-owned by women, CWA said on its website.

The group also said the glass ceiling was more a perception than a reality.

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, men and women are different. Our needs and desires differ significantly from those of men. Our priorities are not the same, and neither is the way we seek to balance our lives with our careers. The decisions that we make in regards to career and family contribute to the perception of a glass ceiling.

Officials said all schools in Prince George's County in Maryland are closed Wednesday after 1,700 teachers asked for the day off to participate in the protest. About 30 percent of the transportation staff also requested an absense.

In Virginia, Alexandria City Public Schools -- a district that voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election -- announced it will close schools for the day after more than 300 staff members requested a leave.

"This is not a decision that was made lightly," Alexandria Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley said in an email Monday to parents.

"We have been closely monitoring requests for leave on March 8, including communicating with school leaders and our education association, Crawley said. The decision is based solely on our ability to provide sufficient staff to cover all our classrooms, and the impact of high staff absenteeism on student safety and delivery of instruction. It is not based on a political stance or position.

The announcement had many parents scrambling to make child care arrangements, or, in some cases, request a leave of absence from work to stay home with their children.

The Alexandria City Public School district's Facebook page has become a forum for parents to share their opinions over the cancellation of classes.

One parent, identified as Amanda Dehn Bowman, wrote on the Facebook page that she was "disappointed" in the school district's decision to "cave to the massive temper-tantrum" from left-wing groups.

"The only people who are going to be affected by this are women -- poor women who cannot afford to miss wages or pay for day care," Bowman wrote. For parents unable to afford child care, Bowman offered to baby-sit their children for free.

"We understand that when schools close there is an impact on families who may have to find unanticipated child care," added Crawley. "We apologize for this unforeseen burden on parents and thank you for your patience and understanding."

Many other parents, however, expressed their support for the decision.

"I'm really proud that so many teachers want to participate in the Day Without A Woman. It takes a lot of courage. So glad these women are teaching my daughter," wrote Heather Ignatius.

Jessica Osborne, a single parent whose daughter is a high school student in the district, acknowledged the hardship some parents face in trying to find child care. But Osborne told Fox News she fully supported the principles behind the demonstration -- and said she did not view the protest as anti-Trump.

"I dont see it as an anti-Trump event. I see it as a pro-woman event," Osborne told Fox News.

"I think its great that schools are participating," she said.

"At the end of the day, kids not being in school for a day is really in the grand scheme of things a first-world problem," said Osborne. "The fact that we can demonstrate peacefully in this country is something we should all be grateful for."
The fathers of three Green Berets killed last fall in Jordan on Tuesday said Army and FBI investigations show that a Jordanian gate guard murdered their sons at close range.

In a rare public appearance in Washington, D.C., the grieving families and lawmakers demanded that the White House take action against the Jordanian government, which is still calling the incident a mistake.

Brian McEnroe, Chuck Lewellen and James Moriarty -- fathers of the slain soldiers -- held a press conference at the National Press Club to share new details of the events that unfolded Nov. 4 when Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas, were shot and killed by security forces while entering Al-Jafr Air Base.

"They were simply murdered by an allied officer of the Jordanian Army," Lewellen said.

Michael Short, a spokesman at the White House, referred questions about the matter to the Defense Department. Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, referred questions about the case to U.S. Special Operations Command. Col. Tom Davis, a spokesman for the command, sent a link to a statement on a website that didn't open.

An investigation by a joint U.S.-Jordanian committee found the "absence of premeditated intentions by M'aarek Abu Tayeh," the shooter, according to a March 6 letter from Dina Kawar, ambassador of the Kingdom of Jordan, to Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican from Texas, and made available at the press conference.

Jordan is a key U.S. ally and member of a U.S.-led military coalition fighting militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which controls parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Reports of the incident accuse the Americans of failing to stop at the gate and also of having a negligent discharge, which allegedly caused security guards to panic and open fire.

All three fathers said they were briefed by the Army and the FBI on Feb. 28 and shown a detailed video of the shooting that refutes those accounts.

"There were two different reports that the Jordanian press released, and both of them accused our men of doing something wrong," Chuck Lewellen told reporters.

"Let me be clear: The men followed procedure for entering the checkpoint," he added. "They did not charge the gate, nor was there any accidental discharge of a weapon."

Lewellen described what occurred as the handful of American vehicles slowly drove through the security gate.

"Vehicle number one went through the gate with no problems," he said. "Vehicle number two being driven by Staff Sgt. McEnroe and my son, Sgt. 1st Class Lewellen, was going through with no problem."

Lewellen said, "I have watched the video showing their murders. Here is what happens next: There is a guard shack they must go by. The guard shack is a concrete hut with a sliding window that they must pass."

The guard shack is also covered with camo netting, making it difficult to see inside the shack, he said.

"As they pulled even with the sliding window, they were ambushed from mere feet away by a Jordanian officer, who was inside the guard shack with an M16, with accurate and lethal precision," Lewellen said. "There was no warning for my son or Staff Sgt. McEnroe."

The shooter, Abu Tayeh, heard gunshots near the main entrance to the base and believed it was under attack, according to the letter from the Jordanian embassy. "The gun he used in the incident was [an] M16, which he made ready upon hearing gunshots," it states.

The fathers of the fallen soldiers dispute this characterization of events. They say there were no gunshots and that the shooter was lying in wait.

After shooting the two Americans, Abu Tayeh then left the safety of his guard shack to pursue Staff Sgt. Moriarty and another Special Forces soldier, Lewellen said.

"Because of the surveillance video, we know that Kevin and Matt's survival chances were almost zero, caught completely by surprise by a Jordanian soldier," Moriarty said.

"They died mercifully and quickly in a hail of gunfire. My son, Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, would not be so lucky."

Moriarty's son "Jimmy and a fellow Special Forces soldier I will call 'Mike,' exited their truck just in time to avoid being killed in cold blood," Moriarty said.

The video contained no audio, but Moriarty said he was told that his son and Mike would spend the next several minutes trying to communicate with the shooter in both English and in Arabic.

"My son and the survivor held their hands up and communicated that they were not a threat," said the former U.S. Marine. "They tried to signal to the Jordanians. There were five Jordanian soldiers who were no more than 200 yards down the road  and that is how I watched my son die."

The shooter then makes a last assault on the two soldiers, Moriarty said.

"Mike is caught by surprise and Jimmy stands up in full view of the shooter, and he engages him," said Moriarty, describing the distance as just a few feet.

"My son takes a couple of assault rifle rounds in the chest. Mike, using that opportunity, is seen circling around the Jersey barrier and finally he empties his gun in the side of the Jordanian soldier, where he is able to put rounds" between his body armor.

The fathers were flanked lawmakers including Poe and Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, who introduced the bipartisan Stop Arming Terrorists Act in December. Also in attendance was Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Texas.

All of the fathers are demanding that the Trump administration take some kind of action toward Jordan.

"Over four months have passed since our boys were murdered. None of our families has heard any apology, condolences or explanation from the Jordanians other than these false narratives," McEnroe said.

"In my mind, Jordan is at the very least guilty of complicity in the murder of three American brave servicemen," he said.

"We are told that Jordan is an important ally in the war on terror -- a war which I support -- but I encourage our president and our administration to take a hard look at our relationship with an ally who would so callously disrespect the sacrifice made by our boys," McEnroe said.

All three fathers said they were very appreciative of the work of the Army and FBI to help them understand what happened.

"What we do not know is why it happened or when Jordan will be held accountable, and we do not know why Jordan continues to lie about what happened even this moment," Moriarty said, adding that he knows that the video was shown to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on March 3.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
A Washington Post employee was arrested last month and charged with impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent following an FBI raid, court documents show.

Itai Ozderman, 35, is accused of impersonating an ICE officer throughout Falls Church, Va., on more than one occasion, according to Montgomery County District Court documents.

Police say that he sported a bulletproof vest bearing the ICE logo and, when the FBI entered his home in Maryland bearing a search warrant, they discovered 10 weapons, including two M4-style assault rifles and a shotgun. They also found body armor and tactical vests.

Court records and police sources confirmed to ABC7 News that Ozderman has worked in the IT department at The Washington Post for about two years.

"All we have to share is that we are aware of the story and looking into it," The Washington Post Director of Communications Shani George wrote in an email to ABC7 News on Monday.

So far, Ozderman has been charged with impersonating an officer and transporting a handgun in a vehicle; the FBI may take over the investigation.

If the case remains in Montgomery County, Ozderman faces up to five years in prison and/or $4,500 in fines.
When Brandy Sobotka-Ramos enrolled her 11-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter in their local charter school, she did not expect it would oblige her to talk to her children about anal sex.

But thats what she and a number of other parents in the small community of Jerome, Idaho have been facing since last month.

Elementary school-age children enrolled at Heritage Academy were given a survey -- designed for adults  called the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) survey.

It was created by a physician in 1985 as a means of determining childhood trauma in adults and consists of 10 questions such as, Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way or try to actually have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you? Another question is, Did you often feel that your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it? And then this one: Was a household member depressed or mentally ill or did a household member attempt suicide?

Heritage did not seek parental consent before distributing the survey.

My children were required to complete this in class and were told it was not optional, but anonymous unless they chose to include their names, Sobotka-Ramos told Fox News. I never dreamed I would be explaining anal and oral to my babies.

She said she went back to the Heritage Academy and obtained a copy of the ACE questionnaire only after one of her kids climbed into the car and started telling her about it. Sobotka-Ramos is just one of several parents, grandparents and community members deeply upset and determined that the school administrator who issued the survey, licensed counselor Christine Ivie, be held accountable.

If the Heritage Academy School board will not do its job and respect its stakeholders, we will also hold them responsible, Sobotka-Ramos said. We will do whatever is necessary to protect our children and the future children.

The Idaho Public Charter Schools Commission told Fox News that while they are aware of the matter, it is one more appropriately addressed by the school board. The board, however, did not respond to a request for comment but did issue a statement on its Facebook page thanking parents for their concerns and urging them to reach out to Ivie to schedule an appointment to discuss it further.

Apparently, thats not going to cut it for many Heritage parents. Over the past few weeks more than 100 locals have come together in their own private Facebook group, Call to Action: Heritage Academy, to express anger and "seek justice." Members claim that the survey caused a great deal of stress for students, and that some are enduring deeper levels of trauma due to the re-surfacing of past events.

This has definitely impacted our town. Parents feel betrayed and are very hurt," Sara Bateman, mother to a 11-year-old son, whom she has since pulled from the school, said. "Many of us are looking to take legal action and I have personally been in contact with many state and local officials."

Bateman says she is one of several parents who have removed their children from classes and that other parents will keep their child enrolled only until the end of this school year.

Sandy Ricketts, the grandmother of nine- and 11-year-old students, called the survey an invasion of our childrens innocence. Mystie Bremer said she was furious that her 11-year-old grandson was subjected to vile language."

Despite the parental anger, enrollments actually increased last month, Ivie said.

Heritage Academy, which opened in 2011 and now has about 175 students, is a unique public charter school in Idaho. It seeks to meet the academic needs of the children in rural Idaho in what is deemed a diverse, high-risk population with very high poverty levels.

Parents say they collected copies of the ACE survey  in its original form -- either from their children or by going to the school personally. However, Ivie told Fox News that questions were modified for students to be age appropriate. She noted, for example, that the question about sexual fondling was re-written to read, Has an adult or teenager touched where your swimming suit covers and made you uncomfortable?

According to Ivie, the paraphrased survey was given (or read) to younger students. She said middle-school students received the regular adult version because many middle schools have a significant number of students dealing with the items on the survey.

Ivie also emphasized that the ACE survey is used widely by pediatricians, social work supervisors, county prosecutors and national education organizations. She apologized that the anonymous assessment  caused anyone any anxiety, stressing that it was not aimed at targeting parents but merely to help them develop the most useful programs in the school amid budgetary restrictions.

It is used to identify stress factors in a school or community. It is designed to help us understand the challenges the children are dealing with and find resources that will empower the parents and children to be successful, she said.

Ivie maintained that "a lot of good" has come out of the survey, including encouraging struggling parents to seek help. She also emphasized her deep care for the community and the children, and the difficulties she and other educators face in trying to address such serious but often swept undercover issues. Her hope now is that students are discussing those survey items with a trusted adult and concerns can be addressed.

And while many parents remain aghast, several have also supported Ivie, insisting that she and the staff are warm and loving and care about the welfare of each and every child, and that if she were to leave Heritage it would be a great loss to the children and their quality of education at that school.

Jeff Pierson said he was a "a bit concerned about the survey at first, but I spoke at length with Dr. Ivie, reviewed what my son was given, did some research and I think the test has value." added Jeff Pierson. "I am a strong advocate for parental notification regarding issues such as I am a strong advocate for parental notification regarding issues such as these and I believe that aspect of the test could have been handled better. But I understand why the survey was given, and in the end I trust Dr. Ivie with the care of my child."
An illegal immigrant, who has been deported five times, caused a collision in Southern California last month that left one woman dead, police said.

Estuardo Alvarado, 45, allegedly slammed into the the back of Sandra Duran's car on Feb. 19 in North Hills, the LA Daily News reported Monday.

Alvarado was driving a 1999 Dodge Durango on a rain-stricken busy road when he attempted to pass other cars at a high rate of speed when he hit a parked car at a curb, police say. He struck Durans Toyota Camry while trying to flee the scene of the initial crash, police said.

Duran died at the scene of blunt force trauma, a medical examiner said.

Federal authorities told the newspaper that Alvarado is an illegal immigrant with a lengthy rap sheet that includes the deportations.

The 45-year-old Lakeview Terrace man was charged with five felony counts in connection to the accident, including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office said. Alvarado pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Alvarado had been on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's radar since 1998, when he was first deported, the LA Daily News reported.

Since 1990, Alvarado has been charged with more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors, according to the paper. Some of the cases reportedly include being a felon in possession of a weapon and the sale or transport of a controlled substance.

He had been convicted or pleaded guilty to several charges, including driving under the influence and misdemeanor hit-and-run, while others had been dismissed or not prosecuted for unknown reasons.

ICE is now planning to take action against Alvarado.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer against Mr. Alvarado seeking to take him into custody if and when he is released by local authorities in order to pursue follow-up enforcement action, authorities told the newspaper.

Alvarado is being held at the Mens Central Jail on $2.18 million bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department records. His next hearing is set for March 14.

Click for more from the LA Daily News.
The family of a United States Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan is fighting an order to deport him to Mexico following a drug conviction.

The deportation proceedings for Pfc. Miguel Perez, who suffered serious brain injuries during his second deployment in Afghanistan in 2003, were sparked after the veteran was sentenced in 2010 to serve 15 years in prison for delivering cocaine to an undercover police officer.

In 2012 Perez was placed into removal proceedings after being flagged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and in 2016 was turned over to ICE custody from the Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Ill.

Perez was born in Mexico, but grew up in Chicago, and was a legal permanent resident when he joined the Army in 2001. He said he mistakenly thought he became a legal U.S. citizen when he enlisted.

Hes more American than most of us standing here, because he did pick up arms to defend this country, said his mother, Esperanza Perez, according to the Independent.

After returning from Afghanistan, Perez began suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. The 38-year-old Perezs family said that the veteran did not receive proper medical care for his PTSD and that is why he turned to substance abuse.

U.S. Immigration Judge Robin Rosche said in February that she will issue a written decision on Perezs case, but that it is likely to take a few weeks -- a move that has made Perezs legal team hopeful that he will be able to remain in the U.S. as a negative decision usually comes out right away.

Rosche is considering Perezs claim under the United Nations Convention against Torture, a protection that resembles asylum, as the veteran said he fears for his life if he is deported to Mexico. Under the U.N. convention, member nations are not permitted to deport people who are not American citizens or nationals to another country where they could be tortured.

Those kind of people are immediately targeted upon entry to Mexico as people who can help criminal gangs, cartels, through their military experience, their weapons training, all that. They are targeted in the sense that, You either work for us or we kill you, Perezs lawyer, Chris Bergin, said.

Perez is one of thousands of green card-holding veterans who face deportation, according to the Ashleys Memory Project, which was started by a local church and the immigrant mother of a deceased veteran. There are also numerous veterans who have been deported and are fighting to return to the U.S.

In 2013, veteran and convicted felon Hector Barajas founded the Deported Veterans Support House, also known as The Bunker, devoted to the needs of this displaced group of people, many of whom suffer from psychiatric issues due to post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Bunker is working to help organize the deported men in their applications for voluntary humanitarian parole, which grants them a temporary permit to receive medical treatment at a VA hospital. The typically 30- to 90-day permit is issued to people otherwise inadmissible into the U.S. due to a compelling medical emergency.

These are men whove served. They shouldnt have to wait to die before getting the help they need. They served the country proudly, Barajas, who was convicted in 2001 for a shooting-related crime in which no one was injured, told Fox News. He spent two years in prison before being deported.

Immigrants have been enlisting to benefit from fast-track citizenship since 1775. After World War II, Congress acted to provide expedited naturalization to qualified noncitizens serving honorably in the armed forces, and in 2002 an executive order was issued to make noncitizens eligible for expedited citizenship.

But a large number of the illegal immigrants who enroll are uninformed and believe citizenship is automatically granted when they enlist. What they get, in fact, is legal residency or green card status.

Unfortunately, many of these guys [veterans] never got around to getting their citizenship while they were enlisted. Many of them were told it happened automatically, said Barajas.
The Anti-Defamation League and several Jewish community centers across the country got a new round of bomb threats Tuesday, adding to the scores they have been plagued with since January.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was at a Jewish Community Center on Staten Island to denounce previous threats when he learned of the new ones.

"This is a moment in time, in history, where forces of hate have been unleashed," de Blasio said. "It is exceedingly unsettling."

Federal officials have been investigating more than 120 threats against Jewish organizations in three dozen states since Jan. 9 and a rash of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries. Over the course of Monday evening and Tuesday, there were eight emailed or phoned-in bomb threats in six states plus Ontario, the JCC Association of North America said.

Also Tuesday, two suburban Jewish community centers in upstate New York were shut down when someone phoned in bomb threats, authorities said. The Jewish Community Center in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay was closed for almost two hours. A Jewish community center in Portland, Oregon, received a bomb threat, too.

In Providence, Rhode Island, an administrator at the Jewish Community Day School, attached to a synagogue, received a threat Tuesday morning alleging there was a shooter with an assault rifle on the roof of the building, police said. Police and a K-9 team swept the building; no one was found.

Chicago Jewish Day School on the city's north side was evacuated for a few hours.

In New York, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said there were five threats made, including to the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, which also received threats to its offices in Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C. The ADL said threats were also made in Florida and Maryland.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said he shared President Donald Trump's hope that the threats subside.

"We denounce these latest anti-Semitic and hateful threats in the strongest terms. It is incredibly saddening that I have to continue to share these disturbing reports with you," he said. "As long as they do continue, we will continue to condemn them and look at ways in which we can stop them."

On Friday, Missouri resident Juan Thompson was arrested on a cyberstalking charge and accused of making at least eight of the threats nationwide, including one to the ADL. Authorities said Thompson was trying to harass and frame his ex-girlfriend by pinning the threats on her.

A criminal complaint said Thompson started making threats Jan. 28. He claimed on Twitter that his ex-girlfriend was behind the calls. Thompson is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in St. Louis for a hearing to determine if he should remain detained pending trial.

Authorities are looking for other suspects in the threats.
A family member of the chief justice who presided over the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision has apologized to the family of the slave who tried to sue for his freedom.

On Monday, the 160-year anniversary of the decision, Charles Taney IV of Greenwich, Connecticut, stood a few feet from a statue of his great-great-grand-uncle Roger Brooke Taney outside the Maryland State House and apologized for the decision, in which Roger Taney wrote that African-Americans could not have rights of their own and were inferior to white people. Roger Taney lived in Maryland.

"You can't hide from the words that Taney wrote," Taney said. "You can't run, you can't hide, you can't look away. You have to face them."

CARSON EQUATES SLAVES TO IMMIGRANTS, SOCIAL MEDIA BLASTS COMMENT

He apologized on behalf of his family, to the Scott family and to all African-Americans, for the "terrible injustice of the Dred Scott decision."

Lynne Jackson of St. Louis, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott, accepted the apology for her family and "all African-Americans who have the love of God in their heart so that healing can begin." She hopes the apology can lead to a greater reconciliation.

"It's an open door for us to say if the Scotts and the Taneys can reconcile," Jackson said. "If you look at relationships in our nation, these are supposed to be the two who are really supposed to hate each other. But it's not about hatred; it's about understanding, and then relationship-building and trust."

Jackson said she had looked forward to a meeting of the two families ever since she created The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation a decade ago. She and Taney met for the first time last year, brought together by the production of a one-act fictional play written by Charles Taney's daughter, Kate Billingsley. "A Man of His Time," tells the story of a Taney descendant meeting a Scott descendant.

Taney and Jackson were invited to participate in a "talk-back" session with the audience after the performance. They have since begun working together, with Taney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations, helping Jackson's group develop a strategic mission.

"A Taney bringing an apology to a Scott is like 'bringing a Band-Aid to an amputation,'" Taney quoted his daughter as saying.

"An apology is not enough," he said. "But it is necessary."
A Michigan man was found dead in his car on Monday with a 2-year-old toddler in the backseat.

The Allegan County Sheriffs Department is investigating the death of Levi Newcomb, 29, of Kalamazoo.

DR. MANNY ALVAREZ ON EFFORTS TO COMBAT OPIOID ADDICTION

Detectives say a motorist contacted a deputy about a man passed out in a car at a nearby store, according to FOX13. The motorist said there was a small child sitting in the backseat of the car.

The deputy and first responders tried to revive Newcomb, but were unsuccessful. The 2-year-old is safe and with family members.

CAN A DNA SWAB PREDICT ADDICTION?

An autopsy has been scheduled and detectives are awaiting a toxicology report.

Newcomb had a history of drug abuse and had graduated from a court drug treatment program in 2014. He had been addicted to meth and had survived a meth lab explosion in 2009.

At the time of his treatment program graduation, Newcomb told FOX 17 that he had completed two years of courses, he was working full-time, was sober and turning his life around with his wife for their five children.
Tehran, Iran, March 7

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Irans steel export is threatening the market in Europe. The EU, which just managed to ward off Chinas steel dumping, is now looking for a

replacement for China from a number of countries including the Islamic Republic.

The European Steel Association (EUROFER) has warned that the explosive growth in exports from third countries, such as Iran, India, South Korea, Turkey and others, risks undermining the progress made in deploying trade defense tools to stabilize the industry against massive dumping from China.

Imports now make up a share of 25% of the EU market, with imports having risen by 9% in the second half of 2016. This is a record high, despite the impact of trade defense measures in reducing the volume of Chinese imports into the EU. Chinese imports are being replaced by those from other countries. For example, Iranian exports of steel to the EU were 117,000 tons in 2012. They have since exploded to 1.1 million tons in 2016. This is a nearly ten-fold increase, said Director General of EUROFER Axel Eggert, EUROFER reported March 6.

By the end of 2015, steel production in Iran stood at 16.1 million tons, placing the country 14th among steel-producing countries, according to World Steel Association.

Irans Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade figures show output rose toward 18 million tons in 2016 and the government plans to become the world's six by 2025 by boosting the output capacity to 55 million tons/year. This would put Iran well above Turkey (ranked ninth in the world with 31.5 million tons in 2015), which presently out-produces all countries in the Middle East.

This flood of imports into Europe is happening at the same time as the global players in the steel market are beginning to come together to

combat global overcapacity in steel production. The global market is suffering from about 700 million tons of global overcapacity.

As an open market, the EU has been targeted by foreign exporters of cheap, often unfairly dumped steel, said Mr. Eggert.

If Irans grand ambition is achieved, Tehran would expect the industry, eight years from now, to be exporting 20-25 million tons/year, far exceeding what is shipped now.
TENSION IN THE PACIFIC

The U.S. decision to send equipment needed to set up a controversial missile defense system in South Korea is likely to add to the tensions among Beijing and Moscow, countries that have spoken out in the past about deploying the system. China said Tuesday that it will take measures against US missile system deployed in South Korea and said the U.S. and Seoul will bear consequences. VIDEO

FNC's GREG PALKOT REPORTS ON LATEST NORTH KOREA INFO ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL AT 9 AM ET.

EXPLAIN TO MCCAIN

Sen. John McCain-- who has been a vocal Republican critic of President Trump-- said Monday that the president should explain why he thinks former President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower. McCain called Trumps decision to float the idea that he was wiretapped unprecedented.

FORMER KGB AGENT ON 'THE FIRST 100 DAYS' TALKS ABOUT 'PLAYING POLITICAL FOOTBALL' WITH INTEL

I SLEEP PRETTY GOOD AT NIGHT

Casey Anthony knows that much of the world believes she killed her 2-year-old daughter, despite her acquittal. But nearly nine years later, she insists she doesn't know how the last hours of Caylee's life unfolded.

LEVIN ON HANNITY

Radio host Mark Levin stood by President Trump's claim Monday that President Obama tapped his phones during last year's campaign, alleging that the now-former chief executive engaged in "police state tactics."

MARK LEVIN ON WHY OBAMA MAY HAVE BEEN SPYING ON TRUMP

FOX NEWS OPINION: Liz Peek: Cancel all vacations for Congress until August: How the GOP can push back against hysterical Democrats

Voters want action, and thanks to Democrat maneuvering, there is precious little time to deliver on Trumps campaign promises. ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should cancel the break expected on March 16-17, as well as the two week hiatus between April 10-21. Also, keep Congress in session over Memorial Day and July 4; its high time the GOP started playing hard ball.

COMING UP ON FNC

8: 45 a.m. ET: Secretary Carson speaks about affordable housing at the National Council of State Housing Agencies Legislative Conference at the Hyatt Regency Washington. Watch live on FoxNews.com

12 p.m. ET: Girls Inc. presents Hillary Clinton with the 2017 Girls Inc. Champion for Girls Award at event in New York Marriott Marquis, Watch live on FoxNews.com

1:30 p.m. ET: Press briefing with Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Watch live on Fox News Channel and FoxNews.com

2 p.m. ET: Acting State Dept Spokesperson Mark Toner holds the first briefing of the new admin. State Dept Briefing Room. Watch live on FoxNews.com

7: 30 p.m. ET: House Veterans' Affairs Cmte holds hearing on 'Shaping the Future: Consolidating and Improving VA Community Care.' VA Secy Shulkin and Sen. McCain testify.

COMING UP ON FOX BUSINESS

REPEAL AND REPLACE REACTION

Healthcare stocks will be in focus as Republicans move ahead with repealing and replacing Obamacare.

FOX Business will breakdown the details of the new plan and track the stocks that could be affected.

WATCHING ENERGY

One day after Exxon Mobil promises to create 45K new jobs, Chevron hosts its investor day.

Find out what the energy giant has planned for the year ahead.
Trespassing drones are becoming such a problem, says one Oklahoma lawmaker, that he wants people to be able to shoot them down without facing civil liability.

State Sen. Ralph Shortey, a Republican who represents the Oklahoma City area, authored a bill that exempts people from lawsuits if they damage drones that veer onto their property, according to multiple reports.

The lawmakers measure unanimously passed out of the state Senate Judiciary Committee in late February and is headed for a full vote in the upper chamber sometime this month, according to ABC-TV affiliate KTUL.com

The measure applies to drones that are not under Federal Aviation Administration regulation.

There (are) privacy issues that have not been addressed by any of the FAA regulations or state law, Shortey was quoted by KTUL as saying.

"It doesn't matter how you damage that thing," Shortey said. "As a private citizen, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy above your property where the public does not have access and that is under 400 feet."

Shortey cited an incident in 2015 when a drone was shot down during a pigeon shoot being held to raise money for Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, an animal protection advocacy group, was filming video of the event on private property.

Shortey said the measure doesn't mention how the drone should be taken down, whether it is with a gun, a net or another device. He also said the measure doesn't exonerate a person participating in a criminal activity, such as discharging a weapon where it's prohibited except for self-defense.

Stephen McKeever serves as chairman of the state governor's Unmanned Aerial Systems Council, which opposes the legislation. He said drones are classified as aircraft and that it's against federal law to shoot down an aircraft.

"So, the bill opens itself up to the state preemption of federal law," McKeever said.

He also argued that the bill encourages the discharge of a weapon within a residential area, which is against state law.

The bill is opposed by drone operators, who fear that it could lead to someone getting hurt if a person aiming for a drone shoots and injures  or kills  a bystander.

A bill that gives them the ability to do something like that, more people are going to feel like they can, Jake Nicks, owner of Outdoor Creations OK, said. Nicks, who has an FAA certification and operates his drone every day in demonstrations for customers, told KTUL that he is afraid that he or his customers could be hurt one day.

If somebody is shooting at the drone, we could be hit. Its just not smart at all, said Nicks.

Arstechnica.com asked the FAA to comment on the Oklahoma bill, but it declined. It did reiterate some points, however.

"A private citizen shooting at any aircraft  including unmanned aircraft  poses a significant safety hazard," the agency told Arstechnica.com. "An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air. Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges filed by federal, state or local law enforcement."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A clever dog sparked quite a commotion for some Pennsylvania firefighters after it needed to be rescued twice in less than an hour.

Nanticoke City Fire Department responded to a call of a daring canine spotted sitting on a roof of a home. The dog managed to open and climb out of a second floor window while his owners were out of the house.

Firefighters were able to coax the canine back inside but the pup had different plans.

An hour later, the fire department received another call saying the gutsy dog opened the window and climbed onto the roof again.

The dog was brought back inside and firefighters made sure to secure the window to prevent another daring escape.

READ MORE FROM FOX 26.
A writer who once called 9/11 first responders menaces of nature is set to speak at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Fox News learned Tuesday.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, a provocative journalist for The Atlantic, is scheduled to give a lecture at the New York school on April 12 in a talk hosted by the Department of English and Philosophy. The speech, which is not yet listed publicly by West Point, is billed as the Second Annual Zengerle Family Lecture in the Arts and Humanities.

I bet when a flaming liberal like him comes to speak at West Point, hell be met with respect  even though most in the audience will disagree with him, said a West Point graduate, who compared Coates impending speech with the violent confrontation that greeted author Charles Murray when Murray recently lectured at a Vermont school. Students at places like Middlebury College could learn a lot from cadets.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News contributor, also predicted a respectful reception for Coates, though most of them would probably not hold those beliefs.

I dont have any problem with the faculty at West Point bringing controversial speakers to expose different experiences to the cadets, Keane said. It should be a full and rich environment.

Coates reputation as a divisive writer stems mostly from his writings on race.

They were not human to me, Coates wrote in his book, Between The World And Me, about the emergency responders who rushed into The World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Black, white, or whatever, they were menaces of nature; they were the fire, the comet, the storm, which could  with no justification  shatter my body.

In the same book, Coates also referred to White America as a syndicate designed to dominate and control our bodies.

We talk about enslavement as though it were a bump in the road, Coates said during a speech at Harvard last week, and I tell people its the road, its the actual road.

One of his more famous essays, The Case for Reparations, argues that America prosperity was ill-gotten and selective in its distribution.

Reparations, Coates writes, would mean the end of scarfing hot dogs on the Fourth of July while denying the facts of our heritage.

Coates could not be reached for comment.
The launches of four banned ballistic missiles by North Korea were training for an attack on a U.S. base in Japan, state media says.

North Korean news agency KCNA said the launches were an exercise designed to prepare the country for a strike.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un had overseen the launch, the agency said, and had lauded what he had witnessed.

KCNA said the exercise was carried out by an artillery unit "tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency".

The four missiles flew an average of 620 miles and reached an altitude of 160 miles, Japan's Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said.

Some landed as close as 190 miles from Japan's northwest coast.

Under U.N. resolutions, Pyongyang is banned from using ballistic missile technology.

Washington and Tokyo have called for the United Nations Security Council to meet over the launches, which is expected to take place on Wednesday.

President Trump has previously said he will not allow the North to obtain a nuclear weapon that could threaten the U.S.

Click for more from SkyNews.
The corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht is spreading its tentacles in Colombia, where both the president and the guerilla are being accused of receiving contributions in exchange for favors and protection respectively.

According to Chief Prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez, Odebrecht paid $1 million for an opinion poll carried out during President Juan Manuel Santos re-election campaign in 2014. He said the company's goal was to curry favor with the Santos government to help it win a $100 million arbitration involving disputes over a highway project.

COLOMBIA'S SANTOS ACCEPTS NOBEL PRIZE AS 'GIFT FROM HEAVEN'

Santos, who was awarded the Peace Nobel Prize for a deal reached with FARC, a drug trafficking guerilla, has not commented on the issue yet.

The presidents association with Odebrecht is bound to further damage him with elections 14 months away and an uneasy coalition in congress needed to implement the controversial peace accord.

Meanwhile, a Brazilian weekly reported that in the course of the investigation two company executives revealed that Odebrecht made payments of between $50,000 and $100,000 a month in exchange for permits to build in territory held by the rebels.

According to Veja magazine, Odebrecht began the payments in the 1990s after Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas kidnapped two of its executives. The payments were considered a "guerrilla tax" and reportedly allowed Odebrecht to complete a 310-mile highway linking central Colombia with its Caribbean coastline, as well as other projects.

COLOMBIA TO RATIFY PEACE DEAL WITH REBELS IN CONGRESS

A FARC spokesman said the insurgency group was not aware of any money paid to the Brazilian company.

The fallout from Brazil's continuing investigation into Odebrecht is increasingly implicating politicians across the region  in a plea agreement last year with the U.S. Justice Department, admitted to paying some $800 million in bribes to win business across Latin America.

Last month, a judge in Peru ordered the arrest of former President Alejandro Toledo for allegedly receiving some $20 million in bribes for granting a lucrative contract to build a highway between Brazil and the Pacific Coast.

The AP contributed to this report.
A British backpacker was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks in the Australian Outback before being rescued by police who pulled over the car she was driving, officials said Tuesday.

Queensland state police officers noticed the 22-year-old woman had facial injuries and appeared distressed when they stopped the four-wheel drive along a highway in the rural town of Mitchell on Sunday. The officers then searched the vehicle and found a 22-year-old man hiding in a storage alcove in the back, police said.

Police stopped the car because they had received a report of a driver leaving a service station without paying for gas, Detective Inspector Paul Hart said.

"What she's experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police," Hart said.

Police say the two had met three months earlier in the northeast city of Cairns, where the man lived, and started a relationship. But in January, police say, the man began subjecting the woman to a series of violent assaults.

The attacks occurred at various locations as the pair traveled the nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) between Cairns and the Outback town of Roma, police spokesman CJ Roberts said.

The woman had very little opportunity to escape throughout her ordeal, Hart said. Even if she had, she would have found herself in an unfamiliar area where she would not have known anyone who could have helped her, he said.

The man, whose name was not released, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, two counts of deprivation of liberty and various drug offenses.

The woman was treated for facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body. Roberts said police did not know how long she had been in Australia, and could not release any additional details on her background.

There have been a string of high-profile attacks on foreign tourists in Australia in recent years, including the sexual assault of two backpackers on a remote beach in South Australia last year. A 60-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder, assault and kidnapping in that case goes on trial this week.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 7

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

International Pergas Consortium is ready to cooperate with Iranian exploration and production (E&P) companies, the head of Consortiums

office in Iran, Masoud Besharati said.

Pergas is ready to transfer technology, train specialists and invest, Shana quoted him as saying Mar.7.

Previously, the Consortium signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) by National South Oil Company (NISOC) and Pergas Consortium on November

2016 for carrying out studies over two oilfields in Iran.

The consortium comprises 11 European, Canadian and Asian firms as well as the Sharif University of Technology and has signed the NDA for

holding studies on Karanj (Asmari, Pabdeh, and Khami oil deposits) and Shadegan oilfields (Asmari and Bangestan reserves).

Pergas had already been involved in Irans South Pars phase 4 and 5 in 2002-2003. The phases produce 50 million cubic meters per day of gas and 80,000 barrels per day of gas condensate together.

Pergas established itself in 2000 as both service provider and procurement service to the oil, gas and petrochemical industry in the

Eastern Hemisphere.

Besharati said that now, during the post-sanctions era, Iran is a profitable market for Pergas Consortium.
A British man was sentenced to three years in the slammer for modifying his vans engine  to accommodate an Albanian woman who sought to enter the UK illegally, the Daily Mail reported.

This was a particularly elaborate concealment and it is a demonstration of the desperate lengths that individuals  and people smugglers  are prepared to go to in their attempts to breach the UKs border controls, border official Paul Morgan said of the Feb. 1 incident.

Driver Nicolae Chirvas initially told authorities he had been to Romania to visit his sister  then changed his story and said he had been to Germany.

BRITISH BACKPACKER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, HELD CAPTIVE IN AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK, POLICE SAY

When the Moldovan national, who lives in the UK, was recently asked at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles, France, how many people were in the vehicle, he replied two.

But officials quickly put the brakes on his ruse.

When officers flipped the hood of the van to examine the engine, they found it had been specially adapted, Morgan said. The whole engine had been lowered and in the void where you would normally expect to find a spare wheel, officers instead found a woman.

Read more at the New York Post.
Situated almost equidistant between Culiacan and the Gulf of California, the small Mexican city of Navolato is a sleepy place known mainly for agriculture, banda music and as a pass-through for vacationers heading to the towns along the coast.

But in late February the town became synonymous with Mexicos violent drug war  and for what could be the first shots in a battle for control of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel  when a bloody shootout erupted in the middle of the city.

The skirmish pitted two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel -- one led by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and the other by Damaso "El Licenciado" Lopez Nunez -- against each other and have experts speculating about the future of what is purportedly Mexicos most powerful, and seemingly indestructible, cartel in the wake of Guzmans arrest and extradition to the United States.

This is one reason why youre seeing such a drastic rise in homicides and violent crime all over Mexico, but especially in Sinaloa, Adam Isacson, a senior associate at the Washington Office on Latin America, told Fox News.

For years the Sinaloa Cartel has remained the one constant, unified group in Mexico as other cartels splintered, shattered or disintegrated under constant pressure from the country's armed forces, brutal infighting and battles over control of the lucrative trafficking corridors to the U.S.

Under Guzman, the cartel ran on a business model based on a loose arrangement of associates. Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia were in control of the overall organization, but cartel members beneath them had greater autonomy when it came to the daily operations of their trafficking corridors and so-called "plazas."

Unlike other cartels who employed a similar model -- the Zetas, for example -- Sinaloa was able to run its organization with less internal disruptions given that they focused exclusively on drug trafficking and have remained profitable in that enterprise, experts say.

"They've created a business structure that has allowed them to thrive and survive in ways that others have not, Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, told Fox News.

That structure, which was so carefully maintained with Guzman at the helm, appears to finally be showing signs of cracking as the Sinaloa Cartel leadership faces both internal and external threats.

Along with the shootout in Navolato, Guzman's sons and Zambada were also ambushed in February by hitmen allegedly deployed by "El Licenciado." Mexican media are reporting that Guzmans sons are involved in a dispute with their uncle, Aurelio Guzman, alias "El Guano," for control over the criminal group.

Besides defectors from within the organization, the Sinaloa leadership has also had to deal with a growing threat from outside in the form of the Jalisco Cartel -- New Generation (CJNG), which has been encroaching on territory long held by Sinaloa and sees the extradition of Guzman as an opportunity to assert its influence.

"The Jalisco Cartel -- New Generation [CJNG] has launched attacks against the Sinaloa Cartel," professor Jimenez Ornelas, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), told Mexican news site Sin Embargo. "These groups have sustained confrontations especially in Colima, one of the key plazas for the control of drug trafficking in the Mexican Pacific."

Numerous news reports are crediting the extradition of Guzman -- and the ensuing battles for territorial control -- with the current "wave of violence" in Mexico, and Sinaloa in particular.

Mexicos homicide tally in January was 30 percent higher than it was in January 2016 and January was also one of the most violent months for Sinaloa in recent years, according to government homicide data.

Despite the conflict currently engulfing the group, observers say that it is unclear whether or not the Sinaloa Cartels global trafficking network will feel any effects. Besides Mexico and the U.S., the organization is known to operate throughout Europe, Asia and West Africa and as far as Australia and New Zealand.

If youre looking for any change on the international level, it is probably too early to tell, Isacson said.
Migration is the "Trojan wooden horse" of terrorism and the current lull in the migrant flow is only temporary, Hungary's prime minister said Tuesday

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants. Orban says the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, are a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

Orban said the migration issue would remain as long as its causes in the countries of origin were not dealt with and its potential risks were not recognized.

"Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism," Orban said at a swearing-in ceremony for a new group of border guards, called "border hunters" by the government. "The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living."

Orban said the migration pressure on Hungary's borders would continue as millions of people were planning to come to Europe in hope of better lives.

"We are still, at this moment, under siege," Orban said. "The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defense."

As Orban was speaking to the 462 new border guards, lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party approved new rules which further limit the rights of asylum seekers and give police more power to send migrants back to Serbia.

During a state of emergency due to migration, recently extended until Sept. 7, all asylum seekers will kept at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests.

The decision is in line with Hungary's intention to close all other refugee reception centers around the country, some of which were shut last year.

Police will also be allowed to return to the Serbian border any migrants caught anywhere in the country who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometers (miles) of the border could be sent back to Serbia.

The new legislation was strongly criticized by human rights advocates, who said asylum seekers' rights to legal assistance would be severely limited.

"There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country," said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including Amnesty International Hungary, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. "The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda."

The United Nations refugee agency said it was "deeply concerned" about the detention of asylum seekers.

"This new law violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered," the UNHCR said in a statement. "The detention of refugees and asylum seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate."

Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 150-kilometers (93 miles)-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1.

While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones. Experts fear even fewer will be allowed to apply as the new rules are applied.

In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.
The bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Pyongyang saying it had banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea.

That was followed quickly by Malaysia saying North Korean embassy staff were barred from leaving its country. Malaysia had already expelled the North Korean ambassador on Monday.

The North's Foreign Ministry told the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it would temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens now in the North, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

It said the exit ban will be valid "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia."

Malaysia is pursuing several North Korean suspects allegedly involved in the killing, including a diplomat at the North's Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has not accused the North of being behind the killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport three weeks ago, but South Korean has.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea: Three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

The North said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before" during the period of the temporary exit ban.

It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.

Kim Jong Nam died less than 20 minutes after two women wiped VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, authorities say. The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with murder.

North Korea has denied any role in the killing and accused Malaysia of conspiring with its enemies. North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol rejected a Malaysian autopsy that found Kim was killed with VX, a banned chemical weapon.

On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the decision to expel Kang sent a clear message.

"It means that we are firm in defending our sovereignty and dignity," Najib said. "Don't ever insult our country and don't try to cause disruptions here."

Malaysian authorities declared Kang "persona non grata" on Saturday and gave him two days to leave the country. He arrived late Monday afternoon at the Kuala Lumpur airport, where he told reporters that Malaysia was doing "great harm" to the countries' relations.

Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea was behind 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.

Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, has said Kim probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said pathologists have ruled that out.

The two women accused of poisoning Kim say they were duped into thinking they were taking part in a harmless prank.

Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. The 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.


They booked banquets for hundreds of guests. They ate, drank, danced and even set off fireworks. But when desserts arrived, they drove away in a blink of an eye, leaving behind unpaid bills amounting to thousands of euros.

A trail of similar recent incidents in various restaurants of central and northwestern Spain has led the police to detain one man from Romania whose identity matches some of the bookings, said a spokesman with the regional Interior Ministry in Leon.

A second man who is on the run could have left the country already, according to a spokesman with the Civil Guard, and more have been identified. But no details would be released to avoid tipping the fraudsters off.

Both officials spoke anonymously in line with internal policy.
A zoo director says a 5-year-old rhinoceros at the wildlife park he runs near Paris has been shot three times in the head by assailants who stole the animal's horn.

Thierry Duguet told The Associated Press that poachers broke into the Thoiry Zoo overnight and used a chain saw to remove the horn from the rhino named Vince. Zookeepers discovered his carcass Tuesday in the rhinoceros' enclosure.

Duguet says police are investigating and the suspects still are at large.

The Thoiry Zoo is famous for its safari park that can only be explored from inside a vehicle.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, a rhinoceros horn can be sold for up to 40,000 euros on the black market because of a strong demand linked to the belief that the horns have aphrodisiac powers.
Minuteman Press Franchise Celebrates Grand Re-Opening in Johnston, Rhode Island

Minuteman Press in Johnston, Rhode Island is now owned by Kimberly Sherman-Leon, a dedicated entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three children. Kimberly and her family were joined by community members, friends, and family at their grand re-opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

March 07, 2017 // Franchising.com // JOHNSTON, R.I. - The Minuteman Press franchise in Johnston, RI recently held its grand re-opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially welcomed new owner Kimberly Sherman-Leon to the Johnston business community. Kimberly took over the design, print, and marketing center located at 1999 Plainfield Pike in November 2016 from retiring owners Linda and Dave Buttery, who owned and operated the business for 17 years.

Minuteman Press is the modern printing industry, offering essential products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals. "We offer everything to help build and promote your business from brand identity development, print on paper, and promotional products to mail stream and digital platforms," notes Kimberly. She continues, "We take every idea and bring it to life in whatever format our clients need!"

Meet Kimberly Sherman-Leon and Family

Kimberly Sherman-Leon is a dedicated entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three children ages 17, 13 and 4. She previously worked at the Minuteman Press franchise in Johnston, RI as a graphic designer before venturing out to start a design business of her own. When Linda and Dave Buttery were ready to retire after 17 years in business, Kimberly jumped at the opportunity to take over a business that she put her heart into and truly loved.

"I worked at Minuteman Press in Johnston as a Senior Designer and Store Production Manager for 5 years and it was one of the best work experiences I ever had," says Kimberly. She adds, "It was very hard work and I always needed to stay on my toes and be sharp no matter how many jobs I was doing at once, but working at Minuteman Press helped me grow as a person, learn the business, expand my skillsets, and become a very well-rounded professional. I am very grateful to have had that experience and two great employers to work for."

Kimberly is also thankful for her husband Jorge's support and is excited to begin this new chapter for her family. She says, "My family is very excited and my oldest children remember me working there and cant believe we own it now. They look forward to being part of it. My youngest just loves the print shop! She is learning how to makes copies, print from the computer, use some of the smaller bindery machines and very interested in the offset press! She even goes in the lobby and talks to the customers! Lets just say she is a mini me!"

She adds, "My husband is very supportive of everything I do. We have been together for 20 years and he has been nothing but supportive. I am just very excited that we can do this together. He will join in the business later as he still works at AutoZone (18 years and counting). But he comes every day after work to help, learn, make deliveries, and start taking on the management role. It is all exciting!"

From Entrepreneur to Franchise Owner

Kimberly Sherman-Leon left her position at Minuteman Press in Johnston in 2008 to venture out on her own as an entrepreneur. She explains, "I had my own design business on the side (as most designers do) called KS Designs, LLC and it was growing rapidly. So I took the leap to work for myself full time. During this time, I grew tremendously as a person and as a professional. I still worked with [Minuteman Press] owners Dave and Linda and brought a lot of my print work there through the years up to the very day he asked if I would be interested in taking over the business since they wanted to retire."

In November 2016, the time had come for Dave and Linda Buttery to retire, and so they asked Kimberly if she was still interested in taking over the business. Kimberly didn't hesitate, saying, "I was always business-oriented and at this time, I was looking for a storefront to grow my design/print/digital/publishing agency. It was all timing and a blessing! It worked out. When I left in 2008, I told Dave that if he ever decides to sell, to contact me because who knows where I will be at that time. Timing is everything!"

Training and Support from Minuteman Press

After buying the business, Kimberly attended Minuteman Press International's two-week training program at their world headquarters in Farmingdale, NY. She also receives ongoing local support from the company right here in Johnston. Says Kimberly, "During training, I really enjoyed being in a room with like-minded business people and being surrounded by print! It felt like where I belonged and enjoyed learning all of the business materials needed. It was very motivating. I get a lot of support from Dave and Linda, the previous owners, on a weekly basis. I also get tremendous support from Ed Connelly, the Minuteman Press field representative for the area and Ron Rubin, Minuteman Press International's New England Regional Vice President.

Grand Re-Opening

The grand re-opening event for Minuteman Press in Johnston was attended by community members, friends, and family. Mayor Joseph Polisena was on hand to welcome Kimberly to the Johnston business community and Minuteman Press RVP Ron Rubin attended to show his continued support for Kimberly as well. She says, "The grand re-opening was wonderful! We had the best day of the week. Cold and rainy on Monday and Tuesday, 65 degrees on Wednesday for our Grand Re-Opening day, and then we had a snowstorm the very next day with freezing temperatures in the teens. We were definitely lucky!"

Kimberly continues, "On our beautiful day, we had local businesses who we do printing with contribute food, desserts and coffee. This helps bring the community together and celebrate small businesses! Our local sign company installed our new storefront sign and window graphics. We had a small crowd witness the ceremony and it was a very proud moment for my husband and me."

"I have worked for corporate companies and it doesnt even compare."

When asked about the most rewarding thing about owning her business, Kimberly Sherman-Leon lights up before she answers: "I always liked working for myself. I am a creative person and an entrepreneur. We cant be locked in a 'box.' We need to breathe and move around outside our limits and reach for the sky. Working for someone else is okay but it wasnt something I would settle for. It was a steady paycheck and it allowed me to build my empire on the side without worrying about money. Yes, I have been sleep deprived many times running on coffee and few hours of sleep and lets not forget I have 3 children and a husband! But I wouldnt change it for anything!"

How does Kimberly successfully manage her business and family lives? She explains, "People would ask me, 'How do you do it?' I just say put a Nike symbol on me, I just do it! I have passion and drive and I am determined to achieve my goals and ambitions I have for myself. I can now say I feel accomplished and that I am happy where I am because this is where I belong. If there is one thing I learned on my journey in life, everything comes full circle, it all happens when it does for a reason. This opportunity came at this time in my life because it was the right time! Working for myself is wonderful, fulfilling and rewarding. I have worked for corporate companies and it doesnt even compare."

Making a Positive Impact in the Community

For Kimberly Sherman-Leon, owning her very own Minuteman Press franchise means she can continue to make a difference in Johnston and advocate for both a community and an industry she loves equally. She says, "Giving back to the community is very important! I am very involved in giving back, lecturing at networking events and classrooms in high schools and colleges. I work with interns and students from all areas. I am on the Board with a few schools and printing industry organizations in RI. I am an advocate for this industry. For a better idea, you can visit my website for Rhode Island Creative Magazine which is a magazine I publish for the creative arts community in RI!"

Business Goals and Advice for Others

In Kimberly's own words, a typical day for her is "very busy" and "non-stop," which is not surprising considering all she has already accomplished as an entrepreneur, wife, and mom. She is far from done, however, and has plenty of new goals to strive for as she continues to work on her business. She says, "My goals are to finish the transition, get organized, build a marketing strategy and hopefully grow the businesses a little more from last year. Most importantly, I will be creating a day to day work flow that is feasible for me and my staff since I am a one-person owner at this time."

As for others who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or owning a Minuteman Press franchise, Kimberly offers these words of advice: "Stick with it, dont give up, it all takes time! Breathe, take one thing at a time and it will all come together. Keep going, keep building, always look forward and up!"

These are wise words from a remarkable modern businesswoman.

Kimberly Sherman-Leon's Minuteman Press franchise is located at 1999 Plainfield Pike, Johnston, RI 02919. For more information, call Kim and her team at (401) 944-0667 or visit their website: http://www.minmanri.com

About Minuteman Press International

Minuteman Press International is a number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. Started in 1973 by Roy Titus and his son Bob, Minuteman Press began franchising in 1975 and has grown to over 950 business service franchise locations worldwide including the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Minuteman Press is ranked #1 in category by Entrepreneur for 14 years in a row and 25 times overall, including 2017. We are the modern version of the printing industry, providing high quality products and services for businesses that go way beyond just ink on paper. Today our stores produce promotional products, custom apparel, direct mail advertising, large format printing (banners and posters), signs, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise.

Learn more about Minuteman Press design, printing, and marketing franchise opportunities by calling 1-800-645-3006 and access Minuteman Press franchise reviews at www.minutemanpressfranchise.com

Contact:

Minuteman Press Franchise Opportunities

1-800-645-3006

www.minutemanpressfranchise.com

Chris Biscuiti

Media Relations

631-249-1370, ext. 249

cbiscuiti@mpihq.com

SOURCE Minuteman Press

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Tehran, Iran, March 7



By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:



Iranian clothing companies have signed 12 deals with foreign brands to produce clothes in Iran and sell them on domestic and foreign markets, Deputy Minister of Labor for Job Creation Issa Mansuri said.







We have plans to create jobs in several areas in the country. It is estimated that through an investment of 5 trillion rials ($154.3 million), 370,000 job positions in the clothing industry are achievable, he said, Mehr news agency reported March 7.





In 2016, Iran's unemployment rate was estimated to amount to 11.29 percent of the total labor force.



According to Irans 6th Development Plan (2017-2022), the government should be lowering the unemployment rate by 0.8 percent each year.




New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
The man who led Stafford deputies on a wild chase through the county last week was already wanted in three other jurisdictions, authorities said.

Michael Randolph Harless, 35, was charged with numerous offenses after a police dog helped take him into custody in the area of Centreport Parkway and U.S. 1. Authorities later learned that he was also wanted in Spotsylvania, Culpeper and Prince William counties.

According to Stafford Sheriff's spokeswoman M.C. Morris Moncure, a citizen called the Sheriff's Office about 4:42 p.m. Friday to say he saw a man urinating behind a business on Garrisonville Road (State Route 610) in North Stafford. The man then got into the blue Chevrolet Silverado and was throwing out beer cans as he drove onto Doc Stone Commons.

The witness reported seeing the vehicle go through a red light and over several curbs before parking illegally at Lowe's. The driver and his passenger briefly entered the store, picked up another man and headed west on Route 610.

Deputies D.C. Reed and J.J. Brunofski made their way through heavy rush-hour traffic and caught up with the vehicle as it turned left into the North Stafford High School parking lot. Reed tried to stop the truck after seeing it being driven erratically, but the Silverado continued through the high school property toward Shelton Shop Road.

Reed pursued the pickup south on Shelton Shop and learned that the registered owner had a suspended license and was wanted. The Silverado slowed as it reached Mountain View Road, where several cars were stopped for the traffic light.

The two passengers got out at that point and were ordered to the ground. The driver took off east on Mountain View Road with at least three deputies in pursuit, Moncure said.

The passengers told authorities they had begged the driver to pull over, but he told them he would not because he was wanted and had eight years worth of jail time hanging over his head.

Police said the suspect continued down Mountain View Road at between 60 to 80 mph. Several vehicles drove into ditches to avoid head-on collisions with the fleeing vehicle, Moncure said.

The suspect turned onto Centreport Parkway and headed toward Interstate 95, where waiting deputies deployed devices that punctured the driver's and passenger's side tires. Moncure said the suspect continued driving while losing tire tread.

As the pursuit reached U.S. 1, police pinned the Silverado against a guardrail. The driver got out and began to run.

Deputy J.H. Truslow told the man that if he didn't stop, he would release his police dog, Havoc. The man continued running and Havoc quickly caught him and took him down.

Moncure said the suspect was actively resisting as handcuffs were applied. As he was being taken to a waiting police cruiser, the suspect broke free briefly before being apprehended a second time. He was then taken to Stafford Hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during the incident.

Harless, a Catlett resident, was charged with eluding police, two counts of abduction, felony hit and run, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, possessing a vehicle with an altered serial number, resisting arrest, driving suspended and multiple other misdemeanors.

He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

The charges Harless faces in other localities could not be determined Monday.
An arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing of a Northern Virginia store security guard who lived in Caroline County.

Larry Donnell Drumgole, a 44-year-old security guard at Burlington Coat Factory at Potomac Mills Mall, died Saturday after being stabbed in a confrontation with a suspected shoplifter.

Police quickly identified Jamel Carlos Kingsbury, 35, as a suspect from a domestic incident call earlier Saturday, according to the Prince William Police Department. He remained at large until Tuesday when the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., received a tip about where the suspect was and arrested him.

Kingsbury, a homeless man with a criminal record in Prince William, is in jail facing a murder charge.

Drumgole was a New York native who lived in the Rappahannock Academy area of Caroline County. He was married with a son.

He also had worked at the Burlington Coat Factory store in the Greenbrier Shopping Center, according to employees. Drumgole transferred from the Fredericksburg store to the Burlington store at the Prince William County outlet mall.

According to Prince William County Police, about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Drumgole and another security officer attempted to stop Kingsbury, who was suspected of shoplifting items at the Burlington Coat Factory. During the confrontation, Drumgole was stabbed. He died later at a hospital. The other security guard was not injured.

Drumgoles sister, Tiffany Rollins, has set up a gofundme page to help the family at gofundme.com/larry-drumgole-memorial.
The trial of a man charged with a September killing in Fredericksburg has been delayed for a second time.

Christopher John Hardbower, 43, of Burke was scheduled to go on trial next Tuesday on charges of murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

But the trial has been rescheduled for May 10 because of a delay in receiving medical records of Geoffrey Barksdale, the man Hardbower is charged with shooting multiple times. The first continuance was caused by a delay in the autopsy report being filed in Fredericksburg Circuit Court.

Hardbower, who is free on bond, appeared in court Tuesday with his attorney. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Hardbower is accused of shooting Barksdale on Sept. 21 at a residence in the Hazel Hill apartment complex off of Princess Anne Street. Barksdale, 43, of Spotsylvania County, died several days after the shooting.

The medical examiner recovered five bullets from Barksdales body, according to a search warrant. The search warrant, filed in November by Fredericksburg police Detective Johnny Wright alleges that Hardbower admitted to shooting Barksdale multiple times.

According to earlier testimony in Fredericksburg General District Court, Hardbower was at the home of a woman the night of the shooting when Barksdale knocked on the door and entered when the woman opened it.

The woman testified that Barksdale would not leave and started following her up the stairs. Then he saw Hardbower, who had been in the womans bed.

She said Barksdale hit her while she was holding her baby, and then punched Hardbower. She testified that Hardbower got a gun, loaded it and fired about six shots at Barksdale.

Barksdale was taken to Mary Washington Hospital before eventually being transferred to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where he died.
Republican Congressman Dave Brat is railing against the House of Representatives plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, labeling it Obamacare-lite in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

It will not pass, wrote Brat, a tea party favorite whose 7th District includes most of Spotsylvania County and all of Louisa, Orange and Culpeper counties.

In an earlier Facebook post, he said the bill released by House Republicans Monday night maintains most of the insurance regulations while adding a new entitlement program. He posted a link to a Politico article headlined: Conservatives pan House Obamacare repeal bill.

If the entire rationale for this bill is to bend the cost curve down, so far Ive seen no evidence of that, Brat wrote.

U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R1st District, called the bill an important first step but said hes concerned by the lack of details on how many people will be covered under this legislation and what the overall costs will be.

I will be evaluating this bill in the days ahead to determine if it will be good for Virginians, and I look forward to continuing to gather feedback on this issue from folks in the 1st District, he said in a statement to The Free LanceStar.

Wittman has not met constituent requests for an in-person town hall meeting in the wake of Republican President Donald Trumps inauguration. But he did host his first telephone town hall last week for more than 35,000 people, the congressman wrote in an email to constituents.

The House bill preserves two of the most popular features of the 2010 health care law, letting young adults stay on their parents health plans until age 26 and forbidding insurers to deny coverage or charge more to people with pre-existing medical problems.

It would replace income-based subsidies with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes, according to an Associated Press report. It would also continue former President Barack Obamas expansion of Medicaid to additional low-income Americans until 2020.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, expressed serious concerns with the proposal, saying it would reduce the number of insured Americans and raise health care costs. Republicans, he said, are rushing to pass a bill without analyzing its impact.

I will not support a plan that dismantles Medicaid, raises costs for Virginias middle class families and seniors, and defunds Planned Parenthood while massively cutting taxes for the wealthy, Kaine said in a statement. We cannot walk back the years of progress we have already made to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable care.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, DVa., echoed Kaines comments, saying Trumpcare would cause millions to lose insurance.

Instead of improving what we have, Trumpcare seems designed to cover fewer Americans, and makes that coverage less generous and less affordable, he said in a statement.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 6



By Emil Ilgar  Trend:



Americans who live in Iran can open bank accounts in the country, lawyer with the Central Bank of Iran's (CBI) Legal Studies Department Hamid Ghanbari, said on March 6.



He said that according to the United States Department of the Treasury's recent issued allowance, American citizens with residence in Iran can open bank accounts in the country, IRNA reported.



He said that nuclear-related US sanctions on Iran have been removed entirely and the remained sanctions are those imposed before 2006 and dont have any relation to the nuclear issue.



Iran and P5+1 group, including US, France, UK, Russia, China plus Germany reached a nuclear deal, which was implemented in January 2016.

The deal lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.
Mohammad Mesbahi and Homa Esfandiari had more hope Tuesday than they did when the week dawned.

The married couplehe is a U.S. citizen and she is a citizen of Iransaw her effort to immigrate to America abruptly halted in February when President Trump signed an executive order imposing a 90-day ban on seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The order also suspended all refugee admissions for 120 days.

A revised executive order on immigration signed by Trump Monday gives the couple a glimmer of hope.

There are still more questions than answers for us and everything is up in the air, Mesbahi said. However, we have some good and bad news.

Mesbahi, a 2012 graduate of the University of Mary Washington and a U.S. citizen, traveled to Iran to visit family the summer before he started law school at American University. Thats when he met Esfandiari through a friend of a friend.

The couple, married on Christmas Day 2014, wanted to do the immigration process right and launched a two-year bid to have her join him in the United States.

On the day the first order was signed, Esfandiari was on her way to the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia, for a final interview that would have resulted in a green card, or a visa with a green card to follow. The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, so Armenia is the closest embassy.

The federal courts blocked Trumps original order after widespread confusion about its implementation. The president signed a new executive order Monday that bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq. The new order, which takes effect March 16, also reinstates a temporary ban on refugees.

One thing that makes Mesbahi optimistic is that the revised ban that exempts those who are already lawful permanent residents of the United States.

Although this does not apply to my wife, I am hoping it will apply to those like her already in the pipeline, who are already vetted, awaiting their entry, he said.

The new order also allows for a hardship exception to the entry ban to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

We have really been hoping for a case-by-case review all along, he said. It gives us much-needed hope.

He said he doesnt know yet how the case-by-case exemption works, but once the couple finds out, they will file for relief immediately.

The revised order states that the travel ban on the six countries will initially be temporary. But at the end of this period, a list of countries will be recommended for inclusion on an indefinite travel ban.

So this means unfortunately we are still stuck in the middle of this feud between the countries of Iran and the United States and this might become a permanent ban, he said.

Mesbahi noted that the executive order still calls for the countries on the list to cooperate with the U.S. or risk permanent denial of entry.

Unfortunately for us, Iran has stated already it will not cooperate, he said. Sadly, there is great potential for this temporary ban to become a permanent ban for Iran.

Mesbahi said he agrees with the objectives of the order, but does not think banning people by country of origin is the best way to keep the U.S. safe.

Overall, it would be better to strengthen the existing vetting, which already is thorough, and do it case by case, looking at the merits of each persons case, he said.

The couple is also trying to confirm whether he can visit her in Iran.

Mesbahi also worried that if he left the U.S., he might not be allowed back in under the original order. He came to this country at age 7 and is a citizen, but is considered a national of Iran, as well.

After the original ban went into place, Mesbahi contacted his elected representatives for help.

Sen. Tim Kaines office said he has an immigration casework team that has been working with constituents to navigate recent immigration rules.

Asked about Mesbahis situation, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittmans office said the Fredericksburg-area congressman stands ready and willing to help those who may be affected by contacting the federal agencies involved to get updates on specific cases or general guidance on implementation moving forward.

Mesbahi said his wife, who hopes to study veterinary medicine in the United States, is cautiously optimistic.

Homa is so anxious and just wants to start her life with me, he said. We have felt like our lives have been on hold and it has been hard in that sense.

Clinging onto this bit of hope, we walk forward hand-in-hand. Ultimately, we know in our hearts that our mutual love for each other is strong and we will endure all of this.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7



By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:



Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says he has not contacted the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson since the new administration assumed power in Washington.



Saying that Tehran does not impose any restrictions on interaction and holding talks with the US officials regarding the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA/ nuclear deal, Zarif added that Iran will not renegotiate the nuclear deal, ISNA news agency reported.





According to the top diplomat, Iranian officials at the Foreign Ministry contact their counterparts in the US Department of State and also Treasury to follow up on the implementation of the nuclear accord but Zarif himself has not held any talks with his new American counterpart, Rex Tillerson.





Iran and the world powers in 2015 reached a historic deal on the country's nuclear program removing sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for curbing the country's nuclear program.




Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7



By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:



Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says he sees no reason why the US should fail to fulfill its obligations on removing sanctions against Tehran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA/nuclear deal).



We see no reason for failing the removal and suspension [process] of sanctions against Iran which under the JCPOA are considered as the commitments of the US, ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.







The top diplomat stressed that Iran is capable of adopting a reversibility mechanism concerning the nuclear deal but Tehran prefers to keep on implementing the JCPOA rather than rolling back its nuclear program.





Iranian nuclear officials earlier warned against any breach of nuclear accord saying the countrys experts had devised a reversibility mechanism that would enable Iran to immediately return to conditions before the conclusion of the deal, if the other side fails to live up to its commitments under the nuclear agreement.





Zarif asserted that the US has taken on some obligations and it has to fulfill commitments under the nuclear accord.





Concerns have grown in the Islamic Republic over US President Donald Trumps approach to past Iran sanctions. A group of Iranian experts have expressed concerns that Trump could unilaterally sabotage the nuclear agreement.



Penalties would be reinstituted against non-Americans for dealing with Iran in various areas, including banking and energy, if Trump allows the waivers of past sanctions on Iran, signed by former President Barack Obama under executive order, to lapse over the coming months.









Iran and the world powers in 2015 reached a historic deal on the country's nuclear program removing sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for curbing the country's nuclear program.
Few people get the chance to come face to face with a 2,000-pound great white shark. But John Burgner of Richmond did.

Burgner, an anesthesiologist at VCU Medical Center, caught a female great white while fishing for sharks with friends Feb. 2 about 15 miles off the coast of Hilton Head, S.C.

Reeling in the 14-foot-long shark was a two-hour test of endurance, he said.

Ive caught hammerheads and bull sharks up to 10 feet before, but never have I been so physically whipped after a fight, he said. By the end of the fight my will was broken, and I had just enough to get her boatside for a little photo op.

Burgner was fishing with his friend Chip Michalove, a charter-boat captain who helps tag great whites for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy program. He said he knew from the beginning that he had hooked a great white.

It came straight up to the surface, and we could see her swimming around with her dorsal and tail fins sticking out of the water, Burgner said. She never completely jumped out of the water, but spent almost the entire fight at the surface.

Despite the two-hour battle, the shark kept fighting, biting the boat once in the process and preventing Burgner and Michalove from attaching a tracking tag.

We made the smart decision just to pop out the hook and let her go, he said. We were really hoping to get a tag in her, but she just didnt want to behave.

Michalove, the owner of Outcast Sport Fishing, says the waters off Hilton Head teem with sharks, including great whites, during the winter as the animals migrate from Massachusetts to Florida.

This is kind of like a pit stop for them, he said.

Michalove has caught a dozen great whites over the last three years and said he enjoys playing a part in researching the creatures.

If I can help scientists and biologists learn about these sharks, Im happy to help, he said.

***

A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Burgner became hooked on sharks about 27 years ago when, while visiting his grandparents in Florida, he spotted a lemon shark swimming laps around a charter fishing boat.

After that, I read every book in my elementary school library about sharks, every book in my middle school library about sharks and every book in my high school library about sharks, he said.

An avid fisherman, Burgner, 33, spends as much time on the water as possible. He makes several trips a year to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Floridas Gulf Coast just to fish for sharks. He also participates in the Apex Predators Program, a volunteer shark-tagging effort run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that helps track them.

He does not keep any of the sharks he catches, instead only collecting information, such as size, and tagging them. He also files down the barbs on his hooks so they do less damage to the animal.

My wife would say I have an unhealthy obsession with fishing, especially shark fishing, he said. But as long as you treat them with respect and care, you can minimize your risks.

Burgner, who usually fishes for smaller sharks from shore, says the worst injuries he has endured were abrasions on his legs from the animals sandpaper-like skin while tagging them.

***

Catching a great white is more likely today than it was 20 years ago.

According to a pair of 2014 studies, scientists think 3,000 to 5,000 great whites are swimming along the East Coast of the United States, a big turnaround for a population that had been in serious decline since the 1960s and was almost wiped out because of overfishing in the 1970s and 80s.

That downward trend began to reverse in the 1990s, when state and federal regulations were put in place to protect great whites in U.S. waters. Since then the species has returned to about 69 percent of its 1961 levels, according to NOAA.

Great whites caught in South Carolina must be released immediately, according to the states Department of Natural Resources. In Virginia, it is illegal for both commercial and recreational fishermen to possess great whites.

For Burgner, though, his experience is the catch of a lifetime.

This was something I never thought possible, he said. Very few people in this world have ever experienced the sheer power a 2,000-pound shark can bring. Being so close to such a beautiful creature was awe-inspiring.
Debra Debi Frye Edmondson, 63, of Fort Mill, SC passed away suddenly at her home on March 4, 2017.

Debi was born February 17, 1954 in Leesburg, Va. to the late Jesse W. Frye and Helen Wynkoop Frye. The youngest of three daughters, Debi attended Lucketts Elementary School prior to graduating from Loudoun County High School in 1972. It was there in her sophomore year that she began a lifelong relationship with R. W., her husband of 43 years. While raising their two children, Patrick and Courtney, Debi enjoyed a very successful 20-year career in local government working for both Louisa and Spotsylvania Counties. Since moving to Fort Mill, S.C. in 2005, she has been an active member of St. Johns United Methodist Church, where she has participated in various groups and activities, including United Methodist Women and the Chancel Choir.

Known for her quick wit and infectious smile, you could be sure any amount of time spent with her included laughter and memories to cherish for a lifetime. Debi was an incredible cook and the best hostess around, always welcoming everyone with the utmost grace and ease. She was our matriarchstrong, honest, nurturing, and completely dedicated to her family and God. Her love was unconditional and she led by her Christian example. She was Debi to most, Mama to her children, and Mimi to her precious grandchildren, who adored her and will miss her beyond belief.

She is survived by her husband, R. W. Edmondson III of Fort Mill, S.C.; two children and their spouses, Patrick and Leigh Ann Edmondson of Indian Land, S.C.; and Courtney and Greg Boney of Lake Wylie, S.C.; four grandchildren, William, Molly, Benjamin, and Abigail; two sisters, Charlotte (Paul) Duncan of Southport, N.C., and Marilyn Short of Lexington, S.C.; as well as many other loving family members and special friends.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 7 from 5-7 p.m. at St. Johns United Methodist Church in Fort Mill, S.C. The Memorial Service will be on Wednesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. at the church, with Pastor Karen Radcliffe officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: St. Johns United Methodist Church, 130 Tom Hall Street, Fort Mill, SC 29715.

For more information, please contact Wolfe Funeral Home of Fort Mill, S.C. at 803-547-7575 or visit their website at www.wolfefuneralhome.com.
THE ROLE of the vice president, not enshrined in any law, is determined in any administration by three things: his direct relationship with the president, his building of a personal portfolio of issues, and the effectiveness of his team. When it comes to foreign policy, Vice President Mike Pence is quietly succeeding on all three fronts.

Inside an administration that is characterized by several power centers, Pence must navigate complex internal politics while serving a president who has an unconventional view of foreign policy and the United States role in the world. Pence, a traditional hawk influenced heavily by his Christian faith, is carefully assuming a stance that fits within the presidents agenda while respecting the prerogatives of other senior White House aides who also want to play large foreign policy roles, according to White House officials, lawmakers and experts.

But Pences growing influence on foreign policy is increasingly evident. The vice president was deployed to Europe last month to reassure allies that the United States will stay committed to alliances such as NATO, despite President Donald Trumps calls for Europeans to pay more for common defense. During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes recent visit, Trump announced that Pence and his Japanese counterpart would lead a new dialogue on U.S.Japan economic cooperation.

The vice president seems to be building on his foreign affairs experience, finding a niche in that arena, said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who served with Pence in Congress. He brings a level-headed steady hand to the foreign policy of the administration.

Inside the White House, Pence is in the room during most of the presidents interactions with world leaders. He receives the presidential daily brief. As head of the transition, he was instrumental in bringing several traditionally hawkish Republicans into the top levels of the administrations national security team, including Director of National Intelligence-designate Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Trump and Pence met with Haley last week just before the United States decided to confront Russia and the Syrian regime at the U.N. Security Council about Syrian President Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons. The move seems to run counter to the White Houses drive to warm relations with Moscow, but Trump decided, with Pences support, that it was important and necessary, officials said.

Pences national security team is also in place and humming. Just days after the inauguration, Pence announced that he had brought on Andrea Thompson as his national security adviser. A former military intelligence officer with extensive combat zone experience, she also worked for the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees. Most recently, she worked for the firm run by retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Pence is seen by many in Washington as a figure who might stand up for the traditionally hawkish views he espoused while in Congress, a proxy of sorts for the GOP national security establishment. But those close to Pence say his stance is more nuanced. He is committed to advocating Trumps foreign policy objectives, not his own, and endeavors to stay above the fray of most internal disputes.

He definitely brings a different perspective, but hes nuanced and subtle in how he engages, one White House official said. Hes adapted somewhat, at least in terms of not putting his views above those of the president.

Pence preserves his credibility with the president so it can be most effective when deployed. The chief example was when Pence personally spoke to Trump about removing national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had lied to him about conversations with Russian officials during the transition.

When Flynn was in the NSA role, there was no center of gravity where traditional Republicans could come together on policy, said Bruce Jones, vice president at the Brookings Institution. In the days since Flynn exited, Pence has occupied more of that space.

Its a tricky balancing act, but if Pence can keep the presidents trust, stay above the internal politics and build out his portfolio, he will be able to continue to increase his influence on foreign policy inside the White House and on the world stage.

Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post.
ENCOURAGING economic developmentthe growth of jobs and industriesis something pretty much everyone supports. Conflicts arise in establishing the strategies and determining who gets to be in charge of the process, as well as in deciding which companies or industries should benefit from the taxpayer dollars spent on such initiatives.

The fact that Virginia enjoys perennially high ratings for its business climate indicates it must be doing something right. That generally has to do with its capable workforce, its reasonable tax burden and its regulatory balance between allowing business to prosper while preserving the well-being of Virginians and our beautiful state.

In the General Assembly session just ended, economic development was a key topic. For one thing, lawmakers achieved a last-minute compromise that will commence the reorganization of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which was established by the legislature in 1995 after being championed by then-Gov. George Allen.

The VEDPs mission has been to attract business to the state while providing existing businesses the capital they need to grow, with taxpayer dollars doing the financing. Businesses might come from elsewhere in the United States or from around the world. Though it has seen many successful ventures over the years, its investment in an improperly vetted and undeserving enterprise put it in an unfavorable light last year, and it became the target last fall of a scathing critique by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

Lawmakers are counting on a restructured VEDP to resume its work fairly and carefully.

Then there is GO Virginia, or the Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity. Its mission is more internal, seeking to encourage the expansion of private industry as a means of moderating Virginias dependence on federal government and military employment.

This could be a very timely objective as President Donald Trumps administration rolls out its first budget. The president has indicated a desire to increase defense spending and bolster the military. That could be reassuring for area residents who faced furloughs and feared their jobs were threatened by sequestration, which the Trump administration has promised to undo.

On the other hand, the president has said hell fund his defense spending bump with cuts in other agencies, which employ many Fredericksburg-area residents and contractors. For starters, the Environmental Protection Agency faces a $2.1 billion reduction in its fiscal 2018 budget that will result in staff reductions and cutting money for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup from $73 million a year to just $5 million, if the cutbacks are approved by Congress.

Diversification may be Rule No. 1 for ones personal financial portfolio, but it shares that status in a states or communitys efforts to provide an array of job opportunities for its workforce. It is especially important in Virginia, where government employment growth is by no means the sure thing it used to be.

GO Virginia is designed to work regionally, and the Fredericksburg region, which includes the George Washington Regional Commission, the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission and the Northern Neck Planning District Commission, recently named its 19-member council and awaits its certification by the state board later this month.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who was a GO Virginia cheerleader a year ago, has cooled to the idea in part because of legislative control of a function he thinks belongs to the executive branch. He cut GO Virginias budget by $15 million to help close this years state budget gap, though lawmakers restored half of that.

Balancing the state budget requires painful decisions to be made, but its important that the worthy goals of GO Virginia dont fall victim to politics and are not unfairly tied to another economic development program found to be mismanaged.

When it comes to creating jobs for Virginians, the states leaders need to be rowing in the same direction. There may be differences of opinion, for example, on industrial leeway versus environmental protection, but good faith compromise can pay dividends for Virginias future.

The premise of Go Virginia is a solid one that advocates the advancement of employment opportunity in Virginia. Given the uncertain outlook for some federal employment, this is a good time for it to take flight.
Theres a right and a wrong way to protest

I am appalled at the lack of compassion, acceptance and caring for others that has been exhibited by students and others during the protests at the University of California at Berkeley and the New York University College. They protest for free speech and inclusiveness, while attacking others who dont agree with them.

They are young adults having a temper tantrum with no college administrators teaching them that this is not the way the world works. If you believe in democracy, then you have to accept the results of the democratic process. If you dont like it, find a way to change it by working withnot againstthe system.

The behavior at these institutions of higher learning make me question the schools ability to teach students how to work with people who disagree with them, and question the safety of any of my children, who might want to attend these schools. The lack of administrative control does not bode well for these colleges.

As a former school social worker, I often worked with students who got in trouble for talking back or being disrespectful to the teacher. I would explain to them that while they might have a legitimate complaint, they needed to find a way to express it, so that the teacher or principal would listen to them.

When they cursed and yelled, thats all the adults heard and they punished the behavior. They never even heard the complaint, so nothing was solved. The same is true with these protesters. Whether it is the college students, Hollywood actors, elected officials or paid protesters, the complaints are getting lost in the destructive means being used to express it. Please grow up!

Barbara Heath

Stafford
The common cold is a major source of annoyance for most of us, but new research has found that the most prevalent respiratory infection can be far worse than a stuffy nose for one sector of the population  bone marrow transplant patients.

These vulnerable patients, whose immune defenses have taken a dramatic double hit from both their original disease and the treatments required to repopulate their immune system with donor cells, are especially susceptible to a wide range of infections that typically dont cause major problems in healthy people. But rhinovirus, the most common respiratory virus, has traditionally been overlooked in this population, said Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Boeckh.

This is such a prevalent virus  about 25 percent of stem cell transplant patients get infected [with rhinovirus] during the first year, said Boeckh, who heads Fred Hutchs Infectious Disease Sciences Program. The virus was always considered kind of a common cold, a mild virus. People shrugged their shoulders, what should we do about it, it comes and goes.

Now, a new study led by infectious disease researcher Dr. Sachiko Seo, formerly of Fred Hutch and now a physician at the National Cancer Research Center East in Chiba, Japan, and Boeckh and published last month in the journal Haematologica has found that like more serious viruses, rhinovirus can cause pneumonia  and when it does, it can be deadly to those recovering from transplantation.

The results not only point to the importance of strong infection prevention measures for transplant patients and better care for those with rhinovirus-related pneumonia but lend a rationale for drug companies and researchers to prioritize developing effective antiviral drugs for this most common of common cold-causing viruses, Boeckh said.

Just to treat people like you and me who are irritated by the sniffles, thats not good enough for the market, he said. For a company or anybody to step forward and say, Im going to make this a priority, you have to show that theres a real disease.
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The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced on Tuesday that the US court ruling is contrary to international law and lacks power of enforcement in Luxemburg, IRNA reported.

Director General of the Legal Affairs Department in the CBI Ardeshir Fereydouni commented on the US efforts to confiscate $1.6 billion of Iran's assets in Luxemburg and said it is contrary to law and international treaties, lacking power of enforcement there.

Fereydouni made the remark in reaction to a report posted on New York Times that $1.6 billion of the CBI assets was to be confiscated in Luxemburg by a court.

He said following issuance of absentee ballot, the so-called anti-terrorist ruling, by courts of the country against the Islamic Republic of Iran, certain American plaintiffs have turned to recognize and enforce the rules in various countries.

So, they ask many courts in the world countries to recognize and enforce the rulings.

He added that one of the countries, the plaintiffs have asked to confiscate assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran CBI, is Luxemburg where the CBI assets used to be kept in the countrys financial institutions since long ago.

He added that confiscation does not mean withdrawal from the same properties and accounts, rather the Luxemburg court is now busy verifying the case and addressing the question whether the ruling issued by the US court can be recognized and enforced in Luxemburg also.

Absolutely, as long as the investigations are not complete and the court ruling has not been issued, Irans assets in Luxemburg cannot be accessed or withdrawn in favor of the plaintiffs.

The CBI attorneys in coordination with the International Legal Affairs Center of the Presidential Office had presented their defense in connection with the case.

The CBI announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly protested such an issue and similar cases and registered its complaint against the US officially in the International Court of Justice, asking the Court to announce illegality of the issued rulings and mandate the US to end such a trend.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has also asked make up for losses in connection with previous cases when the US issued unjust and unfair rulings against Irans assets.

He emphasized that the case is not at all something new and the report dates back months ago, released newly in New York Times with an aim to raise hue and cry against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Euro-American Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, on Tuesday morning commented on blockade of Irans $1.6 billion assets in Luxemburg and said the money belongs to the CBI, being in Europe at the time of sanctions and inaccessible due to sanctions.

Within the period prior to the JCPOA talks, those being active against Iran, tried inside and outside the US to generalize the approval beyond the US, where it was enforced but is in our opinion totally unfair and baseless.
Tehran, Iran, March 7



By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:



An Iranian flotilla, named the "4th Fleet for Peace and Friendship", has embarked on a trip to Russia, IRNA news agency reported March 7.





The flotilla would be the third Iranian naval fleet to visit Russia, heading to Makhachkala, the capital city of the Republic of Dagestan.





Ahmad Reza Baqeri, a navy official, said that the fleets voyage will take a week and it will stay and Makhachkala for three days.





He added the voyage is taking place upon invitation by Russian navy officials. According to Baqeri, the flotilla includes Damavand destroyer and Derafsh missile boat.







Russia has so far dispatched naval fleets to Iran four times since 2007.
Tehran, Iran, Mar. 7

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Iran has an interesting history with cyberspace. The development of the infrastructure has always been behind public demand. Not only that, the legal status of using certain websites and apps has always been an issue. But improvement has been the case, however slow.

The strategic importance of cyberspace and social apps in particular found crystal embodiment during the 2009 presidential election campaign, when the extensive use of Facebook by the fans of one party led to the blockage of the website by the government in Iran.

In the years that followed although people were able to use proxies to access Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and messaging apps that were being banned one after another, they took much caution to go under pseudonyms to avoid security recognition and legal pursuit.

However, things found a completely new aspect when the Rouhani administration took office in 2013. President Hassan Rouhani himself was a critic of the tough policy on cyberspace. Iranians were surprised when they found Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their hero in the long nuclear talks with world powers, constantly update his Instagram account and directly address them from there.

Other officials also took the lead and it became a normal thing even to find conservative news outlets file reports on what officials said on social media.

The interesting story reached a new zenith when late this January former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under whom Facebook, Twitter, and innumerable other websites had been blocked, joined Twitter and put on a video inviting the world in English to follow him. This came as amusing to Iranians and a good spot for Western media to prod the unprecedentedly individualist president now turned social.

But things have not stopped there and seeped into lower governmental layers. Iran-based ride-hailing apps such as Tap30 and Snapp have been a source of contention for over a year. These apps have turned out to be a serious rival for traditional taxi companies, with more and more people rushing to them for the lower fares they facilitate, leading traditional taxi companies bankrupt. Taxi drivers and owners of taxi companies have been holding demonstrations demanding the government to do something about the apps.

The tradition would be for the government to block the ride-hailing apps and announce their companies illegal. There were even talks to that effect in the beginning. But just this week, the Tehran Taxi Organization, governed under the Municipality, announced that instead of such negational measures, it would facilitate the use of similar apps for traditional taxi companies.

The cyberspace and social media have been a source of concern for Iranians who demand to use them as people in other countries do. However, the demand has not gone without some answer, with the use of cyberspace and social media imposing itself on governmental bodies as well. Thus, Iranians should be looking forward to much improvement of the status of cyberspace and social media as time goes by.
Story Highlights Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island in top 10 since 2012-2013

Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma, residents reported the lowest well-being

Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, edges Boulder, Colorado, in physical well-being

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida, residents had the highest well-being of the 189 communities Gallup and Healthways surveyed in 2015-2016, claiming the top spot for the second year in a row. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, and Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California -- each ranked among the top six last year -- had the second- and third-highest well-being, respectively. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, and Charlottesville, Virginia, rounded out the top five.

Highest 10 Communities in Overall Well-Being, 2015-2016 Out of 189 reportable Metropolitan Statistical Areas nationwide Community Well-Being Index score Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 66.3 Barnstable Town, MA 66.2 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 65.9 Urban Honolulu, HI 65.4 Charlottesville, VA 65.3 North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 65.2 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 65.2 Lynchburg, VA 64.9 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 64.9 Boulder, CO 64.7 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island ascended to the top spot in 2014-2015, having fallen to the No. 7 well-being position in 2012-2013. The area's overall Well-Being Index score was 66.3, 1.3 points higher its 2014-2015 score. This improvement is about triple the improvement measured nationally over this time period. The national Well-Being Index score was 61.6 in 2014, 61.7 in 2015 and 62.1 in 2016.

Gallup tracks Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) well-being on the basis of two-year rolling averages, allowing for larger sample sizes that improve the statistical accuracy of the data. About half of all 2015-2016 data in this reporting period overlap with the 2014-2015 index data.

The community-level data are drawn from more than 354,000 interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states, conducted from Jan. 2, 2015, through Dec. 30, 2016.

All of the top-five communities in 2015-2016 have frequented previous years' lists of the 10 communities with the highest well-being. Other top communities in 2015-2016 that typically have ranked among the highest for well-being since 2008 include North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida; Boulder, Colorado; and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California.

Lynchburg, Virginia, broke into the top-10 list for the first time in 2015-2016. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, South Carolina, is also a newcomer, placing ninth in the nation for resident well-being. Hilton Head Island has not previously had a sufficient number of completed interviews to be reported.

In 2015-2016, Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma, had the lowest overall well-being of the 189 communities measured. Fort Smith was second-lowest to Charleston, West Virginia, in 2014-2015. Charleston did not have enough completed interviews to be reported this year, but it has been among the lowest well-being communities nationally since the onset of the Well-Being Index in 2008.

Along with Fort Smith, most of the communities with the lowest well-being in 2015-2016 have consistently been among the lowest since 2008. These communities include Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina; Huntington-Ashland, West Virginia-Kentucky-Ohio; Chico, California; and Flint, Michigan.

Lowest 10 Communities in Overall Well-Being, 2015-2016 Out of 189 reportable Metropolitan Statistical Areas nationwide Community Well-Being Index score Fort Smith, AR-OK 57.5 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 58.6 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 58.7 Topeka, KS 59.3 Canton-Massillon, OH 59.4 Flint, MI 59.4 Chico, CA 59.5 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 59.5 Erie, PA 59.7 Montgomery, AL 59.8 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest possible well-being, and 100 represents the highest possible well-being. The Well-Being Index score for the nation and for each community is made up of metrics within each of the five essential elements of well-being:

Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals

liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life

having supportive relationships and love in your life Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security

managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community

liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

In most cases, a difference of 1.0 to 2.0 points in the Well-Being Index score of any two communities represents a statistically significant gap and is characterized by meaningfully large differences in at least some of the individual metrics that make up the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Nationally, the U.S. map of the highest and lowest well-being communities generally approximates what is found among the states, with the lowest well-being found in the South and then winding north through the industrial Midwest. The highest well-being communities are scattered across the eastern seaboard as well as in the West.

The community map more readily reveals the range in well-being among otherwise geographically proximate communities. For example, only about 300 miles separates Charlottesville, Virginia, and Huntington-Ashland, West Virginia -- two communities frequently found each year among the highest and lowest, respectively. One factor that most likely benefits Charlottesville's well-being (relative to Huntington-Ashland's) is the presence of the University of Virginia. Past research has shown that residents of cities with a strong college presence have high well-being.

Naples Among Nation's Best in Four Out of Five Elements

For the second consecutive year, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island residents had the highest community well-being nationally, again contributing to its top overall well-being ranking. More broadly, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island is in the top-five list for all well-being elements except financial well-being, which is topped by Florida's other consistently high well-being community: North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton.

Here are highlights for top-ranking communities in other areas of well-being:

The state of Texas -- which leads the nation in purpose well-being -- had two communities in the top five for this element in 2015-2016: El Paso and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.

Social well-being is highest among residents of newcomer Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, followed by Barnstable Town. Barnstable Town also edged perennial mainstay Boulder for the highest physical well-being in the U.S.

California communities San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande and Santa Cruz-Watsonville were among the top-five communities in and physical well-being.

Residents of Fort Smith had the lowest or second-lowest well-being in four of the five elements: purpose, social, financial and physical. Similarly, Huntington-Ashland; Hickory-Lenoir-Morgantown, North Carolina; and Canton-Massillon, Ohio, were among the bottom three nationally in two elements each. Flint, Michigan -- which has suffered from a water purity crisis since 2014 and continues to advise residents to use filtered water -- was in the bottom five for community well-being for the second year in a row.

Implications

While there is a significant range in state-level well-being scores, the range in community well-being scores is even greater, and sometimes community differences are even substantial within the same state. These differences can provide opportunities for low well-being communities to view examples of best practices in similar cities -- both geographically and culturally -- nationwide.

Culture, in particular, is a key component of well-being that is likely easier to influence within a community than throughout a state, as the norms that affect residents' behaviors can manifest themselves in a more localized environment. Leaders, in turn, have a better opportunity to affect culture with local, more narrowly defined citizenries than among those that are broader and more diverse. The structural advantage provided by a smaller, local environment arguably means leaders have a greater responsibility to engender the well-being of the residents they are empowered to lead.

Mechanisms exist that can assist with improving community well-being. One is the Blue Zones Project, which is currently active in nine states nationally -- including in and around Naples. Naples has not only consistently maintained its well-being advantage relative to the rest of the nation, but its well-being has also been shown to be improving faster than what is found nationally. This is the earmark of an area that has strong well-being and that is striving to get better, reflecting good leadership and elevating the type of culture that can potentially fortify its gains well into the future. For those communities seeking real, long-term improvement, Naples can serve as a tangible example to model for both practical and inspirational reasons.

For more data and insights on well-being in U.S. communities, read the State of American Well-Being: 2016 Community Rankings report.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

The Iraqi security forces gained control of the Turkish consulate located in the western part of Iraqs Mosul, Turkish media outlets reported.

It was earlier reported that the Iraqi forces liberated the Mosul Government Complex.

Iraqi military continue their offensive in western Mosul. The operation to regain control over Mosul began in October 2016 with the support of an international US-led coalition.

In 2014, militants of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) terrorist group captured Mosul and took 49 employees of the Turkish consulate hostage. The hostages were released three months later.
Dec. 18, 1925  March 4, 2017

Jessie N. Wilson, 91, of Lebanon passed away on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the Lebanon Veterans Home.

Jesse was born Dec. 18, 1925, in Arkansas the son of James and Elsie (Leaptrot) Wilson. He lived in Tennessee as a child where he attended school. After high school, he joined the Army for a short time during World War II. Later he rejoined the Marine Corps, served during the Korean War and fought during the battle of Pork Chop Hill.

After his honorable discharge, he moved to California and lived in the Pomona area for many years. He worked for General Telephone as a lineman and a troubleshooter for thirty years. In 1986, he retired from the phone company and moved to Lebanon. His first several years in Lebanon were spent building a log home which he lived in until a short time ago.

Jesse was a member of the Lebanon First Assembly of God Church and he enjoyed doing carpentry work.

Jesse married Evelyn LaVerne Knight in Pomona, California, on July 3, 1970.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, LaVerne of Lebanon; and stepsons Mark McEntire of Dallas and Glen McEntire of Gates.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Juanita; and several stepsiblings.

A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, at the Huston-Jost Funeral Home. A private entombment will be in the Twin Oaks Memorial Park Mausoleum near Albany.

Family suggests memorial donations to the Lebanon Veterans Home in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355.
A budget proposal reportedly being floated by the Trump administration would end Oregon State Universitys Sea Grant program and could potentially gut other OSU programs as well.

The proposal calls for a 17 percent budget reduction to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which funds research on climate change, ocean conditions, weather patterns and other aspects of earth science. Among the NOAA programs targeted for elimination is Sea Grant, a research and education initiative at 33 U.S. universities, including Oregon State.

The proposed cuts were reported on Friday by the Washington Post, based on a four-page budget memo that has not been made public by the administration.

Oregon Sea Grant Director Shelby Walker said the funding cuts, if approved, would devastate her program. Currently, Walker said, Oregon Sea Grant gets about $2.4 million of its annual budget of $5 million from the federal agency, with another $1.2 million in matching funds from OSU tied directly to NOAA dollars.

It would basically eliminate the program, she said of the White House budget proposal.

Established in 1971, Oregon Sea Grant employs about 40 people at the programs headquarters in Corvallis and in the coastal communities of Gold Beach, Bandon, Newport, Coos Bay and Astoria. In addition to conducting its own research, the program supports studies by other Oregon universities as well as fellowships and other educational opportunities for Oregon students.

Projects undertaken or funded by Oregon Sea Grant include research on how ocean acidification impacts shellfish, how rising sea levels may affect estuaries and how tsunami evacuation procedures could be improved. The program has worked with the Oregon fishing industry to improve direct-to-consumer sales, provides marine science training for coastal educators and collaborates with local governments on everything from tourism to earthquake preparedness.

According to Oregon Sea Grants latest annual report, the program generated more than $8 million in economic benefits during the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The return on investment, when it comes right down to it, is pretty significant, Walker said.

She spoke to the Gazette-Times by telephone from Washington, D.C., where she has been meeting with members of Oregons congressional delegation to enlist their help in combating the proposed budget cuts.

Theyre very supportive of the Sea Grant program, she said.

But Sea Grant is not the only NOAA program in the budgetary crosshairs. Others include the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Weather Service, which could see their funding trimmed by 5 percent. The agencys satellite program, a major contributor to data on climate change and weather systems, is reportedly being targeted for deep budget cuts, while funding for external research, coastal management, estuary reserves and coastal resilience would be eliminated entirely, according to the Post.

Like Sea Grant, some of those programs also funnel funding to Oregon State University, although it was not immediately clear exactly how much of the universitys budget could be at risk from the proposed cuts.

Were watching, observing and attempting to understand what the potential impacts could be, said Steve Clark, OSUs vice president for marketing and university relations. I cant give you a number.

Clark said the university is hoping for strong support from Oregons senators and representatives to maintain the universitys federal funding streams and pointed out that proposals like the latest memo coming out of the White House are only the beginning of the budget process.

At the end of the day, its up to Congress to decide the budget, Clark said. The president proposes, and Congress disposes.
The state plans to consolidate a number of social service offices currently in downtown Corvallis in a new building slated to open next spring in the Sunset Research Park.

Local offices of several Department of Human Services and Oregon Employment Department programs will be moving into leased space in the new building, which will be built at 4170 SW Research Way.

Were located in three different buildings in Corvallis right now, and weve outgrown all three of them, said Linda Riddell, administrator of the Office of Facilities Management for the Oregon Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority. Were bringing it all together in one multiservice center.

Offices to be relocated include:

 The DHS Processing Center on the HP Inc. campus at 1000 NE Circle Blvd., which processes applications for benefits and services.

 The Child Welfare Office at 555 NW Fifth St., which oversees services to neglected, abused and disabled children in state custody.

 The Self-Sufficiency and Vocational Rehabilitation offices at 525 SW Second St. Self-Sufficiency includes programs such as welfare, food stamps, job skills training and assistance for victims of domestic violence. Vocational Rehab helps people with disabilities find employment.

 The Oregon Employment Department office at 545 SW Second St., which provides job search assistance and other services.

Well have all our jobs resources in one location together with our other self-sufficiency resources, Riddell said. We believe one multiservice center will be a better delivery model for Corvallis residents and all of Benton County.

While the new location will be somewhat off the beaten path, Riddell noted that it is near a free Corvallis Transit System bus route. The No. 8 line stops at the entrance to the Sunset Research Park on Southwest Technology Loop, about 4/10 of a mile from the new building.

The building will be financed and owned by MMDC Co., a Portland real estate development firm.

The company has applied for building permits for Phase 1 of the project, which includes the building shell but not interior finish work. That part of the project is valued at $3.1 million, but no firm estimates are available yet for the total project cost, according to MMDC Vice President Craig Lewis.

Lewis said the building would be a single-story structure of roughly 53,000 square feet with 11-foot ceilings, large windows and a light and spacious interior. The exterior will be built with tilt-up concrete walls accented with brick veneer.

Were looking at probably an April construction start and an 11- or 12-month construction duration, he said.

The initial lease agreement with the state is expected to have a 19-year term.

Fortis Construction of Portland is the general contractor for the project, and the building is being designed by CIDA, a Portland architectural and engineering firm.
The Trump administration is reportedly in the process of announcing rules that will attempt to define gender strictly and unchangeably based on one's genitals at birth -- effectively trying to redefine gender's legal meaning to erase transgender people who identified as such under expanded gender identity provisions put in place by the Obama administration.

According to The New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services is leading "an effort to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance." Such an approach would, quoting the memo, make the determination "on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable."

Nothing could be further from the truth. Try as they might, the Trump administration cannot eliminate lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people with a stroke of the pen. Moreover, this proposal is contrary to science and to the law. Turning Title IX, a law designed to help fight discrimination, into a weapon against them will not stop LGBTQ people from living their authentic lives.

As to "science," it is abundantly clear there has never been a true gender binary -- just male and female -- in nature. In fact, such an approach denies the existence of intersex people, those whose sex characteristics do not correspond with our classic notions of male or female. Up to 1.7% of people are born intersex, a percentage comparable to the number of redheaded people -- not a minimal number. To suggest this rule approach is rooted in science is simply wrong.

The suggestion that such a rule is rooted in science is also belied by another scientific community: medicine. The medical community in the United States accepts that gender identity is not determined by one's genitalia at birth. Gender is a social construct and is not biologically determined. The American Psychiatric Association notes that gender dysphoria "involves a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify." The treatment, though, is not to force someone to accept the gender assigned at birth. To the contrary, it is to work through aligning their gender identity and expression in ways that remove the conflict. In other words, the problem is not the person's gender identity; instead it is the stress created by the discordance between that identity and the assigned gender, much of which is caused by societal condemnation.

The courts have been surprisingly progressive pioneers on this issue, having long recognized that gender is actually a social construction, not a biological phenomenon. As early as 1989, in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, the Supreme Court concluded that discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination based on sex stereotyping, such as a woman who acts in an overly masculine manner. Other courts, such as the federal appellate courts sitting in Boston and Atlanta, have already extended this reasoning to protect transgender people from discrimination.

It is not clear whether the Trump rule could overturn such judicial precedent. It is true that, generally, courts are supposed to defer to interpretations of the law made by administrative agencies. So, in theory, courts might be willing to revisit these earlier interpretations of the law in the face of a contrary administrative rule. Yet, perhaps ironically, the conservative justices on the US Supreme Court seemed poised to reject such deference. So, the Trump administration's move may ultimately be rejected by the courts.

Bizarrely, such a rule would intrude on the province of the states. Protecting states' sovereignty -- a concern known as federalism -- has traditionally been a conservative issue as well. Yet under the proposed rule, the sex on one's original birth certificate would control the issue of gender, even though most states do allow people to change their gender marker. The rule would usurp the power of the states.

The impact of such a rule can cause harm beyond the removal of anti-discrimination protections. In my work, I have explored how the government's expressions of disfavor toward certain groups -- particularly LGBTQ people -- does inflict a general harm, suggesting that such people are lesser and other. This rule is a concrete example of such a harm.

And such marginalization can have concrete consequences. Suicide rates are higher in the LGBTQ community, given the lingering social and legal discrimination the community faces. And such rhetoric may encourage more violence against LGBTQ people.

The Trump administration may indeed harm LGBTQ people with this impending strike of a proverbial pen, but they cannot erase us. We exist, period. We always have and always will. The only question is whether we will receive respect and protection from discrimination. Many large corporations are affording us such protections. And a majority of Americans believe we should not be discriminated against. It's too bad the Trump administration is so behind the times.
A 23-year-old Corvallis man foiled a burglary attempt over the weekend and captured the suspect, according to the Corvallis Police Department.

At 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to reports of a fight in the 600 block of Northwest 18th Street. When officers arrived, they learned that the scuffle began when Ryan Larue saw someone stealing a bicycle from his garage, which had been left open. Larue chased the would-be thief down the street, tackled him and held him until police arrived.

According to the police report of the case, the suspect admitted taking the bike but told officers he planned to return it later. He reportedly had methamphetamine paraphernalia on him at the time.

Christian Colaci, 24, of Corvallis was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree theft and meth possession. As of Monday, he was being held in the Benton County Jail on $112,500 bail.

Neither man was injured in the tussle, according to Lt. Dan Duncan, a Corvallis police spokesman.
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

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

THATS SOME PHRASING: 2265 NE Conser St. Officers responded to a report of a dispute between two adult brothers in which one brother, Javier Mateo Gomez, reportedly was brandishing a knife. Police said Gomez, 23, of Corvallis, had a knife in his hand when officers tried to detain him. Javier resisted and he was escorted to the ground, the police report said. Gomez was arrested and charged with domestic menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and interfering with a peace officer.

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

DUII: 2:22 a.m., Northwest Ninth Street and Northwest Monroe Avenue. Michaela Brittney Breaux, 22, of Corvallis, was arrested after an officer reportedly observed her collide with multiple curbs while driving. Breaux reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.14 percent and was charged with DUII, reckless endangering and reckless driving.

UNLAWFUL USE OF A WEAPON: 100 block Southwest Monroe Avenue. A woman reported that after she kicked James Leland Knight out of her residence that he threatened to kill her. Another woman at the residence reportedly hit Knight and he then allegedly pulled out a dagger and hit the second female with it, not causing any injury. The officer arrested Knight, 46, no address, and charged him with menacing, second degree disorderly conduct, unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of weapons by certain felons.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz will pay a working visit to Turkey in April, Turkish media reported March 7.

According to the message, as part of his visit Steinitz will participate in the meeting of the Atlantic Councils eighth annual Istanbul Summit scheduled for April 6-7.

The bilateral meetings are expected to be held with Turkish officials during the Israeli ministers visit, the message said.

According to the message, the energy cooperation issues and the export of Israeli gas to Turkey will be discussed at the meetings.

Earlier, Steinitz said that Israel may join the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) to export its gas to Europe.

According to the BP report, the proven gas reserves reached 0.2 trillion cubic meters in Israel as of late 2015 and gas consumption amounted to 8.4 billion cubic meters within the country in 2016.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Syrian government forces have taken over positions from a U.S.-backed militia in the northern city of Manbij on part of a frontline with Turkish-backed rebel forces, in line with a deal brokered by Russia, the militia's spokesman said on Monday, Reuters reported.

"The handover has taken place..," Sharfan Darwish, the spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, told Reuters. Earlier on Monday, he said around five villages were included in the deal.

The villages west of the city of Manbij have been a focus of fighting since Wednesday between Turkish-backed rebels opposed to the Syrian government, and the Manbij Military Council, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG group.

Turkey's campaign in Syria is aimed at driving Islamic State from its border and preventing expansion in the area by the YPG, which it regards as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that is waging an insurgency against Ankara.

The U.S.-allied militia said last Thursday it would hand back to Syrian government control villages on a front line where it has been fighting Turkish-backed rebels.

That followed an agreement with Russia to pre-empt an attempt by Turkish-led forces to take the city.

The Manbij Military Council, part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), captured the area around Manbij from Islamic State militants last year.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
German President in Bonn : BIS students sing for the president

BONN Primary students from Bonn International School performed for German President Gauck on Tuesday morning in Bonn city center. The president was making his last visit to Bonn before his term comes to an end.

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Grade 5 students from Bonn International School, accompanied by the BIS Secondary band performed the City of Bonns theme Ode to Joy for outgoing German President Joachim Gauck. They sang under the direction of BIS Primary School choir director Marc Unkel.

President Gauck was paying his last visit to Bonn before his term as German President comes to an end. His visit began Tuesday morning with a small, private organ concert in the Bonn Munster Cathedral in the city center. He and his companion, Daniela Schadt were greeted in front of the cathedral by the Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan and his wife Petra Fendel-Sridharan, and church dean Wilfried Schumacher.

Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn is the second residency of the German president and this was President Gaucks 18th and last visit to Bonn during his term. The 77-year-old will be replaced by 61-year-old Frank-Walter Steinmeier when he takes over the official office of the Presidency on March 19. The function of the German president is largely representative.
Bonn crime statistics for 2016 : Number of break-ins decreases

Bonn Police have released criminal statistics from 2016. They see their strategy against theft and drug crimes as paying off. Here are the main highlights from the newly published figures:

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Police Chief Ursula Brohl-Sowa appeared visibly satisfied when she spoke to the media on Monday afternoon to inform the public about recently released criminal statistics for the year 2016. Included in the statistics was not only Bonn but also a large part of Rhine-Sieg County.

Bonn police were able to achieve success both in terms of reducing overall criminality and in clamping down on offenders who are perceived as particularly menacing by the public. Law enforcement authorities see their strategy of presence and intervention in focal points such as Tannenbusch and Bad Godesberg as particularly effective. Brohl-Sowa said violence and street crime has clearly been reduced in those areas because of police presence. She used the press conference to announce that,  the positive approaches in Bad Godesberg and Tannenbusch would be continued and likely extended to the inner city of Bonn. Here are the main aspects in detail:

Crime

46,252 crimes were recorded by police in 2016 in Bonn, Bad Honnef, Konigswinter and Rhine-Sieg County on the left side of the Rhine. This is 1,621 or 3.4 percent fewer acts of crime than reported in 2015. The last time a lower number of crimes was reported was in 2003, said Brohl-Sowa. Above all, the decreasing number of thefts was decisive. The number of cases resolved stood at 45.7 percent. More than half of all cases remain unexplained.

Suspects

Police registered 15,209 suspects in 2016, which is the second highest number since 2006 when it was 14,973. The number of non-German suspects (persons without German nationality), has increased since 2006 from 3,647 to 5,239, or 34.4 percent of all criminal offenses. Particularly in the crimes of home break-ins, shoplifting and theft, there is a high proportion of non-Germans, say the police.

Burglaries

893 fewer burglaries than in 2013 means the lowest number since 2008, stated Brohl-Sowa. Head of the criminal department, Norbert Wagner said that every second burglary attempt failed. In 921 cases, this was due to well-secured doors, windows or attentive neighbors. The number of resolved cases doubled from 9.8 percent in 2015 to 20.7 percent in 2016.

Theft

In this category, police also reported a significant decrease. The number went down from 527 in 2015 to 392 in 2016, a decrease of 25.6 percent. This is the lowest number since 2000. Police attribute this positive result to their presence in focal points such as Tannenbusch and Bad Godesberg. In Bad Godesberg, the overall crime rate increased slightly. But this can also be explained by the larger police presence there, which means more criminal offenses involving shoplifting and drugs become detected.

Drugs

According to Norbert Wagner, numbers of drug offenses have gone up but police see this as a result of their increased efforts in this area. In Tannenbusch, the number has risen around 55 percent. In the entire of Bonn, the number of drug offenses increased from 1,579 in 2015 to 1,871 in 2016.

Capital crimes

Eight persons were killed through criminal acts in 2016 in Bonn, with twelve cases of attempted murder. The total number of cases is a high since 2006. 100 percent of the cases were resolved.
The Pentagon said on Monday that a March 2 strike against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen killed a former detainee from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Reuters reported.

"We can confirm the death of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Yasir al Silmi," said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, adding al Silmi had been held at the detention center from 2002 to 2009.

In a statement, the Pentagon added that he was also known as Mohammed Tahar and was repatriated from Guantanamo Bay in 2009 to Yemen.

Davis added that the United States had carried out more than 40 strikes against AQAP militants over the past five nights and would continue to target it.

Since a January commando raid, the United States has shown a desire to both strike al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and to recover from what U.S. officials acknowledge has been an intelligence shortfall about the group since Yemen's civil war forced the closure of the U.S. embassy in 2015.
Netflix plans to set up a full-fledged office in Mumbai News oi -Priyanka Netflix will set up its office in Mumbai, which will be its fourth base in Asia, after Tokyo, Singapore and Taiwan

With an aim to increase its presence in India, video streaming service provider Netflix is planning to set up its full-fledged office in the country.

The company is also planning to come up with new payment platforms and will also invest in creating new content for the Indian audience.

Netflix will set up its office in Mumbai, which will be its fourth base in Asia, after Tokyo, Singapore and Taiwan.

"India is hugely important for us in the long term, because it's one of the strongest internet markets and internet TV is the future over the next 10-20 years, given that linear TV will decline in viewing eventually," said the company's chief executive Reed Hastings.

He added that India had seen the highest growth among all Asian markets for the company's streaming service.

"It's a great opportunity to get in at the very beginning of internet TV, which will rise in India as phone networks as well as international players like YouTube and Netflix do more on the internet in India" said Hastings."We want to be in the top five apps on the (consumer's) phone," he further added.

Currently Netflix has around 94 million users, out of whi ch 44 million are based outside the US market.

OnePlus ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as its brand representative

On Monday, the company has announced its partnership with telcos- Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone India and direct-to-home (DTH) television operator Videocon d2h.

Netflix is also looking to tie up with Reliance Jio, as it seeks to reach out to India's 300 million plus internet users.

Best Mobiles in India
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have held a phone conversation on Tuesday regarding North Korea's mid-range ballistic missile launches, Sputnik reported.

Trump and Abe were supposed to discuss a possible response to the recent missile tests conducted by Pyongyang, international broadcast service NHK reported on Monday evening.

"President Trump told me that the United States was with Japan 100 percent, and that he wanted his comments to be communicated to the Japanese people," Abe said at his residence. "He said he wanted us to trust him as well as the United States 100 percent."

Trump and Abe have also agreed that the DPRK actions were a breach of UN security resolution.

Earlier on Monday, the US Department of Defense confirmed that North Korea fired four ballistic missiles, and three landed in Japans exclusive economic zone, triggering a negative reaction from Tokyo and its allies.

Abe told reporters that he did not rule out further North Korean provocations, against which the Japanese government should collaborate with its closest allies, the report read. The prime minister noted that Japan is now seeking information on how high and far the projectiles went by sharing information with the US and South Korean militaries.

The North Korean government has not commented on the missile tests.
OnePlus ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as its brand representative News oi -Priyanka The actor has been previously associated with LGs flagship smartphone series

To make its presence felt in the Indian market, Chinese smartphone maker onePlus has roped in Amitabh Bachchan as the brand representative in India.

"Association with the living legend reiterates the brand philosophy of 'Never Settle' and the company's pursuit of perfection. OnePlus has always strived to deliver nothing but the best to its community and the association with Mr. Bachchan is the natural extension of the brand's promise," company said in a statement.

Idea launches 4G services in West Bengal

Pete Lau, CEO and Founder of OnePlus, said, "We are delighted to welcome Amitabh Bachchan as our brand representative in India. As the brand grows to the next level, we aim to continue to bond with our community in a more meaningful and engaging way. Our association with Mr. Bachchan will further strengthen this bond, give our users a greater sense of purpose and help the brand scale to new heights."

The actor has been previously associated with LG's flagship smartphone series.

Sharing his thoughts about the association, Amitabh Bachchan said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be working with the most exciting technology brand in India, OnePlus, a truly disruptive technology company known for its premium quality and craftsmanship.

Being a OnePlus user myself, I am thrilled to represent the brand in India and become a part of the passionate community of OnePlus fans to take the brand legacy ahead," he said.

The company has recently opened its first 'Experience Store' in Bengaluru- a one-stop destination to experience the complete range of OnePlus products.

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Samsung Exynos 8995 teaser tips at dual camera tech; Galaxy Note 8 to use the SoC News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu This Exynos SoC might be used by Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have been surfacing in numerous rumors and leaks lately. Now, an official promo of the company's Exynos 8995 SoC has been posted on Samsung Exynos Twitter handle. This teaser confirms the presence of a dual camera setup on the upcoming flagship.

The teaser of Exynos 8895 says Dual IPS (Image Signal Processor), tipping that a future launch from smartphone would feature a dual camera setup and run the Exynos 8995 SoC. Notably, the chipset's specs include support for up to 28MP + 16MP dual camera setup. It's specs sheet also shows that the SoC will offer support for 4K display, UFS 2.1 storage, and up to 6GB RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S8 global release date postponed to April 28

The Exynos 8995 is the chipset that Samsung will announce alongside Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. It is known that this SoC is made using 10nm FinFET process and uses four Exynos M2 cores and four Cortex A53 cores. If the rumors are anything to go by, the U.S. and China variants of the Galaxy S8 will use the Snapdragon 835 SoC, whereas the other regions will use the Exynos 8895 SoC.

Though the Exynos 8895 SoC will support the dual camera feature, there is very little chance to see the same in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Maybe the Galaxy Note 8 likely to be launched later this year will arrive with the dual camera feature as it will also use the Exynos 8895 SoC. The company would of course want to distinguish the Note 8 from the Galaxy S8 models by including the dual camera feature on the same.

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Vodafone, Airtel announces special offers on women's day News oi -Priyanka 10 percent of Airtels distributors are in large cities like Mumbai and far flung regions like the North East are women

India's second largest telecom service provider Vodafone is offering free 2GB data to all its women Red Post-Paid subscribers in Delhi-NCR on International women's day.

This day-long offer comes with no restrictions on the 2GB data usage and the data benefit will be automatically credited to the user's account and notified through an SMS.

Speaking about the offer and women empowerment, Alok Verma Business Head, Delhi-NCR, Vodafone India avers "We as an organization firmly believe in giving equal opportunities to women in the work space, and this value system reflects in our work culture. Our data analytics have suggested that our women customers are as avid mobile internet users as our male customers."

TRAI plans to provide public Wi-Fi at just Rs. 20/GB

"This offer reiterates our efforts to enable women to do more and achieve more in life. I urge all our women Red Post-Paid customers to experience the digital life on our network," he said.

This is part of its #ConnectedSheCan campaign which aims at encouraging women to get digitally connected. This offer is a part of the many initiatives by Vodafone to provide women access to information and help them experience the benefits of going digital.

Meanwhile Bharti Airtel is also giving a small token of appreciation to its women distributors. All Women distributors at Airtel will receive a customized gift hamper from Airtel. The gift package will include personalized letter from the Circle CEO, a book - 30 women in power, their voices, their stories, authored by Naina Lal Kidwai, a personal care kit and a compilation of inspiring stories of these women distributors.

In fact, over 10 percent of Airtel's distributors are in large cities like Mumbai and far flung regions like the North East are women.

Ajai Puri, Director - Market Operations, Bharti Airtel said, "This is a small gesture from Airtel for all our Women distributors, who are making a very positive contribution to our business. As a company that is committed to gender diversity across its operations, we continuously encourage diversity across employees and our retail network as well."

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Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
US departs Aero India, leaves stronger relationships behind

By Capt. Mark Lazane, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs / Published March 06, 2017

BENGALARU, India (AFNS) -- U.S. aircraft, crew and support personnel, as well as members of the State Department and other U.S. representatives returned home this week after a strong showing at Aero India 2017 at Air Force Station Yelahanka, India, Feb. 20.

On the heels of the recently announced major defense partnership between the U.S. and India, the representation of American airpower and the robust senior-level U.S. government delegation present during the show demonstrated the U.S. commitment to India, a growing and pivotal relationship.

The U.S. does not look at Aero India as a tradeshow, but rather as an opportunity to display the growth in the Indian/U.S. defense cooperation relationship, allowing the two nations to work together.

The Pacific Air Forces F-16 Fighting Falcon demonstration team, assigned to Misawa Air Base, Japan, a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida deployed to Kadena AB, Japan, and a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules assigned to the 143rd Airlift Wing, Rhode Island Air National Guard, were all on display for the estimated 500,000 people in attendance.

The C-130 and F-16 also participated in the aerial demonstration portion of the show.

The C-130 played an especially pivotal role when it delivered U.S. Air Force members from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan with special operations paratroopers from the Indian Army's 2nd Parachute Regiment on two freefall jumps, to the delight of the crowd.

In addition, at the request of the Indian Navy, the U.S. Navy sent a P-8 for display at Aero India, an aircraft both countries operate.

"Displaying our aircraft in the Aero India 2017 air show reaffirms our commitment with the Indian Armed Forces and is a key opportunity to communicate our level of interest in bilateral cooperation" said U.S. Navy Commander Mike Albus, the Executive Officer for Fixed Wing Patrol Squadron 10. "We hope this air show is a steppingstone to further our partnership with India through military-to-military interoperability."

The sizable crowd was not the only group of people who enjoyed the air show experience.

"Demonstrating the capabilities of the C-130 draws me to participate," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Mike Collins, a RIANG C-130 pilot. "It was enjoyable flying the airdrop profile and displaying the tactical ability of this aircraft. We performed multiple joint force airdrops including joint jumpmaster briefings and daily detailed mission coordination exercises. Working with 2 Para Indian Special Forces at Aero India was flawless in communication and execution and I hold my Indian military counterparts in high regard."

However, you did not need to be a part of the aerial demonstration to appreciate the show's significance.

"Our attendance at the Aero India air show has been a life-changing event for many of our Sailors as they step aboard planes they have only read about, as they experience the hospitality of the Indian people, and as they take in the sensationalism of being on this side of the flight line," Albus said. "We train exclusively for the operational mission, and when our combat air crews have an opportunity to put their skills to the test on a real-life mission, there is nothing more rewarding and energizing. However, I don't think any of them would turn down this opportunity in the future!"

"This show has been extremely enjoyable and fulfilling," Collins said. "This was the first visit to India for eight of the 11 of us. We were very impressed with the hospitality and gracious efforts of our Indian hosts."

The P-8 crew was similarly enthused by the experience and the opportunity to share their mission with several Indian distinguished visitors, including the Indian Chief of Naval Staff, Sunil Lanba.

"Our aircrew has enjoyed speaking a common language with our friends and having the opportunity to showcase what we do," Albus said. "Air shows are a critical component for furthering partnerships through relationships. We enjoyed speaking a common language with our friends and having the opportunity to showcase what we do."

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Turkey condemned North Korea conducting ballistic missile launches on Monday, Anadoly reported.

A Foreign Ministry statement issued Monday evening said the ballistic missile launches by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) "constitute yet another flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions, including Resolution 2321 adopted in November 2016."

"The DPRK must fully comply with its international obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions and cease its ballistic missile launches and other activities threatening regional, as well as international security and stability," the statement said.

"We once again call upon the DPRK to cease its confrontational behavior which benefits neither the DPRK itself nor the international community and is detrimental to peace and security of the region," it added.

North Korea test-fired four missiles Monday morning, according to South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff. Seoul is investigating what kind of ballistic projectiles were launched, with support from the United States.

Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn denounced the launches as a grave provocation to the international community.

This is the second missile challenge from North Korea since U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in. Despite mounting international pressure, the North tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Feb. 12.
U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes Against ISIS

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 6, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed a wellhead and an oil inlet manifold.

-- Near Raqqa, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed two vehicles, and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed four tactical vehicles, four ISIS-held buildings, two wellheads, two engineering equipment pieces and a tank.

-- Near Manbij, two strikes destroyed a vehicle and an artillery system.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 72 engagements against ISIS targets, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an improvised weapons factory.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed 11 fighting positions, eight mortar systems, seven vehicles, four vehicle-borne bombs, three ISIS-held buildings, two medium machine guns, two command-and-control nodes, two roadblocks, a heavy machine gun, an artillery system and an ISIS checkpoint; damaged 11 supply routes, eight vehicles and two fuel tanker trucks; and suppressed 10 mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an ISIS staging area and destroyed two vehicles, a fighting position and a cave entrance.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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U.S. Detects, Tracks Multiple North Korea Missile Launches

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2017  Defense Department officials detected and tracked multiple missile launches out of North Korea today, four of which landed in the Sea of Japan, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters this morning.

Davis said the four medium-range ballistic missiles were launched from the northwest corner of North Korea, traveled over the Korean Peninsula and out into the sea, totaling about 1,000 kilometers in distance, or more than 620 miles.

Missiles Land Off Japan's Coast

The missiles landed in the vicinity of Akita Prefecture off the coast of Japan near that nation's exclusive economic zone, he said. The EEZ is defined as a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command detected that the missiles from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," Davis said. "This [North Korean missile launch] is very similar in terms of the path and the distance of the three missiles that flew into Japan's EEZ in September 2016."

He added, "These launches, which coincide with the start of our annual defensive exercise, Foal Eagle, with the Republic of Korea's military, are consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior, often timed to military exercises that we do with our ally,"

The United States stands with its allies "in the face of this very serious threat and are taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as the deployment of a [Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense] battery to South Korea, which will happen as soon as feasible," Davis said.

U.S. Strikes AQAP in Yemen

Also overnight, the United States made an airstrike on Yemen's Abyan Governorate against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, bringing to 40 the strikes there in the past five nights, Davis said.

Since the first airstrike against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen on Feb. 28, "We will continue to target [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] militants and facilities to disrupt the organization's plot and protect American lives," the captain said.

The strikes have been coordinated with and done in full partnership with the government of Yemen with the goal of denying al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorists' freedom of movement within traditional safe havens, Davis emphasized.

The captain also confirmed the deaths of three al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in March 2 and 3 airstrikes in Yemen.

Usayd al Adani, whom Davis described as a longtime al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula explosives expert and facilitator who served as the organization's emir, was killed in a U.S. airstrike March 2 within the Abyan Governorate. Killed with him was former Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee Yasir al Silmi.

Killed March 3 was al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula fighter and communications intermediary for Adani, Harithah al Waqri, Davis said.

"[Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] has taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terror attacks against the United States and our allies," he said. "And we will continue to work with the government of Yemen to defeat [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula].

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Air Force Conducts Red Flag 17-2 Exercise at Nellis AFB

By Air Force Senior Airman Zade Vadnais 20th Fighter Wing

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev., March 6, 2017  The Air Force's two-week premier air-to-air combat training exercise Red Flag 17-2 began here Feb. 27, 2017 and will conclude March 10.

Held multiple times each year on the vast bombing and gunnery ranges of the 2.9-million acre Nevada Test and Training Range, Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States, its allies and coalition partners, and is one of the Air Force's largest exercises.

The exercise incorporates all spectrums of warfare including command and control, real-time intelligence, analysis and exploitation, and electronic warfare, and gives participants an opportunity to experience realistic combat scenarios in order to prepare and train for future conflicts.

'Everyone Leans on Each Other'

"Red Flag allows us to operate in a combat training environment and simulate not only how we, as the U.S. Air Force, would fight, but how we'd fight with coalition forces," said Air Force Maj. Casey Crabill, the 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron commander and Red Flag 17-2 Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander. "Wherever we deploy, we rely on our coalition partners to be successful. Here at Red Flag, everyone leans on each other on an almost daily basis for equipment or expertise to ensure we collectively accomplish the mission."

The 20th Fighter Wing from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, is participating in Red Flag 17-2 as the exercise's core unit, meaning 20th FW senior leadership will be working closely with Red Flag staff to ensure exercise participants are aware of and able to properly leverage the capabilities of Nellis AFB, the host installation. In total, this amounts to 16 units from four different nations operating 92 aircraft.

"The No. 1 objective is integration with partner nations," said Air Force Col. John Bosone, the 20th FW vice commander and Red Flag 17-2 Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "I want everyone who participates to realize that even though we're fortunate enough to have outstanding equipment and weapons systems, it's the people executing the mission that will ultimately ensure mission success."

The two-week exercise will pit the friendly "Blue Forces" against hostile "Red Forces" in real-time training scenarios simulating warfare in contested air, space and cyberspace.

The exercise typically involves a variety of attack, fighter and bomber aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, air superiority aircraft, search and rescue aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft, and command and control aircraft as well as ground-based command and control, space and cyberspace forces.

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Alaska Air Guardsmen Bid Farewell to C-130 Hercules Aircraft

By Air Force Maj. John Callahan, 176th Wing

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska, March 6, 2017  On a bright, chilly morning yesterday, a small crowd of onlookers and well-wishers listened to the sound of the Alaska Air National Guard's C-130H Hercules turboprops recede into the distance for the last time.

The 176th Wing's divesture of the last of the 144th Airlift Squadron's C-130s marks a sea change for the organization, one of the nation's largest and busiest Air Guard wings.

Since 1957, its tactical airlift aircraft -- first C-47 Skytrains and later C-123 Providers -- have been at the heart of the its varied missions. The first C-130s, "E" models, arrived in 1976, followed seven years later by the updated "H" models. For more than four decades, these blunt-nosed turboprops have been familiar sights in Alaska's skies, their rugged design and short-airfield capabilities serving the state well.

Structure Changes

Now, Air Force structure changes included in the president's 2017 budget request have divested the Alaska Air National Guard of its eight "legacy" C-130H Hercules aircraft and the tactical airlift mission. One by one, these aircraft have been transferred to other state Guard units or retired from service.

"With over four decades of incredible service, today's C-130 departures mark a significant milestone for the 176th Wing," said Air Force Col. Steve deMilliano, commander of the 176th Wing.

"Their aircrews and maintainers have served with honor and distinction," deMilliano added. "This 70th anniversary year for the United States Air Force highlights that aircraft and missions will eventually change, and our airmen are the constant ensuring mission success. Despite any bittersweet feelings we may have with the final two C-130H aircraft departing today, we're excited to see our dedicated airmen embracing the opportunities of the future to begin writing yet another successful chapter in our wing's proud history. Our nation and state know they can count on us being ready whenever called upon."

A March 4 ceremony and barbecue provided current and former crews and maintainers the opportunity to share memories and inspect the wing's two remaining C-130s for the last time. They unanimously praised the airframe's famed versatility.

"I've been all the way down to Montevideo, Uruguay and Cape Town, South Africa," said retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Robert Paulson, a former C-130 crew chief who attended the event. "It [the C-130] did so many things -- anything to support the goals of our country."

Busy Unit

The divestiture of the C-130s and their tactical airlift mission still leaves the 176th Wing as one of the most operationally engaged Air Guard organizations -- its missions include the rescue triad, comprising HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, HC-130 J-models and Guardian Angel pararescuemen; interagency rescue coordination; U.S. airspace monitoring and defense; and a full complement of agile combat support.

Since 2007, these missions have also included strategic airlift, which the wing's 249th Airlift Squadron accomplishes via an association with the Air Force's 517th Airlift Squadron. 176th Wing and squadron leaders appreciate that mission changes present new opportunities.

"We know that the future depends on continuing to change and adapt," said Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Cummings, the 144th Airlift Squadron's commander.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story incorporates additional reporting by Air Force Tech. Sgt. N. Alicia Halla and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Colton B. Nelson.)

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Army poised to advance cross-domain capabilities with state-of-the-art hangar

By Edric V Thompson, CERDECMarch 6, 2017

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- The U.S. Army celebrated a ribbon cutting for a new research and development aircraft hangar at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Feb. 10.

The U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, or CERDEC, moved its Flight Activity, the CFA, from a 74-year-old WWII hangar into a modern facility.

Elected officials, appointees, former employees and senior leaders from across Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the Army Science and Technology community were on hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting.

"We must analyze capability gaps and implement solutions faster than our adversaries," said CERDEC Director Henry J. Muller. "This multimillion dollar facility is an Army strategic investment that will significantly enhance CERDEC's ability to continue key cross-domain aviation research and experimentation in areas that are so essential to the nation's defense: intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, communications and mission command."

Managed by the CERDEC Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate, or I2WD, the CFA provides a unique aviation platform sensor development and integration capability to government agencies, academic institutions or industry partners with valid Department of Defense missions, according to Charles V. Maraldo, CFA director.

This includes end-to-end aviation support for emerging airborne electronics systems, quick-reaction capabilities to units, post-production aircraft modifications, and support to programs of record, he explained.

"We support programs of record from early in the product lifecycle -- by maturing potential new technology -- all the way to the Sustainment phase by evaluating and integrating sustainment or pre-planned product improvement upgrades," Maraldo said. "We also provide independent airborne test platforms that will allow them to assess candidate capabilities in an environment free of corporate influence."

The new hangar, which can accommodate C-130-sized aircraft, houses the CFA's fleet of fixed and rotor wing aircraft, including UH-60M Black Hawks, RC-12s and UV-18 Twin Otter.

With more than 100,000 square feet, it features fully climate-controlled high and low-bay aircraft hangars and includes an aircraft-component and avionics maintenance shop, administrative facilities, a fixed wing taxiway and a rotor wing landing pad.

"An aircraft by itself is a complex system of electronics, aerodynamic surfaces, and mechanical systems that all must work together," Maraldo said. "Integrating and testing new communications, EW, Cyber or SIGINT capabilities requires that all of those components continue to work safely together while not degrading the safety of the host platform. This new hangar will allow us to provide aviation integration and experimentation support more efficiently and safely than ever before."

"The increased capabilities will enable our staff of engineers, integrators, fabricators and pilots to support all aspects of airborne experimentation under one roof: concept, engineering, design, fabrication, integration, flight testing and analysis," he said.

The hangar's military value "was clear" when it was specifically requested by the Army in a 2013 budget that was slashed by more than $1 billion dollars, noted U.S. Representative Chris Smith of the N.J. Fourth Congressional District, who helped secure funding for the hanger in the Future Years Defense Plan.

"The CERDEC Flight Activity is a vital tenant at the base and for our local community," Smith said. "It is a prime example of a mission that has grown and can continue to grow as a result of a coordinated and concerted effort to highlight the talented workforce and other assets--including this new $50 million investment by the Army that we have here."

"The work done in this hangar supports aviation research and development that is critical to continue advancing our C4ISR [Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] technologies and the quick-reaction capabilities that ensure our men and women in the field have the tools necessary to successfully complete their mission--and return home safely," Smith said.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the hangar took place April 11, 2014, with Rep. Smith, then Third Congressional District Rep. Jon Runyan, members of the Army Corps of Engineers and representatives from the Army's research and development community.

Almost three years later, the completion of the multi-million dollar facility is a reflection of a commitment between partners, said Col. David Caldwell, Commander of the New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"Together, we have built a facility to keep our military at the cutting edge, enabling our armed services to continue to successfully perform its mission. It is safe for workers, energy efficient and [will] save the taxpayers considerable money," Caldwell said.

"[This new facility] has ensured that we will continue to create opportunities that enhance the operational readiness of our military and warfighter," he added. "We at USACE are proud to have had a hand in it."

The new hangar will also enhance critical Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst missions, making the Joint Base a unique military asset to the United States Armed Forces, said U.S. Representative Tom MacArthur of the N.J. third Congressional District.

"I have long believed that a strong America is our best hope for a safer world," MacArthur said. "Today's evolving global threats have changed the way we view our defense capabilities. It's our duty to provide the tools our warfighters need to protect the freedom of American citizens. CERDEC will help provide this. We must keep supporting their work because it's helping Soldiers execute their missions and come home safely."

Sitting among the varied topography of the N.J. Pine Barrens and coastal region, the 20-mile-wide Joint Base is accessible to industry and government laboratories on the East Coast and offers the varied topography, radio frequency spectrum and restricted airspace needed for aerial experimentation in Communications, Signals Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and RADAR.

Strategically co-located on the nation's only tri-service base, CERDEC's Flight Activity and Ground Activity, or CGA, are leveraging these resources to deploy ground assets within range of aircraft flight tracks to help the Army explore and advance innovative, multi-domain capabilities.

"Our flying laboratories at the Flight Activity and our field laboratories at the Ground Activity complement each other beautifully and are an extension of our engineering environment back at Aberdeen Proving Ground," Muller said. "When interaction is necessary between ground and aerial layers, we can do so without relocating assets from elsewhere in the country."

"They allow us to bring together lab-based and field-based risk reduction, which helps us prove what is in the art of the possible for the Army as it looks to enable capabilities that support multi-domain battle across air, land, sea and cyber," Muller said.

The CFA and its new hanger are a state-of-the-art capability for the greater DOD science and technology community to leverage when determining what does and, more importantly, does not work, said Gary W. Blohm, CERDEC I2WD director.

"As we develop and assess technologies in labs across CERDEC, we can also bring them into the Flight Activity to understand integration challenges early and upfront," he said. "This allows leadership to understand how technologies will work on the platform, how we can best integrate them, and how can we deliver them in an efficient way that will dominate the electromagnetic spectrum, command the operation and enable decisive effects

The need to conduct airborne electronic systems experiments dates back to the early days of aviation when Fort Monmouth conducted the first test of air-to-ground communications in 1918. In 1963, that mission moved into the then 20-year-old Hangar 5 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and remained there until now.

Generations of former Flight Activity employees who worked in Hangar 5 attended the ceremony and traded stories as they reminisced along an exhibit of news clips chronicling the CFA's history.

These efforts include communications intercept and location, Morse Code interception, radar detection, Stand-Off Target Acquisition, the first glass cockpit Black Hawk, GPS and Foliage Penetrating Radar systems.

From Vietnam and the Cold War to the wars on drugs and terror, the CFA has played a significant role in pioneering airborne communications and sensors, Blohm noted.

"It's family," Blohm said. "When you accomplish things together, it bonds you for a long time. For folks who were building this capability 60 some odd years ago to our current workforce, there have been so many people who have made this happen."

With the opening of the new hangar, the CERDEC Flight Activity is poised to provide another several decades of support to the Army's aerial C4ISR needs.

"This is a celebration of a storied past and a firm promise for the future of airborne electronics systems experimentation," Blohm said. "If you look back at the history, we've been doing relevant work that's made a difference. If you look at the emerging [concept of operations] for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and electronic warfare, the Flight Activity is more relevant than it's ever been. We will continue to be at the forefront of airborne electronics systems development while anticipating [science and technology] needs for future conflicts."

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-085-17 March 06, 2017

DoD Releases FY-2016 Freedom of Navigation Report

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its fiscal year 2016 freedom of navigation (FON) report, which provides a summary of excessive maritime claims that were challenged by U.S. forces during the period of Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2016. The report summarizes challenges to excessive maritime claims asserted by 22 claimants throughout the world.

The DoD FON program is comprehensive in scope and executed in an even-handed manner, challenging excessive maritime claims based on principle rather than identity of the coastal State asserting the claim. The DoD challenges excessive maritime claims asserted by a wide variety of coastal states including allies, partners, and other nations on a worldwide basis to maintain global mobility of U.S. forces.

Each year, DoD compiles an unclassified FON report providing summaries of the FON operations and other FON related activities conducted by U.S. forces. The summarized reports demonstrate the U.S. non-acquiescence in excessive maritime claims, while still protecting the operational security of U.S. military forces.

The 2016 DoD FON Report is available at http://policy.defense.gov/OUSDPOffices/FON.aspx.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1103747/

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FM spokesman rejects Bahraini officials' latest anti-Iran claims

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 6, IRNA -- Spokesman of Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi refused latest claims of Bahraini rulers that allegedly related Iran to internal affairs of Bahrain.

Describing those claims as 'baseless', Qasemi said that the Bahraini rulers who are not able to resolve the country's internal problems and failed to meet the peaceful and civilian demands of their nation properly, used to occasionally relate protests in their country to Iran. It is obvious that playing a blame game is an approach followed by all tyrant rulers who have problem with their own people and this would never help resolve the existing crises.

The government of Bahrain, in its latest accusations against Iran, said that it has arrested a extremist group involved in recent terrorist attacks in that country and claimed that the group was related to Iran.

Dismissing the claims, Qasemi advised the government of Bahrain to do its best 'to treat their people fairly and with honesty based on moral principles instead of resorting to outdated and security approaches.'

9191**1394

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PHIBRON 11 Arrives in Okinawa for Patrol Preparations

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170306-04

Release Date: 3/6/2017 9:57:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Raymond D. Diaz III, USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan (NNS) -- Flagship of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11 and the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (BHR ARG), USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), arrived at White Beach, Okinawa, March 4.

Bonhomme Richard is in port for the onload of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and other Marine Corps and Navy assets.

"Our Navy and Marine Corps team is the backbone of our amphibious naval force," said Capt. George Doyon, commander, PHIBRON 11. "It is of the utmost importance that we conduct regular training together to maintain our knowledge and proficiency so that we remain a viable force for use by the theater commander."

More than 1,200 Marines from the 31st MEU, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Combat Logistics Battalion 31, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 and Marine Attack Squadron 311 will embark Bonhomme Richard during the ships' port visit to the Pacific island.

The addition of Marines and other supporting elements will set the ships' complement of approximately 3,200 personnel aboard.

During this underway, ship's assigned to PHIBRON 11 will conduct joint amphibious intergration training and certification exercises, and will also work alongside regional partners and allies through bilateral engagements and operations.

Bonhomme Richard is on a routine patrol, operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to serve as a forward capability for any type of contingency.

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Philippine Sea Completes Souda Bay Visit

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170306-13

Release Date: 3/6/2017 2:27:00 PM

By Ensign Winter Rae, USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) Public Affairs

SOUDA BAY, Greece (NNS) -- Guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) conducted a scheduled port visit in Souda Bay, Greece, March 1-5.

Philippine Sea, part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG), was in Souda Bay to enhance U.S-Greece relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure, and prosperous Europe.

GHWBCSG has been conducting precision strikes on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, demonstrating the capability of the U.S. Navy to conduct operations across multiple theaters and highlighting the mobility, flexibility, and power projection capability of the Navy's globally-deployed force.

Souda Bay is Philippine Sea's first port visit of its 2017 deployment with GHWBCSG.

GHWBCSG is comprised of the staff of CSG-2; aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77); the nine squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8; Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 staff, guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and Danish guided-missile frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F 362); and Mayport-based Philippine Sea and USS Hue City (CG 66).

Quote:

"The crew really loved their visit to Souda Bay, and personally I very much enjoyed exploring Greece's countryside and taking in the fascinating history, culture, and of course the authentic food." - Cmdr. Rick Tester, Philippine Sea executive officer.

Quick Facts:

During Philippine Sea's visit to Souda Bay, March 1-5, the crew conducted a community relations project, where Philippine Sea Sailors helped clean a community beach.

Strengthening alliances during port visits demonstrates the shared commitment to promote safety and stability within the region, while seeking opportunities to enhance interoperability with NATO allies, such as Greece.

The deployment is part of a regular rotation of forces to support maritime security operations, provide crisis response capability, and increase theater security cooperation and forward naval presence in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Yemenis' retaliatory attack leaves two Saudi troopers dead

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 7:14PM

Yemeni army soldiers, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have reportedly launched an attack against Saudi border guards in the kingdom's southwestern region of Jizan, leaving two troopers dead.

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that Yemeni snipers fatally shot two Saudi troopers in the al-Dokhan military base of the region, located 967 kilometers southwest of Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, on Monday afternoon.

The source added that the attack was in retaliation for Riyadh's relentless aerial bombardment campaign against Yemen.

The development came on the same day that Yemeni military sources announced that as many as 152 Saudi soldiers had been gunned down by Yemeni forces and Popular Committees fighters over the past four months.

The sources, requesting not to be named, said Yemeni soldiers and their allies carried out sniper operations against the kingdom's southwestern border regions last month, leaving 36 Saudi soldiers dead.

Most of the operations were conducted in Jizan, where a total of 27 Saudi troopers lost their lives in 24 encounters.

Yemeni snipers also performed four operations in Najran, situated 844 kilometers south of Riyadh, where six Saudi soldiers were killed. Three operations in Asir claimed the lives of three Saudi troopers as well.

Moreover, a total of 33 Saudi soldiers were killed in sniper operations during January. A total of 93 Saudi troopers were also killed in the last two months of 2016.

Nearly two dozen Houthi fighters killed in Saudi strike, clashes

Meanwhile, at least 16 Houthi Ansarullah fighters were killed on Monday when Saudi fighter jets launched an aerial attack in Yemen's western coastal province of Hudaydah.

A medical official and a military source, both requesting anonymity, said the strike targeted a military base in the city of Bajil.

They added that 23 Houthi fighters also sustained injuries in the attack.

Separately, clashes between Ansarullah members and Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to resigned Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi near the Red Sea port city of Mukha, situated 346 kilometers south of Sana'a, left seven Houthis dead.

According to the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, the Saudi military 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.

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ADS ADS

It was a logical move. At the SIHH, less than one year after the launch of the limited edition 41 mm Laureato, Girard-Perregaux unveiled an entire range dedicated to its 70s icon. A number of now legendary watches were born in the 1970s, and continued their growth into the following decade. They include the Royal Oak, the Nautilus and the Overseas, and they have more in common than just their age, such as their sporty appearance, their steel case and bracelet, and the way the two fit together to form a coherent whole. The rest is different.





Girard-Perregaux chose the Laureato to showcase some of its finest inventions, including quartz chronometers, the tourbillon with three bridges (in a sapphire variation), flyback chronographs, etc. The model which first saw the light of day in 1975 has since gone through three generations, and its history is familiar. After a number of evolutions, it was finally dropped from the current collection. When the company itself was rebooted, this iconic model was also treated to a makeover (or perhaps a remake, as they say in Hollywood). The constants remain the perfectly angular octagonal bezel, hobnail-patterned clous de Paris dial, and a bracelet with convex central links.

The latest-generation Laureato is the most versatile we have seen, not least because it explicitly targets women. The first approach is the most obvious. The 34 mm Laureato is sized for a womans wrist, and the choice is reinforced by the use of a quartz movement, of which Girard-Perregaux was a pioneer, and a diamond-set bezel. With the option of gold, two-tone gold and steel, or steel, the Laureato can comfortably be dressed up or down.





A second variation comes in a 38 mm diameter. In many cultures, this measurement signals a unisex watch, and everyone can take from it what they like. It is an exclusively automatic model, with an entirely in-house Girard-Perregaux movement. It is wonderfully ergonomic, not too deep, with a smooth and flexible bracelet. The remaining models come mainly in the larger diameter of 42 mm. As this model is intended for men, there are no more diamond-set bezels, but the two-tone titanium and rose gold case hints at a 1980s aesthetic.





At the very top of the range, Girard-Perregaux can be forgiven for giving pride of place to the tourbillon, whose renaissance in the 1980s the company helped to bring about. The company also makes a virtue of the distinctive architecture of its signature gold bridge. But rather than using three, as is the rule for its classic haute horlogerie models, the firm decided to add just one, as we have already seen on several occasions. The Laureato Tourbillon thus positions itself as a sporty tourbillon with an assertive design, offered at a restrained price point, well under the symbolic six figures. It comes in a diameter of 45 mm, with a choice of case materials: titanium and rose gold, or titanium and white gold. The range has never been so broad or so varied. The only thing missing is a couple of chronographs, to make the Laureato a universal icon. But the adventure is far from over.
EU foreign ministers approve creation of military headquarters

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 6:48PM

European Union foreign ministers have agreed on a plan to create a military training headquarters as the body adopts a more assertive approach to military issues in the wake of Britain's decision to exit the continental bloc.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday that the new European command center for foreign missions would help the bloc better manage its operations abroad.

"Today we decided to establish a MPCC (Military Planning Conduct and Capability facility) which will command the EU's non-executive military missions," Mogherini told reporters, adding that the center would provide a "more efficient approach to the existing military training missions we have."

Reports said the training headquarters would be responsible for three non-executive operations in Africa, namely in Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia. The operations would not involve the use of force other than in self-defense.

The EU had already run separate command centers for executive operations in the central Mediterranean and off the Horn of Africa.

The decision to create the new military center came despite traditional opposition by states like Britain. London has insisted that the EU should not waste resources by creating similar structures like NATO.

EU officials, including Mogherini, have repeatedly assured members that NATO would remain the primary defense for Europe. However, the former Italian foreign minister said on Monday that the approval for the new headquarters was a huge step forward after decades of division on what defense role the EU should adopt.

"This is one of the fields where traditionally we have had in the history of the European Union more divisiveness -- since the Fifties we were struggling in the defense field," she said.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon repeated previous calls by the UJK government, saying EU members should continue "to cooperate more closely with NATO to avoid unnecessary duplication and structures."

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said, however, that the creation of the new command center "was long overdue."

"We took a very important step toward a European security and defense union, because we have become very concrete," said the German official.

The plan for a new military headquarters in Europe comes amid concerns that Britain's departure from the EU could risk undermining the continent's defense strategy.

Britain has been a big contributor to EU-led operations, with reports saying that London pays about 15 percent of the costs.

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Bahraini officials file lawsuit to dissolve largest leftist political party

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 4:4PM

Bahraini authorities have filed a lawsuit to dissolve the country's largest leftist political party as part of the ruling Al Khalifah regime's heavy-handed crackdown on political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

In a statement on Monday, Bahrain's Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments accused the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad) of "incitement of acts of terrorism and promoting violent and forceful overthrow" of the Manama regime.

The group "glorified convicted terrorists and saboteurs who used weapons and detonated bombs in killing and wounding several security [personnel], threatened citizens and residents' safety and damaged private and public properties," the statement added.

Bahraini officials have piled pressure on the country's opposition in recent months.

On July 17, 2016, a court in Bahrain dissolved the country's main Shia opposition group, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and ordered the seizure of its funds, accusing it of helping bids to foster violence and "terrorism" in the country.

The move came a month after Bahraini officials stripped distinguished Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of al-Wefaq, of his citizenship on June 20, 2016.

They later dissolved the Islamic Enlightenment Institution, founded by the 77-year-old cleric, in addition to the opposition al-Risala Islamic Association.

The Manama regime has pressed charges of "illegal fund collections, money laundering and helping terrorism" against Sheikh Qassim, who has strongly denied them.

Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the kingdom in mid-February 2011.

They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.

Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.

Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the Al Khalifah regime's crackdown.

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Worrying Signs Just Keep Trickling Out

Gordana Knezevic March 06, 2017

Warnings that another conflict may erupt in the Balkans have been coming in from former diplomats and think tanks in recent weeks.

Most recently, there is concern that the prolonged detention of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj in France may trigger a wave of protests in Pristina.

Neighboring Macedonia is facing a potential constitutional crisis as the president continues to deny a mandate to form a government to a political leader who appears to have a parliamentary majority in hand.

Serbia would like to be seen as a rock of stability in the region, but it currently finds itself on the worst terms it has had with its neighbors since the end of the cycle of Balkan wars (1991-99).

In Montenegro, October's elections were marred by a purported coup attempt that may have had Moscow's backing (although those allegations have never been proven). Meanwhile, its pro-European government faces a boycott by the pro-Russian opposition as Montenegro stands on the brink of NATO membership.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, wartime objectives from the 1990s have become peacetime political projects. The country is bitterly divided, not least over the desire of some -- mainly among the Bosniak majority -- to revisit a 2007 international court ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide charges related to the 1992-95 war. Bosnian authorities have been unable to find a unified voice on the issue, and members of the country's three-member presidency are sending conflicting messages to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

'A Frying Pan Full Of Oil'

All these brewing disputes led one outsider to predict that the first international crisis to face the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump would crystallize in the "rumbling Balkans."

Such a warning is more extraordinary when it comes from an EU official.

In an interview with Zeit Online, the EU commissioner for neighborhood police and enlargement talks, Johannes Hahn, said that stabilizing the Balkans is in Europe's interest. He added: "We will either export stability or we will import instability. This applies especially to the Western Balkans, which is like a frying pan full of oil. All it needs is a match to light the fire. However, an enduring peace in that region is possible that would provide these countries with an EU future."

Jelica Minic of the Belgrade-based NGO European Movement In Serbia expressed agreement with Hahn's observation. Minic told the RFE/RL Balkan Service's Belgrade bureau that four risk factors could produce a spark to light the fuse in the Balkans. In her view, the tipping point could be ethnic tensions, social unrest, the migrant crisis, or meddling by foreign powers in the region.

Minic also pointed to an article by former U.K. diplomat Timothy Less in Foreign Affairs calling for a redrawing of national borders in the Balkans, lending support to longstanding nationalist projects. The projected new "map" of the region would include a Greater Croatia, Greater Serbia, and Greater Albania. The article proved popular among nationalists of all stripes. The British Foreign Office made it clear that Less does not represent the views of the British government. Nevertheless, Russian Sputnik radio's Belgrade outlet has quoted an analyst arguing that Less's opinion piece is proof that "the West is undermining the Balkans." In the same article, Bosnia is referred to as a "quasi-state."

Foundations 'Not Secure'

Speaking to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, Ukrainian Ambassador to Bosnia Aleksandr Levchenko highlighted Russian influence in the region.

"It appears that the destabilization of this region [Bosnia and the Western Balkans] is in the interest of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," Levchenko said. "It would create an opportunity for him to present himself as the peacemaker. This is the usual script -- he manufactures a conflict and then offers to negotiate with the West on conflict resolution."

Minic sees tensions on all sides -- between Serbia and neighbors Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia, between Croatia and Bosnia, and so on.

Johannes Han has expressed concern in particular over ongoing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. Responding to a question from Zeit Online on whether European-integration processes have been stuck in reverse lately, given that the specter of war was explicitly invoked during the most recent dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, Han replied: "That only proves my assertion that even though each country in the region has made progress, the foundations are not secure yet by any means. One wrong word can lead to conflict."

Han nevertheless said he remained convinced that responsible parties in Serbia, including Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, "are well aware that there is no alternative to a European orientation if they desire peace and prosperity."

However, the prospect of EU restructuring based on a proposed two-tier model -- with one tier pursuing closer integration and the other remaining in a looser union -- raises questions about the place of Western Balkan countries in any new order. Specifically, whether that new model for the EU would speed up or slow down the integration of those countries -- a question that is currently impossible to answer, according to Minic.

The warnings of regional fragility might ensure that the Western Balkans remain a focus of attention in Brussels. Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign affairs and security chief, is currently on a tour of regional capitals spreading a message about the importance and value of an EU future. It is a sign that Brussels recognizes the danger of leaving the Balkan region to its own devices, with tensions on a knife-edge.

And yet the worrying signs persist.

As Mogherini addressed the Serbian parliament on March 3, her words were met with chants from back-bench lawmakers: "Serbia, Russia, we don't need the [European] Union!" Throughout, the Serbian Radical Party deputies were pounding the tables, and their leader, Vojislav Seselj, declared it the beginning of his presidential campaign. Presidential elections in Serbia are scheduled for April 2.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/balkans- without-borders-worrying-signs- conflict-knezevic/28353760.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Naval Intelligence Office warns commercial ships from sea mines planted by Al-Houthis in Bab Al-Mandab

Saudi Press Agency

Monday 1438/6/7 - 2017/03/06

Washington, 07 Jumada II,1438 AH, 06 March,2017 , SPA -- The US Office of Naval Intelligence has warned commercial ships from the risks of sea mines planted by Al-Houthi militias in the Strait of Bab Al-Mandab near the entrance to the port of Mokha.

The Office said in its report that the attacks on ships in the strait, especially commercial ones, stimulate other effective bodies to intervene, pointing out that the US navy will necessarily assume the leading role in any effort to protect the freedom of ship navigation, stressing that the closure of such this waterway would lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and global oil prices.

The Strait of Bab All-Mandab whose width amounts to 25 kilo meters acquires a great importance for global navigation through which commercial ships move from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, then to the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the crowded passages to transfer oil in the Middle East and other regions, and is crossed daily by more than sixty commercial ships and transfers 3,300,000 barrels of oil per day.

The coup militias have carried out attacks in Bab Al-Mandab, in the last month, the militias attacked a Saudi frigate, and before that they targeted an Emirates relief ship, and in October 2016, they targeted US Navy patrol ships.

-- SPA

14:20 LOCAL TIME 11:20 GMT

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US Navy Spy Ship Forced to Change Course After Iranian Attack Vessels Approach

Sputnik News

22:00 06.03.2017(updated 22:53 06.03.2017)

The USNS Invincible, escorted by the British Royal Navy, experienced a close encounter with high-speed attack ships deployed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, ultimately compelling the US spy ship and her formation to alter her course.

The Invincible, while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which the US Energy Information Agency calls "the world's most important oil chokepoint," was approached by "multiple" Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG) fast-attack ships. When the IRG ships were within 600 yards of the naval formation, they halted their advance, a US official said on Monday.

The Navy attempted to contact the IRG via radio to discuss their position, but received no response, the US official said, adding that it was an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction."

The Invincible is under the aegis of the the Military Sealift Command, according to a War is Boring report, and is led by 18 civilian contractors manning the 224-foot, 2,285-ton vessel. While the white, mostly unmarked ship does not appear to have any formal weapons systems, hence the escort, it does carry a radar the US Air Force uses to collect intelligence. The Navy classifies the Invincible as a "Missile Range Instrumentation" ship which, according to the service, "monitors missile launches and collects data."

A CBS report indicated that Iran had sent a frigate that closed to within 150 yards of the spy ship while in the Gulf of Oman, just south of the Strait of Hormuz.

In January, an interaction the Navy called "unsafe and unprofessional" was ended after the USS Mahan, a guided-missile destroyer, fired off warning rounds at four approaching IRG vessels. The US and Iran have become increasingly provocative toward one another since the start of 2017, officials said, despite the number of tense encounters declining in the second half of 2016.

 Sputnik

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Polish Defense Minister Claims NATO Seeks to Protect Suwalki Isthmus From Russia

Sputnik News

17:50 06.03.2017(updated 17:51 06.03.2017)

NATO forces, deployed in Poland, are aimed at protecting Suwalki isthmus, bordering on Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad region, so that Moscow was unable to cut off the Baltic States from their "territorial rear area," Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said Monday.

WARSAW (Sputnik)  The minister highlighted that the US troops would be deployed in a number of cities in western, northern and central Poland, and would be ready to respond to any external aggression.

"The main forces are sent to defend Suwalki isthmus, so that the Russians were unable to cut off the Baltic countries from the territorial rear area, presented by Poland, which is the so-called strategic depth for NATO troops," Macierewicz said in an interview with Do Rzeczy newspaper.

"The presence of the allied troops in the west of the country made it possible to make a decision to move part of the tank forces to the east bank of the Vistula," Macierewicz added.

Macierewicz stressed that "Russia might not withdraw its troops from Belarus" after West-2017 military exercises, set for September.

In early November 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia and Belarus would hold joint military exercises dubbed Zapad-2017 ("West-2017") in September 2017. On January 30, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the Alliance did not see any threat posed by Russia to its eastern flank.

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 posed by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the increased presence of the Alliance's troops and military facilities near Russian borders, stressing it would never attack any of NATO member states.

 Sputnik

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Armenia, Azerbaijan Far From Agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh Issue - Lavrov

Sputnik News

16:24 06.03.2017

Armenia and Azerbaijan are far from agreeing on common approach to a number of key aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  He noted, however, the understanding reached regarding most aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lavrov mentioned among them the humanitarian and security issues as well as aspects of defining the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and returning the regions which are not controlled by Azerbaijan in this area.

"Two-three specific topics, which are crucial for the final package [of agreements] are still being discussed. And, I'm not going to lie, we are still far from seeing the two sides agree on a common approach to these aspects," Lavrov said after the negotiations with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.

He also expressed hope for the settlement of the conflict.

Lavrov and Mammadyarov met earlier on Monday as part of the Azerbaijani foreign minister's official state visit to Moscow. The visit is timed to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, on April 4, 2017.

The hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh erupted in April 2016, followed by the conclusion of the Russian-brokered ceasefire. The warring parties have not stopped mutual accusations of the ceasefire violation.

 Sputnik

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Update: air strikes against Daesh

6 March 2017

The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Summary

- Tuesday 28 February  Tornados destroyed Daesh positions north-west of Mosul, and several terrorist positions south-west of Bayji.

- Wednesday 1 March  Tornados and a Reaper struck five Daesh targets in western Mosul, including a truck-bomb factory.

- Thursday 2 March  Typhoons hit a machine-gun position in western Mosul.

- Friday 3 March  Typhoons and Tornados struck seven Daesh targets in western Mosul.

- Sunday 5 March  Tornados destroyed a Daesh-held building and tunnel on the banks of the Tigris, while Typhoons hit two targets in Mosul, as well as a cave and fortified position near Tall Afar.

Detail

Royal Air Force aircraft have continued to provide close air support to Iraqi forces as they methodically clear Daesh positions in western Mosul.

On Tuesday 28 February, a pair of Tornados used two Paveway IV guided bombs to attack a network of trenches and firing points, which a coalition aircraft had identified just to the north-west of the city. The aircraft then headed south, to a remote area south-west of Bayji, where a number of Daesh fighters had been spotted with a truck. The Tornados observed the extremists making preparations to dry out home-made explosives. Apparently becoming aware of the aircraft overhead, the fighters split into two groups and attempted to move away on foot. However the groups were tracked by a Tornado and both were struck by Paveway IVs.

A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft assisted Iraqi troops in western Mosul on Wednesday 1 March, using a Hellfire missile and a GBU-12 guided bomb to eliminate Daesh fighters, including a sniper, engaged at close quarters with the Iraqis. The Reaper also used its surveillance sensors to check that a target area was clear of civilians before a coalition air strike. Two flights of Tornados armed with Paveway IVs also operated over western Mosul that day. The first pair destroyed a strong-point held by terrorists armed with light machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, while the second pair dealt with a sniper before demolishing two buildings that were part of a factory producing truck-bombs.

Typhoons had to deal with heavy cloud over Mosul on Thursday 2 March, with the challenging weather conditions denying them clear sight of the target when an Iraqi unit came under machine-gun fire from a Daesh strong-point at short range. Despite these conditions, very careful coordination with the Iraqi troops allowed the Typhoons to hit the Daesh position accurately with a Paveway IV, without endangering friendly forces. The Iraqi unit reported that the machine-gun had been silenced and the threat to them eliminated.

Tornados experienced similarly difficult cloud conditions on Friday 3 March, when they struck four Daesh-held buildings in western Mosul. The Iraqi ground forces reported that all four targets had been safely destroyed, with at least one heavy machine-gun also put out of action. Typhoons also engaged a further three targets in the city, striking a road junction to prevent Daesh moving supplies and truck-bombs along the route, and eliminating sniper and light machine-gun teams.

On Sunday 5 March, a pair of Typhoons operated around Tall Afar. They used Paveway IVs to target successfully a cave where terrorists had set up base, together with a near-by fortified position. A second pair of Typhoons maintained close air support over western Mosul, where they bombed first a Daesh strong-point and then a checkpoint that had been established in a large building on the outskirts to control a route out of the city. 20 miles north-west of Mosul, another Daesh location had been detected, with terrorists occupying a building on the banks of the Tigris. Tornados struck the building, and then used a further Paveway IV to collapse a tunnel that had been dug close by.

UK contribution to the fight against Daesh



Map of UK forces committed to Operation Shader

Campaign against Daesh



Map of Daesh losses and gains in Iraq and Syria since September 2014

Previous update

Wednesday 1 February: While other RAF aircraft conducted reconnaissance patrols to assess Daesh activity in Syria and Iraq, Typhoons were tasked with the destruction of a building some twenty miles west of Mosul which intelligence had identified was being used by Daesh as a staging post for the movement of extremists and equipment. A single Paveway IV sufficed to demolish the building once a very careful check had been made by the aircrew for any civilians who might be in the vicinity of the target.

Thursday 2 February: Royal Air Force Tornados, supported as ever by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, patrolled over northern Iraq. Daesh were occupying a building some 20 miles west of Kirkuk, when Tornados, after conducting a careful check against any civilians being close to the target, struck the building with a Paveway IV guided bomb.

Friday 3 February: Typhoons operated over western Mosul as Iraqi forces continued their preparations to liberate that part of the city from the terrorists. Daesh had concealed an artillery piece in an open-sided building on the southern outskirts of west Mosul, covering the approaches to the city. Again, a single Paveway IV from the Typhoons destroyed the target. Meanwhile, a pair of Tornados conducted armed reconnaissance to the north-west of Mosul, where a barge and a smaller boat had been spotted being used by the terrorists on the Tigris. Two Brimstone missiles were fired, sinking both vessels.

Sunday 5 February: Typhoons headed to a remote location some forty miles north-east of Tikrit, where a Daesh headquarters had been identified. The building and a vehicle shed were both destroyed by direct hits from Paveway IVs.

Tuesday 7 February: A group of Daesh fighters, armed with a heavy machine-gun, attempted to cross the Tigris in a boat, close to where the Tornados had sunk the river craft two days earlier. The terrorists were unaware that they were being closely tracked by coalition surveillance aircraft, and a Hellfire missile from an RAF Reaper sank the boat in mid-channel.

Wednesday 8 February: A Tornado flight used two Paveway IVs to destroy a pair of Daesh-held buildings some 20 miles south of Kirkuk. To the north-west of Mosul, a Typhoon mission supported Kurdish forces, and used a Paveway IV to strike a tunnel in which a group of extremists had taken shelter.

Saturday 11 February: As the Iraqi forces prepare for the offensive to liberate the western half of Mosul, Royal Air Force aircraft have patrolled the approaches to that part of the city, gathering intelligence and striking Daesh targets as they are identified. Two Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager tanker and armed with Paveway IV guided bombs, conducted a successful attack on a terrorist tunnel and bunker dug into a hillside some seven miles to the south-west of the city.

Sunday 12 February: A pair of Tornado GR4s were directed towards two Daesh cargo trucks which had been spotted five miles north-west of Mosul. The Tornados each fired a Brimstone missile, resulting in direct hits on both vehicles.

Tuesday 14 February: Careful surveillance operations allowed a building on the north-western outskirts of Mosul to be identified as a Daesh headquarters. With Iraqi forces keeping close watch from across the Tigris, a flight of Typhoons were able to conduct a highly accurate attack late at night; two Paveway IVs demolished the target.

Friday 17 February: A pair of Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri conducted an armed reconnaissance patrol over northern Iraq. They were directed towards a terrorist strongpoint which had been identified some 17 miles west of Kirkuk. Having carefully checked the surrounding area for any indication of civilians who might be placed at risk, the Tornados released a single Paveway IV guided bomb which destroyed the target with a direct hit.

Sunday 19 February: With the launch of the Iraqi offensive to liberate western Mosul, Tornados formed part of the coalition air support. Our aircraft conducted two attacks during the course of their mission: a Paveway IV was used to strike a Daesh mortar position just to the south of Mosul, then a second Paveway destroyed another mortar sited to the north-west of the city  although the mortar itself was not visible to the aircrew, the impact of the Paveway caused a sizeable secondary explosion, indicating that the ammunition supply had been hit.

Tuesday 21 February: Other RAF aircraft carried out intensive reconnaissance patrols over both Syria and Iraq during this period, and further attacks were delivered by both Tornados and Typhoons. Two Typhoon FGR4s were tasked with the mission of denying Daesh the use of a causeway across the Little Zab river, a number of miles west of Kirkuk. Paveway IV guided bombs demolished not only the causeway, but also heavy machine-gun and mortar positions guarding it. The Tornados continued their operations to support the Iraqi forces advancing on western Mosul. A Daesh artillery piece, sited some 15 miles north-west of the city, opened fire on Iraqi troops. Iraqi artillery fire in return forced the terrorists manning the gun to seek shelter, and before they were able to re-crew the weapon, the Tornado flight arrived on the scene and destroyed it with a direct hit from a Paveway IV. The ammunition stockpile was also set on fire. The Tornados then patrolled over west Mosul itself, and used a second Paveway IV to collapse a tunnel entrance on the city's southern outskirts.

Wednesday 22 February: A further Tornado mission saw our aircraft use Paveway IVs to cut the road network leading out of south-west Mosul, preventing efforts by Daesh to move men and supplies, particularly their favoured truck-bomb weapons, to resist the advance of the Iraqi forces. Four key chokepoints at a major junction on the southern outskirts of the city were chosen, all at a safe distance from residential areas, and all were accurately struck by the guided bombs.

Thursday 23 February: A flight of RAF Tornados used a Paveway IV guided bomb to attack a Daesh mortar team operating inside western Mosul. The aircrew waited patiently for some unidentified, possibly civilian, traffic to move clear of the target before they delivered a successful strike.

Friday 24 February: Another Tornado mission attacked a further mortar position which was under the cover of some trees in western Mosul, again using a single Paveway IV for the attack. A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft meanwhile flew overwatch for an Iraqi unit as it advanced into the city. The Iraqi troops encountered a bulldozer rigged with explosives which was blocking movement along a street. With the Iraqis taking cover, the Reaper's crew were able to destroy safely the booby-trapped vehicle with a Hellfire missile. The Reaper then scouted over a group of workshops known to produce improvised armoured vehicles and truck bombs. Two such vehicles were identified, one parked in the open, the other being worked on in a garage, and both were destroyed with direct hits from Hellfires.

Sunday 26 February: Two flights of Tornados operated over northern Iraq. One patrolled just to the west of Mosul, where a Paveway IV was employed to kill a small group of terrorists as they manoeuvred in the open. The second pair of Tornados headed to an area some 25 miles south-west of Tall Afar, where a number of Daesh armoured trucks had been spotted. The Tornados found one pair of vehicles on the move across the desert and destroyed both with simultaneous attacks with Brimstone missiles. A convoy of five more armoured trucks was then identified nearby, stationary on a stretch of road. All were destroyed with a combination of Brimstones and Paveway IVs. A series of secondary explosions ensued as the vehicles and their cargoes burned.

Monday 27 February: Tornados saw further action over western Mosul, when they struck another terrorist mortar team with a Paveway IV. The Tornado flight then headed west into Syria, where a main battle tank operated by Daesh had been identified at Tadmur, in the ancient city of Palmyra. A Brimstone missile scored a solid hit on the target. Close to Iraq's border with Syria, a Reaper meanwhile provided surveillance support to coalition air strikes on two Daesh facilities in Al Qaim, manufacturing truck-bombs and other improvised explosive devices. An anti-aircraft gun was spotted, despite efforts to conceal it under cover, and was destroyed by one of the Reaper's Hellfires.

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Security Council wraps up Lake Chad Basin visit; stops in 'epicentre' of Boko Haram violence

6 March 2017  The crisis in Africa's Lake Chad Basin is of global concern and action is needed "right now," the United Nations Security Council today said, wrapping up its four-country tour with the promise of long-term support for the Governments and the people in their fight against Boko Haram.

"Neither the military fight against terrorism nor the immediate humanitarian response will solve these protracted crises," Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the United Kingdom, who is leading the Council visit as President of the 15-nation body for the month of March, told journalists in Abuja.

He spoke alongside Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, as well as Fode Seck, Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, and Michele Sison, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations.

"What is needed in the end is long-term development," Mr. Rycroft said, noting the need for jobs, education, human rights, services for displaced people and refugees, and solutions for coping with drought and other environmental challenges.

"Those are multifaceted, complex set of problems and require a holistic set of solutions, and we are here to support the Government of Nigeria in finding those solutions," he vowed.

Yesterday, the Council members met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Teacher Village in Maiduguri, in hard-hit Borno state in the north-eastern part of the country. About half of the displaced persons living in the camp are children, with 379 of them infants.

The Council members joined a circle of survivors, many of whom were women whose husbands and children were killed by Boko Haram, and who are struggling to feed themselves and the remnants of families that they have left.

"Their accounts of a life in crisis were beyond sobering," Mr. Rycroft said.

The displaced camp is in Maiduguri, which is known as the epicentre of the years long Boko Haram crisis, according to Governor Kashim Shettima, who spoke with the Council members.

Some 14 million people are affected by Boko Haram, with 8.5 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

While in Nigeria, the Council also met with women's groups from across the country who called for a greater role in finding solutions to the Lake Chad Basin crisis.

"We can pass information faster than the men," one woman told the Council.

The Council members also spoke with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional group of 16 countries, with discussions focused on coordination of response and sharing of information.

The Council also met with Nigeria's acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, and other senior political leaders.

After visiting Nigeria, and previously being in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the Council emphasized that "barely enough is being done" to aid the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.

"The scale we have seen is of a growing crisis. Famine is being averted at the moment because of the generosity of donors and the effectiveness of the national responses  but only just," Mr. Rycroft said, adding: "We urge the international community as a whole to continue to step up before it is too late. And that means right now."

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Afghan Offensive Kills 250 IS Militants

By Ayaz Gul March 06, 2017

Afghan officials say a month-long military operation, backed by American air power, has killed at least 250 Islamic State militants in an eastern province bordering Pakistan.

A regional military spokesman spoke to VOA at the conclusion of the anti-IS offensive that focused on the Kot and Deh Bala districts of Nangarhar, where the fatalities occurred. Several villages in the area have now been cleared of Daesh (IS) fighters, according to the spokesman, using an Arabic acronym for the Middle East-based jihadist group.

The anti-terrorism operation, dubbed "Shaheen 20," also rescued 26 hostages and captured at least 15 militants, according to a statement by the 201 Selab Military Corps in Nangarhar.

The U.S. military says IS loyalists are active in mainly southern districts of the province as it acknowledged recent Afghan successes against the group.

IS launched its regional operation two years ago and up to 3,000 militants linked to the group were initially active in about 11 districts of Nangarhar, says U.S. Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, a spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.

Joint operations over the past year have killed a large number of the fighters, including top IS leadership, according to Cleveland.

"We believe that there are approximately 700 members of ISIS, perhaps even less now based on the operations, that are still contained to less than three districts down in southern Nangarhar," he said, using another acronym for Islamic State.

While the U.S. military maintains the terrorist group is active mostly in Nangarhar and parts of neighboring Kunar province, Afghan officials have reported the presence of IS in other provinces, including violence-hit southern Zabul.

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The purpose of a regatta chronograph is not only to track racing time but, above all, to count down the critical minutes before the racers cross the starting line. The Fleet Race, which takes place on a course marked by buoys, begins with a five, seven or ten-minute countdown at the end of which the yachts begin sailing the course. During this decisive interval of time, the competitors strategically array themselves on the startling line  based on winds and, most importantly, keeping clear of other competitors  in order to cross the line as close as possible to the starting signal.The new Ulysse Nardin Regatta chronograph delivers groundbreaking functionality and intuitive tracking of these crucial minutes.



The Ulysse Nardin Regatta timepiece demonstrates its stylistic power to better reveal the complexity of the in-house crafted drive it contains. 650 components shape the originality and special attributes of this regatta chronograph, engineered with an ingenious two-way count-up/count-down system. Innovative in more ways than one, the regatta feature, located at the center of the dial, displays the countdown with an arrow pointing at the yellow minute scale from 0 to 10. Easily readable, this hand can be set with a pusher located at the 10 oclock position and moves in a counter-clockwise direction when when the count-down starts. At the same time, the two-way seconds hand of the chronograph ticks away the seconds  in a counter-clockwise direction  until the countdown comes to an end. When the countdown reaches zero signaling the start of the race, the seconds hand instantly starts moving in the clockwise direction and begins timing the race, measured by an hours and minutes subdial at the 6 oclock position.







The result of many months of development  based on the renowned manufacture chronograph caliber UN-153 - the new caliber UN-155 features performance, ease of use and perfectly designed display brightness. The ample 3-day power reserve, the two-way seconds hand that can be stopped to adjust the hour and the bi-directional date change compliment its remarkable practicality.



With its distinctive appearance, the Regatta timepiece recalls the nautical roots of the company. Its heavy 44 mm diameter steel case, water-resistant to 100 meters, is completed by a fluted bezel with rubber inserts, a screw-down crown and two molded rubber pushers. Its faceted lugs perfectly integrate the rubber strap featuring titanium inserts and folding buckle.



Turning to the dial, two variations are offered: the first features an ocean blue with bursts of signature Artemis Racing yellow and the second vivid sea foam. Both have a yellow countdown register punctuated by a sweep hand, Arabic numerals, indexes, applique Roman numerals glided over central luminescent hands, a yellow-tipped seconds hand and 12-hour and 60-minute subdial with the date displayed in a round aperture at the 6 oclock position.











As a tribute to its partnership with Artemis Racing for the 35th America's Cup, Ulysse Nardin has also created a limited edition of 35 watches. Featuring a black enamel Champleve dial, this models countdown feature appears on the bezel in yellow and anthracite gray, the colors of the Swedish team.
US Navy Ship Changes Course After Iranian Vessel Interaction

By Carla Babb March 06, 2017

Iranian vessels came within 550 meters of a U.S. Navy ship Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz, in what a Navy official told VOA was an "unprofessional and unsafe" encounter that forced the U.S. ship to change direction.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard attack craft surged in front of the USNS Invincible surveillance ship and sat in the water, forcing the American ship and other vessels to go around, the Navy official told VOA.

"It is not safe to do something like that," the Navy official said. "Just having to go around them in narrow water like that can cause some issues."

The USNS Invincible did not receive any communication from the small, lightly armed Iranian boats during the incident.

The encounter comes just days after an Iranian frigate came within 140 meters of the Navy ship on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman.

While the ships came closer to each other in Thursday's incident, the Navy official identified the encounter as "unprofessional, but safe" because the ship's crew at least "knew what the other ship was doing."

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South Sudan General Announces New Rebel Group

By John Tanza March 06, 2017

A senior South Sudanese military official who resigned last month said he has formed a new rebel group to fight President Salva Kiir.

General Thomas Cirillo Swaka released a statement Monday, declaring himself chairman and commander-in-chief of the National Salvation Front.

It was not immediately clear how strong the group might be, or if it will ally with the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), the rebel group that has battled the Kiir administration for more than three years.

VOA's South Sudan in Focus obtained a copy of Cirillo's mission statement, which accuses the Kiir administration of seizing power and property for his own Dinka tribe at the expense of other ethnic groups that supported the country's liberation war against Sudan.

"The Regime has created a highly selfish class that ensures its continued existence for the singular purpose of illicitly amassing personal and family wealth, and imposing tribal hegemony on the country," it said.

Other sections accused the administration of corruption, failing to provide basic services and neglecting agriculture, the last a major issue in a country where conflict and drought have left millions short of food.

South Sudanese Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk downplayed Cirillo's accusations, saying they are inconsistent with what he called the government's progress in implementing an August 2015 peace deal and ongoing work to bring peace to the country.

He said Cirillo's resignation from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has been blown out of proportion.

"There are so many people in the army so three or four people, they don't matter," he said. "The army continues to go on. The place vacated will be filled by those who are there."

The South Sudan war, which erupted in December 2013, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people from their homes.

Kiir's government has been promoting a "national dialogue" to resolve the country's issues, and Manyang said if Cirillo is willing to participate, he [Cirillo] will be given a chance to address his concerns.

Cirillo was active during the liberation war with Sudan and is believed to command respect among his former army colleagues. He held various senior positions in the army and was deputy chief of staff for operations before resigning in February.

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AMISOM Marks 10 Years in Somalia, to Everyone's Regret

By Harun Maruf March 06, 2017

On March 6, 2007, African Union peacekeepers deployed in Mogadishu to help protect the Somali government, then facing a fierce onslaught from Islamist militias.

A full decade later, the AU troops remain the main source of protection for the government and they still patrol major roads linking the Somali capital to the regions, to the dismay of Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Dini.

"First of all, I regret that Somali problems brought foreign troops into the country," he said. "I also regret that these troops have been in the country for 10 years. It's not appropriate, it's not pleasant, and I regret that."

Dini says it's particularly distressing that after 10 years, Somalia has not built an army capable of taking over security duties from the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM.

"Halfway through this anniversary period, we should have readied the army to secure the country but we did not achieve this as planned, both as a government and people," Dini told VOA's Somali service.

Now, analysts say that strengthening the army should be the No. 1 priority for the Somali government and newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo. Time could be running out on AMISOM, as the countries that contribute troops to the mission  Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti  publicly float the idea of bringing their forces home.

"[Farmajo] should turn his attention firmly on this and appeal to the West, the Arab countries, to give Somali troops proper training, equipment, salary," said Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group.

A lack of those essentials has hamstrung every attempt to develop a Somali army that can reliably protect the government and fight its enemies, especially the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. After years of retreat, al-Shabab has resurged in the past 18 months, attacking AMISOM bases in remote areas and bombing several Mogadishu hotels, all with heavy loss of life.

"Uganda and Kenya want to withdraw and they are planning exit strategy but I don't know if they are coordinating," Abdi said. "My worry is that if they withdraw individually without Somali troops being readied. They need to withdraw in an orderly manner."

And what happens if AMISOM leaves before a Somali national army is ready to fight al-Shabab on its own?

"What will happen is al-Shabab will retake the towns and Somalia will be in a lot of trouble," Abdi said.

Achievements and challenges

During a meeting Thursday between AMISOM and donor countries in Nairobi, the mission was praised for helping successive Somali governments survive.

"It is obviously clear to everybody that without AMISOM, Somalia wouldn't be where it is today," said Albrecht Braun, a representative of the European Union.

Al-Shabab controlled nearly all of the Somali capital before AMISOM-led offensives drove it out of Mogadishu and other Somali cities between 2011 and 2014. Somali government forces were involved in the operations, but mostly in minor and peripheral roles.

"AMISOM has been a crucial part of reducing al-Shabab from probably the No. 1 strategic threat facing the authorities in Somalia to just one threat than among several," said Paul Williams, associate professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, at the George Washington University.

Along the way, the AMISOM countries have absorbed significant casualties. Apart from the ambushes, roadside explosions, and weekly skirmishes, attacks by al-Shabab on three isolated AMISOM bases resulted in the death of at least 215 AU soldiers.

The deadliest attack happened in the town of El Adde just over a year ago. At least 140 Kenyan soldiers were killed, according to diplomatic sources. Kenya has not denied the reports.

Williams believes the mission is probably the deadliest peacekeeping operation ever anywhere in the world.

He says that from the beginning, AMISOM has had too much work on its hands. "It has been asked to conduct counterinsurgency and stabilization operations and to help rebuild and reconstruct institutions in arguably the world's most collapsed state," he said.

More recently, AMISOM has faced constraints as donors cut 20 percent of the mission's budget last year. And the mission never received key assets that were authorized by the United Nations, including helicopters, specialist units, engineers and medical units, according to Williams.

Somali army not ready

AMISOM currently numbers 22,000 troops from its five contributing countries. Somalia has long planned to build and train an army of equal size, but those plans have not come to fruition.

Defense Minister Dini blames the situation on the "lack of a clear plan" by the international community. He also blames the war with al-Shabab, saying the government had to train soldiers and fight the militant group at the same time.

Williams squarely blames what he calls Somalia's "political elites," who he says have not come up to a "consensus on a political settlement" which would enable outsiders to help build an army. Somalia's central governments have rarely functioned during the past 25 years, although hopes are high that Farmajo, who was elected with broad support in parliament, can make things run more smoothly and, in particular, make sure that Somali soldiers are paid on time.

Dini has urged the Somali people to pay taxes and support efforts to rebuild the army.

"Our troops are volunteering and sacrificing their lives; likewise, the public must pay their taxes and help rebuild the army," he said. "We should expect no one to build army for us; that is not even possible. The alternative is to rely on others and it will drag on for another 10 years, five years, two years  who knows?"

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White House Aides Defend Claim That Obama Wiretapped Trump Tower

By Ken Bredemeier March 06, 2017

White House aides are defending President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on telephones Trump used at his Trump Tower headquarters in New York.

"There's no question that something happened," White House spokesman Sean Spicer declared Monday. "The question is it, is it surveillance, is it a wiretap, or whatever? There has been enough reporting strongly suggesting something occurred."

But Spicer offered no evidence supporting Trump's claim Saturday in a Twitter comment "that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory."

"The president has made it clear he wants Congress to look into this," Spicer said of Trump's wiretap claim.

Intelligence committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives are already investigating the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the presidential election in an effort to help Trump win, and some lawmakers say the Trump claim can be wrapped into those probes.

Spicer's comments came after his assistant, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, told a news talk show that the president was unwilling to accept an assertion by James Comey, the director of the country's top law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI), that Obama did not order an illegal wiretap on Trump.

James Clapper, Obama's national director of intelligence, has also disputed the new president's contention.

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that "credible news sources" suggested there might have been politically motivated activity during the campaign that has yet to be divulged.

"He is the president of the United States," Conway said of Trump. "He has information that the rest of us do not."

But Trump's wiretapping claim has been widely dismissed by opposition Democrats and some Republicans.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House government oversight panel, told CBS News, "Thus far I have not seen anything directly that would support what the president has said."

Comey, the FBI director, asked the Justice Department to dispute Trump's allegation that Obama ordered the wiretap, although it was not clear why he did not directly dispute the statement himself. Comey and his department have led the ongoing investigation of Russian influence on last year's election.

Forbidden by law

Under U.S. law, a president cannot order someone's phone to be wiretapped. Such a move would require approval by a federal judge and be based on reasonable grounds to suspect why a citizen's telephone calls should be monitored.

Clapper, Obama's intelligence chief, said Trump's claim was simply wrong.

"There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, or as a candidate or against his campaign," Clapper told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said in a statement Sunday his committee "will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party's campaign officials or surrogates."

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, said Trump's accusation was based on "conspiracy-based news."

"For a president of the United States to make such an incendiary charge, and one that discredits our democracy in the eyes of the world, is as destructive as it was baseless," Schiff said.

Trump requests Congressional investigation

Spicer issued a statement Sunday saying the president is requesting the committees to "determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump has no proof and is trying to shift conversation from Russia to Obama.

"This is called the wrap-up smear," she told CNN. "You make up something, then you have the press write about it and then you say everybody's writing about this charge. It's a tool of an authoritarian to just have you always be talking about what you want them to be talking about."

Senator Marco Rubio told NBC that Trump "will have to answer as to what exactly" he was referring to in making the claim that his phones were tapped.

The publisher of the Newsmax Media website, Christopher Ruddy, a friend of Trump's, wrote Sunday the president told him, "This will be investigated. It will all come out. I will be proven right."

Ruddy said he has never seen Trump this angry in a long time.

Russian meddling

A U.S. intelligence report concluded Russia carried out a campaign at the direction of President Vladimir Putin that used cyberattacks and other methods to influence the U.S. election campaign to help Trump defeat his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state.

Trump has denied any links to Russia, but several of his aides have met with Moscow's ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak.

Trump ousted his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after just 24 days on the job after he lied to Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials about the nature of his own conversations with Kislyak.

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was removing himself from any investigation into the Russian activities after reports emerged that he met twice last year with the ambassador, although he had said at his January confirmation hearing that he did not have communications with the Russians about the Trump campaign.

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Ghana - History

In 1957 Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to gain independence after struggles led by its first President Kwame Nkrumah. The Pan-Africanist flame burned brightest at the height of agitation for independence, drawing in the likes of Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. But the Pan-Africanist rhetoric soon flickered as leaders secured independence for their countries.

Nkrumahs overthrow in 1966 was followed by four military takeovers in 1972, 1978, 1979 and 1981. Two democratically elected governments established in 1969 and 1979 were overthrown by the military. Eventually, the current succession of democratic elections was established in 1993.

Ghana marked its 60th Independence Day at the Independence Square in the capital Accra on Monday March 6, 2017, with a host of foreign dignitaries showing up to celebrate its position as the first Sub-Saharan country to attain independence. At the Independence Square, troops drawn from the various security services as well as a unit of schoolchildren took part in a national anniversary parade to mark the day, which was also graced by thousands of Ghanaians and several African Heads of State including Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Ghana's former presidents, John Mahama, Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor were among a host of other dignitaries at the Ghana@60 parade. The display of ground and air military hardware, policing and fire service apparatus added color to the national parade. Similar rallies were held throughout the country to mark the anniversary.

The planning committee of the Ghana@60 anniversary celebration did a poor job. The event which over the years starts at 8:00 am, this year however commenced after 10:00 am, while guests had been seated for hours. Addressing the parade, Ghana's President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said after sixty years, Ghanaians have run out of excuses, and it is time to set Ghana to rights and get the country to where it should be. He said the challenge before the citizenry is to build the economy and generate a prosperous, progressive and dignified life for the mass of the people. "We have a bright future, and we must mobilize all our resources and all our strengths, here and in the Ghanaian Diaspora, to get to that promised land of prosperity faster," he said.

Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, was among the many African leaders who also partook in Ghanas 60 Independence Day anniversary parade. The 93-year-old leader was undoubtedly one of the most popular African leaders in Ghana. A photo of Mugabe sleeping at the Independence celebration went viral. Apparently, this is not the first time, he has previously been found snoozing on a number of occasions at similar public events including the AU summit in Addis Ababa. Robert Mugabe is widely known for his controversial quotes and especially his comments on his countrys stance against gayism.

Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, was not a distinct entity until late in the nineteenth century. Its history before the arrival of the Europeans and even after the consolidation of British colonial rule must be studied as a part of the history of the portion of West Africa extending from Sierra Leone to Nigeria and northward into the Sahara. This is the region from which came the people and the social and political organizations that most influenced Ghanaians.

The history of the Gold Coast before the last quarter of the 15th century is derived primarily from oral tradition that refers to migrations from the ancient kingdoms of the western Soudan (the area of Mauritania and Mali). The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana upon independence in 1957 because of indications that present-day inhabitants descended from migrants who moved south from the ancient kingdom of Ghana.

The first contact between Europe and the Gold Coast dates from 1470, when a party of Portuguese landed. The Portuguese who came to Ghana in the 15th Century found so much gold between the rivers Ankobra and the Volta that they named the place Mina  meaning Mine. The Gold Coast was later adopted to by the English colonisers. Similarily, the French, equally impressed by the trinkets worn by the coastal people, named The Ivory Coast, Cote dIvoire.

In 1482, the Portuguese built a castle in Elmina as a permanent trading base. Their aim was to trade in gold, ivory and slaves. In 1481 King John II of Portugal sent Diego dAzambuja to build this castle. Thomas Windham made the first recorded English trading voyage to the coast in 1553. In 1598 the Dutch joined in, and built forts at Komenda and Kormantsil. In 1637 they captured the castle from the Portuguese and that of Axim in 1642 (Fort St Anthony). Other European traders joined in by the mid 18th century. These were the English, Danes and Swedes. The coastline were dotted by forts built by the Dutch, British and the Dane merchants at various parts of the coastal areas.

Gold drew European traders to the Gulf of Guinea. The first to arrive in the late fifteenth century were the Portuguese, who set up an outpost on Ghana's coast. During the next century, the lure of gold gave way to the slave trade because of the demand for labor in the Americas. Trading in slaves as well as gold, the Dutch, the Danes, the English, and the Swedes eventually joined the Portuguese on what had come to be known as the "Gold Coast."

By the early nineteenth century, the British were the most important European power on the Gold Coast. Thereafter, the British extended their control inland via treaties and warfare until by 1902 much of present-day Ghana was a British crown colony. Ghana's current borders were realized in 1956 when the Volta region voted to join Ghana. British colonial government, while authoritarian and centralized, nonetheless permitted Ghanaians a role in governing the colony. This was true not only of central governing bodies such as the Legislative Council and later the Executive Council, but of local and regional administration as well. The British policy of indirect rule meant that chiefs or other local leaders became agents of the colonial administration. This system of rule gave Ghanaians experience with modern, representative government to a degree unparalleled elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

When Ghana gained independence from colonial domination in 1957, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to do so, it enjoyed economic and political advantages unrivaled elsewhere in tropical Africa. The economy was solidly based on the production and export of cocoa, of which Ghana was the world's leading producer; minerals, particularly gold; and timber. It had a well-developed transportation network, relatively high per capita income, low national debt, and sizable foreign currency reserves. Its education system was relatively advanced, and its people were heirs to a tradition of parliamentary government. Ghana's future looked promising, and it seemed destined to be a leader in Africa.

In 1966 Nkrumah was overthrown and a military government assumed power. But neither military nor civilian governments during the next fifteen years were able to deal successfully with the host of problems that Nkrumah had bequeathed. In particular, under the Supreme Military Council (1972-79), Ghana's economy and political institutions deteriorated at an alarming rate. The 1970s were a period of steadily falling agricultural production, manufacturing output, and per capita income. Declining cocoa production and exports were accompanied by a corresponding rise in smuggling of the crop to neighboring countries, especially Cote d'Ivoire, and largely accounted for chronic trade deficits. Personal enrichment and corruption became the norm of government.

Beyond these serious problems loomed much larger issues that needed to be addressed if Ghana were to resume its position at the forefront of Africa's leading nations. Among these were the fear of an overly centralized and authoritarian national executive, the burden of accumulated foreign debt, and the need to forge a nation from Ghana's diverse ethnic and regional interests. In particular, the challenge was to devise a system of government that would bridge the enormous gap that had developed between the political center and society at large. For most Ghanaians, the nation-state by the late 1970s had become a largely irrelevant construct that had ceased to provide economic benefits or opportunities for meaningful political participation. As a consequence, local, ethnic, and regional interests had become much more prominent than those of Ghana as a whole.

Such were the challenges that lay before the group of military officers who seized power at the end of 1981. During its first year, the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) spoke vaguely about socialism and established people's and workers' defence committees and extra-judicial public tribunals as a way to involve Ghanaians in public administration. In 1983, however, the council, under its leader, Jerry John Rawlings, abandoned its socialist leanings and negotiated a structural adjustment program with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as the best and perhaps only method of rejuvenating the economy. Called the Economic Recovery Program, it was designed to stimulate economic growth and exports, to enhance private initiative and investment, and to reduce the role of the state in economic affairs. Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing into the mid-1990s, efforts were undertaken to rebuild the government and the economy and to restore the luster of Ghana's name.







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Trump signs new executive order on immigration

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 5:32PM

US President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on immigration banning citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, but removing Iraq from the original list.

Trump signed the revised order on Monday after his January's directive faced multiple challenges in the courts in many states.

The 9th Circuit court of Appeals in the state of Washington succeeded in halting the immigration order, arguing it violated constitutional protections against religious discrimination.

The new order includes some changes that would make it easier to defend the controversial measure against legal challenges in the courts.

As with the previous order, people from Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya will face a 90-day entry ban. However, Iraq was taken off the list because of concerns about the country's role in fighting terrorism, officials said.

The new measure halts all refugee admissions to the US for 120 days.

The original order contained that provision, except it indefinitely barred refugees from Syria.

The order, which takes effect March 16, spares legal permanent residents, or green card holders, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The first order initially targeted green card holders, which prompted confusion and chaos at airports across the United States.

Under the new directive, people who had visas by January 27, the date the first ban was introduced, will be allowed to enter the US. Dual nationals using a passport from a country not on the list also will not be affected.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a joint news conference on Monday morning to share details of the revised order.

"Like every nation, the United States has a right to control who enters our country and to keep out those who would do us harm," Sessions said.

The attorney general said, according to the FBI, that more than 300 people who came to the US as refugees are under investigation for potential terrorism-related activities.

Kelly said that unregulated travel was endangering the US national security. "Our enemies will exploit our freedoms and generosity to harm us."

He said the US will not allow "malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives."

Tillerson, the US top diplomat, said the renewed travel ban was "a vital measure for strengthening our national security."

"With this order, President Trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe," Tillerson said.

Trump has argued that the restrictive measures are necessary to prevent terrorist attacks on US soil, rejecting criticism that they single out people based on their religion.

Critics, however, say the restrictions constitute a religious ban in line with Trump's campaign promise to introduce a "total and complete shutdown" on Muslims.

Immigrant-rights groups, who had expressed grave concerns about the original ban, condemned the new order, saying the changes are insignificant.

"This order is essentially religious discrimination masquerading, once again, in the language of national security," said Eleanor Acer, a senior director at Human Rights First.

Regardless of the changes, the new restrictions will likely renew the controversy generated by the fist measure.

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Trump Signs Revised Travel Order

RFE/RL March 06, 2017

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a revised executive order that temporarily bars entry into the United States of citizens from six Muslim-majority countries after his original order was blocked by U.S. federal judges.

The order, which Trump signed privately on March 6, freezes the issuing of new visas for citizens of Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen for 90 days.

Individuals from those six countries with pre-existing, valid visas would still have their visas honored.

The revised order, which takes effect on March 16, also suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days.

Trump's first executive order on foreign travelers, issued on January 27, temporarily barred citizens of those same six countries -- as well as Iraq -- from entering the United States for a 90-day period.

The revised order, however, does not bar new visas for citizens of Iraq. It says that, since Trump's January 27 travel order, Baghdad "has expressly undertaken steps to enhance travel documentation, information sharing, and the return of Iraqi nationals subject to final orders of removal."

It also does not include permanent U.S. residents from the six listed countries

Trump insists that the travel order is necessary to ensure the nation's security, while critics have accused him of religious-based discrimination -- a charge the White House rejects.

The revised measure was announced with much less fanfare than Trump's original executive order, which he signed at a ceremony at the Pentagon and which triggered confusion and protests at airports across the United States.

Trump's administration did not offer an explanation for his decision to sign the revised order behind closed doors.

The revised order was unveiled by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who did not take questions from the media.

"To our allies and partners around the world: Please understand this order is part of our ongoing efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamist terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends," Tillerson said in prepared remarks.

Senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway said earlier on March 6 that the executive order was part of "a very important week in this White House where the president is going to continue to act on, along with the Congress, major pieces of his legislative and executive agenda."

Conway said the revised executive order on travel makes it "much more clear now" that the temporary entry ban excludes "legal permanent residents" of the United States.

Iraq welcomed its removal from the revised U.S. travel order, calling it a "positive message" at a time when U.S. and Iraqi forces are battling so-called Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Associated Press and Reuters report that the White House removed Iraq from the list under pressure from the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon, which had noted the close cooperation between the two countries in battling IS militants in Iraq's northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said on March 6 the revision shows that Iraq and the United States have a "real partnership."

Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said the revised executive order "reinforces the strategic alliance between Baghdad and Washington in many areas at the forefront in the fight against terrorism."

The original order angered many Iraqis, and prompted Iraq's parliament to call for a reciprocal ban on U.S. citizens entering Iraq.

But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi refused to impose such measures.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-new-u-s- travel-ban-march-6/28353785.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Trump Signs New Executive Order on Immigration

Sputnik News

19:27 06.03.2017(updated 23:33 06.03.2017)

US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on immigration after after his January order suspending immigration from seven predominantly-Muslim nations, all of which are considered to be hot spots for terrorism, was frozen by the courts.

Individuals from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen without valid US visas have been banned from entering the US for 90 days, according to the new immigration order.

"For the next 90 days, foreign nationals from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who are outside the United States on the effective date of the order, do not currently have a valid visa on the effective date of this order, and did not have a valid visa at 5:00 Eastern Standard Time on January 27, 2017, are not eligible to travel to the United States," the fact sheet stated.

Iraq has been removed from the list of predominantly-Muslim countries travel from which has been suspended in the new order.

The DHS also noted the executive order will take effect on March 16 at 12:01 a.m. (5:01 a.m. GMT) and "Iraqi citizens are not affected by the executive order."

US President Donald Trump's new executive order on immigration does not include lawful permanent residents, some foreign nationals, and certain visa holders.

"The Executive Order does not apply to certain individuals, such as lawful permanent residents of the United States; foreign nationals admitted to the United States after the effective date of the order; individuals with a document that is valid on the effective date of the order or any date thereafter which permits travel to the United States."

Additionally, the order does not apply to dual nationals traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country; foreign nationals traveling with diplomatic, NATO, UN, G-1, G-2, G-3 or G-4 visas; and individuals already granted asylum or refugee status in the United States before the effective date of the order.

Refugees will not be allowed to enter the United States for 120 days under a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a fact sheet on Monday.

"The Refugee Admissions Program will be temporarily suspended for the next 120 days while DHS and interagency partners review screening procedures to ensure refugees admitted in the future do not pose a security risk to the United States."

The US will allow 50,000 refugees to enter the country in the 2017 fiscal year under a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump compared to 110,000 planned for the same period under former President Barack Obama, the Department of Homeland Security said.

"Upon resumption of the Refugee Admissions Program, refugee admissions to the United States will not exceed 50,000 for fiscal year 2017."

The Trump administration announced plans to change the executive order after courts in several US states blocked implementation of the first order.

On January 27, Trump signed an executive order barring citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days. The order also prohibited refugees from entering the country for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indefinitely.

While its goal is to boost the country's security, the Janurary immigration order has sparked controversy around the world, and has even led to multiple protests in the United States.

 Sputnik

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Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

March 06, 2017



EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -

PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and to protect the Nation from terrorist activities by foreign nationals admitted to the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy and Purpose. (a) It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, including those committed by foreign nationals. The screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) play a crucial role in detecting foreign nationals who may commit, aid, or support acts of terrorism and in preventing those individuals from entering the United States. It is therefore the policy of the United States to improve the screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the visa-issuance process and the USRAP.

(b) On January 27, 2017, to implement this policy, I issued Executive Order 13769 (Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States).

(i) Among other actions, Executive Order 13769 suspended for 90 days the entry of certain aliens from seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. These are countries that had already been identified as presenting heightened concerns about terrorism and travel to the United States. Specifically, the suspension applied to countries referred to in, or designated under, section 217(a)(12) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1187(a)(12), in which Congress restricted use of the Visa Waiver Program for nationals of, and aliens recently present in, (A) Iraq or Syria, (B) any country designated by the Secretary of State as a state sponsor of terrorism (currently Iran, Syria, and Sudan), and (C) any other country designated as a country of concern by the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence. In 2016, the Secretary of Homeland Security designated Libya, Somalia, and Yemen as additional countries of concern for travel purposes, based on consideration of three statutory factors related to terrorism and national security: "(I) whether the presence of an alien in the country or area increases the likelihood that the alien is a credible threat to the national security of the United States; (II) whether a foreign terrorist organization has a significant presence in the country or area; and (III) whether the country or area is a safe haven for terrorists." 8 U.S.C. 1187(a)(12)(D)(ii). Additionally, Members of Congress have expressed concerns about screening and vetting procedures following recent terrorist attacks in this country and in Europe.

(ii) In ordering the temporary suspension of entry described in subsection (b)(i) of this section, I exercised my authority under Article II of the Constitution and under section 212(f) of the INA, which provides in relevant part: "Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate." 8 U.S.C. 1182(f). Under these authorities, I determined that, for a brief period of 90 days, while existing screening and vetting procedures were under review, the entry into the United States of certain aliens from the seven identified countries -- each afflicted by terrorism in a manner that compromised the ability of the United States to rely on normal decision-making procedures about travel to the United States -- would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. Nonetheless, I permitted the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant case-by-case waivers when they determined that it was in the national interest to do so.

(iii) Executive Order 13769 also suspended the USRAP for 120 days. Terrorist groups have sought to infiltrate several nations through refugee programs. Accordingly, I temporarily suspended the USRAP pending a review of our procedures for screening and vetting refugees. Nonetheless, I permitted the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly grant case-by-case waivers when they determined that it was in the national interest to do so.

(iv) Executive Order 13769 did not provide a basis for discriminating for or against members of any particular religion. While that order allowed for prioritization of refugee claims from members of persecuted religious minority groups, that priority applied to refugees from every nation, including those in which Islam is a minority religion, and it applied to minority sects within a religion. That order was not motivated by animus toward any religion, but was instead intended to protect the ability of religious minorities -- whoever they are and wherever they reside -- to avail themselves of the USRAP in light of their particular challenges and circumstances.

(c) The implementation of Executive Order 13769 has been delayed by litigation. Most significantly, enforcement of critical provisions of that order has been temporarily halted by court orders that apply nationwide and extend even to foreign nationals with no prior or substantial connection to the United States. On February 9, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to stay or narrow one such order pending the outcome of further judicial proceedings, while noting that the "political branches are far better equipped to make appropriate distinctions" about who should be covered by a suspension of entry or of refugee admissions.

(d) Nationals from the countries previously identified under section 217(a)(12) of the INA warrant additional scrutiny in connection with our immigration policies because the conditions in these countries present heightened threats. Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones. Any of these circumstances diminishes the foreign government's willingness or ability to share or validate important information about individuals seeking to travel to the United States. Moreover, the significant presence in each of these countries of terrorist organizations, their members, and others exposed to those organizations increases the chance that conditions will be exploited to enable terrorist operatives or sympathizers to travel to the United States. Finally, once foreign nationals from these countries are admitted to the United States, it is often difficult to remove them, because many of these countries typically delay issuing, or refuse to issue, travel documents.

(e) The following are brief descriptions, taken in part from the Department of State's Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 (June 2016), of some of the conditions in six of the previously designated countries that demonstrate why their nationals continue to present heightened risks to the security of the United States:

(i) Iran. Iran has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984 and continues to support various terrorist groups, including Hizballah, Hamas, and terrorist groups in Iraq. Iran has also been linked to support for al-Qa'ida and has permitted al-Qa'ida to transport funds and fighters through Iran to Syria and South Asia. Iran does not cooperate with the United States in counterterrorism efforts.

(ii) Libya. Libya is an active combat zone, with hostilities between the internationally recognized government and its rivals. In many parts of the country, security and law enforcement functions are provided by armed militias rather than state institutions. Violent extremist groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have exploited these conditions to expand their presence in the country. The Libyan government provides some cooperation with the United States' counterterrorism efforts, but it is unable to secure thousands of miles of its land and maritime borders, enabling the illicit flow of weapons, migrants, and foreign terrorist fighters. The United States Embassy in Libya suspended its operations in 2014.

(iii) Somalia. Portions of Somalia have been terrorist safe havens. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qa'ida-affiliated terrorist group, has operated in the country for years and continues to plan and mount operations within Somalia and in neighboring countries. Somalia has porous borders, and most countries do not recognize Somali identity documents. The Somali government cooperates with the United States in some counterterrorism operations but does not have the capacity to sustain military pressure on or to investigate suspected terrorists.

(iv) Sudan. Sudan has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1993 because of its support for international terrorist groups, including Hizballah and Hamas. Historically, Sudan provided safe havens for al-Qa'ida and other terrorist groups to meet and train. Although Sudan's support to al-Qa'ida has ceased and it provides some cooperation with the United States' counterterrorism efforts, elements of core al-Qa'ida and ISIS-linked terrorist groups remain active in the country.

(v) Syria. Syria has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979. The Syrian government is engaged in an ongoing military conflict against ISIS and others for control of portions of the country. At the same time, Syria continues to support other terrorist groups. It has allowed or encouraged extremists to pass through its territory to enter Iraq. ISIS continues to attract foreign fighters to Syria and to use its base in Syria to plot or encourage attacks around the globe, including in the United States. The United States Embassy in Syria suspended its operations in 2012. Syria does not cooperate with the United States' counterterrorism efforts.

(vi) Yemen. Yemen is the site of an ongoing conflict between the incumbent government and the Houthi-led opposition. Both ISIS and a second group, al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), have exploited this conflict to expand their presence in Yemen and to carry out hundreds of attacks. Weapons and other materials smuggled across Yemen's porous borders are used to finance AQAP and other terrorist activities. In 2015, the United States Embassy in Yemen suspended its operations, and embassy staff were relocated out of the country. Yemen has been supportive of, but has not been able to cooperate fully with, the United States in counterterrorism efforts.

(f) In light of the conditions in these six countries, until the assessment of current screening and vetting procedures required by section 2 of this order is completed, the risk of erroneously permitting entry of a national of one of these countries who intends to commit terrorist acts or otherwise harm the national security of the United States is unacceptably high. Accordingly, while that assessment is ongoing, I am imposing a temporary pause on the entry of nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, subject to categorical exceptions and case-by-case waivers, as described in section 3 of this order.

(g) Iraq presents a special case. Portions of Iraq remain active combat zones. Since 2014, ISIS has had dominant influence over significant territory in northern and central Iraq. Although that influence has been significantly reduced due to the efforts and sacrifices of the Iraqi government and armed forces, working along with a United States-led coalition, the ongoing conflict has impacted the Iraqi government's capacity to secure its borders and to identify fraudulent travel documents. Nevertheless, the close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment for Iraq. In particular, those Iraqi government forces that have fought to regain more than half of the territory previously dominated by ISIS have shown steadfast determination and earned enduring respect as they battle an armed group that is the common enemy of Iraq and the United States. In addition, since Executive Order 13769 was issued, the Iraqi government has expressly undertaken steps to enhance travel documentation, information sharing, and the return of Iraqi nationals subject to final orders of removal. Decisions about issuance of visas or granting admission to Iraqi nationals should be subjected to additional scrutiny to determine if applicants have connections with ISIS or other terrorist organizations, or otherwise pose a risk to either national security or public safety.

(h) Recent history shows that some of those who have entered the United States through our immigration system have proved to be threats to our national security. Since 2001, hundreds of persons born abroad have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes in the United States. They have included not just persons who came here legally on visas but also individuals who first entered the country as refugees. For example, in January 2013, two Iraqi nationals admitted to the United States as refugees in 2009 were sentenced to 40 years and to life in prison, respectively, for multiple terrorism-related offenses. And in October 2014, a native of Somalia who had been brought to the United States as a child refugee and later became a naturalized United States citizen was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction as part of a plot to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. The Attorney General has reported to me that more than 300 persons who entered the United States as refugees are currently the subjects of counterterrorism investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(i) Given the foregoing, the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who may commit, aid, or support acts of terrorism remains a matter of grave concern. In light of the Ninth Circuit's observation that the political branches are better suited to determine the appropriate scope of any suspensions than are the courts, and in order to avoid spending additional time pursuing litigation, I am revoking Executive Order 13769 and replacing it with this order, which expressly excludes from the suspensions categories of aliens that have prompted judicial concerns and which clarifies or refines the approach to certain other issues or categories of affected aliens.

Sec. 2. Temporary Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries of Particular Concern During Review Period. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, shall conduct a worldwide review to identify whether, and if so what, additional information will be needed from each foreign country to adjudicate an application by a national of that country for a visa, admission, or other benefit under the INA (adjudications) in order to determine that the individual is not a security or public-safety threat. The Secretary of Homeland Security may conclude that certain information is needed from particular countries even if it is not needed from every country.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the President a report on the results of the worldwide review described in subsection (a) of this section, including the Secretary of Homeland Security's determination of the information needed from each country for adjudications and a list of countries that do not provide adequate information, within 20 days of the effective date of this order. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence.

(c) To temporarily reduce investigative burdens on relevant agencies during the review period described in subsection (a) of this section, to ensure the proper review and maximum utilization of available resources for the screening and vetting of foreign nationals, to ensure that adequate standards are established to prevent infiltration by foreign terrorists, and in light of the national security concerns referenced in section 1 of this order, I hereby proclaim, pursuant to sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), that the unrestricted entry into the United States of nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. I therefore direct that the entry into the United States of nationals of those six countries be suspended for 90 days from the effective date of this order, subject to the limitations, waivers, and exceptions set forth in sections 3 and 12 of this order.

(d) Upon submission of the report described in subsection (b) of this section regarding the information needed from each country for adjudications, the Secretary of State shall request that all foreign governments that do not supply such information regarding their nationals begin providing it within 50 days of notification.

(e) After the period described in subsection (d) of this section expires, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, shall submit to the President a list of countries recommended for inclusion in a Presidential proclamation that would prohibit the entry of appropriate categories of foreign nationals of countries that have not provided the information requested until they do so or until the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that the country has an adequate plan to do so, or has adequately shared information through other means. The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, or the Secretary of Homeland Security may also submit to the President the names of additional countries for which any of them recommends other lawful restrictions or limitations deemed necessary for the security or welfare of the United States.

(f) At any point after the submission of the list described in subsection (e) of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, may submit to the President the names of any additional countries recommended for similar treatment, as well as the names of any countries that they recommend should be removed from the scope of a proclamation described in subsection (e) of this section.

(g) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the President a joint report on the progress in implementing this order within 60 days of the effective date of this order, a second report within 90 days of the effective date of this order, a third report within 120 days of the effective date of this order, and a fourth report within 150 days of the effective date of this order.

Sec. 3. Scope and Implementation of Suspension.

(a) Scope. Subject to the exceptions set forth in subsection (b) of this section and any waiver under subsection (c) of this section, the suspension of entry pursuant to section 2 of this order shall apply only to foreign nationals of the designated countries who:

(i) are outside the United States on the effective date of this order;

(ii) did not have a valid visa at 5:00 p.m., eastern standard time on January 27, 2017; and

(iii) do not have a valid visa on the effective date of this order.

(b) Exceptions. The suspension of entry pursuant to section 2 of this order shall not apply to:

(i) any lawful permanent resident of the United States;

(ii) any foreign national who is admitted to or paroled into the United States on or after the effective date of this order;

(iii) any foreign national who has a document other than a visa, valid on the effective date of this order or issued on any date thereafter, that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission, such as an advance parole document;

(iv) any dual national of a country designated under section 2 of this order when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country;

(v) any foreign national traveling on a diplomatic or diplomatic-type visa, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visa, C-2 visa for travel to the United Nations, or G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 visa; or

(vi) any foreign national who has been granted asylum; any refugee who has already been admitted to the United States; or any individual who has been granted withholding of removal, advance parole, or protection under the Convention Against Torture.

(c) Waivers. Notwithstanding the suspension of entry pursuant to section 2 of this order, a consular officer, or, as appropriate, the Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), or the Commissioner's delegee, may, in the consular officer's or the CBP official's discretion, decide on a case-by-case basis to authorize the issuance of a visa to, or to permit the entry of, a foreign national for whom entry is otherwise suspended if the foreign national has demonstrated to the officer's satisfaction that denying entry during the suspension period would cause undue hardship, and that his or her entry would not pose a threat to national security and would be in the national interest. Unless otherwise specified by the Secretary of Homeland Security, any waiver issued by a consular officer as part of the visa issuance process will be effective both for the issuance of a visa and any subsequent entry on that visa, but will leave all other requirements for admission or entry unchanged. Case-by-case waivers could be appropriate in circumstances such as the following:

(i) the foreign national has previously been admitted to the United States for a continuous period of work, study, or other long-term activity, is outside the United States on the effective date of this order, seeks to reenter the United States to resume that activity, and the denial of reentry during the suspension period would impair that activity;

(ii) the foreign national has previously established significant contacts with the United States but is outside the United States on the effective date of this order for work, study, or other lawful activity;

(iii) the foreign national seeks to enter the United States for significant business or professional obligations and the denial of entry during the suspension period would impair those obligations;

(iv) the foreign national seeks to enter the United States to visit or reside with a close family member (e.g., a spouse, child, or parent) who is a United States citizen, lawful permanent resident, or alien lawfully admitted on a valid nonimmigrant visa, and the denial of entry during the suspension period would cause undue hardship;

(v) the foreign national is an infant, a young child or adoptee, an individual needing urgent medical care, or someone whose entry is otherwise justified by the special circumstances of the case;

(vi) the foreign national has been employed by, or on behalf of, the United States Government (or is an eligible dependent of such an employee) and the employee can document that he or she has provided faithful and valuable service to the United States Government;

(vii) the foreign national is traveling for purposes related to an international organization designated under the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA), 22 U.S.C. 288 et seq., traveling for purposes of conducting meetings or business with the United States Government, or traveling to conduct business on behalf of an international organization not designated under the IOIA;

(viii) the foreign national is a landed Canadian immigrant who applies for a visa at a location within Canada; or

(ix) the foreign national is traveling as a United States Government-sponsored exchange visitor.

Sec. 4. Additional Inquiries Related to Nationals of Iraq. An application by any Iraqi national for a visa, admission, or other immigration benefit should be subjected to thorough review, including, as appropriate, consultation with a designee of the Secretary of Defense and use of the additional information that has been obtained in the context of the close U.S.-Iraqi security partnership, since Executive Order 13769 was issued, concerning individuals suspected of ties to ISIS or other terrorist organizations and individuals coming from territories controlled or formerly controlled by ISIS. Such review shall include consideration of whether the applicant has connections with ISIS or other terrorist organizations or with territory that is or has been under the dominant influence of ISIS, as well as any other information bearing on whether the applicant may be a threat to commit acts of terrorism or otherwise threaten the national security or public safety of the United States.

Sec. 5. Implementing Uniform Screening and Vetting Standards for All Immigration Programs. (a) The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence shall implement a program, as part of the process for adjudications, to identify individuals who seek to enter the United States on a fraudulent basis, who support terrorism, violent extremism, acts of violence toward any group or class of people within the United States, or who present a risk of causing harm subsequent to their entry. This program shall include the development of a uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures, such as in-person interviews; a database of identity documents proffered by applicants to ensure that duplicate documents are not used by multiple applicants; amended application forms that include questions aimed at identifying fraudulent answers and malicious intent; a mechanism to ensure that applicants are who they claim to be; a mechanism to assess whether applicants may commit, aid, or support any kind of violent, criminal, or terrorist acts after entering the United States; and any other appropriate means for ensuring the proper collection of all information necessary for a rigorous evaluation of all grounds of inadmissibility or grounds for the denial of other immigration benefits.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the President an initial report on the progress of the program described in subsection (a) of this section within 60 days of the effective date of this order, a second report within 100 days of the effective date of this order, and a third report within 200 days of the effective date of this order.

Sec. 6. Realignment of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for Fiscal Year 2017. (a) The Secretary of State shall suspend travel of refugees into the United States under the USRAP, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall suspend decisions on applications for refugee status, for 120 days after the effective date of this order, subject to waivers pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. During the 120-day period, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Homeland Security and in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall review the USRAP application and adjudication processes to determine what additional procedures should be used to ensure that individuals seeking admission as refugees do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States, and shall implement such additional procedures. The suspension described in this subsection shall not apply to refugee applicants who, before the effective date of this order, have been formally scheduled for transit by the Department of State. The Secretary of State shall resume travel of refugees into the United States under the USRAP 120 days after the effective date of this order, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall resume making decisions on applications for refugee status only for stateless persons and nationals of countries for which the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence have jointly determined that the additional procedures implemented pursuant to this subsection are adequate to ensure the security and welfare of the United States.

(b) Pursuant to section 212(f) of the INA, I hereby proclaim that the entry of more than 50,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017 would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and thus suspend any entries in excess of that number until such time as I determine that additional entries would be in the national interest.

(c) Notwithstanding the temporary suspension imposed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit individuals to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such individuals as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States, including in circumstances such as the following: the individual's entry would enable the United States to conform its conduct to a preexisting international agreement or arrangement, or the denial of entry would cause undue hardship.

(d) It is the policy of the executive branch that, to the extent permitted by law and as practicable, State and local jurisdictions be granted a role in the process of determining the placement or settlement in their jurisdictions of aliens eligible to be admitted to the United States as refugees. To that end, the Secretary of State shall examine existing law to determine the extent to which, consistent with applicable law, State and local jurisdictions may have greater involvement in the process of determining the placement or resettlement of refugees in their jurisdictions, and shall devise a proposal to lawfully promote such involvement.

Sec. 7. Rescission of Exercise of Authority Relating to the Terrorism Grounds of Inadmissibility. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, consider rescinding the exercises of authority permitted by section 212(d)(3)(B) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(3)(B), relating to the terrorism grounds of inadmissibility, as well as any related implementing directives or guidance.

Sec. 8. Expedited Completion of the Biometric Entry-Exit Tracking System. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall expedite the completion and implementation of a biometric entryexit tracking system for in-scope travelers to the United States, as recommended by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the President periodic reports on the progress of the directive set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The initial report shall be submitted within 100 days of the effective date of this order, a second report shall be submitted within 200 days of the effective date of this order, and a third report shall be submitted within 365 days of the effective date of this order. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit further reports every 180 days thereafter until the system is fully deployed and operational.

Sec. 9. Visa Interview Security. (a) The Secretary of State shall immediately suspend the Visa Interview Waiver Program and ensure compliance with section 222 of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1202, which requires that all individuals seeking a nonimmigrant visa undergo an in-person interview, subject to specific statutory exceptions. This suspension shall not apply to any foreign national traveling on a diplomatic or diplomatic-type visa, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visa, C-2 visa for travel to the United Nations, or G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 visa; traveling for purposes related to an international organization designated under the IOIA; or traveling for purposes of conducting meetings or business with the United States Government.

(b) To the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of State shall immediately expand the Consular Fellows Program, including by substantially increasing the number of Fellows, lengthening or making permanent the period of service, and making language training at the Foreign Service Institute available to Fellows for assignment to posts outside of their area of core linguistic ability, to ensure that nonimmigrant visa-interview wait times are not unduly affected.

Sec. 10. Visa Validity Reciprocity. The Secretary of State shall review all nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agreements and arrangements to ensure that they are, with respect to each visa classification, truly reciprocal insofar as practicable with respect to validity period and fees, as required by sections 221(c) and 281 of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1201(c) and 1351, and other treatment. If another country does not treat United States nationals seeking nonimmigrant visas in a truly reciprocal manner, the Secretary of State shall adjust the visa validity period, fee schedule, or other treatment to match the treatment of United States nationals by that foreign country, to the extent practicable.

Sec. 11. Transparency and Data Collection. (a) To be more transparent with the American people and to implement more effectively policies and practices that serve the national interest, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall, consistent with applicable law and national security, collect and make publicly available the following information:

(i) information regarding the number of foreign nationals in the United States who have been charged with terrorism-related offenses while in the United States; convicted of terrorism-related offenses while in the United States; or removed from the United States based on terrorism-related activity, affiliation with or provision of material support to a terrorism-related organization, or any other national-security-related reasons;

(ii) information regarding the number of foreign nationals in the United States who have been radicalized after entry into the United States and who have engaged in terrorism-related acts, or who have provided material support to terrorism-related organizations in countries that pose a threat to the United States;

(iii) information regarding the number and types of acts of gender-based violence against women, including so-called "honor killings," in the United States by foreign nationals; and

(iv) any other information relevant to public safety and security as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General, including information on the immigration status of foreign nationals charged with major offenses.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall release the initial report under subsection (a) of this section within 180 days of the effective date of this order and shall include information for the period from September 11, 2001, until the date of the initial report. Subsequent reports shall be issued every 180 days thereafter and reflect the period since the previous report.

Sec. 12. Enforcement. (a) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult with appropriate domestic and international partners, including countries and organizations, to ensure efficient, effective, and appropriate implementation of the actions directed in this order.

(b) In implementing this order, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including, as appropriate, those providing an opportunity for individuals to claim a fear of persecution or torture, such as the credible fear determination for aliens covered by section 235(b)(1)(A) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(A).

(c) No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa issued before the effective date of this order shall be revoked pursuant to this order.

(d) Any individual whose visa was marked revoked or marked canceled as a result of Executive Order 13769 shall be entitled to a travel document confirming that the individual is permitted to travel to the United States and seek entry. Any prior cancellation or revocation of a visa that was solely pursuant to Executive Order 13769 shall not be the basis of inadmissibility for any future determination about entry or admissibility.

(e) This order shall not apply to an individual who has been granted asylum, to a refugee who has already been admitted to the United States, or to an individual granted withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture. Nothing in this order shall be construed to limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture, consistent with the laws of the United States.

Sec. 13. Revocation. Executive Order 13769 of January 27, 2017, is revoked as of the effective date of this order.

Sec. 14. Effective Date. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., eastern daylight time on March 16, 2017.

Sec. 15. Severability. (a) If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its other provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

(b) If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid because of the lack of certain procedural requirements, the relevant executive branch officials shall implement those procedural requirements.

Sec. 16. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

March 6, 2017.

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US Deploys First Elements of THAAD to South Korea

By Carla Babb March 07, 2017

The U.S. has deployed the first elements of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea to counter North Korea's aggressive behavior, U.S. Pacific command officials said late Monday.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said.

Harris said the THAAD elements were deployed Monday to honor alliance commitments to South Korea and to help defend U.S. troops in the region, US allies and the American homeland.

The THAAD system is designed to intercept and destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles during flight.

North Korea fired four medium-range ballistic missiles Monday, three of which flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed in Japanese waters.

The U.S. Defense Department had called the launches a "very serious threat."

Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said while the missiles did not pose a threat to North America, the U.S. was taking steps to increase its ability to defend against the missile launches.

An expected response

Davis said the launches coincided with the start of annual defense exercises between the United States and South Korea and "are consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior often timed to military exercises that we do with our ally."

He said the United States is taking steps to increase its ability to defend against the missile launches, including plans for the deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense in South Korea. He said that will happen "as soon as feasible."

Davis left open the possibility that more than four missiles were fired by North Korea.

"There were four that landed. There may be a higher number of launches that we're not commenting on," he said.

President Donald Trump reaffirmed what the White House called the "ironclad commitment" of the United States to stand with Japan and South Korea during separate phone calls with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.

The White House statement said the three leaders agreed to continue close cooperation to show North Korea "there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions."

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada also spoke on the phone Monday, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible."

At the United Nations, diplomats said the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss North Korea's actions.

North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Ja Song Nam urged the U.N. Security Council in a letter to discuss the U.S.-South Korean military exercises, calling them "the most undisguised nuclear war maneuvers." He said the United States is using nuclear-powered aircraft carries, stealth fighters and submarines, and said of the military drills, "it may go over to an actual war."

Missile launches condemned

Countries around the world are condemning the missile launches.

Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "Definitely, we are seriously worried  these are the sort of actions that lead to a rise in tension in the region and, of course, in this situation, traditionally, Moscow calls for restraint from all sides."

China said it opposed the launches and called for restraint from all sides, but also noted that the United States and South Korea are carrying out military drills which it said were against North Korea.

A French foreign ministry statement condemned the missile firings, while British foreign minister Boris Johnson said they were a threat to international peace and security.

'New level of threat'

Prime Minister Abe said that Monday's missiles, which landed only 300-350 km from Japan's Oga Peninsula in the Akita prefecture, demonstrated an increased danger to the country. "This launch has clearly indicated that North Korea poses a new level of threat," he said.

Hwang also denounced the missile tests after meeting with his National Security Council. "Our government strongly condemns that North Korea fired ballistic missiles, once again ignoring continuous warnings from South Korea and the international community, as it is a challenge against the international community and a grave act of provocation," the South Korean leader said.

The United Nations condemned the North's missile firings, saying it should refrain from such actions. "We deplore the continued violation of Security Council resolutions by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, including the most recent launches of ballistic missiles," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.

'Deeply regrettable'

The head of the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, called on North Korea to fully comply with its obligations under Security Council resolutions. "It is deeply regrettable that the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has shown no indication that it is willing to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted in response to its two nuclear tests last year," he said.

In the last year, North Korea has accelerated its nuclear and ballistic weapons testing with more than 25 missile launches and two nuclear tests.

The missiles on Monday were launched from the Tongchang-ri region near the North's border with China, said the South Korean military. From this same region at its Tongchang-ri satellite facility, Pyongyang in February of 2016 launched a satellite into space using banned intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

ICBM is not launched

U.S. military leaders have said in the past they believe North Korea has the ability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead to fit on a KN-08 long-range missile, although Pyongyang has not yet demonstrated this capability.

Monday's launch did not include a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which could potentially travel far enough to target the U.S. mainland.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicated his country would soon test an ICBM. Prior to taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a response to Kim saying "it will not happen," implying that Washington would deter Pyongyang from developing the long-range ballistic missile capability.

Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report.

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Revolutionary Guards' Navy fast attack boat closes the USNS Invincible. (Photo : US Navy)

Multiple fast attack boats of the Navy of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, popularly called the Revolutionary Guards' Navy (NESDA), last March 4 harassed a U.S. Navy spy ship keeping track of Iranian ballistic missile launches.



The incident involved the USNS Invincible (T-AGM-24), which is classified as a tracking ship operated by the Military Sealift Command, as she was transiting the Strait of Hormuz escorted by three minesweepers of the Royal Navy.



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The rapid approach of the NESDA boats forced the Invincible and her escorts to alter course away from the Iranians. The Iranian squadron came as close as 550 meters to the Invincible, said the U.S. Navy.



The navy said attempts were made to talk to the Iranians over radio, but there was no response. It characterized the incident as "unsafe and unprofessional."



Invincible deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2012, passing through the Straits of Hormuz in convoy with Royal Navy minesweepers.



The Invincible is officially classed as a "missile range instrumentation ship" whose job it is to monitor missile launches and collect data. This job description makes the Invincible a high tech spy ship, which is in the Persian Gulf to spy on Iran's continuing series of ballistic missile launches.



As a missile range instrumentation ship, the Invincible carries the Cobra Gemini dual band (X-band and S-band) radar developed by the U.S. Air Force to gather data on theater ballistic missiles launched by countries of interest such as Iran.



The dual frequency Cobra Gemini is designed to collect precise scientific and technical intelligence (S&TI) data about medium range ballistic missiles such as those operated by Iran.



In late January, Iran test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, which was the first launch of its kind since Donald Trump took office.



The launch was a failure after the missile flew more than 500 miles before crashing, according to U.S. officials.


China announces lowest defense spending increase

People's Daily Online

By Zhang Mengxu (People's Daily) 19:40, March 06, 2017

China's defense budget will increase by around 7 percent in 2017, Fu Ying, spokesperson for the two-week 12th National People's Congress (NPC) annual session told a press conference on Saturday in Beijing. The new increase is the country's slowest defense budget rise in recent years.

China's budget expense has always been a spotlight of foreign media. Before the start of this year's NPC and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also known as the "two sessions", foreign media conducted rounds of analysis and predictions in this subject.

Nikkei, in its article published on March 1, said that Donald Trump's proposal to increase defense budget in his presidential campaign may set off Russia and China to raise spending.

At the end of February, the US-headquartered Time magazine predicted that in the new defense budget drafted by China at the "two sessions", China may devote more resource into strengthening navy power.

When Fu announced the specific number, most media responded calmly and rationally. As AFP reported on Saturday, the 7-percent-increase is the lowest rate in recent years and China's military expense is still much less than that of the US.

Deutsche Welle said on its website that it is a mild move for China to rise the defense budget by 7 percent.

Though in regard of the absolute value, China's defense spending is only second to the US in the world, the number is only 24.6 percent of the latter. The per capita defense cost of China is only 1/18 of the US, 1/9 of the UK, 1/7 of France and 1/5 of Russia and Japan respectively.

The military expenditure per capita of China is only 13.58 percent of the US, 22.98 percent of the UK, 22.8 percent of France and 14.3 percent of Germany.

China's defense expense, though presenting a long-term growing trend, only accounts for 1.3 of its GDP, and stayed at that level for years. Such percentage is lower than most of the countries in the world.

The defense spending of major countries usually makes up 2 to 5 percent of their GDP. In the US, the figure is around 4 percent and Russia allocates 4 to 5 percent of its GDP for national defense.

Analysts stressed that as a major country with 9.6 million square kilometer of land territory, 3 million square kilometer of maritime territory and an almost 1.4 billion population, China has every reason to appropriately increase its military spending.

To meet the demands for economic development, it is reasonable to moderately increase military expenditure as long as it conforms the strategy of simultaneous development of national defense construction and economic construction, they added.

The average growth rate of China's defense expenditure stands at 12.43 percent in recent years, achieving simultaneous growth with fiscal revenue.

"Against the background of profound changes in national strength, security environment and global strategic arena, China's defense budget increase is reasonable and sustainable, "Chen Zhou, Deputy of the National People's Congress and researcher of Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said in an interview on the sidelines of the "two sessions".

A social media affiliated to People's Daily published an article on Saturday to analyze China's budget cost, said that the rising number is not high at all.

Chinese netizens commented with agreement. One netizen replied that what Fu said at the Munich Security Conference is right. It is wrong to ask US allies to keep their defense budget above 2 percent of the GDP while saying China is spending too much in military.

"Double standard is not acceptable! " the web user stressed.

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China will not tolerate Taiwan independence bid: PM Li

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 8:36AM

China has once again ruled out the notion of independence for Taiwan, saying it will not tolerate any form of activity which attempts to separate the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland.

Delivering a speech at the opening session of the fifth meeting of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Sunday, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang reaffirmed that Beijing would thoroughly protect its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We will never tolerate any activity, in any form or name, which attempts to separate Taiwan from the motherland," Li said.

The Chinese prime minister said Beijing would continue to implement the "One China" principle, which refers to the policy or the diplomatic acknowledgement that there is only one state called China despite the existence of two governments  one in China and another in the island of Taiwan.

"People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should keep in mind the greater interests of the nation" and work toward the "reunification of China," Li added.

Hong Kong independence bid 'leads nowhere'

Li also ruled out the idea of independence for Hong Kong, saying it "would lead nowhere."

He said the government would ensure that the principle of "one country, two systems" was applied in Hong Kong and Macau "without being bent or distorted."

Hong Kong was returned to China after about a century of British colonial rule in 1979. Its legislative, executive, and judicial bodies are already separate from and independent of China, and Beijing only maintains authority in defense, foreign affairs, and constitutional disputes.

Macau is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

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China Taking Political Risks for Economic Reforms, Foreign Investments

By Saibal Dasgupta, Joyce Huang March 06, 2017

China is responding to international criticism that it gives favorable treatment to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) while neglecting of the needs of foreign companies, and even foreign markets that buy Chinese goods.

Releasing the annual work report, or budgetary proposals, in the National People's Congress (NPC), Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signaled a crackdown on loss-posting "zombie enterprises" among the SOEs, and promised to make life easier for foreign investors. He also asked local governments to directly provide incentives to foreign companies in areas that are not dealt with by the central government.

"What we are seeing now is a recommitment to foreign investments. Both foreign and private Chinese capital will be given a greater role in the Chinese economy," Paul Gillis, co-director of the IMBA program at the Guanghua School of Management in Beijing, told VOA.

Political risks

In fact, the government is taking some serious political risks, such as joblessness, to woo foreign investors and reduce problems like overcapacity. It has also decided to tackle the issue of provincial and municipal officials who are known to favor local companies and block the path for foreign investors.

In recent months, European politicians have lashed out against the dumping of steel by Chinese companies, which allegedly take advantage of heavy subsidies in China to offer cut-throat price competition in foreign markets.

Li announced a major cutback of 50 million tons on steel production and 150 million tons on coal output in 2017. This is on top of a production decrease of 65 million tons in the steel industry and a shrinkage of 290 million tons seen in the coal sector in 2016.

These moves would result in a few million people losing their jobs in the steel and coal sectors, and put severe pressure on trade unions controlled by the Communist Party. China said last year 1.8 million jobs will be eliminated during the process of industrial restructuring, but has managed to cut only 726,000 of them, accounting for just 40 percent of the plan.

"This year, to reduce excess capacity, we need to make accommodation for 500,000 workers," Chinese Labor Minister Yin Weimin said last week. But Beijing is treading carefully because it fears serious unrest and street demonstrations resulting from large-scale layoffs.

Premier Li has gone a step further asking provincial and municipal governments to return some of the tax and other incentives that had been taken away from foreign investors in recent years. This is clearly in response to the decline in foreign direct investments, which dropped 9.2 percent in January.

"Local governments can, within the scope of the powers granted by law, adopt preferential policies to attract foreign investment," Li said in his annual Work Report Sunday. "China's door is going to keep on opening wider, and China will keep working to be the most attractive destination for foreign investment."

Gillis said, "I think this gives the green light to local governments to try special incentives, such as those in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, to attract foreign companies."

"The growth of FDI inflows to China has been slowing down in the past few years. I think China's leaders realize that it is important to continue to attract foreign companies to invest in China, not only for their money, but more importantly, for more advanced management skills and technical knowledge," Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School Professor of Finance Wang Cong said.

Walking the talk

Clearly, China is doing a reality check on its own treatment of foreign investors amid rising pressures from foreign markets and governments, including threats from the Trump administration in Washington to impose heavy duties on Chinese goods and declare China a currency manipulator.

Lu Suiqi, associate professor of economics at Peking University, said Li's announcements reflect China's fears about U.S. President Donald Trump taking such hostile measures, and Li's promises to foreign investors represent a friendly first step. But he said more needs to be done by the government to prove it is capable of walking the talk (backing its words with actions).

"The key lies in the domestic political climate. If the political landscape in China becomes more liberal and democratic with more freedom, foreign investors' concerns will be greatly eased," Lu said.

China wants to go beyond wooing foreign funds. It wants foreign companies to raise funds in the Chinese market by listing in local stock markets and issuing bonds to Chinese investors.

"We will encourage foreign invested firms to be listed [in local stock exchanges] and issue bonds in China...," Li said unveiling new efforts to woo foreign investment, which fell sharply by 9.2 percent in January.

"Foreign firms will be treated the same as domestic firms when it comes to license applications, standard-setting, and government procurement...," he added.

Wang Cong said, "This is a smart move. Allowing foreign companies to issue stocks and bonds in China will broaden the pool of financial products that Chinese investors can hold and provide them access to securities issued by high-quality foreign companies. It is an important step in the process of the internationalization of the RMB (renminbi) because foreign companies will be able to raise proceeds in RMB when they issue stocks or bonds in China, and inevitably they will use the RMB raised to invest either in China or in international markets."

Praising the government's move, Wang Jun, director of the Department of Information at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said, "Introducing foreign firms to list in the domestic stock markets also shows the country's confidence in the competitiveness of domestic companies, but technical obstacles such as information disclosure regulation need to be solved."

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North Korea Missile Test Not Likely an ICBM

By Brian Padden March 05, 2017

North Korea fired four ballistic missiles early Monday, three of which flew 1,000 kilometers before landing in the sea within 350 kilometers of the Japanese mainland, according to South Korean and Japanese officials.

It is unlikely, however, that Monday's test was that of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM.)

"South Korea and the U.S. are closely analyzing at the moment. The possibility [of an ICBM test] is low, but it will require more precise analysis," said Roh Jae-chun, a public affairs officer for the South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicated his country would soon test an ICBM. Prior to taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a response to Kim saying "it will not happen," implying that Washington would deter Pyongyang from developing the long-range ballistic missile capability to potentially target the U.S. mainland.

Accelerated testing

In the last year, North Korea has accelerated its nuclear and ballistic weapons testing with more than 25 missile launches and two nuclear tests.

The missiles on Monday were launched from the Tongchang-ri region near the North's border with China, said the South Korean military. From this same region at its Tongchang-ri satellite facility, Pyongyang in February of 2016 launched a satellite into space using banned intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

U.S. military leaders have said in the past they believe North Korea has the ability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead to fit on a KN-08 long-range missile, although Pyongyang has not yet demonstrated this capability.

The U.S. military said Sunday it detected and tracked what it assessed was a North Korean missile launch, but added the launch did not pose a threat to North America.

Monday's missiles flew twice as far as a test of a North Korean Musudan medium-range ballistic missile tested last month. There were no reports of damage to shipping or aircraft in the area where the missiles fell into the sea, Japanese officials said.

The Musudan has an estimated maximum range of 3,000 km that can reach targets in Japan and as far away as U.S. military bases in Guam. The closest U.S. cities to North Korea are Anchorage at 5,600 km, Honolulu at 7,000 km and Seattle at 7,900 km.

US, allies react

U.S. Strategic Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell said U.S. forces "remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."

U.S. State Department Acting Spokesperson Mark Toner condemned the missile launch and called on all states to "use every available channel and means of influence to make clear to the DPRK and its enablers that further provocations are unacceptable."

He said, "We also call on the DPRK to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric that threaten international peace and stability, and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks. Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad. We remain preparedand will continue to take steps to increase our readinessto defend ourselves and our allies from attack, and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat."

After meeting with his National Security Council, South Korean Prime Minister And Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn denounced the missile tests.

"Our government strongly condemns that North Korea fired ballistic missiles once again ignoring continuous warnings from South Korea and the international community, as it is a challenge against the international community and a grave act of provocation," said Hwang.

THAAD

The acting president also said the North's unrestrained missile tests demonstrate the need to quickly deploy the controversial U.S. THAAD missile defense shield in South Korea.

"We need to set this defense system against North Korea's nuclear and missiles, and actively work on measures to effectively strengthen extended deterrence capability of the U.S.," he said.

The THAAD deployment has drawn strong objections from Beijing that the advanced U.S. weapons system is an unnecessary and provocative military escalation, and that the system's powerful radar used to track incoming missiles also poses a potential threat to China.

China is reportedly increasingly retaliating against South Korea by informally putting limits on imports and tourism.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also condemned the North Korea missile launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions banning the North's nuclear and ballistic missile program.

And he said that Monday's missiles, which landed only 300-350 km from Japan's Oga Peninsula in the Akita prefecture, demonstrated an increased danger to the country.

"This launch has clearly indicated that North Korea poses a new level of threat," said Abe.

Japan plans to reinforce its ballistic missile defenses and is considering buying either THAAD or building a ground-based version of the Aegis system that is currently deployed on ships in the Sea of Japan.

Joint military drills

A North Korean provocation at this time was not unexpected. Pyongyang had threatened to take "strong retaliatory measures" after South Korea and the United States began annual joint military drills last week that test their defensive readiness against possible aggression from the North.

In the meantime, Trump's national security team is reviewing a range of military options to counter the North's missile threat. The New York Times is reporting the options being discussed include missile strikes on the North's launch sites and the possibility of reintroducing nuclear weapons to the South.

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NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu condemns latest ballistic missile tests by North Korea

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

06 Mar. 2017

Press Release (2017) 043

Issued on 06 Mar. 2017

I strongly condemn the most recent reported ballistic missile tests conducted by North Korea. Once again, these missile tests are in direct violation of a series of Security Council Resolutions which require North Korea to cease all activities related to its ballistic missile programmes and to abandon all existing weapons of mass destruction programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. These most recent tests, where three missiles reportedly landed in Japanese controlled waters, are especially provocative.

Last December, NATO met its regional partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, and together we urged North Korea to refrain from further provocative acts. I repeat that call today. North Korea urgently needs to re-engage in meaningful dialogue with the international community.

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DPRK test-fires 4 ballistic missiles into east waters

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:30, March 06, 2017

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) test-fired four ballistic missiles into east waters early Monday as combined forces of South Korea and the United States launched their joint military exercises last week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea said.

The JCS was quoted by local media as saying that four ballistic missiles of an unidentified type were fired from an area near Tongchanri-ri in the DPRK's northwest region at about 7:36 a.m. local time (2236 GMT on Sunday).

The missiles flew about 1,000 km into the eastern waters.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said three out of the four DPRK ballistic missiles fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

DPRK has not made any comment on the missile launch yet.

The Tongchang-ri is home to the DPRK's Sohae Satellite Launching Station where a long-range rocket was launched in February last year to put a satellite into orbit.

The February rocket launch followed the DPRK's fourth nuclear detonation in the previous month, which brought about the toughest-ever UN Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang. It was followed by the DPRK's fifth nuclear test in September last year.

The South Korean military is analyzing the missile launches jointly with the U.S. forces, maintaining a full defense readiness for any possible DPRK provocations, according to the JCS.

The DPRK's test-launches came in a possible retaliation to the annual U.S.-South Korea springtime war game that kicked off on March 1. Pyongyang has denounced it as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion.

The Foal Eagle field training exercise is scheduled to last by the end of April, mobilizing U.S. strategic assets such as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and stealth fighter jets.

On Feb. 12, the DPRK also test-fired a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) in the launch supervised by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The IRBM, which was fired at an almost vertical angle of 89 degrees, blasted off to the highest altitude of 550 km and flew about 500 km. If it was launched at a normal angle, it would have traveled over 2,000 km, according to the South Korean intelligence agency's analysis.

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North Korea 'fires four ballistic missiles, three land in Japanese waters'

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 6:2AM

North Korea has reportedly launched four ballistic missiles, three of which have landed into the Sea of Japan, in an area where Tokyo claims as its sovereign territory.

The missiles were fired early Monday morning, according to the South Korean military, which said they were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Japanese officials said three of the ballistic missiles went down in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)  waters claimed by Tokyo as its sovereign territory.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reacted to the launches immediately on Monday by saying, "This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat."

Abe said Pyongyang's launches "clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions," and that Tokyo "can never tolerate this."

North Korea has been subjected to international pressure, including Security Council resolutions, to abandon its arms development and nuclear programs. Yet, it says the programs are meant to protect the country from US hostility.

In Washington, the US State Department strongly condemned the latest launches and claimed that Washington was ready to "use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat."

"We remain prepared  and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness  to defend ourselves and our allies from attack," said spokesman Mark Toner.

South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn also denounced Pyongyang's missile tests as "a direct challenge to the international community and a grave violation."

North Korea's missile launches coincided with massive joint military drills being carried out by the US and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula. The war games have been condemned by Pyongyang as "dangerous nuclear war drills against the DPRK at its doorstep."

The US has military forces in South Korea  a long-time adversary of the North  and is planning to deploy an advanced missile system there in response to perceived threats from Pyongyang. The US also occasionally deploys nuclear-powered warships and aircraft capable of carrying atomic weapons in the region.

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Tokyo, Seoul Concerned Over New Pyongyang's Missile Launches

Sputnik News

11:44 06.03.2017(updated 11:55 06.03.2017)

Japan and South Korea expressed concern on Monday over the launch of four missiles by North Korea in the direction of the Sea of Japan.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, the South Korean Defense Ministry reported about a launch of an unidentified missile by North Korea at 7:36 a.m. local time (22:36 GMT on Sunday), however, later in the day, Japan said that Pyongyang had launched a total of four missiles. Although North Korea has not commented on the missile launch yet, last week Pyongyang had promised to respond to the South Korean-US military drills, which kicked off on Wednesday.

According to South Korean media, the launched missiles could be intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), but the country's military, as well as the representatives of the United States put it into question.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said that three of them plunged into the Sea of Japan within the Japanese exclusive economic zone and did not inflict any damages. South Korean military reported that the missiles had flown more than 600 miles.

Both South Korea's and Japanese authorities have already responded to the missile launches by making several statements, holding conversations with US officials and condemning the move.

The government of South Korea strongly condemned North Korea's launches, describing them as a threat to peace and security in the region and a violation of the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, prohibiting Pyongyang from ballistic missile tests.

"This is not only a gross and obvious violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions but also a serious threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community in general. The government [of South Korea] strongly condemns it," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to take steps to protect the country's citizens from North Korea's "provocations," calling the launches "unacceptable" and adding that they were posing a threat to the country's security.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida had also held a number of phone talks with the country's partners on the issue.

"We have already held contacts with the United States and South Korea, but now we are also considering the possibility of contacts with China and Russia," Kishida told journalists.

The minister added that Tokyo would cooperate with both Washington and Seoul and would call on other states to adhere to the UNSC resolutions prohibiting Pyongyang from conducting ballistic missile tests.

Tokyo also held two sessions of the National Security Council on the issue.

US Department of State Acting Spokesperson Mark Toner also condemned the launch and called on the international community to show North Korea that its activities were unacceptable and could have consequences. Washington urged Pyongyang to refrain from provocations that could pose threat to international peace and stability.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the missile launches demonstrated the gravity of security threats, requiring Brussels to play a greater role as a global and regional security provider.

 Sputnik

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China Opposes North Korea Missile Launches - Foreign Ministry

Sputnik News

10:36 06.03.2017(updated 11:56 06.03.2017)

China strongly opposes North Korea launching missiles, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday amid the latest Pyongyang missile laucnhes.

BEIJING (Sputnik)  China is against North Korea launching missiles, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday following the latest reports of Pyongyang firing four missiles.

"As for the launches by North Korea, we have seen the information China opposes launches," ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

The UNSC resolution has clear provisions on missile launches carried out by North Korea with the use of ballistic missile technology, Geng added.

"We also noted that the launches [by North Korea] were made in the light of large-scale joint military exercises [of the United States and South Korea]. Under the existing circumstances, relevant parties should exercise restraint and avoid actions that can provoke each other or lead to the escalation of regional tension," the ministerial spokesman stressed.

Three of the four missiles North Korea reportedly launched earlier in the day fell into the Japanese exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan without inflicting damages, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Earlier in the day, Japan and South Korea expressed concern over North Korea's launch of missiles. South Korean military claimed that the missiles had flown more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers).

Last week, North Korea had promised to respond to the South Korean-US military maneuvers, which began on March 1.

 Sputnik

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Pyongyang Slams South Korean Foreign Minister Over Calls to Penalize North

Sputnik News

05:51 06.03.2017(updated 09:18 06.03.2017)

North Korea on Sunday hit out at South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who called for his northern neighbor's leadership to be punished for its alleged involvement in the murder of its ruler's exiled half-brother.

As Yun addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week on Monday, he urged the organization to take action against the regime, claiming that it was responsible for the extrajudicial killings of Kim Jong-nam and many high-ranked North Korean officials.

On the next day, in a speech before the UN-backed Conference on Disarmament, the minister accused Pyongyang of using the internationally banned VX nerve agent to carry out the assassination. He claimed that North Korea produced and stockpiled various chemical weapons and proposed stripping the state of its UN membership

The North's propaganda website, Uriminzokkiri, attacked Yun over his speech, dubbing it "psychotic slander."

"It is a groundless slander and fabrication. Those who are plotting biochemical warfare and posing biochemical weapons threats on us is none other than the US and the South Korean puppet regime," the website wrote.

"[South Korea] may be forced to pay its price and Yun Byung-se and its conservative puppet group will see its fate doomed soon."

Kim Jong-nam, 45-year old half-brother to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was allegedly murdered at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 by two women who were caught on CCTV smearing the man's face with a cloth 20 minutes before he died from a seizure.The women say they were only told they were playing a harmless prank.

According to local police, swabs of Kim's face revealed traces of VX nerve agent, which is classed as a weapon of mass destruction.

After North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol said that North Korea "couldn't trust" the investigation and refused to apologize for this and other inflammatory statements, Malaysia declared the diplomat persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.

"I think we have given a clear message to the North Korean government that we are serious about solving this problem and we do not want [the investigation] to be manipulated,'' Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying Sunday by Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

Pyongyang has denied any role in the assassination and denies stockpiling chemical weapons.

 Sputnik

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Confucius (Photo : Getty Images)

In The Name of Confucius held its world premiere on Friday at the CORE Center as part of Belleville Downtown DocFest. The movie, made by Doris Liu, a Chinese-Canadian moviemaker, gave more details about the Confucius Institute program of the Chinese government.



The program targets Canadian schoolchildren by teaching them the Chinese language and promoting Chinese culture in countries outside the mainland. Since China directly funds and controls the institute, Beijing has influence over the curriculum in about one dozen schools in China, The Intelligence reported.



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Falun Gong Practitioner



The docu features Sonia Zhao, a Chinese teacher assigned at the Institute in Canada who practices Falun Gong but was banned from practicing it even in Canada. In the docu, Zhao recalled that she has been hiding her belief for many years with Falun Gong, which has been banned in China since the late 1990s, because practitioners are jailed and their organs are forcibly harvested.



Zhao confessed that as a Chinese she is shocked at the many secrets behind the Confucius Institute which masks as a benign Chinese language and culture learning school. She disclosed that the school uses propaganda such as promoting the teachings of Chairman Mao to Toronto school children.



Toronto District School Board Severs Ties



The Toronto District School Board fought the institute over the use of the propaganda materials, but Chris Bolton, its chairman, eventually resigned. The board voted to sever ties with the institute which they view as a Trojan horse.



Zhao disclosed that the basic propaganda tool of the institute is education since every course, from kindergarten to university, has the communist propaganda. The school uses language, a very powerful tool to channel thoughts, she explained.



Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former Asia-Pacific chief at the Canadian Security Intelligence Services, said the institute is not only attempting to infiltrate the minds of Canadians from the Chinese community, it is actively doing economic and political espionage and trying to gain a long-term strategy for agents of influence.



The movie, noted Epoch Times, is beginning to pick up awards as it makes the rounds of the film festival circuit. In February, In the Name of Confuciu" got the Humanitarian Award of Distinction from the Accolade Global Film Competition and also awards of excellence from Impact DOCS Award.


Seoul 'Strongly Condemns' Pyongyang's Rocket Launches

Sputnik News

05:22 06.03.2017(updated 05:40 06.03.2017)

The government of South Korea strongly condemned North Korea's launches of four ballistic missiles, calling them a serious threat to peace and security in the region.

TOKYO (Sputnik)  South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that North Korea's launches of four ballistic missiles violate UN Security Council resolutions.

"This is not only a gross and obvious violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions but also a serious threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community in general. The government [of South Korea] strongly condemns it," the ministry statement read.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that Pyongyang launched "four ballistic missiles" that have covered a distance of over a thousand kilometers before falling into the East Sea, according to the Yonhap news agency.

North Korea's nuclear program has been a source for concern for its closest neighbor, South Korea, as well as for the international community. On February 12, Pyongyang launched a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan and declared the test successful. This and a number of previous launches were considered to be in violation of the UNSC resolutions by the United Nations.

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At governing body, UN atomic energy chief airs concern over DPR Korea's nuclear plan

6 March 2017  The head of the United Nations atomic energy agency today expressed serious concern about the nuclear programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as he also provided an update on the agency's verification and monitoring activities in Iran.

"It is deeply regrettable that the DPRK has shown no indication that it is willing to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions adopted in response to its two nuclear tests last year," said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano in his opening statement to a regular meeting of the agency's Board of Governors.

"I again call upon the DPRK to comply fully with its obligations under Security Council resolutions, to cooperate promptly with the Agency, and to resolve all outstanding issues, including those that have arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors from the country," he said.

According to news reports, it fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest on Monday.

On Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action since January 2016, Mr. Amano said the IAEA is continuing evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in that country.

The Board, a policymaking body, meets five times a year at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

On nuclear safety and security, Mr. Amano emphasised the importance of building on the A HREF="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/nuclear-safety-action-plan">Action Plan for Nuclear Safety that was adopted following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi that occurred when an earthquake and tsunami struck in 2011.

"We will consider ways of further strengthening our work in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety," he said, adding that the IAEA will continue to focus on regulatory effectiveness, safety culture and capacity-building.

In that regard, he stressed the importance of a peer review process under the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), drawing attention to the seventh review meeting of contracting parties to CNS that will take place in Vienna from 27 March to 7 April while encouraging all countries that have not yet done so to join the CNS.

On nuclear energy, Mr. Amano underscored the significant contribution of nuclear power to meeting the goal set under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change of holding the increase in global temperature well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Pentagon Calls North Korean Missile Launches 'Very Serious Threat'

By VOA News March 06, 2017

The U.S. Defense Department called North Korea's missile launch a "very serious threat" and said it is taking steps to increase defenses against the communist nation's ballistic missiles.

North Korea fired four ballistic missiles Monday, three of which flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed in Japanese waters.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, told reporters the weapons were medium range ballistic missiles and did not pose a threat to North America.

An expected response

Davis said the launches coincided with the start of annual defense exercises between the United States and South Korea and "are consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior often timed to military exercises that we do with our ally."

He said the United States is taking steps to increase its ability to defend against the missile launches, including plans for the deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense in South Korea. He said that will happen "as soon as feasible."

Davis left open the possibility that more than four missiles were fired by North Korea.

"There were four that landed. There may be a higher number of launches that we're not commenting on," he said.

Missile launches condemned

Countries around the world also condemned the missile launches.

Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "Definitely, we are seriously worried  these are the sort of actions that lead to a rise in tension in the region and, of course, in this situation, traditionally, Moscow calls for restraint from all sides."

China said it opposed the launches and called for restraint from all sides, but also noted that the United States and South Korea are carrying out military drills which it said were against North Korea.

'New level of threat'

A French foreign ministry statement condemned the missile firings while British foreign minister Boris Johnson said they were a threat to international peace and security.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Monday's missiles, which landed only 300-350 km (185-220 miles) from Japan's Oga Peninsula in the Akita prefecture, demonstrated an increased danger to the country. "This launch has clearly indicated that North Korea poses a new level of threat," said Abe.

South Korea's Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn also denounced the missile tests after meeting with his National Security Council.

"Our government strongly condemns that North Korea fired ballistic missiles, once again ignoring continuous warnings from South Korea and the international community, as it is a challenge against the international community and a grave act of provocation," he said.

'Deeply regrettable'

The head of the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, called on North Korea to fully comply with its obligations under Security Council resolutions. "It is deeply regrettable that the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has shown no indication that it is willing to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted in response to its two nuclear tests last year," he said.

In the last year, North Korea has accelerated its nuclear and ballistic weapons testing with more than 25 missile launches and two nuclear tests.

The missiles on Monday were launched from the Tongchang-ri region near the North's border with China, said the South Korean military. From this same region at its Tongchang-ri satellite facility, Pyongyang in February of 2016 launched a satellite into space using banned intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

ICBM is not launched

U.S. military leaders have said in the past they believe North Korea has the ability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead to fit on a KN-08 long-range missile, although Pyongyang has not yet demonstrated this capability.

Monday's launch did not include a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which could potentially travel far enough to target the U.S. mainland.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicated his country would soon test an ICBM. Prior to taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a response to Kim saying "it will not happen," implying that Washington would deter Pyongyang from developing the long-range ballistic missile capability.

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German Armed Forces in Decay as 'Even Their Tornado Bombers Can't Fly at Night'

Sputnik News

21:46 06.03.2017

German media recently revealed that the Bundeswehr is lacking essential ammunition and is not ready to deter serious attacks. In an interview with Radio Sputnik, military expert Alexei Leonkov pointed out that the German armed forces are facing overall decline of their combat capability.

Earlier, German Die Welt newspaper reported that Germany's armed forces depots are almost completely empty, which is why the Bundeswehr has ordered new ammunition to fill their rapidly shrinking reserves.

"The problem of ammunition and military equipment has been evident in the German army for a long time. The first serious concerns occurred in 2014 when serious defects in the G36 rifle were revealed," the expert noted.

At that time, military experts came to the conclusion that the G36 had serious shortcomings and can't be used in the proper way. It was said that the rifle tends to heat up during continuous fire and becomes incapable of hitting targets past about 250 yards.

Unfortunately, the G36 rifles scandal was only the beginning.

"In 2015, Germany's Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen decided to replenish the armored vehicles park of the country's armed forces. Leopard 2 tanks proved very old, and they required new ammunition, which German industry stopped producing. As a result, only 132 of 244 tanks are ready to perform their tasks, while almost one half of the 180 Boxer armored vehicles can't even pull away," Leonkov noted.

"Furthermore, it turned out that the Tornado bombers that were used in the fighting in Syria are incapable of flying at night. What is that? A combat-ready aircraft? There are too many problems. They can't be solved overnight," the expert added.

Earlier, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that Berlin will gradually increase military spending to 2% of GDP. There are also plans to increase the number of German armed forces up to 198,000 people by 2024.

However, the expert believes that the plans of the German Ministry of Defense to increase its military spending won't solve the problems quickly.

"Perhaps this will partially relieve them. But to return the Bundeswehr to the level of combat readiness it had at the end of the Cold War, will be very problematic. It will take not a year or two, but rather five or even ten years," the expert concluded.

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German Army, Police to Stage First Ever Joint Anti-Terror Drills

Sputnik News

20:05 06.03.2017(updated 20:07 06.03.2017)

The first ever joint exercise to train cooperation between German police and military in anti-terror scenarios will begin in several states on Tuesday, the German Interior Ministry announced Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The three-day drills, called GETEX, will take place in command centers out of the public eye in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.

The goal is to sort out how police and army forces should coordinate joint actions in a worst-case scenario.

"Germany is a target of international terrorism. We experienced this in a terrible way in Berlin before Christmas. It is necessary that security forces start early and intensive preparations for terror attacks," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Preparations for the exercise began last August after a string of ax, knife and bomb attacks by people of migrant descent across Germany that prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel to order tighter security measures.

The Berlin truck-ramming attack by a self-confessed jihadist added urgency to the issue, despite constitutional curbs that limit army deployment inside the country.

 Sputnik

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Bundeswehr 'Almost Completely' Out of Ammunition, German Media Report

Sputnik News

16:14 06.03.2017

Germany's armed forces depots are almost completely empty. The Bundeswehr has ordered new ammunition to fill their rapidly shrinking reserves, according to Die Welt.

The Bundeswehr has almost run out of ammunition for certain types of weapons. The current reserves will last only for a few days, the article said.

According to the newspaper, the current situation notably differs from the past, when the provision was made for at least one month.

"During the Cold War, the bunkers contained ammunition sufficient for 30 days of fighting. Meanwhile, according to insider information, the reserves for some weapons have significantly shrunk and will be sufficient for only a few days," the article said.

Following the report, representatives of the German Ministry of Defense refused to comment on the issue, saying that the data is classified as "secret."

"Information about the difficulties with ammunition is secret, and I can't give you any additional data on the issue," a ministry representative told Sputnik.

According to the newspaper, Germany is planning to purchase additional ammunition for G36 assault rifles and MG4 machine guns. By the end of November 2017, the Bundeswehr plans to replenish stocks by 25 million soft-point bullets, sized from 5.56 to 45 millimeters.

The newspaper also noted that the new ammunition will be low-pollutant and contain a minimum quantity of harmful substances, so that it causes as little damage to the environment as possible.

Earlier, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that Berlin will gradually increase military spending to 2% of GDP. There are also plans to increase the number of German armed forces up to 198,000 people by 2024.

Last month, Germany sent about 200 military vehicles, including 30 tanks along with 450 soldiers to Lithuania as a part of NATO's mission to deter alleged Russian aggression.

In 2016, NATO decided to deploy additional troops to the Baltic States and Poland during July's summit in Warsaw, citing the states' vulnerability to the alleged threat of Russian aggression after Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014, a move that Moscow has repeatedly criticized.

Several other European countries announced their plans to increase their combat readiness and build up their military forces as well.

For instance, the Swedish government said Thursday it has decided to re-activate conscription from January 1, 2018 to boost military readiness in light of growing security threats in Europe.

 Sputnik

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India To Purchase New Army Assault Rifle

Sputnik News

16:11 06.03.2017

Indian Army has not inducted modern assault rifles for long due to failure in developing local made rifles as per the requirement of army.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  A large part of the 1.3-million-strong Indian Army will soon get sniper rifles as more than a dozen global manufacturers have responded to the Army request for information on supplying 185,000 assault rifles with telescopic sights.

Sources told Sputnik that most of the companies who were attracted towards the 2011 bid responded to the September 2016 request for information which seeks a 7.62mm x 51mm rifle. "Companies have expressed their willingness to share technology of rifle which will later be manufactured in India following a direct import of approximately 65,000 rifles," a source added.

Indian Army is expected to give its final nod for this in the next few weeks. After signing the contract, companies will have to deliver 65000 assault rifles within four months to 28 months from the day of signing of the contract.

Meanwhile, Indian Army is conducting trials of 7.62mm x 45 mm Excalibur developed by the government-owned DRDO at various locations to induct them in some numbers at a later date, source added.

Approximately $1 billion contract of 7.62 mm x 51 mm rifle will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle.

The Indian Army has been trying to replace 5.56x45 mm assault rifle since long but has failed as Israel Weapon Industries' ACE 1, the Beretta ARX160, the Ceska Zbrojovka CZ 805 BREN, and Colt's Colt Combat Rifle did not meet its requirements during trials. The Indian Army had asked manufacturers to supply rifles that weighed 3.6 kilogram and could easily be converted from a 5.56x45 mm to a 7.62x39 mm.

 Sputnik

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Supreme Leader: Enemy's military move to unify nation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 6, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday that enemy's military move will unify one nation but cultural inroads weaken their wills and deviate the young generation.

The Supreme Leader made the remarks in a meeting with a group of veteran commanders of the eight years of Iran-Iraq imposed war and those in charge of setting of Rahian-e Noor (the pilgrims of light) or those visiting war zones during Iran-Iraq eight years of sacred defense.

Experiences gained during eight-years of sacred defense should be regarded as one of pure cultural wealth obtained during the period, the Supreme Leader said, adding that proper production of cultural packs will be the only way to thwart the plots masterminded by ill-wishers.

Under no circumstances the lessons learned during eight years of sacred defense should be forgotten, the Supreme Leader said.

"Belief in resisting against bullying powers and also the beliefs which says If you resist, you will overcome enemies" are among cultural assets of the Iranian nation which all should be maintained and would lead to great achievements, the Supreme Leader said.

When the Ba'athist enemy realized our weakness, they started the war, but if they were not sure to surrender Tehran in few days, they never wage war, the Supreme Leader said.

There is one general rule which says "Feeling of weakness emboldens the enemy to wage a war", therefore, if you mind to dissuade any enemy to start a war, you should avoid expressing weakness and reveal your points of strengths instead," the Supreme Leader said.

Since some people expressed weakness on the economic status of the country, the enemy noticed that it can put pressure on this lope, the Supreme Leader said.

Officials should be watchful on screening movies and films to prevent emergence of minds which undermine the values of the sacred defense, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Supreme leader also advised officials at the government and universities to make use of invaluable experiences gained during sacred defense years in the text books.

'Continued cultural activities will protect the country against cultural inroads,' the leader said.

Culture is like economy, it means that lack of cultural products will lead to imports of such products resulting to failure of domestic production, the Supreme Leader said.

One of the major problems in the country is massive imports of goods and products against incomplete production inside the country, the Supreme Leader said.

1430**2050

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European countries support JCPOA: Spokesman

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 6, IRNA -- Spokesman of Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi said here on Monday that the European countries support nuclear deal inked between Iran and the six world powers.

Qasemi made the remarks in his weekly press conference in Tehran.

He also described the European countries as part of the landmark nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Touching upon the recent visits of European delegations to Iran, he said the European states are keen on improving relations with Iran.

He added the European countries have a clear stance toward JCPOA.

Responding to a repoerter's question, the spokesman underlined that he has not received any news regarding the European countries' request from US to put more pressure on Iran.

He added the European countriers are keen on reinforcing cooperation with Iran.

9060**1771

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Some regional states pave way for foreign presence: Dehqan

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 3:14PM

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says some regional countries are paving the way for the presence of foreign military powers in the region, stressing that the provision of security cannot be entrusted to others.

"Today, some Persian Gulf littoral states want to purchase security and are spending huge sums to buy [military] equipment," Dehqan said on Monday, adding that the Islamic Republic regards such bids as being at odds with the regional security.

The Iranian defense minister emphasized that instead of relying on foreign powers, regional countries must rely on their internal capabilities.

During recent years, some Arab states of the Persian Gulf have been prompted by the West's Iranophobic propaganda to spend huge sums of petrodollars on Western military equipment and even conduct joint maneuvers with transregional powers such as the United States, Britain, and France, which in some cases included simulation of attacks on the Iranian targets.

Britain, the US, France and Australia started a three-day maritime military exercises, dubbed the Unified Trident, in the Persian Gulf on January 31 with Iran warning that it would not allow any intrusion into its territorial waters.

The foreign forces participating in those drills included British Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean and Type-45 destroyer HMS Daring, US warships USS Hopper and USS Mahan as well as French anti-aircraft frigate, FS Forbin.

Additionally, targeting Iranian combat jets, ships and coastal missile launching facilities was reportedly simulated during the exercises.

Touching on the simulation of hitting Iranian targets, Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Iran "does not care who's doing what."

"For us, it is important to boost our defense capabilities to such a level that we can withstand any threats [posed against us from] anywhere," he added.

The Unified Trident drills came after a string of incidents, in which US vessels that sailed close to Iranian territorial waters were met with Iran's befitting response.

Iran has repeatedly warned that any act of transgression into its territorial waters would be met with an immediate and befitting response.

In January last year, Iran's Navy arrested the crews of two US patrol boats that had trespassed on Iranian territorial waters. Iran released them after establishing that they had done so by mistake.

Iran has invariably asserted that it only uses its military might for defensive purposes and to send across the Islamic Republic's message of peace and security to other nations.

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Photo shows the GenesisCare National Office located at New South Wales, Australia. (Photo : Facebook)

Dan Collins, the chief executive officer of cancer and cardiac healthcare group GenesisCare, sizes up the booming Chinese market and already has a plan for its business for the next 30 to 40 years.



Collins, attending the Australian Financial Review's Business Summit, said, "Our capital structure allows us to settle into that and actually think and plan. We still act very quickly, but we are doing some really long-term planning."



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China Resources Holdings Co Ltd., a group of companies in a wide variety of businesses in Hong Kong and China, and Macquarie Group, a global investment banking and diversified financial services group, acquired GenesisCare from majority owner KKR & Co last July year for $1.7 billion.



GenesisCare is the largest provider of cancer and cardiac care in Australia. The health group also has operations in Britain and Spain, and is currently pushing hard into China and the Southeast Asia for expansion.



"China Resources have been outstanding in connecting us into excellent opportunities and relationships but also helping us avoid some potential pitfalls that we might not have spotted on our own," said Collins. "Macquarie have been terrific, too."



According to Collins, a long-term view is necessary when looking at the healthcare sector of China. He said that Chinese hotel executives and government officials have matured as they currently focus on building healthcare services.



Collins said: "I think what China will end up doing is missing all the bad bits of Western healthcare and going straight to the most efficient model. They are going to rapidly scale in healthcare services in a way people can't comprehend."



GenesisCare is just setting its own pace and being methodical right now to ensure that it doesn't get too swept up in the rapid rise of the Chinese health sector.


IAEA verifies Iran's adherence to JCPOA for over one year

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 2:9PM

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again verified Iran's adherence to its commitments under a July 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and six global powers.

"The agency has been verifying and monitoring the implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the [nuclear deal, known as the] Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for more than a year," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in his introductory statement to the IAEA Board of Governors on Monday.

He made the remarks upon delivering to the 35-member Board of Governors his report on Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015).

The report provided more information in relation to Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU), which was facilitated by clarifications agreed by the Iran-P5+1 Joint Commission established under the JCPOA, he said.

LEU contains the isotope uranium 235 in a concentration of less than 20 percent and greater than 0.7 percent.

Amano further stated that the IAEA in January had confirmed the removal of "excess centrifuges and infrastructure" from the Fordow enrichment facility to the Natanz nuclear site, where they are now stored under the agency's continuous monitoring.

Under the JCPOA, Iran is required to complete the removal of all excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow uranium enrichment facility within one year from Implementation Day, and to transfer them for storage at the Natanz nuclear site under continuous IAEA monitoring.

Amano said the IAEA would continue to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its safeguards agreement, adding, "Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran [will] continue."

The IAEA is monitoring the JCPOA, which was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany - on July 14, 2015.

Under the JCPOA, whose implementation started on January 16, 2016, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Since the implementation of the JCPOA, the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed Iran's compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement in several reports.

In his visit to Tehran on December 18, the IAEA director general expressed satisfaction with Iran's compliance with its commitments.

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Iran Formally Charges Member Of Nuclear Negotiating Team

March 06, 2017

Iran's judiciary has laid formal criminal charges against a member of the team that negotiated the 2015 agreement with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program.

Speaking on March 5, judiciary spokesman Mohseni Ejei said a person who was arrested in 2016 on suspicion of spying has been charged but did not name the individual or describe the charge.

"A court must conduct an investigation," Ejei was quoted as saying by the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency.

When Ejei announced the arrest, in August, he said the unidentified individual was a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team." He said the accused had been released on bail a few days after the arrest.

The Associated Press reported that Ejei referred to the accused by the initials D.E.

That could refer to Abdolrasul Dorri Esfahani, who was involved in the banking-related aspects of the negotiations on the July 2015 deal that put restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iranian media outlets close to the hard-line conservative authorities reported last year that Dorri Esfahani had been arrested on suspiion of "selling the country's economic details to foreigners."

Dorri Esfahani, who is said to have dual nationality, dismissed the reports at the time.

Several dual nationals have been arrested in past months and kept behind bars on espionage charges.

Based on reporting by Mizan, AP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iran-charges-member- nuclear-negotiating-team/28353084.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Iran Reportedly Fires Two Ballistic Missiles in Gulf of Oman Over Weekend

Sputnik News

19:24 06.03.2017(updated 19:26 06.03.2017)

Iran reportedly launched two short-ranged ballistic missiles over the weekend from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases in Bandar-e-Jask.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  One of the two missiles on Sunday successfully destroyed a floating barge nearly 150 miles away in the Gulf of Oman, Fox News reported citing two US officials familiar with the issue.

The report noted the US officials expressed concerns over the test because they were conducted in the area where the US Navy operates its warships.

The information about the Iranian missile test came after reports about North Korea firing four missiles on Sunday as well.

After the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, Washington-Tehran tensions escalated amid Iran's ballistic missile test and the new US sanctions against Iran. Moreover, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Iran nuclear agreement, saying that it is a "bad deal" and "disastrous for Israel."

 Sputnik

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200k civilians displaced since Mosul operation started: IOM

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 6:55AM

A high-profile NGO says more than 200,000 civilians have been displaced since the onset of the operation to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

In a report released Sunday, the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the total number of those displaced from Mosul since October 2016 has surpassed 206,000.

The Iraqi army, backed by allied popular fighters, launched the Mosul liberation battle in mid-October 2016, and managed to claw back the eastern half of the city some 100 days later in January.

Late last month, they began engaging the terrorists in the western side of Mosul, the Daesh terror group's last urban stronghold in Iraq.

The IOM further said the number included 45,000, who have fled the western sector of Mosul since February to the sites set up for the displaced.

On March 3, the UN refugee agency reported that about 4,000 people are escaping Mosul's embattled west on a daily basis.

As a strategy to hold onto Mosul, Daesh has been using civilians as human shields to slow Iraqi army advances.

According to the civilians who have managed to flee Mosul, the Takfiri terrorists have resorted to brutal executions or inhuman torture tactics to prevent people from escaping the city or cooperating with government troops.

Second Mosul bridge under army control

On Sunday, Major General Haider al-Maturi of the Federal Police Commandos Division told The Associated Press that the troops were facing the heaviest clashes yet since the start of the push to liberate the western side.

The terrorists sent at least six explosives-laden cars towards the troops, which were all destroyed before reaching them, he noted.

Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), also told state-run television that the forces were advancing from the south and the southwest toward the heart of Mosul.

In the latest gain against Daesh, Iraqi forces took control of Mosul's al-Hurriya Bridge, which leads to Daesh-held old city center from the south.

This is the second bridge taken back from the terror group since the start of the Iraqi offensive on Mosul's western front on February 19.

There are five bridges over Tigris River, which divides Mosul in the two halves. All of them have been destroyed by Daesh, but their recapture and reconstruction would help facilitate the new Iraqi army push.

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Dozens killed as intense fighting erupts in Myanmar-China border town

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 4:43PM

At least 30 people have been killed in fresh intense fighting between Myanmar's military forces and ethnic armed groups near the border with China.

Myanmar authorities said that rebels dressed in police uniforms launched a surprise raid in Laukkai, a major town in the Kokang region of Myanmar's northeastern state of Shan, on Monday.

Media reports indicated that artillery and small arms fire continued throughout the day across the violence-wracked region.

Meanwhile, a statement by the office of Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has confirmed that rebels from the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched an attack early Monday against police and military posts.

"According to initial information, many innocent civilians including a primary school teacher... were killed because of attacks by the MNDAA armed group," the statement read.

It noted that at least five civilians and five local police forces were killed in the fighting. The statement added that a further 20 "burned bodies" had been found with weapons alongside them.

Zaw Htay, a government spokesman said those casualties were MNDAA fighters.

A number of video clips shared on social media appeared to show parts of Laukkai still ablaze on Monday afternoon .

An unnamed army officer said that fighting was continuing across the town as darkness fell.

"Residents in town are fleeing. We do not know exact figures yet," the officer said.

In a Facebook post, the Northern Alliance, an umbrella group of rebels including the MNDAA, has said that they carried out the attack "to resist an enemy offensive in self-defense" in Laukkai. The group cited Myanmar military operations since December.

Fighting in Shan and the northern state of Kachin along the Myanmar-China border is intensifying day by day.

At least 160 people have died and thousands of others displaced in about three months of clashes across the troubled region.

The clashes have also threatened the second round of peace talks slated for later this month.

Last August, delegates from some rebel groups stormed out of the first round of the peace talks with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi over a spat about their accreditation.

The government's efforts to expand a ceasefire signed with some ethnic rebel groups in 2015 have faltered.

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Militant raids kill five Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 1:54PM

At least five Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives in a series of assaults on several northwestern border posts by dozens of militants based in neighboring Afghanistan, security sources say.

A Pakistani security official said on Monday that the fighting took place in Mohmand, one of Pakistan's tribal districts where the military has been battling militants for over a decade.

"Dozens" of militants from across the border stormed security posts in Pakistan's Mohmand Agency on Sunday night, the unnamed official, who was based in the region, said.

Pakistan's military sources said 10 militants were also killed in the ensuing exchange of fire and fierce fighting.

Pakistani military Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa "hailed the sacrifices" of the Pakistan soldiers and called for greater numbers to man the border.

The Pakistani army's press wing said in a statement that Islamabad has also asked Afghan authorities to strengthen surveillance in border areas.

"Terrorists are common threat and must be denied freedom of movement/action along the border," the statement read.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned the deputy head of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad to lodge a "strong protest" over the deadly incident.

"The Afghan government was urged to thoroughly investigate the incidents and take firm action against the terrorists operating from its soil," the ministry said in a statement.

The latest militant raids came at a time of heightened tension between the Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad blames Kabul for a recent string of militant attacks that killed 130 people across Pakistan in February.

Hundreds of Afghan families have been displaced due to cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in recent weeks.

Afghanistan and Pakistan blame each other for the Taliban violence plaguing both countries.

The two neighbors have accused each other of allowing militants to shelter in the border regions and launch bloody attacks that threaten regional stability.

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S. Korean special prosecutors say President Park ordered support for Samsung power transfer

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 19:52, March 06, 2017

South Korean special prosecutors, who wrapped up their independent investigation last week into a corruption scandal embroiling President Park Geun-hye, said on Monday that President Park had ordered support for the power transfer of Samsung Group.

The independent counsel team, which launched its probe on Dec. 21, ended its 90-day probe on Feb. 28 as Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is serving as the acting president following Park's impeachment, rejected an extended investigation.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, an heir apparent of the biggest family-controlled conglomerate, has been taken into custody as he is suspected of paying tens of millions of U.S. dollars in bribes to Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime confidante at the center of the scandal, in return for the national pension fund's support for the merger in 2015 of two Samsung affiliates.

The merger between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T was extremely crucial to the Samsung heir to inherit the management control from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalized after a heart attack nearly three years ago.

Moon Hyung-pyo, former health and welfare minister in charge of the control of the national pension fund who is now in custody, said President Park ordered him in June 2015 to help Samsung merge the two units. The order was given to the former minister through former senior presidential secretary Ahn Jong-beom.

The special prosecutors recommended that the national pension fund, which is in charge of retirement savings for nearly half of the 50 million population, should be free from any outside pressures even from the presidential office and government ministries.

Samsung, however, has claimed that there was no quid pro quo in the donations to two foundations controlled by Choi as well as no pressure on the national pension fund into supporting the 2015 merger.

President Park has been identified as an accomplice to Choi for bribery charges, becoming the first South Korean leader to be branded as a criminal suspect.

According to the investigation results, Park and Choi had had phone calls 573 times between April 18 and Oct. 26 last year through mobile phones bought with borrowed names. Park and other close aides also had conversations via the cellphones.

Choi also intervened in state affairs behind the scenes. The president's decades-long friend pressured the foreign ministry to nominate a Choi-favored figure as an ambassador to Myanmar to gain illegal profits from official development assistance (ODA) projects.

Independent counsel Park Young-soo told his first press conference that all of prosecutors and investigators tried their best to meet people's expectations with public support and cheers. He had refrained from standing in front of media cameras for fear of distorted interpretation of his comments.

He expressed the feeling of inconvenience for the non-extended investigations, citing the limited time allowed and non-cooperation from key suspects.

President Park had vowed to accept face-to-face interrogation from special prosecutors, but she rejected repeated calls for it. The presidential office also thwarted the prosecutors' attempt to search Park's office, citing the possible leakage of military secrets.

The head of special prosecutors stressed the importance of getting to the bottom of cozy ties between politicians and businessmen as well as the influence-peddling scandal for the national union.

Outside the venue for the press conference, loyalists to President Park rallied against the independent probe, with national flags and the Stars and Stripes in their hands as usual. The Park loyalists, mostly in their 60s, demanded the arrest of the independent counsel.

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South Korea quadruples reward for defectors from North

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 2:42AM

South Korea has quadrupled its reward for North Korean defectors who have secret information about their reclusive home country.

Seoul used to pay informants from the North $217,000, but according to the Yonhap news agency on Sunday, it has increased the amount to up to $860,000.

The amount will be given to "people who provide intelligence and knowledge that can enhance South Korea's security" said the report.

It added that the actual sum paid will be determined based on the importance of the intelligence. It noted that a different amount will be given to soldiers from the North who defect with their weapons.

The report said the increased cash amount is aimed at encouraging members of Pyongyang's elite to defect.

"One of the biggest reasons why North Koreans are hesitant about defecting is because they are fearful of [how they would make a living] after they come to South Korea," the report cited a South Korean official as saying.

Over the years, high-profile defectors have been a valuable source of information about the government in Pyongyang.

Last Year, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to the UK, Thae Yong-ho, defected with the vow to increase awareness about the "gruesome realities" of his former nation.

A large majority of North Korean defectors are said to prefer to cross into China through its porous border and then set off toward South Korea. It is rare for North Koreans seeking to defect to venture directly into the South through the heavily controlled border.

According to official figures provided by South Korea, nearly 30,000 people from North Korea have so far managed to defect to the South since the conclusion of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

South Korea calls for swift THAAD deployment

Meanwhile, South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn said that the US's anti-missile system should be completed sooner after the North engaged in a missile test.

"We should quickly finish the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) deployment and acquire a defense system against North Korea's nuclear missiles," said Hwang while addressing the country's national security council.

Last month, Seoul announced that the THAAD missile system will be installed in South Korea in June.

Earlier, Japan announced that three of the four missiles Pyongyang launched landed in Japanese-controlled waters

"North Korea today fired four ballistic missiles almost simultaneously and they flew some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles)," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Abe.

"Three of them landed in our country's Exclusive Economic ZoneThis clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat," he added.

The US military also confirmed the launch, but noted the it was not a threat to Washington.

US Strategic Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell also called on US forces to "remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."

South Korea and the US claim that the purpose of the deployment is to counter perceived missile threats from North Korea.

North Korea and China, meanwhile, believe the THAAD deployment is meant to expand US hegemony. They also believe that the deployment of the US missile system on the Korean Peninsula would destabilize the region's security by upsetting the military status quo.

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Cutting-Edge Admiral Grigorovich Frigate Joins Russian Naval Flotilla in Med

Sputnik News

18:25 06.03.2017(updated 20:29 06.03.2017)

The Russian Black Sea Fleet's frigate the Admiral Grigorovich has replaced the Smetlivy as part of the Russian naval task force in the Mediterranean, according to the Fleet's press service.

"Having completed its mission in the Mediterranean Sea, the Smetlivy has retired to its main base in Sevastopol," the press service said in a statement.

The Smetlivy sailed from Sevastopol on October 28, 2016. On October 31 and November 1 it took part in a series of events held as part of the Russia-Greece cross-cultural year in Athens and Piraeus.

Earlier, the Admiral Grigorovich frigate participated in the operation of the Russian naval group in Syria led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser. Kalibr cruise missiles on terrorist targets were launched from the warship in November 2016.

After Moscow has started the reduction of its combat group in Syria, the Admiral Kuznetsov naval group had been the first to sail back.

A group of Russian warships headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, accompanied by the Pyotr Veliky battle cruiser, the Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov anti-submarine destroyers, the Admiral Grigorovich frigate and support vessels participated in the misson. Over two month of the operation, Russian naval aviation destroyed 1,252 terrorist targets in Syria.

Currently, the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean includes at least six warships and three or four support vessels.

The deployment is part of the Russian naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean, renewed in 2013, which ensures the country's interests and helps maintain peace in the region.

 Sputnik

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Daesh terrorists impose 'Afghan dress' in Syria's Raqqah

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 7:26PM

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has imposed an 'Afghan-style' dress code on men in Syria's northern province of Raqqah so that its members can't be distinguished from civilians.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights made the revelation on Monday, saying, "Daesh has imposed Afghan-style dress on residents of Raqqah so that informants giving coordinates to the US-led coalition will not be able to distinguish between civilians and fighters."

The UK-based group's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said that civilians and the families of Daesh terrorists were attempting to flee into Raqqah Province from neighboring Aleppo.

"Thousands of families in recent days have tried to reach the administrative borders of Raqqah Province, along with around 120 families of fighters and commanders of Daesh," the monitoring group said.

A Syrian activist also confirmed the report of the dress code imposed by the terrorist group, adding that, "Anyone who does not comply faces prison and a fine."

Abu Mohamed described the situation in Syria's Raqqah as dire and said there was a "state of alert" in the northern province.

"Prices are skyrocketing and there is no electricity or water," he noted.

Syria has been battling foreign-backed militancy for six years. Over the past few months, the Syrian army has made significant gains against terrorists, including the liberation of the strategic city of Aleppo in late 2016.

Syrian government forces plan to liberate Raqqah from the Daesh Takfiri terror group, which has named the city as its so-called headquarters in the Arab country.

Since 2014, the United States, along with a number of its allies, has been leading a so-called anti-terror campaign in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

The US-led coalition says it is working with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of armed groups led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), to try to defeat Daesh in Raqqah. However, there have been numerous reports of US-led airstrikes targeting Syrian civilians, military and infrastructure.

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Ma "Pony" Huateng, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent Holdings Ltd. (Photo : Getty Images)

Ma Huateng, the chairman of Tencent Holdings Ltd, proposed to build the "Bay Area" equivalent in China. It will be a tech zone in southern China that would include the financial center of Hong Kong and the gambling city of Macau.



Tencent Chairman Ma Huateng attended a press conference held before the National People's Congress convenes in the capital to set the year's agenda. He stated: "Setting up a Guangdong-H.K.-Macau technology area could help maintain stability in the two former colonies."



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According to Ma, the proposed technology bay could leverage capital Hong Kong and manufacturing prowess from Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta.



He said: "China has the ability to create a world-class tech bay area, and preside over the global tech revolution of the future. It will also help the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macau.



Tencent's headquarters are located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, a region that is racing against Hangzhou and Beijing to forge China's equivalent of Silicon Valley. To respond to the government's call to ignite the innovative drive, it has built 120 tech zones across the country.



Chinese President Xi Jinping has identified the Internet as one of the most important sectors of the country. He reminded the country's technology parvenus that they should demonstrate positive energy in purifying cyberspace.



Ma said that Tencent is willing to use its big data technology to help China build more ecological cities. He also advocated making the Internet more accessible by proposing regulators to lower the barriers of entry to spur innovation and content creation.



Last November, China passed a controversial cybersecurity law that requires Internet operators to cooperate with investigations that involve crime and national security.



Ma doesn't see Chinas cybersecurity law as a hurdle, adding that the legislation, in fact, is in favor of larger tech companies like Tencent.


Syrian Army Advances Against Daesh in Deir ez-Zor

Sputnik News

21:43 06.03.2017(updated 21:44 06.03.2017)

Syrian army units clashed with terrorists of groups affiliated with Daesh in the southern outskirts of the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, local media reported on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The government forces have advanced in al-Maqaber area of the city, killing several Daesh terrorists and destroying their barricades, SANA news agency reported, adding that a heavy vehicle equipped with a machine gun was destroyed to the south of the city, as well as a number of terrorists.

The Syrian Air Force has carried out several airstrikes against Daesh positions around Deir ez-Zor, leaving many terrorists dead or injured and destroying their equipment.

Army units also managed to expand their control in the Daraa city, having carried out operations against positions of the Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Daraa is located to the south of Damascus near the border with Jordan and is controlled by the Syrian government forces. The terrorists hold control of several settlements to the north and west of the city, as well as of a check point on the border.

Deir ez-Zor is the largest city in eastern Syria with the population of over 200,000 people. It has been besieged by Daesh since March 2014.

 Sputnik

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Kurds Shed Light on Russia-Damascus Deal to Prevent Turkey's Attack on Manbij

Sputnik News

17:52 06.03.2017(updated 20:32 06.03.2017)

Control over six villages to the west of the Syrian city of Manbij has been turned over to the Syrian Army, sources in the Manbij Military Council (MMC) said.

According to the sources, control over the villages was handed over to Syrian forces as a result of an agreement with Russia. The move aims to prevent a possible attack by Turkish troops and units of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

On condition of anonymity, a senior MMC official told Sputnik Turkey that six villages were placed under control of the Syrian Army and that the United States delivered a large shipment of weapons to northern Manbij.

"These six villages were liberated from Daesh during the Al-Bab operation. They are located 22 kilometers to the west from Manbij. Under an agreement with Russia they are now under control of the Syrian Army," the official said.

The Manbij Military Council is one the four military councils established by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in order to facilitate military operations in Syria.

The source added that the council did not sign any formal agreement with the Syrian forces because all the necessary procedures had already been implemented during talks with Russia.

"In addition, US troops and armored vehicles were deployed in northern Manbij. Yesterday, the US made a large shipment of weapons to the regions. Meanwhile, fierce clashes are still underway in the area," according to the official.

Moreover, last week it was reported that the US military was "taking all necessary measures" to defend Manbij from a possible assault by Turkish troops.

"In particular, he said, US servicemen have set up a military base in the city and are sending an additional contingent there. They are also deploying heavy weaponry and armored vehicles to the area," a source in the SDF told Sputnik Turkey.

Alongside setting up the military base in Manbij, the US was reportedly deploying servicemen and armaments to the northern and western parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the command of the Manbij Military Council issued a statement detailing the agreements with Russia.

According to the statement, the agreement refers to a demarcation line between Kurdish and coalition forces in Manbij, and forces involved in the Euphrates Shield Operation, including the Turkish military and the FSA.

"We will not let other forces enter the region. Manbij was liberated by Kurds and coalition forces. The same forces will continue to protect the city and its population," the statement read.

 Sputnik

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Ankara launches vast security operation against PKK militants in southeast

Iran Press TV

Mon Mar 6, 2017 2:52PM

Security forces in Turkey have launched one of their largest "anti-terrorist" operations over the past years against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group in the country's troubled southeast.

Sources said on Monday that some 7,000 Turkish gendarmerie soldiers, 600 special forces along with dozens of tanks and helicopters had been deployed to Lice district in Diyarbakir province.

Provincial governor's office said in a statement that 18 villages in Lice had been placed under strict curfew until further notice.

The aim of the operation is to "neutralize" members and accomplices of the outlawed PKK militant group, it added.

On February 12, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that a total of 2,603 people had been arrested over the past five months due to their alleged links to the PKK.

Turkey has declared the PKK a terrorist organization and has banned it. The militant group has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984.

A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015. Attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since.

Over the past few months, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out operations against the PKK positions in the country's southeastern border region as well as in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria.

More than 40,000 people have been killed during the three-decade conflict between Turkey and the autonomy-seeking militant group.

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UN Court Reports Turkey to Security Council

By VOA News March 06, 2017

A United Nations court has referred Turkey to the Security Council for failing to release a judge imprisoned for suspected involvement in last year's failed coup.

The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) had given Turkey until February 14 to release Aydin Sefa Akay, a Turkish national who was due to hear a request for the case of a Rwandan genocide convict to be reopened.

"The government of Turkey has failed to comply with its obligations," Judge Theodor Meron said in a written ruling Monday. "This matter shall be reported to the United Nations Security Council."

Akay was one of more than 40,000 people arrested in the aftermath of the failed July coup against President Recep Tayipp Erdogan.

Turkey has alleged the coup attempt was orchestrated by exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen, who lives in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, has denied any role in the attempted overthrow of the Turkish leader.

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German-Turkish Tensions Escalate

By Dorian Jones March 06, 2017

A steady flow of German politicians has angrily condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his comments accusing Berlin of returning Germany to its Nazi past. Justice Minister Heiko Maas described the remark as "absurd, disgraceful and outlandish."

Sunday, Erdogan criticized Berlin for banning, on security grounds, two of his ministers from making speeches to ethnic Turks in Germany in support of April's referendum in Turkey on extending presidential powers.

"Germany, you have no relation whatsoever to democracy and you should know that your current actions are no different to those of the Nazi. Period," Erdogan said to his supporters.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert also described Erdogan's comments as absurd, but added that people had to remain "calm and level-headed." Analysts say this restrained response is in part due to the fact that German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces re-election this year and needs Ankara's cooperation in continuing to stem refugee flows into Europe.

Ankara's rhetoric regarding Berlin is seen as unprecedented.

"We've never had this kind of escalation with Germany before and I would say this is serious," noted Semih Idiz, a political columnist for the Al-Monitor website. "I have noticed that the German side [is] playing the whole thing down and trying to control the situation, but all the [aggravation] is coming from the Turkish side and we haven't seen this before."

Tensions are likely to increase further after a German local authority Monday canceled at the last minute the use of a venue for a referendum meeting by Turkey's energy minister, Taner Yildiz.

Erdogan's uncertainty

More than 3 million ethnic Turks live in Germany, of which 1.4 million can vote in the Turkish referendum. Some observers suggest Ankara's tough rhetoric toward Berlin is, in part, explained by the fact that Erdogan is struggling to convince the electorate ahead of the April referendum, with many opinion polls indicating the result is too close to call.

"Erdogan and his AK Party don't have the confidence that it has had in past polls that it will win," said political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. Yesilada suggests Erdogan could be seeking to consolidate his support among conservatives and nationalist voters, by playing on historical fears.

"Turks do believe, across the party lines, that there is a global conspiracy to undermine Turkey. And the AKP [ruling party] spin masters have interpreted Germany allying itself with the 'No' camp. And Mr. Erdogan's defiance sounds very well to those who feel this Judeo-Christian alliance is trying to enslave Turkey," Yesilada said.

Trade, elections key

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the right-wing Nationalist Action Party, on Monday lent his support to Erdogan and said he would be prepared to join him if he chose to go to Germany to challenge any restrictions on speaking there. The Turkish president has threatened to go to Germany and promised to "stir up the world" if he is prevented from speaking with ethnic Turks.

Despite the angry words, analysts say Ankara will be mindful not to allow tensions to spin out of control, given Germany is Turkey's most important trading partner.

"Especially if we get a 'Yes' vote that comes out of it, then the next stage will be for government in Ankara to try and tone it all back," suggested columnist Idiz, but he warns it won't be easy. "I think it will have left a bitter taste in the mouths in Europe."

Given that much of Europe is in an election cycle, until those contests are concluded, how European leaders react to Turkey will likely remain unclear, but analysts warn that Ankara could end up paying a heavy price for its tough rhetoric.

"If Merkel wins again, I think then we will see the full might of the German response," predicted consultant Yesilada, "and I anticipate once this election cycle in Europe passes, that Europe will take swift and very severe measures against Turkey, which may reach economic and financial sanctions. Because Europe is getting sick and tired of Turkey's behavior."

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Rappers Jay-Z and Eminem perform together on-stage at the launch of 'DJ Hero' at the Wiltern Theatre on June 1, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Kristian Dowling)

Melle Mel, 55, is one of the pioneers of rap and he is not impressed by Eminem and Jay Z. In "First Family of Hip Hop" Season 1 episode 5, the "Renegade" rappers received nothing but criticisms from Mel.



"It's garbage, most of it is garbage," Mel said referring to younger rappers, particularly Beyonce's husband. "These are just guys posing, Jay, all of them,"



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In addition, Mel referred to Jay Z as a white guy, a white businessman and a clown. When asked about Eminem, the veteran rapper said, "What about him? He's white."



Mel said he could beat Eminem in a rap battle. The former even added that it is the easiest thing he would ever do.



Recently, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" collaborator Jeff Bass also referred to the "Rap God" rapper as a "white kid rapper." In an interview with Billboard, the music producer was asked how it feels like to look back at the success of "Lose Yourself," the first rap song to win an Academy Award, and see what it did for the rap game as a whole.



Bass said it was pretty amazing. He jokingly added that what made it even special was that the song came from "this white kid rapper and these two white producers."



According to Bass, it was an accomplishment to break a color barrier because the culture of hip-hop is known to be a black culture. For him, he, his brother Mark Bass and Eminem helped break the color barrier.



Meanwhile, Jay Z and Beyonce were at the El Capital Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 2, Thursday, Billboard reported. They attended the premiere of "Beauty and the Beast" with their daughter Blue Ivy Carter.



Watch Mel talk about Jay Z and Eminem on "First Family of Hip Hop" Season 1 episode 5 here:






Hawks, ravens and several types of owls all showed off their plumage while educating dozens of attendees during a recent program at Raywood Landscape.

The show, which featured several local raptors and an African Raven, was put on by the North Carolina-based Creative Learning About Wildlife (CLAWS) nonprofit.

Most of what we have is native, said executive director Kindra Mammone.

Mammone began by talking about Tuck, a barred owl who was rescued as a baby and only weighed a couple pounds. She explained that birds do not have bone marrow in their skeletal systems, unlike mammals.

Their bones are actually part of their respiratory system, Mammone said.

Tuck spent most of the program lying on his back in Mammones hand, as she explained the bird has loved to do this since he was a baby owl.

Mammones husband Vincent then showed off red-tailed hawk Rahl, while she talked about the species. Mammone said the bird can exert up to 650 pounds of pressure in its claws.

Shes panting exactly like a dog, Mammone explained when asked why Rahl had her mouth open.

The birds on display possess incredible eyesight and hearing as well, Mammone said. A barn owl can hear a mouse and see the heat signature from its urine a mile in the air, she said.

While talking about a trio of screech owls, Mammone played their horse-like call from a machine, since none of the owls felt like talking. She also explained why many of the birds create pellets, which are a popular dissection subject in science class.

When they eat their food, they eat the whole thing, she said. They cannot digest all of that.

Mammone also showed off a barn owl, a red-shouldered hawk, a great horned owl and an African raven.

This is truly an apex predator, Mammone said about the great horned owl, which can exert 2,000 pounds of pressure with its talons.

CLAWS was assisted during the show by Tanya Lovern of Danville. Lovern is a local wildlife rehabber and founder of Southside Virginia Wildlife Center.

We have most of the ones shown here in rehabilitation, Lovern said.

Lovern said her rescue does not have barn owls, because the creatures do not venture as far north as Virginia.

Mammone told attendees to be respectful of birds of prey, especially at their bird feeders.

Youre feeding all kinds of birds, and Im not talking just about the seeds, she said. Everybodys got to eat.

This program was sponsored by Raywood and Southside Bird Club to celebrate National Wild Bird Feeding Month, which occurs every February.
GRETNA  The Merchants Association of Gretna elected Bobby Allen Roach to serve as vice president for the remainder of 2017 during its monthly meeting on Thursday.

Roach, who has held a membership with the Gretna merchants for several years, was instrumental in developing and launching the organizations new website, www.gretnanow.org, and designed the rack cards that were put into regional circulation this month to promote the Town of Gretna.

I am very excited to continue serving the Town of Gretna in this new capacity, Roach said. Gretna has always held an important place in my heart as much of my family lives there and so many of my best childhood memories were made in that very special part of Virginia. Now, I am looking forward to helping plan and being a part of some of Gretnas classic annual events, including the Strawberry and Wine Festival, Old Timers Jubilee, the Gretna Christmas Parade, and the merchants associations annual banquet in December, where our business of the year and citizen of the year will be announced. I strongly encourage everyone to get involved and participate in these events this yearwhether it is for the first time or the fiftieth. I believe in hometown America and the Gretna Merchants Association is committed to making a meaningful, positive impact on the community it serves. Lets see what Gretna can do in 2017.

Roach holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies and journalism from Averett University as well as a photography and digital imaging certificate from Danville Community College.

Roach owns and operates Bobby Roach Photography in Danville and Pittsylvania County and works as a public relations and marketing specialist at Danville Community College.

The Merchants Association of Gretna exists to enhance the Gretna community by offering events that attract new people into town and expose them to the area and its businesses. The merchants association awards the Martha Cardwell Memorial Scholarship to a Gretna High School student annually. The organization actively promotes the Town of Gretna to tourists and prospective residents and businesses and attracts hundreds of visitors and local business patrons to each of its yearly events.

To join the Gretna Merchants Association or to learn more about the benefits of membership, visit www.gretnanow.org/join, or attend their next meeting, scheduled for April 6 at 12 p.m. at Mama Rosas Italian Restaurant.
China currently has a number of world-class universities, most of which have invested a significant amount of money for research and development. (Photo : Getty Images)

The United States is slowly turning away professionals, academics, and students with its current anti-global stance and travel ban. Their loss, however, is Chinas gain, especially Chinese universities, according to an article by TimesHigherEducation.com.



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The key to attracting students and academics lies in the introduction of reforms that will transform Chinese university life into a more lively and open environment, said Gerard Postiglione, chair in higher education at the University of Hong Kong.



Postiglione aired his opinions in a speech he made at University of Hong Kong called Trumpism and Universities: Advantage China? on March 3.



In a later interview with Times Higher Education, Postiglione added that China is in the perfect position to become a leader in educational opportunities and research.



China currently has a number of world-class universities, most of which have invested a significant amount of money for research and development.



This approach and image have attracted a great number of international students to China, making the country the third-largest host of foreign students after the U.S. and the U.K. According to the 2015 data collated by the Institute of International Education, China has approximately 397,635 international students.



In a past feature, Times Higher Education explored the possibility of U.S.- and U.K.-based academics transferring to other centers of learning in light of U.K.s decision to leave the European Union and Trumps presidency.



Australia, Singapore, Germany, Canada, and Ireland might be on the receiving end, but Postiglione believes that China may also be the target of academics and students targeted by Trumps travel ban.



In addition, China and the US stance on globalization are in direct contrast with each other, with Trumps Make America Great Again slogan and Xi Jinpings mission to protect globalization.



China stands to gain in the current atmosphere, Postiglione told Times Higher Education. China has a chance to use its universities to project its soft power. US soft power has not been helped around the world by the way that the new administration has handled issues like immigration, for example.



Since China is the main economic actor now in Asia, [students and academics] may see their future prospects as better served by studying [and working] in China, Postiglione said.


The Egyptian foreign ministers visit to Brussels has launched a new phase of strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union, paving the way for an EU-Egypt association agreement in the upcoming period, the ministry said on Tuesday.

The agreement  which has been under negotiation since February 2016  would frame the countrys relationship with European institutions over the next three years.

In an official statement, foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his European counterparts have compiled a document of each side's priorities, to guide further negotiations on the agreement.

On his visit, Shoukry met with 28 European foreign ministers, making it "the first meeting of its kind with a non-EU minister this year, the statement read.

The meetings tackled EU-Egyptian relations. Shoukry discussed ways the EU could support Egypt economically and politically, given that the country's stability is an essential European interest, the statement read.

Shoukry also discussed economic, social and political developments in Egypt and the challenges the country faces in each of these sectors.

Egyptian national institutions bear the responsibility of safeguarding human rights in Egypt, Shoukry told his EU counterparts, according to the statement, adding that human rights include social and economic rights; they are not restricted to political rights.

The minister arrived in Brussels Sunday for an official visit, on which he met with EU officials including the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Vice President of the European Commission and the EU Commissioner for Home and Migration Affairs, along with the foreign ministers of 28 EU countries.

"The visit was successful because Egyptian diplomats built a bloc of Egypt supporters within the EU, represented by countries that have made remarkable progress in cooperation with Egypt such as Greece, Cyprus, and Hungary, the statement read.

At a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Home and Migration Affairs and the German and Austrian foreign ministers in Brussels, Shoukry reiterated Cairo's refusal to establish camps to house irregular migrants attempting to travel to Europe, saying "refugees and migrants live freely and enjoy the services provided to Egyptian citizens."

During his visit, Egypts FM also met with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, to discuss political and security challenges in the Middle East.

An EU delegation is set to visit Egypt mid-March to continue talks on the association agreement.

During negotiations, Cairo has assured the EU that the agreement would be based on Egypts 2030 development plan.

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A federal judge has sided with New Hampshire hospitals in their argument with the state over how much the hospitals are due for uncompensated care, which is usually the difference between Medicaid payments and hospitals' true costs.The ruling means there will be no immediate relief from the courts for a current budget deficit in the Department of Health and Human Services, and Gov. Chris Sununu may have to revise his budget for the next two fiscal years to pay hospitals more than he had hoped, unless the ruling is overturned on appeal or Congress changes the law.Based on his reaction to the lawsuit, the governor is hoping for one of those two outcomes."The ruling is as expected," Sununu spokesman David Abrams wrote in an email. "This is an ongoing issue and, though we will continue to receive clarity in the coming months, we are comfortable that the 2018-19 budget is appropriate."The New Hampshire Hospital Association, which filed the complaint on behalf of some of its members, issued a statement saying "hospitals are very pleased with the ruling, which ensures that long-standing policy with respect to the calculation of uncompensated care is upheld and maintained."In her March 2 order, U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty sided with the hospitals on all major points in a case that has been under consideration since early last year, with millions of dollars at stake.For the fiscal year ending on June 30, the New Hampshire Hospital Association says its members are due $224 million in what are called DSH payments, a Medicaid acronym for Disproportionate Share Hospital payments.Under federal law, hospitals that take on a "disproportionate share" of uninsured or Medicaid patients are entitled to extra money from the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), which is channeled through state treasuries.While the hospitals are expecting $224 million based on a written agreement with the state, the state only budgeted $191 million for the obligation, leaving a $33 million shortfall.The problem continues with the budget Sununu submitted for the next two fiscal years, which the hospitals claim could underfund their DSH payments by even greater amounts.At issue is how DSH payments are calculated. Until 2010, the DSH hospitals claimed all allowable costs, minus whatever money they got from Medicaid.But in 2010, CMS posted an answer to a frequently asked question (FAQ) on the agency website, indicating that "third-party payments" hospitals receive, primarily from Medicare, should also be factored in.This had the potential to significantly lower DSH payments. The New Hampshire Hospital Association and four member hospitals sued the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, claiming the so-called "policy clarifications" contradict the "plain language" of the Medicaid Act and were improperly implemented. Hospital associations in other states sued as well.They argued that if the federal government wants to make that kind of change in the DSH program, it should be an act of Congress, not through an FAQ on the agency website.Judge McCafferty issued an injunction in February 2016, prohibiting the state from implementing the lower DSH payments, and heard arguments from both sides in September.In her 48-page ruling, McCafferty issues a permanent ban against the state using the FAQs to lower its liability to the hospitals.She agreed with the hospitals that the FAQ language made substantive rules that should have been, but were not, made known through notice-and-comment rulemaking."Because of the lack of rulemaking procedure, (the FAQs) represent agency action that is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law," she wrote.The judge also dismissed efforts by the state to intervene in the case.On Feb. 6, 2017, more than a year after the lawsuit was filed, Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers moved to intervene."Meyers offers no persuasive justification for his failure to move to intervene sooner," writes McCafferty. "Therefore, (his) motion is denied."
State Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa said Monday that while his caucus remains frozen out of its email and computer network, it does not plan to pay ransom to restore it."Our phones are operating, our offices are open, our members are conducting business as usual," he said in a conference call with reporters.A "ransomware" cyberattack Friday left state Senate Democrats unable to access emails, internal working documents and other files. Ransomware blocks access to a computer system, making its contents inaccessible absent some form of payment -- or ransom.Mr. Costa would not disclose the amount of ransom being demanded, and would say little about an investigation being carried out by Microsoft, the FBI and the state Attorney General's Office. "Right now, we have no intention of dealing with the demand," he said.The material that is inaccessible includes working documents including an analysis of the state budget currently under discussion in Harrisburg. Also frozen is information in the Democrats' constituent-tracking system, which handles feedback from their districts.Most of that data is backed up nightly, Mr. Costa said, and Democrats should eventually have access to material from as recently as Thursday. But that would depend on whether the backed-up files have themselves been affected."I believe that we'd be able to draw everything back down, provided that it wasn't compromised," Mr. Costa said. "We don't know that yet."That's a real concern, said Rotem Guttman, a cybersecurity researcher at the CERT division of Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. While companies often feel confident that backups will protect their information, he said, "less than 50 percent of companies who have been attacked said they could recover all of that data."Please feel free to reach out if you have questions. Use #AskPaSenateDems and we'll make sure you get the information you need. pic.twitter.com/5xwB0eNqUE-- PaSenateDems (@PaSenateDems) March 6, 2017"Even if you pay the ransom, it's no guarantee that you'll get the data back," he added. "This is a business of probably a billion dollars a year." And while ransomers "don't want to get the reputation that you'll never get your files back, there's no tech support. ... Making sure that everything gets restored [is] not their highest priority."Mr. Guttman said politicians, who receive constant feedback from constituents, have special vulnerabilities: "If you're getting unsolicited emails on a daily basis, you're at a higher risk for attacks."Although no other state legislative caucus has been affected, Mr. Costa said his caucus's cyber defenses "have everything that we should have, based on what Microsoft has told us.'"Western Pennsylvania Democrats said their offices were functioning, but acknowledged the attack had been an inconvenience."You don't realize how dependent you are on things like email," said state Sen. Wayne Fontana of the South Hills. "Even my calendar, I'm going through the antiquated technology of having to write it down." As for constituents, he said, "We haven't had any real complaints so far. But I think if it goes another couple days, we might hear some more."Tim Joyce, chief of staff for Mon Valley Democrat Jim Brewster, said "the only issue we've run into is that people are asking us to print tax forms." The office can't do so because the printers, too, are routed through the Democratic network.But generally, Mr. Joyce said, "We did this work before we had computers. I think it's more difficult for younger staff, who've never known a work world without the internet."
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GIS  07 March 2017 : A special two-day collection of solid waste and junks like scrap metals and old mattresses will be held on 18 and 19 March 2017 across the island in the context of the Clean-up Mauritius and Embellishment Campaign. The population is thus invited to get their junks ready for the two-day bulky waste collection.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Lands, and also Chairman of the Clean Up Mauritius and Embellishment Campaign, Mr Showkutally Soodhun, made the announcement yesterday in Port Louis, following a meeting with stakeholders on actions being initiated under the Campaign. Accordingly, the Municipal and District Councils together with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development will be ensuring that waste collection services providers are spread out to pick up the trash, said the Vice-Prime Minister.

Vice-Prime Minister Soodhun recalled that the Clean-up Mauritius and Embellishment Campaign was successfully launched on 5 March 2017 with the input of all stakeholders, both public and private, as well as youth, non-governmental organisations and the communities at large. He reiterated that the Campaign is not a one-time event, but will be ongoing and gave details of forthcoming initiatives to be organised across the country as part of the Campaign.

Other Ministries and the private and business sectors will be requested to support the campaign. The contribution of the Special Mobile Force as an additional workforce for cleaning activities whenever required will be roped in. An appeal was also made to the population as well as to private companies to not only take care of their immediate surroundings but to go beyond their compound. We should all be concerned with the quality of the environment, that is why we need to keep the environment clean and hygienic at all times, stated Mr Soodhun.

Activities scheduled under the Clean-up Mauritius and Embellishment Campaign

Cleaning, maintenance and embellishment of motorway sides, roundabouts, and highway strips on motorways will soon kick off. The Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands will ensure proper management of bare lands and wastelands and take legal actions against offenders. Buildings in town and villages in need of painting and upgrading will get a facelift. Mr Soodhun pointed out that structures in derelict conditions and not attended to by their owners will be demolished.

The embellishment of public areas namely police stations, schools, bus stops, among others, is also scheduled. While the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is being called upon to make provision of sufficient waste litter bins for distribution and placement throughout the country, the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security will be providing the relevant plants for embellishment. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research will, for its part, seek the participation of students through awareness activities on cleanliness and the way to improve the school premises.
The state of Colorado, which launched its own open data portal nearly five years ago, is expanding its range of available GIS data with the March 6 debut of its new GIS website and data explorer The new site, officials said, should help users find GIS data more easily, while simultaneously providing a place for state, county and municipal agencies and other stakeholders to get GIS support.It offers a mix of visualization tools and service information on its front page, designed to educate visitors on what the state offers in the realm of GIS, as well as areas where it has and continues to put data to good use.Starting the crawl of information is an interactive story map for the Colorado Resiliency and Recovery Office, showing advances in state recovery made since the historic floods of September 2013, which killed 10 and created $3.9 billion in damage.There, slides document everything from watershed master plans and hydrologic evaluations created after the disaster to a spidery map of washed-out highways.Other links take viewers to aggregated parcel data ready for download; to the states broadband portal; and to a video about the states original data-sharing website, the Colorado Information Marketplace Further down, a data services button lets visitors find enterprise data sets and Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) imagery, while buttons for geospatial and database services offers a platform for state agencies to share data, and for users to store data on the GIS Coordination and Development Program's servers.In a news release, Colorados Chief Data Officer Jon Gottsegen called the new website a step forward for [the Office of Information Technologys] GIS services and the GIS community in Colorado.In an interview with, he said that its impact should be felt more deeply, as the site re-examines and re-visualizes existing information, offering more attractive ways to interact with GIS data.Its just a much easier and more appealing way to sort of get into the GIS coordinates were providing, Gottsegen said. A lot of the data is on the Open Government Marketplace, but its another way for people to find it.Christopher Markuson, Pueblo County s economic development and GIS department director, said the site will centralize the state's various GIS-related online products, while eliminating overlap and facilitating communications between agencies.It allows entities that are non-state agencies to leverage data as much as possible. An example is businesses that are looking to open a business somewhere in the state of Colorado can leverage data simply by opening the states website," Markuson toldAs is somewhat typical with new websites, visitors may see the GIS data website add tools as it matures.Gottsegen said the state works with counties to collect lidar data across the state.We dont actually have tools to visualize the data yet, he said. That might be coming.In turn, making more intensive use of GIS data is itself transforming the way the state typically works, Markuson said.Its very evolving. The new frontier about what were doing here is all about Web services. Transactional Web services are the direction were moving," he said. "This website allows us to get that much closer in everything that we do."
SAN RAMON, CALIF.  Sitting in the middle of a business park parking lot, two brightly colored buses stood ready to transport people to their destinations, not so unordinary. What was exceptional about these particular shuttles was a distinct lack of a steering wheel and pedals of any kind.During a demonstration March 6, representatives from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), EasyMile and the Bishop Ranch business park gathered in San Ramon, Calif., to announce the launch of a pilot project utilizing two shuttles as a first mile/last mile (FM/LM) mobility solution. The two shuttles, costing $250,000 each, will begin testing in an empty lot at the business park and will eventually move to an adjacent occupied lot. To abide by current state law, the pilot will transport people across the business park without crossing public streets.We need another mode of transportation, said CCTA Executive Director Randy Iwasaki. We need a first and last mile solution. Transportation planning has for a long time been thought of in silos. There have been plans focusing on rebuilding highways, expanding light rail transit or implementing a bike-sharing system.This is one piece of a transportation network, said Alex Mehran, chairman and CEO of the Sunset Development Company, which owns and operates the business park.The FM/LM problem refers to the difficulty in starting and ending a commute, and therefore resorting to driving the entire way. While autonomous cars in ride-sharing networks seem to be all the rage, autonomous shuttles could serve a vital role in the expansion of AV technology. This is the perfect technology for getting people who want to have an alternative to driving to work, said California Assemblywoman Catharine Baker.We have a failure at the first and last mile, said Mehran. This is a solution to that failure.What is happening today, according to Iwasaki, is that buses load people from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations and drive them down the highway to the business park, and then return to the station empty to complete the trip over again. These shuttles drive the same route day-in day-out, and if were replaced with smart autonomous shuttles, could drive people from the neighborhood surrounding the business park and drop them off at the BART stations. This would essentially double the utility of these vehicles that are not being used today, said Iwasaki.The shuttles themselves were purchased from French-based EasyMile, which specializes in FM/LM solutions. The EZ10 Shared Autonomous Vehicles are completely electric, can hold 12 people total (six seated with room for six to stand), are equipped with several emergency stop buttons, GPS and lidar technology that creates a 360-degree view around the shuttle about 50 yards out. Shuttles can operate 14 hours a day with a six- to eight-hour charging period, said company spokesperson Marion Lheritier.The business park service serves as the next logical testing ground for the CCTA. Were doing a graduated approach to testing, Iwasaki said . The agency has operated the GoMentum Station at an old naval weapons base in Concord, Calif. since 2015. The site has been redesigned to serve as a mock city in which features and intersections can be manipulated at will. GoMentum Station was recently named one of 10 U.S. Department of Transportations Autonomous Vehicle Proving Grounds This pilot kicks off the second phase of the CCTAs AV project, beginning with a highly controlled testing ground, graduating to a slightly less controlled business park parking lot, and ultimately lead to testing on public roads in cities. However, in order to operate on public roads, the CCTA along with its partners, will need to apply for a permit with the state DMV.The 30,000 workers employed at Bishop Ranch will soon be able to sign up for rides in the shuttles, so long as they agree to provide feedback as to how the buses are performing. One potential challenge is that the vehicles are fine-tuned to stop in the event that any obstacle moves in front of the vehicle. During one run, a plastic bag was blown in the shuttle's path, and the vehicle stopped and waited for it to pass. Recognizing the difference between objects and pedestrians is a fixable problem, said Lheritier. A larger challenge, however, is the humble little snowflake, she said. When it is really stormy, snow sticks to the lidar sensors, blocking the view of the vehicle.Rather than reinventing the wheel, we went out and looked for who had the best technology, said Iwasaki. EasyMile was the ideal partner, he said. Being innovative in government is all about partnerships and none of this would be possible without buy-in from both the private sector and elected officials. This is a collaborative effort between business and government for the public good, said Mehran. We are excited to be at the cutting edge of innovation in driverless technology.
As executive director of the Global Connected Customer Experience in the Global Public Policy organization for General Motors, Harry Lightsey is responsible for handling all of the newer technologies coming into vehicles, including connectivity, autonomous or self-driving vehicles, cybersecurity and data privacy.Lightsey, who spent 25 years of his career in the telecom industry at BellSouth and AT&T one year before the breakup of the Bell system (and leaving a year after the introduction of the iPhone), spoke with's FutureStructure about what's on the horizon in when it comes to transportation.If you think about my years in telecom, it was a pretty dramatic period of change for that industry; from 100 percent landline monopoly telephones to the iPhone. But I truly believe that the next 25 years in the automobile industry are going to be as transformative, or more so, than the 25 years we just had in telecom.I think you're having four or five major revolutionary trends all come together at one point in time. If you look at these major trends, any one of them, could be classified as transformative, but the fact that they're all happening at the same time is what really makes this industry ripe for disruption and rapid transformational change.I know you are very familiar with the Chevy Volt story, but back in 2011 when it launched it was a transformative car, and frankly, still is. This year, just within the last couple of months, we started selling our Bolt, which has an EPA rated range of 238 miles per charge and a cost with all of the credits less than $30,000. The cost of the batteries is going down, the range is going up. Our studies are showing that when you get above about 170 miles or so, range anxiety in the public goes down substantially.We've announced that the first autonomous vehicle platform that we will be rolling out is based on the Bolt, Also, we'll be deploying it in ride-sharing fleets in urban centers. We see this as very complimentary technology-wise.It wouldn't be a bad thing for us if people take a ride share ride in a Bolt and say, "Wow, this is a really nice vehicle. I think when I go into purchase my next vehicle, I'm going consider this." There are multiple good reasons and synergies to have the Bolt as our self-driving, ride-sharing vehicle.Obviously the next major trend is ride sharing and car sharing where these models are no longer based on a single human being owning their own vehicle. We think, particularly in urban centers, that model makes a lot of sense. We've got a subsidiary we created one year ago, called Maven, that is now in 16 cities in the U.S. providing car-sharing services. We have a partnership with Lyft, who is a large provider of ride sharing. This is something that we are very interested in. We see our business as being in the mobility business, helping people get from Point A to Point B. As other models come out and as they show that they have promise, we certainly want to be involved in them.We continue to believe that for a long time to come, the predominant model is going to still be individual ownership of vehicles. As other models come to bear, we certainly want to be part of that future as well.I think the key is going to be providing room for folks to be innovative and to try new things. At the same time, a vehicle is a product that is so strongly tied to safety that we can't just ignore that. Safety has to be at the top of everybody's list in terms of how this change occurs. Very dramatically different maybe, from some other industry where people's safety is not a critical consideration.I think that our approach will be to say that we think that right now the business model, and the regulatory model, that makes the most sense is to allow for these vehicles to be deployed in ride-sharing fleets in urban centers. We think that would give the public the opportunity to experience the technology and determine that the technology is safe without having to go out and actually purchase it. Frankly, right now, the technology is incredibly expensive.With a human-driven vehicle, the human being is the ultimate fall-back safety system. When you take the human driver out of the vehicle, you have to design the software so if there is a critical failure, the software can still deliver the occupants of the vehicle to a safe stop.The sensor systems on the vehicle must have multiple redundancies, so that if one sensor fails, or even a sensor system fails, there are redundancies that allow the vehicle to know where it is and to navigate.Our engineers have told me that it's a lot more like designing an airplane than it is like designing a traditional car.We agree with the NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] statements and the federal law of automated vehicle policy guidance. They view the vehicle itself and the systems that are on the vehicle as pretty much within their jurisdiction under the federal safety act, and we agree with that. We look to work with NHTSA and the federal authorities with regard to the actual systems and performance of the systems that are on the vehicle.On the other hand, we think that the states have a very important role to play. They have traditionally had the role of determining who is allowed to drive vehicles on their roads and highways. What the rules of the road are on their roads and highways, what are the rules in regard to liability or insurance? Under what types of conditions are they going to allow autonomous vehicles to be on their roads and highways?At the city level, if you go with the idea of doing limited and controlled deployments, what part of the city will these vehicles be functioning in? What kind of traffic rules do you want them to obey? Do you want them on residential roads? Or not on residential roads? How do you want to deal with law enforcement? All of those are considerations that need to be worked out.In short, limited control deployments, in full cooperation with the local authorities and the state authorities and the federal authorities. We think all of the levels of government have a role to play here, and we're willing to engage with them.
From finding criminals or rioters in a crowd to metering toll traffic on busy bridges, the minds behind the technology say it wont be long before a medium created by humans for humans is all machine.
A Cairo Criminal court has ordered the arrest of Egyptian steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz and former chairman of the Industrial Development Authority Amr Assal pending their retrial on charges of the "illegal sale of steel licenses."

The court has set 4 April as the trial date.

In February 2011, a prosecutor accused Assal of squandering public funds and granting a licence without legal merit to Ezz's company, Ezz Steel, for a factory in Ain El-Sokhna on the Red Sea.

Ezz, who was released from jail on bail in 2014, served as the secretary general of Mubaraks now-dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP). He also acted as the spokesperson of the NDP in parliament between 2005 and 2010.

In September 2011, both defendants received 10 years in prison and an EGP 660 million fine. A year later the Court of Cassation ordered their retrial.

In 2013, Egypts economic felonies court acquitted Ezz and two of his associates on charges of engaging in monopolistic practices in the Egyptian steel market.

Ezz is the former chairman of Ezz Steel, the largest steelmaker in the MENA region, which controls some 50 percent of the country's steel market.

In August 2015, a Cairo criminal court ordered the seizure Ezz's funds.

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Bringing Older Systems Up to Speed

On the Periphery There are a number of other issues governments will encounter once marijuana is legal that may not have technological solutions.



A potentially huge issue is fee and tax payment. At a December working group with legislators, bankers, industry representatives and advocates at the California state Capitol, public servants and marijuana entrepreneurs told stories of banks too afraid of the federal government to provide service to people working with cannabis. Many banks will refuse to hold checking accounts for people who need business accounts to pay taxes and fees out of, fearing conspiracy drug charges from federal agents. Which means that the marijuana industry must often pay those taxes and fees in cash. At the very least, that means bumping up security for people who must handle those large cash payments. At times, agencies that dont accept cash must figure out how to collect payments from a mostly cash industry.



Of course if theres a technology solution out there, we would welcome it, said Lori Ajax, chief of the California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. But at this time  we certainly want to be able to take credit cards and other methods if possible, but if not, then we have to have protocols in place to take cash payments as well.



Theres also the issue of driving under the influence. There is no equivalent of the breathalyzer for marijuana, making it difficult for law enforcement officers to determine if a driver is high or to back up that claim with evidence. The tests that do exist are controversial.



Last, theres a need for state and possibly local governments that havent regulated pesticides before to begin doing so, in one way or another. Pesticide regulation in other industries might be left up to federal agencies, but since the federal government doesnt recognize marijuana as a legitimate industry, those agencies dont intervene in states that have voted to legalize it.







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Everybody Needs Data

A Growing Market

The government needs help.On Nov. 9, four states  and the local governments they contain  woke up to a mandate from voters to fully legalize a product that has long been illegal. A product the federal government still treats as illegal. A product at once in high demand and very controversial.But there are two advantages these states have when it comes to regulating the newly legitimate marijuana industry: technology and the experiences of states that came before them.As these states  California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine  roll steadily toward implementation deadlines, all are searching for technology solutions to help them regulate the drug. And underneath the largest, most obvious solutions there lies a sea of probable and possible problems that technology might also solve.The transition here is at once wholly unique and mostly redundant. Numerous government officials in the states that began regulating legalized marijuana years ago found themselves realizing that many of the processes they needed to put in place were the same as those they already used for alcohol or gambling or other work  background checks, business licensing and safety inspections, for example.But there are a couple key differences. A big one is that marijuana is both controversial and in a legal gray area. A federal memorandum issued when states started legalizing medical marijuana has driven many of the decisions state and local government have used when regulating recreational marijuana.Another is that marijuana is a very new industry. It isnt often that an illegal industry of this scale blossoms into legitimacy. And it is blooming in a very unique environment: the age of the Internet.The end result for many government agencies that have gone through this process is that the need to regulate the new industry has given them the ability to improve the work they do in other areas as well. In Denver, the need for inspectors to look up information in the field led to the city approving more requests for tablets  which are used for all kinds of mobile work. In Oregon, the state turned to preferred vendor NIC to develop a digital marijuana licensing system. State officials now hope to use the system to replace the old paper-based processes for alcohol licenses.We realized that [paper]  wasnt practical for this emerging industry, and it just wasnt the right solution, said Mark Pettinger, a spokesperson for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. We needed a technology solution.As always, the needs for technology will differ between states and localities, and the laws of each state will set the tone for whats necessary.But there are two commonalities between recreational marijuana states: seed-to-sale tracking and licensing systems.Seed-to-sale tracking is a paradigm where states follow marijuana from its very infancy to the point where its sold over the counter. It allows public officials to make sure growers are following planting limits, creates data about how much is being bought and sold, and helps the state make a credible case to the federal government that its not allowing the legitimate market to touch the underground one  among other things.There are major vendors already satisfying this need  some that have won contracts with states that have legalized marijuana include Franwells Metrc system and BioTrackTHC from Bio-Tech Medical Software. Vendors have worked to improve these systems, including offering training to marijuana businesses on accurate data reporting, and the prices may have dropped since they launched. Alaska, for example, spent less than it expected to for Metrc, according to Cynthia Franklin, former director of the states Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office.Business licensing systems have also been a major need for states implementing legalization laws. Colorado built up a system already being used for businesses involved in liquor, gambling and auto sales that assigns license numbers to businesses and tracks renewal dates, disciplinary actions and more. Alaska set up a new Internet-only application process that connected with an existing benefits portal as well as a tweaked version of databases the state uses for other professional licenses.Part of the licensing process often involves background checks from law enforcement as well, a prerequisite meant to keep the illegal world separate from the legal.In the case of Massachusetts, which recently delayed its implementation timeline, some are looking for a hybrid system that handles both licensing and tracking. Massachusetts got a head start on the process, sending out a request for questions about such a system the month before the election.We wanted to combine these  with an eye toward efficiency, but also an attempt to minimize the need for licensees to interact with different systems, said Shawn Collins, legislative and policy director for the Massachusetts State Treasury.After all, many people in many departments will need or want access to the kinds of information contained in both systems, and many will need to collaborate to regulate the now-legal drug. Thats been a repeating theme in states that have voted to legalize  there is a very broad array of regulatory needs and an equally broad range of government agencies that must work to meet them. An information flier from Oregon lists five state agencies responsible for seven broad areas of regulation, each of them broken down into various specific responsibilities.Agency collaboration has been key in Colorado, said Lewis Koski, deputy senior director of enforcement with the states Department of Revenue.This really covers a great many disciplines, and Im not sure anyone seven or eight years ago, when we got started with this, [knew] how many different agencies and professions this is going to touch, Koski said. So when we talk about needs and requirements, one of the things we learned early on was we really needed to do a good job as a group of government agencies that havent had as much of a need to work together in the past as they have on marijuana. We really needed a framework to work together and get things done.As marijuana is legalized in more states, governments are in search of technology solutions to regulate and track the emerging industry. Photo courtesy of APIMAGES.COMBecause each state has its own rules, the requirements and quirks of the technology serving the new industry will vary. California has already selected Accela to handle licensing needs for two of the three state agencies given licensing authority under its legalization proposition  but its going out to bid for a vendor that can integrate systems. The goal is to have a system thats as close to a one-stop shop for users as possible and reduces the amount of redundant or unnecessary information people must provide when applying for licenses.In the process, California will be looking for a system that can support a large number of users  it is the most populous state in the union, after all  as well as one that can change to meet evolving laws and regulations over time.A big lesson learned for all the states is the need to be able to pivot and change direction and be nimble, because with all of these states you had changing legislation, even changing regulation, said Lori Ajax, chief of the California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. Were looking at that from all aspects, even the technology aspect: the ability to be able to pivot quickly.Local government will need help regulating marijuana as well. Though many legalization laws allow local governments to restrict or ban the drug  some towns in Maine are seeking to do exactly that  many more will be faced with an industry at once heavily scrutinized and with a lot of confusion attached to it.In Denver, that meant adopting a new management system to make the permitting process more efficient. Marijuana businesses seeking permits from the city, which is also a county, must go through several inspections  fire, environmental health, and building and zoning, for example. The solution Denver chose, from Accela, allows people in various departments to access files and information from one another.You can imagine for our city attorneys in particular [how easy it is] now being able to go into a record and pull up anything that might be in a given file in their computer instead of coming down, searching through a file cabinet, then its not in there, and then they have to go try to find it on somebodys desk, said Dan Rowland, a spokesperson for the city-county.For Denver, the new need to regulate marijuana also gave more utility to mobile devices. Its become easier to justify buying those devices for field inspectors  and once theyre available for marijuana inspections, they get used for many other things too.They can pull up files that might be in the record like the floor plan  and they can take photos if they see a violation and upload them to the record right there so that the enforcement efforts are tightened up, he said.That has, in turn, encouraged cross-department collaboration where it makes sense.By necessity we have sort of broken down some of those silos, Rowland said. Especially our police and fire folks that work really closely with the marijuana businesses say things like  Ive never had a firefighters number before this, and now I have four or five guys I can call up at any moment and ask them about an issue at some facility.At any level of government, public officials who regulate marijuana are likely to find themselves trying to answer questions about numbers they may or may not have  has driving under the influence increased or decreased since marijuana became legal? Have crime patterns changed? How much money is coming into public coffers, and is it growing?In Colorado, both Koski and Rowland have found themselves trying to answer those questions. And both wished they would have had better systems in place before legalization to collect and analyze the data they need to do it.You see this insatiable hunger for data, whether its from the media or from your constituents or from other governments, Rowland said. Everyone wants to know how many businesses are there, how many crimes are there and what kinds.In the intervening years, Denver has beefed up its data collection and publishing in order to give the public the answers people are looking for. According to Rowland, some 7 percent of Denvers open data catalog is devoted to information related to marijuana in some way. By comparison, 2 percent of the catalog is related to revenue and less than 1 percent is about crime.There are still problem areas. Koski said many people have been interested in things that the state simply didnt collect the right kinds of data on before legalization. Some have wanted to know whether the number of high school students expelled for marijuana has increased since the drug was legalized. Some have asked whether charges for driving under the influence of marijuana have risen.The trouble is, expulsions for drugs werent broken down by type of drug, and officers who suspected a driver was both drunk and high would often just make the case an alcohol charge.It would have been really helpful for us to establish a lot of baseline data well in advance of legalization so we could have that baseline to work off of to determine as soon as possible what the policy impacts were, Koski said.The lesson has not been ignored in California, where state officials have consulted Colorado and other jurisdictions that learned firsthand the need for good data management. Scott Paterson, senior adviser for the California Department of Technology, said the building of a public information website is a high priority for the state as it prepares for a legal marijuana market.We know that as soon as Jan. 1 [2018] hits, people are going to want certain amounts of information  how many applications, how many accepted, how many pending, Paterson said.In the future, perhaps the near future, there might be many more state and local government entities looking for solutions like these.Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, expects more states to at least pursue marijuana legalization.With the surprise victory of Donald Trump in the November election  and his subsequent naming of a traditionally anti-marijuana attorney general in Jeff Sessions  the willingness of voters and lawmakers to choose legalization might change.I would anticipate that, at least initially, lawmakers take an even more conservative approach to this issue in 2017  at least until they begin to get a sense of where the Trump administration stands on the issue, Armentano wrote in an email to Government Technology.But the movement has momentum. Assuming successful implementation of the ballot initiatives that passed in November, the number of states where marijuana is legal for recreational use jumped from five to nine  and one of the new ones just happens to be the most populous state in the U.S. The systems have claimed billions in tax revenue and new avenues of tourism. Basically, a whole new industry that cannot, by law, be anything but local.So in the next two years, a number of states could jump on the bandwagon through legislation or ballot initiatives. Armentano expects legalization bills to be introduced or reintroduced in the legislatures of New Mexico, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire in 2017. Of those, he gave Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware the highest likelihood of success.On top of that, some people are already organizing to get legalization initiatives on the ballot in Michigan and Florida for 2018. Florida voted to legalize medical marijuana in November, and Michigan has had medical marijuana for years.
(TNS) -- Technology is almost always ahead of the law. Almost.Here is an exception. An effort in Olympia aims to enact laws that to protect the privacy of Washingtonians from the misuse of soon-to-be-released technology that can capture their biometric data  everything from retinal scans, handprints, fingerprints, voice imprints and facial geometry.Frankly, this is something Congress should be addressing at the federal level. Its going to be a national concern fairly soon.But, until federal lawmakers take a stand, its appropriate  and welcome  that Washingtons lawmakers are looking at taking action. To this point, only Texas and Illinois have acted.Melissa Santos of the Tacoma News Tribune reported that two proposals have been floated in Olympia. The goal is to prevent peoples characteristics from being cataloged and used without their knowledge.Companies are now preparing to start selling technology to identify people in myriad ways.If I steal your password, you can do another password, said state Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, sponsor of legislation to establish rules for companies before they can enter peoples specific biometric information into a database for commercial purposes. To do that, companies would either have to notify a person, obtain his or her consent or provide a way to limit future commercial use of the data, according to the News Tribune.If I steal your biometrics, youre not going to go get a face-lift. Youre not going to go break your legs so you walk differently. Youre not going to change your DNA out, Morris said. Because its irreplaceable, you always want to maintain some sort of joint ownership of it, so the consumer always controls where that goes.Another piece of legislation would restrict the collection of biometric data by public agencies. It requires government officials to notify people and obtain their consent before collecting their biometric information, while also prohibiting agencies from selling that data.I believe you should own the image of your face  not someone else, said Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, the prime sponsor of the measure. That is very personal, private, intimate and unique to you and you alone, and we need to respect that both in the public and private sectors.Both proposals dealing with biometric data have cleared the House Technology and Economic Development Committee, meaning they are being given serious consideration this year.In the past, lawmakers have balked at the effort for a variety of reasons, mostly because of concerns from technology companies and retailers.Those concerns can be addressed by lawmakers and should not trump the privacy concerns of Washingtonians.Its time for the Legislature to act, and then remain focused on the issue to ensure the law stays ahead of technology.
How Facebook Handles Government Requests

Other Ways Police Can Get Facebook Information

How to Protect Your Facebook Information

Use a strong password

Secure any email accounts associated with your Facebook

Use a VPN service when accessing Facebook through public Wi-Fi

Enable extra security features like login approvals

Install anti-virus software on devices you use to access Facebook

Log out of Facebook if you ever use it on a public device

In December, 2016, Facebook released their Global Government Requests Report , which highlighted the statistics on how many requests for account data they received from government officials in the first half of 2016. Compared to the first half of 2015, these requests rose by 27 percent. Approximately 56 percent of the requests made in the United States included a non-disclosure order, which means Facebook couldnt notify the user that they were passing on their data to law enforcement.According to a 2012 survey , two thirds of law enforcement officials believe that social media helps solve crimes more quickly, and 80 percent use social media to assist in investigations. Heres what you need to know about how the police use Facebook to investigate crimes.As Facebook explained in their Global Government Requests Report, they wont give up just any information. Facebook notes that they only discloses records after a formal and valid legal process.In emergencies, they will share information with law enforcement officials if they believe theres a risk of serious injury or death. Law enforcement must describe the emergency and present a case for how the disclosed information can prevent harm. Facebook assures its users that it doesnt provide governmentsboth U.S. and foreign governmentsback doors into users information.There are multiple types of requests government officials can put in. One of these is a preservation request, where Facebook takes a snapshot of the account information law enforcement is requesting. Law enforcement may also request content restrictions, which restricts content that violates local law. Not all of these requests will be honored.Even if Facebook declines law enforcements request for information, police can still access online data through other means. For example, every time someone posts information publicly, either on their personal page or in public groups, that information can legally be used in criminal investigations. There is no subpoena required for accessing public data like this.It goes deeper than that, too. If someone posts information for only their friends to see, one of their friends may come forward with the information. This can involve more serious charges like assault or less serious cases, such as when police use Facebook comments to investigate cyber bullying. In years prior, law enforcement has gone under cover online to friend suspects or their friends to learn more regarding the case. For example, they might compare Facebook posts with suspects alibis or find pictures that prove a person committed robbery. All because the person accepted a strangers friend request.In one case several years ago, a New York man was charged with murder along with narcotics-related crimes thanks to his Facebook activity. Among the incriminating Facebook evidence, the man posted public photos of himself flashing gang signs. He also created private posts referencing threats and violent crimes hed committed. One of his Facebook friends cooperated with the police and shared the mans posts with law officials. The court ruled that the police could use this information in their investigation because once you post something for your friends to see, you are giving up your rights to privacy and allowing your friends to use the information as they see fit, which includes sharing it with police.Sometimes, though, Facebook friends may not even know theyre handing over information to the police. This is not through deception but rather through public posts that are available for anyone to view. A criminals friends could reference their crime in a public post or group, or they could tag their friends in incriminating photos.Its not all about what youon Facebook, though. In one case back in 2010, four individuals stole a collectors edition Wayne Gretzky jersey at a store apparel store. The jersey was valued at $1,000. It took the store just 15 minutes to identify the thieves through Facebook. They did so by comparing video camera footage against friends of people who had liked their page.Whats more, police can use friend connections to identify members of a certain gang. These connections alone can incriminate people even if they havent posted anything illegal on their profile.Facebook has even been used to pinpoint fugitives locations, leading to their capture. These people might check in at a specific place or post photos that could give clues as to where they are.Even when you havent done anything wrong, you can still end up under investigation by law enforcement. This may occur if you are friends with someone who has committed a crime or if you are promoting illegal activity in some way. Even joking about illegal activity can get you on the polices radar.Facebook has even been used by school officials, including colleges, to investigate cases underage drinking, code of conduct violations, and cyber bullying.The ways in which law enforcement can use social media in criminal investigations and less serious charges is a bit of a gray area. That said, laws are always changing, and if it turns out that one day police can access your private messages and other information easier than they can today, they could access information from years ago.Though the idea of law enforcement accessing your Facebook account sounds scary, there is little reason to worry about your Facebook privacy when it comes to government investigations, especially if you havent done anything wrong. Whats more troubling is the prevalence of hackers getting ahold of your private Facebook data. While only 59,229 government requests for data occurred in the first half of 2016, approximately 160,000 Facebook accounts are hacked daily. To protect your data from hackers, ensure that you:However, the only way to ensure complete privacy of your information is to never share sensitive data through public networks like Facebook. Even if you block certain people from your posts or set photo albums to only show up for you, you may find that information at risk of getting out if law officials subpoena your information or if a hacker gets in to your account.Heres the thing to remember: Everything you ever post online is in some way accessible to everyone, and even if you delete your profile, that content is never completely wiped clean. It helps to live by the rule that if you wouldnt want someone interviewing you for a job to see it, dont post it.What all this boils down to is that Facebook is not against you. They will fight for you and challenge requests that are deficient or overly broad, they say. However, they will give up information if it means it will help protect users or other people. That said, there are other ways governments can use Facebook to catch criminals or to build a case against them. Heading caution on your profile and cooperating with law enforcement is the only way to ensure your safety.
A Giza prosecution ordered on Tuesday an investigation into the death of a man in custody in Cairo's Haram police station, Ahram Arabic website reported.

The prosecution ordered the autopsy and burial of the 26-year-old identified as Mahmoud H, whose family says was tortured to death by police.

Mahmoud was being held on suspicion of killing his grandmother.

Police say the suspect fell ill while in custody and was taken to hospital, where he died.

According to Article 52 of the Egyptian constitution, "torture in all its forms is a crime without a statute of limitations."

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Toro Rosso is still open to the idea of changing the official name of its engine before the start of the 2017 season.

After the acrimonious semi-works relationship between Red Bull and Renault ended, Red Bull stayed with the French supplier for 2016 but sold the naming rights of the power unit to watch sponsor Tag-Heuer.

Now, as the junior team Toro Rosso also switches to Renault power, the Italian outfit is looking to follow suit with a similar rebranding deal.

On the final 2017 entry list released by the FIA, every detail was confirmed except the engine name for Toro Rosso, whose Renault power unit was listed as 'TBC' (to be confirmed).

"Some companies are interested in buying the name," team boss Franz Tost is quoted by Speed Week.

"As soon as we conclude a contract, we will change the name."

There are reports Toro Rosso suffered multiple reliability problems last week, mainly with the new 2017-spec Renault power unit.

But Tost said: "The car is good and both drivers gave positive comments about the car."

Apparently even happier in the power unit department, however, is Gunther Steiner, boss of the small American outfit Haas.

As Sauber is using the 2016 Ferrari engine this year, Haas is the only team apart from the works Maranello outfit to be using Ferrari's latest power unit in 2017.

Steiner said: "If I look at the others, they have quite a few problems. But compared to last year, Ferrari has made big steps, which is very good."

(GMM)
Red Bull cannot be written off after just one test.

That is the view of Renault reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin, who was summarising the potential 2017 pecking-order in conversation with Russia's Championat.

"We don't know the details, but from the first test Ferrari looked to be in equal first place with Mercedes, which for me was very surprising," he said.

"The Red Bull had difficulties, some technical issues, but I think in any case they will be right behind the two leaders and then maybe catch up and even pass them," the Russian added.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso agrees, saying that Red Bull showed "nothing" in terms of great performance in Barcelona last week.

"But it's always like that," he is quoted by the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal. "I think they will bring a car to Australia that looks nothing like what they have now."

And even Red Bull's own Daniel Ricciardo said F1 should expect a step forward for the energy drink-owned team this week in Barcelona.

"We were working on reliability and the tyres. The times were simply not representative," he was quoted by the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

"In the coming week we will get a clearer picture as the teams will all have developments on the cars. And I think the (engine) power will also be turned up a bit," the Australian smiled.

Meanwhile, Sirotkin said he thinks Renault will take a big step forward in 2017, having not performed strongly last year.

"It is 100 per cent that Renault has made a step forward," he said. "Last year it was unreal to talk about fighting against Force India and Williams, but we are now in the same group.

"We will see how things really are in Melbourne," Sirotkin added.

(GMM)
Pascal Wehrlein has been given the green light to return to action with Sauber this week.

Having switched to the Swiss team from Manor, the Mercedes junior had to sit out the first test in Barcelona last week with a back injury sustained at the race of champions event.

"The problem was that I hit the tec-pro barrier with my helmet," the German is quoted by Bild newspaper.

But Wehrlein was able to continue a modified fitness programme as he was replaced in Barcelona by the Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi.

However, it is believed that if Wehrlein's convalescence had continued, Sauber may need to have turned to Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc for a longer-term solution, with Giovinazzi needed by the works team as Ferrari reserve.

But on Monday, 22-year-old Wehrlein announced on Twitter: "Green light for tomorrow! Can't wait to be on track!"

Sauber confirmed the news, saying its new team driver will be in action in the Ferrari-powered car as the final Barcelona test begins on Tuesday.

(GMM)
Petrobras could be about to re-emerge in formula one.

We reported last November that the Brazilian oil multinational would leave Williams. Indeed, the Petrobras logo is now missing from the side of the 2017 car's monocoque.

Livio Oricchio, a respected Brazilian correspondent for the Globo broadcaster, said McLaren-Honda is now in talks about a Petrobras deal.

That is despite the fact that, as long-time partner Mobil switched to Red Bull, McLaren inked a new lubricants deal for 2017 with BP-Castrol.

But it is believed the BP-Castrol deal with Renault is actually the more significant, as is indicated by the level of signage on the French team's livery.

"It is a fact that the marketing side of McLaren is negotiating with Petrobras about a sponsorship and development contract for fuel and oil. It would be similar to what Petrobras had with Williams from 1998 and 2008," said Oricchio.

If true, it would be a spot of good news for the otherwise struggling McLaren-Honda project, as Fernando Alonso now moves towards the end of his original three-year deal.

The Spanish driver, however, put a brave face on the situation.

"The situation improved every day during the week, and next week we'll be in another situation," Alonso said during last week's Barcelona testing.

"In Australia we will be in an even better situation. The chassis has a good foundation -- I could feel good grip in the corners. As for the other teams, what we are testing in Barcelona will not be what we see in Australia," he insisted.

(GMM)
Egypt condemned on Tuesday the forceful takeover by a Libyan militant group of two of the country's largest oil ports, saying the assaults undermine the ongoing efforts to end the war stricken country's political stalemate.

On 3 March, militant group Benghazi Defence Brigades captured the ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, 600km east of the capital Tripoli.

The ports were under the control of eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar, who Cairo supports.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that such attacks represent an extreme danger, urging the importance of not allowing "foreign-backed militant groups" to determine the political process in the country.

Abu Zeid also stressed Cairo's commitment to supporting a political solution in Libya, calling on the Libyan parliament and presidential council to refuse any foreign intervention and commit to reaching a political solution.

Last month, a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria was held in Tunis to discuss the situation in Libya, with the representatives of the three countries releasing a statement on a Tunisian declaration to support comprehensive political reconciliation in Libya.

The declaration included six points that reiterated the rejection of foreign military or political intervention in Libyan domestic affairs.

The statement stressed the importance of preserving the Libyan state and army in accordance with the 2015 Skhirat agreement and its future amendments through discussion and coordination between Libyan factions.

The Egyptian reconciliation committee on resolving the Libyan conflict, which includes Egyptian army Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazi and foreign minister Shoukry, announced it had found common ground between the various parties during talks in Cairo, which could form the foundation of a political settlement.

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Fox was mostly known as a children's writer who frankly explored abandonment and loss until she was championed by a new generation of US writers in the 1990s

The writer Paula Fox, whose novels had fallen out of print until she was hailed as a forgotten great of American letters in her seventies -- has died in New York. She was 93.

Fox was mostly known as a children's writer who frankly explored abandonment and loss until she was championed by a new generation of US writers in the 1990s.

One of them, Jonathan Franzen, author of "The Corrections," called her masterpiece "Desperate Characters" about a couple stuck in a loveless marriage, the greatest realist novel of the postwar era.

Fox -- grandmother of rock star-turned-actress Courtney Love -- died at a hospital near her Brooklyn home, her daughter, Linda Carroll-Barraud, told The New York Times.

Abandoned by her bohemian parents, who left her in a home for abandoned children when they went off to travel, she spent her childhood being passed between friends, family and a poor small-town preacher.

They later reclaimed her but at 16 she left home to follow her own path.

A few years later Fox herself was forced to give up her own daughter Linda -- Love's mother -- for adoption when she became pregnant at university.

Fox would later write about not being wanted by her glamorous mother and alcoholic father, a Hollywood screenwriter.

After a brief spell at New York's prestigious Juilliard School for musicians, she became a freelance journalist in devastated postwar Europe, an experience she revisited in her 2005 memoir, "The Coldest Winter."

Over her long career, Fox penned more than 20 books for young people and six aimed at adults.

They were tied together by her spare style and interest in the breaking down of things -- from families to health to love.

Her own chaotic childhood flitting between Manhattan, Malibu and Cuba was laid bare in her critically-acclaimed memoir "Borrowed Finery."

She was awarded the Newbery Medal, the top children's literature honor, in 1974 for "The Slave Dancer." The controversial novel centered on the Atlantic slave trade in the mid-19th century.

Four years later Fox was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award for her body of children's work.

But her career took an unexpected upward turn when Franzen chanced upon a copy of "Desperate Characters" which he hailed as a masterpiece in a 1996 article in Harper's magazine.

"It struck me as plainly superior to any novel by Fox's contemporaries John Updike, Philip Roth or Saul Bellow," he wrote. "It struck me as obviously great."

Married twice, she is survived by her husband, two children and several grandchildren.

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More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Iran's veterans' affairs office said Tuesday.

"Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the holy mausoleums," Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Shahidi, who is head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran.

The figure was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to Syria.

Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and also organises militias fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Shahidi did not provide details on the nationalities of those killed.

Iran oversees "volunteer" fighters recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The families of those killed in battle are given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.

Tehran refers to the fighters as "defenders of the shrines" -- a reference to Shia holy sites in Iraq and Syria that have been targeted by Sunni extremists.

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Additionally, Audi is now offering e-gas to power the A3 Sportback g-tron as standard; customers will pay only the regular natural gas price. With this deal, Audi is reducing the CO 2 emissions of the g-tron fleet when running on gas by 80%. When the new A4 Avant g-tron and the A5 Sportback g-tron come on market later this year, the e-gas offer as standard will apply to these models as well.

Audi has introduced the natural-gas-fueled A4 Avant g-tron; dealers in Europe will begin taking orders for the midsize model starting in early summer 2017. It can be selected with climate-friendly Audi e-gas (synthetic natural gas produced with renewable energy in a Power-to-Gas process, earlier post ) or compressed natural gas (CNG), or can be powered with gasoline.

A4 Avant g-tron.The A4 Avant g-tron engine is based on the new 2.0 TFSI featuring an advanced, highly efficient combustion process developed by Audi. The turbocharged power plant produces 125 kW (170 hp). Maximum torque of 270 Nm (199.1 lb-ft) is available at approx. 1,650 rpm.

The pistons and valves have been specially modified for gas operation and allow for an optimal compression ratio. An electronic controller reduces the high pressure of the compressed natural gas (CNG) flowing from the tank from as much as 200 bar to a working pressure of 5 to 10 bar in the engine. This pressure control function is performed dynamically and precisely in response to the power requested by the driver. The correct pressure is always present in the gas line and at the injector valves  low pressure for efficient driving in the lower speed range, and higher pressure for more power and torque.

In the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), the Audi A4 Avant g-tron with S tronic uses just 3.8 kilograms of CNG per 100 kilometers (8.4 lb per 62.1 mi)that equates to fuel costs of only about 4 (US$4.23) (as of: March 2017). CO 2 emissions are about 100 grams per km (160.9 g/mi).

In gasoline operation, the bi-fuel A4 Avant uses 5.4 liters per 100 kilometers (43.6 US mpg) and 124 grams of CO 2 per kilometer (199.6 g/mi). The tank capacity of 19 kilograms (41.9 lb) of gas allows for a range of up to 500 kilometers (310.7 mi) in the NEDC.

When the amount of gas remaining drops below approx. 0.6 kilograms (1.3 lb)analogous to a residual pressure of 10 barthe control unit switches to gasoline operation. The bi-fuel A4 Avant g-tron can cover up to 450 additional kilometers (279.6 mi) in this mode. The potential overall range is comparable to that of a car with a TDI engine.

In conjunction with the manual six-speed transmission, the A4 Avant g-tron accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in just 8.5 seconds. Its top speed is 223 km/h (138.6 mph).

The filler necks for gas and gasoline are located under a common tank flap. After refueling, and whenever it is very cold, the engine is started with gasoline initially, then switched over to natural gas operation as quickly as possible. Two displays in the instrument cluster keep the driver up-to-date on the fill levels of the tanks. The driver information system shows the fuel consumption in the active operating mode.

Audi installs the four cylindrical CNG tanks as a compact module in the rear end of the Avant. They are optimized for the available space, and each is specifically sized. Sheet steel shells with tensioning straps hold the cylinders and protect them against damage, such as curbs. The complete CNG tank module, which also includes the 25 liter (6.6 US gal) gasoline tank, is fitted during production of the A4 Avant. The spare wheel well has been eliminated. The battery also moves from the luggage compartment to the engine compartment. The loading floor is level with the loading lip, thus offering a full-fledged luggage compartment.

The CNG tanks with an operating pressure of 200 bar at 15 degrees Celsius follow the Audi lightweight construction philosophy. With their innovative layout, they weigh 56% less than comparable steel cylinders. Their inner layer is a gas-tight matrix of polyamide. The second layer, a composite winding of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), provides for maximum strength. The third layer is pure GFRP and serves primarily as a visual inspection aid, turning milky white where damaged. Before being installed in a car, each tank is tested at 300 bar during production. The actual bursting pressure is much higher still and far exceeds the legal requirements.

The A4 Avant g-tron is especially eco-friendly when running on Audi e-gas. This is the first virtually CO 2 -neutral long-distance mobility the company has offered. Audi and its partners produce the fuel using renewable energies, water and CO 2 or from waste materials like straw and plant clippings.

Audi e-gas. Audi produces e-gas in its own power-to-gas plant in Werlte, located in Lower Saxony. Three electrolyzers powered primarily by surplus green electricity split water into oxygen and hydrogen. In the subsequent methanation process, the hydrogen reacts with CO. The result is synthetic methane: Audi e-gas. This is fed into the European gas grid and compensates for the volume of natural gas used by the g-tron model in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Customers can fill up their g-tron model at any CNG filling station and pay the regular price. By feeding the computed volume of Audi e-gas into the natural gas grid, Audi works behind the scenes to ensure the green benefits of the program, including the corresponding reduction in CO 2 emissions.

A fuel card is no longer used as the accounting tool. Instead, Audi computes the volume automatically based on surveys and service data from the cars. TUV Sud, a German testing and certification corporation, monitors and certifies the process. Audi g-tron customers receive a document that confirms their car will be supplied with Audi e-gas and informs them about the certification.
ExxonMobil Corporation is expanding its manufacturing capacity along the US Gulf Coast through planned investments of $20 billion over a 10-year period.

The projects, at 11 proposed and existing sites, are expected to generate thousands of new high-paying jobs and $20 billion in increased economic activity in Texas and Louisiana, Darren Woods, chairman and CEO said, highlighting the companys Growing the Gulf initiative in a keynote speech on Monday at the CERAWeek 2017 conference.

ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the US Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The companys Growing the Gulf expansion program, consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022.

According to the American Chemistry Council, chemical manufacturing is one of Americas top exporting industries, accounting for 14% of overall US exports in 2015, and exports of specific chemicals linked to shale gas are projected to reach $123 billion by 2030. Most of ExxonMobils planned new chemical capacity investment in the Gulf region is targeted toward export markets in Asia and elsewhere.
Hondas focus on electrification in Europe will initially be driven by a roll-out of hybrid technology across its automobile range. The first new hybrid model, which will feature Hondas two-motor hybrid system, will go on sale in 2018.

Speaking at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Honda Motor Europes President and COO, Katsushi Inoue outlined Hondas commitment to an electric future in Europe, with a specific aim to have electrified powertrains in two-thirds of Honda cars sold in Europe by 2025.

Honda will also make plug-in hybrid, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles commercially available to European customers.

We will leverage Hondas global R&D resources to accelerate the introduction of a full portfolio of advanced, electrified powertrains for the European customer. Katsushi Inoue

Hondas Clarity Fuel Cell model will be showcased at Geneva, following the arrival of the first cars in Europe at the end of last year. The arrival of Clarity Fuel Cell in Europe as part of the Europe-wide HyFIVE (Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles) initiative reinforces Hondas commitment to drive the adoption of fuel cell vehicles and the creation of a viable hydrogen refueling infrastructure across the region.

The announcement of the electric vehicle strategy for Europe comes just weeks after Honda was confirmed as the fastest growing mainstream car brand in the region in 2016.

The full-year data from European industry body ACEA shows that total sales for Honda in EU and EFTA countries in 2016 were 159,126 units to the end of December, an increase of 20.8% per cent compared to same period in 2015. Hondas growth significantly outpaced the results for the EU passenger car market as a whole, which saw a year-on-year increase of 6.8% per cent.

NeuV. Making its European show debut in Geneva, the Honda NueV (earlier post) is a pure-electric concept car with a unique ownership proposition and a state-of-the-art emotion engine that can learn about its driver. The NeuV (pronounced new-vee), which stands for New Electric Urban Vehicle, was conceived to take advantage of the fact that privately-owned vehicles sit idle for 96% of the time.

The pure-electric concept car explores a financially-beneficial ownership model for enterprising customers, by functioning as an automated ride sharing vehicle when the owner is not using the car. It would pick up and drop off customers at local destinations, and could also sell energy back to the electric grid during times of high demand when its sitting idle, further monetizing the vehicles down time.

NeuV also functions as a thoughtful and helpful AI assistant utilizing an emotion engine called HANA (Honda Automated Network Assistant), which learns from the driver by detecting emotions behind their judgments. It can then apply what it has learnt from the drivers past decisions to make new choices and recommendations. The HANA emotion engine is a set of AI technologies developed by cocoro SB Corp., which enable machines to artificially generate their own emotions.

A full touch-panel interface enables both the driver and passenger to access NeuVs simple and convenient user experience. Outstanding outward visibility is afforded by a sweeping panoramic windscreen and a dramatically sloping belt line that make maneuvering simple. Entry and exit from the vehicle is made as easy as possible, even in tight parking spaces, with a complete side panel that opens out and backwards to create a large opening.

NeuV has two seats with luggage space behind, which also stores the Kick n Go electric scooter concept designed for last mile transit. The scooter concept is inspired by Hondas original scooter of the same name launched in the 1970s. The new design is powered by a detachable battery rather than a chain mechanism, and can be recharged through a connection in NeuVs luggage space. The new Kick n Go concept demonstrates that Honda is looking at all aspects of affordable electric mobility that can enrich peoples daily lives.

Honda recently demonstrated NeuV as part of its Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, showing the potential power of artificial intelligence, robotics and big data to transform the mobility experience of the future and improve customers quality of life.
Malaysia on Tuesday said suspected militants from Yemen arrested late last month ahead of a visit by Saudi King Salman were planning an attack on "Arab royalties".

A senior police source said the four Yemenis belonged to a Houthi insurgency group that has been fighting Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition for two years.

The Saudi monarch arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 26 with a 600-strong delegation for a four-day visit, at the start of a month-long Asia tour. He is currently in Indonesia.

Between Feb. 21 and Feb. 26, Malaysia arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners - one Indonesian, four Yemenis and one East Asian - for suspected links to militant groups including Islamic State group, police had said in a statement on Sunday.

Speaking on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said the four Yemenis were plotting an attack on Arab royalties.

"Four Yemenis, apart from their role involving in producing false travel documents they are also involved in distributing drugs... and they are also planning to attack the Arab royalties during the visit in Kuala Lumpur, so we got them in the nick of time," Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.

The Yemenis were arrested in Serdang and Cyberjaya - near the capital Kuala Lumpur - for suspected links to a Yemeni insurgent group, Malaysian police had said on Sunday.

Police seized multiple international passports from the four, along with 270,000 ringgit ($60,742.41) in different currencies which were suspected to be channelled to the insurgent group.

The United Nations has said Yemen now poses the largest food insecurity emergency in the world, with an estimated 7.3 million people needing immediate help, while more than 10,00 people have been killed in the conflict.

Hundred Detained In Malaysia

Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people with suspected militant links during recent years.

The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since suicide bombers and gunmen linked to IS group launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016.

A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in June last year wounded eight people. IS group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two of the seven arrested in late February - a Malaysian and an Indonesian - were planning to launch a large-scale attack using a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device," the police have said.

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Two children, aged 10 and 12, were killed in a suspected US air strike targeting al-Qaeda in central Yemen, a provincial official said on Tuesday.

The children had been tending a herd of goats on a mountain outside the village of Yakla, in Baida province, when the strike hit on Sunday, the official said.

There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.

The United States has conducted more than 40 strikes against Al-Qaeda in Yemen since stepping up its air war against the jihadists on Thursday.

The Pentagon has said that none of the strikes have been conducted based on intelligence gathered in a botched US raid in January, the first authorised by President Donald Trump, in which multiple civilians and a Navy SEAL were killed.

More than two years of civil war between government forces and Shiite rebels who control the capital have created a power vacuum that Al-Qaeda has exploited to consolidate its presence in the south and east.

Washington regards Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as the jihadist network's most dangerous and says it has been plotting attacks on the West in recent months.

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President Donald Trump gave the impression in his address to Congress last Tuesday night that he could sound like the nations chief executive.

The moment didnt last long. By early Saturday, he was using Twitter to hurl serious but unsubstantiated charges at his predecessor. It was a sudden return to the worst of Trump, bringing to mind his campaign threat against Hillary Clinton.

If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to have a special prosecutor to look into your situation, he told her during a nationally televised debate in October. Theres never been so many lies, so much deception. Were going to have a special prosecutor.

Saturday he accused Barack Obama of having Trump Tower wiretapped during the campaign, calling the former president a bad (or sick) guy!

This went far beyond Trumps claim made a few days earlier that Obama is behind anti-Trump protests across the country. Thats the usual blather from a man who lashes out at Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a department store chain and others, usually for petty reasons.

This time, Trump made a sensational allegation of criminal conduct. Presidents cant legally order wiretaps of U.S. citizens. Rather than present any evidence to support it, Trump went silent and his aides demanded a congressional investigation to find out whether its true.

In the meantime, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said, to his knowledge, there was never any wiretap, and FBI Director James Comey reportedly asked the Justice Department to publicly repudiate Trumps statement as untrue.

Comey is wrong, Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway said Monday. And the Justice Department, maybe unwilling to cross the White House, said nothing.

Long ago, Trump tried to delegitimize Obama by leading the birther campaign. Now he wants to criminalize him, as he tried to do with Clinton. But its probably no coincidence that these stunning allegations were made just as calls are intensifying for a special prosecutor to look into Trump campaign contacts with Russia during the election. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself last week from participation in investigations because of his own meetings with the Russian ambassador after stating under oath at his confirmation hearing that he had no such communications.

To borrow Trumps words, theres never been so many lies, so much deception as has been seen about who in the Trump campaign did or didnt talk to Russians at a time when the Russians were trying to influence the election in Trumps favor.

Theres plenty for congressional committees to investigate, and they should add Trumps allegation against Obama to their list. It should be easy to determine the truth about that, and the sooner the better.

The consequences are enormous. Either the past president should be prosecuted for a criminal offense or the current president should be exposed for blatant dishonesty. The American people deserve the truth.
Iraqi forces said Tuesday they had seized the main government offices in Mosul and its famed museum as they made steady progress in their battle to retake the city's west from Islamist militants.

The advances, which also included the recapture of three neighbourhoods, were announced on the third day of a renewed offensive against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in west Mosul -- the largest remaining urban stronghold in the "caliphate" declared by the Islamist militants in 2014.

Supported by the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi forces began their push against west Mosul on February 19. The advance slowed during several days of bad weather but was renewed on Sunday.

The latest gains have brought government troops and police closer to Mosul's densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under IS rule.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement that federal police and the elite Rapid Response unit had been able to "liberate" the headquarters for the Nineveh provincial government.

They also seized control of the Al-Hurriyah bridgehead, it said, in a step towards potentially relinking west Mosul with the city's east, which government forces seized from the Islamist militants earlier in the offensive.

All the bridges crossing the Tigris in Mosul have been damaged or destroyed, and Iraqi forces would either have to repair them or install floating bridges to reconnect the two banks of the river which divides the city.

Officers said Tuesday that security forces had also managed to recapture the Mosul museum, where the Islamist militants destroyed priceless artefacts, releasing a video of their rampage in February 2015.

The video showed militants at the museum knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces. In another scene, a jackhammer was used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archaeological site in the city.

The Islamist militants' attacks on ancient heritage in Iraq and Syria have sparked widespread international outrage and fears for some of the world's most precious archaeological sites.

The museum was on a police list released Tuesday of sites recaptured from IS, which also included Mosul's central bank building, which the Islamist militants looted along with other banks in 2014, seizing tens of millions of dollars.

The JOC announced Tuesday that Iraqi forces had regained complete control of the west Mosul neighbourhoods of Al-Dawasa, Al-Danadan and Tal al-Ruman, bringing the total number of recaptured areas to 10.

In Al-Danadan, streets were left strewn with rubble and windows blown out of many houses.

"There was mortar rounds falling on us, they fell on the roof and in the courtyard," said Manhal, a 28-year-old resident of the area.

The recent fighting in west Mosul has forced more than 51,000 people to flee their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration.

But the number who have fled is still just a fraction of the 750,000 people believed to have stayed on in west Mosul under IS rule.

Emerging from the chaos of the civil war in neighbouring Syria, IS seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014, declaring its Islamic "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities.

The US-led coalition launched air strikes against the Islamist militants in both countries several months later and has backed both Iraqi forces and fighters in Syria battling IS.

The Islamist militants have been pushed from most of the territory they once seized but remain in control of key bastions including west Mosul and the caliphate's de facto Syrian capital Raqa.

In Syria, they have faced offensives by three rival forces.

Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies have pushed south from the Turkish border and driven IS out of the northern town of Al-Bab.

Syrian government troops have driven east from second city Aleppo with Russian support and seized a swathe of countryside from the Islamist militants .

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said Tuesday that regime forces had neared a key water pumping station for Aleppo and a military airport under IS control.

"Regime forces are now on the outskirts of the Jarrah military airport and the town of Al-Khafsah and the water pumping station," it said.

A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters has been advancing on Raqa and on Monday reached the Euphrates River cutting the main road to the partly IS-held city of Deir Ezzor downstream.

World powers have vowed increased cooperation in tackling the global threat from IS, which from its base in Syria and Iraq has organised or inspired a series of deadly attacks in foreign cities.

Talks were taking place on Tuesday between the Turkish, Russian and US military chiefs in the southern Turkish city of Antalya on issues including cooperation in Iraq and Syria.

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Russian-backed Syrian government forces battling the Islamic State group in the northern province of Aleppo have neared a key water pumping station and an airbase, a monitor said on Tuesday.

The Al-Khafsah pumping station provides the water supply for Aleppo and residents of the government-held second city have been without mains water for some 50 days since the militants cut it.

"Regime forces are now on the outskirts of the Jarrah military airport and the town of Al-Khafsah and the water pumping station," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"There are now no villages left between regime forces and the town of Al-Khafsah or the town of Deir Hafer," the Britain-based monitor said, referring to two IS-held areas.

A government security source confirmed the army had made "significant progress" in the east of Aleppo province, seizing 20 villages and areas on Monday.

The source said the army had neared "the outskirts of Al-Khafsah, and the west bank of the Euphrates river."

"This progress is tightening the noose on Daesh and puts it in difficult circumstances and makes its withdrawal (from the area)... a matter of time," the source added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

IS militants seized the Jarrah airbase in January 2014 from rebels who had taken it from the government in February 2013.

Shortly afterwards, there were reports the militants were being trained to fly jets they had captured at the base, and the government said it destroyed two of three planes in IS group hands, adding the third was already unusable.

The government offensive in Aleppo province has involved heavy air strikes and shelling and prompted an exodus of civilians.

The UN says at least 26,000 have fled since February 25, with many heading towards the town of Manbij and surrounding villages, which are held by a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

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WASHINGTON - Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Monday promised to use every possible tool to block the nomination of Rod Rosenstein to be the number two official at the Justice Department if he refuses to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate possible connections between President Trumps administration and Russia.

Blumenthal is a member of the Judiciary Committee, which will host a confirmation hearing for Rosenstein on Tuesday.

In normal circumstances, confirmation of the deputy attorney general would get minimal attention. But, since Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigation regarding Russia and the White house, whomever the deputy attorney general is will oversee any investigation that may or may not occur. This means that, if confirmed, Rosenstein would decide whether to appoint a special prosecutor or not.

Blumenthal said Rosenstein squarely and solely has that responsibility, because the attorney general has recused himself. Im prepared to do what is necessary, including filibuster.

He said, Ill use whatever time I can in (the Judiciary) committee and on the Senate floor to persuade my colleagues he should be voted down unless he agrees to appointment of a special prosecutor. Obviously, the tools are not unlimited. There is a limit to time on the (Senate) floor. But I will use every available tool and power to block this nomination.

This is not the first time that Blumenthal has shown his support for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible ties between the Trump administration and Russia. On Feb. 15, Blumenthal headed a group of senators that called for Sessions to appoint an independent prosecutor after the National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned.

Blumenthal also warned against being distracted by the presidents latest tweets accusing President Obama of wiretapping his phones, which, Blumenthal said, are designed to divert attention from Russian election meddling, possible collusion with Trump officials, and a potential White House cover-up.
Every business faces fierce competition in terms of sales, efficiency and effectiveness. That's why Automation is necessary for your business to survive. The reason: There is so much to do in your business, but time is insufficient. According to Paretos 80/20 rule, only 20 percent of your activities have the most effect on your business and the remaining 80 percent is just busywork.

Related: 5 Top Marketing Automation Tools for SMB's

As a freelancer and small business owner, I've often found myself time-strapped because I wear so many hats as owner, accountant, chief cook and bottle washer, etc. But automating certain areas of my business has given me invaluable time to strategize and work on my business.

In fact, I was able to increase my productivity by more than 70 percent by automating the following five areas in my business.

1. The hiring process

As your business grows, you might feel the need to hire more (qualified) employees. Unfortunately, the traditional way of posting an ad on job sites and waiting for applications to pour in is not only inefficient but extremely time-consuming.

My business was growing steadily to the point that I needed to hire extra help. The first step I took toward automating this process was to define the candidates I wanted. I did this by asking a series of questions that my ideal candidates would be able to answer:

What are your goals?

How do you handle difficult situations?

What new habit have you formed in the last 30 days?

What do you do in your free time and why?

Asking these questions gave me an insight about my applicants that I otherwise would not have discovered using the traditional method. I used Google Docs and workable.com to create easy-to-use question forms for prospective applicants to answer questions. This improved the quality of applicants I got and I was able to fill the position in a record seven days.

2. Customer service

Customer service and support can take up a lot of staff hours. If you dont have an organized system for managing customer inquiries, the quality of your support can suffer.

At first, I was solely the one handling every one of my freelance client requests. But after some time, I observed I didnt have free time to scout for more clients. With that realization, I knew I needed virtual assistants, so I outsourced my customer care responsibilities to Conversational in order to focus on getting clients.

Related: 4 Automation Techniques That Will Make You Rethink Recruitment

You can do the same. Focus on the core aspects that bring in more income and automate the ones that arent core and eat up all of your time. Follow the 80/20 Pareto principle.

By outsourcing my clients requests to virtual assistants, I increased my income by more than 50 percent and decreased my work time by half. Automating this area gave me more time to focus on SEO and advertising strategies to get more customers.

3. Marketing

Marketing is one of the most important parts of business, depending on the type of business. Insufficient marketing can hamper the success of your business significantly.

Infusionsoft is a tool that automates your businesss sales and marketing processes. Infusionsoft offers a complete package that takes care of your entire business marketing by streamlining your customer relationship management, email marketing and lead-capture processes.

These activities are usually separate activities, but with automation software like Infusionsoft, these processes are streamlined and simplified, saving you time and effort.

4. Your internet time management

One of lifes irreplaceable assets is time. Time cant be saved or borrowed, only spent or invested.

One of the biggest time wasters in the workplace is the internet -- more specifically, social media. Avoid wasting time online by installing software in your browsers that restrict internet access to certain websites until youve finished working for the day.

5. Your team communication

As a location-independent entrepreneur, I have employees who work remotely for my business. We very rarely, if ever, work face to face.

How do I maintain communication in real-time with my employees when we live in different time zones?

Slack is a team-chat application that allows me to maintain constant communication with my employees no matter where we are in the world. Our group chats within Slack create greater transparency across teams while enabling us to check in on one another to receive immediate feedback on our work.

Related: 15 Tools to Create Automation in Your Small Business

Apps like Skype, Slack and Google Hangouts are excellent instant messaging/chat platforms.Google Hangouts even provides a quick way to host video conference calls.

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The state of Texas on Tuesday prepared to execute a man convicted of taking $2,000 for the 1992 murder of a woman in a murder-for-hire plot to obtain life insurance money.

Rolando Ruiz, now 44, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection late Tuesday at the state prison in Huntsville.

Ruiz's lawyers launched a last minute appeal to obtain a reprieve, claiming among other things that he did not receive an adequate defense.

In July 1992, a man named Mark Rodriguez met Ruiz and offered him the payment in exchange for killing his sister-in-law Theresa Rodriguez.

Ruiz accepted the job and was set to slay the victim at a restaurant in the city of San Antonio. Ruiz, however, got cold feet when he saw a security guard nearby.

Later, with support from Mark Rodriguez and his brother Michael -- the victim's husband -- the group planned a more intricate plot.

Ruiz followed the three home after an outing at the movies, then shot Theresa in the head as she stepped out of her car after parking it at home.

Ruiz ended the evening with a basketball game.

While Ruiz was sentenced to die, Mark and Michael Rodriguez were sentenced to life in prison.

Michael Rodriguez, however, was executed in 2008 after being sentenced for a prison escape that resulted in the death of a police officer.

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The Penichillin, a frozen version of the Penicillin. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz

The mixology movement was defined, in large part, by its reclamation of cocktail history: unearthing techniques, books, ingredients, and recipes that may otherwise have been lost to time. Go to any half-decent bar now, and your Manhattan will not only be better than it would have been 20 years ago, it will also nod to how Manhattans were made when the drink was invented. Yet the movement also birthed a few new drinks that fit comfortably into the existing canon. Sam Rosss Penicillin is one such drink. The mixture of blended Scotch whiskey, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup, and a float of peaty single malt is only 12 years old, but it tastes and feels timeless. It is a straightforward, grown-up drink for straightforward, grown-up drinkers, invented by a protege of the late Sasha Petraske, the mixology worlds original hard-liner.

In other words, its not an obvious candidate to be transformed into a frozen drink dispensed from a giant slushie machine.

But Ross and his partners  Michael McIlroy and Dan Greenbaum  have done exactly that at their new Bed-Stuy bar, Diamond Reef. The Penichillin, as its called, is served with a wide straw and a paper umbrella. It still has the single-malt floater, but the coldness and icy texture command a new dimension to the old favorite  more brain chill than brain freeze. It straddles the line between serious and fun. As a friend explained it, while drinking both the frozen and original liquid versions side by side, The Penicillin is upfront about the night of debauchery ahead, but the Penichillin is wearing a mask.

The Penichillin is also extremely popular. On its first night in business, Diamond Reefs staff went through the entire first batch  about 60 drinks worth  in three and a half hours, and there is perhaps no drink being served right now that simultaneously speaks to tenets of old-guard mixology and to the newer, more laid-back approach to bartending.

Ross and McIlroy are the duo that opened Attaboy in the space originally home to the hallowed Milk & Honey. Diamond Reef is the first of three new bars that the team plans to open this year; and while Attaboy is still a small, dark drinking den, a candid whimsy imbues Diamond Reef: the choking-hazard sign features a Crying Jordan, and honeysuckle bushes are planted out front. The playlist includes Sades Hang on to Your Love and Never Too Much by Luther Vandross. Turquoise is everywhere.

A good spot to settle in for the night. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz

The Steakhouse Martini is served very, very dirty. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz

The dedicated Penichillin machine. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz

The style of the menu, and the venue itself, are not quite tiki  McIlroy is adamant about that  but theres definitely a Spring Breakbungalow-boogie vibe to the place. The cacao in a limey, minty rum-based Scorpion Kick is a flavor ninja, stealthy but strong. The Back Stop  just bourbon, coffee liqueur, and Mexican bitters  is surprisingly pulpy and viscous. There are plans to add pina coladas with floaters of blackstrap rum, Fernet, Lolita coffee liqueur, or Campari. Even a drink as stiff as a Martini gets loosened up here; the bars steakhouse version features vodka and four dirty juices (brines of caper, onion, olive, and pepperoncini, plus apple-cider vinegar) for a savory, tangy taste. I dont care if this makes all the lists of best bar in the world, or all of that stuff, Ross says. It can even be a beer bar more than a cocktail bar. I just want it to be fun. (Adding to the fun: Every cocktail costs a relatively reasonable $12.)

Theres still a lot coming. Were going to have another bar out here, says McIlroy during a tour of the large back patio on their opening night, a slushie machine to take some pressure off the main bar, and then just tubs of beer and rose. We want it to be a hangout. We have a license to serve indoors and outdoors until 4 a.m., and we wont have any neighbors complaining, because everything around us is a business thats closed by this hour.

But Diamond Reef is about what it doesnt have as much as what it does. There are no vests or suspenders. The bartenders dont wear ties. And the bar definitely eschews the deeply researched faux history that defined so many neo-speakeasies in the mid-aughts. Diamond Reef was indeed a real reef  a harbor hazard between Manhattan and Governors Island that was blown to bits in the 19th century  but when you ask Greenbaum, the managing partner at the new bar, about it, he doesnt offer some soliloquy on the history of New York Harbor. I didnt care about that, he shrugs. I just liked the name.
Not backing down. Photo: mastbrothers.com

Back in December 2015, chocolatiers the Mast Brothers came under foodie fire when a Texas blogger accused them of the high crime of remelting and repackaging industrial chocolate. Allegations laid out in a four-part blog series sent the internet into full (re-)meltdown mode, and the company responded somewhat tepidly by calling the allegations simply false. Now, sufficiently distanced from the decades number-one chocolate scandal, Mast is ready for its comeback narrative. In a conversation with Fortune, co-founder Rick Mast says that basic facts got lost in all of this, while the magazine adds that the company looks at the snafu as fake news, proving the recently popularized term has long since jumped the shark.

Despite all the hoopla created around the controversy, things are apparently looking up for Mast  which will now have its revenge. After expanding production capabilities at its Brooklyn Navy Yard facility, made possible by a recent investment round, the company will be able to increase its annual chocolate sales from $10 million to $100 million. But the company will also close its shops in Los Angeles and London, which it says its doing in order to double down on Brooklyn. Part of the goal, Mast says, is to be able to sell their products for more reasonable prices. The controversy exposed them to what they call the Brooklyn bubble, and possibly made them self-aware about their role in creating the snobby Brooklyn-food-artisan archetype. Not too much, however, as Mast says their goal is nothing less than to reinvent the chocolate category (or wheel).
The Egyptian government has reached an agreement with private rice mills to produce white rice domestically, potentially ending a standoff over the buying price of last year's crop that has led to millions of tonnes of paddy sitting idle since the harvest.

The supply ministry said this week it had agreed to pay private mills EGP 6.3 ($0.3784) per kilogramme of white rice, which the government would then sell at its outlets for EGP 6.5 per kg.

Farmers last year refused to sell government mills their crops despite a plentiful harvest, arguing that the buying price of EGP 2,400 ($270.27) per tonne of rice paddy was too low.

The new agreement means that private mills will instead buy up the paddy at the current market price of about EGP 4,200 before selling it on to the government.

Last year, the long-held paddy stocks forced up local rice prices and intermittently made supplies at government outlets scarce, forcing state grain buyer GASC to import 75,000 tonnes of medium grain rice despite a local surplus and a hard currency shortage.

Egypt's annual consumption of rice is about 3.95 million tonnes whereas production is about 5.1 million tonnes, according to a United States Department of Agriculture report.

Mostafa El-Naggari, head of the rice committee of Egypt's agricultural export council, estimates that about 3.9 million tonnes of rice paddy remains in the hands of farmers and traders as a result of the standoff.

Any subsequent jump in the local paddy price, however, could make the recently struck deal untenable given the tight profit margin agreed to by the private mills under the new deal.

"If the price of paddy jumps 100 or 150 pounds, the mills will not be able to distribute it," Naggari said.

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With the G6 having a headstart over the Samsung Galaxy S8 pair, LG is looking to make best use of its position and maximize early sales.

Naturally, the handset will see the light of day on its home Korean market first. There the company already has over 40,000 pre-orders and should start selling the phone as early as March 10. Israel will be next in line and will get the device with the announcement event coming on March 22 and actual availability following in the next days.

We are still unsure how the rest of LG's schedule looks, but we do have some bits and pieces to go by. For instance, Australia is said to get the device on March 28. And pre-orders are already live for the handset in the UK.

Source (in Hebrew)
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Nokia, or rather its new HMD Global owner, turned a lot of heads at this year's MWC and understandably so. The legendary Finnish brand came back with a bang and one that extends beyond the publicity stunt that is the resurrected Nokia 3310.

Premium looks and materials, a decent value-conscious balance of specs and a focus on a pure Android experience, all at a fairly reasonable price point - there is a lot to like about the new Nokia smartphone lineup. We have no doubt that the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 will all be enjoying quite a bit of popularity in the foreseeable future.

To make the deal even sweeter, HMD confirmed all three devices do support VoLTE. The information comes in an email from HMD and was a needed clarification. Even though both the Snapdragon 430 and Mediatek MT6737, powering the handsets, support VoLTE, there was no mention of it on the Nokia website, so questions of software-level support lingered.

Source




Haiti - Reconstruction : UN calls for support of Haiti's $ 2,72 billion plan





Monday was launched an call for urgent support to improve disaster risk management in Haiti following a damning investigation of the countrys losses from Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.



Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction declared "Hurricane Matthew revealed disturbing truths about least developed countries which lack the capacity to respond adequately to climate change and the rising intensity and frequency of weather-related disasters.



While the governments civil protection system prevented many deaths, it is unacceptable that over 600 people should have died in a hurricane that was so well-forecast. A very thorough government-led Post-Disaster Needs Assessment has been conducted which shows that the country lost US $2.8 billion as a result of Hurricane Matthew or 32% of GDP. It came on top of two years of drought affecting the food security of one million people and the 2011 earthquake which cost 120% of GDP."



Speaking on the eve of the 5th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas which opens in Montreal, Canada, tomorrow, Mr. Glasser urged strong support for the recovery plan developed by the Haitian government, the UN and other partners which seeks US $2.72 billion for a three-year recovery plan which is guided by the need to build back better, centred on reducing future disaster risk, improving multi-hazard early warning systems, and reducing the exposure of impoverished communities to the multiple natural hazards.



Haiti is estimated to have lost on average 2% of its GDP to weather-related disasters every year between 1975 and 2012.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Dominican Republic : Leonel Fernandez tribute to Rene Preval





Following the sudden disappearance of the former President of Haiti, Rene Preval https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20253-haiti-flash-rene-garcia-preval-passed-away-this-friday.html the former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez, in a letter addressed to Idalbert Pierre Jean the Ambassador of Haiti in Santo Domingo, expresses his sincere condolences to the one who over the years had become for him a true friend.



"His Excellency the Ambassador,



Allow me to express, through you, our sincere condolences to the Haitian government and people following the death of our dear friend Rene Preval, President of Haiti, a peaceful and very affable man with whom I have arrived to cultivate a personal friendship.



The death of Preval is a great loss not only for Haiti but for the entire political community in the region, because he was a man who made important contributions to the development and strengthening of democracy and who cultivated a cordial relations with neighboring countries.



By destiny, on two different occasions and decades, Preval and myself, we agreed as leaders of our respective Nations, a time when there was a bond of friendship and harmony as had not been known before in the history of relations between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.



For these reasons, we would like to transmit to the Haitian government, the relatives of the former President, his collaborators and the Haitian people in general our sincere condolences to this irreparable loss.



We cherish the deepest desire that the valuable legacy left by this leading political leader inspires Haitians to continue to work enthusiastically for the benefit of democracy, institutional strengthening and social justice.



That his soul rests in peace !



With sincere feelings of regret,



Regards,



Leonel Fernandez."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Arrest of two dangerous individuals

Police in the North Department arrested Geffard Armstrong and Sevelma Alize, two suspected bandits, wanted for murder and criminal association.



Danilo Medina in solidarity with Haiti

Following the death of former President Rene Preval, in a letter addressed to his Haitian counterpart Jovenel Moise via the Chacellerie, Dominican President Danilo Medina Sanchez, solidarizes with the people and the Haitian government. "We are united with the people and the Haitian Government, on behalf of the people and the government of the Dominican Republic and in my own name" asking to extend his condolences to the family and to the relatives of Rene Preval.



A Haitian 2nd Prize in the international poetry competition

Carl Withsler A. Benoit, a young Haitian native of Gonaives, won the second prize of the 18th edition of the "International Contest of Poetry in French". About 100 young people aged 15 to 25 from Canada, France and Switzerland competed in the competition, and Carl is the only Haitian to have reached the final stage of the competition.



Distribution of 6,000 l of milk to the prisoners

The Canadian Embassy in Haiti, in collaboration with the Canadian company MERA, has distributed 6,000 liters of Soya milk to prisoners in the national penitentiary. This action comes as a result of the increasing number of deaths in the country's prisons . Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) who attended the event, visited the cells, dispensary and kitchen of the penitentiary before thanking the Embassy of Canada and all those who work for the improvement of the living conditions of detainees in Haiti.



Exhibition at the CEP, on women

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) informs the general public that it is organizing a series of activities to mark the International Women's Day (8 March) in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and UN Women. This series of activities will include the opening of an exhibition on the participation of women in the electoral process on Wednesday 8 March from 1:00 pm in the premises of the CEP in Petion-ville. The exhibition will last one month.



Sympathy of Brazil

"The Brazilian Government has learned with sadness of the death of the former President of the Republic of Haiti, Rene Preval. The Brazilian Government expresses its solidarity with the Haitian people and Government and extends its sincere condolences to the members of the family of former President Rene Preval..



Opening of a book of condolence in DR

The Embassy of Haiti in Republican opened this Tuesday, a book of condolences for the death of the former President Rene Preval https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20272-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Two Russian wheat cargoes and one Argentine cargo destined for Egypt were rejected at their ports of origin on quality concerns, traders said on Tuesday.

The cargoes, purchased by state grain buyer GASC in recent tenders, were rejected by companies conducting inspections at the ports of origin, traders said.

Egypt, the world's largest buyer of wheat, rejected a series of shipments last year on concerns over the common grains fungus ergot before adopting more lax import rules in line with international norms.

The three rejections are the first since Egypt adopted a new streamlined inspection system this year in a bid to ease the concerns of traders that had shunned state tenders last year amid the ergot row, at one point effectively cutting Egypt off from global supplies of grain.

As part of the reform, Egypt discontinued the practice of sending government inspectors abroad, a practice seen as delaying shipments, but which some traders have described as a safeguard against rejections upon arrival.

Traders did not specify the nature of the quality concerns raised but said that the companies responsible for the cargoes are expected to replace the shipments, which total about 180,000 tonnes of wheat.

The two Russian shipments had set sail from the ports of Taman and Novorossisk before receiving a rejection notification and are now expected to turn back, traders said.

Shipping data indicates that a third vessel loaded with 63,000 tonnes of wheat from Bahia Blanca, Argentina, has re-routed toward Morocco.

GASC was not immediately available for comment.

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The Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children runs 7 March through 12 March in Cairo, followed by activities in Alexandria and Luxor

Since the early hours of Tuesday, dozens of children have been running across the Hanager Arts Centre in Cairo, as the performance halls fill with attentive young audiences and more groups arrive at the Opera House grounds in buses.

The children are eager to experience the first day of the 7th Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children, an annual event organised by AFCA for Arts and Culture, and a rare platform bringing plays and theatre workshops to young audiences.

Kicking off 7 March in Cairo and running through 16 March, the festival brings numerous performances and workshops to Cairo, followed by Alexandria and Luxor. The programme enumerates troupes from the US, UK, Germany and Egypt.

The theatre is filled with class groups from schools across Cairo, both private and public schools that embrace children from the underprivileged areas.

"We care about reaching out to all children out there," Mohamed El-Ghawy, founder and artistic director of the festival tells Ahram Online, adding that AFCA also conducts outreach to children outside the capital.

"Tomorrow and Thursday, we have buses with children from Minya, then Banha."

El-Ghawy says AFCA works to make sure the performances, including those by international troupes, are well understood by the children.

"In previous editions of Hakawy we hosted shows that, instead of relying purely on language, incorporated movement, mime, dance etc. This allowed all the children to enjoy the show," he says.

"This time, however, we thought we'd address this differently and bring the highest quality shows even if they're performed in a language the children don't have mastery over and provide a creative solution to it."

With this in mind, AFCA provided translators for performances staged by foreign groups, including those from the US and UK which took part in the festival's first day.

However, to render the translation more interesting to young viewers, the Arabic text delivered by Egyptian actors.

In an American play titled The Pigeoning, a recorded voice of an Egyptian narrator walks the children through the performance, while in UK's The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean, the actress translating is present onstage, supporting the performers.

Judging by the high levels interest and enthusiastic comments expressed by children following the shows, the procedure proved very successful.

But the creative translation is not the only novelty in this year's Hakawy.

A large, moveable planetarium standing in the middle of the Hanager hall attracts the attention of a long queue of children waiting for their turn to enter.

And since science and reading are two main themes at Hakawy this year, "we also brought a performance titled Science Wonders, prepared by the Egyptian actors, in cooperation with the American University in Cairo," El-Ghawy says.

While children attend shows inside Hanager, another group circles a small bus parked in front of the theatre. Provided by Goethe Institut, the Bibliothek Bus is home to a storyteller who weaves tales for the audience, while they take part in games and puzzles in the open air.

Throughout the week, audiences will have the opportunity to see many plays, "including a play from Germany arriving tomorrow," and a few events by Egyptian troupes, topped off with workshops for artists such as a pupeteering workshop. AFCA also presents its own show, targeting a teenage audience.

In its first two days, Hakawy focuses on morning performances, giving an opportunity for schools to bring their classes.

"We will have another, big opening on Friday, for families to attend. This is when yet another audience is expected to arrive with their children," El-Ghawy concludes.

The festival continues in Cairo until 12 March. On 14 March, a German play will be performed in Alexandria's Jesuit Centre and on 16 March in Luxors Youth Village El-Tud.

Check the festival's programme here

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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DLNR STATEMENT ON ETHAN FERGUSON

News Release from DLNR, March 6, 2017

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced today that it has terminated the employment of DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Officer Ethan Ferguson. DLNR has no further comment on this matter.

WHT: Ferguson had been on paid administrative leave since being charged with the offenses on Jan. 8, 2016



* * * * *

DLNR STATEMENT REGARDING CONVICTION OF ETHAN FERGUSON

News Release from DLNR February 22, 2017 (with clarifying info in parenthesis)

The Department of Land and Natural Resources has not received the record of conviction for Ethan Ferguson. At such time this record is received and reviewed, a decision will be made on Mr. Fergusons job status (which is currently on PAID administrative leave).

Several news organizations have asked about Fergusons mother in connection with this matter. Hawaii Government Employees Association President Jackie Ferguson-Miyamoto, had nothing to do with his hiring as a Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officer and we have no record of her being listed as a reference. (IQ Test: Do you believe this?)

DOCARE has implemented changes to its vetting process for all new hires. This includes extensive background and reference checks, additional evaluation and training for both officers and supervisors, and closer monitoring by supervisors. (They imply a mistake was made, and yet they still havent stopped paying the convicted rapist.)

* * * * *

WHT Jan 16, 2016: State confirms it knew rape suspect had been fired by Honolulu Police Department -- "HPD, however, says it told the state that Ferguson  who reportedly falsified reports and lied to superiors about transporting a juvenile female runaway  shouldnt be hired."

* * * * *

Jury finds HGEA Presidents Son guilty of sex assault

HTH Feb 22, 2017: A jury found a Department of Land and Natural Resources enforcement officer guilty Wednesday of raping a teenage girl on a Hilo beach on New Years Day 2016.

It took the panel of seven men and five woman less than three hours to convict 40-year-old Ethan Ferguson of two counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura ordered Ferguson to return for sentencing at 8 a.m. April 24. Deputy Prosecutor Haaheo Kahoohalahala asked the judge to revoke Fergusons $13,000 bail, describing him as a flight risk. The judge denied the motion.

The girl, now 17, and her family left the courtroom quickly after the verdict was read, while Ferguson hugged his wife and mother. (The HGEA President was sitting in the courtroom watching this trial.)

Ferguson was fired for misconduct after almost 12 years as a Honolulu Police Department officer before being hired in 2013 by DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. His mother, Jackie Ferguson-Miyamoto, is president of Hawaii Government Employees Association, the union representing DOCARE officers (which of course has nothing to do with him getting hired at DLNR).

Ferguson was on paid administrative leave by DLNR pending the outcome of the trial (and now?).

read  Jury finds state cop guilty of sex assault

* * * * *

DLNR Cop Accused of Raping GirlMy Mommy is HGEA President

HTH Feb 14, 2017: The teen testified she thought she was being escorted to Fergusons vehicle when he told her he wanted to talk to her in the shade. She said he took her to a grassy area with trees.

We stopped by the trees and he told me I had three options, which was money, drugs or sex, the girl said. She said she didnt have any money or any drugs other than the marijuana hed already taken and that she was a virgin and didnt want to have sex.

He put his tongue in my mouth and I told him this wasnt happening, the alleged victim said. She said at some point, he put her on the mat, pinned her down with his body, pulled up her tank top and bikini top, performed sex acts on her and forced her to perform a sex act on him.

I wanted it to stop. I was crying, she said.

The teen said Ferguson gave her the still-full pipe back before he left without her.

He kind of laughed and said I could finish smoking that bowl now, she said.

Ferguson, who is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of his trial, was fired for misconduct by the Honolulu Police Department prior to his 2013 hiring as a state law enforcement officer. His mother, Jackie Ferguson-Miyamoto, is president of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the union representing DLNRs Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers. (Buried lede!)

read  HGEA Connection

* * * * *
Hawaii Lawmakers Censor Pro-Lifers Defending Free Speech

by Jay Hobbs, Christian Post, March 6, 2017

As if they weren't singled out enough already by legislation that would force them to promote state taxpayer-funded abortions, leaders at the five pro-life pregnancy help centers in Hawaii are starting to realize just how stacked the deck is against them.

Given the opportunity to submit testimony prior to the state senate's Ways and Means Committee vote Feb. 23  the last step prior to a senate vote  representatives from at least three of the five pregnancy centers did exactly that, even receiving online receipts showing they'd filed testimony properly and on time.

When the committee voted, 7-2, to pass the bill through to the senate, Stacey Jimenez, director of operations for A Place for Women in Waipio  a ministry run by Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor  wasn't surprised.

What did surprise Jimenez, however, was that prior to the meeting, the testimonies she and several other pregnancy center supporters submitted had been completely omitted from the process, in spite of the fact they had receipts from their online submission forms.

Joy Wright, the executive director for Malama Pregnancy Center, had noticed the same thing, and contacted the state senate president's office. When she pointed out the testimonies were missing, Wright was told they were in the process of being posted  a week after the committee vote.

"It's very concerning that key testimonies weren't posted," Wright said on Friday. "The fact that we did not have a voice and that a decision is very concerning. Even if they're for the bill, it's very important that we have a voice. We are abiding by the process put together by the state legislature, and so if it's not followed through on the other side, then we have a problem that needs to be addressed."

At a visit with state Sen. Breene Harimoto  a committee Democrat who voted against the bill  Jimenez' and Wright's growing suspicion was confirmed.

The overwhelming majority of testimonies pro-lifers had submitted, including those of leaders and medical staff at the centers, were held back from senators on the committee ahead of the vote.

"I told him what happened with my testimony, and he's like, 'They're censoring you,'" Jimenez said. "He brought in his top aide and he said, 'Listen to what she's telling you.' He says, 'They should not be able to censor your testimony.'"

After the meeting at Sen. Harimoto's office, Jimenez raised the concern with the legal counsel for Hawaii's state senate, who assured Jimenez he would look into the matter. Jimenez also reached out to National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA)  a membership organization that is a named plaintiff fighting similar legislative efforts in California and Illinois.

California passed a 2015 law, the so-called "Reproductive FACT Act," which serves as a template for the Hawaii legislation and forces pregnancy centers to advertise to all clients where and how they can receive a state taxpayer-funded abortion.

Though upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals  notorious for being consistently overturned at the Supreme Court level  that law is likely on its way to the Supreme Court. NIFLA and Alliance Defending Freedom  the lead counsel for the California case  are also fighting a similar, though farther-reaching, law in Illinois.

At issue in all cases is the First Amendment's guarantee of the rights of free speech and free exercise of religion, which pro-lifers argue is violated by the state forcing them to speak a message in violation of deeply held religious beliefs.

In light of the ongoing struggle in Hawaii, another portion of the Constitution's First Amendment is coming into focus.

"The First Amendment also protects the rights of Americans to petition the government for a redress of their grievances," Anne O'Connor, NIFLA's vice president of legal affairs, said. "This has been violated by the Hawaiian legislature as well. The Centers in trying to oppose this bill have been censured in a way that is mind-boggling in our democracy.

"Their filed written oppositions have mysteriously been lost and therefore not considered before the vote."

In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor pastor Derald Skinner appealed to the same portion of the First Amendment.

"This bill demands that all pregnancy resource centerswhich are faith-basedmust place an abortion sign in their lobbies," Skinner said. "Plus, we have discovered that many of our testimonies that we sent to the Senate never reached the senators before their committee vote... That censorship is directly against our First Amendment right."

While no date has been announced for the senate vote, Jimenez said she expects the floor to hear the bill as soon as Tuesday, March 7. In the meantime, Jimenez is hoping the clear breech of protocol will be enough to cause the senate to, at the very least, hold the bill until the next legislative session.

By then, it's likely California's law will be before the Supreme Court.

"Our voice was not heard," Jimenez said. "It does us no good if they see our testimony five days after the fact. We played by the rules and they're breaking the rules. Mistakes happen, absolutely, but when you make a mistake, you have to take some responsibility."

---30---

Jay Hobbs is editor-in-chief of Pregnancy Help News.

Big Q: Should private, religious-based pregnancy clinics be required to provide information on access to abortion? -- 52% Say No


UNIFYING ELEMENTS

While each states legislation contains different versions of the general defence, it is safe to conclude that three common elements are required to be present in order for an employer to rely upon it in defending a workers compensation claim:



1. The action taken by the employer must fall within the distinct circumstances set out in the legislation;

2. That action must have caused the psychological injury; and

3. The action must be reasonable.

The action taken by the employer must fall within the distinct circumstances set out in the legislation

The reasonable action defence for psychological injury claims has and can be used successfully in workers compensation jurisdictions; however, there are some catches, asoutlinesThe recognition of an employers right to take reasonable action is found throughout Australias federal employment law and state workers compensation laws. When drafting the workplace anti-bullying provisions of the Fair Work Act in 2013, the federal government was careful to ensure that the new jurisdiction did not interfere with usual management of an organisation or business, hence the inclusion of the word unreasonable in the definition of bullying in the Act.The Explanatory Memorandum for the Fair Work Bill stated:The Committee also found that balanced against this definition [of bullying] is the need for managers to be able to manage their staff. New subsection 789FD(2) is included to clarify that reasonable management action when carried out in a reasonable manner will not result in a person being bullied at work.  [Employers] need to be able to make necessary decisions to respond to poor performance or if necessary take disciplinary action and also effectively direct and control the way work is carried out. . iLikewise, state-based workers compensation legislation allows an employer to rely upon reasonable action as a defence to a claim for psychological injury, but there are three common elements that must be present in defending such a claim (see box below).Lets examine each of these elements in turn.Each states legislation differs greatly in relation to this particular aspect. Management action, employer action and administrative action are just some of the terms used in the various Acts to define action taken by an employer in regard to an employee.

While Victorias Section 40,ii Queenslands Section 32,iii Tasmanias Section 25iv and South Australias Section 7(4)v are quite broadly worded to different degrees to include any type of management or administrative action, New South Wales Section 11A(1)vi and ACTs Section 4(2)vii are limited to only seven types of employer action. The national Comcare schemes Section 5Aviii is also quite broadly worded. Western Australias Section 5 and the Northern Territorys Sections 3A and 3(1)x fall somewhere in between, with 10 and 15 specific categories of employer action listed, respectively.



The NSW and ACT workers compensation legislation is identical in terms of the list of seven categories of action taken, or proposed to be taken, by an employer that may be covered by the defence. These are: transfer, demotion, promotion, performance appraisal, discipline, retrenchment or dismissal of workers, or provision of employment benefits to workers.



It is important, particular for national companies, to be aware of these differences in the way the defence is worded as employer action in one state will not have the same protection in another.
Bahrain's justice ministry said Monday it filed a lawsuit to dissolve a secular opposition party, the state-run news agency said, months after the country's main Shia opposition party was banned.

The justice ministry "has filed a lawsuit requesting the dissolution of the National Democratic Action Society (Waed), in light of Waed's serious violations of the principle of respect for the rule of law, its support of terrorism... and for its promotion of political change by force," according to a statement carried by state-run Bahrain News Agency.

The Sunni left-leaning former head of Waed, Ibrahim Sharif, was freed in July after he served a one-year jail term for anti-regime incitement.

He had already served four years of a five-year sentence over the 2011 protests before being released under a royal amnesty in June last year.

Sunni authorities in Manama have accused its Shia neighbour Iran of stirring unrest in the kingdom. Iran has denied any involvement.

On Sunday, the upper house of parliament approved a constitutional amendment enabling military courts to try civilians accused of crimes that include terrorism, a concept with a broad legal definition.

Last year, a court ordered the dissolution of the country's main opposition party, Al-Wefaq, for "harbouring terrorism" and its leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, has been behind bars since 2014.

Shia Al-Wefaq was the largest bloc in Bahrain's elected lower house of parliament. Its members resigned en masse in protest against the state crackdown on the 2011 protests.

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Finland, he stressed, should seek to eliminate any pull factors attracting unfounded asylum applications to the extent that is allowed by the European Union.

Sampo Terho, the chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, has revealed that his campaign to succeed Timo Soini as the chairperson of the Finns Party will focus on economic and employment policy, immigration policy and the policy towards the European Union.

Who? - Sampo Terho, 39, was elected to the Finnish Parliament from the electoral district of Helsinki in April, 2015. - He was appointed as chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group in June, 2015, following Jari Lindstroms appointment as the Minister of Justice and Employment. - He served as a Member of the European Parliament in 20112014, after filling the seat vacated by Timo Soini, and won re-election to the European Parliament in 2014.

Terho stated that he is in favour of adhering to the changes introduced to the family reunification policy, such as the much-debated income requirements, by the Government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre).

Ill pay close attention to the unfair implementation of asylum seeker transfers within the EU, he promised.

He indicated that he represents largely the same values as one of his possible challengers in the leadership race, Jussi Halla-aho, a Member of the European Parliament who is known for his hawkish position on immigration.

Im also an immigration critic, told Terho. Immigration policy will be a key part of my platform.

Terho called for a level-leaded debate about the realised advantages and disadvantages of membership in the European Union, revealing that he is also open to the possibility of the Finns Party demanding that the membership be put before the public in a referendum.

It may even be a deal-breaker, he said.

Terho also voiced his support for the current, reasonable economic and employment policy by estimating that it has successfully brought about a turn for the better in Finland. The benefits of the difficult but right policy decisions will according to him become even clearer towards the end of the current electoral term.

He voiced his confidence that the Finns Party will yet again prove opinion polls wrong in the municipal elections held in April. The elections, he added, will set the stage for a constructive leadership race where the key will be to foster the unity of the Finns Party.

Terho also confirmed that he is interested in taking an important ministerial portfolio if he emerges victorious from the leadership race. He declined to comment further on the possible ministerial re-shuffle ahead, thus leaving the door open for Soini to complete his four-year term as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He has already received the endorsements of two senior members of the Finns Party: Maria Lohela, the Speaker of the Parliament, and Jussi Niinisto, the Minister of Defence. Niinisto has suggested that the next chairperson should also accept the presidential nomination of the Finns Party.

Terho said he is prepared to enter the presidential race regardless of whether or not he is selected as the successor of Soini.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
His announcement was followed by statements of endorsement from two of his prominent party comrades: Maria Lohela, the Speaker of the Parliament, and Jussi Niinisto, the Minister of Defence.

Sampo Terho, the chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, announced his bid to succeed Timo Soini at the helm of the Finns Party on Monday.

Niinisto himself was, along with Terho, billed as one of the most viable candidates to succeed the outgoing chairperson, but he announced his decision not to enter the leadership race on Twitter on Monday.

I wont be a candidate to become the partys next chairperson, he tweeted moments before announcing his support for Terho.

Lohela, in turn, drew attention to the accomplishments of Soini as the chairperson of the Finns Party.

Soini has transformed a small party to a popular movement in a way thats unprecedented in our countrys history. His successor will have to foster his legacy, while being able to reform the party. I believe the best candidate to take on this responsibility is [] Terho, she said.

Terho, she estimated, represents the rank and file of the party on a number of key issues, including immigration and policy towards the European Union.

Soini, who announced his decision not to seek re-election last weekend, estimated in an interview with STT on Monday that up to half-a-dozen candidates could enter the leadership race.

The Finns Party will select its next chairperson in Jyvaskyla at the beginning of June. Leena Meri, a first-term Member of the Parliament from Hyvinkaa, announced her candidacy to lead the party on Sunday.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Roni Rekomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
HENLEY residents and councillors are being invited to attend a free public screening of an award-winning environmental documentary at the town hall later this month.

Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic? follows everyman Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags.

Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.

With a number of best of festival and audience choice awards to its name, the film is being shown in the council chamber on Thursday, March 16, at 8pm.

Members of Henley Town Council have been formally invited to attend  but the invitation is also open to members of the public.

The screening is the brainchild of Henley resident and campaigner Julia Carey, who recently acquired the UK rights to show the film publicly for the next three years after being introduced to it by a friend.

Julia, 38, who is married with two young children, describes herself as an environmentalist at heart.

She said her interest in green issues had first been sparked as a teenager in the Nineties.

My parents had a house in Kent and we used to go and clean the beaches there. I wanted to start a movement picking up plastic like them. But I may have been a bit ahead of my time  everyone thought I was a bit mad at the time!

Two decades on, Julias concerns appear anything but  and are shared by a growing number of people, including locally by groups such as Henley in Transition.

Last month the worlds media reported that scientists in Norway had found more than 30 plastic bags and other plastic waste inside the stomach of a dying whale stranded in shallow waters off the island of Sotra.

The Cuviers beaked whale  a species not normally found in Norwegian waters  had very little blubber and was emaciated, suggesting the plastic had led it to become malnourished.

For Julia, moves such as the UK governments introduction of the 5p charge for plastic bags at the end of 2015 are to be warmly welcomed.

As a result, UK consumption of plastic bags has fallen from seven billion a year to 500 million.

But as the Bag It film makes clear, the problem is a global one.

The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year  for about 12 minutes each.

Julia said: I do feel that the tide is turning with regards to plastics, as a general rule, which is really good.

I think theres a lot of research thats taking place and people are becoming more aware, but the interesting thing about this documentary is that it explains how plastics are actually getting into our food chain now.

Its getting into our bodies and I think its really important that people dont just think that its okay because theyre going to recycle that piece of plastic  its better if on the whole they just reduce their buying of it.

For Julia, who runs her own jewellery design business, Julia Burness Jewellery, and will be exhibiting at the Henley Arts Trail at the end of April, the reduce part of the slogan Reduce, reuse and recycle is arguably even more important than the recycle part.

She said: Ive been researching zero waste for a while now and Ive been trying to go zero waste myself.

What that means is that Im aware of everything I throw away and in fact what I do is I try to throw away as little as possible. Anything that isnt recyclable Im actually collecting and I will be creating a sculpture from the rubbish that Im not able to compost or recycle.

This years Henley Arts Trail runs from Saturday, April 29, to Monday, May 1, at more than 30 venues in the local area.

Julia, who regularly attends classes at the recently opened Henley on Thames School of Art in Hart Street, will be showing her work at the d:two centre in Market Place.

She also hopes to organise another screening of Bag It as part of the arts trail. The venue is still to be confirmed, but is likely to be the d:two  meaning that anyone unable to make it along to this months event will shortly have another chance to see the film.

Julia said: Ive got the rights to show it publicly for the next three years and Id really like to get it round some of the colleges and secondary schools, ideally  but also having a couple of screenings in town for whoever might be interested.

Recalling the first time she saw the film herself, she said: I just thought it had a very powerful message and its an enjoyable documentary as well. Its funny and its easy to watch and I felt it was the one that would actually portray the message that Im trying to put out there. There are other documentaries out there but theyre kind of more serious and sometimes they had a bit of a negative message. But I feel like this is quite an upbeat easy-to-connect-to film.

She added: Things are getting better. I just saw in the newspaper today that France has banned plastic cups and cutlery and plates. Its taking effect in 2020  theyll only be able to use compostable plates and cutlery, disposable ones. So thats fantastic. Thats a country in Europe doing that, so hopefully well be fully on stream at some point.

Doors for the March 16 screening open at 7.45pm. Entry is free but those attending are asked to email bagithenley@gmail.com to reserve their seats.
AN army veteran from Henley has collected his MBE at Buckingham Palace.

Brigadier Malcolm Page, who was recognised in the New Year honours, was presented with his medal by the Duke of Cambridge at a ceremony on Thursday last week.

The 90-year-old, who is president of the Royal British Legions Henley and Peppard branch, travelled to London with his sister Yvonne Meacham, branch chairman John Green and Mr Greens wife Elizabeth.

Mr Page, of Ancastle Green, was honoured for voluntary service to former armed services personnel and in particular his work with the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, which helps former servicemen and women at times of need. He is a former UK chairman of the League nd was a member of its council for 22 years before stepping down in May. He administered funds to veterans of the Somaliland Scouts, of which there are now only about 140 survivors.

Mr Page said: It was a wonderful ceremony with the most beautiful pageantry.

There was a band and ceremonial yeoman of the guard while the Duke was escorted by two of the Queens Gurkha Orderly Officers.

We were led down all these corridors and waited to be called into the ballroom where the Duke was waiting.

He pinned the medal on and had a very brief chat with each recipient before they bowed and left. He asked me about the veterans, the numbers still remaining and the ways in which we were able to help them.

We only had two minutes as there were about 100 people to get through but he was lively, engaged and very generous with his praise.

It was a very proud moment  its one thing to get a little letter from the Foreign Office and another to actually be there amid the pomp and splendour of the palace. I will be wearing the medal with pride at events like Remembrance Sunday.

I felt quite wonderful but also very tired as we had left Henley at 8am and had to be there by 10.15am, which is quite a tall order when youre facing London traffic. We were also late returning as we were so far at the back of the queue.

After returning to Henley, the quartet enjoyed a celebratory lunch at The Square restaurant in Market Place. Mr Page was a member of the Scouts from 1947 until 1951. He joined the army in 1944, aged 18, and served in India, the Middle East and Africa for 26 years before pursuing a career in IT.

He set up the Henley Borama Friendship Association in the Eighties after visiting Somalia as a guest of the government and is a former recipient of the Henley town medal.

Meanwhile, Brian Hughes, who was awarded the British Empire Medal for voluntary service to ex-servicemen and women, will collect his award from the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire at Henley town hall in May.

The 84-year-old, of Harpsden Road, Henley, is standard bearer and a fund-raiser for the same branch of the Legion.
Flowers at the site of the Magdalene Laundry in Donnybrook

Dublin city's senior archaeologist has told the private developer of a former Catholic institution that the site may contain human burials.

Dr Ruth Johnson indicated that because the property at The Crescent, Donnybrook, was a former Magdalene Laundry, it could contain remains.

Significantly, her observation was made as part of the planning process in September 2016, five months before the confirmed discovery of children's remains at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam last week.

There are calls for every Magdalene Laundry, mother and baby home and industrial school to be searched for secret deposits of human remains - and to halt development on these sites until this is completed.

Councillor Mannix Flynn said the archaeologist's assessment highlighted how it was already known that every former Catholic institution site could contain remains.

"These were babies flushed down the toilets, dumped into sceptic tanks," said Cllr Flynn, who is a survivor of Letterfrack Industrial School.

"The archaeologist's observation is quite right."

In August last year, a company called Montlake lodged a planning application for the development of 25 apartments on the Donnybrook site.

In October, Dublin City Council (DCC) wrote to the company asking it to ascertain if there were "any remaining artefacts within these extant buildings", which "may be of interest to the general public considering its historical and social past".

The request came following Dr Johnson's observations, submitted the previous month.

"The proposed development consists of the former lands of Saint Mary's Convent and the Magdalene Laundries.

"Given its association with the Magdalene Laundries, there is potential for burials being uncovered during the course of works," she said.

Close

She also said it was in close proximity to a possible early medieval settlement.

Dr Johnson recommended no construction or site preparation work be undertaken until the archaeological work was completed.

Any findings should be reported to the Department of the Environment, she said.

A spokesman for Montlake told the Herald it was the management company on the project.

He said Pembroke Partnership was behind the development, contractor Hardwicke was undertaking the work and that the archaeological survey had already begun.

However, calls to both the Pembroke Partnership and Hardwicke went unreturned yesterday.

Questions to the city archaeologist also went unanswered.

Cllr Flynn and Magdalene Survivors Together have called for searches of former religious institution sites and the halting of developments.

Last night, city representatives requested DCC to meet with Magdalene Laundry survivors with a view to establishing a memorial on a Sean McDermott Street site, which is up for sale.

Councillor Gary Gannon had initially requested a halt to the sale of the building - which was the last home to close down in 1996 and the only one currently in the possession of the State - until excavation took place.

This had been requested by the Justice for the Magdalenes Research group, along with the Adoption Rights Alliance, in order to see if there are any unmarked graves of children at the location. The amended motion received cross-party support.
The brother of murdered journalist Veronica Guerin has said fallen gangster John Gilligan should be put out on the streets instead of being allowed to stay in his home for three more months.

Independent councillor Jimmy Guerin was speaking after convicted drug trafficker Gilligan and his family were granted a three-month stay by the Supreme Court.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) had previously been given permission to seize the family's three homes on the grounds that they were bought with the proceeds of crime.

Homeless

The Gilligans yesterday sought a two-year stay, arguing that they would be made homeless if the CAB took the properties.

Gilligan (64) and his son Darren (41) had made applications for themselves, Gilligan's wife Geraldine and daughter Tracy for a stay on the seizure of two of the houses.

One of the properties is next to the previously seized and sold Jessbrook Equestrian Centre in Kildare. The other is a house in Corduff Avenue, Dublin.

No applications were made in relation to the third house, in Lucan.

Counsel for Gilligan said his client was not yet eligible for a state pension and that he had made enquiries of the housing authorities for accommodation.

The lawyer asked for the two-year halt on the seizure of the house in Corduff Avenue because Gilligan "soon may have no house to live in" and wants to "regularise his position".

Geraldine and Tracy Gilligan live in the Kildare property. Tracy is a single mother-of-two, whose younger child is in primary school.

The court was asked to put a stay on the seizure of the house until Tracy could find council accommodation or her daughter finished primary school.

The granting by the Supreme Court of a three-month stay was blasted by Mr Guerin, who was also critical of the CAB for "not being pro-active".

"The court process has so far taken more than 21 years. Now it has added another three months," he said. "Gilligan should be put out on the side of the road."

Bottle

He also said the CAB "didn't have the bottle" to take on Gilligan.

This is denied by the CAB, which said it had already notified Gilligan it is seeking vacant possession of the properties and will move as soon as it is allowed to.

At yesterday's hearing, Gilligan was ordered to pay the CAB's costs in the matter, estimated to be well over 1m.

However, with Gilligan claiming he is jobless and about to become homeless with no assets, the chances of him paying the massive bill are small.

If he ever earns or displays any wealth in the future, the CAB could take it from him.

"He has an IOU hanging over his head now," said a CAB source.

"This case has come full circle now for the man who was once earning vast sums of cash importing drugs."

After yesterday's brief hearing, a CAB spokesman said the bureau was satisfied with the decision of the court.

John and Darren Gilligan declined to comment as they left court.
Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has given her clearest indication yet that she will join the Fine Gael leadership race after Health Minister Simon Harris ended speculation about his intentions.

Mr Harris, who is viewed in political circles as Ms Fitzgerald's protege, said it would be "inappropriate" for him to run when the Department of Health is under intense pressure.

"I've made my decision, I'm very satisfied with that and I'm sure many other people are considering their options in the coming days and weeks," he said.

His announcement immediately heightened speculation that the way was being cleared for the justice minister to put her name forward.

Asked about the prospect yesterday, Ms Fitzgerald replied: "I'm considering it very seriously. The last time there was a Fine Gael election for leader there were four candidates.

"I think it's very healthy for the party to have a very good debate leading up to the formal nomination of a new leader.

"I'm certainly very seriously considering it but right now the Taoiseach is in place."

Ms Fitzgerald is viewed within Fine Gael as loyal to Enda Kenny and would be likely to be pick up votes from his supporters.

While the contest is still seen as a two-horse race between Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney, there is a growing view among TDs and senators that there should be a third candidate.

Some are concerned that, if the race is just between Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney, it could split the party down the middle.

"A third candidate would help stop it turning into a mud-slinging match," one source said.

Clarify

Education Minister Richard Bruton has yet to clarify his intentions, while some senior figures are still trying to convince Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe to run.

Ms Fitzgerald won't make any formal declaration before the Taoiseach sets out his exit strategy.

He travels to the US next weekend for a trip that includes Philadelphia, Boston, Rhode Island, Washington and New York. Party members expect him to outline plans on his return.
Donald Trump has removed Iraq from his controversial list of Muslim countries whose nationals are banned from travelling to the US.

A revised executive order keeps the 90-day ban on travel by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning 60,000 people whose visas were revoked under the previous order will now be permitted to enter.

Critics said the new ban failed to address their key concerns.

Protect

Legal experts said it would, however, be harder to challenge because it affects fewer people living in the US and allows more exemptions to protect them.

Mr Trump, who proposed the ban during his presidential campaign, said his original order was a national security measure to head off attacks by Islamist militants.

It sparked chaos and protests at airports, where visa holders were detained and deported. The ban was suspended by a judge on February 3.

After Mr Trump signed the order, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country."

Democrats, a minority in Congress, quickly signalled fierce opposition to what they called a discriminatory ban.

"The Trump administration's repackaging has done nothing to change the immoral, unconstitutional and dangerous goals of their Muslim and refugee ban," said Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

Farhana Khera, of Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group in Washington, said the Trump administration had "doubled down" on anti-Muslim bigotry.

"It's crystal clear this is a Muslim ban," she told reporters.

Some Republicans who had been critical of Trump's original order were more positive about the new one.

Encouraged

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was "very encouraged" by the approach and was pleased Iraq was removed from the list.

"By rescinding his earlier executive order, President Trump makes one thing perfectly clear: his original travel ban was indefensible - legally, constitutionally and morally," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington State.
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Corrie Mosseri and Judith Arieli, educators in the JCC's Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center lead a class in a Judaic program. Funds from the Then, Now & Always Campaign on March 8-9 will benefit the center, including its Dick & Dottie Appelbaum Infant & Toddler Center, as well as the JCC as a whole.

The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando is embarking upon an ambitious fundraising goal-raise $200,000 in 24 hours. In fact, their goal is so ambitious that if they don't meet the goal, all of the money will be returned.

The fundraising campaign is being hosted online through a website called Charidy, launching at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, and concluding on Thursday at 6 p.m.

"The year has just begun, and already, our community is facing challenges greater than we expected," said Keith Dvorchik, the JCC's CEO.

He explained that the fake bomb threats that the JCC received in January have cost the institution financially.

"We have a 44-year history of excellence in fiscal management, but this year, it will take significant effort just for us to break even," Dvorchik said.

This online campaign, chaired by volunteer leader Jodi Krinker, seeks to help address some of these financial challenges.

The campaign is made possible by matching gifts from friends of the JCC, who will match donations 3:1. If the community donates $50,000 during that 24-hour period on the designated web site (charidy.com/ThenNowAndAlways ), each of the matching gifts will quadruple the total to $200,000.

So, for example, a $100 gift is actually $400.

"We are proud of our long, successful history as one of Orlando's most prominent cultural centers, and we're just as confident in the brightness of our future," Dvorchik said.

"We ask that you commit to donating that day. Commit to sharing this 24-hour fundraiser on your own Facebook page. Commit to telling your friends and family to donate. I'm committed. Because this is your JCC. This is my JCC. Then, now and always."

To donate to the campaign, visit http://www.charidy.com/ThenNowAndAlways during the 24-hour window beginning Wednesday, March 8. If you'd like to donate by phone instead, please call 407-621-4030 during the campaign.
HIAS was established 135 years ago to protect Jewish refugees who were fleeing the pogroms of Czarist Russia. Today, we remain true to our original mission of refugee protection. We are helping people who have fled their countries because their lives were in jeopardy due to who they are or what they believe.

When there are refugees who are Jewish, HIAS is still there to make sure they receive help. In the past year, HIAS brought Jews from Iran, the Middle East, Ukraine, and other parts of the former Soviet Union to safety and freedom in the United States.

Yet, some in our community continue to ask, why are we helping refugees fleeing genocide, even when they are not Jewish? Thankfully, the Torah provides us with a clear answer.

Our most sacred text delivers a universal message about Jewish commitment to human rights and refugee protection. We read 36 times about the commandment to love the stranger as ourselves, for we know the heart of a stranger, as we were once strangers in the land of Egypt.

Assisting refugees of all faiths and ethnicities is not just a fulfillment of the values imbued by our holiest scripture, its a recognition of our peoples own Exodus experiences. The American Jewish communitys very existence is rooted in the windows of time when the United States opened its doors to refugees. Remaining silent while others seek the same opportunity to live in safety would be morally reprehensible.

With the largest number of refugees and displaced persons in recorded history, our mission is as relevant as everbecause of our roots. That is the only reason HIAS does what it does. Not for profit, but out of love and a commitment to our Jewish-American values.

Yes, HIAS (along with eight other mostly faith-based agencies) does receive government funding to subsidize these efforts, but we do not make a profit. HIAS local resettlement sites receive $2,075 per refugee with which we must pay our staff and overhead while providing the refugee with transportation, a fully furnished apartment for three months, a kitchen stocked with food, English lessons and cultural orientation, a cash allowance, assistance with school enrollment, and job placement services. There is no profit; we rely heavily on local volunteers and private donations.

An America that does not welcome refugees is not an America that most American Jews recognize. Just ask the hundreds of congregations, nearly 2,000 rabbis, or thousands of supporters who attended our National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees.

We will not stand on the sidelines as Muslim refugees are turned away just for being Muslim, just as we could not stand idly by when the U.S. turned away Jewish refugees fleeing Europe during the 1930s and 40s. When we say, Never again, we mean never again for everyone.

We cannot protect ourselves by being only for ourselves. We can only protect ourselves by protecting and implementing universal principles of human rights. If we acted only when Jewish refugees were in danger, as opposed to constantly advocating for the protection of all refugees, it wouldnt only wrong, it would be a rejection of our refugee roots.

Mark Hetfield is the president and CEO of HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees.
VALE  It was a celebration of books and reading for students at Banoak Elementary on Thursday as the school celebrated national Read Across America Day by inviting members of the community to stop in and read.

Its really important for kids to hear why reading is important to be successful in life because they hear us talking all day long, sixth grade science and math teacher Raye Lynn Weaver said. If they hear from somebody else in the real world using reading in their job, hopefully thatll stick and give them more encouragement to want to read more.

For 20 years, the National Education Association (NEA) has promoted reading across the nation in a Dr. Seuss birthday celebration, according to an NEA announcement. This national celebration is not just about one day of reading. NEAs Read Across America is about discovering the joys of reading and cultivating good reading habits that will last kids a lifetime.

This was the first time the school hosted a day to bring in guest speakers to read to students in conjunction of the Read across America celebration.

Today is all about gaining a love for reading, Banoak Principal Gina Bumgarner, who organized the event, said.

Reading lasts a lifetime. It isnt just something you do at school, so having people in the community come in and having professionals come in and sharing that enthusiasm and that love hopefully can help them get that spark and that hook into reading, Bumgarner said.

The event also feeds into the new reading standards set by the state in 2014.

Third grade students receive extra attention in North Carolina because of the states Read to Achieve legislative initiative, a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act, according to the NC Department of Public Instruction.

Under this state law, third grade students who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade will receive special help, including summer reading camp and other interventions to make sure that they can read well enough to be able to do fourth grade work.

Read Across America is a reminder of all the ways schools are working to the bridge the gap of both literacy and the interest in reading for students.

Elaine Wyant is a retired teacher with 30-plus years of experience and she was happy to return to the classroom as a guest speaker at Banoak. In fact, she got to read in the fourth grade class her daughter, Michelle Whitener, teaches.

Its just natural for some, to sit in front of a classroom and have kids attentive and listening to your story, Wyant said, adding she could feel herself slipping back into that mindset as soon as she started interacting with the students.

Its been nineteen years since Ive been out. When you go back like a day like this it just comes right back.

The idea of reminding students the importance of teaching hits home with her.

I was a strict reading teacher. I taught second grade, Wyant said. If you came to my room and you couldnt read or you didnt read, my goal was to help you read the best you could, but thats not always possible. I would be determined that those students would read by the end of the year.

Some of the other guests invited to read included the Catawba County Schools (CCS) Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dan Moore, CCS Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction DeAnna Finger, CCS Board Member Cathy Starnes, Captain Jason Reid from the Sheriffs Department, District Judge Clifton Smith, the principals from Fred T. Foard (Stephen Westmoreland) and Jacobs Fork Middle (Thomas Howell).

This years honorary Cat Square Mayor, John Leatherman, read to students along with a senior from Fred T. Foard, Kayla Fortenberry, who is doing an education internship at Banoak.

If you show youre excited and you like to read, they look up to you in a different way, Fortenberry said.

Bumgarner hopes to make this an annual tradition for the school.

I love to have people come in and see our children and give them the opportunity to know people care about them enough to take time out of their busy day to come in and share that love for reading, she said. I think thats important.

For more information about Read Across America, visit nea.org.
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Bringing down the curtain on a staggered election process, 40 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and 22 in Manipur will vote on Wednesday in the last and final phase of polling.

In the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, all eyes will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.

In the remote northeastern state, fate of bigwigs like chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, deputy CM Gaikhangam and human rights activist-turned-politician Irom Chanu Sharmila will be decided.

Electioneering in five states of UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur kick-started with the announcement of polling dates on January 4.

These elections are also considered as a mid-term verdict on Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, which came to power in 2014, promising better days.

Around 1.40 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 535 candidates, spread across seven districts of eastern UP in the seventh phase.

This phase is very crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party that won 21 out of the 40 seats in the region in 2012. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had then won five seats and the BJP bagged four seats, three in Varanasi and one in Jaunpur. The Congress emerged victorious only in three seats, one each in Mirzapur, Varanasi and Jaunpur.

Modi addressed three rallies in the temple town of Varanasi and held back-to-back road shows. Varanasi North, South, Cantonment, Rohania and Sevapuri are the five assembly seats that constitute the PMs parliamentary constituency.

Winning these seats in Varanasi is very crucial for Modi for several reasons. One, the BJP has been winning the Varanasi South and Cantonment seas for the last several elections. Two, Modi has campaigned hard in his parliamentary constituency. If the party loses, the opposition will get a chance to target the PM, said Kaushal Kishore Mishra, a professor at Banaras Hindu Universitys political science department.

Maximum number of candidates having criminal records is in the fray in this phase. In percentage terms, 22% of the candidates have criminal records. In the first phase, 21% candidates with criminal records were in the fray. On an average, 18% of the candidates across all phases have criminal records.

The administration has completed all arrangements for smooth polling amid tight security.

In Manipur, the challenge before the administration is to repeat the high voter turnout of the first phase, where 86% of the total voters exercised their franchise without any major incident of violence on Saturday.

Voting will be held at 1151 polling stations spread across 10 valley and hill districts of the state, which will be manned by 5755 polling personnel along with adequate security personnel, said Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan.

All 375 polling stations in Thoubal and some in hill districts having internet connection will be covered by live web streaming to monitor activities inside the polling stations while remaining stations will be recorded (offline) by smart phones he added.

The ruling Congress had won 15 of these 22 seats in the last assembly elections. The BJP could not open its account despite fielding 19 candidates. This time the party is hoping to do better and gave candidates in all the constituencies.

Naga People Front put up 11,National Peoples Party 7,Trinamool Congress 6,Lok Jan Shakti 5, Manipur National Democratic Front 4,Independendent 9,CPI and states iconic rights activist Irom Sharmilas PRJA 2 each, Manipur Peoples Party and Peoples Democratic Alliance one each.

Ibobi Singh and Sharmila are contesting from Thoubal seat. Gaikhangam, three others ministers M Okendro, D Korungthang, MD Abdul Nasir besides former ministers Francis Ngajokpa, Samuel Jendai DD Thaisii are in the fray. CMs son Surjakumar is also contesting from Khangabok in this phase.
A bus stop at Jayapur village in Varanasi is a siesta junction in the afternoon and a lively chat point in the evening.

Invariably, the talk here revolves around the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and whether all the development dreams of the hamlet have been realised. The verdict is split.

Jayapur is one of the two villages adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna in 2014. Nagepur, about two kilometres away, is the other village adopted by him in 2016. The twin adoptions raised hopes, pushing the villages into the development spotlight. But not all hopes have come to fruition, the locals say. Heres a look at the ground reality.

Need for college

Take the case of Jayapur. People there talk about the lack of a girls degree college, public transport and a government hospital. Unemployment is also an issue.

Local girls who want to do bachelors or masters in science have to go to Banaras Hindu University, which is 20 kilometres from the village. Other colleges, which run graduate and post-graduate courses in science, are in the heart of the city, says Prem Shankar Singh, a resident of Jayapur.

Those who fail to get admission in BHU are enrolled at Ram Manohar Lohia Degree College, Bhaironath, about five kilometres from Jayapur. Locals say they informed the PM about dearth of a girls degree college in the village when he visited Jayapur in 2014 after adopting the village. They also submitted their demand in writing. It has been two-and-a half years since then, but the college is a distant dream, Singh says.

In case of illness, Jayapur locals travel to a government hospital at Jakkhini, about two kilometres from the village, often on foot as there is no proper public transport.

Many roads in Jayapur have no street lights. (HT Photo)

A single city bus operates from the village. It leaves in the morning and returns in the evening, completing just one round, says Rajkumar, another villager.

Before Jayapurs adoption, it was an underdeveloped village lacking street lights and toilets. It had mud lanes. That is why the PM chose it. Thereafter, it got a bus stand, solar street lights, a post office, a library and a bank branch.

After being adopted, the village got 650 toilets and 135 solar street lights. Two solar power stations of 25KVA each came up in the village. Fourteen new houses were provided to poor families, says Jayapur village head Srinarayan Patel.

However, the sad part is, Patel says, batteries of half the solar lights have been stolen. The locals should have taken care of the lights in front of their homes, he says. Now, the street lights are connected to the solar power stations. Besides, the village now boasts of a road network. Inspired by the PMs Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme launched in January 2015, locals celebrate each baby girls birth by planting five saplings and continue to take care of the plants. So far, 250 saplings have been planted.

Nagepur, too, lacks an intermediate college, a degree college and a government hospital.

Health care

The nearest government hospital at Rajatalab and a degree college at Bhairo Nath are 3.5 kilometres from the village. The nearest primary health centre is about three kilometres away.

Social activist Nandlal Master says, Many of the local girls quit education after Class 10 or 12 due to the absence of a degree college here. Locals expected one here after the village was adopted by the PM. The Centre should speak to the state government to ensure a degree college here.

Master says only 10% of the population attended schools up to Class 10 and around 1% obtained bachelors degrees. Only five people are government employees. The lack of means of education is a serious problem. It needs to be addressed on priority.

We were hopeful of concrete measures for the benefit of weavers. Around 90% of the population knows weaving. But a majority of them quit weaving because of poor wages. Many migrated to other cities in search of jobs, others became daily wagers, he adds.

Master and many locals have written to PM Modi, demanding means of employment in the area and concrete steps to revive weaving.

Ramsahare, a weaver, says, An adopted child is showered with love and affection by parents. Nagepur was adopted by the PM around a year ago. But it didnt get the kind of affection (development) it expected.

Village head Parasnath Rajbhar says 130 toilets have been constructed and another 100 will be built soon. A model anganwadi centre has been constructed here and a bus stop has also come up.

But Rajbhar claims Nagepur failed to get as much development as Jayapur.

Development under CSR

Shiv Sharan Pathak, a senior official at PM Modis local public relation offices in Ravindrapuri, says, After Modi adopted the villages, series of development works were carried out by companies with their CSR funds. Solar lights were installed and roads and toilets were constructed. A few NGOs also helped them. But no MP local area development (MPLAD) funds were used.

But the PM used his MPLAD funds to construct around 110 roads, 500 solar lights and 300 hand pumps in other urban and rural parts of his parliamentary constituency. An MP gets 5 crore each year under the MPLAD scheme. In the last three years, whatever MPLAD funds the PM received, all have been utilised in development works.

Please follow the links for reports from the ground, insightful numbers and analyses on reading the UP election verdict.

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The Congress is hoping to regain its lost glory in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the final phase of Uttar Pradesh polls.

While it has fielded candidates on three out of five assembly seats in the PMs constituency, overall the party is contesting on four of the eight assembly seats in the district. On the remaining four seats, its alliance partner Samajwadi Party is contesting.

We have no representation on any of the five assembly constituencies under the Prime Ministers Lok Sabha seat but we are focusing on Varanasi as any gain here will send a message of victory across the country, said Rajesh Mishra, vice-president, Uttar Pradesh Congress.

Mishra is the party candidate from Varanasi South and is banking on the resentment in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadre over denial of ticket to seven-time MLA Shyamdeo Roy Chaudhary to win the polls.

Abdul Samad Ansari is also been looked upon as a strong candidate from Varanasi North which has a large chunk of Muslim voters.

Anil Srivastava, the party candidate in Varanasi Cantonment, is giving his rivals a good fight, Congress insiders insist.

We hope to perform well this time. We will win at least three assembly seats in Varanasi, said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesman Satyadev Tripathi.

Ajay Rai, who finished third behind Modi and Arvind Kejriwal in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Varanasi, is the Congresss only sitting MLA from Varanasi district.

Rahul Gandhis joint road show with CM Akhilesh Yadav had evoked good public response and the mood in our camp is upbeat, said Tripathi.

While Varanasi has now become synonymous with Modi and inturn BJP, it was once a Congress stronghold during the days of former chief minister late Kamlapati Tripathi in the 1970s and early 1980s.

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Mirzapur was clogged. Buses were lined up with people coming in from rural areas. Flags were fluttering. Slogans were being chanted. But the twist in the tale was that these buses and supporters belonged not to a single party, but to two parties.

At one point on the Mirzapur road, if you took a right, you would head towards a Narendra Modi rally. If you took a left, you would head towards a Mayawati rally.

I decided to walk with supporters to the rally, and turned left.

Ram Briksha was walking purposefully, with two other men, towards the BSP rally. We began talking and he told me had been a party voter ever since its inception. It has been 30 years, from the time of respected Kanshi Ramji. What was it that the party gave him? Nothing. What, then, motivated him to stay on? I mean party gives me nothing. But when the party wins and is in power, when Behenji is in power, our voice is heard. Hamari sunwai hoti hai.

Sunwai is a word I often encountered from voters in UP, especially Dalits. Marginal in the village economic landscape given their low to non-existent land holdings, and outside the social interactions that guide the village dynamics, they have little social and economic capital.

When a local policeman visits a village, he ends up going to the house of the pradhan, to the more economically prosperous, or to those of his own caste. When a development scheme is to be implemented, the priority is on building a road which passes through the homes of the dominant castes.

The only way for Dalits to access the state is through politics. And that explains the almost impenetrable hold Mayawati has over her core Dalit supporters. As Ram Briksha explained, When she is in power, I can go to the thana and register an FIR. When she is in power, I can file a complaint under the SC/ST atrocities prevention act. When she is in power, I feel safe, and my voice is heard.

The unshakeable faith

If it is the desire for sunwai that motivates Mayawatis voters, it is deep and abiding shraddha (faith) and asha (hope) that lies at the core of the Modi phenomenon.

I turned back after Ram Briksha reached the rally venue, and headed to Modis event. On the way, I bumped into Sunil Yadav and Sandeep Patel.

Yadav looked so young that I had to ask him if he would be able to vote. First time, yes, he said, with a laugh. And was he going to the Modi rally because he supported Modi, or because he just wanted to watch the PM? Because I will vote for Modi. I think there is only one leader in the country, and that is Modi.

I asked Yadav what was it that Modi had done which attracted him to the leader. He opened bank accounts, and now he will deposit money in it. Had he already got money? No, but we will get it if he wins this time. Then he will send Rs 5000 to each account.

I wondered where Yadav had heard this because, to be fair, BJP had not made any such promise in this election, at least publicly. It seemed that the narrative post demonetisation - the rich had been punished, money was with the state, and the poor would benefit - had struck deep roots, even breaking traditional caste barriers. I asked Yadav, if as a young man from the community, he ever veered towards Akhilesh. No, for me it is Modi and Modi alone.

One was to hear exactly the same sentiment a day later in Varanasis Rohingya constituency. Sanjay Pandey, a college teacher, was sipping tea near the Bishnupur village, and said he was with Modi. Why?

Vishwas (trust). He is decisive, he is strong, and people think he cares for the poorest, that he will do something for society. It is this faith.

The fact that Modi can command the faith of people across Hindu castes, three years into his term, remains a remarkable testament to his political genius.

And the cry for izzat

Varanasi is a nightmare at the best of times. And when half of Government of Indias ministers, the top political leadership of the country, and all of Delhi and Lucknows political reporters including television crews land up in the city, moving around is impossible.

And that is why I followed the tip of a senior TV editor and hopped onto a bike, to make it on time for a news show.

Zafar had to go to meet a friend, but he said he would take me to the venue first. He had studied till high school and then got into the family tradition of weaving. The Akhilesh-Rahul roadshow had just concluded, and when I asked Zafar who he would vote for, he said, Cycle and panja, hand- SP and Congress.

Why?

Zafar said his family had got deeply affected by demonetisation. Modi ruined our business. Is this the way to treat people? But would he have voted for Modi but for demonetisation?

No.

Why?

Beizzat karte hain humein, they humiliate us. They come up with something or the other to always keep us out. Zafar said he preferred Akhilesh because the SP was a positive party. He does not stir up fights between Hindus and Muslims.

This search for dignity and honour - even more than security - was central to the concerns of many Muslims we spoke to in Varanasi. Some felt that BSP was best positioned to provide it; others, like Zafar, were ardent supporters of the alliance.

As UP elections draw to a close, these threads - the desire for access to power and justice, the faith in a leader and hopes of a better future, the search for dignity - are intersecting and colliding. Irrespective of who wins, these impulses will remain strong within different fragments of society. And democracy would truly succeed if the victor is able to weave all these aspirations and construct a whole, rather than cater to a fragment.

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The recent high-voltage election rallies and road shows in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi saw about 30 chartered flights bringing in over 115 VVIPs to the temple town in a span of 10 days.

Officials said multiple sorties by chartered jets and special helicopters were reported from the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Babatpur near Varanasi.

A senior official involved in airport security operations said the airport got busy just days before the road shows by Modi, Samajwadi Party leader and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav along with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

The airport saw 30 special flights arriving or departing from the city.

Over 115 VVIPs including central and state ministers came or exited via the air route in about 10 days time, they said.

The officials said the CISF had to deploy an additional liasion officer at the airport even as its local terminal commanders and airport staff were put on additional duty to ensure smooth passage of the dignitaries.

The airport also saw a row of choppers and planes being parked there, they said.

When asked about the heavy duty task rendered by the security personnel, CISF Director General O P Singh said all the duties were handled by the force very professionally.

We got kudos from everyone, he said, without elaborating further.

Political road shows and rallies were held over the weekend in Varanasi, days before the last and seventh phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

BSP supremo Mayawati also held a rally in Rohaniya in the city on March 4.
Actor Huma Qureshi says she has worked really hard for what she has achieved in Bollywood. She admits that many people tried to dent her confidence  referring to body-shaming that came her way  but Huma eventually learnt to not get bogged down easily.

When I came to Mumbai, I was clear in my head that I didnt want to fit in; I wanted to stand out. I have a lot of sense of pride in the person I am and what I do and where I come from. My family gives me a lot of love and support. So I dont feel that I need to get bullied by anyone, says the 30-year-old.

Did the mean body shaming comments affect her at any point of time? Yes, those words did break me. I have cried myself to sleep. I have been upset about it, sobbed about it and sulked about it. But then I realised there was no point in all that. You have to get up and fix it. And its not rocket science. Its just clothes. Anybody with a fine bank balance and a good stylist can crack it, says the actor, who hails from Delhi.

Its a cut throat business and people are just ready to rip you apart. You wear the wrong kind of stilettos and you can get trolled for it too. Forget body shaming; thats another aspect altogether

She modestly accepts that she didnt know the nuances of fashion when she first came to the industry, but worked hard on her style and the change is evident. I find this whole concept of fashion police really unnecessary and not required. Ive learnt from my mistakes. I have worked really hard on my fashion sense and its not something that naturally comes to you or somebody teaches you on how to walk the red carpet. I had no clue of how to wear particular outfits or what to match with what shoes. Its a cut throat business and people are ready to rip you apart. You wear the wrong kind of stilettos and you can get trolled for that too. Forget body shaming; thats another aspect altogether.

Huma adds that all this while she has remained true to her identity. I have always been self-confident in myself as a person and thats also is reflective. I have never tried to be somebody else. As an actor, I thank everyone for all the compliments. I know that my appearances in the recent past have been hugely appreciated and I keep hearing these lovely things with people calling me fashion forward, and I take it with a lot of humility because Ive worked hard on it.

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The award-winning childrens novelist Paula Fox, known for frankly exploring abandonment and loss, has died in New York. She was 93.

Fox died at a hospital near her Brooklyn home, her daughter, Linda Carroll-Barraud told The New York Times.

She was awarded the Newbery Medal, the top childrens literature honour, in 1974 for The Slave Dancer. The controversial novel centered on the Atlantic slave trade in the mid-19th century.

Over her long career, Fox penned more than 20 books for young people and six aimed at adults.

They were tied together by her spare style and interest in the breaking down of things  from families to health to love.

The feelings were familiar to Fox, who wrote about her parents not wanting her: they left her in a foundling hospital and went off to travel.

Her life zigged and zagged, from being brought up in the United States and Cuba by family, friends and a small-town preacher, then reclaimed by her parents. At 16, she left to follow her own path.

She briefly studied at New Yorks prestigious Julliard School for musicians, worked as a journalist and married twice. She thrived at writing for decades.

Fox was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978 for her body of childrens work.

She is survived by her husband, two children and several grandchildren, including the rock star-actress Courtney Love, 52.

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A key Parliamentary panel is likely to submit its report on the impact of demonetisation next month after reviewing various submissions, including by RBI Governor Urjit Patel.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by senior Congress leader K V Thomas, is looking into the impact of demonetisation on various sectors of the economy.

We are regularly having meetings with stakeholders concerned. Our report will be presented before the end of the budget session, Thomas told PTI.

The second half of the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from Thursday and end on April 12.

Thomas said the PAC has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to come out with the exact number of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes which were demonetised and deposited with banks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move on November 8.

We have asked RBI to give us the number. Their top management including Governor Urjit Patel and others have given their submission to us.

They say we are still counting. I dont believe in this argument of counting. Everything is computerised these days. Why take such a long time in giving the final figure? he wondered.

Thomas said that the central bank has sought some more time to arrive at the final figure. We have given them the time and asked them to come out with the figure as early as possible, he said.

The Parliamentary Committee had last month called top bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry, including Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, to discuss issues relating to demonetisation.

Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal had on December 2 told Parliament that currency notes worth Rs 15.44 lakh crore (17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes) were in circulation on November 8.

There have been reports of adverse impact on various sectors and overall GDP growth due to demonetisation. The government, however, has disputed the reports.

About Rs 4,807 crore of undisclosed income has been detected while Rs 112 crore worth new notes have been seized till January 5 by the Income Tax Department as part of its country-wide crackdown on black money hoarders post demonetisation.

Based on inputs, the tax department has also referred 526 cases to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe other crimes like money laundering and corruption.
Tata Motors on Tuesday confirmed that it is in talks with the worlds largest auto maker Volkswagen for a possible partnership.

The company is exploring various opportunities, including partnership in its new advanced modular platform (AMP) development, possibilities of a joint venture or a contract manufacturing with the German auto major, in its bid to scale up.

I can only confirm that we are in talks but nothing to be announced yet, Tata Motors CEO and MD Guenter Butschek told PTI at the Geneva International Motor Show.

When asked how far the talks have progressed, he said: We are in the midst of discussions. We will let you know in good time.

Explaining the rationale behind such a move, Butschek said although the company has set sights on becoming among the top three passenger vehicle makers in India by 2019, it might not be enough to get the scale up effects.

Even if we get a large scale in the national business we might still not be up to the mark as far as scale effects are concerned, he said.

Therefore, we are, since a while, have been having intensive talks with different potential partners, who might join us on the AMP, Butschek added.

It is aimed at bringing additional volumes through the new platform that the company will introduce to the market by 2018.

These additional volumes will bring higher economies of scale, which is going to give us the cost advantage and competitiveness, he added.

The company is hoping to translate competitiveness into volume on one hand and into new feature capabilities on the other that will help it become more aggressive and desirable in the market place, he said.

This is the reason why we believe if we can find a partner it would be a very helpful strategic move, Butschek said.

He, however, insisted that it needed to be the right partner in terms of alignment, on the objectives of joint development with the AMP as the reference point and right partner as far as volume is concerned.

Just getting a partner for the sake of getting one but not really adding substantial volume is not expected from such kind of partnership, he said.

When asked what type of partnership would it be, a joint venture or a technical collaboration he said, I am not ruling out one or or the other...It is always about the right fit.

If this is finally going to end up in a development JV or production JV or sharing of capacity contract manufacturing agreement, these are all subject for further discussion in order to make it a win-win for both the parties, Butschek said.
India has got the dubious distinction of having the highest bribery rate in the Asia Pacific, with a survey showing today that more than two-thirds of Indians had to pay tea money or fork out other forms of bribe to get public services.

The survey, conducted by international anti-graft rights group Transparency International, found 69% in India as saying they had to pay a bribe, followed by 65% in Vietnam. China was much lower at 26% while the same for Pakistan was 40%.

Japan had the lowest incidence of bribery -- at 0.2%. South Korea also fared well at a mere 3%.

However, it is China which seems to have seen the highest increase, with 73% in the survey saying the bribery has gone up in their country over the past year while India comes in at seventh place (41%) -- higher than countries like Pakistan, Australia, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

In the survey of more than 20,000 people in 16 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 900 million said they had to pay a bribe at least once in the past one year.

The police topped the list of public services most often demanding a bribe while 38% of the poorest surveyed said they paid a bribe, which is the highest proportion of any income group.

The survey asked people how often they had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour, including for the police, judge or court officials, teachers, hospital staff or a government official for getting some documents or services.

Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. Its time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable, said Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.

The results show that lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistle-blowers and governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Transparency International said.

Ugaz further added that without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill.

As part of a regional series for the Global Corruption Barometer, Transparency International spoke to nearly 22,000 people about their recent experiences with corruption in 16 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
At a private event in Hong Kong in 1998, a senior official from the neighbouring Guangdong province was being flattered by a group of American investors, each more eager than the others to extol the remarkable economic success of the Chinas largest state. The official endured the fawning with a passive expression, until one of the businessmen pointed out that Guangdongs population, 80 million, was three times that of California, exclaiming, Youre running a successful country within a successful country. The official smiled, and replied, with a self-deprecating shrug: Imagine how much more successful we would have been if we were TWO countries within one country.

At first, his audience confused this as a form of clever wordplay, an allusion to the motto of One Country, Two Systems that President Deng Xiaoping had coined for Hong Kongs reunification with China the previous year. But the official clarified through his translator that he was making a point about administrative efficiency: If Guangdong had been two states instead of one, with two governments and two bureaucracies, then each might have been more successful. Its massive size, he argued, had slowed the provinces economic growth. We are like an elephant, but we could have been two tigers.

When I interjected that several Indian states had larger populations than Guangdong, the official laughed: In India, you have too many elephants.

I was reminded of that conversation recently, at a luncheon in the Lucknow home of a prominent civil servant, where my interlocutors, several of them senior bureaucrats, answered my questions about the states poor economic performance by pointing to the sheer scale of their administrative tasks. If Guangdongs highly efficient administration had somehow managed to overcome the disadvantage of size to deliver success, the UP bureaucrats cited size as cause for failure.

And theyre right: UP is too big to succeed. If Guangdong is an elephant, then UP is an elephant thats carrying another elephant on its back. Chinas largest province now has 104 million people, Indias largest state has twice as many  and this is despite the fact that a chunk of it was carved out in 2000 to make Uttarakhand.

Many UP politicians agree with these bureaucrats, but dare not say it aloud, especially during an election campaign. There is one notable exception. In November 2011, ahead of state elections in the following spring, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati floated a resolution calling for UP to be divided into four smaller units: Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Awadh Pradesh, and Paschim Pradesh. She was then UPs chief minister, and widely expected to lose the election. Inevitably, her proposal was dismissed as an act of political deflection, a populist gesture to draw attention away from an inept administrative record. (If that was the intention, it didnt work: The BSP received a shellacking at the polls.) In the past few weeks of campaigning, Mayawati has resurfaced the idea in some of her speeches  notably in places like Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, where dissatisfaction with the government in Lucknow has historically been high.

The usual argument against breaking up states is a negative one: If you allow UP to be split up, then you cant say no to those demanding Bodoland be carved out of Assam, Gorkhaland from Bengal, and so on. But this is a red herring. In the past two decades, there have been several instances of states being broken up  leading to the creation of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Telangana  but this has not led to greater agitation for Bodoland, Gorkhaland, et al.

The case for breaking UP up isnt really based on ethnic or linguistic grievance or exceptionalism: Its a matter of governance, and of administrative efficiency. The population of each of the smaller states would have a greater say in how their government prioritises local problems, and allocates local resources. Each would have a bureaucracy far less removed from the concerns of the people it serves. To the point that Chinese official made about his province, if UP were four states instead of one, each would have a better chance of success than the combined whole.

The operative word in that last sentence is chance. Theres obviously no guarantee that each state would immediately find an enlightened political class and civil service. India has plenty of smaller states where elected representatives are unresponsive, bureaucracies inefficient, and corruption is rife in both classes. But small states, as a rule, outperform large ones in most of the important economic and social indices, ranging from per-capita income to life expectancy  and UP ranks close to the bottom in most cases.

Splitting UP up is clearly an idea whose time has come. Whoever forms the government in Lucknow has the opportunity to take it forward. If its Mayawati, she wont need to make the argument afresh. Nor would either of the two national parties, the BJP and the Congress, because they already have a track record of supporting the break up of states elsewhere in the country. As for the Samajwadi Party, perhaps it can be persuaded by the prospect that it could have a shot at forming four state governments in future elections, instead of being a one-state wonder. After all, a political circus that has four tigers is always going to draw a bigger audience than one that has just one oversized elephant.

The major political parties have themselves set the stage by promising, through the long weeks of campaigning, to serve the best interests of the people of the state. The best way to serve UP is to start dismantling it.

Bobby Ghosh is editor-in-chief of Hindustan Times

Twitter: @ghoshworld

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The debate over last months clashes at Ramjas College echoed in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday with Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba showing DU student Gurmehar Kaurs placard-holding video to legislators.

Discussing the issue, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and opposition BJP legislators got into a heated debate over supporting anti-nationals.

Starting the discussion in the assembly, Lamba played the video of Kaur in which she holds placards against the violence in Delhi University. One placard said: Pakistan did not kill my father, but war did.

Kaur had launched a social media campaign against the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and had allegedly received rape threats.

Read: Ramjas clashes: Panel of senior police officers to probe DU violence

Denouncing the threats to Kaur, tourism and culture minister Kapil Mishra said, The morale of soldiers protecting the borders goes down when the daughter of a martyr gets rape threats. The morale of soldiers is lowered when a trooper demanding implementation of the one rank one pension scheme has to commit suicide and another has to post a video on social media to get a proper meal.

The opposition MLAs objected to playing of the video in the assembly. You are protecting those who want to divide the country. Have you forgotten the slogans they raised in JNU? Leader of opposition Vijender Gupta said.

The AAP legislators accused the BJP of instigating violence in universities by having ABVP activists raise anti-national slogans.

Speaker stuck

Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel entered the House around 10 minutes late as he was stuck in a traffic jam.

Speaking on the issue of traffic congestion in Delhi raised by BJP lawmaker Jagdish Pradhan under the special mention motion, Goel said, I had to call my OSD (officer on special duty) twice to get the traffic cleared. I was stuck for around one and a half hours.

Criticising the traffic police that comes under the administrative control of the Centre, Goel said he saw no traffic personnel while commuting from Seelampur to the Delhi assembly.
The special cell of Delhi Police have arrested a 23-year-old man allegedly involved in smuggling firearms into Delhi from Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. Fifteen sophisticated automatic pistols made at illegal firearm manufacturing units in Madhya Pradesh were seized from him.

Pramod Singh Kushwah, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), said that the arrested man, identified as Suresh, was a resident of Madhya Pradesh and had come to Delhi to supply the consignment of firearms. We arrested him on Monday from Nand Nagri area in northeast Delhi. Fifteen pistols of good quality were recovered from him, Kushwah said.

Police said the seized pistols were manufactured at Khargone and other neighbouring districts such as Khandwa, Barwani and Dhar of Madhya Pradesh, allegedly by a local tribe called Sikligars.

According to a police officer, Suresh had come to Delhi to deliver the consignment of firearms to a local dealer. He is being questioned to establish the identity of the receiver. We will also try to find out if he had visited Delhi in the past for similar illegal purpose, the officer said.

Suresh has reportedly told police that his gang was involved in manufacturing and smuggling firearms in various parts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Efforts were on to identify and nab his associates, police said.

In January this year, two traffickers of firearms  Praveen Chaudhary and his uncle Amar Singh  were arrested by the special cell with 18 sophisticated pistols and 25 magazines. A Maruti Swift Dzire car, which the two were using to smuggle the firearms into Delhi, was also seized.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-ruled states and the municipal corporations to compare their work with that of the Delhi government before criticising it.

With Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) expansion plans in other states in mind, Kejriwal, for the first time, attacked political parties other than the BJP and the Congress. He said the parties, including the Congress, BJP, SP and NCP had come together to destroy the AAP.

Read: Delhi L-G lauds AAP govts achievements in first address to assembly

Speaking in a discussion on the motion of thanks to the lieutenant-governors address in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal attacked the BJP-led civic bodies and challenged them to list even a single work they had done in the last 10 years. The motion of thanks, moved by tourism minister Kapil Mishra on Monday, was passed by voice votes.

We are new to politics, but with our two-year experience, we can say that they all (political parties) are hand in glove...the SP, BSP, Sharad Pawar (who heads NCP), Congress and the BJP were like a family. They are pained to see how we (AAP) have come to power. They want to destroy us, Kejriwal said.

Comparing the Delhi governments work with other states, he said, The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for 10-12 years. I challenge its CM to list at least five works he has done in his state. I also challenge the Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan governments to show five works. I dont blame you (BJP CMs), even (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji doesnt know what he has done.

The CM said the Centre had been sitting on the file to regularise unauthorised colonies for 1.5 years. He criticised former LG Najeeb Jung for not clearing the minimum wages bill. Minimum wages should have been approved by August but the prime minister called former LG Najeeb Jung and said dont let anything happen in Delhi, he said.

Read: The longest session of Delhi Assembly will end tomorrow with beginning of Budget 2017 session

Vijender Gupta, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, attacked the AAP government and termed the achievements listed in the lieutenant governors address as hollow. I have read the LGs speech several times. With great sadness I can say that people are disappointed. There was no agenda in the LGs address. The government has strayed from its path, he said.

Replying to Guptas charges, Kejriwal said he was happy that the opposition leader was not able to level any corruption charge against AAP ministers.
The AAP governments focus on health and education reflected in the Economic Survey of Delhi that was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.

The survey showed that the per capita health spending has gone up from Rs 1,936 in 2014-15 to Rs 2,999 in 2015-16. However, the main cause of concern is rise in Delhis infant mortality rate (IMR), which has gone up from 20 in 2014 to 23 in 2015.

Unemployment has also risen sharply, with the number of unemployed people going up by over 11% between 2014 and 2015.

In the education sector, per student expenditure in Delhi government schools, saw an increase of almost 50% since 2012-13. From Rs 29,641 in 2012-13, the per student expenditure has risen to Rs 44,640 in 2015-16. The government says the literacy in Delhi is improving, but states the cause of worry for them is the gender gap of 10%.

Health

Delhis infant mortality rate (IMR), the number of death of children under the age of one for every 1,000 live births, has gone up from 20 in 2014 to 23 in 2015, according to the economic survey of Delhi. The neonatal mortality rate (NMR), the number of deaths of children at 28 days for every 1,000 live births, has also gone up from 14 to 16.

We have been appreciated by the government of India for bringing down both IMR and NMR. According to the sample registration system data, the IMR has gone down from 22 to 18. The discrepancy may be because civil registration system data, which also includes children from other states who are born in Delhi, has been considered for this report, said a senior official from Delhis health department.

Delhi government has been doing several interventions such as special newborn care, promoting breast feeding, and encouraging family-based newborn care, the official said.

The under 5 mortality, however, has dropped drastically from 40 in 2014 to 24 in 2015. The under-five mortality in 2013 was 26.

The total number of hospital beds increased from 41,706 in 2010 to 49,969 in 2015-16 thereby the bed population ratio (beds per 1,000 people) increased from 2.54 to 2.76 in the same period.

Education

Per student expenditure in Delhi government schools has seen an increase of almost 50% since 2012-13. The literacy rate in Delhi has increased from 75.29% in 1991 to 86.20% in 2011 Census. The male literacy rate as per the 2011 Census is 90.9% as against 80.8% females.

In the last academic year, five state universities were given Rs 1.5 crore to start incubation centres to focus on research. In 2017-18, five incubation center will be set up at Acharya Narendra Dev College, Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Ambedkar Institute of Advanced Communication Technology and Research, College of Art and Bhai Parmanand Institute of Business Studies.

Power

Electricity supply in Delhi increased from 23,537 million units in 2005-06 to 33,615 million units in 2015-16. This is not only because of the hot climatic conditions in the city but also because the number of electricity consumers in the capital has grown by 85.43% in the last 10 years. The peak demand increased from 3,626 MW in 2005-06 to 5,846 MW in 2015-16 as power consumption recorded an annual growth of approximately 3.39%. Besides, losses owing to power theft in Delhi have reduced from 52% in the pre-reform era to 12.15% in 2015-16.

Transport

With a 9.94% increase, Delhi saw the highest spike in the number of vehicles on roads in 2015-16. However, the Delhi government, stated in the survey that it still does not have the exact number of vehicles plying on roads as a huge number of cars come from cities in NCR. The road network in the capital also increased from 32,131 km in 2007-08 to 33,868 kms in 2015-16. Similarly, the existing network of DMRC is also going to be increased to 325 kms after completion of Phase-III network. While 1,700 cluster buses are operational in nine clusters by private sector corporate carriage operations, 291 mini buses are plying on 43 Metro feeder routes.

Environment

With registered vehicles increasing, the Delhi government admitted that this has automatically enhanced the pollution levels.

From 88.27 lakh vehicle in 2014-2015, the number has increased to 97.05 lakh in 2015-16,

Data from the six air quality monitoring stations show that the annual average PM10, PM 2.5 and NO2 levels for 2015 were all well above prescribed standards. The Central Pollution Control Board has fixed the national ambient air quality annual standards at 60 ug/m3 for PM10, and 40 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and NO2.

During the 2016 budget proposal, the government floated the idea of building three new ambient air quality monitoring stations, and one mobile ambient air quality monitoring van. This is yet to be done, as are many of the measures that were proposed under comprehensive maintenance of roads plan.

Like the air, river Yamuna has not fared well either. Bio-chemical oxygen demands, chemical oxygen demands, and total suspended solids levels are all not at the prescribed standards, as per the water quality monitoring data from nine locations and 21 drains during April 2015 to March 2016.

Water

The capacity of sewage treatment plants in Delhi has increased from 402.40 MGD (Million gallons per day) in March 2001 to 607.26 MGD in March 2016. However, only 74% of this available capacity is being used.

DJB officials said that this was logical, and should not be considered an anomaly.

Sewage Treatment Plants cannot be set up overnight. Over the years, the total sewage trapped will also go up. So we create a capacity that is higher than we need currently, so that it lasts longer, said a senior DJB official.

Currently, the Delhi Jal Board has a capacity of 906 MGD from their 12 water treatment plants, but the actual peak production capacity was capped at 900 MGD in July 2016.
Stories on thefts of mobile phones from on streets, buses and Delhi Metro trains are common news. What is rarely heard, however, is news of victims getting back their stolen cellphones.

A week ago, the Delhi Police made the largest ever seizure of stolen mobile phones when they arrested eight men and recovered 735 stolen mobile phones worth Rs 1.3 crore from them. Investigation led to the arrest of another accused from Punjab and recovery of over 200 more phones.

Of the recovered phones, 72 will soon be returned to their owners who the police have tracked down based on loss, theft and snatching complaints filed by them. Police are also conducting raids in Delhi and Punjab to arrest more people dealing in stolen cellphones to recover more phones.

Hindustan Times accessed details of eight people who will soon get back their stolen phones. Two of them are Lance Naiks in the Indian Army and posted at Delhi Cantonment, while another is an Indian Navy staff. Among others were a woman accountant from Bhalswa Dairy, a PhD scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), an aspiring chartered accountant from Nepal, a student from Manipur, and a businessman from Nabi Karim.

Most of them lost their phones or fell prey to mobile thieves while travelling in public buses or Metro trains. HT spoke to all the eight people at the Okhla police station where they were called to identify their phones and claim ownership. All of them had smartphones of different brands with prices ranging between Rs 7,000 and Rs 20,000 for each set.

Sunita Singh, an accountant from Bhalswa dairy, said that she was travelling in the Metro when her LYF smartphone worth Rs 8,000 was stolen from her sons pocket at Rajiv Chowk station.

My phone was stolen two weeks ago. I had no hopes of seeing my phone again because cellphones of my relatives and friends were also stolen in the past and they never got them back. I filed a police complaint but never pursued it, said Singh.

I could not believe my ears when a cop called me to inform that they had recovered my stolen phone and that I should come to the Okhla police station to identify and claim my phone, she said.

Lance Naiks Vipin Kumar and Hukum Singh Rathore said that they were returning home after work in a DTC bus on route number 729 when their smartphones were stolen on January 15. JNU student Sharva Shrestha was travelling in Metro when his Samsung Galaxy phone was stolen on January 27.

Asked how they are tracing owners of the recovered stolen phones, an investigator said that are doing it by establishing the ownership of the phones with their IMEI and serial numbers. The officer said that they feed the phones IMEI numbers in the database of stolen mobile phones and scan for the FIRs of stolen phones registered across Delhi.

The gang members were experts in unlocking smartphones and changing their IMEI numbers to sell them off in the grey market. Connecting phones having changed IMEI number is difficult and a lengthy process. We trace their ownership by sending request to Google and seeking details and email IDs of their original users, said the officer.

A team of five policemen with an information technology background has been put on the job to connect the remaining stolen phones with their original owners.
Iraqi soldier Hayder Adnan Abdul Hameed Al Jadir, 29, is recovering at a Delhi hospital after undergoing surgery to repair his left arm. The arm was amputated after a blast about two months ago in his home country.

Hayder is one of 45 soldiers from Iraq operated upon by Dr Sunil Choudhary, senior director and chief of plastic surgery at Max Healthcare in Saket, in the past year.

We see a lot of patients from war-torn regions. Earlier, we used to get blast and gunshot wound victims through the ministry of health in Iraq, but now many of them also come to us privately, said Dr Choudhary.

India has emerged as a preferred destination for such patients because of the relatively low cost of treatment and hassle-free visa approval. People from Iraq dont get visas easily anywhere in the world, which could be a reason apart from the quality of treatment at cheaper rates, he said.

Most of these patients suffer similar injuries wherein either there is amputation or they have sustained severe burns and require reconstruction.

Hayders forearm had got detached, and was repaired in a 12-hour surgery performed on February 28. Though American surgeons in Iraq had replanted the arm, there was no movement left in the limb.

It was a lifeless limb and we had to perform the surgery under microscope to restore nerves, muscles and bones, all of which had suffered loss. The nerves could be as minute as .8mm in diameter, said Dr Choudhary.

Hayder is happy with the treatment. A few of my friends were treated by Dr Choudhary and were quite happy with the quality of treatment, which is why I chose to come here, said Hayder.

Dr Kuldeep Singh, senior consultant from the department of plastic surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, says, India doesnt just offer treatment to patients coming from countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, but treats them with dignity, respect and friendliness.

Apollo gets about 15-20 blast victims in a year. A group of Nepalese guards who were victims of a blast en route the Canadian embassy in Kabul last year were also flown to India and treated at Apollo.

I treated three of them, who had suffered shrapnel injuries. These war zones are fertile grounds for blast injuries and we have been regularly getting patients from there, said Dr Singh.

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday drew a parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and said both the leaders are running one-man show.

Referring to poll promises made by Modi and Kejriwal ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2015 Delhi assembly polls, Gandhi said both the leaders had misled the public.

Like Modiji, Kejriwal claims that he will bring change alone. One person cannot do that. We (Congress leaders) dont consider ourselves as supreme learned people. Whenever Congress forms a government, it resonates with the voice of every Indian, said Gandhi.

Read: Power station, roads, sewer lines: Delhi govt, MCDs on inauguration spree ahead of polls

Setting the tone of his partys campaign for upcoming civic polls in the national capital, he further said that the Congress will not field any parachute candidates and neither would it succumb to any pressure.

We will give tickets to those who are grassroots worker. We will pick new faces and promote them. Delhis voice will echo in the three corporations, he said.

Gandhi was addressing a gathering of party workers at Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday just a month ahead of municipal elections in the capital. Present on the occasion were former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, state unit chief Ajay Maken, state in-charge PC Chacko, and several former ministers of Delhi.

Read:Delhi MCD polls: Congress guns join big fight, Rahul Gandhi to address convention

Intensifying his attack on Kejriwal, Gandhi said like Modi has caused loss to the nation, the Delhi CM was doing a similar thing to Delhi. The Congress worked for 15 years in the city. The AAP government did not do anything. They just played politics of false promises. Corruption still exists in corporations, he said adding that in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), only Kejriwals instructions are followed.

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Congress Tuesday rally at Ramlila Maidan turned out to be a show of strength by the party with ticket seekers for the upcoming civic body polls flooding the rally venue.

The rally, which was addressed by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, saw aspiring candidates from various wards across the city come in with busloads of supporters to fill up the rally venue.

Supporters were either asked to carry placards flashing the names of their ward-leaders or were seen wearing T-shirts and caps with the names and pictures of the ticket-seekers printed on them.

Ajay Verma is our leader from Kondli area and we are sure that he will get a ticket to contest the polls. He has been working hard for the locality, said Mohammed Alam, a party supporter, while proudly flaunting his T-shirt with the name of Verma printed on it.

Read: Kejriwal, Modi both running one-man show, have misled people: Rahul at Delhi rally

The crowd broke into cheers and raised slogans praising Gandhi when he announced that the party would give tickets only to local leaders instead of para-dropping new faces.

Such a workers convention addressed by the partys vice president will definitely boost the morale of the workers. This was much needed, said Imtiyaz Ahmed, a local Congress leader from Shakur Basti area of north Delhi.

Also probably for the first time the party leaders organised an orchestra to keep the crowd engaged. Popular songs such as Maa Tujhe Salam were played as dancers kept the crowd engrossed before Gandhi arrived around 6:30 pm.

To boost the supporters morale further, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken compared the crowd with that of the gathering when Anna Hazare launched his campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Read: Delhi MCD polls: Congress guns join big fight, Rahul Gandhi to address convention

Even though the Congress leaders were expecting around 26,000 people, police said that not more than 12,000 attended the rally. Party leaders, however, claimed that it was a successful convention as hundreds of people were still waiting outside the ground unable to find a seat. The venue was almost full to capacity.

There were some gaffes too, with leaflets which were distributed by the party to its supporters wrongly stated that LPG prices were higher during the Congress rule compared to what they are now.

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The Delhi police on Tuesday told the high court that it has set up a panel to look into the recent violence at Ramjas College, where students and scribes were allegedly assaulted by cops.

The police submitted that the panel of senior cops was set up after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought the agencys response regarding the alleged assault.

Taking note of the submissions, a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal disposed a plea by a law student for action against the cops who had allegedly carried out the assault at the college.

Read: Ramjas clashes: Court asks Delhi Police to file report on action taken

The bench noted that NHRC was seized of the matter and gave the police four weeks to tell it what steps it had taken in the matter.

The court also noted the polices submissions that it has suspended four of its officials in connection with the incident, an FIR has already been lodged and the matter has been transferred to the Crime Branch.

The bench gave petitioner Tarun Narang the liberty to approach the court again if no report is placed before NHRC by the Delhi Police.

The plea in the high court had sought setting up of an independent panel of senior cops of Delhi Police to probe the incident.

Ramjas College here had witnessed large-scale violence between members of the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Read: Ramjas clashes: Colleges disciplinary panel to probe violence

The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on Culture of Protests which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.

The plea had also sought lodging of an FIR under various sections of the IPC, including assaulting a woman with an intent to outrage her modesty, against the cops and others who allegedly harassed and assaulted women students and journalists during the protest.

It had urged the high court to issue guidelines to law enforcement agencies while dealing with students and media on university campuses.

(ends)
India can feel a mild sense of vindication to hear retired Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani admitting on Indian soil that the Mumbai 26/11 attacks were carried out by a terrorist organisation that crossed over from Pakistan. Durrani was National Security Advisor to the Pakistani government at the time and the statement is in line with his public admission then that Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the terrorists captured during the attack, was from Pakistan. Though he followed up his statements in India by insisting neither the Pakistani military or government had any role to play in the attack, Durranis statement is not the first such admission by a senior Pakistani official. The most sweeping confession was from General Pervez Musharraf, both former head of the Pakistani military and the countrys president, that Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and a dozen other terrorist groups had been supported and trained by Pakistan and used to force Indias hand on the future status of Kashmir. Musharraf said that, at the time, these terrorists were our heroes but subsequently began attacking Pakistan as well. In the civilian space, there is an even greater number of similar admissions by senior Pakistanis. And they are echoed by a long line of senior American officials who, normally after retirement, admit the complicity of Pakistans military in supporting terrorist groups aimed at fighting India.

The credibility of New Delhis claims against Islamabad are enhanced with such statements, but have materially only slightly changed either Pakistans willingness to use terrorism against India or the ability of New Delhi to get external players to force Pakistan to change its behaviour. There has been a shift in Washingtons point of view, especially following the 9/11 attack and evidence that Pakistans attempts to firewall Lashkar and other Indian-oriented terrorist groups from more global groups like Al Qaeda have not wholly succeeded. But waning US support for Pakistan has been replaced by increasing Chinese support  and Beijings willingness to pressure Pakistan on terror can best be measured by their blind support for an internationally acknowledged terrorist chief like Masood Azhar on the floor of the United Nations.

New Delhis larger strategy has been and should continue to be to differentiate between Pakistans use of terror as an instrument of statecraft and Pakistans territorial claim on Kashmir. This dehyphenation is necessary to change a still common view in the rest of the world that the terrorism is only a symptom of a deeper territorial malaise and that until the Kashmir dispute settled the terror will continue. This continues to be an uphill battle for India, largely because of its struggle to bring about political stability in its part of Kashmir.
Schools might be required to disclose all the heads under which they collect student fees such as tuition, computer classes, transport, and medical on their website.

Moreover, they will also have to make parents part of the management committee so that they remain aware of any proposed fee hike.

These are part of revised affiliation bylaws that have been drafted by the Central Board of Central Education (CBSE), which runs more than 18,000 schools across the country, a source said.

The schools will have to give complete information about their infrastructure on their website. Those failing to adhere to any of the bylaws could face a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh.

Sources said residential schools affiliated to the CBSE will not be able to collect hostel fee in advance, which in many cases go up to several lakhs of rupees.

Guidelines The CBSE will give affiliation to schools for five years. To ensure schools abide by the bylaws, the institutes will sign a legal agreement with the CBSE. The new bylaws will also bar schools from assigning non-academic work to teachers. Vacancies will have to be notified on the Internet, and faculty salary must be paid through online bank transfer. Those failing to adhere to any of the bylaws could face a penalty of up to Rs1 lakh.

The CBSE had set up a committee to review its affiliation bylaws to enable it to combat rampant commercialisation of school education. We cant regulate how much fee they can charge, but they will have to clearly specify the heads under which the fee is being charged. They will have to follow the same heads that are defined by the states so that there is uniformity. The fee will have to match facilities provided by the schools, said a senior government official.

The Union human resource development ministry has asked the CBSE to consult all stakeholders  including parents and schools  in drafting the bylaws, a source informed.

The proposed bylaws will be made public and parents will get an opportunity to give their views. A meet for parents will be organised too. We will incorporate their suggestions as well as that of the schools.

The board will give affiliation to schools for five years. To ensure schools abide by the bylaws, sources said the institutes will sign a legal agreement with the CBSE.

Parents have welcomed the move to make it mandatory for schools to show the fee break-up.

It is a good step as schools charge a lot of money as fee but seldom displace the heads. We dont even know what facilities they are providing. Also, if parents are made part of the management committee they would know when exactly is the fee being hiked and the reasons for it, said Chanda Sarma, a resident of Rohini.

The new bylaws will also bar schools from assigning non-academic work to teachers.

Vacancies will have to be notified on the Internet, and faculty salary must be paid through online bank transfer.

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Students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K), who developed a prototype of a Braille slate called Anubhav, were presented with the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award-2017 during a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 5.

The brainchild of Sachin NP and Vimal Chandru, design programme students who worked under the guidance of Prof Shantanu Bhattacharya, the Braille slate has two polymer-based pads hinged to one side, a single row of metal stencil with Braille cell patterns etched on it and an ergonomic stylus with a hollow cylindrical tube.

The Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards celebrate the spirit of student innovation in all fields of engineering, science, technology and design through affordable solutions. A jubilant Sachin, who graduated from IIT-K and is currently working with a German company, said: The award is a reward for our hard work. It will inspire us to do more innovation and bring about a change in society. Technology should be used for the betterment and welfare of society.

The innovators claimed that before this there had been no single device that could help the visually impaired read and write simultaneously. So we thought of sorting out the issue. The idea was to make a single device that can perform the functions of both the Braille slate and the Taylors board, said Sachin and Vimal.

The brainchild of Sachin NP and Vimal Chandru, design programme students who worked under the guidance of Prof Shantanu Bhattacharya, the Braille slate has two polymer-based pads hinged to one side, a single row of metal stencil with Braille cell patterns etched on it and an ergonomic stylus with a hollow cylindrical tube. (Handout image)

Anubhav consists of cells with raised dots arranged on a slate and a stencil that slides down vertically from one row to the other. Using the hollow-tube stylus, the raised dots can be embossed on a paper placed between the pads.

The device has been tested with visually impaired children in Kanpur (Andh Vidyalaya students), and the results have been very encouraging, claimed Sachin, adding, This project has been in progress for the past one year. Anubha was the result of thorough research. Now, we are trying to approach the state government to make this product available in the market.

For GYTI Awards 2017, there were 2,715 nominations from 308 institutions and universities from 27 states and two Union Territories across 54 different subject disciplines. This year, 22 innovations were selected for the award and another 17 for appreciation.

How does the slate function?

The lower pad on the slate comprises 23 rows and 26 columns of embossed Braille cell dots, placed equidistantly. The upper pad holds the grooves for the stencil and the line numbers embossed on either side of the railing to ensure that the stencil is in place at all times.

The user has to sandwich the Braille paper between the pads and clip it firmly. The metal stencil is then placed in any given row with the guidance of line numbers. The user can now start writing with the help of the stylus, within the guided cell pattern available on the stencil, said Vimal.

When the raised dot on the lower pad and the hollow surface of the stylus are in contact with the sandwiched paper, an impression is formed on the paper. To switch from one row to the other, the user only needs to flip the stencil.

The stencil can be easily manoeuvred to any row or column, eventually helping the user read and write simultaneously.

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Soon, you will be able to apply for courses of your choice in your preferred colleges in Delhi University.

The university decided to launch additional courses in some of its 63 affiliated colleges from this academic session, after its executive council approved on February 28 a proposal for introduction of new subjects.

The move will allow St Stephens College and Gargi College in Delhi to offer honours courses in political science and economics respectively.

But the launch of these courses will depend on the nod from the funding agency, which is the Delhi government for a dozen colleges, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the rest.

The colleges will apply for approval from the respective agencies, which are expected to clear the files before the new academic session begins in July.

The university has given the approval after an inspection of these colleges, said Rajesh Jha, a member of the executive council, DUs top statutory body.

Besides St Stephens, political science (honours) will be available in Swami Shraddhanand and Bhagini Nivedita College too.

Students will be able to do an honours degree in economics from Bharti College, Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Ramanujan College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, and Sri Aurobindo evening college, where the subject is not taught now.

Similarly, Keshav Mahavidyalaya funded by the Delhi government will offer several courses such as bachelor of management studies (BMS).

The college currently enrolls 46 students in each batch. It will need the UGCs approval to increase student enrollment with each added course.

BSc honours courses in chemistry, zoology and botany will henceforth be available in Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, while Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women will offer bachelors degrees with honours in microbiology and biochemistry.

Zoology and botany hounours will make its entry into Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College.

The university had allowed 19 colleges to begin new courses in the previous academic session.

But the UGC set riders, asking colleges to adjust the courses within the available number of seats, or offer them in a self-finance mode. The institutions could not accomplish any of the two options, and the courses never took off.

For social science subjects, a college can take 46 students. In science subjects, the enrollment cannot exceed more than 32 students.

If the UGC allows colleges to add courses as well as increase seats, it could offer a huge relief to students who fail to get admission because of abysmally high cut-offs in popular institutes. For several subjects in DU colleges, the cut-off touches 100%, the maximum marks a student can get in a subject in the class 12 finals.

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There is a clear line between inspiration and imitation. For designer duo, Shivan-Narresh, that line has been overstepped. ET Panache recently reported that the duo found similarity between their design from a few seasons back, and that of Nepalese designer Prabal Gurungs creation that Hollywood actor Faye Dunaway wore to the recent Oscars. Its really shocking. You could be inspired from a particular artist, but this is going a little too far.

When it comes to modern design in India there arent many takers, but we still try to innovate for our audience. Thats why anyone would look at Indian labels. After all this hardwork, it just feels bad that somebody with the advantage of sitting in New York can do this, says Shivan Bhatiya, talking to HT City. The human eye is trained to decipher whats a copy and whats an inspiration. While theres an audience for both, the truth is clear, he adds.

Shivan and Narresh (L); Prabal Gurung (right).

Did they get in touch with Gurung? We dont need validation if it this has been done intendedly. We brought it up because its time to highlight such things, says Shivan, whos, however, not bitter. In the long run, it might mean that the West looks at us for inspiration. Till the time of going to press, a response from Gurungs team was awaited.

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Im proud of my body! said a defiant Sonam Kapoor, reacting to a viral series of unflattering pictures of her in a jumpsuit. The actor, who is known for her unconventional dressing sense, said that she was very comfortable in her outfit, and that was all that should matter. We couldnt agree more. If you feel comfortable, then what you wear or how you wear it shouldnt matter. With today being March 8, a day dedicated to women across the globe, HT Cafe lays out some great ensembles that you can flaunt.

Style it right

Style is something each of us already has, all we need to do is find it, designer Diane von Furstenberg once said. And her words still ring true, because while fashion trends keep changing, style is eternal. Every woman loves a well-fitted dress that complements her. But the difference between a good dress and a great one could just be a cold shoulder, cut-out shoulder, off-shoulder cut or even bell sleeves.

This ankle-length two-layered dress by designer Purvi Doshi fits the shape of the body so well that every woman would love to wear it.

Cut-out shoulders are feminine and flirty, and complement every body type well. One can never go wrong with cut-out shoulder shirt dresses, a crisp white shirt with jeans, or a white kurta with jeans. With regard to the silhouettes, detailing on the shoulders and the sleeves  such as cut-out, cold shoulder and off-shoulder cuts  makes for a chic look, says designer Surily Goel.

Actor Sonam Kapoor, who is known for her unconventional dressing sense, said that she was very comfortable in her outfit, and that was all that should matter. (Yogen Shah)

Pattern and prints

Drapes with dramatic hemlines can also complement nearly every look. Florals [print] add freshness to ones look. Floral off-shoulder long dresses, pastel kurtis and shirt dresses are some examples of outfits for confident and stylish women with a strong sense of style. These garments are fresh, young and wearable, and have clean cuts. Elegant and energetic shades such as ivory, lavender and aqua complement every skin and body type. These colours work well for the Indian skin tone, says designer Anushree Reddy.

This one-shoulder dress by designer Anushree Reddy is feminine and flirty at the same time. The floral prints add freshness to this blush pink dress. Twirl around and celebrate this day.

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Hundreds of old-age pensioners have sought the intervention of the chief minister, health minister and the deputy commissioner to ensure doctors are posted at the civil hospital and the health centres in Sohna tehsil to certify their age.

Old age pensioners are required to get their age verified by a government doctor posted in their respective areas.

Despite a biometric attendance system installed in hospitals, there has been no action against doctors who fail to report for duty. There have even been demands for an inquiry into the attendance records, over the last two months, of doctors who have failed to report for duty.

Suraj Singh, a resident of Raipur in Sohna, said, I keep bringing my parents to the hospital every day, only to return empty-handed as not one doctor is available (to certify their age). It is difficult to manage conveyance for my elderly parents every day. I hope something gets done and we dont have to go through this anymore.

Dharampal Singh, a resident of Silani near Ghangola, said, On most days, theres no notice telling us whether doctors are available or the days they are likely to be around. This would enable us to schedule our visits accordingly. The administration should make alternative arrangements at another government hospital so that we have our age verified.

Haryana government currently gives Rs 1,600 per month to senior citizens as old age Samman (honour) allowance, which was introduced by former chief minister Devi Lal in 1987.

Read I Gurgaon private labs, health department disagree on price cap for chikungunya test

The community health centre in Ghangola caters to patients from 54 villages and more than 15 old-age pensioners, on an average, visit the unit daily in the quest of age certificates. The locals, especially the elderly, are distressed over the continued unavailability of doctors at government-run health units and have, hence, sought urgent intervention of the district administration and the health minister.

I moved the civic agencies and even let my misgivings be known at the governments portal for posting feedback. Taking a leave from work and getting my parents at the hospital every day is not possible. The pension helps my parents get by and to be facing such hassles is nothing short of mental harassment for my family. We spend to four-five hours waiting for the doctor and are then told to leave and come back later, Parveen Kumar, a resident of Berka in Sohna said.

The doctors at government hospitals and health centres and required to certify the age of elderly pensioners and tell them if they are eligible to draw pension.

Jai Bhagwan Jatain, senior medical officer, Sohna, said, We conduct X-rays of dental and bone joints to verify the age. More than 15 people visit us daily for old-age pension verification.

A senior district official assured that the administration will look to boost the availability of doctors at government health centres and have all issues of old-age pensioners resolved at the earliest.

The doctor posted at the Ganghola community health centre is also additionally in charge of the Bhora Kalan and Pataudi units and have to cater to his duties there as well.

The age certification rule came into play to stop people from obtaining old-age pension certificates despite not meeting the age criteria.

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Haryana health department officials conducted a raid at a private clinic in Rajiv Nagar on Tuesday and nabbed two persons for allegedly conducting illegal abortions.

The officials identified the accused as Dr Vijay Kumar Sharma, the doctor who runs the private clinic  Apple Hospital, and Dr Sonam Sharma. A sum of Rs10,000 was also recovered from them.

The team that conducted the raid included Dr Neelam Thapar, deputy civil surgeon, Dr Ritu Nandal, gynaecologist, Amandeep Chauhan, drug controls officer and Shyam Sunder, the secretary of district Red Cross Society.

Sunder said they conducted the raid based on a tip-off. A patient, who had allegedly undergone an abortion on Monday, was also held at the clinic. Officials said that she was four months pregnant before she allegedly underwent the abortion.

The team seized several documents and registers from the clinic, which revealed that many patients had undergone illegal abortions at the clinic. The team also found several foetuses while assessing the biomedical waste in the clinic.

Read I Haryana: Doc held for carrying out illegal abortion at Ratia

Sunder said, The accused were asked to present relevant documentation under Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, but they failed to do so and pleaded guilty to their crime. Their statements have been recorded and the two are lodged in police custody.

An ultrasound machine, four registers and bio-waste were seized by the team.

A case was registered against the accused under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994; Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Health department officials have been conducting regular raids to check illegal medical and testing centres in the city. Last year, along with the Gurgaon police, they conducted a raid at a private clinic in Sector 45 and nabbed two people for allegedly conducting illegal sex determination tests. In January, 27 people were rescued from an illegal rehabilitation centre following a raid by the health department.

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Akash Manoj has been reading medical literature for fun since he was in the 8th standard. It comes as a little surprise then that this Class 10 student has developed a device to predict silent heart attacks, identified as one a major health risk for thousands of Indians.

Since the time Akash was in class VIII, he started visiting the library at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, which is more than an hour away from his hometown Hosur in Tamil Nadu.

Journal articles are expensive, so visiting the libraries was the only way I could do it. Otherwise, it would have cost more than a crore (of rupees) for the amount I read. I was always interested in medical science and I liked reading the journalscardiology is my favourite, said Manoj.

He is a confident teenager who has been globe-trotting to attend various scientific conventions. At the age of 15, his visiting card describes him as a researcher in cardiology. He can speak at length about his project and break it down for you if you cannot understand, so, board exams are not a big deal. I have seen people worried about board exams. I study for it, but it does not bother me, said Manoj.

It was his grandfathers death that prompted him to take up this project. He was a diabetic and had high blood pressure, but he was healthy otherwise. He had a silent heart attack, collapsed and died, he said.

Thats when he embarked on a journey to create a device that could detect silent heart attacks.

A heart attack is characterised by chest pain, pain in the left arm or shortness of breath. A person who has a silent heart attack may not show these symptoms at all. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels all put you at risk of a silent heart attack.

Having a silent heart attack puts people at a greater risk of having another heart attack, which could be fatal. Having another heart attack also increases risk of complications, such as heart failure.

The skin patch invented by Akash has to be attached to the wrist or the back of the ear and it will release a small positive electrical impulse, which will attract the negatively charged protein released by the heart to signal a heart attack. If the quantity of this protein  FABP3 -- is high, the person must seek immediate medical attention.

Clinical trials for the medical device are on and it could be approved for a human trial. The product would be fit to be launched in the market after two months of human trial, assuming nothing goes wrong.

I have already filed for a patent and I would tie up with department of biotechnology for the trial. I would want the government of India to take the project instead of selling it to a private company because it is for the public good, he said.

Akash aims to study cardiology at the countrys premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.

What is a silent heart attack

A silent heart attack is when the symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath that are indicative of heart attack is not felt.

People mistake it for indigestion, nausea, muscle pain or a bad case of the flu

Having a silent heart attack puts you at a greater risk of having another heart attack, which could be fatal. Having another heart attack also increases your risk of complications, such as heart failure

 The only way to detect it is if electrocardiogram or echocardiogram is performed

How does the device work

A small silicon patch stuck to your wrist or back of your ear can be used regularly to monitor whether there has been a heart attack instead of waiting for a doctor to prescribe a test

The patch uses a positively charged electrical impulse to draw negatively charged ---protein to the surface

If the amount of FABP3 is high, then the person would need immediate medical attention

People who are at risk are recommended to use the device twice a day -- in the morning and at night, before going to bed

The product can soon be seen in the market and would cost around R 900, cheaper than a glucometer

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The discussion on how much burden schoolchildren should carry on their shoulders has been there since a long time, with scientists coming up with newer alternatives to improve the situation. Now theyre debating if using trollies instead of schoolbags is a better option.

Previous research has already looked at the effect of carrying a heavy backpack around school all day on childrens health and comfort, with findings leading many experts to agree that a backpack should not weigh more than 10-15 % of the childs bodyweight.

The most recent study, carried out by a team from the University of Granada (UGR), Spain, has added to the debate by focusing on whether pulling a trolley could be better for kids than carrying schoolwork around in a backpack.

A previous attempt has already been made to settle the matter, with a small-scale 2010 study looking at the effect of both on 34 German schoolchildren between 6 and 8 years of age. That study found that although children adopted asymmetric postures while both toting a backpack and pulling a trolley, a trolley was also associated with a rotation of the spine which could be an extra source of stress on childrens bodies, leading the team to advise using a backpack, as long as the weight is within recommended limits.

However the team behind the new study believe that pulling a trolley to school is better for children than carrying around a heavy backpack.

After assessing body weight and posture of 78 schoolchildren aged six to 12, results showed that 47% of schoolchildren are carrying a load in their trolley or backpack above what is recommended on a daily basis.

A backpack should not weigh more than 10-15 % of a childs bodyweight, say experts. (Shutterstock)

Furthermore 23% of the girls are carrying a load above 20% of their body weight, far higher than what is recommended.

In addition, after surveying the children, researchers found that 97% of backpackers believe their backpack is almost always heavy, compared with 85% of trolley users, despite the results suggesting that the weight of the trolleys is greater than backpacks.

Over 85% of those using a backpack also reported often feeling tired when carrying it, compared to 71% of trolley users, while back pain was reported by 43% of backpackers, compared to only 31% of those using trolleys.

Lead author Eva Orantes suggested that a trolley is beneficial where possible, provided its load doesnt exceed the recommended amount of between 10 and 15% of the childs weight.

The team is continuing with their research, which should shed more light on how children should take their work to school and how much they should take.

Meanwhile, for kids that need to use a backpack, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends that parents ease the load on children by choosing one that is an appropriate size for the child, is lightweight, and comes with two wide, padded shoulder straps and a waist strap for extra comfort and support.

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A video journalist on Tuesday requested an Agra court to direct police to register an FIR against actor Sanjay Dutt and three others for allegedly assaulting him. The court has asked police for a report on March 29.

Ajay Yadav told the court that on March 2 the actor, director Omung Kumar and two others assaulted him when he asked the film crew, which was shooting for the film Bhoomi, if they had the permission to block a public road.

The four not only beat him up but also attacked those who came to his assistance, Yadav said in his application to special judge Santosh Rai.

His camera, laptop, microphone and even identity card were snatched but the personnel at the Tajganj police station didnt register an FIR, Yadav said.

Dutt, who is in Agra shooting for his comeback film, held a press conference the next day and said he was not on the spot though the 57-year-old apologised for the incident.

The actor was released from a Pune jail in February 2016 after serving three years in a terror case.

Bhoomi is expected to hit the big screen on August 4.

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Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against the bailable warrant issued by the Allahabad high court after he failed to appear before it in a case related to the state Jal Nigam, which he heads.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khan, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said the high court has sought presence of the senior Samajwadi Party leader before it on Tuesday itself in connection with the case.

Sibal told the bench, also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul, that Khan is willing to appear before the high court after March 11, the day when the ongoing assembly election process gets over.

Sibal also told the apex court that being a minister, Khan is the ex-officio chairman of the UP Jal Nigam and that he has nothing to do with the case.

The bench said Khans plea would be heard today at 2pm.

The High Court had ordered issue of the warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the UP Jal Nigam in 2013.

The petition was filed challenging the judgement of the UP Public Services Tribunal in favour of assistant engineer DK Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings for financial irregularities.

The high court had passed the order against Khan after rejecting an exemption application moved on his behalf.

The high court, in its earlier order on February 17, had said that a document filed by the petitioners appeared to be forged and fictitious and issued notices to the petitioners to show cause as to why appropriate proceedings not be initiated against them for forgery and committing contempt/criminal contempt of court.
A Communist Party of China official said on Tuesday that Beijing was considering and investigating Indias proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader Masood Azhar listed on the UN terror catalogue.

Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the move considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China.

He didnt elaborate any further while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel.

China has blocked the move at the United Nations, apparently not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan.

The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists, Ma said, acknowledging that Islamabad has been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang.

The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ma said Pakistan had been repatriating Uighur militants and will repatriate all these terrorists.

Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment.
Expressing concern over continued racial attacks on Indians abroad, the Congress on Tuesday hit out at the NDA government for its silence on the issue.

People of Indian origin and Indian citizens are dying and are being threatened and are being told to go back from different countries but government of the day is absolutely silent, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

He said four different incidents have happened in the last 15 days in America, with one Indian shot dead.

Training his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader wondered why he was silent on NRIs even when he has been using them for votes.

Modi Ji, it is time for you to come out of election mode and start the process of governance, since 34 months have already passed.

It is your solemn duty, it is your cardinal duty, it is your first duty to protect the honour, the safety and the persons of Indian origin as also Indian citizens across the world, he said.

Surjewala said these are not isolated incidents and reminded that it started in Australia and then in New Zealand where an Indian origin person was asked to leave the country.

Modi Ji who never tires of using NRIs for vote getting exercises and for reflecting his connects to the non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin, is completely mum on the issue, he said.

In the latest attack, Deep Rai, a US Sikh national of Indian origin and was shot outside his home in Kent, Washington on Friday by a masked gunman who shouted go back to your own country.

Techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Gujarati businessman Harnish Patel were killed in attacks in the US last week.
Indias super rich club has shrunk by 11 people since demonetisation last November, while Mukesh Ambani remains the richest Indian with a net worth of $26 billion, a study released on Tuesday shows.

The country now has 132 billionaires with a net worth of $1 billion or more and the cumulative wealth of the ultra- rich stood at $392 billion, according to Hurun Global Rich List India.

Though there has been a fall in number of billionaires in the country since demonetisation, the aggregate total wealth of the ultra-rich has increased by 16% over last year, the report said.

In the list of top 10 richest people Ambani is followed by the SP Hinduja & family, at the second position with a net worth of $14 billion, followed by Dilip Shanghvi, at the 3rd position with a wealth of $14 billion.

Others in the top 10 billionaires include, Pallonji Mistry at the fourth place at $12 billion, Lakshmi N Mittal (5th, $12 billion), Shiv Nadar (6th, $ 12 billion), Cyrus Poonawalla (7th, $11 billion), Azim Premji (8th, $9.7 billion), Uday Kotak (9th, $7.2 billion) and David Reuben and Simon Reuben at the 10th place with $6.7 billion.

According to the report, since demonetisation on November 8, India lost 11 billionaires.

India had a tough year because of disruptive government policies such as demonetisation drive. However, on a long term perspective, we do believe that such transparent currency economics will have a positive impact for the entrepreneurs, Hurun Report India Managing Director and Chief Researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said.

Among cities, Mumbai is the capital for Indias super- rich as the city is home to 42 billionaires, followed by Delhi (21) and Ahmedabad (9).

In terms of billionaires spread state wise, Maharashtra topped the list with 51 billionaires, followed by Delhi (22), Gujarat (10) and Karnataka (9).

Vis-a-vis last year almost a third of the list has been replaced with 27 new additions and 31 dropouts.

E-commerce entrepreneurs Sachin and Binny Bansal dropped out of the Global Billionaires list, while Acharya Balakrishna of Patanjali is the wealthiest new face at the 29th position with a networth of $3.7 billion.

Kiran-Mazumdar-Shaw is the only self-made woman billionaire with a wealth of $1.9 billion, the report added.

Regarding billionaire outflow, the report said that 32 individuals migrated from India and UAE is the most preferred destination with 13 immigrants.
Suspended Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Maharashtra for their links with Left-wing extremist organisations and waging war against India.

Apart from the professor, the Gadchiroli sessions court also convicted Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi and three others for the same offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Saibaba, the wheelchair-bound English professor, was arrested by the Maharashtra police in May, 2014, for his alleged links with the top leaders of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and was lodged in the Nagpur central prison for over two years.

He was later released on an interim bail by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court on the grounds of his deteriorating health condition.

Saibaba came under police scanner after the arrested JNU student told police that he was acting as a courier between the professor and Maoist leaders, including Puppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy.

Mishra was arrested in 2013 while he was on his way to Abujmarh in Maoist insurgency-hit Chhattisgarh. He had then told police that Saibaba, who he had met at his Delhi residence, asked him to pass on some important documents to the central leadership of the CPI (Maoist) in Abujmarh, near Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border.

Rahi was also arrested in 2013 for his nexus with the extremists.

The Maharashtra government had recently claimed that Maoist cadres had launched a nationwide campaign for Saibabas release.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced investment of Rs 12,000 crore in upgrading eight highways in Gujarat to National Highways as part of efforts to boost infrastructure development and job generation in the state.

India is going to compete with the world, the Prime Minister said, adding that the ambitious Sagarmala Project would see an investment of Rs 8 lakh crore and usher in port-led development in the country.

Eight highways in Gujarat, totaling 1,200 km, will be converted into National Highways at an investment of Rs 12,000 crore, he said.

He added that the pace of highways construction has risen 11 times to 22 km per day from 2 km/day during the previous regime.

Earlier, Modi unveiled a plaque to dedicate to the nation a four-lane cable-stayed (extradosed) bridge over river Narmada.

The 1.3 km cable-stayed bridge is the longest in the country and is expected to ease traffic on the Ahmedabad- Mumbai National Highway.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said not only was the bridge constructed in record 34 months, it entailed only Rs 380 crore expenditure after a fresh tender in 2014 by the present government.

Gadkari said the Congress government had earlier approved the bridge in 2012 at a cost of Rs 475 crore.

The bridge will significantly reduce traveling time while improving the connectivity between Gujarat and Mumbai.

The project was constructed under engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) across river Narmada with six lane approaches (6.7 km) on Ahmedabad-Mumbai section of NH-8 in Baruch.

This is the largest extradosed span (144 meters) in India and the first extradosed bridge in Gujarat, built by Larsen & Toubro at an estimated cost of Rs 379 crore.

As per officials, the bridge will have have state-of-the- art highway traffic management system (HTMS), variable message sign boards, median plantation, traffic aid post, RFID and smart card swapping enabled infrastructure at the toll plaza and theme lighting on the main bridge.

An extradosed bridge employs a structure which combines the main elements of both a pre-stressed box girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge.
The Indian Navy has launched a global search for maritime fighter jets it plans to operate from future aircraft carriers and is awaiting response from top military contractors on what they have to offer.

The navy wants 57 multi-role carrier-borne fighters (MRCBF) and the potential order could get bigger with an option clause to buy more jets. The hunt for new deck-based fighters comes at a time when the navy is left with just a solitary aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, following the decommissioning of Viraat on Monday.

The navy issued a request for information for the multi-billion dollar MRCBF project in January, giving aircraft manufacturers a four-month deadline to respond.

By May, the foreign firms have to answer queries on technical parameters, budgetary estimates, likely level of indigenisation, transfer of technology and schedule of deliveries after a contract is inked.

French, Swedish, Russian and American firms are likely to compete for the project to equip Indias future carriers: Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-I or Vikrant being built at Kochi and IAC-2, which is in a conceptual stage.

The navy has rejected the naval version of the light combat aircraft. It wants a twin-engine fighter with a stronger airframe and landing gear to operate from a flight deck with high-tempo flying cycles.

HT gives you the low-down on the planes that could fly from a future Indian carrier:

RAFALE M:

French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation will compete for the MRCBF programme with the Rafale M fighter. These fighters are embarked on French Navys nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

File photo of a Rafale multi-role combat aircraft from Dassault Aviation of France taking off at Yelahanka Airforce Station in Bengaluru. (AFP File Photo)

India signed a $8.7-billion deal with France last year for 36 Rafale warplanes for the Indian Air Force. Dassault is hoping the IAF order could give it a head start. The firm believes it makes better sense to equip the IAF and the navy with the same platform as it would translate into better logistics, maintenance and industrial support.

GRIPEN MARITIME:

Swedish aircraft maker Saab will throw its hat into to the ring with its Gripen Maritime fighter. Saab says the maritime fighter has 95% commonality with the Gripen E.

The Swedish firm is closely tracking an IAF programme to build single-engine fighters in the country. Saab says the maritime fighter features all the capabilities of the Gripen E and will come with a highly competitive operational cost per flight hour.

Photo of a Gripen Maritime taken from the Saab website. (Saab.com)

Low maintenance requirements and high availability for operations make it an ideal solution for the Indian Navy, a Saab spokesperson said.

F-18 SUPER HORNET:

US defence giant Boeings F-18 fighter jet is also expected to be a strong contender for the Indian Navy project. The F-18s operate from American super carriers such as USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, with the US Navy accounting for a fleet of more than 600 Super Hornets.

The American firm is also in discussions with the IAF to set up a production line in the country to build twin-engine fighter planes.

The US has offered its electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) technology and advanced arresting gear for IAC-2 or Vishal. India and the US have formed a joint working group on aircraft carrier technology cooperation.

MiG-29K:

Russia will be eyeing the project with the MiG-29 fighter jet, already in service with the Indian Navy. The deck-based fighter operates from INS Vikramaditya, a second-hand carrier bought from Russia.

The navy commissioned its first squadron of MiG-29K fighters at Goa in May 2013, ahead of the induction of INS Vikramaditya.

It also plans to deploy the fighters on the IAC-1 having placed separate orders for 45 MiG-29K fighters.

However, a 2016 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General revealed the MiG-29 fighters are plagued by engine troubles and airframe problems.
Thirteen Chinese tourists and their local guide were let off with a fine of Rs 50,000 for entering the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in off-season.

The valley opens in June and closes in October every year.

Established as a national park in 1982, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. Nearly 300 species of flowers bloom in the valley, spread over an area of 87.5 sqkm.

The Chinese team, on a holiday trip, had a tourist visa when they reached the national park without knowing that it was closed, a forest official said.

Read: Valley of Flowers: A trek on the floral side

The tourists were reportedly heading towards Ghangharia inside the valley in border district of Chamoli when a forest team spotted them on Monday.

Divisional forest officer CS Joshi said local intelligence unit was alerted about the foreigners. After knowing that it was a mistake, a fine was slapped and they (tourists) were let go, Joshi said, adding that the team was allowed to leave in the evening.

However, the top two officials of Chamoli were clueless about the incident.

HT called district magistrate Vinod Suman twice on Monday and he denied that any incident of this kind had taken place. Earlier, superintendent police Preeti Priyadarshani was also in a denial mode.
Two aides of Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati have been arrested in Noida, police said on Tuesday, as the noose tightened around the Samajwadi Party leader accused of raping a woman over two years.

The two people are among the seven named by the woman of raping her.

Police said a team of special task force arrested Ashish Shukla and Ashok Tewari from the Jewar toll plaza in Gautam Budh Nagar, said Amit Pathak, senior superintendent of police, UP-STF.

They were brought to Lucknow for questioning and possible information about the minister who is absconding. Their role will be ascertained by Lucknow police who are investigating the case against the minister, he added.

He said Tewari was posted as lekhpal, a village-level government employee in the ministers assembly constituency, Amethi and was considered his closest aide. Shukla took care of the ministers work in Lucknow.

Prajapati is the ruling SP candidate in Amethi and the rape charges in the middle of the assembly polls have given a major weapon to opposition parties to attack the Akhilesh Singh government.

On February 17, the Supreme Court asked Uttar Pradesh police to register an FIR against Prajapati and also asked for an action taken report within eight weeks.

The woman has alleged that Prajapati had raped her when she met him three years ago. She alleged that she was raped when she fell unconscious after taking tea laced with a sedative. She said Prajapati allegedly photographed her and then threatened to make them public and continued to rape her for two years.

She has also accused Prajapati of attempting to rape her minor daughter.

On Saturday, a court in Lucknow issued non bailable warrants against Prajapati and his aides.

The victim, who hails from Chitrakoot, has named Prajapati and six others, Vikas Verma, Ashok Tewari, Amrendra Singh alias Pintu Singh, Chanderpal, Rupeshwar alias Rupesh and Ashish Shukla.

On Monday, the Lucknow police arrested head constable Chanderpal from Alambagh area. He was deployed as a security guard with the minister. The constable was one of the seven accused in the rape case.
The prospective NRI groom is losing his coveted position in Indian families chasing the big fat American dream for their daughters, because of President Donald Trumps strict immigration policies and a spate of hate crimes in that country.

Parents are now scared of marrying their daughters off to Indians settled in the US.

We have witnessed a 25% fall in queries for NRI grooms, especially those in the US, in the past two months. This number has been on a steady decline since November, but the sharpest fall came in February because of the political developments there, said Richa Garg, manager with matrimonial website Shaadi.com.

The fear and fall in demand stem from sporadic violence against Indians in the US and anxiety among immigrant workers over Trumps call to reclaim jobs for Americans. Most NRI grooms are professionals working for multinational companies.

NRI grooms are not in demand anymore. Donald Trumps immigration policies have made Indian parents worried. Considering the recent events in the US where Indians were attacked, its not a safe option anymore, said Niti Jha, vice president, Sycorian Matrimonial Services based in south Delhi.

Real estate agent Pankaj Malhotra has been desperately looking for a suitable Indian girl for his doctor nephew, financially well-placed in Austin, Texas.

What his family thought would be a cakewalk has become a tricky task, the 56-year-old man said.

We have witnessed a 25% decline in queries for NRI grooms, especially those in the US, in the last two months itself. While this number has been on a steady decline since November, the sharpest fall has come in February: Richa Garg, manager at the matrimonial website Shaadi.com

The wannabe brides he shortlisted put one condition. The boy should return to India.

They dont want to live in the US. This is shocking. Indian girls are not keen to settle in America anymore. They think its much safer to live in India, Malhotra said.

Gaurav Chhabra, co-founder of Royal Matrimony.com, was playing matchmaker for a family looking for an NRI groom a few days ago. Not anymore. The parents changed their mind recently, shifting their preference to somebody settled in India only.

Since January, there has been an approximately 50% decline in queries for US-based grooms and brides. We are still trying to decode the trend statistically, Chhabra said.

Since January, there has been approximately 50% decline in queries for US-based grooms and brides. We are still trying to decode the trend statistically: Gaurav Chhabra, co-founder of Royal Matrimony.com

Homemaker Mira Singh was caught up in similar dilemma after an Indian techie was killed in Kansas and a Sikh man was shot at near Seattle.

She was hoping to get a US-based match for her 27-year-old doctor-daughter. Not anymore.

The rise in hate crime against Indians has frightened me. Safety for our children is paramount. Id much rather have my daughter safe here, even if it means having to compromise on the quality of life NRIs have in the US.

Vijay Singh, a businessman in central Delhi, echoed similar thoughts.

His daughter dreamt of living in the US and Singh was trying to arrange her marriage to a guy settled there. But he thought its not a good idea anymore.

What does America have now that we dont? And then they are threatening and killing Indians.

(Some names have been changed on request)

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The Indian government has conveyed its concerns at a very senior level in the US administration on the move to curb H-1B visa processing, law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.

I think our concerns at a very senior level have already been conveyed to the government of USA. I would not like to get into the details except that Indian IT companies are giving good value addition to US companies, Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of ICEGOV conference.

The US said last week it will temporarily suspend premium processing of H-1B visas from April 3, eliminating the option of shorter waiting period for the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms.

Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay an additional sum for expedited service, which is known as premium processing.

The temporary suspension could last up to six months, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Premium processing costs an additional $1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded. Processing of standard H-1B applications takes between 3 and 6 months.

Prasad said that the Indian IT companies are servicing more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies.

They are making them more competitive and giving them extraordinary value addition. I am given to understand that they have paid around $20 billion tax revenue in last 5 years. They have created 4,00,000 jobs, not only in America but other parts of the world. Indian IT companies and IT professionals are giving lot of opening to American companies in India, Prasad said.

He also said that the whole IT movement in the world is based on sharing and reciprocity.

On recent reports of misuse of Aadhaar data, Prasad said that the unique ID is completely safe and secure and that some people were trying to play mischief in a sponsored manner against whom police have taken action.
A 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead on Monday allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet, fisheries department officials said.

The incident occurred Monday evening when Bridgo, from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, was fishing near the islet along with others and the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, fisheries department assistant director Kulanchinathan said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot, he said, adding another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing while others who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore at 12.30 am.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association president P Sesuraja told PTI that more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot taking them by surprise.

The Lankan navy officials did not even fire a warning shot, he alleged.

Kulanchinathan said the body has been brought to the Rameswaram hospital and a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam coastal hamlet gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

The Tamil Nadu government had protested on Sunday the escalation in apprehension of its fishermen by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did not seem to put adequate pressure on Colombo regarding the matter.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister K Palaniswami had referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities in the last few days and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the fishermen community.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he had urged Modi to direct the external affairs ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
An IndiGo pilot faced embarrassment when he was caught attributing a flight delay to the Air Traffic Controller to cover up the absence of his co-pilot, last week.

Following the incident, which took place at Chennai airport, the Airports Authority of India raised the issue with IndiGo, asking it not to pass the blame for flight delays falsely to the ATC, sources said.

One of the sources said the incident prompted IndiGo to send an email to its pilots, instructing them to desist from such acts.

The departure of IndiGo flight 6E-859, operating on the Chennai-Madurai route, had already been rescheduled to 1225 hours from 1145 hours, which was conveyed to passengers via text messages.

The Pilot-in-Command later announced that the flight had been further delayed because the Air Traffic Controller was not clearing the aircraft for departure, the source told PTI.

However, the commander was unaware of the presence of an ATC among the passengers on the plane.

After the pilot attributed the delay to the air traffic management team, the controller called up the Chennai ATC to know the reason for the delay in clearance. But he was told that the PIC had not even asked for a push back from the tower controller, another source said.

The ATC then met the pilot through the flight attendant in the cockpit and found that the co-pilot was not in his seat. The pilot was pulled up by the ATC for making a false announcement, blaming the air traffic management team and maligning the reputation of the fraternity in front of the public, the source said.

Later, the commander apologised unconditionally for the delay and announced that it was due to the absence of his co-pilot.

IndiGo, in a detailed response, said the flight was delayed by three minutes.

Our captain while monitoring ground frequency noticed there was ramp and air congestion prevailing on other aircraft and proactively made an announcement citing the same.

The ATC personnel travelling as a passenger came up and spoke to the captain and our captain made a second announcement, he said.

Having said that we would have appreciated had the said passenger taken up the issue through proper channel instead of intervening with the operating crew before a flight when they need to focus on procedures and safety, he added.
Monday's order also removes a provision indefinitely barring Syrian refugees from the U.S. Also removed is language giving preference to "religious minorities," a provision that had been widely seen as an attempt to follow through on Trump's promise to prioritize Christian refugees.

The new ban includes a grace period and will take effect on March 16. It will not affect legal permanent residents -- those with green cards -- or travelers who already had valid visas as of Jan. 27, 2017.

Among the most notable changes is the exclusion of Iraqis from the list of suspended travelers. The new order bans nationals and citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

In an attempt to ensure a smoother rollout of the travel ban and protect it from legal scrutiny, the new executive order differs from the old version in several key aspects.

The rollout of the new security measures amounts to an acknowledgement by the Trump administration that its original travel ban, issued Jan. 27, was flawed. It is not clear, however, whether the new order will satisfy critics, who still see the measure as a Muslim ban.

"This executive order is a vital measure for strengthening our national security," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at press conference announcing the new ban. "It is the president's solemn duty to protect the American people."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday, barring travelers from six countries to the United States for three months, and all refugees for four months, after federal appeals judges blocked a similar order last month.

 Iraq Promises More Cooperation

Iraq was removed from the list after officials there promised increased cooperation with U.S. officials regarding the vetting process, according to a senior official with the Department of Homeland Security, who spoke to reporters on a conference call.

Baghdad, a key ally in the U.S. fight against Islamic State militants, had complained when Iraq was included in the original travel ban.

"The close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically-elected Iraqi government, the strong U.S. diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Iraq's commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment," said a Q&A sheet distributed by the Trump administration. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

Critics of the original order questioned whether the seven countries affected -- all majority-Muslim -- were targeted for religious reasons. The DHS official on Monday again denied those accusations, saying: "This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form."

White House officials also stressed the temporary nature of the order, but suggested that the travel ban may be expanded after the 90 days expire and that other countries could be added to the list.

 Reaction

Even with the changes, the bill is still likely to face legal challenges by groups that view the order as a partial fulfillment of Trump's campaign call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

"Nothing substantive has changed," said Lavinia Limon, who heads the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. "It's around the edges, right? If this had come out a month ago, we would be outraged."

The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, which filed successful legal challenges against the original order, also said the revised ban "has the same fatal flaws" as the original.

"The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is not to have a Muslim ban. Instead, President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project. "What's more, the changes the Trump administration has made, and everything we've learned since the original ban rolled out, completely undermine the bogus national security justifications the president has tried to hide behind and only strengthen the case against his unconstitutional executive orders."

Administration officials, meanwhile, were walking a fine line between insisting the new order was different enough from the old measure to withstand legal challenges but similar enough so that it would still be effective.

"The principles of the executive order remain the same," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer, adding, "We continue to maintain the [original travel ban] order was fully lawful."

The Trump administration leans heavily on the rationale that refugees, as well as immigrants and travelers from certain countries, are a security risk to the United States; however, it has proffered little evidence of that risk.

White House officials on Monday released a memorandum saying that the FBI is carrying out "terrorism-related investigations" into approximately 300 individuals across the U.S. who were admitted as refugees. It is not clear whether those being investigated came from the list of banned countries, or how many have been charged with a crime.

When pushed for details, the senior DHS official declined further comment, saying only that the 300 people were being investigated for "potential terrorism-related activities" and that it was "truly an alarming number from all our perspectives."

 Smoother Rollout?

Administration officials are promising a smoother rollout this time, insisting the White House has cooperated with DHS, the State Department, and the Justice Department on drafting and implementing the new executive order.

"We're going to have a very smooth implementation period," the senior DHS officials told reporters in a press call, adding that there will not be any "chaos, or alleged chaos" at airports.

The original order was announced early on the evening of Jan. 27 -- a Friday right when most federal employees were finishing their first full week of work under the new administration -- creating confusion at international airports across the country.

Travelers from the seven countries -- including legal permanent residents of the United States -- were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Law enforcement didn't know what to do with the refugees mid-flight when the order came down that banned them, as well.

Still others were turned away at airports abroad, denied by airline officials who questioned the validity of their already-issued visas.

DHS Secretary John Kelly, who was confirmed by the Senate a week before the original executive order was issued, shouldered the blame for the bungled implementation of the original order.

"The thinking was to get it out quick so that potentially people that might be coming here to harm us would not take advantage of some period of time they could jump on an airplane and get here," he testified at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee on Feb. 7.

More than a dozen lawsuits were filed across the country challenging the January order. Federal appeals court judges ruled in February to suspend the order in support of the "free flow of travel," as well as "in avoiding separation of families, and in freedom from discrimination."

Trump's travel restrictions have not received broad public support. A poll released in late February by Pew Research Center showed that 59 percent of those surveyed opposed the ban, while 38 percent approved.

A CNN poll released Monday suggested that 55 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Trump has handled immigration issues, compared to 44 percent who approve. On national security issues, Americans were split, the poll found, with 50 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.


A terror module with suspected ISIS links was behind the bomb blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train that injured nine persons near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday morning, police said.

The incident site is around 80 km west of Bhopal.

This is the first time that any ISIS-linked terror module has been suspected of carrying out an operation in Madhya Pradesh.

The train blast yesterday was by ISIS terrorists. They even sent photo of the planted bomb to Syria: CM Shivraj Chauhan pic.twitter.com/uz161Jswbc  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

A high alert has been sounded across the state after the explosion and four suspects have been picked up for interrogation.

IG (Law and Order) Makrand Deouskar said the explosion was caused by a pressure pipe bomb filled with ammonia nitrate kept inside a bag on the luggage rack.

Soon after the blast at around 8.50 am, DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla and ADG intelligence Rajiv Tandon rushed to the spot along with other senior officials.

Sources maintain that the explosives were meant to be used elsewhere, most probably in Uttar Pradesh that goes to polls tomorrow. It went off accidentally, sources said, adding that had the plan was to trigger the blast in the train, the explosives would have been kept under the seat for greater impact.

Sources said police started scanning the CCTV footage at the Bhopal railway station and they identified four suspects who were going towards the bus stand.

They were picked up from Pipariya in Hoshangabad district. Police believe of them three were certainly involved in the blast. The suspects are from UPs Aligarh and Kanpur.

On the basis of information provided by them, the UP STF is carrying out an operation at Hajee Colony in Thakurganj area of Lucknow.

Those behind the train blast and the encounter with the ATS in Lucknow are interconnected, sources said.

Of the nine injured in the train blast, two have sustained serious injuries and have been referred to Bhopal. Two teenage girls and two women were among the injured.

The chief minister has announced compensation of Rs 50,000 for those seriously injuries and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries.

Initial reports suggested that the explosion was caused by a tube light burst. But later it was found that the tube light exploded by the impact of the blast.

The loud noise had created a panic among the passengers leading to a stampede like situation in which seven persons were injured.

All the injured have been admitted to Kalapipal hospital in Shujalpur district. The damaged bogey was detached at Jabri station.

The railway PRO in Indore Jitendra Jayant said there was disruption in train movement for around an hour, but later it had normalised.

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Members of the states first Islamic State (IS) cell were planning to carry out serial blasts at Deva Shareefthe shrine of most-revered Sufi saint, Waris Ali Shahon March 27, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has found.

Details of an elaborate plan to attack the shrine were recovered from a laptop used by one of the cells member, who was picked up after a blast on Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train on Tuesday.

Two youths  Faizan and Imran of Kanpur  were picked up after the blast, another Saifullah was neutralised in Lucknow while a mobile shop owner Azhar of Kanpur escaped.

Sources said the bombs used in the explosion were a part of a trial to test the efficacy of the explosives that the IS cell had planned to use at the Sufi shrine.

According to sources, apart from a map of the shrine, a laptop with some jihadi videos of attacks on shrines in Pakistan was recovered from Faizans possession.

A suicide bomber had struck the crowded Sufi shrine Shahbaz Lal Qalandar in Pakistan killing at least 75 people in February. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the blast.

During interrogation, Faizan has told the ATS that the eight-member IS cell was planning to replicate the attack on Deva Shareef, sources said. The accused also claimed to have visited the shrine to conduct recce several times with his brother Imran.

The ATS technical team that is looking into the contents of the laptop, said the emails and chats would help them to identify the cells handlers both in India and overseas, like in Syria and Bangladesh.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Kundan Chandrawatnow relieved of his post as joint publicity chief in Ujjain, Madhya Pradeshholds Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or the CPM, responsible for the death of more than 300 RSS pracharaks (crusaders) and activists in the state.

But over 16 years to 2016, the number of party workers killed from both sides in the northern Kerala district of Kannura hotbed of such fightinghas been roughly equal: 31 from the RSS and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 30 from the CPM, according to police data obtained by 101reporters.com through a right-to-information request.

The reply from the Kannur district police, dated November 16, 2016, said details of caste, religion and age were unavailable.

Between 2000 and 2016, Kannur reported 69 political murders. In 2016, the RSS-BJP tally of deaths (four) in political clashes in Kannur was one more than the CPMs (three) but in the 15 preceding years, both parties lost 27 supporters each to political violence.

While the scale of murders was greater during the reign of the CPM in 2000 and between 2006 and 2011, the CPM also reported more than or an equal number of victims of politically-motivated violence as the RSS-BJP.

In the Congress-led governments term between 2001 and 2006, the RSS-BJP lost three more workers than the CPM. In its second term from 2011 to 2016, both parties reported four victims.

The district reported no political murders in 2003, while 2000 and 2008 were particularly violent, with the CPM reporting 11 dead and the BJP-RSS reporting eight, according to police data.

CPM-bastion Kannur accounts for 20-50% of all political murders in Kerala

Kannur is considered to be a bastion of Keralas communist movement since the 1930s. Kerala chief minister Vijayan, a local, won his assembly seat from this districts constituency of Dharmadom.

With a population of 2.5 million and a literacy rate of 85%, Kannur is said to be the states most violent territorymore so with the advent of the RSS in the 1960s, according to this Firstpost series from November 2016.

Last year, the much-publicised revenge murder of RSS-BJP activist K Ramith (mentioned as C Ramith in the RTI data), following the murder of CPM party leader K Mohanan, took place here, India Today reported in October 2016.

Kerala reported the third-highest number of murders (12) committed due to political reasons in 2015, the top two states being Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, according to 2015 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the latest available. A quarter of these crimes were committed in Kannur alone.

On further analysis of the NCRB data, we found at least half of all politically-motivated murders in this state of 14 districts were reported from Kannur during the CPMs last term, between 2006 to 2011, and one year of its term in 2000,

During the two terms of the Congress-led state government, 20-30% of political murders reasons were from Kannur.

FactChecker contacted the Kerala Director General of Polices office requesting district-wise information of data shared with the NCRB on political murders, but the DGPs office denied the request, saying the office does not fall under the RTI and that such information was difficult to collate.

Crimes reported in Kerala have steadily risen over nearly a decade, according to state police data. From 252,408 cases reported in 2008, the police registered 707,541 cases in 2016, up almost two-fold.

RSS threats/ allegations and CPMs reactions

On March 1, 2017, at an RSS rally in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, protesting the killings by Marxists in Kerala, Chandrawatsharing the stage with BJP Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Chintamani Malviyaoffered to award his wealth and property to anyone who would bring him the Kerala chief ministers head, a remark for which he was relieved of his responsibilities.

Havent you killed 300 pracharaks and activists? said Chandrawat. We will offer a garland of three lakh human skulls to Bharat Mata, this is a warning to Leftists.

Referring to the Godhra train-burning incident in 2002 and the Gujarat riots that followed, he had also said: Have you forgotten Godhra? Fifty six were killed, 2,000 were sent to the graveyard. They were pushed beneath the ground by the same Hindu community.

The Sangh Parivar has taken heads of several, Vijayan said replying to the death threats.

Sangh Parivar has taken heads of several: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on RSS Mahanagar Prachar Pramukh of Ujjain Kundan Chandrawat's remark pic.twitter.com/B9DgACCm3u  ANI (@ANI_news) March 2, 2017

A day after Chandrawats statement, Kerala state president of the BJP, Kummanam Rajasekharan, posted on Twitter a list of 12 RSS-BJP activists allegedly killed by CPM in nine months since the party won the state elections in May 2016.

Nine months of Communist rule in Kerala took the lives of 12 RSS-BJP Karyakarthas,maiming scores,vandalising hundreds of homes. #CPMKills pic.twitter.com/Bv04mZWhyu  KummanamRajasekharan (@Kummanam) March 2, 2017

Chandrawat later retracted his statement, and the RSS has relieved him of responsibilities as sah prachar pramukh (joint publicity chief) in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Kundan who made controversial statement at Ujjain protest mtg has been relieved of his responsibility in RSS: Dr MM Vaidya pic.twitter.com/4t1emJH5PT  RSS (@RSSorg) March 3, 2017

Thereafter, three RSS members were allegedly attacked by the CPM on March 5, 2017. RSS leader Rakesh Sinha tweeted Kerala is in the state of anarchy. Presidents rule seems only solution.

Kerala in the state of anarchy. Once again attack on 4 @RSSorg workers.The President Rule seems only solution. @narendramodi @KirenRijiju  Prof Rakesh Sinha (@RakeshSinha01) March 5, 2017

While condemning Chandrawats statements of violent retribution, the Kerala BJP said the party does stand by the sacked leaders allegation that the CPM government has been targeting RSS-BJP party workers and activists in the state since it came to power in May 2016.

From the 1960 to 2016, the CPM has killed 270 BJP-RSS party-workers. Vijayan himself is a murderer. He killed one of our party workers when he was a local CPM activist in the 1960s, R Sandeep, state media coordinator for BJP Kerala, told FactChecker on the telephone.

The CPM-led Left Democratic Front government is targeting our RSS-BJP people because of the vital role we are playing in Kannurtheir strongholdwhich is probably the partys strongest remaining point in India. They are provoked because we are putting up a decent fight.

CPM leader Nilotpal Basu said the RSS claims were absolutely false.

In fact, if you look at our CPM body count, it is more, Basu told FactChecker over telephone from Delhi. This is a concerted campaign by the RSS to destabilise governance in Kerala the first incident of violence since we assumed power in 2016 happened the day after we won the elections when one of our own comrades was killed.

The RSS did this to provoke some kind of retaliation from the CPM and they continue to provoke violence and then charge the state government and administration for it. Not only do we have to suffer the loss of our comrades, we also have to deal with these allegations; but we will fight them, he said.
The Kerala police on Tuesday arrested six people who allegedly assaulted seven minor girls of an orphanage in Kalpetta in north Keralas Wayanad district. The latest incident comes on the heels of the arrest of a priest in the district for raping a minor girl who later gave birth to baby in a private hospital.

The latest incident unfolded Monday evening when the security guard of the orphanage found a girl in tears coming out of a shop near the Yatheem Khan orphanage. An inquiry revealed that many students of the orphanage in the 12-16 age group were lured by a gang into the shop and subjected to abuse for more than four months, police said.

According to initial reports, the girls were lured by the gang on their way to school. They were offered sweets and forced to watch pornographic clips before being subjected to abuse. They were threatened with serious repercussions if they complained. The police sent all girls to medical examination on Monday night and tests later confirmed sexual assault.

Three more accused are absconding. All accused would be charged under the protection of children from sexual offices act. All children of the orphanage would be counselled to find out whether more girls have undergone similar experience, police said.

Eleven cases were filed and more arrests will be made in coming days, Wayanad superintendent of police Rajpal Meena said.

The latest incident has surfaced even before the state has recovered from the shock of a rape by a priest.

It is yet another blot on the state. All child abuse cases should be fast-tracked and guilty will be given deterrent punishment, said Mahila Congress leader Bindhu Krishna. Former MP TN Seema asked the government to constitute a special investigation team to probe the latest incident.

The shocking incident is part of a big racket. The girls photos and videos were taken to blackmail them. A thorough probe is needed to bring all guilty to justice, Kannur MP PK Sreemathi told reporters after visiting the orphanage on Tuesday.
Bihar energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav has said availability of land was a major hurdle in promoting sustainable energy in the state.

The scope for two wings of sustainable energy  wind and hydel  is extremely limited in Bihar. Of course, there is scope for development of solar energy, but land availability is a major hurdle in achieving it, the minister said at the 11th Asia Pacific Committee on Sustainable Energy & Environmental Technologies (APCSEET) conference on Monday.

Bihar is the first Indian state to host the event.

Yadavs admission is significant given the fact that against its total power availability of 3000-odd MW, Bihars sustainable energy mix was less than 1%, as APCSEET chairperson Sangeeta Sinha said, while stressing on development of an efficient cooperative system in promoting solar energy in Bihar.

Admitting that sustainable or renewable energy was a must for environment protection, Yadav said it was up to scientists to come out with a mechanism where land hurdle would not pose any problem. The needs are real and immediate. Yet it is necessary to develop ways to meet these needs, keeping in mind the ground realities, he added.

Director of Jodhpur-based Aravali Institute of Management in Rajasthan, Varun Arya, came out with a workable solution on this count.

Citing his experience of setting up the university in Jodhpur, Arya said there was need to tap owners of lands which were not suitable for any purpose, be it agriculture or real estate.

In Jodhpur, we faced land hurdle at the initial stages. Finally, we approached those land owners who had no purchasers for their property. We purchased their land for setting up the institute. Right things must necessarily be done the right way only and there should be no compromise at all, Arya said.

SP Gan Chowdhury, former director of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Authority, said Bihars problem in tapping solar energy was due to lack of cooperative system. This, he said, was also responsible for lack of availability of land for the purpose.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has issued a notice to controversial TV preacher Zakir Naik, asking him to appear before it for questioning on March 14.

This is the first time the security agency has issued a formal summons to Naik.

The NIA said the notice was received by the accuseds brother, Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik. The preacher has stayed out of the country ever since investigators said his sermons had influenced a few terrorists who attacked an eatery at Dhaka in neighbouring Bangladesh on July 1.

The NIA registered an FIR against Naik after his outfit  the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF)  was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Dr Zakir Naik is the founding trustee of the IRF, the IRF Educational Trust, and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. Apart from this, he is closely linked with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Private Limited, Longlast Constructions Private Limited, Right Property Solutions Private Limited, Galaxy Multichannel Network Private Limited, Majestic Perfumes Private Limited and Alpha Lubricants Private Limited, the NIA said in a statement.

The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a separate money-laundering case against Naik. The agency recorded the statement of Naiks sister, Nailah Noorani, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Tuesday.

The NIA has charged Naik and the IRF with inciting Muslim youth to indulge in violence, and promoting enmity between different communities on the basis of religion and race. The FIR lodged against the preacher also accuses him of delivering speeches that spread communal discord and indulging in activities that are prejudicial to national integration.

Bangladesh has banned Naiks Peace TV, stating that it incited the attack on the Dhaka cafe, which resulted in 22 deaths.
Pakistans border guards have raised concerns over the tallest Indian Tricolour at Attari, alleging that hidden cameras mounted atop the 360-feet mast could be used for spying by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the international border.

BSF officials said Pakistan Rangers voiced their concerns during a flag meeting called specifically to raise the issue.

The National Flag  with dimensions of 120x80 feet -- was inaugurated on March 5. The earlier record for the tallest flag was one at Jharkhands capital Ranchi, raised on a 300-feet pole.

Pakistan Rangers had raised concerns and even a flag meeting was held. They suspected that there was some camera in the pole but we have told them that there was nothing like that, a top BSF official said requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Pakistani force had also alleged that the pole violated norms under which any construction is not allowed to 150 metres from the border.

The installation is far behind the 150-metre mark, the BSF official added.

The official said the Pakistan Rangers have not given anything in writing and if they give, we will send them a written response.

The BSF official said that the flag meeting was held a few days ago at the company commander level.

BSF sources said the Pakistan Rangers were visibly jittery since March 1, when the 360-feet pole was installed.

Besides sending repeated queries to the BSF, a Pakistani Ranger was also seen clicking pictures of the pole.

BSF officials said the border Tricolour is a project of the Punjab government and is raised government land.

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People believed to be from the Patidar community seeking job quota in Gujarat threw eggs on the cavalcade of BJP president Amit Shah on Monday night, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modis two-day trip to his home state beginning Tuesday.

Monday nights incident came on the back of similar attacks on BJP leaders and ministers by activists of the influential Patidar community which had launched a series of agitation demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

The BJP is ruling Gujarat continuously since 1998 but has come under pressure in recent times after the Patidar agitation and also due to growing anger among Dalit communities over alleged atrocities by so-called upper castes.

Sources said Shahs cavalcade was targeted when he was on his way to the Somnath Temple ahead of Modis visit to the famous Hindu shrine on the western coast. Modi is expected to offer prayers in the temple on Wednesday.

The Prime Ministers two-day trip to Gujarat is seen as the party efforts to revive the BJPs fortunes in the state which will go to the polls later this year.

The BJP last year replaced chief minister Anandiben Patel with Vijay Rupani, shortly after the state government announced 10% reservation for the poor among upper castes, a move primarily aimed at placating the influential Patidars.

The Patidars  better known by their surname Patel outside the state -- account for about 90-lakh of Gujarats six-crore people and wield wide political power. The communitys anger was seen as a major reason for the BJP suffering huge losses in panchayat polls last year.

Following the string of attacks on BJP leaders, the home department is playing extra safe to ensure that no untoward incident happens during Modis visit.

The department cancelled leaves of all the police personnel from March 3 to 8, specifically mentioning the protests and demonstrations in the state.

Those who were attacked include minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja when a youth threw a shoe at him in the assembly building.

Earlier, the BJP youth president Rutvij Patel was slapped by a youth during a rally at Mehsana and eggs were thrown at his rally in Surat.

Officials said Modi will begin the tour from Surat where he will arrive at 2.30pm.

He will then take a helicopter to Dahej for inauguration of the OPaL- ONGC Petro Additions Limited, a mega project in the port city of Dahej.

At 5 pm, he will reach Bharuch to open a new bridge on Narmada river and address a public gathering.

Later in the evening, he will have dinner in Gandhinagar to be hosted by governor OP Kohli and CM Vijay Rupani. He will also interact with all BJP MLAs, MPs and party functionaries from Gujarat.

On Wednesday morning, he will leave for Somnath.

This will be the PMs first visit to Somnath since he became PM. The last time he visited the temple was back in February 2014, months before winning the Lok Sabha elections. This time he will be offering prayers before the UP poll results are announced and beginning of Gujarat campaign, said a BJP leader.

He will return to Gandhinagar in the afternoon and address a gathering of around 6,000 women sarpanchs from across the country.

Organised on the International Womens Day, 10 sarpanchs, who have done exemplary work in Swachh Bharat Mission, especially by making their villages open-defecation free, will be felicitated by the PM.

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The Rajasthan government Tuesday filed an appeal in the Jodhpur district and sessions court challenging the acquittal of actor Salman Khan in an Arms Act case related to the alleged poaching of two blackbucks 18 years ago.

Admitting the application filed by public prosecutor Pokar Ram Bishnoi, district and sessions judge Bhagwandas Agrawal issued a notice to Khan and listed the matter for hearing on April 21.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Dalpat Singh Rajpuroti had on January 18 this year acquitted the 51-year-old actor in the Arms Act case registered against him for possessing and using unlicensed weapon to allegedly kill blackbucks in Jodhpur in 1998.

Read | Salman Khan says didnt kill blackbuck, claims he was falsely accused

A case of possessing arms.32 US-made revolver and .22 rifle  whose licence had expired, was filed at the Luni police station in Jodhpur on October 15, 1998, days after Khan was charged with poaching chinkaras in Bhawad and Ghora, and blackbucks in Kankani. The Rajasthan high court had acquitted him in case pertaining to the paoching of the two chinkaras in July last year. The blackbuck case is in the final stages of trial. In Arms Act case, the CJM court said that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against him.
The state-run Animal and Fishery Sciences University will award Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat with an honorary doctor of science (DSc) degree during its convocation ceremony in Nagpur on April 10.

According to university vice-chancellor Aditya Kumar Mishra, the honorary degree would be given to the RSS chief  a qualified veterinarian  by chancellor C Vidyasagar Rao. This is the first honorary degree to be bestowed upon any individual by the university since its inception.

Mishra said Bhagwats name was recommended by several academicians, including those from the Nagpur Veterinary College alumni association and related associations. A couple of weeks ago, the universitys academic council unanimously adopted a resolution to honour him, he added.

Bhagwat graduated in veterinary sciences and animal husbandry from a government-run college in Nagpur. Though he pursued a post-graduate course at an institution in Akola, he dropped out during the Emergency in 1975 to become a full-time RSS pracharak.

Mishra said university authorities believe the RSS chief has contributed immensely to the field of veterinary sciences through social projects and programmes promoting cow-protection and conservation. Bhagwat has agreed to accept the degree, he added.

The DSc degree will be given to the RSS chief in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and state minister for dairy development and fisheries Mahadeorao Jankar.

However, awarding the doctorate to Bhagwat is a controversial decision, considering that he does not hold a masters degree on the subject. There are also a few who believe there are many other people more deserving of the honorary degree. They believe this move amounts to a blatant attempt to saffronise academic institutions.

Earlier, the Narendra Modi government was criticised when Bhagwats Vijayadashami speech was telecast on the state-run Doordarshan channel.
All have been developed to target either the Japanese mainland or U.S. military installations in Japan, but if they are fired at a high angle they can hit any target in South Korea and their supersonic speed (Mach four to five) of descent make them impervious to existing Patriot missile interceptors.

Three missiles that landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone are believed to have been Scud ER models with a maximum range of 1,000 km or Rodong missiles capable of hitting targets 1,300 km away. They may even have been upgraded ballistic missiles.

What worries observers is that four of them seem to have had a range of over 1,000 km.

North Korea's launch of several ballistic missiles on Monday was not a complete surprise since the North has typically resorted to provocations in response to joint South Korea-U.S. military drills in March and April every year.

The U.S.' Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery to be stationed here this year is the only defense system capable of thwarting them, according to U.S. officials.

But military experts warn that even the THAAD battery may not be effective if the North fires multiple rounds at once.

Four of the missiles North Korea launched on Monday had similar ranges, but were fired at varying angles in a fan shape ranging from 75 to 93 degrees. One military source said, "North Korean missiles with ranges of 1,000 to 1,300 km can hit major U.S. military installations in Japan, such as Yokosuka Naval Base, where massive numbers of American troops will converge in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula."

The launches were conducted from the North's long-range missile base in Tongchang-ri near the Chinese border. Park Byung-kwang at the Institute for National Security Strategy said, "Although they were not long-range missiles, they were fired in Tongchang-ri, which means the North wanted to send the U.S. a message."

"It was a warning to the Trump administration, which is considering all options against North Korea, that the North should not be messed with and that dialogue is a safer option."

There may be a number of reasons why North Korea upped the stakes. For one thing, this year's maneuvers by the U.S. and South Korea are the biggest show of force they have yet put on.

Diplomatic sources said North Korea's nervous response appears to have been affected by the Trump administration's hawkish stance.

According to the New York Times on Saturday, one of the options the Trump administration is considering is the re-deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea, additional THAAD batteries and preemptive strikes.

After the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia, there are also growing calls among U.S. politicians to put the North back on Washington's list of terrorism sponsoring states.


Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid was allegedly duped of Rs 59,000 by unknown people after he tried to buy Maltese puppies through a website.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has launched a probe into the matter after registering an FIR on March 2 on the basis of Khurshids complaint.

The police said Khurshid came to know about sale of the puppies while surfing through the portal on February 13. The advertisement had quoted the price of two puppies at Rs 12,000 each.

The former external affairs minister contacted the accused, Tonny Wallace, over email who claimed to be in Thekkad, Kerala.

Following the email correspondence till February 19, a representative from Khurshids office started interacting with Wallace, who asked him to transfer the money in the account of one Ankit Badri, also named in the FIR along with him.

After Khurshids representative transferred Rs 59,000, Wallace told Khurshid that he will be available on his US toll free number and on Facebook.

The accused then demanded more money from the Congress leader on the pretext of health checks and health certificate of the puppies and their transportation to Delhi.

Later, Wallace told the minister that the pets will be delivered to Delhi through a pet travel agency - Pacific Pet Re-Locators - but they were never delivered.

Khurshid filed the complaint on February 21 with the Barakhamba Road police station and the matter was transferred to the EOW.

The police said they were trying to identify the accused through the bank account details and the Facebook page link.

The former Union minister also alleged in the complaint that the accused transact in online trading of Bitcoins wherein they lure online purchasers through advertisements on e-commerce websites.

Khurshid said they investigated the matter at their end and have provided all the details to the investigators.

The cyber world is full of pitfalls and ensuring cyber security is a huge problem. I hope that the police that is engaged in looking after cyber crime will be able to get to the bottom of this, he said.

While the Congress leaders complaint mentions about the Bitcoin trade, the FIR registered by EOW does not mention it.

Bitcoin trade is a worrisome thing because it is anonymous and because it is used world over for nefarious things. If we are arent alert now, something might happen.

It will come out. We are giving them (police) some time, the former Union minister added.
Gaya: The Supreme Courts order cancelling the bail of road rage case prime accused Rocky Yadav has again revived hopes of the victims family of a fair trial.

Parents of Aditya Sachdeva, a Class 12 student, who was killed for allegedly overtaking Rocky Yadavs vehicle in Bihars Gaya district on May 7 last year, on Tuesday thanked chief minister Nitish Kumar for keeping his words and exerting efforts to get the bail cancelled.

The Monday order of the Supreme Court has enhanced our faith in judiciary. We also thank the chief minister for his prompt initiative to get Rocky Yadavs bail, granted earlier by the Patna high court, cancelled. Had the state government not moved the Supreme Court, we would not have been able to ensure justice for our son, Adityas father Shyam Sundar Sachdeva, a trader, and mother Chanda Sachdeva said.

READ: Bihar road rage: Friends recall the night Aditya was killed

The chief minister during his visit to our residence last year had assured justice to the family. He had told us that the police would leave no stone unturned to bring the accused persons to justice. He has kept his promises and we are now hopeful of getting justice, the Sachdevas said.

READ: Aditya murder: Justice will be served, Nitish tells grieving parents

When asked about eyewitnesses turning hostile in the trial court, the Sachdevas said: The police have gathered sufficient circumstantial evidences. We had earlier called on senior superintendent of police Garima Malik who assured us that police would submit a strong case against the accused in the trial court.

READ: Charge sheet filed in Aditya Sachdeva murder case

We had lost all hopes for justice after the high court granted bail to all the named accused as we could not afford to take the legal battle to the top court. We had no option but to rely on the words of the chief minister, they said.

The family also expressed its trust in the Gaya police and the SSP who they said had been very compassionate .

Rocky Yadav, son of suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi and alleged history-sheeter Bindi Yadav, is accused of killing Aditya Sachdeva, who was in a Maruti car, for overtaking his SUV on the Gaya-Bodh Gaya road. Three days after the road rage incident, Rocky Yadav was arrested from his fathers mixer plant in Gaya.

In its final investigation report submitted to the trial court, the police named Rocky Yadav, his cousin Teni Yadav and his mothers bodyguard Rajesh Kumar as accused, apart from charging Bindi Yadav with harbouring his son.

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Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention in stopping the atrocities committed against Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The AIADMK MP, along with the partys floor leader in Lok Sabha P Venugopal, submitted a letter to the PMO.

The move comes in the backdrop of the death of a 22-year-old Indian fisherman who was shot dead on Monday allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

Attacks on Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy are going unabated and have increased in the recent past. Though a consensus was reached during the peace talks, the norms are not being adhered to, Thambidurai said in his letter.

During the past one week, a total of 50 fishermen have been arrested apart from their belongings being taken away. We request the Prime Minister to look into the issue and take necessary action to stop the atrocities against Tamil fishermen in territorial waters, he said.

The Sri Lankan government, however, said that an initial probe report ruled out its navys involvment in the killing of the fisherman.

Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Chaminda Walakuluge in Colombo categorically denied any involvement of the navy in the fishermans killing, saying the navy does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka said, the initial investigations had indicated that the Sri Lankan navy was not involved.

Irrespective of the parties involved, if in fact a shooting has taken place, it is a matter of grave concern and all possible action will be taken in cooperation with the relevant Indian authorities to investigate into this incident utilising GPS technology as well, it added.
Tamil Nadu government would bear the cost of shifting a student who is currently hospitalised in Georgia, chief minister K Palaniswami said on Tuesday.

Srinivasan Vijayakumar hailing from Nilgiri district, who had gone to the European nation, was hospitalised since December 8, 2016 after he fell ill and his family had already spent about Rs 11 lakh towards his treatment, Palaniswami said in an official release.

Since he needs further treatment and requires hospitalisation for another nine to 12 months, the students mother had requested the Indian Embassy in Armenia for providing financial support, he said.

Considering the economic background and the request made by her mother, the government has decided to take care of the expenses required to shift the boy from Georgia to India through an Air-Ambulance, he said.
Protests broke out in parts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, a day after a fisherman from Rameswaram was shot dead allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy.

A group of Indian fisherman was allegedly fired upon when they were fishing between Danushkodi and Katchatheevu off the Tamil Nadu coast late Monday. One was killed, while three were injured.

The deceased, who was shot in the neck, has been identified as 22-year-old Britso. His body was brought to the Rameswaram Government Hospital but his family has refused to accept it.

Rameswaram fishermen association president P Sesuraja alleged that the Sri Lankan navy did not even fire a warning shot.

Hundreds from the fishermen community have been sitting in protest in Rameswaram against the alleged killing and some workers belonging to the local political party, the Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi, climbed a cellphone tower.

Tamil Nadu: Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi party workers climb tower in protest against Sri Lankan Navy in Rameswaram pic.twitter.com/4MUOOiTAao  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

The protesting fishermen have said a central minister must visit the island and give them an assurance that such incidents would not happen again, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.

They have also demanded the arrest of the Lankan navy men involved in the incident, he said.

The fishermen alleged that there was no proper coordination between Lankan and Indian officials on the issue of fishing in the Palk Strait. They demanded the release of all Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and the boats seized by them.

The protesting fishermen have demanded the arrest of the Lankan navy men involved in the alleged killing of a 22-year-old fisherman from Rameswaram. (ANI photo)

Policemen have been deployed in the island to monitor the situation.

Indian high commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu has taken up the matter with Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, sources said on Tuesday, and the Sri Lankan navy has promised a thorough probe into the alleged killing.

The attack comes a day after Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats under Sri Lankan custody. He also mentioned the alleged harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy, and had demanded a strict response to the 32 fishermen who had been detained last week.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the incident and demanded that the Indian government should not tolerate such attacks and stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

They were first attacked by the Lankan navy with grenades and then were shot at in which Britso was killed, Ramadoss said.

Earlier, DMK working president MK Stalin demanded a response from the Centre. Its high time the central government reacts strongly to this problem. It cannot be a mute spectator. It should take up this issue with the Indian ambassador in Sri Lanka or the high commission of Sri Lanka in India, he said in a statement.

Palaniswami meanwhile announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the next of kin to the deceased, and Rs 1 lakh to the injured.

With PTI inputs

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Whats common between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleague Smriti Irani, cine stars Rekha, Vidya Balan and actor turned-MP Kirron Kher?

They all wear handloom products and are some of the biggest brand ambassadors. Their clothes, mostly handloom made, are influencing others to wear similar products and this in turn is boosting the business of the weavers community in India, especially those in Uttar Pradesh, whose population far exceeds those from the rest of India.

In Varanasi, these celebrities have turned out to be saviours for the handloom sari industry that was witnessing a downward trend due to rising production costs, stringent labour laws and stiff competition from synthetic sari industry in Gujarat.

Read: One for the weavers: #iwearhandloom is trending

Weavers and traders are singing paeans in their praise, especially of Modi, who has endorsed and effectively promoted Indian handloom products all over the world leading to a multifold rise in their demand.

In an election year, experts feel, this will well help Modi and his saffron bandwagon in their mission to snatch powers from Samajwadi Party in the state.

Modi, Irani, Rekha, Balan and Kher are like God-send messiahs for the dying Banarasi sari industry struggling to stand the competition from machine-made synthetic saris of Surat that are also made of artificial fabric and cheap threads, said Rajesh Shah, proprietor of Jagdish Das and Company, the biggest manufacturers and dealers of Banarasi saris in the country.

Shah said Modi in particular played a key role in reviving handloom products that are far superior to the power looms and other machine-made products.

Surat saris are for the masses, but handloom-made Banarasi saris are for the classes and with Modi as its brand ambassador it is gradually regaining its lost glory, he said.

Highlights The government has identified 100 brand ambassadors across states to endorse handloom and influence people to buy them The Mumbai, Amazon and Lakme Fashion weeks decided to dedicate a day to handloom. In Varanasi, celebrities are now saviours for the handloom sari industry which was witnessing a downward trend

Manufacturers said the Modi government has taken handloom to an all time high. Products are put on display at fashion weeks. Models are walking the ramp in them. Reputed fashion designers like Sabysachi Panda, Ritu Kumar and Manish Malhotra have started working exclusively on handloom couture.

The Modi government has identified around 100 brand ambassadors across states to endorse handloom and influence people to buy them. The Mumbai, Amazon and Lakme Fashion weeks have decided to dedicate a day to handloom. It is promoted at the ITC hotels and Air India on a big scale, said Jagdish

Shah, president, Banarasi Sari Sangha.

The sangha patron Ashok Dhawan said weaving is a tough art.

A child learns the art from his father. In absence of demand, youngsters in weavers families were switching to other jobs. Thanks to Modi, the business is looking good. The sari industry has seen a 30% jump in the last two years.

Read: Weaver community to boycott assembly polls in Gorakhpur

The weavers community  mostly Muslims  are equally happy with Modi though they were non-committal over supporting him in the polls.

Akram Ansari, a weaver, is today the proud owner of around 100 looms. He says he has got orders in bulk that would keep him and his workers busy for at least three years.

Earlier, I used to earn 7,000-8,000 per month. Nowadays, against an eight-hour job, I am able to take home at least 15,000 to 16,000 per month, said another weaver Akram Ansari.
It has taken the National Investigation Agency (NIA) almost six months to close the case against two Pakistani school boys whom the army had claimed to be the guides of militants involved in last Septembers Uri attack .

Immediately after their arrest, the boys had been cleared of all charges by the local police. The investigative agencies, however, kept claiming that the teens were terrorists.

HT reported on September 23 that the army had found two minors from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in Uris Gawathan area who had entered the Indian territory inadvertently fearing reprimand from the family of a girl they had assaulted.

Sources had told HT that Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Chudhary, both aged 16, from Muzaffarabad, were caught by soldiers of the J&K Light Infantry and the BSF.

Read: Guides of Uri militants were Pak students who fled after harassing girl

The teenagers, students of Shaheen Model School, ran away from their village after being accused of harassing a local girl.

Faisal had told his interrogators that he was son of a carpenter from Potha Jhandgran in Muzaffarabad district while Ahsans said his father worked as a cook in Saudi Arabia.

Official sources had said the boys were to be handed over to the local police and repatriated to Pakistan in a few days.

On September 24 , 2016, however, the army changed its stand and claimed to have apprehended two PoK nationals working for (the) Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit and acting as guides for infiltrating groups along the LoC in the Uri sector.

Read: NIA likely to give clean chit for Pakistani boys accused of guiding Uri attackers

The spokesperson had claimed the agencies were corroborating information given by the two boys.

The boys kept saying they had entered India by mistake but they were tortured so much. After that, they started making all kinds of stories to save themselves, said a top official. It was just to show the nation that headway was made in the Uri attack , he added.

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Extremist groups are active in India and terror groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, the United States has warned in an updated worldwide caution for its citizens.

The warning came on a day President Donald Trump issued a new order temporarily barring citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US but exempted those with valid visas.

A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan, the US state department said in the worldwide caution that was updated on Monday.

Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh, the document said without mentioning any group.

Screen grab of the section on South Asia from the US state departments updated worldwide caution. (US state department)

President Trump signed the new travel ban in the White House but without the fanfare, photo-ops and remarks that accompanied the earlier order, which was mired in controversy from the minute it rolled out on January 27.

The new order is limited in scope and nature. It applies to six countries and excludes Iraq, which was dropped under pressure from Baghdad and the US departments of defence and state, which argued that the country is a crucial ally in the fight against Islamic State.

In its worldwide caution, the state department said the government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens and interests.

US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence, it said.

The worldwide caution also included separate travel warnings for Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The updated version, which replaced a worldwide caution issued last September, was based on new information about the threat of terrorist actions, political violence and criminal activity against US citizens and interests abroad.
Insaaf to mila, izzat aur naukri kahan se aayegi? (We got justice, but how will we get back our prestige or jobs?), asks Mohit.

He is one of the three Haryana youth discharged last week by a local court of charges of harassing two sisters on a bus about two years ago.

A video of the three men being thrashed on a bus by two girls, Aarti and Pooja, on being allegedly harassed went viral and the sisters were quickly hailed as Sonepat bravehearts.

Mohit and his two friends  Kuldeep and Deepak  were briefly arrested before being let out on bail.

But, though the girls version has been thrown out by the court and the men were vindicated, life is still not the same for Mohit or his friends.

When the alleged incident happened, Mohit was eyeing a job with Delhi Police while Kuldeep and Deepak were in the line for jobs with the Indian Army, after having already cleared the medical and physical tests. But once they were implicated in the case, they were barred from taking the written examination and their pursuits for secured jobs stopped in the tracks.

Their discharge came late. Having crossed the eligible age limit of 21, they cannot apply any more.

After clearing the two stages we were told we could not appear in the written test due to the case. Who will bring back the missed opportunity, laments Kuldeep from Aasan village of Haryanas Rohtak district.

Victims of what has turned out to be staged-managed vigilantism, the men find their lives in disarray. The sisters from Thana Khurd village in nearby Sonepat are continuing with their studies at a college in Gurgaon.

Having set the social media alight with the video of their thrashing the three youth, the girls went from hero to zero rather rapidly. Another video showing the sisters kicking a man between his legs at a park surfaced a few days later. Some locals also chipped in, claiming the two were habitual bullies, and the Haryana government put in abeyance its announcement to felicitate them.

The girls family dispute the counter-narrative, saying they were being targeted for their caste.

Why would everyone suddenly start targeting our daughters? Is it because we are backward (Bairagi) and they (the three men) are Jats? asks Santosh, their mother.

Other family members say they were contemplating challenging the verdict in a higher court.

The families of Mohit and his friends, however, have no plans of pressing defamation charges against the sisters.

For the record, they say they respect women and dont want to do anything that may discourage real victims from lodging complaints. Off the record, they have had enough of the trouble foisted on them.

Mohit recalls the stigma he had to endure. People would tease us, call us names, insult our parents, walk straight up to us and ask embarrassing questions, he recalls.

Their families underwent public humiliation. Mohits mother covered her face every time she stepped out as people always passed lewd remarks against her two daughters.

Their family reputation now restored, the three men hope they will be able to piece together their disrupted life with the arts degree that they are pursuing currently.

Balbir, a retired soldier and the father of Kuldeep, prays that the Haryana government will help them get jobs. After all, grave injustice was done to them.
Jaipur:

The Rajasthan high court stayed the suspension of Rajshree Ranawat, an assistant professor at Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, over holding a seminar in which a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor allegedly made controversial remarks on Kashmir and the army that triggered ABVP protests.

The Jodhpur bench of the HC issued notices to the university administration on Monday, seeking reply before the next of hearing on April 7.

Ranawat organised the seminar -- titled History Reconstructed through Literature: Nation, Identity, Culture  on the JNVU campus on February 1 and 2, to which professor Nivedita Menon of JNU, New Delhi, was invited.

The ABVP, a students organisation associated with the RSS, shut down the university protesting against Menons alleged statements. She was accused of lowering the dignity of the Indian army and Bharat Mata.

JNVU vice chancellor RP Singh set up a committee to look into the allegations. On February 16, the university syndicate suspended Ranawat for disobeying orders and not appearing before the fact-finding committee constituted by the vice chancellor. The syndicate had also formed a committee to examine whether the services of Ranawat should be terminated.

The assistant professor moved the high court against the orders, seeking that her suspension be quashed and the committees formed and show-cause notices issued by the syndicate and the university administration be declared null and void.

The single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Mehta expressed surprise that the university had suspended a teacher only because a particular person had been invited to the seminar, said Shivendra Singh Rathore, the lawyer of Ranawat. The bench issued notices to the vice chancellor, the registrar and the University itself.

Lauding the HC decision, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), in a press note, said it would support Ranawat in her struggle for justice and intensify its fight for academic freedom in unviersities and educational institutions.
Nine Korean men have been arrested in the Philippines in connection with a sex tour to the island of Cebu.

They were arrested in a villa in the Central Visayas region on Saturday, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday.

They are suspected of paying nine women, who were between 19 and 21 and worked for an escort business, 2,000 pesos a day for their company on the trip.
At a time when chief minister Mamata Banerjee is pulling up authorities of hospitals in the state for overcharging and shoddy treatment, the sub-divisional hospital of Kharagpore presented a different picture by celebrating the rice eating ceremony of a girl child who was abandoned by her mother after delivery.

A mentally unstable woman delivered the baby on September 28 last year. Since then the nine nurses of the paediatric ward have been looking after her. They have named her Rani.

Read: Abandoned by her own, girl child finds love among strangers

Gorgeous in a pink dress, six-month-old Rani was at her bubbly best on Monday as the nurses kept coddling her. Over the past six months, she has known the nurses of the paediatric ward of the hospital as her mother.

Rani on the lap of the chief medical officer of health of West Midnapore district. (HT Photo)

The hospital authority decorated the paediatric ward with balloons. At the entrance of the room they also slapped a poster declaring the occasion. Keeping with the custom, the nurses decorated little Rani with sandalwood paste.

Sutrishna Bhattacharya, a nurse, prepared payesh at her home and brought it to the hospital. Hospital super Krishnendu Mukherjee, and chief medical officer of health of West Midnapore district Girish chandra Bera put the sweet prepared by Bhattacharya on Ranis tongue.

Read: Delhi cops turn saviour for abandoned infant, name her Swadha

Chocolates were distribute among the patients of the ward where 20 children are undergoing treatment.

Bera also brought three sets of dress and a towel for the girl.

The grand mother of a seven-month-old girl, Rajanya Das, who is admitted in the ward, gifted a dress set for the baby. The employees also arranged a midday meal.

All arrangements were funded with contribution from the employees, said the hospital superintendent.

Incidentally, the nurses are also rearing a three-month-old boy who was found by the roadside. They have named him Raja.

Raja is calm, but Rani is naughty, said Sutrishna.

Below the merriment on Monday, a silent strain of sadness was palpable. Raja has to leave the hospital soon. Child Line authorities are preparing papers and they will take away Raja. Ranis documents are yet to be processed.

We dont know how we will bid goodbye to them. We are praying that they remain here, we take all the care of the babies, said a nurse.
Happy Womens Day! Did you know that the first ever observance of this day, then called National Womans Day, took place on February 28, 1909 across the USA? And, the United Nations celebrated it for the first time in 1975. But, if you thought the day was a special one only for women, think again. We spoke to some eminent men  pioneers in their fields  and asked them what they would do if they turned into a woman for a day, and, the best advice a woman has given them. Heres what they had to say:

The power of being a mother

Designer Nikhil Mehra, says, There are so many things I would like to try. I would want to try the different fits and shapes of gowns I make, to really see how women feel in them. The second thing that I would want to do is to be the mother to my children and feel the emotions that a mother goes through. And if I was to ever breastfeed, I would like to understand the connect between the child and you. I would like to feel that connect. My wifes advice to me has been that I should take time to understand myself better. She has advised me to look at what I do and how I think about things. She has helped me think deeply.

My wifes advice to me has been that I should take time to understand myself better, says designer Nikhil Mehra. (Raajessh Kashyap/HT Photo)

Putting people in their places

Actor Suhail Nayyar, says, Women have this superpower of being rational in situations where men just give up. I am a feminist and believe in equality, but women are superior to us. Its heartbreaking to see what women go through every day. If I were a woman, I wouldnt give a damn.Id walk as if I own the world and I will put people in their places. My teacher in FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) gave me an advice about dreaming big and to always follow the masters. This changed everything about how I look at things. Women understand emotion, but they are not driven by emotion

I wont give a damn to anything, I will walk as if I own the world and I will put people in their places, says actor Suhail Nayyar. (Raajessh Kashyap/HT Photo )

Getting what you want

For chef Kunal Kapur, hed do some introspection. I will spend the day trying to understand what it is to be a woman, to be in her shoes. I would understand the way she thinks and discover what she looks for in a guy. The advice I got that changed things for me was Be a Woman. The underlying meaning being that women get what they want, so learn that tactic and never give up till you get it.

I will spend the day trying to understand what it is to be a woman, says chef Kunal Kapoor. (Shivam Saxena/HT photo)

Be a better person

Author Durjoy Datta, says, My best friend in college told me that almost everything I have done or I will do in my life is because of I am a guy and the rules are different for me. She told me that had I been a woman, my life would have been quite different. I hadnt realised the unfair privilege I had being a male child in an urban household, in a society thats still largely patriarchal. If I were a woman for a day, I would note down everything wonderful, sad and beautiful about being a woman. Then, Id read it the next day and be a better person.

I would note down everything wonderful , sad and beautiful about being a woman. Then, read it the next day and be a better person, says author Durjoy Datta. (Durjoy Datta/Facebook)

Thinking differently

Comedian Papa CJ quips,  When I was quite young my mother told me I should never use the word hate because it is a very strong word. It also implies that you might actually have negative intentions. Since then Ive always used dont like instead. Its quite amazing how using a different set of words also makes you think differently.

Id take naked photographs of myself so I could enjoy them the next day, says comedian Papa CJ.

An aim to empathise

Musician Sahej Bakshi, says, If I turned into a woman for a day, I would pay close attention to how I think and feel , because I dont think its ever fully possible for any of us to understand what its like to be a member of the opposite sex. Even though mom is so proud of me for whatever has happened in my career, she is always happiest when she sees me trying my best to be a good person. Even though its not advice per se, it taught me an important lesson about how to think about and measure success in life.

I would pay close attention to how I think and feel through the day, says musician Sahej Bakshi.

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Maanagaram

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

Cast: Sundeep Kishan, Shri, Regina Cassandra, Madhusudhan, Charle

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Somewhere, Lokesh Kanagarajs debut work, Maanagaram (Big City), resembles a Shakespearean play of mistaken identities -- of men who suffer because they are at the wrong place and wrong time. The film follows the lives of several people in Chennai during a 48-hour period -- which sees the trials and tribulations of these men and women who learn from their personal disasters the value of goodness.

Shri is a young man pushed to the city from his small town by his girlfriends family, which feels that he can earn a respectable salary only in a teeming metropolis. But the path to his job interview - conducted by Regina Cassandra, who is fighting her own demons in the form of a boyfriend, Sundeep Kishan, a loafer adamantly refusing to earn and make a decent start in life - is strewn with mishaps. He gets beaten up by hoodlums who mistake him for Kishan, and in the bloody scuffle Shri loses his original certificates which he needs to firm up his appointment.

At another end, a little boy is kidnapped from school, and here again it is the wrong kid, and horror of horrors, he is the child of a notorious goonda, PKB (Madhusudhan), who specialises in third-degree torture of his detractors.

And there is also a cab driver, Charle, who gets an assignment in an information technology company (where Shri lands an assignment), but has no clue about the city roads - having just arrived into Chennai.

In a movie that picks up its tempo after nightfall and plays out mostly on the citys deserted roads, we see a very well edited drama taking place at many levels. Kishan has been ordered by his policeman uncle to get out of the city for a while, but the young man keeps hanging outside Reginas hostel in the hope that she would patch up with him. Somewhere else, we see PKB looking for his kidnapped son with the thugs demanding a huge ransom and sending him on a wild goose chase, while Charle is trying to take to Shri home.

These stories converge at a point - which is not exactly novel, for we have seen an excellent version of this kind of treatment in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritus Mexican work, Babel -- which is fascinating study of four inter-related events that unfold in different countries like Morocco, Mexico, US and Japan, but which converge in the end. Maanagaram may not play out in different cities, but is an equally gripping narrative about different people in different situations whose lives, in some kind of a remarkable coincidence, clash with one another on a lonely night.

Maanagaram may seem confusing in its first few minutes with a medley of characters fighting for screen space, but the work soon settles down to greater clarity and even narration -- which is peppered with surprises. And these, of course, keep your attention riveted to the story.

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In a clear indication that ongoing turf war between the saffron allies is far from over, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators on Tuesday called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led inquiry in the road scam and an overall policy to reign in the blacklisted contractors in this scam.

BJP legislators made this demand in the question hour session of the state assembly and got even support from the Opposition benches, including the Leader of Opposition, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. The legislators  Ashish Shelar, Atul Bhatkhalkar and Yogesh Sagar  not satisfied with the answer given by the minister of state for urban development department, Ranjit Patil, also sought for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intervention in the issue but ran out of time.

If the BJP stance in the state assembly is anything to go by the road scam issue is far from over and is likely to get scrutinised once again in this budget session. BJP also intends to use the issue to keep a check on Sena and the functioning of the Mumbai civic body.

The question raised by Shelar pointed out that despite history of irregularities, the BMCs standing committee (Sena-led) had hurriedly passed road contracts worth thousand of crores in 2017. Many of these contracts, he added, had been given on roads that did not require repairs or like in the case of Jawahar Nagar roads in Goregaon were still in the guarantee period (had to be maintained by the contractors).

``This proposal was passed by the standing committee even though it had been opposed by some. Further, contractors, who have been blacklisted in the BMCs onging probe have got contracts in other civic bodies. And, as such there is a need to have a clear policy by the state on such contractors, said Shelar.

Bhatkhalkar, in the meanwhile, called for a SIT inquiry in the probe even as Sagar endorsed the demand saying that only an outside committee could do justice to the scam.

While Patil said that ongoing probe into 250 roads had already led to action against errant contracts and officials and similarly action would be taken in other such cases, legislators were not satisfied with the reply. Following this, Vikhe Patil also made a similar demand on the floor of the house.

Sources in the BJP said that the party intended to discuss the road scam in detail and would again demand a SIT inquiry in the same that would make the probe more water tight.

The BJP had last week in a dramatic move pulled out of the mayoral contest despite winning 82 seats in the recently concluded civic polls, just two less than Sena. The decision was taken to avoid rocking the state government boat, where Sena lends crucial support of 63 legislators. The partys ceasefire with its ally turned rival is however likely to be very short.

Read: Maha govt cant be mute spectator to BMC imprudence in road scam: HC

Shiv Sena MP blames Devendra Fadnavis for all scams in Mumbai civic body

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The Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the bill to lease out a plot at nominal rates for a memorial for the late Sena founder Bal Thackeray at the mayors bungalow at Shivaji Park in Dadar. No Sena minister was present in the House when the bill came up for discussion and was cleared.

Diwakar Raote, senior Sena minister, said although no Sena minister was present at the time of discussion, Rajabhau Waze, party legislator from Sinnar constituency, participated in the debate.

According to the existing provision, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cannot sell, lease or transfer any plot for less than its market value. With this amendment, the BMC will be able to lease out the up-market plot for the memorial at nominal rates. To bring this in force, the bill also needs an approval from the legislative council.

Ranjit Patil, minister of state for urban development department, introduced the Bill before the House. NCP legislator Jayant Patil requested to postpone the debate saying no Sena minister was present in the House. Minister of state replied the BJP and Sena are together in the government and the bill has been introduced with their consent.

Raote said the order of the day has no clear mention about the subject of the Bill. As soon as I came to know about tabling the bill, I rushed towards the House. By the time I reached Vidhan Bhavan, the bill was passed unanimously. I met group leaders of all parties, including speaker Haribhau Bagade, and expressed my gratitude, he told HT.

Read

Mumbai bungalow given for Bal Thackeray memorial, where will the BMC mayor stay now?

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The state government on Tuesday announced it will constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to question developers who failed to hand over flats measuring 1.25 lakh square metre, worth Rs6,000 crore, to the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA). The flats were to be handed over by the builders to the state government, in lieu of additional floor space index allotted by the government towards redeveloping 432 cessed buildings  structures whose occupants pay repair tax to MHADA  in the city.

The minister of state for housing, Ravindra Waikar, announced in the legislative assembly that the state will also withdraw the permissions for those projects that are more than ten years old. The minister also announced it will take strict action against MHADA officials responsible for the irregularities.

The minister said, In many cases the construction has not yet started or is under progress. Of the 33 projects under scanner, 29 are being probed by the economic offences wing and the charge sheet has been filed. MHADA has served the notice for the attachment of the properties of these builders. We have received 6367 square metre and and Rs 90 lakh towards the FSI.

To enable the redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings and to make revamp feasible, MHADA had allotted additional FSI in lieu of premium and houses from the builders. Of the 432 projects in which such an incentive was given, the builders failed to hand over the tenements measuring 1.25 lakh square metre.

The MHADA had allotted FSI of 1.56 lakh square metre, against which the tenements measuring 31,319 square metre has been handed over by the builders.

BJP legislator Ashish Shelar, during the question hour , demanded action against the builders. Congress legislator Nitesh Rane demanded action against the CEO and chief engineer of MHADA for failing to recover the houses.

Read

BJP targets Shiv Sena, wants SIT to probe road scam in Mumbai
A 20-year-old youth fell from the terrace of a seven-storey building in Vakola area of Santa Cruz (East) on Sunday night while he was engrossed in his mobile phone. The police said its unclear if he was speaking to someone on his phone or playing a game on it.

According to Vakola police, the deceased, Abhishek Bhosle, was a resident of Mangal Murthy Co-operative Housing Society near Vakola Pipleline and was a diploma student. Bhosle, as per the statement of his family members, had been feeling dizzy for the last few days. His family members said around 10 pm, he told his mother that he needed fresh air and so took the key to the terrace door. He also took his mobile phone with him. Some youngsters saw him fall and alerted his family. They rushed him to the nearby VN Desai hospital but he was declared dead.

We suspect he was speaking on the phone while sitting on the boundary wall of the terrace which is small. He may have lost his balance, tumbled and fallen off. Prima facie it does not look like a suicide. But our probe is on, said senior police inspector, Mahadev Wavale of Vakola police station.

The officer added that he was neither in an inebriated condition, nor was he taking pictures. A case of accidental death has been registered and his mobile is being checked to get leads in the case. They will ask for its call records to check what he was doing with it at the time of the incident.

Police officials said the mobiles display got damaged after the fall.

READ MORE

Mumbai teen falls off train while doing stunts

Delhi boy dies after falling off school building while flying kite
Following the University of Mumbais (MU) decision to lift the night curfew for girls hostels, students denied claims by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) that it had agitated for changes in hostel rules.

HT on Tuesday reported that the MU had agreed to do away with the rules prohibiting women students from venturing out of their hostels during night, after the girls called the rules discriminatory. In a letter to the students, vice-chancellor (V-C) Sanjay Deshmukh announced that the girls and boys or their hostels at the universitys Kalina campus will be subjected to same rules, starting Wednesday. The universitys Campus Development Committee (CDC), on Tuesday, formally adopted the new rules.

ABVP, in a statement, suggested that the rules are the result of the combined efforts by the women and the organisation. [The] gender bias was not acceptable to us. So some students went on hunger strike till the gender bias was over, read the statement.

The issue of different hostel timings for male and female students came to light after the university agreed to open up the campus library round-the-clock, following a protest by students led by ABVP. However, owing to the hostel rules, the girls were prohibited from using the library during nighttime.

The university had then assured the protesting students that it will start a reading room in the girls hostels to facilitate the women studying at night. It also announced setting up a committee to come up with a solution for the issue. According to women students, they continued demanding equal access to library and same rules for both the gender despite the ABVP accepting solution provided the varsity officials.

This is to clarify that the ABVP has not been associated with our movement after they left us midway and withdrew support, accepting the discriminatory settlement made by the administration, read a statement by Disowning Barriers, a group of women students struggling for equitable rules in MU hostels. They insisted that no student union was part of the negotiations between hostelites and MU authorities.

In its statement, the university said its decision to open the Kalina campus library round-the-cock was based on the demands made by both the ABVP and women students. It also cited the University Grants Commissions (UGC) guidelines on womens safety in campuses as the reason for putting in place the new rules.

On its part, ABVP said that it never settled for the authorities solution. We had just accepted it as a temporary measure, allowing the university some time to reach a solution. In fact, we continued to follow-up on the issue with the authorities, said Rohit Chandode, general secretary, ABVP Mumbai.

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Mumbai university students rap ABVP for silencing dissent on campuses

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As the world celebrates International Womens Day on March 8, complaints by at least six women politicians across political parties in Maharashtra about receiving lewd messages and threats have flagged the issue of womens safety even in the corridors of power.

At least five legislators and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearer have lodged complaints about getting obscene text messages over the past fortnight. They are BJP spokesperson Shaina NC; Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) Varsha Gaikwad from Congress, Dipika Chavan from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Manda Mhatre from BJP; and Members of Legislative Council (MLC) Neelam Gorhe from the Shiv Sena and Vidya Chavan from the NCP.

MLC Vidya Chavan said, Although this is the first time that I have had to face this kind of an experience, women in public life are easily prone to harassment. Their faces are well known. Their phone numbers and email ids are available in public domain.

Shaina NC said she received over 580 vulgar text messages from December 2016 before she formally lodged her complaint. ...there are thousands of people who want to communicate with you on social media platforms. When I first got a casual message from an unknown number, saying, Didi, pranam (regards to elder sister), I initially ignored it. But the messages that followed were shocking. If a politician can get these kind of messages I fail to think what the woman travelling through the city every day, going to work, returning late, has to go through, she said.

On Tuesday, the leader launched a round-the-clock helpline for women in Mumbai (18002124434) to talk about incidents of harassment and outraging of modesty. A panel of lawyers and womens rights activists will go through the grievances and in genuine cases women will be hand-held through the process of lodging a complaint and getting justice, she said.

Shaina NC also faced ample pressure to back down with the accused being found to be a BJP worker from Varanasi, Jayantkumar Singh. I dont care which party he belongs to. What matters is the persons mindset. Irrespective of where he is from action should be taken, she added.

Sexism and harassment against women politicians is a phenomenon seen across the world. An October 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which surveyed 55 women parliamentarians from 39 countries, showed 81.8% of the women surveyed were affected by psychological violence, with 44.4% saying they received threats of death, rape or beatings.

Gaikwad, an MLA from Dharavi, said she received indecent messages during the recent elections. During elections, women often get threats and upsetting messages. Even I got such a message and lodged a complaint. These are often deliberate attempts during elections and should stop, she said.

The legislators say the messages that Dipika Chavan, Vidya Chavan, Gorhe and Mhatre received were identical, threatening rape and murder. The police have arrested Jalgaon-based Deepak Kumar Pyarelal Gupta, supposedly a Right to Information (RTI) activist, for allegedly sending the salacious messages.

Nashik MLA Dipika Chavan, said, I first got four voice calls from the number that I did not answer and then got a string of text messages. I cannot even speak out the contents, they were so bad.

Gorhe, however, said this may not be the work of any one person alone. I had complained to the chief minister too earlier and he took immediate note of it. The messages were sent just before the budget session so that there will be a big ruckus, the police will focus their energies on looking into this and the real thieves and criminals will be ignored, she said. Belapur MLA Manda Mhatre too said there could be political forces behind this to defame the state home department, which the chief minister heads.

Minister of state for home Ranjit Patil told the media that the government had taken serious note of the incidents and stern action would be taken against the guilty.

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Around 1,500 animals, including leopards, jackals, civets, jungle cats , wolves and hyenas, have died after accidentally falling into open wells around forests, making them a hazard to wildlife.

Data from Wildlife SOS, a wildlife conservation group, said that there were eight cases of leopards falling into wells in forests along the Sahyadri range in 2016. The group has started an online petition asking the district collector, Pune to get the wells covered or fenced off for the protection of these animals.

Leopard cubs rescued fom Parner village. (Wildlife SOS)

Buffer areas around forests, which mark the transition between forest areas and human habitation, are dotted with uncovered wells. Animals competing over the decreasing prey base, territory and water sources, are forced to venture out into human settlements, which puts them at risk of falling into uncovered wells. The issue cannot be taken lightly. It is not just leopards, a species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, that are vulnerable, but also several other species that may fall in accidentally, with potentially fatal results, said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder, Wildlife SOS.

Leopard rescued by Wildlife SOS from a 60-foot-deep well. (Wildlife SOS)

Wildlife conservationists said that the issue is a matter of serious concern as leopards become unnecessary victims. There is urgent need to cover the wells, especially the ones that are at the periphery of human habitations, where leopards could be present. Construction of safety walls around these wells is also a viable alternative, said Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinary officer, Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, that currently houses 32 leopards, many of whom were rescued from wells. These animals are not fit to be released back into the wild since they cannot fend for themselves because of injury or age.

Forest department officials confirmed that this was an issue that they had been facing for over two decades but no one had taken responsibility to resolve the issue. The village eco-development committee - participation of villagers in joint protection measures, patrolling, anti-poaching activities - for Pune region, which has 13 villages close to forest areas, needs to invest the money earned from wildlife sanctuaries to build fences and walls for these wells. The forest department will support them in this endeavour, said KP Singh, chief conservator of forest, Pune division.

A young leopard being rescued by Wildlife SOS. (Wildlife SOS)

AUTHORITIES SPEAK

We have not received the complaint from the NGO yet but the basic protocol when it comes to this issue is that owners of private areas are responsible for constructing walls or fences around wells near their home. When it comes to government land, we will be speaking to revenue officials from different areas and come up with a plant to mitigate the issue, said an official from the Pune collectors office.

Some cases of leopards falling into wells

August 4, 2016  A seven-year-old leopard was rescued from 60-foot deep well at Pimpalgaon Siddhanath village located in Junnar division. Locals heard loud, panicking noises from the well and informed forest officers that rescued the big cat.

March 10, 2016  Forest officers and local NGOs rescued five-year old female leopard from a 30-foot-deep well at Savidhane village, Junnar. The leopard fell when she saw her reflection in the water. In a five hour long rescue operation, forest officials used a trap cage to pull the leopard out.

October 28, 2015 - A two-and-a-half-year-old female leopard was rescued in a three-and-a-half hour operation from within a 50-feet deep well in Parner Taluka, Ahmednagar district. The leopard had fallen into two separate wells while being rescued by forest officers.

May 29, 2015  A four-year-old male leopard was rescued from a 40-foot deep well using a crane and a trap cage by forest officials at Kothapur, Junnar.

May 5, 2015 - Forest officials and veterinary staff at Vadgaon, Anand village in Junnar taluka, Pune district, rescued a three-month-old leopard cub from a dry well.

READ MORE

Three dogs chase away leopard at Goregaon

Leopard killed in Vasai, 10th to be run over since 2004

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Maiden sailing to Xisha Islands

From:Xinhua | 2017-03-03 10:20

The Changle Princess docks at a cruise terminal in Sanya, Hainan Province, yesterday. The new cruise ship began its maiden voyage to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea yesterday afternoon, with 308 passengers on board.



The first voyage will last four days and three nights, and tourists can visit the islands of Yinyu, Quanfu and Yagong, said an official of Hainan Strait Shipping Co, which spent 230 million yuan (US$33 million) building the vessel.


Train traffic was hit after Jaipur-Bandra Superfast Express ran over five buffaloes near Narangi Phata in Virar on Tuesday around 1pm.

In the incident, the cattle guard of the engine got damaged and had to be replaced. Traffic got stuck as the train was awaiting clearance.

Traffic was diverted to a single track. Normally when cattle hit the cattle guard, the animals usually get thrown away, but since buffaloes are heavy, they got entangled and the guard got damaged. It took time to remove the carcasses strewn all over the tracks after the mishap.

Mukul Jain,DRM,Western Railway, said, We will file a case against the unknown owners of the buffaloes with the RPF,Virar for endangering rail safety as per policy.

When asked about the barricading the entire Mumbai-Ahmedabad section to avoid such cases,Jain said it is not possible as such barricading can be done only for trains that run at a speed of more than 160 kmph and such barricading is done only on Delhi-Agra route. On WR the maximum speed of trains such as Rajdhani,August Kranti Rajdhani, Shatabdi and other super fast trains run at around maximum 110 to 130 kmph, said WR officials. The Jaipur superfast train is delayed by nearly two hours due to the mishap.

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42 cows run over by goods train in Orissa
A teenage boy attacked a 17-year-old girl in Goregaon west with a sharp blade after she refused to be romantically involved with him. The girl was treated at a nearby hospital and is out of danger, said police.

The minor girl, a resident of Bhagat Singh Nagar area, was headed to a shop on Sunday morning when the accused followed her. He confronted her and attacked her with a blade on her face. The girl sustained injuries on her cheek after which she was rushed to Bhagat Singh hospital.

She was provided first aid and discharged from the hospital. We have arrested the accused following the attack, said Shirish Gaikwad, inspector at Bangur Nagar police station.

The girl, a college student, had been avoiding the accused after he started harassing her and forcing her to be in a relationship with him. The accused stays close to the girls residence.

The police said the accused has been booked under section 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code. He has been placed under arrest.

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TN student attacks girl for rejecting his advances, commits suicide

20-year-old attacks woman for refusing to marry him in Mumbai

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On the eve of the mayoral elections, the Shiv Sena faces embarrassment in the form of its candidate for the mayors post, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who is accused of grabbing a flat and drawing salary from a college while contesting the civic elections.

The mayoral polls will be held on Wednesday. After a hard-fought battle, the Sena leadership was relieved as the BJP has decided not to field candidate and will offer outside support to the Sena nominee. But the relief turned out to be short-lived.

After Mahendra Pawar, who fought against Mahadeshwar in the recent civic election as an independent candidate, filed a case in the small causes court, alleging a flat in Kalina where Mahadeshwar lives was meant for BMC employees and has been bought illegally, its owner, Gajanan Pandit, also came out and alleged on Tuesday that the Sena mayoral candidate forcibly bought the flat in 2001 and is not a tenant. Mahadeshwar has been saying he is a tenant, but he isnt. Where are the cheques to show he has been paying rent? I was forced to sell my flat in 2001 and Mahadeshwar bought it for a mere Rs4.75 lakh,  said Pandit, who was an employee with the BMC for 40 years.

Mahadeshwar has also been accused of drawing salary from a government-aided college while he contested elections. Congress candidate Dharmesh Vyas, who finished third in the election from ward 87 has also filed a petition in the court, contending Mahadeshwar has submitted a false affidavit. Mahadeshwar is ineligible to contest mayoral elections because he has suppressed the information he was drawing salary from the school, where he is principal. He had asked for votes on the grounds of being an educationist and school principal, said Vyas.

He said, Election rules and provisions of the Maharashtra Employees of the Private Schools Act require taking prior permission from the government before contesting the polls and stepped down from his post. But he hasnt and this is ground for disqualification.

Both the allegations are serious and if proven, would turn into a legal problem for the Senas mayor candidate and can also lead to disqualification, which will cause embarrassment to the Sena.

Mahadeshwar remained unavailable for comment even after repeated attempts.

All the allegations against him [Mahadeshwar] are misguiding. We will answer everyone after the mayor elections, said Yashwant Jadhav, who will be the Senas new group leader in the civic body.

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Former media baron Peter Mukerjea, accused with his wife Indrani in the murder of his step-daughter Sheena Bora, has moved the Bombay high court challenging the order of the special CBI court hearing the case. The CBI court had allowed the Khar police officer who arrested Shyamwar Rai, Indranis former driver and co-accused, to depose on Rais confession to the police after his arrest.

It was Rais arrest in August 2015 that blew the lid off Sheenas murder. Detained by the Khar police for possession of an unlicensed pistol, he allegedly confessed during interrogation that Indrani and her ex-huband Sanjeev Khanna had murdered Sheena in 2012.

During the trial, the prosecution had called Ganesh Dalvi, the officer who arrested and interrogated Rai, as its first witness. He began to narrate the sequence of events but when the prosecution asked him what Rai had said during his interrogation the defence objected claiming that any statement Rai had made to the police officer was inadmissible. The special CBI court, however, permitted the prosecution to question the officer about Rais interrogation. It was this decision that prompted Peter to file a petition in the high court on Friday.

In his petition Peter alleged that the special judge lost sight of the fact that prosecution in the present case is presenting the said Shyamwar Rai as a star witness as he has been declared as approver. In wake of the said scenario, if the so-called confession is allowed to be brought on record through the prosecution witness 1 (police officer Dalvi), the same shall cause tremendous prejudice to the accused. He added that were Dalvi allowed to depose on Rais confession, the defense would have to cross-examine the officer and reveal their strategy of defense much before the star witness is brought in the box. Peters petition also mentioned that Rai gave the alleged confession while in custody for a different offence. The petition is likely to come up for hearing this week.

Also read: Sheena Bora murder trial: Cops sit between Indrani, Peter to stop them from fighting

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Uddhav Thackeray seems to have perfected the art of having his cake and eating it too.

If one thought he would be faced with the hard choice of opting between backtracking on his words to seek BJP support for the mayoral poll in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or conceding to the Congress demand to pull support from the government for its help in winning that election, neither has happened. Those writing the premature epitaph of his party have to marvel at how he has both got his mayor and kept his ministers in the government.

The backtracking actually seems to have been done entirely by the BJP which was not unaware of the Congress condition for its support to the Shiv Sena. BJP leaders had to save their government from any jeopardy but they have tried to extract their pound of flesh. The threat to set up a deputy Lokayukta in the BMC to keep a watch on corruption and ensure transparency in the civic body is actually just a face saver and is not going unchallenged by the Shiv Sena .

In this era of alternative facts, one wonders if the BJP has internalised its own campaign during the civic polls and forgotten that it was an equal partner with the Shiv Sena during the 22 years of its joint rule of the BMC. Now the threat about the deputy Lokayukta and the implied accusation seems to have hurt the Sena but the party is not letting go without a whimper. It is already building up a gradual opposition to the BJP in every civic body where it is of some consequence  and these are many, across zilla parishads, panchayat samitis and municipal councils. A start has already been made with the Nashik Municipal Corporation where , too, it fought a bitter campaign against the BJP and emerged as the second largest party. Here it is doing a tit-for-tat against the BJP which is the first party to gain clear majority in this civic body in 25 years. If the BJP presses for a Lokayukta in the BMC, the Sena is all set to demand one in Nashik too, even if the BJPs majority makes that rather an empty exercise. Nonetheless, BJP leaders might not be too amused by the demand for it is a district adopted by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for development and is one of the cities chosen for the smart cities project of the Union government. Fadnavis must also persuade many of the fiercely resistant farmers in and around the surrounding environs of Nashik to give up their fertile lands for his pet project, the Samruddhi Expressway, connecting Nagpur to the state capital. Having done pretty well even in the zilla parshads and panchayat samitis of Nashik, the Sena is already beginning to root for the farmers and could end up as grit in the BJP eye for the next few years.

So it is highly unlikely that we will see an end to the sparring and acrimony between the two anytime soon. For this no longer remains just about the BMC. With one minor Sena leader already asking for a deputy Lokayukta to be set up at Varsha  the chief ministers official residence  first, it is obvious which way things are going. It is a fight to the finish and no stone will be left unturned in maligning each other, even if it means personally targeting Narendra Modi as Uddhav has been doing for long or besieging Fadnavis as the Shiv Sena did by raking up the Nandlal committee report on corruption in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation while Fadnavis was the mayor  that was quite an attempt at a tit-for-tat approach for the allegations were similar to the one that the BJP was levelling at the Sena then in the BMC. It angered Fadnavis to no end and he even invoked his family deity , Lord Narasimha, who, he said, was equal to out-clawing the Senas tiger! I had never heard such divine retribution being brought down upon the head of a mere political mortal.

But how far can the allies go against each other? Sooner or later they must call a truce. But, in that case, where will the likely trade-offs leave the city and the state, I wonder. Much the worse for the wear as we already are or will this talk of transparency at various civic bodies lead the saffron allies to act as watchdogs against each other and deliver some good administration to the people by default?

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Will the Shiv Sena be fifth time lucky?

Other side of demonetisation: An election jackpot on its way in Maharashtra

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The issue of safety of women politicians has snowballed into a much larger concern within a fortnight with three women leaders from Maharashtra across political parties receiving threats and lewd remarks from unknown people.

On Monday, Congress legislator Varsha Gaikwad lodged a complaint with the Wadala police for getting obscene messages on her mobile phone from an unidentified number. Last week, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shaina NC and Shiv Sena Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Neelam Gorhe also registered similar complaints. While Shaina NC complained of getting lewd text messages, Gorhe said she got threats of rape and murder over the phone.

Gaikwad told the media, I received these messages during the elections. These kind of incidents dont suit what we call a progressive Maharashtra. This is a grave question of law and order. The MLA plans to raise the issue in the state legislative assembly.

In case of Shaina NCs complaint, the police on Sunday identified a BJP worker from Varanasi, Jayantkumar Singh, as the accused.

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UP man detained for sending obscene texts to BJPs Shaina NC

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After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) administrative wing failed to throw open the Seven Humboldt penguins for public viewing even after seven months, it will now have to again go to the new group leaders of various parties in the civic house for approval of entry fee of up to Rs 100 for viewing the exotic birds kept in Byculla zoo.

As per an earlier proposal approved by outgoing group leaders, entry to penguin enclosure was to be free of cost till March 31, and thereafter Rs 100 was to be charged for each person and Rs 50 for children up to 12 years of age.. But with failing to open the penguins exhibit for public on time, the civic administration will now have to move a new proposal before the new group leaders for approval.

The original proposal had suggestion of charging Rs 200 for family of four with free entry to the.children.According to sources the original proposal is likely to be tabled again, without the mention of any concession. A senior civic officer said, We are keen on charging upto Rs 100 for adults over an age of 12 and Rs 50 for kids, the new proposal is likely to be similar to the original one, without including any changes that were suggested by the outgoing group leaders. Because there are chances that the new corporators will have some new changes so we will get in the original proposal and accordingly carry out changes if suggested.

Meanwhile, after the microbiologists gave a positive report after testing the condition of exhibits, the penguins were finally moved from the quarantine after almost seven months to the exhibits. We want penguins to settle in for a week at least before the exhibit is opened for public. There are chances with the new body of corporators to be formed on Wednesday, the exhibit will be inaugurated next week, said a zoo official.

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Byculla Zoo penguin exhibit likely to be thrown open to public by next week

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Doctors at the Metro Hospital said that the Afghan national, in whose abdomen heroin capsules were discovered, has gained consciousness and is out of danger.

The patient has gained consciousness and he is not critical anymore. Doctors had conducted another CT scan and did not find any more capsules in his body, Dr Ribhu Rajpal, medical superintendent, Metro Hospital, said.

On February 28, 57-year-old Abdul Ali Noori, of Kandahar in Afghanistan, was admitted to Metro Hospital in Sector 11, with complaints of severe abdominal pain, breathlessness and vomiting. He was followed by his 26-year-old son Abdul Wali Noori and a local translator.

In a CT scan, doctors discovered seven plastic pouches, each five centimetres long and containing heroin, in his abdomen. A total of 110 grams of heroin was extracted by the doctors.

Noori had arrived in India on February 25 on a six-month medical tourism visa.

After the discovery, police had lodged a case against Noori under Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act 18/20 and held his son for further investigation. The samples were collected by the narcotics department and they had confirmed that the contraband product was heroin, after lab testing.

Nooris health had deteriorated over the last few days as some of the pouches had burst inside, adding to the complications. He was kept on ventilator support for four days post the extraction of capsules.

Noori had diabetic complications and there was always a risk that the pouches that had burst could have led the heroin to flow in his blood stream. But luckily, he survived. He has now been shifted to medical Intensive Care Unit from stroke ICU, Dr Rajpal said.

Meanwhile, the police are yet to arrest Noori as they are waiting for him to fully recover. Once he is discharged from the hospital, we will carry on with the investigation and disclose whether he is a repeat offender, Vinay Singh, station house officer, Sector 24 police station, said.

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A 23-year-old man shot dead a 22-year-old woman inside a private hospital she worked at in Ghaziabad on Tuesday evening. The man, who was stated to be infatuated with her, later shot himself after loading another bullet in the countrymade weapon he had brought along.

The incident was reported from Life Line Hospital in Vijay Nagar where the woman, Jyoti Gautam, worked as a receptionist. According to police, her neighbour Bobby arrived around 7.15pm and shot the woman in the chest.

After shooting her, he loaded the weapon again and shot himself in the chest. Prima facie, we suspect that he was infatuated with the girl and was pursuing her for the past some time. But she did not accept his offer, said Neeraj Singh, station house officer, Vijay Nagar police station.

Police said that Jyoti died on the spot while the man was rushed to MMG district hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

We are awaiting the police complaint from the family of the victim and have sent both bodies for a post-mortem examination, Singh said.
A number of students staged a sit-in on Monday at a private college demanding that their former director be reinstated. He had resigned from his post after protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) against him.

Mohammad Salim, director of Llyod Law College, a private institute in Knowledge Park of Greater Noida, had resigned on Monday afternoon after protests from college students and those from the ABVP. He was accused of allegedly misbehaving with a girl student who had come to college late, and running after students with a shoe.

On Sunday morning, Pratima Singh , a BA LLB student, had allegedly arrived to the college late. Singh is in her 10th semester and students of 10, 11 and 12th semesters have classes on weekend while other semesters students have classes on weekdays.

In a video circulated by ABVP, Singh alleges that Salim used expletives against her and ran after her and other latecomers holding up his shoe.

Following the incident, Singh, her friends and ABVP members staged a sit-in on Monday and demanded the directors resignation.

On Monday evening, Salim offered his resignation and the students and ABVP members stopped protesting. Many students and teachers have alleged that ABVP students had created a ruckus and threatened the faculty.

Akhilesh Kumar Khan, head of law department, Llyod College, said, On Monday, ABVP cadres locked me inside a room for hours and misbehaved with me. A majority of the protestors were outsiders and ABVP cadres. Communal remarks were also made against me and the cadres had used expletives.

However, on Tuesday, dozens of first-year law students, allegedly backed by the college administration, staged a sit-in in the college campus and demanded that Salim be re-instated.

Salim sir has changed our college for good with his hard work and dedication. ABVP cadres are intentionally trying to communalise the issue and politicise our campus. We demand that he be reinstated, said Rishabh, a first-year student. Students have also taken to Facebook and Twitter with the slogans Bring back Salim sir and Save Llyod.

While the college administration has set up a committee to probe the incident, Khan has refused to lodge a complaint against the students who had allegedly locked him up on Monday.

One student, Himanshu, who was leading the protest along with ABVP cadres, has apologised to me. Therefore I chose to not lodge a police complaint against him since he is a student, he said.

ABVP district convenor Gaurav Singh said the college administration had harassed a girl student and the cadres had entered the college campus in her support.

We ensured that the director was removed because he had misbehaved with a woman. How can an institute head use such expletives and chase students with a shoe? This is uncalled for and the ABVP will stand up for students wherever required, he said.

Meanwhile, Arun Kumar, circle officer, Greater Noida 1, said, No incident of violence has been reported and it was an internal matter of the college that was resolved on Monday itself. However, we are keeping an eye on any such protests in Knowledge Park colleges.

Salim was unavailable for comment.

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Apart from the four arrests made on late Sunday night, the Ghaziabad police has failed to make further headway into the case of firing and rioting in which four men from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were injured and had to be hospitalised.

Read more: Ghaziabad: Khoda tense after three VHP men shot at, attacked with hockey sticks

The FIR lodged at Khoda police station mentioned seven to eight unidentified persons, Sanjay Malik and the owner of Khushbu clinic at Anil Vihar in Khoda. Police said several teams have already been in put in place to trace the other persons who allegedly arrived in an SUV and attacked the victims.

The teams are conducting searches at several places in Ghaziabad and nearby districts. However, the accused persons have absconded and are untraceable. We will nab them soon. Police has been deployed in Khoda since Sunday and will remain there till normalcy returns and arrests are made, said Anil Yadav, circle officer, Indirapuram.

Meanwhile, two of the victims were shifted from the ICU of Noidas Kailash Hospital to the ward on Tuesday.

My brother (Rakesh Garg) and Rahul were shifted to the ward, but Vikas Mishra and his brother Abhishek are still being treated in the ICU. The four injured will have to stay in the hospital for another couple of days. We are still suspicious about the incident and want arrest of the accused persons at the earliest. Otherwise, there is a fear that they may try to harm us again, said Sonu, Gargs brother.

There has been a complete laxity on the part of the police, which led the other accused persons escape. The families of all the injured men are afraid and demand immediate arrest of the attackers. If any further incident takes place with these families, the police will be held responsible, said Vivek Mishra, a VHP functionary from Khoda.

Police had claimed Sundays incident was one of road rage. However, locals said road rage around 11.15pm was not possible.

It had also come to light that Garg had complained to police about expansion of a mosque, which the police had stopped. He has alleged in his FIR that he was attacked as fallout of his police complaint regarding the construction work that was going on without permission.

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Stung by the intermediate toppers scam in 2016 and photographs of mass cheating that went viral on the social media the previous year, officials allegedly strip-searched girl students appearing for the matriculation examination at a school in Bihar on Monday.

Parents said around 50 matriculation examinees were strip-searched for chits at the Bankipore Girls High School examination centre in Patna  a charge denied by the school administration. The government, for its part, sought a report from the Patna district magistrate in this regard.

The matriculation exams began on March 1, and will end on Wednesday.

In a written complaint to Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor, the parents alleged that the students were strip-searched by women magistrates and the centre superintendent in makeshift enclosures before being allowed to enter the examination centre. The officials even passed snide remarks while checking them, they added.

Kishor, who is also the chairman of the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), told HT, We are looking into the matter, and have sought a report from the district magistrate. We will punish the guilty if the charges are proved.

Till Tuesday, 400 out of 17.63 lakh students had been expelled from 1,500-odd examination centres across the state for adopting unfair means, and 78 impersonators were arrested.

Around 1,750 of 12.61 lakh examinees were expelled during the intermediate exams held between February 14 and 25. The BSEB, however, did not disclose the number of girl students expelled.

The education board, in an attempt to redeem its image after the toppers scam, adopted a slew of measures to check the use of unfair means at exams. They included frisking examinees and taking written undertakings from invigilators to this effect.

The states district magistrates and superintendents of police were tasked with ensuring the conduct of fair and cheating-free exams by the Bihar chief secretary and director general of police, who addressed them through video conferencing before the start of the examinations.

Attempts to contact Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal went in vain.

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In a prompt action, police recovered Rs 25 lakh, looted from the cash van of a public sector bank and arrested all the five accused within two hours of the incident in Bihars Gaya district, 107km from Patna, on Tuesday.

The accused were trying to escape to the neighboring Nawada district when they were arrested, police said, adding that the vehicle used in the crime had also been seized.

The criminals had earlier in the day looted Rs 25 lakh from the cash van of Punjab National Bank (PNB) after injuring the driver near Parahi village on Bodh Gaya-Mohanpur road, about 40 km away from here.

We are still counting the cash. But we believe that the entire looted amount has been recovered, the police said.

Police said they had sealed all the escape routes soon after the incident. As soon as we spotted the car, matching the description of the vehicle used in the incident, we chased it and overtook it about 200 meters ahead of Fatehpur block in the district from where the criminals had intended to sneak into Jharkhand. All the five occupants of the car have been arrested and the looted money has been recovered, the police added..

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Garima Malik told HT that firearms used to commit the crime had also been recovered. All the accused had been brought to Gaya and they were being interrogated, she said.

The Gaya police, sources said, were trying to find out if the arrested persons had any links with those involved in the loot of Rs 60 lakh from the bank cash of PNB at Belchhi in Patna district.

About eight motorcycle-borne criminals had looted Rs 60 lakh from the cash van of PNB after killing two guards of a security agency and the driver on the busy Barh-Harnaut (national highway-30A) road in Belchhi police station area of Patna district on Monday..

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Air India is all set to start its daily flight to Kullu in Himachal Pradesh from Chandigarh international airport from March 27 (summer schedule). The flight will take off from Delhi, which will stop at Chandigarh Airport for 40 minutes before proceeding to the Bhuntar Airport (near Kullu). This will be first flight to Kullu from Chandigarh and a one-way ticket will cost Rs 4,500. The flight time will be 45 minutes.

Read | Air India flight to Bangkok from first week of May

Tentatively, the flight will start in morning from Delhi and will reach Chandigarh airport at 9.30am. From Kullu, it will start at 11.30am. We hope to get a good response, said an Air India official. The final timings will be announced in a day or two, he added.

Read | Direct flights from Chandigarh to Chennai, Hyderabad

In addition to this, the city is set to be connected to several new destinations. There will be a direct, thrice a week, flight to Bangkok in the first week of May with introductory round-trip fare of Rs 5,000. Air India is also planning to start a direct flight to Singapore.

Proposed timings

 Arrival at Chandigarh airport from Delhi 9.30am

 Stoppage time 40 minutes

 Departure for Kullu airport 10.10am

 Arrival at Kullu airport 10.55am

 Departure from Kullu 11.30am

Arrival at Chandigarh 12.15pm
The Union cabinet on Monday approved settlement of legacy food cash credit accounts (up to crop season 2014-15) of the Punjab government for food procurement operations.

This proposal of department of expenditure was approved by Prime Minister under Rule 12 of (transaction of business) Rules, 1961, on January 2, 2017, an official statement said.

It further said early settlement of legacy issues will help banks in disbursement of food credit in the larger interest of numerous farmers of the state and uninterrupted continuity in food procurement operations to ensure food security for the nation.

Settlement of outstanding cash-credit limits (CCL) account by availing term loan by the Punjab government would entail savings in terms of interest payment, the statement said, adding this will create additional resource enabling Punjab government to undertake capital expenditure.

The outstanding amount in cash-credit accounts of Punjab up to kharif marketing season 2014-15 amounting to about Rs 31,000 crore shall be converted into a term loan. It will be repayable in half-yearly instalments over a period of 20 years with the option for pre-payment. The terms and conditions of the loan shall be as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the lending banks, the statement added.

Noting that the 14th Finance Commission has prescribed the fiscal roadmap for each state for its award period 2015-20 and anchored their fiscal deficit to an annual limit of 3% of states gross state domestic product (GSDP), the statement said.

The term loan proposed to be extended to Punjab government in current financial year... will not be counted in the fiscal deficit limit of Punjab government in 2016-17, the statement said.

After the conversion of legacy accounts in long-term loan, the Punjab government may issue bonds for the purpose of paying back the loan. This will be subject to the approval of consortium of banks and RBI. The Union government consent will be issued for swapping of loan in the same year of issue of bonds, the statement said.

The Punjab government shall enter into a tripartite agreement with the Government of India and the RBI irrevocably authorising the Centre to deduct, in case the Punjab government fails to make any payment towards principal or interest of the term loan on due dates, such defaulted amount from the states share in central taxes and pay the same to the State Bank of India consortium, said the statement.
Three days after Seema Azad, journalist-cum-activist managed to sneak into Panjab University (PU) campus to address a seminar on fascism, she wrote a post on social networking site Facebook, responding to MP Kirron Khers challenge for a debate.

Kirron Kher ji, If you had the courage and culture to debate, you would have cancelled the arrest order and would have come to debate, wrote Azad.

The administration had directed on March 3 to arrest Seema Azad, if seen in and around the PU campus. Seema Azad in her post has mentioned that the SFS should have been allowed to organise the programme freely.

When I went to deliver a speech in her constituency, an arrest order was issued against me and having failed to do that, she is challenging me for debate. Kirron Kher ji, if you had the courage and culture to debate, you would have cancelled the arrest order and would have come to debate! SFS would have been allowed to organise the programme, reads her Facebook post.

Seemas post further read, I pay revolutionary greetings to SFS and whole Punjab who stood up for the freedom of speech. Long Live Revolution!

Meanwhile, SFS leaders said that ABVP had went to meet the governor VP Singh Badnore asking him to cancel the SFS event and day later gave threats to use force if Seema Azad came to campus.
Veterinary tourism seems to have finally arrived in the district, offering a ray of hope to suffering canines and their distressed NRI owners. Barely a month after a female Gull Terrier from France was operated upon at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) for a leg surgery, nine months old golden retriever, Mixie became the second beneficiary of the competent and economical treatment, getting a new lease of life.

Clinical examination and Radiographs done at GADVASU showed that Mixie was suffering from bilateral Hip Dysplasia, a disease of hip joints in which congruence of both hip joints are lost making it difficult for the canine to stand or walk without pain.

Nixy was in too much pain and we were not able to see her in this condition. A friend of mine who lives in Ludhiana told me that I should bring Nixy here to get her treated said Mandeep, a citizen of Australia who operates a back office for financial institutions at Philippines. Unable to bear his pets suffering, Mandeep decided to travel 4622 Kms to Ludhiana, India for the surgery.

Mixie was operated upon successfully by the veterinarians for the disease in which a dog finds it difficult to walk due to pain. The treatment, though available in other countries as well, is too costly.

Mandeep found out that the treatment at Australia would have cost anywhere around 4000 US dollar or Rs 2, 80, 000 while at GADVASU, the entire treatment cost came out to be Rs 1200 only. The pet owners, Mandeep and his wife Nidhi Singh a US citizen, came to India a week ago and stayed at their Mohali residence.

He however says that immigration of a dog to India becomes a hectic and cumbersome procedure as India consulate at Philippines was not co-operative.

Dr Arun Anand who operates upon Mixie said that in this condition the hip joint, which is a ball and socket joint, becomes unstable due to shallow socket. As a result the dog suffers from pain while standing and walking.

He said that different treatment options were discussed with the owner. Femoral Head ostectomy under general anesthesia was the surgical procedure done on Mixie. In this procedure head of right femur was removed surgically.

Doctors say that the recovery will take at least two months after which Mixie would be able to run and sit without pain.

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Cardinal Telesphore Toppos statement against the tenancy amendment bills passed by the state assembly have brought him on the firing line of a few Sarna (nature worshipping tribes) outfits and the ruling BJP.

On Monday, Kendriya Sarna Samiti (KSS), a conglomerate of tribal rights and religious bodies in Jharkhand, burnt the effigy of Toppo, accusing him of playing politics over tribal sentiments and hindering development of the tribal community here.

The KSS also rendered support to the governments decision and said that the amendments may benefit tribals here.

The Cardinal had on Sunday said that the changes proposed to be made in the Chottanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act were not in favour of the tribal communities and would put their lands up for grabs by outsiders.

A vernacular daily on Sunday quoted him saying that the tribals will become extinct if their land is given away to private parties.

The Cardinal should not worry about tribals, he should think of Christians instead. The missionaries are penetrating our villages and performing mass tribal conversion, said Fulchand Tirkey, secretary, KSS.

Cardinal Toppo could not be contacted for his comments.

However, Father Vipin Kundalna from the Arch Bishops House rubbished all the allegations, claiming that the Cardinal voiced his opinion due to his concern for the tribal community.

We should not forget that the Cardinal too is a tribal. He has all the right to voice his opinion. They accuse us of converting tribals, but why would we form only 4% of the population if such mass conversions took place? he asked.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Laxman Giluwa came out with strong words against Toppos remarks.

Forces from the Church are adding fuel to fire, and instigating protests against the governments decision, Giluwa said.

Till date, they were fueling the protests from behind the curtain, but now, they have come out in the open, making their intentions clear, he added.

Congress state president Sukhdeo Bhagat on Monday demanded an apology from Giluwa for his statement against Cardinal Toppo.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Hemant Soren, former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and members of the Jharkhand Adiwasi Sangharsh Morcha staged a protest against the CNT, SPT amendment bills at New Delhis Jantar Mantar on Monday.

The CNT and SPT amendments will allow acquisition of tribal agricultural land for non-agricultural development purposes. The amendments, government claims, would uplift the tribals by given them optimum value for their land.

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Director Lokesh Kanagaraj says his forthcoming Tamil urban thriller Maanagaram, set against the backdrop of Chennai, will showcase the city in a different light.

Starring Sundeep Kishan, Sri and Regina Cassandra, the film will release on Friday.

Talking about the film, Lokesh said: Its a story about metropolitan dreams in the lives of a few characters. A lot of people from different walks of life come to a metropolitan with dreams, but when reality strikes them they realize life isnt easy.

He said the film will showcase Chennai in a different light.

Director Lokesh says he found it tough to showcase Chennai in a different light since so many films are based in the metropolis.

It was a challenge to showcase Chennai differently. So many films over the years have captured the city in different lights. We had to still show something different.

We scouted about 300 locations and out of which zeroed in a few locations that havent been explored so far, he said, adding the film was shot across several real locations in the city.

Lokesh is confident the films hyperlink narrative style will stand out.

More than the story, its the sequence of events that audience will find very engaging. We have used the hyperlink narrative style which connects one story to another and finally weaves together all the sub-plots to make a very engaging screenplay, he added.

Talking about his cast, he said the script was written with Sri in mind.

He was my first choice. I met Sundeep through a friend and he really liked the script. In fact, he was even ready to produce the film but it couldnt happen immediately as he busy with other commitments. Meanwhile, I met producer SR Prabhu who liked my script and came on board, he said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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The highly-anticipated election for Tamil Films Producers Council (TFPC) is all set to take place on April 2. Opposing senior council members including T Siva, SA Chandrasekar, Keyar and AM Ratnam, actor/producer Vishal has formed a young team, comprising of Gnanavel Raja, SR Prabhu, Gautham Menon, Mysskin and others.

With the election around the corner, Vishals team on Monday had called for a press meet to showcase the incompetence of the senior members. They openly attacked TFPCs former president Kalaipuli S Thanu, producer of superstar Rajinikanths Kabali and Vijays blockbuster Theri.

For the first time in Tamil film history a producer is yet to sell the satellite rights of a Rajinikanth film, Thanu holds that record, said Gnanavel Raja, producer of Singam series, who is also contesting for the general secretary position in the upcoming election.

Another major record accomplished by Thanu is during his regime, piracy websites started live streaming on Facebook. And Thanu didnt even care to address the piracy issue, said Gnanavel, who lashed out at another senior producer T Siva, saying that he is holding panchayats among innocent producers and swindling off their hard-earned money.

Once we win the election, Im planning to invite Thanu sir and help him to sign the satellite rights of his films-Kabali and Their, added Gnanavel on a lighter note.

Gnanavel also harshly criticized UTV Souths former business head Dhananjayan, he satirically called him Cinema Scientist. Dhananjayan tweeted Using derogatory remarks against fellow producers for an election involving around 1200 members is nothing but arrogance.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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The world would be a better place for women if they had access to more and better quality jobs, according to a street survey of women and men in 10 countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Ahead of International Womens Day on March 8, the Thomson Reuters Foundation asked about 100 people in Britain, Italy, the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, India, Thailand, Brazil and Colombia what they saw as the biggest challenge for women.

The answers varied from concerns over violence against women to an unfair share of housework but the overwhelming concern was employment  that women should have equal access to jobs, equal pay, and the flexibility to juggle work with raising children.

For any woman having a better life means having a good job. This will make life better  a job and a salary to take care of herself and her dependents, said Yolradee Saiemi, 44, a jewellery seller at a Bangkok market.

Chinese women preparing street food for sale in Songpan, Sichuan. (Shutterstock)

Abdoulaye Diop Ndao, 26, a security guard in Dakar, Senegal, said life was difficult for women in Senegal. They wake up early to find work, to buy fish and vegetables to sweep and sort out the house. If we give women good jobs, create businesses for them, we can help our families, he said.

The biggest problem here is employment. They dont have adequate jobs. Or they are hustlers, said Richard Kiarie Lutta, a bus driver in Nairobi, Kenya, in his 30s. The world would be better for women if they have a good job.

Fewer women than men work globally, with about half of working age women in jobs in 2015 compared to 76% of men, according to figures from the International Labour Organization. Women are paid less in most countries, earning on average only 60-75% of mens wages, according to the World Bank.

A woman vegetable seller in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. (Shutterstock)

Despite everything thats happened, legislation, its clear that there is still a complete disparity from the point of view of pay, and of expectations especially in the workplace. I dont think theres really been significant change despite the best efforts of people, said Tim Redman, 59, a retiree from London.

DEADLY VIOLENCE

Women also bear disproportionate responsibility for unpaid work, devoting up to 3 hours more a day to housework than men and up to 10 times more to care for children or the elderly, according to World Bank figures.

Today everything, all work is done by women. At home and at outside, women have do everything, said Kajol Jaidev Leela, 18, a street vendor selling handicrafts in New Delhi. The world can be a better place for women if men stand alongside women in every step of their lives and support them.

Natalia Cortes, 27, a microbiologist from Bogota in Colombia said the amount of work at home was holding women back. The responsibility of the family falls a lot on women and that doesnt allow them on many occasions to develop themselves professionally, said Cortes.

Women are paid less in most countries, earning on average only 60-75% of mens wages, according to the World Bank. (Shutterstock)

Pietro Benassi, 35, a musician from Rome, said employers needed to help women to be both mother and worker. An answer (would be) creating dedicated spaces for children within the workplace and allowing women to work in peace instead of nursery schools that are very expensive, he said.

Violence against women also remained a major concern.

If people start understanding that women are not objects, it would be a better place for everyone, said Manish Sharma, 39, a telecom manager from Mumbai, India, where reported crimes against women rose by a third between 2011 and 2015.

Women cannot travel anywhere ... (but its) very necessary not only here in Delhi, but anywhere in India, anywhere in the world they can go anywhere freely without any disturbance, said Jaideep Bindra, 24, a chemical engineer in New Delhi.

In Brazil, where studies show a woman is killed every two hours and assaulted every 15 seconds, violence was also cited as a major challenge. During carnival there have been many reports of violence against women. Women need to struggle for respect, equality, (and) feminism, said Tassia Gomes, 27, a firefighter, in Rio.

Women bear disproportionate responsibility for unpaid work, devoting up to 3 hours more a day to housework than men, according to World Bank figures (Shutterstock)

But both men and women highlighted the need for both sexes to work together to improve the lives of women.

African men have never gotten the fact that what men can do, women can do better. So thats one major problem here in Africa, said Paul Kiarie, 34, a Nairobi taxi driver.

One change needs to be peoples mentality  to take women seriously, wherever: in jobs, business, politics, everywhere. If they would take us seriously we would advance more, said Yeshi Woldehiwot, 52, who owns a leather goods shop in Addis Ababa.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
If Donald Trump wants to know whether he was the subject of surveillance by the US government, he may be uniquely positioned to get an answer.

In a series of weekend tweets, the president accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of ordering wiretaps on his phones but offered no proof to back the claim. The White House then called on Congress to investigate the allegations.

The intelligence community works for the president, so if a president wanted to know whether surveillance had been conducted on a particular target, all hed have to do is ask.

But former government lawyers say Trump hardly needs Congress to answer this question.

The intelligence community works for the president, so if a president wanted to know whether surveillance had been conducted on a particular target, all hed have to do is ask, said Todd Hinnen, head of the Justice Departments National Security Division during the Obama administration and a National Security Council staff member under George W. Bush.

The latest storm began Saturday when 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 followed up with: How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. 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

The Justice Department, not the president, would have the authority to conduct such surveillance, and officials have not confirmed any such action. Through a spokesman, Obama said neither he nor any White House official had ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Obamas top intelligence official, James Clapper, also said Trumps claims were false, and a US official said the FBI asked the Justice Department to rebut Trumps assertions.

Why turn to Congress, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer was asked Monday.

My understanding is that the president directing the Department of Justice to do something with respect to an investigation that may or may not occur with evidence may be seen as trying to interfere, Spicer said. And I think that were trying to do this in the proper way.

He indicated that Trump was responding to media reports rather than any word from the intelligence community. Other officials have suggested the president was acting on other information.

Senator John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Monday that Trump needs to give more information to the American people and Congress about his wiretapping accusations. The dimensions of this are huge, McCain said. Its accusing a former president of the United States of violating the law. Thats never happened before.

As for the genesis of a possible wiretap, it is possible the president was referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a 1978 law that permits investigators, with a warrant, to collect the communications of someone they suspect of being an agent of a foreign power. That can include foreign ambassadors or other foreign officials who operate in the US whose communications are monitored as a matter of routine for counterintelligence purposes.

The warrant application process is done in secret in a classified process. But, as president, Trump has the authority to declassify anything. And were such a warrant to exist, he could theoretically move to make it public as well.

If the president demands to know what happened, the Justice Department can decide whats appropriate to share and whats not, said Amy Jeffress, another former Obama administration national security lawyer.

The Justice Department applies for the warrants in a one-sided process before judges of the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Permission is granted if a judge agrees that theres probable cause that the target is an agent of a foreign power. Though the standard is a high bar to meet, applications are hardly ever denied.

Targets of wiretaps are not alerted that their communications are being recorded. Defendants later charged in the criminal justice system may ultimately learn the government intends to use at trial evidence collected through a FISA warrant, but they are not presented with the actual application for a warrant.

Unfortunately, the public has never seen an actual FISA application over nearly 40 years, so we dont know exactly how the FISA Court has applied or interpreted the probable cause standard in this context, Patrick Toomey, an American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney specializing in national security, said in an email.

Trump also could have been referring to wiretapping authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Justice Department can obtain a warrant for that surveillance by convincing a judge that theres probable cause to believe the target has committed or is committing a crime.

The White House turned Sunday to Congress  which is already investigating ties between Trump associates and Russians  for help finding evidence to support his assertions. Some Republicans seemed inclined to try to help Trump get answers.

For Congress, getting to the bottom of this should not be difficult, said Dan Jones, a former Senate investigator and currently president of the Penn Quarter Research and Investigations Group.

Its a knowable, yes or no, Jones said. If the answer is there was no such warrant, he said, the next step would be to ask the president why he made the claim. That information would then be investigated to find out if its right or wrong.
A 22-year-old British woman was raped and assaulted a number of times while she was held hostage by a man during a two-month ordeal in the remote outback of northern Australia, police said on Tuesday.

The British backpacker was rescued on Sunday after officers stopped a car in Mitchell, a small rural town more than 550 km (340 miles) west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane, police said.

The unidentified woman, who was driving the car, had visible injuries to her face and was noticeably distressed, prompting the officers to search the car, police said, and a 22-year-old man was found hiding in a small alcove in the back.

Authorities say she had been held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks.

Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations.

The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body, police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.

Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year.

They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia.

Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest southwest of Sydney.
Chinas top military officials have called on the armed forces to rally behind Xi Jinping, describing him as the core of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the annual session of the countrys Parliament in yet another sign that the president is emerging as the countrys strongest leader in decades.

The National Peoples Congress (NPC), the rubber-stamp Parliament, is meeting for the first time since Xi was anointed the core at a CPC plenum last October.

Xi is the CPC general secretary, the president and chairperson of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Technically, Chinas armed forces are under the CPC and not the government.

One of the first to speak out for Xi during the session was Fan Changlong, a vice-chairperson of the CMC.

In the usually grand way that top Chinese leaders speak, Fan said the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the largest in the world, and the armed police must implement Xi's decisions and instructions in pushing forward military building, reform and combat preparedness, and embrace the 19th CPC National Congress with military achievements.

The troops must resolutely safeguard the core and follow the leadership of the CPC, Fan was quoted as saying by official Xinhua news agency at a panel discussion in the Great Hall of the People.

Xu Qiliang, another CMC vice-chairperson, said the PLA's progress in building a world-class military is attributed to Xi's leadership.

Fang Fenghui, chief of the joint staff department under the CMC, coined a new phrase - the CMC chairman responsibility system - and said this chain of command must be ensured.

Xis anti-corruption programme, ongoing since 2013, has rooted out corrupt PLA generals  including two vice-chairpersons of the CMC -- who were once powerful. Some experts say the high-profile anti-corruption programme is another way for Xi to consolidate power.

Both Fan and Xu urged PLA officers to eliminate the impact of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, two corrupt former CMC vice-chairpersons, the report said.

Last May, the CMC dispatched 10 teams of inspectors to investigate the PLA, with reports saying this was the first time the top military command had founded a standing anti-corruption force.

The call to rally behind Xi came as China, breaking from the norm, didnt announce its exact allocation for defence when Premier Li Keqiang delivered the governments work report at the NPC session on Sunday.

It was left to the finance ministry to announce the following day that the defence budget for 2017 would grow at 7% to be around the 1.04 trillion RMB-mark or about $152 billion.

China will strengthen its maritime and air defence as well as border controls as part of efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and security, according to the work report.

"The majority of the defence budget will be spent on deepening national defence and military reforms, bolstering military and civilian integration, and improving the living, training and working conditions for service personnel at grassroots levels, a finance ministry official was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

(eom)
Nepals southern Madhes region was tense on Tuesday following the death of three Madhesi Morcha cadres during a clash with security forces, with political parties calling a two-day strike and organising protests at several places.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda met home minister Bimalendra Nidhi and top security officials and asked them to maintain restraint while tackling the unrest. Nidhi summoned chief district officers and security officials of Saptari district, where the clash occurred on Monday, to the capital for an explanation.

I am really saddened by the tragic incident that took place in Saptari. The government will pay compensation to the deceased and will bear all costs incurred for treatment of the injured, said Prachanda.

Transport services, factories, industries and educational institutes were affected by the strike called by an alliance of Madhes-based parties. Following the spike in tensions, the administration clamped curfew in Rajbiraj, the headquarters of Saptari district.

Irate Madhesi Morcha cadres joined protests and burnt tyres in Rajbiraj and at markets in Bhardaha, Kanchanpur, Rupani and Kalyanpur. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets and shouted slogans for compensation to be paid to the families of the dead activists. They also demanded treatment for the injured and action against those responsible for firing at Madhesi Morcha activists.

The cadres surrounded the district administration office in Saptari and vandalised the Rajbiraj Municipality and Nepal Telecom office, police said. A vehicle of the National Human Rights Commission was damaged.

Following the protests, security was beefed up at government offices in Rajbiraj, police said.

A Madhesi protester looks at a burning motorcycle during a clash between police and protestors at Rajbiraj in Saptari district, 240 km southeast of Kathmandu, on March 6, 2017. (AFP)

Three Madhesi Morcha cadres were killed and dozens more injured when police opened fire after the Madhesi activists attempted to disrupt the Mechi-Mahakali campaign of the opposition CPN-UML party in Rajbiraj on Monday. The Morcha said seven of the injured were in critical condition.

The CPN-UML said a conspiracy was hatched in Saptari to kill all its top leaders. The party said Prachanda and the home minister were responsible for the incident.
President Donald Trump has offered to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood if the group stops providing abortions. Its president spurned the proposal and noted that federal money already is not allowed to be used for abortion.

Trump confirmed Monday there had been discussions after The New York Times inquired about what it described as an informal proposal. In a statement to the newspaper, Trump said polling shows most Americans oppose public funding for abortion.

As I said throughout the campaign, I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in womens health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of nonabortion services such as cancer screenings, he said.

Trump added: There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of womens health, while not providing abortion services.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in response: We will always stand for womens ability to make decisions about their health and lives, without interference from politicians in Washington, DC.

Anti-abortion activists want the federal government to cut off all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Nearly $400 million in Medicaid money goes to the group and pulling it back would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

In one of his first acts as president, Trump banned US funding to international groups that perform abortions or even provide information about abortions.

Vice President Mike Pence strongly opposes abortion, citing his Roman Catholic beliefs, and the newly confirmed health secretary, Tom Price, has supported cutting off taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood.
Almost a month after a federal court refused to reinstate Donald Trumps controversial first executive order blocking travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, the US President has issued a new travel ban.

Here are five things you need to know about the new executive order.

1. Iraq is no longer on the list of countries from which travellers are banned:

The list now includes Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. There will be a 90-day hold on issuing visas to citizens of these six countries, a condition similar to the one in the order signed by Trump on January 27.

Iraq, included in the original ban, is described in the new order as a special case whose commitment to combat the Islamic State justifies it for different treatment. It was removed from the list because it has given firm commitments about increased cooperation in terms of information that will enhance the ability of the US to vet or screen Iraqi nationals, a Homeland Security official told the media.

2. Existing visas and valid green cards will be honoured by the US:

Travellers from the six countries on the list and refugees who already have US visas will not be affected by the new order. No visas will be revoked solely based on this executive order, a statement from the White House said.

The original bans lack of clarity on existing visas led to chaos at airports and resulted in about 60,000 visas being revoked. The 90-day period applies only to people from the six countries on the new list seeking fresh US visas.

A man wears a hat that reads "Trump De-Greating America" as people gather for a protest against US President Donald Trump's new travel ban at Lafayette Park outside the White House in Washington on March 6, 2017. (AP)

3. No preferential treatment for religious minorities:

The new order mentions nothing to suggest that Christians facing religion-based persecution will be given preference while applying as refugees. The earlier order had instructed the state department to prioritise refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individuals country of nationality. That provision had created the impression that the US was prioritising Christians and lent credence to claims that the original order was a Muslim ban.

4. The new order will take effect only on March 16:

The new ban will come into effect on March 16 and authorities will have 10 days to prepare for its implementation. This will also give citizens of the six countries on the new list 10 more days to apply for visas. You should not see any chaosor alleged chaos at airportsThere arent going to be folks stopped tonight from coming into the country pursuant to this executive order, a homeland security official told the media.

5. Syrian refugees no longer singled out:

The earlier order blocked the entry of Syrian refugees to the US indefinitely. Now, they will face the same 120-day temporary ban applicable to refugees from around the world. Refugees who have already been approved by the state department will be allowed to enter the US.

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Uber on Friday acknowledged the use of a secret software program to steer drivers away from trouble, including sting operations by local authorities to catch lawbreakers.

In the latest in a streak of damaging news for the ride-sharing giant, Uber came forward about its Greyball software after a New York Times report which said the program aimed to deceive authorities in markets around the world.

According to an Uber 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 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.

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 broader program created to reveal people trying to us Uber in violation of terms of service and had the blessing of the companys legal team.

According to the report, the program raised ethical and potential concerns, and had been a closely guarded secret in Ubers toolbox as it expanded around the world, clashing with regulators and traditional taxi groups.

Geofences

Data collected about agents of regulatory authorities was used by the software to Greyball them, or mark them as city officials, according to the Times.

Greyballed officials trying to use Uber would have rides cancelled and be shown fake versions of the app, complete with maps showing icons of ghost cars appearing to be on the move, the report said.

Tactics used included identifying locations of government offices and then making them off-limits with geofences erected in mapping software, according to the Times.

Ways of figuring out which users might be regulators or police included checking whether credit cards used for accounts were linked to governments or police credit unions, the report said.

Entrepreneur and journalist John Battelle said in a Twitter post referring to the Greyball news:

Uber clearly lost its moral compass if it ever had one. https://t.co/k5cyLa8XR3  John Battelle (@johnbattelle) March 3, 2017

Adding to Uber woes

The Greyball disclosure comes as accusations of sexism, cutthroat 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 Googles 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 startups with a valuation estimated at $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 Uber application.
Hungary adopted tough new rules on Tuesday allowing authorities to detain all asylum seekers, including women and children fleeing war and poverty, in border camps built from shipping containers. Human rights groups said the decision was a flagrant violation of international law.

In the eyes of Hungarys combative prime minister, Viktor Orban, an early supporter of US President Donald Trump, migrants are a Trojan horse of terrorism putting his country under siege. He considers the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, as a threat to Europes Christian identity and culture.

Read: Age of walls: Hungary building second border fence along Serbia to stop migrants

According to rules adopted on Tuesday by lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party, all asylum seekers will be detained at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests. Hungary intends to close all other refugee reception centres around the country.

The police will also be allowed to expel to the Serbian side of the border fence any migrants who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 km of the border could be sent back to Serbia.

The developments alarmed human rights advocates.

Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isnt a refugee policy  its avoiding one, Amnesty International said, denouncing the Hungarian moves as a flagrant violation of international law. It called on the European Union to step up against Hungarys illegal and deeply inhumane measures.

The United Nations refugee agency said the new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, 2nd right, attends a swearing-in ceremony of a new group of border guards, known locally as border hunters, in Budapest on Tuesday. (AP Photo)

Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for 462 new border guards, called border hunters by the government, Orban again focused on migration as a major threat.

Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism, Orban said. The people that come to us dont want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living.

Read: Hungarian priest brings migrants in from the cold

Orban said the migration pressure on Hungarys borders would continue.

We are still, at this moment, under siege, he said. The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defense.

In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, migrants waited at an abandoned warehouse for a chance to continue their journey toward Western Europe.

For us, everywhere is difficult, because here we are homeless, we are innocent, said Hamid Khan, a migrant from Pakistan. My friend told us that on Hungary border, they beat us and by dogs they bite us, thats why I dont try.

On Monday, the Hungarian interior ministry again rejected a report in Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet in which a member of Doctors Without Borders said they had been treating migrants with injuries including dog bites and beatings, allegedly at the hands of Hungarian officers.

The new rules expected to be enforced within days are linked to the state of emergency due to migration which has been extended by decree until September 7.

There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country, said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda.

Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe.

A second, 150km-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1.

While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones.

In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said she will visit India soon, after her travel plans in December were postponed reportedly due to New Delhis preoccupation with political challenges over demonetization.

Im coming to India, Hasina told PTI on the sidelines of a summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association in Jakarta when asked about her expectations from the proposed visit.

During foreign secretary S Jaishankars visit to Dhaka in February, Hasinas deputy press secretary M Nazrul Islam had said the Bangladeshi premier will visit India in April.

She is to travel to India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited her in 2015.

Hasina was expected to travel to India in December, but the plan was postponed, amid speculation that it was not a suitable time for the visit given the Indian governments preoccupation with the challenges thrown up by demonetisation of higher denomination currency notes.

It was believed that since the ties between the Union government and the West Bengal government - a key stakeholder in the Teesta Water sharing issue - had strained over the sudden scrapping of the notes, any agreement, or meaningful discussion, on an agreement was unlikely to materialise.

The two countries have successfully settled their other previously pending issues like the Land Boundary and enclave problem.
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Tuesday called for immediate action to stop rising hate crimes in the US against people of Indian origin.

I call upon my colleagues in Congress, those in the executive branch, and all Americans, to follow the example of those who have already lived the best values of our nation by working to prevent future acts of hate and to resist the culture which has led to them, he said.

The Department of Justice must use its full powers to combat this wave of hate crimes, Krishnamoorthi demanded.

On Friday, Deep Rai, a Sikh Indian-American, was shot outside his home and told to go back to your own country.

Thankfully, Mr. Rai survived this act of hate, which stands not only as an attack on an individual, but also on the peace of mind of millions of Americans and the highest principles of our nation, he said.

Krishnamoorthi, the first time Democratic lawmaker from Illinois, said the entire government, and especially the Department of Justice, must act immediately to combat these hate crimes and fulfil its responsibility of defending all its citizens.

The Department of Justice must use its full powers to combat this wave of hate crimes, Krishnamoorthi demanded, adding that this shooting follows a string of bigoted attacks which has led to increased fear and bloodshed across the nation.

Dozens of Jewish community centres have been threatened and Jewish cemeteries defaced. A little over a week ago, a mosque in Florida was firebombed and two Indian men in Kansas were shot for the colour of their skin, he said.

In this latest attack, Mr. Rai was shot simply for being a Sikh in his own country, he added.

From Muslims who rallied in support of Jewish community centres, to Jewish communities contributing to the recovery of the bombed mosque in Florida, to the third man wounded in the Kansas shooting who tried to stop further carnage, countless Americans have risen to defend the greatest ideals of our nation, he said.

Americans of all races, creeds, and origins have opposed the tide of hate, and now their government leaders must do the same, Krishnamoorthi said.
Sudarshana Sengupta, a biomedical researcher who has worked and published at Harvard and University of Chicago, was about to launch a start-up on developing cancer immunotherapy strategies. But now, she has to fight for her right to work in the United States.

She is one of the interveners in a motion filed in a Washington DC court on Monday, calling for the protection of a rule which allows spouses of certain H-1B visa-holders to work, something the Donald Trump administration is expected to not defend in court.

Sengupta holds a H-4 Employment Authorisation Document (H-4 EAD), granted to spouses of H-1B visa holders waiting for their Green Card. The Obama administration introduced it in 2015, saying it would help attract and retain best talents from around the world to the US.

Save Jobs USA, a group of IT workers who say they were displaced by H-1B visa-holders, had challenged the rule in court, which threw out its lawsuit, saying it had no standing and that it could not prove harm caused to them by H-4 holders.

But Save Jobs USA challenged that ruling in the Washington DC court of appeals, a high court. It filed its first brief in January 2017, as the new administration, known for its antipathy towards H-1B visas, took charge.

The justice department, soon to be headed by Jeff Session, an outspoken critic of the H-1B visa programme, filed a response on February 1, seeking 60 days time to allow incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues.

Thats when Immigration Voice, an advocacy group for Indians waiting for Green Card, decided it had to intervene. It filed the motion with Sengupta as one of the interveners.

Immigration Voice could not simply wait until it was too late to see if the Department of Justice would defend the reasoned decision of the district court dismissing Save Jobs complaint, said Aman Kapoor, a co-founder of the group, in a statement.

The recent statements from the government present an unacceptable risk for Immigration Voice members that DOJ might decide after 60 days to adopt the position of Save Jobs USA, he said.

The Trump administration last week suspended premium processing of H-1B petitions, a fast lane for speedy clearance for a fee, and is widely speculated to be considering moves to restrict the temporary visa programme.

Trump and several members of his team, including Sessions, argue H-1Bs are being used by American companies to replace American workers with foreigners on lower wages, and have vowed to stop it.

And now H-4 too appears to be in danger.
Elite Iraqi security forces dislodged Islamic State militants from the main government building in Mosul on Tuesday, their last major city stronghold in Iraq, an Iraqi spokesman said.

A special Rapid Response team stormed the Nineveh governorate building and the surrounding government complex in an overnight operation, Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi, a spokesman for the elite interior ministry unit, told Reuters.

They killed tens from Daesh, he said, referring to the Islamic State group by one of its Arabic acronyms.

Recapturing the site would help Iraqi forces attack the militants in the nearby old city centre and mark a symbolic step towards restoring state authority over Mosul, even though the buildings are destroyed and not being used by Islamic State.
Khizr Khan, the father of an American war hero who riled Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election after delivering a speech critical of real estate mogul, has cancelled an event in Toronto scheduled for Monday as his travel privileges are being reviewed by the US government.

Khan had drawn fire from Trump after speaking in support of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last summer. His son, Humayun, was in the US armed forces when he was killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq in 2004. After criticising Trump, both he and his wife were attacked by Trump.

Announcing the cancellation of the event, the organiser, Ramsay Talks, posted a message on its Facebook page that said: Late Sunday evening Khizr Khan, an American citizen for over 30 years, was notified that his travel privileges are being reviewed. As a consequence, Khan will not be travelling to Toronto on March 7th to speak about tolerance, understanding, unity and the rule of law.

A screenshot of the announcement by Ramsay Talks on the cancellation of Khizr Khans talk.

It quoted Khan as saying, This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad. I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.

In the listing for the event, Ramsay Talks had stated: His remarks then are sadly prophetic now: Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims, he disrespects minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He wants to build walls and ban us from this country.

Media reports said the review that prevented Khan from travelling to Toronto was being undertaken by American authorities rather than those in Canada.

Khans experience is the second of cross-border issues that emerged within 24 hours. Canadian national broadcaster CBC reported that a 30-year-old Indo-Canadian, who was travelling from Montreal to a spa in Vermont, was stopped from entering the US. A border agent reportedly told her, I know you may feel like you've been Trumped.

Manpreet Kooner is a Canadian citizen and Canadians do not generally require visas to travel to the US for purposes such as tourism as long they possess a Canadian passport, which she told CBC she did.

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Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media said on Tuesday, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur.

All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

The North has yet to confirm the dead mans identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Malaysia expelled the Norths ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated yesterday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyangs foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a fair and timely manner based on goodwill.

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to conduct business and live normally while the travel ban is in place, it added.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has strongly condemned North Koreas move to bar Malaysians from leaving the country, saying it is effectively holding our citizens hostage.

Najib said in a statement issued Tuesday that he has instructed police to prevent all North Korean citizens from leaving Malaysia until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea. Earlier, Malaysian officials had said Malaysias travel ban was limited to North Korean Embassy officials and staff.

Pyongyang issued its ban earlier Tuesday. Malaysia has said it affects 11 of its citizens currently in North Korea. There are believed to be some 1,000 North Koreans working in Malaysia.

Relations between the countries have been disintegrating since Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Koreas leader, was attacked with a nerve agent at a Kuala Lumpur airport terminal February 13.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

A Malaysian official says the country is preventing North Korean diplomats from leaving because Pyongyang manipulated the murder case involving the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns half brother.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says Malaysia did not want to retaliate but added, When we are confronted with a country that has breached international diplomatic norms and ethics, we have no choice.

He said Malaysia was forced to act because North Korea had manipulated what we call a murder case.

Malaysia expelled the Norths ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated yesterday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyangs foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a fair and timely manner based on goodwill.

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to conduct business and live normally while the travel ban is in place, it added.
Israels parliament on Monday passed a law barring foreigners who publicly support an anti-Israel boycott from entering the country.

In recent years calls to boycott Israel have been growing, parliament said on its website after the law was approved. It seems this is a new front in the war against Israel, which until now the country had not prepared for properly.

Individuals or representatives of groups publicly calling for a boycott - excluding Israeli citizens and permanent residents - will not be granted visas, according to the law.

It was unclear when the new policy would take effect, and the law said exceptions could be made.

The vote passed 46 to 28, with some in the opposition saying it was better to engage detractors, and that the new law will play into the hands of those attacking Israel.

Israel has long decried groups like the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement who want to isolate Israel over policies towards the Palestinians.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014.
Pakistani officials say authorities have temporarily reopened the two main border crossings with Afghanistan after the closure of the border last month following a string of deadly militant attacks.

They say all those with valid travel documents will be allowed to cross on Tuesday and on Wednesday through the Torkham crossing in the northwest or the Chaman in the southwest.

They two are major arteries for trade and commerce between the two neighbours. Other crossings are less in use and will remain closed.

The measure is aimed at easing tensions between the two countries and the backlog of people and vehicles trying to cross over.

Pakistan shut the two main crossings three weeks ago after a wave of suicide bombings that authorities said was linked to Islamic militants from Afghanistan.
Iconic physicist Stephen Hawking made a rare intervention in politics on Tuesday, saying Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn is a disaster, cannot win an election, and should step down as leader.

Corbyns leadership credentials have often been questioned by his party MPs and others even though he has been elected leader twice. Hawkings comments in an to The Times newspaper came within days of Labour losing its stronghold of Copeland, Cumbria, in a by-election.

Responding to Hawking, Corbyn insisted that Labour can win an election under him. He said he was taking the partys case against the Theresa May government to the people, and that he wanted to see the end of the Conservative Partys government.

Cambridge-based Hawking, a Labour supporter, said: "I regard Corbyn as a disaster. His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a left-wing extremist. I think he should step down for the sake of the party."

During the interview, Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, also expressed fears that human disposition towards aggression is becoming more of an existential threat with each technological advancement.

He said: Since civilisation began, aggression has been useful in as much as it has definite survival advantages. It is hardwired into our genes by Darwinian evolution. Now, however, technology has advanced at such a pace that this aggression may destroy us all by nuclear or biological war. We need to control this inherited instinct by our logic and reason.

He added, We need to be quicker to identify such threats and act before they get out of control. This might mean some form of world government. But that might become a tyranny. All this may sound a bit doom-laden but I am an optimist. I think the human race will rise to meet these challenges.

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Malaysia on Tuesday said seven militants arrested late last month ahead of a visit Saudi Arabias King Salman were planning an attack on Arab royalties.

The king visited Malaysia on Feb. 26 as part of a month-long Asia tour.

They were planning to attack Arab royalties during their visit to Kuala Lumpur. We got them in the nick of time, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.

Two of the seven were planning to launch a large-scale attack using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.

On Sunday, Malaysia said it had arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners - one Indonesian, four Yemenis and one East Asian - between Feb. 21 and 26 for suspected links to militant groups including Islamic State.

Malaysia has arrested hundreds over the last few years for suspected links to militant groups.

The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since suicide bombers and gunmen linked to Islamic State launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016.

A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in June last year wounded eight people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Salman was in the capital Kuala Lumpur with a 600-strong delegation before leaving for Indonesia.
Fear, hurt and disbelief weighed on the minds of those who gathered at a Sikh temple (gurdwara) on Sunday after the shooting of a Sikh man who said a gunman approached him in his suburban Seattle driveway and told him go back to your own country.

Everybody who is part of this community needs to be vigilant, Satwinder Kaur, a Sikh community leader, said as several hundred people poured into a gurdwara in Renton for worship services, about one mile from Friday nights shooting. It is scary. The community has been shaken up, she said.

Authorities said a gunman approached the 39-year-old Sikh man as he worked on his car in his driveway in the city of Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle. The FBI will help investigate the shooting, authorities said.

Those who attended the service at the gurdwara expressed fear that one of their own was targeted and said theyre scared to go to the store or other public places. Some said they have noticed an uptick in name calling and other racist incidents in recent months. Others expressed hurt and disbelief at the lack of understanding and ignorance.

Sikhism teaches about equality and peace, said Sandeep Singh, 24. Its sad to see thats what it has come to, he said of the violence. This is our country. This is everyones country.

Gurjot Singh, 39, who served in the Marine Corps and is an Iraq war veteran, said he was dismayed that people think others who look different arent equal or dont contribute equally to the community. This is equally my country as it is your country, he said. It doesnt anger me. It hurts me.

Hira Singh, a Sikh community leader, said there have been increasing complaints recently from Sikhs near Seattle who say they have been the target of foul language or other comments. This kind of incident shakes up the whole community, he said, adding that about 50,000 members of the faith live in Washington state.

Kent councilwoman Brenda Fincher also went to the gurdwara on Sunday to show support for the community. When a hate crime happens, we have to stand up and make sure everyone knows its not acceptable, she said.

Sikhs have previously been the target of assaults in the US. After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the backlash that hit Muslims around the country expanded to include those of the Sikh faith.

The Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights group, on Sunday said everything must be done to confront this growing epidemic of hate violence.

We are all accountable for what happened in Kent, Washington on Friday night, Jasmit Singh, a Seattle-area community leader, said in a statement.
Nigers defense ministry says at least five gendarmes have been killed in an attack near the countrys western border with Mali.

The ministry says the attack by armed suspected extremists early Monday in Wanzarbe in the Bankilare department also left one gendarme wounded. The ministry says on television that forces are in the zone to combat any suspected extremists still there. No further details have been released.

Two weeks ago Islamic extremists killed at least 15 soldiers along that border in the Tillaberi region.

The attacks follow a February agreement among the presidents of five countries in Africas vast Sahel region to set up a joint counterterrorism force.

Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad have been targeted by numerous extremist groups, including Boko Haram and others linked to al-Qaida.
Britains upper house of parliament voted on Tuesday to give lawmakers more power to reject the final terms of the countrys exit from European Union, ignoring pleas from Prime Minister Theresa Mays government not to hamstring their negotiations.

The vote, which passed by 366 to 268, attaches an extra condition to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill - legislation which will give May the power to trigger divorce talks. She plans to use that power later this month.

The amended bill now demands that Britains parliament has to approve any exit deal before it is debated by the European Parliament, or, if talks fail, that lawmakers must vote to approve a decision to walk away without a deal.

The government has promised parliament a vote on the final deal, but believes restricting Mays ability to leave the negotiating table could encourage the EU to offer a bad deal in the hope that lawmakers would then reject it and potentially halt Brexit.

Ministers will try to overturn changes to the bill before they become law.
President Donald Trump on Monday affirmed Washingtons ironclad commitment to Japan and South Korea following the latest missile test by North Korea, the White House said.

The president spoke separately with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn of South Korea following Pyongyangs launch of four missiles that it said was part of training for a strike on US bases in Japan.

Three of the missiles came down provocatively close to Japan.

President Trump emphasized the United States ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea, the White House statement said.

He emphasized that his Administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Koreas ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities.
The new, more narrowly tailored temporary travel ban President Donald Trump signed on Monday will be more difficult to challenge successfully in court, legal experts said.

They said that since his order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travellers, challengers are likely to have a harder time finding people in the United States who can legally claim they have been harmed, and thus have so-called standing to sue.

Trumps first executive order signed on January 27 banned travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days and halted refugee admission for four months, barring Syrian refugees indefinitely. Its hasty implementation caused chaos and protests at airports. The order was hit with more than two dozen lawsuits, many that claimed it discriminated against Muslims.

The new ban, which goes into effect on March 16, removes Iraq and adds categories of people who would be exempt from the order. The Trump administration said the executive order is necessary for national security reasons.

It also lists groups of people that could be eligible for waivers, including travellers who have previously been admitted to the United States for work or school, those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry; infants, young children and adoptees or people in need of medical care, employees of the US government and international organizations among others.

All the exceptions make the new order a lot harder to attack, said Andrew Greenfield, an immigration attorney with Fragomen law firm in Washington DC.

Trump had promised to make the new directive harder to fight in court and many of the changes were expected.

They dotted their is and crossed their ts in trying to anticipate what litigation might result, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor who specializes in immigration. He said opponents might still be able to find plaintiffs - a US citizen could potentially sue if the government denies a waiver to their foreign spouse for an arbitrary reason, for example.

Do our homework

In a legal challenge to the original order, the state of Washington was successful in preventing it from being carried out. A federal judge in Seattle and then an appeals court in San Francisco ruled that Washington could claim standing, in part because the order adversely affected legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, in the state. More than 100 businesses, including many of the best-known tech companies, filed briefs in court that argued their employees were harmed.

Bob Ferguson, the Attorney General for Washington State said on Monday that he will likely decide on the next litigation steps this week after consulting with state universities and businesses about potential harms.

We need to do our homework and be thoughtful about this, Ferguson said.

The US Department of Justice, in a filing in Seattle federal court on Monday, said the new order applies only to those who are overseas and without a visa.

Foreign nationals outside the country who do not have a US visa do not have the same protections under the US Constitution as people already here, legal experts said.

Rosemary Jenks, the director of Government Relations at NumbersUSA, a conservative group that favours less immigration overall, said that the new order would leave the state of Washington having to argue on behalf of unidentified foreign nationals who have not been screened, vetted or processed yet by US authorities.

That would be a pretty big stretch, Jenks said. And unlike the old order, the new one lays out with more detail why the specific countries were selected, she said.

Attorneys challenging the ban, including the American Civil Liberties Union said there were still questions about whether or not the ban is justified by national security reasons and the revisions do not address concerns that the order discriminates based on religion.

Adam Lauridsen, a Keker & Van Nest attorney in San Francisco representing students challenging Trumps first order, noted the revised directive still targets Muslim-majority countries.

Stephen Legomsky, chief counsel at US Citizenship and Immigration Services in the previous Obama administration, pointed to statements by Trump about wanting a Muslim ban.

That evidence is baked in, you cant change the past, said Legomsky. He said, however, that does not mean the inevitable legal challenges will ultimately be successful in the likelihood that they reach the US Supreme Court. Its not a slam dunk.
The United States is considering separating immigrant children from their parents in a bid to deter illegal migration, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Monday.

Kelly, in an interview with CNN, was asked whether DHS was weighing an initiative that would split children from their parents if they were caught trying to enter the US illegally.

I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico into the United States, Kelly said.

We have tremendous experience in dealing with unaccompanied minors, he said.

He noted the DHS turns them over to the Health and Human Services department, which puts the children in foster care or links them with parents or family members in the United States.

Yes, I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that. They will be well-cared for as we deal with their parents.

President Donald Trump ran on a platform arguing that mass immigration by unskilled workers costs US taxpayers billions of dollars and depresses wages and job opportunities.

He vowed to build a wall on the Mexican border to keep out migrants he branded drug-dealers, murderers and rapists.

Federal agents in recent weeks have launched sweeps across the country to round up undocumented immigrants.

Kelly spoke after Trump earlier in the day signed a revised ban on refugees and on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations.

With his first executive order rejected by federal courts, the new, scaled-back order freezes refugee admissions for 120 days and halts new visas for Syrians, Iranians, Libyans, Somalis, Yemenis and Sudanese citizens for 90 days.

The order takes effect March 16.
In a world-wide travel advisory to its citizens, the United States has told those headed for South Asia to avoid Afghanistan altogether, avoid certain parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh, and mentioned active extremists in India.

The advisory replaced and updated one issued in September 2016 and with travel warnings already in effect for 41 countries  16 in Africa, 2 in East Asia and Pacific region, 2 in Europe, 12 in Middle East and North Africa, 3 in South and Central Asia, and 6 in the Western Hemisphere.

As terrorist attacks, political upheaval, and violence often take place without any warning, US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling, it said.

There is no travel warning for India. It found mention in the advisory among countries the state department would want Americans to be generally aware of the situation  Canada, for instance, was mentioned in the context of insurgent groups, armed criminal gangs, and terrorists remain active in the Western Hemisphere.

In South Asia, the advisory said, travel warnings are in effect for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens, and interests.

US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence. A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan. Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets in Bangladesh.
US President Donald Trump says 122 vicious prisoners released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have returned to the battlefield.

Trump didnt cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, another terrible decision!

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

On Monday, US airstrikes against an al Qaeda-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a high threat to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.
Jet combat over Korea gave American WWII aces a chance to rewrite their names in the history books.

By October 1951, the seesaw ground war in Korea had stalemated across the 38th Parallel, but in the air the kill ratio of F-86 Sabres over MiG-15sfamously claimed as 10-to-1 by wars endwas running more like 2-to-1 against. Seventy-five Sabres of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing were all that stood between more than 500 MiGs and complete air superiority. Then Major George A. Davis Jr. took over the wings 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. He would soon make fighter pilot history.

Davis is a very mild-appearing guy, noted a fellow Sabre flier, but when he straps on a fighter hes all tigera hell of a sharp pilot and gunner, and he must have the eyes of an eagle. In November One Burst Davis scored a MiG probable and two confirmed. And on the 30th, 10,000 feet above the mouth of the Yalu Riverthe border with Red Chinahe spotted nine Tupolev Tu-2 Bat bombers on a raid. Jets versus props: the kind of fight Americans had rarely enjoyed since MiGs took to the air. In three passes Davis got three kills. But with the American formation scattered and on bingo fueljust enough to get homeCaptain Raymond O. Barton, who was getting shot up by a pair Chinese MiG-15s, called for help.

I dont have enough fuel either, Davis answered, but Im on the way. Too far off to tell the sweptwing fighters apart, he radioed Barton to jink left-right, then homed in on whoever didnt follow orders and shot the enemy leader down into Korea Bay. The wingman broke off. Davis landed at Kimpo on his last five gallons of gas. He was the fifth American ace of the Korean War, but much more than that. With seven victories against the Japanese in World War II, he was a double ace. And an ace in two wars. And an ace in both piston and jet fighters.

Of more than 1,400 American aces from all wars, only six others have pulled off such a hat trick. Not all could make the leap from props to jets, or even from first-generation jets to the Sabre. Five-victory WWII ace Colonel Harrison Thyng, the 4th FIW commander who scored his first MiG that November, admitted: The F-86 is a highly specialized jet aircraft. It cannot be handled and flown like a typical Air Force fighter plane, or even like the F-80 and F-84 jet. When the Pentagon converted a second wing, the 51st, to Sabres, Thyngs deputy, Colonel Francis Gabreskithe top American ace over Europe, with 28 victoriestook command, with fellow ETO ace Major William T. Whisner (15 victories) as squadron leader. By the start of 1952, they had scored three MiGs each.

Meanwhile Davis, with two kills on December 5, claimed two more on the morning of the 13th, to become a triple aceAmericas first double ace over Koreaand on his afternoon mission gunned down a pair of Chinese MiGs in less than a minute. Four in two missionsgadzooks! He gets them by the bag full, wrote an admiring 4th Wing pilot. They say two of them just bailed out in fright as soon as he got hits on them.

On January 11, 1952, Gabreski got one, west of Pyongyang. Flames belched from the MiGs tailpipe, then part of his tail broke off, he later wrote. The plane went down in an uncontrolled spin. But that same day Whisner reported: I sighted two MiG-15s and attacked the number two MiG. After firing several short bursts I observed strikes in the tail section, wings and fuselage. The pilot bailed out and the plane crashed. They were still tied, four each.

And that month Davis scored zero. The Air Force held him to one mission a day. Theyre trying to make a hero of me, he wrote of the media attention focused on him, and I find it rather embarrassing. Davis may have been publicity shy, but by all accounts he had acute MiG madness, the affliction peculiar to F-86 jockeys that compelled them to go against training, orders and odds to score Korea kills. On February 10, he and his wingman dived on a dozen MiGs north of Pyongyangsix to one. Davis got two, bringing his score to 21, but according to his subsequent Medal of Honor citation, rather than maintain his superior speed and evade the enemy fire being concentrated on him, he elected to reduce his speed and sought out still a third MiG-15. As he fixated on his target, another MiG fixed on him. With cannon hits all over its fuselageone right behind the cockpithis Sabre crashed into a mountainside about 30 miles south of the Yalu. Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to lieutenant colonel, posthumously.

MiG madness may simply have been symptomatic of WWII aces reliving their glory days, pursuing Axis fighters right to their roosts. Thyngs wingman claimed he was sent down to boom the Communist air base at Antung, Manchuria, at minimum altitude and maximum speed, just to flush some game. When a MiG took off, Thyng came down to blow it all over the airfield, and the Sabres blasted back across Antung, throttles wide open, dodging the flak. Gabreski is said to have downed a MiG and victory-rolled right over the Antung runway. Such missions in the no-go zone beyond the Yalu were often left off the books, with kill credits unclaimed or denied and gun-camera evidence burned, unless Sabre pilots were in hot pursuit of MiGs.

Ten days after Davis went down, Gabreski so nearly flew up his targets tailI had learned in World War II, the best way to bring one down was to pull in close behind before firingthat flying debris cracked his windscreen. The MiG got away, smoking. Whisner urged Gabreski to finish it off before it reached the Yalu. I thought better of crossing into Red China under those conditions, and broke off the attack, Gabreski recalled. Bill, however, stayed behind the MiG and followed him across the river. Whiz credited Gabreski with the victory, but admitted to personally administering the coup de grace some 50 miles beyond the border. Each argued the other should get full creditand ace statusbut finally agreed to split the difference: 4 kills apiece.

Three days later, as Whisner opened up on a MiG over Sinuiju, a second dropped in on his tail. All three jets went on a wild chase. The trailing MiG couldnt get a shot, but Whiz did. His victim ejected just before his plane exploded. With 5 victories Whisner became the 14th ace in Korea, and the first WWII ace to follow Davis into the history books. He would remain the only Air Force pilot who was both an ace in two wars and a three-time winner of the Distinguished Service Cross.

In April, near the end of his 100-mission tour, Gabreski dived out of the sun onto a MiGs tail. I pulled my nose through his turn, fired a burst, and watched as my API [armor piercing incendiaries] lit up his tail pipe, he said. That was enough for the MiG driver. He leveled out briefly, blew off his canopy, and punched out. One last score, two weeks later, was the icing on the cake. Gabbys 6 victories34 totalmade him Americas surviving ace of aces, an honor he held to his death in 2002.

A month later Thyng scored his fifth, without firing a shot. He and his wingman turned into attacking MiGs that broke upward so hard one of them actually broke. (In tight, high-speed turns, the MiG-15s lack of hydraulic controls and weak tail structure sometimes led to catastrophic failure.) Smoking, it pitched over into a dive and never pulled out. With five kills in each of his wars, Thyng had made his mark. Crediting later victories to wingmen, he would retire as a brigadier general.

By August Whisner was teaching gunnery at Nellis AFB, in Nevada. One of his students, five-victory ace Major James P. Hagerstrom, considered flying Sabres with the 4th the assignment I had spent my life preparing for. He blew up his first enemy fighter, on November 21, at such close range that he came back to Kimpo with a piece of it in his wing. On Christmas Day he followed a MiG right up to 50,000 feetthe Sabres extreme ceiling, but also the MiGs. It fell into a vertical dive, and its pilot ejected.

In November another Nellis gunnery instructor joined the 4th: Major Vermont Garrison, the Kentucky Marksman, who had downed more than seven German aircraft in WWII. He scored his first Korean kill on February 21, 1953, and as 335th FIS commander was one of the few pilots to fly Sabres armed with four 20mm cannons. These could carry just 100 rounds for each gun, good only for about five seconds of firing. Diving on six MiGs over the Yalus Suiho Reservoir on March 26, Garrison needed just one burst to cripple his target and another to send it down. He was one of only four pilots to score a confirmed kill in a cannon-equipped Sabre.

Meanwhile Hagerstrom, transferred to the newly Sabre-equipped 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, wasnt going to let ground-pounding missions keep him from downing MiGs. In February he had chased one through the smokestacks of Mukden, China, 100 miles inside Manchuria, before its pilot ejected. He once boomed Antung at Mach .9, just 15 feet off the ground, and in March ran out of bullets shooting up a MiG over the base, leaving his wingman to finish it off and himself a half-kill shy of ace. On the 27th he told his fellow pilots: Ive got to do this thing. Im gonna do it, and if you dont want to go with me, thats fine, Ill understand. We are going to go up there and give it one good try south of the Yalu, and if we dont scare anything up, Im going after them today.

Hagerstroms flight intercepted six MiGs over Antung. He ran one down to 15,000 feet, then back up past 30,000. Every time my pipper was in his tail pipe, Id give him a burst and another burst and another burst, he said. I ended up coming up canopy to canopy with him. Both planes ran out of airspeed at 36,000 feet. Sitting thereright above his air base.he leaned his head back and blew the seat out. So I thought, I wonder what hes going to tell those guys at the officers club tonight. Seeing a burning MiG crash on your own base can cause a hell of a morale problem.

Hagerstrom scored two more victories by May 16, the last day of his tour. He was sitting in the ops room awaiting a flight out when a call came in for an intercept mission. He picked three pilots on the spot and, still in uniform, led them north. His Sabres broke up a formation of 24 MiGs, and Hagerstrom got one last kill, bring his Korean score to 8. He was the 18th FBWs only ace.

Meanwhile Marine Corps Major John Bolta six-victory ace in VMF-214, the Pacific Wars famous Black Sheep Squadronwangled an exchange posting to the 51st, flying wing for the eventual top-scoring American over Korea, Captain Joe McConnell. Bolt was cut from the same cloth as McConnell, said a fellow 51st pilot, with his aggressiveness, sharp shooting and good eyes.

When McConnell rotated home, Bolt took over as flight leader, declaring, The next MiG I see is a dead MiG. On May 16, the day of Hagerstroms last kill, Bolt and his wingman singled one out, even though two more were after them. The lead MiG tried to outclimb the Sabresusually good for a getawaybut by the time the five fighters passed 45,000 feet Bolt estimated he had fired 500 rounds into that guy and the pilot punched out.

Garrison still had only three kills. With peace talks nearly concluded, on June 5 he led four Sabres into Chinese airspace. We were well north of the Yalu, which was a no-no, but we did it on a fairly regular basis, admitted his tail-end Charlie, 2nd Lt. William Schrimsher. Cruising at 40,000+ feet, Major Garrison saw sun flashes down low, so we did a split-S and headed down to the deck. What he had seen were several MiG-15s taking off from Antung.

They pulled in just 500 feet behind the still-climbing MiGs. Our overtake speed was pretty highI think we may have popped our speed brakes, recalled Schrimsher. Garrison shot down two of them in quick succession. The trailing MiG exploded right in the flight leaders path. Garrison flew through the blast to blow up anotherhis fifthbut, running low on ammo, sidestepped to let his wingmen score as well. To my knowledge, it was the only time in the Korean War that all four pilots from a single flight were credited with at least a single kill apiece, said Schrimsher, whose MiG is thought to have been the 700th downed in the war. He called Garrison one of the wars most aggressive Sabre pilots, and also one of the best.

Bolt scored three victories that month, but early-July rain grounded both sides. We hadnt seen anything of the MiGs in over ten dayswhen all of a sudden I spotted four of them taking off from an air base on the other side of the Yalu, Bolt recalled. I nosed over and hit them just as they began to gain altitude. He sent one enemy plane smoking into the ground and pulled behind a second. I closed to within 500 feet and started firing up his tailpipe. I watched the pilot eject himself and the action was over. It took about five minutes for the whole show. Though he scored in an Air Force unit, Bolt was all Marine; to this day his six kills over Korea make him the Corps only jet ace.

On July 19, nowLt. Col. Garrison sent a MiG flaming down into a field for his 17th victory overall. Eight days later the cease-fire was declared.

In the more than six decades since, no other American aces have joined these seven. What made them special? Surely luckbeing in the right place at the right time, namely two air wars just six years apartplayed a role, but when luck ran out, skill and experience took over. MiG madness had nothing to do with it.

As RAF Wing Commander (and 34-victory WWII ace) James E. Johnny Johnson put it: In Korea, unlike previous wars, colonels in their twenties were no longer the vogue. Complicated weapons systems like the Sabre were best flown by experienced flyers, and experienced flyers were best led by the veterans of the Second [World] War, many of whom added to their tally of German and Japanese victories.Grey-haired, well-decoratedthey were impressive not for their youth but their age.[and] their motto not the boldest but the oldest!

Don Hollway wrote about John Bolt in his feature on the Black Sheep Squadron in our January 2014 issue. For additional reading, he recommends: The Inner Seven, by William E. Oliver and Dwight L. Lorenz; and MiG Alley: Sabres vs. MiGs Over Korea, by Warren Thompson and David McLaren. To view more photos, art and video, see donhollway.com/magnificentseven.

The Magnificent Seven appeared in the November 2014 issue of Aviation History Magazine. Subscribe here!
Israels War of Independence was punctuated by wild aerial engagements that underscored the conflicts confusing nature.

Around noon on January 7, 1949, two patrolling Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilots in Supermarine Spitfires spotted a column of black smoke rising from the Al-AujaRafah area of the Sinai Desert. Getting nearer, they saw an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) motorized column under attack by what they assumed were Spitfires of the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF). Although one hostile Spitfire had been shot down by IDF gunfire, three others were still circling. The IAF duo raced to the rescue. Minutes later, all three remaining hostiles had been shot down. Except they were not Egyptian.

The IAF pilots realized too late that their adversaries were actually British Royal Air Force (RAF) reconnaissance Spitfires whose pilots had also been attracted by the smokeconfusion that led to the fatal misidentification. Like most things in the Middle East at this time, however, the circumstances were much more complex than at first sight. Not least was the fact that one Israeli Spitfire was flown by a Canadian World War II ace and the other by an American former test pilot, both IAF volunteers who had once served with the British.

The incident occurred on the final day of Israels War of Independence. But its origins lay deep in the complex web of Middle Eastern politics that preceded and followed the end of the British Mandate in Palestine at midnight on May 14, 1948, and the recommendation of a U.N. commission that separate Arab and Jewish states should be established in Palestine.

Exhausted by years of continuous warfare and having just relinquished their Indian empire, the British were in no mood to cling to a volatile Middle Eastern territory at the cost of yet more lives. But they needed to organize an orderly withdrawal. The immediate postwar period of the British Mandate from 1946-47 had been far from peaceful, especially for an RAF depleted by massive demobilizations. Moreover, the RAFs unwelcome task of locating and identifying ships transporting Jewish illegal immigrants, mainly Holocaust survivors, for the Royal Navy to intercept, led to its bases being singled out for attack by Jewish militants. A radar station was blown up and weapons were stolen from RAF armories. Then, on the night of February 25-26, 1946, during simultaneous attacks on three RAF bases, Jewish raiders destroyed or damaged 22 Handley Page Halifax bombers, seven Spitfires and four Avro Ansons.

Following these and other attacks, the RAF presence in Palestine had by mid-1947 been reduced to five squadrons, including Nos. 32 and 208 flying Spitfires. Other units had relocated to Cyprus or the Suez Canal Zone. As Arab hostility toward the Jews increased, British forces that had been fully occupied in defending themselves against mainly Jewish attacks also had to intervene in Arab-Jewish conflicts.

Well before the British departure, the Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah had formed an air wing, the Sharut Avir (SA), flying a ragtag assortment of civil aircraft in support of the isolated Jewish settlements. One of its pilots was young Palestine-born Ezer Weizman, who had learned to fly with the RAF but not yet seen combat. Although the British made no serious efforts to interfere with the SAs activities, they kept a cautious eye on developments.

Meanwhile, anticipating war with their prospective Arab neighbors, Jewish agents and their supporters in the U.S. and Europe were searching for modern aircraft and combat-experienced crewmen, preferably Jewish. Many came forward, including numerous non-Jews, or Machals, who volunteered for ideological reasons or because they missed combat.

Instructed by their Soviet masters to rid themselves of Western equipment, the Communist Czech authorities agreed to sell the agents 25 Avia S-199s, Czech-built Messerschmitt Me-109Gs fitted with Junkers Jumo 211 engines instead of the usual Daimler Benz DB 605s (a pairing that resulted in unpleasant flying characteristics and the nickname Mule). The Czechs also agreed to train a number of Jewish pilots, Weizman among them. In America Israeli agents purchased four P-51 Mustangs, three B-17s and later a number of North American T-6s that were converted to the attack role, plus an assortment of transport aircraft, initially used to airlift some of the S-199s from Czechoslovakia.

The war with the Arab states of Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan, Iraq and Syria began immediately after the end of the British Mandate and the declaration of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. The Arabs had rejected the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan for Palestine that was intended to create Arab and Jewish states side by side. The conflict had several phases, a detailed description of which is outside the scope of this article. Ultimately, with the IAF able to quickly establish air supremacy, Israeli victories on the ground came in swift succession on all fronts, leading to a rapid expansion of the new nations territory. Although their main opponents, the numerically superior Egyptians, were British-trained and -equipped, they had no combat experience and never offered serious opposition to the IAFs veterans.

Meanwhile the soon-to-depart RAF was not immune from the conflict. On the morning of May 22, Egyptian Spitfire LF Mark IXs attacked Ramat David airfield, near the British enclave at Haifa (which the RAF was preparing to evacuate). Two RAF Spitfires were destroyed on the ground and eight others damaged. During a second raid a Douglas Dakota transport was destroyed while landing, killing two crewmen and two airmen. A third REAF attack did little damage, since the RAF had by then mounted a standing patrol of No. 208 Squadron Spitfires over the airfield. Five Egyptian Spits were shot down, one by groundfire, one each by Flying Officers Geoff Cooper and Roy Bowie and two by Flying Officer Tim McElhaw. The REAF later said its pilots had mistaken Ramat David for the Zionist airfield at Megiddo, whichas the IAF had yet to acquire Spitfiressuggests the Egyptian fliers were weak on aircraft recognition.

Not that the Israelis werent keen to obtain Spitfires. They would eventually rebuild two using parts salvaged from crashed RAF and REAF aircraft. McElhaw recalled an incident at Ramat David when an egg seller from a Jewish kibbutz furtively brought in an offer to the officers mess to pay 8,000 to anyone who would fly a Spitfire into Tel Aviv airfield. The plot specified that the pilot would later be taken out to sea, dropped in the water, rescued and returned with a cover story that he had been seen ditching. The pilots were amused by the offer, but there were no takers.

The Israelis eventually got their Spitfires through an agreement with the Czechs in June 1948 to purchase 59 LF Mk. IXs. These ex-RAF aircraft had formed the nucleus of the new Czech air force but for political reasons had to be discarded by 1948. IAF pilots would fly them across Europe to Israel in stages.

Mistaken identity may have been responsible for an Israeli attack on RAF Amman on May 31-June 1. Knowing that members of the Arab League were to meet in the Trans-jordanian capital, the Israelis decided to bomb Amman in a show of defiance, using a scratch force comprising a Beech Bonanza, a Fairchild Argus and a de Havilland Dragon Rapide. Their bombs killed six Arab civilians and injured eight others. Whether by accident or design, four crude bombs and three incendiaries exploded within the perimeter of the RAF base, slightly damaging two Ansons but resulting in no casualties. British forces in Transjordan were put on the alert, and a stripped-down Percival Proctor communications aircraft was briefly converted into a night fighter.

While bitter fighting continued between Israeli and Arab forces, the RAF sought to monitor developments through reconnaissance flights over the Sinai and Israel using unarmed de Havilland Mosquito PR Mark 34s of No. 13 Squadron, based at Kabrit in the Canal Zone. Suspecting that at least some of the intelligence gained from these flights was being passed to the Egyptians, the IAF made several unsuccessful attempts at interception, failing because they had no aircraft capable of reaching the required altitudethat is, until four P-51Ds arrived in crates from the U.S. in late September. After assembly, these were allocated to the IAFs Hatzor-based 101 Fighter Squadron, to augment its S-199s and Spitfires.

On November 20, Flying Officer Eric Reynolds and navigator Flight Sgt. Angus Love were assigned to the Palestine milk run. Having flown the route several times before, they had no reason to believe it would be anything other than routine. Probably through overconfidence, they stayed well below the PR 34s maximum altitude of 43,000 feet while heading for Palestines northern coast to photograph Israeli airfields. Sighting the Mosquito, 101 Squadron dispatched a P-51 flown by U.S. Army Air Forces combat veteran Wayne Peake, a non-Jewish volunteer. Even though Peakes oxygen system malfunctioned, he managed to take the Mustang up to 30,000 feet, 2,000 feet above the Mosquito, then fired off a long burst that initially seemed to have no effect. But after turning out to sea and losing altitude, the PR 34 exploded and crashed, killing Reynolds and Love. Back at Hatzor, the oxygen-starved Peake at first claimed he had shot down a four-engine Halifax bomber.

The IAF sent Weizman up in an amphibian to look for survivors, but he found only wreckage. Mosquito overflights were suspended, and RAF intelligence faced angry questions over its failure to register the IAFs acquisition of fighters that could fly above 30,000 feet.

Israels last push of the war, code-named Chorev, was conceived in early December 1948 with the objective of finally ousting the Egyptians from the Negev, safeguarding Israels southernmost communities and giving the fledgling country an unassailable negotiating position with the Arab nations. The IAF would once again be at the forefront of the offensive, with 101 Squadron deploying five Spitfires, two P-51s and six S-199s.

As Chorev progressed, increasing activity by REAF Spitfires and other aircraft based at El-Arish led the Israelis to undertake a daring commando raid against the airfield and auxiliary landing grounds. At one satellite base they captured an unserviceable Spitfire LF Mk. IX they planned to tow back to Israeli-held territory. Alarmed, the REAF began evacuating their main El-Arish base.

The RAFs 205 Group, based in the Canal Zone, began monitoring the Israeli advance through photorecon missions flown by Nos. 13 and 208 squadrons over the northern Sinai. Mosquitos of 13 Squadron had recommenced flights over Israel in early December. By the wars final week, the Egyptians were appealing to the British for assistance. The RAF had already allowed the REAF to use three of its early-warning radar sets, in case the IAF tried to reach Egypts heartland. Now the British formally agreed to provide refueling facilities at various RAF airfields in the Canal Zone, and also allow Egyptian aircraft to land if at serious risk. In the meantime, stunned by the speed of the Israeli advance, the British foreign secretary advised his American counterpart that if the Israelis didnt withdraw from Egyptian territory, the British would take action against them under the 1936 Egyptian Treaty. President Harry Truman demanded that Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion order the Israeli forces to withdraw. After token protests, the Israeli leader instructed the IDF to begin pulling back to the international frontier. But it was not until later that a U.N.-brokered cease-fire was finally agreed to, commencing at 1600 hours on January 7, 1949.

On January 1, meanwhile, RAF Fayid had sent a 13 Squadron Mosquito and two 208 Squadron Spitfires to monitor developments along the front. Four 208 Squadron Spits later photographed the REAF Spitfire captured by the Israelis from El-Arish being towed toward the frontier along the Abu AgeilaAl-Auja road.

A sandstorm on January 6 halted military operations by both sides, but RAF Mosquitos and Spitfires carried out a tactical reconnaissance of the Egyptian-Israeli frontier. The pilots reported considerable activity along the Al-Auja Rafah road, and 208 Squadrons commanding officer decided further recon would be needed the following daysetting the scene for tragedy.

Four 208 Squadron pilots were assigned to the mission: Flying Officer Cooper and his wingman, Sergeant Frank Close, and Flying Officer McElhaw and Sergeant Ron Sayers. (Cooper and McElhaw had shot down REAF Spitfires over Ramat David on May 22, 1948.) Their brief was to establish the position of Israeli forces in northeast Sinai by surveying the Al-AujaRafah road. Although the pilots were instructed not to cross into Israeli territory, their commanders made it clear that information on the whereabouts of the towed-away REAF Spitfire would not be unwelcome. All the aircraft were fully armed.

Getting airborne from Fayid at 1115 hours on January 7, the Spitfire FR Mk. XVIIIs flew to Abu Ageila, then separated into two sections. Cooper and Close flew at 500 feet, with McElhaw and Sayers providing top cover at 1,500 feet, over an expanse of featureless desert along the border between Egypt and Israel. Their route included a number of turning points where it would have been easy for the formation to penetrate the borderwhich the RAF pilots almost certainly did during their unsuccessful search for the captured Egyptian Spitfire. They then turned back toward Rafah inside Egyptian territory, heading west to Fayid.

The patrol was unaware that, about 15 minutes earlier near Rafah, five REAF Spitfire LF IXs had strafed an Israeli motorized column, setting three trucks on fire. Sighting the black smoke, the RAF planes veered toward the burning vehicles, Cooper and Close dropping down to near ground level to photograph the scene.

The Israelis in the column, convinced they faced a second wave of Egyptian attackers, opened fire with machine guns, hitting both RAF aircraft. Closes Spitfire caught fire almost immediately, but he managed to climb to 500 feet and bail out, although his feet caught in the parachute rigging and he landed head first, breaking his jaw. Coopers aircraft was less seriously damaged, and he climbed out of immediate danger.

Bewildered, McElhaw and Sayers dropped down to investigate. Also attracted by the smoke were the two patrolling 101 Squadron Spitfire LF IXs, flown by Royal Canadian Air Force ace John McElroy and American Chalmers Slick Goodlin, also ex-RCAF and a former U.S. Navy and Bell X-1 test pilot. Sighting the four Spitfires, they assumed these were the REAF airplanes responsible for strafing the convoy. Moreover, since the Israelis almost invariably flew in pairs, it was an IAF operational assumption that any larger grouping must be hostile. As Weizman explained, If you encountered a foursome they evidently werent oursso shoot em up if you can. Although the IAF Spitfires still had RAF radios and McElroy and Goodlin could hear excited English voices discussing Closes loss, they failed to connect those transmissions with the incident below. They prepared to attack.

The three remaining RAF pilots evidently did not see the approaching IAF Spitfires, or perhaps had been lulled into a false sense of security by the British-style camouflage and red airscrew spinners similar to their own. Before the British realized the danger, McElroy had fired a burst into Sayers aircraft, killing him and downing his Spitfire.

McElroy then turned his attention to McElhaws Spitfire. He later said, I took one look and saw it wasnt one of ours by the markings, ours had tails painted with big red and white stripes. so I dropped my sights on him, it was about 400 yards, and I let fly. His victim recalled: The first sign I had of trouble was an R/T call [from Cooper], Look out, theres one behind you! I looked out and saw one behind me. That was the end of it. I was simply shot down while orbiting the Close wreckage. McElhaw bailed out, unhurt.

Goodlin had been pursuing Cooper, who put up more of a fight. The American later wrote: I could not gain close proximity to the Spit 18 due to the lesser power in my Spit 9. At about 16,000 the Spit 18 rolled over and dived back towards me at an impossible deflection angle, with machine-guns blazing and exhaust smoke rolling out under both wings. Taking advantage of his Spitfire IXs greater maneuverability, Goodlin managed to shoot Cooper down. He recalled, I only recognized the RAF roundels after the Spit 18 had fired on me, when we were in the scissors engagement and I had no alternative but to fight back to save my own bacon. (Cooper evaded capture, but McElhaw and Close fell into Israeli hands. They were eventually put on a ship to Cyprus).

After landing, McElroy and Goodlin were greeted with disbelief over their claims to having shot down three RAF Spitfires. Weizman recalled that not everyone was delighted: These two clowns may have been unperturbed, but we werent. We were breathless with agitation. After all, the British are the British. Theyre no Egyptians. But Weizman would soon put his misgivings aside to go into action against the British during a mission originally intended to be a final demonstration of force against the REAF at El-Arish. Four IAF Spitfires participated.

Concerned at having heard nothing from the 208 Squadron patrol, the RAF sent seven Hawker Tempest VIs from 213 Squadron and eight from 6 Squadron to escort four 208 Squadron Spitfires in a search. Over Rafah the RAF formation was observed by Weizmans four Spitfires, who initially mistook the Tempests for British Spits and their underwing drop tanks for bombs. Weizman gave the order to attack. During the confusion of the first pass, volunteer pilot Bill Sure Shot Schroeder, an exU.S. Navy combat veteran, shot down the 213 Squadron Tempest of Pilot Officer David Tattersfield, who died instantly. Only then did the 213 Squadron pilots realize that their guns, although loaded, had not been cocked by the ground crews.

Seeing the IAF Spitfires attack, four 6 Squadron Tempests flying top cover under the command of Squadron Leader Denis Crowley-Millinggave chase, and although their guns fired, they couldnt jettison their drop tanks (the release pins of the jettison levers had been overtightened). Weizman, meanwhile, had scored hits on a 6 Squadron Tempest flown by Sergeant Douglas Liquorish, but his Spitfire also sustained minor damage after being fired on by Flight Lt. Brian Spraggs Tempest.

Thanks to their red spinners, which were identical to those of the IAF attackers, the four 208 Squadron Spitfires were in double jeopardy. Flying Officer Roy Bowie of 208 Squadron recalled, In the melee we were anything but safe as Spitfires were treated as hostile by the Tempests until proven otherwise.

It was not the RAFs finest hour. Air Chief Marshal Sir David Lee later described the days events as a dramatic and humiliating confrontation with the Israelis. The RAF pilots went home vowing revenge. Crowley-Milling remembered, When we landed back we armed up and begged Headquarters to let us take out the Israeli Air Force at their base. The IAF pilots likewise prepared to defend themselves. But to the Israelis surpriseand to the disappointment of the Egyptiansthere was no retribution. The British Foreign Office slapped the Israelis on the wrist with a demand for compensation for the equipment and personnel lost (which was never paid), and the Air Ministry issued a statement that, henceforth, any Israeli aircraft encountered over Egyptian territory would be regarded as hostile by the RAF and dealt with accordingly.

The next day the IAFs 101 Squadron pilots sent a note to their 208 Squadron counterparts: Sorry about yesterday, but you were on the wrong side of the fence. Come over and have a drink sometime. You will see many familiar faces.

At wars end, when most of the foreign volunteers left the IAF, their departure was unlamented by Ezer Weizman. He noted that their previous combat experience had always given us the feeling that they looked down on us from a position of superiority, allowing themselves an occasional smile at the natives.Im glad they came when they did, but Im equally glad they left us to face our problems. Weizman himself went on to greater things, serving as commander of the IAF from 1958-66 and president of Israel from 1993-2000.

RAF veteran Derek OConnor, who writes from Amersham, Bucks, UK, is a frequent contributor on British aviation topics. For further reading, he recommends: Spitfires Over Israel, by Brian Cull and Shono Alomi with David Nicolle; Wings in the Sun, by ACM Sir David Lee; On Eagles Wings: The Personal Story of the Leading Commander of the Israeli Air Force, by Ezer Weizman; and Fighters Over Israel, by Lon Nordeen. A documentary about the IAFs birth, Above and Beyond, is currently appearing at film festivals and will premiere nationwide early next year (see the trailer at playmountproductions.com).

Originally published in the November 2014 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.
There are 11 million illegal immigrants living in US. They are laboring in American fields, construction and restaurants, illegal immigrants are also swelling American classrooms, detention centers and courts. In the public's mind, they are mostly Mexican and crossed the southwestern border in secret.

In the eyes of their advocates, they are families and workers, taking tough jobs, staying out of trouble who remain in US to get better lives for themselves and their children. The New York Times reports that at the White House, illegal immigrants are seen as criminals who have broken US laws.

President Trump has proposed building a wall along the southern border. But a high percentage of the unauthorized immigrants are not Mexican; almost a quarter are not even Hispanic.

Important Statistics on Illegal Immigrants

After Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, the largest source of illegal immigrants is China, with an estimated 268,000. China is one of 23 countries that do not cooperate with deportations. The illegals tend to be younger, about a decade younger than American-born adults.

About 60 percent of the unauthorized population has been in US for at least a decade. A third of undocumented immigrants 15 and older lives with at least one child who is a US citizen by birth. Slightly more than 30 percent own homes.

The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that 820,000 of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants have been convicted of a crime. About 300,000 have committed felonies. Immigration agents regularly arrest what the US government calls criminal aliens.

About 1.8 million undocumented immigrants worked under a number that did not match their real name. It is estimated that 416,500 people whose business or tourist visas had expired in 2015 were still living in US in 2016. It does not count people who came to US on student visas or temporary worker permits.

Nearly 409,000 migrants were caught trying to cross the United States' southwestern border illegally in the 2016 fiscal year. This is an increase of 23 percent over the previous year.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Donald Trump has signed a new immigration order which places a 90-day ban on people from six Muslim nations. Iraq has been removed from the list and people with valid visas will be allowed to enter the US. The measure includes a 120-day ban on all refugees and takes effect on 16 March.

The previous order was blocked by a federal court and sparked confusion at airports and mass protests. Citizens of Libya, Syria, Somalia, Iran, Sudan and Yemen, the other six countries on the original list, will be subject to a 90-day travel ban again.

The new order states refugees already approved by the State Department will be allowed to enter, but it also limits the number at 50,000 for the year. The BBC reports that the new order lifts an indefinite ban on all Syrian refugees.

Changes in the new order

Green Card holders from the named countries will not be affected by the new order. The new order does not give priority to religious minorities, unlike the previous order that gave preference to Christian refugees. Iraq has been excluded from the banned list because the iraqi government has boosted visa screening and also data sharing.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly held a news conference. Mr Sessions stated that more than 300 people refugees who entered the US are under investigation for potential terrorism-related offences.

Possible legal challenges

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a statement on Monday saying his office is ready to take the Trump administration to court. He stated that the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is an Arab-American civil rights organisation, called for donations to fight coming legal battles. This group believes that the ban is about xenophobia and Islamophobia.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
26 halls fully booked  Around 10,000 exhibitors from 184 countries and regions  Botswana, the official partner country, sets an example for sustainable tourism  ITB Berlin Convention features the key topics 'Safety & Security' and 'Artificial Intelligence'  Launch of Medical Tourism, a new segment  Travel Technology continues to boom  2017 debut for ITB China in Shanghai  Berlin Travel Festival previews its 2018 event

The international tourism industry currently faces many challenges. Amid the latest geopolitical situation holidaymakers have become unsure about how safe it is to travel. From 8 to 12 March 2017 ITB Berlin will debate highly controversial issues and on the eve of the 51st edition continues to maintain its strong market position. At the World's Leading Travel Trade Show  there is no sign that people's lust for travel has waned. Once again, the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds are fully booked. Over the course of five days more than 10,000 companies from 184 countries will be represented on 1,092 stands covering 160,000 square metres and will be showcasing the global tourism industry's latest products and trends.

Dr. Christian Goke, Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH: "As the world's most important gathering place for the tourism industry ITB Berlin above all brings people together. A million face-to-face meetings at ITB Berlin will do one thing in particular, and that is build trust, trust on which we increasingly depend in our business dealings, in a digitalised and globalised world that has become more and more difficult to understand."

Over 80 per cent of our exhibitors are from abroad. The organisers again expect more than 100,000 international trade visitors as well as many thousand members of the public on the weekend, who will be able to book their holidays directly at the show.

Partner country Botswana focuses on sustainability

The spotlight will be on the partner country Botswana, which has been a regular exhibitor at ITB Berlin since 1983, and this year will be represented with 39 companies. Botswana will have information on its wide range of products and services in Hall 20, and place a focus on ecologically sustainable tourism. Visitors can also admire traditional dances as well as handicrafts from Botswana in Hall 4.1. On the eve of the show the partner country will host a spectactular reception at the opening event of ITB Berlin in the CityCube Berlin.

ITB Speed Dating Day: 2,800 meetings in just one day

This year, on 9 March 2017 at ITB Berlin, two Speed Dating events will give buyers and bloggers an opportunity to meet with exhibitors from around the world, enabling them to establish valuable contacts all in one day.

On Thursday morning at ITB Berlin the ITB Speed Networking event will take place for the third time. Brief time slots will give leading buyers who are members of the ITB Buyers Circle a chance to meet and get to know exhibitors. Over 1,000 meetings have already been set up in the run-up to the fair. The exclusive ITB Buyers Circle gathers 1,000 leading buyers from Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia. Over the past five years the ITB Buyers Circle has become a sought-after meeting place for travel buyers from around the world. Some 80 per cent of the participants attend in a direct decision-making capacity, with a budget of more than 500,000 euros. More than one third of buyers even have over ten million euros and more at their disposal.

At the ITB Blogger Speed Dating in the afternoon exhibitors and bloggers will have an opportunity to hold brief meetings and talk about joint ventures or exchange ideas on future collaboration. A total of 1,800 meetings have already been arranged with the ITB Matchmaking Tool.

ITB Berlin Convention: well prepared for turbulent times

From 8 to 11 March 2017 key topics at the ITB Berlin Convention will be the ever-deepening geopolitical crises and technological advances in artificial intelligence. This year, the main heading is 'Disruptive Travel: The End of the World as We Know It'. Last year's key topic on the services provided by humanoid robots will be continued in 2017 with a focus on artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, 8 March 2017, the ITB Future Day will focus on the mega trends in industry and society and key topics concerning the global travel and tourism industry. The findings of exclusive empirical surveys and examples of best practices from major market players and leading innovators will provide valuable insights and concrete decision-making help for shaping corporate strategies and measures. On 9 March 2017 the ITB Hospitality Day will also have information on artificial intelligence in the service sector. On Wednesday, 8 March 2017, day one of the Destination Days, the service robot 'Pepper' will give a live demonstration of its skills on stage.

Exclusive travel safety survey at the ITB Future Day

In cooperation with the independent market researcher Norstat, the findings of a survey commissioned by the ITB Berlin and carried out by Travelzoo will reveal the scale of travellers' concerns in the world's main tourism source markets and what kind of information tourists consider helpful. One of the findings of this market survey is that for 97 per cent of the interviewees around the world the question of how safe a destination is plays an important role. Despite this, for the majority of those polled it has not dampened their desire to travel. This year only four per cent of Britons and six per cent of Germans and French respectively would prefer not to travel abroad for safety reasons.

'Year of Sustainable Tourism'

The United Nations organisation UNWTO has declared 2017 the 'Year of Sustainable Tourism'. The focus is on the economic, ecological and social aspects that represent the sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030. On Friday, 10 March at ITB Berlin, the ITB CSR Day will be setting the tone. At the ITB Berlin Convention, high-ranking figures representing politics, science and business will discuss innovative concepts, examples of best practices and the economic prospects for sustainable tourism. The main topic this year will be 'Sustainable Food and Beverages in the Hotel Industry and at Tourism Destinations'. Besides the ITB Berlin Convention numerous other events will also dwell on the topic of CSR. Thus, a wide range of papers and discussions on sustainability will be taking place again, mainly on the two stages in Hall 4.1.

The future is digital

For many years growth and dynamic expansion have been the hallmarks of the Travel Technology Halls and the eTravel World. Currently, 30 per cent of the exhibitors in the Travel Technology segment are newcomers to the show. The increasing presence of payment system providers also underlines the growing importance of travel technology.

This year, the eTravel World is fully booked again. Due to the high level of demand an extra hall has been set up. In Hall 7.1c visitors will find that first-time exhibitors make up around 60 per cent of those present. The eTravel World was fully booked as early as November 2016. Over 70 companies representing social media, big data and mobile travel services are represented in this fast-growing segment. At the same time the eTravel World is attracting more and more international exhibitors and especially startups from around the world. On Friday, 10 March at 11.30 a.m., for the first time startups can take part in an international pitching event powered by Phocuswright.

New segment: Medical Tourism

This year at ITB Berlin, for the first time the important growth segment of medical tourism will receive its own platform. Medical service providers, hotels and destinations will be able to exhibit their products and services In the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2.

On Thursday, 9 March from 3 to 4 p.m., in addition to lectures and presentations, a Medical Networking Reception will take place in the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2.

High demand for space from exhibitors

At the 51st ITB Berlin exhibitor demand for floor space is as high as ever. Turkey, which is looking positively towards the future, will be represented in its own hall again. Regardless of India's current economic crisis exhibitors from the sub-continent are participating in Hall 5.2b, which once again is fully booked. Among the European countries occupying larger display areas will be Croatia in Hall 1.2, France and Portugal in Hall 1.1, and the Czech Republic in Hall 7.2 b. Hall 26, featuring Asia, is fully booked again with waiting lists. Exhibitors from Indonesia will also be occupying more space. HanaTour, one of Korea's largest tour operators, will be represented on its own stand and for the first time. The stands of Caissa Travel Management, Beijing Nimbus Travel, China Inbound and the Dossen Hotel Group from China will be adding to the range of products displayed by one of Asia's leading growth markets in tourism. The growth potential of Middle Eastern countries will also be reflected at ITB Berlin. A total of 32 major exhibitors from the Middle East will be represented at ITB Berlin. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar Airways on an area of 3,380 square metres as well as Saudi Arabia on more than 300 square metres will be occupying larger stands than in 2016. The displays of the USA are expanding by 100 square metres. This year, Australia will also be represented on a larger stand, and its neighbour New Zealand will be appearing individually with its services and new products in Hall 5.2a. Several exhibitors from Africa and Europe are now back after a prolonged absence. Among them, Togo und Senegal can be found in Hall 21. Andorra is also back at ITB Berlin and will be represented in Hall 2.1.

This year, the stand of Convention & Culture Partner Slovenia in Hall 17 has grown too. Slovenia is sponsoring the Wi-Fi network on the entire grounds at ITB Berlin. In Hall 9 this year, visitors can find even more hotels, including the enlarged stands of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Accor Hotels, Jin Jiang International and Expedia. Deutsche Hotel & Resort Holding is a newcomer this year and can also be found in Hall 9. Airbus is also a first-time exhibitor, in Hall 25. This is also where Aeroflot will be represented with its own stand for the first time. The number of car rental firms and tour operators in Hall 14.1 has also risen significantly.

ITB goes China

This year, ITB Berlin is again organising the ITB Chinese Night, a networking event, to give interested visitors better access to the Chinese travel market. As a global brand ITB Berlin has become a household name beyond national borders. With the opening of ITB China from 10 to 12 May 2017 in Shanghai ITB Berlin will continue to build on and strengthen its market position in Asia.

LGBT  even bigger and more colourful

This year, this fast-growing LGBT segment will feature a new Presentation Corner, where exhibitors can showcase their latest LGBT products. ITB Berlin currently boasts the world's largest range of LGBT travel services. The lectures taking place in Hall 21b and at the ITB Berlin Convention will focus on the world's first travel campaign with transgender models, on successful business models exploiting this market, and on LGBT-friendly destinations. This year, the big LGBT Pavilion in Hall 21b will feature numerous new exhibitors, including Hornet.com, the Illinois Office of Tourism, Aspen Snowmass with information on the big LGBT Skiweek, the Belmond Hotel Group, as well as ALAT.LGBT, the South American LGBT Travel Association. There will also be several newcomers at the show from Spain, including World Pride Madrid 2017, Valencia and Benidorm, ELLA  Lesbian Travel from Majorca and the Arona Tourist Board from Tenerife.

Even more employers at the ITB Career Center

More employers than ever will be represented at the Career Center in Hall 11.1. Major tourism companies including DER Touristik, Marriott International and Sixt Autovermietung will be represented with their own stands. On the stand of the Federal Employment Agency, the Career Center's exclusive partner, personnel managers from Accor Hotels, Adina Apartment Hotels, Cruise Net Hamburg, Eurowings and Viking River Cruises, among others, will have information on current training and job vacancies. The job wall has 100 tourism vacancies alone being offered by exhibitors and the job market of the Federal Employment Agency.

Wide-ranging cultural products

This year, the CULTURE LOUNGE is celebrating its tenth anniversary and will be bigger than ever before. In Hall 16 as well as Hall 15.1 trade visitors and culturally interested travellers will find over 70 exhibitors from nine countries. Inside the Culture Hall Flanders is the Culture partner of ITB Berlin. The CULTURE CONFERENCE LOUNGE is a firmly established part of the CULTURE LOUNGE, where a programme of cultural tourism events including lectures and presentations will take place.

Exclusive preview of the Berlin Travel Festival 2018

Messe Berlin supports and is a partner of the Berlin Travel Festival, which will take place in the Arena, Berlin-Kreuzberg, from 9 to 11 March 2018. At this year's ITB Berlin the ITB Berlin Travel Festival will host a preview one year before its official launch. From 8 to 10 March 2017 at the Marshall-Haus an exclusive preview event in the shape of an interactive exhibition can be visited at the World's Largest Travel Trade Show. The highlight will be a programme of stage events under the heading of 'People, Places and Memories'. This innovative format, combining a concept store for consumers and a new type of exhibition for the industry, is designed to be a new platform that stands for dialogue, inspiration and exploring new things.

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention

ITB Berlin 2023 will take place for trade visitors only from Tuesday, 7 to Thursday, 9 March. Since 1966, ITB Berlin has been the World's Leading Travel Trade Show. As in previous years, the internationally renowned ITB Berlin Convention will take place live parallel with the exhibition on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, with selected sessions live-streamed on itb.com. In 2022 it took place as a virtual event on the brand's website itb.com and registered 60,700 attendees from 125 countries who took part in more than 100 sessions featuring 223 speakers. Taking place on one day, the Digital Business Day gave 2,500 attendees from 96 countries an opportunity to exchange views and do business virtually from anywhere in the world. International attendance was high, with 78 per cent of buyers and providers taking part from abroad. A total of 20,000 business contacts were made, resulting in 14,000 leads and 3,200 business meetings being arranged. As a virtual industry platform, the Digital Business Day augmented the ITB brand family and rounded off the trade show concept. In 2022, under the heading 'TRVLX by ITB', ITB Berlin is planning a series of B2B networking events in European markets  the kick-off event took place in May in Georgia. Before the pandemic at ITB 2019, around 10,000 exhibitors from 181 countries displayed their products and services to some 160,000 visitors, including 113,500 trade visitors.

Emanuel Hoger

Press Spokesman and Press and Public Relations Director, Corporate Communication - Messe Berlin Group

+49 30 3038-2270

Messe Berlin GmbH
London -- Moxy Hotels, Marriott International's experiential hotel brand, continues to make its mark on the hospitality scene with the launch of its first hotel in London, a city world-renowned for art, culture and nightlife. Characterised by a vibrant, playful design and approachable service, Moxy London Excel offers the style and spirit of a boutique hotel at a surprisingly affordable price. Moxy London Excel joins an exciting portfolio of eight global destinations including Munich, Milan, Berlin and New Orleans.

"Moxy Hotels is on a mission to reinvent traditional hospitality with lively communal spaces and an energetic crew that helps Fun Hunting guests enjoy themselves whether at work or play," said Vicki Poulos, global brand director, Moxy Hotels. "We are excited to debut Moxy Hotels in London  a fun, social and modern city that embodies the essence of Moxy."

Located near the ExCeL London convention centre and London City Airport, the 164-room hotel will be a gateway to the city's East End and a 24/7 spot for all things fun and impromptu. The Moxy experience is 'no place like home,' it's better; with playful communal spaces, a buzzing bar and thoughtfully crafted offerings designed for travelers and locals who want to hang-out with their friends and meet new ones, without breaking the bank.

Welcome #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy's fun, inclusive and youthful spirit is reflected in the combination of bold design and affordable style where communal engagement is at the centre of the experience. The interiors fuse refined and raw materials, organic and linear lines, and shared spaces. The Moxy experience kicks-off with a bright, airy and buzzing lobby. The contemporary lobby's modern furniture invites guests to relax, pick up a book from the Moxy library, connect and catch up with friends or retreat to the gym to re-energise by punching the pink Moxy punching bag. Guests of Moxy London Excel are encouraged to take a selfie in the photo booth inspired hotel elevators, complete with props.

Living Room #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy London Excel's Living Room is the centre of activity, giving guests fun ways to work and play hard. Sealed concrete floors, walls lined with intriguing art and fun references to local culture including artistic beer jugs displayed on the walls are complemented by ambient lighting and comfortable accents of colour. The Living Room also features abundant power and USB outlets, and furiously fast and free Wi-Fi for ultimate connectivity. A high-energy yet cosy space for gatherings, special events or cocktails, the lounge plays host to eclectic upbeat music.

Stay #ATTHEMOXY

The hotel's 164 contemporary guest rooms, ranging from Standard to Family size, are outfitted with sound-reducing walls, 42 LCD flat screen televisions, complimentary Wi-Fi, abundant USB ports, comfortable bedding and deep-seated armchairs in calming, neutral fabrics. Every bedroom makes a statement with a fun floor to ceiling art piece. The design is functional, flexible and uncluttered with simple, thoughtful touches including glass shelving and an open storage concept featuring a peg wall for ultimate flexibility when unpacking, in lieu of a traditional closet. Stylish bathrooms feature complimentary Muk

toiletries, bright pink hair dryers, power showers and large mirrors alongside a spacious vanity area.

24/7 Dining #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy's 24/7 B&F (Beverage & Food), smart and fun self-service concept gives guests access to what they want, whenever they want it. The Moxy dining area offers lots of options for food and drink including fresh juices and a coffee bar. Guests can enjoy fresh Panini sandwiches and a range of healthy alternatives from salad to antipasti. An evening Crockpot entree will be served along with a variety of cocktails, craft beers and specialty wines. The bar is full-service and the hub of activity in the lobby  it also doubles as the hotel's physical check-in, where guests are greeted with a complimentary 'Got Moxy' cocktail upon arrival.

Meetings #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy London Excel has one flexible meeting room flooded with natural daylight.

Marriott Rewards #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy guests who are members of the award-winning Marriott Rewards loyalty programme will get exclusive access to even more digital features through the Marriott Mobile app when they book direct, including mobile check-in and check-out, keyless entry and Mobile Requests to make their travel experience seamless. Marriott Rewards members will also earn points for their stay at Moxy Hotels and can redeem for hotel stays across the Marriott Rewards portfolio of brands.

Moxy Hotels first launched in Milan in September 2014. Moxy Tempe and Moxy Munich Airport opened in March 2016, , Moxy New Orleans in May 2016,Moxy Frankfurt Eschborn in August 2016, Berlin in September 2016, and finally Aberdeen in November 2016. The brand is entering the market in a bold way, with several additional identified projects slated for major metropolitan locations including Amsterdam, New York, Vienna, San Francisco, Boston and Frankfurt.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 8,100 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy, its highly awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website, and for the latest company news, visit Marriott News Center. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

Olivia Donnan

Public Relations Manager, Europe

Marriott
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Earlier today, Chance The Rapper announced that he would be donating $1 million dollars to the Chicago Public School system, as well as donating $10,000 to different public schools in the city for every $100,000 he raises for his non-profit organization SocialWorks. Our kids should not be held hostage because of political positions, he said Monday during his press conference.

The story quickly spread across just about every media publication this afternoon, informing pretty much any one that went on Facebook or twitter today, including former First Lady & Chicagos very own Michelle Obama for that matter.

On Monday night, Michelle decided to jump on twitter & thank Chance for his generous donation. Thank you @ChanceTheRapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. She added, You are an example of the power of arts education.

Check out Michelles appreciation & gratitude (below), and revisit the press conference right here on HNHH in case you missed it.

Michelle Obama
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The Canadian pipeline company Enbridge, following its acquisition of Spectra Energy last week, will leave downtown Houston and consolidate operations in Spectra's former headquarters near the Galleria.

The move is among the the first of the cost-cutting measures that Enbridge will take as it seeks to achieve $540 million in savings promised from the merger. Layoffs are coming, too, in Houston and other locations, but the timing and numbers have yet to be determined, Enbridge Chief Executive Al Monaco said in an interview Monday.

Monaco, attending the annual energy conference CERAWeek, said most of the job cuts will come in overlapping corporate and administrative staffs that each company maintained before the merger. Enbridge earlier estimated that personnel reductions would account for about half the expected savings from the merger.

"Whenever there is a combination of this magnitude, there's going to be some duplication," Monaco said. "We're really focused on making sure we continue the growth momentum that we have and that's going to take people."

Enbridge closed on its $28 billion acquisition of Spectra on Feb. 27, shortly after clearing regulatory hurdles in both the United States and Canada, leaving the merged company with nearly 17,000 workers, including almost 1,750 in Houston.

Enbridge will vacate its eight floors of prime downtown real estate in the 1100 Louisiana Street building, known as Enterprise Plaza, and relocate the more than 700 employees who work there to Spectra's old headquarters on Westheimer Court by the end of the year.

Enbridge is the latest energy company to leave downtown. In September, Royal Dutch Shell said it would leave its longtime U.S. headquarters at One Shell Plaza and consolidate employees at the company's Woodcreek complex and Shell Technology Center on the west side of Houston.

Exxon Mobil left downtown for its massive new campus by Spring. Among Houston's 10 largest energy employers, only Chevron and CenterPoint Energy are still downtown.

Enbridge made the Spectra deal to enhance its gas pipeline position in the United States. Enbridge's assets were about 80 percent focused on crude oil and other liquids before the the Spectra deal, which creates a roughly 50-50 balance between oil and gas for the merged company.

Enbridge gained a 90,000-mile network of gas and natural gas liquids pipeline from Spectra.

"Natural gas, we think, is going to be a huge part of the future," Monaco said, citing the United States' massive shale gas resources, as well as gas' environmentally cleaner reputation compared to crude and coal.

The goal, he added, is to take a North American outlook, rather than focusing on individual nations. That would include shipping more gas to Mexico as well. "To me, there's no border," Monaco said.

Enbridge's three, tax-advantaged partnership businesses all will remain headquartered in Houston with no plans for name changes or consolidation  Enbridge Energy Partners, Midcoast Energy Partners and Spectra Energy Partners. Former Spectra CEO Greg Ebel also remains with the company as the chairman of the merged Enbridge.
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Chief executives in one of President Donald Trump's favorite industries - energy - publicly championed free trade on Monday and repeatedly said globalization is key to the success of the world's largest oil and gas companies.

Speaking at one of the industry's largest conferences, CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston, several CEOs juxtaposed themselves with Trump's growing rhetoric to enact U.S.-first policies.

Trade barriers hinder progress, said Darren Woods, the new chief of Irving-based oil major Exxon Mobil Corp. Open borders are key to the supply chain, he continued.

"You've got to have free trade to make sure you're connecting those dots," he said.

Woods noted on Monday that Exxon Mobil is spending $20 billion over the next several years to expand refineries and chemical manufacturing facilities, boosting its ability to export products, especially to Asia.

Trump wants to curtail imports and force companies to produce products in the U.S. He has proposed a border tax that penalizes imports and, critics warn, could trigger trade wars. He has threatened to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement, which governs trade with Mexico and Canada. And he killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade accord proposed between the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim countries.

Executives gathered at the Hilton Americas-Houston continued on Monday to speak of their hopes for fewer regulatory and environmental delays under the Trump administration. But, for the first time in such numbers, they zeroed in on concerns about the potential for new trade barriers.

'North America first'

Al Monaco, chief of Calgary-based pipeline giant Enbridge, touted "North America first," rather than Trump's "America first" language.

Monaco said Enbridge wants to ship more gas to Mexico through the U.S. Enbridge's pipeline networks cross the U.S.-Canada border multiple times.

"To me, there's no border," Monaco said.

"By working together, I believe Canada and the U.S. will become a global energy force," he said.

The Norwegian oil company Statoil has relied on talent, innovation and partners from around the world, said chief executive Eldar Stre.

"The oil and gas industry is, by nature, global," Stre said. "Geology rules geography."

Fifty years ago, U.S. companies were the pioneers that helped build the Norwegian oil and gas industry, Stre said. Today, Statoil has invested $30 billion and created thousands of jobs in the U.S.

"So global cooperation and integrated markets have been and will remain key to make our industry prosper," he said.

'Free and fair'

CEOs did not, however, contradict Trump directly.

Woods first called for "free and open trade" in his talk on Monday. But when asked directly about the president's support for a border tax, Woods hedged, saying Exxon Mobil needed "free and fair trade."

And Monaco, the Enbridge chief, seemed to doubt the Trump administration's ability to dismantle the North American Free Trade Agreement, but didn't say it directly.

"NAFTA is a complicated animal," he said. "We'll have to see how it goes."

The global nature of the industry was underscored by the conference itself. London-based IHS Markit, sponsor of CERAWeek, has offices in 40 countries and customers in 170.

"We do business with every major bank in the world," CEO Jerre Stead said. "We do business with (nearly) every energy company in the world. We track every ship in the world."

IHS Markit expects roughly 3,000 attendees from 60 countries at the weeklong conference.
Weatherford International, the financially struggling energy ser-vices company, on Monday named Mark McCollum as its new chief executive, poaching him from his role as Halliburton's chief financial officer.

Weatherford made an abrupt pivot, immediately cutting ties with its interim CEO, Krishna Shivram, whom most analysts believed would keep the job.

In hiring McCollum, Weatherford, which operates primarily out of Houston, is grabbing top talent from rival Halliburton. Weatherford said McCollum will take the reins as president and CEO of Weatherford in late April.

The move comes after Weatherford had started calling Shivram the CEO without including "interim" in the job title. However, Shivram emphasized in February that he was only a shortlisted candidate for the job and that a decision would be made before Weatherford's board meeting on Friday.

Shivram became interim CEO after longtime Weatherford chairman and CEO Bernard Duroc-Danner abruptly resigned in November. Shivram was then the chief financial officer.

Weatherford named William Macauley as its new board chairman. Macauley is the chairman and co-CEO of the First Reserve private equity firm.

"We are extremely excited to have Mark as our CEO and as new member of the board," Macauley said in a statement. "After conducting a thorough executive search, the board determined that Mark's significant industry experience, proven track record and leadership expertise make him the ideal choice to lead Weatherford."

Macauley praised Shivram's leadership, but said he would leave Weatherford immediately. Weatherford CFO Christoph Bausch will lead the company until McCollum comes on board.

Halliburton appointed its executive vice president and general counsel, Robb Voyles, as interim CFO until a replacement is selected.

Once at Halliburton

McCollum, a graduate of Baylor University, became Halliburton's CFO in 2008 and served as the chief integration officer during the failed Halliburton takeover of Houston-based Baker Hughes, which is now merging with General Electric's oil and gas division. The merger will create a separate company still called Baker Hughes.

In the beginning of February, Weatherford announced that it plans to sell its U.S. hydraulic fracturing business and its Middle East drilling rig division as it continues to cut jobs worldwide. At the time, Weatherford said it was focused on downsizing and debt reduction.

Since the beginning of 2014, Weatherford has reduced its workforce to below 30,000 from more than 67,000. That includes about 9,000 jobs cut in 2016. The company struggled financially even when oil was at $100 a barrel, and it began eliminating jobs before the bust.

SEC penalty

Last year, Weatherford agreed to pay a $140 million penalty to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it inflated its profits through deceptive accounting practices.

The SEC alleged that Weatherford executives committed intentional fraud. Weatherford overstated its earnings by nearly $1 billion from 2007 to 2012 and had virtually no oversight over its tax department, according to the SEC.

Shivram was brought on from Schlumberger to help Weatherford put its finances in order.
Nonprofits are big business in the United States and thousands of their executives earn $1 million or more.

Should doing good pay so well?

That's the question implied in a recent Wall Street Journal article that found 2,700 executives at nonprofit institutions get paid seven- or eight-figure salaries for their so-called charity work. But not all charities are the same.

Some of the largest nonprofits in the United States are huge health care corporations that do billions of dollars in business operating dozens of medical facilities and employing thousands of health care professionals.

The highest paid nonprofit executive on the Journal's list is Ascension Health Alliance CEO Anthony Tersigni, whose total compensation reached $17.6 million for running a $21 billion organization. Jane Mendillo, CEO of the Harvard Management Co. that operates the nation's wealthiest private university, collected $13.8 million.

Those kinds of pay packages, much of which are performance based, make sense to attract top talent to manage multifaceted, multibillion dollar organizations. These nonprofits compete with major corporations for the same executives.

The real scoundrels are those that use a nonprofit to enrich themselves by collecting money from donors who don't know where their money goes. One of the examples cited by the Journal is a Texas-based, online evangelical ministry.

Hal Lindsey Website Ministries collected $8.1 million and then paid the founders, Hal and JoLynn Lindsey $4 million. Compare that with the American Red Cross, which pays its CEO $577,000.

Charity Watch, a nonprofit that bird-dogs corrupt nonprofits, routinely tracks executive compensation for groups that don't have major business operations. And the findings are startling.

The top earner on the group's list is Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, with a pay package of $4,645,251 in 2015. But what is more disturbing is the number of CEOs at organizations that raise money for disease research, such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. They all make more than $1.5 million a year.

The buyer-beware rule applies when giving to a charity. Take a few minutes to search the internet and ask yourself if you really believe the nonprofit is spending your donated dollars wisely. If not, there are plenty of places that will.
Many policy watchers in Texas are worried that a reconfiguration in how people get help buying insurance will hit the poor and middle class hardest and lead to a spike in the state's already high uninsured rate.

"I fear people will be left out," said Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The long-awaited Republican plan, unveiled Monday evening, calls not only for elimination of the mandates that require people to carry insurance  a hallmark of the existing Affordable Care Act  but also propose swapping income-based federal subsidies to help people afford buy insurance for a refundable tax credit system that is age-based, with the amount of assistance rising as people age and presumably use more health care.

In a last-minute pivot by Republicans, the plan will include some provisions to limit the amount of assistance high wage earners get.

Under the plan, participants under 30 will receive tax credits of about $2,000 while those in their 30s will get about $2,500 and in their 40s will get $3,000. As they reach their 50s the tax credits will rise to $3,500 and those over 60 would get roughly $4,000.

RELATED: House GOP health bill adds up to big tax cut for the rich

The plan is certain to face opposition from Democrats and conservative Republicans in Congress who quickly derided it as "ObamaCare Lite" and "Obamacare 2.0, saying it continued to expand government "entitlements" to assist in the purchase of policies. The Affordable Care Act, a signature domestic policy under former President Barrack Obama, became known as Obamacare.

Some popular parts of the existing law will remain including the prohibition against denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on parents' plans until age 26.

Still, Ho said the elimination of the mandate for individuals and large businesses to provide insurance could be a big red flag. Without that mandate, she said, many people who live paycheck to paycheck will skip it. That could affect the overall risk pool and put further strain on an already struggling health safety net system.

While she had not yet had a chance to study the plan in depth Monday night, she added that she is concerned the insurance industry will further restrict offerings if people are jumping in and out of the market  even with the proposed 30 percent surcharge to rejoin coverage if previous plans lapse.

The Republican plan has proposed that bump in the price of insurance as a "continuous coverage incentive" instead of the current tax penalty.

Ho and others are skeptical the measure will work as intended. Poorer people who let their coverage lapse will simply do without because they cannot afford the surcharge and those with more means could decide to just wait until they get sick and pay the surcharge. That could lead to only sicker people, which cost insurers more to cover, seeking insurance.

Dr. Andrea Caracostis, CEO of Hope Clinic that serves many of those newly low-income insured, said the news "brought tears to her eyes."

Her concern, like Ho's, was how the loss of the mandate requiring insurance  deeply unpopular among critics of the law  would play out badly over the long run for those with limited means.

If money gets tight insurance will be the first to go in many household budgets, even with the proposed tax credits, Caracostis said. Without insurance people will again skip doctor visits, which will take a toll on those with chronic conditions and ultimately cost everyone more, she said.

"We're already drowning in a diabetes epidemic. We're drowning in a hypertension epidemic," she said. "The whole point of the ACA was to raise the next generation of healthier Americans.

While it is still early in the process and still unclear what the final plan will look like, the version unveiled Monday could have enormous implications in Texas, which still has the nation's highest rate of uninsured despite notable declines under the Affordable Care Act.

Before the law took effect, Texas had an uninsured rate of about 26 percent. By last year it had dropped to around 19 percent.

Texas also has relied heavily on the income-based subsidies. In Texas, 913,77 people received federal subsidies of an average of $271 per month, according to analysis late last year by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That translated to a total of $2.9 billion  third most in the nation  that went to help people in the state buy insurance, the same study showed.

"Under the Affordable Care Act, more than 1 million Texans gained coverage and access to affordable care," said Ken Janda, president and CEO of Community Health Choice in Houston. "The tests of a replacement bill are, first, will it do no harm? And second, does it match President Trump's call to cover more people at less cost? As we begin reviewing this new bill, my initial concern is that reduced subsidies will mean fewer people are able to afford health insurance."
Mr. President, I take this particular tweet of yours personally:

The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!  @realDonaldTrump, Feb. 21

I stand in the midst of these "so-called angry crowds." You lump me in with a so-called federal judge, so-called Russian hackers, so-called A-list celebrities, so-called journalists and so-called global warming. You demean so much and so many with a classic bullying tactic. You aim to discredit me and millions of American citizens who protest and march.

Since January 21, we've resisted with marches, letters, phone calls and visits to the offices of our elected officials. Most often our elected officials are not present, have locked their doors or sent word they will not meet with us.

Robert Zaretsky: Memo to Rep. Louie Gohmert: Connect

Protesters who looked very much like me were escorted by building security away from Senator Cruz's Houston office. Does the senator think constituent visitors are a threat to his staff? Why does Representative Culberson hold meetings with his core supporters by invitation only?

Your bully tweets and the behaviors of so many of our elected officials signal that we, the people, are on our own. When you attempt to dismiss us, and those in Congress refuse to hear us, I'd say we no longer live in a functioning democracy.

The word angry hardly begins to describe the people with whom I've carried a sign and shouted a slogan or two. I'd characterize us as defiant, frustrated, grief-stricken, tenacious, persistent and patriotic. And judging from our marching signage, we also have a sense of humor. We resist your edicts. We abhor your wars on women, African-Americans, Muslims, immigrants, the LGBT community and international allies and trade partners. We are appalled by, and fear, your all-out attack on the future viability of our planet.

Mr. President, you say "so-called angry crowds" are "planned out by liberal activists." For once, you spoke truth.

I've been a liberal activist for 50 years. "Liberal activist" is not a derogatory label. I came of age in the 1960s, amid the civil rights and women's liberation movements. We listened when President Kennedy said, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can you do for your country."

We heard Martin Luther King say, "I have a dream."

We believed Gloria Steinem when she said, "A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men."

These heroes opened my eyes and gave road maps for action.

And yes, Mr. President, liberal activists do "plan out" activities. Plans and goals make us effective. To create change, liberal activists are strategic and organized, as when we elected a school board in the 1970s that integrated Houston public schools. Or when we spoke with city council and county commissioners about the need for battered women's shelters, and these days, for mental health facilities and treatment. We reach out to state legislators, members of Congress and senators in support of women's health, public education and local infrastructure funding, and the right to use public bathrooms of our choice.

Tim Warner/For The Chronicle

We are doing what we've done for decades. With one exception: These days, we resist with fierce intensity and fortitude, because we are in the fight of our lives. Mr. President, your cabinet choices and executive orders strip away the underpinnings of our democracy and the regulations that safeguard American families. You undermine the lessons I taught my children about fairness and truth and responsibility to the larger community.

When we liberal activists hear remarks about being sore losers after this election, my response is, "Our resistance is not about an election loss. We resist your willful dismantling of America's government. We resist you and our Congress for betraying Americans."

Mr. President, you call our resistance "Sad!" Resistance is never sad.

Resistance is the will to fight for fair immigration laws and procedures.

Resistance is the courage to defend the civil rights of every American and to call out one more broken promise to Native Americans.

Resistance is love for kids and grandkids whose futures depend on good public schools, healthy, pesticide-free food to eat, clean water to drink, clear air to breathe and safe places in which to grow.

Resistance is simple common sense when we join the world community to limit damage to our earth before it's all too late, and profit has a pyrrhic victory over stewardship of our planet.

There is nothing sad or partisan about resistance "planned out by liberal activists."

Mary Margaret Hansen is a gray-haired photographer, artist and writer, mother of three feminist daughters and resident of Houston's East End.





Bookmark so-called Gray Matters.
The piece: "Untitled (Drawing with two signatures)"

The artist: Jackson Pollock

Where: "The Beginning of Everything: Drawings from the Janie C. Lee, Louisa Stude Sarofim and David Whitney Collections," at the Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross, through June 18

Why: Before he became famous for flinging paint across huge canvases on the floor, Jackson Pollock was, like many young artists, a sponge. He arrived in New York from Los Angeles in 1930, took classes with the great Americana painter Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League and consumed a heady stew of other early 20th century influences -- Surrealism, the Mexican muralists and of course, Picasso. Alcoholic and possibly bipolar, Pollock also spent a lot of time with a psychoanalyst who encouraged him to draw and to bring his drawings to appointments.

Something about the goings-on of this particular piece of paper, which is a rather large 22.5 inches by 23 inches, kept the artist engaged for five years. It contains a wild blend of images applied from 1943 to 1947, the year after Pollock made his first drip painting -- a mash-up of colorful, mini-drawings inspired by Native American pictograms, biomorphic forms that echo Picasso, Surrealism and African art and doodles and squiggles in black ink. Did Pollock consider all this a single drawing, or was he just being frugal and using up all the empty space on a piece of paper? And why did he sign it twice? Good questions, said curatorial assistant Kelly Montana. She sees the whole piece as a bridge from Pollock's formative years to his mature style. To her, it looks as if the piece unfolds horizontally, tracing the development of the artist's visual language. Up top is a messy tangle you're not apt to notice right away, but it could be read as a drip drawing in miniature.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It is, like many young artists, a sponge.
AUSTIN -- The new House Public Education Committee chairman plans to increase per-student funding to public schools in an effort to fix the state's school funding program derided by the Texas Supreme Court as riddled with problems.

House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty, R-Humble, said his bill will reduce the $77 million in recapture payments the Houston Independent School District is supposed to pay the state.

"Texas knows that it's time to help our children," said Huberty who said nearly every school district and every charter school will receive more dollars per student.

The bill comes with a roughly $1.5 billion price tag. It aims to increase the basic allotment by $210 per student, create new transportation funding, lower recapture payments, create a hardship grant and increase funding for students with dyslexia.

Although state lawmakers and school officials agree Texas needs to change how it funds Texas' more than 1,000 public school districts, the future of the House proposal is uncertain as the Senate plans a different tack, namely rebuilding the funding system from scratch over several legislative sessions.

Political tension also is building between the two chambers that could hamper its chances of passage this session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants the House to vote on a school voucher bill, but Huberty has said a school voucher bill in dead in the House. Patrick has said he sees passage of school finance reform and school choice linked.

"When it comes to improving education in the state of Texas, there's no time like the present. We can do this this session," said Huberty, who said this was the first piece of a multi-year overhaul and is dedicated to getting the bill to the governor's desk. He declined to comment on the role a school voucher bill could play in reaching that goal.
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MONTGOMERY - In the heart of this small town, on a patch of grass near historic homes and antique shops, is an old shipping container. It's like ones used in the Port of Houston, hardly a sight to behold. At least not yet.

Within weeks, scores of volunteers will modify the container with things like insulation, air conditioning, electrical outlets, kitchen appliances and a shower and toilet. Then the keys will be given to a military veteran in need of a home.

It's a project of Huntsville-based Green Zone Housing, a newly formed nonprofit that is trying to provide veterans with affordable places to live. For co-founder Mark Cook, the repurposing of containers makes sense because they are made of steel that is marine-grade and corrosion-resistant.

"I slept in these overseas" as an oil-field worker, Cook said. "I knew I could make a house out of them. They can withstand winds. They're water-tight. They're economical. And they're everywhere. They're stacked like cordwood on the Houston Ship Channel."

The project is part of a national movement to use "tiny houses" as a short-term solution for homelessness. A Nashville pastor has built several 60-square-foot units on the grounds of his church. Seattle has pledged to spread 1,000 insulated huts built by volunteers in camps across the city. In Kansas City, some veterans have plans to construct 50 small homes for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Cook and his partners, Vietnam veteran Dave Nash and author Melanie Davis, said they see a similar need among greater Houston's veterans. While there are transitional programs providing them with help for PTSD and other combat-related mental illness, "they go out the same door they came in" and often have nowhere to stay, Nash said.

Hundreds homeless

Greater Houston has one of the nation's largest populations of veterans, with more than 78,000 in the city alone. With many of them staying in shelters or on the streets, nonprofit groups and government agencies began a campaign in 2012 to find places to live for them.

Since then, The Way Home effort has placed some 5,000 veterans in Harris and Fort Bend counties in permanent housing, generating praise from local advocates and national experts.

Officials say there were 537 homeless veterans in the two counties last year. In Montgomery County, there were 35 veterans living on the streets or in shelters in 2015, according to the most recent data available.

Green Zone Housing began to build support for its project last year by converting a container previously used as a fireworks stand into an exhibit house. The model, which features a kitchen and living area, is mobile but is found most days outside a hardware store in the city of Montgomery, located about 55 miles north of downtown Houston.

The nonprofit is constructing the first complete home from a 40-foot-long, 8-foot-wide container that was donated by a local equipment company. The work is being done in Montgomery's historic district to help attract potential donors and volunteers.

The builder is Mike Bradford, a Montgomery resident who constructed living-quarter and office space from shipping containers during a 20-year career as an underwater welder in the Navy. He now designs and builds custom furniture.

The exhibit house "was a rusted, beat-up fireworks stand," Bradford said. "It was a mild disaster when we got started. But you go into it now, and you'd say, 'I would live in this.' That's what we want."

'Help each other'

It's estimated that each house costs about $20,000 to build. The recipients are expected to help with the construction before the house is installed on a foundation.

Cook said the group is hoping to buy as many as 15 acres in Montgomery County for a manufacturing center and office space, as well as a chapel, gym and other services for veterans who decide to keep their homes on the property. The first phase would include at least 20 homes, he said.

"I'm looking for a place that can have a community to help each other in recovery," Cook said, adding that he would like to expand the project beyond Montgomery County after the initial phase.

The first house will go to William C. Franks Jr., 45, an Army veteran of Desert Storm who suffers from PTSD.

After seeing combat in the Gulf War, Franks said, he fought depression and anger. He ended an engagement to his high school sweetheart. One night he woke up and drove 30 miles to his grandfather's house to watch TV. He had no idea why.

"I couldn't tell what was going on," said Franks, who also served seven years in the National Guard and Army Reserve. "There's a lot of emotions that you don't process in the military. Then they come out."

Franks inherited his grandfather's house after he died in 2013 but soon lost it because of a reverse mortgage. He bounced from one relative's house to another before ending up at a homeless shelter in New Orleans for three weeks last year.

That's when an Army friend connected him with the PTSD Foundation of America's Camp Hope, which provides temporary housing and care for those with post-combat stress.

'A sense of belonging'

The program, which is located in northwest Harris County, has allowed Franks to take a "time out" in order to regain control of his life, he said. He has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, received counseling and rediscovered the gym.

But Franks was unsure about his destination after completing the program. That changed when he was selected in February for Green Zone's first house.

Franks will be involved in the design and construction. Once the work is finished, the house will be moved to a pad at Camp Hope, where he will live rent-free for a year. By then, he hopes to have a job and be on the path to purchasing a larger home and selling or leasing the repurposed container to another veteran.

That's the goal for Green Zone Housing, too, said J.R. Harris, who is on the group's board of directors.

"This isn't welfare," he said. "It's about a sense of belonging and sense of purpose. That's what we're hoping to give them."
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Less than a year after The Republic Grille opened a second location in the west area of The Woodlands, founder and managing partner Terry McBurney said the neighborhood fixture is in negotiations for a third restaurant in Montgomery County.

McBurney plans to open another location along Rayford Road near the Grand Parkway. However, he said, the original address he had in mind didn't work out, so he began the search for a new home.

"I am exploring options for developing a ground-up site on the east side of I-45," he said. "It could easily be open by the end of 2017."

The original location's doors opened in May 2014 in Panther Creek Villager Center, quickly becoming a neighborhood destination starring rustic yet modern decor and an outdoor patio draped with string lights. Roughly two years later, the second location debuted on Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978, quickly "exceeding expectations."

"Its opening was really predicated on the need from our customers from North Harris County and West Montgomery County," McBurney said. "Logically, it makes sense to move to west Woodlands, just to serve the customers in Tomball, Magnolia and that general area."

The Republic Grille's food dishes are like "lightning in a bottle," McBurney said, in that Woodlands residents responded well to the menu from the start - therefore not requiring much tweaking.

The food is described as "comfort food with a Southern twist," featuring hearty portions of chicken fried steak, baked lobster crab and grilled pork chops.

Additionally, as a resident of The Woodlands for 16 years, McBurney wants to further intertwine his restaurant and the community. With a new initiative called Family Night Out, The Republic Grille will interact with local schools around the two existing locations, inviting parents and families to come dine on specific evenings.

During the select evenings, a percentage of proceeds will benefit the featured local school.

Family Night Out will be implemented this month at both the Panther Creek and Woodlands Parkway locations, and eventually at the third location following its opening.

McBurney said the new restaurant's location is still in negotiation, but assured he has every intention of remaining in Montgomery County.

Visit therepublicgrille.com for more information on food and drink menus, as well as location information.

Patrons can dine at the original location at 4775 West Panther Creek, Suite 490, The Woodlands, Texas 77381 or by phone at 281-719-5895.

The West Woodlands location is the intersection of Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978 at 30340 FM 2978 Road #800, Magnolia, TX 77354 or can be reached by phone at 281-789-7119.
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Dr. Hossein Yazdani wakes up before sunrise each weekday to beat Houston rush hour. He passes through the Texas Medical Center and drives east another hour, until he reaches the small town of Anahuac, where he's one of just two primary care physicians.

The 72-year-old knows the commute well. He's been making it for 20 years.

In Texas, and across the country, foreign-trained doctors like the Iranian-born Yazdani fill a critical need in rural communities, which often struggle to attract physicians born and trained in the U.S. That reality has been highlighted in the weeks since President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travel from several predominantly Muslim countries.

A revised version of the order issued Monday was intended to keep terrorists from entering the country, but it also threatens to block international medical graduates, who help fill a growing physician shortage.

Yazdani is a classic example. He came to Houston for a prestigious fellowship at Texas Heart Institute. When he completed the training in 1997, he was given two choices: Return to Iran, or apply for a J-1 visa waiver, which allows international doctors to stay in the U.S. in exchange for working as primary care physicians in medically underserved areas.

Yazdani went to work in Anahuac.

"I had to stay three years to meet my requirement," he said during a recent interview at his clinic. "But after that, I was interested to stay here in the community. A lot of doctors are in the big city. But there are poor people here who I like to help."

In Chambers County, where he practices, nearly 80 percent of residents voted for Trump. A few blocks from his tiny clinic, a huge "Trump-Pence" campaign sign is painted on the side of a barn.

But inside his office, he said, politics rarely comes up.

"Patients come to see me, and I help them. That is all," he said. "Patients don't ask where I come from."

Physicians who attended medical school in the six countries affected by Trump's new order  Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia  provide 14 million appointments to American patients each year, according to an analysis by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology economists. That includes more than 2.3 million office visits in areas with doctor shortages.

The original travel ban had been blocked by a federal appeals court. The revised edict issued Monday, designed to appease any constitutional challenges, dropped Iraq from the list of affected countries.

The new order explicitly exempts legal U.S. residents, so it's unlikely to affect foreign-trained doctors already here. But it could prevent dozens of new international medical graduates from being accepted into hospital residency programs in the U.S. this spring, said Travis Singleton, senior vice president of Merritt Hawkins, a Dallas-based medical recruiting firm.

Singleton doesn't believe the ban will have a major impact on the nation's doctor shortage, at least not in the short term, but he worries about the message it sends worldwide. The United States, he said, can't afford to seem unwelcoming.

"We're already in a maxed-out health system that cannot meet demand," said Singleton, whose firm helps place foreign doctors in rural outposts across the country. "Should we not have that 25 percent of physicians who are international medical graduates, I can't imagine how much worse it would be."

The problem is bigger in Texas, Singleton said, where an additional 13,000 doctors are needed just to bring the state in line with the national average of physicians-per-resident. Thirty-five of Texas' 254 counties have no doctors at all. About 150 counties have no general surgeons, psychiatrists or gynecologists.

International doctors are helping fill the gap: A third of Texas' doctors were born abroad, including more than 1,000 from one of the six countries named in Trump's order, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of Texas Medical Board licensing data.

International doctors also fill needs in urban areas. Dr. Ruchdi Barakat, who was born and studied in Syria, completed his residency at UTHealth in Houston, then applied for an E-B1 visa, which allows international residents to stay if they can prove they have extraordinary abilities to contribute to society.

Barakat, 40, is an interventional nephrologist, a new and emerging subspecialty that qualifies him to perform complicated operations on dialysis patients. He runs his own practice, Humble Vascular Access, and sees patients from across the region.

"I'm here because there's a need for me to be here," Barakat said. "If these rules that Trump is proposing now were in effect when I was first coming over, I might not be here today."

Dr. Hassan Albeige also got his medical degree in Syria before coming to New York for a residency program. At the end of his training, he agreed to practice at a rural outpost in East Texas in exchange for a J-1 visa waiver  and never left.

Albeige works as an emergency physician at several rural hospitals outside Tyler, where he lives with his family. Patients who come into the emergency room don't usually ask where he's from, Albeige said, but some do.

"I usually tell them I'm from the Bronx," Albeige said.

He also avoids talking about religion, he said, and didn't wish to disclose his own beliefs for this story.

"I don't make assumptions about my patients, and I'd rather they don't make assumptions about me," he said. "If you've come to me for treatment, it doesn't matter what my religion is or where I'm from, so it's not worth discussing it."

Albeige, 53, doesn't look or sound like most of his neighbors, but after two decades in East Texas, he feels at home there. One thing he does have in common with the majority of his patients: He supports Trump.

Although he disagrees with the administration's policies on immigration and refugee resettlement, which he worries will block his brother in Damascus from getting out of war-torn Syria, he  like many U.S. physicians  considers himself a fiscal conservative.

He hopes Trump follows through on promises to reform the federal tax system.

"I feel like I'm not really a lot different from people here," Albeige said. "When I talk, I think I even sound like an East Texan."

Matt Dempsey contributed to this story.
AUSTIN -- A revised version of the Senate's controversial "bathroom bill" drops enhanced penalties for crimes committed in restrooms and states that the measure is needed to bar "potentially harmful and distracting environments" in schools.

Those changes are contained in a draft of a substitute Senate Bill 6, circulated among senators late Monday in an attempt to garner additional support for the measure.

The revised bill is to be made public on Tuesday at a meeting of the Senate State Affairs Committee, which is expected to approved the revised bill and send it to the full Senate for debate and approval.

FOR IT: Dem senator announces support for 'bathroom bill'

"The federal government's mandate requiring Texas public schools to provide students access to restrooms, showers and dressing rooms based on an individual students internal sense of gender is alarming and could potentially lead to boys and girls showering together and using the same restroom should such guidance be followed," the revised draft reads.

Ralph Barrera/MBO

"Children receiving an education in Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools are entitled to a safe and secure learning environment. including when using intimate facilities controlled by a school," the bill states. "It is the public policy of this state that residents have a reasonable expectation of privacy when using intimate facilities controlled by a school district."

The opening lines of the revised bill state that the Texas Constitution stipulates that as the Legislature has a duty to provide for "an efficient system of public schools, potentially harmful and distracting environments should be barred."

The revised bill was the subject of intense negotiations between senators on Monday afternoon, as Committee Chair Joan Huffman, R-Houston, met with opposing Democrats behind closed doors to organize for-and-against testimony for Tuesday's hearing -- an unusual step in the Senate.

BIGGER THINGS: Economist says oil prices are more important than bathroom access bill

Republican leaders also met with Democrats and Republicans alike in a last-ditch attempt to sway additional votes for the bill, which appears to have enough votes to be approved Tuesday by the committee. At a press conference earlier in the day, state Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Br0wnsville, announced he will support the measure

Senate Bill 6 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, would require transgender people to use restrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities that match the "biological sex" on their birth certificates.

It would also prohibit local ordinances to allow transgender residents to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

Senators involved in the negotiations said the revised bill drops a provision to increase penalties for some crimes committed in restrooms, a provision that concerned some Republicans.

OPPOSITION: Investors representing more than $11 trillion in assets oppose bathroom bill

The federal guidelines in the revised version refer to ones issued by the Obama administration last year mandating that public schools accommodate transgender students by allowing them use whichever bathroom they identified with. The Trump administration rescinded that mandate on Feb. 22.

Kolkhorst could not immediately be reached for comment Monday evening on the substitute bill.

Last week, 15 senators were listed as supporters of the bill. Nineteen are needed to bring it to a vote by the full Senate.

The Senate has 19 Republicans.

With Lucio's announced support, and with Sens. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, and Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, signing on as co-sponsors on Monday, the tally of known support now stands at 18.

As the push for votes continued on Monday, senators agreed that the bill has more than enough votes needed to gain approval of the nine-member State Affairs Committee. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told reporters he was confident that the bill will pass the Senate in coming days.

Its fate in the House, where there are more opponents and where Speaker Joe Straus has said it is not a priority, remains unclear.
On the campaign website for Donald J. Trump, posted Dec. 7, 2015, still sits the now-president's call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

No half-measures from the Oval Office or claims to the contrary can conceal the fact that the target of Trump's travel ban is and always has been Muslims.

Nor should anyone forget, those many news cycles ago, that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said the Trump campaign instructed him and other surrogates to craft a Muslim ban that could pass legal muster. And that's exactly what the White House is trying to do with this second stab at an executive order after the first was frozen by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

On paper, the executive order signed Monday prohibits new visas from six predominantly Muslim nations for 90 days, beginning March 16, suspends the entire refugee program for 120 days and halves the number of refugees our nation will accept.

These sorts of travel bans don't make our nation any safer. Trump's Department of Homeland Security has rebuffed that claim in a three-page report that concluded national citizenship was an "unlikely indicator" of terrorism.

Refugees do not pose any specific threat. Not a single refugee to the United States, Muslim or otherwise, has committed a major fatal terrorist attack since the Refugee Act of 1980 created our current system. The United States maintains a stringent vetting processes for refugees entering our nation, especially in contrast to the European Union's struggle to accommodate fleeing Syrians.

The threat that should worry Houstonians is the damage that this travel ban will inflict upon our city. Corporate attorneys, not protesters or activists, were the first to reach Bush Intercontinental Airport after the initial travel ban was implemented in January. The oil and gas industry works across the planet, and that includes nations such as Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. Houston suddenly becomes a less appealing place to do business when Trump disrupts routine travel or Customs and Border Patrol agents transform international arrivals into a Kafkaesque gauntlet.

Scores of oil experts have flown into town for CERAWeek, and thousands more will visit for the Offshore Technology Conference in May. City leaders have to worry whether these major international events will be diminished under Trump's travel ban regime.

Hundreds of thousands of Houston-area families rely on the economic internationalism that fuels the oil and gas industry, the Texas Medical Center and the Port of Houston.

But in Mar-a-Lago this weekend, White House staffers were able to soothe an angry president, the Washington Post reported, by moving forward on a travel ban.
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Standing tall

Regarding "Sheriff scraps ties with immigrant-screening program" (Page A1, Feb. 22), Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez followed through on his promise to end the 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a program that diverted resources, promoted racial profiling, and damaged community relationships.

The program had local police officers determining the immigration status of jailed suspects and holding those selected for deportation. Gonzalez cited overcrowding in the county jail complex, staff shortages and overtime costs as his reasoning, but public safety was also a concern. When people who are here undocumented come to view their local police and sheriffs with distrust due to fear of deportation, it emboldens criminals to act.

Local law enforcement has repeatedly spoken in favor of trust policies for another reason: honoring detainers issued by ICE has led to counties facing costly legal penalties when someone was detained without a warrant or court order. Simply put, our local law enforcement officers should not perform the functions of federal immigration agents within local jails.

Instead, cities and counties should focus on policies that strengthen their communities and ensure that victims and witnesses of crimes feel safe speaking to police. Cities and localities need to make pragmatic, rational choices about how to best keep their community safe. I'd like to thank Sheriff Gonzalez for his decision to end the 287(g) program but also encourage him to stop honoring future ICE detainers, which are requests to hold noncitizens past their date of release without a warrant or probable cause. Houston is better than that.

Ruby L. Powers is managing attorney for the Houston-based immigration law firm, Powers Law Group, P.C.

Paying the cost

Regarding "Trump proves he can deliver with address" (Page A13, Thursday), columnist Hugh Hewitt is correct in his analysis that "Trump delivered Tuesday night" during his speech before a joint session of Congress - one-third Shining City on the Hill, one-third voodoo Reaganomics and one-third LBJ Great Society.

Apparently Hewitt, in his swoon, has abandoned his conservative bona fides and thrown the national debt to the wind.

Alan Husak, Houston

Musical review

Regarding "'American in Paris' can dance around flaws, ugly realities" (Page D2, Feb. 25), an "American in Paris" was awesome! There are not words to describe the beauty of the music, the choreography, the dancers, the costumes, the orchestra, the staging and scenery and even the lighting.

I love Gershwin, and this production brought to life this beautiful music. The dancing is fluid, beautifully executed and exudes grace. The actors not only sing beautifully but dance with a heart that extends to the audience. The story is well honed, the costumes are reminiscent of the 1940s and even the scene changes are well executed.

I left this performance with happiness and wanted to share what a wonderful experience this musical is, and it should be seen before it leaves town.

Susan Godwin, Houston
The following are excerpts from reports generated by the Houston Police Department:

An officer was dispatched at about 3:40 a.m. Feb. 16 regarding a report of a vehicle leaving the scene of an accident at the Houston Walmart.

The officer made contact with an assistant manager who said a vehicle had hit and damaged all the riding lawn mowers that were parked for sale in front of the store. The manager said the incident had been witnessed by an employee who was inside his car in the parking lot during a meal break.

The employee told the officer he had seen a full-size, dark-colored Chevrolet Blazer cause the damage.

Store surveillance video helped lead to the identification of a 20-year-old Houston man as a suspect. The man was contacted, and during an interview with police admitted to hitting the equipment, and that he had been under the influence of alcohol at the time and had fled the scene because he was scared.

Investigation revealed that nine Murray brand mowers had been damaged, along with a Murray log splitter. The total cost of the damage was $11,631.

A probable cause statement was sent to the county prosecutor seeking felony charges against the man.

Alex J. Collins, 27, of 329 Ozark St. in Houston, was issued a citation for driving without a valid license after a traffic stop on Holder Drive at about 8:30 p.m. March 4.

An officer was dispatched at about 4:15 p.m. Feb. 23 regarding a report of a pair of alleged shoplifters at Walmart. Edith A. Wen, 35, and Anthony D. Long, 35, both of 614 N. Second St. in Houston were subsequently cited for stealing under $500.

Laura A. Monks, 18, of 5241 Hubbard Drive in Houston, was cited for failure to yield right of way after a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 63 at about 4:40 p.m. Feb. 27.

Jennifer M. Parker, 23, of 110 N. Friend Street, No. 5, in Licking, was issued a citation for stealing under $500 after allegedly shoplifting at Walmart.

Brieanna N. Briggs, 20, of 202 Old Ridge Road, No. 5, at Licking, was cited for driving while suspended after a traffic stop at U.S. 63 and First Street at about 9:30 p.m. Feb. 25.

Lynden A. Dodson, 54, of 116 N. Grand Ave. in Houston, was issued a citation for driving while revoked after an investigate of a single-vehicle accident on Grand Avenue at about 5:30 a.m. Feb. 24.

Josi M. Spauldin, 20, of 301 N. Hamrick St. in Houston, was issued a citation for second-degree trespassing after an incident Feb. 27.

An officer was dispatched around 11:30 p.m. regarding a report of a female suspect who had broken into a car at a Bryan Street residence and then fled on foot. The man who lives there told the responding officer he came home and observed two males standing on the sidewalk in front of his house, and then saw a female leaned over inside his car parked in the driveway of the house. The man stated he asked her what she was doing and she replied, Sorry, wrong house, and took off running.

One of the males at the scene was reportedly holding the suspects purse. He was advised by authorities to tell her to contact the officer at the police station so she could get the purse back.

Spauldin reportedly came to the station to retrieve her purse just before 1 a.m. Feb. 28 and indicated she had not been in town when the incident occurred. But the homeowner reportedly was shown a photo of her and identified her as the suspect. Further investigation led to her being cited.
The following are excerpts from reports generated by the Texas County Sheriffs Department:

A deputy responded March 5 to a womans request to check the well-being of her daughter at her Highway 32 residence at Licking. The officer determined that there were no addresses on Highway 32 with numbers similar to what the woman had provided.

The officer contacted the woman and came to the conclusion that the daughter actually lived near Salem.

A deputy responded Feb. 28 after a woman reported hearing a noise coming from the garage of her Decker Road residence at Licking. The officer found a hole in the garage door and determined the sound appeared to have been made by an animal.

A representative of Texas County Memorial Hospital called March 4 to report a 21-year-old man was there with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

An investigating officer made contact with the man and he said he had been putting up his .22-caliber revolver and accidentally shot himself in the leg. The bullet went through his leg and he was treated for minor injuries.

A deputy was dispatched at about 10:20 a.m. March 5 regarding a report of theft at a Highway M residence at Cabool.

The officer made contact with a 67-year-old man there who said the structure was his hunting cabin, and the showed the deputy where copper and aluminum wire with a total value of $375 had been taken, along with a 100-gallon propane tank valued at $120. There are no suspects.

An officer was dispatched at about 11:40 p.m. March 3 regarding a report of a domestic disturbance involving a firearm at a Prairie Creek Road residence at Plato.

After an investigation, the officer determined that a 55-year-old woman was there with family members helping her move, and a 68-year-old man had become angry, yelled at them to get off the property, and then brought a shotgun out of the house and threatened to shoot them with it. The man told the officer the woman and the others were taking all his stuff, and he was trying to protect it by brandishing the rifle.

A .20-gauge Remington 870 with two live rounds in it was removed from the scene as evidence.

A probable cause statement was sent to the county prosecutor seeking charges against the man.

A 26-year-old Houston man reported at about 3:30 a.m. March 3 that two or three men who were not American had been talking outside his window of his Cleveland Road residence since about 11 p.m.

The man told an investigating deputy he had become tired of it and finally called the cops so he could go to bed. The officer observed that the man appeared to be under the influence of something other than alcohol. The foreign talking men were not located.

Texas County Jail admissions

Feb. 28

Edwin L. Brown  DWI

Robert C. Blanks  writ

Jennifer D. Henderson  12-hour commitment

March 1

Kali L. Allen  Parole warrant

Melanie R. Porter  drug charges

March 3

Michael J. Lewis MDOC hold

Christal N. Spencer  hindering prosecution

Casey R. Myrick  48-hour commitment

Major L. Sutton  assault

Stacy A. Fisher  hindering prosecution

Marcia A. Bailey  48-hour commitment

James D. Wakenight  48-hour shock

Richard N. Wells  receiving stolen property

Stephen D. McDowell  unlawful use of weapon
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According to Whitehead, if employers fail to update their agreements, they will be unable to require workers to work outside of standard hours, enforce restrictions on employees taking secondary employment or cancel an employees shift.

Employers also face a fine of up to $20,000 if they fail to comply with the amendments.

Once word gets around, disgruntled workers will use this law change against their bosses, warns Whitehead.

For employers who are still getting to grips with the recent changes, the upcoming Employment Law for HR Managers Masterclass will cover amendments to the Employment Relations Act and clarify a number of ambiguities.
Among the teen girls surveyed, 30 per cent said that they would not choose STEM jobs despite studying STEM subjects and 39 per cent believe that STEM subjects are difficult. Two in five also reported that girls are less likely to choose STEM subjects because of a perception that STEM jobs are male-dominated.

However, despite the aversion by girls and young women, it seems those who do enter the STEM sector can look forward to good job prospects and a rewarding career.

Eight-four per cent of Asia-Pacific women who graduated with STEM degrees were able to land a job in their field of expertise within six months and 60 per cent of those said they were very satisfied with the job options they had after graduation.

A notable 63 per cent of the STEM first jobbers also indicated they were likely to stay in STEM related fields for their entire career.

Recent stories:
Despite having a feminist prime minister at its helm, the federal government has yet to translate its rhetoric into policy when it comes to gender parity, according to a report from Oxfam Canada.

Two days before International Women's Day, Oxfam released a "Feminist Scorecard" to show the actions the Liberal government has taken, and what still needs to be done, when it comes to gender parity. The organization said the scorecard will be the first in an annual series.

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"Prime Minister Trudeau sent a powerful signal in 2015 when he appointed the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history and named women to key ministerial portfolios," reads the report.

It continues:

"Status of Women remains sorely underfunded and Canadas international aid budget is at a near record-low, even as the government seeks to demonstrate global leadership on womens rights. The area where the government has made the least progress is towards its promise of inclusive growth, having taken no tangible steps to close the gender wage gap or to ensure living wages for the working poor, the majority of whom are women."

The scorecard looked at the Liberal government's policies and spending in eight categories:

Investing in women's leadership Investing in child and elder care Building a progressive tax system Ending violence against women and girls Global leadership on women's rights Responding to humanitarian crises Tackling climate change And addressing the unequal economics of women's work

Canada got a passing grade when it came to representation and leadership, but the report noted there had been little progress on six other categories, including affordable child care and ending violence against women.

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The government was awarded the worst score for jobs and pay equity. The Oxfam report noted that while the Liberal Party campaigned on a promise of inclusive growth, it has taken few meaningful steps towards pay equity, living wages, or supporting domestic workers, who are primarily women.

Take a look at the scorecard:

"In an era of political backlash when hard-won rights are being clawed back, there is no better time for Canada to demonstrate its commitment to advancing women's rights and gender equality," said Lauren Ravon, Oxfam Canada's director of policy and campaigns, in a release.

In February, Trudeau met with U.S. President Donald Trump to announce a joint initiative to support female entrepreneurs. The partnership netted him criticism from the NDP, which blasted him for not being openly critical of a man who has bragged about being able to grab women's genitals because he was famous.

"How could the prime minister possibly sit down and discuss women in the workforce with President Trump without first denouncing his misogynist comments?'' said Sheila Malcolmson, the NDP critic for status of women, at the time.

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Canadians think there are enough women in politics: survey

The Oxfam scorecard coincided with the release of a report on how Canadians feel about women in politics.

A national survey from Abacus Data and Equal Voice found that 58 per cent of Canadians think there are "too many" or "the right number" of women in politics, despite estimating that women occupy 31 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons.

Four per cent think women are overrepresented, while 54 per cent think there are enough women in Parliament.

Since in fact women occupy only 28 per cent of the seats in Parliament, clearly theres still work to do educating Canadians on the issue of underrepresentation of women in Parliament, as well as other levels of government, said Nancy Peckford, Equal Voice's executive director, in a release.

Only three premiers are women, and only 18 per cent of mayors in Canada.

The survey also found 46 per cent of respondents think it will take 14 years to achieve gender parity in the House, while 25 per cent said they think that it will never happen.

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Men were more likely than women to think parity would be achieved sooner.

The survey was conducted online with 2,125 Canadians, and the data was weighted according to Canada's census. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

With files from The Canadian Press

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This is history in the making.

Last week, an all-female crew on an Air India flight travelled 15,300 km from San Francisco to New Delhi in 15-and-a-half hours.

"The entire flight was operated by the women staff of eight departments," the airline said in a statement on Facebook. "This is the first time that this audit was done by a female officer in around the world trip."

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The all-female departments included a cockpit crew, cabin crew, check-in staff, doctor, customer care staff and the entire ground crew from flight dispatcher to technician, the airline noted.

Chairman and Managing Director Air India, Ashwani Lohani (C) stands with the pilots and crew members of an all-women Air India, Delhi - San Francisco - Delhi flight as they pose for a photograph during an event on the eve of International Women's Day in New Delhi.

"The flight was in the safe hands of Capt. Sunita Narula, Capt. Kshamta Bajpai, Capt. Indira Singh and Capt. Gunjan Aggarwal," the airline continued.

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All this, just days leading up to International Women's Day (IWD) on Wednesday.

According to CNN, Air India is hoping to win a Guinness World Record to mark IWD, scheduling a series of all-women flights for Wednesday.

The record includes flying around the world, which goes from New Delhi to San Francisco back to New Delhi.

Indian women pilots from Air India applaud during an event on the eve of International Women's Day in New Delhi.

In January, the airline announced a row of seats in economy class on their domestic flights to be reserved for women travelling alone.

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"These special seats, which can be availed by such women passengers, will come at no extra cost," Air India said in a statement.

CNN notes this special row was introduced to fight in-flight sexual assaults, after reports of female passengers being groped by men on-board.

And although an all-female crew is one way to celebrate equality, a lot has to be done to ensure the ongoing safety of all female passengers.

Indian women pilots from Air India pose for a photograph during an event on the eve of International Women's Day in New Delhi.

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In 2015, Ethiopian Airlines also made history by sending an all-female crew from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Bangkok, Thailand.

Like Air India, every member of the crew was a woman, from the pilot to ground dispatchers.

Women are the continents greatest untapped resources," Ethiopian Airlines' group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in a statement that year.

According to the Gender Gap Grader, women only make up approximately 5.44 per cent of commercial pilots globally.

In the U.S., 5.12 per cent of airline or commercial pilots are women.

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An army of hackers at the CIA has amassed an arsenal of malware, some of which is used to turn smartphones and smart TVs into microphones, according to documents released Tuesday that Wikileaks says come from inside the agency.

The documents authenticity could not be immediately verified. Wikileaks claims it has never released a false document. Experts sifting through the documents say they appear legitimate, and the release is almost certain to shake the CIA.

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According to the documents, the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence has amassed a staff of some 5,000 who have developed or acquired numerous malware tools including zero-day exploits  previously unknown hacking tools, Wikileaks said in a statement.

The CIA has reportedly developed the ability to take control of mobile devices, targeting iPhones and other Apple products like the iPad.

The disproportionate focus on iOS may be explained by the popularity of the iPhone among social, political, diplomatic and business elites, Wikileaks speculated.

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But the CIAs exploits also targeted Android devices, such as those made by Samsung, LG and HTC, Wikileaks said. The agency reportedly has exploits for Windows PCs as well.

CIA's secret hacking division produced a huge amount of weaponized malware to infest iPhone. Android phones--and lost control of it. #Vault7pic.twitter.com/KmFLEVmbnE  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017

In conjunction with Britains MI5, the agency developed a cyberweapon known as Weeping Angel that can take control of Samsung smart TVs, Wikileaks said.

The weapon reportedly creates a fake off mode, making the user think the TV is off. The TV then records conversations and sends the audio to the CIA over the Internet.

Wikileaks dubs the hacked CIA documents Vault 7, and says it is the first of a series of leaks of CIA documentation.

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It says that the CIA recently "lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal" and that the tools were distributed among former U.S. government hackers, one of whom provided Wikileaks with the CIA documents.

The arsenal "gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA," Wikileaks wrote.

If it did prove legitimate, the dump would represent yet another catastrophic breach for the U.S. intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks and its allies, which have repeatedly humbled Washington with the mass release of classified material, including hundreds of thousands of documents from the State Department and the Pentagon.

"There's no question that there's a fire drill going on right now,'' said Jake Williams, a security expert with Augusta, Georgia-based Rendition Infosec. "It wouldn't surprise me that there are people changing careers  and ending careers  as we speak.''
On Monday, France's adverstising watchdog asked legendary French fashion house, Saint Laurent, to modify two campaign ads after receiving 50 complaints that the images were "degrading to women."

Just days after receiving praise for a beautifully raw fall 2017 collection at Paris Fashion Week, the brand, which is currently under Anthony Vaccarello's creative direction, is being told to rethink an image that's part of their fall campaign, which features a reclining model wearing a fur coat and fishnets with her legs spread wide.

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The other image in question shows a model in a leotard and roller skate stilettos bending over a stool.

After an uproar on social media, French advertising watchdog, the Autorite de Regulation Professionnelle de la Publicite (ARPP), took the complaints under consideration and told the luxury label to change the images. The ARPP noted that the campaign images were incontestably breached of the rules outlined by the agency, which work to maintain the "dignity and respect in the representation of the person."

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"We asked the brand and the ad displayer to make changes to these visuals as soon as possible," Stephane Martin, head of the ARPP, told Reuters.

I am not sure that [Saint Laurents] female clients would like to be associated with these images. We had a similar type of porno chic [in fashion advertising] a decade ago, and here we have it coming back again, which isnt acceptable," he continued.

Among those to demand the image be taken down was France's leading women's group, Osez le feminisme ("Dare to be Feminist").

According to Vogue U.K., it is unknown if the request for the modifications are underway.

The next step of this process will come on Friday, when an independent advertising ethics committee associated with the ARPP will rule on the complaints. If the committee decides there are grounds to the complaints, Saint Laurent will be asked to remove the advertisements.

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And this isn't the first time Saint Laurent has come under fire from an advertising watchdog.

In 2015, Britain banned an ad from the brand that featured a model who was "unhealthily underweight."

The Business of Fashion notes that Saint Laurent, part of luxury group Kering, could not be immediately reached for comment.

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I teach a course in non-fiction writing and one of the topics we discuss in an online forum is what sort of publications students read, and why -- hoping for a discussion of various types of journalism and creative non-fiction writing. Nowadays, however, I tend to get a curious response. People say something like, I don't get my news from newspapers, I just read what's trending in my feed.

They talk about it as if there was no choice involved; the stories simply appear in their social media feeds. I have to point out to them that they are in fact choosing what they read when they click to follow a news source. But I'm not sure my message is getting through. Now we seem to choose our news sources without even being aware that we've made a choice.

Certainly, we do it without paying for any of it.

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Newspaper revenues have been in a freefall for the last five years or so. Traditionally, newspapers made their money by subscriptions and advertising. They're now trying to make money online, and some, like Montreal's La Presse, have gone almost entirely digital.

But with all their attempts, it's been barely enough to stem the bleeding.

I'm not going to suggest that newspapers are or ever were immune to the same issues that poison broadcast news -- namely, pandering to viewers/readers and advertisers. But, at this point in history, they are one of the few remaining sources of original journalism. Most of the news that you read online is what is called "secondary journalism" or "aggregate journalism."

What it boils down to is this: Time and money. To write a standard 500 to 750 word article in the old-fashioned newspaper style means phone calls, maybe even in-person appointments and research, along with searching the Internet. That means, even under ideal conditions, I can turn in maybe two of those in a typical work day. Ideal conditions means that the information and people I need to access are immediately available. If not, it might stretch to a couple of days, even a week or more to put everything together.

In this model, journalism is a full-time job with full-time wages.

An insignificant event is all of a sudden given weight, and any inaccuracies are repeated over and over.

The primary advantage of secondary journalism is time. You're using only online sources, and the standard is often fairly low -- two or three only. Often, while there is a stipulation on using quality sources -- no Wikipedia, in other words -- there is no requirement to use original sources. In other words, if I'm reporting on something NASA did, I don't have to look up the NASA documentation; I can simply reference and quote what CNN or the CBC said about it.

You can cobble a piece together in an hour or two, which is a good thing, because they only pay, at the most, for about two hours of your time. To make more, you get PPV, or pay per view, which is something like streaming music in terms of revenue.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, what happens is that one original story can multiply into tens, hundreds, even thousands of aggregated stories. An insignificant event is all of a sudden given weight, and any inaccuracies are repeated over and over. An unconfirmed story suddenly becomes confirmed many times over.

So, while, it looks like you have many more choices for your news nowadays, in reality, you're looking at a shrinking amount of original research and reporting, fragmented and magnified many more times. With the print world shrinking, we're seeing less and less original reporting that is simply being repackaged and regurgitated, and if the demand is there, that regurgitating action will just keep churning out more and more stories to capitalize on the trend.

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Why? Are all writers and publishers bad people?

That may be so, but it's beside the point. There's a Denzel Washington speech about journalism that's gone viral, where he talks about the endless search for sensationalism. He's right -- it is about the money.

But how could it not be?

PPV is a crap shoot -- I've made between $5 and $500 (CAD) per piece. I can't write meaty, well-researched stories on the important issues of the day. And first off the bat, I can't write for a Canadian audience.

Because you -- you the reading public -- just won't click on them.

So instead of writing about hard science and things like climate change or pollution, my most successful pieces to date have been about Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU for those of us in the know). It fuels my nerdy obsessions, but it's not of earth-shattering importance. The most routinely successful stories over the past year, in general, have had to do with reality TV stars and Donald Trump.

Because you -- the reading public -- keep clicking on them.

So, you want to complain that journalists won't delve into worthy topics and look for story lines that others aren't covering? Sorry, but if it's not a trending topic, there's no money to be made.

If that's what you want, then like anything else of value, you'll just have to go back to paying for it.

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As a writer, I believe that on the whole, writers, particularly seasoned ones, should be avoided at all cost. We are a moribund faction, convinced that the world might (or should) be interested in our opinions and how delicately or smartly we might try to express them. And we are viciously competitive, as we treat each encounter with a new pen-in-town as a barometer to our own flimsy genius. It is bloody and horrific.

The joyous flip side to this putrid clique is the virginal newcomer, the grubby misfit, the grinning rogue. I limit my literary friendships to these eager debutants. These runts-on-the-rise (these ragtags and scrag-ends, as we say in Yorkshire) are far more fun. These are the professionally unsoiled, hymen intacto, still keen to impress the smug gatekeeper (read, talentless agents, for if they were that good, they'd be doing it themselves) and pierce the lofty, elevated citadel of the king-maker publisher.

Last month in Barbados, I was introduced to one such grand ragamuffin, whose own narrative arc was that of a precipitous gradient and a tingling redemption, guaranteed to satisfy the box-tickers in the formulae-dependent fiction department. Wilmont St. Cyr, with his thoroughly engaging, beguiling and turquoise Caribbean lilt, was five days short of his fiftieth birthday, but seemed closer to thirty-five, even more impressive when a sliver short of a decade had been spent in a harsh maximum security prison, following his conviction for possession of firearms in 2004. A further twenty-year stretch was avoided, after he proved his own innocence when his jail was razed to the ground.

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In 2008, St. Cyr started to write. He says, "I always wanted to do something significant in my life, and needed to tell my life story. I never felt like a bad person, only unfortunate. So, I decided to write. Writing became an oasis for me. During my incarceration, it helped me to envision every aspect of the human journey, inside and outside of the law. To embrace my captors and my misfortune. It miraculously created that 'silver lining' behind those dark clouds of prison life."

Then, a Canadian initiative proved to be the next glorious fulcrum in St. Cyr's life. The "Reintegration Program" cost the Barbadian government a hefty sum, and it was a controversial, yet sophisticated and enlightening procurement. St. Cyr recognises that it was his Canuck tutors, who gave him the psychological tools to make wise life choices in his future.

The warders were empowered by the course to then instruct inmates themselves. Here St. Cyr learned job etiquette, money management, and parenting (St. Cyr is now a father).

In June 2012, he was released from prison. He has now written five books. His first one, Fields of Death, an award-winning tale of the gruesome cane-field murders that haunted the paradise isle, was published. He has followed these up with a historical thriller, a medical thriller based on the Ebola virus, another cop tale on the same character as his debut, and an autobiography. He is currently writing his sixth; on human trafficking, while completing an online writing course with the prestigious University of East Anglia in England.

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He has since used his experience to pass his message of rehabilitation and redemption to others at risk; his younger self, if you will.

"I have helped numerous people, because of my writing, including school students ranging from 11 to 17 years old, and many adults nationwide from my interviews on television and radio, lecturing in schools and even churches. Most importantly, to youths and adults in communities troubled by gun violence."

He was then invited to appear at the Toronto Urban Book Expo on February 13th, 2016 at the Toronto public library. He was asked by Stacey Marie Robinson of Kya Publishing, who host the yearly event.

St. Cyr explains, "I boarded the flight from Bridgetown. I had documentation from Kya and correspondence with my sponsors, the (BIDC) Barbados Investment and Development Co-operation, who had paid for my flight and accommodation. I also took correspondence with the Consul General of Barbados, Haynesley Benn, who was to meet me at the airport. I carried fifty copies of my book and my proof as a registered businessman (author). I even had advertisements from Kya, announcing my appearance. I travelled as a commonwealth national from Barbados to Canada."

St. Cyr was denied entry to Canada. He told me of one guard's overt and nasty intimidation. He was forced on to a plane the next morning, and shipped unceremoniously back to Barbados.

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"We protect the lives of animals, until they can return to their natural habitat. Prison reminds me of that. That's how I felt that cold night in February at the airport. Like an animal. I am an author, an artist, a human being. Not a threat," he says.

"Fields of Death would have been the only book from the Caribbean to be featured at the event.

It is ironic is that the same country (Canada), who helped me so much, then shunned me."

So, at a time when much of the world's attention is focused on U.S. borders, here is a tale of one man rejected by the Canada of Mister Trudeau and his inclusive, tolerant, and progressive ideals.

I, for one, would welcome St. Cyr into my home with my children, were he to be invited back.

St. Cyr was given a second chance. Then denied one. Mister Trudeau, St. Cyr is forgiving enough to give YOU a second chance.

"Yes, I would surely return to Canada if given the opportunity. I came to Canada that day to fulfill a remarkable opportunity, that I knew one day could inspire a bad person to change, give a good person hope, and to prove the greatest talents can be found in the most remarkable of places. Like prison."

Mister Trudeau?
Ms Leitch,

I'd say Dear Ms Leitch to be polite but I'm not there at the moment.

I remember your heartfelt speech in the House in the days after we lost Jim Flaherty. I watched. I mourned. I really felt for you as a physician who had tried so hard to save your friend. I cried. I miss him too.

I think about him so often lately. It surprises and upsets me that a woman who loved him so would take such an extreme approach to securing the leadership of the party he had so much influence upon and whose policies bolstered the place the Conservative party had for a decade. The CPC had had what it needed in Jim. You lost him and I am sorry for that. But you can honour his memory in the approach you take to the future of the conservative movement.

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I wrote him a letter once. About the challenges of owning a small business. About the risk that we take and the sacrifice we make to employ people and improve our community. He answered. With dignity and respect. I am forever grateful for his words of encouragement and the time taken to craft a response. Being the Minister of Finance is not the easiest job in the country, but he did it with grace, with humour and with humility. It might be time you revisited this.

I have visited your campaign Facebook page and it disheartens me greatly. You seem to thrive on the anger of people who think they are not getting what they think they deserve. Even when those comments go well beyond what's considered respectful and decent, you leave them for all to see. You give that anger a voice. A loud one. A platform. And it's contagious. As a doctor, I'm sure you understand how illness spreads. Anger doesn't build businesses or solve problems or improve relationships. And if I'm the only one to have pointed this out to you, chances are, you're not listening to enough types of advice in your campaign run.

Jim was passionate but un-swayable in his principles. At least not in my view. You could disagree with him but still vote for him. That's a true test of leadership.

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But voting for you, I fear, would be voting for anger, not principles. Please think about him as you head into the end of this race. It's a race as in a contest, not a race as in pitting people of different origins against each other. Geez, I hope they taught you the difference in med school. But I can't be sure so I thought I'd write you a letter too.

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Women inspire me every day. I am surrounded by women at my work and I have amazing female friends and clients. This International Women's Day asks us to #BeBoldForChange, to create a more equal and inclusive world. We all have the power to be bold and inspire change within ourselves and in the world.

My commitment to being bold for change is that I want to ensure that I am as informed as possible about what is going on in the world. In today's climate, I feel it is everyone's responsibility to be as educated as possible. Knowledge is the power that will allow us all to be bold for change. To celebrate International Women's Day, here are some of my favourite quotes from some very bold, very inspiring women.

"Far too many people are looking for the right person, instead of trying to be the right person." - Gloria Steinem

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This quote inspires me on so many levels. First of all, Gloria Steinem has fought her whole life for women's rights, so this had to be first on my list. I truly feel when we are lost we are always looking around for Mr. or Ms. Right, as if everything wrong in our lives can be fixed by the right partner. I have found in my own life that the key to happiness is finding your true self. We waste a lot of time looking for something outside ourselves when the work that needs to be done is inside. Only then, when we are true to ourselves, will the right person come along and only then will we actually notice them and recognize in them the possibility of a fulfilling partnership.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie receives an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Johns Hopkins

"This was love: a string of coincidences that gathered significance and became miracles." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was already a prominent Nigerian writer when Beyonce sampled her TEDx talk entitled "We should all be feminists" in her song "Flawless." That catapulted Adichie to further prominence. This quote from Adichie's novel Half of a Yellow Sun resonates with me because I truly believe that love is a miracle and if you are lucky enough to find it, well then you are truly lucky! A major part of finding love is coincidence, chance, accidents and, in the end, the miracle of people finding each other. Most things in life happen for a reason and have a higher purpose. This quote reminds me to be open to the miracle of what is possible.

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"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." - Coco Chanel

When you have the confidence to be who you are, that's beautiful. This quote also speaks to me as a female business owner as Ms. Chanel owned her business at a time when women just did not do that. Chanel's designs were radical for her time, with drop-waists and sporty styles that were for a life of adventure, for movement and for a different vision for what women could be. She also made it chic and acceptable to wear black during the day, so without Coco Chanel, my #NKallblackeverything wardrobe might not exist!

"Success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives." - Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama, to me, is incredible. The way she stood beside her husband - not behind him but alongside him. She inspired us with her grace, her mind and her kindness. And I love the story that the Obamas met when Michelle was Barack's boss! This quote spoke to me because I feel that the most important attachments in our lives need to be to people, to moments, to experiences. The attachment is to the hope that we all have the ability to leave this world a better place for our children. It's a privilege to live the life we do, and we need to honour that.

"It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It's also a very clear path to happiness." - Sheryl Sandberg

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Sheryl Sandberg is so inspiring to me. She has started the conversation about women in the workplace for our generation. She has challenged all women to form truly equal partnerships in their personal lives and to advocate for what they are passionate about in the workplace. I love how this quote talks about fulfillment and happiness, a big goal for me this year. If you can do what you are passionate about and give back, you are well on your way to happiness, which matters so much more than other, traditional markers of success like money or fame.

"For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes." - Emma Watson

Emma Watson is a girl after my own heart. Everything she does feels like there is so much soul and mindfulness behind it. Every layer of her public image aligns with her values. I love her new Instagram featuring all sustainable fashion and I love even more that she is using the platform of her fame to speak about women's rights. I am just in awe of her. In terms of the quote I chose, can we finally put this definition to rest? Men and women should have equal rights and opportunities - I think we can all agree on that. We all should be feminists. It's about human equality, for men as much as for women.

You can celebrate International Women's Day in small or big ways. Every International Women's Day, my father used to give my mother a bouquet of flowers. This has always stayed with me because I grew up in a household where my parents were equals, truly in every way. They have been married for fifty years, honouring and loving each other every day of the year. However you choose to honour women today, I hope you are inspired by the quotes I chose and that you take on the challenge to #BeBoldForChange. After all, as Eleanor Roosevelt famously said: "Well-behaved women rarely make history." Last quote, I promise! Happy International Women's Day!

What are your favourite inspirational quotes? How do you celebrate International Women's Day? Tweet me @NatashaNKPR or comment below!

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luchschen via Getty Images vial with medical drugs

In December, the health-care industry rejoiced as the 21st Century Cures Act achieved overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law by former U.S. President Barack Obama. The new legislation aims to increase funding for cancer research, speed the development and approval of new treatments, and strengthen mental health services.

While this measure can bring exciting new innovation, there is one major aspect missing from the new law. The Cures Act does not address a pervasive problem many citizens have with the pharma industry: excessive drug prices.

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Over the past two years, drug prices came to the forefront of national conversation when several companies dramatically increased the cost of some treatments. Mylan was at the center of a national outrage over the 400% price increase for its lifesaving allergy treatment, EpiPen. Turing Pharmaceuticals hiked up the price of their drug, Daraprim, by 5,000% overnight.

These increases sparked consumer outrage and Senate investigations into price gouging. President Donald Trump has even stated that he wants to reduce drug prices and believes the government should require competitive bidding. It is heavily debated whether giving Medicare the right to negotiate would "save billions," as Trump claims. While he does not provide further detail on this concept (among others), it is clear his administration may lead to new pricing restrictions in 2017.

By way of background, unlike other nations, the U.S. government currently does not regulate drug prices. Prices are determined by pharmaceutical companies and rebates are negotiated in private. Alternatively, in Europe, governments negotiate directly with companies to limit what their government-funded health systems pay.

Reducing drug prices is not a black and white issue and the topic remains a wild card with Trump taking office. There are valid concerns down both sides of the aisle and a fair solution will require teamwork across all different organizations, drug makers, health insurers, and government sectors. Let's take a moment to look at the arguments on both sides: for and against restricting drug prices.

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In an argument for reducing drug costs, doctors and insurance executives worry that many medicines are becoming unaffordable for patients, while companies are getting wealthier. Many critics can point to the drug industry's large profit margins - pharma is the most profitable U.S. industry with a 30% net margin in 2016, according to Factset.

Advocates of greater price reduction also argue that it would not affect greater innovation and new treatments. Companies could keep their research and development costs the same, while reducing spending in other areas, such as marketing. Senator John McCain's proposed bill, the Fair Drug Pricing Act, would require companies to justify large cost increases and disclose spending on research, development, and advertising.

The main argument against reducing drug costs is that it would harm innovation. Pharmaceutical companies need large profits to develop new therapies. Companies make a significant upfront investment and take a large risk in developing drugs - most do not make it to the market. The odds for a new drug to progress from preclinical to human testing and become FDA approved is 1 in 5,000.

Many would argue that pharmaceutical companies deserve a fair return on their investment. While drug prices have increased, today's drugs are more valuable and effective for patients than most new cancer drugs were many years ago. In fact, the death rate from cancer in the U.S. declined 25% from its peak in 1991 to 2014 due to early detection and new treatments. This decline translates to more than 2.1 million deaths averted during this time period, according to the American Cancer Society.

With fair arguments on both sides of the issue and no near-term resolution, what can companies do in the meantime to get ahead of the issue? One suggestion for drug company executives is to create a voluntary code-of-conduct to help curb dramatic pricing practices. Companies can be more transparent about the justifications for drug prices and educate investors and patients about factors that may influence costs.

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Allergen CEO Brent Saunders is starting to put this concept into practice. He has pledged that the company will create a "social contract" with Allergan customers that promise fair drug prices and develop patient assistance programs for more than 40 drugs.

In addition to drug prices, replacing the Affordable Care Act will have huge implications for the 18 million people it insures. There are already concerns of not having a replacement plan ready as well as the potential financial cost of repealing the law. As a new and unpredictable administration enters the White House, ongoing discussion and further research is needed to find resolutions that can benefit patients and continue to progress life-saving treatments.
jozefmicic via Getty Images Business woman versus man corporate ladder career concept vector illustration. Gender inequality issue with different opportunities for males and females. Eps10 vector illustration.

Across capital markets, 40 stock exchanges will be ringing in International Women's Day (IWD) as part of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative. The opening bell, which ceremoniously signals commencement of trading activity for the day, will also ring out for "the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality to achieve the UN's SDG 5."

In 2015, 193 UN Member States adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of which Goal 5 sets out to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Advancing this mandate is UN Women, whose IWD theme this year is "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030."

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And indeed, the working world for women is changing, however, not as one might have expected. The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 2016 highlighted two troubling trends. In the area of economic gender parity, that is salaries, participation and leadership, progress worldwide "has slowed dramatically with the gap -- which stands at 59 per cent -- now larger than at any point since 2008." Secondly, not only has progress slowed, it has "reversed since then, having peaked in 2013." Most notably by region, North America is trending backwards.

In 2016, Canada's overall ranking was 35th, dropping from 14th place in 2006. In the critical category of economic participation and opportunity for women, Canada ranked 36th out of the 144 countries evaluated in the report, down from 10th place in 2006. Under economic leadership, Canada scored a value of 0.73 for "ability of women to rise to positions of leadership" and 0.27 for gender parity on boards of publically traded companies with a 21 female to 79 male ratio.

In parallel, the US ranked 45th overall in 2016, dropping from 23rd place in 2006. Economic participation and opportunity for women ranked the US 26th out of the 144 countries, down from 3rd place in 2006. Economic leadership scored the US a value of 0.73 for "ability of women to rise to positions of leadership" and 0.24 for gender parity on boards of publically traded companies with a 19 female to 81 male ratio.

Why has progress towards gender equality slowed and in some regions reversed on the economic front? Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund chief, articulated it well during a World Economic Forum panel on Disrupting the Status Quo of Gender Roles.

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"We have improved gradually a little bit over the last two decades. But in the last few years, that progress has slowed down," stated Lagarde. "I personally think that economic hardship is not conducive to tolerance, is not conducive to making space, is not conducive to encouraging the inclusion which is needed for women to participate at an equal level."

And how has the post-2008 financial crisis economic headwinds impacted the female labour market? If we look at the industry in the centre of the maelstrom, the data validates the trend. According to the global management consultancy Oliver Wyman's Women in Financial Services report, "Female representation is growing on financial services boards (20 per cent in 2016) and executive committees (16 per cent in 2016), but progress is slow. At current rates of growth, financial services globally will reach 30 per cent female executive committee representation by 2048 only. Moreover, progress seems to have slowed in some geographies, compared to what we found out in 2014."

So we know that progress is slow -- and slowing -- despite compelling evidence that points to positive financial performance for companies with female representation on boards and among senior management. In fact, recent research conducted by MSCI concluded that "U.S. companies that began the 2011-2016 period with at least three women on the board experienced median gains in Return on Equity (ROE) of 10 percentage points and Earnings per Share (EPS) of 37 per centt. In contrast, companies that began the period with no female directors experienced median changes of -1 percentage point in ROE and -8% in EPS over the study period."

MSCI also "found fewer instances of governance-related controversies such as cases of bribery, corruption, fraud and shareholder battles" among gender diverse boards. "Companies with board gender diversity in the bottom quartile against their country's average gender diversity suffered 24 per cent more governance-related controversies than average (normalized for market capitalization) between 2012 and 2015."

Furthermore, Morningstar's Fund Managers by Gender - Global Landscape Study found that female portfolio managers were more likely to invest sustainably. "Our study finds a couple of characteristics that may be associated with better investing practices. For example, we find that funds run by women generally have lower turnover ratios, which generally results in lower costs and better investing outcomes." The research also noted that, "one in five funds has at least one manager who is a woman, a figure that has not improved since the global financial crisis of 2008" and that "in some asset classes, women fund managers are more-credentialed than men, yet they're still broadly underrepresented in fund portfolio manager ranks."

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This only serves to reinforce the World Economic Forum's view that, "the world is facing an acute misuse of talent by not acting faster to tackle gender inequality, which could put economic growth at risk and deprive economies of the opportunity to develop."

Although such movements as Girls Who Invest - a non-profit dedicated to increasing the number of women in portfolio management in the asset management industry and to have 30 per cent of the world's investable capital managed by women by 2030 -- as well as the 30% Club -- a global group with the goal of increasing proportion of women on boards to 30 per cent -- are attempting to address the gender disparity head on, the private sector continues to be a sleeping giant. A giant that will have a rude awaking with shifting demographics, as "women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined--more than twice as big, in fact."

Ultimately if we are to achieve the UN's SDG Goal 5 and UN Women's Planet 50-50 by 2030, we will all need to do much more than bell ringing.

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The five things you need to know on Tuesday, March 7

1) THE SNAP DRAGOONS

William Hague has become the first senior Tory to say what has been on many MPs minds since their Copeland by-election victory: its time to think seriously about a snap election to capitalise on Labours poll woes. Theresa May has so far shown an innate caution about this whole idea, preferring to wait until 2020. But will she be dragooned into a snap poll on the grounds that a calculated risk is the best kind of risk?

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In his Telegraph article, Hague makes a powerful case as to why the riskier thing is to wait another four years. The challenges of Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists mean that the PM and Cabinet would be in a stronger positionif they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them.

And a key plank of Hagues argument is that repealing the Fixed Term Parliaments Act and calling an election would avoid yet more Parliamentary stand-offs over Brexit. And his timing is bang on, given the Lords is almost certain to defeat the Government this afternoon (around 5.30pm) on an amendment demanding a meaningful vote for Parliament on the final deal. The Labour amendment says both the Commons and Lords should get a vote on any decision by the PM to try to quit the EU without an agreement as to the applicable terms .

Hague also knows that the bigger battle will be over the Great Repeal Bill due in the next Parliamentary session. And todays Lords Constitution Committee warns that scrutiny should not be sidelined as the huge existing body of EU law is transposed into UK law. If she gets a majority of 70 or more (and some in Labour really fear that a snap election could deliver one), Theresa May knows that she will be better equipped to take on the peers as well as her own rebels.

No.10 is this morning sticking firmly to its line that the PM has no intention to 'go early'. A snap poll could revive the Lib Dems while laying waste to Labour seats. But the clamour will continue and so will the unofficial wargaming. Don't forget too that Hague is a long-standing ally of David Lidington, the Commons leader who has to deal with tiny majorities and the way they make life difficult.

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2) GETTING SCHOOLED

Theresa May and Philip Hammond have certainly got the eve-of-Budget headlines they wanted in several papers, thanks to their announcement of half a billion quid for school buildings. Theres a one-off 320m for 140 new free schools, and 216m to rebuild and refurbish existing state schools (though the cash for the latter cannot be used to address the 3bn spending shortfall theyre facing).

Whats attracting attention is the Free School money as it appears that many of the new institutions could be selective, and effectively become the new grammars that May floated last year. However, its far from clear just how many will select pupils given the stringent requirements Justine Greening appeared to impose. Its an example of the dogged determination the PM has not to give up on an idea, tempered by some pragmatism about the outcome. Some MPs think we wont see more than, say, 20 new grammars in total, out of that 140 new school target.

May isnt giving up on her main political line that selection already operates on the basis of house prices, but (non selective) Free Schools are more popular with parents in areas with gaps in quality and capacity. Labour and the Lib Dems and teaching unions point to the recent NAO report suggesting the taxpayer has been ripped off by expensive new Free School sites.

3) SOFT COUP SHUFFLE

John McDonnell addressed the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) last night and for the most part it was a quiet affair, with him setting out the partys key messages around the Budget. He listed chronic low pay, the rigged economy on tax, giving the NHS and social care the funding it needs and ensuring the economy works for women.

The PLP is largely observing a very strict informal edict not to publicly criticise the leadership, but in the Q&A last night, MPs Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle made plain their frustration with McDonnell over his claims of a soft coup. Streeting said Sir John Major and even George Osborne had done a better job than Labour in criticising Theresa Mays Brexit plans. Why is it that a former Tory Prime Minister is more effective at attacking a Tory government than a Labour Shadow Chancellor?

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Kyle cited a line from Shadow Cabinet minister Barry Gardiner - that the coup allegations were the work of a late-night typewriter - and asked why McDonnell couldnt spend his time writing clearer messages on the economy and Brexit. McDonnell said that he would work harder to consult MPs for their thoughts on lines of attack against the Tories and said everyone, including himself, had to focus on unity. What the Tories fear most is a united Labour Party, he said. Read my full report HERE.

BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

4) ON THE TOWN

In the YouGov/Election Data poll yesterday, John McDonnell emerged as the joint favourite (along with Yvette Cooper) among Labour party members as their choice to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. Possibly because of her lack of profile, Lisa Nandy came way behind. But a lack of profile may be a good thing right now given the uneasy truce between the PLP and the leadership.

Nandy today has a big speech at the IPPR, where she will appear alongside Owen Jones (who urged her to run for leader in 2015). Her main message is that Labour has neglected Englands towns as it pursues big cities instead. Too often, as with Brexit, cities are wrongly treated as proxies for national opinion, she will say. The national obsession with talking about trains rather than bus services is just one example.

The former Shadow Energy Secretary will point out (as she did to me in a Nuffield College seminar last month) that the party has five times as many members in Islington as Wigan. She will argue Labour is currently experiencing a 'crisis of identity because of its inability to connect with voters beyond the cities. And shell add that challenging the populism of the Right requires strong leadership, and an understanding of the need to connect with voters emotions and feelings about identity.

Tony Blair famously claimed Corbyn voters relied more on their hearts than their heads, but Nandy seems to be warning that in fact Labour needs to worry most about the hearts argument - many of its own former voters think it no longer shares their values on things like patriotism and national identity. If Labour is to carve out a post-Brexit message, could this be it? Labour MP John Woodcock, who knows only too well the problem of Copeland, has his own solution: he's written in Progress about the need for 'New Labour 2.0'

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5) DUBS STEP

The Children & Social Work Bill is up before the Commons today and already it has proved a bit of a headache for the Government. A combination of Tory rebels and smart Labour tactics have made the whips very nervous.

Last week, Education Secretary Justine Greening quietly signed up to eight Labour amendments to halt plans to let councils opt out of some child protection laws. She effectively gutted her own bill, but the word is that No.10 didnt want yet another row. A plan for compulsory sex and relationship education has already been added to the bill, again to avoid another defeat.

Now, Labour has managed to get the Dubs amendment on child refugee numbers into the scope of the bill and Heidi Allen and David Burrowes are leading the Tory charge. An amendment today seeks to place a statutory duty on councils to consult and report back to ministers at least once a year on their capacity to provide safeguarding and welfare services to children, including refugees from abroad. Some 30 Tories could back the idea. Will ministers back down and claim the concession as their own?

If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox.
Annette Murphy, SVP of fibre solutions Europe at Zayo, looks at Germany's current network infrastructure and the increasing demand for Germany as a central location for the technology, media and telecom (TMT) sector

As Europe's largest and one of its strongest economies, Germany has a diverse and well-established network which makes it an ideal location for international telecoms and large enterprises to set up shop.

The country holds a number of significant advantages for business: The recent modernization of Germany's infrastructure means that the country now holds the most advanced technology equipment and infrastructure systems in the world. However, in order to stay ahead, it is vital to maintain a resilient, scalable network infrastructure to support the vast amount of data that Germany's tech companies produce on a daily basis.

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Germany's geographical, technological and economic factors have created a central hub for international technology and telecoms companies in Europe.

Germany's unique geographical position

Due in part to the historic separation between East and West Germany, the geographical formation of the country, and by extension its infrastructure, are not typical of European nations. Bordered by nine countries, Germany sits right in the heart of Europe and is unique insofar as it has distinct hubs in different areas of the country, all focusing on different industries. The media hub in Dusseldorf, the banking sector in Frankfurt and the up and coming fintech hub of Berlin are all supported by high-power fibre networks and one of the strongest networks in Europe. This makes Germany a very attractive location for number of major communication technology companies including the likes of Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia amongst others.

Germany's successful economy

In 1998, the German government relaxed regulation on the telecoms industry, which was a vital first step in attracting global business to the country. The market was liberalised, which allowed private investors and foreign companies to enter it and modernise the infrastructure with the most technologically advanced equipment available. East Germany made great gains as a result of this liberalisation, with an influx of money pouring in from all over the world as a result.

Germany has ever since become one of the biggest and most powerful economies in Europe, greatly benefiting from this massive investment in infrastructure. The country now has one of the most dense fibre optic networks in the world that sits at the core of its economy. It is therefore no coincidence that 28 of the Global Fortune 500 companies choose to be headquartered in Germany.

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Looking to the future

As companies increase their reliance on big data, IoT and other advanced technologies, Germany will see a continued uplift in data consumption. In fact, according to a recent report by law firm William Fry, most international organisations (based on key factors driving location decisions) already consider Germany as one of the top three destinations for EU data-driven investments. Demand for Germany's high-power fibre networks show no signs of slowing.
Danny Moloshok / Reuters

The image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi lying dead on a Turkish beach etched the plight of Syrian refugees into the global consciousness. If only the world had felt his dinghy capsize, been thrown into the churning waters after fleeing a rubble-worn country. Maybe more in the UK would welcome refugees from the Calais camp or some of the 90,000 lone child refugees who are most vulnerable.

Now, virtual reality promises to mimic these experiences, with tools to view, hear and feel the world as a Syrian refugee, or a girl fetching water in East Africa. If our brains can be tricked into the immediacy of these events, our emotions will follow.

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We are hardwired for empathy. A landmark 2012 study found that human interactions are unique because of a neurological overlap in our understanding of the self and those closest to us. Our brains don't differentiate--our loved ones' emotions affect us the same as our own.

We've all experienced this physiological connection when we've felt the pain of a friend. But what about people in distant countries? Virtual reality can close that gap and revolutionise empathy.

Professor Jeremy Bailenson has been researching the neurological and psychological impact of virtual reality for 15 years at Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab. Visual, auditory and dynamic spatial cues mimic real-life responses in the brain; he's found that the immersive quality of this technology leaves an indelible mark on users in a way that still images don't.

Bailenson's lab is harnessing this potential, pioneering simulated experiences that create selfless behaviours. One recent study found that giving test subjects super powers in virtual reality, like the ability to fly, made them more likely to help a lab technician with a task in real life.

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Virtual reality is inspiring people to become everyday superheroes.

So it's no surprise that non-profits are leveraging this technology. In the face of charity fatigue and whiplash-quick news cycles that lurch from crisis to crisis, there's a more intimate way to connect donors to a cause.

Hundreds of people donned simulation goggles at a charity gala in New York last year. They experienced the daily routine of a 13-year-old girl in Ethiopia as she trekked for miles to fetch 25 litres of water for her family. The event raised $2.4million for clean water projects, far more than projected.Journalists, too, have harnessed virtual reality to lift their stories off the page and screen. Nonny de la Pena's Project Syria puts users on the ground in a refugee camp. It debuted at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos, giving politicians a rare chance to experience the conflict themselves.

We visited Dadaab, a sliver of land in Northern Kenya, during the 2011 drought that plunged East Africa into crisis. It was home to 300,000 refugees fleeing conflict and famine. Aid workers went without sleep, mothers starved to save food rations for their children. We struggled to get the world to pay attention, taking photos and writing stories that didn't do justice to the crisis.

We hope the next frontier for virtual reality is the classroom, where it promises to immerse students--our future leaders--in worlds beyond textbooks and can teach lessons for the real world.

If a single image can transcend borders, imagine what virtual reality can do for global compassion.
Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Have you seen the film Eagle Huntress? It is about a 13-year old Aisholpan in Mongolia who becomes the first female champion eagle hunter having won a Strictly Come Dancing style vote against numerous men considerably older and more experienced than herself. Amazing? Yes, definitely. Equally interesting were her father and her grandfather, whose complete support enabled her to triumph over tradition. What was it about them that motivated them to challenge the status quo and risk the wrath of their communities?

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I found myself thinking about this film when I was giving a presentation recently at a large conference about women and work. As at so many events about women that I attend, the audience was probably 90% female. It is great that women themselves now know that their voices can be heard, that there are events at which they can share common concerns and develop strategies to address them.

But until more men consider that issues that affect 50% of the population deserve their attention, the progress to equality will continue to be painfully slow. The pace of change could undoubtedly be increased if men applied their knowledge and experience to the challenges women face - from gender segregation at work to the pay gap - and stood alongside women to address them.

So, I have been wondering how I can persuade more men to get involved. I know there are few who would not want the best education and occupational opportunities for their own family members or for any woman. But, unless things change dramatically, it is young women who, despite doing better on average academically, will be more likely to be out of work or earn less throughout their careers and are at greater risk of lifelong poverty than their male counterparts.

At Young Women's Trust we support young women to build confidence and take steps towards employability. We conduct research and make recommendations to employers and the government about what can be done to level the playing field for young women. I would love to hear from men who think that they can support our work and make a difference in their own communities or places of work, so that more young women are offered the opportunities they desperately need. I would love to know that more male MPs and Lords are making sure that they are supporting the work of parliament's Women's and Equality Committee.

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I know the world won't change overnight but there are some things that all men can do right away. Never agree to sit on a panel where there are no women. Never agree to interview for a job unless there are female candidates on the shortlist in areas of work where women are very under-represented. Go to an event about women's issues and learn about the challenges they face. And, of course, encourage your own daughter or granddaughter to fulfill her dream.

HuffPost UK is running a month-long project in March called All Women Everywhere, providing a platform to reflect the diverse mix of female experience and voices in Britain today
August 26th, 1970, the United States. 24th October 1975, Iceland. 3rd October 2016, Poland. 19th October 2016, Argentina. On each of these dates, in each of these countries, thousands of women went on strike to protest inequality in the workplace, the home, and other arenas. The concept of withdrawing labour, whether domestic or industrial, either directly affecting capital and its power relations, or more symbolic in nature, is by no means a novel concept. It is one which has been tried and tested, both powerful and effective.

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On a rainy day in October last year, thousands of brightly coloured umbrellas filled the streets of Poland, from Warsaw to Krakow, Lodz to Gdansk. The approximately 98,000 people who gathered on that day were protesting the proposed implementation of a near-total ban on abortion, after almost 40 years of liberal abortion legislation and access. Three days later, with public pressure building and support for the pro-choice movement growing, the bill was voted down.

Though abortion remain highly restricted in Poland, with, for example, many doctors refusing to perform abortions on the basis of conscientious objection, the activists who gathered on that day in October in Poland were fighting to cling on to the abortion rights they still held. In Ireland, we are fighting for these rights, rights we never had. That said, in terms of social context, Poland and Ireland are each countries deeply impacted by systems of Catholic hierarchy and stigmatising perspectives on female sexuality. In Ireland, the once unwavering power of the Catholic Church has been waning since the 1960s, now at unprecedentedly low levels. Poland, however, as a post-Communist country, has been described as experiencing an 'inverted sexual revolution', in the face of a still relatively powerful Catholic Church.

Comparisons between the Irish and Polish situation are fascinating. Ultimately, however, they teach us something. Rights are never just handed out, they must be fought for. And, vitally, people power works.

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Inspired and educated by Black Monday, among other actions of women across the globe, Strike4Repeal was launched this January, calling for a referendum on the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution. The Eighth Amendment, inserted in 1983, seven years before I was born, equates the life of a pregnant person with the life of a foetus, and limits abortion in Ireland solely to circumstances where a 'real and substantial risk' to the life of the mother exists. The impact of Ireland's abortion laws and the Eighth Amendment has been far reaching, affecting maternal rights, preventing those carrying foetuses with fatal abnormalities from accessing abortions, resulting in the deaths of women in Ireland, and forcing people (those who can) to travel overseas.

At 26, I'm far too young to remember what was dubbed 'The X Case' in 1992, when a young 14-year-old girl, faced with an unwanted pregnancy following a rape, was almost denied the right to travel to access an abortion by the Irish State. In 2012, when I was just beginning to get involved in pro-choice activism, came the death of Savita Halappanavar, denied a potentially lifesaving abortion, having been told that 'this is a Catholic country'. In 2014 came the 'Ms. Y Case', when a young asylum seeker, pregnant as a result of rape in her country of origin, was denied an abortion and forced to undergo a C-section. More generally, 12 people a day are forced to flee our shores to access abortions, asylum seekers living in hostels and hotels are denied the right to even leave the country, and those accessing abortions in Ireland face up to 14 years in prison. The situation is intolerable and unforgivable.

The only way by which we can conceivably begin to change this situation is by repealing the Eighth Amendment. The Citizens' Assembly, due to wrap up discussions and report back in March, represents, in my view, the view of Strike4Repeal and many others in the pro-choice movement, merely a delay tactic. Despite the fact that opinion polls indicate that a significant majority of the Irish population are in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment, and that Ireland has incurred damning criticism from EU and UN human rights' bodies, both current and previous Governments appear unwilling to touch the issue. What are they afraid of? Who is this 'Middle Ireland' they speak of? If the figures indicate a willingness to hold a referendum on the issue, why don't we? It boils down to this: why ask 99 people when you can ask an entire country? Our patience is wearing thin - the time for change is now.

Since launching Strike4Repeal, we've received an enormous amount of international support and solidarity, from the UK to the US, Berlin to Rojava. Students in secondary schools and universities across Ireland are striking, businesses are shutting their doors, groups outside Dublin are hosting a range of events and gatherings. A project undertaken by a small group of activists just a few months ago, we are so inspired and energised to continue this battle.

So, on the 8th of March in Ireland, on International Women's Day, strike. Though not a traditional industrial strike, whether in Ireland or abroad, take the day off work, forgo domestic chores if possible, wear black, ask local businesses to close their services in support. Show your solidarity with women in Ireland, women in Iceland, women in the US, women in Argentina, women in Poland, women around the world, and get ready to fight.

Fiona Dunkin is a member of Strike4Repeal. For more information on Strike4Repeal, go to their Facebook page or email them at strike4repeal@gmail.com

HuffPost UK is running a month-long project in March called All Women Everywhere, providing a platform to reflect the diverse mix of female experience and voices in Britain today
Harnaam Kaur

"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it become less and less important whether I am afraid"

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-Audre Lorde

Women are powerful, we are compassionate, resilient full of love and we have the strength to create life. Beyonce did ask "Who runs the world? GIRLS", we chant it every time her song "Run the World" comes on. So doesn't this mean that our accomplishments should be celebrated equally if not more than men? It has only been 100 years since women have been given the right to vote in the UK. We must thank women for creating International Women's Day, a day where we embrace, rejoice and recognise the accomplishments of women all around the world. A day where we become the voice of the voiceless that are being abused, and have no one to turn to. A day where we come together and empower each other to achieve the best of ourselves on this journey we call life.

My fight as a bearded woman has been beautifully difficult. I have faced many defeats but I have never been defeated. We all know that being physically different nowadays is social suicide, if you look a certain way opposing the beauty standards of society, you will unfortunately get ridiculed; it is how you deal with the atrocities that will shape you as a human.

Living with my Lady Beard has been amazing, but that doesn't mean that I have not had to face hard times too. I have been body shamed all my life, and I have come to realise that it will never stop unless I try to change people's perceptions of what beauty really is. I will forever challenge people's thoughts about what they think to be "normal" is. In addition to this, I have confronted severe bulling which led me to become very suicidal. I was not able to create a career for myself, which I really wanted to achieve as a young teenager, but instead I turned the difficulties that I faced in my life into a career to motivate and inspire many. I would never change my career for the world. I have faced discrimination and bullying within work places too, which forced me to join a different place of employment; this continuous cycle forced me to quit work altogether and become an activist who stands up for the empowerment of women and men.

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I have been able to create a mindset that allows me to live regardless of all the atrocities that I still face. I am bigger than my self doubt. My life, message, journey and work is far more superior to any inner demons that I may face within my life. I am larger than life and with this so are my values, my worth, my personality, my stance in life and the work that I do. I have gone through a great deal in my life from a very young age, I have had to handle a lot; most people would unfortunately crumble under major pressure from walking a mile in my shoes.

'My body, my rules" is the mantra that I live by, and this small quote has changed my life. People's negative opinions about my body won't be the reason why I change my appearance.

I have been burnt so many times that any heat that life has to throw at me just doesn't faze me anymore. I put aside my faults, my demons and inner doubts to work for people. My life has now been dedicated to working for and with people to help better their lives. I am able to deal with sorrow. I can be thrown to the ground, and get knocked back, I also know how to get back up roaring and work harder than ever. I have found the power and strength inside of me to put away whatever I am going through to save people's lives from bullying, body shaming self doubt, suicide and self harm. I have dedicated my life to this. "Harnaam, you have been there and done that, you've overcome a lot in your life and now it is time for you to help others. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and become the super hero that people need." This is what I tell myself. My life is now fully in service for helping people!

Women all around the world have shown bravery in the face of gender based atrocities, they have stood strong and valiant when confronted with racial discrimination and/or discrimination within the work place. I also applaud how women have stood up fearlessly when voicing their opinions on matters in which they feel oppressed. Due to this International Women's Day is important not just for women but also men too. Women need to come together in solidarity and celebrate all that they have accomplished collectively. We need to communally empower each other and commemorate our accomplishments big or small in a world where we are made to just sit at home and be housewives. I am happy to say that this has changed but in many countries women are still not allowed to have hopes and dreams.

Let's dedicate International Women's Day to those queens who are still being oppressed by society, the girls who are being forced into female genital mutilation. Let's remember rape survivors, women who are going through and have gone through domestic violence, forced marriages, 'honour killings,' and those Transgender women who have to deal daily with being ostracised by wider society because of who they are. During this International Women's Day 2017, I hope we collectively celebrate women regardless of sexual orientation, caste/religion, culture, colour, age or abilities.

Together we are powerful. Together we make the world go round.

HuffPost UK is running a month-long project in March called All Women Everywhere, providing a platform to reflect the diverse mix of female experience and voices in Britain today
Democracy, fragile as it is, is held together not only through the body of laws that define democratic governance but also through the activities of a free press, which can hold power to account.

But what happens when the news media (particularly online) becomes a dizzying tsunami of stories - some true, some manipulating the truth and some completely fabricated? And what happens when political figures become perpetrators in the dissemination of lies. For example, here's a list of Donald Trump's litany of outright lies (or post-truths as they have now been euphemistically labelled).

Fact checkers must play a greater role in the post-truth landscape by vetting news for inaccuracies. But manual fact checking is far from optimal. Not only is it subject to its own biases but it is also unable to keep up with the sheer volume of content posted on the web every minute.

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So can computers detect fact from fiction? Unfortunately, there isn't an AI algorithm for that just yet, but software can aid the process of fact checking.

There two different approaches to determine whether a story is true or false. The first is to study the metadata surrounding a story, which is often a proxy for how reliable the content of the story is. The metadata in question could be anything from the publication in which a story is published to the way in which the story is shared or engaged with on social media.

This approach can end up being too simplistic. For example, New York Magazine's Brian Feldman put together a Google Chrome Extension which produces a pop up when users visit websites that are deemed unreliable (based on a list of websites compiled by Melissa Zimdars, a communication and media professor from Merrimack College in Massachusetts). This solution, however, lacks rigour and will end up letting too much factually correct news being labelled as fake.

Recently, social media companies have also been under pressure to improve the quality of their content. Facebook, which came under fire recently over spreading bogus news during the 2016 US presidential election, is now making changes to its news algorithms. In a recent blog post, Will Cathcart, VP of Product Management, announced "an improved system to determine what is trending". Trending topics are no longer extracted from a single viral post. Instead, the algorithm will also consider other factors such as the number of publishers also publishing about the same topic and the level of engagement on these posts. In the last week, Facebook has also starting explicitly labelling a post as disputed when its content is deemed bogus.

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The second more comprehensive approach to check facts is more direct and studies the internal logic of a story. It involves extracting various claims from a story and matching it against known facts. In an ideal world, we would have a structured database of all the facts in the universe and can instantly parse claims from a story into a structured machine-readable format and validate it against the database.

We are far from such a comprehensive single database and it is still difficult to translate human speech or text into a structured format, but many new organisations are sprouting up attempting to address this challenge. Google Europe's new Digital News Initiative has funded many of these organisations from its 150 million innovation fund.

Factmata, which received a received a 50,000 grant from Google, is using natural language processing and machine intelligence to identify claims in text by extracting named entities, finding out which economic statistics the claims relate to and verify whether they are fact-checkable. Factmata then checks these claims against a knowledge database built on Freebase, an off-shoot of Wikipedia's knowledge graph.

The goal of automating fact checking is in its infancy. Right now, only the simplest statements can be fact checked by computers. But in reality, everything can't be neatly divided into the simple binaries of right and wrong. Often, statements made by public figures rely on numerous assumptions and lie in the muddy grey area between fact and fiction.
Ben Pruchnie via Getty Images

This blog is an unedited transcript of the speech delivered by Lisa Nandy to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) on Tuesday 7 March

Last year's Brexit vote exposed the depth of the divide between our towns and cities. We have long understood the dierences between North and South but the chasm exposed by Brexit was remarkable. Across England, and across the UK, look North, South, East or West and the picture is the same. London, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Norwich, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardi and Belfast. Despite their many dierences, cities across Britain voted resoundingly to Remain. But outside of those metropolitan centres, the picture is very dierent.

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In one sense, it always has been. Diverse, liberal, fast-changing cities have often been at odds with the stability, (small c) conservativism and communitarian values that are much more prevalent in towns.

And too seldom have we heard those latter voices. In 1971, the author Jeremy Seabrook bucked the trend, travelling to Blackburn - not to tell a story about the lives of the men, women and children who powered the Lancashire mills but to allow them to speak for themselves. Their fascinating accounts were set against a backdrop of a declining textile industry, recent immigration from India and Pakistan and huge social change that was both liberating and unsettling for the people living through it.

The stories they tell - about immigration, stagnant wages and families and communities in transition - are as resonant now as they were almost half a century ago. And Seabrook's conclusions are equally relevant. Blackburn, he said, is "not a town full of racists, any more than it is a stronghold of liberal humanitarian values".

This is the communitarian as opposed to the liberal England found in towns and cities across the country, each with their own very real problems but with strengths in equal measure.

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I was born in one of those great cities, Manchester, that gave us the first free library, the free trade hall and the Battle of Peterloo. Like many cities it has since become - not least thanks to the last Labour Government - an area of strong economic growth, where jobs and opportunities are available to many and society is largely multicultural, tolerant and diverse.

I have made my home in Wigan, a town with a strong history of solidarity. It gave the world Gerrard Winstanley, stood shoulder to shoulder with Indian cotton pickers and came together in the 1980s to support striking miners. It symbolises the importance of towns in Britain, each with their own character, shared history and experience, where the sense of community is palpable and people are strongly invested in the local area, intrinsic to their own future and their families'.

Perhaps because of this I am acutely aware that towns and cities have always had clear dierences. But increasingly it feels that these are two countries. Two groups with dierent experiences, priorities and conflicting political outlooks, united on the surface by very little at all.

And much of this is recent. Over the last two decades, the attitudes of those living in towns have shifted significantly, widening the gulf with cities. On LGBT rights, immigration and a whole host of areas the dierences are stark. But nowhere was this more apparent than in the changing attitudes to the EU. Between 1997 and 2015 support for leaving the EU more than doubled amongst those living outside cities. It took less than 20 years for Britain's towns to transition from seeing the EU as part of the solution to part of the problem.

It is global

This is not unique to Britain. In America, the Democrats have long been aware of the party's "rural problem" but few predicted that 100,000 voters, predominantly in the rural parts of crucial swing states, would gift Donald Trump the presidency. Across America, "populous urban centres" voted for Hillary Clinton by a factor of almost 2:1. The same ratio that voters here in Britain, living in similar urban centres, voted to Remain. Two countries - each facing very dierent but equally symbolic and ideological choices - facing growing division.

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In France, they call this the "halo eect". In the United States the 'big sort'. Here, the philosopher Julian Baggini calls it 'hefting' - a farming term, actually about cows, the process by which populations naturally sort ourselves into territories and communities we feel comfortable in. For some of us it's the liberal and ever-changing cities; for others, the community and stability of the towns.

These are increasingly, as the academic Will Jennings puts it, Two Englands, each with their own distinct set of attitudes and outlooks. One that believes the future will be better than the past, the other that the past was better than the future.

Our response has failed

It has become fashionable to call the latter of these groups the "left behind". So many politicians and commentators, including me, have lapsed into this politically convenient shorthand. But in truth it simply doesn't resonate with the millions who live in towns.

Because towns aren't wastelands where people have nothing left to lose and dream of escaping to the cities. Even the ten most deprived towns in the country have better access to public services, housing and a decent environment than some of the most auent areas. These are often precisely the reasons we choose to live there; because we value the sense of community, stability and quality of life it aords.

To label those who make this choice "left behind" is as blinkered as it is patronising. What's more it implies they have been left behind by the progress of auent cities, which airbrushes the reality of city life for so many people - a daily battle against poverty and hardship, with a front row seat to wealth and opportunity but no share in its advantages.

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And it is misleading because it tells us falsely that Brexit was a last throw of the dice for people who have nothing. But on doorsteps across the country, it wasn't in areas of complete social breakdown that people shook with anger during the referendum, but precisely in those communities where people still have much left to lose. This vote, the last line of defence, for the things that matter.

What is striking about these two distinct groups is how much they share an overwhelming distrust with the political and economic system in this country. The crisis in politics is far more widespread than those who have nothing. It is felt just as strongly by those who benefit from growth and opportunities as it is those who have fallen victim to it.

But for those who prioritise rootedness, stability and continuity, there has been a growing sense that not only has mainstream politics failed to comprehend, speak for or respond to the changes in recent decades, but it is deeply disrespectful towards their lives and choices.

We see it in the contempt for patriotism, attachment to place and desire for continuity. Too often life in towns characterised as a dull, stifling, provincial life, inferior to the alternative. And so too often when we talk about "listening" we mean listening so we can explain to people what is best for them. Do we understand the damage that does? It doesn't simply reflect the gulf but actually helps to widen it.

And this has left a political vacuum in towns that populists have willingly filled.

It is built on a political system in which too many of us are simply not represented. Cities have dominated political thinking for decades, denying voice to the lived experience in towns. Too often, as with Brexit, cities are wrongly treated as proxies for national opinion. And while city leaders have rightly gained a national voice, there is no comparable platform for civic leaders in towns.

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For Labour, with five times as many members in Islington as Wigan, is it any wonder that the issues that matter to millions of us are almost entirely absent from the national political debate?

This is amplified by a media that (with some rare and important exceptions) is overwhelmingly London centric, with opportunities for talented young journalists to break through from the regions becoming increasingly scarce and much likely to get worse as local newspapers disappear.

It's fuelled by an economic model that treats cities as engines of growth which, at best, drag surrounding towns along in the wake of metropolitan prosperity. It has meant life has got harder, less secure and less hopeful for too many people in towns. The cause is economic but the impact is social and political.

This deeper sense of loss is encapsulated for me in the demise of Upper Morris Street Working Man's Club in my constituency, the headquarters for my first election campaign. Once a thriving hub in the community, the collapse of the mining industry and the replacement of the nearby rugby league stadium with a Tesco led to its decline, and eventually it was demolished. Today, that site is a McDonalds, employing young people on minimum wage, zero hours contracts. It tells a story of what has been lost. Those shared institutions as Jesse Norman said, that "shape us as we help to shape them".

It's impossible to ignore the destructive impact global capital has had on our sense of belonging, sweeping away the familiar and with it, as Paul Kingsnorth puts it, our "mooring in space and time".

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But this wasn't just an accident, it was a clear political choice, summed up for me in these words:

"I hear people say we have to stop and debate globalisation. You might as well debate whether autumn should follow summer...

"The character of this changing world is indierent to tradition. "Unforgiving of frailty.

"No respecter of past reputations. "It has no custom and practice.

"It is replete with opportunities, but they only go to those swift to adapt, slow to complain, open, willing and able to change."

This is the vision the Tony Blair set out in 2005 enabling a consensus that outlasted New Labour through Osborne's Tories. To concentrate investment in the cities and embrace that culture of change, and in doing so stake out a future for the country that is alien to the values of millions.

As a result, cities have dominated political and economic thinking for decades. And while

that focus and investment in Labour years led to huge improvements in many lives in the inner cities, it is economically, socially and politically unsustainable.

The future

New times require a convincing alternative that rejects both a rose-tinted nostalgia for the past and the false inevitability of a future that millions of us don't want.

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This will demand political leadership. For Labour the task is not only to reject populism, but to learn how to defeat it. This false and damaging distinction between a single, uniform sovereign people and an illegitimate, unresponsive political elite denies the growing rift between two groups of people; the messy, often contradictory reality that demands the very political leadership that is being currently being delegitimised.

This leadership must be both political and emotional. Anxiety is now the overwhelming political problem that progressive politicians must solve. How to oer security, hope and solidarity in the face of the loneliness and isolation, an economy based on flexible labour markets that undermines our jobs and wages and treats us as disposable good. When our favoured tool - the state - is too often seen as "other" to people and their eorts. It manifests itself in low pay, job insecurity, youth unemployment, older people growing old without dignity and warmth - anger, division and alienation.

Power

In truth it is about power - who has it and who doesn't. It's why we need:

Local devolution that is real and meaningful, so decisions about the things that matter to us are made much closer to us, with our involvement. Not just the transfer of power from one group of men in Whitehall to another in the Town Hall, but a politics based on consent, built from the ground up.

The current devolution model is built on the same tired trickle-down model from cities to towns that has proven so destructive. The plan for the first and most radical devolution city region in Greater Manchester is to invest in infrastructure projects that carry people into Manchester to access decent jobs, while building a ring of warehouses around the outskirts, oering minimum wage, zero hours, zero opportunity jobs to the rest. This must change. It has been enabled by the current settlement that allows for no scrutiny, no accountability and no voice for the people. In short - no power, replicating the national dilemma.

It needs a national response too. As IPPR's Britain in the 2020s project has shown new technologies - artificial intelligence, automation, the Internet of Things -have the potential to create an era of widespread abundance, or a second machine age that radically concentrates economic power.

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This means holding power to account wherever it is found.

In the market where capital is increasingly unaccountable. A handful of companies who own our data and control vital public goods. Some, like Walmart, larger and more powerful than nation states.

It sounds futuristic but it is a major contribution to the frustration and powerlessness in towns across the country. I saw it for myself a few weeks ago in one of my local community pharmacies. Labour are currently, rightly calling on the government not to cut grants to community pharmacies. But a central problem is not the state, but the market - the control that a small handful of companies have over the distribution of drugs. If the same company that distributes our drugs also owns Boots, what hope do community pharmacies have of competing for them? The result is that when drugs are scarce, my elderly constituent cannot walk to his local chemist and get the flu drugs he needs.

But this sense of powerlessness is true too of the state. It demands a dierent approach - not simply a safety net, nor a clunking fist, but an enabling state that intervenes early and often, walking alongside people, handing them power, at the most dicult times in their lives. Both sickness benefit and Sure Start matter, but competing over versions of our past is inadequate. It neglects the future.

And using the power of government to change the country. Not to seek to eradicate our dierences, but to ensure that those who hold power in one area of life cannot use that power to appropriate power in another. Over the course of my lifetime this concentration of power in a few hands has created an overwhelming sense of anger and frustration. Because, if inequality of power in one area compounds inequality of power in another, then where is hope to be found? Those who have more money can buy better education, healthcare, access to justice, a voice through the media and influence in the political system. This cannot - and must not - be allowed to continue.

This means for Labour, remembering what we are for. In recent years we have come to define our sense of purpose solely around the redistribution of wealth. In an age of austerity this has left us with an identity crisis. But redistributing power in its widest sense was always our mission, of which wealth is just one important part.

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What is missing is not simply state funding, but a critique of power and where it lies. And this is the challenge for Labour - to rebuild and renew, in the face of defeat.

To build on the consensus across the Brexit divide - the shared desire for global cooperation and much more local control.

This is the simple part - to discover what we have in common and resolve rather than compound the growing gulf between people's lived experiences in towns and cities.

But I began with a warning about the cultural gulf. Of these, one of the most dicult will be the issue of immigration. And I believe my own town oers a clue as to how this might be reconciled.

Not long ago Serco decided to use the Britannia hotel in a quiet village in my constituency to house asylum seekers. Overnight, more than 100 young men arrived without warning. Far right organisations mobilized, and locally, people wanted to know who they were, how long they were staying, what support and security was in place and whether vicious rumours spread by fascist organisations were true. It took action from the police and community leaders, with my support, to change this. Not long afterwards, we launched a Syrian Refugee appeal. We had 36,000 bags of donations in two weeks. The challenge for politics is to enable people's intrinsic compassion to prevail over the very human sense of insecurity - to ensure that people have control over the things that matter in their lives. Handing block contracts to Serco who buy up cheap accommodation and care only about the bottom line is a major cause of this sense of powerlessness. And in the face of overwhelming anxiety it is no wonder that borders have become a symbol of "social order, family life and common decency". As Cruddas and Rutherford argue "immigration refracts all of these anxieties into a brittle national sentiment" which we seek to understand "or abandon this terrain to the forces of the right."

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On a whole host of areas the central question facing Labour is this: can these values be reconciled?

Too often in the Labour Party the easy part is where we start. And too often it is where we stop. I don't want to shy away from the big uncomfortable questions for Labour. I want to run towards them. In the towns we have done too little to stand up for, this is the least that they deserve.

And currently only two options are currently on oer. A confrontational response, characterised by President Trump and Ukip, where parties seek to perpetuate division. Or compromise -Theresa May's approach - seeking to enable two sides with irreconcilable co-exist to live uneasily alongside one other.

Neither of these is sucient. Neither oers the hope of a Britain that embraces its dierence. Neither suggests a vision that combines pride in our past, with optimism for the future.

This will only be achieved if we shape the future in the interests of both Englands and their important, and distinct values. This is why over the coming months I will be out of Westminster, not just listening, but analysing trends, enabling people in towns to talk about their own priorities on their own terms and learning how we shape the future so it works for all of us. This is the England, as Orwell said, "that is only just beneath the surface" and it must be heard.

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Mike*, who has a complex learning disability, had been on high doses of anti-psychotic medication for so long, that no one can remember when the drugs were first prescribed. The 52-year-old, who is non-verbal, was given the potentially harmful medication while living in a long-stay institution - the kind the government has been trying to move people from following the exposure of abuse at Winterbourne View.

Six years ago, when the man from the East Midlands moved into supported living his new support staff at social care provider, Perthyn, were unclear as to why Mike was taking the medication. It was likely that the drugs - the kind often criticised as "chemical restraint" - were contributing to his epilepsy seizures.

Staff worked to reduce the medication. Within six months, Mike went from two 50mg doses of antipsychotic Chlorpromazine every day to a single daily dose of 25mg. Six months of careful reductions later, he was off the drug entirely. During this process there was a small, intermittent increase in Mike's anxiety but staff supported him positively with more opportunities to meet with people and go out, both at home and in his community.

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Today, Mike is more alert and has fewer seizures - the seizures that he does still have are shorter. He has also been discharged from psychiatric care and back to the support of his GP.

Mike is no longer one of the estimated 35,000 adults with a learning disability who are taking prescribed antipsychotic or antidepressant medication without appropriate clinical justification. As research from Public Health England reflects, thousands of people with a learning disability are taking unnecessary, and potentially very harmful, medications.

The issue of sedation and over-medication was highlighted in a recent investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches, Under Lock and Key. The programme focused on the use of restraint - chemical and physical - at St Andrew's mental health hospital, one of the biggest institutions of its kind in Britain. In addition, a new report from the National Audit Office into support for people with a learning disability underlines the need to move people out of long-stay mental health hospitals and back into communities. Channel 4 and the National Audit Office both highlight the risk that the 'transforming care' programme is failing the lives of thousands of disabled people with complex needs.

Strong relationships between social care, primary care and psychiatry services are absolutely essential if NHS England's programme to tackle the inappropriate use of medication is to succeed. Last year saw the launch of a joint pledge to tackle the prescribing of powerful drugs. The programme - 'Stopping the over-medication of people with learning disabilities, autism or both' (STOMP) - aims to increase medication reviews and appropriately reduce or withdraw people's reliance on unnecessary prescribed drugs.

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At Perthyn, for example, the service manager responsible for Mike's supported living service, worked closely with Mike, his consultant and his family to reduce his medication. Staff not only reassured the family about his move from institutional to supported living, but allayed their concerns about the changes to his dosage. Mike's relatives were informed throughout the process and felt positive about the plans, which included thorough recording and reporting and frequent reviews of medication.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines reinforce the importance of only using prescribed medication to control behaviour as a last resort, such as when therapeutic approaches have not helped within agreed timeframes or there is risk of harm. Unnecessary use of antipsychotics, antidepressants or both puts people at risk of significant weight gain, organ failure and even premature death. It is therefore a key contributor to the health inequalities people face.

The STOMP programme recognises that the use of these drugs often starts within the kind of assessment and treatment units that Mike was in previously, and continues unchecked in community primary care services. The programme also acknowledges that inappropriate medication can serve as a "chemical restraint" in place of the right care, support and treatments. As soon as powerful medication is first prescribed, clinicians and care providers, should be addressing how the medication will be withdrawn once the person has stabilised.

At Wilf Ward Family Trust, a social care provider in the north of England, the policy is zero tolerance to any form of restraint and that includes over- medication. "I want to know why PRN [pro re nata meaning 'when required'] medication is being prescribed" says chief executive Paul McCay. As McCay says, the PRN administration of drugs hands over responsibility for medication from prescribers to health and social care staff. It is a practice that has long been of concern in health and social care.

McCay goes on, "We are equipping our managers with the skills they need to challenge back if primary health care becomes a tick box exercise for the people we support." One manager at the trust who has responsibility for the quality and safety of local services, describes the good working relationship with local GPs: "We work hard to ensure people get a GP appointment so they get a full annual health check at the right time. ... We have built a strong relationship with our local GP who regularly reviews medication and signs off protocols. We are all clear on those protocols and decisions are regularly reviewed. Each week the service manager receives a call from the GP to check up on any issues." McCay explains that addressing health inequalities is an important theme for the trust. "We still have more work to do, and our focus is not yet fully embedded. But it is a key part of our health and well-being approach with the people we support."

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Good relationships across health and social care enable providers to keep the issue of inappropriate medication in check - working with local GPs, undertaking audits and contributing to improvement programmes. Given the fact that thousands of people with a learning disability are taking unnecessary, potentially harmful, drugs, there is much more to do.

One important step would be to ensure that regular medication reviews (such as those carried by the Perthyn staff supporting Mike) are integral to the annual health check, an approach first introduced in 2008/9 by NHS England. These checks offer an effective "reasonable adjustment" that enables people to access health care and for GPs to play an important part in tackling health inequalities. But, according to NHS/Public Health England, only 43 per cent of people known to their GP to have a learning disability have received an annual health check, and of equal concern is that not all GP services offer the service.

NHS England recently took steps to further incentivise general practices and is set to increase the payment for each health check up from 116 to 140. In addition a new health check template has been developed for practices, which includes questions about the use of medication.

For the STOMP programme to succeed, as it must, it is essential that everyone working with people who have learning disabilities, autism or both prioritise the reduction of inappropriate medication. If staff and organisations do not do this, they risk compromising the quality of life and human rights, of people who rely on health, care and support services.

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Stopping the unnecessary use of medication goes hand in hand with improving the quality of care for people with learning disabilities and autism. We need a radical change in the use of anti-psychotic drugs, something that has been left unchecked for decades. In reducing over-medication we not only tackle the long-standing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities, but limit the opportunities for abuse.
Freud's original sin in the 1900s happened at the expense of hysterical women. In our century, drug addicts are at risk of being neglected.

When I met the leader of the populist right party, who is also Norway's finance minister, last year in a debate about drug addiction, she addressed me towards the end and said: "I agree so much with what you're saying about the fact that there are as many roads into addiction as there are addicts." "You cannot have listened very well," I answered brusquely. For, in fact, I am claiming the complete opposite.

When Freud, as a young doctoral student, went to "Hopital de la Salpetriere" in Paris to learn from the famous neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (the man who discovered ALS, Stephen Hawking's illness), he happened to find himself in the midst of a heated medical debate in and around the hospital. De epicenter of the debate was the basement of the hospital, where a group of young doctors were performing autopsies of children's bodies to examine to what degree their sexual organs had been desecrated. Turned out that a much larger number of children's bodies had desecrated sexual organs than expected at first, and the finds became an important argument in the debate over whether children and young people who claimed to have been victims of sexual abuse - which was the central theme of the debate - were speaking the truth.

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Freud himself was convinced by the finds and returned to Vienna with enthusiasm and courage. At a medical congress towards the end of the 1800s he performed his essay "Ethology of Hysteria" (the origins of hysteria) which laid the foundation for his "Verfuhrungstheorie" (seduction theory) - a theory that ties sexual and other abuse towards children to psychiatric illnesses in adult patients. To his disappointment and surprise the essay was discredited by his peers and not before long Freud shelved the whole idea - and we ended up with what is know today as the basic theory of psychoanalysis: the "Lustprinzip" (pleasure principle) that, being different from the seduction theory, relates psychiatric illnesses (hysteria) in adults to inner fantasies of sexuality among children - instead of real experiences of abuse.

Many psychiatrists and doctors have tried to breathe life to Freud's original theory after his death in the 1930s, but every single one have been discredited and excluded from the psychoanalytic establishment for ther attempt at dissent: John Bowlby, Alice Miller, Jeffery Masson og Sandor Ferenczi all faced the same fate as the young Freud when he laid out his theory about the origin of hysteria: they were met with disinterest.

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However, about one hundred years later, an American researcher - Vincent Felitti - came onto the scene. When doing a large experiment to map a possible link between overveight and childhood trauma, he stumbled - almost by coincidence - over a number that made most people who were researching drugs, psychiatry and traume to fall off their chairs. By first isolating overweight people with heavy drug problems, and then isolating only heavy drug users, he found that they had a 4600% larger probability to have been victims of six childhood trauma, including violence and sexual abuse.

In practice, that means if you walk down Oslo's skid row, the open drug scene at Brugata (Bridge Street) - you can estimate that there are 50 times more people on one side of that street as compared to the other that have been victims of childhood trauma like sexual abuse.
The definition of communication according to the Oxford Dictionary is this:

The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.

Recently I have stated that Joseph struggles with communication, yet reading this definition, I should actually retract that. He may find it difficult to use the spoken word to compile perfect sentences, but he has other ways he utilises effectively in order to get his point across.

This week, he returned to school after the half-term holidays and I have always been apprehensive about the first day back and getting him settled into the school routine again. This has massively improved over the years but it doesn't prevent me from worrying. We have had many mornings where he would tell me "No School" and throw himself on the floor, impersonating a large rug in the doorway of the classroom. He may not have been able to articulate why he felt this way but from the body language, I sure as hell knew he didn't want to go in.

In Life in the Repetitive Lane I explained Joseph's need to know three years in advance what we are doing (and that it drives me slightly shitting crazy). So last week I gave him advance notice of him returning to school on Tuesday after we had detailed what we were doing, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. At this point, I would love to be able to insert a video of Joseph's response as I am not sure whether I can accurately describe the tone and the manner well enough here.

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"I'm not going to go to school on Tuesday morning AND I'm not going to have fun!"

Imagine piercing eyes that are looking straight at you and if they could speak they would be indicating to you that your kidneys were about to be extracted from your body. It was assertive, (extremely) meaningful and straight to the point. More importantly, he could give the MI5 a run for their money and I almost shit myself for a split second.

I wasn't about to be intimidated by an eight year old so I attempted to explain the reasons why he would indeed be returning to school on Tuesday. Aside from the fact that I was disappointed that he wasn't falling over himself to get back to school, I was taken aback by the sentence formation. He knew what he needed to say and it made sense to us both. For a considerable time, we have had difficulty getting Joseph to understand the correct usage of me, you and I. It was another small achievement and a step in the right direction and I tried to suppress my laughter at his statement, especially as he repeated it to me frequently right up to arriving at school on the Tuesday. For those who are wondering as to whether he coped going back, it's a definite yes. He bounced into school and shouted to me "Have a nice trip!". I wasn't going on a trip that day and another example of some confusion around his understanding and repeating what he has heard in the past. At the end of the week, I was pleased to hear that The Look is not purely reserved for me. His teacher told me how Joseph approached him, asked him if he was ok, gave him a big smile and placed his hand on the teacher's arm. He then gave him The Look and told him that he wasn't going to carry out the afternoon's activity. Assertively.

Hopefully, through my blog or other sources you will understand that people with autism vary in a multitude of ways but in terms of language, some people may never talk at all (non-verbal), others will have speech and language delays and others will have language but their spoken word is often different to a typical child. Joseph does finally have language but conversation can be difficult, and that makes it hard to explain to some people. I may ask a question and not get a response and that is often due to him not understanding the question (or it could be that he's ignoring me like lots of eight year olds do!). I try and keep the questions simple so that I am more likely to get an answer but often his response is a rehearsed, learnt one.

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His speech itself sounds more robotic than your typical child and often lacks the right pitch and tone. He also has a peculiar accent some of the time which is again learnt from American and Australian youtube videos. He pronounces chance as charnce and dance as darnce and at those times I believe that I have the poshest child up North but occasionally he lapses into a Yorkshire drawl and then I feel proud he has picked something up from me. Fortunately, my appalling language is mainly in my head and not in front of small children so I am thankful for small mercies.

I have always attempted to converse with Joseph from an early age and not always had a two-way conversation, but I've never given up the hope that the more he is exposed to it, he is absorbing it and we'll eventually have a meaningful conversation. I suppose it's true now to some extent in that we are having short conversations, although usually when it suits Joseph.

Some children never have any speech and I wondered whether Joseph would ever develop it. I prayed for it to happen and I was desperate to hear it. There are times when Joseph just never shuts up, talking at me or rattling off things he has seen on the iPad or TV and I chunter under my breath "For Fuck's sake" especially when he grabs hold of my chin to turn my head in his direction. And then I stop and remind myself of those lonely times when he did not speak and there was no eye contact.

Even whilst writing this, he has been chirping in my ear and attempting to steal my packet of chocolate buttons. Each time, I take them off him and explain why he can't just take something that doesn't belong to him. I finish my telling him "Every day's a school day" Not something you should say to a child who takes you very literally as I then got the usual line about not going to school. I guess every day's a school day for me too!

Joseph has great recall so when he is given a song to rehearse, he carries this out to perfection although for the first couple of weeks, he doesn't usually participate. Fortunately when it comes to the performance itself he usually delivers. If he feels like it. It's amazing to think that he sang before he could hold a conversation and that is why as a family we take great enjoyment from seeing him perform. Especially when he mimics his old singing teacher and gives a warble at the end of a line.

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And there's always that part of me that whilst thankful of the progress, is fearful of the coming years, especially with the transition to secondary school looming. I wonder how he will cope in a mainstream environment with communication not on a par with his peers. That subject I'm shelving for now as that is a post of its own.

Amazingly, Joseph does not have any current input from the Speech & Language Therapy team as he has some speech and language. Cuts within the NHS mean that there are children who are more in need of the support than him, although periodically I give them a call and we get a couple of random visits to school which are more than likely to shut me up for a short while until I focus on something else.

For now, Joseph will have to put up with his Yorkshire Mum to encourage him along the way and to try and stamp out some of the continental in him. He certainly has more communication skills than six months ago so we must be doing something right.

The Look is a small price to pay for such beautiful sentences. Even if he is as angry as fuck when he is delivering them.

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authors own images
Donald Trump isn't the only western political leader more focused on his ego than the wellbeing of his country.

At this critical moment in our history, negotiating our exit from the EU, there has never been a greater need for an effective opposition. With so much at stake, Jeremy Corbyn's silence on the subject has been deafening. From the first day of the campaign to now just days away from the triggering of article 50, his empty rhetoric on Brexit has badly damaged the UK. Since the get-go, Corbyn has sat on the fence, lacking the balls to take a stand, instead opting to bury his head in the sand.

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With the chaotic circus that has marked his tenure as leader, Corbyn's inability to unite his party has distracted from Labour's primary role in Westminster. As time passes, it becomes clearer that Corbyn is more concerned with maintaining his position as leader than he is about Britain's future - and that is deeply concerning, because Brexit is bigger than all of us. As a consequence, without any substantial opposition, Corbyn has written Theresa May a blank cheque, letting this government run amok with our nation's future.

Speaking from experience, serving in government is both an honour and a responsibility of great significance. Having also served on the opposition benches, I can say that without question, the role of an active opposition is of equal importance. To hold a government to account, scrutinise, and steer the debate around issues that matter, are a hallmark of any healthy democracy. Under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour's ability to do just that has been nothing short of pitiful.

If you're reading this article in a public place, do me a favour - look to the person on your left, and to your right. Depending on where you are, it's very likely that one of these people did not vote for Brexit. Now add yourself to the equation: the chances are that amongst you three, two of you don't want us to exit from the EU without a deal. A recent ICM poll found that a mere 35% of British citizens agree with leaving the EU without a deal, something that Theresa May has threatened to do. But Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party don't seem to care, backing the Tories in the Commons all the way.

While I believe that the Lib Dems have been a strong and effective voice against a hard Brexit, I concede that our platform to do so isn't nearly as big as Labour's. But with Labour focused on internal squabbling instead of issues facing the country, it has been left to us, the Liberal Democrats, to lead the charge. We Lib Dems will fight to the very end for a Brexit deal that is both pragmatic and fair. But we cannot do this alone.

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The triggering of article 50 is just the beginning of a critical two-year negotiation process. Though it is no doubt a cliche, this issue is one that should supersede partisan lines. So we all must work together to ensure the government pursues the soft Brexit deal we need.

As a guest on Daily Politics this week, Labour MP Liz Kendall decried 'I think that there is a desperate yearning in the country, for a strong and effective opposition'. I could not agree more.

In the hour of our greatest need, we need both the 'official' and the effective Liberal Democrat opposition to be united in challenging a reckless exit from the EU.

Our party is in this for the long haul, and it's high time Labour joined us.
Volunteer in Reno County

The Volunteer Center of Reno County, a United Way Agency, is a central clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in Reno County.
Until its contract with the US National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) was allowed to lapse on October 1 2016 by the Obama administration, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was responsible  in cooperation with the NTIA  for managing the assignment of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to domain names  known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Under this contract, ICANN reviewed a proposed domain name and assigned it a numerical IP address  referred to as the Domain Naming System (DNS). The NTIA then reviewed the proposed name and address and authorised Verizon to post the address to the authoritative server which operates as the master file for all IP addresses. The address is replicated on the various root zone servers around the world each day and the domain name then becomes operational online.

With the lapse of the NTIA-ICANN contract, US government review of the proposed domain name and IP address shifted to ICANN solely, whose multiple stakeholders include academics, representatives of businesses and governments, and technical experts from around the world. While oversight by the NTIA was always intended to be temporary, critics of the transfer argued that shifting review responsibility in this way could lead to an increase in internet censorship in authoritarian countries, presumably because the overseer of the integrity of the DNS  namely, ICANN  accepts stakeholders from such authoritarian regimes.

Other critics argued that the transfer could lead to cybersecurity issues for the US government and military, as well as to private businesses essential to their operation, such as operators in the energy and telecommunications sectors. According to this argument, US cybersecurity efforts could be hindered because without NTIA review, there is no opportunity to confirm that a particular IP address is authentic and has not been altered or compromised in some way. For example, when a request is made to change any information in the root zone management function, this was previously transmitted to the NTIA by ICANN as a recommendation. The NTIA then verified that ICANN had followed established procedure and policy in processing the change request.

Security threat or straw man?

Among the most vocal critics of the transfer were Republican candidate, now president, Donald Trump. Trumps campaign released a statement in mid-September 2016 stating that [t]he US should not turn control of the Internet over to the United Nations and the international community, and that internet freedom is now at risk with the presidents [Obamas] intent to cede control to international interests, including countries like China and Russia, which have a long track record of trying to impose online censorship. Congress needs to act, or Internet freedom will be lost for good, since there will be no way to make it great again once it is lost.

Proponents of the transfer argue that the DNS review function was solely a technical one which had nothing to do with content or the level of censorship in any jurisdiction. In fact, internet censorship in authoritarian regimes was common during the many years that the NTIA performed the DNS review function because access was restricted at country level.

They also point out that the transfer helped to ensure that government entities did not assume greater control of internet governance duties, since countries including Russia and China had been pushing to endow a UN specialised agency  the International Telecommunications Union, whose membership includes 193 countries  with responsibility. This  the argument goes  would have been far more likely to increase direct involvement by governments, including authoritarian ones. Instead, the transfer turned responsibility over to a worldwide community of stakeholders, with no individual country having extraordinary control.

Finally, proponents argued that because ICANN agreed in June 2016 to preclude re-delegation of the .gov and .mil top-level domains without first obtaining written approval from the NTIA, the US cybersecurity concerns voiced by opponents to the transfer had been sufficiently addressed.

Delaying tactics

Efforts to stop or at least delay the transfer were made on two fronts. Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill to prohibit the transfer from proceeding without congressional approval. A companion bill was also introduced in the House of Representatives. The bills were based, at least in part, on the position that the authoritative root zone file and the DNS were US government property, which could not be transferred without congressional approval. Although not initially well received, the bills picked up more support, albeit all Republican, as October 1 neared. Nevertheless, neither bill passed in Congress  even if they had, then-President Obama would never have signed it into law.

On a second front, the attorney generals of four US states filed a lawsuit on September 28 2016 seeking a temporary restraining order against the transfer. The grounds included the same property argument set out in the congressional bills, as well as claims that ICANN had a history of ignoring and operating outside its bylaws and that the NTIA lacked authority to cede stewardship of the Internet to it. That suit was dismissed by a federal judge on September 30 and the transfer proceeded as planned on October 1.

What next?

Given Trumps strong opposition to the transfer during his campaign, some wonder whether his administration would, or even could, now try to put the IANA genie back in the bottle. Many commentators believe that the transfer cannot be undone. Any effort to do so would likely be difficult and could involve messy litigation, which would also risk angering the international community. However, because ICANN is subject to suit in California, establishing jurisdiction for a suit would be relatively easy. Nevertheless, with all of the issues the new administration has to address, this is likely no longer one of the most pressing. Rather, it is more likely the administration will aggressively monitor ICANN to ensure that it does not allow unequal influence by any group  especially another government  in its internet governance duties.
The School Committee presented its budget to the Finance Committee on Monday night.

Lanesborough Elementary Asking For Level Budget Appropriation



Chairman Ray Jones continued to push the issue about raising tuition rates. LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  The Elementary School Committee is not asking for any increase in this upcoming budget.

Interim Superintendent Kimberly Grady presented to the Lanesborough Finance Committee on Monday and said while the spending is up by 1.49 percent, that increase is being covered by school choice revenues.

Therefore, the appropriation from the town would be the same as this year to fund the proposed budget.

"In order to be mindful of the concerns in Lanesborough I've heard over the last several years and the new school, using choice we have been able to come in a zero," Grady said.

Last year's appropriated budget was $2,424,710.

The shared services expenses may vary because the district will be having to pay a few months for a new central office once that is decided. The central office is currently housed in Mount Greylock Regional School but with the building project, the office will have to move. The tri-district will have to make a decision on how to fund that.

However, the shared services budget will see savings because of shortages in staffing in the central office right now  the district is missing both a business manager and an assistant superintendent.

"There is nothing really earth shattering in this budget line by line," Grady said.

The Finance Committee didn't have much to say about the budget. But it had plenty to say about the School Committee's decision making.

Despite the fact that tuition students have no impact on the school's budget, Chairman Ray Jones continued to push the School Committee to raise the tuition for New Ashford students.

"We have to do something about this tuition. Why are we being asked to subsidize other people's children?" Jones said.

The debate has been going on for a long time in Lanesborough. Tuition is currently set at $8,730 per student but last year, the per-pupil spending was reported as $16,615. Members of the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee have been pushing for tuition rates to not only match the per-pupil spending but to exceed it to cover capital expenses as well.

"I don't see why we are giving away a service when it is not costing us dollar for dollar," Jones said.

School Committee Chairwoman Regina DiLego, however, says changing the tuition rate won't change anything with the budget. The tuition payments go to the town's coffers, not to the school. DiLego said there are only 10 students being tuitioned into the school so if rates increased, the school's operations and budget would remain the same.

DiLego said without those students, there would still be the same number of teachers, there would still be the same educational program, and class sizes wouldn't change very much at all. But raising the rate too much at once could lead New Ashford to send its students elsewhere  thus threatening the amount of revenue flowing into the town hall.

Jones, however, says the schools provide a "premium product" and other towns will send their students there anyway. He said not only does he want the tuition price to match the per pupil spending, but he wants to add a "premium" to it.

The School Committee has been aware of the concerns being raised by other town committees and said they will look into raising rates. But, that can't happen right now. The town is currently in a tuition contract and negotiations will be forthcoming in the fall.

"It is a contract so even after that conversation, we can't do anything until that contract expires," DiLego said.

Finance Committee member Christine Galib agrees that tuition should go up, but disagrees with Jones' plan to raise it immediately. She says the tuition rate should increase gradually.

Jones says by doubling the tuition rate, that would bring in some $90,000 to $100,000 should the same number of students from out of town continue to come. That would help when it comes to the town looking to buy an ambulance or some other needed purchase.

There is even a movement in town looking to place a ballot question on the town meeting warrant calling for an increase in tuition. That, however, isn't legally binding, DiLego said, because that would be taking the power of negotiating a contract away from the School Committee.

Finance Committee member Steven Wentworth said raising tuition rates is a negotiation. That $90,000 gain could quickly become a $90,000 loss if the other side doesn't agree. The goal is to find a middle ground both sides can agree with.

"At some point, you either do a deal or you don't," Wentworth said.

Finance Committee member Ronald Tinkham also asked for a separate meeting on the Lanesborough Elementary School budget. He said he hadn't gotten a copy of the budget before Monday's meeting and there is a public hearing on the budget on Thursday.

Grady said she had repeatedly asked for a meeting with the Finance Committee since November and only on Monday was one set up.

"Please don't insult any of us saying this is the first time we were willing to do this," she responded during a sharp back and forth with Tinkham.
After the huge success brought by PANTHER DDR4 released earlier, Apacer is ready to introduce the next-generation desktop gaming memory module, PANTHER RAGE DDR4 Illumination Gaming Memory Module, perfectly for gaming, overclocking, and M.O.D enthusiasts. Built with advanced technologies and a top-quality heat spreader, PANTHER RAGE DDR4 Illumination Gaming Memory Module comes with more cutting-edge designs and features, even including an LED lighting to mimic the glistening teeth of a panther to make the name more literal!

Overclocking at a Lightning Speed of 3000MHz with a Stable Performances

The PANTHER RAGE DDR4 Illumination Gaming Memory Module is designed to be compatible with the latest platform of Intel, offering clock rate options in 2400/2666/2800/3000MHz, with latencies of 16-16-16-36(2400/2666MHz), 17-17-17-36(2800MHz), and 16-18-18-38(3000MHz). It supports overclocking on Intel XMP2.0 without requiring manual adjustments on BIOS parameters to achieve maximized performances.

To ensure superior stability for PANTHER RAGE DDR4, Apacer employed professional technologies that are used toward the making industrial memory modules, a highly efficient heat spreader and quality IC, which effectively operate at low voltage at a reduced power consumption, with less need for heat release. This design not only enables stable output at full capacity, but also prolongs product life. Available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB, this memory module is able to meet tough system requirements. Moreover, on Intel motherboards, a total of 128GB memory can be loaded for optimized performances.

The Glistening Fangs and Design Details that Reveal Tough Performances

No panthers can be fierce without sharp teeth. The uniquely designed LED lighting features are inspired by the fangs of a panther. A stamping technique is applied to create an embossment of the beast, and the letters of the name are debossed to create a contrast. The bars that align at the right side of the panthers head is a hint of energy level from battle games. The jagged line at the bottom imitates the serration on military knives.

The release of PANTHER DDR4 once impressed gamers and PC modders and won 2017 Taiwan Excellence Award with its marvelous performances in overclocking, heat spread, stability, and excellent value. Now PANTHER RAGE DDR4 Illumination Gaming Memory Module is ready to take the market by storm again at a brand new level!




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
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Director Kelly Reichardt has been seeking out an alternative America for more than 20 years. Her latest feature, Certain Women  which won Best Film at last years London Film Festival  stars Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone in three separate stories of unspoken love, a failing marriage and an absurd hostage crisis, mostly played out in the isolated western city of Livingston, under Montanas big sky.

Its one of the windiest places in America, Reichardt, 52, tells me, when we meet at Londons British Film Institute. Its a blustery day outside, and she huddles under a blanket as she recalls still more inclement times spent on-set. The local cafe has T-shirts that say, Livingston Blows. I did think of that for a title for a while. The only thing Sony asked of me was to please not name the movie Livingston Blows

Locations are vital to Reichardt. But whether its Will Oldham and Daniel Londons mournfully alienated friends lost in the Oregon woods in Old Joy (2006), Michelle Williams living in a car that wont move while looking for her lost dog in Wendy and Lucy (2008), or the Oregon Trail pioneers taking a seemingly endless short cut across the desert in Meeks Cutoff (2010), her characters struggle to get anywhere. Even after Jesse Eisenbergs brooding eco-activist in Night Moves (2013) blows up a dam and murders an accomplice, he finishes right where he started. These films arent about Americas winners. Theyre about everyone else. And they happen slowly, looking closely at characters Hollywood dismisses.

Michelle Williams in 'Certain Women' as the unfulfilled wife and mother, Gina (Park Circus and Sony Pictures)

The directors debut, River of Grass (1994), gives a picturesque gloss of Americana to the still unmistakably seedy launderettes and motels of Wade County, Florida, where she grew up as the daughter of police officers, and was glad to escape. Reichardt has lived in Manhattan for 30 years, but her films explore Americas West, from deep-green woods to bone-white desert, sweaty urban roadsides to a ranchs lonely beauty. Filming has been a journey of discovery for Reichardt, as much as her wandering, worn-down characters.

You get to see how different people live, she agrees. And when you leave the coast, its always shocking to me how politics isnt at the forefront of every conversation, like it is in Portland or New York or LA. Politics is more private to people, and maybe to do with other things. When we made Meeks Cutoff, for example, it was based on where their cattle could graze. And living locked in by mountain ranges in Montana, with the expanse of things and the amount of sky, you could imagine how that would play into peoples idea of God. The beauty of it is overwhelming sometimes.

Kristen Stewart in 'Certain Women' as Elizabeth, a teacher and law student (Park Circus and Sony Pictures)

The 1840s pioneers in Meeks Cutoff are specks in a vast landscape, as Lily Gladstones Native American ranch hand is in Certain Women, suggesting Reichardt is telling timeless American tales. If so, its in ways which make this political radical despair. The landscape is not timeless, she says. The landscape is threatened. But in some ways, you do feel like were treading backwards right now. Were going back to environmental plans that are pre-Nixon. Maybe I shouldnt be so naive. I didnt think that racism or sexism was over, but I didnt knowI mean, oh my God, were in quicksand.

Just as the generational despair of Old Joys grunge-era liberal pair lost in the woods was a reaction to George W. Bush, the miasma of Trumps America is predictively felt in Certain Women. Laura Derns lawyer veers between exasperation and resignation as she cleans up the sometimes dangerous idiocy of certain men around her, especially Jared Harris Fuller, a middle-aged white man pursuing an injury claim against a corporation amongst other grievances, who involves her in a hapless hostage siege. Were all at the mercy of a lot of those Jared Harris characters right now in America! Reichardt laughs. They are somehow in charge, which is very frightening.

Williams in Reichardt's 2008 film 'Wendy and Lucy' starring the director's late dog, Lucy

The stars and incrementally larger (though still low) budgets attracted to Reichardts films are an indication of her current stature in the industry. But this wryly intelligent woman still lives far from Hollywood, in a Manhattan apartment where she spends a lot of time alone, and these days missing her late dog, Lucy (Certain Women is dedicated to the canine co-star of her early films, and a dog remains Laura Derns characters best friend). Though her filmography is substantial, with a unique and resistant angle on America akin to her hero Robert Altman, that wont bring back the 12 years after River of Grass when Reichardt made no features at all. When she went into the woods to make Old Joy, shed all but given up, thinking of it as an art project. In a recent interview with Variety, she recalled that when she took River of Grass to Sundance in 1994, the experience jolted her with the realisation that it was different for women in this businessand it took me a long time to get over it.

Well, I realised that making the film, she says now. I had a little bit of the moment Fuller has in Certain Women. I mean, Fullers so shocked that the system isnt going to work for him, but hes got to his late fifties before learning that. Most people experience it much sooner, depending who you are. I guess I was somehow privileged enough, because I grew up in a house where women were boss, to not really have the thrust of it until I was making that film. And then looking back, I could see where I just hadnt recognised it before.

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What shocked her at Sundance?

Sundance really helped me, so Sundance was not the issue, she says. But you just realise more that it was a boys world. I had hung out a lot in the indie music world, and I had had that feeling in that world. But I had a much stronger feeling in the film world. But you know, its too hard of a blanket statement to make, because I also shared an office with a bunch of male film-makers who were constantly helping me. And [horror-specialising indie film all-rounder] Larry Fessenden and Todd Haynes have been supporting my work for many years. So its hard to draw these stark lines. But you can still look, and see the percentage of women directing is a small piece of the pie.

Did Reichardts identity as a film-maker fall away in those dozen years, bit by bit?

Sure, because youre only a film-maker if youre making films, right? And even now, Im a teacher sometimes and Im a film-maker other times, and Im a, whatever  on the couch TV-watcher other times! she laughs. Its hard not to be able to do what you want to do. But it feels like such a privileged argument, people have bigger problems. Ive had a really fortunate decade, and so its really hard for me to complain about anything. If you get to make a film, its a really lucky thing. I feel like I had more than my share.

Certain Women is in cinemas now. A season of Kelly Reichardts films continues at Londons BFI Southbank until 13 March
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John Gad has spoken out over the furore prompted by the inclusion of a gay character in Beauty and the Beast.

Director Bill Condon recently announced that the film would feature an "exclusively gay moment" for the first time in Disney history.

The news has caused uproar in Russia and some conservative areas of America where Christian churches have said they will boycott the film.

In the live action remake of the Disney classic, Gad, who plays Gaston sidekick LeFou, is said to come to the realisation that he has romantic feelings for the other character.

Since the reaction to his role, the 36-year-old actor has spoken out and says the scene is "subtle but incredibly effective", and hints at a happily ever after for the two characters.

He told People that the moment teaches an important lesson central to the theme of the film: "Never judging a book by its cover.

"You have a character in Gaston who uses his charm offensive to whip other people into a frenzy to go and attack somebody they never met. Somebody that's different. Somebody that represents a danger because [Gaston] says that he represents a danger.

"I think that theme is as relevant today as it was when Beauty and the Beast was first written 300 years ago. So that's what I hope people take from it."

"What I would say that this film is one of inclusiveness," he continued. "It's one that has something to offer everyone."

Director Condon has expressed frustration at the 'overblown' reaction to a gay character.

Speaking to ScreenCrush he said: "Oh God. Can I just tell you? It's all been overblown. Because it's just this - it's part of just what we had fun with..." and said he hoped audiences would "not make a big deal about it".
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Turns out, having a country declare your film an "act of war" might actually be good for business.

Google Play has revealed that The Interview remains its most-sold movie to date (via Variety), two years after the controversy which eventually led the film to be pulled from cinemas and relegated to a digital-only release.

The film outsold the blockbuster likes of Frozen, Deadpool, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Google's digital media store, despite the fact the film was also available on Netflix for close to two years as well.

The Interview stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a pair of journalists who travel to North Korea after securing an interview with the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un; though they're swiftly recruited by the CIA to assassinate him.

Due to the depiction of Jong-Un's assassination, North Korea's United Nation ambassador Ja Song-nam condemned the film and declared its release "an act of war" and "the most undisguised sponsoring of terrorism".

On November 24, 2014, a group calling themselves the "Guardians of Peace" hacked the servers of Sony Pictures, leaking internal e-mails, employee records, and unreleased films; while further threatening to launch an attack on the film's New York premiere and any cinema which chose to show the film on its theatrical release. The North Korean government denied involvement in the hack.



The threats led to multiple major theatre chains backing out of screening the film, leading to Sony effectively cancelling its theatrical release in December 2014; choosing instead to favour a digital-only release strategy which saw the film sold on Google Play, Netflix, iTunes, XBox Live, and other digital resellers.

Google Play also revealed Adele's 25 and Fifty Shades of Grey were the best-selling album and book respectively.
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Hollywood studios are jumping on almost any opportunity to create cinematic franchises, no matter how peculiar or whether other studios are already working on similar projects.

Case in point: Sony has bought the rights to Marian, a story concerning Maid Marian of Robin Hood folklore that has been described as Braveheart meets Game of Thrones.

According to Deadline, Margot Robbie will play the titular character. Notably, the film is not related to the upcoming Taron Egerton-led Robin Hood that Lionsgate is releasing next year and will star Eve Hewson as Marian.

The synopses for Marian reads: After a conspiracy to conquer England in which the love of her life Robin Hood dies before her eyes, Marian picks up the cause to lead her people into a pivotal war. She comes to power, charging into a battle that will not only decide the fate of the kingdom but will see her don the mantle of the man she loved. In the process, she rises as a legend herself.

Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Show all 10 1 /10 Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 1: She fought off Kristen Stewart and Jessica Biel to score the role in Scorsese's Oscar-nominated The Wolf of Wall Street. Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 2: She admitted to indulging in a spot of Dutch courage before shooting sex scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street: "I did three shots of tequila at like nine in the morning, right before doing it," she said. Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 3: Her nickname is 'Maggot'. "It started when I was five, Grade One and I detested it," she said. "By the time I was eight I realised it wasn't going anywhere so I embraced it but when I moved to Melbourne people started calling me it and I hadn't even told them it was my nickname." Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 4: She's already been the subject of an affair scandal. "There's absolutely no truth to the ridiculous rumor. It's disappointing that goofing around on set could be taken so out of context," she said of reports she'd hooked up with Focus co-star Will Smith Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 5: She's a fast food junky. Sickeningly. "I don't have a very good diet," she admitted recently. "I love beer, fries, burgers, but if I have to get in a bikini then I eat carrot sticks for three days. I'm one extreme or the other." Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 6: She scored her big break in Aussie soap Neighbours playing Donna Freeman... Until her character was written out in 2011. Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 7: Shoes make her cry. Well, the snakeskin boots she had to wear in Wolf of Wall Street did, anyway: "They were at least two sizes too small but I was so determined to wear them that we stretched them for two months," Margot told Grazia Daily. "We oiled up my feet and put baby powder in the shoe and spent 20 minutes squeezing my feet into them, but they didn't make it into the scene." Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 8: Margot was once a "sandwich artist" at a local Subway. Apparently. Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 9: She wanted to be a Charlie's Angel in the modern adaptations, but was rejected during the audition phase. Margot Robbie Facts & Figure(s) Margot Fact 10: And the greatest fact of all. She has memorised whole scenes from 1993 slap-stick laugh-a-thon Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Robbie is currently working on I, Tonya, a biopic about ice skater Tonya Harding, the first images from which appeared online last month.

The Australian actor has a busy slate ahead of her, including Gotham City Sirens, the David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad spin-off which will feature Robbie as the lead, and a live-action/CGI hybrid of Peter Rabbit.
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Blanco White has revealed the stunning new single from his upcoming EP Colder Heavens.

The song of the same name is off the EP due out on 31 March via Yutacan Records.

Listen to the track below

Blanco White is the solo project of Londoner Josh Edwards, begun in 2015. Studying the guitar in Spain and later the charango (an Andean instrument) and Bolivia, he began bringing together elements of Andalusian and Latin American music.

Q&A with Blanco White:

What are you listening to at the moment?

I keep being drawn back to Sufjan Stevens' Carrie and Lowell. It's an emotive record with so much depth that remains an on-going obsession, start to finish. The recent Tinariwen record is also ace and I'm really enjoying new music from electronic duo Otzeki.

What are your plans for 2017?

The latest EP 'Colder Heavens' is out at the end of March, and I'm busy writing new material. I have a 2 month writing/ guitar trip to Cadiz (Spain) planned in the summer which is very exciting, followed by some Autumn shows in Europe. Then it's back to the studio in London to prep more music this year.

What was the first gig you ever played and whats been the best so far?

The first gig I played was to a group of school friends when I was about 16. I played one of the first songs I ever wrote and a couple of covers. It's all a bit of a blur - I just remember bricking it with nerves! I guess the best show to date may have been my first headline show back in December 2015.

It was at Proud Camden with dear friends from the phenomenal Wovoka Gentle playing as my band. I was blown away by the turn out, and it felt like a baptism of kinds for Blanco White as a project.

Colder Heavens, the new EP from Blanco White, is out on 31 March via Yutacan Records. He plays Electric Brixton in London on 9 March (supporting Tinariwen) , Omeara supporting Nathan Bell on 15 March, and a headline gig at Troubador in London on 29 March.
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Sum 41 return to London with a loud, brash, emphatic show featuring everything youd come to want and expect from the pop punk band.

Rolling into Brixton Academy at full steam, the energy and passion on opening song A Murder of Crows lasts throughout the evening as Deryck Whibley and co pull out all the stops.

Dipping back into their two-decade strong archive, high energy performances of Underclass Hero and War set the tone for the evening.

A somewhat sombre note shrouds the high-octane performance when Whibley uses the occasion to thank the masses of Sum 41 fans in attendance for their support over the last couple of years, referring to the discussed and often public battle he has faced with alcoholism.

Motivation, Were all to Blame, and Walking Disaster all follow as the crowd forms small mosh pits and singing along with a band that at one point in time, they werent sure theyd be able to see again.

Whibley emerges from the middle of the crowd for his performance of With Me before Frank Zummos impressive drum solo on God Save Us All, once again proving the often-under appreciated musical prowess of this pop punk collective.

A cover of We Will Rock You preceded one of the biggest songs in the bands repertoire, In Too Deep. An encore consisting of Crash and Pieces sees him reunited onstage with the other band members for an emphatic rendition of Fat Lip to send the crowd home happy that, at least for now, Sum 41 are back.
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Norway is moving to allow recreational hunting of its "critically endangered" population of wolves, prompting furious condemnation from animal rights campaigners.

Around 65 of the animals live in the Scandanavian country and another 25 cross the border from Sweden.

Last year the government announced up to 47 could be killed by hunters, but that quota was lowered to just 15 two days before hunting season opened.

Now the right-wing minority government is set to approve a new amendment in the favour of hunters, allowing "recreational and cultural" killings of the creatures, according to The Local.

Norway's radioactive reindeer Show all 6 1 /6 Norway's radioactive reindeer Norway's radioactive reindeer There are more than 30,000 reindeer in Norway Although the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Ukraine happened nearly 30 years ago and more than a thousand miles from Norway, the country's reindeer are still suffering from increased radioactivity. Amos Chapple, RFE/RL Norway's radioactive reindeer A reindeer eats lichen When the disaster happened, larger areas of were covered by clouds of radioactive dust. When it rained or snowed in Norway that dust made its way into the landscape, contaminating everything it touched. Amos Chapple, RFE/RL Norway's radioactive reindeer Semi-domestic reindeer roam freely around Norway's rugged landscape Norway's reindeer feed on lichen, mushrooms and grass. The unusually high radioactivity observed in the reindeer is thought to be linked to this years' bumper crop of mushrooms. Aina Bye Norway's radioactive reindeer Sami heard the reindeer several times a year Norway's indigenous people, the Sami, are known for their reindeer herding. The animals provide a vital source of income for them. Amos Chapple, RFE/RL Norway's radioactive reindeer Reindeer meat is widely eaten in Norway Because of the unusually high radioactivity measured in the reindeer, many are not fit for human consumption and so have been released back into the wild. Aina Bye Norway's radioactive reindeer The legacy of Chenobyl The Sami people of Norway fear that it could be many years before the reindeer return to normal levels of radioactivity. Amos Chapple, RFE/RL

Until now, only predators considered a "potential nuisance" to farmers could be exterminated.

There are nine packs which spend all or part of their time in Norway, but the government's targets call for just four to six, prompting criticism from animal rights groups like the Worldwide Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Conservation Fund and the Norwegian Zoological Fund.

"Changing the law to shoot more endangered animals is outrageous, especially in the so-called eco nation Norway," said Nina Jensen, the head of the WWF in Norway.

Wolves are listed as "critically endangered" on the 2015 Norwegian list of endangered animals.

Farmers, hunters and forest owners have always held the right to kill animals they consider a nuisance, putting them on a collision course with green activists and large swathes of the population.

30 bags found in stomach of whale beached in Norway

The new measure is currently up for consideration in the Norwegian parliament, but is unlikely to meet with much opposition, according to The Local.

The wolf currently accounts for eight per cent of the 20,000 sheep Norway's farmers lose to predators each year.

Until the mid-19th century, large populations of brown bears, wolverines, wolves and lynxes prowled the Norweigian tundra. By the 1960s, though, wolves had been hunted to effective extinction, and bears almost followed.

But they were protected by law in 1971 and 1973 respectively, and numbers have been crawling back up thanks to Finnish-Russian wolves roaming into Norwegian territory.

There are 430 wolves across the whole of Scandinavia, up from fewer than 10 in the 1990s. They remain under threat from loss of habitat and poachers.Illegal hunting is the largest cause of wolf mortality in the region.
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It may be surprising for some to learn that, despite it being a predominantly male-orientated industry today, it was actually women who started brewing beer.

For centuries, female brewers  namedly Brewsters  used hops for religious ceremonies and medicines, and brewed beers to accompany dinner and to be sold at marketplaces. Sadly, thanks to the Reformation, strict gender roles were instilled and rumours spread about brewsters being in fact witches brewing potions which meant that being a female brewer became dangerous work.

Thats why, until fairly recently, men have taken the lead on brewing and drinking beer. Now, women are coming back to the forefront, brewing award-winning beer once again.

With 8 March globally recognised as International Womens Day and International Womens Collaboration Brew Day (a day when women gather and make a beer together in respective breweries worldwide), theres no better time than the present to add a female-brewed beer  or two  to your fridge.

International Womens Day in craft beer has a very special and unique history, as a way to both celebrate and educate women in the industry, Jaega Wise, head brewer at Wild Card Brewery, London, told us. Considering all the issues that have come to light in recent years concerning misogyny in this environment, it feels even more important that we celebrate and honour the positive (and inclusive) elements of the industry. Cheers to that!

Read more:

How we tested

We tested a selection of beers brewed by women, or chosen from female owned and female founded breweries, determining the nose (smell) of the beer, as well as the beers notes (its taste) and mouthfeel (how it feels on the tongue, or in the mouth). As well as this, we considered each beers value for money, its design  as, lets be honest, were all sucker for a nice-looking can  the beers body and colour; as well as any unique characteristics and campaigns the brewery boasted.

Over the course of a number of weeks, we sniffed, sipped and savoured our way through a range of different beer styles, from breweries across the length and breadth of the UK, to find the eight best beers brewed by women in 2022. And here they are...

The 8 best beers brewed by women for 2022 are:

Best overall  Queer Brewing Co existence as a radical act: 4, Cloudwaterbrew.co

 Queer Brewing Co existence as a radical act: 4, Cloudwaterbrew.co Best NEIPA  Wild Card Brewery magonia fresh hop NEIPA: 5.20, Wildcardbrewery.co.uk

 Wild Card Brewery magonia fresh hop NEIPA: 5.20, Wildcardbrewery.co.uk Best IPA  Coalition Brewing always with a twist IPA: 21.50, Coalitionbrewing.co.uk

 Coalition Brewing always with a twist IPA: 21.50, Coalitionbrewing.co.uk Best lager  St. Austell Brewery korev Cornish lager: 6, Morrisons.com

 St. Austell Brewery korev Cornish lager: 6, Morrisons.com Best cask beer  Nomadic Beers little wanderer: 13.50, Nomadicbeers.co.uk

 Nomadic Beers little wanderer: 13.50, Nomadicbeers.co.uk Best alcohol-free beer  Merakai Brewing Co this is a thirst trap: 2.55, Merakaibrewing.com

 Merakai Brewing Co this is a thirst trap: 2.55, Merakaibrewing.com Best gose  The First & Last Brewery hedgerow gose: 21, Firstandlastbrewery.co.uk

 The First & Last Brewery hedgerow gose: 21, Firstandlastbrewery.co.uk Best dark beer  Brewsters Brewery dragon street porter: 29, Brewstersbrewery.com

Queer Brewing Co existence as a radical act Best: Overall Rating: 10/10 ABV: 5%

5% Size : 440ml

: 440ml Style: Can Pale ales are delicious gateway beers  and existence as a radical act from Queer Brewing, brewed with Norweigan Kveik yeast, is a truly perfect choice at that. We cant fault it. Its effortlessly drinkable, and at five per cent ABV, its ideally sessionable, while being a total pleasure to drink. When opened, our fellow tester could smell the ripe, heady notes of mango, papaya and tangerine across the room. Its fresh, fruity and pillowy soft, without any off-putting, puckering bitterness you might often associate with your usual pale ales. The nose continues in tasting notes too, with scores of fresh tropical fruits. Its a sheer delight on the senses. Queer Brewing founder, writer and artist, Lily Waite, set up the brewery to provide much-needed visibility for LGBTQ+ people who work in, and with, beer. Existing as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Lilys passion shines through in her beers  and has raised thousands for charities in the process. Buy now 4 Cloudwaterbrew.co {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

Wild Card Brewery magonia fresh hop NEIPA Best: NEIPA Rating: 9/10 ABV : 6.6%

: 6.6% Size: 440ml

440ml Style: Can You may recognise Jaega Wise, head brewer at Wild Card Brewery, as a presenter from BBC Food Programme, The Wine Show or host of Beer Masters alongside singer James Blunt. In 2018, Jaega was awarded Brewer of the Year and strives to put women at the forefront of her work. We take an active role in hiring women in all areas of the business, she told us. We frequently collaborate with other female-led breweries, venues and artists she added  and the talent is clear to see as we love the design of this can. Standing for New England India Pale Ale, Wild Cards NEIPA is a beautiful hazy beer that is pillowy soft, and brewed with the freshest imported American hops, Azacca, Citra and Mosaic  as well as with the London-based brewerys house yeast blend. Its syrupy, rich and is a beautiful tropical fruit bowl in the mouth, with pineapple, mango and papaya being the heavy hitters, ending on a sherbet-style sweetness. Its not overwhelmingly sweet though, with the smooth, thick body making it a delight to drink. Drink it slow, and savour every mouthful (mainly because its 6.6 per cent ABV can catch up with you  trust us). Buy now 5.20 Wildcardbrewery.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

Coalition Brewing always with a twist IPA Best: IPA Rating: 9/10 ABV : 5%

: 5% Size : 330ml

: 330ml Style: Can (pack of 12) Brewed with only the finest British ingredients, and to the highest standards of European brewing traditions is this fruity and funky IPA from South London-based Coalition Brewing. Head brewer Charlotte Cook not only strives to create flavourful, unique and fun beers  but invests efforts into tackling sexism and discrimination in the craft beer industry. Her passion for the industry is made clear from the first sip. Its super fresh and fruity, light and refreshing. When poured, it comes out straw-like in colour, with a good body and a toffee nose. Theres clear notes of fresh berries and sweet melon, accompanying a soft mouth-feel beautifully. Its a beer that transforms too, becoming heavy with apricot and fellow stone fruits as you drink on. To end, it has a refreshing dry bitterness, complete with a malty backbone. Like its on-trend monochrome packaging, with flares of neon pink, its a really fun beer, and suitable for both veggies and vegans too. Buy now 24.50 Coalitionbrewing.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

St. Austell Brewery korev Cornish lager Best: Lager Rating: 8/10 ABV: 4.8%

4.8% Size: 330ml

330ml Style: Can (pack of six) Inspired by the Cornish coast, this pale gold, fresh lager is easy-drinking and refreshing  the epitome of long, lazy summer days on the beach. Brewing director, Georgina Young is a bit of a craft beer legend  joining the company in 2019, after previously operating as the first female head brewer at Fullers. She is a master brewer of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, and now also oversees operations at St. Austells sister company, Bath Ales. She surely knows her stuff  and it is clear from this crisp, Helles-style lager. Korev, available in a handy fridge pack of six, was born in Cornwall and isnt super bitter or dry like your classic supermarket go-tos. Its light, clean and not overly carbonated or lip-puckeringly bitter. Its bready, with a good malt backbone and a delicate herbal nose. Its the coast in a glass. Buy now 6 Morrisons.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

Nomadic Beers little wanderer Best: Cask beer Rating: 8/10 ABV: 3.2%

3.2% Size : 3L

: 3L Style: Cask (available in 3L pouches) If youre a sucker for cask beer, Leeds-based Nomadic Beers have perfected the art of the draught beer in a pouch. Owned by Katie Marriott, Nomadic specialises in hand-crafted cask ales, and its Chinook and Colombia-hopped small pale, Little Wanderer, is certainly no exception. Like any cask, it pours (from its handy pouch!) flat, with a gorgeous golden, cloudy body. The core range beer is all shortbread and big malty notes at first. But, after a short time in the fridge, we found that it really mellows out into a thirst-quenching, pithy citrus ale with juicy bursts of orange and slight lemon notes. Thanks to its low ABV, its sessionable and definitely one you could drink all evening. Dont worry if you dont want to share it (we get you!) as the 3l pouches can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to three weeks unopened, keeping your cask ale as fresh as can be. Once opened though, its best drank within five days  we preferred to keep ours in the fridge in the meantime. Buy now 13.50 Nomadicbeers.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

Merakai Brewing Co this is a thirst trap Best: Alcohol-free beer Rating: 9/10 ABV: <0.5%

<0.5% Size: 440ml

440ml Style: Can Often, going low and slow when choosing beers can be a tricky task, with many alcohol-free (AF) options missing the mark on flavour. That is, until it comes to Merakais this is a thirst trap. It has a mere 0.28 per cent ABV content, but we promise you, it doesnt taste like an AF beer in the slightest. It has the nose, tasting notes and body of a full-fat, four-six per cent hazy beer, thanks to copious amounts of lucious mango and papaya puree added to the mix. Plus, its super juicy and a joy to drink. Finally, it means theres no missing out if youre on driving duty after parties or simply dont want the hangover for work the next day. Its a pretty special beer, and weve quite frankly not tasted any AF options like it. Co-founder and owner, Emma ONeill Parsons, set-up the Sussex-based brewery with husband and former Arundel Brewery worker, Oliver Parsons. Merakai Brewing CO. represents a community and company we want to be part of where everyone feels included and comfortable to try and discover new things, Emma said. The proof is in the pudding, as the duo also work tirelessly with the craft beer industry, raising awareness of mental health and neurodivergence. The brand also have a Brave Noise collaboration hitting the shelves soon which will raise money for a chosen charity, as well as awareness of discrimination in the industry. Buy now 2.55 Merakaibrewing.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}

The First & Last Brewery hedgerow gose Best: Gose Rating: 9/10 ABV: 4.6%

4.6% Size: 440ml

440ml Style: Can If youre fairly new to craft beer, or even consider yourself a bit of a pro, youd be forgiven for not truly understanding what a gose is. Pronounced go-zur, its a beer that was born in Germany and is famed for its traditionally sweet and sour taste, often with a crack of saltiness and pinch of coriander. Crafted in the heart of Northumberland, this family-run microbrewery features female owner and head brewer, Red Kellie. She has set up three breweries now and lovingly crafted award-winning beers. And this hedgerow gose is no exception to that claim. Its made with locally foraged hedgerow ingredients and, like the rest of its foraged range, is wild like the landscape itself. A delight to drink, its packed with wild berries, such as red berries and blackcurrants, with raspberry at the forefront making. And it finishes on a twist of sea salt sourced from The Holy Island Sea Salt Company. Gorgeous. Buy now 21 Firstandlastbrewery.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}}
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If chocolate and coffee are two of your biggest vices, we have good news.

Drinking mocha lattes has been found to improve attention spans, according to a new study from Clarkson University in New York.

The researchers have found that the combination of coffee and chocolate found in a mocha is perfect for helping you stay focussed.

Recommended Japan has invented a coffee butter spread

Clarkson University researcher Ali Boolani worked with the University of Georgia to examine the acute effects of brewed cocoa consumption on attention, motivation to perform cognitive work and feelings of anxiety, energy and fatigue.

Boolani explained the power of the mocha: Cocoa increases cerebral blood flow, which increases cognition and attention. Caffeine alone can increase anxiety. This particular project found that cocoa lessens caffeine's anxiety-producing effects.

In a study that lasted nearly a year, participants drank either brewed cocoa, cocoa with caffeine, caffeine without cocoa, or a placebo hot drink with neither caffeine nor cocoa.

After drinking the beverage, participants were asked to do an array of tasks which would see their cognitive function and mood assessed.

The 5 best cocoa beauty products Show all 5 1 /5 The 5 best cocoa beauty products The 5 best cocoa beauty products Oriental dream shower foam 9, rituals.com



Rituals' softly foaming shower creams are a lovely way to get clean. This scent is warm and sweet without being cloying. The 5 best cocoa beauty products Cupcake 6.75 lush.co.uk



The peppermint oil in this clay-based face mask means it tingles as it gets to work and smells temptingly like mint choc chip ice cream. The 5 best cocoa beauty products Cocoa body exfoliant 34, fresh.co.uk



This new scrub combines cocoa butter and crushed cocoa with coconut shells to soften and refine skin  a great indulgence for winter-damaged skin. The 5 best cocoa beauty products Cocoa butter body lotion 8, thebodyshop.co.uk



For me this is still the best. The smell reminds me of my mum, who taught me to slather the stuff on to keep dry skin at bay. The 5 best cocoa beauty products Bois Nef nourishing bath oil 25, hotelchocolat.com



Even harder to resist than the brand's salted caramel hot chocolate, this luxurious bath elixir has warming notes of black pepper, sandalwood and roasted cocoa.

The researchers found that those whod drunk plain cocoa made fewer errors linked to lack of attention.

But then after adding caffeine to the cocoa too, cognitive effects were enhanced and the anxiety-provoking effects of drinking just coffee were reduced.

The results of the tests are definitely promising and show that cocoa and caffeine are good choices for students and anyone else who needs to improve sustained attention, Boolani said, offering hope to struggling students across the world.

Its worth noting that the research was sponsored by US chocolate manufacturers Hersheys, and its not impossible theyll be launching a coffee chocolate sometime soon.

But it seems chocolatey coffees really could be the saviour you need to get your through those long afternoon meetings.

Whether we can justifiably extend these results to eating chocolate whilst drinking a coffee is unclear, but were willing to give it a try.
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In Syria, salty halloumi, or hallum, cheese is eaten at breakfast time, with fresh olives, strained labneh yoghurt, stuffed vegetables and bread. When Razan Alsous, her husband and three children fled the civil war in their country for Yorkshire five years ago, it was one of the many things she missed about her old home in her new one.

When I came here to the UK halloumi wasnt always available. So I start to make the cheese for my family, Alsous, 33, tells The Independent. In Syria, Alsous had gained a pharmacy degree and her husband was an electronic engineer and business owner. But in the UK, they struggled to find jobs.

Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Show all 5 1 /5 Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures Princess Anne visit Doma cheese - In pictures

Soon, the breakfast staple became a lifeline as she realised she could turn the moreish cheese she was making using local, Yorkshire milk into a business. With a 2,500 loan from the Local Enterprise Agency, Alsous was able to launch Yorkshire Dama Cheese in 2014. Since then, Dama has been decorated with awards including the World Cheese Award Gold Prize 2016, shortlisted for the best cheese at the 2015 Delicious Yorkshire food festival, and nominated by former Prime Minister David Cameron for recognition on International Womens Day 2015.

It is not easy to resettle in a new place when you didnt plan to do so. I needed to start a new life in a place where I dont have any friends, family or relation, says Alsous. And Dama has allowed her to do that.

Considering the current political climate and Islamophobia, was she fearful she wouldnt be accepted?

Recommended A Hackney restaurant is tackling prejudice against refugees

I didnt think I would have a culture shock, because people in the UK have things in common with people in Damascus, Alsous says. We both live in a country which cares about heritage and has history. So when I came here I found the lifestyle is not too far from the way I used to live, and Ive been accepted by the community and had support for my business.

Of course, escaping war and watching ones country fall to its knees from afar isnt easy, and nor is trying to form a new life from nothing.

When I think about balancing my life between my kids, my home and my business, sometimes that can be tough, Alsous says. Especially when my kids want to spend time together as a family. Most weekends we are at farmers markets and food festivals. But I always try to explain to them that the hard work will pay off in the end.

She adds: Having my business recognised by Princess Anne was the proudest moment Ive had and meeting her in person has inspired me a lot.

Recommended Inside the restaurant staffed almost entirely by Syrian refugees

So how do you make an award-winning halloumi?

Describing the process used by Bedouins, the nomadic Arabic people who heard animals in the desert, she explains: Traditionally, hallum cheese is made from sheeps or goats milk, which is a Bedouin method. They dont have cows in the desert, but commercially nowadays most of the hallum cheese in the market is made with more than 75 per cent cows milk. When I started experimenting with making the cheese from 100 per cent fresh British cows milk, the results were amazing.

Akin to the redness of the best tuna, or the blue ripples in a Stilton, the sign of an amazing halloumi is its squeak. Hallum cheese is fresh and cooked in the whey, explains Alsous. That is what makes it have a squeak, just like aged cheese usually crumbles and melts in mouth.

By combining the skills she learned in the middle east, and the produce of her new home, Alsous believes she has created something unique.

Yorkshire milk has a lot of flavor because it has got a high solid content, she says. And that is reflected in the cheese as well. Our hallum cheese has got a creamy taste that does not not exist in most of the other hallum cheeses.

Alsous favourite way to eat halloumi is grilled with a salad, but she also enjoys it baked in the over with mushrooms, grated with pasta, fried and dipped into hummus or eaten raw with grapes or watermelons, like she would in Damascus.

Dama is the shortcut to Damascus, says Alsous. That is the city I belong to and I hope peace will return to Syria, and the road to Damascus will one day be open again.
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Chinese electronics company Huawei is now the worlds third-biggest mobile phone manufacturer  though its still a brand many people dont know well.

Its latest releases, the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus, build on last years P9 by lavishing improvements all round and adding a notable extra focus on colour.

While its become common in recent years for premium phones to be presented in metallic colour variants (gold, silver, rose gold), its been left to more affordable handsets, usually clad in plastic casing, to go for bright hues. Think the Apple iPhone 5C or models from HTC and, until recently, Microsoft.

Huawei has gone further, producing its top-of-the-range P10 in eight shades, yes eight. One of them, rose gold, will only be available in China. The others are, as Huawei names them, Dazzling Gold, Prestige Gold, Mystic Silver, Graphite Black, White, Dazzling Blue and Greenery.

During the last week Ive been trying out the P10 and P10 Plus, testing the camera and marvelling at the colours. Ill come back to the camera separately, but first impressions are extremely good.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Anyway, colour. Dazzling Blue and Greenery were designed in collaboration with the Pantone Colour Institute, which also created specific wallpapers to match the handset's colour.

Dazzling Blue (the name came from Huawei, not Pantone) is very attractive. Its not dissimilar to the blue chosen by Sony for its Xperia XZ, but here its in whats called a Hyper Diamond Cut finish, which has a subtly textured finish. Run your nail along it and it almost squeaks. And the diamond cut gives a more matte finish which mostly banishes fingerprints. Its classy and demure, though still stands out from the standard matte black.

Greenery is the shade the Institute has picked as colour of the year for 2017, and the name for this colour is the Institutes own. I spoke to Laurie Pressman, vice president at the Institute, about the choice.

The colour for 2017 is Greenery. Its a yellow-based green which is a less typical green shade than weve seen in the past. There are so many things that fed into our decision to select Pantone Greenery as the colour of the year. First was this desire to disconnect. Were living in the era of technology and people are realising the importance to pull back. They are realising they need a way to revitalise, to renew. So, pulling back from technology has been important.

Instead people want to go out to immerse themselves into the beauty of the natural world. We all feel overloaded. So natures greens help you to restore and replenish. Greenery is a colour thats symbolic of new beginnings. So you walk away from that walk in the park feeling refreshed and ready to face the world, so to speak.

All of which makes sense, though its interesting that a tech company has been inspired by the need to disconnect. Technology has moved beyond the drab beige computers and silver cameras were familiar with, for sure. But does colour really mean that much or do we just want gadgets that are black and shiny?

Colour affects us physiologically and psychologically. Whats so interesting about the effect the colour has on us is that 95% of its impact happens outside of our conscious awareness. We dont realise that if were sitting in a room where the walls are painted orange that were eating more because its driving us to eat more. Or if were sitting in a room thats painted green that were calmer. And if the walls are red, that makes us feel so closed in that were agitated and we just want to leave.

Think of it this way, youve walked into a room in a home. And it could be, we walk in and immediately feel warm and protected and cosy and we look around and we can see the room is painted in earth tones. So right away we associate an emotional reaction to the colours that were seeing whether its because of the trees in the forest that make us feel sheltered or we associate brown with the ground and it makes us feel grounded and sturdy and protected.

But how much further can colour take us in terms of gadgets?

I definitely think colour for technology is changing. Today, colour is about self-expression, lets face it. And a phone is an accessory. Anything youre carrying around with you is an accessory, when you look at how Beats changed the market for headphones. That was a whole game-changer.

Beats, now owned by Apple, came up with headphones that appeared in colours rarely seen in such products before. Pressman believes companies responded to this.

All of a sudden, Beats was shaking up the industry and causing other people to stand up and take notice, specifically Bang and Olufsen. I mean you saw them changing their whole approach  it wasnt good enough to just be about technology. So what was so fascinating for the Institute in working with Huawei is that they realised that technology is critical.

And what other colours are likely to feature in our gadgets soon?

We are definitely seeing some more of the cosmetic-y shades: the pinks and rosier pink shades. Its about being natural. Were also still seeing some of the more classic metallic colours. But the finishes will be a little bit different. And theres a growth in something like a fluctuating feeling of colour where colours can change, like they do in apparel. And I would also say the sour colours, acidic green, acidic orange and acidic yellow are going to become more common. I think the world is wide open right now with technology. I think youre starting to see people wake up to how they want their phones to be seen.
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WikiLeaks has released a huge set of files that it calls "Year Zero" and which mark the biggest exposure of CIA spying secrets ever.

The massive set of documents  over 8,000 pages in all  include a host of hacking secrets that could embarrass intelligence agencies and the US government, as well as undermining spying efforts across the world.

Here are six of the biggest secrets and pieces of information yet to emerge from the huge dump.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

1) The CIA has the ability to break into Android and iPhone handsets, and all kinds of computers

The US intelligence agency has been involved in a concerted effort to write various kinds of malware to spy on just about every piece of electronic equipment that people use. That includes iPhones, Androids and computers running Windows, macOS and Linux.

If that software is as powerful as WikiLeaks claims, it could be used to remotely control those devices and switch them on and off. Once that happened, a vast array of data would be made available  including users' locations, messages they had sent, and potentially everything heard by the microphone or seen by the camera.

2) Doing so would make apps like Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp entirely insecure

Encrypted messaging apps are only as secure as the device they are used on  if an operating system is compromised, then the messages can be read before they encrypted and sent to the other user. WikiLeaks claims that has happened, potentially meaning that messages have been compromised even if all of the usual precautions had been taken.

 What is Spyware?

3) The CIA could use smart TVs to listen in on conversations that happened around them

One of the most eye-catching programmes detailed in the documents is "Weeping Angel". That allows intelligence agencies to install special software that allows TVs to be turned into listening devices  so that even when they appear to be switched off, they're actually on.

That's just one of the technologies created by the Embedded Devices Branch, the CIA division at the centre of much of the leaks of new information.

4) The agency explored hacking into cars and crashing them, allowing 'nearly undetectable assassinations'

Many of the documents reference tools that appear to have dangerous and unknown uses. One file, for instance, shows that the CIA were looking into ways of remotely controlling cars and vans by hacking into them.

"The purpose of such control is not specified, but it would permit the CIA to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations," WikiLeaks notes, in an unproven piece of speculation.

5) The CIA hid vulnerabilities that could be used by hackers from other countries or governments

WikiLeaks claims that its source handed over the documents in order to provoke a debate about the power of intelligence agencies and how their information should be exposed. Perhaps central to that is the accusation that the CIA was "hoarding" exploits that it had found  rather than handing them over to the companies that could fix them, and so make users safe, as they had promised to do.

Such bugs were found in the biggest consumer electronics in the world, including phones and computers made Apple, Google and Microsoft. But those companies didn't get the chance to fix those exploits because the agency kept them secret in order to keep using them, the documents suggest.

"Serious vulnerabilities not disclosed to the manufacturers places huge swathes of the population and critical infrastructure at risk to foreign intelligence or cyber criminals who independently discover or hear rumors of the vulnerability," a WikiLeaks statement read. "If the CIA can discover such vulnerabilities so can others."

WikiLeaks noted that those unfixed exploits affected everyone using the equipment, including "the U.S. Cabinet, Congress, top CEOs, system administrators, security officers and engineers".

6) More information is coming

The documents have still not been looked through entirely. There are 8,378 pages of files, some of which have already been analysed but many of which hasn't.

The files are being shared publicly on the WikiLeaks website and the organisation has encouraged its supporters to keep looking through the documents in the hope of finding more stories.

And that's not to mention the other sets of documents that are coming. The "Year Zero" leaks are just the first in a series of "Vault 7" dumps, Julian Assange said.

When taken together, those "Vault 7" leaks will make up the biggest intelligence publication in history, WikiLeaks claimed.
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For all we hear about an escalation in mental health problems in adolescence, there is no persuasive evidence that the internet is to blame. My colleagues and I recently conducted a systematic review of the evidence and found only a weak correlation between teenagers use of social media and depression.

After its launch in 2004, the social networking website Facebook rapidly expanded to global coverage. Since the advent of smartphones, instant messaging sites such as WhatsApp have become the most popular means of communication for younger people, who spend much of their lives fixated on digital devices, oblivious to everything around them. Some experts believe that this immersion in cyberspace has negative psychological and social effects, and news reports and opinion pieces in newspapers often portray the internet as a danger to the young.

We examined research measuring social media use and depression in young people up to 18 years of age. Eleven studies, with a total of 12,646 participants, were included. Overall, we found a small but statistically significant relationship between online social interaction and depressed mood.

A weakness of the reviewed studies was reliance on the participants self-reporting of internet use. Although symptoms were measured by validated psychological questionnaires, depression was not formally diagnosed in any of the studies. More fundamentally, the studies could not determine whether the mood problem was cause or effect. Data from some studies indicated that psychologically vulnerable young people are more likely to turn to the internet for social support. So depression may be a contributory factor rather than a consequence of social media use.

Constant connection, superficial exchange and a perpetual quest for likes do not nurture deep thinking, creativity and empathy (Shutterstock)

The results of our review neither negate the concerns of sociologists, psychologists and neuroscientists on the impact of the internet on social and cognitive development, nor do we disregard problematic use. Previous research has found that young people who display impulsive and addictive behaviour are more likely to share sexual images of themselves and are at greater risk of being bullied online.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. 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The internet offers tremendous opportunities for social interaction, but constant connection, superficial exchange and a perpetual quest for likes do not nurture deep thinking, creativity and empathy. Parents should be alert to excessive internet use by a son or daughter, as this could be a sign of distress. A teenager with low self-esteem needs emotional support and wont necessarily get this from online contacts.

New technology, new panic

There are hints of moral panic in the notion of a mental health epidemic in young people, and the supposed harmfulness of the internet. Reactions to transformative new technology are understandable but often exaggerated. In the 19th century many people were diagnosed with railway sickness, a type of neurosis attributed to the unnatural motions of train travel.

Recommended Piers Morgan pulls out of hosting TV awards amid furious backlash

Adolescence has always been a challenging stage of life, but the rising incidence of depression may be due to greater mental health awareness and changes in diagnostic practice. Our findings do not show that young people become depressed as a direct result of engaging in social media.

Reactions to new technology have often been exaggerated; in the 19th century many people were diagnosed with railway sickness

For further research, we recommend studies that follow younger people over a long period of time (longitudinal cohort studies). Intensive long-term observation would reveal changing patterns of social media use from childhood to adolescence. Repeated measurement of stress and mental health is crucial, but researchers should not rely on numerical data alone. We suggest integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, with interviews enabling young people to describe their experiences in their own words, potentially revealing links between social media activity and mental state.

Social media seems destined to dominate peoples lives for the foreseeable future. Yet the popularity of Facebook is declining among teenagers. There are also signs of people reverting from digital to analogue media (such as books and vinyl records). The internet is constantly evolving, and young people are adaptable to technological change. Social network and instant messaging sites are the medium, but not the message.

Niall McCrae, is a lecturer in mental health at King's College London. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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Trolling is a very modern phenomenon that has no signs of abating any time soon.

Many news sites have resorted to removing their comments sections below articles because the remarks became so bad, and increasingly anti-trolling systems are being brought into place.

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, for example, is trialling a system that makes people answer a question about the article before theyre allowed to comment, thus ensuring any potential trolls are at least informed.

And a project by Google created an application interface that is meant to spot abusive comments and reject them before the trolls words will appear.

Trolling has become something of an epidemic, but why so many people do it is a mystery - surely there cant be that many hateful people in the world? Why do trolls spread so much vitriol online that they wouldnt dream about doing in person?

Well, new research has discovered why and how normal people turn into trolls on the internet.

A study conducted by Stanford and Cornell Universities in the US has determined that the anonymous people who post cruel, unpleasant and unnecessary comments could be any of us - we all have the potential to become a troll.

We wanted to understand why trolling is so prevalent today, said lead author and Stanford computer science researcher Justin Cheng.

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He sought to determine whether the people who troll others online have some innate trait that makes them do so, or whether their actions are influenced by situational factors.

The study concluded that the reason someone trolls is based on two factors: the persons mood and the tone of other comments.

The researchers asked 667 people to do a test - some were given easy ones, others more difficult, on the presumption that those whod done the hard test would be in worse moods afterwards.

After completing their tests, the participants were then asked to read an article and post in the comments section underneath.

The results were remarkable.

All participants were given the same article with three comments already there, but the comments werent all the same - some people saw articles with three neutral, inoffensive comments underneath, but for others the comments were by trolls.

Only 35 per cent of people whod completed the easy test and viewed inoffensive comments went on to write trolling comments themselves.

Of those whod either undertaken the tricky test or read the trolls comments, about half went on to post nasty comments themselves.

And this number rose to 68 per cent for people whod both done the difficult test and read the trolls comments.

Which comments qualified as trolling was identified by two independent experts using guidelines from several discussion forums - personal attacks and cursing, for example, were considered signs of trolling.

To further back up their findings, the researchers analysed the data of over one million users, 200,000 discussions and over 26 million posts in CNNs comments section, including comments by banned users or ones that had been deleted by moderators.

 Donald Trump says America is about to lose control of the internet

The researchers looked at the times the worst comments were posted because previous research has shown that time of day and day of week correspond with mood.

They found that trolling comments were more likely to be posted late at night and early in the week, which is when people are most likely to be in a bad mood.

This has been proven by previous research that has shown people are most likely to post negative comments between 10pm and 3am on Sunday and Monday nights, and that Twitter bullying is at its most severe on Sundays between 5pm and 8pm.

Delving further into the effect of mood, the researchers discovered that people were more likely to produce a flagged post if one of their own comments had recently been flagged or if theyd contributed to another discussion that included flagged posts.

Associate professor of computer science at Stanford and senior author of the study Jure Leskovec explained it thus: Its a spiral of negativity. Just one person waking up cranky can create a spark and, because of discussion context and voting, these sparks can spiral out into cascades of bad behaviour.

Bad conversations lead to bad conversations. People who get down-voted come back more, comment more and comment even worse.

So if you're feeling a bit down and see negative comments online, it could be worth making a conscious effort not to let your inner troll rear its nasty head.
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Charlotte Hogg, the new deputy governor of the Bank of England, broke the Banks official internal code of conduct when she failed to declare to the Threadneedle Street authorities that her brother worked for Barclays.

The chair of the Banks governing court, Anthony Habgood, said on Tuesday that it was a very serious breach, extremely regrettable and added that it doesnt look good.

It emerged at an appointment hearing before the Treasury Select Committee on 28 February that Ms Hoggs brother, Quintin, worked for Barclays as a "director in group strategy".

Ms Hogg, who is now the deputy governor in charge of markets and banking, told the TSC she had already disclosed this fact to the Banks authorities.

But in the wake of the TSC hearing, the Bank checked the internal records and discovered this was incorrect and there was no formal note of her brother's job.

Under the Banks code, Ms Hogg should have disclosed the potential conflict of interest when she joined the Bank of England as Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

Regrettably, my oversight means that my oral evidence to the committee in this respect was not accurate, wrote Ms Hogg in a letter to the TSC and offered her sincere apologies.

The breach is especially damaging to Ms Hogg because she told the TSC last week that she had helped to write the Bank's updated code of conduct.

Mr Habgood told the TSC on Tuesday he believed it had been an honest mistake.

Bradley Fried, deputy chair of the Court, also defended Ms Hogg under questioning by the TSC.

I definitely dont believe its a hanging offence, he said.

Ms Fried added he would struggle to see the breach as grounds for rescinding Ms Hogg's appointment to the deputy governor position.

One former senior Bank of England policymaker said: It is hard to imagine that this would have happened under Governor King, who was hyper-sensitive, and rightly so, to any and all potential perceptions of conflicts that might tarnish the reputation of the Bank.

In her evidence to the TSC last week Ms Hogg said: I am in compliance with all of our codes of conduct. I know because I helped to write them. I have discussed it with the company secretary.

She also said she didn't know what her brother did at Barclays before she asked him for the purposes of filling in a questionnaire provided by the committee.

I dont discuss work with him and he doesn't discuss it with me. We mostly talk about his children, she said.

The chair of the TSC, Andrew Tyrie, revealed on Tuesday that Quintin Hogg's role at Barclays has been been to examine regulatory changes, ring-fencing rules and capital requirements.

As deputy governor, Ms Hogg will sit on the Financial Policy Committee, which can adjust private banks' capital requirements.

She will also sit on the Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates, and the board of the Prudential Regulation Authority and also the Bank's Court.

Ms Hogg's father is Viscount Hailsham, a former Cabinet minister in the 1990s. In 2009 it was revealed that he had claimed 2,115 of taxpayers' money to clean the moat of his country estate.

Her mother is Baroness Hogg, a former head of Sir John Major's Downing Street Policy Unit and chair of 3i Group. She is now a non-executive board member of the Finacial Conduct Authority.

Before joining the Bank in 2013 Charlotte Hogg worked for Santander UK.

The Bank's code states: A relationship with a person or organisation outside the Bank should be disclosed where it may lead (or could be perceived to lead) to a conflict of interest or advantage  close personal relationships with those active in financial, economic or political journalism, Bank-regulated financial institutions and significant dealings with counterparties of the Bank or Bank suppliers, such as banknote printers or caterers, should all be disclosed."

This will allow us to ensure that we are not put in situations where close personal relationships might be viewed as affecting our judgement, or where we could be perceived to have shared Bank information for advantage.

It continues: Failure to comply with our Code and its associated policies could lead to disciplinary action.

Mr Fried said the breach would be discussed at a full meeting of the Court. But Mr Habgood said that he did not expect this process to result in the appointment of Ms Hogg being overturned.
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President Donald Trumps latest pledge to drive down to drug prices has sent pharmaceutical stocks falling again after just one tweet.

Mr Trump tweeted that he is "working on a new system where there will be competition" in the drug sector and that "pricing for the American people will come way down."

Shares of Pfizer and Merck & Co shed 1.1 per cent and Amgen dropped 1.4 per cent, immediately after the tweet.

Meanwhile the NYSE Arca biotech index, which is up 17 per cent on the year so far, also fell 1 per cent at the start of trading on Tuesday.

While the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical index, which represents a cross section of widely held companies involved in various phases of the production and marketing of pharmaceuticals, fell 1.2 per cent.

Mr Trumps tweet didn't include further details about the new system, adding to uncertainty.

Its not the first time that Mr Trump has criticised drugmakers for high prices.

In his speech to Congress last week, Mr Trump said more needs to be done to bring down "artificially high" prices for prescription drugs.

In January, close to $25bn was wiped off the value of the S&P 500s top nine pharmaceutical companies in a matter of minutes after Mr Trump accused them of getting away with murder just a week before his inauguration.

Speaking to members of the press, Mr Trump said: We have to get our drug industry coming back. Our drug industry has been disastrous.

They supply our drugs but they don't make them here, to a large extent. And the other thing we have to do is create new bidding procedures for the drug industry, because they're getting away with murder.

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 drug industry has been on edge for two years about the potential for more government pressure on pricing after sharp increases in the costs of some life-saving drugs drew scrutiny in the press and among lawmakers.

Leaders of several large drugmakers met with Mr Trump at the White House in January.

Geoffrey Yu, head of the UK Investment office at UBS Wealth Management in London, previously said that more broadly in financial markets investors were on edge in relation to Trumps policies and execution.

Continue to expect the unexpected, he said.
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The Japanese Ministry of Justice has reportedly made it easier for foreigners to become permanent residents in Japan as the government seeks to attract new talent, keep highly skilled overseas workers and boost productivity.

The new rules will become effective as of the end of March 2017 and will allow some foreign workers to apply for permanent residence after as little as one year in Japan, Business Insider reports.

Highly-skilled professionals are defined as foreigners who receive at least 70 points on the Ministrys immigration scorecard.

According to the present Japanese immigration rules, the minimum required residence period before foreign nationals can apply for permanent resident status is five years.

The latest changes will reportedly shorten that period to just three years for those scoring over 70 points and only a year for those scoring over 80 points.

The scorecard is based on an assessment of criteria such as professional qualifications, education level, and annual salary.

The changes in Japan come as campaign group 3 Million calculated that up to one million EU citizens are at risk of deportation after Brexit in the UK unless the government comes up with a more simple way of recognising their status in the country.

The 3 Million calculated that it would take the Home Office 47 years to process the three million applications from EU citizens for permanent residency at the current rate, which it warned could leave many unable to have their rights to remain supported.

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

Meanwhile, 30 per cent of EU citizens are unable to prove their right to residence despite living here legally, leaving one million potentially at risk of deportation from the day the UK leaves the EU.
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Norway said that electric or hybrid cars represented half of new registrations in the country so far in 2017, as Norway continues its trend towards becoming one of the most ecologically progressive countries in the world.

According to figures from the Road Traffic Information Council (OFV), cited by AFP, sales of electric cars accounted for 17.6 per cent of new vehicle registrations in January and hybrid cars accounted for 33.8 per cent, for a combined 51.4 per cent.

Norway already has the highest per capita number of all-electric cars in the world and the experiment shows every sign of accelerating.

Recommended Norway could introduce a third gender option on passports

The milestone is also particularly significant as a large proportion of Norways funds rely on the countrys petroleum industry

"This is a milestone on Norway's road to an electric car fleet," Climate and Environment minister Vidar Helgesen told AFP.

The transport sector is the biggest challenge for climate policy in the decade ahead. We need to reduce (CO2) emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030 and ... this requires the electrification of the car fleet," he added.

Last year, the government agreed on a proposal to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered car starting in 2025. It also aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions of new cars to 85 grams per kilometre by 2020 - a goal it has almost achieved: the figure stood at 88 grams in February compared to 133 grams when the decision was taken five years ago.

The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Show all 10 1 /10 The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Ukraine The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Bulgaria Rex Features The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Belarus The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Russia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Armenia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Bosnia and Herzegovina REUTERS The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Georgia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Hungary DigitalGlobe The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths China The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Moldova

In December, Norway registered its 100,000th electric car.

Norway has also become the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation.
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A statement from the White House congratulating oil giant ExxonMobil on the expansion of its operations in the Gulf of Mexico appeared to lift an entire paragraph from the companys press release.

The response from President Donald Trump's administration came about half an hour after Exxon announced plans to create thousands of jobs by spending $20bn over 10 years on plants.

Washington Post data reporter Christopher Ingraham first noticed the identical paragraph in both releases.

The White House statement contains only minor differences, such as changing U.S to United States and removing the word expansion from the sentence Growing the Gulf expansion program from the oil companys release.

Here is Exxons release:

ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the U.S. Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The companys Growing the Gulf expansion program consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022.

Followed by the White Houses statement:

Exxon Mobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the United States Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The companys Growing the Gulf program consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022.

On Twitter, US President Donald Trump, whose secretary of state Rex Tillerson was Exxon's chief executive up until December, said: Buy American & hire American are the principles at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you @exxonmobil.

Thank you to @exxonmobil for your $20 billion investment that is creating more than 45,000 manufacturing & construction jobs in the USA!, he added.

It is not the first Mr Trumps team comes under fire over its press releases.

The White House, last month, misspelled Prime Minister Theresa May's name three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US.

Last year, First Lady Melania Trump was accused of plagiarism after she appeared to use phrases from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
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The Department for Education has been forced to go to Parliament for emergency funding after exceeding its budget by over 3bn.

This is the second year in a row in which the Department has had to seek a vote for excess funds, fuelling claims that public money is being wasted through poor accounting.

Labour have accused the Department of breaching its budget  which stands at around 60bn in total  and failing to admit to the problem until the last possible moment.

The Government insists the matter is not indicative of a cash overspend, however, but rather a quirk of the accounting process, since the DfE and academy school trusts operate using different financial years.

Every year, Government departments that are about to exceed their expenditure limit must request an excess vote from Parliament to have more money granted to them.

In its annual Statement of Excesses, the Treasury said the DfE was the only government department to request excess funding this year.

The Department was unable to meet the statutory deadline for presenting its 2014-15 financial statements to Parliament, it added, when it overspent by 3.07bn.

Presenting evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, DfE permanent secretary, Jonathan Slater, said the problem had arisen because the Department was not yet on top of the consolidation of the growing number of academy schools and trusts in England.

The most expensive schools in the world Show all 10 1 /10 The most expensive schools in the world The most expensive schools in the world La Rosey, Switzerland This prestigious Swiss boarding school is believed to be the most expensive in the world. Le Rosey hosts pupils from seven to 18 and has been co-educational since 1967. The school takes in pupils from more than 60 countries, but allows no more than 10 per cent of its students to come from any one country in order to prevent a single nationality dominating. The school has two campuses  winter is spent in Gstaad, where pupils can make use of the ski slopes after their morning lessons. Come spring, the whole school will uproot to the Chataeau du Rosey in the village of Rolle by Lake Geneva. Le Rosey also boats a 1,000 seat concert hall, equestrian centre and 38-foot yacht. Notable alumni: Shah of Iran, Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Farouk of Egypt. Sir Roger Moore and Elizabeth Taylor also send their children here, along with John Lennons son Sean and Winston Churchills grandson. Fees: approx. 86,657 pa The most expensive schools in the world Aiglon College, Switzerland With a view of Mont Blanc, this high altitude school lends itself to outdoor pursuits. The school caters for boys and girls aged nine to 18 and is modelled on the traditional British Boarding school. Unlike most schools, however, the whole school body comes together for 20 minutes of meditation on three mornings each week. Notable alumni: Actor Michel Gill, Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark, Sheherazade Goldsmith Fees: up to 80,810 per year (upper school boarding) The most expensive schools in the world College Alpin International Beau Soleil Founded in 1910, Beau Soleil is one of the oldest private boarding schools in Switzerland. It is positioned 1,350 metres above sea level on the Swiss Alps and hosts pupils from more than 40 different nationalities aged 11-18. The curriculum is taught in both French and English and focuses on outdoor sports, with a ski slope and ice skating rink on site. Notable alumni: Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve, Princess Marie of Denmark, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Fees: 79,528 College Alpin International Beau Soleil The most expensive schools in the world College du Leman International School, Switzerland Taking in children from as young as one year old, College du Leman teaches a bilingual programme of French and English up to age 18. The school campus stretches out across eight hectares and offers access to both Geneva city and the mountains. Pupils from more than 100 nationalities attend. Noteable alumni: Anna Ovcharova, Swiss, Russian figure skater Fees: 68,960 pa The most expensive schools in the world Leysin American School, Switzerland Another high-profile Swiss school, popular for its exclusive ski and snowboard facilities. LAS Students are allowed to spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons on the mountain for sports. Despite its name, around 12 per cent of students are from the US. Notable alumni: According to Bloomberg, alumni include members of Saudi Arabias royal family, the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. Fees: Approx 66,700 per year Leysin American School The most expensive schools in the world Institut auf dem Rosenberg With just 260 boarding pupils from over 40 countries, emphasis is placed on one-on-one time at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg. The school has a staff to student ratio of 1:4 and average class sizes of 8 students. Pupils can choose fromn one of five curricula, including British A level,s German Abitur and the Swiss Matura program. Notable alumni: Countless politicians and business leaders as well as international royalty  the school operates a strict privacy policy but most studenrts come from entrepreneurial families or are heirs to large businesses. Fees: 66,160 pa The most expensive schools in the world Think Global School The worlds first travelling high school takes pupils to four different countries each year  allowing pupils to experience subjects out in the field. The school has one teacher for every three students and has a 100 per cent pass rate for the International Baccalaureate qualification. Notable alumni: The school is only seven years old, but will no doubt become a popular choice with the next generation of rock stars children. Fees: 63,980. Sliding-scale scholarships offered. The most expensive schools in the world The American school in Switzerland (TASIS) The first US boarding school to be set up in Europe, TASIS lies on the Dollina dOro in the Swiss mountains. Fine art is central to the school curriculum and TASIS hosts its own Spring Arts Festival which attracts a number of famous artists and musicians each year. Notable alumni: American mountain climber Francys Arsentiev, Performer Jeanie Cunningham and Italian-American film director Francesca Gregorini Fees: 63,561 pa The most expensive schools in the world Brillantmont, Switzerland A family-run, traditional Swiss school for 130 years, Brillantmont overlooks Lake Geneva and sits just a five-minute walk away from Lausanne. Brillantmont boasts that 100 per cent of its students continue their studies to higher education. Notable alumni: kept suspiciously on the down-low Fees: 52,010 - 59,680 pa Brillantmont, Switzerland The most expensive schools in the world Hurtwood house, Surrey Hurtwood house, surrey Several of the best UK boarding schools top their fees around this mark. Set in an Edwardian mansion with 200 acres of grounds, Hurtwood House is one of the most unique. The school hosts just 340 pupils and is known for its focus on creativity and the arts  a recent school production of Chicago cost 75,000 to stage, according to Tatler. Notable alumni: Emily Blunt, Jack Huston, Hans Zimmer Fees: 39,555 pa

Mr Slater said: The Department is consolidating thousands of academy trusts that operate a different system of accounting from Government because they are charities and we are not, they value their assets on a different basis than we do, to a different timeframe than we do.

We need to put that right. We need their help. The problem is not that we are not getting their help. The problem has been that we are learning as we go.

The comments come amid high debate over the accountability of academy trusts in England.

In a Select Committee report published last month, MPs said multi-academy trusts (MATs) had been able to expand too quickly, and warned there was not enough evidence to warrant their further expansion, as proposed by the Government.

The DfE has one of the largest accounts in Whitehall, in part due to the thousands of school buildings under its care.

 Sex education to be made compulsory in all schools in England

The Treasury reported that in 2014-15 the Department overspent by over 3 billion, partly due to financing school building repairs.

In the 2015-16 financial year, the Department breached both its capital and resource expenditure limit by over 290m.

An NAO report last month recommended another 6.7bn was needed in order to bring all existing school buildings up to a satisfactory standard  a problem that is forecasted worsen as the majority of the school estate was built more than 40 years ago.

Commenting on the expenditures, Mike Kane, the shadow schools minister, said: This is exactly what we have come to expect from a department riddled with accounting problems and totally unwilling to properly fund our childrens education.

Theresa May needs to get a grip on her Department for Education which time and again is failing to account properly and putting education in this country at grave risk.

A DfE spokesman said the accusations were a complete misunderstanding of the accounting process, however, but added that the issue would not be happening again.

He said: It is misleading to describe this as a cash overspend  this issue refers to the way spending is accounted for. We conducted a review of the way we accounted for academy trust land and buildings and made a number of changes.

The timing of this review meant that we couldnt amend our budgets with the corrected accounting, giving rise to this issue. The Public Accounts Committee has accepted this explanation and we do not expect these issues to re-occur.
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The police inspector in charge of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) investigations in London said the Metropolitan Police still does not know where young women and girls are being cut and disfigured.

Inspector Allen Daviss comments came as the NHS revealed there were nearly 5,500 new FGM cases reported to hospitals, clinics and GPs in 2016.

No one has ever been convicted of carrying out female genital mutilation in the UK despite it being illegal in the country since 1985.

We dont know where its taking place, said Inspector Davis, who is head of Project Azure, which responds to sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse. FGM investigations, wherever you are in the world, are complex and challenging so its not unique to London or the UK."

He added: The challenge in securing the successful conviction we all strive for, is that its a home-based crime that is significantly under reported. People conducting the FGM are often family members which is an inevitable barrier because the victim is not necessarily going to want to stand up and give evidence.

A protest was held in Madrid last year on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation in February Getty (Getty)

Since 2012, the number of FGM referrals to Mr Daviss team has increased from 29 each year, to 20 each month.

Southwark and Brent have emerged as the London boroughs reporting the most FGM cases.

But the Inspector said the amount of referrals the team receives are just the tip of the iceberg, adding there is more nuance than simply trying to arrest.

At airports, his team pull aside families suspected of travelling to high-risk countries for FGM for educational conversations. They also use the civil courts to place at-risk children with social services.

We have a lot of tools in our arsenal, said Inspector Davis. But we are determined to secure a conviction because of the important message it sends out to the affected communities.

Mike Canning, an NSPCC helpline manager, said his team receive a call on FGM about once a day.

 FGM prosecution vs prevention - London Live

What happens to these people is child abuse. It leaves them physically and emotionally scarred, he told The Independent.

The Department of Healths FGM Prevention Programme today revealed there were 5,484 new reports of FGM in 2016. There have been 10,067 new reports since records began in April 2015.

Five-sixths of cases carried out in the UK were genital piercings, 95 per cent were born outside of the UK, 96 per cent were operated outside of the UK, and 96 per cent were aged 17 or younger during the FGM.

Barts Health NHS Trust in east London, according to a Freedom of Information response obtained by The Independent, has treated 1,224 females in relation to FGM between April 2014 and March 2016.

MPs have previously slammed the national scandal of FGM; Britain's hidden crime.

Campaigner Hibo Wardere, from Somalia, where around 95 per cent of women are subjected to FGM, believes children as young as four should be taught on the topic, to help eradicate the torturous cultural practice.

The 48-year-old had her clitoris and labia removed at six years old, in an experience she describes as traumatic, a butchering and the worst day of my life.

I will die with that thought in my head, said the mother-of-seven, who was left in isolation for 12 days.

She sought asylum in the UK in 1989, met fellow Somalian refugee and future husband Yusuf in London, and became a teaching assistant in Walthamstow.

Since 2012 she has visited hundreds of schools and universities across the world to talk openly on FGM to children as young as seven.

She will return to Africa for the first time on Monday, with the Orchid Project charity to Senegal, in what promises to be an emotional reunion.

FGM has to be part of PSHE in education in schools, she added.

Anti-FGM campaigner and survivor Hibo Wardere believes children as young as four should be taught on the topic (Hibo Wardere)

From Reception, we can show them a video explaining that no one should have to be touched if they dont want to be. We are not telling them detail about your body parts being ripped away.

But from Year Three they should be told about FGM and even in my talks, I tell them about my experience, and they do not shy away from asking questions. They want to learn more.

Plans were announced last week to make relationship education compulsory in primary schools, and sex education compulsory in secondaries, but including FGM teaching is not mandatory at any age.

Ms Wardere also praised the Met Police for its prevention work and that the force should not be blamed for a lack of prosecutions.

Liberal Democrat shadow equalities secretary Lorely Burt also branded the NHS figures astonishing and said the lack of prosecutions was shocking.

Far more must be done in schools to raise awareness of the practice and help teachers flag children at risk, said Ms Burt.
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A British backpacker was repeatedly raped by a man she met at a party in Australia who kept her hostage in his car for up to two months, police say.

The 22-year-old womans alleged ordeal only ended when officers noticed severe injuries to her face and neck after pulling the vehicle over in the Outback in Queensland.

She said she had been held captive by a man found hiding under clothes in the back of the four-wheel-drive truck after meeting him at a party in Cairns.

What she has experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police, said Detective Inspector Paul Hart.

We have potentially saved this young girls life. Given whats happened to her, the extent of whats happened over the period of time, anything might have transpired.

Police say the man damaged her passport, possibly to prevent her escape, and that they were travelling around the state since 2 January.

Officers said the woman, who had been in the country since 2015, was overly alarmed when she was pulled over on Warrego Highway, in Mitchell, after the pair failed to pay for petrol.

She advised that over a period of weeks she had been held against her will by the male person located in the vehicle, the officer said.

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It was established they had previously had a relationship but at some point it had soured and he basically deprived her of her liberty and committed a number of offences against her as they travelled around the state.

The tourist, who was treated in hospital, has since spoken to family in the UK and a new passport is being arranged.

The suspect, from the Manunda suburb of Cairns, appeared at Roma Magistrates Court on Monday charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault and four counts of strangulation.

Other charges included two counts of deprivation of liberty, two counts of willful damage, one count of possessing dangerous drugs, one count of possessing drug utensils and one count of obstructing police.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: We are supporting a British woman following an incident in Queensland and remain in contact with the local authorities.
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Young offenders will have their backgrounds examined in greater detail under a new sentencing regime which will take into account whether they have suffered trauma.

The latest guidelines set out how courts should consider mitigating circumstances which may indicate an unstable upbringing when determining punishments for children and teenagers aged between 10 and 17.

They emphasise the need to avoid criminalising under-18s unnecessarily, with custodial sentences seen as a last resort.

Offending by a child or young person is often a phase which passes fairly rapidly, the guidance published by the Sentencing Council says.

Recommended Major young offender institution compared to Lord of the Flies

It highlights factors regularly present in the background of youngsters who come before courts, such as deprived homes and poor parental employment records.

Possible mitigating factors include exposure to drug or alcohol abuse, criminal behaviour within the family and experiences of trauma or loss.

Although mitigating factors are considered by judges in all criminal cases currently, the new guidelines will apply specifically to young offenders.

The number of young offenders being sent to prison has been declining steadily over the past decade, according to official figures, and in January 2015, the number of children in youth custody in England and Wales fell below 1,000 to 981 for the first time on record. It fell further to less than 900 last year.

The charity Beyond Youth Custody says that many young offenders who end up in custody have had complicated and chaotic lives.

Recommended Warning of increase in young offending as spending on youth clubs

Repeat offenders are statistically very likely to have experienced trauma, abuse, bereavement, grown up in care, been excluded from school, have experienced drug or alcohol dependencies and have mental health problems or personality disorders, according to the charity.

One of the most striking statistics is that while less than one per cent of all children in England are in care, looked-after children make up 33 per cent of boys and 66 per cent of girls in youth custody.

According to the charity Young Minds, 95 per cent of imprisoned young people have a diagnosable mental health condition.

The new guidelines could prove controversial as surveys consistently show the majority of the British public believes the criminal justice system is too soft on criminals  including young offenders.

In the year ending March 2015, young offenders were responsible for around 10 per cent of all recorded offences, according to government statistics.

In spite of public perception of rising crime rates among young people, statistics suggest the opposite is true with the number of arrests of young people falling by 13 per cent between March 2014 and March 2015.

Recommended Scottish government to raise age of criminal responsibility

The UK takes a tougher approach to youth justice than some countries. While the age of criminal responsibility in the UK is 10, in Finland it is 15 and in Belgium and Luxembourg it is 18. Scotland does not prosecute offenders below the age of 12. England and Wales have a high rate of youth custody and in 2011, of all the countries in Europe, only Turkey locked up more young offenders than the UK.

Around one third of the UKs young offenders return to crime after being released from custody, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

A report by the House of Commons Justice Committee in 2016 recommended that all those under 25 should be treated as a distinct group of young adults by the courts when passing sentence  but its recommendations have yet to be implemented.
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The former British spy who compiled a controversial dossier of claims linking Donald Trump to the Russian government has broken his silence over the affair.

Christopher Steele issued a public statement saying he was returning to work at the London-based Orbis Business Intelligence, where he is a director.

Speaking outside his firm's offices in Belgravia, he said: "I'm really pleased to be back here working again at the Orbis's offices in London today.

"I'm now going to be focusing my efforts on supporting the broader interests of our company here.

"I'd like to say a warm thank you to everyone who sent me kind messages and support over the last few weeks.

"Just to add, I won't be making any further statements or comments at this time."

Mr Steele rose abruptly to international fame from the necessary obscurity of his role as a former operative with the British intelligence services, after his dossier about Mr Trump was published in full by BuzzFeed News in January.

The document set out months of leads and unverified intelligence reports which linked Mr Trump and his associates to the Kremlin.

It had been compiled as oppositional research, first on behalf of Mr Trump's rivals for the Republican presidential candidacy and later for the Democrats. None of the claims had ever been confirmed, but BuzzFeed said it released the dossier in full "so that Americans can make up their own minds".

Last week The Independent reported that Mr Steele had been approached informally by the US Senate Intelligence Committee, sounding out the possibility of the former spy giving evidence about the Russia claims.

Mr Steeles friends say it is currently unlikely he would be willing to travel to the US. But it is understood Democrats  as well as some Republicans  in Congress are prepared to facilitate discreet initial meetings in the UK or on other neutral territory.

Earlier, it was reported that the FBI had been considering paying Mr Steele to continue his research once the election was over and the Democrats withdrew funding. In the end, Mr Steele was so worried by what he had found that he ended up working on the dossier for free, as The Independent reported in January.
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Refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in London have been hit by major funding cuts at a time when the problem is getting much worse, new figures have revealed.

Councils across the capital have reduced payouts for services helping women suffering abuse by an average of 38 per cent since 2010, it has emerged.

It comes as Metropolitan Police figures show rates of domestic violence are surging.

In 2014/2015, the Met recorded around 145,000 incidents of domestic abuse, a staggering increase of 72 per cent since 2007/2008.

Nationally, campaigners say two women a week are killed by abusive current and ex-partners.

Freedom of Information requests revealed that in 2010, the average London borough spent 324,000 on maintaining domestic violence refuges. By 2016, this had fallen to 202,000.

Haringey Council oversaw the most dramatic reduction in its budget for refuges, imposing a 75 per cent cut in funding during this period.

As a result of these cuts, Haringey has lost fourteen spaces for women fleeing domestic violence, and seen the closure of three refuges, one a specialist service for Asian women.

A spokesperson for Haringey Council said: Although refuge provision has changed since 2010, Haringey has commissioned a specialist floating support service for 144,000 per year, a high risk Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) service for over 200,000.

IDVAs are employed specifically to guide survivors of domestic violence through the legal service, while floating support is an outreach service for individuals who are able to remain in their own home.

 Philip Davies' filibuster on the domestic violence bill, fact-checked

Funding for domestic violence is not ring-fenced, and so it is up to each individual council to determine how much they spend.

As a result, there is a huge discrepancy in domestic violence budgets: Hackney, the best-funded borough, spent 440,000 on its refuge services in 2016.

Redbridge, which spent the least, stated that it had spent just 84,000, less than a quarter of Hackneys budget.

Redbridge Council told The Independent the contractor hired by the local authority to provide refuges had requested this reduced figure in its annual tendering process.

There is also significant variation in the number of beds available for women fleeing domestic abuse. Harrow and Hillingdon Council fund just six beds each, while Lambeth provides 52.

As well as funding from local authorities and charitable donations, many refuges rely heavily on housing benefit from survivors to operate.

Last year, as a result of the Government's plans to cap housing benefit, Women's aid found that 67 per cent of refuges in England were at risk of closure.

However, after intense pressure from domestic violence charities and campaign groups, the Government reversed the policy, and said refuges would be exempt from the cap.

In 2015, Womens Aid found that refuges were forced to turn away two-thirds of all women fleeing domestic violence, most often because of a lack of available space.

For women of black and ethnic minority origin, the number of refusals rises to 4 in 5, according to research by Imkaan, an charity advocating for the rights of BME survivors of abuse.

Marai Larasi, chief executive of Imkaan, said: London benefits from having well-established, diverse refuge provision, and we are proud of this, but FOI data sadly confirms the information that we have received from Imkaan members, that specialist BME women's organisations have been disproportionately affected by cuts to refuge budgets.

We know that in some areas BME organisations have taken a huge hit with over 40 per cent of their refuge funding being cut, while in other areas, the local authority cut provision by choosing not to include specialist BME provision in their contracts.

Such draconian approaches have a direct impact on critical services and the women and children that they support. We need the Government to urgently commit to developing a sustainable funding strategy which ensures that no woman or child is left behind.

Sisters Uncut subvertising campaign around domestic violence (Sisters Uncut)

A spokesperson for domestic violence campaign group Sisters Uncut said: Domestic violence services are a lifeline for those women fleeing violence, yet brutal cuts from the central government mean there are simply not enough to meet demand.

Theresa May has recently said she wants to transform how we think about domestic violence with new legislation.

Sisters Uncut are therefore calling on Theresa May to put her money where her mouth is and commit funding to life-saving services that are running on a shoestring, if not already closed.
Munnar New Colony natives S John Peter (25), J Thomas (31), R Chinnappa Raj (34), and Rajiv Gandhi Colony native R Manikantan (33) were arrested following the incident.
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Plans for private police officers to patrol three of the most expensive and privileged areas of London have been criticised by both national and local politicians.

The My Local Bobby (MLB) scheme plans to place them on the streets of Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Belgravia.

Headed by Tony Nash, the Metropolitan Police's former commander in the London borough of Newham and former detective chief inspector David McKelvey, MLB has said 20 of its "bobbies", all trained former police officers, will take to the streets from next month, covering an estimated 250 households.

It comes days after a report by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary found the shortage of detectives and investigators amounted to a national crisis. It claimed only 19 per cent of the public saw a beat officer in the past month.

Mr Nash told The Sunday Times his company will be protecting residents in order to fill the gaps.

But a central London MP and the opposition leader at Westminster council, have told The Independent that the crowdfunding plan appears to be prioritising money making over filling in any gaps.

The Metropolitan Police has also emphatically refuted reports that MLB has signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the force, as reported by The Sunday Times, which would allow it to dip into the national police database.

Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, and briefly in Jeremy Corbyns shadow team before resigning over a three-line whip on Brexit, told The Independent: Though I dont blame the residents who are resorting to private wealth to plug gaps, such crowdfunding is clearly not an option for the vast majority  including many of my constituents who would love to see more police on the streets.

Labour leader of the opposition at Westminster council, Adam Hug, added: While the Met is facing extreme pressures because of funding cuts, this is clearly an attempt to get local businesses to pay for a security service.

Those are also not the areas that you would priorities to tackle crimes and give reassurance to residents at risk of crime. If businesses want to pay for a security guard service, that is up to them within reason, but there must not be a confusion about what these private patrols are able to deliver."

The Government must use the budget to sustainably fund the police, so situations like this dont keep arising.

Central government is cutting 200m from police forces in England and Wales.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 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 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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

Westminster does have the highest current crime rate in London, recording 4,192 offences in January alone, almost double the second highest of 2,455 in Camden.

But Knightsbridge and Belgravia witnessed just 99 of those Westminster offences in January, compared to 1,270 in the West End.

The Kensington and Chelsea borough, home to Knightsbridge and Belgravia, is home to the highest property prices, which average at around 1.3m. The City of Westminster, home to Mayfair, is second with an annual price of approximately 1m.

Defending his company in The Sunday Times, Mr Nash said: There is real talent in the police but it is stretched. We will be hoping to fill the gaps and enhance the service.

After three months it hopes to take funding from local companies and individuals, but the private team will only have the same rights as average citizens to make arrests and will only be able to mount private prosecutions.

A Met Police spokesman stressed that any residents with concerns about policing should "contact their local Safer Neighbourhoods Team".

 London house prices fall  but it wont last long - London Live

A statement added: The Met has no knowledge of the memorandum of understanding referred to in the The Sunday Times article on Sunday, 5 March, with the information provided.

Access to the Police National Database is very restricted due to the sensitive nature of the information stored. The Met has not given access to the PND to any private companies and has no plans to do so."

The Independent has contacted the Mayor of London's office, the MLB and The Sunday Times press team for comment.
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Glasgow Universitys decision to nominate Milo Yiannopoulos as a rector has sparked outrage among students.

The far-right provocateur, who is a former Breitbart editor, is one of 12 names put forward by students for the coveted position and has personally accepted an invitation to take part in the election process.

Students have voiced their opposition to Mr Yiannopoulos nomination and a petition demanding for him to be removed has garnered 1,800 signatures.

Since Mr Yiannopoulos controversial remarks about paedophilia resurfaced in an old podcast last month, he has resigned from his role as a senior editor of far-right site Breitbart News. The alt-right figurehead, who rose to fame for his inflammatory, anti-immigrant views, also had a lucrative book deal with a prestigious publisher pulled and his appearance at Conservative Political Action conference dropped.

Holly Hallam, the Glasgow University student who launched the petition, told The Independent students were in the process of organising protests against Mr Yiannopoulos.

Hallam said she had received a great deal of criticism from so-called free speech warriors for the campaign but argued a clear distinction needed to be drawn between the right to free speech and hate speech.

She claimed Mr Yiannopoulos, who was permanently banned from Twitter in July after claims he helped lead the racist and sexist abuse of Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones, had crossed the line between free speech and hate speech unapologetically.

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

If you're privileged enough to not experience misogyny, transphobia, Islamophobia, or any of the other kind of hate speech Milo perpetrates, the belief that someone is trying to stifle your 'free speech' can produce quite a negative gut reaction when you live without fear of any actual oppression, she explained.

Feminist Society and the psychology society are just two of the university groups who are campaigning against the nomination of the controversial columnist who has previously described Islam as a cancer and suggested transgender people are mentally ill.

An academic at the university is reportedly fearful of the prospect of a visit, with one unnamed professor predicting riots.

Recommended Milo Yiannopoulos to launch media company after Breirtbart resignation

Mr Ameer Ibrahim, the President of Glasgow University Students Representative Council, said a hustings would take place for those nominated next Thursday but they had yet to receive confirmation Mr Yiannopoulos would be attending.

Writing on his Facebook page on Sunday, Mr Yiannopoulos claimed one visit to the city would secure him the election, saying: Currently investigating whether a trip to Glasgow is feasible. One trip from me and I'd be sure to win the election.

A Facebook page titled Milo for Rector  University of Glasgow has garnered just over 3,000 likes. The page, which refers viewers to the Kent-born journalists website, says: Free speech matters, and electing Milo symbolises the end of the intolerant, authoritarian silence-everyone-who-disagrees-with-me attitude of these people. It is dangerous to our University, to our society, and frankly to our lives.

Mr Yiannopoulos previous stops at universities in the US have often attracted heated protests. Last month, Berkeley University were forced to call off a talk by him after demonstrators threw smoke bombs, started fires and smashed windows.

Whats more, an event featuring Mr Yiannopoulos, who recently used a talk to publicly name and mock a transgender student, was also called off after protests erupted in January.

Students at Glasgow University will vote on whether they want Mr Yiannopoulos, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter, to be their rector on 20 March. Although the role of rector is a largely ceremonial one, the person in the position is supposed to chair the universitys court and be the voice of students among the higher tiers of the university. Candidates require the support of 10 students to get on the ballot paper.

The current rector is exiled NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Other candidates nominated this year include human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, former Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable, PissPigGranddad, an American internet celebrity fighting with the Peoples Defence Unit in Syria, and Lady Hazel Cosgrove, the first woman to be appointed a Senator of the College of Justice.

Mr Ibrahim emphasised the fact the university did not support hate speech, saying: We do not support hate-speech; this includes any that could be extended from a member or prospective member of the University community and would anticipate that candidates will reflect this through an open campaign that is inclusive to all of our students throughout and after this election period.

Mr Yiannopoulos did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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A mother of three whose youngest son suffers from a serious blood disorder, is to be forcibly deported to Jamaica tomorrow, despite having lived in the UK for more than 25 years.

Sophia, who asked to be identified by her first name only, is being held at the notorious Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre ahead of a secretive charter flight, which is expected to take around 100 people to the Caribbean country.

The 47-year-old's youngest son, who is 13, has Sickle-cell disease. His sister, Ruth, told The Independent that he had been taken to hospital with severe pain three times, after he witnessed his mother taken away by police in October.

Sophia, whose indefinite leave to remain in the UK was revoked after she committed a non-violent crime, has been told by the Home Office that she can either take her children to live with her in Jamaica, or communicate with them via Skype.

But she believes her youngest son would be unable to access the medication and treatment he needs in Jamaica, where she has no remaining family and fears she would be homeless and destitute.

Sophia said that while she could not bear the thought of being separated from her children, she is "really, really scared" of being beaten by male guards if she refuses to board the plane.

Like Sophia, many of those due to board the highly controversial charter flight have lived in the UK for decades. Some arrived as small children and say they do not remember the country they are being sent back to.

Activist groups allege people who are resisting deportation have been brutally beaten by immigration officers dressed in riot gear.

The Unity Centre, which helps asylum seekers, say detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre told them staff broke a man's left arm as he tried to escape, pepper spraying him and leaving him hanging from the side of a building, clinging to mesh, after he climbed out of a window to get away from them.

The Home Office dispute this version of events.

A spokesman said: A minor incident at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre involving one individual occurred overnight. There were no reported injuries and all other detainees were secure throughout.

Ruth, 24, was heavily pregnant when her mother was detained. She took in her youngest brother, but she said the stress of dealing with his illness, in addition to worrying about her mother, caused her to go into labour at seven-and-a-half-months pregnant and give birth to her third child prematurely.

She is now struggling to cope with her brother's health needs as his condition has deteriorated, in addition to caring for her young children.

For 13 years he never had a crisis," Ruth told The Independent. "In October when immigration sent the police to get my mum, that next morning I had to rush him to hospital. He had his first crisis

Doctors agreed stress had exacerbated his health problems, she added.

Hes been asking when his mum is coming home," she said, adding that he was forced to move to a different city to live with her and had not settled into his new school yet.

He was getting sick and coming home early nearly every day, she said.

Even when his condition is not flaring up, she added that caring for him can be difficult.

He has to go to hospital appointments every month. He has to take medication everyday, she said. Every single day I have to remind him, in addition to having my own three kids as well. Its hard. And he has a mum. A mum who is fit and strong and could do all that for him. And theyre trying to send her away. It just doesnt make any sense.

10 things immigration has done for Britain Show all 10 1 /10 10 things immigration has done for Britain 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Mini The 1959 classic, that is, perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design, a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring. Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis, who was an asylum seeker. His family, Greek, fled Smyrna when Turks invaded this borderland in around 1920, and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic. He went on to create that most English of motor cars, the Morris Minor, as well as the Austin-Morris 1100, all much loved products of his fertile imagination. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marks and Spencer Once upon a time there was no M&S in Britain, difficult as that may be to believe. We have one Michael Marks to thank for our most famous retailer, and he was a refugee from Belarus, arriving in England in about 1882, and soon after set off to flog stuff around Yorkshire. He eventually teamed with Thomas Spencer to create the vast business we know today. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Thunderbirds And many other TV shows created, funded and otherwise produced by that largest of larger-than-life characters, Lew Grade (also a world class tap dancer). The man who dominated commercial television gave us memorable entertainment such as The Prisoner, the Saint and brought the Muppets to Britain (a sort of fuzzy felt wave of immigration), as well as puppet shows where you could see the strings. All this from a penniless Jew from Ukraine, born Lev Winogradsky, who escaped the pogroms in Ukraine with his family in the 1890s. His nephew Michael Grade has also done his bit for British television. Rex Features 10 things immigration has done for Britain The House of Windsor Or the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until George V prudently rebranded the family during the First World War. Well, our royals are a pretty German bunch, as well as having various types of French and other alien blue blood coursing around their veins. Twas ever thus. There was William the Conqueror, Norman French, who certainly broke the immigration rules; William of Orange, a direct import from Holland; the Hanoverian King Georges, the first barely able to speak English; Queen Victoria, who married a German, Edward VII, who couldnt stay faithful to his wife, a Danish princess; George V wed another German princess; Edward VIII married an American (though she hardly visited England and prompted his emigration and exile); and the Queen is married to man born in Corfu. The embodiment of the British nation, to many, but one thinks of them as quite multicultural really. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain I Vow To Thee My Country Our most patriotic hymn was the product of a man named Gustav Holst (pictured), born in Cheltenham, but of varied Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, who adapted part of his suite The Planets to put a particularly stirring and beautiful poem to music, just after the Great War. As the second verse has it, there's another country/I've heard of long ago/Most dear to them that love her/most great to them that know. Imagine if the Holst family had been kept out because the quota on musical European types had been reached. Creative Commons 10 things immigration has done for Britain Curry and Cobra Chicken Tikka Masala is, so they say, a dish which not only the most popular in Britain but specifically designed to cater for European tastes. For that we probably have to thank an Indian migrant, Sake Dean Mahomed, who came from Bengal to open the first recognisable Indian restaurant, the magnificently named Hindoostanee Coffee House. History does not record if a plate of poppadoms and accompanying selection of pickles and yoghurts were routinely placed on the table for new diners, but we do know that we had to wait until 1989 to taste the ideal lager for a curry - Cobra. That brew was brought to us by Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria, a Cambridge law graduate who hailed from Hyderabad. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain That big red swirly sculpture at the Olympic Park Or Orbit, to give it its proper name, the work of Anish Kapoor, who arrived in 1973 from India and had the artistic imagination to fill a power station. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Sun Love it or hate it, and many do both, this has been a symbol of much that is successful and a lot that is awful in British journalism since its inception in 1969. In its turn it spawned the Page 3 Girl and some nastily xenophobic headlines. All the stranger when you consider its creator was, of course, Rupert Murdoch, born 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marxism OK, Karl Marxs philosophy was not much of a gift to the world, but for a while it seemed like a good idea. Though we might not dare admit it, Marxism still has a few insights to offer to anyone wanting to understand the workings of capitalism, though too few to excuse everything that was done in its name. Born in Germany spent much time in the British museum and the British pub, buried Highgate Cemetery. Oddly, his ideas never really caught on in his adopted homeland. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The NHS They came from many, many backgrounds, including Ireland, the Philippines, east Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, as they still do, but the contribution of the black nurses who came to the UK from the Caribbean to heal and care for is a debt of honour that must be recognised. It so sometimes forgotten that it was Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health (1960-62), who campaigned to recruit their skilled nurses to come and work over here. One abiding legacy we can thank Enoch for. Getty Images

Sophias other son, who has just turned 17, is living alone in London, sleeping on friends' floors. Without a strong role model, Sophia and Ruth both said they feared he could turn to drink, drugs, or become involved with gangs.

He needs his mother, Ruth said.

Sophia told The Independent being away from her children was traumatic.

As a mother, no words can describe how I feel being stuck in this prison as my kids need me more than ever," she said. "Why are they punishing my family for something minor I did as a troubled kid? They are tearing families apart.

Because she is not an asylum seeker, Sophia had no access to legal aid and could not afford a solicitor to take on her immigration case for several months.

Last week, a crowdfunding appeal set up by the Unity Centre raised the 1000 needed to pay for a solicitor, who is now attempting to lodge an injunction to Sophias deportation on the grounds that it would cause serious and irreversible harm to her right to a family and private life. It is unclear whether the injunction will come through in time.

Sophia believes the Home Office have deliberately tried to obstruct her path to justice.

What the Home Office is doing is inhumane and my basic human rights are being overlooked," she said. "On a charter flight they can take me however they want without anyone seeing.

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

Sophias indefinite leave to remain was revoked after she was entangled in a fraud case, which she says she knew nothing about and was tricked and manipulated into by her then partner.

She was initially sentenced to 21 months in prison because she already had a criminal record, having been convicted of several small shoplifting offences more than 10 years ago, when she was trying to support her three children as a single parent living below the poverty line.

She eventually served a short prison sentence of just over seven months, after an appeals judge said she deserved a second chance and concluded that her children needed her around. But five days after she was released last year, she was snatched by police acting on behalf of the Home Office and taken to Yarl's Wood.

The Home Office has said Sophia can appeal to reverse their decision from outside the country under the recently expanded the "deport first appeal later" rule.

But campaigners say it is extremely difficult for people to appeal from abroad and in effect people who are deported almost never get to come back.

They have also strongly condemned the practice of forcibly removing people from the country on "inhumane" charter flights, which take approximately 2000 people out of the UK each year and usually leave in secret late at night from Stansted Airport.

Many people do not know if they will be onboard the plane, where deportees are routinely handcuffed and outnumbered two-to-one by security staff, until the last minute.

HM Prison inspectors who accompanied two charter flights in 2011, one to Nigeria and one to Jamaica, condemned the highly offensive and sometimes racist language used by guards in their report.

Other concerns raised include the use of handcuffs on detainees who appeared upset, or who were moving too slowly, despite there being no signs of any violent behaviour which might have justified the use of such restraints.

Immigrants, including asylum seekers, are also often deported from the UK on commercial flights, but their tickets are sometimes cancelled by the airline, particularly if the pilot, other passengers, or air stewards see or become aware of the detainee distressed and resisting removal and object to their presence on board.

In 2010, Jimmy Mubenga died during deportation to Angola, after being restrained by guards on a British Airways flight.

Sofia said she was extremely frightened by the threat of violence from male guards.

When these men come, they dont come in one, they come like four big strong men and force you," she said. "They come and put a restrainer around you, even if you are not struggling with them they restrain you, like they put a belt around you, so your hands are clamped to the side."

She added: Honestly it is really, really, really scaring me. Because Ive heard girl's stories... There was this girl, she came back, all of her chest was crushed and her arm was bleeding," she continued. "They really manhandle you before you go on that plane if you struggle with them.

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

Campaigners say charter flights are designed to hide the violent and brutal reality of removals from the public.

If her mother is deported, Ruth said she does not know what the Home Office intends to do with her brothers.

She said no one had been in touch with her to ask if she was able or willing to continue to care for her youngest sibling.

Going back to Jamaica is not an option for them, she said, emphasising that both are boys were born in the UK and are British.

"Why would you uproot two boys who have lived here all their lives, whove had education here, to go and live in Jamaica?" she said.

"It's a poor country [does the Home Office think] she should take them with no money, no clothes, nothing, and go to Jamaica? How is that possible? Its inhumane."

The Home Office said: "We do not comment on operational matters and we do not comment on individual cases, but we expect those with no legal basis to remain in the UK to leave voluntarily. If they do not do so their departure will be enforced."
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RAF jets have been scrambled to intercept a flight from Romania after it lost communications.

The aircraft took off from Bucharest at around 1.30am and landed safely in Birmingham at 7.30am, according to the radar tracking service Airlive.

Belgian F-16 fighter jets were also scrambled as the plane flew over the North Sea.

 British RAF jets intercept Russian bombers near UK airspace

Witnesses photographed an RAF Typhoon and Voyager refuelling aircraft over Milton Keynes during the operation.

The Saab 340 aircraft, which came into service in 1987, is operated by Hungarian cargo airline Fleet Air International.

In recent days it has made stops in Brno, the Czech Republic, and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

An spokesperson for the RAF said the aircraft was safely escorted to Birmingham International Airport.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. 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The RAF can confirm that Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, were launched this morning by Quick Reaction Alert mission to intercept a civilian aircraft that had lost communications, he added.

The Quick Reaction Alert system sees the RAF deploy planes within minutes to intercept unidentified aircraft, which may have lost communication with air traffic control, have no flight plan or fail to transmit a required surveillance radar code.

Jets stationed at RAF Coningsby, RAF Lossiemouth and in the Falkland Islands are kept in readiness around the clock for the missions, controlled by "air battlespace controllers" at RAF Boulmer and RAF Scampton.

Several passenger planes have been intercepted as a precaution in recent months, with fighter jets also scrambled to track Russian military planes nearing British airspace.
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Peers in the House of Lords have voted down calls for a second referendum on the terms of the final Brexit deal by an overwhelming majority.

Rejecting the Liberal Democrats amendment to the Governments Brexit Bill, peers voted against a second referendum by 336 votes to 131  a majority of 205.

In what the party describes as an extremely rare move in the Lords, the Lib Dems will now vote against the Brexit Bill at the third reading later on Tuesday.

Dick Newby, the partys leader in the upper chamber, said it was only right that they [the people] are given a say on the final deal.

He continued: Today the Government have confirmed that the Brexit deal will be finalised behind closed doors in Westminster. This is not accountable, this is not democracy, and that is why the Liberal Democrats cannot support this Bill.

Theresa May is driving Britain towards a hard Brexit which wasnt on the ballot paper and which no one voted for.

Labour's leader in the Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, said her party could not support the amendment and would abstain in the vote. She said there had been no significant public demand for a second referendum and no significant shift in public opinion about leaving the EU.

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

Lord Bridges, the Brexit minister, also dismissed the Lib Dem amendment as misguided in practice and in principle, adding it was abundantly clear that the referendum last year was a once in a generation decision.

He added: "There was nothing on the ballot and no suggestion from Parliament that there would have to be another referendum if the UK were to vote to leave."

It comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury warned that holding a second referendum on the final deal would add to the nations division and deepen the bitterness exposed by the EU referendum last year.

"I believe it would be both dangerous and unwise and wrong to reduce the substance of the terms on which we exit the European Union to the result of a binary yes-no choice taken last summer, he added.
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Theresa May has suffered a humiliating setback after the House of Lords approved a plan to give Parliament the final say over Brexit.

After a tetchy debate, peers voted by an overwhelming majority for the proposal forcing Ms May to seek Parliaments backing for any withdrawal deal she agrees with the EU.

The change would also mean Ms May must win a future vote in Parliament if she decides to see through her threat of potentially pulling Britain out of the EU with no deal at all.

Recommended Peers vote down calls for second referendum on Brexit terms

But the proposal was met with angry attacks from Brexiteers, with one accusing other lords of seeking to tie the Prime Minister down by her hair, by her arms, by her legs.

Labour, Liberal Democrat and crossbench lords joined forces with Tory rebels to push through what has come to be called the meaningful vote amendment to the Article 50 Bill, by 366 to 268 votes.

It is the second defeat the Lords has inflicted on Ms May over the Brexit bill, giving her the power to trigger Article 50 talks, after she and her ministers demanded it be passed by Lords unamended.

The Labour-led amendment tabled with Lib Dem and crossbench support, was backed by Tory grandee Lord Heseltine who said the UK is facing the most momentous peacetime decision of our time.

He added: This amendment secures in law the Government's commitment ... to ensure that Parliament is the ultimate custodian of our national sovereignty.

It ensures that Parliament has the critical role in determining the future that we will bequeath to generations of young people.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

Up to now Ms May has only given a verbal assurance that Parliament will have a vote on the terms that she agrees and has said that if MPs and peers reject it, then the UK would still leave the EU with no deal in place.

She also made clear in her Brexit speech at Lancaster House that if she is not offered favourable terms by European leaders she will not be afraid to leave with no deal.

Proposing the amendment Labours Baroness Hayter said the chamber had heard a compelling case for a simple demand.

She added: The Prime Minister has said she will allow a vote in both Houses ... but that to me is not a very firm commitment no matter how sincerely it was given.

The amendment was also supported by Lord Pannick who worked on the Supreme Court case which forced the Government to let Parliament vote on triggering Article 50.

Unless the UK Government strikes a deal with the EU, British holidaymakers and business travellers will face hefty phone bills again in the near future (PA)

Addressing fellow peers, the crossbencher said: It must be for Parliament to decide whether to prefer no deal or the deal offered by the EU.

Lord Pannick added that the amendment would not delay notification of withdrawal or commit the Government to adopt any specific approach in the negotiations.

But Tory peer Lord Forsyth accused Lord Pannick of a clever lawyer's confection and said the proposal was a wrecking amendment.

Lord Forsyth said: "This House is absolutely full of people who still haven't come to terms with the results of the referendum, and this is a clever lawyer's confection in order to reverse the results of the referendum."

He went on: These amendments are trying to tie down the Prime Minister. Tie her down by her hair, by her arms, by her legs, in every conceivable way in order to prevent her getting an agreement, and in order to prevent us leaving the European Union.

 Theresa May sits in House of Lords to hear Brexit debate

Following the vote Dick Newby, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, said: The Government must be held accountable as Theresa May drives the country towards a reckless hard Brexit.

Theresa May has been offered a chance to think again, a chance to support parliamentary democracy on the biggest issue of the day.

Brexit Secretary David Davis vowed to reverse the change when the Bill returns to the Commons.

He said: It is clear that some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process, and it is the Government's intention to ensure that does not happen.

We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons.
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Former Labour frontbencher Chuka Umunna has called on Theresa May to push for EU-wide changes to free movement rules as part of her Brexit negotiations.

Mr Umunna said it would show the UK recognises that Britain is not the only country dealing with populist, anti-immigrant forces in its domestic politics.

Writing for The Independent he also claimed the approach could include adopting some of the measures agreed as part of David Camerons renegotiation of rules related to benefits paid to migrants.

The views of the Labour MP, tipped as a future leadership contender, are also to be set out in a pamphlet for the Open Britain campaign group, which he supports.

He said: In asking for EU-wide changes to freedom of movement, we should recognise that other countries too are dealing with populist, anti-immigrant forces; from Marine le Pen to Geert Wilders, from the [Italian] Northern League to the [German] AfD.

Politicians across the continent are grappling with the challenges posed by free movement. The leader of the Dutch Labour Party has called for an end to free movement as we know it. The UK would be contributing to a Europe-wide debate that is only just beginning.

A reformed, Europe-wide approach to free movement could include some of the policies agreed by the EU27 a year ago during David Camerons renegotiation, such as an emergency brake on benefits paid to migrants.

The emergency brake was a key part of the deal agreed by Mr Cameron that formed a part of his failed bid to campaign to keep the UK in the EU last year.

However, Mr Umunna went on to argue that the UK could also adopt a system that prioritised local workers when job vacancies are advertised and introduced sector-specific emergency brakes.

He added: Areas or places in which we are in dire need of workers  social care, for example  would have greater freedom to bring in migrant workers from Europe than sectors with lower skills shortages.

Such an approach would balance the needs of British businesses and workers with the concerns of many about the impact of free movement.
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The British chief of the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, has predicted that the UK will not renege on its its intelligence-sharing agreement with the rest of Europe once it leaves the EU, and has urged Theresa May to make intelligence-sharing a priority in her forthcoming negotiations with the EU.

Rob Wainwright, a former MI5 intelligence analyst who is now the director of Europol, told MPs that Europol's future plans included having Britain remaining a member in some form or another, though he admitted he would likely be the last British head of the organisation.

Mr Wainwright told the Home Affairs Select Committee that other European nations did not want to lose out on Britain's considerable expertise in counter-terrorism, and had said that "the UK is a very important partner in the security field.

The European Arrest Warrant scheme, and its central importance in repatriating to Britain from Italy one of the attempted London Undergound bombers of the 21st July 2005, was one of David Cameron's most important messages in the referendum campaign. Mr Wainwright said Theresa May must find a way to remain part of it, not least as it is that scheme that also allows criminals to be sent back to other European countries from Britain, as it has done two thousand times since 2004.

"Thats 2,000 criminals fast-tracked out of Britain, and if we lose that capability [the process is] unlikely to be nearly as effective, so we are dealing with a public security issue if Britain no longer has access to the European Arrest Warrant," he said.

Mr Wainwright added: I agree with the Prime Ministers view that in the face of heightened security threats now is the time to come together and, and that fighting terrorism should be a top priority in the [Brexit] negotiations.

Last year Mr Wainwright told MPs that Britain risked becoming a "second tier" nation if it left the EU and, by default, Europol. This time he said he hoped Britain would continue its engagement as much as possible.

Britain has made such an important contribution to the evolution of Europol, so I think Europol would be weaker without active British engagement," he said.
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Conservative rebels have warned Theresa May she faces possible defeat today over her axing of a scheme to rescue child refugees and bring them to Britain.

Up to 30 Tory MPs are poised to back an attempt to force the Government to take up offers from local councils eager to accept more unaccompanied children fleeing conflicts.

There was uproar last month when the Home Office suddenly axed the so-called Dubs scheme to bring in 3,000 refugees from Europe  when just 350 have arrived.

Now MPs will vote today on a bid to ensure councils in England have been audited to identify whether they have spare capacity.

Ministers have been accused of ignoring evidence that town halls are willing to make thousands more places available, with the right funding.

Speaking with The Independent, Heidi Allen, the Conservative backbencher who has tabled the key amendment, said she was confident of success.

Nine fellow Tories had signed her amendment and a further 20 had indicated they supported her campaign  enough to defeat the Prime Minister.

The refugee crisis does not end neatly at the end of this financial year so nor must our support for this humanitarian crisis, Ms Allen said.

Since the Government announced it would close the scheme, many local authorities have stepped forward to say they were not consulted properly, have capacity and remain on stand by to help. We should take them up on their offers.

There is strong support amongst our party, the wider House and across our country - this is the right thing to do.

Ms Allen and her supporters are attempting to amend the Children and Social Work Bill to place a statutory duty on councils to report back to ministers at least once a year.

Prominent former Conservative ministers including Nicky Morgan, Tim Loughton and Anna Soubry are expected to join the revolt.

Faith leaders and actors Vanessa Redgrave, Rhys Ifans and Toby Jones will lead a demonstration outside the Commons to increase pressure on the Government.

Announcing the refugee cap at 350 children  under the scheme inspired by Alf Dubs, a former refugee himself  the Home Office insisted there were no more spaces were available to accommodate them.

But freedom of information responses from dozens of UK councils found at least 368 more spaces available and potentially many more.

In the Commons yesterday, Home Office minister Robert Goodwill sparked anger when he told MPs he did recognise the figures.

I suspect that some of the methodology behind them will not bear too much scrutiny, Mr Goodwill claimed.

Ms Allen praised the Government's record in the Syrian region as outstanding, with 2.3bn committed and the promise to resettle 23,000 refugees.

But she said: The refugee crisis has also affected Europe and thousands of vulnerable unaccompanied refugee children remain in Italy and Greece.

These countries are overwhelmed and we have a moral and neighbourly duty to help, not least because there are local authorities in the UK who have said they still have capacity.

Without safe and legal routes, children choose illegal trafficked routes and are already making their way back to Northern France.

If we do not help downstream, it will become a huge problem in Calais and Dunkirk once again - the camps are already starting to rise from the ashes.
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A cross-party bid to force Theresa May to accept more child refugees from Europe has failed, despite a Conservative revolt.

The Government defeated an attempt to force ministers to take up offers from local councils eager to accept more unaccompanied children fleeing conflicts.

There was uproar last month when the Home Office suddenly axed the Dubs scheme to bring in 3,000 refugees from Europe  when just 350 have arrived.

Ministers have been accused of ignoring evidence that town halls are willing to make thousands more places available, with the right funding.

But the bid  led by Conservative backbencher Heidi Allen  to force ministers to properly audit local council capacity was lost by 287 votes to 267, a Government majority of 20.

Ms Allen had urged ministers to think again, saying: This debate for many of us is about Dubs  whether we can bring that back to life.

Warning the refugee council was far from over, she added: I care that we take our fair share to help our neighbours in Europe.

She was echoed by Yvette Cooper, the former Labour leadership contender, who said the end of the Dubs scheme was already proving a boon to traffickers, who were saying there is money to be made.

Local authorities would be able to provide thousands more places potentially if they were better funded, she argued.

But Ms Allens hopes that up to 30 Conservative backbenchers would rebel were dashed, after ministers pledged that auditing of councils capacity would improve.

Just two Tories joined her in backing an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill, to place a statutory duty on councils to report back to ministers at least once a year.

They were former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Tania Mathias. Six Conservatives who had signed the amendment failed to vote for it.

Speaking afterwards, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: This vote shames Britain.

The Government continues to defend the indefensible by closing Dubs against opposition from a significant number of MPs, including those on its own benches, and from the public.

The Tory Governments decision to turn its back on these children despite local authorities saying they want to help is utterly heartless and heartbreaking.

Faith leaders and actor Toby Jones had joined a demonstration outside the Commons to increase pressure on the Government.

Announcing the refugee cap at 350 children  under the scheme inspired by Alf Dubs, a former refugee himself  the Home Office insisted there were no more spaces were available to accommodate them.

But freedom of information responses from dozens of UK councils found at least 368 more spaces available and potentially many more.

In the Commons yesterday, Home Office minister Robert Goodwill sparked anger when he told MPs he did recognise the figures.

I suspect that some of the methodology behind them will not bear too much scrutiny, Mr Goodwill claimed.
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A leaked recording reveals the leader of Surrey Council saying he struck a "gentlemans agreement" with the Government over funding before scrapping a proposed 15 per cent council tax hike, despite previous denials.

In the recording obtained by BBC Surrey, Councillor David Hodge said he had obtained written and verbal assurances from ministers, including from Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid.

Last month, Prime Minister Theresa May denied Conservative-run Surrey was given a so-called sweetheart deal" over proposed cuts to funding, accusing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of producing alternative facts when he quizzed her on the issue.

In the recording, which the BBC has yet to broadcast, Mr Hodge reportedly says "every leader... will always have these conversations to try and get a better deal".

Mr Hodge goes on to claim senior councillors and officials had telephone conversations with Mr Javid "in his car outside number 10" on the morning they took the vote to scrap the proposed 15 per cent hike.

He allegedly goes on to say he is looking for help on how we could stop a referendum and tells councillors of "a gentleman's agreement we have agreed this morning".

Mr Hodge announced he was abandoning plans for the 15 per cent increase during a council meeting in February  which would have required a referendum.

A rise of 4.99 per cent was approved instead, avoiding the need for a public vote.

When asked about the recording, Mr Hodge told the BBC he was still hoping the Chancellor would announce extra money for Surrey in the budget.

He said: Every leader, if they're any good at the job, will always have these conversations to try and get a better deal.

Asked if he was angry that the secret recording appeared to have been leaked by one of his own councillors, he replied: I'm a politician, I don't get annoyed.

The council announced its original plan for a 15 per cent rise in January, blaming Government cuts of 170m and an increased demand for social care.

The proposed increase would have added nearly 200 to a Band D bill and sparked a referendum which could have cost the authority up to 300,000.

The suggestion of a sweetheart deal was first made in February when Mr Hodge apparently sent text messages to the wrong person.

The texts, which he believed he was sending to Mr Javids assistant but were actually sent to a Labour local government politician, said: I have received clarification from my chief executive who confirms Matthew Styles [Director of Local Government Finance, DCLG] and Sheila Little [Surrey County Council Director of Finance] have spoken and the numbers you indicated are the numbers that I understand are acceptable for me to accept and call off the R... (presumed to mean referendum)

During Prime Ministers Questions, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pressed Theresa May on the issue, asking her to explain whether the same deal would be available to other local authorities facing a similar social care crisis.

A Downing Street spokesman said at the time there was no basis for the claim that a deal had been struck between the Government and Surrey.

The original increase was backed by Surrey's cabinet and risked becoming an embarrassment to the Government because Chancellor Philip Hammond and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt have constituencies in the county.

After the texts emerged, Mr Hodge insisted there was no favourable deal for the council  which is in one of the most affluent areas of the country.

He said: Surrey's decision not to proceed with a 15 per cent council tax increase was ours alone and there has been no deal between Surrey County Council and the Government.

"However, I am confident that the Government now understands the real pressures in adult social care and the need for a lasting solution."

The Government has repeatedly been accused of hitting poorer councils hardest with cuts to local authority funding.

Analysis done by Labour and the Liberal Democrats suggested the ten most deprived local authorities in the country were being hit 18 times harder than the ten most affluent councils.

Councils are hoping there will be significant extra funding made available for them in the budget in the face of a growing social care crisis.

Local authorities are now permitted to levy a council tax precept specifically for social care, but council leaders claim this will not be enough to plug the gap.
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Sinn Fein has cut short negotiations to save power-sharing in Northern Ireland, after criticising the British governments representative to the region.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, is currently chairing urgent talks in a bid to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland, after snap elections resulted in stalemate between nationalist and unionist politicians. However, Sinn Fein politicians have ridiculed his attempts to resolve the situation, accusing him of engaging in waffle, waffle, and more waffle throughout the talks.

They have not confirmed if they will return to talks with Mr Brokenshire or the DUP at a later date.

Republican party Sinn Fein walked away from power-sharing in January, meaning more than a decade of devolution at Stormont came to an end. They refused to share power with the Democratic Unionist Party, while their leader Arlene Foster is being investigated over allegations she was responsible for a major mismanagement of public funds.

Snap elections were called as a result and returned the DUP to Stormont with just a one seat majority over Sinn Fein, the narrowest ever margin between nationalist and unionist politicians at the Assembly.

After talks with Secretary Brokenshire designed to broker an agreement between the two parties, Sinn Feins leader in the north Michelle ONeill said: We needed a fundamental change in approach from the British Government. We made that very clear to James Brokenshire today.

All he did was waffle, waffle and more waffle in relation to how we are going to go forward and give families what they need, which is access to due process as per the request of the Lord Chief Justice.

She added: We called the meeting to an end because we had more waffle. We called the meeting short and asked him to go and reflect on that."

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was also present in Belfast. He told local media he was concerned about lack of progress regarding inquests into murders during the Troubles, citing lack of funding from the British government to facilitate the investigations.

Mr Brokenshire said: We are getting on with a further round of discussions with all the parties during the course of today.

They have been business like, there is a sense of the urgency of what is at hand here, the significance of the issues we are dealing with and getting back into the devolved government at the earliest possible priority.

That's what's motivating me, that's what I'm getting on with doing.

Mr Brokenshire has also met with representatives of the DUP.

The party has insisted Ms Foster will not be stepping down as party leader, as she insists she has done nothing wrong and that Sinn Fein are merely trying to take advantage of unproven allegations in order to oust her.

Under power-sharing rules, both nationalists and unionists must share power and govern together, in order for Stormont to stand. If the parties refuse to share power, Northern Ireland would have to be ruled directly from London, for the first time in a decade. There is little local appetite for such a situation, amid general consensus that such a move could be a considerable step back in the peace process.

The parties have a period of three weeks in which to reach an agreement. Talks are expected to continue tomorrow.
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Rockstar theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has called for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down as Labour leader.

The Cambridge academic said Mr Corbyn was a disaster for the party despite having "sound" policies and having his heart "in the right place".

The Labour-backing physicist said he would vote for Mr Corbyn but that he should quit for the sake of the party.

Recommended Corbyn admits Labour cannot win election unless things change

Mr Hawking told The Times newspaper: I regard Corbyn as a disaster.

His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a left-wing extremist.

I think he should step down for the sake of the party.

Professor Hawking's comments come shortly after shadow chancellor John McDonnell wrote an article claiming that a soft coup was under way by opponents of Mr Corbyn inside and outside the party.

 Flustered Corbyn adamant he will still be leader in 2020

Labour has struggled in the polls of late, with the Conservatives reaching an average lead of 16 points.

Mr Corbyn's personal ratings have also bombed, despite his re-election as Labour leader for a second time in autumn last year.

Last week the party lost a by-election in the Copeland constituency, ceding the seat to the Conservatives for the first time in 80 years. It won a concurrent by-election in Stoke with a reduced majority.

Additional reporting by PA
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Theresa May will today defy fierce criticism of huge waste in the free schools programme by vowing to build 140 more of the schools.

The Budget will plough 320m into creating more than 70,000 new places at the schools  which are independent of local authorities  although only 30 will open by 2020.

We are confirming new investment to give parents a greater choice of a good school place for their child, the Prime Minister said.

Ms May will also signal her determination to press ahead with opening new grammar schools by promising free travel to selective schools for children from the poorest homes.

At present free transport is only offered to families receiving free school meals and maximum working tax credit who attend non-selective schools, at an annual cost of around 40m.

Last month, a scathing report by Parliaments spending watchdog found that millions of pounds of taxpayers money is being wasted building state-of-the-art free schools that stand empty.

At the same time, deteriorating and potentially unsafe buildings presented a looming crisis for local authorities, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned.

The cost of the free schools programme ballooned in the last Parliament from a forecast 900m to 1.8bn, mainly because of the huge cost of buying land for them.

Up to 60 per cent of existing school buildings are in urgent need of repair, the NAO found, with many suffering major defects with electrics and external walls.

It warned that half-empty free schools are creating spare capacity in some areas which will have serious financial implications for local council schools.

However, the Budget will confirm the Government is pressing ahead with opening a total of 500 new free schools by September 2020, with 30 more on the way  and a further 110 in the next Parliament.

The latest 320m cash injection for the programme is more than 216m that will be set aside to rebuild and refurbish existing schools tomorrow.

No details were provided for how that money will be spent, but ministers have previously said the vast majority of a planned 260 schools will be revamped by the end of this year.

The third strand of todays education announcement follows Ms Mays controversial plans  opposed by a significant number of her own MPs  to set up the first new grammar schools for a generation.

They are not expected to open until after the 2020 general election because of the need for lengthy consultations and legal changes.

But before then, additional places are expected to be created by groups of academies within existing grammars or by building remote annexes.

Now the extended rights entitlement to ensure the cost of transport does not prevent poorer pupils attending high-performing schools will be extended to the selective sector.

Ms May added: For too many children, a good school place remains out of reach with their options determined by where they live or how much money their parents have.

Over the last six years, we have overseen a revolution in our schools system and we have raised standards and opportunity, but there is much more to do.

The extension comes as state schools wrestle with a real-terms spending cut of 6.5 per cent over the course of this Parliament, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
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New measures to prevent Theresa May using ancient Henry VIII powers to make post-Brexit laws behind Parliaments back have been demanded in a report today.

The Prime Minister must not be allowed to put through crucial legislation  over trade, immigration and workers rights, for example  using so-called delegated powers, a House of Lords committee said.

The alarm has been raised over the potential for a No 10 power grab when the daunting Great Repeal Bill is put before Parliament later this year, after Article 50 has been triggered.

Recommended Labour to reject Great Repeal Bill if it lets ministers dump rights

The bill will convert EU law into UK law before Brexit is completed in 2019, and before the Government proposes which bits should be retained or junked.

Now the Lords Constitution Committee has urged MPs and peers to impose two vital safeguards to limit future prime ministerial power, by:

* Restricting the use of delegated powers to where they are truly needed to adapt EU law to UK law and to implement the Brexit negotiations.

* Forcing ministers to sign a declaration on every occasion that each use does no more than necessary to translate EU law into UK law.

The committees chairman, the former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Lang, said the huge task of converting EU law made some extra government powers inevitable.

But he said: Those powers should not, however, be used to pick and choose which elements of EU law to keep or replace  that should be done only through primary legislation that is subject to proper Parliamentary scrutiny.

Scrutiny must not be sidelined. There must be a clear limit on what the delegated powers in the bill can be used to achieve.

The warning was echoed by Dominic Grieve, the former Tory Attorney General, who said: There must be no question of the Government creating statutory instrument powers in the Great Repeal Bill to change the law at will.

The most draconian of these powers  allowing laws to be amended or repealed  have been dubbed Henry VIII powers because they date back to a 1539 law allowing the Tudor monarch to govern by proclamation.

The Prime Minister claimed the right to use that power to trigger Article 50  until the Supreme Court ordered her not to bypass Parliament.

Ministers have promised separate legislation in areas such as customs and immigration, where significant policy changes will be made.

Todays report warned those areas are likely to be carved out of the Great Repeal Bill and may have to be adapted to fit with an exit deal agreed in haste in 2018 or 2019.

Another obvious area where ministers may seek to claim delegated powers is workers rights, such as limits on hours under the EUs working time directive.

The Prime Minister has vowed workers rights will be protected  but has declined to say whether or how that will be enshrined in law.

The Lords Constitution Committee said Parliament should consider imposing sunset clauses to ensure EU laws can be amended rather than being left to drift into permanence.

These measures should ensure that the cry of the Brexit campaign in the referendum, that the UK Parliament should take back control, isnt lost before the UK has even left the EU, Lord Lang added.
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William Hague, the former Conservative leader, has urged Theresa May to call for an early general in order to avoid further parliamentary stand-offs over Brexit.

Becoming the most senior Tory to advocate scrapping the coalitions Fixed Term Parliaments Act, Lord Hague argues his party would have very good chance of securing a divisive majority in the Commons if the Prime Minister went to the country.

Labour, he adds, is in its worst condition since the early Thirties and with its least credible leader ever.

It comes as the Prime Minister braces for defeat in the Lords, with many peers demanding Parliament gets a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal. The peer said there was "no doubt" Ms May would have a better chance of making Brexit a success with a decisive majority in the Commons, warning her that different factions in Parliament will inevitably find parts of the exit deal difficult to stomach.

Recommended Corbyn admits Labour cannot win election unless things change

Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act rules dictate that general elections are held every five years, meaning there can be no election before 2020. But there has been speculation that some MPs on Conservative benches believe a snap election following the referendum could be desirable  especially to assert the authority of Ms May.

In order to unpick the legislation and call for a snap election, the Conservatives would need the support of around two-thirds of MPs in the Commons.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Hague argues that bringing forward an election would strengthen the governments hand at home and abroad and avoid any further parliamentary deadlocks.

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

He continued: "We have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues.

There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them."

Ahead of the expected clash between peers and the Government over Parliament's role in approving the final Brexit deal, Lord Hague went on: "Any deal is bound to be full of compromises which one group or another in Parliament finds difficult to stomach.

"As British law needs to be amended countless times to take account of leaving the EU treaties, the Government could face many close votes, concessions or defeats as it tries to implement Brexit.

"That prospect will embolden the EU negotiators, and makes an agreement that is good for the UK harder to achieve.

"It could also lead to a situation where the Prime Minister faces a stand-off with Parliament over a deal that will have taken two years to negotiate and is nearly impossible to change."

Speaking to The Independent at the end of 2016, Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said he would instruct his MPs to back an early election if the Prime Minister wished to call one. He added:I personally am slightly sceptical about the Fixed-Term Parliaments Acts anyway she has not said shes going to do that but that is what Im saying is one possibility.

If theres a vote to dissolve Parliament then obviously we will vote with it.
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Thousands of pupils will get a day off, because their teachers are joining the "Day Without A Woman" protest against Donald Trump and refusing to work on International Women's Day, forcing two US districts to close all their schools.

With so many female staff members refusing to work, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina and Alexandria Public Schools in Northern Virginia have told around 25,000 pupils not to attend.

The teachers will join women across America in drawing attention to "the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socioeconomic system, while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity," according to a statement by the campaigners who are organising the demonstration.

After a staff survey indicated a "significant" number of absences in all of its schools, a statement on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro website said they will close all of them.

"Women across the nation, as well as men, will be participating in a one-day demonstration to recognise the value of women," it said. "As part of this demonstration, many will be staying home from work."

It added that the district "values and supports its female employees", but made it clear that "the decision to close schools is not a political statement".

It said: "It is entirely about the safety of students and the districts inability to operate with a high number of staff absences."

A similar statement from the Alexandria district noted that "more than 300 staff members have requested leave."

Between them, the two school districts enrol over 25,000 pupils.

Both districts are in affluent Eastern seaboard regions that did not vote for Mr Trump in the presidential election.

North Carolina did opt for Mr Trump, but the county incorporating the university town of Chapel Hill voted 75 per cent in favour of his rival, Hillary Clinton.

Alexandria, which is located five miles downstream from Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac River, also returned a 75 per cent show of support for the defeated Democrat.

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

The Day Without a Woman has been called for International Women's Day by the organisers behind the Women's March which followed Donald Trump's inauguration as President.

The protest in the US capital spearheaded a massive show of resistance to Mr Trump, with as many as 4.6 million demonstrators taking to the streets across the country.

The one-day "strike" has been criticised in some quarters, for focusing on privileged women able to opt out of a day's labour: Public school employees are among those with the job security to apply for statutory leave, enabling these school districts to make the call to close ahead of time.

Across the US, more than three-quarters of teachers are women.
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Canada's foreign affairs minister has said that her country should be prepared for Russia to try to destabilise its political system, saying it would be similar to its efforts in the United States.

Chrystia Freeland, who is a critic of Russia and is barred from entering that country, was asked whether Russia had engaged in a smear campaign against her after negative articles appeared in pro-Russian media about her Ukrainian grandfather.

It is public knowledge that there have been efforts, as US intelligence forces have said, by Russia to destabilise the US political system, Freeland told reporters in Parliament.

I think that Canadians and, indeed, other Western countries should be prepared for similar efforts to be directed at us.

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Republican Donald Trump's favour. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.

On Monday, Canada said it would renew a military training mission in Ukraine for another two years.

In 2015, the former Conservative government sent about 200 troops to help train Ukrainian soldiers battling Russian-backed separatists and Canada has trained more than 3,200 soldiers since then, Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said.

This assistance is crucial to ensure a sovereign, secure and stable Ukraine, Sajjan said.

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

Three years of simmering military conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists have killed more than 10,000 people.

Reuters
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A mother who was acquitted of murdering her child has broken her silence - insisting she still does not know how the last hours of her daughters life played out.

Two-year Caylee Anthony was last seen in July 2008 and was reported missing by her family. That December, the childs skeletal remains were discovered in a blanket inside a rubbish bag close to the family home.

In 2011, the childs mother, Casey Anthony, was charged with her daughters murder but subsequently found not guilty in a case that gripped America and dominated cable news headlines.

Two-year-old Caylee Anthony went missing in the summer of 2008 (YouTube)

Just last week, the judge who oversaw the Florida trial, said he believed Ms Anthony most likely accidentally killed her daughter by using too much chloroform to calm her before suffocating her with duct tape.

In her first media interview, Ms Anthony told the Associated Press she realised that many people did not believe her. Despite that, she said: I'm OK with myself, I sleep pretty good at night.

The 30-year-olds main complaint was as to the way some of the media had portrayed her as a partying child-killer.

My sentence was doled out long before there was a verdict. Sentence first, verdict afterward, said Ms Anthony, who could have faced the death penalty if convicted.

Ms Anthony was dubbed America's most hated mom amid reports she went to nightclubs and got a tattoo in the month her daughter was missing.

Caylee would be 12 right now. And would be a total badass, she said

But when discussing Caylees last moments, the 30-year-old Anthony reportedly spoke in sober tones.

Im still not even certain as I stand here today about what happened, she said. I understand the reasons people feel about me. I understand why people have the opinions that they do.

It has been almost nine years since Caylee went missing, and six since the Orlando trial that ended in her mothers acquittal. Experts testified that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthonys trunk.

Ms Anthony was found not guilty after a 2011 trial in Florida (AP)

The defence team, led by Jose Baez, said the child had drowned accidentally in the familys swimming pool on June 16, 2008, and that George Anthony - the childs grandfather - got rid of the body. The defence contended that Ms Anthony lied about this and other issues because of a dysfunctional upbringing,

In the end, prosecutors proved Ms Anthony was a liar, but convinced the jury of little else.

The government failed to establish how Caylee died, and investigators could not find her mothers DNA on the duct tape they said was used to suffocate her. After a trial of a month and a half, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.

Even if I wouldve told them everything that I told to the psychologist, I hate to say this but I firmly believe I would have been in the same place, she said.

Because cops believe other cops. Cops tend to victimise the victims. I understand nowI see why I was treated the way I was even had I been completely truthful.

Asked about the drowning defence, she said: Everyone has their theories, I dont know. As I stand here today I cant tell you one way or another. The last time I saw my daughter I believed she was alive and was going to be OK, and thats what was told to me. 
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Chance the Rapper said that he will donate $1 million to the Chicago's public school system for arts education.

He made the announcement that he would give money to his hometowns schools at a press conference at Westcott Elementary School.

Chance met with Illinois governor Bruce Rauner late last week to discuss public education in the city due to the budget crisis being faced by Chicago Public Schools.

The artist said he was frustrated and disappointed with Governor Rauners vague answers on how to solve the budget problems and noted, our kids should not be held hostage because of political positions.

Governor Rauner recently vetoed a bill that likely would have enabled the school district to pay $215 million for bills and pension payments. Earlier today, Governor Rauner proposed two possible solutions to solve the budget crisis, however Mayor Rahm Emanuel rejected both proposals.

Unpaid furloughs, a $15 million cut to charter schools, a $5 million cut to professional development, and a freeze on textbook, technology, and after school program spending from a $31 million discretionary fund are some of the measures taken by the school district but a budget deficit of $129 million persists.

 Chance the Rapper beats Drake and Kanye West for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards

The district has asked a Cook County to judge to order the state to give it more money before 1 May or risk having to close schools 20 days early.

Chicago school officials are also suing the state because they feel the way the state allocates funds to the urban school district is discriminatory.

The donation will be sourced from proceeds of his tour beginning on 24 April in San Diego.

He will also make an additional $10,000 donation for after school maths and reading classes at Westcott Elementary.

Chance asked during the press conference for others to fight with [him] and also announced that his non profit, Social Works Chicago, will match every $10,000 made in donations to Chicago Public Schools.
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CNN has been criticised for an offensive portrayal of Hinduism in one of its new network shows.

The first episode of "Believer with Reza Aslan", explored the Aghori sect of Hinduism, a mystical group known for their extreme rituals.

The six-part series will see, Aslan, an Iranian-American author, religious studies scholar and television host immerse himself and experiences various religious traditions all over the world.

But the opening episode was criticised and some have claimed that it could create a perception about Indian Americans that leads to hate crimes.

In the show Mr Aslan had the ashes from cremated humans daubed on his face and drank alcohol out of a human skull according to the The Washington Post. He was also given what was purported to be a bit of human brain.

US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) said it was a time of intolerant attacks on minorities and the show would add more misrepresentation, bias and may lead to more hate crimes.

In a statement to The Indian Express, the committee's chairman, Sanjay Puri, added: In a charged environment, a show like this can create a perception about Indian Americans which could make them more vulnerable to further attacks."

Shalab Kumar, an Indian American who is a public speaker and philanthropist, also described the show as a disgusting attack on Hinduism.

I condemn Reza Aslan, CNN for airing Believer with fiction. Disgusting attack on Hindus, he tweeted.
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Weeks after women descended on the worlds streets to protest Donald Trumps presidency, another campaign will hope to keep the global spotlight trained on gender equality.

Thousands of women will strike on Wednesday, withdrawing their domestic and industrial labour in solidarity with marginalised women around the world.

A Day Without a Woman will encourage workers from all sectors to participate in an international general womens strike, by walking out from offices, ignoring domestic chores and wearing red - a colour that signifies love and sacrifice.

Strike organisers said the Trump era demands a feminism of the 99 per cent to unite women across the world "fighting the same fights."

We come from many political traditions but are united in our rejection of the current racist and misogynist policies of Trump as well as the decades long neoliberal attacks on working peoples lives, which created the conditions for Trump, US organisers explained.

We believe that the solution lies in grassroots organising and the politics of solidarity across our various movements.

The walkout is set to coincide with International Womens Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

The strike, expected to take place in more than 30 countries, will aim to expose the harsh reality of gender marginalisation and the devastating impact of inequality on the global socioeconomic system.

Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Show all 18 1 /18 Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters gather outside the White House at the finish of the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds attended the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters hold up signage near the Washington Monument during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Drew Angerer/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters gather during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. The march is expected to draw thousands from across the country to protest newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters arrive at the Capital South Metro station for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters arrive on the platform at the Capital South Metro station for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators protest during the Women's March along Pennsylvania Avenue January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: Protesters attend the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A marcher holds a sign during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. The march is expected to draw thousands from across the country to protest newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A woman chants while attending the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters attend the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters march in Washington, DC, during the Women's March on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded US cities Saturday in a day of women's rights protests to mark President Donald Trump's first full day in office. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A protester gestures toward the White House on the Ellipse near the South Lawn of the White House during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Drew Angerer/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A protester, holding a Donald Trump doll wearing a pink cap, marches in Washington, DC, during the Womens March on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded US cities Saturday in a day of women's rights protests to mark President Donald Trump's first full day in office. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters take to the National Mall to demonstrate against the presidency of Donald Trump Washington, DC on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters march during the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators gather on The Ellipse during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protester's signs are left near the White House during the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Mario Tama/Getty

While the financial impact of the walkout is unknown, participation on a large scale could make a considerable dent to world economies, highlighting womens global financial contribution.

University of Cambridge philosopher Sandy Grant explained she would be striking to draw attention to the continued underrepresentation of women in many fields of work.

My protest is about who gets to do what kind of work, as well as how different people are treated as workers. As workers, women are lower paid. They are also unequally subject to, or at risk of, discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity, she told The Independent.

Sadly the workplace is still a very different kind of place for women. And as a philosopher I recognise a responsibility to ask people to rethink what they are doing. Taking action along with other women, by speaking, writing, marching and striking are all ways of doing this.

Teachers in Virginia and North Carolina will join the strike, causing two US districts to close their schools that enrol 25,000 pupils in total.

For this reason, and others, the strike has also garnered criticism from those who believe it is only accessible to the privileged who can afford to take time off work.

However, A Day without a Woman does not claim to be industrial in nature. Organisers encourage both men and women to participate in whatever way they can, including by withholding their purchasing power.

The concept of withdrawing contributions, whether domestic, industrial or financial, is by no means a new concept.

The latest campaign follows a long-line of walkouts since the 1900s and more recently, a series of high-profile European protests against the gender pay gap and abortion laws.

For the last 11 years, Icelands female workforce has walked out on 24 October at 2.38pm, the time they could leave every day if they were paid the same as their male colleagues.

The move was replicated in France in 2016 for the first time, where women left their offices at 4.34pm on Monday 7 November  the time at which they stopped being paid for 2016 in comparison to men.

The French campaign attracted global attention on social media under the hashtag #7novembre16h34, and received backing from then Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Education Secretary Najat Belkacem.

Rebecca Amsellem, founder of Les Glorieuses, who spearheaded the campaign, told The Independent: There is a tendency to blame women for this reality, for working part-time or on zero-hours contracts, and we hope increasing awareness of the reality will help put this misconception into perspective.

In September 2016, marches took place from Paris to Phnom Penh, New York to Sydney, to protest Irelands archaic abortion law.

Similarly, thousands of people took to Polands streets in October 2016 to protest a near-total ban on abortion, after almost 40 years of liberal abortion legislation and access.

Three days later, the bill was voted down as a result of the public pressure.
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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.
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Donald Trumps claim that Barack Obama was responsible for the release of 122 Guantanamo prisoners who then returned to the battlefield has been proven false by a US intelligence report.

The President wrote on Twitter: 122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!

The figure appeared to have been taken from a misinterpreted report released by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in September.

 Life at Guantanamo

It found that 122 out of 693 former detainees surveyed  18 per cent  had been confirmed as having reengaged in terrorist or insurgent activities.

But only nine of those (6 per cent) were released under Barack Obamas administration, with the vast majority freed before his inauguration on 22 January 2009, under George W Bush.

In total, 532 prisoners had been released by the Bush administration and 161 under Mr Obama as of July 2016, the report found.

The DNI found that American policy to send prisoners to countries experiencing conflict and terrorist activity was partly driving reengagement rates.

Transfers to countries with ongoing conflicts and internal instability as well as recruitment by insurgent and terrorist organisations could pose problems, the report said.

While enforcement of transfer conditions may deter reengagement by many former detainees and delay reengagement by others, some detainees who are determined to reengage will do so regardless of any transfer conditions, albeit probably at a lower rate than if they were transferred without conditions."

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It classified confirmed terrorist or insurgent activities as a preponderance of information identifying the detainee in activities including conducting a terror attack, fighting in an insurgency, financing or recruiting for extremist groups and facilitating their operations.

The report did not count communications with former Guantanamo detainees or past terror associates, or writing anti-US books, articles or making anti-US propaganda statements as reengagement.

It said a further 86 (12 per cent) of freed inmates were suspected of being involved in extremist activity but allegations could not be verified.

Mr Trumps claim came days after the Pentagon announced a former Guantanamo Bay detainee had been killed in a drone strike in Yemen.

Yasir al-Silmi died little over a week after Isis announced the death of another former Guantanamo Bay detainee  British militant Jamal al-Harith  in a suicide bombing in Mosul.

Several former Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been linked with terror groups since their release, but others have been found guilty of no crime or become prominent campaigners.

A report released on the reengagement of former Guantanamo detainees by the Director of National Intelligence in September 2016 (Director of National Intelligence)

Established the year after the 9/11 terror attacks, the facility was used to house 779 indefinite detention without trial, with evidence emerging of widespread torture and abuse.

Lawyers for the Bush administration argued that the prison could be considered outside protections under US law and the Geneva Convention, but the US Supreme Court threw out the claim.

More than 530 detainees were released under President Bush, with Mr Obama taking office with 242 remaining and launching repeated attempts to close the facility.

His plans were thwarted in Congress by members who did not want prisoners relocated to the US for detention or trial and Mr Obama left his post earlier this year with 41 detainees at Guantanamo after successive rounds of transfers.

The Presidents comments were the latest attack on Mr Obama, with recent days seeing him take to Twitter to lash out at Obamacare and sensationally claim his predecessor had ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower during the election.

A spokesperson for Mr Obama and security officials denied the allegations as a row continued over links between members of the Trump administration and the Russian government.

Mr Trumps latest allegations came as he seeks support for a new version of his crushed immigration ban targeting citizens of six Muslim-majority countries, as well as a controversial pledge to publish lists of crimes committed by non-US citizens.
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US President Donald Trump is allegedly targeting US journalists with help from Russian intelligence, a former National Security Agency (NSA) analyst has claimed.

John Schindler, a security expert and former counterintelligence officer, tweeted: Learned fm very reliable IC sources that Trump WH, w/help fm Russian intel, is targeting US journalists. Rough road ahead. Get ready, peeps.

It was not immediately clear in what way journalists were allegedly being targeted however the explosive claim is likely to add weight to allegations of Trump-Russia collusion.

It came as the White House was hit last week with a triple whammy of new media reports linking the Trump administration with Russia, throwing the White House on the defensive and sparking fresh calls for a formal investigation.

The most significant of the claims  that Mr Trumps new Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, met twice with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 election  was first reported in the Washington Post.

Mr Sessions has since agreed to step aside from all investigations of Russia's interference. However, he denied suggestions he lied under oath and misled Congress.

The New York Times also reported Russian officials met associates of Mr Trump in multiple European cities during his election campaign.

It cited three former American officials, and said the meetings had been monitored by the British and Dutch intelligence services who then in turn notified the US government under Barack Obama.

American spies had also intercepted Russian communications in which officials, including some with the Kremlin, discussed contacts with the Trump team, the Times reported.

It came as Press Secretary Sean Spicer blocked major news outlets from attending a White House press gaggle, leading senior industry figures to accuse the Trump administration of unconstitutional censorship.

Outlets including CNN, The New York Times, the BBC, The Guardian and BuzzFeed were all barred from the event, despite far-right organisations Breitbart News, One America News Network and The Washington Times all being granted access.

It led some to accuse Mr Trump of trying to evade questioning on alleged Russian interference in the election campaign by blocking many of the organisations responsible for breaking the biggest Trump-Russia stories.

A new poll found a majority of Americans would support a Congressional investigation into claims that Mr Trumps administration had close ties with Russia during his presidential campaign.

Just over half (53 per cent) of US citizens want the alleged communications investigated, while 54 per cent want a Congress investigation into general Russian interference in the election, the survey for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found.

The findings also revealed 38 per cent of Americans think Mr Trumps relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is too friendly, while 29 per cent believe the relationship is not too friendly.
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Advocacy and civil rights groups have expressed outrage at a proposal by the Department of Homeland Security to separate parents from their children to deter them from illegally crossing the Mexican-US border.

DHS Secretary John Kelly told CNN that he was considering the proposal to ensure that mothers and fathers thought twice about putting their lives in the hands of illegal human trafficking networks.

The proposal would mean putting children in the care of the government or sending them to live with relatives in the US.

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"I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up from Mexico," Mr Kelly said.

He added that children removed from their guardians would be "well cared for as we deal with their parents."

At the moment, mothers and their children are held together in one of two detention centres in Texas or one in Pennsylvania until an immigration judge decides their case.

When pushed on how the "average person" would respond to the new measure, Mr Kelly said: "Its more important to me, Wolf, to try to keep people off this awful network."

The policy would end the Obama-era rule of "catch and release", which frees undocumented immigrants into the US as they await their trial.

Critics say the new proposal would be traumatic for families. Many women who flee across the border are so desperate or have suffered trauma at home, therefore the DHS proposal would not act as a deterrent.

On Tuesday White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer avoided a question on the issue and directed the reporter to ask ICE. He added that the President "does not get involved" in ICE-related matters.

The DHS has already come under fire after a draft memo proposed using 100,000 National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants.

Mr Trump has also called the issue a "military operation" to deport the bad dudes.

Reuters reported that between 1 October 2016 and 31 January 2017, around 54,000 children and their guardians were apprehended as they crossed from Central America into the US.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that President Trump was pedalling a false narrative that his immigration polices were only focused on hardened criminals, but instead he has focused on vulnerable people and families.

"The President and his DHS Secretary are now considering the merits of tearing children from their mothers as they enter the country seeking asylum," she said.

 Audible groans as Trump announces agency solely to report immigrant crime

"To institute this type of policy as a deterrent is heinous. This egregious policy questions basic human rights and our countrys moral standing in the world. There are better, more sensible immigration procedures that protect families while they proceed through the asylum application process."

Laura Vazquez, programme manager for immigration initiatives at Latino nonprofit advocacy organisation National Council of La Raza, told The Independent that the proposal was "incredibly inhumane".

"This proposal shows a fundamental lack of understanding about why women and children are trying to come to the US," she said.

"This will not serve as a deterrent. When a woman decides that she and her child need to flee violence, that's an incredibly difficult decision and this proposal should never be used as a way to keep women from trying to protect their children."

Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement: "What the Trump administration is proposing would inflict severe emotional trauma on children and parents who are fleeing horrific conditions in their home countries and seeking safety in our country.

"This is beyond an affront to our values and our legal responsibilities. It is downright cruel. As we have seen, deterrence policies will always fail because parents will always choose saving their childrens lives."

The Trump administration has insisted Mexico would reimburse the US for building the wall along the border.

It could costs as much as $20 billion. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said they would not pay and promptly cancelled his first trip to visit Mr Trump.
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Iraq was taken off list of countries from which travellers are banned from entering the US - partly because of assistance from Iraq in fighting Isis.

State Department representative Mark Toner said many Iraqis also served as interpreters and translators for the American military over several years of the post-9/11 war.

According to The Hill newspaper, a lobbying firm hired by the Iraqi government also sent letters to the White House, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defence James Mattis, and members of Congress asking for meetings with Iraqs newest ambassador to the US, Fareed Yasseen, and other diplomats.

No retaliatory diplomatic action was taken by Iraq after the initial travel ban executive order had been signed in January.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and President Trump spoke on the phone on 9 February and Vice President met with PM Al-Abadi and other officials during the Munich Security Conference later that month. Secretary Mattis also made an unannounced visit to Iraq in February as well.

The Muslim ban order in its current form was re-drafted as a result of several courts blocking its enforcement. The six remaining countries are Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
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Every US senator has signed a letter calling for greater federal help in tackling a new wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centres.

Police from New York to Florida and even in Canada, are scrambling to respond to a slew of threats that emerged overnight and resulted in lockdowns and evacuations. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organisation, also said it received bomb threats at four of its locations.

Weve never seen such a period of concentrated threats against the Jewish community, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference. The last few weeks are more troubling than anything Ive seen in many, many years.

Each of the US senators signed the letter calling for extra federal help (CNN)

US federal authorities have been investigating a surge of threats against Jewish organisations, including more than 100 hoax bomb threats in five separate waves in January and February in more than a dozen states, said Reuters.

The Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Association of North America confirmed the developments.

JCC Association of North America confirms a developing situation in which several JCCs have received either emailed or phoned-in bomb threats overnight and this morning, it said. We will follow up with more information as it becomes available.

 Donald Trump vows to fight bigotry, hate and anti-Semitism during museum visit

The Trump Administration denounced the newest round of threats in the strongest terms, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing.

As long as they do continue, well continue to condemn them and look at ways in which we can stop them, said Mr Spicer.

In addition to violent threats, some Jewish organisations received harassing phone calls. At the East Midwood Jewish Centre in Brooklyn, New York, police said, an anonymous caller threatened to spray the centres synagogue with pigs blood.

Tuesdays threats appeared unconnected to the majority of previous threats, according to the Secure Community Network, which provides security expertise to Jewish groups.

A letter signed by all 100 US senators was sent on Tuesday to top US law enforcement officials asking that they help Jewish groups enhance security.

We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, the letter said.

One arrest was made last week, when a former journalist was charged in St. Louis with using fake email accounts to threaten to bomb Jewish sites while posing as his ex-girlfriend. But he is not believed to be responsible for the majority of threats.
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One thing, at least, appears certain  Khizr Khan, the father of an American soldier killed in Iraq and who clashed last year with Donald Trump, will not be delivering a speech in Toronto on Tuesday lunchtime.

Mr Khan was due to speak at an event hosted by the Toronto-based Ramsay Talks. But the events organiser, Bob Ramsay, posted a message on Facebook, saying that Mr Khan, an American citizen for more than 30 years, was notified that his "travel privileges were being reviewed".

As a consequence, Mr Khan will not be travelling to Toronto on March 7th to speak about tolerance, understanding, unity and the rule of law. Very regretfully, Ramsay Talks must cancel its luncheon with Mr Khan. Guests will be given full refunds, it said,

Mr Ramsay said that Mr Khan offered his sincere apologies to all those who made plans to attend on 7 March.

This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad, he quoted Mr Khan as saying. I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.

That, at least, is what organisers claim happened to the Pakistani-born US citizen who was slated to speak in Toronto on tolerance, understanding, unity and the rule of law.

The New York Daily News quoted a State Department official as saying there was no US State Department procedure for reviewing travel privileges and that anyone with a valid US passport can enter and leave the US.

Khizr Khan spoke at a Clinton rally in New Hampshire a few days before the election (Getty)

Rather, the official said that it was up to other countries, such as Canada, to admit US citizens or not. The Canadian Foreign Ministry has yet to comment.

When The Independent connected Mr Khan by email, he replied: Thank you. I have no comments. Mr Ramsay also failed to respond to inquiries.

Mr Khan has been a vocal critic of the President, and some of those criticisms were quoted in the event listing.

Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims, he disrespects minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership, Mr Khan last week told the Toronto Star. He wants to build walls and ban us from this country.

Mr Khan first made national headlines when he appeared at the Democratic National Convention and blasted Mr Trump, memorably asking if the Republican candidate had read the Constitution while holding up a pocket-sized version of the document.

Mr Khans son, Humayun Khan, was killed in 2004 while serving in Iraq. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals posthumously.
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Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on Barack Obama's administration, claiming he was responsible for 122 vicious prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay returning to the battlefield.

The President did not give a source for his claim on Twitter, but it appeared to arise from a misinterpreted report released by the Director of National Intelligence in September.

It found that 122 out of 693 former detainees surveyed  18 per cent - had been confirmed as having reengaged in terrorist or insurgent activities.

But only nine of those (6 per cent) were released under Barack Obamas administration, with the vast majority freed before his inauguration on 22 January 2009, under George W Bush.

The report said a further 86 (12 per cent) of freed inmates were suspected of being involved in extremist activity but allegations could not be verified.

Established the year after the 9/11 terror attacks, Guantanamo Bay was used to house 779 indefinite detention without trial, with evidence emerging of widespread torture and abuse.

 Guantanamo release: Former Afghan detainees' families relieved

Lawyers for the Bush administration argued that the camp could be considered outside protections under US law and the Geneva Convention, but he US Supreme Court threw out the claim.

More than 530 detainees were released under President Bush, with Mr Obama taking office with 242 remaining.

He launched repeated attempts to close the facility but was opposed in Congress by members who did not want prisoners relocated to the US for detention or trial.

Mr Obama left his post earlier this year with 41 detainees remaining at Guantanamo after successive rounds of transfers.

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield, Mr Trump wrote. Just another terrible decision!

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The Presidents comments came after the Pentagon announced a former Guantanamo Bay detainee had been killed in a drone strike in Yemen.

The Department of Defense said Yasir al-Silmi had been targeted as part of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on 2 March.

Also known as Mohammed Tahar, he was held at the notorious Cuban prison from 2002 to 2009, when he repatriated to Yemen.

His death came little over a week after Isis announced the death of another former Guantanamo Bay detainee - British militant Jamal al-Harith - in a suicide bombing in Mosul.

He travelled to join the so-called Islamic State in 2014, prompting questions for the Government over its monitoring procedures.

Several former Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been linked with terror groups since their release, but others have been found guilty of no crime or become prominent campaigners
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US President Donald Trump has blamed Barack Obama for allowing Russia to annex Crimea.

"For eight years Russia 'ran over' President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!" the President tweeted.

In earlier tweets, Mr Trump claimed without evidence the Obama administration was responsible for 122 "vicious prisoners" released from Guantanamo Bay returning to the battlefield.

It is not the first time Mr Trump has accused Mr Obama of allowing Russia to take Crimea.

"Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?" the US president tweeted last month.

It came as Russia insisted it did not intend to return Crimea to Ukraine after the White House said Mr Trump expected the annexed Black Sea peninsula to be returned.

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

Moscow said an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voted to become part of Russia in a 2014 referendum wanting protection from what the Kremlin cast as an illegal coup in Kiev.

However, Ukraine said the referendum was a sham held at gunpoint after Russian troops illegally annexed the peninsula, that Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by people power, and that Moscow should return Crimea.

The 2014 annexation prompted the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia, plunging Western relations with the Kremlin to their worst level since the Cold War.
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Hollywood star Samuel L Jackson has launched a blistering attack on Donald Trumps Housing and Urban Development Secretary after he referred to slaves as immigrants.

Ben Carson, himself an African-American, told staff at his department that immigrants who arrived on slave ships worked hard in order to build a better life for their families.

"There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less," said Mr Trump's former rival for the Republican presidential nomination.

"But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land."

Dr Carson was widely criticised for comparing slaves, who were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to America to work for nothing, to immigrants, who entered America by choice.

Jackson also condemned the comments on Twitter, writing: OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAF---- PLEASE!!!".

Other social media users were quick to criticise Dr Carson, a neurosurgeon.

A Housing and Urban Development Department spokesman later attempted to quell the controversy, calling it the most cynical interpretation of the secretary's remarks to an army of welcoming HUD employees.

He added: No one honestly believes he equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude.

Dr Carson also sought to clarify his comments in a post on his Facebook page.

He wrote: The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders.

The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy.

The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that's inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all.
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A major transgender rights case that was due to be heard at the US Supreme Court has been cancelled after Donald Trump rescinded one of President Obama's anti-discrimination laws.

The justices had been due to hear the case of Gavin Grimm, a 17-year-old Virginia high school student who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male.

He sued his local school board to win the right to use the public school's boys' bathroom and a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, last year ruled in his favour on the basis of Barack Obama's interpretation of the law.

But after Mr Trump rescinded his predecessor's order in February, the Supreme Court concluded it was no longer worth hearing the case.

The appeals court ruling, which was the first of its kind, has now been thrown out and the court, in Richmond is now expected to hear the case again and reassess the dispute.

"Obviously this is not what we wanted, and it's disappointing it's going to drag this conversation out even longer," Mr Grimm said, adding: "If it took 10 years I would stick with it."

The Supreme Court's rejection of the case, is the latest legal fallout from Mr Trump's extensive use of executive power in the opening weeks of his presidency.

Mr Grimm had argued that his school's refusal violated a federal anti-discrimination law called Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the US Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

With Mr Obama's interpretation of the anti-discrimination law now void, the Supreme Court was able to sidestep what would have been its first ruling on transgender rights.

 Caitlyn Jenner takes on Trump over transgender issue

The former US leader's May 2016 guidance said that transgender students were protected under Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in education.

However, the Trump administration's move left the bathroom access decision to the states.

Both sides in Mr Grimm's case had asked the Supreme Court justices to decide the case despite Mr Trump's rollback.

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Kerri Kupec, a lawyer with conservative Christian legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, which backed the school board, said the move by the justices was expected in light of Mr Trump's action, but the appeals court should clarify the situation.

The 4th Circuit should affirm the plain meaning of Title IX, which protects boys' and girls' privacy in locker rooms, showers and restrooms. School officials should be free to protect their students' privacy, safety and dignity without federal government interference, she said.

The school board said in a statement it looks forward to explaining why its commonsense restroom and locker room policy is legal under the Constitution and federal law when the case is taken up again by the 4th Circuit. The school board policy requires students to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender they were assigned at birth.

The issue of allowing transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity has become a major focus in the long US battle over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Especially since Mr Trump began eroding rights.

This is a detour, not the end of the road, and we'll continue to fight for Gavin and other transgender people to ensure that they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, said Joshua Block, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who represents Mr Grimm.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Six people have been arrested in Kerala, India, after seven children were lured away from an orphanage and sexually assaulted.

Initial reports suggest the girls, aged between 12 and 16, were abudcted by a gang on their way to school.

They were apparently offered sweets and then forced to watch videos of a sexual nature before being subjected to abuse.

The police sent the girls for a medical examination to confirm the sexual assaults, according to the Hindustan Times.

Allegations have been made that the abuse went on for a period of more than four months and was only discovered when the security guard of the orphanage found one of the girls coming out of a nearby shop in tears.

The victims were apparently threatened and warned against reporting the crimes.

A total of eleven cases have been filed and more arrests are expected in the coming days.

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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. 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Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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It is yet another blot on the state. All child abuse cases should be fast-tracked and guilty will be given deterrent punishment, Mahila Congress leader Bindhu Krishna, told the Hindustan Times.
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North Korea has banned Malaysians from leaving the country prompting Malaysia to respond with a similar ban, as police investigating the murder of Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur sought to question up to three men hiding in the North Korean embassy.

Malaysia was outraged by the murder of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by assassins using VX nerve agent, a chemical listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Police have identified eight North Koreans wanted in connection with the murder, including a senior North Korean diplomat and a state airline employee  two of the three believed to be hiding in the embassy. The only people charged so far are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

As the row escalated, North Korea's foreign ministry issued a temporary ban on Malaysians leaving in order to ensure the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

 Three arrests amid probe into death of North Korean leader's half-brother

All Malaysian citizens in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved, the state-run Korea Central News Agency said, quoting a foreign ministry official.

In this period the diplomats and citizens of Malaysia may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before.

Malaysia reacted swiftly, condemning Pyongyang's action as hostage-taking and responded by barring all North Koreans from leaving the country.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement, adding that he has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Mr Najib said he has also instructed the police "to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea".

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

Before the murder, North Korea could count Malaysia as one of its few friends outside of China. But Malaysia has since stopped visa-free travel and expelled North Korea's ambassador for questioning the impartiality of the murder investigation.

There are 11 Malaysians in North Korea, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry official, including three embassy staff, six family members, and two others.

Hundreds of North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, most of them students and workers. The focus, however, was on its embassy staff.

"We are trying to physically identify all the embassy staff who are here," deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told reporters outside the North Korean embassy.

He said staff would not be allowed to leave the embassy "until we are satisfied of their numbers and where they are".

By early afternoon, Malaysian police had removed the tape and police car blocking the North Korean embassy driveway in a sign of easing tensions.

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's police chief said three of the North Koreans sought in connection with the murder had holed up at the embassy in the Malaysian capital.

"How much longer do they want to hide in the embassy... it is a matter of time before they come out," police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

"We will not raid the embassy building, we will wait for them to come out. We have got all the time," Mr Khalid said.

Aside from the suspects said to be hiding in the embassy, police have said four other North Koreans left Malaysia in the hours after the murder.

The only North Korean suspect to be apprehended was deported last week, released due to insufficient evidence.

US officials and South Korean intelligence suspect North Korean agents were behind the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, who had been living in Macau under China's protection. He had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept that the dead man is leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack.

No next of kin have come forward to claim the body, but the Malaysian police chief said he was confident of obtaining DNA samples to formally identify the murdered man.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Malaysian police said they foiled an attack on Arab royals by suspected Yemeni militants.

Seven militants, including four Yemenis, two Malaysians and one Indonesian, were arrested in separate raids ahead of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz's visit to Kuala Lumpur last month.

"They were planning to attack Arab royalties during their visit to Kuala Lumpur. We got them in the nick of time," national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.

He said two of the seven were planning to launch a large-scale attack using a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device".

 The world has forgotten the Yemen war, says senior UN humanitarian official

The Yemenis are suspected of planning the attack, he added.

A senior police source told Reuters the four Yemenis belonged to a Houthi insurgency group that has been fighting Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition for two years.

The raids came days before King Salman visited Kuala Lumpur with a 600-strong delegation. He is on a tour of Asian countries to advance the kingdom's economic and business interests.

The seven militants were arrested last month suspected links to extremist groups including Isis, police said in a statement.

Police seized multiple international passports from the four Yemenis, along with 270,000 ringgit (49,800) in different currencies which were suspected to be channelled to the insurgent group and accused them of being involved in distributing drugs.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

Malaysia has arrested hundreds over the last few years for suspected links to militant groups.

The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since suicide bombers and gunmen linked to Isis launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January last year.

A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in June last year wounded eight people. Isis claimed responsibility for the attack.
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The Philippine government has protested the depiction of a fictional leader of its country who makes a pass at the female US Secretary of State in the CBS drama Madam Secretary.

A video teaser of the episode airing Sunday shows the middle-aged Filipino character with a bloodied nose after being punched by the titular character, US Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, played by Tea Leoni.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington said it wrote to CBS on Monday to strongly protest the highly negative depiction of a character purported to be the Philippine President and called on the network to take necessary corrective actions.

It's the latest potential irritant between the United States and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who sharply criticised then-President Barack Obama for raising concerns over his deadly anti-drug crackdown and has called his own country's foreign policy too dependent on the US.

The episode synopsis describes the Philippines' unconventional new president as exhibiting inappropriate behaviour toward McCord.

This highly negative portrayal of our Head of State not only casts doubt on the respectability of the Office of the Philippine President but also denigrates the way our nation navigates foreign affairs, the Philippine Embassy said.

It also tarnishes the Philippines' longstanding advocacy for women's rights and gender equality.

While the Philippines has had two female presidents in its history, Duterte has been criticised for making crude and sexist remarks.

The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me  AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA

Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella said while it is clear the series is a work of fiction, I think they are projecting something that they really would like to say about their own situation.

AP
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The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between the EU and Canada will lead to more than 300,000 job losses and cause a rise in inequality, according to a new academic paper.

The researchers said most models used to assess whether the deal was a good idea assumed permanent full employment and so the potential for job losses had been ruled out from the outset.

Using a different, more realistic model of the effects showed that some 227,000 jobs would go in Ceta countries and a further 80,000 in the rest of the world over the next six years, they wrote.

Workers would also miss out on average earnings of between about 275 and 1,150 a year in the EU and more than 1,500 in Canada, while the share of national income going to the wealthiest would increase.

However, Labour MEP David Martin dismissed the academic dispute over model predictions, saying free trade deals had been shown to have positive economic effects, although he added that policy should ensure the benefits are more widely shared.

In a paper in the International Journal of Political Economy, Dr Pierre Kohler, of the United Nations, and Dr Servaas Storm, of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, wrote: Our results show that cost-cutting and competitiveness-enhancing measures induced by Ceta have negative long-term effects.

By 2023, a total of 227,000 jobs would be lost in Ceta countries, 204,000 of them in the EU and 80,000 more in the rest of the world.

Seeking to boost exports as a substitute for domestic demand is not a sustainable growth strategy for Canada or the EU.

Under current austerity conditions, high unemployment and low growth, improving competitiveness by lowering labour cost can only harm the economy.

Were policy makers to adopt Ceta and go down this road, they would soon be left with only one option for reviving demand in the face of growing social tensions: increase private lending, possibly through renewed financial deregulation, opening the door to unsustainable debt and financial instability.

Instead of repeating the same errors over again, policymakers should rather stimulate economic activity through coordinated and lasting support of labour income and seek ways of initiating a much-required socio-ecological transition.

They said four studies that had been used to support the need for Ceta were based on standard but unrealistic neoclassical assumptions, such as the permanent full employment of all workers in Canada and the EU, the result of which is that any proven risk or macroeconomic and social costs associated with liberalisation are ruled out from the outset.

Jean Blaylock, policy officer at Global Justice Now, said politicians had a long history of over-hyping the economic benefits of free trade deals.

Its no surprise that more rigorous modelling of the trade deal between Canada and the EU shows that it will lead to losses on both sides of the Atlantic in terms of jobs, growth and household incomes, she said.

The only winners from this deal will be the big corporations who will be getting a raft of new powers that enable them to sue governments, have enormous influence to weaken important protections on the food we eat and lock in the privatisation of vital public services like the NHS.

Ceta has been approved by the European Parliament but must still be ratified by national parliaments.

Environmental jobs become increasingly popular Show all 2 1 /2 Environmental jobs become increasingly popular Environmental jobs become increasingly popular 9930.bin Environmental jobs become increasingly popular 4997.bin

Ms Blaylock said this meant there was still time to see sense and  reject the deal, thereby avoiding the grim picture as laid out by this new study.

However, Mr Martin, an MEP for Scotland, who has campaigned in support of Ceta, said the models used by the European Commission to assess Ceta were also used by the the majority of the academic community.

The UN Global Policy Model used by the Dr Kohler and Dr Storm was not suited for trade policy analysis, he added.

It has no information on trade policy variables such as tariffs and other trade costs and, by only covering four broad sectors  energy products, primary commodities, manufacturing and services  it does not contain sufficient sectorial detail to capture how trade policy affects complex economies, Mr Martin said.

The result was that the new paper was far too negative in its conclusions.

This model would likely produce negative impacts for any trade agreement, Mr Martin said.

However, this is not the experience we have had with trade liberalisation over the past 60 years, which in general has created economic growth and jobs both in Europe and elsewhere.

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 EU-Korea FTA is a good example. In the four years after the EU-Korea agreement came into force (2011), EU exports to Korea rose significantly  in goods by 55 per cent, and in services by more than 40 per cent. This shows that trade deals offer real opportunities for UK companies and for increased employment.

Of course, trade policy needs to be managed more effectively with better rules so that the benefits are more widely shared, but there are very few economists that doubt the overall positive economic effects.

And Dr Stephen Woolcock, an expert in international trade policy at the London School of Economics, said: There is always a debate over the calculations of welfare gains and distributional effects.

The Ceta shows that the EU and Canada are committed to maintaining an open, rules-based trade and investment order at a time when this is under threat.

In the absence of progress at a multilateral level in the WTO, these preferential agreements are shaping the rules.

As such they aim to facilitate trade and investment whilst allowing regulation in the pursuit of a range of legitimate social and environmental policy objectives. Contrary to some of the advocacy campaigns against Ceta, I would argue that it represents a reasonably balanced agreement.
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A retired French teacher, who has lived in the UK since 1974, has reportedly had her permanent residency application rejected by the Home Office because she is "older and sick".

The unnamed woman in her 70s was allegedly instructed to get private health insurance, and reapply in five years' time.

But, she told a meeting of her fellow expats in London, she fears she'll be dead before then.

Christophe Premat, a French MP who attended the meeting, told The Independent he believes her particular case may be down to a separate legislative issue.

However, he added that Brexit has created "worry" and a "feeling of regression" among French citizens in the UK, many of whom face uncertain futures.

Unlike British citizens living abroad, French expatriates are represented in eleven overseas constituencies. As of 2011, over 80 per cent of 140,000 voters in Mr Premat's Northern Europe constituency live in the UK.

 Boris Johnson attacks French President using Nazi comparison

Marie Remy was at the meeting, which gave a final chance for French people in Britain to meet with Mr Premaut before France's upcoming general election.

She told The Independent: "The woman was very dignified. She was quite softly-spoken but she could command a place in the room. The Home Office told her to get private health insurance and reapply in five years' time, and she said: 'I'll be dead in five years' time.'

"'I'm older, I'm sick and I'm going to cost the NHS': That's the conclusion she drew. It's just very twisted: [the system] pretends to be legal, but it's not right. There's a hostile environment.

"I've been here since 1992 so I've ridden a few waves of anti-French sentiment, but what Boris Johnson said about Francois Hollande... It's no longer a joke, it's gone to one of the most powerful people in the country."

Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Show all 12 1 /12 Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A woman poses with a home-made European Union flag as Remain supporters gather on Park Lane in London to show their support for the EU in the wake of Brexit PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Remain supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the result of the EU referendum PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A majority of people in the capital voted to remain in the European Union Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Protesters chanted: What do we want to do? Stay in the EU PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The march follows a similar rally in Trafalgar Square that was cancelled due to heavy rain  but which tens of thousands of people turned up to anyway Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum by 52 per cent to 48 per cent Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London But support for the Leave campaign in urban areas and among young people was significantly lower Rex features Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Marchers gathered at Park Lane at 11am and marched towards Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Some protesters held up baguettes in a display of affection for our continental neighbours PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The disparity between different parts of the country has promoted a four million signature petition calling for a second referendum and even a renewed push for Scotland to cede from the UK PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The events organiser, Kings College graduate Kieran MacDermott, wrote: We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button" Reuters

She was referring to comments from the British Foreign Secretary about the Brexit negotiations, which appeared to liken the French President to a Nazi, accusing him of wanting to "administer punishment beatings to anybody who chooses to escape, rather in the manner of some World War II movie."

Mr Premat said he'd spoken to the constituent in question and that her problems could be down to her relatively unusual status as a British resident who was "employed directly by the French" at an expatriate educational institution.

He told The Independent: "She was sad, and it's hard to have this refusal, but I tried to say to her that maybe it was because of her specific situation."

 Philip Hammond: Post-Brexit Britain won't 'slink off like a wounded animal'

In general, the politician said he errs on the side of caution, particularly while the terms of Britain's exit from the EU are still uncertain.

"I've had to realise, don't make Brexit bigger than it is," he said. "If you give people feedback mixed with a lot of fear, you will not resolve the situation."

But he added that many of his constituents had been experiencing worries, particularly disabled people concerned about NHS access, students trying to transfer in the face of skyrocketing fees and people who had recently lost a job and were scared of being kicked out.

The labyrinthine application process for residency rights fed into these fears, Mr Premat suggested, particularly following reforms in the months leading up to Brexit which complicated the process.

"You could perceive this worry," he said. "I don't know if the Home Office anticipated Brexit or not, but that's my own political interpretation. It's a negative sign  if you want to stay you really have to fight and to justify remaining in the country."

A Home Office spokesperson said: EU citizens will not be removed from the UK or refused entry because they do not have comprehensive sickness insurance.

The requirement for EEA nationals exercising freedom of movement rights as a self-sufficient person or student to have this insurance is set out in the Free Movement Directive and applies to all Member States not just the UK.

The rights of EU citizens remain unchanged while we are a member of the European Union and they do not need any additional documents to prove their status.
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The Hungarian parliament has approved a law enabling all asylum seekers in the country to be detained and forced back into neighbouring Serbia.

Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister, claimed migrants were keeping his country under siege. Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for a group of specialist guards known as border hunters, he said that Hungary could only count on itself for protection.

Mr Orban, leader of the right-wing populist Fidesz party and a supporter of Donald Trump, has already ordered the reinforcement of fences along Hungarys southern border and claimed refugees are a threat to Europes Christian identity and culture.

 Hungary jails 10 migrants

The new legislation will see refugees locked in border camps made of shipping containers while their cases are decided.

Applications will be declared inadmissible for anyone who entered 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 also allows authorities to detain all adult asylum seekers and summarily return those refused to the Serbian border as part of crisis measures in place until September.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it was deeply concerned by the measure, which combines with other policies to make it nearly impossible for asylum-seekers to enter the country, apply for asylum and receive international protection.

This new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered, spokesperson Cecile Pouilly told reporters in Geneva.

Under international and EU laws, the detention of refugees and asylum seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate  children should never be detained under any conditions.

Humanitarian organisations had appealed to the European Commission to intervene to block the draft bill, saying it was at odds with EU, human rights and refugee law in a letter last month.

The law on the amendment of certain acts related to increasing the strictness of procedures carried out in the areas of border management, allows adult asylum seekers including families with children and unaccompanied minors above the age of 14 to be jailed.

How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a bottle of water towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian armoured personnel carriers are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian police spray water cannon on migrants at the "Horgos 2" border crossing into Hungary, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee reacts after Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee gestures as Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a stone towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon and pepper spray to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Migrants shout slogans as they stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen run as they are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees wait at the Horgos 2 border crossing EPA

It reinstates Hungarys previous practice of detaining asylum applicants, which was suspended in 2013 under pressure from the European Union, the UNHCR and the European Court of Human Rights.

The provision to allow authorities to round up migrants and forcibly return them over the Serbian border expands a previous law permitting the push-backs within five miles of the boundary.

The law was approved by 138 votes to six against and 22 abstentions, amid continuing reports of abuse by border police, with migrants claiming to have been beaten, filmed and photographed in selfies with officers.

Lydia Gall, a Balkans and Eastern Europe researcher for Human Rights Watch, said it was expected to come into effect with the Presidents signature within eight days.

It makes a mockery of the right to seek asylum, she told The Independent.

Of course Hungary has a right to protect its borders and separate asylum seekers from others whose claims do not have merit, but this is not the practice at the border.

They beat people en masse and push them back over the other side of the fence. That is not allowed under EU law or any other law.

A migrant injured at the Hungarian border being treated at an MSF facility in Serbia in February (Tahir Mirza/MSF)

An estimated 7,000 asylum seekers are currently stranded in dire humanitarian conditions in Serbia while waiting to cross the border, with only a handful allowed through two designated transit zones a day.

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.

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.

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.

A spokesperson for the European Commission told The Independent: We will be analysing the bill when we have been notified by Hungarian authorities but we do not have any further comment to make at this time.

The Hungarian government has dismissed allegations of mistreatment and abuse, saying authorities were carrying out their duties lawfully, professionally and proportionately.

They place special emphasis on treating migrants humanely and with respect for their human dignity, a spokesperson added.

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.
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A rhinoceros at a zoo near Paris was shot three times in the head on Monday night by poachers who then cut off its horn with a chainsaw.

The four-year-old rhinoceros, named Vince, was found dead by keepers at Thoiry Zoo, to the west of the French capital.

One or more poachers are believed to have broken in to the zoo and forced their way into an enclosure where three rhinos lived, reported Le Parisien.

The white rhinoceros's second horn had also been partially hacked off, indicating the perpetrators had run out of time or their equipment had failed.

They may have also planned to steal the horns of the two other white rhinos, five-year-old Bruno and 37-year-old Gracie. Both animals are said to be safe and healthy.

Vince was born on in September 2012 at Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands. He arrived in Paris in March 2015 with Bruno.

Rhinoceros horns can be sold on the black market for around 30,000 each and are particularly sought after in China, where they are believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.

In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Traditional Maasai tribesmen pose for a photograph near elephant tusks, part of an estimated 105 tonnes of confiscated ivory to be set ablaze, stacked onto a pyre at Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 28, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger guards the burning of an estimated 105 tonnes of Elephant tusks confiscated ivory from smugglers and poachers at the Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters In pictures: Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history Reuters

This is thought to be the first time in Europe a live animal living in captivity has been killed by poachers. The theft of ivory horns usually takes place at auction houses or other exhibitions.

An enquiry has been launched into Vince's death but it is not yet known what kind of gun was used to kill him.

A Facebook post published by the zoo said the staff were all shocked by the events, particularly Vince's keeper who had become very attached to him.

Recommended Rhino poaching peaks across Africa as demand for horns soars

The attack took place despite security cameras and five members of zoo staff living on the site.

The white rhinoceros is the second largest land mammal after the elephant. The species was once on the brink of extinction but there are now around 20,000 in the world, despite the continued threat of poaching.
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A German court has rejected a Syrian refugees attempt to sue Facebook for allowing the spread of fake news accusing him of terrorism and attempted murder.

Anas Modamani launched a legal battle to make the social media giant vet and remove libellous posts but the Wurzburg district court found against him on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the court said it dismissed the application because Facebook is neither a perpetrator or participant in the smears, with culpability sitting with users.

According to the e-commerce directive of the EU, a host provider is not obliged to proactively search of for content that could potentially be objectionable, Tobias Knahn added.

A judge said he would not provide an interim injunction blocking the content as there was not sufficient evidence that the offending posts could be accessed by an average Facebook user in Germany, or that Mr Modamani would be damaged further.

His chance selfie with Angela Merkel at an asylum shelter in Berlin went viral in 2015, just weeks after he arrived in Germany from a war-torn suburb of Damascus, with the initially positive reaction becoming increasingly sinister after a wave of terror attacks in Europe.

The teenagers picture was used in Facebook posts accusing him of links to terrorist attacks and the attempted murder of a homeless man in Berlin, with the images remaining online despite a series of attempts to have them removed.

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The lies were repeated on Twitter and on websites posing as anti-mainstream media news outlets, where the articles remain.

Mr Modamani, now 19, attempted to sue Facebook for damages and was seeking an injunction that would force the social media giant to actively search for and remove such posts, rather than wait for users to flag violations of the sites community standards.

I came to Germany because I wanted to live in peace, away from danger, Mr Modamani told The Independent ahead of the court case.

I dont want anyone to continue using my photo on Facebook. I want to live in peace without any problems.

His lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, argued that Facebook had a legal responsibility to remove defamatory or discriminatory content that violates German law, saying malicious posts about Mr Modamani had remained online despite repeated complaints.

Syrian refugee Anas Modamani and his lawyer Chan-jo Jun at the district court in Wurzburg, Germany, on 6 Februaru (AFP/Getty Images)

Martin Munz, a lawyer representing Facebook, told the court that a billion pieces of content can be uploaded to the site in a single day, and that a miracle machine would be needed to sort through it.

Facebook built in new tools allowing German users to combat the spread of fabricated news stories in January, which allow posts to be flagged and passed to third party fact-checkers.

A spokesperson for the social media giant said it appreciated the "very difficult situation" for Mr Modamani and had worked to disable reported content.

We will continue to respond quickly to valid reports of the content at issue from Mr Modamani's legal representatives," she added.

"We are pleased that the court shares our view that legal action was not merited or the most effective way to resolve the situation. We will continue meeting our obligations under German law in relation to content which is shared by people on our platform.
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Teenagers in a Swedish suburb claim they were offered money by a Russian TV crew in exchange of action for the camera after Donald Trump said the countrys large-scale immigration was not working out.

The youngsters were from Rinkeby, a district in the northern outskirts of Stockholm, where riots broke out after the US President was ridiculed for suggesting there had been a terror attack in Sweden and referencing a Fox News report about alleged refugee violence which it said had gripped the country.

One resident of the area, which has a predominantly immigrant population, known only as Mohammed, told Danish radio station Radio24syv: "They came up to us and said they wanted to see some action. They wanted to bribe us 400 krona (36) each.

The teenagers said they did not know which TV station had sent the crew, but that they recognised Russian being spoken between them, The Local Sweden reports.

The TV crew were part of a host of reporters from around the world who came to the area two days after the unrest to find out about immigrants' lives in Sweden.

"While we were talking to them, the police came over to us. We did not want to do any of that. But when the police came the Russian journalists said that we were the ones who had said that we would show them some action for 400 krona (36) each," said one of the youngsters.

The journalist reporting the story for Radio24syv said she had spoken to two teenagers separately who told her the same story.

Commenting on her own impression of Rinkeby, reporter Tinne Hjersing Knudsen told The Local Sweden: "I found Rinkeby full of tension but relatively calm and quiet when I was there. I spoke to many of the locals that were tired of the city's bad reputation and wanted to show the good sides of Rinkeby, so they did. I met many lovely people living in a difficult situation in a bad area with a lot of criminal activity."

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. 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Stockholm police confirmed they were aware of the reports but had no other information and that they would not comment on rumours.

Last week, the police clashed with stone-throwing rioters in Rinkeby, where cars were torched and shops were looted.

No one was seriously injured during the incident and the local police said the events were uncommon but not unheard of.
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US President Donald Trump's administration has explicitly warned Israel against annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, saying it would trigger an "immediate crisis," Israel's defence minister ha ssaid.

Addressing the Israeli parliament, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said US officials had been clear in their opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank land.

"We received a direct message  not an indirect message and not a hint  from the United States," Mr Lieberman said.

"Imposing Israeli sovereignty on Judea and Samaria would mean an immediate crisis with the new administration."

 Barack Obama uses final interview as President to slam Israeli policy on settlements

Judea and Samaria is the biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The idea of annexing parts of the West Bank has gained increased popularity in far-right Israeli circles since Mr Trump's election.

The Palestinians seek the West Bank as the heartland of a future state, an endeavour with wide international backing.

The US reaction was sparked by comments by Miki Zohar, a junior MK in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist Likud Party.

Mr Zohar is among a growing number of coalition members who reject the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state and instead suggest Israel should annex the West Bank.

Under this version of a "one-state" scenario, the West Bank's more than two million Palestinians would receive expanded autonomy, but not hold full Israeli citizenship or be allowed to vote for the Knesset.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

Although Mr Netanyahu has not endorsed the one-state vision, many in his coalition do.

"The two-state solution is dead," Mr Zohar told i24NEWS, an Israeli TV channel. "What is left is a one-state solution with the Arabs here as, not as full citizenship, because full citizenship can let them to vote to the Knesset."

"They will be able to vote and be elected in their city under administrative autonomy and under Israeli sovereignty and with complete security control," Mr Zohar added.

Mr Lieberman said he received phone calls "from the entire world" about whether Mr Zohar's proposal reflected the Israeli government's position.

He said imposing Israeli sovereignty on the West Bank would mean Israel would be faced with the financial burden of providing Palestinians with health care and other benefits and called on the governing coalition to "clarify very clearly, there is no intention to impose Israeli sovereignty."

In a striking departure from America's longtime policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr Trump has not explicitly embraced a two-state solution.

Last month, he said he would support whatever solution is acceptable to both sides. He also asked Mr Netanyahu to "hold back on settlements".

His comments raised questions about what kind of agreement could be reached and led to calls by hard line members of Mr Netanyahu's Cabinet to give up on the idea of a Palestinian state and formally annex part or all of the West Bank to Israel.

A single binational state could require Israel to grant citizenship to millions Palestinians under its control, threatening its status as a Jewish-majority democracy.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who supports a partial annexation of the West Bank, said she was unaware of any controversy with the Trump administration and that Israel in any case is free to do as it sees fit.

"We are not a banana republic. We are an independent and sovereign state," she told Israel's Army Radio station. "There is a supportive administration in the United States. That administration needs to back up the state of Israel and the government's policy."

Additional reporting by agencies
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A former Guantanamo Bay detainee was killed by a US airstrike on Yemen, as an American bombing campaign targeting one of al Qaeda's strongest branches struck more targets in the country over a week than it had in any previous year.

Yasir al-Silmi died alongside, Usayd al-Adnani, an emir with al Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) within the Abyan governorate, the Pentagon said.

Mr al-Silmi, a Yemeni citizen, spent several months in extrajudicial detainment at the Cuban naval base after being apprehended in Pakistan. But he was repatriated to his homeland in 2009.

"More than 20 strikes targeted AQAP militants, equipment and infrastructure," said Pentagon Spokesman, Captain Jeff Davis.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

He added that they would "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."

He said: "Targets of the strikes included militants, equipment, infrastructure, heavy weapons systems and fighting positions."

The strikes follow a January raid in which 30 Yemeni civilians lost their lives, including 10 women and children, as helicopter gunships bombed militants as they fought with US Navy Seals.

The US considers the group, also known as Ansar al-Sharia, to be the most active and dangerous of the various Al-Qaeda splinter organisations.

Although it has not yet launched any successful attacks in the West, AQAP is responsible for the deadliest terror attack in Yemeni history, killing 120 military personnel with a suicide bomb in 2012.

The civil war pitting rebels led by the Houthi Shiites against a Sunni coalition government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States has enabled AQAP to seize significant swathes of territory.

For some time it had control of the strategic port city of Mukalla and reportedly seized some $120 million from the city's bank.

 2.1 million children are facing famine in Yemen

American Special Forces helped oust AQAP from Mukalla in 2016, but the group remains the most powerful third party in the conflict.

The US' main involvement in the war has been supplying bombs to the Saudi-led coalition, although it has also fired directly on the opposition, who are demanding more political power and autonomy for the Shiite religious autonomy.

Over 10,000 people have died in the conflict, including 4000 civilians. US-made bombs have repeatedly been used to kill civilians in unlawful airstrikes against Yemeni citizens, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The organisation said it was an American bomb which killed 140 people, mainly civilians, in a highly-publicised airstrike on a Houthi funeral last year.

The US approved more than US$20 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia in 2015 alone, even as the powerful Gulf state has been accused of "deliberately targeting impoverished Yemens farms and agricultural industry", by HRW.

 Johnson: We do not think Saudi have 'crossed threshold' of humanitarian laws, despite bombing Yemen

America is now stepping up its own attacks on AQAP, hitting over 40 targets in the last seven days  more than in any previous year.

Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davies said the group had "taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terror attacks against the United States and our allies."

He added: "We will continue to target AQAP militants and facilities to disrupt the organizations plot and protect American lives."
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Israels parliament has approved a new law banning anyone found to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement from entering the country.

The bill, proposed by the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, comes after a human rights organisation had a visa denied for spreading Palestinian propaganda and warnings from the UN over a crackdown on activists.

It applies to any activist who knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel that, given the content of the call and the circumstances in which it was issued, has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott  if the issuer was aware of this possibility.

Pro-Palestinian BDS movement supporters take part in a rally in central London (PA) (Isabel Infantes/PA)

It also bans entry visas and residency rights for those who call for boycotts of Israeli institutions in any area under its control, including Jewish settlements in the West Bank that are regarded as illegal under international law.

The bill allows for exceptions to be made by the interior ministry, but it was unclear whether foreign politicians, academics and journalists would be turned away at the border.

Jeremy Corbyn could be among dozens of British MPs affected by the law after making statements in partial support of the BDS movement.

A spokesperson for the Labour leader told The Independent: As Jeremy made clear last summer, he is not in favour of the academic or cultural boycott of Israel or a blanket boycott of Israeli goods.

He does support targeted boycotts aimed at undermining the existence of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Hannah Weisfeld, the director of British Jewish organisation Yachad, said there were concerns regular visitors with relatives in Israel could be caught up in the ban.

Whilst BDS does not attract significant or mainstream support within Jewish communities, there is a live debate about the settlements with, according to research, the overwhelming majority of the community in UK believing the settlements are a barrier to peace, she told The Independent.

US: BDS-supporting groups defy state funding cuts

Within that majority, there are certainly individuals who boycott settlements either publicly or privately, and it is unclear at present whether they may be caught up in this new legislation.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice to warn of the new law, saying it allowed Israeli authorities to deny entry to foreign nationals who have publicly called for a boycott of Israel, or who belong to an organisation which has called for a boycott.

The guidance also warns that British nationals of Palestinian origin may face problems and that all arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv should expect lengthy personal questioning and searches that can result in a restricted visa or 10-year travel ban.

Several British councils and institutions have boycotted products produced in Israeli settlements but the Cabinet Office issued a memorandum last year saying that apart from where legal sanctions and embargoes have been imposed, procurement restrictions by public authorities were inappropriate.

The new bill is aimed at combating support for the international BDS movement, which lobbies corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel.

Supporters say they are using non-violent means to promote the struggle for independence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and combat human rights abuses.

But Israeli politicians have argued the campaign goes beyond fighting the occupation and often masks a more far-reaching aim to delegitimise or destroy the Jewish state.

Politicians from the Jewish Home party hailed the new law, with education minister Naftali Bennett saying it allows Israel to protect itself against conspirators.

Bezalel Smotrich, another party member, said: What does this law say, after all? A healthy person who loves those who love him and hates those who hate him doesn't turn the other cheek.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

But Tamar Zandberg, from Israel's left-wing Meretz party, criticised the bill, calling it a law that is against freedom of expression, that constitutes political censorship and is meant to silence people.

Haaretz quoted her as saying: It's ostensibly against the boycotters of Israel but it doesn't make a distinction between Israel and the settlements and it thus serves the BDS movement.

Pro-Palestinian activists already accuse Israel of discriminatory entry checks, saying people of Arab descent are more likely to be questioned or turned away at the airport.

A senior lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies was among at least 115 British citizens refused entry to Israel last year.

Lawyers said visitors who have joined pro-Palestinian demonstrations, supported the BDS movement on social media or critiqued the Israeli government elsewhere have been denied entry to the country.

Those being interrogated may be asked to name their Palestinian contacts, or give over the Facebook account details, allowing Israeli officials to search their friend lists, communications, comments and event history.

Two United Nations experts called on Israel to respect the rights and freedoms of human rights activists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories earlier this month, saying groups were facing increasing restrictions.

Israel has an obligation under international law to protect human rights defenders and promote their work, said the Special Rapporteurs, after finding peaceful protesters had been tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets.

However, it appears that Israels latest actions are instead targeting these activists and undermining their efforts to defend others.
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Saudi Arabia has denied claims by Pakistani activists that two transgender women from Pakistan were beaten to death in police custody after being arrested in Saudi Arabia along with more than 30 other members of the community.

Reports of the deaths had been carried in Pakistani media and decried in an activists' media conference on Monday. However, a statement from the Saudi interior ministry early on Tuesday said the reports were totally wrong and nobody was tortured.

The ministry acknowledged that one Pakistani had died in custody after the arrests.

One 61-year-old person suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital after being treated, the interior ministry statement said.

The Pakistani embassy looked into this case and another one. Procedures have started to send the body back to his country, it said.

Saudi media reported last week that police had arrested around 35 people after they raided a party where men were dressed as women and were wearing make-up. The Saudi outlets did not use the word transgender, nor say anyone had been killed.

In Pakistan, transgender activist Farzana Riaz told a news conference on Monday that sources in the transgender community in Saudi Arabia had told her the two Pakistanis were beaten to death with sticks.

We are deeply saddened by the deaths of these two innocent trans persons in Saudi Arabia, Riaz, a leader of the group Trans Action Pakistan, said in Peshawar.

Riaz showed journalists several photos of those still in custody that she said had been sent to her by contacts in Saudi Arabia, along with messages sent via cellphone.

Qamar Naseem, a rights activist from the Blue Veins group, told the same news conference he had shared available information about the incident with members of Pakistan's parliament.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry was not available for comment on Monday.

Saudi Arabia has no law against transgender people, but the kingdom has carried out arrests for cross-dressing and ordered the imprisonment and flogging of men accused of behaving like women, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.

In Pakistan, transgender people are often shunned by their families and forced into begging or prostitution to support themselves.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

Recently, however, a nascent transgender activist movement has gained attention and legal rights.

In January, a Pakistani court ruled that transgender people would be counted in the national census for the first time. In 2012, the Supreme Court declared equal rights for transgender citizens. They were guaranteed the right to vote a year earlier.

Reuters
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Switzerland is the best country in the world, according to a new study from U.S. News & World Report.

The media organisation  notable for its influential US university rankings  evaluated 80 countries across a range of criteria, from economic influence to citizenship and quality of life.

By surveying more than 21,000 business leaders, informed elites, and general citizens, the aim of the "2017 Best Countries" report is to discover how nations are perceived on a global scale.

It's the second year the in-depth study, written in collaboration with Y&Rs BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has been published.

Political turmoil throughout 2016 has taken its toll on the standing of several major world powers. The US slipped three places, while Germany  last year's number one  fell to fourth place.

Editor and chief content officer Brian Kelly explained: "The Best Countries portal pairs fact-based metrics with storytelling to help citizens, business leaders and governments better evaluate their countries."

Scroll down to see the 24 best countries in the world, ranked in ascending order.

24. Portugal  Despite not being the wealthiest or most powerful nation, Portugal is rich in cultural history and is one of the best countries to retire or travel to, according to US News.

(AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images)

23. South Korea  It's home to an impressive 12 UNESCO Heritage Sites, but while South Korea owes a lot to the 18 million tourists who visit each year, most of its success is due to its "high-tech, service-based economy," which contributes to its $1.3 trillion GDP.

22. United Arab Emirates  The UAE's oil-rich surroundings means it has fast become one of the wealthiest nations on Earth and topped US News' rankings of up-and-coming economies.

It was the only Middle Eastern nation to crack the top 25, and was also named one of the best places for students to study abroad.

21. Ireland  The tech boom is alive and well in Ireland's capital, Dublin. Companies like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Hubspot, and Dropbox have all set up shop in the city.

20. China  Aside from being one of the top five most powerful nations, China was also commended for its colossal economy and its influence on the global stage.

19. Spain  Spain's rich culture was recognised in the study and the country was named one of the world's best places to visit. Respondents from Spain were also the most receptive to open immigration policies.

an aerial view of the roofs of Cadiz, Spain, from the belfry of its Cathedral (Getty/iStockphoto)

18. Austria  Germany's neighbour scored well across the board. It excelled in the ranking of the best countries for women, coming in ninth place.

17. Luxembourg  Luxembourg has the second highest GDP per capita in the world. Its government's transparency and favourable tax environment mean it ranked highly in the 'open for business' category, which evaluates corporate opportunity.

16. Italy  The resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in 2016 left Italy politically shaken. The instability meant the country fell three places in this year's ranking but, according to the study, it still has more cultural influence than any other country and some of the richest traditions.

15. Singapore  The island city state of Singapore retained its position in this year's ranking and was named one of the best countries to invest in.

14. New Zealand  Often recognised for its stunning scenery, New Zealand was lauded for its religious freedom and gender equality. US News also called it the best country in the world to retire to.

13. Finland  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nordic countries occupy several places on the list. Finland scored highly across the majority of categories but topped the transparency leaderboard.

12. Denmark  According to the report, Denmark is the second best country in the world to raise children, beaten only by Sweden.

11. Netherlands  As a relatively young country, the Netherlands has come a remarkably long way. It was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, and also holds liberal attitudes towards drugs, prostitution, and abortion.

10. Norway  Norway is one of four countries in the top 15 led by women, and placed first in the citizenship rankings, meaning it has the most progressive social and environmental policies in the world.

9. France  France dropped one place in this year's ranking amid a period of political uncertainty in the country as far-right candidate Marine Le Pen closes in on the presidency. US News' report found that France is the least receptive European nation to more open immigration policies.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

8. Australia  Second only to New Zealand as the best country in the world to retire to, Australia was also named one of the best countries to headquarter a corporation in.

7. United States  Nearly 75% of respondents said they lost 'some respect' for US leadership after the presidential election. The country fell in several categories including best for business, citizenship, education, and transparency  but it's still the most powerful nation on Earth.

6. Sweden  Sweden was the highest ranking Nordic nation on the list. It was named the best country for women, for raising children, and for green living.

The report found happiness is 72% correlated to gender equality in a country, but only 34% percent correlated to wealth, or gross domestic product per capita.

5. Japan  Japan moved up two positions to number five this year, thanks to its political and economic stability. The nation scores in the top 10 for categories including entrepreneurship, up-and-coming economies, and countries with the most cultural influence.

Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji (C) is seen behind the skyline of the Shinjuku area of Tokyo on December 6, 2014 (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

4. Germany  Last year's number one has fallen three places. Growing anxiety over an influx of refugees into the European nation and a series of terror attacks resulted in a weaker performance in 2017's ranking.

However, Germany was still named the best country in the world for entrepreneurship.

3. United Kingdom  Britain and Northern Ireland have fended off the shock of the EU referendum result to retain their high place in the ranking. The UK was also named the fourth most powerful nation and was recognised for its cultural influence.

2. Canada  Canada boasted the highest quality of life of any of the countries, meaning it's economically and politically stable, family friendly, and has well-developed public health and education systems.

1. Switzerland  Switzerland is the best country on Earth, according to US News & World Report. The small European country earned its place at the top thanks to its progressive social systems, protection of human rights, and business-friendly environment.

Switzerland has bowed to international pressure to increase transparency (Reuters)

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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The messy situation has left BA with a prospective bill of up to 291,200 in compensation under European passengers rights rules, as well as thousands more in extra expenses such as meals for delayed travellers.

Recommended Mouse spotted on plane costs BA quarter of a million pounds

The BA 777, with a capacity of 280, was due to leave at 1.40pm on Sunday afternoon. The passengers were scheduled to touch down on the Caribbean island at sunset, in good time to polish off drinks and dinner before a good nights sleep.

But due to what appears to be inadequate preparation of the aircraft, departure was initially delayed by 1 hour 40 minutes.

As rumours swept through the cabin about the cause, Annabel Cliffe tweeted: BA2153 sat on plane @ gatwick delayed with no idea of departure for wrong headphones!! Really??

Another passenger, Bill Murray, later reported on Twitter: BA2153 utter shambles. BA cost cutting means we're all disembarked due to shortage of bog roll!

By now the schedule was in tatters. The outbound crew were out of hours and could no longer operate the service within stipulated time limits. It took a further three hours to assemble another crew before the flight began its take-off roll almost five hours late.

Recommended British Airways to offer less legroom than Ryanair

Despite flying the Atlantic with a clean configuration, adverse headwinds meant the aircraft did not reach the terminal in Barbados until midnight. There, over 200 passengers were waiting to fly back to Gatwick on the return leg. They had expected to leave at 8.15pm on Sunday but actually departed at 1.35am on Monday.

One of the delayed homebound travellers, Jane Gwizdala, said the captain was candid about the reason for the delay: He told us the outbound Gatwick to Bridgetown plane wasn't prepared satisfactorily.

He said in 26 years of flying he had never had such an experience that impacted on crew and passengers.

It is understood that British Airways switched ground handlers at Gatwick at the start of this month.

Recommended No one can agree what the latest British Airways strike is about

Passengers on long-haul flights that arrive four hours or more late are entitled to 600 (520) in compensation, as well as meals while they wait for their flight. Claims management firms hoping to clean up on the delay have already started approaching passengers who mentioned the flight on social media; they typically take one-third of the compensation due.

A British Airways spokesperson said: We are sorry customers were delayed after some of the many items needed for the flight weren't loaded on to the aircraft.

We gave customers refreshment vouchers so they could get something to eat and drink in the terminal and we got them away on their holidays as soon as the aircraft was ready.
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When Neha Jalan tried to order an Uber in Bangkok last year, alongside the normal cars and premium service she noticed an option she didn't recognise: UberMoto.

A motorbike taxi service wouldn't be for everyone, but Jalan picked it, because it was cheaper.

"I was hesitant at first but the ride was fantastic," she told The Independent. "The guy provided me with a helmet, and I had a backpack already. It was a lot cheaper than a normal Uber, and it was quick as we were able to navigate through traffic. And it was hassle-free - just like a normal Uber, but more fun. I used it every time I needed a ride after that."

(Uber)

To anyone who's hopped into a ubiquitous Toyota Prius in the UK, her story may come as a surprise. But UberMoto is an increasingly popular option in Southeast and South Asia, where bikes can zip through heavy traffic and back-streets in moped-friendly cities. Last year, UberMoto was rolled out in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to compete with the wildly popular existing taxi service, GrabBike. India and Indonesia have UberMotor, a similar service, which competes not just with GrabBike but Go-Jek, an app that's been dubbed Indonesia's hottest startup. The Bangkok service, however, is currently unavailable following pressure from regulators.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam and Sao Paulo, UberBikes are cars equipped with bike racks to pick up weary cyclists.

Before launching their left-field services, Uber researches the market and consults locals in major cities. They know what will work in their city, and they have a considerable autonomy to think about what new products will work, test them and then launch, a spokesperson for Uber told The Independent.

He added: In 2016, between September and December alone, visitors from 73 countries took rides with Uber in Indonesia."

"In Vietnam over the same time period, visitors from 66 countries took an Uber in HCMC and from 62 countries in Hanoi."

Caitlin Gout is one of the customers who used the service in while living in Vietnam last year.

"I would get bikes to and from work and around the city," she told The Independent. "I felt safe, and since I'd never been on the back of a bike before, it was a novelty. It was much faster moving through traffic than a car. Some drivers would offer me a disposable face mask because of pollution, and all bikes provided a helmet, though I preferred to use my own. My only issues were when it was raining: drivers would provide ponchos but it still wasn't ideal to be on a bike in the rain."

Launching in 2009, Uber expanded rapidly from San Francisco to operations in over 500 cities across the world. However, its meteoric rise hasn't been without controversy. Most recently, swathes of customers deleted Uber from their phones after former employee Susan Fowler made a sexual harassment allegations against employees at the firm, which the cab firm is investigating. And this month, CEO Travis Kalanick was forced to apologise after a video of him berating one of his own drivers was shared online.
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With the Article 50 Bill wending its way through Parliament, and the Governments self-imposed deadline of 31 March fast approaching, the phony war will soon be over. The battle in Brussels is about to begin, as negotiations start in earnest. In this phony war, the Governments path has seemed easy and consequence-free. But these talks will soon illuminate the weaknesses in their present strategy.

The priority must be to deliver a deal that works, in particular, for middle and lower income households. At the heart of the negotiations will be the balance between immigration and our economy. This is a complicated business in which trade-offs are inevitable. But the Government has chosen to wave the white flag and surrender our best economic option  membership of the Single Market and Customs Union  before talks have even begun. This is a political choice to sacrifice jobs on the altar of immigration control. That was the main message of Theresa Mays Lancaster House speech, and of everything we have heard from the Government since.

Even at this late stage, it is not too late for the Prime Minister to chart a different course. That is the conclusion of the excellent new pamphlet released today by Policy Network and Open Britain. It makes clear that a more intelligent, subtle diplomatic strategy  based on goodwill rather than grandstanding  could win a Brexit deal for Britain that both retains our membership of the Single Market and gives us more control over the immigration system.

First, we must recognise the interests and concerns of our European partners, and demonstrate that we want a good deal for them as well as for the United Kingdom. We should start by immediately guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, as the cross-party Brexit Select Committee argued at the weekend. Using three million blameless people as cards in a negotiation  as Liam Fox described it  will do nothing but alienate our European partners. Such a strategy could also include accepting more refugees from Northern France and elsewhere; and signalling openness to the principle of "flexible solidarity" put forward by Central and Eastern European member states. This approach, combined with all the acknowledged strengths the UK brings to the table, would be a powerful incentive to the EU27 to treat us with generosity.

Single Market membership must be our greatest goal in negotiations. It allows for entirely free trade between this country and our biggest export market, without tariff or non-tariff barriers. This trade accounts for 44 per cent of all our exports, and supports three million jobs. The cost to business of tariffs, customs checks and regulatory barriers would be immense. David Davis told MPs earlier this year that the Government would seek a trade deal with Europe that delivers "the exact same benefits" as we have now. That must mean the Single Market and nothing less than the Single Market.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

In asking for EU-wide changes to freedom of movement, we should recognise that other countries too are dealing with populist, anti-immigrant forces; from Marine le Pen to Geert Wilders, from the Northern League to the AfD. Politicians across the Continent are grappling with the challenges posed by free movement. The leader of the Dutch Labour Party has called for an end to free movement as we know it. The UK would be contributing to a Europe-wide debate that is only just beginning.

A reformed, Europe-wide approach to free movement could include some of the policies agreed by the EU27 a year ago during David Camerons renegotiation, such as an emergency brake on benefits paid to migrants. We could, as the Swiss are considering, prioritise local workers when job vacancies are advertised. One common sense policy would be to introduce sector-specific emergency brakes. Areas or places in which we are in dire need of workers  social care, for example  would have greater freedom to bring in migrant workers from Europe than sectors with lower skills shortages. Such an approach would balance the needs of British businesses and workers with the concerns of many about the impact of free movement.

We can also be much more imaginative in our domestic approach to immigration and integration, as I have argued through the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration (which I chair). We must put far greater efforts into integrating local people into their communities once they are here, rather than leaving them to sink or swim. Equipping our young people for the new world of work is likewise vital. We should work through Training Councils to end the structural dependence on low-skilled workers in many sectors of our economy.

New thinking, both domestically and diplomatically, is the only thing that can avoid a destructive Brexit that makes working people worse off. If Theresa May and her ministers truly want to make Brexit a success, they should end the "no deal is better than a bad deal" grandstanding and approach the forthcoming negotiations with the EU in the spirit of cooperation, not confrontation and threat.

Chuka Ummuna is MP for Streatham and a supporter of the Open Britain group
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Growing up in Belfast at the tail end of the Troubles, the so called Irish question always seemed a hypothetical one. The Good Friday Agreement was seen as answering the question of whether the island of Ireland could be reunited once and for all, establishing as it did that Northern Ireland would only rejoin the South if a majority of citizens voted in a referendum or plebiscite for the option. With nationalists being demographically subordinate in Stormont, the simple mathematics meant it would never happen.

Reunification was a position which I always considered somewhat fanciful; a naive sentiment which was expressed in republican pockets in Belfast and Derry, meriting few serious contingency plans.

But Ireland now looks set to join the roster of political shocks and upsets we have seen rippling across the world. Here's a sentence I never thought Id utter: for the first time in my lifetime, a united Ireland is now credible  and perhaps inevitable.

 Northern Ireland election results: Who made gains and who lost out?

Last week, a shock election saw unionists lose their majority in the Northern Irish parliament for the first time. Sinn Fein, once a hardline republican party considered the political wing of the terrorist Irish Republican Army, is now just one seat short of being Stormonts largest party, with 27 seats to the Democratic Unionist Partys 28 seats.

In the Republic of Ireland, a recent poll found 65 per cent of people would back a united Ireland in a referendum. Across the South, student unions have passed or proposed motions backing reunification. In a sign that the issue is not just a flash in the pan, or the exaggerated opinions of a few vocal activists, the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has announced that the UKs Brexit plans must include a contingency plan for a united Ireland.

So how did we get to this point? A perfect storm has been brewing for years, with decades of anti-Tory sentiment (and more recently anti-Brexit angst) and unionist incompetence all making reunification more attractive. This Conservative Government, under both Theresa May and David Cameron, has turned a blind eye to politics in Northern Ireland. This was epitomised in the Brexit campaign, during which Northern Ireland was scarcely mentioned despite being the only part of the UK which shares a land border with another EU country. The Leave campaign also appeared to have no knowledge of or interest in what would happen to the border between North and South of Ireland should the referendum result go their way.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

Northern Ireland receives millions in funding from the EU for cross-community peace projects between Catholic and Protestant communities, but the loss of this money, or where replacement funding might come from, doesnt appear to have been calculated into the Leave campaigns financial deliberations over the cost of Brexit. Northern Ireland voted to remain, but, like Scotland, is now finding it will be dragged out of it anyway thanks to Welsh and English voters.

Almost a year on from the EU referendum, were no wiser as to the future of the Northern Irish border. May has continuously obfuscated as to how, where or why a border will be erected between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Despite the British Governments insistence on batting away the question, it must be urgently addressed. In order for the UK to enact post-Brexit immigration policies and leave the single market, it must be able to control its borders; a physical fence or wall is the only realistic option.

It is impossible to overstate the horror with which such a wall would be greeted. Former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has warned that armed and violent Irish republicanism could return along with a hard border. In effect, a border would fence off Northern Ireland, making its own tiny country, with one million residents penned in together with no option of travelling, working or visiting the other three-quarters of the island as easily as they are accustomed.

 Brexit 'may reduce prospect of co-operation' in Northern Ireland

In addition to Brexit, a current crisis in unionism has fuelled republicanism in the North. Northern Irelands largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has become implicated in a major financial scandal under leader Arlene Foster. She is accused of running a government scheme which was badly mismanaged, costing the taxpayer some 480m. She has refused to step aside while an inquiry can be conducted, causing considerable public backlash and alienating working class unionist voters.

At the same time, the DUPs continued hardline approach to Catholic and nationalists communities has radicalised younger members of such groups. The party recently scrapped a small scheme which gave scholarships to children learning the Irish language, which is primarily although not exclusively spoken by Catholics and nationalists. The scheme cost just 50,000 and mostly benefited working class children. Although a subsequent backlash saw the DUP reinstate the funding, the damage was done; Irish language speakers and supporters began to foster more hardline attitudes about whether a united Ireland would be required for their community to be properly respected.

Blunt demographics are playing a role in this shift too. While unionist and Protestant communities tend to have small families, Catholics and nationalist communities have larger families, due to different attitudes towards contraception. A saying in republican west Belfast in the 1990s was that Catholics would outbreed Protestants skewing any referendum on unification. The language was strong, but there may be some truth in the sentiment. A generation has now come of voting age since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and sufficient time has passed for the attitude of the majority to change.

With Sinn Fein just one seat short of being the largest party at Stormont, reunification is by no means imminent. But the next election is likely to see them returned as the largest party, baring major events to stop their momentum. A united Ireland is no longer hypothetical or absurd, but a credible option that must be considered seriously by both the Irish and British governments.

For the first time in my lifetime, the Irish question is no longer a question of if, but of when.
A model and a restaurateur are among those to have been hit with big fines and bills by the taxman across Ireland

A model, a disgraced ex-judge and a restaurateur are among those to have been hit with big fines and bills by the taxman.

More than 11 million euro of special settlements was secured by inspectors from the Revenue in the tail end of last year.

The single biggest payback was made by David O'Connor, a landlord and company director with an address at North Main Street, Cork, who forked out 983,149 euro for under-declaration of income tax and VAT.

Other names on Defaulters' List were Sarah McGovern, a model from Stepaside, south Dublin, who had a bill for 37,355 euro over under-declaration of income tax.

Heather Perrin, the ex-judge convicted of deception, was left with a 297,937 euro payout after a court ruling in connection with the under-declaration of income tax.

The boss of upmarket restaurant on Dublin's Stephen's Green, Peploe's, was also named. Barry James Canny had to foot a bill for 38,904 euro also for the under-declaration of income tax.

In total the Revenue said 29 cases in the last three months of last year involved amounts over 100,000 euro and four of those breached the half million mark.

Farmer James Doherty of Ballyrobin, Ferrybank, Co Waterford, has had to fork out 839,110 euro for under-declaration of capital gains tax.

Carthage Keyes, a camper van sales agent from Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has a total bill of 698,663 euro for under-declaration of capital gains tax, income tax and VAT.

Landlord Richard Larkin, with an address at Main Street, Clarenbridge, Co Galway, was hit with a bill for 832,637 euro for under-declaration of income tax and VAT and non-declaration of capital gains tax.

Revenue said the published settlements reflect only a portion of all its audits and investigations.

And it warned about a looming deadline of May 1 for "offshore matters" which will limit the opportunity for people to make a qualifying disclosure about tax liabilities for assets outside of Ireland.
A quarter of Allied Irish Banks is to be sold off by the Government

Ordinary punters will be able to buy shares in a bailed-out bank when it is offered on the London and Dublin stock markets in the next year.

A quarter of Allied Irish Banks is to be sold off by the Government in the second half of this year or the first half of next year.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan updated cabinet colleagues in Dublin on the planned sale as he looks to recoup as much of the 20.8 billion euro of taxpayers' money that was pumped in at the height of the banking and economic collapse.

The State owns 99% of the bank, which last week reported pre-tax profits of 1.7 billion euro for last year and a 250m euro dividend being paid, the first by the bank in nine years.

In a statement on the sale the Department of Finance said substantial progress was being made on the sale, which could take place any time between now and July 2018 depending on market conditions.

It said "a potential retail offer" was being considered to give "individuals the opportunity to participate in an IPO (Initial Public Offering) at the same price as institutional investors".

It is likely brokers will be lined up for investors and a minimum investment level is being considered but no incentives.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Davy and Deutsche Bank have been hired to assist on the sale and ultimately market and distribute the State's shares to investors once a decision to proceed with a sale is taken.
So much pain: A memorial at the area where many infants bodies were buried in Tuam

Survivors of institutions for unmarried mothers and their babies have called for an urgent meeting with the Taoiseach over demands to extend an inquiry into deaths in the homes.

A commission set up to investigate alleged abuse at one Catholic Church facility in Tuam, Co Galway has excavated part of a burial site and found a "significant" quantity of human remains in "underground chambers".

The Coalition of Mother And Baby Home Survivors said it wants all living people who passed through that home or any of the other facilities to be included in a statutory investigation.

"It is deeply unfair and hurtful to our community that so many of our fellow survivors have been omitted from the inquiry," a spokesman said.

"The real issue here is Ireland's treatment of single mothers and their babies, not what happened to some of them behind the high walls of the mother and baby homes.

"There cannot be a hierarchy of survivors, we are all equal and we need immediate full inclusion for all survivors."

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the initial findings from the Mother and Baby Home Commission of Investigation into Tuam were appalling.

He said Children's Minister Katherine Zappone was liaising with head of the inquiry and it would be extended if necessary.

The commission was set up two years ago to probe state sanctioned, religious-run institutions used to house pregnant mothers.

It was charged with investigating high mortality rates in the homes across several decades of the 20th century, the burial practices at these sites and also secret and illegal adoptions and vaccine trials on children.

It is thought about 35,000 unmarried mothers spent time in one of 10 homes run by religious orders in Ireland.

An inquiry was ordered after national and international focus on the story of the Sisters of the Bon Secours in Tuam, where the remains of 796 infants are believed to be buried.

The commission excavated in at least 17 of 20 underground chambers and found remains of individuals with age-at-death ranges from approximately 35 foetal weeks to two to three years.

The Tuam home operated from 1925 to 1961.

Three other institutions have little angels plots believed to hold the remains of another 3,200 babies and infants.

They are Sean Ross Abbey, Tipperary, where the story of Philomena Lee began, Bessborough, Co Cork, and Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.

Others from Pelletstown, or Saint Patrick's on the Navan Road in Dublin were buried in plots in Glasnevin and hundreds from the Bethany Home in Rathgar, Dublin were traced to a plot in Mount Jerome cemetery.

Infant mortality rates ranged from 30-50% in some of the homes in the 1930s and 1940s.

Bessborough, which was still operating as recently as 1996, had an infant mortality rate of 68% in 1944.

The Coalition Of Mother And Baby Home Survivors said its research estimates at least 6,000 babies, children and mothers died in the state's homes during the 20th century.

"it is time for immediate action on the part of the Government to meet with the survivor representatives to resolve the serious outstanding issues faced by our ageing and overwhelmingly elderly community," the spokesman said.

"We have sadly witnessed many of our active members pass away without ever seeing a personal resolution to their many years of often heartbreaking campaigning work.

"In this instance, justice delayed is justice permanently denied."

A local coroner has been notified of the findings in Tuam.

It has not been confirmed whether intact DNA can be recovered from the remains and used to identify and trace relatives of the babies who died.
Ferry operator Irish Continental said that weaker sterling had been a "significant headwind" for the group during 2016, but it still managed to deliver record earnings of 83.5m.

Headed by chief executive and former stockbroker Eamonn Rothwell, the company operates under brands including Irish Ferries. Mr Rothwell owns 14.8pc of the company, a stake valued at about 138m.

The group - by far the dominant passenger and freight operator across the Irish Sea - said that its revenue rose 1.5pc to 325.4m last year. But it noted that the slump in sterling after last June's Brexit vote did hit the business during its peak summer season.

"The weakening of sterling reduced our averaged tourism yields," it noted, adding that the impact was partially offset by a reduction in sterling-denominated costs.

Irish Continental said that car volumes rose 3.3pc last year to 414,100. But they rose 5.5pc in the first half of the year and by just 1.8pc in the second half, which includes the busy summer season. Its passenger numbers declined 3.2pc to 1.62 million.

It also pointed out that its car volumes have fallen 2pc in year-to-date, but attributed that to a 70pc decline in the number of its fast-craft sailings across the Irish Sea due to an extended dry dock period.

The company operates vessels such as the Ulysses and the Jonathan Swift across the Irish Sea, but also sails routes to France and has vessels out on charter. One such vessel is in use in New Zealand, and another is being used by the US Marines in Asia.

Last year, Irish Continental announced that it had placed an order for a new passenger ship at a cost of 144m. It will be able to carry up to 1,885 passengers and crew, and 165 trucks and 300 cars. The ship is due for delivery in 2018.

Irish Continental's ferries division posted revenue of 209.9m last year, a 2.9pc increase. Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) was 11pc higher at 70.7m. Although the company is exposed to the potential downside from last June's UK Brexit vote, Davy Stockbrokers analyst Stephen Furlong said the referendum outcome gives potential investors in the ferry firm an "excellent entry point" into what he described as one of the "best-managed" transport companies in Europe.

He predicted that the company will post group ebitda of 81.7m this year.

Apart from its Irish Ferries brand, Irish Continental also operates the Eucon container and terminal business, which includes five charted vessels. It operates freight services between Ireland and the Netherlands.

At the container and terminal unit, revenue rose 4.8pc to 123.9m, while ebitda was 8.5pc higher at 12.8m. The volume of trucks and trailers carried by the ferries unit rose 7pc last year to 952,000.

On an all-island basis, the figure was up 5.8pc to 1.75m.

At its Eucon unit, the number of containers shipped increased by 6pc to 303,600 teu (Twenty-Feet Equivalent Unit - a standard industry measure for a container size).
The tourism industry wants a State injection of 12m to help it battle Brexit, which it claimed was the biggest crisis facing the sector since the crash.

The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) said the sector must not be "taken for granted" and warned that tourism budgets here have been cut by 45pc over the past six years.

Chief executive of the ITIC Eoghan O'Mara Walsh said businesses were already seeing an impact in terms of the spend by British tourists here.

"Anecdotally, from talking to tourism businesses particularly in the Border regions, and some Dublin businesses, they've seen an impact in the spend of British visitors," Mr O'Mara Walsh said.

"There's the volume in terms of how many people are coming to Ireland, but it's also what do they spend when they're here.

"We do expect both volume and value to decline from the British market, but what you'll probably see is that the value of the spend from British visitors, about 1.3bn, will decline this year."

The ITIC said that last year, two out of every five visitors to Ireland came from Britain.

Read more: Staycations and European and US markets key to a successful 2017 for the tourist industry

Tourism overall employs about 220,000 people.

The ITIC said the tourism budget by the State must increase by 12m immediately to allow State agencies to respond to the trading, employment, investment and marketing needs of businesses exposed to Brexit.

"The message that we're trying to get across is that although tourism is doing well, it can't be taken for granted. Proactive Government policies are needed now," said Mr O'Mara Walsh.

"There's no point in waiting six months or waiting 12 months so that we can all see the negative impact of Brexit."

Paul Gallagher, the ITIC chairman, said it wasn't good enough to say the industry had already been given the reduced VAT rate of 9pc, as it was simply in line with most other EU countries.
Do you have what it takes to be an award-winning farmer or do you know someone whose farming enterprise deserves national recognition?

If so, entries for the Farming Independent and Zurich Farm Insurance Farmer of the Year awards are now open.

There are awards in seven categories as well as a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' and a 'Grand Prix Award' for the overall Farmer of the Year for 2017.

Award winners will also receive a prize of 2,500 each.

Full details of the categories and how to enter are available at www.farmeroftheyear.ie. Entries will also be accepted by post. See page 14 for the entry form.

The awards are free to enter and farmers can nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party. The closing date for entries is Tuesday, April 18.

The awards night will take place in The Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin, on Friday, May 26, 2017.

Commenting on the launch, Declan O'Halloran, Head of Sales and Agri Business for Zurich Insurance, said: "As one of the country's leading providers of farm insurance, we are proud to continue as title sponsor of these prestigious awards.

"The Farmer of the Year Awards highlight the dedication and innovation which has been witnessed in the farming community over the past few years, and celebrate the high achievers in the industry," added Mr O'Halloran.
There has been a lot going on in the States of late.

Naturally, Congress has been discussing the big issues, including abortion, Obamacare and, well, almond milk.

A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk.

Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day.

The bill was introduced in January by two democrats, Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont.

It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too.

Of course, its not just almond milk - there are all sorts of dairy-free milks (also known as mylks) widely available, including soya, oat, coconut, hemp, hazelnut and cashew.

According to the bill, the fact that said alternatives are allowed to call themselves milk hurts dairy farmers that work tirelessly to ensure their dairy products meet FDA standards and provide the public with nutritious food.

It has also led to the proliferation of mislabeled plant-based alternative products that contain a range of ingredients and nutrients that are often not equivalent to the nutrition content of dairy products.

According to Baldwin, Wisconsin dairy farmers work tirelessly every day to ensure that their milk meets high standards for nutritional value and quality, but imitation products have gotten away with using dairys good name for their own benefit, which is against the law and must be enforced.

As interest in veganism increases, consumption of plant-based milks is equally on the up.

But farmers have been complaining for some time now.

While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, the increasingly common practice of labeling beverages as milk when they quite obviously are not is wrong and misleading, said Brad Nevin, Dairy farmer and member-owner of Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Dairy has built a strong reputation as a reliable source of important nutrients we need daily, added Janet Clark of Vision Aire Farms in Eldorado.

To use these dairy terms on plant-based products undermines the real value that dairy provides in the form of naturally occurring Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A among others. Consumers associate dairy with the nutrients they need, and those are naturally occurring in milk from cows.

However if plant-based milks shouldnt be allowed to call themselves milk, you could also argue that peanut butter shouldnt call itself butter and the same goes for cornbread and bread.
Two brothers, who were at a farm when their eight-year-old sister died after she was hit by a tractor bucket, have settled their High Court actions for 30,000 each.

Paula Dinsberga lost her life as she was playing with a friend while staying on the farm outside Charleville, Cork, as her parents attended a wedding in Latvia, the court heard.

The accident occurred on September 28, 2014, when Paula and her friend ran in front of the tractor. The driver braked and the bucket fell off, instantly killing Paula and injuring her friend.

The news of the tragedy had to be broken by Gardai to Paula's parents, Linda and Raivo Dinsberga, when they flew in from Latvia later than evening.

In the High Court Tuesday (March 7), Mr Justice Kevin Cross said what happened Paula was terrible and devastating for them all.

The judge approved the settlement of 30,000 each in the cases of Paula's twin brothers, Rainers Patriks, who were on the farm at the time and witnessed the emergency situation that followed.

The boys, who were nearly six years of age at the time, suffered an abnormal grief reaction and nervous shock.

Rainers and Patriks, now aged eight, of The Orchard, Hansfield, Dooradoyle, Limerick, through their mother Linda Dinsberga, sued the tractor owner Liam Guiney of Rusheen, Newtownshandrum, Co Cork.

They also sued the tractor driver, Edgars Pliesmanis, of Owenmore Drive, Raheen, Co Limerick as a result of the accident.

Mr Pliesmanis' 11-year-old daughter was injured in the same incident.

It was claimed there was an alleged failure to ensure the children were corralled in a safe section of the farm and an alleged failure to warn them of the necessity of avoiding the tractor.

It was further claimed there was an alleged failure to ensure the bucket of the tractor was properly attached before permitting it to be driven.

The claims were denied.

John Lucey SC, for the boys, said it was a very tragic case.

Paula's parents had gone to Latvia for a wedding and had left the children with friends.

He said the twins had ongoing problems and issues around the death of their sister and ask about her.

The family had originally moved to Ireland to access care for one of their sons who has special needs and they have a younger daughter Enya.
Full geographical maps of the Government's rural-broadband plan will be revealed in the coming weeks, Communications Minister, Denis Naughten, told the Farming Independent.

Minister Naughten said the full geographical area of the country will be divided into "blue and amber areas".

Speaking in his office at Leinster House, he stressed that "no premises will be left behind under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) by the state or commercial operators".

The NBP, originally set out to provide broadband connection of at least 30Mbs to 927,000 homes and businesses in rural areas by 2020, however, signalled delays suggest the roll-out won't be complete until 2023.

Although the Communications Minister was unable to offer exact details on the plan, he stressed that there will be "considerable impact" on fibre broadband to all home, wireless and mobile sectors.

"We are going to bring high speed broadband to every single premises in rural areas, in the vast, vast, majority of cases that is going to be fibre to the home, which is potentially going to give people in Ireland up to one gigabit per second, which is 1,000 megabits," Minister Naughten said.

"This opens up huge opportunities for farmers to earn extra income and for young people to remain within the farming community," he added.

It is understood the looming announcement will not include the awarding of the NBP contract to Eir, Enet and Siro - the three consortiums currently bidding for the deal.

"We're going to have a series of significant announcements over the next six to eight weeks. People will see exactly what our trajectory is and what our time-lines are in practical terms with clear commitments, contracts signed and so forth," said the Roscommon Galway TD.

After 20 years of hounding various governments on their failure to improve broadband access in rural areas, Minister Naughten is confident his department will finally deliver.

He said the most important tool for farmers over the next 10-15 years will be their phone.

"We are rolling out 5G mobile services across Ireland on a geographic rather than on a population basis. I've already written the cheque for the first phase, 5.6m."

This means farmers will be able to use their hand held 5G mobile devices anywhere on the farms. "It means farmers can live input data and get live input back no matter where they are on the farm, in the yard or up the fields," he explained.

"We're going to see an 86pc increase in the wireless network within this calendar year; that is going to increase again by another 100pc by the end of 2020 to meet growing needs."

In relation to smart farming, Minister Naughten said his department are working closely with the IFA and the Environmental Protection Agency on ways to reduce input costs for farmers, particularly through focus on the Beef Data and Genomics Programme.

"The work we're doing with farmers has saved them on average 5,000 per annum through reduced energy bills, fertilisers' bills, better management of manures and grass.

"As a direct result it has also reduced emissions and that very much ties into the ethos and approach of the Beef Data and Genomics Programme," he said.
Thousands of farmers could have to wait until mid-summer to receive outstanding GLAS and AEOS payments, the Irish Natura and Hill farmers Association (INHFA) has claimed.

Approximately 8,500 farmers have still to be paid under the environmental schemes, with close to 25m being owed in total.

But the Department of Agriculture is refusing to commit to a payments' timeframe for applicants.

A Department spokesperson told the Farming Independent that it is processing payment runs "at least on a weekly basis" and will continue to do so until "validated applications are cleared".

However, the INHFA claimed it would be June by the time all GLAS and AEOS farmers were paid given the current rate at which payments were being processed.

Vincent Roddy of the INHFA described attempts by the Department of Agriculture and Government ministers to blame the complexity of the scheme for the payment delays as "self-serving and insulting to farmers".

"The very idea that Department staff or Government ministers would blame the non-issuing of payments, on the fact that the GLAS scheme was very complicated, with a difficult array of over 30 measures, is truly shocking and ignores the fact that it was the Department themselves who designed an overcomplicated scheme," Mr Roddy said.

He accused the Department and Government ministers of "trying to pass over the blame for problems of their own making".

Dail motion

And more pressure is set to mount on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed over the payment delays with Sinn Fein tabling a motion on the issue today at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The motion calls for all outstanding 85pc payments to be made immediately to 8,500 farmer applicants.

It is anticipated that the motion will be passed by the committee.

Minister Creed could opt to ignore the recommendations of the Oireachtas committee but such a move is likely to result in a Dail motion calling for the immediate processing of outstanding payments.

Department officials have warned that the unilateral payment of all initial AEOS and GLAS applications (amounting to 85pc of the full payment) would be in contravention of EU rules as the necessary crosschecks would not be completed.

However, Sinn Fein and the farm organisations maintain that any future penalties or reductions to individual entitlements could be clawed back from the later 15pc balancing payments to farmers.

"I am very aware of the financial strain under which many farmers are operating and the excuses, justifications and muddying of the waters from the Department have served only to increase their frustration and stress," said Sinn Fein agriculture spokesman, Martin Kenny.
Peter Whyte started "without a sod of land", as his son Jimmy puts it. "Look around you - he bought every acre of it," says Jimmy of the sprawling North County Dublin farm today before pausing for a second.

"Actually, it was us that ended up paying for it because he wanted each of us to have our own bit," laughs the 72-year-old.

The Whytes are very coy about just how much north of "about 3,000ac" the farm actually stretches to, but the majority of it is leased or rented, with 1,000ac owned outright by individual members.

But it's not the thousands of acres that makes this enterprise so impressive.

Amazing

It's the fact that not only did seven brothers manage to farm in partnership together for the last half century, but now they have seven sons coming through the ranks and continuing this amazing feat of co-operation.

Jimmy is the eldest and can remember clearly his first harvest working on the farm full-time at the ripe old age of 14.

"We had one of the first farm grain driers in the area in 1958 and it was a terrible harvest. Crops were coming in at 30pc moisture.

"I can remember drying oats right up to Christmas. It used to be all stored in big 100kg sacks and we were so tight for space that we ended up stacking them four high in the shed," he recalls. But Jimmy's dad was taking a massive gamble as he hadn't any deal with any of the local merchants to take the grain.

The merchants weren't keen on encouraging farmers to get into the drying business, so they were quite happy to see the Whytes left with piles of unsold grain.

In the end, much of the grain was loaded on to railway cars at the local train station in Balbriggan to be transported into Guinness.

But risk-taking was second nature to Peter Whyte, experiencing several scary situations over the years when interest on borrowings on the land purchases soared to over 20pc. He also took a chance on experimenting with different crops, including everything from beet to onions.

"He would have us all under serious pressure but, in hindsight, he was rarely wrong in his thinking," says Jimmy.

Today, Jimmy, along with his brothers Peter, Martin, Eddie, Ollie, Joey, Anthony and Martin's wife Mary farm 200ac of potatoes, fatten about 500 cattle and grow cereals all along the rich vein of tillage land that runs along the south Meath/north Dublin border.

While some of the brothers have "retired" to make way for the next generation - James, Peter, Dermot, Davy, Peadar, Kevin and Joseph - in effect, they are still togging out in the overalls on a daily basis.

When I bump into Jimmy, he tells me about the new one-tonne lathe that he has just bought in the west to add to their already impressive workshop.

Jimmy still finds himself down in the workshop until 11pm at night, tinkering away on one of his 240hp autocross cars, which he only recently renewed his licence to drive.

"You could hit 80 or 90mph going around the track and I thought I was going to be very sore after it, but I was pleasantly surprised," grins the septuagenarian.

However, the workshops are also where much of the repairs and, indeed, innovation on the farm happens.

The sheer scale of operations throws open alternatives that would be out of reach for most farmers.

In 2014, the family invested 125,000 into Ireland's first 2.5MW biomass grain drier designed to utilise the huge amounts of low-value straw from oilseed rape and other cereal crops produced on the farm.

The 750C of heat inside the furnace is used to dry the 9,000t annual grain harvest, replacing the 80,000 yearly spend on diesel. Even with oil prices tumbling to lows of $30 per barrel in recent years, Anthony Whyte believes the burner has almost paid for itself in just three seasons.

There was no grant aid available on the installation at the time, but the Whytes forged on, convinced of the economic and environmental benefits, with the unit reducing carbon emissions from the grain drying operation by at least 95pc, or 240t.

"Obviously, there have been a few teething issues in terms of learning what way to optimise the burn, reduce smoke and keep the thing going smoothly, but I'm convinced we're there now," says Anthony.

But to feed the furnace with massive half-tonne bales, Jimmy had to engineer and build their own bale lifter.

"We needed something that handled the bale from the narrow end, didn't need extra room to drop the bale inside the oven and held on to the straw even after all the twines melt as we're placing the bale into the flames," he said.

Branded spuds and drones the way forward for the Whytes

The next generation of sons are already managing significant parts of the Whyte business, but more youngsters may join the crew yet.

"My young lad Conor is thinking about it," said Anthony, smiling. "But there's no point in anybody coming into farming for the money because they'll just end up being miserable."

Joseph (25) is the youngest of the sons currently working full time on the farm. "I studied agriculture in Kildalton and WIT, and specialised in tillage and did a work placement in Country Crest, which was a great way of seeing how other businesses operate. I was lucky I did that because you can get comfortable in the tractor," he says.

"Myself and David look after all the fertiliser with two Vicon spreaders. One is a 6t trailed one, but you do less tracking with the 3t mounted version because we have it on a tractor with big 900mm wide wheels. They cost up to 5,000 each, but they came with the (New Holland) combines so we can just swap them around.

"We tray test the machines almost every day because there can be awful variance between each batch for fertiliser. There's a fair bit of paperwork as well, but we've everything online now so we can access it on the phones wherever we are," says Joseph.

He's also the man behind the farm's foray into the branded world via Facebook with their Whyte Bros Potatoes page that has garnered over 1,000 likes from machinery enthusiasts wowed by drone footage of the harvest.

New holland tractors and no min-till

The Whytes operate a fleet of 11 tractors and are New Holland men. The latest purchase is a 330hp T8330, with a list-price approximately 150,000. "It has a variable transmission and we'll chip it to push out 400hp," says Peadar Whyte.

"We end up buying a new tractor or combine or something every year, but at the same time, we're not obsessed about new machinery."

All crops are sown into ploughed ground except for the oilseed rape, which is direct drilled in with a Sumo sub-soiler.

"We've tried them all - min-till, strip-till, no-till, but the only one that we feel is giving us a benefit is the direct drilling for the oilseed rape. It suits us because it saves time when we're under a lot of pressure," says Anthony Whyte.
Wheat production will be "totally uneconomical" in Ireland by 2022 unless drastic measures are taken to develop new crop varieties that are more resistant to disease, tillage experts have warned.

Despite global predictions of all-time highs in wheat and maize production by the end of the year, fungicides once capable of controlling wet weather wheat disease, are now proving to be virtually useless.

Dr Fiona Doohan, senior lecturer, UCD school of biology and environmental science, says some cereals are becoming dangerously immune to chemicals that destroy Septoria, a fungi that causes multiple yellow leaf spots, and she fears compounds used to kill the disease are running out.

"In wheat the problem with disease is becoming so momentous that the chemicals available are running out"

"If we don't find new varieties of the crop, in five or six years' time it will be totally uneconomical to grow wheat in Ireland, that is the reality of it because the disease will be so bad," she said.

Dr Doohan, says lack of diversification in Irish cereals is contributing to the problem and heaping financial pressure on growers.

"It's all about the cost to the farmer. If your product is more susceptible to diseases then you will need a lot more chemical on it and ultimately your net profit is much lower than if you went with another variety."

Tillage advisor, Pat Minnock, reiterated these concerns. He stressed that the Irish weather system is also hampering control of the disease. "Septoria is a big problem and chemicals are struggling to control strains. We suffer more than most countries so developing better resistant varieties and chemicals is crucial ," he said.

Dr Doohan added that finding new varieties that are resistant to disease would shine some light in the tunnel and that would reduce costs for farmers, she said.

John Spink, head of crops at Teagasc, said more integrated control strategies are needed to beat disease resistance.

The main issue at the moment is Septoria on winter wheat, that is the biggest single issue that we have, it is seriously damaging, he said.

Its just like in humans, if you keep using antibiotics they eventually stop working properly and you get exactly the same thing with any pest or disease or weed in plants, he pointed out, adding that poor weather intensifies the spread of Septoria.

He says the rate at which new fungicides are coming on the market have slowed down over the last decade. We are struggling to keep up with new products to replace old ones that have become ineffective

Teagasc is currently working on a project on maintaining disease control, particularly with Septoria. We have projects on integrated pest, weed and disease control to reduce our exposure to fungicide resistance in terms of how we grow the crop in the first place and what variety we use, said Mr Spink.

We are also doing a lot of work to try to identify new sources of resistance to diseases in cereals so we can identify the genes and to then supply that information to breeders so they can provide Irish growers with varieties that require less fungicide because they get less disease, he said.
An Post has 1,130 post offices, but many of the smaller ones are loss-making. (Stock image)

Rural towns and villages are set for a massive blow as large-scale closures of post offices and bank branches are on the cards.

A report for the Government on the future of post offices has recommended the closure of 80 post offices, mainly in rural areas.

Meanwhile, Ulster Bank is planning to shut down up to 30 branches, the Irish Independent has learned. The bank is expected to announce soon that it is shutting one-in-four branches, also mainly in rural locations.

An unpublished review of the future strategy for An Post is understood to recommend the closure of 80 rural post offices.

The plan, devised by businessman Bobby Kerr, is aimed at stemming losses of up to 12m a year from the branch network for State-owned An Post.

Read More

An Post has 1,130 post offices, but many of the smaller ones are loss-making, as more people receiving State pensions and child benefit are choosing to have payments made directly into their bank accounts.

Most of the losses are generated by around 500 post office branches, with almost all of these small operations.

However, An Post boss David McRedmond is expected to resist moves to close large numbers of post offices. Instead, the semi-state is seeking a State bailout of up to 58m.

A spokeswoman for An Post said it was conducting an in-depth review of the post office network.

"This is not a short-term focus, but a solidly based long-term business that can thrive in the modern market and anticipate the future needs of our corporate and personal customers."

The threat of large-scale closures of post offices comes as it has emerged that a review carried for Ulster Bank recommends the shutting down of one in four of its branches.

It is understood consultants McKinsey, working for Ulster Bank and its parent RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), recommends the closure of up to 30 branches, mainly in smaller towns.

The move will hit the towns where other banks have closed branches particularly hard. In many cases the Ulster Bank is the last bank in town.

Ulster has 110 branches in the Republic, following the shutting down of branches in 2014.

Compulsory redundancies are now feared, with a culling of some of the 65 branches in the North also expected. Edinburgh-headquartered RBS is also shutting branches in the UK.

It comes after 160 branches countrywide were shut down by all the main banks since 2008.

Concern

This figure does not include the exit from this market of Bank of Scotland/Halifax and Danske Bank, leading to a huge loss of banking services.

A spokeswoman for the bank would only say: "Ulster Bank has not announced any branch closures, but we keep this under review."

The Financial Services Union (FSU) has expressed concern about the future of Ulster Bank's branch network in the Republic following a review being carried out into the bank's activities by consultants McKinsey.

General secretary of the FSU Larry Broderick said he was expecting to be called into Ulster Bank by senior management any day now to be told of the branch closures.

"There is a review going on and they are looking at Ireland. Branch closures have not been ruled out," he said.

The union recently called on financial institutions to commit that between them at least one bank branch would remain open in each town or locality.

The Irish Postmasters' Union confirmed that the Kerr report recommends an estimated 80 post office closures over the coming four years.

It called for urgent Government sanction for additional services to be provided in post offices, particularly motor tax. It wants an exit package for affected postmasters.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

A 10-year investment-sentiment high in the Eurozone wasn't enough to propel stockmarkets into the black yesterday. And even data that showed US factory orders rose for a second month in a row didn't lift spirits in Europe.

Investor sentiment in the eurozone measured by research group Sentix improved more than expected in March, hitting its highest level in nearly a decade as concerns that global political risks could end an economic upswing dissipated.

New orders for US-made goods increased for a second straight month in January, suggesting the recovery of the manufacturing sector was gaining momentum as rising prices for commodities spur demand for machinery.

"All the expectation components for the global economic regions rose and cast the decline of last month in a new light," according to Sentix. "Therefore the potential threat of a sudden halt to the economic recovery is off the table."

In Ireland, the ISEQ Overall Index closed 0.3pc lower at 6,651.34.

Bank of Ireland fell 2.1pc to 23 cent, although ratings agency Fitch indicated it could upgrade the bank, and rival AIB, if their asset quality improves.

Shares in travel software firm Datalex were 2.49pc higher at 3.60 and embattled Swiss-Irish good group Aryzta climbed 1.7pc to 31.08.

The UK's FTSE-100 ended the session 0.3pc lower. Germany's DAX was 0.57pc down and France's CAC-40 declined 0.46pc.

Aer Lingus owner IAG confirmed that it will lease seven long range Airbus 321neos for the Irish carrier. Meanwhile, France's PSA Group - the owner of Peugeot - agreed to buy Opel from GM in a deal valuing the business at 2.2bn.
Cork is set to host 20 conferences in the year ahead that are expected to raise a further 12m for the region

Business tourism contributed 11.5m to the local economy in Cork last year.

The city is set to host 20 conferences in the year ahead that are expected to raise a further 12m for the region.

The importance of the sector to the Irish tourism industry was marked at an event in Cork yesterday.

"When highlighting the value of business tourism to the Cork region, it's important to note that one business tourist is worth three times more, in revenue terms, than a leisure tourist," said Seamus Heaney, chairman of the Cork Convention Bureau.

Last year the average value of a business tourist was calculated to be 1,600 per delegate, which was up from 1,500 in 2015.

Meanwhile, new research from employment platform LinkedIn has found that the UK remains the main destination for Irish third-level graduates.

Significantly, the report found that overseas graduates' interest in Irish jobs far outstrips supply, with five times the level of interest compared to the amount of jobs available.

"Ireland continues to be a major lure for foreign talent, with significant numbers of university-educated professionals interested in taking up roles here," said Sharon McCooey, senior director of international operations and site leader of LinkedIn Ireland.

"The Irish technology sector is one of the main beneficiaries of this trend.

"Given the growth in the sector and the economy as a whole, it is important that we see a positive net flow of talent into Ireland," Ms McCooey added.
High profile Celtic Tiger restaurateurs Pia Bang and Jeff Stokes have escaped bankruptcy and held onto their 800,000 home after the High Court approved a personal insolvency arrangement for the couple.

The couple had 12m in debt written off in exchange for a one off payment of 145,000, under the terms of the scheme.

The bulk of the money will go to biggest creditor Dunbar Assets, formerly Zurich Bank, and to Revenue. Other creditors will get just cents in the euro under the scheme.

Under the new insolvency regime brought in after the crash the former owners of the upmarket Unicorn restaurant in Dublin needed the written consent of their secured creditors before the arrangement could be approved, because their debts were greater than 3m.

The arrangement, hammered out by personal insolvency practitioner (PIP) Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton, means the couple can hold on to the family home, in Kilternan, in south Co Dublin, which is valued at around 800,000.

The house was not subject to the scheme of arrangement because a separate mortgage on the property is owed to other lenders.

The High Court approved debt write-off frees the couple from their non-mortgage debt, which was linked to business and property investments.

The scheme was backed by creditors at a meeting on January 10th and approved by Justice Marie Baker at the High Court.

The bulk of the 12m debt was originally owed by the couple and their once high profile twin sons, Simon and Christian Stokes.

The twins were declared bankrupt back in 2015.

The Stokes family was behind the well-known Unicorn restaurant in the capital, while the brothers operated the exclusive Residence club on St Stephen's Green and other venues.

In 2014, Christian and Simon Stokes, as well as their parents Jeffrey and Pia, consented to a 14.7m judgment being entered against them arising from various loans and guarantees. Dunbar Assets Ireland, formerly Zurich Bank, had claimed it was owed the money under what it described as the "Consolidated Stokes Facility", created following a restructuring in 2011 of various facilities dating from 2007, and from guarantees.

The debt was initially secured against various properties, including the Unicorn Restaurant in Dublin; property on Torquay Road, Foxrock, Dublin; and the leasehold interest in the Residence club, St Stephen's Green, Dublin.
Consumer confidence in Ireland dropped slightly in February but remains broadly positive, according to a new survey.

The latest KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment survey found that although the country faces a number of external uncertainties, fears of a downturn have not yet translated into reality for Irish consumers.

The index declined to 100.7 in February, a 2.4 point drop that followed a gain of 7.2 in January.

The report said the employment outlook in Ireland has been dented somewhat by a number of industrial disputes and high-profile jobs losses, including the loss of 500 redundancies at the HP plant in Leixlip announced last month.

"For the typical consumer, things have clearly stopped getting worse but they are not getting dramatically better over the past year," the report stated.

There remains an element of volatility in Irish consumers' mood, with the report revealing that sentiment only moved in the same direction in two successive months on one occasion over the past year.

The drop seen in February mirrored declines in similar metrics in a range of other countries.

Almost a third of respondents (31pc) anticipated their financial circumstances would improve in the year ahead, while 12pc foresee a deterioration.

"The February sentiment reading hints at a 'one step forward one step back' recovery for the typical Irish consumer," said Austin Hughes of KBC Bank Ireland.

"Consumers sense some improvement in the broader economy but are also aware of notable risks to economic prospects," Mr Hughes added.

Meanwhile, research conducted by Bank of Ireland in conjunction with Red C has shown that more than half of Irish people (56pc) save less than 300 per month.

The research, which was carried out on 1,000 people last month, showed that 28pc of people save less than 100 per month, 20pc save between 100 and 200, while a further 20pc said the amount saved varied from month-to-month. Just 13pc of respondents said they do not save at all.

Well over half (57pc) of people said they were confident that they would be able to save the same amount for the next few years, while 39pc said they were not confident of continuing current saving patterns.

Almost half of those asked (48pc) said the were "saving for a rainy day", with 38pc saying they would use some of their savings to take a holiday.

Home improvements was a priority for 22pc of people, while 20pc said they were saving for a new car.

Elsewhere, the Central Bank has said that it is taking measures to protect investors who are involved with 'Contracts for Difference(CFDs).

CFDs are complex financial instruments that allow investors to gain or lose money on the value of an asset even though they do not own any part of the asset.

The Bank has published a new consultation paper that discusses its concerns about the use of CFDs and outlines current measures under consideration that would protect the interests of retail clients.

Measures under consideration include prohibiting the sale of CFDs to retail investors and the implementation of improved investor protection mechanisms.
Ordinary investors will be able to buy shares in AIB on the same terms as large financial investors when the Government sells a 25pc stake in the bank later this year.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan updated the Cabinet on the planned sale at a meeting on Tuesday.

The minister said that the key objective of an initial public offering (IPO) would be to maximise the return for the taxpayer on its investment in AIB.

The proposed sale of State owned shares is not a true IPO, which would raise funds for the bank itself and be run by its directors.

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Instead its a structured sale on the Dublin and London Stock Exchange of part of the Government stake in the bank.

The minister told cabinet that his officials, together with Rothschild and the other banks managing the share sale are examining options that will give individuals the opportunity to participate in an IPO at the same price as institutional investors.

It is likely that interested retail investors would be able to apply for shares through designated intermediaries or brokers, similar to what happened in the Aer Lingus IPO in 2006.

A minimum investment threshold will be considered, and small investors wont be offered incentives to buy the shares.

The minister said that the Department of Finance has made substantial progress with preparations for a potential transaction.
A shared love of greyhound racing has seen former finance minister and ex-EU internal markets commissioner Charlie McCreevy join the board of one of Ireland's biggest timber processors.

Based near Clonbur, Co Galway, Earrai Coillte Chonnacht (ECC) exports about 75pc of its 50m in timber sales every year to the UK.

ECC chairman and founder PJ Fahy has known Mr McCreevy for many years through their interest in greyhound racing.

They also co-owned some greyhounds in the past.

Until last year, ECC was two-thirds owned by the Aurivo co-op.

The co-op's brands include Connaught Gold.

It had held the holding since the timber business was founded in 1992, but it was non-core for the agri-group, and sold its stake to the Fahy family.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, ECC MD Daryl Fahy said the group has significant expansion plans, and is currently involved in a 20m investment programme.

He added that the company employs 120 full-time staff, while an additional 180 staff contractors work full-time for the business.
Standard Life has agreed to acquire Aberdeen Asset Management for about 3.8bn (4.4bn), a deal that will create the UK's largest active manager. The stocks soared in London trading.

Under the terms, Standard Life shareholders will own 66.7pc of the combined group. Aberdeen's investors will receive 0.757 new Standard Life ordinary share for each share they already own. That values Aberdeen in line with its market value before the talks were disclosed on March 4.

The deal, which will create a 660bn asset manager, is the latest move by the active management industry to combat a tide of investors shifting money to low-cost, passive funds. Aberdeen, hurt by weaker sentiment toward emerging markets, has suffered more than three years of redemptions, leading it to freeze salaries and cut costs. Standard Life's investment unit also had outflows last year. (Bloomberg)
Roles including technical support positions are currently available for application

Customer management services firm Convergys is creating an additional 100 new job at its Dublin contact centre.

The company, which delivers customer service and technical support services to BT broadband and phone customers in the UK, also has a site at Woodford Business Park, Santry.

Since recruitment began last December, some 150 jobs have already been filled at the US-based firm.

Roles including technical support positions are currently available for application at both Irish sites.

Site Director at Convergys Dublin, Stephen Guerin said that Dublin has been a pivotal hub for Convergys for over 15 years and the creation of these new jobs "reaffirms our commitment to the Irish market".

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid, said that it was another major boost for the county, and in particular Swords.

This is the second big jobs announcement for Swords in the past fortnight and is another endorsement of Fingal as a place to do business in. Convergys have been based here for over 15 years and have found a skilled workforce in Fingal that matches their requirements and has allowed the company to expand its operations, said Mr Reid.

Last month, printer and office supplies group Global Ricoh announced the creation of 110 jobs at a new 6.5m European headquarters in Swords.

The Japanese tech company already employs 80 people in Ireland and Ricoh says the plan is to bring the total workforce here to 190 by 2019.
Solid wall insulation, mechanical ventilation and renewable heating systems are some of the upgrades that can be expected to save and properly utilise energy. GETTY

People living in poorly insulated housing will be eligible for a new "deep retrofit" under the expansion of a government scheme.

Communications Minister Denis Naughten announced the initiative at the Fuel Poverty and Climate Action Conference in Croke Park yesterday.

Energy efficiency was cited as "central" to the minister's plan, as the Warmer Homes Scheme will be expanded nationwide.

Solid wall insulation, mechanical ventilation and renewable heating systems are some of the upgrades that can be expected to save and properly utilise energy.

It will be available for people on Fuel Allowance, Family Income Supplement and the One Parent Family Payment - among others.

Meanwhile, Mr Naughten will today deliver a stark warning to the Cabinet about Ireland's ability to reach carbon emissions targets.

While seeking approval to publish a draft national mitigation plan for statutory consultation, he will say Ireland will not meet greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2020.

According to the Environment Protection Agency, emissions in 2020 could up to 6pc below 2005 levels, well short of the 20pc target.

The minister will provide a memo to Cabinet noting that funding climate action to the required level presents an "enormous challenge" for Ireland.
Pharmaceutical giant Amryt has been given the green light by European and US regulators to carry out trials of a new drug to treat a rare skin disease.

The genetic condition known as Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) makes the skin of those afflicted extremely delicate.

Children suffering from the disease are known as "Butterfly Children".

The global market for treatment of EB is thought to be around 1.3bn annually.

After completing discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amryt is on track to commence a phase 3 trial at the end of March. The company has agreed to conduct some further non-clinical studies in parallel with the phase three study.

"We are delighted to have reached this critical milestone in the development of Amryt," said Amryt ceo Joe Wiley.

"Significantly, we now have agreement from the regulatory agencies in both the US and in Europe for a single phase three study, which we hope in due course will lead to approval in EB," Mr Wiley added.

INC Research has been appointed as the contract research organisation for the phase three study. Approximately 30 clinical trial sites in 15 countries have already been selected.

Adult and paediatric patients with EB will be enrolled into a random placebo controlled trial. A total of 164 patients will be treated for a 90-day period.

"We believe that the adaptive approach to study sample size will help to ensure that we achieve a reliable assessment of the potential benefit of our new skin healing treatment in this orphan disease," said Mark Sumeray, chief medical officer at Amryt

Last month, Amryt announced it had received a patent for its lead drug Episalven in Japan. The company received substantial funding last year from Dublin-based investment group Fastnet.

The deal saw Harry Stratford, founder of pharmaceutical giant Shire, join the Amryt board as non-executive chairman.

Amryt also appointed former Sudocrem founder Ray Stafford to the board.

Mr Stafford said on his appointment that he expected Amryt's new drugs to yield around $1.5bn over the course of their lifetime.

The diversity of the Amryt board is testament to the possibilities that may lie ahead in the treatment of EB and other rare diseases.

The Amryt/Fastnet deal is believed to have been the brainchild of Cathal Friel, a founder of Raglan Road Capital, who serves as a non-executive director.
It works almost anywhere that ordinary contactless credit and debit cards work. So now Apple Pay is available in Ireland - here's all you need to know about it.

What is Apple Pay?

Its a contactless payment system using your iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad. It can also be used within apps or online in the Safari browser.

How does it work?

It works using contactless Mastercards or Visa cards issued by Ulster Bank or KBC Bank. You save the cards details in your iPhones Wallet and the iPhone or Apple Watch is then able to make payments on behalf of the card in physical shops and retailers. It works almost anywhere that ordinary contactless credit and debit cards work. Adding a card to an iPhone or an iPad is done through the Wallet app on the device. For an Apple Watch, its done through the Watch app on an iPhone.

Do I just swipe it at the contactless terminal?

You have to use your iPhones fingerprint sensor (Touch ID) each time you pay for something.

What kind of iPhone do I need?

And youll need one of the newer iPhones (an iPhone 6, iPhone 7 or iPhone SE). It can also be used with newer iPad models, MacBooks after 2012 and all Apple Watches.

What happens if I lose my iPhone?

Because it needs a fingerprint to pay, its pretty secure. In any case, you can suspend or wipe the card from your phone by using iCloud.com/find. Or you can ring your bank and cancel the card in the normal way

Who accepts it? Where can I use it?

Launch partners using the system include supermarkets such as Supervalu, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi, Centra and Marks and Spencers. Other retails chains such as Insomnia, Boots and Harvey Norman also accept the payment system as do petrol stations such as Applegreen and Amber Oil.

What are the spending limits?

Apple does not place any purchasing limits on the system, although banks and some retailers place their own limits

Does it cost money to use over and above a contactless card?

There is no additional charge to using the phone as a payment method.

Is it really safe?

Apple says that Apple Pay is safer than using a traditional credit or debit card because each transaction is protected with either Touch ID or a passcode. It also says that card numbers and identities arent shared with the retailer or merchant and that the card numbers arent stored on your device or on Apple servers.

Why arent AIB or Bank Of Ireland participating?

We dont know. But a spokeswoman for AIB said that the bank is currently in discussion with a number of payment service providers, including Apple but that the bank is not in a position to confirm timing of such payment development at this time. A spokeswoman for Bank Of Ireland did not say the bank is in discussions or that Apple Pay is on its radar.

Whats Boon?

Boon is a prepay system that works by downloading an app and topping up via a prepaid digital Mastercard. It works in any shop whose terminals accept Mastercard contactless logo. Payment transactions with Boon need to be authorised with a Pin number.

What if I need to return something I bought using Apple Pay?

Apple also says that products bought using Apple Pay on an iPhone or Watch can be returned, with the balance recredited using the gadgets themselves at the retailers payment terminal.
Intel Ireland has launched its 2017 Women in Technology scholarship program to coincide with International Womens Day.

The initiative aims to encourage a new generation of high-achieving women to take up the challenge of a career in science and technology.

Intel is offering up to 20 awards which will be available to school leavers entering specified four year undergraduate degree courses in science, technology and engineering beginning in September 2017.

A grant values at 3,000 per year is available under the scholarship - along with opportunities for work placements at one of Intels Ireland locations in Leixlip and Shannon.

An Intel employee will be assigned as a mentor to each successful scholar to assist and provide advice.

The Intel Women in Technology scholarship program has been running for more than 10 years and a total of more than 1,000,000 has been invested in the initiative to date.

Applications are now being being accepted until October 2nd and further details, along with the online application form, can be found at www.intel.ie/womenintechnology.
Want to pay for things with your iPhone or Apple Watch? Apple Pay has finally arrived in Ireland.

In thousands of locations across the country, you can now swipe your phone or Apple Watch against a contactless terminal to pay for something.

It works almost anywhere that ordinary contactless credit and debit cards work.

And youll need one of the newer iPhones (an iPhone 6, iPhone 7 or iPhone SE). It can also be used with newer iPad models, MacBooks after 2012 and all Apple Watches.

Apple does not place any purchasing limits on the system, although banks and some retailers place their own limits. There will be no additional charge to using the phone as a payment method.

Transactions using iPhones are validated by using a fingerprint or a pin code.

Launch partners using the system include supermarkets such as Supervalu, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi, Centra and Marks and Spencers. Other retails chains such as Insomnia, Boots and Harvey Norman also accept the payment system as do petrol stations such as Applegreen and Amber Oil.

The system works by incorporating Mastercard or Visa contactless debit and credit cards. It can also be used shopping online or within apps.

Apple says that Apple Pay is safer than using a traditional credit or debit card because each transaction is protected with either Touch ID or a passcode. It also says that card numbers and identities arent shared with the retailer or merchant and that the card numbers arent stored on your device or on Apple servers.

Apple doesnt know what you bought, where you bought it or how much you paid for it, said Jennifer Bailey, the Apple vice president in charge of Apple Pay.

We thought about security from the beginning. So that means that with Apple Pay, your credit card isn't stored on your iPhone or with merchants. Its encrypted on the secure element in your drive. Theres a one-time dynamic code thats used each time.

The company says that Apple Pay retains anonymous transaction information such as approximate purchase amounts. It says that this information cant be tied back to you and never includes what you're buying.

Adding a card to an iPhone or an iPad is done through the Wallet app on the device. For an Apple Watch, its done through the Watch app on an iPhone.

For iPhones that are lost or stolen, the card can be disabled through icloud.com/find or by ringing the bank and cancelling the card in the normal way.

However, the payment system is limited at launch to cards issued by Ulster Bank and KBC bank.

We ultimately want to bring Apple Pay to as many users in Ireland as possible, said Bailey. But even if your primary bank isnt involved today with Apple Pay, you can still use Apple Pay with Boon prepay.

Boon is a prepay system that works by downloading an app and topping up via a prepaid digital Mastercard. It works in any shop whose terminals accept Mastercard contactless logo. Payment transactions with Boon need to be authorised with a Pin number.

A spokeswoman for AIB said that the bank is currently in discussion with a number of payment service providers, including Apple but that the bank is not in a position to confirm timing of such payment development at this time.

The introduction of Apple Pay means that almost all Irish smartphone users can now used their handsets as payment cards. In December, Google launched Android Pay in Ireland with Mastercard or Visa contactless debit and credit cards issued by AIB or KBC.

Visa, which is the largest contactless card company here, says users of its contactless cards complete over three million transactions per week using the system. It says that the average Irish purchase value made with a Visa Debit contactless card is now 12.72, indicating a mixture of casual purchases in convenience shops and bigger items in department stores.

Apple also says that products bought using Apple Pay on an iPhone or Watch can be returned, with the balance recredited using the gadgets themselves at the retailers payment terminal.

KBCs director of innovation, Eddie Dillon, said that there has been a 76pc increase in mobile usage among KBC bank customers in the last year.

KBC is the only bank operating in Ireland that has both Apple Pay and Android Pay available to its customers.

Weve got to be doing this, said Dillon. Were a digital first bank, were not opening new bank branches. Weve been inundated with requests from customers about doing stuff like this. You can expect to see more of this from us.

Ulster Bank director Maeve McMahon described its Apple Pay move as innovation.

We know from talking to customer that theyre excited about this, she said.

Apple Pays launch in Ireland leaves customers of Bank Of Ireland and Permanent TSB out of luck for mobile payments, with neither bank supporting Apple Pay or Android Pay.

A spokeswoman for Bank Of Ireland declined to comment.

A spokesman for Permanent TSB said that the banks focus is on other things at present.

We have recently rolled out a major overhaul of our current account offering and that has been our focus over the last few months, said a Permanent TSB spokesman. We are exploring options in the mobile pay space over the coming months with a view to deciding the best approach.

Recent figures from the US suggest that Apple Pay is the most widespread mobile payment system used by consumers. The figures from Boston Retail Partners say that more retailers accept the mobile payment system than any other mobile payment system, including Paypal.

People in Ireland are used to tap and pay so theyll be very comfortable with Apple Pay, said Apples Jennifer Bailey.

The satisfaction rating is as high as 97pc. We know that customers in Ireland will make Apple Pay a part of their routine.
Deutsche Bank's request for shareholders to sign an 8bn cheque to back its new strategy got a lukewarm reception on Monday from investors who want more detail on its plans.

Germany's biggest bank had previously said it would wait until global bank capital rules were finalised before setting out how it intends to turn its business around and chief executive John Cryan had said a cash call was a last resort.

But with regulators delaying the Basel III rules and stock indices at record highs, Deutsche opted on Sunday to push ahead with a capital hike while market conditions are favourable as well as announcing plans to float part of its asset management unit and reorganise its divisions.

While the German government welcomed the move, the fourth such call from the lender for more cash since 2010, it left some investors wondering whether this was the last.

It puts Deutsche Bank on course to have raised more than its entire 26bn market value in the past seven years, according to Reuters' calculations.

Deutsche Bank shares, which had fallen by more than 1pc last Friday on reports it was considering raising fresh capital, fell a further 6pc yesterday.

The bank presented the move as an attempt to put it on a stronger footing, after billions of euro of legal penalties had prompted speculation that it would need a German state bailout.

A finance ministry spokesman said that while it generally did not comment on specific banks, stable lenders underpinned by strong capital were in Germany's best interests.

"This company won't be profitable overnight. The revenue must go up and costs down. And the markets have to play along, or else the bank again won't be able to hit its goals," said one of the bank's top shareholders, asking not to be named.

Deutsche Bank is planning to IPO a minority stake in its asset management business, including its DWS retail asset management, which analysts have said is worth 8bn.

In an about-face to its retail banking strategy, the bank scrapped plans to sell Postbank, after failing to sell it at an acceptable price. Instead, it now wants to reintegrate it into its other German retail banking business.

Deutsche Bank's investment banking activities will also revert to a structure it threw out less than two years ago by reuniting its securities trading activities and its corporate finance business. It is also promoting retail head Christian Sewing and finance head Markus Schenck to deputy chief executives who will oversee the revamp alongside Mr Cryan.

The combined moves should take Deutsche Bank's core capital ratio - a key measure for regulators - above 13pc from 11.9pc at end-2016, but some questioned if this was it.

"The question is ... whether the bank will need more yet again in a few years. Until now, none of the restructuring measures have borne fruit," Stefan de Schutter, a trader at Frankfurt-based Alpha, said. (Reuters)
Opel's logo is seen on a covered Corsa car at the exhibition stand of Opel ahead of the 87th International Motor Show at Palexpo in Geneva

France's PSA Group has agreed a 2.2bn deal to buy Opel from General Motors, creating a new European car giant to challenge market leader Volkswagen.

The maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars vowed to return Opel and its British Vauxhall brand to profit, targeting an operating margin of 2pc within three years and 6pc by 2026 underpinned by 1.7bn in joint cost savings. PSA shares jumped as much as 5.2pc after ceo Carlos Tavares said GM's European arm could be turned around using lessons from the French group's own recovery. Opel recently recorded its 16th consecutive full-year loss.

PSA leapfrogs French rival Renault to become Europe's second-ranked carmaker by sales, with a 16pc market share to VW's 24pc. The disposal seals GM's exit from Europe and ends a relationship dating back to the 1920s.

Last year, PSA and GM Europe recorded a combined 72bn in revenue and 4.3 million vehicle deliveries. GM will receive 1.32bn for the Opel manufacturing business in the form of 650m in cash and 670m in PSA share warrants.

An additional 900m will be paid by the Paris-based carmaker and BNP Paribas for Opel's financing arm.

The deal caps a stellar two-year recovery for PSA, which avoided bankruptcy in 2014 by selling 14pc stakes to the French state and China's Dongfeng.

PSA reiterated pledges to run Opel as a distinct German subsidiary and honour existing job guarantees. Beyond those horizons, however, the outlook may be less certain.

Britain's EU exit adds to the uncertainty over Vauxhall's UK plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton. (Reuters)
American Honey is one of the films to receive an F-Rating on IMDb

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has adopted the F-Rating system to highlight films written, directed by or starring women.

F-Rating was introduced in the UK two years ago by Bath Film Festival director Holly Tarquini who created the system to highlight films that are written/directed by a female or have "significant women on screen in their own right".

Her system of classification was inspired by the Bechdel Test, a litmus test for the gender bias of a film.

And now the F-Rating system has been adopted by IMDb, a film information site that receives 250 million users a year.

"The F-Rating is a great way to highlight women on screen and behind the camera", IMDb boss Col Needham told the BBC.

So far, 21,8000 films had been tagged with the F-Rating on IMDb, including American Honey, Mean Girls, Frozen, Bridget Jones' Baby, Animal Farm, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Metropolis.

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It has also been adopted in cinemas across the UK and was part of the Film Festival Dublin last year, as curators assessed their listings against the F-Rating's main criteria.

Ms Tarquini told the BBC: "The F-Rating is intended to make people talk about the representation of women on and off screen.

"It's exciting when new organisations decide to join us in shining a light both on the brilliant work women are doing in film and on how far the film industry lags behind most other industries, when it comes to providing equal opportunities to women.

"But our real goal is to reach the stage when the F-Rating is redundant because 50 percent of the stories we see on screen are told by and about film's unfairly under-represented half of the population - women."
June 30, 1971 and staff at the New York Times look at a proof sheet of a page containing the secret Pentagon report on Vietnam(AP)

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are in talks to star in The Post

Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are working on a project that screams 'Oscars glory'.

Hanks and Streep are in talks to star in a film directed by Spielberg about the Pentagon Papers.

The Post will tell the story of The Washington Post and The New York Times' legal battle to report a damning classified study about America's role in the Vietnam War in 1971.

The Pentagon Papers were the 70's Wikileaks and had a monumental impact on the on the US government's relationships with the media and the public.

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Across some 7,000 pages, it covered a leaked study from the US Department of Defence that detailed the government's military involvement in Vietnam.

It showed that the America's president Lyndon Johnson had secretly expanded military operations into Laos and Cambodia shortly after pledging that "we seek no wider war".

The New York Times and The Washington Post both published excerpts from the papers as definitive proof that Americans were being lied to.

The government tried to block the release of the papers through the media which led to a Supreme Court case that eventually ruled in favour of the press.

As Hollywood continues to wage war against a president who routinely lies when speaking to the press, the timing of the movie's release couldn't be more fitting.

Spielberg has signed on to direct the film, based on a script by Liz Hannah, according to the Associated Press.

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Hanks is in talks to play Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, while Streep would play the newspaper's publisher Katherine Graham, according to Deadline, although details are still being negotiated.

This year's Academy Awards was dominated by celebrities trying to repudiate Trump on and off stage. So a politically-charged movie that speaks to the times, headed by three of the greatest movie talents of our generation, is a project that would surely generate plenty of Oscar buzz next year.

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Streep recently defended the freedom of the press in a speech opposing US President Donald Trump at the Golden Globe Awards.

She encouraged people to donate to the Committee To Protect Journalists and criticised Mr Trump's impression of a disabled reporter, saying it "kind of broke my heart".

The Post would mark Spielberg and Hanks' fifth film together after Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and Bridge Of Spies.
Unions demanded that the company withdraw its plan to close the X7 from Clonmel to Dublin  which will lead to job losses  at discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission

The closure of the first Bus Eireann route to face the chop under a 30m cost-cutting plan still hangs in the balance as talks to avert an all-out strike kick off.

Unions demanded that the company withdraw its plan to close the X7 from Clonmel to Dublin - which will lead to job losses - at discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission yesterday.

But the company said all current plans are only suspended for the duration of talks, so it depends on how these progress.

A document seen by the Irish Independent said the last scheduled service on the X7 will be the 6.35pm from Clonmel on Saturday.

Five drivers on temporary contracts on the route have been told they will lose their jobs, and another nine have been told they must move to Waterford or other depots.

A further four Waterford-based drivers would go into a spare drivers' pool, according to a letter from Waterford services manager John Sheridan to unions.

Another letter from Bus Eireann Southwest services manager Blathin McElligott said that the withdrawal of services on route X12, between Dublin and Limerick, also planned for March 12, has been "set aside" during talks.

The general secretary of the National Bus and Railworkers' Union Dermot O'Leary, who has been running a 'Save Our Bus Service' campaign, said it would demand a reversal of the route cuts.

"The least we can expect is for a stay on the execution of the closure of any of these routes," he said.

Other routes earmarked for closure are the 21 between Athlone and Westport on April 16 and the 33 from Dublin to Derry on May 28. In addition, Dublin to Galway's 20 and X20 will be reduced from next Sunday.

Read more: Union boss denies Ross is issue as bus unions reveal plan

Talks began yesterday in a new attempt to halt an all-out strike.

The company had threatened to impose 55 changes to work practices from yesterday, which would have triggered an all-out strike. It threatened that further cuts were in the pipeline.

Confidential documents revealed the company said it was willing to negotiate a pay rise, while a settlement would cover all items "and there will not be a need for any additional plans", as had been suggested.

It committed that funds for a voluntary redundancy scheme would be made available if a plan to address insolvency was agreed.

The Irish Independent previously revealed it planned to shed 120 jobs among categories other than drivers. They were 60 managerial, executive and clerical roles, 40 engineering and maintenance jobs and 20 inspectors' positions. The company said unions must co-operate with improved efficiency but did not specify whether older plans to impose cuts, including reductions in premium pay and allowances, had been dropped.

Meanwhile, Siptu said it is pushing the safeguarding of full-time jobs, protection of routes and bus garages, and a hike in funding for the free travel scheme to the fore at talks. Unions are also pushing for a Sectoral Employment Order, which would set minimum pay rates and conditions.
No decision has been made yet to carry out test excavations at other 'Mother and Baby Homes' despite calls for the investigation to be extended.

Barrister Ita Mangan, director of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, told the Irish Independent yesterday that it has yet to decide if it will order another test excavation.

It followed the archaeological probe that led to the discovery of children's remains near one of the former homes in Tuam, Co Galway.

However, Paul Redmond of the Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors said he believed the Tuam discovery amounted to the "tip of the iceberg". He believes that testimony has been given to the commission that should prompt a dignified test excavation at sites around other former homes. The proposed locations include Bessboro House, Blackrock, Cork; Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, Co Tipperary; and Manor House, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.

"Tuam must not be seen in isolation. It was the fifth biggest of the nine so-called Mother and Baby Homes. There are over 227 confirmed deaths in the notorious Bethany Home in Dublin. "And recent research has revealed the names of over 200 babies and children buried in the angels' plot at Castlepollard home ranging from a few hours old to over two years."

He acknowledged survivors are divided on exhumations and some believe all babies must be exhumed, identified and given proper burials.

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"Others feel strongly that our former crib mates should be allowed to rest in peace."

Mr Redmond was born in Castlepollard home and adopted at the age of 17 months in the early 1960s.

Read more: Criminal investigation into mother and baby home 'graves' is likely

Survivors also stepped up pressure on Children's Minister Katherine Zappone to publish the long-awaited interim report of the commission, which has been on her desk since last September. A spokeswoman for the department said yesterday: "The commission submitted its second interim report in September 2016.

Expand Close Report: Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook

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"Given the commission's wide terms of reference, a number of issues in the report extend beyond the remit of the minister. For this reason, the minister has been consulting with Cabinet colleagues with a view to publishing the report in conjunction with Government's response to its findings.

"The Government is sensitive to the expectations of former residents wanting to see the report and hopes to conclude this process as quickly as possible."

The United Nations yesterday said that the terms of reference of the investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is "too narrow". It warned that the Commission of Investigation as established may not uncover all abuses carried out in these homes, the perpetrators of which should be "prosecuted and punished".

Speaking in Castlebar, Co Mayo, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the discovery in Tuam was "truly appalling". Babies of single mothers involved had been treated like "some kind of sub-species", he said.

The practice was not a legacy of centuries ago, but one that happened in our "own time", he pointed out.

Read more: Tuam babies scandal is 'fake news', claims the Catholic League

Asked about the extension of test excavations to other homes, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she heard differing views on the matter.

"Some people think that there should be more, others have come to terms with what has happened. There may be a variety of different options in terms of best dealing with this.

"We have to face it as a society. We have to face the pain that's involved in looking at that history," she said.

"I think there's probably a lot of questions about the lands that were used and the types of burials that took place or didn't take place, whether it was consecrated land or it wasn't."

Meanwhile, the battle for inclusion in the commission continues among the many adults who were born in nursing homes and hospitals but were illegally adopted.

They have so far been denied access to the commission despite on-going lobbying and representations.
Insects were found crawling around in a box of sweets bought at a cinema in Tallaght in Dublin, a court has heard.

Irish Multiplex Cinema (IMC) Tallaght Ltd was convicted and fined 700 after pleading guilty at Dublin District Court to selling contaminated food that was unsafe for human consumption.

The prosecution was brought by the Health Service Executive (HSE) under an EU law regulating food safety. It came after a complaint about the cinema, which is in the Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, was made to environmental health officer Fiona Healy.

Outlining the facts of the case, solicitor Adrian Lennon, for the HSE, told Judge John Brennan that the case related to IMC Tallaght which could be described as a low risk food retailer selling confectionery, soft drinks and popcorn.

On Dec. 8 last customers bought sweets at the cinema which were put into a card board container which they later brought home. When they were getting to the bottom, they discovered a lot of insects crawling among the sweets in the container, Mr Lennon said.

This rendered the product unsuitable for human consumption by reason of contamination.

IMC Tallaghts solicitor told the court that the sweets were a small quantity which had come from a larger mass provided by a third party supplier. That product line has now been discontinued, the court heard.

The food hygiene offence could result in class-B fine of up to 3,000, the court was told.

Judge Brennan said it was clearly a serious matter as the defendant is a large business operation with thousands of consumers going there on a regular basis. That, he said, has to be taken into account an aggravating factor.

He also said it must have been particularly discommoding for the cinema-goers to find the insects at the bottom of their sweets.

However, he noted the cinema had no prior criminal convictions, the quantity was very small and there was a third party supplier. They had discontinued the product line and had taken appropriate action, he said.

He imposed a 700 fine and ordered that it must be paid within three months. Judge Brennan ruled that due to the guilty plea being entered on the first day the case was before the court he was not going to order the cinema firm to pay prosecution costs.
A mother-of-four became embroiled in a divorce court fight over a holiday house in her "ancestral territory" in rural Ireland after having an affair, a judge has heard.

Margie Hanley (56) and estranged husband Michael (60) - who used to share a home in Wentworth, Surrey - both want the house they jointly own in the village of Cornamona, County Galway.

They are staking rival claims at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Mr Hanley has told Mr Justice Holman how their 33-year marriage hit the rocks after he discovered that his wife had an affair with a man he knew.

Mrs Hanley, who denies adultery, said Mr Hanley had told her that she could have the house in Cornamona and was "punishing" her.

The judge has heard that the couple, who are both Irish, had lived in Europe, the Far East and the United States because Mr Hanley's work had taken him abroad.

They had built the house about 16 years ago and had gone there for holidays and at Christmas.

Mr Hanley, who retired last year, had been living at the house for the past few months.

Mrs Hanley, who still lives in Wentworth, has told Mr Justice Holman how generations of her family had lived in Cornamona.

She said her 92-year-old mother still lived there and was the oldest person in Cornamona

"It's where I have been all my life - generations of my family," Mrs Hanley told Mr Justice Holman. "Life is full circle. It's where I started out. It's where I ended."

The judge said Mrs Hanley felt that Cornamona was her "ancestral territory".

Mrs Hanley said life was "much simpler" in Cornamona, and that "one-horse town" was a good description.

"There is one road in and one road out," she said. "There is one shop, one pub. The doctor visits once a week."

Mrs Hanley said Mr Hanley did not really want the house in Cornamona.

She told the judge: "He is just torturing me. He is just punishing me."

Mr Hanley said she had put 16 years' work into the house.

"It's my backbone," she said. "It's like my fifth child. If I were to lose it, it would be like losing a child.

"It's my heart, my soul, my life. It's where I feel safe and secure."

She added: "He said I could have (it)."

Mr Justice Holman heard there had been suggestions of Mrs Hanley living elsewhere in Cornamona.

He also raised the possibility of the pair, whose children are grown up, using the house at different times of the year.

But Mrs Hanley told him: "We are getting divorced. The village isn't big enough for both of us."

Mr Hanley said he wanted to live in the Cornamona house, and denied that he was trying to hurt Mrs Hanley.

He said the house had been extended over the years and had Jacuzzis and a work-out area. He also told the judge about "spectacular views".

"I like to fish," he said. "I like to walk, I play guitar, I like to cook, I like to read, I like to meditate."

The judge heard the marriage had broken down about two years ago.

"I found out that my wife was having an affair," said Mr Hanley. "It's somebody I knew."

Lawyers representing Mrs Hanley told the judge that she denied adultery.
Convicted drug dealer John Gilligan and members of his family have been given three months by the Supreme Court to leave their homes before CAB moves to sell or lease them.

The court also granted the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) its costs against John Gilligan, his former wife Geraldine and son Darren of the appeals brought before the Supreme Court by them. Costs were not awarded against Tracey Gilligan, a daughter of the couple.

Because all the Gilligans were on legal aid for the appeals, the substantial costs of those will be funded by the State.

The court's final orders represent the end of the Gilligans' 21-year legal battle in the courts over the two houses and three other properties.

The orders were made yesterday after the Supreme Court last month dismissed the Gilligans' appeals over proceeds of crime orders made in relation to some of their assets.

The Gilligans had claimed they did not receive a proper trial when assets were frozen by the State in 1996.

The property included an equestrian centre at Jessbrook, Enfield, Co Meath, which John Gilligan bought and developed before he spent 17 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Other properties owned by Geraldine Gilligan and children Tracey and Darren Gilligan were also found to be the proceeds of crime. The properties were two houses in Lucan, one belonging to Tracey, and the house in Blanchardstown belonging to Darren.

Geraldine Gilligan and Tracey, a mother of two, had sought to be allowed to stay a further two years in Jessbrook. John Gilligan and Darren sought a two-year stay in relation to a house at Corduff, Blanchardstown, owned by Darren.

Their lawyers indicated their clients needed time to pursue social housing applications.

Counsel for Darren and Tracey Gilligan said Darren (41) was on disability benefit while Tracey was a lone parent with two children.

There was no evidence of any criminality on the part of Tracey and the High Court had found a 20pc interest of hers in a property in Lucan did not represent proceeds of crime, the court was told.

Counsel for John and Geraldine Gilligan, while accepting the domestic litigation could go no further, said his clients were considering a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Luigi Caira has been put on a bond to keep the peace

AN ITALIAN man twice stole salami from the same Dublin supermarket, a court heard.

Luigi Caira (64) was caught the second time and identified on CCTV stealing in an earlier incident.

Judge Anthony Halpin put the former chip shop worker on a bond to keep the peace for six months.

Caira, of North Circular Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were called to Lidl on Moore Street at 5.15pm on February 2 last year after Caira was stopped by security.

He had passed all the points of payment with the goods.

Apologetic

Gardai were made aware that the defendant had stolen under 5 worth of grocery products.

CCTV was viewed for another theft that happened on January 26 and Caira was identified taking 10 worth of items on that date.

He had previous convictions, but none for theft.

In relation to the incidents at Lidl,Caira stole salami on both occasions and was very apologetic, solicitor Donal Quigley said.

The accused had worked in a fish and chip shop for a long time but was now without work.

He likes the salami, I take it, Judge Halpin said.

Under the peace bond, Caira must be of good behaviour and commit no offences for six months.
The leader of the Bon Secours order in Ireland has been accused in court of "lying through her teeth".

The claim was made as the High Court was urged to help a man find out what happened to his infant sister after she was born at St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.

Peter Mulryan, whose infant sister Marian Bridget Mulryan is believed to be among 796 children recorded as having died in Tuam between 1925-61, was too unwell yesterday to attend court.

But he wants Tusla to look at the material it has "and see what happened to that little girl, did she die, was she trafficked or is she buried in the pit", his solicitor, Kevin Higgins, said.

Mr Higgins also said he considered an April 9, 2013, letter from Sr Marie Ryan, leader of the Bon Secours in Ireland, demonstrated that the order knew more about what had happened to children who died there than was indicated in a letter of February 15 last.

Mr Higgins told the court he considered the letters showed Sr Ryan, "as is the norm for the Bon Secours sisters", "is lying through her teeth" and indicated the order knew "a lot more" more in 2013 and knew "where the babies are buried". Mr Mulryan (73), of Derrymullen, Ballinasloe, wants leave to bring judicial review proceedings against Tusla aimed at getting any material that exists concerning his infant sister, who was recorded as having died in February 1955 nine months after her birth at the home.

Tusla has said it has given Mr Mulryan any material it is aware of and has also made the records held by it available to the commission of inquiry investigating the Tuam home.

Mr Higgins said Mr Mulryan was too unwell to inspect the material on the date offered.

Mr Justice Richard Humphreys had adjourned the leave application several times to clarify exactly what orders were being sought.

He also directed Tusla to write to the Bon Secours order, which operated the Tuam home, asking whether it holds any burial records and, if any records existed at some stage, were they destroyed.

During exchanges with Mr Higgins, the judge said the grounds for judicial review were "a bit thin".

Mr Higgins said it was "most unfair" to tell him that now, the sixth time the matter was before the court.

The judge said he did not accept that and it was for the solicitor to get his papers in order. He adjourned the matter for a week to allow Mr Higgins to prepare an amended statement of grounds.
THE parents of a 15-year-old girl have appeared in court accused of assaulting her after she posted promiscuous pictures of herself on Facebook.

The teen's father was was before Cork District Court yesterday, while her mother was also in court facing sentencing on a charge of assault causing harm to her, the Irish Examiner reports.

The court heard that the alleged assaults occurred on the same day.

The teen told gardai that her father assaulted her after he saw her using her phone despite being asked not to.

She alleged that her father pulled her hair and kicked her on the ground, a claim he denied.

Afterwards she left their home and when she returned the assault by her mother took place. The teenager claimed that her mother slapped her across the face and kicked her.

The gardai involved in the case told the court that the girl's face bore the mark of the sole of her mothers shoe after the attack.

Inspector Ronan Kennelly told the court that the incident arose after the teenager posted photos of herself on social media which her parents objected to.

Solicitor, Leo Murphy, said her parents had become concerned about substance abuse, promiscuity, and self-harm by their 15-year-old daughter.

She was posting inappropriate pictures of herself on Facebook, Mr Murphy said.

The judge said the girl, who has not been identified for legal reasons, was entitled to give a victim impact statement.

The teenager is no longer living with her family.
There were roars of "Justice for Daniel" when Richard Dekker was put in custody after he was found guilty of the murder of 17-year-old Daniel McAnaspie.

The victim was in the care of the HSE and his decomposed body was discovered by a farmer in a 7-foot deep drainage ditch in Rathfeigh, Co Meath, 30 km from where he was killed.

Dekker (30) from the Blanchardstown area of Dublin was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict of Daniel's murder at Tolka Valley Park on February 26, 2010. Trevor Noone (28), also from Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month for his role in the boy's death.

Dekker's conviction came after a week-long trial and more than eight hours of deliberation by the jury at the Central Criminal Court. When the foreman confirmed that the verdict was unanimous, at least one of Daniel's family could be heard whispering "well done, well done".

As Justice Patrick McCarthy announced he was remanding Dekker in custody until a sentencing hearing on April 3 they cheered and clapped. One shouted: "Well done judge, well done jury" while others shouted "Justice for Daniel", a slogan that has been emblazoned on t-shirts worn by the teen victim's family during the trial.

Dekker himself did not react, but sat with his eyes closed as the verdict was announced. Prison guards quickly led him away.

The conviction made legal history as it is the first time a person has been retried under the Criminal Justice Procedure Act 2010, which allows the State to retry a person even after they have been acquitted.

Dekker faced trial in 2013 but was acquitted by the trial judge on the grounds that there was not enough evidence. The State went to the Supreme Court and used the 2010 Act to overturn that decision and try Dekker again.

Prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan SC said Daniel's family will prepare a statement for the court which will be read out at the sentencing hearing. Having been convicted of murder, Dekker faces a mandatory life sentence.

Outside the court Detective Superintendent Colm Fox, the senior investigating officer, said Daniel's murder was a "heinous act of violence against a child. Justice has been done."

Evidence in trial

Daniel McAnaspie's parents were dead and he was in the care of the HSE in February 2010.

On the day he died his carers dropped him off in Finglas where he was going to hang out with some friends. His curfew was 9pm but he skipped it and went to Blanchardstown with a friend to meet two girls. He was drinking and, according to several witnesses, was in good form.

Daniel, his friend Gary Arnold and the two girls, Denise Kelly and Shauna Burke, hung out on a residential street in Blanchardstown where they met Dekker and Noone. It was the prosecution's case that later in the night, after Daniel's friends had left, Dekker and Noone lured him to Tolka Valley Park where they stabbed him to death with a single blade from a garden shears.

The only reason given for the attack was that earlier in the night Daniel was boasting about some people he had fought.

When he mentioned having fought a relative of Trevor Noone, Noone punched Daniel once in the face, knocking him to the ground. Daniel's friends said the pair made up immediately and shook hands.

But later in the night, according to interviews given by Dekker to gardai, Noone decided he was going to give Daniel "a hiding".

At about 4am Daniel's friends went home. They tried to get Daniel to go with them but he wanted to stay. Once his friends were gone, Noone and Dekker lured Daniel to Tolka Valley Park by telling him they were going to fight "some lads from Corduff". Dekker said that he knew Noone was carrying the blade from the garden shears and intent on giving the boy a hiding.

According to Dekker's version of events, while they walked along a wooden boardwalk that crosses the Tolka River, surrounded by trees and bushes, Noone stabbed Daniel in the back with the shears.

Dekker said Daniel begged for his life but Noone insisted "he has to go" and stabbed him again and again. Forensic scientist Dr David Casey identified 12 stab cuts on the jacket Daniel was wearing and former deputy state pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber found multiple stab wounds to his neck and torso.

Following the killing the two men abandoned the body and went home, but at some point it was removed and taken 30 kilometres where it was dumped in a farmer's drainage ditch at Rathfeigh, Co Meath.

There was evidence that it had been transported inside a suitcase, but by the time it was discovered by the farmer the suitcase had disintegrated and all that remained was its steel frame. Daniel had been dead almost three months and his body was identified by matching it to DNA taken from his toothbrush.

Despite extensive insect infestation and decomposition Dr Jaber was able to see at least some of the injuries that caused his death.

Dekker told gardai he had no idea how the body got to Rathfeigh but he suggested that Noone could have moved it.

In their deliberations the jury had three options open to them.

If they believed Dekker helped to lure Daniel to Tolka Valley Park but did not believe that Noone intended to cause him any harm they could have acquitted him. If they thought he knew Noone's intention was to cause harm, but not serious harm, they could have found him guilty of manslaughter.

Their murder verdict means that they believed the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he aided and abetted Noone with the intention of killing or causing serious injury to the boy.

The court will hear about the impact of Daniel's death on his family on April 3.
A prominent Irish journalist has pleaded guilty to six sex offences in relation to a child.

The man pleaded guilty to the charges when he was arraigned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

Two of the charges related to the accused engaging in a sexual act with a girl under the age of 17 on dates in December 2010 and February 2011 at an address in Dublin.

The other four charges were of sexually exploiting the same child by inviting her to engage or participate in a sexually explicit, indecent or obscene act on dates in January 2010, and February and March 2011.

The journalist cannot be identified at present for legal reasons.

He only spoke in court today to say guilty after each charge was put to him.

The journalist will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecution counsel Shane Costello SC entered a nolle prosequi in relation to three other charges.

A number of other charges on the indictment are to be taken into account when the man is being sentenced.

He was remanded on continuing bail.
Dublin Fire Brigade union members are set to conduct two 24-hour stoppages in the next few weeks.

SIPTU members are highlighting their opposition to an attempt to break up the DFB Emergency Medical Service by removing its ambulance call and dispatch function.

The work stoppages, planned for Saturday, March 18 and Monday, March 27, will both commence at 9am.

The announcement about the work stoppages was made at a rally outside City Hall in Dublin this evening.

Over 200 SIPTU Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters and their supporters rallied in Dublin's city centre.

Traffic to Castle Street was closed as a result.

"It is with deep regret that SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade have been forced into conducting these work stoppages," SIPTU Sector Organiser Brendan OBrien said.

"These firefighters are withdrawing their labour to indicate, in the strongest manner open to them, their complete opposition 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 chain, which would result in a reduction in the effectiveness of the service, response time delays and expose the public to increased risk."

Union members voted by 93pc to 7pc in favour of strike action and 97pc to 3pc in favour of industrial action in a recent ballot.
'To the general public engineering is associated with cars, construction and heavy machinery. They think its a male-dominated environment, but there are newer disciplines such as bio-medic where theres a levelling off of the ratio of men and women.' Stock Image

Old-fashioned attitudes and schools that fail to offer crucial subjects are putting women off careers as engineers.

The first female director general of Engineers Ireland said the statistics were "stark" as just one in every 10 engineers was a woman.

Caroline Spillane said her group had been looking at the influences on girls choosing science, technology and maths courses.

She said women were an "untapped resource" and more than 86pc of her members believed parents and teachers could do more to break down barriers for girls studying subjects that support careers in the profession.

Ms Spillane was speaking during Engineers Week at NUI Galway to mark the official naming of the Alice Perry Engineering Building, celebrating the first Irish woman to get a degree in engineering.

"There's perhaps a belief that engineering jobs are more suited to men than women," she said.

"To the general public engineering is associated with cars, construction and heavy machinery. They think it's a male-dominated environment, but there are newer disciplines such as bio-medic where there's a levelling off of the ratio of men and women.

"We must find ways of attracting more girls to engineering to tackle some of the world's greatest issues."

According to Eurostat, 85pc of engineering, manufacturing and construction graduates were men in 2014, compared with an EU average of 73pc.
Around 2,800 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. (Stock photo)

Research is under way into developing a treatment which may lead to breast cancer cells self-destructing without affecting healthy tissue.

The work offers new hope to many of the hundreds of women with breast cancer whose disease is no longer responding to existing treatments. The 250,000 grant from Breast Cancer Now will see research carried out at the Centre for Chromosome Biology at NUI Galway, and it will focus on the role of CDC7 inhibitors in combating the disease.

Prof Corrado Santocanale was the first to suggest CDC7 inhibitors had a role in stopping breast cancer cells growing while researching in Italy more than a decade ago.

He is now hoping to develop a treatment which will be able to avoid the devastating side-effects commonly linked to chemotherapy.

The CDC7 inhibitors can kill off cancer cells but preserve healthy tissue.

The three-year project could potentially lead to molecules being developed into a vital alternative treatment for patients with cancers that have become resistant to other drugs.

Around 2,800 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer annually.

The majority of the 700 women who die from the disease each year in Ireland will have seen their cancers become resistant to treatment.
Anna Corrigan, who had two brothers in the Tuam home. Photo: Gareth Chaney

Dublin woman Anna Corrigan said she does not believe that both of her baby brothers born in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home actually died there.

She believes her brother William may have been adopted illegally in the US as no death certificate was issued for him, she said.

A death certificate was issued for her oldest brother, John. Inspectors who visited the institution in the 1940s stated he was in an "emaciated" condition. Later, when his death was listed, a death certificate stated measles as a cause of death.

If the bodies of one or two of her brothers are identified with DNA tests, she wants the remains to be given to her for a family burial. "The Garda forensic team should have been sent to the site a long time ago. I want to give a sample of my DNA to help the investigation," she said.

When she was growing up, Ms Corrigan did not know her mother had two sons before she was married.

The boys were born in the Tuam institution and Ms Corrigan grew up believing she was an only child.

Her mother, Bridget Dolan, from Clonfert, Co Galway, was 81 when she died in 2001.

Ms Corrigan said her mother always believed that baby William was illegally adopted in the US.

She always hoped that William was alive and that he would track her down at her home in Dublin.

Ms Corrigan said an entry in a ledger at St Mary's Mother and Baby Home in Tuam stated William died on February 3, 1951.

But gardai established that no death certificate was issued. The Dublin woman said she believed her mother was right in claiming her baby was brought to America and adopted illegally.

"I have made a missing person's report to gardai," she said.

She has no evidence that William survived or was taken to the US, but a large number of babies were illegally adopted from mother and baby homes in Ireland and brought to the US in that period, she said.

A Garda spokesman told this newspaper: "The investigation in relation to William Joseph Dolan is being treated as a missing person enquiry."
A UK columnist has come under fire after suggesting that Ireland is not a real country.

In her comment piece for todays UK Times, Melanie Philips talks about moves by Republicans in Northern Ireland and nationalists in Scotland to seek independence from the UK.

Ireland, you're not a proper country. Melanie Phillips says so pic.twitter.com/2GgVqmObHJ  Ian Prior (@ianprior) March 7, 2017

Under the headline 'Britain is the authentic nation in this battle' she describes Scotland and Northern Ireland as "the most troublesome bits of the United Kingdom".

However, it is her comments about Ireland that have sparked the biggest reaction online.

Ms Philips writes that Unionists in Northern Ireland are "not British".

She continues: "They're the bit that got tacked on to Great Britain to make the UK.

"Does that mean Westminster should tear up the Good Friday agreement and bid farewell to Northern Ireland. No, because it has an obligation to the Unionists; and because the claim to unite Ireland is tenuous since Ireland itself has a tenuous claim to nationhood, having seceded from Britain as the Irish Free State in 1922."

The column has caused a big reaction online with many taking to Twitter to lambaste the writer.

Irish ambassador to the UK Daniel Mulhall wrote: "As Ambassador I cannot ignore @MelanieLatest's outlandish claim @thetimes that Irish nationhood is 'tenuous'. 100 years of independence.

"Irish nationhood based on strong sense of identity, distinctive culture & shared values and interests. Nothing 'tenuous'."

1/2 As Ambassador I cannot ignore @MelanieLatest's outlandish claim @thetimes that Irish nationhood is 'tenuous'. 100 years of independence.  Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) March 7, 2017

2/2 @MelanieLatest Irish nationhood based on strong sense of identity, distinctive culture & shared values and interests. Nothing 'tenuous'  Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) March 7, 2017

One British tweeter wrote: "That awkward moment when other countries find out about Melanie Philips."

Another added: "That Melanie Philips piece reads like something Punch rejected for being too bats**t crazy."

Independent.ie has attempted to contact Ms Philips for a comment.
An Irishman has been arrested in Colombia after police allegedly caught him recording his sexual abuse of a young girl.

According to caracoltv.com the 50-year-old Irish citizen was caught after police received a tip-off that he was in a room in Medellin with the 12-year-old girl and a woman.

A member of the public had reportedly spotted the abuse through a window in the apartment.

When they arrived at the room in the upmarket El Poblado district, police found the man allegedly abusing the girl while the 19-year-old woman was taking photographs.

The man and woman were arrested while the young girl was taken into care. Police are now seeking to reunite her with her family.

The Irish Sun is reporting that police seized a pack of condoms, two mobile phones and a camera.

Photographs of the suspect and the items seized were released by police.

Medellin mayor Federico Gutierrez told the newspaper: When police arrived, the girl was engaged in sexual acts with the man, who has been handed over to the public prosecutors office.

I would like to thank the commitment of the men and women of the police, who continue to fight the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and adolescents in the city of Medellin. The National Police is prepared to end this abuse.

The Irish man is one of three people arrested last week on suspicion of child sex offences in Medellin.
An actor who starred in Love Hate has told how he has been forced to beg to feed his heroin addiction.

Tommy Kiernan Dunne, who is known as 'Tommy KD', spoke to RTE Radio One just moments after he was arrested for begging in Dublin City Centre at the weekend.

Speaking to reporter Brian O'Connell from a cell in Pearse Street garda station, Kiernan said he was trying to raise money to "to feed me heroin addiction".

"I have a talent for rapping and acting. I was in Love Hate, I did an ad for the Simon Community."

Read More

Kiernan said he would need about "three or four bags" a day to feed his addiction.

"About 60 to 70 a day," he explained. "If I put half the effort as I do into getting the money."

.@oconnellbrian has been on the beat with Garda Eccles and Johnston of the public order unit of Pearse St Gardai #todaysor pic.twitter.com/RBsDi0v1v1  RTE Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) March 7, 2017

Asked what will happen next, he told the reporter: "I will be charged, I don't know how long I will be in here. It could be an hour, maybe two. I'll be charged and I'll have to go to court where I will get a fine. It is usually 50 to 100. How am I supposed to pay a fine?

"I will be brought to Mountjoy and get out after breakfast. It is the same old bleedin' story. It's a monkey on my back."

Kiernan, from Ballymun, Dublin was among six recovering Dublin heroin addicts who starred in Love Hate.

The high-octane scene saw a group of gaunt and drug-wizened recovering male drug addicts at a house adorned with a 'Jesus Saves' sign in the window, frantically dancing 'heavy-metal style' together to real-life Canadian Christian rockers Thousand Foot Krutch. While, dancing the group manically spouted evangelical oaths in each other's faces before casually walking away after the session to go 'tapping' - or begging.

You can listen to Brian O'Connell's report here
A woman has told of how nuns at a mother and baby home forced her to change her baby son's name "so he would be easier to sell".

Bridget, who rang RTE Radio One's Liveline today, told of how her son William was born in 1961 in Bessborough, Cork and died just six weeks later. Bridget, aged in her seventies and who now lives in England, described how she sensed something was wrong the moment she arrived at the mother and baby home.

She also described how nuns were "delighted" when they saw she gave birth to a baby boy, as he would "be easier to sell" and insisted that he be given the Catholic name of Gerard for the same reason.

She said she believes her baby would have survived if he received the medical attention he needed at the time.

Bridget was working in Ireland when she fell pregnant aged 17. She joined a work agency to get a travel fare to the UK where she continued to work until the summer before her due date.

"They paid my fare so I went to London and was working away, but I had it in the back of my mind, 'what am I going to do?'," an emotional Bridget told Liveline.

On #Liveline we speak to Fr. Paul Churchill, his father was born and reared in the #Tuam Mother and Baby Home, he has written this letter... pic.twitter.com/3BemLkXrRM  Liveline (@Liveline_RTE) March 7, 2017

"I went to the confession box and told the priest, I told the priest, I confessed. At that time it was the most terrible sin.

"The priest gave me an address and it was for the Catholic Crusade of Rescue and they arranged for me to go to back to Ireland.

"I was told I had to go back to Ireland to have my baby," she continued.

"Now I realise of course I needn't have. If I knew how things worked I could have stayed here and had my baby, and still have my baby."

Bridget described how she had nobody to turn to and had planned to have her baby on the Underground in London before she decided to approach a priest.

Read More

"I had plans to have my baby on the Underground because there was nowhere. I am sure I'm not the only Irish girl [who would have been in that situation]. It was out of desperation and fear, complete fear.

"We were just sitting ducks for the people who wanted our babies."

Bridget said she arrived at the home in Cork just two month before she gave birth to her "beautiful baby boy" in late October of 1961.

"I got to Cork Harbour and a car was waiting with a man and I was taken to Bessborough," she said.

"I was doing everything I was told to do.

"I arrived in Bessborough not knowing what was ahead. Straightaway you could feel the horror of it.

"My clothes were taken," she continued.

"Everything was taken. My handbag, my coat, everything personal.

"I was given shoes and a uniform, all the girls wore the same.

"I went there in August and my baby was born in October, late October.

"Of course they were delighted he was a boy, a boy was easier to get rid of.

"It's taken 58 years for me to tell you this. It happened to me, it happened to my baby. How dare they deny it," she added.

Bridget wanted to name her baby boy William after her father and his father, but the nuns insisted she put the name Gerard on the birth certificate as he would be "easier to sell".

The baby weighed 7lb 11oz and was healthy until he fell ill three days later.

"At the same time I became ill myself," Bridget continued.

"Nineteen days in Bessborough and I was longing to be rescued, longing to be saved.

"Bessborough knew that my baby was desperately ill. They knew I was ill. I was dragging my foot around for weeks.

"He was brought into St Finbarr's Hospital after 19 days, he lived for 19 more days.

"The whole of my life has been a terrible ordeal.

"This little boy could have been saved. He really was a fighter. He could have been a beautiful healthy boy.

"He could have been saved so easily.

Read More

"He was just left there to die. He was brought to me for half an hour in the evening.

"I named him William, that was with a battle Joe, it was an English Protestant name, they said they would call him Gerard and on his birth certificate he is called Gerard.

"Miraculously, on his death certificate his name is William.

"Gerard would be of no further use. Gerard would have been easier to sell than William. Gerard was a name that could be easily sold to a Catholic family.

"But William got back his rightful name. William was the name of my father and grandfather.

"The name William was precious to me."

In a coincidence, Bridget's daughter Carmel moved to Cork from England almost 20 years ago with her husband and bought a house which faces onto the Angel's Plot at Bessborough.

Bridget said she regularly visited her daughter's house and looked out over the graveyard, not knowing where her baby was buried.

"I broke down and I couldn't keep it in anymore," she said.

"I told Carmel that my baby was buried in Bessborough, she was brilliant. She encouraged me to go back and ask where my baby was buried.

"There I was told he was buried in the Angel's Plot.

"The person took me down and showed me where. She tapped the ground where my baby was buried.

"But the same person admitted later on she didn't know where the babies were buried.

"So now I'm totally confused."

Bridget thanked her children for their understanding and support.

"My children have been wonderful. It's taken me years to come out and they've been wonderful.

"Hopefully I will live to see the outcome of Tuam.

"If that was done [DNA testing on babies' remains] I would die happy."

Bridget said she thinks and prays about her son everyday.

"I think about him everyday. I pray and mention his name everyday.

"Because he needn't have died," she said.

"He was a lovely, beautiful, healthy baby."
Simon Harris is to focus on his role as Health Minister. Photo: Tom Burke

Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has given her clearest indication yet that she will join the Fine Gael leadership race after Health Minister Simon Harris ended speculation about his intentions.

Asked about the prospect by the Irish Independent yesterday, Ms Fitzgerald replied: "I'm considering it very seriously. The last time there was a Fine Gael election for leader there were four candidates.

"I think it's very healthy for the party to have a very good debate leading up to the formal nomination of a new leader.

"I'm certainly very seriously considering it, but right now the Taoiseach is in place."

Ms Fitzgerald is viewed within Fine Gael as loyal to Enda Kenny and would be likely to be pick up votes from his supporters.

While the contest is still seen as a two-horse race between Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney, there is a growing view among TDs and senators that there should be a third candidate.

Some are concerned that if the race is just between Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney, it could split the party down the middle. "A third candidate would help stop it turning into a mud-slinging match," said one source.

Read more: High number of Fine Gael ministers is a headache for leadership contenders

Education Minister Richard Bruton has yet to clarify his intentions, while some senior figures are still trying to convince Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe to run.

Ms Fitzgerald won't make any formal declaration before the Taoiseach publicly sets out his exit strategy. He travels to the US next weekend for a trip that includes stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Rhode Island, Washington and New York.

Party members expect Mr Kenny to outline his plans when he returns after St Patrick's Day - but he is unlikely to vacate office before the end of April.

"I'll await further developments before I say anything else," Ms Fitzgerald said, adding that it was a "very important" time for the party.

Debate

"The party has a very serious role to play in Irish society. We deserve to have a very good debate leading to the election of a new leader," she said.

Asked whether she had lined up seven party members who could nominate her for the leadership contest, she replied: "I'll deal with that when the time comes, yes."

Earlier, Mr Harris, who is viewed in political circles as Ms Fitzgerald's protege, said it would be "inappropriate" for him to run when the Department of Health was under intense pressure.

"I've made my decision, I'm very satisfied with that, and I'm sure many other people are considering their options in the coming days and weeks," he said.

His announcement immediately heightened speculation that the way was being cleared for the Justice Minister to put her name forward.

Mr Harris told RTE's Sean O'Rourke programme that it felt a tilt at the leadership was "worth giving consideration to".

However, he said being Health Minister was "one of the most difficult jobs in the Irish Government".

"Being Minister for Health is a bit like eating an elephant. You've got to do it bite by bite," Mr Harris said.

He declined to say who he would support in the contest, but described Ms Fitzgerald as his mentor. "My loyalty is to the Taoiseach, and when the Taoiseach makes his decision to step aside I'll make my decision on who to support," he said.
The family of Martin McGuinness yesterday appealed for privacy amid reports about the failing health of the former deputy first minister.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams refused to be drawn on reports that Mr McGuinness had spent the past two weeks in hospital and asked that a request for privacy be respected.

The 'Irish News' yesterday reported the former Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland, who was replaced by Michelle O'Neill, had been admitted to hospital some time ago.

Mr Adams would not comment on his colleague's health as Sinn Fein unveiled its new Assembly team at Stormont, but he did send his best wishes to Mr McGuinness, his wife Bernie and family.

Read more: Concerns for Martin McGuinness after reports he has spent two weeks in hospital

Former IRA chief Mr McGuinness did not play a part in the election campaign he triggered with his resignation in January and did not appear at the Derry count on Friday where his party triumphed.

Mr McGuinness was not seen at the polls with his wife on Thursday, but his son Fiachra tweeted that his father had "voted Sinn Fein 1 and 2". It is not known whether he voted in person, by postal vote or by proxy.

Paying tribute to her predecessor after topping the poll in Mid-Ulster, where Mr McGuinness was once MP, Ms O'Neill said shortly after her election: "The 26,207 people who voted for Sinn Fein in Mid-Ulster are sending 26,207 good wishes to Martin McGuinness."

Meanwhile, under-fire DUP leader Arlene Foster has called for a fresh attempt at unionist unity, saying a catastrophic Assembly election must serve as a "wake-up" call for unionism.

Ms Foster said that if a formal agreement could not be reached, there should be a deal on transfer pacts between pro-union parties.

She also hit out at Mike Nesbitt's declaration that he would transfer his vote to the SDLP, saying it had damaged unionism.

Writing in the 'Belfast Telegraph', Ms Foster warned that her party's total vote in last Friday's poll would not be enough to win the next election.

"Ideally, I would like to see a renewed attempt to create unionist unity where the parties would come together," she said.

"Failing that, we need to agree transfer pacts where unionists transfer down the ballot paper to each other.

"Mike Nesbitt's transfer policy did enormous damage to the UUP, but it also hurt unionism more widely.

"This must be addressed if unionism is to remain as the dominant voice in Northern Ireland."

Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Ms O'Neill said the election had delivered a clear message to the DUP.

Also writing today, she said: "We rallied the people to get behind us to stand up against the toxic culture of DUP incompetence, against corruption and arrogance in government, and against Brexit.

Read more: Arlene Foster faces revolt as third of DUP MLAs want her to step aside and save institutions

"The unionist majority in the Assembly is gone and the notion of a perpetual unionist majority has been demolished."

The DUP finished just one seat in front of Sinn Fein, with the parties separated by less than 1,200 votes.

It has seen pressure mount on Ms Foster, who was yesterday forced to deny reports of a revolt within her party. Sources said there was anger that a full party meeting had not been called in the wake of Friday's poor election showing.

One described the last few days as a full-scale crisis for the party and unionism in general.

Ms Foster was accompanied by just deputy leader Nigel Dodds, who does not even sit in the Assembly, as she faced the cameras yesterday.

In contrast, Mr Adams was flanked by Sinn Fein's full Assembly team at a media briefing at Stormont.

Yesterday talks got under way to resolve the impasse, as a DUP delegation met Sinn Fein, with more discussions due today. Later, Ms Foster denied reports that she was facing a potential revolt from inside the DUP.

"There's no revolt," she said.

"I've had a very good meeting with my party officers, I'll meet with my full assembly team [today] and talk to a lot of my other colleagues as well.

"So there's no problem, no problem at all."

In today's article, Ms Foster described the poll results as a reality check.

"This election has undoubtedly been a wake-up call for unionism," she said.
The prospect of a deal being struck on the issue of water charges has moved a step closer after senior Fine Gael figures said they are now open to the idea of using existing legislation to penalise wastage.

A report by the chairman of the Oireachtas Water Committee, Senator Padraig O Ceidigh, will today set out a series of compromise proposals in a bid to end the stand-off between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

It's understood the report will call for a "scoping exercise" to take place to determine whether a little known 2007 law could be amended in order to deal with households that waste water.

The scoping exercise into changes to the 2007 Water Services Act will be carried out in conjunction with lawyers for the Oireachtas. Mr O Ceidigh will also seek more time so that the committee members can resolve their differences.

The 2007 act provides for a 5,000 maximum fine and /or a prison sentence of up to three months for offenders.

Fine Gael, through Housing Minister Simon Coveney, has insisted that EU law is understood to require water charges at a minimum for those who excessively use or who waste water.

Mr Coveney has said this is his advice from the Attorney General - and the Government cannot allow arrangements that break EU law and could lead to heavy fines.

Advice

But Fianna Fail has produced its own legal advice which contends that the EU legal requirement can be met by the 2007 law.

In an indication that Fine Gael is to budge on the issue, party sources said they could go down the proposed route provided that the amendments were "significant".

"There needs to be a compromise found this week. But we would only back an option that is legally sound," one source said.

Fianna Fail has maintained that it will not support a proposal to roll out an excess charge, with sources last night insisting the party's position won't change. It has proposed a penalty points-style system to deal with the issue of wastage.

But Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday rowed into the row as he criticised Fianna Fail over the stance it has adopted to date.

Mr Donohoe said there could be consequences for the taxpayer if people were pursued through the courts.

"For any government to find itself in a situation where it has to deal with fining people for excess water usage, or taking them to court for excess water usage, but is not in a position to be able to charge them a moderate amount for that usage, would present even greater difficulty for water policy than what we have at the moment," Mr Donohoe said.

The Dublin Central TD is understood to have begun analysing the potential impact on the State's finances resulting from any decision to issue refunds to households that have paid their bills.

A draft report circulated to committee members last week states that householders have paid 100m to Irish Water and that "those householders be refunded in the most effective way possible".
The remains of Paddy Lyons are carried from Ballysaggart Church. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

He adored music over his 90 years. So it was fitting yesterday that Paddy Lyons undertook his final journey, from St Mary's Church in Ballysaggart, west Waterford, to the graveside of his late parents, to the strains of traditional music.

As his coffin was lowered into the rain-sodden ground, it was also appropriate that more than 200 mourners, some weeping, broke into a rousing version of 'The Fields of Athenry'.

The pensioner, whose death on February 25 sparked a Garda murder investigation, was remembered as a truly unique Irish character.

Margaret Fitzgerald, speaking on behalf of the extended Lyons family, said the retired farmer was "a unique, intelligent man, honest, kind and humble".

She said his death had cast "a great shadow" over the entire community. "But he will live in our hearts forever."

Other mourners remembered a man who insisted on dancing in turned-down wellies at the local Christmas party just three months ago.

Expand Close Paddy Lyons. Photo: Paddy Geoghegan / Facebook

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Fr Michael Cullinan told the mourners that their community was left traumatised and angry by "the cowardly" murder of a vulnerable pensioner.

Fr Cullinan warned that life in Ballysaggart will never be the same. "(We feel) anger at such a cowardly deed on a defenceless man," he said.

Mr Lyons was buried beside his parents, John and Nora, in the cemetery directly behind the church.

Read more: Community left devastated by 'cowardly murder' of vulnerable Paddy, funeral hears

"I wish to acknowledge the deep trauma and the hurt suffered by all of us by Paddy's murder," Fr Cullinan said.

"We have to cope with this trauma, this shock, this disbelief and this fear at the manner of Paddy's death has visited upon us. We will have to dig deep into our own humanity to support one another because we cannot talk about normality again. That is gone."

Fr Cullinan noted that Mr Lyons was a man of simple tastes - he loved his community, music, his neighbours and his home.

The offertory gifts to reflect his life included a sack, a piece of turf, a music tape and his Rosary beads.

He said that deep respect was underlined by how Mr Lyons's neighbours and family had shouldered his coffin.

Mr Lyons was found dead at his Loughleagh home outside Ballysaggart, on February 25.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has described the Tuam Mother and Baby Home  where hundreds of babies remains were discovered - as "a chamber of horrors."

In a very strongly-worded response to questions about the controversy, Mr Kenny said the Tuam revelations did not only concern a mass grave  but a social and cultural sepulchre.

Mr Kenny said the revelations were a cause of shock and shame across the country. He said the nuns who ran mother and baby homes did not "kidnap children"  society gave up the children to these nuns, in part to spare them the viciousness of gossip.

"Women of that era had an amazing capacity to self-impregnate," he said with irony in reference to widespread hypocrisy in Irish society in recent generations.

The Taoiseach was replying to questions from Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin who praised the work of historian, Catherine Corless, in bringing these cases to light. He condemned the treatment of single mothers, who broke societal rules on sexual behaviour, and the treatment of their children.

Read More

"They were considered to be lesser people in the overall society," the Fianna Fail leader said.

Mr Martin said Government must issue a formal apology; the inquiry must be extended to all mother and baby homes; and a dignified memorial must be erected.

The Fianna Fail leader said the lessons must also be learnt and remedies found for the 2,500 homeless children with more investment in social worker, therapist and psychological services.

Mr Kenny said there must be a period of reflection before action is taken  but action must be taken. He said he must await further work from the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes; the North Galway Coroner; and the Gardai.

Mr Kenny added "we buried our compassion, humanity and mercy" as he described the burial site as a "chamber of horrors".

The Taoiseach said in the so-called good old days Irish society did not want to deal with the issues.

"We dug deep to bury our compassion and our mercy. No nuns broke into our homes to take our children- we gave them up. We gave them up because of our morbid and perverse pursuit for respectability," the Taoiseach said.
Cllr Deirdre Wadding with PBP colleague Brid Smith as she talked about her time in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A woman who had to give up her child for adoption after being sent to a mother and baby home has spoken of the trauma she went through as a teenager.

Deirdre Wadding said coverage of the horror at Tuam - where it's believed that hundreds of babies died - "stirred up my own experiences".

Now a People Before Profit councillor, Ms Wadding was sent to the Bessboro Home in Cork in 1981 when she became pregnant at the age of 18.

Run by a different religious order to Tuam, Ms Wadding said she didn't experience "brutality".

But she said: "You had the trauma of guilt and shame that was imposed by the very fact of being there.

"You had the enormous trauma and sorrow of loss of your child being placed for adoption." She said the impact was like a life sentence. Ms Wadding said it's been "a great joy" that she was later reunited with her son.

She said she wants to see a comprehensive investigation into the former mother and baby homes nationwide.
Most women desire children and even at a young age, we harbour fantasies of motherhood. Girls enjoy playing with their dolls - they cradle them like babies and enjoy dressing them up.

Fast forward to adulthood and the childhood dreams turn to brooding and day dreams.

The young woman ruminates about motherhood and may even experience a physical yearning for a child. She day dreams of holding her baby, walking with a buggy and even imagines the child's facial appearance.

The drive for motherhood is powerful indeed and so it should be, as it is vitally necessary to propagate the human species if humanity is to survive.

When the positive pregnancy test is returned, the plans for the baby kick in with force. The bedroom is made ready, names are discussed and clothes are bought.

The American ritual of the 'baby shower' is now becoming fashionable in Ireland and well-meaning grannies and grandaunts begin knitting. Scans of the baby are circulated to friends and the baby increasingly becomes the focus for the family and beyond.

Imagine that tragedy strikes and the expectant mother miscarries - especially but not exclusively - if this is late in the pregnancy or she has a stillbirth.

Stillbirth is defined as the death of a baby at or after 28 weeks' gestation, although some definitions put it at or after 20 weeks and others at or after 24 weeks.

Before 20 weeks, such a loss is referred to as a miscarriage or a spontaneous abortion. Since 1995, it has been possible to register a stillborn baby (born after 24 weeks and weighing 500g or more).

Registering the death may not seem controversial, but prior to the 1995 Stillborn Registration Act, the absence of recognition of the baby caused parents much anguish. In Ireland, one in every 200 births it stillborn, making it more common than many people realise.

Internationally, 2.7 million babies worldwide are stillborn annually. Only in recent years has the grief associated with miscarriage and stillbirth been fully appreciated.

The grief can be present for many years, but because the baby is 'gone', does not mean it is forgotten.

I have treated a number of women who mourned their babies even 20 years after the loss.

Meanwhile, they had given birth to other children, lived happy lives and had much that was positive in their families - but the void was still present in their inner secret sanctum.

Every pregnancy is accompanied by images, aspirations and plans, yet these are crushed when a baby dies, even before any have the possibility of realisation.

Mental pictures of which side of the family the baby might resemble, the daydreams of the baby walking, talking and going to school come to a sudden and terrifyingly unexpected end.

The grief experienced is for the baby, for the dreams that had surrounded that baby and for the future that will now never be realised.

Well-meaning friends may try and offer consolation by saying that the grieving mother is young enough to have more children or that she is lucky to have those already born to her. Comments such as these disenfranchises her grief.

The grief of fathers is still not fully appreciated and many suffer in silence.

The loss of a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth may have a profound effect on the relationship as mother and father grieve separately and differently.

For example, recent research (Burden et al 2016 BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth) shows that fathers often deal with loss in these circumstances by avoidance or substance misuse.

Sexual feelings are also different between mothers and fathers and they behave differently during subsequent pregnancies, with mothers expressing greater fear and uncertainty.

Despite the devastating, life-changing event of the loss of a baby in pregnancy, particularly as it advances, the above study shows that well supported couples develop resilience and new life-enriching life skills.

In Ireland, A Little Lifetime Foundation is one such organisation that assists parents who have lost a baby in pregnancy.

Those affected by the loss of a baby during this time may find this wonderful organisation of assistance.

You do not need to face it alone.

* For more information, see alittlelifetime.ie, miscarriage.ie, feileacain.ie.
In the middle of last month we were delighted with the weather forecast: snow on higher ground.

Sam the dog is getting old but nothing pleases him more than rolling in snow and this winter had so far yielded little chance to do this.

I was also driving a car, the Citroen C4 Cactus Rip Curl - not really my sort of name anymore - which had the Grip Assist system that is shared with Peugeot and aims to give almost AWD abilities at the turn of a control knob. The snow in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains would be a good test.

The Rip Curl, with its fancy lettering ("Patterned body graphics"), roof fittings suitable for a couple of surfboards and some off-road abilities, is the latest niche, SUV-style vehicle that Citroen seems to be specialising in. The C4 set-up is getting fairly old now and the general comfort level was pretty low. But maybe the surfing generation is so laid-back that they don't care. The C3 we had the week after is a much fresher car, very tasty, crammed with technology and deserves its place in the final seven of the European Car of the Year contest the winner of which will be announced in Geneva tomorrow.

However, both it and the Rip Curl are let down by a poor gearbox which is not precise enough at all. Both also have the Citroen tendency to be too soft a ride which gives a lot of roll going into corners.

But back to the snow. On the way to the Sally Gap, we stopped off at a forest walk, which crosses the making of a lovely river, and parked behind two other cars at the wide entrance. We had our walk, Sam rolled to his heart's content and we headed back to be greeted by a smashed passenger-side window. The car in front had worse; back and front window smashed. The other one had already left, leaving a pile of glass.

Nothing was taken from us, or from the family in front. Their three iPads and two phones were untouched. Either the would-be thieves were just after cash or they just might have been doing it for fun. Anyway, it managed to ruin our day and that of two other families.

It was a cold, cold drive home through the snow with an open umbrella trying to block the swirling snow's assault on our car.

It was a bit Heath Robinson, but let me tell you that Grip Control worked and I would have happily given chase at a fair lick if I had seen our attackers in action. Though perhaps, for all of us, it was best we hadn't. They were just scummy cowards out to wreck people's enjoyment of the countryside.

It was embarrassing returning the car the next day, especially as I thought that the Rip Curl was overcooked. I like the idea of a company partnered with a surfing legend, but it might be a shake of the dice too far. The car first went on sale last July so that perhaps was a better time to see a surfing car. The test model was 25,195. It has all the space and family attributes of the C4 range but with some nice styling and, of course, those Cactus Air Bumps to protect the doors. It can move along at a decent pace; 0-100kmh in less that 10 seconds.

I spent my teenage years in Cornwall and learnt to surf on the local beach, but it is more than 40 years since I have carried a board into the sea.C3 is more my style now and is superbly well-equipped, especially for urban use.

It can even have a camera on behind the rear-view mirror to take photographs or videos of anything in front. I wish someone with one was passing when our window was smashed. The C3 with all the kit comes in at two lattes short of 21k. It's worth looking at.

Maybe you won't have the same problems with the gearbox. It's my only caveat with a sparkling car.
Ryanair is set to launch a new, twice-weekly service between Dublin Airport and Naples this winter.

The new route, which will commence in October, was announced today as one of a raft of nine new services from the Italian city.

Fares, starting from 29.99, go on sale tomorrow (March 8).

The sale fares are only available for 48 hours, however - in a promotional offer set to expire at midnight on Thursday, March 9.

Naples (Napoli) is Italy's third-largest city, serving up a breathtaking mix of food, art and architecture - albeit with a gritty and graffiti-strewn edge.

The Bay of Naples is dramatically overlooked by Mount Vesuvius (above).

Ryanair has said it expects traffic to fall by 3pc from Ireland in 2017, but in recent months has also announced new winter services to Tours and Valencia.

Last week, it added extra flights from Dublin to Liverpool ahead of Premier League games on April 1 (Liverpool v Everton) and April 23 (v Crystal Palace).

It has also added extra flights between Manchester and Dublin for Man Utd v Chelsea (April 16) and Man Utd v Swansea (April 30).

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An Afghan family of five who travelled to the United States on special visas and were detained by immigration officials in Los Angeles have been released, according to the US government and the family's lawyers.

The mother, father and their three young sons, including a baby, arrived at the airport on Thursday for a connecting flight to Washington state, where they planned to resettle.

Instead, US immigration officials detained them and split them up. They planned to send the mother and children to a detention centre in Texas, but lawyers intervened over the weekend and had a federal judge quash the transfer.

Homeland Security officials have not said why the family was held, while immigrant advocates asserted in a court petition that there was "absolutely no justification whatsoever".

Government officials said in a federal court hearing that the family was given back their passports and visas and will be interviewed on April 5 in Seattle to determine if they are eligible to use those visas to remain in the United States.

Lawyers said the family should never have been subjected to this treatment after going through the more than year-long process to obtain special immigrant visas, which are given to foreigners who work for the US military in their countries, often risking their lives.

The father of the family worked different jobs for the US military in Afghanistan for more than a decade and was assaulted and shot during his time there, said attorney Rob Blume.

"It is a victory in a battle that shouldn't have been fought," Mr Blume told reporters after the hearing. "The government swung and missed on this issue, and they just got it wrong."

US District Judge Josephine Staton said she will retain jurisdiction of the case and that the government cannot detain or remove the family from the US without providing 72 hours' notice to their attorneys.

"I'm just trying to prevent further injury," she said.

Josh Busch, a spokesman for the Public Counsel, said the family was meeting with their attorneys and "taking it all in". He was not sure whether they would stay in the Los Angeles area overnight or head to Washington immediately.

He said their identities would remain protected for now, citing potential danger to them because of the father's work for the US government in Afghanistan.
The bizarre killing of Kim Jong Nam has caused a diplomatic dispute between Malaysia and North Korea (AP)

North Korea said it was banning Malaysians from leaving the country as its diplomatic battle escalated dramatically over the poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's estranged half brother.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the travel ban was tantamount to hostage-taking and said his country would immediately respond in kind by banning North Koreans from leaving Malaysia.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Mr Najib said.

The extraordinary tit-for-tat moves intensified the breakdown in relations between the countries amid Malaysia's investigation into the murder of Mr Kim in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on February 13.

Earlier, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said that Pyongyang was banning Malaysians from leaving the country "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia".

Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects. Three of them, including an official at the North Korean Embassy, are believed to still be in Malaysia.

Mr Najib said: "I have also instructed the Inspector General of Police to prevent all North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea."

Earlier, Malaysian officials had said the ban would affect only North Korean Embassy staff and officials, but officials expanded it to include all North Koreans. Police briefly cordoned off access to the embassy.

About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be working in Malaysia. Before diplomatic ties disintegrated, Malaysia had been one of the few places in the world where North Koreans could travel without a visa. As a result, for years, it has been a quiet destination for Northerners looking for jobs, schools and business deals.

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea - three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.

Expand Close Suspects arrested (clockwise from top left): Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, North Korean Ri Jong Chol, Malaysian Muhammad Farid Bin Jallaludin and Indonesian Siti Aisyah / Facebook

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Whatsapp Suspects arrested (clockwise from top left): Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, North Korean Ri Jong Chol, Malaysian Muhammad Farid Bin Jallaludin and Indonesian Siti Aisyah

North Korea said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before" during the period of the temporary exit ban.

It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.

Malaysia's finding that the nerve agent VX, a banned chemical weapon, killed Mr Kim boosted speculation that North Korea was behind 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.

In an attack that was caught on grainy surveillance camera footage, two women went up behind Mr Kim as he waited for a flight and wiped something across his face. According to Malaysian investigators, the substance was VX and Mr Kim was dead within 20 minutes.

The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank.

Although there is growing speculation that North Korea somehow orchestrated the attack, Malaysia has never directly accused Pyongyang. Still, North Korea has slammed the investigation as biased and demanded Malaysia hand over the body.

North Korea has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Nam or a relative of its leader, Kim Jong Un. Instead, it refers to him as Kim Chol, the name on the diplomatic passport he was carrying when he died.

Custody of the body has become a flashpoint. Malaysia says it needs to conduct DNA tests to formally identify the body, but North Korea says it has no right to keep the body of a North Korean citizen.
Tensions between Austria and Turkey are high

Turkish hackers have again attacked the Austrian foreign ministry's internet pages amid simmering tensions between the two countries, authorities said.

Spokesman Thomas Schnoell said the ministry's home page was offline for several minutes.

The latest blow to already strained ties follows moves by chancellor Christian Kern and foreign minister Sebastian Kurz to ban Turkish officials from campaigning in Austria on behalf of Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a proposed new constitution.

Austria is home to hundreds of thousands of Turks, many with dual citizenship.

Mr Schnoell identified the perpetrators as Aslan Neferler Tim, a group which has claimed previous cyberattacks on his ministry, parliament and the defence ministry.

He said Mr Kurz will "not be deterred from his Turkey policies" as a result of Monday's attacks.
The march comes amid legal moves to halt work on the pipeline (AP)

A US federal judge has declined to temporarily halt construction of the final section of the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline.

US district judge James Boasberg's decision, which comes a week after he held a hearing to consider the matter, means the pipeline could be in operation this month.

Native American tribes the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux had asked Judge Boasberg to direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permission for Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners to lay pipe under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

The stretch under the Missouri River reservoir is the last piece of construction for the 3.8 billion dollar (3 billion) pipeline to move North Dakota oil to Illinois.

The ruling is not the end of the court battle, as no final decision has been made on the merits of the tribes' claims that the pipeline threatens cultural sites, water and religion.

Meanwhile, Native Americans from across the US are holding a protest in Washington DC against the Trump administration and its approval of the pipeline.

The demo in the US capital kicks off four days of activities which will culminate in a march on the White House.

Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and a number of speakers planned.

Native American leaders also plan to lobby politicians to protect tribal rights.

Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, said: "We are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us.

"We must march against injustice. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

On Friday, the two-mile "Native Nations March on DC" will lead participants from the Army Corps of Engineers office to a rally near the White House.

Organisers have not released an estimate on how many people or tribes planned to take part.

The White House has not responded to a request for comment.

The march on Friday will begin at the Army Corps of Engineers office because the agency manages the Missouri River and last month gave the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, permission to finish the project. The company expects to wrap up the work and have oil flowing this month.

The two tribes feel they were not properly consulted about the pipeline route, which the government disputes.

They also maintain their treaty rights were violated when the government changed its mind about conducting further environmental studies of the Lake Oahe crossing after President Donald Trump took office in January.

Dallas Goldtooth, an organiser with the Indigenous Environmental Network, said: "This fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has been the tip of the spear of a powerful global movement calling for the United States government and Donald Trump to respect indigenous nations and people in our right to water, land, sovereignty and culture."
London Bridge Station, the fourth busiest in London, had to be closed Photo: Twitter

London Bridge railway and underground stations were closed off and evacuated due to an abandoned and smashed up VW Polo.

The entire area was off limits for around one hour from 1.40pm, leaving hundreds of people crowded at the police cordon, because the vehicle was deemed "suspicious" by the Metropolitan Police Service.

However, British police have now confirmed that the incident was not suspicious.

"Thanks for bearing with us during the security alert on London Bridge St," police said on Twitter. "Incident found not to be suspicious. Roads re-opening now."

An eyewitness described how a bomb disposal robot was deployed and a Met Police officer later confirmed nothing suspicious was found.

Southern Rail said trains at London Bridge had to sit in situ, and incoming trains terminated at New Cross Gate, Norwood Junction, East Croydon and Bermondsey.
France's mainstream right enacted a spectacular U-turn last night by unanimously backing its scandal-struck presidential candidate Francois Fillon and declaring a bitter battle to replace him "now closed".

The 'coup de theatre' came after a crisis meeting of top members of the conservative Les Republicains party, many of whom had been piling pressure on Mr Fillon to step down over allegations that he had misused public funds to pay his wife hundreds of thousands of euros for a job she did not do.

It came hours after the man tipped to replace Mr Fillon, former prime minister Alain Juppe, ruled himself out and former president Nicolas Sarkozy stepped in to try to save the French right from implosion.

After yesterday's crisis meeting, French Senate leader Gerard Larcher insisted that the internal challenge to replace Mr Fillon was now "closed". "After a wide debate, the 'politicard' committee unanimously renewed its support and confidence in Francois Fillon," he said.

During the meeting, Mr Fillon had once again ruled out stepping down, telling senior party members there was "no plan B". "It is time for everybody to get their act together and come back to their senses," he said. It came after Mr Sarkozy stepped in to propose a three-way meeting between himself, Mr Fillon and Mr Juppe, to find a "dignified and credible way out" of the crisis.

However, Mr Fillon's former centrist UDI allies last night said they would restore support to the Republicains only if a new candidate was chosen. Georges Fenech, a former Juppe supporter, said Mr Fillon should be allowed to carry on, but only if another right-winger joined the race.

Mr Juppe gave a bitter assessment of the French right. He accused Mr Fillon of having a "boulevard before him" after the party primaries only to lead his political family into an electoral dead end over corruption allegations. He offered no backing to the "obstinate" Mr Fillon or any other potential right-wing replacement.

Mr Fillon denies allegations his wife Penelope did little work for being paid around 900,000 in parliamentary funds, but suffered a serious blow last week when he learned he could face a formal investigation.

During a drama-filled weekend Mr Fillon delivered a defiant speech to thousands of grassroots supporters in central Paris telling them that they would not be robbed of victory.

Yesterday he told party members that the tens of thousands who showed up to support him were proof he could yet confound the polls, which currently predict him being knocked out in round one of the election on April 23. They predict centrist Emmanuel Macron will beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the May 7 runoff. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Many skiers were swept away when an avalanche struck the French ski resort of Tignes but authorities say that nobody was killed.

The avalanche came down at about 10am (local time) in the Val Claret area of the resort, near a relatively easy "blue" slope, a local emergency services spokesman said.

The vast Tignes ski area was entirely closed and skiers were evacuated by resort staff and police.

Rescue conditions were difficult because of fog which made it impossible for emergency workers from outside the resort to get there by helicopter. They had to come by road instead.

Authorities confirmed, shortly after 11am that there were no deaths and the rescue operation was over.

The avalanche risk was high on Tuesday at four on a scale of five.

"The Irish Embassy in Paris is monitoring developments. Anyone affected by the avalanche and who requires consular assistance or has any concershould call the Irish Embassy in Paris on 01441 - 76700," a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Four snowboarders died last month in Tignes in another avalanche near the resort.

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In January 29 people died after a hotel at an Italian ski resort was struck by an avalanche.

Nine people were pulled out alive in the first days of the rescue operation.

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The US embassy has voiced concern over violence in the region

A general strike called by ethnic groups a day after police shot and killed at least three protesters has shut down markets, schools and transport in much of southern Nepal.

Police had opened fire on protesters attempting to disrupt a political rally on Monday, killing at least three and wounding dozens in southern Nepal, which has been hit by violent protests over the last year.

On Tuesday, protesters blocked main road routes and towns to enforce the general strike.

They attacked several government offices and vandalised a vehicle from the National Human Rights Commission, which had a team monitoring the situation. There were minor clashes between police and the protesters, but no-one was hurt.

The commission said it was probing the police firing and monitoring the fresh violence in the area.

Home office official Bal Krishna Panthi said police first tried to disperse the protesters with batons and tear gas before firing their guns.

He said three people were fatally shot and 33 police officers were injured in the clash. He could not say how many protesters were hurt.

Police stepped up security in southern towns and increased patrols on highways, which were mostly deserted because of the general strike.

The US embassy in Kathmandu issued a statement saying it was deeply concerned at signs of rising volatility in some areas of Nepal.

The violence broke out after the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) attempted to hold a rally in Rajbiraj town, 250 miles south-west of Kathmandu. Ethnic Madhesi groups oppose the party and have vowed to stop its rallies.

The Communist Party of Nepal was in power and its leader, Khadga Prasad Oli, was prime minister when the Madhesis held protests between August 2015 and February 2016 after Mr Oli rejected their demands for changes to a new constitution which would give the ethnic group more territory in proposed federal states.

The protests shut down southern towns for months, blocking the border with India and stopping the supply of fuel and medicine.

The protests eventually fizzled out and a new administration that took power in August 2016 promised to address the demands by the Madhesis.

The protests have been held in southern towns since Saturday and come ahead of district and municipal elections set for May.
Iraqi security forces advance during fighting against Islamic State in western Mosul (Khalid Mohammed/AP)

Iraqi forces have captured a government complex in western Mosul from the Islamic State group, a senior military commander has said.

The advance comes more than two weeks since the latest push started to clear the city's western side of IS.

Lt Gen Abdul-Amir Raheed Yar Allah said troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on top of the buildings in the Dawasa district on Tuesday, hailing the federal police as "heroes".

Lt Gen Yar Allah commands army operations in Ninevah, where Mosul is the provincial capital.

He said the troops also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River.

US-led air strikes disabled Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Iraq declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" last month but the militants have carried out attacks there since then.

AP
Only the poorest of the poor live in the bordos, or slums, of San Pedro Sula, the second city of Honduras.

In one, Esquipulas, houses are built of scrap metal and corrugated iron, and risk being washed away when the nearby river floods. There is no sanitation, so human effluent is discharged directly to water. There are no schools, or government services. Electricity connections are illegal, increasing fire risk, and some 1,200 people live in squalor.

Expand Close Brenda Ramos (18) with her six-week old baby Dominga, and Erica Roxana Ramos (18) with her son Axel (10 months) in the Esquipulas bordo. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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Whatsapp Brenda Ramos (18) with her six-week old baby Dominga, and Erica Roxana Ramos (18) with her son Axel (10 months) in the Esquipulas bordo. Photo: Frank McGrath

But everyone needs a home, and in a country where half the population lives on less than 5 a day, people do the best they can.

Maria Fermina Reyes Corea (48) is a community leader who has lived in the bordo for 26 years. She sometimes struggles to find the 50 Lempira (2) monthly fee to pay for her children's schooling.

"I have eight children and the school is about half-an-hour away," she says. "The main problem is having a job to get the monthly fee for school. Sometimes you have the money to buy the notebooks, and sometimes you don't. If you don't pay, you don't get the certificate (graduate)."

Irish aid agency Trocaire is working with a local group, CASM, on a project which focuses on emergency preparedness for when the river which runs through the community, the Rio Bermejo, floods.

Expand Close Eighteen year old Anna Riviera pictured at her home in the Esquipulas Bordo Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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The aim is to get people to high ground, and quickly. The last serious flood was in 2012. The water rises quickly due to deforestation in the mountains, where the absence of trees means that rainwater cannot be absorbed.

Flood waters scour away the earthen banks and wash away homes. Lives have been lost.

The community faces struggles on a daily basis. One young mother, Brenda Ramos (18), fears for her child's health, saying the pollution and bad smells can cause infections.

"The babies are affected by them," she says. "I am worried because sometimes we don't have the money for the doctor. We use herbal medicine if we have no money. If you have faith, it will work. Hopefully, if God wants, we will have a better place for our babies."

Expand Close Daily life in the Esquipulas Bordo in San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Photo: Frank McGrath 26/2/17 / Facebook

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There are other issues too. Armed guards accompany deliveries of cornflour and other household staples to shops, to discourage robbery. Killings are not uncommon, and few are prosecuted.

Gangs control these bordos. When you enter, windows on vehicles must be fully rolled-down so spotters can assess if there is a risk.

And if you are over 40, finding a job is practically impossible. While some collect refuse from more affluent areas, many are unemployed.

"There are practically no opportunities. For people over 40 or 50, it's impossible to get a job. It's very sad," Raul Leiva (68) says.

Expand Close There are practically no opportunities. For people over 40 or 50, its impossible to get a job. Its very sad, Raul Leiva (68) says Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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Whatsapp There are practically no opportunities. For people over 40 or 50, its impossible to get a job. Its very sad, Raul Leiva (68) says Photo: Frank McGrath

"I can work in security or with my hands but last year I only worked for three months. My two sons have moved to other cities. We were in another bordo but a landslide took my house. It's so important to keep sane. Without faith, you would go to a psychiatric institution."

For those lucky enough to have a job, it can be taken away. In another bordo, Guadalupe, a member of the emergency committee says she lost her job after being involved in a workplace accident.

Maria Fuentes (48) worked as a cleaner in the airport for six years, and hurt her leg at work. It led to complications with diabetes, and the limb was amputated last October.

Despite being injured in the workplace, she was fired without any notice.

"Now my life is very different," she says. "My daughter is now in charge of the house.

"I used to be the one getting up in the morning and getting the food, but I cannot now. It has been very difficult.

"There is no social protection, you're on your own. My family and God have been my biggest support.

"I'm very disappointed with the government, especially because I was an activist with the National Party (ruling party). It's very difficult to live."

The fact is that these settlements shouldn't exist at all.

They began to emerge from the early 1970s, built on earthen banks up to 40-feet high, designed to protect the city from flooding. They are technically illegal, meaning that infrastructure cannot be provided.

City official Walter Pedroza says around 10pc of the city's population - around 24,000 families of between six and eight people - live in the city's 16 bordos, and they're growing by up to 4pc a year. Within 15 years, they are expected to double.

"The problem is the local government has no money (to relocate)," he says.

"We need a plan on what people will do after they are relocated, how will they make a living?

"We need to create opportunities for them."

Omar Garcia Castro (43), a co-ordinator on the local committee, says there are just three cases of people in Guadalupe who went to university, including his daughter.

"I would like a bigger chest to contain my pride," he says. "It's difficult to get a job outside the community.

"If we go for a job and say we're from a bordo, we're automatically excluded."
Migration is the "Trojan horse" of terrorism, according to Hungary's prime minister.

Viktor Orban, who has ordered the reinforcement of fences on Hungary's southern borders to keep out migrants, made the comments at a swearing-in ceremony for new border guards.

Mr Orban, an early supporter of US president Donald Trump, said the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, are a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture, and said the current lull in migration is only temporary.

He added that the migration issue would remain as long as its causes in the countries of origin were not dealt with and its potential risks were not recognised.

"Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism," Mr Orban said at the ceremony for the new guards, dubbed "border hunters" by the government.

"The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs, but according to their own - at European standards of living."

Mr Orban said the migration pressure on Hungary's borders would continue as millions of people were planning to come to Europe in the hope of better lives.

"We are still, at this moment, under siege," Mr Orban said.

"The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defence."

As Mr Orban was speaking to the 462 new border guards, MPs from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party approved new rules which further limit the rights of asylum seekers and give police more power to send migrants back to Serbia.

During a state of emergency due to migration, recently extended until September 7, all asylum seekers will kept at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests.

The decision is in line with Hungary's intention to close all other refugee reception centres around the country, some of which were shut last year.

Police will also be allowed to return to the Serbian border any migrants caught anywhere in the country who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5 last year, only migrants found less than five miles from the border could be sent back to Serbia.

The new legislation was strongly criticised by human rights advocates, who said asylum seekers' rights to legal assistance would be severely limited.

"There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country," said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including Amnesty International Hungary, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary.

"The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda."

The United Nations refugee agency said it was "deeply concerned" about the detention of asylum seekers.

"This new law violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered," the UNHCR said in a statement.

"The detention of refugees and asylum seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate."

Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 93 mile-long fence on the Serbian border, equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools, is scheduled for completion by May 1.

Although Mr Orban has said Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones.

Experts fear even fewer will be allowed to apply as the new rules come into force.

In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection.

In contrast, Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.
Enda Kenny is set to meet Trump on the first day of the new travel ban. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump's new travel ban comes into force on the day he will welcome the Taoiseach to the White House.

Enda Kenny's interactions with Mr Trump will be even more closely scrutinised after it was confirmed a revised travel order will apply from March 16. The order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but still affects would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

Mr Trump signed the new order yesterday but deferred its enactment until the day before St Patrick's Day. The Taoiseach's schedule for Washington is yet to be finalised but it is understood he will meet Mr Trump in the White House before travelling to Capitol Hill for lunch. The White House will then host the 'Shamrock Ceremony'.

Asked if Mr Kenny will challenge Mr Trump on the ban, a spokesperson told the Irish Independent: "The Taoiseach will again raise the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US as he has done on all previous visits."

Everything you need to know about the new travel ban

1. So, Trump has signed a new travel ban?

Yes, the US President signed this one in private without the fanfare of the first. Trump publicly criticized judges who ruled against him in his first executive order and vowed to fight the case in the Supreme Court, but then decided to draw up a new order with changes aimed at making it easier to defend in the courts.

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2. What does Trump's new ban mean?

Iraq is not be included on the list, but would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya are still affected by the 90-day ban. The original order barred travelers from the seven nations from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days.

Refugees from Syria were to be banned indefinitely but under the new order they are not given separate treatment.

Furthermore, the four-month halt to refugees entering the United States is now out. The new order means the refugee ban remains in place, though people already approved and on their way to the United States will be allowed in.

3. Why is Iraq no longer on the list?

Iraq is no longer included on the travel ban.

Iraq was among seven Muslim-majority countries whose nationals were temporarily banned from travelling to the United States. The new order has removed Iraq from the list under pressure from the State Department and the Defence Department, which had noted the close co-operation between the two countries in battling IS.

4. When does it come into effect?

US President Donald Trumps new travel ban comes into force on the same day that he will be welcoming Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the White House, March 16. Mr Kennys interactions with the President will now be even more closely scrutinised and he will be expected to mention ban in his speech.

5. Why is it being delayed?

The delay aims to limit the disruption created by the original Jan 27 order before a US judge suspended it on Feb 3.

6. What happens next?

The Washington State Attorney General says he will now decide on the next litigation steps after consulting with state universities and businesses about potential harms.

7. What was said about the controversy of the first travel ban?

The first travel ban came only a week after Trump was inaugurated, and it sparked chaos and protests at airports, as well as a wave of criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America's leading corporations.

"It is the president's solemn duty to protect the American people," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters after Trump signed the new order. "As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country."

8. ... and how will the new ban be received?

The leader of the minority Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said he expected the revised order to have the same uphill battle in the courts as the original version.

"A watered down ban is still a ban," he said in a statement. "Despite the administration's changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed."

9. Is there chaos expected?

Refugees who are "in transit" and already have been approved would be able to travel to the United States.

"Theres going to be a very orderly process," a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security said. "You should not see any chaos so to speak, or alleged chaos at airports. There arent going to be folks stopped tonight from coming into the country because of this executive order."
US President Donald Trump paid a surprise visit to a group of school children who were on a tour of the White House, telling the kids to "Work hard".

In the video, Trump pops out from behind a privacy wall and pulls a boy from the tour group.

It was the first public tour of the White House since Mr Trump took over office.

Bizarrely, there was a portrait of his political rival and former First Lady Hillary Clinton at the spot where he emerged.

"Work hard...work hard," he said, before returning to the other side of the wall.
`Surya Kiran-Xi`, the joint military exercise between India and Nepal will begin in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand on Monday. Between the two armies, it is a is a battalion level joint exercise.

This will be the two-week exercise which aims at training of both the troops in the area of various counter-insurgency operations over a prolonged period.The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and environmental conservation are the other aspects which will be focused.

During the exercise, both the armies will be benefited. The series is conducted biannually by India and Nepal alternatively.

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Manuel Noriega, wearing a red baseball cap, after being placed under house arrest in Panama City (Arnulfo Franco/AP)

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega suffered a haemorrhage after surgery on Tuesday to remove a benign brain tumour and was in a critical condition, his daughters said.

Thays and Sandra Noriega told reporters at the Santo Tomas public hospital in Panama City that their 83-year-old father was returned to the operating room after being in intensive care earlier.

Noriega, who had been in prison for corruption and the killings of opponents during his 1983-89 regime, was transferred to house arrest on January 29 to prepare for the procedure, which was originally scheduled for mid-February.

Noriega, a former general, was ousted by a US invasion in 1989 and jailed for years in the United States on drug charges.

He was then imprisoned in France for money laundering, before being returned in 2011 to Panama, where he had already been convicted in absentia.

AP
Thoiry zoo and wildlife park director Thierry Duguet poses in front of white rhinoceros Gracie at the enclosure in the Thoiry zoo and wildlife park Photo: Rheuters

A rhinoceros has been shot dead at a wildlife park near Paris by poachers who then used a chainsaw to remove the animal's horn.

Thoiry Zoo director Thierry Duguet said poachers broke into the park overnight for the five-year-old white rhino, named Vince.

Zookeepers discovered the carcass in the rhinoceros enclosure on Tuesday.

Mr Duguet said police are investigating and the suspects are still at large.

The poachers forced a grill at the rear entrance to the zoo, near the rhinoceros enclosure.

They then broke through two further locked doors into the building containing three white rhino on Monday night.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, a rhinoceros horn can be sold for up to 40,000 euro on the black market due to strong demand linked to a belief that the horns have aphrodisiac powers.

The zoo announced the news on its Facebook page. It said the two other rhinos in the enclosure were unharmed.

It said the animals second horn had been partially cut leaving us to think the criminals were disturbed or their equipment failed.
The country is on the edge of genocide, the report warned

South Sudan is teetering on the edge of genocide and experiencing ethnic cleansing, according to a new United Nations report.

The seven-month inquiry by the UN Commission on Human Rights into South Sudan is the most comprehensive report so far into ethnic cleansing and conditions that could lead to genocide in the nation deep in civil war.

It offers a stark portrayal of a nation whose crises now include famine.

The report includes new details on deliberate starvation and bombardment of civilians.

It also describes the use of hate speech by top officials, including president Salva Kiir.

The report said South Sudanese security forces are mainly to blame for violations, and warns that if no-one is held to account, "the viability of South Sudan ... will be stymied".
Donald Trump called the release of Guantanamo Bay detainees "another bad decision" by the Obama administration (AP)

US president Donald Trump has claimed "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay "have returned to the battlefield".

Mr Trump did not cite where he obtained the statistic in his latest controversial tweet.

He called the release "another terrible decision".

On Monday, US air strikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009, despite earlier recommendations that he should remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba held nearly 680 detainees.

This was down to 242 when Barack Obama took office in 2009, and was subsequently reduced to just a few dozen.

Mr Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.

Mr Trump also claimed that Russia "ran over" former president Barack Obama for years.

He tweeted: "For eight years Russia 'ran over' President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!"

Mr Trump added the Twitter handle of Fox & Friends at the end - a show he has frequently cited as one of his favourites.

The US leader's latest criticism against his predecessor comes as senior members of his administration face questions about their contact with the Russian government.

This weekend, Mr Trump used Twitter to accuse Mr Obama of ordering wiretaps on his phones, but offered no proof to back the claim.
Trucks carrying US missile launchers and other equipment arrive at the Osan air base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea (US Force Korea via AP)

The US military has begun moving equipment for a controversial missile defence system to ally South Korea.

The announcement by the US military comes a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan.

The plans to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD) have angered not only North Korea, but also China, which sees the system's powerful radars as a security threat.

Some South Korean liberal presidential candidates have also said that the security benefits of having THAAD would be curtailed by worsened relations with neighbours China and Russia.

South Korea and the US have said they plan to have THAAD operational by the end of the year.

The US military said THAAD is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during the last part of their flights.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," said Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command.

China's condemnation of South Korean plans to deploy THAAD has triggered protests against South Korean retail giant Lotte, which agreed to provide one of its golf courses in southern South Korea as the site of THAAD.

The South Korean government also raised worries about a reported ban on Chinese tour groups visiting the country.

An official from South Korea's Defence Ministry said the equipment that arrived in South Korea included launchers, but did not confirm how many.

On Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles in an apparent protest against ongoing US-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The missiles flew about 620 miles on average, three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, according to South Korean and Japanese officials.

The North's state media on Tuesday said leader Kim Jong Un supervised a ballistic rocket launching drill, a likely reference to the four launches reported by Seoul and Tokyo. Involved in the drills were artillery units tasked with striking "US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan," according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Kim "ordered the KPA (Korean People's Army) Strategic Force to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out any time," the KCNA said.

AP
New Delhi, Mar 7 (IBNS): Mark A. White has joined the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in India as the new Mission Director.

White assumes leadership as USAID leverages Indias growing human and financial resources through partnerships that catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship to solve critical local and global development challenges.

He was sworn in on February 24 in Washington by USAID Acting Administrator Wade Warren.



A former United States Peace Corp volunteer, White has worked in over 30 countries across four continents. Prior to arriving in New Delhi, White was assigned to the U.S. Army War College as a Professor --teaching a course in International Development, as well as working on selected peace-keeping and stability research topics, and academic seminars.



He also served as the Acting Mission Director of USAID/Angola and Deputy Mission Director of USAID/Haiti during 2013-2016. In 2012, White was named as USAID's Senior Development Advisor to the Department of Defense's United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) based in Stuttgart, Germany.

In this role, White helped coordinate development projects and advised the four-star Commander and his staff on strategies to integrate and synchronize defense activities with development and humanitarian assistance.



From 2002-2012, White also served as USAID Mission Director to Timor-Leste; Director of the Office of Social Sector Reform in Afghanistan; and Director of the Public Health Office in Cambodia.

He began his career with USAID in 1995 and served as a health officer in both Zambia (1996) and Egypt (2000).



White has received numerous awards and citations for his development work including a Meritorious Honor Award, the Award of Collaboration from the U.S. Navy/Seabees, the Department of Defense Medal of Recognition, the Franklin Award, and several awards of achievement.

He also received the Presidential Gold Medal of Achievement for his work in Cambodia and a Special Achievement Award in Health for team work in Afghanistan.



White received a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He is married to Chan Theary White.


New York, Mar 6 (Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) is warning a rebel movement against impeding humanitarian access, saying any threats to peacekeepers, aid workers or civilians are aunacceptablea and could be tried as warm crimes.

In a press release issued on Saturday, the UN Integrated Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in CAR, known by its French acronym MINUSCA, warned leaders of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic (FPRC) that they will be held individually responsible if such acts are carried out.

Any attack targeting the civilian population, UN and humanitarian personnel is a war crime that can be prosecuted in accordance with Central African law and international law, MINUSCA underscored.

The Mission called on the FPRC and all armed groups to refrain from any interference with the work of humanitarian workers, as well as threats against international humanitarian organizations and civilian populations.

No armed group has the right to prohibit or impede the free access of humanitarian actors to vulnerable populations, even in areas where these groups continue to have a negative influence, MINUSCA continued.

In the same statement, the UN Mission rejected attempts to justify the travel to Bambari of 40 or so heavily armed members of the coalition as peaceful.

These men and the rest of the elements of the coalition violated the demarcation line established by MINUSCA, approaching Bambari with Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers, posing a risk of the city burning to disastrous consequences for the civilian populations, the Mission said.

According to MINUSCA, the threats contained in the communique of the FPRC prove once again its warlike character and the rejection by its leaders of any peaceful solution to the current crisis, as advocated by the Central African Government and by the international community.

MINUSCA said it would pursue its mission impartially and reserves the right to use all means at its disposal by the Security Council to achieve this, in support of the Central African Government.

Photo: MINUSCA

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Cognizant cuts guidance again, market share loss continues: IIFL Securities Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (CTSH)s Q3CY22 revenue declined 1% sequentially (up 5.6% constant currency year-on-year, up 5.2% constant currency year-on-year organic), below the guidance range of 7.5%-8.5% constant currency year-on-year; primarily due to supply constraints and worsening macro. 04 Nov 2022 11:47 AM

Revenue beat, fiscal math neat: IIFL Securities Analysts at IIFL Securities studied Public Finance data for both Centre (H1FY23) and 19 major states (up to August 2022). 04 Nov 2022 11:22 AM

Single-digit reduction in NBS rates The revised NBS rates for ensuing Rabi season have been announced by the Government of India. New rates have not seen much steeper cuts as was widely anticipated; therefore, positive for complex (NPKs) fertilizer companies. This brings much comfort to the domestic complex fertilizer companies as a steeper cut would have entailed higher inventory losses. 03 Nov 2022 11:10 AM
Filmmaker Karan Johar became a proud father of two through surrogacy and that's definitely one baby step towards progressive India.

Pinterest

The way the industry and people on Social media sites have reacted prove that we LGBT adoption and surrogacy is definitely something that must be embraced with acceptance and respect.

(Also read: Congratulations Are In Order! Karan Johar Becomes A Father To Twins Via Surrogacy)

Just a few days after Karan Johar shared the good news with the world, television couple Gurmeet and Debina Choudhary also shared a good news with the world. According to reports, Gurmeet-Debina have become parents to two Bihar girls, but through adoption.

On a shopping Spree #OOTD #Bae #DubaiLife A post shared by Gurmeet Choudhary (@guruchoudhary) on Jan 2, 2016 at 10:23pm PST

According to a report in The Statesman, the couple had met the two girls back in 2013 when they were in Jampur, a small town in Bihar, to attend a family wedding. It was after Gurmeet's mother introduced him to the two girls who earn their livelihood in the capacity of domestic help.

Happy new year . To a great start #2017  A post shared by Gurmeet Choudhary (@guruchoudhary) on Jan 1, 2017 at 8:46am PST

It was a thoughtful decision that the couple mutually decided to adopt the two girls. Gurmeet and Debina will visit Jarampur after Holi and will finish final formalities of the adoption process. A Mumbai Mirror report quoted Gurmeet saying,

"It is a two-day process. Everybody, including my parents, keep asking me when Im planning a baby. Well, its official now, Im bringing home two daughters and we couldnt be more excited."

Debina and Gurmeet will not bring down both the girls immediately because they fear it could evoke cultural shock in them. So, both the girls will study in Patna school and would be brought down to Mumbai for better exposure and infrastructure.

Gurmeet added,

#ganpatibappamorya @debinabon A post shared by Gurmeet Choudhary (@guruchoudhary) on Sep 5, 2016 at 3:25am PDT

After one academic year, they will shift in with us in our Andheri home by 2018. My brother and his family live in Patna and they will be around to see that they are well cared for. Debina and I will travel to Patna three-four times in the year and stay there through their summer vacation too."
KIITFEST is back and it's better than ever! One of the biggest fests of the Eastern paradise of India, this three day celebration of lifestyle, technology and social diversity organized by the students of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar is a totally different experience. Here are 5 reasons to check out this awesome fest:

Instagram

1. This year's theme is the 90s

Facebook

Everyone's favourite era, this relatable theme will surely make you feel really nostalgic.

2. The variety of events

KIIT

The fest will have a unique combination of technical and cultural events; there will be something for each and every person. And if that wasn't enough, you also have a chance to win prize money in lakhs!

3. The Performances

KIIT Fest

KIITFEST is known for always putting together the best artists and musical performances every year and this year is no exception. Along with a bunch of amazing guests and performances, the main attraction, this year is DJ Zaeden and Ankit Tiwari.

4. The whole college fest experience

Cartoon Network

With such a huge variety of events offered, along with different competitions and performances, this is the one place where you can have a proper college fest experience.

5. This will force you to bring out your creative side

Twitter

Make sure to register yourself and head out to experience the fest of all fests!
Major banks, both public as well as private, have decided to charge their customers for cash transactions above certain limits and for many other facilities which were free till now. The new charges are aimed to discourage people from using cash transaction and banks are likely to gain additional income.

BCCL

Below is what you must know if you have an account in any of these banks:

State Bank of India

BCCL

1. From April 1, SBI will permit savings bank account holders to deposit cash three times a month free of charge. Beyond that, it will charge Rs 50 plus service tax for every transaction.

2. In case of a current account, the levy could go as high as Rs 20,000.

3. SBI account holders will also have to keep a minimum balance in their accounts, failing which they will be fined. The fine will be lower for rural areas.

4. In metropolitan areas, there will be a charge of Rs 100 plus service tax if the balance falls below 75 per cent of the minimum available balance of Rs 5,000. If the shortfall is 50 per cent or less, the bank will charge Rs 50 plus service tax. SBI used to have such charges in 2012.

5. Withdrawal of cash from ATMs will attract a charge of up to Rs 20 if the number of transactions from ATMs of other banks exceeds three and Rs 10 for more than five withdrawals from SBI ATMs.

6. However, SBI will not levy any charge on withdrawals from its own ATMs if the balance exceeds Rs 25,000. In case of withdrawals from ATMs of other banks, there will be no charge if the balance exceeds Rs 1 lakh.

7. SBI will charge Rs 15 for SMS alerts per quarter from debit card holders who maintain average quarterly balance of up to Rs 25,000 during the three months. There will be no charge for UPI/USSD transactions of up to Rs 1,000.

Axis Bank

BCCL

1. Axis Bank customers will be allowed five free transactions every month, including deposits and withdrawals. Above that, customers will be charged a minimum fee of Rs 95 per transaction.

2. Up to five non-home branch transactions will be free for customers, subject to a maximum per-day deposit of Rs 50,000. For larger deposits or the sixth transaction, the bank would charge Rs 2.50 per Rs 1,000, or Rs 95 per transaction, whichever is higher.

HDFC Bank

BCCL

1. HDFC Bank will levy Rs 150 per transaction, beyond four free ones (deposits and withdrawals) each month.

2. The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts.

3. For home-branch transactions, the bank will allow deposits or withdrawals of up to Rs 2 lakh free of cost at one go per day. Beyond this, it will charge Rs 5 per Rs 1,000, or Rs 150.

4. At non-home branches, transactions beyond Rs 25,000 a day will attract a charge of Rs 5 per Rs 1,000, or Rs 150.

ICICI Bank

BCCL

1. There will be no charge for first four transactions a month at branches in the home city while Rs 5 per Rs 1,000 will be charged thereafter subject to a minimum of Rs 150 in one month.

2. The third-party limit would be Rs 50,000 per day.

3. For non-home branches, ICICI Bank would not charge for first cash withdrawal of a calendar month and Rs 5 per Rs 1,000 thereafter subject to a minimum of Rs 150.

4. For anywhere cash deposit, ICICI Bank would charge Rs 5 per Rs 1,000 (subject to a minimum of 150) at branches, while deposit at cash acceptance machines would be free of charge for a first cash deposit of a calendar month and Rs 5 per Rs 1,000 thereafter.
Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi, a frequent advocator of women empowerment, made a bizarre statement, leaving many young women bereft of speech.

At the time when people are demanding women empowerment, Maneka said hostel curfew is necessary as it is a matter of women safety. In an interview to NDTV, she was asked, Why girls hostels should have an early curfew and not boys?

To this, she responded, "As a parent who's sending a daughter to a college - or a son - I would expect her and him to be protected. And perhaps one of the protections is against themselves. When you are 16 or 17 you are also hormonally very challenged. So, to protect you from your own hormonal outbursts, perhaps a lakshman rekha is drawn. It really is for your own safety."

"Hormonal outbursts," really?

If it is really for our own safety, probably women should never step out of their houses.

BCCL

Maneka Gandhis statements reek of regression and the most ironical part is that Ms Gandhi was speaking on International Womens Day. Soon, her statements caused a severe backlash on social media with many slamming her statements as backward ideology.

You know what would be safest? Lock hormonal men in, instead of denying women the right to lead a full life. https://t.co/ysCYc08bhB  Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) March 6, 2017

Our minister openly flaunts her misogyny! 'Protecting' adult women from their own free choices and wishes is OK! https://t.co/36y5jWB6xq  Kawalpreet Kaur (@kawalpreetdu) March 7, 2017

Maneka Gandhi says hostel curfew to save girls from hormonal outbursts. What the hell logic behind such statement? Someone tell me its dream  Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) March 6, 2017

@ndtv @diore03 which doctor advises hostel curfew for hormonal outbursts. There is no medical term such as hormonal outburst!  Zizou El Capitano (@IntM_student) March 6, 2017

On being asked if the matter of security can be resolved by tightening security, Gandhi said  No, not by two Bihari gentlemen at the gate with dandas (sticks). It should be solved literally by giving time limits for everything.... Give them (boys) two nights to go to the library and two nights for girls -- if you want to go to the library, that is.

However, Gandhis statements were not meant exclusively for girls. She added that why should the boys be allowed to wander about in the campus after 6 pm and the deadlines are for both, boys and girls.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Gandhi said that a part of her statement has been taken out of context. She maintained that her statements were meant for both boys and girls.
The pilot of an air ambulance, which was flying from Delhi to Bangkok to bring a critically-ill patient to Gurgaon's Medanta Medicity, reportedly died after the plane crash-landed in Thailand on Sunday en route its destination.

The single-engine Pilatus PC-12 aircraft with two pilots and three Medanta doctors was about 20 minutes away from Bangkok when it developed a snag.

medanta/representational image

The Royal Thai Air Force airfield at Nakhon Pathom was the closest when the problem occurred. "The pilots may have tried to land there but the initial reports suggest that they could not do so and the plane landed in a field outside the boundary wall of this airport. And then caught fire," said a source.

While the five people on board the plane (VT-AVG) survived the crash-landing, sources said all of them suffered burn injuries and were later airlifted to Bangkok for treatment. "One pilot had suffered 80% burns. He succumbed to his injuries at the Bangkok Hospital. One doctor has suffered 45% burn injuries. The three others have got less than 24% burns," said a source.

Despite repeated attempts Air Charter Services, the Delhi-based charter company whose plane had crash-landed, did not comment on this accident.

The single-engine aircraft had taken off from Delhi at 8.42am on Sunday. It took a refuelling stop in Kolkata and took off from there at 2.25pm for Bangkok. A few hours later when the aircraft was over 700km from Bangkok, it developed a snag and was forced to crash-land at the nearest airport, which happened to be Nakhon Pathom in central Thailand soon after 7pm (all times local).

IndyWatch/ Representative Image

The Pilatus PC-12 involved in the crash-landing was a relatively young one, manufactured in 2008. It is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo plane manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.

Incidentally, another Pilatus PC-12 (VT-ACF) of the same charter company had crashed in Faridabad in May 2011 due to bad weather while flying as an air ambulance to bring a patient from Patna to Delhi.
In Thailand, there is a belief that tossing coins into the pool brings longevity and good fortune. But it turned out to be bad luck for a sea turtle who ended up swallowing all of it.

Reuters

When veterinarians in Bangkok operated on the 25-year-old female green sea turtle, named Banks, they extracted a whopping 915 coins from its stomach.

The 11-pound metal had nearly cracked open the turtle's shell causing a severe infection. In the four-hours long surgery, doctors made a 4-inch incision, only to find the coins corroded or partially dissolved.

Reuters

"It is hard to imagine how it swallowed such a large number of coins. I've never seen such a case before," as Pasakorn Brikshavana, of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary science department told the Bangkok Post.

"We think it will take about a month to ensure she will fully recover," Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn Universitys veterinary science faculty told AP, adding that the turtle would need six more months of physical therapy.

Reuters

Along with the coins, doctors also extracted two fish hooks that Banks swallowed.

"I felt angry that humans, whether or not they meant to do it or if they did it without thinking, had caused harm to this turtle," said Nantarika Chansue, head of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary medical aquatic animal research center.

A green sea turtle has a lifespan of around 80 years and also listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In response to Thai media's publicity, some 15,000 baht ($428) was raised from the public to pay for the turtle's surgery.
US President Donald Trump has signed a revised, more limited executive order banning migrants from six mostly-Muslim countries from coming to the United States for 90 days.

Reuters

The new order, aimed at getting around the legal smackdown that spiked the first presidential decree on the subject, drops Iraq from the list of seven countries that includes Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. US Green card holders will be exempted.

Also Read: After His Travel Ban Was Struck Down, Donald Trump Expected To Sign A Revised One Tomorrow

Trump advisors, many from the military, argued that Iraq was now an ally and blocking Iraqis who helped the United States in the war effort would be detrimental to American interests. Officials also said Iraq had agreed to a "timely repatriation" of its citizens if they were ordered to be deported, something other proscribed countries apparently don't do.

About the six countries identified for the travel ban, the new order said:

Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organisations, or contains active conflict zones. Any of these circumstances diminishes the foreign government's willingness or ability to share or validate important information about individuals seeking to travel to the United States.

AFP/representational image

Moreover, it said, the "significant presence in each of these countries of terrorist organizations, their members, and others exposed to those organizations increases the chance that conditions will be exploited to enable terrorist operatives or sympathizers to travel to the United States." Finally, it added, once foreign nationals from these countries are admitted to the US, "it is often difficult to remove them, because many of these countries typically delay issuing, or refuse to issue, travel documents."

Also Read: US President Trump Might Revise Travel Ban. Here's A Timeline Of How It All Unfolded

Trump signed the latest order sans ceremony after the first effort ended in a fiasco when it was struck down by courts. Officials who briefed reporters on background said there should be no chaos or confusion at the airports in implementing this order and the administration expected it to pass legal muster.

AFP/representational image

In a separate memorandum addressed to the US Secretary of State, Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, the US President also directed "implementing immediate heightened screening and vetting of applications for visas and other immigration benefits, Ensuring Enforcement of All Laws for Entry into the United States, and Increasing Transparency among Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government and for the American People."

Also Read: After All US Courts Reject Travel Ban, Donald Trump Prepares For New Executive Order On It

The memorandum directed the departments to issue "regular reports regarding visas and adjustments of immigration status, written in non-technical language for broad public use and understanding."

AFP/representational image

Starting April 28, 2017, onwards and by the last day of every month thereafter, the State Department will be required to publish the number of visas that have been issued from each consular office within each country during the reporting period, disaggregated by detailed visa category and country of issuance.

Within 90 days of the memorandum, the Homeland Security Department will have to issue reports detailing the number of adjustments of immigration status that have been made during the reporting period, disaggregated by type of adjustment, type and detailed class of admission, and country of nationality.

Meanwhile the country has also issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and said extremist elements are also "active" in India.

Reuters/representational image

"The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens and interests. US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence."

"A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan, the State Department said in its worldwide caution.

Reuters/representational image

"Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh," it added.
When kids at school breach their ethical and moral code of conduct, who's in charge of correcting them and guiding them?

Creating a great classroom means asking the tough questions. Are you doing enough to fight sexual harassment? Are you making enough efforts to battle with a society that's driven by sexist comments? Are you teaching your kids not to make gender-based assumptions?

(Also read: Cases Of Sexual Harassment Rising At Indias Nifty 50 Companies, Wipro Has Highest Number Of Complaints)

tiffingirls

The onus of such upliftments in the society not only lies on teachers but on parents too. It's a collective responsibility to teach kids the difference between what is right and what's not.

Recently, a young girl at school became the victim of sexual harassment and bullying by one of her batchmates. The guy kept on snapping her bra-strap despite being asked not to. In her defence, the girl punched him twice in the face.

When the school authorities summoned the girl's mom, it was surprisingly not because the girl acted against the harassment, but because of the physical assault on her classmate.

However, her mom's savage reply put everyone back in their right places. Here's what happened.

Im an Emergency Room nurse and were not allowed to have our phones on us; theyre to be kept in our lockers. A call comes into hospital reception on a private line for me.

Phone: This is [Teacher] from [School]. Theres been an incident involving [Daughter]. We need you to come in.





huffingtonpost

Me: Is she ill or injured? Can it wait until my shift is over in two hours?

Phone: [Daughter] has struck another student. Weve been trying to call you for 45 minutes. It really is very serious.

I go to the school and am ushered into the Principals office. I see my daughter, her advisor, a male teacher, the principal, a boy with blood around his nose and a red face, and his parents.

Principal: Mrs. [My Name], how kind of you to FINALLY join us!

Me: Yeah, things get busy in the ER. Ive spent the last hour administering over 40 stitches to a seven-year-old who was beaten by his mother with a metal ladle and then I had to deal with the police regarding the matter. Sorry for the inconvenience.

(After watching him try to not act embarrassed, he tells me what has happened. The boy had snapped my daughters bra and she had punched him in the face twice. I got the impression they were more angry with my daughter than the boy.)

Me: Oh. And you want to know if Im going to press charges against him for sexually assaulting my daughter and against the school for allowing him to do it?

(They all get jittery when I mention sexual assault and start speaking at once.)

Teacher: I dont think it was that serious.

Advisor: Lets not over-react.

mailman

Principal: I think youre missing the point.

(The boys mother then starts crying. I turn to my daughter to find out what happened.)

Daughter: He kept snapping my bra. I asked him to stop but he didnt, so I told Mr. [Teacher]. He told me to ignore it. [Boy] did it again and undid my bra so I hit him. Then he stopped.

(I turn to the teacher.)

Me: You let him do this? Why didnt you stop him? Come over here and let me touch the front of your trousers.

Teacher: What?! No!

Me: Does that seem inappropriate to you? Why dont you go and pull on Mrs. [Advisor]s bra right now. See how fun it is for her. Or on that boys mothers bra. Or mine. You think just because theyre kids its fun?

Principal: Mrs. [My Name]. With all due respect, [Daughter] still beat another child.





flanderstoday

Me: No. She defended herself against a sexual attack from another pupil. Look at them; hes nearly 6 feet and 160 pounds. Shes 5 feet and 84 pounds. Hes a foot taller than her and twice as heavy. How many times should she have let him touch her? If the person who was supposed to help and protect her in a classroom couldnt be bothered, what should she have done? He pulled her bra so hard it came undone.

(The boys mom is still crying and his dad looks both angry and embarrassed. The teacher wont make eye contact with me. I look at the principal.)

Me: Im taking her home. I think the boy has learned his lesson. And I hope nothing like this ever happens again, not only to [Daughter] but to any other girl at this school. You wouldnt let him do it to a member of staff so what makes you think he can do it to a girl of 15 is beyond me. I will be reporting this to the school administrators. And if you *turning to the boy* EVER touch my daughter again I WILL have you arrested for sexual assault. Do you understand me?

I was so angry, I gathered my daughters things and left. I reported it to the School Board, several of whom I know, and was assured it would be strongly dealt with.

My daughter was put into a different class for that subject, away from the teacher and the boy.

(Also read: Online Harassment Is Spreading In India, Here Are 5 Laws That Can Help Women Who Are Harassed On The Internet)

To roll back the advance of harassment at school, a collective effort from teachers and parents is needed. The outcomes of fitting guidance at school will nurture a better tomorrow.
Theres no doubt that we live in a very divided time, religious and ethnic discord has ripped apart millions of people across the globe. If you are jaded by this sad reality, here's a story that can bring you some respite.

In a picture that has now gone viral on Facebook, a Sikh can be seen holding a woman's chair inside a train.

Facebook/Isa Toy Miah

The pictures comes with a heartwarming story. According to Facebook post, the Muslim woman in the wheelchair didn't have her chair positioned correctly, because of which she kept going back and forth.

That's when Isa Toy Miah noticed a beautiful thing, she writes, "The Sikh man sitting next to her noticed this, so he helped to turn her chair around so that the back of it is against the wall."

"He then tried to apply the breaks to stop it from rolling back and forth but noticed they weren't working properly, so he decided to hold her chair like this for the rest of the journey," she added.

We are all born to be receptive to love and kindness and this Sikh man's kind gesture is a proof of that.

Check out the post below:
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Thousands of Detainees Used as Forced Labor, a Violation of Anti-slavery Laws By Kristine Phillips March 06, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Chicago Tribune " - Tens of thousands of immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were forced to work for $1 day, or for nothing at all -- a violation of federal anti-slavery laws -- a lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against one of the largest private prison companies in the country, reached class-action status this week after a federal judge's ruling. That means the case could involve as many as 60,000 immigrants who have been detained. It's the first time a class-action lawsuit accusing a private U.S. prison company of forced labor has been allowed to move forward. "That's obviously a big deal; it's recognizing the possibility that a government contractor could be engaging in forced labor," said Nina DiSalvo, executive director of Towards Justice, a Colorado-based nonprofit group that represents low-wage workers, including people living in the country illegally. "Certification of the class is perhaps the only mechanism by which these vulnerable individuals who were dispersed across the country and across the world would ever be able to vindicate their rights." At the heart of the dispute is the Denver Contract Detention Facility, a 1,500-bed center in Aurora, Colo., owned and operated by GEO Group under a contract with ICE. The Florida-based corporation runs facilities to house immigrants who are awaiting their turn in court. The lawsuit, filed against GEO Group on behalf of nine immigrants, initially sought more than $5 million in damages. Attorneys expect the damages to grow substantially given the case's new class-action status. The class-action ruling by U.S. District Judge John Kane means that as many as 60,000 current and former detainees at the detention facility in Aurora are now part of the lawsuit without having to actively join as plaintiffs, said Andrew Free, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys The lead plaintiff in the case is, in fact, a permanent resident of the U.S., and attorneys expect "a significant portion of the class will fit that bill." The original nine plaintiffs claim that detainees at the ICE facility are forced to work without pay -- and that those who refuse to do so are threatened with solitary confinement. Specifically, the lawsuit claims, six detainees are selected at random every day and are forced to clean the facility's housing units. The lawsuit claims that the practice violates the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which prohibits modern-day slavery. "Forced labor is a particular violation of the statute that we've alleged," Free said. "Whether you're calling it forced labor or slavery, the practical reality for the plaintiffs is much the same. You're being compelled to work against your will under the threat of force or use of force." GEO Group also is accused of violating Colorado's minimum wage laws by paying detainees $1 day instead of the state's minimum wage of about $9 an hour. The company "unjustly enriched" itself through the cheap labor of detainees, the lawsuit says. None of the original nine plaintiffs is still detained at the facility, DiSalvo said. The class-action ruling by Kane, a senior judge in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, came at a critical time, DiSalvo said, noting President Donald Trump 's pledge to deport 2 million to 3 million people living in this country illegally. Advocates say private prison companies that have government contracts stand to benefit significantly from the president's hard-line policy of detaining and deporting a massive number of immigrants "That means you need to round up and detain more people in order to determine whether they have the rights to stay in this country before you deport them," DiSalvo said. "More people could be moving through, not just in the Aurora facility. More people could be subjected to GEO's forced labor policy." Notably, the stocks of the two biggest private prison operators, Geo Group and CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), have surged since Trump's election. The companies donated a total of $500,000 to Trump's inaugural festivities, USA Today reported. Since Trump took office, his administration has reversed the Obama administration's policy to end the country's reliance on private prisons. GEO Group has strongly denied the lawsuit's allegations and argued in court records that pay of $1 a day does not violate any laws. "We intend to continue to vigorously defend our company against these claims," GEO Group spokesman Pablo Paez said in a statement. "The volunteer work program at immigration facilities as well as the wage rates and standards associated with the program are set by the Federal government. Our facilities, including the Aurora, Colo., facility, are highly rated and provide high-quality services in safe, secure and humane residential environments pursuant to the Federal government's national standards." Jennifer D. Elzea, acting press sectrary for ICE, said she couldn't comment on the litigation because "ICE is not specifically a party in this suit." Under ICE's Voluntary Work Program, detainees sign up to work and are paid $1 a day. The nationwide program, ICE says, "provides detainees opportunities to work and earn money while confined, subject to the number of work opportunities available and within the constraints of the safety, security and good order of the facility." Detainees work for up to eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, cleaning bathrooms, showers, toilets, windows, patient rooms and staff offices, waxing floors, and preparing and serving meals. ICE says detainees "shall be able to volunteer for work assignments but otherwise shall not be required to work, except to do personal housekeeping." Jacqueline Stevens, who runs Northwestern University's Deportation Research Clinic, said the program does not meet the criteria for what qualifies as volunteer work under labor laws. "Just slapping the word 'volunteer' in front of 'work program' doesn't exempt the prison firm from paying legally mandated wages any more than McDonald's can use 'volunteer' senior citizens and pay them Big Macs," said Stevens, whose research about the volunteer work program prompted the lawsuit. Prison labor, Stevens added, has two purposes: to punish prisoners after they've been convicted of a crime and to rehabilitate them. Those don't apply to immigrant detainees who have not been convicted of a crime. "There's no ostensible purpose to rehabilitate them," Stevens said. "They're just waiting for a court date in order to clarify their immigration status. Some don't end up being deported." Free, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, said there are alternatives to detaining immigrants while they wait for their day in court. That includes supervision programs and community monitoring. "That's much cheaper than spending double the current cost of detention," Free said, adding that not incarcerating them would ensure they're able to find attorneys and attend their immigration hearings. "The for-profit prisons are a policy choice against due process in immigration courts and against access to counsel and against positive outcomes to immigrants who have valid claims." Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter In 2014, GEO Group filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in court records that Colorado's minimum wage law does not apply to immigrant detainees. "Detainees are not whom the minimum wage laws were intended to protect. The minimum wage law was enacted in Colorado to ensure wages are adequate to 'supply the necessary cost of living and to maintain the health of workers so employed,' " the attorneys argued, quoting the state statute. The company further argued that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is inapplicable because the law is meant to prevent human trafficking of people for labor and/or sex. GEO Group, the attorneys wrote, "did not traffic Plaintiffs in the Aurora facility with the purpose of putting them to work." They added that the detainees are in the custody of immigration officials. In 2015, Kane, the federal judge, partially denied the motion to dismiss. Although he agreed with GEO Group that Colorado's minimum wage law is inapplicable, he ruled that the other claims can stand. "GEO's argument was, 'Even if we are forcing people to work under threat of solitary confinement, that would be allowed,' " DiSalvo said. "And the judge said, 'No,it wouldn't be.' " Kane granted class-action status a few days after the Justice Department directed the Bureau of Prisons to, again, use private prisons, a significant shift from the Obama-era policy of significantly reducing -- and ultimately ending -- their use. In a one-paragraph memo last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the previous directive to the Bureau of Prisons to either reduce or decline to renew private prison contracts as they came due, The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky reported. "The memorandum changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the Bureau's ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system," Sessions wrote. "Therefore, I direct the Bureau to return to its previous approach." The original directive from the Obama administration did not apply to immigration detainees. Copyright  2017, Chicago Tribune Join Us On Facebook - Join Us On Twitter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Prison Labor: Modern Day Slavery 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.
How to Reverse Incarceration in Louisiana





Thirteen Steps to Stop Being First in Being Last



By Bill Quigley

Louisiana was recently named  Worst State  in the nation, again . One of the reasons was the states 50th ranking in crime and corrections . Being the incarceration capital of the county is obviously not helping our reputation.

Here are a dozen plus ways for Louisiana to stop jailing many more of its citizens than Iran or China .

One. Decriminalize victimless crimes - don't arrest people for stupid non-violent crimes in the first place.

Two. Stop racial profiling. African American people are two to three times as likely to be arrested as whites. Even though marijuana use is roughly similar in all communities, Blacks are much more likely than whites to be arrested and convicted of marijuana crimes. Overall, African Americans and Latinos are incarcerated at rates two to four times higher than their population. Black prisoners make up 91 percent of the people sentenced to life without parole for non-violent offenses and are 23 times more likely than whites to be sentenced to life without parole for a non-violent crime.

Three. Let people out of jail while they are waiting for trial unless they are a danger to society or a flight risk and dont put people in jail if they are too poor to pay a fine . As the Civil Rights Corps has documented, people held in jail awaiting trial, or sent to jail if they are too poor to pay court fines and fees lose their jobs, kids, apartments and their ability to support themselves.

Four. Expand pre-trial diversion for non-violent offenders and keep them out of the criminal legal system as the American Bar Association suggests.

Five. Prohibit local sheriffs from holding arrested or convicted prisoners from outside their parish, thus removing the cash incentives for keeping high numbers of people in jail.

Six. Give equal resources to public defenders and prosecutors. Nationwide, public defense gets less than half the amount given to prosecutors. When people get constitutional defense they usually are less likely to be convicted and if convicted receive less harsh sentences.

Seven. Like the other 48 states, require Louisiana juries to come to unanimous decisions . Non-unanimous juries allow many more people to be convicted and they arise from a serious racist history .

Eight. Reform sentencing laws. The Louisiana Pelican Institute for Public Policy called for eliminating mandatory minimums for non-violent offenses as other states have already done. This could save the state $100 million . Prohibit the use of habitual offender laws against non-violent offenders as suggested by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor .

Nine. Offer rehabilitation programs inside every jail and allow every prisoner to participate.

Ten. Let older prisoners out of jail, they are much less likely to commit crime s. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections reported there are 7,492 prisoners in Louisiana who are already over the age of 50.

Eleven. Invest in re-entry release support programs for every person released from prison. These programs save money, reduce the number of people returning to jail and help people become self-sufficient members of society.

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Twelve. Make it easier to expunge criminal convictions so people who made mistakes can start rebuilding their lives.

Thirteen. Return the maximum prison sentence in Louisiana to 10 years and 6 months if the prisoner maintains a good conduct record. Louisiana has 4,860 offenders incarcerated for life , the highest rate in the nation . Louisiana also has the highest number of prisoners serving life without parole for non-violent offenses.

Why dont legislators take these steps? Many say they fear voters might think they are soft on crime. As international politician Jean-Claude Juncker said wisely We all know what to do, we just dont know how to get re-elected after weve done it.
March 06, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - America has always been great for the richest 1%, and it's rapidly becoming greater. Confirmation comes from recent work by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman; and from the 2015-2016 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databooks (GWD). The data relevant to this report is summarized here .



The Richest 1% Extracted Wealth from Every Other Segment of Society



These multi-millionaires effectively shifted nearly $4 trillion in wealth away from the rest of the nation to themselves in 2016. While there's no need to offer condolences to the rest of the top 10%, who still have an average net worth of $1.3 million, nearly half of the wealth transfer ($1.94 trillion) came from the nation's poorest 90% -- the middle and lower classes, according to Piketty and Saez and Zucman. That's over $17,000 in housing and savings per lower-to-middle-class household lost to the super-rich.



Put another way, the average 1% household took an additional $3 million of our national wealth in one year while education and infrastructure went largely unfunded.



It Gets Worse: Each MIDDLE-CLASS Household Lost $35,000 to the 1%



According to Piketty and Saez and Zucman, the true middle class is "the group of adults with income between the median and the 90th percentile." This group of 50 million households lost $1.76 trillion of their wealth in 2016, or over $35,000 each. That's a $35,000 decline in housing and financial assets, with possibly increased debt, for every middle-class household.



Housing Wealth for the 90% Has Been Converted into Investment Wealth for the Plutocrats



In the 1980s, the housing wealth of the bottom 90% made up about 15 percent of total household wealth (Figure 8 here and Page 41 here ).



In the 1980s, the corporate equities owned by the richest .01% made up about 1.2 percent of total household wealth (Figure 8 here ).



Housing was 12 times greater than super-rich stock holdings back then. Now they're nearly equal. The home values of 112,000,000 households have been reduced to just over 5 percent of total wealth, while the stocks and securities of the richest 12,000 households are approaching 5 percent of total wealth. Our homes have turned to dust, and the plutocrats have turned the dust into gold.



Even the Wages of the Poorest Americans Have Been Transferred to the Plutocrats



It's bad enough that the poorest 50% of America have no appreciable wealth, but their income has not increased in 40 years (see Table 1 here ). More evidence comes from Pew Research .



As Piketty, Saez, and Zucman note , the richest 1% and the poorest 50% "have basically switched their income shares." They explain , "We observe a complete collapse of the bottom 50% income share in the US between 1978 and 2015, from 20% to 12% of total income, while the top 1% income share rose from 11% to 20%." Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter

Making America Great for 1% of Us



In his book , Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town, Brian Alexander describes today's America through the lens of his hometown of Lancaster, Ohio, which had been a leading glasswares manufacturer. But the town started falling apart in the 1980s. A major glasswares company was bought up with borrowed money by private equity firms, which then cut jobs and wages, allowed manufacturing facilities to fall into disrepair, stopped contributing to pensions, moved company headquarters out of state, and demanded tax breaks to keep the glassware plant in Lancaster.



Capitalism as usual. Yet 59 percent of Lancaster's county voted for Trump. Alexander explains that the people of Lancaster "remained captured by an ultra-conservative, anti-tax philosophy that prevented them from raising funds to repair the crumbling streets.."



Delusions persist about the power of the market and the dangers of governing ourselves. The business media has conditioned us to fear the words 'social' and 'public,' as if they connote evil or ineptitude or anti-Americanism. But the public good depends on cooperation. Society fosters individual accomplishment, not the other way around.



The obscene transfer of wealth and income to the plutocrats won't end until we demand a return to the Commons , where we work as a society rather than allow predatory plutocratic individuals to control us. There are 112 million households in America that are giving thousands of their hard-earned dollars to the 1%, and we have finally begun to fight back, together, as a massive force of Americans who refuse to let the theft continue.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Watch: Mark Levin Absolutely Destroys Obama Over Allegations that he Wiretapped Trump By Chris Enloe March 06, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Blaze " - During a lengthy appearance on Fox and Friends Sunday morning, conservative radio host Mark Levin explained why he thinks former President Barack Obama undoubtedly spied on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during last years presidential campaign. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Levin spent the first handful of minutes, nearly half the interview, laying out the evidence for why he believes Obama is guilty, including reading reports directly from mainstream media outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, McClatchy and the Guardian. When Fox News host Pete Hegseth tried to move the segment along, Levin interrupted, Hold on! Hold on! I need to make the case because the media seems to be confused about their own reporting! According to Levin, the evidence is clear. The issue isnt whether the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign or the transition or certain surrogates, the issue is the extent of it, Levin explained. The evidence is overwhelming, he went on to say. The conservative radio host continued: They were so aggressive, they waited four or five months, they go back in October, weeks before the general election, they narrow their request, all of the sudden we have leaks coming out on [Michael] Flynn. Then we have a Oh horrible meeting that took place between [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions and so forth. And Im telling you as a former chief of staff to a United States attorney general in the [Ronald] Regan administration, these are police state tactics. Now what did Barack Obama know? He knew everything I just read you apart from one or two articles. You wanna know how I know? Its in the newspapers! Its right there! So Barack Obama not only knew this, but he gets a daily intelligence briefing. Later in the interview, Levin emphasized that the case he just previously laid out against the Obama administration wasnt of his doing, but of the mainstream press  he just pieced it together. Then he defended Trump. Donald Trump is the victim. His campaign is the victim. His transition team is the victim. His surrogates are the victims, Levin explained. These are police state tactics. Im telling you as a former chief of staff to attorney general, if this had been done to Barack Obama all hell would break lose, he added. And Barack Obamas statement [on the wiretapping allegations] is just pathetic. Moving forward, to get to the bottom of these allegations, Levin suggested that the two FISA court warrant requests from the Obama administration need to be released, in addition to the daily presidential intelligence briefings from the past year being released to Congress. There ought to be public hearings on this stuff, too, Levin told the Fox and Friends hosts. Join Us On Facebook - Join Us On Twitter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Open letter to CNNs Brian Stelter from Mark Levin



From: Mark Levin

To: Brian Stelter

Sent: 3/6/2017 11:31:11 A.M. Eastern Standard Time

Subj: You are so thoroughly dishonest



http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/06/media/mark-levin-joel-pollak-breitbart-trump-obama



Did you listen to my show on Thursday, before President Trump tweeted? Did you watch my appearance on Fox and Friends Sunday morning? I know you are ticked I did not appear on your show, despite your numerous requests. Your ad hominem attacks about "right wing" radio host and conspiracy theory stuff  incredible.



I simply put together the stories that YOUR profession reported, on the public record. Do you deny there were two FISA applications? Do you deny the first was turned down? Do you deny the second was approved? It's called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. It is about surveillance. The fact that we cannot discern all the details because of the secrecy, except for what the media have revealed and selective leaks by the government, should cause you to want to know more, not to trash those who point it out.



And yes, we can make several logical implications based on events and experience. A FISA application is a big deal. One, or two in this case, that involve campaign surrogates, or a server or computer related to a candidate or campaign, etc., is a big deal. President Obama's statement is not a definitive statement of anything, other than he, personally, did not order a wiretap, which I never claimed. But that does not mean he was unaware of surveillance activity by several of his departments, even through routine reports to the president, such as the Daily Intel Briefing or information conveyed to him or his staff via the Justice Department re the FBI counter-intelligence activities. As for Clapper, despite his past dissembling before Congress, he may not have been aware of what was taking place since the FBI counter-intel operation reportedly sought the warrant. The Daily Intel Briefing might provide useful information in that regard as well.



Of course, the release of the FISA applications would also shed a lot of light on events, assuming YOU believe reports that they were filed. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Furthermore, Clapper has said, as recently as yesterday, that no connections between the Russians and the Trump campaign have been found. I am extremely critical of Russia, Putin, and the efforts to influence our election, although I do not believe they succeeded. That said, how would Clapper know of no connections if he, as former Director of National Intelligence, didn't look? On what is that based?



Your lack of curiosity and dishonesty about such matters and in dealing with me demean you and your profession. You are free to circulate this communication to whomever you wish, as I am making it public. Hillary Was Tipped Off On Trump Wiretap  Tweeted About it One Week Prior to Election ; TGP reported earlier that the first FISA request came right after AG Loretta Lynch met with Bill Clinton on the tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in June of 2016. 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.
The Bushes Are Not Americas Friends

A lesson from two George Bushes: Never give the elite the benefit of the doubt

By Michael Scheuer

And thus the community perpetually retains a supreme power of saving themselves from the attempts and designs of anybody, even of their legislators, whenever they shall be so foolish, or so wicked, as to lay and carry on designs against the liberties and properties of the subject. John Locke, Second Treatise, Chapter 13 (1) General revolts and rebellions of a whole people never were encouraged now or at any time. They were always provoked. Edmund Burke, 1777 (2)

Sentiment is human weakness that always is an obstacle to clear thinking, or at least it always is in my case. I have always given George H.W. Bush and and George W. Bush the benefit of the doubt because I thought both were patriots and decent men. The former flew more than 50 combat missions during World War II, and the latter seemed sadly trapped in, and manipulated by, a nest of Neoconservative and Israel-First cretins. Since early in 2016, however, I have come to see how stupid and blinding it is to let sentiment hide the clearly visible truth that the Bushes are not Americas friends.

The elder Bush was a disaster for America, his only accomplishment being that he kept the White House from the Democrats for a 4-year term. He is the author and first implementer of the totalitarian idea of a New World Order, which began what is now nearly 30 years of constant war for the United States. He laid the ground work for the current confrontation with Russia by greatly expanding NATO and unleashing Western greed to suck anything economically worth having out of the former USSR; he added countries to NATO that are irrelevant to U.S. security but sit right on Russias border; he squandered most of what President Reagan had accomplished; he fought an unnecessary, half-fought, unwon, and Islamist-benefiting war against Iraq; and he ran a reelection campaign against the whore-loving buffoon Bill Clinton that looked like it should have been in one of the lesser Marx Brothers movies. Finally, during the 2016 presidential campaign, Bush refused to endorse Trump, and his closest confidants suggested he preferred Hillary Clinton. Revalidating the McCain Rule that great physical courage does not connote even moderate brainpower or commonsense, it was all downhill for George H.W. Bush after the second Great War ended. Sadly, that decline ended up by delivering the United States to the malevolent hands and minds of Clinton and Obama, as well as to those of his son.

George W. Bush outdid his Dad in terms of negative accomplishments, his only accomplishment being that he kept the White House from the Democrats for eight years, and even that success was minimal as his performance allowed the presidency of the execrable Obama. The younger Bush picked up his fathers interventionist mantle and waged a effeminate war against al-Qaeda, a genuine enemy of the United States, and a half-witted, small-footprint, losing, and utterly unnecessary war in Iraq, a war whose negative impact on U.S. interests has yet to be fully seen. Then, after his silence during Obamas eight years of military and cultural interventionism, pathological lying and racism, and Constitution-shredding, he joins his Dad, and his clueless yet extraordinarily arrogant bother Jeb, to publicly and clandestinely oppose Trump as Republican presidential contender, Republican candidate, president-elect, and president. Most recently, George W. Bush has been out hawking a book of his paintings and hobnobbing with Michelle Obama and other such mindless, virago-like Democratic women and celebrities, and mindlessly basking in the praise of these racist and authoritarian Amazons who would gladly spit on his grave.

As if this long record of Bush anti-Americanism was not enough, George W. Bush this week took the time to instruct President Trump to avoid adopting an isolationist tendency because it would be dangerous to national security. By avoiding unnecessary interventions and wars and minding its own business, Bush said, the United States creates a vacuum that is generally filled with people who dont share the ideology, the same sense of human rights and human dignity and freedom that we do. (3)

Well, God bless George the Younger. In his reliably bumbling way, he has allowed Americans to see  in the 30 words quoted above  that the intent of post-1945 U.S. foreign policy has not been to defend them and their republic but to use the taxes and children of American workers to endlessly intervene abroad to rid the world of people and governments that dont share our ideology and who do not have the same sense  [of] freedom we do. Bush is not referring here to the ideology and sense of freedom possessed by Americans, but rather to those that the internationalist/globalist/interventionist elites, like the Bushes, Clintons, Obamas, most European leaders, Bill Gates, George Soros, and untold numbers of other rich and highly educated people, want to impose on all peoples  including Americans  so they can rule people as they see fit and without the possibility popular resistance.

Coincidentally, as this piece was being completed, the younger Bushs war buddy, Tony Blair, published a piece in the New York Times which calls on centrist progressives to hold their ground and defeat the populists and nationalists. Today, the Globalist-shill Blair wrote,

a distinction that often matters more than traditional right and left is open vs. closed. The open-minded see globalization as an opportunity but one with challenges that should be mitigated; the closed-minded see the outside world as a threat. This distinction crosses traditional party lines and thus has no organizing base, no natural channel for representation in electoral politics. ..

So this leaves a big space in the center. For the progressive wing of politics, the correct strategy is to make the case for building a new coalition out from the center. To do so, progressives need to acknowledge the genuine cultural anxieties of those voters who have deserted the cause of social progress: on immigration, the threat of radical Islamism and the difference between being progressive and appearing obsessive on issues like gender identity.

The center needs to develop a new policy agenda that shows people they will get support to help them through the change thats happening around them . At the heart of this has to be an alliance between those driving the technological revolution, in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, and those responsible for public policy in government. At present, there is a chasm of understanding between the two. There will inevitably continue to be a negative impact on jobs from artificial intelligence and big data, but the opportunities to change lives for the better through technology are enormous.

Any new agenda has to focus on these opportunities for radical change in the way that government and services like health care serve people. This must include how we educate, skill and equip our work forces for the future; how we reform tax and welfare systems to encourage more fair distribution of wealth; and how we replenish our nations infrastructures and invest in the communities most harmed by trade and technology. (4)

I added the italics to Blairs words to make the point that the Western and global elites have not a clue about what is going on all around them, and what is increasingly likely to happen to them. For Blair, there is not a mortal divide between those who believe progressive government is the answer, and those who know that progressive government, if fully developed and entrenched, will be the greatest slave master in history. No, Blair sees the divide as being between the open-minded progressives and the close-minded hay seeds who have deserted the cause of social progress and cannot understand that progressives know what is best for them, a prescription that includes unlimited immigration; suppression of religion, nation-states, and nationalism; more intrusive government control of their lives through improved government services; and, naturally, larger taxes and welfare payments to ensure a more fair distribution of wealth, which, as always, means more money given to groups that are generally composed of the scum of the earth and will always vote for those that pledge to keep them forever on the dole.

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Throughout history, watching the demise of those who speak about and treat the great mass of people as if they are inferior human beings, and who are then utterly shocked when they find the inferiors bayonets in their bellies, always has been a most enjoyable experience. Blair, the Bushes, the Clintons, the Obamas, the Gates-Soros-Davos billionaires, and the rest of the Globalist clique are blithely and arrogantly striding down a path marked Pointy Ended Road, their trip having been blessed, ironically, by the applause-craving and hell-on-earth-creating Bishop of Rome. They will arrive at that roads dead end, hopefully soon, to find that the great unwashed understand all too well that progressives intend to impose a global tyranny on formerly free peoples, and they will be shocked to find themselves in a fight to their well-merited deaths. No cavalry will come to their aid, of course, because such forces always are composed of the children of the people they mean to rob of their wages and property, and then enslave.
President of , Muhammadu Buhari, has sent his condolences to the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), over the passing away of his younger sister, Kande Martha Audu.

The President, who called from London, extended his deepest condolences to General Gowon and his family, urging them to take solace in the fact that Mrs Audu lived a worthy and exemplary life.

According to the President,  Death is an inevitable end that must come to all mortals, and we must keep praying and working to ensure that we live a life that pleases our Creator and benefits humanity.

He also prayed that God would comfort the grieving family and grant rest to the soul of Mrs Audu.

General Gowon, who thanked President Buhari for the commiserations, assured him that he would not relent in praying for the unity and progress of the country, adding that Nigerians are also praying for the Presidents quick recovery.

This was revealed in a statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

( Channels Television)
The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is getting more worse by the day as 127 members of staff of the party yesterday said they cannot work with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who was reinstated recently by the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

This was made known to the newsmen in Abuja, the staff expressed fear over their lives, adding that, Following the judgment validating the National Convention by FHC in Port Harcourt, members of staff were requested to resume duty in May/June, 2016, they did so.

In the few days we reported for work, we were harassed and intimidated by demonstrators and protesters. We were violently chased out of the offices; many had to run away leaving their personal belongings which we understand have now been vandalised by unknown persons.

Speaking on behalf of the staff, PDP National Director of Administration, Alh Gurama Bawa, said that they were ready to resume at the party National Secretary when peace returns to PDP.

He said: Peace in PDP cannot be said to have been achieved; once we see peace, we will report to work. We are neither on the side of Sheriff nor Makarfi. We will work with Sheriff or Makarfi provided the place is safe.

Bawa described the staff as the major casualty of the crisis rocking the party as Sheriff and Makarfi had experienced victory in the court at different times and levels culminating in the Appeal Court judgment that recognised Senator Sheriff and ordered the return to status quo ante may 21, 2016.

While he said that by the pronouncement of the Appeal Court, Cairo Ojougboh and Bernard Mikko are not supposed to parade themselves as Deputy National Chairman and Publicity Secretary, respectively, Bawa explained that members of staff are desirous of resuming work after having been made victim of problems they never caused but are concerned about their safety.

Explaining the status quo ante, he said the former National Working Committee (NWC) made up of Sheriff, Uche Secondus, Olisa Metuh and others should have resumed and not the crop of people parading themselves as officers of the party working with Sheriff.
The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, SP Timothy Falowo Adeola attached to Ire Akari division in Isolo has escaped death after a big tree inside the station uprooted itself and fell on top on his office.

The incident happened on Moday during a heavy rain storm that damaged some properties in some part of Lagos.

P.M.EXPRES gathered that Falowo who was inside his office was unhurt but some of the valuables in the office such as plasma television, fridge, office chairs and table were destroyed.

According to an eye witness, when the tree fell and pierced inside the DPO office, other police officers who were present in the station started crying thinking that Falowo was hit by the tree.

However, he managed to come out and nothing happened to him and the officers started jubilation, thanking God despite the huge damage in the office.

Residents who saw what happened troop in to the station and expressed shock and joy over what happened.

One of the residents, Robert Akpan said he was shocked and still surprised how the tree uprooted itself and fell on top of the building where Falowos office was located.

Some said though it was shocking, they were grateful to God that Falowo escaped death.

When our correspondent visited the station, some engaged workers were busy trying to remove the falling tree from the damaged building.

When the contacted the DPO, he declined to speak and managed to say you can see what happened and I am alive, thank God

Our correspondent gathered that Monday the rain storm affected some building in some area in Iyana Ipaja, ikotun, satellite town, Oshodi, Apapa where properties were destroyed.

Source: PM Express
A fake army officer was apprehended today by security operatives at Garrison junction in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state. He was finally arrested after receiving some hot slaps from the soldiers who nabbed him.

This is another one of the many recent cases of dubious people wearing military uniforms. Its not clear what he intended to do but this is one act military personnels dont joke with, and hell be better informed after a well-deserved punishment.

Source: National Helm
The minister of Information, Alh. Lai Mohammed has told former President Goodluck Jonathan to stop pointing fingers to everyone as it concerns the kidnapping of the Chibok girls who were abducted under his tenure as the President of the country.

The advice was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, following the former Presidents reaction to the report by a British newspaper that the British armed forces offer to attempt to rescue the girls were rebuffed by then President Jonathan.

Mr. Mohammed said, While former President Jonathan reserves the right to defend his administration, he should not engage in finger-pointing by saying, in a statement, that some people who have obviously been playing politics with the issue of the Chibok girls will stop at nothing to further their interest.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has restated his call for true federalism as panacea to Nigerias problems.

He stated this while speaking at the Obafemi Awolowo University at a programme organised by the Faculty of Law. Mr. Abubakar said in a true federal system, the federal government would have little or no need for some ministers as their issues would be handled by the federating units.

We have a government that gives power to the central government and leaves the federating units with nothing, he said

The current structure can be called unitary federalism.

The politician, who is rumoured to be interested in the 2019 presidential race, said the current Nigerian structure makes the country economically indolent and doesnt serve the citizens well.

The restructuring of our federalism is not really a threat on our unity, he said.

The federal government has no point having a ministry of agriculture and health; they ought to only have units that will monitor the ministries. But instead they go on to appoint ministers.

What is the federal governments business with having a health minister and minister of agriculture? he asked.

Mr. Abubakar also accused his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of not heeding to one of his advice on power projects.

I once advised the president not to invest in independent power projects but focus on captive power projects, but I was not listened to; the world is shifting from oil to other sectors and we are not doing that in Nigeria, he said.

In his remarks, the vice chancellor of the university, Anthony Elujoba, said Mr. Abubakars visit, though unexpected, was well appreciated by staff and students.

Source: Leadership
The Federal Government has arraigned Hassan Rilwan in an FCT High Court, Jabi, for allegedly killing Nir Rozmarin, an Israeli.

The defendant, a 34-year-old job applicant, who had earlier denied the allegation and pleaded not guilty, was arraigned by the Ministry of Justice before Justice Halilu Yusuf.

He was arraigned on a one-count charge of culpable homicide contrary to Section 222 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 224 of the same law.

The deceased was one of the managers of Gilmor Group of Company Nigeria Ltd., and was allegedly killed on September 9, 2015 by the defendant.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution Counsel, Ama Yeboah-Ohien, told the court that the defendant first kidnapped the deceased and later killed him.

A policeman who served as prosecution witness, Liam Simon, said the defendant was his neighbour.

According to him, the two policemen, who came to arrest the defendant, traced him through a wedding invitation card they found in the car used for the operation and that the invitation card happened to be his own.

The witness said he did not know how his wedding invitation card got to the hand of the defendant because he was not part of the people he invited for the programme.

When asked during cross-examination if he had ever driven the car, the witness told the court that he had nothing to do with the car.

Justice Yusuf adjourned the matter to March 13 for continuation of cross-examination of the witness.

Source: NAN
The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), yesterday , declared an indefinite strike action due to the inability of the federal ministry of health to meet the demands of the union.

The president, NUAHP, Comrade Obinna Ogbonna who revealed this to journalists said the union had waited patiently, shown enough restraints and had exhausted all other industrial means to ensure that the strike does not hold.

Ogbonna said, We have exhausted all other industrial means because of the poor Nigerian masses who will suffer when we withdraw our services from the health facilities nationwide. We regret any inconveniences or avoidable sufferings and deaths that may arise as a result of this action. We have been pushed to the wall and this strike is inevitable.

The president alluded to the fact that the issues under contention had been on since 2009 after the union had reached a collectively bargained agreement with the government.

He listed some of the issues as, lack of basic consumables to treat patients in health facilities, lack of basic working equipment for diagnosis and treatment of patients, structural defect and corruption at the federal ministry of health and other health facilities and shortage of manpower at various professions.

Other issues raised by the president are the preferential treatment of medical practitioners in the health sector and neglect of other healthcare professionals, noting that wrong interpretation of extant laws on the appointment of Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors of tertiary hospitals were part of the anomalies.

Source: Leadership
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal has taken a swipe at Christians in Nigeria, accusing them of praying for President Muhammadu Buhari to die so that acting President Yemi Osinbajo can take over.

He stated this on Sunday at the Prayer Convocation on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, which had as its theme, Building A Covenant Nation.

Churches have gone into overdrive praying for a Christian president to take over, glad that the president never returns so that our vice president and acting president continues because, according to them, the economy is doing better under him.

They forget that in a presidential system, all power and authority reside with one president , every other authority is delegated by him.

They forgot that when the president was here, the vice president now acting president was the chairman of the National Economic Council. Its a constitutional responsibility. The economic council consists of the vice president, SGF, Attorney General, minister of Budget and Planning, Minister of Finance, and the 36 governors . So whether the president is around or not , the economy is driven by the chairman of the Economic council, who happens to be the vice president.

 The vice president also happens to be the chairman of the reformed power sector. Which also comprises 36 governors and a lot of other technocrats so whether the president is here or not, vice president Yemi Osinbajo has the authority to run the power sector.

But he has to refer to the president before taking decisions. So the government whether vice president Osinbajo is acting or not is that of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Like the acting president rightly said, major decisions he has to clarify with the president . Its a wise decision because major decisions are taken. By the president and he has the power to revert any decisions that didnt come from him when he comes back.

So while in church, I know what the church is saying. I have sat through a sermon where the pastor. Sought to attack me for supporting Buhari as a candidate.

Source: Leadership
If there is one thing that Africa and Nigerias history has taught us, then it is that we had great personalities as founding fathers and leaders who knew what they desired and wanted for their countries after independence from the colonial masters. For Nigeria one of such personalities was Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe; the Zik of Africa, the leader of the Zikist Movement that swept through Africa and Nigeria. In this piece we would be bringing you interesting facts about this legend of Nigerias political history.

#10 As A Spirit Man

For those who lived in colonial Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe was believed to be a superman sent to free us from alien rule of the British. Many didnt understand him so many stories were made up concerning the person of Zik. A part of such stories has it that Zik as a child saw an old woman carrying a heavy load. He helped her carry it to her house and on getting to her place, the woman asked him what she should do for him and Zik said he wanted wisdom and power. The woman was actually a spirit. The story continues that she cut Zik into pieces, boiled him in a pot and magically brought him back to life. On her request Zik killed her to avoid her doing the same to another man and this explains the wisdom and power Zik has over his fellow man. Myths like this helped to situate him in legendary proportions.

#9 To Emeka O. Ojukwu

To the late Ikemba Nnewi, Zik was the indefatigable fighter for freedom and equality even though at independence Ojukwu saw the role he took as tragic. Zik on all fronts was expected to be the Prime Minister of the new independent Nigeria but he compromised to be in coalition with the NPC which made him occupy a figure head role as Governor-General and later ceremonial President. To Ojukwu this compromise was what left the Igbo naked.

#8 On The January 1966 Coup

The first coup in the country was such that most victims of that coup were all Northerners perpetuated by mainly Igbo officers even though it was meant to cut across board. During this exercise that will continue to live in infamy, Zik was out of the country on a medical trip to treat a lung infection. This trip was duely agreed on with Tafawa Belewa being the Prime Minister then. While on this trip he also met with Haitis dictator, Papa Doc Duvalier. However some of the coup plotters believed that Major Ifeajuna (one of the plotters) tipped off Zik on the coup that was being planned.

#7 Key Positions Occupied

Among many things Zik was at the forefront of pioneering many things in Nigeria and also occupying various positions. He was the first indigenous Senate President of Nigeria in January 1960, the first indigenous Governor-General of Nigeria on November 16, 1960 and also the first President of Nigeria when the nation became a republic in 1963. He was also the premier of the Eastern Region from October 1954 to December 1959.

#6 As A Publisher

In November 1934, Zik became the editor of the African Morning Post in Ghana. There he published a piece which he titled Has the African a God which led to him being charged with sedition, found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison but was acquitted after an appeal. He later founded The West African Pilot in Lagos which he used to promote unity in the country.

#5 To Adeniran Ogunsanya

He used to sneak out of Kings College, Lagos to go and listen to Zik deliver lectures in public. He saw the elder statesman as an embodiment of all the virtues a man of the people can have. Among these was his respect for the opinion of others, charisma and an undying nationalism. He also recounts of an event where he, Ogunsanya was the chairman and when Zik was about to speak he said; Mr Chairman, can I have your permission to say one or two things? Ogunsanya was surprised that Zik could be calling a small boy like him Mr. Chairman.

#4 According To Mbadiwe

According to Mr. Kingsley Mbadiwe, Zik was like more like a god when the colonialists were in Nigeria. His orders according to Mbadiwe were feared by everybody including the police. Furthermore he said that Zik had a varied nature. But he was more patient than myself, perhaps accountable by age difference, but his patience can be overtaxed and when he wants to fight, he fights like a wounded lion. In describing the man Zik he said Zik had a messianic outlook like Mahatma Gandhi of India in certain respects. But unlike Gandhi who said he was the light and the way, Zik only showed the light for people to find the way.

#3 His Response on Losing the Prime Ministership

Zik was expected to be Prime Minister in 1960 but Tafawa Belewa was picked instead and he has wonderful response when he was being sworn-in as Governor-General. In quoting Douglas Malloch If you cant be a sun, be a star.My stiffest earthly assignment is ended and my major lifes work is done. My country is now free and I have been honoured to be its first indigenous head of state. What more could one desire in life?

#2 Desire to Become Head Of State

After a brief sojourn of military and a return to civilian rule in 1979, Zik sought to get elected as the Head of State but lost to Alhaji Shehu Shagari. After four years, he contested again in 1983 and lost after what was alleged as mass rigging of the elections by the ruling party. Zik was highly saddened by this that he had to quote Pro. 11:21 which states that the wicked shall not go unpunished. Three months later the military struck and the many players of that time were imprisoned and sent on exile for 10 years.

#1 A Forgiving Man

Sometime in 1989 there was news about his death and the people who peddled the story were R.B.K. Okafor and Mbadiwe. They were at the forefront of selling the story to the media about the demise of Zik and of course this was not true seeing that Zik died much later in 1996. Zik on the other hand readily forgave them for such a wicked scheme.
Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Osinbajo has assured the delegates from the United Nations Security Council mission that Nigeria emulate human rights culture, he said will this during a closed door meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Osinbajo, however, noted that it was time for the international community to take another look at the international legal instruments and conventions that govern warfare and conflicts in the light of the unconventional and brutal operations of terrorists and insurgents around the world.

He said, We must, on a global scale look again at how to deal with these new challenges.

We need to look at the governing conventions, as well as what type of legal categories and recognition of law we should give them.

We need to re-examine how to deal with these individuals according to law, the Acting President said in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.

He also assured the UN team that the Federal Government would progressively review the Rules of Engagement by the military and across the nations security system while taking human rights issues into consideration.

Professor Osinbajo added that President Muhammadu Buharis Social Investment Programmes which include the Conditional Cash Transfer, the GEEP Micro Credit scheme and the N-Power job programme would cater to the developmental needs of the northeast.

He said we are already disbursing the cash transfers in some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and host communities, adding that the present administration was implementing a micro-credit scheme while using the Social Investment Programmes to resuscitate the local economies, including through the Anchor Borrowers plan for farmers.

The Acting President further urged the international community to support the Federal Government in the area of humanitarian response, describing the challenge as massive.

He hinted that the government was also in the process of passing a Northeast Development Commission bill that would deal with some of the long term developmental issues.

The Security Council members were led to the Presidential Villa by the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mathew Rycroft.

The team comprises of all the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.

Speaking earlier at the meeting, Ambassador Rycroft praised the Nigerian Government for its handling of the humanit arian challenge in the Northeast.

He called for a long term developmental outlook in the region to address the issues of good governance, human rights, womens participation, economic revival, education and jobs.

The delegation is leaving Nigeria with a pledge that the United Nations Security Council would play its role well in assisting the Nigerian Government to tackle the challenges in the conflict zones.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geofrey Onyeama, said the Federal Government is pleased with the tour of the northeast by the Council.

He assured the team that Nigeria would leverage on it to access all the funds needed for the rehabilitation of the IDPs in region.

The meeting was attended by some members of the Federal Executive Council and top government officials including the Minister of Defence, Major General Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama.

Others are the Minster of Budget and Planning, Udo Udoma; Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jubrin; the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin.
At the Big Data Paris event in Paris, France, today, MapR Technologies and French enterprise-class cloud provider Outscale announced that they have joined forces to provide a big data platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering built on the MapR Converged Data Platform.

Outscale will provide the new premium cloud service in Europe, North America and Asia and says it will provide customers with a cost-effective and flexible platform to support their big data journey -- from initial proof of concept to prototype and application deployment, all with unlimited scalability.

[ Docker, Amazon, TensorFlow, Windows 10, and more: See InfoWorld's 2017 Technology of the Year Award winners. | Cut to the key news in technology trends and IT breakthroughs with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter, our summary of the top tech happenings. ]

"We are proud to offer MapR as the core technology to power our big data as a platform service because it enables our customers to spin up a full complete, multi-TB data platform in the cloud in a matter of minutes," David Chassan, chief product officer, Outscale, said in a statement today. "We've worked on other solutions for big data, but found that MapR was the only one with the stability, scale and functionality that meets the needs of our enterprise customers and VARs."

No expertise needed

Outscale says its new Big Data PaaS is designed to be simple to use in the cloud, and offers the entire MapR Converged Data Platform to provide fast access to data stored in files, databases and event streams for performing real-time analysis on business critical, operational applications. The service allows customers to test and deploy cloud-based applications on any size cluster, accessing open APIs including HDFS, Spark, Drill and POSIX NFS without the need for extensive professional service expertise in big data.

"Outscale is one of the leading cloud providers in France because of their strong expertise," Yann Aubry, area vice president, Northern & Western Europe, MapR Technologies, said in a statement Monday. "With MapR at the core of their cloud platform, they quickly provide their customers with managed access to a converged data platform including the key big data technologies today. We are pleased to work with Outscale to deliver a technologically advanced cloud platform."

Knocking down data silos

MapR Technologies introduced its Converged Data Platform in December 2015 as part of an effort to tear down the new data silos brought about by the scattershot proliferation of new analytics tools and the consumerization of enterprise software.

The MapR Converged Data Platform brings together the MapR Distribution, including Apache Hadoop, MapR-DB and MapR Streams (its global even stream system, which allows organizations to continuously collect, analyze and act on streaming data). It integrates file, database, stream processing and analytics to support data-driven applications.

This story, " MapR and Outscale partner on big data PaaS" was originally published by CIO .
President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, released Monday, ensures that H-1B visa workers from banned countries won't have problems as long as they stay in the U.S. But if they take a trip abroad, they could have trouble returning.

The changes unveiled today are technical, and immigration attorneys will be waiting for the U.S. State Department to clarify the rules. In the meantime, what may be a greater issue is how the move by Trump affects immigration and travel.

[ Discuss this story. Join our H-1B/Outsourcing group on Facebook. ]

"The real impact will be global in terms of how people perceive the U.S.," said William Stock, an immigration attorney and president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Stock said he is already aware of academic conferences that are being scheduled outside the U.S., and he believes the ban will prompt foreign students to think twice about applying to U.S. schools.

Trump removed Iraq from the list of banned countries in the new executive order. Affected countries are Iran, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sudan. The ban begins March 16, will be in effect for 90 days and can be extended. It does not apply to individuals who are already in the U.S. lawfully before it goes into effect.

The tech industry broadly opposed the administration's first attempt at a ban, unveiled in January. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson was among those who filed a lawsuit against that initial effort and won a stay in appeals court. His pushback had support from tech firms.

In a tweet a few hours after Trump issued his latest order, Ferguson said: "It will take a few days to gauge how new order may harm Washington businesses, universities, etc."

The ban may still lead to a court fight. The initial order was largely seen as a Muslim ban because it prioritized, on the basis of religious persecution, Christians over Muslims.

Stock said it will be harder, but not impossible, for a court "to take shots at" the latest restrictions. The courts will look at the previous record and may conclude this is "Muslim ban 3.0," he said.

Andrew Greenfield, an immigration attorney and managing partner of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy's Washington office, said the new ban is less vague than the first one, but it still raises questions.

Permanent residents from banned countries can enter the U.S., and individuals who are in the green card process and need to travel can do so under a document called an advanced parole.

But people who are exempt from the ban -- but need a new visa to return to the United States -- might face problems while it is in effect. It's unclear how the U.S. consulate will adjudicate a visa in these cases, said Greenfield.

"I am advising clients conservatively that if you have someone in the United States on an H-1B from Syria, or any one of these countries, and their visa has expired, they should not travel abroad," said Greenfield.

They need to first see whether the State Department clarifies their status, he said.

This story, "Trumps revised travel ban may still hurt tech" was originally published by Computerworld .
Barentz strengthens in Southeast Asia

Barentz International has established a Joint Venture with Vita, an ingredients distributor in Thailand, to further strengthen its activities within the food ingredients segment in Southeast Asia.

Barentz International has established a Joint Venture with Vita, an ingredients distributor in Thailand, to further strengthen its activities within the food ingredients segment in Southeast Asia. Vita's knowledge of the Thai market and its well-established customer network will be an asset for Barentz, the company said, while Vita's product portfolio will be greatly widened with Barentz' product range and production facilities in the region.

While Vita is part of the VIV Group, a distributor of a wide range of ingredients, the Joint Venture, Vita Barentz, will mainly be active within Thailand's fast-growing food sector, especially focussing on health and nutrition Ingredients.

"I am very pleased to see Barentz join forces with Vita," said Hidde van der Wal, CEO of Barentz International. "Vita's focus on Health & Nutrition is especially interesting. Health products are growing immensely in popularity and the Joint Venture can offer the industry an almost complete range of ingredients in this key segment. Furthermore, through our own state-of-the-art production facilities Vitablend in Singapore, we will be able to offer the region health & nutritional premixes and functional blends that meet the high-quality demands in this sensitive product segment."

"Thailand's food segment has immense growth opportunities and we want to be part of this growth", said Suchart Chivapornthip, Chairman of VIV Group. "I have high hopes for the new Joint Venture with Barentz which will accelerate our growth. Together we can serve the industry with a more complete portfolio. With the technology and know-how of Barentz's combined with Vita's experience and customer relationship in the market, we will become a significant provider for Food Ingredients and Food Solutions."
New materials are created through deposition onto disks, which are then tested to determine their properties. Credit: Caltech

Researchers at Caltech and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) havein just two yearsnearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels.

They did so by developing a process that promises to speed the discovery of commercially viable solar fuels that could replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.

Solar fuels, a dream of clean-energy research, are created using only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2). Researchers are exploring a range of target fuels, from hydrogen gas to liquid hydrocarbons, and producing any of these fuels involves splitting water.

Each water molecule is comprised of an oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atoms are extracted, and then can be reunited to create highly flammable hydrogen gas or combined with CO2 to create hydrocarbon fuels, creating a plentiful and renewable energy source.

The problem, however, is that water molecules do not simply break down when sunlight shines on themif they did, the oceans would not cover most of the planet. They need a little help from a solar-powered catalyst.

To create practical solar fuels, scientists have been trying to develop low-cost and efficient materials, known as photoanodes, that are capable of splitting water using visible light as an energy source. Over the past four decades, researchers identified only 16 of these photoanode materials.

Now, using a new high-throughput method of identifying new materials, a team of researchers led by Caltech's John Gregoire and Berkeley Lab's Jeffrey Neaton and Qimin Yan have found 12 promising new photoanodes.

A paper about the method and the new photoanodes appears the week of March 6 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new method was developed through a partnership between the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) at Caltech, and Berkeley Lab's Materials Project, using resources at the Molecular Foundry and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

This integration of theory and experiment is a blueprint for conducting research in an increasingly interdisciplinary world, says Gregoire, JCAP thrust coordinator for Photoelectrocatalysis and leader of the High Throughput Experimentation group. It's exciting to find 12 new potential photoanodes for making solar fuels, but even more so to have a new materials discovery pipeline going forward.

What is particularly significant about this study, which combines experiment and theory, is that in addition to identifying several new compounds for solar fuel applications, we were also able to learn something new about the underlying electronic structure of the materials themselves, says Neaton, the director of the Molecular Foundry.

Previous materials discovery processes relied on cumbersome testing of individual compounds to assess their potential for use in specific applications. In the new process, Gregoire and his colleagues combined computational and experimental approaches by first mining a materials database for potentially useful compounds, screening it based on the properties of the materials, and then rapidly testing the most promising candidates using high-throughput experimentation.

In the work described in the PNAS paper, they explored 174 metal vanadatescompounds containing the elements vanadium and oxygen along with one other element from the periodic table.

The research, Gregoire says, reveals how different choices for this third element can produce materials with different properties, and reveals how to tune those properties to make a better photoanode.

The key advance made by the team was to combine the best capabilities enabled by theory and supercomputers with novel high throughput experiments to generate scientific knowledge at an unprecedented rate, Gregoire says.

###

The study is titled Solar fuels photoanode materials discovery by integrating high-throughput theory and experiment. Other authors from Caltech include JCAP research engineers Santosh Suram, Lan Zhou, Aniketa Shinde, and Paul Newhouse. This research was funded by the DOE. JCAP is a DOE Energy Innovation Hub focused on developing a cost-effective method of turning sunlight, water, and CO2 into fuel. It is led by Caltech with Berkeley Lab as a major partner. The Materials Project is a DOE program based at Berkeley Lab that aims to remove the guesswork from materials design in a variety of applications. The Molecular Foundry and NERSC are both DOE Office of Science User Facilities located at Berkeley Lab.

Video available at: https:/ / youtu. be/ 17Dl-VadlTM
Modern financial markets could not function without automation. Traders, counterparties, and transaction-processing infrastructures depend on automation to cope with the avalanches of data that are both generated by the markets and essential to their reliability and integrity. Despite occasional glitches  which have become progressively less frequent and less severe since the disastrous flash crash of May 2010  it all happens so smoothly that it is easy to take the technology for granted.

That's a credit to the technologists of the trading world featured in this year's Trading Technology 40. Whether they work in equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities, or derivatives, the executives listed here are pioneering solutions to countless problems presented by the size and complexity of markets.

Take, as an example, the liquidity squeeze in corporate bonds, a consequence of dealers' retreating from principal trading that puts their own capital at risk. Enter creative thinkers and problem solvers like Richard Prager, BlackRock's head of trading, liquidity, and investments platform. No. 1 this year, Prager has made an industrywide impact by articulating concerns about tight liquidity and encouraging buy-side-driven solutions. BlackRock collaborated, for instance, on Open Trading, a protocol on the MarketAxess Holdings (see No. 12, Nick Themelis) platform that aggregates liquidity from a broad range of market participants.

For sourcing liquidity and preparing to trigger an algorithmic strategy, among other essential tasks, the acceleration of computing power and speed has for years been a driving force in trading technology development. The pursuit of low latency  minimizing communication time  fueled the so-called algorithmic arms race, which continues to this day. To KCG Holdings chief technology officer Mike Blum (No. 9), however, speed isn't the be-all and end-all that it used to be. Although it still matters and can't be neglected, "the focus now is on alpha," he says. "Now it's about getting smarter."

Indeed, intelligence has emerged as a common theme in trading and in the analytics that underlie decisions and strategies. Portware (Alfred Eskandar, No. 30) introduced an artificial intelligence component into its execution management system in 2012. Today machine intelligence supporting real-time decision making is embedded in Bloomberg Tradebook (Glenn Lesko, No. 6) and in Optimus from Citi (Dan Keegan, No. 5). It doesn't end there: Tradeweb Markets (Billy Hult, No. 14) is touting the concept of intelligent execution "to integrate machine learning to make trading smarter," while the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Steven Randich, No. 31) is putting machine learning to use as a tool for surveillance of 50 billion trades, quotes, and other daily market events. (Not to discount the human element, BlackRock's Prager emphasizes that "it's about people and the machine.")

The Trading Technology 40 were selected by Institutional Investor editors, taking into account nominations and input from industry experts. The leadership criteria include recent and career accomplishments and contributions to individual companies and to the industry at large; scope and complexity of executive responsibilities; and pure technological innovation. Click on the links to the 40 profiles below.

The ranking was compiled under the direction of Senior Contributing Editor Jeffrey Kutler. Profiles were written by Kutler; Asia Bureau Chief Allen T. Cheng; Staff Writer Jess Delaney; and Senior Writers Frances Denmark, Imogen Rose-Smith, and Julie Segal.

The 2017 Trading Tech 40
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Inflation remains the primary concern for the worlds central banks, which have engaged in the broadest and fastest tightening regime in history, according to Alejandra Grindal, chief economist at Ned Davis Research.
"I was a bit surprised by that," says expert
An Australian-owned insurance company has confirmed that it will offshore a number of New Zealand-based back office jobs.Catherine Dixon, EGM people experience at Suncorp New Zealand, owner of Vero, Asteron, and half of AA Insurance, said the company has proposed to transfer a number of administrative jobs to its strategic partners in Asia, New Zealand Herald reported.An unnamed source said some 70 jobs were going to be scrapped.We have entered into a consultation process with our Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch people who are impacted by this change, and as part of this process have identified a number of new roles that they can apply for, Dixon said.Vero, Asteron, and Vero Liability currently employ roughly 900 people in New Zealand.Dixon said the company was unable to clarify, however, how many roles are being disestablished or how many new roles are being created as the process is still ongoing.She said the decision to transfer jobs was not meant to reduce staff numbers. It is understood that AA Insurance or AA Life staff would not be impacted by the change, the report said.By moving some roles offshore, and creating new roles here in New Zealand, Suncorp New Zealand will increase the capability of its business, and improve the service we provide our customers, Dixon said.
North Carolina Judge CW Bragg reversed a ruling by the state Department of Insurance (NCDOI) which revoked the license of bondsman Tim Mathis after hearing the arguments of both parties.Mathis filed a suit with the Union County court contesting the insurance departments decision, alleging that the agency made the decision to show favor to the North Carolina Bail Agents Association (NCBAA), one of the two bail bond course providers in the state. Mathis works for the other organization, the North Carolina Bail Academy.The courts review of the whole record finds credible evidence exists that can establish Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and the NCDOI have a close and even incestuous relationship with the NCBAA, Bragg wrote in his ruling, according to media outlet wsoctv.com.As part of his ruling, Judge Bragg reinstated Mathis license and sent the case back to the DOI to oversee. However, the bondsman is still facing criminal charges over allegations that he falsified monthly bail reports.
It's critical to help clients make the most of the plans they have
Zhong An Online Property & Casualty Insurance plans to sell 5-10 percent of the company to a couple of strategic investors, to raise up to 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion), ahead of a planned initial public offering in mainland China, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Chinas first internet-only insurer, whose current major shareholders include two of Chinas largest Internet companies  Alibaba Groups Ant Financial affiliate with 16 percent and Tencent Holdings Ltd. with 12 percent  is in early talks with potential investors, according to the sources who declined to be named.

The investors would be expected to commit at least 1 billion yuan each and the new funds would be used by Zhong An to expand its business and buy time before securing a green light from regulators for the IPO, one of the people said. The companys proposed valuation for the offering has yet to be decided, the sources said.

Reuters could not immediately learn the identity of the prospective investors.

A spokeswoman for Zhong An in Shanghai declined to comment on the companys fundraising plan. Tencent and Ant Financial didnt immediately reply to Reuters requests for comment.

The company says it offers more than 300 insurance products and has written more than 7.56 billion policies for more than 535 million customers.

Flight Delays

Chinas securities regulator is considering offering a shortcut for some of the countrys largest technology companies, including Zhong An, to list at home, allowing them to jump a long line of applicants seeking approval for IPOs.

Zhong An was founded in November 2013 by Alibabas Executive Chairman Jack Ma, Tencents Chairman Pony Ma and Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China Ltd. Chairman Ma Mingzhe. Ping An retains a 12 percent stake.

When consumers buy products online on Alibaba or other companies platforms, they can choose to buy insurance that will cover the shipping costs in case they want to return the goods later. That type of shipping return insurance was Zhong Ans main product last year, accounting for 50 percent of its business, Zhong Ans Chief Operating Officer Wayne Xu said at a presentation in Hong Kong in November.

That was followed by insurance against flight delays that people can buy when they purchase tickets at online travel agencies to deal with a common headache for travelers in China, he added.

In 2015, Zhong An raised 5.78 billion yuan from a group of investors that included Morgan Stanley, domestic investment bank China International Capital Corp Ltd (CICC) and private equity firms CDH Investments and SAIF Partners. The fundraising valued it at about $8 billion at the time.

Zhong An is among several Chinese financial technology companies tapping investors for pre-IPO financing to fund expansion as consumers move more of their banking, payments, investing and insurance online.

Ant Financial, the worlds most valuable fintech company, last year raised $4.5 billion in a financing round, one of the biggest for a private internet company. In January 2016, Lufax, Chinas biggest peer-to-peer lending and wealth management platform, raised $1.2 billion, while JD Finance, the finance subsidiary of online direct sales firm JD.com, raised $1 billion.

($1 = 6.8954 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Julie Zhu and Elzio Barreto; editing by Martin Howell)

Related:

Topics China
If the UK leaves the European Union without being able to complete a Brexit trade deal, it could be forced into World Trade Organization tariffs  an option that is under serious consideration by the UK government.

However, Paul Drechsler, president of the UK Confederation of British Industry (CBI), cautioned that leaving without a deal would bring significant tariff and regulatory barriers to trade, opening a Pandoras Box of economic consequences.

Wherever I go across Europe, I hear concerns about the UK leaving without a deal and falling into World Trade Organization rules, he said recently during a speech in London, given at the Lord Mayors Business and Investment dinner.

We should be under no illusions about what this would really mean. A no deal scenario would open a Pandoras Box of economic consequences, Drechsler warned.

The UK would face tariffs on 90 percent of its EU exports by value and a raft of new regulatory hurdles, he said, noting that such barriers would hurt firms in the UK as well as the EU.

Here in the UK and across the continent firms are worried about this worst-case scenario, he affirmed. Some are getting ready for it to reduce economic damage. Some wont prepare because theyre hoping for a deal. But, in reality, many firms cant prepare because the cost of change is simply too high to even consider it.

Drechsler offered some words of warning to those who prefer for Britain to walk away from the EU without a deal: Youre not only wrong but also irresponsible.

Discussing the practical hurdles to trade under WTO rules, he cited the example of a small cosmetics firm in England that sells its products in French shops. Without an EU office, it would be illegal for those French shops to sell the cosmetic firms products, which would hit both the UK firm and its French outlets, he explained.

As a result, Drechsler emphasized that its important to secure an ambitious deal that works in everyones interests.

Not only do European countries benefit from a thriving UK, but British businesses also need a strong European Union  a strong single market with which UK companies can easily trade, he affirmed.

Getting a smooth Brexit that minimizes disruptions across the EU is in everyones interest, he said.

Whether youre a salmon farmer in Scotland, an aerospace giant in the Midlands, or a tech start-up in Cambridge, Brexit will affect your business, Drechsler added.

Source: Confederation of British Industry

Topics Europe
Chicago-based CNA has appointed former Chubb executive Joyce Trimuel to fill a new executive position as chief diversity officer. She will also carry the title of senior vice president and report to Liz Aguinaga, CNAs chief human resources officer.

At Chubb, Trimuel was most recently vice president and Kansas City branch manager for Chubb. While there, the 20-year insurance and underwriting veteran founded the Lead.Link.Leverage initiative, offering more than 200 women business leaders in the Kansas City community professional career development.

Diversity and inclusion leads to more innovation, more opportunities for all, better access to talent and better business performance, CNA CEO Dino Robusto said in prepared remarks. By working with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences and working styles, we learn and obtain another point of view. Diverse views make for better decisions, and thus drive a high performance culture.

Robusto said Trimuels leadership will allow CNA to meet the needs of customers from countless backgrounds and play a more vital role in our global communities.

The upper ranks of insurance industry management lack diversity, according to recent research. About 85 percent of executive leadership at public insurance companies is male, and the number reaches nearly 75 percent at mutual insurers, according to an April 2016 study from McLagan, an independent subsidiary of Aon Hewitt. According to the study, most company leaders are white  98 percent and 93 percent of executive management are Caucasian at stock and mutual companies, respectively. A majority are age 45 or older.

The industry is trying to increase its diversity, according to Loretta Worters, vice president, communications for the Insurance Information Institute.

More and more insurance companies have developed executive positions to guide their diversity agendas, Worters told Carrier Management via email. Insurers know it is important to have diversity officers and to have diversity and inclusion in their overall company culture. Inclusion is good business strategy. Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire their employees to perform to their peak ability.

The Insurance Information Institute recently launched a new website page that gives an overview of the industrys diversity initiatives. Listed companies include Zurich, USAA, Travelers, State Farm, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, Chubb, American Family, AIG and Allianz.

Topics Chubb
McArthur Baker, 69, a former U.S. Postal Service employee, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the Department of Labors (DOL) Office of Workers Compensation Program (OWCP), according to U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

The U.S. Attorneys Office reported that Baker and co-defendant Tonya Evans, 52, both of Dallas, were each convicted following a one-week trial on one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. with respect to claims and one count of false statements or fraud to obtain federal employees compensation. Evans is scheduled to be sentenced June 19, 2017.

The government presented evidence at trial that Baker and Evans engaged in a scheme to receive kickbacks in exchange for their completion of falsified medical documentation that was used by co-conspirators to defraud DOLs OWCP. Baker also falsified forms related to travel he purportedly made for medical services, and as a result, received funds from DOL to which he was not entitled.

Baker began working for the U.S. Postal Service in 1982; he was assigned to work as a mail handler equipment operator. Between 1984 and 2007, Baker filed eight different claims for disability, claiming he suffered from various injuries. As a result of these claims, Baker stopped working in approximately December 2007. He never returned to work but continued to receive disability compensation from December 2007 until at least October 2009. He received more than $68,000 in workers comp payments. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service in October 2009 but he continued to receive disability medical care paid for through DOL, and he continues to be eligible for disability medical care.

Evans began working for the U.S. Postal Service in November 1985; she worked as a clerk primarily with the parcel post distribution machine. She filed disability claims in August 2001, August 2003 and August 2008 claiming that she suffered from various injuries. As a result of these claims, Evans was placed on workers compensation in 2001. She received more than $340,000 in workers compensation payments. In March 2010, she applied for disability retirement that was approved in October 2011.

Convicted co-conspirator, Larry Washington, was a licensed professional counselor and ran several businesses known as AAA Mental Health LLC, Mind Spa Inc., Solutions Health and Rehabilitation, and Convergence Emergence Diversion. Through these businesses, Washington purportedly provided patients with counseling, pain management, chiropractic services, physical therapy, and massage services. His patients were former postal and Veterans Administration employees who had suffered on-the-job injuries and were eligible to receive medical services and workers compensation related to those injuries.

Earlier this year, Washington pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced in May 2016 to 78 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $7.7 million in restitution.

To maintain and enhance his billings with OWCP, Washington asked claimants, including Baker and Evans, to falsify medical documentation, called mood inventories, that indicated they had received services on days they had not. Baker and Evans completed numerous mood inventory forms that contained false information about the days on which Baker and Evans received treatment from Washington or someone working for Washington.

Baker and Evans received approximately $100 for each form they completed. Over the course of the fraud, Baker received a total of at least $3,000 from Washington; Evans received at least $6,000.

As a result of Bakers falsified documentation, Washington was able to fraudulently bill $105,125 from OWCP. As a result of Evans falsified documentation, Washington was able to bill $202,438 from OWCP.

The government presented further evidence that Baker submitted falsified documentation related to travel he purportedly made to receive medical services from Washington and others. He also requested reimbursement for twice the amount of mileage he would have received had he actually received the purported services. As a result, based on fraudulent travel forms he submitted, Baker received more than $3,000.

In addition to Baker and Evans, 20 claimants, four doctors or medical providers, a senior claims examiner at DOL, a claims representative, a Postal employee detailed to the Postal Service Health Resource Management Office, and a medical providers employee were charged and convicted in the scheme.

In total, the defendants were able to collectively fraudulently bill the federal government through the OWCP for more than $9.5 million and receive more than $8.7 million in government payments based on their fraudulent billing. The DOL made approximately $11.4 million in payments to these claimants for their compensation and medical services.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General/Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl, Nicole Dana and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Bray prosecuted.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas

Topics USA Texas Claims Workers' Compensation Fraud Washington Medical Professional Liability
The Texas Department of Insurances Division of Workers Compensation (DWC) re-certified seven employers to self-insure workers compensation claims. Together, the companies employ about 30,000 people in Texas.

DWC renewed:

Bradford Holding Company Inc.

Textron Inc.

Weyerhaeuser Company

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

PACCAR Inc

Ascension Health Alliance

ABF Freight System Inc.

To be certified to self-insure, a company must meet state requirements and have a minimum workers compensation insurance unmodified manual premium of $500,000.

Source: TDI-DWC

Topics Texas Claims Workers' Compensation
The forecast is for no major tax changes aside from changes to business rates as the UK tries to give stability to the economy for the upcoming Brexit discussions.

Leading up to his speech, most businesses are relatively relaxed because Hammonds Autumn Statement contained several changes to the tax system including an increase to the insurance premium tax rates, restrictions on relief for interest and changes to the loss rules to prepare the UK for a post-Brexit Britain.

Hammond has moved to get rid of the Spring Statement permanently precisely because he feels too much fine-tuning is unhelpful for businesses. In addition, official figures show that UKs levels of borrowing are also slightly lower than expected, giving the Chancellor more room to manoeuvre to avoid deep cuts to public services and higher taxes.

Despite the rumours of higher than expected tax receipts, there appears to be no let up to austerity and the expectation is that Hammond will look to new measures to increase revenue, Chris Groves, partner at Withers private client and tax team, said.

However, Michelle Quest, head of tax at KPMG in the UK, is expecting a boring budget with no major structural changes and no relaxing of the governments fiscal stance.

Bill Dodwell, head of tax policy at Deloitte, also hopes for limited changes. We are in the middle of very substantial changes to the tax system, from Making Tax Digital, changes to employment taxes and changes driven by the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, Dodwell said. The move to a single, autumn Budget is welcome  which means that this Budget should not contain too many changes.

Simplifying the UKs tax system is high on many wish lists. However, business rates scrutiny may force the Chancellors hand despite hopes for a low-key budget. The UKs present business rates system has been under criticism because of increases by many ratepayers.

"If the Chancellor wants to help ratepayers facing large increases, the fastest and most effective method is to adjust the thresholds of the Transition Scheme that protects ratepayers from large rises, Phil Vernon, head of rating at PwC, said. However, he will have to wrestle with the mechanics of the scheme as this would need to be financed by restricting reductions from other ratepayers who are expecting a much-needed decrease in their bills.

Richard Godmon, tax partner at Menzies, believes the Chancellor has a rare opportunity to deliver tax cuts and simplify the tax system for businesses because of the surge in monthly tax receipts, which was announced on February 21.

The government had hoped and planned that its first two budgets in 2017 would be a low-key affair, in light of the triggering of Article 50 to ensure a smooth transition. These best-laid plans could be frustrated and we may see some significant announcements, not least on the thorny issue of business rates which has been the centre of intense scrutiny in recent weeks, Chris Sanger, head of tax policy at EY, said. Elsewhere, with a review of modern employment practices already underway, the taxation of the self-employed is likely to be high on the Chancellors agenda.

Overall, Iain McCluskey, partner at PwCs people and organisation practice, predicts that this will be a quiet budget. The Chancellor remains handcuffed by both his party commitment not to raise taxes in his parliament and the need to invest in the economy and fund our public services. It leaves very little room to move, McCluskey said.

The big tax themes that businesses can expect

For Mark Bevington, partner at Baker McKenzie, the big issues that businesses in the UK are puzzling over are:

Measures to raise revenue and whether they will harm UK competitiveness;

Measures to attract technology companies (both start-ups and the global major industry players), and how they will be balanced with the Government's apparent desire to modify the tax system to cope with new digital business models; and

Further signals on the headline corporation tax rate in light of Brexit and the possibility of US tax reform.

Developing the gig economy will be a major focus for the UK and could feature in the Spring Budget. An increase in the tax burden of the self-employed is possible as the government looks to bring more of the gig economy into the mainstream tax system.

By focusing on the gig economy, which is changing the way businesses work, the government hopes that the UK will be better placed to benefit from the rise of e-commerce and unicorn companies. The Chancellor will usher in a review of the way the self-employed are taxed to sit alongside the consultation of the gig economy.

Withers Groves predicts that inheritance tax will be one of the hottest topics in the budget as the funding of social care in later life is prominent. Equally, there is pressure for an increase in the nil rate band, which has been frozen at 325,000 ($398,937) since 2009, Groves added.

In addition, business rate reforms and pressures on social care and funding are expected to be at the forefront of the budget.

The forthcoming rates revaluation has focused on the shifting of burden for business rates from some locales to others.

However, beyond a shift from one taxpayer to another, the revaluation locks in the significant increase in the burden that has been slowly introduced over time, Sanger said. The gradual increase in business rates each year above the rise in property values has led to the burden in aggregate that started at 41.4% of rateable value in 2010 rising to an expected 48% in the latest revaluation.

Quest feels that tax changes must ultimately prioritise supporting aspects of the tax system that bolster the UKs international competitiveness. With the triggering of Article 50 imminent, the Chancellor will need to demonstrate more than ever that the UK is open for businesses and will remain competitive on the global stage, Quest said.

Corporate tax

RSM is confident that the announcements will include a call to open a consultation to decide the case and options for bringing into the UK corporation tax regime all non-resident companies receiving taxable income from the UK, because of an announcement in the Autumn Statement 2016.

No further drop to the corporation tax rate is likely  beyond the scheduled falls to 19% on April 1 2017 and to 17% on April 1 2020  despite rumours of the UK becoming a tax haven as it looks to attract post-Brexit investment.

A 19% rate will give the UK the lowest combined (national, state and city) tax rate in the G20 but does come at a time when other countries have been reducing their own rates  at 9%, Hungarys tax rate has now overtaken Ireland as the lowest in the EU. With the US considering proposals to reduce its national tax rate to 20% or even 15%, this trend will remain at the heart of competition for investment, Sanger said.

Despite the upcoming rate cuts, corporation tax receipts are predicted to grow, highlighting the importance of considering the tax base as well as the tax rate, he added.

Indirect tax

For indirect taxation, a few changes are predicted. RSM anticipates supplementary legislation for strengthening the disclosure of tax avoidance schemes  VAT and other indirect taxes, a potential extension of a VAT group to individuals and general partnerships, policy changes to the VAT recovery by holding companies, and an overall simplification of VAT by recommendations from the Office of Tax Simplification.

In addition, the withdrawal of extra statutory VAT concessions is likely to be addressed. In line with the House of Lords decision in Wilkinson, which decided that HMRC would withdraw the concessions with effect April 2018.

The economy

Following previous consultation, RSM expects further details to be announced on measures designed to tackle the hidden economy.

Ian Stewart, chief economist at Deloitte, forecasts good growth for the UK and better-than-expected tax revenues to provide Hammond with some good news ahead of this budget.

However, he noted that the long grind of public sector austerity has much further to run. Annual borrowing still accounts for 3.5% of UK GDP even after seven years of deficit reduction. This budget is not likely to see a change in this as the squeeze on public spending will continue to step up.

By the end of this decade, the tax burden is likely to be at a 30 year high, according to Deloitte.
Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese.

Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa.

Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista.

E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa  ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta.

A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito.
More and more people these days seek to enhance their career opportunities by earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, which can translate to higher salaries, opportunities for promotions, or the skills to become an entrepreneur and start a new business.

When applying to a business school, one of the important metrics that admissions committees consider is an applicant's undergraduate GPA. Although having an excellent grade point average (GPA) certainly helps with being selected for a program, other features of an MBA application such as GMAT score and professional work experience will come in to play.

GPA

Earning a bachelor's degree with a 4.0 is certainly an applaudable achievement. But failing to get straight A's will not necessarily ruin your chances of getting into a respectable MBA program. Getting better than 3.5 (B+ to A-) for a cumulative grade point average is typically the range that these schools are looking for. The very best and top-rated programs will demand a higher GPA than mid- or lower-tier ones.

Although GPA statistics for many of the top business schools are not officially published, research by F1GMAT shows that for the top 20 rated programs, the average GPA lies somewhere between 3.5 and 3.7. They also find that graduating with a GPA of 2.7 or less seriously hurts a candidate's chances of getting accepted to a reputed program.

Some examples of average GPAs for new MBA classes include Stanford University's Graduate School of Business which boasted an average GPA for incoming students of 3.73. The average GPA for the incoming class at Harvard Business School has been 3.70, while the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School all took in students with an average of 3.50.

GMAT

Although GPA is important, a 2012 survey of business school admission officers by Kaplan Test Prep found that it is only the number two admissions killer for getting into an MBA program. The number one factor was found to be an inadequate GMAT score. In Kaplan's survey, 51% of respondents listed the GMAT as the number one hurdle when applying for an MBA.

The best business schools generally demand the highest test scores, and among top-tier programs, the average score is between 720-730. A perfect score of 800 is certainly not required to gain acceptance to a top school, but it can certainly make an applicant stand out. Poets & Quants have compiled a list of average GMAT scores for some of the top MBA programs in the United States.

1:27 Does GPA Matter to an MBA Program?

Work Experience

Excelling in academics serves as a solid foundation, but a business school is geared toward real-world professional outcomes. As a result, many schools value relevant work experience in their decision-making process. Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, in particular, are designed specifically for those who have been in the workforce for a number of years in management or leadership roles and who are typically older students. EMBA admissions know that academic records will be stale and put a much heavier weight on work experience and the professional networks applicants can bring to the table.

Part-time and EMBA programs are designed to allow full-time employees to earn their MBA while pursuing their degrees by offering evening and weekend classes. Often times, employers will pay for a student's tuition in full or in part if they believe that their new degree will make them a more valuable asset to the company.

The Bottom Line

Getting into a top-ranked MBA program is highly competitive, but the results can be very rewarding in terms of financial success and career mobility. Having a good undergraduate grade point average is certainly an important factor that admissions committees consider; however, GPA isn't the whole story. A strong GMAT score and evidence of relevant work experience is also very important. Admissions decisions are made by looking at all those metrics and more, including personal essays, letters of recommendation, and one-on-one interviews.
What Is Article 50?

Article 50 is a clause in the European Union's (EU) Lisbon Treaty that outlines the steps to be taken by a country seeking to leave the bloc voluntarily. Invoking Article 50 kick-starts the formal exit process and allows countries to officially declare their intention to leave the EU. The United Kingdom was the first country to invoke Article 50 after a majority of British voters elected to leave the union in 2016.

Key Takeaways Article 50 is a clause in the European Union's Lisbon Treaty that outlines how a country can leave the bloc voluntarily.

The article states: Any member state may decide to withdraw from the union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

The article became a subject of serious discussion during the European sovereign debt crisis of 2010 to 2014 when Greece's economy appeared to be in trouble.

The United Kingdom became the first country to invoke Article 50 after a majority of voters elected to leave the bloc.

How Article 50 Works

Article 50 is part of the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed and ratified by all 27 member states of the European Union in 2007 and came into effect in 2009. The article outlines how a member nation may leave the EU voluntarily. As noted above, the article states: Any member state may decide to withdraw from the union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

According to the article's text:

Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements. A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament. The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period. For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it.

A qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49.

Algeria left the European Economic Community after gaining independence from France in 1962, while Greenland left through a special treaty in 1985.

Special Considerations

Article 50 became a subject of serious discussion during the European sovereign debt crisis of 2010 to 2014 when Greece's economy appeared to be spiraling out of control. In an attempt to save the euro and perhaps the EU from collapsing, leaders considered expelling Greece from the eurozone.

The problem they encountered with Article 50 was that there was no clear guidance for pushing a member state out against its will. Nor was it necessary to remove Greece from the EUjust from the eurozone. Greece was eventually able to reach agreements with its EU creditors.

Origins of Article 50

The European Union began in 1957 as the European Economic Community, which was created to foster economic interdependence among its members in the aftermath of World War II. The original bloc comprised six European countries: the Netherlands, France, Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, and Italy. They were joined by the U.K., Denmark, and Ireland in 1973. The EU was formally created by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, and by 1995 the bloc expanded to 15 members covering the whole of Western Europe. From 2004 to 2007, the EU experienced its largest-ever expansion, taking on 12 new members that included former Communist states.

The Lisbon Treaty was drafted with a view to enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union and to improving the coherence of its action. The treaty was signed and ratified by all 27 member states in 2007 and came into effect in 2009. The treaty is divided into two partsthe Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). It has 358 articles in total including Article 50.

The author of the provision did not originally see it as being necessary. "If you stopped paying the bills and you stopped turning up at the meetings, in due course your friends would notice that you seemed to have left," the Scottish peer Lord Kerr of Kinlochard told the BBC in November 2016. He saw Article 50 as being potentially useful in the event of a coup, which would lead the EU to suspend the affected country's membership: "I thought that at that point the dictator in question might be so cross that he'd say 'right, I'm off' and it would be good to have a procedure under which he could leave."

Example of Article 50

The first country to invoke Article 50 was the United Kingdom, which left the EU on Jan. 31, 2020. It came after a majority of British citizens voted to leave the union and pursue Brexit in a referendum on June 23, 2016, leading British Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke the article on March 29, 2017.

The process was mired by missed deadlines, extensions, negotiations, and stumbling blocks put forth by both British and EU leaders. May's attempts for an agreement were rejected by parliament. Negotiations were renewed by Boris Johnson, who became prime minister after May resigned.

The country began an 11-month transition period immediately after its departure from the bloc. After leaving the Union, there were no British officials in the European Parliament, and the U.K. lost its veto right within the EU. But the two parties still had to work out a new trade agreement. There were still many issues to resolve during the transition period, including:

Issues related to pensions

How both parties would handle law enforcement and security cooperation

Access to shared fisheries

Customs and border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Tariffs and other trade barriers

One big cause for concern was the issue of EU nationals migrating to the U.K. or vice versa. Prior to Brexit, an estimated three million EU nationals lived, worked, or studied in the U.K., while one million U.K. nationals did the same in the rest of the EU. Nationals were allowed to cross borders during the transition period but were afterward subject to visa requirements.

Negotiations continued during the transition period, despite many halts and roadblocks. On Dec. 24, 2020, the two sides finally announced a trade deal that would replace the EU's single market and its customs union with respect to the United Kingdom. The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was signed on Dec. 30 and provisionally entered force on Jan. 1. However, it was not fully ratified until the following April. The new trade agreement fully entered force on May 1, 2021.
What Is a Lender?

A lender is an individual, a group (public or private), or a financial institution that makes funds available to a person or business with the expectation that the funds will be repaid. Repayment will include the payment of any interest or fees. Repayment may occur in increments (as in a monthly mortgage payment) or as a lump sum. One of the largest loans consumers take out from lenders is a mortgage.

Key Takeaways A lender is an individual, a public or private group, or a financial institution that makes funds available to a person or business with the expectation that the funds will be repaid.

Repayment includes the payment of any interest or fees.

Repayment may occur in increments (as in a monthly mortgage payment) or as a lump sum.

1:59 Click Play to Learn All About Lenders

Understanding Lenders

Lenders provide funds for a variety of reasons, such as a home mortgage, an automobile loan, or a small business loan. The terms of the loan specify how it must be satisfied, e.g., the repayment period and the consequences of missing payments and default. A lender may go to a collection agency to recover any funds that are past due.

How Do Lenders Make Loan Decisions?

Individual borrowers

Qualifying for a loan depends largely on the borrowers credit history. The lender examines the borrowers credit report, which details the names of other lenders extending credit (current and previous), the types of credit extended, the borrowers repayment history, and more. The report helps the lender determine whetherbased on current employment and incomethe borrower would be comfortable managing an additional loan payment. As part of their decision about creditworthiness, lenders may also use the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) score in the borrowers credit report.

The lender may also evaluate the borrowers debt-to-income (DTI) ratiowhich compares current and new debt to before-tax incometo determine the borrowers ability to pay.

When applying for a secured loan, such as an auto loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC), the borrower pledges collateral. The lender will make an evaluation of the collaterals full value and subtract any existing debt secured by that collateral from its value. The remaining value of the collateral will be the equity that affects the lending decision (i.e., the amount of money that the lender could recoup if the asset were liquidated).

The lender also evaluates a borrowers available capital, which includes savings, investments, and other assets that could be used to repay the loan if income is ever cut due to a job loss or other financial challenge. The lender may ask what the borrower plans to do with the loan, such as use it to purchase a vehicle or other property. Other factors may also be considered, such as environmental or economic conditions.

Business borrowers

Different lenders have different rules and procedures for business borrowers.

Banks, savings and loans, and credit unions that offer Small Business Administration (SBA) loans must adhere to the guidelines of that program.

Private institutions, angel investors, and venture capitalists lend money based on their own criteria. These lenders will also look at the purpose of the business, the character of the business owner, the location of business operations, and the projected annual sales and growth for the business.

Small-business owners prove their ability for loan repayment by providing lenders both personal and business balance sheets. The balance sheets detail assets, liabilities, and the net worth of the business and the individual. Although business owners may propose a repayment plan, the lender has the final say on the terms.

Where Can I Get a Small Business Loan? One good lender option for small business borrowers is the Small Business Administration (SBA), a U.S. government agency that promotes the economy by assisting small businesses with loans and advocacy. The SBA has a website and at least one office in every state.

What Are the Different Types of Mortgage Lenders? The three most common options for borrowers seeking a mortgage lender are mortgage brokers, direct lenders (e.g., banks and credit unions), and secondary market lenders (e.g., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).
Top News - Investor Idea

A Boat-full of Potential - Renewed Interest in the Cruise Industry Bolsters Luxury Markets (OTC: MASN) (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) (NYSE: RCL) (NYSE: NCLH)

Vancouver, Kelowna, Delta, BC - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering luxury goods and cruise ship stocks releases a special report featuring Maison Luxe, Inc. (OTC: MASN), a company that offers luxury retail consumer items.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea

Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures $3.8M Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA from Italy

CAVE CREEK, Az. - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured a new $3.8 million USD order for its newly acquired, non-nicotine based vape product, HYLA from customers in Italy.

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Most of the publications listed below can be ORDERED ON-LINE until the stock lasts. Whenever applicable, you can access the order form by clicking on the cover of the periodical.

Some publication have an electronic version made available by clicking the coresponding language.

IPU STRATEGY 2017-2021

The IPU Strategy 2017-2021, drafted under the guidance of IPU Member Parliaments, sets the vision, mission and objectives of the organization. It outlines the actions that need to be taken by the IPU community to achieve its agenda and the two overarching goals of building strong, democratic parliaments and mobilizing them around the global development agenda. The publication can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat

Published: 2017

Available languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic



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English (2.16 Mb), French (2.45 Mb), Spanish (1.75 Mb), Arabic (892 Kb)

WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT: 20 YEARS IN REVIEW

This publication looks at how women's representation in parliament has fared in the 20 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action on women's empowerment as well as in the year between 2014 and 2015. Although the news that the percentage of women MPs has nearly doubled since 1995 seems encouraging, the lack of significant progress in 2014 questions whether quotas have reached the peak of their impact. The publication can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat

Published: 2015

Available languages: English, French and Spanish



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English (1.12 Mb), French (1.15 Mb), Spanish (1.13 Mb)

IPU STRATEGY 2012-2017

Adopted by the Governing Council of the IPU in October 2011 with an overall title "Better parliaments, stronger democracy", IPU Strategy for 2012-2017 charts the course for IPU development in the next five years and serves to garner resources and support for the accomplishment of its objectives. Ultimately, the strategy will help Members build an IPU that is universal, dynamic and effective and able to advance democratic culture, values and institutions through cooperation among parliaments. The publication can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat

Published: 2011

Available languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic



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ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

IPUs Annual Report 2014 provides up-to-date vital information on the Organizations activities in its key areas of work, its membership, the composition of its key structures as well as the budget and expenditure for each year. Richly illustrated with images and graphs, it is useful source of information for anyone wanting to have a better understanding of the remit and achievements of the world organization of national parliaments. The publication can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat

Published: Annually

Available languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic



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2010: English (1.17 Mb) French (1.36 Mb)

2009: English (974 Kb) French (983 Kb)

2008: English (2119 Kb) French (1030 Kb)

IPU INFORMATION BROCHURE

The new IPU information brochure, in colour and illustrated by many pictures, showcases the dynamism and diversity of the organization's work, and highlights the unique niche occupied by the IPU among international political organizations.

Published: Annually

Available languages: this publication is no longer available. But you can still download it in PDF format

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English (2911 Kb), French (2891 Kb), Spanish (2880 Kb), Arabic (2714 Kb)



WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT: THE YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE

The annual brochure provides an overview and analysis of progress made and setbacks encountered by women in parliament further to elections and renewals held over a year. Produced every year on the occasion of International Women's Day (2 March), it presents data on women in national parliaments, regional and world trends, information on women presiding officers and women candidates. It also analyses mechanisms aimed at supporting women's access to parliament. The brochure is short and easy to read, providing a snapshot on the situation of women in parliaments worldwide. The publication can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat.

Published: Annually

Available languages: English, French, Spanish and Japanese



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2005: English (129 Kb) and French (120 Kb)

THE WORLD OF PARLIAMENTS - QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

The Review, which replaced the IPU Bulletin , serves as a vehicle for the proposals of its member parliaments with respect to international cooperation and matters that directly concern the citizenry. It features an interview with a Presiding Officer of Parliament, a substantive article on IPU's activities, interviews, an item on parliamentary developments in the world, a historical focus on the individuals and events that have left their mark on IPU history, and international press cuttings referring to the IPU. The review was discontinued in 2010.

Available languages: this publication is no longer available. But you can still download it in PDF format



Web and PDF Versions

English , French

IPU ASSEMBLY AND RELATING MEETINGS - RESULTS

This publication reports on the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the occasion of its statutory meetings. It summarises the proceedings of the Assembly - the plenary policy-making body - and of its plenary Standing Committees, and contains the resolutions and decisions adopted as well as the voting results. It also summarises the proceedings of the session of the Governing Council - the plenary governing body - and of its subsidiary organs. It presents the resolutions, decisions, reports and other documents adopted and summarises the proceedings of three bodies linked to the Council: the Executive Committee, the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, and the Meeting of Representatives of Parties to the CSCM process. The last report, as well as some past editions, can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat.

Published: Twice a year

Available languages: English and French



PDF Versions

English and French

CHRONICLE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

The Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections, published annually since 1967, contains brief reports on all direct parliamentary elections and election statistics as well as the electoral system. These reports are also available in the IPU's PARLINE database . The Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections was discontinued in 2012. Past editions of the Chronicle, except for the 2006 edition in French, can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat.

Available languages: English and French

Price: SF 35.- (SF 24.50 for IPU members)



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PANORAMA OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

The Panorama of Parliamentary Elections, first published in 2006, offers a snapshot of the major electoral events of the preceding year. It presents key statistics from the IPU's database on national parliaments, PARLINE , accompanied by brief thematic narratives. The Panorama of Parliamentary Election was discontinued in 2012.

Available languages: this publication is no longer available. But you can still download it in PDF format



PDF Versions

2010: English (1.34 Mb), French (1.32 Mb), Spanish (1.25 Mb)

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WORLD DIRECTORY OF PARLIAMENTS

The World Directory of Parliaments contains basic information on national parliaments  their composition, last renewal date, President/Speaker, Secretary General/Clerk and contact details. This information continues to be available in the General Information module of the IPU's PARLINE database . The World Directory of Parliaments was discontinued in 2012. Past editions of the Directory can be ordered from the IPU Secretariat.

Available languages: Bilingual (English and French)



PDF Version

2011 : English & French (1 Mb)



INTER-PARLIAMENTARY BULLETIN Discontinued in 2001, the Bulletin was the official organ of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and appeared twice-yearly in English and French. It contained detailed information on all IPU Conferences and other meetings and events, as well as articles on the work of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments, book reviews on parliamentary or constitutional issues, and information on the development of National Groups. Its "Parliamentary Developments in the World" section contained reports on significant new legal provisions which have affected the establishment, structure, powers or working methods of national legislatures or the status of their members. The stock having been exhausted, this publication is no longer available. SUMMARY RECORDS OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF IPU ASSEMBLIES The Inter-Parliamentary Union holds two statutory Assemblies annually, for each of which English and French versions of the Summary Records of the proceedings are published. Since 2012, this publication is only available in PDF format and can be downloaded from the dedicated page of the Assemblies .

Printed past editions of the Summary Records can still be ordered from the IPU Secretariat.

Available languages: English and French

Price: SF 30.- (SF 21.- for IPU members)
Update 10.30pm: Cork woman Vera Twomey, who walked from her home to the Dail, has had a four-hour meeting with the Health Minister Simon Harris.

Vera is campaigning to get a medicinal cannabis treatment for her daughter.

She has described tonight's meeting as "positive".

She said her daughter Ava has a number of new options in her meeting with Mr Harris.

She said it was the "most progressive" to date, and she is hoping Ava can start treatment within two weeks.

Update 3.25pm:Cork woman Vera Twomey has arrived at the Dail with 200 supporters after walking from Cork to Dublin to demand access to medicinal cannabis for her daughter.

Supporters chanted "Let her in" on arrival at the gates to Leinster House.

#Veratwomey great crowd going up dame st now. An amazing woman. pic.twitter.com/6aWoseLHw6  Andrew Behan (@AndrewJBehan) March 7, 2017

Vera had to complete the final part of her journey in a wheelchair because of a knee injury she sustained halfway through the 260 kilometre journey.

Her supporters were in jubilant mood as they arrived at Kildare Street in Dublin city centre.

UPDATE 9am: A woman who is walking from Cork to Dublin to raise awareness for her sick daughter has said meeting the Health Minister is a waste of time

Vera Twomey began the 260km trek last Monday in protest against a decision to restrict her 7 year old daughter Ava - who has a rare form of epilepsy - from accessing cannabis based medication.

Simon Harris has said he is available to meet with Vera Twomey when she arrives outside the Dail today and further consultation with Ava's consultant can be arranged.

But Mrs Twomey has said that is not enough.

"It's a waste of time because the neurologist isn't going to be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis..."

"There's no point in going to meet her because she can't prescribe it until the law is changed."

EarlierThe Joint Committee on Health has brought forward to today its meeting with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to discuss its scientific report on medicinal cannabis, writes Eoin English of the Irish Examiner

The meeting will begin at noon as Cork mother Vera Twomey, who is campaigning for new laws to allow her sick daughter, Ava, get access to medicinal cannabis, is due to arrive at Leinster House after spending a week walking from Cork to Dublin.

Ava, seven, has Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy which causes violent and severe seizures. Ms Twomey believes medicinal cannabis will help control the seizures.

However, the familys request for medicinal cannabis under a special licence pending the establishment of a compassionate access programme was rejected because it was not supported by medical consultants.

Tony Holohan, chief medical officer at the Department of Health, moved last night to clarify the advice given to the Minister for Health in relation to the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

He said a process is underway to establish an access programme for cannabis-based treatments - the first of its kind in Ireland.

Dr Holohan said that while the programme is being established, the minister can provide a licence for access to cannabis for medical purposes in individual cases.

The granting of a licence must, however, be premised on an appropriate application being submitted to the Department of Health, which is endorsed by a consultant who is responsible for the management of the patient and who is prepared to monitor the effects of the treatment over time, he said.

Therefore, it is crucial that the granting of any such licence takes due care and consideration of the potential unintended consequences associated with the prescription of cannabis, a schedule one controlled drug, for medical purposes, and that its use is endorsed by a consultant who is familiar with and responsible for the care of the individual for whom the licence application is being made.

However, Ms Twomey said the law needs to change to allow her consultants sign their application.

Despite suffering from tonsillitis and a knee injury which has confined her to a wheelchair since the weekend, Ms Twomey said that she is determined to finish her 280km protest march outside the Dail today.

She vowed last night to remain camped outside Leinster House until she gets access to medicinal cannabis to treat her daughters seizures.

Health Minister Simon Harris welcomed news last night that the health committee meeting, which had been due to take place next month, has been brought forward to today.

Committee chairman Michael Harty said: The minister asked for the views of the HPRA on recent developments in the use of cannabis for medical purposes from a scientific standpoint, and I hope it will assist him in considering these policy decisions in making medicinal cannabis products available for the three clinical circumstances identified in the report.

In particular, can such products be made available under ministerial licence or will legislative changes be required?

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner
A man has been found guilty of the murder of Dublin teenager Daniel McAnaspie.

Richard Dekker had denied murdering the 17-year-old who went missing in February 2010.

Family and friends of the late Daniel McAnaspie celebrate outside the Central Criminal Court in Dublin today after Richard Dekker was found guilty of his murder in 2010. Pic Collins Courts.

Daniel McAnaspies family and friends held a large banner with pictures of him as they celebrated outside court this afternoon.

The jury returned with its unanimous verdict just before 3pm having spent over eight hours deliberating.

Mr Dekker, who is from Dublin 15, was drinking with Daniel and a number of others in Blanchardstown on February 26, 2010.

He and his friend Trevor Noone lured him to an isolated area along the River Tolka where he was stabbed to death with the blade of a garden shears.

Daniel McAnaspie.

The court heard Mr Noone, who is also from Dublin 15, wanted to give him a hiding for fighting with his cousin. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Dekker told Gardai that Daniel begged for his life as his co-accused continued to stab him.

All those in the public gallery rose to their feet and applauded as Mr Dekker was led back towards the holding cells.

Both men will be sentenced next month.
A 19-year-old man is being hunted on suspicion of murdering a nine-year-old boy in the western German town of Herne and boasting about the killing in an online video.

Police in the city of Bochum said authorities received a call late on Monday from a member of the public, who feared that a killing had taken place in the nearby town of Herne.
Prof OShea told 900 students at Cork Opera House the university wanted to match the ambitions of the conference organisers, made up of the Accounting and Finance Society, Business Information Systems Society, Commerce Society, and Entrepreneurship and Social Society at UCC.

He said: What really appeals to me about this conference is the level of ambition that has been displayed by the student organisers and the focus that has been put on competing internationally and entrepreneurship.

The ambition the students of Cork University Business School have is matched by the university, and Im delighted to announce publicly that over the next few years UCC will build a state-of-the-art business school building in the city which will be one of the largest academic buildings in the country.

Planning permission was granted last week for Cork University Business School to transform the iconic former Cork Savings Bank building on Lapps Quay, which it bought in 2016 for 5m.

The new business school premises joins a range of projects announced in recent months by UCC.

New President of UCC Professor O'Shea at the inaugural CUBS Conference #CUBSConf @osheaucc pic.twitter.com/DVqrIa1aOf  CUBS Conference (@CUBSconf) March 6, 2017

The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a 100m loan agreement with UCC in November, while a further 141m was raised with funding via capital grants, borrowings and philanthropy.

UCC plans to spend 37m on a new dental school, 27m on the science and technology park at Curraheen, 23m on a new clinical medical school, 64m on student accommodation, and 90m on what it will be called a student hub that promises to be immersed in student life.

The conference, of which the Irish Examiner was partner, heard keynote speeches from Graham Healy, managing director in Accentures health and public service practice; Eugene OCallaghan, director of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, and award-winning creator of Cocoa Brown, Marissa Carter.

Dean of Cork University Business School, Prof Ciaran Murphy said: We are privileged that so many outstanding and talented individuals have chosen Cork University Business School as their place of study and education. This conference is another example of the abilities and professionalism of our student body.

We want to produce graduates who will be thinkers, shapers, designers and developers of the future  individuals shaping Irelands future.
In a report, launched yesterday, industry lobby group the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation warned that while UK visitor numbers to Ireland have yet to weaken, they will do and that Irish companies will struggle and jobs will be lost if the State doesnt help.

Confederation chairman Paul Gallagher said that a 10% drop in UK visitors would result in 6,000 job losses here.

He said three quarters of the 12m should go to marketing Ireland  both in terms of consolidating market share in Britain and increasing business further afield  and the rest to making the tourism industry battle ready for Brexit via supports and training services.

As well as the increase in tourism budget, the confederation wants a Brexit business tourism taskforce set up to support and mentor impacted businesses.

Recent research in the UK suggested a 7% drop in the number of British people intending to travel overseas post-Brexit. Of the ones that will still travel, most have indicated they will stay in their destination for less time and spend less money.

The confederation said Brexit poses the biggest threat to the tourism sector since the 2008 global recession. Then, the value of the UK market to Irish tourism fell 23% in a year. While recovered, that has never fully been clawed back.

The value of the UKs outbound travel market looks set to take a nosedive, the confederation said in its report. UK visitors spent 1.3bn in Ireland last year. However, sterlings post- Brexit vote weakening has led to Ireland becoming 15% more expensive for British visitors.

Confederation chief executive Eoghan OMara-Walsh said the call for more funds is not only realistic, but necessary.

However, he said while the Government is listening, it seems not to have fully grasped the seriousness of the situation; effectively blinded by record in-bound visitor numbers last year. Extra funding is needed now, he said, not in a year when the tables have already turned.

The tourism euro is as valuable as the euro earned by any other export sector and more valuable in the context that tourism is one of the few industries that can provide regional balance and sustainable local employment. Diversification cannot happen on its own.

"The State agencies for tourism need to be given the resources to increase traffic and business from Europe and North America, he said.

Meanwhile, business tourism growth to Cork is being hampered by the lack of a motorway linking the city with Limerick and a dearth of gala venues for events.

A business tourism briefing was jointly held by the Cork Convention Bureau and Failte Ireland yesterday. It said Cork generated 11.5m in business tourism revenue last year, but could increase that figure to 50m with the completion of the long-awaited convention centre planned for the city.

We had 8,500 new delegates come to Cork last year and we believe that figure could treble with a convention centre. We are in serious trouble if it isnt built, said Cork Convention Bureau chairman Seamus Heaney.

Its developers believe another 12m in State funding on top of the 20m already granted is needed to make it commercially viable.
Her father was before Cork District Court yesterday on a charge of assaulting her.

Her mother was also in court facing sentencing on a charge of assault causing harm to her.

Inspector Ronan Kennelly told the district court that the teenagers face bore the mark of the sole of her mothers shoe.

Inspector Kennelly told Judge Olan Kelleher it all emanated from photographs which the teenager posted of herself on social media.

Her parents disapproved, they tried to exercise parental control, and it all went out of control.

The teenager went to gardai and reported her mother and father for assaulting her.

The incident with her father occurred when he arrived to see her standing at an upstairs window of the family home using her phone despite the fact that her parents had told her she was not to use it.

She complained to gardai that when he tried to get the phone from her, he pulled her hair and she said he kicked her on the ground  a claim which he denied.

The teenager then left the house and later in the evening her mother found her and brought her home and there was another altercation.

She claimed her mother slapped her across the face, that she threatened to bite her mother, and that her mother kicked her in order to stop her.

The teenager is no longer living with her family.

Solicitor, Leo Murphy, said her parents had become concerned about substance abuse, promiscuity, and self-harm by their 15-year-old daughter.

She was posting inappropriate pictures of herself on Facebook, Mr Murphy said.

The solicitor said it would be an appropriate case for a report from the probation service.

Judge Kelleher agreed and he said the teenager would also be entitled to give a victim impact statement.

The parties are not identified in this report for legal reasons.
The court also granted CAB its costs against John Gilligan, his former wife, Geraldine, and son Darren in the appeals brought before the Supreme Court by them. Costs were not awarded against Tracey Gilligan, a daughter of the couple.

Because all the Gilligans were on legal aid for the appeals, the substantial costs of the appeals will be borne by the State.

The courts final orders represent the end of the Gilligans 21-year legal battle in the Irish courts over the two houses and three other properties.

The orders were made yesterday after the Supreme Court last month dismissed the Gilligans appeals over proceeds of crime orders made in relation to some of their assets.

The Gilligans had claimed they did not receive a proper trial when assets were frozen by the State in 1996 and subsequent court rulings based on that decision were flawed or invalid.

The property included an equestrian centre at Jessbrook, Enfield, Co Meath, which John Gilligan bought and developed before he spent 17 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Other properties owned by Geraldine Gilligan and Tracey and Darren Gilligan were also found to be the proceeds of crime.

The properties were two houses in Lucan, one belonging to Tracey Gilligan, and the house in Blanchardstown, belonging to Darren Gilligan.

Geraldine Gilligan and Tracey Gilligan, a mother of two, had sought to be allowed stay a further two years in a house described as a cottage at Jessbrook, Co Meath.

John and Darren Gilligan sought a two-year stay in relation to a house at Corduff, Blanchardstown, owned by Darren Gilligan.

Their lawyers indicated their clients needed time to pursue social housing applications and have their names placed on the housing list.

Counsel for the children said Darren Gilligan, 41, is on disability benefit while Tracey Gilligan is a lone parent.

She has an adult daughter and a young daughter at primary school, the court heard.

There was no evidence of any criminality on the part of Tracey Gilligan and the High Court had found a 20% interest of hers in a property in Lucan did not represent proceeds of crime.

Counsel for John and Geraldine Gilligan, while accepting the domestic litigation could go no further, said his clients were considering a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

John Gilligan is aged 64, is not yet entitled to the State old-age pension, and may soon have no house to live in, counsel said.
At Cork District Court yesterday, Jonathan Murphy, aged 27, of 16 Ballinure Place, Mahon, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Garda Melissa Galgey. He also admitted several other offences.

Judge Olann Kelleher said the maximum sentence on the charge was 12 months. Making allowance for the plea of guilty, he said he would impose 11 months.

This was a vicious assault which had serious consequences for the guard. Anyone who assaulted guards, prison officers, or hospital staff should know that it is a very serious matter, said Judge Kelleher.

Garda Galgey suffered a broken nose, she was black and blue. He spat in her face and treated her with the utmost contempt.

Garda Calgey testified: On the night in question he spat at me. His saliva went into my mouth and eyes. I could taste the alcohol he had been drinking.

He made verbal threats against me and my family. He said he was going to knock me flat out on the floor and he was going to enjoy doing it.

He closed his fist and caught me straight into the nose.

Garda Calgey was out of work for two months as a result of the assault and is still not back to performing full duties.

Inspector Ronan Kennelly said Murphy had 177 previous convictions, including four for assault and three for assault causing harm.

He said that on November 26, 2016, Garda Padraig Coholan and Garda Galgay responded to a call to Oliver Plunkett St in relation to a male and female hassling a busker.

Gardai met Murphy and a woman and directed them to leave the area.

Murphy walked onto Winthrop St and continued to be abusive and acted aggressively to gardai, making several threats to them.

Garda Coholan decided to arrest him for failing to comply with his direction and for being drunk and a danger to himself and others in his vicinity.

Insp Kennelly said: There were a number of people on the street at the time. Garda Coholan attempted to arrest Jonathan Murphy but he ran across the road onto Patrick St.

Garda Coughlan caught up with him on Patrick St and effected the arrest. Jonathan Murphy resisted arrest and Garda Coholan had to be assisted by Garda Galgey and Garda Ben Denton.

During the course of the arrest, Jonathan Murphy lashed out and punched Garda Galgey in the face injuring her nose.

When handcuffed, he spat at Garda Denton, catching him in the face and mouth area. Jonathan Murphy spat at Garda Galgey, catching her in the face and mouth area also, Insp Kennelly told the court.
Judge Olann Kelleher said Daniel Lettice, of 94 Upper Fairhill, Cork, could do 170 hours of community service instead of four months in prison.

Inspector Ronan Kennelly hoped there would be no scaffolding work in the community service.

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said Lettice might be quite an expert in that regard.

Lettice climbed on top of the fountain in the middle of Grand Parade, Cork, shortly after midnight on April 17, 2016.

He stood on top of the fountain and shouted down at the crowd in an attempt to get them going.

Gardai tried to get him to come down as they feared that he was putting himself in considerable danger but he shouted at them to fuck off.

He was on top of the fountain and the gardai feared he would fall or injure himself, said Insp Kennelly.

He eventually dismounted and climbed down, using bad language as he did. He then ran from the scene and there was a chase on foot.

Lettice was brought to the Bridewell Garda Station and charge with being drunk and a danger, engaging in threatening behaviour, and obstructing Garda Donal Daly.

Lettice calmed down and apologised in the garda station.

Mr Buttimer said: He accepts everything that was said and he does apologise for his behaviour. He had too much drink on the night. He acted really foolishly and dangerously. This is out of character for him.
Under section 19 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, statements or documents given to the commission are inadmissible as evidence against a person in any criminal or other proceedings.

Citing the relevant section of the Act, Claire McGettrick of the Justice For Magdalenes Group called for An Garda Siochana to establish its own investigation independent of the commission.

This investigation should look into abuse, neglect, and illegal separations of mothers and children in mother and baby homes, county homes, maternity hospitals, and through adoption agencies and similar entities, she said.

It comes as the Irish First Mothers group confirmed that it has written to the attorney general seeking to bring prosecutions under the Irish Genocide Act of 1973 in respect of religiously motivated grievous injuries which they suffered.

The group said its members were subject to religiously motivated, grossly criminal acts under section 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The attorney general could pursue prosecutions for failure to prevent genocide, for conspiracy, for incitement, and for the crime of genocide itself, the Irish First Mothers group said in a statement.

But we have identified no culpable parties and we leave such matters to the judgement of the attorney generals office.

Separately, the Magdalene Survivors Together group has called for the exhumation of all Magdalene women and children from mass graves located around the county.

Group chairman Steven ORiordan said the Tuam scandal would not be the last relating to the treatment of women and children.

It is a great shame that we as a society continue to deny babies, women, and children the dignity of a proper burial, he said.

The Tuam babies scandal is not the first and it will not be the last. This Government has a chance to do something right for the forgotten women, children, and their babies.

Mr ORiordan also claimed that the group made a submission in 2011 to then justice minister Alan Shatter and then environment minister John Gormley to have the issue of Magdalene mass graves investigated.

Magdalene Survivors Together is now calling on the Irish Government to commit in an open and transparent way to fully investigating all mass graves located in institutions throughout Ireland.

The Magdalene Survivors Together group firmly believes that if we are to lay the ghosts of the past to rest we must first acknowledge them.

Meanwhile, People Before Profit TD Brid Smith hit out at Finance Minister Michael Noonan for attending the opening of the Bon Secours Hospital Limerick.

A top Government minister attending the opening of this Bon Secours hospital in Limerick today, after the revelations of the Tuam babies, is a shocking slap in the face to the victims of these mother and baby homes.

"The Church and the State colluded to cover up these vile acts and the disgusting mistreatment of women and children, she said.
The 71-year-old Dublin man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to indecently and sexually assaulting his nephew between 1989 and 1991, when the boy was aged between 15 and 17 years old.

The charges were brought against him on a sample basis, the court heard.

He was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of five counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault.

The man is currently serving an eight-year sentence for similar offences against another boy during the same period.

He has 42 previous convictions, including sexual assault, rape and indecent assault.

Sentencing the man to eight years with the final two years suspended yesterday, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said that the sentence would have been considerably higher were it not for the mans advanced age.

He said the offences were exacerbated by virtue of the fact that the uncle was in a position of exceptional authority and standing in the family.

The judge noted an element of grooming was involved, which included the uncle showing the boy pornographic videos. He also tried to persuade his nephew to have anal intercourse with him.

It was exceptionally obnoxious conduct, Mr Justice McCarthy said.
Father Ted. Dylan Moran. Louis Theroux. Watching old YouTube clips of Irish TV comedian Dave Allen at work is a glimpse at the dazzling array of notables who would be influenced by Allen in comedy, TV and documentary.

Thank God for YouTube, Bryan Murray laughs. Ive been watching him and all his mannerisms and little ways.

The veteran actor is preparing for his role as the legendary comic in Dave At Large, Brian MacAveras new play that honours and dissects the life of Allen, a ground-breaking figure often hailed as one of the fathers of modern stand-up.

As well as researching online, Murray, well-known to TV audiences from his roles in Fair City and The Irish RM, has been able to dig deep into experiences he shares with Allen. Theres plenty of common ground: like Allen, Murray left Ireland to forge a career path in the UK, and has presented TV chat shows and documentaries.

A lifelong fan of the Co Dublin-born comedian, Murray is approaching the role with humility. Im not even attempting to fill his shoes, he says.

The best I can hope for is to bring some kind of a memory back to those who would remember Dave and the kind of stories hed tell, or the way that hed do it. Its a great joy to be working on a play with Dave Allen at the centre of it, and were looking forward to bringing him back to life.

Anti-establishment

Allen, like Terry Wogan and Val Doonican, was an Irishman whose verbose charm and easy manner brought him broadcasting fame in the UK and further afield.

But unlike Wogan or Doonican, he was fervently anti-establishment, and his pot-shots at the Catholic Church and contempt for politicians and figures of authority were too controversial for the deeply conservative Ireland of the 1960s and 70s; he was effectively banned from appearing on RTE. His controversial material really was ahead of its time.

Born Dave Tynan OMahony, the son of renowned Irish Times editor Cully Tynan OMahony, Allen began his stand-up career while working in Butlins holiday camp after a failed attempt at following in his fathers footsteps as a journalist on Fleet Street.

The offer of his own show, Tonight With Dave Allen, on Australian TV in the early 1960s brought popularity and controversy; the show was briefly banned after he told a producer who was pressing him to cut to commercial break to go away and masturbate during one broadcast.

A return to the UK led to BBCs The Dave Allen Show, where he cemented his distinctive style: he would sit on a stool, glass of whisky in one hand and cigarette in the other, relaying stories to the audience.

Up to that point, comedy meant somebody getting up and reeling off a string of jokes, Murray says. Dave came along, and hed tell a story, and you wouldnt have an idea where it was going but really you were listening to his observations. He was quite a trailblazer in that he was the first comedian, or one of the first, who didnt tell jokes.

Murray, who was invited to join the National Theatre in London at 25 and who went from there to the Royal Shakespeare Company before his TV and film career took off, believes the detached, observational stance in Allens comedy was in part a result of him being a kind of international Irishman.

Your experience is broadened; you learn more, I think, he says. The experience of being an Irish person living abroad makes you even more appreciative of where you come from, but you see yourself living in the world, rather than just what you were brought up to be.

Bryan Murray stars in a new play about the Dubliner.

Stripper pope

Dave Allens BBC shows in the 1970s were dogged with controversy. Irreverent sketches, such as his infamous depiction of the Pope performing a striptease, would result in flurries of complaint letters, which he seemed to relish, and on one occasion a death threat from the IRA.

Yet his humour was warm and playful rather than malicious, and, an atheist himself, Allen always insisted that he respected personal faith. It was his prescient concern for the hierarchy and abuses of power within the church that he objected to.

He always signed off at the end of his shows with Thank you, goodnight, and may your God go with you. He died in 2005, at the age of 68, having wound down his broadcasting career in later years in favour of his growing love of painting and a quieter life surrounded by family.

Playwright and director Brian MacAvera believes that Allen was years ahead of his time in his comedic unravelling of the position of the church in society. I had grown up with Dave Allen on the box, MacAvera says.

His main subject areas were the Church, sex, language, problems with growing up: very universal subject matter in every sense of the word. Now, weve seen scandal after scandal hit the Catholic Church. It got me wondering: how would Dave have responded if he were alive today?

MacAveras play interrogates this by resurrecting different aspects of Allen and returning them to the stage. Allen is represented by three characters: Dave, Davey and Davinia.

Corralled by Davinia (Tara Breathnach), Dave (Bryan Murray), who represents Allens suave, laid-back TV presence, and Davey (Michael Bates), Allens edgier stand-up incarnation, respond to their resurrection with a torrent of fresh, Allen-inspired stand-up material.

Television Allen was very self-contained, very reined-in, MacAvera says. He was the one who sat on the stool telling stories. Stage Allen was a much more aggressive character, roaming the stage. Female Allen represents all of the female aspects in his life.

In the narrative that weve created shes the one whos essentially in control and is unlocking them, because theyve arrived on the stage but they dont know why theyre there.

Irish abroad

The Irishman-in-exile is a frequent theme for Belfast-born MacAvera, who has written, directed and produced plays exploring the lives of Francis Bacon and Samuel Beckett in the past.

Like Murray and Allen, MacAveras own career led him to working in the UK, partly because of the political content of his early work, and he was inspired to write a play on Allen in part because of parallels he saw between their lives.

I wasnt into writing a biography per se, says MacAvera. Surely it was a huge challenge to capture Allens distinctive writing style?

MacAvera laughs. If you cant aim high dont aim at all, would be my attitude, he says.

And capturing the genius of Dave Allen is almost as high as it gets.
Finally, shes with me. French-Lebanese actress Manal Issa is breastfeeding her five-month-old daughter, Sona, as she gives a phone interview.

The 25-year-old had to travel to war-torn Syria to secure papers for her baby; her husband is from Syria, where the nationality of a mother isnt automatically conferred, so Issa had to apply first to Syrian authorities and then to the French embassy so that her daughter could join her in France.

With the help of my husbands brother, I had to go in and get her papers, Issa says. My husband couldnt go because before the revolution, young people were conscripted into Al Assads army; my husband said no and escaped to Beirut, so he cant go back or they can take him to the army right away. He doesnt want to kill people.

Issas life is so full of noteworthy talking points that she speaks almost casually about these impacts of global war and politics on her life. But the prejudice faced by her husband, exiled in Beirut where they met, is an affront to her, as is the US administrations recent so-called Muslim ban.

Its disgusting, she says. Hes atheist but of a Muslim background, just like me. Even in Lebanon, hes treated very badly. It hurts so much that just because hes Muslim, and Syrian, some people assume I made a bad choice marrying him. He dreams of going to the US and hes like, I cant go, just because of where Im from? Hes a normal kid; hes a barman, he loves music, video games.

Now, Issa is back in France, amid the whirlwind of castings and meetings her life has so unexpectedly and so recently become.

The oft-repeated rags-to-riches tale of the screen actress discovered on the street and catapulted to fame often seems like a fairy tale. But for Issa, the myth is true, although the street in Issas story is replaced by the digital shopfront of social media; her big break came on Facebook.

She was studying in Angers University when she received a Facebook message: would she be interested in casting for director Danielle Arbids new feature movie?

I told them, Are you kidding me? Why me? They said I looked interesting. I went to Paris to cast for the role and a week later, they called me and told me that Danielle Arbid wanted to meet me. I went, and something happened, and I got the part.

Manal Issa and her little girl, Sona.

The award-winning Arbid, also of Lebanese origin, was looking for a new face for her semi-autobiographical feature, Parisienne. We had all these natural points of connection, Issa says. We talked about our childhoods in Lebanon and moving to France, and how we feel about the position of women.

Arbids decision to cast Issa in her coming-of-age movie about a young woman navigating the thrills and perils of life in the French capital alone paid off. Audiences were enchanted by Issas natural responses and unaffected beauty.

There followed a role in Bertrand Bonellos Nocturama, and now, Hollywood beckons: On Monday Im casting for the part of Jasmine in the new Aladdin movie, Issa says, and laughs, and breaks into a couple of bars of A Whole New World.

She is excited by the range of roles shes being offered, but the engineering student and polyglot  she speaks French, Arabic and English, and some Spanish too is determined to remain grounded. I just hope I dont become crazy, and turn into one of those crazy make-up girls, she sighs. If I get like that, Ill stop acting.

So far, theres no sign of Issa being anything other than her own distinctive self. A self-confessed video game addict, she bestrode the red carpet at the 2017 Lumiere Awards in Paris, where she was nominated for a most promising actress award, in Doc Martens and a baby sling containing her daughter.

I dont like to stay in France when I finish shooting a movie because I dont like people coming up to me and saying, Youre beautiful, youre amazing, youre awesome, to me. I want to protect myself from that because it is crazy; always hearing those words can make us forget who we are. When Im in Beirut, Im just Manal.
The Irish have always been good at booze. Whether making it, selling it, or simply consuming it, we have a national identity that is forever linked to  and somewhat soaked in  alcohol.

Take Jack Legs Diamond. Born Jack Moran in Philadelphia to Irish immigrant parents from Kilrush in Co Clare, he served in the army before deciding military life was not for him. He moved to New York and built an empire by bootlegging liquor during Prohibition.

Known as the clay pigeon of the underworld, he survived many assassination attempts and became a socialite and media darling, a loveable Irish-American rogue.

Speaking to Louise McGuane, its hard not to hear the ghost of Legs Diamond in her voice. Her accent is a bizarre mix of her native Clare and the flat New York Irish of Brooklyn.

Like Diamond, she briefly considered a career in the military, even serving a couple of years in the FCA. But instead of heading east to fire shots across the Curragh in the rigid world of the armed forces, she opted to head west to America and fire shots across bars in the slightly more fluid world of high-end alcohol sales.

Well it was the Eighties and Nineties in rural ireland, this was pre-Celtic Tiger  everybody left, it was a cultural thing. I had two aunts that had gone  there was a lot of emigration to the US in my family, I had cousins over there, so when I emigrated, there was a cousin waiting to pick me up when I got off the boat, so to speak, and there was a culture of emigration out west anyway. It was just what you did.

I just sort of fell into the drinks industry; in America they simply dont care what your degree is in  they just want to know that you can do the job. But America, the land of opportunities for thousands of Irish emigrants in the Eighties, was a very different bureaucratic beast to the old country.

"When she started to work in the drinks industry in the States, McGuane soon realised that the world in which Legs Diamond and others operated  the dry America of the Volstead Act  still casts its long shadow.

Ever since Prohibition, all of the individual states set their own liquor laws  so its almost like 50 different countries that you have to know individually, and then at county level those laws can change again, as you can have dry counties.

"You also have state boards that run the liquor so your point of contact for that state in terms of sales would be two guys who work for the state office.

While the American market is the one she came to know best, she also spent time in Asia, working in the drinks business in Singapore. After spending two decades learning the complexities of the liquor business with luxury brands such as Hennessy and (Tony Sopranos favourite) Stoli, McGuane had a tough choice to make: Love or career.

When I was with multinationals I was on the global trek, and you have to move every two or three years, which was great until I got married and then it just wasnt possible as I didnt have a trailing spouse, he has a luxury PR business in London so he has to stay there.

So she quit. But she didnt stand still for long  and it was a relic from Legs Diamonds ancestral home that started her on her next adventure.

It was this one guy, this JJ Corry guy, a Cooraclare native who became a whiskey bonder in Kilrush. I found his label on eBay and I called up the guy with the label and said what do you know about this.

"I found out all I could about Corry, then I met his great-grand-nephew, and made all these enquiries around his neighbours and the local historical society, and just decided ok, I am going to do this.

McGuane had the crazy notion of resurrecting a long-dead trade. A century ago, the Irish whiskey bonder was a common sight. Grocers and publicans would buy their spirit straight from distillers (who at the time were mere wholesalers themselves) and then age it in their own premises to sell on as they saw fit.

Over the decades as the industry contracted and consolidated, distilleries started selling direct to the public, and one by one the bonders disappeared. There are still relics of that time, famously the Yellow Spot and Green Spot whiskeys, but they are as close to bonded whiskeys as birds are to dinosaurs.

A JJ Corry branded cask rests at the entrance to whiskey bonder Louise McGuanes rackhouse in Cooraclare, West Clare.

So McGuane set to work. After using her extensive knowledge to put together a copper-fastened business plan, she turned to crowd-funding fountainhead Kickstarter to raise equity. She offered a variety of buy-ins, from small gifts aimed squarely at the Irish American market  a packet of shamrock from the Emerald Isle  to week-long stays in her Co Clare home (a half-mile from the house Legs Diamonds ancestors emigrated from).

The property was completely transformed under McGuanes guidance, from a traditional farm cottage to an architecturally designed beauty, all glass walls, brushed concrete and stylish Scandinavian aesthetics. It has become part of the brand for Chapel Gate, as her business is now known, being the HQ for investor meetings and venue for business events.

With the Kickstarter I sold 18 stays in my house  I raised 18,000 that way! Its a beautiful house and it ended up being a really good asset for the business. Its right next to the rackhouse, on the same plot, and Ive had a few potential customers come over, a few potential importers too, and it then becomes a really good spot to show people the modern face of the brand and show them how we operate from a design perspective.

With her rackhouse filling up with barrels of spirit, she is in for the long haul  but is the boom in the Irish whiskey category here to stay?

Eventually, it will plateau but it will keep flying now for quite a while. Look at Asia. I spent a lot of time there, and if you go anywhere in Asia and ask for an Irish whiskey, you will be pointed to Ballantines or something as there is zero category knowledge or impact.

"Nobody has won there; Pernod has a tough time in Asia generally, but they havent launched the category there successfully, so that market is still completely closed, but it is going to open, they are going to start making inroads there. There is interest there now  there are Irish Whiskey Societies setting up in Hong Kong and Macau.

So the boom is getting boomier. And thus it was for Legs Diamond back in the 1920s, and after making his fortune in liquor during Prohibition, he forged out on his own. However, once out of the protection of the syndicates, he was vulnerable, and ultimately someone caught up with the clay pigeon of the underworld, and he paid a supreme penalty.

While it seems unlikely that a beret-clad French assassin is coming for McGuane (good luck to them finding Cooraclare), I ask her if it is worth it  forging out on your own, leaving the safety of a giant multinational, to pursue your own dreams, to put it all on the line.

By a factor of about 15,000, yeah. Those big multinationals are fantastic in that you learn, you work hard, you are exposed to a multitude of cultures, you get to know markets very intimately, and you get very specific market knowledge.

"I miss the perks though  the wildly extravagant expense accounts, the business class flying, and all the gold cards I used to have on all the airlines. Now its Ryanair, all the time, basically.

With a growing stockpile of spirit, as well as plans ahead to release a sourced blend, and even a brand celebrating the legend of Legs Diamond, she may be due a seat upgrade to business class sooner than she thinks.
As a former Soviet citizen, I can tell you: its never a good sign for a political system when artists speak out against it. When their statements strike a nerve, chances are that the system is sick.

In a democracy, art can simply be ignored. Of course, one can appreciate culture, but that is a matter of choice, not necessity.

Indifference is a luxury afforded to those whose freedoms are well-protected. When those freedoms are threatened, however, art becomes a critical line of defence. The United States is learning that lesson today.

In a short period, President Donald Trump has changed the rules of US politics, and not for the better.

If the facts contradict his administrations line  or, worse, suggest that he isnt popular  he denounces the journalists who report them as purveyors of fake news and as an enemy of the American people.

The judiciary and the intelligence community have not escaped Trumps feverish attacks. Any opposition to his orders (such as court rulings against his partial ban on Muslims entering the country; or exposes of potential wrongdoing, such as his former national security advisers secret conversations with the Russian ambassador) is met with quick condemnation.

With Americas pillars of democracy under assault, artists are stepping in. Even before Trump was inaugurated, the writers union, PEN America, held a #LouderTogether protest, on the steps of the New York Public Library, to send a message to an administration that has laid bare its hostility toward the press and other free-expression norms.

When then vice-president-elect, Mike Pence, attended the Broadway show, Hamilton, the actors appealed to him to uphold American values and work on behalf of all Americans (drawing a Twitter rebuke from Trump).

Just down the street, the show, Party People, which examines the legacy of the Black Panthers and the Young Lords Party, delivered a more confrontational message, as part of a modified script that addressed Trumps victory.

When Trump signed his order to ban anyone from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, the Museum of Modern Art hung works by artists from those countries.

In the plaques beside the paintings, MoMA referred to Trumps order explicitly, and asserted that it had hung the paintings to affirm the ideals of welcome and freedom that are vital to the US.

MoMA has also scheduled four screenings of films by directors subject to the travel ban. In April, 100 independent US and Canadian movie theaters will offer free screenings of the film adaptation of George Orwells novel, 1984, as a response to the Trump administrations embrace of alternative facts.

Hollywood actors have taken advantage of this years award season to make their own political statements. Meryl Streep drew Trumps ire with her speech at the Golden Globe Awards. She condemned him for mocking a disabled reporter and highlighted the importance of defending press freedom.

David Harbour, accepting a Screen Actors Guild award, declared that great acting is a call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper, and, through our art, to battle against fear, self-centeredness, and the exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture.

In the fashion world, some major designers have pledged never to dress First Lady Melania Trump. At the recent New York Fashion Week, designers from Mara Hoffman to Prabal Gurung used the runway to make political statements, and some of fashions biggest names participated in a W Magazine video, stating defiantly, I am an immigrant.

Trumps supporters may prefer to dismiss such statements, telling actors and artists to stick to their day jobs. But what such figures say has an impact  and not just on Trump, a longtime Hollywood hanger-on.

There is a reason why Russias autocratic leaders have always tried to keep artists on a short leash.

When artists bow to power, the state gains a new level of authority and even legitimacy. Thats why Joseph Stalin needed the celebrated anti-Kremlin poet, Osip Mandelstam, to write him an ode.

Mandelstam succumbed to the pressure, but he was not broken. He continued to insult the Kremlin, most famously with his poem, We live not feeling the ground under our feet.

While he ended up perishing in a gulag, his protest poems, and those by other brave poets, contributed to the regimes demise.

Alexander Solzhenitsyns 1970s anti-communist masterpiece, The Gulag Archipelago, ultimately did as much as the sclerotic economy to expose the communist charade.

Putin must have been delighted when Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel laureate who seemed to become increasingly nationalistic with age, expressed support for him. Recognising the power of the arts, Putin established himself early on as a fan of Russian culture.

He has also courted foreigners, including French movie icons, Brigitte Bardot and Gerard Depardieu, and even the Hollywood has-been, Steven Seagal.

At the same time, Putin has been quick to eliminate those whose message he does not like. The 1990s satirical television show, Puppets, was cancelled almost immediately after Putin entered the Kremlin, after it likened the president to Little Zaches, the ugly, evil, and self-important dwarf from E.T.A. Hoffmanns grotesque fairy tale.

A novice autocrat, whose attempts to silence his critics have been clumsy, at best, Trump may attempt to emulate his Russian role model.

But he has not amassed sufficient power to quash every cultural work and institution that criticises him. If he had, he probably would have already cancelled the comedy show, Saturday Night Live, which he condemns regularly.

It is often the arts, serious or satirical, that expose the tragic absurdity of repressive leadership. And the worse Trump behaves, the more demand there will be for artists who oppose him. Saturday Night Lives ratings are at a six-year high.
Tuesday, March 7th, 2017 (8:31 pm) - Score 1,010

The Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness, Matt Warman, has accused ISPs of being complicit in fraud for the way they advertise broadband speeds in the United Kingdom and has called a Westminster Hall event to debate the issue at 4.30pm tomorrow. He also wants fibre to only mean FTTP/H ISPs.

At present the Advertising Standards Authority only requires ISPs to promote a headline speed that is achievable by at least 10% of their customers (i.e. the fastest 10%), which must also be preceded by an up to qualifier and a prominent disclaimer of any aspects that could impact the services performance.

However the situation began to change last year after various politicians and local authorities called upon the ASA to change their approach (here, here, here and here), which is despite the watchdog initially noting that complaints about broadband speed had fallen away significantly over the past few years.

Ed Vaizey MP said (March 2016): I hope that the Advertising Standards Authority will crack down on how providers advertise their speeds. At the moment, if only 10% of customers are receiving the advertised speed, in the eyes of the ASA that is supposed to be okay. I totally accept that the ASA does a good job  it is a great example of self-regulation  but it really needs to go further on that. In my humble opinion, at least 75% of people should be getting the speeds that the broadband providers are advertising.

Soon after that the ASA agreed to probe the issue and in November 2016 they set out a series of potential solutions (details), such as forcing providers to advertise average speeds or a typical range of speeds. At the time the ASA said theyd consult with the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and report back during Spring 2017 with a draft proposal.

Since then Sky Broadband has become the first ISP to begin promoting average speeds alongside their broadband packages (here), although they also continue to advertise the more traditional up to speeds until such time as the ASA reaches a decision. However some politicians now appear to be losing their patience.

Matt Warman MP said (here): Consumers have come to expect that Up to 8Mbps often means rather less  but the fact is that regulations say that just 10 per cent of users have to be able to receive that speed for the advertising to be acceptable. Its like walking into a supermarket and choosing the best apple only to have it exchanged at the checkout for the most shrivelled. Broadband providers are complicit in this fraud on 90 per cent of consumers, but its the Advertising Standards Authority that needs to get a grip on it. The good news is that that is just what is in the pipeline, but the bad news is that its not obvious what improvements can be made.

Warman believes that an ISPs advertised broadband product speeds must be available to the majority of people who sign up for it and he suggests that two thirds of consumers should be within 20% of the headline speed.

On top of that he also wants to ensure that fibre broadband style promotions are only used by true fibre optic ISPs (FTTH/P), rather than hybrid-fibre solutions that mix in quite a bit of copper cable (FTTC / VDSL2, HFC DOCSIS etc.). France already has a similar rule (here) and we discussed this topic quite a lot in our earlier article  Will the Real Fibre Optic Broadband Service Please Stand Up.

Kerris Bright, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media, told ISPreview.co.uk: Outdated rules allowing broadband providers to advertise a speed only available to 10 per cent of customers need to change. The advertised speed should be available to the majority of consumers  plain and simple. Government has been clear about the need for a majority rule and today MPs are examining the issue in Parliament  the regulator should act now.

Whatever the ASA proposes, it will probably end up being divisive, with their own research showing that there was no single solution where everybody was in 100% agreement. Its also worth remembering that service speeds can fluctuate due to all sorts of reasons, such as traffic management policies, long copper lines, peak time network congestion and sometimes even issues like slow WiFi or poor home wiring, many of which represent aspects that ISPs cannot always control.

On top of that MPs often seem to forget that nearly all fixed line broadband ISPs are required to provide each customer with a personalised estimate of their expected broadband speed before completing the order process. This goes well beyond the 10% rule and is one of the key reasons why complaints about advertised speeds have fallen.

Meanwhile Skys recent decision to reject orders from those on sub-2Mbps lines is perhaps an example of an unintended consequence (here). Providers that refuse those with slower lines would effectively be able to make their advertised speeds seem more attractive, although this penalises many of those in rural areas and reduces choice.

Hopefully tomorrows debate will also touch on other areas, such as the need to promote upload speeds. Sadly upload performance is often hidden in the small print or not even mentioned at all, which is despite it becoming increasingly important to social media and other online services.

However we dont think its right to accuse ISPs of being complicit in fraud, more often than not theyre simply reflecting the complex reality of technologies that naturally deliver very variable broadband performance. The copper lines that many people still use today were never intended to do what were asking of them now.

NOTE: Whilst accusing ISPs of fraud, the MP might do well to consider that for several years the Governments Broadband Delivery UK ministers and culture secretary were wondering around the country with a big 80Mbps and up to 80Mbps sign (pictured, top) in order to promote their roll-out. This is of course the maximum speed of Openreachs FTTC (VDSL2) product, which suffers the same problems with performance. Sometimes they also added the fibre broadband tag line underneath. Pot calling the kettle black.
A recent survey of IT and business leaders found that 80 percent have had to change their daily operations to accommodate the way their enterprise software works, and two-thirds feel that the limitations of their current software have negatively affected their companys growth. According to Pete Khanna, CEO of the company that conducted the survey, TrackVia, a low-code mobile workflow software provider in Denver, those findings underscore the need for low-code development platforms.

I asked Khanna what he learned from the survey that he didnt already know. He said he now understands that the pace that organizations are running at is even faster than he had realized:

Folks are finding that their business is moving rapidly, and they need tools or software that can keep up with the pace. I think you wrote an article a while back about how the applications are outpacing the business. Well, it goes both ways. Not only are applications demanded by business users increasing, but the entire organization and what it has to accomplish, its objectives, are outpacing IT. IT is getting squeezed from the top down and the bottom up, and theyre in the middle. So thats what we found  it wasnt just the business users, it was the organizations that were pushing IT to do more, be more nimble, be more modern. Thats why I think youre seeing low-code gaining so much visibility in 2017.

I asked Khanna if any of the survey findings suggested that he needed to change TrackVias focus or strategy in any way. He said it actually validated their vision, and what theyve been doing over the past five to eight years:

It found that companies leaders have grown up with technology, and they want a software platform that is versatile, scalable, and that they can customize for different applications, without sacrificing mobile. Those things are paramount. IT is taking on this approach that says, Hey, were accepting low-code platforms, we want them, were a champion. But low-code really is not a rip-and-replace model. Its augmenting what they have, and making it better, integrating into these legacy systems  no ones going to rip out Oracle thats been in for 20 years. But the integrations and the microservices have to be robust enough to tie into their legacy systems that are in place. And I think if anything, those integrations are where were spending more time. Thats what we learned from the survey.

My own observation is that low-code has been getting so much buzz recently that a lot of software providers are positioning themselves as low-code just to capitalize on the buzz. Khanna didnt disagree:

I think you see a lot of people that are in this space that arent even low-code. Thats why what were trying to do is educate. We see a lot of people come back to us saying they tried our competitors and theyre like, I need an SDK. I have to download onto a database. So the negative is, its confusing a lot of buyers on what low-code actually is. Our position has always been, you have to have speed to solution. If one of the criteria for a low-code application platform is speed to solution, you better be able to get somebody up in less than a week. It might not be the be-all, end-all application, but you have to be able to do that, and weve consistently held that as a core pillar. The way we operate is, you can get up and operating on our system in a week. It might not be your production app that you deploy to 500 people, but deploy to a subset to say, Is this software working? So you have real-time iterations with the people doing the work, which is important. Thats the one thing low-code has done, is that you dont have to go back and forth with IT or a third-party development shop to say, Here are my requirements. Great, they come back in a month and they build half of it, and you go, Thats not what I said. Youre doing that real time now. And thats what low-code is about: One pillar is speed to solution; the others that we live by are configurability, and then seamless mobile. But thats what your readers should understand: If I cant get up and running, its not low-code.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
I hate cubicles with a passion and I know Im not the only one. The guy who came up with the idea of the cubicle went to his grave hating them worse than I do. They were supposed to be emergency office space, something to be used as a result of a crisis or disaster, not something folks had to effectively live in for hours on end. A few years back, Conan OBrien visited Intel and compared its cubicle farm to hell. Intel redid the entire floor after he left.

Way back in 2007, I saw progress to address this cubicle problem but, sadly, progress hasnt been what Id hoped.

Well, apparently Steelcase, which sells a ton of cubicles, along with Microsoft, got the memo. They are collaborating on making a line of office furniture and accessories that could actually make you want to come in to work again.

Cubicle Hell

I think the most memorable cubicle experience I ever had was going to a now shut-down IBM site in San Jose, where the accounting and HR folks were put into a beautiful, new, all-glass building, but not allowed to see the view. You see, some executive thought that people would fight to get a cubicle by a window so they put a walkway around the perimeter of the building and walled it off so no one could actually see outside. Except for the top floor, where the executives had expansive views of the valley in their well-appointed offices. The top folks got a view; the folks who did the work got something like eight stories of above-ground basement and fluorescent light. I had a nice big office with no windows and it felt like being locked in solitary confinement for the day. I only spent a couple of years at that site, but thinking back, it felt like more than a decade.

IBM was hardly alone. The cubicle mentality ranged, and still ranges, from small to large companies. And largely because firms are heavily cost focused, and didnt seem to care that much about productivity, or at least, couldnt measure it as well, the executives focused on the costs they could see and not the productivity they couldnt. However, with the application of analytics, suddenly firms are coming to grips with problems associated with excess absence, sickness and mental health issues tied to slamming people into fluorescent lighted hell pits for weeks on end. Fortunately, also, a few of these executives who came out of these pits had something called empathy and also felt motivated to fix the problems.

Microsoft and Steelcase Solutions

Microsoft and Steelcase are proposing something closer to open-plan designs. Yes, they do have a version of cubicles, but their version has low walls. This allows employees to see out into the building and not feel walled off; they are less likely to feel they are in a space smaller than would be legally allowed for criminals in solitary confinement.

Youll notice standing desks as part of the proposal. I have a Steelcase treadmill desk myself that I should likely use more often, but these things are life savers because, increasingly, we are connecting chronic health problems to folks sitting too much.

Offices have windows so that people can see out and feel a stronger part of the working community, and collaboration spaces are less like large versions of walled boxes and more conducive to people actually working with each other rather than talking at each other. The Microsoft Surface Hub stands out as a major part of this and it is uniquely designed to make people who are remote feel more like they are part of the collaborative process. On Surface, it is interesting to note that Steelcase has created unique micro-cubicle desks specifically for those who are hoteling or need some privacy, specifically designed for products similar to the Surface like 2-in-1 laptops and optimized for the unique kickstand that partially defines that product. You can see an example of this type of work space at the bottom of this page.

Wrapping Up: Work Spaces Influence Employee Health

Were having issues with younger and older working people. Young people coming in and facing cubicles and a strict work ethic are having surprisingly high rates of mental health issues, and those who have been sitting on their butts for most of their careers are having a whole host of medical problems, all of which are dramatically reducing productivity and raising medical insurance costs. Microsoft and Steelcase appear to be recognizing this problem and moving to address it, hopefully both with offerings to their customers and changes to their own working environments. In the end, I think that every firm should take a look around and realize it is time to recognize and step up to addressing this problem and end the pervasive hell of traditional cubicle farms and windowless offices.

Maybe then, fewer people will end up feeling like Joe in this clip. Im sure more than one of us can identify with Joes departing words and that is just sad.

Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+
When he was still in office, former US President George W. Bush has refused to divulge what he saw in alleged classified government UFO files. Now, in his recently concluded interview with renowned television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, George Bush has been aught off guard by the host when he asked what he knows about UFOs and aliens. Long before, Kimmel has been well-known or broaching the subject and regularly ask guests about what they know, and Bush was no exception to this when he was found to have been quick to admit that it wasn't the first time he had been asked the question.

Bush Talks About The UFO Files

According to reports revealed by The Daily Express, so-called alien disclosure activists say that they have long been convinced of the idea that the White House has proof of alien visitations of Earth, but keeps it hidden due to a fear of the potential impact on religion and the rule of law. The famed TV host asked Bush if he had gone through the classified documents while being the president, and consequently, the 43rd President of the United States, was coy and did not seem to have given much, while also trying to as if confirm he had seen some information. Bush, who was in office for two terms from 2000 to 2008 was quoted to have revealed a mysterious "maybe" when asked if he had looked at such documents.

Furthermore, as per Inquisitir, the former US President said that his daughters kept on asking the same set of questions. In turn, Kimmel has then took the daughters as the opening for more information, asking the former president whether he would he be allowed to tell his daughters what was in those files. That said, Bush allegedly laughed through the question while admitting that is was in fact true but he added that he's not going to tell it to Kimmel.

Conspiracy Theories Exposed

In addition, Kimmel went on asking the president if he has known any "really great secrets" that he has not been able to share with anyone and the former president has then responded and acknowledged the fact that there was, but has also been quick to say that he will not divulge the information, nor would he write about what he knew. Ultimately, the segment held with former president Bush was just the latest of Jimmy Kimmel's attempts to corner a president with questions concerning the existence of top secret UFO files being kept under wraps in Washington. It was found that Jimmy Kimmel's interviews with the presidents in no way provides definitive answers to what might be contained in the government's classified files on the subjects, however, UFO hunters have also repeatedly speculated NASA to be behind the alien cover up where they have pointed the mysterious "cuts" in the ISS feed while strange objects loomed into view.
Pollution in the environment kills around 1.7 million children a year with says the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday. Deadly environmental factors include filthy air and water, second-hand smoke, and inadequate hygiene. Children who are regularly and severely exposed to such conditions could die from diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia.

The WHO presented a comprehensive report this week titled Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on childrens health and the environment . It discusses how the harmful exposure can start in the womb, and then continue in infancy and toddlerhood. Children are more exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke nowadays more than ever.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan says in a statement that pollution can be particularly deadly for young children. Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water, he explains. Harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around children can also put their health at risk, The Huffington Post reports.

Toxic environment increases their childhood risk of pneumonia as well as their lifelong risk of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. Air pollution can also give them a lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, the report said. Additionally, households without access to safe water and sanitation, or that are filled with smoke from unclean fuels such as coal or dung for cooking can also put children at higher risk of diarrhea and pneumonia, the Reuters reports.

Maria Neira, a WHO expert on public health, urges governments to do more to reduce pollution in their countries. She adds that the public should be aware of these mortality rates, and work to make all places safe for children. She recommends improving air quality by using cleaner fuels, and practicing hygiene which will result in massive health benefits.
A Pennsylvanian father, Richard Zaragoza Sr., is lamenting the hospitalization of his 10-year-old boy and his half-sister who suffered severe throat burns after consuming tainted apple juice from a restaurant. The boy, Richard Zaragoza Jr., and 4-year-old half-sister Ginaya Mendoza had visited the Star Buffet and Grill in Lancaster County to celebrate Zaragoza's 10th birthday. They ordered for apple juice and suffered severe throat burns the moment they tasted the juice.

This is his restaurant of choice; his favorite place to go

According to father Zaragoza, the entire family had been going to the Star Buffet and Grill in Lancaster County for years. In fact, the restaurant is his boy's restaurant of choice and favorite place to go. They had also often ordered apple juice from the restaurant. This time, the boy's mother, Virginia Davis, had taken him and other children to the restaurant for his birthday dinner. Other children placed their orders but Richard Jr. and Ginaya ordered for their favorite apple juice, AOL reports.

The waiter at the restaurant usually brought the apple juice in a bottle to be poured by the customer, together with a Styrofoam cup with ice. And at other times, the waiter already poured the apple juice in cups and brought them. This time, the server brought them already made in cups but the moment they drank from the cup, they fell critically ill almost immediately.

Apple beverage found to be tainted with methanol

"As soon as they took a sip of it, they were throwing up and there was blood you know, and all that stuff," Zaragoza said. The kids were rushed off to the Hershey Medical Center where they were admitted into the intensive care unit and treated for severe mouth and throat burns. Although much stabilized, Richard is still sedated with an intubation device. His father is much concerned for him since he is suffering from cystic fibrosis and diabetes.

Medical tests found that methanol and other substances were in the tainted apple juice drink. The owner of the restaurant said he bought the apple juice from a local supplier. Police is still investigating the incident, but Zaragoza Sr. is galled that the owner or management of the restaurant did not call him to sympathize with him or his son over the unfortunate incident. The Star Buffett and Grill remains open for business in the face of the incident and ongoing police investigations - a development Zaragoza finds "mind-baffling".
IT workers stay in their jobs for an average of 16.8 months.

In fact, a typical American changes jobs about 12 times by the age of 48, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But why?

Jobs site Glassdoor studied more than 5,000 resumes for a new report that examines the factors that predict whether an employee will stay with their current employer or leave when moving on to the next role in their career path.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

Heres what they found motivates employees to quit.

Poor company culture

Companies with highly rated corporate cultures were better at retaining employees than those that were rated lower, Glassdoor says. These factors include the companys overall ratings on the site, and how it ranks for career opportunities, corporate culture and company values.

It should come as little surprise that employers who offer attractive culture and values and provide clear upward career paths for employees are more likely to retain workers who are looking for the next job in their careers, the report says.

Money

Money talks: A 10% increase in base pay raised the likelihood by 1.5% that the average employee would stay inside the company when moving to their next role, even after statistically controlling for factors like job title, industry, company size and location. The report notes that this is statistically significant.

While its important to provide upward career paths to workers, Glassdoor says, even symbolic job title promotions alone without higher pay may not be an effective way of improving retention. Instead, maintaining competitive base pay appears to be an important factor in predicting lower employee turnover.

Stagnant careers

Finally, job title stagnation motivates employees to quit. On average, Glassdoor found that staying in a given role for an additional 10 months is associated with a 1 percent higher chance that the typical employee will leave the company for their next job. (Glassdoor says this is statistically significant.)

[This] suggests that employees who languish in a job too long are likely discouraged about career prospects in the company, making them more likely to look elsewhere for their next role, the report says. Alternatively, it suggests that employees who are a poor fit for the organization to begin with, and who will ultimately leave the company to find a better-fitting employer elsewhere, are more likely to stagnate in a given role.

Surprisingly, Glassdoor found a handful of factors had no impact on turnover. These include work-life balance, senior leadership, and compensation and benefits ratings. While these factors matter for overall employee satisfaction, the company says, they didnt appear to play a key role in a typical employees decision of whether to stay or leave.

We want to hear from you: What has motivated you to quit your job?
If you thought it was bad when the FBI reported last year that ransomware was on the rise, you should read the forecasts for this year. According to SonicWalls most recent Annual Threat Report, ransomware attacks grew 167 times since 2015, from 3.8 million in 2015 to 638 million in 2016.

This year, TrendMicro sees a 25-percent growth in the number of new ransomware families available for use in breaches. Reports of the encroachment of ransomware on government, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and health and safety are already climbing.

CSO details the victims, ransomware and what has changed, what is at stake, and how to shunt ransomware attacks.

Ransomware revolution: victims unlimited

Several factors affect what entities attackers choose as they use ransomware more profitably. Whether an organization oversees lots of critical data or infrastructure is a factor. Dated systems that contain vulnerabilities that the industry did not consider when the systems were developed control a great deal of critical infrastructure, says Brandon Gunter, IT consulting senior manager at Moss Adams.

These vulnerabilities and the severity of encrypting critical infrastructure are attractive to criminal hackers. In July, RockwellAutomation reported a ransomware attack on the manufacturing automation industry in the form of a malicious file named Allenbradleyupdate.zip containing ransomware malware. These incidents are already occurring.

The ability to affect larger numbers of people is a factor. Every government branch has millions of Americans data. The DMV has plenty of PII, says Tyler Moffitt, senior threat research analyst at Webroot. Surround those millions of records with ransomware and either the DMV will have to effectively recover it or pay the ransom to avoid the damage to Americans. Ransomware took down more than 2,000 San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency fare payment systems for subway trains in November, leaving passengers abandoned.

The urgency with which agencies must restore access to data and systems is a factor. Consider a ransomware attack on a police network or 911 dispatch center, making those civil functions inoperable could result in many criminals getting away with preventable crimes, says Kevin Hyde, managing director at Layer8. Driven to get back online, these agencies could be tempted to pay a ransom quickly. Ransomware has been hitting police departments since 2013. Some ransomware is so impenetrable that even FBI agents have at times advised victims to just pay up and get their data back.

The list of organizations and systems affected by some or all of these factors is lengthy. The list includes the Department of Defense, financial institutions, large retailers, power grids, water treatment plants, government agencies, law enforcement, and street security cameras, which comprise critical infrastructure and/or house valuable data, according to our experts.

What has changed?

Larger sites and companies are increasingly more attractive victims of ransomware for many reasons. It has been feasible for ransomware to enslave critical infrastructure since the industry began connecting its vulnerable control systems to the internet. The growing prevalence of IoT and the mounting pressure to manage systems more effectively is leading the industry to purposefully or unintentionally connect many critical systems to the internet through backend organizational networks, putting them at risk, says Gunter.

Meanwhile, bigger and more profitable ransomware targets have become appealing to attackers as profit from other areas levels off or declines. Data breaches have become so prevalent that cyber criminals have had difficulty finding buyers of data on the Dark Web. So, they are turning back to the victims themselves to sell back their stolen or encrypted data, says Justin Fier, director of cyber intelligence and analytics at Darktrace.

Company functionality, reputations, and profitability are at stake with ransomware. Ransomware encrypts essential documents such as customer data or for example the labeling machine required for shipping out products, says Moffitt. What is a company to do when it cant maintain trust with customers and cant deliver its goods?

Public health and safety are at risk with ransomware. The next generation of ransomware will focus on denying basic resources such as clean water, electricity, gas, and sewer systems, says Gunter. Some degree of societal breakdown is foreseeable here.

Consumer confidence, privacy, and identities fall victim to ransomware. We are entering an era of trust attacks where threat actors work to undermine credibility and faith in our institutions. If consumers cant trust an organization to keep their PII secure, how does the company recover? asks Fier, who held mission-critical security roles with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, and Abraxas.

Time, effort, and investment are all at stake. Companies can sink significant resources into recovering from a ransomware attack as with any other kind, says Hyde. So you pay whether you pay the ransom or simply suffer the impact of lost data.

More ransomware? No, thank you!

Since ransomware will eventually find your enterprise, prepare by implementing an information security governance model that you align with the business objectives and the risk assessment of an organization, says Gunter, who held security positions with Deloitte, KPMG, and Clearwire. Use a security road map, implementation strategy, and security breach response plan to better protect critical systems and drive down risk."

The enterprise should then continually identify risks as these occur, implement risk remediation and mitigation strategies, secure operations, monitor and identify new risks, and come full circle to update and improve the security strategy and road map, explains Gunter.

Enterprises should then take several practical steps down-in-the-trenches to mitigate ransomware, including mature endpoint security measures. Reputable, multilayered endpoint security that protects web browsing, controls outbound traffic, safeguards system settings, proactively stops phishing attacks, and continuously monitors the individual endpoint can prevent malware infections and ransomware, says Moffitt.

The business should ensure that its business continuity/disaster recovery plan and backup and recovery tools are entirely separate from the data and systems that could fall under attack by ransomware. There are many automated on-site and cloud-based backup solutions that will leave you with options even if ransomware hits network drives, says Moffitt.

There are measures to address ransomware that starts with phishing emails that contain macros, which prerecord commands that will run automatically, in this case unleashing malware and, ultimately, ransomware attacks. You can disable macro functionality in the trust center in Microsoft Office.

There are maneuvers for isolating harmful file activities. In Microsoft Windows, you can use policy settings to restrict actions by potentially malicious files with specific extensions, such as .exe for executable files, inside directories where this presents a risk during a ransomware infection. Its not 100-percent effective, but if you can reduce the number of variants that could pose a threat by even 20 percent, it will be well worth the investment, says Moffitt.

Ransomware attacks can include abuses of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port, port #3389. By changing the port assignment for remote desktop applications and encrypting it where possible, you can mitigate exploits that use this vector, according to Moffitt.

There are solutions in addition to backups for organizations whose data is already locked. Resources such as No More Ransom can help enterprises to unlock encrypted systems using keys and software tools that can (in some cases) decrypt locked data.

User education is always a necessity and a great opportunity to make a dent in the user errors that make these attacks possible. Malware will continue to thrive and be a viable business as long as staff are unaware and uneducated about the risks of the internet. Providing the basics will protect users at home and in the office, says Moffitt.

According to Hyde, who brings extensive experience with the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, enterprises should whitelist good sites, blacklist known bad sites, and continually update these based on suspicious traffic. The enterprise should invest in applied forensics and threat intelligence services, lock down user accounts, prevent writing to system files and settings, and keep a detailed image of base computer systems for immediate deployment, says Hyde.

Ransomware is devastating and damaging regardless of the target, says Fier. Future attacks on critical infrastructure and business reputations could end some companies and degrade our quality of life.

Head over to Facebook to add your comments.
Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has agreed to pay US$892 million to the U.S. government for illegally selling networking technology to Iran.

ZTE entered a guilty plea over the charges, which include violating export controls meant to keep sensitive U.S. technology away from the Iranian government, the U.S Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

"They (ZTE) lied to federal investigators and even deceived their own counsel and internal investigators about their illegal acts," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

In addition, ZTE will pay another $300 million if the Chinese company is found violating its settlement agreement with the U.S.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department also accused ZTE of sending 283 illegal shipments, including routers, microprocessors, and servers, to North Korea.

"ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them, and remains committed to positive change in the company," the company's CEO Zhao Xianming said in a statement.

In recent months, the company has replaced its senior management with new executives. But the whole matter has tarred the Chinese company's reputation and risked denying it access to U.S. tech suppliers, such as Qualcomm and Intel.

Although ZTE is based in China, the company incorporated U.S.-developed technology into its networking products and then sold them to Iran. From 2010 to 2016, ZTE shipped about $32 million worth of U.S.-developed products to the country, either directly or through a third party, the Justice Department said.

The Chinese company had been winning contracts to build Iranian cellular and landline networks and was allegedly trying to hide the illegal technology shipments. But in 2012, Reuters revealed that ZTE was selling surveillance equipment capable of spying on mobile and internet communications to Iran.

In 2012, the U.S. began probing ZTE over the illegal sales. During that investigation, it found that ZTE was fully aware the company was violating U.S. law, but senior executives at the Chinese company still approved the scheme.

Even when the company was caught selling the technology, the Chinese company still resumed the illegal shipments to Iran, the Justice Department said.

In response, the U.S. placed trade restrictions on the Chinese company that barred U.S. firms from supplying ZTE with technology equipment, although temporary reprieves were granted.

As part of Tuesday's plea agreement, the Chinese company will continue to cooperate with U.S. authorities in investigations of any other violations of U.S. export control laws.

An independent group will also monitor ZTEs compliance with U.S. export control laws for a probationary three-year period.

This story has been updated to add new details, including ZTE's response, in paragraphs four to seven.
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Island Independents leader Cllr Julia Baker-Smith criticised Cllr Stewart for not using the opportunity to make a strong case for fairer funding and branded the meeting a 'photo shoot'  a claim rejected by Cllr Stewart.





Cllr Baker-Smith said: "I am given to understand that at the Conservative Councillors Association Conference held a few days ago the Prime Minister held a photo-opportunity for members in attendance.





"I am surprised that Cllr Stewart hasnt been more forthcoming with the content of any discussion they may have had during the photo call, other than to have chatted about Brexit, especially given the serious financial issues facing the Island at present, caused by Conservative Government austerity."





But Cllr Stewart said his discussion with the Prime Minister had been a private meeting that had taken place in London, not at the Conservative Councillors Association Conference, which was in Scunthorpe.





"My meeting was a private meeting and also involved engagement with the Secretary of State  when I progressed dialogue I am having about future initiatives for the Island which if successful would help the Islands financial position.

"That said, I think is equally important our Prime Minister is assured of support for her management of the Brexit process which will have significant consequences for the Island as well as other parts of the country."
Apple fans know that this years iPhone model is about to be a special one as the Cupertino-based company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iconic smartphone. Tech watchers have September pegged as the iPhone 8s release month, but new reports indicate that Apple may not be ready to release the device in said month.

According to Business Insider, Apple is expected to release three iPhone models this falltwo successors to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and a completely redesigned version which is said to be the 10th anniversary iPhone. The latter is said to have a better OLED screen, a new fingerprint sensor, plus other technologies that have yet to be revealed.

Due to its revolutionary features, the multiple chain watchers in recent weeks have said that production of the OLED iPhone will not start until September. This suggests that the anniversary edition phone may not go on sale in September, as expected by iPhone fans.

It was said that Apple typically needs months of production to accommodate the demand for its new iPhones, which can sell millions on its first weekend of availability. If the predictions are accurate, then its likely that well see all three iPhone models sometime before the start of this years holiday season.

Meanwhile, Japanese news agency Nikkei (via Phone Arena) reports that the 10th anniversary iPhone will have a 5.8-inch screen, which means that the device will sport the largest display among all the three upcoming iPhone models. The iPhone 7s is said to retain the 4.7-inch screen of its predecessors, while the iPhone 7s Plus will have a 5.5-inch screen.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the special iPhone 8 will have a revolutionary front-facing camera that is capable of producing 3D selfies. It is also said to have a face recognition technology which can be used to unlock the device and to verify identity. The face recognition feature is reportedly intended to replace Touch ID.

The 10th anniversary iPhone 8 is said to cost $1,000. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the iPhone 8.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on why people are excited about the Nokia 3310s return.
The United States and the European Union agreed to acknowledge each other's pharmaceutical manufacturing inspections after several discussions on how it will impact the industry. The United States and the European Union used to hold separate inspections of manufacturing facilities that produce drugs, a practice that potentially led to duplications of efforts and waste of resources.

The agreement that the United States and the European Union signed is expected to limit the unnecessary expenditures that come with separate inspections. Under the agreement, the United States and the European Union will recognize each other's conclusion after inspecting manufacturing facilities, according to a report by Medical Express.

The agreement is an update to an initial accord signed in 1998 concerning the manufacturing practices of the United States and the European Union. The update entails that the United States and the European Union will use the same checklist of inspection for manufacturing facilities of pharmaceutical products.

The agreement was initially part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership discussions under former United States President Barack Obama, RAPS reported. However, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that made the United States exit from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks.

Under the agreement, regulators of the United States and the European Union will use each other's good manufacturing practice inspections of pharmaceutical and active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facilities. However, the agreement does not cover the approval of medicines.

Industry groups, including the Association for Accessible Medicines, lauded the agreement as it would result in faster processing of approval requests for manufacturing facilities. The savings that will come from the lower inspection-related expenditures will be allocated to other industry-related expenses.

Jobs & Hire previously reported that the United States lost to China as Germany's No. 1 trading partner.
Step into a Starbucks or a Caffe Nero and chances are, youll see a lot of people using the shops Wi-Fi to check their social media feeds on their phone, or perhaps theres one or two people who are doing a bit of work using their laptop.

Such a scene has become the norm in major coffee houses all over the world, but one cafe in Chicagos Lincoln Park is encouraging conversation, play, and bonding among its customers by shunning Wi-Fi altogether. While rows of workers glued to their laptop screens can make cafes feel like an open office, Kibbitznest has deliberately chosen to forego technology to raise awareness about the imbalance between the use of electronic technology and face-to-face communication.

Kibbitznest was opened by Annie Krostiner and her husband Lewis, and speaking with the BBC, Krostiner said that they wanted to create a space wherein customers can have a break from technology. The media outlet reports that customers often tell Krostiner that they are so happy that they opened the coffee house, as its unique concept encourages real interaction.

The cafe aims to be a third place for people after home and work, as the Krostiners believe that third places are crucial for harmony in a civil society, democracy, and for civic engagement.

Kibbitznest has gotten glowing reviews on Yelp, and customers are raving about the new and used books for salewhich can also be read while on the premises. There are old-school typewriters which can be used by anyone, as well as board games that can be enjoyed by families or friends who are looking to have a new way to bond over coffee, tea, wine, ice cream, and snacks.

This place is aspirational and Im so glad it exists, said one customer. Another Yelp reviewer called Kibbitznest a slice of nerd heaven, and one said that the cafe is simply perfect.

Keep your phone in your pocket and tell a story, ask a question, and get to know the people you are with, said the customer.

Kibbitznest is located at 2212 Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on the Golden Girls-themed cafe in New York City.
General Motors Corp. finally decided to let go of the majority of its European operations with agreement to sell its European Opel and Vauxhall brands. General Motors will be getting approximately $2.33 billion in purchase price for both brands, according to a report on Yahoo! Finance.

The U.S. automaker had been looking into exiting unprofitable markets to focus its investments on future technology like the development of electronic cars and ridesharing service. Jobs & Hire previously reported that General Motors wanted to exit Europe, and the sale of Opel and Vauxhall will complete that goal.

The United Kingdom's decision to exit the European Union had a big impact on General Motors' decision. The U.S. carmaker said it will be more challenging to operate in Europe after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

PSA Group, the French-based parent company of Peugeot and Citroen, is eager to add the Opel and Vauxhall brands to the list of companies that it owns. The acquisition is expected to boost the size and scale of PSA Group in Europe.

Fortune reported that the shareholders of General Motors do not seem to welcome the sale, while shareholders of PSA Group were happy with the announcement. Shares of General Motors fell right after it announced that it is selling Opel and Vauxhall. On the other hand, PSA Group's shares rose.

According to reports, General Motors basically is paying PSA Group to take Opel and Vauxhall out of its hands. The press release announcing the deal reveals that General Motors will incur a primarily non-cash special charge of $4.0 billion to $4.5 billion in connection with the deal.

Aside from Brexit, stricter European clean-air regulations also pushed General Motors out of the market. The regulation is expected to lead to higher expenses as it would mean additional expenditures on new technology and equipment.
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A bipartisan House bill prohibiting state agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel has advanced to a committee meeting.

House Bill 161, with two Triad legislators among four primary sponsors, goes first before the Pensions and Retirement committee Wednesday. Rep. Ed Hanes, D-Forsyth, is one of seven Democratic primary or co-sponsors out of 38 representatives.

According to the bill, the goal is linking state policy with federal policy when it comes to examining a companys promotion or compliance with unsanctioned boycotts. If signed, it would go into effect Oct. 1.

The boycott of Israel stems largely from its occupation of the West Bank, The Associated Press has reported.

The bill would affect state grants, contracts and support the divestment of state assets  such as those invested by the state treasurer and N.C. retirement systems  from identified companies.

Bill sponsors indicated that part of their reasoning is that a companys decision to discriminate against Israel, Israeli entities and entities that do business with or in Israel is an unsound business practice, making such a company an unduly risky contracting partner or vehicle for investment.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell would be required to compile the list and make it public. Folwell would be authorized to review federal sanctions lists, as well as information based on research firms, nonprofit groups, other government entities and generally publicly available information.

Identified companies would be given a 90-day written notice of the states intent to no longer do business or make investments with them. Companies would be allowed to provide evidence that either they do not boycott Israel, or provide written confirmation that it would not boycott Israel during the duration of any state contract or investment.

More than a dozen states in the last two years have passed anti-boycott, divestment, sanctions laws of the sort proposed in North Carolina, and several other state legislatures are currently considering passing similar laws this spring, said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University.

These state laws, generally known as anti-BDS laws, vary in their particular form.

According to Politico, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has grown into a worldwide network of thousands of volunteers lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel.

It has three goals: ending Israels occupation of territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war; stopping discrimination suffered by Arab citizens of Israel; and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to family properties lost in the war surrounding Israels creation in 1948.

In December, the administration of N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a list of 13 companies  none in the U.S.  on its prohibition list. According to Politico, several companies questioned their inclusion.

Perhaps the most visible example of an Israeli company being targeted for boycott is SodaStream, which makes a popular home sparkling beverage machine. It had a West Bank factory with about 500 employees before moving production within Israel, in part because of boycott efforts.

The campaign against SodaStream made global waves when actress Scarlett Johansson parted ways with the international charity Oxfam because of a dispute over her work as brand ambassador for the company.

Interestingly, the states passing these laws vary in their political leanings, Dinan said.

These laws having been enacted by some Republican-controlled states and also by some Democratic-dominated states, and often on a bipartisan basis and enjoying large margins of support on legislative votes.

Mitch Kokai, a policy analyst with Libertarian think tank John Locke Foundation, said its not clear that the bill would have a major impact on state business.

But it would put North Carolina state government on record opposing the BDS movement that has proved popular among small bands of vocal activists on some college campuses.
A Forsyth County couple was indicted Monday on charges of illegally burying an unidentified body at their house in Pfafftown.

Jason Michael Mitchell, 36, and Mary Utleye Mitchell, 49, were indicted by a Forsyth County grand jury on felony destruction of a human body or remains to conceal a body. They were not indicted for murder.

The body was found June 26, 2015, at 3555 Brookbank Drive in Pfafftown. Its unclear whether the body has been identified. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill declined to comment Monday, saying the Rules of Professional Responsibility prohibit him from making statements outside a courtroom about a pending case. Chief Deputy Brad Stanley of the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office said in December 2015 that prosecutors asked the sheriffs office to refer questions to the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office.

The sheriffs office sent the remains to the N.C. Medical Examiners Office in Raleigh and then to the FBIs lab in Quantico, Va. When those agencies couldnt identify the body, the sheriffs office used Bode Cellmark Forensics in Lorton, Va., a private lab.

Stanley said in September 2015 that investigators had not determined yet how long the body had been buried or whether the remains belonged to a man or a woman.

The case has been linked to a missing man, Gordon Reid, 61, who disappeared Feb. 4, 2015. Reids name appears on a June 29, 2015, court order sealing the search warrant for a house the Mitchells owned at 152 Motor Road. That house is next door to 158 Motor Road, where Reid was last seen.

At the time of Reids disappearance, the Mitchells also owned property at 86 Motor Road.

The sheriffs office has not released much information about the case, including why it has taken so long to identify the body.

Jason and Mary Mitchell have been free on bond and were scheduled to appear March 16 in Forsyth District Court. A new court date will have to be set in Forsyth Superior Court.
For some, a revised temporary ban signed by President Donald Trump on Monday targeting refugees as well as six Muslim-majority countries foments animosity toward Muslims, including everyday people who attend mosques in Forsyth County.

The 45th president of the U.S. is undoubtedly committed to pursuing a xenophobic, Islamophobic immigration policy that even Homeland Security acknowledges does not make the United States any safer from terrorist entry into the country, said Khalid Griggs, the imam at the Community Mosque in southeastern Winston-Salem.

The new order does not address concerns raised in a Homeland Security intelligence analysis obtained last month by The Associated Press that concluded there was insufficient evidence that citizens of the originally banned countries posed a terror threat to the U.S. The administration has played down the significance of that report.

The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of temporarily banned countries but still affects would-be visitors and immigrants from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

Trump officials say that even with the changes, the goal of the new order hasnt changed: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews the vetting system for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.

For Joel Saahir, the imam at the Masjid Al-Muminun mosque in northern Winston-Salem, the revised ban comes on a wave of nationalism and hatred that, in his view, has fueled the last year and a half.

It is also a distraction from the chaos going on inside of the administration. There will be an enemy to keep the focus on while business as usual gets back to pre-2008 in Washington. Its sad that we as a country have this going on. We want to be the world leader but dont want the world included, Saahir said.

National security is the driving force behind the ban, according to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He pointed to the cases of 300 people he said entered the United States as refugees who are now being investigated by the FBI as part of terrorism-related cases. He provided no details.

A senior Justice Department official earlier in the day cited the same statistic to reporters in a background call. The official refused repeated requests to provide any details about those cases, including the nationalities of the 300, or to say how long they have been in the United States.

Dan Besse, a member of the Winston-Salem City Council, said the ban has a core problem: Its based on speculation and unsupported assertions, not factual evidence that it will do anything to make our country safer.

Mr. Trump is stuck trying to get past his own clear statements during the campaign that he wanted a total and complete shutdown of Muslims traveling to the U.S. Like his unsupported claim that President Obama ordered his phones tapped, he seems to be making things up to get around his own outrages.

In the process, hes hurting a lot of innocent people.

The U.S. refugee admission program already has an exhaustive screening process using some of the toughest standards around. Suspending it and cutting its already limited admissions by more than half does absolutely nothing to make our nation safer. Instead, his orders play right into the hands of the real villains out there who want to misportray our nation as anti-Muslim, Besse said.

For others, the revised ban brings some measure of relief.

Among them is Kristine Ali, a Lexington resident who is waiting to be reunited with her husband, Haval Ali, an Iraqi national who is from the countrys northern Kurdistan region, the Winston-Salem Journal has reported.

The White House dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries following pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which noted Iraqs role in fighting the Islamic State group. An Iraqi spokesman said the change marks a positive step and shows the countries have a real partnership.

I feel happy for my situation, being that he is from Iraq, Ali said. That means our process will be moving forward.
The Winston-Salem City Council on Monday approved a revised plan to put a new shopping center at the corner of Burke Mill and Griffith roads, and in a separate action approved stronger protection from development for the nearby Stratford Manor neighborhood.

Both actions came as the council heard voices pro and con, and one result of the nights action was a commitment from the city to do a traffic study to see what can be done to fix traffic problems that plague the part of town near Stratford Road and Hanes Mall Boulevard.

Levcor Inc., based in Houston, plans to build the shopping center on 11 acres bounded by Burke Mill and Griffith roads and Frontis Street, with proximity to South Stratford Road on the other side of a railroad track.

The shopping center would be a $24 million project providing some 300 to 400 permanent jobs in retail stores providing 111,000 square feet of shopping. No starting date has been announced for the project.

Responding to concerns about the impact on development along Stratford Road and other nearby residential areas, the developers brought forward a revised plan Monday that moves the stores farther away from Stratford Road and turns the southwest corner of the site into green space.

The developers also said they would design stores along the middle portion of Burke Mill Road so that they have fronts that face both the road to the south and the parking lot on the other side, to give that part of the center more the feel of a pedestrian area.

Levcor would also arrange its main entrance on Burke Mill Road so that traffic leaving the shopping center from that point would have to turn right and head back to Stratford Road, instead of pursuing an alternate route on Burke Mill Road to points east.

But Jean R. Thomas, who lives in the Charlestowne development on Burke Mill, said people in her 69-unit development already find it hard to make a left turn onto Burke Mill Road. With the new shopping center, she said, even more people are going to drive on Burke Mill Road as a shortcut to the shopping center.

Something has to be done with the traffic, Thomas said. Im not against progress, but you are encroaching into a residential area.

Nobody on the council tried to argue that traffic in that part of town isnt bad, but Council Member John Larson, who made the motion to approve the shopping center rezoning and plan, said that the current zoning on the site would allow much of it to develop anyway in a piecemeal fashion.

Levcor is proposing to help improve traffic flow near the future center by widening sections of Burke Mill and Griffith roads.

On passage of the rezoning, Larson made a second motion to do a traffic study that would encompass the area near the intersection of Hanes Mall and Stratford roads. That motion passed unanimously.

Meanwhile, the only real controversy on enacting more protections for the Stratford Manor neighborhood concerned whether to include four houses facing Vest Mill Road as part of the protected area.

The council voted unanimously to include those four houses in a neighborhood conservation overlay covering the whole subdivision and intended to make any future housing in the neighborhood conform to the lot sizes already present.

The Stratford Manor neighborhood, mostly surrounded by office and commercial development, covers about 30 acres on the southwest side of Winston-Salem and is accessible by motor vehicle only from Vest Mill Road to the north.

The neighborhood conservation overlay approved by the council allows the neighborhood to have stricter zoning standards that the underlying RS9 zoning allows. Where RS9 zoning allows houses on lots as small as 9,000 square feet, the overlay zoning would raise that requirement to 19,000 square feet for any new houses built there.

Two of the Vest Mill Road landowners, Alex Zendah and Albert Pereida, told the city council that they didnt want to be included in the conservation overlay. But Barry Boneno, a neighborhood supporter of the conservation overlay said the Vest Mill Roads lots needed to be included to protect the neighborhood.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps astonishing and reckless accusation that he was wiretapped on orders from President Obama should finally be the tipping point in how the country views him and his presidency.

Obama, through a spokesman, said the charges were simply false. It appears that Trump issued his wild tweet storm Saturday morning largely on the basis of reports in conspiracy-minded right-wing media.

He signaled his lack of evidence first by reportedly pushing his White House staff to ransack sensitive intelligence information to find support for his claim. Then on Sunday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump wanted Congress to look into the matter and that the administration would offer no further comment.

Trump has a problem either way. If he was not wiretapped, he invented a spectacularly false charge. And if a court ordered some sort of surveillance of him, on what grounds did it do so?

Every time the issue of the relationship between Trumps apparatus and Moscow comes up, he is moved to unleash unhinged counterattacks. This only underscores how urgent it is to get to the bottom of this story quickly.

We need to understand why those in Trumps orbit who engaged with Moscow stick with lies and misdirection until the moment their falsehoods are publicly revealed. The truth has to be dragged out of them by the media, working in concert with those in government (aka leakers) who refuse to sit by while the system they serve is endangered.

No wonder Trump hates leakers and the press. With so many Republicans in Congress prepared to abandon everything they said about accountability before Jan. 20, 2017, the main lines of defense against executive abuses have to come from journalists, those who supply them with information, and courageous judges.

The Washington Posts recent revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions misled the Senate about his two meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak came after Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser, lied about the nature of his own Russian contacts. Flynn stuck to false claims about his conversations with Kislyak until the Post and other media blew them out of the water. Flynn had to resign.

Sessions convenient memory lapse (I didnt have  did not have communications with the Russians) was especially jarring because it came after an inquiry from Sen. Al Franken in which the Minnesota Democrat did not even ask Sessions whether he met with Russians.

Frankens query ended this way: ... 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?

Why did Sessions think he had to respond to a question that wasnt even posed?

And during his news conference announcing his recusal from investigations into the Russia connection  Trump, by the way, was enraged because he didnt want Sessions to pull back  the attorney general remembered many things Kislyak had said, but used the phrase I dont recall five times about various other aspects of the encounters.

The Sessions moment was followed by the confirmation of previously undisclosed meetings with Kislyak, one involving Flynn and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, another with former campaign advisers Carter Page and J. D. Gordon.

The crucial issue is how all this affects our national security. But this saga also reminds us that a crowd claiming to place America First does not really believe its own slogan. They place only about half of America first, the part that opposed Obama and supported Trump. When it comes to the other half, they feel only contempt.

This is why Russian interference in our democracy appears to matter far less to Trump than saving his own skin. Its also why he could compare Obama unfavorably to a foreign autocrat during the 2016 campaign. He said Vladimir Putin had been a better leader than Obama because Obamas not a leader and ominously praised Putin for having very strong control over a country. What do such statements have to do with American patriotism as we have traditionally understood it? And now Trump has accused Obama of violating the law.

Trump seems to assume that the truth doesnt matter anymore, that a leader just needs enough voters to believe the alternative facts his side invents.

If there is any good news here, its this: Alternative facts can take you only so far. A president cant just make up charges against his predecessor, call him a Bad (or sick) guy, and then get away with it.

Can he?
Weather Alert

...Areas of Dense Fog Likely Tonight... Moist ground from Sunday's rainfall combined with an unseasonably warm, moist air mass in place across the region along with light winds is resulting in the development of fog for areas especially along and east of the Blue Ridge tonight. This includes locations such as Wilkesboro, Mt. Airy, Reidsville, Hillsville, Fancy Gap, Martinsville, Danville, South Boston, and Lynchburg. At 7 PM EST, fog was already developing in some of these areas with the visibility dropping below 1 mile in a few spots such as Martinsville. Conditions are expected to worsen through the evening and overnight. Parts of this region may require a Dense Fog Advisory as the night progresses. If you are planning to travel across this region overnight, be alert for areas of dense fog and rapidly changing visibility from one location to another. Reduce speed, use low beam headlights, leave extra distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination. Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or go to our web site www.weather.gov/blacksburg for the latest weather information.
A verbal altercation between two drivers escalated into an unidentified victim's demise during the early morning of Nov. 5 in the 100 block of Kensington Place, in the Kings Grant neighborhood of Summerville off Dorchester Road. Read moreLadson man charged with voluntary man slaughter
03/06/2017





Spanish born duo-pianists Elena Martin and Jose Meliton will perform at the annual Foothills Piano Festival at JSU on March 11, 7:30 p.m., at Mason Hall Performance Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Martin and Meliton have been hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of the most compelling talents of their generation. These pianists emerged in only a few years as one of the main references within the realm of Spanish two-piano music. American Music Teacher Magazine says the duo plays in perfect synchronization and with hypnotic poetry...sharply chiseled refinement, fierce commitment and palpable charisma.

In a short period of time, the duo has conquered the most critical audiences in the US, Europe and Asia. Their numerous collaborations with Spanish Embassies and cultural institutions throughout the world make them the ambassadors of two-piano music from Spain.

The duo is known for Martin's own transcriptions for many of the pieces they perform. Having approached and performed the two-piano transcriptions which Enrique Granados and Frank Marshall made of Isaac Albeniz's "Triana" and "Navarra" respectively, Martin decided to continue this challenging task, and today the duo and audiences around the world enjoy more than a dozen transcriptions from various Spanish composers, which constitute a splendid addition to the music literature for two pianos. Copies and recordings of Martin's manuscripts of "Spanish Dance No. 1" and "Spanish Dance No. 2, from "La Vida Breve," are proudly kept at the Manuel de Falla Archives in Granada, Spain.

Since their powerful appearance at the MTNA National Convention in Los Angeles, the duo has received enthusiastic acclaim as guest artists in festivals, concert series, master classes and workshops in more than 30 states in the US alone. Martin and Meliton both hold the Titulo Superior de Piano from the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid, as well as master's degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Listen to audio samples of the duo here.
JURIST Guest Columnist Ali Khan of Washburn University School of Law discusses the recent executive order banning individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries, and the effects of US Customs and Border Protection officials perpetuation of harassment at US airports

Ever since President Trump signed an executive order banning individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries, reports of harassment at US entry points, including airports and road crossings, have inundated newspapers, news websites, and social media. Tourists, legal immigrants, even US naturalized and US born citizens have reported degrading treatment, humiliation, and intimidation by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. In addition to travelers with Muslim names from all over the world including European Muslims, non-Muslim visitors have also been detained and subjected to pointless questioning.

For example, French Holocaust scholar Henry Rousso was detained for more than 10 hours at the Houston airport. Mem Fox, an eminent Australian writer of childrens books, was detained at the Los Angeles airport. I have never in my life been spoken to with such insolence, treated with such disdain, with so many insults and with so much gratuitous impoliteness, Fox said. Of course, the degradation of Muslims arriving at US airports has been widespread. The son of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was detained for hours at Fort Lauderdale airport after he was returning from speaking at a Black History Month event in Jamaica. He, a US-born citizen, was asked whether he was a Muslim.

Harassment

Harassment is a well-known legal concept in the US. Harassment is both criminal and civil. As a general concept, criminal harassment means a course of conduct, including words and gestures, knowingly directed at an individual to alarm, annoy, torment, or terrorize the targeted person. Civil harassment is a form of discrimination, practiced in employment and housing, based on race, religion, sexual preference, national origin, or gender. Federal laws prohibit civil harassment where state laws prohibit both civil and criminal harassment.

There is no federal law specifically prohibiting CBP officials from harassment of travelers arriving at the US points of entry. In fact, the CBP officials at points of entry have more powers than police officers on the streets. Unlike police officers, the CBP officials need not have a probable cause to ask intruding questions to incoming travelers, nor a reasonable suspicion to search their luggage. They may do so at will for their primary responsibility is to prevent the entry of persons and goods that pose threat to national security or violate the US immigration, agricultural, monetary, or other laws.

The reported cases of harassment by the CBP officials are inconsistent with the national goal that in 2015 the Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce proposed to President Obama: The United States will provide a best-in-class arrival experience, as compared to our global competitors, to an ever-increasing number of international visitors while maintaining the highest standards of national security.

There could be several reasons why the CBP is engaging in a course of conduct incompatible with providing a best-in-class arrival experience as promised in the 2015 proposal:

1. President Trump or Secretary John Kelly of Homeland Security may have abandoned the 2015 goal (even though the goal is still displayed at the CBP website), now focusing more on national security and less on the commercial benefits that flow from international visitors. The stories of CBP harassment might reduce the already dwindling number of international travelers to the US. 2. The reported stories of intense questioning by the CBP officials is getting more than usual press coverage because of the illegal executive order banning refugees and other travelers. 3. The CBP officials conducting secondary inspections (detention, detailed questioning, and luggage searches) are not well-trained in effective but dignified questioning of international visitors including US legal immigrants and citizens coming back home.

Consequences

Whatever is causing the perceived and actual harassment at the US points of entry, concrete consequences flow from negative perception among the peoples of the world that the US has turned into a land of disrespect, discrimination, and deportations.

First, fewer visitors from Muslim and non-Muslim countries will undertake expensive trips to the US. They are unlikely to spend money to be degraded at US airports. Visitors wish to have good time without being abused and harassed in the host country. Once a country loses goodwill, most international travelers think twice before visiting there.

Second, fewer new students will opt to study in US colleges and universities. Already, China is attracting hundreds of thousands of foreign students. Likewise, specialty occupations might also fail to recruit skilled professionals. As the 2015 report rightfully points out there are global competitors who wish to divert traffic from the US to their own countries.

The Department of Homeland Security and CBP need to understand that they are doing a disfavor to the economy and reputation of the US by their over-zealous detention and questioning of international visitors. They should presume, unless there are apparent contra-indications, that international travelers with valid visas obtained from US consulates and embassies located in foreign countries are innocent travelers and not potential security threat. This presumption applies even more strongly to legal immigrants and US born and naturalized citizens returning home after vacation or business travel.

The Presidents new executive order on Monday morning, though it excludes Iraq from its coverage, is still focused on Muslim countries. Like the previous executive order, It too is likely to make Muslims traveling to the US more vulnerable to CBP vetting procedures. The harassment stories at US points of entry will multiply again.

Ali Khan is a professor of law at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and Founder of Legal Scholar Academy, which provides expert analysis of international affairs involving Muslim nations and communities.

Suggested citation: Ali Khan, Harassment at US Airports, JURIST  Academic Commentary, March 6, 2017, http://jurist.org/forum/2017/03/ali-khan-harassment-airports.php.
[JURIST] The New York Police Department [official website] (NYPD) reached a new settlement [text] on Monday over its surveillance of Muslims after a federal judge rejected an earlier deal [JURIST report] in October. The new settlement would create greater oversight of the NYPDs intelligence-gathering programs by a civilian representative. In the original rejection of the case, the judge stated that the agreement did not ensure that the NYPD would be limited in how it could monitor political and religious activity. Zachary Carter, head of New York Citys law department, said [Reuters report] that the new settlement agreement addresses the judges previous concerns.

In October 2015 the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] revived [JURIST report] the civil rights lawsuit filed by a coalition of Muslim groups that accused the NYPD of conducting unjustified surveillance of Muslims in New Jersey. In April 2014 the new commissioner of the NYPD William Bratton announced [JURIST report] the disbanding of the Demographics Unit surveillance unit used to spy on the Muslim communities. In February 2014 a judge for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled [JURIST report] that the NYPDs surveillance of Muslims was a lawful effort for national security and did not constitute harm or violation of civil rights. The Muslim Advocates filed [JURIST report] the lawsuit in 2012. In September 2013 former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly admitted [JURIST report] that the NYPD spied on mosques and on a Muslim preacher but requested that the court dismiss the complaint.
The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday reversed [opinion, PDF] a case due to the lower courts analysis that focused on the presence of actual bias as opposed to an objective probability of actual bias. In Rippo v. Baker [SCOTUSblog materials], Michael Rippo discovered that the judge hearing his criminal case was the subject of a federal bribery investigation, and Rippo believed the same district attorneys office that was prosecuting him was playing a part in the judges bribery investigation. Rippo sought to disqualify the judge based on the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, but the judge declined to recuse himself. A later judge denied a motion for a new trial, and the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed. The state courts again denied Rippos argument in later proceedings based on the failure to show evidence of actual bias. The Supreme Court reversed, stating that precedent dictates recusal at times where actual bias is absent. Recusal is required when, objectively speaking, the probability of actual bias on the part of the judge or decisionmaker is too high to be constitutionally tolerable.' Due to this, the previous judgment was vacated and Rippos case was remanded for further proceedings.

The Supreme Court ruled on judicial recusal [JURIST report] last year in Williams v. Pennsylvania [SCOTUSblog materials]. The court held that Pennsylvanias Chief Justice should have recused himself from a death penalty case in which he formerly served as prosecutor. Terrance Williams was convicted of first degree murder in Philadelphia and sentenced to death. Ronald Castillo was the district attorney in Philadelphia during the trial and was subsequently elected to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court [official website]. Williams then appealed his death sentence to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, arguing misconduct on the part of the Philadelphia prosecutors office when Castillo was serving as the district attorney. Castillo did not recuse himself from the case on appeal, claiming that he was not improperly biased. The Pennsylvania court unanimously denied Williams appeal, then denied his motion for reconsideration after Castillo retired from the bench.
[JURIST] The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) referred Turkey to the UN Security Council [official websites] on Monday for failing to release [press release] one of its judges. Turkey has detained Judge Aydin Sefa Akay [official profile] on suspicion of being involved in last Julys failed coup [BBC report]. In a public ruling the courts president condemned [Reuters report] Turkeys actions. Turkeys non-compliance materially impedes the Appeals Chambers considertion of the merits of this case and threatens the independence of the Mechanisms judiciary. Akay was one of 40,000 people accused of being part of the failed coup against the current government.

Since the failed coup in Turkey in July, where Turkish military forces tried to overthrow the government, the Turkish government has taken several controversial steps to strengthen its power. Earlier in March around 330 individuals were put on trial [JURIST report] for alleged involvement int he attempted coup. In January the Turkish Parliament approved a plan [JURIST report], which, if approved by vote later this year, would increase presidential power within the country and would allow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stay in office until 2029. In November Turkey significantly restricted the activities of NGOs like human rights organizations and childrens groups and arrested opposition party leaders [JURIST report] alleging they were connected to terror organizations. In October Human Rights Watch warned [JURIST report] that the emergency decrees put in place after the failed coup, had resulted in serious human rights violations.
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Dallas, TX, USA, 03/07/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

In Bill Cosbys criminal sexual assault case, a Pennsylvania state court judge recently ruled that one accuser, in addition to the alleged victim in the case, can testify that Mr. Cosby once drugged and sexually assaulted her. The judge made this ruling despite the fact that Mr. Cosby has never been convicted of sexually assaulting this woman. The judge also ruled, however, that twelve other accusers who would have said basically the same thing could NOT testify against Mr. Cosby. How does this make sense, asks Dallas criminal lawyer Helms?

The answer requires us to dig into one of the most difficult areas of evidence lawthe use of an accused persons prior bad acts in a criminal trial.

On one hand, evidence law in most jurisdictions says that, in general, a persons prior bad conduct should not be admissible to show that the person has the kind of character that would mean the person would commit the alleged crime. For example, normally, the mere fact that someone has robbed a bank before is not admissible to show that the person is guilty of bank robbery in a given case. This is because the law does not want juries to decide someone is guilty just because the person has done something in the past.

This general rule applies even more strongly if the past bad act is not even the same type of crime. So, the argument that someone has sold illegal drugs in the past would be even weaker as evidence that the defendant is the kind of person who would rob a bank.

On the other hand, there are times when evidence of past bad acts shows more than just that a person has the character of someone who would commit the crime. For example, if Joe Smith has committed past bank robberies in which he always wore a trench coat and a clown mask, always burst in and fired a warning shot with a pistol, and then yelled, Hit the floor, losers! the fact that the robber of the bank in question wore a trench coat and a clown mask, fired a warning shot with a pistol, and shouted, Hit the floor, losers! would be admissible to show that it was Joe Smith who robbed this bank. This is not because it shows that Joe is the kind of person who robs banks. It is because the WAY he robs banks is like his signature or calling card, and this indicates that he was the one who did it.

In the Cosby case, Mr. Cosby is accused of giving a woman a drug that made her unconscious, or at least made her unable to stop his sexual advances. Mr. Cosby does not appear to deny that he gave the woman a drug. He also does not deny having sexual activity with her. His defense appears to be that he believed she consented to sexual activity despite the drug and that he did not believe the drug prevented her from consenting to sex. In other words, he seems to claim that he thought the drug was like a glass of winethat it would relax her, but that she would still be able to give genuine consent to sex.

Now, lets consider the possible testimony of the other twelve accusers. Mr. Cosby is not on trial for sexually assaulting them, but the government wanted them to testify that Mr. Cosby gave them a drug, that he had sex with them, and that they deny having consented to the sex. Since Mr. Cosby does not deny that he gave a drug to the alleged victim in the case and does not deny that he had sex with her, the fact that he had given other women drugs and had sex with them does not prove that he is guilty, UNLESS their testimony shows that Mr. Cosby knew the alleged victim in this case did not have the ability to give consent.

Here is an example of hypothetical testimony that might do that. Lets say a woman testified that the drug made her unconscious, that she woke up and found Mr. Cosby molesting her, and that she told him to stop and that she had been unconscious. If this happened before the incident for which he is on trial, it would show that he knew that the pills could make someone unconscious, but he kept doing it even though he knew it was possible that the woman was unconscious and could not consent.

It is possible that the Pennsylvania judge thought that only one of the twelve witnesses had something to say that would bear on the consent issue.

It is also possible that the judge did not want too much emphasis to be put on Mr. Cosbys encounters with other women in case an appeals court says their testimony should not have been allowed. If an appeals court says the testimony about other instances was not proper, having only one witness like that, rather than twelve, might make it more likely that the verdict could still be upheld based on all of the other evidence. This is what lawyers call harmless error. If there is too much emphasis on other alleged victims during the trial, it is much less likely that the error of allowing their testimony would be harmless.

Evidence of prior bad acts like this involves tricky issues of evidence law as applied to the detailed facts of the individual case. This kind of evidence can also be extremely damaging to the accuseds case, and often unfairly. Experienced criminal defense lawyers will try to keep this kind of evidence out, if possible, with motions to the judge before trial. It is critical for a criminal lawyer to understand the nuances of both the law and the facts in order to protect the rights of the accused.

If you, a family member or someone you know has been charged with a crime or have been convicted and need help with an appeal in the Dallas area, contact Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms at (214) 666-8010 or fill out the online contact form. You can discuss your case, how the law may apply and your best legal options to protect your rights and freedom.

source: http://johnhelms.attorney/dallas-criminal-lawyer-cosby-case-past-can-come-back-haunt/

Social Media Tags:Dallas criminal defense lawyer, Attorney John Helms Criminal Defense Lawyer for Collin County, Criminal lawyer for help near Dallas

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New York City, NY, 03/07/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

Electronic cigarettes  or e-cigarettes  have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people. According to a surgeon generals report, e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students increased by a staggering 900 percent between 2011 and 2015.

As reported by NBC News, these high tech alternatives to traditional cigarettes are often marketed as a safer way to consume nicotine.

However, health experts explain that e-cigarettes still contain unhealthy doses of nicotine, even if they dont deliver the same amounts of tar and carbon monoxide as regular cigarettes. E-cigarettes dont burn tobacco; instead, a battery inside the e-cigarette heats the liquid into a vapor, which is why many users refer to the practice of using an e-cigarette as vaping.

Exploding E-Cigarettes Have Caused Serious Injuries

E-cigarettes have also been involved in a startling number of serious accidents, in which they have have literally exploded during use.

In a recent case, a 30-year-old man experienced horrific burns and other injuries when an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth. The father of three lost seven teeth in the accident and had to be rushed to the intensive care unit to be treated for his injuries. The explosion was so powerful, it also blasted chunks out of the victims bathroom sink. (Warning: the photos of the injury in the linked story are graphic.)

FDA to Host Public Workshop to Discuss E-Cigarettes

Although the FDA has not banned e-cigarettes, many safety experts and lawmakers have pressured the agency to take action to reduce the risks posed by the devices. In 2016, the FDA announced it would begin regulating e-cigarettes the same way it regulates traditional cigarettes.

Recently, the FDA announced it will also conduct a workshop in April 2017 to gather information and stimulate discussion about e-cigarettes.

The FDA has identified the battery as the reason for the explosion in 134 documented cases of e-cigarette injuries occurring between 2009 and 2016. Safety experts say there are likely many more unreported cases of the batteries in e-cigarettes causing injuries.

The two-day workshop, which is open to the public, will also host scientific and medical experts, as well as e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.

NYC Defective Products Lawyer Discusses Dangers of Exploding Batteries

New York City defective products lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter explains, Although its unclear what, if anything, the FDA will do to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury associated with e-cigarettes and e-cigarette batteries, this is not the first time a battery has caused serious injuries. For example, lithium ion batteries in cell phones and other devices have caused burns and other injuries in consumers. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, the FAA actually banned the devices from U.S. commercial flights due to the high risk of the battery inside the phone melting or exploding.

Media Contact:

New York City defective products lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter. T: 866-324-9211.

source: http://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/03/03/new-york-defective-products-lawyer-discusses-fda-takes-action-exploding-e-cigarettes/

Social Media Tags:NYC Defective Products Lawyer, New York Defective Products Lawyer, Exploding E-cigarettes

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#COVID-19 S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases drop below 20,000 South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend amid growing concerns that daily infections could spike to as high as 200,000 du...

#Jongga Food company Daesang forms joint venture in Poland to expand kimchi in Europe Food company Daesang Corp. said Monday it has formed a joint venture with a Polish fermented food maker as the South Korean maker tries to expand the traditional fermented vegetabl...
HOLDREGE  Managers of North Platte River reservoirs, including Lake McConaughy, are making decisions now about how much space to reserve for a still uncertain spring snowmelt.

The other factor, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District Civil Engineer Cory Steinke said at Mondays annual Central Water Users meeting in Holdrege, is that most of those reservoirs are nearly full now.

Seminoe and Pathfinder, the two largest federal Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs in Wyoming near the headwaters of the North Platte River, are within 14 feet and 6 feet of full, respectively.

Lake McConaughy currently holds 1.44 million acre-feet of water, which is 83 percent of capacity.

Steinke said the lake has dropped about 1 foot recently, partly due to releases authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from an environmental account. Those releases will end this week.

Current inflows are about 1,200 cubic feet per second, while 1,700 cfs is being released for Nebraska Public Power district and 900 cfs to the river.

The word Im using is full, Steinke said about his general description of Platte Basin reservoirs.

He said the current estimate of a spring spill from the upstream reservoirs to Lake McConaughy is 150,000 a-f. He explained there is 575,000 a-f of space to fill in the North Platte reservoirs and an estimated 1.12 million a-f of runoff.

Meanwhile, snowpack in all mountain areas of the basin remains above average: 124 percent in the upper North Platte Basin, 112 percent in the lower North Platte Basin and 130 percent in the South Platte Basin.

The key for runoff and spill numbers is when and how quickly that snow melts. We wont know anything until later, Steinke said. May has gotten us to a spill the last two times because of snowmelt and also spring precipitation in the basin.

He told the Central irrigators there will be a full irrigation supply for this year, and Elwood Reservoir will be filled for irrigation season. A full irrigation supply also is likely in 2018.

Earlier in his presentation, Steinke noted the contrast in management decisions now from the 2004-2007 years when Lake McConaughy dipped as low as 20 percent of capacity.

Also commenting on the recent good water years, CNPPID General Manager Don Kraus said, This is when we have to talk about how we prepare for the next drought.

On another reservoir issue, CNPPID officials said they may see additional Kingsley Dam inspection and/or reporting requirements in the future as a result of the recent safety crisis at Californias Oroville dam and reservoir.

Steinke showed videos while describing issues at the California dam that included a full-to-capacity reservoir, an enormous hole in the main spillway and erosion on the emergency spillway, which forced the temporary evacuation of 200,000 nearby residents.

Although Kingsley Dams features are very different, one thing it has in common with the Oroville project is an operating license from the Federal Emergency Regulatory Commission.

Steinke and CNPPID Natural Resources Manager Mike Drain said they are in regular contact with FERC officials on many license-related issues. The Lake McConaughy project is undergoing a routine five-year safety review this year. A report will be submitted to FERC next fall.

However, Drain said that whenever there have been safety issues at other FERC-regulated dams in the past, requirements for new studies and/or monitoring at other projects on the same issues usually followed.

Were not overly concerned, Steinke told the Hub, but we know how FERC works.
KEARNEY  United Way of the Kearney Areas first radiothon will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Listeners can tune in to Platte River Radio Power 98.9 FM, pick up the phone and donate to help the final push to the $505,000 campaign goal.

Executive Director United Eileen Dakan said she will share stories about how United Way affects lives. She is asking the community to rally behind the organization during the final weeks of its campaign to support 21 area programs in six counties.

The goal is to raise $8,000 on the 8th to help our local agencies who meet the needs every day in the community, she said.

Last year the United Way helped 67,000 people. The campaign ends Friday and stands at $425,000.

In a news release, Dakan said updates will be given about the fundraiser and how the funds are allocated.

You will hear from the agencies about what they are doing within the community and where every dollar is going, Dakan said. I think that is something that doesnt always get communicated  why they are giving and what their money is going toward. Without being fully funded, the United Way partner agencies face the unknown, which might mean a cutback or disruption of services.

If you spend any time with any of our agencies and agency directors, you see the passion of those who desperately want to help people. You see the people who the agencies impact and you have an ability to see that you are directly helping people. That is really important to me. I think that is important to everybody who works with the United Way to try to get this goal accomplished, she said.

Dakan added that one in three residents living in the community will receive help from the United Way in some form in their lifetimes. The biggest factor in people needing aid is some type of crisis, but another big reason is poverty.

In fact, 16.8 percent of people residing in United Ways service area live in poverty.

In Buffalo, Kearney, Phelps, Harlan, Franklin, and Custer counties, many families worry where their next meals will come from and find themselves searching for help with basic human service needs such as shelter and utilities, she said.

Agencies such as Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, The Salvation Army and the Kearney Jubilee Thrift Store and Food Pantry help members of the community daily.

Were going to challenge people to give, and I truly believe the community will meet and surpass the challenges. For example, someone may say, Hey, I am donating $50 in honor of my grandchildren. I challenge five other people to do the same,

Donations will also be matched by business donors. Those who donate will have the opportunity to win a $2,000 shopping spree at Bruce Furniture.

The most rewarding part is knowing that youre being a part of a community that is raising money to help others, locally and 99 percent of all the contributions raised through the United Way of the Kearney Area stay here.

In addition to the radiothon, United Way plans Dine Out to Help Out at Fanatics today with celebrity servers Elizabeth Roetman and Ed Berglund.

Contact the United Way office at 237-6840.

Visit the website at www.uwka.org/give to give securely online.

For more information about United Way of the Kearney Area, visit www.uwka.org, like us on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

@HeatherRig
KEARNEY  The Tri-Cities Legislative Luncheon at the State Capitol in Lincoln will be Monday.

Chambers of commerce in Kearney, Hastings and Grand Island encourage their memberships to attend to lobby on behalf of interests in central Nebraska.

The event will be from noon-1:30 p.m. in Room 1023 of the State Capitol. People planning to participate will be responsible for their own transportation.

More information is available at salmquist@kearneycoc.org.
GIBBON  Whether it was making sandwiches, turning on pivots, bringing tanker trucks or disking fields, people came together Monday to help more than 50 firefighters fighting a grass fire south of Gibbon.

High winds are believed to have caused power lines to spark over an 80-year-old barn at 1602 V Road, south of the Platte River in Kearney County and east of Harold Warp Memorial Drive, also known as state Highway 10. With gusts up to 52 mph at the time, Gibbon Fire Chief Rick Brown said, wind blew embers from the resulting fire out into a neighboring bean stubble field.

A 100-year-old nearby house, owned by Randy Scheides, was not damaged, and two donkeys with access to the barn and corral were uninjured.

The fire crossed about an acre of the field then went into a row of trees, through the trees and pushed in to a farmstead about one mile southeast from the original fire where it burned several outbuildings. Firefighters were able to save three inhabited houses.

The fire was under control about 8 p.m., Brown said, and firefighters left the scene about 10:30 p.m. However, firefighters returned to the scene around 1 a.m. because of a burning fence post.

Seven departments  Gibbon, Shelton, Minden, Kearney, Axtell, Kenesaw and Wood River  responded to the scene.

Mutual aid went really well, Brown said. I was pretty impressed. We needed grass rigs, and we got a bunch of grass rigs.

In addition to area firefighters bringing tankers and grass rigs, water was brought to the scene from Clevengers and Mid Nebraska Chemicals, both in Gibbon, and Blessing Construction from Kearney. Farmers in the area also started their pivot irrigation systems and disked fields.

In Shelton, community members gathered at the Shelton Fire Hall to put together sandwiches and other food for firefighters after they got back to the station.

It was definitely a very good team effort, Brown said.

Brown estimated damage from Mondays fires between $80,000 to $100,000.

Other fires in Hub Territory Monday included:

- 11:36 a.m.  Bertrand Volunteer Fire Department was called to a cornfield fire northwest of Bertrand when overhead powerlines arched. Fire spread to a vacant house, two outbuildings and trees at the farmstead, then moved across a 15-acre cornfield. The fire damaged two polyplastic grain storage bags full of corn, then moved east to another cornfield where it burned 60 acres. Loomis and Elwood Volunteer Fire Departments provided mutual aid

- Noon  Ansley Volunteer Fire Department was called to a grass fire at U.S. Highway 183 and Cumro Road. Twelve fire departments in Custer, Buffalo, Dawson and Valley counties were called for mutual aid, along with water tankers from Trotter Fertilizer in Ansley and two from Cooperative Partners of Callaway. The fire started in a tree pile that rekindled from a burn permit issued about a month ago. The fire burned about 200 acres.

- About 6:15 p.m.  Shelton firefighters were called to 280th and Sodtown Roads because a tree pile rekindled where a burn permit had been issued last week. The Ravenna Volunteer Fire Department provided mutual aid.

- About 7:30 p.m.  Kearney firefighters were called to 3506 22nd Ave. because three square hay bales sitting next to a garage that are believed to have ignited when low voltage wires connected.

@HubChic
My son, Matt, and I stood in the cold rain last Tuesday in Liverpool, England, waiting for the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. Despite the downpour, the tour was full. Wed managed to snag the last two seats.

Its always full, the ticket seller told us. Everybody comes to Liverpool because of the Beatles.

Now we huddled under an umbrella beside a happy little van splashed with psychedelic colors. The 1 p.m. departure time came and went. At last, an aging, balding man clutching a clipboard hurried up and unlocked the van, but he said hed forgotten something. Apologizing, he dashed back through the downpour to the office.

Hurrying back, he climbed on board and passed out a sponge so we could wipe off our foggy windows.

Then, he stood up and faced us. Im Tony. Im a Beatles fan. Ive got the best job in the world, he said. He asked where we 14 passengers were from. France. Germany. Argentina, Scotland, the United States. He grinned. The Beatles have fans all over the world, he said.

As he started the engine, he warned us in his muddy British accent that this tour might creep beyond the advertised two hours. Thats all right, isnt it? he asked. Youre on vacation, right? Nobody uttered a peep. Off we went. My father always said that some people, regardless of obstacles, rise from the gutter to the mountaintop. The Beatles, I learned, are among them.

It wasnt just the sights we saw  the auditorium where Paul McCartney played a 3.5-hour concert without a break a few years ago, and the cathedral where, at 12, Paul failed to make the choir  but their stories were poignant, dreary as the rain at times and joyful as the vans rainbows, like life.

The Beatles grew up in tenements in the shadow of World War II. Liverpool, a shipping city, suffered more war damage than any other British city except London.

John Lennon first lived here, Tony said, stopping in front of a rowhouse. A few days after he was born, bombs destroyed tenements just four doors down.

Johns father disappeared. His mother gave birth to an illegitimate daughter who was taken from her and given to a Norwegian family. John was sent to live with his aunt. During his teen-age years, he and his mother reconciled, but one night as she left his home, she was struck and killed by a car. John was 17. The driver was barely punished. John lost his faith in the establishment after that, Tony said.

Paul knew loss, too. When he was 14, his mother, a midwife, died of breast cancer. As we passed his tidy brick childhood home, Tony said Paul began writing songs to assuage his grief. When Paul was worried or upset, his mother would appear to him in dreams and tell him to relax and let it be. After one such dream, Paul wrote the song by that name.

We braved the rain at a school parking lot to see the plaque marking the spot where Paul and John met in July 1957. Among other assets, Paul had perfect pitch, and John reasoned that Paul could save the band money by tuning their guitars.

In their early years, the Beatles practiced 12 to 14 hours a day. They played clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg. They changed the bands name four times. Pete Best, an early Beatles drummer, was so handsome that Paul and John feared that girls would thirst for him instead of the music.

We saw the house John had lived in when his mother died. Yoko Ono bought it, refurbished it, and donated it to the National Trust. We saw the childhood home of George Harrison, who became a deeply spiritual man before dying of lung cancer at age 60.

In the deluge, we tramped up to a soggy cemetery to see Eleanor Rigbys grave. We filed out again at Ringos humble boyhood rowhouse on a thread-thin street. I pitied the neighbors who must tolerate buses, vans and curious fans day after day.

Shows like The Voice make viewers believe that winners of those contests shoot to stardom, but it isnt like that, Tony said. The Beatles faced repeated rejection and frustration. Its difficult to make it big.

I gave Tony a tip when we got back 25 minutes late. Id been reminded that nothing comes easy, The Beatles worked, struggled, argued, loved and grieved. Luck is part of their story, too. They were as human as the rest of us.
Aldo Seoane of the Yoeme tribe, with a group protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline, helps set up teepees on the National Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. A federal judge declined to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, center, Mexico's consul general in Austin, waits to give testimony to the Committee on International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Texas Capitol, Monday, March 6, 2017, in Austin, Texas. Officials from Mexico and Texas are urging the state's lawmakers to defend the North American Free Trade Agreement against President Donald Trump's administration, which has been wary of it. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A reoccurring issue among the youth in Laredo is the abuse of prescription drugs.

Now, city officials are hoping to add a Prescription Drug Dropbox in South Laredo.

At Tuesday's SCAN meeting, Judge Danny Dominguez and Constable Mike Villarreal spoke to attendees on their application for a dropbox.

This dropbox will be a place to leave expired or unused prescription medication so it won't end up in the wrong hands.

"We're working together to apply for a medication dropbox to make sure our community is safe from expired medication. From medication that's not being used anymore. There's been situations where our youth, our children, are abusing that medication in an improper way. And we want to make sure our community is drug-free and safe," Dominguez said.

For anyone interested in using the dropbox for their expired medication, you can contact the offices of Constable Danny Dominguez at 523-4780.
The future of the Harmony Science Academy was discussed at Tuesday's Kiwanis meeting.

Representatives from the Academy stopped by to discuss what they provide as far as curriculum, extra-curriculars and their plans for the next school year.

According to the Outreach Coordinator for Harmony, what they really wanted to focus on in Tuesday's presentation was the campuses they have here in Laredo.

"We do have three campuses in Laredo, which is Harmony School of Innovation kinder through fifth grade. And we currently have Harmony Science Academy, which for next year will be sixth through eighth grade. And then we'll be having the new campus hopefully open in August, which will be Harmony School of Excellence. Which will be ninth through twelfth grade," says Nicole Ramanos, of the Harmony Science Academy.

Ramanos says for any parents interested in applying their kids for the Academy, admission is not based on district or GPA. But it is randomized, so all admission is encouraged.
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Amazing: An 18ft giraffe being fed from the top floor window



An 18ft giraffe has been spotted making the most of his natural assets by reaching up his long neck to grab snacks from the high window of a Kenyan manor. Amazing images shows the tall - and greedy - animal being fed by a grinning female visitor as she leans out with a tub of food. Photographer, Joe Witkowski, 66, from Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, was visiting the Giraffe Manor in Kenya last year when he photographed the world's tallest animals and their antics.



Giraffe Manor, modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge, is a small hotel which is also home to a number of endangered giraffes.



The tall creatures, whose necks alone can measure more than two metres, are frequent guests at the table of the hotel throughout the day. Read More...


A repeat of last year's All-Ireland hurling final will be the feature in the National League programme on Saturday evening when Tipperary take on Kilkenny in Round 4 at Semple Stadium (7pm).

The Premier County are 1/2 to keep their unbeaten run in the League intact with Kilkenny priced at 15/8 for a win. A draw is on offer at 9/1.

Saturdays other match sees Laois take on Limerick in Portlaoise. Limerick are red hot favourites at 1/20 to win.

Sunday sees Clare priced at 4/9 to beat Dublin (2/1), whilst Waterford are red hot at 1/3 to make it three wins from four and record a victory over Cork, who are priced at 13/5, according to BoyleSports.

Tipperary and Wexford are on their way into the quarter-finals of the Allianz Hurling League, with two rounds still to play.

Tipperary (1A) and Wexford (1B) have already taken full points from three games, the only teams in the groups with 100% records. Four teams qualify for the quarter-finals from each group.

Weekend fixtures in Division 1A, All-Ireland final repeat in Thurles on Saturday (7pm) Tipperary v Kilkenny, Semple Stadium; Sunday (2pm) Clare v Dublin, Ennis; Waterford v Cork, Walsh Park.

Unbeaten since losing to Clare in the 'League quarter-final last April, Tipperary will go into Saturdays clash with Kilkenny on a high after beating Dublin, Waterford and Clare in recent weeks.

Kilkenny ended their losing run with a seven-point win over Cork on Sunday, leaving them in a much better frame of mind for the big clash with their great rivals. They had earlier lost to Waterford and Clare.

Kilkenny and Tipperary met twice last year. The Cats won the Division 1A League clash by five points and lost the All-Ireland final by nine points.

Tipperary beat Kilkenny in the 2015 Allianz Hurling League.

Waterford host Cork, having won two of three games so far while the Rebels have won one of three. Waterford beat Cork by three points last year, having also beaten them in the 2015 Allianz Division 1 final.

Clare beat Dublin by two points in the 2015 Hurling League. The sides did not meet last year as they were in different divisions and were not paired together in the knock-out stages.
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Index funds are all the rage nowadaysand why not? Over the past 10 years, fewer than one-third of actively managed U.S. stock funds beat their benchmark indexes. But if you want to find funds that, on average, beat their benchmarks, one good place to turn to is Morningstar, the Chicago-based investment research outfit.

Five years ago, Morningstar launched its Morningstar Medalist ratings. The firms analysts pick their favorite funds by looking at both quantitative and qualitative factors, then divide their top picks into gold, silver and bronze medalists. The analysts have the most confidence in gold-rated funds, the second most confidence in silver and the third most confidence in bronze.

Over the past five years, a majority of the medalists have beaten their benchmark indexes. Nearly 60% of gold-medalist funds outperformed their benchmark, 54% of silver funds beat their index, and 53% of bronze funds came out ahead.

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

How do Morningstar analysts pick funds that they think will do well? They start by looking for low costs and strong returns, adjusted for market volatility. But the analysts also include some data points that are difficult for individual investors to evaluate on their own.

Morningstar employs more than 100 fund analysts. They visit fund companies and get to know the managers, research analysts and executives through continuing interviews by phone and in person. Weve covered most of our medalists for many years, says Russ Kinnel, Morningstars director of manager research.

Among the questions the analysts endeavor to answer: Do the funds managers have a competitive advantage that enables them to execute a sound strategy consistently over time? How talented is the manager or managers? How good are the analysts who research the securities owned by the fund? What kind of company runs the fund? Is its corporate culture one of salesmanship or stewardship?

Morningstars fund analysts present a tentative rating to a committee for approval. The committee then discusses the rating and ensures that all the needed work has been done before the company issues a final rating.

Only 350 funds currently have five-year records as medalists. Before it came out with its medalist rankings, Morningstar singled out its favorite funds as analyst picks. The methodology was slightly different, but it was also successful, more often than not, in picking market-beating funds.

Below are descriptions of some of my favorite gold-rated funds. Returns are as of March 3.

AMG Yacktman Fund Class I (YACKX (opens in new tab)) lost founding manager Don Yacktman to retirement last year, although he remains an adviser. But Yacktmans son Stephen and comanager Jason Subotky have been ably doing most of the day-to-day work on the fund for many years. The fund looks for high-quality companies with stocks that sell at depressed prices. Nearly one-third of the funds holdings are low-risk companies that make everyday necessities. And 20% of the fund is in cash. That risk-averse positioning has hurt relative returnsthe fund has lagged Standard & Poors 500-stock index over the past five years. But I believe patient investors will be rewarded. This fund is a keeper.

American Funds International Growth and Income F-1 (IGIFX (opens in new tab)), like all American funds, is available through several online brokerages, including Fidelity and Schwab, without an initial sales charge. At $11 billion in assets, this is one of the smallest, and therefore most nimble, of the firms fundsone of the reasons I like it. Despite the funds name, its yield is only 2.3%. The four managers are each responsible individually for a portion of the portfolio.

Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX (opens in new tab)), a member of the Kiplinger 25, is a venerable, low-cost, conservative, large-company fund with a focus on bargain-priced stocks. The fund trailed the Russell 100 Value index for 2 1/2 years until the second half of 2016, and it fared even worse against the S&P 500. But it has since returned to its winning ways. The fund buys stocks of companies facing temporary difficulties, then holds on patiently.

Oakmark Fund (OAKMX (opens in new tab)) has profited recently from a 35% stake in financials. The sector rose 22% in 2016. Veteran comanagers Bill Nygren and Kevin Grant often find value in places others dont. The funds long-term record is superb. Over the past 10 years it returned an annualized 9.2%an average of 1.3 percentage points a year better than the S&P 500.

T. Rowe Price Real Estate (TRREX (opens in new tab)) has been managed capably since its inception in 1997 by David Lee. Lee and his team look for well-managed real estate investment trusts that are likely to keep growing, with shares that trade below the net asset value of the underlying properties. Lee is incredibly patient; turnover is less than 10% annually, which means that in the course of a year, the fund changes fewer than one in 10 holdings.

The real trick with actively managed funds, in my view, isnt so much picking good funds initially (although thats not easy). The hardest part is sticking with active funds during the inevitable years when they lag their benchmarks. Even the best of funds will go through two-year or three-year periods when they trail their indexes. Holding on and not selling can be incredibly difficultparticularly if a fund lags by a lot. Owning a fund with a Morningstar gold rating can help you remain patient during the bad times.

Steve Goldberg (opens in new tab) is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area.
BERLIN, March 7 (Reuters) - Greece must decide whether it wants to remain in the euro zone, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday, adding Berlin is open to discussing debt relief for Athens in 2018 if such a step is needed.

He also said debt relief for Greece was not an issue at the moment and the goal was to complete the programme review.

"If the agreement is adhered to by all sides, I am confident it will work," Schaeuble told reporters in Berlin.

He referred to the Eurogroup agreement from May 2016 that debt relief should, as a matter of principle, be looked at from 2018 and if, contrary to expectations, it is needed, such measures could be introduced.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Joseph Nasr; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Michelle Martin)
Exchange-traded-fund holdings of gold have fallen for the second straight day, and one market watcher says the pattern conceivably could continue until a Federal Open Market Committee meeting next week, when a U.S. interest-rate hike is expected. Precious-metals ETFs trade like a stock but track the price of the commodity, with metal put into storage to back the shares. Holdings in gold ETFs tracked by Bloomberg fell 5.5 tonnes Monday, Commerzbank notes. As a result, almost all of the inflows seen in the preceding eight days of trading were reversed again in the last two days, the bank says. Meanwhile, silver ETFs posted outflows of some 73 tonnes Monday, which the bank said was their most pronounced daily outflow in nearly two months. Almost 94 tonnes of silver have been withdrawn within the last three days of trading, Commerzbank says. In all, gold ETFs have seen modest outflows of some 500,000 ounces since the middle of last week, which is limiting any bounce in prices over the past few sessions, says MKS (Switzerland) S.A. We expect this to continue into the Fed rate decision, which will remain a drag, the firm says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

TDS: We Dont Expect A Rout In Gold, Silver

TD Securities says a rout in gold and silver are not in the cards even though both metals could ease some more due to expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy next week. As such, the interest in gold was largely gone after the price failed to break through its 200-day moving average resistance near $1,261/oz, as specs likely started to take profit in response to the increasing conviction the U.S. central bank will restart the tightening cycle, TDS says. With ideas that the FOMC may be moving from two to three hikes in 2017, gold and silver are susceptible to further downward corrections, TDS says. But since the world is facing numerous risks ranging from potentially destabilizing European elections, to trade/currency wars with China and Mexico, to the President Trump's inability to deliver on his fiscal agenda, we dont expect a rout, TDS says. In fact, the Fed is only likely to remove accommodation and will not seek to follow a restrictive monetary policy. And, there is the risk that the market may see the U.S. central bank to be behind the curve, if the Trump agenda goes through, growth remains firm and the central bank exercises caution. To that point, while the last two times the FOMC raised rates gold reacted negatively in the run-up to the announcement, it rallied afterwards.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

BNP Paribas: More U.S. Dollar Strength Ahead

BNP Paribas looks for further U.S. dollar gains as the market awaits next weeks meeting of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee. The Fed has entered the quiet period ahead of next weeks FOMC meeting now with pricing holding above 90% chance of a March hike, BNP Paribas says. However, pricing for H2 2017 and full-year 2018 tightening remain rather low. In our view, it is leaving scope for rates to extend their recent gains if the Fed statement, press conference and/or projections sound at all hawkish. Our BNP Paribas position indicator signals that USD long positioning has increased of late but, with a score of +13 on a +/- 50 scale, we remain well off extreme levels and levels above 30 heading into this year. Our STEER framework also suggests the USD is close to fairly valued versus most G10 currencies, implying scope to extend gains if U.S. front-end yields begin to move higher again. Metals traders tend to monitor dollar moves closely, since base and precious metals alike often move inversely to the U.S. currency.
Newmont Mining (NEM.N) on Monday became the latest of the world's biggest gold miners to invest in Canada's Yukon territory, the site of a famous gold rush 120 years ago, as miners hunt for rich, new deposits in safe regions.

U.S.-based Newmont, the world's No. 2 gold producer, unveiled an agreement with small explorer Goldstrike Resources (GSR.V) to spend $39.5 million to explore and develop Goldstrike's Plateau property in the Yukon.

With this deal, Newmont follows moves by rivals Goldcorp Inc (G.TO) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM.TO) last year into the northwestern Canadian territory at a time when gold miners are loosening their purse strings after five years of belt-tightening when bullion prices fell.

"It's a stable mining jurisdiction with high-quality gold prospects," Newmont spokesman Omar Jabara said.

Goldcorp, the world's fourth biggest gold producer by ounces, started off the mini-stampede last May when it paid C$520 million ($388 million) for Kaminak Gold Corp and its Yukon-based Coffee gold project. A month later it acquired an almost 20 percent stake in Independence Gold (IGO.V), which owns a neighboring property.

In December, Agnico Eagle, the world's ninth biggest gold producer, bought a stake in a Yukon-focused miner.

The Klondike region of the Yukon was the center of a stampede of some 100,000 treasure seekers between 1896-1899 after gold was discovered in the area. Fortunes were made but many left empty-handed, with some heading on to Alaska after gold was discovered there in 1899.

(Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Tom Brown)
WARSAW, March 7 (Reuters) - PKO Bank Hipoteczny, owned by top Polish lender PKO BP , plans to issue eurobonds backed by a portfolio of zloty-denominated mortgages, the bank said on Tuesday. It said the issue would be worth at least 500 million euros ($529 million) and that it has mandated banks LBBW, PKO BP, Santander, SG CIB, and UniCredit as joint bookrunners to arrange a series of investor meetings in Europe. "A euro-denominated ... covered bond benchmark transaction backed by Polish PLN-denominated residential mortgage loans will follow, subject to market conditions," PKO Bank Hipoteczny said in a statement. ($1 = 0.9448 euros)

(Reporting by Marcin Goclowski; editing by Jason Neely)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
(Rewrites to show sale is completed, adds selling price)

STOCKHOLM, March 7 (Reuters) - Swedish mutual insurance company Folksam has sold 25.6 million shares in Swedbank , or 2.3 percent of the total Swedbank share capital, for about $622 million, it said late on Monday.

Folksam, one of Sweden's largest investment managers and Swedbank's second-largest owner, cut its holding in the bank to 7 percent but said it was not looking to reduce its stake further.

"Our ownership in Swedbank remains long-term both in financial and strategic aspects, even though this was the right time to decrease the Swedbank concentration in our asset portfolios," Folksam Chief Executive Jens Henriksson said in a statement.

The stake was sold at 219 crowns per share in a bookbuilding process to institutional investors, a 2.6 percent discount compared to Swedbank's closing price on Monday.

Swedbank was hardest hit of the Swedish banks during the financial crisis and Folksam became a major shareholder in 2008 when the bank was forced to raise capital in a share rights issue.

Folksam said the return on the Swedbank investment amounted to about 22 billion Swedish crowns ($2.44 billion) since 2008.

J.P. Morgan acted as bookrunner in connection with the placing. ($1 = 9.0107 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Johan Sennero and Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Susan Thomas)
British actress Emma Watson speaks on the screen at Yeouido CGV in Seoul during a live online press conference with local journalists, Monday. / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea



By Kim Jae-heun

Disney's female characters in fairy tales and films have often been criticized for enforcing sexist stereotypes. Many children grow up watching a white woman with blonde hair and a slim but voluptuous body, thinking this is the ideal look of a beautiful woman.

What frustrates people most in a typical Disney story is when a female character takes an obedient and dependent role and is helpless without a man.

British actress Emma Watson, who portrays Belle in the upcoming live-action film "Beauty and the Beast," said her role can abate audiences' apprehensions about Disney's stereotypically submissive female roles.

"I am very positive that Disney's female characters are changing into more adventurous women in the films," Watson said during a live online press conference at Yeouido CGV in Seoul, Monday. "These movies largely influence to change the society. If we imagine a world where men and women are treated equally, it will come true. Artists like us and movies can show these possibilities."

Belle is a beautiful lady growing up in the countryside who loves to read and yearns for freedom outside of her boring village. When a cold-hearted beast (played by Dan Stevens) kidnaps her father Maurice (played by Kevin Kline), Belle goes after the beast to exchange herself for her father's freedom. While living in the beast's castle, she learns to look beyond the enchanted prince's unsightly outward appearance and recognize his true heart.

It is the first time for Watson to appear in a musical film and she promised she did her best with her role.

"When I first heard I was cast in the film, I was very excited and happy. It was my first time to act and sing in a musical film. I made efforts to prove that my voice fits well in the musical while auditioning for the role," said Watson.

"I was a huge fan of the fairy tale's original animation released in 1991 since I was four and I memorized all the lines and songs."

Meanwhile, the film is drawing controversy for making the supporting role of LeFou, Gaston's sidekick, a gay person in the story. He does not do anything shocking, but some theaters in the U.S., including those in Alabama, have canceled screenings of the movie over the inclusion of the homosexual character.

The British daily newspaper The Guardian reported Monday that Russia has given "Beauty and the Beast" a 16 rating as it violates the local law banning "gay propaganda."

"I hope the audience doesn't judge the story only by its outward appearance. The film adopts subjects such as tolerance. I wanted to talk about everyone's life," the film's director Bill Condon said.

Stevens said he put extra effort into the special makeup and his voice in portraying his character of the beast.

"I had to wear high heels to stand an extra 10 centimeters to make myself big like a beast. I focused on expressing the original character in the novel but tried to play him as a more charming beast," Stevens said.

"Beauty and the Beast" will hit local theaters March 16.
Korean sausage restaurant CEO releases book on her journey

By Yun Suh-young





Yook Kyung-hee, CEO of Heestory Food and owner of Sundaesilrok

On Monday evening, a restaurant in a corner of Daehakno, the college district of Seoul, was packed with guests, who were not there to buy food but to congratulate Yook Kyung-hee, CEO of Heestory Food and owner of Sundaesilrok, of her recent publication.

Yook published a book, "Sundaesilrok," which means "Record of Sundae" (Korean sausage), late February to record her 42-month journey to explore sundae nationwide and worldwide.

"Why such a fuss with the publication of a book?" one might ask, but it was proof of how well Yook maintains her relationships. So many people wanted to congratulate her, not just because of the book but because they were really happy for her.

Yook was a CEO who had gone through many hardships with her previous restaurants but who is now a successful CEO running nine different restaurants. She began her career as a restaurateur with a Korean food restaurant called "Namdo Story" but experienced many failures along the way.

"Years ago I had even thought about taking my own life when driving across the Hannam Bridge on my way home. Feeling I should never be driving across the river again, I moved my shop to northern Seoul the next day. My sundae business sailed smoothly until I was kicked out of the building due to soaring rent," said Yook.

"After twists and turns, I acquired a dwindling sundae shop which I was determined to revive. While wondering how I should run the business, I discovered an old book called Sieuijeonseo written in 1877 and read about doyaji sundae which I immediately thought was what I wanted to recreate.

"I wanted to create regional sundae with tradition and authenticity. So I called it 'shundae' the old way with the determination to inherit the tradition."

Her discovery led to a newfound passion for learning and she studied day and night about the dish. Sundae revived her reason for living.

Despite her hopes and dreams, however, the business didn't go as well as she had expected.

"We were in the middle of Daehakno but young people didn't come to eat. I asked them why and they answered sundae smelled bad and they thought of it as street food. So I decided to create healthy sundae that young people would like. This became the 'sundae steak' which became popular after being featured on TV," Yook said.

On Monday, she personally demonstrated how to make sundae, in front of the audience. It was the 1877 sundae from the old record 'Sieuijeonseo' which became their signature dish. Also present at the event was Italian charcutier Giacomo Augusto Ferretti who flew from Italy's Toscana region to demonstrate the Italian style blood sausage, biroldo and buristo. The salami master from Osteria Il Maialetto of the 70 year tradition was one of Yook's new connections from her three-and-a-half year journey across the world on her sundae discovery.

"I researched over 40,000 pages from various publications and met over 1,000 people during my 260,000 kilometer journey. In my book, I recorded all the different sundaes that I've discovered worldwide and studied. This book was six years in the making. I hope you enjoy discovering sundae as I did," she said.
South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, left and U.S. President Donald Trump



By Ko Dong-hwan

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn talked to U.S. President Donald Trump over the phone Tuesday to discuss North Korea's military provocation a day before.

Requested by the U.S., the conversation was arranged and began at 8:40 a.m. (Korea time) and lasted for about 20 minute, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The talk came after Pyongyang launched on Monday four ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, which came less than a month after the military state fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile.

North Korea's latest missile threat on global security is considered the military state's response to the ongoing military drills by its southern counterpart and the U.S. plus South Korea's ongoing plan to deploy American missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on its soil to counter North Korea's possible missile attacks.

Some observers said the launch is also intended to affect Washington's ongoing efforts to formulate its policy toward the North.
By Kim Rahn

Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and U.S. President Donald Trump have reaffirmed the need to strengthen the allies' defense posture against North Korea, according to the government, Tuesday.

Hwang and Trump spoke over the phone that day and condemned the North's ballistic missile launches, Monday.

The phone conversation was made a day after the two countries began deploying a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea by bringing in the first batch of elements for the system.

During the 20-minute conversation, the leaders agreed that the two countries need to strengthen their posture against the North, by actions such as sanctions and joint military drills, so that North Korea will give up its nuclear ambitions, according to Hwang's office.

They concluded the test-firing of the missiles was "a violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions and a provocation against the international community."

"Hwang said North Korea's nuclear weapons are a direct threat to both South Korea and the U.S., adding the two countries should bolster their deterrence forces," the office said in a press release. "In response, Trump said he agreed, adding the U.S. government has supported and will support South Korea 100 percent."

The two countries began airlifting parts of the THAAD system here late Monday, hours after the North's test-firing of the missiles. The deployment began earlier than expected, and the Ministry of National Defense said it was aimed at countering the North's continuous provocations and upgraded missile technology.

The two leaders also agreed on the need for closer cooperation on North Korea issues through discussions at high-level meetings.

It was their second phone conversation, following the one at the end of January, when the two also reaffirmed the importance of the alliance to cope with North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Before talking to Hwang, Trump had a phone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and agreed to hold a meeting between foreign affairs and defense ministers of the two countries to address North Korea's provocations.

Meanwhile, North Korea said Tuesday its ballistic missile launch the previous day was an exercise targeting U.S. military bases in Japan.

The Korean Central News Agency, the North's state media, said a missile unit, tasked to strike the U.S. bases in Japan, conducted the drill to review its capacity to handle nuclear warheads. The missile firings seemed to be in response to an ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military drill, which the North criticized as a rehearsal for war against it.

It fired four ballistic missiles, which appeared to be Scud-ERs, an upgraded version of the short-range Scud-C missile, into the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They flew more than 1,000 kilometers and three of them landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Analysts say the missiles may target major U.S. bases in Japan, namely Sasebo, Yokosuka, Iwakuni and Okinawa, considering the missile's maximum range.

"The U.S. strategic assets deployed to South Korea come mostly from U.S. bases in Japan," Prof. Kim Dong-yub at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies said. "It seems North Korea fired four missiles at a time to show that it can attack the four bases simultaneously."
By Kim Se-jeong

When it comes to working mothers in Korea, current laws are not enough to protect their rights.

Female employees can take maternity leave but are not free to leave on the date they want to, being pressured by employers to postpone it. Employers who fail to grant maternity leave face punishment, but they do little to change their archaic attitude.

Lawmakers and experts are attempting to change this by revising the laws.

Rep. Lee Yong-deuk of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed revisions to two laws to ensure female employees' decisions are not subject to arbitrary change by employers.

According to the proposed draft, the Labor Standards Act and the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act will have this additional clause: "Even if employers don't agree, employees can start maternity leave the date they wish to start."

An official from a Seoul Metropolitan Government funded support center for working mothers said, "With this only, the employees can leave work without fear of facing disadvantages."

According to the center, scheduling maternity leave is one of the biggest headaches among working women. Statistics showed more than 70 percent of counseling was related to that issue. "The current laws don't fully protect female employees," the official said.

In 2015, a similar attempt was proposed by a former lawmaker but the effort was unsuccessful.

The official pointed out the root cause of the problem is outdated perceptions.

"Many men still consider maternity leave a paid vacation where women do nothing," she said. "And they think giving women this leave is a waste of resources and time. They also question why they need female employees in the first place."
The South Korean government said Tuesday it will provide an emergency relief fund to small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in the country exposed to financial risks from a series of retaliatory actions by China in protest of Seoul's installment of a high-tech U.S. missile system.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will offer a loan of up to 1 billion won ($866,000) for as long as five years to smaller companies with business ties in China that may face financial problems due to Beijing's intensifying trade restrictions on Korean firms.



China has ratcheted up hostile measures against Seoul and Korean companies doing business there since South Korea agreed in August last year to install an advanced U.S. missile defense battery, known as the Terminal Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on its soil.



Beijing has strongly objected to the decision, saying the high-tech radar will be used to penetrate its own military.



South Korean retail giant Lotte Group is suffering a large blow in China with almost two dozen retail outlets forced to shut down temporarily as of Monday as Chinese authorities cited fire safety reasons.



The largest operator of duty-free shops in Korea is also feared to lose a bulk of Chinese tourists that make up half of its duty-free revenue after Beijing told travel agencies in the country last week to stop selling tours to Korea.



The special emergency loan is designed to help SMEs cope with the worsening situation as many of them have business footings in China that are now at stake, the ministry said in a statement.



The ministry added that it has set up a taskforce consisted of government agencies and industry officials to discuss ways to minimize the difficulties that the companies are facing and will face in the future. (Yonhap)




Bareun Party's floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young, center, and other party members submit a joint motion to the National Assembly, Tuesday, to urge China to stop its economic retaliation against Korea over the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery. / Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo

The United States should talk directly with China to resolve the row over the planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea, analysts here said Tuesday.

The calls came as Seoul is bearing the brunt of the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile system as China's retaliatory measures are intensifying.

Analysts said Beijing, instead of directing its anger at Washington, is focusing on "Seoul-bashing," regarding it as Washington's mere "go stone without diplomatic independence." China's strategy may be to instigate anti-American sentiment in South Korea, but if so, it will only be their wishful thinking, they said.

The U.S.-China talks, if implemented, will help clear Beijing's suspicions that THAAD is a part of the U.S. strategy to build a missile-defense system in the region to contain a rising China.

Washington has refuted the claim, saying the system is exclusively aimed at deterring North Korea's ballistic missile threats.

"The THAAD dispute concerns both Seoul-Beijing relations and Washington-Beijing relations. Therefore, the three parties need to talk to each other actively," said Kim Han-kwon, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. "I wouldn't say the Washington-Beijing dialogue will settle the dispute completely but it's worth it for both sides to keep talking to each other."












China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was resolutely opposed to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, after the U.S. military said its first elements had arrived in South Korea.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily news briefing. China has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the deployment, saying its powerful radar could affect China's own security and that it will do nothing to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.












Rapper and songwriter Koncept stands on a street in Seoul. / Courtesy of Clayton Jones



By Celeste Kriel

Rapper, producer and songwriter Koncept landed in Korea last November expecting to play two shows in Seoul and then return to New York. But, after almost four months and a music video, a couple of collaborations and a deal with Sony Music Asia, he is still here and has no immediate plans to leave.

"I flew to Korea for what was supposed to be for two weeks for a show at Vinyl City and another at Secret Society, but I'm still here and loving it," he said.

Arriving in Korea high on the afterglow of American Thanksgiving, jet lag and the novelty of being here for the first time, Koncept played his first show at Vinyl City in the Hongik University area that same night with Seoul-based rapper duo, Part Time Cooks and Korean rapper and DJ Ugly Duck. "It was my first show in Asia, and it was incredible."

After his first show the rapper was featured at Stove Top Sessions, a well-known hip-hop party series featuring local and international hip-hop talent, hosted by Part Time Cooks at Secret Society near Hongik University. The energy in the room was alive. "The room was completely packed and everybody was dancing and having fun. I feel Korean people have a great energy and just want to have a good time and they really support the artists."

That show led to Koncept being booked for other shows. A Sony Music representative happened to be at one of them and Koncept was invited by the label to stay and record his next official release, "14 Hours Ahead."

"It's called 14 Hours Ahead because I'm literally 14 hours ahead of my home, New York," he explained.

The name also hints at Koncept's relentless ambition. "I use that reference as a time reference too, but also being ahead in a competitive way. They say it takes 10,000 hours to truly make it, and I'm 14 hours ahead in terms of success. I only create the best music I possibly can with the intent that it touches people," he added.

Success for him is making music that connects to people. "My favorite thing about being here is the opportunity to play music for people that don't even speak the language that I do and still being able to feel that connection."

Since landing here he has hit the ground running, releasing a music video for "Understand Me," a song that will be on his Sony release this coming spring, as well as shooting two more music videos, and collaborating with well-known Korean rapper Vasco aka Bill Stax in the studio, plus performing at his birthday show in Busan. He looks forward to playing more shows in Korea and eventually the rest of Asia. He also just got back from touring Bangkok.

"I love playing music and the opportunity to travel and learn other cultures and perform for other people is just incredible," he said. "I am enjoying the friendliness and openness of Koreans. Everybody I've met has been phenomenal."

Koncept will be performing March 11 as part of the grand opening weekend of Soap Soul in Itaewon at an art and live music event titled "Paint." The lineup also includes American rapper Joshua Gunn, Part Time Cooks and various Seoul based hip-hop DJs. Visit facebook.com/SoapSeoul or facebook.com/konceptfanpage for more.
By John Redmond





Cast members of Seoul Shakespeare Company rehearse for the upcoming production of "The Winter's Tale." / Courtesy of SSC

The Seoul Shakespeare Company (SSC) launched its Indiegogo fundraising campaign last month for the company's upcoming production of "The Winter's Tale."

The group has until March 15 to raise the funds for its second theater payment.

"We are currently in rehearsal to bring this work to Korea's theater district, and we need the support of people to help us achieve this goal," a press release said.

"By contributing to this production, you will help bring the brilliance of Shakespeare to diverse audiences in Korea. In addition, you will be supporting a diverse artistic community in Seoul and allowing us to continue to create theatrical art in Korea's international community."

"The Winter's Tale," one of Shakespeare's most mature and beautiful works, brings audiences on a fable-like journey, exploring the themes of jealousy, tyranny, repentance, reconciliation and ultimately forgiveness.

Formed in 2010, SSC is an all-volunteer theater company that brings Shakespeare's works to Seoul audiences in English, with Korean subtitles.

SSC typically produces one major show per year in Seoul's theater district of Daehangno, with smaller fundraising events throughout the year as well as acting workshops that are open to the community.

"By being an all-volunteer company, we are able to allow people of all nationalities to participate freely in the creation of theater. At the same time, we aim to put on productions that are professional in quality, so that we are worth the time and effort of people who are serious about a career in the theater. Some of our past company members are now pursuing professional careers in theater in other countries, and one of our core purposes is to provide an opportunity for English-speaking theater people living in Korea to continue to develop their craft, while also contributing positively to Korean society," the group said.

The goal of this fundraising campaign is to raise the $5,000 needed in order to make the second payment on a theater space.

Visit facebook.com/seoulshakespeare or seoulshakespearecompany.org or email info@seoulshakespeare.com for more information.

To contribute, visit indiegogo.com and search for Seoul Shakespeare Company.
Korea's new government scholarship program targets talented international students. / Korea Times file



By Eom Da-sol

The National Institute for International Education of Korea (NIIED) has opened the Global Korean Scholarship program for talented international students wishing to enter Korean graduate schools.

Students from abroad who wish to apply should submit a recommendation letter either from their previous educational institution, a Korean embassy abroad, or one of the 65 designated Korean universities. Applications close on Apr. 7

NIIED will select 580 students who are pursuing a master's or doctoral degree.

Students must be under 40 years old at the date of entrance. They cannot be Korean citizens, but Korean immigrants who have acquired U.S. citizenship can apply.

An average grade applicants received in their last educational institution should be higher than 80 out of 100. Having high English proficiency and being from a family of a Korean War veteran will be considered as advantages.

Regardless of their major or type of degree, the scholarship requires all recipients to study Korean for a year.

Air fares, resettlement allowance, living allowance, medical insurance, tuition fees and other extra expenses will be paid.
By Kim Bo-eun

Female students will be able to take menstruation absence, according to new guidelines the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) sent on Tuesday to elementary, middle and high schools detailing the day off and other measures intended to address their needs.

The education office's measure marks International Women's Day which falls March 8.

SMOE took the measure following the filing of several cases in which female students claimed their rights were infringed, despite existing guidelines of the education ministry and National Human Rights Commission of Korea as well as Seoul's student rights ordinance.

SMOE cited one school that required female students to show their menstruation pads to the school nurse in order to excuse their absence.

It also cited another case in which a female student's request to wear pants with her uniform instead of a skirt was denied for no apparent reason.

There was also a case in which a female student was forced to wear dress shoes and could not wear sneakers even during the winter when the streets were slippery with ice.

The guidelines advise schools to revise regulations on students' attire, ban teachers from using gender discriminative language and create school facilities which consider gender differences.

"We hope for the guidelines to contribute to making a gender-equal school environment," an SMOE official said.
/ Captured from Osan Air Base YouTube page



By Park Si-soo



The U.S forces have brought parts of the controversial THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to South Korea, said the defense ministry on Tuesday in an earlier-than-expected deployment that will fuel China's indignation toward the country.

Two THAAD missile launchers are among the parts airlifted to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Monday using a C-17 military cargo plane, according to the ministry. The parts will be transported to a designated site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang province, the ministry said, adding more parts will come soon to complete the THAAD missile defense system and make it operational by April.

"U.S. Pacific Command deployed the first elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the Republic of Korea, March 6, implementing the U.S.-ROK Alliances July 2016 decision to bring the defense capability to the peninsula," the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) said in a statement. "THAAD system contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the US-ROK Alliance's defense against North Korean missile threats."














By Kim Rahn

Seoul and Washington are quickening the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile battery here, triggering controversy over the apparent rush amid escalating retaliatory steps by China.

The allies announced Tuesday that parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, including two missile launchers, arrived in Korea Monday night.

However, the arrival comes at a highly sensitive time as political turmoil is now escalating ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment and China's intensifying retaliatory measures against the THAAD system.

Although the government says no political intention was involved regarding the timing of the deployment, some critics say the two countries hastened the move to take advantage of the political and social confusion.

The ministry said the earlier-than-expected arrival of the THAAD elements was in line with its consistent pledge to bring the defense system here as soon as possible, and has nothing to do with the country's political situation.

"It is only to defend South Korea from the North's nuclear threats," a ministry official said. "We can't delay the defense measure anymore because North Korea's nuclear technology has been upgraded."












By Jung Min-ho

Rep. Pyo Chang-won





Police have launched an investigation into fake nude images of a liberal lawmaker.

According to Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, Tuesday, police officers are looking into who put up a placard showing fake nude images of Rep. Pyo Chang-won of the Democratic Party and his wife near the National Assembly Station.

The lawmaker filed a complaint with police Monday, saying the composite photo is insulting and its display at the public place violates the law.

The placard says, "Pyo's way of freedom of expression is great. I want you to exhibit this at the National Assembly."

The incident happened a month after the controversial art exhibition, which included a fake nude painting of President Park Geun-hye, at the National Assembly building.

Pyo organized the exhibition at the building's lobby. One of the paintings featured "Dirty Sleep," which depicted the President naked in a parody of Edouard Manet's "Olympia."

The exhibition drew extensive criticism, which led the Democratic Party to suspend his party membership for six months.

The exhibition also provoked controversy over "freedom of expression," the logic Pyo used to defend the painting at that time. But he later apologized.
By Jung Min-ho

After receiving the baton from the much-lauded special prosecutor, the prosecution has formed a team of 31 prosecutors to carry on the investigation into the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

Lee Young-ryeol, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, will lead the team to clear up all suspicions behind the major influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and Choi, her close friend.

Putting an end to the 70-day investigation, special prosecutor Park Young-soo said he could find only half of the whole truth. Revealing the other half is the prosecution's mission and what's at stake is public trust.

Few people are convinced that Samsung was the only company that tried to take advantage of Choi's friendship with the President in return for business favors. But so far, Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung, is the only business tycoon indicted on a bribery charge.

The prosecution will investigate other leaders of major corporations, including Lotte, SK and CJ, which are suspected of the same crime.












By Lee Seong-hyon





South Korea should buckle up for a long, arduous ride against China's tidy incremental economic pressure to backpedal on THAAD. China will continue to ratchet up its "economic card" as the primary means to inject pain into South Korea's economic bloodstream because it proved very effective in making other countries surrender. China won't stop, much less pause, because it also believes that there is a real chance for South Korea's next administration, likely under a progressive president, to reverse the decision. South Korea's strategists should map out a plan in which its economy can sustain itself without the Chinese market. The challenge shouldn't be underestimated.

When then U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron met with the Dalai Lama in 2012, it sparked fury in Beijing. China canceled senior Chinese leader Wu Bangguo's trip to the U.K. All ministerial contact was suspended by China for 14 months. Trade plummeted.

One year later, it was the U.K. that surrendered. Cameron dispatched a pleasure squad of politicians to China in an undisguised charm offense to woo Beijing. Cameron sent a signal to China that he had "no plans" to meet with the Dalai Lama again. The British media were enraged. Many Brits felt humiliated.

"Kowtowing to China's despots is morally wrong," said a column in the British newspaper The Guardian. "Instead of sucking up to the despots of Beijing, we should stand up to them. For moral reasons and on the grounds of national and international security," it said.

Later China's Communist Party leader Xi Jinping visited the U.K. with 40bn worth of deals. Cameron said the U.K. is China's "best partner in the West." Cameron even took Xi to a 16th-century Buckinghamshire pub to stage a bromance scene. Xi said Britain made a "visionary" choice to become China's best friend.

Diplomatic flirtation sometimes looks like a humiliating job. But such may be reality too. After receiving the huge sum of the Chinese deals and investment, Cameron said, "What this really means is jobs, it means livelihoods."

Today, the UK is China's largest investment destination in Europe. Cameron remains a controversial figure.

A series of countries rose up to question and challenge China's behavior in recent years, on the issues ranging from human rights, the Dalai Lama, sovereignty, the Nobel prize choice, and territorial disputes. They include the U.K, France, Norway, Taiwan and Mongolia. To all of them, China used the same tool for punishment: ban them from access to the Chinese market and investment. It remarkably worked well. So, China will use the same tool against South Korea. Will South Korea be any different?












By Choe Chong-dae





I was delighted to learn Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne last Dec. 1, and was crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun at Dusit Palace in Bangkok.

Tracing back ancient history, the first official contact between Siam, now Thailand, and Goryeo, now Korea, was made during the reign of Goryeo Kingdom's King Gongyang (1389-1392). According to the official chronicles of the Goryeo Kingdom, the Goryeo-sa, the Kingdom of Xienluohu (Siam) sent Nai Gong as an envoy along with native products and a letter presented to the king of Goryeo in 1391. The king warmly received the delegation and treated his guests with generosity and kindness. Over the next few months, the Siamese were introduced to a wide range of Korean culture. The following year, Gongyang was deposed and Goryeo was replaced by Joseon (1392-1910).

The two countries only resumed contact when Thailand dispatched 11,786 soldiers with 4 tons of rice as food aid during the Korean War (1950-53), as part of the U.N. Allied Forces. One hundred twenty-four Thai soldiers sacrificed their lives in defense of South Korea.

Those Thai troops achieved brilliant results throughout the war, thanks to their outstanding combat skills and bravery. Consequently, they were nicknamed the "Little Tigers" by General James Van Fleet, Eighth U.S. Army commander. At the same time, those Little Tigers demonstrated remarkable Buddhism-based camaraderie and patriotism.

The Thai veterans took home unforgettable memories, such as the traditional Korean song "Arirang." In Thai, "Arirang" describes a true love story between a Thai soldier and a Korean woman during the war.

Thai troops were the last foreign troops other than U.S. forces to maintain an operational unit in Korea under the U.N. Command flag. Their dedication to Korea continues to this day through Liaison Officer Lieutenant Colonel Sittikorn Ruangjit at the UNC, who promotes security cooperation between the two countries in the areas of military technology and knowledge transfer.

In recognition of the outstanding courage and noble sacrifice of Thai soldiers during the war, a Thai pavilion was erected in Pocheon City in 1974, and other memorials were established later in places where they fought.

To celebrate Royal Thai Armed Forces Day, Sarun Charoensuwan, Ambassador of Thailand to Korea, hosted a reception at the Army Club in Seoul on Feb. 17, together with Defense Attache Anuwat Luengvilai and Air Force Attache Juck Suvannathat. The celebration included a photo exhibition of King Rama IX's achievements, particularly on rural and environmental development.

The event reminded me of former Thai Ambassador to Korea Major General Chote Klongvicha, later ambassador to Sweden, and Defense Attache Colonel Akaphol Somloop, later promoted to Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Both served in Korea from the late 1960s to the early 1970s and were close friends of my family. As a freshman in a Seoul university, I was invited by the defense attache to the Thai Armed Forces Day reception held at the U.S. Officers' Club in 1971. Although my English was really poor at that time, joining the party offered me a memorable introduction to Thai culture.

I still display with pride the gift the Thai defense attache presented to me. It is an ink rubber stamp of a Thai Buddhist image engraved on an ancient wooden block.

After Korea received military aid from Thailand almost seven decades ago, it's wonderful to know that Korean forces are conducting amphibious assaults in Thailand as part of the annual Cobra Gold exercise.

I look forward to seeing in place a mutual agreement to share military technology between Thailand and Korea, so both countries can further collaborate as they did during the Korean War.

Choe Chong-dae is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co. and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at choecd@naver.com.
By Gwynne Dyer



The Dutch political system may not have been deliberately designed to produce middle-of-the-road outcomes, but it certainly works that way in practice: many small parties, multi-party coalitions to create a majority government, perpetual compromise. It is almost impossible to radicalise a system like this, but Geert Wilders is going to try.



Wilders is the founder and leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), which currently holds only twelve seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament. But he is aiming to make it the largest single party in the March 15 election  which, in ordinary times, would probably give it the leading role in the next coalition government.



But these are not normal times, and the PVV is far from a normal party. It really only has one policy  stop the immigrants  and it is unshamedly racist and anti-Muslim in its rhetoric. Wilders recently called Dutch residents of Moroccan origin "scum". He vows to close mosques and Islamic schools, ban the sale of the Koran, and stop all further immigrants or asylum seekers from Muslim countries.



He is the Dutch Donald Trump, a silver-maned provocateur who deploys the maximum possible nastiness in his campaign talk and his frequent abusive tweets. In fact, some people argue that Trump must have taken lessons from Wilders, who has been working this side of the street for at least a decade already, but the concept of convergent evolution probably applies. Populists are almost always racists too.



Which brings us to the question that is most interesting for people who don't live in the Netherlands. Can racism and xenophobia alone, without any help from economic desperation, persuade a traditionally liberal Western electorate to cast its values aside and vote for an authoritarian bully with an anti-Muslim obsession?



Trump had lots of help from economic despair. The key voters who gave him an electoral college victory last November were in the Rust Belt states: men (they were mostly men) who would usually have backed Democratic candidates, but switched to Trump because he promised to "bring back the jobs" and stop the non-white immigration.



There was certainly a large element of racial panic in the American vote. A survey by Zack Beauchamp of the opinion polling and recent academic research on the topic, entitled "White Riot" and published on Vox on 20 January, documented the argument that "the real sources of the far-right's appeal are anger over immigration and a toxic mix of racial and religious intolerance."



On the other hand, the Rust Belt states south of the Great Lakes, the former industrial heartland of the United States, are the places that have suffered the greatest job losses over the past few decades, which is why cities like Cleveland and Detroit are decaying and partly abandoned. And they are emphatically NOT major destinations for new immigrants to the US.



Trump himself always ensures that he hits on both immigration and job losses in his speeches and tweets, and he is the world's expert on the fears and prejudices of his supporters. Could we perhaps speculate that his supporters say that they are frightened about immigration and especially Mulim immigration, but that their racism is really driven in large part by their anger at the steep decline in the number of well-paid industrial jobs?



Of the six states with over a million immigrants  California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey  only Florida (where Trump won by a whisker) and Texas (which has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980) voted for Trump. California, whose ten million immigrants make up 27 percent of the state population, voted two-to-one for Hillary Clinton.



It would seem that, in the words of the old Phil Spector song, to know, know, know them is to love, love, love them (the immigrants), or at least not to fear them. Whereas Michigan, a Rust-Belt state that voted Democratic in the previous six elections and where only 6 percent of the population are immigrants, voted for Trump.



You can see the same pattern in the Brexit vote in England last June. The prosperous big cities are where the immigrants are, and every one of them except Birmingham voted Remain (in the European Union). London, where half the school population is non-white, voted Remain by a 60-40 majority, as did Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol.



The narrow Leave majority countrywide was won in depressed northern industrial cities where immigrant populations are low, and in prosperous rural areas where there are virtually no immigrants at all. So there was again racial panic at the changing ethnic face of England in areas where immigrants were largely absent, but especially in post-industrial areas where they are (wrongly) blamed for the loss of well-paying jobs.



In populist revolts elsewhere, the manifest racism and anti-immigrant sentiment that dominated in the opinion polls masked a deeper resentment about the loss of jobs. In the Netherlands, where unemployment is only 5 percent, Geert Wilders is depending on racism alone, and he is not heading for a Brexit- or Trump-style victory. The latest opinion poll gives him just 15 percent of the vote.







Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. Contact gwynne763121476@aol.com.




President's reaction to special probe is unconvincing



Independent counsel Park Young-soo announced the final results of his investigation into the presidential scandal Monday, after closing the team's 90-day probe and transferring its findings to state prosecutors. The special prosecutor's team has indicted 30 people, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and some former presidential aides.



The independent counsel concluded that President Park Geun-hye was suspected of being an accomplice in bribery, influence-peddling and abuse of power involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil. The counsel said the President and Choi conspired to collect a 43 billion won ($37 million) bribe from Samsung and reaffirmed that Park had committed a range of other crimes, such as ordering the creation of a blacklist to ban government support for anti-government figures and organizations in the cultural sector.



President Park, who is awaiting the Constitutional Court's ruling on her impeachment, rebutted the independent counsel's findings. But much of this sounded empty because it defies the evidence that the special counsel has uncovered.



Through her legal team, the President denounced the special prosecutors as politically biased, saying that the independent counsel was "unconstitutional" from the start because it was appointed from candidates picked only by the opposition parties. The President appointed the independent counsel in accordance with the Special Counsel Law passed with the parties' consensus. This means that even the ruling party recognized the need for a special probe into the allegations surrounding the President.



Park also denied that she had anything to do with the cultural blacklist, saying she never gave instructions for it to be made and that she had not been briefed about it. Her legal team added that "stern measures must be taken against those who challenge and attack government policy."



This demonstrates that the President has no idea what true democracy is. To crush dissent might have been routine during her father Park Chung-hee's military regime in the 1970s. President Park does not seem to realize that times have changed since then, and that it is wrong to discriminate against people who do not agree with the government. A normal leader would have apologized for the fact that a list with such a shameful motive existed under her administration.



Park seems to believe that all the allegations surrounding her are based on "imagination" and that everything she did was out of "goodwill" for the country. But no goodwill can be an excuse for committing illegal actions while in office. Park should stop deceiving the people and ignoring the rule of law, and cooperate with the state prosecutors' investigation.




The government and the ruling party agreed Tuesday to consider filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization over Beijing's economic sanctions against Seoul's deployment of a U.S. missile defense system. The agreement comes from their belief that China's retaliation goes against WTO rules barring trade restrictions for political reasons.



''Regarding the issue of filing a complaint with the WTO, we agreed to actively weigh the option,'' Lee Hyun-jae, the chief policymaker of the governing Liberty Korea Party, said after a government-policy consultation meeting. Another option is for Korean businesses to file a lawsuit under the investment clause of the Korea-China free trade agreement.



Given China's string of retaliatory steps, including banning performances of Korean entertainers in the country and forcing Lotte's retail outlets to shut down, our government is right to vow strong responses. Hurt by China's arrogance, most Koreans will obviously support Seoul's legal actions.



Nonetheless, the matter needs meticulous scrutiny before the government makes a final decision. More than anything else, to file a complaint with the WTO, Seoul should clearly prove that Beijing has taken retaliatory actions in protest of its decision to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. But this is easier said than done.



For example, the Chinese government last week told travel agencies to stop selling packaged tours to Korea verbally, not through official documents. China also cited the failure to observe safety regulations when it slapped a ban on the customs clearance of Korean cosmetics and foods.



Some Korean companies fear that Seoul's legal actions might irritate Beijing and backfire. This is why the Korean government should not rush into such a decision only to avoid criticism about its alleged complacency.



What is certain is that Korea must not respond in kind even though China is stubborn. It is necessary to refrain from emotional responses and persuade China to comply with our decision logically.



It's long overdue to minimize China risks by diversifying our export markets and foreign visitors. If these attempts come to a successful close, the latest THHAD conflict with China will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.




By Kang Seung-woo



A top trade adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out against LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, Monday, for unfair trade practices that hurt their American rivals.



The unusual lambasting is raising concern that the new U.S. administration is beginning to exert trade pressure on Korea as Trump had vowed to do during his election campaign.



"I am amazed by how hard it is for our companies to compete on a level playing field. This heartland of America icon is grappling with a practice called country hopping. Two of the South Korean competitors, LG and Samsung, simply move the production to another country each time Whirlpool wins anti-dumping cases against them," Peter Navarro, the director of the White House National Trade Council, said at a National Association of Business Economics conference.



"Such country hopping has happened twice to Whirlpool already. LG and Samsung have moved from China to Vietnam and Thailand. This is the kind of trade cheating that must be stopped. It undermines the whole international order, even as it puts thousands of Americans on the unemployment line. It imposes millions of dollars of losses on companies like Whirlpool."



LG and Samsung are engaging in a trilateral competition with Whirlpool in the U.S. home appliance market.



Following Whirlpool's petition in December, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided to impose anti-dumping duties of 52.51 percent on Samsung and 32.12 percent on LG the following month, ruling that their washing machines produced in China were sold at lower than "normal" prices in the United States and damaged local suppliers such as Whirlpool.



Sung Tae-yoon, an economics professor at Yonsei University, said that the criticism by Trump's top trade adviser is part of the U.S. government's trade pressure on Korea.



"His argument means that the U.S. is continuing to exert pressure on Korea," said Sung.



"U.S. pressure on specific industries and issues is likely to ensue."



LG and Samsung declined to comment on Navarro's criticism.



Behind his protectionist moves, Trump has vowed renegotiations of trade deals, including the free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea.



Earlier this month, the U.S. Trade Representative said the ROK-U.S. FTA has resulted in a "dramatic increase in our trade deficit," stressing it was time for a major review of how the U.S. approaches trade deals.




By Yoon Sung-won



Cisco is trying to expand its footing in Korea at a time when the country faces increasing cyber threats amid volatile relations with China and North Korea. But the U.S. IT giant is coming under fire because it lacks resources to deal with specific Korean issues.



"It is clear that Korea is exposed to considerable cyber threats," Cisco Security Business Group CTO Bret Hartman said during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.



Hartman also said Korea has many neighboring countries that may pose threats in terms of cyber security.



"Korea has a special position in cybersecurity," he said. "Cyber threats that are alleged to be backed by a state are also becoming more extensive. Political cyber attacks collect information for a long time for the future instead of inflicting immediate damages."



Claiming that Korea lacks systems and human resources specialized in complex modern cyber threats, Hartman said that the company can help the country to deal with the situation  the firm has an integrated threat intelligence team named "Talos."



For an integrated cyber threat defense, Cisco operates the Talos team consisting of some 250 cyber security experts. The team handles about 20 billion cyber attacks a day, the company said.



But Hartman admitted that the team also lacks experts to handle specific Korean issues and unique geopolitical conditions in terms of cyber security, yet.



"The Talos team is looking into cyber threats targeting specific countries among many other nations around the world. We currently do not have a Talos team resource assigned for Korea," he said. He said the company is considering the possibility of assigning part of the team for Korea or hiring a native speaker in Korean for the team in the future.



Hartman said it has met with a security-related official from the Korean government to talk about sharing intelligence on cyber security.



"The key is that many countries should share intelligence on cyber threats," he said. "It is not limited to Korea. The whole world should cooperate for this."



According to Cisco's 2017 annual report on cyber security, 29 percent of enterprises that received cyber attacks suffered from sales losses. The number of enterprises attacked by cyber threats will increase as the network technologies will connect about 50 billion devices by 2020, according to the report.



Hartman said enterprises should boost simplicity, compatibility and automation for cyber security systems to increase efficiency.



Cisco has focused on selling enterprise network equipment. But the company has increasingly expanded its cyber security business. It has acquired nine security-related enterprises in the last 12 months. The company said it posted $1.96 billion in sales from its security business in its last fiscal year, up 13 percent from the previous year.




The world's largest electric vehicle maker BYD showcases the eBUS-12 at Seoul Marina, Tuesday. The eBUS-12 is BYD's first commercial electric vehicle bus introduced in Korea. / Korea Times photo by Jhoo Dong-chan



By Jhoo Dong-chan

The world's largest electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has introduced its first EV bus, the eBUS-12, to Korea, aiming to make inroads into the nation's commercial vehicle market with its eco-friendly technology.

Suncore, the BYD eBUS-12's sales dealer in Korea, said the EV bus has a driving range of 250 kilometers per charge, which takes four hours. Unlike most other EV models equipped with a lithium-ion battery, the bus mounts a lithium-iron phosphate battery, which has better durability and a longer life span.

"Most EVs with a lithium-ion battery have a charge-discharge cycle of 1,500 times. The eBUS-12 has 4,000 times," said a Suncore official during an unveiling event for the EV bus model." Considering the average travel distance of Seoul city buses, the eBUS-12 would be able to run for over 11 years without changing batteries."

Taking account of the average charging price of 147 won per kilowatt, electricity for each eBus-12 would cost 1.1 million won every month, saving nearly 3.8 million a month compared to existing diesel-powered buses running on the Seoul street now.

Even compared to existing CNG-powered buses, the bus's fuel cost would be half of that. Plus, it does not produce emissions.

Due to its affordability and low operating cost, more than 50 major bus operators and owners across the country participated in the unveiling event, proving their great interest in the model.

Some bus company officials expressed their concerns about the country's lack of proper infrastructure for EV, but the official said it will provide the charging device for less than 10 million won for each bus garage.

"Another advantage of the eBus-12 is its battery durability," the official said.

"The eBus-12's lithium-iron phosphate battery can withstand heat as high as 350 degrees Celsius while other EV models with a lithium-ion battery can sustain only 150 degrees Celsius.

The 40-seater bus can travel at a maximum speed 80 kilometers per hour.

The Chinese carmaker is the world's largest EV maker, selling 61,722 cars last year, followed by Tesla with 50,574 and Mitsubishi with 48,204.
This is the second in a series highlighting operations of foreign luxury brands in Korea.  ED.

By Park Jae-hyuk





Bulgari Korea CEO Lee Hyun-kyung

Bulgari has been globally known as one of the most socially responsible luxury brands for its various activities like its partnership with Save the Children. The Italian brand, however, seems to act differently in Korea.

The brand specializing in jewelry and fragrances has continued to emphasize its ideal of "sustainable development" for global society as it notes on its official website the definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

"CSR is about balancing social, environmental and economic values into the core strategy and operations of a company, in order to improve management of business risks and opportunities while enhancing long-term social and environmental sustainability," it says.

But Bulgari seemingly does not apply these ideals to Korea where the fashion brand has profited handsomely. In particular, Bulgari Korea does not have a donation category on its financial statements, which means it does not donate at all.

Instead, the local affiliate, which is led by CEO Lee Hyun-kyung, distributed 73 percent of its net profits to shareholders in 2014, causing criticisms that its Italian headquarters holding 100 percent share of Bulgari Korea regards the Korean market as an automatic cash machine.
This is the third in a series highlighting operations of foreign luxury brands in Korea.  ED.

By Park Jae-hyuk





Hermes Korea CEO Han Seung-hun

Hermes has long been regarded by Koreans as one of the three top luxury brands, along with Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The French fashion house, however, has been long-criticized for making ill use of its high standing, given its negligent attitudes toward retailers and consumers.

This month, the Seoul High Court ruled against Hermes in favor of Korean fashion brand PLAYNOMORE in a copyright lawsuit filed by the French luxury brand, reversing a previous ruling.

Last May, a Seoul district court accepted Hermes's claim that the Korean company's Shy Family and Shy Girl bags infringed on the design of Hermes's signature Birkin and Kelly bags and ordered PLAYNOMORE to pay Hermes 100 million won ($87,000) in damages.

However, the appellate court said PLAYNOMORE's unique "cartoon-eyes" design represents the bags' identity, noting the partial similarity in design is not enough to prove the claim that the Korean brand violated the laws regarding fair trade and freedom of competition.

"I hope major brands will not file indiscriminate lawsuits against small local brands anymore," said Kim Chae-yeon, designer and founder of PLAYNOMORE.
This is the fifth in a series highlighting operations of foreign luxury brands in Korea.  ED.





Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke

By Park Jae-hyuk

Louis Vuitton became highly popular with young Korean women a few years ago for its "relatively" low prices compared to two other top luxury brands  Hermes and Chanel. However, the popularity of the global fashion house seems to be fading.

According to industry officials, Tuesday, Louis Vuitton's sales growth has been decreasing at major department stores in Korea for years. Its sales even contracted at a department store last year, while Hermes and Chanel chalked up a double-digit growth at the same store.

The company's representative also admitted that some of its sales channels face setbacks although specific figures are not disclosed.

"Although Louis Vuitton saw its sales go down at some outlets, its overall sales still increased last year," said a spokeswoman of Wellcom Associates, a PR agent for Louis Vuitton Korea.

Louis Vuitton Korea had enjoyed double-digit growth in sales until six years ago. Thanks to the popularity, the luxury brand has exerted its influence on the nation's leading retailers, especially those who operate duty free shops.

For example, Dongwha Duty Free Shop is having a hard time because of a rumor that its outlet will be up for sale, after Louis Vuitton withdrew last December from the country's first downtown duty free outlet for the first time in 26 years.

Hyundai Department Store faced a backlash last November as well, for claiming Louis Vuitton would open a shop at its envisioned duty free store, which was dismissed later by the sales agent for the brand.
Sweden is reintroducing military conscription because of mounting tension in the Baltic area. / Courtesy of Flickr



By Eom Da-Sol



Sweden will bring back military conscription because of mounting tension in the Baltic area, the government has announced.

Starting with the enrolment of 100,000 applicants of both genders and born between 1999 and 2000, the Scandinavian nation will then select 13,000 who will either volunteer or be conscripted.

Within the pool, the final 4,000 will be conscripted and start their training in January 2018.

The soldiers will go through basic military training for nine months to a year.

Conscription was abolished in 2010 on the theory that full voluntary recruitment would increase the quality of the military. The Swedish military was downsized after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist explained that conscription had been reactivated to defend the nation against Russia.

Moscow conducted mock bombing of Sweden in 2013 and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Hultqvist said Moscow was nowadays "carrying out more exercises in Sweden's immediate vicinity."

Recently, there has been a clear movement of European countries reinstituting gender-equal conscription.

Norway brought in conscription in 2012, while Ukraine and Lithuania reintroduced conscripting people both genders two years ago.

The Netherlands is also considering mandatory military service for women next year.
Two bills easing gun control in South Dakota are heading to the governors desk but lawmakers probably dont have enough ammo (votes) to override a vowed veto.

Monday, the state Senate approved House Bill 1072 (to repeal the states basic concealed carry permit requirements) and House Bill 1156 (allowing people with enhanced concealed carry permits to have a pistol in the capitol).

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has said in the past he would veto these two bills.

Considering it takes a two-thirds majority to override a veto, looking at Mondays Senate votes, an override is highly unlikely.

HB 1072 passed on a 23-11 vote in the Senate and 37-30 in the House; while HB 1156 was 19-15 in Mondays Senate vote and 46-20 in the House.
Latest updates reveal that the staff members and the cast of MBC's "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People" have been traveling all across Korea to capture the beautiful scenery. "Going to the main house involves traveling to Hadong [in real life], taking a few steps out into the yard involves traveling to Gangreung. it also involves visiting the inn means traveling all the way to Moonkyungsaejae.

"We have to move around a lot, and it's tiring, but when I look at the beautiful scenery on screen, it's all worth it," says actor Kim Sang Joong, who portrayed the character of Amogae in "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People." The MBC drama started filming on Nov. 28, 2016. It is reported by Soompi that the drama is filmed at several sites in more seven areas in Korea. This consequently resulted in a total of 15000 kilometers travel by the cast members and staffs of "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People."

Soompi added that in order to give fans an idea of how far the journey they embarked on in 15000 kilometers, fans should imagine travelling from Seoul to Tokyo ten times. It is also enough to travel from Seoul to New York. The cast and crew members have also unveiled photos of the areas they visited to film each of the scenes of "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People."

It is reported that the magnificent views revealed in the drama is indicative of the efforts of the staffs who made an untiring trip around Korea three times in search of better places to film the scenes of "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People." The drama was formerly known as "Rebel Hong Gil-dong," according to Hancinema. Main producer of "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People," Namgoong Sung Woo explained that in a historical drama such as the current one, nice scenery is important in determining its quality.

He stated that their schedules while filming "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People," is so rigorous that they sometimes do not even have time to do their laundries. Namgoong Sung Woo continued to say that, but the important thing is that they are able to forge ahead, thanks to the positive reviews the drama is getting.

The actors' schedules are also very hectic, as it was reported that Yoon Kyun Sang filmed at Hwangmae Mountain, Dec. 28 and 29 and then moved back to Seoul for a script read-through on Dec. 30. The actor was reported to have travelled to Yongin on Jan. 1 to resume filming. The staffs and cast members were also reported to be busy filming on New Year's Day.
Finger hearts all around for applers or shippers of Daragon as it was revealed that the BIG BANG leader G-dragon recently sent a sweet message to the former 2NE1 member Sandara Park before she started as MC for OnStyle's Get It Beauty. In a post shared by Sandara herself, G-Dragon cut a congratulatory video while waiting at the backstage of one of their concerts.

"Hello, I'm G-Dragon. Congrats to Get It Beauty MC Dara-ssi. Please watch this new and colorful Get It Beauty a lot," G-Dragon said in Korean. "To many Korean girls, Dara-ssi is very pretty. And how to be as pretty as she is? Please teach us well. Congratulations!"

To some, it may seem like a simple congratulatory message but for fans wanting pair G-Dragon and Sandara together, there were tons of clues to fangirl about. Many of the youtube viewers noticed that G-Dragon addressed Sandara in the video as Dara-ssi instead of noona which is an honorific for an older sister, which G-Dragon typically used for Sandara in previous videos.

Many commenters were also tickled pink that G-Dragon would take the time to send a video greeting to Sandara despite the obvious bustle that a concert backstage entails. Fans thought it was quite sweet of G-Dragon to always be supportive of Sandara's projects, fanning the flames of Daragon anew. It also fanned the hopes of fans that G-Dragon may appear as one of the guests of the beauty show, seeing as he is one of biggest male fashion icons in Korea, Kpopstarz reported.

It can be recalled that recently, rumors of G-Dragon and Sandara dating surfaced when they were spotted after a BIG BANG concert with G-Dragon shielding Sandara from the fans as they exited the backstage of the venue, reported Koreaaboo. Both have maintained that they are good friends and that there is nothing romantic going on between them but fans remain hopeful because of the obvious level of comfort and chemistry they share with each other.

Sandara is currently in Bangkok, Thailand shooting for Philippine clothing brand Penshoppe's summer campaign. G-Dragon, on the other hand, has been busy posting updates on his Instagram while he works on his solo album set for release within the year.
Various K-pop artists have just held a concert in Manila, together with the other American and Filipino counterparts. This was to advocate their longing for a possible Korean unification, as well as to promote world peace.

According to The Standards, the concert was entitled, "One K: 2017 Global Peace Concert. It was held at the Mall of Asia Arene in Manila. It features several K-pop icons such as CNBlue, SHINee, B1A4, BTOB, B1A4, AOA and Psy.

Together with them are American Grammy winners, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as Filipino celebrity, Cesar Montano. It is also a privilege for the Philippines as it is Korea has chosen it to be the first country to unveil its unification campaign.

With it, its unification song entitled, "Korean Dream" was also unveiled first in the Philippines. According to Manila Bulletin, Koreans are still hoping that North and South Korea will once again unite under one government.

One of the most notable highlights of the concert was when Hyunsik of BTOB and Eunkang get to sign the popular song of Freddie Aguilar entitled, "Anak". Meanwhile, Cesar Montano accompanied them by playing the guitar.

Youngjae and Daehyun of B.A.P. also performed "Almost Paradise" referring to the "Boys Over Flowers" soundtrack, a big hit in the Philippines. B1A4's Aandeul also performed "Swallowing My Heart", which was the OST in "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds".

The goal of the recently held concert was to heal the tragedies of war and to promote the unification of not only Korea, but the world as a whole. The One K Global Campaign will then stage its next concert in the U.S., India, Japan and 10 more countries.

Hopefully, the K-pop world tour would bring about effective changes in global politics, especially now that China has blocked all K-pop music and films due to the defense system that South Korea has put up.
PRESS RELEASE

Matlock Warns of U.S. Police State

March 6, 2017 (EIRNS)Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Jack Matlock, also a leading scholar on Russia, warned Saturday in a post on his website, that the U.S. is threatened with becoming a "police state." After a long review of the falseness of the assumption by the media and many politicians that contact with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak and other Russian diplomats is questionable or even illegal, he writes:

"I have been taught that in a democracy with the rule of law, the accused are entitled to a presumption of innocence until convicted. But we have leaks that imply that any conversation with a Russian embassy official is suspect. That is the attitude of a police state, and leaking such allegations violates every normal rule regarding FBI investigations."

Matlock writes:

"As one who spent a 35-year diplomatic career working to open up the Soviet Union and to make communication between our diplomats and ordinary citizens a normal practice, I find the attitude of much of our political establishment and of some of our once respected media outlets quite incomprehensible. What in the world is wrong with consulting a foreign embassy about ways to improve relations? Anyone who aspires to advise an American president should do just that."

Matlock also endorses Trumps accusation that we are experiencing a witch hunt:

"The whole brou-ha-ha over contacts with Russian diplomats has taken on all the earmarks of a witch hunt. President Trump is right to make that charge,"

he writes.

He concludes:
PRESS RELEASE

Robert Parry: Neocons, Media, and Liberal Dems Anti-Trump Zealotry Could Push Trump to War with Russia

March 5, 2017 (EIRNS)In a piece posted March 4, Robert Parry warns that Washingtons "hysteria" over Trumps alleged transgressions over Russian contacts has reached such extreme levels that a cornered Trump could easily "make a miscalculation" that could escalate into a nuclear confrontation. "But," Parry writes, "Democrats, liberals and the mainstream news media seem to hate Trump so much they will take that risk." For emphasis, Parry quotes Thomas Friedmans ranting piece in the New York Times, in which he compared the alleged Russian hacking to both Pearl Harbor and 9/11, two events which, Parry notes, "led the United States into violent warfare."

Parry further turns around Friedmans wild claimthat Russias alleged election interference "goes to the very core of our democracy"stating, rather, that it "is the failure to deal with this issue ... with the sobriety and the seriousness that should accompany a question of war or peace" which is the real threat to our nation. Then, proceeding from one flash-point to the next, Parry injects that "sobriety and seriousness" which the hyped up media has been denying the citizenry.

First of all, he says, the U.S. intelligence community "should lay its cards on the table." After all, they had plenty of time to spread their "evidence" of Russian hacking of Democrats e-mails aroundeven overseasbut "they never told the American people what the evidence is," while their two "laughably short" reports essentially amount to saying: "trust us." Not only has WikiLeaks declared that the e-mails did not come from the Russians, he notes, "but nothing that WikiLeaks published was false." In other words, there was no "fake news" here!

Therefore, he writes,

"even if the Russians did reveal this information to the American people, how does knowing relevant facts regarding a presidential campaign translate into an attack on the core of our democracy?"

In an indictment of the media, he continues:

"Usually, journalists believe that getting the truth out, even if it embarrasses some politician or some political party, is healthy for a democracy."

He adds:

"Frankly, I found the WikiLeaks material far more appropriate for an American political debate than the scurrilous rumors that the Clinton campaign was circulating about Trump supposedly getting urinated on by Russian prostitutes in a five-star Moscow hotel, claims for which no evidence has been presented."

While the media are all too willing to give the FBI a free pass in Hillarys lossoverlooking her obvious failures

"here we are with The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN and almost the entire mainstream media (along with leading liberals and Democrats) panting every time they discover that someone from Trumps circle met with a Russian."

Parry reminds readers that Russia had long been "collaborating with the U.S. government," naming the Afghanistan war, the Iranian nuclear deal, and the Syrian chemical weapons as examples.

Instead, Russian cooperation in exactly those two areasIran and Syriahas made Putin "a target for Washingtons powerful neoconservatives," who, along with the Israelis and Saudis, "wanted regime change in Tehran and Damascus." Naming Victoria Nuland, John McCain, and NED president Carl Gershman, Parry says they took aim at Ukraine, to which "Obama fell in line."

"Whats actually happening here should be obvious," Parry writes.

"The Obama administration, the Democrats and the mainstream media were horrified at Trumps election ... So these anti-Trump forces grabbed at the most potent weapon available, the suspicions that Trump had somehow colluded with Russia,"

no matter the evidence, or lack thereof. Parry, who has seen his share of "political investigations," notes that it is "powermuch more than truth," which usually determines the direction of these events.
PRESS RELEASE

Russia Will Not Respond to Trumps Military Buildup with One of Its Own

March 6, 2017 (EIRNS)Military commentator of Russia Behind the Headlines Nikolai Litovkin, argued, in a March 2 column, that Russia will not respond in kind to President Trumps plan to increase the U.S. defense budget by $54 billion.

"Russia, which will soon implement a new arms program for 2018-2025, doesnt plan increases in military expenditures and will even reduce its military budget,"

Litovkin writes. "The country will spend three percent of its GDP, not four percent, as originally planned." The view in Moscow, according to Litovkin and analysts that he consulted, is that an increase, even a substantial increase, in the U.S. military budget isnt a threat to Russia, unless, of course, it results in a buildup of U.S./NATO forces on Russias borders.

"Today, Russia cannot afford to be dragged into a new arms race and should not react to the increase of Americas military budget," said Alexei Arbatov, director of the Center of International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations.

"The money that we allot to defense is still sufficient, but we do not plan on deploying new bases on our borders and we are meeting our military needs by more than is necessary."

Russias policy can only be changed by an impending war, and, "Thank God were still far from such a possibility," concluded Arbatov.
After weeks of expectations  actually, nearly seven years of expectations  House Republicans on Monday released their proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Elements of the proposal, which was kept under lock and key last week  have been dribbling out for a few days. The text of the bill encompassing the GOP plan validates much of that reporting. On the whole, however, its a nastier, more consumer-unfriendly proposal than even close followers could have expected.

The House GOP, in a written statement, cloaked this plan with a bodyguard of outright deceit. What were proposing will deliver the control and choice individuals and families need to access healthcare thats right for them, the statement said. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wisc.) said the measure would drive down costs, encourage competition and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. Curiously, the GOP statement says the plan embodies President Trumps proposed healthcare reforms, although the president has never advanced a coherent set of proposals.

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The truth is that the GOP measure would destroy the ability of millions of Americans to access any healthcare worth the name. The Congressional Budget Office reportedly warned the Republicans that their proposals would lead to lost coverage for millions and higher costs for millions more, but the GOP is pushing ahead anyway.

Reporters and experts will be poring over the new draft for days, but here are some key elements gleaned from a first reading. Further examination undoubtedly will unearth more issues with the bill. The chances are almost nil that closer examination will find much, if anything, good about it.

The proposal defunds Planned Parenthood. No federal funding can be made, either directly or indirectly, by Medicaid to a healthcare organization that provides for abortions, other than those done in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. Thats Planned Parenthood. Its proper to note that Planned Parenthood doesnt use federal funds to pay for abortions, as thats already against the law. This measure shuts down funding for the organization just because it uses other funds to cover those procedures.

The bill effectively shuts down private health insurance coverage for abortion. According to a House Ways and Means Committee digest, the measure forbids spending federal tax subsidies on health plans that include coverage of abortion, even if the customer doesnt get an abortion. This would dramatically shrink working Americans access to insurance-covered abortions, or would lead to insurers dropping abortion coverage from their plans, or both. Customers could buy separate policies to cover abortions, but couldnt use the federal subsidy to help pay for them. Insurers likely would charge hugely discouraging premiums for such policies, as the market for them would be tiny.

The individual and employer mandates are eliminated. Theyre not repealed exactly, but the penalties are repealed, which amounts to the same thing. Without a requirement that individuals carry health insurance, the insurance markets are almost certain to collapse. The repeal is retroactive back to the beginning of 2016, but the real problem is in the market starting this year. Individuals would be able to drop their coverage immediately, which will wreak havoc with the market starting right now. Aetnas chairman and chief executive, Mark Bertolini, said recently that the individual market was entering a death spiral in which healthier customers dropped coverage, leaving sicker customers who know they need insurance facing ever-increasing rates. This provision will do much to guarantee that will happen.

Essential health benefit rules are repealed. As of Dec. 31, 2019, ACA rules that required qualified health plans to provide hospitalization, maternity care, mental health services and other benefits would be sunsetted at the federal level. States would have the authority to set them instead. The impact on private, non-Medicaid plans would therefore vary by state. If a state removes maternity benefits, for example, thats likely to make maternity coverage, among other services, immensely expensive, if available at all.

Income-based premium subsidies would be replaced by age-based subsidies, which will hurt working-class families in many states. Under the ACA, subsidies to help individual buyers afford premiums and (for poorer households) deductibles and co-pays were based on household income. The GOP measure will base them on the buyers age, instead, with older buyers receiving more help than younger. The GOP plan limits subsidies to $4,000 per individual; under the ACA, which also keys subsidies to the cost of benchmark insurance plans in the buyers home market, the subsidies theoretically could be several times higher. No family could receive more than $14,000 in subsidies, and no more than five family members could be eligible for subsidies.

As we reported last week, this scheme would reduce subsidies to many of the people who need them the most, while awarding them to recipients who dont need them. People who are lower income, older or live in high-premium areas would be particularly disadvantaged, the Kaiser Family Foundation observed after examining an earlier draft. The new draft retains those features. Some modest means-testing of the subsidies  an idea tossed around within the GOP caucus last week to quell complaints that the change would make the rich richer  appears to be incorporated into the fiscal provisions of the proposal.

The Medicaid expansion is killed. As of Dec. 31, 2019, the Medicaid expansion is repealed. Traditional Medicaid will be block-granted, a system almost certain to result in less federal funding for the joint state-federal program than it would have received, over time. The neediest and sickest Americans will increasingly be on their own, as states get less federal help to provide them with medical services.

All of Obamacares taxes are repealed, another boon for the rich. Everything from the tax on tanning salons and medical devices to the surcharge on high-income taxpayers will be gone. As we explained earlier, this amounts to an enormous tax cut for the wealthy  at least $346 billion over 10 years, every cent going to taxpayers earning more than $200,000 ($250,000 for couples). The proposal would sharply raise the limits on contributions to tax-advantaged Health Savings Accounts  another gimme for the rich.

The tax repeal, the Brookings Institution has reported, will make it impossible to pay for any Obamacare replacement  which still isnt on the horizon. It also will exacerbate the fiscal problems of Medicare, by hastening the exhaustion of the programs trust fund by four years, to 2025.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.

MORE FROM MICHAEL HILTZIK

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UPDATES:

8:23 p.m.: This post has been updated to clarify the elimination of minimum essential benefits.

5:29 p.m.: This post has been updated with more details about the GOP bill.

This post originally went live at 4:10 p.m. March 6.
Two regional Wells Fargo executives who oversaw operations across a broad swath of Southern California  one of the hot spots in the companys sales practices scandal  have left the bank.

A Wells Fargo spokeswoman confirmed that Marla Clemow and Reza Razzaghipour, former regional presidents, no longer work for the San Francisco banking giant but would not disclose details of their departure.

We can confirm the individuals are no longer with the company, but decline to comment further, spokeswoman Jennifer Langan said. We are focused on ensuring we have the right people and leaders in place to rebuild trust and build a better bank.

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Clemow had been in charge of the banks operations in much of the San Fernando Valley and also oversaw branches from Hollywood to the South Bay; Razzaghipour oversaw bank operations in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, Bakersfield, Santa Clarita and the West San Fernando Valley.

Clemow and Razzaghipour, who are reportedly married, could not be reached for comment.

Their departures come just a few weeks after the bank publicly fired four higher-level executives over the problems with the banks sales practices, which were first reported in a 2013 Times investigation.

Last year, regulators fined the bank $185 million after finding that bank employees, driven by onerous sales goals, had opened millions of checking, savings and other accounts that customers may not have wanted or authorized.

The scandal led to the resignation of Wells Fargo Chairman and Chief Executive John Stumpf and the retirement of Carrie Tolstedt, the head of the community banking division.

More than 5,000 bank workers also lost their jobs over unethical practices, which prompted some lawmakers to chide the bank for firing low-ranking, front-line workers while regional and national executives kept their jobs.

The four executives fired last month included Shelley Freeman, a former Los Angeles regional president and later the head of the banks consumer credit division. The bank announced that its board voted unanimously to fire Freeman and three others for cause.

The bank last week said it would cancel bonuses and revoke millions in compensation from eight top executives, including Tim Sloan, who replaced Stumpf as CEO in October. The bank also eliminated sales goals for front-line workers as a part of a reform of its incentive compensation system.

Also, on Monday, the bank announced it had hired a new head attorney.

C. Allen Parker, now a partner at law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, will replace James Strother as Wells Fargos general counsel later this month. Strother is retiring.

james.koren@latimes.com

Follow me: @jrkoren

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During and after his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to release his tax returns as soon as the Internal Revenue Service was done auditing him. Then he recanted, claiming that Americans dont care about the issue.

In fact, Americans do care. A poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post in January found that 74 percent of people surveyed and 49 percent of those who voted for Trump said the president should release his returns.

Every major party nominee since Richard Nixon has done so except Gerald Ford, who released a summary. What is Trump hiding? And how might his tax returns see the light of day?

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* Trumps tax returns could expose the extent of his global business entanglements, including potential conflicts of interest that violate the Constitutions emoluments clause. In particular, Trumps returns could tell us quite a bit about his ties to Russian entities and banks. Although Trump has claimed he has no business or loans in Russia, his son said in 2008 that we see a lot money pouring in from Russia.

* Trumps returns could reveal that he isnt as wealthy or successful as he has claimed. As a candidate, Trump made much of his business acumen and claimed to be worth $10 billion. But Forbes put the figure at $4.1 billion, and Trumps returns might show that even this number is a wild exaggeration.

* The returns could show that Trump has paid little or no federal income taxes. His 1995 tax records, made public by the New York Times in October, revealed that he claimed a $916-million loss that could have allowed him to avoid paying income taxes for up to 18 years. During a presidential debate last fall, Trump bragged that not paying federal income taxes makes me smart.

* Finally, the returns might reveal that Trump, who has long claimed to be a generous philanthropist, gives little or no money to charity. After Trump released a 93-page list of alleged charitable donations totaling $102 million, a Washington Post investigation could confirm only one of those donations  a gift of under $10,000. The paper has also established that Trump used his foundation for business purposes and to settle legal disputes involving his for-profit companies, both violations of federal tax laws.

There are a number of ways Trumps tax records could be made public.

* Congress has the authority to obtain them under a complex statute in the Internal Revenue Code, Section 6103, which allows three congressional committees to obtain private tax information from the IRS in order to investigate presidential conflicts of interest. The committee can then vote on whether to disclose the information to the public.

Of course, it is unlikely that the Republican-led Congress will use its power to get the returns. Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell sent a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) in February, asking the committee to obtain 10 years worth of Trumps returns. Brady refused.

If the Democrats win a majority in either the House or Senate next year, they could vote to obtain Trumps returns. They could also pass a law requiring that all presidents release their tax records, though it is unlikely Trump would sign it.

* Trumps tax records could be made public as a result of a lawsuit filed in New York by a team of constitutional scholars alleging that Trump is in violation of the emoluments clause. The legal team intends to ask for Trumps returns in order to ascertain what income, loans or other payments he has received from foreign governments. The courts must first rule on whether the group has standing to file the suit.

* The records could also be made public if attorneys general in states where Trump has business dealings were to sue him for violating the emoluments clause, as Fordham University Law School professor Jed Schugerman recently argued. Such suits could give a state attorney general access to the returns, which could then be provided to a congressional committee under 6103.

* Finally, there is the possibility that a member of the IRS staff or someone within Trumps own operation would leak his tax returns, either to the media or to Congress.

An IRS leaker would have to be willing to risk ending his or her career with the federal government, paying a fine and even spending time in prison. However, Georgetown University law professor Gregory Klass recently pointed out that the 6103 law grants whistle-blower protections to federal employees who leak tax returns to Congress  if such person believes such return or return information may relate to possible misconduct, maladministration, or taxpayer abuse.

Any leaker would need to believe that Trumps tax returns are so damaging that bringing him down would serve a higher purpose  would, say, protect our democracy from a president with little respect for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law. The number of people who share this belief grows every day.

Peter Dreier is professor of politics at Occidental College.

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Depending on your point of view, Richard Simmons has either been missing since February 2014 or is simply taking a break from the public eye. One thing thats crystal clear is that a documentary podcast about the fitness guru is blazing hot across the country.

Now three episodes in  it launched on the three-year anniversary of when Simmons stopped showing up in public  Dan Taberskis Missing Richard Simmons was the No. 1 podcast Tuesday on iTunes and all three episodes were on the top 10 list. On Stitcher, the app affiliated with the podcast, its at No. 2 among top shows and in the top 10 most shared.

It has also sparked a new denial that Simmons is in any way missing.

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As I have stated in the past, these claims are untrue and preposterous, longtime Simmons rep Tom Estey told People on Tuesday.

A series of denials over the years didnt deter Taberski, who went to Simmons classes at the now-shuttered Slimmons studio in Beverly Hills, dined at his house and considers himself a friend of the 68-year-old.

He, like others in Simmons circle, was confused by the way his friend simply didnt show up at class one day, no notice or explanation given, he says in the podcast. His abrupt disappearance from public life spawned tabloid headlines that have been denied either by Simmons or his team.

No one is holding me in my house as a hostage; I do what I want to do as Ive always done, Simmons said by phone on the Today show a year ago. So people should just believe what I have to say, because, like, Im Richard Simmons.

Last June, a post went up on Simmons Facebook page denying that he was undergoing gender reassignment. Some tabloids have recently falsely reported that I am transitioning. In response, I feel compelled to set the record straight and refute these lies, the post said.

The difference between the splashy headlines and the Missing podcast is the methodical documentary sensibility that Taberski  a former segment producer for The Daily Show  brings to the story.

Sure, he discusses the speculation that has populated gossip publications. But he also interviews many of Simmons friends. He tries to visit Simmons at home, where housekeeper Teresa Reveles gives him and his producer the brush-off. He hangs out with a Hollywood tour guide who could count on Simmons as the celeb most likely to pop out of his house and interact with fans. And he talks about how emotionally raw Simmons was during the workouts he led at Slimmons.

Taberskis unearthed a possibly prescient interview the fitness star did in 2012 on the Sklarbro Country podcast. Asked about whom he hangs out with for fun, Simmons got real.

I dont hang out with people, he said. I live a very recluse life.  I teach my class, I kiss everybody, I take hundreds of photos and I go home. I socialize with no one. I havent been to anyones house in seven years.

Now, through Missing Richard Simmons, people are, in a sense, hanging out with him.

This is about hopefully recontextualizing him a bit, Taberski told Wired shortly after the podcast debuted. People laugh at him now, theyve lost perspective on who he is. I want to make him three-dimensional again.

cdz@latimes.com

@theCDZ

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If Amy Schumer: The Leather Special was as funny as it is dirty, it would be the next step in her drunken walk of shame toward world domination.

Every comic has one moment where they wear leather and they regret it, says Schumer at the start of the special, dressed in a tight black leather bodysuit. This is my moment.

Dont know if you guys know, this but this past year Ive gotten very rich, famous and humble, she said, and then mentions a revealing photo she tweeted: Heres a word that you dont want to hear when a nude photo of you goes viral. Brave.

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But the one-hour stand-up set, which premieres Tuesday on Netflix, is mostly full of the unapologetic raunch thats contributed to her success: detailed descriptions of her messy sex life, vivid references to her bodily functions and other aggressively TMI moments  none of which can be reprinted here.

Schumers renown for obliterating narrow ideas about female sexuality, double standards and negative body image with a crude and biting realism is usually reserved for men in comedy. And she does it with an abandon thats often as boundary-smashing as it is obscenely funny.

The Leather Special not only relies on many of those familiar and explicit themes, but kicks it all up a notch so theres more of it.

The Leather Special not only relies on many of those familiar and explicit themes, but kicks it all up a notch so theres more of it  with more frequency and extremities. And as it turns out, thats not a good thing. Id put an example here, but a series of bleeped out words probably wont be helpful.

Ironically, the dirtier it gets, the less daring it feels. Part of the problem is that she doesnt drop in enough context from her life of late, and the material feels like it could have come from a set three years ago.

Its ironic given how much Schumers circumstances have changed over the last few years. Shes now a famous comedian, the author of a bestselling book, star and writer of the film Trainwreck and the talent that drives Comedy Centrals series Inside Amy Schumer. The sketch show, which has completed four seasons, won a Peabody Award and Emmy last year for outstanding variety sketch series.

Schumer also made news last year during the election when Donald Trump supporters walked out of her Florida show after she called him an orange, sexual-assaulting, fake-college-starting monster. Beyonce fans got mad about her mock Formation video. And viewers of her show wanted her to apologize when one of her male writers posted what were widely perceived as sexist comments on social media.

When Schumer does dial back on the pearl-clutching material, it breaks up the monotony. Her experience at the Peabody Awards is one such moment: The other people there were like Ebola fighters, and Malala, and our show, she says of the other finalists there and then proceeds to draw a contrast between her work and that of the young Pakastani activist Malala Yousafzai.

At the beginning of the awards they showed a little clip of each persons project. First they showed a clip of the Ebola fighters in [body] suits, where they go in and save lives. And then Malala, Malalaing. And then they show a clip of our show  me taking a giant bite of a burger, then going Im gonna make some room and walking to the toilet.  Malala being fitted for a glass eye, and then me.

Mid-set, Schumer gets as serious as she ever does when she brings up two Louisiana women who were shot and killed in 2015 by an assailant who opened fire during a showing of Trainwreck, injuring nine other people and killing himself.

Schumer says she wanted to raise awareness so that mentally ill people were not able to buy guns, but no matter what you say, as soon as you say the word gun, what gun nuts hear is She wants to take all our guns! That shifty Jew wants our guns! Our amendment!  I found out if youre on the terrorist watch list you can easily get a gun. So the same guy who is like, Git out of our country, foreigner! is like, But while youre here, please enjoy our firearms, legally.

Its tonally abrupt, but it does find her pushing what she and the audience are comfortable with.

Stronger still is when she mentions her failure to look and act like a celebrity. Schumer says and her sister, Kim, dress like theyre homeless, but the tabloids still write about us as if were the Kardashian sisters [cops a fancy fashion reporter voice]: The Schumer sisters stepped out today. Amy opted for performance fleece and a pleather jacket from Forever 21.  We are the most disappointing people to ever be photographed. It looks like were moving and ran out of bags so we were like lets just wear it all.

Schumers material on the base, everyday sex/guy/gross body image stuff is still funny, but as her life has gotten crazier and more surreal, its these new observations that push her set forward.

Amy Schumer: The Leather Special

Where: Netflix

When: Anytime starting, Tuesday

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

lorraine.ali@latimes.com

@lorraineali
From birria-stuffed burritos to coffee-rubbed-steak-stuffed bacos, heres whats happening in the food and drink world:

OC burritos: Burritos La Palma, the El Monte restaurant that makes Jonathan Golds list of his five favorite burritos, opened a location in Santa Ana on Saturday. Now you can get Golds go-to burrito, the well-toasted tube stuffed with the beef stew birria, in the OC. The new location is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. but the restaurant promises to expand its hours later this month. Burritos La Palma also has a food truck. 410 N. Bristol, Santa Ana, www.burritoslapalma.net.

Catch that baco: Josef Centeno, the chef behind the downtown restaurants Baco Mercat, Ledlow, PYT, Orsa and Winston and Bar Ama, will open Bacoshop in Culver City on Thursday. The fast-casual restaurant is a spinoff of Baco Mercat, and will feature baco sandwiches made with the chefs signature flatbread and bacorritos, made with an unleavened version of the dough, used as a tortilla. There will also be grain bowls, as well as a selection of salads and grab-and-go items. This restaurant is designed to be the first of many. 9552 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (424) 258-6301, www.baco-shop.com.

SFV chicken: Terry Heller, the man behind the Plan Check restaurants, has announced he will open a rotisserie chicken restaurant, called Wild & Free, in Sherman Oaks near the end of summer. The fast-casual restaurant will serve chicken, sandwiches and salads; there will also be beer and wine. The restaurant has taken over half of the now-closed Solleys Deli space on Van Nuys Boulevard. There will be 65 to 70 seats and a large patio. The restaurants name was inspired by the 80s hip-hop movie Wild Style, which is what Heller calls the restaurants spicy rotisserie chicken. 4550 North Van Nuys #A1, Sherman Oaks.

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Flavors of Africa: The Skirball Cultural Center will host three cooking demos and discussions (with plenty of samples) that will celebrate the cultures and cuisines of Sudan, Tunisia and Ethiopia. The first event, on March 29, will feature Sudanese-style food from Amin Musa, chef of the Hollywood farmers market favorite Ihsans Falafel; the second event, on April 19, will feature Tunisian-style food from Orly Olivier of the cooking and culture blog Petit Takett; and a final event, on May 17, will highlight Ethiopian-style food from Nesanet Abegaze of Azla Vegan, the Ethiopian restaurant in South Los Angeles. Tickets are $100 for Skirball members and $125 for nonmembers. You can register online or call (877) SCC-4TIX. 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, www.skirball.org.

The Beards are here: Discover Los Angeles is hosting an event called L.A. Cooks for the James Beard Foundation on March 14 at Lucques. The six-course meal will be cooked by Beard-nominated chefs and past winners, including Lucques chef-owner Suzanne Goin, Nancy Silverton, Michael Cimarusti, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Jeremy Fox, Matt Molina, Dahlia Narvaez and Sherry Yard. Lucques sommelier Caroline Styne and the Varnishs Eric Alperin will supply wine pairings and cocktails for the event. General admission tickets are $285, while a $1,000 VIP ticket will get you seats at the chefs table with Wolfgang Puck, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, as well as admission to a 30-minute cocktail reception and VIP swag bag. To buy tickets or for more information, visit the eventbrite page. 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (323) 655-6277.

5 chefs, 5 pigs: Cochon555, the annual competition that tasks five chefs with cooking five whole heritage-breed pigs, is happening on Sunday at the Viceroy Santa Monica. This years competitors include Bruce Kalman of Union, Kyle Johnson of Bourbon Steak Los Angeles, Jonathan Granada of Otium, Dakota Weiss of Estrella and Larry Monaco from CAST. The event will also include a pop-up ramen bar, a La Brea Bakery pop-up, a Farmstead Cheese bar and a Creminelli salami snack bar. General admission tickets are $125 and VIP tickets are $200.1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, www.cochon555.com.

Still hungry? Bar Clacson, the new downtown bar by the 213 Hospitality group, has launched a new Apertivo hour Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Laurel Hardware plans to open Mezcal Bar, a new Spanish-themed bar Friday. As part of its 50th anniversary, the Los Angeles Zoo has launched a sustainable wine dinner series with events March 16, April 27 and May 11. Gemma Matsuyama, the woman behind Heavy Cream, the pastry arm of the Pico House food truck, is now serving sweet and savory baked goods at Stumptown Coffee in the Arts District. Chef Bruce Kalman and Marie Petulla of Union and Knead will host Tasty Tunes, a three-course dinner at Union on March 27, that will pair food with music. Sweetfin Poke has opened a location on West Third Street. Smorgasburg L.A., the weekly downtown market, will pop up at the Santa Monica Pier with some of its vendors Saturday.

Jenn.Harris@latimes.com

@Jenn_Harris_

ALSO:

UPDATES:

11:58 a.m.: This article was updated to show Larry Monaco from CAST has replaced David Feau from Wallys Beverly Hills at Cochon555. The opening date for Mezcal Bar was also added.

This article was originally published at 9 a.m.
Israels parliament has passed into law a controversial travel ban to keep out people who support boycotts of the country or the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The legislation, which was backed by the ruling right-wing coalition, passed Monday by a vote of 48-26. It allows the government to block entry of non-residents who publicly call for a boycott or are associated with companies, advocacy groups or other organizations that do so.

The legislation defines a boycott to include all calls against Israel, its government, products, or settlements in territories under Israeli military control. The law gives Israels interior minister the authority to make exemptions in special circumstances.

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It describes boycott efforts as a new front of war against Israel. In recent years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have portrayed the pro-Palestinian movement known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as an anti-Semitic effort to isolate the country economically.

One of the laws sponsors, parliament member David Amsalem of the ruling Likud Party, described the legislation as basic.

Im not allowing anyone who humiliates me to come into my house, he told the parliament. We arent against legitimate criticism, but theres no connection between that and to call for a boycott on the state of Israel, which is crossing a red line.

Opponents of the law warned that it would put Israel at loggerheads with international groups opposed to the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Who doesnt call for a boycott of settlements today? said Dov Khenin, a lawmaker from the predominantly Arab Joint List coalition. Look at the United Nations, the European Union, and whats going on in the international community: Do you want to boycott all of them and prevent them from entering Israel?

Americans for Peace Now, a pro-Israeli group opposed to the settlements, warned that the new law would be used to squelch dissenting voices.

This new draconian law is a severe blow to Israeli democracy, said Chief Executive Debra DeLee in a statement. It is aimed at basic civil liberty, the freedom of expression, and it will severely harm Israel by keeping out some of its greatest supporters.

Passage of the law follows two incidents in recent weeks in which Israeli immigration authorities put up roadblocks for representatives of human rights organizations trying to enter the country.

A San Francisco executive from the New Israel Fund was detained at the airport for 90 minutes after a grilling about the organizations activities, and Human Rights Watch complained that a U.S. researcher was denied a work permit.

Mitnick is a special correspondent.
In Chinatown, voters debate growth, affordable housing and L.A.'s future

In Chinatown, where residents and business leaders have clashed over large housing projects like Blossom Plaza and the Jia Apartments housing complex, opinions on Measure S varied.

Some business owners have welcomed the wave of development and new restaurants to hit Chinatown because it brings foot traffic and spending dollars to the area. But many residents have decried the new businesses and development, saying they are not built with low-income residents in mind.

Eang Thai Ngou, a mute resident of Chinatown, wrote down his feelings.

I am poor. Yes on S.

Theo Henderson, 43, agreed. For him, the most important issue is the citys treatment of the homeless. He lives around Chinatown and says homeless people are treated more like a public nuisance than human beings. Business improvement district employees regularly harass people, he said.

We blame people for their misfortune. What happens when a guy has a job but he has to sleep in his car because he cant afford housing? Henderson asked.

Hes voting for Measure S because he believes it eventually could make housing more affordable in the city.

We cant keep relying on the benevolence of developers, Henderson said.

Ted Gerike, 26, said the most important issue of the election was getting voters engaged. He hasnt voted in many citywide elections before, but after Donald Trumps presidential election, he decided it was important to vote whenever possible.

Gerike, a copywriter who moved to Chinatown four years ago, voted against Measure S. He supports the cause of affordable housing, believes developers should be held accountable and wants to stop gentrification, but he was turned off by what he called deceptive campaigning by the proponents of the measure.

Its in the guise of stopping gentrification, but it will help developers, Gerike said.

Chinatown polling place, 9 am: pic.twitter.com/8ZoUgEoYlk  Frank Shyong  (@frankshyong) March 7, 2017
JoAnnie Duran was stopped at a red light when her sisters fiance called. She struggled to make out most of his words, but finally two of them stuck: Sandras dead.

Duran pulled into a gas station parking lot and sobbed, but couldnt bring herself to say the words out loud. She had Sandras 12-year-old son in the car with her. How could she possibly break it to him? And how could it be true? Her sister had called her just 20 minutes earlier to tease her about a video shed posted on Facebook.

Even now, more than two weeks since her older sisters death, she cannot accept the way it happened. Officials say a drunk driver ran a red light, smashing into Sandras car that Sunday morning  an hour or so after the sisters worshipped together at church.

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The driver  who faces murder, vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated charges in connection with the Feb. 19 crash  is an immigrant in the country illegally who has been deported from the United States at least five times, according to police and court records.

Estuardo Alvarado, 45, was fleeing the scene of a traffic accident at a high rate of speed when he smashed his vehicle into a car driven by Sandra Duran, according to Det. William Bustos of the LAPDs Valley Traffic Division.

Duran, 42, suffered serious injuries and later died. The two other people in the car  her 18-year-old son, Christian, and his girlfriend  were treated for minor injuries. Alvarado was arrested after being transported to a hospital, Bustos said.

Alvarado has been removed from the U.S. and sent to Mexico five times since 1998, most recently in 2011, according to Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Mexican citizen has never held legal status in the U.S., according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Durans death started to garner national attention on Tuesday morning when Fox News picked up a Los Angeles Daily News report about the crash, in which the victims sister expressed concern over Alvarados immigration status.

Its a great concern because this could have been prevented, the victims sister, Los Angeles police Officer Lisa Morales, told the newspaper. Its sad and its unfortunate. Its going to happen not just to my family but to other families.

Seated in the living room of his Arleta home Tuesday morning, Santos Duran stared at a memorial of flowers, white candles and photos of his second-oldest daughter.

A memorial in the Duran family home in Arleta shows Sandra Duran, 42, who was killed Feb. 19 in North Hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

I often wonder, Why us? he said, pausing to look toward heaven. But I can accept it, because the man up there knows were all just passing through.

He said hes haunted by the thought that his daughters death was avoidable, knowing that Alvarado remained in the country given his criminal history. But he is also worried that his daughters death could be used as a political weapon against huge swaths of immigrants in the country illegally.

Its ruined our life. This person had DUIs and deportations, he said. But whatever I say now isnt going to bring my daughter back. I worry, I worry about the people that are here already and settled here already and have families already and have their kids in school. I worry for those people.

Sandra Durans mother, Carmen Duran, said she has a simple question for Alvarado about that Sunday morning:

 How come you didnt stay home? You couldve stayed home. Knowing he was drunk and driving, she said, sighing. It doesnt have to be about immigration and all this. There are people who are from here and they go out and kill other people, too. Its not only people from Mexico or anything like that. It just happened to be that hes from Mexico. Theres different races .

Her husband cut in to finish her thought:

" and we all make mistakes, he said.

Santos Duran has forgiven Alvarado, but he said that beyond that he tries not to think about him much. This is a time, he said, to remember his daughter, who worked for insurer Health Net.

Sandras family members remember her as a doting mother and a vivacious presence in the home she shared with her parents and her sons, Christian, 18, and Jacob, 12. On weekends, Sandra  who found great joy in making her loved ones their favorite foods  woke up early to make her parents a breakfast of toast, sausage and scrambled eggs. Anytime her boys were hungry, even late at night, she made them their favorite meal: pancakes. She loved to surprise her fiance, Rodrigo Macias, with fresh brownies and every Thanksgiving she buttered the familys turkey.

Her family members spent Tuesday watching old cell phone videos of Sandra. There was the one JoAnnie filmed on Thanksgiving, when everybody had their eyes closed during a prayer, until the camera cut to Sandra. Ever the performer, she sensed the spotlight on her and struck a pose. In another video filmed on her brothers birthday, Sandra twirled her hair and broke out in a deep belly laugh.

Santos Duran closed his eyes for a moment. Thats her laugh, he said, mournfully.

Alvarado, who remains jailed in lieu of $2.1-million bail, has been arrested several times in Los Angeles, according to court records. He pleaded no contest to resisting arrest and impeding traffic in 2011, and pleaded no contest to separate charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license in the 1990s, court records show. He has also been cited for marijuana possession twice, records show.

His next court date is scheduled for March 14.

The case marks the latest in a series of deaths that officials attribute to immigrants in the country illegally. Though studies have found that immigrants, whether in the country legally or not, commit crimes at lower rates than native born Americans, the killings have become a flashpoint in the national debate over so-called sanctuary cities and immigration enforcement policies.

The 2015 shooting death of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco drew national outrage when it was revealed that her accused killer had been deported from the U.S. five times. President Trump has promised to revoke federal funding from cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles whose governments have refused to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions.

The relatives of three Californians who authorities say were killed by immigrants here illegally were Trumps guests during a speech delivered to Congress last week.

During the speech, the president chastised opponents of his hard-line immigration stance, asking them what they would say to a family who loses their jobs, their income or a loved one because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?

For the Duran family, the focus remains on Sandra.

Someone visits the cemetery every day, her father said. To remind her that shes loved, they show up with cupcakes or with fries and hamburgers from In-N-Out  her favorite foods.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

Twitter: @marisagerber

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

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UPDATES:

5:10 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about Sandra Durans life.

12:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the Duran family.

10:35 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information from court records and comments from an LAPD detective.

This article was originally published at 9:15 a.m.
A Calabasas woman was charged Tuesday with multiple sex crimes involving five teenage boys, some of whom she allegedly supplied with cocaine, according to court documents.

Gina Marie Weisberg, 40, is facing 19 charges, including 12 sex-related offenses, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. She is also facing charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

The acts occurred between Jan. 6 and 7 and between Jan. 27 and 28, according to the complaint.

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The Los Angeles County district attorneys office declined to release details about the allegations.

Weisberg was arrested on March 2 after an investigation into allegations that she had engaged in sex acts with the teenage boys, according to Sgt. Charles Gates of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments Special Victims Bureau.

Gates declined to release details about the allegations due to the ongoing investigation.

He said Weisberg did not have a history of sexual abuse or sex crimes involving minors.

Weisberg was released from custody the same day she was arrested after posting $695,000 bond. She is scheduled to be arraigned on March 23 in Van Nuys.

She did not respond to a request for comment.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
Los Angeles voters on Tuesday will declare what kind of city they want to live in.

They will support or reject Measure S, a sweeping ballot measure that applies the brakes on certain types of large-scale development.

Its exactly the kind of development backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who says such projects are needed to keep Los Angeles growing.

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That same electorate will also make its views known about Garcetti, who faces little serious competition in his bid to win a second term. A wide margin of victory would give the 46-year-old mayor momentum should he seek higher office in the coming years.

Although few of the citys 2 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots, the election results will have lasting impact.

Winners get a 5-year term, rather the usual four years, because of a one-time change in election dates.

Its an important election, said Jack Pitney, politics professor at Claremont McKenna College. Despite that, I think there will be low turnout.

The most high-profile land use initiative since Proposition U in 1986, Measure S has launched a citywide debate about planning, neighborhood growth and developers influence at City Hall. Millions of dollars have been spent by opponents and supporters of the measure, which seeks to end so-called spot zoning.

Speaking after a rally Monday in Echo Park, Garcetti, a Measure S opponent, couldnt predict which way voters would go.

I think its going to be close, he said.

The No on Measure S campaign warned in an email Monday the housing ban caused by the ballot measure would hurt the city and cause economic damage.

Dont let low turnout condemn us to a decade of economic turmoil. Do your part and educate your friends. And vote NO on S tomorrow, the email said.

Across town, Measure S backers rallied near downtowns La Placita Church, arguing the ballot measure would reform the planning process at City Hall and stop out-of-scale mega-developments.

This is our opportunity, tomorrow, to tell City Hall that we control what happens in this city  not the developers, not the unions, but the residents of Los Angeles, said Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation executive Michael Weinstein, who championed the ballot measure, former California state Sen. Gloria Romero and former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan also attended the rally.

Other ballot measures facing voters Tuesday include Measure M, which addresses taxation and operating regulations for the citys marijuana dispensaries. The backers of a competing initiative, Measure N, ultimately threw their support to Measure M.

Another initiative, Measure P, allows builders to obtain 66-year leases for port property instead of the current 50-year limit. The measure is designed to encourage waterfront redevelopment in San Pedro.

One of the most closely watched City Council races is underway in the northeast San Fernando Valley, where 20 candidates are seeking the seat vacated by former councilman Felipe Fuentes. The politician abruptly stepped down last year for a Sacramento lobbying job.

In other council races, development and gentrification are major issues as incumbents Mike Bonin, Joe Buscaino, Gil Cedillo, Paul Koretz, Mitch OFarrell, and Curren Price seek another term. Koretz, Price, and Cedillo all previously served in Sacramento, but are being challenged by grass-roots or well-financed upstart candidates who threaten to halt their political careers.

Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the western San Fernando Valley, is running unopposed. With no challengers, City Atty. Mike Feuer and City Controller Ron Galperin are also assured of victory.

Garcetti is running for reelection against a field of 10 largely unknown contenders, with the exception of Mitchell Schwartz, a former political strategist with more than $600,000, which includes city matching funds.

The mayor  like the other City Council candidates  is hoping to win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a May runoff.

Garcetti joined L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn and other political leaders to rally support for Measure H, a countywide sales tax hike thats expected to raise about $350 million annually to be used for homelessness prevention and housing.

This is our chance, said Hahn, who represents communities from Long Beach to Diamond Bar. I think that in the coming decades, were going to look back at tomorrows election as the turning point in L.A. Countys homelessness crisis.

The quarter-cent tax increase would raise the sales tax rate to 9% across most of Los Angeles County and up to 10% in a few communities. Because the ballot measure would increase taxes, it requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

Its designed to complement Proposition HHH, the $1.2-billion housing bond measure approved by Los Angeles city voters in November.

Three of seven seats for the Los Angeles Board of Education are on the ballot, and results could give backers of charter schools their first majority in the nations second-largest school system. Charter school advocates and donors are active in all three contests, while the teachers union is spending on behalf of opposing candidates in two of the races.

One seat is open; the other two have incumbents: board President Steve Zimmer and Monica Garcia, the longest serving member.

Finally, voters will also cast ballots in three Los Angeles Community College District trustee races.

Times staff writers Howard Blume, Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser contributed to this report.

dakota.smith@latimes.com

Twitter: @dakotacdsmith

ALSO

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A typical drug bust in Kern County may involve opioids, marijuana, methamphetamine or any combination of those drugs and maybe another narcotic or two, authorities say.

But in the early hours of Sunday morning in Lake Isabella, deputies conducting a traffic stop found all of the above and then some, according to sheriffs office spokesman Ray Pruitt.

It was kind of a hodgepodge of different types of drugs, Pruitt said of the early-morning find. The 3 pounds of magic mushrooms are fairly uncommon for this area.

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According to sheriffs officials, just after 12 a.m. deputies pulled over a vehicle near Claire Street and Irwin Avenue and uncovered the trove of drugs and paraphernalia.

Inside the car deputies found more than 3 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic hallucinogenic mushrooms; 4 grams of methamphetamine; 15 pills of Ecstasy; 1 pound of marijuana; a 10-gram patch of fentanyl, a highly potent opiate; a replica handgun and hundreds of dollars in cash.

Deputies also found a scale, packaging material and drug paraphernalia in the car, Pruitt said.

All three people inside the car were arrested, Pruitt said.

Christopher Duthridge, 38, a transient, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bobby Brimmage, 53, of Bakersfield was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, providing false information to an officer, and a misdemeanor warrant.

Kelly Calloway, 46, of Bakersfield was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and on two outstanding misdemeanor warrants. She is being held without bail, Pruitt said.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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Prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges against the Los Angeles police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man after a 2015 car chase that ended in Burbank, a shooting that the citys Police Commission concluded was unjustified.

The Los Angeles County district attorneys office determined there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Brian Van Gorden unlawfully used deadly force when he fatally shot Sergio Navas, according to a seven-page memo made public Tuesday.

Although Van Gorden may have had other reasonable options, it was also reasonable for the officer to determine that Navas posed a deadly and immediate threat, prosecutors wrote.

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Citing tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances, prosecutors noted that Navas had suddenly stopped the car, exited and stood face to face with Van Gorden. The officers partner, they added, told investigators he thought Navas was going to shoot them.

If Van Gorden acted honestly and reasonably in his decision to use deadly force, his actions are justified and he acted lawfully, prosecutors wrote. We conclude that the evidence presented demonstrates that Van Gorden honestly believed that deadly force was necessary under the circumstances.

The decision from the D.A.s office brought to an end two years of investigations and legal wrangling that followed Navas death, which drew little public attention but quickly raised questions within the Los Angeles Police Department. The city agreed last December to pay his family $2.5 million, nearly a year after the Police Commission handed down its own finding.

Luis Carrillo, an attorney representing Navas family, said he thought Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys office should have filed manslaughter charges against the officer, describing his behavior as reckless. But, he said, he wasnt surprised with the decision, given that Lacey hasnt charged officers in other on-duty shootings.

Its always a disappointment when police officers take the life of a human being, he said. Its also always a disappointment when district attorneys offices dont file.

Van Gordens lawyer called the decision from prosecutors fair. At the time of the shooting, attorney Gary Fullerton said, the officer believed Navas was carrying a gun and posed a deadly threat.

He wasnt out there trying to do a dastardly deed. Hes trying to do his job right and he made a mistake, Fullerton said. I dont think somebody should face a criminal penalty for that.

Last year, the Police Commission agreed with LAPD Chief Charlie Becks conclusion that an officer with similar training and experience would not have considered Navas a threat. The board determined Van Gorden violated the departments rules for using deadly force and faulted both officers for their tactics leading to the shooting.

Officers tried to stop Navas after they spotted him speeding in a gold Mercury Sable in Toluca Lake, but the 35-year-old took off toward Burbank, according to a report Beck submitted to the Police Commission and the new memo from prosecutors. The car had paper plates, adding to the officers suspicion that it may have been stolen.

Prosecutors confirmed in their report that the car Navas was driving was stolen and that methamphetamine, marijuana and an anxiety medication were found inside. Navas was on felony probation at the time, prosecutors added, but did not say for what.

Navas came to an abrupt halt on National Avenue, a dead-end street. The officer who was driving the police SUV told investigators he was driving too fast to stop behind the Sable and had to veer alongside the car to avoid hitting it, the reports said.

The officer sitting in the passenger seat  Van Gorden  said Navas then got out of the car, slammed the door and turned to face him, according to Becks report. At that point, Van Gorden said, he couldnt see Navas hands and thought he was trying to trap me in the car and ambush me.

I was like, this guy is going to try to shoot me, the officer told investigators. I didnt want to wait around to find out.

The officer fired while sitting in the police SUV, hitting the door and shattering the window. Navas was shot twice, according to his autopsy, then ran to a nearby alley, where he died.

When Van Gordens partner heard shots and Van Gorden curse, he said, he thought the officer has been struck by gunfire, prosecutors wrote. Officer Michael Estrada was still distraught as he spoke to investigators, prosecutors said. When he described thinking his partner had been shot, they added, his voice cracked and he began to cry.

Estrada told investigators he also thought Navas had a gun, according to the memo. Had he been on the passenger side of the car, he said, he too would have fired.

I would have done the exact same thing, Estrada said.

kate.mather@latimes.com

Twitter: @katemather

UPDATES:

3:45 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from the attorneys representing Sergio Navas family and Officer Brian Van Gorden, along with more information from the prosecutors memo.

This story was originally published at 1:15 p.m.
Jamie McBride, an outspoken leader of the union that represents Los Angeles Police Department officers, won $1.5 million Monday in a lawsuit alleging that his supervisors retaliated against him.

McBride alleged that he was unfairly punished for refusing to sign a declaration prepared by a federal prosecutor in a case involving 38th Street gang members.

One of the gang members charged in the case was McBrides confidential informant. McBride thought the declaration was inaccurate because it did not reflect his role in encouraging the informant to get close to a Mexican Mafia leader.

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Jurors awarded McBride, who said he suffers from hypothyroidism brought on by stress, $1 million for pain and suffering and another $500,000 for future pain and suffering.

It was an uphill battle for Jamie. Thank God for the jury system, said McBrides lawyer, Gregory Smith.

A spokesman for the L.A. city attorneys office did not respond to a request for comment.

The five-day trial in Los Angeles Superior Court featured testimony from two high-ranking LAPD officials: Asst. Chief Jorge Villegas and Deputy Chief Sean Malinowski. Both were among McBrides supervisors at the time; Malinowksi is now chief of staff for Chief Charlie Beck.

After the LAPD launched an investigation into McBrides interactions with the informant, he was referred to a Board of Rights, a disciplinary panel that decides serious misconduct cases.

While waiting for his hearing, McBride was relieved of duty without pay for five months. In April 2014, the board found McBride guilty of failing to document his contacts with the informant and failing to properly train his subordinates on the use of confidential informants. He was suspended for 10 days without pay.

Villegas, who was then deputy chief of the Valley Bureau, later barred McBride from being a supervisor, working with confidential informants and taking a night watch job.

Villegas insisted he did not know McBride personally and was unaware of McBrides refusal to sign the prosecutors declaration. McBrides prior disciplinary history also played a part in Villegas decision.

But McBride alleged that Villegas retaliated against him for his refusal to sign the declaration, citing a detective who claimed to have overheard Villegas saying: He didnt sign it  he embarrassed us, and could have jeopardized the entire case.

McBride was elected to the Los Angeles Police Protective Leagues board of directors, which is a full-time job, two years ago. He lost a close race for union president last December.

cindy.chang@latimes.com

For more news on the Los Angeles Police Department, follow me on Twitter: @cindychangLA
President Trump often invokes San Bernardino when he talks about the threat of terrorism.

But the citys struggles with violence go far beyond the terrorist attack on Dec. 2, 2015, that killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center. Its violent crime rate routinely ranks among the worst in the state. Last year, the city had the most homicides in two decades.

So when San Bernardinos leaders heard that Trump was making comments about intervening in Chicagos homicide problem, they sent him a letter asking for assistance.

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President Trump had gone to Chicago, or called out Chicago, City Manager Mark Scott said. We listened to that, and we were saying, Well take help. 

The letter was written by the mayor and signed by the city attorney, city manager, police chief and all City Council members.

But the written request has been extremely controversial in this city, where only about a quarter of residents cast their ballots for Trump. The letter was not discussed publicly by the council before it was sent, and it focused heavily on requesting federal assistance with marijuana enforcement only a few months after voters overturned a citywide ban on pot businesses.

Read the letter sent to President Trump 

Theres a lot of fear of what is the intent of the letter.  Rocio Ruiz, organizer with Inland Congregations United for Change

Some residents also worry that Trumps divisive rhetoric on immigration and crime in minority communities means that federal intervention will only incite fear in their diverse city.

The letter does not make many specific requests, and various city officials appear to interpret it differently.

In its most detailed section, the letter blames Obama-era guidelines that restrict federal marijuana enforcement for leaving cities, such as San Bernardino, vulnerable because of limited resources.

The request for Trumps help came three months after voters approved Measure O, which created a regulatory and permitting system for marijuana businesses in the city. Before the vote, San Bernardino had banned such businesses, and a number of municipal leaders opposed the initiative.

Voters adopted a local measure and then a statewide measure to regulate [marijuana]. That means that people in this community and people in the state want to see it bring revenue into the city and the community, said Rocio Aguayo, a student at San Bernardino Valley College.

Instead of enforcing the will of the voters, she said, the mayors letter is criminalizing us.

Other residents said they worry the letter is inviting a federal crackdown that would threaten the trust between law enforcement and residents. They contend that federal action could spread fear among residents who are on edge because of the presidents efforts to increase deportations.

We have a community where we have a lot of undocumented families. So theres a lot of fear of what is the intent of the letter, said Rocio Ruiz, an organizer with Inland Congregations United for Change that has brought attention to San Bernardinos violence problem.

There were 62 homicides in the city in 2016  a 41% increase from 2015 and the deadliest year in San Bernardino since 1995. There have been eight homicides so far this year.

Last week, Ruiz and several other people showed up at a public appearance of Mayor R. Carey Davis to voice their displeasure with the letter. The meeting turned heated as frustrated residents confronted the mayor and others.

Davis, who spearheaded the effort, declined repeated requests from The Times to discuss the letter.

Meanwhile, council members offered different ideas about the assistance they would like from the federal government.

Councilman Henry Nickel said he would welcome an initial surge in federal law enforcement to help boost the citys depleted Police Department, while Councilman James Mulvihill wanted only to ask for financial support.

Councilwoman Virginia Marquez said she is open to any ideas the administration may have to help the city curb drugs and violence, though she did not have any specific requests in mind.

The city has not yet received a response to the letter, which was sent in mid-February. Still, Scott, the city manager, acknowledged that it had caused some confusion and frustration.

Its been interpreted as if we were saying send us the National Guard. ... Thats not what we were asking for.  City Manager Mark Scott

He said he believed that most officials who signed the letter did so because they want federal financial help for the city, which has been devastated by a prolonged bankruptcy. They didnt anticipate that it would focus so heavily on marijuana, he added.

Scott mentioned that last year under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Justice approved a $2.8-million grant to help the city hire 11 new police officers. The hope, he said, was that by engaging Trump, the city might be better positioned for similar help in the future.

Its been interpreted as if we were saying send us the National Guard or something, he said. Thats not what we were asking for. All the letter does is ask for a meeting.

On Monday, several residents confronted the council at its bi-monthly meeting, and the city attorney warned that council members might have violated the states open-meetings law by approving the letter without a public hearing.

This letter is creating a lot of fear in our community, said Miriam Nieto of San Bernardino Generation Now, which aims to improve the city through civic participation. If you meant for this letter to help our community, know that at the moment, it is not.

Councilman Fred Shorett said in retrospect that the way the letter was handled and written was probably a mistake.

But others defended it. We need help, Councilwoman Bessine Richard said. Thats the way I took the letter, that we need help.  We need money.

Still, the council unanimously adopted a resolution requiring that any letter sent by a majority of its members be placed on the agenda and discussed publicly before approval.

Later this week, City Atty. Gary Saenz said he plans to advise the council to rescind the letter to avoid a possible lawsuit over whether it was sent in violation of state law. The council could, after a public hearing, decide to send it again, he added.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

Twitter: @palomaesquivel

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March 8, 2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from the city attorney.

This article was originally published at 2 p.m. March 7.
Angelenos go to the polls Tuesday in a string of elections that could have major consequences for the city. Mayor Eric Garcetti is up for reelection, and even with some challengers, hes expected to win easily. But down the ballot are some seriously competitive contests for the City Council and school board  not to mention high-profile ballot initiatives. Heres a roundup of The Times coverage of these races.

Large-scale developments such as the Metropolis in downtown L.A. are part of the Measure S debate. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

MEASURE S

The slow-growth measure could dramatically reduce high-density construction in certain parts of Los Angeles and radically rework development patterns across the city.

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L.A. elected officials make new push against Measure S. Los Angeles Times

Making sense of Measure S, the latest battle in L.A.'s long war over development. Los Angeles Times

The luxury housing that Measure S would stop doesnt actually require many evictions. Los Angeles Times

Here are the biggest spenders in the battle over building restrictions in L.A. Los Angeles Times

Why is an AIDS nonprofit suing to halt construction and pushing for Measure S? Los Angeles Times

Mayor Eric Garcetti is facing 10 lesser-known rivals in his bid for reelection. (Nick Ut / Associated Press)

MAYORS RACE

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcettis campaign aims to strengthen his power base. Los Angeles Times.

Hes pretty darn lucky. Garcetti is riding the wave of L.As. renaissance as he runs for reelection. Los Angeles Times

Mitchell Schwartz might be an ally of Eric Garcetti if he werent running against him. Los Angeles Times.

CITY COUNCIL

Council District 1: Incumbent Gil Cedillo faces a challenge in contest for his L.A. City Council seat. Los Angeles Times

Council District 5: Councilman Paul Koretz fights for a third term on L.A.'s Westside. Los Angeles Times

Council District 7: Bookkeeper, stuntman among 20 candidates in crowded contest for a Los Angeles City Council seat. Los Angeles Times

Council District 9: In L.A.'s historic African American core, a growing Latino wave represents a possible turning point. Los Angeles Times

Council District 11: Twin issues of homelessness and development dominate debate in District 11 council race. Los Angeles Times

Council District 13: In an Echo Park-to-Hollywood-to-Atwater district, six candidates sparred over housing and development. Los Angeles Times

Council District 15: L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino runs an aggressive campaign despite little opposition. Los Angeles Times

Heres a list of all The Times endorsements. These come from our opinion section, which is separate from the news department. Los Angeles Times

Students arrive for classes at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in 2015. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. SCHOOLS

For several years, charter school advocates and teacher union forces have been battling for influence on the L.A. school board. This election could tip the balance of power to charter supporters.

Could the L.A. school boards balance of power tip pro-charter? Los Angeles Times

These L.A. school board candidates have a message, but little money to get it out. Los Angeles Times

L.A. school board races draw millions in outside spending. Los Angeles Times

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com

Twitter: @boreskes

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Abu Hasan never understood why the U.S. travel ban issued by the Trump administration in January included Iraq, which has been a key ally in the battle against Islamic State militants.

The order was wrong, wrong, wrong, said the militia commander fighting alongside the Iraqi military to oust the extremist group from the city of Mosul. We are defending not just Iraq but the world against Islamic State.

Like other Iraqis interviewed since President Trump signed a revised immigration order Monday, Abu Hasan said he was pleased that his country has been removed from the list.

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The new order halts the issuing of new visas to people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days while the government reviews its vetting procedures. Unlike the first order, which was blocked by court challenges, it does not apply to green-card holders or people who already have visas.

The White House was under pressure from both the State and Defense departments to remove Iraq from the list. Thousands of U.S. forces have been in Iraq since last fall, assisting the Iraqi-led coalition that has been battling Islamic State in Mosul since the fall.

A fact sheet detailing the new order cited negotiations that resulted in Iraq agreeing to increase cooperation with the U.S. government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States.

The original travel ban upset many Iraqis. The parliament called for a reciprocal ban on Americans, but the prime minister rejected the idea.

Ahmed Galadi, 30, a soldier with the Interior Ministrys emergency response division in west Mosul, said the original ban was especially misguided when it came to Iraqis working with the Americans.

We are the guys who want to make Iraq better, he said.

A father of two, he worked with U.S. forces for years and has paid a steep price. In 2009, his twin brother was killed while driving his car, shot in the head by a militia member who mistook him for Galadi. Scores of other Iraqis who worked with the U.S. were killed in his hometown of Diwaniya, south of Baghdad, he said.

My family doesnt know Im working with Americans now, he said. If they did, they would say, Once the Americans go, where will you go? Because the militias will kill you.

He wants the option of fleeing to the U.S. if needed, especially for his wife, 12-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter. He was encouraged by the new order.

Imam Ahmed Rakan Ahmed, 30, also welcomed the removal of Iraq from the ban. But he was said it did nothing to address the most pressing problems in east Mosul, where he runs a mosque.

He and his family had fled the city after Islamic State took over but returned in December and reopened the mosque, after the militants were driven out of his neighborhood.

Many of the families it serves are poor, but they have been gathering donations for those worse off as fighting has shifted to the citys west side.

Whats important for us is whats happening on the west side of Mosul, those displaced people who are suffering, the Muslim spiritual leader said as the call to prayer sounded.

He said the U.S. should have stayed long enough after the 2003 invasion of Iraq to prevent Islamic State from forming. America is responsible, he said. Its their duty to protect us.

Others were more enthusiastic about the revision to the order.

Thank God! said Zryan Ibrahim, who lives in the northern city of Sulaymaniya and wants to attend a six-week exchange program in the U.S. and, later, graduate school there. She worried that the original ban would have quashed those plans.

Rachel Ramey, an 33-year-old American teacher living in Sulaymaniya with her Iraqi husband, said she was glad the ban was revised. Her husband had applied for a visa almost a year ago.

The couple married two years ago and planned to move to the U.S. and start a family.

Even with Iraq off the list, Ramey remained nervous about the vetting process.

What if we get to the airport and have everything together and they say, No, were denying you? she said.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.
Its a movement charging ahead  for now.

Legalizing recreational marijuana is currently a priority in more than a dozen states as polls show overwhelming support and lawmakers see a way to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue. So far, eight states have legalized recreational cannabis.

But in recent weeks, the Trump administration has alarmed some pot supporters by warning states that have legalized recreational marijuana  California, Colorado and Oregon, among them  that federal law enforcement agents could soon come after them.

I am definitely not a fan of expanded use of marijuana, U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions told reporters recently. (Last year, Sessions characterized marijuana as a very real danger.)

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Heres a look at the current state of marijuana in America:

When did marijuana legalization begin?

The movement began more than 20 years ago.

In 1996, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Since then, 27 other states and the District of Columbia have passed laws  a mix of voter-approved ballot measures and legislation  legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.

Scientific research has consistently shown that, for certain conditions, marijuana can be of medical value.

Indeed, a report released in January by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that there is conclusive and substantial evidence that cannabis is effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults, including nausea from chemotherapy and multiple sclerosis-related spasms.

Similar findings have shown up in medical reports over the years.

But wait, isnt marijuana still illegal at the federal level?

Yes  kind of.

Under federal law, marijuana is viewed as a Schedule I drug  the highest classification, also including heroin and ecstasy.

States, they can pass the laws they choose. I would just say, it does remain a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not, Sessions told reporters.

But states that have legalized medicinal pot have some leeway.

In 2014, Congress passed a spending bill that included a provision that bars the Justice Department from using funds to go after state medical cannabis programs. The provision remains in place.

What about recreational marijuana?

Its not protected under that provision.

Since 2012, eight states  with Colorado and Washington state leading the way  have legalized the sale and possession of marijuana for anyone over the age of 21. One result is that the states are raking in big bucks.

Last year, Colorado brought in nearly $200 million in tax revenue off sales, while Washington state netted about $256 million.

What is the Trump administration planning to do?

Its unclear. Aside from saying states that legalized recreational pot could be targeted for federal action, the administration did not get into specifics, though it certainly suggested a sterner approach than the Obama administration.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer likened marijuana use to the opioid addiction epidemic and said the Justice Department would review how to proceed.

What did Trump the candidate say about legal marijuana?

Trump, who rarely faced questions about cannabis legalization on the campaign trial, made remarks that appear at odds with the recent comments from Sessions and Spicer.

I think its up to the states, Trump said in an interview with a Denver television station in August. Im a states person. I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.

So recreational legalization began under President Obama. What did he do?

To be blunt, mostly nothing.

Other than a few raids early on, the Obama administration viewed marijuana legalization mostly as a states rights issue.

In a memo released in August 2013, then-Deputy Atty. Gen. James Cole noted that as long as state legalization efforts didnt undermine a range of federal priorities  such as keeping pot out of the hands of minors and preventing marijuana from being grown on public land  his office would exercise prosecutorial discretion.

In other words, the Justice Department directed law enforcement resources to other drug priorities, such as the growing use of opiate painkillers across the country.

Obama, in an exit interview with Rolling Stone in November, said he was not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea.

But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it, he said.

Are states that have legalized pot looking for help from the federal government?

Yes.

Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, banks are prohibited from taking money from dispensaries selling pot, forcing an all-cash business that creates persistent fears of violent crime among employees.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has called on Congress to pass legislation that halts federal regulators from penalizing financial institutions for serving the marijuana industry.

He has support from members of Congress, such as Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who in February helped form the bipartisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus. The group aims to craft and pass federal legislation that helps states that have legalized marijuana.

The results are in, Polis said in a statement last month. A majority of Americans live in a state that has some form of legal access to cannabis, and the federal prohibition of marijuana has been a complete and utter failure.

Are more states looking to legalize?

Yes  many more.

So far this year, lawmakers in 17 states  Connecticut, Minnesota and Hawaii, to name a few  have introduced more than two dozen measures to legalize recreational pot for adults and tax its sales.

Our focus is on revenue and bringing in cash to the state as legalization becomes more and more widespread, Mary Washington, a state delegate from Maryland who introduced a bill recently that would tax marijuana like alcohol, told The Times. Why not get it done now? Were elected to do a job. More and more states are moving in this direction.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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Attorneys for a young Dreamer facing deportation claim in a federal petition that immigration officers violated her right to freedom of speech, arguing she was targeted by authorities because she spoke out at a news conference about her hopes for immigration reform and the effect of enforcement raids on her family.

The allegation of retaliation is contained in a petition filed in federal court by a coalition of immigration and civil rights attorneys trying to stop the deportation of Daniela Vargas, who was detained by immigration agents in Mississippi minutes after she spoke at the news conference.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Immigration Law Center joined Vargas immigration attorneys to file a habeas petition late Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Claiming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated Vargas 5th Amendment due process rights to a hearing before an immigration judge and her 1st Amendment right to be free from unconstitutional retaliation for protected speech, the petition seeks her immediate release, as well as a court hearing to challenge the decision to deport her.

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She was targeted for speaking out against the ICE enforcement actions in the Jackson area and for going public with her story, said Michelle Lapointe, a senior staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center. We want to send a message to ICE that they cannot behave in this manner that targets people for exercising their 1st Amendment rights.

Vargas, 22, who was brought to the U.S. from Argentina when she was 7 years old, is one of a handful of young immigrants who now finds their legal status in question years after being accepted under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Obama-era measure that allows immigrants brought into the country as children to work legally and protects them from deportation.

Danielas case is representative of the mean-spirited and misguided immigration policy of this administration that seeks to deport law-abiding young people who have contributed to their communities and who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans, Lapointe said. They grew up here. The only issue is they were brought to this country by their parents many, many years ago.

Growing up in Morton, a small city 35 miles east of Jackson, Miss., Vargas graduated high school in 2013 with honors, ranking ninth in her class with a 3.77 grade point average. After attending the University of Southern Mississippi, she recently took on a full-time job as a manager of a small store because she could not afford tuition.

Vargas first came under the media spotlight on Feb. 15, after ICE agents detained her father and brother outside their Jackson home as they left for work. Vargas barricaded herself in her home, yet federal agents returned with a search warrant and broke in. After handcuffing her, the petition claims, federal agents later released her, saying they knew her DACA status had lapsed, but that they were giving her a hall pass.

Shaken, Vargas emerged from the house to speak to local media reporters who had gathered outside. Two weeks later, on March 1, ICE agents detained her shortly after she spoke at a news conference outside Jackson City Hall about the need for a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the country without authorization.

Videotape of the news conference shows Vargas saying, Today my father and brother await deportation while I continue to fight this battle as a Dreamer to help contribute to this country which I feel is very much my country.

According to the petition, ICE agents in two vehicles later pulled over her friends car, and one ICE agent who had previously raided her home said to Vargas: Remember me? You know who we are; you know why were here, and youre under arrest for being an illegal immigrant. She is now being held at a detention center in Louisiana.

In the petition filed Monday, Vargas attorneys argue the actions taken against her could have a chilling effect on others who wish to speak out about immigration. The arrest, detention, and imminent deportation that Ms. Vargas currently faces have injured her and continue to injure her, and would chill any person of ordinary firmness from continuing to speak out on issues related to immigration enforcement and policy, the petition states.

According to her attorneys, Vargas has two pending legal avenues to remain in the country lawfully. In 2012 and 2014, she was approved for the DACA program. While her DACA status expired in November as she tried to save up the $495 fee to renew it, her attorneys filed a renewal application in February.

In addition, Vargas also has a pending 2014 petition for a U non-immigrant visa based on her status as the child of a victim of a serious crime who has suffered mental or physical abuse and is cooperating with government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

Last week, ICE issued a public statement indicating that Vargas case would be heard before an immigration judge. However, federal officials have served Vargas paperwork noting they plan to deport her to Argentina without a court hearing, because she allegedly entered the U.S. under a Visa Waiver Program and waived her right to contest removal.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.

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A staple of President Trumps early flurry of executive actions was the big reveal  the president seated behind a desk proudly displaying his new edict for the cameras.

On Monday, though, when Trump signed a second order temporarily halting travel from nations deemed to pose a high risk to U.S. security, there was no show of the president affixing his jagged penmanship to an official document. Instead, three Cabinet secretaries spoke publicly blocks from the White House.

Gone was the immediate implementation that triggered chaos the first time, replaced with a 10-day preparation period.

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Both the public unveiling of the new directive and private machinations leading up to it revealed how the Trump administration was course-correcting after stumbles in its tumultuous early weeks. And sidetracked again this weekend by Trumps unsubstantiated claims that President Obama illegally ordered surveillance of his communications during the campaign, the administration found value in demonstrating it could function relatively routinely.

Thats what we wanted to highlight today, is the government getting it done, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday.

Notably, that meant that reporters had no scheduled opportunity to see the president at work, for the first time in the 32 weekdays of the Trump administration.

It was on his sixth working day, Jan. 27, that Trump traveled to the Pentagon to sign the initial executive order banning travel to the U.S. from seven mostly Muslim nations, while also indefinitely banning the admission of Syrian refugees and halting other refugee admissions for 120 days.

At first, the only glimpse the public had of the order was on one-and-a-half pages that the president proudly displayed from behind a wooden desk bearing the seal of the president, his new Defense secretary and Vice President Mike Pence behind him.

The White House neither published the executive order nor answered questions about it for hours, and the confusion blossomed in the following days amid long waits at airport immigration lines, detentions and protests.

Mondays rollout was more deliberate, with White House aides and agency officials briefing reporters, followed by an on-camera announcement by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly.

The only confirmation of Trumps role in the order was a photo tweeted by Spicer showing him signing it.

We did a phenomenal job of rolling it out and making sure the American people saw the faces of the departments that were instrumental in implementing it, Spicer said.

The White House offered two main explanations for the dramatically different approaches. First, when the initial order was released, neither Sessions nor Tillerson was in office yet as they awaited confirmation. And second, court decisions suspending the first order gave the administration a road map to avoid further legal challenges.

When the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower-court decision suspending implementation of the initial order on Feb. 9, Trump had famously tweeted, See you in court. But by Saturday night, when he was surrounded at his Mar-a-Lago estate by Sessions, Kelly and other top legal and policy advisors to review the language of the revised order, he also signed off on their recommendation to no longer press ahead with the legal fight over the first.

There was an element of surprise that benefited our countrys safety. We lost that after the 9th Circuit ruled the way that it did, Spicer said of the initial order. I think that our goal was to make sure that we used that time to ensure the most effective implementation, which I think youre seeing by all accounts today.

The initial order was largely drafted by Stephen Miller, the presidents top policy advisor, and Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist. Spicer said Monday that the revised order was crafted after a more extensive review process involving the White Houses Domestic Policy Council but led by the Homeland Security Department.

Justice Department lawyers, including those from the Office of Legal Counsel, played an active role in writing, revising and approving the final draft of the order, according to two officials at the agency. The State Department worked with the Iraqi government to gain assurances that led to its removal from the banned nations list.

And White House officials also sought more significant input from lawmakers than they had before the first order, a key factor that left the administration nearly isolated in defending it at the time.

You always look back and do an after-action report, figure out what you could have done better, Spicer said.

The presidents new immigration executive order addresses some of the concerns I had with the original ban, said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist Republican. She had previously been critical of what she described as the insufficient vetting of the plan, and described an exemption in the initial order for Christians as likely to be unconstitutional.

Democrats, though, described the changes as purely symbolic.

No amount of relabeling will change the fact that President Trumps travel ban is unconstitutional and un-American, said Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip. Trumps first travel ban was blocked by multiple federal courts, and his latest will no doubt face the same fate.

Spicers primary daily news briefing was itself held in the White House press room but on the condition that cameras not broadcast the proceedings, as he faced questions not just about the new order but the basis of Trumps claim that former President Obama had ordered direct surveillance of him during the 2016 campaign.

Spicer adhered to the long-running White House posture when it comes to the presidents social media musings, saying the tweet speaks for itself.

Times staff writer Del Quentin Wilber contributed to this report.

michael.memoli@latimes.com

Twitter: @mikememoli

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Citing no evidence, Trump accuses Obama of tapping his phones during the election
Donald Trumps absurd accusation that Barack Obama wiretapped his telephones during the very sacred election process is a depressing reminder that a president who has access to the resources of the nations intelligence agencies prefers to believe conspiracy theories.

Even more depressing than Trumps weekend tweetstorm was what followed: his staff trying to justify his outburst, and some Republicans  including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Tulare)  indulging the president in his attempt to shift public attention away from persistent questions about his campaigns ties to Russia and onto a supposed plot against him by the Obama administration and the intelligence bureaucracy. That could introduce even more friction into congressional investigations of Russian interference in last years presidential election, which already have been strained by partisanship.

Nunes said that his panels investigation would also include inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political partys campaign officials or surrogates. That sounds as if the allegation is based on serious reports of illegal politically motivated surveillance of a political campaign, which would be a scandal comparable to Watergate. But where is the evidence of such abuse?

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It is in the presidents interest, as well as the nations, to put to rest suspicions about any such collusion if they are untrue.

Trumps sensational assertion that Obama ordered the tapping of telephones at Trump Tower just before the victory has been denied by Obama and former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper. Multiple news organizations have reported that FBI Director James B. Comey asked the Department of Justice to publicly repudiate Trumps claim. Finally, there is the inconvenient fact that presidents dont order wiretaps.

So where did Trump get the idea that Obama wiretapped him? The best explanation seems to be that he was inspired by a report in Breitbart News, which itself cited a commentary by radio host Marc Levin in which he urged Congress to investigate Obamas silent coup against Trump.

The Breitbart story also linked to stories in other publications about an order supposedly issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for inspection of a computer server at Trump Tower in connection with an investigation of Russian banks. But even the author of the original report about the supposed court order says that she never wrote that it included authorization for a wiretap. (The Washington Posts fact-checker has cast doubt on these reports, and gave Trump the dreaded Four Pinocchios rating for his wiretapping claim.)

Trumps reckless accusation is inseparable from his longstanding view that concerns about Russian meddling in the election are raised in an effort to delegitimize his presidency. In fact, one can denounce Russian interference and still acknowledge Trump as the winner of the election  provided, of course, that his campaign wasnt involved in Russian efforts to sabotage Clintons prospects. And so far there is no evidence of that. Clapper said over the weekend that he had no knowledge of evidence that Trumps campaign colluded with the Russians.

But it is in the presidents interest, as well as the nations, to put to rest suspicions about any such collusion if they are untrue. That is why it is imperative that the Senate and House intelligence committees expedite their investigation of possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence, perhaps coordinating their investigations to avoid duplication. Other aspects of the investigation can wait until this matter is resolved.

For the congressional investigation to be credible, it must be bipartisan. That means Democrats must be willing to refrain from using it to score extraneous points against a president who is deeply unpopular with their base, and Republicans must be willing not to endorse or acquiesce in outrageous allegations such as the wiretapping charge.

Meanwhile, if the president expects to be treated fairly he will stop the baseless attacks on others  including his predecessor.

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Republicans have finally released their long-awaited alternative to the Affordable Care Act. As expected, the bill would give a huge tax cut to the wealthy and gut the federal spending that the poor and the middle class depend on for their health insurance.

No one knows exactly how many tens of millions of people will lose coverage. In a break with tradition, Republicans will vote on the bill before congressional budget experts can crunch the numbers. (Thats like buying a house before the broker tells you how much it costs  except if you buy the house, millions of people suffer as a result.) But make no mistake: The Republican bill would undo most of Obamacares gains.

Bad as that will be for the entire country, it will be especially bad for states like California, where the Affordable Care Act is working well. Before health reform, 1 out of every 6 Californians was uninsured. By 2016, only 7.4% lacked coverage.

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Because it expanded its Medicaid program, California has provided insurance to its most vulnerable residents. An additional 1.6 million people get coverage through Californias exchange, where premiums are among the cheapest in the country and the average rate increase for 2017 was just 5%, a strong sign of a stable market.

In his joint address to Congress, President Trump claimed that Obamacare is collapsing. Has he ever visited California?

Obamacare wasnt collapsing  but it could if the Republicans get their way.

All of this progress is now in jeopardy, and even congressional Republicans seem to understand that their Obamacare fix is folly. Thats why the bill delays the harshest spending cuts until 2020, when the 2018 midterm elections are behind them.

But the Republican bill would set chaos in motion because it would immediately eliminate the individual mandate  that is, the tax penalty imposed on those who dont purchase insurance. Without that mandate, some healthy people will choose to forgo coverage, knowing they can always enroll later if they get sick. Those who keep their insurance will therefore be less healthy than average. Insurers will have to jack up their premiums to cover those sicker enrollees.

That means Californias stable market will start to teeter. Large premium spikes are likely; in some rural areas, insurers might pull out altogether. The Commonwealth Fund estimates that 1 out of 4 people on the exchanges would lose their coverage.

Heres the takeaway, then: Obamacare wasnt collapsing  but it could if the Republicans get their way.

California has a shot at preventing that collapse, however, as do other states where Democrats are in charge, including New York, Connecticut, Washington and Oregon. For 2018 and 2019, almost every part of Obamacare except for the individual mandate will remain intact. California can patch that hole by replacing the individual mandate at the state level. Call it the Golden State Mandate.

The Legislature would have to act fast. The substitute mandate probably would have to be in place by the summer in order to give insurers time to set their rates before the start of open enrollment on Nov. 1. Even then, the gambit might not work: Insurers are skittish about the long-term future of health reform. Some may head for the hills.

But the California exchange is healthy and, with a substitute mandate in place, the economic picture for the next two years shouldnt look all that different than it does today. Instead of the premium surge that other states will experience, California residents could see a more moderate increase in premiums. At a minimum, its worth a shot.

A patch also would buy time to figure out how to cope with a post-Obamacare world. Two California legislators already have floated a single-payer plan for the state; New York is considering whether to impose a state version of the Affordable Care Act. Proposals like these will be controversial, and they cant be adopted overnight. A substitute mandate, however, would give policymakers two years to work out their differences.

State-level mandates are perfectly legal, by the way. Nothing in the proposed legislation strips states of their traditional authority to tax their residents. Nor would a Golden State Mandate interfere with the congressional design: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has said that the states should be empowered to make the right trade-offs between consumer protections and individual choice, not regulators in Washington.

Although theres a chance that the existing repeal bill will fall victim to intra-party bickering, Republicans are dead serious about gutting the Affordable Care Act one way or another. They may well succeed. And by the time the dust settles on the congressional debate, it may be too late to patch Obamacare.

California and other blue states should take the GOP, and Ryan, at their word  and take matters into their own hands, not in the future, but now.

Nicholas Bagley is a professor of law at the University of Michigan.

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President Trumps new travel ban is wrong, illegal and irrational, just like the old travel ban. It is both wrong and illegal to assume that a person is more likely to be dangerous because of his or her religion, national origin, race or ethnicity. It is irrational to believe that refugees fleeing persecution are a national security threat.

Like the prior executive order, which was announced Jan. 27, the new version issued Monday suspends the entire refugee program for 120 days. It caps the total number of refugees admitted this fiscal year at 50,000 instead of 110,000. It bars immigrants from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for 90 days.

Two main differences stand out between travel ban 1.0 and 2.0. The first executive order included Iraq on the banned list; the second does not. The first affected those who have the lawful right to be in the United States, such as those with green cards and visas; the second does not.

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Still, most of the original legal reasoning against the ban applies.

A three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that version 1.0 was possibly unconstitutional because it was discriminatory in effect: the designated countries are all majority Muslim. Theres also good evidence that the ban was discriminatory in intent: President Trump said repeatedly during his campaign that he wanted to ban Muslims from entering the country. And former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, an advisor to President Trump, stated that Trump had asked for his help in legally creating a Muslim ban, and that, in response, Giuliani and others decided to use nationality as a proxy.

The new order lists exactly the same countries, except for Iraq. Thats nonsensical since the Trump administration has repeatedly said its worried about countries compromised by terrorism. If Iraq, home of Islamic State, isnt compromised, what nation is?

The administration has not even attempted to demonstrate that existing intensive screening mechanisms are insufficient to protect national security.

More important, there is no good reason to believe that travelers or refugees from the listed countries pose a special threat to the United States. Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, in enjoining the earlier travel ban, quoted 10 national security professionals who have served in top government positions and who declared that since the Sept. 11 attacks, not a single terrorist attack in the United States has been perpetrated by aliens from the countries named in the order. The Sept. 11 attacks  which were mentioned several times in the initial order  werent carried out by citizens of the named countries, either; the attackers were mostly from Saudi Arabia.

The Ninth Circuit panel similarly stated: Government has pointed to no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the Order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States.

In these heady times, many Republicans dont trust the judiciary  or the media. But Trump-controlled agencies have actually backed up these criticisms. Trumps own Department of Homeland Security has said that an individuals country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.

Adding absurdity to absurdity, the administration has not even attempted to demonstrate that existing intensive screening mechanisms are insufficient to protect national security. Already, refugees and immigrants are carefully vetted before being allowed in the country.

There are other serious legal problems with the new travel ban. In 1965, Congress enacted the Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that no person can be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the persons race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence. Absent a specific authorization by Congress, the president cannot simply decide to exclude Somalis, Iranians and so forth.

Trump supporters have pointed to a 1952 statute that allows the president to suspend the entry of any class of aliens that he finds are detrimental to the countrys interests. But that statute was superseded by the 1965 law. The 1952 statute, besides, did not authorize religious discrimination, which is blatantly unconstitutional. Although the president clearly isnt versed in the Bill of Rights, he should at least consider reading the 1st Amendment. Its just a few lines so a long attention span isnt necessary.

Finally, the new order, like the old order, unilaterally reduces the annual level of refugee admissions, cutting it from 110,000 to 50,000. Again, this action is not only inhumane and unjustified, but illegal. The immigration statute does not allow the president to order a mid-year reduction in the level of refugee admissions. No president has attempted this before.

Travel ban 2.0 is slightly better than 1.0; at least it respects those who already have a lawful right to entry. But I expect that courts across the country will recognize that it contains many of the same flaws, and find it unconstitutional.

Erwin Chemerinsky is dean and Raymond Pryke Professor of 1st Amendment Law at the UC Irvine School of Law.

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During and after his campaign, President Trump pledged to release his tax returns as soon as the Internal Revenue Service was done auditing him. Then he recanted, claiming that Americans dont care about the issue.

In fact, Americans do care. A poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post in January found that 74% of people surveyed and 49% of those who voted for Trump said the president should release his returns.

Every major party nominee since Richard Nixon has done so except Gerald Ford, who released a summary. What is Trump hiding? And how might his tax returns see the light of day?

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* Trumps tax returns could expose the extent of his global business entanglements, including potential conflicts of interest that violate the Constitutions emoluments clause. In particular, Trumps returns could tell us quite a bit about his ties to Russian entities and banks. Although Trump has claimed he has no business or loans in Russia, his son said in 2008 that we see a lot money pouring in from Russia.

* Trumps returns could reveal that he isnt as wealthy or successful as he has claimed. As a candidate, Trump made much of his business acumen and claimed to be worth $10 billion. But Forbes put the figure at $4.1 billion, and Trumps returns might show that even this number is a wild exaggeration.

During a presidential debate last fall, Trump bragged that not paying federal income taxes makes me smart.

* The returns could show that Trump has paid little or no federal income taxes. His 1995 tax records, made public by the New York Times in October, revealed that he claimed a $916-million loss that could have allowed him to avoid paying income taxes for up to 18 years. During a presidential debate last fall, Trump bragged that not paying federal income taxes makes me smart.

* Finally, the returns might reveal that Trump, who has long claimed to be a generous philanthropist, gives little or no money to charity. After Trump released a 93-page list of alleged charitable donations totaling $102 million, a Washington Post investigation could confirm only one of those donations  a gift of under $10,000. The paper has also established that Trump used his foundation for business purposes and to settle legal disputes involving his for-profit companies, both violations of federal tax laws.

There are a number of ways Trumps tax records could be made public.

* Congress has the authority to obtain them under a complex statute in the Internal Revenue Code, Section 6103, which allows three congressional committees to obtain private tax information from the IRS in order to investigate presidential conflicts of interest. The committee can then vote on whether to disclose the information to the public.

Of course, it is unlikely that the Republican-led Congress will use its power to get the returns. Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell sent a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) in February, asking the committee to obtain 10 years worth of Trumps returns. Brady refused.

If the Democrats win a majority in either the House or Senate next year, they could vote to obtain Trumps returns. They could also pass a law requiring that all presidents release their tax records, though it is unlikely Trump would sign it.

* Trumps tax records could be made public as a result of a lawsuit filed in New York by a team of constitutional scholars alleging that Trump is in violation of the emoluments clause. The legal team intends to ask for Trumps returns in order to ascertain what income, loans or other payments he has received from foreign governments. The courts must first rule on whether the group has standing to file the suit.

* The records could also be made public if attorneys general in states where Trump has business dealings were to sue him for violating the emoluments clause, as Fordham University Law School professor Jed Schugerman recently argued. Such suits could give a state attorney general access to the returns, which could then be provided to a congressional committee under 6103.

* Finally, there is the possibility that a member of the IRS staff or someone within Trumps own operation would leak his tax returns, either to the media or to Congress.

An IRS leaker would have to be willing to risk ending his or her career with the federal government, paying a fine and even spending time in prison. However, Georgetown University law professor Gregory Klass recently pointed out that the 6103 law grants whistle-blower protections to federal employees who leak tax returns to Congress  if such person believes such return or return information may relate to possible misconduct, maladministration, or taxpayer abuse.

Any leaker would need to believe that Trumps tax returns are so damaging that bringing him down would serve a higher purpose  would, say, protect our democracy from a president with little respect for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law. The number of people who share this belief grows every day.

Peter Dreier is professor of politics at Occidental College.

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Racial disparities have long been evident in the U.S. criminal justice system, but a new report drilling into statistics on wrongful convictions points up exactly how nefarious the problem is. African Americans are much more likely to be wrongfully convicted of a murder, sexual assault or drug offense than whites.

The report, by the National Registry of Exonerations, found that innocent black people are about seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people, and thus also account for a disproportionate share of the growing number of exonerations. African Americans who were convicted and then exonerated of murder charges also spent four years longer on death row than wrongfully convicted whites (and three years longer for those sentenced to prison).

According to the report, African Americans convicted of murder are about 50% more likely to be innocent than other convicted murderers, and that such wrongful convictions, even when later corrected, expands the impact of violence on African American communities.

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A major cause of the high number of black murder exonerations is the high homicide rate in the black community  a tragedy that kills many African Americans and sends many others to prison, says the report, written by Samuel R. Gross, a University of Michigan law professor, and registry researchers Maurice Possley and Klara Stephens. Innocent defendants who are falsely convicted and exonerated do not contribute to this high homicide rate. They  like the families of victims who are killed  are deeply harmed by murders committed by others.

Bias in the system becomes clear when looking at the races of the arrested suspects as well as the victims. Blacks are more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder when the victim is white: Only about 15% of murders by African Americans have white victims, but 31% of innocent African American murder exonerees were convicted of killing white people.

Chillingly, black prisoners later exonerated of the crimes for which they were convicted were 22% more likely to have been targeted by police misconduct, a function of everything from malevolent individual racism by law enforcement and prosecutors to institutional discrimination.

Although African Americans convicted of sexual assault are more than three times likely to be innocent than white convicts, the major cause isnt official misconduct but the high danger of mistaken eyewitness identification by white victims in violent crimes with black assailants.

In a sense, the study affirms what most people already know: Failings of the criminal justice system disproportionately affect African Americans. The solutions, though, arent so clear. Programs aimed at helping law enforcement and court officials recognize their own implicit bias are a step, and giving less credence to eyewitness testimony (whose veracity is shakier than most people think) at trial would help.

More judicious use of police patrols would also help. Although blacks and whites use illegal drugs at about the same rate, black users are five times more likely to go to prison for it than whites and judging from exonerations, innocent black people are about 12 times more likely to be convicted of drug crimes than innocent white people.

Why? Police enforce drug laws far more vigorously in predominately black neighborhoods than in white, which means black people are more likely to be stopped and searched, increasing both the overall arrest rate and the wrongful conviction rate.

When people are wrongfully convicted of murder, a real murderer goes free, and the pain of the crime invests in yet another family.

If theres any good news in the registrys findings, it comes in a second report also released today noting that exonerations reached a record 166 cases last year. So the truth is being rooted out more often, but only for a fraction of the wrongful convictions that have occurred. Which makes you wonder where exactly the justice is to be found in the criminal justice system.

Theres more at stake here than the already bad-enough theft of years of freedom from the wrongfully convicted. A study published three years ago in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that, conservatively, about 4% of people on death rows were likely wrongfully convicted.

There currently are about 2,900 people on death rows around the country, of whom; under that formula, about 120 are likely to have been wrongfully convicted. In California, about 30 of the 749 current death row inmates, using that formula, were likely wrongfully convicted.

This isnt to deflect or ignore the pain and suffering of the victims of crimes, and their families. But when people are wrongfully convicted of murder, a real murderer goes free, and the pain of the crime invests in yet another family  that of the person falsely convicted.

So how does this happen? The Death Penalty Information Center analyzed both its own exoneration count and the one maintained by the registry and agreed with the registry conclusion that that official misconduct was the primary cause for people being sentenced to death for murders they did not commit.

Our data shows that police or prosecutorial misconduct has been the primary cause of 16 of the last 18 death-row exonerations (88.9%), said Death Penalty Information Center Executive Director Robert Dunham. We also found that in 18 of the last 25 misconduct-related death-row exonerations (72.0%), the wrongly capitally prosecuted defendant was black.

What we cant know is how many innocent people have been put to death in the name of justice.

Scott.Martelle@LATimes.com

Follow my posts and re-tweets at @smartelle on Twitter
To the editor: KC Johnson and Stuart Taylor wrote that sexual assault allegations should be handled by the same police and prosecutors who deal with all other serious crimes, not by colleges and universities where many cases occur. I disagree. (Students accused of campus sexual assault are now guilty until proved innocent, March 3)

Decades of overreliance on the criminal justice system have not solved the widespread problem of sexual violence. Instead, some police departments have a history of disregarding allegations and contributing to the rape kit backlog.

Victim-centered campus policies establish norms that sexual violence is not tolerated and perpetrators will face consequences for their actions. They ensure victims can access services, take actions protecting their safety and promoting recovery, and seek justice, while offering all parties options beyond the scope of criminal cases.

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Every student has the right to due process and to complete their education free from sexual violence. Colleges and the criminal justice system both have a role to play in response.

Karen Baker, Enola, Penn.

The writer is executive director of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

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To the editor: The problem of basically law-abiding illegal immigrants in our state and country is quite a conundrum. Some will cheer for deportation, while others will find the enforcement of immigration laws brutal and inhumane. I would have to agree that deporting the parents of Dreamers may be difficult and unrealistic. (Immigrant arrested by ICE after dropping daughter off at school, sending shockwaves through neighborhood, March 3)

However, one message is certainly clear: The days of undocumented immigrants getting a free pass are over.

If nothing else, the arrest of an undocumented father who had just dropped off his daughter at a Los Angeles school will be a warning to people who decide to break into our country illegally. One can no longer assume that there will not be some price to pay.

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They will have to think twice about jeopardizing the future of their children as well.

Rick Solomon, Lake Balboa

..

To the editor: So its come to this: A father is detained while dropping off his daughter at school.

Yes, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez is an illegal immigrant, and yes, he is guilty of a couple of very minor past crimes. But still, is this the America we really want? A country that detains basically innocent people in front of their terrified family members?

Sure, we have immigration problems that must be addressed, and there is nothing wrong with detaining and deporting those who are genuine criminals. But is it really necessary to round up immigrants in such a heartless manner and to instill fear in an entire community?

Steve Fisher, Studio City

..

To the editor: We have to step back and reassess the situation as human beings and as American citizens.

Most illegal immigrants are law-abiding, productive members of their communities, in many cases for 10 or 20 years or more. Many have fled dangerous environments or, at the very least, have come to the U.S. for a better life for their families.

Isnt that the type of person we as a country respect and value, individuals who have the courage and initiative to improve their human condition? Lets face it: They have successfully completed their auditions. Whats left is the formality of taking the oath as full-fledged citizens.

Our country will be better for it.

Kerry Burnside, La Habra

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Watch: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director attends community meeting in Sacramento Facebook

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
House Republicans released a long-awaited Obamacare replacement Monday that would dismantle the laws extensive system for expanding health insurance coverage to millions of Americans.

In all, the plan would probably take away health coverage from several million Americans and raise costs for many more, especially low-income people and the middle-aged. But it would immediately end the requirement that all Americans have insurance, which has been highly unpopular, especially with Republicans, reduce federal authority over the healthcare system and provide a huge tax cut to upper-income families.

The legislation, the first such bill that House Republican leaders have produced, would eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars of federal aid that has allowed states to expand their Medicaid programs to millions of previously uninsured poor people.

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And the bill  called the American Health Care Act  would restructure a system of tax subsidies that have helped millions of working Americans who dont get coverage through an employer to buy health plans.

The plans impact on the federal deficit is unclear because House Republicans did not release a cost estimate for the proposal.

The proposed change in Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, and the reduction in subsidies would both have major effects on the state, threatening to put the budget into the red in future years and reducing the number of state residents able to buy coverage.

The bill, the first step in what could be a long and arduous legislative effort to fulfill a key Republican campaign promise, includes several provisions that appeal to conservatives.

In addition to doing away with taxes created by the Affordable Care Act and the mandate that Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty, it would ban federal funding for Planned Parenthood and any other medical institutions that provide abortion services, another longtime GOP promise.

Though it would continue to provide aid to help people buy health plans, it would prohibit Americans from using those subsidies to buy health insurance that covers abortions.

Despite those provisions, the bill faces opposition from many conservatives who say it does not go far enough in uprooting the current law.

The bill also faces attack from some Senate Republicans who are concerned about any plan that eliminates existing Medicaid coverage.

The critiques from both left and right underscore the difficulty the GOP leadership faces in pushing the bill, despite the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.

House Republicans did not release any analysis of the bills effect on insurance coverage, a crucial omission.

Such analysis, which is expected to show that millions of people would lose coverage, could be a political bombshell for the GOP. The current law is credited with extending coverage to more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans and driving the nations uninsured rate to the lowest levels ever recorded.

Senior House Republicans billed the legislation, which two House committees will start debating Wednesday, as the fulfillment of their seven-year pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

It is Obamacare gone, because we repeal all those taxes, those mandates, those subsidies. Theres nothing left there, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), one of the legislations lead authors, told Fox News on Monday. Were giving Americans  freedom like theyve never had before to buy healthcare thats right for them.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer hailed the release of the bill, saying, Today marks an important step toward restoring healthcare choices and affordability back to the American people.

But a tweet from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) provided evidence of the opposition from the partys right wing.

This sure looks like Obamacare Lite! wrote Paul, who is leading the conservative opposition with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) and the House Freedom Caucus.

Congressional Democrats and other defenders of the current healthcare law charged that the GOP bill would strip away vital health protections.

Trumpcare doesnt replace the Affordable Care Act; it forces millions of Americans to pay more for less care, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said. This plan would cut and cap Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood and force Americans, particularly older Americans, to pay more out of pocket for their medical care.

With a few notable exceptions, the legislation released Monday reflects healthcare plans that House Republicans have been working on for years but have never put into legislative language.

Starting in 2020, the bills would phase out hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid that has allowed 31 states to expand their Medicaid programs, a key pillar of Obamacare.

After 2020, states could continue to provide expanded coverage, but they would have to pick up substantially more of the cost, a disincentive that would likely force many states to scrap the expanded safety net.

Equally important, the House bill would dramatically change federal support for Medicaid, effectively capping future aid to states.

The House GOP plan would also restructure insurance marketplaces created through Obamacare for Americans who dont get health benefits at work.

Though the legislation prohibits insurers from turning away sick people, insurers would no longer be required to offer health plans that meet the same coverage standards, another protection in Obamacare. That could allow the sale of more catastrophic health insurance plans that impose higher deductibles on consumers.

People who go without insurance for more than a couple of months would face a 30% surcharge on their premiums  a provision designed to replace the current laws mandate that people buy coverage.

The legislation would create a more limited system of subsides  refundable tax credits, as in the current law  to help people buy coverage.

Subsidies currently are linked to consumers income and to the price of health plans. That effectively offers the most protection to low-income people who live in regions of the country with expensive health insurance.

The House GOP alternative would instead link subsidies primarily to consumers age, with annual assistance ranging from $2,000 for people under 30 to $4,000 for those over 60. They would have a cap of $14,000 per family.

Republicans have insisted the Medicaid provisions and the subsidies will preserve coverage. Were going to make sure were not pulling the rug out from under people, said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

But independent analysis suggests that many older and poorer Americans would probably end up paying more.

In a nod to criticism from some Republicans, senior House leaders agreed to phase out the federal assistance for higher-income households  single Americans making $75,000 a year or more and couples making $150,000 a year or more.

Bowing to criticism from leading business groups, House GOP leaders also dropped plans to begin taxing health benefits that are provided by employers, a proposal that was widely seen as political suicide.

The House legislation still eliminates major taxes in the current law, however, including levies on insurance companies and medical device makers and a tax on families making more than $250,000 a year. Elimination of the latter will amount to a huge tax cut for the countrys wealthiest taxpayers.

Without any alternative to these taxes to pay for their bill, House Republicans had to engage in some budget games, including keeping another unpopular Obamacare tax on generous health plans but delaying it for a few years.

The legislation is under fire from conservative Republicans, who charge that the party is creating a different government entitlement by replacing Obamacares subsidies with a system of its own.

Conservatives are being backed by the influential Koch network group, led by Americans for Prosperity, which promised a high-dollar ad campaign to push wayward Republican lawmakers to pass nothing short of a full repeal. The group is staging a rally Tuesday outside the Capitol to pressure GOP lawmakers.

Even if the legislation clears the House, it faces a tougher political landscape in the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.

On Monday, four Republican senators raised concerns that cutting Medicaid could hurt their most vulnerable constituents.

We believe Medicaid needs to be reformed, but reform should not come at the cost of disruption in access to healthcare for our countrys most vulnerable and sickest individuals, Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Noam.Levey@latimes.com | @NoamLevey

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com | @LisaMascaro

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House GOP leadership faced mounting opposition Tuesday after introducing an Obamacare repeal and replace bill that was rejected by small government conservatives, panned by Republican moderates and given only lukewarm support from President Trump.

One day after unveiling the GOPs long-promised effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something better, the new American Health Care Act already appears to be on life support, unlikely to survive the onslaught of friendly fire unless Trump personally rallies his party.

But Trumps intervention looks uncertain. While the president embraced our wonderful new healthcare bill in an early morning tweet, he also suggested its just a starting point for review and negotiation  opening the floodgates to alternative ideas and proposals that could take weeks to sort out.

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Later, in a White House meeting with House Republicans, he offered a stronger endorsement, saying he was proud to support their plan and expected it to pass very quickly.

At the same time, though Trump is also accepting back-channel calls from conservative Republican opponents  including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)  who are warning him off legislation they view as nothing more than a revamped federal entitlement program. Conservative lawmakers are being backed by the Koch network, whose supporters rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday, and other influential groups including Heritage Action and Club for Growth. They dismiss the GOP leaderships bill as Obamacare 2.0 or Obamacare lite.

This is not the Obamacare repeal bill weve been waiting for, said Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is leading the GOP opposition with Paul and the House Freedom Caucus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has also raised objections.

We promised the American people we would drain the swamp and end business as usual in Washington. This bill does not do that, Lee said. This is exactly the type of backroom dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for, and it is not what we promised the American people.

For seven years Republicans have promised to end Obamacare, and after winning repeated congressional elections on their promise to repeal and replace the law, they were confident Democrats would have no choice but to join them.

But Democrats have shown no interest in the GOP bill, saying it would drop millions of Americans from healthcare coverage without offering them viable alternatives. Rather than being spooked by their November election losses, Democrats have been buoyed by the outpouring of support for Obamacare by constituents and protesters flocking to lawmakers town hall meetings across the country.

This Republican bill will do massive damage to millions of families across the nation, said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the minority leader. She called it a Make America Sick Again bill that hands billionaires a massive new tax break while shifting huge costs and burdens onto working families across America.

Without much backup, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) is nevertheless pressing forward with an ambitious committee hearing schedule Wednesday, ahead of an expected House vote this month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he expected passage in the Senate before the spring recess in April. But the GOP leaders are largely standing alone for now and will need more political muscle to heave the bill to passage.

The White House dispatched Vice President Mike Pence to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for his regular Senate Republican lunch and to meet with other GOP lawmakers, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told White House reporters he looked forward to working with critics on the bill. But it is increasingly clear Republicans will need more than the mild diplomacy of these two former congressmen to hammer resistant Republicans into line.

Republicans can afford to lose no more than about 20 lawmakers in the House and two in the Senate under special rules that allow passage of the legislation with a simple majority. Trumps bully pulpit would provide a stronger nudge.

I like the presidents statement that its up for negotiation, Paul said on Fox News, adding he spoke to Trump on Monday. The negotiation will be conservatives saying, Hey, were not going to take Obamacare lite.

The architects of the House bill  Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee  urged their colleagues Tuesday to give the bill a chance. They are also betting that few Republicans would want to be blamed for preventing the partys best chance to date at derailing Obamacare.

We can act now or we can keep fiddling around and squander this opportunity, Brady said.

The Republican bill would dramatically revamp the Obamacare system by shifting healthcare costs away from the federal government and onto patients and states.

The GOP legislation ends the Obamacare subsidies that help some Americans buy health insurance and replaces them with monthly tax credits for consumers who buy their own insurance policies. Those credits, up to $14,000 a year for families, are phased out for individuals earning more than $75,000 a year or $150,000 for couples.

The Republican plan also phases out, in 2020, the expansion of Medicaid that some states chose to participate in under Obamacare, halting the federal funding that helps states pay for healthcare for the poor and disabled.

Dismantling the Medicaid expansion is particularly worrisome to GOP senators from Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado and Alaska because they fear their states will be unable to provide health coverage for needy residents.

I want to be sure that during that transition period people arent left high and dry, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) told reporters.

The bill keeps some popular provisions of Obamacare, such as allowing young adults to remain on their parents plans until they are 26. But it does away with others, including one that restricts insurers from charging older patients for policies three times more than for younger people. The GOP bill allows older customers to be charged five times as much.

A full accounting of the costs and numbers of people who will gain or lose coverage is expected soon from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and some lawmakers criticized GOP leaders for pressing forward without that complete assessment.

Other Republican lawmakers, though, said the GOP plan would require Americans to budget their money more wisely rather than rely on the government for help.

The Republican plan will expand opportunities for Americans to sock more of their own money away into health savings accounts that can be used to pay for healthcare costs, they say.

Americans [have] got to make a choice, and so maybe instead of getting that new iPhone ... they should invest in their own healthcare, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

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The Justice Department official who would oversee the federal investigation into Russias meddling in the U.S. election sidestepped calls to appoint a special prosecutor, testifying Tuesday that he didnt know enough about the probe to make such a pledge.

Rod Rosenstein, a top federal prosecutor nominated by President Trump to be deputy attorney general, testified that if confirmed he would ensure that politics would not derail any investigation involving Russia. He said he was not aware of any reason he couldnt oversee such a probe of Kremlin-led election interference, adding that his job would be to make sure all investigations are conducted independently.

What normally would have be a relatively sleepy hearing drew intense interest and sharp questions from some lawmakers in light of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announcement last week that he would recuse himself from any investigations involving the fall campaign. With that action, oversight of any such probe would fall to the departments No. 2.

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The attorney general, a top Trump campaign surrogate last year, said he would distance himself from the investigation after Justice Department officials disclosed he had met twice with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. despite having told Congress in January that he had engaged in no such contacts.

Democrats have pressed for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Russias meddling and any potential ties Moscow may have had to the Trump campaign. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pledged on Twitter on Sunday to use every possible tool to block Rosensteins appointment if he didnt commit to appointing such a prosecutor.

Though Rosenstein testified he would be willing to appoint a special prosecutor whenever I feel its appropriate, he spent most of the hearing dodging questions about the Russia investigation, saying he had not been briefed about it.

Under questioning from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rosenstein noted that former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch and acting Deputy Atty. Gen. Dana Boente had declined to name a special prosecutor. The FBI is investigating Russias interference in the election, as well as any potential ties between the Trump campaign or his associates and the Kremlin, U.S. officials have said.

FBI officials have not publicly discussed their investigation, and there are no indications that they have discovered wrongdoing by any Trump associate.

I am not in a position to answer the question because I dont know the information they know, Rosenstein said, referring to Lynch and Boente. He added that he would consult with career lawyers and review the rules and regulations governing such appointments to determine if one is necessary.

Rosenstein said he had no reason to doubt conclusions by the intelligence community that Russia sought to undermine the elections, though he testified he had not read the declassified version of an intelligence community report published Jan. 6 that reached that conclusion. The report asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the election-related meddling in an effort to hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump. Those efforts included the hacking of emails from the Democratic National Committee and a top Clinton campaign official, and then leaking them.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the committee, and other Republicans pushed back on Democrats calls for an independent prosecutor. They said that Rosenstein had the experience and background to ensure that any investigations would remain independent.

There are times when special counsels are appropriate, Grassley said. But its far too soon to tell here. And even if there were evidence of a crime related to any of these matters, once confirmed Mr. Rosenstein can decide how to handle it. I know of no reason to question his judgment, integrity, or impartiality.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Rosenstein if he had read Trumps tweets over the weekend alleging, without providing evidence, that President Obama had tapped his phones at Trump Tower. The tweets caused a storm of controversy. A spokesman for Obama denied the allegation, saying that 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.

Rosenstein said he had indeed read about the tweets.

What was your reaction? Graham asked.

I dont think its appropriate for me to share my reaction, senator, Rosenstein said. If the president is exercising his 1st Amendment rights, thats not my issue.

If federal authorities had wiretapped Trump or his associates, such actions would have required approval by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or a federal judge and then only after a finding that there was probable cause that a crime had been committed or that someone in Trump Tower was an agent of a foreign power. The FBI routinely receives such approval to tap the phones of foreign operatives.

Trumps first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was picked up on such a wiretap of the Russian ambassador, officials have said. That wiretap eventually led to Flynns resignation when it emerged that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of the conversation.

Rosenstein, a 52-year-old Harvard Law School graduate and longtime federal prosecutor, is the U.S. attorney in Maryland and has served in that position under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama. He is the lone political appointee remaining from the Bush years, and is well regarded by members of both parties.

He was joined at the hearing by Rachel Brand, 43, who has been nominated to be associate attorney general, the agencys No. 3 position. Also a Harvard Law graduate, Brand is the former chief counsel for regulatory litigation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and served until last month as a member of the federal Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

Follow @delwilber on Twitter

del.wilber@latimes.com

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A little-noticed provision in President Trumps revised restrictions on entry into the country could remake how the U.S. conducts foreign policy, creating leverage for a president who promised to bring his hard-nosed deal-making mind-set to American diplomacy.

In his new directive, Trump ordered a global review to determine whether citizens from additional countries should be blocked from coming to the U.S. as well. He asked the departments of State and Homeland Security, along with intelligence agencies, to determine which countries come up short on cooperating with U.S. immigration officials who are vetting travelers who want to enter the country.

Were looking at an entire  at the rest of the entire world and all of the procedures that we use to address all countries, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday.

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The review gives Trump, who spent his adult life working out real estate transactions, the opportunity to demand concessions from more than 190 countries. At stake is the ability of their citizens and nationals to travel to the United States.

For decades, the U.S. has welcomed a relatively free flow of travelers on the assumption that when people visit, they spend money, invest and learn about American culture and values and are able to take those impressions back to their home countries.

Negotiating over travel restrictions is risky, warned Stewart Baker, the former head of policy at Homeland Security during the George W. Bush administration.

We have leverage, but it is not leverage you really would want to use in a real way, Baker said, adding that countries could begin blocking the entry of U.S. citizens. It is like a nuclear exchange, and nobody comes off better in a nuclear exchange  everyone is weakened, he said.

The Trump administration has already shown signs of being willing to horse-trade.

In exchange for excluding Iraq from the new travel restrictions, for example, the Trump administration persuaded officials there to accept Iraqi citizens deported from the United States, a demand U.S. diplomats have fruitlessly been making for years.

Iraq had its own room to maneuver to make the deal. When Trump issued the first version of the order in January, including Iraq among the countries whose citizens were banned from entry, Iraqi officials threatened to shut out hundreds of U.S. contractors in the country supporting the American military units and U.S. oil companies.

The threat of restrictions wont be used to press countries on issues unrelated to national security, Spicer said, citing the Iraq negotiations as unique circumstances.

This is a national security issue, plain and simple, he said.

Trump promised during the campaign he would force countries to receive all of their citizens expelled from the U.S.

About 22 countries dont accept deportations from the U.S., including Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Courts have ruled that people from those countries cant be held indefinitely to await deportation, even if they have a violent criminal conviction. As a result, more than 8,000 immigrants with criminal records have been released from custody in the last three years.

But already the discussions are bleeding into other immigration issues. In addition to demanding countries take back citizens being deported, the Trump administration plans to look closely at countries with citizens who frequently stay past the expiration date on their U.S. visa, a senior Homeland Security official said Monday.

India, China and Mexico are among the top 10 countries that have high rates of people who overstay their visa. They are also among the top U.S. partners on trade and economic issues.

The temporary travel ban applies to six countries that are either state sponsors of terrorism  Iran, Syria and Sudan  or failed states that have terrorist organizations operating in their territory  Libya, Somalia and Yemen  administration officials said.

When considering other countries to add to the list, administration officials will look at the integrity of police forces and a countrys ability to give accurate criminal histories, what measures are in place to prevent people from traveling on fake documents, and which countries have high numbers of people who overstay their visas in the U.S., said the Homeland Security official, who would not be named under the ground rules the administration set for the briefing.

A list of countries that fail the test is due to be handed to Trump in early April, and countries have until late May to make changes.

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

brian.bennett@latimes.com

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Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions sought Monday to clarify his denial to the Senate about contact with Russian officials during the presidential campaign, a misstatement that led him to recuse himself from overseeing federal investigations into meddling by the Kremlin in the U.S. election.

Reports that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador twice during the campaign sparked a storm of demands last week on Capitol Hill for the former U.S. senator from Alabama to recuse himself from the investigations or resign.

He announced his recusal on Thursday and promised to send a letter to clarify his January testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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In the letter, Sessions told his former colleagues that he had correctly answered a question when he said he did not have communications with Russians during the campaign.

Sessions reiterated what he told reporters last week: that he had focused on part of the question posed by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) that sought to determine what the attorney general would do about continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trumps surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.

Sessions said in the letter that he answered honestly.

I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them, Sessions wrote.

The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating whether anyone on then-candidate Donald Trumps team colluded with Russias government while the Kremlin was hacking Democratic Party computers and seeking to disrupt the campaign.

The issue has cast a cloud over the fledgling Trump administration, which has denied any improper contacts. President Trump ousted his national security advisor, Michael Flynn, last month for misleading the White House about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign.

The Justice Department disclosed last week that Sessions also met twice with Kislyak in 2016, first after a speech at the Republican National Convention in July and then in a private sit-down meeting in Sessions Senate office in September.

Justice Department officials have said that Sessions had conversations with more than two dozen foreign ambassadors and that his meeting with Kislyak was not unusual. They said he met the Russian diplomat in his capacity as a member of the the Armed Services Committee, not as a representative of the Trump campaign.

The day before his sit-down with the Russian, he met the Ukranian ambassador, for example, they said.

In comments to reporters, Sessions described his encounters with Kislyak as pro forma discussion. He described Kislyak as an old-style, Soviet-type ambassador and added that their conversation grew testy over Russias support for separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine.

A U.S. intelligence report issued on Jan. 6, before Trump took office, assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the election-related meddling in an effort to hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump.

FBI officials have not publicly discussed their investigation, and no evidence indicates that they have discovered wrongdoing by any Trump associate. Even so, the inquiry has disrupted the early weeks of Trumps administration.

Trump added fuel to the controversy over the weekend by tweeting that President Obama had ordered wiretapping of Trump Tower during the campaign. Neither he nor his aides have offered any proof, and Obama and James R. Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, said the claim was false.

FBI Director James B. Comey told fellow law enforcement officials that he is concerned that Trumps charge could tarnish the bureau by suggesting agents had conducted an illegal wiretapping campaign on a political candidate.

Former and current officials have said no such wiretaps were directed at Trump, his campaign or Trump Tower.

FBI surveillance of Russian operatives is routine, however, and could have picked up Americans speaking or writing to Russians who were monitored by U.S. counterintelligence agencies.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told ABC News on Monday that Trump was not willing to accept Comeys denials on the wiretapping allegations.

You know, I dont think he does, Sanders said of Trump. I think he firmly believes that this is a story line that has been reported pretty widely by quite a few outlets.

The fallout from Trumps tweets came as Democrats continued to seek answers from Sessions about his contacts with Kislyak.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, last week called on Sessions to answer questions in person from lawmakers and asked the Justice Departments inspector general to investigate Sessions testimony, his contacts with Russian officials and his decision to recuse himself.

He has not explained why he failed to come forward and correct the record before reports of his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak became public, why there was a delay in recusing himself until those public disclosures, and why he only recused himself with respect to campaign-related investigations and not Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration, Feinstein said.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) blocked the move to call Sessions to testify, saying that there were no plans to question Sessions until an annual oversight hearing in coming months.

Sessions wrote that before he decided to recuse himself, he had consulted with Justice Department officials over the effect of his role as a former Trump campaign surrogate.

Justice Department officials recommended that Sessions recuse himself, the attorney general said, because of his connection to Trump and the campaign. I believe these recommendations are just and right, he said.

Follow @delwilber on Twitter

del.wilber@latimes.com

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Central Valley Rep. David Valadao found a way to open his doors to people in his hometown without having to face protesters, hecklers and the public berating that scorched his Republican colleagues up and down California in recent weeks.

Instead of staging a free-for-all town hall in a high school gym, on Monday afternoon the former dairy farmer invited local residents into his Hanford office for one-on-one, 10-minute chats.

No shouting. No demonstrators or police. No politician on stage nervously pacing back and forth. And no TV news crews recording it all.

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Instead, a crowd of about 80 people milled around on the sidewalk outside Valadaos storefront office and inside the lobby  Democrats, Republicans and independents, all under the watchful eye of a longhorn steer mounted on the wall.

I prefer it, just because its more civil, said retired dairy worker Marc McMillian, a 49-year-old Republican, who came to urge Valadao to support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. If you have too many people yelling, no point ever gets across.

Ron W. Bates, a Democrat, disagreed. He accused the Republican congressman of shirking public accountability, saying he was afraid to publicly answer questions about the controversial policies of President Trump, including his crackdown on immigrants and the GOPs efforts to repeal Obamacare.

Its almost like doing nothing. The public is not hearing any of his answers, said Bates, a retired school teacher from Hanford. Its simple. He doesnt want to meet in public because he doesnt want people to yell at him.

Bates waited patiently for hours through the afternoon, honing his questions as he waited for his name to be called.

For weeks, Valadaos critics have jabbed him for not holding a town hall meeting, and his office drew protesters, including local union members and Democratic activists. The congressman says some of those demonstrators came from outside his congressional district, and said he doubted they had any sincere concern about the issues facing the people he represents.

Valadao defended the format he used Monday, which he called a huddle, saying it allowed him to hear people out. The congressman also brushed aside criticism, saying he held six to eight open forums and community coffees in his district over the last year and that protesters were a common sight at almost all of them.

Weve had protesters, weve always had protesters, but our focus has always been to try to have a dialogue with our constituents, Valadao told The Times before the meetings began Monday. There are legitimate concerns. In the past, everyone wanted to impeach Obama and his administration. Now everyone wants to impeach Trump and his administration. Its just flipped sides.

By the evening, Valadao had met with more than 60 constituents over a span of five hours, with a handful of people still waiting their turn.

For Valadao, navigating the partisan divide is a treacherous and never-ending challenge. He has won three straight congressional elections in a Central Valley district where, as of October, Democrats had a 17-percentage-point advantage over Republicans in voter registration. In November, he handily beat back a challenge by Democratic attorney Emilio Huerta, son of United Farm Workers labor rights icon Dolores Huerta.

Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco, a Democrat whose district is within Valadaos congressional district, credited the congressmans success to focusing on local concerns, including his support for legislation bringing more water to Central Valley farmers, and an ability to work across the aisle.

Two years ago, Valadao came out in support of retooling the nations immigration system, including giving law-abiding immigrants who entered the county illegally a pathway to citizenship. Valadao also refused to endorse Trump during the presidential campaign and still makes an effort, with varying success, to keep his distance from president.

Where I agree with him, Ill vote with him. When I disagree, Ill vote against him, Valadao said.

Central Valley Democratic Party leader Doug Kessler, who lives in Valadaos congressional district, said the Republicans aversion to Trump and his moderate views have helped keep him in office. Kessler added that hes been to a number of political events where people mistook Valadao for a Democrat.

Kessler, who briefly dropped by Valadaos event in Hanford, also praised the congressman for bucking his party on immigration. But he criticized Valadao for not doing anything to steer the GOP away from divisive, fiery rhetoric against immigrants.

Barbara Hill, who was one of the first who to speak with Valadao on Monday, said she genuinely likes her representative. He spoke to her Girl Scout troop and she said she sees him at the grocery store. But Hill, a 63-year-old retiree from Lemoore, emerged from his office with a sour look.

Hill, a Democrat, said she grilled him about GOP plans to repeal Obamacare, and asked how the Republicans plan to provide adequate healthcare coverage to the more than 100,000 people in Valadaos district who currently benefit from the expanded medical coverage. She also pressed Valadao on his support for cutting off federal funds to Planned Parenthood clinics, including one in nearby Fresno.

He kind of didnt respond to that, said Hill, a former assistant prison warden. He just said there were not Planned Parenthood clinics in his district, so it wasnt an issue for him.

Dave Jones, a retired agricultural services executive, called Valadao a good fit for the area, where Democrats lean more to the middle than their counterparts in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Jones, 76, said Valadao was the first Republican hes ever voted for.

Hes a local guy, hes honest and hes not a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, said Jones, an independent. Hes the type of guy who will help us get out of this mess.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

Republican Rep. Steve Knight met with protesters and boos during raucous town hall in Palmdale

Noisy town hall protests show how the left is trying out tea party tactics to fight Trump

Loud and angry, protesters turn congressional town halls into must-see political TV
Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
A Mariners Elementary School teacher is on leave after she was arrested last week on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials confirmed Monday that Joan Duncan, who teaches third grade at Mariners in Newport Beach, has been on leave since Feb. 27.

Newport Beach police officers responded to the area of Irvine Avenue and Mariners Drive around 3:30 p.m. that day after receiving a report that a vehicle had crashed into a pole on Irvine Avenue, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

When officers arrived, they saw a Mitsubishi backing off the sidewalk. Manzella said the driver was given a field sobriety test and showed signs of alcohol consumption. Newport Beach fire officials treated the woman for injuries and took her to a hospital for evaluation.

Duncan, 57, of Costa Mesa, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Manzella said.

Duncan did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday afternoon.

Duncan has been licensed as a teacher in California since 1992, according to state records. It wasnt clear how long she has worked for Newport-Mesa, but in 2008, she won a Teacher of the Year award at Mariners Elementary.

Joan is an educator who makes a difference in the lives of her students and their families every day, the Mariners Parent Teacher Assn. wrote in a 2008 newsletter.

District spokeswoman Annette Franco said a fully credentialed teacher is filling in for Duncan.

The district is looking into the situation, Franco said. She declined to comment further.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
As The Times reported the next day, they emerged from the court arm in arm, and Presley gave his ex-wife a friendly kiss before driving off. The couple, married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, agreed on a $1.5-million settlement.

Former Los Angeles Times photographer George Fry shot the exclusive images of Elvis and Priscilla after one of his sources tipped him off.

For about 30 years, Fry worked a 3 p.m.-to-midnight shift for The Times city desk. The job: Develop sources and shoot images. The beat: West Los Angeles. On Oct. 9, Fry got the tip: Elvis and Priscilla were in Santa Monica court.

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Fry walked up to the arriving Elvis and Priscilla, introduced himself as a photographer for the L.A. Times. They agreed to photos after the divorce-court hearing. When done in court, the Presleys came down the hallway smiling and smooching, Fry said. They were still great friends.

I shot 15 to 16 frames and had an exclusive, Fry said. " Im the only guy to shoot this. No paparazzi anywhere.

Fry used a Rolleiflex with 55mm lens and exposed 220 black-and-white film.

When asked about his career, Fry replied, I had the best job in the world.

This post was originally published on Oct. 8, 2010 and updated on Sep. 6, 2014.
North Korea barred all Malaysian citizens in the country from leaving on Tuesday, and Malaysia responded in kind, deepening a diplomatic crisis that began when North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns half brother, Kim Jong Nam, was killed in a Malaysian airport last month.

North Korea, angered by Malaysias investigation into the killing, announced that the exit ban would continue until the safety of North Korean diplomats and citizens in Malaysia is fully guaranteed. The two countries expelled each others ambassadors on Monday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak called the ban an abhorrent act, adding that North Korea was effectively holding our citizens hostage. He responded by temporarily barring all North Koreans from leaving Malaysia.

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Malaysian officials said 11 Malaysians are in North Korea  mostly diplomats and their family members  and 14 North Korean officials remain at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur. However, hundreds of North Koreans are believed to live and work in the country.

The tit-for-tat escalation is only part of a diplomatic nightmare engulfing Asia, with North Korea at its core. On Monday, Pyongyang test-launched four missiles  three of which landed within 200 miles of Japans coastline  and on Tuesday, North Korean state media reported that it hoped to eventually reach U.S. military bases in Japan.

On Tuesday morning, the U.S. announced that it had deployed an advanced missile defense system  a bulwark against Pyongyangs missile threat  to South Korea months sooner than expected.

The deployment infuriated Beijing, which sees the system  Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD  as part of a U.S. strategy to contain China, and has threatened to essentially sever diplomatic ties between Beijing and Seoul. China, North Koreas only major ally and trading partner, has also been angered by its neighbors military ambitions, and relations between the two countries are at their worst in recent memory.

China will take the necessary steps to safeguard our own security interests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday. The consequences will be shouldered by the United States and South Korea, he added.

The U.S. and South Korea maintain THAAD  which can be operational as early as April  is a defensive system designed only to intercept and destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Therefore, they say, it poses no threat to Beijing.

Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterdays launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea, Adm. Harry Harris, who heads the U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement.

Kim Jong Nam in June 2010. (Shin In-seop / Associated Press)

The Malaysian standoff, meanwhile, began after police said two women approached Kim Jong Nam at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 and rubbed VX nerve agent, which is banned by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction, on his face. He died within 20 minutes. The two women  one from Indonesia and one from Vietnam  have been charged with murder, and told Malaysian investigators they thought they were participating in a prank.

Before the incident, Malaysia and North Korea had enjoyed relatively warm ties. Since 2009, Malaysia had been one of the only countries that allow entry to North Koreans visa-free, but Malaysian officials revoked the privilege soon after Kims death.

Malaysian police have implicated seven North Koreans in the case, including four who left the country on the day of Kims death.

Malaysias police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said Tuesday that he believed two of those suspects were hiding inside the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. We will wait and if it takes five years we will wait outside, definitely somebody will come out, he told reporters, according to the BBC. The location of one remains unknown.

Malaysian authorities detained one North Korean man in connection with the case but released and deported him last week, citing insufficient evidence to charge him.

North Korea has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Kims death. A senior North Korean diplomat said last week that he probably died of a heart attack because he had a history of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

North Korea has rebuked Malaysia for performing an autopsy on Kim, and demanded that it return the body to Pyongyang.

Times staff writer W.J. Hennigan in Tokyo contributed to this report.

jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com

For more news from Asia, follow @JRKaiman on Twitter

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Born under a bad sign: Mosul residents with Islamic State birth certificates need a do-over
Constable Richard Graham of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detains a group of men, women and children who crossed into Emerson, Canada, from the U.S. in the early hours of Feb. 19. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The migrants staggered into this sleeping border town before dawn, cold and exhausted.

They had struggled through farm fields for hours in knee-deep snow, hoping to evade detection by the U.S. Border Patrol. A man cradling a baby wrapped in a puffy parka and gray blanket peered anxiously at the darkened clapboard homes.

Is this Canada? he asked.

The tiny community of Emerson  population less than 700  has seen its share of U.S. border jumpers over the years, but nothing like this. Until last year, residents might spot five or six strangers passing through town over the odd weekend, carrying backpacks and looking disheveled.

But since President Trump was elected last year on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and conduct extreme vetting of Muslims, the numbers have surged. Recently, at least 22 people sneaked across the border near Emerson in a single night, including the man with the baby, who said he was from Djibouti.

Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicles pulled up to his group within minutes, lights flashing. The officers explained that they were going to arrest the migrants  six adults and three children  and drive them to a nearby border post to apply to remain in the country as refugees.

The migrants looked relieved. They are part of a small but rapidly growing population of asylum seekers who have lost hope that America will accept them and are embarking on a perilous trek north to petition for protection in Canada.

Some have already passed through up to a dozen countries, braving vast forests and raging rivers on a months-long odyssey across South and Central America before surrendering to officials at the U.S.-Mexico border. Others fly directly into major U.S. cities but, convinced they wont receive refuge, head north from there.

Few are prepared for the harsh weather they will face on the icy prairies along the frontier between the Canadian province of Manitoba and the U.S. states of North Dakota and Minnesota.

Two men from Ghana lost most of their fingers to frostbite after getting lost in sub-freezing temperatures and are recovering in Winnipeg. Local farmers wonder whether they might find a body when the snow melts in the spring.

Left: Razak Iyal carefully drinks water at a hospital in Winnipeg, Canada. Right: A friend helps Seidu Mohammed eat. The two asylum seekers from Ghana lost most of their fingers to frostbite after making an hours-long trek in the snow to get into Canada on Christmas Eve. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The two Ghanaians, Razak Iyal, 34, and Seidu Mohammed, 24, met for the first time on Christmas Eve at a bus terminal in Minneapolis.

Both men said they feared for their safety in their home country, Iyal because he had been assaulted by supporters of a rival political party, and Mohammed because he is bisexual.

But after making treacherous overland journeys to the U.S. from Brazil, they did not receive the welcome they expected. They were both detained the moment they showed up without passports at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana.

Iyal was placed in handcuffs and chains  standard procedure  for the flight to a detention facility in Arizona. I was crying, What is going on? he said. Am I a criminal, or am I a terrorist or what?

Neither could afford a lawyer to represent him in immigration court, and both lost their U.S. asylum cases.

After 22 months in custody, Iyal said, he petitioned successfully for release and went to stay with an uncle in New York while U.S. authorities tried to obtain travel documents from Ghana to deport him. Mohammed, who was freed on bond after about nine months in detention in California, joined a friend in Ohio.

Late last year, they both received word from their deportation officers that they should get ready to go back to Ghana.

In a panic, each started making inquiries about how to get to Canada. They were the only Africans at the Minneapolis station the night they met, so they caught a bus together to Grand Forks, N.D. There they found a driver willing to get them closer to the border  for $200 each.

It was past 11 p.m. and the temperature was around zero degrees Fahrenheit when the driver dropped the pair off by the side of the road and pointed in the direction of Canada.

As soon as they stepped into a farmers field, they sank into waist-deep snow. They had to use their hands to lift their feet out and lost their gloves. The wind picked up and blew Mohammeds hat off. His eyelids froze shut. They both started feeling a horrible burning in their hands and feet.

Neither had ever heard of frostbite.

After walking about three hours, the men emerged onto a highway near Emerson. They could see the bright lights from the border post but were afraid to ask for help, in case they were sent back to the U.S.

Trucks lumbered by but didnt stop. Finally, after they had waited about seven hours, a driver pulled over for them and dialed 911.

Ghanaian asylum seekers describe frigid trek to Canada. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Most of those fleeing the U.S. for Canada avoid official ports of entry because of an agreement between the two countries to send back asylum seekers.

The arrangement is based on the principle, enshrined in international law, that those fleeing persecution should apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. But once they set foot on Canadian soil, legally or not, they can petition for designation as refugees on that side of the border.

Migrant rights advocates argue that this encourages people to make dangerous illegal crossings and have called on the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rescind the agreement.

They contend that the U.S. can no longer be considered a safe place for asylum seekers to have their claims heard in light of recent orders issued by the Trump administration  including one this week that temporarily suspends refugee resettlement and bars travel from six Muslim-dominated countries.

Canadas government so far has said it will uphold the deal with the U.S., noting that it provides an orderly system of managing asylum claims." But Trudeau has told Parliament that he wont turn away refugees who enter illegally.

Bashir Khan, a Winnipeg immigration attorney, said the problems that are driving asylum seekers to flee the U.S. did not begin with Trump. They are kind of not well-treated by the U.S. justice system, he said.

He is representing 37 refugee claimants  including Mohammed and Iyal  who had asylum claims denied in the U.S. All were jailed upon arrival there and held for an average of seven months, he said. They had no idea how to fill out asylum forms and were not offered government-appointed lawyers.

In contrast, asylum seekers who enter Manitoba illegally are usually held for less than 24 hours, the time it takes to do security checks and file refugee claims. Local aid groups routinely help them complete the paperwork, and a government-paid attorney will represent them at the hearing  increasing the odds of a successful outcome.

Even with the recent surge, the number of asylum claims handled in the U.S. is significantly higher than in Canada, and applicants there might have to wait years for a decision because of a backlog of cases. Here, the average wait time is four months.

The number of asylum seekers crossing illegally into Canada has been growing for several years.

The biggest increase has been in Quebec province, where there are major cities on both sides of the border. The Canadian Border Services Agency said 1,280 of the refugee claims it handled in Quebec between April 2016 and early January 2017 were for people who entered illegally, three times the number in the previous fiscal year.

In Manitoba, 430 claimants entered illegally in the first nine months of the fiscal year, compared with 340 for all of 2016. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have picked up more than 180 people in and around Emerson since then.

They include people from a number of African nations. But the biggest share, refugee advocates say, come from Somalia  one of the six countries targeted in Trumps executive order.

Top: A group of asylum seekers walks through Emerson at 6:30 a.m. after sneaking across the border into Canada. Bottom left: Sherali Shah, who works at a duty free on the U.S. side of the border, offered three asylum seekers breakfast at his apartment and a ride back to Grand Forks, N.D., after border agents stopped them from crossing illegally into Canada. Bottom right: Two border crossers are detained after Royal Canadian Mounted Police spotted their group on a street in Emerson. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., is a six-hour drive from Manitoba. People there have seen Trumps attempts to limit immigration and are growing increasingly fearful that they wont be allowed to stay.

One recent border crosser said immigration enforcement agents raided the warehouse where he worked in the city. The 34-year-old Somali was still waiting for a decision on his asylum claim and hid behind machinery, afraid he too would be taken away.

He knew the trip to Canada would be dangerous, but decided he and his pregnant wife would have to risk it. Militants from the Shabab group killed his father and brother in Somalias war-ravaged capital, Mogadishu.

America has changed, he said. Thats why I lost hope in America.

The reception they received in Canada was very different from the U.S., he said. A pair of early morning walkers found the group they were with on the edge of Emerson and brought them home to warm up while they waited for the authorities to arrive.

The couple is now at a Salvation Army shelter in Winnipeg waiting for a hearing to determine if they can remain in Canada.

This is our final and last hope, said the man, who was afraid to give his name, in case it jeopardizes his refugee claim.

Its not only me, he added. There are hundreds of people coming who are fleeing from this new administration.

The influx has been a source of tension in Emerson, a town of grain farmers, border agents, small business operators and many retirees. No one wants to leave people out in the cold. But some residents wonder why migrants are crossing illegally, and they worry about the safety of their town.

Its the bigger groups that are coming across that are starting to get a little more concerning, said Greg Janzen, the chief elected official, in the Emerson-Franklin municipality. Because as the groups get bigger, the law enforcement is going to have a hard time keeping up.

At the Emerson Inn bar, patrons joke that Canada should build its own version of Trumps border wall. Some people who never felt the need to lock their doors at night are now doing so.

But others arent so worried. Wayne Pfiel, the 46-year-old bartender, said he has talked to a number of border crossers who showed up at the hotel in the early hours. Most just wanted to know if they were in Canada and asked him to dial the authorities.

I found one person by the front door, he said. I let him in and gave him a coffee. I dont like to see them freeze.

Left: Bartender Wayne Pfiel has talked to a number of border crossers who showed up at the hotel in the early hours. Most just wanted to know if they were in Canada and asked him to dial the authorities. Right: Brenda Piett, a volunteer emergency coordinator, opened up the community hall so the migrants could rest on makeshift beds. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When the first group of 19 Africans showed up last month, border officials didnt have space to keep all of them at their office while they were being processed, and appealed to the town for help.

Brenda Piett, a volunteer emergency coordinator, opened up the community hall so the migrants could rest on makeshift beds. They looked hungry, she said, so she bought bread and Nutella to make sandwiches.

She doesnt think the migrants would do anything that could jeopardize their chances to stay in Canada. I just feel sad that they are having to make that journey, said Piett, 57.

The Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council, one of the main refugee resettlement agencies in the province, has been sending vans to collect the migrants after they are processed and bring them to Winnipeg. But the groups shelter is now at capacity, so it had to enlist the help of the Salvation Army.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they are mobilizing more resources and working with their U.S. counterparts to manage the flow.

In the stillness of the night, their vehicles patrol known crossing points on both sides of the border. Occasionally, an officer emerges to scan the tree line with a thermal imaging device, looking for signs of life.

When temperatures warm up, both sides are bracing for an even bigger surge.

Lead photo: Constable Richard Graham of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detains a group of men, women and children who crossed into Emerson, Canada, from the U.S. in the early hours of Feb. 19. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Special correspondent Kristina Jovanovski in Toronto contributed to this report.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

Haitians, Africans, Asians: The sharp rise in non-Latin American migrants trying to cross into the U.S. from Mexico

Crossing the Darien Gap: Migrants from around the globe are forging a grueling path to the U.S.  through the heart of the rainforest

They gambled, and lost: Dozens of migrants braved thousands of miles of jungles, seas and bandits to reach the U.S. Then they were sent home.
Breeder Wang Chuanhe (above), Lotus and Red Deer are among the works by artist Shi Lu donated by his family to the National Museum of China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Thanks to his "Red Classic" paintings, which mark the course of the Chinese revolution, Shi Lu (1919-82) is recognized as one of the great Chinese painters of the 20th century.

In a move which will let his artworks be better cataloged and researched, his family recently donated 412 of his paintings, drawings and sketches to the National Museum of China.

It had previously donated nearly 300 of his pieces to the museum in 2012 and 2014.

The three donations mean that the Beijing museum now has a comprehensive collection of Shi Lu's art.

It established a research center of the art of Shi Lu in 2014.

Lyu Zhangshen, the museum's director, says that thanks to this generosity, the museum is planning a grand retrospective exhibition of Shi Lu's works and a publication featuring his art in 2019, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Born Feng Yaheng in Sichuan province, the artist adopted the pseudonym Shi Lu as a tribute to two historical figures he admired: Shitao was the name used by a prominent Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) painter Zhu Ruoji, and Lu Xun (1881-1936) was an author and scholar.

Shi Lu, who spent a lot of time from the early 1930s in Shaanxi province, was one of the three founders of the Chang'an Painting School, a group of Xi'an-based artists that caused a sensation in the 1960s with their ink-brush works.
Maysoon Maher knew it was a good day when she saw scores of little girls run, giggling, through the courtyard of her school on Mosuls east side.

Rarely are her students, ages 6 to 15, allowed outside, Maher said as she crossed the dusty courtyard Monday toward several classrooms.

Schools and businesses have reopened since Islamic State was driven out of east Mosul in January, but with the militants still entrenched on the west side of the city, the areas future remains uncertain.

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At Mahers school, teachers usually keep their 1,150 pupils inside the beige concrete compound to avoid Islamic State drones armed with bombs. Weaponized drones still threaten the neighborhood the school is named after  Al Akhaa, which means Brotherhood  months after it was supposedly freed from the militants.

Maher, who is deputy director of the school, has been teaching for 30 years. She was working here when Islamic State seized control, stopped paying teachers their $800 monthly salaries and forced them to stay. She had to wear a black, floor-length gown, known as an abaya, with a full face veil and teach the jihadis curriculum.

They changed all the courses and were teaching them bad things [with] math: A bomb plus a bomb. They were trying to brainwash them, Maher said as she sat in her office, wearing a brown head scarf and matching velvety coat with rhinestone buckles.

Children outside Al Akhaa school in Mosul, Iraq. The school closed temporarily in October and reopened Jan. 22 after Islamic State was routed from the east side. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

Many parents stopped sending their children to school. Maher watched packed classes dwindle to just 15 students. Of the students remaining, few were girls and almost all were the children of militants, including some Russians.

The school had to close temporarily in October, when the U.S.-backed coalition launched an offensive to recapture the city. Al Akhaa reopened Jan. 22 after the east side was declared free of Islamic State.

Maher sent her 11-year-old daughter, Omaima Ahmed, back to school, but could offer few other reassurances to fellow parents. The compound had no water, electricity or security. Soldiers were still fighting nearby. Even after the front line shifted west, suicide bombers were still targeting gathering places on the east side, such as markets, restaurants and schools.

I wanted to learn, but what they taught us was so bad.  Sidrah Taleh, 11

Last week, there were reports of chemical weapons attacks in a nearby neighborhood. Booms from artillery could be heard from inside Al Akhaa this week.

We told them its risky, Maher said. Still, they come.

Ayman Moayed, a barber, came to the school Monday to register his 8-year-old daughter Janat, who lingered by his side, swishing her red dress and bobbed hair.

Shes supposed to be in third grade, but because she didnt go to school for two years, shes in first, Maher said.

About 600 boys attend the school in the mornings, 550 girls in the afternoon, Maher said. They come from all across the city, including some who fled the embattled west side this week.

Maher pushed open the metal door of a second-grade science class. The room was packed with 60 girls, some in uniform, some not. Many parents, like the barber, are too poor to initially afford the simple white blouse and blue jumper, Maher said. Half a dozen wore head scarves, uncommon among such young girls. When the school reopened, some families sent girls wearing abayas and face veils.

Families were concerned Islamic State might return, she said.

Maher resisted.

I told them not to wear it again, she said. Inside the school we dont have any men. There was no reason to wear it.

The girls had biology workbooks open on their wooden desks.

The heart is the most important part of the body, teacher Rashan Shokr said. Wheres your heart?

The students placed their hands over their hearts and shouted left side!  a common nickname for the east side of Mosul.

Many of them were 7 years old, but some were older, having missed school under Islamic State.

Why didnt you come under Daesh? Maher asked, using the Arabic term for Islamic State.

In their books, it was bomb plus bomb! a girl with braids shouted from the back of the classroom.

It was an injustice, said another girl, in a uniform and white head scarf.

About 600 boys attend Mosuls Al Akhaa school in the mornings, 550 girls in the afternoon. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

Before the school reopened, Maher and the 54 other teachers had to submit to screening by the Iraqi Education Ministry, which checked their names and backgrounds against lists it maintains of Islamic State members. Some teachers at other schools failed and were not allowed back, but all of the staff members at Al Akhaa were cleared, Maher said. They remain unpaid.

Mahers husband lost his job at a local oil company when Islamic State seized the city, and they have had to sell her gold wedding jewelry to make ends meet for their family of six.

On Thursday, Maher and other teachers plan to go on strike to demand salaries and back pay. It will be a quiet protest: The teachers still feel so unsafe in the streets, she said, they will instead stage a work stoppage inside the school. She doubts Iraqi officials will help them.

We dont have hope, she said, but other than the daylong strike, we will keep working to give children an advantage.

They still have no utilities or security. Maher wishes they at least had a security guard at the front gate to check those entering. Teachers try to check bags, she said, but they dont know what to look for. Last week, she noted, a Russian woman was caught trying to detonate an explosives belt among parents at another east Mosul school for girls.

After the liberation, we felt safe. But after the attacks recently, we are afraid for our kids and their security, said Mahers assistant, Nadia Aziz.

 Iraqi forces advancing into west Mosul discovered a train tunnel that had been converted by ISIS militants into a training facility, complete with obstacle course, sleeping quarters and medical station. We toured the site with a member of Iraqs eme

Maher moved on to other classes, all packed with girls toting Dora the Explorer coloring books, Sofia the First pencil cases and blue backpacks from UNICEF, the only donations the school has received.

In a fifth-grade class, Maher pointed out a uniformed student in a white cotton head scarf who survived schooling by Islamic State.

I wanted to learn, but what they taught us was so bad, 11-year-old Sidrah Taleh said, repeating the now familiar refrain: bomb plus bomb, bullet plus bullet.

Sidrah complained to her mother, who told her to stick it out.

She told me, Dont learn anything theyre teaching you, only to read and write, Sidrah said.

Sidrahs family were not affiliated with Islamic State, school officials said, and they think the girl was unfazed by the brainwashing.

We can tell she wasnt affected, Maher said.

Sidrah agreed, but the full effect may not be clear until shes older. When she grows up, she plans to be a teacher  of Islam.

To tell people theres only one god who is God and to be good to people, not like Daesh, who are disbelievers, she said with a shy smile as the school day ended.

Some girls lingered in the hallways, afraid of encountering drones on their walk home. Maher let them stay.

Others filed out through the schoolyard choked with weeds, out the battered metal front gate, past bullet-riddled houses and the corner mosque, a line of braids, blue jumpers and backpacks picking their way through destruction, hand in hand.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

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All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Judicial officials in Peru have called for an investigation into whether an investment fund linked to President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski received illicit payments from the Brazilian builder
Brazil's Rio Grande Carnival was over and now the politicians are finally heading back to work. It is indeed seen in the streets that Brazil has not yet risen up from a crisis that has been shaken the country's economic and political foundation to the core, and prior to that there is two more ministers quit in a week before the Carnival.

According to Bloomberg, after losing about six cabinet members in Michel Temer's six months in the office, his foreign minister has left and even his chief of staff's future government still remains uncertain. His administration is also drive by a controversial spending cap bill through the Congress by helping to fortify the real.

The consumer prices are rising less and getting expenses are falling, however, many of Brazilians are still attempting to make a decent living, and unemployment is at the highest level on record. Government workers, including the police, have protested over austerity measure in a few states, and anti-corruption demonstrations are planned for later this month.

Forbes reported that members of the government's congressional alliance have openly said that the wrongdoing of a constituent might be a reason for Temer's expulsion from the office. In these events like losing allies from the top echelons of his administration and the current allegations have already broken and shaken Temer's legislature.

The Temer's endorsement rating of his administration hovers around 10 percent, not far from the level of Dilma Rousseff's ratings before her impeachment. While the president has repeatedly claimed that he cares for popularity, congressmen are pursuing a re-election that cannot stand to be so optimistic.

Michel Temer, Brazil's unpopular and unelected president has done much to make the way for recovery in Latin America's biggest company. However, with his inner disintegrating and support in Congress wavering, a goal-oriented reform agenda will now look like a tall order. Though he is taking office in May, Temer has won some praise for privatizing swathes of Brazil's infrastructure and open up its oil field to any foreign companies.
The Cuban President Raul Castro criticized Donald Trump proposal of building a wall on the Mexican border and called it "irrational" and affects all Latin America. Besides this, the Cuban president criticized Trump's immigration, trade, and other policies also.

According to REUTERS, the first critical remarks directed at Trump since he took office, Castro termed his trade policies "egotistical". On the 14th summit of the Bolivarian Alliance, he criticized the Trump proposed policy and stated the policy not only against the brother country but against our entire region.

The Cuban leader delivered the speech in Caracas at the 14th summit of Bolivian Alliance, also known as ALBA-TCP. Castro's speech in Venezuela was broadcast by state-run television on Sunday evening.

However, Trump threatened to torpedo the detente between the former Cold war foes unless a "better deal" could be struck. The White House last month reported it was in the middle of "a full review of all US policies towards Cuba.

The Cuban president Castro has stated that the new agenda of the US government aims to "unleash an extreme and selfish economic protectionism that will have an impact foreign trade. At the same time, the new proposal will violate environmental agreements, hunt down and deport migrants.

The migration was due to growing inequality and poverty by an unjust international economic system. The proposed wall on the Mexican border was, therefore "irrational" and aimed at all Latin American, not just only Mexicans, Cuban President reported.

Telesur TV has reported, more than 50 years of U.S efforts using isolation to force Cuba to change, the last president Obama agreed with Castro in December 2014 to work to normalize the relations. The two close neighbors have since restored diplomatic ties and cooperation agreement.

However, the Cuban president also expressed his support to former Brazilian president Dilemma Rousseff, and Luis Inacio and former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. He also assured Cuba will continue to support the outgoing president of Ecuador.


Fu Wenjun's installation Postindustrial Era features five large wheels with his photos and a video he shot over many years to reveal the changes in Chongqing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The line between painting and photography has blurred in conceptual artist Fu Wenjun's works.

For nearly 30 years, he has dedicated himself to the artistic exploration of producing photos that look like abstract paintings to inspire people to think rather than simply appreciate the accuracy of images.

Fu's latest exhibition, scheduled to begin at the National Art Museum of China on Thursday, will aim to provide more insights into his art world.

On show will be nearly 60 pieces, including an installation. The artist has combination photos that are each at least 1 meter high. His works reflect a mix of Western and Eastern cultural influences.

In his Harmony in Diversity series, for example, the photo of a Chinese landscape painting is overlaid with an image of a Western-style sculpture and ancient rice paper produced in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The 61-year-old artist says the overlaying presents a kind of similarity between Chinese landscape paintings and Western figurative sculpturestwo different art forms.

Such artworks are inspired by his museum visits around the world.
Mar 7, 2017, 2:23pm ET

WikiLeaks: CIA docs hint at assassination via car hacks

WikiLeaks predicts such hacks could enable the CIA to \"engage in nearly undetectable assassinations.\"

The US Central Intelligence Agency's hacking division has allegedly explored vulnerabilities to vehicle systems.

The revelation appears to have surfaced in a WikiLeaks database allegedly containing thousands of documents from the agency's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.

One document outlining a 2014 meeting for the Embedded Devices Branch lists "vehicle systems (e.g. VSEP)" as a "potential mission area." The VSEP acronym is not identified, though it surfaces later in a note regarding QNX that says "big player in VSEP).

QNX is an operating system commonly used in embedded systems. One implementation, QNX CAR, is an infotainment platform used in millions of vehicles from various manufacturers.

"The automotive industry is heading into an area of a very integrated cockpit," QNX head John Wall said in a promotional video released last year. "You can't have safety systems that are completely separated from your navigation system or from your cluster."

WikiLeaks did not uncover any specific details regarding the CIA's vehicle hacking capabilities, but the organization speculates "it would permit the CIA to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations."

Less extreme applications for intelligence gathering might include eavesdropping via a hands-free microphone, or tracking of the vehicle's location, potentially utilizing modern vehicles' cellular modems for real-time monitoring.

Speculation regarding the CIA's ability to hack vehicles predates the WikiLeaks document. Journalist Michael Hastings died in 2013 when his Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe crashed into a tree and caught fire. He was allegedly working on a story about the CIA at the time, according to LA Weekly, fueling a conspiracy theory that the agency was involved in the accident.

Former US National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke, told the Huffington Post in 2013 that "there is reason to believe" intelligence agencies have developed the ability to remotely control certain vehicle systems and "do some really highly destructive things."

Aside from the vehicle hacks, the WikiLeaks documents point to a broader program that involves malware and hacking tools for iPhone and Android devices, smart TVs, routers and computers, among other devices.
Geneva LIVE: 2017 RUF CTR

Mar 8, 2017, 12:01pm ET

RUF is paying tribute to its iconic \"Yellow Bird\" with a new CTR model.

RUF, the German manufacturer best-known for turning Porsches into all-out speed machines, has unveiled its 2017 CTR at the Geneva Motor Show. The 2017 CTR is a tribute to the company's iconic 1987 CTR "Yellow Bird.

Unlike all of RUF's previous models, the 2017 CTR rides on a chassis designed completely in-house. Moreover, that platform is crafted entirely from carbon fiber, making the 2017 CTR the world's first vehicle to use a rear-engine carbon fiber monocoque chassis.

Despite its old school styling, the CTR's body work is also made from carbon fiber. That shell is heavily inspired by the original Yellow Bird, right down to its bright yellow paint.

Power is supplied by a RUF-built twin-turbocharged 3.6L flat-six developing 700 horsepower and 649 lb-ft or torque. Power is shifted to the rear-wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. With just 2,640 pounds to haul around, RUF says the new CTR can accelerate from 0-62 in less than 3.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 225mph.

In order to scrub off that kind of speed, the CTR comes standard with carbon ceramic brakes. Calipers are a six-piston design up front and four-piston at the rear. A suspension system comprised of double-wishbones in a pushrod configuration help to keep the CTR's tires glued to the ground.

The CTR features seating for two with Alcantara covering most of the car's interior. A roll cage is fitted as standard for maximum safety.

"The concept for the 2017 CTR is one that I have had in my head for a very long time, said Alois Ruf, President and owner of RUF Automobile GmbH. "We have been waiting for the right point in our history to build our own car and the 30th anniversary of the CTR Yellow Bird' is that moment.

Strangely, the 2017 RUF CTR won't actually begin production until 2018. The company plans to make just 30 units of the latest CTR. Pricing wasn't announced, but expect the 2017 CTR to be wildly expensive.

Live photos by Ronan Glon.
Geneva LIVE: Lamborghini Huracan Performante

Mar 8, 2017, 9:31am ET

With active aerodynamics, lightweight construction and other enhancements, the Performante is claimed to have smashed the Nurburgring record for production cars.

Lamborghini has introduced the Huracan Perfomante at the International Geneva Motor Show.

The Performante benefits from several innovations that help improve performance on the street or track. The upgrades are claimed to have enabled the car to smash the Nurburgring record for production cars, allegedly lapping the Nordschleife circuit in just 6:52.01, though the run has been met with skepticism.

Among the premier new features, the Performante integrates Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) active aerodynamics. The front spoiler integrates an electric motor, secured by a forged carbon frame with active flaps on the top exterior surface.

Lamborghini's Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI) tech manages all electronic systems, activating the ALA flaps in less than a half second. When the flaps are closed, downforce is maximized for high-speed cornering and full braking. As the flaps open, pressure on the front spoiler is reduced drag is minimized for acceleration and top speed.

In the rear of the car, two air ducts are always open to allow underhood ventilation and exhaust cooling, while two external ducts are connected to the inner channels of the rear wing. Two electronically actuated flaps manage airflow through the rear wing channels. The rear wing acts like a fixed wing when the flaps are closed, with air passing above to create downforce, while open flaps route air underneath the wing.

The company suggests vertical downforce is increased by more than 750 percent compared to the standard Huracan coupe. The rear wing's channel is also split left to right, enabling aerodynamic vectoring and increasing downforce on the inside wheel to counter load transfer.

The Performante boasts the most powerful V10 engine ever built by Lamborghini, delivering 640 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 443 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. A redesigned exhaust system is lighter than that of the standard model, while also reducing backpressure and achieving a more aggressive tone.

Engineers have revised the Huracan's suspension system, with stiffer springs, bars and bushings to improve cornering performance, while buyers can opt for magnetic active dampers. Standard electromechanical steering and optional variable-ratio Lamborghini Dynamic Steering have been recalibrated, along with the all-wheel-drive system.

The Performante has not been neglected by Lamborghini's design team. The package is visually distinguished by unique bodywork, some components inspired by exposed frames of certain 'naked' performance motorcycles. Its front end aims to evoke a striking snake.

Many components are built from 'forged' composite, Lamborghini's term for a moldable material using chopped carbon fibers instead of woven fabrics. The construction material can be used to slash weight from complex geometrical shapes that are not easily created via traditional composite layup.

The Huracan Perfomante is set to arrive this summer, with US prices starting at $274,390.

Live photos by Ronan Glon.
A Portarlington man damaged a car with a UK reg after mistakenly believing that it belonged to a UK man hed just had an altercation with.

Before last weeks district court was Gordon Boggan (41), Carriglea, Portarlington, who faced two charges.

Inspector Jer Glavin gave evidence that on October 9 last year, at The Thatch Pub, Killenard, the accused caused 2,916.70 damage to a vehicle in the car park.

He was in an abusive state on the night and was offensive to other patrons of the pub, said Insp Glavin.

The accused had 13 previous convictions.

Defence, Mr Barry Fitzgerald said that his client got into an altercation with two men and blows were exchanged.

He was ejected from the pub and took umbrage, "and vented his fury on the windscreen" of a car he perceived to belong to one of his aggressors.

"He got himself in a dispute with the car?" wondered Judge Alan Mitchell.

Mr Fitzgerald replied that Boggan had a dispute with a UK national on the night and he attacked the car because it had a UK registration.

This was the wrong car, however.

"Has he got his little bag with his toothbrush with him?" asked Judge Mitchell, alluding to the possibility of sending the accused to prison.

"I could take the view that he took it out on a foreign reg car."

Mr Fitzgerald said the accused had written a letter of apology to the injured party.

He said if given four weeks, the accused could have compensation.

Judge Mitchell asked, if the accused could pay in four weeks, why had he not paid before his appearance in court.

Mr Fitzgerald confirmed that the accused had initially intended contesting the case.

The matter was put back to May 4, for compensation to be paid, and for a probation report, with the accused to be assessed for community service.
Fears are growing in among doctors in Laois that the Department of Health has agreed with the plan to downgrade the Portlaoise's hospital.

The Leinster Express has learned that consultants at the hospital have been asked to attend a meeting with Dr Susan O'Reilly, chief executive of Dublin Midlands Hospital Group this week at short notice.

The Leinster Express also understands that deliberations on a plan for the future of Portlaoise hospital are complete and it is now up to the Minister for Health Simon Harris to decide what should be done.

It is understood that Department of Health officials have signed off on recommendations for the hospital's future following lengthy deliberations with the HSE and the DMHG. The recommendation is likely to include references to A&E, maternity and other services.

The original report submitted to Portlaoise hospital is understood to have recommended significant downgrade of the hospital. This was not accepted by the Departments.

There are fears among doctors at the hospital that Dr O'Reilly will use the meeting to prepare the ground for downgrade. Dr O'Reilly is the author of the plan for the hospital submitted to the Department. She is also on record as saying that Maternity service should transfer to Tullamore Hospital.

A delegation of GPs and consultants met with Fianna Fail's health spokeperson Billy Kelleher last week in an effort to win his support for the retention of services at the hospital. A consultant from the Coombe Hospital, which manages the maternity unit at the hospital, was among the doctors who met Deputy Kelleher.

The future of the hospital is a health service policy decision. Under the law governing the HSE, the Minister for Health sets policy for the health service so he will have the final say on the hospital's future.

The Minister has committed to consulting local people and doctors before he decides. He has already met with Laois county councillors. Laois TDs Sean Fleming, Brian Stanley and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan oppose transfer.

Before Christmas, the Health Information and Quality Authority, reported many improvements at the hospital but also called for a plan for the future. Its follow up to the investigation on maternity and other services in Portlaoise criticised that absence of a plan. It also found that A&E was unsustainable in the current setting.
The search for a new location for Portlaoise's court sittings has been narrowed to one site, the Courts Service has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the service confirmed that it is working with Laois County Council to procure a site as a replacement for the existing building on Main Street.

Portlaoise is on a shortlist of five locations around the country for new buildings. The others are: Galway city, Roscommon, Wicklow and Tralee.

No timeframe exists for when the development would start. The location of the site was not given nor was it stated whether it is a greenfield site or an existing building would be converted.

While substantial investment has been made at the courthouse, which is located on the sit of a former prison, it has been acknowledged by the court service that new court is needed.

The limited capacity restricts court proceedings. Money was invested in holding cells but prison and garda vans are still forced to park outside. During a sitting of the Circuit Court this week three vans were parked outside.

There are also knock-on public order implications. Disturbance in the court house have spilled out onto the town's main street. There is also limited waiting area in the building.

Local businesses and politicians have called for the building to be moved.
Family doctors in Laois have turned down a meeting the HSE manager who is planning big changes for Portlaoise hospital and instead opted to hold their discussions with the man who will decide on its future - Minster Simon Harris.

The GPs were due to meet Dr Susan O'Reilly, Dublin Midlands Hospital Group chief executive, this week but decided to against talks with her until after meeting Minister Harris.

The doctors felt there is little point in meeting Dr O'Reilly with clarity on the hospital's future. Among the issues they have is the proposed medical assessment unit and whether it would be supported by functioning 24/7 Emergency Department (ED/A&E). The also want to know what improved diagnostics have been put in place to support this.

Cruciallly, they felt they would not be able to have a meaningful meeting with Dr Reilly in the absence the plan which Dr O'Reilly has authored for the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.

The contents of the plan have been a closely guarded secret. There was no consultation with the public on its proposals and little consultation with doctors and nurses. Dr O'Reilly has consistently maintained that consultation will take on its implementations.

Dr O'Reilly's plan was initially rejected by the Department of Health but the Leinster Express understands that deliberations between the HSE and Department of Health on the hospital's future through a revised plan are complete and the recommendations.

It is understood that consultants at the hospital have been asked to attend this week's meeting with Dr O'Reilly.

Minister Harris is due to meet the family doctors at the end of March. A delegation of doctors in Laois met Fianna Fail's health spokesperson Billy Kelleher last month.
Forensic evidence was used to identify the remains of a young man found dead at Rahan Wood, Carbury, last September.

The body of Philip Finnegan, of Mary Aikenhead House, James Street, Dublin 8, was found on the grounds of Rahan Wood forest on September 2, 2016.

At the opening of the inquest into Mr Finnegans death at the Kildare Coroners Court yesterday, March 6, Gardai reported that forensic evidence, using fingerprints, was used by the State to formally identify Mr Finnegan, aged 24 and unemployed, at the time of his death.

Evidence was given that a report from Dr Margaret Bolster, Assistant State Pathologist, said that he died from hemorrhaging as a result of multiple stab wounds.

Garda Inspector John Costello said that an inquiry into Mr Finnegans death was ongoing and the inquest was adjourned until June, when it will be mentioned for further progress.

The Kildare Coroner, Dr Denis Cusack, noted that Mr Finnegan had been missing for a number of weeks before the discovery of his body, and, as a result, the inquest recorded that he was found dead on September 2.

Dr Cusack and Inspector Costello expressed their sympathy to Mr Finnegans family.
Greg Mulholland writes in Politics Home on how pubs up and down the country are being unfairly hit by business rate revaluation.

Pubs are, of course, businesses and need to pay their share of tax. Yet when research for the British Beer and Pub Association shows that pubs are paying 2.8% of the entire business rate bill, whilst only generating 0.5% of business turnover, the plain unfairness of the current system towards pubs is laid bare. The revaluation will further this disadvantage, with pubs and restaurants receiving a 15% and 23% increase in rateable value respectively, being the only sector to see an increase in every region. Half of all pubs and restaurants will see an increase in bills, with average bills rising by a fifth. Analysis shows that 2,700 pubs will receive an increase in their bills from April of over 5,000 per annum, which is incredibly difficult  indeed in many cases impossible  to absorb.

And is the system of business rates really fit for purpose  might not something like a land value tax be better?

A broader debate about business taxation is also necessary, in light of the growth of online retail and the changing dynamic of business operations, with an ever-increasing call for funding from a diminishing amount of trade being carried out through physical properties. In the 21st century, the current business rates system is no longer fit for purpose, and we now need a genuine, independent review and root and branch reform, something the Government have so far ducked doing.

And it is always good to see a mention go to Hilaire Belloc  author of such wonderful cautionary tales as that of Jim who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a lion, and of Lord Lundy who was too freely moved to tears and thereby ruined his political career.

It was, perhaps ironically, a Frenchman who wrote the great lines about the threats faced our pubs just over 100 years ago. In This and That (1912) he wrote those famous words But when you have lost your Inns drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England. Hilaire Belloc was also a Liberal MP, perhaps he too raised this in Parliament and no doubt would do so today were he around.

* Joe Otten was the candidate for Sheffield Heeley in June 2017 and Doncaster North in December 2019 and is a councillor in Sheffield.
9 Tips for Coping When Someones Words Insult Your Body

Weve been conditioned to judge other peoples bodies. Heres how to cope when you feel like someone is judging yours.
A PRISONER had to be physically removed from Limerick District Court this Tuesday afternoon after he began shouting foul and vulgar abuse at the presiding judge.

Edward OSullivan, aged 30, who has an address at Lord Edward Street accused Judge Marian OLeary of being corrupt after she refused him bail.

Its bull**** he shouted calling the judge a scumbag and a tough b****

As he was being removed from the courtroom by gardai and prison officers Mr OSullivan continued to shout and roar calling Judge OLeary a prostitute and a f****** tramp.

Earlier, Garda Bryan Guilfoyle told the court that he had served a book of evidence on the defendant whose case is to be dealt with on indictment.

Sergeant John Moloney, prosecuting, said the DPP consented to the matter being sent forward for trial at Limerick Circuit Court and he asked that the 30-year-old be remanded in custody.

Mr OSullivan is accused of allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car on October 17, last.

He is also accused of handling a stolen Citroen car key and a stolen Samsung smartphone when arrested two days later.

Opposing bail, Garda Guilfoyle said he did not believe the accused man would abide by any bail conditions and he said he was concerned he would continue to engage in criminality if released on bail.

In direct evidence, Mr OSullivan maintained his innocence and said he will be contesting the charges.

Im innocent, I didnt do anything, he said.

Begging to judge to grant him bail, the defendant said his partner is pregnant and that he wants to enter a rehabilitation programme to deal with his addiction issues.

Mr OSullivan told his solicitor Ted McCarthy that he would sign on twice a day if required and that he would obey any other bail conditions.

Having heard details of the garda objection, Judge OLeary said in the circumstances she was refusing bail.

The defendant, who has been in custody since October 20, last was remanded in continuing custody pending his appearance before Limerick Circuit Court later this month.
GARDAI have launched a major public safety campaign urging people to take personal responsibilty for both themselves and their property when out socialising.

The Streetwise campaign, which is targeting 18-39 year-olds, will run until the end of this month.

Statistics released to coincide with the launch of the initiative show that two thirds of all thefts and robberies involve mobile phones being stolen.

The statistics also show that 40% of phone thefts occur on public roads, streets or footpath, while one in five occur in a licensed premise.

In addition to the public awareness element of the campaign, gardai will also mount additional late-night patrols in locations in the city centre which have been identified as having high levels of robberies and assaults.

Sgt Kevin Courtney is also appealing to people to properly plan nights out.

"Think about how you are getting to and from a location. Let someone know where you are going and when youll be back. Avoid walking alone and in dark locations. Never engage with drunk or aggressive people, use your brain not your fist. Be streetwise, take care of your property, particularly mobile phones and purses or wallets, he said.

The #mindyourstuff tag will be used on social media throughout the Streetwise campaign.
THERE are a lot of people who are visually impaired but have some sort of vision and light perception. But in my case I have no sense of light perception and no sense of colours, Josh Stundon says.

The Corbally scholar, 23, is a Human Rights and Criminal Justice student in the University of Limerick and has already completed a bachelor degree in Law Plus. He has been blind since he was four and a half months old.

He continues: For example, if somebody said to me you are wearing a brown t-shirt or the sky is blue outside, it wouldnt really mean anything and even when its dark, I dont know when its dark outside because I have no perception what the colour black is either.

If I were nine or 10 when I lost my vision I guess things would have been far more different. Then I would have a sense of colours and would have had memories and would have a totally different outlook on life.

Josh says while he has not been bullied as such in the university he has been isolated, at times.

Sometimes I do feel I am being ignored by my peers, whether it may be true or not is another case, but definitely from my own perception I do feel like I am being sidelined, Josh adds.

I understand people might have not been around people like me before and it could be difficult for them.

Josh tries to get involved but says he finds it really difficult. He has a pretty strong interest in music and was part of the DJ Society in first year but that it didnt really help him.

He believes a lot of things are taken for granted and that most of the time people dont care to stop to and try to understand what situation the other is in - irrespective of whether they are disabled or not.

One of the problems Josh encounters in relation to his university work is researching assignments, as he has to be careful with sources.

I rely on the disability office as they convert the academic material from a PDF file to an alternate file, so its possible for me to go through them and find what I need.

Josh is in the library from Mondays to Fridays working on his assignments, reading up for the next class or in Scholars to get away from the desk for a while for a cup of tea or to listen to some music.

He relies heavily on the noise of the fountains and background noises to find his way to Scholars.

The noise of the fountain helps me realise that, yes, Im going the right way, and I usually need help when the fountain isnt functioning or its really busy and I cant hear the fountain.

One of the biggest obstacles for Josh is navigating his way around the main building.

If there was more braille on the doors on the buildings in the University it would make everything easier. Even with months of mobility training, it would be next to impossible for a person in my situation to get around the main building, Josh explains.

During the first six weeks Josh had a professional personal assistant but said that he was much older than him, and he wanted someone he could interact with more and with whom he could discuss aspects of his course.

The disability office then organised for people from his course to take him to and from class.

I know they have a tough time and are under a load of work, but it would help a bit more, for them and for people in need like me, if they are told at least a semester in advance of what we might need for the following semester.

I think part of the problem is that there has not been that many totally blind people on campus and the administration is not really sure how to deal with this since they dont have that much experience, he adds.

If more blind people do come to the university I would like to interact with them and share my experience with them.

He remains undaunted however.

Being disabled shouldnt stop you, it should motivate you to prove every doubter wrong and more importantly prove yourself wrong and go beyond your dreams.
THE WOMAN who inspired Ed Sheerans Galway Girl is actually a trad artist from the Treaty county  Niamh Dunne.

The song hit the top of the iTunes charts just hours after his third album  (Divide) was released. In an interview with the Irish Times, Ed Sheeran said the tune was based on the fiddle player in Beoga, Niamh Dunne.

Shes married to an Irishman, a friend of mine, he explains, emphasising the last point.

I had the band in my house for an extra day so I was like, what can I write about? She plays the fiddle in an Irish band . . . right, cool, lets write a song about that. She inspired the first line but the rest of the song isnt about anyone, I just made up a story, said Ed.

Niamh, who is from Caherconlish, told the Leader this week: It's been great craic the last week watching it all unfold.

We're delighted with the reaction to the songs, it's just brilliant that they are finally out there for the world to hear. Galway Girl features an old track of ours, Minute Five, so it's mad to hear it in a new guise with Ed. He's a fan of Planxty, The Chiefains and loves Irish music, she continued.

Niamh, who married fellow Beoga band member Sean Og Graham in January, said the band was looking forward to Galway Girl being released as a single, and also getting into the studio this summer.

In the meantime, it is hoped that Niamh might make a surprise appearance at the Milk Market this Friday, March 10 at 12.30pm.

Her mother, Aideen ORahilly, is organising an event to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.

I am a member of the Ciorcal Comhra group which meets in Marie's Cheese Shop every Friday for a chat 'as Gaeilge'. We have been coming together for the last seven years and this year we thought it would be great to celebrate not only the Irish language but Irish music and also to include some Scottish music and Gaelic too as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, explained Aideen.

Her husband and renowned piper Mickey Dunne is one of the performers along with Maire Ni Ghrada, Roisin Ni Ghalloglaigh, Jade Purcell, Cassie Smith-Christmas, James Devine and Cor Cois Sionna. All are welcome.
Two brothers have each been awarded 30,000 in damages relating to the death of their sister in a farmyard accident almost three years ago.

Eight-year-old Paula Dinsberga died after the bucket of a tractor struck her while she was playing with a friend on a farm at Newtownshandrum, near Charleville on September 28, 2014.

While born in Latvia, Paula grew up in Limerick and was living with her family in Dooradoyle when she died.

She was staying with a family friend at the time as her parents, Linda and Raivo, were attending a relatives wedding in Latvia.

They learned of the tragedy on their return to Dublin Airport.

At the High Court, this Tuesday, Mr Justice Kevin Cross said what happened to Paula was terrible and devastating.

The judge approved the settlement of 30,000 in the case of each of her twin brothers who, the court heard, were present at the farm when the accident happened.

The boys, who were aged five age at the time, suffered an abnormal grief reaction and nervous shock.

Through their mother, they sued both the owner of the tractor and the driver, whose 11-year-old daughter was injured in the accident.
LIMERICK-based trio Rusangano Family go in search of Choice Music prize glory this Thursday.

The rap/hip-hop/electro outfit have a very strong chance for winning the RTE Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year for 2016 for the album Let the Dead Bury the Dead, bursting as it is with social commentary on modern Ireland.

They face strong competition from fellow nominees All Tvvins, Bantum, Wallis Bird, The Divine Comedy, Lisa Hannigan, Katie Kim, Overhead, The Albatross and We Cut Corners - all of whom will perform on the night, along with the Limerick based trio. James Vincent McMorrow is also nominated.

The winner of album of the year for 2016 will be announced this Thursday night at Dublin's Vicar Street venue.

Rusanganos nomination, while expected, is thoroughly deserved for an electric and powerful album, one that was bursting with samples from the inner reaches of producer MynameisjOhns mind and driven by the insightful, socially engaged lyrics of vocalists God Knows Jonas and MuRLI.

It is perhaps the most vital album of the last twelve months, drawing heavily on themes of immigration and the places and sounds that have influenced each of them in turn.

MynameisjOhn  alter ego of Clare man John Lillis, who plies his trade in Limerick  Zimbabwean born, Shannon raised, Limerick identifying rapper God Knows Jonas and vocalist MuRLI  based in Limerick, but of Togolese descent  formed Rusangano Family in 2015, but have been collaborating for a number of years.

John Lillis  aka MynameisjOhn  told the Leader that "there was a very important message in the album that we made, it was very sincere from where we were coming from, and I think 2016 was a mad year and it wasnt like we were trying to...it wasnt necessarily like we had our finger on the pulse, it was just that we we were trying to talk about issues that were honest to us at that time.

"For us, it is great, it gives a nod that the music being made here  I dont know if you want to put a hip-hop tag on it or whatever  but, it is like, hey, this is actually standing on its own.

The 12th annual Choice - backed for the first time by RTE this year - "celebrates and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music".

It has become one of the highlights of the calendar since its inception in 2005 and is awarded to the Irish Album of the Year, as chosen from a shortlist of ten releases by a panel of twelve Irish music media professionals and industry experts.

The winning act will receive 10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by IMRO and IRMA.
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Redefining your next smartphone Big-screen smartphones are becoming quite popular with users /smart-living/innovation/redefining-your-next-smartphone-111646894847868.html 111646894847868 story

The newer generation of Android phones will be vying for attention, and money, with the promise of better performance and enhanced user experience.

The newer generation of Android phones will be rolling out over the next few months. Theyll be vying for attention, and money, with the promise of better performance and enhanced user experience. This year, however, isnt about incremental updatesthe first crop of Android phones is positively refreshing, though some developments have been perplexing.

Dynamic displays

The high dynamic range (HDR) feature is now becoming quite common in 4K televisions. In a nutshell, HDR allows a wider and richer range of colours, much brighter whites, and much deeper, darker blacks, all of which make the picture more dynamichence the name. Now, smartphones are joining in.

Sonys forthcoming Xperia XZ Premium smartphone has a 4K HDR10 displaythe first of its kind in smartphones. Sony has also tied up with Amazon for 4K HDR content on the video service. LG, on its part, has used a 12-bit Dolby Vision display in the G6. Streaming service Netflix has also announced that it will support both HDR 10 and Dolby Vision standards, and will soon stream 4K HDR content on phones.

New aspect, new perspective

Big-screen smartphones are becoming quite popular with users. And the LG G6 will be a rather interesting option, considering its 5.7-inch FullVision Display with 2,880x1,440 resolution. This could be the first to indicate a shift to the 18:9 aspect ratio. The idea is to make big-screen phones better to hold and use with one hand. Right now, the problem is that most apps arent designed to support this aspect ratio and youll see scaling issues where an app wouldnt be able to use the full screen. However, things will improve as developers add support for 18:9 screens.

More screen, less footprint

Last year, the flagship phones averaged around 70% for the screen-to-body ratio. The screen-to-body ratio is indicative of the space the screen takes on the front of the phone. Designers have been hard at work, because we are already seeing a significant change with the newer flagship phones. Take the example of the LG G6, which has a 78% screen-to-body ratio. The result is that it is able to fit a 5.7-inch display in a form factor that is actually less tall and less wide than its predecessor, the LG G5, which had a 5.3-inch display148.9x71.9x7.9mm compared to the G5s 149.4x73.9x 7.7mm. Expect the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and the next Apple iPhone to have even thinner frames and bezels.

Juicing up faster

After dabbling with the idea of wireless charging, which turned out to be cumbersome, even sluggish, the focus has shifted to developing fast-charging standards. OnePlus is the undisputed leader at present, with the Dash Charge charging the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3Ts batteries as much as 60% in 30 minutes. Now, Chinese phone-maker Meizu has introduced the Super mCharge feature, which will be rolled out with its forthcoming PRO, MX and M-series phones. It works with an 11V/5A charging connector with 55W maximum rated powerits claimed it can fully charge a completely discharged phone in 20 minutes.

Affordable phones will be more expensive?

When the Moto G5 Plus rolls out in markets globally later this month, the 32 GB variant will be priced at $259 (around Rs17,200). It has a newer processor and a new design language, but it is hard not to compare this with its predecessorthe Moto G4 Plus 32 GB is priced at Rs14,999. While we expect significant price jumps when it comes to the more expensive flagship phones, such as the LG G6, which is $50 more expensive than the LG G5, such steep price increases with the more affordable phones are a little worrying.

Old is gold?

History, it is said, repeats itself. BlackBerry, after multiple indications that it would give up on Qwerty keypad phones for good, is back with the same keypad in the KEYOne phone. HMD Global, which now makes Nokia branded phones, is resurrecting an old favourite, the 3310. Why? Battery life, perhaps, or maybe even the rock-solid build quality that the original 3310 offered?
Samsung Pay is slowly making its presence felt in India This mobile payment service can make digital payment at retail stores easy and secure but works only with select Samsung smartphones as of now /news/talking-point/samsung-pay-is-slowly-making-its-presence-felt-in-india-111646894878171.html 111646894878171 story

Samsung Pay works only with a few mid-range and flagship Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016).

Samsung has released its mobile payment service, Samsung Pay, for select users in India who signed up for its early access program. The service works with all regular swipe-based card machines which support NFC (near field communication) or MST (magnetic secure transmission). The former works by building a high frequency wireless network between the phone and the payment terminal, while the latter creates a dynamic magnetic field between the smartphone and the payment terminals card reader.

Also read: Demonetisation could be tailor-made opening for Apple Pay, Android Pay

Samsung Pays launch coincides with the ongoing push for digital payment by the central government. However, unlike the existing payment wallets and Payments banks service which work across all phones, Samsung Pay works only with a few mid-range and flagship Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016). Unlike the US market, where the service works on some telecom networks only, there is no carrier restriction on using it in India.

Easy to set up

You can download the app from the Play Store. Once the app is installed, register your fingerprint, which will be used for verification every time a payment is made. Your account will be activated once the app gets a verification SMS or email from your bank. Unlike mobile wallets like Paytm, Samsung Pay doesnt ask users to add money to it. It uses the scanned image of the credit or debit card to generate a 16-digit token number for payments. The token number is randomly generated for every transaction and has nothing to do with your credit/debit card number.

As of now, the service supports credit and debit cards issued by SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Standard Chartered. Cards from Citibank and American Express cards will be added soon.

How does it work?

Samsung Pay allows users to make payments in three steps. The first step involves sliding up on the phones screen to launch the app, the second requires the user to tap on the phones fingerprint sensor to authenticate user identity and the third involves holding the phone close to the payment machine for payment. To ensure the card details remain safe, Samsung Pay constantly monitors the device for vulnerabilities. Even if the phone is compromised, card information remains safely encrypted in a separate and secure vault.

Is it worth a try?

The fact that Samsung Pay uses both NFC and MST for payments makes it usable at a large number of retail outlets. However, its success will depend largely on how quickly it can process a transaction.

One cant deny that Samsung Pay will make transactions more secure than using credit/debit card in public places. But as of now it only works with select Samsung handsets selling upwards of Rs20,000, making it inaccessible for many. Also, the service doesnt allow online payments and can only be used for payments at retail outlets, so we dont expect it to replace your mobile wallets anytime soon.
April the very pregnant giraffe  and recent internet sensation  is preparing for her calf to arrive at Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York, and millions of viewers are tuning in to the park's live video feed to follow along.

Giraffes carry their young for 15 months, and April's caregivers initially estimated her birth range to be anywhere from mid-January to mid-February, based on observations of breeding behavior with her mate in mid-October, Jordan Patch, owner of AAP, told Live Science.

However, April might have conceived 17 days later, during what would have been her next fertile period; giraffes can conceive at any time of the year, Patch explained. In any case, the animal-park workers can tell that April is nearing the end of her current pregnancy, based on physical signs that include distended udders, waxy caps forming on her teats and noticeable swelling around her back end, Patch said. [Baby Watch! 'Giraffe Cam' Tracks Expectant Mother]

The 15-year-old April has already delivered three calves, though this will be the first for her mate Oliver, who is only 5 years old. It will also be the first giraffe calf to be born at the AAP.

Giraffes deliver their young while standing upright, and preliminary labor signs are very hard to detect. When April is ready to have her baby, the birth will likely happen very quickly  an adaptation that protects vulnerable giraffe mothers and newborns in the wild, Patch told Live Science.

The baby giraffe's front hooves will be the first part of its body to peek out into the world, followed shortly by its nose and head. Birth typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes, ending with the newborn dropping approximately 6 feet (2 meters) to the ground. The fall ruptures the amniotic sac so that the baby can start breathing on its own, Laurie Holloway, a spokesperson for the Dallas Zoo, told Live Science in 2011, after a Dallas Zoo giraffe named Katie delivered her calf.

About 5 to 20 minutes after being born, the newborn will wobble its way upright and take its first steps to nurse. Giraffe mothers' milk contains about 6 percent protein and 13 to 17 percent fat, which enables the calves to grow quickly, according to a study published in June 2004 in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Baby giraffes usually start eating solid food when they are between 3 and 4 weeks old, though they will continue to nurse for nine months  and sometimes suckle for up to two years. Females can become pregnant again as soon as four months after giving birth and while still lactating, the study authors wrote.

Until the baby giraffe is weaned, it is raised entirely by its mother, and April will wean her calf "naturally," AAP representatives said in a video description on YouTube.

During an afternoon examination on March 5, April was "reportedly on edge," though her appetite was "notably good," her caregivers reported in a Facebook post. Active movement in her belly was visible, and she frequently lifted her tail. And by the next morning, her mood was "much better," AAP representatives wrote on Facebook.

We'll keep you updated as news on April's condition arrives.

Original article on Live Science.
What does British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough have in common with the Finnish founder of a symphonic metal band? Both recently inspired names for new species.

A newly described frog from Peru is the first amphibian named for Attenborough, who has already lent his name to various species of invertebrates, mammals, plants and reptiles, both living and extinct.

And a fungus gnat that lives in shadowy environments in the province of Lapland, Finland, is the first creature named for self-proclaimed "nature nerd" Tuomas Holopainen, musician and founding member of the band Nightwish, which combines head-banging heavy-metal music dynamics with classical instruments. [6 Spectacular Species Named for David Attenborough]

The species named for Attenborough, Pristimantis attenboroughi, will go by the common name Attenborough's rubber frog. Like others in its family, this fleshbelly frog does not have a tadpole stage. Researchers collected 34 specimens of the frog  10 adult females, 11 adult males and three juveniles  in central Peru's Pui Pui Protected Forest at elevations between 11,155 feet and 12,913 feet (3,400 and 3,936 meters) above sea level.

A female Pristimantis attenboroughi, a newly described frog species named for Sir David Attenborough, guards her eggs. (Image credit: Edgar Lehr)

The researchers found that the adult female frogs measured about 0.8 to 0.9 inches (19 to 23 millimeters) in length, and males were somewhat smaller  around 0.6 to 0.7 inches (15 to 19 mm). The adult frogs' coloration ranged from gray to green to red, whereas juveniles were lighter in color  yellowish or reddish brown  and patterned with darker spots and stripes. Scientists reported their findings in a new study, published today (March 7) in the journal ZooKeys.

Meanwhile, about 7,200 miles (11,600 kilometers) away in eastern Lapland, researchers were investigating a new species of fungus gnat, a type of tiny fly that inhabits and breeds in soil, and feeds on fungi.

Sciophila holopaineni, a fungus gnat from Lapland, was named after Tuomas Holopainen, musician and founding member of the band Nightwish. (Image credit: Jukka Salmela)

Scientists found the gnat, which they named Sciophila holopaineni, in the Tormaoja conservation area in Savukoski, Finland, and described the newly discovered insect in a study published March 6 in the Biodiversity Data Journal. S. holopaineni's Finnish common name  "tuomaanvarjokainen"  further references Nightwish, referring to the band's latest album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," which touches on themes of biodiversity and evolution.

"I am very, very touched," Holopainen said in a statement, after he was asked to lend his name to the tiny insect. "This is the highest honor a nature nerd like me can receive."

Attenborough, of course, has received this honor multiple times. Before P. attenboroughi, his most recent namesake was the extinct marsupial mini-lion Microleo attenboroughi, which was described in July 2016 in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.

2016 also marked a naming first forAttenborough: A research vessel destined to explore polar oceans was dubbed the "Sir David Attenborough" on May 6, shortly before his 90th birthday. However, although Attenborough's name is usually a first pick for researchers, in this case, his moniker was chosen to replace another name that was the overwhelming favorite in an internet poll  the somewhat less dignified "Boaty McBoatface."

Original article on Live Science.
Lead bullets are deadly, and not just for the wild game that get shot. That's why a recent decision to overturn a federal ban on the use of lead bullets within U.S. wildlife refuges may backfire regarding the health of both animals and people, especially children, an expert told Live Science.

On his first day in office (March 2), U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a federal order repealing a policy that banned the use of lead bullets and fishing tackle within wildlife refuges. The policy itself was a new one: Daniel Ashe, the former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approved it on Jan. 19, with the goal of phasing out the use of lead bullets and lead fishing tackle in wildlife refuges by January 2022.

The recent repeal of this policy does not address the problems of lead poisoning, said Andrew Wetzler, the deputy chief program officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Chicago. [Top 5 Ways to Reduce Toxins in Homes]

"There's a very well-documented association between using lead ammunition and birds and other animals being poisoned by lead," Wetzler told Live Science.

This poisoning is usually secondary, happening when other animals eat lead-contaminated meat. For instance, after shooting game, hunters usually dress it in the field. This involves removing the entrails to prevent gut bacteria from growing and degrading the carcass. However, lead bullets usually fragment into particles, meaning that if the hunter used a lead bullet, some of the lead may end up in the entrails, which sometimes get left behind for other animals to consume, he said.

Or, a shot animal can escape capture, only to die in the wild with the lead bullet inside it, Wetzler said.

Scavengers, including vultures, eagles, bears and foxes, may eat the meat from the dead animal's remains or discarded entrails and then get lead poisoning, Wetzler said.

Poisonous lead

Lead poisoning from bullets has been documented in myriad animals, including the critically endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and, according to a 2009 study in the journal Biological Diversity, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in Yellowstone.

Moreover, lead poisoning can also affect people, including people who eat game shot with lead bullets. In children, lead exposure can lead to increased behavioral problems, delayed puberty and problems with growth, hearing and cognitive performance, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In adults, lead exposure is associated with increased blood pressure and hypertension, as well as decreased kidney function and tremors, the NIH said.

Lead exposure in pregnant women is linked to reduced fetal growth, increased spontaneous abortion and preterm birth, the NIH reported.

"There is no safe level of lead for humans," Wetzler said. "Animals are no different. Some animals are more tolerant of lead poisoning than others, but it's never good for you and it can kill you. And if it doesn't kill you, it can cause reproductive effects, decline of IQ and other kinds of nastiness."

Alternative solutions

In lieu of using lead bullets, gun owners can buy "green" bullets that are made out of nontoxic metals, particularly copper alloys, Wetzler said. These copper bullets cost about $15 more per box than regular lead bullets, he said.

"A deer hunter won't go [through] more than a box of ammunition in a season," Wetzler said. "Given the amount of money people spend to hunt and fish, it's basically negligibly more expensive." [Gallery: First Red List of Endangered Ecosystems]

He noted that hunters who change ammunition type generally have to reset their guns, taking them to the shooting range to adjust the sites so that the guns will shoot straight. However, hunters generally do that every season anyway, Wetzler said.

In the repeal, Zinke wrote that the policy "was issued without significant communication, consultation or coordination with affected stakeholders," according to The Hill.

However, the topic of lead bullets isn't a new one. A coalition of environmental groups petitioned the federal government to ban them in 2014; California lawmakers approved a law in 2013 to phase them out; and federal law prohibits the use of lead ammunition for water fowl hunting, Wetzler said.

"We've taken lead out of paint, out of gasoline and we're trying to get it out of our water," he said. "But one place where we feel free to take these big droplets of lead and just scatter them throughout the landscape is when it comes to ammunition."

Original article on Live Science.
This fresco, by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo, is on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

After spending five years collecting 270,000 digital frames, researchers have photographed every nook and cranny of the Sistine Chapel for a massive collection of photographs that will be used to help preserve and restore the historic site, according to news reports.

Decades after the entire Sistine Chapel was last photographed, when digital photography was in its infancy, the building has now been re-created pixel by pixel in a collection of photographs, Reutersreported. Everything from Michelangelo's famous frescoes to the chapel's mosaic floor has been photographed in fine detail, which will be used to aid future restoration projects, according to Reuters.

"In the future, this will allow us to know the state of every centimeter of the chapel as it is today, in 2017," Antonio Paolucci, former head of the Vatican Museums, told Reuters. [Gallery: Hidden Gems in Renaissance Art]

Beyond being used by the Vatican Museums for restoration projects, the photographs will be printed in a three-volume, 870-page set. According to Reuters, the set was created by the Vatican Museums and Italian high-end art publisher Scripta Maneant. With a limited 1,999-copy printing, the set will cost about $12,700 (12,000 euros) and will be marketed to libraries and collectors, Reuters reported.

The team of photographers used special telescopic lenses to capture the detail needed for the complete photographic record of the Sistine Chapel, which amounted to 30 terabytes of information. For comparison, 30TB of data could hold approximately 510,000 hours of music, based on calculations by Kelly Brown, an assistant professor and academic director of the Applied Information Management program at the University of Oregon. Photographers also used 33-foot-high (10 meters) portable scaffolding to reach artistic details such as the chapel's famous ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo, according to Reuters.

The resulting photographs are so detailed that brushstrokes are clearly visible, Reuters reported.

"We used special post-production software to get the depth, intensity, warmth and nuance of colors to an accuracy of 99.9 percent," Giorgio Armaroli, head of Scripta Maneant, told Reuters. "Future restorers will use these as their standards."

Original article on Live Science.
Two groups of people  Mexican immigrants, and Muslims  have been the subject of much attention lately, and now researchers say they have figured out one psychological process that explains why some people in the United States vilify these groups.

The process, called dehumanization, occurs when people view others as less evolved and civilized than they view themselves, according to the study, which was published in January in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

But dehumanization may ultimately lead members of the targeted groups to have greater support for violent action, the researchers found in the study, which was conducted in the U.S. during the 2016 primary elections.

The new results show that the extent to which people in the U.S. dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims "is very strongly correlated with support for then-candidate Donald Trump," study co-author Emile Bruneau, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, told Live Science. In other words, the more a person "dehumanized" Mexican immigrants and Muslims, the more likely they were to support Trump. [Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors]

Nicholas Haslam, a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne in Australia who was not involved in the study, said the study's methods and conclusions are sound. "It's high-quality, scrupulous work," he told Live Science. [5 Interesting Facts about Human Cooperation]

The study consisted of several experiments, two of which involved the popular "Ascent of Man" diagram, which illustrates the stages of human evolution, from the earliest human ancestor that looked a lot like an ape to the modern human. The people in the study were told to think of the diagram as a scale, with the ape-like human ancestor as 0 and the modern human as 100.

In one experiment, the researchers asked 342 non-Hispanic Americans where they would place Mexican immigrants and non-Hispanic Americans on the Ascent of Man scale. In another experiment, the researchers asked 455 non-Muslim Americans to place Muslims and non-Muslim Americans on the same evolutionary scale.

The researchers found that some of the people placed both Mexican immigrants and Muslims lower on the scale (meaning farther away from the modern man) compared with their placement of non-Hispanic or non-Muslim Americans, respectively.

The researchers also asked the participants which presidential candidate they supported. They found that the people who supported Trump were more likely to dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims, compared with those who supported any of the other Democratic or Republican candidates.

In other parts of the study, the researchers looked at how the perception of being dehumanized might affect Mexican immigrants and Muslims. The participants in this part of the study included 283 Mexican immigrants and 124 Muslims.

Mexican immigrants who said they felt dehumanized by Trump were also more likely to dehumanize Trump and support anti-Trump initiatives, such as boycotting his businesses, compared with those who did not feel dehumanized by Trump, the researchers found. In addition, those individuals who felt dehumanized by Trump were more likely to "want to see him personally suffer, and endorse hostile actions such as spitting in his face," according to the study. [6 Politicians Who Got the Science Wrong]

Furthermore, Muslims who said they felt dehumanized by non-Muslim Americans were more likely to support violent approaches to supporting civil rights for Muslims in the U.S. compared with supporting nonviolent approaches, the researchers found.

The results show that dehumanizing Muslims and Mexican immigrants in the first place may help to establish, and fuel, a vicious cycle of dehumanization, the researchers said.

"If we use rhetoric and enact policies that make Muslims feel dehumanized, this may lead them to support exactly the types of aggression that reinforce the perception that they are 'less civilized' than 'us,'" Bruneau said in a statement. "In this way, dehumanization can become self-fulfilling in the minds of the dehumanizers and justify their aggression."

The researchers noted that there were some limitations to the study, including the fact that the researchers were not able to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between certain factors in the study based on the data. For example, although the researchers found that some people's tendency to dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims was strongly linked to those people's support for Trump, the findings do not prove that those people supported Trump because of their tendency to dehumanize these groups. However, it is possible that people support Trump not despite this rhetoric, "but in part because of it," the researchers wrote.

Originally published on Live Science.
The first demonstration of the 3D printing technology is a cozy, 400-square-foot (37 square meters) home with an unusual, curved shape.

A new house has been erected in a town outside Moscow, but this home was not built in the traditional sense  it was constructed with 3D printing.

The first 3D-printed residential home, engineered by the tech startup Apis Cor, took less than a day to construct and cost under $11,000 to complete. A mobile 3D printer created the building's concrete walls and partitions as a fully connected structure, rather than printing the building in panels at an off-site facility as is usually done, the company said. The portable machine was then removed from the building, and a group of contractors completed the home  adding the roof and windows, and finishing the interior.

By shifting the construction of the building's shell to 3D printing, Apis Cor aims to prove that this type of construction can be "fast, eco-friendly, efficient and reliable." [The 10 Weirdest Things Created by 3D Printing]

"We want to help people around the world to improve their living conditions," Nikita Chen-yun-tai, Apis Cor's founder and inventor of the mobile printer, said on the company's website. "That's why the construction process needs to become fast, efficient and high-quality as well. For this to happen, we need to delegate all the hard work to smart machines."

The first example of this work is a cozy, 400-square-foot (37 square meters) home with an unusual, curved shape. The curved design of the home was chosen to demonstrate the 3D printer's ability to print the construction material in any shape, according to Apis Cor.

Inside, the 3D-printed home has all of the standard features of a traditionally built house. The studio-style dwelling has a hall, bathroom, living room and compact kitchen. Apis Cor partnered with Samsung on the demonstration house; the electronics giant provided the home's appliances, including a TV with the same curvature as the living-room wall.

Apis Cor estimated that the total cost of the demonstration house's construction was about $25 per square foot, or $275 per square meter. Of the total $10,134 it cost to build the home, the windows and doors were the most expensive components, the company said.

While the total construction savings of the demonstation house compared to a tranditional home are difficult to estimate, Apis Cor representatives said in a statement that savings from 3D printing the building walls are guaranteed.

Original article on Live Science.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP)  Rolando Ruiz walked up to a car as it pulled into the driveway of a San Antonio home and said he needed directions.

Then he asked Mark Rodriguez, one of the two men inside the vehicle, "Do I do it?" Rodriguez replied: "Yes."

Theresa Rodriguez, Mark's sister-in-law, was getting out the passenger side of the car, looked up at Ruiz as he walked toward her and smiled at him, according to court documents. Ruiz put a .357 Magnum revolver to her head and fired.

On Tuesday, Ruiz, 44, was set for lethal injection for the murder-for-hire slaying he carried out more than 24 years ago. Evidence showed he received $2,000 from Mark Rodriguez, whose brother, Michael, stood to collect at least a quarter-million dollars in insurance benefits from his 29-year-old wife's death. Evidence also showed Michael Rodriguez, who also was in the car the night of July 14, 1992, recently had applied for another $150,000 in life insurance for his wife.

Ruiz's execution would be the third this year in Texas and the fifth nationally.

His lawyers argued to the U.S. Supreme Court that lower courts improperly rejected an earlier appeal. They also contended Ruiz's execution would be unconstitutionally cruel because he's suffered a "uniquely devastating psychological toll" after nearly a quarter-century on death row, multiple execution dates and two reprieves.

"It is entirely attributable to the state's failure to provide competent lawyers," attorney Lee Kovarsky told the high court in a filing. He also argued the deterrent value of the punishment was "undercut" by the lengthy time between imposing the sentence and carrying it out.

State attorneys contended Ruiz's arguments were meant to distract the courts from the weakness of his claims and said Ruiz had taken advantage of legal mechanisms to ensure his conviction and sentence were proper and previous judicial reviews found no constitutional error. While some individual Supreme Court justices have raised questions about long death row confinement, the courts consistently have ruled it was not unconstitutionally cruel, Assistant Texas Attorney General Edward Marshall told the justices. Ruiz's arguments about earlier deficient legal help "have been inspected, scrutinized, studied, probed, analyzed, reviewed and evaluated" at all levels of the federal courts, he said.

Ruiz had met Mark Rodriguez at the home of a mutual friend, was arrested nine days after the shooting and implicated the brothers in the contract killing scheme. Police focused on him after receiving a telephone tip after Theresa Rodriguez's employer, the insurance firm USAA, offered a $50,000 reward for information about her slaying.

Court records show Ruiz after the shooting drove off in a car waiting for him on the street. Evidence showed Mark Rodriguez already had paid him $1,000, then gave him another $1,000 three days after the killing. Ruiz had made two earlier unsuccessful attempts to kill Theresa Rodriguez.

The Rodriguez brothers eventually accepted life prison terms in plea deals. Mark Rodriguez was paroled in 2011.

Michael Rodriguez later joined Ruiz on death row as one of the notorious Texas 7, a group of seven inmates who escaped from a South Texas prison in 2000, remained fugitives for weeks and killed a Dallas-area police officer. He was executed in 2008. He blamed his infatuation with a younger woman for the contract murder plot.

Joe Ramon, who accompanied Ruiz the night of the shooting, and Robert Silva, identified as the intermediary who put the Rodriguez brothers in touch with Ruiz, also received life prison sentences.
School & Education, Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 07 2017

Senator John E. Brooks (SD-8) is fighting for an increase in state aid to Nassau County public schools in the 2017-2018 NYS Budget to provide relief to straddled taxpayers and school districts.

Long Island, NY - March 6, 2017 - Senator John E. Brooks (SD-8) is fighting for an increase in state aid to Nassau County public schools in the 2017-2018 New York State Budget to provide relief to straddled taxpayers and school districts. Currently, Nassau County on average receives 18% of its funding from state aid, burdening taxpayers with 82% of the cost of education. Senator Brooks is proposing that New York State pay its fair share of the cost of education, and increase state aid to the Nassau County school districts so that the state's contribution reaches at least 25%.

"Nassau County taxpayers pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, and its residents disproportionately fund the cost of education," said Senator John E. Brooks. "Taxpayers and schools are left strapped, and the quality of our children's education is jeopardized when they are left with limited funding. It's time for the state to step up and unburden Long Islanders by paying its fair share of education costs."
Tech & Science, Nature & Weather, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 07 2017

Governor Cuomo announced a new electric vehicle campaign that includes the installation of charging stations, incentives for employers to encourage employees to drive electric vehicles and extensive public education and outreach.

Albany, NY - March 6, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a new electric vehicle campaign that includes the installation of charging stations, incentives for employers to encourage employees to drive electric vehicles and extensive public education and outreach. The increased use of electric vehicles will help the state in achieving its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. The campaign, which supports the Governors Charge NY initiative, will be overseen by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.



"This multi-pronged campaign will help in this administrations efforts to fight climate change, strengthen infrastructure to support the use of electric cars, and help reduce New Yorks carbon footprint on our roadways," Governor Cuomo said. "With these actions, we are taking another step toward a cleaner, greener and more sustainable New York for all."



Work on the projects will start immediately and will include the installation of 450 charging stations across the state. Of these, approximately 150 will be located at workplaces throughout New York, supporting Governor Cuomos State of the State proposal for the construction of 500 new workplace charging stations. The units will be installed in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Utica, Albany, the Hudson Valley, Westchester County, New York City and Long Island.



"I'm pleased with the progress we're making in the energy sector but we can't cut greenhouse gasses and reach our emissions reduction goals without also making inroads in the transportation sector," said Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York. "State-wide campaigns to promote the use of electric vehicles will go far to help New York reach its emissions reductions goals and combat climate change."



John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, NYSERDA, said, This comprehensive campaign will help New York meet Governor Cuomos clean transportation goals and reduce our carbon footprint. Each project is vital to the success of New Yorks nation-leading energy strategy, so we can ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for all New Yorkers.



Additional projects in this campaign include:

Working with New York City-area public and private employers to create an incentive program specifically for their employees to encourage them to buy electric vehicles;

Conducting outreach to employers statewide to educate them on the benefits of providing workplace charging stations for their employees;

Hosting public test drive and ride events;

Providing innovative financing to make installing charging stations more economically viable for site owners;

And developing tourism routes specifically for electric vehicle owners that will highlight charging station locations in the Mid-Hudson Valley, including in the Catskills.
Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 07 2017

Governor Cuomo announced that a man suspected of multiple incidents of bias graffiti at Pennsylvania Station was arrested and charged for committing a series of hate crimes.

New York, NY - March 6, 2017 - Governor Cuomo today announced that a man suspected of multiple incidents of bias graffiti at Pennsylvania Station was arrested and charged for committing a series of hate crimes, reinforcing that New York has zero tolerance for bigotry or discrimination in any form. The arrest and charges highlight the aggressive actions the state is undertaking to combat the growth of hate crimes and anti-Semitism.



This arrest sends a clear message that all hate crimes will be thoroughly investigated, and we will prosecute those found responsible for perpetrating these reprehensible actions, Governor Cuomo said. We have zero tolerance for these acts of bigotry, which stand in direct contrast to the values that we New Yorkers represent. I applaud the MTA Police Department for their vigilance and actions in this investigation."



Yesterday, MTA Police Department detectives, who had been conducting a surveillance operation related to a pattern of hate-crime graffiti and vandalization of mens bathrooms at Pennsylvania Station, arrested a man for suspicion of vandalizing a bathroom stall. The suspect was identified as Pasquale Vargas, 65, of Brooklyn. Police believe Vargas is responsible for multiple instances of bias graffiti at Penn Station since February 18.



Vargas has been charged under New York State law with eight counts of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree. Due to the nature and circumstances of the alleged offenses, they are being prosecuted as Hate Crimes (Class E Felony).



During an interview with police following his arrest, Vargas admitted to writing the graffiti and said that he wrote it because Mexicans take jobs from Americans." Police suspect Vargas is also responsible for graffiti in Penn Station on multiple other occasions since February 18, including swastikas and other statements that read: "KKK" and "Mexican Go Home," among others, which were written in black marker in two different locations.



MTA Chief of Police Owen Monaghan said, The MTA Police and our law enforcement partners across the state  including the State Police  vigorously investigate all hate crimes in order to bring those responsible to justice. No one should think they can get away with trying to intimidate the public in this way.



As part of a surveillance plan started last month, detectives stationed in a mens bathroom in Penn Station noticed graffiti in a bathroom stall that Vargas left. No graffiti was in the stall beforehand. Detectives stopped Vargas under suspicion of vandalization and searched his backpack, which contained a black Sharpie marker  the same type used to deface the stall.



State Actions to Combat Hate



Last November, Governor Cuomo directed the creation of the State Police Hate Crimes Unit to investigate and offer assistance to other law enforcement agencies investigating potential hate crimes.



The Governor also launched a toll-free hotline to report incidents of bias and discrimination across the state following an uptick in reports of discrimination, bias-motivated threats, harassment and violence. New Yorkers who have experienced bias or discrimination are encouraged to call the toll-free hotline at (888) 392-3644 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday  Friday or text HATE to 81336. The state offers a $5,000 reward to information leading to the arrest and conviction of a hate crime.



Governor Cuomo has also created a $25 million grant program to boost safety and security at New Yorks schools and day care centers at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs or mission. The grant program will provide funding for additional security equipment and training needs, and will be administered by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 07 2017

A NYPD Officer was killed in the line of duty. The 33 year old cop was shot dead during a chase.

Nassau County, NY - March 6, 2017 - A NYPD Officer was killed in the line of duty. The 33 year old cop was shot dead during a chase. The jury came to a verdict against suspect Tyrone Howard today. He was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of NYPD Detective Randolph Holder.

''The jury showed courage and made a proper verdict in the name of law and order. Officer Holder was a fellow officer that dedicated his life to the residents of New York. My heart goes out to his family that had to suffer so long until today's announcement, that justice was served.''
Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 07 2017

Last week, Congressman Tom Suozzi continued his ambitious agenda to get things done for Queens and Long Island residents, highlighted by his environmental response to President Trump's address to the nation.

Washington, DC - March 6, 2017 - Last week, Congressman Tom Suozzi continued his ambitious agenda to get things done for Queens and Long Island residents, highlighted by his environmental response to President Trump's address to the nation. He joined five other members of the Democratic Faith Working group, each of whom spoke on different topics. Suozzis remarks focused on humans' shared responsibility to preserve our planet -- "the divine creation." They can be viewed here.



Congressman Suozzi at Problem Solvers Question & Answer Session. Photo by Office of Congressman Thomas Suozzi.

"My faith is a big part of who I am, and I believe that as God's children we must do everything in our power to watch out over our natural environment. That means combatting climate change and looking out for those who are most vulnerable," said Suozzi.



Congressman Suozzi at Queens Unity Rally. Photo by Office of Congressman Thomas Suozzi.

As part of his strategy to promote bipartisanship, Congressman Suozzi spent much of the week rallying supporters of the Problem Solvers Caucus while making his case in front of the American people. The caucus is made up of 20 democrats and 20 republicans committed to working across party lines to get things done. On Wednesday, Suozzi, who serves as the caucus' Vice-Chair, and fellow caucus members attended a question-and-answer session with over 300 people. The next day he greeted hundreds more Problem Solvers supporters near the steps of the Capitol. On Friday, Suozzi appeared on Fox News Channel's "O'Reilly Factor," where he stressed the importance of setting aside partisan rancor to find common ground. The full segment is available here.

"This was a big week for the Problem Solvers Caucus because we came together and showed that we're serious about getting things done. Now we're going to use this momentum to keep pushing our agenda of bipartisanship and common sense solutions, and I plan to continue being an important voice for our movement," said Suozzi.

In a substantial victory for people living near LaGuardia Airport, Delta announced it has replaced a noisy fleet of planes with quieter ones that will significantly reduce noise. Congressman Suozzi, who co-chairs the Quiet Skies Caucus and has been working closely with local advocacy groups, applauded Delta's move.

"It's good to see at least one airline take the right steps toward cutting down on noise levels near LaGuardia airport," said Suozzi. He added, "While this is welcome news, our work is far from over. I look forward to continuing my work with folks on Queens and Long Island to try and ensure other airlines take similar steps to the one Delta just took."

As part of his duties on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Suozzi met with Secretary of Defense James Mattis for a roundtable discussion on important matters related to our nation's armed forces.

"Secretary Mattis inspires confidence and we are fortunate that he has devoted his life to serving our nation. He is intelligent, educated, candid and straight talking, and I will continue working with him to ensure our men and women in uniform are given the tools they need to properly defend our country," said Suozzi.

On the heels of his first Veterans Advisory Committee, Congressman Suozzi followed that up by meeting with local veterans from various Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations on Long Island in his Washington, D.C. office.

Im committed to helping our veterans get the services they need to ensure they have access to quality health care and jobs that pay well, so Im going to keep meeting with them and working with them to get these things done, said Suozzi.

In a spirit of bipartisanship, Congressman Suozzi was the featured speaker at the Member Prayer Breakfast, a weekly gathering where members of Congress are encouraged to speak about their faith.

I wanted to use this setting to talk a little about my faith and urge my colleagues to see that theres a lot more that unites us than divides us. I hope this will serve as a launching pad for Republicans and Democrats to come together on other issues that matter to everyday Americans, said Suozzi.



Congressman Suozzi at JAMCO Aerospace. Photo by Office of Congressman Thomas Suozzi.

Congressman Suozzi spent the weekend working hard back on Queens and Long Island, where he met with the United Jewish Appeal-Federation, spoke at the Nassau Region PTA legislative conference and toured JAMCO Aerospace. He also spoke at a unity rally hosted by Queens Borough President, Melinda Katz, and attended a reception for the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Association, which supports local Italian organizations.

Nothing matters more to me than staying involved in everything thats happening here on the ground. The more time I get to spend with folks in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, the more I get to listen to their concerns and take their suggestions with me back to Washington and work to get things done, said Suozzi.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Don Miller Published: March 07 2017

Donated space will help improve Island Harvest's food collection and distribution to those in need on the East End; will also serve as a distribution point for disaster preparedness in Eastern Suffolk County.

Hauppauge, NY - March 7, 2017 - Island Harvest Food Bank today announced the donation of a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Calverton by longtime supporter John King, Chief Customer Officer of J. Kings Food Service, according to Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank.

J. Kings Food Service has agreed to let the nonprofit food bank use the dry storage facility, at 2711 Sound Avenue, under a 20-year, no-cost lease. The warehouse space will help facilitate the collection and distribution of food (in particular, fresh fruits and vegetables donated by the local farming community) to those in need on the East End of Long Island. The warehouse will also serve as a distribution point for disaster relief in Eastern Suffolk County, as Island Harvest Food Bank is a lead agency in the regions emergency-response preparedness for food and product distribution.

The Calverton site, generously donated by J. Kings, will be a strategic element in the efficient flow of food to those in Eastern Suffolk who are facing hunger and food insecurity, said Shubin Dresner. The proximity of the warehouse to East End farms enables Island Harvest Food Bank to provide top-quality, nutritious fruits and vegetables to the population in need of our services.

Since 2008, the Long Island Farm Bureaus members have donated more than 12 million pounds of fresh, locally grown surplus produce to Island Harvest Food Bank, making the collaborative one of the largest farm-to-food-bank programs in New York State.

Island Harvest Food Bank and those we serve are grateful to John King for recognizing the need to increase our food sourcing and distribution on the East End, and taking positive steps to make storage space available on a long-term basis, stated Shubin Dresner. We also thank the members of the Long Island Farm Bureau for their continued support, and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone for his assistance in helping to secure this strategic location.

The Island Harvest Food Bank now has the opportunity to enhance and diversify its food collection and distribution operations due to the generous donation by J Kings Food Service, said County Executive Steve Bellone. Both organizations are to be applauded for their commitment to addressing food insecurity within our region.

About Island Harvest Food Bank

Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization that provides food and other resources to people in need. Always treating those it helps with dignity and respect, its goal is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island through efficient food collection and distribution; enhanced hunger-awareness and nutrition-education programs; job training; and direct services targeted at children, senior citizens, veterans, and others at risk of food insecurity. As a result of Island Harvest Food Banks dynamic business model, more than 94 percent of expended resources go directly to programs and services that support over 316,000 Long Islanders facing hunger. Island Harvest Food Bank is a lead agency in the regions emergency response preparedness for food and product distribution, and is a member of Feeding America, the nations leading domestic hunger-relief organization. Island Harvest is a four-star-rated nonprofit by Charity Navigator, an independent charity watchdog organization. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org.
Local News, National & World News

By Robert Golomb Published: March 07 2017

LaValle places support and belief of Trump ahead of own political future.

When on April 6, 2016 John LaValle, 48, the then and current Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairperson announced at a Long Island Trump political rally that he was endorsing the controversial billionaire for the GOP Presidential nomination, many leaders from both the Democrat and Republican parties were said to be in a state of shock.

While it is rare to have them agree on any political matter, concerning LaValles endorsement of Trump, who came to Long Island that day to thank LaValle (as well as several other Republican leaders) for his support, they were in full accord.

It is strange to see Democrats and Republicans agree on anything. I guess it takes a Maverick like me to get that kind of bi-partisan agreement, LaValle, whom I interviewed last week in his office in the Suffolk County Republican Headquarters, stated, wearing a broad smile on his face.

Actually, it was little secret inside the political doors of both parties in Suffolk that many Republican and Democrat leaders were offering the same supposed near certainties on three interconnected predictions. The first was that Trump, who was running virtually without any support from the national party establishment, had little chance of winning the Republican Presidential nomination. The second was that even if by an extreme long shot Trump won the GOP nomination, he had even less of a chance of defeating the then certain Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, who was beating him handily in almost every general election poll.

Trump and John Jay LaValle at Rally in Patchogue , NY; Trump and John Jay LaValle celebrating a win; Photo credit John LaValle.

Their third area of agreement was that by endorsing Trump, LaValle - a father of 3 young boys and an attorney, who prior to his selection as Suffolk County Republican Chair in 2009, had served as the Supervisor of the town of Brookhaven from 2000- 2005, and before that as a City Councilman from the same town from 1996-2000 - had just suffered a fatal self-inflicted political wound.

The consensus of the political class throughout this eastern Long Island County of one and a half million citizens was that this self inflicted wound would all but end LaValles chances of winning the Republican nomination for County Executive in 2019. That nomination, which would have pitted him against two-term incumbent Democrat Steve Bellone in the general election, was widely considered to be LaValles for the asking, prior to the Trump endorsement.

LaValle, now no longer smiling, told me that while he was well aware of this widespread bi-partisan belief that he had committed a major political blunder in endorsing Trump, he possessed no second thoughts at the time about his decision. The stakes for America were too high for me to worry about my own political future. I was looking for the candidate who had the greatest potential to become a great president. Based on the domestic and foreign policy positions he proposed, and the strong, sincere and unapologetic way he proposed them, that candidate for me, I concluded, could only be one person: Donald Trump, he told me.

John Jay LaValle at Fox news before a show; Photo credit Fox News via office of John LaValle.

The foreign policy positions, LaValle cited included Trumps, commitment to rebuild our military, and, directly related to that, provide significantly improved medical care and other needed services for our military veterans, totally defeat and destroy Islamic terrorism and rebuild our historic relationship with for the past eight years our mistreated ally, Israel. 

LaValle said he was equally impressed by Trumps domestic policies. I was extremely excited by Mr. Trumps pledge to unleash Americas own energy resources, his promise to remove literally thousands of useless and burdensome regulations off the backs of businessmen and women, his plan to secure our borders, and his commitment to rebuild Americas infrastructure, he stated.

On these and other domestic and foreign policy issues, LaValle noted that he found that the overwhelming majority of Republicans, many independents and even more than a few Democrats agreed with Trump, leading him to believe that his support of his candidacy was anything but Quixotic. Because he was right on the issues, and because as a totally independent non-politician and extraordinarily successful businessman, he was the right person to articulate and champion those positions, I became convinced even during the most challenging days of the campaign that Donald Trump would be the next President of the United States, he said.

LaValle added that in addition to being impressed by the policies and positions of Trump, he was also impressed by what he perceived to be the future presidents positive personal qualities. I originally endorsed Mr. Trump, whom prior to the event in Long Island I had met only once about 3 years ago, because I believed the solutions he proposed to, in his own words, Make America Great Again would do just that, he said.



Yet, he continued, I as I got to know him on a personal level the day of and the several days following the endorsement, I got an inside look at the private side of Mr. Trump -and I became incredibly taken by what I saw. His kindness, his friendliness, his warmth, and his clearly genuine concern for the feeling of others - be they his chauffeurs, bodyguards, children of people involved in the campaign and campaign staff members - left a very strong impression upon me. I was just hoping for the opportunity to become a part of the campaign and help him become president.

Trump was to give him that opportunity. In late April, he contacted LaValle, asking him if he would be interested in working for the campaign under the title, Trump Surrogate. For LaValle, it was an easy decision to make. I answered yes in an instant, he recalled. In this new role, LaValle appeared on more than 150 cable and regular network news shows airing from the New York area. On each, he told me, his goal was to serve as a representative of Trump, with whom he soon found himself speaking on a weekly basis. There can only be one Donald Trump, he stated. But even he can only be in only one place at one time. So when called to, it was my honor and privilege to serve as his surrogate.

LaValle performed that role from the day he accepted Trumps offer, up through the August Republican Convention, where he also served as a New York State Trump delegate, up until the night of the election itself, November 8th.

Describing that night, when, standing alongside thousands of cheering Trump supporters in the main ballroom of Manhattans Hilton Hotel, he watched the tide of the election results swaying in Trumps direction, LaValle stated, As the reports began to come over the television of Trump winning state after state, including the swing states of Florida, Iowa and Ohio, the incredible realization that he was going to be elected president began to set in throughout the large crowd of his increasingly euphoric supporters. It was a magical night for them all. And it was a great night for the future of America.

Trumps victory that night might also well prove to be great for the political future of LaValle. With his contentious decision to endorse Trump fully vindicated, Lavalle has reemerged as the overwhelming favorite to win, should he seek it, the Republican nomination for County Executive in 2019. In addition, it has been speculated in several New York news outlets that Trump, with whom LaValle is rumored to still be in contact, is considering him for an ambassadorship to one of the 26 Caribbean nations.

While LaValle was reluctant to discuss his political future, he did acknowledge that his involvement in the Trump presidential campaign has improved his political standing in the county. When I asked him to be more specific, he stated, smiling broadly once again, Since the election I have sensed that family members, friends and political associates have been more inclined to listen to my advice - be it concerning political or personal matters.
The Pentagon announced today that a former Guantanamo detainee known as Yasir al Silmi was killed in an airstrike in Yemen on Mar. 2.

Al Silmi is identified as Muhammad Yasir Ahmed Taher in declassified and leaked files prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). His internment serial number was 679. A picture of Taher taken during his time in Cuba can be seen on the right.

The Obama administration transferred Taher to Yemen on Dec. 19, 2009.

Just days later, on Christmas Day 2009, a would-be suicide bomber attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound airplane. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is based in Yemen, was responsible for the failed attack. The Obama administration subsequently suspended detainee transfers to Yemen.

President Obamas Guantanamo Review Task Force (GRTF), which evaluated the detainee population throughout 2009, approved Taher for transfer outside the United States to a country that will implement appropriate security measures.

The GRTF placed 30 other Yemeni detainees in conditional detention, meaning they could be transferred if certain conditions were met. Some Yemenis were recommended for prosecution. Still others were placed in indefinite detention under the law of war, because they were deemed too dangerous to transfer, but their cases were considered infeasible for prosecution.

As a result, dozens of Yemenis remained incarcerated at Guantanamo for years.

But not Taher. The Defense Department did not say when he rejoined the jihad. But he was reportedly killed in Yemens Abyan Governorate alongside Usayd al Adani, a longtime AQAP explosives expert and facilitator.

Taher himself was detained years earlier on the suspicion that he was part of a cadre that was planning to use explosives against Americans in Afghanistan.

JTF-GTMO: Taher a high risk who will engage in extremist activities upon release

In a leaked threat assessment dated Mar. 19, 2008, JTF-GTMO deemed Taher a high risk to the US, its interests and allies. JTF-GTMO also recommended that Taher remain in detention, reversing a 2007 assessment in which intelligence analysts said he could be transferred.

The JTF-GTMO threat file contains this warning: It is assessed detainee [Taher] will engage in extremist activities upon release. He has threatened JTF-GTMO personnel and continues to support jihad.

While in custody, Taher allegedly stated that he wants the infidels destroyed because they are attacking God. He supposedly prayed for a linguist to be killed, threatened to kill members of the JTF-GTMO guard force, and threatened to instigate some sort of uprising in the camp, claiming the Americans are assaulting Islam.

JTF-GTMO found that Taher was an Islamic extremist and a member of a Faisalabad, Pakistan cell created by senior al Qaeda member Abu Zubaydah. Members of Zubaydahs cell, known as the Martyrs Brigade, fled hostilities in Afghanistanwith the purpose of returning to Afghanistan to conduct attacks against US and Coalition forces using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

JTF-GTMO assessed that Taher fled Afghanistan along with his brother as part of Zubaydahs Martyrs Brigade. Zubaydah originally wanted to set up a base of operations in Iran, but he settled for Faisalabad, which is where the Taher brothers and dozens of others were detained in late Mar. 2002.

The Faisalabad safe houses were part of a logistical support network run by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an al Qaeda-affiliated Pakistani jihadist group. Taher was found in one of the residences, which was known as the Issa House.

Taher also acknowledged associations with members of Jamaat Tablighi, a proselytizing group that allegedly facilitated the travel of numerous Guantanamo detainees prior to their detention.

Tahers brother, known as Ali Abdullah Ahmed, committed suicide at Guantanamo in June 2006. Taher told authorities that his brother went to Allah. JTF-GTMO interpreted his reaction to mean that Taher thought his brother sacrificed himself for jihad against the US and his martyrdom granted him access to paradise.

JTF-GTMOs analysts concluded that Taher never truly came clean about his past, despite spending several years in custody in Cuba. Taher and the others captured in Zubaydahs safe houses allegedly adopted a false cover story citing education as their purpose for travel to Pakistan.

Abu Zubaydah: We and the sheikh (Osama bin Laden) are one.

In the summer of 2016, US officials released an unclassified summary of Zubaydahs career, highlighting his close relationships with multiple senior al Qaeda leaders. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, The Abu Zubaydah file.]

Zubaydah (seen on the right) worked with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (the chief planner of 9/11), Abu Hafs al Masri (al Qaedas chief of operations at the time of his death in late 2001), and Abdul Hadi al Iraqi (Osama bin Ladens chief paramilitary commander in pre-9/11 Afghanistan), among others. Indeed, the Martyrs Brigade to which Taher allegedly belonged was jointly established by Zubaydah and Iraqi.

The evidence presented to a Periodic Review Board (PRB) at Guantanamo significantly undermines the claim that Zubaydah was somehow not really an al Qaeda member, as some have argued. Zubaydah apparently has said that he did not swear bayat (an oath of allegiance) to bin Laden. But that claim is difficult, if not impossible, to assess as swearing personal bayat is often of a private matter. Moreover, even if Zubaydah didnt pledge his undying fealty to bin Laden, he certainly acted as if he had.

In Sept. 2016, the PRB denied Zubaydahs request to be transferred. The PRB noted that Zubaydah probably served as one of bin Ladens most trusted facilitators and has admitted abilities as a long-term facilitator and fundraiser for extremist causes, regardless of his claim that he was not a formal member of al Qaeda.

The PRB added an observation that further debunked Zubaydahs claims of supposed independence. The PRB stated that while Zubaydahs responsesminimized his relationship with al Qaeda, he contradicted statements he previously made.

For example, in one video, Zubaydah said the following: We and the sheikh (Usama Bin Ladin) are one. We have been working together for almost 10 years, but we were hoping to keep this work secrethidden. We were forced to make ourselves known because of what took place in Afghanistan and thereafter.

A transcript of this production, aptly titled the Abu Zubaydah Video, was submitted as evidence during military commission proceedings. It contains multiple other passages indicating Zubaydahs loyalty to bin Laden. To return to your question about our relationship with the sheikh: We and he are oneGod granted us success in our endeavors to serve the interest of the Muslims, one passages reads. And then another: Sheikh Abu Abdullah [bin Laden] is our Sheikh and our example, may God reward him well on our behalf and on behalf of all Muslims. As they say in the media that we participate with him in some operations, this makes us proud and is an honor for us and we pray to God to grant him and us success

Still another part of the transcript reads: Regarding the question of our relationship to Sheikh Abu Abdullah Yusuf Osama bin LadenSheikh Bin Laden, He is our sheikh and our example, our brother, and our Emir for many years, thank God and we cooperate with anyone who serves his religion

In other words, Zubaydah didnt always deny his fealty to bin Laden. He was previously proud of it.

Multiple former Guantanamo detainees joined AQAP

Taher is not the only ex-Guantanamo detainee to rejoin the jihad as a member of AQAP.

In early 2009, two jihadists formerly held at Guantanamo were among the four co-founders of AQAP. Said al Shihri and Mohammed al Awfi spoke during a video announcing the relaunch of al Qaedas efforts in the region. Earlier al Qaeda attempts to launch an insurgency in Saudi Arabia were forcefully suppressed. But the four men promised that this time, in Yemen, things would be different. And they were right  AQAP still operates a robust insurgency to this day. However, al Awfi quickly absconded back to Saudi Arabia. Said al Shihri continued to serve as AQAPs deputy emir until he was struck down by an American drone.

AQAP quickly got to work shortly after their announcement, becoming a major force inside Yemen and directly threatening the US. And jihadists who once were held in Cuba have played significant roles in the groups operations in the years since.

The al Qaeda branch named Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, who was transferred to Saudi Arabia in Dec. 2006, as its chief ideologue. Rubaish was one of several key AQAP figures killed in drone strikes in 2015.

Fahd Saleh Suleiman al Jutayli was also repatriated to Saudi Arabia in 2006 and killed during a shootout in Yemen three years later, in Sept. 2009. Two other ex-Gitmo detainees who also joined AQAP, Yousef al-Shihri and Othman al Ghamdi, reportedly informed al Jutaylis family of his death.

Yousef al-Shihri was killed in a separate shootout with Saudi security forces just weeks later. Ghamdi was identified in a 2010 video as an AQAP military commander. According to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Ghamdi was likely killed in 2015.

In mid-December 2009, Hani Abdo Shaalan perished in a Yemeni counterterrorism raid in Arhab, which is north of the capital Sanaa. Along with other al Qaeda terrorists, Shaalan was reportedly preparing attacks against the British embassy and other Western targets at the time.

As of late 2015, Ibrahim al Qosi, a longtime aide to Osama bin Laden, was serving as one of the most senior AQAP leaders. Qosi agreed to a plea deal in a military court and was transferred from Guantanamo to his native Sudan in July 2012. But he made his way to Yemen and assumed a prominent position in AQAP. He has been repeatedly featured in the groups propaganda.

It is likely that still other former Guantanamo detainees have joined AQAP.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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A drug given to pregnant women in 35 countries worldwide to protect against malaria has been shown also to safeguard against the consequences of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and bacterial vaginosis, according to a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The World Health Organization recommends providing intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) using sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to pregnant women living in malaria-endemic areas as part of every scheduled antenatal care visit, from the second trimester until delivery, to reduce adverse birth outcomes caused by malaria infection.

This study has produced the first compelling evidence that the same preventive treatment reduces adverse birth outcomes attributable to curable sexually transmitted/reproductive tract infections (STIs/RTIs).

The research, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with partners the University of Zambia, involved 1,086 pregnant women in Zambia. Researchers investigated the protective effect that different doses of IPTp-SP had on pregnancy outcomes. The analyses confirmed IPTp-SP protects against adverse birth outcomes but of particular interest to the team was the effect the drug had on the infections themselves.

At delivery, women who experienced an adverse birth outcome who had had two or more doses of IPTp-SP compared to 0-1 dose were 76% less likely to have a malaria infection, 94% less likely to have gonorrhoea or chlamydia, and 66% less likely to have trichomoniasis or bacterial vaginosis.

There are 880,000 stillbirths and 1.2 million newborn deaths each year in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are linked to maternal infection. A 2012 School study found that nearly 4 of every 10 women at health facilities have a malaria infection. An even higher number of women, if added together, are infected with the STIs/RTIs syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, tichomononiasis and bacterial vaginosis.

Lead author of this new study, Assistant Professor Matthew Chico from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "Sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections are linked to devastating birth consequences for pregnant women, including spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and premature and low birthweight. While sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been thought to offer pregnant women protection against other infections, no evidence existed - until now. The findings show that IPTp-SP offers unrecognised potential that extends beyond its life-saving protection against malaria."

In the trial, researchers worked backwards to categorise women according to the number of doses of IPTp-SP each had received during the antenatal period. Retrospective laboratory analyses confirmed that infections at enrolment, unknown to investigators and women, were equally prevalent across the treatment groups.

Women who went on to receive two or more IPTp-SP doses compared to 0-1 dose had their odds of experiencing any adverse birth outcome (stillbirth, low birthweight, preterm delivery or intrauterine growth retardation) reduced by 45%, and 13% further with three or more doses. Two doses of IPTp-SP, compared to 0-1, reduced the incidence of preterm delivery by 58%, and 21% further if women received three or more doses.

Conducted in rural Zambia, all pregnant women in the trial received antenatal care according to national policies that included the provision of IPTp-SP, testing for syphilis and HIV. However, screening is not routine for gonorrhoea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. The same is true in high-income countries.

In low-income countries healthcare providers manage curable STIs/RTIs using diagnostic and treatment algorithms, a method that is useful among men for whom these infections are most often symptomatic. However, these same infections in women are most often asymptomatic and are therefore rarely diagnosed and treated.

Matthew Chico said: "Our study helps to explain why IPTp-SP continues to protect pregnant women against adverse birth outcomes in areas where malaria transmission is extremely low. Interestingly, women with neither a malaria infection nor any of the sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections we examined, and who received two or more doses of IPTp-SP, had 73% fewer adverse birth outcomes than women given 0-1 dose."

The authors hope that these results will serve as a catalyst for scaling-up coverage of preventive treatment. Currently only 24% of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa receive two SP doses, well below national and international targets.

Matthew Chico added: "Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine is a cheap 'double protection' drug - 20 US cents per dose. For that bargain price, pregnant women receive broad protection against a range of infections which can lead to very serious consequences. It's almost public health malpractice not to provide IPTp-SP in areas where it is policy. Policymakers and healthcare officials need to recognise the full benefits of IPTp-SP and ensure pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa receive three or more doses."

The researchers acknowledge that this was an observational study so the results only reflect associations between IPTp-SP doses and birth outcomes and infections. However, these findings demonstrate a clear dose-response relationship and are biologically plausible, adding to the confidence held by the researchers. Additional research, including longitudinal studies, are needed to confirm the impact of IPTp-SP on adverse birth outcomes and infections.

Publication

Matthew Chico, Enesia Banda Chaponda, Cono Ariti, Daniel Chandramohan. Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Exhibits Dose-Response Protection Against Adverse Birth Outcomes Related to Sexually Transmitted and Reproductive Tract Infections. Clinical Infectious Diseases. DOI:10.1093/cid/cix026
The government has announced that sex and relationships education is to be made compulsory in all schools in England.

Education Secretary Justine Greening has confirmed that all children from the age of four will be taught about safe and healthy relationships. At an appropriate age, children will also be taught about sex but parents will still have the right to withdraw their children from these classes.

What constitutes healthy relationships, the dangers of sexting, online pornography and sexual harassment will be the focus of age-appropriate lessons.

Dr Cicely Marston, Associate Professor in Social Science at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an expert on sexual and reproductive health in young people, gives her opinion on the announcement:

"The news that sex and relationships education will be made compulsory is very welcome. It will be crucial that the exact content is not watered down unduly, and that experts on the subject are involved in designing the curriculum so that children receive the best possible comprehensive sexuality education.

There is already scaremongering about the content, with some suggesting that school sex education means that parents are seen as unfit to teach their children about the topic. Yet parents themselves want schools to help provide this education. This is an excellent, and long overdue, opportunity for parents, schools and young people to work together to improve young people's lives."

Dr Marston's research has included co-authoring a 2016 study that found a need for sex education programmes to focus on gender dynamics. She also led a 2014 study that revealed greater openness is needed to challenge harmful attitudes and expectations about anal sex between men and women.

Dr Marston also co-authored a report commissioned by the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport Commercial, which found pornography distributors could do more to stop UK children seeing explicit sexual images through the internet and mobile devices.
Robert Sclafani Download Image: Web

Getting to play with the latest technological gadgets is one of the best parts of Robert Sclafanis job.

Ive always been a gadget guy so I love showing up to work to play with holograms, videos, broadcast systems and other multi-sensory software, said Robert Sclafani 78 as he discussed the key attributes to his businesss success with more than 100 members of the Lycoming College and Williamsport communities at a recent lecture on campus.

Sclafani, who majored in business administration at Lycoming College, is the founder and owner of Multi Image Group, a live event production company specializing in creating immersive brand experiences, extraordinary shows and award winning exhibits.

Like many startups, he began his business in his familys home shortly after graduation by experimenting with high-tech devices and software, including some that were so new, he was the first commercial user. Over the past 35 years, he built a company that now supports more than 140 employees and serves businesses from around the world.

His trail from Lycoming student to his current position is about working hard and getting pushed by others. We all need good leaders and mentors to push us out of comfort zone to do something new. When I wanted to change my major late in my time at Lycoming, my professor told me Id have to study like crazy. But he also told me he thought I could do it. So I went back to my dorm and put a sign in my room reminding me to study hard. I proved to myself that I could accomplish my goals with hard work.

When asked during the presentation about how hard to work, he responded Ask yourself  how much do you want it?

He and his staff have tapped into the latest technological advances to design innovative experiences. But the creative use of technology alone is not the main reason for his success. His teams designs energize, engage, inform and inspire. They create experiences that participants cannot forget. In other words, he pays as much attention to the human aspects of his experiences as the technological. Listening carefully to what clients and consumers want helps him deliver the delightful surprises they seek.

Listening to our clients and integrating their products gets us their attention, Sclafani said. All CEOs want to be a rock star so we listen to what makes them feel cool and tailor their entrance to that. We ask What is our concept? What feeling are we trying to create? We aim to take our experience right out to the edges of the space.

For example, for a dealer show for Nissan, they drove a Nissan car that interacted with virtual snow as it drove around the space. He takes great pride in repeat customers like Advocare, for which they have done 26 consecutive annual events. They told us something I truly value. They told us that they dont think of us as an event planning company, they see us as a trusted partner.

Understanding the people side of his employees and listening to them also is important. Multi Image Group now supports more than 140 producers, writers, directors, designers, engineers, photographers, editors, managers, technicians, carpenters and no shortage of dreamers.

I work with some of the smartest and coolest people I know, said Sclafani. When I hire, I look for attitude, intelligence and experience. He also credits strong collaboration among them as reason for success. We have all of the technologies needed for large events under one roof so collaboration is easier and faster.

He also credits his parents with sharing their insights about what makes a business successful. My parents were also my mentors and taught me that, along with hard work, positive emotions in business eventually pay off.

He does his part to foster his employees by encouraging a fun working atmosphere. Look for ways to make your day fun, like holding cookout Fridays. Create as much positive energy as you can. I am very proud that our culture helped us earn recognition as one of the best work places in Florida.

He also mentions the three willpowers in life. The first is the will to be right. The second is to the will to be important. Unfortunately, egos always get in the way. The third will in life is the will to be loved. People work for people they like. If you respect them and care for them, they will love working for you.

He also shared how he keeps himself buoyed after a trying day. Everyone has a self-confidence that goes up and down all day long. If you can keep it up where it should be, youll feel good about yourself. If you let it go down, you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat. To keep his up, he has several things he consistently tells himself: I am enough. I am unique. I am where I should be.

His last piece of advice to the group was to always be looking for the next big thing. If you have the passion and will to work hard, everything is possible. Passion plus hard work equals success, he said.
Sascha Feinstein Download Image: Web

Sascha Feinstein, Ph.D., co-director of Lycoming Colleges creative writing department, will be sharing passages from Wreckage: My Fathers Legacy of Art & Junk during a reading at 7:30 p.m. on March 22. The reading, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Mary L. Welch Honors Hall on the corner of Fourth and Basin Streets.

Feinsteins recently published memoir discusses life with his father, Sam Feinstein, who was both a brilliant artist and hoarder of monumental proportions. He collected only uncollectible objects  artifacts that required him to give them importance  and at the time of his death in 2003, his hoarding had fundamentally destroyed all three of his large homes. Despite this, Sam Feinstein was a remarkable painter and art teacher. This strange double helix of creativity and destruction guides the collage-like reflections.

Like his students canvases  paintings inspired by enormous still lifes constructed from the worlds refuse  this book incorporates myriad sources in order to create a more layered experience for the reader. The result is the depiction of a painter with the highest artistic ideals who nevertheless left behind an incalculable amount of physical and emotional wreckage.

Feinstein is a poet, essayist, and editor who has published ten previous books. One of his poetry collections, Misterioso, won the Hayden Carruth Award. His other books include a memoir, Black Pearls: Improvisations on a Lost Year, an interview collection, Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz & Literature, and two books of critical essays. He has received many academic honors, including the 2008 Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Artist of the Year. In 1996, he founded Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature, which he still edits; Brilliant Corners remains the only literary journal in the country that focuses on jazz-related literature.

He has given poetry readings and lectures at conferences and institutions throughout the country, including the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans, The National Arts Club in New York City, and the American Embassy in Vienna. An avid saxophonist, he frequently plays at the various venues downtown.
After 16 years of existence, surely hundreds of millions of people have encountered the iTunes Terms and Conditions screen and hurriedly clicked through to accept the giant wall of text without actually reading its content. Its cool: we all do it. All of that necessary legal jargon is an absolute pain to read, plus its doubtful than many of us would actually quit installation and live without the iTunes ecosystem because of what we read.

Drawn & Quarterly Initially self-published, this brand new color edition is now out in paperback.

What could finally convince you to read that dry, tedious text? How about pictures? Thats what youll find in Terms and Conditions ($15), an unauthorized adaptation out Tuesday from publisher Drawn & Quarterly. It takes the entire iTunes document (as of October 2015) and spreads it out across nearly 100 comic pages. And heres the kicker: every single page pulls inspiration from a different comic artist and specific book/page, with a Steve Jobs-like character rendered in the style of everything from Superman and X-Men to Garfield and Scott Pilgrim.

Amusingly enough, even artist R. Sikoryak had never read the iTunes Terms and Conditions himself when he first committed to the project.

Inelegant, yet intriguing

Sikoryak (the R. is for Robert) is perhaps best known for Masterpiece Comics, a graphic novel that takes classic stories from the likes of Shakespeare, Dante, and Dostoyevsky, condenses them down to their essence, and retells them via the same kind of comic homages.

Drawn & Quarterly R. Sikoryaks self-portrait in the likeness of Steve Jobs.

He has also produced illustrations for The New Yorker, The Onion, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and his next book, The Unquotable Trump, reframes the American presidents more obnoxious statements as classic comic book covers.

Theres usually a degree of irony or absurdity in the work I do, he affirms, in case that isnt obvious by his body of work.

But after drawing mostly shorter adaptations for Masterpiece Comics and anthologies, he was looking to take on a full-length graphic novel projectand he needed a lot of text.

Because I like playing with the absurdity of trying to take a text and put it into a different medium when I thought absurd, I thought the Terms and Conditions from iTunes would be perfect for that.

I liked it because it was a long text that people think they should read, but never or rarely do, he continues. Of course, he also had never read it. I didnt know exactly what I was getting into, but I did think it would be unlikely, and I like the idea of incongruous subject matter.

Now that hes been through the iTunes Terms and Conditions in surely-agonizing detailespecially as hes made revisions when the text was altered and expandedhes surprised at the contrast to Apples own really beautifully designed and really carefully thought through products.

Drawn & Quarterly Its the unabridged legal document, spanning nearly 100 pages of comic panels.

Its kind of in opposition to how the terms and conditions are written, which are sprawling and all over the place. Theyre not elegant, he continues. Itll be interesting to see if they become purer or more beautiful or elegant, but for me, I didnt quite see the poetry in them. Maybe there is poetry, and because Im not a lawyer, maybe I missed it. But as a reader of literature, I didnt see the same beauty that I see in their other manifestations.

Infinite possibilities

Still, he couldnt resist such a preposterous project. As far as how to bring it to life, Sikoryak settled upon the idea of basing each page on a different artists work from the all around the comic spectrum. And its truly diverse: his selections range in age from 1905s Little Nemo in Slumberland to contemporary books that came out when he was finishing the illustrations in 2015, and it spans everything from superheroes (like Batman and Wonder Woman) to newspaper funnies (Peanuts, Beetle Bailey) and manga (like Akira and Dragon Ball).

Drawn & Quarterly What is the striped iMacs opinion of lasagna and Mondays?

And thats not all: even webcomics (Hark! A Vagrant), modern-day indie sensations (The Walking Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Blankets), and big pop-culture comic adaptations (like The Simpsons, Adventure Time, and My Little Pony) are in play. He wanted to highlight characters that have a life beyond die-hard comic fans and live in the imaginations of a lot of people, as well as include both the legends and newer artists who are doing important work.

I was thinking of the iTunes Store, and also in a broader sense the internet in general, where theres a sense that everything is available and everything is acceptable, he explains, about the constant shift between styles and homages. This sense of infinite possibilitiesI think that was really important.

Drawn & Quarterly The New Mutants? Thats a pretty deep cut.

No two pages are the same, nor do the images necessarily correspond with the text included along the way. According to Sikoryak, the idea was not only to keep readers interest piqued with something totally new on each page, but also to maintain his own enthusiasm for the project along the way. The juxtaposition is hilarious, and we see a Steve Jobs-like character as a stand-in for the heroes of each original work, with the scenes peppered with Apple devices and references alike.

Its not Jobs himself, Sikoryak points out while calling him an iconic presence, but rather a shape-shifting character who embodies so many different things that you might see in comics. [Jobs] uniform is as iconic as Batmans costume or Charlie Browns t-shirt with the zigzag, he adds. I was taking his look and imposing it on the character.

Apples own homage?

Although he didnt want his own perspective to bleed into the adaptation, Sikoryak is an Apple fan and a longtime Mac user himself. He drew Terms and Conditions using a Cintiq tablet connected to an iMac, and began the project in November 2014, initially self-publishing black-and-white editions and publishing one page daily to a Tumblr account in late 2015. Following some buzz around the project, Drawn & Quarterly enlisted him to revise and partially color the paperback edition out today.

Terms and Conditions seems very unlike anything else out there well, almost anything else. Apple actually released App Review Guidelines: The Comic Book for App Store developers at WWDC last June, and its startlingly similar in approach. The source text isnt quite as dull, but its still a legal document spread across comic pages with unrelated stories depicted beneath. In this case, its five original scenes, including one with a superhero battling in space and another a noir private detective tale.

Drawn & Quarterly Apples comic certainly doesnt have a spot-on Dick Tracy homage.

The comparison took Sikoryak by surprise. I was really very startled by it, because it seemed really close in conception to what Id done, he admits. What made it even more uncomfortable was that Madefire, the company that produced the App Review Guidelines comic for Apple, actually reached out to Sikoryak about a project two months prior to its publication. He was busy finishing this color edition of Terms and Conditions and couldnt take on work, so he turned the offer down without discussing details. As such, he cant say for sure if they were contacting him to work on Apples comic.

I dont know. It was very close, he admits. It was a little unnerving, because I hadnt quite seen anything like what Id done, and then that came out and it felt pretty similar. At least he takes solace in the fact that his version was a fair bit more ambitious in scale. I sort of feel like they did Aesops Fables, and I did War and Peace, he says. I feel like I can stake my claim on the grounds that I tried to be a bit bigger in my conception of it.

In any case, Sikoryak hasnt been in touch with anyone at Apple about Terms and Conditions. He wasnt sure of its legality when he started the project, but says he followed the mantra of it being better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Luckily, he hasnt had to do the former at allbut now that the book is fully finished and published, hed be happy to get the companys take on it.

I would love to talk to Apple about it, he says. I hope they like it. I hope they embrace it in the spirit in which it was intended.
Stock Market Euphoria, China's Dumping of Treasuries Ignite Recession Concerns

Citing the uncertainty caused by China dumping U.S. Treasuries, an impending debt ceiling crisis, the upcoming French elections, and more, Wealth Research Group editor Lior Gantz advises investors to make sure their portfolios are diversified.

Each of the last five major U.S. recessions were preceded by a shrinking global trade as a percentage of GDP.

Peak globalization might go down in history as May 7, with the French elections, and it could signal the first major crash since 2008.

We've been following closely the euphoric Trump Trademy personal portfolio is full of Chaos Hedges.

Global trade has declined six times over the past 50 years, and the U.S. entered a recession in five of those periods. The grey areas in the chart above represent recessions.

Global trade has become more than 25% of the $70 trillion in economic growth the world has seen since the 1950s.

Today, trade makes up 50% of world GDP.

This divide between countries benefiting from globalization and those who are exploited has gotten too big, and now this is backfiring on global politics.

The last big dip in trade was in 2009. The Great Recession came next.

The S&P 500 lost almost half its value during the recession, as well as the brutal crash of European and Japanese stocks by 62%, and the Chinese stocks that took a 74% hit.

We have reached peak globalization, and this is a monumental change in the roots of our economy.

Trump Policies Fit with Peak Globalization

Trump is threatening to walk away from free trade deals and place tariffs on imports instead.

The last time the U.S. imposed tariffs on a large scale was in 1930, and it made the Great Depression longer than it should have been.

Tariffs are import taxes, and they shrink the global trade.

We should be on high alert, as peak globalization isn't our only challenge. This euphoria is going to lead to many problems, and this type of bullishness hasn't been seen in 30 years.

But underneath this facade of a roaring bull market in stocks, every investor needs to remember one thing: The U.S. government is broke, and this fragile system of debt is a boiling pot.

There are only a few opportunities that are cheap and undervalued.

Later this week, we will be announcing our top Cobalt stock for 2017 for members of our free 365 Wealth newsletter.

It is making all-time highs on supply shortages, and after looking at 43 companies, we found the one that has a CEO who is the No. 1 authority on the global cobalt market.

As opposed to critical minerals, I am bearish on political stability.

Foreign creditors are selling U.S. government debt like never before.

Last year, China alone sold $188 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bills. Thats the most it's ever sold in one year.

Japan's unwinding its Treasury position, too. It sold about 2.4 trillion yen ($21 billion) worth of U.S. debt in December.

Japan and China are America's biggest creditors. Together, they own more than $2 trillion worth of U.S. government debt.

According to its own calculations, the government is $20 trillion in debt. That's twice as much debt as it had a decade ago.

Trump wants to spend $1 trillion rebuilding America's aging infrastructure and cut taxes, but foreign governments are switching to two-year bonds and aren't willing to finance long-term debts any longer.

Since the 1980s, Treasury bond prices have basically gone straight up. This is changing now, and this is the worst time to own bonds in the last 46 years.

Instead of showing up at the auctions, central banks are loading up on gold.

In fact, the governor of Kyrgyzstan's central bank, Tolkunbek Abdygulov, expressed his "dream" to see all six million citizens of the Central Asian country own at least 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, of physical gold.

The two major events to pay attention to now are the debt ceiling, which is approaching its climax on March 15, and the French election on May 7.

Like Trump, French leading candidate Le Pen is campaigning with the attitude of restoring borders to their firmness.

The average Frenchman is just as sick of their government as Americans were.

France is suffering from a socialistic nightmare, which has caused the unemployment rate to rise above 10%.

Gold rose to its peak in 2016, as Brexit dominated headlines, and now we could be headed to a FrenchxitFrance could be withdrawing from the European Union (EU).

Gold has finished up for January and February, and what is important to understand about physical bullion is just how much diversification it adds to the portfolio.

Gold is literally uncorrelated to all financial assets. It rises from genuine fear and uncertainty, as well as times of negative interest rates, like Germany's -0.94% bond yield.

A French exit from the EU would mean a full-blown global crisis.

The EU is the world's biggest economy, with a GDP of nearly $19.1 trillion.

If the EU collapses, trade wars would be next.

With Trump's budget speech, the debt ceiling approaching decision time on March 15, a likely Federal Reserve rate hike, and the French elections in two months, this is a time to make sure your holdings are diversified, as the euphoric feeling always spells trouble in the end.

Lior Gantz, an editor of Wealth Research Group, has built and runs numerous successful businesses and has traveled to over 30 countries in the past decade in pursuit of thrills and opportunities, gaining valuable knowledge and experience. He is an advocate of meticulous risk management, balanced asset allocation and proper position sizing. As a deep-value investor, Gantz loves researching businesses that are off the radar and completely unknown to most financial publications.

Want to read more Gold Report articles like this? Sign up for our free e-newsletter, and you'll learn when new articles have been published. To see a list of recent articles and interviews with industry analysts and commentators, visit our Streetwise Interviews page.

Disclosures:

1) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of Lior Gantz and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. Lior Gantz is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. Streetwise Reports was not involved in the content preparation. Lior Gantz was not paid by Streetwise Reports LLC for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article.

2) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

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 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Heres All You Need to Know About US Strategy In Asia-Pacific

BY XANDER SNYDER AND CHEYENNE LIGON : On a recent trip to the Pacific, US Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirmed the United States commitment to guard Japan against foreign threats. Both the US and Japan have interests in the South China Sea. Geopolitical expert George Friedman has written extensively about this shared interest in This Week in Geopolitics (subscribe here for free).

However, overlapping interests are not the same as identical interests. The US and Japan both want to protect sea lanes in the Pacific. But the motivations driving each countrys national strategy differ. Japans greater dependency on imports across sea lanes and proximity to China make events in the South China Sea a greater threat for Japan than the US.

Chinas aggressive posturing in the South China Sea is primarily designed for domestic consumption by stirring up national pride to legitimize the regime. Japan perceives these moves as serious threats. Japan must import nearly all the oil and raw materials to function economically and militarily.

Japans Biggest Weakness

Japan is an island nation and must have all of its imports transported via maritime trade routes. Thus, it is imperative for Japans survival to maintain open access to South China Sea shipping lanes.

The US is the dominant naval power in the Pacific and grants Japan freedom of movement in the South China Sea. The current arrangement works, but it means Japan is dependent on its relationship with the US to import required materials.

Oil is one of Japans greatest vulnerabilities. According to a study by British Petroleum, Japan consumes an average of 4.15 million barrels of oil per day. It has an estimated 500600 million barrels in strategic reserves. This is further bolstered by an agreement with South Korea to share oil reserves in an emergency. South Koreas 81-million-barrel reserves would give Japan extra time in a blockade or war.

On its own, Japan only has enough oil in reserve to last for about four months. In a best-case scenario, if South Korea were to give Japan all of its oil, it would only provide Japan an additional three weeks worth of reserves.

However, in such an emergency, it is unlikely that South Korea would grant Japan access to all of its oil reserves. This makes Japan hyper-vigilant toward any Chinese threat to block sea lanes. Cutting off oil from Japan is an existential threat. Its the same one that drew Japan into the Pacific war with the US.

United States Interests

On the other hand, the USs primary concern in the Pacific is preventing the rise of a single state that could upset the regional order. A regional hegemony challenging US naval supremacy is a threat.

China has the largest economy and is pouring money into increasing military capabilities. That makes it the greatest threat to existing regional balance. While this distribution of power is constantly in flux, China remains the power the US must balance.

The US has guaranteed the defense of Pacific countries including Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan since World War II. It uses this interwoven web of alliances to balance Chinas challenge.

The US government is concerned with its allies defense not because of moral benevolencebut because those countries play a critical role in the USs balance-of-power strategy.

Chinas Motivations

Understanding Japanese fears requires knowing China's motivations in the South China Sea. China also needs access to maritime trade routes, but unlike Japan, China is more concerned with its ability to export goods than importing them.

China is afraid of being boxed in by the US and its regional allies. Those include Japan and the Philippines, which could block Chinas access to Pacific sea lanes. This mentality encourages its offensive posturing. By building artificial Pacific islands, China is trying to secure additional territory to increase its area denial capabilities. That would make any potential attack more difficult.

China's regional interests place it in direct conflict with those of Japan. China is not currently ready for a real fight with either Japan or the US, but its threats are felt more acutely by its nearby neighbor than by the US.

US Concern

Mattiss recent remarks do indicate US concern about Chinese aggression and territorial claims in the South China Sea. But the USs concern is more for Japan and other regional allies than its own economic or military interests.

Mattiss remarks show what the US would view as a red line for Chinese activity in the Pacific. Japan would prefer that the US enforce this line on all Chinese activity in this region.

From the USs perspective China's pursuit of the islands and activity in the region thus far are not serious enough to respond with anything but posturing. China does not have an interest in provoking a war. But Japan must base its national defense strategy on what is possible even if unlikely. This dynamic has defined the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region for over a century. It is important to be precise about both US-Japanese shared interests as well as gaps between them.

Watch George Friedman's Ground-breaking Documentary, Crisis & Chaos: Are We Moving Toward World War III?

Russian adventurism. An ailing EU. Devastation in the Middle East. These are just three symptoms of a systemic instability engulfing a region thats home to 5 billion of the planets 7 billion people.

In this provocative documentary from Mauldin Economics and Geopolitical Futures, George Friedman uncovers the crises convulsing Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and reveals the geopolitical chess moves that could trigger global conflict. Register to watch the documentary now.

John Mauldin Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




3 Maps Show How Water Access Can Make Or Break A Nation

BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND ALLISON FEDIRKA : Access to and control over water is a strategic imperative for all countries. As such, it has been a source of conflict throughout history.

Water access can impact a countrys geopolitics in many ways. The first (and one of the most obvious) is sea access. Access to the worlds oceans enables a country to use major maritime shipping routes. It also opens an additional route by which a country could project force by having a navy.

The need to gain and maintain ocean access can lead to war. One major factor in the War of the Pacific in South America (1879-1883) was control over access to the southern Pacific. Bolivia lost its ocean access as a result of this war, and to this day, continues to seek ways to recover it.

A more current example is Russia's invasion of Crimea. The goal here was to create a larger buffer around Russian naval facilities in Sevastopol.

The Mighty Mississippi

Access to waterways also clearly impacts trade. Rivers provide cheaper means of shipping goods to port for export. This makes a countrys exports more competitive.

Ive written extensively about US strategy as it applies to water access in This Week in Geopolitics (subscribe here for free). One of the most strategic riverways in the world is the Mississippi River system in the US.

Two great rivers, the Missouri and the Ohio, flow into the Mississippi. This river system is navigable and empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

This waterway allows virtually any part of the land between the Rockies and Appalachians to ship goods inexpensively through this river system and on to other countries.

In this case, the US acquired these lands primarily through the Louisiana Purchase. That was followed by a war with Mexico and the annexation of Texas. This led to the expansion of a buffer zone to the west of the Mississippi River.

The Nile

Rivers can also be sources of power in terms of relations between states. This is the case with the Nile River.

Approximately 85% of all water reaching the Nile River in Egypt originates in Ethiopia from the Blue Nile, Atbara, and Sobat rivers. Of these rivers, the most important is the Blue Nile. It accounts for nearly 60% of the Niles water in Egypt.

Given that Egypt is mostly a desert climate, the country depends on the river for water and agriculture. At present, Egypt has concerns over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (which should be operational this year). Any moves made by Ethiopia that affect water flow or quality could jeopardize water access downstream.

So far, this concern has been dealt with through diplomacy. But in the mid-1870s, the Khedevite of Egypt invaded Ethiopia via Eritrea in an attempt to gain control of the Nile River. This war lasted for two years.

Syrias Droughts

The absence of water can indirectly lead to conflict. This map shows areas in Syria where there were six or more years of drought from 2000 to 2010. Prolonged droughts can destroy a regions agriculture and livestock, exposing local food supplies to great risk.

The Islamic State took control of some of this territory only a few years after the drought. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction published a study in 2011 that looked at this drought. The report implies that social and economic ruin caused by drought contributed to the rise of IS.

Historians have also noted a correlation between major famine due to drought in Ethiopia and the fall of regimes, such as the Derg.

While drought in these cases did not serve as a direct trigger for observed violence, there is a strong correlation between the absence of water and social and economic instability.

The Importance of Access

Water has an underlying geopolitical importance. Access and control over this feature can provide strategic standing to a country. In some cases, it can even enhance this standing in terms of military projection, trade, domestic stability, and leverage over other countries. For this reason, water can be a great source of conflict among nations conflict that has the potential to rise to the level of warfare.

Watch George Friedman's Ground-breaking Documentary, Crisis & Chaos: Are We Moving Toward World War III?

Russian adventurism. An ailing EU. Devastation in the Middle East. These are just three symptoms of a systemic instability engulfing a region thats home to 5 billion of the planets 7 billion people.

In this provocative documentary from Mauldin Economics and Geopolitical Futures, George Friedman uncovers the crises convulsing Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and reveals the geopolitical chess moves that could trigger global conflict. Register to watch the documentary now.

John Mauldin Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




This year March 8 in Italy will not be the same as other years. We live in a system that is no longer able even to pretend to guarantee decent living conditions for the majority of the people and this is reflected in particular in the terrible situation facing women. In the past few months, however, in dozens of countries around the world we have seen hundreds of thousands of women expressing their anger against the system, and taking to the streets to in defence of their rights.

Last October, tens of thousands of Polish women surprised the world with their strike against further restrictions on the right to abortion that the government was proposing to introduce. [See Poland abortion strike: Thousands of women in over 60 cities refuse to work in protest over restrictive laws for report and video].

Abortion is illegal in Poland, and is granted only in cases of rape, serious defects to the embryo or in life-threatening situations for the woman. The Nationalist government had decided that even these limited concessions were too liberal. But the government paid dearly for its arrogance: women broke the 25-year social peace and the bill had to be withdrawn.

In Brazil, abortion is guaranteed in the same manner as in Poland. Last year the women's movement blocked further restrictions put forward by Cunha, the President of the Lower House of Parliament, aimed at further criminalising women who have been victims of sexual violence.

Last October there were also mass mobilisations against violence against women in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia and Mexico, following an atrociously violent murder of Lucia Perez, a 16-year-old girl in Mar de la Plata, who was kidnapped, raped, tortured and impaled. [See Women in Argentina protest after murder of 16-year-old girl and Latin America rallies to condemn violence against women]

In Turkey, huge womens mobilisations forced the government to withdraw its proposed law on so-called shotgun weddings, in which child victims of rape would not only have to accept rape in silence, but also to marry the rapist! [See article and video]. The same arrogant Turkish government that since last August has jailed thousands of left activists, teachers, intellectuals, civil servants, was forced to retreat by the movement.

Everyone can see what is happening in the United States with the movement of millions of women against Trump, bringing out workers and youth in a more general movement against his reactionary policies. [See Women's March against Donald Trump is the largest day of protests in US history, say political scientists]

There is no doubt that the escalation of violence against women has fuelled this movement, but it is also part of a more widespread mass protest against declining living conditions in general and against the new government.

Italy also saw at least 200,000 people coming out onto the streets in Rome last November in the demonstration against violence against women. [See video] At least seven million women have been victims of some form of violence in Italy. In Europe 33% of the female population has suffered some form of violence. Last year in Italy 116 women were killed, three quarters of which by a family member and 67% by their partners. Despite the media campaign of always highlighting any case that involves immigrants in order to foment racism and to justify increasing measures of state repression, the figures show that the problem is not one of law and order.

Violence against women is closely related to the economic system in which we live and therefore the fight against violence against women involves a struggle against capitalism.

Capitalism is violence

The tragic cases that we see, often involving extreme violence, are connected directly to the pressures of everyday life on ordinary families. And there is no doubt that this pressure has increased with the deepening economic crisis. In Italy, most of the killings have taken place in Lombardy, one of the most economically developed areas. We cannot treat the phenomenon simplistically as the result of cultural backwardness. In Italy less than 46% of women are in employment, one of the lowest percentages in Europe. However, even when women have jobs, their economic independence is not guaranteed. The lack of a welfare state means that for women even having a job can become an intolerable burden, especially for women with children or elderly relatives to look after. This means that it is not enough to demand jobs for women. One has to look at living conditions in general, taking into account the limited welfare facilities, the education system, healthcare and pensions.

To this we must also add that because of the social role assigned to women in this economic system, there is an ideological struggle of the ruling class to heavily limit sexual freedom for women and relegate them to the role of rearing and caring for children.

It is within the family, in all its many manifestations, that society places the ultimate responsibility for the care of human beings and within it the woman plays a key role, because it is women who give birth and this biological aspect conditions their role in the family. This is the reason why so many hard and bitter struggles were necessary to win the right to abortion, which exists in Italy, but which has been limited by the so-called right to conscientious objection of the medical staff. As many as 70% of the medical staff in fact exercise this option, refusing to carry out abortions, which means that this important right in many hospitals is not at all guaranteed. And even those women who manage to get an abortion find themselves the victims of obscurantist campaigns of criminalisation by the Catholic Church and the Movement for Life.

Women's bodies are not fully their own

And this fact, in the given social and economic context, further conditions the relations between the sexes, promoting the idea of a property relation of men over women.

Studies and statistics show that violence against women tends to occur in those cases where women feel psychologically more fragile, victims of the bitterness of life and often forced to depend, both economically and emotionally, on their partners. Forced relationships and the general exploitative situation women find themselves in, are the typical conditions in which the pathological character of the sense of ownership of the woman matures in men. This kind of relationship historically was also expressed in Italian Criminal and Family law. It suffices to recall that in Italy crimes of sexual violence were considered "crimes against morality and decency" and only in 1996 did they become crimes "against the person".

In the late 1980s, thanks to the development of the women's movement, there was a mushrooming of anti-violence centres for women. These were mainly private associations self-managed by women, which grew also thanks to occasional funding provided by the local authorities. But, over time, the funding decreased, and many of those centres have had to close down. They are certainly important, but they are no way near to being enough to deal with the problem. It is not enough to fight violence simply by working on the self-esteem and independence of women.

Freedom and Capitalism

Last year we saw the movement for the right to same-sex marriage which revealed the indignation of large layers of the youth against all the bigots inside and outside the government. [See Napoli in marcia per le unioni civili]. Eventually the Renzi government approved a compromise version of the law (there is no mention of marriage, but only of civil unions and same-sex couples have no right to adoption nor do the partners have the right to custody of each others children). All the various interest groups were applauding the courage of the government, conveniently ignoring not only what had been left out of the law, but also the fact that this was the same government that had introduced the Jobs Act [very similar to the labour law adopted by the Hollande government in France], and had cut pensions and healthcare. All these measures have led to an increase in layoffs and growing unemployment. This was a major attack not only on the working class movement as a whole, but also, and in particular, on the weaker and more discriminated layers of the working class (such as immigrants, women and gays).

Civil rights are not abstract and general, freely available to anyone. They are closely connected to the material living conditions of those who exercise them. How can people exercise their right to express their personal relations and to live their lives freely, under a regime of constant job insecurity, lack of social services, exorbitant rents, etc.?

We must fight to remove the social basis that fuels violence and discrimination

We believe that the difficulties the movement  at least here in Italy  is finding in establishing a clear fighting strategy to actually change the state of things, is related to the class nature of those who lead the movement. They accept the present government, and limit themselves to simply criticising this or that law approved by the Renzi government. They do not address the problem of how to fight against those who are pursuing interests that are diametrically opposed to those of the workers. These people living a comfortable life, these high-flying women intellectuals, etc., can spend their time in fancy talk about rights and so on, while they have idyllic families, beautiful homes with all the mod cons and also, of course, the domestic staff to look after them.

However, the present international women's movement has the possibility of challenging the ruling class and its governments. We must seize this opportunity to develop a winning strategy and declare war on those who are really responsible for the ongoing deterioration in the living conditions of the working class.

In recent years both centre-left and centre-right governments have attacked our interests. In less than three years, the Renzi government managed to introduce the right to fire without a just cause, and significant cuts to education, healthcare, pensions and local authority spending. It also deregulated the use of public land, and allowed for the so-called big works to commence, in reality gifts to speculators at the expense of genuinely useful services. All of this has been seasoned with arrogant and grotesque campaigns, such as the Joy to Live and Procreate, or the famous Fertility Day. The final insult was the bank-saving decree when 20 billion of public money was handed over to the bankers and the bosses. In recent years we have seen the transfer of immense resources from the pockets of the workers to those of the bosses.

The anger of the working people was expressed in the December 4 referendum, which led to the resignation of Renzi, but it is clear to everyone that the current government is just a Renzi government without Renzi.

A platform of struggle

The more than two thousand women attending the Non una di meno assembly held in Bologna on 4-5 February adopted an eight-point programme and issued an appeal to the trade unions to call a women's strike. The eight points demand greater safeguards for women, the right to abortion, investment in women's culture, opposition to sexism, racism and misogyny, but also the end of casualisation of jobs, a guaranteed minimum wage, residence permits for all [immigrants], and opposition to Renzis school reform.

What is surprising, however, is the fact that in relation to the right to abortion, immediately following on from the demand to end conscientious objection, the demand is raised for the decriminalisation of backstreet abortions which are themselves the result of conscientious objection, "so that everyone may exercise their right to self-determination "

We consider this a defensive demand, but also a dangerous one, because it opens even wider the door to backstreet abortions. One must not run away from the need to fight for the application of full abortion rights, protected and tailored to the needs of women in public health facilities. And the only way of guaranteeing this right is to abolish the right to conscientious objection for medical staff, which would imply immediate dismissal of anyone who does not abide by the obligation to provide this service.

What is also missing from the list of demands is a call to re-establish the state-run network of family planning clinics, as set down in Law 194 (the current law on abortion rights) which would also include the anti-violence centres. Undoubtedly, the present, often unreliable and insensitive public facilities, with practitioners that are not adequately trained, merely reveal the aggressive character of the state. This is not what a woman needs. Nonetheless, we have to fight for a publicly funded network that covers the whole of the country, so that all women, from the larger cities down to the most remote villages of Calabria, regardless of their economic conditions or cultural level, have access to services which they can trust and where they can find answers to their problems.

For this reason we should demand a publicly funded, guaranteed and widespread network of both family planning clinics and anti-violence centres under the collective management of representatives of the trade unions, the womens movements and also the local women who use these services.

We could add further points, such as the launching of a massive council house building project, for a genuine relaunch of the welfare state that would free women from the bondage of domestic labour: with an extensive network of free nurseries, covering actual working hours, a network of public support structures for the elderly, not to mention laundry services, as well as the promotion of public companies that provide catering and household cleaning.

To provide the finance for such a plan, it must be stated clearly that we would have to nationalise the banks and the major corporations, which in recent years have received enormous state funding, and make all of this available to cover social needs, under the democratic control of the workers.

The appeal to the labour movement

The womens movement has appealed to the unions to promote the 8 March womens strike. One would imagine that this appeal implies a campaign to mobilise all women workers not to go to work on that day, so as to cause maximum damage and support the demands of the movement with sufficient force. This is the objective of a strike, and that is why it must have a wide participation and must be made to bite. However, the appeal was made without a strategy of how to achieve this.

The other problem is that the union leaders have accepted all the counter-reforms  listed above  pushed through by the government. The CGIL in particular is responsible for having abandoned the workers half-way through the battle, firstly by having given up the fight against the Jobs Act in December 2014, then by doing the same thing in May 2015 during the struggle against the so-called Buona Scuola [Good school], despite the mass participation in those strikes. The secretary of the CGIL Susanna Camusso has manoeuvred skilfully to avoid having to respond to the call for a womens strike, leaving it up to the local union structures to promote it or not.

The appeal therefore is seen for what it is, a diplomatic agreement between the feminist groups that issued it and the trade union bureaucracies which have responded only half-heartedly. The call for the strike  apart from the smaller trade unions (Usb, Cobas, Cub, Uses, SGB, mostly split-away unions from the main official unions)  has been issued by the FLC-CGIL (the teaching staff union). Unfortunately, it seems that the real aim is simply to provide legal cover  by making the strike official  for those women who had already decided to participate in the March 8 strike, rather than to organise a genuine day of action that could bring the country to a halt.

We cannot be satisfied with just the few protests that some trade union leaders had to face in some of the local assemblies. We must work to challenge the position of these seemingly immovable trade union leaders. We need to promote a genuine movement from below, at all levels of the trade unions and in the workplaces, involving all of the working men and women and the youth to bring the country to a halt. We need to build a movement that expresses the real anger of the working class, capable of forcing the trade union leaders to call a real strike, a political general strike, to bring down the government. This must be the real goal, not the meek call of the Non una di meno assembly on the government to set up an anti-violence plan, for we know full well what would come of that!

Mass movements are erupting all over the world that are challenge capitalism and the rules that govern it. These movements can inspire us here in Italy to put an end to this litany of going through the motions of mobilising, and the ritual diplomacy of the politicians and help us to focus on the need to build a real alternative where the economic resources will be in the hands of those who work, and where we can build a society that puts an end to exploitation of man by man and of woman by man.

[Note: this is the text of a leaflet that the Italian section of the IMT will be giving out on 8 March]
SPRINGFIELD -- With a new Republican proposal on the table to replace the federal Affordable Care Act, officials with two city hospitals and a health plan fear the overhaul will lead to cuts in Medicaid, loss of coverage for individuals and an end to accountable care organizations designed reduce hospital admissions.

While neither Mercy Medical Center, Baystate Health or Health New England have all the details on the House GOP's health care plan -- which Republicans promise to use to repeal and replace the law passed under President Barack Obama, and best known as "Obamacare" -- possible Medicaid modifications are worrisome.

The Associated Press reports the Republican overhaul could change Medicaid's open-ended federal financing to a limit based on enrollment and costs in each state, a move likely to cause funding cuts.

The Republican bill would continue Obama's expansion of Medicaid to additional low-earning Americans until 2020. But after that, states adding Medicaid recipients would no longer receive the additional federal funds the statute has provided.

While estimates vary, most experts conclude the Republican plan will result in fewer people having health care coverage.

All of this presents challenges to Baystate.

"The potential for reductions in Medicaid payments to hospitals is a major concern to us, as Baystate Health now absorbs a $50 million annual loss from underfunding of the large volume of Medicaid services we provide," said Benjamin C. Craft, senior director of government and public affairs for Baystate Health. "We're also concerned about the broader impact of the proposed cost-shift on our state budget given the many needs it serves."

Craft said the organization is also concerned about the potential loss of coverage for individuals, particularly for its "most vulnerable patients."

Steven P. Webster, head of marketing and digital communications at Springfield-based Health New England said Massachusetts residents should remember that Obamacare was modeled after the Massachusetts health care reforms that preceded it. In theory, that means any changes to Obamacare will have less of an impact here.

But specifics are still few and far between.

"We are concerned about the changes to Obamacare ," he said. "We are concerned about the impact and the cost to our members."

Getting rid of the individual mandate to buy insurance would mean higher prices for those who do buy coverage, he said. The system needs healthy people to buy insurance to help pay for sicker people.

Owned by Baystate Health, Health New England has about 200,000 members in Western and Central Massachusetts and in Hartford County, Connecticut.

Daniel Keenan, senior vice president of government and community relations for Mercy Medical Center, said Medicaid alone -- a federal-state program that pays for health care for the poor, elderly, blind, disabled and for needy families with children -- does not cover the cost of providing care.

"The ultimate danger in any of this is lack of funding," Keenan said.

He's worried a new health care bill could endanger Massachusetts' $52.5 million Medicaid waiver from the federal government. The deal was approved by the Obama administration in November 2016.

One of the things the waiver does is create a framework for Medicaid accountable care organizations in Massachusetts. The organizations give health care providers, like Mercy or Baystate, a population of patients to care for and a budget to pay for that care. If care is cheaper than expected, the provider shares in the savings.

The provider manages care and the budget in part by integrating care, making sure doctors and nurses work with behavioral health providers, pharmacists, physical therapists and others to avoid duplication and keep people healthier.

"We think there are some real possibilities in these ACO programs," Keenan said.

Mercy is studying the new federal bill and trying to determine how it will change as it winds its way toward passage as a law, Keenan said.

"We have confidence that Massachusetts will maintain its commitment to coverage and to access and to controlling health care costs," he said. "Ultimately our priority at Mercy is to maintain the Massachusetts health delivery system, working with the Commonwealth and with Congressman Neal."

Late Monday, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield and Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, said the GOP plan would "would rip health care away from millions of Americans, ration care for working families and seniors and put insurance companies back in charge of health care decisions."

But House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the bill would "drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Baystate Franklin Medical Center

The main entrance to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield.

(MassLive file photo)

Nurses employed at Baystate Franklin Medical Center have filed a federal complaint against their employer alleging the hospital engaged in unfair labor practices.

The complaint was filed this month with the National Labor Relations Board by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents about 200 nurses at the hospital.

The union alleges the hospital has declined to negotiate over nurse workload, health insurance and retirement plans offered employees.

Contract negotiations between the hospital and union began in November regarding a contract scheduled to expire at the end of 2016. A federal mediator joined negotiations last month.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association claims that in a six-month period between August 2016 and February 2017, registered nurses at the hospital were asked to pick up additional shifts more than 100 times due to staffing shortages.

More than a dozen times -- the union alleges, citing Massachusetts Department of Public Health records -- nurses were mandated to work past their scheduled shifts to ensure safe staffing levels were met.

Ben Craft, senior director of government and public affairs for Baystate Health, called the complaint a "smear tactic" by the union.

"We continue to conduct our negotiations with the MNA in good faith and with the intent to reach a fair agreement," Craft said in a statement. "We call on the MNA to resume a constructive approach to negotiations, and to keep in mind the most important stakeholders in our discussions, the patients and communities we serve."

Baystate Franklin is a community hospital in Greenfield, about 40 miles north of its parent hospital in Springfield.

Baystate Health serves more than 800,000 people through its five hospitals -- Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Children's Hospital and three community hospitals, including Baystate Franklin -- and network of more than 80 medical practices. The health system employs more than 12,000 workers.
haiti school.png

Students at the Maro Verger school, built by the Marco Depestre Foundation. School children in Easthampton and Northampton will raise money to buy drinking water purification tablets for the school community in Haiti.

(Submitted photo)

EASTHAMPTON -- Elementary school students in two communities will help provide clean drinking water to children in Haiti, where cholera has killed thousands of people since a devastating 2010 earthquake.



The children will raise money to buy Aquatabs, effervescent tablets used for the purification of drinking water. The tablets, when dissolved in water, kill harmful microorganisms.



The project involves students and teachers at Maple Elementary School in Easthampton, the Jackson Street School in Northampton, and the Smith College Campus School in Northampton. The initiative is led by Margaret Betts, a first-grade teacher at Maple School.



"This is an achievable project, because each Aquatab costs approximately two cents when purchased in bulk," said Betts in an email. "One tablet cleans a gallon of water, which is about how much each person needs a day."

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea. It spreads through contaminated water. The illness causes dehydration and can lead to death if left untreated.



In Haiti, the outbreak began in a United Nations peacekeeping camp, according to the New York Times. The UN issued a formal apology in late 2016, but stopped short of acknowledging that it caused the epidemic.

The project in Easthampton and Northampton will launch March 21, when Yvette Depestre will visit all three schools. Depestre, originally from Haiti, is co-founder of the Marco Depestre Foundation of Ottawa.



The foundation supports education, public health and anti-poverty initiatives in Haiti. In 2016, it raised money to rebuild a school that was destroyed in the earthquake. The Aquatabs project will help the students and families associated with the Maro Verger school.



"The message for kids will be about how much difference two cents can make in the life of someone who lacks clean water," said Betts. "Students will also be asked to think about their own water consumption, and what it would be like to have less access to clean water."



Betts said she learned from her friend Richard Albert, an associate professor at Boston College Law School, that his mother's foundation was struggling to acquire enough water purification tablets to distribute during visits to Haiti.

Students will be encouraged to do chores at home to earn small amounts of money, said Betts. They will also be asked to think creatively about other ways they can earn money. Morning Math Club Jackson Street is planning a bake sale, and the Campus School is considering a can drive.



Betts is working with Maple School teacher Martha Morgan, with math teacher Mary Cowhey at the Jackson Street School, and with Robbie Murphy at the Smith College Campus School. Easthampton Savings Bank has offered to tally the money at the end of May.



"Depestre will bring pictures of the students and help us all to connect to the people and place of Haiti," said Betts.
A Connecticut woman has run afoul of the law after authorities learned she let her 10-year-old son take the wheel of the car and drive down city streets.

Lisa Nussbaum

Police in Monroe, Connecticut learned this happened because the mother, Lisa Nissbaum, apparently broadcast the driving lesson live over Facebook.

According to the Monroe Courier, several people called police to complain that they were watching the video of a child driving a car.

Police investivated and on Friday charged Nussbaum, 38, with one count of risk of injury or impairing the morals of a minor. She is due to appear in Bridgeport District Court on Friday for her arraignment on the charges.

According to the CT Post, police watched the video and saw the boy driving the car at moderate speeds through a residential neighborhood. He did not appear to be wearing a seat belt.

Nussbaum appears to be seated in the passenger seat and recording the action with her cellphone, and giving him directions.

Monroe is a town of about 19,000 people just west of New Haven.
fly fishing angler.jpg

The Deerfield River Watershed chapter of Trout Unlimited plans to measure the economic impact of fly fishing in the region, and is asking anglers to take a brief online survey.

(Goldman Luther, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

DEERFIELD -- Anglers travel from far and wide to cast into the waters of the Deerfield River and its many cold water tributaries.

When sportsmen and women visit the region, they buy restaurant meals, stay at hotels, hire guides, visit local stores, fill up their gas tanks, and more.

Now the local branch of Trout Unlimited plans to measure the economic impact of fly fishing in the Deerfield River basin.

The group has built an online survey, and is encouraging anglers to log in and answer a few questions. The survey can be found on the group's website.

The goal is to understand how fly fishing boosts the economy.

The statistics will be shared with government officials, conservationists, and other stakeholders. The purpose is to galvanize public and private support for protecting the Deerfield River and its feeder streams.

"Our effort is to demonstrate the importance of protecting and enhancing area cold water rivers and streams, for not only ecological reasons but also economic benefit as well," said Kevin Parsons, the local chapter's president.

There are at least eight professional fishing guides in the Deerfield River watershed, including Chris Jackson, vice president of the local Trout Unlimited chapter.

"While the Deerfield is already a good trout river in Massachusetts, it could become a great river," Jackson said. "The reputation of a better fishery will grow conservation programs, and have a positive economic impact throughout the region."

The chapter's mission is to advocate for the long-term health of the Deerfield River watershed as a cold water fishery. New members are always welcome, said Parsons.

"Protecting this wonderful resource and enhancing the Deerfield's cold-water fishery is what drives our membership," he said.

Trout Unlimited has teamed up with area guides, fly-fishing shops, and outfitters in eastern Massachusetts as well as chapters throughout the Northeast to encourage anglers to take the survey.

"The Deerfield River should not be merely accepted as a fine fishery stocked with pellet raised trout," states the chapter's website.
When a group of technology experts were asked to speculate on the future of their industries last week at the University of Montana, their answers were broad and varied, from the end of the silicon age to the dominance of the electric vehicle.

The question was posed by Mansfield senior research fellow Alex Philp during a roundtable discussion hosted by Accelerate Montana. The evening covered everything from artificial intelligence to big data analytics and cyber security.

This is the third of three stories on how information technology and innovation are transforming industries and peoples lives. The topics were discussed during a roundtable reception at the University of Montana through Accelerate Montana with the leaders of IBM, Panasonic and the Washington Corp.

By Martin Kidston/Missoula Current

Full Story: http://www.missoulacurrent.com/business/2017/03/um-tech-innovators/

***

Cyber attacks penetrate vulnerable systems http://www.matr.net/article-75788.html

Technology in Montana: The bogeyman that isnt artificial intelligence http://www.matr.net/article-75767.html
The site ultimately urges viewers to contact Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke @SecretaryZinke and @Interior and https://www.doi.gov/feedback , and tell him to "keep our public lands in public hands and defend Bears Ears National Monument."

Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear company known for its environmental activism, has teamed up with Google to create This Is Bears Ears National Monument http://www.patagonia.com/bearsears , an "interactive film experience" with 360-degree videos, immersive visuals and Street View maps of the area.

Combining Patagonias conservation and preservation efforts with Googles 360 technology, 10 short films tell stories of tribal leaders and athletes, and why they want you to take action for Bears Ears.

Full Story: http://mashable.com/2017/03/07/bears-ears-patagonia-google-film-series/?utm_cid=hp-n-1#TB.mwZ2qhmq4
The fear mongering about the integrity of Montanas elections needs to stop. There have been no confirmed cases of voter fraud in Big Sky Country. County election administrators work with the Montana secretary of state to see to it that voting  by mail or at the polls  is secure.

Theres no reason not to offer every registered voter in the state the convenience of casting their ballot by mail, especially when it also saves taxpayers money. Thats unless people using the power of their vote is really what the heel draggers fear.

GERALDINE CUSTER  Rep. Geraldine Custer, R-Forsyth, is serving her second term in the House. She previously administered elections as the elected Rosebud County Clerk and Recorder for 36 years. Custer helped craft Montanas rules for mail elections while serving on an advisory board to former Montana Secretary of State Jim Waltermire. http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mt-mail-in-ballot-opposed-for-fear-of-democratic-turnout-891708995690

Full Opinion: http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/guest-opinion-what-do-montana-s-mail-ballot-opponents-really/article_248c50b3-9055-53c0-8d2c-b8d848e7c867.html

***

MT mail-in ballot opposed for fear of Democratic turnout

State Representative Geraldine Custer, R-Montana, talks with Rachel Maddow about the advantages of a mail-in ballot and her fight against some in her party who fear making it too easy to vote will give the Democratic candidate an advantage.

Video: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mt-mail-in-ballot-opposed-for-fear-of-democratic-turnout-891708995690

MSNBC Rachel Maddow  Montana GOP chair warns too much voter turnout favors Democrats http://www.matr.net/article-75651.html
MT mail-in ballot opposed for fear of Democratic turnout

State Representative Geraldine Custer, R-Montana, talks with Rachel Maddow about the advantages of a mail-in ballot and her fight against some in her party who fear making it too easy to vote will give the Democratic candidate an advantage.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mt-mail-in-ballot-opposed-for-fear-of-democratic-turnout-891708995690

***

Mail-in Ballot bill sponsor says Speaker broke House rules with SB 305 by assigning it to wrong committee to kill it.

A Great Falls-area lawmaker carrying legislation to allow counties to have mail-in ballots for the May 25 special election said Monday the House GOP leader broke rules by assigning his bill to a committee that others believe will kill it.

Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, said he was disappointed House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culberston, assigned Senate Bill 305 to the Judiciary Committee, who some believe will kill the bill which has received bipartisan support, rather than the State Administration Committee.

Phil Drake , [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2017/03/06/bill-sponsor-says-speaker-broke-house-rules-sb/98828396/
by Sara Guaglione , March 7, 2017

has released its first print issue in nearly seven years. This time around, the magazine has a larger format, more visuals and comes with a vinyl album sampler.

The music and pop culture magazine announced in December that it would re-launch its print edition, this time printing quarterly instead of bimonthly. Paste was distributed in print from 2002-2010.

An Indiegogo campaign ramped up support for the reboot, aiming to reach $100,000 by January 20, 2017. The campaign raisied $151,548, with funds going toward subscriptions and perks for readers.

Paste founder and editor-in-chief Josh Jackson told Publishers Daily the magazine is an effort to engage with Pastes core audience, as well as support its digital presence. He said Paste readers were hungry for a print product.

Since going digital-only, Paste has expanded its coverage to more lifestyle topics, such as food, drink, tech, style, politics, culture and travel. In January, the site boasted over 8 million unique Web visitors. The goal, Jackson said, is to grow to 20 million.

The first issues cover is graced with the presence of Father John Misty. Each issue comes with a colored vinyl album called the Paste Sampler, with tracks recorded exclusively for the publication at Pastes studio in New York City.

The first Paste Sampler includes songs by Violent Femmes, Lake Street Dive, Shakey Graves, Lucius, Josh Ritter, Joseph, Anderson East, Lee Fields, Bonnie Bishop and Courtney Barnett.

The magazine used to come with CD samplers, but Jackson says that in this era of digital downloads, a CD felt outdated. So Paste decided to go back even further in time, tapping into the recent hip resurgence of the vinyl record trend.

This is a throwback to print and analog, Jackson told Publishers Daily.

The new magazine has a new 12-by-12-inch format, with thick paper and vibrant visuals, giving loyal readers a premium product that can also look impressive on a coffee table.

Weve embraced the realities of our new digital world and are thankful for all the new ways it allows us to present stories to our readers. But we still love the tangible. We love the smell and feel of a magazine fresh off the printer, the sound of a needle traveling the grooves of a vinyl album, Jackson wrote in a memo announcing the print launch.

Jackson said they learned from their previous print business that its important to focus on good storytelling and a premium product, rather than getting as many [issues] out there for as cheap as possible.

He noted the difficulty of competing on the newsstand, so Paste has partnered with indie record store Record Store Day to sell their magazines nationwide beginning March 17, for $20 per issue. A year's subscriptions costs $70. The issue shipped to subscribers March 1.

The magazine is supported by subscription revenue. There are ads as well, which had to be formatted to fit the large size of the magazine, but there is not a ton of it. Jackson said he did not want too many ads to take over the magazine. He calls the magazine less newsy and very visual.

Every feature is a more involved story, compared to what readers would find online. All come with an art feature produced by longtimedesigner Jose Reyes.
by Larissa Faw , March 6, 2017

Several agencies are lending their support for International Women's Day (IWD), celebrated every year on March 8 to show respect, appreciation, and love towards women for their economic, political and social achievements.

With women representing more than half of its workforce, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness is hosting the A Day Without Women event where staffers will stage a walkout at 12 pm on Wednesday to show their solidarity for equality, justice and the human rights of women and all gender oppressed people. Organizers are sending emails to the whole agency reminding them to wear red and walk out together, creating a Facebook and Twitter event detailing time, place, and why as an agency they are walking out. They are also asking Publicis partners to share the event and join them in this march, as well as ask their creative team/studio department to create signs and posters.

advertisement advertisement

Eleven is embracing the #BeBoldForChange theme after sending an email to all women at Eleven - and asked them to send the message to their friends - asking "What will you be doing in 2017 to be bold for change?" The agency is transforming 22 of the 80 responses into large posters and treatments to plaster all over the agency's office windows. Organizers will also post them on its art gallery wall for the week as well as publish them on its website and all social channels. Eleven is also partnering with a media vendor to donate 250 digital boards across the country to display these posters/treatments.

Ustwo will be participating in "A Day Without Women by giving all of the women who work at the digital product studio the day off, with the backing and support of its leadership team.

Mcgarrybowen is working with Western Union, an official sponsor of IWD, to celebrate the role of education in helping girls reach their goals through an advocacy campaign. The ad - featuring five girls representing different nationalities, running up hills and over rooftops as they race together towards their opportunities - will run globally across digital, social media and video-on-demand platforms.

360i is launching the #EqualVoices initiative conceived by a pair of female creatives to show solidarity with those who cant afford to or are unable to participate in A Day Without Women activities. Beginning Monday, March 6, 360i is devoting its website and channels to women without flexible work schedules or paid time off by publishing their names and reasons for why they cant participate in these activities. Then on Wednesday, 360i employees will join A Day Without Women activities across the country, while carrying signs that bear their names.
by Larissa Faw , March 7, 2017

Shiseido Americas, the subsidiary of cosmetic conglomerate Tokyo-based Shiseido Company is acquiring full-service creative agency JWALK. Terms werent disclosed.

JWALK has had an existing relationship with Shiseido, having worked with the company for the last four years, particularly on the companys bareMinerals and Buxom brands.

As an integrated part of the Shiseido Americas organization, JWALK will collaborate with Shiseidos brand teams to play a role in the entire creative process, from strategy to execution, and from concept to delivery.

JWALK co-founder Doug Jacob will become chief creative director, Shiseido Americas & Founder, JWALK. He will report to Jill Scalamandre, President of Shiseidos Global Makeup Center Of Excellence.

In addition to fulfilling its in-house advertising duties for it the cosmetics firm, JWALK will continue working with outside non-competing brands.

advertisement advertisement

This is the first time Jacob says he has ever seen a beauty house purchase an agency and allow for that agency to still work on non-competitive brands. "This allows for us to continue to hire and attract top-tier creatives as well as offer Shiseido viewpoints of other categories, which is essential to being innovative," he says.

This deal is designed to set Shiseido apart from the traditional approach to beauty marketing and creative excellence. "By infusing JWALK into our entire creative process, we will not only be able to achieve organic, 360- degree results, but we will also have greater speed and agility in both the assets we create and the way we work," says Marc Rey, president/CEO, Shiseido Americas. "Creative power and agility have never been more important to a brands success."

Masahiko Uotani, president/CEO, Shiseido Group, adds, "I am convinced that JWALK will add significant intangible value and capabilities to our marketing efforts, especially in leveraging their digital communication expertise. I also look forward to JWALKs collaboration with our creative teams in Tokyo on key projects to deliver creative excellence on a global scale."
by Sara Guaglione , March 7, 2017

In an interview with journalist Soledad OBrien released today, Hearst president and CEO Steven Swartz discussed the companys plans for acquisitions in 2017 and reviewed Hearsts newspaper and magazine business from 2016.

O'Brien is the anchor of the weekly Hearst Television show Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien.

Swartz previously expressed the company's diversification strategy  rely less on traditional media business and expand its data and software offerings. In last December's year-end memo to staff, Swartz said Hearst spent more than $2 billion in 2016 on such acquisitions to significantly reshape our business mix.

Our biggest focus has been on what we call Business Media, which is data companies and software companies ... and we are looking for more of those.

Will such acquisitions take away Hearst's traditional focus on media?

Swartz argues that "while we are still largely a media company and for 2017, roughly 75% of our profits will come from media, 25% of our profits will come from business data and software.

Hearst is also looking for acquisitions that will strengthen the company's TV and newspaper businesses.

In his annual review letter published in January, Swartz noted Cosmopolitan was the most popular site on Snapchats Discover platform and that Hearsts newspapers saw a big leap in digital subscriptions. In 2016, Hearst Newspapers added The Hour and Wilton Villager to its portfolio in Fairfield County, Conn., as well as acquired the Houston Community Newspapers and Michigan-based The Pioneer Group.

Hearst Magazines Digital Media reported six of its brands broke individual traffic records last November, including Esquire, Country Living, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Town & Country and Best Products.

Swartz praised the San Francisco Chronicle's Story Studio branded content agency for helping to double revenue across Hearsts newspaper group from content created for its advertising partners.

Hearsts efforts to grow subscription and fee revenue to better balance the companys dependence on advertising has positioned us favorably for this changed environment, he noted.
by Larissa Faw , March 7, 2017

As reported Monday, agencies are lending their talents and support to companies and organizations on behalf of International Women's Day and Women's History Month. Heres another sampling:

Laird + Partners is offering its services pro bono to the Tory Burch Foundation for the #EmbraceAmbition global campaign that aims to address the double standard that exists around ambition, which is often seen as a great attribute in men and as a negative one in women.

A cornerstone of the campaign is a video PSA featuring celebrities and business leaders including Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore, Kerry Washington, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Melinda Gates that direct viewers to the EmbraceAmbition.org platform.

advertisement advertisement

Visitors are encouraged to take a digital pledge to #EmbraceAmbition, challenge friends to take the pledge and share their ambition on social media using the hashtag. There will also be content and tools related to confidence-building and goal-setting as well as interviews with successful women about ambition.

In addition, #EmbraceAmbition bracelets and t-shirts will be available in Tory Burch and Tory Sport boutiques globally as well as online at toryburch.com and torysport.com. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the sale of these products in the U.S. will benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which helps American women entrepreneurs.

Droga5 is teaming up with Bono's ONE organization to produce an integrated campaign asking the world to support the 130 million girls who are denied a proper education globally.

#GirlsCount features citizens and celebrities such as Malala Yousafzai, Sheryl Sandberg, Angelique Kidjo, Bono and David Oyelowo filming themselves counting a number between one and 130 million out loud and posting their messages across social media.

On Wednesday, thousands of ONE activists will participate in a global walk-in where they will hand-deliver a 330,000-signature open letter to their elected representatives calling for every girl to receive an education.

#GirlPowered is a Havas and Canadian Womens Foundation partnership aimed at giving girls the opportunity to share messages of positivity and empowerment to help build confidence and self-esteem. Originally launched in October 2016 as part of International Day of the Girl, Pattison Outdoor Advertising is expanding the initiative by broadcasting these messages across its 80 digital outdoor network of screens in 20 Canadian markets until the end of March.

At Havas we believe in building partnerships within our community of vendors beyond the traditional role of buyer and seller, but Pattison Outdoors commitment was beyond anything we could have imagined, stated Cory Eisentraut, VP creative director, Havas Canada. Our goal for this campaign was to have as many Canadian girls as possible see these messages of strength and hope, and that is exactly what Pattison and their generosity have helped provide.

FTD and experiential agency OutCold are introducing the #ILookToHer guerrilla marketing campaign by driving around Chicago on Wednesday in a branded classic Volkswagen van to deliver flowers to unsuspecting women.

Some 4,000 bouquets will be distributed at seven locations, chosen due to high volume of natural foot traffic, as well as a wide variety of women heading to and from the Chicago Loop area.

And 1,000 bouquets will be delivered to five office locations, including Google Chicago, Leo Burnett, Weber Shandwick, Time Out Chicago and the Magnificent Mile Association that have been selected due to their strong female influence and pride in celebrating women.

Separately, the non-profit She Runs It honored four industry executives and their mentors during the group's Impact Awards luncheon at Gotham Hall in New York today. Founded in 1912 as Advertising Women of New York (AWNY), She Runs It counts more than 1,800 members across chapters in New York and Chicago.

One of the most effective accelerants for women in business is the support of a mentor or sponsor who can counsel, encourage and endorse them, says Lynn Branigan, president/CEO, She Runs It. The four leaders we are honoring this year have been guided by people who are actively helping to reshape those statistics, and we are delighted to recognize the winners and their mentors for their positive impact and influence on our industry.

This year's honorees and speakers are Starcom USA's Amanda Richman recognizing mentor Lisa Donohue, global brand president of Starcom Worldwide; Target's Kristi Argyilan recognizing mentor Nick Brien, CEO, iCrossing and president of Hearst Marketing Services; MRM//McCann's Kate MacNevin recognizing mentor Bill Kolb, global president, diversified agencies, McCann Worldgroup; and Shell Oil's Patty Lanning recognizing Kathleen Higley, sales manager, Shell Oil Company.
Despite dramatic improvements in human health, babies' average birth-weights have not increased over the last 150 years reveals new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

The paper, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine reveals that average birth weights, as well as the share of babies born at different birth weights, are very similar today as they were in the nineteenth century in Europe and North America. In contrast, average adult height and life expectancy has increased dramatically.

Dr Eric Schneider, Assistant Professor of Economic History at LSE and author of the paper, said: "Birth weights are used by health care professionals as a proxy for the health of babies in the womb, so there is an implicit assumption that they have increased historically as our overall health has improved. This is why my findings are so surprising and begs the question - are we looking at the right things when trying to measure fetal health, at both the individual and population level, in this way?"

Understanding health conditions in the womb is significant because recent research has found that they can affect children's health across their entire life, even into old age.

These findings question international birth weight standards that determine the 'ideal' weight that a baby should be. These were developed by the INTERGROWTH-21st consortium, led by the University of Oxford.

Dr Schneider said: "In Pakistan 32 per cent of babies are born at a low birth weight, meaning that they weigh in at less than 2500 grams, and it is assumed that if health conditions improve, average birth weights will rise. However, given that this did not happen in Western Europe and the United States, despite significant historical improvements to maternal health care, it's possible that birth weights in Pakistan will not increase to the level set by the INTERGROWTH-21st standards."

Dr Schneider added: "My results do not in any way downplay the very real health risks low birth weight babies face or the fact that children developing in the womb are extremely sensitive to poor conditions, such as a lack of key nutrients or infection. I look at statistics at a population level to analyse what they can tell us on the general rather than the individual level."

Schneider analysed birth weights recorded in historical maternity records that have survived for a number of European and North American maternity hospitals.

He also looked at stillbirths and early infant deaths. While a dramatic fall in miscarriages and deaths in the first week of a child's life has occurred since the 1930s, this was driven by the greater use of invasive surgeries during labour rather than factors related to general health.

Article: Fetal health stagnation: Have health conditions in utero improved in the United States and Western and Northern Europe over the past 150 years? Eric B Schneider, Social Science and Medicine, doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.02.018, published online 17 February 2017.
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"Given the complete lack of any targeted therapies specific to triple-negative breast cancer, we started thinking about how we could find other vulnerabilities in tumor cells," said corresponding author Alex Toker, chief of the Division of Signal Transduction in the Department of Medicine and Pathology and the Cancer Center at BIDMC. "If we could find such vulnerabilities, we could develop strategies to exploit them, perhaps with already FDA-approved drugs that could be used in combination with existing cancer drugs."TNBC treatment is limited to standard-of-care chemotherapies that work by damaging cancer cells' DNA, to which it often develops resistance. Moreover, these non-specific standard-of-care, first line therapies are blunt instruments that may also kill normal cells and are responsible for the side effects associated with cancer treatment such as nausea and hair loss.Researchers still don't know what initiates or drives the development of TNBC tumors. However, Toker and his colleagues demonstrated that the cancer cells increase production of nucleotides called pyrimidines when exposed to standard chemotherapy. Because pyrimidines are a crucial ingredient in DNA, the researchers reasoned that its increased production - or, biosynthesis - is an adaptive response that promotes resistance to DNA-damaging chemotherapies."What chemotherapy does in triple-negative breast cancer - for reasons we don't yet fully understand - is reprogram this pyrimidine-biosynthetic pathway to really crank up production of these nucleotides," said Toker, who is also an investigator at the Ludwig Center at Harvard. "If we could inhibit this increase, then we might be able to restore the chemotherapeutic benefit of standard-of-care drugs."To test that notion, Toker and colleagues, including lead author Kristin K. Brown, PhD, formerly of BIDMC and now at Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia, treated TNBC cells with a cancer-killing drug called doxorubicin. As expected, the cancer cells increased production of pyrimidine nucleotides. The scientists reproduced these results both in vitro - in cancer cells grown on plastic - and in vivo, in mice implanted with human TNBC cells.Next, the researchers treated TNBC cells with a combination of a standard-of-care chemotherapy called doxorubicin and leflunomide, a drug known to block the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway that is already an FDA-approved treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Again, TNBC cells responded as Toker and colleagues expected. In mice, the scientists saw significant tumor regression with the combination therapy. Other experiments revealed that either drug alone had minimal impact on TNBC cells, while the combination therapy had no impact on the other breast cancer subtypes driven by estrogen, progesterone or HER2.Based on these findings, Toker intends to initiate clinical trials in partnership with clinical oncologists. He will also focus on testing both FDA-approved as well as newer drugs that may exploit this new-found Achilles' heel in TNBC and other cancers that depend on similar metabolic pathways to develop chemotherapy resistance. The goal is to speed new potential therapies to patients."We focused our attention on the pyrimidine-biosynthetic pathway because we wanted to develop a combination therapy strategy without having to develop new drugs," said Toker, who plans to start a company to test existing drugs. "Indeed there is already one drug in use that inhibits one of the key enzymes in this pathway. Repositioning that drug should provide a much more rapid path to clinical impact and clinical benefit."Source: Eurekalert
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Antiretroviral syrups are normally administered in combination with other drugs like lamivudine along with zidovudine or abacavir.Cipla, the drug manufacturing company, is the only producer of the syrup had stopped the syrup manufacturing by 2015. Even though NACO has issued tenders for syrup in October 2016, and January 2017, there was no bid in the previous round.NACO bought the last consignment of the drug from Cipla in 2014. After a month of the drug being out of stock, NACO has placed emergency orders with a company in Haryana Ambala district, McNeil & Argus Pharmaceuticals which has produced the syrup twice, once for Bangladesh in 2013 and once for Iran in 2015.GD Chibber, Chairman, McNeil & Argus Pharmaceuticals, said, that the company will be able to manufacture the drug in 10-15 days.The NACO has also given some notifications to antiretroviral centers all over the country to advise parents to break tablets into parts to give to their children.Gupta, also, said, "The parent can dissolve part of the tablet in water and give the child.""Or divide it into pieces. If you cannot do that, you can nicely grind it and make it into a powder and then use it."About 637 children living with HIV aged between 3 to 19 years had written and signed a letter being addressed to the Prime Minister of India. The letter signifies the urge to address the issue immediately and also ensures that proper drugs are not only exported but can also be made available for children living with HIV in India.The report claims that the drug manufacturer has stopped the manufacturing of the Lopinavir syrup due to the non-payment of bills by the Health Ministry for many years.An official from the Health Ministry has even said, that State AIDS Control Societies (SACS) has instructed to purchase drugs from local markets.However, across the country, the drug is being run out of stock and buying the drug from a retail shop will be difficult if the sole manufacturer of the drug is not producing it.The government of India is trying to make life-saving drugs available for all the HIV positive people in the country.Source: Medindia
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There are few data on Zika virus in Canadian travelers, a highly mobile group, and this study sought to contribute to a better understanding of the disease.Researchers looked at data over one year from the Canadian Travel Medicine Network (CanTravNet), a network of infectious disease specialists across the country focused on detecting travel-related illness in returned Canadians and visitors to Canada. The study included data on 1118 travelers who visited one of seven CanTravNet clinics in large cities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec for a travel-related illness picked up in the Americas (Central and South America and the Caribbean).Of all travelers examined at the seven CanTravNet clinics, 41 (3.7%) had been infected with Zika virus, 41 (3.7%) had dengue and 23 (2.1%) had chikungunya, all mosquito-borne illnesses transmitted throughout the Americas. Almost 60% (24) of travelers with Zika were female, of whom 79% (19) were of child-bearing age. Except for one case of infection through sexual intercourse, all cases were most likely transmitted by mosquitoes. Three pregnant women were infected, with two cases of congenital infection, and another two travelers had Guillain-Barre or GBS-like syndrome, making a total of 10% of cases with severe complications of Zika. Conversely, none of the cases of dengue or chikungunya had a complicated course of infection.Symptoms in travelers with Zika included rash (88%) and fever (80%) during the acute phase, and about half complained of muscle or joint pain or headaches. About 1 in 6 travelers with Zika virus developed pink eye (conjunctivitis). The virus was lab-confirmed with two types of blood tests, serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but due to limited overlap between these two tests (i.e., only 1 in 5 travelers with Zika were positive by both tests), the authors advocate for a 2-pronged sequential approach to testing those with acute illness.The study period was from October 2015 to September 2016. It is important to understand that these data pertain to travelers returning from the Americas who sought care at a CanTravNet site, and may not extend to all Canadian travelers. CanTravNet cases of Zika account for approximately 12% of those nation-wide, and travelers from some provinces may be under-represented in the database."Referral bias to our centres may have contributed to the more severe clinical presentations noted for Zika, though we would have expected the same phenomenon to occur with dengue and chikungunya were this a significant contributing bias," states Dr. Boggild. "Due to the structure of CanTravNet, our clinics primarily service an adult population, so pediatric cases are under-represented in the database.""We have documented the full clinical spectrum of acute Zika virus infection in 12% of all such cases imported to Canada from the Americas over a 1-year period, including adverse fetal and neurologic outcomes, as well as sexual transmission," write the authors.They urge prevention, such as deferring travel in case of current pregnancy or planned pregnancy, protecting against mosquito bites using clothing and DEET- or picaridin-containing mosquito repellents, and barrier protection during sexual activity.Source: Eurekalert
Can someone ask Varun Dhawan to stop already? The movie's going to be a hit and his style is unparalleled, so let's rest our cases and stop churning out such easy, breezy and religious movie-biggie looks. Rant aside, let's welcome another stunner from the House of Mr. Dhawan, while promoting the four-day-away Badrinath Ki Dulhania. If the Mango season's your favourite, here's an early treat!

Wearing sun-bright Indian wear separates from Shiraz, leather slip-ons and reflective sunnies, even Alia Bhatt's denim layering trick isn't a good match to Varun's outfit. Boys, it's time to add this underrated hue to your wardrobe!
"The Foreign Ministry condemns the recent launching of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, an action that violates international legitimacy, defying the relevant Resolutions of the UN Security Council and escalating tensions in the region of East Asia.



Greece is monitoring the developments with concern and calls on Pyongyang to enter into substantial dialogue with the international community, to the benefit of peace and stability in the wider region".
thaad launcher

US ARMY MCGREGOR RANGE, New Mexico  The most advanced missile system on the planet can hunt and blast incoming missiles right out of the sky with a 100% success rate  and we got to spend a day with it.

Meet America's THAAD system.

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is a unique missile-defense system with unmatched precision, capable of countering threats around the world with its mobility and strategic battery-unit placement.

"It is the most technically advanced missile-defense system in the world," US Army Col. Alan Wiernicki, commander of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, told Business Insider in an interview.

"Combatant commanders and our allies know this, which puts our THAAD Batteries in very high global demand," Wiernicki added.

That claim has been spot on. This week, after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles into the sea amid angry bluster over joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, the White House said it was moving forward with the plan to station THAAD on the Korean peninsula.

Deploying America's THAAD

Last March, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed his country had developed miniaturized nuclear warheads, which can be mounted to long-range ballistic missiles.

obama south korea

The rogue regime's announcement was a follow-through pass to a previous

long-range-rocket launch and January's purported hydrogen-bomb test. Since then, the Kim regime has only continued its advance, with its latest missile launch happening earlier this week.

Negotiations to equip South Korea with THAAD have been ongoing since South Korean President Park Geun-hye's October 2015 visit to the White House.

Now, under the Trump administration, THAAD is heading to its first duty station. But the move is controversial, as both China and Russia worry the system's advanced radar penetrates into their territory. In February, China called the system's deployment a threat to regional stability.

Story continues

Chinese Ambassador Qiu Guohong warned last year that basing the US-made THAAD missile system in South Korea would irreparably damage relations between the countries, The Chosunilbo reported.

THAAD deployment, Qiu said, "would break the strategic balance in the region and create a vicious cycle of Cold War-style confrontations and an arms race, which could escalate tensions."

Depending on where it's deployed, nearly all incoming missiles from the North could be eliminated, as displayed by the following graphic from The Heritage Foundation.

thaad range

But, as former Secretary of State John Kerry explained, the US was "not hungry or anxious or looking for an opportunity to deploy THAAD," CNN reported.

"THAAD is a purely defensive weapon. It is purely capable of shooting down a ballistic missile it intercepts. And it is there for the protection of the United States," Kerry said.

"If we can get to denuclearization, there's no need to deploy THAAD," he added.

How THAAD's 'hit to kill' lethality works

Currently, there five THAAD batteries  each of approximately 100 soldiers  assigned to Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

One of those THAAD batteries was deployed to Guam in April 2013 in order to deter North Korean provocations and further defend the Pacific region.

Impressively, the THAAD interceptor does not carry a warhead. Instead, the interceptor missile uses pure kinetic energy to deliver "hit to kill" strikes to incoming ballistic threats inside or outside the atmosphere.

Each launcher carries up to eight missiles and can send multiple kill vehicles at once, depending on the severity of the threat.

Lockheed Martin's missile launcher is just one element of the four-part antimissile system. The graphic below shows the rest of the components needed for each enemy-target interception.

thaad amanda

THAAD's first line of defense is its radar system.

"We have one of the most powerful radars in the world," US Army Capt. Kyle Terza, a THAAD battery commander, told Business Insider.

Raytheon's AN/TPY-2 radar is used to detect, track, and discriminate ballistic missiles in the terminal (or descent) phase of flight.

The mobile radar is about the size of a bus and is so powerful that it can scan areas the size of entire countries, according to Raytheon.

thaad amanda raytheon

Once an enemy threat has been identified, THAAD's Fire Control and Communications (TFCC) support team kicks in. If there is a decision to engage the incoming missile, the launcher fires an interceptor to hunt for its target.

Here's what the launch looks like from far away:

While in flight, the interceptor will track its target and obliterate it in the sky.

The following infrared imagery shows THAAD demolishing the target:

By the end of 2016, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is scheduled to deliver an additional 48 THAAD interceptors to the US military, bringing the total up to 155, according to a statement from the MDA's director, Vice Admiral J.D. Syring, given before the House Armed Service Committee.

According to the MDA, there are more than 6,300 ballistic missiles outside of US, NATO, Russian, and Chinese control.

While other US partners around the globe are interested in purchasing THAAD, the United Arab Emirates is the sole foreign buyer after signing a deal with the Department of Defense for $3.4 billion.

NOW WATCH: Meet America's THAAD: One of the world's most advanced missile-defense systems that has China spooked





More From Business Insider


BAD AXE  A former Bad Axe resident, locked up since 2013, will remain behind prison bars following a Huron County judges ruling denying the man a resentencing for his meth-related crimes.

Ryan S. Welshans was sentenced in 2013 on five drug-related charges with the longest  six to 30 years  being for maintaining a lab involving methamphetamine. The 34-year-old is currently an inmate at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia.

At a factual findings hearing in January, Circuit Judge Gerald M. Prill heard arguments from the prosecutor and the defendants attorney, Desiree M. Ferguson, pertaining to the scoring of offense variable 19. It relates to the security or interference with administration of justice.

Welshans was the renter of a West Butler Street home where authorities uncovered a meth lab on Feb. 21, 2013. Welshans and two co-defendants used the home to manufacture, and sell, meth and heroin.

During the January hearing, Ferguson argued an alleged lie to detectives regarding her clients knowledge of the co-defendants selling heroin didnt have anything to do with Welshans meth convictions and he should not have been scored 10 points for it.

Prill adjourned the hearing to review the transcripts from the trial and sentencing.

During the brief 15-minute hearing on Monday, Prill told both parties he reviewed the hundreds of pages of transcripts from both the trial and sentencing. Prill was not the presiding judge to sentence Welshans.

It is clear to this court as it pertains to the maintaining a drug house charge  the defendant did lie to police, Prill said of the scoring on one charge.

For the four other meth-related charges, Prill also found that offense variable 19 was properly scored. Welshans was denied a new sentence and will remain in prison on the sentences previously imposed.

His earliest release date is set for Feb. 20, 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Tegan remembers the group photo, taken at a "dining out" night hosted by her Camp Pendleton, California, squadron just before she deployed to Iraq in early 2008.

She and another female noncommissioned officer in the front of the shot had struck a glamour pose, hiking their dress blue uniform skirts above the knee.

She gave it little thought until she got an email in Iraq from her sergeant, a woman, informing her that the photo had been posted to "Just The Tip, Of The Spear," a Facebook page with a military audience notorious for posting pictures of female service members for mockery or sexual commentary.

Commenters on the post joked that the Marines were demonstrating how a woman could get promoted, and made crude comments about their poses and appearance. And everyone, it seemed, had seen the photo and read the comments.

Superiors confronted her about the photo and dressed her down; colleagues whispered about it on the flightline. Her father, a career soldier, heard about the incident. Her reputation suffered.

"It was awful. There was nothing I could do about it," said Tegan, an aircraft maintenance administration specialist who left the Corps in 2009. She asked that her last name not be used for fear of harassment.

In the wake of news that the military is investigating members of another private Facebook group, Marines United, for posting and sharing nude and compromising photos and personal information of female troops and veterans without their consent, Tegan and other female Marines are sharing their own stories of being harassed and objectified online by their male counterparts -- incidents that stretch back as far as a decade.

Kate Campbell, a former military police officer who left the Marine Corps as a corporal in 2012, said she was shocked to find an innocuous picture of herself in uniform during a deployment posted to "Just The Tip, Of The Spear," with an invitation for members to add their own captions. In the comments, users -- many of them active-duty Marines -- made explicit comments about her body and whether they'd want to have sex with her.

"It was eye-opening. I went down a rabbit hole," Campbell told Military.com. "I was clicking on these names, and I know these guys. There were Marines in ranks higher and lower than me. These guys are supposed to be your brothers."

Campbell's photo was posted to the Facebook group in 2010, and she didn't discover it until the following year. She opted to let the incident blow over and move on, but it changed her feelings about the service as a whole, she said.

"It did make me feel like the Marine Corps wasn't what I thought it was anymore," she said. "Walking through the chow hall and going, how many of these guys are going online, s---ing all over their fellow service members. They don't have my back. I kind of grew pretty disillusioned."

Marine Corps leaders have previously acknowledged the existence of Facebook groups in which Marines demean their female colleagues.

In 2013, then-Commandant Gen. Jim Amos responded to a letter from Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, promising to enforce social media standards and examine the possibility of creating a sort of digital "off-limits" list, though such a move never materialized.

According to media guidance circulated in the wake of the most recent investigation into Marines United, 12 Marines were reported to their commands for correction after a 2014 Task & Purpose report on the group, though it's not clear what, if any, punishment they faced.

This time around, the Marine Corps seems to be striking a different tone. Both Commandant Gen. Robert Neller and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green have released statements condemning the online harassment of female troops by their peers and challenged the Corps to do better.

On Monday, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was to be briefed on the matter by Neller in coming days. The investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is ongoing, though it's unclear exactly how many active-duty Marines from the 30,000-member Marines United group are caught up in it.

Mattis "finds the allegations troubling" but wanted to avoid comment to allay any inference of "undue command influence" that could derail potential cases stemming from the investigation, Davis said.

"Marine Corps leadership is actively discussing this incident because the behavior on the site undermines our core values and needs to be addressed," Capt. Ryan Alvis, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, told Military.com on Monday. "The predatory behavior displayed on Marines United and the follow-on threats to the journalist indicate that the site has been a refuge for the dishonorable few. We have to do a better job of identifying them should they exist in our ranks."

Tegan believes a more holistic and thoughtful approach is needed. Though she once hoped to make a career of the Corps, she got out in 2009, partly because her experience with the photo had left a bad taste in her mouth. But six years later, she was shocked to learn that the same photo, with the faces of the men blurred out but the women still visible, was being used in a slide presentation at a social media training for staff noncommissioned officers at Quantico, as an example of what not to post online. In the presentation, she -- and not the Facebook group and its users -- was the problem.

"It's brought all of this back up for me, and this time I just want to go to the Marine Corps and say, 'Why haven't you addressed this?'" she said. "I really feel that they have the chance to get this right this time and set the precedent."

Now 32 and a full-time student working on her bachelor's degree in public relations at the University of Wisconsin, Tegan said she would like to see Marine leaders partner with veterans' groups and professional associations to ensure that vets as well as active-duty troops get the message that online harassment is out of step with the service's code of honor.

These days, Campbell monitors a private Facebook group for female Marines that serves, among other things, as an internal defense for online harassment. When nude photos or compromising images are shared on pages such as Marines United or Just The Tip, group members will post an alert, allowing other members to check out the content and make sure they and their friends are not being targeted. When Campbell saw the Reveal News report about the Marines United investigation, her first feeling was relief.

"I think these guys should be held accountable, but I also think there should be a deep look into the Marine Corps and the soul of the veteran community," she said. "I think it brings shame on the men and women who don't have to sit at a keyboard and dehumanize women to feel better about themselves."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
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...
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ryan Owen's world was at the brink of total implosion.

A four-tour Army combat veteran, Ryan left his wife and five kids in New Hampshire in 2014 and drove toward his duty station at Fort Drum, New York, with a plan to put an end to their suffering through suicide.

Four inpatient treatment programs for post-traumatic stress disorder and a medical retirement later, he is now actively chasing healing from PTSD and learning to cope with a traumatic brain injury.

But as he worked to piece his family back together over the last year, Ryan and his wife Jeri Lynn realized the treatment they need to heal the scars of war is more dramatic than just getting out of the Army and seeking medical help.

They need to take a really, really long walk.

That's why on March 12, Ryan; Jeri Lynn; their five kids ages 8 to 16; and his Golden Retriever service dog Belle plan to embark on a dramatic six-month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

About 2,180 miles long, the Appalachian Trail starts in Springer Mountain, Georgia, and stretches over the Smoky Mountains, through Shenandoah and up the East Coast, terminating on Mount Katahdin, Maine.

The Owens plan to walk every inch of it as they trek toward what they believe is the healing power of spending time together in the wilderness.

"I feel like there's a purpose and meaning in it, not just for me and Jeri Lynn, but for us and the kids. I do not want this to be that time in our life where we are like, 'Wow, that really sucked' and to just leave it at that," said Ryan, who medically retired this year. "We call the starting on the trail 'the first next step.' We're going to be taking hundreds of thousands of steps on it, but it's our first next step."

Ryan hopes on the trail both he and his family can experience a psychological phenomenon known as "post-traumatic growth," a period of positive personal growth that can follow a traumatic event.

"It seems to me that all of the focus is on the syndrome and the effects that it has on me and my family, which it definitely has. But I'm searching for the growth aspect. Not just for me, but for all of us," he said. "But when I look at it, that's not something that can be done on a four-day weekend type thing. ... The level of [trauma] we've encountered, it just has to be this."

That post-traumatic growth may very well be what World War II veteran Earl Shaffer, believed to be the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, was talking about in 1948 when he told a friend that he planned to "walk off the war."

Between now and early September, walking off the war is exactly what Jeri Lynn hopes the entire family is able to do.

"I feel we all have things to walk off. If you ask me about the war, my experience is different than Ryan's, and our children's experiences are different as well," she said. "I'd heard that a day in the woods heals a week at work. ... Ryan has spent 180 weeks in combat, and we plan to do about 180 days. We kind of think about each day healing a week of the combat experience."

The healing the Owens expect to do on the trail is more than just walking really far and breathing in fresh air, Ryan said. He expects that they'll work through their experiences through tough, candid conversations and plenty of concentrated alone time.

"I'm trusting that all of us are going to get really honest with ourselves and with each other," Ryan said. "It could be about how I hurt them, about how [PTSD] manifested on them with my service, or how they've done things to me, or how I've been gone for 80-plus months in this [Army] career."

Logistically, getting ready to be away from home for six months' hiking took serious planning and research to make sure the kids could handle the strain of hiking and not carry too much weight in their packs. Since there's no way to effectively prepare to spend months on a trail other than just doing it, the family plans to use a hiking mileage technique knowns as "scaling in."

Their first day on the trail will cover 3.5 miles, with a gradual increase each day over the first few weeks. The girls' packs are between 10 and 15 pounds, with the older boys carrying up to 30 pounds, Jeri Lynn carrying about 25, and Ryan hauling the most weight at about 60 pounds.

The family has about 30 resupply points planned throughout the trail, where they will have the option to stay in a hotel, do laundry and get a hot shower. Their supplies will be refitted there by pre-ordered Amazon Pantry shipments of food for the trail, plus boxes from designated friends full of treats they'll enjoy before they hit the trail again the next day.

The Owens, who adopted their daughters from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013, will be the only known family of seven with a dog to thru-hike. Zoe Owen, who will turn 9 on the trail, will miss the distinction of being the youngest thru-hiker by four years.

Although dogs have thru-hiked the trail, doing so is not common because non-service animals are not permitted on some National Parks trails, and dog food adds substantial weight to already full packs and can be very expensive. Leaving Belle home, however, was not an option, and a company that makes dog food designed for trail use is providing the Owens with Belle's food at-cost.

Because much of the trail has access to cell phone service, Jeri Lynn plans to homeschool the kids on the trail through books loaded to their iPads and the Classical Conversations curriculum. All of the children will be chronicling their experiences regularly on blogs hosted on the family's website. They plan to be home in time for the start of the school year after Labor Day, while oldest son Taylor, a rising high school senior who will turn 17 on the trail, will start online courses through Liberty University while still hiking.

Whether the Owens cover the entire trail over their six-month adventure is irrelevant, Ryan said. That's not what this adventure is about. Instead, he said, this is about moving forward.

"We're not actually setting out to thru-hike. That may very well happen, but we're setting out to heal, to do things together and to think things through together and process things together that we have never gotten the opportunity to do," he said. "Thru-hiking, I would hope, is going to be a byproduct of that. And there's a day that we're looking at Katahdin and be like, 'OK, let's do this.' "

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
ORLANDO, Florida -- An enlisted woman in basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, plans to begin tactical air control party, or TACP, training in the next few months, the head of Air Education and Training Command said Friday.

"So when she graduates BMT, she'll start training right away for that," Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson told reporters during a media roundtable at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium here.

Since the Defense Department opened battle career fields to women last year, two female airmen have qualified and entered TACP training. But neither completed the program. One sustained an injury; the other determined the career field wasn't the path for her, the general said.

TACPs perform a critical job on the battlefield, with airmen assigned to infantry units to coordinate Air Force fixed-wing aircraft in close-air support against enemy targets.

"Last year, we stood up the Air Force's new battlefield airman training program, and  it marked the first year we fully opened all seven battlefield airman career fields to female airmen," Roberson said.

Those jobs include special tactics officer (13CX), combat rescue officer (13DX), combat controller (1C2XX), pararescue (1T2XX), special operations weather (1WOX2), tactical air control party (1C4XX) and air liaison officer (13LX).

In December, the service confirmed no women were in training for any special operations positions days after then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wrote in a commentary published on Medium.com that a female airman was training to become a TACP. The woman to whom Carter referred had left the program the previous July because of an injury.

"When we do get the first woman in the pipeline, she'll be in the Battlefield Airman Training Group, 37th Training Wing, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland," Capt. Jose Davis of Air Education and Training Command told Military.com in October.

"After completion of training in the Battlefield Airman Training Group, airmen are then sent to their respective [Air Force Specialty Codes]" in various commands, Davis explained in an email statement.

"We're forging the airmen of the future every single day," Roberson said Friday. "It takes a lot of work."

Training Locations

Roberson in September said the Air Force is moving forward to consolidate eight locations it uses to train its battlefield airmen into "three or four."

Last year, the service stood up a new unit intended to consolidate and streamline training for its conventional and special operations ground forces at JBSA-Lackland. Because of the new program, "we think that we can do the training that we do at eight different locations probably much more effectively, efficiently -- certainly with less money -- if we did it at fewer locations," Roberson said again last week.

The service is conducting environmental assessment surveys for the following candidate locations: Eglin Air Force Base, Patrick AFB and Hurlburt Field in Florida; Joint Base San Antonio; Keesler AFB, Mississippi; Little Rock AFB, Arkansas; Shaw AFB, South Carolina; and Vandenberg AFB, California.

Six of the eight training locations have been reviewed, Roberson said, and he hopes to present the findings soon.

Reiterating his comments from September, the general said the review will also consider improved infrastructure with enhanced aquatic training for combat rescue and other missions.

Depending on how the Air Force consolidates the training centers, Roberson said there may be some military construction funding that could be put toward the aquatics center.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
An A-29B Super Tucano attack aircraft slated for the Afghan air force crashed in a residential area outside Moody Air Force Base on Monday, but neither the pilots nor residents on the ground were injured, the U.S. Air Force said.

Two pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron -- who weren't identified and whose nationalities weren't released -- ejected from the turboprop aircraft during a routine training flight around 2:50 p.m. near Homerville, Georgia, the service said in a statement late Monday.

While the aircraft crashed into a residential area, it didn't strike any structures, a spokesman at the base told Military.com on Tuesday morning. Both pilots were taken to the nearby Clinch Memorial Hospital for evaluation and were released, according to the statement.

The U.S. Air Force will investigate the cause of the mishap and release the findings at a later date, the service said.

As of last month, the Afghan air force had trained about 20 pilots to fly eight of the Super Tucanos. The training takes place at Moody.

A U.S.-funded $427 million contract calls for a total of 20 A-29s made by the Brazilian firm Embraer S.A. in partnership with the U.S.-based Sierra Nevada Corp. to be delivered to Afghanistan by 2018.

The A-29s, designed for close-air support, carry a 20mm cannon below the fuselage and one 12.7mm machine gun under each wing, and can also fire 70mm rockets and launch precision-guided bombs.

The Afghans have flown several hundred missions since the aircraft became operational in April 2016, though they're reportedly dropping munitions at a far higher rate than U.S. pilots at a time when civilian casualties from airstrikes are mounting.

The Military Times newspapers in 2016 reported 138 A-29 missions out of a total of 328, or 43 percent, involved firing or the dropping of munitions, while U.S. aircraft had a drop rate of about 12 percent.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, released a report in Kabul on Feb. 7 stating that in 2016, "Airstrikes carried out by Afghan and international forces caused 590 civilian casualties (250 deaths and 340 injured), nearly double that recorded in 2015 and the highest since 2009."

-- Richard Sisk contributed to this report.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.

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By Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - ChemChina said on Monday that Beijing had accepted its application for regulatory approval of its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta last month. Earlier Gao Hucheng, who retired as commerce minister less than two weeks ago, said the government had not received a formal filing for China's largest overseas acquisition. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of parliament's annual meeting, Gao also said the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) would not start considering any submission until regulators in other countries had given the deal the green light. Responding to the comments, ChemChina spokesman Ren Kan denied this, saying by phone the company had submitted the application and the ministry had accepted it. A second company official who was not authorized to speak to press, said the ministry's anti-trust bureau had accepted the application on Feb 9. It is not clear if Gao, who left his post and was replaced by his deputy on Feb 23, had not been briefed with the most up-to-date information. [nB9N1G8006] Gao is now a senior member of a largely ceremonial but high-profile advisory body to parliament. Press officials at the Ministry of Commerce were not immediately available for comment, while Syngenta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gao's comments come a month after Syngenta delayed the expected closure of the deal to the second quarter amid scrutiny from U.S. and European regulators. His remarks will likely stir fresh speculation among Syngenta investors about the China regulatory process. Mergermarket publication PaRR reported in January that ChemChina had previously filed and then withdrawn the filing, a strategy that is sometimes used to give merging parties more time for the deal to clear, or to address potential objections. Last month, Syngenta Chief Executive Erik Fyrwald did not confirm if China's Commerce Ministry had formally accepted a filing, but said he was confident the deal would win approval in the world's top agricultural market, without any long delays. The process has drawn intense interest from investors as Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto and the merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont are being examined by regulators across the globe. Mario Russo, an analyst at boutique investment bank NSBO said the deal created few overlaps outside Europe and he expected Chinese regulators to approve the deal, which is strategically important to China, once the U.S. and EU had officially cleared it. However, investors had concerns over potential domestic political interference that could potentially slow the deal and wanted more transparency on the timetable, he added. (Additional reporting by Michelle Price; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Christian Schmollinger/Tom Hogue/Alexander Smith)
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford held a military summit Tuesday with his Russian and Turkish counterparts to prevent clashes between their countries' forces and the factions they support in Syria, and to sort out the next steps in the anti-ISIS campaign.

The immediate concern is the tactical situation in and around the northeastern Syrian town of Manbij, where various and opposing forces supported by the U.S., Russia and Turkey have closed to "within hand grenade range of one another," according to Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.

The first tripartite talks involving Dunford; Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff; and Gen. Hulusi Akar, chief of the Turkish general staff, were to continue Wednesday in Turkey's Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya, Turkish officials said.

Over the weekend, the U.S. moved a small number of troops and several Stryker combat vehicles into Manbij to support the Manbij Military Council, the mostly Syrian Arab group that has controlled the town since the ouster of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria last year.

The forces of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airpower and some ground elements, have now moved to the western outskirts of Manbij amid reports that the Manbij Military Council has agreed to cede several outlying villages to them.

At the same time, the Turkish military, allied with the Free Syrian Army militias, have been threatening to attack Manbij, where they suspect that elements of the Syrian Kurdish YPG, or People's Protection Units, still hold sway.

Turkish officials also fear that Assad's forces near Manbij could serve as a blocking force on the Turkish military to prevent its movement south to join an eventual assault on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

In Antalya on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that "very good coordination is needed" among the Russian, U.S. and Turkish forces "to clear Syria of all terrorist organizations."

"If coordination cannot be achieved, there is risk of a conflict that we do not desire. This is the main objective of the meeting that will continue today and tomorrow," Yildirim said, according to Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper.

In a separate interview with Turkey's ATV television, Yildirim said he is particularly concerned about the potential for clashes in Manbij unless the various forces agreed to cooperate. In Manbij, "the U.S. is raising a flag, Russia is raising a flag nearby; things have turned into a flag competition," he said.

The Manbij dilemma emerged as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to visit Moscow on Thursday, accompanied by Defense Minister Fikri Isik for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The military summit in Antalya was the second meeting of the Russian and U.S. military chiefs in less than a month. In mid-February, Dunford and Gerasimov met in Azerbaijan in what was described by the Pentagon as an effort to "prevent miscalculation and potential crisis" between their forces in Syria.

The meeting in Azerbaijan was the first face-to-face meeting between Dunford and Gerasimov since the two militaries cut off communications in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has thus far expressed skepticism about cooperation with Russia, citing Russia's takeover of Crimea, its support of separatists in Ukraine and its indiscriminate bombing in Syria in support of Assad.

Last month, Mattis told a conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Russia would have to "prove itself" before the U.S. and Russian militaries could renew cooperation.

"We are not in a position right now to collaborate on the military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground," Mattis said, but the U.S. and NATO could only negotiate with Moscow "from a position of strength."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Miitary.com.
More than 350 troop- and family owned vehicles may have been damaged in a cargo ship fire last month, Defense Department officials said Tuesday.

The M/V Honor, operated by American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, caught fire late Feb. 23 as it left Southampton, United Kingdom, on its way to the U.S.

Although the vessel's CO2 fire suppression system was deployed immediately, cargo on decks one and three, as well as the ship's upper deck, may have been damaged by smoke, fire, extreme heat or the suppression system itself, Fred Rice, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, said in a statement.

The Honor was carrying 124 service member household goods shipments and 604 privately owned troop vehicles as part of permanent change of station moves from Europe to the U.S. None of the household good shipments were affected by the blaze, Rice said.

After the fire, the ship returned to Southampton under its own power to await inspection. The Honor restarted its trip from Southampton to the U.S. on Tuesday, with plans to follow its original delivery schedule down the U.S. East Coast. Vehicles damaged by the fire will be sent to one location for inspection, Rice said.

"The 353 vehicles requiring further inspection will be discharged at a single location, tentatively Brunswick, Georgia, where they will undergo a detailed assessment by a third-party inspector for claims offerings and/or release to the customer," he said.

Affected service members will be contacted by the DoD's shipment contractor, International Auto Logistics (IAL), with information on how to file claims, Rice said.

"IAL will provide information about inconvenience claims and reimbursement for damaged vehicles to impacted service members," he said. "Further details about claims procedures are available at www.PCSMyPOV.com."

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
Stryker combat vehicles and up-armored Humvees carrying additional U.S. troops sent into Syria were patrolling the streets of northeastern Manbij on Monday in an effort to deter a multi-sided battle for the city, the Pentagon said.

"We want to have a visible show that we are there" in Manbij to discourage forces of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad backed by Russia, or Turkish military forces partnered with a local militia, from any moves against the crossroads town that could take pressure off the common ISIS enemy, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

"They're not looking to start a fight with anybody," Davis said of the U.S. troops in Manbij.

"They're looking to prevent" any conflict with the Manbij Military Council, the mostly Syrian Arab group that has policed Manbij since the ouster of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria last August, he said.

The U.S. move into Manbij appeared initially to be having the intended effect -- at least with Turkey, which has been threatening for months to attack the city to oust what Turkish officials claim to be elements of the Syrian Kurdish YPG, or People's Protection Units. Turkey has charged that the YPG has links to Kurds behind an uprising in southeastern Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday that Turkey would not plan a military campaign against Manbij without consulting with the U.S. and Russia. Without such coordination, "there wouldn't be much of a result and things could get more complicated," he told a Turkish broadcast station.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Manbij would be the next target in the campaign the Turkish military is conducting inside Syria with Free Syrian Army partners to clear border areas.

With U.S. troops in Manbij, there is no need for Turkish, Russian or Syrian regime forces to move on the city, Davis said.

"This is a new effort. This is the first time we've had to do something like this, which is to ensure that we are out there as a visible symbol that the enemy is cleared out of Manbij," Davis said. "There is not a need for others to advance on it in attempts to 'liberate' it."

Davis declined to say how many U.S. troops are in Manbij but said they were in addition to the 503 mostly Special Forces troops authorized to be in Syria under the "Force Management Level" (FML) set by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, has authority to request troops in addition to the FML through his chain of command, Davis said.

Townsend's immediate superior is Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, who was in Syria last month and said additional U.S. forces might be needed to back up the eventual assault on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, about 71 miles southeast of Manbij.

It was not immediately clear if Votel signed off on Townsend's request for additional troops for Manbij, or the request went to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and ultimately the White House.

The first signs of the U.S. move into Manbij came over the weekend when photos posted on social media showed Strykers and Humvees flying U.S. flags advancing toward the town.

When asked whether the U.S. troops in Manbij are on a new mission apart from the train, advise and assist role with local partners against ISIS, Davis said, "It is, absolutely."

He declined to call the U.S. troops in Manbij "peacekeepers," but said they are "a visible reminder for anybody looking to start a fight."

Davis said the deployment of U.S. troops to Manbij is not expected to have any effect on the main U.S. effort to support a combined Syrian Arab and YPG force that is closing on Raqqa.

Turkey has warned the U.S. against allowing the YPG to be part of the eventual assault on Raqqa, but Townsend said last week that the group's participation is essential to the mission.

"We encourage all forces to remain focused on the counter-ISIS fight and concentrate their efforts on defeating ISIS and not towards other objectives that may cause the coalition to divert energy and resources away from Raqqa," he said last week.

Despite Turkish objections to having the YPG involved in the Raqqa assault, "I expect Kurds will participate in the operation in one -- one form or fashion," Townsend said in a video briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon. "So yes, I expect there will be some Kurds that will participate."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Some of this content is provided courtesy of USAA.

Legally, military personnel who are getting divorced are no different than anyone else, so the procedural process is the same. If you are in the military or are a military spouse, there are some additional factors that can affect your divorce.

For instance, the process may take longer if one of you is on active duty in a remote area or have a permanent station overseas. Some states have relaxed the residency requirements for active duty service personnel who want to file for divorce in the state he or she is stationed.

Besides understanding the basic divorce process, military couples should be knowledgeable about the role of the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act. The USFSPA provides a federal statute for the military, guiding them to accept state statutes on addressing issues, such as child support, spousal support and military retirement pay/pension. While states have always had the authority to treat retirement and pension plans just like any other marital asset, the USFSPA permits the states to classify military retired pay as property, as opposed to income.

Military Retirement Pay and Divorce

Direct retirement payments are made through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). In order for the military to provide direct retirement payments to an ex-spouse, the couple must have been married 10 years overlapping with 10 years of service.

For example, if you were married for 12 years, and one spouse was in the military for seven of those 12 years of marriage, the other spouse would not be entitled to a direct payment from DFAS. If you were married for 12 years, and one spouse was in the military for 10 of those 12 years, the other spouse would be entitled to a direct payment from DFAS.

Depending upon the state's date of division, the amount of time you have been married may be judged by different criteria. This means that Texas may view you as being married nine years, while California considers you having been married 10 years.

Not qualifying for the DFAS direct pay does not mean you are ineligible for a portion of the payment. To receive your portion, the criteria would need to be included as part of the divorce settlement agreement. Keep in mind that the award of military retired pay may be in addition to child support, and alimony, or maintenance.

The maximum amount of pension income an ex-spouse can receive is 50% of the military retirement pay. Once the order is filed with DFAS, it will take three months (90 days) for the direct payments to begin if the ex-spouse is already receiving their pension. In the situation of active military members, the payments will begin 90 days after the newly retired member becomes entitled to receive their first payment. If child support is being taken from the pension, the maximum combined amount that can be deducted is 65% of the disposable retirement pay.

Calculating Marital Share for Active Military

There are different methods of calculating what percentage of the pension to which ex-spouses are entitled. The document filed with the court will need to clearly state the formula used to derive the amount of payment. Again, the length of the marriage will come into play. One of the more common trends is to count the number of points accumulated in the marriage rather than months. This is especially true for spouses serving in the Reserves.

The three methods used to determine the amount of payment are:

Net Present Value - This is more common if someone wants a buyout up front. Deferred Distribution - A share amount is calculated at divorce, but the receipt of the funds is deferred until the service member retires. Reserve Jurisdiction - This is the most common method. The share the ex-spouse receives is calculated at retirement.

Thrift Savings Plan

The thrift savings plan (TSP) is treated the same as a 401(k). There are specific requirements that must be met by the court order that differ from a civilian retirement plan division order. For a complete brochure on information on divorce orders and your TSP, refer to the TSP website.

Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP)

Many spouses think that if they were the beneficiary of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) while married, they will remain so upon divorce. This is not true, and SBP is a mutually exclusive benefit that must be addressed in the divorce settlement. For more on SBP and former spouses, see Military.com's Survivor Benefit Plan section.

Base Privileges

Base privileges such as commissary, exchange, and theater privileges depend on what is known as the "20/20/20 rule":

You were married to your former spouse for at least 20 years

Your ex-spouse was in the military for at least 20 years, and

Your marriage overlapped the time in service by at least 20 years

If all three of these apply you are entitled to full base privileges as long as you don't remarry.

Tricare Eligibility

Tricare eligibility also is determined by the 20/20/20 rule. If you qualify under the rule above, you may be eligible for Tricare as long as you don't remarry.

If you don't qualify under the 20/20/20 rule, Tricare has transitional coverage available under the 20/20/15 rule:

You were married to your former spouse for at least 20 years

Your ex-spouse was in the military for at least 20 years, and

Your marriage overlapped the time in service by at least 15 years.

If you qualify under this rule, you may be eligible for Tricare for up to 12 months after the divorce, as long as you don't remarry. See our Tricare overview page for more details.

Stay on Top of Your Benefits

Military benefits are always changing -- keep up with everything from pay to health care by signing up for a free Military.com membership, which will send all the latest benefits straight to your inbox, as well as give you access to up-to-date pay charts and more.
Retirement, divorce and re-marriage make things incredibly complicated. Even if you feel like you have a good grasp of the rules and benefits you qualify for as an ex-military spouse, you may be confused about what happens if you remarry. Yes, its complicated.

Many military spouse divorcees qualify for benefits after divorce under a policy known as the 20/20/20 rule. That rule says an ex-military spouse gets to keep some military benefits if their former service member served at least 20 years, they were married for at least 20 years and the marriage overlapped his or her service by at least 20 years. Under that rule, former military spouses may continue to receive Tricare benefits as well as MWR and commissary and exchange privileges after a divorce.

The division of a military pension is an entirely separate issue. Military pensions are viewed under the law as a "marital asset." During a divorce settlement, the court determines how much of the pension to divide. The Defense Department has very little, if anything, to do with that decision.

But what happens if a former military spouse remarries?

Military rules make it clear that when an ex-military spouse remarries, the non-monetary benefits he or she retained from her former service member spouse go away. That means if you remarry, you will forfeit Tricare, commissary, exchange or MWR privileges through your former spouse.

But because the division of the military pension is controlled by the court, not the Defense Department, how that is affected depends entirely on the divorce settlement. Under most circumstances, a remarriage will not change how or if an ex-spouse continues to receive a portion of the military pension. Generally speaking, a pension will end only if the service member dies.

One important note: We are not lawyers -- and it's always smart to check with one before making decisions that are linked to your divorce settlement or any legal issues.

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.
For military members who exit the military, whether this is a forced retirement or discharge or out of their own free will, getting into civilian employment can be a struggle. Not only may it be hard to find a job in the area they reside, but they may be having trouble getting a company to hire them due to not having any other work experience besides the military.

The good news is that many companies are looking to those who were once in the military. They find that veterans are devoted to the company, have a strong work ethic and are the type of person they want representing them with the consumer market. The main problem veterans have is finding employers are who are considered "military friendly."

What is a "Military Friendly" Company?

Though all companies are going to hire military veterans if the person qualifies, there are several companies who are specific on hiring vets. For example, a company that gives a veteran priority over a regular civilian for the job. These companies are what many refer to as being "military friendly." These companies may also want to ensure that they reach a certain percentage of their employees that are veterans, hence it makes it easier for the veteran to get employment with this company.

How to Find Military Friendly Companies

The main problem that vets have is finding those companies that are supposed to be more "military friendly." There are several resources at the veteran's disposal that he or she can utilize.

Vet Central: This is a website that keeps an updated list of all the companies nationally that cater to hiring veterans. The list usually contains those companies that are known throughout the country, which may or may not fit your location. A few examples of companies on this list include PayPal, LabCorp, ESPN, Inc., and the like. Victory Media includes a list of the Top 100 military friendly employers each year that can be accessed via the website militaryfriendly.com/top-100/. These are usually national companies, but you may find a branch that is near your location that would be interested in hiring you. The list also includes just how many veterans have been hired by these companies since 9/11. Some of the companies listed via this list include USAA, Union Pacific Railroad, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., and Allied Barton Security Services. Veteran Recruiting is a great website for finding job fairs that may be taking place that are just for veterans. For example, several times per year there are virtual job fairs that take place, which can put you into contact with those companies looking to specifically hire veterans.

What to Watch Out For

Though there are tons of companies out there who are more than willing to hire vets, when looking for military friendly employers, there are several websites and people who are looking to take advantage of these vets. Remember:

Never pay for information about jobs that are just for veterans. There are several websites out there that require a person to be a member, but in most cases you can find this information free of charge.

Do not give out financial information to these websites if they were to call you and state that they have you a job.

Only deal directly with the company you are interested in, as this is going to decrease the chances of you being harmed by third parties.

Finding "military friendly" companies to hire you can be a simple process. It will simply require putting in the time to research what is out there for you to find. It may take time, but it will increase your chances of getting a civilian job faster than if you were to go any other route.

Find the Right Veteran Job

Whether you want to polish your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox.
(Adds quotes, details)

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China will strictly control local government debt quotas and step up checks on illegal debt guarantees, finance minister Xiao Jie said on Tuesday, as the country's top officials stepped up assurances that they will keep financial risks under control.

With the economy now on more solid footing, containing the risks from years of debt-fuelled stimulus and heavy spending has been a major focus at the annual meeting of China's parliament which began on Sunday.

Government debt risks are generally under control, Xiao told a news conference on the sidelines of the session.

"I believe (measures taken) will be able to reasonably control outstanding local government debt and contain debt risks," said Xiao.

China will continue a debt-swap programme for local governments to help contain debt risks, Xiao said.

The government has tightened controls in recent years on new local government debt to help ward off risks following a borrowing binge since the global financial crisis.

China has cut its growth target to a more modest 6.5 percent this year to give policymakers more room to push through painful reforms to address the rapid build-up in debt.

Growth last year came bang in the middle of the government's 6.5-7 percent target range, but much of the momentum came from record bank lending and higher government spending.

China capped the size of outstanding local government debt at 18.8 trillion yuan ($2.72 trillion) in 2017, up from 17.2 trillion in 2016, according to the annual budget report released on Sunday, excluding bonds issued under a debt swap scheme.

The government will continue to improve the financing environment and push forward with the standardisation of public-private partnership (PPP) projects, Xiao said.

A total of 1,351 PPP projects worth 2.2 trillion yuan have been signed by the end of 2016, with the timeframe for implementing such projects becoming shorter, he added.

Moody's Investors Service said in February that misaligned incentives between China's central and regional and local governments are an obstacle to economic reform and rebalancing, and thus a credit negative.

Authorities are also struggling to clamp down on illegal borrowing by local governments, according to a report in financial magazine Caixin last month.

($1 = 6.9010 Chinese yuan renminbi) ($1 = 6.9015 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Elias Glenn, Writing by Kevin Yao; Editing by Kim Coghill)
ANN ARBOR, MI - New York-based Brixmor Property Group has purchased Arborland in southeast Ann Arbor for $102 million, with plans to enhance and increase retailers located within the shopping center.

The acquisition of Arborland, 3600 Washtenaw Ave., was announced Monday, March 6. A company statement said Brixmor "intends to leverage its local market expertise, deep retailer relationships and value creation capabilities to drive cash flow growth."

Representatives of Brixmor could not be reached for additional comment.

The acquisition is the latest development at the 404,000-square-foot retail center that started as a strip mall, became a mall and was then partially razed and revamped as a strip mall once more.

According to Crain's Detroit Business, Balcor Management Services Inc. sold Arborland in 1997 to a mix of companies, including Joseph Freed and Associates LLC, for about $7 million.

Arborland was then sold eight years later, in 2005, for $102 million to a joint venture of Hart Realty Advisers Inc. and AmCap, Inc.

The Connecticut-based AmCap, Inc. saw national retailers like Border's and Circuit City close at the shopping center before making a deal to sell Arborland for the same amount it bought it for to Brixmor.

Representatives of AmCap Inc. could not be reached for comment.

Arborland's current tenants include Kroger, Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack, Ulta, Starbucks and DSW. There is one, 14,420-square-foot retail space available near OfficeMax, which Arhaus furniture company vacated in 2013.

Mark Horgan is executive vice president and chief investment officer at Brixmor and said in a statement the acquisition defines the company as the largest open-air landlord in the Ann Arbor area.

"We see significant opportunities to enhance the merchandising at the center, densify the site and expand Arborland's regional draw, while capitalizing on the below market rents at the center," Horgan said in a statement.

Arborland had a taxable value of $34.2 million in 2017 and was among Washtenaw County's top taxpayers, according to county records.

Brixmor is familiar with managing Michigan commercial properties. The company is currently managing Maple Village in north Ann Arbor and two locations in Ypsilanti: Roundtree Place and Washtenaw Fountain Plaza.

There has been a lot of recent movement at Maple Village, located on Ann Arbor's north side, with Radioshack closing March 10 and new tenants such as Carter's and Five Below announced.

National retailers Home Goods and Steinmart opened last year in the former Kmart store in the Maple Village shopping center, and Michigan's first Sierra Trading Post is expected to open sometime in 2017.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor-based software company LLamasoft has been recognized as Michigan's best-funded tech startup by Forbes magazine.

In a March 1 article, titled "This Company Is The Best Funded Tech Startup In Your State," Llamasoft was identified as the most well-funded tech startup backed by venture capital, with more than $1 million in disclosed equity funding in Michigan.

The report was created by CB Insights, a New York-based company that analyzes customer information and performs research to assist corporations.

The most well-funded tech startup across the United States is Uber, according to CB Insights.

Michigan's best funded tech startup LLamasoft is a supply chain software company founded in 1998 that now has over 400 employees in 14 countries and headquarters in Ann Arbor's McKinley Towne Centre building at 401 E. Liberty.

The space was formerly occupied by Google, a tech giant that has since created its own corporate campus at 2300 Traverwood Drive.

LLamasoft has made headlines in the last two years with $50 million worth of funding supported by Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the acquisition of South African competitor Barloworld Ltd.

According to its website, LLamasoft has more than 400 employees in 14 countries and has designed supply chains for 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies to date. It represents customers such as Ford, General Motors, Whirlpool, 3M and Land O' Lakes.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Thanks to President Donald Trump's threats to impose a border tax on Mexico, the new owners of Dematic North America may be changing their tune when it comes to closing its Grand Rapids production facility.

In a conference call with investment analysts last week, executives of KION Group AG said the German company's plant in Grand Rapids gives them an out if Trump carries out his threats.

Dematic announced in January, 2016 it would close its production in Grand Rapids later that year in favor of its new production plant in Monterrey, Mexico.

Those plans were delayed in November, when the company said it would keep the Grand Rapids plant open until this fall thanks to strong orders. Company executives said then that Trump's election did not play a role in the decision.

That line changed during a teleconference with investment analysts last week.

"In light of the political development in the U.S, I think definitely we have flexed our strategy also with respect to the production footprint," said Tomas Toepfer, chief financial officer of German-based KION.

"So, you've seen we have kept Grand Rapids fully up and running, while at the same time having Mexico."

Locally based at 507 Plymouth Ave. NE, Dematic designs and builds automated systems for warehouses, distribution centers and other sites with material-moving needs.

In recent years, Dematic's local production workforce has fluctuated between 200 and 300, depending on its orders. About 900 of its local employees have white collar and engineering jobs.

Trump has railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and promised to penalize American companies that shipped jobs to Mexico.

And, House Speaker Paul Ryan has called for a "border adjustment tax" as a pillar of the House Republican leadership's "A Better Way" plan for tax reform.

Although Dematic executives denied Trump's election plays a role in their decision to keep production in Grand Rapids, KION executives said they are gauging the effects a border tax may have on their operations without reaching any conclusions.

"On the border tax issue, we have not built into our model of border tax, because the border tax to be defined does require some certain assumptions," said KION CEO Gordon Riske.

"For instance the factory in Monterrey is mainly assembling things, some of the -- or the lot of the value add, the higher value add comes from places like Michigan, Grand Rapids, China and as you know when you have this whole local content discussion, there are different calculations based on where does the value originate and then go back," Riske told analysts.

"As I've said, we have 24 factories around the world that all of those building things for Dematic, but certainly a number of factories, Grand Rapids factory is also very important in getting out that volume," Riske said, according to a transcript of the Thursday, March 2 call.

Dematic's factory at the corner of Plymouth Road and Michigan Street NE has been a fixture in the Grand Rapids manufacturing scene for more than 75 years.

The company was founded as the Rapids-Standard Company in 1939 when industrialist James R. Sebastian merged his business, Standard Truck Caster Company, with Rapids Manufacturing Company of Grand Rapids. The company's name was changed to Rapistan in 1966.

In 1980, the company was acquired by Lear Siegler Corp. and exchanged hands four times until 2006, when it was acquired by Triton, a private equity firm.

KION, which makes forklift trucks and automated material handling equipment, bought Dematic for $2.1 billion last year. Based in Atlanta, Dematic North America is the largest division of the Luxembourg-based Dematic Group.
Amy Sherman | Mlive.com

BY AMY SHERMAN | asherma2@mlive.com

Who doesn't love a good pancake? Essentially cake, disguised for breakfast, pancakes are easy to make, and even easier to consume. Today, Tuesday, March 7, is National Pancake Day, which gives you an excuse to get some cakes.

National Pancake Day is kind of a made up holiday, in a sense, but comes with a charitable twist. International House of Pancakes started celebrating Pancake day in 2006, with free pancakes for all. The twist is that they ask that you donate to the Children's Miracle Network in lieu of paying for your cakes. The gimmick has paid off. Since 2006, IHOP has raised over $24 million dollars for the charity, which helps raise money for over 170 children's hospitals across North America.

Don't Edit

Amy Sherman | Mlive.com

Excellent pancakes abound around Michigan, as we found on the search for Michigan's Best Breakfast. Here are recommendations from John Gonzalez, who led the search and tried his share of pancakes.

Don't Edit

Amy Sherman | Mlive.com

The Original Pancake House in Grosse Pointe Woods, where we had a Dutch baby, a puffy pancake that is served with fresh lemon and powdered sugar.

Nick's Original House of Pancakes in Ann Arbor, a great family restaurant that is known for variety, as well as some of the best banana walnut pancakes you will ever have.

Suzi's Village Inn in Fruitport, which is known for large portions and the mouth-watering good strawberry cheesecake pancakes.

Don't Edit

Emily Zoladz | Mlive

Wolfgang's Restaurant in Grand Rapids came in sixth in our Michigan's Best search Not only are their breakfasts huge, unique, and totally satisfying, they are also an Eastown institution.

Not only do they have classic cakes, owner Matt Wolfgang also comes up with unique offerings that change throughout the year. You may get to try their "Tiramisu pancakes" (pictured), or maybe the "Paul Hanson" which is a monstrosity of homemade pancakes layered with chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate chips, then covered in caramel and whipped cream. Is this dessert? Or breakfast? Who cares?

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Amy Sherman | Mlive.com

Another stop on the search for Michigan's Best Breakfast was The Hudson Cafe located in smack downtown Detroit. On our Michigan's Best visit, Gonzalez was impressed with the red velvet pancakes, thick and layered with cream cheese frosting. I stopped by the cafe last year to meet fhef and owner Tom Teknos, gave me an update on the Hudson Cafe's pancake situation.

Currently, they have 6 different pancakes on the menu, including those red velvets.

Chunky Monkey pancakes are Teknos' favorite, with caramel, white chocolate chip and bananas. Chef is always trying out new ideas with his partner Stavros Adamopoulis. Last year when I visited they had just created the Cinnabun pancakes.

Teknos was pretty excited about these, explaining that he added a cinnamon sugar glaze to the cakes while they were on the hot griddle to create a crunchy, caramelized texture in the cake. I tried an enormous stack of these, and they were pretty outstanding, with spicy sweet swirls throughout, and a bit of cream cheese too. I'm happy to say that they made it on to the permanent menu.

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Amy Sherman | MLive

Pancakes are one of the easiest recipes to attack at home. It was one of the first things that I taught my children to make, since it is very hard to make a mistake that you can't recover from.

Another great thing about pancakes is that they are cheap to make, and appropriate for both breakfast or dinner. Kids, in fact, think pancakes for dinner is one of the greatest things they have ever had. Not feeling appreciated for your efforts in the kitchen? Serve pancakes. I have literally been cheered for this move.

For perfect pancakes, try this recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Dump in all the wet ingredients at once and whisk well. You will have lumps, no big deal.

Heat the griddle, cast iron skillet, or non stick pan up over medium high heat. Test the heat with a drop of water, it should sizzle and splat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle, making sure not to overcrowd the cakes. When the surface starts to bubble after 2-3 minutes, flip the cakes and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Serve the cakes with only real butter and Michigan maple syrup.

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Amy Sherman | MLive.com

So celebrate National Pancake Day, either at the official stop of IHOP to help raise money for Children's Miracle Network, or at any of our amazing locally owned breakfast places around Michigan. Either way, it's a sweet, satisfying start to your day...or a great end to one, according to your kids.

CHECK OUT EVEN MORE MICHIGAN'S BEST RECOMMENDATIONS

Michigan's Best breakfast

Michigan's Best fried chicken

Michigan's Best bowling alley

Don't Edit

Follow John and Amy on their past adventures for the best across the state.
"We're about environmental education, action and advocacy," says Mary Robinson, director of development for the Grand Rapids-based West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC). "We've been around for 49 years and have been involved in some of the biggest environmental advocacy movements from saving the dunes to the bottle bill to helping put together the EPA."

WMEAC hosts the annual Women and the Environment Symposium. Events highlight various aspects of how women advocate for themselves, for others, and for the environment.

Robinson joins Kirk Heinze on Greening of the Great Lakes.

"The symposium came out of the belief that women are the caretakers across cultures," Robinson says. "We have a special focus on environmental issues because we want to make sure that we're healthy and that our families are healthy. Many environmental issues involve public health issues from clean water to good food to the chemicals going into our food."

Jessie Schulte was honored in the Woman of Vision category as a Hidden Heroin at the event. She's the district administrator at Kent Conservation District.

"We help land owners help the land," Schulte says.

Kirk Heinze, Jessie Schulte

She talks about assisting citizens with MAEAP certification. And she says that some of her work focuses on early detection of invasive species like black swallow-wort, which she says is a vine in the milkweed family that "is becoming a monster in Oakland County."

Some invasive species are deceptively beautiful.

"There's a plant called black jetbead. It's beautiful and in the rose family. Unfortunately in the states just south of us it dominates the understory of our beautiful forests. We're losing biodiversity and habitat, and these invasive species are a really quiet, silent threat. They start spreading under the forest. If we don't get them under control, we're going to lose that precious biodiversity."

Schulte says there's "funding available to get conservation practices on the ground" and that she will be spending much of the next five years reaching out to farmers and land owners to show them how to protect the watersheds by installing conservation practices.

This year's symposium culminated with a keynote address from Winona LaDuke, an environmental leader and one of the most influential environmentalists of our time.

She lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, and is a two-time vice presidential candidate with Ralph Nader for the Green Party.

As program director of Honor the Earth, she works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice with Indigenous communities.

Winona LaDuke, Kirk Heinze

And in her community, she is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation based non-profit organizations in the country, and a leader on the issues of culturally-based sustainable development strategies, renewable energy and food systems.

LaDuke updates Heinze on her work battling pipelines and calls one in particular the Dakota "Excess" Pipeline.

"Michigan is the epicenter of a lot of these pipeline battles and is also the perfect place to talk about infrastructure for people, not for corporations."

She encouraged attendees to her address "do the right thing in their own communities and rankle against stupid government and corporate policies; stand strong, be principled and have courage and have vision."

LaDuke hopes more Americans "get woke and stay woke. It's time to make sure we all work hard together. It's time to unify our movements; we need a 'movement of movements.' This is no time to sit on the sidelines and say you don't like people. Because if you keep doing that, you're going to be by yourself."

Click here to hear the Heinze's conversations with Robinson, Schulte, and LaDuke.

Greening of the Great Lakes airs every Sunday evening at 7:00 on News/Talk 760 WJR and around the state each weekend via the Michigan Talk Network.
Julian Assange

There is less than a month to go before the second round of Ecuador's presidential election, the outcome of which could end Julian Assange's nearly five-year stay in the country's London embassy.

The April 2 runoff election pits Lenin Moreno, successor to current left-wing President Rafael Correa, against Guillermo Lasso, the right-wing opposition candidate.

The Correa government has hosted Assange in a converted-office apartment in the embassy since June 19, 2012, when he fled bail and requested asylum in Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden, which has called for his return in relation to sexual-misconduct allegations.

Welcoming Assange lent Ecuador some of the WikiLeaks founder's cache and gave Correa the sheen of a defender of press freedom at a time when he was assailing the press at home.

But Assange's accommodation may come to an end if Lasso assumes Ecuador's highest office.

"The Ecuadorian people have been paying a cost that we should not have to bear," Lasso told The Guardian during an interview in February. "We will cordially ask Senor Assange to leave within 30 days of assuming a mandate."

Guillermo Lasso Ecuador presidential election rally voting

Lasso was behind Moreno by several points when he made his initial comments about evicting Assange from the embassy, which came about 10 days before the first round of voting on February 19 (Lasso and another conservative candidate, Cynthia Viteria, both told AFP they would end Assange's asylum if they won).

Since then, he has taken lead, with one late-February poll giving him a 52.1 to 47.2% advantage over Moreno, though 19% of respondents in that poll were undecided.

Story continues

In the days after that poll was taken, Lasso also qualified his stance on Assange.

"We will ask Mr. Assange, very politely, to leave our embassy, in absolute compliance with international conventions and protocols," he told the Miami Herald by email earlier this month. But, he said, "we vow to take all steps necessary so that another embassy will take him in and protect his rights."

Lasso also noted that Assange said he would agree to US extradition if President Barack Obama gave Chelsea Manning  the former US soldier who leaked hundreds of thousands of cables to WikiLeaks in 2010 and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in a US prison  clemency.

Chelsea Manning

Prior to leaving office, Obama commuted Manning's sentence, granting her release on May 17.

Assange has said that commutation is not a pardon and remains in the embassy (Manning is a transgender woman, and in this election Ecuador allowed people to vote according to their chosen gender for the first time).

As polarizing a figure as Assange has been, his presence in Ecuador's embassy is just one of many issues that could influence voters when they head to the polls on April 2.

The Odebrecht graft scandal  related to millions of dollars paid out in bribes by a Brazilian multinational firm of the same name  has implicated officials from around the region.

Several current and former officials at Petroecuador, the country's state-run oil firm, are wanted on bribery and money-laundering charges in relation to Odebrecht contracts. When the offenses in question allegedly took place, current Vice President Jorge Glas, who is Moreno's running mate, was in charge of Petroecuador.

For his part, Lasso, a former banker  an unpopular profession in Ecuador  was a presidential-cabinet member during a financial meltdown in the late 1990s that ruined savings and led many to leave the country, though he has dismissed efforts to tie him to that calamity.

afp exit polls indicate leftist leads ecuador first round presidential vote

While Correa has been praised for the economic boom Ecuador experienced during his 10 years in office, the country faces a uncertain outlook. The country's economy shrank 1.7% in 2016  a contraction brought about by the ongoing slump in oil prices.

Many in the country have grown tired of Correa and worry his grip on power has abetted corruption.

Correa's government was able to stave off the deeper oil-related economic crises that have afflicted other countries in the region  in part by taking on large amounts of debt that forestalled cuts to popular social programs and layoffs of public-sector workers.

rafael correa

The next president may have to pursue unpopular measures, like tax hikes or budget cuts, that would alienate Ecuadorians in response to that mounting debt.

In that environment, Moreno  whose predecessor cut Assange's internet access in the weeks before the US presidential election over WikiLeaks' distribution of Hillary Clinton's staffers' emails  may adopt a more hostile stance toward the WikiLeaks founder's presence.

Asked about Assange's possible impact on the first round of presidential voting  which Moreno won 39% to Lasso's 28% but fell just short of the 40% margin needed to win outright  Lasso said little.

"We have no indication, or comment, about that," he told the Miami Herald.

NOW WATCH: ALAN DERSHOWITZ: It was wrong for Julian Assange to interfere in the US election





More From Business Insider


carter page

Carter Page, an early foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, said Monday that the Senate Intelligence Committee had asked him to preserve information concerning his Russia-related activities in 2016.

In a letter obtained by Business Insider dated March 5, Page thanked Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Mark Warner, a ranking member of the committee, for their "recent correspondence regarding information that you might at some point desire for ongoing investigations into the 2016 U.S. election."

As part of its investigation into whether associates of Trump had improper contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign, the Senate Intelligence Committee sent letters to unspecified "organizations, agencies and officials" in late February asking them to preserve materials that might be relevant to the investigation, The Washington Post reported.

It had been unclear whether the letters were sent specifically to people affiliated with Trump.

"I am writing to let you know that I have received your letter and will be more than happy to provide any information which may be of assistance to the committee," Page wrote. "In the meantime, I will do everything in my power to reasonably ensure that all information concerning my activities related to Russia last year is preserved."

Warner's office declined to comment. Burr's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Page found himself at the center of a Russia-related firestorm last week after USA Today reported that he met Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, during an event at the Republican National Convention. At least two other Trump associates, former adviser J.D. Gordon and then Sen. Jeff Sessions, now the US attorney general, also spoke with Kislyak at the convention.

Story continues

The FBI is reportedly investigating contacts that Page and several other current and former Trump associates had with Russian officials during the election. An unverified dossier about Trump's ties to Russia, compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele at the request of anti-Trump Republicans, named Page as a liaison between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

Page, who has worked at Merrill Lynch in Moscow and says he has advised Russia's oil and gas giant Gazprom on "key transactions," has strongly denied the accusation that he served as a middleman between Trump's campaign and Russia.

In a February letter addressed to the Justice Department, he called such claims an "illegal" form of "retribution" for a speech he gave in Moscow at the New Economic School in July, in which he slammed the US for its "hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption, and regime change." He blamed Hillary Clinton's campaign for what he characterized as perpetuating the story and villainizing him for "vocalizing my thoughts in a free academic forum."

In his letter to Warner and Burr, Page said he was "eagerly" awaiting "your committee's call to help finally set the record straight following the false evidence, illegal activities as well as other lies distributed by Mrs. Hillary Clinton's campaign and their associates in coordination with the Obama administration, which defamed me and other supporters of the Trump campaign."

NOW WATCH: The Trump family's lavish lifestyle is costing taxpayers a fortune





More From Business Insider


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Moneycontrol Research

Rarely does an initial public offering have everything going right for it. Either the fundamentals of the company are not good or the sector is going through a rough patch or the promoter group does not give investors confidence. Even if all these parameters are met then the issue price is too expensive, leaving very little on the table for the new investor.

But Avenue Supermarts, which runs the D-Mart supermarket chain, has everything going for it. Its fundamentals are the best in class, the segment of retailing sector that its in is growing at a rapid pace. The biggest plus in the company are its promoters who have taken a pragmatic approach in charting its growth plan. Finally, the IPO hits the market at nearly the same valuations as that of its peers despite having exceptionally strong fundamentals and a brighter future.

Background

Avenue Supermarts (ASL), incorporated in May 2000, offers a wide range of products with a focus on foods (53 percent of revenue), non-foods  FMCG (20 percent) and general merchandise & apparel (27 percent) product categories. These stores operate under the D-Mart brand.

ASL operates 118 stores across 45 cities with retail business area of 3.59 million sq.ft, located in Maharashtra (59 stores), Gujarat (27), Telangana (13), Karnataka (7), Andhra Pradesh (4), Madhya Pradesh (3), Chhattisgarh (1) and NCR (1), Daman (1) and Rajasthan (2). Majority of its stores are in western India with the company having plans of expanding its stores in other parts of the country.

ASL operates 118 stores with a retail business area of 3.57 million sq. ft. with plans of adding 0.5 million sq. ft. every year.

Issue Details

The Rs 1,870 crore IPO of ASL will be in the price range of Rs 295-299. The main aim of the issue is to repay debt of the company. Out of the proceeds of the issue Rs 1,080 crore will be utilised to retire debt and Rs 366.60 crore will be used for construction and purchase of fit-outs of new stores. The remaining funds will be for general corporate purpose.

The Differentiator

Unlike its peers in the industry ASL operates largely on an ownership model with nearly 90 percent of the stores being owned. On the other sites it enters on a long-term lease arrangements for a period of 30 years.

Its new store addition follows a pattern. ASL opens stores using a cluster approach which focusses on having sites close to each other for efficient supply chain. Unlike other players D-Marts are found in densely-populated residential areas with a majority of lower-middle, middle and aspiring upper middle class consumers. Its 21 distribution centers and 6 packing centers forms the backbone of its supply chain.

Rather than offering discounts, ASLs business model is based on the concept of offering value retailing to their customers using the Every Day Low Cost/ Every Day Low Price (EDLC/EDLP) strategy. The company ensures low cost products for its customers by keeping its procurement and operations costs low. The company also benefits from lower fixed costs as it does not have to bother about rentals.

The majority of products stocked by the company are everyday products forming a part of basic rather than discretionary spending. This ensures frequent churning of products and is not affected by seasonality or macro-economic conditions.

Financial Performance

ASLs expansion of store count has come without any stress to the balance sheet. From 1 store in 2002 to 118 presently the company has a debt to equity ratio of only 0.74, with the peak being in FY16 of 0.79.

The companys success of its EDLC/EDLP can be judged from its inventory turnover ratio which stands at over 14 times, signifying that its inventory is churned in every 26 days compared to between 50-60 days in the industry. The company has managed to keep its logistics engine well-oiled and its suppliers happy. Average payable days stand at only 8 days with an industry average of anywhere between 80-100 days.

Its branches continue to grow every year as measured by Like for Like (LFL) growth of 21.5 percent. Revenue from sales per retail business area in sq. ft. has also increased from Rs 15,324 in FY12 to Rs 28,136 in FY16. Total number of bills cut has also gone up from 31.8 million in FY12 to 84.7 in FY16 and 80.1 in the nine months of current fiscal.

As a result the companys revenue has increased from Rs 2,210 crore in FY12 to Rs 8,590 crore in FY16, a robust 40.4 percent CAGR. Profit on the other hand has grown at a faster pace of 51.6 percent thanks mainly to an improvement in its operating margin from 6.2 percent in FY12 to 8.8 percent presently. The key financial parameters of Return on Net worth and Return on Capital Employed are both above 22 percent, nearly twice the industry average.

Valuation

ASLs IPO at the upper end of Rs 299 per share values the company at a price to earnings of 39 times. Though prima facie the valuation may look expensive, it is in line with other players in the industry. Being the most efficient and financially strong company, ASL is likely to command a premium over the industry when it is listed.

As proceeds of the IPO are to be used to retire most of its existing debt, the interest cost saving will reflect in the bottomline. In the first nine months the company had an interest outgo of Rs 90.7 crore on a borrowing of Rs 1,371 crore. Its interest cost is nearly 15 percent of a profit before tax of Rs 606.3 crore in the nine months of the current fiscal, a big chunk of which can get added if a major portion of debt is retired.

Future Prospects

The business model followed in making D-Mart stores successful is difficult to follow for other established players in the industry, primarily because the companies have already invested heavily in infrastructure and changing their business line will be difficult. But more importantly it would need a culture change in these organisations to be as nimble footed as ASL.

As for the threat from e-commerce, ASL is on a strong footing as compared to other players in the sector, given its EDLC/EDLP (everyday low cost/everyday low price) model. E-commerce companies find it difficult to compete in basic products of daily consumption but are happy competing in the high-margin discretionary space of garments, fashion ware, watches and furniture.

Conclusion

ASL is a good IPO to apply for, though given the rush that the issue is likely to see and the strong premium in the kerb market, one has to be lucky to get an allotment.
Why Prudent is the best stock to ride growth in the mutual fund industry | Ideas For Profit
Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Mar 7, 2017) - Medgold Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:MED) (the "Company" or "Medgold") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an Option Agreement with Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (FVI.TO) ("Fortuna") whereby Fortuna has the exclusive option to acquire up to 70% in the Tlamino Project located in Southern Serbia (comprised of the Donje Tlamino and Surlica-Dukat licences), by spending a total of US$8.0 million in qualifying expenditures and completing a preliminary economic assessment.

Dan James, President of Medgold, commented: "We are very pleased with Fortuna's continued support of our exploration efforts in Serbia. Their decision to option the Tlamino Project is a clear demonstration of our joint excitement over the Project and a validation of our successful project generation work completed in 2016. We will continue to generate projects under our Strategic Alliance with Fortuna, and will also now commence a more focused exploration campaign at Tlamino under the Option Agreement. We have a combined budget of CAD$2.5m for 2017 in Serbia, which will allow us to complete a program of ground geophysics and diamond drilling at Tlamino aiming to test recently reported channel results of 40 m of 8.32 g/t Au and 193 g/t Ag, as well as continuing our project generation work across the country."

Fortuna Option Agreement

Under the terms of our Strategic Alliance whereby Fortuna has the exclusive right to option any two of Medgold's Serbian projects, Fortuna's first Selected Property is the Donje Tlamino and Surlica-Dukat licences, collectively the Tlamino Project, which cover a total area of approximately 200 sq km, and are located on the Bulgaria-Macedonia borders close to the town of Boseligrad.

Fortuna can earn a 51% stake in the Tlamino Project by spending US$3.0 million on the Project over three years. Once it has earned 51%, Fortuna can elect to form a 51:49 joint venture with Medgold to further develop the Project; or can elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Project by spending an additional US$5.0 million in qualified expenditures and completing a preliminary economic assessment on the Project. The Option Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.

Story continues

The Tlamino Gold Project

The Tlamino Gold Project is located in southern Serbia, and includes two historical showings: Liska and Barje. Both showings are associated with a regional east-west striking detachment fault, which in the vicinity of these showings has been overlain by conglomerates. Mineralization is located at the contact of the basement metamorphic rocks and the base of the conglomerate cover. Liska, located approximately 1.5 km to the southwest of Barje, was drilled in the 1970s by Yugoslav state companies, and a lensoid-shaped mineralized volume of rock with 1-2 % combined Pb & Zn was found to strike NE towards Barje. The mineralization at Liska is located at the base of the conglomerate and parallel to the slope of the detachment fault. Liska was found to contain little precious metals. At Barje, base metal contents are lower, but precious metals are found in much higher concentrations. The area between the two showings is overlain by a thin conglomerate cover likely in the range of 50 - 100 m in thickness, and Medgold considers the exploration potential under the conglomerate, between the two showings, to be excellent.

After identifying the project in the fall 2016, Medgold completed a series of saw-cut surface channel samples over the outcrop at Barje, where approximately 70 m x 25 m of mineralized tectonic breccia is exposed on surface at the edge of the conglomerate cover. A total of 132 linear samples of 1 m in length by approximately 8 cm in width and 4 cm in depth, were collected from 7 channels, designed to test as large an areal extent of the outcrop as possible. Three channels were cut across the outcrop in an east-west direction, while 4 channels were cut across the outcrop in a general north-south direction. Gold assays ranged from 0.78 g/t Au to 132.5 g/t Au, with an average grade of 8.11 g/t Au and a median grade of 4.74 g/t Au. Silver concentrations ranged from 10.3 g/t Ag to 2110 g/t Ag, with an average grade of 210.6 g/t Ag and a median grade of 111.5 g/t Ag.

Applying a top-cut of 31.104 g/t Au (affects 4 / 132 samples) and 700 g/t Ag (affects 6 / 132 samples), the channel length-weighted assay averages are summarized as follows:

Channel Orientation Length

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) AuEq

(g/t)* Pb

(%) Zn

(%) 1 EW 30 6.64 137.1 8.60 0.33 0.13 2 EW 40 8.32 193.0 11.08 0.29 0.07 3 NS 11 5.55 189.3 8.25 0.20 0.03 4 NS 12 8.63 351.8 13.66 0.44 0.06 5 NS 18 5.71 207.1 8.67 0.54 0.18 6 EW 14.5 3.23 59.6 4.08 0.28 0.01 7 NS 7 7.05 82.0 8.22 0.61 0.02

*Gold equivalent (AuEq) calculated for gold and silver using a gold:silver price ratio of 70:1.

The channel samples described here represent the sampling of an outcrop face. Medgold's current exploration model for Barje is premised on the interpretation that the outcrop face represents a faulted oblique cross-section through 'strata-bound' mineralization striking NE-SW, and located at the base of the conglomerate sequence, directly analogous to the mineralization at Liska. However, Medgold does not yet have direct observational evidence to suggest its interpretation is correct. The reader is cautioned therefore that the true thickness of the mineralization described here is unknown, and further work will be required before the true thickness of mineralization can be determined.

A plan map showing the locations of the channel samples has been posted on Medgold's website at http://www.medgoldresources.com/.

A detailed structural interpretation of the Tlamino Project is currently underway, and previous historical exploration work is being integrated into Medgold's exploration model and conceptual understanding of the mineralization. Exploration drill targets for the Project will be developed over coming months, in anticipation of a first phase of drilling in summer 2017.

About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Fortuna is a growth oriented, precious metals producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Its primary assets are the Caylloma silver mine in southern Peru, the San Jose silver-gold mine in Mexico and the Lindero gold Project in Argentina. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit its website at www.fortunasilver.com.

About Medgold

Medgold is a European-focused, TSX-V listed, exploration and development company targeting gold properties in Portugal and Serbia. Run by a highly experienced management team with a successful track record of building value in resource companies, Medgold is aiming to become a leading European gold exploration company.

Qualified Person

Mr. David Clark, M.Sc., P.Geo., is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Clark prepared the technical information contained in this news release and has approved its disclosure.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Channel sampling at Barje followed a standardized protocol to ensure representative and unbiased quantities of material from across each sample. Samples were delivered by Medgold personnel directly to the assay lab prep facilities in Bor, Serbia. Samples were analysed by ALS Chemex using analytical method codes Au-ICP21 and ME-MS61, with overlimits for gold and silver analysed by GRA21, and for Ag, Pb, and Zn by OG62. Medgold routinely inserted appropriate multi-element geochemical standards and blanks into its sample stream at Barje, and additionally collected regular field duplicate samples.

Additional information on Medgold can be found on the Company's website at www.medgoldresources.com and by reviewing the Company's page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Daniel P. James, President & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna and the exploration plans for the Tlamino Project. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, advancement of the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna; the exploration plans for the Tlamino Project; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the strategic alliance and option agreement between the Company and Fortuna will advance as anticipated; that the proposed exploration of the Tlamimo Project will proceed as intended; that the Company's stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
March 07, 2017 NYT Blames Trump For Reading Its Reports NYT March 6 - Trumps Wiretapping Claims Puncture Veneer of Presidential Civility [W]hen Mark Levin ... contended that Mr. Obama had targeted Mr. Trump for surveillance ... it struck a chord. Along with reports that in Mr. Obamas last days in office his administration changed the rules on distributing intelligence and made a point of spreading information about Mr. Trumps team and Russia to different parts of the government to preserve it, the wiretapping allegation pushed Mr. Trump over the top. NYT March 5 - When One President Smears Another In four tweets ... Mr. Trump declared as fact a theory he apparently encountered on alt-right websites: 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! The above assertions by the New York Times raise the question where Mr. Levine got his information from. A reader might also ask who published those ominous "reports" and on which "alt-right website" one might encounter such theories? The New York Times does not know where all this came from? That is a bit astonishing. Let me help: On targeting Trump and his campaign for surveillance: NYT - January 19 Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said.

...

It is not clear whether the intercepted communications had anything to do with Mr. Trumps campaign, or Mr. Trump himself. NYT - February 14 - Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence Phone records and intercepted calls show 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, according to four current and former American officials. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications ... Those "reports" that Obama spread the information on Trump and his associates? NYT January 12 - N.S.A. Gets More Latitude to Share Intercepted Communications In its final days, the Obama administration has 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. NYT March 1 - Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking In the Obama administrations last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information ... 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. The "alt-right website" that peddled all this? By now you will have guessed it. It is the New York Times itself that reported (and slandered) the news about the Obama administration's surveillance of Trump and those associated with him. The NYT and its editors now blames Trump for repeating, in a condensed tweet, the open and hidden assertions made in various reports by the New York Times itself. There is zero evidence of any Russian involvement or hacking of the U.S. election. There is zero evidence of any collusion of Trump and those around him with Russia. There is zero evidence that any of the lunatic claims made in that Steele dossier, ordered up and financed by Trump's political enemies, are true. Even if Trump's personal phone and email were not under direct wiretap, people near to Trump definitely were under communication surveillance. Inevitably such surveillance will have caught communication with and of the would be next president, Donald Trump. The Obama administration made sure that such taped communication would be widely distributed in raw form, guaranteeing future out-of-context leaks. The Times knows all this and reported it - though often hidden in plain sight with misleading headlines and context. Blaming Trump and others for repeating such reports is lame hypocrisy. Posted by b on March 7, 2017 at 14:49 UTC | Permalink Comments
When an Iredell Deputy searched a car on Interstate 77 Monday during a traffic stop, he made the countys largest cocaine seizure in years  more than five kilograms stashed in a hidden compartment of the vehicle, officials said.

Those bricks of powered cocaine have a street value of $1.25 million, according to Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell.

I guarantee its one of the largest seizures (of cocaine) in the state this year, Campbell said. This is one of the largest seizures weve had in quite a while.

Campbell said Deputy Brandon Best stopped a Toyota Rav 4 in the northbound lanes near mile marker 65 in northern Iredell. The driver, 37-year-old Sherrie Shawnte Reed of New York, said she was traveling from Florida, according to a press release.

Reed didnt have any paperwork for the rental car she was driving, Campbell said, although the car is owned by a rental agency.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies found more than $1,700 under a jacket and five vacuum-sealed blocks of cocaine hidden in a natural void of the car under the rear-seat carpet, the release said.

Reed was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center and charged with felony trafficking of cocaine by possession and felony trafficking of cocaine by possession. She was given a $250,000 secured bond.

She also had a fugitive warrant out of Florida for theft and may be extradited back to Florida. She has a criminal history in New York for felony fraud and felony larceny, the release said.

Campbell said the investigation is ongoing.

Well work with other state and federal agencies to hopefully stop the cartels that are importing these drugs, Campbell said.
ROCK HILL, S.C.  A Morganton man was killed Saturday while working construction on the Rock Hill High School campus in South Carolina.

Zachary Crotts, 30, of 2178 Shuffler Road in Morganton, was killed while operating a boom lift on the site, according to case report from the York County Sheriff's Office.

YCSO Deputy Quinn responded to a call for assistance from EMS at the high school campus around 5:50 p.m. Saturday in response to an unconscious man who was not breathing.

Upon arrival, Crotts was found lodged against an elevated construction boom and the side of a building near the high school gymnasium, according to the report.

When the boom was lowered, Crotts collapsed backwards onto the boom, the report said. Quinn determined that Crotts had died as a result of his injuries.

The company tasked with overseeing bond management, J.M. Cope Inc., said in a release that it appeared to be an isolated incident and the campus is secure.

The incident is still under investigation and OSHA has been called to further investigate the incident, as it occurred on a construction site in which Crotts was working, according to a source close to the family.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, memeber of the Board of Management of BMW AG, introduces the 2017 Mini Countryman, all-wheel drive version, at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

By Costas Pitas

GENEVA (Reuters) - Building in Britain is not essential to BMW's (BMWG.DE) Mini brand as most customers do not know where the compact cars are built and its new electric model could be made elsewhere, the brand's boss told Reuters on Tuesday.

Peter Schwarzenbauer said the German carmaker would decide by the end of 2017 whether to build the new electric model at an existing site in Britain or the Netherlands, or whether to pick a new location.

The BMW board member said the possibility of post Brexit tariffs was "only one point ... when you have to decide where to produce a car" and the first question was where the model would be primarily sold.

But asked whether it really mattered to British or foreign buyers that the Mini, sometimes sold with the image of the union flag on the roof, is made in Britain, Schwarzenbauer said: "No."

"The brand being perceived as British, that's important but this does not mean necessarily that you have to produce it (in Britain).

"Most people don't know where the cars are produced," he said.

Mini makes around 70 percent of its 360,000 cars at its southern English Oxford plant but there are concerns that uncertainty over Britain's future trading relationship with the EU could hurt the UK car industry, reliant on tariff-free trade.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said Britain will leave the EU's single market and could also exit the customs union but she would seek to maintain the best possible access to the EU, the British car sector's biggest export market.

Schwarzenbauer also noted elections in the Netherlands, where nationalist leader Geert Wilders is neck-and-neck with the Conservative prime minister ahead of polls next week, but said politics was only one factor in the decision-making process.

BMW is considering how many electric models might be sold in Europe or the United States, he said, and the firm constantly reassesses its global sites especially when it commits to new models to take into account a whole range of factors.

Story continues

"As soon as you have bigger investments coming, you have to reevaluate and it's not only in our Oxford (factory), it's true for every factory around the world.

"Is the set-up still the right one? Do we have to extend it, do we have to reduce it?"

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Mark Potter)
Fixing the one size fits all approach to housing growth, and instead focus on addressing each communitys needs.

Improving the planning approvals process by better aligning provincial and municipal priorities

Addressing outdated zoning laws that may hinder the building of certain housing types

Targeting infrastructure support

The industry is calling on the government to address housing affordability, amid skyrocketing prices in several markets.The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and The Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA) are urging Ontario to implement a housing task force with the goal of increasing housing supply in the province.The Canadian dream of home ownership is at risk in the GTA. This is the year for provincial and municipal governments to step up with solutions to ensure the dream of home ownership does not slip away from future generations, Tim Hudak, CEO of OREA, said. The housing supply issue is a real problem, but the solutions exist. We need the government to get real estate experts together on this issue, to hammer out a plan for putting more homes on the market and making home ownership more affordable for young families and first-time buyers.The two associations have provided four starting points to the government.They include;Affordability is becoming increasingly problematic for many Ontarians in markets in and around the GTA.The average home in the Greater Toronto Area cost $770,745 in January, up 22.1% year-over-year.Similarly, homes in York Region (+29.3% year-over-year), Barrie (+30.9%), Cambridge (+20.9%), Durham Region (+36.5%), and Hamilton (+15.4%) saw major price gains to start the year.Ninety-five per cent of Ontarios new housing supply is built by our industry, and new home prices reflect the market conditions affected by government policy, like municipal and provincial approvals, Joe Vaccaro, Chief Executive Officer, OHBA. It only makes sense to bring together private sector expertise and government policy makers if we are serious about making home ownership more affordable.
Investor Updates and UW Changes; Lots Going on in Capital Markets

Thousands of lenders around the nation, in one form or another, donate to charities. But heres an interesting twist on that. Todd Potter, SVP & National Sales Manager for Envoy Mortgage, writes, 23 lenders qualified for the Envoy Correspondents 2016 Charity Award$ Challenge. The program created specifically for out mortgage lenders to give back to the causes they support. Lenders who fund more than $15 million in production can donate up to $30,000 to a nonprofit of their choice. In 2016 these donations total almost $250,000 to more than 40 deserving and diverse nonprofits.

Investor Updates and UW Changes

Due to investor guidelines, loan files may require a verification of the borrower's Social Security Number, through the Social Security Administration or other applicable government agency. A condition will be added to the loan when this documentation is needed and is required for all borrowers. NYCB Mortgage Banking clients can upload the necessary form to satisfy this condition in Gemstone under Doing Business / First Mortgage Forms. Please use the Social Security Administration (SSA) Authorization to Release Social Security Number (SSN) Verification form and upload both pages.

As a reminder, NYCB Mortgage clients are responsible for ensuring that all applicants fully and properly execute both the initial and final Uniform Residential Loan Application (1003). If the application is for joint credit, the borrower and co-borrower must provide a signature on page one of the 1003 and check the appropriate boxes. In addition, regarding government monitoring section of the 1003. As required by Regulations B and C, which implement the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), respectively, Clients must request and document the Borrower(s) Ethnicity, Race and Gender information.

And NYCB issued a reminder to its Table Funding Clients that deliver documentation electronically to their Consumers (outside of the Gemstone system), the E-Sign Act requires that Consumers must first be provided with an electronic consent disclosure notifying them of certain rights.

Plaza Home Mortgage has updated its Wholesale Broker Guide as follows: The Living Trust Policy (Section 19) of the Wholesale Broker Guide has been updated with clarification to requirements as well as format changes. In addition, requirements for signature addendums for both the Note and Security Instrument have been included. References to TRID required documents have been updated. Verbiage now reflects Loan Estimate in lieu of GFE and TIL and Closing Disclosure in lieu of TIL and HUD-1. GFE and TIL references for Reverse Mortgage remain unchanged.

Did you know Lender Live does not require tax transcripts if W-2 income is used to qualify the borrower?

Ditech Approved Wholesale Clients are now permitted to utilize Borrower-Paid Compensation loans. As of Monday, February 6th, clients can choose Lender Paid Compensation or Borrower Paid Compensation at time of registration with Ditech. Please refer to its Client Guide, Chapter 2, Compliance as the section has been updated to include this new policy. Loans using Borrower Paid compensation must be manually registered by ditech. In addition, locking, revising, and extending locks will also need to be completed by the lock desk at Ditech. These manual updates to loans with Borrower Paid Compensation will be available online in the next 60 days.Ditech Approved Delegated Correspondents with their own access to Desktop Underwriter are reminded that Ditech will purchase loans using DU Validated services without any documentation overlays. Compliance with terms and conditions on the DU findings is required.

Per CFPB additional commentary on TRID requirements (October 2016), the Real Estate Commission paid to all Realtors must be disclosed on the Buyer's Closing Disclosure. Pacific Union Financial requires the Closing Disclosure to be completed as follows: Real Estate Commissions paid to (Provide name - Realtor Company Name matching the contact page). Paid by Seller should be listed as indicated below. (Paid by Buyer should display in Section H; Column A).

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has announced Loan Swap, a new pipeline management tool that enables originators to manage the order of their loans in UWMs underwriting queue. Joining the UClose platform and doc-less technology, Loan Swap gives UWMs network of brokers a greater level of control over their entire pipeline, managing their loans to meet their borrowers' timelines.

ResMac B2B has implemented an internal credit monitoring system that eliminates the need for a soft pull for files submitted on or after February 1st.

NationStar Mortgage's In Focus piece identifies the most common suspense deficiencies for the month of December as well as the top 10 Suspense deficiencies.

Beginning March 1, 2017, loan files and loan file documents uploaded to AmeriHome's Seller Portal will be archived after 18 months. Archived documents will be available through a new document request process.

As of February 21st, Wells Fargo Funding has updated its Settlement Agents List within the Wells Fargo Funding Validation List available on wellsfargofunding.com in the Info Gallery under Client Tools. As a reminder, the entire Wells Fargo Funding Validation List and its contents are Wells Fargo confidential information and proprietary material, intended only for the use of Correspondent Sellers active with Wells Fargo, for the sole purpose of determining the eligibility of Loans for sale to Wells Fargo. Disclosure of this information to unauthorized parties is a breach of the Wells Fargo Funding Seller Guide and is strictly prohibited.

Capital Markets

Galton priced its inaugural deal: GFMT 2017-1. In summary, it is a $255 million, AAA Rated (13.50%)/ Prime Credit / QM, non-QM, exempt loan deal. DBRS, Inc. has assigned provisional ratings to Galton Funding Mortgage Trust, but it is backed by 363 mortgage loans originally acquired by GMRF Mortgage Acquisition Company LLC. "The originators for the mortgage pool are Priority Financial Network (17.6%), Parkside Lending, LLC (16.2%); RPM Mortgage, Inc. (15.3%), Oaktree Funding Corp. (14.9%), PHH Mortgage Corp. (5.6%); and various other originators. The loans will be serviced by New Penn Financial, LLC doing business as (dba) Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing.

"The mortgages were generally originated pursuant to underwriting standards that conform to the sponsor acquisition criteria. The Sponsor has established product matrices for different loan programs. Majority of the loans in this securitization (92.3%) are Credit Grade A+ (Galton Program) borrowers with unblemished credit who may not meet prime jumbo or agency/government guidelines. While certain attributes are comparable with post-crisis prime transactions, the loans in the GFMT 2017-1 portfolio may have interest-only (IO) features, higher debt-to-income (DTI) and loan-to-value (LTV) ratios, lower credit scores and barbelled distribution of certain characteristics compared with recent prime securitizations. However, the overall credit profile of the Galton pool is much stronger than those of other non-QM programs rated by DBRS. In accordance with the CFPB QM rules, 22.3% of the loans are designated as QM Safe Harbor, 9.1% as QM Rebuttable Presumption and 35.1% as non-QM. Approximately

33.6% of the loans are not subject to the QM rules."

Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. announced the launch of noteXchange, "a state-of-the-art proprietary mortgage trading platform that can help deliver greater efficiency, security and numerous other advantages for mortgage bankers and loan investors. This secondary market trading platform brings buyers and sellers together in a centralized exchange that enables better communications, shorter sales cycles and automated processes. Designed, in part, to replace today's inefficient, manual and often risky process of transacting through spreadsheets and email, the platform centralizes trading activity between buyers and sellers and helps safeguard the transmission of data. noteXchange enables sellers to expedite trading by mapping loans to uniform templates and easily managing the distribution to multiple buyers in one place. noteXchange can also facilitate faster trading through a relationship with Thomson Reuters, which provides real-time pricing data to help inform bids made on the platform. The data provided by Thomson Reuters gives buyers the ability to anchor bids to market instruments with 20-second updates so users can continue trading through highly volatile markets and minimize hedging risk.

Citibank Correspondent is offering Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Premiums on eligible Loans. The premiums offered for the following MSAs will change effective with locks on/after Wednesday, March 1. For a complete list of MSAs offering additional CRA premiums, please refer to the updated Citi CRA Premium Schedule for complete details.

Fifth Third Correspondent announced that effective with locks on Monday, February 27th, purchase transactions will receive a .125 adjuster. This applies to all products and delivery methods. This adjuster will not apply to float downs on loans locked prior to 2/27 nor will it apply to long term locks (90 days or greater).

HomeXpress Mortgage Corp. has a Non-TRID investment program: The InvestorX. This program is designed for borrowers who actively and historically manage and invest in real estate and are using the loan for business purposes. Loans are qualified based on the cash flow of the subject property only and are considered business purpose loans. Contact Andrew at agoldthorpe@homexmortgage.com for details.

In a recent bulletin, Ginnie Mae posted information regarding Additional MIP Information in Disclosure Data Search.

In terms of the daily bond markets, yes, the market believes that the FOMC will be raising short-term rates next week. Yet yesterday agency MBS closed slightly higher in price and tighter on spread versus treasuries, narrowly changed vs. swaps, with better buying including strong Fed support contributing to the move: yes, it helps when the NY Fed is buying $2 or so billion a day, using money from early payoffs. But Monday the 10-year note closed unchanged yielding 2.49%.

For news, today we've had January's International Trade balance ($48.5 billion, as expected); coming up are the Redbook Same-Store Sales Index and a $23 billion 3-year note auction. Out of the gate we find rates a shade higher with the 10-year at 2.51% and MBS prices worse nearly .125 versus last night.



Jobs and Announcements

Job-wise, Orange Coast Title Company, an industry leader since 1974 and one of the largest independently owned title insurance companies, has an excellent opportunity for a national operations executive in its Pittsburgh location. "As National Operations Manager, you will be responsible for all aspects of operational fulfillment for our title and settlement site including profit and loss, cost containment, productivity standards, compliance, fraud controls, underwriter/state audits; in addition to growth trajectory with volume forecasts and capacity planning. You will oversee all staff, accounting and human resources activities while developing and implementing policies, procedures and workflows to achieve high levels of productivity and efficiency. The ideal candidate will have a broad knowledge of the loan origination and servicing space with extensive experience in building/maintaining client relationships in the title and settlement industry, be self-motivated for this fast-paced, competitive environment, and be technology savvy. Travel required. Position reports to division's SVP/General Manager in So. California." Candidates should send confidential resumes to Melissa Cadena.

Recognized as the leaders in the non-Agency space, Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions is continuing their aggressive hiring spree in 2017. Having already added 12 new Account Executives, management is not done as they are looking for additional experienced Wholesale Account Executives across the country. In addition, they are hiring underwriters and other operations positions in their Atlanta headquarters. "If you've been thinking about making a move into the fastest growing segment of the mortgage industry, now's the time. Come help us delivering an extraordinary customer experience by joining the nation's top Non-QM lender by emailing careers@angeloakms.com to start the conversation or watch this clip from their Mortgage News Network's Top Mortgage Employer's interview for more information."

In product news, InHouseUSA is enhancing its Solutions and Connexions platforms to predict appraisal turn-times to reduce false ETAs provided by pre-set turn-times in other platforms. The platforms will programmatically estimate the appraisal delivery date based on up to the minute data and will stop the use of average or pre-set days which are not relevant to an individual order. "Our clients do not feel averages, they feel actuals," Shane Martin, EVP of Strategy for InHouseUSA. The new technology works by estimating the delivery date at the time the appraisal request is placed and then updates when the order is accepted by an appraiser and again after the scheduling of inspection. The system analyzes factors including: Geo-location of the subject property, turn times for property type, turn times for the assigned appraiser, Appraiser's ranking for due dates, etc. PEDD (Predictive Estimated Delivery Date) accurately predicts how the assigned appraiser will act on this order. For more information or to schedule a meeting contact: Shane Martin, EVP, Business Development (316-253-8307).

Do you know how to drive your sales team to greater success? Download these Powerful Coaching Questions from XINNIX, The Mortgage Academy, to assist you in energizing your Loan Officers to higher production levels. For a 3-step process in coaching your LOs and how to leverage these questions, sign up for LEADERSHIP starting this Wednesday, March 8th! Click here to enroll immediately, or contact us online for more information.
* N.Korea leader Kim supervised tests of four missiles

* Drill by N.Korea army units tasked to attack U.S. bases in Japan

* U.S. Trump in phone talk with Japan's Abe, reaffirming alliance (Recasts with start of THAAD deployment, adds details)

By James Pearson

SEOUL, March 7 (Reuters) - The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea following North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles, U.S. Pacific Command said on Tuesday.

The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches, stepping up threats against Washington as U.S. troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in the statement.

The move by the U.S. military is likely to deepen the brewing conflict between South Korea and China, which has angrily opposed the THAAD deployment as destroying regional security balance.

The four ballistic missiles landed in the sea off Japan's northwest, angering Seoul and Tokyo, days after North Korea promised retaliation over the military drills which it sees as preparation for war.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the launches during a phone call on Tuesday.

"Japan and the U.S. confirmed that the latest North Korean missile launches were clearly against U.N. resolutions and a clear provocation against the regional and international community," Abe told reporters. "(North Korea's) threat has entered a new phase."

Trump also spoke to South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn to discuss the North's missile launches, Hwang's office said.

"MERCILESSLY RETALIATE"

The missile test was undertaken by an army unit commissioned with attacking U.S. military bases in Japan, the North's official KCNA news agency said.

Story continues

"In the hearts of artillerymen ... there was burning desire to mercilessly retaliate against the warmongers going ahead with their joint war exercises," KCNA said.

"He (Kim) ordered the KPA Strategic Force to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out any time, and get fully ready to promptly move, take positions and strike so that it can open fire to annihilate the enemies."

The missiles North Korea fired on Monday were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), South Korea said, which can reach the United States. They flew on average 1,000 km (620 miles) and reached an altitude of 260 km (160 miles).

Some landed as close as 300 km (190 miles) from Japan's northwest coast, Japan's Defence Minister said earlier.

THAAD DEPLOYMENT

The United States and Japan have requested a United Nations Security Council meeting on the launches, which will likely be scheduled for Wednesday, diplomats said.

The planned installation of the U.S. anti-missile defence system, which South Korea has said would be operational by the end of the year, has led to a diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea.

Chinese authorities have closed nearly two dozen retail stores of South Korea's Lotte Group that approved a land swap with the country's military last week to allow it to install the system.

China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only at curbing North Korean provocations.

(Additional reporting by Ju-min Park and Daewoung Kim in SEOUL, Kaori Kaneko in TOKYO and Phil Stewart in WASHINGTON; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Jack Kim)
Anand Nallathambi, former president and CEO of CoreLogic, died unexpectedly Thursday after a brief illness, according to a news release.On behalf of the CoreLogic board of directors and our employees, it is with deep sorrow that we announce the unexpected passing of Anand Nallathambi, said Paul Folino, chairman of the board of directors. Anand led CoreLogic from its inception as a public company in June 2010 to a high-performing leader in the housing market. Anand was an outstanding leader, and we will miss his many talents, energy and can-do spirit. Our thoughts are with Anands family and friends.Nallathambi was succeeded by CoreLogics COO, Frank D. Martell, as president and CEO and appointed to the board of directors.Anand was truly a very special and unique man. Anand led the transformation of CoreLogic into a leader in the global housing ecosystem, Martell said. He was one of those extraordinary people that everyone loved and wanted to be around. I will so miss him  his great warmth, grace, integrity and our close friendship.Martell joined CoreLogic in 2011 as chief financial officer and in 2014 became the companys chief operating officer. He also served as president and CEO of the Western Institutional Review Board and chief financial officer of Advantage Sales and Marketing and Information Services Group.Both Nallathambi and Martel worked aggressively together to shape the company into the global property analytics leader it has become.Mr. Martell is a proven leader with a track record of delivering exceptional operating and financial performance, Folino said. He is well-known and respected by the company's employees, clients and investors, and I believe his intimate knowledge and extensive experience with the company make him uniquely qualified to lead CoreLogic.
Courtesy photo

The Midland High School Culinary Arts team advanced to the state contest after competing at the District 2 Skills USA leadership and skills competition last month. The team won first place in the Culinary Quiz Bowl. Senior Brayden Gray, from left, won first place in commercial baking and Best of Show project; juniors Karissa Kidder, second place in commercial baking; Jesus Lozano, third place, culinary arts; and Zachary Breaux, second place, culinary arts. The State SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference and Contest in April 5-9 in Corpus Christi.
I stared at the e-mail in my inbox. I regret the situation we are now facing. Although the school year is set to begin, I must ask you not to bring your child back to the school.

It was the day before my daughter was set to begin first grade at the elite private American school she was attending while our family lived overseas in Egypt. She had excitedly picked out a new Dora the Explorer outfit to wear on her first day, and we had packed her little book bag together. I had to explain to my then-6-year-old that the school she had attended the previous year would not allow her back on campus. Because she was different.

I first discovered my daughter had special needs when she started school in Cairo. I knew she didnt speak much and was dreamy. It had never occurred to me that it could be anything other than a child trying to adjust to a new country, a new baby brother and a new way of life. Starting my first child at the American private school, touted as one of the top schools in the country, was a dream come true for me, a child of the often struggling New York City public school system. But the dream was quickly shattered. Within her first month, we were called in for a meeting.

Your daughter is peculiar, the guidance counselor said. She was sweet and well-behaved but she was struggling to learn and socialize, her teacher added. She didnt fit in with the other kids, the principal chimed in. They suggested we look at alternatives. I pushed back. If I provided her with additional support and her tuition was paid, why couldnt she stay? The school begrudgingly agreed, but her life became increasingly difficult. She was often isolated and overlooked, her needs unmet and considered burdensome. She withdrew into herself and stopped speaking.

The one speech therapist employed at the school took me aside one day and confided that her role was to serve more as a filter of children with special needs: identify them, determine which cases needed more than the basic services and quickly remove them from the school to open up space for kids that fit the mold. As a private school, they had no mandate to provide help to a child with special needs. It was easier to let them fall by the wayside.

The journey to find my daughter an appropriate education eventually led me back to the United States and its promise of a public education for all types of children. The public system undoubtedly has its flaws, especially for parents of special needs. But thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there is at least a federal mandate that public schools provide free and appropriate education for every child. Parents have recourse when a school doesnt meet this directive.

But the recent confirmation of Betsy DeVos as the new education secretary is sending a chill down the spines of parents with special needs children. It is a concern that goes beyond partisanship. For us, the fear focuses mainly on her disturbing lack of knowledge about the federal rights granted to students with disabilities, as well as her dogged endorsement of charter schools, which often do not meet the same levels of scrutiny as other public schools and private schools, which are not bound by IDEA because they do not receive federal funding.

I cried when DeVos was confirmed, said Stacey Bellabarba, whose 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of 3. Bellabarba said she watched the confirmation hearings in horror as it became clear that DeVos did not understand what IDEA was and would not confirm that IDEA would be enforced if parents accepted educational vouchers.

Proponents of charter schools and voucher programs, such as DeVos, say such programs provide students, especially those in low-income or rural areas, with alternatives to receive a better education. But special needs parents worry that the choice is only for neurotypical students who dont require a bevy of services from the school. Charter schools, for instance, are public schools but are privately run and do not face the same level of oversight and accountability as their public school counterparts. In fact, the Education Department was hammered in a report by its own watchdog late last year for failing to provide adequate oversight of charter schools.

And when it comes to vouchers, many parents may not realize that when they accept tax free credits to defray the cost of a private or parochial school education for a child needing special education, they are waiving their rights under IDEA. According to the National Education Association, a private school that accepts a voucher could decline to abide by a students individual education plan or segregate the student from other children. These schools can also refuse to accept or kick out the student due to the disability. As a parent thats had a child at the receiving end of that treatment, I cant begin to share the pain that comes with it.

The focus on vouchers and charter schools is particularly alarming because these programs funnel federal funding away from traditional public school systems that are already struggling. And special needs kids are often the ones impacted the most by funding shortages.

Under the law, you hear the words free and appropriate, but what a school considers appropriate is often mandated by finances, said George Hagerty, president of Floridas Beacon College, the first accredited nonprofit college exclusively for students with specialized learning needs. Theres already pushback on parents and children in the public schools and it always comes down to schools saying there just isnt enough money to provide the services that are needed.

When IDEA was originally implemented, the government promised to provide 40 percent of special education funding. In reality, according to news reports, it is only paying 16 percent. That leaves schools relying heavily on state aid, which has seen a dramatic decline in funding over the past decade, according to a survey by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

When DeVos says that vouchers and charter schools provide more choices, shes not wrong. But for special needs parents, those choices come at a cost. Bellabarba, who lives in rural Athol, Massachusetts, population 8,000, said she looked into charter schools and private schools for her daughter. But the commute alone would have taken a toll on her child, who has additional health issues.

We looked at school choice options but to put her in the car and take her two hours back and forth, that was going to place a burden on her physically, mentally and emotionally, she said. Why should my kid have to lose two hours of her day commuting when she could use those two hours to be in a social skills group, a swim team or Girl Scouts? She has come so far and is doing so well right now because she got to stay in her town. But that wouldnt be possible if we didnt receive some of the funding we get from the government.

Beacon Colleges Hagerty, who worked for years at the Department of Education overseeing compliance of federal laws for special needs kids, said it is unlikely that federal protections would be dismantled to allow states to make individual decisions on special education. But he understands why parents are concerned.

Betsy DeVos is a politically charged personality and its clear from her hearing that she didnt have the background in special education, he said. She may not have the experience, but she needs to show that she will listen to parents. Parents of special needs children are used to getting seconds from the system.

He added that parents will need to be reassured that DeVos is willing to learn about their struggles with special education and will look to see what advisors she surrounds herself with to guide her in making decisions about their children.

But many parents, including me, are skeptical. DeVos track record does not fill me with confidence. Her philanthropic mission to promote charter schools in Michigan definitely led to more choices for parents. But many of the choices were bad, with Michigans charter schools performing dismally in comparison to the public peers in the state even as they weakened the finances and enrollment at these public schools, according to federal data. Even with that evidence in front of her, she continues to tout her work in this area as a success. That shows a certain level of tunnel vision that doesnt bode well for her ability to heed advice from experts and parents on special education.

My daughter will start high school this year and it is amazing to see how far she has come. Shes on honor roll, loves to sing on stage and is happily learning coding. I fully attribute her successes to the support she has received at her public school. DeVos has been confirmed in one of the most disturbing and partisan votes I have ever seen. Its time to set aside the politics and her preconceived ideas about education.

---

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency








Nintendos new Switch is the single most important product launch in the companys history. So it should come as some relief that the console outsold the wildly successful Wii in its first two days on the market in North, Central and South America. Those are the best two-day sales numbers in Nintendo (NTDOY) history.



Whats more, the Switchs big launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, broke the record for best-selling standalone game in the same period, beating out the groundbreaking Super Mario 64.

Nintendos stock price has certainly seen a slight uptick since the Switch went on sale March 3  the stock closed at $27.65 on Tuesday compared to $26.04 on launch day  but the company shouldnt celebrate quite yet. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game, which is surely driving sales, but its luster will wear off after a few months and gamers will begin clamoring for new titles.



The news of the Switchs early success comes from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who relayed the consoles performance to The New York Times Nick Wingfield.





The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the only exceptional launch game for the Switch. But its incredibly exceptional.

As Wingfield points out, the Switchs performance compared to the Wii in its first two days is notable, because the Wii launched during the busy holiday shopping season, while the Switch hit the market in March. Whats more, the Switch doesnt exactly have a robust game library yet  there were just 10 titles available at launch.



The Switchs early numbers out of Japan, though, were shy of the Wiis. According to Bloombergs Yuji Nakamura, citing data from Famitsu, Nintendo sold 313,700 Switch systems compared to 371,900 Wii consoles.



So far, Nintendos big AAA games Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey are scheduled for release this summer and fall, respectively. In between Nintendo is banking on gamers interest in rehashed versions of previously released titles, indie games and re-releases of classic NES and Super NES games to keep interest in the Switch riding high.



That seems like a tall order when you look at the kinds of titles headed to Sonys (SNE) PlayStation 4 and Microsofts (MSFT) Xbox One in the same time period. Whats more, its still unclear if developers will release major titles like Call of Duty on the Switch alongside their PS4 and Xbox One versions.



For now, Nintendo can be proud that the Switchs launch has been a success. Now, though, comes the hard part.



Story continues

More from Dan:

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
Note to OPEC, Russia: India wants to be world's No. 1 oil market

India is moving into position to be the biggest driver of global oil demand growth, and it is seeking new investment in its own energy industry.



India's energy minister announced a new round of bidding for upstream and downstream investments on Monday. "We want to increase our production. We want to invite investment," said Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the country's minister of petroleum and natural gas, speaking at the annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston. "I must tell you there was never a better time to be in India. I encourage both existing and new players to come forward and avail the opportunity," he said in prepared remarks.



Just before the minister addressed media, Fatih Birol, International Energy Agency executive director, told reporters that India and China would be responsible for about half of oil demand growth. He said India has just become first in oil demand growth, but not yet natural gas.



"India is the third-largest oil consumer in the world, which is a clear indication of the importance of petroleum products in our daily lives," Pradhan said. "Also, according to the International Energy Agency, we are likely to contribute the most to the rise in global energy demand over the coming decades."

More from CERAWeek:

The Saudi game plan for the shale

Trump energy advisor Yergin on dramatic energy changes

OPEC Secretary General: 'So far, so good'

Pradhan said India's focus will be on four pillars, based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goals:

Providing affordable energy to consumers by developing oil infrastructure and expanding the natural gas grid network.



Achieving energy sufficiency by increasing capital investment in rails and waterways.



Achieving energy sustainability with increased production of renewable energy and cleaner fuels.



Achieving energy security through increased upstream production and overseas acquisitions.



Pradhan said the government is also contemplating a policy for enhancing production of mature fields currently being operated by national oil companies. It hopes to encourage partners to bring in state-of-the-art exploration and production technologies.

Story continues

The latest bidding round is being unveiled with much fanfare at CERAWeek as part of India's new Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy. India is hosting a major dinner where a number of officials will speak.

The new program follows on the bidding of the Discovered Small Fields, which Pradhan had brought to Houston in a roadshow last July. He said that went well with 31 of 46 contract areas being allocated even with low oil prices.

"We are looking at investments in technology given that we are present here in Houston, a city known for its capital intensive and technical know-how," he said in prepared remarks.









More From CNBC


March 7 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market. http://nyti.ms/2mv4nG8

- Monday was the seventh straight day that Sean Spicer, President Trump's press secretary, declined to hold a televised White House press briefing, an unusually long drought for someone whose role is traditionally to be the most visible face of a presidential administration. http://nyti.ms/2mZUIoY

- A farm in southern Tennessee that produces chickens for Tyson Foods was ordered to cull its flock after federal officials on Sunday identified an outbreak of lethal avian influenza there, the first time the disease has struck this year. http://nyti.ms/2lytZmw

- President Trump signed an executive order on Monday blocking citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, the most significant hardening of immigration policy in generations, even with changes intended to blunt legal and political opposition. http://nyti.ms/2mgjZwU

- A special prosecutor in South Korea asked state prosecutors on Monday to indict President Park Geun-hye on bribery charges, saying that Ms Park and her secretive confidante conspired to take $38 million in bribes from Samsung , one of the world's largest technology companies. http://nyti.ms/2n97eSj (Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru)
Microphone and US Flag View Photos

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) delivered the Democratic Weekly Address.

Murphy was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Im Chris Murphy, Senator from Connecticut.

It was quite a scene Thursday morning in the basement of the U.S. Capitol. My friend Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky led a pack of reporters in and out of every corner of the cavernous cellar on a hunt for the secret room where Congressional Republicans were allegedly keeping their new bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Why this spectacle?

Because Republicans are keeping their proposal secret  even from their own Members and staff.

This is a bill that would yank insurance away from up to 30 million people and remake 1/6 of the American economy. It would hike rates up for sick people and seniors. It would tax employer health plans, driving everyones insurance costs up.

So maybe its no surprise that Republicans are hiding this bill. I mean, think about it this way  politicians love praise and cameras. If Washington Republicans thought their plan would get praise, theyd let in the cameras.

Since I was first elected, I wake up every day wanting to make it easier and cheaper for the people I represent back home see the doctor of their choice and pay for their medicine.

Ultimately, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act will hurt millions of real people in very real ways. This isnt a game. This isnt about politics. This is about real people.

People like my constituent, Jon. A true American inspiration.

Jon lives in Meriden, Connecticut. He was born with cystic fibrosis, and he tells the story about how health care is the most important thing to him in the world. Its more important than his job, its more important than friends. He struggles every day to live, and the only way he survives is by taking expensive medications that allow him to continue to breathe, that allow his lungs to continue to function amid this crippling disease.

Jon tells it like it is. Without the Affordable Care Act that allows him to get affordable health care, he would die. As Jon sees it, probably within months its repeal.

Jons story is not unique. Millions of Americans will either go without health care or go bankrupt if the Affordable Care Act is taken away.

Republicans like to tell this story about how the Affordable Care Act is unraveling. Its a fiction that they created. Sure, we can always improve it, but 20 million Americans have health care today that wouldnt with the Affordable Care Act, and surveys show upwards of 85% of them are satisfied with their care under the ACA. No one goes bankrupt anymore because of health care costs. And seniors are paying less for drugs under Medicare than before the bill was passed.

The Affordable Care Act is working today  for Jon and millions more. But every day the Republicans push their repeal plan, they undermine it. Even worse, President Trump issued one of his infamous executive orders, demanding that his agencies start to pull apart the Affordable Care Acts protections immediately, even before a repeal bill is passed. Republicans are trying to destroy the health care reform law so that they never even have to pass a repeal bill.

But whether Republicans repeal the law or destroy it, its all bad news for patients. Without the Affordable Care Act, Americans with preexisting health conditions, like diabetes or mental illness, would either get denied insurance or have to pay a crazy amount of money. Insurance companies could reinstate lifetime and annual caps on your benefits, meaning they could cut you off just when you really need it. Women would pay more for insurance than men  just because theyre women. And seniors would pay thousands more a year for prescription drugs.

This might all be good news for the health insurance companies, and thats what they probably told President Trump when they huddled with in the Oval Office. But if the President was meeting with patients, instead of insurance industry CEOs, they would tell him to work with Republicans and Democrats  both parties  to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act, and fix the parts that could use improvement.

Sure, Republicans control everything in Washington now. The White House, the House of Representatives, the Senate. But they can choose to reach out to Democrats, and we can work together to make the law better, reduce costs, and increase choice. We can do that together. Its not too late.

Because health care shouldnt be about politics. It shouldnt be about blindly trying to fulfill a campaign promise, no matter how many real people get hurt.

I might never find that secret room where the health care bill is, but Republicans know where to find me, if they want to stop playing politics, and start working together.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associatesthe worlds largest hedge fund compared his firms radical transparency culture to a nudist camp.

Upon joining Bridgewater, the firms 1,500 employees were required to read Dalios Principles, a 123-page manifesto. One of those principles is to be radically transparent. At Bridgewater, 99% of all meetings are recorded. The fund makes those tapes available to employees so that people can see and hear things for themselves rather than through the spin of others.

It can take some getting used to, though.

Not everyone wants to stand naked in front of everybody. Its a little bit like going into a nudist camp for the first time, Dalio said at the New York Summit, a conference put on by the New York Times.

He continued: I dont know if youve ever gone to a nudist camp. In other words, when you first walk into a nudist camp, its very awkward. Everybodys looking around, OK. Before you know it, youre talking about interesting subjects and you dont pay attention. If you can stand naked in front of them and have them stand naked in front of you, you can have better relationships and be more productive. It has to be getting over that emotional reaction.

According to Dalio, radical transparency means less lying and fewer problems. However, the challenge of radical transparency is that information can create distortions.

Dalio criticizes New York Times story

At the conference, Dalio once again criticized the New York Times, claiming a ridiculous article about the funds co-CEO, Eileen Murray was intentionally done incorrectly.

The New York Times article in question brought up a video file at Bridgewater called Eileen Lies. Five years ago, James Comey, now the FBI director, was working as general counsel of Bridgewater when he had to examine a matter involving Murray. During that examination, Comey found that Murray had been dishonest about her dealings with a lower-level employee regarding his employment at the firm, the article said. That lower-level employee was dismissed, while Murray kept her job.

Story continues

Dalio explained that the lie was that Murray had her assistant, who was under stress, type an email message for her. The assistant sent the message. Murray claimed that she typed the email.

That was the lie, OK, Dalio said. Now you see this, it shows, are all the lies the same? The motivation was to protect that person who was under stress. The tape was called Eileen Murray Lies. Do you want to fire her for that minor, tiny thing?She shouldnt have done that The point of the thing is when you dont see it and you create this false reality.

There are journalists, writers, who are intended to be, lets call them investigative reporting. Theyre supposed to come out with things they think are scandalous. As a result of doing that, they kind of weave together things in a way thats meant to be, like they say, good news doesnt sell. So, its meant to be that way. In the interactions that I have had with them, there has not a desire to get at truth. So, thats the challenge of radical transparency. Were a very easy organization to look at because we have everything radically transparent. So if you get the tapes and you see it, you can have a lot of material, Dalio said.

Watch the interview below:



Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.



Read more:

The top 20 hedge funds made their investors $16.1 billion in 2016
MERIDEN  Six months after it was drawn down to allow for construction of a hydroelectric generator, Hanover Pond has been restored.



The pond was lowered in September so workers could construct an Archimedes screw generator at the dam. The screw was installed in late December and is undergoing testing, said Chris Conover, spokesman for Massachusetts-based New England Hydropower.



Were going through the final phases of testing and approval to generate, he said.



With construction complete, the company began refilling the pond around March 1. Refilling can be unpredictable due to weather, Conover said, but in this case, we actually were able to do it in a pretty controlled fashion.



The pond is running naturally as of Monday, he added.



While work is on schedule, its unclear when New England Hydropower will start generating electricity. Conover said the company is running through the barrage of tests and couldnt provide an estimate.



The technology was invented over 2,000 years ago by ancient Greek scientist Archimedes and has been used in Europe for the past decade. Conover said Meriden is the first city in the United States to use the technology. Electricity will be generated when water at the top of the dam is sent through the screw, causing it to rotate at about 30 revolutions a minute.



The 20-ton, 35-foot-long steel screw, lifted by crane into the pond in December, will generate about 900,000 kilowatts of electricity annually and could save the city $20,000 a year.



The electricity will be fed into the Eversource Energy power grid. The city would then buy the electricity back with vouchers. Over the next 20 years, the property taxes are expected to total $110,000.



Fish and other aquatic animals can travel safely through the dam.



The fish are going in at the same speed and going out at the same speed without pressure and without pinch points, just moving down in big tanks of water, New England Hydropower CEO Michael Kerr said previously. Kerr estimated in December that the screw would be generating power by spring.



Roger Kemp, vice president of the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, said the pond is pretty much back to normal.



My only concern was, are they going to drain it again? he said.



Conover said there is no reason to drain the pond again. It was originally drawn down so that construction crews could build coffer dams allowing the screw to be installed.



Its done and they dont need to drain it again, so thats good news, Kemp said.



aragali@record-journal.com 203-317-2224 Twitter: @Andyragz






President Trumps revised executive order temporarily banning people from six Muslim-majority countries tries to sidestep some of the flaws of its predecessor that the courts rejected and thousands protested  but while some of the changes in the new order are significant, much of the difference was in how the administration rolled out the new travel ban Monday.

The new plan bars citizens from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya who are outside of the U.S. from obtaining new visas for 90 days and suspends refugee admissions from all countries for 120 days. In the meantime, the administration says it will study whether additional vetting measures are needed for would-be immigrants from any nation.

Notably, however, it drops Iraq from a list of nations on the original travel ban that Trump issued Jan. 27 that was quickly put on hold by a federal judge. And it does not bar those who have visas before the order goes into place March 16  a change that seeks to avoid some of the confusion that unfolded at airports across the country when the first ban was implemented.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Mark Wilson Show More Show Less 2 of 3 TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Just a day after the first order went into effect, thousands showed up at airports demanding a halt to the ban and entry into the U.S. for those held up in customs, and videos of protesters and family members waiting for their loved ones at the airports provided a dramatic picture of the orders impact and the resulting tumult.

With enough time between now and next week, there is little chance of those chaotic airport scenes this time.

Our concern is that this (new ban) moves the targeted people out of sight and out of mind, said Zahra Billoo, head of the Council on American Islamic Relations Bay Area chapter.

The difference was stark in the optics of how Mondays order was rolled out compared with Januarys order.

More for you Video of Donald Trump and Steven Bannon arguing shows snapshot of tense White House

In political terms, Mondays announcement was similar to the way Trump took a softer tone in last weeks joint address to Congress, even though he was expressing many of the same policy positions he had for nearly two years. Analysts said the key to Mondays travel-ban rollout was a conscious effort to make Trump less of the story and portray a less chaotic administration.

So instead of signing the order with a flourish before TV crews as he had done with other orders  brandishing the signed order to the cameras  this time Trump signed it out of TV camera range. Rather than Trump re-introducing the order himself, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly outlined the new policy before cameras and did not take questions.

Trump took a backseat and kept the rollout tight Monday because he really wants to get movement on the issue, said Jeremy Carl, a research fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution who has written about immigration issues. He doesnt see it as the greatest thing to be grandstanding on if grandstanding makes it harder to get the best results.

This is not particularly different from the last (executive order), which was constitutional, he said. But that didnt stop a lot of unhinged rhetoric coming from liberals.

But for advocates like Billoo, Mondays version  which specifically states that the original order was not motivated by animus toward any religion  was simply a repackaged version of the first ban. It is up to the advocates, she said, to present a convincing case that it will still hurt people.

Clearly the White House didnt trust Donald Trump to talk about his own Muslim ban because they know if he talks about his Muslim ban he will mention that it is a Muslim ban, said Faiz Shakir, national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union. They were so afraid of Donald Trumps mouth that they didnt let Donald Trump speak.

Among the many changes from the previous order is a provision allowing people from the listed countries to apply for a waiver if they have significant business or professional obligations in the U.S., are seeking to visit or live with family, or have been previously admitted. Green-card holders are also exempted from the ban.

The executive order signed today by President Trump will make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system, Kelly said in his statement at Mondays news conference, explaining that a review of the current vetting programs was necessary.

Sessions said that more than 300 people who came to the U.S. as refugees are under FBI investigation for potential terrorism-related activities  but did not provide any details. The order also cited the cases of three people who came to the U.S. from Iraq or Somalia and were convicted in 2013 and 2014 of terrorism-related offenses.

After eight years of an (Obama) administration that dismissed ISIS as the JV team, Americans are prepared to take a tougher stance and err on the side of caution, said Ron Nehring, a San Diego Republican who was an adviser to Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs GOP presidential campaign. Terrorist attacks in America have not discriminated  they have affected all kinds of families.

The country will be broadly supportive of a deliberate, targeted policy aimed at heightening security.

However, experts have pointed out that since the 9/11 attacks, there have been no fatal terrorist attacks in the U.S. committed by individuals who came from the banned countries.

Administration officials said they initiated the last travel ban with little notice because they didnt want terrorists to swarm into the country before the new restrictions went up. On Monday, such concerns appeared to evaporate, as the administration said the new ban wouldnt go into place for more than a week.

Instead of national security, contended Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the underlying basis of the order was more about the administrations problems with immigration from the region.

Based on available evidence, I dont think there was a plausible argument to be made that this was primarily about national security, he said. Rather, it was based on broader anti-immigration concerns ... and a civilizational fixation on national identity, an identity that he and others saw as primarily white Christian, and which was coming under threat.

Trump won the presidency partially on his tough line on immigration and travel, at one point calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. After winning the White House, one of his top advisers and surrogates  former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani  said Trump called me up. He said, Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do (a Muslim ban) legally.

A strong majority of Americans  59 percent  disapproved of Trumps first travel ban while 38 percent supported it, according to a February survey by the Pew Research Center. But support  as measured by surveys  is difficult to gauge, varying wildly between 52 and 42 percent depending on how the question is worded, according to a Huffington Post analysis. A March study by Morning Consult polled the issue by wording the question 96 different ways to more than 22,000 registered voters it reached online, and it found a consistent level of around 54 percent supporting the ban.

Despite the softened rhetoric in Mondays rollout, the ACLUs Shakir doubts it will dampen protests of the neworder.

People are ready to fight, Shakir said. People are expecting the worst, and preparing for the worst.

For those currently in the country on visas from the listed countries, the news was nerve-wracking.

Faranak Fattahi, a 29-year-old Iranian national who came to the U.S. in 2011 and is here on a temporary visa, is a stem cell scientist at UCSF. She has started her own lab at the university and is hiring new members to help her build a research group  but now she is worried about a potential disruption in her ability to obtain a more stable work visa.

You cant help but feel somewhat unwelcome, she said.

Hamed Aleaziz and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com, jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz, @joegarofoli
Houston

An international group representing oil-importing countries warns the global supply of oil could fall short of demand after 2020 and push prices higher.

There is a worldwide glut of oil now, and the International Energy Agency says the supply looks adequate for the next three years thanks to rising production in the U.S. and other nations. But the group says supply growth will slow after 2020, with a drop in spare production capacity expected unless new projects are approved soon.

Investment in new projects fell during a slump in oil prices that began in mid-2014. In addition, OPEC members agreed to short-term cuts to boost prices. Global energy demand is still rising, with about half the increase in China and India, but it's growing at a slower rate than a few years ago.

The international group, whose members include the U.S. and other oil-importing nations, issued its latest five-year forecast at a major energy conference Monday in Houston.

Oil prices bottomed in early 2016 below $30 a barrel but have risen into the mid-$50s. That has sparked more pumping in the U.S.  Fatih Birol, executive director the IEA, called it the start of a second wave of output from operators in U.S. shale fields in Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota.

The size of the U.S. rebound will depend on prices, he said, with the group offering one forecast if international oil goes to $80 a barrel and a flat outlook if it dips to $50.
HOUSTON  The old swagger isn't back - yet - in the oil industry.

But industry leaders are expressing relief at exiting a two lousy years.

Around 3,000 energy professionals and world leaders are gathered this week at IHS CERAWeek in Houston.

The mood couldn't be more different than last year's conference, when the industry was coming off oil prices that scraped $26 per barrel, a 13- year low, down from a peak of $107 per barrel in June 2014.

It feels like more than a year, said Marcel van Poecke, a managing director at Carlyle International Energy Partners.

Oil closed at $53.20 Monday, and much of the talk at CERAWeek centered on the new Republican administration in Washington and the expectation that it would be a friend to the oil and gas industry.

Read the full story on ExpressNews.com or turn to Tuesdays Business Section.

jhiller@express-news.net

Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller
For the last two years, theyve been locked in a battle for supremacy of the oil market. But for a couple of hours in Houston over dinner on Sunday, the head of OPEC and leaders of some of Americas top shale producers shared a table for a rare off-the-record chat about the future of oil.

Mohammed Barkindo, secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, dined with 20 or so U.S. shale executives including Scott Sheffield of Pioneer Natural Resources Co., John Hess of Hess Corp., Robert Lawler of Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Tim Leach of Concho Resources Inc., according to people who attended the event and asked not to be named because it was private.

Mark Papa, the oilman who helped create the U.S. shale industry more than a decade ago, also attended the dinner at a restaurant in downtown Houston on the eve of the annual CERAWeek conference. Halliburton Co. President Jeff Miller was among representatives of the oil-service sector.

The sides agreed in principle that the market should be better balanced and lower inventories would be beneficial to everyone, according to the people. But while the shale producers signaled they werent ready to give up on the growth they see ahead, OPEC indicated it wants higher prices, even if it means enriching the shale companies, they said.

Spokespeople for Pioneer, Chesapeake, Hess and Concho Resources werent immediately available to comment on the dinner when reached outside of regular business hours. Mark Papa couldnt be reached and Halliburton declined to comment.

For OPEC, U.S. shale producers are a new source of competition, able to respond faster to price signals than traditional suppliers. Since May they have almost doubled the number of active oil-drilling rigs in the country, helping lift the nationsproduction above 9 million barrels a day for the first time in almost a year.

The International Energy Agency on Monday forecast theyll ramp up output by 1.4 million barrels a day from now until 2022 even if oil prices remain at current levels below $60 a barrel.

We are witnessing the start of a second wave of U.S. supply growth, Fatih Birol, the IEAs executive director, told Bloomberg News in an interview in Houston on Monday.

For shale companies, OPEC can determine whether they enjoy high enough oil prices to make money, as is the case today, or they face losses and even bankruptcy, as many did in 2015 and early 2016 when West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, fell to a 12-year low of less than $30 a barrel.

Daniel Yergin, the oil historian-cum-consultant who hosts CERAWeek, has described the relationship between OPEC and shale as mutual coexistence, with both sides learning to live with prices that are lower than they would like.

They are asking questions, the same questions we are asking, Barkindo told reporters on Sunday night, arriving back to his hotel. We are all learning, because this is new in the world of oil.
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The University of California regents are expected to limit enrollment of out-of-state students for the first time, amid pressure from state lawmakers dismayed that the university doubled the number of high-paying nonresidents in the past five years.

Six UC campuses would cap enrollment of nonresident undergraduates at 20 percent, guaranteeing that at least 80 percent of campus undergrads would be from California. The remaining three campuses  UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and UCLA  already exceed the proposed cap, at 24.4, 22.9, and 22.8 percent, respectively, and would be allowed to maintain those levels.

The state budget gives the regents until May 1 to adopt a policy limiting out-of-state students , a move UC has been reluctant to make because nonresidents pay roughly triple the tuition and fees of California residents and infuse the system with cash. The money brought in by nonresidents  $550 million this year  is used to subsidize the tuition of low-income Californians and hire additional faculty, among other benefits, UC officials argue. California undergraduates pay $13,400 in annual tuition and fees; nonresidents pay $38,108. (Both will rise in the fall by about 3 and 4 percent, respectively.)

But state lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown have watched in alarm as the number of nonresident undergraduates more than doubled since 2012 (from 16,929 to 34,673) and the percentage rose from 9 to 16.5 percent. To halt the trend, lawmakers built into the budget an $18.5 million incentive for the autonomous university.

In exchange for limiting nonresidents, the state budget provides the nearly $19 million to pay for enrolling an additional 2,500 California residents in fall 2017.

The regents have just one meeting scheduled before the May 1 deadline, and will take up the proposal from UC President Janet Napolitano on March 16.

The university continues to enroll every California resident undergraduate for whom it receives enrollment funding from the state, the somewhat defensively worded proposal states.

UC does agree to admit all California high school students who qualify  but not at the campus of their choice.

ALSO UC Berkeley gamers win national title

Last year, Craig Webbs daughter, Kendle, was guaranteed admission only to UC Riverside, a campus the Anaheim family didnt think ranked highly enough. Last March, Webb saw an article about a state audit revealing that UC has been admitting thousands of students from out of state with lower grades and test scores than state residents as a way to raise cash. UC disputes the audits findings and says its policies favor Californians.

But Webb wrote to UC officials and called the policy discriminatory to Californians.

Kendle eventually was admitted to UC Davis on appeal. Now, Webb calls the new proposal a bit of smoke and mirrors because the systems three top schools will still be able to admit more than 20 percent of students from out of state  and hes seen no evidence that UC has changed its lower standards for nonresidents.

What theyre trying to do is protect those key schools and make more money, Webb said.

UC officials say that if they didnt grandfather in the higher levels at UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego, those schools would not only have to reduce enrollment by a total of 3,349 students, but they also would together lose $56 million.

This policy balances UCs commitment to putting California residents first, with the benefits that nonresident students bring, said Ricardo Vazquez, a UC spokesman.

Most UC campuses dont approach the cap on nonresidents. UC Merced, for example, which is the one campus that accepts every UC-qualified Californian who is turned away from other UC campuses, enrolls only 0.4 percent nonresident undergraduates.

UC Riverside enrolls about 3 percent, while UC Irvine enrolls about 19 percent. The other campuses range from about 8 to 15 percent nonresident undergraduates.

James Chalfant, who represents UC faculty as chairman of the universitys Academic Senate, opposes the plan and says it goes too far.

Theres nothing magic about 20 percent. The people who want this policy  certainly the state  believe that nonresidents are harming residents by crowding them out, Chalfant said. But our belief is that the effect of nonresidents is to make everyone better off.

Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, holds the opposite view and is co-author of a bill to require that nonresident applicants to UC exceed the academic requirements of state residents.

I believe the caps (at UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego) do not go far enough, she said. But I appreciate that the regents are finally beginning to consider the need to cap nonresidents.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the production deal with OPEC has led to a steadier oil price and less volatility, but Russia has no intention of joining the cartel.

"Prices are staying at the same level, giving us a sense of stability," Novak said in a session at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit energy conference. Russia joined with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in December to trim 1.8 million barrels a day from global production. A recent survey by Platts shows compliance in the deal at 98 percent.

Novak says one of the factors driving the world's energy producers together to forge the deal was the lack of investment in future oil projects. He said as oil prices collapsed, the industry failed to invest in the future and was short $500 billion over three years. Novak said the market could have rebalanced on its own, but it would have taken longer and resulted in "chaos." He said by 2040, there will be 30 percent more energy required in the world and the industry needs to keep investing.

Cooperation with OPEC resulted in a $50 to $60 per barrel oil price and investment is also beginning to return. While Russia is cooperating with OPEC, Novak said in response to a question that Russia has no intention of joining OPEC.

Even with sanctions from the U.S. and Europe, Russia's oil sector has grown, adding 400,000 barrels per day in the past two years, the Russian Energy minister said.

More from CERAWeek:

India on way to becoming world's No. 1 oil market

IEA outlook on oil prices: Volatility may return

OPEC Secretary: 'So far, so good' on cuts





More From CNBC


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Location: 2303 W. Commerce St., 210-570-7540, sabinascoffeehouse.com

Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

On the menu: Breakfast (until 11 a.m.): Tacos, $1.50; sandwiches and egg dishes, $3.75-$5.50; oatmeal and French toast, $3-$5.50. Coffee drinks, $1.50-$3.50. Lunch and dinner: Tacos and quesadillas, $2.99-$6.50; salads, $7-$8; sandwiches, $3-$7.50; burgers, $8.50.

Fast facts: Part community arts center, part coffee house and part cafe, Sabinas does a good job with all three, thanks to owners Marylou Castillo and Richard Striebel. Tucked into a two-story Victorian house with a wide porch, Sabinas creates environments with each room: a parlor with a chess board and piano; a Mod dining room with posh tables and a hi-fi with Neil Diamond and Chicago records; a utilitarian lunchroom with bright lights and wi-fi. Each turn greets you with art and ephemera: a punk monkey queen, a Warhol-style Morrissey, a pair of trumpets, an 8mm film projector. Somewhere in there, Sabinas found room for a proper kitchen.

Impressions: For better or worse, restaurants get tagged for their specialties early on, and that honor at Sabinas  for better  goes to barbacoa grilled cheese, the lush life in triplicate with fatty beef cheek, melty American cheese and buttered Texas toast.

In this stylish enclave, I wouldnt expect carnitas in full flossy bloom, but here it is, tucked into a soft bolillo roll with Swiss, grain mustard, sour pickles and corned beef for a twisty Cuban tribute rechristened the Rubano after chef Ruben Jimenez.

Tacos go from a basic toasted bean-and-cheese to a cruciferous toss of broccoli, cauliflower and the whole produce aisle to the prince of them all: El Purple Rain, with soft pork in subtle barbecue sauce and a dogpile of sweet purple cabbage slaw, house-brined pickles and fresh serrano peppers.

For the morning  and on through the day  Sabinas makes the clean-living version of dirty diner hash: an aromatic and al dente toss of kale, sweet potatoes, lean chorizo and corn crowned with an over-easy egg and buttered toast. Pair it with a spicy, chocolatey, gritty and grainy Mexican mocha. If this is what community-building tastes like, sign me up.
As the dust settles on the demolished Solo Serve location on Soledad Street, an outline for a revamped downtown San Antonio emerges.

The razing of the historic building began last week to make way for a "nationally recognized dual-branded" hotel franchise. It's one of a few developments shaping up to change the downtown scenery.
Documentary, talk on refugee issues

ALBANY  The initial screening of the 60-minute documentary "8 Borders, 8 Days" will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Madison Theater, 1036 Madison Ave.

Local leaders will discuss the refugee issue after the film. Participants will include Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and Ilham alMahamid, director of Albany for Syrian Refugees. Sana Mustafa, a recent Bard College graduate from Syria who was granted asylum, will share her experiences.

The film is by Amanda Bailly of Guilderland, who has been living in Lebanon for the last two years and working on the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. Bailly focuses on a Syrian family  a single mother and her two children  who were not accepted for resettlement to the U.S. and instead traveled with smugglers in a raft to Europe. She traveled with them and has been with them in Berlin since they arrived.

AlMahamid will share suggestions about what individuals and businesses can do to support resettled refugees in the Capital Region.

A reception will be at 8:45 p.m.

For information, call Amanda Bailly, 526-0430, or email info@8borders8days.com or Carolyn Powers, 312-0601, or email alMahamid, albany4refugees@gmail.com.

 Staff report

Candidates to talk in Ballston Spa

BALLSTON SPA  The Saratoga County League of Women Voters will host a "Meet the Candidates" night to introduce the candidates running for seats in the village.

The event, from 7 to 9 p.m. March 16 at Malta Avenue School, 70 Malta Ave., will allow the four candidates for the village board and two for village justice to discuss their qualifications, experience and goals for the office.

Candidates may make a two-minute opening statement and a 90-second closing statement. The audience will be able to ask questions.

The Democrats' endorsed candidates for the board are Shawn Raymond and Noah Shaw and, for village justice, Erika Tebbens.

The Republicans' endorsed candidates for the board are Bruce Couture and incumbent Ronald Henry and, for village justice, incumbent Michael Morrisey.

The election, set for March 21, is unusual because village candidates typically run unopposed. For years, village government was in the hands of the Republican Party.

 Wendy Liberatore
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GREENWICH  To organizers of the Women of Visions fundraising luncheon Monday, the parallels between Vinh Chungs escape from Vietnam in 1979 and the current experience of Syrian refugees is unconscionable.

I wish we could say that Vinhs story is something we only see in old videos or read about in history books, David Mitchell, World Visions national director, said. We live in a world where one in every 113 people on Earth woke up today having been driven from their homes by persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.

Chung was the keynote speaker at Women of Vision Fairfield Countys event, sharing the story of his escape and life as a refugee before being settled in the U.S. where he and his family eventually thrived.

It was a story of disaster, fear, disappointment, hunger, thirst and despair that kept an audience of nearly 200 at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich dead silent in respect for his experiences.

Chungs family had been wealthy until Saigon fell in 1975 and Communists seized power and the Chung family factory and machinery at gunpoint, stole their money and jewelry and forced them from their home.

The family found a temporary haven in a small shack on a rural farm with no electricity or running water. It was here that Chung was born. In 1979, the family sold what they could to chance an escape by sea in hopes of finding a refugee camp.

Even though we will never know the true numbers, the estimate is that roughly 50 percent of all Vietnamese refugees who fled in this manner died, Chung said. But staying behind was not a good option either. My parents had eight children and they knew that there was no future. There were no educational opportunities for us and they knew every day was a daily struggle just to have enough to eat.

Along with 16 other families, totaling 290 people, they cast off into the South China Sea. Thai pirates attacked, stealing what little people had. They arrived in Malaysia where they were beaten and starved by Malaysian troops before being forced back in the water.

We were at sea with no hope in sight, Chung recalled, without food and water and basic human dignity. Some of the mothers on the boat even began to contemplate the unthinkable, that perhaps it was better and more merciful to drown the children than have them suffer. This is what its like to be refugees.

They were saved by a boat chartered by World Vision, a worldwide Christian humanitarian organization which was on a relief mission to help refugees. Chung said the entire world had turned its back  except for World Vision.

Chung and his family were eventually resettled in Arkansas. Chungs father took a job doing manual labor in a factory that made air conditioners. The family grew to 11 children.

Most of my memories of this were vague because I was so young, but my parents still remember everything as though it was yesterday, Chung said. To this day, theyre so traumatized by what they experienced.

His parents, he said, worked hard and made sacrifices to send all the children to college. Chung himself graduated from Harvard and is a physician living in Colorado specializing in skin cancer treatments. His new life in America, he said, brought him enormous religious faith and an urgency to give back.

Net proceeds from the luncheon support Women of Visions projects, which have a special focus on refugees in 2017. Women of Vision is a volunteer ministry involved with World Vision.

Chungs story was a way to put a face on what to many people is a fleeting news story or occasional photo on the web, organizers said.

The scale and scope of the Syrian refugee crisis is truly overwhelming, Gigi Jorissen, chairman of the Women of Vision Fairfield Countys board, said. Syrias civil war has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Just think about that. There are 11 million Syrian people, which is a little more than half the population, on the run, including some 4.8 million who have been forced to seek safety in neighboring countries. The numbers may even be larger than that.

Inside Syria, Jorissen said, there are another 6.3 million who have been displaced and an overall 13.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Half of those are children, a visibly emotional Jorissen said.

The global refugee crisis goes beyond Syria. Jorissen said there were more than 65 million people currently displaced from Iraq, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and more countries in what she termed the largest displacement of people since the end of the World War II. More than 20 million children are living in refugee camps, tent cities and other temporary shelters, she said.

We may feel powerless to stop this, but what we can do is open up our hearts and our minds to the needs of the refugees, raise awareness in our community about their plight and support World Vision in the work theyre doing in refugee camps, Jorissen said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
La Salle Institute's advanced marketing class, led by instructor Mike Levy, held a brainstorming session with representatives from Quebec-based manufacturer La Flamme de L'espoir (The Flame of Hope) on March 2. La Salle's students will assist the organization in raising its profile in both the United States and Canada. La Salle's advanced marketing students currently work with more than 20 companies worldwide.
Though possession of marijuana has been legalized in some states, it remains a criminal offense in the State of Texas. However, new policies regarding the prosecution of the crime have been implemented. Recently, the Office of the District Attorney in Harris County issued new procedures and strategies for the enforcement of the law regarding small amounts of marijuana.

The Law

In Texas, it is against the law to possess marijuana. The level of offense committed is dependent upon the quantity of marijuana possessed. Punishments range from misdemeanors to felonies.

Basically, small amounts of marijuana are misdemeanors. Possession of a usable amount that is less than two ounces is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2000 fine. Slightly greater amounts carry a punishment range of up to one year in jail and a $4000 fine.

The Policy

Recently, policy changes regarding the prosecution of marijuana offenses were announced by the District Attorney's Office. In Harris County, offenders will not be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for small, personal amounts of marijuana. Rather, intervention will occur and education will take place.

The new policy will be enacted through cooperation with law enforcement. When police find that an offender is in possession of a small amount of marijuana, they will detain the person and seize the marijuana. The District Attorney's Office will be consulted and a determination made that the offender qualifies for intervention under the new rules. If so, the offender will be instructed by the officer that they qualify to participate in the intervention program and referred to take a class for marijuana drug offenders. The offender will sign a contract and promise to take the class within ninety days.

The program will be monitored and enforced by the District Attorney's Office. Offenders who fail to abide by the terms of the program will be prosecuted subsequently for the crime. In other words, an offender who fails to take the educational class, or who commits another criminal offense while in the program, will be held accountable in a criminal court. The District Attorney's Office will file traditional charges on those offenders who fail to complete the program.

Significantly, participation in the diversion program is voluntary. Offenders may opt-out and choose to challenge their guilt through a trial. In those cases, the offenders will be arrested and charged, and a court case will ensue.

Regardless, the diversion program is obviously a best option for those offenders who want to keep their record clear. No arrest is made, no charges are filed, and an offender's education class is the main requirement to successfully complete the program.

Who are those who are not permitted to participate in diversion? We will discuss that category of offenders in next week's column.

In Harris County, public safety is being promoted through the use of a diversionary program for small amounts of marijuana possession. The law criminalizing marijuana may be changed by the Texas legislature in the future. For now, discretion is being used in Harris County to keep small marijuana offenders out of the criminal justice system.

Judge Katherine Cabaniss presides over the 248th District Court in Harris County. She was formerly a prosecutor and nonprofit executive. Contact her at cabanissk@yahoo.com.
Last week, two Houston Police Department officers were ambushed as they investigated a shed reportedly open when it normally was not.

The officers jumped a fence as they approached the shed, a pair of reputed gang members came out guns blazing. Both police officers were shot; one perpetrator was killed and one got away.

The police officers got shot doing what police officers do. They are out there to check out things when something is amiss and sometimes put themselves in harm's way. That is what they do.

Similarly, firefighters run in to burning buildings while everyone else runs out. That is what they do.

As residents, it is our responsibility to help out when we can and stay out of the way when needed.

Memorial Villages Police Chief JD Sanders summarized it much better than I.

"Criminals often select their target homes after carefully scouting the area. They are aided at times by other associates who provide information of homes that are vulnerable. Many times these 'scouts' can be those doing work in the home, lawn services, solicitors, or friends of domestic employees. Choose your employees and service providers carefully! And always be aware that someone may be casing your home.

"When a resident suspects something is wrong or suspicious, it is ALWAYS best to call the police immediately and let us do the checking. If a gang thug will shoot a police officer, he will have no issues with shooting a civilian.

"Instead, learn to be a good witness. Look for suspicious activity and do not immediately write it off as nothing. This week, a resident reported to me of seeing a male on a bicycle peering over the gate to his driveway late at night but did not immediately report it. Please call us immediately when you witness something suspicious and try and stay on the line with our dispatcher to provide updates while the officer is responding. Do not grow impatient waiting for an officer to show up at your property. Many times officers are looking in areas where the suspicious subject is going to instead of where he has been. If you have camera surveillance, aim at least one at the intersection of your drive and the street.

"Always  ALWAYS  set your alarm when you leave, even for short periods. Make sure gates leading to the rear of your property are secure or locked. And please leave the checking of open doors on outbuildings to us. You just never know these days."

Follow Sanders' advice.

If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it and stay out of the way. It is an emergency, call 911 immediately and stay out of the way. Report anything out of the ordinary - including descriptions of any suspicious people, vehicles and license plates - and stay out of the way.

Luckily, the officers who were shot last week should both be OK. But the next time something is amiss in a neighborhood, other officers will show up and most likely put themselves in harm's way because that is what they do.
Houston Junior Forum

The Houston Junior Forum honored Zachary Hodges, Houston Community College-Northwest president, and his wife, Anna, an award-winning teacher of 27 years, at its fundraising luncheon, "Conversations from the Heart," at the Hotel Za Za benefitting children, youth, women and senior adults in Houston.

During 2015-16, the HJF provided more than $500,000 in volunteer service and financial assistance in scholarships and grants to the community. This includes support for 12 local nonprofits by providing approximately 15,000 volunteer service hours, 19 local nonprofits with $70,000 in community grants and 25 students with $50,000 in college scholarships.
A Conroe woman was bound and tortured before a Cleveland man allegedly sexually assaulted her for hours, deputies said.

Now, the man they believe is responsible is behind bars with a $1.2 million bond.

Gregory Kocian, 32, was arrested in Southwest Houston by the U.S. Marshal's Office and Montgomery County Sheriff's SWAT deputies Friday after being charged with first-degree felony aggravated sexual assault.

The victim, a 44-year-old Conroe woman, heard her dogs barking in the early morning hours of March 1 at her home in the 10600 block of Royal Adrian Drive, detectives said. When she went to check on them, someone struck her in the back of her head with a blunt object, knocking her unconscious.

She woke up in the garage, bound by extension cords, detectives said. She told investigators the attacker was Kocian, who was a family friend at the time.

She told detectives Kocian brutally tortured, beat and sexually assaulted her for hours as she was choked, cut numerous times and stabbed. She also told detectives Kocian threatened to kill her.

Hours later, she eventually escaped to a neighbor's house and called 911. Kocian was in custody two days later.

Kocian has a previous criminal history dating back to 2007 that includes two felony theft convictions and a conviction for driving a stolen vehicle. He is currently in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1.2 million bond.
The lone victim of a home fire Sunday is now listed in stable condition after she was hospitalized with severe smoke inhalation.

Firefighters with Needham Fire and Rescue found homeowner Donna Russell, 62, unconscious in the home as they entered to battle the blaze Sunday in the 2400 block of Ripplewood Drive in the Carriage Hills subdivision off FM 1488. Russell was disoriented and suffered burns and smoke inhalation before medics with the Montgomery County Hospital District took her to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston in critical condition.

Investigators with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office say the fire started inside a small sofa in the living room, but have yet to determine what sparked the fire in the first place. Investigators have not been able to talk to Russell as she recovers.

Russells' neighbor, Jerry Riddle, was outside grabbing groceries from his car Sunday when he smelled burning rubber and jumped into action.

"From my side of the house, I really couldn't see anything," Riddle said on scene. "I ran around (to the front) and beat on the door."

When no one answered, Riddle jumped the fence in his back yard and ran to the back door. That's when he found part of Russells' eaves on fire and a broken window, likely blown out from the heat of the fire. He told 911 he saw her couch was on fire as well.

As Needham firefighters arrived, they ran inside the home to find much of the living room on fire. They quickly began tackling the flames as other firefighters searched the home for any people.

"We train and train and train for the time it happens," Needham Fire Chief Kevin Hosler said of his firefighters' discovery Sunday. "You're praying it never does; but when it does, you rely on that training to kick in."

The Needham firefighters began CPR on Russell, who almost immediately came to and gasped for air.

"Fortunately, we have just been doing a lot of victim extrication training," Hosler said. "It paid off. All the training we've been doing in the last month really paid off."
Oil giants Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A and Eni SpA E recently faced criminal charges from Nigerias anti-graft agency over the $1.1 billion acquisition of Africas richest oil blocs in 2011.

The court filing alleges that the companies paid a bribe of $801 million to the former Oil Minister of Nigeria, Dan Etete and his allies for the purchase of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245. The government received only $210 million from the deal. The Nigerian Court has seized the oilfield assets from the companies and ordered the transfer of oil blocs to the government.

The Inside Story

OPL 245 is considered to be one of the richest oil blocs in Nigeria comprising over nine billion barrels of crude oil. Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan had handed over OPL 245 to Malabu Oil, a company with questionable credentials secretly established by Dan Etete. Since Malabu Oil was thought to be a fraudulent company, Etete decided to cash in on the bloc.

Through various middlemen, Shell and Eni were asked to purchase the bloc. Due to Etetes scandalous records, former Justice Minister Adoke became the mediator for the transaction.

The companies denied of being involved in the crime and claimed that the money was paid into the Nigerian government account. Various investigations however, reveal that the companies were guilty. Several senior executives of both the companies have faced a trial over these corruption allegations.

About Royal Dutch Shell

Headquartered in Netherlands, Shell is one of the largest integrated energy companies, engaged in the production, refining, distribution and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Shell has outperformed the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas-International integrated industry over the prior three months. During the aforesaid period, the companys shares fell 0.5% while the broader industry declined around 1.5%.

About Eni SpA

Based in Rome, Italy, Enis major business segments are Exploration and Production (E&P), Gas and Power, and Refining and Marketing. The company presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Story continues

Over the last three months, shares of Eni rallied 5.5% compared to the 1% drop witnessed by the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas International Integrated industry.

Other Stocks to Consider

Other favorably placed stocks in the broader industry include Semgroup Corporation SEMG and Crescent Point Energy Corporation CPG. Both the companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Semgroup posted average positive earnings surprise of 79.10% in the last four quarters.

Crescent Point reported a positive earnings surprise in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 127.16%.

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A man was airlifted to San Antonio in critical condition after crashing into a traffic light pole during a vehicle pursuit with police early Monday in central Laredo, authorities said.

Laredo police identified him as Jim Andrew Molina, 19.

Molina was treated for several internal injuries and head trauma at Laredo Medical Center. He was later taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center for further treatment.

Authorities said they found at least eight Xanax bars inside the 2010 Nissan Altima driven by Molina.

At 2:23 a.m., Molina was fleeing from an LPD officer who had attempted to pull him over in the 3400 block of San Dario Avenue, according to an LPD report.

Molina allegedly failed to control his speed, jumped over a curb and crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of San Dario and Lafayette Street.
Westport Police / Contributed Photo

WESTPORT  A New York man allegedly dragged a woman he was with out of a car by the hair and repeatedly kicked her in a Westport parking lot.

Bystanders called police around 2 p.m. on Feb. 28 when they saw the alleged assault in the Walgreens Pharmacy parking lot at 880 Post Road East. Witnesses said a man had dragged a woman by her hair from a car, kicked her in the stomach and face and would not let her get up, then both had left together in a car, according to police.
As it expands its MRT network and improves rail reliability.

The Ministry of Manpower is in need of additional 15,000 rail engineers and technicians by 2030, as it grows Singapore's rail network.

According to Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, LTA and the two rail operators have increased their hiring for engineering, operations and maintenance by 50%, bringing the total industry headcount to about 9,300.

"By 2030, we expect this number to further increase to 15,000. This makes the rail industry a growth industry, whose employment prospects are almost guaranteed in the next decade. Salaries are also attractive. While the median pay for fresh graduates in 2015 was about $3,300, engineers joining the public service for instance, can expect about $3,800 a month. I believe that our rail operators are also paying higher than the median pay for engineering graduates," he said.

This will come as Singapore is now at the second phase of its rail journey, with its rail network expected to be 360 kilometres long by 2030.

"[This brings] us to a rail density similar to London and New York today. However, London and New York built their current rail networks over the span of a century, while we are building ours in less than half the time. At the same time, we are working hard to improve the reliability of our rail system, to be among the best in the world" the minister noted.

Mr Khaw recognised that a rail engineer's job is fast changing and is very different from that in the 1980s.

He explained, "It has become more complex and requires significant inter-agency coordination because we need to build our rail systems deeper underground. New challenges will also emerge now and then. For example, in building Downtown Line 3, we did not just have to deal with a high groundwater table as in the past, but we had to divert a part of the Singapore River! It was an amazing engineering feat."

He mentioned three strategies to develop the new generation of rail engineers.

Story continues

First, there he cited that there is a need for a platform for engineers and technicians to join the rail industry, regardless whether they are fresh graduates from our universities, polytechnics and ITEs, or from other fields, or if they are non-practising rail engineers who wish to come back into the field.

The government would also need to provide continuous training and accreditation for existing rail engineers and technicians. The accreditation will facilitate their mobility across the industry and enhance their market value.

"Lastly, e need to spur research and innovation by public and private entities in the industry. This will be crucial, for instance, for us to reach and surpass 400,000 train-km in MKBF in the most resource-efficient way possible. Our expanding rail network presents us with an invaluable opportunity to study, develop, and implement state-of-the-art systems for maintenance and operations," the minister said.







More From Singapore Business Review


The Maryville Board of Trustees approved purchases for the police and fire departments at the last regular meeting of the full board.

Board members authorized the purchase of a commercial clothes washing machine for the fire department.

A memo to the board from Assistant Fire Chief Dough Drobisch said the washer was needed to avoid cross contamination of non-firefighting equipment.

In the past, the fire department has been using a common washer and dryer in the living area of the station to wash personal protective equipment, bedding, towels and uniforms, the memo stated. Due to the risk of cross contamination, introducing carcinogens and pathogens to the living areas, the leadership agrees that we should follow best practices by separating those contaminated items from the living areas of the station.

Once the new piece of equipment is installed, all personal protective gear, truck towels and rags will be washed using the commercial washing machine in the apparatus bay of the fire station.

Trustees approved an expenditure of $13,515.17 for the purchase, installation and extended warranty of the commercial washing machine.

Trustee Craig Short said the expense was the lowest bid.

We sent out five bid requests and received two back, he said.

The board voted unanimously to make the purchase.

Short also made a motion on behalf of the fire department for the purchase of seven storage cabinets for a total price of $1,563.99.

A memo from Drobisch stated that new storage cabinets are needed because the current ones are worn out and in need of replacement.

Board members unanimously approved the purchase.

The items will be purchased through the Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Funds. The Illinois Foreign Fire Insurance Fund is distributed by the state of Illinois Municipal League. The Municipal League collects insurance taxes from companies outside of the State of Illinois that insure people who live in the state. Those funds are distributed to fire departments across the state to provide for the needs of the departments as the department sees fit to compensate for what is not provided by the municipality.

Board members also approved the purchase of replacement computer for the police clerk desk at a cost of $778 and an in-car camera system for new police unit 186 at a cost of $3,995.

Short said the camera is a refurbished camera that comes with the same warranty as a new camera.
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AUSTIN  A 10-year-old girl from Dripping Springs testified in favor of the so-called bathroom bill at a Senate committee hearing Tuesday morning, saying she felt uncomfortable when her school district, Dripping Springs ISD, recently allowed a transgender girl to use the girls restroom.

Please help me protect my privacy, Shiloh Satterfield said.

Shes just one of about 400 witnesses, pro and con, who had signed up as of noon to testify on the controversial measure. Registration was set to close at 2 p.m., and Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, chair of the Senate State Affairs Committee that is hearing the bill said the committee would hear everyone who registered to testify.

The committee recessed just before noon for the daily session of the whole Senate and was expected to return to testimony on the bill at 2 p.m.

Senate Bill 6 seeks to require that use of public bathrooms be based on the gender listed on a person's birth certificate instead of the gender with which a person identifies. On Monday, hundreds of transgender advocates lobbied against the proposed legislation, arguing it would target transgender individuals, while Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Democratic Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. threw their support behind it.

RELATED: Backers of bathroom bill, including San Antonio pastor, vow to enlist support of 1 million Christians

As the bill drew all the oxygen in the Senate on Tuesday, House Speaker Joe Straus told reporters outside the House chamber hes the wrong guy to ask about the emotion surrounding that issue and emphasized his chamber is working on matters important to every Texan.

Well, clearly, Im not a fan of the bill that theyre discussing, said Straus, R-San Antonio, who has expressed concern about the bills potential impact on the states economy. Im focused 100 percent on the Houses priorities. They have their agenda. We have ours.

Well worry about our agenda and making progress on some issues that I think are important to every Texan, Straus told reporters, citing work on child protective services, mental health programs, school funding and the overall state budget.

RELATED: Gov. Greg Abbott tells NFL to 'get the heck out of politics' over bathroom bill

Early Monday, the bill's author, Sen. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham, told the Senate committee that the bill is not discriminatory and at its core is about the rights of women, children and parents. She acknowledged conflicting views about the intent and purpose of the legislation.

You can be for this bill for many reasons. You can be against this bill for many reasons. And you will hear them all today, Kolkhorst said.

In the process of preparing the bill, Kolkhorst said she encountered individuals from all walks of life, including the parents of transgender children. She pointed out that the bill specifies gender based on the current version of a person's birth certificate, which can be changed in the state of Texas. SB 6 will provide further direction to state entities, including school districts, she said.

Several Democratic senators were skeptical about the bill and what it would accomplish. Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, said the bill seemed to go in the opposite direction in protecting transgender children.

It seems to me that we have a bill here that is clearly discriminating based on gender, he said.

OPINION: Flawed study aside, bathroom bill still bad for our economy

Rodriguez also wondered why the bill was necessary, in light of laws already on the books that prohibit individuals from entering the bathroom of the opposite sex. He added that if a transgender woman identifies herself as female, then it's not a man going into the bathroom.

Senator, you and I may disagree on this, Kolkhorst responded.

Several invited witnesses expressed their fierce support for the bill, some of whom had traveled from other states. They included, Vicki Wilson, a mother from Palatine, Ill., who has spearheaded a lawsuit opposing a school district's decision to allow transgender students access to locker rooms consistent with their gender identities.

Theres a very good reason these private spaces have been designated by anatomy, Wilson said.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who joined Patrick at a press conference on Monday, testified that contrary to media reports, a similar law in his state has had little effect on the state's economy. The issue is not about transgender people or the LGBT community, he said.

This issue is about womens rights and childrens rights. Womens rights are human rights. Childrens rights are human rights, Forest said, echoing Hillary Clinton's famous remarks to the United Nations.

lcaruba@express-news.net
Republicans have unveiled their Obamacare replacement, and healthcare, hospital, and drug stocks arent super excited about it.

In early trade on Tuesday following the introduction of the bill and a Tuesday-morning tweet from President Trump which took aim at drug pricing, a number of stocks and sectors are taking a hit.

The biggest losers were drug companies, including Endo (ENDP), Valeant (VRX), and Mallinckrodt (MNK), which were all down more than 4%. Generics giants Allergan (AGN) and Mylan (MYL) were also down as much as 2% on Tuesday.

Losers in the hospital space include Tenet Healthcare (THC), down 4%, and Universal Health Services (UHS), down about 2%. Hospital giant HCA Holdings (HCA) was down a bit less than 1%.

Biotech stocks were also getting hit early Tuesday, including Juno Therapeutics (JUNO), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), and Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT), each down as much as 2%.

Trumps tweet seems to be getting the largest market reaction, and is a continuation of a theme that has been reprised by Trump and other politicians  including Hillary Clinton  that pricing in the drug industry needs to be brought under control. I am working on a new system where there will be competition in the Drug Industry, Trump tweeted. Pricing for the American people will come way down!

I am working on a new system where there will be competition in the Drug Industry. Pricing for the American people will come way down!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

Back in January at his first press conference at President, Trump said drug companies were getting away with murder and pledged to bring down pricing in the industry.

Markets were little-changed on Tuesday, and so each of these sectors potentially impacted by new changes to healthcare coming from Washington were underperforming the broad market.

Over the last few months, however, these stocks havent really been left behind by markets, an indication investors have discounted that any major healthcare changes actually come to pass. In fact, biotech stocks  which are considerably more volatile than the broad market  have been outperforming.

Story continues

The purple line is the S&P 500. Both the IBB and XBI biotech ETFs  the blue and green lines  have outpaced the benchmark index since the election. Both the VHT and XLV health care ETFs  the red and yellow lines  have traded in-line with the S&P since the election. In short, investors have not been bracing for any major negative developments from the administration. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

On Monday night, House Republicans introduced the American Health Care Act, the GOPs replacement to Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), which President Trump has long promised to repeal and replace.

Among the key changes are a proposed defunding of Medicaid expansion starting in 2020, offering tax credits to offset the cost of insurance to those who arent insured through work or the government, and removing the individual mandate for health insurance.

The plan also keeps a number of provisions from Obamacare in place, including preventing insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and allowing dependents to stay on their parents plan until age 26.

But as analysts at Credit Suisse pointed out in a note on Tuesday, The House bill may face a tough political battle even with President Trumps support.

The firm added that, Four GOP senators have already spoken out against several pieces of the House ACA replacement plan, most notably ending Medicaid expansion. The GOP has barely any room for vote leakage in the Senate. Fiscal conservatives in the House are also already complaining.



Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles here:
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On a warm night last July, state park employees were rushing to evacuate audience members from Palo Duro Canyons amphitheater, which sits between sunset-brushed rocks in Texas panhandle. There had been an explosion.

As black smoke clouds clogged the air above the theater, at least 15 employees used 5-gallon water jugs to put out the flames as they rose out of two containers holding fireworks for a musical about settlers in the Texas Panhandle.

When the flames finally ceased, the body of Peyton Trueblood, a 21-year-old woman from Alabama, remained.

The death that night at Palo Duro Canyon was one of 66 to occur in five years across Texas dozens of state parks, records obtained from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by mySA.com show.

From Jan. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2016, the states 99 parks saw deaths stemming from gunshots, heat, eating, and drownings, among others, records show.

RELATED: How a Texas man was killed by quicksand on the San Antonio River last year

In the first eight months of this year, 13 people died while at a Texas state park. Last year, there were 16, the highest number of deaths recorded during the time surveyed, records show.

At Lake Corpus Christi State Park in July 2011 a man died after suffering a heart attack during sex with his wife in a tent along the parks girl scout camping loop. His death was one of four to happen at Lake Corpus Christi State Park since January 2011, records show.

Another report obtained by mySA.com details the death of a man who was a mainstay at Falcon State Park, having visited for more than 40 years. In January 2013, state park employees found the man slumped over at his trailer kitchen table with a bowl of soup. His cause of death, records show, was eating.

In the report, park employees wrote that the man had suffered from terminal illness and was having difficulty talking and swallowing in the months leading up to his death.

RELATED: Deadly waters: 75 people have died on Texas lakes, rivers so far in 2016, records show

In the state park report, employees wrote about the man, saying he was a loyal friend and visitor who left a legacy of great wildlife photographs from this park.

He will be greatly missed, employees wrote in the report.

Texas is massive and its parks are sprawled out into each corner of the state. Here's how many deaths a few state parks saw in the last five years:

Big Bend Ranch State Park: one death in July 2015

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area: two deaths, one in February 2014 and one in August 2015

Guadalupe River State Park: One death in July 2016

McKinney Falls State Park: five deathstwo in 2013, two in 2015 and one in 2016

That night in July, Peyton Trueblood was doing inventory of fireworks used in the musical Texas, when the explosion occurred. Her death was one of five to have occurred at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the last five years, records show.

RELATED: Deadliest rivers in Texas

In the year since her death, Truebloods family filed a lawsuit against employees of the Texas musical the 21-year-old was working for, the Amarillo Globe-news reported in September. Clayton and Lisa Trueblood, Peytons parents, sued Kris Miller, executive direction and production manager of the musical, and pyrotechnic technicians Blaine Bertrand, Rick Bertram, and Dennis Rice for negligence, the newspaper reported.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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Less than 60 minutes into U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castros town hall Monday night, the audience had already broken into at least 15 separate rounds of applause.

Castro, D-San Antonio, fielded questions from the mostly supportive audience of about 500 packed into Memorial High Schools cafeteria for close to two hours, covering topics including immigration, the Affordable Care Act and ongoing investigations into Russian hacking that U.S. intelligence leaders believe was designed to interfere in the general election.

The White House is in chaos right now, he said. Theres no leadership, and because of that theres a lot of chaos on so many of these issues. And the country knows that, and thats why there are so many people here.

Castro, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee, didnt go into detail on the Houses hacking investigation, but said hed like to see it move at a brisker pace.

We are in the eye of the storm, yall, he said. Theres only so much I can say without being led away in handcuffs.

RELATED: Castro says Trump has started 'mass deportation plan'

Audience members wrote questions on slips of paper and passed them to Castros aides, who handed the congressman a punchbowl full of the paper slips. He drew questions one at a time before launching into answers that frequently went on for several minutes.

At one point, a man in a blue shirt stood up and tried asking Castro his question directly, rather than writing it down.

Castro asked him to write it down, or to speak with him afterward, finally telling him to sit down. That got a round of applause.

Castro talked about criticism he received when he decided not to attend President Donald Trumps inauguration in January.

I said that winning an election wins you the title of the office  president, he said. And I respect the office of the presidency incredibly. Donald Trump, like it or not, is the 45th president of the United States.

The audience erupted in boos at that point, while one man in a blue hat with an American flag on the side and Trump written across the front clapped enthusiastically.

But, winning the presidency doesnt win you the respect of the people, Castro said, drawing loud cheers.

RELATED: Joaquin Castro considers run against Ted Cruz in '18

Toward the end of the meeting, he took questions directly from a few individuals in the audience, including the man in the blue shirt. He questioned why Castro didnt work to get rid of city managers and other municipal bureaucrats positions he called undemocratic.

Castro told him as a congressman, he doesnt oversee the state government, that its not in our purview to make changes to a city government structure.

One of the last speakers of the night thanked Castro for holding the town hall, while other officials have chosen to skip out on this format in recent weeks.

Her question drew another round of applause.

frahman@express-news.net

"Want coverage that digs deeper? Visit ExpressNews.com for expanded stories, analysis, video and more."
Investors want Exxon to issue annual reports on how climate rules affect the value of the company's oil and gas reserves.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) will spend $20 billion by 2022 to expand its footprint along the U.S. Gulf Coast, creating more than 45,000 jobs.

The worlds largest publicly traded oil company said Monday it will invest in refining and chemical-manufacturing projects at 11 proposed and existing sites, located in Texas and Louisiana. Speaking at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, Exxon's new CEO Darren Woods noted that 35,000 temporary construction jobs will be needed. The investments will also create 12,000 permanent jobs.

Many of the new positions will be for high-skilled, high-paying jobs with an average salary of about $100,000 a year, Woods said in Exxons announcement.

The United States is a leading producer of oil and natural gas, which is incentivizing U.S. manufacturing to invest and grow, Woods said.

President Donald Trump applauded the news, calling Exxons plans ambitious.

This is exactly the kind of investment, economic development and job creation that will help put Americans back to work, Trump said in a statement released by the White House. Many of the products that will be manufactured here in the United States by American workers will be exported to other countries, improving our balance of trade.

Exxon said its investments will spur $20 billion in new economic activity and increase the companys manufacturing and export capacity. Related investments on the Gulf Coast began in 2013.

The projects include the companys chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas businesses.

Woods became CEO of Irving, Texas-based Exxon this year after Rex Tillerson was tapped by Trump as the presidents nominee for Secretary of State.

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An Army soldier assigned to the secretive National Security Agency in San Antonio was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for illegally spying on teen sisters.

Spc. James Frank Johannes, 34, pleaded guilty last year to possession of child pornography and invasive video recording. He admitted he snuck around the home of the sisters and took videos of them through windows as they prepared to go to seminary at a local Mormon facility where he was also a youth leader. The girls were 16 and 14 at the time.

RELATED: SAPD: Man charged in teen's death was father of her unborn child

This was the quintessential Peeping Tom, except it was with a camera, said U.S. District Judge Fred Biery before sentencing Johannes to 72 months for the possession count and 24 months for the recording count. The judge ordered the two sentences to run concurrently, and to pay the girls $10,000 in restitution.

Johannes was caught in July 2016 when he brought his cell phone into a restricted area of an unspecified NSA compound in San Antonio where the devices are prohibited. Officials asked to check his phone to make sure there was no classified material on it, court records said.

Officials found videos of an underage girl getting undressed and stepping into the shower, and other similar images. An investigation by the Armys Criminal Investigation Division identified the girls and Johannes was charged.

RELATED: 'Senseless' fight at library leaves man fighting for his life

In victim impact statements, the girls parents said their daughters now have trust issues. At one point, the mother confronted Johannes when the girls said they thought they had seen someone who looked like him watching them while they were in the laundry room.

He denied it, but admitted having an addiciton to pornography when Biery pressed for answers.

The girls are in counseling, the parents said.

He was a trusted friend, the mother said in her victim impact statement. But she noted that the youngest still has a sheet over the window in addition to the window dressings, and has not wanted it removed since the incident.

Johannes, meanwhile, is awaiting discharge from the Army, according to his lawyer. He has four children, including a 12-year-old daughter, according to statements made in court.

Im sorry for what Ive done, Johannes told the girls parents, crying. It was a series of acts that were despicable.

gcontreras@express-news.net
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The brother of a 28-year-old man killed last year said at the start of a murder trial here Tuesday that he thought the victim and his accused killer were punching each other, but later realized it was a stabbing.

Juan Francisco Huerta, 23, is accused of killing Abraham Villalobos, after the two reportedly argued over a woman on Feb. 29, 2016.

San Antonio police had been called around midnight to the 600 block of H Street on the East Side, where the victims brother, Jose Villalobos, lived with three other people, to check out a report of an assault.

Jose Villalobos told the jury his brother was visiting the house that day and that the four people there had been drinking beer. He said his brother verbally confronted Huerta, whom they knew as Guero, for previous incidents in which Huerta had looked at his girlfriend.

The girlfriend wasnt present but Abraham Villalobos, in picking a fight, spoke as if she was, his brother indicated.

He asked Guero, Youre looking at my girlfriend, why are you staring? Jose Villalobos said.

He said he got up, grabbed his brother by the back of the shirt and told him to get his beer and leave because he did not want the men to fight.

He grabbed the box of beer and went out the front door, straight to his car, Jose Villalobos testified.

He said he saw Huerta run out of the house toward the car, lean into it using his knees to prevent his brother from getting out.

It looked like he (Huerta) was punching him through the open window, Jose Villalobos said.

The witness said his live-in girlfriend, Shauntey Sanchez, then told him Abraham Villalobos was bleeding, so she called 911.

When officers arrived, they found Villalobos bleeding inside his parked vehicle, stabbed multiple times, and first responders rushed him to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, police said at the time.

Huerta ran and was caught by police not far from the the house, authorities said.

In an opening statement, prosecutor Leslie Vasquez said Huerta told four different stories to police that didnt add up.

Why all the versions of what happened? Vasquez asked. Because this is murder, and he knows it.

Defense attorney J.D. Garza told the jury in his opening statement that everyone at the home had been drinking, the men argued, and Huerta acted in self-defense.

Youll hear (Huerta) tell officers he was scared, he was protecting himself because he thought (Villalobos) probably had a knife, Garza said. Theres no doubt he was scared.

Huerta has been in jail since the incident. Through an interpreter, he pleaded not guilty. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder, a first-degree felony.

The case is being heard in the 226th state District Court.
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The 35-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a pregnant teen was also the father of the unborn child, who later died, as well as a 1-year-old son who was unharmed, San Antonio police said Tuesday.

According to police, Armando Garcia-Ramires, who is currently in jail on a $2 million bond, lived near the 15-year-old victim, Jennifer Delgado, who was nine months pregnant.

RELATED: Teen, unborn child killed on Northwest Side; suspected gunman hospitalized

It is unclear what motivated Garcia-Ramires to kill Delgado around 11 a.m. Monday at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Babcock Road, but police say an unidentified woman recently discovered he was the father of both of children.

Police say the same woman first notified police that Garcia-Ramires attempted to kill himself in a wooded area near the apartment where he killed Delgado.

When officers arrived to the wooded area to investigate, they found Garcia-Ramires with a handgun, but he tossed it away when he was confronted by police because it was empty.

RELATED: 'Senseless' argument at library leads to man fighting for his life

Police later discovered he had shot himself one time through the mouth with a .22-caliber handgun, apparently in an effort to kill himself.

Upon further interviews with the unidentified woman who informed them of Garcia-Ramires's relationship to Delgado, officers went to Delgado's apartment.

They found the front door kicked in. Inside, officers located Delgado's body. She had been shot in the head multiple times and was declared dead at the scene. Her body was taken to University Hospital in an unsuccessful effort to save her unborn child.

RELATED: 35-year-old man faces capital murder charges in death of pregnant girl, 15, and unborn child

Police also found the 1-year-old son in the apartment .

Garcia-Ramires was transported to University Hospital. He was later booked into the Bexar County Jail on two capital murder charges after he was released from the hospital.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department.

Sunday, March 5

2:19 a.m.  A Porter Township man, 18, was arrested in the Village of Sanford for resisting and obstructing deputies who observed him to be in possession of what was believed to be narcotics.

4:22 a.m.  Police made arrests at West Buttles and Gordon streets for third-offense driving while license suspended and marijuana possession.

9:06 a.m.  Police were sent to a domestic assault at a Maryland Street address.

3:27 p.m.  Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash in the 300 block of Cherry View.

4:38 p.m.  A deputy was called to Lee Township for a complaint of loud noise caused by all-terrain vehicles being operated on private property. Children were riding the vehicles safely and were not making too much noise.

8:49 p.m.  Deputies were sent to Lincoln Township for a report of trespassing.

10:17 p.m.  Property was stolen from the 500 block of Village West Drive.

10:40 p.m.  A Jerome Township man, 70, was arrested for driving without a license.

10:48 p.m.  A deputy was sent to Lincoln Township for a littering complaint. A bag of trash was dumped by a truck.

11:32 p.m.  A deputy was sent to the Village of Sanford for a report of harassment on Facebook.

Saturday, March 4

1:33 a.m.  A Greendale Township man, 57, reported a man broke into his daughters Lee Township home and assaulted her boyfriend. The man would not give the victims name because the man has a warrant. The deputy tried to contact the callers daughter several times, without success.

3:25 a.m.  A deputy investigated an assault involving four inmates at the Midland County Jail. A report is being sent to the prosecutor.

3:49 a.m.  A deputy investigated a larceny in which one Midland County jail inmate was accused of stealing items, valued at $59.50, from another inmate. A report is being sent to the prosecutor.

3:58 a.m.  A deputy and Coleman Police were sent to a Geneva Township home for a dispute and possible assault. A report is being sent to the prosecutors office for review.

12:20 p.m.  Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash at Rodd Street and South Saginaw Road.

12:48 p.m.  A license plate was stolen off a truck while it was parked at a Lee Township home.

1:52 p.m.  Police assisted Child Protective Services staff at an East Patrick Road address.

3:20 p.m.  Deputies assisted a landlord with an eviction in the City of Midland.

7:15 p.m.  Police were sent to an Eastman Avenue address for a domestic assault.

9:25 p.m.  An Isabella County man, 31, was arrested for drunken driving after a crash in Greendale Township. There were no injuries.

9:54 p.m.  A Larkin Township woman, 20, was cited in Geneva Township for being a minor in possession of alcohol. Deputies were sent to the home for a domestic dispute. Coleman Police also were at the scene.

Friday, March 3

12 a.m.  A motorist was arrested at Joe Mann Boulevard and Elisenal Drive for driving on a suspended license.

1:07 a.m.  A motorist was arrested at Lyon Road and East Pine Street for drunken driving.

4:14 a.m. A deputy investigated an assault involving five inmates in the Midland County Jail.

9:13 a.m.  Police investigated a case of fraud in the 1800 block of Norwood Drive.

10:03 a.m.  A 33-year-old man was arrested in Mount Haley Township for domestic assault.

10:42 a.m.  Deputies assisted parole agents at a Lee Township home.

11:15 a.m.  A deputy was called to a Midland Township business after a scam email was received there. The case is being investigated.

11:30 a.m.  Deputies assisted probation agents at a Homer Township address. A 31-year-old man was arrested on a probation violation warrant.

11:55 p.m.  A deputy investigated a hit and run traffic crash in Lincoln Township.

2:43 p.m.  A Jasper Township man, 72, reported receiving several scam phone calls from people trying to access his computer and asking for personal information. No information was given to the callers.

5:10 p.m.  A Mount Pleasant man, 26, was arrested in Lee Township for driving while his license was suspended.

7:44 p.m.  Property was stolen from the 4000 block of Wellness Drive.

8:38 p.m.  A deputy assisted Midland Police looking in Greendale Township for a man involved in a domestic assault in Midland. The man was not found.

9:35 p.m.  A motorist was arrested in the 3800 block of East Patrick Road for drunken driving.

Thursday, March 2

12:41 a.m.  A Midland Township man, 43, was arrested for drunken driving with a high blood alcohol content after a crash in Midland Township.

3:06 a.m.  A motorist was arrested at North Saginaw Road and Hidden Pines Court for drunken driving.

3:51 a.m.  A Lee Township man, 42, was arrested for drunken driving after a crash in Lee Township. No one was hurt.

12:28 p.m.  Detectives received a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding inappropriate contact between two children, ages 15 and 7, in Hope Township.

2:33 p.m.  A Mount Haley Township man, 24, reported someone withdrew $250 from his bank account. There are no known suspects in the case.

4:31 p.m.  Two trash cans, valued at $130, were stolen from an Edenville Township home.

5:19 p.m.  An Ingersoll Township homes mailbox was damaged.

7:32 p.m. Tools and a generator, value at $2,200, were reported stolen from a Jerome Township home. The theft is believed to have occurred in October.
Suburban developer David Weekley is moving into Southtown with plans to build 11 single-family homes near the soon-to-be-redeveloped Lone Star Brewery.

The Houston-based company plans to build the homes on a 0.6-acre lot it purchased in late February at the corner of Clay and Probandt streets, said Gary Runner, the companys division president in San Antonio. The site is across the street from Southtown Flats, a few hundred feet from the Mission Reach stretch of the San Antonio River Walk and about a quarter-mile from the future site of the Lone Star redevelopment.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Cafe Dijon Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Cafe Dijon Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Cafe Dijon Show More Show Less 5 of 5









Cafe Dijon is a hidden gem nestled between the Alamo Quarry and Lincoln Heights off Basse Road and Treeline Park in the Village on the Green Shopping Center. Specializing in fresh, local and seasonal cuisine with a French flair, they have brought a little piece of France to San Antonio. Some of the stand-out favorites are the Duck Club, Dijon Burger and Croque Monsieur; but the creations dont stop there. Cafe Dijon also does an ever-changing brunch all day every weekend with such items as chicken and waffle sliders, smoked salmon benedicts, banana bread French toast and lemon ricotta pancakes.

Cafe Dijon also features great coffee and teas to accompany a vast array of baked goods, all made fresh in-house. If you are looking for items for larger groups, you can preorder any number of delicious treats or whole cakes and pies if the occasion calls for it. Catering is available for either pick-up or delivery, which is great for office meetings, group events or special dinners at home.
1 Border opened: Pakistan will temporarily open two border crossings with Afghanistan that were closed after a string of militant attacks, officials said Monday. The Torkham and Chaman crossings will be open Tuesday and Wednesday and Afghans with valid visas will be allowed to return home, as will Pakistanis who traveled to Afghanistan with valid visas. Pakistan shut the two main crossings with Afghanistan three weeks ago after a wave of suicide bombings that authorities said was linked to a group operating on the other side of the border. The two countries have long accused each other of ignoring militants that operate along the porous frontier.

2 Nepal clash: Police opened fire on protesters attempting to disrupt a political rally Monday in southern Nepal, killing at least three. Home Ministry official Bal Krishna Panthi said police first tried to disperse the protesters with batons and tear gas before firing their guns. He said three people were fatally shot and 33 police officers were injured in the clash. The Communist Party of Nepal had attempted to hold a rally in Rajbiraj, about 250 miles southwest of Kathmandu. Ethnic Madhesi groups from south Nepal oppose the party and have vowed not to allow its rallies.
Iraqi forces kicked off their offensive against ISIS in western Mosul on February 19, continuing the campaign against the terrorist group in Mosul  the group's last urban stronghold in Iraq  that began in mid-October.

Throughout the campaign, the US-led coalition has provided extensive support, including on-the-ground advisers and ongoing airstrikes against ISIS in Mosul and elsewhere in the country.

In the footage below, provided by the US Defense Department, a US-led strike on February 26 wipes out a ISIS vehicle-borne improvised-explosive-device factory near Mosul, eliminating a source of one of ISIS' favorite weapons.

There were 10 airstrikes, with a total of 80 engagements, in Iraq on February 26. Five of those strikes were in or around Mosul, targeting ISIS tactical units, fighting positions, weapons, vehicles, buildings, supplies, and a tunnel.

Those five strikes also targeted three VBIEDs and two VBIED factories.

ISIS has deployed VBIEDs with alacrity throughout the Mosul campaign, relying on suicide bombers to drive them into Iraqi forces' positions and other targets. Iraqi troops, ever vigilant for suspicious approaching vehicles, have used missiles, rockets, and airstrikes to destroy or disable the vehicles before they can strike.

Iraq Mosul ISIS fighters troops city

Sunday marked a renewed push by Iraqi forces advancing on western Mosul, after having been slowed for several days by bad weather.

Iraqi troops advanced on a compound of government buildings and the approaches of one of the five bridges connecting west and east Mosul across the Tigris River. As of Monday, they had captured two of the bridges.

While all five have been destroyed in the fighting, taking possession of their remains will likely facilitate the movement of Iraq personnel and supplies toward the fight and the flight of civilians away from it.

Progress continued on Tuesday, as Iraqi forces reportedly captured the main government offices in western Mosul as well as the city's museum, where ISIS militants filmed themselves destroying priceless artifacts in early 2015.

Story continues

Iraq security forces troops soldiers Mosul ISIS

"They killed tens of Daesh," Lt. Col. Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi, a spokesman for Iraq's elite Rapid Response forces, said of the retaking of the government buildings, referring to ISIS by an Arabic acronym.

The capture of the government-building complex moves Iraqi forces closer to the nearby old city center. It also takes them farther into the densely populated western half of the city.

Narrow streets and alleys in that part of Mosul will force Iraqi personnel to dismount their armored vehicles and engage ISIS fighters inside homes and tunnels the terrorist group has fortified throughout the city.

That portion of the battle is likely to be especially deadly for the 700,000 or so civilians still in the city. While tens of thousands have fled west Mosul, many more have stayed, hunkering down as the front line moves down their streets, through their yards, and sometimes into their homes.

ISIS Iraq Mosul civilian refugee

"We only go upstairs to use the toilet. It's been like this for three months, since shells started falling on the area," Abu Mariam  an Iraqi man who, with his wife, three children, and an elderly neighbor, has hid from from the fighting in the basement of his spacious home in an upscale Mosul neighborhood  told AFP this week.

ISIS has compounded the horrors it exacted on the Iraqi civilians under its rule in Mosul by shelling and firing on them amid the fighting in the city.

Iraqi forces and their coalition partners are much more cautious in how they deal with civilians in the line of fire, but their strikes have also taken a deadly toll on Iraqis caught amid the battle.

According to international monitoring group Airwars, during the first week of March, hundreds of civilians were allegedly killed in 11 separate incidents that were all blamed in part or in whole on coalition forces.

A man cries as he carries his daughter while walking from an Islamic State-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battle in Mosul. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Possibly the deadliest incident was on March 5, when local sources said as many as 130 civilians died during an assault on a government compound. Both Iraqi and coalition forces were cited for the assault, with some sources saying US Apache helicopters participated.

The coalition recently loosened some of its rules of engagement, allowing coalition advisers on the ground with Iraqi forces to call in airstrikes directly.

With several thousand ISIS fighters thought to remain in the densely populated parts of the city, the intensity of the fighting  and the need for heavy air support  is unlikely to relent in the near future.

NOW WATCH: Footage reveals ISIS' secret underground tunnels near Mosul





More From Business Insider


Yves here. Grist has been doing an admirable job of keeping on top of this important yet oddly still-under-the-radar story. In the US, the big driver of rising water costs is the need to invest in aging, neglected water works. But water is going to become an issue in many place for differing reasons. As we have been saying for years, the natural resource that is projected to come under pressure first is potable water. And please dont push desalination as a magic bullet. That costs money (both the plants and new transportation infrastructure, uses energy, plus has the not-trivial problem of how to dispose of the salt residues.

By Ciara ORourke, a freelance writer and 2015-16 Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. Originally published by Fusion and reproduced at Grist as part of the Climate Desk collaboration

When Elizabeth Mack wondered about a future in which Americans wouldnt be able to pay for water, a couple of colleagues waved her off. Dont be ridiculous, they said. But the idea niggled at Mack, an assistant professor at the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University. And in January, in an article published in the science journal PLOS ONE, she asked a new question: Is there a burgeoning water affordability crisis in the United States?

Mack, along with research assistant Sarah Wrase, determined that if water rates increase at projected amounts over the next five years, the percentage of households that cant pay their water bills could triple from 11.9 percent to more than a third. Nearly 14 million households nationwide already struggle to afford water services. An additional 27.18 million  or 8.5 percent of the countrys population  could soon face the same challenges.

I dont think we think about this, about what it would mean to not have running water, Mack told Fusion. Of course, some Americans have experienced it. Water affordability is becoming an increasingly critical issue in cities across the country, including Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit. In Philadelphia, an estimated four out of 10 water accounts are past due. Atlanta and Seattle have some of the highest water rates in the country. And in Detroit, a campaign to cut off delinquent residents has stopped water and sewage service for 50,000 households since 2014. Its a reality Mack thinks Americans in other parts of the country could face.

Any place with shrinking city characteristics, any city where we have a hollowing out of a downtown core that used to be quite vibrant could be in trouble, she said. Thats the case in Detroit, where a declining population has left fewer households to shoulder the costs of water services.

The cost of replacing water systems built around World War II are projected at more than $1 trillion over the next 25 years across the country. Prices will be even higher if cities tap private companies to provide water services because they tend to charge higher rates than public providers. A majority of Americans get their water from public providers, but in Atlanta, where the privatization of water services in part drove up water expenses, the service costs $325.52 per month. Households must make at least about $87,000 for that to be affordable.

Because public utilities can only charge customers as much money as it takes to recoup their costs, Mack said, it can be harder for them to finance new infrastructure  but their rates also tend to be lower than private providers that dont have the same constraints. Still, a 2014 report by Corporate Accountability International and Public Services International Research Unit questioned whether its appropriate to tap private companies to shore up infrastructure projects. No matter how the private sector frames its intentions, its priority is market development over community development, profit maximization over the public interest, the report states.

Other drivers behind rising water prices include increasingly rigorous water quality standards, said Laura Feinstein, a senior research associate at the Pacific Institute, a global water think tank based in Oakland. As federal laws are updated to reflect new contaminants, water utilities have to spend more money to treat the water to keep it safe for consumers. Extreme weather events associated with climate change, such as droughts and floods, are also expensive for the systems to manage.

But there are ways for both providers and people to curb costs, she said. As utilities look for new water sources to accommodate population growth, they can turn to storm water capture or gray water reuse instead of costlier dams, reservoirs, and desalination plants. And utilities should be mindful that per capita water use doesnt necessarily increase as populations do thanks to more efficient appliances and cultural shifts among residents who might water their lawns less.

In reality, per person water use just keeps going down over time, at least in California, Feinstein said.

Some utilities have worked to develop effective bill discount programs to focus their efficiency programs on lower-income customers. Offering a rebate for a low-flush toilet, for example, is only an option for people who can already pay for a big investment like that, Feinstein said. But giving customers a discount upfront makes it more affordable.

Water affordability is already a serious challenge for low-income people in the United States, Feinstein said. In one study that looked at a sample of communities in California, the institute found that about 5 percent of households had incomes under $10,000 and were spending around 5 percent of their income on water.

In California, at least, laws restraining public utilities from hiking rates higher than the cost of recovery can also hamper efforts to offer discounts to low-income customers, Feinstein said, because they cant charge more affluent customers a little more in order to fund low-income discounts.

For people already living in poverty  40 percent of the population in Detroit  any increase in a water cost will strain a familys finances, said Randy Block, director of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network. He and others in the faith community are trying to raise money to help needy residents pay for water. He thinks water should be recognized as a human right in Michigan just as the United Nations General Assembly defined it in 2010. He likened the city shutting off water for delinquent customers to a war on poverty, and he believes similar skirmishes will play out across the country as income inequality grows.

Detroit is the canary in a coal mine, Block said.

Mark Fancher, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, said unaffordable water has been a pretty massive problem in Detroit for 1015 years. The practical result of shut-offs, he said, is residents relocating. While there are hardship extensions for residents who have fallen behind on their bills but are also suffering from a serious medical condition, according to Fancher, the system could be a lot better: Residents often dont know about it, or their applications are denied. Other times, they might receive bills for water they didnt use or not get the bills at all, he said.

The argument has been made that an affordability plan for the city of Detroit would be a really helpful thing for the struggling utility, Fancher said. Because even though people who take advantage of it may not be paying full market rate for water, theyll be paying more than nothing, which will at least bring in some significant amount of money that right now theyre not getting at all.

He questioned how seriously the city is interested in water affordability. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department did not respond to questions about water affordability and shut-offs in the city, but The Detroit News reported last month that officials expect a new rate structure that rewards low water use will reduce the burden on low-income residents. In turn, said Marcus Hudson, the departments chief financial officer, their probability of paying will increase.

Mack thinks that governments, utilities, and consumers will need to work together to solve the growing problem of water affordability.

How can we fix this infrastructure and how can we finance it together? she said. She cautions against alarmist responses to her study, which, she said, is not meant to be an activist piece. Rather, she said her research highlights a quiet water crisis that many Americans are aware of in developing countries but dont consider in the United States. She doesnt think anyone appreciates the scope of infrastructure problems here and, she said, Americans should be watching Detroit warily.

I would hazard a guess that most people dont know how much water they use, she said. Id encourage them to do some self-education.

Feinstein is agnostic on whether its an increasing problem. The article, leaning on the Environmental Protection Agencys average consumption estimates, assumes the average household uses 12,000 gallons per month. That might be more than people really need to meet their basic needs, she said.

But she agrees that water affordability is a problem. Other countries, such as France, Australia, and South Africa have better programs in place to make sure low-income residents can pay for water, Feinstein said. She thinks California is leading the way with legislation that calls for the State Water Resources Control Board to study how to develop low-income assistance rates statewide. As far as she knows, it would be the first such program of its kind if its implemented but, she said, it should be nationwide.

When people dont have access to the water that they need, it compromises their health. It means they end up having to make choices between paying for things like medical care and paying for food and paying for water, Feinstein said. Water is essential for life. People should be able to get the water they need a price they can afford it.
Yves here. Don Quijones skepticism about Spains proposed bank mergers has sound foundations. Id love readers to chime in with foreign market data, but in the US, the evidence is consistent that bigger banks are not more efficient than smaller banks. The real driver for bulking up is that executive pay is highly correlated with bank size and operational complexity. Too big to manage is CEOs financial wet dream.

Yet banks have sold politicians on the ideas that bigger banks are desirable for competitive reasons. Thats false too. First, big multinationals are not very attractive customers from a profit perspective. They demand fine prices and operate as quasi-competitors, for instance, running their Treasury operations as profit centers. Second, they dont believe in one-stop shopping, and deal with national banks in national markets that are important to them, because those banks are politically more plugged in than foreign banks.

But when banks get wobbly, the most expedient course of action is for regulators to merge them rather than deal with hassle and potential political embarrassment of resolving them and perhaps owning them for a long time. When the US took over then then number four bank in the US, Continental Illinois, in 1984, it was seven years before the government got out of owning it. And the banking business was a lot less concentrated then than now.

But at best, the logic of merging weak banks is like taking two sick dogs and expecting somehow to wind up with one healthy cat. And thats before you get to factors that prevent mergers of healthy banks, such as computer system incompatibility.

Admittedly, Spain does have a lot of small banks, so some consolidation might be beneficial. But most of what is expected to happen is driven by desperation, not opportunity.

By Don Quijones, Spain & Mexico, editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

Spains banking sector is about to be hit by a new wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to US rating agency Standard & Poors. The new phase of industry consolidation will begin with the stealth merger of largely state-owned Bankia with wholly state-owned Banco Mare Nostrum (BMN).

The two banks, each the product of two madcap mergers of Spains most insolvent savings banks, will be merged into one entity that is expected to become Spains fourth biggest bank by assets. The merger is more or less a done deal, for the simple reason that besides Bankia, BMN has no other suitors and its IPO last year was a complete dud. No private sector player seems willing to even touch its assets with a barge pole, let alone buy them at a discount.

Zero Synergies

Two renowned Spanish economists, Daniel Lacalle and Javier Santacruz Cano, have already expressed serious reservations about the proposed operation. Most importantly, there are no synergies to be had, they argue, since Bankia already enjoys a strong presence in virtually all the regions where BMN is present.

This type of operation between banks normally creates no value, says Lacalle.

Santacruz is no less emphatic, warning that were likely to see a repeat of the 1999 merger between Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria to form Spains biggest bank, BBVA, in which the public bank (Argentaria) was gifted on a platter to the private bank (BBV). Theres also a very big risk of destroying value for shareholders. In the case of Bankia and BMN, the majority shareholder is the Spanish taxpayer, which by now is wearily accustomed to seeing the value of its holdings destroyed as it keeps being left holding the tab for bankrupt banks impaired balance sheets.

Despite only being in the study stage, the merger has already received the blessing of Spains caretaker government, Spains central bank, and Standard & Poors, which has promised not to downgrade Bankias credit rating after it has absorbed BNMs assets and liabilities. Now, S&P is forecasting that the tie-up will herald a whole new wave of banking consolidation in Spain, with mid-size banks mostly on the menu.

There are a number of medium-size entities that are going to struggle to reach levels of capital returns that will be sustainable in time and in line with shareholder expectations, said S&Ps director of financial institutions, Elena Iparraguirre. These (mid-size) entities will need to find a solution to the problem. That solution, one assumes, will involve finding bigger banks to be rolled into.

The financial consultancy Baker & Mackenzie has forecast 54% growth in M&A activity in Spain for 2017, much of which will be concentrated in the banking sector. Besides the Bankia-BMN tie up and the flurry of takeovers of mid-size entities forecast by S&P, theres also the prospect of a merger between one of Spains four biggest banks, Santander, BBVA or CaixaBank, and its sixth biggest  and most Italian  bank, Banco Popular, which is fast running out of options.

Just today, the new president of Banco Popular, Emilio Saracho, an ex-JP Morgan VP, has announced that hes preparing the bank for a merger, most likely with one of Spains four biggest banks, Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank or Banc de Sabadell. The inevitable result will be much greater concentration and much less competition.

The Ultimate Goal

Banking concentration was always one of the crowning goals of Europes banking union. The banking union legislation, passed in November 2014, included a rather innocuous-sounding proposal called the sales of business tool, which made it much easier for big banks to grow even bigger, by gobbling up smaller, weaker ones.

In a speech in July last year, ECB President Mario Draghi blamed much of Europes banking crisis on competition from the thousands of smaller banks that are crowding out the profits for the big banks, while completely overlooking factors such as the excessive complexity and interconnectedness of the banking system, the failure of the universal banking model, the zombifying banks at the top of the financial food chain, and, of course, the ECBs negative rate policy. No, its all the fault of the small banks.

Over-capacity in some national banking sectors, and the ensuing intensity of competition, exacerbates the squeeze on margins, he said.

Since that speech, apart from the occasional shotgun marriage between struggling entities in Italy, M&A activity in Europes banking sector remains stagnant. Put simply, few banks want to buy or merge with other banks, for two obvious reasons:

One, they dont have the disposable capital for such an operation. In Spain, Germany, and Italy the biggest banks (Santander, Deutsche and Unicredit) have enough on their hands trying to expand their own capital base this year to fill holes in their balances sheets.

And two, they also have no idea just how serious their rival institutions problems are. As the Bankia example showed, merging one insolvent institution with another (or others) often compounds their problems. Bankia was spawned in 2011 from the merger of seven insolvent savings banks, only to collapse in 2012. Its not the only major bank to have failed after a big merger or acquisition; so, too, did the Royal Bank of Scotland after its suicidal purchase of ABN Amro, in 2007. And theres Monte dei Paschi, which collapsed years (and multiple bailouts) after purchasing Antonveneta from Santander for an exorbitant 9 billion.

Now, Europes financial authorities want more of the same while ignoring the effects of further concentrating risk, power, and market share among the already too big to fail institutions at the top. By Don Quijones.

This time, the ECB is already doing whatever it takes. And still. Read Euro Breakup Rattles Investors Once Again
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

In the first part of this two-part series, we looked at two methods of constructing narratives around political campaigns  the poll-driven horse race, and gaming out the electoral college  and concluded that although these methods were good for humanities majors, revealing as they are of all that is human, they have limited predictive or explanatory value. In this post, I will present an alternative analytical method based on Eliot A. Cohen and John Goochs wonderful Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War. The Clinton campaign was a cascade of multiple pathways to misfortune. So you can see a sample of their method, here is the introduction to their chapter on Catastropic Failure: The French Army and Air Force, May-June 1940.

And here is their matrix of failure::

(NOTE: This is not a post on the Battle of France, so please confine your remarks on Cohen and Gooch to issues of historiography or method.)

And here is my matrix of failure for the Clinton Campaign (and let me caveat that Im sorry my matrix is more complicated than that which describes the Fall of France but Im not a professional historian, Im too close to the subject matter, and heck  maybe 2016 is that complicated!

Youll notice right away that the command levels I used (Establishment, Party, Campaign, State, County) are similar to Military Misfortunes (High Commend, Theatre Command, Operational Commands, and Tactical Commands) They call them political campaigns for a reason! However, the functions are different (although you can certainly see the similarity between the French high commands Image of Future War, and the Democrat Partys Obama Coaliton). However, the conventions I used are a little different from the conventions Cohen and Gooch used, so let me explain them: Systems on pathways to misfortune are boxes; arrows between boxes represent causation or pathways. Primary or critical pathways and systems are bolded; others are grey.

The matrix I present identifies six pathways to misfortune for the Clinton campaign, two of which are primary or critical. They are:

The Democrat Establishment Clintons Deplorables Gaffe Clinton Repels the Left Its The Economy, Stupid! Voter Registration and Turnout Failure The Undecideds Break for Trump

(Ive labeled the starting point for each pathway on the matrix with a red letter, like (A). Im not discussing the critical pathways first, because its easier to show the how the matrix works by starting out with simpler cases.) Hilariously, the professionals of the Clinton campaign have yet to produce a matrix of failure all on their own:

Unable to get closure on the partys stunning losses in November, nearly 20 Democratic interest groups, operatives, and state committees have commissioned their own private 2016 election autopsy reports. The projects, which aim to diagnose the partys ills and pave a path forward, are designed in part to fill the void left by Hillary Clintons campaign, which has yet to offer any formal explanation for its defeat. While Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook and members of his team have been privately presenting their own findings to Clinton and other influential party figures, the absence of a full, public accounting of the factors and forces underlying her shocking loss has generated a cottage industry of projects dedicated to explaining and understanding how things went so wrong for the party in November.

So Im doing my little bit to help out, here. (Also, if the work were easy  or more precisely, easy to hear  some Democratic strategist would already have done it, and billed for it. Which is my excuse for this post being both longer, and later, than it should be.)

Pathway (A): The Democrat Establishment

Cohen and Gooch were no doubt wise to rule the civilian vs. military politics in the late Third Republic out of scope in their matrix of failure; but I felt I needed to embed the Democrat Party within its larger Establishment. Its worth noting that none of the other functional characteristics of the Democrat Party  the Third Way combination of identity politics with neoliberalisms TINA, Obamas management of the economy, the focus on 50% plus one/swing state electoral strategies as opposed to enduring national coalitions driven by the provision of universal programs that provide concrete material benefits to everyone, especially the working class, as well as the dominant role played by party insider Superdelegates in picking the nominee  none of these characteristics, I say, would exist if Democrat Party funders had not wanted them to be exactly as they are. The Establishment standing up and then electing Ellison Perez as DNC chair shows this quite clearly; as does the systematic erasure from the discourse of Sanders proven ability to run a national campaign without depending on large contributors at all. Every pathway to misfortune, then, that begins at the Establishment level is also a failure by large contributors who dominate and structure that Establishment. So either big Democrat donors are lighting their money on fire and throwing it up in the air, or theyre paying the Washington Generals Democrats to lose. Or both!

Pathway (B): Clintons Deplorables Gaffe

The rich are different: They give more money to politicians. And the rich also expect to have the so-gifted politicians explain what they are going to do to the money; how they will provide their investors with a return by getting the canaille to vote for them. Hence its not surprising that Clintons deplorables gaffe, Romneys 47% gaffe, and Obamas bitter/cling to gaffe all occurred at fundraisers; in each case, the politician was sharing their unique insights on voter behavior with funders. So, here the pathway runs from the large contributors, who established the context for the gaffes to take place  enclaves like the Hamptons, celebrity compounds like George Clooneys  to its effect on voters.[1]

Ive divided effects on voters generally into two categories: Affirmatively Repelled (AR), and Failure to Turn Out (FT), and its clear that some voters were affirmatively repelled by Clintons remarks (and its rather remarkable how many categories of voters the Clinton campaign affirmatively repelled). However, its not clear how many were; theres no county data that I know of which suggests people who would previously have voted for Clinton shifted to Trump because they felt Clinton called them deplorable. So the effect is in the zeitgeist; real, but not quantifiable. In other words, this pathway is secondary not primary. Clinton no doubt lost some votes, but we dont know how many, or where.[2]

Pathway (C): Clinton Repels the Left

Here too, we have the Clinton Campaign affirmatively repelling voters: Sanders voters and the left generally. Democrats tend not to allocate money to voters they think they own, and that includes the left; the feeling is that they have no place to go. Two pathways meet in this failure: First, Clintonian incrementalist messaging (Never, ever single payer, for example) repels the left; how does one devolve to supporting ObamaCare when Medicare for All was, however briefly, on the table? Second, the Clinton campaign combined its own micro-aggression with a fact-free version of identity politics to come up with #BernieBros, which they then freely applied to all Sanders supporters (and theyre still doing it). And then there was the Democratic National Convention. I suppose you can expect to smear your opponents like that in a primary and then claim their vote in the general if, indeed, they have no place to go, but this year, the left did have places to go: third parties, and write-ins. Here again, we have a zeitgeist effect, and a seconday, not primary pathway. Its clear Clinton affirmatively repelled some left voters, but we dont know how many, or where.[3]

CRITICAL Pathway (D): Its The Economy, Stupid!

WaPo does a little post mortem-ing of its own. From November 9:

Donald Trump is the president-elect of the United States of America, and he did it by completely blowing up the electoral map and all of our projections and expectations of it. To wit: Trump won his must-win states of Ohio, Florida and North Carolina in races that were called on Tuesday night.

He won his other apparent must-win state, blue-leaning swing state Pennsylvania, which was called for Trump early Wednesday morning.

Not stopping there, he won at least one and possibly two states in which he didnt even campaign until the final week of the 2016 election: Michigan and Wisconsin. These, like Pennsylvania, are states that have long eluded the GOPs grasp and didnt seem likely to be winnable for Trump. All of this disproves the idea, which we and everyone else have espoused early and often, that Trumps path to victory was narrow. It wasnt. It was broad. We were wrong. The polls were wrong. We fundamentally misunderstood this election. We thought Hillary Clinton might be winning red states. But Donald Trump won blue states.

What happened? WaPo has the answer for that as well: Counties that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, but flipped to Trump in 2016, gave Trump victory in the electoral college. First, Ill present data supporting that claim. Next, Ill present the county data, state-by-state, that explains this critical pathway to misfortune. Then Ill summarize the pathway to misfortune. WaPo has a handy map of flipping counties:

WaPo describes the implications:

The Obama-Trump counties were critical in delivering electoral victories for Trump. Many of them fall in states that supported Obama in 2012, but Trump in 2016. In all, these flipped states accounted for 83 electoral votes. (Michigan and New Hampshire could add to this total, but their results were not finalized as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.)

In other words, losing these states was a primary, critical path to failure by the Clinton campaign. (And note that while there are probably plenty of racists in these counties  like everywhere in American, including coastal enclaves  they voted twice for a Black man to be President.)

Lets look at each state in turn.

* * *

Pennsylania

Obama won Pennsylania in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Pennsylania in 2016. From Billy Penn, How Donald Trump won Pennsylvania, then the White House:

For the first time since 1988, Pennsylvania has elected a Republican presidential candidate despite a Democratic voter registration advantage of nearly a million people. With more than 99 percent of returns in, Trump has carried the state by about a percentage point and more than 60,000 votes. Why? There are a few reasons  the main one being that the places in Pennsylvania that have historically mattered just didnt this year. The Philadelphia suburbs were not the difference-maker. Instead, it was Trumps utter clean-up in southwest Pennsylvania and his ability to flip several counties that went blue in 2012. Several Pennsylvania counties that went blue in 2012 for Obama flipped to red this year. For example, Trump hugely flipped Luzerne County in northeastern Pa., which elected Obama by 12,000 votes and five points in 2012. This year, Trump won the county by a stunning 20 points and 25,000 votes. Obama didnt win the counties outside Pittsburgh in 2012. But Clinton was crushed there. Look at Greene County, for example, which went 58 percent to 40 percent in favor of Romney in 2012. This year? It went 69 percent to 27 percent in favor of Trump.

More on Luzerne County:

Like many Americans in 2016, the voters in Luzerne County say they want change. They want lower insurance premiums, an end to illegal immigration and better jobs than those that involve a graveyard shift walking miles on the concrete floor of a cavernous warehouse. More than one in five Luzerne County families with kids live in poverty5 percentage points over the state average, and 9 points higher than in 2000. Per capita income hovers under $25,000, about $4,500 less than the state average, and unemployment tops 6 percentalso over the state and national rates. Since 2009, the number of manufacturing jobs has dropped by 10 percent, and retail jobs have climbed by 8 percent. People perceive themselves as worse off, says Thomas Baldino, a political science professor at Wilkes University in Luzerne County.

As I keep saying about the flyover states: Its bad out there. America is already great is just not a message that resonates.

Ohio

Obama won Ohio in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Ohio in 2016. From Cincinnati.com, How Donald Trump won Ohio:

Clinton did worse than Obama in all but two Ohio counties, Hamilton and Delaware. And she did better in those by only razor-thin margins. Even in some of the few counties she won, Clinton missed out on thousands of votes she couldnt afford to lose, because voters didnt turn out, opted for third-party candidates or voted for Trump instead. In Mahoning County, an industrial center thats been declining since the 1970s, Clinton took 50 percent of the vote to Trumps 47 percent. Obama won the county with almost 64 percent of the vote four years ago. The trend played out across Ohio, especially in the north. Lorain County, just west of Cleveland, went for Obama by 15 points in 2012, but Trump flipped the county to his column with a narrow win.

More on Mahoning County (Youngstown) from Chris Arnade, Outside coastal cities an other America has different values and challenges:

Anthony Rices house in Youngstown, Ohio is a mile away from a river valley once filled with factories offering jobs. Many of those left in the 1980s, and with them, many residents. His home is one of the few occupied on the street. Empty lots or boarded-up homes make up most of the block.  The road itself is a patchwork of potholes. This street hasnt been paved in like forever. They just dont care about us. But we used to that. Did Trumps win surprise him? No. Obama promised a lot and only a little came of it. Maybe New York City got delivered promises. This street here is still filled with homes falling down.

Its bad out there.

Michigan

Obama won Michigan in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Michigan in 2016. From The Detroit News, Trump flipped 12 counties to win Michigan:

Twelve counties that voted for Obama in 2012 instead went for Trump Tuesday night. They included Bay, Eaton, Macomb, Monroe and Saginaw counties. Trump far out-performed historical averages for Republicans in rural areas. The 70-year-old real estate developer received nearly 70 percent of the vote in Montmorency, Kalkaska and Osceola counties, for instance, more than 10 percentage points more than Republican and Michigan native Romney in 2012.

Michigan Live:

A close look at the number reveals that Trump won Michigan the same way he won Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania  by way over-performing in working-class communities, which was enough to offset Clinton votes in the urban and surburban corridors.

Wisconsin

Obama won Wisconsin in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Wisconsin in 2016. From the Journal-Sentinel, Difference-makers in Trumps Wisconsin win:

Trump won 22 counties Obama carried four years ago, 18 of them rural. Much more than others, those voters disapproved of Obama, disdained Clinton and viewed the economy bleakly. As a group, they werent in love with Trump. Half of non-college whites in Wisconsin  Trumps demographic base  had an unfavorable opinion of him, according to exit poll data provided by Edison Research. But of those blue-collar voters who didnt like Trump, almost a third (29%) voted for him. Blue-collar swing: Whites without college degrees are roughly half the electorate in Wisconsin. Romney won them by 8 last time. Trump won them by 28 this time. [Edison Research] that showed that non-college whites: Were far more negative than other voters toward Clinton (68% had a negative opinion of her).



Had a bleaker view of the economy (67% called it not so good or poor).

Were much more negative about trade with other countries (61% said it takes away jobs).

Were more negative about immigration (45% said immigrants do more to hurt the country than help).

Many voters who had qualms about Trump set them aside. They didnt do so in Clintons case. Those who had objections to both broke by large margins for Trump, the change candidate. A lot of those people feel like they got left out of the recovery. Trump really spoke to them, said GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Dave Obey, who was a Democratic congressman from Wausau for four decades, said that for a lot of workers, Wisconsin has been slipping for a long timetheyre desperate enough to try anything. And Trump is anything.

So Republican Walker and Democrat Obey agree

Iowa

Obama won Iowa in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Iowa in 2016. From the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, Clinton Drops 32 Iowa Counties Obama Won In 2012:

The loss of 32 Iowa counties that voted Democratic in 2012 gave the Republican nominee Donald Trump the states six electoral votes. While Barack Obama was able to win the state with 38 counties in 2012, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton claimed just six, an IowaWatch review of the Tuesdays preliminary vote shows.

Heres Clinton campaigning in Cerro Gordo County, which Obama won in 2008 and 2012, and Trump won. From the Boston Globe, May 22, 2015:

There is a drumbeat growing in both parties that could move the highly personal, painful matter of heroin and opioid drug addiction, which has metastasized into an epidemic, higher on the national agenda than at any time since the rampant crack crisis more than two decades ago. On Monday in Mason City, Iowa, Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed drug abuse before she commented publicly on the Trans-Pacific trade deal, one of the central economic policy questions of the day. Calling it a below the surface issue, Clinton said she was now convinced that she needed to talk about it on the trail. One Clinton campaign aide told the Globe that hearing about meth in Iowa and heroin in New Hampshire had prompted Clinton to ask her policy team to begin working on what she has previously called a quiet epidemic.

Gee, that never did happen, did it? I guess thats because deaths in the flyover states dont, well, matter.

* * *

Its the economy, stupid! was, of course, the catchphrase James Carville used to keep his campaign team focused in the 1992 election that first elected Clinton. So, its ironic that the Clinton campaign of 2016 forgot Carvilles motto, but the matrix of failure shows us why. The Clinton campaign faced a fundamental contradiction. On the one hand, they were deeply committed (personally, and by their funders) to the idea of TINA: There Is No Alternative to the (neoliberal, austeritian) policies practiced by Democrats. On the other, they had to run on Obamas record, which to voters in the flyover states just wasnt that great, as the quotes above, many reports, and your own eyes (if you live in one, as I do) show. Obamas economic record includes job creation exclusively in part-time, precarious jobs (see the comment on warehouse jobs from Pennsylvania). Obamas tenure has been marked by rising mortality rates, an AIDS-level epidemic of excess deaths from despair due in part to an opioid epidemic. These are all economic issues, and Obamas record is terrible. Clinton attempted to wriggle out of the contradiction in two ways: First, she began by proferring incremental changes and endless bullet points, and then shifted to focusing on Trumps flaws as a candidate and a man.[4] In either case, it was crystal clear she had no sense of how bad it was out there, or any real idea of what to do (unlike Sanders, who explicitly framed his program as an economic one). Trumps slogan: Make American Great Again. Clintons riposte: America is already great! Really? The counties that voted for hope and change in 2008, and gave Obama a second chance in 2012, werent buying it, nor should they have. They decided to vote for change again in 2016. And why wouldnt they?

CRITICAL Pathway (E): Voter Registration and Turnout Failure

Turnout failure is often framed as voter suppression, and Republicans are blamed. Salon, in one example of many:

Voting in the U.S. isnt equal for all groups. Black voters, who are often concentrated heavily in inner-city areas, are forced to endure the nations longest lines, ones that may discourage them from voting altogether. A study from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies showed that black voters wait twice as long as white people to cast a ballot, with the longest wait times being in South Carolina, Florida and Maryland. Harvard researcher Stephen Pettigrew found that African-Americans were six times more likely than members of demographic groups to spend more than an hour in line in order to vote. Part of the problem is the resources allotted to polling places in predominantly black communities. Those districts have fewer poll workers to assist voters and guide them through the process and have fewer voting machines on hand to process voters in a timely manner.

I agree, but the truth is very partial. I think the pathway to low voter turnout begins with the Establishment, who have never made voter registration a core party function, something that goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (Instead, its done by the campaign when some squillionaire can be induced to spend some money registering a protected group.) Restoring the franchise isnt a matter of more voting machines or polling places; it begins with political clout. And the only way to do that is to get voters registered. Yes, that would cost moeny. Maybe next time the Democrats have a billion bucks, they can put some of it to this use, instead of jamming it down the toilet of the next Clinton campaign, and flushing.

What is true for blacks is true for Hispanics. In Florida:

Hillary Clinton won 66% of Latino voters on Election Day, according to updated National Election Pool exit poll data, a level of Democratic support similar to 2008, when 67% of Hispanics backed Barack Obama. However, Clintons share of the Latino vote was lower than in 2012, when 71% of Latinos voted to re-elect Obama. (This years Latino voter turnout, which has historically trailed other groups, wont be known until sometime in 2017 when the U.S. Census Bureau publishes its report on U.S. voting.)

[H[istorically trailed? What kind of alibi is that? The Democrats had sixteen years to get serious about expanding their voter base; thats how long its been since Jebbie tried to steal Florida for his little brother by purging the voter rolls of Black people.

Anyhow, Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012. Clinton lost Florida in 2016. From the Orlando Sentinel:

Clinton had lots of support in Florida: 4.5 million votes. And she did better than President Barack Obama did in Florida when he won re-election in 2012, increasing his total by 5.9 percent. But Trump did even better at improving on Republican Mitt Romneys 2012 performance. Trumps 4.6 million votes was 10.6 percent higher than Romneys total. She came pretty close to wining Florida, said Robin Rorapaugh, a Democratic Party political consultant from Hollywood whos run multiple statewide campaigns in Florida and was Texas state director for Bill Clinton in 1992, the year he first won the presidency. She was massacred in smaller counties up and down the Panhandle and in Central Florida. Clinton won just nine of the states 67 counties, including the five largest. Rorapaugh said the map clearly shows Clinton failed at holding together the Obama coalition and the absolute hunger to burn down the house in so many small communities in Florida was exhibited at the ballot box. The three most populous counties in the state  Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade  gave Clinton a big victory. She had a margin of 678,000 votes over Trump in South Florida. South Florida performed very well, Rorapaugh said. Democrats turned out. They turned out in large numbers and gave her large margins. But not large enough to offset Trumps surge elsewhere in the state.

So Florida is not a flipping counties story. As it turns out, Trump out-organized Clinton:

But in the rural and exurban counties  including Lake, Marion, Volusia, Brevard and especially Hernando and Citrus outside Tampa  Trump exceeded Romneys 2012 numbers by the tens of thousands, allowing him to pull ahead of Clinton in Florida by more than 100,000 votes. [Josh Kivett, the Republican National Committees Southeast regional political director] said the key was the RNCs strategy of dividing Florida into 254 unique turfs, each staffed by people with real knowledge of those communities.

Florida is a rural votes story, but its also a story of Clinton not increasing Black and Hispanic voters enough. And to me, thats a voter registration story.

Pathway (F): The Undecideds Break for Trump

Trump won big among voters who decided at the last moment. FiveThirtyEight:

In all, Trump picked up 4.0 percentage points among people who hadnt been with him in mid-October, and shed just 1.7 percentage points for a net gain of 2.3 points. Clinton picked up a smaller fraction  2.3 points  and shed 4.0 points for a net loss of 1.7 points. Thats certainly consistent with Trump gaining steam in the races final weeks.

As to why Trump gained steam, the ObamaCare rate hike seems not to have shown up in the numbers, and of course there is the Comey letter (4 pieces of evidence showing FBI Director James Comey cost Clinton the election). But to me, thats too short a pathway; its like saying the Germans won the Battle of France because the Belgians didnt block the roads in the Ardennes; I view the Comey letter as the last pebble in an avalanche of fail. Follow the chain upwards. Why was the letter so damaging? Because it reinforced existing perceptions about Clinton. Why did those perceptions exist? Because of Clintons own behavior: Nobody forced Clinton to privatize her email server! Why was Clintons behavior so damaging? Because twenty years of strategic hate management by conservatives (some based on truth, but by no means all or even most) provided a narrative that fit the facts of the case. Why was such a risky candidate nominated? Because the Democrat Establishment wanted her (the party decides). A narrative like  cost Clinton the election is just a little simple-minded, surely?

Conclusion

I hope the matrix of failure is a useful tool; I enjoyed fitting as much as possible of what I remember happening into its framework. To me, though, the election turned out to be pretty simple:

1) Its the economy, stupid!, and

2) Change vs. more of the same

Clinton was the more of the same candidate in a change year when the economy was the issue. Thats why the Obama counties flipped. So she lost! Oh, and you can argue that zeitgeist issues like the Comey letter lost Clinton the election. But arguments like that depend on national polling. What youve got to do is show that your zeitgeist issue of choice would unflip the Obama counties that went for Trump. Seems unlikely.

NOTE

This post slipped out a few minutes early, if a post so sprawling can be said to slip. Sorry about that, Its all here now.

NOTES

[1] I might also have added an additional secondary pathway from identity politics and microaggression to deplorables. I didnt, because Romney committed the same sort of gaffe, and hes not ideologically committed to identity politics in the way that the Democrats are.

[2] The difference in votes between two candidates must always depend on how many voted, and how many did not vote; its like an accounting identity. So explanations like Low voter turnout in a few key states may have helped Donald Trump or Rustbelt Catholics Voters Put Trump over the Top are necessarily partial. As it turns out, in this post there are two complementary pathways to misfortune: (d), the economy flipping votes to Trump, and (e) lack of voter registration leading to a voter turnout fail.

[3] Its not enough to show that Green Party vote totals; the issue is how many Green voters were repelled by Clinton, and what difference did that make? If there is data on this, I havent seen it. See the final paragraphs in this Billy Penn story, for example.

[4] This could even have reinforced Trumps appeal: If she hates him that much, he could be OK!
Bubble-recoil could be used to cool microchips, even in space (Nanowerk News) The bubbles that form on a heated surface create a tiny recoil when they leave it, like the kick from a gun firing blanks. Now researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, under funding from NASA, have shown how this miniscule force can be harnessed to mix liquid coolant around high-power microelectronics -- in space or on Earth.

The vapor-recoil force "is not well-studied, and has never been applied, to my knowledge," says Alexander Yarin, UIC Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and senior author on the study, published in the journal Nature Microgravity ("Swing-like pool boiling on nano-textured surfaces for microgravity applications related to cooling of high-power microelectronics").

Alternate boiling on two heater circuits swings the apparatus in liquid coolant. (Image: Alexander Yarin)

"In flights to Mars or the moon, equipment like computers generate a lot of heat," Yarin said. As the computers and chips become smaller and are packed tighter, the production of heat becomes a restriction on computing power.

Engineers have looked to "pool-boiling," which is liquid-cooling at a temperature near the boiling point of the fluid. In boiling, all heat is absorbed in converting the liquid to vapor, with no further rise in temperature until the phase change is complete.

But the lack of gravity in space poses a special problem for pool-boiling: The bubbles have no buoyancy.

"On Earth, the bubbles rise, and cold coolant comes in," Yarin said. "But in space, the bubbles don't rise. They stay on the submerged surface, and can merge together to form an insulating vapor layer, and the heat-removal process is interrupted.

"You can try mechanical mixing, but a motor also creates heat. You can try a strong electric field, but that also produces heat and creates other problems," he said. Both methods take up space and require power.

Yarin and his coworkers sandwiched two heat-generating circuit chips back-to-back. By alternating the voltage to the two chips, they were able to cause the apparatus to swing back and forth through the coolant at about 1 centimeter per second.

"When one chip operates, it produces bubbles and a recoil force. Then the other, and it pushes back -- enough to swing the chips in the cooling fluid and shed the bubbles," Yarin said.

"It works with or without gravity - in space, exactly as on Earth."

The researchers also showed that the force is greater when the bubbles are smaller and more numerous, resulting in a swing of greater arc and velocity. Nanofibers made of polymer were supersonically blown onto the chips, creating a nanotexture for increased bubble nucleation.
Turning food waste into tires

(Nanowerk News) Tomorrow's tires could come from the farm as much as the factory.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that food waste can partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century.

In tests, rubber made with the new fillers exceeds industrial standards for performance, which may ultimately open up new applications for rubber.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have developed a patent-pending technology for incorporating food waste into rubber.

As Katrina Cornish explains it, the technology has the potential to solve three problems: It makes the manufacture of rubber products more sustainable, reduces American dependence on foreign oil and keeps waste out of landfills.

Cornish, an Ohio Research Scholar and Endowed Chair in Biomaterials at Ohio State, has spent years cultivating new domestic rubber sources, including a rubber-producing dandelion. Now she has a patent-pending a method for turning eggshells and tomato peels into viable--and locally sourced--replacements for carbon black, a petroleum-based filler that American companies often purchase from overseas.

About 30 percent of a typical automobile tire is carbon black; it's the reason tires appear black. It makes the rubber durable, and its cost varies with petroleum prices.

Carbon black is getting harder to come by, Cornish said.

"The tire industry is growing very quickly, and we don't just need more natural rubber, we need more filler, too," she explained. "The number of tires being produced worldwide is going up all the time, so countries are using all the carbon black they can make. There's no longer a surplus, so we can't just buy some from Russia to make up the difference like we used to.

"At the same time," she added, "we need to have more sustainability."

That's why she and her team are getting eggshells and other food waste from Ohio food producers.

"We're not suggesting that we collect the eggshells from your breakfast," Cornish said. "We're going right to the biggest source."

According to the USDA, Americans consume nearly 100 billion eggs each year. Half are cracked open in commercial food factories, which pay to have the shells hauled to landfills by the ton. There, the mineral-packed shells don't break down.

The second most popular vegetable in the United States--the tomato--also provides a source of filler, the researchers found. Americans eat 13 million tons of tomatoes per year, most of them canned or otherwise processed.

Commercial tomatoes have been bred to grow thick, fibrous skins so that they can survive being packed and transported long distances. When food companies want to make a product such as tomato sauce, they peel and discard the skin, which isn't easily digestible.

Cindy Barrera, a postdoctoral researcher in Cornish's lab, found in tests that eggshells have porous microstructures that provide larger surface area for contact with the rubber, and give rubber-based materials unusual properties. Tomato peels, on the other hand, are highly stable at high temperatures and can also be used to generate material with good performance.

"Fillers generally make rubber stronger, but they also make it less flexible," Barrera said. "We found that replacing different portions of carbon black with ground eggshells and tomato peels caused synergistic effects--for instance, enabling strong rubber to retain flexibility."

"We may find that we can pursue many applications that were not possible before with natural rubber," Cornish added.

The new rubber doesn't look black, but rather reddish brown, depending on the amount of eggshell or tomato in it. With doctoral student Tony Ren, Cornish and Barrera are now testing different combinations and looking at ways to add color to the materials.

Current Ohio State doctoral student Jessica Slutzky and former master's student Griffin Michael Bates participated in the research.
New approach for matching production and consumption of renewable electricity

(Nanowerk News) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is coordinating the BALANCE project, which brings together leading European research institutes in the field of electrochemical conversion. The project aims to demonstrate a technology that enables flexible storage of large amount of renewable power. Such technologies are needed for the further integration of additional wind and solar power. The European Commission funds the project by 2.5 million euros.

Schematics of the ReSOC concept. It is the missing link between the power grid and the fuel or the chemical feedstock for the industry. (Image: VTT)

As the investment costs of solar and wind installation are decreasing, the most significant obstacle for further integration of renewable electricity is the imbalance between their weather-dependant production and the general power consumption. It is this issue that the BALANCE project partners aim to solve by further developing an electrochemical conversion technology called ReSOC (Reversible Solid Oxide Cell).

A ReSOC device uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas by a high temperature electrolysis process, which is significantly more efficient than other electrolyser technologies today. What makes ReSOC particularly interesting, however, is the fact that the exactly same device can also be operated "in reverse" to produce power from the very same hydrogen gas it produced. Using the same device for converting power to a storable gas and for converting this gas back to power again enables very flexible usage of the device, thus increasing its operating hours as well as reducing it capital costs.

Already today, the electricity market is being challenged when flooded by green electricity on a windy or sunny day. This causes the electricity prices to plunge or even go negative in some European countries. Because electricity cannot be stored as such and our current capacity to store it with hydropower or batteries is limited, the production of windmills and solar panels must at times be curtailed to avoid power grid failure. This issue will become more and more important as the production capacity of renewable electricity is growing rapidly.
Demonstrators protest over the repeal and replacement of Obamacare outside the offices of Republican congressman Darryl Issa in Vista, California, U.S., March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

House Republicans this week unveiled their repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, killing a key mandate that most Americans buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

The bill, called the American Health Care Act, has President Donald Trumps support but has been dubbed Obamacare lite by Republicans who are upset that it retains several of the Affordable Care Acts popular provisions.

However, theres no way to know how Trumpcare, as it will inevitably be called, will compare to Obamacare in terms of cost. Thats because the Congressional Budget Office hasnt scored the bill, and GOP aides involved in drafting the legislation told the Washington Post that two committees that oversee the bill are ready to advance it without a CBO score.

Whether that will be necessary is unclear. On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the CBO Director Keith Hall said the Office had begun analysis though its not clear when the analysis will be released. In the meantime, the bills backers are supporting it without looking at the price tag or knowing how many people will be covered.

On Twitter, Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, argued that lawmakers should not support a bill without knowing its cost: Need to see CBO score. Lawmakers should not support a bill without seeing the score.

House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (L) holds a copy of the newly written American Health Care Act while answering questions during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Heres what we do know about costs

Still, some idea of cost is possible to ascertain indirectly, especially considering the bill would repeal taxes imposed by the ACA such as a 3.8% tax on capital gains and a 0.9% tax on income for Medicare. Just repealing these and other ACA taxes would cost $600 billion through 2026, according to an estimate from Congress Joint Committee on Taxation.

Looking at these numbers, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget noted that the Joint Committee on Taxations cost numbers will depress the Medicare trust fund and likely leave far fewer funds to handle coverage.

With the revenue-generating portions killed, looking at the other sidethe expenditureshelps shed light on the monetary costs.

Story continues

The mandate that requires most Americans to be insured or face a tax penalty is gone, but still exists more or less under another name. To encourage coverage to get insurance, the ACHA would let insurers increase premiums up to 30% if people let their insurance lapse.

It also allows for people with preexisting conditions to get insurance. This may lead to premium spikes, since the pools will be needier as healthy people have less incentive to sign up. To stabilize these pools, the AHCA allocates $110 billion to states; $15 billion will be injected in 2018 and 2019, and $10 billion each year until 2026. But this allocation could fall far short of whats needed to stabilize high risk pools. According to the Commonwealth fund, stabilizing high-risk pools would cost $178 billion each year.

Other things may make the AHCA more expensive. Though people under 26 can stay on their parents health insurance plans, employers will not have to provide health insurance to employees, pushing more people toward the ACHA system.

Health insurance subsidies will continue, despite the lack of taxes, and will be based on age instead of income, effective in 2020. They will increase with age, but the program would benefit younger and healthier people as older people will be able to be charged five times more than younger people. Individuals making over $75,000 would see phaseouts of credits. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average credit would fall 36% from $4,615 to $2,957.

How Trumpcare might lower costs

On the cost-lowering side, the new law would curb Medicaid expansion and expire expansion altogether by 2020. The program would also cap funding to states for Medicare, a process known as block granting, which differs from its current policy of providing the states what they need. Funds paid to Planned Parenthood would stop, as the new law would ban federal funds for public health organizations that provide abortions.

In terms of the amount of people who would lose insurance, the Commonwealth Fund has some analysis based on its biennial survey in lieu of CBO numbers. Millions of people attained coverage through Medicaid, but would likely be locked out in greater amounts by AHCA. If a workers wages were under the income threshold of about $14,600, they would be eligible for Medicare. But if they made more than that, they would lose their health insurance. And by having a continuous coverage provision, getting it back would be more expensive, the Fund notes. This disincentive works. With so many people churning in and out of Medicaid, the uninsured numbers would be in the millions.

Currently, not all Republican senators are on board, giving the bill a high chance of failure against a unified Democratic opposition. While Ted Cruz (TX) and Rand Paul (KY) view the bill like a mini-Obamacare, others such as Rob Portman (OH), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Cory Gardner (CO), and Lisa Murkowski (AK) have protested that repealing the Medicaid expansion would not help their constituencies.

Moreover, the bill is subject to special fiscal requirements because its being introduced under the reconciliation process, which lets Congress consider budget resolutions without the threat of a filibuster. Reconciliation bills are subject to the Byrd rule, which would block them if they contribute to the deficit beyond a 10-year period.

All these headwinds may push Republicans into waiting until CBO numbers are released. And if those numbers are large in terms of cost and number of uninsured people, those headwinds will intensify.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, tech, and personal finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Got a tip? Send it to tips@yahoo-inc.com.

Read more:
Robot uses social feedback to fetch objects intelligently

(Nanowerk News) If someone asks you to hand them a wrench from a table full of different sized wrenches, you'd probably pause and ask, "which one?" Robotics researchers from Brown University have now developed an algorithm that lets robots do the same thing -- ask for clarification when they're not sure what a person wants.

The research, which will be presented this spring at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Singapore, comes from Brown's Humans to Robots Lab led by computer science professor Stefanie Tellex. Her work focuses on human-robot collaboration -- making robots that can be good helpers to people at home and in the workplace.

"Fetching objects is an important task that we want collaborative robots to be able to do," Tellex said. "But it's easy for the robot to make errors, either by misunderstanding what we want, or by being in situations where commands are ambiguous. So what we wanted to do here was come up with a way for the robot to ask a question when it's not sure."

Brown University undergraduate Eric Rosen lays out items on a table for Baxter the robot to retrieve. A new algorithm Rosen helped to develop let's Baxter ask a question if it's unsure which item it's supposed to fetch.

Tellex's lab had previously developed an algorithm that enables robots to receive speech commands as well as information from human gestures. It's a form of interaction that people use all the time. When we ask someone for an object, we'll often point to it at the same time. Tellex and her team showed that when robots could combine the speech commands with gestures, they got better at correctly interpreting user commands.

Still, the system isn't perfect. It runs into problems when there are lots of very similar objects in close proximity to each other. Take the workshop table, for example. Simply asking for "a wrench" isn't specific enough, and it might not be clear which one a person is pointing to if a number of wrenches are clustered close together.

"What we want in these situations is for the robot to be able to signal that it's confused and ask a question rather than just fetching the wrong object," Tellex said.

The new algorithm does that. It enables the robot to quantify how certain it is that it knows what a user wants. When its certainty is high, the robot will simply hand over the object as requested. When it's not so certain, the robot makes its best guess about what the person wants, then asks for confirmation by hovering its gripper over the object and asking, "this one?"

One of the important features of the system is that the robot doesn't ask questions with every interaction. It asks intelligently.

"When the robot is certain, we don't want it to ask a question because it just takes up time," said Eric Rosen, an undergraduate working in Tellex's lab and co-lead author of the research paper with graduate student David Whitney. "But when it is ambiguous, we want it to ask questions because mistakes can be more costly in terms of time."

And even though the system asks only a very simple question, "it's able to make important inferences based on the answer," Whitney said. For example, say a user asks for a wrench and there are two wrenches on a table. If the user tells the robot that its first guess was wrong, the algorithm deduces that the other wrench must be the one that the user wants. It will then hand that one over without asking another question. Those kinds of inferences, known as implicatures, make the algorithm more efficient.

To test their system, the researchers asked untrained participants to come into the lab and interact with Baxter, a popular industrial and research robot. Participants asked Baxter for objects under different conditions. The team could set the robot to never ask questions, ask a question every time, or to ask questions only when uncertain. The trials showed that asking questions intelligently using the new algorithm was significantly better in terms of accuracy and speed compared to the other two conditions.

The system worked so well, in fact, that participants thought the robot had capabilities it actually didn't have. For the purposes of the study, the researchers used a very simple language model -- one that only understood the names of objects. However, participants told the researchers they thought the robot could understand prepositional phrases like, "on the left" or "closest to me," which it could not. They also thought the robot might be tracking their eye-gaze, which it wasn't. All the system was doing was making smart inferences after asking a very simple question.

In future work, Tellex and her team would like to combine the algorithm with more robust speech recognition systems, which might further increase the system's accuracy and speed.
Cosmic environments and their influence in star formation

(Nanowerk News) The scaffolding that holds the large-scale structure of the universe constitutes galaxies, dark matter and gas (from which stars are forming), organized in complex networks known as the cosmic web. This network comprises dense regions known as galaxy clusters and groups that are woven together through thread-like structures known as filaments. These filaments form the backbone of the cosmic web and host a large fraction of the mass in the universe, as well as sites of star formation activity.

While there is ample evidence that environments shape and direct the evolution of galaxies, it is not clear how galaxies behave in the larger, global cosmic web and in particular in the more extended environment of filaments.

In a joint collaboration between the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Riverside, astronomers have performed an extensive study of the properties of galaxies within filaments formed at different times during the age of the universe.

Simulations of the cosmic web. The filaments connecting structures are shown. Such structures are predicted by numerical simulations of matter distribution in the universe at different times through the age of the universe. (Image: UC Riverside) (click on image to enlarge)

In a just-published paper (Astrophysical Journal, "Cosmic Web of Galaxies in the COSMOS Field: Public Catalog and Different Quenching for Centrals and Satellites"), astronomers used a sample of 40,000 galaxies in the COSMOS field, a large and contiguous patch of sky with deep enough data to look at galaxies very far away, and with accurate distance measurements to individual galaxies. The large area covered by COSMOS allowed sampling volumes of different densities within the cosmic web.

Using techniques developed to identify the large-scale structures, they cataloged the cosmic web to its components: clusters, filaments, and sparse regions devoid of any object, extending into the universe as it was 8 billion years ago. The galaxies were then divided into those that are central to their local environment (the center of gravity) and those that roam around in their host environments (satellites).

"What makes this study unique is the observation of thousands of galaxies in different filaments spanning a significant fraction of the age of the Universe" said Behnam Darvish a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech who is the lead author on the paper. "When we consider the distant universe, we look back in time to when the cosmic web and filaments were younger and had not yet fully evolved and therefore, could study the joint evolution of the large scale structures and galaxies associated with them."

The researchers measured the star formation activity in galaxies located in different environments.

"It was reassuring when we found that the average star-formation activity declined from the sparsely populated regions of the cosmic web to mildly populated filaments and dense clusters," said Bahram Mobasher, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Riverside. "However, the surprising finding was that the decline was especially steep for satellite galaxies."

He emphasized: "The inevitable conclusion from this was that the majority of satellite galaxies stop forming stars relatively fast during the last 5 billion years as they fall to dense environments of clusters by way of the filaments, while this process is much slower for central galaxies."

The fast cessation of star formation experienced by satellite galaxies can be explained by "ram-pressure stripping," which is loss of star-forming gas within a galaxy as it moves within a denser environment, such as a cluster.

"Compared to the central galaxies, it is the smaller gravitational pull of the satellite galaxies produced by their smaller mass, that results in a more efficient loss of gas and hence, a slow-down in star formation activity with respect to the more massive central galaxies" said Chris Martin, a professor of astronomy at Caltech.
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(Natural News) It seems that the Huffington Post has continued to block or censor articles that dont align perfectly with the media outlets views  especially when it comes to the documentary, Vaxxed. Almost exactly one year ago  in April of 2016, the same publication was caught censoring positive reviews of the film about vaccines. Now, the Leftist mainstream media site is at it again.

British writer Sally Beck reports that she had written two articles pertaining to the film recently. Her first article, titled, Vaxxed: should we watch this film? was published on Huff Pos U.K. site on February 21st. She went on to co-write a second article, The MMR vaccine: why its sensible to worry about the way it has been regulated, and it was published shortly after the first.

The article on the documentary itself was primarily an overview of the films content, while the second article served to express support for parents who are concerned about the MMR vaccine. Both articles respectfully acknowledged the CDC whistleblower, William Thompson, and other figures in the anti-vax community, such as Andrew Wakefield and Brian Hooker.

These articles have, of course, since been removed from the Huffington Post websites. And it is far from the first time that Huff Po has censored content. Last year, Lance Simmens  who had reportedly written nearly 200 articles for Huffing Post over 8 years  had his review of the Vaxxed documentary removed almost immediately after its publication. Whats more, Simmens also reported that his login credentials were blocked.

Simmens describes himself as having a strong liberal streak, but that the movie had inspired him to call for a more open, national dialogue regarding the allegations put forth by the documentary. This alone was enough to cause him to be censored by a far-left news site  which in and of itself speaks volumes about the Left-wing ideologies taking hold in this country. They arent even willing to entertain the idea of discussion  and suggesting so, even with an abundance of evidence is enough to get you fired.

Simmens expressed his frustration at the fact that his article was removed without any sort of explanation. It never crossed my mind that this might be some sort of censorship because it has never happened to me and the article, while provocative, is not beyond any bounds of journalistic or political propriety, Simmens explained.

Unsurprisingly, this was not the only act of censorship perpetrated by Huff Po in 2016. Another writer for the publication, David Seaman, claims that he too was banned by the site  only this time, it was for daring to highlight the concerns surrounding the health of Hilary Clinton. Seaman says that he had published hundreds of articles for the site, and never had any problems until he wrote two stories that questioned the health of the Democratic presidential candidate.

Seaman says that his contract and login credentials were revoked without notice  which seems to be the modus operandi of the Huff Po team. Why give an explanation when you know what youre doing isnt right?

The Left-wing media and their cohorts have consistently tried to stifle the opinions of others  even when those opinions are just simply more moderate than their own. Simmens, for example, merely suggested that there needs to be more discussion about the MMR vaccine.

Controlling what people can and cannot see, hear or read is not only censorship, but a form of mind control. As Mike Adams explains, by controlling the content of what people view each day, one can also manipulate their opinions and beliefs about any number of things: politics, religion, vaccines, and so on. Censorship in the mainstream media is growing, and as they have already demonstrated, they will do whatever is within their power to discredit the independent media and maintain control.

Follow more news about vaccine dangers at Vaccines.news.

Sources:

TheFreeThoughtProject.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Inquisitr.com
(Natural News) For the most part, when the government is put in charge of things, those things tend to get worse and not better. As the late Ronald Reagan once said, government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem. With respect to healthcare, Reagans words hold true  more government is, indeed, the problem.

As it turns out, the liberals in California have yet to learn this important lesson. On Friday, State Senator Ricardo Lara introduced legislation that would transition Californias healthcare into a single-payer system. (RELATED: Read what a retired colonel said about the real purpose of Obamacare). The system would be very similar to the healthcare system currently in place in Canada and would cost California taxpayers roughly $40 billion for the first year alone. Given the poor economic climate California has already created for itself, this will no doubt be just one more burden on the people of California, and one step closer towards total bankruptcy.

Micah Weinberg, the president of the Economic Institute at the Bay Area Council, raised concerns over the financial consequences of the proposed legislation. Where are they going to come up with the $40 billion? he asked. He went on to suggest that adopting a state level single-payer system is just not feasible to do as a state.

The Los Angeles Times has noted that a single-payer healthcare system has been a goal for California liberals for quite some time now. In both 2006 and 2008, bills were introduced to reform the states healthcare system but they were vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many California Progressives now blame the efforts of Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act for their renewed push to bring about statewide single-payer healthcare.

The problem, of course, is that single-payer healthcare doesnt improve the quality and accessibility of care; it makes it all ten times worse. For proof, look no further than just north of our border, where Canadians have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of government funded healthcare.

Of all 11 industrialized nations, Canada ranks last in its ability to provide citizens with same-day or next-day appointments with doctors. As a result of this harsh reality, many Canadians are increasingly traveling south into America to get the care that they need in a quick, efficient manner.

Such was the case with Sharon Shamblaw, a resident of Ontario who was diagnosed in the summer of 2015 with a form of blood cancer. The treatment was available to her at a Toronto hospital 100 miles away from her home, as well as in one of the three facilities inside of her province. The only problem was that each of these facilities had an eight-month waiting period for the particular type of stem cell transplant that Sharon needed.

Four months later, she finally decided to travel south to Buffalo, New York for her treatment. Sadly, Sharon was too late. She passed away at the age of 46, leaving behind her three children and her husband.

There are countless examples of this from different countries around the world. The long waiting times and poor quality care that occurs as a result of single-payer healthcare have terrible consequences not only for the well-being of the people living in these countries, but for the countries themselves. In a place like California, where the entire state economy is teetering on the brink of collapse, a transition into a single-payer system may very well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Sources:

Breitbart.com

LAtimes.com

TheHill.com

USnews.com
Researchers at NASA have discovered a rare find in the Caspian Sea -- an ice island that looks like a gigantic floating diamond.

The giant ice diamond was spotted by the Landsat 8 satellite on Feb. 4 near western Kazahkstan. The said island is, in fact, made of different types of ice that form at sea.

Onlookers can marvel at the diamond ice's sheer beauty as its natural white color opposes that of the surrounding landscape. Apart from white ice, the ice island also features brown ice from the Volga Delta, where Europe's Volga River meets the Caspian Sea.

Read Also: Uh-Oh! There's a Gigantic Iceberg About to Break Off From the Antarctic

According to Weather, the "island" comes from the cold northern region of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest body of water that is inland and is attached to Kazakhstan and Iran.

Alexei Kouraev from the Laboratory of Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies in France told NASA that the ice "diamond" may be a piece of ice island that detached itself from the ice field a bit far away. IFL Science notes that it's a common misconception to treat this as an iceberg. It is safer to assume that this ice "island" is from a larger sea ice and then found itself on the Caspian Sea.

NASA has also released a thermal data-based image of the diamond ice island. This is a rare find for those visiting the Caspian sea as it is not too often for scientists to discover a sheet ice in this scale.

Read Also: Massive Rift in Antarctic Ice Shelf Spotted in NASA Photograph
A crocodile in Tunisia Zoo died after tourists brutally stoned the poor reptile to its death.

According to information posted on the Facebook page of the municipality of Tunis, the reptile died of internal hemorrhage as it was hit directly on the head with big rocks and slabs. Photos of the gory incident were also posted online.

The despicable act occurred at the Belvedere Zoo, which is not unfamiliar with visitors behaving badly during their visitations.

"It's terrible. You cannot imagine what the animals endure from some visitors. Citizens leave waste and plastic bags... They throw stones at lions and hippos," Amor Ennaifer, a vet at the zoo, told AFP. "There are more than 150 species in the zoo. We can't put a guard in front of each cage. People need to be aware of the need to respect animals."

IFL Science reported that just last year the Belvedere Zoo made headlines after photos of enclosures filled with plastics and other trash circulated on social media. Instead of addressing the issue, the zoo's director brushed off the issue and explained that it is normal during the holidays because the zoo gets filled with visitors.

In the past few weeks, reports about animals getting abused and killed inside their sanctuary are increasing.

In South Africa, armed men broke into the Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage and cruelly killed two baby rhinos. Reports from The Dodo said the horns of the two rhinos were viciously removed after planting bullets on their bodies.

Gustavito, the beloved hippopotamus of the El Salvador's National Zoo was also killed on Sunday after an unknown group of assailants stabbed him with pieces of metals.

Animals in zoos are supposed to be receiving best care available in the name of conservation. Sadly, animal deaths still occur.

Chris Draper, programs manager of captive wild animals with the Born Free Foundation, a British non-profit said safety of the zoo animals depend on the quality of the facility that they are in. Aside from proper feeding and care, the animals must have enclosures that are not accessible to the public viewing area.
Ten people who were arrested during a violent "March 4 Trump" rally in Berkeley last weekend spent all of Tuesday in court, only to learn that they are not yet facing charges.

People who support President Donald Trump and others who oppose what he stands for kicked off the rally with signs, slogans and fierce debates at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. But it quickly devolved into demonstrators pepper spraying and egging one another, setting off fireworks and smoke bombs, and lighting fire to American flags and Make America Great Again caps. Ten people were arrested and at least three were wounded on Saturday, police said.

The suspects prepared to face a judge for the first time on Tuesday. Their possible charges range from battery to assault with a deadly weapon. But late in the afternoon, they were told they were free to go.

But NBC Bay Area learned that just because they were not slapped with charges on Tuesday, doesn't mean they won't be charged at all.

The Alameda County District Attorney's office said that prosecutors are still reviewing the arrest reports. Berkeley police are expected to hand over additional video evidence, and it is only after investigating that information that charging decisions will be made, Assistant District Attorney Teresa Drenick said.

Its one thing to be a Trump supporter and wave the flag, said Benjamin Lynch, who belongs to the By Any Means Necessary group that opposes Trump. Its another thing to try to build a kind of organization thats set on attacking immigrants, set on attacking Muslims.

Kyle Chapman was in court on Tuesday after being arrested for allegedly bashing an Antifa protester in the head with a stick when fights broke out.

Dressed in a hoodie, knee pads, a fume mask, goggles, and a helmet, Chapman, who was also carrying a shield, was caught on camera hitting the protester.

Chapman, hailed on social media as Based StickMan or Alt-Knight, could be charged with up to six felonies, according to a crowd-sourced legal defense fund on WeSearchr.

As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 1,300 contributors had raised in excess of $71,000 for Chapman, who they describe as an American hero. Chapman was released from jail on Monday on $5,000 bail, which was apparently paid for via the WeSearchr fund. After his release, he tweeted about his arraignment and asked people to support him.

Chapman refused to comment on his actions or arrest when arriving at the court. As he left, though, he chortled, "I am out and free!"

The 41-year-old has become an internet sensation since Saturday.

"They brought the war to us and we were ready for them," said Krissi Healey, a Trump supporter. She was not arrested, but said she was standing next to Chapman during the attack.

Healey argued on Tuesday that the viral video speaks for itself.

"I think it clearly shows self-defense," she said.

But many disagreed  vehemently.

"It's completely insane," said Rackell Anzaldua. "I literally have proof on my face. Someone literally punched me when I was down on the ground."

The Berkeley resident said the aggressors came from the pro-Trump crowd.

"Just cause I don't have the same views as you, you don't have to get violent," Anzaldua.

Henry Meier, who witnessed the heated clashes, also chimed in.

If you dont allow the other side to have freedom of speech, you dont live in [a] democracy anymore, he said. You pretty much just have mob rule.

One thing both feuding sides agreed on was the Berkeley Police Department's allegedly lackluster response. Many expressed unhappiness with the fact that officers stood in riot gear, and simply watched the skirmishes unfold. Videos and photos from the scene, however, showed police officers intervening in brawls and tending to a man who was bleeding from a head wound.

The department was criticized for adopting a similar strategy last month when thousands stormed the UC Berkeley campus and wreaked havoc to prevent controversial alt-right speaker Milo Yiannopoulos from addressing the Berkeley College Republicans.
A story destined to end in heartbreak took a euphoric twist.

A blind Labrador retriever named Sage meandered away from her home in Boulder Creek on Feb. 24 and walked into the dense wilderness of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

For the next eight days, a search and rescue effort took off as the desperate owners, who went as far as hiring a search and rescue dog team from Southern California, tried everything in their power to locate the lost pup.

The owners' exuberant break came on the eighth day, thanks to Daniel Estrada, their next door neighbor. Estrada was out on a hike with his friend Vincent Lopez, and, admittedly, they were not actively searching for Sage. They were simply enjoying a day amongst towering redwoods and trickling creeks.

However, within minutes of trekking into the dense forest, Estrada spotted a white object in a nearby stream.

"At first, I thought it was a trash bag," Estrada said. "As I looked closer, it's Sage."

Vincent Lopez

Sadness immediately flooded Estrada's heart. The firefighter-paramedic for the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department believed he was about to conduct a gut-wrenching recovery operation.

"My heart was in my stomach," he said. "I'm just thinking, 'Oh, no.'"

Estrada's friend crept closer and, much to his surprise, spotted Sage lift her head.

"Dude, she's alive," Lopez yelled.

"At that moment, sadness was gone," Estrada said. "I ran over to her. I was hugging her and giving her kisses."

Sage was too exhausted to walk, so Estrada tapped into his firefighter background. He hoisted her on his shoulders and lugged her roughly 100 yards through the stream and then another 100 yards up a heavily-wooded hill.

Vincent Lopez

A joyous reunion full of hugs ensued between Sage and her owners.

"It was so much joy," Estrada said. "There was no words to explain it. Everyone in the community was overwhelmed with joy."

Estrada was offered a $1,000 reward, but he declined the offer. He insisted that the money be donated to an animal welfare group.

"I thought the money would be better for a charitable cause," Estrada said.

Vincent Lopez

Amid a rough winter packed with damaging storms that caused tragic deaths and costly property damage throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sage's rescue brought much-needed happiness to a pain-stricken community.

"This story has brought everyone together," Estrada said.

Sage's determination to survive also inspired the Boulder Creek and surrounding neighborhoods to live by three important lessons, according to Estrada.

"Don't give up," he said. "Help is on the way. Love never fails."
The California Office of Emergency Services and Small Business Administration on Tuesday continued to comb through the battered neighborhoods of San Jose while they determine how much disaster assistance money will be doled out to homeowners, businesses and local jurisdictions previously overwhelmed by historic flood waters.

Current estimates from San Jose city officials indicate that the city suffered $50 million in private property damage when polluted flood water  chalk full of sewage, gasoline, oil and chemicals  swallowed cars and rushed into the first story of several homes along the swollen Coyote Creek roughly two weeks ago.

A total of 140 homes suffered major damage while 399 homes sustained minor damage, according to officials. The state put the flood in perspective.

"So we have residents that are impacted here," said David Cruise, OES regional director. "We have residents impacted across the entire state for all the storms that have hit us through January and February and even as far back as December."

Footing the entire bill for private repair costs will likely not all come from the Office of Emergency Services, according to San Jose Deputy Manager Kip Harkness.

"I think it will be very difficult case for us to get the amount of money that we requested," he said. "I feel like we're getting really good cooperation, collaboration with folks that are here on the ground. They are listing to our stories. They are talking to our people. They are understanding what's going on, but they also have rules and regulations that they have to follow and that puts us at a disadvantage because it doesn't quite take into account that even though (it) is a relatively few number, how many people were really affected by this."

The Office of Emergency Services is expected to announce next week or later how much money, if any, will be handed out to flood victims.

Regardless of that amount, the city of San Jose says it will continue to assist residents with block grants, community fundraising and housing vouchers.

For now, the city is focusing on more immediate situations. On Tuesday, it announced the Seven Trees shelter, with about 200 residents, is now being run by nonprofit Home First.

One priority at the shelter is residents' health. Recently, 15 people got food poisoning and others have complained of illnesses.

"We're lucky enough to have Valley Medical Center backpack medicine on-site every Friday and possibly other medical services here," Home First CEO Andrea Urton said. "But we can also transport them immediately to a doctor's office or the hospital."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided not to tour or consider funding for private units tarnished by the high water, but it did tour impaired public buildings and is considering funding for those units. San Jose is requesting $18 million to fix flawed parks, bridges and roads. Initial estimates were listed at $23 million.

Several residents claim the city failed to properly notify the public before high-rising water inundated homes and cars. And on Tuesday, officials heard from flood victims who still need bare essentials.

"Food, clothing, blankets and money to buy all that stuff," resident Maria Quintero said.

"I'm so frustrated by this," flood victim Hien Nguyen said. "I'm a 70-year-old woman and to face that flood disaster, it's terrible, horrible."

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo immediately took the blame for the historic flooding, and he recently noted that the city should have had more bodies to prevent such a catastrophe from uprooting residents from their homes.

"There's no question that if we had more staff there would be more to do, better preparation," he said Monday. "There's no question we could do better."

NBC Bay Area on Monday learned that San Jose was short-staffed when the Coyote Creek breached its banks and sent water from the saturated Anderson Reservoir flowing into neighborhoods.

The position of director of the Emergency Operations Center was vacant at the time of the flooding, forcing Assistant City Manager David Sykes and county officials to fill in. A new EOC director has been hired and is expected to start on March 13, according to Liccardo.

The city this week will also hold its first public hearing to discuss what went wrong leading up to the flooding. That meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
In the aftermath of pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators clashing in Berkeley over the weekend, the two sides found common ground: Both say police did not do enough to prevent the violence.

Punches were thrown, pepper spray was fired and sticks were drawn after the scheduled March 4 Trump in Berkeley met with a counter-protest Saturday. The result was 10 arrests.

Organizers said the pro-Trump march was supposed to be a peaceful event. They said the event became violent only after a group of anarchists tried to stop it. The demonstration was supposed to end at the UC Berkeley campus, but the outbreak of violence prevented that.

It was a similar scene to what occurred during the Milo Yiannopoulos protest. Cal student Pranav Jandhyala was caught in the middle, shooting video at the March 4 Trump.

"Definitely violence on both sides, but I will say the Trump supporters were trying to assemble peacefully," Jandhyala said.

As the violence heightened, a line of Berkeley police officers in riot gear could be seen standing about a hundred feet away.

"No one is in the middle trying to break apart this conflict," Jandhyala said. "Like, you guys need to get involved."

For those arrested, charges included battery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Berkeley Police Department said in a statement, "Because of the nature of the crowd, police are not always able to make immediate arrests without inciting further violence or injuring peaceful bystanders."

But Trump rally organizer Rich Black said police refused to handcuff more and took too long to keep the peace.

"We had someone with a broken noise, split eyebrows," he said. "It was just excuse after excuse. The worst was 'We cant see what is going on.'"

Berkeley police and the city of Berkeley had no further comments on the event.

Meanwhile, pro-Trump organizers said they plan to have another march sometime in the future, one they hope will stay peaceful.
Bay Area advocates on Wednesday are joining forces with women across the country to flex their economic muscle as part of International Women's Day.

"On March 8, we propose a feminist strike which will not be content to pinkwash the bombs on Bagdad, or to knit crowns honoring biology as our destiny," the Gender Strike! Bay Area states. "Instead, we propose a different strike, a strike against all forms of gender domination."

Gareon Conely has gone through a whilrwind of emotions recently. Once the Raiders made him their first-round pick, shock and relief set in.

Whether it's a call for a moment of silence at 12 p.m., or a #GrabYourWallet strike and mass walk out at workplaces, a variety of strategies have been proposed for International Womens Day, a day chalk-full of strikes held annually in countries around the world.

Following the 3 pm march today, the resistance group proposes the next Anti-Trump demonstration for February 20, President Day @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/jY89u9QEwh  Rebecca Greenway (@RebeccaGreenway) February 4, 2017

"Every day throughout [Santa Clara County] and the world, women play a vital social, economic and political role in society," Cindy Chavez, a Santa Clara County Supervisor, said at a joint press conference with other local female officials Tuesday. "Yet, we continue to face the wage gap, vulnerability to discrimination and other gender and economic injustices."

From San Francisco to San Jose, here is a quick look at some of the 'Day Without A Woman' Rallies and 'International Womens Day Strikes' planned for tomorrow:

San Francisco, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- In the morning, a Day Without a Woman rally will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. outside of San Francisco City Hall, while an International Womens Day strike will immediately proceed through the afternoon from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza located at 1 Market St. Organizers state that the organizers of both actions 'are in solidarity' with each other and will be present at both.

Berkeley, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- On the University of California, Berkeley campus, another 'International Womens Day strike will occur around the lunch hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lower Sproul Plaza.

San Jose, Noon to 2 p.m. -- Outside of the San Jose City Hall located at 200 East Santa Clara St., there will be a Day Without A Woman rally from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Santa Cruz, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. -- In the early afternoon, there will be a Day Without A Woman rally in the Louden Nelson Community Center located at 301 Center St. in Santa Cruz from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Oakland, 5 to 9 p.m. -- Later that evening outside of the Oakland City Hall, an 'International Womens Day strike will occur from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Pacifica 6 to 7 p.m. -- Over on the coast side, organizers are hosting a candlelight walk at sunset from Linda Mar Beach to Rockaway Beach and back starting from 5000 Pacific Coast Highway in Pacifica.
Following growing concern about the Trump administrations crackdown on illegal immigration, the Martinez City Council on Wednesday took steps to approve a resolution expressing support for the citys immigrant community.

The language of the resolution is still being fine-tuned, but its goal is to express the local governments allegiance to both undocumented and documented immigrants. Council members are likely to vote and approve a refined version of the resolution at the next council meeting on March 15.

The City shall not expand resources to conduct sweeps or other concentrated efforts for the purpose of locating and/or detaining persons who are solely suspected of being illegally present in the United States, a copy of the draft resolution states. It can be read in full below.

The resolution stops short of making Martinez a sanctuary city, an important distinction that irked some who came to speak during public comment. City manager Brad Kilger noted that strengthening the wording or creating an ordinance declaring Martinez a sanctuary city would not qualify as a minor revision and would require much deeper discussion.

Kilger also cautioned that engaging the federal government by passing sanctuary ordinances could have drastic consequences. He was likely referring to an executive order that promises to yank funding for cities that provide safe havens for undocumented immigrants.

Still, passing the resolution could be a first and immediate step to show support for the citys vulnerable populations, giving time for the more in-depth discussions to unfold, Mayor Rob Schroder said. The rate at which President Donald Trump has been signing executive orders has expedited the need for a resolution, he concluded.

I would like to adopt something as soon as possible he said. I think its important we do something now.

Nationwide, reports about ICE raids have rattled immigrant populations and advocate groups, leading to a stronger push for immigrant-friendly policies. Richmond is currently the only city in Contra Costa County that has adopted sanctuary city ordinances, though several school boards have passed safe haven resolutions since Trumps inauguration.

I know that there are hundreds if not thousands of families in the Martinez community that are living in fear every day, that they may not see each other after they send their children to school in the morning, Martinez resident Jonathan Wright, who serves on the Martinezs Board of Education, said. I urge the council to make Martinez a sanctuary city.

The degree to which Martinez Police collaborates with ICE was another issue many commenters wanted to see addressed in the resolution.

During the meeting, Martinez Chief of Police Majit Sappal said the police department does not currently aid immigration officers unless there is a warrant for a person or probable cause for arrest. He added that his officers dont participate in ICE raids or sweeps, but said they are required to block off streets for public safety in the event a raid unfolded within city limits.

If immigration shows up here tomorrow and says, 'We need some help to go do some sweeps  just for immigration  were not going to do it, Sappal said. I would point out though that if immigration showed up and were doing whatever they do, and created some kind of public safety issue for us  then were going to do that for public safety, not for helping them with their sweeps.

Other local law enforcement agencies do collaborate with ICE more closely, notably the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Department. Undocumented immigrants who are arrested and taken to the Martinez jail fall under the sheriffs purview and could be subject to ICE holds.

They have their own obligations and follow their own laws as to whether they notify immigration or not, Sappal said. We are not a part of that process.

A refined version of the resolution will appear before the board on March 15. All city council members approved putting it on the agenda.
A protest in response to President Donald Trump's revised travel ban emerged Monday night at San Francisco International Airport in the form of a large projected message on interior and exterior walls of the airport.

The projected words read "No Ban No Wall," which has been the mantra for most of the protests against the president's immigration policies since he took office in January.

Later, an image of a woman wearing an American-flag hijab was projected on the interior wall.

Trump's initial executive order, issued days after he was inaugurated, temporarily banned travel from seven Muslim-majority nations. The new, narrower order removes Iraq from the list and backs off a blanket ban on Syrian refugees.

About two dozen protesters inside SFO's international terminal also carried traditional signs and chanted "This is what democracy looks like!"

The chants were what protesters wanted immigrants to hear and the projected images were what they wanted immigrants to see.

"We cant normalize the Trump administration," protester Harrison Bronfeld said. "Every time he does something, we have to be loud, and we have to stand up and say its wrong. Otherwise it will become acceptable."
A proposed marijuana dispensary in San Francisco, co-owned by former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, has come under attack by neighbors who fear the shop will create stoned drivers and increase crime in the area.

But Quan and her colleagues say those concerns are unfounded.

The dispensary would be located in a building at 32nd Avenue and Noriega in the city's Sunset district. A group of neighbors opposing the dispensary rallied outside the building Monday night. Last week, the angry group wouldn't let supporters talk at a meeting at the Taraval police station.

Quan's husband, Dr. Floyd Huen, was at the Apothecarium dispensary on Market Street to talk about the proposed new dispensary.

"We already have 3,000 of the patients who come here, live out there," he said. "That's a starting point. They should be getting one in the neighborhood."

Huen points out that about 60 percent of Sunset district residents voted in favor of Proposition 64 in November, which legalized marijuana in California.

"Community education about the usefulness of this product and the fact that it doesn't make you high when you use it," Huen said. "It's nonaddictive, it's safe and nobody's ever died from this."

Still, on Monday night, people who live near the proposed site spoke up again.

"He is not really that well intentioned to educate us; they are just profit making people," resident Ena Kwok said. "But with the marijuana, there is a higher possibility of more crime with car accidents, and this is a peaceful community."

Resident Billy Thach agreed.

"They are just making money," he said. "They are using somebody's misery, somebody's cancer, a condition, to make a case. How can they stoop so low?"

San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang represents the district and said she has never seen a neighborhood so united on an issue. Fears expressed to her include the dispensary's proximity to child care and after-school programs. And crime.

"The data in Oakland over 15 years, in Colorado and Washington, shows that when you open facilities like this, illicit usage of it goes down, not up, and crime goes down, not up."

The fate of the dispensary now rests with the city's planning department. It could end up in front of the Board of Supervisors. But anti-dispensary forces are confident because they have stopped a couple previous attempts for dispensaries in the Sunset district.
TRUMP WATCH

"My son, Harry, and I call him "Trumpy": Wondering what Dave Letterman thinks of President Donald Trump these days? He interviewed him plenty of times over the years on "The Late Show" and he isnt holding back now on his opinion of the man he calls "Trumpy." Read the wide-ranging conversation Walt Whitman, err, Letterman, had with Vulture here.

The House Republicans' long-awaited plan to repeal and replace Obamacare has finally been revealed.

If at first you dont succeed President Trump goes for a second bite of the apple with a new executive order on travel and immigration. How is this one different from the first? Watch this video.

AROUND THE BAY

Raiders to Vegas? It's a thing again. Bank of America is stepping up to fund the silver and black's Nevada stadium.

There's one thing the pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators at the March 4 Trump Berkeley rally on Saturday that erupted in violence can now agree on: police could have done a better job.

Heading to SFO? Give yourself plenty of time. The TSA has implemented a new, more rigorous pat-down procedure.

ICYMI

Wintry weather was quite the Bay Area treat on Sunday  snow on the mountaintops and widespread hail in places like San Jose, Foster City and Novato!

Women in tech came out in droves for this hackathon in San Francisco over the weekend. A welcome change of pace in an otherwise male-dominated industry. Our Peninsula digital journalist Rebecca Greenway reports on the cause that brought them all together.

Three years without running water? That's the reality for residents of unincorporated East Porterville. And they're not the only ones suffering from wells that have gone dry in California. According to the latest data from Californias Water Resources Control Board, 700,000 Californians are currently being exposed to contaminated water at home or at school. We investigate.

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS

Kate McKinnon knows how to pivot. While shes rarely doing her Hillary Clinton impression these days, shes sinking her teeth into impressions of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Kellyanne Conway instead. Sessions as Forest Gump on a park bench talking to strangers (and, of course, a shirtless Vladimir Putin) was an entertaining "Saturday Night Live" cold open. And the recurring Conway knees-bent sight gag throughout the show was the cherry on top.

Last Week Tonights John Oliver sits down for a one-on-one interview with the Dalai Lama, and the result is surprisingly earnest and perhaps unexpectedly giddy. Enjoy.
One day after the Transportation Security Administration announced its pat-downs would become more rigorous, the new procedure was put into effect Monday at San Francisco International Airport.

Some have complained that the new pat-downs go too far while others say it's a necessary evil. The change was made after a Department of Homeland Security study found agents failed to catch 67 out of 70 test attempts to get guns through airport security lines.

The new pat-downs include open-hand pats on passengers' private areas, and one advocacy group says it's a bit extreme.

"This is not anything that's going to benefit security," said Douglass Kidd of the Passenger Rights Group. "All it does is turn the checkpoint into a place of indecency."

An airline security expert, however, told NBC News the new pat-downs simplify rules for agents and make travel safer "... because everybody just has to learn one procedure, one technique, and they don't have to try to make a judgment call as to which one to use," expert Jeff Price said.

One couple at SFO who fly frequently between the U.S. and Australia, say theyre OK with the new pat-downs.

"It might make people think twice if they're not doing the right thing," passenger Paula Burnett said.

The new procedure, which began phasing in last week, applies only to passengers who set off metal detectors, refuse to be scanned and those who spark an alert by canine teams.

In a statement to NBC News, the TSA said the new procedure "does not involve any different areas of the body than were screened in the previous standard pat-down procedure."

But officials admit they'll be more aggressive, making sure weapons hidden in passengers' pants or undergarments don't get through.

Of about 100 SFO passengers interviewed by NBC Bay Area on Monday, all but one said they didn't even see a pat-down. That woman, who did not wish to be identified, said the pat-downs caused delays at her departure gate.

TSA officials said they will continue to monitor and modify the procedures as needed.
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought their way on Tuesday into the heart of western Mosul, capturing the government complex in this part of the city from ISIS, a senior Iraqi military commander said.

The advancing troops hoisted an Iraqi flag on the complex of buildings in the Dawasa neighborhood and hailed the federal police units behind the taking of the area as heroes, said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah.

The consistent advance  more than two weeks since the new push started to clear Mosul's western side of ISIS militants  has been a major blow to the extremists who once controlled nearly a third of Iraq.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October.

Yar Allah, who commands the army operations in Ninevah, where Mosul is the provincial capital, said the troops now also control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River, known as Hurriyah Bridge.

Last week, the troops reached the first bridge from the south in western Mosul, known locally as the 4th Bridge. U.S.-led airstrikes disabled all of Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Private Lebanon-based broadcaster Al-Mayadeen aired live footage from Mosul, with thick black smokes rising from different areas as gunfire rattled. The TV footage also showed what it said were explosions from two suicide attacks carried out by ISIS militants against the security forces.

The footage also shows the city's iconic 840-year-old "Crooked Minaret," which leans somewhat like Italy's Tower of Pisa.

Unlike other heritage and archaeological sites in and around Mosul, the Islamic State militants couldn't destroy it as residents formed a human chain around it to protect it when they came to blow it up.

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city, and its western half  the Tigris divides the city into an eastern and a western sections  is the last significant urban area held by ISIS in the country. Mosul fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq.
A driver was killed and his passenger was injured in a rollover crash Monday night on Route 2 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

According to state police, 51-year-old Daniel Rice of Fitchburg lost control and crashed his Jeep Grand Cherokee on the westbound side of the road, near exit 30. He and the passenger, a 37-year-old Fitchburg woman, were thrown from the vehicle.

Police responded around 10:15 p.m., and Rice was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester with serious injuries.

Authorities are working to determine the cause of the crash.
The Chicago River will be dyed green Saturday, officially kicking off St. Patricks Day celebrations across the city.

A tradition since 1962, the dyeing of the river attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators decked out in their best Irish green for the annual event that precedes the citys St. Patricks Day Parade.

Last year, more than 400,000 people flocked to the streets of downtown Chicago to watch the river being dyed. Heres what to know about this year's:

When  The dyeing of the river will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 11 when the boats launch between Columbus and Wacker drives. Chicagos St. Patrick's Day Parade will follow, stepping off at 12 p.m. in Grant Park.

Best Places to Watch  Spectators can watch from both sides of the Chicago River, but city officials say these are the best spots to see the dye boats work:

East side of the bridge at Michigan Avenue

West side of the Columbus Drive Bridge

Along the banks of the Chicago Riverwalk between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive

Upper and Lower Wacker Drive between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive

How Its Done  For more than 40 years, members of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers union have turned the river a bright emerald green by dumping a secret concoction off the sides of their motorboats. The City says it takes more than 45 pounds of the environmentally friendly vegetable dye to color the water, using a powdered formula that begins orange before it mixes with the water to turn the river bright green. It typically lasts about five hours before fading away.

2017 Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade: The citys annual St. Patricks Day Parade will begin around 12 p.m. on the corner of Columbus Drive and Balbo before continuing north to Monroe. The parade will happen rain or shine and typically lasts about three hours. [[415599973, C]]
A former Chicago lawyer who threatened to sue thousands of people who downloaded pornographic video pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that John L. Steele, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In entering his plea, the 45-year-old Steele admitted that between 2011 and 2014 he and Paul Hansmeier threatened copyright lawsuits against individuals who supposedly downloaded pornography from file-sharing websites. Prosecutors claim they obtained more than $6 million through the threats.

Steele admitted he and Hansmeier created sham entities to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites to lure people to download the movies.

Hansmeier of St. Paul, Minnesota, was charged as a co-defendant in December. It wasn't immediately known if he has obtained legal representation.
Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, owner of Siena Tavern in Chicagos River North, stopped by Cafe 5 to discuss being inducted into the Chefs Hall of Fame by the Chicago Culinary Museum and share the recipe for his sweet corn ravioli.

Ingredients:

(for ravioli sauce and to finish the dish)

 C Roasted Corn Kernels

1 C Chioddini Mushrooms

1 T Sliced Garlic

4 T Butter

 C White Wine

TT Truffle Oil

Directions:
Chicago police responded to a report of a bomb threat at a Jewish school on Chicago's North Side Tuesday morning.

Police said just after 9 a.m. a threat was reported at the Chicago Jewish Day School in the 5900 block of Sheridan Road in the city's Edgewater Beach neighborhood.

Police said it appeared someone called the school and said there was a bomb at that location.

A school official said the building was evacuated and students were safe following the threat. Roads were being blocked off in the area.

Just after 11 a.m., a police source confirmed bomb-sniffing dogs had swept the school and temple and the building was deemed safe. Students were taken back to the school soon after.

The bomb threat was among several targeted at Jewish facilities across the country Tuesday, with community centers in New York, Florida and Milwaukee ordering brief evacuations and the Anti-Defamation League reporting several of its offices had received threats.

The latest instance of anti-Semitic telephone terrorism was committed this morning, targeting a Jewish day school not too far from my district office, Rep. Jan Schakowsky said in a statement Tuesday. I am monitoring the situation closely and offer my full support to the community during this troubling time. I will support law enforcement in their investigation, and hope that justice will be brought swiftly to the perpetrator of this heinous act. Anti-Semitism, in all of its ugly forms, is unacceptable and has no place in our country today.

It's the latest in a string of threats that has prompted evacuations of dozens of facilities in 30 states, including Illinois, in recent months. One hundred bomb threats have been made against Jewish community centers and Jewish day schools since the beginning of the year.
Thousands were without power Tuesday morning after severe storms swept the Chicago area overnight.

As of 5:45 a.m., nearly 6,000 residents in the Chicago area had reported outages due to the overnight thunderstorms and high winds, with Chicagos western suburbs hit the hardest.

Suburban Oak Lawn was one of the areas that suffered the most storm damage. Near 88th Street and Ridgeland Avenue, a massive light pole came crashing onto the street, blocking all lanes of traffic for several hours. The whipping winds also brought down power lines onto the roof of Grassano's restaurant on 87th Street, sparking a small fire.

The fire was put out before it could spread to the inside of the restaurant, officials said. ComEd crews were forced to turn off the power before firefighters could enter the building. Firefighters said no one was inside the restaurant at the time.

Crews were out early Tuesday morning working on restoration, with no time estimate as to when the work would be completed. Officials reminded residents in areas hit by the storms to remain alert and steer clear of any power lines if they come across them.
A group of volunteer lawyers who have been assisting families of detained travelers at OHare Airport in the wake of President Donald Trumps travel ban will continue its work following an amended executive order Monday, its members say.

Theres still gonna be issues with the executive order, said Yesenia Villasenol, a volunteer attorney. I think the reality is if we want to promote a country thats safe and has secure borders, we need to look at the bigger issues and we cant just do it in a vacuum.

Trumps revised order includes six Muslim-majority countries. Iraq has been taken off the list, all refugee admissions are halted for 120 days and international travelers without valid visas as of Jan. 27 are blocked.

"The American people can have high confidence that we are identifying ways to improve the vetting process and thus keep terrorists from entering the country," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a news conference, citing Trump's authority to make changes to immigration policy.

No visas will be revoked and the order does not apply to green card holders.

Being a service member at one time, I think that we do need to control whos coming in, said Rich Hoerig, who said he was waiting to pick up his wife at the airport.

Attorney Brian Dodd is among a group of lawyers who have been stationed at the international terminal of the airport for about a month. This morning, they say they are ready to help those with questions.

Whether theyre U.S. citizens traveling abroad, whether theyre green card holders, whether theyre visa holders, I want them to knowand all the lawyers here want them to knowthat they have certain rights, Dodd said. That the United States is a welcoming country and that were gonna help them lead their lives and make their travel arrangements as best they can.

The new restrictions go into effect March 16. You can read the full text of the order here.
The impeachment investigation for corruption and neglect of Alabama's "Love Gov" Robert Bentley will remain paused, at least for now.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee exchanged strong opinions Tuesday over the future of the probe. However, it will remain in a holding pattern.

Lawmakers convened Tuesday morning to discuss impeaching him over an alleged affair with his top advisor. Bentley has denied allegations of an affair with the married mother.

Bentley has been accused by 23 representatives of corruption and neglect of duty after a sex scandal with his senior advisor rocked the state House.

Rep. Alan Farley said the committee should move forward with the investigation.

Committee members split evenly over a motion that would have kept the public activities halted, but tell the special counsel to get ready to move forward with hearings.

The committee paused the investigation in November after the attorney general said his office was doing related work. The attorney general's office wrote to the committee in February that the investigation "has not been completed."
The first tour group to visit the White House since President Donald Trump took office got a big surprise Tuesday -- the president himself said hello.

Trump welcomed a small crowd of visitors in the East Wing, waving from behind a velvet rope as the crowd screamed, cheered and took photos.

The president pulled Jack Cornish, 10, from Birmingham, Alabama, from the crowd and hugged him as visitors and journalists looked on.

The White House, which traditionally halts tours during the transition of administrations, had been closed to tours for six weeks.

"I am excited to reopen the White House to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come each year," first lady Melania Trump said in a statement announcing the resumption of the tours. "The White House is a remarkable and historic site and we are excited to share its beauty and history. I am committed to the restoration and preservation of our nation's most recognizable landmark."

To book free public tours, visitors must make requests through their members of Congress. (You can find your representative here and your senators here.)

The self-guided, free tours are available 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tour hours can be extended when possible, based on the official White House schedule, according to the official website.

Tours may be requested up to three months in advance and must be submitted at least 21 days before your visit. Tours are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
With the Navy looking to ramp up production on its submarine force, Electric Boat is planning to take on thousands of new workers who will help meet the demand.

Not only does the potential increase have Electric Boat telling their suppliers to be prepared, it could also mean more skilled, high-paying jobs in Connecticut.

For more than 30 years, Prime Technology, LLC has teamed up with Electric Boat. The partnership keeps the small North Branford company in business, the vice president of sales and marketing at Prime Technology, Keith Macdowall, said.

With a likely need to increase submarine production to meet the new demand for 66 attack submarines, the company is planning to hire.

It may allow us the opportunity to be able to hire some people at a high level, high skilled-type jobs, which we desperately need in the Connecticut manufacturing industry, Macdowall said.

Macdowall said hes looking to add two engineers, two technicians and five to six manufacturing positions to his staff of 38. The jobs would have a paycheck between $40,000 and $90,000.

Thats a major increase of where we were, to where were going to go, Macdowall said.

Prime Technology LLC is one of about 450 suppliers in Connecticut alone that Electric Boat works with.

Dan Barrett, spokesperson for Electric Boat, said the company has placed orders of nearly $485 million with those supplies over the past five years. Electric Boat is asking suppliers to make a plan to support a boost in submarine construction.

The anticipated increase in submarine production is good news for the state, and is part of a greater anticipated demand for shipbuilding and manufacturing jobs in the coming years, said Andrea Comer, executive director of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association Education & Workforce Partnership.

Technical high schools and community colleges are working to build the talent pool needed, Comer added.

Finding local talent and getting materials can pose a challenge, he said.

Connecticut doesnt really have industry as much as they did in the past, Macdowall said.

But hiring and increased production could help Prime Technology thrive.

When you can get into a natural movement toward product on a regular basis, you can reduce costs, Macdowall said.

Two-hundred and eighty suppliers from across the nation attended the Submarine Industrial Base Council in Washington D.C. to be briefed on Navy submarine requirements, Barrett said, adding it was the largest turnout ever.
When the governor presented his budget last month, he managed to alienate himself and find pushback from 130 or so cities and towns that he proposed steep cuts to.

With so few cities and towns seeing increases, that meant fewer political allies, and as the budget process continues, he's now found support in the heart of the Naugatuck Valley.

"I support the governor," said Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti, a Republican. He said the governor's proposal adequately addressed the kinds of problems smaller municipalities like Ansonia, and for that matter, Derby have enountered year after year.

No budget process should pit the needs of our students against overburdened taxpayers," Cassetti said at an event outside the Ansonia Public Library. "No budget process should force us to choose between losing teachers and reducing hours at the public library.

The governor's budget boosted funding for Ansonia by $3.75 million, increasing the amount of Education Cost Sharing grants for the city's education system.

While helping towns like Derby, Ansonia, and Waterbury to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, that has also led to steep reductions in more affluent towns like West Hartford, Milford, Darien, and Greenwich.

The governor has argued that those kinds of communities, more affluent with higher fund balances, and relatively low mill rates, can sustain the kinds of financial reductions he's proposed.

Gov. Malloy says most budget years, it's the communities most in need that have to make the toughest choices.

Communities, hard-working middle class communities have frequently had to pit services against education or services against education and in many cases quite frankly, both sides have lost in that discussion," he said.

Even with the support of the mayor, the governor is only receiving support for the specific appropriations for Derby and Ansonia from the state senator who represents them, Freshman Republican Sen. George Logan.

I thought it was important to be here, hear what the governor had to say , and provide some balance, you know," he said.

Logan, when asked whether he would support the governor's budget as currently proposed, he answered, "No," saying his district isn't limited to just two communities.

I have other towns in the district: Bethany, Woodbridge as well, that also need to make sure theyre being treated fairly as well.

the governor says he feels a sentiment in the General Assembly that lawmakers recognize a need to change the way the state funds cities and towns, and says he's not afraid to take on the challenge.

These are small communities that are asked to do a lot and quite frankly the state needs to do more top be of assistance to those communities."
A 74-year-old man was arrested after police say he destroyed several Kim Kardashian books at a Barnes & Noble in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

Carl Puia, of Glastonbury, turned himself in on Monday.

Puia was caught on security cameras on Oct. 13, 2016, pouring a "red liquid" all over several of Kardashian's "Selfish" books, according to police.

The coffee table books are a collection of selfies by the reality TV star. According to police, six books were "destroyed in the massacre and could not be revived."

Police said Puia also left a lengthy typewritten note for the staff at Barnes & Noble detailing his dislike for Kardashian and "people like her."

Puia turned himself in on Monday and was charged with criminal mischief. He was released on $2,500 bond and is scheduled to be in court on March 22.
Milford city officials and residents say they don't like the state's plan to start charging visitors for parking, build new bathrooms, administrative offices, and a snack bar at Silver Sands State Park.

Residents voiced their opposition to the plan months ago, but Sen. Gayle Slossberg has now filed a state Freedom of Information Act request asking for information about the project. Sen. Slossberg opposes any changes to Silver Sands.

"It is just incredible to me that this unwanted, multimillion dollar project would move forward at the same time that it's being proposed that millions will be cut from our schools and town," said Slossberg in a statement.

She's referring to the millions in cuts to Milford that are proposed in the governor's budget. The governor's proposed spending plan cut municipal and education funding by more than $12 million.

The city's mayor, Benjamin Blake, said the Silver Sands project comes off as tone-deaf to a town being slashed by the governor.

It really is unthinkable that at a time when the state has a $1.5 billion deficit that the state is trying to make up, that theyre going to be spending millions and millions of dollars creating these facilities for the state that nobody locally wants, said Blake, a Democrat.

Blake also has worries of what may happen to nearby neighborhoods if visitors start being charged for admission, the way they are at other state beaches.

Those are some of the most dense neighborhoods that we have, and thats going to bring huge parking issues and other types of issues to those neighborhoods and its going to cause a lot of trouble locally.

On the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's website, they discuss they project's benefits.

"Silver Sands State Park has grown increasingly popular over the years, and now welcomes an estimated 250,000 visitors a year. The public who use this park need the basic services that this project will provide, including bathrooms, an area to change clothes, space for lifeguards and environmental conservation police staff, and a small stand for food and drink. The project will also increase the efficiency of the management of the property."
A new travel ban is set to go into effect in 10 days. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Monday. The White House said changes are being made to avoid a new round of lawsuits.

The first ban affected seven predominantly Muslim countries. Now, Iraq is being removed from the list because the Iraqi government is helping with increased vetting. Despite the changes, the ACLU and other groups said the executive order is still unconstitutional.

Though the order has been revised, many in Connecticut still find it unacceptable. Isa Mujahid of New Haven joined a group outside Bridgeport city hall on Monday evening, protesting what he is calling "Muslim Ban 2.0."

"This reboot is just a way of surviving a court challenge but again doesn't do anything to advance national security interests," said Mujahid, a community activist.

The new travel ban addresses some of the constitutional issues raised by judges, but legal experts said there is still room for new legal challenges.

"We're going to go back to court. We're not going to stay silent," said Mongi Dhaouadi, director of the Connecticut chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Dhaouadi said this is still a continuation of the previous Trump policy.

"It's going to hurt people. It's going to hurt America in general," Dhaouadi said.

While President Trump and his team say the order is vital to national security, others are worried about the impact of a large reduction in the number of refugees coming to the U.S.

"We believe it is shameful. It is reckless," said Chris George, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven. "Instead of making us safer, it plays into the hands of terrorists who want to portray the conflict as the United States against all Muslims," he said.

Most people are focused on a travel ban but they're forgetting that the most important part of the executive order is reducing the number of refugees coming to this country from 110,000 to 50,000," George said. "We are breaking our promise to 60,000 refugees who we were going to bring to this country and now they're going to be left in danger and desperate. This comes at a time when the world is facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II."

George said IRIS is launching a new campaign to bring attention to the refugees impacted by the new executive action.
"Scary" is the word many are using after it was revealed that a couple emails helped give scammers access to thousands of W2 forms.

Last week someone posing as the Groton School District's Superintendent asked for the information via email. Then a few days later, NBC Connecticut was first to report that the same thing happened at Glastonbury.

In both districts, employees fell victim to the phishing scam, affecting nearly 3,000 people.

But those were not the only districts targeted.

Joe Cirasuolo, the Executive Director for the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, or CAPSS, says in the last seven days Wallingford, Killingly, and Milford received a similar email, but all three realized it was a scam and sent nothing.

On Monday, CAPSS sent a warning out about the scam and recommended superintendents alert staff of the scam if they hadn't already.

"The advice has been to anybody who gets this kind of message, check with the person who was supposed to have sent it and find out if it is legitimate," said Cirasuolo. He adds that if it's determined to be a phishing scam, to contact authorities.

In Wallingford's case, the phishing email never received a reply because the superintendent says they notified staff more than a month ago that the scam was out there.

Cyber security is a growing concern for many organizations and school districts are no exception.

"It's a concern, and I think it's something we'll be responding to," said Cirasuolo.

Cirasuolo says they're considering creating training programs to help superintendents and staff prevent data breaches.
What to Know Dozens of Jewish facilities in 30 states have been evacuated over the last few months after receiving similar threats

A man was arrested in connection with eight of the threats last week, but prosecutors say he's a copycat who used the pattern as a cover

No injuries have been reported in any of the cases and no devices have been found; the FBI is assisting in the investigation

Another wave of bomb threats targeted Jewish community centers Tuesday, with facilities in New York, Florida, Wisconsin and Illinois ordering brief evacuations and the Anti-Defamation League tweeting several of its offices had gotten threats.



It's the latest in a string of threats that has prompted evacuations of dozens of facilities in more than 30 states in recent months.



The ADL said offices in New York, Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C., received threats Tuesday morning. Workers at the group's national headquarters in Manhattan said a voluntary evacuation was in effect, and dozens chose to leave. The headquarters on Third Avenue also received threatening calls and emails late last month.



A man was arrested last week in connection with one of the February threats to the ADL and threats to seven other Jewish centers, but prosecutors say he's a copycat who used the pattern as a cover in a scheme to get back at a former lover.



"It is time for action, and we call on the Administration and Congress to take concrete steps to catch those threatening the Jewish community," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.



Authorities have been looking into more than 120 bomb threats called into nearly 100 JCC schools, child care and other similar facilities across the nation since January. No injuries have been reported in any of the cases and no devices have been found. The FBI is assisting in the probe.



Tuesday's wave of threats targeted a half-dozen Jewish organizations across the country, including the ADL, NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.



The Louis S Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in Monroe County received a threat overnight and sent an email to employees and members around 6 a.m., multiple reports said. According to NBC affiliate WHEC, about 80 people in the building at the time had to leave as investigators swooped in.



The nature of the threat wasn't immediately clear. Authorities deemed the center safe by 9:30 a.m.; it reopened shortly thereafter.

"I am aware that there are other JCC facilities across the country that have received the same or similar-type threats," Brighton Police Chief Mark Henderson said during a morning briefing, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. "We will work with the FBI to see if this was a similar type threat."

A Jewish center in Milwaukee was also evacuated after receiving a bomb threat Tuesday. That facility was also cleared; the group said it was the third threat targeting the center in the last month. There was a report of one Jewish center in Onondaga County's DeWitt being evacuated and another in Chicago. And NBC Miami reported David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Davie, Florida, was evacuated for the second time in a week after receiving a threat.

A Jewish day school at a temple in Framingham, Massachusetts, was also briefly evacuated over a phone threat.

Evan Bernstein, regional director of the ADL, condemned the new wave of threats in a brief statement Tuesday. Like Greenblatt, he called on the Trump administration to take concrete steps to stop the threats.



All 100 U.S. senators signed a letter Tuesday urging the administration to do the same.



These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs to everyone in the communities they serve, including in our states, the senators wrote. We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities."



A week ago, President Donald Trump suggested the spate of threats could be part of a politically motivated effort to "make people look bad."



He has more broadly condemned the rash of hate crimes that have peppered the country since the presidential election.
Samantha Taylor's 3-year-old was evacuated with other pre-schoolers at her Jewish Community Center in Florida when the center received a bomb threat last month, and at first Taylor was impressed.

Within minutes the campus was evacuated and the children thought they were off on a nature walk, she said.

But as threats kept coming, she and other parents became more worried.

"Our security director held meetings after every bomb threat where parents could voice concerns," she said. "And one of the concerns after especially the second time was that our evacuation plan was becoming routine. And that was shared by the security director. This was not something they hadn't thought of before."

Now the JCC's security is evaluating each threat to determine how best to respond, a plan devised with the assistance of the FBI and local law enforcement, she said.

It is a tension Jewish organizations across the country are facing since more than hundred bomb threats have targeted community centers and day schools since the beginning of the year. The rash of phone calls has prompted evacuations across the country and in Canada, even as safety experts say automatic evacuations can inspire copycats and pose their own dangers.

The latest evacuation was ordered at the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn Thursday in response to a threat. One day earlier, Jewish community centers in West Hartford, Connecticut, and Louisville, Kentucky, received bomb threats. On Tuesday, threats came in Florida, Illinois, New York and Wisconsin and included several offices of the Anti-Defamation League. A voluntary evacuation took place at the organization's national headquarters in New York City.

"Bomb threats are about intimidation, harassment, disruption and the more you're able to accomplish by doing that, that just encourages additional bomb threats," said Paul Fennewald, an adviser to the Missouri School Boards Association.

Few actual bombings are preceded by threats, he and others say.

On Friday, a former journalist was arrested in connection with some of the threats. Juan Thompson, 31, who was fired from The Intercept last year after the publication said he made up quotes and sources, was allegedly harassing a former lover when he called in bomb threats against the Anti-Defamation League and seven other Jewish centers around the country, authorities said.

But Thompson is not believed to be responsible for most of the threats, according to authorities.

The JCC Association of North America did not comment on whether to evacuate or not but said in a statement released on Friday: "JCC Association of North America is gratified by the arrest made in connection with the large number of anti-Semitic threats that have targeted JCCs and other Jewish institutions over the past two months."

Fennewald said that an immediate evacuation was critical if someone saw a suspicious package or there was some other indication that a threat was real. But absent that evidence, he recommends more investigation  interviewing people, assessing a building's security  before evacuating.

"I know immediately parents are going to say, 'Oh my gosh there's a bomb in that school. If there's a threat I don't want my kids there.' But you've got to think that through," he said.

He and others cautioned that the places people evacuate to  a parking lot or a city street  could be more dangerous. A bomb could have been set there or armed attackers could be waiting.

"I might be able to get into an elementary school and place a small device in that school but it's a lot harder for me to get into that facility with a relatively large device," said Michael Dorn, the executive director of Safe Havens International, a campus safety organization. "Whereas if you're evacuating through or to a parking lot or down a city street, I may be able to put a much larger device in a vehicle or in a culvert or in a trash bin."

Of the 642 bombings reported across the U.S. in 2014, 15 were in schools, according to the U.S. Bomb Data Center.

Jewish groups nationwide have been coordinating with law enforcement over how to best respond to the threats, which have been made by a mix of people and robo-calls and some of which law enforcement officials say could be coming from overseas. The Anti-Defamation League expanded its security training programs in response.

The FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are investigating possible civil rights violations as a result of the threats, security advisers from the Department of Homeland Security are offering their expertise and the Federal Communication Commission is temporarily allowing the JCC to trace telephone calls from blocked phone numbers, USA Today reported.

Dorn said schools and other targets should have three options prepared beforehand  from relying on staff to notice anything out of place, then evacuating students to a place that has been checked for bombs or weapons, to checking a building while students and staff remain where they are, to moving everyone to a gymnasium or auditorium that has been checked first, then going through the rest of the building.

Several choices makes it harder for an attacker to predict a reaction, he said.

The JCC bomb threats have come in six waves in 33 states and two provinces in Canada. No bombs were discovered at any of the JCCs, which offer preschools and sports, arts and other programs across the country.

Nancy K. Kaufman, president of the National Council of Jewish Women, said the bomb threats as well the recent toppling of headstones in some Jewish cemeteries have "deeply shaken the Jewish community."

"We are outraged by the recent bomb threats attempting to strike at the very core of our communities, where our children go to preschool and our parents lay to rest," she said.

A 2015 study of 800 shooting and bomb threats to schools found that too many were reacting first and then assessing the threat, said Ken Trump, the president of the National School Safety and Security Services, which directed the study. Thirty percent of the threats resulted in the evacuation of schools, 10 percent in the schools' closures. Many were done prematurely and unnecessarily, Trump said.

"While emotionally it is understandable why administrators and parents jump to evacuating students out of the school that received the threat, when administrators send children out of the school they risk exposing them to other threats outside of the school," the study said.

"In cases of threats with questionable credibility, the best place for students may be for them to remain in school under heightened supervision and security while the investigation moves forward," it said.

Jewish community centers and other Jewish groups have seen deadly violence in the past. A 14-year-old Eagle Scout and his grandfather were shot to death outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in 2014, by a Ku Klux Klan member who then gunned down a woman at a nearby retirement community. A man who identified himself as a Muslim-American angry at Israel forced his way into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in 2006, shooting six women, one fatally, And a white supremacist opened fire in the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, California, in 1999, shooting five people, including three young boys.

"Unfortunately, threats like this are nothing new for the Jewish community," the national director of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, said in a statement in February.
WikiLeaks published thousands of documents Tuesday described as secret files about CIA hacking tools the government employs to break into users' computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung.

The documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes. U.S. government employees, including President Donald Trump, use many of the same products and internet services purportedly compromised by the tools.

The documents describe CIA efforts  cooperating with friendly foreign governments and the U.S. National Security Agency  to subvert the world's most popular technology platforms, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, Google's Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops.

The documents also include discussions about compromising some internet-connected televisions to turn them into listening posts. One document discusses hacking vehicle systems, indicating the CIA's interest in hacking modern cars with sophisticated on-board computers.

WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents, and experts who sifted through the material said it appeared legitimate.

The chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said he was very concerned about the release and had asked the intelligence community for more information about it.

Former CIA Director Mike Hayden told MSNBC he had undertaken only a cursory review of the documents, but that if they were what they were purported to be, it would amount to a "very extensive file of the tactics, techniques, procedures, targets and other political rules" under which the CIA hacks targets. "If it is that, it would be very, very damaging," he said.

Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, said: "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents." White House spokesman Sean Spicer also declined comment.

Missing from WikiLeaks' trove are the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. WikiLeaks said it planned to avoid distributing tools "until a consensus emerges" on the political nature of the CIA's program and how such software could be analyzed, disarmed and published.

Tuesday's disclosure left anxious consumers who use the products with little recourse, since repairing the software vulnerabilities in ways that might block the tools' effectiveness is the responsibility of leading technology companies. The revelations threatened to upend confidence in an Obama-era government program, the Vulnerability Equities Process, under which federal agencies warn technology companies about weaknesses in their software so they can be quickly fixed.

It was not immediately clear how WikiLeaks obtained the information, and details in the documents could not immediately be verified. WikiLeaks said the material came from "an isolated, high-security network" inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence but didn't say whether the files were removed by a rogue employee or whether the theft involved hacking a federal contractor working for the CIA or perhaps breaking into a staging server where such information might have been temporarily stored.

"The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive," WikiLeaks said in a statement.

Some technology firms on Tuesday said they were evaluating the information. Microsoft Corp. said it was looking into the report, while the maker of secure messaging app Signal said the purported CIA tools affected users' actual phones and not its software design or encryption protocols.

The manufacturer of the popular Telegram mobile messaging app said in a statement that manufacturers of cellphones and their operating systems, including Apple, Google and Samsung, were responsible for improving the security of their devices. It said the effort will require "many hours of work and many security updates" and assured its customers that "If the CIA is not on your back, you shouldn't start worrying yet."

The tools described in the documents carried bizarre names, including Time Stomper, Fight Club, Jukebox, Bartender, Wild Turkey, Margarita and "RickyBobby," a racecar-driving character in the comedy film, "Talladega Nights."

That RickyBobby tool, the documents said, was intended to plant and harvest files on computers running "newer versions of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server." It operated "as a lightweight implant for target computers" without raising warnings from antivirus or intrusion-detection software. It took advantage of files Microsoft built into Windows since at least 10 years ago.

The files include comments by CIA hackers boasting in slang language of their prowess: "You know we got the dankest Trojans and collection tools," one reads.

The documents show broad exchanges of tools and information among the CIA, NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence services of close allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

WikiLeaks claimed the CIA used both its Langley, Virginia, headquarters and the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, as bases for its covert hackers. The AP found that one purported CIA hack that imitates the Domain Name System  the internet's phone book  traced to an internet domain hosted in Germany.

In an unusual move, WikiLeaks said it was withholding some secrets inside the documents. Among them, it said it had withheld details of tens of thousands of "CIA targets and attack machines throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States."

WikiLeaks also said its data included a "substantial library" of digital espionage techniques borrowed from other countries, including Russia.

If the authenticity of the documents is officially confirmed, it would represent yet another catastrophic breach for the U.S. intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks and its allies, which have repeatedly humbled Washington with the mass release of classified material, including from the State Department and the Pentagon.

Tuesday's documents purported to be from the CIA's "Embedded Development Branch" discuss techniques for injecting malicious code into computers protected by the personal security products of leading international anti-virus companies. They describe ways to trick anti-virus products from companies including Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, Romania-based BitDefender, Dutch-based AVG Technologies, F-Secure of Finland and Rising Antivirus, a Chinese company.

In the new trove, programmers also posted instructions for how to access user names and passwords in popular internet browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Some documents were classified "secret" or "top secret" and not for distribution to foreign nationals. One file said those classifications would protect deployed hacks from being "attributed" to the U.S. government. The practice of attribution, or identifying who was behind an intrusion, has been difficult for investigators probing sophisticated hacks that likely came from powerful nation-states.
It appears the man in charge of Dallas County Schools may be on his way out.

The board of the troubled school bus agency will meet Wednesday to talk about replacing Superintendent Rick Sorrells.

This comes on the heels of six month NBC 5 investigation that exposed serious safety concerns and financial problems at DCS.

A meeting agenda posted online said the DCS board will meet Wednesday to "consider appointing an interim superintendent" and to "consider ... authorizing a search for a permanent superintendent."

State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) says it's time for Dallas County Schools Superintendent Rick Sorrells to step down but doesn't support a bill filed by State Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas) calling for the agency's dismantling.

Just six days ago, Texas Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) called on Sorrells to step down.

I mean, all of this happened under his watch, OK? And you need to have a change in leadership because you don't have, there's not any confidence at this point in time, West said Tuesday in an interview with NBC 5 Investigates.

At the time, Sorrells downplayed Wests comments and said he had no plans to leave.

I met with Sen. West last Wednesday and had a conversation with him about the future of Dallas County Schools and plan to have a meeting with him next week to continue that conversation, Sorrells said at a news conference.

State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) discusses Dallas County Schools with NBC 5 Senior Investigative Reporter Scott Friedman.

NBC 5 has learned that meeting between Sorrells and West has been canceled.

"I'm glad to see that they are taking some action to replace the leadership, West said Monday in a telephone interview.

What's not clear is whether Sorrells plans to resign or if the DCS board may ask him to leave.

Dallas County Schools Superintendent Rick Sorrells and Board President Larry Duncan responded Tuesday to a call for the superintendent's resignation as well as a bill that would abolish the beleaguered school bus provider by 2018.

In a statement to NBC, Sorrells said, "This is on the agenda for Wednesday and is a discussion between the board and me. It is not something I can talk about before then but we are focused on putting the safety of our students first and moving this agency forward."

For months Sorrells dodged questions about the spiraling troubles at DCS.

First a scandal involving taxpayer money used to pay tickets for bus drivers who ran red lights and then a budget crisis tied to a risky school bus stop-arm camera program.

The board of troubled school bus agency Dallas County Schools will meet Wednesday to talk about replacing Superintendent Rick Sorrells.

An NBC 5 investigation also found DCS donated more than $4,000 of taxpayer money to a private charity Sorrells ran.

Sorrells defended those payments last week as a legitimate expense to market services DCS offers.

I think the money was well spent in the programs we were trying to provide. They provide a lot of positives, Sorrells said.

But now it appears his 13-year run as head of the area's largest bus agency may be coming to a stop.
People in Arlington are fighting to keep an oil and gas companys plans out of their city.

Blue Stone Resources filed an application with the Texas Railroad Commission for a permit to dig a wastewater injection well near Lake Arlington.

The proposed location is east of Interstate 820 near East Berry Street, in the city of Fort Worth between the Carver Heights neighborhood and Lake Arlington.

Both Fort Worth and Arlington have ordinances against injection wells. The cities, along with the Trinity River Authority, have sent letters to the Railroad Commission protesting the proposed well.

According to the RRC, the permit application meet the Commissions disposal well rule requirements established to protect public safety and natural resources, including water. However, because the application has been protested, an administrative law hearing on the merits of the application has been set on this proposed disposal well.

The City of Arlington and residents will take their fight to Austin to block the placement of the well. Tuesday, Arlington city leaders will vote during their council meeting on the hiring of an attorney and expert who specializes in this industry.

City officials said the disposable well would be injected between 7,850 feet to 11,500 feet into the ground and roughly 400 feet away from Lake Arlington.

Arlingtons Gas Drilling and Production Ordinance prohibits salt water disposal wells inside of the City of Arlington and any salt water disposal lines under Lake Arlington or within 100 feet of the flowage easement lands around the lake.

According to the citys Director of Arlingtons Water Uilities, while the proposed pipeline and well are not within the city, the ordinance reflects the concern that injection wells pose different, more serious, hazards than hydro-fracturing or drilling.

The city is concerned about lake water and aquifer contamination. Lake Arlington provides drinking water for more than 500,000 North Texas residents.

The entire idea is pretty upsetting, said Ranjana Bhandari, who has been living in Arlington for more than 20 years.

Its upsetting that they would put something this toxic, this dangerous with the potential to contaminate the drinking water right next to the water supply for this cityfor Fort Worth, for all of our neighboring cities. Everybody relies on Lake Arlington for drinking water. If something happens, there will be nothing left, she said.

When Bhandari found out about the proposed well she immediately starting calling other residents, who called more people, and several others began sending protest emails and making calls to the RRC.

I think it affects us all because it is next to our drinking water and if our water goes bad, what would the alternative be? It seems very risky and I think the other danger are the earthquakes. Theyve happened more frequently in north Texas, and has caused property damage. We dont want that. Weve lived here for a long time and we dont want that kind of damage, she said.

Both parties will take their case to Austin in May.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Austin have proposed two bills to reshape and rename the Railroad Commission. The state agencys mission is protect natural resources and the environment, safeguard communities, and support the development and economic vitality of Texans.

Last year, the RRC was flagged for a lack of oversight and according to an Environmental Protection Agency report, was in need of more efficient inspections.

Currently, the RRC regulates more than 400,000 pipelines and wells within Texas, with 158 inspectors.

It lacks transparency," said Bhandari. "Who knew the Railroad Commission inspected pipelines and wells? Will they have enough inspectors to make sure the ones in our area are safe? The problem is, when the problem with the pipe or well is detected its already too late."

Several bills have been introduced within the Texas Legislative Session to rename the agency, and redefine inspection standards and guidelines.
A new class at Tarrant County Colleges Southeast Campus is opening doors of possibility for students with autism.

The class of early 20 students meets twice a week to learn computer animation.

Im working on, right now, robot models of the two characters I had been drawing, Cody Sheridan, 29, of Arlington explained proudly.

The students are continually blowing their instructors away with their work and growing knowledge.

"This is the real deal. They are actually really impressive. They have really impressive work, instructor Eli Valenzuela said. Some of them out do me every single day,"

Staff said the students didnt want simple computer classes, but wanted the challenge of animation. They wanted to learn how to make video games and computer graphics.

"My dream job is to run the technical department of a software company, said Andrew Mills, 23, of Dallas. My background is Computer Science. I can do the programming side of things, but I've never been particularly artistically gifted. So, I'm trying to fix that."

Their new skills can translate into small victories now, but have the possibility of huge opportunities.

Itd be nice to turn it into either a part time thing or use it supplement my income while Im working on my Bachelors, Mills said.

The goal is for them to actually be able to take this to a corporate company  maybe kind of work for Pixar or work for Dreamworks, Valenzuela said. Thats what we are essentially trying to do is show them how to get contract work out of these big name companies.

This is the first semester the class has been offered.
Firefighters believe the hot spots are likely all snuffed out after more than two days of fighting fire at the Preston Place condos off Northwest Highway in Dallas, but there's still a lot of work to be done and mysteries to be solved about the fire that reached seven alarms at one point early Saturday.

On Monday, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said that investigators are working to determine how stable the four-story condo structure is so that next steps for the building can be figured out.

The fire that slowly crept through the building caused much of the structure to collapse, already burying most of what was inside those condos.

Residents continued to stop by the site on Monday to assess the debris from afar, many concluding that their belongings inside were likely total losses.

Among those belongings were the vehicles many residents had parked below the structure in a gated garage beneath the building. That currently sits flooded with water from the fire fight.

Evans said it's unclear if the structure will be stable enough to get the vehicles out anytime soon.

The more pressing matter for most Monday was a body discovered inside the building, very near the unit of missing 89-year-old resident Jacqueline McDonald.

Investigators have not yet identified that body to the public.

Dallas City Councilwoman Jennifer Gates, who represents the district where the condos are located, said Monday that a security fence will soon go up around the wreckage to keep people a safe distance away.

For now, Evans said Dallas police and fire personnel will keep a regular presence at the building.

The cause of the fire is a mystery, and could remain a mystery due to the instability of the building and the massive damage inside.

Dallas Fire-Rescue says there was no sprinkler system in the building, but one wasn't required at the time it was built.
Several Dallas police associations are calling for an outside investigation of an incident involving Assistant Police Chief Christina Smith, claiming there are concerns among officers that a cover-up is taking place.

Officers responded to a disturbance call at Smith's home back on February 11.

According to a warrant obtained by our partners at The Dallas Morning News, she and her boyfriend, Matthew Hes, were arguing in the front yard. A neighbor heard them and shouted across the street for Hes to leave Smith alone.

Hes then allegedly crossed the street and charged at one of the neighbors. He was arrested for assault causing bodily injury and public intoxication.

Smith was not charged with any crime.

She has since been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation -- an investigation that multiple Dallas police associations are now criticizing.

"There is nothing more important than our public trust," said Michael Walton, President of the Dallas Fraternal Order of Police. "And public trust is where we're at right now. If there's something that went awry with this investigation, how can you have any confidence in any other investigation we might do as a police department."

Tuesday, members of the FOP, the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas and the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization held a news conference where they laid out multiple policies they believe the department has violated during the investigation.

They said because this incident involved an assistant chief, one of her superiors should have responded to the scene to oversee the investigation. They told the media that Executive Assistant Chief Cynthia Villarreal was notified of the incident, but never came to the scene -- which left a lower-ranking lieutenant in charge.

They said they were also concerned that Interim Police Chief David Pughes and several high-ranking city officials were not notified until days later.

"The process was circumvented," said George Aranda, President of the Dallas Chapter of NLLEO. "Actions were not taken to place certain individuals on administrative leave or restricted duty up until five days later, when the media started to ask questions about that incident. If it was your typical rank-and-file [officer], we would have been placed on restricted duty or administrative leave with our credentials, badge, gun taken away probably within thirty minutes of that incident. It would have been immediate."

They believe those concerns warrant an outside, independent investigation of the case.

"There has been a stigma in the police deparment that the higher your rank is, the easier it is to get away with misconduct," said Thomas Glover, President of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas. "This is about fairness and what's right. We have to do a complete investigation."

Each of the groups has discussed this request with Pughes. They said they've also reached out to Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, but have not heard back from him.

In a statement, the Dallas Police Department said:
A 2-year-old boy who disappeared Monday after going boating with his father near Denton Creek was found safe Tuesday morning; the search for the child's father will continue Wednesday.

Trophy Club Police Department

The Texas Game Warden's Office told NBC 5 a Denton County Game Warden and a police officer were searching Tuesday morning near where 38-year-old Matthew Meinert and his son Oliver disappeared Monday when they found the boy wandering alone in a wooded area.

Officials said Oliver was cold and had a few scratches but asked for some juice and was otherwise OK when they reunited him with his mother later in the morning.

The Game Warden's Office said Oliver was unable to tell them anything about what took place or where his father was.

Tuesday's search continued in the area along Denton Creek, west of Grapevine Lake, and involved searches on foot with dogs, with a boat equipped with sonar, and with both unmanned aerial devices and a DPS helicopter.

Rescuers search for a man missing along Denton Creek Tuesday.

Emergency personnel from Trophy Club, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Roanoke, Flower Mound, Argyle, Little Elm, Mansfield, Hurst, Joshua and Denton County were assisting in the search Tuesday.

Trophy Club police said the search for the boy's father would be scaled back Tuesday night, though they remained hopeful he would be found alive.

"Based upon the results of Tuesday evenings search efforts, they plan to continue the search on Wednesday with continued ground, air, and land efforts," Trophy Club police said.

Check back for the latest on this developing story. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
Police say a construction worker was killed when he was run over by a piece of equipment Monday afternoon in Carrollton.[[415509943,C]]

It happened at about 2 p.m. at a construction site at Old Denton Road and Windhaven Parkway at what used to be the Nickels and Dimes Ranch, according to officers.

Someone was operating a piece of construction equipment when they accidentally ran over another worker.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, died at the scene.

Officers say it wasn't intentional and no charges have been filed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate.
Wildfires in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado have killed six people, driven thousands of people from their homes and scorched hundreds of square miles of land.

The Texas A&M Forest Service and the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center predictive services had forecast extreme fire weather for the northwest half of the Panhandle and critical fire weather west of a line from Childress to Midland.

A wildfire in the Texas Panhandle has killed three ranch hands, two of whom were a young couple in their 20s trying to usher cattle away from the flames.

Firefighters from North Texas have been deployed to the Panhandle to assist in fighting the wildfires.

Winds across the Panhandle should subside for Wednesday, according to the TFS, but elevated fire conditions return to the area Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Lefors East Fire Claims Couple, Ranch Hand Trying to Save Cattle

NBC 5 News/Sydney Wallace (Facebook)

A wildfire in the Texas Panhandle has killed three ranch hands, two of whom were a young couple in their 20s trying to usher cattle away from the flames.

Gray County Judge Richard Peet said Tuesday that the two men and the woman were killed when the Lefors East Fire flared Monday afternoon. The three were identified Tuesday morning as Emmert Sloan, Cody Crockett and Sydney Wallace.

Crockett and Wallace, both in their 20s and were listed as a couple on Facebook.

Peet, the county's top administrator, said one of the three apparently died of smoke inhalation late Monday while the other two suffered severe burns and died while being taken to hospitals. Peet said winds of more than 55 mph fanned the flames.

The Lefors East Fire is 25 percent contained, according to the TFS, and has burned an estimated 92,571 acres.

The Lefors East Fire was separate from one to the west near Amarillo (Dumas Complex Fire) and from another much larger one just to the north (Perryton Fire) near the Oklahoma border that has burned 460 square miles of land.

Four Firefighters Injured Battling Wildfires; Backup Coming from North Texas

Dallas Fire-Rescue Wildland Team

Phillip Truitt, a spokesman for the Texas A&M Forest Service, said as many as four firefighters were hurt battling the fires Monday. He provided no details on their conditions Tuesday morning.

The Fort Worth Fire Department said Tuesday afternoon they sent three firefighters and two brush trucks to the Panhandle as part of State of Texas Assistance Request (STAR) for a strike team to battle the wildfires.

Dallas Fire-Rescue sent five members of their Wildland Urban Interface Team to Canadian as part of a tactical strike team to help battle the Panhandle wildfires. The Dallas firefighters left Tuesday morning and are expected to be deployed for seven days.

The following departments also contributed the following firefighters: Stephenville (3), Weatherford (2), Southlake (2), Lewisville (1) and Flower Mound (1). A total of five brush trucks and one water truck were also sent from the region.

Fire departments in Collin County  including Frisco, Plano and McKinney  are also awaiting possible deployment.

"Bags are packed, we're waiting," said Frisco Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Shannon Brinton. "Fortunately we have a lot of folks who really want to go out and lend a helping hand, so its not too difficult to fill the spots, which is a good thing."

The strike teams who are sent consist of specially trained wildland firefighters.

Perryton Fire

The Perryton Fire, located in Ochiltree and Lipscomb counties in the Panhandle along the Oklahoma line, is about three times larger than officials originally thought, and is believed to have claimed one life.

Hemphill County Judge George Briant confirmed the fourth Panhandle fire death Tuesday; the victim's name has not yet been released.

The Perryton Fire has burned an estimated 315,35 acres and destroyed at least two homes. It is burning primarily in grass and brush.

Truitt said the size of the Perryton Fire was revised after authorities were able to fly over the area to get a more accurate sense of the damage.

Firefighters were able to divert the fire away from the communities of Higgins and Glazier, saving the towns. The fire is about 50 percent contained with fire behavior reported as moderate to high.

A fire's intensity, rate of spread, available fuel, topography, spotting and crowning (burning through the tops of trees) are all factors that play into determining a fire's behavior as low, moderate or high.

Dumas Complex Fire

The Dumas Complex Fire, in Potter County near Amarillo, is about 90 percent contained Tuesday after consuming an estimated 29,197 acres since it ignited amid humidity in the single digits and winds in excess of 50 mph.

The TFS said Tuesday forward progression of the fire has been stopped and crews are making good progress in fighting the fire.

Currently one air attack aircraft is assigned and two single engine airtankers have made fire retardant drops on the fire yesterday Mar. 6, 2017.

TFS ground resources including fire engines, and bull dozers are actively engaged in firefighting efforts on this wildfire in conjunction with local resources. Unified command with Amarillo Fire Department.

The Dumas Complex Fire's behavior is low.

Oklahoma Truck Driver Killed by Smoke Inhalation

An Oklahoma truck driver killed by smoke inhalation on a highway in southern Kansas was the fifth person killed in a series of wildfires across the central plains.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 39-year-old Corey Holt, of Oklahoma City, jackknifed Monday while trying to back up his tractor-trailer on highway 34 in Clark County because of poor visibility and dust from the fires. The patrol said he succumbed to smoke when he got out of his vehicle.

Two SUVs crashed into the truck, injuring six people who were taken to hospitals, state trooper Michael Racy said.

Kansas wildfires have burned about 625 square miles of land. The vast majority of the state's burned land is in Clark County, where 30 structures were damaged, said Allison Kuhns, a spokeswoman for the county's emergency management office. About half of those structures are near the small city of Englewood, which was one of two communities evacuated. Kuhns said there also have been significant cattle losses and that entire ranches were engulfed.



The fire originated across the state border in Oklahoma, where it burned an estimated 390 square miles in Beaver County.

The largest evacuations elsewhere were in Reno County, Kansas, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily left their homes Monday night, said Katie Horner, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Emergency Management. She said 66 people from the area were in shelters Tuesday in Hutchinson, 40 miles northwest of Wichita.

Oklahoma Woman Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Fighting Fire

Authorities say Oklahoma woman has fatal heart attack fighting blaze, raising four-state wildfire death toll to six.

The woman was trying to keep her farm near Buffalo from burning, according to AP reports.

Further details, including her identity, have not yet been released.

Colorado Firefighters Lose Ground

In northeastern Colorado near the Nebraska border, firefighters lost ground to a blaze in rural Logan and Phillips counties.

They had the blaze 90 percent contained Monday evening, but only 50 percent contained Tuesday, despite working overnight to douse hot spots and flare-ups.

The fire has burned more than 45 square miles of land and destroyed three homes. Nearby residents were warned to be ready to evacuate if the fire advances.

MORE: Texas A&M Fire Service: Fire Danger, Current Situation

NBC 5's Frank Heinz contributed to this report. Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth and Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Dave Warren in Dallas; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.
Monday was a devastating severe weather day across the Midwest.

There were 531 severe weather reports with widespread damage and injuries. Thirty of those reports were tornadoes.

So far this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Storm Prediction Center have recorded 298 preliminary tornado reports, almost double the average (average from Jan. 1 through Mar. 5 over the past 11 years).

The 2017 tornado season has been off to an active start. There have been several fast-moving weather systems to the north tapping into moist unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico.

We have talked several times about the record warmth across much of the country, but the Gulf of Mexico has also broken a record. This is the first winter the average temperature never dropped below 73 degrees.

The extra warmth, moisture and instability has help lead to the increased severe weather this year.
With only 30 vaquita porpoises left in the world, a California assembly member has introduced a bill to help save the rare sea mammal from extinction.

The bill would make it illegal to possess or sell fish products caught in the northern Gulf of California with a gillnet.

More often than not vaquitas get entangled in nets meant for a fish known as the totoaba, which inhabits the same territory and can be sold for thousands of dollars in the Chinese market. With no where out of the nets, the vaquitas end up drowning.

The gillnets have led to a 90 percent decline in the vaquitas' numbers over the last five years, according a study by an international committee of experts. In 2016, 31 illegal fishing nets for the totoaba were pulled from the Gulf of California.

"This bill helps ensure that Californians are not contributing to the vaquitas extinction," said Assemblymember Todd Gloria in a press release.

The Defenders of Wildlife, a non-profit working to protect and restore imperiled wildlife across North America and around the world, said California will not "stand idly while harmful fishing practices push the worlds rarest dolphin to extinction."

"California banned the use and importation of shark fins to halt the decline in sharks years ago, and if Assemblymember Glorias bill becomes law, California will once again lead the way on protecting our oceans rare marine life," said the California program director for Defenders of Wildlife.

Mexico has temporarily banned the use of gillnets for fishing of shrimp and other sea creatures in an effort to protect the vaquita. However, there is a loophole that allows for the use of gillnets for fishing of Gulf corvina, a practice used to capture the totoaba fish.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the dark-eyed sea creature as critically endangered since 1996. More than half of the population has been lost in the last three years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Authorities sought a driver who left two possibly stolen calves tied up in a parked car on Interstate 10 in Banning, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.

The animals were found around 8:25 a.m. Saturday, after the CHP received multiple 911 calls regarding a cow attempting to climb out of the trunk of a parked car on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate 10, east of Highland Springs Avenue.

Officers arrived and found one calf trying to climb out through the 2001 Honda Civic's open trunk, and another wedged in the back seat. Both calves had their hooves tied, according to CHP Officer Darren Meyer.

The Honda had false registration tags, registered to a Tulare County address, Meyer said. The car, which has since been impounded, has not been reported stolen, nor has anyone tried to pick up the Honda from the tow yard where it is being held, Meyer said.

The calves were taken to a local ranch, where they will remain until an inspector from the Bureau of Livestock Identification determines whether they were stolen.

Stealing livestock is a felony in California, punishable by thousands of dollars in fines and up to a year in county jail, according to the CHP.
A woman in her 40s armed with a firearm was wounded Monday after police officers fired at her in Silver Lake.

Officers were called about 3:30 p.m. to the area of Sunset Boulevard and Edgecliffe Drive to investigate a report of a woman with a gun, according to Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

The woman was allegedly barricaded with a firearm for a little more than two hours, said Sgt. Ricardo Acosta of the LAPD Rampart Station.

Officers shot at the woman, who was struck, but police did not disclose what prompted officers to shoot. An ambulance was called for the woman about 5:50 p.m., Acosta said.

The woman was taken to a hospital, where she underwent surgery. Her condition was not immediately available.

No officers were injured, Lopez said, adding that a firearm was recovered at the scene.

NBC4's Beverly White contributed to this report.
The Broward County School Board took a stand Tuesday, voting unanimously to approve a resolution that declares schools to be protected spaces from immigration enforcement.

"We want our students to come to school, we want them to grow, think, be happy, and we want them to feel comfortable in our classrooms," said board member Robin Bartleman, who sponsored the item, the first of its kind in Florida. "We're gonna be a leader here."

Bartleman implored the board to support the resolution, and so did the public. A couple of dozen immigration activists, including parents and teachers among them, came to the school board's meeting Tuesday to voice their opinions.

"Because we're seeing this rhetoric of division and hatred and i just want to make sure our county stays safe for our children," said Maria Ramirez, who has a child in a Broward public school.

Ramirez says her mother was an undocumented immigrant who later became a legal resident. She says she remembers the fears of her childhood, going to school in Miami and wondering if her mom might be deported. Ramirez says children should not have to live with that kind of stress.

The resolution adopted by the board requires federal agents to have warrants if they are seeking information about students in school or at a school-related function, such as a sporting event.

Board member Donna Korn wondered if the board was overstepping its authority.

"We absolutely should have our schools as sensitive locations, i support that wholeheartedly, at the same time i don't believe we're empowered to go beyond what the law has already ruled on in a court of law," Korn said during the meeting.

However, Korn voted for the measure after amendments were made and the school board attorney assured the board the resolution fell within its scope of powers.

"To me, it's not so much the legality, it's the meaning behind accepting everybody, what this resolution does is it sent a message to all immigrant kids that all children have equal rights," said Renata Castro, an immigration attorney who has kids in Broward public schools.

The resolution also provides a framework for schools and families to make plans for students in case parents are deported.
Police have arrested a homeless man for scratching swastikas into cars in Miami Beach last month, officials said Tuesday.

Timothy Merriam, 61, was arrested on charges including criminal mischief and criminal mischief with an impairment of a business operation, Miami Beach Police said.

Police said they will be working with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office to determine if hate crime charges will be filed.

Residents said they found five cars keyed with swastikas near Prairie Avenue and 28th Street on the morning of Feb. 26.

Police said Merriam was arrested the same day for a series of tire slashings on Citi bikes. According to police, more than 100 bikes had their tires slashed over a 30-day period.

Merriam was arrested for the tire slashings, and police said they found video evidence that Merriam was involved in both the tire slashings and the swastikas.

Merriam was booked into jail and was being held on $10,000 bond Tuesday, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
What to Know Paterson Mayor Joey Torres and three city workers were hit with corruption charges Tuesday

Torres has been the subject of months of I-Team reporting on city workers allegedly doing private jobs for him

Torres said in a statement, "I fully intend to vigorously defend myself against these allegations"

Paterson Mayor Joey Torres and three employees of the city's public works department were hit with state corruption-related charges Tuesday, hours after the I-Team first reported they would be indicted.

The mayor of New Jersey's third-largest city was the subject of months of I-Team reporting on municipal workers being paid to do private jobs for him and his relatives.

"This is a case of old-school public corruption and abuse of power," Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said at a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday. "Mayor Torres allegedly treated city workers like his personal handymen, treated taxpayer dollars like his own."

The six-count indictment unsealed Tuesday include charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and tampering with public records against Torres and three workers, Joseph Mania, 51; Timothy Hanlon, 30; and Imad Elmowaswes, 52.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Shortly after the charges were announced, Torres stood next to his executive assistant on the steps of City Hall as she read from a prepared statement attributed to him.

"I am extremely disappointed and surprised that the Attorney General has elected to pursue this case and file these charges against me today," the statement said.

It went on to say that Torres and his attorneys had been speaking with the attorney general's office and "were in the process of addressing certain issues they raised when we were notified at the last possible moment that the state would be unsealing an indictment today."

"I fully intend to vigorously defend myself against these allegations, and I look forward to the opportunity to present all of the facts in a court of law," Torres' statement said. "I am confident when the full story is told, I will be vindicated."

First elected to Paterson's city council in 1990, Torres became mayor in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. The Democrat lost a bid for a third term in 2010 but re-gained his seat in 2014.

Through much of 2016, Torres refused to answer questions about a series of I-Team stories that appeared to show city employees doing private jobs for him, from washing his scooter and building bookshelves to doing construction at his nephew's would-be beer business.

When the I-Team caught up with him before the first report in March 2016, Torres said in an email no employees had ever done private jobs for him while on overtime. "Please be advised that at no time has any city employee, on city time, or overtime, or paid with taxpayer dollars, ever performed work for me at my home, or anywhere else," he wrote.

Mayor Joey Torres is also accused of having city employees do work at his home. Jonathan Dienst reports.

The I-Team later obtained records that seem to show that at least eight employees had indeed been earning overtime during the same periods they were seen on camera doing private work at the mayor's home and the planned beer business. But the mayor never responded to requests for further explanation.

Torres is the second prominent New Jersey mayor to face criminal charges in the last four months. In an unrelated case, Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges on Nov. 18 and resigned from office.

Top Tri-State News Photos
What to Know Tenants at a Bronx building lashed out against their landlord and officials earlier this month to address a rare disease spread by rats

One man who lives in the building was hospitalized with Leptospirosis, and two others working at a nearby business got sick; one died

The health department said it was working with the housing preservation and the building departments to reduce the rat population there

A map depicting dozens of the city's most vermin-plagued neighborhoods shows exactly where the New York City Department of Health is waging the most intense battles against an age-old nemesis: rats.

The map, obtained exclusively by the I-Team, allows residents to plug in any address to see if a building is located within rodent hot zones known as "rat reservoirs."

According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, buildings, sidewalks, parks and sewers in rat reservoirs are targeted for extra exterminator visits and intensified enforcement from health inspectors. Since the program was launched in 2015, officials say rat reservoirs are working.

"The vast majority of them show reductions from 30 to 50 percent in rats, so we really do believe it is a successful approach," said Caroline Bragdon, who serves as the citys director of neighborhood intervention for pest control.

Still, the rodents were linked to an outbreak of Leptospirosis, a disease spread by rat urine, that claimed the life of one Bronx resident and sickened two others last month. It was later revealed one of the surviving patients lived in 750 Grand Concourse, a rat-infested building that had already been designated as part of a rat reservoir.



Though the neighborhood had been targeted with additional attention from rodent inspectors, Bragdon said the building landlord stymied efforts to attack the problem from inside the building.

We knew rats were active in that neighborhood and we had been trying to engage many owners on the block for years, Bragdon said. If theyre not willing to work with us and if theyre actively shutting us out of buildings it makes our job very, very difficult.

Ved Parkash, the building owner, declined comment. After the resident died, he did hire a new exterminator and pledged to clean up the property.

According to city records, exterminators from the health department visited 750 Grand Concourse 21 times in 2015. Last year, the number of rodent baitings went down to 12.

Despite pledges from both the landlord and the health department, some residents of 750 Grand Concourse continue to be pestered by rats.

Elaine, a third-floor resident whose father recently caught two rats in his kitchen, said she never noticed extra attention that comes along with being designated a rat reservoir building.

Its frustrating because we never knew we were in a rat reservoir. We just know we have the rats and its a problem and no one is doing anything about it, said Elaine, who did not want to give her last name.

"Someone shouldnt have to die for the city to come in.
President Donald Trump's new executive order suspending new visas to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations could reduce the number of doctors in areas that voted Trump into office, NBC News reported.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and MIT looked at data about physicians from those countries in the U.S. and found that swaths of Appalachia and the Rust Belt could be disproportionately affected.

Residency programs are a pathway for foreign-born doctors to become physicians in the U.S. Many work in rural and low-income areas, where they have played a critical role in preventing doctor shortages.

As many as several hundred doctors will be affected by the order, unable to begin medical residencies this year unless granted waivers, Atul Grover, executive vice president of The Association of American Medical Colleges, told NBC News.
What to Know A CSX freight train derailed in Newburgh, New York around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday

The train was carrying hazardous materials including sulfuric acid, and was leaking fuel from a locomotive

It was not immediately clear if the derailment led to any injuries

A CSX freight train carrying sulfuric acid and other hazardous materials derailed Tuesday afternoon when it hit a work vehicle that had gotten stuck on the tracks in Newburgh, authorities say.

It appears an equipment loader with a boom got caught on the tracks on River Road, near the line between Newburgh and New Windsor, and the freight train struck it and derailed, according to Brendan Casey, commissioner of emergency services for Orange County.

An employee of Steelways Inc. told the Times-Herald Record that one of his co-workers was driving a forklift across the tracks when he heard the train's whistle and saw the crossing gates come down "really fast," trapping the vehicle on the tracks.

"I screamed for him to get out of the basket," employee Kevin Way said. "There was no way he was going to get off (the tracks) at that point."

Way said the co-worker escaped to safety just before the train struck the forklift. Two crew members suffered minor injuries, according to state police.

CSX said a locomotive was leaking fuel, but that none of the hazardous materials were spilled or leaking.

New Windsor FD (Orange) City of Newburgh FD Train derailment River Rd Photos ~ Anonymous A post shared by Kempter Fire Wire (Official) (@kempterfirewire) on Mar 7, 2017 at 12:44pm PST

The train has three locomotives and 77 freight cars in total, the company said, and was traveling from Selkirk, New York to Waycross, Georgia.

Besides the sulfuric acid, it was also carrying sodium hydroxide and corn oil, as well as cardboard and glass.

"Right now the scene is secure, we have the roadway closed," said Casey. "CSX, Federal Railroad Agency, various state agencies are on the scene, and at this point it's really just a cleanup operation to get the train off the roadway and get the rail cars back aligned and move 'em out of the area."

Joni Armstrong was shaken as she recalled driving on the road before suddenly seeing the trains coming toward her.

"I looked in my rearview mirror and saw fire and a train barreling towards my car, and I had a moment of panic thinking, 'Oh, my God, it's gonna hit me,'" she said. "It jumped the tracks and came onto the road and it looked like it was heading straight for the cars."

"If it had gone a few feet further, it would have hit a building," she said. "If it had gone the other way, it would have hit the oil tanks -- which I can't even imagine what that would have done."

CSX says it will use a network of contractors to try to move the cars off the tracks. They'll have specialized equipment, including heavy-duty cranes and bulldozers. If that doesn't work, CSX's team on site will develop an alternative plan.

"At this point it is too soon to say when the recovery will be completed; our teams will work continuously until the task is complete," said CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle.

The area is industrial, with oil and gasoline frequently moving through the area. Authorities conducted a train derailment drill at almost the same exact location last summer, which helped in Tuesday's response.

"We chose this location because for the freight line that runs through Orange County, this is the most populated area and would be the worst case scenario for a derailment," said Casey.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, whose office is blocks from the derailment scene, said in a statement, "While we don't yet know why the train derailed, we do know that outdated train cars barreling down the Hudson River carrying hazardous materials are literally a train wreck waiting to happen."

"We have to get smarter about how we transport crude oil, and invest in installing positive train control on all our trains," he said.

Maloney is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has been vocal about rail safety.

Another CSX train crash in Biloxi, Mississippi Tuesday killed three people who were on a bus.
What to Know Prosecutors say the couple used the story of a real 5-year-old boy with cancer, falsely saying he died to get people to pony up cash

They were arrested Friday; the investigation started in late February after they were seen going into businesses in Lynbrook

The total estimated haul of the alleged scheme wasn't known, but officials said they took in $200 in Lynbrook in one day

A Brooklyn couple pleaded not guilty Tuesday to fraud-related and child endangerment charges in an alleged scheme to dupe people into helping cover funeral costs for a cancer-stricken 5-year-old Staten Island boy they claimed had died, according to multiple news reports and court documents.

Prosecutors say Brittney Schmidt, 30, and Vincent Fina, used the boy's photo when they walked into businesses in Nassau County's Lynbrook last month asking for cash, the reports said. The boy's battle with cancer is real, but unlike the couple's claim, he is very much alive, according to the reports.

Prosecutors say Schmidt and Fina collected nearly $200 in one day from unsuspecting contributors in Lynbrook. One woman, Kerry Bennett, told NBC 4 New York an 11-year-old boy with the couple, believed to be their son, was the main pitchman.

"I believed him and felt really bad, and said whatever I have on me, I'll give you," she said. "Now? Now I'm not happy."

NBC 4 New York spoke with three victims who said they gave small amounts of cash, but officials believe there may be more victims elsewhere on Long Island and in Brooklyn and Queens. The total estimated haul of the alleged scheme wasn't known.

Detectives launched an investigation Feb. 21 after the couple was stopped in Lynbrook and asked about their "suspicious behavior," authorities said, and arrested them at their Brooklyn home on Friday.



Prosecutors say the couple's son was seen going into Lynbrook locations with them, though how they may have used the boy in the alleged scheme wasn't clear. His age wasn't released.

Both Schmidt and Fina were released pending their next court appearance. Schmidt is being represented by Legal Aid, which does not comment on ongoing cases. Fina said he's trying to get a private attorney.

Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by the scam is asked to call his or her local precinct.
What to Know Republicans released their plan for rolling back Obama's signature health care law

The White House released a revised travel order after last month's order was blocked by a federal appeals court

The Supreme Court sent the case of transgender Gavin Grimm back to the lower courts

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

GOP Releases Plan for Replacing Obamacare

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Obama's health care law, a package that would scale back the government's role in health care and likely leave more Americans uninsured. House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year's defining battle in Congress and capping a seven-year Republican effort to repeal the 2010 law. The plan would repeal the statute's unpopular fines on people who don't carry health insurance replaces other elements. Heres a rundown of the Republicans plan.

Trump Unveils Revised Travel Order

President Trump released a new, narrower travel order Monday temporarily barring new visas for citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries  one fewer than the original order, with Iraq removed from the list. It also suspends the entire U.S. refugee program. The measure applies only to refugees who are not already on their way to the United States and people seeking new visas. Among other things, it removes language that gave priority to religious minorities. Last month, Trumps original travel order led to chaos at airports around the country and the attorney generals of Virginia and Washington later successfully sued to stop its implementation.

Questions Swirl Around Trump Wiretap Mystery

If President Trump wants to know whether he was the subject of surveillance by the U.S. government, he may be uniquely positioned to get an answer. A series of weekend tweets by the president focused public attention on intelligence collection efforts long shrouded in secrecy. He accused former President Obama of ordering wiretaps on his phones but offered no proof to back the claim, and the White House then called on Congress to investigate the allegations. But former government lawyers say Trump hardly needs Congress to answer this question.

SCOTUS Scraps Case on Trans Bathroom Rights

The Supreme Court is leaving the issue of transgender rights in schools to lower courts for now after backing out of a high-profile case Monday of a Virginia high school student who sued to be able to use the boys' bathroom. The court's order in the case of teenager Gavin Grimm means that attention now will turn to lower courts around the country that are grappling with rights of transgender students to use school bathrooms that correspond to their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth. Monday's action by a court that has been short-handed for more than a year comes after the Trump administration pulled back federal guidance advising schools to let students use the bathroom of their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth.

NY Man Held Without Bail on Terrorism Charges

A New York man facing terrorism charges for allegedly trying to join ISIS or another extremist group in Syria was ordered held without bail after a brief court hearing Monday. Elvis Redzepagic, 26, was charged Saturday in Brooklyn with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; federal authorities said he was prepared to strap on a bomb and sacrifice himself for jihad. A defense attorney told the judge at Monday's hearing that her client's medical and mental health needs should be evaluated.

Dying Wifes Love Letter Goes Viral

After a dying womans extraordinary love letter was read and shared by millions of people around the world, her husband shared his own small tribute to her and their heartbreaking story. In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote that her battle with ovarian cancer left her with just days to live  and only a few cherished moments with her beloved husband Jason. Jason, who she described as an easy man to fall in love with. I did it in one day, issued a statement to NBC News as their journey nears its end. It is Amys gift with words that has drawn the universe in, he said.

Buffett Unveils "Margaritaville" Retirement Home

For those who love the music of legendary Florida resident Jimmy Buffett and are getting close to retirement age, the musician is offering a chance to continue the free-spirt lifestyle well into their golden years. Called "Latitude Margaritaville," the community is set to open in 2018 near Daytona Beach and will cater to those 55 years of age and older. The $1 billion development will reportedly have 7,000 homes.

SNL Star Pete Davidson Happy and Sober

Pete Davidson returned to social media with an update about his personal life. The "Saturday Night Live" star returned to Instagram on Monday to announce he is "happy and sober" for the first time since 2009. "Just wanted to let you guys know I'm okay. I know I've kinda been missing, on social media and on the show. I quit drugs and am happy and sober for the first time in 8 years," Davidson captioned a photo of himself.
A 61-year-old woman visiting the city from Miami was struck and pinned by an MTA bus in an East Village crosswalk Monday night, and her daughter says she fears recent chemo treatment for her mother's cancer will complicate surgical efforts to repair the broken bones she suffered in the collision.



Aurora Beauchamp has cancer and recently had a hysterectomy, her daughter Natalie Rizzo says. Beauchamp was walking in the crosswalk near Houston Street and Avenue D around 9 p.m. when an MTA bus driven by 41-year-old Eduard Khanimov made a right turn and hit her, police said.



According to her daughter, Beauchamp was taken to a hospital with a broken hip, pelvis and ribs and a bruised bladder. She was expected to undergo surgery Wednesday. A hospital spokeswoman said she was in serious condition.

Khanimov was also taken to the hospital for evaluation. He was arrested on a charge of failing to yield to a pedestrian. It wasn't immediately clear if he had retained an attorney who could comment on the allegation.

However, John Samuelsen, the president of the transit worker's union, Local 100 President, said in a statement to News 4: "Our hearts go out to the victim of this tragic accident and her family. It's unfortunate that bus operators are forced to drive 75-foot vehicles with blind spots through intersections that give both pedestrians -- and turning motorists -- signals to enter the same crosswalk at the same time.

"It's a recipe for serious disasters like this, and bus operators should not be treated like common criminals when this flawed traffic system produces an accident," he said.



The MTA said Khanimov would be held out of passenger service pending the completion of the investigation, as is the case "in all bus pedestrian accidents."
A retired police officer was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of attempted murder in the shooting of his neighbor at their Brooklyn apartment building.

Gene Barrett is accused of shooting his neighbor, 45-year-old Joe Stepinski, once in the head outside their three-family home on Greenpoint Avenue Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors say Barrett then took Stepinski's cellphone and went into Stepinski's apartment as police responded. When officers arrived, Barrett allegedly pointed his gun at one officer, leading to a standoff.

Dozens of police cars swarmed the Greenpoint neighborhood as police responded, including at least one armored vehicle, Chopper 4 over the scene showed.

Barrett had two guns, which he was legally permitted to carry, prosecutors said.

Stepinski remains on life support at Bellevue Hospital.

Barrett, 51, retired from the NYPD in 2002 after nine years on the force, according to his defense attorney. He was injured on the job and retired on disability.

Barrett's brother declined to comment to News 4 as he left court. The suspect was remanded to jail and is next scheduled to appear in court March 10.

A motive is still not clear in the shooting, but Luis Andino, a friend of Barrett, told News 4 Monday that the victim would "stalk him, spy on him, walk into his apartment. These are things he'd complain about."
The Outerbridge Crossing was shut down Monday evening after a driver trying to escape police crashed on the bridge, police sources say.

The driver of a white SUV was being chased by police from New Jersey when the driver proceeded onto the Outerbridge Crossing heading toward Staten Island, sources say.

The driver tried to make a U-turn and cut across the center median when the suspect hit another vehicle, a Jeep, head-on.

Chopper 4 over the scene initially showed heavy backups on both sides of the crossing, as long as two miles. The New York-bound lanes have since reopened but the New Jersey-bound lanes are still heavily delayed.

The owner of the white SUV, 62-year-old William Cruz, told News 4 his Ford Edge was stolen. He says he was picking up kitchen countertops from a friend's business at Fayette and State streets in Perth Amboy, and was returning to his vehicle -- which was running, but the key was in Cruz's hand, he says -- when he suddenly heard his vehicle beep twice and then take off.

Cruz called police, who began chasing the driver.

"I'm running and I'm calling 911," Cruz said.

Cruz ran several blocks but couldn't keep up.

He says his vehicle needs to have a key in the car in order to go and he doesn't understand why the car didn't shut off when he locked it.

"How did it open for him when he had no key?" Cruz said.

The suspect is in custody, Port Authority police say.
What to Know Officer Randolph Holder was gunned down in the line of duty Oct. 20, 2015

The five-year veteran of the force was shot in the head in East Harlem during a chase

Tyrone Howard had faced murder and robbery charges in his death

A man has been convicted of murdering a 33-year-old NYPD officer during a chase in East Harlem more than a year ago.

The jury returned the guilty verdict against Tyrone Howard Monday after four days of deliberations in the case of Randolph Holder, who was killed Oct. 20, 2015 as he chased the wanted criminal on a pedestrian overpass over the FDR Drive.

Howard was found guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder and first-degree murder as the top charges. He faces life without prison when he's sentenced April 3.

Holder's family was in the courtroom as the verdict was read. They stood next to PBA President Pat Lynch as he addressed reporters after the verdict, but declined to speak themselves. The fallen officer's mother and fiancee wiped away tears.

Police officers who had been attending the trial cheered as the verdict was read.

"These police officers lost a brother. Today we get justice," Lynch said.

Holder's partner, Omar Wallace, testified that he recognized Howard from a drug arrest a year earlier and approached him in a non-confrontational way. Howard jumped off the bike so fast Wallace thought he was going to run. But instead, he yanked a semi-automatic handgun from his sweatshirt and opened fire.

"The first shot hit Officer Holder on the right side of his head. He fell immediately," Wallace testified.

Jurors watched camera footage of the chaotic scene that unfolded on a footbridge over the FDR highway as officers raced to help their colleague. Officers carried Holder to a waiting van that took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Howard was arrested not far from the scene.

"The NYPD is pleased to learn that justice has been served by today's verdict," said NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill.

Howard didn't attend some of the jury deliberations because he wanted to catch up on his sleep, prosecutors said last week. Howard had five convictions for drug dealing and another for armed robbery. He was out on bail - and had been ordered to enter a drug treatment program on his most recent drug case - when he became embroiled in a gunfight with rival dealers before he hopped on the bicycle and sped off, eventually encountering Holder and Wallace.

Holder always wanted to be a police officer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served as officers in their native Guyana. Holder's dream came true in 2010 when he joined the New York Police Department and began patrolling the city's public housing complexes.

"It's in his blood," his commanding officer, Capt. Reymundo Mundo said at his funeral. "It's in his genes."
What to Know Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs, and is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes

If not treated properly, it can be fatal

Up to 13 million Americans have what is called latent tuberculosis, which means the bacteria live in their lungs but don't cause illness

A member of a Connecticut college community has been hospitalized with suspected tuberculosis, a school spokesperson said Tuesday.



The spokesperson said once the campus learned of the possible case of infection, Student Health Services began working with local and state health departments on appropriate protocols, including outreach.



It wasn't clear if the suspected case involved a faculty member or student.

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs, and is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include feel sick or weak, weight loss, fever and night sweats, along with coughing and chest pain. If not treated properly, which usually requires a series of drugs for up to nine months, tuberculosis can be fatal.



People with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

It once was a major cause of death and illness, and in the late 1800s killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe. But the development of antibiotics and public health efforts succeeded in treating infections and tracking down those infected.

As many as 13 million Americans have what is called latent tuberculosis, which means the bacteria live in their lungs but don't cause any illness. People with latent TB aren't contagious.
Mika Zibanejad scored 3:56 into overtime, Antti Raanta made 38 saves, and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 on Monday night.

Zibanejad beat Andrei Vasilevskiy during a breakaway.

Raanta got his third shutout of the season.

Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots and Tampa Bay, 8-2-3 over the past 13 games, moved within two points of New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers failed to score on three power plays, and are 1 for 36 over the past 14 games. Tampa Bay, with NHL's third-best power play, went 0 for 6.

Gabriel Dumont had his backhand turned aside by Raanta at the midpoint of the third.

Rick Nash had a chance from the low right circle in the final minute of regulation, but Vasilevskiy made the save to keep it scoreless.

Vasilevskiy stopped Pavel Buchnevich's in-close power-play shot in the first, and had nifty save late in the second on Brady Skjei.

Raanta fully extended his right pad to block a point-blank shot during the first by Ondrej Palat, and withstood a stretch midway through the second where Tampa Bay had a series of good scoring chances.

NOTES: The Lightning have not announced when C Steven Stamkos, out since right knee surgery in November, will fully participate in practice. He is taking part in limited drills. ... New York RW Michael Grabner (hip) missed his third consecutive game but took part in the morning skate. He had three goals in the only other meeting between the teams this season, a Rangers' 6-1 win on Oct. 30. ... Rangers D Kevin Klein (back spasms) didn't make the trip. ... Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov had his six-game point streak (seven goals, 14 points) end.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Play the second of a four-game trip Tuesday night at Florida.

Lightning: Host Minnesota on Thursday night in the second of three straight games at home.
A powerful conservative backlash threatened to sink the new Republican health care bill Tuesday less than 24 hours after its launch, even as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders began trying to sell the legislation as the long-promised GOP cure for "Obamacare."

"We're going to do something that's great and I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives," Trump declared at the White House as he met Tuesday with the House GOP vote-counting team. "We're going to take action. There's going to be no slowing down. There's going to be no waiting and no more excuses by anybody."

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence told GOP lawmakers at the Capitol this was their chance to scuttle President Barack Obama's 2010 law, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forecast congressional passage by early April.

But major obstacles loomed as key Republican lawmakers announced their opposition, and one conservative group after another torched the plan. The Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America, Americans for Prosperity and Tea Party Patriots variously derided the new bill as Obamacare Lite, Obamacare 2.0 and even RyanCare, in a dig at House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

The new GOP plan would repeal the current law's unpopular fines on people who don't carry health insurance. It also would replace income-based subsidies, which the law provides to help millions of Americans pay premiums, with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes. Those payments would phase out for higher-earning people.

The legislation also would limit future federal funding for Medicaid, which covers low-income people, about 1 in 5 Americans. And it would loosen rules that Obama's law imposed for health plans directly purchased by individuals.

Republican supporters and opponents are all intent on reducing the role of government in health care, but some House conservatives say the new bill doesn't go nearly far enough.

For example, they are focusing on the system of refundable tax credits they denounce as a costly new entitlement. They're demanding a vote on a straightforward repeal-only bill.

At the White House meeting Tuesday, Trump made clear to House Republicans that he would be personally engaging with individual members who oppose the bill as leadership tries to round up votes, according to a lawmaker present who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private gathering.

Not long after, Trump appeared to be making good on his promise, tweeting at Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has criticized the bill.

"I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" the president wrote. The president plans to reconvene the group next week and will meet with conservative leaders to discuss the issue Wednesday.

The concerted conservative opposition was a remarkable rebuke to legislation GOP leaders hope will fulfill seven years of promises to repeal and replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, pledges that played out in countless Republican campaigns for House and Senate as well as last year's race for president. Instead, the groups that are uniting to oppose the new House legislation include many that sprang up to oppose passage of "Obamacare" in the first place.

"As the bill stands today, it is Obamacare 2.0," the billionaire Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. "Millions of Americans would never see the improvements in care they were promised, just as Obamacare failed to deliver on its promises."

Republicans are pushing forward even without official estimates from the Congressional Budget Office on the cost of the bill and how many people would be covered, although GOP lawmakers acknowledge they can't hope to match the 20 million covered under Obamacare.

Democrats say the bill would leave many people uninsured, shifting costs to states and hospital systems that act as providers of last resort. The bill also adds up to big tax breaks for the rich, cutting more than 20 taxes enacted under Obama's heath law, with the bulk of the savings going to the wealthiest Americans.

"This is a tax cut for the wealthy with some health insurance provisions tacked alongside of it," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Many conservatives are hardly happier.

The new legislation is "not the Obamacare replacement plan, not the Obamacare repeal plan we've been hoping for. This is instead a step in the wrong direction," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said at an afternoon news conference with Rand Paul and members of the House Freedom Caucus.

Caucus members command enough votes to take down the bill in the House, but the group's chairman, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, struck a conciliatory tone, emphasizing they are open to negotiation and view the leadership bill as a starting point.

Notes of caution also came from GOP governors, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich arguing that phasing out expanded Medicaid coverage without a viable alternative is "counterproductive" and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner saying he was "very concerned" that people will be "left in the lurch" under the House GOP plan.

AARP also objected, saying the bill would "dramatically increase health care costs for Americans aged 50-64" and put the health care of millions at risk. The organization, which has nearly 38 million members, was pivotal to the passage of Obama's law in 2010.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent congressional leaders a letter praising the GOP plan, calling it "absolutely critical in taking steps to restore choice, flexibility and innovation to the nation's health care markets."

Committee votes on the new bill are to begin Wednesday in the House, and GOP leaders hope to push it through the Senate soon thereafter.

Even as some Republicans expressed doubts about whether that would be possible, Speaker Ryan said at an afternoon news conference, "We'll have 218 when this thing comes to the floor, I can guarantee you that." That's the number of votes needed for passage.
What to Know David Samson, a mentor to Chris Christie and former NJ attorney general, will spend one year on home confinement

He pleaded guilty for using his chairman position to pressure United Airlines to revive a money-losing flight from Newark to South Carolina

Samson wanted the flight so he could have easier access to a weekend home

The former head of one of the nation's most powerful transportation agencies and a longtime mentor to Gov. Chris Christie was sentenced Monday to four years of probation after admitting he pressured United Airlines to reinstate a flight route to give him easier access to his weekend home.

David Samson, former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, pleaded guilty to bribery last year for the backroom deal, which occurred at a time when United was negotiating with the Port Authority over a new hangar it wanted to build at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Before the judge pronounced his sentence, Samson apologized to the court, his family and friends, "and to the public, to whom I owe much better."

"I take full and complete responsibility for my actions," he added.

The judge also sentenced Samson to home confinement for one year and 3,600 hours of community service. Samson must also wear a monitoring device and pay a $100,000 fine.

Samson had faced up to two years in prison.

According to court filings, Samson wound up saving roughly an hour's driving time by flying into Columbia, South Carolina, to his home in Aiken instead of from Charlotte, North Carolina. United discontinued the flight shortly after Samson resigned in early 2014.

Samson began to lobby for the flight almost as soon as he became chairman, Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna told the judge before sentencing.

"He wasn't lobbying United for something New Jersey residents were clamoring for or something the Port Authority needed," Khanna said. "He asked one of the world's largest airlines to create a flight route just for him."

Revelations about what was jokingly dubbed "the Chairman's Flight" came on the heels of the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal, which culminated in the criminal convictions of two former Port Authority officials in a political retaliation plot.

Samson, 77, wasn't charged in that scandal, though the scheme's admitted mastermind testified Samson knew about the plot before it was put into action.

Samson's attorneys had sought a sentence of probation and community service, writing that Samson's actions were "an aberration in an otherwise unblemished and extraordinary career." They added that he is in poor health and is "very likely in the last few years of his life."

Samson has prostate cancer and tremors, Khanna said.

Prosecutors wrote in response last week that Samson "abused his power in a stunning and audacious manner" and should receive the full 24 months.

The courtroom was packed Monday, and supporters of Samson included former New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa.

United Airlines was fined more than $2 million, and then-CEO Jeff Smisek and two other high-ranking United officials were forced out in September 2015 after the airline investigated the executives' dealings with Samson.

Smisek, Samson's attorney noted in arguing for leniency, wasn't prosecuted but instead received a $35 million severance package, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Jamie Fox, a longtime state official and the United lobbyist who was accused of conspiracy to commit bribery in the scheme, died last month at age 62. He had pleaded not guilty.

A memorial service for Fox was scheduled for later Monday afternoon. Christie, a Republican, planned to attend.
Police have arrested a day care worker who they say was caught on camera shoving a young girl down stairs at the suburban Philadelphia facility last week.

Sarah Gable, 52, of Folcroft, Pennsylvania, was arrested Friday and charged with simple assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. She will also likely be charged with reckless endangerment, police said.

Gable worked at the Child Care of the Future on the 700 block of Secane Avenue in Primos, Pennsylvania. She was later fired.

Gable was caught on surveillance video pushing a 4-year-old girl down the stairs on Friday around 5:15 p.m., according to investigators.

"Apparently for no reason she takes this child and just throws her down a set of steps," Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Police say workers at the day care had just installed a surveillance camera about a half-hour before the incident took place. In the video, a woman whom police identified as Gable looks up at the camera after shoving the girl and apparently realizes she is being recorded. She then takes the girl by the hand and leads her down the stairs the rest of the way.

Shawayne Tavares, a manager at Child Care of the Future, told NBC10 Philadelphia she witnessed the entire incident unfold on the surveillance camera in real time.

"I was so upset. I had tears in my eyes," Tavares said. "She picked up the shoe and tried to come to the end of the stairs like, 'Oh, it was her shoe'" that caused her to fall.

"I'm like, 'It's not her shoe. I just watched you on camera do it,'" Tavares continued. "Her eyes literally were like, 'help me.' She needs to go to jail for that. You don't put your hands on a child. Point blank."

Workers immediately confronted Gable and called police, investigators said.

The 4-year-old girl suffered a minor knee injury and returned to the day care Monday.

Gable was fired from the day care and arrested though she is currently out on bail. Gable's husband told NBC10 Monday night the family has an attorney and he stands by his wife.

Upper Darby Police

A Delaware County day care worker was caught on camera pushing her 4-year-old student down the stairs, according to police. NBC10s Erin Coleman has the very latest on the investigation.

A day care worker was arrested after she pushed a 4-year-old girl down the stairs, according to police. NBC10s Denise Nakano speaks to a woman who says she witnessed the incident.
Police say a man already involved in the kidnapping and robbery of at least two other women targeted another victim at a Delaware apartment complex early Monday evening.

New Castle County Police were called to the Bluffs Apartments on Sheldon Drive in Newark, Delaware around 6:30 p.m. for a report of an attempted kidnapping and robbery. When they arrived they were met by a woman who told them she was approached by a gunman while she was walking to her apartment building. The suspect pointed a gun at her head, demanded money and forced the woman to her apartment, police said. When they arrived at the unit, the woman hit her door buzzer with her elbow and her boyfriend answered.

"She leaned in, whispered to me, 'This guy's trying to rob me,'" her boyfriend told NBC10. "I flung the door open all the way. He had already realized someone else was home. Turned and ran."

The suspect fled on foot as a neighbor tried to chase him down. The suspect escaped however. [[415533893, C]]

Police believe the suspect is the same man involved in abductions and robberies at the Top of the Hill and Arundel Apartment complexes. The Bluffs Apartments complex is located about 20 miles from Top of the Hill and four and a half miles from the Arundel Apartments complex.

The woman's boyfriend told NBC10 they came up with a safety plan after the second kidnapping at the Arundel Apartments two weeks ago.

"She's the hero," the boyfriend said. "She did everything the best she could. I'm proud of her and I love her."

The woman described the suspect as an average built man wearing dark clothing with his face covered and standing between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-8. Police also say the suspect is a white male with a heavy accent who speaks out loud about what he plans to do. Investigators also believe he's driving a dark-colored SUV.

If you have any information on the man's identity, please call 302-573-2800. You can also submit a tip at the New Castle County Police website or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.

The boyfriend of a woman who escaped from a serial kidnapper and robber in Delaware spoke to NBC10. NBC10s Brandon Hudson tells us how the couple put their escape plan into action.

An armed kidnapper targeting women at Delaware apartment complexes may have struck for a third time. NBC10s Matt DeLucia is on the scene of the latest case with more on how the woman escaped.

Police are searching for a serial kidnapper on the run in New Castle County, Delaware. One woman managed to scare off the attacker on Monday night at The Preserve at Deacons Walk in Newark, Delaware. NBC10 Delaware Bureau Reporter Tim Furlong spoke to the woman about the attempted abduction.
Two armed robbers pistol-whipped and shot an unlicensed cabdriver in West Philadelphia overnight.

The 55-year-old driver doesnt work for Uber or Lyft but does use his black Cadillac sedan to offer rides in the area, Philadelphia Police said. Monday night around 11:40 he picked up two men at 52nd and Market streets -- one of the men jumping into the front seat, the other in the back -- after one of the men asked if the driver was "hacking," investigators said.

"As they get into the car, the male in the front seat starts striking him with a handgun and (the driver) starts trying to fight that male off," police Lt. John Walker said.

As the struggle ensued in the front seat, the guy in the back seat fired two shots through the driver's seat.

"(A bullet) goes into his back and out of his chest area," Walker said.

Responding officers rushed the driver to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where doctors listed him in stable condition, Walker said.

The suspects, both believed to be in their 20s -- one in a blue hoodie, the other in a multicolored jacket -- fled on foot with nothing, police said.

Philadelphia Police spoke early Tuesday as they waited for a search warrant to scour the Cadillac  an American flag air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror  for clues.

"(The suspects) never even announced where they were going," Walker said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police. [[238427591, C]]
A Philadelphia man was sentenced for knocking a cup of gasoline on his girlfriend as she was smoking a cigarette, causing her to burn to death inside a Bensalem motel last year.

Kevin Small, 47, pleaded guilty in the murder of his girlfriend Melissa Bacon-Smith, 46, also of Philadelphia. Small also pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, one count of risking a catastrophe, 43 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of possessing an instrument of crime. Small was sentenced to life plus 68-136 years in prison.

On Sunday, May 15, 2016, shortly before 2:30 a.m., police and firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the Lincoln Motel, on Route 1 near Northgate Drive in Bensalem Township. When they arrived they found flames and heavy smoke inside the building. Firefighters extinguished a blaze in a first-floor motel room and later found Bacon-Smith's body inside. Investigators say she had suffered severe burns.

A desk clerk at the motel told investigators that before police and firefighters arrived, she entered room 103 after receiving a report of a person on fire. When she opened the door she noticed a person on the bed who was on fire and yelling. She was unable to get inside the room however due to the flames and left to help evacuate the entire motel. The clerk told investigators flames inside the room had spread to the curtain, bed and in front of the television.

Police say motel records indicated room 103 was registered to Small who was later found walking on Southampton and Byberry roads by Bensalem Township Police. Investigators say he had visible burns on his hands and smelled like gasoline. He was taken to Aria Hospital for treatment.

Officials say they interviewed Small as well as his sister and mother. Small's sister told officials her brother had called her around 2:35 a.m. overnight and told her that he got in a fight with his girlfriend Bacon-Smith and set her on fire as a result. Small's mother also told police that her son called her around 2:30 a.m. and confessed to throwing gasoline on Bacon-Smith's face. Small told his mother that Bacon-Smith, "looked like Freddy Kruger."

Investigators later obtained surveillance video of Small at a nearby Wawa store. The video shows Small walking into the store shortly before 1:30 a.m. on May 15. He then exits the store with a Wawa coffee cup in his hand, walks to a gas pump and then fills the cup with gasoline. The video then shows Small reentering the Wawa and getting a second cup and a pack of matches.

Officials also obtained more surveillance video of Small entering the Lincoln Motel on May 15 at 1:36 a.m. with an item in his hand.

During his interview with investigators, Small told police he was "angry" with Bacon-Smith before he left their motel room and went to the Wawa. Small said Bacon-Smith "laughed" at him when he returned to their room and he placed the cup of gasoline on top of a television. Small told investigators he then swung his arm and struck the cup, causing gasoline to fly towards Bacon-Smith as she smoked a cigarette. Small then told investigators the gasoline struck Bacon-Smith's face and she caught on fire.

Small said Bacon-Smith then grabbed his arm and said, "Kevin." He then pulled away from her and left her inside the room as the flames continued to spread.

After Small's arrest last year he told reporters, "I'm sorry," and admitted that he, "lost it" as he was led away in handcuffs. Small told NBC10's Lauren Mayk he "hurt someone he loved" and when asked whether or not he should go to jail, replied by saying, "Oh yeah, definitely."
A missing boy and his step-grandfather were both found safe Tuesday afternoon.

Naasir Thomas, 5, and his step-grandfather Stewart Gertman, 60, failed to return to their residence on Frankford Avenue near E Venago Street in Kensington Monday, police said.

Gertman routinely cares for Naasir and they were last seen together at their home around 10 a.m. Monday before being reported missing at 10 p.m. [[415584083, C]]

Investigators attempted to call Gertmans cellphone but had no luck, police said.

Shortly after 4 p.m. police announced both the boy and his step-grandfather were found in good condition.

[[238427591, C]]
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comment from U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, a Republican from Pennsylvania's 6th District who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is one of two committees debating proposed Republican healthcare reforms this week.

Special needs administrators in Pennsylvania are worried that an expected Republican overhaul to Medicaid could affect, or possibly eliminate, as much as $143 million in funding for thousands of children.

About 3,000 children in Montgomery County, for instance, receive more than $12 million in Medicaid-funded services that would be in jeopardy if Congress makes significant changes, administrators said.

Low-income families, in particular, would face a much greater burden in finding ways to pay for special needs services, they said.

My fear is this gets lost in the shuffle, said Dr. John J. George, executive director of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU), the local agency responsible for overseeing Medicaid funding to children. It is time to impress upon the legislators how this money is used. Im not even sure they know about this, and how children would suffer.

The first overhaul proposal, which will be introduced Wednesday by a House committee, would end reimbursements to states, and instead cap the amount of funding per student, regardless of individual level of need.

Another proposal circulating in the Senate would disburse Medicaid to the states in lump sums, described as block grants, at the beginning of each year.

Both proposals represent the most sweeping overhauls to Medicaid in a generation. Some budget analysts and advocates have said the proposals would decrease funding by 25 to 30 percent and leave service providers as wide-ranging as hospitals and school districts fighting for federal dollars each year.

George said block grants would fundamentally change the way Pennsylvania allocates for psychiatric services, speech and language therapy, social workers and in-school special education.

Brian X. McCrone

Pennsylvanias use of Medicaid for special needs services dates to a 1988 federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It's not a very stable funding method, George said, and the Republican proposals would be drastic.

Medicaid was always intended to supplement education, George said. In Pennsylvania, you could argue it supplants education.

In Montgomery County, that means the 22 school districts would have to figure out how to cover roughly $7,000 in costs for each of the 3,000 special needs children -- or the money could disappear completely.

This would impact some of the most medically fragile children, the most vulnerable children, he said.

The program at risk is School-Based ACCESS (SBAP), which is overseen at the state level by the Department of Human Services.

Once you block grant a program, it diminishes over several years, and can eventually go away, Valentina Viletto, director of MCIUs community and government relations, said. When you hear about privatization, this is the beginning of that kind of process. This is a national issue.

In Washington D.C., school funding advocates have started sounding the alarm about proposed Medicaid changes.

Sasha Pudelski, assistant director for policy at The School Superintendents Association in Washington, released a report on potential changes that claims the Republican Congress has expressed a desire to reduce federal Medicaid spending by 25 percent by distributing Medicaid funding through a block-grant or a per-capita cap, which would shift costs to states.

If that scenario played out, according to the January report titled Cutting Medicaid: A Prescription to Hurt the Neediest Kids, schools would be forced to compete with hospitals, doctors, urgent-care clinics and other health-care centers to ensure continued reimbursement.

Pudelski said schools share of Medicaid reimbursement amounts to only about 1 percent of the entire federal program.

A state like Pennsylvania could decide not to reimburse schools a cent, Pudelski said in an interview. Schools, which get less than 1 percent, are not in an advantageous place to compete for this money.

The first sign of what a refined Medicaid could look like will come during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-West Chester, who is a member of the committee, said in a statement that ACCESS "deserves careful attention" as part of any healthcare reforms.

"I too share the concerns of our parents and school leaders, and I have supported efforts calling for the full funding of IDEA," Costello said.

He added that the legislation in debate "offers a framework to implement fiscal discipline within Medicaid, and in doing so, uses a data-based formula that takes into consideration Pennsylvania's unique Medicaid populations and offers Pennsylvania the flexibility to enhance existing benefits, including those offered through the School Based ACCESS program."

For officials like George and Viletto at child social service agencies, spreading the message about Medicaid funding now takes center stage.

The whole point of being able to provide services like in-school therapeutic support staff is to avoid hospitalization, which takes a student out of the least restrictive environment, George said. Then there are increased hospital costs. The whole system becomes strained.

Editors note: Parents who would like to share personal stories about the importance of special needs funding are urged to reach out to NBC10.coms Brian X. McCrone by emailing him at brian.mccrone@nbcuni.com or calling him at (610)668-5540.
Pennsylvania's top state Senate Democrat said Monday that no ransom has been paid to resolve a "ransomware" cyberattack that shut down the caucus' network and prompted an FBI investigation.

Senate Democrats' computer network, including their email system, remained inaccessible Monday, three days after the attack was discovered early Friday by information technology staff who received an alert that the network had been breached.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, would not say what sort of ransom had been demanded, but he said no ransom had been paid, and he and other Senate Democrats said they were not inclined to pay a ransom.

A ransomware attack is typically aimed at stealing sensitive information in an attempt to be paid for the data's return, often in a digital currency.

For the time being, Costa said, Senate Democrats were focused on trying to restore access to the network, which contains a wide range of documents, from policy work to constituent case files.

Microsoft was doing a forensic audit to try to figure out who penetrated the network and how, and Costa said the caucus may know more in the next day or two. Senators and staff who tried logging in initially received a message instructing them to click on a link for information on how to recover the data on their network.

Costa said the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices of the FBI were working on the case.

A spokeswoman at the FBI's Philadelphia office said that, under Department of Justice policy, the agency will not provide any update on an ongoing investigation unless or until charges are filed.

Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, said the hackers gave a one-week deadline to pay the ransom, or they would destroy the data. Leach said his office has lost access to all of the paperwork on file for constituent requests and the state grants he was trying to get for his district.

"In the short-term, we can sort of make do," Leach said. "There are some problems long-term."
NOT AT ALL RARE IN MARCH

Did you know that we average more snow in March than December in Philadelphia? Yup. The long-term average is 3.3 inches in March vs. 2.1 inches in December. Weve even had snow in April, but not much in recent years (We havent even seen an inch of snow in April since 2002-3). But, believe it or not, we got more than NINETEEN inches of snow on Easter weekend in 1915 (no, thats not a misprint: 19 inches of snow on April 3-4)! And weve had measurable snow as late as May 8, 1898.



As for March, we had a foot of snow as recently as two years ago. And weve had measurable snow in March in 10 of the past 16 years. Yes, we were spoiled in February, with the warmest one ever recorded, along with only 2 inches of snow. So, snow is NOT rare in Philadelphia in March.



WILL IT BE COLD ENOUGH TO SNOW FRIDAY?

Its March. Temperatures in this area will reach the 60s this week. Can we really get any snow that goes beyond flurries or snow showers by the weekend? Again-yup. The air cold enough for snow is not very far away. Look at the difference between temperatures around 5000 ft. for 1 a.m. Friday vs. 1 p.m. Friday. The temperature at that level in Philadelphia is about 37 degrees, which would clearly suggest any precipitation at that time would be rain. But only 12 hours later, that temperature drops to 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Thats a drop of about 20 degrees!

Tim Fears

NBC Bay Area

That map for 1pm shows that it might be cold enough for snow down to much of Delaware and South Jersey. The warmth of daytime in March will be fighting the colder air just above the ground.

All precipitation around here at this time of year starts as snow up in the clouds. As the snow falls and hits warmer air closer to the ground, it melts and becomes rain. If its cold enough at 5000 ft. and snowing harder than flurries, it doesnt matter if the ground temperature is above 32 degrees-the snow will eventually reach the surface. Ive seen it snow with ground temperatures as high as 46 degrees! Of course that doesnt last long-the snow cools things off fairly quickly.

Here is one computer model forecast map for 10 a.m. Friday. Blue represents snow, and the darker the blue, the heavier the snow. This is still too far out for most short-range high-resolution models, so well see what might change tomorrow.

CSNPhilly.com

SO WHATS LIKELY TO HAPPEN FRIDAY?

Of course, the ground will be plenty warm Thursday night. And the precipitation could start as rain from the Philadelphia area southward. Even if we change to snow during the A.M. rush, it would take quite a snow burst to stick on any roads, let alone our main roads. So, the main weather threat for A.M. rush Friday looks to be lower visibilities due to the snow. Farther north, the snow would start earlier, but it still would take hours (or a heavy snow burst) to stick on roads.



But as the day goes on, snow can accumulate on grassy surfaces (and your car), mainly north of the PA turnpike, with temperatures staying in the 30s. As of now, most computer models show the snow moving out before sunset. So, the timing may work in our favor-at least for those who are hoping for nothing worse than wet roads.

WHAT ABOUT THE SUNDAY THREAT?

Tuesdays computer models were generally in agreement on keeping the Sunday storm weaker and farther south than they were Monday. It doesnt happen often, but, as of now, it appears that Mondays Canadian model was the best. It had the storm weaker and much farther south than the others. Sound familiar? The Tuesday Canadian model is so far south that Virginia doesnt even get snow. But, as is common with that model, it develops a big storm a day or two later. Well see if that part of their forecast holds by tomorrow.

Stay with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team for the latest weather updates including alerts, maps and forecasts.
I don't want to make anybody feel bad, and I'm sure you know that the Shins are playing their second sold-out show tonight at the Observatory, so let's focus on other music options to satiate your music needs. At Soda Bar, queer hip-hop artist Mykki Blanco brings a new edge to the genre, incorporating elements of punk, industrial, and other sub-genres not generally associated with hip-hop -- as if the gender-bending, larger-than-life persona of Mykki wasn't reason enough to check out the show. If you're feeling a little more Americana tonight, the Great American Canyon Band along with our friend Grandpa Drew head to the Casbah. The Merrow offers up a free local Tuesday with the Shifty-Eyed Dogs, a T. Rex tribute takes hold at Blonde Bar, and Trunkweed plays a free in-store at Normal Records on 30th Street.

Tuesday, March 7:

Mykki Blanco, Cakes da Killa @ Soda Bar

The Shins, Kid Wave @ The Observatory North Park (SOLD OUT)

Great American Canyon Band, Grampadrew & the Gut Strings@ Casbah

The Shifty-Eyed Dogs, Dirty Pennies, the High Rolling Loners @ The Merrow

Dreamdecay, Die Mibildungen Des Menschen, Crime Desire, Heat @ Che Cafe

T. Rex Live Tribute w/ Electric Warrior @ Blonde

Tiki Tuesday ft. Adrian Demain @ Bar Pink

Trunkweed @ Normal Records

Reggae Tuesdaze @ The Holding Company 1502

Karaoke @ The Bancroft

Open Mic @ Brick 15

True Bass Presents: Ramsey #Trapped @ The Office

Robin Henkel @ Crossroads, House of Blues (FREE)

Mercedes Moore @ Humphreys Backstage Live

Mark Fischer @ Harbortown Pub

The Boom Bap Sweet 16 Tournament @ U-31

Karaoke @ Riviera Supper Club

Sue Palmer @ Tio Leo's

Videodrome @ Whistle Stop

Karaoke @ Riviera Supper Club

'50s/'60s Dance Party @ Henry's Pub

Tantric Tuesday with Richard Aldana @ Kava Lounge

The Captain's Son @ 710 Beach Club

Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah and writes about the San Diego music scene, events and general musings about life in San Diego on San Diego: Dialed In. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
A parolee-at-large wanted for a possible assault led authorities on a pursuit through Lancaster Tuesday.

The pursuit started at 11:06 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The suspect was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon.

Around 12:10 a.m., a patrol car attempted a pit maneuver intended to stop the dark green SUV, and sent the SUV spinning into a dirt bank on the north side of the road.

The man, identified as 49-year-old Danny L. Reeder of Palmdale, exited the vehicle and walked away from officers before sprinting away from a line of oncoming patrol cars.

Officers exited their cars, chasing after the man on foot, and one officer tackled him to the ground.

Sheriff's officials said one deputy was injured, but did not provide details about how the deputy was injured or how severely.

The California Highway Patrol assisted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department with the pursuit.
The reviews are starting to come in on the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as "ObamaCare," and aside from the Trump administration, they aren't very good to start out.

Major conservative lobbying groups have registered their displeasure with the bill, deeming it "Obamacare-lite," "Obamacare 2.0" and "RyanCare." It's been criticized by some key members of the party in Congress, not to mention Democrats.

The 100-page bill would eliminate the Affordable Care Act's mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance, the fines imposed on those who don't carry health insurance and Medicaid expansion for some beneficiaries after 2019, among other changes.

It was rolled out by House Republicans Monday, and the Trump administration threw its support behind the bill Thursday, with the president calling it "wonderful" in an early morning tweet.

But that was before statements started coming in from influential groups like Americans for Prosperity and Club for Growth. Here are selections from their statements, which all registered opposition to the bill:

"As the bill stands today, it is Obamacare 2.0. Passing it would be making the same mistake that President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi made in 2010. Millions of Americans would never see the improvements in care they were promised, just as Obamacare failed to deliver on its promises." letter from Koch brothers-affiliated Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity

"Republicans should be offering a full and immediate repeal of Obamacare's taxes, regulations, and mandates, an end to the Medicaid expansion, and inclusion of free-market reforms, like interstate competition." Club for Growth president David McIntosh, in a letter calling the bill "RyanCare"

"Many Americans seeking health insurance on the individual market will notice no significant difference between the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Obamacare) and the American Health Care Act. That is bad politics and, more importantly, bad policy." American Heritage Action CEO Michael A. Needham

Those comments were echoed by some influential GOP lawmakers, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Utah Sen. Mike Lee.

"The House leadership plan is Obamacare Lite. It will not pass. Conservarives (sic) are not going to take it. #FullRepeal," Paul tweeted.

"We don't know how many people would use this new tax credit, we don't know how much it will cost, and we don't know if this bill will make health care more affordable for Americans," Lee said at a news conference.

Four other Republican senators, from Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado and Alaska, took issue with the way the new bill affects Medicaid funding, arguing that while Obamacare needs to be replaced, this replacement "does not provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states."

Notes of caution also came from GOP governors, the Associated Press reported, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich arguing that phasing out expanded Medicaid coverage without a viable alternative is "counterproductive" and Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois' saying he was "very concerned" that people will be "left in the lurch" under the House GOP plan.

Members of the administration sought to assure the party, and the American people, that the bill was strong and would pass.

"This is the beginning of the process and we look forward to working with them and others," Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said, when asked about the opposition of conservative groups.

Price said the bill was following the principles of affordability, accessibility, quality care, incentivizing innovation, and empowering patients.

Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that interstate competition was coming in another phase of the health care rollout, which members of the administration echoed later.

White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said he was sure the bill will bring "tremendous long-term savings" by giving states more control over Medicaid.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office hasn't yet determined the cost of the new health care bill.
A judge decided Monday there is enough evidence to send two defendants in a murder for hire case to trial.

Diana Lovejoy is accused of hiring her firearms instructor Weldon McDavid Jr. to shoot her estranged husband Gregory Mulvihill.

Diana Clark, the aunt of Lovejoy, said Lovejoy asked her about a year before the shooting if she knew anyone who could scare or kill her husband.

Auntie, do you know anyone who could do that? Clark testified.

Clark said she was shocked to hear this, and then told Lovejoy that moral and ethical issues aside, it was a remarkably dumb idea and she would never be able to get away with it.

Clark also testified that Lovejoy was scared of her estranged husband. She said Lovejoy told her Mulvihill had a mercurial temper and may have been sexually molesting their son.

On Monday, Carlsbad Police Detective Scott Stallman also testified. He had interviewed Lovejoy and McDavid after they were arrested.

Stallman said when he first asked McDavid if he shot Mulvihill, McDavid denied it. But when Stallman said there was DNA that linked him to the crime scene, McDavid changed his story.

According to testimony, McDavid defecated near the shooting scene, used a towel to wipe himself, and then left the towel on the ground.

The bizarre shooting in Carlsbad involved a contentious custody fight and a mysterious phone call from a man with a deep voice promising documents the victim would want to see, according to testimony.

In the preliminary hearing, Mulvihill described the night he was shot in the chest along an isolated access road off Avenida Soledad in Carlsbad.

He said they were documents I would want to see, Mulvihill testified. He wouldnt explain further.

His ex-wife, Lovejoy, faces charges in the shooting along with McDavid.

Carlsbad police said McDavid, an employee at a shooting range in Oceanside, had been teaching Lovejoy how to shoot.

Lovejoy and Mulvihill separated in 2014. A few months before the shooting, Mulvihill was awarded joint custody of the couples son. Prior to that, he had 10 hours of visitation per week.

If convicted, McDavid could 50 years to life in prison while Lovejoy faces 25 years to life.

According to the prosecutor in the case, Lovejoy is facing the lesser term because she did not pull the trigger, but was vicariously armed with a firearm and was aware and participated in the shooting.
A San Diego County doctor who pleaded guilty to illegally and fraudulently prescribing painkillers to some patients who did not have a medical need for them has been sentenced.

Naga Raja Thota, M.D., 62, previously pleaded guilty to seven counts three months after he was arrested at the Pain Management Center located at 2732 Navajo Rd. in El Cajon during a raid by federal authorities. He has since given up his medical license and practice, according to his attorney.

Thota was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Orlando Gutierrez. As part of the conditions of standard term of supervised release, he cannot dispense or prescribe medicine, own a medical clinic and more after release, Guttierez said.

Pain pill addiction has become a serious public health problem that is causing an increasing number of fatal overdoses nationwide. To make matters worse, in this instance prescription opiate addiction led, as is often the case, straight to a dangerous heroin habit, said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson in a statement. We will continue to vigorously enforce the law against doctors who abuse the prescribing privilege and exploit desperate addicts for their own purposes.

According to the criminal complaint filed after Thota's arrest in August, the doctor was accused of writing prescriptions for 1,460 Oxycodone pills and 660 tablets of Hydrocodone over a six-week period in 2013.

In a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Thota admitted to writing seven fraudulent prescriptions to three different people several years ago, according to his attorney Robert Schlein.

Dr. Thota has never denied any of the actions he did with regard to those seven prescriptions or that he had a personal relationship with one of the patients, Schlein said.

Thotas relationship with the patient lasted several months, Schlein said.

According to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffys office, Thota pleaded guilty to seven counts of superseding information. He admitted to illegally prescribing patients with oxycodone and hydrocodone tablets, sometimes writing the prescription under the names of a brother and father of one patient.

Federal agents served search warrants on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on May 27, 2015. The doctor was interviewed by investigators at the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego on June 4, 2015, mainly about prescriptions he wrote for patients mentioned in the complaint. He met again with the feds on Dec. 15, 2015, while in the presence of his defense attorney, the complaint says.

Search warrants were then served on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on March 16, 2016.

After Thotas August 31 arrest, more than two dozen people accused him of prescribing painkillers to them in exchange for sex, according to Amy Roderick with the DEA, who spoke with NBC 7 in September.

Schlein said the charges have to be put into context. His client began practicing medicine in 1979 and moved his practice to California in 1995.

The government has decided to go after doctors who have had prescribing problems, the attorney said.

The result of Thotas arrest has been catastrophic, according to Schlein.

He has paid a heavy price for it but hes accepted responsibility for it, he said.

Thota's maximum exposure for the seven counts was 20 years in prison, $1 million fine and life-term of supervised release.
An Encinitas massage parlor is being sued after a customer said she was sexually assaulted by an employee.

According to the lawsuit, George Washington Lindsey III, a massage therapist for Massage Heights allegedly assaulted a customer, and forcibly gave her oral sex. When the customer resisted, he grabbed her throat in a "threatening manner," the suit alleges.

Lindsey was convicted of sexual battery by a jury in February.

The lawsuit alleges this is not the first time Lindsey has been accused of sexual assault.

According to the victim's attorney, Massage Heights was aware of Lindsey's sexual misconduct at a Massage Envy location but ignored it.

George Washington Lindsey III is now a convicted sex offender due to his assault on my client. Massage Heights failed to disclose Lindseys prior record of abuse, harassment and molestation to my client and law enforcement. Although they profess to conduct full background checks on their employees, Massage Heights did not even bother to call Mr. Lindseys previous employer, Massage Envy Encinitas even though one of their managers knew he had worked there and may have known he was fired for gross sexual misconduct. If they had done so, my client might never have been attacked, said victims attorney Morgan Stewart.

NBC 7 reached out to Massage Heights regarding the lawsuit and was told their franchise has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct.

In a statement, Massage Heights said, in part:

We were appalled to hear of the allegations of sexual misconduct of one of our franchisees massage therapists in Encinitas. Massage Heights Franchising has a zero tolerance policy against inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct, and upon learning of the allegations the local franchisee immediately terminated the massage therapists employment and is fully cooperating with authorities in the investigation."

The statement went on to say, "This employee was licensed by the state of California, which requires thorough background checks of all massage therapists before issuing and renewing licenses. The terminated massage therapist's license was current from the state and if any claims or incidents were reported the state would have not renewed the license."

"Massage Heights Franchising is dedicated to the wellbeing of the thousands of members and guests our franchisees serve, and these policies are designed to create a safe and secure environment in each and every retreat," the company said.

NBC 7 reached out to Massage Envy and have not yet heard back.
A hiker trekking through the Maple Canyon Trail in San Diego Banker's Hill neighborhood was rescued Tuesday, San Diego Fire-Rescue (SDFD) officials said.

Fire officials first responded to the call of distress at approximately 11:40 a.m. The woman was found near 1st Avenue and W Palm Street, fire officials said. The location is north of Interstate 5, by Downtown San Diego.

The woman, down in the canyon, was pulled out by crews.

She will be taken to the hospital.

No further information was available.
With the sun returning, many San Diegans are itching to get outside and hike but county officials are warning hikers about an even itchier situation -- the beginning of tick season.

San Diego County officials warn residents that they should protect themselves and their pets whenever they're about to roam around brushy, grassy areas.

Several important precautions can help prevent these little critters from infesting people and their pets, said County officials.

The most important precaution is to use insect repellent, that preferably contains DEET, and use similar flea and tick control products for animals, said County officials. After spending time outdoors, frequently check your clothes, gear and pets. Ticks can easily hitchhike into your home through clothes and pets.

Don't forget to shower after exposure to chapparal-covered areas, according to County officials. Ticks are often found in high grasses, yards, trees and shrubs.

Parents should check children under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind knees, between the legs, around the waist and in the hair, according to an article by the CDC. Also be sure to inspect pets, packs and gear before bringing them into the home, said County officials.

Stay in the designated pathways when hiking in open space or canyon areas. County officials say it's also best to stay on wide trails if possible and walk in the center.

Light-colored, long-sleeved clothing is best to avoid attracting ticks, said County officials. It's also helpful to tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks. The less bare skin exposed, the better.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends showering within two hours of being outdoors, conducting a full-body inspection and checking children for ticks.

Leave pets at home, or if you decide to bring them keep pets on a leash, said County officials. Take advantage of insecticide powders or tick-control sprays, if your pets haven't already been treated with a tick and flea regimen.

If a tick bite is found, don't panic. Fine-tipped tweezers are recommended to grasp the tick as close to the skins surface as possible, and pulling upward with steady, even pressure, according to the CDC.

Avoid jerking or twisting the tick, as this can cause parts of the tick to remain in the skin. Clean bite area and hands thoroughly after tick removal.

Ticks often 'quest' to find hosts by crawling on grass or brush and then thrusting their hook-like front legs up into the air, said County officials. When someone brushes against the tick, it latches on and bites.

It is important to watch out for ticks. Athough tick-borne illnesses are rare in San Diego County, they can carry dangerous diseases including Lyme disease, tularemia aka rabbit fever and spotted fever.
For years, Ismael, a Somali refugee whom was granted citizenship, has been living in City Heights.

After he received political asylum in 2008, Ismael said his main goal was to bring his 68-year-old mother from Somalia to live with him.

He said as an American citizen he applied for his mother to come here, said Ismahan Abdullahi, who translated for Ismael. She works with the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), an organization that offers services for refugees.

Through the Family Refugee Resettlement Program, Ismaels mother had been granted permission to live in San Diego.

But President Trumps revised travel ban prohibits his mother from entering the country. Her travel date had been set for February 15th, but her ticket was canceled.

President Trumps new order restricts refugees from six countries known with terrorist cells from entering the country. These include Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The revised executive order was designed to replace the one stopped by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in January. Iraq is no longer included after they have promised to add more visa vetting measures.

Abdullahi said Ismael has hoped for years to be reunited with his family.

All he can think about is the situation and how [shes] feeling, said Abdullahi.

Abdullahi explained the hardest part for Ismael has been accepting the deception that comes with revised executive order.

You are thinking that now you have this opportunity to live a better life and then suddenly carpet is taken from underneath, said Abdullahi.

Current visa holders and green-card holders should not be affected like they were in the previous order.
U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D - 52nd District) got a first-hand look at the extensive damage from the Tijuana River sewage spill, which has contaminated water in the San Diego area.

Last month, millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana and leaked into the Imperial Beach region, making the river and parts of the coast unsafe.

On Monday, Congressman Peters told reporters the EPA's estimate of raw sewage had risen from 143 million gallons to more than 200 million gallons in a new estimate.

"It's a pretty staggering number," he said, pointing behind him to a piece of land in Imperial Beach that has been "functioning like a sewer for the last little while."

As he toured the region, he reaffirmed the need for a full investigation into the crisis.

"We got a nice response, I'm satisfied with this response that they are going to conduct this investigation and we're going to give them time to do it," Peters said. "We expect honest answers and will let you know what we want in terms of follow up."

The International Boundaries Water Commission has agreed to carry out a bi-national investigation into the more than 143 million gallons of raw sewage spilled in Tijuana.

Peters said it was important to remember that things that happened across the border affected the San Diego region, and urged officials to find a bi-national solution.

"I think there's a lot of questions about exactly what happened, how long it went on how bad it is, I'm hoping the investigation thats going to take place will give us those answers," Peters said. "More importantly, there's nothing we can do now about this water flowing into the ocean, but we got to make sure this stuff doesnt happen again."

The spill has been described as the worst sewage spill in more than a decade by Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina.

Dedina says the city filed an official complaint on Feb. 15. He wants the U.S. government to investigate what caused the spill and why his city's residents weren't notified of the contamination.

The commission said the leak was likely caused by sewer construction gone wrong. The State Public Services Commission of Tijuana repaired a sewer line last month and, during the repairs, diverted sewage into the Tijuana River.

Roberto Espinoza, an engineer and representative for Mexico's arm of the International Boundaries Water Commission, said at a previous meeting that a pipe in the main line near the Tijuana and Alamar Rivers' intersection failed under pressure from recent storms. He added that the leak was not intentional and happened during an emergency repair.

A preliminary U.S. investigation determined the spill released upwards of 143 million gallons of raw sewage, but Mexico disputes that.

The investigation on the spill and a report must be submitted within 30 days, per an agreement between U.S. Commissioner Edward Drusina and Mexican Commissioner Roberto Salmon. The commissions binational Water Quality Work Group will handle the investigation.

While in the area, Peters also met with city officials from Coronado, Imperial Beach, and local clean water advocates.
San Diegans sounded off Monday night, pounding the pavement at Lindbergh Field after President Donald Trump rolled out his revised restrictions on international travel and refugees.

Protestors held up signs walking in front of Terminal 2 chanting, No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here.

The crowd of about 150 people called the revised executive order as repulsive and unconstitutional as the first.

I dont think we should be making policy on fear, said Heidi Lapp, who took part in the protest. We should be making policy on reality and fact. "

There have been no deadly attacks carried out in the United States by immigrants from the six Muslim-majority countries targeted by the ban.

Just off a plane, Poway resident Keith Cressin marveled at the protestors but said he supports the ban.

The problem is there's not good vetting in other countries. We need more time to vet more carefully. All this is being more careful of who's coming into the country," Cressin said. "Its nothing to do with hate."

Protestors held up signs calling the travel ban "A bad plan."

Other signs read "Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants."

NBC 7 spoke to Hami Ramani, an immigrant from Iran, one of the countries affected when the executive order takes effect on March 16.

Ramani came to the United States as a child, became a citizen and is now a doctor.

He said for him, the travel ban is personal and would have an impact on him and his family if they decided to go to Iraq to visit loved ones.

We're citizens. One would hope we wouldnt have any problems. But I think what we see is fear sown by this administration that makes citizens even weary," Ramani told NBC 7.
Students and faculty at an elementary school in the Sunset Cliffs area were ordered to shelter-in-place Tuesday when a gas line broke near the campus, causing gas to leak into the neighborhood.

The gas leak was reported around 8:50 a.m. in the 4300 block of Hill Street. Authorities told nearby residents to shelter-in-place while San Diego Gas & Electric crews worked to shut off the gas. As a precaution, the same orders were given to Sunset View Elementary School.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) said a gas line measuring three-quarters of an inch in width was broken and blowing gas.

The incident forced some road closures in the area, including part of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, Hill Street and Amiford Drive. San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers are at the scene helping with traffic control.

No injuries were reported.

By 9:50 a.m., Monica Munoz, of the SDFD, said SDG&E had shut off the gas. The school had been notified and resumed normal activity, Munoz said.

Details on what caused the gas line to break were not immediately available.
A large crowd was outside the Vista office of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R - 49th District) to voice concerns over the release of a new healthcare plan from congressional GOP.

Many of the estimated 200 protesters have been involved in previous protests outside the congressman's office on Tuesdays.

They say they want to make sure that Issa gets the message that they want to keep the Affordable Care Act introduced by President Barack Obama.

They say the new plan by GOP lawmakers takes away Medicaid and hurts people with lower incomes and disabilities.

"They kept touting the fact that it's going to be accessible," Escondido resident Ellen Molla said.

"No one's really complaining that the healthcare is accessible because they can get the ACA. They keep complaining about its affordability and I don't feel that that's been addressed yet."

NBC 7

On the other side of the street, Oceanside resident Sean Colgan stood with his "Make America Great Again" sign. He said he knows a lot of people who are not happy with their current health care coverage.

"A friend of mine has his healthcare bill more than double. And he gets a lower level of coverage," Colgan said.

He admitted he didn't know much about the new healthcare proposal just released Monday.

One thing that both sides agreed on is that healthcare is just too expensive.
President Donald Trump falsely accused the Obama administration of releasing "122 vicious prisoners" from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who have "have returned to the battlefield."

Trump didn't cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday morning tweet, calling their release, "another terrible decision!"

But publicly available information from the U.S. Department of National Intelligence indicates that while 122 detainees have reengaged in terrorism or insurgencies, Obama's administration released nine detainees who returned to the battlefield. The vast majority of released detainees who reengaged as enemy combatants were released under the administration of George W. Bush.

One hundred and thirteen of 122 released detainees who reengaged were released before Obama's inauguration, the data from Sept. 2016 show. More than 20 percent of prisoners released by the Bush administration reengaged, while 6 percent of those released under Obama did so.

In addition, 86 more people released from Guantanamo are suspected of reengaging  yet most of those were released under Bush as well. Suspicions refer to "plausible but unverified or single-source reporting" indicating a former detainee "is directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities," according to the report.

On Monday, U.S. airstrikes against an al-Qaeda-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and a few dozen remained when he left office. Obama said the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.

Trump also tweeted Tuesday that Russia "ran over" Obama for years, citing Crimea and missile escalation, and calling him "weak!"
President Donald Trump's administration rolled out a new travel ban aimed at overcoming the legal challenges of the first executive order, but intended to accomplish the same stated goal: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States. The presidents revisions on Monday did little to halt criticism from Democrats and immigrants' advocates, who say the new travel order is as unconstitutional as the first order.

"We don't see any difference," Wilfredo Ruiz, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida, told NBC South Florida. He said the "purpose was to manipulate the order to make it appear legal."

The new travel order differs from the first in several significant ways. This time around, the executive order doesnt go into effect immediately, giving the world time to assess its impact and avoiding the chaos sparked by the old.

The revised order makes clear that U.S. green card holders are allowed to travel into the country, which was ambiguous in Trumps original order.

The executive order takes Iraq off the list of countries subjected to a 90-day travel ban. But it still bars the issuance of new visas to citizens from Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Syria and Yemen. The ban no longer applies to people who have already obtained valid U.S. visas.

It also removes language that gave priority to refugees who are religious minorities in their home countries, a provision that critics say in effect gave Christians an advantage and excluded Muslims.

The revised ban has done little to quell fears of Muslims who live in the United States.

CAIR Florida's Ruiz, whose organization represents 700,000 Muslims in the state, said members are still scared to travel outside the U.S. and not be able to return or have their work visas not be honored.

Many others are concerned about how the new travel ban will affect family members from the banned countries.

"It's heartbreaking to know that if, God forbid, my family needs to escape, that they now are not necessarily going to be welcomed," said Ramah Kudaimi, who was born in the U.S. to Syrian parents, NBC Washington reported.

According to NECN, Mohammed Al-Bardan's brother was hoping to come to the U.S. from Syria to study dentistry in Boston, a dream that he now may not fulfill. Al-Bardan is unable to visit his family in Syria because he is still waiting for his green card to be approved.

"He's hurting people trying to make a name for himself, and he's bringing a lot of pain to people," said Virginia resident Deanna Bayer.

Farbod Papen owns Saffron & Rose, a Persian ice cream shop in Los Angeles, California, that his grandfather opened nearly 40 years ago. Papen's grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Iran in 1974. Today, Saffron & Rose is one of dozens of businesses in an enclave of Persian commerce in Westwood.

Think about all the businesses that wouldnt have started had this ban been in place four years ago," Papen said.

Outside the White House Monday evening, protesters gathered to express opposition to the new travel ban, calling it "Muslim ban 2.0."

Patricio Provitina, an Argentinian national who lives in D.C., said he hoped the president would hear the crowd and their messages, NBC affiliate WTOP reported.

As an immigrant, as a Latino, I am completely opposed to what he is doing, Provitina said.

The demonstrators were joined by the new leader of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, who called on the protesters to continue to speak up about the immigration order.

America is at its best when we are building bridges of opportunity, and not walls of distrust, Perez said.

While President Trump and his team say the order is vital to national security, others are worried about the impact on refugees. Part of the new executive order reduces the number of refugees coming to the U.S. from 110,000 to 50,000.

"We are breaking our promise to 60,000 refugees who we were going to bring to this country and now they're going to be left in danger and desperate," Chris George, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven, told NBC Connecticut. "This comes at a time when the world is facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II."

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel mirrored George's sentiments in a statement, calling the ban a "betrayal of our nation's values that our government would slam the door on refugees fleeing war, death and unimaginable conditions, that our government would divide families, and that our government would attempt to exclude people based on their religion.

New York's attorney general said he was ready to contest the order, while Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer demanded its repeal.

A watered down ban is still a ban, Schumer said. Despite the administrations changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more, it is mean-spirited, and un-American. It must be repealed."
Virginia's attorney general says the Trump administration's revised travel ban is an "incredible concession" and a tacit admission that the original ban was constitutionally flawed.

President Donald Trump issued an order Monday restricting certain travel from six majority-Muslim countries. It significantly scales back an earlier order that prompted judicial intervention barring its implementation.

The new order no longer includes Iraq on the list of affected nations. And it no longer seeks to cancel tens of thousands of existing visas.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, is one of several attorneys general who sued to stop the ban. He said his office is reviewing its legal response.

He said that while the new order "appears to be significantly scaled back, it still sends a horrible message to the world."
A family member of the chief justice who presided over the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision has apologized to the family of the slave who tried to sue for his freedom.

On Monday, the 160-year anniversary of the decision, Charles Taney IV of Greenwich, Connecticut, stood a few feet from a statue of his great-great-grand-uncle Roger Brooke Taney outside the Maryland State House and apologized for the decision, in which Roger Taney wrote that African-Americans could not have rights of their own and were inferior to white people.

Roger Taney lived in Maryland. There's a statue of him in Frederick's City Hall; an alderman has called for it to be removed.

"You can't hide from the words that Taney wrote," Taney said. "You can't run, you can't hide, you can't look away. You have to face them."

He apologized on behalf of his family, to the Scott family and to all African-Americans, for the "terrible injustice of the Dred Scott decision."

Lynne Jackson of St. Louis, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott, accepted the apology for her family and "all African-Americans who have the love of God in their heart so that healing can begin." She hopes the apology can lead to a greater reconciliation.

"It's an open door for us to say the Scotts and the Taneys can reconcile," Jackson said. "If you look at relationships in our nation, these are supposed to be the two who are really supposed to hate each other. But it's not about hatred; it's about understanding, and then relationship-building and trust."

Jackson said she had looked forward to a meeting of the two families ever since she created The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation a decade ago. She and Taney met for the first time last year, brought together by the production of a one-act fictional play written by Charles Taney's daughter, Kate Billingsley. "A Man of His Time," tells the story of a Taney descendant meeting a Scott descendant.

Taney and Jackson were invited to participate in a talk-back session with the audience after the performance. They have since begun working together, with Taney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations, helping Jackson's group develop a strategic mission.

"A Taney bringing an apology to a Scott is like 'bringing a Band-Aid to an amputation,'" Taney quoted his daughter as saying.

"An apology is not enough," he said. "But it is necessary."
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland, opens this weekend, making this an excellent time to refresh your memory about her amazing life.

Here are eight things you may have forgotten or may have never known about Tubman:

1.) She had a beautiful singing voice

Tubman reportedly had a beautiful singing voice and would sing two songs  Go Down Moses and Bound For the Promised Land"  as signals while leading escapes. Tubman would change the tempo of the songs to let escaping slaves know if it was safe to come out of hiding.

2.) Two years after escaping, Tubman came back for her husband. But, he wasn't interested.

Around 1844, Tubman married a free man named John Tubman. When Harriet escaped slavery in 1850, she did so alone, leaving her husband behind in Maryland. Two years later, she returned to the Eastern Shore, hoping to bring her husband north with her.

But, she soon discovered that he had married another woman and had no desire to leave. Harriet was ready to storm their house and make a scene, but eventually decided that John wasnt worth the trouble. Instead, she found a group of slaves who wanted to escape and brought them up to Philadelphia.

3.) She was the first and only woman to lead an armed attack during the Civil War

Tubman was active in the Civil War, serving as a nurse, scout and key adviser for the Union army. She played a vital role in the Combahee River Raid, an operation that successfully destroyed several plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina and freed between 720 and 800 slaves.

4.) She suffered from a form of epilepsy

As a child, Tubman suffered a debilitating injury that plagued her for the rest of her life. Tubman was inside a local general store when a slave who who left his farm without permission. An overseer ran in after the slave and demanded Tubman help him restrain the slave.

When she refused, the overseer threw a two-pound weight at the escaping slave. But the weight hit Tubman instead, fracturing her skull. She suffered from epileptic and narcoleptic symptoms for the rest of her life. The store still stands today and operates as a museum.

5.) She didn't free 300 slaves

The number of slaves Tubman personally freed has been greatly exaggerated. In an 1868 biography, Tubman is credited with rescuing 300 slaves, but the actual number is closer to about 70. Many of the slaves Tubman helped free were her family and friends.

6.) Tubman only rescued slaves from Maryland

Tubman never went into the Deep South to free slaves. Tubman never helped slaves escape from any state other than Maryland. Tubman was responsible for freeing slaves in other Southern states during the Civil War, but that was separate from the nighttime escapes that made her famous.

7.) She was born Araminta "Minty" Ross

Harriet Tubman wasnt born Harriet Tubman. Her birth name was Araminta, a Puritan name that sometimes gets mistaken for being African in origin. Historians don't know why Minty changed her name to Harriet, but many believe she changed it when she married in honor of her mother.

8.) She used a pistol to threaten slaves who wanted to turn back

Tubman carried a pistol with her on rescue missions. The pistol was mainly for defense against persistent slave catchers, but Tubman didnt hesitate to use it as a threat against any slave who lost their nerve and wanted to turn back. She reportedly pointed the gun at one such slave and told him, You go on or die. He went on.
A circuit court judge in Maryland is accused by a former staffer of sexual harassment.

Prince Georges County Circuit Court Judge Hassan El-Amin's former administrative assistant Denise Lowe-Williams said she lived with ongoing harassment by her then-boss for years, but she felt like she had to deal with it because she was an at-will employee.

He would take these pictures, and I asked him eventually, What are you going to do with these pictures? and he said he was going to make a calendar, Williams said.

Judge El-Amin once made a crude comment indicating he was aroused by a skirt she wore, Williams said. He also told Williams he liked the way her behind looked in a dress she wore, she said.

He also found a way to be inappropriate with evidence from a case over which he presided, she said.

It had something to do with, I think, sexual abuse, or something like that, and he had explicit pictures, and he called me in his office to show me these pictures, Williams said.

She finally became fed up, filed a complaint and hired an attorney. But his behavior got worse, she said.

When he told me I wasn't giving him enough attention, I just needed to seek help, Williams said.

She said she began seeing a therapist.

After filing her complaint, a letter to Williams attorney from the Maryland Attorney Generals Office said, Remedial action was taken to both address and prevent any potential harassing conduct."

Williams feels there should be more transparency, as the letter said the discipline is confidential.

A lot of people ask me, Well, whats going on Denise? You know, What are they doing? I dont know. You know why I dont know? All Im told is that hes been sanctioned, Williams said.

After she filed her complaint, all of the judges in the 7th Judicial Circuit--which includes Charles County, St. Marys County, Calvert County and Prince Georges County were trained again on appropriate office behavior.

Williams still works at the Prince Georges County courthouse, but she's been reassigned so she no longer works with Judge El-Amin.

My hope is that if somebody else has been through this or is going through this that this will encourage them to speak up about it, Williams said.

News4 contacted El-Amin's chambers and he said he had no comment on the allegations.
After six people were shot along Wheeler Road in southeast D.C. in the span of a week, the chief of police said the biggest problem is the illegal guns on the streets.

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White organized a town hall meeting at Eagle Academy Public Charter School in the Congress Heights neighborhood.

I really don't like that fact that these shootings are happening right here on Wheeler Road, said DaSean Jones Sr., whose daughter attends the third grade at Eagle Academy on Wheeler Road.

One of the shootings is now a homicide case. Andrew McPhatter died Sunday in a hospital. Someone gunned down the 28-year-old man in broad daylight Wednesday as he was driving on Wheeler about a block from his home.

He worked construction during the day and went to school at night and spent the weekends with his children, his mother said.

We should not be losing our young men to gun violence in our city, Newsham said. There is a family who has lost a loved one.

The chief released video showing a car police want to find. They believe the driver has information about a Feb. 23 shooting in the 3500 block of Wheeler Road. They believe two men seen on video walking to a store also have information about the shooting.

Video related to a shooting in the 4100 block of Wheeler Road shows a black SUV. Police want to find the driver.

The victims in those shootings refuse to cooperate with police.

Newsham said the community needs to help solve the shootings, and people need to call police when they see illegal guns.

I would like the shootings to stop, Jones said. I would like the guns to be taken off of the streets.

Police urge anyone with information about the shootings to call them.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to back out of a lawsuit over transgender students' bathroom access is a disappointment that will keep transgender children in limbo, said 17-year-old plaintiff Gavin Grimm, who's become a national face of the issue.

But Grimm, who sued his eastern Virginia school district to be able to use the boys' bathroom, said Monday that he's ready to keep up his fight.

"I am still as passionate and as happy to be doing this as ever,'' he said. "I think everyone is just as empowered and ready for it as we've always been. And if it took 10 years, I'd stick with it.''

Grimm spoke to reporters hours after the justices issued a one-sentence order handing his case back to a Richmond appeals court without reaching a decision. That means attention now will turn to the Richmond court and other appellate panels around the country that are grappling with rights of transgender students to use school bathrooms that correspond to their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth.

A high school senior, Grimm likely won't see the issue settled before he graduates, but he said he accepted that long ago.

"I already knew that the decision wouldn't be handed down until after my senior year anyway. ... For me it's more about the impact it could have on trans kids who come after me,'' he said.

Grimm said the order will "drag this conversation out,'' leaving school-age kids "in limbo for an extended period of time.''

"It's not just about bathrooms but the rights for trans people to exist in public spaces. . If you had to plan your day around not having a bathroom in public, what kind of nightmare would that be?'' he said, adding it's "not feasible to keep trans people out of restrooms.''

Grimm's case had been scheduled for argument in late March. Now, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be tasked with evaluating the federal law known as Title IX and the extent to which it applies to transgender students. Lawsuits involving transgender students are making their way through the courts in at least five other states: Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Joshua Block, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents Grimm, said he remains convinced that courts ultimately will side with transgender students.

"Title IX means the same thing today as it meant yesterday. Lower courts already have held that it protects trans kids,'' he said.

In a statement relayed by school board lawyer Kyle Duncan, the board said it "looks forward to explaining why its commonsense restroom and locker room policy is legal under the Constitution and federal law.''

The Supreme Court's action follows the Trump administration's recent decision to withdraw a directive issued during Barack Obama's presidency that said which bathroom to use should be based on students' gender identity.

The administration action triggered legal wrangling that ended with Monday's order. In essence, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, had relied on the Obama administration's interpretation of Title IX to side with Grimm. The appeals court accepted the administration's reading of the law without deciding for itself what the law and a related regulation on same-sex bathrooms and locker rooms mean.

No appeals court has yet undertaken that more independent analysis, and the Supreme Court typically is reluctant to do so without at least one appellate opinion to review, and usually more than one.

Another possible explanation for Monday's order is that the court might want more of a societal consensus to develop before it issues a ruling in favor of transgender rights, said John Neiman, an Alabama lawyer who served as a law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The court's reluctance to take on transgender rights now may have been underscored by the high court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia nearly 13 months ago and the refusal of Senate Republicans to consider Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the seat. Eleven days after taking office, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the court.

Ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court arguments, Grimm's case drew attention from all over the world. Apple, IBM and Microsoft were among the 53 companies that signed onto a brief filed last week urging the court to rule in his favor. He's been profiled in national media and made an appearance on "The View.'' At the Grammy Awards last month, actress and transgender rights advocate Laverne Cox told the audience to "please google 'Gavin Grimm.'''

He said Monday that he'd been overwhelmed by the "incredible'' support, especially from the technology companies. "You know, I'm a teenager, I like my tech,'' he joked.

Being in the spotlight has been stressful, he said.

"But it's been worth it,'' Grimm said. "I think that it's absolutely all worth it.''
Organizers of January's Women's March have called for women to take the day off and encouraged them not to spend money to show their economic strength and impact on American society.

"A Day Without a Woman'' on Wednesday is the first major action by organizers since the nationwide marches held the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration that drew millions of women into the streets in protest against misogyny, inequality and oppression. Though it is unclear how many women could participate, thousands across the country have signaled their support and interest online and to employers.

The event coincides with the U.N.-designated International Women's Day, and organizers say they want to "stand with women around the globe'' who supported their efforts Jan. 21 with similar protests in cities around the world.

We want this to be a day where women feel empowered to take a stance on their value in the workplace and the world beyond, Womens March spokesperson Cassady Fendlay said.

Public schools in Prince George's County, Maryland, and the City of Alexandria, Virginia, will be closed for students on Wednesday because hundreds of staffers requested the day off.

As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 1,700 teachers and 30 percent of the transportation staff had requested leave, the school CEO said in a statement.

"We cannot transport students and provide safe, productive learning environments without adequate staff. As a result, schools will be closed tomorrow for students," Dr. Kevin Maxwell said in a statement. "We apologize for the inconvenience this will surely cause to many families."

More than 300 Alexandria school staffers requested the day off.

Also, Center City Public Charter Schools announced Tuesday that all six of its schools in D.C. will be closed "due to the large number of staff requests for time off to participate in A Day Without A Woman."

The schools are located in the Brightwood, Capitol Hill, Congress Heights, Petworth, Shaw and Trinidad neighborhoods.

Protesters will march at 11 a.m. Wednesday from Freedom Plaza to the White House, the president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), Serra Sippel, said.

Organizers of the strike suggest those who are looking to participate take the day off from paid and unpaid labor, only spend money at small, women- and minority-owned businesses and wear red, a color they say represents revolutionary love and sacrifice.

Washingtonian created a map of women-owned businesses in the area.

The restaurant Pizzeria Paradiso, which has locations in Dupont Circle, Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria, will serve only half its food and beer menus and donate half of the day's proceeds to My Sister's Place and the National Organization for Women.

"The gender as a whole is not valued in the society equally to men," owner Ruth Gresser said about why she chose to participate.

Several other restaurants in the area are observing the day with discounted or free drinks for women. DCist has compiled a list.

Strike organizers suggest spending the day attending rallies and marches for International Womens Day by supporting or volunteering with local groups.

While the most impactful way would be to take the day off, we realize that many women in our most vulnerable communities or whose jobs provide essential services, including reproductive health services, will not have the ability to join the strike, Fendlay said. We strike for each of them, and we look forward to seeing the creative ways both men and women will showcase their support.

Organizers suggest men participate by calling to government and workplace decision-makers to extend equal pay and adequate paid family leave for women, that businesses close for the day or give female workers the day off, and that households that rely on caregivers, nannies and housekeepers grant a paid day off.

Organizers also said the day acknowledges that transgender and gender nonconforming people, as well as women with disabilities, face heightened levels of discrimination, social oppression and political targeting.

A similar protest took place across the country on Feb. 16 when people protested President Donald Trumps immigration policies in A Day Without Immigrants. Many D.C. restaurants closed for the day to show the importance of immigrants in our daily lives.

For more information about A Day Without A Woman, participants can go to the organizer's website.
NEC provides cyber-defense training for government agencies in Malaysia to enhance effectiveness in tackling cyber-attacks

Tokyo, Japan - March 7, 2017 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that it has provided government agencies in Malaysia with hands-on cyber-defense training. More than 20 officials from The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Cyber Security Malaysia (CSM) attended the two-day training held in Cyberjaya, Malaysia recently. The hands-on cyber defense training organized by NEC Corporation and NEC Corporation Malaysia was aimed at enhancing the abilities of system administrators in government agencies to effectively handle the increasing threat of cyber-attacks. By providing simulations of a customer's ICT infrastructure, the practical training enables the cultivation of system administrators with comprehensive cyber defense capabilities. "This project is another example of NEC's leading position in the field of cyber-crime prevention," said Chong Kai Wooi, Managing Director of NEC Corporation of Malaysia. "In order to cope with increasingly complex and sophisticated cyber-attacks, it is critically important to cultivate experts who can analyze vulnerability across an organization and respond to cyber incidents quickly and appropriately." NEC conducted this training as part of the "Hands-on pilot training aiming to increase cyber defense capabilities in ASEAN countries," a project commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). In January 2017, Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) and the MIC signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the area of Information and Communication Technologies, including cyber-security. As part of this cooperation, NEC, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, provided hands-on cyber defense training for two government agencies in Malaysia. This training was similar to the MIC's "Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence (CYDER)" provided in Japan. The program capitalized on simulated government office network environments to provide students with valuable first-hand experience in handling a full cyber-attack, from the onset of an information security issue, to its final resolution. The training not only imparted technical skills in handling a cyber-attack, but provided important organizational measures for preventing the spread of damages, including possible instructions for staff and the sharing of information with related institutions.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.



The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit



http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/vision/message.html





NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.  NEC Corporation.

About NEC Corporation of Malaysia Sdn. Bhd

Originally established as NEC Malaysia Sdn Bhd in March 1988, NEC Corporation of Malaysia Sdn. Bhd (NEC Corp Malaysia) is a total solutions provider for a comprehensive range of NEC's IT, networking and telecommunications, and display technologies in Malaysia. By combining NECs and other third-party hardware and software to deliver a competitive edge to its clients, NEC Corp Malaysia also provides a wide range of systems integration solutions, business process analysis and system design, technical expertise, implementation and training, and support services through its NECare Support Center that provides comprehensive services nationwide, 24/7. Visit us at: http://my.nec.com/.
On March 17, millions of people across the United States, Irish or not, will revel in the celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Here are some numbers that look at the history, the money, and the fun that make up St. Paddys. Slainte!

THE HISTORY:



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256 : The number of years the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade has been held.

: The number of years the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade has been held. Over 40 years: The length of time that the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers have turned the Chicago River emerald green for the St. Patrick's Day celebration.

The length of time that the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers have turned the Chicago River emerald green for the St. Patrick's Day celebration. 22: The number of years Ireland itself has held a St. Patricks Day Festival.

THE MONEY:



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Nearly $500,000: The amount of donations the annual NYCs St. Patrick's Day Parade has received from donors like Ford Motor Co., Tourism Ireland, Guinness, and more in 2016 as of March 7.

The amount of donations the annual NYCs St. Patrick's Day Parade has received from donors like Ford Motor Co., Tourism Ireland, Guinness, and more in 2016 as of March 7. $4.44 billion: The amount Americans are expected to collectively spend on St. Patrick's Day in 2016, according to NRF.

The amount Americans are expected to collectively spend on St. Patrick's Day in 2016, according to NRF. $39.35: The amount an average American is projected to spend on St. Patricks Day-related goods and services, according to NRF.

THE FUN:



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56.5 percent: Percentage of Americans who plan to purchase food and beverages to celebrate St. Patricks Day, about double that of the next closest item: clothing.

Percentage of Americans who plan to purchase food and beverages to celebrate St. Patricks Day, about double that of the next closest item: clothing. 111,060: The Guinness Book of World record for the largest collection of four leaf clovers. It belongs to Edward Martin Sr. from Cooper Landing, Alaska.

The Guinness Book of World record for the largest collection of four leaf clovers. It belongs to Edward Martin Sr. from Cooper Landing, Alaska. 1970: The year Ireland changed St. Patricks Day from a religious to a national holiday, allowing alcohol to be served on March 17.

Patrick Smith and Daniel Sircar contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump's revised travel ban will be implemented in 10 days and while he hopes to tighten immigration, city councilors in Quincy, Massachusetts, are debating whether to become a sanctuary city.

City Councilor Nina Liang introduced a resolution at the Quincy city council meeting Monday night on whether to study the issue of becoming a sanctuary city. But the council voted it down 6-3, arguing that council isnt the proper venue for such a discussion.

Several members favored community meetings instead to get a feel for where the city stands.

I would love to see Quincy look into it so we are really protecting the people that made America great, said resident Sharon Gamache. And thats all the generations of immigrants.

Sanctuary cities typically protect undocumented immigrants from being turned in by local police to deportation authorities as long as they havent committed a serious crime.

I would like everybody to feel like theyre safe here, said resident Rachel Ennis, who was hoping the vote would be different.

Many in the crowd applauded when council voted the resolution down.

I feel that a lot of the illegal immigrants will come running to Quincy, said resident Jane Hanlon-Cook. I just feel for me personally, youre welcome to be here, just make yourself legal, thats all were asking for.
Dozens of students and two drivers were taken to the hospital after a passenger car collided with a school bus in Canterbury Tuesday morning.

The accident occurred on Route 169 near Bennett Pond Road around 6:30 a.m.

Connecticut State Police said the bus and a passenger car collided head-on and that the driver, Justin Rice, 30, of the car had serious, but non-life threatening injuries to his face and neck. Dispatch reported that Rice was trapped and required extrication.

NBC Connecticut spoke to the student who was in the front seat of the bus and she said the moment it happened, everyone was jolted forward and started screaming.

"I was literally like I just need to stay calm right now for everybody else. And I was just like is everybody okay? Is anybody injured? And at the time nobody could really tell if they were injured, everyone was still in shock and tense," Jamie Rego said.

State police said 34 students were involved in the crash. Some students complained of bumps and bruises on scene and were taken to Backus Hospital for treatment, while others were taken to the hospital for evaluation. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that the students were treated or evaluated and none of the students' injuries were serious.

Canterbury First Selectman Roy Piper said that the students were on their way to Griswold High School and Norwich Technical High School when the crash occurred.

Car Collides Head-On With School Bus in Canterbury

The driver of the bus, Patricia Avery, 59, also suffered injuries, according to a Backus Hospital spokesperson, but has since been treated and released. School district officials said that she is a veteran bus driver with a good record.

Police are still investigating what caused the accident. State police believe the car crossed the center line of the road, though the exact details are still under investigation.
A Jewish day school at a temple in Massachusetts was among the latest wave of threats targeting Jewish community centers nationally on Tuesday.

Framingham police say an anonymous caller phoned in a threat to Temple Beth Sholom's Jewish Day School on Pamela Road around 9:30 a.m.

Local and state police along with firefighters responded to the scene and evacuated the building.

No device was found, and students and staff eventually were allowed to go back inside.

Detectives are still investigating this particular incident.

Meanwhile, Anti-Defamation League's CEO said the organization's Boston office was also targeted by a phoned-in threat Tuesday morning. ADL offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington D.C. were also targeted.

Nationally, Jewish community centers in New York, Florida, Wisconsin and Illinois were among those targeted in Tuesday's string of threats, in which dozens of facilities in more than 30 states have recently been targeted.

Last week a man was arrested in connection with one of the February threats to the ADL and threats to seven other Jewish centers; however, prosecutors say he's a copycat who used the threats to frame a former lover.
Wildlife officials are looking for a legal home for a monkey after it was confiscated from a residence in New Hampshire.

Officers with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said they received a report that a monkey was being kept at a Laconia home.

Following a search warrant on Monday afternoon, Conservation Officers seized the monkey that they say was in possession of Penny Dessalines, 47, and Burnie Johnson, 51.

The animal was safely transported to a veterinarian who specializes in primate care.

Conservation Officers, the veterinarian and local wildlife rehabilitators are now trying to find the illegal pet an acceptable place to live.

Dozens of states have bans on owning monkeys as pets including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island.

It's unclear if Dessalines and Johnson will face any charges or fines.
A video camera showing proceedings in the double murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was shut off after inadvertantly showing the faces of jurors on Tuesday, a day after the jury was instructed to go home as a judge considered new evidence presented by Hernandez's defense attorneys.

Before the cameras were shut off, jurors were shown graphic photos of the 2012 crime scene, including one of the BMW the victims were in when they were gunned down at a South End stoplight.

Prosecutors accuse Hernandez of fatally shooting Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado as he rode in a silver Toyota 4Runner.

One of the victim's family members also left the courtroom after becoming distraught when she saw photos of bullets and blood near the BMW.

Boston Police Sgt. Daniel Duff explained for hours on Tuesday the painstaking process of photographing the scene, including the photo of a cell phone one of the victims died holding; however, Hernandez's defense said these photos were taken too late - an hour and a half after the shooting - suggesting that was plenty of time for detectives to bungle the investigation.

Another witness, a security guard at a nearby nightclub, also took the stand Tuesday to describe how he heard gunfire from the shooting and arrived at the scene before first responders.

After jurors were dismissed for the day on Monday, the judge heard testimony from a street sweeper who was at the scene of the crime.

Hernandez's attorneys said the man, Warren McMaster, is telling a different story than what he told police, saying his rights were violated.

McMaster told the judge he was threatened by police detectives when he was interviewed after the double murder.

He also claimed he passed right by the crime scene, telling investigators he saw a white SUV with a woman in the area. That description does not match Hernandez.

Defense attorneys questioned police detectives Monday, trying to prove it's possible McMaster's story is true because there is no evidence proving otherwise.

Choosing not to halt the trial as he considers the motion, the judge took the defense team's motion to dismiss under advisement and has yet to issue a ruling.
A Massachusetts man was held on $1,000 bail Monday after allegedly impersonating a police officer while carrying a gun in Tyngsboro.

Police arrested 45-year-old Kevin Lessard of Lowell Sunday afternoon on Pawtucket Boulevard. They were responding to a report of a vehicle with flashing lights pulled over behind another vehicle.

Officers found a red Ford Crown Victoria with New Hampshire license plates and white flashing lights in the rear window.

The car had broken down on the side of the road. According to police, Lessard told the woman he would stand by and wait with her until a tow truck arrived.

Police say responding officers found a loaded 9mm handgun in Lessard's pants pocket with seven rounds of ammunition. They also say they recovered a retractable police-style baton and a black holster.

Lessard was arraigned Monday at Lowell District Court. He was also forbidden from possessing firearms or dangerous weapons by the judge.

Charges against Lessard include impersonating a police officer, carrying a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without a license.

"This was a very dangerous situation," Tyngsboro Police Chief Richard Howe said Sunday. "Thankfully, our officers arrived quickly and ensured that no one was harmed."
Police are investigating a protest that turned violent at an elite liberal arts school in Vermont, in which a professor suffered physical injuries when confronted by a group of people angry about an on-campus speaker

Middlebury College is also vowing to learn from the ugly chapter in its history.

I feared for my life, Middlebury College political science professor Allison Stanger wrote on her Facebook page following the encounter with protesters last Thursday evening on the campus of Middlebury College.

Many students, as well as people the school described Friday as outside agitators, were angry about an appearance by Charles Murray.

Murray calls himself a libertarian social scientist, but past writings on race and intelligence left detractors branding him as a white supremacist and the Southern Poverty Law Center calling him a racist pseudoscientist.

Having those ideas invited to our campus makes me and other people of my community feel like were not welcome here, Elizabeth Dunn, a student of color, told NBC 5 News on Thursday.

Protestors first shouted down the speaker, then pulled fire alarms.

The school provided a video link to a discussion with Murray that ended up taking place in a private room.

After leaving that room, as Murray and the professor moderating the discussion were heading to a vehicle parked outside, some in the crowd yanked Stangers hair and hurt her neck. Stanger said on Facebook that she received medical care from a local hospitals emergency room.

Stanger also said on Facebook, Nothing good ever comes from demonizing our brothers and sisters.

Middlebury Police are now investigating the confrontation, according to a statement Monday from Middlebury College. The schools president, Laurie Patton, urged all members of the community to cooperate in the investigation.

Once that investigation and a separate campus probe are complete, the school will evaluate a course of action for individuals determined to be involved, Patton said. She promised the process would be fair and just, and noted it would likely take some time to unfold.

I want to state that peaceful, non-disruptive protest is not only allowed at Middlebury, it is encouraged, Patton said in the statement. We all have the right to make our voices heard, both in support of and in opposition to people and ideas. Our concern is acts of disruption and violence, where available means of peaceful protest were declined.

Phil Hoxie, a member of the Middlebury chapter of the American Enterprise Institute and a vice executive chair of the Vermont Federation of College Republicans, was one of the students who invited Murray to campus.

Hoxie said he hoped to hear what the guest had to say about the divisive nature of politics in America today.

Free speech is only truly free speech when you defend it for people you fundamentally disagree with, Hoxie said on Monday. This is a story about forces in our country. We have two groups who dont want to listen to each otherwho dont understand each other.

Murray warned in a blog post of intellectual thugs overtaking campuses, saying, What happened last Thursday has the potential to be a disaster for American liberal education.

Murray also praised Middleburys administration for trying to facilitate free speech at the school.

Thursday, President Patton addressed the crowd before the scheduled speech. She said she profoundly disagreed with much of what Murray has focused on publicly, but suggested there would be an intellectual and academic benefit to engaging with ideas members of the college community object to.

The very premise of free speech on this campus is that a speaker has the right to be heard, Patton said on Thursday. If there ever was a time for Americans to take on arguments that offend us, it is now.

Jim Douglas served four terms as Vermonts Governor, starting in 2002, as a Republican in this mostly blue state.

Its important that we listen to other voices, Douglas said on Monday. Ive always believed that when you know youre going to run into someone at the landfill or a school play or the grocery store, its pretty hard to get really angry. And I think thats been a key hallmark to the kind of civility weve enjoyed in Vermont. I certainly hope we can maintain it. And I certainly hope incidents like the one we saw in Middlebury last week will be an exception.

Friday, in a statement to the campus and alumni, President Patton apologized to people who attended the event with sincere interest in taking part in a civil discussion, and also to Murray and Stanger for the treatment they experienced.

Patton said already, students, faculty, and staff are meeting to talk about ways to build bridges, and make the campus more open to differing viewpoints.

I urge us all to keep listening and connecting, and am myself in active communication with students and faculty on all sides of the issue, Patton said in her written remarks Monday. I want to acknowledge the anger and frustration that many people feel. There is hard work ahead for all of us: learning to be accountable to one another, and learning to stand in community with one another. We must affirm our shared values and goals and hold each other to them, and we must listen differently, helping others to be fully heard and seen.
Police are looking for a man believed to have stolen cash from a locked box at a Massachusetts church.

Stoneham Police said they responded to St. Patrick's Church on Feb. 20 for a report of a larceny. The church janitor told police that around 11:40 a.m. that day, he had witnessed a man using a large screwdriver to pry open a locked church collection box and remove cash from the candle-lighting prayer stand.

The janitor said he yelled at the man, followed him outside, and took several photos of him. The suspect fled with the cash, and the janitor called police.

"The immediate reaction was sadness because all the person has to do is come to us and we'd be More than willing to try and help them," said Father Mario Orrigo.

A similar incident occurred at the same church in October, and police said they believe it might have been the same man. Police didn't say how much money was stolen but Father Orrigo said it was a couple hundred dollars, money that is critical for some.

"These fund boxes help people that are in immediate need who need food or immediate assistance for whatever reason do it really effects a lot of people throughout the parish," he said.

Father Orrigo said the thefts have happened four or five times and the church has tried everything to try and stop them.

"We've tried to implement as many security procedures as we can to prevent further occurrences but it's hard because we're a church and it's always open," Father Orrigo said.

The suspect is described as being in his late 50s or 60s, bald, with gray hair on the sides. He has a stocky build and was wearing a green work coat, red hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Police said he might have fled on a burgundy Diamondback brand cruiser bicycle.

"The witness in this case acted smartly, and his actions are commendable," Stoneham police Chief James McIntyre said. "Now we have clear photos, and we hope the public recognizes this individual."

Anyone who recognizes the suspect is urged to call Stoneham police at 781-438-1215.
Tail wagging, tongue out, feeling the breeze: for a dog, there may be no greater joy than riding in a car, with its head out of the window. But in Maine, that could soon become a criminal act.

A proposed law, called "An Act Concerning the Transporting of Dogs in Passenger Vehicles," would require harnesses or tethers for dogs riding in moving vehicles. Dogs would not be allowed to ride in the front seat area, or put their head out of the window of a moving car.

"It raises a very important question, to talk about animal safety in the vehicle," said Rep. Jim Handy, D-Lewiston, the bills sponsor. Rep. Handy said he proposed the law, because a constituent was concerned about dogs safely riding in vehicles.

He said he can see both sides of the issue.

"I want safety for my animal, but by the same token I want them to have the freedom to stick their head out of the window," said Handy. "My dog loves the fresh air coming into his face."

Handys bill does not include penalties for violating the proposed rules. In New Jersey, drivers can be fined between $250-$1,000 for improperly transporting an unrestrained animal.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends restraints for dogs in cars, but some dog owners say the proposed Maine law goes too far, without good reason.

"Do they have any evidence that a dog has jumped out of a window and hurt itself?" asked Don Sargent, playing with his dog, Zoey at a Portland dog park. "This is the most absurd thing Ive actually heard of."

Dog sitter Alex Clark said she can see the benefits of restraints. "The dog could easily go flying [out of the window], and if the dog gets distracted by something, whats going to stop him from jumping out?" she said.

The bill is expected to have a public hearing at the Maine State House on March 17.
Connecticut lawmakers will hear public feedback on the first of several bills filed this session that would legalize the sale of recreational marijuana.

The General Assembly's Public Health Committee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday on legislation that would require the Department of Consumer Protection to create and administer a program that allows people 21 years and older to legally purchase and cultivate marijuana.

The bill also requires the Department of Revenue Services to create and administer a system for taxing the drug.

Republican Rep. Melissa Ziobron of East Haddam is co-sponsoring the bill. The ranking Republican House member on the Appropriations Committee, Ziobron says she wants to "promote a healthy and substantive discussion" of the issue.

Similar legalization bills proposed by mostly Democrats are awaiting action in other committees.
A small Vermont town passed an advisory resolution calling on Congress to look into whether sufficient grounds exist to pursue an impeachment of President Donald Trump.

It's the first time I ever made a motion, said Susan Ohanian, a retired teacher who introduced the advisory resolution at the Town Meeting Day gathering in Charlotte.

Ohanian said she believes President Trumps many business holdings mean hes improperly profiting off the office of the president.

It puts us in a very precarious position, Ohanian warned.

Her resolution came on Vermonts traditional Town Meeting Day, when communities gather to discuss budgets and other local issues.

In Charlotte, a community of fewer than 4,000, whether to raise taxes for a network of recreation trails actually saw far more interest than presidential politics.

We do the little things and we do the big things, because we are a part of the United States as well as being very concerned about what happens locally, Ohanian observed.

Ohanians advisory resolution requesting that Congress look into whether sufficient grounds exist for the impeachment of President Trump passed on a voice vote.

A copy of the resolution will also be sent to Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat who is Vermonts lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

It split our country and it continues to split our country, Charlotte voter David Blanshine said of the 2016 election results.

Blanshine voted no on the resolution Ohanian introduced.

These kinds of actions are, I think, just continuing to drive us toward those polar opposites and not bringing us together; not looking to compromise or heal, Blanshine told necn.

At Town Meeting Day in 2008, a small handful of Vermont communities voted to call for the indictment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, alleging violations of the Constitution.

Those votes, like this latest one in Charlotte, were largely symbolic.

Still, Susan Ohanian knows all movements start with a voice speaking up, and she was glad hers was heard.
CA Technologies is acquiring application security testing company Veracode for US$614 million in cash, in a bid to broaden its development and testing offering for enterprises and app developers.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the second quarter of this year.

Privately-held Veracode has offices in Burlington, Massachusetts and London, and employs over 500 people worldwide. The company has around 1,400 small and large customers.

Offering a software-as-a-service platform, Veracode is focused on technologies that let developers improve the security of applications right from inception through production.

Embedding security into the software development lifecycle and making it an automated part of the continuous delivery process means that developers can write code without the hassles of a manual and fragmented approach to security, CAs President and Chief Product Officer Ayman Sayed wrote in a blog post.

CAs acquisition of Veracode aims to boost the companys DevOps portfolio by providing the technology for identifying and mitigating risk early in the development process with secure application testing.

Veracode is expected to extend CAs "go-to-market strategy" into midsize enterprise customers while CA will help build Veracodes global reach to address larger enterprise customers, CA said on Monday.

CA said in December it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Automic Holding, a business automation software firm in Vienna. The company also acquired last year BlazeMeter, a provider of open source-based continuous application performance testing, and analytics firm Mobile System 7. The company, formerly known as Computer Associates, has made a string of acquisitions so far.
The BBC found itself in the no-good-deed-goes-unpunished category thanks to Facebook. Granted, the BBC was investigating for an article to see if Facebook had improved its system for removing child porn from the site after such images are reported. But trying to help clean up Facebook should not be rewarded by the social network reporting you to the police.

Using Facebooks report button, BBC journalists reported 100 images that should not be allowed on the platform according to Facebooks guidelines that claim nudity or other sexually suggestive content is not permitted on the site. The images included a still from a child porn video, under-16s in sexual poses and others along the same vein. Of those, only 18 were initially removed. The other 82, Facebook said, did not violate community standards.

Additionally, Facebook prohibits convicted sex offenders from having accounts. The BBC said it reported five convicted pedophiles, but Facebook failed to remove their profiles.

The BBCs investigation was a follow-up from another in 2016 about Facebooks moderation system. At that time, the BBC found that pedophiles were using secret groups to exchange obscene images of children.

This time around, Facebooks director of policy, Simon Milner, agreed to an interview on condition the BBC provided examples of the material that it had reported, but had not been removed by moderators.

The BBC did so, but was reported to the UK's National Crime Agency as a consequence.

According to the BBC, Facebook canceled the interview and issued an statement about it being illegal for anyone to distribute images of child exploitation.

David Jordan, BBCs director of editorial policy, said, The fact that Facebook sent images that had been sent to them, that appear on their site, for their response about how Facebook deals with inappropriate imagesthe fact that they sent those on to the police seemed to me to be extraordinary.

One can only assume that the Facebook executives were unwilling or certainly reluctant to engage in an interview or a debate about why these images are available on the Facebook site, he added.

After it virtually hit the fan, Facebook issued the following statement to the BBC:
The network industry is rarely kind to new entrants, as buyers typically have their favorite vendors and seldom give a passing look to someone new. Names like Woven Networks and Consentry come and go while the tried and true live on. One vendor that has bucked this trendstarted fast and stayed fastis Arista Networks.

How has Arista avoided the fate of so many before them? One reason is that its able to keep ahead of the innovation curve because of the flexible architecture of its operating system, EOS. The flexibility of its software has also enabled Arista to adopt new silicon faster than the competition without having to build entirely new platforms.

This week, Arista announced that EOS now runs in a container to support a broader range of ways to purchase and deploy the network operating system. One of Aristas core principals is that it follows industry standards when possible and cEOS is no different, as it uses the standardized container DevOps model to enable the operating system and agents to run in virtual machines, containers and on third-party, white box switches.

One of the more interesting elements of this announcement is that Arista was able to easily decouple the software from vendor-provided hardware, so customers can leverage whatever white box switch or server they want.

Extending the DevOps process to the network

The low-hanging fruit for cEOS is for web-scale companies to extend the DevOps process and microservice architecture all the way down to the network to support complex workflows at massive scale. Containers are used when companies need to rapidly spin up and spin down lightweight workloads for design, modeling and validation in the cloud. With cEOS, network services can be executed as just another container and run containerized applications such as automation and monitoring tools on the same platform.

Organizations that embrace DevOps use a continuous development model, but its hard to make the jump from development to production without uniformity across both environments. Cloud operators that are developing and testing new and differentiated services use containers for development, but if thats not consistent with the production ecosystem, unforeseen problems may occur. Today, containers are used to run the entire stack except the network. Organizations now have the ability to run Aristas proven and robust network operating system everywhere.

The web-scale companies are currently trying to automate and orchestrate everything in their environments. In massively scaled data centers where there are hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of containers, everything must be automatable, agile and software-driven to scale cost effectively. Arista has evolved its platform to align with this vision, which is rapidly becoming the norm with cloud providers.

One of the challenges of running a generic OS on a white box is that the network platform lacks many of the advanced capabilities of vendor-provided hardware. A highly technical organization with hundreds of network engineers may be able to write their own features and drivers, but theres typically a big gap between the proven platform and generic system.

The below chart shows the differences between a generic OS on white box, cEOS on commodity hardware and EOS on Arista hardware. The latter two options are very close to one another. The Arista turnkey solution can be used when performance and reliability are the most important criteria, and cEOS can be used on any hardware when agility and the ability to orchestrate are most critical.

Arista

The immediate appeal of containerized Arista will come from the massive, web-scale companies. But I believe that soon large enterprises that embrace DevOps and want to create uniformity across development and production will look to run network services in containers, and they will prefer something like cEOS instead of going through the cost and time of writing their own network operating system.

The initial release of cEOS is being supported by several ecosystem partners, including Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Microsoft Azure Networking. If you want to check it out for yourself, Arista cEOS will be running on Microsoft SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) at the Open Compute Project Summit in Santa Clara this week.

Since its inception, Arista has touted its prowess in software as its key differentiator, and it has enabled the company to come out of nowhere and become a billion-dollar revenue company. Now its enabling it to boldly go where no mainstream network vendor has gone before.
Youngsters praised by school standards minister for maths scores

BEEDON Primary School has been praised by a government minister after being placed in the top two per cent of schools in England for attainment in mathematics.

The minister for school standards, Nick Gibb, wrote to the school this week to offer congratulations on its high-performing pupils.

Every pupil who sat the 2016 Key Stage 2 assessments in December exceeded the expected standard in mathematicss.

The school was rated as good by Ofsted inspectors in November.

Executive headteacher Chris Prosser said: These accolades are well deserved and reflect the hard work and dedication of staff, students and parents.

Although it is a small rural school, it has a unique character and a big heart.

Beedon Primary School joined the Downlands Federation in September.
Ashley Cane was also convicted of contempt of court

A COURT has spared a man who had sex with a schoolgirl from an immediate prison sentence.

Judge Ian Grainger, sitting at Reading Crown Court on Friday, February 24, said he was taking the unusual step because he did not want to ruin Ashley Thomas Canes life.

Cane had promised a vulnerable 14-year-old marriage and children, but mocked her behind her back and branded her a slut to his friends, jurors were told during the trial in January.

At Fridays hearing, it also emerged that Cane had committed contempt of court  by publicly identifying the girl, who is entitled to lifelong anonymity, on his Facebook page.

His friends had then heaped abuse on her and the lack of privacy settings meant anyone could read it and discover the victims identity, the court heard..

Cane, now aged 22, denied two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child in 2014, but was unanimously convicted on both counts by the jury.

During the trial in January it was revealed that he repeatedly called her princess; my baby girl, the love of my life.

But in another social media exchange, this time with a male friend, Cane  who was living in Lambourn but later moved to Matthews Close, Thatcham  said: Shes the meaning of slut, the court heard.

He went on to mock her for falling in love with him and bragged of sex acts he had engaged in with her.

The trial heard the girl had been known to self harm and that officers found a used pregnancy test in her bedroom.

One of Mr Canes friends expressed shock in a text exchange, warning: Youre a wrong un  shes 14. Get out before the wrong kind of people find out. Just stay away... shes just a kid.

But Cane replied: Its cool.

In his summing up during Fridays sentencing hearing, Judge Grainger said he accepted that Cane had developed genuine, if fleeting, feelings for the child, but added: This relationship was totally wrong. You took scandalous advantage of a very vulnerable young girl.

He told the former Newbury town centre barman and trainee chef at the Berkshire Arms pub restaurant: Lets face it  you told that jury a pack of lies.

And after reading pre-sentence reports Judge Grainger said: Regrettably you continue to deny responsibility for these offences... in the face of the clearest evidence.

Canes record includes shoplifting convictions, plus an offence of wounding in which he stabbed a man in the stomach with a kitchen knife in a row over a woman.

For that, he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and Judge Grainger said: I dont doubt you were lying purely and simply because you dont want to go back to prison.

Aggravating features included the age discrepancy, the girls vulnerability, the risk of pregnancy from unprotected sex, his bragging to friends and the fact that Cane ignored two child abduction notices from police.

Set against that, said Judge Grainger, was his apparent initial affection for his victim, his immaturity and the fact he was no longer taking drugs.

Judge Grainger said: The guidelines suggest an immediate custodial sentence  unless that would not be consistent with the interests of justice.

He added that he feared another bout of imprisonment could ruin Canes life.

Instead, Judge Grainger sentenced him to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years.

In addition, Cane must sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, complete 150 hours unpaid community work, attend a sex offenders programe and pay a statutory victim services surcharge of 100.

At the sentencing hearing on Friday, it also emerged that, during the trial in January, Cane had named his victim on his Facebook page, after which his online friends heaped abuse on her and shared her identity.

Cane admitted a charge of being in contempt of court.

As the victim of a sexual offence, the girl is entitled to lifelong anonymity, as well as statutory reporting restrictions because of her age.

Matthew Walsh, prosecuting, said the offence was aggravated because the lack of privacy settings on Canes Facebook account had meant the information was available to anyone.

Clare Evans, defending, said her client admitted publishing the details but had not realised he was bound by the same law as journalists. He has since closed his Facebook page, she added.

Judge Grainger said: During the course of the trial an article appeared in the Newbury Weekly News reporting  in proper terms  the proceedings in court.

That appears to have given rise to a flurry of exchanges on Facebook between various acquaintances of Mr Cane and Mr Cane himself.

He said that Cane had named his victim and added: That is something he should not have done, given the reporting restrictions in place.

However, I accept he didnt realise he was subject to the same reporting restrictions on Facebook as the newspaper was.

Cane was fined 150 for being in contempt of court on January 19.
Judges choose NWN alongside six other weekly newspapers

THE Newbury Weekly News has been shortlisted for best weekly newspaper in the UK in the 2017 newsawards.

They are the only awards that are dedicated to celebrating the best in news media print, technology and business innovation.

We're up against the Brecon & Radnor Express, Cambridge Independent, Hackney Gazette, Newquay Voice, Stratford Herald and The Times of Tunbridge Wells.

There's an extra reason to celebrate  the NWN actually prints five of the seven newspapers shortlisted.

Weve been shortlisted for regional printer of the year too.

The Newspaper Awards were rebranded in 2015 as newsawards, with an entirely fresh format and look for the event.

All the categories have been divided into highly-focused sections reflecting the key areas of news media publishing  print, digital and business.

Since the first year of the awards more than 100,000 newspaper executives from all of the major national, regional and weekly newspaper publishers have attended the awards together with sponsors, suppliers and industry influencers.

The awards have been hosted by many of the UK and Irelands leading entertainers including Michael McIntyre, Jonathan Ross, Dara OBriain, Rob Brydon, Joanna Lumley, Jimmy Carr, Gabby Logan Stephen Mangan and Al Murray.

In 2016 the awards were hosted by stand-up comedian and actor, Alan Davies.

This year's awards will be held on Wednesday, April 5 at Lancaster London.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A key Parliamentary panel is likely to submit its report on the impact of demonetisation next month after reviewing various submissions, including that by RBI Governor Urjit Patel.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by senior Congress leader K V Thomas, is looking into the impact of demonetisation on various sectors of the economy.

"We are regularly having meetings with stakeholders concerned. Our report will be presented before the end of the budget session," Thomas told PTI.

The second half of the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from Thursday and end on April 12.

Thomas said the PAC has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to come out with the exact number of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes which were demonetised and deposited with banks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move on November 8.

"We have asked RBI to give us the number. Their top management including Governor Urjit Patel and others have given their submission to us. "They say we are still counting. I don't believe in this argument of counting. Everything is computerised these days. Why take such a long time in giving the final figure?" he wondered.

Thomas said that the central bank has sought some more time to arrive at the final figure. "We have given them the time and asked them to come out with the figure as early as possible," he said. The Parliamentary Committee had last month called top bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry, including Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, to discuss issues relating to demonetisation.

Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal had on December 2 told Parliament that currency notes worth Rs 15.44 lakh crore (17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes) were in circulation on November 8. There have been reports of adverse impact on various sectors and overall GDP growth due to demonetisation.

The government, however, has disputed the reports.

About Rs 4,807 crore of undisclosed income has been detected while Rs 112 crore worth new notes have been seized till January 5 by the Income Tax Department as part of its country-wide crackdown on black money hoarders post demonetisation.

Based on inputs, the tax department has also referred 526 cases to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe other crimes like money laundering and corruption.

NEW DELHI: A key Parliamentary panel is likely to submit its report on the impact of demonetisation next month after reviewing various submissions, including that by RBI Governor Urjit Patel. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by senior Congress leader K V Thomas, is looking into the impact of demonetisation on various sectors of the economy. "We are regularly having meetings with stakeholders concerned. Our report will be presented before the end of the budget session," Thomas told PTI. The second half of the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from Thursday and end on April 12. Thomas said the PAC has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to come out with the exact number of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes which were demonetised and deposited with banks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move on November 8. "We have asked RBI to give us the number. Their top management including Governor Urjit Patel and others have given their submission to us. "They say we are still counting. I don't believe in this argument of counting. Everything is computerised these days. Why take such a long time in giving the final figure?" he wondered. Thomas said that the central bank has sought some more time to arrive at the final figure. "We have given them the time and asked them to come out with the figure as early as possible," he said. The Parliamentary Committee had last month called top bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry, including Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, to discuss issues relating to demonetisation. Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal had on December 2 told Parliament that currency notes worth Rs 15.44 lakh crore (17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes) were in circulation on November 8. There have been reports of adverse impact on various sectors and overall GDP growth due to demonetisation. The government, however, has disputed the reports. About Rs 4,807 crore of undisclosed income has been detected while Rs 112 crore worth new notes have been seized till January 5 by the Income Tax Department as part of its country-wide crackdown on black money hoarders post demonetisation. Based on inputs, the tax department has also referred 526 cases to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe other crimes like money laundering and corruption.
Ramzauva Chhakchhuak By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Coming on the back of yet another case of rape of a minor in a city school and numerous cases of rapes and sexual abuse, there has been a rising chorus for having a sex offenders registry as a deterrent against such incidents.

Such registers are already a norm in some countries in the West but many experts in the field of law and child rights doubt its effectiveness and worry about its consequences.



CJ Hunagund, a member of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission opines that there should be a registry as long as the crime has been proved beyond all reasonable doubt. A high ranking police official adds that for repeat offenders, a registry is a must.

SPONSORED

The rate of convictions in sexual abuse and rape cases is very low. For example, according to the NCRB, more than 8,900 cases were reported in 2014 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) act. But only 406 cases went to trial and in 100 cases, only 24.6% were convicted. In such a situation can a registry be a feasible measure?

Categories of offenders

Anita Makharia is a parent whose child studied in an East Bengaluru school which became infamous for one of the most high-profile rape case of a minor in the city in 2014. No wonder she feels very strongly about the need for such a registry but says there was a need to differentiate between an accused and a person who has been convicted.

After the incident at my childs school, a group of parents had asked for a registry and even met some government officals. However it never materialised, she says.



The aim was to flag off people involved in such cases in the past through a wide ambit of categories.

But the question is how anyone in the community would want to be associated with an accused in such a registry.

Social stigma & exclusion

Arlene Manoharan, fellow at the Centre for the Child and Law, National Law School of India University, says that chances for reforming a person will be lost forever if such a measure is brought forward. I believe that no deterrence works. Imprisoning someone is one thing but a registry will add to the social isolation and bitterness of a person. The approach should be one of balanced restorative justice with specialised rehabilitation, she says.



Then there is also the danger of convicting children as adults in cases according to the newly amended Juvenile Justice Act. As a country, we are not investing in rehabilitation but only trying to appease the society through measures such as a registry, she adds.

The registry

Last year, the central government also announced plans to moot such a measure where names, photographs, addresses and PAN cards will be put up online. The Kerala government is also thinking about a similar measure.

In countries like USA, UK, Canada and others, such a registry exists and people here who feel that India should also have it too.G Nagasimha Rao, a child rights activist, highlighted how in USA there are even directions for such offenders to keep away from establishments such as schools. Far the sake of the safety of a child at any cost, a registry is the need of the hour, he says.

Does it work?

A US study titled Measuring the impact of sex offender notification on community community adoption of protective behaviors in 2011 says such a measure was designed mainly to study public behaviour rather than the offenders.



Vidya Reddy, executive director, Tulir-Centre for the Prevention and Healing Child Sexual Abuse, Chennai, opines that a sex offenders registry is a measure that is myopic, populist and would be an utter failure. When there is consensual sex with or between minors, parents are going to file false cases. This registry will add fuel to the fire.



HYDERABAD: Coming on the back of yet another case of rape of a minor in a city school and numerous cases of rapes and sexual abuse, there has been a rising chorus for having a sex offenders registry as a deterrent against such incidents. Such registers are already a norm in some countries in the West but many experts in the field of law and child rights doubt its effectiveness and worry about its consequences. CJ Hunagund, a member of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission opines that there should be a registry as long as the crime has been proved beyond all reasonable doubt. A high ranking police official adds that for repeat offenders, a registry is a must. SPONSORED The rate of convictions in sexual abuse and rape cases is very low. For example, according to the NCRB, more than 8,900 cases were reported in 2014 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) act. But only 406 cases went to trial and in 100 cases, only 24.6% were convicted. In such a situation can a registry be a feasible measure? Categories of offenders Anita Makharia is a parent whose child studied in an East Bengaluru school which became infamous for one of the most high-profile rape case of a minor in the city in 2014. No wonder she feels very strongly about the need for such a registry but says there was a need to differentiate between an accused and a person who has been convicted. After the incident at my childs school, a group of parents had asked for a registry and even met some government officals. However it never materialised, she says. The aim was to flag off people involved in such cases in the past through a wide ambit of categories. But the question is how anyone in the community would want to be associated with an accused in such a registry. Social stigma & exclusion Arlene Manoharan, fellow at the Centre for the Child and Law, National Law School of India University, says that chances for reforming a person will be lost forever if such a measure is brought forward. I believe that no deterrence works. Imprisoning someone is one thing but a registry will add to the social isolation and bitterness of a person. The approach should be one of balanced restorative justice with specialised rehabilitation, she says. Then there is also the danger of convicting children as adults in cases according to the newly amended Juvenile Justice Act. As a country, we are not investing in rehabilitation but only trying to appease the society through measures such as a registry, she adds. The registry Last year, the central government also announced plans to moot such a measure where names, photographs, addresses and PAN cards will be put up online. The Kerala government is also thinking about a similar measure. In countries like USA, UK, Canada and others, such a registry exists and people here who feel that India should also have it too.G Nagasimha Rao, a child rights activist, highlighted how in USA there are even directions for such offenders to keep away from establishments such as schools. Far the sake of the safety of a child at any cost, a registry is the need of the hour, he says. Does it work? A US study titled Measuring the impact of sex offender notification on community community adoption of protective behaviors in 2011 says such a measure was designed mainly to study public behaviour rather than the offenders. Vidya Reddy, executive director, Tulir-Centre for the Prevention and Healing Child Sexual Abuse, Chennai, opines that a sex offenders registry is a measure that is myopic, populist and would be an utter failure. When there is consensual sex with or between minors, parents are going to file false cases. This registry will add fuel to the fire.
By Associated Press

The Disney "live-action" remakes, of which the new "Beauty and the Beast" is but one in an assembly line, are starting to resemble an iPhone software update. Click a button and that old cartoon interface changes Belle into Emma Watson, the Beast into Dan Stevens and maybe fixes a few bugs in the system.

Beauty and the Beast that "tale as old as time" (or, to pinpoint it, 1740, when the French fairy tale was published), could certainly use a few tweaks. It is, after all, a fable about finding beauty within that ends, curiously, with the once superficial prince falling for a beautiful woman he's kidnapped, whose name literally means beauty. If you'd like to untangle those ironies, please, be our guest.

Director Bill Condon's film  let's call it "Beauty and the Beast 2.0"  often feels in search of a purpose beyond the all-but-certain dollar signs. Much of the live-action/digital effects makeover is less lifelike than the Oscar-winning 1991 animated film: It's gained a dimension but lost a pulse. The merely fine acting and the lavish production design (the sumptuous sets nearly swallow the performers whole) dutifully strive to make this a worthy enterprise.

Opposites attract, of course. And this "Beauty and the Beast" is equal parts dispiriting and enchanting: overflowing in handsome craft, but missing a spirit inside. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's songs still have their infectious kick, but most of the big musical moments feel more like very good covers of the originals. (There are also three less-memorable new songs by Menken and Tim Rice.)

And yet "Beauty and the Beast" finds its own verve  or, to quote Lumiere, "reason d'etre"  late. Condon (the "Dreamgirls" director who, having helmed much of the "Twilight" saga, knows a thing or two about young love and monsters), working from a script by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, has taken many of the old tale's more cringe-worthy gender roles and mixed them up in the movie's bright swirling medley.

Belle's bookishness is more pronounced, thanks partly to the "Harry Potter" credentials of Watson. Her performance is a little minor key, still, but Watson lends Belle an intelligence and agency that she has lacked. She's less of a Stockholm syndrome Victim and more deserving of young girls' admiration. And the Beast, a pile of horns, makeup and effects on top of the former "Downton Abby" star Stevens, is more haunted and melancholy.

But as the film nears its celebratory coda, a buoyant pluralism bursts forth. Characters  large parts and small  are freed from their prescribed roles in a glorious dance, shortly after Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and the rest come to life. (Be sure to shake your living room and see which British star tumbles out of the furniture.) Here is where that already much discussed "gay moment," as Condon has called it, arrives. It comes and goes in a flash.

Josh Gad, the MVP of many a Disney movie, plays LeFou, the doting sidekick of the caddish Gaston (Luke Evans), the dopey pursuer of Belle's hand. LeFou spends much of the movie hinting at his affection for his lecherous friend, but LeFou, too, earns a chance for redemption toward the end. That's all it is  an easy to miss suggestion that LeFou might find another love. And yet this slightest wink of homosexuality has drawn the ire of some who, it's worth noting, raised no concerns over a romance between an imprisoned girl and a beast or, for that matter, a candelabra and a feather duster.

In fact, "Beauty and the Beast" would be better if it dared more such moments and went further with them. Nevertheless, the uproar suggests even this must count as progress. Perhaps we'll be ready for a truly up-to-date "Beauty and the Beast 3.0" in another few decades.

"Beauty and the Beast," a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some action violence, peril and frightening images." Running time: 129 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

The Disney "live-action" remakes, of which the new "Beauty and the Beast" is but one in an assembly line, are starting to resemble an iPhone software update. Click a button and that old cartoon interface changes Belle into Emma Watson, the Beast into Dan Stevens and maybe fixes a few bugs in the system. Beauty and the Beast that "tale as old as time" (or, to pinpoint it, 1740, when the French fairy tale was published), could certainly use a few tweaks. It is, after all, a fable about finding beauty within that ends, curiously, with the once superficial prince falling for a beautiful woman he's kidnapped, whose name literally means beauty. If you'd like to untangle those ironies, please, be our guest. Director Bill Condon's film  let's call it "Beauty and the Beast 2.0"  often feels in search of a purpose beyond the all-but-certain dollar signs. Much of the live-action/digital effects makeover is less lifelike than the Oscar-winning 1991 animated film: It's gained a dimension but lost a pulse. The merely fine acting and the lavish production design (the sumptuous sets nearly swallow the performers whole) dutifully strive to make this a worthy enterprise. Opposites attract, of course. And this "Beauty and the Beast" is equal parts dispiriting and enchanting: overflowing in handsome craft, but missing a spirit inside. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's songs still have their infectious kick, but most of the big musical moments feel more like very good covers of the originals. (There are also three less-memorable new songs by Menken and Tim Rice.) And yet "Beauty and the Beast" finds its own verve  or, to quote Lumiere, "reason d'etre"  late. Condon (the "Dreamgirls" director who, having helmed much of the "Twilight" saga, knows a thing or two about young love and monsters), working from a script by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, has taken many of the old tale's more cringe-worthy gender roles and mixed them up in the movie's bright swirling medley. Belle's bookishness is more pronounced, thanks partly to the "Harry Potter" credentials of Watson. Her performance is a little minor key, still, but Watson lends Belle an intelligence and agency that she has lacked. She's less of a Stockholm syndrome Victim and more deserving of young girls' admiration. And the Beast, a pile of horns, makeup and effects on top of the former "Downton Abby" star Stevens, is more haunted and melancholy. But as the film nears its celebratory coda, a buoyant pluralism bursts forth. Characters  large parts and small  are freed from their prescribed roles in a glorious dance, shortly after Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and the rest come to life. (Be sure to shake your living room and see which British star tumbles out of the furniture.) Here is where that already much discussed "gay moment," as Condon has called it, arrives. It comes and goes in a flash. Josh Gad, the MVP of many a Disney movie, plays LeFou, the doting sidekick of the caddish Gaston (Luke Evans), the dopey pursuer of Belle's hand. LeFou spends much of the movie hinting at his affection for his lecherous friend, but LeFou, too, earns a chance for redemption toward the end. That's all it is  an easy to miss suggestion that LeFou might find another love. And yet this slightest wink of homosexuality has drawn the ire of some who, it's worth noting, raised no concerns over a romance between an imprisoned girl and a beast or, for that matter, a candelabra and a feather duster. In fact, "Beauty and the Beast" would be better if it dared more such moments and went further with them. Nevertheless, the uproar suggests even this must count as progress. Perhaps we'll be ready for a truly up-to-date "Beauty and the Beast 3.0" in another few decades. "Beauty and the Beast," a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some action violence, peril and frightening images." Running time: 129 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
By IANS

MUMBAI: A short film titled "Chicken Biryani", dedicated to the Indian Army, is set to release soon.



Its director Lom Harsh said in a statement: "'Chicken Biryani' is a satirical take on the facilities available to our beloved jawans (soldiers) who work day and night to make sure that we get to sleep peacefully at night."



The makers of the short film, starring Gavie Chahal, unveiled its trailer on YouTube and Facebook on March 4. It has garnered two lakh views on YouTube and Facebook combined.



The trailer opens with a scene at the Indian border where a soldier of the Indian Army has a Pakistani soldier as his captive.



Produced by Sandeep Chaudhary, under the banner of DLB films, "Chicken Biryani" also stars Arpit Sharma, Gourav Jangid and Sadanand Sharma.



It is a precursor to the upcoming movie "Yeh Hai India", which also stars Gavie, and has been directed by Lom Harsh.

MUMBAI: A short film titled "Chicken Biryani", dedicated to the Indian Army, is set to release soon. Its director Lom Harsh said in a statement: "'Chicken Biryani' is a satirical take on the facilities available to our beloved jawans (soldiers) who work day and night to make sure that we get to sleep peacefully at night." The makers of the short film, starring Gavie Chahal, unveiled its trailer on YouTube and Facebook on March 4. It has garnered two lakh views on YouTube and Facebook combined. The trailer opens with a scene at the Indian border where a soldier of the Indian Army has a Pakistani soldier as his captive. Produced by Sandeep Chaudhary, under the banner of DLB films, "Chicken Biryani" also stars Arpit Sharma, Gourav Jangid and Sadanand Sharma. It is a precursor to the upcoming movie "Yeh Hai India", which also stars Gavie, and has been directed by Lom Harsh.
By Express News Service

Manju Warrier in Aami

Kamals ambitious venture on the life of celebrated writer Kamala Das has already courted unwanted controversy. The latest we know about the movie is that Manju Warrier has agreed to play the protagonist.

According to director Kamal, Manju can easily get into the skin of the character as both share many similarities. Nothing Manju cant do and we are waiting.



Parvathy in Take Off

Well, she is one of the few actresses who can pull off a character, with aplomb, irrespective of who the hero is. Parvathy gets together with Kunchacko Boban and Fahadh Faasil in Take off, a realistic take on the nurses crisis at Tikrit. Going by the first look, she has left no stone unturned to play a hassled soul.

Amala Akkinenni in C/o Saira Banu

Anybody who remembers Amalas act in Ente Sooryaputri cant help but cheer when it was announced that she would be back playing a lawyer in debutante Anthony Sonys C/o Saira Banu with Manju Warrier. Amala had earlier said that Malayalam was her favourite language and she was feeling nostalgic about returning to the industry after a long time. The movie, which will hit the screens on March 17, is one to watch out for.

Amala Paul in Queen remake

This is one movie that catapulted Kangana Ranaut into superstardom. So when Revathy announced the Malayalam remake, film buffs were thrilled. Amala Paul has been roped in to play the lead and we know this will be a milestone in her career.

Manju Warrier in Aami Kamals ambitious venture on the life of celebrated writer Kamala Das has already courted unwanted controversy. The latest we know about the movie is that Manju Warrier has agreed to play the protagonist. According to director Kamal, Manju can easily get into the skin of the character as both share many similarities. Nothing Manju cant do and we are waiting. Parvathy in Take Off Well, she is one of the few actresses who can pull off a character, with aplomb, irrespective of who the hero is. Parvathy gets together with Kunchacko Boban and Fahadh Faasil in Take off, a realistic take on the nurses crisis at Tikrit. Going by the first look, she has left no stone unturned to play a hassled soul. Amala Akkinenni in C/o Saira Banu Anybody who remembers Amalas act in Ente Sooryaputri cant help but cheer when it was announced that she would be back playing a lawyer in debutante Anthony Sonys C/o Saira Banu with Manju Warrier. Amala had earlier said that Malayalam was her favourite language and she was feeling nostalgic about returning to the industry after a long time. The movie, which will hit the screens on March 17, is one to watch out for. Amala Paul in Queen remake This is one movie that catapulted Kangana Ranaut into superstardom. So when Revathy announced the Malayalam remake, film buffs were thrilled. Amala Paul has been roped in to play the lead and we know this will be a milestone in her career.
By PTI

BHADOHI: SP candidate and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav today hit out at the Narendra Modi government for "deriving political mileage" from the Army's accomplishments.

"I am the daughter of an armyman. These people are taking mileage from the martyrdom of our soldiers. They are politicising the army...never seen such a government earlier," the star SP campaigner said said at an election meeting here.

Dimple also targeted the Centre over the demonetisation move saying they had made people "run around" for their own money.

"The Modi government which had promised 'achchy din' did the 'karnama' of note ban...you were made to run around for taking out your own money from banks...that was your hard earned money...till date there is no detail of how much black money has been detected," said Dimple, who is contesting the state Assembly polls from Kannauj constituency.

Attacking Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, Dimple said, "Making false promises is also a karnama...being seen a lot in media and failure to keep up the promises is corruption

and dishonesty."

"You must all be aware of this Gujarati bhai (Amit Shah) of ours...it is his 'karnama' to shift the blame of the Centre's failure on the head of others and present fake statistics," Dimple said.

She also hit out at the government for the transaction charges announced by banks and hike in LPG prices for those who had given up their subsidy.

"You will have to compare as to which is the government that works for you and which is the one offering only allurements," she said.

BHADOHI: SP candidate and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav today hit out at the Narendra Modi government for "deriving political mileage" from the Army's accomplishments. "I am the daughter of an armyman. These people are taking mileage from the martyrdom of our soldiers. They are politicising the army...never seen such a government earlier," the star SP campaigner said said at an election meeting here. Dimple also targeted the Centre over the demonetisation move saying they had made people "run around" for their own money. "The Modi government which had promised 'achchy din' did the 'karnama' of note ban...you were made to run around for taking out your own money from banks...that was your hard earned money...till date there is no detail of how much black money has been detected," said Dimple, who is contesting the state Assembly polls from Kannauj constituency. Attacking Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, Dimple said, "Making false promises is also a karnama...being seen a lot in media and failure to keep up the promises is corruption and dishonesty." "You must all be aware of this Gujarati bhai (Amit Shah) of ours...it is his 'karnama' to shift the blame of the Centre's failure on the head of others and present fake statistics," Dimple said. She also hit out at the government for the transaction charges announced by banks and hike in LPG prices for those who had given up their subsidy. "You will have to compare as to which is the government that works for you and which is the one offering only allurements," she said.
Namita bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The month-long high-octane campaign for the battle of Lucknow culminated on a fierce note with the major players seen throwing their might to mobilise voters for final 40 seats across seven districts of Purvanchal that goes to polls under seventh phase on March 8.

While PM Narendra Modi made Varanasi his abode for three days and held the partys fort himself, Akhilesh-Rahul duo was not behind in show of strength. On the contrary, BSP chief Mayawati, away from pomp and show, chose to close her rhetoric by talking to media persons in the final moments of campaign.

While on one hand the PM at his last rally in Rohania in Varanasi on Monday launched a blistering attack on the SP government over law and order situation in the State, accusing it of protecting criminals with gang rape accused minister Gayatri Prajapati already hitting the headlines. On the other, he accused the SP of turning the police stations into party offices, seeking to draw peoples attention towards different mafias who were ruling the roost in UP.

Moreover, in a well-thought out reference to commissions and cuts in jobs, the PM said, This government has destroyed the future of youth, adding that the Akhilesh government had been selective and discriminatory while conducting in recruitment drives in the State.

Addressing a rally in Jaunpur, CM Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at PM Modi wondering what made him to stay in Varanasi for three days, deploying the entire battery of Central ministers and BJP top brass for the last phase when he claims that the BJP has already won the elections and the last two phases are just a bonus," the CM said. Akhilesh himself gave the final push to his partys prospects by addressing a series of rallies in Purvanchal in the slog hours on Monday.

Earlier, pinning all hopes on east to take his partys tally touch the magic figure, the PM played all the possible cards up his sleeves. In the morning he embarked upon an unannounced trip leading a Janata Darshan procession to Gadwaghat, a place revered by Yadav community with an ashram having over a crore followers. The PM also went to pay homage to late Prime Minister Lal Bahdur Shastri at his residence in Ramnagar area of Varanasi.

However, closing her campaign formally, BSP chief Mayawati chose to sum up her month-long discourse with a press conference targeting her rivals on all her choicest issues, in State capital Lucknow.

Meanwhile, Congress vice-president and Akhileshs new-found ally Rahul Gandhi, who is banking on SPs oxygen to revive his own political fortunes in UP where his party, otherwise, is gasping for life, in his final address exuded confidence that the SP-Congress alliance would emerge victorious and Akhilesh would get a second term as CM.

LUCKNOW: The month-long high-octane campaign for the battle of Lucknow culminated on a fierce note with the major players seen throwing their might to mobilise voters for final 40 seats across seven districts of Purvanchal that goes to polls under seventh phase on March 8. While PM Narendra Modi made Varanasi his abode for three days and held the partys fort himself, Akhilesh-Rahul duo was not behind in show of strength. On the contrary, BSP chief Mayawati, away from pomp and show, chose to close her rhetoric by talking to media persons in the final moments of campaign. While on one hand the PM at his last rally in Rohania in Varanasi on Monday launched a blistering attack on the SP government over law and order situation in the State, accusing it of protecting criminals with gang rape accused minister Gayatri Prajapati already hitting the headlines. On the other, he accused the SP of turning the police stations into party offices, seeking to draw peoples attention towards different mafias who were ruling the roost in UP. Moreover, in a well-thought out reference to commissions and cuts in jobs, the PM said, This government has destroyed the future of youth, adding that the Akhilesh government had been selective and discriminatory while conducting in recruitment drives in the State. Addressing a rally in Jaunpur, CM Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at PM Modi wondering what made him to stay in Varanasi for three days, deploying the entire battery of Central ministers and BJP top brass for the last phase when he claims that the BJP has already won the elections and the last two phases are just a bonus," the CM said. Akhilesh himself gave the final push to his partys prospects by addressing a series of rallies in Purvanchal in the slog hours on Monday. Earlier, pinning all hopes on east to take his partys tally touch the magic figure, the PM played all the possible cards up his sleeves. In the morning he embarked upon an unannounced trip leading a Janata Darshan procession to Gadwaghat, a place revered by Yadav community with an ashram having over a crore followers. The PM also went to pay homage to late Prime Minister Lal Bahdur Shastri at his residence in Ramnagar area of Varanasi. However, closing her campaign formally, BSP chief Mayawati chose to sum up her month-long discourse with a press conference targeting her rivals on all her choicest issues, in State capital Lucknow. Meanwhile, Congress vice-president and Akhileshs new-found ally Rahul Gandhi, who is banking on SPs oxygen to revive his own political fortunes in UP where his party, otherwise, is gasping for life, in his final address exuded confidence that the SP-Congress alliance would emerge victorious and Akhilesh would get a second term as CM.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: All is not well in the ruling BJP Government in Haryana, as a dozen party MLAs from southern Haryana have lodged a complaint with the party high command against Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of being ignored by their own government and not been listened to at all. A meeting has now been called in this regard on March 15 and 16 to sort out the matter.

Sources said that now V Satish Joint General Secretary (Organization) of the saffron party will listen to the disgruntled party leaders and legislators from the party in meeting at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi and Gurgaon. As per the schedule, Satish has kept the district level office bearers and then state-level office bearers meeting in Gurgaon besides booth and booth-level representatives of Gurgaon on March 15. It is expected that besides the office bearers many MLAs from the southern part of the state will also take part in this meeting.

As the resentment in the part is from this part of the state, as the elected representatives allege that the baby-dom is running the government and no officer is listening to them and that the DCs and SSPs do not even take their phone calls. Besides, the officers a few handpicked people close to the Chief Minister are calling the shots and ministers do not listen to them.

Also, they allege that the corruption is rampant in the State. They had threatened to raise this issue in the ongoing budget session which could be a major embarrassment for the BJP Government.

But it is being said in party circles that in the meeting the party office bearers at different levels would be told to be united to fight the forthcoming municipal elections of Gurgaon and they should go to the public and say what all the State government has done in the past for development.

Sources said that the next day on March 16, Satish will hold meetings of all the party MLAs, then of the state cabinet and council of ministers and after that of all the Members of Parliament of the party and finally will hold parallels with Chief Minister Khattar in which he might seek an explanation from the CM besides some answers on vital issues raised by party leaders.

Earlier, Gurgaon MLA Umesh Aggarwal had even called up BJP National President Amit Shah who was then campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. Shah had reportedly assured Aggarwal of resolving their grievances once he is back on March 11.

These MLAs have met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar twice to sort out grievances but talks remained inconclusive. Also, earlier a few of them had meetings with partys National General Secretary and Haryana in-charge Dr Anil Jain and Ram Lal Ji National General Secretary (Organization) but to no avail.

In the 90-member assembly, BJP has 47 MLAs and has the support of five MLAs (four Independents and one of BSP). But, these five MLAs are now supporting these disgruntled 12 MLAs.

CHANDIGARH: All is not well in the ruling BJP Government in Haryana, as a dozen party MLAs from southern Haryana have lodged a complaint with the party high command against Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of being ignored by their own government and not been listened to at all. A meeting has now been called in this regard on March 15 and 16 to sort out the matter. Sources said that now V Satish Joint General Secretary (Organization) of the saffron party will listen to the disgruntled party leaders and legislators from the party in meeting at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi and Gurgaon. As per the schedule, Satish has kept the district level office bearers and then state-level office bearers meeting in Gurgaon besides booth and booth-level representatives of Gurgaon on March 15. It is expected that besides the office bearers many MLAs from the southern part of the state will also take part in this meeting. As the resentment in the part is from this part of the state, as the elected representatives allege that the baby-dom is running the government and no officer is listening to them and that the DCs and SSPs do not even take their phone calls. Besides, the officers a few handpicked people close to the Chief Minister are calling the shots and ministers do not listen to them. Also, they allege that the corruption is rampant in the State. They had threatened to raise this issue in the ongoing budget session which could be a major embarrassment for the BJP Government. But it is being said in party circles that in the meeting the party office bearers at different levels would be told to be united to fight the forthcoming municipal elections of Gurgaon and they should go to the public and say what all the State government has done in the past for development. Sources said that the next day on March 16, Satish will hold meetings of all the party MLAs, then of the state cabinet and council of ministers and after that of all the Members of Parliament of the party and finally will hold parallels with Chief Minister Khattar in which he might seek an explanation from the CM besides some answers on vital issues raised by party leaders. Earlier, Gurgaon MLA Umesh Aggarwal had even called up BJP National President Amit Shah who was then campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. Shah had reportedly assured Aggarwal of resolving their grievances once he is back on March 11. These MLAs have met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar twice to sort out grievances but talks remained inconclusive. Also, earlier a few of them had meetings with partys National General Secretary and Haryana in-charge Dr Anil Jain and Ram Lal Ji National General Secretary (Organization) but to no avail. In the 90-member assembly, BJP has 47 MLAs and has the support of five MLAs (four Independents and one of BSP). But, these five MLAs are now supporting these disgruntled 12 MLAs.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: BJP veteran LK Advani and his party colleagues may face trial in the decades-old Babri Masjid demolition case, the Supreme Court indicated on Monday. The move, interestingly, comes ahead of the final phase of UP polls.

Making it clear that it would not accept accused being discharged on technical grounds, the apex court said it would examine the issue of reviving conspiracy charges against those including, BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, and Union Minister Uma Bharti, which were dropped earlier by the Allahabad High Court. The CBI has challenged the High Courts order in May 2010, confirming the lower courts decision to drop the conspiracy charges.

File photo

There are 13 persons who were discharged only on technical grounds. We will not accept the discharge on technical grounds. Why cant we club both the cases and have a joint trial? One trial is going on in Lucknow and the other in Raebareli, said the bench led by Justce PC Ghose, while slating the next hearing for March 22.

The suggestion to club the cases, however, was vehemently opposed by the CBI, stating that both FIRs have named different accused and the trials in respective cases are at advanced stages.

While the first case is lodged against LK Advani and others who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya when the mosque was demolished, the other is against lakhs of karsevaks who were present around the structure at that time.



The CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the IPC. The agency had also invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by special court.

NEW DELHI: BJP veteran LK Advani and his party colleagues may face trial in the decades-old Babri Masjid demolition case, the Supreme Court indicated on Monday. The move, interestingly, comes ahead of the final phase of UP polls. Making it clear that it would not accept accused being discharged on technical grounds, the apex court said it would examine the issue of reviving conspiracy charges against those including, BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, and Union Minister Uma Bharti, which were dropped earlier by the Allahabad High Court. The CBI has challenged the High Courts order in May 2010, confirming the lower courts decision to drop the conspiracy charges. File photoThere are 13 persons who were discharged only on technical grounds. We will not accept the discharge on technical grounds. Why cant we club both the cases and have a joint trial? One trial is going on in Lucknow and the other in Raebareli, said the bench led by Justce PC Ghose, while slating the next hearing for March 22. The suggestion to club the cases, however, was vehemently opposed by the CBI, stating that both FIRs have named different accused and the trials in respective cases are at advanced stages. While the first case is lodged against LK Advani and others who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya when the mosque was demolished, the other is against lakhs of karsevaks who were present around the structure at that time. The CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the IPC. The agency had also invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by special court.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has conveyed its concerns at a 'very senior level' in the US administration on the move to curb H-1B visa processing, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said.

"I think our concerns at a very senior level has already been conveyed to the government of USA. I would not like to get into the details except that Indian IT companies are giving good value addition to US companies," Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of ICEGOV conference in response to a question on recent developments.

The US had last week said it will be temporarily suspending premium processing of H-1B visas from April 3, eliminating the option of shorter waiting period for the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms.

Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay an additional sum for expedited service, which is known as premium processing.

The temporary suspension could last up to six months, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors.

Premium processing costs an additional USD 1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded. Processing of standard H-1B applications takes between 3 and 6 months.

Prasad said that the Indian IT companies are servicing more than 75 per cent of Fortune 500 companies.

"They are making them more competitive and giving them extraordinary value addition. I am given to understand that they have paid around USD 20 billion tax revenue in last 5 years. They have created 4,00,000 jobs, not only in America but other parts of the world. Indian IT companies and IT professionals are giving lot of opening to American companies in India," Prasad said.

He also said that the whole IT movement in the world is based on sharing and reciprocity.

On recent reports of misuse of Aadhaar data, Prasad said that the unique ID is completely safe and secure and that some people were trying to play mischief in a "sponsored manner" against whom police have taken action.

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has conveyed its concerns at a 'very senior level' in the US administration on the move to curb H-1B visa processing, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said. "I think our concerns at a very senior level has already been conveyed to the government of USA. I would not like to get into the details except that Indian IT companies are giving good value addition to US companies," Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of ICEGOV conference in response to a question on recent developments. The US had last week said it will be temporarily suspending premium processing of H-1B visas from April 3, eliminating the option of shorter waiting period for the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms. Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay an additional sum for expedited service, which is known as premium processing. The temporary suspension could last up to six months, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors. Premium processing costs an additional USD 1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded. Processing of standard H-1B applications takes between 3 and 6 months. Prasad said that the Indian IT companies are servicing more than 75 per cent of Fortune 500 companies. "They are making them more competitive and giving them extraordinary value addition. I am given to understand that they have paid around USD 20 billion tax revenue in last 5 years. They have created 4,00,000 jobs, not only in America but other parts of the world. Indian IT companies and IT professionals are giving lot of opening to American companies in India," Prasad said. He also said that the whole IT movement in the world is based on sharing and reciprocity. On recent reports of misuse of Aadhaar data, Prasad said that the unique ID is completely safe and secure and that some people were trying to play mischief in a "sponsored manner" against whom police have taken action.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday took up the issue of the shooting of a Sikh at Kent near Seattle in US recently with Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and urged them to expedite steps to ensure stopping of racial attacks and discrimination against the Sikhs in United States.

In separate letters written to Sushma Swaraj and US Ambassador Richard Verma, the General Secretary of the DSGMC Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed serious concern over the attacks on Sikhs in the US and said that it is very shameful and shocking that killings of Sikhs in the US over the past decade is continuing unabated.

Sirsa said that though Swaraj had been taking up issues keeping in mind feelings of the Sikh community, the incidence of discrimination against Sikhs by causing hurt, injury and sometimes killing is being repeated. He said that the recent attack on one Deep Rai was the latest in the series.

He further said that no matter where a Sikh resides his roots are embedded in Punjab, India.

Sirsa said that DSGMC which is a statutory body established by the Act of Parliament, 1971 of Government of India represents the Sikh community and thus has responsibility bestowed upon by Sikh sangat for taking up these issues whenever any kind of racial, or insulting act occurs against the identity of a Sikh.

Stressing upon the establishment of a separate cell by the ministry to take up these issues, Sirsa suggested that the cell can have members of Government of India and representatives of Sikh people from the elected bodies, namely DSGMC and SGPC. He also said that along with this a proper campaign should be launched to ensure that such incidents don't occur in the future.

Sirsa also reminded the External Affairs Minister and US Ambassador of the incidents that occurred in the recent past, including a firing incident that occurred in 2012 at Gurdwara Sahib Wisconsin where an accused namely Wade Michael Page shot six Sikhs and wounded four others; discrimination against Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh American actor who was barred from boarding Aero Mexico flight from Mexico after he refused to remove his turban and an incident of a Indo-Canadian Sikh comedian Jasmeet Singh who was forced to remove his turban at US Airport and later barred from boarding a flight to Mexico.

He urged both leaders to take urgent steps in the matter as the community was worried keeping in view the changed circumstances in the US.



CHANDIGARH: The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday took up the issue of the shooting of a Sikh at Kent near Seattle in US recently with Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and urged them to expedite steps to ensure stopping of racial attacks and discrimination against the Sikhs in United States. In separate letters written to Sushma Swaraj and US Ambassador Richard Verma, the General Secretary of the DSGMC Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed serious concern over the attacks on Sikhs in the US and said that it is very shameful and shocking that killings of Sikhs in the US over the past decade is continuing unabated. Sirsa said that though Swaraj had been taking up issues keeping in mind feelings of the Sikh community, the incidence of discrimination against Sikhs by causing hurt, injury and sometimes killing is being repeated. He said that the recent attack on one Deep Rai was the latest in the series. He further said that no matter where a Sikh resides his roots are embedded in Punjab, India. Sirsa said that DSGMC which is a statutory body established by the Act of Parliament, 1971 of Government of India represents the Sikh community and thus has responsibility bestowed upon by Sikh sangat for taking up these issues whenever any kind of racial, or insulting act occurs against the identity of a Sikh. Stressing upon the establishment of a separate cell by the ministry to take up these issues, Sirsa suggested that the cell can have members of Government of India and representatives of Sikh people from the elected bodies, namely DSGMC and SGPC. He also said that along with this a proper campaign should be launched to ensure that such incidents don't occur in the future. Sirsa also reminded the External Affairs Minister and US Ambassador of the incidents that occurred in the recent past, including a firing incident that occurred in 2012 at Gurdwara Sahib Wisconsin where an accused namely Wade Michael Page shot six Sikhs and wounded four others; discrimination against Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh American actor who was barred from boarding Aero Mexico flight from Mexico after he refused to remove his turban and an incident of a Indo-Canadian Sikh comedian Jasmeet Singh who was forced to remove his turban at US Airport and later barred from boarding a flight to Mexico. He urged both leaders to take urgent steps in the matter as the community was worried keeping in view the changed circumstances in the US.
By Express News Service

LUCKNOW: In a new twist, police constable Chandrapal--gunner of gang rape accused UP minister Gayatri Prajapati, was arrested from Jankipuram locality of State capital Lucknow here on Monday. Chandrapal is a co-accused along with four other persons including the minister in a gang rape and sexual harassment case.

Non-bailable warrants were issued by the police against the absconding minister and six other persons while his passport was impounded and a look-out notice was issued against him in the last couple of days.

Chandrapal, who was arrested at the Police Lines here, said that he accompanied the minister till February 27, the day Amethi went to poll under fifth phase. Gayatri Prajapati has been eluding the police net since then.

LUCKNOW: In a new twist, police constable Chandrapal--gunner of gang rape accused UP minister Gayatri Prajapati, was arrested from Jankipuram locality of State capital Lucknow here on Monday. Chandrapal is a co-accused along with four other persons including the minister in a gang rape and sexual harassment case. Non-bailable warrants were issued by the police against the absconding minister and six other persons while his passport was impounded and a look-out notice was issued against him in the last couple of days. Chandrapal, who was arrested at the Police Lines here, said that he accompanied the minister till February 27, the day Amethi went to poll under fifth phase. Gayatri Prajapati has been eluding the police net since then.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday urged youth of the State to support the PDP-BJP coalition government for their secure future and asserted that if the youth give up stone pelting they would becoming No 1 in the entire world.

The alliance between PDP and BJP in J&K was stitched for welfare of youth and getting the State out of its difficulties, Mehbooba said while addressing a youth convention of her party, PDP, here.

Urging youth to support her government in realizing its political and developmental agenda, she said the objective for forming the coalition government with BJP was to ensure youth of the State a secure future by way of political stability and economic prosperity.

Mehbooba asked youth to play a positive role by helping her government in maintaining peace in the State so that the government is able to pursue the agenda of development and discourse in the State.

The youth should get themselves associated with the decision-making process in the State and join the forthcoming Panchayat elections in good numbers, she said.

The CM said her government would review the cases of the youth, who were not seriously involved in any anti-social activity and also the families of the affected youth would also be given proper rehabilitation.

Over 8000 youth were arrested and booked in cases during over five-month long unrest in Kashmir last year after killing of Kashmir militancys poster boy and Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016. Most of the arrested youth have been released but cases have been not withdrawn against any of them sofar.

When I used to visit villages, you used to be my bodyguards, police and security forces. The youth who used to be my security, my PSO have stones in their hands today, Mehbooba told the youth.

She said she feels bad for the killings and injuries of the children.

I feel bad, my family is you people. You made me Mehbooba Mufti. You gave me dignity and sacrificed for me when at Uri chalo, Muzafffarbad road, 14 youth like you sacrificed their lives for it, she said.

Mehbooba said if they (youth) do not take stones, they can become No 1 in entire world.

The stone pelting incidents are on rise in the Valley and the youth have been pelting stones on security men during anti-militancy operations launched by security forces.

Regretting that the dialogue process in the State got stuck during the last decade or so and youth of the State had to pay a heavy price for this political drought, she asked the youth to factor in their role in this whole canvas by ensuring peace and harmony in the State.

This, she said, automatically results in creating a congenial atmosphere of friendship between the two countries as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has a direct bearing on the relations between India and Pakistan.

Peace in the State alone can ensure that political process takes off and more opportunities of employment for the youth are created, she said.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his outreach to Pakistan, Mehbooba said, It was satisfying to see PM taking up the threads to reach out to Pakistan by first inviting its Prime Minister to his swearing in and later visiting the country in December 2015 though it could not be done during the decade-long rule of the previous regime in New Delhi.

Though the effort hasnt yet delivered, but we are hopeful that we would be able to embark on a path of reconciliation and friendship which is in the ultimate interests of people of both the countries, she said.

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday urged youth of the State to support the PDP-BJP coalition government for their secure future and asserted that if the youth give up stone pelting they would becoming No 1 in the entire world. The alliance between PDP and BJP in J&K was stitched for welfare of youth and getting the State out of its difficulties, Mehbooba said while addressing a youth convention of her party, PDP, here. Urging youth to support her government in realizing its political and developmental agenda, she said the objective for forming the coalition government with BJP was to ensure youth of the State a secure future by way of political stability and economic prosperity. Mehbooba asked youth to play a positive role by helping her government in maintaining peace in the State so that the government is able to pursue the agenda of development and discourse in the State. The youth should get themselves associated with the decision-making process in the State and join the forthcoming Panchayat elections in good numbers, she said. The CM said her government would review the cases of the youth, who were not seriously involved in any anti-social activity and also the families of the affected youth would also be given proper rehabilitation. Over 8000 youth were arrested and booked in cases during over five-month long unrest in Kashmir last year after killing of Kashmir militancys poster boy and Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016. Most of the arrested youth have been released but cases have been not withdrawn against any of them sofar. When I used to visit villages, you used to be my bodyguards, police and security forces. The youth who used to be my security, my PSO have stones in their hands today, Mehbooba told the youth. She said she feels bad for the killings and injuries of the children. I feel bad, my family is you people. You made me Mehbooba Mufti. You gave me dignity and sacrificed for me when at Uri chalo, Muzafffarbad road, 14 youth like you sacrificed their lives for it, she said. Mehbooba said if they (youth) do not take stones, they can become No 1 in entire world. The stone pelting incidents are on rise in the Valley and the youth have been pelting stones on security men during anti-militancy operations launched by security forces. Regretting that the dialogue process in the State got stuck during the last decade or so and youth of the State had to pay a heavy price for this political drought, she asked the youth to factor in their role in this whole canvas by ensuring peace and harmony in the State. This, she said, automatically results in creating a congenial atmosphere of friendship between the two countries as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has a direct bearing on the relations between India and Pakistan. Peace in the State alone can ensure that political process takes off and more opportunities of employment for the youth are created, she said. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his outreach to Pakistan, Mehbooba said, It was satisfying to see PM taking up the threads to reach out to Pakistan by first inviting its Prime Minister to his swearing in and later visiting the country in December 2015 though it could not be done during the decade-long rule of the previous regime in New Delhi. Though the effort hasnt yet delivered, but we are hopeful that we would be able to embark on a path of reconciliation and friendship which is in the ultimate interests of people of both the countries, she said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indias premier institution, Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made it to top 10 global varsities ranking eighth of the global ranking for universities.

IISc has been ranked eighth in the Times Higher Education or THE Rankings, 2017 in the "best small universities" category, joining the elite list that includes California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from the US, Ecole Normale Superieure from France and Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea.

Small universities are those with a student strength of less than 5,000. Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar has congratulated IISc for the recognition.

"It is a good news for us that one of our institutions has been ranked among the world's top 10 universities. This shows our determination to improve quality of education at all levels and increased focus on research and innovation," he said on sidelines of an event here.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings was founded in 2004 by the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) magazine. It provides the definitive list of the world's best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, reputation and more.

Despite the new high, India has two misses this year. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, and Savitribai Phule Pune University, which were ranked 14 and 18 respectively in the 2016 edition, could not retain their spots in the top 20 this time.

IISc, a public university for scientific research and higher education, was established in 1909 with active support from Jamsetji Tata and Sir Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore.

In 2015-16, it became the first Indian institute to be ranked among the top 100 in THE World University Rankings for engineering and technology at 99th position.

NEW DELHI: Indias premier institution, Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made it to top 10 global varsities ranking eighth of the global ranking for universities. IISc has been ranked eighth in the Times Higher Education or THE Rankings, 2017 in the "best small universities" category, joining the elite list that includes California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from the US, Ecole Normale Superieure from France and Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea. Small universities are those with a student strength of less than 5,000. Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar has congratulated IISc for the recognition. "It is a good news for us that one of our institutions has been ranked among the world's top 10 universities. This shows our determination to improve quality of education at all levels and increased focus on research and innovation," he said on sidelines of an event here. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings was founded in 2004 by the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) magazine. It provides the definitive list of the world's best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, reputation and more. Despite the new high, India has two misses this year. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, and Savitribai Phule Pune University, which were ranked 14 and 18 respectively in the 2016 edition, could not retain their spots in the top 20 this time. IISc, a public university for scientific research and higher education, was established in 1909 with active support from Jamsetji Tata and Sir Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. In 2015-16, it became the first Indian institute to be ranked among the top 100 in THE World University Rankings for engineering and technology at 99th position.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday expressed deep concern at the killing of an Indian fishermen in the firing by Sri Lankan Navy.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo has raised the matter with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Indian government has been apprised that the Sri Lankan Navy will be probing the matter.

"Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said.

A 22-year-old fisherman, Britso, hailing from Tamil Nadu was shot dead near the Palk Strait on Monday. The Sri Lankan navy initially denied that it fired at the Indian fishermen contending that its mandate was only to seize boats and arrest the Indian fishermen. However, it has promised a thorough investigation into the matter.

The relation between two countries have been tensed for a long time as in the past as well there have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats.The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both the countries.

The two countries had formed a Joint Working Group to resolve the issues. The first meeting was on January 2.

The island nation has been particularly against the demands for relaxation of norms for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to use fishing trawlers.

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday expressed deep concern at the killing of an Indian fishermen in the firing by Sri Lankan Navy. The Indian High Commission in Colombo has raised the matter with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Indian government has been apprised that the Sri Lankan Navy will be probing the matter. "Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said. A 22-year-old fisherman, Britso, hailing from Tamil Nadu was shot dead near the Palk Strait on Monday. The Sri Lankan navy initially denied that it fired at the Indian fishermen contending that its mandate was only to seize boats and arrest the Indian fishermen. However, it has promised a thorough investigation into the matter. The relation between two countries have been tensed for a long time as in the past as well there have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats.The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both the countries. The two countries had formed a Joint Working Group to resolve the issues. The first meeting was on January 2. The island nation has been particularly against the demands for relaxation of norms for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to use fishing trawlers.
By Express News Service

RAMANATHAPURAM: Escalating the tensions in Palk Straits further, a 21-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot dead while another suffered bullet injuries when their boat came under attack late on Monday night, allegedly from the Sri Lankan Navy.

K Bridjo from Thangachimadam in coastal Ramanathapuram is the first fatality in about five years that is blamed on the Lankan Navy. His neighbour and fellow boatman, Jeron (28) suffered injuries to his hand, and undergoing treatment at Ramanathapuram government general hospital.

K Bridjo of Rameswaram who was shot dead allegedly by Sri Lankan navy.

The shooting sent shock waves among the fishermen community, as it came close on the heels of a string of detentions - 59 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the Lankan Navy in just the last five days.

According to sources, when more than 100 fishermen on 15 mechanised boats were fishing near Palk Straits, a group of Lankan navy personnel on water scooters surrounded the boats and opened fire on the fishermen. Bridjo suffered injuries to his throat, and died before being brought to the shore.

Also read: India raises killing of fishermen with Sri Lankan PM

Angry relatives have refused to receive his body from the hospital, demanding that a minister should visit them, and also seeking assurance for a permanent solution.

RAMANATHAPURAM: Escalating the tensions in Palk Straits further, a 21-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu was shot dead while another suffered bullet injuries when their boat came under attack late on Monday night, allegedly from the Sri Lankan Navy. K Bridjo from Thangachimadam in coastal Ramanathapuram is the first fatality in about five years that is blamed on the Lankan Navy. His neighbour and fellow boatman, Jeron (28) suffered injuries to his hand, and undergoing treatment at Ramanathapuram government general hospital. K Bridjo of Rameswaram who was shot dead allegedly by Sri Lankan navy.The shooting sent shock waves among the fishermen community, as it came close on the heels of a string of detentions - 59 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the Lankan Navy in just the last five days. According to sources, when more than 100 fishermen on 15 mechanised boats were fishing near Palk Straits, a group of Lankan navy personnel on water scooters surrounded the boats and opened fire on the fishermen. Bridjo suffered injuries to his throat, and died before being brought to the shore. Also read: India raises killing of fishermen with Sri Lankan PM Angry relatives have refused to receive his body from the hospital, demanding that a minister should visit them, and also seeking assurance for a permanent solution.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik to appear before it on March 14 in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged terror activities by him and organisations promoted by him including Islamic Research Foundation of which he was a founding trustee.

Through the notice served by the agency, Naik has been asked for joining the investigation at NIA headquarters here next week. The NIA notice was received by his brother Dr Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik.

The NIA has issued notice to Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik S/o Dr Abdul Karim Naik resident of B-1005/1006, Jasmine Apartments, 65-B, Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, Mumbai, in connection with the NIA case RC-O5/2016/NlA-MUM (IRF Case), the NIA said in a statement.

Naik was the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust, and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. This besides, Naik has close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Private Limited, Longlast Constructions Private Limited, Right Property Solutions Private Limited, Galaxy Multichannel Network Private Limited, Majestic Perfumes Private Limited and Alpha Lubricants Private Limited.

The NIA has booked Naik, IRF and IRF Educational Trust and others under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, criminal conspiracy (120-B) and Section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik to appear before it on March 14 in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged terror activities by him and organisations promoted by him including Islamic Research Foundation of which he was a founding trustee. Through the notice served by the agency, Naik has been asked for joining the investigation at NIA headquarters here next week. The NIA notice was received by his brother Dr Mohammad Abdul Karim Naik. The NIA has issued notice to Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik S/o Dr Abdul Karim Naik resident of B-1005/1006, Jasmine Apartments, 65-B, Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, Mumbai, in connection with the NIA case RC-O5/2016/NlA-MUM (IRF Case), the NIA said in a statement. Naik was the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust, and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. This besides, Naik has close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Private Limited, Longlast Constructions Private Limited, Right Property Solutions Private Limited, Galaxy Multichannel Network Private Limited, Majestic Perfumes Private Limited and Alpha Lubricants Private Limited. The NIA has booked Naik, IRF and IRF Educational Trust and others under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, criminal conspiracy (120-B) and Section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Controversial Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan today faced severe haranguing from the Supreme Court, which directed him to appear tomorrow before the Allahabad High Court to honour a bailable warrant against him due to his non-appearance in a case.

The apex court, which rebuked the Samajwadi Party's minority face for "hoodwinking" the high court, also expressed surprise that the bailable warrant could not be served on a serving minister of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet.

"Where is the chairman (Khan) of UP Jal Nigam? Is he in Allahabad or Lucknow," asked an angry bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar.

Khan's counsel, with some hesitation to inform about his whereabouts, said "he will appear whenever he is asked".

At this, the bench asked "doesn't he have a helicopter?"

Again, there was some hesitation on the part of the advocates' appearing for Khan to respond to the query and no clear answer emerged.

The top court said "the (high) court feels you (Khan) are hoodwinking it. It is asking you to appear but you are not appearing. You are such a person that no bailable warrant can be served upon you. He is only an ex-officio chairman (of the UP Jal Nigam)."

When Khan's counsel pointed out that he was also a minister and would comply with the high court's order after completion of Assembly elections on March 11, the bench shot back, saying "see how much time you have already been given".

The high court had sought his personal appearance on March 1 and 6.

"You have not gone to the court. Bailable warrant was issued, even then you did not appear. You are a chairman but the bailable warrant was not served upon you. You have never gone to the court. You go and tell the high court whatever you want to explain.

"There is no reason for you not to go. There is no reason for you not to be served with the bailable warrant. There is also no reason for you that you did not attend the high court.

You are a minister but even then the warrant was not served upon you," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said in an oral observation.

The hard-hitting remarks against Khan came a day before the final round of the ongoing assembly polls in the state.

Khan enjoys a considerable clout in the ruling party in the state as he holds high-profile portfolios ranging from Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development to Minority Welfare and Haj in the Akhilesh Yadav government.

The top court refused to interfere with the orders of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court and said the reason for being pre-occupied with electioneering was not substantiated as "there is no indication that he had meetings on those days".

From the beginning of the hearing at 1400 hours, the bench was not inclined to accept that Khan should be given an opportunity to appear after March 11.

"You must go there and appear in the court which wants your appearance. If the court wants you to appear, you must appear and explain," the bench said and noted that since the election in Khan's constitutency, Rampur, was over, there was no reason why he will not appear in the high court.

"The election is over in his constituency. He does not have to vote. He is free tomorrow," the bench said before delivering the final order in which it said "it is not within our purview at this juncture to hear Khan with reference to the orders passed by the high court".

"We are of the considered view that explanation sought by the high court has to be tendered with. In view of the unequivocal and unqualified submission of the petitioner that he would surrender to the jurisdiction of the high court and tender the explaination as sought for by the high court, we dispose of this application.

"We consider it just and appropriate by directing Khan to appear before the high court tomorrow at 2 PM. We hope that the high court will allow an appropriate opportunity to Khan to tender such explanation and it will pass an appropriate order as per the law," the bench said.

The day's hearing had a bit of drama since morning when senior advocate Kapil Sibal succeeded in getting the matter listed for hearing at 1400 hours.

When the matter came up, Sibal was replaced by senior advocate V Giri, who informed the bench that the high court was waiting for the outcome of the hearing here and has kept the scheduled hearing at 1500 hours.

Giri's response came after the bench asked him, "what has happened in the high court today".

After getting the answer that the high court will hear the matter at 1500 hours, the bench asked, "Where is the chairman (Khan) of UP Jal Nigam? Is he in Allahabad or Lucknow?"

When the bench categorically asked why Khan had not appeared before the high court on the last two dates, the lawyer said "he was busy in the election process".

To this, the bench said, "But he does not say (in his affidavit filed before the high court yesterday) whether he is involved in the election process. We don't know if he actually had an election programme on those dates".

When his counsel said he was busy in "public rallies and road shows", the bench said, "Don't make general statements."

The high court had ordered issuance of bailable warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the UP Jal Nigam in 2013.

The petition was filed challenging the judgement of the UP Public Services Tribunal in favour of Assistant Engineer D K Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings in a case of alleged financial irregularities.

The high court had passed the order against Khan after rejecting an exemption application moved on his behalf.

The high court, in its earlier order on February 17, had said that a document filed by the petitioners appeared to be forged and fictitious and issued notices to the petitioners to show cause as to why appropriate proceedings be not initiated against them for forgery and committing contempt/criminal contempt of court.

NEW DELHI: Controversial Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan today faced severe haranguing from the Supreme Court, which directed him to appear tomorrow before the Allahabad High Court to honour a bailable warrant against him due to his non-appearance in a case. The apex court, which rebuked the Samajwadi Party's minority face for "hoodwinking" the high court, also expressed surprise that the bailable warrant could not be served on a serving minister of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet. "Where is the chairman (Khan) of UP Jal Nigam? Is he in Allahabad or Lucknow," asked an angry bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar. Khan's counsel, with some hesitation to inform about his whereabouts, said "he will appear whenever he is asked". At this, the bench asked "doesn't he have a helicopter?" Again, there was some hesitation on the part of the advocates' appearing for Khan to respond to the query and no clear answer emerged. The top court said "the (high) court feels you (Khan) are hoodwinking it. It is asking you to appear but you are not appearing. You are such a person that no bailable warrant can be served upon you. He is only an ex-officio chairman (of the UP Jal Nigam)." When Khan's counsel pointed out that he was also a minister and would comply with the high court's order after completion of Assembly elections on March 11, the bench shot back, saying "see how much time you have already been given". The high court had sought his personal appearance on March 1 and 6. "You have not gone to the court. Bailable warrant was issued, even then you did not appear. You are a chairman but the bailable warrant was not served upon you. You have never gone to the court. You go and tell the high court whatever you want to explain. "There is no reason for you not to go. There is no reason for you not to be served with the bailable warrant. There is also no reason for you that you did not attend the high court. You are a minister but even then the warrant was not served upon you," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said in an oral observation. The hard-hitting remarks against Khan came a day before the final round of the ongoing assembly polls in the state. Khan enjoys a considerable clout in the ruling party in the state as he holds high-profile portfolios ranging from Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development to Minority Welfare and Haj in the Akhilesh Yadav government. The top court refused to interfere with the orders of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court and said the reason for being pre-occupied with electioneering was not substantiated as "there is no indication that he had meetings on those days". From the beginning of the hearing at 1400 hours, the bench was not inclined to accept that Khan should be given an opportunity to appear after March 11. "You must go there and appear in the court which wants your appearance. If the court wants you to appear, you must appear and explain," the bench said and noted that since the election in Khan's constitutency, Rampur, was over, there was no reason why he will not appear in the high court. "The election is over in his constituency. He does not have to vote. He is free tomorrow," the bench said before delivering the final order in which it said "it is not within our purview at this juncture to hear Khan with reference to the orders passed by the high court". "We are of the considered view that explanation sought by the high court has to be tendered with. In view of the unequivocal and unqualified submission of the petitioner that he would surrender to the jurisdiction of the high court and tender the explaination as sought for by the high court, we dispose of this application. "We consider it just and appropriate by directing Khan to appear before the high court tomorrow at 2 PM. We hope that the high court will allow an appropriate opportunity to Khan to tender such explanation and it will pass an appropriate order as per the law," the bench said. The day's hearing had a bit of drama since morning when senior advocate Kapil Sibal succeeded in getting the matter listed for hearing at 1400 hours. When the matter came up, Sibal was replaced by senior advocate V Giri, who informed the bench that the high court was waiting for the outcome of the hearing here and has kept the scheduled hearing at 1500 hours. Giri's response came after the bench asked him, "what has happened in the high court today". After getting the answer that the high court will hear the matter at 1500 hours, the bench asked, "Where is the chairman (Khan) of UP Jal Nigam? Is he in Allahabad or Lucknow?" When the bench categorically asked why Khan had not appeared before the high court on the last two dates, the lawyer said "he was busy in the election process". To this, the bench said, "But he does not say (in his affidavit filed before the high court yesterday) whether he is involved in the election process. We don't know if he actually had an election programme on those dates". When his counsel said he was busy in "public rallies and road shows", the bench said, "Don't make general statements." The high court had ordered issuance of bailable warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the UP Jal Nigam in 2013. The petition was filed challenging the judgement of the UP Public Services Tribunal in favour of Assistant Engineer D K Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings in a case of alleged financial irregularities. The high court had passed the order against Khan after rejecting an exemption application moved on his behalf. The high court, in its earlier order on February 17, had said that a document filed by the petitioners appeared to be forged and fictitious and issued notices to the petitioners to show cause as to why appropriate proceedings be not initiated against them for forgery and committing contempt/criminal contempt of court.
Yatish Yadav By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Life turned upside down in the last nine months for M (name withheld), a Somali who was waiting to board a flight to the US to reunite with his 27-year-old wife in Ohio. Living in south Delhi, he is heart-broken as Donald Trumps ban on refugees from select Muslim countries has shattered his hope of a reunion with his wife.

A native of Mogadishu, M told New Indian Express that he had been expecting to fly to the US soon but Donald Trumps executive order temporarily suspending the admission of refugees into the US for 120 days has left him heart-broken.

It has created a great wall of separation for us. She cannot leave the US and I cannot go to the US now. We cannot even go back to Somalia, he said.

Another Somali, Abu waited for 13 years in India as a refugee with his mother and four siblings to go to the US. His resettlement papers were under process in the US Homeland Security Department and a flight date seemed to appear on the horizon. He is now disheartened.

I landed in Delhi in 2004 when I was just 13. Our papers have been under process for the past two years and we were expecting to go to the US within a few months. Now we are stuck. I dont remember much of Mogadishu as I was very young when our family fled the country. Going back is not an option, he says.

M and Abu are among 700 Somalis living in India. They are not the only one hit by the Trump order. There are Yemenis, Libyans, Sudanese and Iranians who face a similar uncertainty.

S, a 28-year-old Somali woman came to India 10 years ago after her parents were killed in strife-torn Mogadishu. She couldnt even say goodbye to her sister before fleeing to India. It is a very difficult situation. Suddenly when your time comes to go to US, there is Trump, she says.

Why not from Saudis, Afghans?

Abu questions Trumps selective targeting of six Muslim countries. Sitting in a South Delhi cafe, he questioned, Some say the ban is a move to stop Islamic terrorism. Then why not Muslims from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan too?

None of the terrorists who carried out terror strikes on US soil since 2001 came from the six nations on Trump ban list. The 9/11 attacks were carried out by an Al Qaeda module comprising of Saudi, UAE and Egyptian nationals. A Kuwaiti-born US citizen carried out the Tennessee shooting in which four Marines were killed.

In fact, the threat from homegrown terrorists is getting bigger in the US. According to a 2015 report by the US Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, more than 250 individuals from the US have joined or attempted to fight alongside Islamic State.

Nicholas J. Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center said in a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the US has been able to reduce external threats but in the past few years the pool of potential homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) has widened. The FBI was investigating approximately 1,000 potential HVEs across all 50 states.

Why not Pakistan?

Curiously, Pakistan, which is notorious for nurturing terrorists, has been spared. The US has on many occasions acknowledged Pakistans role in its proxy war in Jammu & Kashmir through terror outfits raised and nurtured by islamabad.

Officers in the Indian security establishment believe that Pakistan is pre-empting Trumps ire through its preventive detention of the most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed and four others. Its recent ban on Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation is nothing but a charade, they say.

Pakistan is trying to show that it is acting tough against terrorists. But US must realize that Pakistan continues to nurture terror groups who are targeting India, they said.

Trumps warmed-up gruel?

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement that the new refugee order inflicts harm upon refugees themselves. Trumps new executive order is just warmed-up gruel, said Grace Meng, senior researcher at HRW. In the name of fighting terrorism, the new order will only scapegoat refugees. It will abandon tens of thousands of refugees who need to be taken out of precarious situations, and cedes US leadership on a vitally important global issue, she said.

Commenting on Trumps executive order, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement: The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects.

According to a July 2013 UNHCR report, its India office assists over 24,000 refugees and asylum seekers from various countries. During standard registration interviews UNHCR flags vulnerable cases for possible resettlement as refugees cannot apply for resettlement on their own and cannot pick their country of resettlement. UNHCR screens and interviews each resettlement candidate.

NEW DELHI: Life turned upside down in the last nine months for M (name withheld), a Somali who was waiting to board a flight to the US to reunite with his 27-year-old wife in Ohio. Living in south Delhi, he is heart-broken as Donald Trumps ban on refugees from select Muslim countries has shattered his hope of a reunion with his wife. A native of Mogadishu, M told New Indian Express that he had been expecting to fly to the US soon but Donald Trumps executive order temporarily suspending the admission of refugees into the US for 120 days has left him heart-broken. It has created a great wall of separation for us. She cannot leave the US and I cannot go to the US now. We cannot even go back to Somalia, he said. Another Somali, Abu waited for 13 years in India as a refugee with his mother and four siblings to go to the US. His resettlement papers were under process in the US Homeland Security Department and a flight date seemed to appear on the horizon. He is now disheartened. I landed in Delhi in 2004 when I was just 13. Our papers have been under process for the past two years and we were expecting to go to the US within a few months. Now we are stuck. I dont remember much of Mogadishu as I was very young when our family fled the country. Going back is not an option, he says. M and Abu are among 700 Somalis living in India. They are not the only one hit by the Trump order. There are Yemenis, Libyans, Sudanese and Iranians who face a similar uncertainty. S, a 28-year-old Somali woman came to India 10 years ago after her parents were killed in strife-torn Mogadishu. She couldnt even say goodbye to her sister before fleeing to India. It is a very difficult situation. Suddenly when your time comes to go to US, there is Trump, she says. Why not from Saudis, Afghans? Abu questions Trumps selective targeting of six Muslim countries. Sitting in a South Delhi cafe, he questioned, Some say the ban is a move to stop Islamic terrorism. Then why not Muslims from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan too? None of the terrorists who carried out terror strikes on US soil since 2001 came from the six nations on Trump ban list. The 9/11 attacks were carried out by an Al Qaeda module comprising of Saudi, UAE and Egyptian nationals. A Kuwaiti-born US citizen carried out the Tennessee shooting in which four Marines were killed. In fact, the threat from homegrown terrorists is getting bigger in the US. According to a 2015 report by the US Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, more than 250 individuals from the US have joined or attempted to fight alongside Islamic State. Nicholas J. Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center said in a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the US has been able to reduce external threats but in the past few years the pool of potential homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) has widened. The FBI was investigating approximately 1,000 potential HVEs across all 50 states. Why not Pakistan? Curiously, Pakistan, which is notorious for nurturing terrorists, has been spared. The US has on many occasions acknowledged Pakistans role in its proxy war in Jammu & Kashmir through terror outfits raised and nurtured by islamabad. Officers in the Indian security establishment believe that Pakistan is pre-empting Trumps ire through its preventive detention of the most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed and four others. Its recent ban on Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation is nothing but a charade, they say. Pakistan is trying to show that it is acting tough against terrorists. But US must realize that Pakistan continues to nurture terror groups who are targeting India, they said. Trumps warmed-up gruel? Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement that the new refugee order inflicts harm upon refugees themselves. Trumps new executive order is just warmed-up gruel, said Grace Meng, senior researcher at HRW. In the name of fighting terrorism, the new order will only scapegoat refugees. It will abandon tens of thousands of refugees who need to be taken out of precarious situations, and cedes US leadership on a vitally important global issue, she said. Commenting on Trumps executive order, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement: The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects. According to a July 2013 UNHCR report, its India office assists over 24,000 refugees and asylum seekers from various countries. During standard registration interviews UNHCR flags vulnerable cases for possible resettlement as refugees cannot apply for resettlement on their own and cannot pick their country of resettlement. UNHCR screens and interviews each resettlement candidate.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: The Gadchiroli sessions court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others for their links with Left-wing extremist organisations and waging war against India.

Apart from the professor, the court also convicted Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi and three others under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Judge Suryakant Shinde, who awarded the sentence, held the accused guilty of waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of a banned Maoist organisation.

We could produce convincing evidence establishing links between Saibaba and the banned outfit as well as several other groups in and outside India, a senior officer investigating the case told Express.

We had gathered huge digital evidence from Saibabas residence in Delhi. Forensic experts proved in the court that the data was not tampered with and other investigating officials deciphered various documents therein. Several documents were in different names like Prakash, Chetan apart from Saibaba himself.

We were able to prove that Saibaba was active under various identities and the documents referred to him, he added.

MUMBAI: The Gadchiroli sessions court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others for their links with Left-wing extremist organisations and waging war against India. Apart from the professor, the court also convicted Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi and three others under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Judge Suryakant Shinde, who awarded the sentence, held the accused guilty of waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of a banned Maoist organisation. We could produce convincing evidence establishing links between Saibaba and the banned outfit as well as several other groups in and outside India, a senior officer investigating the case told Express. We had gathered huge digital evidence from Saibabas residence in Delhi. Forensic experts proved in the court that the data was not tampered with and other investigating officials deciphered various documents therein. Several documents were in different names like Prakash, Chetan apart from Saibaba himself. We were able to prove that Saibaba was active under various identities and the documents referred to him, he added.
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Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Even as the Uttar Pradesh polls are moving into their final phase today, the Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police has arrested two more accomplices of rape-accused minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in Noida, on Tuesday.



The two aidessuspended Amethi Lekhpal Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shuklaof the absconding minister were held from Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway by the UP STF late on Monday night.



Both the accused were picked up from Noida and brought to Lucknow for interrogation, ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said in the state capital Lucknow on Tuesday. UP STF was brought into the operations following the Supreme Courts annoyance over delay in compliance of its orders. Chaudhary has expressed confidence that Prajapati would also be arrested soon as a look-out notice and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against him.



RN Mishra, SP of the STF, said the two accused had come to Delhi in connection with some case and were returning to Lucknow when they were nabbed.



Earlier, Prajapatis gunman Chandrapal was held in Lucknow. So far, three arrests have been made by the UP police in this case but Prajapati is still on the run.



Already facing the oppositions criticism for failing to bring the tainted minister to books, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the police were making all efforts to arrest the minister. He reiterated his governments resolve to extend all cooperation to the UP police in compliance with the Supreme Court directives.



Responding to a query over the Governors letter which had sought his clarification over the continuation of the tainted minister in his Cabinet, the CM said he had replied to the Governor.



Akhilesh defended his decision to let the minister continue in the State Cabinet by referring to the Badaun and Saharanpur rape cases which, he said, turned out to be fake and no arrests were made then.



Prajapati, on Monday, failed to get a relief from the Supreme Court where he had filed a plea to recall its order for lodging an FIR against him in the case. On the contrary, the apex court had expressed unhappiness that its order on lodging of FIR against the SP leader had drawn a lot of political narrative in the poll- bound state.



Prajapati had been crying foul before going underground saying he was falsely implicated in the case by his political rivals as the complainant was affiliated to the BJP.

LUCKNOW: Even as the Uttar Pradesh polls are moving into their final phase today, the Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police has arrested two more accomplices of rape-accused minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in Noida, on Tuesday. The two aidessuspended Amethi Lekhpal Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shuklaof the absconding minister were held from Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway by the UP STF late on Monday night. Both the accused were picked up from Noida and brought to Lucknow for interrogation, ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said in the state capital Lucknow on Tuesday. UP STF was brought into the operations following the Supreme Courts annoyance over delay in compliance of its orders. Chaudhary has expressed confidence that Prajapati would also be arrested soon as a look-out notice and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against him. RN Mishra, SP of the STF, said the two accused had come to Delhi in connection with some case and were returning to Lucknow when they were nabbed. Earlier, Prajapatis gunman Chandrapal was held in Lucknow. So far, three arrests have been made by the UP police in this case but Prajapati is still on the run. Already facing the oppositions criticism for failing to bring the tainted minister to books, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the police were making all efforts to arrest the minister. He reiterated his governments resolve to extend all cooperation to the UP police in compliance with the Supreme Court directives. Responding to a query over the Governors letter which had sought his clarification over the continuation of the tainted minister in his Cabinet, the CM said he had replied to the Governor. Akhilesh defended his decision to let the minister continue in the State Cabinet by referring to the Badaun and Saharanpur rape cases which, he said, turned out to be fake and no arrests were made then. Prajapati, on Monday, failed to get a relief from the Supreme Court where he had filed a plea to recall its order for lodging an FIR against him in the case. On the contrary, the apex court had expressed unhappiness that its order on lodging of FIR against the SP leader had drawn a lot of political narrative in the poll- bound state. Prajapati had been crying foul before going underground saying he was falsely implicated in the case by his political rivals as the complainant was affiliated to the BJP.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The high-pitched campaign trail for the seventh and final phase of UP Assembly elections might have ended on Monday evening, but the exchange of acerbic taunts is far from over as the stakeholders are not letting go even a single opportunity to trounce the opponent in a war of words.

In a similar attempt, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav made some flutter in the otherwise silent political landscape of UP which is awaiting polling for its final phase on March 8.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the CM asked the PM to give details of the Centres development work done in UP during the last three years. He also, once again, accused BSP chief Mayawati of propagating corruption. He claimed that the BSP chief had been accepting money in lieu of tickets from aspiring party candidates in Assembly elections.

Bina nagadi ke buaji ke yahan se koi prasad nahi milta (Without cash, you cant get anything from aunts place), he quipped, charging the BSP chief with flying off to Delhi as soon as the poll campaign was over. He clarified that he himself had no designs for Delhi. I have no dream for Delhi. I am here and shall remain here only to work for my people, he averred.

Trading an often-repeated charge on his prime target PM Narendra Modi that he had forgotten all his 2104 poll promises, Akhilesh denounced the latters efforts to mobilise the voters of his parliamentary constituency Varanasi by camping there for three days. He reminded the PM of his forgotten promise of turning Varanasi into Kyoto.

In a wisecrack, the CM, exuding confidence that he would be there in the UP saddle again after March 11, extended all help to the PM in executing his roadmap for Varanasis development.

After forming the next government in the state, I assure the PM that my government will extend all help to him in turning Varanasi into Kyoto. Aap roadmap toh laiye, hum poora sahyog karenge (You give me roadmap and I will extend all help).

Though Kyoto and Varanasi were historic cities, PM Modi failed to transform even a bit of Varanasi on the lines of Kyoto, he said. He also discounted BJPs promise of appointing Class III and Class IV employees without any interview.

However, the CM himself claimed that Samajwadi Party government had already done away with process of interview for recruitment. We appointed 32,000 policemen only on the basis of high school and intermediate marks and physical fitness, he said.

He rejected the Oppositions criticism of his government as regards to basic infrastructural development of Purvanchal saying that the road network in the state had improved a lot under his rule.

During his entire campaigning for UP elections, the CM had been harping on the transformation of roads across the state in a big way. His entire projection had been based on 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the promise to extend it to other districts in the next five years.

The polling for the final 40 seats across seven Purvanchal districts will be held under seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 8. The results of the Assembly elections will be declared on March 11.

LUCKNOW: The high-pitched campaign trail for the seventh and final phase of UP Assembly elections might have ended on Monday evening, but the exchange of acerbic taunts is far from over as the stakeholders are not letting go even a single opportunity to trounce the opponent in a war of words. In a similar attempt, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav made some flutter in the otherwise silent political landscape of UP which is awaiting polling for its final phase on March 8. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the CM asked the PM to give details of the Centres development work done in UP during the last three years. He also, once again, accused BSP chief Mayawati of propagating corruption. He claimed that the BSP chief had been accepting money in lieu of tickets from aspiring party candidates in Assembly elections. Bina nagadi ke buaji ke yahan se koi prasad nahi milta (Without cash, you cant get anything from aunts place), he quipped, charging the BSP chief with flying off to Delhi as soon as the poll campaign was over. He clarified that he himself had no designs for Delhi. I have no dream for Delhi. I am here and shall remain here only to work for my people, he averred. Trading an often-repeated charge on his prime target PM Narendra Modi that he had forgotten all his 2104 poll promises, Akhilesh denounced the latters efforts to mobilise the voters of his parliamentary constituency Varanasi by camping there for three days. He reminded the PM of his forgotten promise of turning Varanasi into Kyoto. In a wisecrack, the CM, exuding confidence that he would be there in the UP saddle again after March 11, extended all help to the PM in executing his roadmap for Varanasis development. After forming the next government in the state, I assure the PM that my government will extend all help to him in turning Varanasi into Kyoto. Aap roadmap toh laiye, hum poora sahyog karenge (You give me roadmap and I will extend all help). Though Kyoto and Varanasi were historic cities, PM Modi failed to transform even a bit of Varanasi on the lines of Kyoto, he said. He also discounted BJPs promise of appointing Class III and Class IV employees without any interview. However, the CM himself claimed that Samajwadi Party government had already done away with process of interview for recruitment. We appointed 32,000 policemen only on the basis of high school and intermediate marks and physical fitness, he said. He rejected the Oppositions criticism of his government as regards to basic infrastructural development of Purvanchal saying that the road network in the state had improved a lot under his rule. During his entire campaigning for UP elections, the CM had been harping on the transformation of roads across the state in a big way. His entire projection had been based on 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the promise to extend it to other districts in the next five years. The polling for the final 40 seats across seven Purvanchal districts will be held under seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 8. The results of the Assembly elections will be declared on March 11.
By PTI

VARANASI: Call it Varanasi, Banaras or Kashi -- the city is little bothered about life around and takes it as it comes. But when it comes to politics, everyone has a strong view on the subject. With voting in the state assembly polls due only days ahead of the Holi festival, the streets of the holy city are abuzz with discussions, rumours, and diverse viewpoints.

The hectic road shows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi have further convulsed the political discourse in the historic city and the areas around, which go to polls on March 8. Every single paan shop, tea joint and prominent chowks here has groups of people animatedly debating who is going to win and why.

The city's Godolia Crossing, which fell on the route of Prime Minister Modi's road show on Saturday, has several crushed hemp and hemp-mixed "thandai" joints, including Raju Thandai Corner. This popular Corner witnesses a large gathering fiercely debating and exchanging views every evening, that too in the local dialect.

A day after Modi's road show, middle-aged Ram Kumar Yadav said: "Guru, Modi's road show has charged up the atmosphere. There were huge crowds in his road show...looks like Akhilesh-Rahul will be given a run for their money..."

Pat came the reply from Vijay Jaiswal, almost of same age: "O hello, don't under-estimate Akhilesh-Rahul. Did you see the crowd in their road show? It was no less. They had a real impact on the people...or else Modi wouldn't have stayed put in Varanasi for full three days."

Another to join in was Akhilesh Sharma, who added a fresh angle to the debate: "Boss, Bahenji (Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party) is nowhere to be seen, no?"

The fourth participant, Chanchal Vishwakarma, gave an "exclusive information": "Arrey, don't you know? There's a 'setting' between BJP and Behenji...BJP is supporting her wherever they are weak. You take it from me, after polls, they will come out in the open."

"In Pindara seat, BJP is supporting Behenji. Finally, BSP will support BJP (to form the government)..."

Bharatiya Janata Party's Dr Awadhesh Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party's Babulal Patel and Congress' Ajay Rai are contesting from Pindara constituency of Varanasi district.

Jaiswal jumps in: "Bhai, we are also hearing similar things about Congress and BSP. Maybe, that is why they are not talking harshly of each other's candidates. Don't be surprised if Congress backs Behenji to form the government..."

By now, all the four had gulped down their "thandai" glasses, and so pushed off on their motorbikes.

Going by the adage "where there's smoke, there's fire", IANS went round to check the talk and rumours about tie-ups flying thick and fast in the city. It contacted a senior Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary.

Preferring anonymity, the RSS leader said: "We have also heard about such talks doing the rounds in Varanasi, but it's baseless...though we are always ready to support good people. It's election time and it's Holi time...so don't trust all that you hear on the streets."

The Congress leaders also rejected such tie-up possibilities. A state-level leader said: "We are hearing about the possibility of BJP-BSP post-poll alliance. But talks of Congress-BSP alliance are entirely baseless. We have a tie-up with Samajwadi Party, and we will stick to that."

So, if you are in Varanasi these days, do keep in mind: Some talks are only for ears, others may be given some thought, while the rest are mere Holi-eve poll gossip -- flowing out of the 'thandai' glass.



VARANASI: Call it Varanasi, Banaras or Kashi -- the city is little bothered about life around and takes it as it comes. But when it comes to politics, everyone has a strong view on the subject. With voting in the state assembly polls due only days ahead of the Holi festival, the streets of the holy city are abuzz with discussions, rumours, and diverse viewpoints. The hectic road shows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi have further convulsed the political discourse in the historic city and the areas around, which go to polls on March 8. Every single paan shop, tea joint and prominent chowks here has groups of people animatedly debating who is going to win and why. The city's Godolia Crossing, which fell on the route of Prime Minister Modi's road show on Saturday, has several crushed hemp and hemp-mixed "thandai" joints, including Raju Thandai Corner. This popular Corner witnesses a large gathering fiercely debating and exchanging views every evening, that too in the local dialect. A day after Modi's road show, middle-aged Ram Kumar Yadav said: "Guru, Modi's road show has charged up the atmosphere. There were huge crowds in his road show...looks like Akhilesh-Rahul will be given a run for their money..." Pat came the reply from Vijay Jaiswal, almost of same age: "O hello, don't under-estimate Akhilesh-Rahul. Did you see the crowd in their road show? It was no less. They had a real impact on the people...or else Modi wouldn't have stayed put in Varanasi for full three days." Another to join in was Akhilesh Sharma, who added a fresh angle to the debate: "Boss, Bahenji (Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party) is nowhere to be seen, no?" The fourth participant, Chanchal Vishwakarma, gave an "exclusive information": "Arrey, don't you know? There's a 'setting' between BJP and Behenji...BJP is supporting her wherever they are weak. You take it from me, after polls, they will come out in the open." "In Pindara seat, BJP is supporting Behenji. Finally, BSP will support BJP (to form the government)..." Bharatiya Janata Party's Dr Awadhesh Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party's Babulal Patel and Congress' Ajay Rai are contesting from Pindara constituency of Varanasi district. Jaiswal jumps in: "Bhai, we are also hearing similar things about Congress and BSP. Maybe, that is why they are not talking harshly of each other's candidates. Don't be surprised if Congress backs Behenji to form the government..." By now, all the four had gulped down their "thandai" glasses, and so pushed off on their motorbikes. Going by the adage "where there's smoke, there's fire", IANS went round to check the talk and rumours about tie-ups flying thick and fast in the city. It contacted a senior Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary. Preferring anonymity, the RSS leader said: "We have also heard about such talks doing the rounds in Varanasi, but it's baseless...though we are always ready to support good people. It's election time and it's Holi time...so don't trust all that you hear on the streets." The Congress leaders also rejected such tie-up possibilities. A state-level leader said: "We are hearing about the possibility of BJP-BSP post-poll alliance. But talks of Congress-BSP alliance are entirely baseless. We have a tie-up with Samajwadi Party, and we will stick to that." So, if you are in Varanasi these days, do keep in mind: Some talks are only for ears, others may be given some thought, while the rest are mere Holi-eve poll gossip -- flowing out of the 'thandai' glass.
By PTI

PATNA: Bihar government may move court to stop the Centre from constructing proposed barrages on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad, the state Assembly was informed today.

"The proposal to build barrages at various points on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad will obstruct the flow of water in the sacred river," Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said.

"The Bihar government opposes such a move in principle and may move court to stall construction work of such barrages," Singh said. He was replying to debate on his department's budgetary allocation of Rs 3814.06 crore which was later passed after opposition members staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the Minister's speech.

Uniterrupted flow of water in the Ganga is a big issue for the state government for which it has organized an international seminar recently, Singh said. This uninterrupted flow has been disrupted by Farraka barrage which causes siltation in the upstream leading to flood in Bihar every year, the minister said. Barrages on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad for inland waterways would further compound flood-related woes of Bihar, he said.

Singh also hit out at the Centre for sitting on Rs 947.90 crore which is due to Bihar. He said the state had spent the amount on a flood control programme and two other projects in which the sharing ratio was 50:50 or 100% in case of a particular project.

On his department's programmes, Singh said that the WRD has laid equal emphasis on its two thrust areas - food control and irrigation infrastructure - since June 1 last year and manpower was assigned to look after the works separately. The division of manpower has helped the WRD in better flood management last year with engineers manning embankments 24x7, he said.

Irrigation infrastructure was also improved and, as a result, potential irrigation network has reached to 29.29 lakh hectare out of a total area of 53.5 lakh hectare, Singh said. An addition area of 8.46 lakh hectare has been brought under irrigation infrastructure but it was not being utilised due to siltation in the rivers, he said.

PATNA: Bihar government may move court to stop the Centre from constructing proposed barrages on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad, the state Assembly was informed today. "The proposal to build barrages at various points on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad will obstruct the flow of water in the sacred river," Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said. "The Bihar government opposes such a move in principle and may move court to stall construction work of such barrages," Singh said. He was replying to debate on his department's budgetary allocation of Rs 3814.06 crore which was later passed after opposition members staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the Minister's speech. Uniterrupted flow of water in the Ganga is a big issue for the state government for which it has organized an international seminar recently, Singh said. This uninterrupted flow has been disrupted by Farraka barrage which causes siltation in the upstream leading to flood in Bihar every year, the minister said. Barrages on the Ganga between Haldia and Allahabad for inland waterways would further compound flood-related woes of Bihar, he said. Singh also hit out at the Centre for sitting on Rs 947.90 crore which is due to Bihar. He said the state had spent the amount on a flood control programme and two other projects in which the sharing ratio was 50:50 or 100% in case of a particular project. On his department's programmes, Singh said that the WRD has laid equal emphasis on its two thrust areas - food control and irrigation infrastructure - since June 1 last year and manpower was assigned to look after the works separately. The division of manpower has helped the WRD in better flood management last year with engineers manning embankments 24x7, he said. Irrigation infrastructure was also improved and, as a result, potential irrigation network has reached to 29.29 lakh hectare out of a total area of 53.5 lakh hectare, Singh said. An addition area of 8.46 lakh hectare has been brought under irrigation infrastructure but it was not being utilised due to siltation in the rivers, he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India is a victim of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said and dismissed a Pakistani minister's charge that it was creating unrest in the neighbouring country. The Indian forces never indulge in unprovoked firing on anyone, he said.

"Both India and Afghanistan believe in peace and are victims of terrorism emanating from Pakistan," Rijiju told reporters here.

His remarks came a day after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India and Afghanistan have joined hands to create unrest in Pakistan. Asif said there had been a constant rise in India's alleged unprovoked firing and violation of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control.

Countering his charge, Rijiju said, "Indian Forces never do unprovoked firing."

NEW DELHI: India is a victim of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Union minister Kiren Rijiju today said and dismissed a Pakistani minister's charge that it was creating unrest in the neighbouring country. The Indian forces never indulge in unprovoked firing on anyone, he said. "Both India and Afghanistan believe in peace and are victims of terrorism emanating from Pakistan," Rijiju told reporters here. His remarks came a day after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India and Afghanistan have joined hands to create unrest in Pakistan. Asif said there had been a constant rise in India's alleged unprovoked firing and violation of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control. Countering his charge, Rijiju said, "Indian Forces never do unprovoked firing."
Manish Anand By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to own up the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections campaign and hog the limelight by staying in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi for three consecutive days, he failed to beat his record set during the Bihar polls by a whisker. While Modi logged in 24 rallies to his name by the time electioneering came to an end in UP on Monday, his best still remains 31 during the Bihar Assembly elections in 2015.

Prime Minister addressed a total of 24 rallies as part of the Vijay Shankhnad campaign of the BJP in UP during the 26 days long campaign to wrest power in Lucknow after almost two decades, besides three roadshows in his Parliamentary constituency, said a senior BJP functionary.

UP has a total of 403 Assembly seats, and Bihar has 243 constituencies. Yet, Modi had addressed as many as 31 big rallies in the state in his bid to give a boost to the prospects of the BJP pitched against the Mahagathbandhan of the JD (U)-RJD-Congress. However, the Prime Minister had addressed six big rallies in all the corners of UP during the course of four Parivartan Yatras taken out by the BJP a couple of months before the Election Commission announced dates for the UP polls. Thus, Modi addressed 30 rallies in all in UP since November last year.

With all guns blazing for the BJP in UP, Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh and the party chief Amit Shah were in close company, with each having addressed over 150 rallies in the state. All the BJP leaders put together, the tally of the saffron rallies is said to be over 1200. Rajnath Singh put all energy in the state even while he pitched in for the BJP in all other four poll bound states. The BJP chief too did not leave any stone unturned to ensure a saffron upsurge in the state, added the BJP functionary.

Besides the top three campaigners, the BJP had also unleashed carpet-bombing during electioneering by taking Union Minister Kalraj Mishra to all parts of the state to counter the BSP chief Mayawatis bid to make dent into the Brahmin constituency. BJPs top polarisation agent and Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath was another top campaigner for the party, as he had been the most sought after leader in the western and eastern parts of the state.

Union Ministers  Nitin Gadkari, Mahesh Sharma, Uma Bharati, Manoj Sinha, Babul Supriyo among others  also addressed a large number of rallies in the state. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari along with a number of party leaders and MPs from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh addressed a large number of street corner rallies to canvass for the party nominees in the state.

NEW DELHI: Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to own up the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections campaign and hog the limelight by staying in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi for three consecutive days, he failed to beat his record set during the Bihar polls by a whisker. While Modi logged in 24 rallies to his name by the time electioneering came to an end in UP on Monday, his best still remains 31 during the Bihar Assembly elections in 2015. Prime Minister addressed a total of 24 rallies as part of the Vijay Shankhnad campaign of the BJP in UP during the 26 days long campaign to wrest power in Lucknow after almost two decades, besides three roadshows in his Parliamentary constituency, said a senior BJP functionary. UP has a total of 403 Assembly seats, and Bihar has 243 constituencies. Yet, Modi had addressed as many as 31 big rallies in the state in his bid to give a boost to the prospects of the BJP pitched against the Mahagathbandhan of the JD (U)-RJD-Congress. However, the Prime Minister had addressed six big rallies in all the corners of UP during the course of four Parivartan Yatras taken out by the BJP a couple of months before the Election Commission announced dates for the UP polls. Thus, Modi addressed 30 rallies in all in UP since November last year. With all guns blazing for the BJP in UP, Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh and the party chief Amit Shah were in close company, with each having addressed over 150 rallies in the state. All the BJP leaders put together, the tally of the saffron rallies is said to be over 1200. Rajnath Singh put all energy in the state even while he pitched in for the BJP in all other four poll bound states. The BJP chief too did not leave any stone unturned to ensure a saffron upsurge in the state, added the BJP functionary. Besides the top three campaigners, the BJP had also unleashed carpet-bombing during electioneering by taking Union Minister Kalraj Mishra to all parts of the state to counter the BSP chief Mayawatis bid to make dent into the Brahmin constituency. BJPs top polarisation agent and Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath was another top campaigner for the party, as he had been the most sought after leader in the western and eastern parts of the state. Union Ministers  Nitin Gadkari, Mahesh Sharma, Uma Bharati, Manoj Sinha, Babul Supriyo among others  also addressed a large number of rallies in the state. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari along with a number of party leaders and MPs from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh addressed a large number of street corner rallies to canvass for the party nominees in the state.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: New Zealand does not condone race- based abuse in any form, its acting High Commissioner Suzannah Jessep today said, a day after an Indian national was allegedly assaulted and subjected to a racist tirade in that country.

She also asserted that it is important that the process of investigation by the local police be allowed to continue independently. "New Zealand does not condone race-based abuse in any form. The comments reported do not reflect the views of the vast majority of New Zealanders, who celebrate and embrace New Zealand's diversity and multicultural character," she said in a statement.

Jessep also observed that New Zealand is home to a thriving Indian diaspora, representing 4 per cent of its population and whose members are represented in the government, the police force, civil society groups, business, education and elsewhere.

"Hindi is also the fourth most widely spoken language in New Zealand," the envoy said, noting for these particular cases, the media has reported that complaints have been made to the police, and it is important that this process be allowed to continue independently.

Noting that her country has a strong track record on human rights, she said New Zealand is ranked first globally for tolerance for immigrants, community safety, and religious tolerance in the 2016 Social Progress Index (SPI). Nearly 90 per cent of migrants in New Zealand say they feel they belong to the country and a vast majority its citizens believe the culture, society and economy are improved by immigrants, she said.

According to a media report, an Indian national in New Zealand was assaulted, subjected to a racist tirade and told to go back to his own country during a road rage incident in Auckland. Narindervir Singh said he was filming from inside his vehicle when the incident happened last week.

Another man, Bikramjit Singh, had allegedly suffered similar abuse last week as he left a Papatoetoe storage facility. A man who claimed Bikramjit was speeding, yelled at him, saying, "Go back to your country - slow down! You know what the speed limit is here."

NEW DELHI: New Zealand does not condone race- based abuse in any form, its acting High Commissioner Suzannah Jessep today said, a day after an Indian national was allegedly assaulted and subjected to a racist tirade in that country. She also asserted that it is important that the process of investigation by the local police be allowed to continue independently. "New Zealand does not condone race-based abuse in any form. The comments reported do not reflect the views of the vast majority of New Zealanders, who celebrate and embrace New Zealand's diversity and multicultural character," she said in a statement. Jessep also observed that New Zealand is home to a thriving Indian diaspora, representing 4 per cent of its population and whose members are represented in the government, the police force, civil society groups, business, education and elsewhere. "Hindi is also the fourth most widely spoken language in New Zealand," the envoy said, noting for these particular cases, the media has reported that complaints have been made to the police, and it is important that this process be allowed to continue independently. Noting that her country has a strong track record on human rights, she said New Zealand is ranked first globally for tolerance for immigrants, community safety, and religious tolerance in the 2016 Social Progress Index (SPI). Nearly 90 per cent of migrants in New Zealand say they feel they belong to the country and a vast majority its citizens believe the culture, society and economy are improved by immigrants, she said. According to a media report, an Indian national in New Zealand was assaulted, subjected to a racist tirade and told to go back to his own country during a road rage incident in Auckland. Narindervir Singh said he was filming from inside his vehicle when the incident happened last week. Another man, Bikramjit Singh, had allegedly suffered similar abuse last week as he left a Papatoetoe storage facility. A man who claimed Bikramjit was speeding, yelled at him, saying, "Go back to your country - slow down! You know what the speed limit is here."
Namita bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday carried out a commando operation against a suspected terrorist, allegedly belonging to the Khurasa module of the Islamic State, who was holed up inside a house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The suspect, Mohammad

Saifullah, was allegedly involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger train blast that happened on Tuesday morning. The six-hour long encounter was still continuing when this paper went to print.

Two suspects Imraan and Faizaan were held in Unnao district and Fakre Alam was nabbed from Etawah in connection to this case. The three of them have been brought to Lucknow for interrogation. "The information about Mohammad Saifullah's location was revealed by five other persons who were arrested in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the Ujjain train blast," said police sources.

"We initially suspected only one person to have been present in the building. But on drilling the roof, we found two persons were holed up in the room," said Additonal Director General (Law & Order) Daljeet Chaudhary.

"As the commandos tried to enter the house, which is his rented accommodation, Saifullah locked himself inside one of the rooms."

Unaware of the number of suspects and the kind of fire power they had, police used chilli grenades and tear gas shells to smoke out the occupants. However, the suspect then opened fire at the commandos, said ATS IG Arun Aseem, who was leading the operation, adding the security personnel retaliated to the gun fire.

Meanwhile, the police cordoned off houses and adjacent buildings and moved residents to safety. "The commandos are drilling a hole in the roof to enter the room," said ADGP Chaudhary, adding the forces were trying their best to capture the suspect alive.

Police sources said that the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was also monitoring the situation and has offered the Centre's support. The development comes just hours ahead of the final phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Alerts have been issued to sensitive areas including Ayodhya and Faizabad and neighbouring districts.

LUCKNOW: The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday carried out a commando operation against a suspected terrorist, allegedly belonging to the Khurasa module of the Islamic State, who was holed up inside a house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The suspect, Mohammad Saifullah, was allegedly involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger train blast that happened on Tuesday morning. The six-hour long encounter was still continuing when this paper went to print. Two suspects Imraan and Faizaan were held in Unnao district and Fakre Alam was nabbed from Etawah in connection to this case. The three of them have been brought to Lucknow for interrogation. "The information about Mohammad Saifullah's location was revealed by five other persons who were arrested in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the Ujjain train blast," said police sources. "We initially suspected only one person to have been present in the building. But on drilling the roof, we found two persons were holed up in the room," said Additonal Director General (Law & Order) Daljeet Chaudhary. "As the commandos tried to enter the house, which is his rented accommodation, Saifullah locked himself inside one of the rooms." Unaware of the number of suspects and the kind of fire power they had, police used chilli grenades and tear gas shells to smoke out the occupants. However, the suspect then opened fire at the commandos, said ATS IG Arun Aseem, who was leading the operation, adding the security personnel retaliated to the gun fire. Meanwhile, the police cordoned off houses and adjacent buildings and moved residents to safety. "The commandos are drilling a hole in the roof to enter the room," said ADGP Chaudhary, adding the forces were trying their best to capture the suspect alive. Police sources said that the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was also monitoring the situation and has offered the Centre's support. The development comes just hours ahead of the final phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Alerts have been issued to sensitive areas including Ayodhya and Faizabad and neighbouring districts.
Kalyan Revella By

After 9/11, the major administrative reform in the US was the merger of the Immigration and Customs department. Different functions and jurisdictions of several border and revenue enforcement agencies were consolidated into the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recently, the Australian government also merged both the Immigration and Customs departments and created a new agency called Australian Border Force.



The rationale behind the merger is that the passengers and organisations should deal with only one authority i.e. one face at the border or a single agency at the border. The present Indian government, by merging the Plan and Non-Plan expenditure and Railway Budget with the Union Budget, has proved it is only concerned about efficiency and economy of the policy or projects. It is time for the Centre to take a decision on merging the Bureau of Immigration which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs with the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) which is under Ministry of Finance, for better border management.



The Centre, in the interest of nations security should take a bold step of merging the Immigration with the Customs and create a new agency called Indian Border Force or Indian Border Protection Force under the CBEC. This agency will be the first line of defence against individuals, smugglers, and mafia networks seeking to undermine the border control. The new agency should be supported by latest technologies and training should ensure that the workforce is capable, responsive and agile. The CBEC has mooted a proposal to replace the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with a Customs Arms Unit at airports, shipping hubs and on high seas. This proposal should be put to action quickly. The Unit can be part of the new agency.



With respect to the passengers, they have to go through a cumbersome process at airports. They have to face three agenciesImmigration, Customs and finally CISF. The new agency can perform functions of all the three agencies to ensure a hassle-free experience for travellers. Uniformity should be maintained at both the international entry and exit points.



On the information technology front, the Bureau of Immigration developed Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) project. The objective of the project is to implement a secure and integrated service that facilitates legitimate travelers while strengthening security. Similarly, CBEC had developed the Indian Customs Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) which acts as an electronic database of all passengers, crew and other airline staff entering the country. The APIS red flags suspicious passengers on the basis of their movement and other parameters and gives a lead to customs officials for follow-up. It has been developed on the lines of the Electronic Advance Passenger Information System used by the Customs and Border Protection of the US. It is also capable of handling information such as issuance of a red corner notice against wanted individuals and warrants issued by the Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies. Both the IVFRT and APIS were developed by the National Informatics Center (NIC) and the purpose of both the projects remains the same. The merger will easily avoid the duplication of such projects and stop the tax payers money from going into the drain.



As far as the administration is concerned, there is no dedicated cadre for the Bureau of Immigration. Most of the staff are on deputation basis from different agencies like state or Central Intelligence Bureau and para military forces among others. Recently the Centre announced it would hire nearly 2.8 lakh more staff out of which Customs, Excise and Service Tax department will get more than 41,000. Once the merger is done, the problem of staff crunch can be solved by allocating officers from the CBEC cadre and a small percentage of posts can be filled on a deputation basis to maintain the diversity.



If merged, the new agency can easily coordinate with efficient organisations like Customs Overseas Intelligence Network (COIN) which provides intelligence for facilitating seizure of offending goods, information regarding black money and commercial frauds and to detect evasion of Customs duty. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is the apex intelligence organisation of the Indian Customs which has established a vast intelligence gathering network to prevent smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, gold, drugs and psychotropic substances and also deals with commercial frauds. It has been in the forefront of the drive against the violations of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Montreal Protocol on substances that delete the ozone layer, Cartagena Protocol on bio safety and the Rotterdam Convention on certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. In coordination with the CBEC, these three agencies can form a chain to protect the economic and environmental interests of the nation. Under the Ministry of Finance, uniformity of administration can be established at all airports and coordination of intelligence and investigative operations, compliance, detention and enforcement functions can be achieved.



Though the merger might create initial hiccups and cultural differences in the organisations, it has the potential for significant savings, optimal structure, and integrated activities both beyond and within border. Finally it not only benefits the passengers who face a single agency after their travel fatigue and jet lag but also strengthens the nations economic border.



(The author is Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Service Tax, Indian Revenue Service.

Email: rkalyan.irs@nic.in)

After 9/11, the major administrative reform in the US was the merger of the Immigration and Customs department. Different functions and jurisdictions of several border and revenue enforcement agencies were consolidated into the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recently, the Australian government also merged both the Immigration and Customs departments and created a new agency called Australian Border Force. The rationale behind the merger is that the passengers and organisations should deal with only one authority i.e. one face at the border or a single agency at the border. The present Indian government, by merging the Plan and Non-Plan expenditure and Railway Budget with the Union Budget, has proved it is only concerned about efficiency and economy of the policy or projects. It is time for the Centre to take a decision on merging the Bureau of Immigration which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs with the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) which is under Ministry of Finance, for better border management. The Centre, in the interest of nations security should take a bold step of merging the Immigration with the Customs and create a new agency called Indian Border Force or Indian Border Protection Force under the CBEC. This agency will be the first line of defence against individuals, smugglers, and mafia networks seeking to undermine the border control. The new agency should be supported by latest technologies and training should ensure that the workforce is capable, responsive and agile. The CBEC has mooted a proposal to replace the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with a Customs Arms Unit at airports, shipping hubs and on high seas. This proposal should be put to action quickly. The Unit can be part of the new agency. With respect to the passengers, they have to go through a cumbersome process at airports. They have to face three agenciesImmigration, Customs and finally CISF. The new agency can perform functions of all the three agencies to ensure a hassle-free experience for travellers. Uniformity should be maintained at both the international entry and exit points. On the information technology front, the Bureau of Immigration developed Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) project. The objective of the project is to implement a secure and integrated service that facilitates legitimate travelers while strengthening security. Similarly, CBEC had developed the Indian Customs Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) which acts as an electronic database of all passengers, crew and other airline staff entering the country. The APIS red flags suspicious passengers on the basis of their movement and other parameters and gives a lead to customs officials for follow-up. It has been developed on the lines of the Electronic Advance Passenger Information System used by the Customs and Border Protection of the US. It is also capable of handling information such as issuance of a red corner notice against wanted individuals and warrants issued by the Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies. Both the IVFRT and APIS were developed by the National Informatics Center (NIC) and the purpose of both the projects remains the same. The merger will easily avoid the duplication of such projects and stop the tax payers money from going into the drain. As far as the administration is concerned, there is no dedicated cadre for the Bureau of Immigration. Most of the staff are on deputation basis from different agencies like state or Central Intelligence Bureau and para military forces among others. Recently the Centre announced it would hire nearly 2.8 lakh more staff out of which Customs, Excise and Service Tax department will get more than 41,000. Once the merger is done, the problem of staff crunch can be solved by allocating officers from the CBEC cadre and a small percentage of posts can be filled on a deputation basis to maintain the diversity. If merged, the new agency can easily coordinate with efficient organisations like Customs Overseas Intelligence Network (COIN) which provides intelligence for facilitating seizure of offending goods, information regarding black money and commercial frauds and to detect evasion of Customs duty. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is the apex intelligence organisation of the Indian Customs which has established a vast intelligence gathering network to prevent smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, gold, drugs and psychotropic substances and also deals with commercial frauds. It has been in the forefront of the drive against the violations of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Montreal Protocol on substances that delete the ozone layer, Cartagena Protocol on bio safety and the Rotterdam Convention on certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. In coordination with the CBEC, these three agencies can form a chain to protect the economic and environmental interests of the nation. Under the Ministry of Finance, uniformity of administration can be established at all airports and coordination of intelligence and investigative operations, compliance, detention and enforcement functions can be achieved. Though the merger might create initial hiccups and cultural differences in the organisations, it has the potential for significant savings, optimal structure, and integrated activities both beyond and within border. Finally it not only benefits the passengers who face a single agency after their travel fatigue and jet lag but also strengthens the nations economic border.(The author is Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Service Tax, Indian Revenue Service. Email: rkalyan.irs@nic.in)
Michel Danino By

Previous articles in this series focused on Indias sacred geography, sacred ecology and the rich interactions between tribal and mainstream cultures. Why bother about all that when so little of it is apparently relevant to our official definition of todays India? The apparently can be disputed: the countrys many sacred geographical landmarks, for instance, remain of great cultural importance to a large proportion of Indians, though they may not have the privilege of belonging to our urbanised, Anglicised and secularised elites. But there is a compelling reason to revisit those traditions: They help us to define Hinduism. Again, why bother to do so? Because, whether we like it or not, Hinduism has been a major historical component in the making of India, and its definition remains at the centre of some of todays hottest controversies.

Defining Hinduism has been an exercise perhaps as unsuccessful as the ancients attempt to square the circle. It is reasonably easy to define Judaism, Christianity or Islam: An article of faith in their single book, founder or prophet will do. There is no single book in Hinduism, no founder, no prophet; it has no set of well-defined tenets either. What would then be its anchorage points and boundaries? The nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak once attempted a definition: Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and the realisation of the truth that the number of Gods to be worshipped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of Hindu religion. When, in 1995, the Supreme Court rejected the Ramakrishna Missions plea to recognise Sri Ramakrishna-ism as a religion distinct from Hinduism, it found Tilaks definition an adequate and satisfactory formula and broadened it thus (I abridge): (1) Acceptance of the Vedas as the highest authority; (2) Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand the opponents viewpoint, as the truth is many-sided; (3) Acceptance of the great world rhythm of creation, maintenance and dissolution in endless succession; (4) Belief in rebirth and pre-existence; (5) Recognition that the ways to salvation are many; (6) Worship of many gods, but not necessarily in the form of idols; (7) No single definite set of philosophic concepts. Although this definition reads more like a loose compilation, it may satisfy most practising Hindus, provided Vedas is taken in an extended sense to include the Upanishads and a few more texts.

The Supreme Courts definition omitted one feature: A stubborn attempt to sacralise every aspect of life, the environment and indeed the universe. This is closely related to Hinduisms well-known assimilative and syncretic behaviour, but it is not unique to Hinduism: It is shared with Pagan religions (those of Native Americans, for instance) and stands in stark contrast to our imported, feckless and disembodied concept of secularism. However, Hinduism is not merely Pagan, not merely polytheistic, and not monotheistic either, despite its insistence on tad ekam (that One) or tat satyam (that Truth), a single all-pervasive divinity which later became the brahman and has nothing in common with the biblical god.

The above is a theological definition. Curiously, there is no legal definition of Hinduism; the Hindu Marriage Act defines a Hindu as anyone born of Hindu parents or converted to Hinduism, which is no definition at all (especially when there is no procedure for conversion). The Constitution does not help, providing only an explanation (to article 25(2)(b)) that an earlier reference to Hindus will extend to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion.

Historical definitions prove tricky: Interpretations fluidly range from locating the roots of Hinduism in the Indus civilisation or in the Gupta Age to arguing that Hinduism did not exist until it was constructed or imagined by nineteenth-century European Orientalists and Christian missionaries  a view elaborated by several postmodern Western scholars and their Indian followers, who speak of the myth or invention of Hinduism. But while the European impact on Hinduisms self-definition is undeniable, it cannot erase a millennia-long historical evolution and the centrality of texts like the Upanishads, the Gita, the two Epics or the Puranas, all of which occupied the public mind some 1,500 years ago.

This leads us to an anthropological definition: Starting from its Vedic roots and growing endless ramifications, an organic Hinduism accepts no Lakshman Rekha as its outer boundary. From that perspective, it may be defined as the result of the meeting ground between central Vedic and Puranic concepts and texts on the one hand, and folk and tribal worldviews and cults on the other. Some of our scholars, activists and politicians will take objection at this point, pursuing the colonial dogma that tribal religions have nothing to do with Hinduism (see Mainstream and Marginal in Ancient India), which they usually define as an elitist Brahminical religion, at least in its origins. But caste is almost completely absent from the Vedas; the Upanishads extol seekers like Satyakama Jabala, of unknown father and whose mother was a servant; the two Epics pointedly stress Vyasas and Valmikis non-Brahmin origins and tell stories of proud Brahmins being humbled and taught by outcastes. More importantly, scholars have shown how folk elements have been absorbed right from the Vedas onward: Its core is partly Brahminical and partly not, while its peripheries are delightfully blurred.

While we carry colonial legacies of imagined adivasis with non-Hindu cultures, we will do well to remember that Hinduism is a continuum in time, in space and in belief systems. Once again, categories emerging from post-Pagan Western religions and societies do not apply, yet remain the dominant criteria in the academic world and in our public debates.

(This is the fifth article in our series on History and Culture by Michel Danino)



The author teaches at IIT Gandhinagar and is a member of the Indian Council Of Historical Research. Email: micheldanino@gmail.com



Earlier articles in this series

Previous articles in this series focused on Indias sacred geography, sacred ecology and the rich interactions between tribal and mainstream cultures. Why bother about all that when so little of it is apparently relevant to our official definition of todays India? The apparently can be disputed: the countrys many sacred geographical landmarks, for instance, remain of great cultural importance to a large proportion of Indians, though they may not have the privilege of belonging to our urbanised, Anglicised and secularised elites. But there is a compelling reason to revisit those traditions: They help us to define Hinduism. Again, why bother to do so? Because, whether we like it or not, Hinduism has been a major historical component in the making of India, and its definition remains at the centre of some of todays hottest controversies. Defining Hinduism has been an exercise perhaps as unsuccessful as the ancients attempt to square the circle. It is reasonably easy to define Judaism, Christianity or Islam: An article of faith in their single book, founder or prophet will do. There is no single book in Hinduism, no founder, no prophet; it has no set of well-defined tenets either. What would then be its anchorage points and boundaries? The nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak once attempted a definition: Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and the realisation of the truth that the number of Gods to be worshipped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of Hindu religion. When, in 1995, the Supreme Court rejected the Ramakrishna Missions plea to recognise Sri Ramakrishna-ism as a religion distinct from Hinduism, it found Tilaks definition an adequate and satisfactory formula and broadened it thus (I abridge): (1) Acceptance of the Vedas as the highest authority; (2) Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand the opponents viewpoint, as the truth is many-sided; (3) Acceptance of the great world rhythm of creation, maintenance and dissolution in endless succession; (4) Belief in rebirth and pre-existence; (5) Recognition that the ways to salvation are many; (6) Worship of many gods, but not necessarily in the form of idols; (7) No single definite set of philosophic concepts. Although this definition reads more like a loose compilation, it may satisfy most practising Hindus, provided Vedas is taken in an extended sense to include the Upanishads and a few more texts. The Supreme Courts definition omitted one feature: A stubborn attempt to sacralise every aspect of life, the environment and indeed the universe. This is closely related to Hinduisms well-known assimilative and syncretic behaviour, but it is not unique to Hinduism: It is shared with Pagan religions (those of Native Americans, for instance) and stands in stark contrast to our imported, feckless and disembodied concept of secularism. However, Hinduism is not merely Pagan, not merely polytheistic, and not monotheistic either, despite its insistence on tad ekam (that One) or tat satyam (that Truth), a single all-pervasive divinity which later became the brahman and has nothing in common with the biblical god. The above is a theological definition. Curiously, there is no legal definition of Hinduism; the Hindu Marriage Act defines a Hindu as anyone born of Hindu parents or converted to Hinduism, which is no definition at all (especially when there is no procedure for conversion). The Constitution does not help, providing only an explanation (to article 25(2)(b)) that an earlier reference to Hindus will extend to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion. Historical definitions prove tricky: Interpretations fluidly range from locating the roots of Hinduism in the Indus civilisation or in the Gupta Age to arguing that Hinduism did not exist until it was constructed or imagined by nineteenth-century European Orientalists and Christian missionaries  a view elaborated by several postmodern Western scholars and their Indian followers, who speak of the myth or invention of Hinduism. But while the European impact on Hinduisms self-definition is undeniable, it cannot erase a millennia-long historical evolution and the centrality of texts like the Upanishads, the Gita, the two Epics or the Puranas, all of which occupied the public mind some 1,500 years ago. This leads us to an anthropological definition: Starting from its Vedic roots and growing endless ramifications, an organic Hinduism accepts no Lakshman Rekha as its outer boundary. From that perspective, it may be defined as the result of the meeting ground between central Vedic and Puranic concepts and texts on the one hand, and folk and tribal worldviews and cults on the other. Some of our scholars, activists and politicians will take objection at this point, pursuing the colonial dogma that tribal religions have nothing to do with Hinduism (see Mainstream and Marginal in Ancient India), which they usually define as an elitist Brahminical religion, at least in its origins. But caste is almost completely absent from the Vedas; the Upanishads extol seekers like Satyakama Jabala, of unknown father and whose mother was a servant; the two Epics pointedly stress Vyasas and Valmikis non-Brahmin origins and tell stories of proud Brahmins being humbled and taught by outcastes. More importantly, scholars have shown how folk elements have been absorbed right from the Vedas onward: Its core is partly Brahminical and partly not, while its peripheries are delightfully blurred. While we carry colonial legacies of imagined adivasis with non-Hindu cultures, we will do well to remember that Hinduism is a continuum in time, in space and in belief systems. Once again, categories emerging from post-Pagan Western religions and societies do not apply, yet remain the dominant criteria in the academic world and in our public debates. (This is the fifth article in our series on History and Culture by Michel Danino) The author teaches at IIT Gandhinagar and is a member of the Indian Council Of Historical Research. Email: micheldanino@gmail.com Earlier articles in this series The strange irony of Indian history (24 September, 2016) Decoding the Idea of India (31 October, 2016) Indias Sacred Own Ecology (5 December, 2016) Mainstream and Marginal in Ancient India (3 January, 2017)
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: TDP national general secretary and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidus son Nara Lokesh on Monday filed his nomination papers for election to Legislative Council of AP under MLAs quota. His candidature was finalised by the TDP leadership on Sunday midnight, along with four others.



Lokesh was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister N Chinarajappa and TDP State president K Kala Venkata Rao to the office of the Assembly Secretary at Legislative Assembly in Velagapudi.



Before filing his nomination papers at the auspicious moment at 10.39 am, Lokesh garlanded the statue of his late grandfather NT Rama Rao at Venkatapalem. He was accorded a warm welcome by the ministers and MLAs along with leaders of TDPs youth wing.



Speaking to newsmen at the Assembly media point, he expressed happiness over filing nomination on the first day of Assembly session which has commenced for the first time in the truncated AP. Attributing his elevation to the MLC post to the support of the TDP activists, he termed himself as fortunate for getting the post at such a young age and within a short span.



Asked about the prospects of his further elevation as minister, Lokesh said TDP politburo and the party supremo will take a decision on the issue. I am ready to take up any responsibility entrusted to me by the party leadership. I am even ready to contest as a sarpanch if asked by the party, he added.



Lokeshs election to the Legislative Council is unanimous. He is likely to be inducted into his State Cabinet shortly, around Ugadi.



In a midnight announcement, Chandrababu Naidu announced the decision to field five candidates for the Legislative Council election under MLAs quota. Apart from Lokesh (Chittoor), Batchula Arjunudu (Krishna), Karanam Balaram (Prakasam), Pothula Sunitha (Prakasam) and Dokka Manikya Varaprasad (Guntur) names have been announced. The election is likely to be unanimous.

VIJAYAWADA: TDP national general secretary and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidus son Nara Lokesh on Monday filed his nomination papers for election to Legislative Council of AP under MLAs quota. His candidature was finalised by the TDP leadership on Sunday midnight, along with four others. Lokesh was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister N Chinarajappa and TDP State president K Kala Venkata Rao to the office of the Assembly Secretary at Legislative Assembly in Velagapudi. Before filing his nomination papers at the auspicious moment at 10.39 am, Lokesh garlanded the statue of his late grandfather NT Rama Rao at Venkatapalem. He was accorded a warm welcome by the ministers and MLAs along with leaders of TDPs youth wing. Speaking to newsmen at the Assembly media point, he expressed happiness over filing nomination on the first day of Assembly session which has commenced for the first time in the truncated AP. Attributing his elevation to the MLC post to the support of the TDP activists, he termed himself as fortunate for getting the post at such a young age and within a short span. Asked about the prospects of his further elevation as minister, Lokesh said TDP politburo and the party supremo will take a decision on the issue. I am ready to take up any responsibility entrusted to me by the party leadership. I am even ready to contest as a sarpanch if asked by the party, he added. Lokeshs election to the Legislative Council is unanimous. He is likely to be inducted into his State Cabinet shortly, around Ugadi. In a midnight announcement, Chandrababu Naidu announced the decision to field five candidates for the Legislative Council election under MLAs quota. Apart from Lokesh (Chittoor), Batchula Arjunudu (Krishna), Karanam Balaram (Prakasam), Pothula Sunitha (Prakasam) and Dokka Manikya Varaprasad (Guntur) names have been announced. The election is likely to be unanimous.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: In contrast to expected fireworks, the first day of the maiden session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the new transit Assembly Building at the Interim Government Complex at Velagapudi was a smooth affair.



The main opposition YSRC, which was expected to have a go at the ruling TDP from the day one, restricted itself, preferring to maintain silence and wait for the right time.



Even the news that Supreme Court had issued notices to the Chief Minister in cash for vote scam has failed to evoke any reaction from the Opposition.



By 11 a.m. all the member of Legislative Assembly and Council were in the House and at 11:06 a.m., Governor E S L Narasimhan started his speech. In his 50-minute speech, he outlined the governments roadmap for development while citing the examples of how the State had succeeded in some fronts despite financial and other constraints post bifurcation.



He described the occasion of holding first Assembly session in the new capital city of the State as a historic occasion.



Stating that the governments vision is total prosperity with happiness for all, the Governor explained priorities of the government like Polavaram, overcoming of drought and efforts to maintain double digit growth by adopting innovative practices.



Narasimhan also explained the governments efforts in education, health, irrigation, urbanisation, housing, road infrastructure and welfare initiatives. He said efforts would continue to achieve legal sanction to the special assistance given to the state in lieu of special category status.



On the lines of Central Governments decision to dispense with plan and non-plan categorisation and to classify the expenditure under capital and revenue heads from 2017-18, Andhra Pradesh is streamlining the budgeting process, he explained.



Addressing mediapersons later, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu described the Governors speech as historic.



It describes the road map of the government for the states development, he said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition dismissed Governors speech as a pack of lies of the state government.

The Governor will only say what the government has asked him to. It is unfortunate that government made the Governor to lie continuously, C Ramachandraiah, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, said. The opinion was echoed by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.



Claiming that merit is the only criteria for selecting candidates, Naidu congratulated his son Lokesh for MLC nomination.



Explaining plans for water security, the cchief Minister said the government is banking on the waters of Godavari to bail the state out of trouble. On the increasing hate crimes in the US, the CM said the Trump administration has failed to protect Indians living there.



Naidu said there will be no compromise when it comes to law and order situation in the state.

Observing that some banks are increasing the minimum balance, the CM said it is against the objective of digital economy.

VIJAYAWADA: In contrast to expected fireworks, the first day of the maiden session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the new transit Assembly Building at the Interim Government Complex at Velagapudi was a smooth affair. The main opposition YSRC, which was expected to have a go at the ruling TDP from the day one, restricted itself, preferring to maintain silence and wait for the right time. Even the news that Supreme Court had issued notices to the Chief Minister in cash for vote scam has failed to evoke any reaction from the Opposition. By 11 a.m. all the member of Legislative Assembly and Council were in the House and at 11:06 a.m., Governor E S L Narasimhan started his speech. In his 50-minute speech, he outlined the governments roadmap for development while citing the examples of how the State had succeeded in some fronts despite financial and other constraints post bifurcation. He described the occasion of holding first Assembly session in the new capital city of the State as a historic occasion. Stating that the governments vision is total prosperity with happiness for all, the Governor explained priorities of the government like Polavaram, overcoming of drought and efforts to maintain double digit growth by adopting innovative practices. Narasimhan also explained the governments efforts in education, health, irrigation, urbanisation, housing, road infrastructure and welfare initiatives. He said efforts would continue to achieve legal sanction to the special assistance given to the state in lieu of special category status. On the lines of Central Governments decision to dispense with plan and non-plan categorisation and to classify the expenditure under capital and revenue heads from 2017-18, Andhra Pradesh is streamlining the budgeting process, he explained. Addressing mediapersons later, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu described the Governors speech as historic. It describes the road map of the government for the states development, he said. Meanwhile, the Opposition dismissed Governors speech as a pack of lies of the state government. The Governor will only say what the government has asked him to. It is unfortunate that government made the Governor to lie continuously, C Ramachandraiah, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, said. The opinion was echoed by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Claiming that merit is the only criteria for selecting candidates, Naidu congratulated his son Lokesh for MLC nomination. Explaining plans for water security, the cchief Minister said the government is banking on the waters of Godavari to bail the state out of trouble. On the increasing hate crimes in the US, the CM said the Trump administration has failed to protect Indians living there. Naidu said there will be no compromise when it comes to law and order situation in the state. Observing that some banks are increasing the minimum balance, the CM said it is against the objective of digital economy.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the Bandipur and Kappatagudda forest fires.

Warning officials against any act of negligence, he asked them to come out with a plan to avoid such incidents and take measures to tackle it.

Thousands of acres of forests in the Bandipur tiger reserve were gutted in the recent fires during which a forest guard was killed.

Fire was also reported in the foothills of Kappatagudda in Gadag district recently.

Siddaramaiah today held a meeting with Forest Minister Ramanath Rai and department officials to review and discuss the forest fires and drinking water arrangements for wild life during summer.

"Formulate a plan to restrict such incidents of forest fire and steps that should be taken to control if it occurs again," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by official sources.

Asking officials to maintain utmost vigilance till it rains, he assured them government's help in setting up fire stations in the nearby areas, which may prove helpful in case of a fire.

He also advocated for adequate training to forest personnel in dealing with such situations.

Noting that there is water shortage at some national parks, Siddaramaiah said bore wells should be dug to fill the water bodies in the area.

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the Bandipur and Kappatagudda forest fires. Warning officials against any act of negligence, he asked them to come out with a plan to avoid such incidents and take measures to tackle it. Thousands of acres of forests in the Bandipur tiger reserve were gutted in the recent fires during which a forest guard was killed. Fire was also reported in the foothills of Kappatagudda in Gadag district recently. Siddaramaiah today held a meeting with Forest Minister Ramanath Rai and department officials to review and discuss the forest fires and drinking water arrangements for wild life during summer. "Formulate a plan to restrict such incidents of forest fire and steps that should be taken to control if it occurs again," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by official sources. Asking officials to maintain utmost vigilance till it rains, he assured them government's help in setting up fire stations in the nearby areas, which may prove helpful in case of a fire. He also advocated for adequate training to forest personnel in dealing with such situations. Noting that there is water shortage at some national parks, Siddaramaiah said bore wells should be dug to fill the water bodies in the area.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when the Opposition UDF has upped the ante against the LDF Government for its alleged move to dilute the liquor policy, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found fault with the previous UDF Government for discrepancies in grant of licences to liquor vendors.



The CAG report on the revenue sector for the year ended March 31, 2016, noted discrepancies and lack of transparency in issuing bar and beer/wine parlour licences. The norms for ensuring hygiene were flouted while sanctioning beer/wine parlours, the CAG noted.



The previous UDF Government ignored the instruction from the Union Government to shut down liquor outlets along the national highways, the CAG found.

The audit noted four bar hotels and 182 beer/wine parlours were still functioning along the national highways, three years after the centre issued directions to shut down them. The UDF Government issued fresh bar and beer and wine parlour licences to 10 hotels situated along the national highways after the Centre issued directions in this regard.



The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had written to all the states asking them to shut down the liquor shops along the national highways. As on March 31, 2016, there were four bar hotels and 182 beer/wine parlours functioning along the NHs (in Kerala).

The audit noticed 10 fresh bar and beer and wine parlour licences were issued from 2013-14 to 2015-16 to the hotels located along the national highways.



Thus, the state government had failed to follow the instructions from the Government of India, the report noted.



The Ministry asked all states to shut down the liquor shops on the national highways in a bid to reduce road accidents. It may be noted, the Supreme Court had issued an order in December 2016 for closure of all liquor shops near the national and state highways by March 31, 2017.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when the Opposition UDF has upped the ante against the LDF Government for its alleged move to dilute the liquor policy, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found fault with the previous UDF Government for discrepancies in grant of licences to liquor vendors. The CAG report on the revenue sector for the year ended March 31, 2016, noted discrepancies and lack of transparency in issuing bar and beer/wine parlour licences. The norms for ensuring hygiene were flouted while sanctioning beer/wine parlours, the CAG noted. The previous UDF Government ignored the instruction from the Union Government to shut down liquor outlets along the national highways, the CAG found. The audit noted four bar hotels and 182 beer/wine parlours were still functioning along the national highways, three years after the centre issued directions to shut down them. The UDF Government issued fresh bar and beer and wine parlour licences to 10 hotels situated along the national highways after the Centre issued directions in this regard. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had written to all the states asking them to shut down the liquor shops along the national highways. As on March 31, 2016, there were four bar hotels and 182 beer/wine parlours functioning along the NHs (in Kerala). The audit noticed 10 fresh bar and beer and wine parlour licences were issued from 2013-14 to 2015-16 to the hotels located along the national highways. Thus, the state government had failed to follow the instructions from the Government of India, the report noted. The Ministry asked all states to shut down the liquor shops on the national highways in a bid to reduce road accidents. It may be noted, the Supreme Court had issued an order in December 2016 for closure of all liquor shops near the national and state highways by March 31, 2017.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A temporary ceasefire was reached between the government and the Opposition UDF in the Assembly on Monday on the alleged leak of budget papers, including tax proposals. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said a detailed report of the Chief Secretary will be placed before the Cabinet and appropriate steps initiated.



Shouting slogans, the UDF stalled the proceedings for some time during zero hour after leave seeking to move an adjournment motion demanding the resignation and prosecution of Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac was denied by Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. Kerala Congress MLAs led by K M Mani and BJPs O Rajagopal staged a walkout.



In the talks held later in the Speakers chamber,Pinarayi Vijayan acceded to a proposal of Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala and others to examine the full report of the Chief Secretary.



Thomas Isaac wilfully leaked budget details with the connivance of his staff. He is the prime culprit. It is a clear case of violation of the oath of secrecy, V D Satheesan said.



Issac said papers gone out in the course of his budget speech were not something which called for secrecy. He said there was no constitutional or privilege issues involved. The government has not suffered any loss or anyone made any gains. No tax proposals were announced.

There were only amnesty schemes. Only highlights prepared for the media had gone out, he said. Pinarayi Vijayan said the Opposition was trying to create a smokescreen.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A temporary ceasefire was reached between the government and the Opposition UDF in the Assembly on Monday on the alleged leak of budget papers, including tax proposals. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said a detailed report of the Chief Secretary will be placed before the Cabinet and appropriate steps initiated. Shouting slogans, the UDF stalled the proceedings for some time during zero hour after leave seeking to move an adjournment motion demanding the resignation and prosecution of Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac was denied by Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. Kerala Congress MLAs led by K M Mani and BJPs O Rajagopal staged a walkout. In the talks held later in the Speakers chamber,Pinarayi Vijayan acceded to a proposal of Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala and others to examine the full report of the Chief Secretary. Thomas Isaac wilfully leaked budget details with the connivance of his staff. He is the prime culprit. It is a clear case of violation of the oath of secrecy, V D Satheesan said. Issac said papers gone out in the course of his budget speech were not something which called for secrecy. He said there was no constitutional or privilege issues involved. The government has not suffered any loss or anyone made any gains. No tax proposals were announced. There were only amnesty schemes. Only highlights prepared for the media had gone out, he said. Pinarayi Vijayan said the Opposition was trying to create a smokescreen.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The AIADMK rebel camp is set to observe a one-day fast on March 8 at the Rajarathinam (RR) stadium, Egmore here.



The former Minister for School Education and a key leader of the OPS faction of AIADMK Ma Foi K Pandiarajan informed on Monday that the city police gave them permission for the hunger strike at the stadium.



However, a police official said no formal permission had been granted so far. If the permission is granted, it will be intimated to the concerned party only on the evening before the day of the event, he said.



Earlier in the day, a delegation leaders including former ministers KP Munusamy, Natham R Viswanathan, Dr V Maitreyan, Rajya Sabha Member and Manoj Pandian, former MP, visited the city police commissioner and the Director General of Police (DGP) to expedite the process of permitting the fast.



They had actually wanted permission to hold the event near the State Guest House, Chepauk but the police made them choose RR stadium for security reasons, sources said. The former ministers C Ponnaian and Natham R Viswanathan visited the venue and inspected it in the evening.

The dethroned Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will lead the fast in Chennai while other top leaders will preside over the stir in districts. The rebels are organising the event, which is their first public programme, to show off their strength.



Meanwhile, several men belonging to the fringe organisation, Puratchi Bharatham, joined the rebel camp in the presence of Panneerselvam at his official residence, the sources told.

CHENNAI: The AIADMK rebel camp is set to observe a one-day fast on March 8 at the Rajarathinam (RR) stadium, Egmore here. The former Minister for School Education and a key leader of the OPS faction of AIADMK Ma Foi K Pandiarajan informed on Monday that the city police gave them permission for the hunger strike at the stadium. However, a police official said no formal permission had been granted so far. If the permission is granted, it will be intimated to the concerned party only on the evening before the day of the event, he said. Earlier in the day, a delegation leaders including former ministers KP Munusamy, Natham R Viswanathan, Dr V Maitreyan, Rajya Sabha Member and Manoj Pandian, former MP, visited the city police commissioner and the Director General of Police (DGP) to expedite the process of permitting the fast. They had actually wanted permission to hold the event near the State Guest House, Chepauk but the police made them choose RR stadium for security reasons, sources said. The former ministers C Ponnaian and Natham R Viswanathan visited the venue and inspected it in the evening. The dethroned Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will lead the fast in Chennai while other top leaders will preside over the stir in districts. The rebels are organising the event, which is their first public programme, to show off their strength. Meanwhile, several men belonging to the fringe organisation, Puratchi Bharatham, joined the rebel camp in the presence of Panneerselvam at his official residence, the sources told.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD/VIJAYAWADA: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu seeking his response in a petition by YSRC MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy challenging an order of the Hyderabad High Court pertaining to cash-for-vote scam case.



In December last year, the High Court had set aside the order passed by the Special ACB Court directing the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct probe into the role of other suspects, including Naidus role, in the cash-for-vote scam case.

The High Court said that as the complainant is the MLA of opposition party the possibility of filing the complaint by him against the chief minister in order to take political and personal vengeance cannot be ruled out completely and the MLA has no locus standie to intervene in the crime registered by ACB by way of filing complaint. Aggrieved with the same, the MLA moved an appeal before Apex Court.



On Monday, the Apex Court bench issued notices to the respondents, who included Naidu, for filing counter affidavit in the matter, and adjourned the case.



Talking to newsmen, Ramakrishna Reddy claimed that he placed the copies of the forensic report of Naidus voice samples before the Apex Court to substantiate his argument.



It may be recalled that in August last year, the ACB court directed the ACB to probe into the role of other accused in the case based on a complaint by Ramakrishna Reddy. The MLA, in his complaint, alleged that the ACB has failed to probe into the role of Naidu in the cash-for-vote scam case though the audio tapes of phone conversation of Naidu and TRS nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson clearly shows the involvement of the former in the case.



In May 2015, TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed by the ACB authorities while he was offering bribe to Stephenson.



Meanwhile, hours after of the Supreme Court issuing notices to Naidu, Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma, who is in charge of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), had reportedly reviewed the progress of the cash-for-vote case. It is learnt that Anurag Sharma went to the ACB office and convened a meeting with the officials including the joint director A Satyanarayana.



Telangana ACB officials registered cases against TTDP MLAs A Revanth Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and others for offering Rs 50 lakh cash to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson seeking his support in favour of TTDP MLC candidate in polls.



Reacting to the issue, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed it as a routine and was confident that nothing would happen. He pointed out that certain cases filed against him ran for over 12 years only to vindicate him. Around 26 cases were filed against me, but nothing could be proved. Though the courts have delivered their verdicts or set aside these cases, the Opposition parties are framing the same charges against me yet again. Nothing would happen to me, he declared.



Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was amused at the reaction of the chief minister and stated that the Supreme Court admitting the case against a chief minister is a major issue and cannot be taken easy. Just like earlier, the chief minister would approach the court and get stay orders against the case, he added.

HYDERABAD/VIJAYAWADA: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu seeking his response in a petition by YSRC MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy challenging an order of the Hyderabad High Court pertaining to cash-for-vote scam case. In December last year, the High Court had set aside the order passed by the Special ACB Court directing the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct probe into the role of other suspects, including Naidus role, in the cash-for-vote scam case. The High Court said that as the complainant is the MLA of opposition party the possibility of filing the complaint by him against the chief minister in order to take political and personal vengeance cannot be ruled out completely and the MLA has no locus standie to intervene in the crime registered by ACB by way of filing complaint. Aggrieved with the same, the MLA moved an appeal before Apex Court. On Monday, the Apex Court bench issued notices to the respondents, who included Naidu, for filing counter affidavit in the matter, and adjourned the case. Talking to newsmen, Ramakrishna Reddy claimed that he placed the copies of the forensic report of Naidus voice samples before the Apex Court to substantiate his argument. It may be recalled that in August last year, the ACB court directed the ACB to probe into the role of other accused in the case based on a complaint by Ramakrishna Reddy. The MLA, in his complaint, alleged that the ACB has failed to probe into the role of Naidu in the cash-for-vote scam case though the audio tapes of phone conversation of Naidu and TRS nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson clearly shows the involvement of the former in the case. In May 2015, TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed by the ACB authorities while he was offering bribe to Stephenson. Meanwhile, hours after of the Supreme Court issuing notices to Naidu, Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma, who is in charge of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), had reportedly reviewed the progress of the cash-for-vote case. It is learnt that Anurag Sharma went to the ACB office and convened a meeting with the officials including the joint director A Satyanarayana. Telangana ACB officials registered cases against TTDP MLAs A Revanth Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and others for offering Rs 50 lakh cash to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson seeking his support in favour of TTDP MLC candidate in polls. Reacting to the issue, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed it as a routine and was confident that nothing would happen. He pointed out that certain cases filed against him ran for over 12 years only to vindicate him. Around 26 cases were filed against me, but nothing could be proved. Though the courts have delivered their verdicts or set aside these cases, the Opposition parties are framing the same charges against me yet again. Nothing would happen to me, he declared. Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was amused at the reaction of the chief minister and stated that the Supreme Court admitting the case against a chief minister is a major issue and cannot be taken easy. Just like earlier, the chief minister would approach the court and get stay orders against the case, he added.
By PTI

DHAKA: Suspected Islamist militants today attacked police by hurling bombs on a check-post when a passenger bus they were travelling in was stopped for a security check in eastern Bangladesh's Comilla city.

The attack on police on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway came a day after some Islamists tried to free a death row militant by ambushing a prison van near the capital. Police said the suspected militants attacked them when the capital-bound bus was stopped for security check.

"As soon as the bus was stopped, two men came out and hurled bombs at police shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. Police retaliated by opening fire and the two were nabbed while trying to flee," a police officer said. Police identified the two as 'Jashim', 30 and 'Hasan', 32, but did not provide any other details.

Comilla's police superintendent Abid Hossain said six crude bombs were found in their possession. "Our designated officials are quizzing the two ahead of subsequent legal actions...they appear to be militants but we could confirm their exact identity only after investigations," he said.

The incident came a day after people on the outskirts of the capital thwarted extremists' plan to free Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) chief Mufty Abdul Hannan, ambushing a convoy of prison vans carrying him along with 18 other prisoners from the capital to suburban Kashimpur Central Jail.

The people in the neighbourhood chased and caught one of the attackers while search is on to trace others. Until his arrest in late 2005, Hannan led a campaign of deadly bombings in Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, masterminding attacks on churches, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects.

HuJI is believed to have carried out the 2004 grenade attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who narrowly escaped the attack when 24 people were killed.

DHAKA: Suspected Islamist militants today attacked police by hurling bombs on a check-post when a passenger bus they were travelling in was stopped for a security check in eastern Bangladesh's Comilla city. The attack on police on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway came a day after some Islamists tried to free a death row militant by ambushing a prison van near the capital. Police said the suspected militants attacked them when the capital-bound bus was stopped for security check. "As soon as the bus was stopped, two men came out and hurled bombs at police shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. Police retaliated by opening fire and the two were nabbed while trying to flee," a police officer said. Police identified the two as 'Jashim', 30 and 'Hasan', 32, but did not provide any other details. Comilla's police superintendent Abid Hossain said six crude bombs were found in their possession. "Our designated officials are quizzing the two ahead of subsequent legal actions...they appear to be militants but we could confirm their exact identity only after investigations," he said. The incident came a day after people on the outskirts of the capital thwarted extremists' plan to free Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) chief Mufty Abdul Hannan, ambushing a convoy of prison vans carrying him along with 18 other prisoners from the capital to suburban Kashimpur Central Jail. The people in the neighbourhood chased and caught one of the attackers while search is on to trace others. Until his arrest in late 2005, Hannan led a campaign of deadly bombings in Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, masterminding attacks on churches, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects. HuJI is believed to have carried out the 2004 grenade attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who narrowly escaped the attack when 24 people were killed.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is comparing slavery to immigration in the United States, a view that one slavery expert calls "inappropriate and wildly inaccurate."

Carson was talking about the work ethic of immigrants who came through Ellis Island during his first speech to the department on Monday. He said, "There were other immigrants who came here on the bottom of slave ships."

A HUD spokesman declined to comment when asked about Carson's statement.

Rana Hogarth is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She says slaves, unlike immigrants, were "a group of people making this journey against their will."

Hogarth is calling on Carson to correct his statement.

WASHINGTON: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is comparing slavery to immigration in the United States, a view that one slavery expert calls "inappropriate and wildly inaccurate." Carson was talking about the work ethic of immigrants who came through Ellis Island during his first speech to the department on Monday. He said, "There were other immigrants who came here on the bottom of slave ships." A HUD spokesman declined to comment when asked about Carson's statement. Rana Hogarth is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She says slaves, unlike immigrants, were "a group of people making this journey against their will." Hogarth is calling on Carson to correct his statement.
By AFP

SYDNEY: A backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged today after she was rescued during a random traffic stop.

The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving yesterday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres west of Brisbane.

A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle.

Authorities say she had been "held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks".

Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations.

The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

"The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body," police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.

Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year.

They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia.

Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest southwest of Sydney.

SYDNEY: A backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged today after she was rescued during a random traffic stop. The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving yesterday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres west of Brisbane. A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle. Authorities say she had been "held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks". Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations. window.__ventunoplayer = window.__ventunoplayer||[]; window.__ventunoplayer.push({video_key: 'OTAyODk4fHw4fHw2fHwxLDIsMQ==', holder_id: 'vt-video-player', player_type: 'vp', width:'100%', ratio:'4:3'}); The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty. "The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body," police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date. Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year. They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia. Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest southwest of Sydney.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: A Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday that Beijing was "considering and investigating" India's proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader Masood Azhar listed on the UN terror catalogue.

Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the move "considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China".

He didn't elaborate while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel.

China has blocked the move at the UN, apparently not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan.

The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

"In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists," Ma said, acknowledging that Islamabad has been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang.

The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ma said Pakistan had been repatriating Uighur militants and "will repatriate all these terrorists".

"Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment."

NEW DELHI: A Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday that Beijing was "considering and investigating" India's proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader Masood Azhar listed on the UN terror catalogue. Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the move "considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China". He didn't elaborate while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel. China has blocked the move at the UN, apparently not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan. The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). "In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists," Ma said, acknowledging that Islamabad has been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang. The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ma said Pakistan had been repatriating Uighur militants and "will repatriate all these terrorists". "Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment."
By PTI

BEIJING: A Chinese soldier, who was stuck in India for over 50 years after he crossed over the border after the 1962 war, was welcomed warmly when he visited his native village in Shaanxi province.

Wang, 77, who arrived in the provincial capital Xian last month along with his Indian son, daughter and granddaughter, visited his village on Sunday, Chongqing Morning News reported yesterday. He is accompanied by his son Vishnu Wang, 35, daughter-in- law Neha and granddaughter Khanak Wang.

He was surrounded by his relatives when he arrived at the village. He visited his mother's grave soon after his arrival. Vishnu thanked the village leaders for the warm welcome, the report said. The village was decorated with banners and the local government said he would be allotted a house, if he stayed back. Wang was caught when he entered the Indian territory shortly after the Sino-India War of 1962.

He was later released from jail and settled in Tirodi village of Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh where he married a local woman. He returned to China on February 11 after India and China worked out modalities for Wang and his Indian family to travel to China and later return as per their wish.

Though his story had been published by Indian media several times in the past, a recent BBC TV feature on him was widely picked by the Chinese social media which highlighted his plight. This prompted the Chinese government to initiate action in coordination with India to facilitate his return.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on February 6 that he was provided a passport to travel to China in 2013 and was also paid a living allowance.

BEIJING: A Chinese soldier, who was stuck in India for over 50 years after he crossed over the border after the 1962 war, was welcomed warmly when he visited his native village in Shaanxi province. Wang, 77, who arrived in the provincial capital Xian last month along with his Indian son, daughter and granddaughter, visited his village on Sunday, Chongqing Morning News reported yesterday. He is accompanied by his son Vishnu Wang, 35, daughter-in- law Neha and granddaughter Khanak Wang. He was surrounded by his relatives when he arrived at the village. He visited his mother's grave soon after his arrival. Vishnu thanked the village leaders for the warm welcome, the report said. The village was decorated with banners and the local government said he would be allotted a house, if he stayed back. Wang was caught when he entered the Indian territory shortly after the Sino-India War of 1962. He was later released from jail and settled in Tirodi village of Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh where he married a local woman. He returned to China on February 11 after India and China worked out modalities for Wang and his Indian family to travel to China and later return as per their wish. Though his story had been published by Indian media several times in the past, a recent BBC TV feature on him was widely picked by the Chinese social media which highlighted his plight. This prompted the Chinese government to initiate action in coordination with India to facilitate his return. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on February 6 that he was provided a passport to travel to China in 2013 and was also paid a living allowance.
By Associated Press

BUDAPEST: Hungary adopted tough new rules on Tuesday allowing authorities to detain all asylum seekers, including women and children fleeing war and poverty, in border camps built from shipping containers. Human rights groups said the decision was a "flagrant violation of international law."

In the eyes of Hungary's combative prime minister, Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, migrants are a "Trojan horse of terrorism" putting his country under siege. He considers the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

According to rules adopted Tuesday by lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party, all asylum seekers will detained at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests. Hungary intends to close all other refugee reception centers around the country.

Police will also be allowed to expel to the Serbian side of the border fence any migrants who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border could be sent back to Serbia.

The developments alarmed human rights advocates.

"Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isn't a refugee policy  it's avoiding one," Amnesty International said, denouncing the Hungarian moves as a "flagrant violation of international law." It called on the European Union to step up against Hungary's "illegal and deeply inhumane measures."

The United Nations refugee agency said the new law "violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered."

Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for 462 new border guards, called "border hunters" by the government, Orban again focused on migration as a major threat.

"Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism," Orban said. "The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living."

Orban said the migration pressure on Hungary's borders would continue.

"We are still, at this moment, under siege," he said. "The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defense."

In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, migrants waited at an abandoned warehouse for a chance to continue their journey toward Western Europe.

"For us, everywhere is difficult, because here we are homeless, we are innocent," said Hamid Khan, a migrant from Pakistan. "My friend told us that on Hungary border, they beat us and by dogs they bite us, that's why I don't try."

On Monday, the Hungarian interior ministry again rejected a report in Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet in which a member of Doctors Without Borders said they had been treating migrants with injuries including dog bites and beatings, allegedly at the hands of Hungarian officers.

The new rules expected to be enforced within days are linked to the state of emergency due to migration which has been extended by decree until Sept. 7.

"There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country," said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. "The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda."

Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 150-kilometers (93 miles)-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1.

While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones.

In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.

BUDAPEST: Hungary adopted tough new rules on Tuesday allowing authorities to detain all asylum seekers, including women and children fleeing war and poverty, in border camps built from shipping containers. Human rights groups said the decision was a "flagrant violation of international law." In the eyes of Hungary's combative prime minister, Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, migrants are a "Trojan horse of terrorism" putting his country under siege. He considers the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture. According to rules adopted Tuesday by lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party, all asylum seekers will detained at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests. Hungary intends to close all other refugee reception centers around the country. Police will also be allowed to expel to the Serbian side of the border fence any migrants who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border could be sent back to Serbia. The developments alarmed human rights advocates. "Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isn't a refugee policy  it's avoiding one," Amnesty International said, denouncing the Hungarian moves as a "flagrant violation of international law." It called on the European Union to step up against Hungary's "illegal and deeply inhumane measures." The United Nations refugee agency said the new law "violates Hungary's obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered." Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for 462 new border guards, called "border hunters" by the government, Orban again focused on migration as a major threat. "Migration is the Trojan wooden horse of terrorism," Orban said. "The people that come to us don't want to live according to our culture and customs but according to their own  at European standards of living." Orban said the migration pressure on Hungary's borders would continue. "We are still, at this moment, under siege," he said. "The migration flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have gained time to strengthen our lines of defense." In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, migrants waited at an abandoned warehouse for a chance to continue their journey toward Western Europe. "For us, everywhere is difficult, because here we are homeless, we are innocent," said Hamid Khan, a migrant from Pakistan. "My friend told us that on Hungary border, they beat us and by dogs they bite us, that's why I don't try." On Monday, the Hungarian interior ministry again rejected a report in Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet in which a member of Doctors Without Borders said they had been treating migrants with injuries including dog bites and beatings, allegedly at the hands of Hungarian officers. The new rules expected to be enforced within days are linked to the state of emergency due to migration which has been extended by decree until Sept. 7. "There are hardly 400 asylum seekers in the country," said a statement issued by seven rights groups, including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and MigSzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. "The extension of the state of emergency only serves to maintain the xenophobic, fear-mongering propaganda." Hungary built fences on the Serbian and Croatian border in 2015. Some 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary that year before the fences were in place, most on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. A second, 150-kilometers (93 miles)-long fence on the Serbian border equipped with motion and heat sensors and other surveillance tools is planned to be completed by May 1. While Orban has said often that Hungary will apply its Christian values to take in asylum seekers, very few achieve protection here and only around 16 a day are now allowed to apply for asylum at the border transit zones. In 2016, Hungary accepted 425 asylum seekers, while registering 29,432 asylum claims. In 2015, 502 asylum seekers were granted protection. Germany took in 890,000 asylum seekers in 2015 and 280,000 in 2016.
By AFP

TEHRAN: Iran said Tuesday it was "completely unfair" for US lawyers to try to seize its overseas assets as compensation for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In 2012, a New York judge ordered Iran to pay $7 billion in damages to the families and estates of victims from the attacks, arguing that the country had aided Al-Qaeda by allowing the group's members to travel through its territory.

Since Iran rejects the accusation and refuses to pay the money, the lawyers are now trying to access $1.6 billion of Iranian money frozen in a Luxembourg bank, according to a report in The New York Times on Monday.

"Some opponents of the Islamic republic of Iran... have tried to broaden a US domestic law -- which is completely unfair and baseless -- to apply outside America," said deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi, according to the IRNA news agency.

The Iranian central bank's legal affairs director Ardeshir Fereydouni said Tehran's assets cannot be touched before a verdict.

Quoted by IRNA, he also called the US efforts "against international law" and "unenforceable".

Billions of dollars in Iranian assets were frozen in the US and Europe as part of efforts to push Tehran into a nuclear deal with world powers, which was finally signed in July 2015.

Some Iranian assets remain frozen despite the deal, in part due to ongoing compensation cases -- not just for the 2001 attacks but also the bombing of a US Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983 that killed 241 Americans.

"Iran's frozen money in Luxembourg belongs to the period before the (nuclear) negotiations and Iran's (central bank) lawyers are engaged in consultations to obtain it," Ravanchi said.

He said there had been no new developments in recent days.

Default judgements from various cases against Iran have so far added up to more than $50 billion in compensation, although no money has yet been delivered.

The US Supreme Court ruled last year that $2.1 billion frozen in a Citibank account in New York should be given to the US victims of the 1983 bombing -- a verdict Iran is contesting at the International Court of Justice.

TEHRAN: Iran said Tuesday it was "completely unfair" for US lawyers to try to seize its overseas assets as compensation for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 2012, a New York judge ordered Iran to pay $7 billion in damages to the families and estates of victims from the attacks, arguing that the country had aided Al-Qaeda by allowing the group's members to travel through its territory. Since Iran rejects the accusation and refuses to pay the money, the lawyers are now trying to access $1.6 billion of Iranian money frozen in a Luxembourg bank, according to a report in The New York Times on Monday. "Some opponents of the Islamic republic of Iran... have tried to broaden a US domestic law -- which is completely unfair and baseless -- to apply outside America," said deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi, according to the IRNA news agency. The Iranian central bank's legal affairs director Ardeshir Fereydouni said Tehran's assets cannot be touched before a verdict. Quoted by IRNA, he also called the US efforts "against international law" and "unenforceable". Billions of dollars in Iranian assets were frozen in the US and Europe as part of efforts to push Tehran into a nuclear deal with world powers, which was finally signed in July 2015. Some Iranian assets remain frozen despite the deal, in part due to ongoing compensation cases -- not just for the 2001 attacks but also the bombing of a US Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983 that killed 241 Americans. "Iran's frozen money in Luxembourg belongs to the period before the (nuclear) negotiations and Iran's (central bank) lawyers are engaged in consultations to obtain it," Ravanchi said. He said there had been no new developments in recent days. Default judgements from various cases against Iran have so far added up to more than $50 billion in compensation, although no money has yet been delivered. The US Supreme Court ruled last year that $2.1 billion frozen in a Citibank account in New York should be given to the US victims of the 1983 bombing -- a verdict Iran is contesting at the International Court of Justice.
By AFP

SEOUL: Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media said today, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur.

"All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved," the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

ALSO READ: Malaysia says North Korea citizens cannot leave

The North has yet to confirm the dead man's identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Malaysia expelled the North's ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated yesterday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyang's foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a "fair and timely manner based on goodwill".

Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to "conduct business and live normally" while the travel ban is in place, it added.

SEOUL: Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media said today, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur. "All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved," the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry. Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent. Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence. ALSO READ: Malaysia says North Korea citizens cannot leave The North has yet to confirm the dead man's identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it. Malaysia expelled the North's ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated yesterday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations. According to KCNA, Pyongyang's foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a "fair and timely manner based on goodwill". Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to "conduct business and live normally" while the travel ban is in place, it added.
By Reuters

SEOUL: South Korea's government will consider filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization against what they described as China's trade retaliation after Seoul agreed to deploy a U.S. anti-missile system, the ruling party said on Tuesday.

Beijing is widely believed in South Korea to be retaliating against some of its companies and cancelling performances by Korean artists after South Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

"We will actively consider whether China's action is in violation of the South Korea-China free trade deal, while stepping up efforts to minimise damage on South Korean industries," Lee Hyun-jae, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's policy committee, said after meeting senior government officials.

China rejected applications by some Korean carriers, including Jeju Air <089590.KS>, to add charter flights between the two countries in March, Yonhap News Agency said on Tuesday, in what is seen as China's latest retaliation against South Korean firms. Their applications for charter flights to China were rejected for January and February, with no reason given, Yonhap said.

The Chinese government last week ordered tour operators in China to stop selling trips to South Korea, days after the Seoul government secured land for the THAAD system from Lotte Group.

Lee said on Tuesday the government had since agreed to provide an additional 50 billion won ($43.3 million) worth of "special loans" to tourism companies that are experiencing business difficulties.

Chinese authorities have also closed nearly two dozen of Lotte Group's retail stores following inspections, Lotte said on Monday.

China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only at curbing North Korean provocations.

SEOUL: South Korea's government will consider filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization against what they described as China's trade retaliation after Seoul agreed to deploy a U.S. anti-missile system, the ruling party said on Tuesday. Beijing is widely believed in South Korea to be retaliating against some of its companies and cancelling performances by Korean artists after South Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. "We will actively consider whether China's action is in violation of the South Korea-China free trade deal, while stepping up efforts to minimise damage on South Korean industries," Lee Hyun-jae, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's policy committee, said after meeting senior government officials. China rejected applications by some Korean carriers, including Jeju Air , to add charter flights between the two countries in March, Yonhap News Agency said on Tuesday, in what is seen as China's latest retaliation against South Korean firms. Their applications for charter flights to China were rejected for January and February, with no reason given, Yonhap said. The Chinese government last week ordered tour operators in China to stop selling trips to South Korea, days after the Seoul government secured land for the THAAD system from Lotte Group. Lee said on Tuesday the government had since agreed to provide an additional 50 billion won ($43.3 million) worth of "special loans" to tourism companies that are experiencing business difficulties. Chinese authorities have also closed nearly two dozen of Lotte Group's retail stores following inspections, Lotte said on Monday. China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only at curbing North Korean provocations.
By AFP

MADRID: Spain hinted Tuesday it wants to receive fewer refugees from European Union border areas than it had agreed, arguing the number of people needing relocation was far less than thought.

The EU in 2015 approved a plan to share out 160,000 refugees already on European soil, mainly in Italy and Greece, across its 28 states to tackle the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War Two.

Spain had agreed to take in 16,200 refugees -- around 10 percent of the total -- within two years but only 1,100 have resettled in the country so far.

"The reality is that currently there are not 160,000 refugees that meet the criteria laid down in EU decisions," Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told a parliamentary commission.

"There are no refugees in Italy. There are illegal immigrants," he said.

"In Greece there are 55,000 to 60,000 refugees, this is why I think it would be reasonable to set targets according to this figure," he added, suggesting that Madrid wanted to revise the number of refugees it receives under the EU agreement.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, on February 18 to urge the Spanish government to immediately meet its pledge to take in thousands of refugees.

MADRID: Spain hinted Tuesday it wants to receive fewer refugees from European Union border areas than it had agreed, arguing the number of people needing relocation was far less than thought. The EU in 2015 approved a plan to share out 160,000 refugees already on European soil, mainly in Italy and Greece, across its 28 states to tackle the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War Two. Spain had agreed to take in 16,200 refugees -- around 10 percent of the total -- within two years but only 1,100 have resettled in the country so far. "The reality is that currently there are not 160,000 refugees that meet the criteria laid down in EU decisions," Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told a parliamentary commission. "There are no refugees in Italy. There are illegal immigrants," he said. "In Greece there are 55,000 to 60,000 refugees, this is why I think it would be reasonable to set targets according to this figure," he added, suggesting that Madrid wanted to revise the number of refugees it receives under the EU agreement. Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, on February 18 to urge the Spanish government to immediately meet its pledge to take in thousands of refugees.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In what could turn into a flashpoint between the two countries, India on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the killing of one of its fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, an accusation denied by Sri Lanka.

The 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu was allegedly shot dead a little short of Kutchatheevu Island that was ceded by India to the Island nation in 1974 in a bilateral pact. The Indian High Commission in Colombo has raised the matter with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister. The Indian government has been apprised that the Sri Lankan Navy will be probing the matter.

"Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

Britso, hailing from Tamil Nadu was shot dead near the Palk Strait on Monday. The Sri Lankan navy initially denied that it fired at the Indian fishermen contending that its mandate was only to seize boats and arrest the Indian fishermen. However, it has promised a thorough investigation into the matter.

The relation between two countries have been tense for a long time as in the past as well there has been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats. The Palk Strait, is 137 km long separating northern Sri Lanka from the state of Tamil Nadu. The strait has been a rich fishing ground for the fishermen from both the countries. According to estimates, there were 262,562 fishermen in the five Indian districts bordering Palk Strait and 119,000 on the three district on Sri Lankan side.

Fishing is the economic mainstay of northern Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan fishermen have been demanding their Indian counterparts to stop bottom-trawling that they content has been damaging the marine ecosystem. Since 2014 Sri Lanka Navy has seized more than 100 fishing trawlers; while they have released the Indian fishermen, they refuse to release the trawlers.

The two countries had formed a Joint Working Group to resolve the issues. The first meeting was on January 2. The island nation has been particularly against the demands for relaxation of norms for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to use fishing trawlers.

NEW DELHI: In what could turn into a flashpoint between the two countries, India on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the killing of one of its fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, an accusation denied by Sri Lanka. The 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu was allegedly shot dead a little short of Kutchatheevu Island that was ceded by India to the Island nation in 1974 in a bilateral pact. The Indian High Commission in Colombo has raised the matter with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister. The Indian government has been apprised that the Sri Lankan Navy will be probing the matter. "Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Britso, hailing from Tamil Nadu was shot dead near the Palk Strait on Monday. The Sri Lankan navy initially denied that it fired at the Indian fishermen contending that its mandate was only to seize boats and arrest the Indian fishermen. However, it has promised a thorough investigation into the matter. The relation between two countries have been tense for a long time as in the past as well there has been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats. The Palk Strait, is 137 km long separating northern Sri Lanka from the state of Tamil Nadu. The strait has been a rich fishing ground for the fishermen from both the countries. According to estimates, there were 262,562 fishermen in the five Indian districts bordering Palk Strait and 119,000 on the three district on Sri Lankan side. Fishing is the economic mainstay of northern Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan fishermen have been demanding their Indian counterparts to stop bottom-trawling that they content has been damaging the marine ecosystem. Since 2014 Sri Lanka Navy has seized more than 100 fishing trawlers; while they have released the Indian fishermen, they refuse to release the trawlers. The two countries had formed a Joint Working Group to resolve the issues. The first meeting was on January 2. The island nation has been particularly against the demands for relaxation of norms for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to use fishing trawlers.
By AFP

ISTANBUL: Turkish, Russian and US military chiefs held talks on Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya to discuss regional issues including Iraq and Syria, the Turkish army said.

"Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the army said in a statement, without elaborating further.

The meeting attended by Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind.

In the past, Antalya hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015.

Moscow also confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned at the event."

The talks come a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to strike Syrian Kurdish militia forces deployed in former Islamic State group (IS) bastion of Manbij in Syria, unless it was in cooperation with Russia and the United States.

"It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised interview.

His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian Kurdish militia -- considered "terrorists" by Turkey -- unless they withdrew from Manbij.

Turkey had often said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be the flashpoint town of Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group dominated by Kurdish fighters.

Ankara has launched an ambitious military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recaptured several towns near its border from IS including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab.

The Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of an outlawed Kurdish militant group.

Turkey has also said it wanted to work with its allies to capture IS bastion of Raqa, but has ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia.

A member of the US-led coalition fighting against IS, Turkey is also cooperating with Russia in Syria.

The Antalya meeting comes as Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition are making progress in a vast operation aimed retaking the IS-stronghold of Mosul in Iraq.

ISTANBUL: Turkish, Russian and US military chiefs held talks on Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya to discuss regional issues including Iraq and Syria, the Turkish army said. "Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the army said in a statement, without elaborating further. The meeting attended by Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov appears to be the first of its kind. In the past, Antalya hosted several NATO meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015. Moscow also confirmed the meeting, with the defence ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: "A joint discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned at the event." The talks come a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to strike Syrian Kurdish militia forces deployed in former Islamic State group (IS) bastion of Manbij in Syria, unless it was in cooperation with Russia and the United States. "It makes no sense to launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United States," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised interview. His announcement stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian Kurdish militia -- considered "terrorists" by Turkey -- unless they withdrew from Manbij. Turkey had often said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be the flashpoint town of Manbij, which is now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group dominated by Kurdish fighters. Ankara has launched an ambitious military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing Syrian opposition fighters and recaptured several towns near its border from IS including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab. The Turkish campaign is also aimed at stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of an outlawed Kurdish militant group. Turkey has also said it wanted to work with its allies to capture IS bastion of Raqa, but has ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia. A member of the US-led coalition fighting against IS, Turkey is also cooperating with Russia in Syria. The Antalya meeting comes as Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition are making progress in a vast operation aimed retaking the IS-stronghold of Mosul in Iraq.
By ANI

WASHINGTON: The United States has issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh citing that terrorist groups in South Asia could be planning attacks in the region, possibly against American facilities, citizens and interests.

U.S. citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence. A number of established terrorist organizations, indigenous sectarian organisations other militants pose a danger to U.S. citizens in Pakistan, the U.S. State Department said in its worldwide caution advisory.

The State Department warned its citizens that extremist elements are also active in India.

Terrorist groups including ISIS, al-Qaida, their associates, and those inspired by such organizations, are intent on attacking U.S. citizens wherever they are. Extremists may use conventional or non-conventional weapons to target U.S. government and private interests, it added.

The State Department warned U.S. citizens against travel to Afghanistan because of continued instability and threats by terrorist organizations against them.

Travel to all areas of Afghanistan remains unsafe due to the ongoing risk of kidnapping, hostage taking, military combat operations, landmines, banditry, armed rivalry between political and tribal groups, militant attacks, direct and indirect fire, suicide bombings, and insurgent attacks, including attacks using vehicle-borne or other improvised explosive devices (IED), the advisory said.

Warning U.S. citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan, the State Department said the country continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks.

It said that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a danger to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organization (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel are common in the country.

Evidence suggests that some victims of terrorist activity have been targeted because they are Americans. Terrorists and criminal groups regularly resort to kidnapping for ransom, the advisory added.

WASHINGTON: The United States has issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh citing that terrorist groups in South Asia could be planning attacks in the region, possibly against American facilities, citizens and interests. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence. A number of established terrorist organizations, indigenous sectarian organisations other militants pose a danger to U.S. citizens in Pakistan, the U.S. State Department said in its worldwide caution advisory. The State Department warned its citizens that extremist elements are also active in India. Terrorist groups including ISIS, al-Qaida, their associates, and those inspired by such organizations, are intent on attacking U.S. citizens wherever they are. Extremists may use conventional or non-conventional weapons to target U.S. government and private interests, it added. The State Department warned U.S. citizens against travel to Afghanistan because of continued instability and threats by terrorist organizations against them. Travel to all areas of Afghanistan remains unsafe due to the ongoing risk of kidnapping, hostage taking, military combat operations, landmines, banditry, armed rivalry between political and tribal groups, militant attacks, direct and indirect fire, suicide bombings, and insurgent attacks, including attacks using vehicle-borne or other improvised explosive devices (IED), the advisory said. Warning U.S. citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan, the State Department said the country continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks. It said that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a danger to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organization (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel are common in the country. Evidence suggests that some victims of terrorist activity have been targeted because they are Americans. Terrorists and criminal groups regularly resort to kidnapping for ransom, the advisory added.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The Trump Administration has sought 60 days to respond to a court case that challenges the decision of the previous Obama Administration to authorise spouses of H1B spouses to work in the US.

While the move by the Obama Administration during its last phase was welcomed by the large H-1B community which mainly included Indians, several American groups challenged this decision in a federal court in Washington DC.

On February 1, the Department of Justice had filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit entitled "Consent motion to hold proceedings in abeyance for 60 days". The Government has asked for a 60-day pause in the case to "allow incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues." In a statement, Immigration Voice yesterday said that this is "especially concerning" because Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when he was a US Senator, called the H-4 Rule a "change (in) immigration law in a way that hurts American workers.

" Even though this rule has actually allowed many H-4 visa holders, including named intervenors, the ability to start businesses in the United States that employ American workers that would otherwise not have jobs if the Rule had not been promulgated, Immigration Voice said. Immigration Voice yesterday announced to intervention in the Save Jobs lawsuit arguing that this was the "only option" to protect the rights of its members and their families, including children who are US citizens.

"There is nothing for the Department of Justice attorneys to confer with their leadership about given the District Court's clear decision stating that this case had no basis for ever being filed," said Aman Kapoor co-founder and president of Immigration Voice. The recent statements from the Government present an unacceptable risk for Immigration Voice members that DOJ might decide after 60 days to adopt the position of Save Jobs USA.

"Any failure to provide the strongest possible defence of the District Court's decision risks establishing a precedent prohibiting H-4 visa holders from working under the current statutory regime. Under these circumstances, Immigration Voice felt compelled to act to protect the existing and future work permits of our members," Kapoor said.

WASHINGTON: The Trump Administration has sought 60 days to respond to a court case that challenges the decision of the previous Obama Administration to authorise spouses of H1B spouses to work in the US. While the move by the Obama Administration during its last phase was welcomed by the large H-1B community which mainly included Indians, several American groups challenged this decision in a federal court in Washington DC. On February 1, the Department of Justice had filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit entitled "Consent motion to hold proceedings in abeyance for 60 days". The Government has asked for a 60-day pause in the case to "allow incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues." In a statement, Immigration Voice yesterday said that this is "especially concerning" because Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when he was a US Senator, called the H-4 Rule a "change (in) immigration law in a way that hurts American workers. " Even though this rule has actually allowed many H-4 visa holders, including named intervenors, the ability to start businesses in the United States that employ American workers that would otherwise not have jobs if the Rule had not been promulgated, Immigration Voice said. Immigration Voice yesterday announced to intervention in the Save Jobs lawsuit arguing that this was the "only option" to protect the rights of its members and their families, including children who are US citizens. "There is nothing for the Department of Justice attorneys to confer with their leadership about given the District Court's clear decision stating that this case had no basis for ever being filed," said Aman Kapoor co-founder and president of Immigration Voice. The recent statements from the Government present an unacceptable risk for Immigration Voice members that DOJ might decide after 60 days to adopt the position of Save Jobs USA. "Any failure to provide the strongest possible defence of the District Court's decision risks establishing a precedent prohibiting H-4 visa holders from working under the current statutory regime. Under these circumstances, Immigration Voice felt compelled to act to protect the existing and future work permits of our members," Kapoor said.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have discussed their mutual interest in overcoming terrorism.

The White House says Trump expressed appreciation for Kenya's contributions to the African Union Mission in Somalia during a telephone call Tuesday with Kenyatta. Trump also recognized the sacrifices made by Kenyan troops in the fight against al-Shabaab, the Islamic extremist group that's taken hold in neighboring Somalia.

Somalia is one of the six Muslim-majority countries affected by Trump's new ban on travel to the U.S. Part of the African Union Mission's mandate in Somalia is to help reduce the threat posed by al-Shabaab.

The White House says Trump and Kenyatta also discussed ways to boost trade between their countries, as well as investment in Kenya and the broader East Africa region.

___

3:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he's "proud" to support the House GOP health care bill and hopes Congress will pass it very quickly.

Trump had tweeted earlier Tuesday that the bill House lawmakers unveiled late Monday was "wonderful."

Trump says the existing Obama-era health care law is "collapsing" and will implode if it isn't replaced. He says if that happens, consumers will be begging for help.

But conservative groups and lawmakers are opposing the plan, saying it keeps too many elements of the law that became known as "Obamacare."

Trump met at the White House with the group of House lawmakers who are tasked with rounding up votes for legislation. He says the health care plan will ensure access for all Americans.

__

3:25 p.m.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the Trump administration is weighing whether to make White House visitor logs public.

President Barack Obama began putting out that information late in his first year in office, under pressure from government watchdog groups to make good on his campaign promise to be more open.

As a candidate, President Donald Trump often railed against the "swamp" of Washington and insiders striking secret deals with politicians.

Spicer was asked about the logs during Tuesday's briefing. "We are currently evaluating our procedures on that," he said.

__

2:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump plans to welcome Iraq Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee) to the White House later this month.

The White House says Trump will meet with al-Abadi in Washington during the week of March 20.

The meeting comes after the Trump administration dropped Iraq from a revised temporary travel ban that applies to citizens of certain Muslim majority countries who apply for new visas.

The White House said Iraq was no longer covered by the ban because the country provided additional security cooperation with the U.S.

___

9:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump greeted the first wave of tourists to come through the White House since he assumed office.

Trump welcomed a small crowd of visitors in the East Wing Tuesday, waving from behind a velvet rope as the crowd screamed, cheered and took photos.

The president then pulled Jack Cornish, 10, from Birmingham, Ala., from the crowd and hugged him as the visitors and journalists looked on.

The White House has been closed for tours since inauguration day.

___

8:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump says that Russia "ran over" President Barack Obama for years, calling it "weak!"

Trump tweeted Tuesday that "For eight years Russia 'ran over' President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!"

He added the Twitter handle of "Fox & Friends" at the end  a show he has frequently cited as one of his favorites.

Trump's latest criticism against his predecessor comes as senior members of his administration face questions about their contact with the Russian government.

This weekend, Trump used Twitter to accuse Obama of ordering wiretaps on his phones but offered no proof to back the claim.

___

7:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump says "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba "have returned to the battlefield."

Trump didn't cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, "another terrible decision!"

On Monday, U.S. airstrikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies.

At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama called the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have discussed their mutual interest in overcoming terrorism. The White House says Trump expressed appreciation for Kenya's contributions to the African Union Mission in Somalia during a telephone call Tuesday with Kenyatta. Trump also recognized the sacrifices made by Kenyan troops in the fight against al-Shabaab, the Islamic extremist group that's taken hold in neighboring Somalia. Somalia is one of the six Muslim-majority countries affected by Trump's new ban on travel to the U.S. Part of the African Union Mission's mandate in Somalia is to help reduce the threat posed by al-Shabaab. The White House says Trump and Kenyatta also discussed ways to boost trade between their countries, as well as investment in Kenya and the broader East Africa region. ___ 3:50 p.m. President Donald Trump says he's "proud" to support the House GOP health care bill and hopes Congress will pass it very quickly. Trump had tweeted earlier Tuesday that the bill House lawmakers unveiled late Monday was "wonderful." Trump says the existing Obama-era health care law is "collapsing" and will implode if it isn't replaced. He says if that happens, consumers will be begging for help. But conservative groups and lawmakers are opposing the plan, saying it keeps too many elements of the law that became known as "Obamacare." Trump met at the White House with the group of House lawmakers who are tasked with rounding up votes for legislation. He says the health care plan will ensure access for all Americans. __ 3:25 p.m. White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the Trump administration is weighing whether to make White House visitor logs public. President Barack Obama began putting out that information late in his first year in office, under pressure from government watchdog groups to make good on his campaign promise to be more open. As a candidate, President Donald Trump often railed against the "swamp" of Washington and insiders striking secret deals with politicians. Spicer was asked about the logs during Tuesday's briefing. "We are currently evaluating our procedures on that," he said. __ 2:25 p.m. President Donald Trump plans to welcome Iraq Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee) to the White House later this month. The White House says Trump will meet with al-Abadi in Washington during the week of March 20. The meeting comes after the Trump administration dropped Iraq from a revised temporary travel ban that applies to citizens of certain Muslim majority countries who apply for new visas. The White House said Iraq was no longer covered by the ban because the country provided additional security cooperation with the U.S. ___ 9:45 a.m. President Donald Trump greeted the first wave of tourists to come through the White House since he assumed office. Trump welcomed a small crowd of visitors in the East Wing Tuesday, waving from behind a velvet rope as the crowd screamed, cheered and took photos. The president then pulled Jack Cornish, 10, from Birmingham, Ala., from the crowd and hugged him as the visitors and journalists looked on. The White House has been closed for tours since inauguration day. ___ 8:35 a.m. President Donald Trump says that Russia "ran over" President Barack Obama for years, calling it "weak!" Trump tweeted Tuesday that "For eight years Russia 'ran over' President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!" He added the Twitter handle of "Fox & Friends" at the end  a show he has frequently cited as one of his favorites. Trump's latest criticism against his predecessor comes as senior members of his administration face questions about their contact with the Russian government. This weekend, Trump used Twitter to accuse Obama of ordering wiretaps on his phones but offered no proof to back the claim. ___ 7:35 a.m. President Donald Trump says "122 vicious prisoners" released by the Obama administration from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba "have returned to the battlefield." Trump didn't cite where he got the statistic in his Tuesday tweet, calling their release, "another terrible decision!" On Monday, U.S. airstrikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in Yemen killed a former detainee who was released from the prison in 2009 despite earlier recommendations that he remain in custody because he was considered a "high threat" to America and its allies. At its peak, the Guantanamo prison held nearly 680 detainees. It was down to 242 when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and he got that number down to just a few dozen. Obama called the prison was a waste of money and a recruiting tool for extremists.
Tech Mahindra to acquire US-based healthcare IT services and consulting firm

Mumbai, Mar 6 : Tech Mahindra Ltd., a specialist in digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering on Monday announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CJS Solutions Group LLC, a US-based healthcare Information Technology consulting company which does business as (DBA) The HCI Group.





(Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792486 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792486 173O212O198O32)

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, The HCI Group works with some of the worlds most prestigious Tier-I healthcare service providers, primarily in the US and UK, focusing on providing end-to-end implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software, training and support services.The HCI Group has a large pool of Epic and Cerner (healthcare software) certified professionals, and it is a leading implementation firm for these leading companies globally. The company also has a presence in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, and employs more than 500 professionals globally.The HCI Groups services include enterprise-wide advisory services, with a focus on IT system implementation and training, as well as specialty service lines in integration, testing, go-live, clinical adoption, optimization, HIMSS EMRAM and cyber security.Healthcare is one of the few sectors globally that is driving adoption of digital technologies. The acquisition will not only position Tech Mahindra as a significant player in the healthcare provider space, but will also provide an opportunity to go deeper in this space via EMR implementation and surrounding services route, said C P Gurnani, Managing Director Chief Executive Officer of Tech Mahindra.The HCI Group has been recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies in the USA, by various journals. INC magazine has consistently ranked The HCI Group as one of the fastest growing private companies across all sectors (#3 in 2013; #13 in 2014). Earlier this month, the company was recognized as the #11 fastest growing consulting company by the Consulting Magazine.For 12-month period ended 30th September 2016, the company had revenues of US$ 114 million. The Enterprise Value is US$ 110 million; Tech Mahindra will make an upfront payment of US$ 89.5 million for purchase of 84.7% stake in the Company. The balance stake of 15.3% will be acquired over a period of three years.The acquisition aligns very well with our DAVID strategy where Digitalization is one of the five main pillars of our future growth strategy. It also aligns perfectly with our new brand philosophy Connected World. Connected Experiences. said Atul Kunwar, President CTO of Tech Mahindra.I truly believe that Tech Mahindra is the right partner for us to improve the healthcare industry through a combination of disruption, innovation and cost reduction. What better way to support our customers than by joining with the global leader in digitalization and connected technologies, said Ricky Caplin, CEO, The HCI Group.Healthcare and Life Sciences has been one of the focus areas for Tech Mahindra globally and the acquisition will help in consolidating the companys position in this space. The Company offers innovative and end-to-end integrated solutions for healthcare providers. Its solutions enhances the efficiency of physicians, hospitals, ancillary facilities, clinics, governmental health bodies and public health organizations.Tech Mahindra was supported on this deal by due diligence advisor Ernst Young and legal advisor Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Lodestone Corporate Advisors was the exclusive advisor to Tech Mahindra on the overall transaction.The HCI Groups financial advisor for the transaction is Allen Company LLC, with Nelson Mullins Riley Scarborough LLP serving as its legal counsel.The transaction is expected to close by April 2017, subject to the regulatory approvals.
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Emirates turn spotlight on women

Kolkata, Mar 6 : Emirates is giving centre stage to its women employees on the upcoming occasion of International Women's Day. Women make up close to 44pc of the airline's workforce and have been an integral part of the success story of Emirates over the last 31 years.





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Emirates currently employs more than 29,000 women from over 150 nationalities. Women employed at Emirates come from diverse backgrounds and work across the entire spectrum of airline operations. Over 18,000 work as cabin crew, while the rest are represented across technical as well as in professional and leadership roles. Close to 2.5% of the total female staff occupy managerial positions in the airline, and women are also increasingly working and advancing in functions that were more traditionally represented by men.Over the past decade, the number of women employees at Emirates has increased in line with the airlines growth. The proportion of women as part of the airlines total workforce has also grown by 6% during the same period.Abdulaziz Al Ali, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Emirates said: Emirates is committed to providing equal opportunities at the workplace for both women and men across all business functions. We are proud of our women colleagues and their immense contribution to the growth and success of the airline. We hope that they can continue to inspire and be role models for girls and women across the globe interested in pursuing careers in aviation.Emirates female cockpit crew come from 24 nationalities and are aged between 20 and 59 years, including pilot cadets.Watch Captain Nevin Darwish from Egypt and First Officer Alia Al Muhairi from the UAE fly the iconic Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft from Dubai to Vienna.Captain Darwish is the first woman of Arab origin to have captained the Airbus A380. First Officer Al Muhairi, a UAE national, is currently the youngest Emirati female pilot operating the Emirates A380 aircraft.In Emirates Engineering, women work as licensed aircraft engineers, mechanics, and technicians for aircraft maintenance and repairs. Women also work at critical positions in flight operations both on the ramp as operations managers, turnaround coordinators, aircraft loading supervisors and load controllers as well as in the operations centre as flight dispatchers and duty managers.
Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India, UAE in field of providing Energy Efficiency Services

New Delhi, Mar 6 : Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Productivity Council, an autonomous body under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Al Etihad Energy Services UAE, to provide various services in the field of energy management and conservation.





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Under the MoU, the NPC will provide the following services:1. Energy Assessment Services2. Training Certification of Energy Auditors3. Demand Side Management.Meanwhile, Al Etihad ES will provide the following services to all the relevant projects on a case by case basis:i) Customer Support with UAE Government and Private owned organizations in the United Arab Emiratesii) All local support for Field Auditing Professionals in the UAEiii) All local support for Training Certification of Energy Auditors in UAEiv) All support related to Demand Side Management of industries based in UAEThe MoU will enable NPC avail high value opportunities such as energy building and develop institutional mechanism in area of energy efficiency in Dubai and other Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC) member countries.It will provide recognition and exposure to further build NPCs capacities and competencies in rapidly changing international business scenario.MoU will be a precedent for engagements with other International collaboration partners and will enhance NPCs visibility in arena. The MoU will help promote NPC in GCC member countries and will generate business for NPC in the area of energy.
Cabinet approves MoU on renewable energy between India and Portugal

New Delhi, Mar 6 : The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Renewable Energy between India and Portugal. The MoU was signed on 6th January, 2017 in New Delhi.





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The MoU will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, read a government statementBoth sides aim to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity.The MoU envisages constitution of a Joint Working Group which can co-opt other members from Scientific Institutions, Research Centers, Universities, or any other entity, as and when considered essential.
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Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Taiwan's exports for the first two months of the year were the highest for the January-February period in six years, but some have pointed out that the surge of Taiwan dollar against U.S. dollar poses a potential threat to the country's exports.
Security Council wraps up Lake Chad Basin visit; stops in 'epicentre' of Boko Haram violence

New York, Mar 7 : The crisis in Africa's Lake Chad Basin is of global concern and action is needed right now, the United Nations Security Council on Monday said, wrapping up its four-country tour with the promise of long-term support for the Governments and the people in their fight against Boko Haram.





(Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792488 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792488 173O212O198O32)

Neither the military fight against terrorism nor the immediate humanitarian response will solve these protracted crises, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the United Kingdom, who is leading the Council visit as President of the 15-nation body for the month of March, told journalists in Abuja.He spoke alongside Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, as well as Fod Seck, Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, and Michele Sison, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations.What is needed in the end is long-term development, Rycroft said, noting the need for jobs, education, human rights, services for displaced people and refugees, and solutions for coping with drought and other environmental challenges.Those are multifaceted, complex set of problems and require a holistic set of solutions, and we are here to support the Government of Nigeria in finding those solutions, he vowed.Yesterday, the Council members met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Teacher Village in Maiduguri, in hard-hit Borno state in the north-eastern part of the country. About half of the displaced persons living in the camp are children, with 379 of them infants.The Council members joined a circle of survivors, many of whom were women whose husbands and children were killed by Boko Haram, and who are struggling to feed themselves and the remnants of families that they have left.Their accounts of a life in crisis were beyond sobering, Rycroft said.The displaced camp is in Maiduguri, which is known as the epicentre of the years long Boko Haram crisis, according to Governor Kashim Shettima, who spoke with the Council members.Some 14 million people are affected by Boko Haram, with 8.5 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.While in Nigeria, the Council also met with womens groups from across the country who called for a greater role in finding solutions to the Lake Chad Basin crisis.We can pass information faster than the men, one woman told the Council.The Council members also spoke with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional group of 16 countries, with discussions focused on coordination of response and sharing of information.The Council also met with Nigerias acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, and other senior political leaders.After visiting Nigeria, and previously being in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the Council emphasized that barely enough is being done to aid the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.The scale we have seen is of a growing crisis. Famine is being averted at the moment because of the generosity of donors and the effectiveness of the national responses but only just, Rycroft said, adding: We urge the international community as a whole to continue to step up before it is too late. And that means right now.Photo: UK/UN MissionSource: www.justearthnews.com
UP polls: Not disclosing chief ministerial candidate a strategy, says Amit Shah

Onboard , Mar. 6 : Reacting to the questions being raised for not projecting the chief ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday said it was a part of their strategy.





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"We haven't disclosed the chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh under our election strategy. And I feel we took the right decision," Shah told ANI News Editor Smita Prakash in an exclusive interview while on his way to Somnath.Shah further said that the party forum would decide the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh polls."The strategy for the BJP is not decided by one person. There is a team which makes it. I believe a bigger wave, as compared to one in 2014, has been seen in Uttar Pradesh in 2017," he added.Expressing confidence over sweeping the assembly polls, Shah said, "We will form government in Uttar Pradesh with two-third majority. Be it Awadh, Rohilkhand Bundelkhand or Kashi, the BJP is leading everywhere. We will form government in the state.""We did not change our manner of communicating. Issues change with time. So, the issues did change but the BJP follows its ideology. Post 2017 elections, family politics, caste politics will come to an end and politics of performance will originate," he added.Earlier, while addressing a elections rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati ridiculed the BJP for not projecting its chief minister face."How the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win the assembly polls when it has not even projected the name of their chief minister candidate," Mayawati said while addressing rally in Ballia.40 seats spread across seven districts of Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra and Jaunpur will go to the polls for the last phase on March 8.The results will be announced on March 11.
PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Bharuch Bus Port

Bharuch (Gujarat) , Mar. 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Bharuch Bus Port today.





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During his two-day visit to Gujarat, beginning today, Prime Minister Modi will also dedicate a four-lane extradosed bridge over the Narmada at Bharuch on NH-8 and Petrochemicals Complex of ONGC Petro Additions Limited at Dahej to the nation.In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, these projects will benefit the people of the state immensely."Will dedicate to the nation a Four-Lane Extradosed Bridge over the Narmada at Bharuch on NH-8 and Petrochemicals Complex of OPAL at Dahej. I will visit the plant of ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPAL) at Dahej and also interact with industry leaders," he tweeted.He will also visit Somnath and Gandhinagar.
PM Modi to release commemorative postage stamp on 100 years of Yogoda Satsang Math

New Delhi , Mar. 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday release a special commemorative postage stamp on 100 years of Yogoda Satsang Math.





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"Tomorrow I will be joining the centenary celebrations of Yogoda Satsanga Society at 10:45 AM. Looking forward," Prime Minister Modi tweeted yesterday."How has Yoga transformed your life? What is the importance of Yoga according to you? Tell me on the NM Mobile App. http://nm4.in/dnldapp," he added.Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) celebrated its 100 years journey on Friday.In this regard, the organisation announced its celebratory plans.One major aim of YSS is to reveal the complete harmony, basic oneness, and common foundations of all true religions.
We are bringing back jobs in America, says Donald Trump

Washington, Mar 7 : US President Donald Trump, whose campaign revolved around creating more jobs in America for the Americans, said his government is delivering on the promise.





(Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792491 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 07 March 2017, 1667792491 173O212O198O32)

There is an incredible spirit of optimism sweeping the country right nowwere bringing back the JOBS! Trumps tweet read.Trump also thanked Exxon Mobil for hiring American workers in construction and manufacturing sectors.Buy American hire American are the principles at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you @exxonmobil, his tweet read.Thank you to @exxonmobil for your $20 billion investment that is creating more than 45,000 manufacturing construction jobs in the USA! a subsequent tweet read.
Who are Newport's top taxpayers? Take a look at the top 50.
Reporter/Columnist

Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) showed positive changes in attitudes and a reduction in patient agitation after implementing a fully tobacco-free environment at Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital. The findings, which appear in the March 2017 issue of The American Journal on Addictions, are contrary to perceptions that eliminating access to tobacco in mental health and addiction centres may have negative outcomes.

It's one of the first long-term studies measuring the impact of a hospital-wide tobacco-free policy on attitudes and adverse events. The study evaluated staff and patient attitudes, and two types of adverse events - patient agitation and fire-related incidents - prior to and after CAMH became completely tobacco-free in April 2014.

"Over the course of the study, patient and staff attitudes became increasingly positive, and episodes of aggression decreased significantly," says Dr. Tony George, senior author of the study and Chief of CAMH's Addiction Division. Dr. George also heads the Biobehavioural Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Laboratory in CAMH's Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, and is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. "Going tobacco-free can make it a better place to be a patient and a staff member," he adds.

CAMH implemented its tobacco-free policy ahead of requirements set out in the provincial Smoke Free Ontario Act. This legislation required all Ontario hospitals and psychiatric facilities to be smoke free by 2016, except in designated outdoor smoking areas, with smoking areas to be phased out by January 2018. CAMH's tobacco-free initiatives began in 2005, with smoking in designated areas only, then moved into a "soft-launch phase" in the six months leading up to implementing the completely tobacco-free policy in 2014.

Despite the well-known health risks of smoking, eliminating access to tobacco in mental health and addiction centres has historically been met with concern. Smoking rates among people with mental illnesses and substance use problems are significantly higher than in the general population. While 17 per cent of the Ontario population smokes tobacco, it's estimated that the figure is more than double among those with mental health issues, and as high as 90 per cent among those with schizophrenia and with substance use problems with alcohol, cocaine or opioids, says Dr. George. One perception has been that smoking may be a form of self-medication for some individuals, and abstaining from smoking may worsen psychiatric symptoms.

Nicotine replacement therapy was made available to help patients manage temporary withdrawal symptoms, or to assist patients and staff who want to quit smoking. "Our approach is to promote a tobacco-free environment as part of the care we offer to our patients," says Dr. George.

The CAMH researchers used 15-question surveys to measure staff and patient attitudes at three points: in the two months prior to becoming fully tobacco-free, then at four to six months, and 10 to 12 months after implementing the policy. More than 1,170 staff and 420 patients completed the anonymous questionnaires.

"Most measures changed in a positive way for both staff and patients," says Dr. George. Staff members were more likely to agree that CAMH's tobacco-free policy would be successful and less likely to say they were concerned that smoking cessation could exacerbate client symptoms. Patients were more likely to agree that they supported the tobacco-free policy and they would follow the policy.

The research team also assessed whether incidents of patient agitation and fire risks changed from pre-implementation to after adopting the policy. Incidents of patient agitation decreased significantly - by 18 per cent. "Creating a tobacco-free environment reduced aggression because it's been shown that smoking creates more anxiety, depression and irritability," says Dr. George. There was no change in fire risks.

"Becoming completely tobacco-free took an interdisciplinary team and a multi-pronged, phased approach," says Dr. George. "We engaged staff and patients in the discussion early, and at each stage, we increased communications and supports to help staff and patients in making the change."

Through CAMH's Portico Network, CAMH has also created a tobacco-free community of practice for health-care providers to share resources, insights and best practices as they implement and sustain tobacco-free environments.

"Our findings show that becoming completely tobacco-free in a mental health and addiction hospital is feasible - and can lead to favourable outcomes," says Dr. George.
ESMO, the leading European organisation for medical oncology, has announced it will take over the organisation of the Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Congress series, with the aim of expanding its educational offer and ensure that professionals are kept up to date with the latest drug developments to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Starting in 2018, the TAT Congress, considered the "home of phase 1 in oncology," will take place annually in Europe, with next year's congress organised in March in Paris, France.

"Early drug development in oncology is undergoing a revolution," said the Scientific Chair of TAT, Professor Jean-Charles Soria of South-Paris University and Chair of the Drug Development Department at Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre in Paris, France. "Phase 1 trials are no longer the exclusive domain of highly specialised investigators and scientists. They are now a field where academia, industry, clinicians, researchers, regulators and scientists discuss together to speed up the development of new anti-cancer treatment for the benefit of cancer patients. Safety/toxicity is no longer the only focus of phase 1 studies. Goals have broadened to include clinical activity/response and biomarker research."

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"The role of early-phase trials in oncology drug development has changed dramatically with the advent of precision medicine," said ESMO President Fortunato Ciardiello. "ESMO is committed to the organisation of events and educational activities that provide comprehensive updates on the latest developments, be it in clinical practice or in earlier phases of development, as stated in the second pillar of the ESMO 2020 Vision, Specialised Education. It is only natural for ESMO to include such a fundamental event in our educational offer providing an expanded program as well as a broader experience to attending professionals," Ciardiello continued.

ESMO takes over the organisation of TAT from the NDDO Education Foundation, which initiated this congress series in 2002. "We are very pleased to see that ESMO recognises the value of TAT and that we are now in the position to pass on this congress series to Europe's leading medical oncology society. We are confident that ESMO will build upon what we have achieved and will enhance the role of TAT in the oncology community," said Chris Maats, chairman of the Board of the Foundation.

"TAT offers a top-quality programme, put together by a distinguished international advisory board, covering the most promising new drugs and targets under development in early phase clinical and translational research, as well as drugs close to entering clinical development," explained Josep Tabernero, ESMO President Elect and member of the TAT 2017 Organising Committee. "If you want to know what your clinical practice is going to be like in five to ten years, this is the meeting to attend. TAT offers a glimpse into the future."

Source: http://www.esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases/Targeted-Anticancer-Therapies-TAT-Congress-Becomes-an-Annual-ESMO-Event?hit=ehp
PEOPLE who regularly visit their family doctor following discharge for a diabetes-related hospitalisation significantly reduce their chance of being readmitted, an Australian study has found

Researchers at the University of South Australia have discovered that more than 40 per cent of hospital readmissions for people living with diabetes are preventable if appropriate primary care is provided.

The study, published today, included 848 patients between the ages of 76-89 years old who had a diabetes hospitalization in 2012 and of these 209 were re-hospitalised within 30 days.

Lead Researcher and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences Gillian Caughey said although the study was centred around the Australian population, its results were applicable for older patients with diabetes worldwide.

She said diabetes patients who visited a General Practitioner or had increased primary care following hospitalisation would reduce the likelihood of a re-admission, which would in turn reduce hospital inpatient care costs.

This study highlights the need for improved continuity of care during the transition between hospital and primary care, which includes discharge planning and communication with the patients GP, she said.

Readmission has a significant effect on patients overall wellbeing and morbidity, and places considerable strain on the healthcare system.

The identification of these at-risk patients may also help care providers to target appropriate interventions for preventing these re-admissions.

Dr Caughey said post-discharge support visits had also been shown to reduce re-admission rates in the general older population.

She said this highlighted the potential for holistic care to be applied to other co-morbid conditions, to potentially reduce re-admission rates in older patients.

The main re-admission causes were diabetes-related conditions (24 per cent), including diabetes-related foot ulcer (9.1 per cent) and hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia (5.7 per cent).

Cardiovascular conditions accounted for 21 per cent (heart failure 5 per cent) and respiratory disorders 4 per cent.

Almost half of the people in the study who were re-admitted within 14 days of discharge had not seen their GP between hospital stays.

It also found that patients with comorbid heart failure, multiple recent hospitalisations, and multiple prescribers involved in their care were at greatest risk of re-admission.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare hospital inpatient care for people with diabetes in 2008-2009 was conservatively estimated to cost $647 million, or more than 40 per cent of all diabetes-related health care expenditure in Australia.

Around 85 per cent of patients hospitalised for type 2 diabetes in Australia are aged 65 years or over and the average cost per hospitalisation is $8755 and many of these admissions could potentially be prevented where appropriate primary care was provided, Dr Caughey said.

The risk of re-admission involves a complex relationship between the presence of chronic and acute conditions, the health status of the patient, and health system factors, such as the transition between primary and hospital care and co-ordination of care, including timely, comprehensive communication.

The number of people with diabetes in 2014 was 422 million, up from 108 million in 1980. In 2012, an estimated 1.5 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes and another 2.2 million deaths were attributable to high blood glucose according to the World Health Organisation.

Understanding 30-day re-admission after hospitalisation of older patients for diabetes: identifying those at greatest risk by Gillian E Caughey, Nicole L Pratt, John D Barratt, Sepehr Shakib, Anna R Kemp-Casey, Elizabeth E Roughead was published in the Medical Journal of Australia today.

The paper also undertook a retrospective cohort study of administrative data in the health claims database of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for all patients hospitalised for a diabetes related condition between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2012.
Advanced materials are revolutionizing our daily lives  from clothing to clinics to  cattle?

A nanomaterial-based bone regeneration technology developed at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock helped save a valuable animal's life. In the future, this technology could help people suffering from a variety of severe injuries and ailments.

Dr. Alexandru Biris, director of the UA Little Rock Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences, led the development of this technology, the NuCress scaffold, a temporary, implantable filler for missing bone that encourages healthy bone regeneration and is absorbed into the body.

In addition to its unique 3-D structure, the device can be loaded with beneficial drugs, such as antibiotics to fight infection or hormones and stem cells to encourage healing.

Biris began developing the device in 2005, initially intending it for regeneration of small sections of bone, such as in the human jaw. He believes the NuCress scaffold will, one day, be an invaluable tool for repairing the kind of irregular, complicated bone gaps often seen in victims of severe trauma from wartime violence, car crashes, and bone disease.

For now, the scaffold is making a name for itself in America's heartland.

More than a decade ago, Biris started collaborating with Dr. David Anderson, a veterinarian, and the pair have been refining and developing the device ever since.

Anderson has conducted biomaterials and bone trauma research since 1991 through his work at Kansas State and Ohio State universities. Since 2012, he has been a professor and the head of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Anderson is an internationally renowned expert in veterinary orthopedic surgery, having given keynote addresses in more than a dozen countries and published extensively on the subject.

Anderson's position and reputation mean he is occasionally called on to take his skills from the classroom to the community.

"Veterinary teaching hospitals exist for two main purposes. One is to educate vet students, and the other is to serve the community with advanced expertise in technologies," Anderson said. "If the primary veterinarian is not able to fix the problem, they can send it to the tertiary care center at the veterinary teaching hospital, where the equipment and expertise is available to be able to deal with these types of complex problems."

This is exactly what happened in 2010, when he was contacted by a local veterinarian whose patient, a young bull in Kansas, had a serious leg injury likely caused by a misplaced step in a hole. While Anderson and his team were no strangers to complicated animal injuries, this case was unique.

"It was an open fracture that was very badly contaminated with hair, dirt, manure, and debris. The bone was severely damaged," Anderson said.

Not only was the injury severe, but the stakes were high  the animal was no ordinary bovine.

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"The bull was an Angus breeding bull selected to add genetic advancement for that herd. This was probably about a $20,000 bull. It would have been a total loss for the owner if the bull was put down."

Initially, Anderson and his team put in an external skeletal fixation system to stabilize the bone, hoping this would be sufficient to heal the bull.

The bull, however, was not responding. The complexity and contamination of the wound resulted in a bone break that simply wouldn't heal. Infection had set in, conventional methods had been exhausted, and the prize bull was running out of options.

"We either had to do something dramatic or we would have to euthanize the animal," Anderson said.

Not ready to give up, Anderson turned to his research with Biris.

In previous studies, the pair had already shown that their scaffold was effective for delivery of antibiotics. Though this scaffold was smaller in size than what the bull would require, Anderson decided to take a chance.

"I called Alex  and I asked if he could make one for this bull to see if we could try to control the infection and stimulate the bone to heal more quickly," Anderson said.

Biris immediately went to work, scaling up the scaffold by almost six times the original prototype's size.

The scaffold was loaded with antibiotics and implanted by Anderson's team inside the bull's fractured leg. Then they waited, keeping their expectations low.

"When the infection has progressed to that extent, it is actually fairly uncommon to be able to reverse it, and most of these animals with such infections end up being euthanized because they are simply too big to survive with an amputated limb," Anderson explained.

But the bull  and the scaffold  defied expectations. Not only did the bone heal, but the infection was stopped in its tracks and completely reversed.

These results, Anderson asserts, were astounding.

The bull returned to full function in his herd in a relatively short amount of time at a fraction of the cost to the rancher that replacement would have involved.

While this experience was not the first evidence of the scaffold's usefulness, it reinforced its potential value.

"There is no question that this is a product that has real merit," Anderson said. "It can change the way we do therapy and can really improve outcomes for patients."

Today, UA Little Rock has patented the scaffold technology, and Biris and his team received almost $10 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop it further. The researchers hope to bring the NuCress scaffold to clinical trial in the next few years, but they'll always remember their first successful patient  a prize bull from a ranch in the heartland.
New findings from Rockefeller University researchers could guide the development of potent combination therapies that deliver more effective and durable treatment of leukemia. In recent work published in Nature, they show it's possible to deactivate cellular programs involved in tumor growth by disrupting a protein that regulates genes.

At the center of this research are proteins called histones, which provide a physical support structure for the genome, and can also help regulate gene expression. Chemical modifications to histones can turn nearby genes on or off, and the cell interprets these chemical marks with the help of a variety of "reader" proteins. Once they recognize and bind to the chemically modified histones, the reader proteins recruit other factors that coordinate gene activation or inhibition.

This process can become derailed in cancer, and drugs that selectively inhibit a class of readers known as BET proteins have already shown early promise in treating certain tumors.

Now a multi-institutional research team--led in part by David Allis, Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics--has uncovered similar therapeutic potential for another, recently-identified class of reader proteins. These proteins share a structural feature called a YEATS domain, which specifically recognizes histones modified with a type of chemical mark called an acetyl group.

"The functional importance of this reading activity by the YEATS domain was unknown," says Liling Wan, a postdoctoral fellow in the Allis lab and lead author on the study, but she also notes strong evidence linking these proteins to cancer.

Dangerous fusion

The genomes of cancer cells can become extremely jumbled, with DNA strands breaking and reattaching to each other in unnatural ways that disrupt gene function. In some people with leukemia, cells feature genomic rearrangements that fuse the gene encoding a protein called MLL with that of various YEATS domain-containing proteins, including one known as ENL. Such rearrangements are linked with a particularly poor prognosis, and are especially common in extremely young patients.

"In infants, it occurs in more than 70 percent of acute lymphoid leukemia and in more than 35 percent of acute myeloid leukemia cases," says Wan.

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When she and colleagues set out to explore whether ENL can spur cancer, they selectively deleted its gene from the genome of various leukemia cell lines. They found that mice transplanted with ENL-depleted leukemia cells fared much better than those receiving unmodified leukemia cells: their cancer cells did not divide as quickly, and they survived longer. These results made the researchers suspect ENL acts as an engine for tumor growth--one that could potentially be stalled with a well-designed inhibitor.

The researchers also demonstrated that ENL activates cancer-related genes by binding to acetyl-modified histone sites throughout the genome. By engineering mutations in cells that render the YEATS domain dysfunctional, they were able to show this part of ENL is critical for the protein's leukemia-promoting effects.

New ideas for leukemia therapy

BET proteins, the class of reader proteins for which drugs are already being developed, don't have a YEATS domain, but they recognize histone acetyl marks via a structural element known as the bromodomain. When the researchers tested the effectiveness of a bromodomain inhibitor drug, JQ1, in mice with leukemia cells carrying YEATS-disrupting mutations in ENL, this two-pronged attack proved much more effective than the drug alone--suggesting it might be possible to create effective combination therapy regimens.

"We look forward to the development of new drugs that can block YEATS domain function, perhaps working in concert with existing bromodomain inhibitors that are already in clinical trials," says Allis.

Wan says the multi-institutional team of American and Chinese scientists who conducted this study will be extending their collaboration in order to delve deeper into the role of ENL in cancer. Leukemia may not be the only class of malignancy powered by this protein, and Wan says there is evidence for YEATS mutations in certain pediatric kidney cancers.

"It seems to suggest a more broad function for the reader role of ENL in other cancer types that we have no knowledge about so far," she says, "and that's something we are very interested in investigating in the near future."

Source: http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/2017/03/06/a-new-way-to-reset-gene-expression-in-cancer-cells-shows-promise-for-leukemia-treatment/
Although female doctors training to become emergency medicine specialists scored as well as their male colleagues during the first year of their three-year programs, by the end of the third year, male residents, on average, received higher evaluations on all 23 emergency medicine training categories - including medical knowledge, patient safety, team management and communication - than female residents.

The gap emerged early in the second year of training and steadily widened until graduation. By the end of the third and final year of residency, evaluations of female physicians placed them three to four months behind male colleagues in the same training programs.

"Women are already underrepresented in the highly competitive environment of academic medicine, and the period of greatest loss is during and shortly after residency," said the study's senior author, Vineet Arora, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.

"The results are definitely concerning," said the study's co-lead author, Arjun Dayal, a medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. "The wide difference between males and females, seen at all of the institutions that participated in this study, suggests that medical school faculty who evaluate residents should be aware of and attuned to ongoing concerns about gender bias."

The study, published March 6, 2017, in JAMA Internal Medicine, included 359 emergency medicine residents - medical school graduates beginning advanced training in the specialty. One third (122) of the residents were female; two-thirds (237) were male. About a third of the faculty physicians who evaluated the trainees were female (91) and two-thirds were male (194). Male and female faculty members evaluated residents similarly, consistently giving female residents lower scores throughout residency years two and three.

From July 1, 2013, to July 1, 2015, the researchers collected 33,456 "milestone" evaluations, about 90 for each of the physicians in training. Milestone evaluations are detailed, direct observations by emergency medical faculty of residents performing 23 sets of tasks - known as subcompetencies. These include basic skills such as diagnosis and medical knowledge, as well as specific procedures, such as emergency stabilization, airway management or vascular access.

This evaluation system, adopted by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, is now used by all U.S. training programs. The nationally standardized approach allows for analysis of performance "at a scope and level of detail never previously possible," the authors note. This study is the first to focus on how gender affects the process.

The training programs studied represent a mix of rural, suburban, and urban hospitals. They included small, medium and large academic as well as community-hospital programs. Results from all of the programs were comparable.

At the end of their first year of training, female residents scored slightly higher than males on 15 of the 23 subcompetencies, with notably higher scores in accountability, multitasking and diagnosis.

By the end of the third year, however, males had gained higher scores in all 23 categories, with much higher totals in airway management, general approach to procedures, team management, emergency stabilization, focused history and physical examinations, disposition, multitasking, vascular access and performance improvement. Throughout their training, males had a 13 percent higher rate of milestone attainment per year, equivalent to 3 to 4 months of additional training by graduation.

Scores given by male and female faculty members were similar throughout the period studied. The authors suggest that their results highlight the need for faculty physicians to be on the lookout for possible gender bias in residency training. Although senior residents, for example, are expected to display stereotypically male characteristics such as assertiveness and independence, female residents who display such qualities may incur a penalty, even among their female role models, for violating customary gender roles.

"One way to interpret our findings is that a widening gender gap is attributable to the cumulative effects of repeated disadvantages and biases that become increasingly pronounced at the more senior levels of training," the authors wrote.

"We are concerned that the disparity we discovered in evaluations may point to an implicit bias," said co-lead author Daniel O'Connor, a student at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. "Our finding, that female residents in emergency medicine receive lower scores than males across all sub-competencies really implicates bias rather than a deficit in specific skills or knowledge."

There has been discussion at the national level of one day having residents graduate only after demonstrating competency in the core areas of a specialty. This could lead to variable training lengths from resident to resident. "Based on our results," O'Connor said, "this would mean female residents could be required to complete additional training to graduate at the same level as their male counterparts."

Surveys show that 70 percent of female doctors in academic settings - more than three times as many as male doctors - had perceived workplace gender bias in the academic setting. Female academic physicians get paid less and hold fewer leadership positions. "We hope that our findings will focus attention on this disparity and encourage efforts to improve and provide balance, as needed, in the residency evaluation system," Arora said.
Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduced the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and death in pregnant women with twins and who have a short cervix a risk factor for preterm birth according to a meta-analysis of individual patient data by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Detroit Medical Center, and other institutions in the United States and abroad.

Births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy are considered preterm. Preterm birth increases the risk for infant death and long term disability. Twin pregnancies present a five- to six-time increased risk for preterm birth.

In preparation for birth, the cervix (lower part of the uterus) thins and shortens during pregnancy. In some women, the cervix shortens prematurely, as early as the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. The natural hormone progesterone (also called the "pregnancy hormone"), inserted in the vagina either as a gel or tablet has been shown to decrease the risk for preterm birth associated with a short cervix in women with a single fetus in previous conducted by NIH and WSU investigators.

The new study, "Vaginal progesterone decreases preterm birth and neonatal morbidity and mortality in women with a twin gestation and a short cervix: an updated meta-analysis of individual patient data," was published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. An accompanying video explaining the study's findings can be viewed at http://www2.med.wayne.edu/prb/progesterone.htm.

"The findings represent persuasive evidence that treatment with vaginal progesterone in women with a short cervix and a twin gestation reduces the frequency of preterm birth, neonatal complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, and importantly, neonatal death," said the study's first author, Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Romero emphasized that individual patient data meta-analyses represent the "gold standard" in the hierarchy of scientific evidence to answer clinical questions.

"Currently there is no treatment for the prevention of preterm birth in twin gestations," said Sonia Hassan, M.D., a co-author of the study. Dr. Hassan is the associate dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health at WSU, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the School of Medicine, and director of the Center for Advanced Obstetrical Care and Research for the NIH's Perinatology Research Branch, hosted at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center.

The meta-analysis included the results of six studies, encompassing 303 women pregnant with twins, all of whom had a cervical length of 25 mm or less in the mid-trimester. Of these, 159 women received vaginal progesterone and 144 received a placebo or no treatment. Women who received vaginal progesterone were 31 percent less likely to deliver before 33 weeks of pregnancy (31 percent for those receiving vaginal progesterone, compared to 43 percent for those who did not). Vaginal progesterone also reduced the rate of preterm delivery before 32 weeks and 34 weeks. All results were statistically significant.

Infants born to patients who received vaginal progesterone had a 30 percent reduction in the rate of respiratory distress syndrome, the most common complication of prematurity (from 47 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 33 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), a 46 percent reduction in the rate of mechanical ventilation (from 27 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 16 percent in the vaginal progesterone group), and a 47 percent reduction in the risk of dying in the neonatal period (from 22 percent in the placebo/no treatment group, to 11 percent in the vaginal progesterone group). These results were all statistically significant, as well.

The authors conclude that the results of this individual patient data meta-analysis represents strong evidence that vaginal progesterone in twin gestations with a short cervix reduces preterm birth, neonatal complications and neonatal death. This is the first intervention to successfully reduce both preterm birth and neonatal death.

"One of the most serious complications of multiples in pregnancy is premature birth. In 2014, the Michigan rate of preterm birth due to plurality was over 60 percent," said Kara Hamilton-McGraw, Maternal Child Health director for the March of Dimes. "Discovering a successful intervention to address premature birth in multiples could largely impact the rate of babies born too soon and those that, sadly, do not live to see their first birthday."
The Department noted in the notification that the "industry in the United States is materially injured" because of the import of off road tyres from India. The US Customs has been directed by the Commerce Department to determine the quantum of anti dumping duty to be imposed on Indian tyres. The notification says that this should be equal to the amount by which the normal value of the merchandise exceeds the export price.

: The United States of America has issued anti-dumping duty orders on off road tyres manufactured in India, according to a notification by the US Department of Commerce. The tax is effective immediately.President Donald Trump promised a more protectionist regime during the presidential campaign, arguing that NAFTA, the free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, killed jobs in America. One of Trumps first executive orders was to pull the US out of the Trans Pacific Partnership, a mega trade deal being negotiated by countries on the rim of the Pacific Ocean.That includes both goods and services.The US Congress has initiated moves to impose curbs on H1B visas for skilled workers, which is a threat to India's tech sector. The narrative fueled by Trump is that the liberal visa regime has enabled US firms to hire foreigners at the expense of Americans.The protectionist nature of the Trump administration was underlined in the President's inaugural address where he said that "Protectionism will lead to great prosperity and strength." Trump also added: "We will follow two simple rules: buy American and hire American."The protectionist action by the United States comes on the back of attacks on people of Indian origin. An Indian engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was shot dead by a White American who shouted "get out of my country" as he opened fire in a bar in Kansas.Last week, an Indian-origin convenience store owner Harnish Patel was found dead. Gun shot wounds were found on his body. In another incident, a Sikh man named Deep Rai was shot by a stranger outside his home in Washington. A video was recently uncovered in an anti-immigration website showing a man secretly filming Indian families at an Ohio park and commenting that the "Indian crowd" had "ravished the Mid-west".ALSO READ | H1B Visa Concerns: India Lobbies Trump Administration to Avert Curbs
Bridgo was shot in the neck and he died instantly, he said, adding another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing while others who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore at 12.30 AM.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam coastal hamlet gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

Protest in Rameshwaram(TN) after an Indian fisherman was shot dead by Srilankan Navy pic.twitter.com/N9Mh8e3Rev  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

Tamil Nadu: Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi party workers climb tower in protest against Sri Lankan Navy in Rameswaram pic.twitter.com/4MUOOiTAao  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

Five years after the sensational Italian marine case, an Indian fisherman was shot dead on Monday night allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat near Katchatheevu islet."I strongly condemned the killing by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fisherman was well within the Indian waters when Sri Lankan Navy opened fire," said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami while announcing Rs 5 lakh to family of deceased and Rs 1 lakh to family of another fisherman who has been injured.Bridgo, a resident of Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, was fishing near the islet along with others when the Sri Lankan naval personnel intervened and opened fire, Fisheries Department Assistant Director Kulanchinathan said.The external affairs ministry has reportedly expressed deep concern over the killing of Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy."Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation in to the matter," ministry sources said.The incident reminds of 2012 Italian marine case. Then Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast during an anti-piracy mission on an Italian oil tanker.Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said that more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot taking them by surprise.The Lankan navy officials did not even fire a warning shot, he alleged.Kulanchinathan said the body has been brought to the Rameswaram hospital and a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.The Tamil Nadu government had yesterday protested the "escalation" in apprehension of its fishermen by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did "not seem to put adequate pressure" on Colombo regarding the matter.In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities in the last few days and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the fishermen community.Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he had urged Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release."It is high time Central government reacts strongly to this problem. We just can't be a mute spectator," DMK's MK Stalin on Indian fisherman shot dead by Sri Lankan Navy(PTI inputs)
Sangli: Police on Monday night arrested a homoeopathic doctor from Belgaum, Karnataka, in connection with abortion racket case in Sangli district of Maharashtra.



The accused is identified as doctor Babasaheb Khidrapure, who runs Bharti Hospital at Mhaisal village in Sangli.



Nineteen aborted female foetuses were on Sunday found dumped near a stream at a village in Sangli district of western Maharashtra.



The doctor was absconding and nabbed by the Miraj police from Belgaum in Karnataka. Five teams were deployed for this task, police said.

We have sent DNA samples of the 19 foetuses to the lab to ascertain their gender, Sangli SP Dattatray Shinde said.



Bharti Hospital, where the abortions were were taking place, was being run by Khidrapure. The hospital is around 7 km from the Karnataka border, and had two hidden basement rooms to terminate pregnancies in advanced stages.



Probing the case of a pregnant woman's death during abortion, the police had reached the stream in Mhaisal village where it found the foetuses.



"So far we have found the remains of 19 female foetuses. These foetuses are aborted and buried with an intention of disposing them off," Sangli Superintendent of Police Dattatray Shinde said.



Shinde said the death of a 26-year-old pregnant woman on February 28 blew the lid off the "racket".



The woman had died during abortion at the private hospital of Dr Babasaheb Khidrapure in the village. Khidrapure holds a Bachelor's degree in Homoeopathy, the SP said.







"As the villagers suspected a foul play in the woman's death, they approached police, following which the racket was busted," Shinde said.



He said the woman was taken to the hospital by her husband Praveen Jamdade a few days back for abortion as she was carrying a girl child for the third time.



"The deceased woman's father Sunil Jadhav told police that Jamdade had called him and expressed his willingness to abort the female foetus. Despite Jadhav's objection, Jamdade went ahead with abortion, in which the woman died," said Shinde.







(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi University professor G N Saibaba has been sentenced to life under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for having connections with the Maoists by a sessions court in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra.



Along with Saibaba, JNU student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi and three others have also been convicted for Maoist links under UAPA.



Announcing the quantum of punishment, the Gadchiroli court pronounced life imprisonment for five including professor Sai Baba and ten years for Vijay Tirke for the crime.



In November 2016, final arguments had commenced in the predilection of the DU professor and the others in the Gadchiroli sessions court.



Saibaba, an English professor in Delhi's Ram Lal Anand college was arrested from his residence in 2013 for having alleged Maoist links.





He was arrested soon after a JNU student Hemant Mishra, who was in police custody, revealed during interrogation that he was acting as a link between the DU professor and Maoists in the Abujmad forests of Chhattisgarh.



Saibaba and the others have been convicted under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Amendment 2008).





However, in March 2016, The Supreme Court bench of Justice JS Khehar and Justice Nagappan acting on a Special leave petition challenging the rejection of the bail application of Saibaba by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay HC, granted bail to the professor on health grounds in the case.



The SC also reprimanded the counsel of the Maha govt saying: You have been extremely unfair to the accused(Prof Saibaba), especially given to his medical examination.



Earlier, lawyers of the wheelchair-bound Professor had pleaded for extension of bail on health grounds.



The wheelchair-bound prof is 90% disabled and was paralysed from the waist-downwards after contracting polio in his childhood.



The court found Saibaba and five others guilty of waging a war against India.



Prashant Sathi, prosecution lawyer, had prayed to the court that the accused must be sentenced to life imprisonment under section 20 of the Act.



Sathi had also contended that Saibaba and others shouldnt get any relief, and that his disability should not be any factor to lessen the punishment as this handicap had never prevented him from aiding activities which killed several people.


Johars case has actually woken up the sleeping lion of surrogacy. This government is extremely against homosexuals or single individuals becoming parents through surrogacy and this bill is proof of it. There is bound to be a lot of rush for single individuals and homosexuals opting for surrogacy till this bill sees the light of the day, said Karkhanis.

Karkhanis is not alone. Even Dhaval Dave told News18 that the focus of the bill seems misplaced as it targets commercial surrogacy rather than commercialisation of surrogacy. Dave is the famed lawyer from Gujarat who was the petitioners counsel in the case where Indian citizenship was conferred on two twin babies fathered through surrogacy by a German national.

So long as the bill is debated and discussed, such cases can go on, said Dave.

Now this entire thing is only possible because homosexuality has been prohibited under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. I have heard the government even mentioning in court at times that those possible amendments may be done to the Act at a later date in case homosexuality is decriminalized, said Karkhanis.

Eminent filmmaker Karan Johar becoming a father through surrogacy may encourage many single individuals and homosexuals to follow that route, experts say, until Parliament passes a Bill which has been pending for a few months.The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill of 2016 not only bans commercial surrogacy, but on its radar are homosexual couples, people who are in live-in-relationships and single individuals who want to have children via surrogacy.According to the draft law presented by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, only childless Indian heterosexual couples married for a minimum five years and with proven medical problems are eligible for surrogacy.Amit Karkhanis, a surrogacy law expert and an advocate at the Bombay High Court, told News18 that this trend of renting a womb by homosexuals, and single individuals will only rise is the bill is kept pending.He also said that Mumbai was witnessing an unprecedented scenario where fertility clinics were outright rejecting singles and homosexuals desiring to become parents.In Mumbai especially, 99% of fertility clinics and doctors have stopped entertaining homosexuals or single individuals opting for surrogacy as they fear the ruling government. There is a fear that though they cannot be penalised till the new bill is passed, at least Income Tax raids can be conducted by the officials to keep a check on such practices, said Karkhanis.This bill in particular does not target commercialisation of surrogacy but commercial surrogacy. There is a difference between the two. There is nothing wrong with commercial surrogacy where a lady of her own will decides to become a surrogate and receives proper compensation for her services. This is certainly not against public policy as is being projected by the government. Commercialisation of surrogacy must be targeted and prevented. This is where surrogates are exploited and this needs regulation, but somehow the government is targeting the commercial aspect of it, said Dave.Dave also pointed out that once the bill is through in its present form, cases like that of Johar and Tushar Kapoor will certainly be over.However, Hari G Ramasubhramanian, chief consultant, Indian Surrogacy Law Centre, told News18 that this bill needs to be tested on the touchstone of the reproductive rights of an individual and only then it can be said whether it is without any fault or not.There is still a scope to rethink the provisions of the law and make changes to it. What is perplexing is it is not clear what this bill is trying to achieve. Demand for procreation will never die and will only increase with time and there is a supply to cater to it from women who wish to be paid in return. Now, whenever there will be money involved, there is a scope for exploitation and the government must regulate such practices, but banning this concept for willing women and for unmarried couples does not make any sense, said Ramasubhramanian.Karkhanis pointed out that this bill was carefully crafted and told News18 that government submission reveals that the entire plan to eliminate homosexuals from the bill emanates from Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality.But Ramasubhramanian also said that the concept that only the rich opt for surrogacy is certainly a wrong notion.There are also cases where a watchman has taken a loan to get a child via surrogacy, he said.
Chennai: Political parties, including the Congress, have become "family private limited" companies and hence, a new platform is needed for Tamil youngsters seeking a political career, P Chidambaram's son Karti has said.



"They (youngsters) do not have space in any party. They cannot join any traditional party, be it the Congress, DMK, or AIADMK, and come up. There is a need for a platform for them in Tamil Nadu," he said here on Monday.



Karti was addressing a meeting of 'G-67', a youth collective launched by him two years ago to mark 50 years of Dravidian rule in Tamil Nadu, alternately by the AIADMK and the DMK after dethroning the Congress, which was in power for 20 consecutive years in the state till then.



"All political parties have become private family properties...the existing parties are family private limited (enterprises). There cannot be any alternative view there. You have to sing peans to the supreme leader and if the leader wishes, one may get some position," he said.



In a couple of tweets on Tuesday, Karti said, "Yesterday (March 6) marked the 50th year since @INCIndia lost power in TN. We should ponder about this...Every party from the NC, PDP, Akali, SS, RJD, SP, TRS, TD, DMK, AIADMK, BJD and the BJP now with the proliferation of heirs.#G67."



Karti alleged that the "culture of a supreme leader" was being followed by all the political parties. "You cannot criticise the supreme leader or their children or family. Opportunities will be given (by a party) only to the heirs of a local, state or national-level leader. Newcomers will not be given opportunities (election tickets). Has any political party ever said that they are giving ticket to a gold medal winner of the IIT?" he asked.



"There is no scope for dissent on a political platform. You cannot criticise the policies or leadership on a political platform," he added.



Karti, son of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram, said educated persons moving away from politics and the evolution of supreme leaders were the "big changes" witnessed over the last 50 years.



"After the demise of a supreme leader, his family capturing the party is what is happening," he said, adding that this was the "reality of politics" in India today.



Under such circumstances, he referred to the ascendance of a "new breed" of leaders in the US, Europe and in Delhi, who used the social media effectively to connect with the people, sans the trappings of a hierarchy-bound traditional party set-up.



Karti added that US President Donald Trump won the trust of Americans in spite of opposition from the "traditional media and the traditional party".



Trump's party "had to accept him as the people accepted him". He even banned the traditional news outlets from White House as he was confident of connecting with the people directly through social media, Karti said.



Referring to the recent pro-jallikattu protests in Tamil Nadu, he said it signified the anger of the educated, aspirational youth over several issues, including the introduction of the NEET examination for medical admissions.



Similarly, the ongoing protest at Neduvasal in Pudukottai district against the hydrocarbon project also symbolised "people's activism, (upholding) farmers' rights and (protecting) the ecology", he added.



Karti said social media played a big role in the protests and added that he was confident of reaching out to the protesters, sans the trappings of hierarchy of parties.



On the acronym 'G-67', he said it might sound like a "bus number", adding that probably "this bus" will go "somewhere".



It stood for a generation that was born after 1967 and it was a "platform" intended to reflect the views of such a generation on the progress made by Tamil Nadu since then.



Recalling the dramatic turn of events since the hospitalisation of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa till the swearing-in of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, Karti said "none had expected it".



Similarly, it was not possible to spell out the path his initiative will follow, he added.



"As far as I am concerned, there is a need for a platform, a forum for this generation. I do not even know if I am the appropriate person to lead such an initiative."



Citing the examples of Donald Trump and a few European countries, he said the collapse of the traditional political parties has begun thanks to the social media and added that in Tamil Nadu, the current "vacuum" will only quicken the collapse of the traditional parties.
Damoh: A man with a slit throat exhibited miraculous courage as he walked almost two kilometres, seeking help after he and his friend were assaulted by unknown miscreants.



Ranjeet Chadhar, 27, a resident of village Bhuar in Jabalpur had gone to attend a marriage in Damohs Taradehi village with his friend Golu Lodhi. On their way back, as the two reached village Dhargaur, some unidentified miscreants assaulted them, and snatched Rs 15,000 and mobile phone from Ranjeet.



Armed with sticks, the assailants pushed Ranjeet on the ground and hit him with a sharp-edged weapon, slitting his throat wide.



Bleeding profusely, Ranjeet was unconscious for four and a half hours.



Having regained consciousness in the early hours of the morning, he found his friend Golu Lodhi was missing.



Mustering courage he reached the nearby village, Vadipura, around 3 km from the site, on foot after walking for around two hours.



The villagers saw he was grievously injured and informed the police.



The doctor who treated Ranjeet was surprised with his courage and the miraculous escape.



The cut was really deep, I am not sure what saved the man," said Dr Ashwani Patel of Tendukhera hospital.



A case of loot and assault has been registered against unknown attackers. A manhunt has been launched for nabbing the culprits, Damoh Superintendent of Police Tilak Singh said.



Ranjeet is now recuperating in the hospital.


Srinagar: In a rare incident, which comes as a cause for worry for the Jammu and Kashmir Police, around a dozen heavily armed militants entered the home of a senior police officer in south Kashmir and ransacked property worth lakhs of rupees.



Confirming the incident, which occurred on Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid told News 18 that if militants have resorted to such actions, the police will hit them back and hard.



"They should realise that they have families too," he said.



A senior police officer from south Kashmir said a group of militants with automatic rifles entered the house of one officer, who belongs to Shopian.



Once inside the premises, the suspected militants, he said, threatened the family and said the police officer must quit his job or face the consequences.



They told his family members that since the police were destroying property of militants and those who were providing them shelter, there was bound to be retaliation, he said.



The militants reportedly destroyed household and electronic items, but no member of the officers family was injured.



"It has happened before as well, but this time it was reported. We will deal with it, he added.



The senior police officer said a similar incident occurred three days ago and that Hizbul Mujahideen militants had issued similar threats earlier as well. Militant commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by security forces last year, too had asked policemen to quit counter-militancy operations.



The officer said such incidents could affect the morale of the policemen, but Vaid disagreed.



Confirming the Shopian incident, South Kashmir DIG SP Pani, said: Yes the incident took place. We are investigating the case.




Shajapur: Madhya Pradesh police have confirmed that the explosion in Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train was indeed a terror attack, which injured nine people onboard.



Three persons have been arrested in this connection. The blast took place in the train bogie at Jabar railway station close to Shajapur this morning while suspects were traced in Uttar pradesh's Lucknow and Kanpur districts.



Inspector general (law and order) Makarand Deuskar told media that it was an IED explosion in which Ammonium Nitrate was used.



Three suspects were nabbed by police at Piparia toll plaza. MP police have handed over the vital information about the terror network to their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh leading to the arrest of one suspect in Kanpur. However, another suspect Saifulla was surrounded by Uttar Pradesh ATS and security agencies in Lucknow; and the encounter was still on till reports last came in.



The arrested suspects in the case had reportedly boarded a bus in Bhopal for Hoshangabad.



Initially, the cause behind the explosion was suspected to be a short circuit or an explosion in a mobile phone. But, later Home Minister Bhupendra Singh confirmed that the initial probe found traces of gun powder in the train. Singh termed the blast a part of wider conspiracy.



We had shared inputs gathered from the nabbed suspects with central agencies which in turn alerted UP police, Singh said.



Indore railway division spokesperson Jitendra Jayant had confirmed that one of the bogies of train number 59320 had reported a blast close to Jabri station in the morning in which nine people were injured.



Sources said that ATS in Hyderabad had passed on inputs to their MP counterparts regarding the presence of suspects.
In November 2016, NIA had filed a complaint against 51-year-old Naik under UAPA and carried out searches at 10 premises of his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) following which IRF was put on restricted list by the Union Home Ministry for illegally receiving funds from abroad.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Naik's sister in connection with a money laundering probe against him and others.

: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday issued notice to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to join investigations at its headquarters in New Delhi on March 14, 2017.Naik, who is said to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after some perpetrators of the Dhaka terror strike last year claimed they were inspired by him, has been booked, along with unnamed officials of his IRF, for promoting enmity among different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).According to the investigative agency, five private companies, in which Naik's sister Nailah Naushad Noorani is designated as director and additional director have come under the scanner after the agency found "connections" between the companies and IRF.Officials said Noorani met the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case at the agency's office in Mumbai during which her statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).They said the agency wanted to grill Noorani about the alleged fund transactions in her account and the firms associated with her.The central probe agency had registered a criminal case against Naik and others last December after taking cognisance of an NIA complaint filed under the UAPA.The Enforcement Directorate is looking into the charges of alleged laundering of illegal funds by the accused in the case and the subsequent proceeds of crime thus generated. It has also summoned Naik but he is still to depose before the agency as he is reported to be abroad.It has recently arrested Naik's close aide Aamir Gazdar in this case.
In a setback for Salman Khan, the Rajasthan government has appealed against the actors acquittal in an Arms Act case related to the alleged poaching of two blackbucks in Jodhpur 18 years ago.District and Sessions Judge Bhagwan Das Agarwal issued notice to the actor, seeking his reply to the government's plea against him by April 21.Public Prosecutor Pokar Ram Bishnoi, who challenged Khan's acquittal, said the plea has been admitted and the notice issued to Khan.The government has challenged Khan's acquittal in the Arms Act case involving alleged possession of unlicensed weapon by him for hunting deers in 1998 in Jodhpur.Jodhpur Chief Judicial Magistrate had acquitted Salman in the Arms Act case on January 18 citing technical grounds, saying he had been prosecuted under wrong sections.Bishnoi argued before the sessions judge that the case had been proved against Khan, which was also admitted by the court and that on the basis of the examination of the evidence and witnesses, the prosecution had proved the case.The state government has moved the sessions court against Salman's acquittal in the Arms Act case barely over a month after the apex court on January 29 issued notice to him on another petition challenging his acquittal by the Rajasthan High Court in the deer hunting case.While the high court had acquitted the actor in July, the state government had moved the apex court against him in October last year.Salman was accused of hunting two chinkaras at Bhawad in Mathania near Jodhpur on September 26, 1998 and another chinkara at Ghoda farms two days later on September 28, when he was in city for shooting of a film.(With agency inputs)
An Army jawan who was allegedly forced to work as 'Sahayak' (Orderly) as part of punishment for returning late from leave, has raised his voice against the colonial system through a video post that has now gone viral.The jawan who identified himself as Sindhav Jogidas said, "I was punished for raising complaints. Army is the only service where combatants were forced to serve officers.""I am sure that Army won't accept these complaints. I did not want to speak about the Army in public or social media, but I had no other choice but to raise my complaint in public," Jogidas added.Jogidas also alleged that he did not get any reply even after complaining on the WhatsApp number given by army for grievance redressal.Speaking to CNN-News 18, he said, "The officers started harassing me when I refused to do the Sahayak job. I was kept under Army custody for 7 days. Army officers treat soldiers as their 'slaves'.""I approached Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Defence Ministry. After this a Court of Inquiry (COI) was ordered against me for writing to PMO," he added.Jogidas also said that there is no official record of sahayaks in the army because nothing is given in writing to soldiers who are deputed as orderly.There has been no official statement from the Army as yet. But sources in the Army said that Jogidas was employed as Sipahi Housekeeper, which implies that he was in Safai work (sanitation)."He (Jogidas) joined the army in 2014. His trade is that of Sipahi Housekeeper-which implies he was in Safai work. In 2015, he overstayed his leave and was awarded a seven days pay fine. HeWanted to leave the service. But after processing his case, he was advised final counselling and then said he did not want to leave and chose to serve in a high altitude area," Army sources informed CNN-News18.Another CRPF jawan has alleged that officers became vindictive if they lodge complain to them about various issues.There is no Sahayak system in Navy and Air Force.Jogidas also alleged that soldiers are given bad food and poor facilities.Earlier a Kerala jawan Roy Mathew, who featured in a sting operation criticising Sahayak system, was found dead in his barrack in Deolali Cantonment in Maharashtra.
Colombo: The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday has ordered a probe into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy, after India raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.



The Sri Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and only arrests them.



The navy's reaction comes after India said that a 22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.



The Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera wrote to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to carry out an investigation on the alleged shooting.



In his letter, Amaraweera said the navy has denied firing at the fishermen but in order to maintain good relations with India, it was important to launch a probe into the Indian accusation.



Amaraweera said he had spoken with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjith Singh Sandhu and assured that Sri Lanka was keen not to allow the good relations between the two countries hampered by any incident.



There was no response from the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's office on the Indian media reports that New Delhi had taken up the matter with him.



Indian fisherman Bridgo along with others was fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, fisheries department officials in Tamil Nadu had said.



Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot and another fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries in his leg in the firing. Other fishermen who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore.








TVs Ram and Sita, Gurmeet Choudhary and his wife Debina Bonnerjee are going to become parents soon. The couple have announced that they will be adopting two girls, aged six and nine, from Jarampur, Bihar. The couple will be traveling to the small village where the two girls, Lata and Pooja stay and bring them to Mumbai.Incidentally, Gurmeets parents are settled in Jarampur, where his mother runs a school. The couple met the two girls first in 2014, when the couple were there to attend a family wedding. Pooja and Lata are cousins and have lost their parents recently and now living a distant relative. Gurmeet's mother, who is close to the girls, felt that the children would have to work in people's homes as domestic help to sustain themselves and approached Gurmeet for help. "After hearing about their plight from my mother I discussed them with my wife. Debina agreed with me that it was time to give the kids a home, a deserving education and my last name," said Gurmeet to Mumbai Mirror The couple admit that they had developed instant liking for the two girls when they first met them three years back and kept getting updates about their lives through his mother."All the paperwork is done. We will be going to Jarampur for the final signatures after Holi. It is a two-day process.Everybody, including my parents, keep asking me when I'm planning a baby. Well, it's official now, I'm bringing home two daughters and we couldn't be more excited," said Gurmeet.The girls will not move in with the couple instantly though. Gurmeet feels that uprooting them from their place and moving them to the city will make things difficult for the young girls as they wont be able to adjust to the busy city life. The actor said eventually they will be shifted to Mumbai. After one academic year, they will shift in with us in our Andheri home by 2018. My brother and his family live in Patna and they will be around to see that they are well cared for. Debina and I will travel to Patna three-four times in the year and stay there through their summer vacation too,"The elder one, Lata, is surrently binge watching Gurmeets shows, the actor informed and has given her consent to the couples idea, but the younger one, Pooja is still not aware that she is becoming a part of a new family. Gurmeet stated that he doesnt want to completely alienate the girls from their family and that they will be visiting Jarampur during their vacations when they start living in Mumbai.Gurmeet and Debina tied the knot in February 2011 in a private ceremony in Mumbai. The couple state that they would also like have their own children in the near future.
Los Angeles: Hugh Jackman's name is synonymous with The Wolverine, but the actor says his son Oscar thinks he's nothing like the film's leading character.



The actor spoke about his son, 16, during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, reports dailymail.co.uk.



Recalling a past incident where a friend of his son was gushing over the 48-year-old, Jackman told the host Stephen Colbert: "Dad is nothing like Wolverine. He's not tough, he's not cool."



"I remember my son having a friend come over. He was about 13 (at the time)," Jackman recalled.



He added: "The guy was peppering him with Wolverine questions and my son was like, nothing. Finally I hear this 'Listen, dad is nothing like Wolverine. He's not tough, he's not cool. Don't ask me anything about it'."



Jackman currently stars in "Logan", the latest of the Wolverine spin-off series. It is his last appearance as Wolverine.



The show is aired in India on Star World Premiere HD.








Mumbai: Actor Akshay Kumar says his hit song Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast played in important part in taking shaping up his career.



The song from Mohra, featuring Akshay and Raveena Tandon became one of biggest chartbusters of the 1990s and the actor says it became a turning point in his Bollywood journey.



The track has been recreated for Abbas-Mustan's directorial venture Machine, which marks debut of Abbas Burmawala's son, Mustafa.



"In my life three things played a crucial part - 'Khiladi' film, 'Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast' song and 'Chura Ke Dil Mera' song- these three things shaped up my career. This song gave a turning point to my career," Akshay told reporters here at the launch the new version of the song.



The 49-year-old actor says he did not rehearse for the song which was shot with the help of nine cameras.



"I did not do any rehearsals. We had the choreographers and we used to rehearsals on the spot. We shot the song in 'Filmmalaya' studio and we had nine cameras shooting the song it was a big thing then."



The actor scored his first big hit with Abbas-Mustan's Khiladi and went on to do films like Ajnabee and Aitraaz with them.



"Due to Abbas-Mustan I got my first hit film 'Khiladi' and I am grateful to them. I would have done anything for them today."



The new version stars Kiara Advani and the actress says she showed the song to the original star Raveena two days before the release.



"I showed her the song two days back and she loved it. I wanted to get her blessings. It was surreal to do the song. I used to dance in front of mirror to this song and I got opportunity to do it (dance) in front of camera," says Kiara.



Meanwhile, Akshay says it was great to work with Raveena.



"It was great honour always working with her. We did so many films together and we had some really good songs as well including 'Tip Tip Barsa Paani'... It's my favourite song, it was an amazing song.
Roberstganj (Sonbhadra district): Nestled in the hills, around 80 km from Varanasi, is a district with a population roughly the size of the US state of West Virginia. It has the distinction of being the only district in India that shares its border with four states - Madhya Pradesh to its west, Chattisgarh to the south, Jharkhand to the south-east and Bihar to the north-east. It may seem like a quaint and quiet area, but as recently as 15 years ago, it was the center of a violent Naxalite movement in UP. Welcome to Sonbhadra district  a forgotten corner of Uttar Pradesh.



The presence of limestone, coal and abundant water bodies makes it ripe ground for industrialization. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) alone has three power plants in the district, in addition to four others. The benefits of rapid industrialization, however, have hardly trickled down to the most oppressed sections. Socio-economic indicators continue to paint a grim picture, it ranks lowest in eastern UP in terms of agricultural development, child malnutrition is high and the rapid pace of industrialisation has led to a conflict over tribal land rights.



It was this conflict that led to the rise of the Naxalite violence in the 1990s. The district was engulfed in violence for the better part of the 1990s and the conflict even spilled over into the new millennium. This year, however, as the district prepares to go to polls on March 8 in the seventh phase, Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) hopes to turn UPs Red Corridor blue. In other parts of the state, particularly in communally sensitive western UP, Mayawati is banking on a social engineering experiment. The BSP is trying to cobble together an alliance of Dalit and Muslim votes. In Sonbhadra, where the Muslim population is only around 5%, the same poll arithmetic may not work. Instead, the BSP will is working to ally Dalit votes with those of Adivasis. Together, the two communities make up nearly half of the districts electorate.



BSP district president B Sagar said his partys track record in the district will ensure the party sweeps all four assembly seats. When Behenji was in power, she did a lot for the district. Since then, the development of Sonbhadra has been halted. The biggest issue here is land rights of tribals. During our time, the government ensured that tribal communities got ownership of the land that they controlled. No other government has done this much for Adivsasis in UP. Besides, it was during her time that Naxalism truly ended.



BSPs pro-tribal push got a huge fillip in October last year when it managed to poach seven-time MLA Vijay Singh Gond from the BJP. Gond first won the Duddhi assembly seat in 1980 and never lost the seat till 2012. This year, he has also managed to ensure a ticket for his son Virendra Singh from the Obra constituency. Both seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates. The father-son duo brings with them the huge support of the Gond community.



The problem for the BSP, however, is that SC and ST voters are largely concentrated in the Dudhi and Obra constituencies. In the other two seats  Robertsganj and Ghorawal  it will be difficult for any party to win without the support of Brahmins and OBCs. In 2007, the BSP won both assembly seats in Sonbhadra. After delimitation, two new assembly seats were carved out. This upset the BSPs calculations in 2012. Coupled with the anti-incumbency wave, this new development ensured that Maywatis party won just one of four seats. This year, the BJP has reached out to communities like the Khushwahas and Nishads, while trying to break Gonds hold over ST voters.



The SP will be wiped out in Sonbhadra and the BSP will also fare very poorly. Robertsganj, since the days of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, has been our stronghold. It was only in the 1980s, when other parties started dividing people on the basis of caste that we started doing poorly. This year, there is a Modi wave. Old calculations of caste will cease to matter. People have decided to vote for development. Vijay Singh Gond will also lose from his seat. After his son got a ticket, people have started to see that he is less interested in the development of tribals and more interested in promoting his son, said Alok Mishra, BJPs district president.



Meanwhile, as political parties struggle with poll arithmetic, Sonbhadra continues to grapple with basic issues of bijli, sadak, pani. Dwarika Prasad, a shopkeeper in Robertsganj town, summed up his biggest concern in one line. Bataiye, jis jila mein heere ka khan hai, us jila mein hi bijli, sadak, paani nahi hai (A district which has diamond mines doesnt even have electricity, roads and drinking water).
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday sought to oppose the proposal for simultaneous elections to Parliament and assemblies and asked if those propagating it have no faith in the democratic process.



"Are you going to trample democracy? Are you going to cut short the tenure of Parliament and assemblies?" Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked.



He was asked to state the party's views on the issue of simultaneous conduct of the elections.



"Is the tenure (of an assembly), which is elected in accordance with the will of people, not part of an established order and constitutional practice and basic structure of the Constitution?" he asked.



Sujewala asked if those who want all elections to be held in one go have no faith in the democratic process of this country and the beauty of it.



"The democratic process is the essential strength of this country and character," he said.



The Congress had earlier sought wider consultations on holding of simultaneous elections to Parliament and assemblies.



"The Prime Minister has been very active on this issue. This is an issue that needs a larger debate. It may look theoretically very easy to say something, but realistically there may be requirements for a constitutional amendment too.



"It calls for a larger debate and all political parties must be involved. The larger question is of electoral reforms under the system. It is not having an election on a given date, but more important is electoral reforms," the party had earlier said.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been propagating the idea of simultaneous elections to Parliament and state legislatures, holding the view that continuous polls affect development and halt the decision-making process.



Asked about Congress leader Karti Chidambaram's statement that political parties, including the Congress, have become "family private limited" companies, Surjewala said he would comment on it after he sees it and discuss the issue within the party.



"They (youngsters) do not have space in any party. They cannot join any traditional party, be it the Congress, DMK, or AIADMK, and come up. There is a need for a platform for them in Tamil Nadu," Karti, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, had said in Chennai on Monday.



Surjewala said, "In the Congress, every ordinary worker, by the sheer dint of his/her hard work, can reach the highest office and that has been proved adequately by history."



Asked whether the Congress will take any action against Karti, Surjewala said he would request AICC general secretary in charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu, Mukul Wasnik to make any further comment on it.



"I have already made such a request. He will look into the statement in detail and see what further action, if any, is required," he said.




From a BPL cardholder to a powerful minister in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet to a rape accused life has been a topsy-turvy ride for Gayatri Prajapati over the last five years.In 2012, Prajapati was a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holder, which means he hardly had any money to live the lavish life of a minister. But things began to change soon after he won his first Assembly election in 2012 from Amethi. This was his fourth attempt where he defeated Amita Singh of the Congress in the Gandhi family pocket-borough. After this, he was known for his proximity with Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal.Almost a year after this, Prajapati was inducted into Akhilesh Yadavs cabinet, apparently at the directions of Shivpal, as Minister of State for Irrigation. Few months later, Prajapati was made MoS (independent charge) and was given the mining department. The year after that, he was promoted and was made a Cabinet-rank minister in charge of the mining department.The ride started to get bumpy for him when, in 2015, Lucknow-based social activist and wife of IPS Amitabh Thakur, Nutan Thakur, approached the Lokayukta with proof gathered via RTI against Prajapati for accruing illegal wealth. There were other complaints against the minister too, but most of them withdrew complaints saying they did not have enough proof against him.Nutan's husband Amitabh Thakur also had a run-in with the SP leadership. He had accused Mulayam Singh Yadav of threatening him with dire consequences for his activism.Nutan exposed a mining syndicate in front of the Lokayukta, which, she alleged, was being run by Prajapati. She also gave documentary details of companies allegedly floated by Prajapati after he became minister.Riding high on luck, Prajapati got a clean chit from the Lokayukta in the disproportionate assets case, but the Allahabad High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into the illegal mining case. Even UP CM Akhilesh Yadav dropped Prajapati from his Cabinet after the courts order amid rising friction in his family and the party. The CBI inquiry is still on against alleged irregularities in the mining department under Prajapati.Nutan Thakur informed the Lokayukta office of the properties held by Prajapati's wife Maharaji, daughters Sudha and Ankitaand sons Anurag and Anil. The assets were allegedly bought in their names after October 2013.Prajapati's son Anil is the director of Life Cure Medical Centre  a multi-specialty hospital at Pratapgarh in Amethi. He also heads Shuhag Exports Limited and Decent Constructions, both based in Amethi.Nutan Thakur also revealed details of properties that Prajapati allegedly bought in the names of his staff, including drivers and domestic help. The allegations were substantiated by the Income Tax department's reply to the Lokayukta confirming that Prajapati's driver acquired assets worth Rs 77 lakh in two years without filing an I-T return. The list of companies includes MGA Hospitality, Kahana Build Well, MGA Colonisers, MSA Infra Venture, Daya Builders Private Limited, MSGA Enterprises, MGM Agro Tech, Excel Built Tech and MSG Realtors.As the state Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh progressed, the apex court ordered the police to file an FIR against Prajapati and six others on the complaint of a woman. The woman alleged that she was repeatedly gang-raped and her minor daughter was molested.After no relief from the Supreme Court, Prajapati and six others were booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on February 18. On March 11, Prajapati lose the Assembly election from Amethi constituency. He was finally arrested from Lucknow on Wednesday.
Adoption of connected home solutions is still at an early adopter phase, with only 10 percent of households in the US, Britain and Australia having such home solutions, market research firm Gartner said on Monday.The survey included 10,000 online respondents in the US, Britain and Australia.Connected home solutions consist of a set of devices and services that are connected to each other and to the internet and can automatically respond to preset rules, be remotely accessed and managed by mobile apps or a browser, and send alerts or messages to the users."Although households in the developed world are beginning to embrace connected home solutions, providers must push beyond early adopter use," said Amanda Sabia, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.The survey found that home security alarm systems have nearly double the adoption rates (18 percent) of newer connected home solutions such as home monitoring (11 per cent), home automation or energy management (9 percent), and health and wellness management (11 percent).In the US, where the home monitoring industry is more developed, 59 percent of households with a home monitoring solution indicate they do pay a monthly fee, thus proving they see value for these solutions.The challenge is even greater in Britain, where few home automation services are subscription based and 58 per cent of households with home automation get their services free of charge, the findings showed.
American multinational tech company Google faces a regulatory scrutiny in Turkey after officials launched an antitrust investigation on the company's Android operating system, a media report said.The investigation, prompted by a complaint from Google's Russian competitor Yandex, was launched to find out whether the tech giant's software has broken the country's antitrust rules, New York Times reported.Google has been accused that its software bundle in Android creates an unfair advantage against its competitors.The investigation in Turkey was the latest legal problem for Google, which faces three separate competition charges in Europe and has already been found to breach antitrust legislation in Russia, the report said.The investigation by Turkish officials is similar to the one by the European Commission regarding Google's alleged abuse of its dominant position with Android, which runs on 75 per cent of smartphones worldwide, to unfairly gain market share.Google has rejected these claims and argued that the European regulators did not properly factor in consideration the fragmentation of Android as it gets modified by developers.
China's three telecom carriers -- China Mobile Communications, China United Network Communications Group and China Telecommunications Corp -- announced steps to scrap domestic long-distance and roaming charges from October 1, 2017, according to China Daily. Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of global telecom body GSMA, has welcomed the move.China Daily said the move to slash rates is expected to drive forward industrial transformation and boost the upgrading and adjustment of real economy.It reported that Li Yue, President, China Mobile -- the country's largest telecom operator -- said the domestic roaming charges account for 8 to 10 per cent of its total revenue, and removal of such fees will have an influence on the company. Li was quoted as saying that this will encourage China Mobile to improve operation and management efficiency."We are extremely delighted that GSMA's call to bring an end to domestic roaming fees has received resounding support from the leading operators in China, the largest telecoms market in the world," said Mittal."The plan to eliminate domestic roaming fees will not just promote customer convenience by ending bill shocks' but help boost usage by customers through adoption of network technologies to augment productivity, innovation and economic growth," he added.Mittal expressed hope that operators in other countries will take the cue from China's example to usher in similar initiatives, in the interest of the customers.The China Daily reported that China Unicom said it will increase the coverage of broadband access, develop innovative applications, and upgrade products and services in response to the initiative of "increasing broadband access speed and reducing tariff" by the authority.
India and Portugal on Monday agreed to set up an institutional mechanism to collaborate in areas of electronic manufacturing, ITeS, start-ups, cyber security and e-governance, an official said."We had a very good discussion and have agreed to collaborate in the areas of electronic manufacturing, ITeS, cyber security, e-governance and capacity building. We will support the Portugal team in scaling up their initiatives -- Simplex and Portuguese Citizen Shops, which are like our MyGov and Common Service Centre initiatives," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.Prasad on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Maria Manuel Leitao Marques, Portuguese Minister of Presidency and Administrative Modernisation, ahead of the ICEGOV 2017, the 10th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, an official statement here said."We also have discussed several collaborative initiatives in the domain of capacity building and cyber security to ensure safe and secure cyber space," Prasad said."We have also informed the Portuguese Minister that India is going to host the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in November 2017, which will see participation of over 100 countries with 2,000 delegates," added Prasad.The bilateral meeting was organised within the framework of the India-Portugal Collaboration for ICEGOV 2017 that is taking place in India for the first time with the participation of key representatives from the industry, policymakers, government officials, elected representatives, researchers, innovators and educators from developing and developed countries.
Global mobile industry body GSMA has said it will not be collaborating with the domestic telecom players grouping COAI for the Indian Mobile Congress scheduled to be held here in September."...the GSMA is not collaborating with COAI in the development of the India Mobile Congress scheduled to take place in September," the GSM Association said in a statement.India is organising its first mobile congress in September with a special focus on reaching out to the South East Asian markets. The event, which has support from the government, is being executed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) that was expecting GSMA to participate in the event."We hope the GSMA will support us and participate in this event," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said. The GSMA organises events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of Conferences, including Mobile 360 India, which will be held in New Delhi in November. Mathews has said that there is nothing in between, Barcelona and Shanghai, for South East Asia."I am hoping that at some point of time IMC will be an anchor event for South East Asia," Mathews said. The Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Electronics and IT have laid their emphasis on Indian Mobile Congress to showcase that India is emerging as leader of telecom industry and the Cellular Operators Association of India will drive it.Mathews had earlier said that he along with Indian government delegation had held discussions with British and Swedish Trade Ministers for their engagement in IMC. He said all Indian mobile operators, Facebook, Huawei, Ericsson, Cisco etc are likely to participate in the mobile congress."We have asked other Indian business association to come together and be part of it. The event will focus on knowledge sharing, exhibition, start ups, skill development and all pillars of Digital India including Make in India," Mathews said.
Nuclear-armed North Korea's launch of four missiles was a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan and supervised by leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang's state media said.



Three of the four missiles came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

Washington and Tokyo have sought an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the launch, likely to be scheduled for for Tuesday.



Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world "won't allow" North Korea to continue on its "destructive path".



But six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.



Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, the North's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.



"Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets", he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.



"The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said," the agency added, referring to Kim.

The military units involved are "tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency", KCNA said.



But a US defence official told AFP that North Korea had launched five extended-range Scud missiles yesterday, with one crashing somewhere over the Korean peninsula.

Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.



Kim Jong-Un ordered his military "to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime", KCNA reported, and to be ready to "open fire to annihilate the enemies" when ordered.



Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but yesterday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament: "This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat," adding: "We can never tolerate this."

The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region.
The latest executive order specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.



US President Donald Trump's revised executive order temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six nations still has the "intent" to discriminate against Muslims and authorities are ready to go to court against it, New York Attorney General said on Tuesday."While the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear. This does not just harm the families caught in the chaos of President Trump's draconian policies it is diametrically opposed to our values, and makes us less safe," Eric Schneiderman said.He said courts across the country had made it clear that Trump is "not above the Constitution".Schneiderman said that his office is closely reviewing the new executive order and he stands ready to "litigate -- again -- in order to protect New York's families, institutions and economy".Trump on Tuesday signed the revised executive order, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas while dropping Iraq from the list, after worldwide outrage over the controversial immigration policy.The new order drops Iraq's name from the list of targeted countries, saying Baghdad has agreed to increase cooperation with the US on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to America.
NELSON  While Rep. Tom Garrett toured Nelson County and a group of his constituents rallied in Charlottesville on Monday, President Donald Trump renewed an executive order blocking travelers from six countries from entering the United States.

Garrett, R-5th District, has sparred with generally liberal Indivisible Charlottesville since not long after the freshman representative took his seat in January. Along with their ideological dispute, they disagreed Monday on whether they had an appointment.

On Monday, Trump proceeded toward immigration overhaul with a reworked executive order freezing immigration from six countries as well as the countrys refugee intake system.

The order rolled out much more smoothly this time, Garrett said in an interview Monday. He supported the first draft in January, the sudden release of which confused people it affected as well as those tasked with enforcing it.

This shouldnt be controversial, Garrett said.  The hue and cry was broad because it took three days the first time he rolled this thing out to figure out what he did.

Garrett said he didnt get an advanced copy this time either, but he knew two days ago the order was coming.

Indivisible chapters are rising throughout the country using a guide designed by former Democratic aides to resist the Trump agenda.

A group of Indivisible Nelson County members planned to join a rally in Charlottesville outside Garretts office Monday when they learned he would be closer to home.

They redirected to Blue Ridge Medical Center, where they stood near the highway holding signs including Tommy Can You Hear Me? for a short time. They left because center staff asked them to, they said.

They dont understand or trust Trumps executive order in part because of campaign statements he made saying he planned to ban all Muslims from entering the United States as well as his opaque business ties, the group of retirees said Monday. They want to see his tax returns.

He didnt target countries where weve actually had terrorists come through, supposedly because he has investments in those countries, said Kim Bryant, an Indivisible Nelson member and retired audiologist.

Indivisible Nelson members came to the medical center Monday because Garrett is ducking them, they said, referring to his limiting March 31 town hall to only 135 people with tickets now distributed by lottery.

Emails provided to The News & Advance by Indivisible Charlottesville show a meeting planned with the congressman for 1:30 p.m. Monday. The email confirming the appointment was dated Jan. 26. Representatives for Virginia Organizing, a nonprofit social justice advocate, made a similar complaint Monday.

We have to chase him around because he wont talk to us, said June Kight, a retired retirement planning consultant and member of Indivisible Nelson.

Garrett met with Virginia Farm Bureau members at Saunders Brothers Farm Market and the Nelson County administration Monday.

We didnt throw this together at the last minute because we didnt want to be somewhere. Garrett said Monday afternoon.

After being asked Monday evening about the email showing the Indivisible members appointment with him for that day, Garrett said Indivisible Charlottesville lies perpetually.

Theyre like the kid in school who nobody talks to because every word that comes out of his mouth is a lie, Garrett said by phone Monday evening.

Garrett's longtime Chief of Staff Kevin Reynolds, who said he met with constituents all Monday in Charlottesville, said any lack of clarity regarding the schedule was an administrative error and his responsibility.

"I apologized to anyone who came in there today who expressed disappointment," Reynolds said. "... For anybody who is disappointed, I'm sorry, and it's my fault."
Why Does Germany Condone Mass Rape?Germany's leaders have nothing of significance to say about the worst outbreak of sexual assaults in Germany since the Red Army moved out after World War II. Why won't they do anything?...The impulse to open Germany to Muslim refugees is irresistable for Germanys elite, prominently so in the case of Chancellor Angela Merkel. To understand her motives one must consider that she is not only a German, but also a Christian (and a banker babe)...and all this has happened in the past ten years. Sweden ranks near the top of the World Economic Forums Gender Gap Index, yet it has become the most dangerous country for women outside of Africa, with an incidence of rape ten times that of its European peers. Swedens political leaders not only refuse to take action, but have made it a criminal offense to talk about it.well, we now know why some are so rabid in their defense of the lefty globalist destruction of nationalismthey are thinkin they might finally get some nookieHATE SPEECH: FACEBOOK BANS GERMAN WOMAN FOR POSTING PICTURE OF MIGRANT RAPISTAfghan "refugee" murdered 19-year-old student
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Imbert: Petrotrin lost $4.2 billion in five years

Imbert, who is also acting Energy Minister, made this revelation in a statement to the House of Representatives.

He said on October 26, 2016, Petrotrin reported a net loss, after tax, of $533 million in its unaudited financials for the year ending September 30, 2016.

Prior to this, Imbert said, Petrotrin declared a total comprehensive loss of $998 million for 2015 and a total comprehensive loss of $341 million for 2014.

When added, this equates to published losses of $1.9 billion over the last three years, Imbert said.

However he disclosed, It has recently come to the Governments attention that Petrotrins refinery operation has been unprofitable for the last five years, from 2011 to 2016, a matter that was not revealed before. Imbert said rather than declaring these losses, Petrotrin has been carrying them, as a deferred tax asset to be written off against future profits. As he explained that a deferred tax asset is treated as an asset on the companys balance sheet rather than as a liability, Imbert stated it is retained for the purpose of reducing income tax expense in future years.

However Imbert said if the deferred tax asset remains unusable or it cannot be reasonably determined when it can be used, it needs to be written off the balance sheet and gradually brought back into the books whenever profitability occurs. Questioning why Petrotrin never reported this $4.2 billion loss under the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government, Imbert said Government is committed to returning Petrotrin to profitability. However he said for this to happen, the truth about the companys financial situation must be known to all concerned. Recalling that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley spoke about Petrotrins financial challenges in an address to the nation in January, Imbert vowed that Government will determine the reasons for this unacceptable situation.

He also said Government will take the necessary steps to deal, responsibly, proactively and professionally with any adverse consequences which may arise from this previously unreported loss. Recalling that wage negotiations at Petrotrin were never settled under the PP, Imbert said Government authorised the company to offer the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) a six percent increase for the 2011-2014/2015 period (three percent- first year; two percent-second year, one percent-third year). He said this offer will result in an increased annual recurring cost of $98 million and a backpay liability of $427 million for Petrotrin.

Earlier in the sitting, in response to a question about squatter structures erected near Petrotrins pipelines in San Francique, Imbert said the company has been clear that no construction should take place within 21 feet on either side of its pipelines.

Stating this problem has been continuing since April 2014, the minister added, The issue of compensation or relocation does not arise.
Kamla says Clause 22 of the bill worse than Section 34

Under the infamous Section 34, You would not have escaped murder on the grounds of delay, but according to the current bill, a murderer could go free on grounds of delay, she said. Contributing to the debate on the new bill in the House of Representatives yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said, Today we stand at 97 murder. We have 11 unclassified .

A murderer could have escape with this new bill. Clause 22 exempts blood crimes and a murderer could escape the justice system, she said, due to a delay if the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) does not proffer an indictment against the accused within 12 months or such other period as an application may permit. The accused may apply to a judge for a discharge and the judge can discharge the accused having considered the reason for delay. You have exempted all the blood crimes. I take a strong objection to that, she said .

Section 34 had provided for an accused to apply to the court for a discharge for certain offences given delays and so on, she said, but delays did not apply to blood crimes .

Blood crimes could never be discharged because of delay by whichever officer is determining a prima facie case, whether it was a master or a magistrate, she said. Blood crimes listed in the the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act of 2011 and which were repealed, she suggested, be included in the current bill before the House of Representatives .

She listed among blood crimes: treason; offences against the person; murder; conspiring or soliciting to conspiring to murder; manslaughter; shooting or wounding; assault occasioning bodily harm; kidnapping; kidnapping for ransom; knowingly negotiating to obtain ransom; rape; grievous sexual assault; sexual intercourse with children under 18 years; drug trafficking; trafficking in dangerous drugs; possession of a dangerous drug; unlawful possession of a firearm; and attempts to commit offences, among others .

Meanwhile, bypassing the magistracy in a pre-trial and handing the cases to the Office of the DPP, she said, is a fundamental breach of the separation of powers, and therefore could not stand, and should not stand. What Government was attempting to do, she said, was not change the process, but to change the officer who will now oversee the process of preliminary inquiries. This amounted to trespass, which in the past in similar cases, were struck out by the courts .

She questioned whether the safe powers vested in the magistracy from before the Constitution came into effect, set out in the Summary Courts Act, the Preliminary (Indictable Offences Act) 12:01 could be taken away and vested in the Office of the DPP. It is my respectful view, she said, you cannot. The Attorney General, she said, may want to consider the freedom of the press contained in the 2017 bill which limits coverage to accommodate the movement to open justice .
Four teenagers missing since last week

Williams is one of four teenagers who have been reported missing since last week.

Dainanne Perry-Caesar, one of Williams relatives, while speaking with Newsday, begged for her to return safely to her family.

Everyone right now is crying.

If you are out there please come home. No one would be angry with you. said Perry-Caesar.

Relatives told Newsday Williams left her home in Bliss Village, Pleasantville, to go to church, and has not since returned home. Relatives were informed that before her disappearance, she called the pastor of the church and said that she had something important to do. She then went to a nearby shop, to get a phone card.

She was not seen or heard from for days until, on Thursday last, an uncle received a call from her, from an unknown number.

Relatives said she asked the uncle where he was, but before she could tell him her location, the phone cut off. It was after that call that family members decided to make a report to the San Fernando Police Station.

Perry-Caesar, told Newsday she had a dream of her niece, the same day relatives made the missing persons report.

I dreamt that she was in a dark place, and she was calling out for help. Said Perry-Caesar, After that I told the rest of the family that it was time to make a police report.  Shakira was last seen wearing a pink dress and slippers.

Police are also seeking the assistance of the public in finding a St Joseph teenaged girl, and a DAbadie man.

Tamika Ramgoolam, 16, was reported missing to Chaguanas police on Saturday last by her aunt. She was last seen leaving her aunts home at John Peter Road, Charlieville, at about 4.30 pm on Monday February 27, wearing a peach coloured dress.

The teen is from Farm Road, St Joseph. She is of East Indian descent, five feet, six inches tall, with shoulder length black hair.

Another missing persons case which has gained the attention of the police is that of 16-year-old Cameron Williams, who was reported missing on Thursday last, by his mother, Michelle Lambert.

According to police reports, the man was last seen on Ash Wednesday, leaving his Ponderosa Crescent, DAbadie home to get a haircut in Arima. Cameron is of African descent, standing at five feet, eight inches tall, and has a brown complexion, with a tattoo on his left arm.

He was last seen wearing a dark coloured tee-shirt, and a pair of jeans. Aliyah Addie, a 13-yearold girl, was reported missing by her parents on Friday last.

According to police, Addie, of Charles Street, Gasparillo was last seen on Friday, at their home.

Addie is of mixed descent, five feet, four inches tall, with a stocky build, and a brown complexion.

She was last seen wearing a pair of multi-coloured tights and a red and black t-shirt.

People with knowledge of these four missing teens or any missing person, can call 800-TIPS or contact the nearest police station.
IATF officers take sick leave

Seales said yesterday that during the Carnival period, the association was deluged with calls from angry IATF members who condemned certain decisions taken without their consent.

He said those officers who opted to report for duty were also considering using their sick leave.

It also stemmed from the withdrawal of some of the equipment used for them to perform their duties, Seales said. Cars were taken away from them so they were unable to do patrols in the areas of Beetham, Sea Lots and environs. Seales said the association, after taking a cursory look, found out that several officers stayed off the job and there was a plan by the remaining officers to withdraw from the job by using their sick leave privilege.

He said the association was a bit baffled, surprised to say the least, that the IATF officers who, he said, had demonstrated commitment and resolve in the application and the performance of their jobs were planning a mass sick-out. Seales said the association was troubled and was calling on Acting Commissioner Stephen Williams to look into the matter because he found it untenable and frightening.

It leaves a gaping hole in the security and safety of residents in the Beetham and Sea Lots areas and it makes them vulnerable to anybody who will wish to bring them harm.

On the flip side, the officers are now demoralised and it threatens their safety because the vehicles used for the coverage and the method of duties compromise their safety if they are absent. However, Newsday spoke with a senior member of the IATF yesterday who dismissed Seales claim that IATF officers had taken sick-out action.

He revealed there was some absenteeism during the Carnival season but said that was the norm. Only top Russian dating site royaldatingsite.com you will find beautiful single Russian women for marriage who are online now in finding suitors from the United States.
Rose brought to tears by students

Born Mc Cartha Lewis, the undisputed Calypso Queen of the World, who recently won the prestigious World Album of the Year award at the Victoire de la Musique award ceremony in France with her album, Far From Home, wiped her eyes as she listened to the children.

Arriving at the school just after 11 am, Rose was greeted to the sound of Leave Me Alone, which she remixed with Machel Montano this year, as students shouted out the lyrics.

As she was led into the school, several students rushed up to her asking for her autograph which she gladly provided.

Yesterdays tribute was a twopart tribute which was organised by the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation (SGRC).

Rose said she was happy to see what the young people are doing with our culture.

Tears were in my eyes as I listened to you here today, she said.

Rose explained that she wrote More Tempo to open the ears and eyes of the then Carnival committee that Port-of-Spain was not the only place for mas and that there was also San Fernando.

She said it was after this that citizens were able to play mas in the South.

She said she was robbed twice of the Road March title because she is a woman. The veteran calypsonian said she was a criminologist by profession, but gave up an offer of a job with late police commissioner Randolph Burroughs. She felt she would not have been able to make the contribution she has made to the culture of this country.

Rose advised the students to respect their teachers.

They want you to have a good education. Listen to your teachers because they are in charge of you from 8 am to 3 pm, and respect all senior citizens. I am a senior citizen, in three months I will be 77 years old, she said.

Rose was then taken on a motorcade through the streets of Sangre Grande accompanied by a music truck which played some of her calypsoes.

She was then taken to the SGRC where she received several tokens of appreciation, including a trophy and an envelope.

The contents of the envelope were not revealed by SGRC chairman Martin Terry Rondon.
Pleasantville students hashtag positive messages

Using the social-media label, the members of the schools art club came together last month and brightened the schools front wall with a hand-painted mural 50 feet long and ten feet high  in the national colours.

Flora and fauna, oil rigs, the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and local drummers are among the images depicted in the patriotic mural. It took nine students six days to complete the work and yesterday, in a simple ceremony, the painting was unveiled to the school and the public, Newsday was told.

The Hashtag Initiative describes a movement of positivity that fuses the old with the new, said head of the Visual and Performing Arts Department Paul Julien as he explained the rationale for the project which, so far, has been getting positive reviews.

Special words and expressions, all accompanied by a hashtag (#), will be used to promote and send messages that will foster and promote holistic development throughout our school. Julien added, A positive school climate can help to decrease a lot of problems such as absenteeism, suspensions, substance abuse and bullying. Creating this kind of atmosphere in school also increases students academic achievement, motivation to learn and their psychological well-being. It can even mitigate the negative effects of self-criticism and socio-economic status on academic success.

In addition, working in this kind of climate lessens teacher burnout while increasing retention. Newsday was told that the Hashtag Initiative and National Pride Mural was conceptualised by the Art Club and students began work on February 2.

The hashtags used are #NationalPride, #LoveYourCountry #CountryFirst, #Patriotism and #Trinbagonian. Julien said #Trinbagonian comes from Jeffrey Johnson, president of a Facebook group called Trinbagonian.

He passed and saw what the students were doing and was impressed and decided to partner with us, Julien said.

The second and third phase of the initiative will see the entire school involved in three more installations, which will reflect a series of more hashtag messages based on the theme #Schoolis- BAE, #LoveOfSchool and #LoveOfSelf.

The event, which got the blessings of principal Patricia Pitt and staff, was attended by TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai, officials of the Ministry of Education and councillor Robert Parris, among other guests.




The Queen is pictured still riding at 90 - and without a helmet - as she heads out on her pony near Windsor Castle

6 March 2017The TelegraphShe may be just one month away from celebrating her 91st birthday, but the Queen has proved that age is no obstacle to her enjoying her favourite hobby.Pictured heading out on her pony along the bank of the River Thames on Monday, the monarch looked as comfortable as ever in the saddle.Opting for a scarf around her head rather than a helmet, the Queen appeared the picture of health.She is said to have always declined to wear a "hard hat" to ensure her hair stays in place for any royal appointments.The monarch had a brief brush with ill health over Christmas, when a heavy cold prevented her from attending church services at Sandringham.But she has looked relaxed and well in recent appearances , and appeared to be enjoying the spring air as she took to her pony alongside Windsor Castle Head Groom Terry Pendry. Horse-riding has been a lifelong passion for the Queen . She once said that it allows her to be "just another human being".Surrounded by the animals from early childhood, she is said to have taken her first lesson when she was only three years old.She now spends most of her time at Windsor Castle , rather than Buckingham Palace in London.
SWAHA head cautions mas bandleaders

Hardeo Persad, has appealed to bandleaders to think carefully when designing Carnival presentations featuring symbols or articles of religious significance following the recent controversy regarding the appearance on stage of masqueraders in the ApnaDesh section of Cazabon- The Art of Living .

In a statement SWAHA Incorporated said the reaction to the portrayal from members of the Hindu community signals that there is need for deeper insight and appreciation for each others culture. It added that consultation and communication should be the route to avert such unfavourable consequences .

SWAHA recommends that bandleaders acknowledge the prevailing emotions of our multi-religious and multi-cultural population and recognise the need for careful deliberation when conceptualising and realising their artistic manifestations .

In this regard, we suggest that wherever such presentations feature symbols or articles of religious significance, the likely impact on the sensitivities of the religious community to which these are of importance must be considered in order to clarify doubts and misconstrued concepts. It said, This will indeed help to safeguard freedom of expression and enhance the creative nature of the depictions, while preventing potentially deleterious effects to a particular religious grouping. Consultation brings enlightenment and fosters greater harmony within society. We can eliminate the confusion and reduce the divisiveness that already exists in our nation.
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Ready for battle! Northumberland is INVADED as British troops are joined by French and Danish soldiers (and a couple of fighter jets) for a NATO exercise preparing them for war

By Rod Ardehali For Mailonline 7 March 2017Fighter jets and the sound of artillery were heard across Northumberland National Park as the army engaged in an intensive training exercise.Using live firing and simulated training, UK forces were joined by French and Danish troops as they prepared for their role as part of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.Pictures taken from the exercise show troops in full combat readiness displaying the full power of NATO forces.
A second man has been arrested in the suspected murder of Tara Grinstead, more than 11 years after she went missing. Ryan Duke, 33, was arrested last week; now, 32-year-old Bo Dukes has been arrested and accused of helping Duke hide Grinstead's body after Duke allegedly murdered her, People reports. The two suspects, who are not related despite their similar names, both attended Irwin County High School in Georgia, where Grinstead taught history. They were friends, a classmate says, and "weren't the most popular kids, but they weren't unpopular, either." Duke graduated three years before Grinstead went missing in 2005.

Authorities say that, during a burglary, Duke killed Grinstead with his bare hands in her home, and Dukes helped him hide the body at a pecan farm nearby. Dukes' uncle owns the pecan farm, 11Alive reports. Her body has not been found. Duke, who another Irwin County High School teacher recalled to WMAZ as "sweet, clean-cut, [and] smart," has been charged with murder, burglary, aggravated assault, and concealment of a body, while Dukes has been charged with concealing a death, evidence tampering, and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. Police won't say whether there are any other suspects. (Read more murder stories.)
Jackie Watts loved animalsand that love may have led to the 33-year-old Indiana woman's death over the weekend. Watts was last seen Friday afternoon near Flat Rock River in Columbus, chasing a small white dog wearing a sweaterRingo, a 10-year-old poodle with cataracts, who had gotten separated from his owners days prior. Watts' family reported her missing that night after she failed to return home from an errand, and police started searching around her car, which was found apparently abandoned near the river, its flashers on, CBS4 reports. On Saturday morning, Watts' body was found on a sandbar in the river. On Sunday afternoon, Ringo's body was also found on a riverbank, the Indianapolis Star reports.

An autopsy revealed Watts' cause of death was accidental drowning, and police found no signs of a struggle or foul play. "At a young age, Jackie developed a love for animals. To say that this was Jackies passion would be an understatement," says her family in a statement through a family friend, which notes that she volunteered with multiple animal organizations and fostered animals. "She cared deeply about the well-being of animals. If she believed she could help an animal in need, she was going to do so without hesitation. We know that Jackie gave her life for what she believed in." In a moving Facebook tribute to Watts, one of the rescues with which she volunteered said that a sick dog Watts loved had to be put down Saturday: "Jackie will be waiting for Laverne to hug and kiss on her like she did all the bunnies and dogs." (Read more drowning stories.)
The TSA has rolled out a new pat-down technique at airports, and it's apparently expecting people to be unhappy. Bloomberg reports that the agency has advised local and airport police about the change in case they get complaints about "abnormal" frisking. So what's different? That part is unclear, because the TSA isn't providing specifics other than saying it's more "comprehensive." But one change is that agents will use the front of their hands in a private screening area. One passenger who underwent the pat-down tells NBC News that he was warned in advance to expect a "more intense horizontal and vertical" search, and indeed, he reports that it was the "most intriguing, intense and invasive" pat-down he's had at the hands of TSA.

The "enhanced" searches are a response to weaknesses found in airport security, reports the Los Angeles Times. The agency used to employ one of five techniques, but a 2015 undercover test by the Department of Homeland Security found them essentially ineffective, with "layers of security simply missing," in the words of the department's inspector general. Previously, agents would asssess the situation and determine which of the five pat-downs to use, but from now on, they'll use just the new, universal technique. Travelers who decline to walk through body scanners are or otherwise singled out can expect them. (Read more pat-downs stories.)
Newly confirmed Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson managed to cause controversy in his very first speech to HUD employees by describing slaves as "immigrants." His remarks on slavery came after he discussed photos of impoverished immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, the New York Times reports. "That's what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity," Carson said. "There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they, too, had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land."

Carson's speech got a standing ovation from HUD employees, but his remarks were swiftly condemned online, reports Reuters. The NAACP tweeted simply: "Immigrants???" and Whoopi Goldberg tweeted that Carson should watch Roots. The Anne Frank Center called the remarks "as offensive as it gets," while Samuel L. Jackon tweeted: "OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAF---A PLEASE!!!" In a statement, HUD said nobody in the room believed Carson "equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude," USA Today reports. In a series of tweets, Carson said you can be an "involuntary immigrant," adding: "Slaves didn't just give up and die, our ancestors made something of themselves." (Read more Ben Carson stories.)
Gold Star father and prominent President Trump critic Khizr Khan has called off a speech he was due to deliver in Canada because "his travel privileges are being reviewed," the organizer of the Toronto talk says. Khan, a Pakistani-American lawyer who has been a US citizen for more than 30 years, was told about the review Sunday evening, according to a Facebook post from Ramsay Talks. "This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad," the post quotes Khan as saying. "I have not been given any reason as to why." He had been due to "speak about tolerance, understanding, unity, and the rule of law," Ramsay Talks noted.

A US Customs and Border Protection official declined to discuss the specifics of the case but told Politico that CBP does not contact people before they travel abroad and that with the Global Entry or Trusted Traveler programs, CBP is concerned with membership, not the travel itself. "Of course, any US citizen with a passport may travel without Trusted Traveler status," the official said. "All individuals are subject to inspection departing or upon arrival to the United States." Bob Ramsay of Ramsay Talks tells the CBC that he isn't sure who contacted Khan, but he does "know for sure that it was American." (Khan, whose son was killed in Iraq, famously offered to lend Trump his copy of the Constitution.)
The White House and ExxonMobil were literally on the same page Monday when a White House statement on the oil giant's investment plan lifted an entire paragraph from an Exxon press release issued around 30 minutes earlier. Both statements praised how the company is "strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the US Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity," reports the Washington Post, which notes that the White House claimed credit for the plan to invest $20 billion over 10 years despite the fact that it began in 2013.

Mashable notes Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former ExxonMobil CEO, had been scheduled to meet with President Trump earlier that afternoon. The AP reports that President Trump issued several tweets Monday praising Exxon and himself and for "bringing back the JOBS" despite the plan's starting date. "This is something that was done to a large extent because of our policies and the policies of this new administration," he said in a tweeted video. "I said we're bringing back jobs. This is one big example of it." (Read more ExxonMobil stories.)
Not surprising: a 10-year-old boy proclaiming, "This is fun!" as he zips around town behind the wheel of his mom's Jeep Grand Cherokee. Even less surprising: the mom getting arrested for allegedly letting him do so. Per the Connecticut Post and Hartford Courant, that's what police say recently happened in Monroe, where locals called in to report a video on Facebook in which the boy was seen at the wheel of 38-year-old Lisa Nussbaum's car, cruising around the neighborhood while his mother apparently live-streamed from the passenger seat.

Cops say the underage driver, who didn't seem to be sporting a seatbelt in the video, appeared to drive at a reasonable speed as his mother was heard offering directions. The Monroe PD says Nussbaum was arrested and charged with risk of injury or impairing morals of a minor and subsequently released, per WTNH; she's set to appear in court on Friday. (Read more weird crimes stories.)
North Korea said Tuesday it was banning Malaysians from leaving the country as its bitter diplomatic battle with Malaysia escalated dramatically over the poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the travel ban was tantamount to hostage-taking and said his country would respond in kind by banning North Koreans from leaving Malaysia, the AP reports. "This abhorrent act ... is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Najib said. Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects. Three of them, including an official at the North Korean Embassy, are believed to still be in Malaysia.

About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be working in Malaysia, which expelled Pyongyang's ambassador over the weekend. Before diplomatic ties disintegrated, Malaysia had been one of the few places in the world where North Koreans could travel without a visa. A Malaysian Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea: Three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members. North Korea said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally" during the period of the temporary exit ban. It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia. (Read more Kim Jong Nam stories.)
The very first spat between the Trump White House and the media occurred over differing estimates of his Inauguration Day crowd. Well, the National Park Service has released its official photos, along with images from the Obama inaugurations, and the current president may not be thrilled. They "clearly show that the number of people who attended Obamas inaugurations far outstripped the number of people who attended Trumps swearing-in," reports BuzzFeed.

The Washington Post highlights in particular side-by-side images from about noon on 2009 and 2017, and it estimates that Obama drew a crowd that day about two-thirds larger. The official images also call into question Trump's assertion that his crowd stretched to the Washington Monument, reports USA Today. The NPS released the photos because of a FOIA request from media outlets. (Read more inauguration stories.)
Sorry, kids: Children under age 16 won't be able to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast in Russia because it includes a gay character, the Russian Culture Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry told the AP that its decision for the 16-plus rating followed petitions by ultraconservative lawmaker Vitaly Milonov for the live-action film to be banned. Milonov protested screening a movie that disseminates "overt and shameless propaganda of sin and sexual perversion under the guise of a fairy tale." The film's brief scene in question involves the character of LeFou (Josh Gad), sidekick to the preening villain Gaston (Luke Evans). At the film's March 2 premiere in Los Angeles, director Bill Condon suggested that describing LeFou as Disney's first gay character went too far. "I keep saying it's more like the first gay moment," he said. "Because I think it's a very fluid character."

The director added: "You can't help but wonder in his adoration of Gaston ... (is there) something more going on?" Milonov, who was elected to the State Duma last year, is a former local lawmaker in St. Petersburg who has built his political career on opposing LGBT rights. In 2013, Russia passed a federal law banning "gay propaganda" among minors. It was worded vaguely so it can be applied in a wide range of circumstances, for example, making it easy to target gay and lesbian teachers in Russia because they work directly with children. In the US, one Alabama drive-in theater has canceled plans to show the film, which opens next week and stars Emma Watson as Belle. (Read more Beauty and the Beast stories.)
One Las Vegas intersection has been the site of three violent deaths over the last two monthsthe first two, of homeless men; the third, of a mannequin. The latter was intentionally placed there as a decoy by police who feared there might be a "thrill" killer afoot, and it's led to the arrest of one man on a weapons charge, reports the Review-Jounal. The body of Daniel Aldape, 46, was found on Jan. 4 at an intersection some distance from the Strip; he had been struck in the head at least four times. A month later, David Dunn, 60, was found dead of head trauma at the same intersection. And so police decided to try to lure the killer back by setting up a blanket-covered mannequin "to resemble a human male sleeping in a natural position." And then they watched on surveillance video as Shane Schindler approached.

Police say that at 3am on Feb. 23, the 30-year-old surveyed the scene for traffic, covered his head with his hoodie, and removed a 4-pound hammer from a Little Caesars Pizza bag. Then Schindler allegedly struck, employing both hands to "generate maximum force ... with the intent to kill," per a police report cited by the Sun. Schindler confessed to striking the mannequin, but says he was aware from the outset it was not a human; the police report counters that the scene was "staged in a manner which would have made it impossible" for Schindler to make that determination. Police are questioning Schindler about the murders. For now, he faces one count of carrying a concealed weapon, which his public defender tells the Guardian is baloney: "Carrying a hammer in a bag is not carrying a concealed weapon ... or all the construction workers and carpenters in this town would be arrested tomorrow." (Last year saw mulitple attacks in San Diego.)
"Horrific," "catastrophic," and "terrifying" are just a few words police in Queensland, Australia, are using to describe a two-month ordeal during which they say a British woman was held captive, beaten, and raped by a former lover. Authorities say the 22-year-old woman from Liverpool had been in Australia for more than a year when she met a 22-year-old man in Cairns in January and struck up a romantic relationship, per the Australian. They agreed to take a road trip together, but police say that after their relationship quickly "soured," the man held the woman against her will. The woman was kept at various locations from Jan. 2 until Sunday, when authorities "potentially saved this young girl's life," a detective tells the BBC.

After the woman reportedly failed to pay for gas, authorities pulled over her vehicle 620 miles south of Cairns and took note of cuts and bruises on her face and neck, per CNN. The womanwho police say was "visibly distressed"then told officers that her captor was hiding under clothing in the back of the vehicle, according to police. A Cairns man now faces charges including rape, assault, strangulation, deprivation of liberty, and drug possession. The woman, who was never reported missing, has since made contact with family members and is receiving treatment for physical and psychological injuries. She is also awaiting a new passport; police say her captor damaged her original to the point that it was unusable. (This hostage sought help with a pizza app.)
North Korea says its missile launches Monday were practice tests for strikes on US bases in Japan, which could potentially "wipe out" 54,000 US troops, per CNN and AFP. A Tuesday report from North Korea's state news agency KCNA said the four missilesthree of which fell within Japan's exclusive economic zonewere part of a force "tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency." US officials are likely to cite the report as evidence to support the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system being deployed in South Korea, which is capable of intercepting and destroying short and medium range ballistic missiles, but has drawn criticism from China and Russia in addition to North Korea.

After a phone call with President Trump on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the pair agreed the launches were "a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions." The council has called an emergency meeting for Wednesday. In a tweet Monday, Nikki Haley, the American ambassador to the UN, called North Korea a "menace" to international security, adding "the world won't allow North Korea to continue on its destructive path." According to KCNA, Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the launches of what US officials identified as extended range SCUD missiles able to fly more than 600 miles. Photos accompanying the report showed the leader looking gleeful while "feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets." (Read more North Korea stories.)
International Women's Day is March 8, and coinciding with the occasion this year is another event that's prompting some schools to close for the day. BuzzFeed reports that hundreds of teachers in North Carolina and Virginia indicated they'd be absent for Wednesday's "Day Without a Woman" protest, created to stand for the "equality, justice, and  human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people." Superintendents in Chapel Hill and Alexandria say they were forced to close schools for safety reasons, not politics. More coverage:

Vox offers an explainer. The US event will piggyback on the International Women's Strike, said to be planned by women in 30 different countries. Strike organizers say it's a protest againist what they call the "misogynist policies" of President Trump and also what led him to emerge: specifically, years of "economic inequality, racial and sexual violence, and imperial wars abroad."

USA Today gets more granular on how people can participatetake the day off, give female employees the day off if you own a businessas well as where rallies are taking place across the country and why red is the shade to sport.

Heidi Stevens looks at what men can do to support their wives and female co-workers, offering tips in the Chicago Tribune on how to collaborate on domestic chores and advocate for women colleagues. The effects will endure "far longer than a day," she writes.

Glamour serves up "quick talking points" so women can more effectively communicate with men about what this day means.

Some think the concept is good in theory, but maybe not in reality. Maureen Shaw writes the idea is "a noble one" at Quartz, except that the women who will likely be participating in the greatest numbers are the "privileged" ones. Meghan Daum agrees, noting in the Los Angeles Times that "for the millions of women who have no choice but to show up and meet their responsibilities on March 8 (and every day), it will be business as usual."

Bustle lists 10 tweets it says shows why this strike is a necessity, including the "fake news" of equal rights.

Wonder what the impact of the protest will be? The Boston Globe speculates in chart form.

(Read more strike stories.)
Jennifer and Sam share the same blood type and birth date, down to the year, but that's not what makes them a perfect match. In a video posted to YouTube by Jennifer's employer, HSBC Bankpointed out by Mashablethe Taiwanese couple explain they make each other better people. Over 11 years together, Sam says Jennifer has made her "more positive," while Jennifer says Sam "gets me to explore the beauty of this world." That's why the two weren't willing to let Taiwanese law stop them from declaring their love for each other in a wedding ceremony on Nov. 13, just as Jennifer wasn't going to let her parents' objections keep her from walking down the aisle. Luckily, she wasn't alone.

Though her parents no longer speak to her, "my boss and colleagues have been very supportive," says Jennifer. In fact, when she told HSBC's Taiwan CEO John Li that her dad wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle, he offered to step in. He "told us not to be nervous and to walk slowly," she recalls. "We cried because we never thought we would make it this far." While same-sex marriage is not yet legal in Taiwan, Jennifer says a ceremonial wedding was better than "faking a marriage for my father's sake," something she previously considered. Still, she hopes to one day make her father proud. For now, though, the couple have one goal: to "create respect among different communities." (Read more uplifting news stories.)
A new United Nations report paints a bleak picture of South Sudan as teetering on the edge of genocide and experiencing ethnic cleansing, adding to crises that now include famine and systematic rape in the three-year-old civil war. The seven-month inquiry by the UN Commission on Human Rights into South Sudan is the most comprehensive report so far and includes new details on deliberate starvation and bombardment of civilians, as well as the use of hate speech by top officials including President Salva Kiir. "Violations have mainly been committed by government soldiers, members of the National Security Service, police officers and militias aligned with" government forces, the report says. The takeaways:

Refugees: Tens of thousands have been killed, and more than 1.5 million have fled, becoming Africa's largest migrant crisis.

Hunger: Late last month, the UN and South Sudan's government declared a famine in two counties affecting 100,000. Roughly 1 million are at risk of starvation, per the UN. The report calls restrictions on humanitarian aid access "unlawful," and warns that the "'scorched earth' policy may amount to starvation, which is prohibited by international law as a method of warfare."

Late last month, the UN and South Sudan's government declared a famine in two counties affecting 100,000. Roughly 1 million are at risk of starvation, per the UN. The report calls restrictions on humanitarian aid access "unlawful," and warns that the "'scorched earth' policy may amount to starvation, which is prohibited by international law as a method of warfare." Ethnic violence: Intense fighting emptied a town of 20,000, with one leader saying, "My people are at risk of physical and cultural extinction." The report cites "numerous reports of SPLA soldiers targeting Nuer civilians and raping Nuer women." Many of South Sudan's forces, like Kiir, are ethnic Dinka.

Intense fighting emptied a town of 20,000, with one leader saying, "My people are at risk of physical and cultural extinction." The report cites "numerous reports of SPLA soldiers targeting Nuer civilians and raping Nuer women." Many of South Sudan's forces, like Kiir, are ethnic Dinka. The government response: Ethnic cleansing and the risk of genocide are "not an accurate report. There is nothing happening. The people of South Sudan are preparing for the national dialogue," a rep told the AP.

Ethnic cleansing and the risk of genocide are "not an accurate report. There is nothing happening. The people of South Sudan are preparing for the national dialogue," a rep told the AP. Rape as a weapon: "Several women the commission met" were denied treatment for injuries from "rape, gang rape, beating, sexual assault or other violence," despite "significant damage to their reproductive organs." One survivor said she witnessed another woman who begged her rapists to kill her instead. "After raping the woman, soldiers cut her genitalia and left her for dead as punishment for 'being stubborn,'" the report said.

(Read more South Sudan stories.)
In what authorities say is a brazen first, poachers busted into an EU zoo and attacked a live animal. NBC News reports on the slaying of Vince, a rhinoceros who was found dead in his enclosure Tuesday morning by his keepers after perps broke into France's Thoiry Zoo overnight, put three bullets into the animal's head, then chainsawed his horn off, presumably to sell on the black market, the zoo's director tells the AP. Vince was a 4-year-old African rhino, a species that's seen a record decline in numbers of late due to poachers, per the World Wildlife Fund.

Hacking marks on Vince's second horn suggest the suspect or suspects tried to cut off that one as well; they may not have had time to finish the job, or the tools they were using may not have worked on that horn. The Independent reports that rhino horns can command more than $35,000 when sold underground. "The whole staff is extremely shocked," the zoo wrote in a Tuesday morning Facebook post, which adds that the other two rhinos in the enclosure, 37-year-old Gracie and 5-year-old Bruno, "escaped the massacre." (One of the world's last "big tusker" elephants was killed this week.)
No Waiting for

Art of the Pie

in Worlds Largest Global e-Book Club

No baking class is needed, just a library card. Read Art of the Pie for free with guaranteed availability during the Big Library Read program, the worlds largest global e-book reading club through libraries. The program connects millions of readers around the world with the same e-book at the same time.

Plattsmouth Public Library cardholders will be able to borrow the e-book chosen by library readers as their cookbook choice for Big Library Read. Art of the Pie, one of 2016s best cookbooks from pie guru Kate McDermott, will be available starting Thursday, March 16, and concluding on Thursday, March 30, by visiting http://nebraska.lib.overdrive.com. It can be read on all major computers and devices without worrying about wait lists or holds. The e-book cookbook will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

Kate McDermott has taught the time-honored craft of pie-making to thousands of people. Her pies have been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Real Simple, Oprah.com, NPR and more. In the Art of the Pie, she shares her secrets to great crusts and fabulous fillings and to living a good life. Kate provides dozens of recipes for all the pie combinations you can dream up with hints and tricks helpful to even the most experienced pie baker.

Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects millions of readers around the world simultaneously with an e-book. Discussions about the cookbook, recipes and more can be found on BigLibraryRead.com.

The Big Library Read program is made possible through a partnership between the Plattsmouth Library, OverDrive, the leading platform for e-books and audiobooks from the library, and Countryman Press, publisher of Art of the Pie. For more information on Big Library Read, visit BigLibraryRead.com.

Adult Game Night

March 17

Join the fun at the next Adult Game Night 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 17, in the Plattsmouth Public Library auditorium. Adult Game Nights, usually held on the third Friday of the month, are great gathering times for friends who want to play card games or board games. You may bring your own games or play one of the library's board games, including Yahtzee and Rummikub. If you'd like, bring a snack to share; coffee will be provided. No registration is required.

Submitted by Karen Mier, Plattsmouth Public Library Director
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In the past 60 years, Ive seen drastic changes in the way Americans shop for household goods, clothing, appliances and even furniture.

As the young daughter of a J.C. Penney manager in Nebraska City, I basically grew up on Central Avenue, the main street of my hometown.

My favorite spot at least up until fifth grade was going to the toy store at the end of Central. I could ogle the display of Barbie dolls in their boxes and all of the little clothes to go with her.

There was also a little craft store where, at Easter time, I purchased tiny chickens and other animals made out of feathers. On the corner was a drug store that had a huge three-tiered glass display of Evening in Paris perfume, cologne and body powder. All the products packaged in electric blue bottles with gold labels. I dreamed of the day I might buy a small bottle of the cologne (it was cheaper than perfume).

After school during junior high, I would climb a narrow set of stairs to my dads office and beg him for some money, so I could go to Woolworths with my Best Best Friend (BBF) and have a coke, French fries or slice of their delightful cheesecake. For $2 I could get all three items and still have change left over.

I loved those days on Central Avenue with its sidewalk sales and other promotions the merchants sponsored to bring shoppers to their doors.

During the 70s, however, large shopping malls sprung up in the metro areas and they became the shopping destinations for many families. Companies like J.C. Penneys moved out of small towns and opted for bigger stores in city malls.

Even though it was a 50-mile drive, my parents and I often went to Omaha where I would literally shop until I dropped. By then, I had forgotten about those mom-and-pop businesses downtown that I loved so as a child.

Probably 10-15 years ago, outdoor shopping malls became the new fad. They were less expensive to build and people could enjoy walking from store to store like in the days of thriving main streets. In both styles of shopping malls, J.C. Penneys served as an anchor store, along with Montgomery Ward, Sears and Dillards.

Penneys was long-noted for having quality items at a fair price for the average Joe. Its founder, James Cash Penney, died in 1971, and by the early 1980s the stores aimed at drawing a more sophisticated clientele. They even carried the Halstrom III clothing line for a while.

In the meantime, Wal-Mart and other box stores were quickly establishing themselves in communities of all sizes across the nation. It offered a variety of goods at a low price, filling the need other department stores had once filled.

Now, in the 21st Century, many of these box stores have struggled as people increasingly shop on the Internet. They dont even have to be at home in front of their computer to do so. A couple of moves on a cell phone complete a purchase.

While many welcome this new-age shopping because of its access to products all around the globe, I am sad to learn stores including Penneys are closing their brick and mortar stores across the nation. For one, I like an up-close look at what Im buying that a photograph on a computer screen just doesnt provide even if you zoom in on them.

The closures put vast amounts of people out of work just like using automatic check-out stations do.

My sister often asks me, So are we just going to sit at home typing away on our computers?

Technology has improved the availability of goods, but has severely impacted the art of communication, the earning power of the low and middle class, and therefore, the amount of disposable income available to purchase goods. If people dont have jobs, who is going to buy the stuff?

Someday, I hope the trend will return to shopping at the mom-and-pop stores on Main Street, where customers can talk with shop owners and their neighbors.

It is the smaller stores that support the fund-raisers by providing items to be auctioned or raffled to help pay for a school improvement, overwhelming medical bills to help save a persons life or for promotion of the community through marketing venues. It is the local owners who listen to their customers needs and try to fill them and the local owner who pays property taxes and turns in the sales taxes their products and services generate. Every $1 spent in a community, generates $7 for the good of it.

Many of us remember the main street businesses of our childhoods, whether you lived in Union, Weeping Water, Louisville or any other small community in Cass County.

Id give anything to be able to stroll down Central Avenue in my hometown just as it was in my childhood. I know Id walk away with a bottle of Evening in Paris, even though I was standing in small-town America.
New Delhi:

The Delhi Police questioned two men allegedly linked with three accused arrested in Bihar for a suspected terror-angle in the derailment of Patna-Indore Express in Kanpur last year.



The special cell had picked up Zia-ul Haq and Zuber were from Okhla area in south east Delhi on January 16 for questioning but no clues have been found to suggest their involvement in the derailment so far, sources said.



The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking into the claims of three arrested persons in Bihar that the derailment of Indore-Patna Express, in which at least 150 people were killed, was carried out at the behest of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).



The trio -- Moti Paswan, Uma Shankar and Mukesh Yadav --were arrested earlier this week by Bihar Police from East Champaran district of the state.



The Uttar Pradesh STF and Railway Police, who are investigating the terror angle in the derailement, are not "convinced" by Bihar police's claims so far, sources said.

Read | ISI role in Indore-Patna Express train mishap? NIA team to probe claims of three arrested persons



The special cell has also not been able to link either Zia or Shoaib with the three arrested in connection with the case though it was claimed that their phone numbers were saved in the mobile phone of Paswan, they claimed.



A Dubai-based Nepali citizen named Shamshul Huda had allegedly recruited Moti Paswan and others suspected to have been involved in what the police claim was a sabotage to derail Indore-Patna Express near Kanpur.



Zia-ul is a distantly related nephew of Huda, sources said. A report is said to have come from Nepal confirming the Bihar Police's claim that Pakistan's ISI had paid money to its agent Brajesh Giri for triggering blasts on railway tracks targeting trains in Bihar, they said.



Bihar police had claimed to have unearthed a suspected ISI link to target the railways with arrest of three persons in East Champaran district of the state bordering Nepal and they are being interrogated to find out if they had a role in the derailment at Kanpur Dehat in November and elsewhere. Police claimed the trio had confessed to having worked for a Nepalese contact suspected to be connected to ISI to target the railways.

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Lucknow:

A highly-charged final phase of campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh polls culminated on Monday with the show of strength by the BJP, the SP-Congress combine and the BSP in PM Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency taking centre stage where he camped for three days.

40 seats spread over seven eastern districts, including five in Varanasi, will go to polls on March 8, bringing curtains down on the two month-long exercise staggered in seven phases.

Over the course of three days, the Prime Minister visited temples, held a roadshow and attended a number of public events in the holy city along with several rallies in the region, in the final push by the BJP to reach out to voters.

Video | UP polls: Mayawati says BJP stacked blackmoney in the name of currency ban

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also matched it with their own campaign blitz in the region.

Joined by Akhilesh's wife Dimple, the two leaders held a roadshow, hours after Modi arrived in the city and paid obeisance at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples with much fanfare.

BSP chief Mayawati, who is seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, also addressed a rally in Rohaniya, around 20 km from Varanasi the same day.

ALSO READ | PM in Varanasi's Rohaniya: 'Akhilesh govt only concerned about votebank and not farmers'

A galaxy of BJP veterans and Union ministers also made a beeline to Varanasi towards the fag end of electioneering, making the poll atmosphere highly charged.

Leading BJP's campaign from the front, Modi mocked Akhilesh and Rahul as "delicate" people incapable of taking hard decisions while pitching himself as a grassroots leader who can bring development to the 'Purvanchal' region and the state.

Modi said the SP and the BSP are two sides of the same coin -- the former being A (Akhilesh) SP and the latter B (Bahujan) SP.

ALSO READ | PM Modis roadshow in Varanasi bound to fail like earlier ones, says Akhilesh Yadav

Taking potshots at the Congress over its run of losses in the recent polls, he said one day research would have be done to find out if it ever existed, as it is "disappearing from everywhere."

During his election rally in Sonbhadra towards the end of the campaign, Akhilesh ridiculed Modi's roadshows saying these were bound to fail like the earlier ones and would lead the PM "somewhere else."

"A roadshow was held...it failed. He is doing one more...it too will fail and then again a roadshow will be held...Now he will go somewhere else by doing his roadshow," he said at a rally here.

Video | Exclusive: Akhilesh says SP-Cong alliance will win 300 seats in UP polls, Lalu predicts clear-cut majority

Rahul, in his address, alleged that Modi has waived loans worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore owed by 50 rich people but refused to write off Rs 50,000 crore due of poor farmers.

At her rally, Mayawati claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

She said the joint roadshow by Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi reflected they had "reconciled to defeat" and added that prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail".

READ ALSO | UP elections 2017: Inside Prashant Kishors strategy for SP-Congress alliance in PM Modis Varanasi

Modi today wrapped up his hectic campaign with a rally at Rohaniya, where he made an impassioned plea to voters to defeat SP-Congress combine and BSP, blaming these parties for the plight of Uttar Pradesh.

Akhilesh, meanwhile lined up 13 rallies on the last day of campaigning. The three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, will be in prime focus in this phase.

Tight security has been put in place in these districts. The counting of votes polled in all the seven phases of the Assembly polls will be taken up on March 11.

A total of 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women, will exercise their franchise in the last phase. 14,458 polling booths have been set up in this phase.

ALSO READ | Akhilesh, Rahul believe in development of few, says PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi

In the 2012 state Assembly polls, out of these 40 seats, 23 went to SP, 5 to BSP, 4 to BJP, 3 to Congress and 5 to others. The seven districts going to polls in this phase are Ghazipur, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadoi and Sonebhadra.

In all, 535 candidates, including 40 (BSP), 32 (BJP), 31 (SP), 9 (Congress), 21 (RLD) and 5 (NCP) are in the fray in this phase.

While the maximum number of candidates (24) are from the Varanasi Cant seat, the minimum number of candidates (six) are contesting from Kerakat (SC).

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New Delhi:

Manipur Health Minister Phunjaothangs residence was attacked by a mob in Churachandpur on Tuesday. Health Ministers house was attacked in retaliation to manhandling of opposition supporters by Phunjaothangs men during the Assembly polls which were held on March 4.

The situation in the city of Churachandpur is tensed after the mob attack on Manipur Health Ministers residence. The police have been using tear gas shells to contain angry mob.

Earlier in 2015, nine tribal youths had died during a violent agitation against the Manipur state government in Churachandpur in 2015.
Geneva:

Tata Motors on Tuesday said it is in talks with the worlds largest auto maker Volkswagen for a possible partnership.

The company is exploring various opportunities, including partnership in its new advanced modular platform (AMP) development, possibilities of a joint venture or a contract manufacturing with the German auto major, in its bid to scale up.

I can only confirm that we are in talks but nothing to be announced yet, Tata Motors CEO & MD Guenter Butschek told in Geneva.

When asked how far the talks have progressed, he said: We are in the midst of discussions. We will let you know in good time.

Explaining the rationale behind such a move, Butschek said although the company has set sights on becoming among the top three passenger vehicle makers in India by 2019, it might not be enough to get the scale up effects.

Even if we get a large scale in the national business we might still not be up to the mark as far as scale effects are concerned, he said.

Therefore, we are, since a while, have been having intensive talks with different potential partners, who might join us on the AMP, Butschek added.

It is aimed at bringing additional volumes through the new platform that the company will introduce to the market by 2018.

These additional volumes will bring higher economies of scale, which is going to give us the cost advantage and competitiveness, he added.

The company is hoping to translate competitiveness into volume on one hand and into new feature capabilities on the other that will help it become more aggressive and desirable in the market place, he said.

This is the reason why we believe if we can find a partner it would be a very helpful strategic move, Butschek said.

He, however, insisted that it needed to be the right partner in terms of alignment, on the objectives of joint development with the AMP as the reference point and right partner as far as volume is concerned.

Just getting a partner for the sake of getting one but not really adding substantial volume is not expected from such kind of partnership, he said.

When asked what type of partnership would it be, a joint venture or a technical collaboration he said, I am not ruling out one or the other...It is always about the right fit.

If this is finally going to end up in a development JV or production JV or sharing of capacity contract manufacturing agreement, these are all subject for further discussion in order to make it a win-win for both the parties, Butschek said.

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New Delhi:

Oil and gas major Exxon Mobil has planned out a capital outlay of USD 20 billion and create 45,000 jobs over the next decade as it builds a "manufacturing powerhouse" along the Gulf Coast, a move welcomed by US president Donald Trump.

Chairman and CEO Darren Woods, a keynote speaker at 36th annual CERA Week conference here, said the projects include 11 proposed and existing sites in Texas and Louisiana.

"Many of the new jobs will be high-skilled with salaries as high as USD 100,000 a year," he said in a statement.

The announcement comes as natural gas prices, largely fuelled by the boom in fracking, dropped precipitously, reaching the lowest level in a decade last year.

"We are using new, abundant domestic energy supplies to provide products to the world at a competitive advantage resulting from lower costs and abundant raw materials," Woods said.

President Donald Trump, who made Exxon's previous CEO, Rex Tillerson, his Secretary of State, has hailed the company's expansion plan in a series of tweets.

"The spirit of optimism sweeping the country is already boosting job growth, and it is only the beginning," declared a press release from the White House.

"45,000 construction & manufacturing jobs in the US Gulf Coast region. USD 20 billion investment. We are already winning again, America," he tweeted.

The US exported about USD 91 billion of petroleum and natural gas products in 2015, according to UN Comtrade data,but it imported even more -- about USD 95 billion.

Many of the projects were previously announced, including chemical and plastics projects near Houston, refining expansions in Beaumont and Baton Rouge, and a joint venture with Saudi Arabia to build a new petrochemical plant that's tentatively scheduled for the Corpus Christi region, a statement released by the company said.

Out of nearly 47,000 jobs created, 35,000 are temporary construction positions and 12,000 are full-time, permanent jobs, it said.

The shale revolution and its newfound volumes of oil and gas are pushing the company to expand or build chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects, Woods said.

Most of the new capacity is targeted at export markets, especially those in Asia.

High-growth nations are looking to support larger populations with higher standards of living, Woods said. "Those overseas markets are the motivation behind our investments," he said.

"The supply is here; the demand is there. We want to keep connecting those dots," he said.
Mumbai:

Sonakshi Sinha starrer Noor, which is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiazs novel Karachi, Youre Killing Me, will release in Pakistan.

When asked if Noor will have a release across the border, producer Bhushan Kumar told reporters, Yes, we are releasing the film in Pakistan.

The Sunhil Sippy-directed film follows journalist-writer Noors misadventures and love life as she navigates her way through Mumbai.

The setting of the movie has been changed from Karachi to Mumbai and the director says it was meant to be like that as the team worked hard to adapt the book into Indian setting.

The book was really just the germ of the idea. We took those characters and adapted it to Mumbai. There is no link at all between the two, its just the germ of the idea, Sippy says.

Sonakshi says her respect for journalists has grown after playing one in the movie.

I have tremendous respect for journalists. It is not easy being a journalist and especially the way you all work. I really respect that. Noor is also one of you.

As celebrities we dont know in detail what journalists go through. While doing the film, I realised the kind of work journalists do.

Noor is scheduled to release on April 21.

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Chennai/Rameswaram:

Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday staged a demonstration in Rameswaram island to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami dashed off a letter seeking the Centres intervention.



Tamil Nadu opposition parties also condemned the killing and sought action from the Centre.



The 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead yesterday allegedly by Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.



The protesting fishermen at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram and the bereaved family have refused to accept the body of the fisherman unless a Central Minister visits the island and gives them an assurance that such incidents would not happen again, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emiret said.



Police said during the autopsy, an AK-47 bullet was found lodged in the neck of the deceased.

ALSO READ | Sri Lankan Navy opens fire on group of 6 Indian fishermen for crossing IMBL,1 killed



In a letter to the Centre, Palaniswami said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India should be summoned forthwith and the strong feelings of the Government of India and government of Tamil Nadu about the unprovoked firing on fishermen and non-adherence to earlier agreements on this issue should be conveyed in no uncertain terms.



Lanka resorting to such inhuman and barbaric tactics completely belies all the diplomatic efforts that have been undertaken including the understanding reached in several meetings between the two countries, including the recent one at Colombo, Palaniswami said in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



He said at the ministerial level meeting in Colombo in January, it was clearly agreed not to use force against bona fide fishermen at sea.



While the fishermen were fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay, at about 9.30 pm (yesterday), a fleet of four Sri Lankan Naval vessels surrounded the fishing boat and opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire on the unarmed fishermen, he said.

Two fishermen received bullet injuries and while Bridgo died while being brought to the shore, Saran has been admitted in hospital, he added.

ALSO READ | Fisherman's killing: India raises issue with Sri Lankan PM Wickremesinghe



Even as action is taken on longer term issues like retrieval of Katchatheevu (islet) and on diversification to deep sea fishing, under no circumstances can the present escalation of actions by the Sri Lankan side be ignored or tolerated, the Chief Minister said.



He urged Modi to intervene personally in this sensitive livelihood issue of our fishermen and use all means at the command of the government of India to curb the unacceptable aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, and to protect the life, limb and liberty of our innocent fishermen.



In another statement, Palaniswami condemned the killing and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for the victims family. He also announced Rs one lakh to the other fisherman, who was injured in the attack, and directed that the best medical treatment be offered to him.



DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, M K Stalin, called for diplomatic action by New Delhi on the issue.

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New Delhi :

The Cabinet on Monday gave its consent over settlement of legacy food cash credit accounts (up to crop season 2014-15) of Punjab government for food procurement operations.

This proposal of Department of Expenditure was approved by Prime Minister under Rule 12 of (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 on January 2, 2017, an official statement said.

It further said that early settlement of legacy issues will help the banks in disbursement of food credit in the larger interest of numerous farmers of the state and uninterrupted continuity in food procurement operations to ensure food security for the nation.

Settlement of outstanding Cash Credit Limits (CCL) account by availing term loan by the Punjab government would entail savings in terms of interest payment, the statement said, adding this will create additional resource enabling Punjab government to undertake capital expenditure.

The outstanding amount in Cash Credit Accounts of Punjab up to Kharif Marketing Season 2014-15 amounting to about Rs 31,000 crore shall be converted into a term loan.

It will be repayable in half yearly instalments over a period of 20 years with the option for pre-payment. The terms and conditions of the loan shall be as prescribed by the RBI and the lending banks, the statement added.

Noting that the 14th Finance Commission has prescribed the fiscal roadmap for each state for its award period 2015-20 and anchored their fiscal deficit to an annual limit of 3 per cent of states gross state domestic product (GSDP), the statement said, The above term loan proposed to be extended to Punjab government in current financial year... will not be counted in the fiscal deficit limit of Punjab government in 2016-17.

The statement said that after the conversion of legacy accounts in long-term loan, the government of Punjab may issue bonds for the purpose of paying back the loan.

Also read: Govt approves promotions for over 9,600 border guards

This will be subject to the approval of consortium of banks and RBI. The GoI consent will be issued for swapping of loan in the same year of issue of bonds, it said.

The statement pointed out that Punjab government shall enter into a tripartite agreement with Government of India (GoI) and RBI irrevocably authorising the GoI to deduct, in case Punjab government fails to make any payment towards principal or interest of the term loan on due dates, such defaulted amount from the states share in central taxes and pay the same to SBI consortium.

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Berlin/New Delhi:

India has got the dubious distinction of having the highest bribery rate in the Asia Pacific, with a survey showing on Monday that more than two-thirds of Indians had to pay tea money or fork out other forms of bribe to get public services.



The survey, conducted by international anti-graft rights group Transparency International, found 69 per cent in India as saying they had to pay a bribe, followed by 65 per cent in Vietnam. China was much lower at 26 per cent while the same for Pakistan was 40 per cent.



Japan had the lowest incidence of briberyat 0.2 per cent. South Korea also fared well at a mere 3 per cent.



However, it is China which seems to have seen the highest increase, with 73 per cent in the survey saying the bribery has gone up in their country over the past year while India comes in at seventh place (41 per cent) -- higher than countries like Pakistan, Australia, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.



In the survey of more than 20,000 people in 16 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 900 million said they had to pay a bribe at least once in the past one year.

Read | Digital payment can check black money, graft, says PM Narendra Modi



The police topped the list of public services most often demanding a bribe while 38 per cent of the poorest surveyed said they paid a bribe, which is the highest proportion of any income group.



The survey asked people how often they had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour, including for the police, judge or court officials, teachers, hospital staff or a government official for getting some documents or services.



Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. Its time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable, said Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.



The results show that lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistleblowers and governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Transparency International said.



Ugaz further added that without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill.



As part of a regional series for the Global Corruption Barometer, Transparency International spoke to nearly 22,000 people about their recent experiences with corruption in 16 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.

Read | I-T dept registers over 230 cases, attaches assets worth Rs 55 crore under Benami Transactions Act

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Colombo:

The Sri Lankan government ordered a probe on Tuesday regarding killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy. The probe was ordered after India raised the issue with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Sri Lankan navy, however, denied the allegation, saying it does not open fire at poaching fishermen and onlyarrests them.

The navy's reaction comes after India said that a22-year-old fisherman from Tamil Nadu had been killed and another injured after Sri Lanka Navy personnel fired at them.

The Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera wrote to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to carry out an investigation on the alleged shooting.

Also Read: Fisherman killing: Hundreds stage protest in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami writes to PM Modi

In his letter, Amaraweera said the navy has denied firing at the fishermen but in order to maintain good relations with India, it was important to launch a probe into the Indian accusation.

Amaraweera said he had spoken with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjith Singh Sandhu and assured that Sri Lanka was keen not to allow the good relations between the two countries hampered by any incident.

Also Read: Fisherman's killing: India raises issue with Sri Lankan PM Wickremesinghe

There was no response from the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's office on the Indian media reports that New Delhi had taken up the matter with him. Indian fisherman Bridgo along with others was fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, fisheries department officials in Tamil Nadu had said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot andanother fisherman, Saravanan (22), suffered injuries inhis leg in the firing. Other fishermen who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore.

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Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist squad on Tuesday launched an operation to catch a suspected terrorist holed up in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow. There are inputs that this terror suspect, identified as Saifullah, may have links with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast that took place earlier on Tuesday.

According to a Delhi Police special cell source, the suspect is linked to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast. The Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Police had reportedly received a tip off from South India about an ISIS module but the blast was carried out in the train even before the police could take any action.

Following the blast, the police arrested suspected ISIS terrorists from whom they received tip off about Saifullah, reports said.

Saifullah, hiding in a house in Kakori area, may be linked to ISIS, reports have said, adding, they might have planned a bigger terror attack like Mumbai.

According to inputs from Kerala and Telangana shared by Intelligence Bureau, more terrorists are suspected to be hiding in Lucknow and surrounding districts.

Several terrorists of ISIS module have been arrested from various states in India in the past but Saifullah is first to reportedly possess weapons like AK-47, which is why it is important for the security agencies to capture him alive. Catching him alive will help the security agencies get information about the sleeper cells of ISIS.

ALSO READ | Suspected ISIS terrorist hurt in encounter with ATS in Lucknow; chilli bomb used but suspect refuses to surrender

The owner of the house where Saifullah is hiding lives in Saudi Arabia and according to the neighbours few youths live here as tenants, said reports. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh has been put on high alert in view of the polling for 40 assembly seats in seven districts on Wednesday.

As per reports, Saifullah has been injured in the operation in which 20 commandos are involved.

Video | Blast in 59320 Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in MP, 9 hurt | See pics inside

UP DGP Javeed Ahmed said the UP Police was trying to convince the person holed up in the house to surrender.

ALSO READ | MP top cop confirms Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion as terrorist attack

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New Delhi:

The two doctors from Medanta hospital, who suffered severe burn injuries in an air ambulance mishap in Bangkok, are in ICU at a hospital in the Thai capital.

The nurse, who was accompanying the doctors, sustained minor injuries and is stable, Medanta hospital sources said.

Medanta Chairman Dr. Naresh Trehan is traveling to Bangkok while a team of doctors from the hospital has already reached the city to assist with the treatment and evacuation of the injured staff.

Also Read: Medanta's air ambulance crashes near Bangkok: Pilot dies, 3 passengers in ICU

According to official sources, the family members of the injured have also reached Bangkok.

The Chairman of Medanta, Dr. Naresh Trehan, is traveling to Bangkok to personally oversee the treatment and ensure the best possible care is provided to the doctors, staff, and crew affected by this terrible tragedy, Medanta said in a statement.

Trehan termed the incident as unfortunate. At this moment our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected and to their families and we ask that you all pray for their speedy recovery, he said.

Another senior doctor of the hospital said that the two doctors are seriously injured and are admitted in intensive care unit.

The plane took off from New Delhi for Bangkok on March 5 en-route to Bangkok and took a refueling stop at Kolkata in the afternoon. Later, it crash landed at Nakhon Pathom airport.

The plane was carrying two doctors and a nurse, apart from the pilot who was killed in the incident.

One of the doctors was from the hospitals Department of Anaesthesia while the other from the Department of Critical Care. The team was on its way to ferry a patient, who was to be shifted to Medanta for treatment.

We are grateful for the support that has been extended by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and the various Thai Government authorities as well as the doctors and nurses at the hospital currently treating the injured. the statement added.

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New Delhi:

Six passengers of Bhopal-Ujjain Express got injured when an explosion took place in moving train on Tuesday. The cause of the explosion is yet to be established.

As per reports, Ujjain bound Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train (59320) was on its way when an explosion took place on the tracks. The incident took place around 10 am in the morning. It is also being said that a suspicious suitcase was observed which might have carrying some explosive material.

The glass panes of the windows in the general coach were damaged because of the blast, which occurred when the train was about to reach Jabdi Station. Following the blast, the train came to a halt. Smoke engulfed the general coach, causing panic among the passengers who rushed out to save themselves.

The injured were admitted to Kala Pipal government hospital.Iqbal Siddiqui, PRO of Bhopal division, told that a medical team has been sent to the accident site.

The Madhya Pradesh government has announced Rs 25,000 compensation to injured and Rs 50,000 to critically injured persons in the incident. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he personally monitoring the situation.

He informed the SP and collector are present on the spot, and ATS and forensic team are probing the case under the supervision of Director General.

The ADG (intelligence) called a meeting over the incident wherein IG (intelligence), AIG (Law and Order) were present.

The inujred passengers have been identified as Bharti (30-yr, native of Sehore), Durgesh (25-yr, Sehore), Jia (27-yr, Imlipura, Sehore), Pushpa (45-yr, Implipura, Sehore), Syed Hassan (55-yr, Sarangpur), Babulal (45-yr, Pilpliya), Neha (15-yr, Bhopal) and Shanti (35-yr, Sehore).

Also Read | Rail sabotage incidents: Maharashtra Director General of Police holds high-level meet to discuss on security

Injured passengers admitted to Kalapipal Govt hospital, medical team sent. Reason of explosion unknown: IA Siddiqui (PRO, Bhopal Div) pic.twitter.com/FfzEBJoBi1  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

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Ahmedabad:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat starting on Tuesday, during which he will attend a number of events and meetings.



During the visit, Modi will inaugurate a national convention of women sarpanch, address an industry meet of OPAL project of ONGC and inaugurate a four-lane bridge over Narmada river in Bharuch.



The Prime Minister will also visit Somnath temple and attend a meeting of the Somnath Temple Trust.



Modi will arrive at Surat Airport on Tuesday evening, from where he will go to Dahej to address an industry meet at ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPAL) petrochemical complex.



Thereafter, he will head to Bharuch, where he will inaugurate a new bridge constructed on river Narmada to ease the traffic woes on Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway.



The Prime Minister will also address a public gathering in Bharuch and lay a foundation stone for a bus port in the town.



After that event, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will host a dinner for Modi at his residence in Gandhinagar, where state ministers and MPs are expected to remain present.



Thereafter, the Prime Minister will head to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, where he will stay the night.



On Wednesday, Modi will be flown to Somnath temple, where he will offer special prayers and attend the meeting of the Somnath Temple Trust.Modi is the trustee of temple trust, of which former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel is the president.



BJP president Amit Shah and senior party leader L K Advani will also attend the meeting of the temple trust. Both of them are also its trustees.



On Wednesday afternoon, Modi will address the national convention of women sarpanch in Gandhinagar on the occasion of International Womens Day.



Women sarpanch from different parts of the country will attend the event, which has been jointly organised by the Centre and the Rural Development Department of Gujarat government.



In the last few months, Modi has paid a number of visits to his home state where the assembly elections are scheduled to be held by the end of this year.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed UP minister Azam Khan to appear before Allahabad High Court latest by Wednesday in Engineers appointment case. Allahabad High Court had issued bailable warranat for Azam Khans appearance in court. Azam Khan had filed a plea against the order in Supreme Court.

Earlier in the day, Azam Khan moved the Supreme Court against the bailable warrant issued by the Allahabad High Court after he failed to appear before it in a case related to the state Jal Nigam, which he heads.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khan mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said the high court has sought presence of the senior Samajwadi Party leader before it today itself in connection with the case.

Sibal told the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul, that Khan is willing to appear before the high court after March 11, the day when the ongoing Assembly election process gets over.

Sibal also told the apex court that being a minister, Khan is the ex-officio chairman of the UP Jal Nigam and that he has nothing to do with the case.

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New Delhi:

Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday killed a suspected terrorist in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. Encounter between UP ATS and terrorist ended in Lucknow.

There is a continuous firing from the side of terrorist at security forces in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. The UP ATS got special inputs about suspected terrorist in Lucknow. A team had been sent to Thakurganj to nab the terrorist. The name of terrorist is said to be Saifullah.



According to an uncomfirmed report, Saifullah may have some links with terrorist group ISIS. However, the ADG of Uttar Pradesh Police has not given any information about Saifullah's possible links with the ISIS in his press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday.

The suspect confined himself in a room and was having loaded pistol. The ATS is approaching the case with all the caution. Teargas had been used in order to nab the terrorist.

Also read: Are ISIS sleeper cells increasing in India? Suspected terrorists nabbed in Hoshangabad, Kanpur, Lucknow had 'some big plans', say reports

The firing had created chaos in the Thakurganj area. As per the information, firing started from the side of suspect. The ADG, Law and Order, Daljit Chawdhary said that operation is currently underway.

Also read: MP top cop Makrand Devaskar confirms Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion as terrorist attack

The IG of ATS, Aseem Arun has also reached the spot. The ADG Daljit Chowdhary is also at the spot. However, the suspected terrorist's organisation is not clear at the moment. But, it is reported that the terrorist belonged to Madhya Pradesh.

On Thursday, election is scheduled on 40 seats in seven districts in Uttar Pradesh. Election Commission is also keeping a vigil on the developments. Instructions have been put out to arrange stricter security in the state.

Here are the live updates:

# Cops spot two suspected terrorists in the house

# Three chilli bomb thrown inside home, cross firing happening

# Operation still on. We thought initially that there is one youth inside, but there are two. Trying to arrest them as soon as possible: ADG Law & Order

Op still on. We thought initially that there is one youth inside,but there are two. Trying to arrest them as soon as possible:ADG Law&Order pic.twitter.com/0iUZjliZ0E  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

# Commandos trying to break the door which is inside the house

# Commandos from ATS entered the house though main gate

# SSP asking media to stay away from site, says that cross firing can happen

# SSP says Saifullah is still alive, ATS is planning for final attack

# Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaks to DGP UP Javeed Ahmed and takes stock the ongoing operation in Lucknow

# Operation is expected take more time to finish

# Police has brought night vision camera, cutter for cutting rooftop

# Commandos are deployed around the house but they have not entered inside. They are making strategy to break into the house

# Commandos are present in big numbers at the spot

# ADG has refused reports of calling NSG at the spot

# DM Lucknow is also at the spot

# Generator has been brought in to arrange light at the spot

# Police has brought cutter to cut the roof of the house

# According to SSP Lucknow, the suspected terrorist is still alive

# The suspect was living the area for last one and a half months. SSP has suspended area's police stations's incharge. The incharge was suspended for complacency.



# Chilli bomb has been used again during operation. People living in vicinity are coughing

# Input had come from Kerala and telangana. It was shared by IB

# Some more terrorist may be hidden in Lucknow or surrounding district

# Saifullah belongs to ISIS network

# Saifullah is the part of new formated cell who are planning to big attack like Mumbai

# It is yet not clear how many terrorists are inside the house

# Operation continues in Thakurganj area of Lucknow

# Shared info with central agencies, encounter going on in UP. This was a major terrorist attack, motive under investigation: B Singh, Home Min, MP

Shared info with central agencies,encounter going on in UP. This was a major terrorist attack,motive under investigation-B Singh,Home Min,MP pic.twitter.com/kNQVUTI39o  ANI (@ANI_news) March 7, 2017

# The suspected terrorist have been hit by bullet and is carrying injury

# The suspect is firing intermittently, but we have stopped firing: IG ATS

# In order to arrest him alive, we used chilli bombs but he has not come out yet. He is firing intermittently: IG ATS

# The suspect has weapons, ammunition with him but he is alone there, no hostage and nobody else present there: IG ATS

# The moment we knocked the door, the suspect locked the room and then we heard a sound of cocking of pistol: IG ATS

# Had received information today about a suspect present in Thakurganj area involved in a terror case, we conducted raids here:IG ATS

Had received information today about a suspect present in Thakurganj area involved in a terror case, we conducted raids here:IG ATS pic.twitter.com/YCLivTZ9OZ  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

#Suspect holed up by security forces in Lucknow's Thakurganj area, a total of 20 rounds have been fired, ambulance called in



# IG Law & order Makrand Devaskar confirms Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train explosion that took place on Tuesday was a terrorist attack

# Suspected terrorist was living on rent

# Huge crowd has assembled at the encounter spot. Police is making surrender appeal again and again.

# Home Ministry is in constant touch with UP Police, we are putting all efforts to arrest the terrorist: ADG

# High-alert in Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura

# High-alert has been sounded at Lucknow airport and railway station. Security has been tightened

# ATS has inserted smoke inside house to make the terrorist inconscious and arrest him alive

# The name of suspected terrorist arrested from Kanpur is Faizan

# The suspected terrorist may also be connected to Bhopal train blast

# Hope to arrest him soon, will interrogate thereafter: ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Chaudhary on suspect present inside building in Thakurganj

# We are suspecting presence of only one suspect inside the building, input came in from outside the state: ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Chaudhary

# The suspect inside the building is possibly from Lucknow, we suspect that he has weapons: ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Chaudhary

# One suspect arrested from Kanpur, the second one is inside a building in Thakurganj. He has not come out yet: Daljit Chaudhary

# Had received inputs about presence of some suspects in Kanpur and Lucknow, our senior officials searched: ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Chaudhary

Suspected terrorist holed up by UP ATS in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. Operation in progress. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/fHDHM7b2tQ  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

#UPDATE: Shots fired by suspected terrorist at security forces in Thakurganj area of Lucknow, operation underway. pic.twitter.com/ue1Ny6IqNw

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

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Beijing:

After United States, China is all set to develop a new generation of rockets that can be released into space from an aircraft, a senior official has said. The worlds first air-launched space mission was undertaken by the US in 1990. Former Orbital Sciences Corp developed a Pegasus rocket, which was launched from a refitted B-52 strategic bomber that sent two small satellite into the orbit.

Since the first launch, US has carried out 43 Pegasus missions and the most recent one was launched in December last year.



Li Tongyu, the head of carrier rocket development at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said that the air-launched rockets can replace dysfunctional satellites or in cases of disaster relief, quickly send up Earth observation satellites to assist in the effort.

He said that a model capable of sending a payload of about 100 kilograms into low Earth orbit has been designed by engineers at the academy, which is the main developer of Chinese carrier rockets. They have plans to build a larger rocket that could carry 200 kg into orbit.

ALSO READ | Mars Mission: China prepares to conduct 2nd Mission to the red planet by 2030

The Y-20 strategic transport plane will be the carrier of these rockets. The jet will hold a rocket within its fuselage and release it at a certain altitude. The rocket will be ignited after it leaves the plane, Li was quoted as saying by state-run China Daily.

According to experts, large satellites will still have to be put into orbit with conventional rockets.

The Y-20, Chinas first domestically developed heavy-lift transport plane, was delivered to the Chinese Air Force from July. The plane a maximum take-off weight of more than 200 metric tons and a maximum payload of about 66 tons, the Daily quoted aviation experts as saying.

In comparison to the land-based liquid-fuelled rockets, where preparation can take days, weeks or longer, in part because it takes so much time to pump in the fuel, the solid-fuel rockets can be launched from planes much faster.

ALSO READ | China: Long March-3B carrier rocket carries new communication technology test satellite, launch successful



Long Lehao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said each mission involving a solid-fuel rocket launched by a Y-20 would take only 12 hours of preparation to place a 200 kg satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 km above Earth.



Other advantages of such rockets are that they are flexible in deployment and do not need ground infrastructure, Pang Zhihao, executive editor-in-chief of Space International magazine said.



They also are less susceptible to bad weather and launch costs are lower than those of ground-launched rockets, he added.



Several US space companies, including Virgin Galactic and Generation Orbit Launch Services, are developing air-launched rockets, the Daily report said.



(With inputs from PTI)

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Sydney:

A British backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged on Monday after she was rescued during a random traffic stop.



The 22-year-old was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres west of Brisbane.



A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle. Authorities say she had been "held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks".



Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations.



The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.



"The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body," police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.



Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year. They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia.



Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest southwest of Sydney.

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Kathmandu:

A general strike called by the Madhesis crippled normal life in the southern districts of Nepal on Tuesday. The strike was called to protest the killing of three youths in police firing in Saptarai district, bordering India.

In most of the 20 districts of southern Nepal, factories, industries and educational institutions remained shut due to the strike called by the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF).

The UDMF has demanded that the victims be declared martyrs and compensation be given to their families. Three young Madhesi activists were killed when police opened fire to disperse a crowd which had encircled the venue of a public meeting of the main opposition party CPN-UML in Saptari district on Monday.

The public meeting was called by Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist as part of its Mechi-Mahakali campaign launched two days ago in the Terai's Jhapa district.

Chief District Officer Baldev Gautam said the police resorted to firing after they failed to control the Madhesis. They earlier baton charged them and fired tear gas shells.

Major marketplaces at Bhardaha, Kanchanpur, Rupani andKalyanpur of Saptari district remained closed. The Madhesis have been staging protests by burning tyres at various parts of the Birgunj in Parsa districts as well.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents in the region. Authorities on Tuesday imposed a curfew in Saptari district headquarters Rajbiraj and adjoining areas to prevent clashes.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, had launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February in 2016 against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community.

The protests resulted in the death of at least 50 people. Meanwhile, the US has expressed concern over the violence in Saptari district that left some protesters dead. "The right to peacefully express one's political views is a fundamental component of an inclusive democracy, but violence should not be a part of the political discourse," the US embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement also called on Nepalese security forces to exercise maximum restraint as people express their democratic rights. It urged all protesters and parties to continue to engage in the democratic process through non-violent means.

The Madhesi Front was disrupting the meeting as part of its separate campaign against local body polls scheduled for May 14. The CPN-UML had postponed its Mechi-Mahakali campaign for three days after the violent clashes.

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Tehran:

More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Irans veterans affairs office said on Tuesday.

Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the holy mausoleums, Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Shahidi, who is head of Irans Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran.

The figure was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to Syria.

Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and also organizes militias fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Shahidi did not provide details on the nationalities of those killed. Iran oversees volunteer fighters recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The families of those killed in battle are given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.

Tehran refers to the fighters as defenders of the shrinesa reference to Shiite holy sites in Iraq and Syria that have been targeted by Sunni extremists.

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Jerusalem:

Israels parliament informed it had passed into law a bill barring entry into the country to those supporting a boycott of the Jewish state.

The knesset (parliament) passed on its second and third readings the Entry into Israel bill, it said in a statement last evening.

A visa will not be granted nor a residence permit of any kind to any person who is not an Israeli citizen or permanent resident if he, or the organisation or body in which he is active, has knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel or pledged to take part in such a boycott, a statement said.

Israel has been faced with a boycott movement over its nearly 50-year occupation of the West Bank but it has lately intensified the diplomatic and legal fight against it.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement campaigns for a global boycott of Israel until, among other demands, the country withdraws from all occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitisma claim BDS denies.

Haaretz newspaper said that the wording of the new law left open the possibility that it could be used against Palestinians living in Israel as temporary residents, while their applications for permanent residence were being considered.

Such a process is required by Palestinians seeking right of abode with their Israeli Arab spouses.

Last year Israeli authorities refused to renew the travel documents of prominent BDS campaigner Omar Barghouti.

His family are Palestinian but he was born in the Gulf state of Qatar.

He is married to an Israeli-Arab and as such has permanent resident status, although not full citizenship.

But Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has been considering revoking Barghoutis residence permit, the ministry has said.

Also Read: Israeli forces struck Hamas in Gaza strip after border fire

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Kuala Lumpur:

North Korea on Tuesday banned Malaysians from leaving the country, dramatically escalating an already-heated diplomatic row over the murder of Kim Jong Nam.

Moments later, Kuala Lumpur retaliated, banning diplomats and staff at the North Korean embassy from leaving Malaysia.

The tit-for-tat moves marked an extraordinary heightening of tensions three weeks after the airport assassination of leader Kim Jong-Uns half-brother with the banned VX nerve agent.

The North decided to temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens in the DPRK, Pyongyangs official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry and using the Norths official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The bar would remain in place until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of the DPRK in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but ties have rapidly degenerated in the weeks since Kim Jong-Nam was attacked at an international airport by two women using VX nerve agent, a chemical so deadly it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants to question several North Koreans, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

The North has never confirmed the dead mans identity, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.

Kuala Lumpur announced the expulsion of the Norths ambassador over the weekend. He flew to Beijing on Monday, after launching a final verbal assault on his hosts.

Kang Chol slammed what he called a pre-targeted investigation by the Malaysian police as he was leaving Kuala Lumpur.

Also Read: Malaysian police cordons off North Korean embassy post envoy's expulsion order

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Islamabad:

The Pakistan government on Tuesday said it would convene fresh talks with opposition parties after former president Asif Ali Zardari extended his conditional support to the reopening of military courts.

The government had announced to present a draft law in the Parliament at the start of this week to amend the Constitution to create military courts for another two years to try the terrorists.

However, main opposition party, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Zardari had said that his party would accept military courts if they were created only for one year.

PPP on Tuesday submitted nine recommendations to the government.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that government would examine the recommendations.

There was consensus earlier on two years period for military courts but the PPP has suggested only one year, so we will sit with other political parties tomorrow or day after and discuss it, he said.

On February 28, majority of the parties consented to an extension for another two years. The meeting was, however, boycotted by the PPP.

Our party has been in the forefront of fight against terrorism and we have made sacrifices, but we want a law that defines terrorists, that will become a definition for terrorism, Zardari said, adding that the PPP had no intention to dishearten the armed forces.

The recommendations say that military courts shall be presided over by one sessions judge or additional sessions judge with a military officer and that the sessions/additional sessions judge will be nominated by Pakistans chief justice. The extension period will be for one year and not two years.

Cases will be subject to judicial review by high courts under Article 199 of the Constitution and High court shall decide case within 60 days. All accused to be produced within 24 hours before the concerned court and explanation within 24 hours for their arrest. Accused shall have the right to engage counsel of their choice.

Zardari said his party is open to dialogue, whether with the government or the army.

The controversial military courts were formed after the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 to quickly dispose off cases against terrorists.

The military courts were disbanded in January after a clause in the Constitution, under which they were established, expired. Since then, political parties and government have been unable to reach a consensus to extend the courts tenure and revive the clause.

Rights bodies had been critical of military courts which operated in secrecy and did not strictly followed the procedure of civil courts.

Since February 2015, a total of 274 individuals were convicted in 11 military courts. As many as 161 individuals were handed down death sentence out of whom 12 were executed.

Also Read: Pakistan withdraws from SAARC meet on animal diseases to be held in New Delhi

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Islamabad:

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday alleged in the Parliament that India and Afghanistan have joined hands to create unrest in Pakistan.He said that there had been a constant rise in Indias alleged unprovoked firing and violation of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control, Dawn online reported.



The minister, in a written reply to the Parliament, claimed that in the past four years, India has violated the ceasefire agreement 1,170 times along the LoC and 257 times across the Working Boundary.



Pakistan is trying to implement better and more complete border management with Afghanistan, he said while responding to opposition lawmakers in the Parliaments lower house, National Assembly, the report said.

Read | Pakistan seeks more info from India on alleged Indian spy Jadhav



Until there is better border management with Afghanistan, the scourge of terrorism will continue to exist, Asif said.



We have the right to shut the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan and protect our people, he said.



The border has 25 openings from where people travel between the two countries, but Pakistan cannot let terrorists to cross into the country.

Read | Pakistan can't let terror groups sneak into India: US Senator



We gave refuge to thousands of Afghans, but we will not keep housing terrorists. The killers of our sons are sitting on Afghan soil, the government needs to take action against them, Asif said.



Discussing the matter of discrimination against Pakhtuns in the recent operations, the minister said, There is no discrimination against any one ethnicity. The operation is against terrorists and terrorists do not have any religion, caste or ethnicity.

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Islamabad:

Pakistan says it will temporarily open two border crossings with Afghanistan that were closed after a string of militant attacks.



Pakistan's foreign ministry said the Torkham and Chaman crossings will be open Tuesday and Wednesday.



It said that Afghans with valid visas will be allowed to return home, as will Pakistanis who travelled to Afghanistan with valid visas.



Pakistan shut the two main crossings with Afghanistan three weeks ago after a wave of suicide bombings that authorities said was linked to a group operating on the other side of the border.

The two countries have long accused each other of ignoring militants that operate along the porous frontier.

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Washington:

President Donald Trump affirmed on Tuesday America's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea's security following the latest missile test by North Korea.



Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the White House said.



During the phone calls, Trump emphasised the United States' ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.



"He emphasised that his administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities," the White House said.



"Trump agreed with Prime Minister Abe and acting President Hwang to continue close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions," the White House said.



Meanwhile, the US Forces in Korea announced that Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile has arrived in Korean Peninsula.



Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada to discuss North Korea's missile launches.



"Mattis and Inada both agreed that these launches are an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region," Davis said. Mattis reaffirmed that the US remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment, he said.



"Both Mattis and Inada agreed to cooperate closely along with the Republic of Korea to strengthen deterrence and to maintain the peace and security of Northeast Asia," Davis said. North Korea on Monday fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters.

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Washington :

South Asian groups have strongly condemned US President Donald Trumps revised executive order, describing it as an assault on Muslims and immigrants under the guise of national security.

The second executive order, which will come into force on March 16, temporarily halts entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations.

The ban has been imposed on Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national South Asian civil rights organisation, alleged that this is revised and stubbornly racist Executive Order effectively banning Muslims, rejecting refugees, and expanding surveillance on Muslim-American communities under the guise of national security.

In a twisted dance of trial and error, the President continues his dogged pursuit of a Muslim ban despite national outrage and a unanimous Ninth Circuit decision blocking enforcement of his original order, stated Suman Raghunathan, executive director of SAALT.

No matter the legal gymnastics, this latest order is a thinly veiled assault on Muslims, immigrants, people of colour and the founding ideals of equality and freedom in the US, she said.

In a joint statement, the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) condemn Trumps new executive order which it said includes many of the discriminatory provisions of his earlier order, which also sought to stop refugees from entering the US and halt immigration from several Muslim-majority countries.

These orders, which are based on the misguided idea that certain religious and ethnic populations are more prone to violence, are incompatible with American values, and will not make our communities safer or our nation stronger.

Notably, the order, continues to suspend refugee admission for 120 days, reduce and limit the number of refugee admissions, and targets individuals from six Muslim-majority countries, suspending entry of individuals for 90 days, with some exceptions, the two organisations said.

The Presidents Executive Action does nothing more than advance an anti-Muslim agenda espoused during the campaign under the guise of national security, said SABA president Vichal Kumar.

A refugee, by definition, person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

The supposed justification for this Executive Action punishes this person for the very same war and persecution that is causing them to leave in the first place, Kumar said.

The executive order is a continuation of the same policy that discriminates against and devalues refugees and members of the Muslim community, said NAPABA president Cyndie Chang.

We must refuse to act out of fear and intolerance. We must not return to the dark chapters of our history where we judged people by the colour of their skin, how they prayed, or where their family came from. We must stand up for our values of equity, justice, and opportunity, Chang said.

The new executive order clarifies it is not applicable to certain individuals, such as valid visa holders whose documents were issued on or before January 27, 2017, lawful permanent residents, and dual-national passport holders.

Both NAPABA and SABA joined litigation against the executive order enacted on January 27, 2017.

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NEW MILFORD  Teachers who worked an extra 20 hours without pay during the 2015-16 school year should be compensated for their time, the court has found.

Judge Trial Referee John W. Pickard upheld an arbitrators decision to pay the teachers for their after-school meetings, despite an appeal by the towns Board of Education.

Judge Trial Referee John W. Pickard ruled last Thursday that the school board couldnt vacate the arbitrators decision, although school officials argued the issue could not be arbitrated in the first place.

The Board has not made any substantive arguments as to how the award did not conform to the issues, Pickard wrote in his decision. But has instead attempted to re-litigate the facts of the case as found by the arbitrator.

The Connecticut Education Association, which represented the teachers in the complaint, argued that the school board violated the collective bargaining agreement by refusing to pay the teachers.

School board chairman David Lawson and Superintendent of Schools Joshua Smith declined comment Monday.

The dispute between teachers and school officials arose from an approved school calendar that cut teacher-only hours during school days and added 10 after-school meetings, said Connecticut Education Association representative Tom Kennedy.

All told, the calendar called for an extra 20 hours of work a year without pay, said Kennedy, adding he didnt know how much money the arbitrator awarded the teachers.

After the grievance was filed, arbitrators sided with the teachers last July and said teachers should be paid for those hours at their respective hourly rates. Later that month, the school board asked the state Superior Court in Litchfield to vacate the award.

Kennedy, in an interview, urged the school board not to appeal the courts decision.

We are hoping they dont waste any more of New Milford taxpayers money on this, he said.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
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Time is approaching to participate in the region's biggest philanthropic event of the year.

Fairfield County's Community Foundation is set to hold its fourth annual Giving Day on Thursday, March 9. Hearst Connecticut Media Group is the media partner of the 24-hour online fundraising competition.

"Giving Day is an opportunity for non-profit organizations in Fairfield County - which do so much to enhance the quality of life in our communities - to raise some much needed funds to ensure the continuation of their work," said Paul Barbetta, the group's publisher and president.

From 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., individuals can donate at least $10 or more online to a nonprofit or cause close to their heart. There are 431 nonprofits participating this year.

Gifts of any size will also help the nonprofits compete for over $100,000 in cash prizes ranging from $250 to $20,000.

Last year, Giving Day raised a total of $1.24 million for 410 nonprofits in several categories, including education, youth development, and human services.

The top performing nonprofit of 2016 was Curtain Call, a performing arts theater in Stamford, with more than $60,000 raised.

One of the biggest challenges every nonprofit faces is securing new sources of funding, said Lou Ursine, the groups executive director. As state arts funding has been drastically cut over the last several years, Giving Day has help take up that slack in much-needed operating funds.

Click through the slideshow to see ten of the top performing nonprofits last year.

"We are set to make a terrific impact," said Juanita James, CEO and president of Fairfield County's Community Foundation. "Remember, together we thrive!"
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BETHEL  Residents will vote Tuesday night on the first steps toward major renovations at two outdated elementary schools.

Officials said Johnson, the school for fourth and fifth grades, and Rockwell, which houses kindergarten through third grade, desperately need upgrades. Rockwell was built in 1971 and was last renovated in 1977, but Johnson, built in 1980, has never undergone a major upgrade.

That could change if residents vote at a special town meeting Tuesday to appropriate $140,000 for preliminary work on the proposal.

Officials said the schools are small as well as old, and have poor ventilation. The schools lack enough electrical outlets for todays technology.

Everyone in town government and certainly most of the community agree they are in desperate need of upgrading, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said. They (make it) very difficult to maintain 21st century education because of the limitations in there.

Officials do not yet know the cost of the project, but a 2010 study estimated it at $50 million to $60 million.

If the $140,000 is approved, Superintendent Christine Carver said, the district can obtain a cost estimate, as well as renderings, testing of soils and for hazardous materials, and architectural and engineering services. The latter will enable the town to apply for a state construction grant which. if approved, would reimburse the town for 47 percent of the project.

But Carver said the state is considering changing the guidelines for the grant, which could reduce the reimbursement to 30 percent. This means it is essential, she said, for the district to apply by the June 30 deadline.

These buildings desperately need renovations, she said. The longer we wait ... it could make Bethel more vulnerable to additional guidelines and cuts that would affect the reimbursement.

If the district does not receive the grant, Carver said, the Board of Education would have to take another look at the project.

If we don't get the level of funding that we have in terms of the reimbursement from the state, were definitely going to have to take a step back and re-examine the options, she said.

For residents hesitant about pursing the project in the wake of the governors proposal to cut $3.8 million in aid to the town next year, Knickerbocker said it will be months before the town would hold a referendum on the project, long after the state budget is passed.

Regardless, he said, the schools need the upgrade.

The need to renovate these schools is not going to go away because the state is having budget difficulties, Knickerbocker said.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. in Meeting Room A of the Clifford J. Hurgin Municipal Center, but could be moved to the General Purpose Room, depending on attendance.
BROOKFIELD - St. Joseph School hopes to raise $50,000 at its 26th annual auction gala Saturday evening.

Organizers expect a record number of nearly 300 guests, including Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, at the event, scheduled for 6 p.m. March 11 in the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury.

This fundraiser is critical in enabling us to directly support the daily operations of the school, event co-chair Tracey Reiser Pertoso said in an email.

Peter Brady, of the Handy Dandy Handyman, an organization that helps those in need, will be the guest of honor.

Peter and his mission set a wonderful example for our children through their many acts of charity and by helping those in need in our local community, Pertoso said. Peter is a shining example of what we hope our children will accomplish and can give back once they have completed their primary education.

The school will donate a special collection to Brady so he can continue his work.

The event includes a DJ and cash bar.

Attendees can bid on nearly 110 items in the live and silent auctions. These items include: a 14-karat white gold diamond pendant necklace donated by Michaels Jewelers, a private in-home Thai cooking class with Chef Suchada Palmer, a summer grilling adventure package donated by HOCON of Danbury and a spa package donated by LMT/Therapeutic Massage and Wellness.

To bid, visit SJSBrookfield.org.
Trost asks Conservative Leadership Candidates' to support his cancellation call

OTTAWA, March 6, 2017 /CNW/ - Conservative Leadership Candidate and Saskatoon-University MP Brad Trost called on the Trudeau Government, today, to reverse its decision to make an initial contribution of $20 million to a Dutch government-initiated global abortion fund, and to embargo any additional funding for abortion. Trost also asked all Conservative leadership candidates to support his call for a cancellation of funding.

Said Brad Trost, "I call on Justin Trudeau to reverse his minister's misguided decision to turn over $20 million of Canadian taxpayers' dollars to agencies which provide abortion internationally, including in countries where abortion is illegal. I ask all Conservative leadership candidates to support this call to cancel Canada's global abortion funding."

Justin Trudeau's International Development minister announced a first instalment of $20 million in funding for international abortion. During a media teleconference on Thursday, March 2, 2017, Minister Bibeau indicated that this $20 million is only the beginning. Bibeau made it clear that this is the first instalment of multi-annual funding. Further, that so-called sexual and reproductive "rights" will be a pillar of the Justin Trudeau government's foreign policy.

What is not widely known is that funding from the global abortion fund is earmarked to go to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Marie Stopes International, UNFPA (The United Nations Population Fund), IPAS, and PSI. Marie Stopes International has been found providing abortions in countries where abortion is illegal. Although Bibeau was quoted earlier by The Globe and Mail as insisting that the Justin Trudeau Government is "not promoting it (abortion) right now," each of these agencies to be funded promotes abortion among vulnerable women in rural Africa. They provide abortion to women who do not have access to even basic health care to address any complications from abortions these agencies perform.

In 2009 and 2010, after Brad Trost initiated a petition and marshalled support from his Caucus Colleagues, there was no funding to International Planned Parenthood. After his predecessor had restored the funding in 2011, Julian Fantino, Conservative International Development minister, cancelled all Canadian funding to International Planned Parenthood and any agency promoting or performing abortion internationally, in 2013. Canadian funding for the UN maternal health program was conditional on its not being used to fund abortions. Canadian funding was focused on maternal health, not on abortion.

"To promote abortion among women who cannot access even basic health care, let alone any follow-up care to deal with complications from the abortions they perform, is irresponsible. By funding agencies that promote abortion globally, the Justin Trudeau Government is engaging in the worst form of cultural imperialism," commented Brad Trost. "I call on Justin Trudeau to CANCEL this and any future funding to the global abortion fund, and devote all such funding instead to maternal and child health care."

SOURCE Brad Trost Campaign

For further information: Mike Patton, Director of Media Relations, (613) 620-3000 / [email protected]
Seifert-Hyslop's journey as a Mompreneur began in 2012 shortly after her oldest son turned one. Her cuddly, happy go-lucky toddler had turned into a teething, grumpy drool monster. Nothing on the market could relieve his teething pain aside from gnawing on his hands; so much so that he developed eczema on them. Since there was nothing available on the market to aid with such a problem, Seifert-Hyslop spent a few years of intense research and development creating the world's first teething mitt, the Munch Mitt. The "handy" sensory teething solution provides easy access pain relief for teething babies who are learning grip and direction. In addition, its black and white patterns and crinkly sound provide sensory stimulation all while protecting baby's hands from irritation due to chewing. The Munch Mitt is made from food grade silicone, is BPA and Phthalate free and has undergone rigorous safety standard testing.

Seifert-Hyslop added, "The Munch Mitt can now be found in over 13 countries internationally, including over 2,600 independent stores in North America. Not only has the trade industry received the Munch Mitt warmly, it opened a door to parents with teething children as well as doctors with teething babies around the world!

Winners were announced March 4 in Toronto at the 2017 National Mompreneurs Conference. Seifert-Hyslop was named the winner by her peers and the business community.

Munch Baby Inc/Malarkey Kids  FUNctional Products

Munch Baby Inc/Malarkey Kids  FUNctional Products, is an award winning company providing teething solutions for babies aged 3 to 18 months. Launched by entrepreneur Melissa Hyslop, products can be purchased worldwide, including to approximately 2,000 retailers across North America. For more information about Munch Baby Inc/Malarkey Kids  FUNctional Products and to find supporting retailers, please visit www.MalarkeyKids.com. Follow us on Facebook and on Instagram via @MunchMitt.

About Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc.

Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc. is the trusted national network that supports, educates, and empowers moms in business and female entrepreneurs across Canada. With a community of over 17,000 subscribers and members, the organization combines online and in-person events and resources to help each member further succeed through entrepreneurship. www.themompreneur.com

SOURCE Malarkey Kids  FUNctional Products

For further information: For high resolution images and for more information, please contact: Tanya Bragg, PR, Marketing & Events, Malarkey Kids - FUNctional Products, E: [email protected], Ph: 289-260-0765
TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - The securities regulatory authorities in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon (participating jurisdictions) today published the underlying data used to prepare CSA Multilateral Staff Notice 58-308 Staff Review of Women on Boards and in Executive Officer Positions  Compliance with NI 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices, which was published on September 28, 2016.

The data was compiled from public documents filed on SEDAR and includes the name, industry and year-end of the 677 non-venture issuers with year-ends between December 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016 as it relates to women on boards and in executive officer positions.

The data can be found on the websites of the participating jurisdictions.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada's provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.





SOURCE Canadian Securities Administrators

For further information: Kristen Rose, Ontario Securities Commission, 416-593-2336; Nicole Tuncay, Alberta Securities Commission, 403-297-4008; Alison Walker, British Columbia Securities Commission, 604-899-6713; Sylvain Theberge, Autorite des marches financiers, 514-940-2176; Jason (Jay) Booth, Manitoba Securities Commission, 204-945-1660; Andrew Nicholson, Financial and Consumer Services Commission, New Brunswick, 506-658-3021; Jane Anderson, Nova Scotia Securities Commission, 902-424-0179; Janice Callbeck, Office of the Superintendent of Securities, P.E.I., 902-368-6288; John O'Brien, Office of the Superintendent of Securities, Newfoundland and Labrador, 709-729-4909; Rhonda Horte, Office of the Yukon Superintendent of Securities, 867-667-5466; Jeff Mason, Nunavut Securities Office, 867-975-6591; Tom Hall, Office of the Superintendent of Securities, Northwest Territories, 867-767-9305; Shannon McMillan, Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan, 306-798-4160
Canada 150 mixed pack featuring 12 craft breweries from across the nation

Click to tweet: https://ctt.ec/IwZ40

SURREY, BC, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadians have twelve more "beertastic" reasons to celebrate Canada's 150th Anniversary of Confederation. Central City Brewers + Distillers is pleased to announce a Canada-wide beer collaboration with Canadian breweries from 12 provinces and territories. The Red Racer Across The Nation Collaboration 12-pack commemorates the country's milestone birthday.

The Red Racer Across The Nation Collaboration is the only cross-Canada craft beer mix-pack celebrating Canada 150. Each of the 12 collaboration beers is inspired by the province in which it comes from, and was brewed at Central City's brewery in Surrey, BC.

"There is a great sense of comradery amongst us craft brewers in Canada, and what better way to show our pride in our country than to bring together some of Canada's best breweries on a celebratory mix-pack to commemorate this huge Canadian milestone," says Gary Lohin, Central City Brewers + Distillers' Brewmaster.

The Red Racer Across the Nation Collaboration 12-pack (330 ml bottles) will be available in liquor stores in most provinces in early May 2017, and as two unique 6-packs (East and West) in some provinces.

The breweries partnering on the Red Racer Across the Nation Collaboration are:

British Columbia , Delta: Four Winds Brewing Company with Brewmaster, Brent Mills

, Delta: Four Winds Brewing Company with Brewmaster, Alberta , Calgary : Last Best Brewing & Distilling with CEO, Brett Ireland and Brewer, Phillip Hamilton Brian

, : Last Best Brewing & Distilling with CEO, and Brewer, Saskatchewan , Swift Current : Black Bridge Brewery with Co-owners, Clayton and Kari Stenson

, : Black Bridge Brewery with Co-owners, Manitoba , Winnipeg : Half Pints Brewing Company with Brewmaster, Chris Young

, : Half Pints Brewing Company with Brewmaster, Ontario , Vankleek Hill : Beau's Brewing Company with Owner, Steve Beauchesne and Brewer, Kevin James

, : Beau's Brewing Company with Owner, and Brewer, Quebec , Shawinigan : Le Trou Du Diable with Pilsner Brewer Specialist, Stephane Thibodeau and Co-owner, Luc Bellerive

, : with Pilsner Brewer Specialist, and Co-owner, Nova Scotia , Halifax : Garrison Brewing Company with Brewmaster, Daniel Girard

, : Garrison Brewing Company with Brewmaster, New Brunswick , Fredericton : Picaroons Traditional Ales with Sean Dunbar , Owner and Operator

, : Picaroons Traditional Ales with , Owner and Operator Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown : PEI Brewing Company with Head Brewer, Chris Long

, : PEI Brewing Company with Head Brewer, Newfoundland , St. John's : Quidi Vidi Brewing Company with Brewer, Einar Holtet and Sales and Marketing Manager, Justin Fong

, : Quidi Vidi Brewing Company with Brewer, and Sales and Marketing Manager, Yukon , Whitehorse : Yukon Brewing Company with Head Brewer, Jon Zaugg and Brewer, Troy Charlton

, : Yukon Brewing Company with Head Brewer, and Brewer, Northwest Territories , Yellowknife : NWT Brewing Company with Owner, Fletcher Stevens

Visit www.centralcitybrewing.com.

Instagram: @CentralCityBrew, Twitter: @CentralCityBrew, Facebook: CentralCityBrewing

Backgrounder & photos available.

SOURCE Central City Brewers + Distillers

For further information: Media contact: Yvonne Chiang, Chiang PR, 604-880-5090, [email protected]
Company Reports Seventh Consecutive Quarter of Same Restaurant Sales Growth

MONTREAL, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc. ("IRG" or the "Company") (TSX: IRG), a leading franchisor of restaurants with 218 locations in Eastern Canada, reported financial results today for the 13 weeks ended January 29, 2017 ("Q1 2017"). This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's management discussion and analysis (the "MD&A") and unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for Q1 2017 which are available on the Company's website at www.imvescor.ca/investor-relations/ and have been posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

"Same Restaurant Sales increased for the seventh consecutive quarter," said Frank Hennessey, President and Chief Executive Officer of IRG. "In the first quarter of fiscal 2017 Same Restaurant Sales increased by 1.0% over strong growth of 2.9% in Q1 2016. Adjusting for the additional week of operations in Q1 2016, our net earnings increased 3.4% and increased 2.3% as a percentage of revenue, and our Operating EBITDA increased 3.6%."

"Since we announced our strategic plan in April 2015, we have made steady progress. With the recent announcements of the acquisition of Ben & Florentine and the divesture of Commensal, we are well positioned to grow our asset light business model, with a renewed focus on our core business. In the first quarter of fiscal 2017, we made investments in training with the re-opening of two completely renovated corporate training restaurants and the hiring of new training managers. This investment is critical as we move into a new phase of new restaurant growth. Our goal will always be to build restaurants that are successful and key to that success is ensuring our franchisees receive the tools and the training that they require to deliver a great guest experience."

Q1 2017 Financial and Operational Highlights

(All comparable figures are to the first fiscal quarter 2016 ("Q1 2016") unless otherwise specified. Note that Q1 2017 had 13 weeks compared to 14 weeks in Q1 2016 and the highlights include variance on a normalized basis, removing the impact of the additional week in Q1 2016.)

SRS grew 1.0% over SRS growth of 2.9% in Q1 2016, representing seven consecutive quarters of positive overall SRS growth. The positive impact was partially offset by restaurants closed due to renovations. The negative impact on SRS due to renovations was 0.4%.





Renovated three restaurants under the Restaurant Rejuvenation Plan (the "RRP") in Q1 2017, compared to five in Q1 2016. A total of 36 restaurants have been renovated since the inception of the RRP.





System Sales of $92.0 million were 7.8% lower than Q1 2016 (1% lower than Normalized Q1 2016 System Sales), primarily due to restaurants permanently closed.





were 7.8% lower than Q1 2016 (1% lower than Normalized Q1 2016 System Sales), primarily due to restaurants permanently closed. Revenue of $10.5 million decreased 13.1% (6.4 % on a normalized basis) from the temporary takeover of the operations of the manufacturer of certain Toujours Mikes licensed retail products in Q1 2016, partially offset by increased corporate restaurant sales in Q1 2017 from two additional company-owned restaurants.





decreased 13.1% (6.4 % on a normalized basis) from the temporary takeover of the operations of the manufacturer of certain Toujours Mikes licensed retail products in Q1 2016, partially offset by increased corporate restaurant sales in Q1 2017 from two additional company-owned restaurants. Operating expenses decreased 11.3% (4.5% on a normalized basis) from the temporary takeover of the operations of the manufacturer of certain Toujours Mikes licensed retail products in Q1 2016, partially offset by increased operating expenses for company-owned restaurants, increased training costs, and the professional fees of $0.4 million incurred in the acquisition of Ben & Florentine.





incurred in the acquisition of Ben & Florentine. Results from operating activities decreased 17.4% (11.0% on a normalized basis) primarily due to the professional fees incurred in the acquisition of Ben and Florentine, the pre-opening costs for company-owned restaurants and costs associated with closures for renovations, and an increase in the investment for the RRP and training, partially offset by decreased consulting and compensation expenses and increased retail royalties and supplier coordination fees.





Normalized Operating EBITDA of $3.8 million increased 3.6% mostly from increased retail royalties and supplier coordination fees, lower consulting and compensation expenses, partially offset by the pre-opening costs for company-owned restaurants and costs associated with closures for renovations.





increased 3.6% mostly from increased retail royalties and supplier coordination fees, lower consulting and compensation expenses, partially offset by the pre-opening costs for company-owned restaurants and costs associated with closures for renovations. Net earnings of $2.5 million decreased 4.0% (increased 3.4% on a normalized basis) and increased 2.3% as a percentage of revenue.





decreased 4.0% (increased 3.4% on a normalized basis) and increased 2.3% as a percentage of revenue. During Q1 2017 management committed to a plan to sell the assets of the Commensal manufacturing operations, and as such, Commensal is presented as a discontinued operation.

Highlights Subsequent to Quarter End

On December 20, 2016, the Company announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Ben & Florentine, a leading franchisor in the breakfast and lunch category with over 40 locations across Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. On February 27, 2017, the Company announced the successful completion of the Ben & Florentine acquisition. The Company has acquired Ben & Florentine for a total consideration of approximately $17.7 million paid at closing with an additional earn-out payment of up to $7.3 million payable in the first quarter of 2018 based upon the achievement of certain financial results driven principally by the successful opening of new restaurants. The acquisition of Ben & Florentine adds a leading brand to IRG's portfolio. Management believes that the acquisition presents several compelling strategic benefits including:

Significant growth potential; Ben & Florentine has grown rapidly since opening its first restaurant in 2009, expanding to 12 locations by 2010, opening its first location in Ontario in 2012, and today boasting more than 40 locations with $35 million in system sales;

in 2012, and today boasting more than 40 locations with in system sales; Ability to generate economies of scale while leveraging IRG's shared services and operating track record;

Increased critical mass in Quebec, cementing the Company's strong position in this market; and

Single digit accretion to earnings per share while keeping debt leverage at approximately 1x EBITDA.

The Company announced today that it has entered into a binding definitive agreement to sell substantially all of the assets of its wholly-owned subsidiary Groupe Commensal Inc., to an affiliate of Pasta Romana Foods Inc. for an aggregate total sum of approximately $4.2 million payable upon closing. Management believes that the divesture of Commensal is consistent with IRG's desire to remain focused on its core restaurant franchising business and to remain an asset light entity. The transaction is expected to close prior to the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2017 and is subject to certain customary closing conditions and purchase price adjustments.

Capital Allocation Strategy

On April 15, 2015, the Company formally announced a strategic plan and approach to capital allocation that charts a roadmap for the transformation and growth of the Company until the end of fiscal 2018, including an investment by the Company of up to $5.5 million over that period of time to rejuvenate its restaurant network under the RRP. To date, the Company has renovated 36 restaurants, and expects to renovate over 125 restaurants in total under the RRP. Since April 15, 2015, being the date of the announcement of the strategic plan, the trading price of the common shares of the Company has increased 76%, from $1.79 to $3.10. Finally, the Company fully repaid its long-term debt in fiscal 2016.

On January 13, 2016, the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") approved an increase of 12.5% in the Company's quarterly dividend from $0.02 to $0.0225 per common share. The dividend policy has been designed to allow sufficient flexibility to continue investing in the Company's growth and its franchise network, while providing returns to its shareholders. The Company also renewed its normal course issuer bid, which allows for the repurchase and cancellation of up to 3,024,297 common shares during the period commencing January 20, 2017 and ending no later than January 19, 2018.

In addition to continuing growing our business through a combination of organic growth, including through the investment in the RRP and other infrastructure areas, we are actively pursuing a strategic acquisition strategy of brands that complements IRG's existing brands and that could either consolidate our solid position in Quebec or expand our geographic footprint outside of Quebec, and broaden our customer base and leverage our platform. We plan on using cash on hand and available capital under our credit facility to finance the cash portion of such acquisitions while using the common shares of the Company as an attractive acquisition currency when appropriate. In evaluating any potential acquisition candidates, the Company will take into account whether such acquisition is accretive for the Company and whether it provides an opportunity for substantive growth while allowing the Company to leverage the fixed cost of its shared services platform. There is no certainty that the Company will be able to identify targets that will fit its objectives or that the Company will be able to complete a transaction.

The Company carefully explores, as it has done from time to time, any commercially reasonable strategic opportunity that could maximize the value of the Company.

Q1 2017 Selected Financial Data















(in thousands of dollars, where applicable)







Q1









January 29, 2017 January 31, 2016 % Number of weeks





13 14



















System Sales





$ 92,005 $ 99,815 -7.8% SRS





1.0% 2.9% -1.9% Restaurant operating weeks





2,811 3,153 -10.8% Restaurant count











Total





218 227 -4.0% Company-owned





6 4 50.0% Consolidated results:











Revenue





10,522 12,112 -13.1% Operating expenses





7,517 8,476 -11.3% Results from operating activities





3,005 3,636 -17.4% EBITDA (i)





3,593 4,059 -11.5% EBITDA as a % of Revenue





34.1% 33.5% 0.6% Restaurant rejuvenation plan expense





245 132 85.6% Operating EBITDA (i)





3,809 3,961 -3.8% % of Revenue





36.2% 32.7% 3.5% % of System Sales





4.1% 4.0% 0.1% Profit from discontinued operations, net of tax





289 164 76.2% Net earnings and comprehensive income





2,545 2,650 -4.0% Net earnings and comprehensive income as a % of Revenue





24.2% 21.9% 2.3% EPS:













Basic





0.04 0.05 -20.0%

Diluted





0.04 0.05 -20.0% Cash flow:











Free cash flow (i)





1,470 3,568 -58.8% Free cash flow as a % of Revenue





14.0% 29.5% -15.5% Dividends paid





1,361 - 100.0%













Cash





5,140 2,896 77.5% Working capital excluding gift cards liability





10,665 7,210 47.9%















(i) EBITDA, Operating EBITDA and Free cash flow are non-IFRS measures. Refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures and Financial Metrics"

section of this press release for the definition.

Dividend Declaration

Pursuant to its previously announced dividend policy, the Board today declared a dividend of $0.0225 per common share. The quarterly cash dividend will be paid on April 4, 2017 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 21, 2017.

The declaration and payment of any future dividend remains at the discretion of the Board and will depend on the Company's current and anticipated cash requirements and surplus, capital expenditures requirements, regulatory restrictions, financial results, future prospects, current and future contractual restrictions, such as restrictions under credit or other arrangements, the satisfaction of solvency tests imposed by the Canada Business Corporations Act for the declaration of dividends and other factors deemed relevant by the Board. Any dividend policy established by the Board, including the Company's current dividend policy can be changed at any time and is not binding on the Company. There can be no guarantee that the Company will maintain its current dividend policy or any dividend policy or that any dividend will be declared or paid.

Conference Call Details

Frank Hennessey, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Tania M. Clarke, Chief Financial Officer will host a conference call to discuss Q1 results today at 8:30 am E.S.T. To access the conference call by telephone, dial 1-888-231-8191 (Toll-Free), 514-807-9895 (Montreal) or 647-427-7450 (Toronto).

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available at www.imvescor.ca/investor-relations/. A recording of the conference call will be archived for replay by telephone until Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at midnight. To access the archived conference call, dial 1-855-859-2056 (Toll-Free), 514-807-9274 (Montreal) or 416-849-0833 (Toronto) and enter the reservation number 67370530.

About Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc. Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc. is a dynamic and innovative organization in the family and casual dining restaurant industry. The Company is a franchise and licensing business that operates restaurants in Eastern Canada under five banners: Baton Rouge, operating in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia in the casual dining segment, Pizza Delight, operating primarily in Atlantic Canada, in the family/mid-scale segment, Scores and Toujours Mikes, operating primarily in Quebec in the family and casual dining segments and the take-out and delivery segments, and Ben & Florentine, operating primarily in Quebec, with individual stores in Ontario and Manitoba, in the breakfast and lunch industry. The Company also licenses to third parties the right to manufacture and sell prepared food products under the Baton Rouge, Pizza Delight, Scores and Toujours Mikes brands.

Non-IFRS Measures and Key Performance Metrics: The information contained in this press release includes some figures that are not performance measures consistent with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). Both non-IFRS measures and key performance metrics are not recognized measures under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. They are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Because they do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, they may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers.

Key Performance Metrics

"System Sales" is the aggregate sales achieved by all "Pizza Delight", "Toujours Mikes", "Scores", and "Baton Rouge" restaurants, whether they are company-owned restaurants or franchised restaurants. System Sales includes sales from existing locations as well as new restaurants. This performance measure indicates the Company's overall growth and reflects the direct impact of restaurant openings and closures. The Company's franchisee and supplier royalty revenues vary directly with the level of System Sales in its franchisee restaurant network.

"Net new restaurants" represents the aggregate number of restaurants openings net of closures.

"Normalized System Sales" is defined as System Sales less the sales from the additional week of operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

"Same Restaurant Sales" or "SRS" or "SRS growth" is a metric used in the restaurant industry to compare sales earned in established locations over a certain period of time, such as a fiscal quarter, for the current period against sales in the same period in the previous year. SRS growth provides the portion of sales growth that is from established locations rather than from the opening of Net new restaurants. The Company defines SRS as sales generated by company-owned and franchised restaurants that have been open for at least one year compared to the sales from the same group of restaurants in the comparable period. The Company's franchisee and supplier royalty revenues vary directly with the level of System Sales in its franchisee restaurant network.

Non-IFRS Measures

These measures are provided as additional information to complement IFRS measures by providing further understanding of the Company's results of operations from management's perspective. Accordingly, they should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of the Company's financial information reported under IFRS. The Company uses non-IFRS measures to provide investors with supplemental measures of its operating performance and also believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. The definition and rationale for the use of each non-IFRS measure used by the Company in this press release is as follows:

"EBITDA" is defined as earnings or loss before interest income, interest expense, depreciation and amortization and income tax expense. The Company believes this measure is used by investors to compare and value companies in the Company's industry. The Company uses EBITDA because the measure enables management to assess the Company's operational performance and is a financial indicator of the Company's ability to service and incur debt. The most comparable IFRS financial measure is results from operating activities. Refer to "Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Measures" section of the MD&A for more details.

"Operating EBITDA" is defined as EBITDA adjusted for the following items: impairment or impairment reversal of non-current assets, impairment or impairment reversal of IRG rights, gains or losses on sale of property, plant and equipment, change in onerous contract provisions, costs of special committee, shareholder proposal costs, impairment of goodwill, bargain purchase gains, reorganization costs, restaurant rejuvenation plan expense, acquisition costs, gain or loss on derivative financial liability and earnings or loss from discontinued operations. The Company excludes these items because they affect the comparability of the Company's financial results and could potentially distort the analysis of trends in business performance. Excluding these items does not imply they are non-recurring. The definition of Operating EBITDA can change from time to time to account for unusual items or items not considered to be consistent with the Company's normal recurring operations. The Company uses this measure and believes it is useful to investors because it can facilitate period-to-period comparisons as it exclude items which, amongst other things, do not necessarily arise as part of the Company's day-to-day operations or are not reflective of the Company's underlying business operations. The most comparable IFRS financial measure is results from operating activities. Refer to "Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Measures" section of the MD&A for more details.

"Normalized Operating EBITDA" is defined as Operating EBITDA less the estimated impact from the additional week of operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

"Free cash flow" is calculated as cash flows from operating activities less cash used for the purchase of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets. The Company believes this measure is used by investors to value businesses and their underlying assets and to evaluate their financial strength and performance. The Company uses Free cash flow because that measure enables management to assess the Company's ability to generate cash and profits. The most comparable IFRS financial measure is cash flows from operating activities and investing activities. Refer to "Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Measures" section of the MD&A for more details.

"Adjusted revenue" is calculated as revenue less sale of manufactured goods related to the manufacture of certain Toujours Mikes licensed retail products on a temporary basis. The Company believes this measure is useful to investors since it facilitates period-to-period comparisons by excluding revenues earned in the first three quarters of fiscal 2016 from the temporary manufacturing of certain Toujours Mikes licensed retail products. The most comparable IFRS financial measure is revenue. Refer to "Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Measures" section of this MD&A for more details.

These non-IFRS measures should not be considered by an investor as alternatives to earnings, indicators of operating performance or cash flows, or as measures of liquidity. Refer to the Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Measures section of the MD&A for more details.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the Company's business objectives, estimates, outlook, strategies and priorities and all other statements other than statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, intentions, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "may", "should", "would", "will", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential, "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "continue", "outlook" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable securities laws.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors outside of the Company's control. A number of factors could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: risks associated with the Ben & Florentine acquisition, including the impact of such acquisition on the Company's business, financial and operating performance, risks relating to the Company's expectations with respect to the potential sale of its manufacturing segment, including the completion of a transaction, if any, and the timing thereof, risks associated with quality control, food borne illnesses and health concerns, the Company's ability to respond to various competitive factors affecting its operations, the success of the restaurant rejuvenation plan, franchise development and growth of the retail licensing opportunities, changes in consumer preferences, the Company's retail products dependence on the strength of the Company's restaurant brands, the success of the marketing and advertising programs of the Company, the protection of the Company's intellectual property and brand, the Company's dependence on its franchisees' ability to generate revenue and pay franchise fee and other amount to IRG, the Company's reliance on suppliers and availability and quality of raw materials, the Company's ability to retain certain key personnel, the Company's ability to identify potential strategic acquisition candidates and/or to complete a transaction, changes in the Company's relationships with its franchisees, the Company's ability to open new restaurants, the closure of restaurants, the impact of an increase in Company-owned restaurants, the Company's ability to renew leases and limit lease exposure, the risks associated with negative publicity and its impact on the Company's reputation, compliance with regulations governing confidentiality of guest information, potential litigation and other complaints, compliance with government regulations, the Company's dependence on third parties, changes in laws concerning employees, changes in the Company's relationships with its employees, the Company's ability to ensure workplace health and safety, risks associated with franchise regulations, compliance with regulations governing alcoholic beverages, environmental risks and regulations, public safety issues, the Company's dependence on technology, risks of underreporting of sales by franchisees, inherent risks associated with internal control over financing reporting, the indebtedness of the Company and the restrictive covenants to which it is subject, the impact of sales tax upon System Sales, the risk associated with the payment of dividends, the impact of seasonality and other factors on quarterly operating results, the risk of uninsured losses or claims that the Company believes are not economically reasonable to insure, changes in commodity prices and other factors referenced in the Company's Annual Information Form and the Company's other continuous disclosure filings which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These factors are not intended to represent an exhaustive list of the factors that could adversely affect the Company and its results but should, however, be considered carefully.

Further, although the forward-looking statements contained herein are based on information currently available to the Company's management and on the current assumptions, intentions, plans, expectations, estimates, opinions, forecasts, projections and other assumptions made by the Company's management in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments (such as the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance and opportunities as well as the future of the economic environment in which it operates), as well as other factors that the Company's management believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances and on the date of this press release, there can be no assurance that such assumptions, intentions, plans, expectations, estimates, opinions, forecasts, projections and other assumptions will prove to be correct or that actual results will not differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise noted or the context indicates, forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release.

Forward-looking statements are provided herein for the purpose of assisting the Company's security holders in understanding its current strategic priorities, expectations and plans, as well as its financial position and results of operations as at and for the periods ended on the date presented. Readers are cautioned, however, that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes and should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Except as otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other special items or of any transactions that may be announced or that may occur after the date of this press release. The financial impact of these transactions and non-recurring and other special items can be complex and depends on the facts particular to each of them. The Company therefore cannot describe the expected impact in a meaningful way or in the same way it presents known risks affecting the business. The Company's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Our brands:





Pizza Delight: www.pizzadelight.com Scores: www.scores.ca



Toujours Mikes: http://www.mikes.ca/ Baton Rouge: www.batonrouge.ca



Ben & Florentine: http://benetflorentine.com



SOURCE Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc.

For further information: Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc: 514.341.5544, http://www.imvescor.ca; Investor Relations: [email protected], Frank Hennessey, President and Chief Executive Officer; Tania M. Clarke, Chief Financial Officer; Media Relations: ACJ Communication, Daniel Granger, 514.840.7990

Related Links

http://www.imvescor.ca


TOKYO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ --

- Important Milestone for Growing Taiho's Global Pharmaceutical Operations -

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Tokyo announced on March 7, 2017, that it has established its subsidiary Taiho Pharma Canada, Inc. in Oakville, Ontario. The Canadian operations will be managed by Taiho Oncology, Inc., the U.S. R&D and commercial operations of the Taiho Group, based in Princeton, N.J.

The establishment of Taiho Pharma Canada was motivated by the recent successful NDA approval and commercial launch of Lonsurf (R) (IND code: TAS-102, nonproprietary names: trifluridine and tipiracil hydrochloride), Taiho's first cancer product in the U.S. Taiho Pharma Canada will prepare for an NDA submission and for potential commercialization of the product in Canada.

"We are delighted to establish our permanent presence in Canada," said Ross Glover, VP and General Manager of Taiho Pharma Canada. "We believe Taiho Pharma Canada has a great deal to contribute to the health and well-being of Canadians and we look forward to building a strong presence in Canada."

Glover has a proven track record as a successful commercial executive with experience in building and providing strong strategic leadership to specialty products business units, including oncology. Prior to joining Taiho Pharma Canada, Glover led commercial organizations in large and medium-sized bio-pharma companies in Canada, including Sanofi Genzyme, UCB Canada and Abraxis Bioscience. His extensive experience will be an asset to meeting the challenges of establishing Taiho Pharma Canada and managing the NDS process for Lonsurf.

The establishment of Taiho Pharma Canada represents another step towards the globalization of the Taiho Group and providing cancer patients throughout the world with new and innovative chemotherapies for treatment of a wide range of tumor types.

Taiho Pharma Canada, Inc. Overview

- Company Name: Taiho Pharma Canada, Inc.

- Established: December 13, 2016

- Vice President and General Manager: Ross Glover

- Head Office Address:

Taiho Pharma Canada, Inc.

2010 Winston Park Drive, Suite 200

Oakville, Ontario L6H 5R7

Canada

- Business: Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization

About Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., is an R&D-driven specialty pharma focusing on the three fields of oncology, allergies and immunology, and urology. Its corporate philosophy takes the form of a pledge: "We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles." In the field of oncology in particular, Taiho Pharmaceutical is known as a leading company in Japan for developing innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer. In areas other than oncology as well, the company creates quality products that effectively treat medical conditions. Always putting customers first, Taiho Pharmaceutical also aims to offer over-the-counter medicinal products that support people's efforts to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

For more information about Taiho Pharmaceutical, please visit:

http://www.taiho.co.jp/english/

About Taiho Oncology, Inc. (U.S.)

Taiho Oncology, Inc., a subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., has established world-class clinical development and commercial organizations that work urgently to develop and market innovative cancer treatments in the U.S. Taiho Oncology Inc. has an oral oncology pipeline consisting of both novel antimetabolic agents and selectively targeted agents. Advanced technology, dedicated researchers, and state-of-the-art facilities are helping us to define the way the world treats cancer. It's our work; it's our passion; it's our legacy.

For more information about Taiho Oncology, Inc. please visit:

http://www.taihooncology.com

SOURCE Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

For further information: Yukie Shibata, Public Relations, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tel: +81-3-3293-2878, Email: [email protected], http://www.taiho.co.jp/english

Related Links

http://www.taiho.co.jp/english


MONTREAL, March 7, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Caisse de depot et de placement du Quebec announced today a $90-million term-loan financing as part of the construction of the Mont Sainte-Marguerite wind farm project, located in the Chaudiere-Appalaches region.

This project, developed by Pattern Energy Group LP, in partnership with the municipalities of Sacre-Coeur-de-Jesus, Saint-Sylvestre and Saint-Severin, includes the development and operation of a wind farm of 46 wind turbines. Once in operation, it will have a total capacity of 147 megawatts, the equivalent consumption of over 25,000 Quebec households. The power generated will be sold to Hydro-Quebec under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

"As a long-term investor, la Caisse is constantly seeking financing opportunities that generate stable, lasting returns. In addition to contributing to the development of clean and renewable energy, the Mont Sainte-Marguerite wind power project will have a positive impact on the regional economy," said Marc Cormier, Executive Vice-President, Fixed Income at la Caisse.

The loan provided for the Mont Sainte-Marguerite wind power project confirms la Caisse's position as one of the largest private investors in North America's wind power sector. In Quebec, it has already financed four other wind farm projects: Parc des Moulins (Chaudieres-Appalaches), Vents du Kempt (Bas-Saint-Laurent), the construction of the Parcs eoliens de la Seigneurie de Beaupre (Capitale-Nationale) and the New Richmond wind farm (Gaspesie). La Caisse also has a major interest in Invenergy and its portfolio of wind farms in Canada and the U.S., whose generation capacity exceeds 5,000 MW. Globally, la Caisse is also a major shareholder in London Array, the largest offshore wind farm in the world.

ABOUT CAISSE DE DEPOT ET PLACEMENT DU QUEBEC

Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at December 31, 2016, it held $270.7 billion in net assets. As one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers, CDPQ invests globally in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter @LaCDPQ or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec

For further information: Jean-Benoit Houde, Senior Director, Media and Public Relations, +1 514 847-5493, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cdpq.com/


National survey also finds 74 per cent of Canadians think increased renewables should power the future

TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - As Earth Month approaches during the year of Canada's 150th birthday, Canadians are looking to the future with support for more action on climate change and increased renewable energy generation. These results come from a recent poll conducted by Environics Research Group and commissioned by Bullfrog Power, Canada's leading green energy provider.

According to the Canada 150 Climate Change Survey, the majority (57%) of Canadians think the country should be doing more to address climate change. Millennials (ages 18-34) are even more adamant, with more than 70 per cent saying that doing more to address climate change is important. Further, 33 per cent of millennials think the country should be doing a lot more to address climate change, compared to 20 per cent and less for all other age groups.

"It is encouraging that Canadians understand the need for more renewables as the solution to the energy demands of the future," said Ron Seftel, CEO, Bullfrog Power. "To successfully transition to cleaner forms of energy, it is essential for individuals, government and business to all be working toward a common goal."

Canadians agree that responsibility for climate change action belongs to everyone, with four-in-five (85%) Canadians indicating that it is important for individuals, businesses and government all to make stronger commitments to address this issue. However, Canadians believe that it is most important that businesses make a stronger commitment (87% compared to 85% government and 84% individuals).

"Businesses have a leading role to play to support Canada's transition to a low carbon economy," said Philipp Wassenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada. "Through our partnership with Bullfrog Power, Munich Reinsurance can continue to integrate sustainable measures into our Canadian business and encourage our employees to do the same on an individual level. Supporting green energy is one way Munich Reinsurance has maintained carbon neutrality globally since 2015."

Canadians also have an eye to future electricity demands with 74 per cent thinking the country needs to generate more renewable energy in order to meet the demands of the future. Nationwide, specific forms of renewable power (35% solar, 20% hydro, 19% wind) are widely favoured over traditional forms of electricity generation (7% nuclear, 6% natural gas, 2% oil, 1% coal).

To learn more about how individuals and businesses can reduce their environmental impact and support the development of green energy projects in Canada, visit bullfrogpower.com.

About Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power, Canada's leading green energy provider, offers renewable energy solutions that enable individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental impact, support the development of green energy projects in Canada and help create a cleaner, healthier world. As a Certified B Corporation, Bullfrog Power meets higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Thousands of individuals and businesses in Canada are doing their part to address climate change and air pollution by choosing green energy with Bullfrog Power. Sign up easily, quickly and affordably at bullfrogpower.com.

Join the bullfrogpowered community online on Facebook (facebook.com/BullfrogPower), Instagram (@bullfrogpower) and Twitter (@bullfrogpower).

About the Canada 150 Climate Change Survey

The Canada 150 Climate Change Survey was an online survey conducted by Environics Research with a representative sample of 1,015 adult Canadians (18 years of age or older), between January 30 and 31, 2017.

SOURCE Bullfrog Power

For further information: Contact Bullfrog Power: Jon McKay, Corporate Communications Manager, 416.360.3464 ext. 239, [email protected]

Related Links

www.bullfrogpower.com


OTTAWA, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women will be celebrating International Women's Day, on March 8, by participating in the following events in Ottawa:

Mayor's Breakfast Reception in Celebration of International Women's Day

Where: Jean Pigott Place, City Hall

110 Laurier Avenue West Time: 8:00 a.m.



Announcement of the Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity in the Electricity Industry



Where: Canadian Museum of Nature

Barrick Salon, 3rd floor

240 McLeod Street



Time: 9:55 a.m.



Daughters of the Vote



Where: National Arts Centre

Theatre

1 Elgin Street



Time: 3:30 p.m.



Event celebrating Daughters of the Vote



Where: National Arts Centre

Lobby

1 Elgin Street Time: 5:00 p.m.



Please note that this advisory is subject to change without notice.

SOURCE Status of Women Canada

For further information: Alex Wellstead, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Status of Women, 613-618-0314; Nanci-Jean Waugh, Director General, Public Affairs and Communications, Status of Women Canada, Tel. : 819-420-6810, [email protected]
OTTAWA, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Media representatives are advised that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, will participate in the round table for Startup Canada's International Women's Day live broadcast. Minister McKenna will highlight the important opportunity for women to take the lead in growing Canada's clean economy.

Event: Live Broadcast Round Table Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2017 Time: 4:00 p.m. (EST) Location: Visit Startup Canada's Facebook or Twitter channels to participate in the live stream

Other participants

Rosemary Chapdelaine , Senior Vice President, Lockheed Martin Canada (Panelist)

, Senior Vice President, Lockheed Martin Canada (Panelist) Janice Ashworth , General Manager, Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op (Panelist)

, General Manager, Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op (Panelist) Susan Rohac , Vice President of Growth and Transition Capital, Ontario and Atlantic,

, Vice President of Growth and Transition Capital, and Atlantic, BDC (Panelist)

Jane Kearns , Senior Advisor, MaRS Cleantech (Panelist)

, Senior Advisor, (Panelist) Victoria Lennox , CEO, Startup Canada (Moderator)

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

For further information: Caitlin Workman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-9436; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll free); Kathryn Forrest, Communications Manager, Startup Canada, 613-627-0787 (ext.106)

Related Links

http://www.ec.gc.ca


Pioneering gender report in 12th year finds steady growth in women filling C-suite jobs at largest publicly-traded companies, more still needed

TORONTO, March 6, 2017 /CNW/ - Gender diversity at the top of Canadian corporations is coming incrementally, but a tipping point may soon be within sight, according to the 12th annual report from global talent acquisition firm Rosenzweig & Company.

Each year, the Rosenzweig Report on Women at the Top Levels of Corporate Canada tracks how many women hold the highest executive positions at Canada's 100 biggest publicly-traded companies. These leaders of industry  CEOs, CFOs and others  are critical when it comes to changing corporate culture and enhancing diversity.

There are now 48 women in these key positions, up from 42 the previous year (a 14.3% increase) and more than double the 23 women with those jobs in the first Rosenzweig Report in 2006. Women now hold 9.02% of these important jobs, compared to 7.9% a year ago, and only 4.62% in 2006.

"There's still much room for improvement but this is a positive signal when it comes to gender equality in business and society in general," says Jay Rosenzweig, Managing Partner of Rosenzweig & Company.

Adds Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs: "Women's engagement in decision-making is essential to the success of Canadian businesses, and at the core of our values of diversity and inclusion. While Canada can be proud of its history, we have more work to do."

"It's time to really double down on our efforts to support the advancement of women entrepreneurs, women in leadership roles and women decision makers," says Dawn Farrell, President and CEO of TransAlta Corp., and a member of the Canada-U.S. Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, established concurrent to the recent meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump. "I'm excited by the prospects of working with female CEOs both here in Canada and the United States on what we can collectively do to make a difference and move the bar. Jay's report will keep us honest."

Another member of the new council promises to open doors wider for women. "I am looking forward to continuing to contribute to creating better conditions for women entrepreneurs by defending more access to capital, and promoting stronger networking and support," says Monique Leroux, president of the board of Investissement-Quebec, and former CEO of Desjardins. "This will not only be a benefit to women but also to our society. We have to continue to work together for the growth of our businesses, and to position Canada in international markets in order to contribute to creating a better world."

More and more male leaders  political and corporate  are calling for change; and at a faster rate.

"If the success of Toronto and Canada will ultimately depend on our ability to attract and keep talent, the most sensible place to start is with the biggest of all of the underrepresented groups, namely women," says Toronto Mayor John Tory. "For many reasons, it's the right thing to do."

The annual Rosenzweig Report tracks the largest publicly-traded companies in Canada based on annual revenue ranging from $47 billion down to $2.4 billion. Each of these companies is required to file with regulators management circulars with names and compensation of the top five or more executives.

With a 12-year track record, many leaders are acknowledging its role as a catalyst for change.

"Each year the Rosenzweig Report serves as an invaluable reminder that the advancement of women is proceeding incrementally at best in many C-suites and boardrooms across the nation," says Kathleen Taylor, Chair of the Board, Royal Bank of Canada, former President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and a founding member of the 30% Club. "By aggregating and quantifying results, the Report highlights the fact that only modest gains are being made, hopefully providing a fact-based impetus for corporate Canada to move beyond more talk and get straight to more action."

Adds author and media executive Kirstine Stewart, "What's more, the millions of women and men who marched worldwide on January 21 for gender equality cannot be ignored. It is Our Turn."

Here are some key learnings in this year's Rosenzweig Report:

Of the 532 executives, 484 are men and 48 are women. The number of men remains the same year over year, but women increased by six. In percentage terms, women now hold 9.02% of these important jobs compared to 7.98% a year ago and only 4.62% in 2006.

Of the 100 largest companies, 39 now have at least one woman in a top leadership role; this is up from only 34 companies the previous year.

In the 25 largest companies, there are now six women at the top level; up from four the previous year.

In the corner office, there are six women CEOs.

Rosenzweig & Company is a high-end global talent management firm that focuses on designing, building and acquiring world class teams for its diverse client base.

SOURCE Rosenzweig & Company

For further information: For a copy of this year's report or interview requests: Rose Duggan, Rosenzweig & Co., 416-646-3919, [email protected]; Bob Brehl, abc2 communications inc., 416-994-1470, [email protected]
"We have a tendency to adopt the negative connotations passed onto us either culturally or generationally," says Weir. "And somewhere along the line, we learned that menopause is something that must be feared or fixed."

Weir is the founder of MenopauseChicks.com where she helps women navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence and ease. The first thing she likes to do in every conversation, is ensure people are clear on definitions. Menopause is one dayit is the 12 month anniversary of the last menstrual period, and the average age of menopause is 51.2. Weir was 49 when she reached menopause. Perimenopause is the 5-15 year phase of hormone fluctuations leading up to menopause. This means perimenopause can begin as early as 35. Most people are unaware that women can have experiences (Weir doesn't like the term symptoms as it implies disease, which of course, menopause is not) caused by hormone fluctuations while they still have a period. There is very little research on perimenopause, as the term was only coined in the 1990s.

In her own research, whenever Weir says menopause, the first word to come up for many people typically has a negative connotation. Hot, old, tired, moody and fat are examples.

"Rarely does someone say smart, confident or beautiful," says Weir. "I believe that's because we have been over-conditioned with myths and misconceptions. We are so used to seeing the stereotypical image of the grey-haired, stressed-out lady holding a fan; many of us just assume that's an accurate representation of menopause. And it's one that we literally want to run away from, rather than embrace."

Shirley cites three examples:

An Oprah Magazine (September 2016) article titled "Hooray for Hormones!" tells women they can expect to get fat, hot, lose their memories and lose control of their bladders in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

"I looked at the magazine photos and thought: are these the new profile pictures for menopause?" says Weir. "I'm not telling people to unsubscribeI'm saying speak up! I'm inviting everyone to speak up whenever someone gets the menopause connotation wrong. This is important if we want to create a future where women no longer feel alone; where they feel comfortable talking about perimenopause and menopause and seeking support"

A CBC radio show promised to help women navigate menopause at work. The tips included: i) dress in layers and ii) get a small fan for your desk.

"This is incredibly insulting and unhelpful," states Weir. "We are smart women. We don't need to be told to dress in layers! We do need compassionate and flexible workspaces though. And education, conversation and a place where both men and women can learn about this these life phases."

Up until recently, the Sigma Canadian Menopause Society (a physician & health care professional group) had one picture in its "consumer" section to illustrate menopause and it was a photo of an 80-something year old woman in a wheelchair being comforted by a nurse. Weir called SIGMA to explain how the picture misrepresented midlife women, and the society replaced the photo the next day. The organization still refused to include the word perimenopause in its literature, to which Weir says is indicative of how complex and confusing the menopause topic is, and how far we still have to go in redefining perimenopause and menopause. This is especially true if medical professionals can't yet agree on what to call one of life's most natural phases.

About Menopause Chicks:

MenopauseChicks.com helps women navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence and ease. Founder, Shirley Weir is on a mission to connect women to unbiased information, to midlife health professionalsand to each other, through her private online community. As a women's health advocate, Shirley is reframing the menopause conversation from something that has been traditionally viewed as negative, into a milestone worthy of celebration. A well-regarded speaker and writer, Shirley hosted the first-ever "menopause graduation party" in 2016 and was a speaker at TedXGastown Women. Shirley is a 2017 YWCA Women of Distinction nominee and a GroYourBiz fellowship recipient.

Follow:

Facebook: /MenopauseChicks

Private Online Community: www.facebook.com/groups/MenopauseChicks

Twitter: @MenopauseChicks

Instagram: @MenopauseChicks

SOURCE Menopause Chicks

For further information: Shirley Weir, 604.817.1497
TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Porter Airlines' Women Soar at Porter committee is extending its community outreach by supporting Dress for Success Toronto. The start of this relationship coincides with International Women's Day on March 8.

Women Soar at Porter aims to bridge the gender gap within all areas of the organization, including pilots, leadership and ground operations, as well as other groups. Working with a charitable partner like Dress for Success offers Porter a way to help more women get into the workforce.

Women Soar at Porter (WSP) launched in 2016 led by dedicated Porter volunteers. The committee actively promotes opportunities that exist for women. WSP is extending its community outreach by supporting Dress for Success Toronto. (CNW Group/Porter Airlines Inc.)

In 2016, Dress for Success Toronto outfitted more than 1,300 women. Fifty per cent of clients are newcomers to Canada and many have post-secondary education. The Mission of Dress for Success Toronto is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Porter will support Dress for Success Toronto initiatives by coordinating clothing drives across the organization and through volunteer-led professional skills workshops for clients.

"We are committed to supporting women at every stage of their career, from raising awareness about job opportunities for students, to donating professional attire for an upcoming interview," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO, Porter Airlines. "Partnering with Dress for Success will enable Women Soar at Porter to help more people enter the workforce with confidence."

Women Soar at Porter launched in 2016 led by dedicated Porter volunteers. The committee actively promotes opportunities that exist for women, particularly in aviation, through school outreach programs. They host workshops and invite leaders to share their stories in support of professional development.

For more information on Women Soar at Porter, visit www.flyporter.com.

About Porter Airlines

Porter Airlines has revolutionized short-haul flying with a warm and effortless approach to hospitality, restoring glamour and refinement to air travel. Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline in the World Airline Star Rating and also rated as Best Regional Airline in North America by Skytrax.

The airline currently offers flights to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax, St. John's, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Windsor, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway), Boston, Washington (Dulles), Pittsburgh and has seasonal flights to Mt. Tremblant, Que., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Burlington, Vt., and Orlando-Melbourne, Fla. Vacation packages are available from Porter Escapes at www.porterescapes.com.

Visit www.flyporter.com or call (888) 619-8622 for more information.

SOURCE Porter Airlines Inc.

For further information: Media contact: [email protected]

Related Links

www.flyporter.com


MONCTON, NB, March 7, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Fernand Proulx, Chief Operating Officer of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, unveiled the new travelling exhibition Space to Spoon, designed by the Canadian Space Agency and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

Through videos and interactive experiences, visitors will see how satellite data, including those collected by RADARSAT-2, are used by farmers. They will also learn how those data support the development of sustainable agriculture practices and what impact they have on the food we eat.

Highlighting Canadian innovations in space and agriculture, Space to Spoon launches in Canada's 150th anniversary year. The exhibition will travel all over the country until 2020.

Quick Facts

The exhibition is made up of four modules integrating interactive and digital elements, including hands-on models, videos and photos, to guide visitors through the tour and enhance their understanding.

The Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, which includes the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, is managing the exhibition's itinerary. The exhibition will first be available at Resurgo Place until May 21, 2017 .

. RADARSAT-2 offers precision ground monitoring. Farmers can use this satellite's data to improve risk management and crop quality.

In 2018, the CSA will launch the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, which will improve data quality and availability. This constellation of satellites will provide a significant advantage over its predecessor by making it possible to monitor Canada's entire land mass on a daily basis.

Quotes

"Canada is a world leader in satellite technology. This exhibition provides Canadians with a concrete example of the potential of technological innovations to improve their daily lives. The contribution of these innovations to competitiveness in critical sectors of our economy, such as agriculture and sustainable development, is undeniable."

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"We are very proud to unveil this travelling exhibition as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. It will provide Canadians with an enriching opportunity to learn about our space technologies. Thanks to this partnership between the Canadian Space Agency and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, science and technology will be present in a wide variety of cultural and other public venues in the years to come."

The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Link

Follow us on social media.

SOURCE Canadian Space Agency

For further information: Canadian Space Agency, Media Relations Office, Telephone: 450-926-4370, Website: http://asc-csa.gc.ca; Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, Media and Government Relations Office, Telephone: 613-410-5943, Website: http://techno-science.ca/

Related Links

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca


A U.S. Navy surveillance ship was harassed by an Iranian fast attack craft while entering the Persian Gulf on Saturday, a defense official confirmed to USNI News on Monday.

USNS Invincible (T-AGM-24) was transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early morning on March 4 with three other coalition ships when the ships were approached by several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast attack craft, the official told USNI News.

One of the IRGCN craft maneuvered 600 yards in front of the 2,300-ton Invincible and went dead in the water, the official said.

The IRGCN boat became a hazard to navigation and forced the ship to steer around the boat to avoid a collision. Exacerbating the already dangerous maneuver, a commercial ship was at the same moment attempting to overtake the formation in the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Given the hazard, the Navy categorized the interaction as unsafe and unprofessional, the official said.

In a related incident during the transit, an IRGCN fast attack boat came within 350 yards of one of the ships accompanying Invincible in a second unsafe and unprofessional interaction, the official said. U.S. officials would not identify the other ships in the formation. However, Reuters said they Royal Navy warships.

The incident follows a January encounter in which the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG-72) used warning shots to ward off four IRGCN attack boats heading for the ship.
Ace Nollywood film maker and veteran actor, Charles Novia, put thoughts into words with his piece, which reviews the recently held 2017 African Magic Viewers' Choice Award (AMVCA).He writes:There isn't anything much to write about the AMVCAs this year. It looks like it has grown with its own dawdles, aspirations and reward values in the past five years , yet still has to be weaned off the tits of muted controversies in the awards categories.The first impression one got from the AMVCAs this year was that perhaps the planning for the event might have been hit by the fall outs of the recession in Nigeria or something. Unlike past editions, the buzz and anticipation for the 2017 edition was unusually low key or just lukewarm. There was a lack of excitement for the event generally. And unlike past editions as well, the invitation cards, one of the most talked about pre-event staples of past AMVCAs, were noticeably not as thrilling as before.The event kept to time as usual and promptly by 7pm, the opening performance by Timi Dakolo, who rendered a song on Africa with a dance ensemble by the Bolanle Austen Peters Performers, welcomed the audience and viewers at home.I.K, Osakioduwa and Mimi Dlamini came on after that performance as the hosts for the evening. They tried a weak skit, after I.K joked about not being given roles by Film Producers. All I can say is if that was a live audition by IK that night in front of a casting director, he would be put on a 'maybe' list by a professional casting director possibly! And Mimi wouldn't have a call back too!The AMVCAs this year was noticeably a night of the 'Supporters Club'. I stopped counting how many times excited supporters of winners flocked the stage with the awardees! Now, I know there is love in sharing but sometimes it seemed as if many of the supporters just wanted to be seen on continental television too! I don't think there is much anyone can do about that though. Incredible.But it was also a night of excitement and effusive acceptance speeches by some of the winners, many of whom ignored the music cues to round up their sppeches and went on emotional displays or perhaps convenient chokes by tears.Perekeme Odon, who won the Best Make-Up Category with Hakeem for 'Oloibiri' started that trend with something of a near-Rastafarian screaming acceptance speech when he was on the podium. Pat Egwurumbe, who won the Best Costume Designer award, had an excited daughter with her onstage who gave a couple of proud but shrill 'Mummy!' screams like a lovestruck teen!Samuel Ajibola of ' The Johnsons' fame had the audience cheering for him when he gave his acceptance speech for Best Actor in a comedy series and switched to his popular character, Spiff. Same with Funke Akindele when she came up twice to receive her awards for her 'Jenifa' series. There was a prancing David Jones who won the Best Actor in a Drama Series prize and kept sniffing with a finger across his nose as he gave his speech! What was that, please? An affectation or a sniffling?There were a couple of tepid musical performances. A South African act called Lira gave a solo performance which elicited blank stares and polite applause from the audience. She got a better response though when she and Waje performed a new single titled 'Mountain' . A duo called DNA, who looked like a prototype of P Square, performed. I would advise them to do more work on their stagecraft. They have something to offer but need to work harder.Then, there was another performance by the dance ensemble of BAP, which was a 'mini-broadway-esque' Fela Kuti story. The fellow who played the Fela role, amid the exaggerated sways and twists of Fela he did, went off key and rhythm as he sang, distorting the band and the tempo for awhile. There was a curious and perhaps needless interlude to the skit with a delve into Runtown's 'Mad Over You', which was befuddling. Perhaps, it was for the dancing girls or something? Fela returned from his backstage brief hiatus, more energised and mercifully sang to the tune and rhythm this time.There were a few surprises for the night in the awards categories. Heavyweights like RMD, Ramsey Noah, Olu Jacobs were snubbed in the Best Actor category and an up and coming Sambissa Nzeribe took the award. Much as he's a good actor,even he was as surprised as the others when he won and prostrated on the floor, requesting for their permission to receive the award. Perhaps that broke the shock moment for the other nominees and many watching.Rita Dominic won the 'Best Actress' category for her role in '76 .A Chinese lady who represented a Chinese car company and spoke what seemed to be a curious mix of Chinese and English to our ears, ("Chinglish", maybe?)presented the Trailblazer award to Somkhele Inyama, which was just as well, seeing that she later lost in the category she was nominated for.The high moment of the night for me was the Lifetime Recognition Award given to Chief Chika Okpala, the veteran actor popularly known as Chief Zebrudaya. Whilst giving his appreciative speech, he recognised one of his proteges, Nkem Owoh, whom he told the audience was a scriptwriter for the New Masquerade series back in the day. The audience gave a powerful ovation for this piece of news and it was quite a moving moment, a realisation that the foundation for the Nollywood as we know it today, was built by the likes of creatives such as Chief Okpala and Owoh.Izu Ojukwu won Best Director for the movie '76' and perhaps deservedly so. And '76' won the 'Best Picture' award as well.With the awards over, what followed was the usual backslapping and after party moments at the venue .My hindsight take on the awards this year may not be any different from last year's. I still think the AMVCAs have much work to do in its awards voting mechanism and categories. I noticed that many Nollywood stars did not attend this year's edition unlike the past editions. If that is a function of the economy or a polite snub is left for conjecture but the buzz I got was one of lethargy and grumbles about 'lef dem with "their" awards'. And for a 5th edition, which is supposed to be a mid-decade shindig, these signs should be nipped in the bud. Something has to be done to recalibrate the awards or the perception by industry players that it is a contraption designed to reward Africa Magic's in-house favourites. With the title of the awards, it's a possibility though.A counter arguement to that notion above would be that perhaps too, a new ship has berthed somewhere in Nollywood. And this new ship has a new crew and new passengers and it takes a special requirement for any passenger on the dock of the bay, to get in.Can the AMVCAs do something about the pronunciation of names by their voice over artist next time please? That 'Big Brother' sounding voice who was reeling out the names of the nominees in the clips was annoyingly 'off point'! Shouldn't there be a more researched voice over artist who could do that?Finally, the guys at Africa Magic have tried their best in the past five years. I must hand it to them, at least. But there will be higher expectations in the future editions from everyone. Like one of the new actors who won in one of the categories said onstage; 'This took a long time in coming'. Seeing that he is quite young in the industry, one couldn't help but wonder what long time or lifetime he meant! But I guess, he was talking about some sort of validation from AMVCA. He craved for it for years perhaps, since the awards started.And it was five years a crave.The AMVCAs should do more make the next five years a rave.
The father of Canada-based Nigerian, Stephanie Otobo, has denied her claim that the general overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries, Johnson...

The father of Canada-based Nigerian, Stephanie Otobo, has denied her claim that the general overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries, Johnson Suleman, went to his house for introduction as her suitor.Benson Otobo also said the controversy between his daughter and Mr. Suleman came to him as a huge shock, adding that he knew nothing about the entire scenario.Mr. Otobo spoke at a joint telephone interview with Pnewsmen and other journalists in Abuja facilitated by Mr. Suleman. He said he was speaking from Warri, Delta State.Mr. Otobo said there was no formal introduction of the cleric to him by his daughter.Not at all; Suleman does not even know where I live, he said.Mr. Otobo also gave an indication that all was not well between him and his daughter.I dont know how this happened, I was shocked to hear the news. Right now as I speak, we are at loggerheads because I saw her picture on the internet via whatsapp, and the way she was dressed, and I saw her tattoos and all that; I cautioned her. Then two whatsap messages that she sent to me, she was telling me all sorts of things, she said I am not her father anymore.So for a girl telling her father things like that, then I dont know how you can expect me to be involved in something that concerns her.Mr. Otobo also said he had been separated from his daughters mother for almost 30 years.I have divorced her mother almost 30 years now. She grew up with the mother; she was very small when I divorced her mother. What happened is a case of like mother like daughter, said Mr. Otobo.When newsmen sought further clarification from Ms. Otobo, she said her earlier statement through her lawyer, Festus Keyamo, that Mr. Suleman took drinks to her family to conduct a formal introduction was inaccurate.Asked to give the details of the said introduction, Ms. Otobo said it happened at the pastors office in the churchs premises at Auchi, Edo state.Not at our house; he invited me and my mother to Auchi, because he does all night every last Friday of the month at Auchi. We went there, me my mother, my siblings. After the service, nobody sees him, but we went there to see him and he gave us N50, 000. So that made me think everything was real.She also corroborated her fathers explanation regarding the divorce.My father and mother are divorced. I actually grew up knowing that they were separated, she said.She however said her father was aware of her relationship with the cleric and that he had prayed for her when she told him about Mr. Sulemans alleged blackmail.Ms. Otobo also said her father was angry that the media published information about her personal life alleging that he had taken money from the pastor.The woman had alleged that Mr. Suleman promised her marriage, but abandoned her, after she got pregnant.The pastor has since denied the allegation, adding that he had nevermet with Ms. Otobo.
Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, says President Buhari has delivered on all his campaign promises.

Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, says President Buhari has delivered on all his campaign promises.Onu said this at the first annual public lecture and book presentation in Abuja in honour of the late Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi, SAN, who died in a motor accident on March 6, 2016.The APC is delivering on its manifesto. The President, during his campaign, campaigned on the basis of what the manifesto has said, and as the President, he has delivered. He is securing the nation, he has done very well in the North-East, he has brought rule of law. Today, people think twice before they can do anything that will undermine the best interest of the nation and he is working very hard. We are all supporting him to rebuild our economy, he said
The insinuations around President Muhammadu Buhari's health and the functioning capacity of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has fuelled a...

The insinuations around President Muhammadu Buhari's health and the functioning capacity of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has fuelled a lot of rumours as to what happened in 2009 playing out already.A report finding by an online media reveals that in 2009, when the late President Umaru Musa YarAdua travelled abroad for medical treatment, he refused to hand over power to former President Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy. As expected, this created a huge crisis, but what was to follow was nothing compared to the agitation for Jonathan to take over power.The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) under the leadership of Tunde Bakare, fiery preacher, was at the forefront of the campaign for Jonathan to take charge.The group, which was able to garner support from influential personalities in public space, staged rallies and a series of protests; the kitchen cabinet too wouldnt cave in easily: their message was simple, YarAdua could govern the country from anywhere.The powers of the president are not exercised territorially. YarAdua can exercise his powers anywhere in the world, on the plane, at the meeting of the United Nations or even on his sick bed, as long as he is not incapacitated by the sickness, Michael Aondoakaa attorney-general had said at a press conference.While Aondoakaa was theorising, the tenure of Idirs Kutigi as chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) was nearing its end, and Aloysius Katsina-Alu was ready to mount the saddle, but the only problem was that the man who had the constitutional authority to administer oath of office on Katsina-Alu was bedridden in faraway Saudi Arabia.He was battling pericarditis, or so they made us believe, and a constitutional crisis was brewing.But he said it was not possible because the constitution says at the age of 70, he must go. But he promised he was going to re-examine the laws. I got back to my office; I was terribly worried within that period.Then came the solution: Few days to the time, expiration of the tenure of the former CJN, the attorney-general came and showed me the act that says either the president or the chief justice of the federation can swear in the new chief justice of the federation. That law was there but nobody saw it.On December 30, 2009, Kutigi administered the oath on his successor, and trust Nigerians, this created conundrum among lawyers.Rotimi Akeredolu, the incumbent governor of Ondo state, who was then the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), had accused Kutigi of foisting two CJNs on the nation.Akeredolu said he was worried that the task which had been traditionally reserved for presidents was usurped by the retiring CJN.In my personal view, the swearing-in of the CJN is pure illegality. It is illegal because the country cannot have two CJNs at the same time. I was told that the outgoing CJN said in his speech that he is still the CJN till tomorrow (Thursday December 31); you can see the absurdity. It is unfortunate that the legal profession is letting itself into this illegality, he had told reporters.Well, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has just sworn in Walter Onnoghen as the substantive chief justice.One must commend President Muhammadu Buhari for empowering his deputy to act. Otherwise, history would have repeated itself, and George Santayana, the Roman philosopher, who said: Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it, would have perhaps been laughing in derision.
A new Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Chafe, has assumed headship of Ekiti State Police Command dismissing insinuations that he was deploy...

A new Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Chafe, has assumed headship of Ekiti State Police Command dismissing insinuations that he was deployed to destabilise the administration of Governor Ayo Fayose.Addressing his maiden press conference at the command headquarters in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, Chafe who was transferred from neighbouring Kogi State he is in his new duty post to fight crime and make the state safe for investment.Chafe also denied being posted to Ekiti State to rig the 2018 governorship election in favour of a particular political party saying he only knew that the election will hold in the state after his assumption of duty.He said: I am not under any instruction to come here to fight anybody. Even when I was transferred, I did not even know that Ekiti election is coming soon; it was when I got here that I knew that election is coming here soon.I value my profession and personality above any other thing. Even if you check all the elections that had been conducted recently, President Buhari didnt interfere in police works. So, I am here to perform my statutory duties.I am a Nigerian and wherever I go to, I see myself as part of that community and I cant come here to cause trouble. I have worked in all the six geopolitical zones of the country and I have good records.
Iran will not issue visas to Americans as long as the U. S. refuses to issue visas to Iranians, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanc...





Iran will not issue visas to Americans as long as the U. S. refuses to issue visas to Iranians, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in Tehran on Tuesday.Tehran said it was unperturbed by the renewed ban on Iranian visitors under US President Donald Trumps revised executive order from Monday, which had been forced after legal challenges overturned the original order.Takht-Ravanchi said: the new executive order is also worthless from a judicial point of view. As long as Iranians were barred from entering the U.S., U.S. citizens would be barred from entering Iran; as soon as the U.S. lifts the ban, as it was forced to do at the end of February, Iran would respond in kind.Takht-Ravanchi stressed that Iran had never been involved in any terrorist attacks on US soil. He said countries that were involved were not on Trumps list.Trump signed a revised executive order Monday halting new visas for 90 days for people from six majority-Muslim countries- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and also suspending refugee admissions for 120 days.The new order takes effect March 16. Iraq was on the previous 90-day ban order but is now removed from the list due to enhanced cooperation with the government in Baghdad, the White House said.
There are indications the Senate has abandoned the confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial ...

There are indications the Senate has abandoned the confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.It was gathered on Monday that the lawmakers had yet to agree on the next line of action on Magu, the reason why they have been silent on his confirmation.The Senate had delayed action on President Muhammadu Buharis letter to the lawmakers in which he sought legislative approval for Magus appointment for six months.The Senate, after rejecting Magus nomination in December 2016 had communicated the decision to the President.But President Buhari, in his response to the Senate, still urged the lawmakers to confirm Magu as Chairman of the EFCC.It was, however, learnt that the since Senate President Bukola Saraki read Buharis letter to the lawmakers during plenary on January 25, 2017, no official action had been taken on Magus confirmation.When contacted on Monday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North), who replied to a text message sent to him, blamed the delay on the Committee on Rules and Business.He said, It is the floor functionaries with the Rules and Business Committee that will determine a date for scheduling it (Magus confirmation) on our Order Paper.But the Chairman, Committee Rules and Business, Senator Babajide Omoworare (APC, Osun East), did not return calls to his telephone lines and did not send a response to a text message sent to him, asking him to confirm or deny the allegation.The Vice-Chairman of the committee, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) also did not return Punch correspondents calls, neither did he reply to the reporters text message.Also, the Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abiodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South), said the lawmakers had yet to deliberate on Magus confirmation ever since Buhari replied the Senate on his appointment.We have never discussed it. Never ever have we discussed it. Most of our people (in PDP caucus) are disposed to clearing him, she said.The Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun Central), when asked why the confirmation had been delayed, declined to speak on it.Honestly, I cannot comment on that, he said, stressing that he was out of Abuja on an official assignment.But Senator Danjuma Laah (PDP, Kaduna South), who denied knowledge of the letter from Buhari, urging the Senate to still confirm Magu, stated that the Senate had made its point on the acting EFCC chairman.When reminded that the President had replied the Senate on Magu, Laah said, No, we have not seen it. I dont know and Ive not heard about it. Maybe they brought it (the letter) when I was not around. But as far as we are concerned, we have told him that this is our stand.In his reaction, Senator Adesoji Akanbi (APC, Oyo South), stated that until the DSS issued a new report to clear Magu, the Senate might not be able to confirm his appointment.Another APC senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the lawmakers would not start the confirmation process until Magu had been cleared by the DSS.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has lashed out at Nigerias elites, blaming them for the woes of the nation.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has lashed out at Nigerias elites, blaming them for the woes of the nation.Mr. Osinbajo spoke on Monday in Benin City, Edo State. He was in the state to continue his tour of oil-producing states in the country.The elites everywhere, and not just in the oil producing communities, have very frequently deprived the people the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the land, Mr. Osinbajo said.That is the Nigerian story. And that is something we must deal with. We cannot continue as if we dont know. We know.It is not just oil producing community issue, it is across the country.The crowd in the Samuel Ogbemudia College (formerly the New Era College), venue for the acting presidents meeting with the Edo State government and the oil producing communities, applauded Mr. Osinbajos remarks.Mr. Osinbajo continued: If you look at the numbers of contracts and the volumes of money that have been spent on paper in this country, it is enough to develop several countries. But this money has been usually corruptly taken away.The acting president told the people how corruption among the elites was also responsible for the lack of meaningful development in the oil-producing communities.I have looked at some of the issues of abandoned projects. I can tell you precisely how much have been voted or spent in several of our communities. And there is no sign of development in those areas.I can tell you how many of these projects are supposed to have been completed, and when you looked in the books, they say they have been completed. But they have not been completed. They havent even been done. Many have not even been started at all, he said.The acting president repeated a line he often used in the other oil producing states he previously visited, that the people of the oil producing areas have not really benefited from the wealth that oil has brought to the country.He spoke of President Muhammadu Buharis sincerity and determination to turn things around in the Niger Delta.It does not make sense for leadership to look at the plight of the people, especially in the oil producing areas. This is the source of the wealth of the nation. Even if you ignore the people for a while, a time will come when you can no longer ignore them.So, theres no question at all that we are committed to doing the things we say we will do, and that is the pledge coming directly from President Muhammadu Buhari himself.Mr. Osinbajo informed the people of the practical steps the federal government is taking to change the fortune of the oil producing communities.The ministry of petroleum in collaboration with the oil companies is working on 20 initiatives for host communities, state by state, and this includes working with illegal refineries so that we can bring them into a programme of what we have described in other states as modular refineries. So that these illegal refineries can become hubs for proper refining.We must make the oil producing communities become hubs for petroleum refining, Mr. Osinbajo said.Earlier on, before the acting president spoke, there was commotion in the hall as some protesters pushed their way into the hall and insisted that Mr. Osinbajo must visit the oil producing communities in order to have firsthand knowledge of what the people were going through.The meeting was temporarily disrupted for about 10 minutes.The governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, appealed to the acting president to consider making another visit to the state, from there he could take a tour to the oil producing communities.Like other oil-producing states in the Niger Delta we have had our fair share of neglect and deprivation, and that is what youve heard from our people today, Mr. Obaseki told Mr. Osinbajo.The governor said the state government was developing a masterplan for the development of the 38 oil producing communities in the state.Mr. President with your permission and agreement with the federal government, we will not allow any government or any agency to operate in any of our oil producing communities without strict adherence to our masterplan, Governor Obaseki said.
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has said that refugees were not criminals and should not be treated as such. Th...

The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has said that refugees were not criminals and should not be treated as such. The UNHCR in its reaction to the new travel ban by U.S. President, Donald Trump, said that the decision would worsen the woes of refugees around the World.Refugees are ordinary people forced to flee war, violence and persecution in their home countries and who remain in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection.The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects.The UNHCR has long been a partner for the U.S. in finding solutions to refugee problems, and we look forward to continuing this partnership, he said. In the wake of the new order, the head of the UN refugee agency reiterated its readiness to engage constructively with Trumps orders to ensure all refugee programmes meet the highest standards for safety and security.Americans have long played a crucial role in promoting global stability while simultaneously exemplifying the highest humanitarian ideals, from support for refugee emergencies overseas, to welcoming some of the most vulnerable refugee families in the United States to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom and dignity.This is the gold standard in refugee protection and a powerful model for all countries that at a time of record-high levels of forced human displacement, this kind of humane leadership is needed more than ever.Grandis statement followed the signing of the Executive Order that would, among other things, suspend the countrys refugee programme for 120 days.However, under the old order, Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely.It would also bar for 90 days, travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The measure followed a similar order signed by Trump on Jan. 27, which barred all nationals from the countries, including Iraq.However, Iraq was removed from the new order following what the U.S. Government said was the countrys cooperation in ensuring effective vetting of immigrants to the U.S.
President Donald Trump, Tuesday, tweeted that Guantanamo inmates who returned to militant activity were released from the U.S. military pr...

President Donald Trump, Tuesday, tweeted that Guantanamo inmates who returned to militant activity were released from the U.S. military prison by his predecessor, Barack Obama.122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield.Just another terrible decision! Trump wrote. The 113 of the 122 former prisoners confirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies to have re-engaged were released by Obamas predecessor, George W Bush. Bush began sending suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban combatants in January 2002 to the base on Cuba.Data posted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence showed that until the end of July 2016, 532 prisoners were released or transferred to the custody of other governments under Bush, with another 161 released under Obama.Among those whose recidivism was considered confirmed, only nine were released by Obama.The Pentagon said Monday that a U.S. airstrike against an al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) target last week in Yemen killed Yasir al-Silmi, who was held at Guantanamo from 2002 to 2009.The BBC reported last month that Abu Zakariya al-Britani, a British-born Muslim convert who was held at Guantanamo for about two years starting in 2002, died in a suicide attack for the Islamic State movement against Iraqi forces near Mosul.
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on immigration, placing a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations.

President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on immigration, placing a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations.Iraq has been removed from the list of countries contained in the previous seven-nation order.Citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen are the ones who would be subjected to a travel ban for the second time.The measure, which includes a 120-day ban on all refugees, takes effect on March 16.Like every nation, the United States has a right to control who enters our country and to keep out those who would do us harm, Trump said.Trump previously signed an order that banned citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the US, saying that it was necessary to keep the country safe from terrorism.The order, which resulted in chaos and mass protests, was suspended after a court order.Kellyanne Conway, Trumps senior aide, had earlier told BBC quoted that Iraq will not be included in the list of countries whose citizens will banned from the US.She had also said that green card holders (legal permanent residents of the US) from the named countries will not be affected by the new order.Also, Syrian refugees would no longer be indefinitely barred.The 10-day advance notice would help to avoid some of the chaos at US airports that occurred on January 27 when the first executive order was announced without warning.Trump defended the lack of notice saying that if the ban were announced with a one week notice, the bad would rush into our country during that week.The new executive order may experience the challenges the previous one faced because the previous was suspended by a court because judges found no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the order had committed a terrorist attack in the US.
GALLOWAY -- Five people were injured in a three-vehicle crash in Galloway caused by a wrong-way driver Monday afternoon, police said.

Caridad Shieh 62, of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., crashed into two other cars while driving a 2003 Suzuki east in the westbound lanes of Route 30 just before 6:30 p.m. Monday, Galloway police said in a news release.

Shieh's car struck a BMW driven by a 40-year-old Atlantic City woman and then a Lexus driven by a 69-year-old Absecon man near the intersection with 5th Avenue, authorities said.

Shieh's injuries were moderate, while two passengers in the BMW suffered minor injuries. All three were taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's Mainland Campus in the Pomona section of Galloway.

The drivers of the BMW and Lexus suffered minor injuries, but declined medical treatment.

Shieh was issued a summons for driving in the wrong direction on a divided highway.

Eastbound Route 30 was closed for about an hour.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Felix Colon, 39, claims supervisors with the City of Passaic created a hostile work environment after he asked for a pay raise. (Google Maps)

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PASSAIC - A Hasbrouck Heights man claims he suffered a mental breakdown after he asked for a pay raise and his supervisors with the city of Passaic instead screamed at him and created a hostile work environment, according to a lawsuit.

Felix Colon, 39, says he was hired as a laborer for the city, working on parking meters, cutting grass and collecting garbage.

In May 2013, his duties increased to include parking meter repair, according to the suit, filed Feb. 23 in Bergen County Superior Court.

"However, Mr. Colon's salary did not increase pursuant to the meter repairman title under civil service," according to the suit. "The City of Passaic continued to pay Mr. Colon as a laborer although he should have received a pay raise."

When Colon tried to file a grievance, "his supervisors, agents and employees continually made Mr. Colon's working day very difficult," the lawsuit claims.

"Mr. Colon's supervisors would scream at Mr. Colon over the City of Passaic radio and in the garage," the suit states.

The lawsuit alleges the human resources department refused to submit Colon's grievances to higher ups.

In December 2015, Colon suffered a nervous breakdown "due to the unfair and negative treatment" and Colon was prescribed medication by a doctor who told him to "stay out of work," the suit states.

Suffering from constant stress and anxiety, Colon says he stayed out of work and filed a worker's compensation claim. When he returned, Colon claims he was suspended for 70 days due to absenteeism, the suit states.

"Upon returning to work, the City of Passaic supervisors, agents and employees began treating Mr. Colon worse than ever," the suit states.

Colon claims he was subjected to discrimination due to disabilities he sustained while working for the city.

The suit claims city supervisors violated New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws, retaliated against him, created a hostile work environment and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Colon claims he complained to upper-level managers and they did nothing to stop the mistreatment.

Colon was unable to sleep, became depressed, fearful and was constantly embarrassed, the suit states.

The suit demands a jury trial and judgment for unspecified monetary damages.

City spokesman Keith Furlong said Monday attorneys had not yet received the lawsuit and could not comment on the allegations.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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The driver of this tractor trailer hauling bricks told state police he took his eyes off the road seconds before a fatal accident, according to a lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court. (NJ State Police)

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MAHWAH - The owners of a towing and heavy hauling business are suing the owners of a trucking company whose driver was allegedly at fault in a Route 287 crash that left three people dead, according to a lawsuit.

C&L Towing Inc. of East Hanover claims its workers spent three days and more than $62,000 cleaning up and providing towing and craning services following a horrific wreck involving a cement-mixing truck, a tractor-trailer and a non-commercial vehicle, according to the suit filed Feb. 27 in Bergen County Superior Court.

The crash occurred about 12:30 p.m. June 24, 2014 on Route 287 North near the New York border when the tractor trailer loaded with bricks crashed into a disabled concrete truck that was being worked on in the right shoulder.

According to New Jersey State Police, two repair workers and the cement-truck driver, all from the concrete company, were struck and killed as they stood outside the cement truck. A passing Toyota Avalon was also struck by the tractor trailer and its occupants - a husband and wife - safely escaped before their vehicle caught fire, authorities said.

The cement mixer, which was loaded at the time of the accident, spilled cement "all over the road and surrounding area," the suit states.

The tractor trailer leaked all its fluids before it was destroyed by fire, the suit states.

The victims who died were later identified as cement-truck driver Harry Bulatowicz, 58, of Ellenville, N.Y., and Santiago F. Mercado, 42, and Santiago M. Mercado, 22, - a father and son - both of Nyack, N.Y., who were there to repair the cement mixer.

"At the time of incident, defendant's driver made a statement to New Jersey State Police indicating that he took his eyes off the road and lost control of (his) tractor trailer," the lawsuit states.

"The accident was caused by defendant's driver's negligence and failure to control (his) tractor trailer," the suit claims.

The lawsuit did not name the truck driver allegedly responsible for the crash. C&L is suing the owners of the tractor trailer and the driver's employers, identified in court papers as Professional Transportation Services of Friendsville, Pa.

C&L claims its workers were at the accident scene until June 27, 2014 performing "numerous services, including but not limited to assisting state police with investigation, cleanup of road and spillage, removal, towing, storage and crane operation."

The company was obligated to perform those tasks due to its contract with the State Police, the suit states.

"All work and services performed by plaintiff at the accident scene resulted from defendant's driver's negligence and defendant's tractor trailer causing accident and resulting damage," the suit states.

C&L claims it submitted a detailed invoice to the owners of the cement mixer, Concrete on Demand, for services and labor at the scene totaling $62,802.60. But the bill went unpaid and Concrete on Demand has since gone out of business, the suit claims.

In addition to services and labor costs, C&L is seeking attorneys' fees, cost of the suit and other relief determined by the court, the suit says.

Representatives of Professional Transportation Services could not be reached for comment.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CHERRY HILL -- For U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st, the effort to keep the Milton and Betty Katz Jewish Community Center safe is personal.

"I did two years of nursery school here," Norcross said with a sheepish grin, standing in front of the sprawling center on a sun-splashed Monday afternoon. "They embrace all children. Not just Jewish children. They took a kid from Pennsauken and turned him into a congressman."

There were laughs, nods and a crowd of several dozen looked on approvingly.

Last Monday, it was a starkly different scene. Police were just finishing up a thorough sweep of the center after a bomb threat and those who gathered expressed a range of emotions from anxiety to anger. The Katz Center had been targeted, along with dozens around the nation, by the latest wave of what many regarded as a hate crime and rampant intolerance.

This week, Norcross was joined by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and a group of local political and community officials to call for more federal funding for the security of religious organizations. The congressman began the call last week moments after the Katz center was reopened. He said funds distributed by the federal department of Homeland Security is allotted in a regional formula that favors Philadelphia and does not provide enough resources for New Jersey.

Booker made a passionate case for a more equitable split for New Jersey by speaking about an effort in North Jersey to wrest money from a similar budget to protect metro New York.

"This congressman over here is a little ticked off," Booker said, pointing to Norcross. "There's certain funding based on the number of people who live in the greater Philly region. When it comes to the allocation of that money, we don't get any of it."

Booker said the region generally gets about 68 cents for every dollar of federal taxes local residents pay.

"Don't ever disrespect South Jersey and say we don't deserve our fair share," Booker said.

Neither Booker or Norcross provided details of how much Homeland Security money is distributed in the metro-Philadelphia area.

Booker's speech was so impassioned that some in the crowd shouted, "Run in 2020 Cory."

Rabbi Michah Peltz, 37, who leads Temple Beth Sholom, a nearby synagogue, said he came out to stand with his congressman and senator and others in the community "against hate and antisemitism that seems to be growing in our country and certainly hit home last week."

"We won't tolerate any sort of hatred or any sort of threats against any sort of community in our country," Peltz said.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
BELLMAWR -- The morning after their attorney filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the demolition of the Hugg-Harrison-Glover House, a group of historians awoke to find that the house had been razed at dawn.

Vincent Kovlak, who helped rally residents to fight the demolition, said he received a text from Chris Perks, president of the Historical Society's board, asking him to check on the house.

He felt sick when he saw the wreckage, he said, then snapped a photo and sent it to Perks with two words: "Battle lost."

The timing of the demolition led Perks and others to conclude that the New Jersey Department of Transportation had opted to demolish the house early Friday because it had received a copy of the complaint for injunction Thursday.

A spokesman for NJDOT said Monday that the demolition was simply going ahead as planned.

"NJDOT was not aware of a lawsuit until after the house was removed," Stephen Schapiro said in an email. "A copy of a lawsuit was delivered to NJDOT late Thursday afternoon but it was not addressed to anyone specifically so it was sent to the mail room."

He said that after the staff learned of the lawsuit through media reports, they found it in the mailroom Friday and delivered it to the attorney general's office and NJDOT's inspector general, in accordance with its policy.

The core of the Hugg-Harrison-Glover House was built sometime before 1764. According to local historians, it was home to Captain William Harrison Jr. while he led a militia that fought British soldiers on the property during the Revolutionary War.

While the State Historic Preservation Office concluded in 2015 that it was eligible for historic preservation, federal officials have maintained, like NJDOT, that its many additions and interior alterations mean it does not qualify for the historic designation.

Schapiro reiterated that position in a statement Friday, and also said that the house turned out to be in much worse condition than previously believed. That would have prevented it being moved to a different location, as many supporters, from Bellmawr Mayor Frank Filipek to Congressman Donald Norcross, had advocated for.

Norcross on Friday called the demolition an "injustice" and said the two sides were working to compromise and move the house.

Filipek told Philly.com that the contractors that demolished the house came at 6 a.m. with a State Police escort. Perks called it a despicable move done in the "middle of the night."

But Schapiro said the demolition began early "in coordination with the cemetery in order to be completed before the cemetery opened to avoid disturbing scheduled funerals." The house is accessible through New Saint Mary's Cemetery, and previously served as the cemetery's office.

Attempts to reach a spokesman for the Diocese of Camden, to confirm that the demolition was coordinated ahead of time with the cemetery, were unsuccessful Monday evening.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
rutgers-newark teaching

Rutgers-Newark is offering a free class for faculty members and doctoral students to improve their teaching skills. (Rutgers University photo)

NEWARK -- Teachers in K-12 schools get plenty of training in how to stand in front of a classroom and teach.

College professors, however, are largely left on their own to figure out the best way to instruct their students.

Rutgers-Newark has launched a five-year partnership to help faculty members step up their teaching skills, school officials said Tuesday.

The university is offering free classes to show professors and doctoral students the best ways to connect with students, try out new teaching styles and increase participation in the classroom.

The classes are being offered in a partnership with the Association of College and University Educators, a for-profit company that is working with schools around the nation to promote the idea of training and credentialing college teachers.

"Research confirms that students' success and instructional practices are directly correlated," said Bonnie Veysey, a Rutgers-Newark criminal justice professor and director of the campus' P3 Collaboratory, a new initiative to help faculty members.

Some critics have questioned whether it is necessary to invest money in creating a new credential and training program for college instructors who have already been through rigorous master's and doctoral programs to earn their degrees.

But supporters say college drop-out rates prove higher education instructors need to do a better job connecting with students.

This semester, 32 Rutgers-Newark professors, instructors and doctoral students are taking a 13-week course in effective college teaching. The class combines online and in-person classes with instructional videos from teaching experts.

Participants can try out new teaching techniques in their classes and discuss them with other instructors in the course each week, school officials said. At the end of the course, the faculty members and doctoral students receive a teaching certificate.

Christina Zambrano-Varghese, a psychology instructor on the Rutgers-Newark campus, said the course has helped her move away from just lecturing to her students.

"In the beginning, I was just testing out new techniques each week," Zambrano-Varghese said. "But now that I am putting all of the strategies together, I envision my time with my students differently and set better goals to make sure they are really learning the information, not just hearing me talk about it."

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.
deliciasIMG_2756[1].JPG

Delicias de Minas Restaurant is usually filled with customers, but the owner, Wendel Correa, said business is down 25 percent because Newark's immigrant community in the Ironbound stopped coming when they heard a false rumor that immigration officers were arresting undocumented immigrants at a road safety police check point.

(Barry Carter)

Alessandra's Beauty Salon on Ferry Street is usually packed with Newark immigrants who come to get their hair cut or their nails done. But things have changed.

"The people don't come in,'' said Alessandra Lima, the salon owner. "Everybody is worried.''

Elsewhere in the diverse Ironbound section of the city, other business owners tell a similar story. The lunch and dinner crowd at Delicias de Minas restaurant on McWhorter Street is smaller. And immigrant customers have not been showing up as much at the Casa Nova Grill on Adams Street, or a second location across the street from the salon.

Alessandra Lima, owner of Alessandra's Beauty Salon, said business at her shop has dropped by 50 percent after Newark's immigrant community in the Ironbound thought immigration officers were arresting immigrants at a police check point.

Ironbound community leaders and business owners said many undocumented immigrants are saving their money after new rules from the Department of Homeland Security on immigration were released two weeks ago by the Trump administration.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns

Anibal Romero, a Newark immigration attorney, said that under the new guidelines undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. less than two years face expedited removal, and parents who attempt to bring their children across the border illegally will face prosecution. The administration also intends to hire 10,000 new immigration agents to enforce the law.

"The community got word of this and it's been crazy,'' Romero said.

More like panic. When Newark police conducted a road safety checkpoint on South Street Feb.23, false rumors spread that immigration officers were stopping and arresting people.

The fear, unfortunately, has hurt business owners, who say the immigrant community has not been patronizing shops and restaurants along Ferry Street as well as other Iroundbound corridors.

Lima said she has lost 50 percent of her business; Jose Moreiria, owner of Casa Nova Grill, estimated a 20 percent combined drop at his two restaurants; and Wendel Correa of Delicias de Minas said he's experienced a 25 percent decline.

"They're scared to spend the money because they don't know what's going to happen,'' Correa said. "They don't know if they're going to be deported.''

Newark officials tried to ease residents' worry last week during a standing-room-only community meeting at the Mediterranean Manor restaurant.

Mayor Ras Baraka said Newark will remain a sanctuary city, meaning immigrants will continue to have access to city services and the police department will not ask them about their status or join any federal immigration force to deport them.

"We want to assure you that here in the city of Newark we're going to do all we can in our power to make sure we protect the residents and neighbors of this city," Baraka said. "Whatever it is that we in our power can do, we will do.''

Newark police captain, Adolph Perez Jr. also assured residents that Newark officer are not conducting a campaign with immigration officers to round up undocumented immigrants.

"Our job is not to enforce federal laws,'' Perez said. "Our job is to protect the citizens that live here."

But once the rumor got out about an immigration crackdown, Ironbound leaders said, the community has been on edge, uncertain and worried about Trump's deportation talk.

Roberto Lima, editor of Newak's Brazillian Voice newspaper said he had a hard time convincing a Portuguese resident that the police checkpoint wasn't being used to find illegal immigrants.

"Newark is a sanctuary city,'' Lima said, but he understands immigrants' concerns - especially after an encounter he had with Newark police in 2007.

Lima filed a civil lawsuit in 2008 following an incident in which he claimed Newark's then-acting police director, Samuel DeMaio, asked photographer for the paper, Gerald Carlos, whether he had a "green card" after Carlos discovered a dead body and was taking pictures.

Lima claimed DeMaio ordered officers to seize the pictures and handcuff him at the precinct in order to stop him from publishing the photographs.

"I never heard of police asking for a green card,'' said Lima, who was awarded $55,000 in a suit for wrongful arrest against the city.

DeMaio, who has repeatedly denied Lima's assertion, was reprimanded by then-Attorney General Anne Millgram for the "green card" comment. She said it violated a directive prohibiting police from asking crime witnesses about their immigration status.

"When I got arrested, the community was afraid of the police,'' Lima said. "If they arrested a journalist, what will happen with a guy who doesn't have the press behind him.''

It was a day Lima said he'd like to forget, which is why he believes Baraka's steadfast support of immigrants should help calm down deportation fears.

Romero, the immigration attorney, hopes that happens soon. The 1,500 calls his office received in one week from immigrants crashed his phone system.

Solange Paizante, executive director of Mantena, a Brazillian community organization in the city, said calls have increased 30 percent at her office and some parents have pulled their children out of school.

Following rumors of a checkpoint for undocumented immigrants, she said, many salons and boutiques in the Ironbound were empty.

MORE CARTER: Newark fathers wait to dance with their daughters

But business was brisk at

s

tore that issues money transfers and takes identification photos for passports.

Owner Luciano Trajano said he normally services up to eight people a week who want their picture taken. After the checkpoint rumor, he said, the number jumped to about 25 in a week because people were preparing to leave for their homeland should immigration officers appear.

"They don't know what's going to happen,'' Trajano said.

A 23-year-old nursing assistant said Trump's immigration stance is unsettling because she doesn't know if the administration will renew her two-year work permit under DACA - the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals.

If the permit is not approved, the Ecuadorian native who lives in Newark said she would be considered an illegal immigrant and face deportation.

"They (government) have all of my information,'' she said. "They know where I am."

An undocumented 44-year-old Brazillian woman hopes she can stay in the country after applying for an extension of her tourist visa.

She's counting on the approval. The woman said she sold her laundry service business in Brazil to pursue the American dream like many others who come to United States.

Now that dream seems to have gone into hiding, replaced by a community's anxiety.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com barry carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL
LINCOLN  The Nebraska public employees union director is asking Gov. Pete Ricketts to fire his communications director over a tweet.

Mike Marvin sent a letter Monday to the governor saying Taylor Gage made light Sunday on Twitter of the recent disturbance at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

Gage posted a story Sunday about kid vandals, ages 7 to 11, who raided a day care in southern California, causing $25,000 worth of damage. With it he tweeted the comment: In other news: Preschool riot.

Theres been much discussion between Ricketts administration, the media and others since Thursdays disturbance at Tecumseh as to whether it was a riot or an incident. The Corrections Department has been loathe to call these disturbances at Tecumseh riots, and has written and talked about why it was not a riot.

In a Twitter exchange after the post with Brian Mikkelsen, Nebraska State Education Association political field operations director, Gage said he was not comparing the preschool raid with the Tecumseh riot, or making light of the Tecumseh incident.

Marvin charged that Gages tweet made light of the recent riot, in which two inmates, Damon Fitzgerald and Michael Galindo, were killed.

Yes, I called it a riot, Marvin said. I understand the Department of Correctional Services and the industry have their own definition of riot, but the normal definition of a riot fits what occurred, he said in his letter to Ricketts.

He defined riot as a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.

Marvin said Gages post disrespected the jobs Corrections officers perform and showed little concern for the families of those whose lives were lost.

It was a deplorable post, not fitting for the person serving as your spokesperson, Marvin said in the letter to the governor.

If Ricketts doesnt fire or demand Gages resignation, it would show the governors support for those type of tweets, he said.

Please show your concern for the dangers faced by our employees every day and take action on this insult to them, Marvin said in the letter.

The governor has not yet responded to Marvins letter.

Gages exchange with Mikkelsen went like this:

Mikkelsen: @gagetaylor Are you really making light of the Tecumseh prison riot?

Gage: @btmikk Nope. Both are very serious incidentsTecumseh certainly more so. Sad to see kids in CA did this.

Mikkelsen: @gagetaylor Vandalism in CA ... versus a prison riot in Nebraska where 2 people died ...

Gage: @btmikk I think were in agreement here.

Mikkelsen: @gagetaylor Then why post the comparison?

Gage: @btmikk I did not post a comparison. Thats why I said were in agreement ...
Charter group makes key hire as it vies to run New Orleans' last independent public schools
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.
The third phase of the Council Bluffs public internet access initiative known as BLink is now live.

During an Ethernet cable-cutting ceremony on Monday afternoon at the Broadway Skate Park in Council Bluffs, partners of the project announced phase three, which expanded the free Wi-Fi zone.

As part of the approved strategic plan being realized here as part of the BLink project, we wanted to guarantee internet access and make the world a classroom, said Dave Fringer, chief technology officer of the Council Bluffs Community School District. Like today, when there is no school, kids that are playing at the playground could be capable of doing research as well.

The new phase stretches from North 16th Street to the west to Sixth Street to the east, with the southern boundary running along Ninth Avenue. The northern boundary is not a straight line, with a portion to the west on Avenue G before dipping in the middle to Avenue B. The northeast boundary runs just above Avenue I and Roosevelt Avenue.

Fringer said the goal of the free Wi-Fi initiative is so students can learn anywhere anytime and not be constrained to a traditional brick and mortar school building.

It changed the way our schools operate, Fringer added. We want to bring more and more connectivity to our students.

BLink is the result of a collaboration between the City of Council Bluffs, the Council Bluffs Community School District, the Iowa West Foundation, Google and other partners.

Its our pleasure to be a partner of this effort, said Pete Tulipana, president and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. We know its going to make a tremendous difference in our community. We are appreciative of the funding partnership and look forward to this becoming citywide.

The first two phases included downtown Council Bluffs, the 100 block of West Broadway and much of the west end of the city north of West Broadway.

Within five years, project organizers hope a total of 20 square miles will have free public Wi-Fi access.

The fourth phase is also expected to be completed this year and will stretch from South 24th Street to the west to South 16th Street to the east. The phase will run from West Broadway in the north to Ninth Avenue in the south.

During a press conference launching phase two last September, Fringer said the project will include about 10 phases.

Its another area we wanted to deploy the wireless environment to to provide access to those who may have not had it before, said Mark Howard, chief information officer for the City of Council Bluffs. Its a large area at about one square mile roughly, and it has quite a few users in that area  and, from what we can see, its benefitting those in that area.

- Reporter Mike Brownlee contributed to this report.
Just when you thought it was safe to crack your car windows in the parking lot, Mother Nature decided otherwise.

Strong winds throughout the day Monday grew into a squall in the afternoon, bringing down power lines and drenching the city in small hail while knocking over trees and power lines, plunging parts of town off the grid for several hours.

Fortunately, no one within the city was injured according to a dispatch supervisor with the Pottawattamie County Communications Center. A rollover accident near Applewood Road and 240th Street resulted in one person suffering minor injuries, he said.

Trees down. Wires down. Poles down. Looks like the storm is gone through and its time to mop up, the supervisor said.

According to MidAmerican Energys website a peak of more than 4,800 customers were without power in the city immediately following the storm. As of 10 p.m. Monday, more than 2,000 customers remained without power, most of which were concentrated in the North Broadway corridor. Police reported power lines or trees damaged and blocking traffic on Houston Avenue, 35th Avenue and elsewhere.

Barbara Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Omaha said the winds were strong even by Iowa and Nebraska standards.

We had reports of hail up to an inch or so in size in the area, she said.

A tornado watch issued early Monday afternoon was rescinded at around 5:45 p.m. Despite the sucker-punch nature of the storm, its not uncommon this time of year for cells to have warm front ends and cool behinds, she said.

It happens. Thankfully these storms have passed, but the strong winds will remain (Tuesday), Mayes added.

Dryer weather is in store for Tuesday  so much so that a fire weather watch has been ordered for parts of western Iowa and a red flag warning is in effect in parts of eastern Nebraska.
Just when you thought it was safe to crack your car windows in the parking lot, Mother Nature decided otherwise.

Strong winds throughout the day Monday grew into a squall in the afternoon, bringing down power lines and drenching the city in small hail while knocking over trees and power lines, plunging parts of town off the grid.

Fortunately, no one within the city was injured according to a dispatch supervisor with the Pottawattamie County Communications Center. A rollover accident near Applewood Road and 240th Street resulted in one person suffering minor injuries, the supervisor said.

Trees down. Wires down. Poles down. Looks like the storm is gone through and its time to mop up, according to the 911 dispatch supervisor.

A peak of more than 4,800 customers were without power in the city immediately following the storm, according to MidAmerican Energys website. Police reported power lines or trees damaged and blocking traffic on Houston Avenue, 35th Avenue and elsewhere.

Barbara Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, said the winds were strong even by Iowa and Nebraska standards.

We had reports of hail up to an inch or so in size in the area, Mayes said.

A tornado watch issued early Monday afternoon was rescinded at around 5:45 p.m. Despite the sucker-punch nature of the storm, its not uncommon this time of year for cells to have warm front ends and cool behinds, she said.

It happens, Mayes said. Thankfully these storms have passed, but the strong winds will remain.

Dryer weather is in store for Tuesday  so much so that a fire weather watch has been ordered for parts of western Iowa and a red flag warning is in effect in parts of eastern Nebraska.

As of 9:15 p.m. on Monday night, some area residents were still experiencing power outages around the city.

In Pottawattamie County we are experiencing numerous outages, MidAmerican spokesperson Debora Blume said. Tonights severe weather caused significant damage causing broken power poles, downed power lines and tree damage.

MidAmerican said crews hoped to have most service restored by 10 p.m. Monday but expected some customers may not have service restored until late Tuesday morning.

If theres damage to the service mast from it being pulled away from the house because of the wind, the homeowner will have to have an electrician make repairs before service can be restored, Blume said.

- Reporter Krystal Sidzyik contributed to this report.
The Iowa House could vote as early as today on whether to rescind recent minimum wage increases in four counties as it establishes a firm statewide minimum wage.

But, for many, the main question may still remain unanswered: Will the lawmakers consider raising the states current $7.25 minimum wage? For those wanting an increase, the outlook isnt bright this year, according to some local lawmakers.

I dont see any possibility, said Rep. Charles McConkey, D-Council Bluffs. I think we need to raise it.

Rep. Greg Forristall, who serves eastern Council Bluffs and most of Pottawattamie has similar thoughts.

Im not aware of any conversation along those lines, said Rep. Greg Forristall, R-Macedonia. Through the normal bill process it wont come up, but thats not to say it wont come up through other means.

A House committee held a public hearing on Monday evening concerning a bill that would prohibit cities or counties from raising the minimum wage in their jurisdictions to a higher figure than the states figure.

The four counties with minimum wages beyond the states minimum, along with their major city, are Polk (Des Moines), Linn (Cedar Rapids), Johnson (Iowa City) and Wapello (Ottumwa).

Frustrated Iowa residents and supportive business owners filled that hearing to discuss a bill that would revoke wage increases for low-income workers.

Its packed, McConkey said by phone from nearby the hearing. There are people outside the room. I never did get inside. People are against the bill.

The House Local Government Committee heard feedback on the legislation, which would freeze the minimum at $7.25 an hour and roll back wages that already surpass the state standard.

Polk County Supervisor Tom Hockensmith told lawmakers the increase stemmed from low-wage workers facing food insecurity, noting the county consulted business owners before making the decision.

It wasnt just done willy-nilly, he said. We had a process we worked through and engaged the community.

Iowas proposed reversal of three enacted pay raises would be unusual, said Tsedeye Gebreselassie, a senior staff attorney with the National Employment Law Project. The only other statehouse to consider such a measure, Kentucky, retroactively decreased Louisville and Lexington minimum wages in 2015. The decision was upheld by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

John Stineman, executive director for the Iowa Chamber Alliance, a business lobbying group, said companies need wage consistency. Mike Holms of Jethros barbecue restaurant agreed, telling lawmakers the business avoided expansion in Johnson County because of their wage increase.

Were always willing to have a conversation concerning wage issues, Holms said. We would just ask that this happens at one table to ensure every Iowan has the same securities.

Opponents say the bill perpetuates poverty for Iowas poorest workers and undermines local government ability to respond to community needs. Josh Myatt, an Iowa State University student, spoke about growing up in a low-wage family and criticized Republicans who support the bill.

How is taking the ability of raising the minimum wage to a living wage from counties and cities supporting small government? he asked the GOP-majority committee. Republicans also claim to support Iowans. Im just trying to figure out which Iowans they are supporting.

The legislation would also modify the Iowa Civil Rights Act, preventing local governments from adding protected classes beyond what state law already covers. Existing law protects people from discrimination based on such factors as age, race, gender, disability and sexual orientation.

The panel already has approved the proposal, which is set for a House floor vote.

Any minimum wage increase is not part of this bill, and no bill addressing this issue survived last Fridays funnel where bills either died or remained alive for further debate, Forristall said.

That means only the leadership in either the House and Senate can now bring forth this issue if they choose, he said. The Senate doesnt have a similar bill.

Its still possible, though, according to Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, R-Council Bluffs.

Were a long way from being done, she said.

Hanusa stressed, however, that House File 295 simply nullifies the recent increases of those counties.

This doesnt prohibit any employer from paying more than the minimum wage, she said.

Forristall added: I think currently in Council Bluffs the starting wages are higher than the minimum wage in most cases.

 Linley Sanders of the Associated Press contributed reporting from Des Moines.
An Omaha man, woman and a juvenile have been charged in connection to a hair-raising theft after police said they stole more than $1,000 in hair extensions from a beauty supply store before attempting to shoplift at Walmart.

Govenor DeAzah Tate, 19, has been charged with second-degree theft  a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison if convicted. JorDyn Chante Hunter, 20, has been charged with fourth-degree theft, a serious misdemeanor.

The unnamed minor was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center.

On Feb. 22, police were dispatched to Sallys Beauty Supply, 3134 Manawa Center Drive, after receiving a report of male and female shoplifters.

While investigating the scene, additional police were dispatched to the Walmart nearby for a report of similar looking suspects shoplifting there.

According to the police report, an employee at Sallys told officers she saw the two suspects, later identified as Hunter and Tate, trying to remove expensive hair extensions from the rack but couldnt due to security locks.

When she attempted to confront the suspects, Tate grabbed a pair of scissors, removing the hair extensions from the rack, she told police.

When the woman tried to stop the suspects, she said Hunter told her, B----, I will kick your ass. The suspects then grabbed a straightener from the shelf and left, the report reads.

Tate and Hunter stole $1,236 in products from the store, police said.

The suspects then went to another Walmart five miles away on North 16th Street, according to a second criminal report.

Officers later pulled over a car matching the description of a car from the hair theft at about 5 p.m.

Tate, Hunter and the juvenile were arrested.

Employees from Walmart told police Hunter and the juvenile took 67 items totalling $326 from the store, the report reads. When the duo tried to leave the store, employees tried to confront them, but Hunter told the juvenile to run, police said.

Tates bond was set at $3,000 and has since posted bail. His preliminary hearing is set for March 17. Hunter has since posted $1,000 bond. Her preliminary hearing is March 23.
The inaugural Pottawattamie County Conservation Speaker Series has a lineup and recently received a boost from Humanities Iowa. Additionally, the organization plans a pair of events for seniors this month.

The speaker series will kick off in April, with speakers scheduled for the second Saturday of the month through October at Hitchcock Nature Center, 27792 Ski Hill Loop, according to Pottawattamie County Conservation.

The series is designed to for both teens and adults to provide them with an opportunity to learn from and interact with various authorities in the fields of conservation and environmental science, the organization said.

Each program will last about an hour; afterward attendees can enjoy conversation with the presenter, a book signing and refreshments.

The organization recently received about $2,000 in grant funding from Humanities Iowa, the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of the series.

The 2017 Speaker Series:

 Sunday, April 9  Connie Mutel, University of Iowa

 Saturday, May 13  Ron Cisar, Iowa Western Community College

 Saturday, June 10  Danuta Hutchins, Buena Vista University

 Saturday, July 8  Speaker TBA

 Saturday, Aug. 12  Thomas Dean, University of Iowa

 Saturday, Sept. 9  Keith Summerville, Drake University

 Saturday, Oct. 14  Kelly Kindscher, University of Kansas

Additionally, Pottawattamie County Conservation will present two events for seniors in March.

The Older Wiser Learning Seniors program will feature a presentation on the different species of birds and butterflies that make Iowa their home from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on March 22 at The Center, 714 S. Main St.

On March 29, OWLS will host a program on the monarch butterfly from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hitchcock Nature Center.

Bring your lunch and your questions as you learn more about the great outdoors from our naturalists, Pottawattamie County Conservation said in a release.

The OWLS program is a partnership between the conservation department and The Center in Council Bluffs designed for senior learners.

Both the speaker series and OWLS events are open to the public and free of charge, though free-will donations will be accepted. At Hitchcock, attendees will need a valid Pottawattamie County Parks annual permit or will need to purchase a $2 per vehicle daily entrance pass to enter the park.

Daily passes may be purchased with cash or check at the front entrance the day of the event. Annual permits cost $10.
A tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service for Pottawattamie County effective until 10 p.m. Monday, but it was rescinded around 5:45 p.m.

NWS officials said conditions are favorable for severe storms with tornadoes in and close to the watch area.

Area residents who see a dark, rotating cloud formation are urged to take cover immediately.

Wind gusts are expected to reach 40 to 50 mph this afternoon in western Iowa. NWS forecasters are encouraging no open burning from 2 to 8 p.m. because of the winds, low relative humidity and dry conditions.

Tonight should be partly cloudy and windy with a low around 35.

 Nonpareil reporter Jon Leu can be reached at (712) 325-5728 or by email at jleu@nonpareilonline.com. The BH News Service contributed to this report.
LOGAN  Voters will decide the future make up of the Logan City Council during a special election May 2.

At its Feb. 21 meeting, the council approved a resolution calling for the special election to increase the number of its members from three to five, the Twiner-Herald reported.

Approval came after Mayor Clint McDonald and council members Lori Cohrs, Kim Fisher and Jason Sporrer first discussed the issue Feb. 6. During that meeting, they all agreed its time to make the change.

Angela Winther, Logans city clerk and administrator, said having five council members would benefit the city.

It relieves some of the pressure on you guys, she said. You all work hard to make sure you are at a meeting but when one of you has to be gone, thats not ideal.

Winther and Cohrs said increasing the size also would give council members the opportunity to attend community or organizational meetings  or even talk outside of meetings  without fear of violating open meetings laws. A formal gathering of two of the three council members would meet the threshold of requiring public notice and an agenda, based on Iowa Code.

The council has been at three members since 2013, when Logan residents voted for the downsizing following a time of turmoil and controversy with the firings of Winther and City Attorney Joe Lauterbach in July 2012.

The firings were opposed by many city residents, who voiced their opinions at meetings and led Winther to file a lawsuit, which she eventually settled, allowing her to return to the post in 2014.

Passage of the 2013 measure came on a 333-42 vote.

If voters approve the increase during the May 2 election, all five seats would be up for election in November, including the one held by Kim Fischer, whose term isnt set to expire until 2018. Cohrs and Sporrers current terms are set to expire this year.

The three highest vote-getters would get four-year terms, and the next two highest would get two-year terms.
As debate about a uniform minimum wage in Iowa rolls ahead, the General Assembly finds itself in an odd position.

Four counties boards of supervisors have elected to pursue a minimum-wage hike. However, the Legislature is weighing a measure that would require all counties and cities to hold at the states minimum wage, which is currently $7.25.

If approved, this legislation would force those four counties to rescind their minimum wage to the state level  which could lead to pay cuts for those making the higher wages in those area.

We have deep concerns about this legislation, as powers traditionally granted to local governments are now under threat from the statehouse.

The Republican Party, which controls both houses of the Legislature and the governors office, has long pitched itself as the party of limited government and local control.

Both of these ideals are, without question, worth striving to achieve.

In a small government, power should flow up from the smallest blocks rather than down from the federal and state levels. But, in Iowa, were seeing the opposite  a party that publicly advocates for limited government has repeatedly taken steps to overrule local control with a top-down mandate.

This is not a commentary on this particular minimum-wage issue. Were instead criticizing the degradation of local control the Iowa Republicans have pursued since the new Legislature convened in January.

Regardless whether one approves of the minimum wage hikes that have taken place in Johnson, Linn, Polk and Wapello counties, representative democracy has worked. Voters there elected people into positions of authority, and those elected officials debated and voted on a local policy.

In Johnson County  which contains Iowa City  for instance, the board of supervisors allowed cities to choose if they wanted to pay a higher minimum wage or remain at the same level.

That is local control and self-rule at its finest. Voters and elected officials made their beds; now, both must lie in them.

Any subsequent change to the decisions made in these four counties should be made by those counties, not by legislators from other areas in the state.

Many southwest Iowa residents have long quipped that those from central and eastern Iowa call the shots, much to our chagrin. Now, the inverse is happening, as county boards are in danger of seeing their perfectly legal decisions overruled by out-of-town lawmakers.

Republicans in the state find themselves at a crossroads, a difficult decision that could have far-reaching ramifications: either they stick to the commendable principle of limited government or go down a path of centralizing control over local decisions in Des Moines.
Licensing reform in Iowa coming from out-of-state money, interests

House Study Bill 138 is dead. Hooray, right?

What you may not know is that Gov. Branstad tried to sneak in a licensing board oversight board plan on pages 36-37 of House Study Bill 174. This would have created a committee to oversee the licensing boards with two-thirds of the board to be appointed by the governor.

Fortunately, this bill is also dead. However, now they are coming after individual professions  Senate File 357 goes after electricians. It is easier to kill professions one at a time, I suppose.

A significant force behind licensing reform in Iowa is coming from ALEC and Americans for Prosperity (a Koch brothers front). It is out-of-state money and interests pushing the attack on working professionals in Iowa.

These two interest groups, along with the Wisconsin GOP, attacked working professionals six years ago by first busting the public workers unions and their ability to collectively bargain (which recently happened here in Iowa) and then expanding the attack on licensed professionals.

Iowa Rep. Mary Mascher, in a Des Moines Register article about HSB 138, warned us about the coming dangers: You need to be watching very carefully, because theyre controlling a whole lot of what goes in our state right now, she said of the group, which is funded in part by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. It should put the fear of God into all of us, because theyve got the governors ear.

And, from my experience watching working people be negatively affected by what happened in Wisconsin, shes right: Im terrified.

With the change in tactics from a direct attack on all licensed professionals (HSB 138) to a sneak attack on the licensing boards (HSB 174) to a direct attack on a single profession (SF357), Im extremely concerned about the divide-and-conquer tactics being employed by the governor to push his (and ALEC/AFPs) agenda through.

It appears that the next series of attacks, which will inevitably affect many professions individually, will be far subtler and more planned out. We need to watch these bills, and we  as professionals and as Iowans  need to watch out for each other.

- Monica M. Schmidt, Solon

Licensed mental health practitioner
A man was flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney Monday night after a shooting at a North Platte residence.

North Platte police were called to the 1100 block of West 11th Street just before 8:45 p.m. Monday. Officers found an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his forehead. Officers provided medical attention until EMTs arrived, Investigator John Deal said in a statement Tuesday morning.

The victim was taken to Great Plains Health and later flown to Kearney. His condition was unknown Tuesday morning.

According to Deal, witnesses told police that a group was playing video games when a man, identified as Christian Vera, 19, produced a handgun to show to the 18-year-old.

During the process of showing off the handgun, Christian negligently discharged one round, which struck the victim in the head, Deal said.

Officers learned that Vera was in the alley behind the residence. He was taken into custody without incident. Police found a midsized handgun nearby.

There is nothing to indicate at this time that any disagreement or quarrel occurred prior to the shooting, and the incident is believed to be accidental, Deal said.

Vera was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

One of the definitions of second-degree assault in Nebraska is recklessly causing serious bodily injury to another with a dangerous weapon, Deal said.

Vera and the victim are related to each other, Deal said. He added that the handgun is suspected to have been stolen. The investigation continues.
A new group in North Platte is using a national holiday to do good in the community.

North Plattes Suit Up Nebraska Chapter, which emphasizes social activism and began last month, will spend Wednesday collecting kitchen and bathroom supplies for the Rape and Domestic Abuse Program, said Julie Peterson, who chairs the social-activism group. Members will also take writing and drawing supplies for the new RDAP art therapy sessions as well as monetary donations.

Residents can drop off any of the above between 10 a.m. and noon at Episcopal Church of Our Savior, 203 W. Fourth St.

The group also plans to promote support of female- and minority-owned businesses in North Platte on Wednesday. Between member knowledge and the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce, the group compiled a list of 65 such businesses, with such places as supplies stores, bike and fitness shops, restaurants and salons. A full list can be seen at http://bit.ly/NPwomen, and Peterson said residents are welcome to email sunlincolnco@gmail.com to add to the list.

Peterson said the group hopes to collect 79 items in its RDAP drive. The number represents what Peterson described as the income gap between male and female workers in Nebraska. On average, women in Nebraska are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
Canberra interchange forward Joe Tapine has been ruled out for between four and five weeks after breaking a finger in his side's Round 1 loss to North Queensland.



Match Draw Widget

[2017] Telstra Premiership - Round 2: Raiders vs Sharks

Tapine has undergone surgery and won't return until at least Round at the earliest.

With Clay Priest suspended for Round 2 and Dave Taylor unavailable for selection until the following week, the timing of Tapine's injury is less than ideal, but will be offset by the return of prop Junior Paulo as the Green Machine welcome Cronulla to the nation's capital.
Sea Eagles props Martin Taupau and Addin Fonua-Blake have been suspended for two weeks, after both entered early guilty pleas for their shoulder charges in their side's Round 1 loss to the Eels.

Taupau was charged for his shot on Parramatta counterpart Suaia Matagi in the 13th minute, with three prior non-similar offences in the past two years adding 60 per cent loading to the 200-point base penalty for the charge.

A similar offence in the past two years added 50 per cent loading to Fonua-Blake's charge.

The Manly duo join Raiders forward Clay Priest as the players suspended from Round 1, with Will Chambers, Cameron Munster and Joseph Leilua the first players fined under the NRL's revamped match review system.
Defensive effectiveness can be measured in many ways. NRL.com takes a look at which teams and players had the best defence in Round 1 of the NRL Telstra Premiership.

The Melbourne Storm conceded the least points in Round 1, allowing just one try in their 12-6 win over the Bulldogs at Belmore on Friday night. The Storm made 351 tackles  the equal fifth most tackles in Round 1. The Bulldogs made 319 tackles  the sixth most of the round.

The Storm missed 31 tackles, for a tackle effectiveness of 91 per cent, while the Bulldogs missed 23 tackles for a tackle effectiveness of 93 per cent.

Also with a tackle effectiveness of 93 per cent in Round 1 were the Newcastle Knights. The Knights made 357 tackles in their 26-22 loss to the Warriors in Auckland on Sunday  the third most tackles of a team in Round 1.

The team with the best tackle effectiveness was the St George Illawarra Dragons with 96 per cent, but they only had to make 298 tackles  the fifth least of the round  in their big 42-10 win over the Panthers.

A special mention to the Manly Sea Eagles who defended their tryline stoically for a 13-minute period in the second half, repelling four repeat sets in a row from the Eels.

Sydney Roosters hooker Jake Friend played all 80 minutes of his side's 32-18 win over the Titans and made the most tackles of any player in the NRL in Round 1 with 59 tackles. Friend missed just three tackles in an amazing defensive performance.

Manly's Jake Trbojevic also only missed three tackles in his side's 20-12 loss to the Eels, making 51 tackles  the second most by an individual in Round 1.

The most effective tackler of Round 1 was Newcastle lock Mitchell Barnett who made 49 tackles with no misses. A 100 per cent tackling success rate.

Dragons hooker Cameron McInnes and Knights forward Jamie Buhrer also had a 100 per cent tackle success rate in Round 1, making 43 and 42 tackles respectively.
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Leslie Kurtz needed three plates, eight screws and a big assist from her insurer after breaking every bone in her ankle while white water rafting.

Coverage she purchased through a public insurance exchange established by the federal health care law paid $65,000 toward surgery and the care she needed after the 2015 accident. But that protection may not exist next year because insurers have abandoned the Knoxville, Tennessee, resident's exchange. As of now, Kurtz has no future coverage options, and she is worried.

"I can't afford to have everything I've worked for taken away because I fell down the steps," Kurtz said.

Her county is one of 16 in Tennessee that lack even a single insurance company committed to offering coverage for 2018 on the exchange, after Humana announced last month plans to exit.

In Northwest Indiana, United Healthcare no longer offers policies on the federal health insurance exchange because it pulled out of the Indiana exchange marketplace last year. Aetna had filed to enter the Indiana exchange for next year but ended up withdrawing its request.

For 2017, Northwest Indiana residents shopping on the individual marketplace were limited to Anthem, MDWise and Ambetter. The state approved a 29 percent increase for Anthem, an 11.5 percent increase for MDWise and a 5.3 percent decrease for Celtic (Ambetters parent company).

Exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act were designed to give customers a chance to shop for coverage and then buy a plan, most with help from tax credits. The idea was that such a marketplace would push insurers to offer affordable plans to compete for customers.

But insurers in many markets have been pulling back from the exchanges after losing money. According to an analysis by the Associated Press and the health care firm Avalere Health, more than 1,000 counties, where about 2.8 million people are insured through the exchanges, are down to their last insurance carrier, according to the most recent data.

With less competition, that could mean sharply higher rates. And with more insurers still considering leaving other markets, customers around the country could be stuck like Kurtz with no affordable coverage options in 2018.

Insurers still have a few more weeks to decide to stay in their exchanges, and other insurers may jump into new markets, though that can be expensive and risky for them. The government recently announced several short-term fixes for the exchanges, and insurers have welcomed the moves. But they want to see the final version of the improvements before deciding on 2018.

"No insurer wants the negative public backlash from dropping insurance for lots of people, but the companies need to feel like the market is stable and that there's a chance of making money," said Larry Levitt, a health insurance expert with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Chief among undecided companies is the Blue Cross-Blue Shield carrier Anthem Inc. It is the lone insurer on exchanges in 300 counties in seven states, according to data compiled by the AP and Avalere.

Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish would not commit to participating on exchanges next year and said in a statement last month that the market is sliding toward "significant deterioration and requires changes to ensure future stability and affordability."

Anthem and the many other companies that sell coverage under the Blue Cross-Blue Shield brand will be crucial to the fate of the exchanges because they often specialize in insurance for individuals, and many have a long-standing presence in their markets. They also are the only remaining option on exchanges in nearly a third of the nation's 3,100 counties.

The Kaiser Family Foundation's Levitt says insurers are worried about losses, but they also may be using the leverage their indecision gives them.

"Insurers kind of want the threat that they may pull out to be taken seriously now, so that they get some of the changes they are looking for," he said.

Customers can buy coverage outside the exchanges, if insurers are selling individual plans in their market. But then they won't be able to use tax credits to help pay the bills, which may be particularly painful since many markets have seen prices soar.
In the early days, the steel mills that ring Lake Michigans southern shore pulled in immigrants from all over the world.

Thats the way the bosses liked it.

U.S. Steel recruited immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly central and southern Europe because it was working employees seven days a week, 12 hours a day, said James Lane, Indiana University Northwest professor of history emeritus. Few Americans wanted to work in those conditions.

Steel mills cant be shut down because blast furnaces blaze around the clock and can't be easily switched on and off. Judge Elbert Gary, the first to run U.S. Steel, believed in manning the mill during all hours by having two 84-hour per week shifts  making for a daily 12-hour work shift for every worker  until he was persuaded to add a third, making working hours more manageable, said Lane, author of City of the Century and other books about Region history.

U.S. Steel and other steelmakers recruited heavily from Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Italy and what was then Yugoslavia. The steelmaker liked to mix antagonistic groups like Serbs and Croats to forestall unionization, reasoning they wouldnt cooperate and work together, Lane said.

We had relatively open immigration prior to World War I, he said. Fares to America were cheap and often underwritten by the steel mills.

Today's steel industry workforce is still diverse  more so in some cases. The World Steel Association estimates women now make up as much as 21 percent of steelworkers, and their representation at mills is trending upward. Today's steelworkers are more educated and will need greater technical proficiency going forward.

"U. S. Steel employees have been among the hardest working and most talented in the industry," spokeswoman Erin DiPietro said. "While the products we make have changed over time, our focus on being a leader in the highly competitive global steel industry has not. To do so now and in the future, we will continue to develop and employ highly skilled, creative employees who are committed to working safely, focused on innovation, and dedicated to delivering world-class, value-added solutions to our customers."

In the industry's early days in Northwest Indiana, some estimates are that half the immigrants went back to their native lands after they saved up enough to buy property, but many married here or brought their family over from the old country.

When immigration dropped off from Europe after World War I, the mills started pulling in Southerners, including African-Americans. Then after World War II, when Eastern Europe was behind the Iron Curtain, steelmakers brought in Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, Lane said.

Over the years, steelworkers kids and grandkids went on to work at the mill. As recently as the 1970s, steel mill jobs were plentiful and people could get them right out of high school.

A lot of people who went to college even worked summers at the mill, Lane said. It was referred to as mill scholarships because you could make enough in the summer to pay for their tuition.

The pay was so good at the mills it was sometimes referred to as the golden handcuffs because it made it hard to leave, Lane said.

It provided a generation with basically the income they needed to have a middle-class lifestyle, he said. The wife didnt have to work. You could send your kids off to college and afford home ownership. When I came in 1970 it was a very blue collar area. Virtually all my students had a father or some relative who was a steelworker. It had a very blue collar flavor.

But imports, automation and wave after wave of cutbacks weakened the steel industry across the country and in Northwest Indiana.

A slowdown in hiring led many young people to pursue alternate career paths, or get out of the Region altogether. Lake Countys population, once greater than half a million people, has fallen every year so far this decade and declined to 487,865 in 2015, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 48,000 steelworker jobs across the United States have vanished since 2000.

ArcelorMittal estimates the average age of its steelworkers is now over 50, and nearly half its workers are already eligible for retirement. It has been looking to train the next generation of employees through its Steelworker for the Future program, where job trainees complete a 2.5-year program at a local community college while interning as a mechanical or electrical technician.

Steel mill jobs are still coveted because of the high pay, and about 10,000 people apply anytime steelworker jobs open up at ArcelorMittal, said R.D. Parpart, a team leader with Steelworker for the Future, during a recent talk in Hobart. The steelmaker hires for those positions through WorkOne, the state's employment agency.

Future steelworkers need to be better trained and more highly educated since the mills operate with just a fraction of the employees they once did, Parpart said. The remaining workers must be more highly skilled because of automation. Repairing industrial robots or running a programmable logic controller for a rolling mill might be part of their jobs.

Steel mill jobs used to involve grueling labor but are now more technical in nature, Lane said.

Mills are still not the greatest place to work, Lane said. But now youre tending to machines. Now youre on the computer doing stuff. Youre not shoveling coke into open hearth furnaces. The nature of the work has changed.
VALPARAISO  Portage resident Matthew Richardson told jurors Tuesday afternoon he did not intend to shoot and kill 28-year-old Lake Station resident Joshua Smith.

"When I shot, I shot at the ground," he said.

The 24-year-old testified he believed Smith had a handgun and reacted out of fear.

But Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost questioned why, if Richardson thought he was facing a man with a gun, he would shoot at the ground with his single-load rifle, opt not to reload, and then turn and walk away.

Frost also questioned Richardson's claim that the recoil on the gun caused it to jump up three feet from the ground to where the bullet struck Smith's leg and femoral artery, causing him to die several days later. Richardson acknowledged that gun experts had testified the rifle does not have much recoil.

At one point during the testimony, Frost had Richardson pick up the rifle and aim it at him to show jurors how he held the gun during the Dec. 18, 2015, shooting.

Richardson, who is arguing self-defense, took the stand on what was the last day of evidence in his trial. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Wednesday on three felony counts of murder, pointing a firearm and theft/receiving stolen property.

Richardson said the incident in question began as he was attempting to pull out of the parking lot at the Portage Menard's store and honked at Smith's vehicle to pull forward. Smith got out of his vehicle on Willowcreek and Lute roads and began striking Richardson's car, he said.

Richardson said he did not call police during the drive because he was flustered and did not call when Smith followed him home because he dropped his cellphone on the floorboard of his car.

Richardson testified he retrieved the Soviet Union-built Mosin Nagant 7.62 rifle from his bedroom when the confrontation with Smith escalated to violence involving Smith's female companion and Richardson's brothers.

He told jurors he had never shot a gun before and had purchased the one in question as part of his online sales business. He kept the gun loaded, he said.

A day earlier, Portage Assistant Police Chief Ted Uzelac placed a laser light into the barrel of the rifle in question and aimed it at Frost in an attempt to debunk a claim by the defense that the loose fit of the weapon's parts helped throw off Richardson's aim toward the ground.
VALPARAISO  A threat made on Facebook to school students doesn't involve anyone in the local area.

Porter County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jamie Erow said the department received a private Facebook message from a concerned citizen Monday evening regarding a threat made on Facebook.

The citizen observed a post on Facebook from a Snap Chat screenshot and shared the post with the sheriff's office. The post showed a male juvenile (later identified as being 15 years old) holding what looked like a real gun with the words, "Don't come to school tomorrow," written across the bottom.

The original Snap Chat screenshot was shared on Facebook by the original recipient (a 16 year-old-female) that was titled, "Everyone who goes to Washington High School," Erow said in a statement released shortly after 8 p.m.

Erow said there were obvious concerns locally because people did not know if this threat was in regards to Washington Township High School in Valparaiso, a school within the East Porter County School Corp.

"Our detectives worked quickly to ascertain information on the threat and a suspect," Erow said. "A short time later, the investigation revealed the actual threat was in Tacoma, Washington. Porter County Sheriff's detectives confirmed with the state of Washington's Pierce County Sheriff's Office detectives and Washington High School School Resource Officer that the subject in the post was their kid and did not pose any threats to our local kids in Indiana."

Erow said the detectives from the state of Washington's Pierce County Sheriff's Office told Porter County Sheriff's officers they have been "inundated" with phone calls from across the country in reference to this case and this juvenile. Erow said both of those juveniles in Tacoma were taken into custody earlier Monday.

"We thank the concerned citizen who shared this with us, allowing us to quickly eliminate any threat in our area," Erow said. "The East Porter County Schools Superintendent has been notified as well as the School Resource Officer."

Thanks to that citizen, Erow said the incident was resolved in a matter of two and a half hours from the time the Porter County Sheriff's Department received the message to confirmation with Pierce County Sheriffs Office detectives.
INDIANAPOLIS  The accomplishments of retiring Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert Rucker were recognized Tuesday by the state's 50 senators.

The Gary native was praised for his trailblazing legal career, the wisdom of his judicial rulings and for his nearly 18 years of service on the state's high court and eight years as a judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals.

State Sens. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond; and Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, all declared that Rucker's record and legacy is a credit to Lake County and will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.

In response, the 70-year-old justice said he was humbled and honored by the "incredible tribute" in the unanimously approved Senate Resolution 38.

"I still consider myself a small-town lawyer, without political clout or portfolio, upon whom history and fate have shined," Rucker said.

"By virtue of my appointment and retention to this prestigious court, I have been given much. And I trust, by your resolution and gracious remarks, you're satisfied that I have fulfilled that which was required."
MUNSTER  The Town Council tabled what residents called a watered-down resolution on the West Lake Corridor project after yet another contentious discussion on the subject Monday.

Residents went on record yet again opposing the West Lake corridor and proposed train station at Ridge Road and Manor Avenue. At least one resident felt that the council could, and should, stop it in its tracks whether or not federal funding is OKd.

Put on your big boy pants, Richard Harrington said.

Councilwoman Lee Ann Mellon reiterated later on in the meeting what council members have said before, that the situation is not that simple.

I understand (many) dont want the train at all, she said but stated Munster may not have a choice if federal funding comes through.

The council held a work session open to the public last month to consider a citizen-generated resolution on the Ridge Road station. The result of that work session was before the council Monday, but Mellon and others agreed that its details hadnt been fine-tuned enough to submit a final draft to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District (NICTD).

During the public comment portion of Mondays meeting residents objected to aspects of the resolution they felt had been watered down, such as a proposed statement that a block of 18 houses impacted by the rail extension be bought out.

Ive seen nothing in writing from those property owners saying they wanted to sell, said Councilman Dave Nellans. He said he wouldnt feel comfortable adding that language until he had that kind of assurance.

On the other hand, he said, he would support having the train station on the north side of Ridge Road as was specified by residents in the draft resolution initially presented to the council.

The proposed train station has been a contentious subject in town and at council meetings, with almost no residents speaking in favor of the train and many speaking against. Those who oppose it have detailed suggestions how Munster could best serve residents if it did come through and thus a first draft of the resolution Munster is now considering was drawn up. The resolution calls for, among other things, safety barriers between the tracks and residential areas.

The resolution, which would be non-binding once in the hands of NICTD, will come up for a vote again March 20. Residents also have a chance to make their feelings known to U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky, D-Merrillville, during a South Shore Train Extension meeting from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Wicker Park Clubhouse.
WASHINGTON  The start of a new administration is never a clean slate, even when parties flip. Day One is just another day for military operations, a budget that is still in place from the old crowd and a vast array of economic, social and law enforcement initiatives left over from the last president.

You would not know this from President Donald Trump.

He loudly and proudly takes credit for any positive development that has bloomed since he took office Jan. 20, even when the roots and buds of it were from President Barack Obama's time. In his speech to Congress and other remarks in recent days, Trump has claimed credit for:

Big savings in an F-35 fighter jet contract that were in motion well before he became president.

Corporate job announcements that also had been months or longer in the making.

An infusion of money from NATO partners that has not materialized at all, but reflects a long-standing intent by some members to increase their military capabilities.

A tough-on-criminals approach to immigration enforcement that was planned and put into place during Obama's presidency.

A $12 billion drop in the U.S. debt, a routine blip traced to the regular timing of tax payments and other fiscal factors unconnected to any president.

His plan to restore military supremacy, though he inherited military capabilities that are already second to none.

Trump does, though, seek to shift some responsibility to the last administration for an operation he authorized that did not go smoothly  the covert mission in Yemen in which a Navy SEAL and civilians were killed.

That mission "was started before I got here," Trump said.

It can take months for a new president to pile up achievements or failures that are truly his own. A look at a selection of his statements from the past week:

TRUMP: Speaking of the NATO alliance, "Our partners must meet their financial obligations. And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that. In fact, I can tell you the money is pouring in. Very nice. Very nice."

THE FACTS: No new money has come pouring in from NATO allies. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made a strong case when he met with allied defense ministers at a NATO gathering last month, pressing them to meet their 2014 commitment to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. Mattis and other leaders said the allies understood the message and there was some discussion about working out plans to meet the goal.

Only five of the 28 member countries currently meet the 2 percent level, and no new commitments have been made since the NATO meeting. Others in the alliance have routinely said they will work toward the increase. In any event, the commitment is for these nations to spend more on their own military capabilities, which would strengthen the alliance, not to hand over money.

___

TRUMP: "According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America's taxpayers many billions of dollars a year."

THE FACTS: That's not exactly what that report says. It says immigrants "contribute to government finances by paying taxes and add expenditures by consuming public services."

The report found that while first-generation immigrants are more expensive to governments than their native-born counterparts, primarily at the state and local level, immigrants' children "are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the population." This second generation contributed more in taxes on a per capita basis, for example, than did the rest of the population in the period studied, 1994-2013.

The report found that the "long-run fiscal impact" of immigrants and their children would probably be seen as more positive "if their role in sustaining labor force growth and contributing to innovation and entrepreneurial activity were taken into account."

___

TRUMP: "We've saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price" of the F-35 jet fighter.

THE FACTS: The cost savings he persists in bragging about were secured in full or in large part before he became president.

The head of the Air Force program announced significant price reductions in the contract for the Lockheed F-35 fighter jet Dec. 19  after Trump had tweeted about the cost but weeks before Trump met the company's CEO about it.

Pentagon managers took action even before the election to save money on the contract. Todd Harrison, a defense analyst and aerospace specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, "I don't see any evidence to suggest that President Trump had anything to do with this."

___

TRUMP: "Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Wal-Mart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs."

THE FACTS: Trump is taking credit for corporate jobs decisions that largely predate his election. In the case of Intel, construction of the factory in Chandler, Arizona, that Trump referred to actually began during Obama's presidency. The project was delayed by insufficient demand for Intel's high-powered computer chips, but the company now expects to finish the factory within four years because it anticipates business growth.

Some of the job announcements have come after companies, such as the wireless carrier Sprint, reduced their numbers of workers.

More important, even as some companies create jobs, others are laying off workers. The best measure of whether more jobs are actually being created is the monthly employment report issued by the Labor Department, which nets out those gains and losses. The department will issue its report for February, the first full month of Trump's term, on March 10.

___

TRUMP: His budget plan will offer "one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history."

THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised defense budgets by larger percentages 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.

And going back farther, his increase doesn't come close to ones in the defense budget seen in the early 1980s, when they hit 20 percent or more, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

___

TRUMP: "Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force."

THE FACTS: That's true, but for the vast majority of them, it's because they choose to be.

That 94 million figure includes everyone age 16 and older who doesn't have a job and isn't looking for one. It also includes retirees, parents who are staying home to raise children, and high school and college students who are studying rather than working.

They are unlikely to work regardless of the state of the economy. With the huge baby boomer generation reaching retirement age and many of them retiring, the population of those out of the labor force is increasing and will continue to do so, economists forecast.

It's true that some of those out of the workforce are of working age and have given up looking for work. But that number is probably a small fraction of the 94 million Trump cited. The nation's unemployment rate stands at 4.8 percent, near the lowest in a decade.

___

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 is just one significant factor. As well, for the past 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 1960s and dropped 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 fallen over time, too, from more than 725,000 in 1954 to about 323,000 now. It's unlikely to grow anywhere near that higher level.

___

TRUMP: "According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home  from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center."

THE FACTS: It's unclear what Justice Department data he's citing, but the most recent government information doesn't back up his claim. Just over half the people Trump talks about were born in the United States, according to Homeland Security Department research. That report said of 82 people the government determined were inspired by a foreign terrorist group to attempt or carry out an attack in the U.S., just over half were native-born citizens.

Even the attacks Trump singled out weren't entirely the work of foreigners. Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his Pakistani wife killed 14 people in the 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, was born in Chicago.

It's true that in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the FBI's primary concern was with terrorists from overseas feared to be plotting attacks in the United States. But that's no longer the case.

The FBI and the Justice Department have been preoccupied with violent extremists from inside the U.S. who are inspired by the calls to violence and mayhem of the Islamic State group. The Justice Department has prosecuted scores of IS-related cases since 2014, and many of the defendants are U.S. citizens.

___

TRUMP on military capability: "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.

___

Find all AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

___

Associated Press writers Robert Burns, Alicia A. Caldwell, Eric Tucker, Lolita C. Baldor and Christopher S. Rugaber contributed to this report.

EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures
Throughout March, our progress editions will dive into topics of high interest in every household every Sunday.

Titled The Region that Works, this years sections  among our top staff efforts of the year  showcase our diversified workforce and our collective work ethic.

"The Region that Works will highlight the hardworking men and women who have made Northwest Indiana what it is today, said business editor Keith Benman. These men and women have earned the Region a reputation as a place where things are still made.

And these sections will also show how our workforce is changing, earning the Region respect in new fields like visual simulation, computer security, advanced manufacturing and workforce training."

Pull out the 64-page first progress section in todays paper and discover the top 10 jobs by employment in Indiana and in each of our counties.

Youll read in-depth stories and submitted columns from state and local leaders throughout these sections, and each week youll meet Northwest Indiana residents in different jobs.

No doubt these sections will offer ideas for young people planning to enter the workforce, for people between jobs looking to gain skills for the next opportunity and for everyone to understand the dynamics and potential of the Region.

With these progress editions, we begin a new weekly series called Made in NWI. Theres so much made right here, starting with the high-strength steel made at ArcelorMittal in East Chicago, the subject of todays first installment.

Made in NWI will continue past March as a feature in Sunday Business, and no doubt youll come away each week with a dose of Region Pride.

All of the progress editions content will be housed at nwi.com/workplace, our site that is updated regularly with news on jobs, hiring and skills training.

If youre on Facebook, connect with NWI Times Workplace for links to these stories and others about hiring and skills training moving forward.

Enjoy these sections throughout March and save them for family and friends.

Thanks for reading us. Please contact me with any questions about The Times or our many publications.
ST. JOHN  "It's all about the babies."

Mike Sharp, a St. John firefighter and paramedic, was summing up the purpose of a new program in Northwest Indiana, where first responders are educating parents about infant safe sleep.

Representatives of several local fire departments, police stations and health agencies were trained Monday in the program, called Direct On Scene Education, or DOSE. As part of DOSE, first responders are trained to be on the lookout for unsafe infant sleeping conditions when responding to calls, and provide safe sleep education and portable cribs to parents and caregivers.

"A motivated fire department, law enforcement agency, EMS department, health department that really wants to help kids has an opportunity to do so because this is just such an easy thing to do," said Capt. James Carroll of Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Fire Rescue, who developed DOSE in 2011 in collaboration with a nurse practitioner. "We have so many encounters, we go into so many homes and we're just inside the house, right?"

Indiana has the eighth-highest infant mortality rate in the nation. In 2015, 613 Indiana babies died before their first birthdays.

The third-leading cause of those infant deaths was accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed. Many of those deaths used to be classified as sudden infant death syndrome, but medical examiners are increasingly realizing they're being caused by asphyxiation during sleep. Public health experts warn that infants should always be put to sleep alone, on their backs and in cribs.

"There are a lot of babies we can save," said Kelly Cunningham, DOSE administrator for the Indiana State Department of Health.

The state health department recently has been training agencies across the state in DOSE, and provides training materials, safe sleep books, sleep sacks, crib sheets and portable cribs to departments free of charge.

The St. John and Griffith fire departments are the first two in the Region to have gone live with the DOSE program. Both departments now carry infant sleep education kits on calls. Griffith fire recently distributed its first portable crib to a mother firefighters encountered during a call.

DOSE will now be part of the training for new EMTs and firefighters in Northwest Indiana. From 2011 to 2015, Northwest Indiana had a higher rate of infant mortality (7.4 deaths per 1,000 live births) than the state as a whole (7.2).

On Monday, Carroll showed reenacted photos of infants who died during their sleep in Fort Lauderdale: a baby lodged between two twin mattresses that had been put together; a dad who had rolled over on his infant child as they slept; a baby trapped between a mattress and a wall.

He gave an example of the pitch first responders can give to caregivers: "'Is there any way I can see where your baby sleeps to see if there are any hazards? This is something we're doing as a fire department because a lot of babies are dying in this state from suffocation hazards. Things like blankets and bumpers and stuffed animals are a real danger in the crib.'

"Boom. That probably took like 20 seconds," he said. "Don't hesitate to educate. Don't hesitate to pull out hazards if you find them." He said he has taken power tools and open bottles of medications out of cribs.

Since 2011, Carroll has only had one mom refuse to let him see her baby's conditions, because she said her house was too messy. So he handed her a safe sleep kit. That's the least a first responder can do, he said.

He said his city used to average seven to nine unsafe sleep deaths per year. Now it averages one to three.
Authorities have arrested a drugstore worker in the slayings of two teenage girls who were killed in the woods outside their small town in northern Indiana nearly six years ago. State Police said Monday that 50-year-old Richard Matthew Allen is being held on two murder counts in the killings of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams. The girls vanished after saying they were going for a hike on Feb. 14, 2017. Authorities long suspected the killer had some connection to Delphi, a city of just 3,000 people. Authorities called Allen's arrest a step in the right direction and encouraged the community to come forward with more information. Allen has pleaded not guilty.
Alternative facts harming kids' education

8 March 2017

Teachers from primary and secondary schools are calling out the Education Minister for massively overstating school funding increases and playing politics with children's education.

In a series of media interviews, Education Minister Hekia Parata has made astonishing claims about school funding increasing by 35 percent under National. These claims are not correct.

"The Minister's 'alternative facts' give the false impression schools are awash with cash, and they obscure the under-funding of New Zealand children's education," said NZEI National Secretary Paul Goulter.

Government budgets show spending on schooling has barely increased in real terms under National. Real per pupil spending on schooling increased by just 2.3 percent from 2009 to the end of 2015, or less than 4 percent in total.

These figures have been verified by economic analysts Infometrics.

"Kids rely on the Government to provide what schools need to give them a world class education. By pretending schools have had huge funding increases, when they haven't, the Government is denying children the resources they need to learn," Mr Goulter said.

Auckland secondary teacher and PPTA vice president Melanie Webber said the Minister's "cavalier approach to the facts" risked jeopardising the current education funding review which relied on quality data.

"The truth is, funding hasn't kept up with the expectations of schools. Schools are struggling to recruit and keep specialist teachers to offer the modern curriculum that students expect," Ms Webber said.

NZEI President and May Road School Principal Lynda Stuart added: "I've got children in my school who are desperately in need of full time one-on-one teacher aide support to learn, but I can't afford to give it to them.

"These children need more resources from the Government, not ghost money," Mrs Stuart said.
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI) have joined forces to provide a new, enhanced experience for global meetings and incentive professionals at the SITE + MPI Global Forum, which is taking place 12-14 January 2018 at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria, Rome, Italy.

The forum brings together the power of two, industry-leading global brands to share industry trends, offer innovative and relevant education and provide a collaborative environment for networking and business exchanges. Joint activities, as well as incentive travel or meetings focused education tracks, will allow delegates to customize their experience.

As past-chair of MPI, I am excited about this opportunity to collaborate with MPI on the Global Forum, which will quickly become one of the most important industry events in Europe in 2018, said SITE CEO Kevin Hinton, CIS. SITE and MPI share many members, and by combining our otherwise competing events, we are making it easier for members to attend one event versus having to choose between two. Members tell us that they are looking for maximum value from our events and we expect the Global Forum will be welcomed by our global community of incentive and meeting professionals and sponsors.

We look forward to partnering with SITE to deliver a strong and innovative program for Global Forum next year. This collaboration is just one example of our strategic priority to expand MPI educational offerings within Europe, and we believe our members in the region will welcome the opportunity to learn and network alongside SITE members, said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI.

Rome has long been a leading destination for incentive trips, meetings and congresses from around the globe. The city brings together the entire history of the world with the culture and beauty of today alongside the incredible charm of its past. The incentive community in Rome will ensure this is a must-attend event and exciting pre and post tours will give delegates ample opportunity to explore one of the worlds greatest incentive and meeting destinations, Hinton added.

Annamaria Ruffini, CIS, CEO, Events In & Out S.R.L. and SITE president-elect has been instrumental in bringing the event to Rome. As a member of both SITE and MPI, I believe that collaborating to host a global event will be a major plus for members of both organizations. The two associations share an international spirit and pay close attention to networking, training, promotion and recognition of the meetings and incentives industry throughout the world. It is only natural for an effective synergy to emerge between the two. There is no better setting than Rome to enhance a historic event that could have great influence on the future of our industry.

To sign up for updates and learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.mpiweb.org/global-forum and www.siteglobal.com/page/site-mpi-global-forum-2018.
http://launch.newsinc.com/js/embed.js

_informq.push([embed]);

Laura Davick walks through a tiny, rundown cottage in Crystal Cove and brushes a spiderweb off her face.

The interior in this and other aging beach cottages is as decayed and dilapidated as the ocean view outside is spectacular.

Tiny mounds of wood show where termites dine. Rust from the salty air clings to every inch of exposed metal. Random wires poke out from the walls like crazed eyebrows.

And a simple walk on the stairway is a risk. Some steps dodge the missing planks  the empty spots that make the staircase look like a toothless grin  and others land on wood that could give way any second.

It all makes for a somber sight for one of the most in-demand areas along the California coast.

Though Crystal Cove buzzes with life  the nearby Beachcomber Cafe is busy and other, renovated cottages in the area are in constant demand  the last of the areas 17 historic beach cottages are in dire need of a makeover.

On Wednesday, the California Coastal Commission is expected to vote on starting the final stage of a restoration project decades in the making.

I cant quite quit until these (cottages) are all done, said Davick, founder of the nonprofit Crystal Cove Alliance, who grew up in one of these cottages.

Every one of these has to be restored.

FROM PRIVATE TO PUBLIC

Crystal Cove has long been linked to Hollywood. A century ago, movie producers used the stretch of sand between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach as a film location. Sometimes, they left behind things like fake palm fronds and, occasionally, huts.

Some people used the huts as a place to sleep by the ocean. Soon, the huts were joined by tents filled with more people who were starting to value staying at the beach.

During a quick tour of the area, Davick points out the cottages that were built with wood that became available on Valentines Day, 1927, when a lumber schooner washed ashore at Crystal Cove. It was bad luck for the sailors, but it was a gift for people wanting tiny homes on the sand.

RELATED: Crystal Coves Hollywood history

Soon, a tight-knit community formed on a slice of cottages that stood near the center of the 3,000-acre stretch of coves and bluffs and beaches.

In 1979, after generations of people had lived in those cottages, the entire stretch was sold to California by the Irvine Co. In 2001, the state evicted the families still living in the cottages  people sometimes referred to as cove-ites. It was an emotional end for people who had grown up in a world of beach bonfires and sunset martinis and lobster roasts on the sand.

The idea then, and now, was to boost public use of the area.

Davick was a cove-ite. She grew up in Cottage No. 2, and lived there into her 40s. She was one of the people who resisted an early plan, from a developer, to turn the area into a luxury resort. In 1999, she helped form the Crystal Cove Alliance, a state-partnered project.

Her mission? To preserve the cottages as a piece of California history.

This is a huge public-access story, Davick said. It was a dangerous precedent, to put a luxury resort on state parks land. State parks are to be affordable and open to everyone.

The first phase of restoration opened in 2006, when 22 cottages were restored, with 13 of them rented out to the public at relatively low rates. Seven more cottages have been restored since, some as overnight accommodations, others for educational endeavors.

So the next step  complete restoration of the last 17 cottages  is a familiar idea for Davick and the Alliance.

This is it. This is our coastline. This is all you have, she said.

This place gives people that sense of nostalgia. You walk back in time to simpler times. Its an experience people crave to come down here and have.

RESTORING HISTORY

Its not going to be as easy as slapping on a fresh coat of paint and replacing a few broken windows.

Every piece of every house, down to every nail, has to be evaluated to see if it should be saved for historical purposes. The sandy bluff has to be secured. And, in some cases, the entire home will need to be lifted onto concrete blocks so it isnt washed away by waves as sea levels rise.

A window in one of the historic cabins on the sand is from a home belonging to Carmen Miranda. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Its more expensive than starting with a piece of land, said Alix Hobbs, the chief executive of Crystal Cove Alliance, who was hired about six months ago to help spearhead the final phase of cottage restoration.

Cottage No. 12, for example, is in such bad shape that it likely will have to be completely rebuilt. Likewise, much of what sits inside all of the eclectic cottages, like the bathtubs and sinks, will have to be replaced. (Though Davick has found uses for many, turning some into planters.)

Light fixtures and appliances will be evaluated to see if they add to the time period character; a broken wooden boardwalk will be rebuilt.

RELATED: Crystal Cove looks like a blast from the past as it hurtle toward a secure future

They all have a special meaning; the families who were here, the memories I grew up with, the historical archives weve built, Davick said. Each one has its own personality.

Some details in the houses simply must be preserved. The colorful windows in one cottage were shipped from the Los Angeles estate of famed Portuguese entertainer Carmen Miranda.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that there is no road to the sand, meaning supplies wont be easy to get.

And while Hobbs and Davick cant give a firm number for how much the whole project will cost  pending approval from the Coastal Commission and a follow-up bidding process  the vague estimate is about $30 million.

Taxpayers arent on the hook.

About $5 million from the Coastal Commission has been secured from an endowment; $4 million earmarked for restoration and the rest for educational programs. These include a partnership with UC Irvine for a coastal engineering program that studies sea level rise and human impacts on the coast.

As part of our mission, we want to make sure we are educating the next generation, Hobbs said. We can do all this work, from a restoration standpoint, but if we are not teaching the next generation, they are not going to know how to make environmental decisions that will help the legacy we are doing here.

The goal is to raise the rest of the money through fundraisers. Davick hopes people who love the area will step up to help.

This project is going to take this entire community coming together and getting on board to make this dream a reality.

But she knows itll take time. She estimates it could take five years before people are resting their heads on pillows listening to the ocean at night.

A SEASIDE SECRET

Bill and Bonnie Chaves lips are sealed.

Theyve stayed at the already renovated cottages in Crystal Cove some 40 times since they opened in 2006. They drive in from the dusty desert, near Barstow, for a romantic getaway near the cooler coast.

Anyone who has ever tried to secure a spot in those cottages knows the difficult routine. When online registration opens up  on the first of each month  the cottages are swallowed up by visitors in seconds.

Were not telling the secret, Bonnie said, when asked how theyve landed reservations so often. We cant.

Well never be able to stay here again, Bill said, adding: I will say it takes diligence.

One of the reasons they love this area is the historical value, Bill said. He explained this while standing on the porch of a green and white cottage with a sign outside reading Crews Quarters, circa 1931.

We love history, and we love to say we are part of that.

Bonnie recommends paging through the journals, reading stories of visitors from around the world who have shared in the Crystal Cove experience.

Bonnie has scribed her own entries, from a family Christmas they hosted here last year to watching a dolphin give birth just feet away from shore. Or the time a baby seal waddled up the sand and snuggled with her feet.

I wrote about how horrible of a stay it is, Bonnie jokes. Because we dont want anybody here.

The cost of their beachfront, overnight stay: $179 a night. Overnights here run from $35 a night for a dorm bed in a hostel-like cottage to $245 per night for the largest cottages that sleep up to 10 guests.

Another visitor, Kelli Koller, said shes been coming to the area since before the cottages were redone. She loves soaking in the Prohibition-era setting, far away from the rest of the county.

Its so pulled away from the world here, she said.

Like many others, shes looking forward to seeing the cottages renovated and open to the public. Without the restoration, she said, the cottages would just fall into the earth.
SANTA ANA  Orange Countys first sanctuary city voted in December to scale back its Santa Ana Jail contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prompting the federal agency, 10 days ago, to give a termination notice  a turn of events disappointing to at least one city council member.

Councilman Jose Solorio on Friday placed an item on Tuesdays Council agenda for discussion and possible action(s) as they relate to the citys contract with immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). On Monday, he shed light on his intention.

We may want to consider reinstating the original language of our existing contract or modifying it, Solorio told the Register in a text message.

That sets the stage for a heated debate, Tuesday, with council members likely to hear from dozens of local immigration rights activists who recently celebrated the fruits of the past four years of their labor pressuring Santa Ana to back off the ICE contract being used to repay the jail debt.

The city faces a $3 million debt annually through 2024 for building the jail it opened in 1997, according to Acting City Manager Gerardo Mouet. It receives about $340,000 in monthly revenue from the ICE contract.

On Feb. 23, ICE issued a 90-day notice to end the existing contract, which was set to expire June 30, 2020. Since then, Mouet said, he has had a lot of meetings with officials from various city departments and the Santa Ana Police Department, whose employees staff the jail.

ICE opted to end the contract citing recent actions by the city to decrease the number of beds for immigration detainees. The outgoing city council voted 5-0 on Dec. 6 to reduce the number of beds from 200 to 128, resulting in the closure of one jail module.

On Saturday, Mouet sent council members information on financial findings, jail employee staffing numbers and options, ahead of the termination of the contract

I think (council members) have a lot of information, they need to absorb it, they need to ask questions, they need to consider it, Mouet said.

In another text message Monday, Solorio said: We need to discuss the possible financial consequences of losing this federal contract, and our willingness to explore options for continuing it short term and long term. Many of our constituents dont want to lose the revenue or their opportunity to visit federal detainees locally.

But Hairo Cortes, program coordinator for Orange County Immigrant Youth United, said any effort by the city to extend the ICE contract is backtracking.

I think its disingenuous, that its sort of being done under the guise of We care about the people here, Cortes said, when it really comes down to the money.

In a letter written Monday to the city council, Laura Kanter, director of policy, advocacy and youth programs for the LGBT Center OC, acknowledged that many city leaders have voiced concern about the fate of transgender detainees if they were to be transferred to facilities in Adelanto in San Bernardino County or to Texas. Santa Ana Jail holds the nations first dedicated module for transgender people detained by ICE.

It has been suggested that it is the fault of our activism that the transgender women would be transferred to unsafe spaces, Kanter wrote. To which my response is that city leaders should be working with the community to do the right thing and develop alternatives to detention and necessary resources, and not to blame the community for fighting for their own freedom.

Besides Solorio  whom Cortes and other activists have accused of meeting with stakeholders to garner support for the ICE contract  immigrants groups have clashed with Councilman Juan Villegas, who voted against a resolution condemning President Donald Trumps executive orders on immigration enforcement and city efforts to coordinate legal representation for residents facing deportation.

The city council meeting on Tuesday begins at 5:45 p.m. at 22 Civic Center Plaza.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
Immigration reform is what is needed

Re: An equitable solution for local DACA students [Opinion, Feb. 3]: I applaud Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Phillip Yarbroughs willingness to brainstorm solutions to the immigration crisis in our country. One suggestion, however, is that DACA holders be required to apply for permanent residency when most DACA holders do not qualify for any legal status under current immigration laws.

Ive worked for more than 25 years with an immigration attorney serving immigrant families in Orange County. Out of 10 families who come in for a consultation, only about 20 percent qualify for any type of immigration process leading to legal status.

Comprehensive immigration reform should be enacted by Congress to change those punitive laws. Some type of earned residency should be offered for DACA holders and others who have lived for some years in this country without committing serious crimes.

A financial sponsor, as currently required under the law, ensures that immigrants are not abusing our social welfare system. This reform would show that we are a generous people, as Mr. Yarbrough correctly states. It would also ensure that families with mixed legal status may stay together and avoid punishing millions of U.S. citizen children of DACA holders and others unlawfully present, but otherwise law-abiding.

 Jane Ross Laguna, Santa Ana

Arizonia restrooms open, why not Californias?

Re: No rest [Letters, March 3]: Like Jim Wessling, I would like to know why those two rest stops have been closed so long. Traveling often between Seal Beach and Sedona, Arizona, those stops are sorely missed. Arizona always has its rest stops open and very clean. Why the closure?

 Glenda Snyder, Seal Beach

Restrooms closed not weeks, but years

Just an addition to the letter from Jim Wessling on closed rest areas between Los Angeles and the Arizona boarder. Jim, they have been closed for more than three years.

We go to the Angels spring training in Tempe every March so we know. What a waste of our taxpayers dollars. The good news is that when you cross the border into Arizona the price of gas drops about one dollar.

 Laurence G. Hamlin, Orange
SANTA ANA  Orange County attorneys have come to an agreement with occupants of a makeshift encampment along the Santa Ana River bed in order to protect the property of the homeless.

At the urging of a federal judge, the agreement reached by the county and homeless advocates calls for belongings taken from a two-mile stretch along the river bed near the 57 freeway in Anaheim to be kept for at least 90 days at a county facility near Angel Stadium, for specific zones to be set up where refuse should be left, and for bags to be handed out to the homeless to place trash.

For those living in the area, the agreement provides greater protections for their possessions. For the county, it provides a system for better determining what is trash and what is personal property.

Several hours before the Tuesday afternoon court hearing, Tammy Schuler, the lead plaintiff in the federal lawsuit against the county, stood amongst the tents that line both sides of a bike path along the river bed, chatting with her mother and keeping a close eye on her two small beagle mixes, Freeway and Smeigles, as she recalled how many of her belongings, including her tent, were recently collected by county workers.

Schuler was among the estimated 300 homeless people who lived in the path of an Orange County Public Works project on the east bank of the river, where the county plans to store tons of boulders and sand.

County attorneys told the judge that work in the area will likely last into the summer.

The displacement caused by the project led attorneys advocating for the homeless to apply for temporary restraining orders, preventing the county from getting rid of their belongings.

County officials made numerous efforts to inform homeless individuals of the project, posting signs beginning on Jan. 25, two weeks before it began, that they would have to leave. Public works, county healthcare and homeless-outreach teams were dispatched to make in-person notifications.

But Schuler said she was confused as to when she needed to move.

They made it sound like it was going to be another week or so, Schuler said of the workers. I was trying to get ready, but they came earlier than I thought. They ended up taking a lot of my stuff.

Rather than focus on a temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana late Monday urged the attorneys to come up with a longer-term solution.

Among the initial stumbling blocks for the attorneys were questions about what should be considered trash and what should be considered belongings, and how far away from the homeless the items picked up by workers should be stored.

Carter, as well as the attorneys, made a trip to the river bed on Tuesday morning to see the area.

During the hearing, Carter told Schuler that the homeless residents along the river bed also need to pitch in. The other four homeless individuals in the lawsuit did not attend either Monday or Tuesdays hearings.

This is a joint responsibility here, the judge said. We need that area cleaned up.

The judge also noted that a larger plan is likely needed to deal with the homeless issue countywide. The agreement doesnt address the larger question of how long the homeless will be allowed to live in the area, or where they should live instead.

If the county doesnt act, then the homeless will dictate where they move to and people will react to it, Carter said. They have the right to exist. We are all trying to cooperate and make it better. Lets make this work.

The judge and the attorneys plan to make another trip to the river bed in late March to make sure that the area is being kept clean. In the meantime, Schuler said she agreed with Carters call for cooperation.

I want to work with them as they work with us, Schuler said. We dont want to be where we are at, but we have no choice. Where are we going to go?

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
Neil OConnor, president and CEO of OConnor Mortuary in Laguna Hills, inherited a long tradition.

His great grandfather, Patrick OConnor, an Irish immigrant, co-founded a funeral home in Los Angeles in 1898 when horses pulled the hearses. His grandfather took it over. And his parents eventually moved the family business to Orange County.

But history aside, OConnor, 50, is the very model of a modern funeral home director: he posts his prices online.

For a majority of families, the first question they ask is, How much does this cost? OConnor said. We believe in total transparency.

That may seem like a no-brainer, but nationwide, many, if not most, funeral homes refuse to disclose prices on their websites.

A report last week from the Consumer Federation of America and the Funeral Consumers Alliance criticized the industrys intractable stance on price transparency, adding, it is past time for funeral homes to join the 21st century and post their prices on their websites as nearly every other retail service sector does voluntarily.

The two nonprofit groups called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is set to revise its funeral rules next year, to require online cost posting.

Funerals are not elective activities  everybody dies, they noted in a 2016 petition to the FTC. Between now and 2019, consumers will likely spend at least $50 billion on funeral services.

A CONSUMER WIN

In 1984, under President Ronald Reagan, the FTC issued new rules after investigations found many of the nations 22,000 funeral homes were gouging customers, adding hidden fees and charging them for services they didnt want.

The rules required deathcare businesses to list goods and services item by item, with a price for each. Customers had to be allowed to choose a la carte. Prices for each service had to be disclosed in person or by phone at a consumers request.

And in 1994, the FTC outlawed handling fees should a customer choose to buy a casket from a third-party retailer instead of from the funeral home.

Despite the federal rules, compliance is uneven. In May 2015, the FTC reported undercover investigators found about a quarter of funeral homes in six states failed to disclose prices to consumers.

It is difficult enough to comparison shop under the time pressure a funeral creates in addition to the emotional stress of making arrangements in grief, wrote Josh Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, in the new report.

Few consumers have the time or inclination to physically visit four or five funeral homes when a death has occurred in the family. And telephone disclosures are little better.

When families ask how much a funeral or a cremation will cost, Slocum wrote, naturally, funeral homes have profit in mind and are likely to quote the consumer a price for their full-service offerings. They call this a traditional funeral, while failing to disclose that less expensive burial and cremation options are available.

In 2013, California enacted partial transparency reform, requiring funeral businesses to either post their entire general price list on their websites or to list 16 service items with a note that prices are available on request.

California is the only state to mandate any online requirement, Slocum said. So if a relative dies out of state, Californians could be hard-pressed to comparison shop.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance has affiliates in 46 states. In November 2015, the Southern California chapter mapped funeral homes in Orange County, comparing prices for direct cremation, immediate burial, and a full funeral service.

The survey found vast disparities. Basic cremation prices ranged from a low of $549 at one Anaheim home to a high of $3,540 at a Newport Beach mortuary. Simple burial ranged from $650 at a Laguna Hills service to $4,395 at the Newport Beach business.

TRANSPARENCY AMONG INDEPENDENTS

In Laguna Hills, the motto on OConnors Alicia Parkway sign reads: Trust when its needed the most. He said he posted prices online for 11 different services two decades ago, shortly after building his website.

It is in our companys best interest, and the consumers best interest, because the information is at your fingertips, he added. If you call and say, Im Catholic. My grandmother wants a cremation memorial mass, I have a straight-forward way to walk you through the price list. Our cost for administration is X. Our cost to transfer the body is Y.

Locally-owned independents such as OConnors are most likely to post prices, according to the consumer groups report, which offered data on 138 businesses in nine regions nationwide, including Orange County, building on its 2015 survey.

Of 15 funeral homes the Funeral Services Alliance examined in Orange County, 10 posted prices, all of them independent businesses.

Four of the five who did not post prices were part of a chain, Service Corporation International, which mostly operates under the brand Dignity Memorial, and has a uniform policy not to post prices.

Houston-based SCI, with $3 billion in revenue last year, owns 470 cemeteries and 1,500 funeral homes nationwide, including 9 in Orange County and 70 in Southern California. It has acquired rival chains and independents at a rapid pace, including, in 2015, Santa Anas Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary.

SCI charges far more than most independent funeral homes for cremations and burials, according to the consumer groups report, which compared prices across several categories.

Among the homes surveyed, Dignity Memorial outlets charged a median price of $2,700 for a simple cremation, 72 percent more than the independents.

And Dignity Memorial homes charged a median of $2,155 for a simple burial, 50 percent more than the independent businesses. (A simple or immediate burial only includes paperwork, placing the body in a casket and delivering it to a cemetery. It does not cover the cost of casket, embalming, or the plot.)

Although media reports on SCI have often described the company as the Wal-Mart of funeral service, the comparison does not hold, the report asserted. Unlike Wal-Mart, SCIs economies of scale dont translate into cost savings for consumers.

A company statement responding to the report read, We strongly believe having a personal conversation to understand how families envision honoring their loved ones goes far beyond simply using an online resource and is the best way to help families during a very difficult time.

Our Dignity Memorial providers consistently earn high scores in customer satisfaction through JD Power customer satisfaction surveys.

MORE REGULATIONOR NOT?

OConnor, whose mortuary serves about 1,100 families a year, agrees that personal contact is key to understanding complex funeral home offerings.

He offers general cremation plans, which may or may not include a hearse or a memorial service. There also are Buddhist, Hindu and memorial-at-sea cremations.

He offers general funerals which may or may not include visitation and chapel ceremony. There are Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints and Muslim burial plans.

Some people have a general idea what they want, OConnor said. Others have no idea. Most find value in a face-to-face meeting. Maybe only 10 minutes. But normally it turns into 60 to 90 minutes.

Online prices help, he said, because, If you say, I know exactly what I want and just need to know the numbers, I say, Pull up our website and Ill walk you through our exact plans and resources.

So should the FTC require all homes to post prices online?

Dignity Memorial homes are not alone in declining to post prices. While independent funeral homes in California tend to disclose costs online, two-thirds of independents in the consumer groups nationwide survey did not.

OConnor, who is also the president of the board of a 500-member trade association, Illinois-based Selected Independent Funeral Homes, said he is neutral on tightening FTC rules.

Does the FTC require every other profession to post prices? he asks. I dont believe they do. So why require a specific profession to do it and not others?

The issue may be moot, as President Donald Trump pushes a plan to make government agencies scrap two regulations for each one adopted.

Consumer groups hope that wont apply to funeral businesses.

I cant read tea leaves, and consumer advocates are always concerned when a new administration seems hostile to consumer protection, Slocum said. But the funeral rule has existed under administrations from both sides of the aisle and Im confident it will remain in place.

Contact the writer: mroosevelt@scng.com; Twitter @MargotRoosevelt
Before co-founding influential L.A. punk band Bad Religion in 1979, frontman Greg Graffin was spinning his great grandfathers 78s and listening to bluegrass, folk and gospel artists like Doc Watson and Tony Rice at his family home in Racine, Wisconsin.

That style of music, coupled with church songs he took in while visiting his grandparents home in central Indiana and his appreciation for rural culture and its timeless imagery, is what he tapped into for his third solo effort, Millport, which drops March 10.

This kind of music is deeply meaningful, Graffin said during a recent phone interview ahead of playing the new material live at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on March 9 and the Constellation Room in Santa Ana on March 10. Its partly because of its rich tradition but its also in the way it makes you feel. Everyone gets introduced to it differently, sometimes its a father or an uncle or just a friend, but theres this idea of sharing these songs and handing them down through the generations.

Graffin, now 52, teamed up with his longtime friend and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz to write this crop of songs and to produce the album.

Usually when we collaborate, good things come out of it, Graffin added with a sarcastic laugh as the band has released 16 albums since its 1982 debut, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?

The pair met when Graffins family relocated to the San Fernando Valley in the mid-70s at a time when Graffin recalls being exposed to artists such as Linda Rhonstadt, Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills and Neil Young.

They were all making their way in the world and that was some of the very first music I heard after moving to Southern California at 11 years old, he said. Only four years later I started Bad Religion, so it was really those influences that taught me how to sing.

For his backing band on this project, with the encouragement of Gurewitz, Graffin tapped members of Orange County punk rock band Social Distortion including guitarist Jonny Two Bags Wickersham, bassist Brent Harding and drummer David Hidalgo Jr. to help complete his vision. Bad Religion and Social Distortion have a long history together, having played their first show together 36 years ago in an abandoned warehouse in Santa Ana, and Graffin knew these players had a deep appreciation for roots, Americana and folk rock music.

They all have side projects and theyve been doing that for years and those projects let them explore their favorite music, Graffin said. It just so happens that we have the exact same favorite music so its such a marriage made in heaven, so to speak.

As for the lyrical content, Graffin said it was his attempt to deal with the idea of permanence in the face of change, something he also wrote about in his 2015 book, Population Wars: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence.

As Ive gotten older I find it astonishing that I can maintain my relevance because youre always worried as you get older that youre becoming obsolete, he said. So I used imagery of classic American icons of the past, like the cover art is one of those. Its a picture of an old mercantile in a small town that could really be anywhere U.S.A. Even the title of the album, Millport, that could be anywhere U.S.A. There are these places that still have this great architecture and these old bridges and roadways that we still use so theyre not obsolete. Society and civilization has passed them by but theyre still trying to tell us something and I think thats a powerful image, not only for people getting older, but particularly for a style of music that perhaps Im better known for, punk rock, as its aging but still managing its relevance.

Though hes fronted a band boldly named Bad Religion for decades, Graffin can sure cut a pretty gospel track as evidenced on the song Time of Need.

I wanted to write a secular gospel song, he said. The greatest thing about religion is the music, if you ask me. People ask me Whats a good religion, youre always so dedicated to bad religion. I dont know, but its one that has a lot of good music because thats what seems to live on, for me at least. I thought Id put some words to something thats purely humanistic and puts the power for change in humanity instead of a supernatural deity. I think its a timely song and I hope it resonates with people, but it retains its flavor of everything thats good about religion, which is music.

When Graffin, who currently resides in New York, is not touring the world with Bad Religion, writing books or other music, hes lecturing during the fall semesters at either UCLA or Cornell University. He double majored in anthropology and geology and earned a masters degree in geology from UCLA and received his PhD in zoology at Cornell. Though he thoroughly enjoys his teaching gigs, he said hed more than likely take a sabbatical next year just to have some time off, he added.

Bad Religions next local gig will be playing the 10th annual Musink Tattoo Convention and Music Festival at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa on March 19 alongside Pennywise, Swingin Utters and Unwritten Law. Graffin said theyre always talking about new music, but a new record could take some time.

As you get older you want to put stuff out thats of higher quality than what came before it, he said. Our last album, True North, that was a benchmark for us. It was a fantastic album and surprisingly set a new standard for Bad Religion that were going to have to do better than.

Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@scng.com
SANTA ANA  A Santa Ana man suspected of setting his familys two-story home on fire after getting into an argument with another resident was charged Monday with arson.

Jose Luis Martinez Jr., 34, is facing felony counts of arson of an inhabited property and unlawfully causing fire to an inhabited structure in connection with a Thursday night blaze that destroyed a home and partially damaged another.

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Santa Ana police, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office, responded to a family dispute at the West Washington Avenue home. Police have said that Martinez was breaking stuff inside the home, apparently angered by a recent divorce.

The officers got Martinez to come out peacefully but apparently did not take him into custody. An hour after the police call, prosecutors said, Martinez set fire to the home. He was taken into custody while trying to flee, police said.

If convicted, Martinez faces up to nine years in prison.

Contact the writer: semery@scng.com
SANTA ANA  A federal judge on Monday urged attorneys to come up with a long-term plan for property seized from homeless people living along the Santa Ana River bed.

The hearing Monday afternoon centered on a lawsuit filed by advocates for five homeless people living in a makeshift encampment along portions of the riverbed between Ball Road and the 22 freeway. Rather than a temporary restraining order prohibiting county workers from seizing the property, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter urged both county officials and the homeless advocates to come up with a long-term solution.

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Carter ordered the attorneys to return to the federal courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, after both the judge and the lawyers have a chance to walk the riverbed and see the conditions in person.

Attorneys for the county and the homeless were working to come to an agreement on several points, including what should be considered trash and what should be considered belongings and where a storage facility or facilities for the belongings should be located.

The lawsuit was filed last month after homeless people living in the area were displaced by an Orange County Public Works project on the east bank of the river, where the county plans to store tons of boulders and sand.

Contact the writer: semery@scng.com
ANAHEIM  The old Lyndys Motel, which had become a 1-acre eyesore on Beach Boulevard in West Anaheim, is being torn down this week by a developer.

Jeremy Levine purchased the property at Ball Road and Beach Boulevard last year from an undisclosed seller for $3 million. Levine, who co-owns the property with his wife and another partner, said they plan to construct Anaheim Express Carwash, a state of the art car wash.

We really believe in the redevelopment of this area, Levine said Friday as earthmovers pulled chunks of concrete from the old motel. We were looking for a great location with high traffic, a large population density and no competition within three miles. This is it.

Opened in 1961, the 28-room Lyndys Motel anchored the corner with its two marquee signs and a 2,200-square-foot retail building that housed a Mexican restaurant and flower shop.

But over time, the motel, like many in the area, fell into disrepair. Neighbors began complaining. Over a four-year period prior to being sold, police responded to an average of 27 calls a year  109 from 2012 to 2015  ranging from prostitution, drugs, assault, trespassing and squatters. When the motel closed in June, calls to police more than doubled to 69. Graffiti, boarded up windows and black charred areas cover the motel.

This is an example of a motel that had outlived its purpose, Anaheim city spokesman Mike Lyster said.

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The construction of the car wash comes as city leaders try to launch a transformation of Beach Boulevard in West Anaheim. The city plans to rezone the area to bring in more mixed-use housing and businesses, similar to what they did with the citys resort district and Platinum Triangle area.

The city is selling the 25-acre, vacant Sinkin Lincoln property, a former landfill, at Beach Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue last year to Zelman Development for $16 million. Zelman plans to build a shopping and retail center. The city also purchased additional property across Lincoln Avenue for redevelopment.

The Chevron gas station next to the car wash property is planning to rebuild itself as a modern, larger gas station and convenience store with monument signs and landscaping along the street.

People have been waiting for this for a long time, Levine said. This whole community is going to be revitalized.

The Anaheim Express Carwash will feature a contemporary, mid-century modern architectural design. The 4,992-square-foot, self-service car wash building will have 26 parking spaces and an area where customers can vacuum their car. Levine said he expects the car wash to open late summer.
SAN FRANCISCO  President Trumps new version Monday of a 90-day ban on U.S. entry from selected Muslim-majority countries has been stripped of some of its most legally vulnerable provisions, such as its application to legal U.S. residents and visa-holders.

The new executive order also includes 10 days notice before it takes effect, allowing travelers to enter the United States if theyre already on the way. And, unlike Trumps previous order, which federal courts have blocked, this one allows those who have been denied entry to apply for waivers on various grounds of hardship.

Those changes address one of the chief judicial objections to the order Trump issued on Jan. 27: that it excluded large numbers of foreign travelers and refugees, previously approved for entry to the United States, without notice or an opportunity to be heard.

But a presidents authority over immigration, although extensive, is still limited by the Constitution. The survival of Trumps revised decree will likely depend on the courts assessment of whether his declared rationale, to protect the nation from terrorists, is a smokescreen for discrimination against Muslims.

As opponents noted in their lawsuits against the initial order, and several judges in their rulings, Trump as a presidential candidate called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. He declared when he signed the first order that the nation needed to defeat radical Islamic terrorism. The next day, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump adviser, told an interviewer that the president had asked him to assemble a commission to draft a Muslim ban that would satisfy the courts.

Despite the new revisions, said Jayashri Srikantiah, a Stanford law professor and director of the schools Immigrants Rights Clinic, the executive order continues to target individuals from majority-Muslim countries and nowhere else.  The problem is the underlying motivation.

But Stanford Law Professor Michael McConnell had a different view. A 1972 Supreme Court ruling, he said, recognized far-reaching presidential authority over issues of foreign policy and national security and made the presidents motives irrelevant.

It would be quite extraordinary, I think, for the judiciary to second-guess this order and say, No, its unconstitutional because we suspect a bad motive, said McConnell, who was a federal appeals court judge from 2002 to 2009.

The six nations whose residents would be prohibited from entering the United States for 90 days are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The order that Trump issued Jan. 27 had included those six nations plus Iraq, but his revised order omits Iraq, whose forces are crucial to a U.S. campaign against Islamic State militants.

The new order also indicated that the travel ban, while temporary, could be lengthened for those countries and extended to other countries if necessary for the security or welfare of the United States.

Mondays order, like the previous order, would impose a 120-day ban on all U.S. admission of refugees, those fleeing violence or persecution in their homeland. The earlier order would have indefinitely suspended admission of refugees from war-torn Syria, but the new order would treat Syrian refugees like those from other nations.

The new order also dropped an earlier provision that would have given preference to refugees who were religious minorities. Trump told an interviewer from the Christian Broadcasting Network that the preference was intended for Christians in Muslim countries  a comment cited in lawsuits claiming anti-Muslim bias.

Both the old and the new order would also reduce total refugee admissions from the 110,000 approved by then-President Barack Obama to 50,000 for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Mondays order is scheduled to take effect March 16 and expressly revokes the original order on that date  contrary to recent statements by both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that the administration would continue to defend the Jan. 27 order in court.

Trump said the revised order was crafted to meet the objections of a federal judge in Seattle and the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, whose rulings have blocked enforcement of the original order since Feb. 3.

Both rulings said Trumps order likely violated the due-process rights of migrants and refugees who were denied entry without notice or a hearing, and raised questions about religious discrimination. In a later ruling, a federal judge in Virginia found strong evidence of anti-Muslim motivation.

The new order seeks to satisfy the due-process claims by exempting legal residents and visa-holders, whose constitutional rights are well-established, and allowing others from the targeted nations to seek a waiver from a U.S. consular official.

Waivers may be appropriate, government lawyers said in a court filing Monday, when a resident of one of the six nations has left the United States to work or study abroad, has business or professional obligations in the U.S., or wants to visit a close relative who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

Non-U.S. residents who lack visas have a much weaker constitutional claim than visa-holders or legal residents, said Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor. He said the change in categories was essential for the ban to satisfy due process.

But Bill Ong Hing, an immigration law professor at the University of San Francisco, said the ban exceeds the presidents legal authority by targeting countries instead of terrorist groups.

By continuing to list nationals without current visas from these specific countries, the president is saying that the entry of all others from these countries (is) detrimental to the national interest, Hing said. That allegation is not true and factually impossible to prove.

A 1952 federal law allows the president to exclude classes of foreigners who are detrimental to the national interest.

In defending the decision to target six predominantly Muslim countries, the executive order said Iran, Sudan and Syria had been classified by the United States as state sponsors of terrorism, and terrorist groups are participating in armed conflicts in Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The order also noted that the six nations, along with Iraq, were singled out for increased scrutiny in a law signed last year by Obama.

McConnell, the Stanford law professor and former appeals court judge, said Congress and the Supreme Court had given broad powers to the president to determine the national interest on such issues, because of the nature of intelligence the president is privy to and the courts are not.

Its not an issue for the court he said. Its a legitimate issue for political debate.

But McConnell declined to predict the outcome. He said Trump has hurt his case by questioning the competence or impartiality of the courts that have ruled against him, including his reference to the so-called judge who ruled against him in Seattle.

It would be helpful if he doesnt insult the judges next time, McConnell said.
SANTA ANA  A 27-year-old gang member was convicted Monday of robbing a Santa Ana couple at gunpoint and unsuccessfully trying to shoot people in a case that dates back to 2009.

Francisco Alberto Rodriguez was linked to the Dec. 6, 2009 crime through DNA in 2010 because he was required to give a DNA sample when he pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and resisting arrest and battery months before the crime.

Authorities said Rodriguez and accomplice Jesus Humberto Mejia threatened the Santa Ana couple with a shotgun and a handgun when they came out of their home to investigate when they heard their car window being smashed. Rodriguez allegedly pulled the trigger on the shotgun while aiming it at the couple, but it did not fire.

Mejia, 37, of Santa Ana, was sentenced in 2015 to 62 years in prison with an additional 44 to life, the length determined by the inmates conduct. He was connected to two other crimes in December 2009.

Rodriguez, of Santa Ana, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count each of attempted murder, second degree robbery, second degree vehicle burglary, possession of a firearm by a felon and street terrorism.

He also faces sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and personal and gang-related use of a firearm. He faces 29 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on April 28.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@scng.com
When Shon Miller was a kid, hed come home from a beach day with his pockets filled not just with sand and shells, but also with trash he found scattered along the San Clemente coast.

Not much has changed since then. But instead of collecting just a few pieces of litter, the 30-year-old now inspires others to give a helping hand to the area he cherishes most about his coastal town: the beloved beach.

Everyone is proud of San Clemente because its a magical area, said Miller, who recently formed the nonprofit San Clemente Beach Conservation Program. If we dont take care of it now and fight to keep it magical, that magic will disappear eventually.

However, its not as simple as being a janitorial service, he said. Just cleaning up the coast isnt enough to preserve San Clementes beaches and the culture they spawned.

ADOPTING BEACHES

Miller is a proud third-generation San Clementian whose great-grandmother brought her daughter from Jamaica to California. She landed first in Santa Ana, but quickly fell in love with the quaint city by the sea to the south.

She was smart to see what San Clemente was going to become, Miller said.

She bought a few plots of land and her offspring  and their offspring  grew up as a tight-knit unit, living just doors from each other and close to the ocean.

Millers father Gary, who owns a local carpet cleaning business, taught his son to appreciate the beauty of the beach.

He raised me big on picking up trash and making this area beautiful, Miller said.

After graduating from San Clemente High School, Miller co-founded an events promotion business, using his social and planning skills to make a living throwing parties.

But he wanted to do more.

I was always really good at bringing people together. I can use that skill for something positive, he said.

Meanwhile, he watched as his city expanded and more tourists showed up  and with that growth came more trash on the beaches.

Its OK for us to expand and get bigger  thats how the world works, he said. But we can expand and keep the magic, and keep that tight-knit sense of community here.

So in August, he hosted a beach clean-up. To his surprise, with the lure of free tacos after the work was done, 20 people showed up.

Everyone was stoked, he said. It just exploded from there. I realized if I could do it on a bigger scale, it would grow.

He formed his nonprofit and held more clean-ups, now about three a month. Some morning gatherings are at San Onofre trails, where the group just earned an Adopt-the-Beach designation at Trail 1.

Throughout the next 15 months, we will be adopting every trail at San Onofre, he said. The goal is to adopt every beach throughout San Clemente.

The group has already earned the title at Calafia State Beach and once a month they meet at the pier for an evening clean-up.

But thats just the start, he said.

Theres a million companies that clean the beaches and think thats enough. The fact is, thats not enough, he said. Just picking up everyones litter  that doesnt solve anything.

HIGH-TECH TRASH CANS?

One of the new initiatives Miller wants to propose to the city is smart trash cans along local beaches.

Trash cans arent the most exciting of subjects to discuss, but Millers eyes get wide when talking about the possibilities of these new trash systems, already found in Coachella and at other big music festivals. Hermosa Beach, just a few weeks ago, became the first California beach town to put them on the sand.

The trash cans compact trash, meaning fewer pick-ups are needed. That adds up to cost savings for maintenance and a solution to unsightly trash overflow, Miller said.

They are solar-powered, have electronic capabilities and can serve as WiFi hotspots, a perk for beachgoers who may want to browse the internet. They also allow for messages to be sent to people on the beach  so if theres a missing child or an emergency alert, lifeguards can get the information out quickly to a mass of people.

They also are capable of displaying video screen advertisements, a potential revenue generator for the city.

Its a win-win-win across the board, he said.

Miller will be teaming up with a newly formed San Clemente company called Leave No Trace to propose the new trash cans to the city.

In addition to the trash cans, theres also the basic need for signage along the coast for people to throw away their trash and recycle, he said.

We have a ton of tourists here that come from different areas, theres no signs letting them know, If you bring it in, take it out, he said.

He plans on using some of the waste picked up off the beach to make upcycled surfboards, and is teaming with a boardmaker already testing cardboard to make surfboard blanks.

But Millers helping hand doesnt end on the sand or in the surf. When friend and former pro surfer Jake Davis suffered a near-fatal spinal injury, Miller organized a fundraiser that generated thousands of dollars for his mounting medical costs.

I want to be able to protect our community, not just the environment, he said. It creates a huge purpose in my life knowing Im able to help somebody.

CREATING COMMUNITY

On a recent evening, as the sun starts to dip into the ocean and perfect waves roll into shore near the pier, piles of plastic containers are filled with trash picked up by the 50 or so volunteers who had heard about Millers beach clean-ups.

Some of them have never picked up trash, some have been taught from an early age and are already doing it, he said.

A group with San Clemente High Schools Lions Heart youth community group showed up after learning about the clean-up on social media.

Living in San Clemente, the beach is where I grew up, said Rachel Wohl, 15. Its really nice to be able to give back to my community.

Wohl and her friends couldnt believe the number of cigarette butts they found, or stranger items, such as an unopened bag of peas.

Miller nods his head in frustration, looking at the items left behind  such as an empty coffee cup bought across the street.

They sat here, looked at the view, said gosh thats beautiful and came and sat down on the beach to enjoy it, he said. Then they throw their trash down and go on their way.

Hes not just thinking about his own beach town. He hopes his nonprofit will inspire coastal caretakers near and far, such as at one of his favorite surf destinations, Bali, where hes seen an influx of tourists trash the coast.

Its the saddest thing youll ever see, he said.

But first, his hometown needs work. Miller hopes the Beach Conservation Program takes off, especially as San Clemente prepares for summer and more people discover the seaside town.

This city has given me everything, a connection to the planet and ocean, he said. Anything I can do to give back, I will do that, 100 percent.

The next clean up is at 10 a.m. March 18 at San Onofre, trail 2. The next pier clan up is from 3 to 7 p.m. April 7. More info: BeachConservation.org

Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com
Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks was arrested Sunday in Sacramento and booked on domestic-violence charges, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee newspaper.

Online records for the Sacramento County Jail showed that Westbrooks, 26, was released from jail Monday, but did not list further information about the case.

The Sacramento Bee reported that on Sunday, a woman called police and reported injuries allegedly inflicted by the father of her child. Police later took Westbrooks into custody.

Its unknown whether Westbrooks will face charges.

We are aware of the serious allegations involving Ethan Westbrooks, the Rams said in a statement. We are in contact with authorities and are gathering more information. Per team policy, we will continue to respect the legal process and have no further comment at this time.

Westbrooks played a significant role for the Rams in 2016 as a backup lineman, and is set to become a restricted free agent this week.

Contact the writer: rhammond@scng.com
For the last 22 years, the Promised Land of Pigs, a unique farm in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, has been a haven for hundreds of pigs that would have otherwise been slaughtered and sold piece by piece at a supermarket. Here, they enjoy a peaceful, comfortable existence complete with hugs and weekly massages until the end of their natural lives.

The Promised Land of Pigs (Beloofde Varkensland) is a non-profit organization founded by Dafne Westerhof, an activist militating for the humane treatment of farm animals. For over two decades she has saved hundreds of pigs, either by buying them straight from slaughterhouses, or taking them in from breeders who no longer had use for them or had become too attached to them to have them butchered. Whatever the reason, shes always been more than happy to accept new pigs into her Lucky Family (Familie Bofkont) and give them the life she thinks they deserve.

Photo: Promised Land of Pigs/Facebook

Even though she has a team of volunteers to help her take care of the pigs, and is lucky enough to receive donations from like-minded animal lovers so she can keep this swine sanctuary going, looking after the animals is still a full-time job for Dafne. She spends most days preparing their feed, cleaning their pens, and making sure they are all healthy. When shes not at the Promised Land of Pigs, shes most likely in the pig ambulance, an old bus converted into a mobile operating room used to neuter, microchip and examine pigs in the area.

Many wonder where Dafne gets the energy to do so much day in and day out. I get my strength from these animals. Their resilience is enormous, she answers.

Photo: Promised Land of Pigs/Facebook

The Promised Land of Pigs has plenty of muddied land for the pigs to frolic in, as well as hay covered pens, a large workshop where they interact with human visitors, as well as a special area for sick animals suffering from dementia or serious joint problems live undisturbed.

Photo: Promised Land of Pigs/Facebook

Every week, the Promised Land of Pigs holds educational workshops where animal lovers can learn more about pigs and their plight at the hands of an unsustainable meat industry. They can also interact with the animals, by hugging and massaging them on a thick, comfortable bed of straw.

Photo: Promised Land of Pigs/Facebook

Most of the pigs at this unique farm are already accustomed to human visitors, and as soon as they are allowed into the workshop barn they start rubbing against their guests asking for a massage. They then drop on one side and enjoy the affection. Its a surreal experience that many people dont ever dream of experiencing in the company of pigs.

Photo: Promised Land of Pigs/Facebook

This year, on January 22, disaster struck at the Promised Land of Pigs. At 10:30 pm, Dafne got a call from a crying neighbor who told her that one of the main buildings on her farm was on fire. When she got there, firefighters and police were already at work, but all she could think of was if her beloved animals had made it out of the shelter alive. By some miracle, only Sailor, a large pig she had bough from a slaughterhouse nine years ago, for 2,000 euros, had suffered some burning. But he was going to be ok, and all the other pigs had escaped unharmed.

The damage to the pig shelter was considerable, but luckily for Dafne and her Lucky Family of pigs, they had plenty of friends looking to help. Just a few days after posting about the fire on Facebook, Dafne Westerhof had already received 86,000 euros for rebuilding. They survived, and so would The Promised Land of Pigs.

Sources: The Green Happiness, NRC, VICE Munchies, Parool
The High Court has made an order preventing protesters from obstructing access to and from the site of a former quarry in Co Kildare.

On Monday Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted GCHL Ltd a temporary injunction preventing protesters from blocking, obstructing or impeding access to and from a premises it owns at Ballinderry, Carbury in Co Kildare.

The company claimed the protests, which commenced last Thursday, have resulted in the site having to be shut down. The site contains a quarry pit which is currently undergoing remediation.

However the court heard that local landowners believe the works are damaging the lands and affecting local groundwater, and have blockaded the site.

Seeking the orders Matthew Jolley Bl for the company said its activities are lawful, and the protesters are acting unlawfully.

Their actions in blocking the entrance to the site has also put their protesters and others at risk of serious injury, counsel added.

Infill is being brought onto the site and is being used to restore the site with the consent and permission of both Kildare Co Council and the Environmental Protection Agency. Counsel said the site had historically been used for the quarrying of building materials. Commercial quarrying ended there in 2014.

On foot of a court order obtained by Kildare Co Council last year the company had been taking steps since December to restore the site back to natural use. To do this the company was using lorries to transport in infill, as well as carrying out geolandscaping.

Counsel said that testing carried out on the site has shown that fears about the land being damaged are unfounded.

Mr Justice Gilligan said he was satisfied to grant an injunction preventing anyone from trespassing on the site, or from obstructing or blocking anyone from entering or leaving the site.

The interim injunction applies to any one who has notice of the making of the order, the Judge said.

The Judge adjourned the matter to Friday.
Leslie Kurtz needed three plates, eight screws and a big assist from her insurer after breaking every bone in her ankle while white-water rafting.

Coverage she purchased through a public insurance exchange established by the federal health care law paid $65,000 toward surgery and the care she needed after the 2015 accident. But that protection may not exist next year because insurers have abandoned the Knoxville, Tennessee, residents exchange. As of now, Kurtz has no future coverage options, and she is worried.

I cant afford to have everything Ive worked for taken away because I fell down the steps, Kurtz said.

Her county is one of 16 in Tennessee that lack even a single insurance company committed to offering coverage for 2018 on the exchange, after Humana announced last month plans to exit.

Exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act were designed to give customers a chance to shop for coverage and then buy a plan, most with help from tax credits. The idea was that such a marketplace would push insurers to offer affordable plans to compete for customers.

But insurers in many markets have been pulling back from the exchanges after losing money. According to an analysis by the Associated Press and the health care firm Avalere Health, more than 1,000 counties, where about 2.8 million people are insured through the exchanges, are down to their last insurance carrier.

With less competition, that could mean sharply higher rates. And with more insurers still considering leaving other markets, customers around the country could be stuck like Kurtz with no affordable coverage options in 2018.

Insurers still have a few more weeks to decide to stay in their exchanges, and other insurers may jump into new markets, though that can be expensive and risky for them. The government recently announced several short-term fixes for the exchanges, and insurers have welcomed the moves. But they want to see the final version of the improvements before deciding on 2018.

No insurer wants the negative public backlash from dropping insurance for lots of people, but the companies need to feel like the market is stable and that theres a chance of making money, said Larry Levitt, a health insurance expert with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Chief among undecided companies is the Blue Cross-Blue Shield carrier Anthem Inc. It is the lone insurer on exchanges in 300 counties in seven states, according to data compiled by the AP and Avalere.

Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish would not commit to participating on exchanges next year and said in a statement last month that the market is sliding toward significant deterioration and requires changes to ensure future stability and affordability.

Anthem and the many other companies that sell coverage under the Blue Cross-Blue Shield brand will be crucial to the fate of the exchanges because they often specialize in insurance for individuals, and many have a long-standing presence in their markets. They also are the only remaining option on exchanges in nearly a third of the nations 3,100 counties.

Insurers typically are still sorting out coverage plans at this time of year, so its not unusual for them to be undecided about 2018. But never before have insurers bluntly stated that they cant commit until they see what the government does to improve the exchanges.

The Kaiser Family Foundations Levitt says insurers are worried about losses, but they also may be using the leverage their indecision gives them.

Insurers kind of want the threat that they may pull out to be taken seriously now, so that they get some of the changes they are looking for, he said.

Customers can buy coverage outside the exchanges, if insurers are selling individual plans in their market. But then they wont be able to use tax credits to help pay the bills, which may be particularly painful since many markets have seen prices soar.

Customers who already lost exchange options for 2018 are concerned. Knoxville resident Melissa Nance bought her Humana plan on the exchange without a subsidy, but shes worried that she wont find an affordable replacement after that insurer leaves.

The 45-year-old is fighting an aggressive form of leukemia. She needs insurance to cover blood tests and CT scans to detect whether the cancer has returned.

Kurtz, her fellow Knoxville resident, is thinking about moving. The self-employed television producer needs subsidies to afford coverage for her family of four.

Kurtz says she would have gone bankrupt if she had no insurance when she broke her ankle.

I dont have $65,000. I would have had to sell the house, she said. We need access to health care because (stuff) happens.
Breathe a little easier before sipping that pint of beer during the Breathe and Brew yoga series this spring.

Registration is now open for the new event, which includes an hour of yoga, followed by a Lucky Bucket Brewery tour.

Money raised from the yoga sessions  registration is $25  will go to the American Lung Association. The sign-up fee also includes one pint of beer.

Beer and yoga are two very easy things to get behind. Its a fun event to put on, said Julia McCarville, executive director of the organizations Nebraska chapter.

Sessions are at 6:30 p.m. on March 23, April 20 and May 18 at the La Vista brewery, 11941 Centennial Road.

Organizers hope to sell out each session, which can accommodate about 100 participants. McCarville said the goal is to raise about $7,000. Money raised will go toward raising awareness of lung cancer and promoting research on the disease.

The very basis of yoga is concentration on your movement and breathing, McCarville said. We know when you cant breathe, nothing else matters.

Participants in the 21-and-older events are asked to bring their own yoga mat and wear comfortable clothing. Sessions are open to beginners and more seasoned yogis. Register in advance due to limited space.

Sign up online or call the American Lung Association Nebraska at 402-502-4950.

 Kelsey Stewart
Aaron Millers toy-tinkering station takes up nearly a whole stall of his garage.

Next to the worktable, toolboxes and equipment sits a shelf stacked high with electronic playthings  guitar-wielding Elmo dolls and plastic butterflies that play music and flash with colorful, blinking lights.

When he gets a spare moment, Miller will alter those toys for children with special needs, children like his 8-year-old son, Evan. Evan has severe cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or talk. But like any kid, he loves to play.

Standing in his garage on a recent afternoon, Miller waved his hand over his workspace.

All of this started with Evan, Miller said. I wanted to give him something he could enjoy.

Now hundreds of Millers adapted toys are spread across Nebraska, filling the shelves at United Cerebral Palsys seven tech tool (and toy) lending libraries across the state  two of which are at Childrens Respite Care Center locations in Omaha. The libraries allow parents and therapists to check out adapted toys for free.

Its about inclusion, said Anne Brodin, the finance and service director at United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska. Even if it seems like a little thing, playing with a toy can be a way to feel like any other kid.

The program began more than 20 years ago, Brodin said, but before Miller, most of the lending libraries supply came from toy-adapting companies. Those toys were expensive and werent always comparable to something a child would see in the aisles at Target or Walmart.

Now the majority of toys at the lending libraries in Omaha are slightly altered electronic toys that Miller picks up at toy stores.

I try to find ones that Evan would like, Miller said.

For little more than the cost of parts, he takes the toys  a cheerleading Minnie Mouse, a roaring T. rex, a jumping Tigger, a bubble machine  and rewires them so they can be activated with adapted switches. For a child with limited mobility, theres a switch that requires only a slight movement over a sensor. Others require various levels of pressure or work as a lever the child has to grasp.

I wanted to create a progression of switches that would be suitable for a wide range of disabilities, Miller said.

Those disabilities can strip children of their independence and their control  playing for them isnt as easy as just getting up to go run around in the backyard.

Miller hopes his adaptations are a way to give a child a little piece of that independence back.

The level of achievement they get when they can play with a toy that every other kid takes for granted is amazing, he said.

Its rewarding for the parents, too  a small way to make their childs world a little more accessible and fun, Miller said.

He would know. It was that desire that spurred this passion project about seven years ago. Evan had just received a specially ordered adapted toy for his first Christmas. When it arrived, it already was broken.

Evans therapist brought over a modified switch, but it still didnt work. So Miller decided to take it apart and fix it himself.

Miller is a real estate agent. He had never really had an interest in electronics and hadnt even heard of adaptive toys. After many Google searches and a trip to Radio Shack to buy his first soldering iron, Miller taught himself how fix the electronic toy.

I looked around the house and thought, We can adapt a lot of these toys. 

Since then, Millers workstation has grown. It has had to, he said  Evan has grown up and doesnt want little-kid toys anymore.

I kind of kept progressing as he progressed  he pushed me along, he said.

Now Miller can adapt one of the simpler toys in about 20 minutes. He has even started designing his own circuits, hoping to make a device that would allow Evan to play recorded messages for his therapists or classmates.

His work has caught the attention of other parents in the community, and he has a growing list of projects he would like to do for others. In the past, he has hosted workshops for others hoping to learn how to adapt toys on the cheap.

Aaron has really made this his passion, Brodin said. It began with just wanting to help Evan, but its gotten so much bigger than that. We are blessed to have him.

Miller insists that its he who is blessed  he found something special he could do for Evan. Now a second-grader at Rohwer Elementary near 177th and F Streets, Evan squeals with joy when he can press a button from his wheelchair and make the Elmo sing or the Tigger bounce. He especially loves the babbling electronic minion from the Despicable Me movies.

You can just see the joy on his face when hes got his toy and hes making it work just like any kid, Miller said. Its great to be able to provide that for him.
LINCOLN  State officials announced plans Tuesday to cut staff at the Beatrice State Developmental Center and close three state-run homes for developmentally disabled people in Hastings.

Courtney Miller, developmental disability services director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said the two moves are unrelated.

The first is an efficiency effort. The second is being driven by new federal regulations.

Miller said a total of 70 people will be laid off  39 at the Beatrice center and 31 at Hastings Bridges program.

Staff at both facilities were notified Tuesday morning. HHS also will eliminate 68.5 vacant positions.

Miller described the staff reduction at Beatrice as a right-sizing that followed a thorough evaluation of each area and position at the center.

These changes are important to allow BSDC to move forward and to continue providing quality services while being careful stewards of taxpayer dollars, she said.

Costs at the Beatrice center have soared as the number of residents declined and the state beefed up staffing ratios to turn around long-standing problems with abuse and neglect of residents and poor quality care.

Two years ago, the annual cost per resident was estimated at $450,000, including state and federal dollars.

Currently, Miller said, 481 employees take care of 110 people with developmental disabilities at the center. Many residents have mental illnesses or physical disabilities as well.

The number of residents has dropped from 153 in July 2011, which was down from 370 in September 2006, when federal Medicaid inspectors first found residents at risk of harm.

Miller said the layoffs are not a sign that the Beatrice center or any of its five units will be closing.

She said HHS officials are still working on a plan for the future of the century-old center and anticipate holding a public hearing on the options in April, with a final report in June.

Lawmakers called for the plan in light of the centers shrinking population and a national push for getting disabled people out of institutional settings.

The layoffs also are unrelated to the states current budget woes, Miller said. However, they are expected to save about $1.6 million annually, out of a $50.6 million budget.

She said the layoffs should still allow the center to meet all federal, state and other requirements. None are front-line staff, she said.

Positions affected are in compliance, occupational therapy and related treatment programs, laundry, driving, food service, housekeeping, facility maintenance and security/communications.

In the case of the Bridges program, Miller said the closing is being prompted by federal Medicaid regulations.

The regulations apply to Medicaid funds used to pay for home and community-based services for developmentally disabled people.

They bar the use of such funds for services in institution-like settings, defined in part as places on or next to the grounds of public institutions and places that are isolated from the broader community.

The Bridges program runs afoul of the regulations on both of those counts, although it is licensed as a community-based service, Miller said.

The regulations took effect in 2014, but states were given time to comply.

The program occupies three 4-bedroom homes that are adjacent to the Hastings Regional Center, a state-owned institution, and two miles from the Hastings city limits.

Miller said officials decided the best way to comply with the regulations and keep federal funding would be to close the homes and move the six remaining residents into other community-based programs.

She said the transition process already has begun for most of the residents. It is expected to be completed by June 7.

State Sen. Merv Riepe of Omaha, the Health and Human Services Committee chairman, said he believes the moves make sense for the state and are being handled properly.

His concern for some time has been the cost of operating the Beatrice center, he said. Those costs raise questions about the future of the center.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, who has long had an interest in Nebraskas developmental disability services, said he believes the Beatrice facility needs to close.

Its an antiquated dinosaur of a facility, and the overhead exceeds the economic benefit for the people who are there, he said, noting that residents could be served in communities closer to their families.

But Krist said he wasnt convinced that closing the Bridges homes was appropriate. He said he could support the move if there is a transition plan that ensures all of the residents are taken care of properly.

The Bridges program was created in 2005 in a locked unit of the Hastings Regional Center for people with developmental disabilities who were considered a significant danger to themselves or others.

Officials started the program after a developmentally disabled man living in a Lincoln group home snatched a 5-year-old neighbor boy from his bike and stabbed him.

The initial residents were sent there under the Developmental Disabilities Court-Ordered Custody Act.

But Miller said none of the current residents is under court order, while people who are under court order are living in various community-based settings around the state.

The DD community-based provider capacity has increased since 2005, and individuals with behavioral needs are now able to live safe and fulfilling lives in the community with appropriate resources, she said.

Closing the Bridges homes is not expected to save much money, because the funding will be needed to pay for continued services to former residents, Miller said.

HHS also hopes to keep 12 staff positions to strengthen quality improvement efforts in community-based developmental disability services.

Miller said she expects there may be about $400,000 of the Bridges budget available to serve some people now on the states waiting list.

* * * * *

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated a higher amount of money  $500,000  of the Bridges budget that would be available to serve some people now on the states waiting list.
WASHINGTON (AP)  As millions of Americans file their income tax returns, their chances of getting audited by the IRS have rarely been so low.

The number of people audited by the IRS in 2016 dropped for the sixth straight year, to just over 1 million. The last time so few people were audited was 2004. Since then, the U.S. has added about 30 million people.

The IRS blames budget cuts as money for the agency shrank from $12.2 billion in 2010 to $11.2 billion last year. Over that period the agency lost more than 17,000 employees, including nearly 7,000 enforcement agents. A little more than 80,000 people work at the IRS.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said budget cuts are costing the federal government between $4 billion and $8 billion a year in uncollected taxes.

We are the only agency, if you give us more people and money, we give you more money back, Koskinen said in an interview.

So is it safe to cheat on your taxes? Not necessarily, according to tax experts.

I dont think its open season for people to cheat, said Joseph Perry, a partner at the accounting firm Marcum. I think there are a certain group of people that will always try to push the envelope to get away with things that they think they can get away with.

As Koskinen put it: If youre a taxpayer, you dont want to roll the roulette wheel and have the little white ball land on your number, because then were not very happy.

Most people dont have much of an opportunity to cheat on their taxes because the IRS collects a lot of information to verify taxpayers finances. Employers report wages, banks report interest, brokerages report capital gains and lenders report mortgage interest.

In 2016 the number of people audited by the IRS dropped by 16 percent from the year before. Just 0.7 percent of individuals were audited, either in person or by mail. Thats the lowest audit rate since 2003.

The higher your income, the more likely you are to be audited. The IRS audited 1.7 percent of returns that reported more than $200,000 in income. Agents audited 5.8 percent of returns that reported more than $1 million in income.

Each audit rate was a steep decline from the year before.

President Donald Trump has said he is being audited, citing that for his refusal to release his tax returns. The IRS, however, has said an audit would not prevent an individual from releasing the returns.

Corporate audits were down by 17 percent last year. Just 0.49 percent of corporations were audited, the lowest rate in at least a decade.

Republicans in Congress began cutting money at the IRS after they took control of the House and Senate in the 2010 elections. They became more enthusiastic about the spending cuts after it became public that the agency had improperly singled out conservative political groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 elections.

Koskinen was not at the IRS when the political groups were mistreated, but some Republicans in Congress have been unhappy with his cooperation in their investigations.

When asked about IRS money, many Republican lawmakers inevitably mention the treatment of conservative groups.

Go look at all the areas where theyve wasted money, mismanaged taxpayer resources, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Not to mention the fact that, you know, one of the reasons we went after them so hard is they did target people for their political views.

Democrats argue that its a costly move.

You know, when somebody doesnt pay, that means that others pay more, said Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. But I think theres no question that the majority (Republicans) here and apparently the president, they have had a target on the IRS.

Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS workers, questioned Trumps proposal to increase military spending by billions while the GOP targets the IRS.

The IRS collects 93 percent of our nations revenue, Reardon said. You cannot increase defense spending and cut IRS funding at the same time. It does not add up.

Most federal agencies are bracing for budget cuts under the Trump administration, though Koskinen said he is making the case that the IRS already gave at the office. Its unclear, however, how much influence Koskinen will have in the Trump administration. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and his term ends in November.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offered the IRS a bone at his confirmation hearing when he acknowledged that adding agents would increase tax revenues. The department oversees the IRS, and Mnuchin was appointed by Trump.

I can assure you that the president-elect understands the concept of where we add people and we make money, Mnuchin said at the hearing, which was held before Trumps inauguration. Hell get that completely. Thats a very quick conversation with Donald Trump.
A man wearing a ski mask enters the west Omaha hotel in the early morning hours last week and walks the halls, seemingly searching for someone.

A surveillance camera shows him peering around corners with a hand in his pocket.

In a view from another camera, a hotel employee is seen shuffling papers in an office before she walks to a lobby hallway.

The man then attacks the woman in the hallway, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her toward a restroom. The mans genitals were out of his pants, a prosecutor said Tuesday, and he groped the woman.

The woman fought back and removed the mans ski mask.

About 20 seconds later, the man runs through an exit door, unmasked and with his pants below his waist.

He soon returns through the front door and sprints toward the woman to retrieve his mask. He grabs it and runs off.

Authorities say the March 1 incident at the Home2 Suites Omaha West hotel near 179th and Chicago Streets was the latest attack involving a man they called a repeat sex offender.

Zachary L. Person, 29, of Norfolk, is charged in the case with first-degree sexual assault and first-degree false imprisonment. A judge Tuesday kept his bail at $1 million.

Authorities say they have linked Person to several other assaults of women in Nebraska and Iowa.

Person is awaiting sentencing at the end of the month in Dodge County on a third-degree sexual assault conviction.

Nebraska authorities received a tip from police in Sioux City, Iowa, that a similar case occurred there a few hours after the hotel attack. The Douglas County Sheriffs Office said a man at Morningside College exposed himself in a womens shower room about 8 a.m.

The mans appearance, the description of the vehicle he was driving and a partial license plate number spotted in Sioux City matched the Omaha case, the Sheriffs Office has said, which led them to identifying Person.

Person is listed on the states sex offender list.

Officials worked with authorities in Sioux City, Fremont and Vermillion, South Dakota, in learning that the man was a repeat offender in multiple jurisdictions.

Mary Thielen, an assistant public defender, said Tuesday that Person owns a remodeling business and has one child.
A 42-year-old Omaha woman has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months in prison in connection with a tax fraud case.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp also sentenced Lisa R. Holmes to one year of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilgs office said. Holmes also was ordered to pay $48,833 in restitution.

Gilgs office said Holmes, who was a tax preparer, had pleaded guilty to tax fraud.

Holmes created false 1040s for several clients over several years, Gilgs office said, falsely stating that clients had business income. Her clients earned higher tax refunds than they were entitled to receive, Gilgs office said.
BLAIR, Neb.  Grace University in Omaha plans to relocate to Blair and take over a 30-acre slice of the former Dana College campus.

The move would be part of a proposed $92 million redevelopment of the 150-acre campus, according to plans presented Monday evening at a special meeting of the Blair City Council.

Other elements of the Frank and Jane Krejci Learning and Life Community planned for the campus include a 60-bed skilled nursing facility, a new home for Christ Lutheran Church, a film studio for Digg Site Productions of Fremont and a 150-unit, intergenerational housing development.

The housing portion would provide living arrangements for low-income elderly, young people coming out of foster care, veterans and women who have completed Heartland Family Services Nebraska Family Works program, said Ed Shada, an Omaha banker who is founder and CEO of Project Homeless Connect Omaha.

Frank Krejci, a 91-year-old, widely known Omaha developer, bought the Dana campus for $3.5 million in 2013. At that time, the campus was to house Midland Universitys planned expansion from nearby Fremont. That fell through, and Krejci said he was willing to donate it if the right development came along, such as a civic use by the city or county.

Shadas proposal got Krejcis attention.

I just think its a good thing to do, Krejci said of his decision to donate the campus for Shadas project.

He brushed off a question about how few people could afford to make such a generous donation.

But I can, he said.

This was the best use of the property, he said. It had no other use. Otherwise it was just another piece of land. Im glad its happening.

Shada has a long history of working to help the homeless in the Omaha metro area.

I see a need to care for the vulnerable, he said.

The hourlong meeting attracted a standing-room crowd of more than 150 people, who applauded the plan.

Grace officials announced in January that the Omaha Public Schools planned to purchase its campus on South Ninth Street and that university officials were seeking a new location. Grace had 370 students enrolled in January.

The university plans to remain in Omaha through May 2018. Classes in Blair would begin the following fall.

Grace University President Bill Bauhard said he was very excited to think about moving to the scenic campus on a hill overlooking Blair.

He recalled touring the site months ago and thinking, Wow! This campus needs students.

Bauhard said administrators are looking into expanding Graces course offerings, especially in sciences and mathematics.

Grace signed a letter of intent Monday to make the move.

Dana, a small, Lutheran liberal arts college, closed in 2010 after an accreditation body refused to approve its sale to for-profit investors, leaving more than 500 students without a school and dozens of professors without jobs. The college also had $11 million in debt.

Grace would take over the bulk of vacant buildings at Dana.

Shada said his goal is for the development to be self-sustaining, so he or others dont have to go back to donors year after year.

Shada said he dreams that in five years the development will be recognized as a national leader in research into young people coming out of foster care, people with mental disorders, low-income elderly and putting together intergenerational, mixed-used facilities.

Instead of putting a Band-Aid on something, I wanted to do something that was real and would actually help them and let them help themselves and figure out a way to get some folks to work together, he said.

Shada was prepared for a not-in-my-backyard pushback, but heard none.

Shada said he is lining up partners, including Kiewit Building Group. Danas buildings need $46 million in upgrades and renovations, he said.

Since buying the campus, Krejci has fielded a number of inquiries for developing the shuttered campus, including transforming parts of it into apartments and restaurants, or restoring it to an institution of higher learning.

The City of Blair has been cautious. Most city officials  and Krejci  had said they would like to see the property be a college campus again, but they worried about its feasibility.

Danas closing was a blow to the community about 30 miles north of Omaha. Dana was one of the communitys first institutions and was a community cultural and educational center. Blair also counted on the student population to fill part-time jobs and to live in rental housing.

The campus has served a number of purposes since the college closed, including being a refuge for people displaced by the Missouri River flooding in 2011, but has largely remained vacant.

In 2013, Midland University announced its intention to reopen it and took control of the campus through a lease agreement. Midland had absorbed more than 300 students from Dana. Last year, Midland announced its decision to instead focus on its Fremont campus and expanding into Omaha. Midland opens its Omaha campus at 11213 Davenport St. this afternoon.

Blairs City Council took no action.
Tempers flared Tuesday at a Douglas County Board meeting when a sore subject came up: County Assessor Diane Battiatos preliminary 2017 property tax valuations.

The controversy is sort of on hold. After a public outcry over large valuation hikes on many homes and residential lots, Battiato announced a plan in February to reduce the increases. She has said shell have new valuations ready to send to the State of Nebraska by March 25.

There wasnt any actual action proposed on the County Boards meeting agenda. But it did contain an item that board member Mike Boyle has had placed on the agenda of three previous meetings of the body: Legal Action regarding recent valuations.

Boyle has called that the nuclear option and said he believes the board could sue the County Assessors Office, alleging that Battiato messed up the valuations so badly that her office is failing to do its job.

No lawsuit has been proposed, or rationale explored, in a public meeting.

Battiato wasnt in the meeting room Tuesday when board members began discussing whether Boyles idea should continue appearing on the agenda.

Boyle said it should be there. He said hes still hearing from upset taxpayers.

And Im damn mad, Boyle said.

Board member Clare Duda said the item shouldnt continue to be on the agenda. He said its putting the Assessors Office on edge.

P.J. Morgan, who has frequently criticized the preliminary valuations as inaccurate and inconsistent, said the taxpayers are on edge, too.

He brought up a property at 84th and Lake Streets that he believed was far overvalued. It was the subject of a television news story.

Battiato came walking into the legislative chambers. She took the public podium. She was not happy.

I am really sick and tired of listening to this every week, she told the board.

Battiato said she is working on the plan that she had laid out in February. Shes adjusting residential property valuations so that the countys total will be at 93 percent of market value. Nebraska law requires counties to set valuations on properties for tax purposes at between 92 and 100 percent of market value.

Battiato said her office had met with 4,700 taxpayers who believed their valuations were wrong. That has led to many corrections already, she said, because taxpayers pointed out facts the Assessors Office didnt know. She said the 84th Street property Morgan mentioned had been valued based on inaccurate zoning information and has been changed.

Battiato told the board she was trying to keep calm but said enough is enough.

Im tired of being raked over the coals, Battiato said. It will only be common professionalism and courtesy to let the process work.

Mentioning Boyle, Battiato said, The fact that you dont have confidence in me, Im sorry, but I really feel that down the road, you will revive that confidence.

Boyle broke in. He and Battiato went back and forth about whether the argument was personal. He accused her of talking over him and at one point barked, Be quiet, Diane.

To me, its not personal, she said. Im just doing my job.

She said the board should work with her as partners, not as adversaries.

Boyle said that sometimes doing their jobs makes the board and assessor adversaries. He noted that Battiato sued the County Board last year over its decision to grant tax-exempt status to retail stores of Goodwill Inc., Habitat for Humanity and Salvation Army.

Board members Jim Cavanaugh told Battiato she hasnt explained clearly why preliminary home and lot valuations went up so much this year in some Omaha neighborhoods. He said the board had gotten a lot of complaints from people in the Westside school district that their proposed valuations went up sharply, but some valuations in Regency went down.

Battiato suggested Cavanaugh watch videos of her presentations in past board meetings.

Generally, Battiato has said the proposed valuation increases happened because many properties had not been adjusted for several years, and the Omaha real estate market has been hot. She said the valuations are based on market values as determined by recent home and land sales.

Cavanaugh said the presentations didnt answer his questions.

Battiato noted that valuations are only one part of the tax equation. Elected officials, including the County Board, control tax rates.

Boyle shot back that elected officials cant fix what he called garbage coming in to us in the form of unreasonable valuations.

I wish you hadnt done this, he told Battiato. I wish you had done this in a way that made some sense.
A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and temperatures in the 50s will add to up wildfire hazards again today across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Authorities said no outdoor burning should occur today, mainly because of the high threat of fires spreading quickly.

The National Weather Service office in Valley issued a red flag warning today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for east-central and eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and northwest Missouri due to expected 40 mph west wind gusts, high temperatures in the 50s and low relative humidity around 15 percent. All outdoor burning is banned.

The warning includes Omaha, Council Bluffs, Lincoln, Norfolk, Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings, Beatrice and Falls City.

In Omaha, fire officials issued a burn ban until 7 a.m. Wednesday. They said all open burning is banned until the threat of quickly spreading fires has decreased.

The ban includes permitted burns, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, officials said. They also urged extra care when putting out cigarettes.

Today in the Omaha area, expect sunny skies and windy conditions with a high in the mid- to upper 50s and west winds gusting as high as 35 to 40 mph. Tonights low will fall to around 30, and west winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

It shouldnt be quite as eventful today as yesterdays weather, KMTV meteorologist Ryan McPike said.

Wednesday should be sunny with a high around 60, the weather service said. Thursday also will be sunny with a high around 55. Winds will be down substantially both days, forecasters said.

Late Monday afternoon, high winds, heavy rain and hail moved through the region, knocking out power to many.

By early this morning, all Omaha Public Power District customers in Douglas and Sarpy Counties had power. And in Council Bluffs, all customers also had power from MidAmerican Energy.

Were battling winter and spring right now, McPike said, and we certainly found ourselves in the middle of it Monday.

Among the wild weather Monday was a record high temperature of 78 degrees for March 6 in Omaha. That broke the 1972 record of 77 degrees. The normal high temperature for Omaha in early March is 50 degrees.

Rainfall totals for the past 24 hours in inches as of 6:30 a.m. today: Blair, .22; Falls City, .45; Fremont, .03; Lincoln, .01; Nebraska City, .44; Offutt Air Force Base, .04; Eppley Airfield, 07; Millard, .13; Plattsmouth, .37; Tekamah, .07; Valley, .06; Wahoo, .03; Wayne, trace; Council Bluffs, .15; Clarinda, .37; Harlan, .30; Red Oak, .49, Shenandoah, 20.

Elsewhere, a severe storm system pummeled other parts of the Midwest overnight with tornadoes, huge hailstones and powerful winds, damaging dozens of buildings and injuring at least 10 people in Missouri.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, received reports of 32 tornadoes in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois late Monday and early today. Powerful winds extended as far south as the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, where a post office and church were damaged, and as far north as Wisconsin, where trees were downed.

The Kansas City area sustained widespread damage, and crews planned to survey and assess the damage today.

Dan Hawblitzel, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, said there were corridors of significant damage in Oak Grove east of Kansas City, Smithville north of Kansas City and the Kansas suburbs of Leawood and Olathe. Hawblitzel said there were no immediate reports of fatalities from the storms.

The rest of the Omaha-area forecast, according to the weather service:

Friday  Partly sunny with a high in the lower 40s.

Friday night  A chance of rain before 9 p.m., a chance of rain and snow between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., then snow after 10 p.m. with a low around 25.

Saturday  Snow before noon with a high in the upper 30s.

Saturday night  Mostly cloudy with a low in the low 20s.

Sunday  Partly sunny with a high around 45.

Sunday night  A chance of rain and snow with a low around 30.

This reports includes material from the Associated Press.
LINCOLN  Nearly 100 people rallied Monday night in support of efforts to end beer sales at the notorious border village of Whiteclay, Nebraska.

One speaker at the rally, Frank LaMere, a Native American activist, said that after 18 years of work to halt liquor sales, he feels that action is finally possible.

Weve reached a tipping point. Things are moving in our direction, he said at the rally, held at the State Capitol.

A hearing is scheduled April 7 before the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission to determine whether liquor licenses will be renewed for the four beer outlets in Whiteclay. The stores sell the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer a year. Almost all sales go to residents of the adjacent Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned but alcohol-related problems are rampant.

The beer sales, LaMere said, have devastated the reservation in terms of high rates of alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome.

State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who represents the Whiteclay area, said that the area would benefit economically if the beer stores were closed.

The rally was sponsored by the Native Caucus of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps new travel ban received a warmer reception from Midlands lawmakers Monday than his first one did.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., had characterized the first version in January as overly broad but had much kinder words on Monday.

The administration did the right thing to minimize confusion around the world, honor current visas, and coordinate agencies here at home, Sasse said in a statement. Borders matter, and this is an important step in the right direction.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., praised the latest action.

The presidents new executive order provides improvements over the previous order and gives expanded clarity to more effectively protect travelers who were already approved to enter the United States, Bacon said. Ultimately, this ensures the protection of our national security and citizens first.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., responded to the first order by citing the immediate confusion and anxiety it caused. On Monday she issued a statement praising the new version.

The new executive order the president announced today takes important steps to enhance the vetting process and keep dangerous individuals out of this country, Fischer said. Im also pleased to see efforts made by the White House to improve implementation of this policy.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said after the first order that it was prudent to reassess the countrys vetting processes but called at the time for more clarity about its implementation. She also expressed concern about its impact on those who had helped the U.S. military forces in Iraq.

Ernst, a retired Iowa Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, served as a company commander in Iraq.

Monday, Ernst said she was still reviewing the new version but was pleased that it does not block Iraqis who have supported U.S. military efforts.

Here in the United States, we are a nation of immigrants; from all parts of the world and all religions. Our diversity is our strength. However, at the same time, we absolutely must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our homeland, Ernst said in a statement. A core function of the federal government is to ensure we keep our nation safe and secure.

At a time of increased threats at home and abroad, it is important to re-evaluate the quality and adequacy of the vetting processes we rely on for our refugee and visa programs.

Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said that the top priority must be keeping Americans safe and that the pause will allow federal agencies to examine U.S. vetting procedures and those of the countries affected.

Given the confusion following President Trumps original executive order, Im glad the administration has updated it to exempt legal permanent residents and current visa holders, Smith said. Our national security agencies, which are still staffing up, must ensure they have strong processes in place to vet those wishing to enter the U.S. from countries with significant terrorist activity.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the federal government has a responsibility to protect Americans and their way of life.

The presidents executive order continues efforts to guard our homeland from terrorism, Grassley said. Todays executive order uses existing authorities to strengthen our national security and also is carefully tailored to exclude lawful permanent residents and current visa holders.

By clearly stating this order applies only to prospective visa holders, the president has addressed the crux of the 9th Circuits concerns and should ensure the unintended consequences from the last order do not reoccur.
Democrat Heath Mello has won the backing of the Omaha firefighters union, prompting Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert to question whether or not she was given a fair shake by the union.

Stothert said the union interviewed Mello but declined to talk with her. Stothert said Monday that she didnt expect to get the backing of a union she has tussled with numerous times over her political career, but she wanted to talk to the board.

Most recently the union accused Stothert of ignoring city code in naming her preferred candidate for fire chief.

I was looking forward to talking to the whole group, but they excluded me and they made the decision (on Mello) before they even interviewed me for the job, Stothert said. The reality is I did not think they would endorse me, but I am willing to talk to anyone.

Mello hailed the endorsement as proof of his strong working relationship with firefighters over his eight years in the Nebraska Legislature.

Receiving this endorsement is especially meaningful as the first responders of the Omaha Fire Department have recognized my commitment to improving public safety for residents in all Omaha ZIP codes, Mello said. I stand with our citys first responders and will work to ensure that they and all public employees have a seat at the decision-making table.

Mello is attempting to unseat Stothert in this springs mayoral election: The primary is set for April 4, while the general election is set for May 9.

The firefighters union asked both Mello and Stothert to compete for their endorsement by filling out a questionnaire. The request went out in the first week of February. Mello answered and returned the questionnaire in about two weeks, while Stothert returned her questionnaire to the union last week.

Stothert, who said she hadnt been given a deadline to return the questionnaire, was told Monday that the union wouldnt be interviewing her and was instead endorsing Mello.

Steve LeClair, president of the firefighters union, said Stothert took too long to return the questionnaire, and requested an interview only after it became general knowledge that the union had decided to endorse Mello.

He also acknowledged that Stothert had been unlikely to get the endorsement because of her track record on dealing with firefighter issues.

Stotherts most recent conflict with the union was her decision to name Dan Olsen as the citys new fire chief.

The union said Stothert violated the city code. It alleges Stothert did not have the authority to name Olsen as the new fire chief, because he was not one of the final four candidates. Under city code, candidates must go through a testing process. The four candidates with the highest scores are then submitted to Stothert for her consideration.

However, Stothert argues that Olsen did advance into the final four  based on his test results  after one of the finalists dropped out and she eliminated another following a background check.

The two remaining Omaha firefighters who were bypassed by Stothert sued the city last month.
LINCOLN  The budget proposal for the state prison systems upcoming fiscal year would fund staffing, security and programming initiatives and better provide for public safety, the prison systems director told a panel of lawmakers Monday.

Scott Frakes, director of the Department of Correctional Services, didnt ask members of the Appropriations Committee to increase his budget in response to the Thursday disturbance at Tecumseh State Prison that left two inmates dead.

Frakes commented on the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2019, in his first appearance before the Nebraska Legislature since the deadly incident last week in which inmates damaged toilets and other fixtures.

What I have requested is funding that allows (us) to move this agency forward significantly in the next biennium, he said.

But at least two people  the leader of the largest state employees union and the inspector general of the prison system  warned the plan wont fix the systems varied problems.

The budget plan would put an additional $20 million into the state prison system to add 165 full-time staff positions and add programs for inmates. Of the new employees, 135 would be protective services staff, or those who guard inmates.

The budget plan also would pull $75 million from the states cash reserve to build a prison addition in Lincoln for elderly and seriously mentally ill inmates.

The proposal was requested by Frakes and recommended by Gov. Pete Ricketts and by the budget-crafting committee in its preliminary report. The committee, which is in the midst of public hearings on the budget, expects to move its final recommendation to the full Legislature by late April.

Though the states official revenue forecasting board last week widened the states budget gap, the governor and lawmakers have indicated that the Corrections Department is a top priority.

Pointing to the departments numerous job vacancies, employee turnover and need for workers to work overtime, Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, questioned how it will staff the prison addition.

You cant staff the facilities you have now, he said.

Inspector General of Corrections Doug Koebernick agreed the plan is not a silver bullet but noted he was encouraged by Frakes request for more protective services staff. Still, he said, lawmakers can fund new positions, but problems recruiting and retaining employees will persist.

My communication with employees leads me to believe that despite their intentions, retention will continue to be a significant issue, especially since nothing substantial has been done regarding longevity pay or establishing a tiered pay system, he said.

Frakes acknowledged the systems continued overtime problems. While the vast majority of overtime is voluntary, staff often volunteer because they know itll be mandated anyway, he said.

But the prison system is seeing fairly significant improvement in turnover, owed in part to $500 retention bonuses last year to about 1,000 staff members in higher turnover positions, he said.

During the last four months, turnover across the agency was 26 percent, down from about 32 percent, Frakes said. At Tecumseh, it was less than 24 percent. Frakes called the figures still too high, saying he wants to be under 20 percent.

In a bit of good news, Frakes on Monday announced a nearly $600,000 gift from the York Community Foundation to build a facility at the womens prison in York for its parenting program. Frakes said he was working to submit paperwork to lawmakers for formal approval of the donation.
Here is what Attorney General Jeff Sessions should have said when he stepped up to the podium and addressed reporters last week at the Justice Department: At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

Sessions is the victim of the type of McCarthyite character assassination that the left used to condemn. Remember when accusing people without evidence of coordinating with the Kremlin was frowned upon? No longer, apparently.

In fact, what Sessions faced may be worse than McCarthyism. At least McCarthy was right when he claimed there were Russian spies in the State Department (see Hiss, Alger, among others).

On Meet the Press this weekend, James Clapper, former Obama director of national intelligence, declared that the U.S. intelligence community he headed until a few weeks ago had found no evidence of any collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence. No evidence.

The suggestion that Sessions was colluding with the Russians and tried to cover it up is preposterous.

Sessions was asked during his confirmation hearings by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., about allegations contained in an unsubstantiated dossier that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.

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 did not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it.

He was clearly referring to the allegations Franken had just cited of a continuing exchange of information between the Russians and Team Trump.

He was later asked in a written question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.: Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day? Sessions answered No  which, again, was truthful.

In hindsight, he could have clarified that he had met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his Senate office in his official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But why would he?

A host of Democratic lawmakers  including then-Sen. Mary Landrieu, La.; and Sens. Maria Cantwell, Wash.; Bob Casey, Pa.; Amy Klobuchar, Minn.; Jack Reed, R.I.; Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I.; and Claire McCaskill, Mo.  have also met with Kislyak.

Thats not surprising. Its their job. Sessions was not asked about official meetings.

Then the Wall Street Journal breathlessly reported that Sessions had in fact met with the Russian ambassador at the GOP convention.

The Trump administration says Attorney General Jeff Sessions was acting as a then-U.S. senator when he talked to Russias ambassador at an event during last years Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the Journal reported, but Mr. Sessions paid for convention travel expenses out of his own political funds and he spoke about Donald Trumps campaign at the event, according to a person at the event and campaign-finance records.

This could be the biggest nonstory of the year. To clarify: Then-Sen. Sessions traveled to a political event  the Republican National Convention  using campaign money, not taxpayer money, as the law requires. The Russian ambassador was there as one of about 80 ambassadors participating in an official diplomatic program, coordinated with the Obama State Department. He and Sessions met at a public event where Sessions spoke.

How, exactly, is this a scandal? Answer: Its not.

But that has not stopped leading Democrats from calling for Sessions resignation or leading news organizations to report on the a parade of new revelations linking the Trump campaign to Russia.

Please. And is it really just pure coincidence that the Sessions story broke just after Trump delivered a widely acclaimed address to Congress? The stench of politics runs high.

Sessions has recused himself from any official investigation of the Trump campaign, as he should. As a former Trump campaign official, he rightly concluded he should not be involved in any investigation of the Trump campaign to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has launched an investigation into whether there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence, as it should. Americans deserve a careful and dispassionate inquiry so that we can get all the facts.

And if any actual evidence emerges of some sort of wrongdoing, those facts should be exposed and those responsible held to account.

But if not, then it is entirely possible that Donald Trumps embrace of Vladimir Putin during the 2016 campaign is nothing more than an example of bad policy judgment (much like his embrace of Syrias murderous president, Bashar Assad). Embracing dictators is wrongheaded, but it is not a crime.

As for the witch hunts, some in the media need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. If they do, they may see old Tailgunner Joe staring back at them.
Inmates treated as subhuman

The recent non-riot in Tecumseh State Prison has highlighted the massive deficiencies in our prison systems (Two inmates die in hours-long melee, March 3 World-Herald). Overcrowding, lack of rehabilitation programs, overworked and poorly paid staff have all combined to create an inhumane and volatile atmosphere.

However, the basis of the problem lies in the fact that prison staff members frequently see inmates and their families as less than human.

It would be difficult to find a more cruel and callous example of this than the treatment of Michael Galindos mother.

It was nearly 12 hours after the emergency teams gained control of the housing unit before she was notified of her sons death, and then it was done over the phone in the middle of the night.

As the grandmother of an inmate, I have spent nearly five years navigating the states prison system. During that time I have witnessed and been subjected to aggressive and bullying behavior.

Multiple transfers, delayed medical treatment, prolonged periods of isolation, lost and damaged personal items and denial of access to funds are almost a part of daily life. But the worst thing is the degrading manner in which staff speaks to inmates.

I understand that crimes have been committed and time must be served. But as long as inmates are treated as subhuman, uprisings will continue to occur.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the families of Damon Fitzgerald and Michael Galindo.

Lee Sarah LeCompte, Blair, Neb.

Not enough money in the world

No disrespect meant to anyone serving in a police or a fire department or in the military, but you could probably pay me to be a policeman or a fireman. You just might be able to pay me to serve in the military. But you couldnt pay me to be a corrections officer in Nebraska.

Rich Stanko, Omaha

Not ifs, ands or buts  it was a riot

Regarding the incident at the prison at Tecumseh, if it acts like a riot and sounds like a riot and looks like a riot, it probably was a riot.

Jim Kenyon, Omaha

Fix good time law, not mandatory minimums

I hope Nebraskas state senators realize the ridiculousness of Legislative Bill 447  which would repeal mandatory minimum sentences  and vote against it.

This bill would give felons in this state more protection than it gives law-abiding citizens. There is no justification for getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences. But there is justification of getting rid of the flawed good time law. Its about time state senators start doing something about that.

Cheryl Bartek, Omaha

Stotherts winning record

I cant believe that people are complaining about the job Mayor Jean Stothert has done these past four years.

When Jean Stothert was on the City Council, there was an average of only $23 million in the budget for street maintenance. Stothert has had an average $29 million as mayor.

Since becoming mayor she has lowered our property tax rates twice, and she has discussed reducing them again in the 2018 budget.

Our Public Works Department did as good a job as anyone could do when two major snow events hit right at rush-hour traffic, and that should not reflect poorly on Stothert in any way.

She took over a city that had run budget deficits repeatedly and habitually allowed the Fire and Police Departments to go over budget by millions of dollars.

You have to be strong-willed to save the city financially, and she has done just that. She not only negotiated with those unions to get pensions and overtime back to fair for all Omaha citizens, but she also has turned the perennial budget deficits into surpluses.

Jean Stothert is the second-best mayor to come out of Millard  behind only Harry P. Andersen, mayor of Millard from 1960 to 1971 (and my grandpa).

Steve Andersen, Omaha

Mello, Jerram show vision

I have had the opportunity to hear mayoral candidate Heath Mello and City Council candidate Chris Jerram speak. I thought they were terrific.

They talked about the future of Omaha and what, as citizens, we should expect for ourselves and our families from our leaders.

Mello spoke of the social and economic disparities in some of our neighborhoods. Jerram addressed job programs to move fellow citizens into the workforce. However, we have to make it possible for all citizens to move about the city.

Both Jerram and Mello spoke of the need for transportation alternatives, including light rail, to move people around the city and replacing parking lots with tax base that supports and pays for city services.

Hopefully, all voters will seek a chance to hear what the mayoral and City Council candidates want for Omaha. The conversation should be about what we want for our city and how to make it happen for a reasonable investment.

Marcia Anderson, Omaha
Andhra CM downplays SC order on cash-for-vote scam

Hyderabad

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday downplayed the decision of apex court to speed up the hearing in cash-for-vote scam case. Speaking to the media corps in Amaravati, Naidu said that opponents have filed many cases against him and he need not bother about it.

"What is new in Supreme Court hearing the case? They (opposition) have filed around 26 cases against me, though some of them were scrapped in the courts. They don't have any other work to do," he said.

[Also read: Babri Masjid case ghost haunts LK Advani, SC refuses to drop charges]

Naidu added that it took 12 years to repeal the excise case that was filed against him."What's is there in filing a case? There were cases in the top court but nothing has happened till now, so I advise you to leave it (referring the case)."

It is to be mention that on May 31, 2015, Telangana Telugu Desam Party leader Revanth Reddy was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau after he was caught bribing the nominated candidate for MLC Elvis Stephenson. After which the case was popularly known as cash-for-vote-scam.=

A Hyderebad court took up the case and directed the ACB officials to check Revanth's audio and video, while bribing the candidate to cross vote for the TDP. The court sent Revanth to jail for a month until he got a bail for his daughter's marriage.

In the meanwhile, The Telangana Rashtra Samithi party accused the TDP for its involvement in bribery, whereas, on the other hand, the TDP blamed the TRS for tapping the phone calls of its chief Chandrababu Naidu.

The spat continued for a while, with both parties filing cases against each other.

Oneindia.news
2 more aides of Gayatri Prajapati arrested, minister still absconding

India

oi-Anusha

Officials of the special task force arrested two aides of Uttar Pradesh Minister and rape accused Gayatri Prajapati in Noida. The total number of arrests in the gangrape case now stands at three, but the accused minister is still absconding. Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla were arrested in Noida and were being shifted to Luckow where investigations will continue.

On Monday, a close aide of Gayatri Prajapati had surrendered before the Lucknow police. Chandrapal Singh who surrendered is also an accused in the gangrape and molestation case that the Uttar Pradesh minister faces. Despite headway in arrests, Prajapati remains at large and the Uttar Pradesh police have not been able to trace him.

Prajapati has been on the run since the Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to act on allegations against the minister. The victim in the case had alleged that she was not only being threatened but the police had refused to register a case against the minister following which she had approached the Supreme Court. It may be noted that the accused minister is also Samajwadi party's candidate from Amethi in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

OneIndia News
After Shaina, Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad gets lewd messages

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

Mumbai, March 7: Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad on Tuesday registered a case against unknown persons after receiving lewd messages on her phone . "With so many political women receiving these lewd messages, I am noticing a rise in such cases. It has become a trend to target women who have entered the male-dominated arena. When women like us are targetted then I can imagine the situation of a common women exposed to these types of harassments", she said. Varsha, who is a lawmaker from the Dharavi constituency, added that she will raise the issue in the house as well. Varsha is the third women in two weeks believed to have received obscene messages on phone.

Last week, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe had filed a case with Mumbai and Pune police against unknown persons who had repeatedly sent her messages, threatening her of rape and murder.

[Also read: 2 more aides of Gayatri Prajapati arrested, minister still absconding]

A few days later, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shaina NC registered a complaint with Mumbai police after she received indecent messages. On Sunday, the Mumbai police cracked the case and identified the accused as Jayantkumar Singh, a BJP activist from Varanasi.
People shiver even at the thought of naming their kids 'Gayatri': Yogi's dig at ex-SP minister

Akhilesh assures full support in tracing missing rape accused SP leader Gayatri Prajapati

India

oi-Maitreyee

Lucknow, March 7: As the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh has come under severe criticism for mishandling the case of rape accused minister Gayatri Prajapati--who is currently absconding--Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday told reporters in Lucknow that the state government will 'provide full support' in solving the case.

"Government will provide full support. The police will take action. It will be before you in a few days," ANI quoted Akhilesh as saying.

Government will provide full support, police will take action, it will be before you in few days: Akhilesh Yadav on Gayatri Prajapati case pic.twitter.com/xkx6iXM4OG  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

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. The victims had knocked at the doors of the Supreme Court, on whose directive an FIR has been registered by the UP Police against the ruling SP politician.

The case of Prajapati has become a major embarrassment for Akhilesh and his party, as opposition parties alleged the UP government of protecting the rape accused minister. Akhilesh has been facing severe attack from the Bharatiya Janata party over the Prajapati episode, especially since he is contesting as a SP candidate from Amethi and the CM had campaigned in that constituency.

On Tuesday, officials of the special task force arrested two accomplices of Prajapati in Noida. The total number of arrests in the gangrape case now stands at three.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, March 7, 2017, 16:58 [IST]
Another militant in J&K gets a rousing funeral

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Srinagar, March 7: Tral in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a complete shutdown to conduct the funeral of Aqib Maulvi, the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was killed in an encounter on Sunday. Chants of azadi marked the funeral service as people came out in large numbers.

[Salute the soldier for his exceptionally brave act at Tral, J&K]

Aqib and his associate Usama were killed in a 15-hour encounter at Tral which began on Saturday and ended the next day. Aqib's body was taken to his hometown at Hayina in Tral. As the encounter began, Aqib is believed to have called his mother and told her that he would fight. The Indian Army always gives a local militant a chance to surrender. However, Aqib decided that he would not surrender and requested his mother not to coax him.

As his body arrived, a large number of people who had gathered there raised anti-India and freedom slogans. The funeral had to be stopped several times as the number of people gathered there was extremely high.

As the funeral was taking place, there were incidents of heavy stone pelting in Pinjoora. Security forces following an intelligence input cordoned off the area to hunt down militants who were hiding in the area. The encounter was disrupted several times as locals came out on the streets and resorted to stone pelting.

OneIndia News
Battle between Modi, Manmohan: Congress calls PM 'abrasive'; ex-PM 'not weak'

India

oi-Maitreyee

New Delhi, March 7: On Tuesday, Congress spokesperson and former union minister Manish Tewari has hit out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by calling the senior BJP leader 'abrasive'.

Earlier on Monday, while defending former PM Manmohan Singh, Tewari asserted that Singh was 'not a weak PM', but Modi is an 'abrasive' one. He made the controversial statement at the launch of his book 'Decoding a Decade' at Punjab University.

Speaking to ANI, Tewari said, "Harish Khare, editor-in-chief of the Tribune, asked me to compare the working styles of the two Prime Ministers and also respond to the perception that Dr. Manmohan Singh was a weak prime minister. In reply to that, I said Dr. Manmohan Singh was not a weak one but the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an abrasive one."

"Looking at today's scenario, the current Prime Minister has brought the national discourse down to 'samshan' and 'kabristan'. So, where will communal harmony stay? This does not look good on his behalf by doing so. Seems like a low attempt. So, therefore, whatever I clearly said is not to hurt the sentiments of people, but just putting my opinion straight," added Tewari.

OneIndia News
Bizarre: Pak thinks tallest tricolour is meant for spying!

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

It was a proud moment for India when the tallest ever Indian flag was erected at the Attari border. The Indian National Flag is visible from Lahore. The flag is 110 metres high, 24 metres wide and weighs 55 tonnes. However Pakistan has a problem with the flag. It has made a bizarre allegation that the flag is being used to spy against them.

[India's largest tricolour at Wagah is visible from Lahore]

Pakistan suspects that there may be a camera installed in the flag which could be used to spy against them. Pakistan even went on to complain to the Border Security Force and said that there are cameras in the flag which would compromise security.

India has however laughed off the allegation terming it as bizarre, immature and childish. "It is our prerogative to hoist our triclour. We have not violated any norms. The flag is at a distance of 200 metres away from the border. It is far enough and no laws or norms have been violated," Indian officials noted.

OneIndia News
China considering India's proposal to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 7: A Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday that Beijing was "considering and investigating" India's proposal to get Pakistan-based terrorist leader Masood Azhar listed on the UN terror catalogue.

Ma Xiangwu, however, said China had to look into all aspects of backing the move "considering whether if we were to support this decision will it grow into a bigger problem for China".

He didn't elaborate while speaking to IANS on the margins of the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.

India has been seeking to blacklist Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, after Pakistani terrorists attacked the airbase at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2 last year, killing seven Indian security personnel.

China has blocked the move at the UN, apparently not to harm its strong ties with Pakistan.

The Chinese official, however, acknowledged that terror camps in Pakistan were a matter of concern for China because Taliban was training members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

"In Taliban sanctuary, there is a China camp which has around 320 Uighur terrorists," Ma said, acknowledging that Islamabad has been cooperating with Beijing in its fight against the separatist group that China blames for violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang.

The group fights for an independent state and has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ma said Pakistan had been repatriating Uighur militants and "will repatriate all these terrorists". "Last year, 20 of these terrorists came back to China. They will be tried based on the crimes they have committed. They will be given appropriate punishment."

IANS
Curious case of missing Priyanka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi from UP poll campaign

India

oi-Maitreyee

Lucknow, March 7: The Gandhi cousins--Priyanka and Varun--belong to rival political parties, however, this election season both of them displayed a similar 'trait'--the cousins decided to skip the high-voltage Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign.

While Priyanka gave us a glimpse of her oratory skills by attending just one rally in the northern state, the Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian from Sultanpur, UP, remained elusive.

When Varun's mother and union minister Maneka was asked about her son's whereabouts, she told reporters that the BJP leader was 'too busy' to campaign in the state. "Varun (Gandhi) has been very busy. He's been travelling to speak to students across the country at various campuses," said Maneka.

However, reports suggest that Varun, known for his provocative speeches, skipped campaigning as he and his supporters were miffed with the senior leaders in the party for not declaring him as the chief ministerial candidate of the saffron party in UP. Many also say that the 36-year-old leader was upset when no one from the BJP came out in his support when allegations surfaced that he was honey-trapped into revealing defence secrets last year. Moreover, Varun's name as one of the BJP's star campaigners was declared pretty late by his party.

Before the campaigning for the state assembly elections started, reports suggested that Priyanka would extensively attend rallies and roadshows in UP. Her posters were seen in several parts of the state. However, when the actual campaign begun, she attended only one rally in Raebareli, which is also the parliamentary seat of her mother Sonia Gandhi. The 45-year-old made her appearance at the election meeting after union minister Smriti Irani took a jibe at her for skipping campaigning to avoid public queries.

As expected, Priyanka decided to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her address to the voters. During her short speech at the rally, Priyanka urged the voters that the state did not need to adopt an 'outsider' (PM Modi).

Till now, nobody knows why Priyanka did not campaign for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in the state. Is it to avoid 'overshadowing' her brother and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi? In a television show on Monday night-when the campaigning for the month-long UP polls ended-BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked the Congress as why Priyanka skipped campaigning.

Like Patra, nobody knows the real reason behind Varun and Priyanka skipping the UP election 'battle'.

OneIndia News
Uttar Pradesh elections: All eyes on Varanasi as polling ends tomorrow

India

pti-PTI

Varanasi, Mar 7: All eyes will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi as voters in 40 seats in the UP assembly polls' seventh and last phase cast their votes on Wednesday. Modi has put in an unprecedented level of canvassing in this phase which has the least number of seats going to polls, but an intensive campaign by rival leaders Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of SP and his ally Rahul Gandhi of the Congress has raised the stakes for them.

The BJP, which is hopeful of capturing power in the state after 15 years in the wilderness, virtually functioned out of the holy city as its chief Amit Shah and other top party leaders shifted their base here weeks ahead of the polls. However, it was Modi who left no stone unturned as he criss-crossed his constituency that has five assembly seats. He held two back-to-back road shows, addressed four public meetings, visited an influential ashram and offered tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri -- all in a span of three days -- as he sought votes for his party candidates.

The BJP holds three and the Samajwadi Party two of the five seats in the outgoing assembly but the former is making a determined bid to oust rival parties from Modi's turf. But it has met a formidable challenger in the SP-Congress alliance and a massive road show by Yadav and Gandhi through the heart of the city has sparked some concerns in the saffron camp.

Political observers believe that such a keen contest and campaigning should result in a relatively high polling percentage. The seats going to polls also include home turf of three union ministers -- Mahendra Nath Pandey, Anupriya Patel and Manoj Sinha. Pandey, Patel and Sinha are MPs from Chandauli, Mirzapur and Gazipur respectively. In the last assembly polls, SP had won 23 of the 40 seats, BSP won 5, the BJP 4 and the Congress 3 with the rest won by others.

PTI
DSP suicide case: CBI seeks 4 months more to complete probe

India

pti-PTI

Chennai, Mar 7: The CBI, investigating the alleged suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police Vishnupriya, on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the Madras High Court seeking four months more to complete the probe in the case. Vishnupriya was found hanging in her residence-cum-office at Tiruchengode in Namakkal district on September 18, 2015.

Her father Ravi and one of her batchmates had levelled charges of harassment by her superiors in connection with a case related to the murder of Dalit youth V Gokulraj, which she was probing.

[Also read: Good old terracotta: Bengaluru artist's poetry in pottery]

The court had last year transferred the investigation to CBI from the state CB-CID. A single judge had declined to transfer the probe to CBI against which the DSP's father had filed an appeal.

The court had stipulated a period of three months time for the completion of the investigation to CBI. The CBI in its affidavit on Tuesday submitted that records with regard to the case were received from CB-CID only on November 14 last year.

It said the case was progressing smoothly. All efforts are being made to ascertain the truth, the affidavit said and sought a further four months' time for completing the probe.

PTI
DU UG first cut off list 2022 out: How to check

CUET impact? Only 1 from Kerala board in Hindu College's popular course so far

DU prof GN Saibaba convicted under UAPA act

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A Gadchiroli court on Tuesday convicted Delhi University professor G N Saibaba for having alleged link with the Maoists, said reports.

The wheelchair-bound Professor of English has been convicted along with five others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Saibaba was arrested on May 9, 2014, from his Delhi residence on the basis of the alleged incriminating material recovered from him. The police had reportedly claimed to have recovered documents, pen drives and hard disks which point towards his link with the banned outfit.

Last year, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court on medical grounds. The counsel for the Maharashtra government had opposed the bail, saying that Saibaba would propagate Maoist views if set free. The apex court had quashed these claims and granted bail to the wheelchair-bound professor.

Saibaba had said that actions against him were attempts to frighten those standing up for common people.

OneIndia News
Anand Mahindra's tweet about UPI at country's 'last tea shop' is every Indian's emotion

Lunar eclipse 2022: Temples to be closed on Nov 8; Are you allowed to worship?

Arun Jaitley said Finance Bill to be passed before March 31

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 7: The Finance Bill will be passed by Parliament before March 31 to enable ministries to avail funds from April 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday.

"This would help the ministries to remain in stage of readiness as funds would be available with effect from April 1," he said here.

The Finance Bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha, after the presentation of the annual budget, to implement the financial proposals for the following financial year.

Jaitley also released the revised General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017.

IANS
Hasn't the Indian government let TN fishermen down?

India

oi-Anusha

Late Monday night, an Indian was shot at on Indian waters by a foreign country's navy. Hours later protests broke out, the state government wrote letters and announced compensation and the central government 'took up the matter with the neighbour' but within hours of escalating the matter, Sri Lanka conveniently gave its navy a clean chit and declared that it had nothing to do with the killing of an Indian. They did show great courtesy of being 'deeply concerned about the alleged incident and loss of life'. A courtesy that is nothing more than mere lip service, the lip service that Indian government itself has been extending to its fishing communities in Tamil Nadu.

[Our Navy did not shoot Indian fishermen, says Sri Lanka]

In his letter dated March 5, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy reminded the government of India that 85 fishermen who were illegally arrested by the Sri Lankan navy continued to be in their custody. A total of 128 boats belonging to the fishermen were also seized. Many times, fishermen are arrested and released but their only source of livelihood, their boats and nets are never returned. The issue was highlighted in the letter written to the prime minister. The Tamil Nadu chief minister wrote another letter on Tuesday condemning the killing of an Indian.

"I am informed that five fishermen in a mechanised fishing boat set sail for fishing from Rameswaram fishing base. While they were fishing in their traditional waters of Palk bay, at about 9.30 PM, a fleet of Sri Lankan navy vessels surrounded the fishing boats and opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire on the unarmed fishermen," Palanisamy said in the letter.

The phrases chalk up images of helpless, unarmed Indians left at the mercy of a foreign navy who feel it an entitlement to harass and do as they please. The situation may not be very different in reality if Palanisamy's previous letter is considered. Tamil Nadu has been time and again requesting that the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1975 and 76 be annulled to restore the traditional fishing rights of fishing communities in Tamil Nadu especially in the Katchateevu region.

A legal battle rages on in the Supreme Court but until the time a solution is drawn, are Indian fishermen to bear the harassment and threat to life?

The Union government, in an attempt to better the sensitive livelihood issue, had advised that fishermen be trained in operating deep sea long liners to replace the existing mechanised trawlers. In his letter, Palanisamy claimed that the Tamil Nadu government had already trained the first batch of fishermen for the said operations but the union government was yet to approve a package of Rs 1,650 crore that will provide these deep sea long liners.

Despite multiple promises during diplomatic intercourses and agreements signed between the two nations, Indians continue to be victimised. Such mindless violence undermines the understanding that both countries have arrived at during diplomatic efforts. In the recently concluded joint working group meeting at New Delhi as well as the ministerial level meeting in Colombo, it was agreed that no use of force will be permitted against bonafide fishermen at sea and Monday's incident in a clear violation of the same, alleges Palanisamy in his letter.

Are fishermen from Tamil Nadu second class citizens in this country? Why won't their concerns be addressed and why won't the leadership speak about their issues that not only bother them but threaten their very existence? Did we have to wait for a life to be lost to react, engage and work towards a solution?

OneIndia News
Jaitley vs Jethmalani: When two legal doyens came face to face

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

New Delhi, March 7: It was an interesting day in court where Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was crossed-examined in a defamation case by none other than eminent lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani. The case on hand related to one filed by Jaitley against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Both Jaitley and Jethmalani are lawyers of immense repute and their knowledge of the law was at display in the court at Delhi where the cross-examination took place. Jaitley began by introducing himself as a lawyer since 1977 with knowledge of both the criminal and civil law. "I am more interested in knowing about your knowledge about the civil law," Jethmalani shot back.

Jethmalani asked Jaitley why he had claimed for damages from AAP leaders when he had incurred no financial loss. "The loss caused to me was huge considering my reputation and background and that should be considered unquantifiable," Jaitley replied. Jaitley had sought damages of Rs 10 crore.

Jethmalani replied,"Did you file the case not because of any monetary loss? Was it because your personal feeling of greatness that cannot be quantified in fiscal measure?" This is a case where personal imputations were made against me. I am not opposed to political criticism," Jaitley added.

Jethmalani then referred to an application filed by Jaitley in which he said that his personal goodwill had suffered due to the statements made against him in the DDCA matter. Jethmalani asked Jaitley if he knew the difference between goodwill and reputation. Jaitley said that there are overlapping areas in the meaning of the two words. However, Jethmalani refused to agree and said that he was showing him a dictionary of English language, the Webster's Comprehensive dictionary.

OneIndia News
Kerala: Minors in orphanage raped, five arrested

India

oi-Anusha

The Wayanad police arrested five persons for allegedly raping seven minors in an orphanage in Kerala over a period of two months. The incident came to light when one of the girls was seen exiting a shop near the orphanage under suspicious circumstances. On questioning, it was learnt that the girls between the age of 14 and 15 were being subjected to sexual abuse at least since January.

The orphanage authorities were informed and they alerted the police after which cases were filed against six persons. Police officials claimed that the accused lured the victims who are inmates of a minority orphanage, to a shop nearby and sexually abused them. The girls also alleged that they were threatened by the accused. Out of the six accused, the police have arrested five persons. Hunt for another is on.

The accused are said to have lured the girls while they were returning to the orphanage on multiple occasions. The police suspect that more girls were abused but only seven have come forward to give statements so far.

The incident comes amid anger over the rape of a 16-year-old girl by a catholic priest in Kerala. All seven minor victims have given their statement to the police. Counselling sessions have been arranged for the girls.

OneIndia News
Blow to Nitish Kumar as 5 of 6 MLAs from JD(U) join BJP in Manipur

Manipur: Militant found dead after exchange of fire between two factions

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Imphal, March 7: The general secretary of a Manipur-based militant group was killed after being abducted from his hideout, police said on Tuesday.

The body of A. Singshit of the United Tribal Liberation Army was found on Monday by locals in the hills of Churachandpur district.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing although the police believe that the 62-year-old may have been a victim of factionalism within the militant outfit.

Meanwhile, security forces reached the Khenjang mountain in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday to probe an exchange of fire between two Kuki armed groups on Monday night.

The Kuki Revolutionary Army and the Kuki National Front were reportedly involved in the fighting.

IANS
Our Navy did not shoot Indian fishermen, says Sri Lanka

India

oi-Anusha

Hours after India raised the matter of Sri Lankan navy opening fire on India fishermen killing one, Sri Lanka denied any involvement of its navy in the incident. Even as protests continued in Rameswaram over the death of a 21-year-old fisherman due to firing by the Lankan forces, the country chose to deny its navy's involvement in it.

[Indian fisherman killed: Lanka promises probe]

In a press note on its ministry of foreign affairs website, Sri Lanka claimed that its navy was not involved in the alleged incident. "Initial investigations indicate that the Sri Lanka Navy is not involved in this alleged incident. Irrespective of the parties involved, if in fact, a shooting has taken place, it is a matter of grave concern, and all possible action will be taken, in cooperation with the relevant Indian authorities, to investigate into this incident, utilising GPS technology as well," the statement said.

The note also indulged in lip service by stating that the government of Sri Lanka was deeply concerned about the alleged shooting on Indian fishermen and the connected loss of life of one fisherman and injury caused to another. Even as eyewitnesses claimed that the Sri Lankan navy opened fire, the Sri Lankan government website vehemently opposed the same.

"The safety of fishermen is of utmost importance and the government of Sri Lanka is firm in its commitment to ensuring that all government agencies treat all Indian fishermen in a humane manner at all times," the statement also said.

OneIndia News
Proud husband narrates the tale of his doctor wife responding to mid-air medical crisis

India

oi-Maitreyee

New Delhi, March 7: Saurabh Kumar, who works in the ministry of finance, Delhi, is a proud husband. His wife, Anchita Pandoh, a physician by profession, recently helped a patient to revive consciousness mid-air, as the couple and other co-passengers were flying in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH 130 from Auckland, New Zealand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A medical emergency was declared during the journey. When the captain of the flight queried about the presence of a doctor inside the aircraft to attend to an air hostess, who had suddenly fallen unconscious, it was Anchita, who promptly responded to the 'call of duty'.

Narrating the entire episode on Facebook, Saurabh wrote, " #MedicalEmergencyInAir! On board #MalaysiaAirlines flight #MH130 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur, barely one hour after take off from Auckland, we were having our lunch. Suddenly I saw an air hostess rushing to the front compartment of flight with an oxygen cylinder. It was surely a case of medical emergency. Soon we heard the captain asking for any Doctors in the flight. The only person in the flight who promptly responded to this call was my wife Dr Anchita."

"We rushed to the front compartment and found that an air hostess had fallen unconscious and other flight attendants were trying to help her. Anchita took charge of the situation. Flight crew provided her medical equipments available in the flight. I was worried if the patient didn't recover then flight would be forced into an emergency landing. Going by the location of flight, touching Australia would have taken two hours and returning Auckland would have taken one hour. However, with Anchita's efforts the patient started responding and she opened her eyes. Seeing this all passengers started clapping and cheering. Later the captain came to our seat and thanked her profusely. I felt so proud of my wife."

His Facebook post has gone viral and since then the couple has been receiving 'congratulatory' notes from all.

Read the entire post here:

OneIndia News
Aide of shooter in Moosewala case conducted reconnaissance in Mumbai to kill Salman Khan: Punjab DGP

Salman Khan, Shah Rukh's son take drugs, don't know about Aamir: Ramdev in viral video

Rajasthan govt appeals against Salman Khan verdict in arms act case

India

oi-Madhuri

Rajasthan government on Tuesday filed an appeal against Bollywood actor Salman Khan against acquittal in arms act case. The appeal has been filed in the Jodhpur district and sessions court.

Salman Khan, who was acquitted in an Arms Act case by chief judicial court in Jodhpur, is facing three other cases relating to alleged poaching of chinkaras and blackbucks during the shooting of Hindi film "Hum Saath Saath Hain" in 1998 in Jodhpur.

On Jan 18, Khan was acquitted by a Jodhpur court in an Arms Act case linked to the killing of a blackbuck 19 years ago.

The prosecution witnesses have already recorded their statements in the court. The accused in the case, including Khan, will record their statements in the 1998 case.

OneIndia News (with inputs from agencies)
Sadhna Yadav wants Akhilesh to be CM again; subtly warns stepson not to disrespect Netaji

India

oi-Maitreyee

Lucknow, March 7: Last year, Sadhna Yadav, second wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav, was blamed to be one of the main conspirators causing rift between father Mulayam and son Akhilesh Yadav during the Samajwadi Party family feud.

All this while, we did not hear anything from Sadhna. Finally, she has decided to break her silence, as the mega-election in Uttar Pradesh is coming to an end on March 8.

Speaking to ANI, Sadhna said that her husband did not allow her to join mainstream politics. However, she always worked in the background. "Netaji ne nahi aane diya, par haan background mein kaam karte rahe: Sadhna Yadav(wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav) on entry into politics," tweeted ANI.

Netaji ne nahi aane diya, par haan background mein kaam karte rahe: Sadhna Yadav(wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav) on entry into politics pic.twitter.com/gdPPWQ591c  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

"Now, I don't want to enter politics, but yes I would like my son Prateek (second son of Mulayam) to enter politics," she added. Regarding the SP war, Sadhna said she felt bad about it. "Yes, I feel bad after what happened in the family, I don't blame anyone."

She clarified that she regularly speaks to her stepson, these days. "I have been more in conversation with Akhilesh since January 1, than I have been in the last 5 years." Mulayam's second wife said that she wants the party to win the assembly polls and her stepson to become the CM again. "I want our party to win again and Akhilesh to become CM again."

However, in subtle way Sadhna warned Akhilesh as why the incumbent UP CM should not disrespect Mulayam. "No matter what, nobody should have disrespected Netaji, it is he who founded and nurtured the party. Akhilesh should not have insulted Shivpal Yadav (Mulayam's brother). He was not at fault. He has done a lot for Netaji and the party."

She also said that she was clueless as who 'misled' Akhilesh. "I don't know who misled Akhilesh, he respects Netaji and I a lot." Sadhna added that she won't backtrack further as she had been insulted a lot. "Ab hum peeche nahi hatenge, mera bohot apmaan hua hai."

Ab hum peeche nahi hatenge, mera bohot apmaan hua hai: Sadhna Yadav(Mulayam's wife)  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2017

OneIndia News
Salute the soldier for his exceptionally brave act at Tral, J&K

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The 15-hour Tral encounter that took place on Saturday and ended the next day was one of the toughest and deadliest encounters that have taken place in recent times. Two very dangerous militants, an Indian and a Pakistani were holed up in a house and engaged security forces for 15 hours.

Two terrorists were holed up inside a house and continued to engage security forces. The residents said after the encounter that they were unable to sleep as the firing went on for the entire night. There were loud bangs and bullet sounds that kept them awake.

['Koi baat nahin saab', this brave constable said while battling terrorists at Tral]

There was one a time when everyone thought that the encounter was over. The firing had stopped and it was believed that the terrorists had died. However firing resumed after an hour. In the meantime a large number of locals landed at the encounter site and began pelting stones at the security forces. This took place despite the strict advisory that no one shall assemble in a three kilometre radius of any encounter site.

The security forces had to face disruptions several times during the encounter thanks to locals landing up at the spot and pelting stones. One of the locals even snatched away the rifle of a security personnel and disappeared. A separate operation had to be launched to recover the rifle.

[How stone pelters got wind of the Tral encounter in J&K]

The locals were alerted about the encounter because of a call made by Maulvi to his mother. He told his mother that he was holed up in a house in the Hafoo area which was surrounded by security personnel. He is said to have told his mother that he would not surrender and would fight instead. Sources say that his family members may have tipped off the locals who then gathered at the encounter site in large numbers and attempted to disrupt the encounter.

However, it was the heroics of Manzoor Ahmed Naik which helped finish the encounter. The terrorists managed to engage the security forces for nearly 15 hours in the encounter that began at 6 pm on Saturday. Naik was repeatedly told his superiors not to approach the house. However, he insisted at least twice during the course of the encounter that he wanted to plant the explosives near the house.

It was pitch dark and he crawled towards the house to plant the explosives. As he approached the house, he was once again told by his superiors not to take any risk. However he continued and planted the explosives and returned. Only half the house was demolished in the explosion.

Two hours later, he volunteered to plant more explosives. He moved towards the house and while doing so, he came under heavy fire by the militants. Despite being wounded badly, he went ahead and planted the explosives near the remaining part of the house. This explosion brought down the entire house. However, Naik breathed his last.

OneIndia News
Sri Lankan navy fires at Indian fishermen, one dead

India

pti-PTI

Rameswaram, Mar 6: A 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet, fisheries department officials said.

The incident occurred on Monday evening when Bridgo, from Thangachimadam in central Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, was fishing near the islet along with others and the Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived at the spot and opened fire, Fisheries Department assistant director Kulanchinathan said.

Bridgo was shot in the neck and died on the spot, he said, adding another fisherman, Saravanan, suffered injuries in his leg in the firing while others who went along with them escaped unhurt and returned to the shore at 12.30 am.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association president P Sesuraja told PTI that more than 2,000 fishermen were fishing well within Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot taking them by surprise. The Lankan navy officials did not even fire a warning shot, he alleged.

Kulanchinathan said the body has been brought to the Rameswaram hospital and a case has been registered at the Jetty police station.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area as fishermen from Thangachimadam coastal hamlet gathered in front of the hospital to protest the firing by the Sri Lankan navy.

The Tamil Nadu government had on Monday protested the 'escalation' in apprehension of its fishermen by Sri Lanka and said the Centre did 'not seem to put adequate pressure' on Colombo regarding the matter.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had referred to the arrest of 32 Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities in the last few days and said these incidents were causing hardship and mental agony to the fishermen community.

Noting that currently there were 85 fishermen and 128 fishing boats in Lankan custody, he had urged Modi to direct the external affairs ministry officials concerned to take concrete action through diplomatic channels to secure their release.

PTI
Uttar Pradesh elections: How parties strived for attention as campaigning ended

India

oi-Shubir

By Shubir Rishi

The 'do or die' campaign for the seventh and final phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, covering 40 assembly seats in seven districts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, came to a close on Monday. The polling in these seats will be held on March 8.

After addressing two massive roadshows and addressing two public meetings in the heart of Varanasi, Modi offered milk, Ganga jal, flowers, chandan and janeyu and performed aarti at the Lord Kashi Vishwanath. He later repeated it at Kaal Bhairav temple, which is considered to be a very holy place in the temple town.

[How PM Modi won political kushti against Akhilesh-Rahul in Varanasi]

Once again, Modi proved how no one could match his oratory skills and charisma to pull crowds. Even several of his former critics in the media have predicted a massive win for the BJP in the northern state because of the resurgence of 'Modi wave'. For him, the election to the 403-seat state assembly is really important.

The prime minister's road show in the city saw thousands lining up the route, chanting pro-Modi slogans and showering marigold petals on his entourage. In comparison, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh looked 'tired' and 'helpless', as he stepped out of his father's shadow and joined hands with the Congress. Akhilesh's political 'buddy' and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was found repeating the same charges against Modi in the temple town.

On the other hand, BSP supremo Mayawati termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expectation that the BJP would get 'bonus' votes as hawa-hawai and claimed that people have made up their mind to vote for her party.

She also took a swipe at Akhilesh for his continued attack on the elephant statues set up by her government, saying he was indulging in 'childish talk'. She sought votes for jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, arguing that his victory will erase his bahubali (muscleman) image. "I urge you to vote in large numbers, thereby ensuring a comprehensive victory for Mukhtar Ansari...once Mukhtar wins the assembly polls, his baahubali (muscleman) image will gradually diminish," she said.

Mukhtar, who faces 40 criminal cases, including those of murder and kidnapping, recently joined BSP after the merger of his Qaumi Ekta Dal with the ruling SP failed to take place due to strong objections from Akhilesh.

Polling for the final 40 seats will be held on March 7 in Ghazipur, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur and Chandauli. The SP will be fighting 31 seats, the BJP 32, and the BSP will be contesting for all 40
Yasin Bhatkal not kept in solitary confinement, court told

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 7: The Tihar Central Jail officials on Tuesday told a Delhi court that Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal has not been kept in solitary confinement as there is no such cell in the prison. During in-camera proceedings, the jail officials also told the court that Bhatkal is kept under surveillance since there are several cases pending against him.

The court was hearing Bhatkal's plea in which he has alleged that he cannot be kept in a high security cell as per previous rulings of the Supreme Court. Bhatkal's counsel M.S. Khan also claimed in the application that his solitary confinement amounts to contempt of court.

[Also read: Militant holed up in UP part of Islamic State: IB]

"In view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, lodging him in isolation in a separate cell was in violation of articles of the Constitution," said Bhatkal, who was recently sentenced to the death penalty in the 2013 Hyderabad blast case and is under judicial custody in various other terror cases. The court has listed the matter for March 25 for further hearing. Bhatkal was arrested in August 2013 from India-Nepal border.

IANS
Yes, votes are up for sale at Rs 50 too: Why Akhilesh to Kejriwal didnt say anything new

India

oi-Maitreyee

New Delhi, March 7: During the Assam assembly elections 2016, Robert Rabha, a resident of Rani, a village around 35 kms from Dispur--the state capital--told this writer that he took money from both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in exchange for his precious 'vote'.

"This is how it works. The leaders and their party workers come to our village just days ahead of polling and offer everyone in the village money and alcohol. I take money and freebies from all parties, but vote for the candidate whom I think is best suited for my village."

Robert revealed that during the last assembly elections in Assam, most parties offered Rs 500 per vote in his village. "At times people sell their votes for Rs 50 also."

From Assam to Uttar Pradesh, political parties, especially in rural and semi-urban areas directly lure voters by offering them cash to vote for their party candidates. That is why during every election, we hear about huge amount of unaccounted cash being confiscated by the police and officials of the Election Commission.

The distribution of money among the voters by political parties happen in such a blatant manner that this time even high-profile politician like UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in their election rallies had asked people to take 'bribe', but vote for their respective parties.

In all these above three instances, the EC took prompt action by issuing notices to the politicians to clarify on their statements and censured them from making similar remarks in the future. Asking voters to take 'money' from political parties is a clear violation of model code of conduct. But as we have repeatedly witnessed how 'bribe' money flows unabatedly during elections and except for the officials of the EC, everyone has accepted the fact as a reality.

OneIndia News
Donald Trump refuses to accept FBI's rejection of wiretapping claims

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, March 7: US President Donald Trump does not accept FBI Director James Comey's denial of his charges that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped the billionaire's phones last year, a White House spokeswoman said.

Comey unsuccessfully asked the Justice Department over the weekend to publicly refute Trump's accusations that Obama ordered his phones be tapped during the 2016 electoral campaign, Efe news reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director said the gravity of the accusations of Trump's communications being tapped required a public statement by the Justice Department saying that did not happen, but the latter agency has not as yet issued any statement on the matter.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked on Monday in an ABC News interview on whether Trump accepted Comey's views on the matter. "You know, I don't think he does," the spokeswoman said, adding that the government of former President Obama "was wiretapping American citizens", a seeming reference to the massive wiretapping carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA) revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, so he "could have" done the same to Trump.

"The President wants the truth to come out to the American people through the House Intelligence Committee and that is the process we go through," she said. Trump's accusation without substantiation that Obama ordered his telephone calls to be wiretapped was tweeted by Trump on which and was rejected hours later as "simply false" by the former president through a statement by his spokesman Kevin Lewis.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer asked later that Congress investigate the alleged wiretapping as part of the case about Russia's supposed interference in last November's US presidential election, in order to determine whether there was a potential abuse of power by the Obama administration. Spicer noted that neither the White House nor President Trump will make any more statements about these controversial reports.

IANS
Former Pak NSA's 26/11 claim: Old wine in an older bottle

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

On Monday, former National Security Advisor of Pakistan, Muhammad Durrani said that the Mumbai 26/11 attack was a classic example of cross-border terrorism carried out by his country. He however said that the Pakistan government had no role to play in it. Many in the media went to town with the news, but the fact is that there is nothing new in the claim.

[26/11 carried out by Pak-based group, says former Pakistan NSA]

It is a well-known fact that the Pakistan establishment backed the Lashkar-e-Tayiba with logistics, training and money to carry out that deadly attack which left over 160 people dead. There are many who have spoken about the role played by the Pakistan establishment in the attack, but the fact of the matter is that not much or nothing has been done to bring the perpetrators to justice.

David Headley, who carried out the reconnaissance, has spoken about the role of the establishment. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist to have been caught alive following the attack has spoken about how army officials in Pakistan often visited their training camp in Murdike.

Major Sameed Ali and Major Iqbal, two ISI men were part of the planning and execution. Pakistan denies the very existence of these men. To add to the misery is the trial that is going on in Pakistan, and little or no progress has been made.

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the plotter in chief has not been brought to justice. It has been nine years since the attacks took place and Hafiz Saeed has not been put in the box as yet. Kasab and Headley speak about how Saeed motivated the terrorists to strike. Pakistan has been given ample proof, but refuses to believe the same especially against Saeed and Lakhvi.

Durrani's statements do not surprise or shock. It is a well-known fact that India has been speaking about the moment the attack took place. Durrani absolves the establishment of any role in the attack. This is where Durrani stops short of telling the truth. He was the NSA and would have been aware of what the Inter-Services Intelligence and the army in Pakistan were up to.

Maritime training was given by former naval officers in Pakistan. Major Iqbal and Sameer Ali were serving officers who trained the LeT to gather logistics. In fact, it was them who oversaw Headley's visit to Mumbai. Further, the role of Sajid Mir another suspected establishment man was not even mentioned by Durrani. Mir, one of the deadliest operatives of the LeT termed as an international terrorist is suspected to have been relieved of his ISI duty officially, to help plan and coordinate this attack.

OneIndia News
Malaysia, North Korea at loggerheads over Kim Jong Nam's death

International

pti-PTI

Seoul, March 7: Pyongyang is banning all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea, state media said on Tuesday, potentially holding them hostage amid an increasingly heated diplomatic row over the killing of Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur.

"All Malaysian nationals in the DPRK will be temporarily prohibited from leaving the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved," the official Korea Central News Agency said, citing the foreign ministry.

Malaysia immediately then banned North Korean citizens from leaving the country. Malaysia's deputy prime minister says North Koreans are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang (North Korea) blocked Malaysians.

Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but have been set at loggerheads by the killing of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-Un by two women using VX nerve agent. Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur has sought several North Koreans for questioning, although the only one it arrested was released for lack of evidence.

North Korea has yet to confirm the dead man's identity but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it. Malaysia expelled the North's ambassador as diplomatic tensions soared, and Pyongyang retaliated on Monday by formally ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.

According to KCNA, Pyongyang's foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian government would solve the issue in a "fair and timely manner based on goodwill". Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed to "conduct business and live normally" while the travel ban is in place, it added.

PTI
N. Korea media says missile launch a drill to strike US bases in Japan

International

pti-PTI

Seoul, March 7: Nuclear-armed North Korea's launch of four missiles was a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan and supervised by leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang's state media said on Tuesday.

Three of the four missiles came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump. Washington and Tokyo have sought an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the launch, likely to be scheduled for Wednesday.

Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of ballistic missile technology, and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Twitter that the world 'won't allow' North Korea to continue on its 'destructive path'. But six sets of UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Kim Jong-Un gave the order for the drill to start, the North's official Korea Central News Agency reported.

"Feasting his eyes on the trails of ballistic rockets", he praised the Hwasong artillery unit that carried it out, it said.

"The four ballistic rockets launched simultaneously are so accurate that they look like acrobatic flying corps in formation, he said," the agency added, referring to Kim. The military units involved are 'tasked to strike the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency', KCNA said.

But a US defence official told AFP that North Korea had launched five extended-range Scud missiles on Monday, with one crashing somewhere over the Korean peninsula. Seoul and Washington last week began annual joint military exercises that always infuriate Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-Un ordered his military 'to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime', KCNA reported, and to be ready to 'open fire to annihilate the enemies' when ordered. Pyongyang regularly issues threats against its enemies, and carried out two atomic tests and a series of missile launches last year, but Monday was only the second time its devices have come down in Japan's EEZ.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament: "This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat," adding: "We can never tolerate this."

The launches came ahead of a trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the region. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned them, urging Pyongyang to refrain from further 'provocations'. Trump has described North Korea as a 'big, big problem' and vowed to deal with the issue "very strongly".

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday that North Korea poses a 'very serious threat', adding the administration was taking steps to 'enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles'.

South Korea said on Monday that four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan -- travelling about 1,000 kilometres and reaching an altitude of 260 kilometres.

PTI
Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India

N Korea missile launches: UNSC to meet tomorrow

International

pti-PTI

United Nations, Mar 7: The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, the US mission said.

The meeting was requested by the United States and Japan after Pyongyang launched at least four ballistic missiles, three of which fell in the sea close to Japan.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the latest missile tests and urged Pyongyang to 'refrain from further provocations'.

The launches were the latest in a series of test-firings that violate UN resolutions barring Pyongyang from developing missile technology.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Twitter that the world 'won't allow' North Korea to continue on its 'destructive path'.

South Korea said four missiles were fired from Tongchang County in North Pyongan province into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan. The missiles traveled about 1,000 kilometers and reached an altitude of 260 kilometers, a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

PTI
Fact Check: Old images of Imran Khan shared as ones from recent shooting incident

Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

Pakistan temporarily opens two border crossings with Afghanistan

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, March 7: Pakistan on Tuesday temporarily reopened two border crossings with Afghanistan which were closed in February after a spate of terror attacks in the country.

The opening of the Torkham and Chaman border crossing points on March 7 and 8 is being seen as a move to ease tension between the two neighbours and relieve some of the backlog of people and vehicles at the border, Dawn online reported.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, Afghans and Pakistanis with valid travel documents will be allowed to cross the border points for two days.

The two crossing points are major arteries for trade and commerce between Islamabad and Kabul. Other crossings, which are less in use, will remain closed.

"We have only allowed patients to cross borders on the basis of valid documents," a Pakistani official told The News International.

According to an Afghan official, no trade activity between Pakistan and Afghanistan has resumed so far.

Another security official at Chaman said hundreds of Afghans were crossing the border and Pakistanis were returning amid tight security.

Pakistan shut the crossings hours after a bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan town of Sindh on February 16. Nearly 90 persons died in the attack which Islamabad blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.

Islamabad also sought to use the closure as a tool to pressure Kabul to act against militants with sanctuaries across the border.

The reopening came a day after the killing of five Pakistani soldiers in a gunfight with militants crossing over from Afghanistan, officials said.

Islamabad demanded that Afghanistan take action against militants launching attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan has described the allegations as baseless.

IANS
S. Korea to push for tougher sanctions on Pyongyang

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Seoul, March 7: The South Korean government and the ruling party on Tuesday agreed on the need to push for more 'effective' sanctions on North Korea after it fired off four ballistic missiles into the the Sea of Japan.

The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defence and diplomatic officials, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"The two sides agreed that there is a need for additional, strong anti-Pyongyang sanctions," the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told the media.

Lee did not elaborate on additional measures, but he said this matter should be discussed at the UN.

The two sides also agreed to make 'active efforts' to put Pyongyang back on the US list of state sponsors of terror in consideration of the recent assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam.

Kim Jong-nam was killed with the lethal VX nerve agent in an airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on February 13. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the killing, but it has denied the claims.

On Monday, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles in protest against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.

IANS
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to visit India in April

International

pti-PTI

Jakarta, March 7: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said she will visit India soon, after her travel plans in December were postponed reportedly due to New Delhi's preoccupation with political challenges over demonetization.

"I'm coming to India," Hasina told PTI on the sidelines of a summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association here when asked about her expectations from the proposed visit. During Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Dhaka in February, Hasina's Deputy Press Secretary M Nazrul Islam had said the Bangladeshi premier will visit India in April. She is to travel to India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited her in 2015.

Hasina was expected to travel to India in December, but the plan was postponed, amid speculation that it was not a suitable time for the visit given the Indian government's preoccupation with the challenges thrown up by demonetisation of higher denomination currency notes.

It was believed that since the ties between the Union government and the West Bengal government - a key stakeholder in the Teesta Water sharing issue - had strained over the sudden scrapping of the notes, any agreement, or meaningful discussion, on an agreement was unlikely to materialise. The two countries have successfully settled their other previously pending issues like the Land Boundary and enclave problem.

PTI
US officials say Trump's new travel ban not against Muslims

International

pti-PTI

Washington, March 7: Senior Trump administration officials on Tuesday defended a revised travel ban that prevents people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, saying the order is not aimed at Muslims but is an effort to safeguard the nation from foreign extremists.

"This is not a Muslim ban in any way, shape or form," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call after President Donald Trump signed the revised executive order. "This is a temporary suspension on the entry of nationals from six countries that have either failed states at this point, or that are state sponsors of terror; that we don't have the ability to make safe, adequate screening and vetting determinations for nationals under current procedures because of those weaknesses," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

"There are dozens and hundreds of millions, if not one-point-something billion Muslim individuals -- followers of the Islamic faith, who are not subject to this executive order, who are free to come to the United States under our visa and -- and admissions regime, the same way that they were a week ago, four weeks ago, four months ago, four years ago for the most part," the official said.

"Again, this is not in any way targeted as a Muslim ban and we firmly want to make sure that everyone understands that very, very important provision," the official said. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at a news conference that Trump concluded that these actions are necessary to protect the US from those who, unfortunately, wish to do harm to the country.

Under the new order there will be a 90-day suspension of travel to the US by nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, during which the Department of State and Homeland Security will conduct a review to determine how it can improve the screening process for foreign nationals seeking to enter the US.

"These governments simply cannot or not adequately supply satisfactory information about their own nationals. In the absence of adequate information from these governments, the President has had to act to protect the security of the American people," Spicer said. Spicer explained that after the original executive order, Iraq's government took steps to increase their cooperation with US immigration authorities and improve their vetting process, leading them to be removed from the list of countries covered by the temporary travel suspension.

PTI
Why is the Komodo dragon Google's Doodle?

This is because of 37 years of the Komodo National Park and the conservation of the Komodo dragon. The park was declared as a World heritage site by UNESCO in 1991. The park was founded to preserve the dragon which is unique to the area.

Image Courtesy: Youtube

What are Komodo dragons?

It is a large carnivorous reptile that is found in Indonesia. They are related to snakes and eat almost everything including human beings. The dragon is also known to eat smaller members of its own kind.

Image Courtesy: Youtube

How much can they eat?

The Komodo dragon can consume 80 per cent of their body weight in a single meal. They eat deers, pigs and water buffalos too. The dragon is known to kill in a terrifying manner. It uses 50 strains of bacteria in its saliva to poison its prey's blood.

Image Courtesy: Youtube

How big is the Komodo dragon?

The Komodo dragon weighs 149 kilograms and is ten feet tall. They can run up to 11 miles an hour and have replaceable teeth like the sharks. They are the heaviest lizards on the planet.

Image Courtesy: Youtube

Is the Komodo dragon endangered?

There are around 6,000 dragons on the planet today. They are found on the islands of Komodi, Rinca, Flores and Gila Montang. The Komodo dragon has been labeled as an endangered species today for several reasons. They are lack of egg laying females, natural disaster and encroachment by humans into their space.

Image Courtesy: Youtube
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Mid-Day 17 Oct 2022

"I loved and admired her as a person in a way I could never explain to anybody else," he stated in a report by Fox News
CBS News 29 Mar 2021

Wikileaks has released what it says is the secret CIA handbook on how to get around security systems at international airports. CBS..
New Online Poker Bill Introduced in Michigan

Published March 6, 2017 by Elana K

Last Wednesday, Michigan Senator Mike Kowall introduced legislation that would legalize online gambling in the state. The bill, SB 203, is about online poker but is open to including other forms of online gambling activity.

Last Wednesday, Michigan Senator Mike Kowall introduced legislation that would legalize online gambling in the state. The bill, SB 203, is about online poker but is open to including other forms of online gambling activity, and allows the option for licensing to Michigans commercial casino operators and federally recognized tribes that already conduct gaming operations.

This is not Kowall's first attempt at legalizing online gambling; last year he introduced a similar bill, which received unofficial approval and then promptly disappeared from everyones radars.

This year, Kowall has tried to address the issues raised by his first bill, and included details that will hopefully give SB 203 a fighting chance at getting approval.

About the Bill

The bill Kowall drew up last year pushed for interstate liquidity sharing, an idea that was met with opposition from the Gaming Control Board deputy director, David Murley. This year, the bill still includes the option, but in a much softer way. The language is as follows:

"SB 203 would permit interstate compacts with other gambling-friendly jurisdictions, provided the gaming under the agreement is conducted only in the United States.

Another issue raised by Murley is whether the bill needs to be voted on by a public referendum before it is allowed to be considered by the Senate. The chances for the public to be approved are high, as the state has already voted in favor of online lottery sales, but it would delay the bills passing.

The last, but not least, pressing issue is that of the tribes, which currently operate casinos under the Indian Gaming Regulation Act. Kowalls bill, which comes along with licensing fees, would essentially violate the act, something the tribes are likely to fight against.

The proposed licensing fees for a five-year operator license are: $200,000 for the first year, and a subsequent $100,000 for the following four years.
Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

Hedge funds slightly fell in the last week of February as the Lyxor Hedge Fund Index was down -0.8% (+0.7% YTD), with global macro funds underperforming. The strategy suffered in particular from the rise of the EUR vs. USD, lower German and UK bond yields, and the pullback in European equities.

Short term CTAs outperformed long term models from 21 to 28 February. The latter were hit by their substantial long position on equities. Yet, CTAs have delivered solid returns for the full month of February, up 3.2% (+0.2% YTD). However, event driven ended the week on a high note, fuelled by buoyant M&A activity in the U.S. Both special situations and merger arbitrage funds ended the week in positive territory.

"Event-driven performance has continued to move upwards over recent weeks in a context where M&A activity has remained strong since the beginning of the year, especially in the U.S," Philippe Ferreira, senior strategist at Lyxor Asset Management.

Event-Driven expected to outperform this year

Ferreira cited data from Dealogic claiming that global M&A activity has reached $490bn year to date (YTD) as of March 3. Although global M&A volumes are slightly down compared to the same period last year (-7%), this is mainly related to lower dealmaking in Asia (-36%, including Japan).

M&A volumes are up 6% YTD in the U.S., to USD 221bn, led by the oil & gas and health care sectors......................

To view our full article Click here
Opalesque Industry Update - The Sohn Conference Foundation today announced the launch date of its Investment Idea Contest ahead of the 22nd Annual Sohn Investment Conference, in partnership with CNBC. The contest supports the Foundation's mission to treat and cure pediatric cancer. The winner will present his or her idea to more than 3,000 attendees from across the globe at the Conference on May 8, 2017 at Lincoln Center in New York City. Sponsored by GLG, the world's leading professional learning membership, the contest will kick off on April 10, 2017 and is open to any individual with an investment idea for a marketable security (long or short) with a market capitalization above $1 billion. The submission deadline is 9 p.m. on April 26, 2017. A panel of the world's most elite investors, chaired by David Einhorn and including William Ackman, Joel Greenblatt, Seth Klarman and Larry Robbins will select the winner based on the judges' determination of the most compelling investment thesis with a one-year horizon. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime to be selected by an all-star judging panel and present alongside the world's savviest investors," said Lance Laifer, one of the founders of the Sohn Conference Foundation. "The Sohn Investment Idea Contest is the only platform of its kind, encouraging anyone, regardless of industry, to share his or her best idea in pursuit of a coveted spot on the Sohn stage. We look forward to receiving this year's submissions and reviewing these fresh perspectives on the market." The conference is famous for introducing a number of prominent investors to the global stage, including David Einhorn, Founder and President of Greenlight Capital. Einhorn received extensive coverage at the Sohn Investment Conference in 2008 for the short-selling of Lehman Brothers, just months before the bank collapsed. He is a long-time supporter of Sohn's mission to treat and cure pediatric cancer, having generously donated $7 million in profits resulting from the famed Allied Capital short bet he presented in 2002. "The Idea Contest is a unique and exciting part of the Sohn Conference," said David Einhorn. "It's a way to encourage both professionals and students to showcase their ideas and present compelling, well-developed investment theses." "GLG has long been committed to advancing medicine and science  beginning with our first projects more than 15 years ago," said Alexander Saint-Amand, CEO of GLG. "We are proud to sponsor the Sohn Investment Idea Contest and be part of the Sohn Conference Foundation's important work to treat and cure pediatric cancer." Marc Grow, a student at Columbia Business School, won last year's idea contest and beat out hundreds of others, including professionals. Grow pitched a short on Dexcom (DXCM), an insulin device maker (continuous glucose monitoring), which is facing impending competition and is unable to increase price as revenue per user declines.
Emamectin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020)

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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Emamectin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Emamectin: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The report Emamectin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report. A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Emamectin, an insecticide belonging to group Macrocyclic lactone, is used for controlling various pests such as Adoxophyes & Ascotis & Homona, Thrips, Spodoptera, Plutella, Mamestra & Pieris & Plutella among others.- Mexico, Spain, USA, India, Japan are the leading country markets among others.- Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC) & Water Soluble Granules (SG) were the leading formulations in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Emamectin market to be more than USD 170 Million.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @ReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch Street Boston, MA 02110US Phone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market to See Incredible Growth During 2017 - 2027

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The Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Drivers and ChallengesBelow listed are few of the driving factors of life insurance policy administration systems market: Life insurers seek to launch new and innovative products, hence, they need faster speed-to-market for these products. Multiple life insurance policy administration systems offer different interfaces to business users, making it difficult to understand and interact with the process. Life insurers also face issues with the data consistency and redundancy due to the existence of information across multiple repositories in the organization. This lowers customer satisfaction since it results in customer service inefficiencies. The old legacy systems have limited flexibility, sometimes due to hard-coded logic, which results in a challenge in the case of any new requirement or change in business rules and processes. All these factors are encouraging consumers to shift to life insurance policy administration systems.Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Key Market PlayersFew of the companies in Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems market are: Accenture, Andesa Services, Concentrix, CSC (CyberLife), CSC (Wealth Management Accelerator), EXL, FAST Technology, Infosys McCamish, InsPro Technologies, Majesco, MDI, Mphasis Wyde, Oracle, Sapiens and Vitech Systems Group.A sample of this report is available upon request @Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems Market: Regional OverviewLife insurance policy administration systems market is currently dominated by North America region owing to wide adoption of life insurance policy administration systems in order to improve efficiency and eradicate issues arising due to multiple administration systems. Europe Life Insurance Policy Administration Systems market follows next due to wide adoption of these kind of administration systems in this region. Asia Pacific life insurance policy administration systems market is gradually growing due to the presence of wide customer base in this region.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR 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 a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) 2017 Global Key Players - Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, General Electric, Wartsila Oyj ABP, ABB, Rolls-Royce, L-3 Communications Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Dynamic Positioning System (DPS)

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Dynamic Positioning System (DPS)Report Details:Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingKongsberg Gruppen ASAGeneral ElectricWartsila Oyj ABPABBRolls-RoyceL-3 CommunicationsAB Volvo PentaNavis EngineeringMarine TechnologiesPraxis Automation & TechnologyNORR SystemsMoxaMitsui Energing & ShipbuildingGuidance NavigationClick here for sample report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoDP0DP1DP2DP3On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) for each application, includingPassenger ShipsMerchant VesselsOffshore VesselsNaval VesselsOther.......Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Market Research Report 20171 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Dynamic Positioning System (DPS)1.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 DP01.2.4 DP11.2.5 DP21.2.6 DP31.3 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Segment by Application1.3.1 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Passenger Ships1.3.3 Merchant Vessels1.3.4 Offshore Vessels1.3.5 Naval Vessels1.3.6 Other1.4 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)For Detailed Reading Please visit @7 Global Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Kongsberg Gruppen ASA7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Kongsberg Gruppen ASA Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 General Electric7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 General Electric Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Wartsila Oyj ABP7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Wartsila Oyj ABP Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 ABB7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 ABB Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Rolls-Royce7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Rolls-Royce Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 L-3 Communications7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 L-3 Communications Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview..ContinuedBuy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPh: +91 841 198 5042info@wiseguyreports.com
New Research Report Global Honeycomb Sandwich Market Analysis and Forecasts 2021

Honeycomb Sandwich

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Honeycomb Sandwich MarketWiseGuyReports Publish a Latest Market Research Report On  Global Honeycomb Sandwich Market Report 2017  Industry Research, Manufacturers, Sales, Consumption, Segmentation, Price, Revenue, Share and Forecasts to 2022.Request Sample Copy of this Report @Description:The Global Honeycomb Sandwich Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Honeycomb Sandwich industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The honeycomb sandwich market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states importexport, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (USA, Europe, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the honeycomb sandwich industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Complete Report Details @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comTable of Contents8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Honeycomb Sandwich 728.1 Hexcel 728.1.1 Company Profile 728.1.2 Product Specifications 738.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 758.1.4 Contact Information 778.2 Liming Honeycomb 778.2.1 Company Profile 778.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications 788.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 798.2.4 Contact Information 808.3 Gill Corporation 808.3.1 Company Profile 808.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications 818.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 838.3.4 Contact Information 858.4 Alucoil 858.4.1 Company Profile 858.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications 868.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 878.4.4 Contact Information 888.5 Beecore Honeycomb 888.5.1 Company Profile 888.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications 898.5.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 908.5.4 Contact Information 918.6 EconCore 918.6.1 Company Profile 918.6.2 Product Picture 928.6.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 938.6.4 Contact Information 948.7 Plascore 948.7.1 Company Profile 948.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications 958.7.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 988.7.4 Contact Information 1008.8 Sika 1008.8.1 Company Profile 1008.8.2 Product Picture 1018.8.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1018.8.4 Contact Information 1038.9 Pacfic Panels 1038.9.1 Company Profile 1038.9.2 Product Specifications 1048.9.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1068.9.4 Contact Information 1078.10 TRB 1078.10.1 Company Profile 1078.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1088.10.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1098.10.4 Contact Information 1108.11 Samia Canada 1108.11.1 Company Profile 1108.11.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1118.11.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1128.11.4 Contact Information 1138.12 Bangheda 1138.12.1 Company Profile 1138.12.2 Product Picture 1148.12.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1158.12.4 Contact Information 1178.13 NLM Group 1178.13.1 Company Profile 1178.13.2 Product Picture 1188.13.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1188.13.4 Contact Information 1208.14 Coretex Group 1208.14.1 Company Profile 1208.14.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1218.14.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1228.14.4 Contact Information 1238.15 EverGreen Group 1238.15.1 Company Profile 1238.15.2 Product Picture 1248.15.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1258.15.4 Contact Information 1268.16 HONYLITE 1268.16.1 Company Profile 1268.16.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1278.16.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1288.16.4 Contact Information 1308.17 Qixingnuo Metal 1308.17.1 Company Profile 1308.17.2 Product Picture 1318.17.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1318.17.4 Contact Information 1338.18 FORM s.r.o. 1338.18.1 Company Profile 1338.18.2 Product Picture 1348.18.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1348.18.4 Contact Information 1368.19 General Veneer 1368.19.1 Company Profile 1368.19.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1368.19.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1378.19.4 Contact Information 1398.20 Sansheng Building Material 1398.20.1 Company Profile 1398.20.2 Product Picture 1408.20.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1408.20.4 Contact Information 1428.21 Yinshanyan 1428.21.1 Company Profile 1428.21.2 Product Picture 1428.21.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1438.21.4 Contact Information 1458.22 Daou Aluminum 1458.22.1 Company Profile 1458.22.2 Product Picture 1468.22.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1468.22.4 Contact Information 1488.23 Nanhai Hongwei 1488.23.1 Company Profile 1488.23.2 Product Picture 1488.23.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1498.23.4 Contact Information 1518.24 Advanced Custom Manufacturing 1518.24.1 Company Profile 1518.24.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1528.24.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1538.24.4 Contact Information 1558.25 Hubei Hangyu 1558.25.1 Company Profile 1558.25.2 Product Picture 1568.25.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1578.25.4 Contact Information 1598.26 Shinko-North 1598.26.1 Company Profile 1598.26.2 Product Picture 1608.26.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1608.26.4 Contact Information 1628.27 Ecoearth 1628.27.1 Company Profile 1628.27.2 Product Picture and Specifications 1638.27.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue 1648.27.4 Contact Information 1659 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Honeycomb Sandwich 1669.1 Marketing Channels Status of Honeycomb Sandwich 1669.2 Traders or Distributors with Contact Information of Honeycomb Sandwich 1679.3 Ex-work Price, Channel Price and End Buyer Price Analysis of Honeycomb Sandwich 1689.4 Regional Import, Export and Trade Analysis of Honeycomb Sandwich 168..CONTINUEDMake an Enquiry @CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Pune, India
OPEN CALL for artists in exile for an artist residency at BLO Ateliers Berlin

OPEN CALL for artists in exile for an artist residency at BLO Ateliers Berlin

Application deadline: March, 19th 2017, 12 pmHIER und JETZT (HERE and Now) is a residency project for artists in exile, who are living in Berlin and have the need for a working space for their artistic production. Our intention is to offer the possibility for exchange between artists in exile and the artists of the BLO Ateliers.A parallel program with talks, project presentations, video-art screenings and exhibitions will be held during the 6 month long project and will be open to the public audience including the community of the BLO Ateliers.SCHEDULE AND DETAILSFrom April until September 2017 the guest studio K22 will be offered to 3 artists or artist groups in exile already living in Berlin.HIER und JETZT artist residency project offers artists in different career stages from various disciplines (writing, painting, sculpture, multimedia and video art, new technologies, installation art, performance, music, dance, etc) a working place for a concentrated period of two months. We support residents in their creative explorations, investigations and artistic growth within an environment of communication and exchange.The artists will be selected by a jury of international artists who work at BLO and organize the HIER und JETZT Project.THE STUDIOThe studio is about 60 sqm on the ground floor. It consists of one bright individual room. One third of it is separated by a wall (see floor plan below). The studio has internet and access to bathrooms and water and is situated at the BLO Ateliers near to the S-Bahn station Noldnerplatz. It is not possible to live in the studio.The studio will be offered to each artist for 2 months. During the residency period we ask for a public presentation of the work. Each artist will have a budget of 500 Euro to cover material costs. The studio rent is covered by Bezirkskulturfond Lichtenberg.At the end of the whole residency project there will be a group show featuring the participating artists at the After the Butcher Gallery in Berlin Lichtenberg (planned for October 2017).Application deadline: March, 19th 2017, 12 pmWe will inform the selected artists on Sunday 26th, 2017APPLICATION:http://www.blo-ateliers.de/hier-und-jetzt-open-call-for-artists-in-exile/WHO WE AREThe BLO Ateliers is an artists community in Berlin Lichtenberg. We are about 60 people working and producing visual arts, music, photography, fashion design, metal works, special effects for movies and a lot more.Since 2003 the BLO Ateliers offer ateliers and workspaces for artists. The BLO Ateliers are one of the most interesting and largest artists communities in East Berlin. Here you can find the creative atmosphere and culture of some of the best contemporary artists working on their projects.INFORMATION & CONTACT:For questions about the project and the application process please write to:Irina Novarese: hier.und.jetzt.blo@gmail.comPress contact:Cornelia Es Said: presse@blo-ateliers.deBLO-AteliersKaskelstr. 5510317 Berlin
Digital Defense, Inc. Lands Top spot on Cybersecurity 500

www.digitaldefense.com

San Antonio, TX  March 6, 2017  Digital Defense, Inc., a leading provider of Vulnerability Management as a Service (VMaaS), today announced that it attained a top spot in the Cybersecurity 500, the definitive list of the worlds hottest and most innovative companies in the cybersecurity industry. Coming in at number 16, Digital Defense, Inc. has been winning over organizations with its Frontline Vulnerability Manager (Frontline VM) solution, one of a kind vulnerability scanning technology, penetration testing and security awareness training.Being named a leading innovator along with other security frontrunners in the top 20  like Cisco, FireEye, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Sophos, and Symantec is a testament to our software developers, security analysts, and support personnel, said Larry Hurtado, CEO of Digital Defense, Inc. We have long asserted that our team was among the best in the business and this, along with a flurry of recent awards and notoriety, further confirm that fact.Digital Defense, Inc. has been getting a great deal of attention with its patented vulnerability scanning engine, recently called tops in the industry by Frost & Sullivan. The company has made a name for itself as a leading security Managed Service Provider (MSP) for the past decade. They have smartly rolled out a product solution gaining excitement because it virtually eliminates the false positives that CISOs and IT staff are forced to continuously investigate.Steve Morgan, founder and CEO at Cybersecurity Ventures, and editor-in-chief of the Cybersecurity 500, explained on the Cybersecurity 500 website, We continuously look at thousands of companies for inclusion in the Cybersecurity 500, by soliciting feedback from CISOs, IT security practitioners and service providers, and researching hundreds of cybersecurity events and news sources that we follow. The Cybersecurity 500 does not rank companies by revenues, employees, or annual growth. They already know who the biggest vendors are. Instead, we give a nod to the hottest and most innovative companies.About Digital DefenseFounded in 1999, Digital Defense, Inc. is a trusted provider of managed security risk assessment solutions, protecting billions of dollars in assets for clients around the globe. This includes highly regulated industries such as healthcare, financial, and retail, as well as those entrusted with sensitive data, such as law firms and energy companies. Digital Defense, Inc.s unique Vulnerability Management as a Service (VMaaS) model delivers consistently accurate vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, while its security awareness training promotes employees security-minded behavior. Digital Defense, Inc.s security solutions are highly regarded by industry experts, as illustrated by the companys designation as Best Scan Engine by Frost & Sullivan, top 20 ranking (#16) in Cybersecurity Ventures list of the Worlds 500 Hottest Cybersecurity Companies, inclusion in CSO Outlooks Top 10 Network Security Companies, and CIO Reviews 20 Most Promising Cyber Security Solutions.Contact Digital Defense at 888-273-1412; visit, our blog, LinkedIn, or follow @Digital_Defense on Twitter.All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.###CONTACTS:Michael BecceMRB Public Relations (for Digital Defense, Inc.)mbecce@mrb-pr.com732-758-1100Jamie McInturffDigital Defense, Inc.jamie.mcinturff@digitaldefense.com210-582-61482 East Main Street, 3rd floorFreehold, NJ 07728
Global PVC Conveyor Belts Market Segmentation and Analysis Research Report to 2022

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PVC Conveyor Belts MarketSummaryWiseguyreports.Com Adds PVC Conveyor Belts -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Suppliers and Forecast to 2021 To Its Research DatabaseGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of PVC Conveyor Belts in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaFor Sample report @Global PVC Conveyor Belts market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingHabasitAmmeraal BeltechForbo SieglingSampla BeltingGoodyearEsbeltNittaAmmeraal Conveyor BeltingAll-State IndustriesWuxi Shun ShengYongli BeltingJiangyin TianGuangLianda Conveyor BeltOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPVC Entire Core Flame-retarding Conveyor BeltsPVC Lightweight Conveyor BeltsOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of PVC Conveyor Belts for each application, includingChemical IndustryMining and MetallurgyFood IndustryLogistics IndustryPackaging IndustryEnquiry before buying @Table of ContentsGlobal PVC Conveyor Belts Market Research Report 20171 PVC Conveyor Belts Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of PVC Conveyor Belts1.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 PVC Entire Core Flame-retarding Conveyor Belts1.2.4 PVC Lightweight Conveyor Belts1.2.5 Other1.3 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Segment by Application1.3.1 PVC Conveyor Belts Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Chemical Industry1.3.3 Mining and Metallurgy1.3.4 Food Industry1.3.5 Logistics Industry1.3.6 Packaging Industry1.4 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of PVC Conveyor Belts (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)..7 Global PVC Conveyor Belts Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Habasit7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Habasit PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Ammeraal Beltech7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Ammeraal Beltech PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Forbo Siegling7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Forbo Siegling PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Sampla Belting7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Sampla Belting PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Goodyear7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Goodyear PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Esbelt7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Esbelt PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Nitta7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Nitta PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Ammeraal Conveyor Belting7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Ammeraal Conveyor Belting PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 All-State Industries7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 All-State Industries PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Wuxi Shun Sheng7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 PVC Conveyor Belts Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Wuxi Shun Sheng PVC Conveyor Belts Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Yongli Belting7.12 Jiangyin TianGuang7.13 Lianda Conveyor Belt....Buy This Report @Continued...Contact Us:NORAH TRENTSales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Wire Splice Connectors Supply and Consumption Global Market Research Report 2017-2022

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Wire Splice Connectors MarketSummaryWiseguyreports.Com Adds Wire Splice Connectors -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Suppliers and Forecast to 2021 To Its Research DatabaseGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Wire Splice Connectors in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanFor Sample report @Global Wire Splice Connectors market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including3MABBAlpha WireHellermann TytonMolexPhoenix ContactTE ConnectivityWeidmullerPanduitVelvacOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoCorrosion Resistant TypeEnvironmentally TypeOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Wire Splice Connectors for each application, includingAutomotive Electrical ApplicationsCommercial Electrical WiringIndustrial Electrical WiringOtherEnquiry before buying @Table of ContentsGlobal Wire Splice Connectors Market Research Report 20171 Wire Splice Connectors Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wire Splice Connectors1.2 Wire Splice Connectors Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Wire Splice Connectors Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Wire Splice Connectors Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Corrosion Resistant Type1.2.4 Environmentally Type1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Wire Splice Connectors Segment by Application1.3.1 Wire Splice Connectors Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Automotive Electrical Applications1.3.3 Commercial Electrical Wiring1.3.4 Industrial Electrical Wiring1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Wire Splice Connectors Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Wire Splice Connectors Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Wire Splice Connectors (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Wire Splice Connectors Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)..7 Global Wire Splice Connectors Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 3M7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 3M Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 ABB7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 ABB Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Alpha Wire7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Alpha Wire Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Hellermann Tyton7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Hellermann Tyton Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Molex7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Molex Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Phoenix Contact7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Phoenix Contact Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 TE Connectivity7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 TE Connectivity Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Weidmuller7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Weidmuller Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Panduit7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Panduit Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Velvac7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Wire Splice Connectors Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Velvac Wire Splice Connectors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewBuy This Report @Continued...Contact Us:NORAH TRENTSales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
DES MOINES  A proposal requiring voters to produce identification cards to cast ballots either will protect the integrity of elections or disenfranchise thousands of people, especially Latinos, African Americans and transgendered Iowans, according to speakers at a public hearing Monday night.

Secretary of State Paul Pate told the House State Government Committee he is adamant no voter would be disenfranchised under House File 516, formerly House Study Bill 93.

This bill is about modernizing our elections technology, streamlining the system and securing the integrity by preventing the potential for fraud or human error, the GOP secretary of state said.

Thats the impetus behind the bill moving to the floor of the Republican-controlled House, likely this week.

In short, the bill, which was approved by the House State Government Committee on a party-line vote, would make several changes in election law, including a requirement that voters provide a photo ID, implementation of polling place technology, mandatory post-election audits and new timelines for absentee voting as well as mandatory election training, tests and publications.

State Government Committee Chairman Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, predicted that the use of technology such as e-pollbooks, currently used by 72 of the states 99 counties, and other changes would make voting as easy as going through the express line at the supermarket.

Nothing in this legislation would prevent any eligible voter from casting a ballot  in person or by mail, Pate insisted.

Its disappointing some folks have decide to politicize this issue, Pate said, especially when poll after poll has shown overwhelming support for a voter ID program.

However, speakers at the 90-minute hearing were divided on that.

Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said he has not supported previous voter photo ID bills, in part because they failed to address the least secure part of the voting process  the mail-out absentee ballot.

However, HF 516 is a major improvement, he said, because it offers a multilayered approach, it allows a voter multiple processes to prove their identity  that doesnt rely on a single element, such as a photo or a signature.

But Daniel Zeno of the American Civil Liberties Union-Iowa called it unnecessary and expensive because it could disenfranchise thousands of voters, especially African Americans who lack drivers licenses or non-operator permits.

Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, went further, calling HF 516 a reincarnated poll tax and literacy test designed to disproportionately suppress the voting numbers of people of color.

Mitch Henry of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa, also warned the bill would disenfranchise Latino voters.

Voting is the heart of our democracy, he said, but a government that undermines its very foundation of its existence  the right to vote, endangers its legitimacy as a democratic government.

Emma Aquino-Nemecek of Linn County didnt think it was too much to ask of Iowans, who are accustomed to showing an ID to cash a check, apply for a loan or government benefits or board a plane.

The integrity of elections is very important and we must protect it, Nemecek said.

Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert, however, asked the committee to proceed slowly.

What problem are we solving? he asked. To me, it seems like were fixing something thats not broken. This isnt a tweak. This is an overhaul on something thats not broken.
imbus Canada Corporation Welcomes Element34 as Its Preferred Training Partner in Canada

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imbus Canada Corporation () and Element34 Solutions () have partnered to offer training for Selenium / Webdriver, the standard tool for mobile and web automation.The course trainers (Francois Renaud and Michael Palotas) have co-developed parts of Selenium (Selenium GRID) and provide unparalleled insights and expertise with Selenium.The course is for developers and technical oriented testers and will be offered in Toronto and Ottawa.About Michael Palotas:With many years in the software industry in lead roles at Ericsson, Nortel Networks, Intel and eBay, Michael Palotas founded Element34 Solutions to share his passion and knowledge in the test engineering field and to help organizations implement agile engineering practices.Michael also had a direct influence in the development of various tools in the Selenium tool family (i.e. Selenium Grid, Selendroid, ios-driver).For more than 10 years Michael shaped software development and test engineering at eBay. He led the transformation for eBay International from a traditional waterfall to a highly agile organization employing new paths and approaches especially in the engineering practices area.For more information about the training,imbus Canada Corporation is a leading solution partner for the professional software testing and intelligent software quality assurance. imbus customers develop their software based products and corporate IT faster and better- in the certainty that they work and inspire their users.imbus specializes in Software Testing, QA, Process Improvement, Test Tools, Test Outsourcing and ISTQB Training. We are experts in the field of software testing and we strive to raise the standards of QA professionalism in Canada by training and consulting. All our experts are ISTQB certified.imbus Canada Corporation15 Michael Power Place, Suite PH03Toronto, ON- M9A 5G4Phone: +1 416-546-4628
Vetronics Market Forecast, 2016-2024 by Applications and End- use Industry

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Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled 'Vetronics Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024'Global Vetronics Market: OverviewVetronics usually denotes to vehicle electronics which make it possible for the military units to incorporate several systems, including command, communication, control, navigation system, vehicle protection systems, surveillance system, and vehicle electronic warfare system to modernize activities such as navigation, communication, vehicle health management, and surveillance. Thus, the growing demand for vetronics is anticipated to boost the market in the coming period.Request Free Sample Report @Global Vetronics Market: Growth FactorsThe growth of the global vetronics market is influenced by several factors that include network centric warfare, embedded technology system commonality, situational alertness, and swing toward COTS enabled enhanced SWaP specifications. Further, the rising requirement for keeping an eye on cross-border activities, assisting improved connectivity between remote & central vetronics systems, and the need to determine the weaknesses of the enemies are few other factors that contribute to the growth of the market.Global Vetronics Market: SegmentationThe global vetronics market can be segmented on the basis of application, subsystem, vehicle type, and region. The application segment of the market is divided into homeland security and defense. The defense segment of the market is anticipated to dominate the market due to the rising defense expenditure around the world. The subsystem segment of the market is diversified into .vehicle protection systems, communication & navigation, c3 systems, observation and display systems, weapon control systems, power systems, and sensor & control systems. The C3 systems segment of the market is assumed to grow in the market at a higher rate due to rise in the need for lightweight and technologically advanced vetronics systems. The vehicle type segment of the market for vetronics is categorized into light protected vehicles, amphibious armored vehicles, mine resistant ambush protected, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicle, main battle tank, and others. Regionally, the global vetronics market is grouped into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Vetronics Market: Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific region is expected to lead the market for vetronics in the coming period. The growth of this region is mainly influenced by the rise in the need for technologically enhanced military land vehicles in the emerging economies. Also, the increase in defense expenditure by emerging countries is the factor fueling the growth of the market in this region. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are also expected to grow in the market at a fast pace in the coming period.Global Vetronics Market: Competitive PlayersThe prominent players in the global vetronics market are Curtiss Wright Corporation, Raytheon Company, SAAB Group, Lockheed Martin Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, and Thales Group. The other influencing players in the market are Leonardo-Finmeccanica SPA, Elbit Systems, Harris Corporation, BAE Systems, and Rheinmetall AG.Browse detail report @Global Vetronics Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Report ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Ask for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Security Screening Market to experience increase in growth by 2016-2024

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Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled 'Security Screening Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024'Global Security Screening Market: OverviewAt public places such as railway stations, airports, and others the security screening concerns is a major issue. Security screening helps in detecting objects that are not authorized such as weapons, metal objects, liquor products and others. Screenings of the people and of their luggage are also done to detect hazardous objects. The major places where the security screening is done include airports, border terminal points, and government offices. The popular technique used for the security screening is the biometric system.Request Free Sample Report @Global Security Screening Market: SegmentationThe global security screening market is segmented into its applications, products, and geography. Based on the applications, the global market is categorized into railway stations, government offices, educational institutes, airports, border check points, private sector offices and other public places. The public places can be further sub-segmented into shopping malls, cinema halls, temples and commercial complexes and others. On the basis of the products, the market is segregated into X-ray screening system, electromagnetic detector, biometric system and the explosive trace detector. The geographic regions where the security screening market is diversified include Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Rest of the World.Global Security Screening Market: Growth FactorsThe main factor that helps the market to grow is its easy availability owing to the technological advancements. The vendors have shifted their focus on the new screening methods leaving the traditional screening and scanning products methods. The key driver for the market growth is the increasing government support for the installation of the screening devices to ensure the public safety has helped in the growth of the market. Growing security concerns in the field of aviation and the increased demand for the large-scale surveillance at public gatherings are encouraging the market growth. The demand for the installation of the biometric systems in the private sector offices has favorably impacted the market growth. The factors that are restraining the market growth include the high installation costs, the health issues that are caused by the full body scanning and the negative publicity of privacy interruption and defense.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Security Screening Market: Regional AnalysisThe region that dominates the security screening market is the North American region. The factors that are acting favorable for this growth include the strict government regulations for the security checks and the wide usage of the techniques in the public places. The X-ray scanners are the most popular screening device that is used in the defense sector. The region that is following is the Asia-Pacific region; it is owing to the rise in the terrorist attacks in the region. Europe is also contributing towards the market growth and this growth is expected to increase in the coming years.Global Security Screening Market: Competitive PlayersThe key market players in the security screening market include Magal Security Systems Ltd., American Science and Engineering, Inc., Argus Global Pty Ltd., Digital Barriers Plc., Safran SA, Analogic Corporation, Aware Incorporation, Implant Sciences Corporation, OSI Systems, Incorporation and Smiths Group Plc.Browse detail report @Global Security Screening Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East and AfricaWhat Report ProvidesFull in-depth analysis of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsSegmentation details of the marketFormer, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and valueAssessment of niche industry developmentsMarket share analysisKey strategies of major playersEmerging segments and regional marketsTestimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Ask for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Malt Ingredients Market set for robust growth by 2016-2024

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Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled 'Malt Ingredients Market  Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2015  2021'Malt is the leftover of cereal grains that are allowed to dry and then germinate. Generally, barley grain is used as malt ingredient which is soaked in water and then allowed to germinate. This process is known as malting. In this process, the starch present in ingredients is converted to sugars such as glucose and fructose. The malt ingredients have large scope in food and beverages industry. Malt ingredients help to enhance the flavor and texture of various foods products. These ingredients are mainly used to prepare different drinks and confectionary such as maltesers and whoppers, beer, whisky, malted shakes, malt vinegar, horlicks, ovaltine, milo, malt loaf, bagels, and rich tea biscuits.Request Free Sample Report @The malt ingredients market is primarily driven by rising demand from food & beverage industry across the globe. Increasing demand for dairy products and beer is also expected to fuel the demand for malt ingredient during the years to come. However, seasonal variations and availability of good quality cereal grains are likely to limit the growth of the global ingredients market. Nonetheless, emerging market for malt ingredients is expected to open the new opportunities during near future.In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the malt ingredients market, we have included a detailed value chain analysis. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the malt ingredients market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein product segments and application segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.The global malt ingredients market is segmented on the basis of source, applications, and region. The source segmentation covered under this study includes barley, wheat and rye malt. The major application segment covered under this study includes food industry, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, the pharmaceutical industry (supplements) and others. Moreover, the market size and forecasts in terms of volume (kilo tons) and revenue (USD million) for the period 2016 to 2021, considering 2015 as the base year, have been provided for this segment of the report. The report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (% CAGR) for the forecast period 2016 to 2021.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Based on regional segmentation, the study covers the diverse region and countries such as North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. The report also includes further bifurcation into major countries including U.S., Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India, and Brazil. This segmentation includes demand for malt ingredients market based on individual applications in all the regions and countries.In terms of regions, Europe was leading regional market for malt ingredients market in 2015. Furthermore, Europe is expected to continue the dominance over the malt ingredient market throughout the forecast period due to growing rate of packaged food consumption in the region. In addition, Asia Pacific is a fastest growing regional market for malt ingredients owing to growing demand for non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. The Middle East & Africa is also another promising market for malt ingredients in near future.Some of the major players of global malt ingredients market includes Axereal, Ireks GmbH, Cargill Incorporated, Muntons PLC, Crisp Malting Group, Malteurop Group, and Simpsons Malt Ltd.Browse detail report @The report segments the global malt ingredients market into:Malt Ingredients Market: Source Segment AnalysisBarley maltWheat maltRye maltMalt Ingredients Market: Application Segment AnalysisFood industryAlcoholic beveragesNon-alcoholic beveragesPharmaceutical industry (supplements)OthersMalt Ingredients Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaAsk for a customized report @About Us:Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Voltage Measuring Devices Market 2017 - Seaward, TREK, Verivolt, Tense, LeCroy

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Global Voltage Measuring Devices Market 2017, presents a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Voltage Measuring Devices market globally, providing basic overview of Voltage Measuring Devices market including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure, Voltage Measuring Devices Market report provides development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. Voltage Measuring Devices market size, share and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. The Current global Voltage Measuring Devices Analysis and opportunities are also taken into consideration in Voltage Measuring Devices industry study. Voltage Measuring Devices market report provides the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.The Voltage Measuring Devices market research report distils the most essential aspects of the market and presents them in the form of a comprehensive and cohesive document. The findings of this report have been obtained via a balanced mix of both primary and secondary research. Interviews of C-level executives in the Voltage Measuring Devices market form a chunk of the qualitative analysis contained in this report.Download Sample Report @To begin with, the report defines the Voltage Measuring Devices market and segments it based on the most important dynamics, such as applications, geographical/regional markets, and competitive scenario. Macroeconomic and microeconomic factors environments that currently prevail and also those that are projected to emerge are covered in this report.With a view to deepen the scope of the analysis, the report also tracks milestone developments and regulations that have shaped the Voltage Measuring Devices market thus far. To help readers effectively plan their future strategies, the report provides a set of expert recommendations. The analysts working on the report have successfully identified expected policy changes, industry news and developments, and trends and opportunities  this information can be harnessed by companies to strengthen their market presence.Access Full Report With TOC @Other important aspects that have been meticulously studied in the Voltage Measuring Devices market report are: Demand and supply dynamics, import and export scenario, industry processes and cost structures, and major R&D initiatives.Based on all of this information, the report provides recommendations and strategies to the following market participants: New players, investors, marketing departments, regulatory authorities and suppliers/manufacturers. The Voltage Measuring Devices market research study has been composed using key inputs from industry experts. Furthermore, the extensive primary and secondary research data with which the report has been composed helps deliver the key statistical forecasts, in terms of both revenue and volume. In addition to this, the trends and revenue analysis of the global Voltage Measuring Devices market has been mentioned in this report. This will give a clear perspective to the readers how the Voltage Measuring Devices market will fare worldwideFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Global Air Purifiers Market 2017- Sharp, Philips, Panasonic, DAIKIN and YADU

Air Purifiers

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This report studies Air Purifiers in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringSharp(Japan)(Plant in Tokyo, Japan)Philips(Amsterdam, Holland)Panasonic(Kadoma, Osaka, Japan)DAIKIN(Osaka, Japan)YADU(Beijing, China)Midea(Shunde, China)Coway(Seoul, Korea)Blueair(Stockholm, Sweden)Electrolux(Stockholm, Sweden)The market research report by QY Research provides detailed study on the overall Air Purifiers market size, its financial positions, its unique selling points, key products, and key developments. This research report has segmented the Air Purifiers market based on the segments covering all the domains in terms of type, country, region, forecasting revenues, and market share, along with analysis of latest trends in every sub-segment.Click Here to Request Sample Report @The qualitative segmentation of Air Purifiers market covered in the report gives in-depth information of the overall market. Furthermore, the market size, share, forecast trends, analysis, sales, supply, production, demand, major manufacturers, end-users, and many other vital factors are comprised in the Market Research Air Purifiers report by QY Research. By these comprehensive data, it is simple to take and make precise and accurate decisions taking into consideration the present market situation and the forecasts of the global market, which in turn may result into profitable step for our clients.A competitive landscape that identifies the major competitors of the global market and their market share are further highlighted in the research report. A deliberate profiling of major competitors of the Air Purifiers market as well as a inclusive analysis of their current developments, core competencies, and investments in each segment are also elaborated in the research report.Browse Full Report at @The overall information of the Air Purifiers market provided in the report helps our client to make precise and accurate decisions in order to gain maximum profit in this cutthroat competition in the global market. The report comprises various elements such as table, figure, charts, TOCs, chapters, and so on so as to provide a crystal clear data to the client giving a brief of the market and its trends. Thus, the report provides in-depth information of the Air Purifiers market in terms of revenue, value, volume, region, and many more.About Us:QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651
Global Cement & Concrete Additive Market Trends, Consumption, Drivers, Strategies, Applications and Competitive Landscape 2021

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Market Synopsis of Cement & Concrete Additive MarketThe global Cement & Concrete Additive Market has seen a positive growth over the past few years and as per analysis, the global market will experience a remarkable growth during the forecast period. Globally, the cement & concrete additive market is completely driven the rising demand of residential and non-residential properties. As per the data, the construction business is likely to increase in near future which in turn will escalate the demand for cement & concrete additives. Geographically, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest market owing to the rising construction and infrastructure investments in China, India, Indonesia and other countries as well.Key Players BASF Dow Chemicals Sika AkzoNobel Heidelberg Cement China National Bluestar Group Company Grace Construction Products Master Builder Solutions USG Corporation LanxessRequest a Sample Copy @SegmentationOn the basis of product types: fiber mineral chemicalsOn the basis of application: residential Non-residential.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 110 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Cement & Concrete Additive Market Research Report - Forecast to 2021Study Objectives of Cement & Concrete Additive Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of various segments and sub-segments of the Global Cement & Concrete Additive Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Global Cement & Concrete Additive Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by product type and application To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketRequest Table of Content, Tables, Figures @The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:North America US Canada MexicoEurope Germany France Italy U.K Rest of EuropeAsia Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-PacificRoW Brazil Argentina Egypt South Africa OthersThe report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.Related ReportGlobal Refining Catalysts Market Information by category (Hydro processing, Cracking, Isomerization, Alkylation and others) and by raw materials (zeolites, metals and others) - Forecast to 2021.Know more about this report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.comAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Side Load Case Packing Machines Market Dynamics, Segments and Supply Demand 2017-2027

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Introduction:Manufactures around the world are not only focusing on optimizing manufacturing and packaging process but also trying to achieve cost efficiency. Rapid growth in manufacturing and high demand across major industries is forcing manufacturers to optimize their end of line packaging capability. Side load case packaging machines are one of the type of packaging machinery, which are helping products manufactures to boost packaging productivity. Side load case packaging machines are categorized on the basis of direction of material injection and case handling. Side load case packing machines are primarily used in pharmaceutical, food & beverages, consumer goods, and industrial goods manufacturing industry. However, innovation in design and functionality of side load case packing machines in recent years paves the way for application of these machinery in end use sectors such as textiles, apparels and others.Side Load Case Packing Machines Market: Drivers and RestraintsOver the past few decades, manufacturing process has witnessed dynamic shift in terms of quality and quantity of goods produced. Moreover, manufacturers are constantly focus on delivering bulk quantity of products within short span of time while obtaining highest quality standards. Growth in consumer goods sector is anticipated to be one of the major drivers of global side load case packing machines market. Moreover, increasing number of pharmaceutical and food & beverages manufactures are increasingly using side load case packing machines in their end of line packaging. However, high cost is anticipated to be the major restraining factor, especially in small and medium manufactures in emerging economies, where manufacturers are reluctant on investing on end of line packaging machines such as side load case packing machines. Though, it is expected that growing investor and manufactures confidence in the emerging economies is anticipated to drive the demand over the next few years. Moreover, side load case packing machines manufacturers are constantly focusing on integrating these machinery with innovative end of line packaging solution, which is anticipated create new opportunities for the global side load case packing machines market.Request Report Sample@Side Load Case Packing Machines Market: SegmentationOn the basis of machine type, the global side load case packing machines market is segmented into integrated and standalone. In recent years, integrated side load case packing machines have shown a promising growth thanks to growing demand from pharmaceutical and consumer goods industry in emerging markets. On the basis of end use industry global side load case packing machines market is segmented into chemical and fertilizers, food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, automotive, paper, textile and construction.Side Load Case Packing Machines Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis geography, global side load case packing machines market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia pacific and Middle East and Africa. Europe is anticipated to be the largest, side load case packing machines market in terms of consumption. Furthermore, Europe is followed by Asia Pacific, where manufacturers are increasingly focusing on improving packaging efficiency with advance machineries such as side load case packing machines. North America is anticipated to witness a healthy CAGR owing to the growing demand for complete end of line packaging solutions. Latin America is expected to grow at moderate CAGR. The demand for side load case packing machines in Middle East and Africa is expected to show significant growth in near future.Request For TOC@Side Load Case Packing Machines Market: Key PlayersSome of the player in the global side load case packing machines market are I.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A., Krones AG, Brenton, LLC., Massman Automation Designs, LLC, CAMA USA Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH, Langen Packaging Inc.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.compress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Smart Factory Market is Expected to be Valued at US$ 215.0 Bn by the end of 2025

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According to the latest market report published by Future Market Insights titled, Smart Factory Market - Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025, the market was valued at US$ 51.9 Bn in 2014 and is expected to register a CAGR of 13.3% from 2015 to 2025.Growth of the smart factory market is primarily driven by rising focus on advanced manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, developments in information and communications technology (ICT), increased focus on energy consumption, rising prices and stringent environmental regulations are expected to be key factors driving growth of the smart factory market over the forecast period.FMIs report segments the global smart factory market on the basis of market structure, component, manufacturing vertical, and region. Market structure includes to collect, to connect, to analyse and to control. A detailed analysis of each segment is presented in the report to deliver an accurate view of the market.On the basis of manufacturing vertical, the smart factory market is further segmented into automotive & transportation, food & beverages, electrical & electronics, aerospace & defence, oil & gas, garment & textile, chemical and others (healthcare & pharmaceutical).Among these, the automotive & transportation segment dominated the global smart factory market in terms of revenue contribution in 2014. Growth of this segment is primarily driven by increasing investments by leading automobile manufacturers. For example, in September 2015, German luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz announced an investment of US$ 1.3 Bn to expand and upgrade its SUV manufacturing unit in Alabama, U.S. This expansion would add 300 new jobs and support end-to-end digitalization of the production process as a part of the companys smart factory initiative.Request For Sample@This report also covers trends driving growth of each market segment and offers analysis and insights about market potential across key regions namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East & Africa. Furthermore, the market is sub-segmented on the basis of major countries in each region in order to provide a regional analysis of the overall market.Asia Pacific was the largest revenue contributor to the global smart factory market, accounting for US$ 20.4 Bn in 2014. This is mainly attributed to increasing investment in manufacturing plants in the region. For example, in April 2015, the South Korean government along with Samsung Electronics announced an investment of US$ 12.6 Mn to promote the smart factory concept in the country.Smart factory market in Europe accounted for US$ 14.7 Bn in 2014and is expected to register a CAGR of 14.3% during the forecast period. Growth of the market in this region is expected to be driven by increasing government support for development of innovative production technologies in countries such as Germany and the U.K. Also, increasing spending by key players is expected to further drive growth of the market in Europe.Send An Enquiry@Smart Factory Market: Major PlayersKey players in the global smart factory market include ABB Group, Rockwell Automation, Inc., General Electric Co., Siemens AG, Oracle Corporation, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, PTC Inc., Accenture PLC and Atos SE. These players focus on mergers and acquisitions, new product launches, expansions and partnerships in order to remain competitive in the market. A competitive dashboard has also been included in the report to provide detailed information about key players in the market.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
LINCOLN, Neb. | A Moville man has pleaded guilty to setting up a meeting to have sex with an underage girl.

Dennis Ragan, 63, changed his plea Thursday in Lancaster County District Court and pleaded guilty to one count of enticement by electronic communication device.

Sentencing was set for May 12.

According to authorities, Ragan responded to an online ad he believed had been posted by a 15-year-old girl, but was actually posted by an undercover investigator.

Ragan exchanged 170 emails with the person he believed to be the girl.

According to court documents, Ragan traveled to Lincoln with the intent of having sexual contact with the girl and was arrested on Aug. 31 at a Lincoln laundromat where he had agreed to a meeting.

Investigators found condoms, lubrication, batteries and sex toys in Ragan's car.
U.S. Commercial Refrigeration Systems Market will Increase at a CAGR of 3.2% in terms of value during 2015 - 2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the commercial refrigeration systems market in its latest report titled, Commercial Refrigeration System Market: U.S. Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025. According to the report, the U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR of 3.2% in terms of value over the forecast period. Commercial refrigeration systems are refrigerators with remote or self-contained condensing units. These refrigerators are designed especially for commercial use with a wide range of temperature control (typically from -18C to +10C) options. Commercial refrigeration systems are mainly used in hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, warehouses and distribution centres, foodservice industry and food & beverage production units. Commercial refrigeration systems include products such as ice machines, vending machines, beverage refrigeration equipment, refrigerated display cases, trailers, trucks, containers and walk-in and reach-in refrigerators. Commercial refrigeration systems also include various components such as compressors and refrigerants. Refrigerants mainly used in commercial refrigeration systems include R507A, R417A and R422A. The selection of a refrigerant depends on various properties such as non-corrosiveness, global warming and ozone depletion potential, inflammability, toxicity, cost, erosional properties, leak-detection capability and thermodynamic properties.Growing demand for frozen and chilled products, expansion of cold chain capacity, technological advancements in commercial refrigeration systems and rebates for energy-efficient products and practices are some of the major underlying factors anticipated to fuel growth of the U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market between 2016 and 2025. This is forecast to create unprecedented opportunities for commercial refrigeration systems manufacturers, distributors and HVAC contractors. The U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market is segmented on the basis of application and product type. By application, the market is segmented into foodservice, food & beverage distribution, food & beverage retail and food & beverage production. On the basis of product type, the market is classified into transportation & refrigeration systems, refrigerator & freezers, beverage refrigeration equipment, refrigerated display cases, ice machines and refrigerated vending machines.Request For Sample@By application, foodservice segment accounted for the highest share of 30% in terms of value in the U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market in 2014. This segment is expected to remain dominant in the market over the forecast period. Ice machines segment and beer dispensing equipment sub-segment are projected to play an important role in the foodservice industry due to various factors such as increasing per capita food consumption and rising number of foodservice restaurants in the country. By product type, transportation refrigeration systems segment is projected to expand at the highest CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period due to expansion of cold chain capacity in the U.S. By region, Southeast region represents the largest market potential, followed by the Middle-east and Far West regions. California, Texas and Florida represent a huge potential for refrigerated systems due to high density of restaurants and convenience stores in these states. Other high-growth markets include Arizona, Georgia and Utah due to rapid growth in the restaurant industry in these states.Key trends identified in the U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market include rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT), compatible commercial refrigeration systems for enhancing system output, government initiatives to support utilisation of eco-friendly refrigerants and continued advancements in energy-efficient products. However, declining replacement rate of commercial refrigeration equipment and stringent government regulations could pose major challenge for tier II & III players.The report analyses the U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market in terms of value (US$ Mn) and volume (000 units) by product type and end-use application, and provides insightful information regarding market dynamics, value chain, competitive landscape, current trends, market estimations and forecast.Send An Enquiry@It is observed that customisation holds the key for tier 2 and tier 3 players in order to further penetrate into the market, thus creating a competitive threat for tier 1 suppliers in the market. Meanwhile, key players are strengthening their market positions through both organic and inorganic growth. Also, acquisition of HVAC contractors is leading to the addition of a new customer base for commercial refrigeration systems manufacturers. Key market participants covered in the report include Daikin Industries, Ltd., Standex International Corporation, Whirlpool Corporation, United Technologies, Dover Corporation, Ingersoll-Rand Plc, Hussmann Corporation, Lennox International Inc., Manitowoc Company, Inc., Emerson Electric Co. and Illinois Tool Works Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Barite Market Analysis, Segments, Growth and Value Chain 2014-2020

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Barite is a mineral that is rich in barium. Barite commonly occurs in the large number of depositional environment and it is found in the zinc-lead veins in limestone, in the hot spring deposits and in the hematite ore. Barite is also found alongside meteorites. Barite is relatively inert and also exhibits a physical property of high density. Barite is widely used as a weighting agent in the drilling muds. Barite also finds other applications in the electrical and electronics, rubber, ceramics, paints radiation shielding, medical and glass industry among others. China, India, Morocco and U.S. are expected to be the largest producers of barite. The total barite resources across the globe in all categories are around 2 billion tons, however, only 740 million tons is considered among the identified resources.Most of the barite manufactured is used as a weighting agent in the drilling fluids that are used in the oil and gas exploration. Barites are mainly used to suppress the high formation fluids and also to prevent blowouts. The quantity of barite used is mainly dependent on the depth of the hole that has to be bored. The deeper the hole, more the barite is required. Barite is non-magnetic in nature and hence, it does not interfere with the magnetic measurements that are taken during boring the hole making barite an ideal choice for the drilling fluids. Barite is widely used in the manufacturing of paints and coatings. Thus, the growing automobile industry is expected to boost the overall growth of the paints and coatings industry which in turn is expected to drive the growth of the overall barite market. The global barite market is expected to grow owing to its increasing demand in other applications such as textiles, paper and paints among others. Though, there are alternatives to barite such as ilmenite, celestite, iron ore and synthetic hematite, none of these substitutes had a major impact on the barite drilling mud industry.Request For Report Sample@Barites offer several benefits such as good stability, strong inertia, moderate rigidity, acid and alkali proof and high specific gravity. Due to such advantages, barite is widely used in applications including engineering plastic, middle and high-grade paint, medicine compounding, rubber, pottery, paper-making and cosmetics among others. The main types of barites are ground barite, finely ground barite and bleached barite. Ground barite is used as filler in the production of oil cloth, linoleum, paper, textile, plastics and rubber. Finely ground barite finds use in making thixotropic mud for sealing oil wells in drilling applications and bleached barite is used as a pigment in white paint.Considering the rapidly growing oil and gas drilling industry, the demand for barite is expected to record a strong growth in the coming years. India and China hold a dominant position in the barite supply and have increased prices significantly in the recent times. Owing to this, there is an increased focus on discovering and developing new barite resources across the world. While India and China are anticipated to dominate the barite production and export, mining projects in several stages of development are ongoing in countries such as Liberia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Zimbabwe.Visit For TOC@Some of the key participants of the barite market include Desku Group Inc., SMIMTAF, Shijiazhuang Oushun Minerals Products Co. Ltd., Shanghai Titanos Industry Co., Ltd., CMS Industries and V&P Corporation among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Estrogen Replacement Therapy (Ert) Market : Tracking Current Trends,Opportunities, Challenges & New Tech Developments

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The estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is witnessing significant rise in demand and hence growth of the market globally. This rising demand for estrogen replacement therapy is mainly attributed to increasing awareness about menopausal symptoms and its treatment opportunities. Another key factor responsible for the growth of this market is growing population of the post-menopausal women requiring ERT worldwide.Obtain Report Details @Due to change in hormonal levels in the body, women suffer from various debilitating symptoms. ERT is one of the hormone replacement therapies that includes replenishment of estrogen hormone levels in women through administration of external estrogen and/or progesterone hormones. Estrogen replacement therapy helps in treating women suffering from menopausal symptoms. It decreases the symptoms like vaginal dryness, hot flashes, disturbed sleep, night sweats, etc. ERT helps in osteoporosis prevention caused due to depletion of estrogen levels in the body. ERT comprises of natural as well as synthetic estrogen hormones. In order to enhance the menopausal treatment, it is also given in combination with progesterone hormone.The ERT market has recorded positive growth in the recent past due to growing demand for the therapy worldwide. Due to the substantial growth in demand for ERT there has been introduction of highly safe treatment options for the patients located in different geographies of the world. For instance, development of novel drug delivery systems (NDDSs) like vaginal estrogen drugs and transdermal estrogen patches. Another form of ERT such as Low dose ERT are utilized in order to address the backdrop caused due to safety concerns raised against high-dose forms. The non-hormonal treatment have proven least effective, hence the ERT market is expected to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period.The key restraining factor for the ERT market could be the cost of this therapy. The monthly treatment cost for ERT varies from US$ 40 to US$ 150. Therefore, the population from developing and underdeveloped countries face the challenge of affordability for the therapy. Approved recognition of the products related to ERT in compounding pharmacies particularly from developed countries is another deterring factor. The post treatment risk of cervical cancer and coronary disease can also prove to be the restraining factors for the growth of this market.Global ERT market can be segmented based on dosage forms, routes of administration, end-users and geography. Based on dosage forms, the ERT market can be segmented into patches, tablets, gels/creams, suppositories, implants and injections. The tablet dosage form segment dominated the global ERT market in 2015. However, due to growing safety concerns and demand for effective long-term therapy, the market for injections, gels/creams and patches is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. Based on routes of administration, the ERT market can be classified into oral, topical, subcutaneous pellets, injections, etc. Oral route of administration has remained the most preferred option for the patients world over. However, novel drug delivery systems such as topical and subcutaneous products have also witnessed increased demand and acceptance in the global market in the recent past.Geographically, North America especially the U.S. occupied the largest market share followed by other developed regions such as Western Europe and Japan. The U.S. have been the major market for ERT across the world due to high awareness levels and implausible purchasing power of the people in the country that further led to the expansion of ERT market in the country. However, the same factor of affordability has restrained the market in the developing regions of the world. Despite this, the emerging economies of the Asia Pacific region have displayed striking increase in the growth rates in the ERT market segment. Rising population, increasing disposable income, and improving health care awareness levels are some the key factors driving the Asia Pacific ERT market.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Some of the key players operating in the ERT market include AbbVie, Inc., Bayer AG, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Orion Pharma AB, Pfizer, Inc., Meda pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and TherapeuticsMD, Inc. among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
SDN and NFV Technology in Telecom Network Transformation Market to be at Forefront by 2026

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The SDN and NFV Technology in Telecom Network Transformation Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.SDN and NFV Technology in Telecom Network Transformation Market: Drivers and ChallengesThe major reason behind the adoption of SDN and NFV by service providers in their network transformation is because SDN and NFV technologies are synergetic and they offer improved programmability, faster service enablement, and most importantly lower down the overall CAPAEX and OPEX for the service providers. SDN and NFV provide a complete digital network that is essential to increase customer satisfaction level. SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation emerged as paradigm that has potential to transform service providers networks by delivering cloud style nimbleness and innovation.The communication network telecom service providers are generally more complex, multilayer, and have variety of users that require high network availability and performance. As compared to data centers, a more stringent set of requirements will need to be met, in order to deploy SDN and NFV in these network.SDN and NFV Technology in Telecom Network Transformation Market: Key PlayersCisco System Inc. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM Corporation, Juniper Networks, Pica8, Inc., Intel Corporation, and Big Switch Networks, Inc. are some of the big players of global SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation market.A sample of this report is available upon request @SDN and NFV Technology in Telecom Network Transformation Market: Regional OverviewNorth America is the largest SDN and NFV market as most of the technology providers such as Cisco, IBM, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are based in the North America region and are making huge investment over there. Also, due to the ongoing advancements in 4G and 5G technologies the US, telecommunication service providers are deploying SDN and NFV at every layer of their network.In Europe region, technology service providers have already understood the value proportion of SDN and have already started deploying SDN in their networks but enterprise market still remain gloomy in terms of adoption of SDN.In Asia Pacific region, growth in countries such as China, India, and Japan are immensely contributing in the market. In India, the telecommunication services industry is going through the transformation and service providers have started to deploy SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation at massive scale.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content@About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR 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 a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Market Revenue, Opportunity, Forecast and Value Chain 2014-2020

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Static random access memory (SRAM) is a type of semiconductor memory. It uses bistable latching circuitry for storing bits. It is static in nature i.e. the data bits are stored till the power is supplied. The SRAMs are comparatively more expensive than DRAMs, thus are mostly used in the applications where high efficiency and performance is needed. Some characteristics such as bandwidth, power efficiency make SRAMs ideal for the electronic appliances such as cell phones, digital cameras and electronics user interfaces. Some of the general uses of SRAMs are workstations, computers, routers and other peripheral equipments such as CPU (central processing unit) caches, CPU register files, router buffers and hard disk buffers, among others. Printers and LCD (liquid crystal display) screens also use SRAM to save the preview of the image printed or displayed.Emerging high performance network applications, increasing demand and applications of the embedded SRAMs, and increasing demand for faster cache memories are some of the factors responsible for the growth of SRAM market. Faster switching time, power efficiency and high endurance as compared to traditional RAM, effective replacement for the traditional memory technology and increasing application base are some of the driving factors for the SRAM market. However, its larger cell size (up to six transistors for a single bit) makes it impractical for applications requiring large memory. Further, high cost incurred in designing and low stability in harsh condition is some other challenges to the growth of SRAM market. Neural networks and flexible electronics are emerging opportunities in SRAM market. The market for cellular RAM is increasing at growing rapidly and use and application of SRAM in cellular devices is expected to boost the market in coming time. Flash memory market can be replaced by SRAMs in upcoming years and players have opportunity in this filed.Request For Report Sample@Static random access memory is segmented on the basis of type of flip-flop used, transistor type, features, functions, product types, applications and geography. Binary SRAM and ternary SRAM are the two broad segments of the SRAM market on the basis of flip-flop type. On the basis of transistor type the SRAM market is segmented into bipolar junction transistor and MOSFET (metaloxide semiconductor field-effect transistor).on the basis of features the SRAM market is segmented into ZBT (zero bus turnaround) SRAM, syncBurst SRAM, DDR (double data rate) SRAM and quad data rate SRAM. SRAM market is segmented on the basis of products into, asynchronous SRAM, PSRAM (pseudo SRAM), nVSRAM (non volatile SRAM) and others. On the basis of end-use application SRAM market is segmented into communication industry, computer /IT sector, consumer electronics industry and automotive sector, among others. China, Taiwan, Singapore, India and Malaysia are some of the countries holding huge potential for SRAM market.Visit For TOC@Some of the key vendors in static random access memory (SRAM) are Micron Technology, Inc., Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., Powerchip Technology Corporation, Integrated Device Technology, Inc. Cypress Semiconductor, Everspin Technologies, Inc., Intel Corporation, Sony Corporation, Samsung Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics N.V., GSI Technology and Integrated Device Technology, Inc among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Micro Server IC Market Research Report Forecast 2017-2021

Micro Server IC Market

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The report, titled Global Micro Server IC Market 2017 is a methodical research study based on the Micro Server IC market, analyzing the competitive framework of the industry in the world. Using efficient analytical tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis, the report provides a comprehensive assessment of the Micro Server IC market.The report estimates the market size in terms of volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$) produced, whereas, the key segments and the geographical subdivision of the Micro Server IC market are also analyzed in detail. The market drivers, limitations, and growth prospects of each segment are discussed in this report and, based on that, analysts have determined the future of the market for Micro Server IC in the global arena.Get full report with TOC @The report covers each aspect of the market for Micro Server IC in globally, starting from the basic information about the market and advancing to the various criteria on the basis of which the market is classified. The major applications of the Micro Server IC market are also discussed in the report.The report studies the Micro Server IC market by evaluating the market chain, prevalent policies, and regulations as well as the manufacturers, their manufacturing chain, cost structures, and contribution in the industry. The regional markets for the global Micro Server IC market are examined by analyzing the pricing of products in the region compared to the profit generated. The production capacity, demand and supply, logistics, and the historical performance of the market in the given region is also evaluated in this market report.Get Free sample report @The report determines the leading players in the global market. The company profiles of the major participants operating in the global Micro Server IC market have been reviewed in this study.Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact UsJoel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com
Europe Quad-Play Services Market to Rear Excessive Growth During 2016 - 2026

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The Quad-Play Services Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Europe Quad-Play Services Market: Drivers and ChallengesIn todays world, connectivity plays a vital role in everyones lives, and consumers willingly pay the price for that (television, mobile services, etc.). Moreover, penetration and adoption of new technologies is high in Europe. Quad-play services, succeeding triple-pay services and are offered as bundled services at attractive prices and discounts. Furthermore, many service providers enable customers to access content from any device, anywhere without any charges. These are some of the major factors driving the growth and adoption of quad-play services in Europe. Conventional quad-play services focus on residential consumers, but now many service providers are offering bundled services, such as internet conferencing, for enterprises as well. This factor is expected to contribute to the growth of quad-play services market in the near future. However, telecom service providers are focused on making profits, offering a generalized bundle of services that fails to meet every individuals requirements. This is causing many subscribers in Europe to shift from quad-play services to stand-alone services. Moreover, in quad-play services, consumers dont have the option of choosing service providers for different applications, as they have to subscribe to one service provider for mobile data and voice services, paid television services, fixed broadband services, etc. These are some factors expected to restrict the growth of quad-play market in Europe.Europe Quad-Play Services Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in Europe quad-play services include BT Group plc, Orange S.A., Vodafone Group plc, Virgin Media plc, Telefonica S.A., among others. Service providers in Europe quad-play market are focusing on mergers and acquisitions as well as partnerships in order to strengthen their position in the market. For example, in January 2016, BT Group plc completed the acquisition of EE, a prominent mobile network in U.K., in order to make advancements towards offering improved quad-play services and strengthen its position in the U.K.Europe Quad-Play Services Market: Regional OverviewEurope quad-play services market is expected to witness a healthy growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of established player and high penetration rate of advanced technologies such as LTE and fiber optics. Quad-play services market in countries such as U.K., France, Spain and Portugal is expected to dominate the Europe quad-play market. Other quad-play services markets in Europe such as Netherlands and Belgium are expected to witness a steady growth over the next few years, as service providers are slowly realizing the benefits of offering bundled services. In Europe quad-play market, residential end users are expected to hold a majority of the market share, however enterprises end user is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR 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 a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2026

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The Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market: Drivers and ChallengesGlobal enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market is matured. Now the market growth rate has recovered as compared to the poor performances in 2012 and 2013. Factors which are driving the growth of global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market are growing demand of data storage capability, faster speed and security, along with excessive growth in colocation and cloud services. Furthermore growing data center investment encourages the growth of power and cooling solution and services market. On the other hand factors which are restraining the growth of enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market are high initial setup cost and high energy consumption. However, increasing demand of data storage capabilities and super computers is expected to create significant growth opportunity for the global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market over the forecast period.Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market: Key PlayersKey players in global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market are Schneider Electric, Eaton, Delta Power Solutions, IBM Corporation, Rahi Systems Inc., CDW Corporation, R.I.S.K. Company, INSIGHT and Power Solutions among others.Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market: Regional OverviewOn the basis of region, the global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market can be segmented into seven regions which includes, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East & Africa region. Further the market is sub-segmented as per the major countries of each region in order to provide better regional analysis of the enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market. North America region is expected to generate highest revenue for the market during the forecast period. However, developing economies such as Asia-Pacific and Japan are expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period. In Asia-Pacific region, Countries such as India, China and South Korea are expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR 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 a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Automotive Refinish Coatings Market Value Share, Analysis and Segments 2015-2025

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Automotivevehicles require timely maintenance and repairing to enhance the appearance and durability of vehicle by protecting them from external factors such as extreme temperature and UV radiation. For the need of refinishing the automotive refinishing coatings are frequently used in automotive aftermarket by end-users like automotive body shops and automotive repair centers. For durability, speed and perfect matching color the service providers use advance technology such as spray gun to apply primer and color coats of paints. Refinishing coatings are also applied to components and body of vehicle to protect from deterioration caused by foreign particles such as stone and other debris.An increasing demand for refinishing of vehicles across the globe, has led to significant improvements in automotive refinish coatings market such asdevelopment of advance coating material which are eco-friendly and low-solvent content. These products also provide good blend of ease of use, speed, durability and color match.Some of the underlying growth factors in global automotive refinish coatings market is consistent increase in number of vehicles in operation worldwide. Increase in miles driven, road accidents, and demand for recreational vehicles are the major drivers responsible for the growth of global automotive refinish coatings market. However, volatility of raw material prices and enhanced road safety parameters are some of the major challenges inglobal automotive refinish coatings market.Request For Report Sample@The global automotive refinish coatings market is geographically segmented into seven key regions which are, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Asia-pacific is leading automotive refinish coatings market in terms of revenue due to rising vehicles in operation and increasing sales of pre-owned cars. However the growth in North America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe is expected to remain stagnant for the forecast period. Growth in automotive refinish coatings market is relatively high in BRIC nations when compared with matured economies due to developing automotive aftermarket in these countries. This rapid growth in automotive refinish coatings market is fuelled by multiplemacro-economic factors such as rising number of cab-services, increasing car customization and rising capacity of collision repair& vehicle body shops. In addition, it is expected that in the next 30 years the total number of passenger cars in developing countries would reach around 3.5 to 4 billion.On the basis of product type the global automotive refinish coatings market is further segmented into two sub-segments which are Solvent-borne Coatings and water-borne Coatings. The solvent-borne coatings dominates the global automotive refinish coatings market, whilst for the forecast period the growth rate of water-borne coating type is estimated to be high. In Europe and North America automotive refinish coatings market adoption of water-borne coating material segment is increasing rapidly due to government regulationsto reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) level, which is generally high in solvent-borne coatings.Visit For TOC@Some of the examples of market participants in global automotive refinish coatings market are DuPont Performance Coating, BASF SE, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd, Akzo Nobel N.V, KCC Corp, Noroo Paint Coatings Co. Ltd., PPG Industries Inc., and Matrix System Automotive Finishes.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Contract Cleaning Services Market Size, Trends, Survey, Growth and Forecast 2017-2021

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Albany, NY, March 07, 2017: The global contract cleaning services market is expected to be driven by an increasing demand from key end-users such as commercial office buildings, transportation, healthcare institutions, and educational institutions. Growing dual-income families due to increasing women education and employment contribute to the growth of the market in terms of residential end-users. Increasing use of automated cleaning techniques have driven the market growth since these devices reduce cleaning time as well as improve the efficiency at work.The global contract cleaning services market to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global contract cleaning services market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated through the deployment of cleaning services from the following segments- Commercial- Industrial- ResidentialThe market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Contract Cleaning Services Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- ABM- ISS- Service MasterOther prominent vendors- Anago Cleaning Systems- AIS Contract Cleaners- Atlas Cleaning- BELFOR- Cagney Contract Cleaning- Crest Commercial Cleaning- Eco Group Services- Future Cleaning Services- JPM Contract Cleaners- Mitie Group- Nugent Contract Cleaning- OCS Group- Quota Contract Cleaning Services- Stanley Steemer International- The Cleaning Services GroupMarket driver- Strong demand from commercial end-users- For a full, detailed list, view our reportEnquiry at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
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.

Amie Steffeneicher writes for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, another Lee Enterprises newspaper. Reach her at amie.steffeneicher@wcfcourier.com.
Global Automotive Remote Keyless Entry System Market Trends & Forecast 2017-2021: Featuring Continental, Delphi, Hella, Mitsubishi Electric & ZF TRW

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Albany, NY, March 07, 2017: RKE systems were the first form of keyless entry technology introduced in automobiles. An RKE system consists of a key fob that is equipped with a transmitter, which communicates with the vehicle through radio frequency. The receiver installed in the vehicle captures the signal, decodes it, and then instructs the vehicle door to lock or unlock. The key fobs of RKE systems are equipped with buttons that act as switches that initiate the locking or unlocking of the vehicle door when the driver pushes the button on the key fob. This was the first innovation in vehicle security systems and transformed how consumers entered or exited their vehicles. It was initially introduced in luxury vehicles but gradually entered mid-segment vehicles because of their popularity and convenience.The global automotive remote keyless entry system market to grow at a CAGR of 5.92% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global automotive remote keyless entry system market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report present the vendor landscape and a detailed analysis of the top vendors in the market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Automotive Remote Keyless Entry System Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Continental- Delphi- Hella- Mitsubishi Electric- ZF TRWOther prominent vendors- Alps Electric- Atmel- Denso- Hyundai MOBIS- MarquardtMarket driver- Increase in sales of automobiles especially in emerging economies adding to RKE volume.- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Adoption of biometric to replace keyless entry system.- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Integration of RKE system with ignition system leading to add-on functionality.- For a full, detailed list, view our reportEnquiry at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Flight Tracking System Market 2015-2025 by Segmentation: Based on Product, Application and Region

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Recent times, we have come across many incidents, in which, the air craft had gone missing, and it had not been able to track successfully. In 2014, Malaysian airlines flight MH370 disappeared and the tracking of the plane had become a challenge for the government for months. In last few months, the flight tracking system has improved. Across the globe, airlines are investing in the infrastructure advancements for accommodating number of solutions for flight tracking system.Satellite tracking technology has been in use for tracking aircrafts for more than 20 years. Satellite tracking system gave an ultimate solution to the flight tracking system with an apt size, weight and cost. Satellite services or antennae is integrated with the aircraft, this helps tracking of the flight easy and reliable. For example, company FLYHT has a product called as FLYHTStream tracking system, which requires installation of FLYHTs blue box. This systems provides voice and tracking capabilities for tracking the aircraft successfully.Request For Report Sample@Flight Tracking System Market: Drivers and ChallengesGlobally, the demand for various flight safety and tracking system is growing, especially after a few mishaps. The integration of flight tracking system with the aircraft is fuelling the growth for the global flight tracking system market. International civil aviation organization (ICAO) has recommended to integrate the flight tracking system in the aircraft, due to which, in future, airlines are expected to integrate the flight tracking system in their aircrafts.Though, the importance of the flight tracking system is on the rise in developed economies, the system has low awareness among Asia Pacific countries. There are no stringent regulations pertaining to the integration of flight tracking system, which is inhibiting the growth of global flight tracking system market.Flight Tracking System Market: OverviewThe global flight tracking system market by value is expected to expand at a CAGR of around 7-9% during the forecast period (2015-2025), due to increasing demand for flight safety systems.Flight Tracking System Market: SegmentationThe global flight tracking system market can be segmented by aircraft type and by regionsBased on aircraft type, the global flight tracking system market is segmented as:Passenger FlightCargo AircraftDefence AircraftHelicopterOthersFlight Tracking System Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global flight tracking system market is expectedto register a single-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, global flight tracking system market is segmentedinto seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of market revenue, North America flight tracking system market is projectedto register a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Growing awareness about flight tracking system, increasing investments by airline companies in aircraft safety, are some of the factors which are fuelling the growth of flight tracking system market in North America. Western Europe and Asia Pacific are also forecast to register a significant growth in the global flight tracking system market.Visit For TOC@Flight Tracking System Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market participants in global flight tracking system market are SkyTrac Systems Ltd, FlightStats, Spidertracks, Blue Sky Network, FLYHT, etc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hemostats For Wound Closure Market Growth with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2025

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Historically wound types remain the same over the ages with only a slight exception being the emergence of femoral punctures associated with catheterization procedures. But with the advent of newer technologies the practice of closing those wounds are changed.These new products are commonly available on hospitals & trauma centers and have wide range of usage area. Among them Hemostat has become a very popular tool to be used as wound closure material with its excellent properties. When applied to a wound, quickly absorbs blood and other body fluids, transforms into a gel to seal the wound with a protective transparent layer, actively aids in stopping bleeding, and creates an environment for wound healing.Request For Report Sample@Treatment of damaged cardiac tissue in patients with high bleeding tendency can be very challenging. In this category of surgery Hemostat proved to be a very effective with the combination of collagen sponge for the management of a myocardial woundTopical hemostatic agents and tissue adhesives are used as an adjunct or alternative to standard suturing techniques to control bleeding or for wound closure.Hemostats for Wound Closure: Drivers and RestraintsWound closure has become a very frequent clinical practice which is growing very rapidly. The sophisticated procedures ensure rapid cessation of blood loss, prompt closure, strong adhesion of wound edges, tight sealing, reduced scarring, reduced risk of infection and more rapid healing. There is a pool of patients throughout the world which makes the market of this product is very lucrative. As the price is also very reasonable so acceptance of this product is gradually progressing.On the other hand some reports come which could restrict the growth. Surgical staples are emerging as the most useful tool on this wound closure segment. Also the market of suture which is there traditionally remains constant if not growing to some parts of the world. Few reports also suggested that patients may suffer with irritation, heat inflammation or redness on skin when hemostat are applied, though its not clear the exact reason for these.As the market is growing and price is low, so tough competitions will prevail in this segment too.Hemostats for Wound Closure: SegmentationGlobal market for wound closure products consist of hemostat are mainly driven the use of Fibrin which is the combination of thrombin & fibrinogen. Also collagen finds it use as hemostat though it still needs the approval of USFDA.Thrombin based HemostatsCombination HemostatsOxidized Regenerated Cellulose HemostatsGelatin HemostatsCollagen based HemostatsHemostats for Wound Closure: OverviewWith the rapid technological advancement in healthcare industry the Hemostats is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR in the forecasted period (2015-2025).Hemostats for Wound Closure: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the wound closure products market has been segmented into seven major geographical regions which include North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific exclude Japan, Japan & Latin America, Middle east & Africa. North America contribute the most in this market followed by Europe. With the new product approvals, change in regulatory policies encourages, patient acceptance helps the market to grow. Asia Pacific & Japan pose good growth potential too for wound closure products specially Hemostat.Visit For TOC@Hemostats for Wound Closure: Key PlayersWound closure product market is highly fragmented with presence of big & small companies. The market leaders in this area are Johnson & Johnson, Covidien, B. Braun, and 3M.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Leak Tester Market By Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022

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Leak testing is a process used to detect manufacturing defects which helps verify the integrity of products and improve consumer safety. For example, the automotive industry consistently uses leak testing to verify that assembly operations were completed properly and subcomponents are leak free. Leak tester is the equipment that used to test whether a product such as package is leaking or not. There are many types of leak testers in the market. Most common types are gas leak testers, liquid leaking tester, etc.Request Sample Report:Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Leak Tester in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversATEQINFICONCosmo InstrumentsVIC Leak DetectionUsonHermann SewerinTASIInterTechAFRISOPfeiffer VacuumBacharachTecna srlCETAChangzhou ChangceKane InternationalRothenbergerHAIRUISIMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversPortable Leak TesterCompact Leak TesterStationary Leak TesterMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAutomotiveMedicalHVAC/REnergyLaboratoriesOthersBrowse report summery with TOC:There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Leak Tester market.Chapter 1, to describe Leak Tester Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Leak Tester, with sales, revenue, and price of Leak Tester, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Leak Tester, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Leak Tester market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Leak Tester sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceEnquiry before Buying: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.ReportBazzarUnited States30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite:
New Trends of China Spinal Fusion Market with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2025

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There are several huge aspects impacting medical device technology field nowadays. A number of trends including consolidation, research and developments, and international strategies and alliances are driving the market for china spinal fusion market. The spinal fusion is one of the most common surgeries suggested for back problems. With the increasing spinal fusion surgery volumes in china due to the favourable reimbursement levels and patients willingness to undergo surgery with minimal invasive techniques is expected to foster the china spinal fusion market. Spinal fusion is surgical process are done to the patients suffering from a number of conditions such asdeformity, scoliosis, disc disease and fracture.The China Spinal Fusion Market is expected to register a double digit growth holding the fact that there is an increasing number of surgeries due to advancement in the technologies and use of minimal invasive techniques that benefits reduced cost. The procedures are highly benefited with the investment in the new technologies and their clinical success which are gaining more and more importance in the recent days and causing the China spinal fusion market to grow.The emerging China spinal fusion market has been experiencing a phase of new product development and technological advancements due to greater demand. The manufacturing companies are raising their respective market share with aggressive marketing activities and increased R&D activities.Request For Report Sample@China Spinal Fusion Market: Drivers & RestraintsSome of the major factors subsidizing the growth of China spinal fusion market are increasing rate of aging population with spine related diseases & related injuries coupled with the rising incomes of the Chinese populace ensuring the patients capability to pay for the treatment. On the other hand the price sensitive population of china is very responsive to the treatment price that are anticipated to drip considerably in near future due to the increasing competition in the market.Due to existing and upcoming advance technologies such as minimal invasive surgery and better implant materials are making it more widely accepted including the younger adult populace and thereby increasing the China spinal fusion market.The economic growth and additional initiatives taken by the Chinese government had resulted in treatment of a large number of previously untreated spinal disease patients in China's rural populace who are now undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery due to increased access.Despite of being widely used procedure for curing extremely debilitating disease related to spine, and spinal deformities, such as scoliosis and kyphosis, the China spinal fusion market is facing some challenges such as reimbursement cuts and heavy government regulations, high surgery cost, risk factors involved in the surgery etc.Due to high competition in the market, prices for bone graft substitutes and spinal implants are expected to come down in the Asia Pacific market, even when demand and expenditure on them has become greater than before, thus restraining the China spinal fusion market from growing. Some of the other growth restraining factors of the China spinal infusion market can be growing awareness for some other treatment methods such as IDET, artificial disc, posterior dynamic stabilization, disc regeneration.China Spinal Fusion Market: SegmentationBy spine fusion device types is segmented as follows:Spinal Plating SystemsPedicle Screw SystemsInterbody CagesBy procedure, the china spinal fusion market is segmented as follows:Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF)Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)Anterior/Posterior Spinal FusionTransforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF)Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)The developing region of China is projected to be potentially growing in market with reference to the increasing demand for spinal fusion holding the fact that increased number of technological advancements have made the devices and surgeries cost-effective.Visit For TOC@China Spinal Fusion Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the China spinal fusion market are Trauson, Depuy Synthes Companies, Biomet, Inc., Medtronic, Inc, Nuvasive Inc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Holding, Inc., Orthofix International N.V, B. Braun Aesculap and Weigao Orthopaedic Device Co., Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Pharmacy Retailing Market By Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2022

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Pharmacy Retailing is drugs sold in the retail and bought on the internet, not in the hospital.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Pharmacy Retailing in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Request Sample Report:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCVSWalgreenRite AidLoblawDiplomatAhold?AinPharmaciezGuoda DrugstoreYixintangAlbertsonsMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversOn-lineOff-lineMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoOTCRxBrowse report summery with TOC:There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Pharmacy Retailing market.Chapter 1, to describe Pharmacy Retailing Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Pharmacy Retailing, with sales, revenue, and price of Pharmacy Retailing, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Pharmacy Retailing, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Pharmacy Retailing market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Pharmacy Retailing sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceEnquiry before Buying: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.ReportBazzarUnited States30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite:
Breathable Film Market Share, Growth and Key Manufacturers Analysis 2017-2022

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Trending Breathable Film market is increasing rapidly. Breathable Film Market Report of top countries covers the whole Industry outlook, product types and applications. It covers the costing, sales, revenue details and forecasts of top 5 players in top Countries. It provides the forecast by countries, by type and by application. this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Breathable Film in each application and product type.This report studies Breathable Film 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 and TOC @The report focuses on the top Manufacturers in each country, covering Mitsui Chemicals Daedong Hans Chemical Hanjin P&C Swanson Plastics FSPG Huahan Liansu Wanjia Shandong HaiWei AvoTeck Shanghai ZihuaSplit by Product Types, with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type, can be divided into Breathable PE film Breathable PP film OhersSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Breathable Film in each application, can be divided into Hygiene Healthcare OthersDownload Free Sample Pages of Breathable Film 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 Breathable Film Market Research Report @Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com:2017-2022 Global Top Countries Chelants 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 237112Web:
Global Retort Packaging Market is Expected to Grow of CAGR 6.25% by 2022

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Market HighlightsRetort Packaging Market will be driven by growth in the flexible packaging market and the rise in demand for ready-to-eat food with extended shelf life due to the changing lifestyle of the people. The market will also be driven by the increased adoption of the packaged baby food products and the increase in demand for pet food. The technological advancements and extensive research & development in the field of packaging are also expected to drive the demand in the retort packaging market.Request a Sample Report@Scope of the ReportThis study provides an overview of the Global Retort packaging Market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region.By Packaging Type Pouches Cartons Trays OthersBy Material Used Polypropylene Polyester Aluminum foil Food Grade cast polypropylene Biomaterials Paper board Nylon OthersBy End user Food Beverage Pharmaceutical OthersBy Region North America Asia Pacific Europe Rest of the WorldMarket Research AnalysisThe packaging type is the most important for packaging of food, beverages, pharmaceutical and others. Among all types of packaging, pouches are the most commonly used. The pouches are light weight and provide the advantage of compact packaging for the purpose of logistics. The pouches are being used extensively for storing frozen food and even for packaging of beverages. Therefore, growth in the use of flexible packaging will directly influence retort packaging market.Browse Full RP Market @Key Players Amcor Ltd.( Australia) Berry Plastics (U.S.) Ampac Holdings, LLC (U.S.) Clondalkin Group (Netherlands) Sealed Air Corporation(U.S.) Astrapak Limited (South Korea) Bemis Company Inc. (U.S) Coveris Holdings S.A. (U.S.) Mondi PLC (Austria) Sonoco Products (U.S.)Regional AnalysisAsia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the retort packaging market with highest CAGR due to the rapidly changing lifestyle, increase in disposable income, extensive growth in population, and the constantly growing packaged food industry. The rise in demand of pet food in Russia and Poland is very fast, which contributes to the growth of the retort packaging market.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 85 market data tables and figures spread in 140 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Retort packaging Market Information from 2016 to 2022"Table of Content1 Executive Summary2 Research Methodologies3 Market Dynamics4 Global Retort packaging market, By Packaging type4.1 Pouches4.2 Cartons4.3 Trays4.4 Others5 Global Retort packaging market, By Material used5.1 Introduction5.2 Polypropylene5.3 Polyester5.4 Aluminum foil5.5 Food Grade cast polypropylene6 Global Retort packaging market, By End Use6.1 Food6.2 Beverage6.3 Pharmaceutical7 Regional Market AnalysisContinuedLIST OF TABLESTable 1 Global Retort Packaging Market, By Packaging TypeTable 2 Global Retort Packaging Market, By Material UsedTable 3 Global Retort Packaging Market, By End-UseTable 4 Global Retort Packaging Market, By RegionsTable 5 North America Retort Packaging Market, By CountryAbout Market Research FutureAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash AnandMarket Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.comWeb:
Railway Infrastructure Market Global Analysis & 2017-2021 Forecast Report

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This market analysis includes a detailed segmentation of the Global Railway Infrastructure Market by development trend and by application.The report covers the present year 2017 scenario and the growth prospects of the Global Railway Infrastructure Market for 2017-2021.The report Global Railway Infrastructure Market 2017-2021 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The report also covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years.The Railway Infrastructure Market By Geography North America Asia-Pacific EuropeRequest a sample of Global Railway Infrastructure Market Research Report @The Global Railway Infrastructure Market research report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.Global Railway Infrastructure Market key players are: Company A Company B Company C Company DBrowse the full Global Railway Infrastructure Market Research Report @The report provides an extensive analysis of current and future market status of the world Railway Infrastructure Market.Some of the points from table of content:Industry Overview Definition Classification Share Analysis Application AnalysisMarket Analysis Product Development History Process Development History Competitive Landscape AnalysisIndustry Development Trend Capacity Production Overview Production Market Share Analysis Demand OverviewMarket Status and Forecast Supply Demand and Shortage Import Export Consumption Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginReasons for Buying this Global Railway Infrastructure Market Research Report This report helps to analyzed the world's main region market conditions It provides product manufacturing processes It provides industry policies and plans It provides overview of product specification It provides cost structures & so on.The Report Contains: 167 Pages.Price of the report: 2850$ (single user license)Check discount @About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:Follow us on Twitter:Follow us on G+ :
Demand for Sustainable Packaging Materials Boosts Global Beverage Packaging Market

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"The Report Global Beverage Packaging Market 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"MarketResearchReports.biz announced the addition of a new research report to its resourceful repository. The report has been compiled with an intention of providing the readers a fair understanding of the trajectory of the global beverage packaging market. The publication, titled Global Beverage Packaging Market 2017-2021, provides an assessment of the economic, political, technological, and environmental factors likely to decide the growth of the global market in the near future. Furthermore, the research report also assesses the segments of the global beverage packaging market and determines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are likely to impact them.View Report @According to the research report, the global beverage packaging market is likely to surge at a CAGR of 5.15% between 2017 and 2021. The market is likely to be driven by growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions due to the growing environmental concerns pertaining to disposal of packaging waste. Furthermore, development of eco-friendly packaging materials is also likely to boost the global market by offering it multiple options. The global beverage packaging market is also being favored by the development of multipacks and single-serve packs. The design of convenient and easy packaging solutions are expected to propel the global market in the coming years as well.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The growing consumption of functional drinks and alcoholic beverages is further expected to augment the demand for beverage packaging materials and solutions. The rise of e-commerce and improved shelf-life of products is also anticipated to play a role in determining the trajectory of the overall market. Arduous efforts by companies in the global beverage packaging market to develop sustainable packaging solutions that are biodegradable are projected to have a key part in the development of the global market.The biggest challenge for the global beverage packaging market are the stringent rules are regulations pertaining to the packaging machines and materials. Furthermore, growing concerns pertaining to the development of materials that is suitable for packaging alcoholic beverages are also expected to hamper the global market.View Press Release @Some of the leading players operating in the global beverage packaging market are Owens-Illinois, Amcor, Ball, Crown Holdings, AptarGroup, Ardagh Group, Allied Glass Containers, Bemis, CAN-PACK, CCL Industries, CKS Packaging, Evergreen Packaging, and DS Smith. The research report has profiled these players and provided a thorough analysis of their share in the overall market. The publication also provides valuable information pertaining to their latest developments and research and development activities. The competitive landscape of the global beverage packaging market has been studied in absolute detail in the research report. Furthermore, it also assesses the intensity of the competitive rivalry and the threat of substitutes to the global market. The publication is aimed at offering a valuable insight into the various factors impacting the growth of the global market.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
DES MOINES  Iowa landowners would have expanded protections from being sued by trespassers who should not have been on their property under legislation that cleared the Iowa Senate on Monday by a 48-1 vote.

Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said Senate File 260 would codify Iowas current common law standard and protect property owners against any future granting of expanded liability via court decisions. He said 22 other states have similar legal provisions.

We want to put these provisions in to the code to avoid the possibility down the road that a court might change their mind and decide to expand the liabilities, Garrett told his Senate colleagues.

Landowners still would have a duty of care to refrain from willfully or wantonly injuring a trespasser and to use reasonable care to avoid injuring a trespasser once the trespassers presence becomes known. The liability provision would not remove responsibility for property owners to protect children from having dangerous conditions or from having items on the property that might attract children to come on the land.

The bill, which was opposed by Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, now goes to the Iowa House for consideration.

Licensing

In other action Monday, senators voted 36-14 to approve legislation that would allow a farm operation to have electrical work completed by an electrician who is not licensed by the state of Iowa  including electrical work on any commercial or industrial installation on the farm.

Under Senate File 357, the person completing the work must have a business interest in the farm, must be related to the farm owner or be an operator or manager of the farm. Currently, the owner of a farm operation could complete electrical work on the farm property without having an electrical license but the owner must apply for an electrical permit and schedule an electrical inspection of the project.

Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, said the bill merely codified existing procedures that were the subject of a 2012 executive order issued by Gov. Terry Branstad and a district court decision that creates an exception for farms that are not considered to be commercial businesses.

The vast majority of electrical work thats done on farm is done by licensed electricians, Zumbach said. Its simply not about the safety. Its about the procedure of having to have those same farms inspected.

Im not uncomfortable with this language.

However, Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, said the bill both says farmers dont have to have a professional complete electrical work on their property and they dont have to have the work inspected.

Im OK with not having a professional, I want it inspected, said Dotzler. Think about the risks down the road. This bill isnt ready for prime time. It should never been brought to this chamber and I urge people to vote against it.

Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, cited insurance and fire statistics about farm fires that annually result in property loss and deaths in raising concern that the exception was creating two different standards in urban and rural areas in opposing the bill.

In the end, 29 Republicans, one independent and six Democrats voted yes and 14 Democrats opposed S.F. 357, which now goes to the House for further action.
Explosive Detection Technologies Market is Expected to Exceed US$ 9,234.1 Million by 2024

Explosive Detection Technologies Market , Explosive Detection Technologies, Explosive Detection Technology Market

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Global sales of explosive detection technologies was valued at US$ 5,090.0 Mn in 2015 and is projected to be valued at US$ 9,234.1 Mn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 7.0% in terms of value over the forecast period (20162024). The explosive detection technologies market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing market, registering a CAGR of 9.0% between 2016 and 2024. Rising instances of terrorism and geo-political unrest across the globe is likely to boost the demand for explosive detection technologies significantly.For more information please visit this link @Key market drivers and trendsIncreasing incidence of terror attacks has intensified the focus of security agencies and other high profile establishments  particularly airports  on implementing fool-proof security measures. Governments across the globe are placing greater emphasis on improving security infrastructure, especially at critical establishments such as airports. This is expected to drive growth of the explosive detection technologies market over the forecast period. However, a growing number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) poses a major challenge for sustained growth of this market.One of the major trends in the explosive detection technologies market is new product development and launch. Leading market players prefer adopting the strategy of partnerships and contracts to supply explosive detection technologies to various government and non-government bodies.Market analysis by segmentationThe global explosive detection technologies market is segmented on the basis of Function (Automated, Manual); Technology (Bulk Detection, Trace Detection); and End User (Air Transport, Critical Infrastructure, Ports and Borders, Military and Defense). The Automated segment is estimated to account for a market value share of 44.9% by the end of 2016, reaching a value of US$ 4,468.8 Mn by the end of 2024. The Manual segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,957.2 Mn by the end of 2016 and is anticipated to reach US$ 4,765.3 Mn by the end of the forecast period. The Bulk Detection segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% in terms of value over the forecast period and the Trace Detection segment is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 7.8% in terms of value over the forecast period. In terms of value, the Air Transport segment is estimated to witness a Y-o-Y growth rate of 5.7% to 6.7% from 2016 to 2020. The Critical Infrastructure segment is anticipated to increase at an annual average growth rate of 7.3% till the end of 2022.Sample of this report is available upon request @Key regionsOn the basis of regions, the global explosive detection technologies market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific market is projected to be the most attractive market for explosive detection technologies throughout the forecast period, with sales revenues expected to reach US$ 2,390.5 Mn by the end of 2024. Markets in Europe and MEA are anticipated to expand at a value CAGR of 8.2% and 6.3% over the forecast period. Asia Pacific is estimated to account for over 20% share of the global explosive detection technologies market in terms of value by the end of 2016 while the markets in North America and Europe are estimated to collectively account for over 60% share in terms of value by the end of 2016.For more information please visit this link @Leading market playersSome of the leading companies operating in the global explosive detection technologies market are  Safran SA, Smiths Group plc., L-3 Communications Holdings Inc., Kromek Group plc, OSI Systems Inc., Elbit Systems Ltd., Chemring Group PLC, Implant Sciences Inc., Guangzhou Skyscanner Electronic Equipment Co. Ltd., Security Electronic Equipment Co. Ltd., Suzhou Aoteng Electron Technology Co. Ltd., Kunshan Sanxun Electronics Technology Co. Ltd., Tongfang Weishi Technology Co. Ltd., and Shanghai WeiEn Security Equipment Co. Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Clinical Decision Support System Market Expects Healthy Growth by 2022

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https://www.scalarmarketresearch.com/market-reports/clinical-decision-support-system-cdss-market

The Report of "Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) Market, by Components (Hardware, Software and Services ), Applications (Drug Allergy Alerts, Drug-Drug Interactions, Drug Reminders Clinical Guidelines, Clinical Reminders, Drug Dosing Support and Others), Models (Knowledge-Based and Non-Knowledge-Based), Mode of Delivery (Web-based, On-premises, and Cloud computing), Products (Integrated and Standalone) - Global Revenue, Trends, Growth, Share, Size and Forecast to 2022" Meticulous understanding of the key new market opportunities in individual geographic regions/countries.Get Sample Report :KEY PREMIUM INDUSTRY INSIGHTS1. The factors such as the growth in the number of the aging population and the the rising pressure to reduce the healthcare expenditures are some of the major growth drivers for the clinical decision support system (CDSS) market.2. The rising prevalence of the diseases as a result of the medication errors, integration of the healthcare IT solutions, and the presence of the favorable government programs are boosting the growth of the CDSS market.3. However, the rising incidences of the security breaches leading to data loss, the lack of trained IT professionals, the high expenses on the maintenance, and the rising costs of the CDSS solutions are hindering the growth of the clinical decision support system (CDSS) market.For More Information :ABOUT US:Scalar Market Research Inc. aspires to assist organizations from around the world to achieve their business goal with premium market research reports and consulting services. Our real-time industry tracking with the help of advanced analytics offers a crystal clear view of all the activities in niche markets. Our team, with thorough global understanding, works relentlessly to gather the necessary market insights, including customer analysis, competitions and global forecast.CONTACT:Moses Nakka8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave.,Suite 1300Chicago, IL 60631Tel.: +1-800-213-5170 (U.S./Canada Toll-free)Email: sales@scalarmarketresearch.com
Global Residential Security Market 2016: Focuses on top manufacturers Blue Ridge, ADT, Protect America, Schneider Electric, Honeywell

Residential Security

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http://bit.ly/2lXpWfv

The Residential Security research report by QY Research represents an inclusive evaluation of the Global Residential Security Market and comprises considerable insights, historical data, facts, and statistical and industry-validated data of the global market. Additionally, it consists of estimated data that is evaluated with the help of suitable set of methodologies and assumptions. The research report highlights informative data and in-depth analysis of Residential Security market and its corresponding segments that are based on technology, geography, and applications.The examination on value chain of Residential Security market is provided which covers the growth factors and restraints of the industry along with the key market competitors.To Request Sample Copy Of This Report:The report comprises precise information, comprehensive analysis in two waysqualitative and quantitativeindustry experts inputs, and information provided by industry analysts and industry participants involved in the entire value chain. The report highlights exhaustive study of major market and their present trends, along with corresponding market segments. The Residential Security report also provides data regarding various market factors and their impact on the overall market and its segments.Global Research report analyzes the scope of Residential Security industry including size, share, analysis, sales, supply, production, definition, specification, classification, demands, application, forecast trends, industry policy, and news. The report focuses on regional as well as global market, its key players, along with market segments including detailed study on various divisions and its applications. The report provides comprehensive information on each and every segment covered of the Residential Security market.Furthermore, the report evaluated major market points such as production, revenue, capacity utilization rate, gross, price, capacity, gross margin, supply, cost, demand, export, consumption, import, growth rate, market share, and so on.Browse Complete Report At:The global Residential Security market report is a helpful source which assists manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, customers, and individuals and investors who have interest in this market.SummaryNotes:Production, means the output of Residential SecurityRevenue, means the sales value of Residential SecurityThis report studies Residential Security in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBlue RidgeADTProtect AmericaSchneider ElectricHoneywellGuardian AlarmRosslare SecurityMcAfee (Intel Security)LifeShield Home SecuritySimpliSafeAbout Us:MRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting. It consists of head such as, latest report, category, niche market and news. Reports published on the million of category like chemical, machinery and equipment, consumer goods, manufacturing and construction etc. Latest national, international, business News published under news portal.3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,Tel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651
Steel Sandwich Panels Market Share, Growth and Key Manufacturers Analysis 2017

Steel Sandwich Panels Market

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/14141-steel-sandwich-panels-market-analysis-report

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-14141

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-14141

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/14143-viscose-staple-fiber-for-apparel-market-analysis-report

www.decisiondatabases.com/

Steel Sandwich Panels market is in boom now. The latest Steel Sandwich Panels Market report contains complete Industry outlook, market manufacturers and key statistics analysis. The industry sales & Share, industrys trends are all discussed, explained and analyzed. It provides marketing strategy analysis, distributors/traders list, raw materials analysis, import & export analysis.This report studies Steel Sandwich Panels 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 Kingspan Metecno Isopan ArcelorMittal Fischer Profil RigiSystems Silex Isomec GCS MBCI Zhongjie AlShahin Tonmat Italpannelli Marcegaglia Alubel Jingxue RuukkiSplit by Product Types, with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type. EPS Sandwich Panels PU Sandwich Panels Glass Wool Sandwich Panels PF Sandwich Panels OtherSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Steel Sandwich Panels in each application. Building (Wall) Building (Roof) Cold Storage OtherDownload Free Sample Report of Steel Sandwich Panels 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 AppendixPurchase the Complete Steel Sandwich Panels Market Research Report @Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com:2017-2022 Global Top Countries Viscose Staple Fiber for Apparel 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 237112Web:
Global LED Glass Market 2017 : POWER GLASS, SCHOTT, Yaohua Glass Co Ltd, Luoyang Glass Co Ltd, CSG Holding Co Ltd

LED Glass

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http://bit.ly/2lXux1g

A market study based on the "LED Glass Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global LED Glass Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide LED Glass industry, and makes predictions on the future status of LED Glass market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportPOWER GLASSSCHOTTPolytron Technologies, Inc.Shenzhen Prima Glass Co., LtdSHENZHEN NEXNOVO TECHNOLOGY CO,LTDShenzhen AuroLED Technology Co.,ltdGWSYaohua Glass Co LtdLuoyang Glass Co LtdShandong Jinjing Science and Technology Stock Co LtdCSG Holding Co LtdXinyi Glass Holding LtdThe report studies the industry for LED Glass across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in LED Glass market & dynamics of demand and supply of LED Glass into consideration. The 'LED Glass' research study covers each and every aspect of the LED Glass market globally, which starts from the definition of the LED Glass industry and develops towards LED Glass market segmentations. Further, every segment of the LED Glass market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the LED Glass market. The geographical segmentation of the LED Glass industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for LED Glass is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, LED Glass market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the LED Glass market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global LED Glass market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, LED Glass production volume, data regarding demand and LED Glass supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for LED Glass across the globe.About Us :Worldwide Research are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Worldwide Research, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries such as Automotive and Aerospace, Medical Devices, Technology, Machinery & Manufacturing.Contact Us :Worldwide ResearchUnited States
Global Industrial Communication Industry Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 12.79% During The Period 2017-2021

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=938688

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=938688

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Industrial Communication Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Industrial communication protocols such as Ethernet are widely used in office networks for data transfers. In the recent times, communication protocols are used in factory floors to meet communication needs of industrial applications. The industrial plant's environment is harsh with extreme temperature conditions, humidity, and vibration. Industrial-based devices are designed to be rugged to withstand such extreme conditions and function effectively. Industrial communication can be performed using three protocols, namely Fieldbus, Ethernet, and wireless.Technavios analysts forecast the global industrial communication market to grow at a CAGR of 12.79% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global industrial communication market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from sales and aftermarket services of industrial Ethernet (IE) and wireless protocols used in devices by the market participants, for both process and discrete industries globally, is covered in this report.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Technavio's report, Global Industrial Communication Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsABBRockwell AutomationSchneider ElectricSiemensOther prominent vendorsAdvantechBeckhoff AutomationCisco SystemsEmerson ElectricEndress+HauserGeneral ElectricInfineon TechnologiesNational InstrumentsTE ConnectivityTexas InstrumentsMarket driverGrowing demand from water and wastewater treatment industry.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLack of determinism in industrial communication networks.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendRising adoption of industrial communications in machine vision systems.For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Third-Party Logistics Industry In Japan Will Grow Steadily At A CAGR Of 3.53% During The Period 2017-202

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http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=938687

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "3PL Market in Japan 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The term 3PL refers to third-party logistics that essentially involves a vendor catering to the logistics and distribution management of outsourced products and services of different companies. Shippers (customers, who transport goods using 3PL services) outsource some or all the supply chain management (SCM) functions of their logistics services to the 3PL provider. The 3PL provider is responsible for handling customer logistics requirements while performing different functions like transportation, location tracking, and sometimes product-consolidation activities.Technavios analysts forecast the third-party logistics market in Japan to grow at a CAGR of 3.53% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the third-party logistics market in Japan for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the 3PL services provided by the vendors in Japan.Technavio's report, Third-Party Logistics Market in Japan 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Key vendorsGlobal Logistic Properties (GLP)Kintetsu World Express (KWE)Sagawa ExpressYamatoHitachi Transport SystemOther prominent vendorsAlps LogisticsJFE LogisticsMitsui-SokoNichirei LogisticsNIPPON EXPRESSSakata WarehouseSankyuToll HoldingsMarket driverAffordable prices through 3PL servicesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLack of innovation in logistics facilitiesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendTechnological advances by 3PL providers in JapanFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Honeycomb Paper Market Report 2017

https://marketreportscenter.com/request-sample/510034

https://marketreportscenter.com/reports/510034/global-honeycomb-paper-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022

https://marketreportscenter.com/request-discount/510034

https://marketreportscenter.com

Paper honeycomb is a building and packing material. One of the most commons uses of Paper honeycomb is for standard doors inside houses. Typically a layer of fiberglass and then the enforced Paper made into honeycomb shapes (hexagon tubes) and then another layer of fiberglass. Compared pound for pound, it is stronger than steel and costs substantially less to manufacture. Paper honeycomb is the ideal core material for providing inside structure when light weight, strength and cost are key considerations. Applications include interior doors, furniture, automotive parts and packaging materials. It is a green product consisting out of all-natural Paper and water based glue.Download Sample Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Honeycomb Paper in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCorint GroupGrigeo Klaip?dos KartonasAxxion IndustriesHonicelCartoflexForlitHoneycomb CellpackBestemDufaylite DevelopmentsLHexagoneTivuplastQK Honeycomb ProductsEmin LeydierMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversContinuous Paper HoneycombBlocks Paper HoneycombExpanded Paper HoneycombMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFurniture industryDoor manufacturingAutomotivePackaging productionConstructionOther Complete Report Details @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Honeycomb Paper market.Chapter 1, to describe Honeycomb Paper Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Honeycomb Paper, with sales, revenue, and price of Honeycomb Paper, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Honeycomb Paper, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Honeycomb Paper market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Honeycomb Paper sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source....ContinuedTo Get Discount on Full Report @For more information, please visitMarket Reports Center is an e-commerce platform obliging the needs of knowledge workers, experts, professionals who are subject to market research information for their work, or to make strategic business decisions. Market Reports Centers team consistently works to update and extend our existing repository of market research reports by partnering with new publishers and adding their studies to our websiteSam Collins303, Astral Court,Aundh, Pune,MH - 411045, Indiainfo@marketreportscenter.com
3D Cardiac Mapping System Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2026

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11383

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/3d-cardiac-mapping-system-market.asp

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Subtitle: The 3D Cardiac Mapping System Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.3D Cardiac Mapping System Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe 3D cardiac mapping system market is anticipated to grow with a significant CAGR owing to the increase in number of patients with arrhythmia and other cardiac disorders, rising pressure to reduce diagnosis errors and increasing healthcare expenditure. The major factors driving the growth of 3D cardiac mapping systems is the precision and patient safety enabled by real-time monitoring. The increase in aging population who are more prone to chronic heart disorders will elevate the demand for the 3D cardiac mapping system. The increase in prevalence and diagnosis rate of cardiac illness is the major factors which is creating the demand for 3D cardiac mapping systems. The 3D cardiac mapping also help in reducing the time of diagnosis. The restraining factors for the 3D cardiac mapping system market are high cost of services and limited adoption rate of the systems.3D Cardiac Mapping System Market: Regional OverviewOn the basis of geography, the global 3D cardiac mapping system market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America contributes maximum share to the 3D cardiac mapping system market. European countries are expected to represent significant growth rates due to the growing healthcare practices. Amongst the Asian countries, India and China are more promising due to large population pool, increased prevalence of cardiac diseases, increasing awareness, rapid improvement in healthcare services with the saturation in the developed markets.A sample of this report is available upon request @3D Cardiac Mapping System Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in 3D cardiac mapping system market are Biosense Webster, Inc., St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific Corporation, Inc. The companies are majorly focusing in the improvement of services provided to customers with the new techniques that provide the physicians in better and quick diagnosis.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content@About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Non-Magnetic Metals & Alloys Market to Reflect Impressive Growth by 2026

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11578

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/non-magnetic-metals-and-alloys-market.asp

The Non-Magnetic Metals & Alloys Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Global Non-Magnetic Metals & Alloys Market DynamicsThe market of global non-magnetic metals & alloys is anticipated to be driven by the use of non-magnetic metals in different industries and their respective purposes. Due to growth of aviation industry and other transportation and structural materials, the global market of non-magnetic metals & alloys are growing in demand. In addition, the favorable Government initiatives such as The National Space policy of United States on June, 2010 and many others programmes help in the consumption of more non-magnetic metals & alloys over the years due to increased number to aircrafts and spaceships. Some of the non-magnetic metals & alloys are also used in building materials and also as a component of various metal alloys. Due to growth of the construction equipment, lead acid batteries, bullets and radiation protectors, the non-magnetic metals & alloys such as lead is highly used in demand of late. The demand for corrosion chemically inert and corrosion resistant products in chemical processing industry is expected to drive the market growth over the predictable period. Also the non-magnetic metals & alloys are highly recyclable in nature which further encourages the growth of non-magnetic metals and alloys. The global non-magnetic metals & alloys market is characterized by continuous mergers, acquisitions and product innovations to gain market share and competitive edge which drives the demand for the product worldwide. The jewelry industry involving precious metals other than gold, is expected to drive the Non-Magnetic Metals market to some extent. The industry is expected to get advantage from the rising magnesium mining and growing extraction of other metals such as titanium, which are used as raw materials for the production of alloys.However, the global non-magnetic metals & alloys being costly as compared to magnetic metals and alloys does have a hindering effect on its market growth as well. On the mining operations front, the non-magnetic metals and alloys mining are currently experiencing a sluggish production rate.Global Non-Magnetic Metals & Alloys Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the Global non-magnetic metals & alloys industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America holds the largest share in the global non-magnetic metals & alloys market. It is expected to witness a substantial growth at a CAGR of over 3.5% in the forecasted period of 2016-2026. Europe holds the second largest market in terms of global non-magnetic metals & alloys, followed by Japan, Asia-pacific, Middle-East Africa and then rest of the world. Asia Pacific is expected to witness above average growth rates over the next six to eight years owing to the growing aviation industry combined with increasing demand for high durability metals in gas turbines and electrical & electronics.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global Non-Magnetic Metals & Alloys Market PlayersThe major players identified across the value chain of global non-magnetic metals & alloys market includes Saru Smelting Pvt Ltd., Lee Kee Group, James Coppell Lee, North Ferrous Cast Alloys Inc., Gravita India Ltd.,Australian Metals Pty Ltd., Nimax, Arcotech Ltd., AMPCO Metal Sa, Plansee Group and others. The companies are investing in their research & development sector to use more and more non-magnetic metals & alloys in aerospace industry. The companies are also focusing on different strategies in order to maintain the market share in the global non-magnetic metals & alloys market.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
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 women 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.

Alex Boisjolie writes for the Sioux City Journal, another Lee Enterprises newspaper. Reach him at aboisjolie@siouxcityjournal.com.
Textile Dyes Market - Forecasts From 2017 To 2022

www.knowledge-sourcing.com/products/textile-dyes-market-forecasts-from-2017-to-2022

Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence announces the publication of new report titled Textile Dyes Market - Forecasts From 2017 To 2022.The report segments the textile dyes market based on type of dye (Acid, Basic, Direct, Disperse, Reactive, Sulfur, Vat, and Others), application (Direct application, Yarn dyeing, Garment dyeing), type of fiber (Wool, Nylon, Cotton, Viscose, Polyester, Acrylic, and Others), end user (Household, Garment, Automotive, and Others), and geographical region (North America, South America, Europe Middle East and Africa, and Asia pacific). Textile Dyes market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.25% over the projected period to reach US$7.982 billion by 2022, from US$5.625 billion in 2017.Major factors driving the textile dyes market are growing preference for natural dyes, increasing demand for colored textiles and fibers, and a surge in research and development investments in plant based dyes. Rising demand for environment-friendly products is boosting the usage of natural dyes in textile applications, thereby augmenting the demand for these types of dyes.Some of the major textile dye companies covered as part of the report are Allied Industrial Corp. Ltd., Organic Dyestuffs Corporation, Archroma Management, Huntsman Corporation, and Sumitomo Chemical among various others.Sample request or complete report can be purchased through the link below:This 90 pages report provides comprehensive insight of textile dyes market illustrated with a wide range of figures and data tables for the forecasted period based on the segmentations listed above.Brief TOC is as below: Market Dynamics Segmentationo BY Type Of Dye Acid Basic Direct Disperse Reactive Sulfur Vat Otherso By Application Direct application Yarn dyeing Garment dyeingo By Type Of Fiber Wool Nylon Cotton Viscose Polyester Acrylic Otherso By End User Household Garment Automotive Otherso By Geography America North America South America Europe Middle East and Africa Europe Middle East and Africa Asia Pacific Competitive Intelligence Profiles of major companiesAbout Knowledge Sourcing IntelligenceKnowledge Sourcing Intelligence is a market research and consulting firm based out of India. Driven by industry experts, the company provides syndicated reports, custom research, and consulting services. Our proprietary data analytics model blended with quality primary and secondary research data assists in generating quality reports providing crucial insights to managers and decision makers. The services offered by us help companies to gain required competitive edge. Our expertise across 10 industries such as ICT, Chemicals, Semiconductors, Healthcare among others caters to diverse client needsKnowledge Sourcing IntelligenceAscent Business CenterH-38, Sector 63NOIDA, IndiaContact: +1-866-714-4587
Luxury Goods Market: Scales to Increasingly Tip in Favor of Emerging Economies

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/luxury-goods-market.html

The global luxury goods market is moderately fragmented with top twelve companies holding less than 50% of the market in 2013, according to a new research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Some of the key players in the global luxury goods market are LVMH, Prada S.p.A., Kering Group, Coty Inc., Rolex SA, Hermes International S.A., Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, Tiffany & company, and , The LOreal Group.A TMR analyst says, The demand for luxury goods is on the rise globally due to increasing number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) globally. This class of individuals is spending heavily on a range of luxury goods such as apparel and leather goods, watches and jewelry, and fragrances. While developed regions are increasingly becoming saturated for the sales of luxury goods, developing regions are exhibiting an increasing demand for luxury goods due to increasing disposable incomes and rising living standards in these regions.For more Information on this Report,Fill the Form@Emergence of New Marketing Channels Fuels Market GrowthWithin developing regions, countries such as China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, and Singapore are promising regional markets for luxury goods. The steadily increasing high net worth individuals in these nations, along with the increasing GDP in these nations is opening lucrative growth opportunities for the luxury goods market. The expanding sales network of luxury brands in these countries has also made the purchase of these goods espalier for consumers.The advances in online marketing and increasing use of digital marketing for the promotion of luxury goods is contributing to the growth of the global luxury goods market. The resilient economy of some of the major developed markets will also contribute to the healthy growth of this market.Lack of Knowledgeable Personnel Hampers Market GrowthUncertain economic scenarios is one of the foremost factors impeding the growth of the global luxury goods market, says a TMR analyst. The economic slump of 2007-2008 had a profound impact on the sales of luxury goods across the world. Currency devaluation and an inadequate number of highly-trained and knowledgeable store personnel is also hampering the growth of this market. Savvy consumer-facing marketers can decide the fate of luxury brands in nearly every market  their dearth is costing brands dearly in several promising countries.Due to the difference in cultural leanings between consumers in emerging economies from those in developed economies, luxury brands are facing challenges in modifying their product offerings to keep up with the needs of newly-affluent consumers.Europe Leads Luxury Goods Market in Terms of Revenue ContributionThe global market for luxury goods is expected to be worth US$374.85 bn by 2020, states TMR. Europe is expected to be the leading regional market with a revenue contribution of 31.3% to the overall market in 2020. Europe is home to some of the top luxury goods manufacturers, due to which the region has an extensive network of marketing and selling of luxury goods. The dominance of this regional segment is also attributed to its vast travel retail network and abundance of duty-free shops.However, Rest of the World and Asia Pacific are expected to display the highest growth rate in this market in the coming years. Apparel and leather goods stood as the leading product type segment in 2013 and is expected to dominate in the coming years as well. This is followed by luxury watches and jewelry.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Methylene Blue Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

Methylene Blue Market

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Methylene blue is a versatile compound which has wide range of applications. It is known to be an aromatic compound which is used in various fields. It has molecular formula C16H18N3SCl. It was manufactured for the first time by a german chemist named Heinrich Caro. It appears as a dark green solid in the form of powder which has no odor. When dissolved in water, Methylene blue results in formation of a blue colored solution. The other names for Methylene blue include Desmoid piller, Panatone, Vitablue and urolene blue among others. Methylene blue is also known to be a basic aniline dye which is used by biologists to stain tissue samples and detect nucleic acids.The major areas which deal with methylene blue include medical, chemical, pharmaceutical and aquaculture among others. In chemical industry, methylene blue has application in analytical chemistry as a redox indicator. It detects the absence and presence of oxygen. It is also used in preparation in reaction of Fehlings solution and reducing sugars to make it clearly visible. It is also used in titrations and volumetric analysis. In the biological industry, methylene blue is used as a dye which helps in identification and detection of bacteria. As bacteria are colorless, a drop of methylene blue helps in identification of bacteria under the microscope.Obtain Report Details @It is also used in detection of RNA sequences. Some tests such as northern blotting and western blots also make use of methylene blue. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is primarily used as medicine for treatment of disorder named methemoglobinema. This is a disorder in which oxidized hemoglobin levels gradually rise above the normal level in blood. Methylene blue reduces extra methmoglobin to hemoglobin in blood. Methylene blue is also used as drug for treating manic depressive psychosis, formation of bladder and kidney stones and infection caused by herpes simplex virus. Aquaculture is another field of application wherein, methylene blue is used as insecticide and to prevent fungal infection on freshwater fish eggs.Growing demand for methylene blue from the pharmaceutical industry is the major factor driving the global methylene blue market. Increasing demand from the chemical industry is also expected to boost demand for methylene blue in the market. Upcoming demand from aquaculture is also expected to fuel demand for methylene blue in the market. The biology industry contributes and will continue to create demand for methylene blue in the near future.Make an Enquiry @The key segments profiled for methylene blue market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the methylene blue market owing to the growing demand from the medical and chemical industry in the region. North America and Europe are also expected to boost market for methylene blue due to growing demand from the pharmaceutical industry and end-user industries in the region.The key companies profiled for methylene blue market include: VANSHI CHEMICALS PVT. LTD., Sakshi Dyes and Chemicals, DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED, Megha International, Shreeji Pharma International, Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co., Belami Laboratory & Fine Chemicals, MACSEN GROUP, COSMO Pharmaceuticals, A & C American Chemicals Ltd., A&K Petro - Chem Industries Limited, ACP Chemicals Inc., Alfa Aesar, Bio-Rad Laboratories (Canada) Ltd., Caledon Laboratories Ltd., Canadawide Scientific Ltd., Cedarlane and Cleartech Industries Inc among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Chromium Chloride (III) Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

Chromium Chloride (III) Market

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Chromium chloride typically finds use as a catalyst and as a precursor to dyes for wool. The major applications of chromium chloride mainly include dyestuffs, organic synthesis and as a precursor to organochromium complexes. Chromium(III) chloride comprise various compounds of having the formula CrCl3(H2O)x in which x can be 0, 5 or 6. The anhydrous compound with the formula CrCl3 is a violet solid. The most common form of the trichloride is the dark green hexahydrate. Chromium chloride is generally used as a precursor to several inorganic compounds of chromium, for instance, bis(benzene)chromium which is analogue of ferrocene. Phosphine complexes which are derived from chromium chloride catalyses the trimerization of ethylene to 1-hexene.Moreover, chromium chloride is used in organic synthesis in which chromium(III) chloride is used for the in situ production of chromium(II) chloride which is a popular reagent for the reduction of alkyl halides and also for the synthesis of (E)-alkenyl halides. This chemical reaction is generally performed by using two moles of chromium chloride per mole of lithium aluminum hydride, even though if aqueous acidic conditions are suitable zinc and hydrochloric acid might be sufficient. Chromium(III) chloride is also utilized as a Lewis acid in various organic reactions, for instance, for catalyzing the nitroso Diels-Alder reaction. Dyestuff is also a major application of chromium chloride.Obtain Report Details @A wide variety of chromium-containing dyes are broadly used for commercial applications of wool. Major types of dyes produced from chromium chloride are triarylmethanes which consists of ortho-hydroxylbenzoic acid derivatives. The growing demand for chromium chloride in all such applications is expected to drive the global chromium chloride market in the next few years.Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for chromium chloride in the next few years. The main reason for this is the growing demand for chromium chloride from developing nations such as China, India, Indonesia and Thailand. Also, the countries in the regions such as Africa, South America and the Middle East are showing rapid economic growth since the last few years. These nations typically include South Africa, Brazil, Jordan, Nigeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Kuwait. Additionally, the U.S. and European countries are slowly recovering from the economic deceleration. All these factors are creating a positive outlook for the global industrial dynamics.For more information on this report, fill the form @Considering this positive outlook, the industries such as dyes and pigments are anticipated to record an astonishing growth in the next few years. Moreover, there is a enormous market potential for the different types of dyes in the developing countries such as China, India and Brazil. The increasing demand for various types of dyes in the industries such as home textiles, apparels and geo-textiles across different geographies of the world, especially in the developing countries, is expected to drive the global dyestuff market in the next six years. This will eventually result in an increase in the demand for chromium chloride in the next few years.The major players operating in the chromium chloride market are largely focusing on the developing countries for tapping their massive market potential. The major companies operating in the chromium chloride market are installing huge production facilities in these developing countries to fulfill the swiftly growing local demand for chromium chloride. Therefore, the global chromium chloride market is expected to witness a notable growth in the next six years.American Elements and OXKEM are the major producers of chromium chloride.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Global Potato Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025

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IndexBox has just published a new report"World: Potato - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025"(This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global potato market. Within it, you will find the latest data on market trends and opportunities by country, consumption and production, food balance and price developments, as well as global trade (imports and exports). The forecast reveals market prospects to 2025.Countries coverage: WorldwideProduct coverage:PotatoData coverage: Potato market size and value; Per Capita consumption; Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term; Global potato production, split by region and country; Global potato trade (exports and imports); Producer, export and import prices for potato; Potato market trends, drivers and restraints; Key market players and their profiles.Reasons to buy this report: Take advantage of the latest data; Find deeper insights into current market developments; Discover vital success factors affecting the market.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION, HARVESTED AREA AND YIELD IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY4.3 HARVESTED AREA AND YIELD BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. PRICES AND PRICE DEVELOPMENT7.1 PRODUCER PRICES7.2 PRODUCER PRICES INDEX8. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!You can also find a template on SlideShareIndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite:
Halal Products Market: End-to-end Halal Integrity in Production and Supply Chains to be Key Determinant of Success

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The global market for halal products is highly diversified, comprising product varieties in the areas of food and beverages to personal care and pharmaceuticals. Halal food companies account for the dominant share in the global markets revenue as halal food and beverages account for nearly 50% of the worlds total halal products market demand, observes a recent report by Transparency Market Research. With the fast pace of globalization and the increasingly complex nature of supply chains, end-to-end halal integrity has become a profound concern for consumers. In this scenario, companies capable of demonstrating a high level of commitment in this area have an upper hand to the companies who consider halal simply as an add-on to an existing range of product.The leading players in the halal products market for the food and beverage segment is Nestle S.A. For halal products for cosmetic and personal care application Unilever is the leading player, besides several other notable players. Reckitt Benckiser Group plc. is one of the leading players catering to the chemical and materials industry.For More Information on this Report, Fill the Form@Asia Pacific to Remain Dominant Regional MarketTransparency Market Research estimates that the global halal products market was valued at US$2.70 trillion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 10.51 trillion by 2024, exhibiting a CAGR of 16.2% from 2016 to 2024. Geographically, the halal products market in Asia Pacific accounted for over 47.0% of the global halal products market in 2015 and is also expected to be the region exhibiting the most significant growth in the next few years. In terms of product variety, the segment of processed food and beverages accounted for the dominant 25.9% share in the market in 2015 and is expected witness a vast rise throughout the forecast period as well.Rising Global Muslim Population Key to Market GrowthBeing the prime consumer of halal products, the rising population of the Muslim community across the globe is one of the most prominent drivers of the global market for halal products. Studies estimate that by 2030, nearly 26% of the worlds population will be accounted by Muslims, which is a vast rise from the 19.9% in 1990. Moreover, the rising disposable income of Islamic countries, chiefly owing to the rapid growth of the Islamic economies in Middle East and South East Asia, is also expected to contribute to the market growth in the next few years. In addition to this, the consumption of halal products by other communities is also on the rise, which is expected to further fuel the global demand for halal products.The market is also embarking upon a promising growth path owing to rising urbanization and the resultant improvement seen in the retail sector in the past few years across many key markets. Earlier, the halal food market was highly unorganized. The present-day halal products market, on the other hand, features a highly organized retail structure with the presence of a large number of retail outlets selling a vast variety of halal products. Moreover, the high degree of globalization of the halal market and multilateral trade agreements have boosted the trade flow of halal products.Lack of Globally Uniform Standards to Hinder Market GrowthThere exists a clear distinction between halal products and haram products, with the latter denoting food or daily use items unacceptable for use according to Islamic (sharia) law. Nevertheless, the difference in Islamic regulatory bodies across different countries leads to varying definitions of halal products across the globe. Hence the products accepted by the Halal Certification Board of a particular country may not be accepted in another country.For instance Non Alcoholic Beer was accepted by the Halal certification board in the ASEAN economies. However it was rejected by their counterparts in the GCC, thus creating chaos among the manufacturers and consumers. Such lack of a global halal certification board is projected to be a significant restraint for the market in the next few years. Such lack of a regulatory body capable of monitoring all the processes involved on the production and marketing of halal products is expected be a key restrain for the global halal pharmaceutical and halal personal care market in the near future.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Zinc Gluconate Market Estimated to Flourish by 2024

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The Zinc Gluconate Market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.The zinc gluconate market is primarily driven by its requirement in food processing and pharmaceutical industries. Growth in its use for human and veterinary medicine along with supplements is anticipated to drive the market growth in the near future. Easy availability of alternate options for zinc supplements and salts for similar applications may slow down the market growth. Zinc sulfate is one of the cheapest substitute available for Zinc gluconate which can act as a restraint for this market. Owing to benefits such as healthy support system build up, proper interactions and balance of essential elements in the body, maintenance of zinc levels, healthy DNA metabolism and synthesis among others, use of zinc gluconate in pharmaceutical industry is anticipated to witness significant traction in the next five to six years. This is further expected to bolster zinc gluconate market growth across the globe.In terms of regional outlook Asia pacific is the leading region for production as well as for consumption of zinc gluconate in food industry and pharmaceutical industry. Also, North America and Europe are the expected to be emerging markets for zinc gluconate, where it is anticipated to find profound use as food additive and related applications. Rest of the world especially Middle East and Africa may experience significant demand for zinc gluconate during the forecast period.A sample of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players of zinc gluconate market include Jost Chemical, Ferro chem Industries, Tomita Pharmaceutical, Aditya Chemicals, Fuso Chemical Company, Global Calcium, Kelatron, Xingzhou Medicine Foods, Xinhong Pharmaceutical, Fengda Bio-Technology, Fuqiang Food Chemical, Ruibang Laboratories, Tianyi Food Additives, lobal Calcium, Feiyu Fine Chemical, Ruipu Biological Engineering, Gress Chemicals, Tengyuan Food Additive, Xinganjiang Pharma and Fuxin Chemical. Companies in this market are focused on research and development in order to develop products suiting end use consumer needs worldwide.Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Ecosmob Announced To Offer Class 4 Softswitch Solution To Telecom Operators

https://www.freeswitchservice.com/class4softswitch

Ecosmob Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is a popular name in the VoIP industry. The company has strong domain expertise with its contribution in the VoIP industry for more than 9 years. Ecosmob Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is capable of delivering any type of custom solution in the VoIP. The company has been operating from its headquarter in India, which is located in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat. The company has been offering different client centric solutions for more than 9 years. One of the spokesperson of the company has recently made an announcement about their offering of class 4 softswitch.As per the details shared in that announcement, The Company will offer class 4 softswitch solution to the telecom operators around the world. The company will be offering class 4 softswitch development with custom features and functionality to meet the requirement of the telecom operators. Moreover, the company will make sure to customize its softswitch development as per the Telecom and government rules and regulation of the concerned country. This will be done to make sure the telecom operator can use this class 4 softswitch solution hassle free.The company has expertise in softswitch development and has developed many class 4 softswitches. One of the most famous solutions of the company is the class 4 softswitch developed for telecom operators of Italy. That softswitch is developed as per the 769 rule of telephony in Italy and was tested by the Telecom Italia. Just like its track record of delivering a perfect softswitch, the company can develop a class 4 softswitch for any country by adhering its telecom rules of that country.The class 4 softswitch can be used by the telecom operators to provide long distance calling service. This solution ensures many benefits to the telecom operators. Some of the key benefits of class 4 softswitch are listed hereunder:Gives reliable communication processGives instant scalability to carriersFacilitates migration to IP network by allowing easy expansionAllows access to core NGN engineeringIncrease productivityReduce cost of managing the networkReduce cost of handling callsIncrease businessIncrease revenuesAnd many moreWe have experienced team of developers who has immense knowledge of this domain as well as class 4 softswitch solution development. We have benefited many telecom operators by developing custom switch for them based on their requirements and we can develop a robust softswitch for any telecom operator. He can use this class 4 softswitch to provide telecom services to his customers. We take care of security as well. Our engineers work unitedly to develop highly secure class 4 softswitch solution. Also, we use modular structure for softswitch development., shared spokesperson of the company.The company has a marketing webpage about their stated service which ensure to provide all required details to the interested customers about their offering. The webpage clearly tells the features and benefits of this solution. It also highlights the reason of why you must choose Ecosmob Technologies for your project among all other service providers. To know more, visitFreeSWITCH Solution Provider division of Ecosmob Technologies has the team of experienced and skilled VoIP developers who believes in providing the best-suited business solution.407 Queensbridge Rd., #1018Arlington, TX 76014
Stretch and Shrink Film Market: Players in Global Stretch and Shrink Films Market Looking to Benefit from Low Operational Cost and Cheap Labor in APAC

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Stretch and Shrink Film Market: SnapshotThe global stretch and shrink films market was valued at US$14.1 bn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$21.1 bn by 2024. The sales revenue is expected to rise at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period, owing to the increased demand for packaged foods and beverages. Over the last few years, the industry has witnessed the emergence of multiple players operating globally. However, Transparency Market Research has found that there is an increasing shift in dynamics towards market consolidation.Browse Report:TMR Predicts Limited Growth for Stretch and Shrink Films in Food and Beverages SectorBy product type, the stretch and shrink films market is led by shrink films and the segment is estimated to be most preferred product type throughout the forecast period owing to the rising applications of light-weight packaging films.The low density polyethylene (LDPE) material segment is the leading contributor to the growth of stretch and shrink films market. However, it is projected to lose significant market share to other materials such as PVC, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), and polypropylene.Based on end use, the food and beverages sector leads the stretch and shrink films market but is expected to lose market share by the end of the forecast period owing to the mature nature of the industry when it comes to the use of stretch and shrink films.North America, Europe to Lose Market Share to Asia Pacific by 2024On the basis of geography, the global stretch and shrink films market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market throughout the forecast period and also register the fastest growth. The stretch and shrink films markets in North America and Europe are rather mature and are expected to lose a significant share of the global market to Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific offers new opportunities for players engaged in manufacturing stretch and shrink films as the region has been witnessing an increase in investments in the manufacturing sector, rapid pace of urbanization, and rising disposal income. Key players operating in developed stretch and shrink films markets such as North America and Europe are focusing on APAC in order to multiply their revenue by optimally utilizing the cheap resources available in India and several ASEAN countries.Make an inquiry atEurope is expected to witness sluggish growth over the forecast period. Nevertheless, Germany and France are expected to continue contributing to the overall sales of stretch and shrink films in the region. The presence of organized retail outlets in the region is the key factor driving sales in Europe.In MEA, the sales of stretch and shrink films are expected to witness moderate growth during the forecast period, with most of the demand stemming from GCC countries.Key participants in the stretch and shrink film market include Anchor Packaging, Berry Plastics, AEP Industries Inc., Bemis Company Inc., Dow Chemical Company, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co (DuPont), FUJI Seal International Inc, and Intertape Polymer Group Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
United States Bakery and Cereals Market

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Orbis Research always aims to bring their clients the best research material and in-depth analysis of the information for any market. This new report United States Bakery and Cereals Market for 2017 aims to fulfil the needs of the clients looking for a fresh outlook towards the United States Bakery and Cereals Market, or fill in the knowledge gaps with the data available in the report. The well-presented and curated report is compiled by seasoned and professional research experts and subject matter experts in the field. The clients will find the report complete in all aspects as it covers all key components with valuable statistics and expert opinions in all regards.The United States Bakery and Cereals Industry report contains a complete product overview and its scope in the market to define the key terms and provide the clients a holistic idea of the market and its tendencies. This is followed by the classification, applications, and the regional analysis of the market to ensure the clients are well informed about each section. The report also contains key values and facts of the United States Bakery and Cereals market in terms of value and volume, sales and its growth rate, and revenue and its growth rate.Request a sample of this report @One of the major mainstays of the United States Bakery and Cereals Industry report is the coverage on the competition. The report covers all key parameters such as market share, revenue generation, new products or marketing strategies of the competition, latest R&D, and market expert comments, along with the contact information. Key market trends, expert opinions, and a well curated forecast are all included in United States Bakery and Cereals Market report.Also, some key information such as the cost analysis, industrial chain, sourcing strategy, distributors, marketing strategy, and factor analysis of the Bakery and Cereals Market are all a part of the report. The report concludes with the customary SWOT analysis and the analysis on investment feasibility and returns.As always has been the aim at Orbis Research with every report put up, the information on offer is complete and true knowledge seekers will benefit from it. Irrespective of the interest, academic or commercial, the Bakery and Cereals Industry report curated and compiled by domain experts will definitely shed light on key information which the clients require.Place a purchase order of this report @Some Points from Table of Content:Chapter One: Bakery & Cereals Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Bakery & Cereals1.2 Classification of Bakery & Cereals1.2.1 Type I1.2.2 Type II1.3 Application of Bakery & Cereals1.3.1 Travel1.3.2 Sport1.3.3 Other1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Bakery & Cereals (2012-2022)1.4.1 United States Bakery & Cereals Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Bakery & Cereals Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Chapter Two: United States Bakery & Cereals Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Bakery & Cereals Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Bakery & Cereals Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Bakery & Cereals Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Bakery & Cereals Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Bakery & Cereals Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Bakery & Cereals Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionChapter Three: United States Bakery & Cereals Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2012-2017)3.1 United States Bakery & Cereals Sales and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.2 United States Bakery & Cereals Revenue and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.3 United States Bakery & Cereals Price by States (2012-2017)Contact sales@orbisresearch.com for more information.Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:
Three people were behind bars Monday after police say they assaulted and robbed a woman and held her against her will in Davenport.

Kayla A. Herbert, 19, and Zachary D. Adcock, 21, both of Muscatine, and Robert A. Cornell, 24, of Moscow, Iowa, face felony charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.

Adcock also faces a charge of carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Bond was set Monday at $200,000 cash-only for each person. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 16.

The incident happened about 5:40 p.m. Sunday, according to arrest affidavits filed by Davenport police in Scott County District Court.

According to the affidavits:

The three conspired to pick up a woman at a location in Davenport and take her to a separate location, where they assaulted her.

They then took her against her will to another location. She began to yell for help and tried to kick out the window in Adcocks vehicle in an attempt to escape.

Adcock was armed with a loaded .380-caliber pistol and pointed it at the woman. Herbert and Cornell grabbed her and prevented her from escaping. Cornell then stole $2,745 that was in the womans bra.

The three later gave statements to police that they held the woman against her will and took her to a separate location and held her to prevent her from escaping.

They also told police that they stole money, which was later found in Herberts purse and scattered throughout Adcocks vehicle. The firearm used in the robbery was recovered, according to the affidavits.

Tara Becker writes for the Quad City Times, another Lee Enterprises newspaper. Reach her at tbecker@qctimes.com.
Drone-powered Business Solutions Market - Key Projections about the Future State of the Global Industry.

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Drones are being used increasingly to carry out several jobs in diverse industries. This has resulted in a high demand for drone-powered business solutions across the globe. As per the research report, the global market is anticipated to exhibit a healthy growth rate throughout the forecast period. The research study further offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market in order to provide a detailed study for readers and market players. In addition, the growth factors and the challenges being faced by the prominent players while operating in the market have been included in the study. A thorough overview of the competitive landscape has also been included in the scope of the report.Obtain Report Details @The global drone-powered business solutions market is anticipated to witness a progressive growth in the coming few years. The high growth of the market can be attributed to the proliferation of the drone technology, which is expected to generate promising opportunities in several emerging nations and giving rise to several new applications across the commercial sector. This is projected to encourage the growth of the global drone-powered business solutions market in the forecast period.Furthermore, the growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles from diverse industries across the globe is another major factor likely to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future. On the flip side, the growing need to address several concerns has resulted in an increasing awareness among consumers regarding the impact of this technology in diverse large-scale industries. This is expected to restrict the growth of the global market in the next few years.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The global market for drone-powered business solutions can be divided on the basis of geography in order to provide a clear understanding of the market. According to the research report, North America is projected to witness a strong growth throughout the forecast period. This region is expected to hold a massive share of the global drone-powered business solutions market in the near future. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the rising demand for UAV-generate data and drones across a wide range of industries. Moreover, the significant contribution from the U.S. is estimated to accelerate the growth of the North America market in the near future.Furthermore, Europe is predicted to remain in the second position, registering a healthy growth rate throughout the forecast period. The rising efforts being taken by the European Commission in order to harmonize UAS operation regulations are expected to supplement the growth of the drone-powered business solutions market in Europe in the near future. The research study has provided the share and size of each regional segment, along with the anticipated growth rate in the research report.Some of the prominent players operating in the global market for drone-powered business solutions are Pix4D, Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd., Airware, Inc., Phoenix Drone Services LLC, Eagle-Eye Drone Service, SenseFly Ltd., FlyWorx, 3D Robotics, DroneDeploy, PrecisionHawk, Aerobo, and Skylark Drones. These players are making remarkable efforts to seek opportunities in robust growing space, which is residing between potential clientele demanding UAV data and certified commercial UAV operators.Furthermore, the growing emphasis on technological advancements and innovations in the global drone-powered business solutions market is expected to support the key players as well as contribute towards the overall development of the market in the near future. The research report further offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market, presenting insights into the profiles of the leading players. Additionally, the financial overview, business policies, and recent developments of these players have been included in the scope of the report.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Smart Mirror Market 2017 ACEP, Selfiemirror, Opticalwarehouse, ActiMirror 2022

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MRS Research Group addsGlobal Smart Mirror Market 2017 Share,Size,Trends and Forecast to 2022 Market Research Reportreports to its database.This report provides a strategic analysis of the Smart Mirror market and the growth estimates for the forecasted period.The market research analyst projects the global Smart Mirror market to grow at a considerable CAGR,in terms of revenue,over the forecast period.The report will provide the client with market insights and in-depth analysis of multiple market segments on the basis of applications,end-users,and geographical cross-sectional study across the globe.This report also provides market sizing and forecasts for the Smart Mirror market.In addition,it provides a copious view on the market dynamics such as market drivers,market restraints,and opportunities for each of the micro markets.Get Free Sample Research Report @The report provides detailed information with respect to competitive landscape along with the top competitors in the Smart Mirror market.Furthermore,to help the clients make strategic decision,the report highlights a comprehensive profiling of leading players,their detailed analysis,their key developments along with the market positioning.The report also foregrounds current and future market trends in order to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the Smart Mirror market.Moreover,clients are also provided with segment-wise,region-wise,and country-wise analysis of the Smart Mirror market.To convey a proper analysis of all the data,the report comprises a number of figures,graphs,tables,and diagrams,which will help the clients get a crystal clear idea of the current trends in the market.Access Full Research Report @This research study incorporated the use of extensive secondary sources,directories,and databases in order to identify and gather information useful for the technical,market-oriented,and commercial study of the market.This report is an effort to identify driving factors for the Smart Mirror market and sub-markets in the near future.The research report also presents an exhaustive evaluation of the market and comprises contemplative insights,historical data,facts,and statistically supported market data that is industry-validated.It comprises estimations using an appropriate set of assumptions and necessary methodologies.Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanHighlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market.Important changes in market dynamics.Market segmentation up to the second or third level.Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume.MRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Industrial Communication Market - Emergence Of Advanced Technologies And Global Industry Analysis

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Global Industrial Communication Market: OverviewThe rapid developments in the field of science and technology are expected to aid the expansion of the global industrial communication market over the forecast period. Industrial communication systems allow us to integrate data networks that are highly futuristic.Obtain Report Details @The report includes key information about the major trends, restraints, growth drivers, and opportunities in the global industrial communication market. The market forecasts, supply and demand ratio, Porters five force analysis, value chain analysis, and key segments of the market are discussed in the report. The report also reveals the prominent recent developments in the competitive landscape, the market shares held by the major firms, and the business strategies adopted by them.Global Industrial Communication Market: Trends and OpportunitiesIncreasing adoption of IoT, growing need for interconnectivity between various devices and sharing of data, necessity of increasing safety and productivity are some of the key growth drivers of the global industrial communication market. The increased adoption of the IoT is likely to make considerable changes in the way different products are manufactured, developed, transported, and distributed. Growing number of end-user industries such as aerospace, transportation and automotive, defense, paper, cement, electrical and electronics, energy and power, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and beverages, mining, glass, fabrication or engineering, water and wastewater, and chemicals and fertilizers will benefit the market for industrial communication.The key communication protocols such as industrial Ethernet, wireless communication, and Fieldbus can be the major segments of the industrial communication market. Of these, the Fieldbus protocol appears to present significant prospects, owing to its widespread adoption in key process industries. Fieldbus has a strong hold particularly in the emerging economies such as India, Japan, and China. It is likely to present extensive opportunities as they are able to integrate with wireless devices, increasing the level of efficiency.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Besides Fieldbus, Ethernet is also expected to witness an upsurge in demand as it is steadily becoming popular due to its better performance outputs when compared to other systems. This can be attributed to the enhanced bandwidth capacity, increased network coverage, and increased transmission efficiency. The increasing deployment of this protocol in the industrial robot market is also responsible for the promised growth of this segment.The wireless protocol segment might also undergo tremendous growth during the forecast period, displaying a favorable CAGR. Increased usage of standardized wireless technologies such as Bluetooth technology and wireless WLAN will contribute towards growth.Global Industrial Communication Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the global market for industrial communication can be segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Rest of the World. The countries of Asia Pacific, being some of the major global producers of consumer electronics, are expected to drive the demand for industrial communication. Also, emerging economies such as India, China, and Japan have become hubs for large scale automotive production, boosting the growth further.Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe major companies operating in the global Emerson Electric Company, Texas Instruments Incorporated, General Electric, Schneider Electric SE, TE Connectivity Ltd, Infineon Technologies AG, Siemens AG, and Rockwell Automation, Inc. Several market players are concentrating their energies on product development through increased investments in research and development activities.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Enterprise VSAT Market - Comprehensive Evaluation Of The Market Via In-Depth Qualitative Insights

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Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a communication system that is operated through the satellite. It serves businesses and domestic users. The end-user of a VSAT requires a box that interfaces an outside antenna with the users computer with the help of a transceiver. The transceiver sends the received signal to a satellite transponder in the sky. The satellite receives and sends the signal that comes from the earths stations computer which acts as a core for the system. Each end-user is connected with the core station with the help of a satellite connected in the form of a star topology. For the end-users to connect with each other, each transmitted first goes to the hub station, which is then re-transmitted to the receiving end-users VSAT via the satellite. VSAT handles video, voice and data signals. With the help of VSAT, companies can have complete control of their communication systems, without depending on other IT companies. Domestic users and businesses also can get higher speed than regular telephone services.Obtain Report Details @The global enterprise VSAT market has been segmented on the basis of categories, hardware & services, and geographies. On the basis of categories, the market has been segregated into products and services. The services segment accounted for a dominant market share in 2015. This is attributed to clinics and hospitals enabled with satellite broadband services, which help them maintain direct two-way data exchange and communication. In addition, satellite broadband services also help security agencies and intelligence services improve their data analysis systemsthat help them in deciphering the information more accurately.Government agencies as well as maritime and military sectors are major end-users of VSAT as a service. Therehas been continued demand from this segment, which is driving the market. On the basis of hardware & services, the global market for enterprise VSAT has been divided into ARUP VSAT terminals and ASP VSAT terminals.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @A major driverfor the growth of the global market for enterprise VSAT is the provision of practical, cost-effective solutions for individual end-users, who require a self-regulating communications network through which a number of remote sites are connected. In addition, the VSAT network offers satellite-based, value-added services such as voice/fax communication, LAN services, data transmission, and internet access along with public and private network communications. Emerging technologies such as high throughput satellite (HTS) technology is a major restraint to the growth of the global enterprise VSAT market. Service providers are likely to integrate their current operations with these emerging technologies.Geographically, the global market for enterprise VSAT has been segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.North America held the dominant share of the global market in 2015.The market in the region is projected to witness steady growth during the forecast period. This is attributed to high adoption of satellite services for various applications such as inspection of historical monuments, vegetation identification, volcano monitoring, and disaster management in case of stormsand hurricanes. The market in Asia Pacific is estimated to witness speedy growth during the forecast period, owing to increase in government initiatives to connect schools and colleges in countries such as India, China, and Australia.Major players operating in the global enterprise VSAT market include Gilat Satellite Networks(Petah Tikva, Israel), Hughes Communications (Maryland, the U.S.), SageNet (Oklahoma, the U.S.), ViaSat Inc. (California, the U.S.), VT iDirect (Virginia, the U.S.), Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (New York, the U.S.), Bharti Airtel (New Delhi, India), Embratel (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), ND SatCom GmbH (Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), NewSat (Melbourne, Australia), Newtec (Sint-Niklaas,Belgium), Orion Satellite (Perth, Australia), Polarsat (Quebec, Canada), Primesys Solucoes Empresariais (Sao Paolo, Brazil), Signalhorn (Stuttgart, Germany), SpeedCast (Wanchai, Hong Kong), SkyCasters (Ohio, the U.S.), Tatanet Services (Mumbai, India), Telefonica, S.A (Madrid, Spain), and Telesat Holdings (Ontario, Canada).About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Dental CAD-CAM Market - Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends And Insights

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Dental computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, or CAD-CAM is the automation technology that helps in dental restoration. CAD/CAM supplements earlier technologies that were used for these dental resolutions by increasing the speed of design and manufacturing, increasing the suitability and easiness of the design, construction, and insertion procedures. This technology have made restorations possible that otherwise would have not been feasible. Other goals include sinking unit cost and making restorations affordable.Obtain Report Details @The current surge in the demand for dental cosmetic surgeries is likely to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. The expenditure on cosmetic dentistry has amplified since the past few years. Within this division, non-metallic inlays or onlays held a large share. Teeth whitening is the most pursued procedure, while tooth-colored crowns, tooth-colored inlays, veneers, tooth-colored onlays, and bonding are the prime contributors to the surgery segment. Development in the healthcare sector has led to the increase in life expectancy of the global population; hence, there is a growth in the aging population around the globe. This factor is likely to push the demand for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing into a positive growth trajectory.One of the major restraint of the market is the cost. Emergence of new technologies coupled with lack of skilled workforce are the major factors responsible for the high cost of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. However, growth in intra-oral scanners and open architecture solutions will foster the overall market for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. Moreover, growing awareness about health problems coupled with significant adoption of automation technology, will lead to high growth of the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing market in the coming years.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The global market for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing can be segmented according to product type, end-users, and geography. Based on type, the market can be trifurcated into chair side CAD/CAM systems, digital imprisoning systems, and others. Chair side systems held a significant market share among the types, primarily due to ease of use of the system.On the basis of end-user, the global CAD/CAM market can be divided into dental clinics, dental hospitals, dental companies, and others. Among these, dental hospitals held the maximum market share. For undergoing surgery, dental patients perceive hospitals to be safer and well protected coupled with increased availability of doctors; hence, the high market share of the segment.On the basis of region, the global computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing market can be segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America held a significant market share. This is mainly due to the US, which is the leading player in the global dental healthcare market. Moreover, higher incidences of dental caries, high patient awareness, and developed healthcare infrastructure in the US and Canada, will foster the overall growth of the market. Europe held the second largest share of the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing market. Asia Pacific is poised to grow at a considerable rate over the forecast period due to growth in the aging population, as well as rise in disposable income in this region.The competitive landscape in this market is likely to increase in the future due to the advancements in technology, rise in product extensions, and upsurge in the edentulous population. Moreover, increase in the elderly population across the globe will encourage new players to enter this market, thereby intensifying competition. Some of the key players in the market are Danaher, Align Technology, Zimmer-Biomet, Planmeca, Dentsply Sirona, and Hexagon. Other notable companies are CIMsystem, exocad, 3Shape, Dental Wings, Straumann, Amann Girrbach, Enhanced Geometry Solutions (EGS), Jensen Dental, Ivoclar Vivadent, and Schutz Dental.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Pipeline Analysis, 2016

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Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is the most common female cancer globally. Cancer that is positive for estrogen-receptor are called estrogen receptor (ER) -positive cancer. It receives signals from estrogen hormone that could promote cell growth. Breast is made up of fatty, connective and lymphatic tissues, and various tiny glands called lobules. In breast cancer, cells grow in uncontrollable manner and they form tumor which can be felt as a lump or can be visible under x-ray. In breast cancer, no symptoms appear when tumor is small, and physical sign such as painless lump appear only when tumor size grow. There are recommended set of guidelines for women to follow for detecting breast cancer at early stage.The estrogen receptor positive breast cancer pipeline has more than 40 drugs. In pipeline analysis, drugs are analyzed based on route of administration and molecule type. The pipeline is also analyzed on the basis of monotherapy and combination therapy, and different clinical phases including Phase III, Phase II, Phase I and Preclinical stage.Explore Report at:Phase III & FiledPhase III clinical trial known for the comparison of new treatments with the standard treatment in which safety, efficacy and side effects of new intervention is compared with the already existing treatment. The Phase III clinical trial takes around 2-3 years to complete and the total number of participants vary from 100-1,000. After the completion of Phase III stage, the company files New Drug Application (NDA) to the regulatory authorities. Novartis AG is developing Alpelisib (also known as BYL-719). The drug candidate is in Phase III stage of development for the treatment of Estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. There are 9 drugs for ER+ breast cancer in Phase III clinical stage.Phase IIEnzalutamide, an under-development drug of Astellas Pharma Inc., is in Phase II stage of development for the treatment of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. The drug candidate acts by inhibiting androgen receptor. Enzalutamide is already marketed under brand name Xtandi for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. There are total 16 drugs present in phase II trial of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Phase II clinical trial is the second phase that answer safety, efficacy and dosing of the new intervention. Phase II clinical trial take around 2 years to complete and between 100  120 patients participate in the Phase II trial.Request for Table of Content at:Phase ICC-223 is under development by Celgene Corporation for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. It is an orally administered, selective inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor. There are 17 drugs present in Phase I clinical stage. In Phase I clinical trial, safety of the new intervention is determined. The trial takes around 1-2 years to complete and the total number of volunteers participating in the trial vary between 15  30.Browse Other Related report at:PreclinicalPreclinical study is also known as animal study. It is done before testing a drug in people to find out the toxicity profile of the drug. Preclinical study is of two types, including in vitro and in vivo.Pipeline analysis provides description about the key companies which are developing estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer drugs. Some of the key players actively involved in the research and development are Novartis AG, Tesaro, Inc., Bayer AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Astellas Pharma, Inc., Celgene Corporation, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. and Merck & Co., Inc.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)
Global Running Shoes Market 2017 Asics, New Balance, The North Face, Montrail 2022

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MRS Research Group addsGlobal Running Shoes Market 2017 Share,Size,Trends and Forecast to 2022 Market Research Reportreports to its database.This report provides a strategic analysis of the Running Shoes market and the growth estimates for the forecasted period.The market research analyst projects the global Running Shoes market to grow at a considerable CAGR,in terms of revenue,over the forecast period.The report will provide the client with market insights and in-depth analysis of multiple market segments on the basis of applications,end-users,and geographical cross-sectional study across the globe.Get Free Sample Research Report @The report provides detailed information with respect to competitive landscape along with the top competitors in the Running Shoes market.Furthermore,to help the clients make strategic decision,the report highlights a comprehensive profiling of leading players,their detailed analysis,their key developments along with the market positioning.The report also foregrounds current and future market trends in order to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the Running Shoes market.Moreover,clients are also provided with segment-wise,region-wise,and country-wise analysis of the Running Shoes market.To convey a proper analysis of all the data,the report comprises a number of figures,graphs,tables,and diagrams,which will help the clients get a crystal clear idea of the current trends in the market.Access Full Research Report @This research study incorporated the use of extensive secondary sources,directories,and databases in order to identify and gather information useful for the technical,market-oriented,and commercial study of the market.This report is an effort to identify driving factors for the Running Shoes market and sub-markets in the near future.The research report also presents an exhaustive evaluation of the market and comprises contemplative insights,historical data,facts,and statistically supported market data that is industry-validated.It comprises estimations using an appropriate set of assumptions and necessary methodologies.The research report provides analysis,statistics,particulars,and information with respect to the market segments such as geographies,applications,and others.This report mainly covers the following product typesBarefoot ShoesLow profile ShoesTraditional ShoesMaximalist ShoesOthersThe segment applications includingMen Running ShoesWomen Running ShoesSegment regions includingUSAEuropeChinaJapanThe players listBrooksSalomonAsicsNew BalanceSauconyThe North FaceDeckersMontrailLOWATecnicaAdidasNikeMRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Corn Gluten Meal Market - The Biggest Trends to Watch out for 2017-2025

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Corn Gluten Meal: Market OverviewCorn gluten meal is a byproduct of corn milling process and is a natural substitute for synthetic herbicides as it also prevents grass and weed seeds from sprouting without hurting existing plant. It has high value in pet food industry due to its natural high-protein content, it is used in aquaculture feed too as it is cost-effective than the fish meal. Corn gluten meal is a high source of carbohydrates, iron, and phosphorus. One of the major use of corn gluten meal is to add texture and taste to the product. Corn gluten meal is produced in different forms like dry-loose, dry-pellets and wet. Corn gluten meal contains 10% nitrogen by weight, which makes it a good fertilizer for plants with well-established roots. Corn gluten meal offers non-toxic weed and feed product which is more effective than traditional or chemical based weed and feed product.Browse Market Research Report @Corn Gluten Meal: Market Trends and DriversThe corn gluten meal market is primarily driven by the rise in demand for corn based snack products as well as gluten free products. Where current trend leads to continuous product innovation and development in terms of ingredients and product variants which is essential for the sustainability in the industry. Growing demand for the corn flour by snacks manufacturers worldwide is also responsible for driving the market growth. Due to long-term ecological effects of synthetic chemicals consumers are shifting towards the natural weed and feed control products which includes corn gluten meal. Also, in Ontario pesticides are banned due to unnecessary risk to human health which increased the demand for the corn gluten meal. One of the key driver for the increase in demand for the corn gluten meal is use of ethanol as a fuel is increasing worldwide which is obtained from corn gluten meal.Corn Gluten Meal: Market SegmentationCorn gluten meal can be segmented on the basis of its forms as, unprocessed corn gluten meal, granulated corn gluten meal and pelletized corn gluten meal. Unprocessed corn gluten meal have powder structure and is applied directly on the plantings, granulated form is a spreader which is mixed with water for use and pelletized can be broadcast by hand.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Corn gluten meal is segmented on the basis of application as herbicides in lawns for feed and weed purposes. Corn gluten meal is used as animal/ pet feed and as taste enhancer. Also, it can be used as animal or pet food as it is source of proteins, energy and pigments. Corn gluten meal is typically used for poultry feed, cattle feed, pig feed and aqua feeds.Corn gluten meal is segmented on the basis of process as wet-milling process and dry-milling process. Wet-milling process is done to remove high value corn-oil and the remains are used as an animal feed. It has high processing cost but can produce variety of products. Dry-milling is less versatile and used in the ethanol production process, the end product for this process is ethanol and low-value animal feed.Corn Gluten Meal: Market by GeographyCorn gluten meal market can be segmented on the basis of regions as, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. China is growing rapidly in the consumption of corn gluten meal using it as a crap feed, also China is largest producer of corn gluten meal as it owns large corn starch processing sector.Corn Gluten Meal: Key PlayersCorn gluten meal market is dominated by the some of the key players like Cargill, Ingredion Incorporated, A.D.M. Engineering, Tate & Lyle plc., Sodrugestvo Group S.a., Agridient Inc., Pawar Agro Industries, Paramesu Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Meihua Holdings Group Co., Ltd., Zhucheng Xingmao Corn Developing Co. Ltd., Zhucheng Dongxiao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. etc. among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Lingerie Market: Online Stores Take over Global Market as they Offer Convenience of Shopping Lingerie market has occupied a significant position in the apparel industry in recent years as it not only serves its functional benefits but also is considered as an basic necessity to every woman. The global lingerie market has been bifurcated on the basis of product types into bras, knickers and panties, lounge wear, shape wear and others which includes baby doll, corsets, chemises and chemisoles among others. Bra as an essential necessity and also a fashion accessory to every women and it has captured the largest market share in 2015. Knickers and panties also occupied a significant position in the same year, thus contributing significantly to the overall market size of the lingerie industry.



The market is further segmented on the basis of distribution channel into online stores and storefront. Online stores captured the largest market in 2015 due to high penetration of internet services and rapid advancements in the field of technology, thus creating a strong platform for the manufacturers of lingerie Further, the e-commerce giants are engaged in strong promotional activities due to which they provide with continuous discount options and various other offers which attract both consumers and manufacturers to avail this platform.



Browse Report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/lingerie-market.html



Availability of Broad Product Range to Fuel Growth of Lingerie Market



The global lingerie market is expected to grow at a steady pace due to the wide availability of these products. Today, lingerie can be bought online as well as through retail stores. With the help of accurate size charts and description lingerie can be purchased through online shopping with the option of exchanging or returning it if it does not fit. Thus, the convenience of shopping has also boosted the growth of the global market. Analysts state that the broad product range that suits every budget has also lured in bigger consumer base in the global lingerie market. Furthermore, continuous efforts to improve the materials used for making various types of lingerie, research and development, and strong branding have all favored the growth of the global market in recent years.



Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19670



On the basis of product types, the global lingerie market is segmented into bra, knickers and panties, loungewear, shape wear and others. The report indicates that the bra segment holds the biggest share in the global market due to its indispensable usage. The knickers and panties segment too is expected to make a significant contribution to the overall market as these are considered essential items of an attire as well.



Online Stores Take over Global Market as they Offer Convenience of Shopping



On the basis of distribution channel, the market is segmented into channel into online stores and storefront. Online stores dominated the global lingerie market in 2015 as they offer convenience, varieties, wide range of discounts, offers, and coupons. Online stores are gaining importance due to penetration of internet that provides a strong platform to the customers to make easy purchases. Further, the due to the rapid penetration of premium range of smart phones among the young population is expected to drive the e-commerce segment thereby promoting online retail.



Store front refer to shopping within supermarkets and hypermarkets and departmental and convenience stores. The emergence of online shopping and e-commerce is going to weigh down on this segment in both developing as well as developed countries. However, the adult female population that is not yet familiar with using technology for making purchases is expected to drive this segment in the coming years. A strong presence of a fashion-conscious female population is expected to drive this regional market in the near future.



Europe to Lead Global Market with Presence of Fashion-conscious Consumers



In terms of geography, the global lingerie market sprawls over regions such as Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Analysts project that Europe is expected to lead the global lingerie market in the coming few years.



The key players operating in the global lingerie market are Jockey International Inc., Wisconsin, Hanes, Groupe Chantelle, LVMH, L Brands Inc., MAS Holdings Limited, Ann Summers, Marks and Spencer, and PVH Corporation among others.



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Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



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Global Polyester Film (PET Film) Market 2017: Segmented by Application, and Geography - Trends,Growth and Forecasts-2022

Global Polyester Film (PET Film) Market 2017-2022

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The MRS Research Group Global Polyester Film (PET Film) Market 2017-2022 report by Prof Research offers a comprehensive assessment of the Polyester Film (PET Film) market and consists of historical data, scope, significant approaches, and statistical data of the global market. Besides these, it also includes anticipated facts that are assessed with the aid of an appropriate set of postulations and techniques. The MRS Research Group Research brings to light the comprehensive study and factual information of Polyester Film (PET Film) market. The report also provides the global market segmentation based on applications, end-users, technology, and geography.The report includes rigorous data, in-depth analysis in two ways, namely, quantitative and qualitative, industry professionals inputs and data given by the industry members and industry analysts involved in the complete value cycle. The report features thorough study of important market and their current trends, coupled with respective market segments. Information about the numerous factors and their influence on the global market and its segments is also mentioned in the reportGet Free Sample Report : @The report emphasizes on the regional market, the keyplayers in the market, and the various market segments with an in-depth analysis on different divisions and their applications. The report offers inclusive data on the respective segments of the Global Polyester Film (PET Film) Market 2016-2022 market.The research report provides an in-depth systematic study of the Polyester Film (PET Film) market, covering key areas such as future prospects of the market, growth drivers, market restraints,Size, Share, Trends, Demand, Supply, Application, Segmentation, Opportunity, Market Development, production, capacity utilization, supply, Analysis and Forecast by 2022.Read Complete Research Report of Polyester Film (PET Film) Market 2017 :Some Important Things Covers in Research Report Market OverviewSegment by ApplicationMarket by RegionMarket Size (Value)Market Competition by Manufacturers.Raw Materials Sources of Major Manufacturers.Production and Share by Manufacturers.Revenue and Share by Manufacturers.Average Price by Manufacturers.Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product TypeMarket Competitive Situation and TrendsMarket Concentration RateMarket Share of Top 3 and Top 5 ManufacturersMergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionManufacturing Cost AnalysisIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersIndustrial Chain AnalysisUpstream Raw Materials SourcingDownstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersMarket Effect Factors AnalysisAppendix Methodology Analyst Introduction Data SourceSend us Enquiry Before Purchasing Research Report @MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
MASON CITY | The City Council will meet in special session Wednesday night to consider working with G8 Development of San Diego to develop a downtown hotel.

Owned by Philip Chodur, G8 is the company that defaulted on a hotel agreement last year when it failed on three different deadlines to start construction because it could not come up with financing.

In a memo the council, City Administrator Brent Trent said he received a commitment letter Tuesday from Chodur's bank, saying its loan committee had approved a loan for the Mason City project.

After Chodur defaulted on the development agreement last year, the city sent out requests for qualifications from hotel developers on Jan. 20 with a March 1 deadline for submissions.

It received two  from G8 and from Gatehouse Capital of Dallas, Texas.

Gatehouse Capital on its website says it has a "proven track record of developing unique properties that stand out in the marketplace." The company lists its completed projects as: W Hotel & Residences Dallas-Victory, W Hotel & Residences Hollywood, W Hotel San Diego, W Hotel Silicon Valley, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay-San Diego, The Aloft Jacksonville-Tapestry Park and Courtyard by Marriott-Midlothian.

Gatehouse, who lists its brands as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Hotels, Hyatt Hotels and Hilton, says it currently has two projects under construction in Texas, including a Mariott hotel/convention center in Odessa.

G8 Development has not completed a hotel project.

A call from the Globe Gazette to Gatehouse's office Tuesday afternoon was picked up by an answering machine.

Trout will present the council with an analysis Wednesday night, based on his consultations with Mayor Eric Bookmeyer, Director of Development Services Steven Van Steenhuyse, City Engineer Mark Rahm and two hospitality industry executives who have taken part on a pro bono basis.

Trout said the city will post a link on the city's website that will include information on the submissions for interested residents to review.

The city's history with Chodur goes back four years. He approached city officials in 2013 with a plan to build a Hilton franchise hotel in the parking lot west of City Hall.

The city gave him exclusive rights to try to work out a deal. In early 2014, he had to give up on the project because he failed to get approval from Hilton.

Later that year, he once again approached the city, this time with a plan to build a Marriott franchise hotel on the same property west of City Hall.

This time, he got a commitment from Marriott and worked out a development agreement with the city that called for construction to begin in July of last year.

He asked for a six-month extension but the city agreed to only three extra months. When that deadline came up in October, he defaulted because he did not have the financing. The default provision allowed him 30 days to correct the situation. When he failed to do that, the deal was dead.

If the council agrees to negotiate once again with Chodur, the process will start all over again, beginning with putting together a development agreement.

The hotel is a major factor in the city's River City Renaissance project, a $36.2 million downtown redevelopment plan that also includes an ice arena/multipurpose center, a music pavilion, a parking ramp and a mixed-use building.

The city has been pre-approved for $7.2 million in state funds through the Iowa Reinvestment Act. When more money became available from the state, the city upped its request to $10 million.

Among the state requirements to receive the money is $10 in private investment  and the hotel fulfills that requirement.

Wednesday's meeting is at 7 p.m. in the second floor conference room at City Hall.
Global Kitchen Kinfe Market 2017 Regional Outlook, Analysis, Size, Share, Forecast -2022

Kitchen Kinfe Market

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MRS Research Group addsGlobal Kitchen Kinfe Market 2017 Share,Size,Trends and Forecast to 2022 Market Research Reportreports to its database.This report provides a strategic analysis of the Kitchen Kinfe market and the growth estimates for the forecasted period.The market research analyst projects the global Kitchen Kinfe market to grow at a considerable CAGR,in terms of revenue,over the forecast period.The report will provide the client with market insights and in-depth analysis of multiple market segments on the basis of applications,end-users,and geographical cross-sectional study across the globe.This report also provides market sizing and forecasts for the Kitchen Kinfe market.In addition,it provides a copious view on the market dynamics such as market drivers,market restraints,and opportunities for each of the micro markets.Get Free Sample Research Report @The report provides detailed information with respect to competitive landscape along with the top competitors in the Kitchen Kinfe market.Furthermore,to help the clients make strategic decision,the report highlights a comprehensive profiling of leading players,their detailed analysis,their key developments along with the market positioning.The report also foregrounds current and future market trends in order to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the Kitchen Kinfe market.Moreover,clients are also provided with segment-wise,region-wise,and country-wise analysis of the Kitchen Kinfe market.To convey a proper analysis of all the data,the report comprises a number of figures,graphs,tables,and diagrams,which will help the clients get a crystal clear idea of the current trends in the market.Access Full Research Report @This research study incorporated the use of extensive secondary sources,directories,and databases in order to identify and gather information useful for the technical,market-oriented,and commercial study of the market.This report is an effort to identify driving factors for the Kitchen Kinfe market and sub-markets in the near future.The research report also presents an exhaustive evaluation of the market and comprises contemplative insights,historical data,facts,and statistically supported market data that is industry-validated.It comprises estimations using an appropriate set of assumptions and necessary methodologies.The research report provides analysis,statistics,particulars,and information with respect to the market segments such as geographies,applications,and others.Focuses on top manufacturers in global marketWMFKyoceraVictorinoxMillenarieGlobalOXOShibaziMarket Segment by RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product typeStainless steelCeramicCarbonAlloyOthersSplit by applicationCommercialHouseholdMRS Research Group is the worlds giant collection of the Market research Reports. Where we specialized in global publisher, tailor made reports and specialists consulting. Global Publisher provides in-depth analysis of global and Chinese market. Tailor-made reports represent methodologies deliverable to proper insight of the client. While, expertise research specialist helps to provide strategic solution in specialists consulting.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Global Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Raw Material Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report (2016-2020)

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Raw Material Market: Size, Trends & Forecasts (2016-2020)" to its huge collection of research reports.The report entitled Global Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Raw Material Market: Size, Trends & Forecasts (2016-2020), provides analysis of the global HA raw material market, with detailed analysis of market size and growth, penetration, market share and economic impact of the industry. The report also provides the analysis of the global hyaluronic acid market, by value and by segments.Furthermore, the report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall global HA raw material market has also been forecasted for the years 2016-2020, taking into consideration the previous growth pattern, the growth drivers and the current and future trends.Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation, Allergan Plc and Valeant Pharmaceutical are some of the key companies directly or indirectly involved in hyaluronic acid raw material. The company profiling of these companies has been done in the report, which includes business overview, financial overview and respective business strategies of the companies.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Company CoverageBloomage Biotechnology CorporationAllergan PlcValeant PharmaceuticalExecutive SummaryHyaluronic acid is found in many parts of the human body and in animals. It is a naturally occurring substance and is found in eyes, joints, skin and rooster combs. Hyaluronic acid is also called Hyaluronan, Hyaluronate or HA.The first hyaluronan biomedical product, Healon, was developed in the 1970s and 1980s by Pharmacia, and is approved for use in eye surgery. There are many uses of hyaluronic acid, such as in cancer, wound repair, skin management, cosmetic use, medical use, inflammation and others.The hyaluronic acid raw material can be segmented on the basis of application and source. On the basis of application, the HA raw material can be divided into pharmaceutical segment, cosmetic segment and food segment. On the basis of source, the HA raw material can be divided into animal based source and non-animal based source.The global hyaluronic acid raw material market is expected to increase at a significant growth rate during the forecasted period (2016-2020). The global hyaluronic acid raw material market is supported by various growth drivers, such as increase in the global healthcare products market, rising medical aesthetic procedures worldwide, increasing global obese population, aging population, etc. Yet, the market faces certain challenges, such as, less knowledge on long term effectiveness, side-effects of oral dose of HA, topical use of HA, etc.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
COPD and Asthma Devices Market to Reach $41,355.2 Million, Globally, by 2022

COPD and Asthma Devices Market

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https://goo.gl/0TJ9C0

Global COPD and asthma devices market is expected to reach $41,355.2 million by 2022, according to a new report by Allied Market Research . The drug powder inhaler was the highest revenue-generating segment, accounting for over half of the share in 2015. This segment is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period.Get access to full summary @:The factors hampering the market growth include environmental concerns associated with metered dose inhalers (MDI) and high cost of selected inhalation devices. Regulatory authorities such as U.S. food and drug administration (USFDA) across several regions have banned the production and sales of MDIs, as they release environmentally hazardous gases such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrofluoroalkanes (HFA). Thus, soft mist inhalers (SMIs) and nebulizers are expected to replace MDIs for the treatment of respiratory diseases in the near future.Compressor nebulizers constitute around four-fifths share of the overall nebulizers market, owing to their perpetual usage in home healthcare medication and widespread availability across various regions. Nebulizers are electric- or battery-powered machines, which dispense the medication in the form of fine mist. They are used in home healthcare set-ups for debilitated patients, geriatric, and children. However, the large size of nebulizers and the need for continuous power supply are expected to hinder the market growth.Request for sample copy of this report at:Key findings of COPD and Asthma Devices Market:Drug powder inhalers (DPIs) segment is projected to grow at a significant CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period.North America was the leading region in 2015, and is expected to continue its dominance throughout the analysis period.The COPD and asthma devices market in Europe is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1%.The compressor nebulizers segment is expected to register a CAGR of 5.4%.North America is expected to remain the highest revenue-generating region, owing to widespread and early adoption of inhalers & nebulizers and large pool of patients suffering from respiratory diseases. Moreover, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly due to rising healthcare expenditure, growing awareness of advanced portable COPD & asthma devices, and increasing disposable income.The key product manufacturing companies profiled in this report include GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG, Merck & Co., Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Philips Healthcare, 3M Health Care, Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GF Healthcare Products, Smith Medicals, Inc., Lincare Holdings, Inc., and Baxter International.Allied Market Research is a global market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of Market Research Reports and Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Our market research department starts with the research task considering specific concerns and ambitions of the client. We understand that every market is driven by certain key factors locally as well as globally. Our analysts dig out those factors, helping clients understand the importance and impact of every such driving force. Moreover, possible restraints of the market are discovered and suggestions to tackle those restraints are formulated after extensive research and analysis of the overall market conditions. Making an even deeper insight, we analyze the market trend including both qualitative and quantitative present market scenario in every geographical region segmented as per the business domain concerned and overall performance in different regions throughout the globe.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220,United States.Int'l: +1-503-894-6022Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285Fax: +1-800-792-5285help@alliedmarketresearch.com
Researchmoz.us: Global Antifungal Market Analysis With Focus on Invasive Fungal Infections: 2016-2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Antifungal Market With Focus on Invasive Fungal Infections: 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.The report titled Global Antifungal Market With Focus on Invasive Fungal Infections: 2016-2020 provides an in-depth analysis of the global antifungal market with detailed analysis of market size on the basis of value along with the comprehensive examination of each of the segments of the market, namely, Azole, Echinocandins and Polyene.The report analysis the invasive fungal infection market extensively with the market size, in terms of value along with the market segments and the major products in the market. This section also provides information about the regional market share of the global invasive fungal infection market. The report provides detailed regional analysis of the United States, Europe and Latin America. The regional analysis of the antifungal market includes market size by value along with the geographic overview of the market in the concerned region.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall global antifungal market has also been forecasted for the period 2016-2020, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends. The competition in the global antifungal market is stiff and dominated by the big players like Pfizer. Further, key players of the market, Merck and Scynexis are also profiled with their financial information and respective business strategies.Regional CoverageUnited StatesEuropeLatin AmericaCompany CoveragePfizer, Inc.Merck Co., Inc.Scynexis, Inc.Executive SummaryThe global antifungal market witnessed an upsurge at a significant CAGR during 2012-2015 and projections are made that the market would rise in the next five years i.e. 2016-2020 tremendously. The market is spread across the globe with the United States and Europe dominating the market, while Asia-Pacific and Latin America market are the fastest growing markets.The antifungal market can be segmented on the basis of types of drugs into Polyene, Azole and Echinocandins. The Azole class of antifungals dominates the market followed, by Echinocandins and Polyene. Azoles are broadly categorized as Voricanazole, Imidazole, Triazole and Thiazoles. Of which, Voricanazole govern the market. Echinocandins antifungal class is subjugated by Caspofungin, while other antifungals include Micafungin, and Anidulafungin. The Polyene antifungal agents include Amphotericin B, Nystatin, and Natamycin. Though, Amphotericin B is the only widely used agent in the market.The fungal infections do not usually result in severe ailment, but in people with weak immune system, minor fungal infections can move in the bloodstreams and conquer critical organs leading to the damage, called as invasive fungal infection. The global market for the invasive fungal infection increased significantly during 2010-2015 and is expected to upsurge further.The major growth drivers for the global antifungal market are: the rise in the incidences of fungal infection, aging population and unhygienic conditions all over the world. Despite the market is governed by various growth drivers, there are certain challenges faced by the market such as: antifungal resistance, traditional treatments for fungal infection, side-effects of antifungal medication and antifungal development failures Some of the recent trends in the market include technological advancement, growth in resistant strains and generic competition.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Live Streaming Global Digital Music Market Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report (2016-2020)

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Digital Music Market with Focus on Live Streaming: Size, Trends and Forecasts (2016-2020)" to its huge collection of research reports.The report entitled Global Digital Music Market with Focus on Live Streaming: Size, Trends and Forecasts (2016-2020) analyzes the global digital music market with detailed analysis of market sizing and growth. It analyzes market by value and market share by sources with focus on streaming music.A detailed overview of streaming music market is also discussed in the report. Streaming music market analysis has been done on the basis of value, volume and market segment. The report also provides an analysis of consumer behavior on the basis of consumer preference, spending nature of consumer, consumer interest in streaming services, consumer listening hours and consumers respond towards top streaming music players.A brief regional analysis of the US and Germany digital music market is also being done in the report. The US is the largest market for digital music globally with the highest revenue. Germany is the largest digital music market within the European region and third largest in the world. The report provides detailed description of the US and Germany on the basis of value, volume and market share by segment.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report also assesses the key opportunities available and summarizes the driving forces that are and will be accountable for growth of the industry. Growth of digital music market has also been forecasted for the period 2016-2020, taking into consideration previous growth outlines, growth drivers and the existing and forthcoming trends.Furthermore, the report portrayed a competitive landscape of the digital music market with detailed comparison of top market players. Apple music is the market leader with highest revenue and number of paid subscribers in 2015.A brief company profiling of major market players namely Apple Inc., Spotify Limited, Deezer and Pandora Media Inc. has provided in the report on the basis of aspects like business overview, financial overview and business strategies adopted by these companies.Country CoverageThe USGermanyCompany CoverageApple Inc.Spotify LimitedDeezerPandora Media Inc.Executive SummaryMusic market has two major segments: Physical and digital. Physical music market comprises of music in the form of CD or vinyl whereas digital music market composed of audio content that is distributed to the music lovers through internet. Digital sector includes downloads as well as on demand digital streaming. Digital streaming is either subscription based or ad-supported which is free of charge. In ad-supported music, advertiser is liable to pay for the music streaming on behalf of customers. Current music marketplace offers a wide variety of digital options like download, streaming, cloud, music videos and ringtones.The global digital music market is growing tremendously with astonishing growth rates over the past few years and is anticipated to grow further over the forecasted period (2016-2020). Major factors contributing in the growth of the market are rising smartphone penetration globally specially in developing economies, availability of cheap internet services, expansion of streaming format, technological advancements, change in consumer behavior and consumer desire to access latest music etc.In the forecasted period, market will be pushed by increasing number of on- demand consumers, collaboration between music providers with social media platform, rising number of catalog software and blending of streaming music with wearable technology. In spite of high growth, market is still facing certain challenges that are hampering the growth of the market. Challenges encountered by the market are lack of unique services, rampant piracy, legal complexity and intense competition.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Revenue-based Growth in Sun Care Market to Rise at 5.8% CAGR by 2024

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The global sun care market is extremely concentrated among key players such as Beiersdorf AG, Groupe Clarins, Johnson and Johnson, Coty Inc., Shiseido Company Ltd., LOreal, Bioderma Laboratories, Estee Lauder, Burts Bees, and Unilever. Transparency Market Research has found that companies in the sun care market have been engaged in enhancing skin protecting components and working toward the development of innovative products with the hopes of reaching out to a wide customer base.In June 2016, COTY Inc.s brand Lancaster introduced a line of beauty and skin products with Full Light Technology. This technology is said to target 100% of the suns spectrum and absorbs, neutralizes, and reflects various light waves to reduce their harmful effect on the skin.Browse Market Research Report @Growing Threat of Skin Cancer Driving Sales of Sun Care ProductsSun protection is no longer the sole priority and consumers look for multifunctional products that can serve a number of requirements. The growing demand for multifunctionality in products is a key factor driving the global sun care market. When buying a sun care product, added features and benefits, such as dark spot reduction, acne control, spot correction, skin renewal, moisturizing, and anti-aging are crucial for consumers, the author points out. Manufacturers are innovating their products in line with changing consumer demands and this has given sales a significant boost.The growing need for sun protection, backed by the rising concerns regarding the risk of skin cancer, has also influenced the market to a great extent. The harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays are more of a concern now owing to alarming levels of global warming and depletion of the ozone layer, the lead analyst comments. Skin cancer due to exposure to the sun is a major threat today and to combat this, consumers have stepped up the consumption of sun care products.For more information on this report, fill the form @On the other hand, the increase in cheap synthetic products, especially in North America, has emerged as a restraint to the growth of the sun care market. In addition to this, the strict imposition of labeling rules by the US FDA has rendered it difficult for manufacturers to sell their products. This is acts as a major deterrent.Revenue-based Growth in Sun Care Market to Rise at 5.8% CAGR by 2024The global market for sun care products is expected to register a 5.8% CAGR during the forecast period, with the opportunity in the market rising from US$15.8 bn to be worth US$24.9 bn by 2024. By type, sun protection products led the overall market in 2015 and is projected to generate a revenue of over US$15 bn by the end of the forecast period. After sun products are anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 6.2% from 2016 to 2024. Although self-tanning products are forecast to record modest growth in the coming years, their increasing demand in North America as well as Europe is likely to help them sustain in the overall sun care market.By form, the sun care market is led by sun care creams. However, this is a rather mature market and the growth rate of this segment will decline over the coming years, the TMR analyst predicts. Sun care gels and sprays are likely to witness immense popularity through the forecast period, driven by rising consumer demand. By region, North America is the leading revenue generator in the sun care market, with Asia Pacific expected to register the fastest growth.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Revenue Cycle Management Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast to 2022

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The worldwide revenue cycle management market is witnessing considerable growth due to increasing regulatory requirements for the usage of revenue cycle management, increase in recovery audits due to changing healthcare regulations and increasing government support for revenue cycle management. Moreover, process improvements in healthcare organizations, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing geriatric population are resulting in increased demand of revenue cycle management. Increasing number of patients and growth in demand for health insurance, increasing healthcare delivery cost, and decline in reimbursement rates are further supporting the market growth. Based on product type, the market for integrated segment is estimated to increase at the faster rate during the forecast period, due to increasing demand of integrated solution to achieve process efficiency and cost reduction. Based on deployment method, the market for web-based segment leads the global market due to growing demand for mobile support system for better patient engagement solution.Explore Report at:The increasing demand for cloud based revenue cycle solution and vendor consolidation to provide end-to-end solution are expected to create opportunities for the players in the market. In addition, immense unexplored market in developing economies are creating abundant opportunities for the revenue cycle management market to grow at a significant rate in the coming years. However, high cost of deployment, lack of data security, limited trained IT personnel, and infrastructural loop holes in developing countries are the key factors hampering the growth of the global market.Request for Table of Content at:Geographically, North America has been the largest market for revenue cycle management, owing to presence of large number of market players and compliance encouraging the use of revenue cycle management solution in the region. The U.S. contributed largest revenue to the North American as well as global revenue cycle management market. Some of the major trends of the U.S. revenue cycle management market are revenue cycle management outsourcing, single payer systems, and declining reimbursement rates promoting value based payment models and predictive analytics. Increase in recovery audits due to changing healthcare regulations and increased investment in healthcare IT solution are driving the growth of the U.S. revenue cycle management market. Globally, the revenue cycle management market is expected to witness the fastest growth in Asia-Pacific during the forecast period. The highest growth in the region is attributed to increasing demand for healthcare insurance, growing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing demand for better healthcare in the region.Browse Other Related Report at:The key players operating in the global market are Cerner Corporation, McKesson Corporation, Athenahealth Inc., Eclinicalworks LLC., Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., GE Healthcare, and Epic Systems Corporation.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016
Antidiabetic Drugs Market and Pipeline Assessment

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Diabetes is a major lifestyle disorder affecting millions of individuals globally. The disorder is also linked with other complications such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic foot ulcers, nephropathy and cardiovascular complications among others. Wide spread global prevalence and rising incidence rate has made the antidiabetic drugs market attractive for pharmaceutical drug manufacturers. Introduction of superior products in the recent past and increasing patient compliance are other factors driving the diabetes treatment market. Antidiabetic drugs pipeline, which is rich with potential candidates from leading players such as Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and others, is expected to feed new blockbuster drugs to the market in the near future.Currently approved drug in the antidiabetic drugs market are categorized under classes including Sulfonylureas (Gliclazide, Glimepiride), Biguanides (Metformine), Thiazolidinediones (Pioglitazone, Rosiglitazone), Dipeptidyl- peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (Linagliptine, Sitagliptine), Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist (Liraglutide) and Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2) (Dapagliflozine, Canaglifozine). Apart from the aforementioned approved drugs, certain drug candidates currently in phase 3 are expected to receive regulatory approval during the forecast period. Pfizer and Merck recently announced positive phase 3 results for ertugliflozin (MK-8835), a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. also reported positive topline results in September 2016 for its candidate sotagliflozin. DiaMedica is currently testing potential candidate DM199 for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease. These new candidates would boost the global antidiabetic drugs market.Report Sample@There exists high demand for diabetes drugs in the Asia Pacific region due to high prevalence. India is considered as a diabetes capital of the world with over 50 million type-2 diabetes patients; while China records 12% of the adult population suffering from diabetes. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 80% of the diabetes mortalities occur in low and middle income countries. This indicates large unmet needs in such countries, where prolonged diabetes therapy is not affordable due to economic crises. According to data published by the World Bank, United States records diabetes prevalence in 10.8% of the population in age group 20 to 79 years, as against 9.3% in India and 9.8% in China. Another data published by the American Diabetes Association estimates total cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2012 to over US$ 240 billion. The organization also estimates that 1.4 million individuals are diagnosed with diabetes every year in the U.S. alone. Such high prevalence and increasing incidence rate indicate rapid growth potential for the antidiabetic drugs market.Key players in the antidiabetic drugs market include Pfizer, Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi S.A., Eli Lilly and Company, AstraZeneca plc, Johnson & Johnson, and others.Click For TOC@About UsSpearhead Acuity Business Research & Consulting Private Limited (SA-BRC) is a premium Life Science business intelligence and data analytics firm. SA-BRC team offers a wide range of business intelligence services to multiple stakeholders such as Medical Device Manufacturers, Service Providers (Hospitals, Payers, etc.), Suppliers, Group Purchase Organizations, Distributors and all other individuals in the entire value chain of healthcare industry. Our research and consulting capabilities extend across several sub-domains within the sphere of Life Sciences such as Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Medical Devices, Veterinary Sciences, Wellness Products and Pharmaceuticals.Contact UsJohn Whitmore10685-B Hazelhurst Drive,Suite 17411Houston, Texas 77043,United StatesPhone: +1(832)-426-3701Email: sales@sa-brc.comWebsite:
Global Solid Beverage Market 2017 : Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Suntory, Red Bull, Unilever Group, Arizona Beverage

Solid Beverage

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A market study based on the "Solid Beverage Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Solid Beverage Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Solid Beverage industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Solid Beverage market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportCoca-ColaPepsiCoNestleSuntoryDanoneDr Pepper SnappleRed BullAsahi Soft DrinksKirinOtsuka HoldingsUnilever GroupArizona BeverageB NaturalPOM WonderfulThe report studies the industry for Solid Beverage across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Solid Beverage market & dynamics of demand and supply of Solid Beverage into consideration. The 'Solid Beverage' research study covers each and every aspect of the Solid Beverage market globally, which starts from the definition of the Solid Beverage industry and develops towards Solid Beverage market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Solid Beverage market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Solid Beverage market. The geographical segmentation of the Solid Beverage industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Solid Beverage is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Solid Beverage market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Solid Beverage market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Solid Beverage market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Solid Beverage production volume, data regarding demand and Solid Beverage supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Solid Beverage across the globe.About Us :Worldwide Research are a trusted brand in the research industry with capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Worldwide Research, we believe in building long term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries such as Automotive and Aerospace, Medical Devices, Technology, Machinery & Manufacturing.Contact Us :Worldwide ResearchUnited States
Bamboo Fiber Market 2017 - Litrax, Swicofil, Advantage Fibres, Bo Group, TIC Gums, CFF GmbH & Co. KG, Wild Fibres, Liahren, Chengdu grace Fiber Co., Suzhou Lifei Textile Co.

Bamboo Fiber Market

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A market study based on the "Bamboo Fiber Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Bamboo Fiber Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Bamboo Fiber industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Bamboo Fiber market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportLitraxSwicofilAdvantage FibresAmerica Hoy TechnologyBo GroupTIC GumsBambro Textile Co.CFF GmbH & Co. KGInternational Fiber CorporationWild FibresLiahrenChengdu grace Fiber Co.Suzhou Lifei Textile Co.Shanghai Tenbro Bamboo TextileHebei Jigao Chemical FibreThe report studies the industry for Bamboo Fiber across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Bamboo Fiber market & dynamics of demand and supply of Bamboo Fiber into consideration. The 'Bamboo Fiber' research study covers each and every aspect of the Bamboo Fiber market globally, which starts from the definition of the Bamboo Fiber industry and develops towards Bamboo Fiber market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Bamboo Fiber market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Bamboo Fiber market. The geographical segmentation of the Bamboo Fiber industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Bamboo Fiber is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Bamboo Fiber market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Bamboo Fiber market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Bamboo Fiber market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Bamboo Fiber production volume, data regarding demand and Bamboo Fiber supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Bamboo Fiber across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
CLEAR LAKE | A Clear Lake teen was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Monday for felony lascivious acts with a child.

Alejandro Kreitlow, 17, pleaded guilty to that charge in January in relation to an incident in October involving an 11-year-old boy, according to Cerro Gordo County District Court documents.

The case was investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department.

After he is released from prison, Kreitlow will be under lifetime supervision by the Iowa Department of Corrections, with eligibility for parole. He also must register as a sex offender.

A $1,000 fine was suspended, but Kreitlow was ordered to pay a $100 surcharge. He also must pay $372 restitution to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund.

A related charge of felony second-degree sexual abuse was dismissed.

-- Mary Pieper
The HetNet Ecosystem (Small Cells, Carrier Wi-Fi, C-RAN & DAS): 2016 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " The HetNet Ecosystem (Small Cells, Carrier Wi-Fi, C-RAN & DAS): 2016 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts " to it's Large Report database.Driven by in-building wireless coverage requirements and the growing influx of mobile data traffic, a conventional macrocell based cellular network deployment is not deemed to be a sufficient solution to address the coverage and capacity needs of todays wireless subscribers.Mobile operators are thus increasing their investments in Heterogeneous Network or HetNet infrastructure such as strategically deployed small cells, carrier Wi-Fi and DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems), to cope with growing capacity and coverage requirements. Adding further to the heterogeneity is the shift towards a C-RAN (Centralized RAN) architecture, which centralizes baseband functionality to be shared across a large number of distributed radio nodes. In comparison to standalone clusters of base stations, C-RAN provides significant performance and economic benefits such as baseband pooling, enhanced coordination between cells, virtualization, network extensibility and energy efficiency.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:Driven by the thriving ecosystem, we expect small cell, carrier Wi-Fi, C-RAN and DAS investments to account for nearly $13 Billion by the end of 2016. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% between 2016 and 2020, as mobile operators remain committed to tackle the continued growth of mobile data traffic and evolving coverage requirements.The HetNet Ecosystem (Small Cells, Carrier Wi-Fi, C-RAN & DAS): 2016  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts report presents an in-depth assessment of the HetNet ecosystem including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, regulatory landscape, deployment models, use cases, vertical markets, operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for HetNet infrastructure investments from 2016 till 2030. The forecasts cover 6 individual submarkets and 6 regions.The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.Read All ICT Market Research Reports @Table of Contents1 Chapter 1: Introduction 421.1 Executive Summary 421.2 Topics Covered 441.3 Historical Revenue & Forecast Segmentation 451.4 Key Questions Answered 491.5 Key Findings 511.6 Methodology 521.7 Target Audience 531.8 Companies Mentioned 542 Chapter 2: An Overview of Small Cells, Carrier WiFi, C-RAN & DAS 612.1 An Evolving Heterogeneous Networking Ecosystem 612.1.1 The Growing Demand for Mobile Broadband 612.1.2 Is LTE the Answer to all Capacity Problems? 612.1.3 HetNets: An Evolution of Network Topology 632.2 Small Cells 642.2.1 What Are Small Cells? 642.2.2 Why Deploy Small Cells? 642.2.3 Small Cell Categories 662.2.3.1 Femtocells - Home (e)NBs 672.2.3.2 Picocells 672.2.3.3 Microcells 672.2.3.4 Metrocell: An Emerging Deployment Model 682.2.3.5 Will Metrocell Deployments Encompass Carrier Deployed Femtocells? 68About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Worldwide Technology of Telcos Industry 2017-2025

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ALBANY, NY, March 7, 2017 : ResearchMoz presents professional and in-depth study of "Next Gen Telcos".New telco economics by 2025This report provides an assessment of the potential futures for telcos by 2025, taking into account expected evolutions in the digital economy, with a focus on connectivity, IoT, OTT and IT markets.It first puts in perspective the key stakes that telcos have to tackle. It then looks at how major telcos are indeed trying to address with transformation plans for 2020 through an in-depth benchmark.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @A very large focus on 13 digital markets is then conducted to determine the major opportunities for telcos leveraging some of their genuine assets.The report finally draws 4 disruptive scenarios for 2025 and assesses for each of them the likely portfolio of services, the organisation and processes, the potential revenues (with a breakdown per type of revenue) but also the EBITDA and FCF margins, showing how telco economics could be radically transformedTable of Content1. Executive Summary2. Methodology & definitions2.1. General methodology of IDATE's reports2.2. Specific methodology2.2.1. Framework of analysis of verticals per type of activity2.2.2. Cost model framework3. Context and stakes3.1. Background on telco economics3.1.1. Telco revenues3.1.2. Profitability3.1.3. Demand for connectivity3.2. Background on the telecom regulatory context3.2.1. Transition from ex-ante to ex-post regimes3.2.2. Regulatory (a)symmetry3.2.3. Geographically differentiated rules3.2.4. Roaming3.2.5. Level playing field3.3. Key stakes for telcos3.3.1. Infrastructure3.3.2. Products and services3.3.3. Customer experienceMake an Enquiry of this report @4. Telcos plans for 20204.1. Synthesis4.2. AT&T4.2.1. Infrastructure4.2.2. Products and services4.2.3. Customer experience4.3. BT4.3.1. Infrastructure4.3.2. Products and services4.3.3. Customer experience4.4. Deutsche TelekomResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States
BOPP Laminating Film Market 2017 - GBC, DEPROSA, GMP, IPAK, Mondi, COSMO, Transilwrap, D&K, FLEX, Beijing Kangde Xin

BOPP Laminating Film Market

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A market study based on the "BOPP Laminating Film Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global BOPP Laminating Film Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide BOPP Laminating Film industry, and makes predictions on the future status of BOPP Laminating Film market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportGBCCOSMOTransilwrapD&KFLEXBeijing Kangde XinDEPROSAGMPIPAKMondiThe report studies the industry for BOPP Laminating Film across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in BOPP Laminating Film market & dynamics of demand and supply of BOPP Laminating Film into consideration. The 'BOPP Laminating Film' research study covers each and every aspect of the BOPP Laminating Film market globally, which starts from the definition of the BOPP Laminating Film industry and develops towards BOPP Laminating Film market segmentations. Further, every segment of the BOPP Laminating Film market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the BOPP Laminating Film market. The geographical segmentation of the BOPP Laminating Film industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for BOPP Laminating Film is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, BOPP Laminating Film market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the BOPP Laminating Film market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global BOPP Laminating Film market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, BOPP Laminating Film production volume, data regarding demand and BOPP Laminating Film supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for BOPP Laminating Film across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Conveyer Belt Market 2017 - Goodyear, NOK, QingDao Rubber Six, Sanlux Rubber, ContiTech AG, Hutchinson, Tomkins, Fenner, Bridgestone, Tokai Rubber Industries

Conveyer Belt Market

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A market study based on the "Conveyer Belt Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Conveyer Belt Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Conveyer Belt industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Conveyer Belt market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportGoodyearContiTech AGHutchinsonTomkinsFennerBridgestoneTokai Rubber IndustriesNOKQingDao Rubber SixSanlux RubberThe report studies the industry for Conveyer Belt across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Conveyer Belt market & dynamics of demand and supply of Conveyer Belt into consideration. The 'Conveyer Belt' research study covers each and every aspect of the Conveyer Belt market globally, which starts from the definition of the Conveyer Belt industry and develops towards Conveyer Belt market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Conveyer Belt market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Conveyer Belt market. The geographical segmentation of the Conveyer Belt industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Conveyer Belt is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Conveyer Belt market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Conveyer Belt market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Conveyer Belt market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Conveyer Belt production volume, data regarding demand and Conveyer Belt supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Conveyer Belt across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Global Automotive Active Safety System Consumption 2016 Market Research Report Analysis and Advanced Level Technology Outlook

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Global Automotive Active Safety System Consumption 2016 Market Research Report " to it's Large Report database.The Global Automotive Active Safety System Consumption 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Automotive Active Safety System market.First, the report provides a basic overview of the Automotive Active Safety System industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.Secondly, the report states the global Automotive Active Safety System market size (volume and value), and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies are also discussed.Third, the Automotive Active Safety System market analysis is provided for major regions including USA, Europe, China and Japan, and other regions can be added. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Automotive Active Safety System industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Read All Machines Market Research Reports @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Automotive Active Safety System1.1 Definition and Specifications of Automotive Active Safety System1.1.1 Definition of Automotive Active Safety System1.1.2 Specifications of Automotive Active Safety System1.2 Classification of Automotive Active Safety System1.2.1 Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS)1.2.2 Electronic Stability Control (ESC)1.2.3 Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)1.2.4 Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)1.2.5 Lane Departure Warning (LDW)1.2.6 Night Vision System (NVS)1.2.7 Blind Spot Detection (BSD)1.2.8 Driver Monitoring (DM)1.3 Applications of Automotive Active Safety System1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Automotive Active Safety System1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Automotive Active Safety System1.5.1 Industry Overview of Automotive Active Safety System1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Automotive Active Safety System1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System1.7 Industry News Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Automotive Active Safety System2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Automotive Active Safety SystemAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
EVA Film Market 2017 - STR, Mitsui Chemicals, BRIDGESTONE, Zhuji Fenghua Film factory, Sveck Photovoltaic, Zhejiang Chem-tech Group, Hangzhou First PV Material

EVA Film Market

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https://goo.gl/vW56Sy

http://www.apexresearch.biz

A market study based on the "EVA Film Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global EVA Film Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide EVA Film industry, and makes predictions on the future status of EVA Film market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportSTRMitsui ChemicalsBRIDGESTONEZhuji Fenghua Film factorySveck PhotovoltaicZhejiang Chem-tech GroupHangzhou First PV MaterialThe report studies the industry for EVA Film across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in EVA Film market & dynamics of demand and supply of EVA Film into consideration. The 'EVA Film' research study covers each and every aspect of the EVA Film market globally, which starts from the definition of the EVA Film industry and develops towards EVA Film market segmentations. Further, every segment of the EVA Film market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the EVA Film market. The geographical segmentation of the EVA Film industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for EVA Film is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, EVA Film market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the EVA Film market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global EVA Film market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, EVA Film production volume, data regarding demand and EVA Film supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for EVA Film across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Feminine Hygiene Wipe Market 2017 - SCA Hygiene Products, Munchen-Flughafen, Ontex, TZMO, Uni-Charm Corporation

Feminine Hygiene Wipe Market

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https://goo.gl/sQbxfU

http://www.apexresearch.biz

A market study based on the "Feminine Hygiene Wipe Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Feminine Hygiene Wipe Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Feminine Hygiene Wipe industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Feminine Hygiene Wipe market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportSCA Hygiene ProductsMunchen-FlughafenOntexTZMOUni-Charm CorporationThe report studies the industry for Feminine Hygiene Wipe across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Feminine Hygiene Wipe market & dynamics of demand and supply of Feminine Hygiene Wipe into consideration. The 'Feminine Hygiene Wipe ' research study covers each and every aspect of the Feminine Hygiene Wipe market globally, which starts from the definition of the Feminine Hygiene Wipe industry and develops towards Feminine Hygiene Wipe market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Feminine Hygiene Wipe market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Feminine Hygiene Wipe market. The geographical segmentation of the Feminine Hygiene Wipe industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Feminine Hygiene Wipe is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Feminine Hygiene Wipe market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Feminine Hygiene Wipe market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Feminine Hygiene Wipe market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Feminine Hygiene Wipe production volume, data regarding demand and Feminine Hygiene Wipe supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Feminine Hygiene Wipe across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Functional Organic Coating Board Market 2017 - BlueScope, POSCO, Kawatetsu, Sysco Group, Yieh Phui, Suzhou Yangtze, Dongkuk Steel, Nippon Steel Corporation

Functional Organic Coating Board Market

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A market study based on the "Functional Organic Coating Board Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Functional Organic Coating Board Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Functional Organic Coating Board industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Functional Organic Coating Board market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportBlueScopeDongkuk SteelNippon Steel CorporationPOSCOKawatetsuSysco GroupYieh PhuiSuzhou YangtzeThe report studies the industry for Functional Organic Coating Board across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Functional Organic Coating Board market & dynamics of demand and supply of Functional Organic Coating Board into consideration. The 'Functional Organic Coating Board' research study covers each and every aspect of the Functional Organic Coating Board market globally, which starts from the definition of the Functional Organic Coating Board industry and develops towards Functional Organic Coating Board market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Functional Organic Coating Board market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Functional Organic Coating Board market. The geographical segmentation of the Functional Organic Coating Board industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Functional Organic Coating Board is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Functional Organic Coating Board market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Functional Organic Coating Board market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Functional Organic Coating Board market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Functional Organic Coating Board production volume, data regarding demand and Functional Organic Coating Board supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Functional Organic Coating Board across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Hypochlorous Acid Global Market 2017-2022 by Manufacturers - Kuehne Company, Lonza, AGC Chemicals, Axiall

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https://goo.gl/SGBTky

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

Global Hypochlorous Acid Market 2017, presents a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Hypochlorous Acid market globally, providing basic overview of Hypochlorous Acid market including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure, Hypochlorous Acid Market report provides development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. Hypochlorous Acid market size, share and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Global market research report of Hypochlorous Acid 2017 mainly focuses on Production, means the output of Hypochlorous Acid and Revenue, means the sales value of Hypochlorous Acid in market.Download Sample Report @Hypochlorous Acid market research report studies Hypochlorous Acid in Global market, Hypochlorous Acid market report gives detail analysis of regions especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Global Hypochlorous Acid market report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with their Business perspective which consist of Hypochlorous Acid capacity, production, price, revenue and Hypochlorous Acid market share for each manufacturer.Hypochlorous Acid Market Research Report 2017 Covers the following Manufacturers.Olin Chlor AlkaliAkzo NobelOxyChemArkemaBASFKuehne CompanyLonzaAGC ChemicalsSurpass Chemical CompanyAxiallCloroxHasaChongqing Tianyuan ChemicalTianjin Ruifuxin ChemicalTosohHangzhou ElectroChemical GroupHill BrothersJCI Jones ChemicalsCydsaMexichemIXOMAditya BirlaGlobal Hypochlorous Acid Market segment by Regions, Hypochlorous Acid market report splits Global into several key Regions, with Hypochlorous Acid production, Hypochlorous Acid consumption, Hypochlorous Acid revenue, Hypochlorous Acid market share and growth rate of Hypochlorous Acid in these regions, from 2011 to 2021. Hypochlorous Acid Market report split by Produt type and Application, with Hypochlorous Acid production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, according to Application Hypochlorous Acid Market report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Hypochlorous Acid in each application.Hypochlorous Acid Market Research Report Split by Type,Sodium HypochloriteCalcium HypochloriteOthersAccess Full Report With TOC @Hypochlorous Acid Market Research Report Split by Type ApplicationCleansing Products ?DisinfectingFood& AgricultureMeat ProcessingOil& GasOthersTable of ContentsGlobal Hypochlorous Acid Market Research Report 20171 Hypochlorous Acid Market Overview2 Global Hypochlorous Acid Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Hypochlorous Acid Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Hypochlorous Acid Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)5 Global Hypochlorous Acid Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Hypochlorous Acid Market Analysis by Application7 Global Hypochlorous Acid Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Hypochlorous Acid Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Hypochlorous Acid Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixMethodologyAnalyst IntroductionData SourceFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Global Construction Chemical Market is Predicted to Grow at Approximately 7% by 2022

Construction Chemical Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1960

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/construction-chemicals-market

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Market Research Future published a half cooked research report on Global Construction Chemical Market. The Construction chemical market is expected to grow over the CAGR of around 7% during the period 2016 to 2022Market HighlightsConstruction Chemicals are regarded as chemicals which are used specially while constructing any structures to increase their life and protect them from environmental hazards. The use of construction chemical is useful in minimizing the quantity of cement and water required during the construction process. The increase in urban population coupled with the increase in demand for public, commercial and residential building is driving the global construction chemical market. Demands of buildings, roads, bridges and dams for the betterment of the infrastructure facility of the nations worldwide is further driving the market.Request a Sample Copy of Report @Market Research AnalysisThe market is highly application driven. Residential sector is dominating the construction chemical market because of increase in demand for constructions. With the rapid urbanization, there is a rapid increase in the number of residential projects which majorly use construction chemicals. This increase of construction projects has led to the growth of the global construction chemical market.Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the construction chemical market with highest CAGR. The developing nations such as India and China are contributing majorly in the development of the region, owing to the increase in domestic demand for residential and commercial buildings in the region. Many multi-national companies have started to invest in the construction sector in Asia-Pacific region, which contributes to the growth of this sector.Key PlayersThe key players of Construction chemical market are BASF SE (Germany), Arkema SA (France), Ashland Inc. (U.S.), Fosroc International Limited (U.K.), Mapie S.p.A (Italy), Pidilite Industries Limited (India), RPM International Inc. (U.S.), Sika AG (Switzerland), The Dow Chemical Co.(U.S.), W.R. Grace & Company (U.S.) and others.Access Report Details @Scope of the ReportThis study provides an overview of the global construction chemical market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global construction chemical market by its type, application and region. By Typeo Concrete admixtureso Sealants & adhesiveso Protective Coatingso Others By applicationo Residentialo Infrastructureo Industrialo Others By Regiono North Americao Asia Pacifico Europeo Rest of WorldMake an Enquiry for Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
MASON CITY | A Thompson man accused of sexually abusing a woman last year in Mason City pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge last week and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Joshua K. Winders, 39, originally was charged with felony third-degree sexual abuse.

Thompson man arrested on sex abuse charge MASON CITY | A Thompson man who allegedly committed sexual abuse in August in Mason City was

He allegedly forced the accuser to remove her clothing and then performed a sexual act against her will on Aug. 3, 2016, according to the Mason City Police Department criminal complaint

Winders agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor charge of assault (insulting or offensive conduct). He wasn't fined, but was ordered to pay a surcharge and court costs.

-- Mary Pieper
The Funds Workshop, new service released from Mellstock Ltd

www.thefundsworkshop.com

www.thefundsworkshop.com

The Funds Workshop () is a new web platform that has been launched by investment industry marketing firm, Mellstock Limited. The site is designed to provide an informative and engaging virtual meeting place where investment managers, administrators, professional firms and investors can collaborate.Based in the popular business centre of Cyprus, Mellstock is working to connect the islands talented finance specialists with investors and other potential partners seeking an effective and economic route to the European market.Meanwhile, the same process is available in-reverse, to European firms seeking to find new investment partners in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East  Cyprus is geographically well-located to those regions and provides EU-regulated fund structures and professional services, often at considerably lower cost when compared to some of the larger fund centres.The site is built upon three simple principles of Read, Search and Contact - the navigation headings provide quick and easy access to:Read - a range of informative and engaging articles across a wide spectrum of topics and interests.Search  a simple search facility permits visitors to find and select suitable business partners among featured fund managers, accountancy and audit specialists, legal advisers and other supporting professionals.Contact  each firm displayed on the site will show its contact details so potential partners can get in touch directly.Head of Corporate Communications, James Alexander, said: This brand-new site offers the Cyprus funds industry an opportunity to market themselves to the wider international investor community. We are planning to promote the site to international investment markets and hope we will be able to contribute to boosting our local economy by connecting Cyprus with potential global partners.For a modest monthly fee, sponsors of the site will have the opportunity to provide information on their products and services which visitors will be able to download  factsheets and datasheets on fund performance, rate cards and other useful information will be available for each of the sponsoring businesses.Visitors will have totally free access to all the content that the site provides, and will be encouraged to contact sponsors directly leading to what is hoped, will be swift and meaningful collaboration.Operations Director, Emily Trescothick said: In a dramatic departure from the common web structure of news feeds and often irrelevant, paid advertising, thefundsworkshop.com will provide lively and interesting news, investment market comment and insights, as well as management articles and broader, cultural and travel features. We hope this approach will attract like-minded industry professionals and facilitate engagement and cooperation.Emily Trescothick  Operations Director emily@mellstock.comJames Alexander  Head of Communications info@mellstock.coma new web platform that has been launched by investment industry marketing firm, Mellstock Limited. The site is designed to provide an informative and engaging virtual meeting place where investment managers, administrators, professional firms and investors can collaborate.Mellstock LtdSuite 302 Josephides Building,73B Agias Phylaxeos Street,Limassol 3087,Cyprus,James Alexander, Head of Corporate Communications
Commercial Refrigerators Market In Asia Pacific To Reach US$38.83 Bn By 2024, Demand For Beverage Refrigerators To Surge

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The presence of a large number of domestic and international manufacturers has rendered the landscape in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market highly competitive. As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), Midea Group and Haier Electronics Group Co. Ltd. led the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market in 2015. These companies have been increasingly focusing on product innovation and improving customer experience in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market.For instance, Liebherr entered into a partnership agreement with Redmond based Microsoft Corporation in April 2016 for the development of smart refrigerators based on the premise of the Internet of Things (IoT). More such developments are expected to be reported from the market.Obtain Report Details @A substantial number of enterprises in the market are looking to expand their product portfolio in order to achieve sustainable growth. Apart from investing in product innovations, the key players are also focusing on competitive pricing to keep pace with the prevailing competition. However, according to TMR, improvements in retail channels hold the key for long-term growth for players operating in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market.asia-pacific-commercial-refrigerators-marketBooming Food and Retail Industry in Asia Pacific Holds Promise for Commercial Refrigerators SalesThe booming food and retail industry in Asia Pacific is fuelling demand for refrigerators with innovative design. Unlike the refrigerators used in domestic applications, the ones used for commercial purposes have a high storage capacity and an expansive operating temperature suitable for a plethora of product types.The growth witnessed in the Asia Pacific retail industry is also attributed to the increasing consumption of packaged food and beverages. Due to the hectic lifestyle of consumers and their increasing willingness to pay for convenience food, the demand for packaged food and beverages is expected to surge exponentially in the near future, said a TMR analyst. This is a primary factor driving the market for commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific. Furthermore, the increasing number of supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants will substantially bolster sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific, he added.Besides this, the importance of energy efficiency in commercial and consumer appliances has considerably increased in the last few years. The rising awareness about green appliances has paved the way for the advent of eco-friendly commercial refrigerators.High Prices Discourage Deployment of Commercial Refrigerators across Small Retail OutletsContrary to this, the high cost procurement and maintenance costs of commercial refrigerators are hindering the growth of the market to an extent. Due to their high price, small retailers tend to look for more affordable alternatives. This limits the sales of commercial refrigerators to smaller establishments such as cafes and local retailers. In addition, the availability of alternate packaging solutions such as temperature-control packaging is hindering the sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific.Advent of Smart and Solar Commercial Refrigerators Presents a Fresh OpportunityDramatic changes have been witnessed in commercial appliances over the last few years. The high energy consumption of these appliances has led to the introduction of smart and solar powered commercial refrigerators. With leading name brands venturing into the development and manufacturing of solar-based commercial refrigerators, the market witnesses lucrative prospects to gain from in the near future.For more information on this report, fill the form @As per TMR, the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market stood at over US$16.99 bn in 2015. Exhibiting a CAGR of 9.8%, the market is expected to reach US$38.83 bn by the end of 2024. Volume-wise TMR forecasts the market to reach 60,253 thousand units by 2024 from 28,896 thousand units in 2015. China emerged as the leading contributor in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market accounting for a share of 33.5% in 2015Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Motion Controllers Market - North America And Europe Is Anticipated To Grow At A Significant Rate In The Future

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/motion-controllers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=8461

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Motion Controllers control the velocity and position of machines. These controllers can be implemented with the help of both analog and digital computers. A motion controller comprises of load, prime mover, sensors and controlling machine for proper functioning of prime mover and load. Moreover, it is used to accomplish speed accuracy, increased position, fast reaction time, smooth movements, cost reduction, integrated automation, improved efficiency and consistency, elimination of hazards and better diagnosis and troubleshooting among others. These devices incorporate high force magnet materials, precise dimensional tolerance and innovative design machines. Motion controllers are widely used in printing, packaging, textile, assembly industries, semiconductor production and many other automation systems.Browse Market Research Report @The key driving factors for motion controllers market are increasing venture by manufacturing companies and rising concern for industrial safety. Moreover, immense developments of automation market along with rapid globalization have collectively increased the demand for huge production capacity within limited time frame. Thus there has been a surge in implementation of automation systems in industries worldwide. Different geographical drivers are also accountable for the growth of this market. In addition, demand from developing countries, such as India, China and Brazil are expected to create opportunities for motion controllers market in the future. However, high manufacturing cost and lack of skilled workers are hindering the growth of the market. This challenge has to be addressed by manufacturers in order to ensure efficient applications of motion controllers.Global motion controllers market can be broadly classified on the basis of technology, application and geography. By technology, the market for motion controllers has been broadly segmented into computerized numerical control and general motion control. Usage of these controllers is much simpler in general motion control machines compared to computerized numerical control machines. The market can be subdivided by application into automotive, machinery manufacturing, logistics, aerospace and defense, electronics and semiconductor, food and beverage, medical, paper and printing, oil and gas and energy. Machinery manufacturing, logistics and electronics and semiconductor are the major sectors which are expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period from 2015 to 2021. The major reason is attributed to potential demand for process automation and industrial safety in these sectors. By geography, the global market for motion controllers has been classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.In the present scenario, the market for motion controllers is dominated by Asia Pacific in terms of revenue, followed by North America and Europe. The major factor responsible for potential development of this market in Asia Pacific is huge adoption of these devices coupled with rapid technological advancement. However, North America and Europe is anticipated to grow at a significant rate in the future, primarily due to huge investment by manufacturing industries along with increase in industrialization.For more information on this report, fill the form @Some of the major players in this market are Schneider Electric (France), Siemens AG (Germany), Parker Hannifin Corp. (U.S.), Yaskawa Electric Corp. (Japan), ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Moog Inc. (U.S.), Bosh Rexroth AG (Germany), Altra Industrial Motion Corporation (U.S.), Dover Motion Systems (U.S.) and Rockwell Automation (U.S.).Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
SearchNative Launches its New Website with Advanced Features and Services

SearchNative, one of the leading Software and IT service providers from Ahmedabad, launched their exclusive website for Digital Marketing recently. The new website is designed to offer Digital Marketing Services encompassing a wide range of digital media platforms.Abhishek Paliwal, founder of SearchNative explained the need for a dedicated website for Digital Marketing Service, saying Digital Marketing has evolved beyond the traditional practices of advertising. Today, if an organization is not engaging in Digital Advertising, it would fade out from the market eventually. Hence, we are launching this website to make people aware about the tremendous possibilities that Digital Marketing offers.The new website is both computer and smart-phone compatible and is decorated with advanced features like eye-catching Request a quote and Live preview link of the companys existing works. The website is designed to be informative and user friendly. It is specifically dedicated to services like SEO, Paid Advertising, Social Media Marketing, Shopping Feed Management, Google Analytics and Conversion, Web Design, Graphic Design and Video Advertising. The website also hosts case studies on analysis of previous projects and interesting blogs on latest trends, digital marketing tricks and other relevant topics.Media Contact:Abhishek Paliwal303, Sigma 2, Opp. Sales India,Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380052Email: sales@searchnative.inPhone: 079-48000358SearchNative is a leading digital marketing company based in Ahmedabad, India. We provide optimized solutions for digital marketing using thorough market research. From branding to designing and search engines to social media, SearchNative gives the perfectly balanced package, whether domestic or overseas. We also provide Software development, Mobile app development and Web development services across the world.303, Sigma 2, Opp. Sales India, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380052
Water Quality Analyzer Market Global Industry Analysis Forecast 2016 - 2026

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/water-quality-analyzer-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19940

Water is an important resource for human beings, as it is used in exhaustive applications such as drinking, food, manufacturing, cooling systems, steam generation, chemicals, research, and agriculture. All these applications require water with specific prerequisite properties and purity. Water has various physical and chemical qualities such as pH, purity, metal and salt content, dissolved gas content, and microbe presence. These qualities vary for different applications. Water quality analyzers determine the fitness of water for usage in a specific application. Several types of water quality analyzers such as TOC analyzers, BOD analyzers, oil in water analyzers, sulfide analyzers, turbidity analyzers, pH meters, spectrophotometers, and multiparameter colorimeters are available in the market.Browse Market Research Report @ :The water quality analyzer market is largely propelled by the rising awareness and improvements in quality of water required for specific applications across all end-user industries. Advancements in technology are improving the understanding of effects of water quality on various applications, thereby leading to higher demand for water quality analyzers. Furthermore, implementation of stringent government regulations in most developed countries with regard to better quality of drinking water and rise in concerns over water pollution and wastewater management are some of the major factors propelling the water quality analyzer market across the globe. Industrial waste water causes severe damage to the environment, including local water bodies. Governments and environment protection organizations are therefore compelling industries to pretreat and analyze the water which is discarded. This is boosting the water quality analyzer market. However, the costs associated with testing and analyzing wastewater are usually high. Companies in the developing economies are largely ignorant about water analysis. This is restraining the water quality analyzer market in developing regions.The water quality analyzer market, in terms of type has been segmented into TOC analyzer, pH meter, multiparameter colorimeter, turbidity meter, dissolved gas (oxygen) meter, and others. Among the products, pH meters and TOC analyzers accounted for significant share of the water quality analyzer market across the globe. The criticality of pH levels, i.e. acidity or alkalinity of water, in several applications makes pH analyzers significantly important. These products or analyzers can be either portable or bench mounted depending upon the location of water and functionality. Based on application, the water quality analyzer market has been classified into industrial, environmental, laboratory, sanitation and sewage treatment, and others. Industrial and laboratory applications accounted for the large share of the water quality analyzer market in 2015, as they need close monitoring of water quality for efficient functioning of equipment & machinery and accurate results in case of laboratory applications.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ :Based on geography, the water analyzer market has been divided into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Developed regions such as Europe and North America collectively accounted for more than 60% share of the global water analyzer market. Implementation of stringent government regulations on environmental protection and curbing of water pollution is the primary factor driving the demand of water quality analyzers in these regions. Europe and North America also lead in research and development in all fields, resulting in high demand for water quality analyzers for laboratory and research segment. Asia Pacific is also a major market for water quality analyzers due to the rising industrialization and urbanization in China and India. The population explosion in these countries is also anticipated to propel the demand for water quality analyzers in sewer & sanitation and water distribution applications.Key players manufacturing water quality analyzers include General Electric Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Forbes Marshall, Emerson Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., and Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Global Refined Cotton Market Research Report 2016 Annual Growth Estimates & Top Company Profiles : Buckeye, Jinqiu Cotton, Yaohua, Huian, Tailida

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This report studies Refined Cotton in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBuckeye (Georgia-Pacific)Jin HanjiangXinjiang Guangda ShanheGuangrao FuliHubei GoldenXinjiang Su NokYaohuaYingteJinqiu CottonMingdaHuianTailidaMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Refined Cotton in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaDownload a Free Sample Copy of the Report @Table of ContentsGlobal Refined Cotton Market Research Report 20161 Refined Cotton Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Refined Cotton1.2 Refined Cotton Segment by Type1.3 Refined Cotton Segment by Application1.4 Refined Cotton Market by Region1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Refined Cotton (2011-2021)QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYresearchreports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Resistive Load Bank Market Research Report 2017 By Industry Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2022

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Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Resistive Load Bank in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaDownload Sample atGlobal Resistive Load Bank market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingEmerson (Vertiv)SimplexTatsumi RyokiKaixiangNorthbridgeJovyatlasSephco IndustriesMetal Deploye ResistorMosebachStorage Battery SystemsPowerohm (Hubbell)Shenzhen SikesPite TechGreenlight InnovationMS ResistancesThomsonEagle EyeOtherOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoAbout Us:Global QYResearch () is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QYResearch holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Contact Us:Mr. Jay SmithSenior Manager  Client EngagementsCall: +44 20 32390-2407Follow us:Twitter:Linkedin:
Global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market Revenue, by Modality (Portable & Standalone) 2017-2024

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ALBANY, NY, March 7, 2017 : ResearchMoz presents professional and in-depth study of "Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024".This report on the Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device market analyzes the current and future scenario of the global market. Large number of ocular disease patient and diabetes sufferers is increasing the usage of ophthalmic ultrasound devices. Less pain and high definition imaging technology are the major drivers of the global ophthalmic ultrasound device market.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @The ophthalmic ultrasound device market report comprises an elaborate executive summary, which includes a market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the global market with respect to the segments based on application and geography. A detailed qualitative analysis of drivers and restraints of the market and opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. In addition, the section comprises Porters Five Forces Analysis to understand the competitive landscape in the market. This section of the report also provides market attractiveness analysis, by geography and market share analysis by key players, thus presenting a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global ophthalmic ultrasound device market.Global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market: Scope of the StudyBased on product, the market has been segmented into A-Scan, B-Scan, Combined Scan, Ultra Bio Microscope and Pachymeter. The product market segments have been analyzed based on available approved products, cost-effectiveness, and preference for technologies by ophthalmologist and patients. The market size and forecast for each of these segments have been provided for the period from 2014 to 2024, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, considering 2015 as the base year.Based on End-user, the ophthalmic ultrasound device market has been segmented into four major categories: hospitals, ophthalmic clinics, eye research institutes and ambulatory surgical centers. The ophthalmic ultrasound devices are segmented into portable and standalone devices. The market segments have been extensively analyzed based on prevalence of the diseases, available treatment, and geographical coverage. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ Mn for each segment have been provided for the period from 2014 to 2024. The report also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each market segment for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, considering 2015 as the base year.Global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market: Geographical AssessmentGeographically, the global ophthalmic ultrasound device market has been categorized into five major regions and the key countries in the respective region: North America (the U.S., Canada), Europe (the U.K., Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Italy, and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (Japan, India, China, Australia & New Zealand and Rest of Asia Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America) and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC countries and Rest of Middle East & Africa). The market size and forecast for each of these regions and the mentioned countries have been provided for the period from 2014 to 2024, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, considering 2015 as the base year. The research study also covers the competitive scenario in these regions.Key players mentioned in the reportThe report also profiles major players in the global ophthalmic ultrasound device market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players profiled in this report include Nidek Co. Ltd., Halma plc, Optos plc (Nikon Corporation), Reichert, Inc. (AMETEK, Inc.), Sonomed, Inc. (Escalon Medical Corp.), Ellex Medical Laser Ltd., Quantel Medical and others.The global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device market has been segmented as follows:Global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market Revenue, by Product, (US$ Mn), 20142024A-ScanB-ScanCombined ScanPachymetryUltrasound Bio Microscope (UBM)Make an Enquiry of this report @Global Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market Revenue, by Modality, (US$ Mn), 20142024PortableStandaloneGlobal Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market Revenue, by End-user, (US$ Mn), 20142024Vaccine DeliveryPain ManagementInsulin DeliveryPediatric InjectionsGlobal Ophthalmic Ultrasound Device Market Revenue, By Geography, (US$ Mn), 20142024OverviewNorth AmericaU.SCanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.RussiaItalyFranceSpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificJapanIndiaChinaAustralia & New ZealandRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC countriesSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States
Global Wireless Charging Phone Market Research Report 2017 By Industry Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2022

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In this report, the Global Wireless Charging Phone Market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Wireless Charging Phone in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanDownload Sample atGlobal Wireless Charging Phone market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingSamungSonyGoogleMOTONOKIAYotaHTCZTEOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoElectromagnetic inductionMagnetic resonanceOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Wireless Charging Phone for each application, includingCommercialCivil UseView full report atTable of ContentsGlobal Wireless Charging Phone Market Research Report 20171 Wireless Charging Phone Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wireless Charging Phone1.2 Wireless Charging Phone Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Electromagnetic induction1.2.4 Magnetic resonance1.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Segment by Application1.3.1 Wireless Charging Phone Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Commercial1.3.3 Civil Use1.4 Global Wireless Charging Phone Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Wireless Charging Phone (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Wireless Charging Phone Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Wireless Charging Phone Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Wireless Charging Phone Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Wireless Charging Phone Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 United States Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 EU Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 South Korea Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 Taiwan Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Wireless Charging Phone Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 United States Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 EU Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 South Korea Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 Taiwan Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Wireless Charging Phone Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Wireless Charging Phone Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Samung7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Samung Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Sony7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Sony Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Google7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Google Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 MOTO7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 MOTO Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 NOKIA7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 NOKIA Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Yota7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Yota Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 HTC7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 HTC Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 ZTE7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Wireless Charging Phone Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 ZTE Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Wireless Charging Phone Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Wireless Charging Phone Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.2.1 Raw Materials8.2.2 Labor Cost8.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Wireless Charging Phone9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9.1 Wireless Charging Phone Industrial Chain Analysis9.2 Upstream Raw Materials Sourcing9.3 Raw Materials Sources of Wireless Charging Phone Major Manufacturers in 20159.4 Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10.1 Marketing Channel10.1.1 Direct Marketing10.1.2 Indirect Marketing10.1.3 Marketing Channel Development Trend10.2 Market Positioning10.2.1 Pricing Strategy10.2.2 Brand Strategy10.2.3 Target Client10.3 Distributors/Traders List11 Market Effect Factors Analysis11.1 Technology Progress/Risk11.1.1 Substitutes Threat11.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry11.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change11.3 Economic/Political Environmental Change12 Global Wireless Charging Phone Market Forecast (2017-2022)12.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production, Revenue Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.1 Global Wireless Charging Phone Capacity, Production and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Price and Trend Forecast (2017-2022)12.2 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production, Consumption , Import and Export Forecast by Region (2017-2022)12.2.1 United States Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.2.2 EU Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.2.3 China Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.2.4 Japan Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.2.5 South Korea Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.2.6 Taiwan Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue, Consumption, Export and Import Forecast (2017-2022)12.3 Global Wireless Charging Phone Production, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2017-2022)12.4 Global Wireless Charging Phone Consumption Forecast by Application (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixTo Purchase this Premium Report:About Us:Global QYResearch () is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QYResearch holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Contact Us:Mr. Jay SmithSenior Manager  Client EngagementsCall: +44 20 32390-2407Follow us:Twitter:Linkedin:
A new futuristic building in Morocco

Gran Theathre de Rabat. Render courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

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Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics and IT Cooling Systems, through its brand Climaveneta, supplied the air conditioning units to the Grand Theatre de Rabat, which is under construction in Morocco. The futuristic building was designed by Zaha Hadid and its shape was inspired by the nearby Bouregreg River. The project, part of a national programme of cultural development, includes a 1800-seat theatre, an open-air amphitheatre with a capacity of 7,000 people, a second experimental performance / rehearsal spaces, and a restaurant for 350 people.To combine perfect internal comfort and high energy performance of the building, the HVAC system was designed starting from Climaveneta high efficiency units: 2 multi-purpose heat pumps NECS-Q/B 3218 and 1 air cooled chiller NECS/B 3218. The system is therefore able to provide the ideal temperature and humidity level inside the building all year round, even producing simultaneous cooling and heating when necessary, thanks to the multi-purpose units installed. The system has a total cooling capacity of 2,500 kW, granting an ideal temperature even in the Moroccan hot summers.Follow Climaveneta:youtube.com/user/climavenetaweb, @ClimavenetaHVAC, linkedin.com/company/climaveneta, facebook.com/climavenetahvac/Media RelationsSara Di Clementesara.diclemente@melcohit.comClimaveneta, a leading brand in HVAC and HPAC with more than 40 yearss experience provides energy efficient heating, air conditioning and data center cooling solutions that enhance everyones comfort, improve the profitability of a building and do not contribute to an increase in CO2 levels.Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling SystemsClimavenetaPlant of via Sarson, 57/c36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)Italy+390424509500
Doug Rozendaal has been flying airplanes for more than four decades, but when he took off from Mason City Airport on Friday it was a first for
Fenoxaprop-P-e: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020)

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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Fenoxaprop-P-e: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Fenoxaprop-P-e: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The report Fenoxaprop-P-e: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report. A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Fenoxaprop-P-e, an herbicide, is used for controlling various pests such as Avena, Alopecurus & Avena among others.- Russia, Brazil, India, Spain, France, and Mexico are the leading country markets among others.- Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC) & Emulsion, Oil in Water (EW) were the leading formulations in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Fenoxaprop-P-e market to be more than USD 360 Million.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch Street Boston, MA 02110US Phone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
2016 ISV Market  Valuable Source Of Guidance and Direction For Companies and Individuals Interested in the Market

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global ISV Market Professional Survey Report 2016 to its huge collection of research reports.The ISV 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 ISV, 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 @The large volumes of data presented in this report, on the ISV, 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 ISV 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 ISV.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of ISV1.1 Definition and Specifications of ISV1.1.1 Definition of ISV1.1.2 Specifications of ISV1.2 Classification of ISV1.3 Applications of ISV1.4 Industry Chain Structure of ISV1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of ISV1.5.1 Industry Overview of ISV1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of ISV1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of ISV1.7 Industry News Analysis of ISVBrowse Complete Report with TOC @2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of ISV2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of ISV2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of ISV2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of ISV2.4 Other Costs Analysis of ISV2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of ISV2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of ISV3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of ISV3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global ISV Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global ISV Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global ISV Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global ISV Major Manufacturers in 20154 Global ISV Overall Market Overview4.1 2011-2016E Overall Market Analysis4.2.1 2011-2015 Global ISV Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2015 ISV Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2011-2015 Global ISV Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2015 ISV Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2011-2015 Global ISV Sales Price4.4.2 2015 ISV Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)4.5 Gross Margin Analysis4.5.1 2011-2015 Global ISV Gross Margin4.5.2 2015 ISV Gross Margin Analysis (Company Segment)5 ISV Regional Market Analysis5.1 USA ISV Market Analysis5.1.1 USA ISV Market Overview5.1.2 USA 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 USA 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 USA 2015 ISV Market Share Analysis5.2 China ISV Market Analysis5.2.1 China ISV Market Overview5.2.2 China 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2015 ISV Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe ISV Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe ISV Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2015 ISV Market Share Analysis5.4 South America ISV Market Analysis5.4.1 South America ISV Market Overview5.4.2 South America 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 South America 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 South America 2015 ISV Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan ISV Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan ISV Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2015 ISV Market Share Analysis5.6 Africa ISV Market Analysis5.6.1 Africa ISV Market Overview5.6.2 Africa 2011-2016E ISV Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 Africa 2011-2016E ISV Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 Africa 2015 ISV Market Share AnalysisRead More @About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
FemNAT-CD: 4th General Assembly Meeting in Budapest

www.daacro.de

daacros Saliva Lab Trier (SLT) is partnering as a SME within a research project Neurobiology and Treatment of Adolescent Female Conduct Disorder: The Central Role of Emotion Processing (FemNAT-CD). The project is funded by the European Commissions 7th Framework Health program and focuses on conduct disorder (CD) among children and adolescents with a special focus on specific needs of CD girls. February 08-10, 2017 the consortium of 17 European partners from 8 nations met in Budapest, Hungary. The three-day program was filled with talks and poster presentations reflecting the current state of the project. The aim of this 4th meeting was to share and discuss first results and to further plan publications and next steps.FemNAT-CD is a multi-disciplinary study that plans recruiting 1,840 children and teenagers aged from 9 to 18 years from across Europe (including the UK, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Greece and Hungary). The project will study similarities and differences between boys and girls in brain structure and function, hormone levels, genetics, emotion recognition and regulation, and physiological activity. In addition, interviews will be conducted with children and their parents to ask about the childs health and behavior, trying to understand the impact of environmental factors on well-being.Studies investigating the prevalence of mental health problems in residential care populations indicate that conduct disorder is one of the most frequent diagnoses. CD is characterized by repetitive and chronic aggressive and antisocial behavior and severe problems in emotion regulation and impulse control. A variety of implications exist, some of the most major problems are school refusal, social communication problems, difficulties with reintegrating into work life or legal involvements. Frequently associated comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders and ADHD oftentimes further aggravate adolescents development.Now, after three years of this ongoing project, approx. 1500 patients and controls have been enrolled and their baseline data is available. In addition, 50 participants completed the second visit 18 months later. Until the project ends in February 2018, the participating study sites will continue to screen and further include patients, to achieve a solid data base for generating reliable statements on how to further develop intervention approaches that target the improvement of interpersonal functioning, anger management and social skills in conduct disorder.daacros Saliva Lab Trier participates in this research project by consulting on all sampling related questions, organization of sample materials, analyzing the samples, conveyance of data, and also support in biostatistics. The study populations saliva is tested for the following hormones: alpha amylase, cortisol, DHEA-S, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone. As a center of excellence for Salimetrics, USA, the Saliva Lab Trier uses their assays for this project. Salimetrics is widely regarded as a global leader in salivary bioscience and therefore the collaboration with daacros CRO and Saliva Lab provides solid science of saliva: A tools customers and partners of the Saliva Lab Trier can count on to get reliable assay results in saliva research and diagnostics.For further informationen about the FemNAT-project:Prof. Dr. Christine M. FreitagDirector Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy of the Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt/ MainFon (0 69) 63 01  54 08Fax (0 69) 63 01  58 43E-Mail C.Freitag@em.uni-frankfurt.deFor further Informationen about daacros Saliva Lab Trier:Dipl. Biol. Anne Dubberke (Head of the Lab), Dr. Juliane Hellhammer (CEO)Saliva Lab Trier  Contract Research Organization daacroScience Park TrierFon + 49 (0) 651 9120 494Fax + 49 (0) 651 9120 564E-Mail hellhammer@daacro.dedaacro is a full service contract research organization founded in 2006 by Dr. Juliane Hellhammer. The company is located in Trier/Germany and collaborates worldwide with academic and industrial partners. The daacro team includes scientific and strategic consultants, clinicians, statisticians, programmer and a salivary laboratory team. daacros expertise is combining scientific excellence with quality standards of clinical trials supporting product development for pharma, food and cosmetics industries and health care providers.daacro GmbH & Co. KGFull Service CRO unique in stress research& Saliva Lab TrierPresscontact: Dominik SeithelScience Park TrierMax-Planck-Str. 22D - 54296 Trier / GermanyTel.: + 49 (0) 651 9120 494Fax: + 49 (0) 651 9120 564Email: info@daacro.de
Clinical Diagnosis Automation Market Research Report by Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa : forecast 2024

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Global Clinical Diagnosis Automation Market: OverviewClinical diagnosis automation is a part of the laboratory automation process which is a multi-disciplinary strategy for the purpose of capitalizing, optimizing, developing, and researching on the technologies used in clinical diagnosis. This, in turn, helps in enabling improved and new processes. The clinical diagnosis automation professionals are medical engineers, scientists, government researchers, commercial researchers, and academics. These professionals develop advanced and new technologies in order to improve productivity, enhance the data quality of the experiments, decrease the lab process cycle time, and enable experimentation. The most famous application of clinical diagnosis automation and laboratory automation is laboratory robotics. This field comprises many different types of automated instruments and devices such as autosamplers, software algorithms, and various methodologies. These instruments and algorithms are employed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical diagnosis in medical laboratories. The application of automation technology in clinical diagnosis is required at present to remain competitive in the market and achieve constant progress. Without automation, laboratories devoted to tasks such as biorepositories, diagnostics, analytical and automated clinical testing, combinatorial chemistry, and high-throughput screening would not have been successfully completed.The most common software and equipment found in the global clinical diagnosis automation market are informatics and software, automated storage, retrieval systems, standalone robots, microplate readers, and automated liquid handling equipment. Diverse clinical diagnosis automation types include modular automation and total lab automation. The testing phases are collected in the segment of total laboratory automation by which all the modules are physically linked by a track system. Total lab automation is appropriate for large size hospitals, however, it leads to a rise in the total cost of automation and thus hence has low market penetration.The publication is a complete analysis of the growth trajectory in terms of the historical, current, and future prospects of the global clinical diagnosis automation market. It offers an assessment of the elements that are expected to impact the growth of the market and the principal trends have also been mentioned in the study. The report also offers a diverse outlook of the competitive scenario of the market through the value chain and Porters five forces analysis. The report mentions the research and development projects, mergers and acquisitions, details on collaborations and licensing.Browse full report on Clinical Diagnosis Automation Market -Global Clinical Diagnosis Automation Market: Trends and ProspectsThe primary factors bolstering the growth of the global clinical diagnosis automation market are rising number of suppliers in the global diagnostic market, low rates of reimbursement, and the rising number of diagnosis across the global. As players are striving to gain an established position in the market and have a competitive advantage as well, they are aiming at increasing the productivity and efficiency of the laboratories and curtailing on the total cost. In order to achieve, these, automation has proved to be a potential solution. Currently, the clinical diagnosis sector is on the verge of exploring an innovative automation process. All the phases involved in clinical diagnosis such as sample collection and sample processing are undergoing a huge change and are thus being automated. Clinical analyzers are being used to automate the clinical processes. These analyzers are traceable, fast, and can perform tasks repeatedly. Thus, they can provide patients with reliable and precise results.Based on product type, the automated analyzers segment led the global clinical diagnosis automation market, whereas the stand-alone automation segment is likely to emerge as the leading segment in terms of growth. Total lab automation is being employed in big hospitals only owing to its inflexibility and problems related to communication.Global Clinical Diagnosis Automation Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global clinical diagnosis automation market is likely to be dominated by North America owing to the growing diagnosis rate, the introduction of new technologies, and rising geriatric population in the region. Mounting academic and corporate research investments and increasing healthcare awareness is anticipated to bode well for the Asia Pacific market growth.Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe leading companies operating in the market are Siemens Healthcare, Caliper Life Sciences, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Beckman Coulter Inc., and Abbott Diagnostics. The study provides insights into the marketing strategies, products, and shares of the key players operating in the clinical diagnosis automation market.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
DNA Probes - Based Diagnostics Market Research Report by Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa : forecast 2024

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Global DNA Probes-based Diagnostics Market: OverviewThe global DNA probes-based diagnostics market is expected to witness robust growth in the forthcoming years. The human genome is estimated to contain about 100,000 genes and potentially, an irregularity in any of these can result in a hereditary trait or disease. DNA probes-based technology is associated with the examination of the chemical structure of DNA by undoing the presence of anomalous gene sequence on the DNA strand. It is extensively implemented in diagnostics and also in other fields such as molecular biology, microfabrication, data handling, instrumentation development, surface chemistry, and biological sample preparation. Public awareness of these techniques for prenatal diagnosis and carrier detection is rising rapidly and may result in a significant increase in the demand for such services.This market intelligence report presents a detailed description of the dynamics impacting the growth of the global DNA probes-based diagnostics market. It analyzes various application and geographical segments of the market in terms of both revenue and volume. Primary and secondary research resources have come into play for deriving the market data and analytics. The report also profiles prominent players in the market along with their business strategies, latest developments, cost and revenue structures, and contact information. There is a separate section for recommendations, which are lucrative for both existing and new players in the market for forming their important business strategies. This report, hence, provides a 360-degree view of the global DNA probes-based diagnostics market.Browse full report on DNA Probes - Based Diagnostics Market -Global DNA Probes-based Diagnostics Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global DNA probes-based diagnostics market is primarily driven by the increasing prominence of the technology in diagnosing infectious diseases including vaginitis. Over the past few years, the investments in pharmaceuticals and pharmacogenomics research and development have increased substantially. This has paved way for advancements in DNA array technologies, leading to the launch of new equipment facilitating execution of tests with higher speed, accuracy, and reliability and is, therefore, influencing the growth of the market positively. Moreover, the advent of novel methods for high-volume testing is augmenting the market. Growing geriatric population and rising disposable income are some of the other factors fuelling the global DNA probes-based diagnostics market.On the other hand, there are certain limitations associated with this technology that are hampering the growth of the global market. These limitations include genetic heterogeneity, recombination between the marker and disease alleles, and incorrect pedigree data or non-paternity leading to erroneous diagnosis. However, the increasing penetration of automation in diagnosis tests is likely to create immense growth opportunities for the global DNA probes-based diagnostics market.Global DNA Probes-based Diagnostics Market: SegmentationOn the basis of geography, the global DNA probes-based diagnostics market can be categorized into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. North America is anticipated to command a large share throughout the forecast period, with the U.S. being the major contributor. The rapid advancements in technology in this region are enabling the complex genetic tests to shift from research laboratories to clinical and medical laboratories. Europe is also poised to experience steady growth.The Asia Pacific market for DNA probes-based diagnostics is estimated to expand at a noteworthy CAGR during the same period owing to the improving healthcare infrastructure and increasing government funding for medical research. Moreover, factors such as the rapidly growing population, and rising healthcare expenditure are working in favor of the growth of the region.The key application areas of the market include genetic predispositions, forensic testing, infectious diseases, molecular human leukocyte antigen (HLA), cancer testing, and others. The demand for DNA probes-based technology for diagnosing infectious disorders is likely to remain high throughout the forecast period. It is also finding increasing application in genetic predispositions.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Lambda-cyhalothrin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020)

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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Lambda-cyhalothrin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Lambda-cyhalothrin: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The report Lambda-cyhalothrin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report. A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Lambda-cyhalothrin, an insecticide belonging to group Pyrethroid, is used for controlling various pests such as Aphids, Anticarsia & Plusia, Nezara, Spodoptera, Nezara & Nysius & Piezodorus among others.- China, Brazil, USA, India, France, and Russia are the leading country markets among others. - Capsule Suspensions (CS) & Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC) were the leading formulations in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Lambda-cyhalothrin market to be more than USD 650 Million.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch Street Boston, MA 02110US Phone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market Research Report by Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa : forecast 2024

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Global Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market: OverviewThe similarity between the human and animal body in terms of structure and function has facilitated the immense need for safe and effective treatments for animals. Many of the problems encountered by humans are similar to those of animals. For instance, over the past few years, there has been a sudden rise in the cases of pet obesity. This is leading to the increasing focus towards animal well-being, which in turn is working in favor of the growth of the global animal therapeutics and diagnostics market. In developing and under-developed countries, a large section of their population still depends on animal husbandry for their income. As a result, the demand for animal therapeutics and diagnostics is estimated to remain high in these countries in the forthcoming years.This market intelligence report is compiled using various paid and unpaid sources into a reliable business tool that provides a thorough evaluation of the global animal therapeutics and diagnostics market. The report identifies important trends of the market at both global and regional level. It offers qualitative and quantitative insights into the competitive landscape of the market. It also profiles the key players along with their latest development, business strategies, revenue structure, product details, and contact information. It performs a SWOT analysis that calculated the potential trajectory each prominent market player will witness. For a coherent understanding, the market is segmented on the basis of various criteria including product and geography.Browse full report on Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market -Global Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe burgeoning demand for animal-derived food products such as meat is one of the primary factors driving the global animal therapeutics and diagnostics market. For these products to be fit for human consumption, it becomes imperative to ensure high-quality and cost-effective production of animal protein. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy along with the rising awareness regarding other zoonotic diseases is resulting in greater uptake of animal therapeutics and diagnostics by pet and cattle owners. Moreover, the increasing veterinary practitioners in developed regions and the rising expenditure on animal health and pet insurance are augmenting the market. Growing ownership of companion animals is another factor fuelling the global market.Despite the involvement of a large population in animal husbandry in emerging markets, the lack of awareness regarding animal healthcare in these regions is inhibiting the growth of the overall market. In addition, there is a shortage of veterinarians in these regions, which influences the growth of the market negatively. Furthermore, the high cost of diagnostic imaging instruments is limiting the market from realizing its full potential. Nevertheless, thanks to rising disposable income in countries such as India, China, and Brazil, these developing economies provide tremendous growth opportunities for the global animal therapeutics and diagnostics market.Global Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market: SegmentationBased on products, the global animal therapeutics and diagnostics market can be segmented into feed additives, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceuticals segment is anticipated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Due to their convenience, feed additives is also poised to command a large share in the market.The market can be divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World on the basis of geography. The North America and Europe regions are expected to be a major revenue contributor. The Asia Pacific market for animal therapeutics and diagnostics is estimated to rise at a noteworthy CAGR during the same period owing to the growing trend of pet adoption, increasing livestock population, and rapid urbanization. The growth of the region can also be attributed to the changing food habits, and rising per capita expenditure on animal health.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Controlled Release - Liposomal and Inhalation Delivery Technologies Market Research Report and Forecast 2024

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Global Controlled Release Liposomal and Inhalation Delivery Technologies Market: OverviewThe development of new drug molecules is time consuming and expensive. The increasing costs of research and development, alternative investment opportunities for drug companies, erosion of effective patent life, and decreasing firm interests in conducting pharmaceutical research have resulted in a decline in the introduction of novel chemical formulations since the early 60s. Conventional drug administration methods have various problems associated with them, which may be potentially overcome by controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies.These technologies are said to be among the unconventional and advanced drug delivery technologies and are increasingly becoming attractive options for treatment of pulmonary diseases. A large number of carrier systems are being developed and verified as potential controlled drug delivery entities. As these technologies are witnessing an increasing adoption rate, the global controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies market is likely to gain significant momentum in the forthcoming years.This market intelligence report presents a detailed description of the dynamics impacting the growth of the global controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies market. It analyzes various technology and geographical segments of the market in terms of both revenue and volume. Primary and secondary research resources have come into play for deriving the market data and analytics. The report also profiles prominent players in the market along with their business strategies, latest developments, cost and revenue structures, and contact information. There is a separate section for recommendations, which are lucrative for both existing and new players in the market for forming their important business strategies. This report, hence, provides a 360-degree view of the global controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies market.Browse full report on Controlled Release - Liposomal and Inhalation Delivery Technologies Market -Global Controlled Release Liposomal and Inhalation Delivery Technologies Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe patent expiration of blockbuster drugs is triggering the need for novel pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. As a result, much of the onus is on advanced and reliable drug delivery technologies, thereby escalating the implementation of controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies. The rising prevalence of pulmonary diseases is another factor augmenting the market. Moreover, amidst the pressing need for reducing attrition rates and enhancing drug development processes and the increasing innovation in drug delivery technologies, the global market is poised to tread along a healthy growth track.On the other hand, the persistent drug failures are leading to the rising concerns regarding returns on investment. This, in turn, is adversely affecting the growth of the global controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies market. There are various therapeutically undesirable aspects of these technologies, one of which is the rapid absorption of most drugs by the lungs, necessitating frequent dosing. These therapeutically undesirable aspects are limiting the market from realizing its full potential. Furthermore, the healthcare reforms in several developed countries including the U.S. are negatively influencing the growth of the market.However, the global controlled release liposomal and inhalation delivery technologies market is anticipated to receive a tremendous boost from the emergence of economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Players in the market are likely to capitalize on the immense opportunities offered by these highly populated economies with an increasingly affluent population.Global Controlled Release Liposomal and Inhalation Delivery Technologies Market: SegmentationThe global market can be broadly classified into liposomal delivery technology and inhalation delivery technology. On the basis of liposomal delivery technology, the market is divided into Stealth liposomes by Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Proliposomes by ADD Drug Delivery Technologies, Novasome lipid vesicles and micellar nanoparticles by Novavax Inc, and others. The sub-segments of inhalation delivery technology are metered dose, dry powder, and nebulizers.The regionals markets analyzed in the report are Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. North America accounts for the leading share in the overall market revenue, thanks to its status of an economically developed region. The growth of the Asia Pacific region will be propelled by the improving economic conditions in countries such as India and China.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market Research Report by Regional Analysis and forecast upto 2024

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Global Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market: OverviewCancer cells usually demonstrate a pattern of modified metabolism creating an environment within the body conducive to the growth of malignant cells and tumors. Knowledge regarding the biochemical characters of cancer facilitates the implementation of various cancer profiling platforms.Developments in the existing technology are therefore essential to support deciphering the scope of altered metabolism of cancer cells. Novel technologies are high in demand as they can help identifying cellular structures and modified enzymes in cancer. Widely used cancer profiling methods such as metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics explicate the metabolic pathways favoring metastasis and tumorigenesis. These endeavors in cancer profiling have facilitates not only understanding regarding the fundamental biochemistry of cancer, but have facilitated the discovery of modalities promoting efficient cancer therapy.The report provides a comprehensive overview of the global cancer profiling and pathways market. Besides providing a detailed assessment of the growth drivers and restraints influencing the market between 2016 and 2024, the report also gauges the impact of the latest innovations in the market. The effect of government policies is studied as well. Using Porters five forces the report assesses the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, the degree of competition, and threat from new entrants and product substitute.The report thus analyzes in detail factors fuelling the competition in the global cancer profiling and pathways market. It also presents insights into the diagnostics and therapeutics, newly emerging tools, and other similar factors that are likely to influence the markets trajectory over the course of the forecast period. It is therefore compiled with exhaustive information aimed at providing readers an in-depth perspective of prevailing dynamics in the global cancer profiling and pathways market. It also identifies the growth opportunities that lay ahead for the market participants.Browse full report on Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market -Global Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe global cancer profiling and pathways market is driven by the increasing demand for novel biomarkers useful in drug discovery. Meanwhile, the biomarker market derives growth from the demand from the rising aging population, especially across emerging economies in Asia Pacific. The rising incidence of cancer worldwide is also expected to fuel the demand from the market. According to the WHO, 30% of deaths occurring from cancer can be prevented by modifying key risk factors, early detection, and accurate diagnosis. Since cancer profiling technologies help in achieving the same, their demand is projected to rise exponentially over the course of the forecast period.The cancer profiling technologies currently available in the market are epigenomic profiling, genomic profiling, glycomics, proteomics, transcriptomic profiling, and metabolomics. TMR forecasts an impressive CAGR for the global cancer profiling and pathways market. According to the study, the proteomics segment is expected to hold a substantial share in the market and exhibit healthy growth through the course of the forecast period. Besides this, the growth exhibited by the genomics segment is also expected to remain robust.The evolution in technologies such as quantitative real-time PCR, microarray analysis, and multiplex PCR has facilitated in efficiently decoding the molecular mechanisms in cancer. These methods are likely to help in the discovery of new drugs and diagnostic biomarkers. The innovation of novel therapeutics and diagnostic technologies is expected to help the global cancer profiling and pathways market to grow at a robust pace.Global Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, the global cancer profiling and pathways market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The market is expected to witness significant opportunities in developed regions such as Europe and North America as these regions boast sophisticated healthcare infrastructure. In developing regions as well, the cancer profiling and pathways market will gain from the rising investment in the healthcare industry.Global Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market: Vendor LandscapeTo study the vendor landscape of the market, the report profiles companies such as Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies, and Affymetrix. Using SWOT analysis, it gauges their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis also provides insights into the threats and opportunities that the market may face during the forecast period. The strategies adopted by the companies profiled and the impact of the same on the overall market are analyzed in detail.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Mental Disorders Drugs Market Research Report by Regional Analysis with forecast upto 2024

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Global Mental Disorders Drugs Market: OverviewA mental disorder can be explained as a psychological anomaly that is reflected in patients behavior through disability, distress, or any conduct that is not considered as normal mental development. The causes of mental disorders are very diverse and often unclear in most cases. However, some of the commonly addressed drug classes for the treatment of mental disorders are anxiolytics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. Some of the common mental disorders affecting millions around the world are depression, schizophrenia, and intellectual disabilities and disorders due to drug abuse.The most common factor aiding the expansion of the global mental disorders drugs market is the rising incidence of mental disorders. For instance, as per the WHOs reviewed fact sheet, as of 2016 over 350 million people worldwide are affected by depression, over 60 million people are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and almost 21 million people around the world have schizophrenia and other psychoses. The incidence is rising and there is less likely for it to subside anytime soon. Governments around the world are thus focusing on development effective treatment and drugs to eliminate the prevalence of mental disorders.Considering the scenario, the global mental disorders market is poised to surge at an exponential pace between 2016 and 2024. In the report, TMR provides a granular analysis of the various factors supporting the markets growth and lists down the restraints threatening its expansion. Using Porters five forces, the report gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, degree of competition prevailing in the market, and threat of product substitutes and new entrants. The effect of government policies on the market is analyzed in detail.Besides these, the report also studies the regional market for mental disorders drugs across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. Factors influencing the markets growth across these regional segments are studied in detail. In addition, the global mental disorders drugs market has been segmented based on various parameters to help the market participants identify the most lucrative areas in the market. Compiled with exhaustive information, the report thus provides a holistic overview of the global mental disorders market.Browse full report on Mental Disorders Drugs Market -Global Mental Disorders Drugs Market: Trends and OpportunitiesFactors such as improvement in patient security policies, increasing prevalence of mental disorders, growth in domestic and international investment in research and development on mental medication, and increasing awareness about these conditions are aiding the growth of the global mental disorders market.Overall, the market has been witnessing lucrative prospects, however, skepticism surrounding the social pressure and stigma often attached with mental disorders and their treatment could restraint the market to an extent. The situation is more critical in case of less developed countries, where medical advancements are yet to penetrate into. Furthermore, inadequate government initiatives could create bottleneck for the market in underdeveloped countries, despite the high prevalence of unmet medical needs.Nevertheless, rising government spending in the healthcare sector, especially across emerging economies such as India and China, increasing medical tourism in these nations due to the availability of advanced treatments at affordable price, and supportive reimbursement policies will help the expansion of mental disorders drugs market over the course of the forecast period. Besides this, the market is also expected to gain from the launch of novel therapeutics.Overall, the global mental disorders drugs market can be segmented into antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, drugs for adolescent and childhood mental illness, schizophrenia, drugs for the treatment of addiction, and bipolar disease drugs. The report studies in detail the recent developments supporting the markets growth across these segments.Global Mental Disorders Drugs Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, North America dominates the global mental drugs disorders market. The increasing government initiatives, high awareness about mental disorders and available treatments, and better reimbursement policies are supporting growth of the market in North America. In addition, the market is expected to witness lucrative opportunities in Asia Pacific. The expanding healthcare industry and favorable initiatives supporting the growth will help market participants rake high profits in the region.Global Mental Disorders Drugs Market: Vendor LandscapeThe report includes a detailed assessment of the vendor landscape, to study the competition prevailing in the global mental disorders market. Some of the companies profiled are Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Using SWOT analysis, the report studies the strengths and weaknesses of the companies profiled. The analysis also provides insights into the threats and opportunities that the companies will witness over the course of the forecast period.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
HANLONTOWN | An Oklahoma pipeline company on Tuesday blamed unauthorized digging for a diesel spill discovered near Hanlontown during a snowstorm in January, but officials wont say when they believe the digging occurred.

An estimated 46,830 gallons of diesel flowed from the pipeline owned by Magellan Midstream Partners when it broke on Jan. 25 at the edge of an acreage on Wheelerwood Road, just north of 390th Street.

It pooled over about 1.5 acres at the edge of an acreage.

A statement released Tuesday morning by Thomas L. Byers, Magellans manager of government and media affairs, said an investigation found the underground pipe broke because it had sustained damage during an excavation.

"It has been determined that the cause of the pipeline failure was third-party excavation damage," Byers said via e-mail. "A call was not placed to the 811 Call Before You Dig center prior to the excavation work."

He would not answer repeated questions from the Globe Gazette inquring when the unauthorized excavation occurred, including if officials believe the incident was recent or if they think the approximately 50-year-old pipeline was compromised some years ago.

Byers also wouldnt say if, based on the companys investigation, Magellan was able to tell when the pipe was damaged.

He said the company hasn't taken any legal action as a result of the break, which was discovered about 8 a.m. in the middle of a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on North Iowa.

The seven inches of snow that fell in Mason City on Jan. 25, the day the break was found, broke a 68-year-old record.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, several Worth County agencies and officials from other counties, including from Freeborn County, Minnesota, responded to the spill.

The Worth County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to submit a $19,975 bill to Magellan, which has said it will reimburse the county for clean-up costs.

Approximately $9,300 of that was for hours the Worth County Sheriffs Office manned an emergency operations center at the site. The department also provided traffic control on Wheelerwood, which was closed due to truck traffic during the cleanup.

The road reopened after Magellans contractors sucked up the diesel and contaminated snow and then dug up and hauled away the diesel-soaked dirt.

That amount also includes nearly $6,000 to reimburse the Freeborn County Sheriffs Office.

The county also is seeking lesser amounts for costs incurred by its emergency management department, engineers office, conservation department, information technology staff and the Worth County Board of Supervisors.
Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market Research Report and forecast 2024(Regional Analysis - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa)

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Global Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market: OverviewFetal monitoring records the fetus pulse rate during pregnancy. It also involves examination of fetal heart rate, movement, and uterine contraction. The global fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market is driven by many factors, the increasing initiatives from government and non-government bodies aimed at improving maternal and fetal health in their countries being one of them encouraging the market the most.Besides this, factors such as the increasing number of symposia and conferences organized to spread awareness regarding the health and wellness of an expecting mother and her unborn child and technological advancements are having profound impact on the market. In emerging economies such as India and China, the market is witnessing an array of opportunities, as governments spend increasingly on improving their existing healthcare infrastructure.The report provides a comprehensive overview of the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive tests market. For the purpose of the study, it segments the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive tests market based on various parameters. It then presents an in-depth review of the various factors impacting the growth of the market across the segments. Fetal monitoring, neonatal monitoring, and prenatal diagnosis for instance are a few of the key segments in the market based on procedure types. Of these, the prenatal diagnosis segment raked high revenue for the market in 2011.Compiled with the intent of helping stakeholders understand the prevailing dynamics in the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market better, the report includes exhaustive information sourced via primary and secondary research. To add to its value expert opinions are also included in the report. Based on in-depth findings, the report thus provides refined outlook for the near future.Browse full report on Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market -Global Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe increasing prevalence of cardio pulmonary diseases around the world and the advent of various technologies such as non-invasive surgeries have been providing great impetus to the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market. Besides this, the rising healthcare expenditure across emerging economies such as India, China, Mexico, and Brazil is also aiding the markets expansion.Based on application, the key segments of the market are intrapartum fetal monitoring, neonatal monitoring, and antepartum fetal monitoring. Technological advancements will ensure growth across all these segments. Among the key geographic regions the increasing birth rate in India and China will seal Asia Pacifics position as a lucrative market for fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests. Increasing government initiatives to prevent maternal mortality across emerging nations will also provide significant boost to the market in Asia Pacific.Global Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, the global fetal monitoring diagnostics and predictive tests market can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Among these regions, North America offers the most lucrative opportunities to the market due to the high disposable income of customers and their high awareness level. The region also boasts a highly sophisticated medical infrastructure, which strongly supports the growth of the fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market in North America.Furthermore, the rising healthcare spending is creating opportunities for the market across the emerging economies of Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. The healthcare sector in countries such as India, China, Singapore, and Thailand is developing fast. Governments across these nations are taking conscious initiatives to spread awareness about health and wellness, especially among expecting women. These factors are expected to give impetus to the fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market in emerging economies.Global Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests Market: Vendor LandscapeTo study the competition prevalent in the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics and predictive tests market, the report provides a detailed assessment of its vendor landscape. Some of the leading companies operating in the market are Gima Professional Medical Products, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Utah Medical Products, Medline Industries, Philips Healthcare, Med-Electronics, Atom Medical Corporation, Thames Medical, Cooper Surgical, GE Healthcare, Shimadzu Europe, Cardinal Health, Summit Doppler, Clinical Innovations, Analogic Corporation, Superior Medical, Hitachi Medical Systems, Wallach Surgical Devices, Rocket Medical, Allen Medical Instruments Corporation, Sunray Medical Apparatus Company, Siemens Healthcare, and others.Using SWOT analysis, the strengths and weaknesses of the companies profiled are gauged. The analysis also presents insights into the threats and opportunities that lie ahead for the companies in the near future. Information thus compiled is intended to help the market participants identify the most successful strategies adopted by the leading players in the global fetal monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive tests market.Request for sample of this report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aesthetic Services Market to Cross US$28.1 bn by 2024

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Characterized by the rivalry between Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology Solutions Group, Riverchase Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, and Cosmetic & Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Clinic Toronto, the North America market for aesthetic services demonstrates a highly competitive landscape, finds a new research study by Transparency Market Research (TMR).Companies operating in this market are focusing aggressively on innovation and technical advancements and investing heavily to increase the research activities for the development of minimally invasive and less painful treatments. In the coming years, these companies are likely to introduce a number of aesthetic services, expanding their portfolio, which will further intensify the competition within the market.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :The research report estimates the North America market for aesthetic services to expand its opportunity at a CAGR of 7.70% during the period from 2016 to 2024, rising from a value of US$14.4 bn in 2015 to US$28.1 bn by the end of the forecast period. In terms of volume, the market is likely to get doubled by 2024, reaching more than 22 million procedures. Dermatology clinics and cosmetic centers have surfaced as the key end users of aesthetic services in North America and are anticipated to remain so over the next few years, reports the study.Demand for Aesthetic Services Higher in U.S.An assessment of the North America market for aesthetic services based on its geographical presence has also been offered in this research study. Analysts consider the U.S. and Canada as the key geographical subdivisions of this regional market. The U.S. has been leading the North America aesthetic services market and is expected to continue in the same fashion over the forecast period.The rising prevalence of skin diseases and the increasing awareness among U.S. citizens regarding aesthetic treatments, together with infrastructural advancements in the U.S. medical and healthcare industry, are projected to fuel the demand for aesthetic services considerably in the years to come. In addition to this, the augmenting demand for aesthetic treatments from the male population and the availability of advanced and user-friendly aesthetic devices will reflect positively on this market in the near future. The U.S. market for aesthetic services acquired a share of 95% in the overall market in 2015.Increasing Aesthetic Consciousness to Boost Market GrowthThanks to the remarkable upswing in the aesthetic consciousness and the rising interest of people towards self-grooming, the North America market for aesthetic services has been witnessing a significant expansion in its overall size, states the author of this study. Along with this, the rising prevalence of obesity in North American citizens and the consequent increase in the demand for liposuction procedure are also driving the growth of this market considerably.On the other hand, the dearth of favorable reimbursement policies is likely to create obstacles for the North America market for aesthetic services in the near future. However, the increasing level of awareness regarding skin rejuvenation procedures, augmenting disposable income of consumers, and their shifting preference towards minimally invasive surgical procedures are anticipated to propel this market remarkably over the next few years, notes the research study.The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled Aesthetic Services Market - North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:The North America aesthetic services market is segmented into:By Services TypeSurgical ServicesSkin Tightening and Body ContouringFacial contouringFacial rejuvenationOthersNon-Surgical ServicesDermabrasion and MicrodermabrasionDermal FillersBotoxDermal FillersOtherLaser treatmentScar TreatmentTattoo RemovalHair RemovalOthersReconstructive ProceduresBreast EnhancementTissue expansionBurn repair surgeryOthersBy End-userHospitalsDermatology Clinics and Cosmetic CentersAmbulatory Surgery CentersBy RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Dental Consumables Market Market Research Report Forecast to 2016 - 2024

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The leading players operating in the global dental consumables market held a share of 62% in the overall market. Danaher Corporation, Dentsply Sirona, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., and Henry Schein Inc. have been leading the market due to their low pricing strategy and excellent brand recognition, states Transparency Market Research. These players are expected to focus on mergers and acquisitions to improve their presence in the global market.According to Transparency Market Research, the global dental consumables market is expected to be worth US$33.4 bn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$19.6 bn in 2015. During the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to surge at a CAGR of 6.1%.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :Europe to Acquire a Share of 41.1% by 2024The various products available in the global market are crowns and bridges, dental implants, orthodontics, retail dental care essentials, periodontics, endodontics, and dental biomaterials among others. Amongst all of these products, the crowns and bridges segment is expected to show remarkable progress in the coming years. This segment alone is expected to rise at a CAGR of 7.2% between 2016 and 2024.Geographically, this market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. Europe is anticipated to lead the global market in the coming years due to improving oral health care facilities across countries such as Norway, Greece, Spain, and the U.K. By the end of 2024, Europe is projected to acquire a share of 41.1% in the global dental consumables market by 2024.Improvements in Dental Implants Assure UptakeThe emergence of services such as dental tourism in developing countries of India, Turkey, and Hungary have triggered a massive demand for dental consumables over the past few years. The low cost of oral health care services provided in these emerging economies has lured in several consumers over the past few years for treatment. The low labor cost, effective treatment methods, and minimum government intervention pertaining to healthcare industries in developing countries are expected to boost dental tourism, which in turn is expected to have a positive reflection on the demand for dental consumables.The improving success rates of dental implants, especially for the upper jaw is also likely to play a crucial role in the development of the global market. This has led to increased uptake of several procedures that use dental implants. The market is also thriving due to the growing incidence of dental diseases such as tooth decay, gum diseases, tooth erosion, and mouth sores. Furthermore, high prevalence of periodontal diseases have also fueled the growth of the global dental consumables market. The rising disposable incomes in emerging economies and changing lifestyles, which have inclined patients toward improved oral health care, are expected to drive the demand for dental consumables.High Cost of Treatment and Poor Reimbursement Policies Restrain Market GrowthThe increasing expenditure on the research and development of dental consumables has spiked the prices of products. Thus, the high cost of products has also made the treatment costlier, which is likely to have a negative impact on the sales. The poor reimbursement policies of in developed countries of France, the U.S., Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, and Japan is also hampering the growth of the overall market as it is coaxing patients to migrate to cheaper places to seek treatment.This review is based on Transparency Market Researchs report, titled Dental Consumables Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:The global dental consumables market has been segmented as follows:Global Dental Consumables Market, by ProductDental implantsDental Crowns and BridgesDental BiomaterialsOrthodonticsEndodonticsPeriodonticsRetail Dental Care EssentialsOther Dental ConsumablesGlobal Dental Consumables Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Intraocular Lens Market Industry Trends and key Insights by 2024

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The top five players operating in the global intraocular lens market held a whopping share of about 80.5% in 2016, thus making the market consolidated. Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific, Inc., Biotronik, Terumo Europe NV, and Biosensors International have been leading the global market due to their wide geographical reach. In the coming years, players are expected show interest in conducting clinical trials to examine the superiority of intraocular lenses over other products. Furthermore, companies will also focus on research and development of to develop improved products.According to the research report, the global intraocular lens market was valued at US$3.2 bn in 2015 as is expected to be worth US$5.0 bn by the end of 2024. During the forecast period of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.2%.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :Hospitals to Lead Global Market as Cataract Procedures Continue to be on the RiseOn the basis of end users, the global intraocular market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, ophthalmology clinics, and eye research institutes. The hospitals are expected to account for the highest share in the global market by the end of 2024. By the end of 2024, the hospital segment is expected to reach a valuation of US$1.7 bn. This end-user segment will receive a boost from growing number of cataract procedures performed at hospitals and improving healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies. Of all the regions, North America is expected to dominate global market as it is poised to expand at a CAGR of 38.1% between 2016 and 2024.High Prevalence of Ophthalmic Conditions Augment Demand for Intraocular LensThe global intraocular lens market has been witnessing a spike in recent years due to the high prevalence of ophthalmic and ocular conditions across the globe. The American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO) states that cataract will continue to be the most popular condition responsible for visual impairment in the coming years. The increasing pool of geriatrics, who are susceptible to ocular conditions will also be responsible for the growth of the global intraocular lens market. The increasing awareness amongst the aged about issues associated with impaired vision is also expected to drive the global market in the coming years.The increasing adoption of premium IOLs has also fueled the growth of this market in recent years. The phenomenal technological advancements and consistent innovation in premium IOL intraocular lenses have made a significant contribution to the rising sales of intraocular lenses market. Increasing number of users are opting for premium IOLs despite their higher pricing as they offer improved visual performance, ensure reduced rates of astigmatism, and better spectacle independence. The growing number of diabetics who are susceptible to cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma are also anticipated to boost the progress of the overall market. Lastly, the outstanding innovations in the IOL products and procedures will also be responsible for the soaring progress of the global market in the coming few years.High Cost of Treatment and Poor Reimbursement Policies Hamper Market GrowthOn the other hand, the high cost associated with cataract surgery and the additional cost of intraocular lenses are expected to hamper the growth of the global market in the near future. Furthermore, the cost of pre and post-operative drops, medications, and tablets is also expected to raise the overall cost of the procedure, which is dissuading several patients. The market is also likely to be hampered by the lack of reimbursement policies pertaining to implantation of intraocular lenses.This review this based Transparency Market Researchs report, titled Intraocular Lens Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Global Intraocular Lens Market is segmented as follows:Global Intraocular Lens Market, by Product TypeMonofocal IOLMultifocal IOLToric IOLAccommodative IOLOthersGlobal Intraocular Lens Market, by End UsersHospitalsOphthalmology ClinicsAmbulatory Surgery CentersEye Research InstitutesGlobal Intraocular Lens Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide Market 2017 - Tokyo Chemical Industry, J & K Scientific, Tokyo Chemical Industry, Shandong Jincheng, Shanghai Medpep

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A market study based on the "N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide industry, and makes predictions on the future status of N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportTokyo Chemical IndustryShanghai MedpepSuzhou Highfine BiotechBeijing Holiyang ChemicalTianjin BaihengBoye TechnologyJ & K ScientificTokyo Chemical IndustryShandong JinchengSuzhou Time-chem TechnologiesThe report studies the industry for N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market & dynamics of demand and supply of N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide into consideration. The 'N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide' research study covers each and every aspect of the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market globally, which starts from the definition of the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide industry and develops towards N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market segmentations. Further, every segment of the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market. The geographical segmentation of the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide production volume, data regarding demand and N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for N, N-diisopropylcarbodiimide across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Pyraclostrobin: Global Product Intelligence

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/pyraclostrobin-global-product-intelligence-2015-2020

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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Pyraclostrobin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Pyraclostrobin: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The primary objectives of this reportThe report Pyraclostrobin: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report.A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Pyraclostrobin, a fungicide belonging to group Strobilurin, is used for controlling various pests such as Phakopsora, Cercospora, Puccinia, Cercospora & Phakopsora & Puccinia & Septoria, Erysiphe & Puccinia & Septoria among others.- Germany, Brazil, USA, Japan, France, and Argentina are the leading country markets among others.- Suspo-emulsion & Emulsifiable Concentrate were the leading formulations the in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Pyraclostrobin market to be more than USD 1.0 Billion.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Prothioconazole: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020)

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/prothioconazole-global-product-intelligence-2015-2020

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ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Prothioconazole: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Prothioconazole: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The primary objectives of this reportThe report Prothioconazole: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report. A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Prothioconazole, a fungicide belonging to group Triazole, is used for controlling various pests such Erysiphe & Puccinia & Septoria, Phoma, Fusarium & Septoria & Tilletia, Cylindrosporium & Sclerotinia, Fusarium among others.- Chile, Australia, USA, Germany, France are the leading country markets among others.- Emulsifiable Concentrate(EC) & Suspension Concentrate(SC) were the leading formulations with around half of the market share in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Prothioconazole market to be more than USD 750 Million.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Propineb: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020)

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/propineb-global-product-intelligence-2015-2020

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=3822

ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Propineb: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The report Propineb: Global Product Intelligence provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, application, and geography. Market size and forecast (2011-2020) has been provided in the report.The primary objectives of this reportThe report Propineb: Global Product Intelligence (2015-2020) provides market intelligence on the different segments of the agrochemical, based on type of formulation, crop type, pest, and geography. Market size and forecast (2015-2020) has been provided in terms of both, Value (000 USD) and Volume (000 KG) in the report. A detailed qualitative analysis of the factors responsible for driving and restraining growth of the agrochemical and future market opportunities have also been discussed.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT- Propineb, a fungicide belonging to group dithiocarbamate is used for controlling various pests such as Alternaria & Phytophthora, Phytophthora, Plasmopara, Venturia, Corticium among others.- Colombia, Vietnam, Portugal, Morocco are the leading country markets among others.- Wettable Powder (WP) and Water Dispersible Granules (WG) were the leading formulations in 2015.- Sprout Intelligence agrochemicals expert team estimated global Propineb market to be more than USD 88 million.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
MDI Market 2017 - Bayer, WanHua, BASF, Huntsman

MDI Market

https://goo.gl/ZdqAPA

https://goo.gl/xaa0sO

The Global MDI Market 2017 Industry Research Report focused on global and regional market, major manufacturers, as well as the current state of the MDI industry. First, "Global MDI Industry 2017" report analyzed the basic scope of this industry like definition, specification, classification, application, industry policy, news analysis and MDI industry chain structure.Major Companies Covered in this report:-Bayer,WanHua,BASF,Huntsman,Dow,Tosoh,KUMHO MITSUI,MITSUIRequest For Report Sample @The analysis on MDI industry is provided including the up and down stream industry also with the major market players., MDI industry competitive landscape analysis.Second, MDI industry manufacturing process, cost structure and major plants distribution is conducted for MDI market. This report "Worldwide MDI Market 2017" also states major market data like capacity, gross margin, supply, price, revenue, import/export, consumption and MDI market's growth rate by regions (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, China and ROW), as well as other regions can be added in MDI Market area.Then, the report focuses on global MDI market key players with information such as company profiles, contact information with product picture as well as specification.Enquiry Before Buying the report @Related information to MDI market- Capacity, Production, Capacity Utilization Rate, Price, Revenue, Cost, Gross and contact information. Also includes MDI industry's - Upstream raw materials, equipment, Manufacturing and downstream industry consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the MDI market development trends and MDI industry marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, "worldwide MDI market" report is a valuable source of guidance for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, customers, investors and individuals who have interest in this market.About UsMarkets Planet offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development HeadMarkets Planet155 North Wacker Drive,Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606USA+17739042683
FOREST CITY | A Lake Mills man was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison Tuesday for sexually abusing a girl in Winnebago County.

Leslie Myers, 40, pleaded guilty in January in district court in Forest City to one count of felony second-degree sexual abuse.

Lake Mills man charged with sexual abuse LAKE MILLS | A Lake Mills man has been charged with multiple counts of felony sexual abuse.

He was accused of committing sex acts on a girl younger than 12 multiple times in a 12-month period ending in August 2016, according to court documents.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss five additional sex abuse charges in the case in exchange for the guilty plea.

Myers must serve 17 years and six months in prison before being eligible for parole.

When he is released from prison he will be under lifetime supervision by the Iowa Department of Corrections, with eligibility for parole. Myers also must register as a sex offender for the duration of his post-prison supervision.

He was ordered to pay $2,224 restitution to the state's Crime Victim Compensation program, in addition to other costs and fees.

Lake Mills man gets probation for sexual expoitation LAKE MILLS | A Lake Mills man received a deferred judgment and was put on probation for two 

Myers is already on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

He was convicted in June 2016 of possession of electronic media depicting a teen girl involved in a sex act.

Myers received deferred judgment and probation in the exploitation case.
OSAGE | An Osage film producer was sentenced Tuesday to three and a half months in jail for assaulting a 17-year-old female actress and showing her nude photographs.

Scott Robert Thompson, 55, Mondovi, Wisconsin, was charged in October 2016 with two misdemeanors, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor.

He pleaded guilty in Mitchell County District Court in February 2017 to a lesser misdemeanor charge, simple assault, and the original count of dissemination of obscene material.

Judge DeDra Schroeder on Tuesday sentenced Thompson to 14 days in jail for the simple assault and 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended, for dissemination of obscene material. The sentences are to run consecutively.

Thompson was fined $1,940 and ordered to pay an unspecified amount of victim restitution. He was also sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Investigation began in August 2015 after a report was made to the Cedar Rapids Police Department about a sexual abuse that occurred in Osage on Aug. 6, 2015.

The abuse involved a 17-year-old actress starring in one of Thompson's film productions, according to a statement from the Osage Police Department. Thompson owns and operates My Town Pictures, an independent film production company with an office in Osage.

The teen had auditioned for and received a leading role in June 2015 in a web series being produced by Thompson, according to court documents.

Sheriff issues notification of sex offender in Osage OSAGE | Mitchell County Sheriff Greg Beaver on Friday issued a community notification that i

She regularly traveled from Cedar Rapids to Osage in July and August 2015 to take part in acting classes and shoot film for the series.

Near the end of July or early August 2015, court documents indicate the teen received a text message from Thompson, telling her he had received an email from a woman he had filmed with before.

The woman had supposedly sent nude photos of herself to Thompson, which he showed the teen Aug. 1 or 2, 2015, at his office in Osage. Court documents say the photos show the woman posing fully nude and in various states of undress.

While executing a search warrant on Thompson's email account, police say they discovered a woman who wanted to get into "adult content things" had sent the photos in response to a Craigslist ad. The ad returned to Thompson's email address.

Thompson rented a single-bed room at the Super 8 motel in Osage for himself and the teen on Aug. 5, 2015, according to court documents. Thompson got into bed with the teen during the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2015, and had her pull up her sweat pants so he could see scars on her legs, close to her groin area.

Upon doing this, the teen became uncomfortable and rolled away on to her stomach. Thompson then told her he was going to give her a massage, according to court documents, but she told him she didn't need one.

He began to massage the teen's back, the backs of her legs and then put his hands down her pants, touching her bare buttocks, court documents say.

The Osage Police Department was assisted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Mason City Police Department, Mitchell County Attorneys Office and Floyd County Attorneys Office.
Part of this year's RAGBRAI route through North Iowa was announced Tuesday.

After their overnight stop in Algona, cyclists making the annual ride across the state will travel through Wesley, Hutchins, Britt, Garner and Ventura on July 25 on their way to their overnight stop in Clear Lake.

RAGBRAI prep underway in three North Iowa communities CLEAR LAKE  Less than 48 hours after after three area towns landed stops on this year's RAG

The last 6-mile stretch between Ventura and Clear Lake is a scenic ride around the northern shores of Clear Lake, according to RAGBRAI officials.

A different portion of the RAGBRAI route, including the pass-through towns, is being announced each day this week.

The route from Orange City to Spencer was announced Sunday, while the route from Spencer to Algona was released Monday.

The route from Clear Lake to Charles City will be revealed Wednesday, while the route from Charles City to Cresco will be unveiled Thursday.

The route from Cresco to Waukon will be announced Friday, while the final day's route, from Waukon to Lansing, will be revealed Saturday.

Overnight stops for RAGBRAI were announced in January.

 Mary Pieper
HAMPTON | A Hampton man says he was grateful for two things while in Korea for 21 months.

"I thanked God for his protection every day, and for the U.S. mail service," said Murrel Symens, 85.

Symens was drafted into the Army at age 21. He was working on local farms when he received his orders, leaving on July 2, 1952.

"I knew it was going to happen," he said. "You just accept those things."

By the end of the first few weeks of basic training at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, he and two other men from Mason City had grown homesick.

Although they weren't supposed to be more than 20 miles from the base, the three stretched that rule by more than 700 miles and chartered a plane to fly home. He walked to the drug store, surprising his future wife, Rosie.

After giving Symens money for the return trip, his father had stern words for him: go back and stay back. As far as he knows, the Army didn't find out his excursion because he returned to the base when he was supposed to.

Symens took survey training during the last few weeks of boot camp.

"We never really knew what we were supposed to survey and we never learned much," he said. "We were out in an open field and spent most of our time looking through our binoculars at officers' housing nearby."

He and Rosie were married on Nov. 11 -- Veterans Day -- two days after he returned home from basic training.

His company was divided in half, with deployments to Germany and Korea, before leaving Ft. Sill. He left for Korea in December 1952 on a ship with more than 5,000 other men.

Of the 5,000 -- who were stacked in bunks of five -- Symens said at least 4,000, including himself, were seasick.

"The first three days we hit really rough seas," he said. "I was sick the first few days but got over it quick, once the weather settled down."

Upon arrival about two weeks later, he was assigned as a forward adviser. He worked along the 38th parallel in an outpost surrounded by sandbags, observing where enemy fire was coming from. Symens and the others would take turns squeezing through a small tunnel for a four-hour shift.

He pushed a button to activate microphones on a recorder in the command post whenever he found an enemy firing range.

"Remember this was 1950, and this was the best equipment the Army had to detect enemy fire at the time," Symens said.

The little boxes overlooking North Korea were to remain pitch-black during observation.

"I didn't smoke but it was a real problem for some of the guys," Symens said.

After the armistice was signed in July 1953, Symens was relieved of outpost duties, instead driving officers around the mountainous terrain.

He savored letters he received from Rosie.

"She was really good about writing me," Symens said. "The mail call was important and helped me get through it."

He returned home via ship in December 1953 to Camp Carson in Colorado. Since he had served in a combat zone, three months were taken off his 24-month contract.

Upon his discharge from the Army in April 1954, Symens was eager to return to the field. He farmed for at least 50 years.

"I'm glad I could serve my country," he said. "I never had any bad thoughts about it."

Symens was honored along with other Iowa Korean War veterans during a ceremony in Des Moines in 2013, where he was presented a medal and a certificate.
Abe Lincoln said, America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. But after a conniving, Republican federal judge issued a restraining order blocking President Trumps temporary travel ban of people from Muslim-majority nations, devious judges on the Ninth U.S. Judicial circuit Court of Appeals imprudently upheld it.

This mess began when the Attorneys General of 16 states filed a friend of the court legal brief, supporting two lawsuits against Trumps directive. U.S. law states: Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens, or any class of aliens, as immigrants or non-immigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Ignoring the laws clarity, these asinine judges and irresponsible lawyers are potentially undermining Americas safety. Our enemies are delighted with these foolhardy, nit-picky, legalistic ruses.

Will these depraved lawyers have the blood of innocent U.S. citizens on their hands?

The tax-funded attorneys whose nefarious actions prospectively jeopardize American safety are playing with fire. Trump put them on notice, warning these devious judges theyll be culpable for any terroristic acts which may occur on U.S. soil while his travel ban is blocked. Presidential authority to bar those he views as potentially dangerous is indisputable. Predictably, Democrats condemned Trumps executive order, and his legitimate criticism of, and warning to, these wildcat judges. Compared to what past Presidents said and did about menacing magistrates, Trumps admonishments are minor.

With support from Congressional Democrats, Thomas Jefferson impeached a Supreme Court Justice. Gerald Ford sought to impeach Justice William O. Douglas in the 1970s. When the Supreme Court ruled against Andrew Jackson for moving Cherokee Indians out of Georgia, he was dismissive. Jackson purportedly said, regarding Chief Justice Marshalls decision, Lets see him enforce it. Barack Obama violated 220 years of decorum when he rudely castigated Republican Justices in his 2010 State of the Union speech.

Only those who are ignorant of history consider Trumps words inappropriate.

The chicanery perpetrated by the Ninth Circuit is a dubious judicial broadside to a vital presidential prerogative, and the 16 cavalier Attorneys General who contrived this brief are all Democrats. These liberal saboteurs include Iowas pro-Hillary Attorney General, Tom Miller. By opposing Trumps prudent efforts to protect us, such trouble-makers arent only threats to our national security; theyre like boils on humanitys rear end.

Electing such reckless, disreputable politicians makes about as much sense as Obamas Veterans Administration did in squandering our tax dollars for sex-change operations.

Thanks to the convoluted application of legal standing finagled in this hare-brained case, any university could sponsor any aliens from anywhere, and challenge in court the rulings which exclude them. Lifetime appointment status can make some judges believe theyre unaccountable for the adverse consequences of ill-fated rulings. However, since Donald Trump indicated that these rogue judges will bear responsibility for any resultant violence, the dynamics have changed. Thats because in America, the people rule.

Citizens who truly care about our nation will take decisive action to prevent Lincolns warning from playing out. These arrogant judicial culprits and disgraceful, liberal politicians whove deliberately jeopardized Americans are seen as naive, if not evil, by many of their employers. Theyd better pray that no acts of terrorism occur as a result of their foolishness.

If any do, then these noxious, short-sighted judges and inane, counterproductive lawyers may find out the hard way that ill-considered actions might cause permanent, even painful, consequences. There should be no place in American government for such petulant, pernicious perpetrators of punitive political putridity.
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the committee's top Democratic member traveled to the Kansas State University campus last week and kicked off the hearing process to craft the next farm bill. The Midlands and the rest of the nation's farm country should hope the legislative process goes far more productively than last time.

Development of the current farm bill, which runs through September 2018, was supposed to be a two-year process. Instead it wound up being a four-year endurance test in which tensions ran high and setbacks were frequent.

Among the chaotic episodes was a 2013 vote by the Senate Ag Committee. The committee majority approved a version of the farm bill that tilted so heavily toward Southern row-crop interests that it actually received "no" votes from three Great Plains lawmakers, including then-Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska, a former U.S. secretary of agriculture.

A more balanced approach was adopted in the bill's final form the next year.

At the Kansas State campus last week, the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee heard testimony from 21 citizens  farmers, ranchers, bankers, co-op officials. The hearing was chaired by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., the committee chairman, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat.

Net farm income this year is projected to be $62.3 billion, falling to the lowest level since 2002, the federal Economic Research Service reports.

The pattern is evident in Nebraska. Profits for the state's ag producers last year totaled about $4 billion, down from $7.5 billion in 2013.

Crop insurance received much attention from testifiers at the Kansas hearing. Such support has proven vital at a time when farm income has dropped at so many operations, producers said.

Some testifiers voiced frustration with the complexity of applying for the farm bill's safety-net provisions. Additional criticism was aimed at burdens from federal regulations.

Several producers praised the farm bill's support for conservation efforts.

Although trade issues aren't a part of the farm bill, many testifiers pointed to the importance of opening up new markets overseas and maintaining existing ones.

"We can produce bumper crops," one Kansas corn producer said. "We need the ability to access trade."

Roberts and his counterparts in the U.S. House are aiming to get the next farm bill ready for approval by 2018.

The last time around, the obstacles were considerable, and many of them appear likely for the upcoming round of debate:

Urban-dominated Congress: Of the House's 435 congressional districts, only 34 have an economy that's predominantly agricultural. That makes it tough to win over enough urban votes for ag- related legislation.

Food stamp funding: To win farm bill support from urban lawmakers, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is included in the legislation. This food stamp component actually makes up the majority of the farm bill funding.

Cutting back SNAP funding was a major priority for conservative advocacy groups and Republican budget hawks during the previous farm bill debate. The issue was the main reason the farm bill at one point failed to pass the House.

Regional farm differences: Jostling between Southern and Midwestern farm interests routinely complicates efforts to craft the farm bill, as Johanns' "no" vote in 2013 illustrated.

Income caps: Efforts were made to limit crop insurance to producers with incomes below a certain threshold. It's a hotly contested matter, and the income caps ultimately were rejected. The issue is quite likely to come up next time.

Midlands lawmakers have made clear they understand the difficulty in passing a farm bill. They have a vital obligation to stand up for our region's agricultural interests as Congress wrestles once again with this issue.

This editorial appeared in the March 3 edition of the Omaha World-Herald.
Tuesday 7 March 2017 12:34pm



Professor Barry Taylor

Families who receive brief interventions about how to improve their childrens sleep have infants who are much less likely to be overweight, a University of Otago study has found.

The two-year outcomes of the Prevention of Obesity in Infancy (POI) study appear in the prominent international journal Pediatrics.

The POI study involved 802 Dunedin families who agreed to participate in a study where they received standard Well Child care, with some families also being given extra support around food, activity and breastfeeding (FAB), some being given an innovative sleep programme, and some being given both interventions.

Study co-leaders Professors Barry Taylor and Rachael Taylor say surprisingly, when the children were two years old, the extra support around food, activity and breastfeeding did not affect how the children grew.

However, children in families who received the sleep programme were much less likely to be overweight, they say.

The two researchers led a multidisciplinary team at the Dunedin School of Medicine where Professor Barry Taylor is a Paediatrician and Dean of the School, and Co-Director of the Better Start National Science Challenge and Professor Rachael Taylor is Director of Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research.

The two professors point out that New Zealand parents already have access to significant support and advice on nutrition, activity and breastfeeding from their midwife, and Well Child provider.

Our POI study suggests that extra education in these areas does not protect babies from becoming overweight.

By contrast, the beneficial effects of the POI sleep intervention on the childrens weight were intriguing and quite substantial, they say.

Professor Rachael Taylor says the findings were also surprising because although international studies have shown that poor sleep is associated with obesity in children, the POI sleep intervention was very brief.

Families in the sleep group had one class before baby was born, and then a personal visit from an expert sleep nurse when their baby was three weeks old. Some families requested extra help if their baby still had difficulties sleeping after six months of age, she says.

Professor Barry Taylor says the intriguing findings suggest that parents and families would benefit from expert advice on their infants sleep.

Further work is required to determine whether more intense interventions, particularly in those at higher need, can be even more successful, he says.

The POI study was funded by the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand, the Southern DHB, and the University of Otago.

The HRC recently announced that Professor Rachael Taylor is the recipient of International Relationship Fund - NZ-US enabling grant that will allow a collaboration to combine childhood obesity and sleep research expertise from both countries. More information is available on the HRC website.

For more information, contact:

Professor Barry Taylor

Email barry.taylor@otago.ac.nz

Professor Rachael Taylor

Email rachael.taylor@otago.ac.nz
Torn between applying for the Michigan National Guard or the Secret Service? How about working a city job, serving those with disabilities or working with your hands outdoors?

Either way, job seekers can peruse nearly 50 employers offering full- and part-time jobs at the Great Lakes Bay Job Fair set for Thursday, March 23, from noon to 3 p.m. at Delta Colleges Pioneer Gymnasium, 1961 Delta Road.
State Rep. Roger Hauck of Union Township showed his support alongside several legislators for Special Olympics Michigan by participating in the Legislative Polar Plunge on the Capitol lawn.

This was the sixth annual plunge, and Rep. Haucks first.
The Meridian Public Schools Music Department continues to receive outstanding reviews and honors.

For the second time, the department has been named by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation as among the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) in the United States. Meridian also received the award in 2014 and this year was one of 16 Michigan school districts to be recognized including Clare Public Schools.

There is a special bond between our band and our community and I fully recognize that the support I receive from my administration and colleagues is not the norm in many school districts, said Meridian Public Schools band director Matthew Shephard. Meridian Public Schools recognizes the importance of arts education and has always been an advocate of our band program. I am truly blessed to work in such a supportive and uplifting environment.

The Meridian Instrumental Music Program serves roughly 400 students in grades 5-12. The program includes the Meridian High Mustang Marching Band with over 130 students.

In addition to the two NAMM awards, the Mustang Marching Band was named the 2015 Coolest Marching Band in Michigan.

This award was significant because of the tremendous outpouring of support by our community to persevere and vote tirelessly last fall to recognize our band program. Without local support, the Coolest Marching Band award could not have been given to the Meridian Band Program, Shephard said.

The BCME designation takes on added significance this year due to the passage of the new federal education law in December 2015. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) designates music as a recommended subject and as part of a well-rounded education. ESSA shifts more control to the states and schools and encourages policymakers to include non-tested subjects such as music to play a more important role in the curriculum.

The schools and districts that the NAMM Foundation honors this year with this award demonstrate a commitment to supporting music education and assuring opportunities for music learning in the curriculum for all students, said Mary Luehrsen of the NAMM Foundation in a release. Were moving away from a time when curricula were narrowed due to pressure from testing and test-prep remediation to a broader view of what is important for all children. That includes access to a well-rounded education  and an opportunity to learn and grow with music. These schools and districts we recognize serve as a model for other educators looking for ways to make music part of their school community.

This year, out of the nations 13,515 school districts, the NAMM Foundation designated 476 districts as Best Communities for Music Education and 118 individual schools as SupportMusic Merit Award winners.

The BCME program evaluates schools and districts based on funding, staffing of highly qualified teachers, commitment to standards, community support, participation and access to music instruction. A complete list of districts and schools recognized by the foundation this year can be found at bit.ly/1UOP0U6 (Best Communities) and bit.ly/1RspVfe (SupportMusic Merit).
U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron supported the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with refueling support for fighter aircraft over the Philippine Sea throughout last week.



The 909th KC-135s provided daily air refueling support to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) F/A-18 Super Hornets and Growlers embarked aboard CVN-70 during the carriers regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.



The inflight refueling capabilities provided by the 909th ARS greatly increase sortie duration for CVW-2, directly increasing combat readiness and flexibility, said Navy Commander Ashly Schwartz, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) Air Operations officer. It allows added tactical flexibility and a unique joint training opportunity for junior aircrew.



909th Stratotankers in Carl Vinsons airspace performed all refueling operations successfully for both day and night time operations.



We gave them around-the-clock tanker support with 100 percent effectiveness, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Anthony Gole, 909th ARS KC-135 pilot. A Navy operations officer on Carl Vinson thanked us for our mission effectiveness, our flexibility, helping them to achieve their training objectives, and our smooth operation procedures between the fighters and tankers.



Gole added that the 909ths support bolstered the Carl Vinsons mission to enforce freedom of navigation and international norms of the South China Sea.



"Our forward presence contributes to freedom of navigation and lawful use of the sea, as well as furthers operational training and enabling the exchange of culture, skills, and tactical knowledge," said Rear Adm. James W. Kilby, CSG 1 commander, in an article published by the USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs office.



With not only the 909th ARS tanker support, but also the support from Team Kadena, Carl Vinsons aerial refueling operations were executed flawlessly.



I have to thank the maintainers who continued to get good jets in the air and enabled us to fully support Navy operations, said Gole.



Throughout the 8 days of training, the 909th ARS offloaded 309,000 lbs. of fuel to 107 receivers from the Carl Vinson.
Gen. Terrence OShaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, provided an AOR update and highlighted PACAFs evolving focus during a media roundtable at the Air Force Associations Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, March 2, 2017.

According to OShaughnessy, the Pacific theater has changed dramatically in 2016 and the rate of change continues to accelerate in 2017. With increasing adversary capability, capacity and assertiveness, PACAF shifted to being first and foremost a warfighting command whos Airmen must be postured and prepared to fight on a moments notice.

As we look at this theater, we find our indications and warnings, OShaughnessy said. Whereas before we might have had a long period of time where we could start to see things happen, because of the operational environment, our indications and warnings may not always give us the time as we have been allotted in the past. As a result, it puts even more emphasis on the importance of the forward deployed force being ready.

OShaughnessy discussed how regional security throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region is directly tied to an international rules based order.

If you think about the region as a whole, theres some amazing success stories of nations that have risen and had great prosperity, he said. When we look back, we see the success of this region resulting from stability and freedom of navigation. As we look forward, we must make sure that we are postured to ensure that this freedom is never hindered.

According to the general, being a warfighting command provides credible assurance for our allies and partners, which are critically important in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, that credible warfighting capability and joint military options relies on air superiority.

The general highlighted the importance of the command driving change and developing innovative new ways to ensure U.S. Pacific Commands air component is read to respond.

Were rethinking the way we are going to fight, said OShaughnessy. Were changing the way our Airmen are thinking, making sure they are ready to fight at moments notice, and were changing our operational concepts.

The general went on to describe the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept of operations, a key effort in expanding PACAFs combat capability.

ACE uses operational maneuver, adaptive basing, assured command and control (C2), protection of the fielded force, and it puts it all together to ensure the ability to seize, retain, and exploit the initiatives to meet the objectives of the Joint Force Commander, he said.

For example, the general described how a small cadre of F-22A Raptors would deploy with a C-17A Globemaster III providing self-contained C2, mission planning, maintenance, munitions, fuel and logistics support. This team would be capable of rapidly moving through the region, coordinating missions with Air Operations Centers literally on the fly and offering the Raptors a mobile pit stop wherever needed. Ultimately, ACE ensures survivability in a contested environment and enables U.S. Airmen to fight from a position of advantage.

These [concepts] arent things were just talking about, he said. Theyre things we are practicing and making sure we have the ability to operate in an environment that might be contested.

OShaughnessy also discussed the importance of bringing the F-35 Lightning II to the Pacific theater and PACAF leading fifth-generation fighter integration in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.

Were excited about bringing the F-35 to the Pacific, he said. One of the things that the F-35 brings is that its not just the airframe, but a fusion center of all of the information it senses and can distribute to friendly forces.

In about two weeks, Headquarters PACAF will host a joint and combined symposium, OShaughnessy said. Were bringing in our joint friends like the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marines, as well as our allies and partners. Were bringing in Australia, Japan and Korea to discuss how we can best interoperate.

With more than a decade of experience operating fifth generation aircraft, specifically the F-22, PACAF is uniquely qualified to share knowledge with joint and combined partners who are or will soon fly the F-35.

I think its important that we send the very best that we have to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, he said. We understand the advances that our potential adversaries are making and we understand that we need to maintain a competitive advantage. We never want to fear a fight. We always want to overwhelm and I think the F-35 is a critical part of maintaining that competitive advantage.
According to the US Department of Labor, every 11 minutes someone is injured on the job in Iowa. If you or someone in your family works in Iowa you should be worried about the workers' compensation bill racing through the Iowa Statehouse.

The simple truth is the bill slashes workers' compensation benefits that cover all Iowans on the job. The bill leaves injured workers behind forcing injured workers to turn to tax payer funded medical care and benefits.

You decide: Should we tolerate insurance companies getting a free pass shifting the cost of Iowa's most severely injured workers to Iowa taxpayers?

This is important: Call your lawmakers today. Tell them to vote no on the workers' compensation bill. Call the Iowa House at 1-855-790-8815; the Iowa Senate at 1-844-332-8460.

Jim Fitzsimmons, Mason City
Not too long ago, many of us thought that turning 60 meant retiring from a career, starting a hobby, babysitting the grand kids, and winding down during the golden years of life. Times are a lot different now and baby boomers are redefining this stage of life. Its common to see our older celebrities like William Shatner and Samuel Jackson in infomercials. Hollywood stars like Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford are resuming old action hero roles; and classic rock legends like Journey, Santana, and Chicago are still touring the globe. A whole wave of people in their 60s, 70s and beyond are certainly not ready to trade in their active and more youthful roles for walkers and wheelchairs.

According to a recent article in Investment News, Retirees just want to have fun. By no means are retirees winding down. They are living longer, working longer, and far more active than former retirement generations. While having a sound financial plan is critical for retirement, it is even more critical to ensure that your health and feet are in good condition to foster an independent and quality lifestyle.

Unfortunately, as we get older so do our feet. In fact, foot problems are often the first signs of aging. Ligaments, tendons, and muscles become weaker and thinner and less able to hold the joints in proper alignment. Joint cartilage wears down as bones move out of alignment resulting in toes that are no longer straight or parallel to one another; and feet become lumpy and bumpy. Arches tend to flatten and collapse. The skin loses its ability to produce sweat and oil resulting in peeling, flaking, itchiness, discoloration, thickening, hardness, and cracks. Toenails become thicker, dryer, and discolored because of decreased blood flow to the toes, trauma, and nail fungus. Toes and feet become more crooked, and the shape, length and width changes.

I know this all sounds gloomy, but here are simple ways to age-proof your feet. Here are some helpful tips to turn back the clock on foot problems:

Be a little more proactive and inspect your feet regularly. Look for a change of color, temperature, nail discoloration, cuts or cracks in the skin, scaling, peeling, or any new growths.

Practice good hygiene. Wash and dry your feet regularly; and exfoliate and moisturize dry flaky skin.

Trim your nails properly. Trim them straight across and not too short. Avoid cutting them on the sides or corners to prevent ingrown toenails and infection.

Wear shoes that are proper for the activity you are engaged in and replace worn out shoes.

Wear comfortable shoes instead of fashionable ones, and do not buy shoes that feel tight. Avoid wearing high heels or at least reduce the frequency of use. Select stable shoes if you have weak ligaments and tendons.

When buying new shoes, shop at the end of the day when your feet are at their maximum size; and measure your feet standing.

Wear custom orthotics if you have pain in the ball or heel of your foot, or if you have weak arches.

Avoid walking barefooted to reduce the chance of injury and infection.

Wear proper hosiery and socks if you have changes in circulation or other vascular diseases or diabetes. Avoid wearing nylon and rayon socks.

Consider laser treatment and new nail restoration products to get rid of toenail fungus and embarrassment.

Exercise caution when doing self-treatment or using home remedies. Let a podiatrist treat your ingrown toenails, corns, and calluses to avoid infection and discomfort.

Dont ignore foot pain because its not normal; especially if you have persistent pain that is limiting your mobility and lifestyle.

Dont be afraid to consult with your podiatrist about surgical options if you have structural deformities like bunions, hammertoes, and bone spurs, or end stage arthritis that is limiting your mobility and quality of life.

For those of you who intend to maximize your quality of life, please become more aware of your feet and care for them properly. Fortunately, new advancements in medical products, therapies, and surgical options are available to address a wide range of foot problems.

If you are seeking advanced foot and ankle surgeons to help you heal, restore, and rejuvenate your feet call the Foot & Ankle Center of Illinois at (217) 787-2700 to schedule an appointment. Clinics are located in Springfield, Taylorville, Decatur, Carlinville, Shelbyville, Sullivan, and Monticello. Visit the medical library at myfootandanklecenter.com to obtain information on foot and ankle disorders and treatments. Informational videos are available on laser treatments for toenail fungus and pain therapy.
NORMAL  Gov. Bruce Rauner will visit the former Mitsubishi Motors North America plant Tuesday to formally welcome its new owner to Illinois.

The governor will be coming to our community to do a brief press conference (with) a more formal welcome and announcement of Rivian buying the plant, said Kyle Ham, CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. Some people who also helped bring Rivian will be in attendance.

Rivian Automotive plans to employ 1,000 workers and invest $175 million in making electric vehicles in Normal. The company operates research facilities near Detroit and San Francisco but hopes the vacant, 2.6 million-square-foot Normal plant will be the manufacturing core of its upcoming line of cars.
BLOOMINGTON  A man accused of raping two women apologized to the first alleged victim in a text message sent from the police interrogation room, according to evidence provided Tuesday to the jury considering criminal sexual assault charges against William Gyang.

"I'm so sorry hearing your statement being read back to me, there are so many red flags that I didn't pick up on," Gyang wrote to a woman who told police he had forced her to engage in sexual activity on Sept. 9, 2015.

The jury watched about an hour of a four-hour interview Illinois State Police conducted with the 19-year-old suspect in late October 2015.

Gyang told detectives the sexual contact was consensual.

Earlier Tuesday, the jury heard from the first of Gyang's alleged victims. The former ISU student said her initial opposition to a police investigation into her encounter with Gyang turned to cooperation after she learned that another woman had made a similar claim against him.

The woman said she met the suspect through a mutual friend on campus shortly after she started her freshman year.

The woman said she invited Gyang to her room at Watterson Towers on Sept. 9, 2015, after the two talked earlier in the evening. Once in her room, Gyang ignored her requests to stop his aggressive sexual advances, said the woman.

"I remember telling him I didn't want to go that fast," she said.

Gyang stopped kissing the woman after her roommate walked in, the woman said during her 90 minutes on the witness stand.

The encounter moved to Gyang's dorm room in another area of Watterson after the woman agreed to accompany him there. He told her his roommates were home, according to her testimony.

The woman said she faced a second sexual assault lasting several hours after she arrived at Gyang's empty dorm room.

In response to questions from defense lawyer Stephanie Wong, the witness admitted that Gyang may have received "mixed messages" from her during the incident.

"I think it was pretty clear when it comes down to it that I was uncomfortable" with the sexual activity, said the woman, who said she realized several weeks later that she was suffering symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

In October 2015, the woman mentioned Gyang to police when she reported her assault by another man, but she said she became upset when she learned from Gyang that ISU wanted to question him.

The woman said she apologized to Gyang for the police involvement that she had tried to avoid.

But things changed when the alleged victim heard from authorities that a second woman had accused Gyang of a similar attack.

"When it happened, I thought it was an isolated case," until she heard "he did it to someone else, too," said the woman.

In text messages exchanged with Gyang, the woman referred to the incident as "a one-time thing" that would not continue beyond friendship.

"I was just uncomfortable when we were hooking up," she said in a text message read in court.

The second alleged victim is expected to testify Wednesday as the state continues its case.
BLOOMINGTON  A McLean County jury will hear from two women Tuesday who have accused a former Illinois State University student of sexually assaulting them in 2015.

William Gyang, 19, is charged with raping two women in separate incidents on Sept. 9 and Oct. 23, 2015.

In her opening statement to the jury of 10 men and two women, Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Alferink said the woman in the first alleged rape "thought she was giving her friend, the defendant, a break" when she did not report a social encounter with other students at Watterson Towers that allegedly turned into a violent sexual assault after the two went to his room at a fraternity house.

The woman agreed to cooperate with authorities in October 2015 after she learned that a second female student had accused Gyang of sexual assault, said Alferink.

Gyang met the woman involved in the second incident at a fraternity party. After the suspect attempted to dance with the woman, she "tried to get rid of him," said Alferink, but he insisted on walking her to her room at Watterson Towers. After she realized her keys and wallet were at a friend's home, the two walked there to retrieve them, said Alferink.

Gyang followed the woman into the bedroom of her friend's home and assaulted her, said Alferink. The alleged rape ended when the woman managed to escape to a bathroom where she was found by her friends, according to the state's argument. Gyang was still in the bedroom.

In an interview with police, Gyang did not deny having sexual contact with the woman and admits "that maybe it got out of hand," said Alferink, adding that DNA tests results will link Gyang to the second incident.

Defense lawyer Stephanie Wong told jurors that "this case is nothing more than an overzealous attempt by the government to regulate and criminalize college campus consensual sex."

Text messages will show the woman in the first incident "invited Will to come by," said Wong.

The defense lawyer said the two students engaged in consensual sex in her dorm room before going to his fraternity house.

"She never told Will she was uncomfortable," said Wong.

Wong said the woman's issues with the sexual activity came about a week later in her message to Gyang: "that was just a one-night thing."

The accusations related to Gyang and the September 2015 incident came to the attention of police about a month later when the first alleged victim reported that she had again been sexually assaulted  this time by another man. She mentioned Gyang's name but declined to cooperate with police in an investigation of him, said Wong.

The alleged victim in the September incident also "instructs Will (Gyang) not to talk to the police," Wong told the jury.

After she learned that a second woman had accused Gyang of rape, the woman changed her mind and cooperated with authorities.

The sexual contact between Gyang and the second student also was consensual, said Wong. When she spoke with police two days after the incident, the second alleged victim giggled and acted lighthearted, said Wong.

The jury is expected to heard from the two women and police investigators when the trial resumes Tuesday.

If convicted, Gyang faces 30 years in prison.
BLOOMINGTON  David Gill, a five-time congressional candidate, announced Tuesday that he plans to run again as a Democrat in the 13th Congressional District in 2018.

Gill, of Bloomington, ran as a Democrat in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012, only the last of which took place within the district's current boundaries. He attempted to run as an independent candidate in 2016, but that bid ended after he was unable to get his name on the ballot.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Gill, 57, emphasized the close race in 2012 between himself and U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, the Taylorville Republican he would face next year.

Gill earned 46.2 percent of the vote, compared to 46.5 percent for Davis. Independent candidate John Hartman of Edwardsville received 7.2 percent of the vote.

I think it's about time that I finished what we started in 2012, said Gill, who works as an emergency physician at Gibson Area Hospital in Gibson City and also occasionally in Chester, Ill.

In a statement, Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps said Davis welcomed a healthy debate, but was focused on governing with nearly 20 months until the next general election.

He's working to tackle the major issues like fixing our broken health care system, tax reform, student loan debt, and creating a more confident economy by investing in infrastructure and reducing unnecessary regulations, she said.

As to why he announced so far in advanced, Gill said people are speaking out now about disappointment with President Donald Trump and with Davis.

There's a lot of people who are looking for someone to stand up and take his place, Gill said.

Gill called off his independent bid for Congress in October. After collecting fewer than 8,500 of the 10,745 valid petition signatures he needed to earn a spot on the ballot, he filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state's signature requirement.

A federal judge ordered the Illinois State Board of Elections to allow Gill on the ballot, but the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently blocked that order. Two U.S. Supreme Court justices, Elena Kagan and Anthony Kennedy, denied his request to have the high court step in.

Gill's previous campaigns in 2004, 2006 and 2010 sought to represent the 15th Congressional District, which changed boundaries with statewide redistricting in 2011. In those races he faced U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana.

It seems like everybody wants to talk about three hopeless campaigns in a district where no human being with a D after their name could win, Gill said. I don't apologize for those, but I don't think they're pertinent to anything.
DELAVAN  The search is on to find another use for the National Guard Armory in Delavan, which officially will close next month.

Our biggest and greatest desire is to find a new life and a new use for this structure so it can continue to be maintained, said Col. Craig Holan of the Illinois Army National Guard at a town meeting Monday night in Delavan.

Holan told a crowd of about 50 people that a maintenance employee will remain on the site until April, about five months after the unit based there was deactivated as part of an Army reorganization plan. After that, maintenance personnel will check the building every few months for needed repairs.

But this building still has a lot of life in it, he said. We have done our best to maintain the structure and to be able to find a user who can understand the value of the building and how to keep it and maintain it for years.

Holan said the armory annually costs the National Guard about $20,000 in utilities and $15,000 in general maintenance.

The armory was built in 1939, but in spring 2014 rumors began circulating that the site was targeted for closure. Delavan Mayor Liz Skinner said she checked those rumors immediately.

I was shocked and immediately starting making calls and was initially assured that it would remain open, she said.

A year ago, the National Guard announced the facility was likely to close as part of the Armys 202 Redesign Plan to modernize facilities across the country. Guard officials said it would take between $3 million and $5 million to modernize the Delavan facility for modern military use.

On Dec. 9, the 1144th Transportation Motor Transport Battalion cased its colors during a ceremony. The functions of the unit will move to Florida.

We all know how important this armory is to our community and what it has meant to everyone here, Skinner said. I have to say in all confidence and very proudly that no other community has supported their soldiers like the people of Delavan.

"I can assure you that we have left no stone unturned in this process.

The National Guard will look for potential buyers, said Tony Kolbeck, the legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Military Affairs. The goal is to find a buyer who will put it to public use, he said.

There are limited things we can do with the facilities, he said. We can offer it for sale through a bid process or we can transfer it to another governmental body or a combination of that. The last thing we want to do is demolish it.

Among the options is to transfer the deed to the city, however the city would then be responsible for maintenance costs.

We have a lot of concerns of the city taking on the responsibility of maintaining the building and keeping it up like it needs, Skinner said. When we were first informed, I had (City Administrator) Joe Woith call other communities who took possession of armories and frankly, it hasnt gone well.

Still, some local residents think the town should consider it.

I would like the city to take it, said Delevan resident Ron Burlingame. It would be like a free gift.

Illinois State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, attended the meeting and said he will continue to work on finding a suitable buyer for the facility.

This wasnt an easy decision by the Guard and its not easy for this community, he said. The people at the Guard have been great to work with and they are concerned about this community and moving forward.
BLOOMINGTON  Colleagues were still coping with the shock of the sudden death of BCPA Director Tina Salamone Tuesday, and city officials said it's too soon to think about how to replace her.

"Right now we plan to use our existing staff and get through this weekend with the shows that we have," said Jay Tetzloff, director of the Bloomington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department. He was Salamone's immediate supervisor at Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

"There is still shock ... but we're focused on getting this weekend's shows open and done as normal and then figure out what our plans are for the next couple of months," he added. "But right now I don't have an answer."

Salamone, 58, suffered a heart attack and died Sunday at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, according to McLean County Coroner Kathy Davis.

Using an interim director is a possibility, but Tetzloff said he has not discussed that with his bosses, City Manager David Hales and Assistant City Manager Steve Rasmussen.

The BCPA's slate of programming this weekend, including Black Violin on Friday and an Artists Lounge Live presentation, "I Gotta a Right to Sing the Blues" on Sunday, will go on as scheduled, which is what Salamone would have wanted, said Tetzloff.

Salamone took over directorship of the city's BCPA and Creativity Center in December 2013. She said last year she took the job because she wanted to open the dormant Creativity Center.

She saw the center as a hub for community arts organizations and after-school arts programs "geared toward underserved youth, providing a positive outlet to channel their creative energy."

Salamone previously was executive director of The Capitol Theater in Burlington, Iowa, and the historic Palace Theatre in Marion, Ohio. She spent nine years at Joliet's Rialto Square Theatre as the technical director and also later added the role of director of programming.
NORMAL  The day Gov. Bruce Rauner welcomed Rivian Automotive to Illinois, state officials finally detailed their incentives that helped to bring the company to Normal's former Mitsubishi Motors North America plant.

Rivian, which operates research facilities near Detroit and San Francisco but plans to make Normal the manufacturing core of its upcoming line of electric cars, will receive state tax credits worth about $49.5 million for creating 1,000 jobs over 10 years, said a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity spokesperson.

The award is a tax credit assessed on income tax for the created jobs, taking into account salary for each position and how many jobs were created at the end of each year. The estimated total is for 10 years of credits assuming Rivian hits its performance goals.

The credits are through the state's EDGE, or Economic Development for a Growing Economy, program, which is intended to help create local jobs.

Rivian also is in line to receive $1 million from the town of Normal and a five-year property tax abatement, both also based on performance. That abatement was approved by taxing bodies that receive property taxes from the plant, including McLean County Unit 5 schools and Heartland Community College.

Rivian bought the site for $2 million in January  that figure does not include any personal property, including the contents of the plant  and plans to begin manufacturing electric cars there in 2019 to bring to market in 2020.

Rauner received a tour of the plant before addressing local officials and media on Tuesday, saying, "This is a great day for the people of Central Illinois, and this is a great day for the people of all Illinois."

"This plant is an incredible asset, and now, thanks to the creativity and hard work of an American, innovative entrepreneur ... we have an opportunity to create a better economic future for hundreds and hundreds of people here in Central Illinois," he said.

Rauner said he hopes that entrepreneur, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, also can help bring other automotive companies to the plant and "create an ecosystem of innovative and great new products in the automotive field."

He also thanked Rivian for its early interest in community partnerships, including using the plant to teach science, technology, engineering and math students at local schools.

Scaringe thanked Rauner for his part in bringing the company to Normal and recalled how his interest in the facility "very quickly transitioned from us looking at this as a building full of equipment to this being our future home."

"What we immediately started to see as we got to know the community is this was much more than just a plant," he said. "The energy and (philosophy of Normal)... was so in line with how we view the world."

Both also acknowledged a task force of local officials who worked for 18 months to find a new user for the Mitsubishi plant, led by Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council CEO Kyle Ham.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos, part of that task force, said, "This day promises a future of many more exciting announcements." He paused to note the plant is now named for Rivian, and that will be "the name going forward, obviously."

"Rivian's values and brand perfectly align with our values and brand in Normal. ... We look forward to you exemplifying everything we believe," he said. "We challenge you to challenge us."

Rauner also unveiled an official proclamation welcoming Rivian to the state.

"RJ's taking a risk. It's going to take time. There's going to be challenges," he said. "We as a community will try to do everything we can to help him overcome the challenges to make Rivian hugely successful here in the state of Illinois."
BLOOMINGTON  Twin City homeowners and Illinois State University crews spent Tuesday morning cleaning up fallen trees and light building damage after high winds swept through the area overnight.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts in excess of 52 mph as a thunderstorm passed through Central Illinois. ISU recorded a peak gust of 67 mph at 12:37 a.m. Tuesday, according to university spokesman Eric Jome.

"We did have a little roof material blow off Wilkins residence hall right about that same time," said Jome. "It wound up coming down in the grassy courtyard area."

One piece went through the window of a university housing staff apartment on the top floor of nearby Haynie Hall, but no one was injured, according to Jome. Wilkins and Haynie are part of the Tr-Towers complex between Horton Field House and Adelaide Street.

"Luckily, at that time of night, no one was walking around outside," he said.

ISU grounds workers cleared the debris Tuesday morning and roofing contractors were going to inspect the damage later in the day, according to Jome, who said some of the pieces were about 6 by 8 feet.

An elevator had to be shut down for a brief time because of water getting into the equipment, but no evacuations were needed other than the staff member who left the apartment while the window was boarded up, Jome said.

Elsewhere in the Twin Cities, trees were uprooted and one caused extensive damage to two vehicles after it fell across a driveway in Normal.

Kim Haney said he was talking with his wife, Judy, around 11 p.m. Monday when he heard a large tree in his yard at 1200 W. College Ave. fall across his driveway. The tree heavily damaged two of his cars, but Haney said he considered himself lucky as the tree avoided a garage that housed part of his car collection.

Haney said the tree narrowly missed an antique Mercedes roadster.

Rick Reed, an employee of Nordine Builders, used a chainsaw to cut thick roots to a tree that fell across George Nordines driveway at 1216 W. College Ave., about a block west of Haneys home.

Reed said the tree did not cause damage to the home and was cleaned up by 10 a.m.

Light damage to rural homes and farm structures appeared to be widespread.

Ameren Illinois reported 43,000 customers lost power overnight statewide because of the storms, but that number was reduced to 842, including 113 in Logan County, by 9 p.m. Tuesday.
In the first month of the presidential administration's fumblings, it's easy to tell there is no sign of this nation ever being great again.

Too soon to tell? I don't believe it is. Almighty God cannot bless the falling away from his principles and commandments. Not only has our government given gays the right of same-sex marriage, taken away prayers from schools, etc., the overall deficit spending, outrageous debts, immorality, corruption, lies and disrespect for God's principles and commandments, in all facets of government and character, are just as bad.

Sound discouraging? Well, it doesn't have to be. Only the Bible can give us the right course to take in our lives. There is yet hope for people throughout the world.

John Gramm, Gridley
The news the past couple weeks was dominated by angry constituents at congressional town halls. While I do not agree with most of the positions of the GOP and our new president, I believe in having a productive conversation with our congressmen, no matter where I stand with them in their policies. Yelling and booing will only make representatives retreat from the people for whom they work. This was evidenced by the controlled events that were only accessible to a select few that both U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis and Darin LaHood held during their district work week.

Last week, U.S. Rep. LaHood held a tele-town hall. It was announced just hours before, allowing people to sign up online. This gave people very little time to find out and make themselves available to be included. The hour-long call included questions that ranged from health care to tax reform. While U.S. Rep. LaHood did not seem to shy away from the many tough topics that we face today, it ended up being a one-sided conversation, with no opportunities for follow-up.

I believe the live, in-person town hall is most likely obsolete, as constituents dressing down of their members of Congress goes viral on social media. But the tele-town hall that was conducted last night by U.S. Rep. LaHood and the one last month by U.S. Rep. Davis does not seem to be a viable solution either. I urge both congressmen and their staffers to examine what we can do to facilitate a more effective dialogue.

Sharon Chung, Bloomington
A 9-year-old boy from Oxnard, California filed a case against various agricultural companies, claiming he suffered while inside the womb of his farm worker mother. The boy said his mother was recklessly and negligently exposed to pesticides while pregnant. The case was filed in 2015 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court but was transferred last year to the Ventura County Superior Court where the trial is underway.

Erik Joe Morales was diagnosed with hemifacial microsomia after he was born in 2007. He also suffered from developmental and cognitive delays, as well as hearing loss. A medical report from the Children's Hospital Los Angeles indicated unknown causes for his condition.

His lawyer David Bricker claimed the child's injuries came as a result of his exposure to hazardous pesticides during the most critical stages of fetal development, according to VC Star. The lawsuit claimed the farm workers were unduly exposed to pesticides applied to the farm while they were working without protective equipment.

The defendants were Well-Pict's owner T.T. Miyasaka Inc., strawberry producer Well-Pict Berries, grower Soilfume Inc., also known as Anacapa Berry Farms, and labor contractor Ramco Enterprises. Miyasaka representative Lane E. Webb refused to comment on the case due to rules of professional conduct.

Hemifacial Microsomia, known as the most common facial birth defect next to clefts, is a condition that leads to the underdevelopment of one side of the face, as per Faces. Morales suffers from some of the symptoms of the condition including the underdevelopment of the mandible and the ear. Surgery is a known remedy to improve facial symmetry of children suffering from Hemifacial Microsomia.

All types of pesticides have different toxicity levels and exposure to pesticides during pregnancy poses some risks, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. Babies are more sensitive to pesticide toxicity because their brain, organs and nervous system are still in the development stage.
Sam Worthington's latest movie, "The Shack," opened in theaters last weekend. The movie, which is loosely based on book author William Paul Young's life, touches on fatherhood, harsh parenting and faith in God.

In "The Shack," Mack Philipps (Worthington) had to grapple with the murder of his daughter. He grew mad at God for his misfortune but something urged him to go back the shack where his daughter was found.

On his return to the site, Mack encountered a divine intervention, so to speak, which helped him examine his past, his present and his relationship with God. The flashback scenes showed how Mack experienced harsh parenting, tough punishments and discipline as a child from a father who worked as a Christian missionary, according to Patheos.

This childhood was what would shape Mack's belief system and the ability (or inability) to forgive the harrowing tragedy he experienced. It showed how one's parenting style reflected how children understand God's teachings and in this case, the movie's message was that parents are only most effective when they show that God is all about love in the way they raise kids.

Worthington could relate to his character holding a grudge, he told News Corp Australia. He also had plenty of doubts, resentment and anger in his youth. Since having children, however, he has learned to become a better person as becoming a father "makes you want to be better," he said.

As for faith in God, Worthington admitted to being a late-bloomer but it was a conscious choice for him. "I was about in my twenties when I was given a Bible to read by friend to tell me to calm down," he said, per CBN 1.

Worthington is married to model Lara Bingle. They have two kids, Rocket, born in 2015 and they welcomed their second child in late 2016. The Australian family have recently uprooted their life to New York for Worthington's movie commitments.
Tesla recently kicked off a campaign that was suggested to the company's big boss Elon Musk by a 10-year-old girl. Bria Loveday from Michigan got in touch with the billionaire via Twitter for a business idea and Musk actually took her advice.

Tesla launched Project Loveday after its namesake on Saturday, March 4. It's a site where the public is enjoined to submit and upload 90-second videos of consumers who love Tesla.

Loveday told Musk she noticed his brand lacked traditional advertisements on print, radio and television. So, the 10-year-old said Musk should have a video submission contest of "homemade" commercials for Tesla as a marketing boost and other incentives for owners.

Loveday wrote Musk her proposal that was posted on Twitter by her father who tagged the Tesla boss. The letter was supposed to be for the fifth grader's school project. In no time, Musk quickly acted on the little girl's proposal which you can read below.

@elonmusk Elon, my daughter wrote you a letter for a school project. She mailed it to Tesla, but I figured I'd paste here. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/ntGEL9WCh3  Steven (@Writer_StevenL) March 2, 2017



Interested individuals have until May 8 to submit their homemade videos on Project Loveday. The videos should center on Tesla, SolarCity and the company's initiatives to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy," per Fortune.

After the deadline, 10 winners will be chosen by Tesla judges and the names will be announced on May 22. The chosen videos will be played and posted across all of Tesla's social media profiles and from the top entries, one will be named the grand prize winner. That person will be invited to Tesla events with free travel and accommodations.

Interested in joining? For more on the contest's terms and conditions, read it all here.
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WATERLOO, Quebec, March 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lait Kaiser and Cult Yogourt are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to purchase Chagnon Dairy, the leading independent creamery and milk brand in Quebec, Canada. Chagnon has been processing and selling milk, butter, ice cream and other dairy products for 62 years and this acquisition will help strengthen manufacturing of Lait Kaiser and Cult Yogourts innovative Quebec dairy products.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dcdb5896-f546-4940-a3b9-64a803bac2b8

My grandfather started out with a milk run in Waterloo, Quebec, and it blossomed into a well-known creamery, brand and private label manufacturer, says Denis Chagnon, Chagnon Dairys owner and General Manager. We are honoured by the strong support our loyal customers have shown us over the years, making Chagnon a household name throughout Quebec. I wanted to sell to local entrepreneurs that could develop Chagnon and new dairy products and I know our legacy will live on thanks to the values of Lait Kaiser and Cult Yogourt.

We are committed to innovation in the Canadian dairy industry with premium dairy products. This acquisition gives us a versatile 30,000 square foot creamery with its own milk run that will allow us to scale to become a top dairy brand across North America, states Nathan Kaiser, President of Lait Kaiser and the Vita Lait non-GMO milk brand.

Lait Kaiser and Cult Yogourt align strategically because both companies are disrupting the Quebec dairy industry with innovative products like non-GMO single farm origin milk and easier-to-digest Jersey cow whole milk cultured dairy products, said Cult Yogourt President, Adam Coape-Arnold. We could not have found better partners than the Kaiser family.

I am extremely proud to be part of the Chagnon legacy. It is one of Quebecs last independent dairies and has developed an innovative and authentic expertise in dairy which meshes well with our approach at Cult, states Cult Yogourt founder & artisan, Eloise Grondin-Bouchard. As a child growing up in nearby Dunham, Quebec, Chagnon milk was on my table every morning for breakfast. I am glad that Denis and Luc Chagnon have agreed to stay on with us to teach us their mastery of dairy transformation.

Chagnon is a nostalgic Quebec dairy & creamery with strong brand awareness across Quebec. Chagnon produces over 4 million litres of fluid milk, butter, ice cream and other dairy products. Chagnons milk run of 20 farms transports 10 million litres of milk each year. Chagnon cultured churned butter is a hit with American chefs.

Visit www.laiteriechagnon.com

About Lait Kaiser

The Kaiser family has cultivated the land in Noyan, Quebec since Paul Kaiser came with his wife and family of six sons and a daughter from Zurich, Switzerland in 1975. Brothers Nathan and Christian Kaiser own and operate Imperiale Farms in Noyan, which produces 1,500,000 litres of milk a year, and have created the Vita Lait brand non-GMO fluid milk, a milk for families with similar benefits to organic milk at the price of conventional milk.

Visit www.laitkaiser.com

About Cult Yogourt

Cult Yogourt produces Greek Yogourt, drinkable Kefir and 5% Whole Milk from Jersey Cows. Master artisan Eloise pasteurizes, ferments and strains her Greek Yogurt with milk fresh from small family-owned Jersey cow farms. Jersey Cow milk is easier to digest due to its A2 Beta Casein Protein which allows certain people who experience milk digestion to enjoy Cult dairy products.

Visit www.cultyogurt.com
Two children burned their throats after they ordered apple juice at a local Chinese restaurant. The incident took place on Friday and the police started investigating the incident.

The two kids were identified as Richard Zaragoza, Jr. and his half-sister Ginaya Mendoza. They were at an all-you-can-eat buffet last Friday. The father of the children said they were with their mother, Virginia Davis, at the Star Buffet and Grill, located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The evening was planned for the birthday of Zaragoza, who just turned 10 at the time of the incident.

The father continued to say the Star Buffet and Grill is the favorite place of Zaragoza and he was the one who chose where they will celebrate his birthday. Ginaya, four-years-old, drank the apple juice after the server brought it to them in cups, AOL.com reported.

However, the father of Zaragoza said the delivery of the apple juice already made was different because the whole time they have been going there, the apple juice would be placed in a Styrofoam cup with ice not yet made up. Zaragoza and Ginaya threw up after drinking the juice and there was blood. The mother of Zaragoza also tasted the juice but did not swallow it. She still underwent medical attention for precaution, as per ABC News.

The two kids were taken to Hershey Medical Center. They were initially at the intensive care unit and were later pronounced to be in stable condition.

Zaragoza, however, is in a more serious condition as he is still sedated and is dependent on an intubation device. Zaragoza also suffers from diabetes and cystic fibrosis but his father said the boy is responsive yet the concern for his health remains.

Per initial investigation, the owner of the restaurant told officials the apple juice was purchased at a local supermarket. The Hershey Medical Center revealed methanol was present in the beverages but other contaminants are yet to be determined. As for the restaurant, it remains open for business.
An unusually high number of leave requests were recorded in Virginia and Alexandria school districts prompting schools to close on March 8. This was because of the "A Day Without a Woman" event, which urged female workers to stay at home.

The national day of protest led to the cancellation of all classes for all students in Virginia and Alexandria. Officials from Alexandria said around 300 staff members took the Wednesday off because of the event, which is in connection with the International Women's Day. "A Day Without a Woman" wanted to emphasize the importance of women in the labor force.

Alexandria Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley said in a statement the decision to close schools was not made lightly and they based their decision on their ability to provide the sufficient number of staff to classes. Crawley added the insufficient number of staff will impact student safety and delivery of instruction, The Washington Post reported. The 16 schools in Alexandria have 1,415 teachers and thousands of students as well.

The "A Day Without a Woman" is organized by the same team that was behind the successful Women's March in Washington last January. The Women's March came after Donald Trump assumed office as the president of the United States. The group said "A Day Without a Woman" is a strike for equity, justice, and the human rights of not only women but also all gender-oppressed. The group called the one-day event as a demonstration of economic solidarity, as per CNN.

Aside from taking the day off, women are also urged to avoid shopping and wear red in solidarity for the event. Apart from Virginia and Alexandria school districts, those in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina had to cancel their classes because of the number of teachers who took part of the strike.

The "A Day Without a Woman," a first of its kind event took place weeks after another protest called "Day Without Immigrants" all over the country. It came after Trump's first executive order over the travel ban.
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According to a new report out of South Korea today, a top trade adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out against LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, Monday, for unfair trade practices that hurt their American rivals.

The unusual lambasting is raising concern that the new U.S. administration is beginning to exert trade pressure on Korea as Trump had vowed to do during his election campaign.

"I am amazed by how hard it is for our companies to compete on a level playing field. This heartland of America icon is grappling with a practice called country hopping. Two of the South Korean competitors, LG and Samsung, simply move the production to another country each time Whirlpool wins anti-dumping cases against them," Peter Navarro, the director of the White House National Trade Council, said at a National Association of Business Economics conference.

"Such country hopping has happened twice to Whirlpool already. LG and Samsung have moved from China to Vietnam and Thailand. This is the kind of trade cheating that must be stopped. It undermines the whole international order, even as it puts thousands of Americans on the unemployment line. It imposes millions of dollars of losses on companies like Whirlpool."

LG and Samsung are engaging in a trilateral competition with Whirlpool in the U.S. home appliance market.

Following Whirlpool's petition in December, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided to impose anti-dumping duties of 52.51 percent on Samsung and 32.12 percent on LG the following month, ruling that their washing machines produced in China were sold at lower than "normal" prices in the United States and damaged local suppliers such as Whirlpool.

Sung Tae-yoon, an economics professor at Yonsei University, said that the criticism by Trump's top trade adviser is part of the U.S. government's trade pressure on Korea.

Sung stated that Navarro's "argument means that the U.S. is continuing to exert pressure on Korea. U.S. pressure on specific industries and issues is likely to ensue."

LG and Samsung declined to comment on Navarro's criticism.

Behind his protectionist moves, Trump has vowed to renegotiate trade deals, including the free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Trade Representative said the ROK-U.S. FTA has resulted in a "dramatic increase in our trade deficit," stressing it was time for a major review of how the U.S. approaches trade deals.

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Patna: Uproar over Bihar Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan's now infamous anti-Narendra Modi rant caught on video continued at the Bihar Assembly on Monday as opposition leaders led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) repeatedly disrupted the House to demand for the Congress leader's removal from Nitish cabinet.

Shouting slogans against Mastan, the BJP leaders forced the Speaker to adjourn the House till 2:00 pm.

"Mastan's insult was no ordinary insult. One can disagree with another leader but Mastan crossed the line when he incited his supporters to insult Prime Minister Narendra Modi by beating a picture of him with shoes and sandals. He also called our Prime Minister a Naxalite and a dacoit. We are not going to sit tight and let someone disparage and belittle a duly elected Prime Minister of India," Prem Kumar, the leader of the opposition in the Assembly said.

Until Mastan was removed from the cabinet, the protest for his dismissal will go on, he said.

Meanwhile, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders accused the BJP of making a mountain out of a mole hill.

"Mastan has already apologized for his insensitive remarks against the Prime Minister. The matter should end there. We don't understand what the BJP is trying to accomplish by demanding for the dismissal of the Excise minister," Congress leader and Bihar Education Minister Ashok Kumar Chowdhary said.
Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in Patna on Monday protested outside Bihar Legislative Council accusing the Nitish administration of failing to check crime after criminals in Patna City shot and killed a businessman and his employee in Vaishali on Sunday.

Demanding an explanation from the Nitish government about steps being taken to curb crime in Bihar, BJP leaders said that the killing of 36-year old Ankit Rohatgi and his staff Deepu Kumar, age 35, along with the killing of two private guards of Punjab National Bank in Belchi were just two of the recent examples of a failed Nitish administration.

"It is evident that Nitish Kumar is not even concerned anymore about crime situation in Bihar. His repeated mantra that the police is doing the job and guilty will be punished is not enough given the spate in crime across Bihar. He needs to provide details of steps being taken to reinstate law and order in the state," said the BJP leaders adding the police had also failed to arrest any of the accused in three recent rape cases including two in Gaya.

As reported, unidentified criminals on Monday got away with Rs. 60 lakh in cash after killing two private security guards of the Punjab National Bank. The incident took place at Bagha Tila under the Belchi police station about 50k m from Patna.

Meanwhile, traders in Maroofganj commodity market blocked the road for more than two hours demanding immediate arrest of the killers of businessman Ankit Rohtagi and his employee Deepu Kumar. The two were shot dead near Jagdamba Sthan in Hajipur in Vaishali district on Sunday.

A delegation of the Maroofganj Traders' Association said if the killers were not caught within next two day, they will be forced to shut down the market indefinitely until justice is served to the family of the victims.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, March 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Federman & Sherwood announces that on March 2, 2017, a class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Omega Protein Corporation (NYSE:OME). The complaint alleges violations of federal securities laws, Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, including allegations of issuing a series of material or false misrepresentations to the market which had the effect of artificially inflating the market price during the Class Period, which is June 4, 2013 through March 1, 2017.

Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of all Omega Protein Corporation shareholders who purchased common stock during the Class Period and are therefore a member of the Class as described above. You may move the Court no later than Monday, May 1, 2017 to serve as a lead plaintiff for the entire Class. However, in order to do so, you must meet certain legal requirements pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

If you wish to discuss this action, obtain further information and participate in this or any other securities litigation, or should you have any questions or concerns regarding this notice or preservation of your rights, please contact:

Robin Hester

FEDERMAN & SHERWOOD

10205 North Pennsylvania Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73120

Email to: rkh@federmanlaw.com

Or, visit the firms website at www.federmanlaw.com




BOSTON, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Private equity (PE) firms are benefiting from nearly ideal market conditions right now, yet the tide is changing, and they should take this opportunity to think about their competitive edge and differentiation. That is the main finding of a new article by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The article, titled Capitalizing on the New Golden Age in Private Equity, is being released today.



Worldwide, PE firms had a record $2.49 trillion in assets at the end of 2016, including nearly $1 trillion in uninvested capital. As returns for the overall industry continue to beat other asset classes, particularly hedge funds, capital continues to pour into PE firms, and new competitors are entering the field. Not only are firms struggling to differentiate themselves in this new environment, but new money is bidding up deal multiples and putting future returns into question. At the same time, some investors continue to challenge the firms traditional fee structure: 2% of assets under management and 20% of gains. And as the economic clout of the PE industry grows, firms will find themselves under increased scrutiny by the media and, potentially, governments.

The current conditions are favorable in so many ways, but there are also challenges looming ahead, says Tawfik Hammoud, a senior partner at BCG and the lead author of the article. We think top managers will use this as an opportunityor even an imperativeto sharpen their thinking, improve their discipline, and be bold in several dimensions of their businesses.

Three Imperatives

Specifically, PE firms should take three actions:

Turn their operational playbooks inward. Many firms hold their portfolio companies to a much higher operational standard than they hold themselves. In an increasingly crowded market, this approach no longer works. Instead, firms need to improve their own internal operations and processes, primarily through digital technology. Some firms are busy creating new roles, such as chief digital officers, and are far more proactive about gauging the impact of digital on their portfolio companies, says Michael Brigl, a BCG partner and coauthor of the report.



Many firms hold their portfolio companies to a much higher operational standard than they hold themselves. In an increasingly crowded market, this approach no longer works. Instead, firms need to improve their own internal operations and processes, primarily through digital technology. Some firms are busy creating new roles, such as chief digital officers, and are far more proactive about gauging the impact of digital on their portfolio companies, says Michael Brigl, a BCG partner and coauthor of the report. Develop a true talent strategy. Firms need to bring in the right people, with a wider range of experience and expertise, particularly in digital. This is especially important given the way that some small firms have posted meteoric growth over the past few years. Succession planning and diversity are increasingly on the minds of investors and need to be at the top of general partners agendas.



Firms need to bring in the right people, with a wider range of experience and expertise, particularly in digital. This is especially important given the way that some small firms have posted meteoric growth over the past few years. Succession planning and diversity are increasingly on the minds of investors and need to be at the top of general partners agendas. Upgrade their approach to value creation. Rather than taking action in just one or two areas of their portfolio companies, firms need to leave no stone unturned. This includes adopting new strategies that emphasize digital, improving pricing, creating a lean activist project management office, and accelerating merger integration.

The current golden age will not last forever. Smart PE firms are taking the necessary steps today to prepare for the challenges ahead.

BCG partners Christy Carter and Laila Worrell will be presenting this article at a keynote address during the upcoming tenth annual Womens Private Equity Summit on March 810 at The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California. The event will bring together more than 500 senior-level women in PE and venture capital for in-depth discussions about the industry. As one of the conferences platinum sponsors, BCG is deeply committed to increasing womens leadership roles in the PE and alternative-investment world.

A copy of the article can be downloaded here.

To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact David Fondiller at +1 212 446 3257 or fondiller.david@bcg.com.

About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the worlds leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 85 offices in 48 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com.

About bcgperspectives.com

Bcgperspectives.com features the latest thinking from BCG experts as well as from CEOs, academics, and other leaders. It covers issues at the top of senior managements agenda. It also provides unprecedented access to BCGs extensive archive of thought leadership stretching back 50 years to the days of Bruce Henderson, the firms founder and one of the architects of modern management consulting. All of our contentincluding videos, podcasts, commentaries, and reportscan be accessed by PC, mobile, iPad, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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WikiLeaks has released more than 8,700 documents it says come from the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence, with some of the leaks saying the agency had 24 weaponized and previously undisclosed exploits for the Android operating system as of 2016.

Some of the Android exploits were developed by the CIA, while others came from the U.S. National Security Agency, U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ, and cyber arms dealers, according to the trove of documents released Tuesday.

Some smartphone attacks developed by the CIA allow the agency to bypass the encryption in WhatsApp, Confide, and other apps by collecting audio and message traffic before encryption is applied, according to the WikiLeaks analysis.

The documents show the CIA hoarding undisclosed, or zero-day, exploits for a number of systems, despite promises from former President Barack Obamas administration to share the vulnerabilities with vendors, according to WikiLeaks analysis.

The CIA declined to comment on the authenticity of the leaks. The documents, which cover the years 2013 to 2016, amount to the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency and the entire hacking capacity of the CIA, WikiLeaks claimed.

Some documents released describe how the spy agency used malware and hacking tools to target iPhones and smart television sets. Others detail the CIA units efforts to compromise Windows, Apples OS X, Linux, and routers.

One attack, called Weeping Angel, targets Samsung smart TVs and was developed by the CIA and the U.K.s MI5, according to WikiLeaks analysis of the documents.

The Weeping Angel attack attempts to place the target TV in a fake-off mode to trick the owner into believing the devices is off when it is on. In the fake-off mode, the TV set can be used as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a CIA server.

In late 2014, the CIA was also looking for ways to infect vehicle software systems, according to one document.

The CIA units cyber weapons could create serious problems if the agency loses control of them, WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange said in a press release.

There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber weapons, he said. Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such weapons, which results from the inability to contain them combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade.

Samsung and Google, the creator of the Android operating system, didnt immediately respond to questions about potential CIA attacks against their products.
The outspoken Forrest Norrod has never shied away from challenges. Previously, as a server chief at Dell, he helped the companys data-center hardware business flourish, and he loved experimenting with new types of servers.

He has a new challenge as AMDs server chief: to bring back the glory days of chipmakers server business, which is now in tatters. A mega-chip called Naples, which has 32 cores and is based on the Zen architecture, will be the first test of AMDs return to the server market.

The Naples chip will ship to server makers in the second quarter of this year. The benchmarks of Naples are competitive with Intels chips in head-to-head comparisons, said Norrod, senior vice president and general manager of AMDs Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom Business Group.

AMDs return will add much-needed competition to the server chip market, which Intel dominates. Intel has more than a 90 percent market share, and AMDs goal is to steadily siphon off customers.

Customers may welcome AMDs server chips because Intels chips are priced high, with the most expensive chip selling for $8,898. Lower priced AMD chips could give customers bargaining power.

If we look at how they price their consumer products, it stands to reason that the versions of Naples will also undercut Intels pricing, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64.

An AMD discount is already happening with the companys new Ryzen desktop chips, which are significantly cheaper than Intels gaming chips.

The Naples server chips are based on the x86 architecture, but they dont have an official name yet. AMD was once a legitimate threat to Intel, but a series of missteps killed its server business. The decline started with the heavily criticized Bulldozer architecture, and the company later bet its server future on ARM chips, but slow demand knocked the company out of servers.

Naples wont be the only server chip based on Zen. More chips will be revealed as the server chip launch comes closer, Norrod said. Not everyone will buy a 32-core chip, so AMD may release server chips with fewer cores.

The response to Zen has so far been delightful, Norrod said.

Zen server chips are targeted at single- and two-socket servers, which are used for general-purpose and cloud applications. A two-socket system could have eight memory channels, which could help with in-memory applications like databases, which require more bandwidth.

Naples will have more I/O and memory capacity than comparable Intel chips, Narrod said. Those features should help with machine learning, especially when the chip is paired with co-processors like GPUs. AMD hopes to pair Zen server chips with its upcoming Vega GPU, which will be tuned for machine learning.

The high-bandwidth fabric linking two sockets in the chips is unique, which makes them ideal for two-socket servers, Brookwood said.

AMD has already licensed its new server architecture to THATIC (Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment Co. Ltd.), a joint venture in China that is making surrogate Zen chips for the local market. That doesnt mean AMD will hold its Naples chips from the China market, Norrod said.

The Naples chip will take on Intels Skylake server chips, which are scheduled to be used by Google in its cloud servers. One area where the AMD chips will fall short is in high-performance applications, where Intel chips could excel. Intels Skylake server chips will have AVX-512 to run vectorized applications, while AMDs chips have only AVX-128.

There are some algorithms that can benefit from AVX-512, and Intel has been in the high-performance computing area longer than AMD, Brookwood said.

Intel knows where those codes are buried, while AMD is still trying to discover the market, Brookwood said.

There are some applications that will run better on Intels chips, Norrod said. But AMDs Naples has its own unique features that could help the company come firing back into the server market, he said.

In the end, if AMDs chip is competitive on performance, even if slightly slower, customers will consider using it.

If you have comparable performance, then pricings a big deal, Brookwood said.
Though Riverside city officials have shut down more than 100 marijuana businesses since an ordinance was passed in 2007 banning them from the city, the tactics they used to close a Magnolia Center business last week were the harshest.

After months of sending cease-and-desist letters to Re-Up on Central Avenue between San Diego and Riverside avenues, the city red-tagged it, making it illegal to enter the building, and disconnected its utilities, city authorities said.

After the dispensary owners were found using a gas generator to power the facility  a one-story house  police, fire and code enforcement officials raided it Thursday, Feb. 9, boarding it up and removing the operators.

Deputy City Attorney Rahman Gerren said illegal marijuana businesses in Riverside have been red-tagged before, but this is the first time owners have have tried to continue operating. This also was the first time city officials have boarded up a facility themselves.

Its the first time that its been necessary, Gerren said. Generally, through the issuance of notices of violation or the commencement of court processes, the property owner will take necessary action to bring an unlawful detainer action or some other method to remove them.

Gerren said city attorneys were unable to track down the property owner of Re-Ups building.

Generally, Gerren said, when the city is notified of an illegal marijuana business, code enforcement officials will respond to the location, compile a report and give it to the City Attorneys Office. City attorneys will then start an investigation into the business along with officials in the city planning, police, fire and code enforcement departments. Cease-and-desist letters will be sent to the business about the same time, along with complaints filed in Superior Court.

The process, Gerren said, could take anywhere from months to a year.

California Freedom Collective Inc., doing business as Re-Up, filed a lawsuit against the city the day before the raid. The lawsuit claims that the order to shut the business down was unlawful, since the citys ordinance bans only medical marijuana dispensaries and Re-Up is a marijuana business operating under the provisions of Proposition 64, Adult Marijuana Business.

Prop. 64, passed by California voters Nov. 8, legalized the use of recreational marijuana by adults older than 21. However, it does not allow businesses to sell recreational marijuana before the state establishes a licensing system. It does allow cities and counties to ban pot businesses within their borders  a discussion Riverside officials said they would take up soon after the proposition passed.

Redlands-based attorney James DeAguilera, who is representing Re-Up and its owners in the lawsuit, said Re-Up only sold or provided marijuana to people older than 21. Medical marijuana dispensaries can sell or provide marijuana to people 18 and older. DeAguilera said Re-Up only catered to people with medical marijuana cards.

The city has not yet filed a response to Re-Ups lawsuit. The lawsuit asks the court to declare that Re-Up is operating in accordance with laws.

The marijuana issues aside, the facility violated several building codes, Gerren said. Thats what prompted officials to board it up Thursday.

In this case, we couldnt wait because of life and safety concerns, Gerren said It became obvious that the dispensary operator was not going to comply with the red tag.

Gerren said violating a red-tag order is a misdemeanor crime.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9284 or atadayon@scng.com. Twitter: @PE_alitadayon
The fight for control of the Democratic Party has come to Riverside County.

County party Chairman Howard Katz had arranged for Eric Bauman and Kimberly Ellis, the candidates running to lead the state party, to speak in the county on separate dates  Bauman on March 13, Ellis on April 10. But Katz canceled the events after learning of plans to protest and confront Bauman.

Bauman, the state partys vice chairman, is running against Ellis, the former executive director of a group that helps elect Democratic women, for the right to succeed retiring Chairman John Burton. The new chair will be elected at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento in May.

The race is a skirmish in the ongoing showdown between progressive activists and more establishment Democrats over the partys direction. During last summers Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, delegates for Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, accused party leaders of helping the more moderate Hillary Clinton win the partys presidential nomination.

The schism also factored into last months DNC chairman vote, with establishment favorite Tom Perez narrowly beating out Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who was endorsed by Sanders and liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

With Donald Trump in the White House, a movement of ardent progressives, convinced that Democratic leaders are out of touch and too focused on their own wealth and power, is determined to take over the party and chart a new course.

Their favorite candidate in California is Ellis, the former executive director of a group that helps Democratic women win elected office. They see Bauman as beholden to the pharmaceutical industry  they say he scuttled Democratic support for last years failed ballot measure to cap drug prices  and more interested in lining his pockets than serving the public.

In a Facebook post about the canceled event, Bauman, who denies trying to derail the drug price initiative, wrote: I would never have cancelled this event. I think, distortions of my record nothwithstanding, my record a leader of the only (Democratic) Party in our nation that has been more than successful speaks for itself.

According to Joey Aszterbaum, a self-described Berniecrat from Hemet whose slate of candidates won elections to become party delegates in January, the plan was to have protesters outside the Bauman event on March 13 with people inside displaying Ellis signs and asking Bauman tough questions.

Everyone who is able to vote in the election for state party chair would have been able to ask questions of Bauman and Ellis, Katz said. Ellis was set to speak April 10.

I anticipated a mature response to the equanimity the (Riverside County Democratic Party) was offering, Katz said. I was wrong.

He said he canceled the events because: I was not going to put the members of the (party) in an unsafe situation arriving at, during, and leaving the events. I was not going to put the event location in an awkward position of having to deal with a potentially unruly crowd of demonstrators.

Katz added: It appears that Joey Aszterbaum would rather demonstrate and tear down than participate and build from within. If he were really interested in building and convincing others of the value of his positions and ideas, he should have volunteered to help the (county party) stage the events and make them better as a joint effort.

Aszterbaum, a Sanders delegate in Philadelphia, is not backing down.

I think theres positive and negative here, he said. The positive is that clearly, people are interested in the Democratic process  (They say) I want to go to a central committee meeting. I want to know whos chair of Democratic Party. The central committee is afraid of the people  they know they work for the people and clearly the power lies with the people.

The negative side is they dont want them involved in the process, Aszterbaum said. They like the way that its been quiet and that people arent involved.

Aszterbaum added: The days of the professional Democrat are done. Delegates like me, Ill protest them all the way to the floor of the convention. This is a reason why we have a Trump presidency, is because our leaders are not answering to the people.

The regular county central committee meeting slated for March 13 will take place as scheduled.
Donald Trumps presidency provides lessons, challenges and the biggest story of their lifetime for journalists, a former New York Times executive editor told an audience at UC Riverside on Monday, March 6.

Bill Keller delivered the 48th annual Hays Press-Enterprise lecture, titled The News Media in the Age of Trump, to roughly 300 people.

His career at the Times spanned 30 years and included stints as a correspondent in South Africa and Moscow before serving as the newspapers top editor from 2003 to 2011. Today, Keller is editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization focused on criminal justice journalism.

Keller, 68, started by describing a post-election talk he had with reporters from a New York-based public radio station despondent over the state of journalism.

In truth, our business has much to account for, and we are in uncharted waters, and it is an unsettling time, Keller said. But it is also true that we have an immense and complicated news story to cover, and a trustworthy, independent press is more necessary than ever.

While statistics are essential to investigative journalism, reporters should rethink their love affair with data, Keller said.

Political journalism, Keller said, used to be like anthropology, relying on field work, on long, in-depth interviews  If you spent enough time, you could plumb the mood of the electorate  including things they wouldnt necessarily tell a pollster.

Polls failed to capture the breadth of Trumps support in the Rust Belt, he said.

Keller said he suspected it was because Trump voters did not want to tell some smarty-pants kid on the phone that they planned to vote for an immigrant-bashing reality TV star.

Journalists must resist the urge to prognosticate, said Keller, a 1970 graduate of Pomona College.

The imperative to predict, to anticipate the next news cycle, takes us beyond reporting into guessing, which means we get things wrong, which means our credibility suffers, he said, later adding: Maybe we should force ourselves to linger a while over what happened today, and why, or go back to yesterdays story and dig a little deeper.

To rebuild the publics trust, tone is important, Keller said. The more our tone sounds dismissive or snide or confrontational or morally superior  that is, the more we sound like Donald Trump  the less our readers will trust us.

Keller said he didnt object to calling something a lie when its clearly warranted, and I think calling out falsehoods in real time is a healthy development.

But we want to be careful of language that confirms the suspicion of Trump voters who believe were out to get him. Speak truth to power, but speak it in a calm, confident voice.

In a way, Trump has been good for the press, from motivating journalists to reject White House spin and do real reporting and boosting subscriptions for the Times and The Washington Post to generating a festival of leaks from bureaucrats defending their work and White House insiders at war with each other, Keller said.

I dont want to sound complacent about the Trump administrations war on truth. I think its profoundly worrying, Keller said. I just find the discussion of what it means for the press a littleself-absorbed,unless you put it in the context of what it means for American democracy.

Who will trust us to abide by arms agreements, trade deals, and mutual defense pacts if we are famous for thinking the facts are fungible? Who will take seriously our exhortations to other countries to honor human rights? he added. That to me is more worrisome than the impact on the press.
An un-civil war

Re: Reports: FBI chief wants Justice Department to reject Trump wiretap claim, March 5. There is no reason or proof behind the allegation that Obama had Trump Tower wiretapped, reminiscent of the Watergate scandal? What absolute bunk! See the FISA Act info for the truth.

There is a most un-civil war being fought in our country since the 2016 presidential election primaries ended. It is without a single shot fired that good reputations are now being murdered in the left-leaning mass media.

Is any of this in the best interest of the American people? The reasons for the continuing War on the Trump Administration are easily seen by all of the people who voted to make this political outsider our president.

The continuing news stories that Trump and his appointees are being impugned without proof of wrongdoing by the Democrat machine have been echoed repeatedly by sore minority losers Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.

Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election is not news, any more than Obamas failed attempt at sending his political operatives to Israel to try to upset the Israeli election of Bebe Netanyahu was news at the time.

What is news has been the rise of paid political protesters that continue to sow the seeds of even more division and disruption of public safety in the current shadow government led by our past president, Barack Obama.

Former President Obamas continuing efforts to defy and derail our new administrations agenda is the biggest scandal of our times.

We, the people, in a free and fair election, chose Donald J. Trump as our leader to drain the swamp in Washington. Now, it is clear that he is standing in a river, and he needs to be wearing his hip boots.

 Rita Sandor, Corona

Honor will of the people

Letter-writer Joseph Chastain said it all when writing about legalizing marijuana. Proposition 64 got more yes votes than Hillary Clinton got for president in this state.

Why do we continue to be ruled by a mere handful of local politicians who go against the will of the voters? I, for one, will not spend any extra money in these cities that go against the will of the voters.

Lets start a movement where we spend our money in cities that dont go against the voters.

 Bill Christensen, Banning
English Swedish

Swedish central government payments resulted in a surplus of SEK 42.9 billion in February. The Debt Office's forecast was a surplus of SEK 48.2 billion. The difference is mainly due to higher net lending to government agencies and slightly lower tax income than calculated.

Tax income was SEK 2 billion lower than forecast.

The Debt Office's net lending to government agencies was SEK 2.7 billion higher than calculated. The difference is mainly due to unexpected lending to the Nuclear Waste Fund.

Interest payments on central government debt were SEK 0.7 billion higher than calculated.

For the twelve-month period up to the end of February 2017, central government payments resulted in a surplus of SEK 74.8 billion.

Central government debt amounted to SEK 1,329 billion at the end of February.

The outcome for March will be published on 7 April at 9.30 a.m.

Contact

Hakan Carlsson, Senior Analyst +46 (0)8 613 47 33

Robert Sennerdal, Press Secretary, +46 (0)8 613 46 94

Central government net borrowing requirement1 (SEK million) Outcome Feb. Forecast Feb. Deviation Feb. Acc. Dev2 Outcome 12-month Net borrowing requirement -42 884 -48 151 5 267 5 267 -74 802 Primary borrowing requirement excl. net lending3 -43 744 -45 662 1 918 1 918 -92 909 Net lending to agencies etc. -582 -3 233 2 651 2 651 12 714 Interest payments on central government debt 1 442 744 698 698 5 393 - Interest on loans in SEK 1 391 885 506 506 7 503 - Interest on loans in foreign currency 18 -19 37 37 520 - Realised currency gains and losses 33 -122 155 155 -2 630 1 The net borrowing requirement corresponds to the budget balance with opposite sign. 2 Sum of monthly forecast deviations since last forecast (February 2017). 3 Net of the state's primary income and expenditure excluding net lending to agencies.

More data on the borrowing requirement and government debt:

https://www.riksgalden.se/en/For-investors/Borrowing-and-the-government-debt/

The monthly outcome of the central government net borrowing requirement is included in the official statistics of Sweden.
A threat made by a Beaumont middle school student Monday, March 6, has been deemed not credible by police.

A Mountain View Middle School student made comments early in the day about bringing a firearm to school and using it, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.

Officers were notified about 9:50 a.m. and activated the Kids with Guns Protocol, a checklist police go through that helps them investigate the credibility of threats toward schools and students. They determined the student posed no immediate threat to the school, the release said.

Police will not seek charges against the student, the release said.
Hello Mr Dramani Mahama,

I have always wanted to pen down this letter right after you lost the December 7, 2016 elections but my numerous travels have always been a stumbling block. Luckily, I have had some hiatus as a result of the 60th independence celebration and exactly a day after the celebration marks your two-month service as a former president.

I must say you stunned in the anniversary shirt at the Independence Square on Monday. Your ex-presidency unlike Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuors is quite unusual as you have another chance to be president. I believe you will come back, if not in 2020, in 2024 and by then I hope you will govern with lessons learnt from the period you were president.

Yes! I have admired you not only because you read the same course I did at the University of Ghana  History  and proceeded to the School of Communication, where I also took up an MA, but also because you have a flair for writing, which is good. One thing that struck me when you made your intentions clear in 2012, a few days after the death of your predecessor Professor J.E.A Mills, was that you were a Ghana leader. Indeed, you lived out the remainder of Prof Mills tenure as the first president to have been born after 1957 and by your election in 2012, you became the first elected post-Gold Coast born president. Indeed, your trump card of being a youth brought you many admirers including me. How I was wowed by your use of palmtops and iPads!

As a youthful leader in my own right, if any person throws in youthful exuberance as a trump card, my mind goes straight to the post-Solomon era in the Holy Bible. I am talking about Rehoboam, who became king after his father Solomon. After he succeeded his father, some men led by Jeroboam came to him to plead for a lessening of the burden imposed on them by the wisest king ever. After giving them three days within which period he was going to get back to them, Rehoboam took the counsel of young men instead of the old men: My little finger shall be thicker than my fathers loins.

And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. If you read I Kings 12 in the Bible, you will find the end to the story. Rehoboam lost a majority of the kingdom to Jeroboam. I felt you lost the last elections because you took counsel from young folks. I was gobsmacked when you stated openly that no one can criticize you except ex-presidents. I felt ashamed as I thought there were some positions in this country that are far above that presidential seat. Indeed, politics has made being a president the only ambition for many.

I think, arguably, being an honourable priest or a chief with integrity or even an eminent judge is far beyond becoming a president and for you to zero your critics only to ex-presidents was curious for me. Little wonder a week later in the Volta Region you confessed some elderly men have called you to tone down on such remarks. I am sure they were piqued by your remark, made at an Accra rally in November, 2015, if my memory serves me right.

I felt more sorry for the Council of State, members of which are to give you counsel. But the picture became palpably clear to me in the Montie 3 saga. After eminent judges of the Supreme Court have sentenced the three young men to jail terms, pressure was mounted on you by young men among whom were your young appointees.

They brought you a petition and you shocked the nation by accepting to honour their request without recourse to what the wise judges had done and probably the Council of State had advised. This same young appointees misled you into thinking you had won the 2016 elections. Even when results had your opponents in pole position, you were told your party was in a comfortable lead. I know your real self would have conceded defeat earlier than you did as was evidenced in the period within which you knew you had won the 2012 elections. A day after the elections, which ran on December 7-8, you jubilated, a gesture which meant you had your own internal mechanisms to track the results. Your concession, which came after all the other presidential candidates had done theirs, was not significant let alone encouraging. Anyway, thank you for relinquishing after all because an older person would have held on to power, a bane in Africa.

I saw you cruising at a Kenya national park, where I have been a couple of times. I hope you saw how they are making wildlife tourism count for them. I pray that you return to power so that the likes of the Kakum and Mole national park would see some touch-ups. I am sure your second coming will not see you consulting more often the young ones but the old, brainy folks. Even if you are tempted to call on the young, be selective. Some, indeed have great ideas to offer on the table. On this day that you mark your second month as an ex-president, I wish you a blissful day and dedicate Barry Whites 1974 classic Cant get Enough of your Love for your listening pleasure.

By Manuel Richards

The writer is a Ghanaian journalist.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The abuse of human rights has long bedeviled the Ghanaian.

Criminal practices continue to be perpetrated by both foreign

and local elements. Of explicit memory was the case of an

African American, who married a local girl and put her up at



Adenta some sixteen years ago. He brought upon her grave

abuse, which was reported, but did not go viral because there

was no social media at the time (or that he was American).

In one of his effusions, he was said to have told her to

remember that she was the child of slaves, ironically,

forgetting his roots were from this beautiful continent called

Africa.



There was also the case of a Chinese person who made an employee

lick back his own spit because he spat on the factory floor.

But we did not agitate, why?



HOW CRIMINAL and HEINOUS!



I was deranged to hear of a rather bizarre incident at the Labadi

branchof Marwako. It was alleged that a foreigner managing the

place shoved the face of a lady employee in fresh ground pepper

for ten minutes, and locked her up in a room for over six hours.

Something must have happened, but my colleague media

practitioners should have been more professional and circumspect

with their reportage in their zeal to fight injustice.



Professional media houses like Peace fm and citi fm to whom I doff

my hat, should have heard the other side of the story instead of

starting a crisis for a local business company with over four hundred

employees. One couldnt stand ten seconds in pepper much less 600

seconds (10 minutes). Besides, Ghanaians will never stand aloof and

watch such gross abuse of human rights take place before their very

eyes. So I would have thought that responsible reporting might have

done this case a lot of good such that justice would be obtained for all.



In light of the revelations, it so turned out that the culprit splashed the

ground pepper into a bowl and some jettisoned onto the victims face.

Yes, he was foolishly and unnecessarily angry but to have locked her up

in a room for well over six hours without treatment would have killed the

girl.



So my brethren, it is a matter of reasoning. There is no doubt in my mind

that the girl needs to be compensated appropriately and the culprit

deported soonest.



However, all said and done, having noticed the backlash of

unprecedented xenophobic rhetoric against Lebanese and

foreigners in general, it is the civil responsibility of every citizen

to understand that we do not wish a second South Africa in our

country. As we fight foreign authorities to save the lives

of Ghanaians abroad, we must also endeavour to be fair

to foreigners in our land.



There is no doubt that singular and isolated incidents of abuse do

happen, and when they do, no particular race must be punished

collectively for such individual cases. Why must a whole race be

punished for a singular incident of this nature? Lebanese have

been in Ghana for well over one hundred and fifty years.

Some even toiled with their local brethren in the Ghanaian

fight for independence, so must such a rich history of

inter-racial coexistence be jeopardized because of the

criminal folly of one individual?



Calling for the boycotting of Marwako is tantamount to destroying the

livelihoods of over 400 employees of that fast food chain. These people

are paid and well catered for. For what it is worth, it is as criminal as

the isolated acts of abuse that we kick against to begin a boycott

campaign against Marwako. On the night of March 5, I stopped by

the Abelenkpe branch of Marwako to satisfy my grumbling belly.



Lo and behold, four thugs on bikes pulled up to the side of the building

and rushed into the restaurant. They ransacked the place, struck the tall

chicken grill with a chair, and tried to make away with the cash register.

As they did that, they hurled many xenophobic abuses until they were

accosted by the security and some workers of the branch, who got

beaten up in the process, too. Is that the kind of mob justice

we journalists want to hype?



My colleague media folks, is this the line we want to tow as Ghana

celebrates her 60th Independence anniversary?



Never shall the days of undignified assault return to our dear country.

We will never allow that we be tormented in our own country, but we

must also never allow ourselves to torment foreigners who have been

at peace with us for over one and half centuries due to the singular

and individual act of a raging brute.



Let us diffuse this unnecessary tension as the victim seeks legal redress.



We call on the Police to investigate this matter fair and square. We also

demand of the Ghana Immigration Service to revoke the permit of the

assailant and tag him as Persona non Grata.







Signed



Fadi Dabbousi

Convener, Alert Ghana

Cc: All media Houses LMVCA

Ghana Must Know Forum

All Civil Society Groups

Source: Fadi Dabbousi/ Convener, Alert 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.

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President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe who has been accused of sleeping at the 60th Independence Anniversary parade in Accra has gained attention on social media.



On various social media platforms, Mr Mugabe's presence was being discussed with excitement.



Robert Mugabe, was among the many African leaders who also partook in Ghanas 60 Independence Day anniversary parade.



He is one of the most popular African leaders in Ghana.



He gained much popularity in the West African country over some striking comments he made especially with regards to his countrys stance on homosexuality. Some Ghanaians have taken to social media to share various comments and observations from the former AU leaders presence at the anniversary celebration.

Tweets below-

Source: pulse.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Employment Minister has directed managers of Marwako Fast Food to produce a report over an alleged assault of a female worker within a week.



Ignatius Baffour Awuah told the media Tuesday the report of the company would assist the ministry in its investigation of the issue. He stated the Employment Ministry will not fail to sanction the company if it is found culpable.



Marwako Restaurant is in the news after a Lebanese supervisor; Tihad Chaaban manhandled a worker, Evelyn Boakye for working slowly. He is reported to have dipped the head of the lady into a hot pepper sauce amidst hurling of invectives at her on February 26, 2017.



Mr Chaaban refused to let go of Ms Boakye despite pleas from other workers, a colleague narrated.



The issue has generated public outcry with sections of Ghanaians calling for the immediate deportation of the supervisor. The police arrested Mr Chaaban and charged him for assault. He was later granted a police inquiry bail pending conclusion of investigations.



A line manager of the Restaurant, Bernard Opoku went in defence of the action of the Lebanese. He told an Accra-based radio station that the Supervisor did no harm to Ms Boakye.Mr Chaaban has rendered an apology to the worker asking to be forgiven for what he did.



But the Employment and Gender Ministries have assured Ghanaians they will apply the laws of the country to the letter.



Gender Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has said justice would be served the alleged victim if investigations authenticate the claim. She promised to ensure that no Ghanaian woman suffers any form of abuse in the hands of their employers.



The company in its response assured the Ministries it will submit the report before the deadline.

Source: myjoyonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Defense Minister of state under the erstwhile John Agyekum Kufuor administration, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor has challenged anyone with information about his offshore bank accounts and local bank balances to disclose the full details to the public.



The former Defense Minister and a younger brother of the former President is reported to be the richest politician in Ghana with loads of cash stashed in various accounts locally and internationally.



But speaking on the issue for the first time and ahead of the 60th Independence Day on Kumasi-based Nhyira Fm, he dispelled the rumor and challenged those behind such information to produce evidence to the public to buttress such claims.



I dare those who are saying that I have bagged such amount in my foreign accounts to come with evidence. .If it turns out to be true, I will give one third to that person and the rest to Ghana, he told the host



Dr. Addo Kufuor believes those behind such publications have an agenda against his person and in the pursuit of their clandestine agenda are going about making such unsubstantiated claims.



According to him, it will be an indictment on his person and relations to steal state money at the expense of the poor citizenry and divert such ill-gotten cash into his personal accounts.



He charged Ghanaians to support the new government of President Nana Akufo-Addo and reposed confidence in him in order to better their lives as promised during the campaigning period.

Source: mynewsgh.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the [email protected] Independence Day Parade as a national embarrassment. He has therefore suggested that the planners of the event should be sanctioned for embarrassing the country.



He said, obviously you dont need a meeting to say that the event was a flop. The handing over ceremony was far better than the independence anniversary. My assessment shows that the handing over was far successful than the 60 anniversary celebration.



Mr. Asiedu Nketia revealed that the special invited guest were asked to be seated by 7:00 am per the invitation given them but time was wasted as we have to sit for two hours and wait for the president who was billed to arrive at 10:00 am. This was insulting, and I think the organizers must be held responsible for their failures, he stated.



He also slammed the organizers for also failing to allow the special guest of honour, Robert Mugabe to even make a comment.



Mr. Johnson Asiedu further lambasted the organizers for also printing the anniversary cloth in China when we have companies in Ghana to print them. He concluded, Nana Addo's delay was a planned delay and the organizers do not have an excuse.

Source: rainbowradioonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Deputy Chief of Staff Abu Jinapor says President Akufo-Addo's decision not to don the official [email protected] anniversary for the independence day parade was deliberate.



The deputy Chief of Staff says the choice of the smock was to represent Northern Ghana where the attire is an iconic cultural feature.



The vice-chairman of the [email protected] anniversary planning committee said during the inauguration of the NPP government on January 7, President had donned a beautiful kente to represent the South where the intricately woven cloth is symbolic.



The defence comes after Ghana's critical and mocking social media jumped on the President's 'bad taste' of attire for the independence day parade. Critics say on the day when all eyes were fixed on the President, he failed to mobilise Ghanaians to patronise the anniversary cloth.



They questioned how the government could set a theme of the celebrations as 'mobilising for a better future' when it could not even mobilise Ghanaians to buy the locally printed anniversary cloth.



The president was not alone in the firing line of criticisms. The Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia also wore an elaborate blue 'agbada' accompanied by his wife,Samira, in a dress choice which also snubbed the anniversary cloth.



All former Presidents wore the anniversary cloth except President Kufuor. A former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings also wore the cloth but not the current First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo. Abu Jinapor explained that the President first wore his anniversary cloth when he attended a premiering of a documentary of the independence struggle in Accra.



He assured Ghanaians, there will be 'several opportunities' for the president to wear the cloth.

Source: JFM/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.

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GEIGER COUNTER LIMITED - AGM

Geiger Counter Limited held it's Annual General Meeting on the 7 March 2017 at Ordnance House, 31 Pier Road, St Helier, Jersey.

The Chairman of the AGM is pleased to report that the following ordinary resolutions, each as listed in the notice of annual general meeting distributed in December 2016, were passed by the members:

To receive and adopt the Report of the Directors and the financial statements of the Company for the year ended 30 September 2016, together with the auditor's report thereon. That KPMG Channel Islands Limited, Chartered Accountants, be re-appointed as Auditor and that the Directors be authorised to determine their remuneration. To approve the Directors' Remuneration Report for the year ended 30 September 2016. That, pursuant to article 46.1 of the Articles of Association of the Company ("the Articles"), the Directors shall extend the life of the Company from the eleventh anniversary of the First Closing Date until the next annual general meeting of the Company, when a further extension will be sought. That ordinary shares (the "new shares") may be issued by the Company in one or more tranches over a period from the date of the AGM to the next AGM of the Company, at a premium over the net asset value per share and that such issue of new shares is approved in accordance with article 7.1 of the Company's Articles. To re-elect George Baird, a Director retiring by rotation, as a Director. To re-elect Gary Clark, a Director retiring by rotation, as a Director. To re-elect James Leahy, a Director retiring by rotation, as a Director. To re-elect Richard Lockwood, a Director retiring by rotation, as a Director.

The Chairman is pleased to report that the following special resolution, as listed in the notice of Annual General Meeting distributed in December 2016, was passed by the members:

That the Company be and is hereby generally and unconditionally authorised, pursuant to and in accordance with article 57 of the Companies (Jersey) Law, 1991 (as amended) (the "Law") to make market purchases of its own ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the "ordinary shares") on such terms and in such manner as the Directors of the Company shall from time to time determine, provided that: the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares hereby authorised to be purchased shall be such number as represents 14.99 per cent of the aggregate number of ordinary shares in issue as at 7 March 2017; the minimum price which may be paid for an ordinary share shall be 1p; the maximum price exclusive of any expenses which may be paid for an ordinary share is an amount equal to the higher of 5 per cent above the average of the middle market quotations for an ordinary share as derived from the London Stock Exchange for the five business days immediately preceding the date on which such ordinary share is contracted to be purchased; the authority hereby conferred shall expire on 18 months from the date of this Special Resolution, unless previously revoked, varied or renewed by the Company in general meeting; the Company may at any time prior to the expiry of such authority make a contract or contracts to purchase ordinary shares under such authority which will or might be completed or executed wholly or partly after the expiration of such authority and may make a purchase of ordinary shares in pursuance of any such contract or contracts; the Directors of the Company provide a statement of solvency in accordance with articles 53-57 of the Law; and such shares are acquired for cancellation.

For more information please contact:

Craig Cleland

New City Investment Managers Limited

Tel: +44 (0) 2072015368

Lisa Neil

R&H Fund Services (Jersey) Limited

Tel: +44 (0) 1534 825336
QLD Police have detailed more horrific details in the case of the 22-year-old British backpacker, found by police after reportedly being held captive and raped over a period of 2 months.

The young woman was discovered by police this past Sunday afternoon, after filling up a car with petrol and driving off without paying from a petrol station at Mitchell in central QLD.

Police caught up to the vehicle a short while later and, after questioning the woman, discovered a man hiding in a secret alcove of the car. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged with a number of offences, including rape, assault, depravation of liberty, and obstructing police.

In a press briefing on the case this afternoon, police confirmed that the British womans ordeal had begun on January 2nd, when she and her captor left Cairns. Over the course of the ensuing two months the pair reportedly travelled extensively throughout Queensland, where the accused man allegedly committed a series of offences on the woman, which included depravation of liberty and sexual assault.

A police spokesman confirmed that the pair had had a prior relationship that at some point had gone sour, at which point the accused man took the woman captive and her 2-month ordeal began.

It was also confirmed that the backpacker was suffering injuries that included facial fractures, scratches and abrasions to her neck area, along with other bruising. Police asserted that the case is being considered as a domestic violence-related issue.

Authorities also noted that circumstances surrounding the her physical location, as well as limited opportunity, provided little chance for the backpacker to make an escape at any point prior to being picked up by police on Sunday:

We dont want to speculate but it is fair to say that she is a tourist. A lot of the areas where she wouldve been wouldve been unknown to her, and she wouldnt have known anyone there. So it wouldve been difficult for her to make an escape, and if she had then to try and link up with people. From the information weve been provided she had very limited opportunity to try and do that anyway.

Detective Inspector Paul Hart noted that the ordeal endured by the 22-year-old woman was quite significant, and that she was considering returning home to the UK as a result.

We would certainly say that whats happened to this lady is quite catastrophic so there are numerous supports that are being put in place to help her out during through this period.

Meanwhile, a petrol station attendee in Mitchell is being praised for having the initiative to follow the car in order to take down its registration plate, after the distressed woman filled the car up and drove off without paying.

.@Danielle_Rob: A petrol worker has been praised for helping police find a distressed backpacker in Nth Qld MORE: https://t.co/KH4ePBz85d pic.twitter.com/F5ZYWtUSix  Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) March 7, 2017

The 22-year-old man accused of perpetrating this horrific ordeal was remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.

Source: ABC News.

Photo: Google Maps.
The Trump-inspired Law & Order: SVU episode has become something of an urban legend by this point. First announced during the presidential campaign, the episode  which reportedly was about a Trump-like presidential candidate accused of sexual assault  has been postponed three times.

Now Trumps been president for nearly two months, and still no sight of the ep. Executive producer Dick Wolf said during a press tour that he expected it to air some time during American spring  i.e. very soon  but that he didnt know.

Itd be wild for them still release it, but its unlikely it ever will be. Ice-T, who plays the perennially surprised Fin Tutuola on the show, spoke to Vanity Fair and said that he doubted itll ever be shown, and that its not even really that good.

I dont even think its worth showing, he said. It wasnt one of our best shows.

Explaining the general narrative arc of the episode, Ice went on:

There was this guy who was running for presidenthe was very Trump-ish, and girls were coming out of the woodwork saying he was raping them. And me and Mariska [Hargitay, who plays Lt. Olivia Benson],were on his bumper, and hes sweating it. But at the end of the day, it comes out that he was innocent. He didnt do it. So weve got to apologize, and hes still doing his thing, talking his shit. And it turns out that his campaign advisor, who was his best friend, was booby-trapping him because he knew he would be terrible for America!

He says that though the Law & Order series likes to be inspired by the truth, this one hit a little too close to home, and NBC got spooked. Its worth noting that NBC also air Trumps own golden baby The Apprentice, so who knows if that was a factor.

They were, like, Oh, shit! And then they said, Oh, my God, its going to look like You know, because Law & Order wants to be close, but not too close. Also, I think [Cole], he channeled Trump. So even though this guy he played wasnt Trump, he acted like Trump. I think NBC just said, You know what? This might be cheesy or corny. And to put it out now, its old and stuff. So I think they just got rid of it. I dont know if they burned the shit or whatever. They paid me for it. I dont give a fuck, really. I got my money!

Still, you gotta admit that itd be wild to straight up launch an episode featuring a cartoonish caricature of the president being an accused sexual predator several months into his term, long after those allegations failed to dent his campaign.

At least Ice-T got paid.

Source: Vanity Fair.

Photo: Law & Order: SVU.
"Almost every day, there was pushing, shoving and being pinned against the wall for the past three months."

Those are some of the many haunting words of a mother of four who returned to her Northampton County, Pa., home Friday morning from dropping her kids off at school, only to find her estranged, live-in boyfriend and accused killer lying in wait with a shotgun in the garage.

Just that Monday, Lisa Menzo-Santoro, 47, finally received the protection from abuse order against her accused killer -- ex-boyfriend Leonard Moser, 45, who took his own life with a shotgun blast to the head after police pulled him over about six miles from the crime scene later the same day as her murder.

In a detailed story, our sister website, LehighValleyLive.com, details the heated arguments and instances of alleged abuse in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting, all drawn from transcripts Related to the protection from abuse filing:

Menzo-Santoro was successful in gaining an emergency protection-from-abuse order from District Judge James Narlesky after police were called twice to her address on Feb. 25. Up until that point, she was unable to get Moser to leave the house where she lived with her four children, and where Moser had been a resident for the last year of their two-year relationship.

But on Feb. 25, they fought and the PFA finally came through soon thereafter, according to LehighValleyLive.com and based on Menzo-Santoro's PFA filing:

The fight began with Moser telling her she was a bad mother, calling her names and refusing to leave the home they shared for about a year during their two-year relationship.

Moser took her car keys and phone during the dispute and when she tried to retrieve them, he pushed her into a bedroom window and broke the shades, she said. Menzo-Santoro said when police arrived at 1:16 p.m., Moser -- he called them the first time -- told officers he was afraid of her and everything that happened was because of her.

Menzo-Santoro called the police again at 3:30 p.m., stating the verbal abuse was getting worse and Moser was in a rage, pushing and shoving her. When she tried to leave, he blocked in the car and said he would call police and say she stole the car.

"I told police I was scared because I had no means to leave and I was being held hostage," Menzo-Santoro stated in PFA filing.

"I am very afraid of him. I am looking over my shoulder. I am afraid he will come back," she wrote of Moser, according to the filing. "He has controlled every aspect of my life. He has tried to cut me off of friends," she wrote.

Unfortunately, it was just one of several instances she detailed in court records. In another from earlier in the month, he is alleged to have broken her wrist as she drove on Route 22:

On Feb. 10, the couple was headed to the airport for a Florida trip for her teen daughter's cheering competition. Menzo-Santoro said Moser from the passenger seat tried to grab the wheel and steer her into oncoming traffic. He eventually grabbed her wrist and twisted it, causing a fracture, she said.

During the fighting, her vehicle ran someone else off the road, she said.

"As I was trying to fight the wheel back, he grabbed (my) wrist and the steering wheel and my wrist got twisted," she said.

Menzo-Santoro said she feared going to the emergency room for treatment because Moser was with her, and she later told doctors she was hurt in a fall.

Police on Feb. 14 returned to the Saddle Drive home when she was thrown against the wall by Moser with her neck pinned and he was banging her arm against the wall, according to court records.

On Feb. 15, Moser texted her repeatedly and was irate when Menzo-Santoro was at the physician's office getting her wrist into a cast. He later showed up at the doctor's office, telling her to tell nurses that she fell and that's what caused her wrist to break, records said.

Fighting continued in the following days with Menzo-Santoro stating Moser threatened to "post photos and videos of us" on social media and send them to her four children and mother.

"Then, he sends me one of the photos like to prove he has them," she stated. "No words. Just photo -- as a reminder that this is what will happen."

She later alleged that she found a needle and a steroid bottle in the home, as well as two needles folded in his shirts as she was packing up his clothes the night before he ultimately left.

Alas, even the PFA that came on Monday couldn't protect her.

Menzo-Santoro was fatally shot multiple times as she sat in her car inside her home's garage on Friday morning, having just returned from dropping her kids at school.

Police say it was an ambush-style assassination by Moser, who laid in wait with a shotgun. She never had a chance.

Menzo-Santoro leaves behind four children -- one in college, one in high school and two in elementary grades. Thankfully, they were all in school at the time of the shooting.
Hey, Catholics in the Diocese of Harrisburg, good news: You can break your fast on St. Patrick's Day. And enjoy your corned beef and cabbage.

That's the word from Bishop Ronald Gainer, announced at parishes throughout the diocese. Here's the announcement from the Feb. 19 church bulletin at St. Theresa's in New Cumberland:

Lent is a period of time between Ash Wednesday and Easter that is geared towards spiritual purification, meditation and penance. It lasts around 40 days, not including Sundays, drawing from the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert before starting his ministry.

Fasting and abstinence are traditional parts of Lent. If you're Catholic, that means no meat (unless it's fish) on Fridays. As far as "giving up something for Lent," that's a form of fasting. Its purpose is to symbolize penance, remorse for one's sins. This can also be done by giving up a luxury or by completing acts of charity.

From the church bulletin Feb. 26 at St. Theresa's Parish in New Cumberland: "Catholics age 14 and older abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. In addition, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics from age 18-59 fast, limiting themselves to one full meal and two smaller meals each day."

So Catholics were already getting dispensation on Sundays, since as feast days they aren't a part of the 40 days of Lent. But this year, Catholics in the Diocese of Harrisburg and elsewhere get dispensation on St. Patrick's Feast Day, March 17, which falls on a Friday during Lent -- though they are urged to choose another day of the week to observe the fast and abstinence.

Feast days celebrate an event or a person in the Catholic Church. They are meant to be a period of reflection on one's relationship with God as well. You can learn more about feast days here.

This has been tradition for bishops of Pennsylvania and other areas highly influenced by Irish Catholic immigrants. To this day, Philadelphia boasts one of the nation's largest Irish-American populations. (Archbishop Charles Chaput also granted dispensation for St. Paddy's Day.)

St. Patrick is also the patron saint of the Diocese of Harrisburg (hence St. Patrick's Cathedral downtown, the home parish of the diocese). Catholics from Germany and Ireland both came to settle around John Harris' ferry landing across the Susquehanna River and the ensuing city that grew in the area. It was the Irish settlers that no doubt led to the establishment of Ireland's favorite holy man to also be named Harrisburg's patron saint. The Catholic diocese of Harrisburg was established in 1868, and Harrisburg's St. Patrick's Cathedral was finished in 1907.

So boil your ham, get your corned beef ready and dig in. If you're looking for something a little different to try, check out Mimi Brodeur's list of 12 best Irish dishes and where to get them.

For more on St. Patrick's Day in Pennsylvania:
J.C. Lee | jlee@pennlive.com

Pennsylvania is a state of many firsts. It had the first hospital, theater, zoo and commercial pretzel factory in the country, among many other inventions and historic moments. Read through the list to see if youre familiar with how much of a trailblazer the Keystone State has been since before the founding of the United States.

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(KireevI / Shutterstock)

The first protest against slavery

Four German Quakers issued the first formal protest against slavery in Britain's North American colonies in 1688, according to Explore PA History. The protesters argued that slavery was not Christian, as it went against the golden rule and that people had as much a right to their bodies as they do to their conscience. Furthermore, the pacifist Quakers would not be able to quell a slave rebellion.

Slavery would also stop German and Dutch from immigrating to the colonies because they might abhor the practice.

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Pictured is Benjamin Franklin. (Wikiimages / Pixabay)

The first organization dedicated to science in the country

Benjamin Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society in 1743, according to Visit Philly. The organization sought to pursue "all philosophical Experiments that let Light into the Nature of Things, tend to increase the Power of Man over Matter, and multiply the Conveniences or Pleasures of Life," according to its website. Its members included Founding Fathers George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and more.

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(DarkoStojanovic / Pixabay)

The first hospital in the country

Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond founded Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751, according to its website. The hospital at the corner of South Eighth and Pine streets started accepting patients in 1756.

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U. S. Marines walk during a U.S. Independence Day reception in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, Pool)

The first U.S. Marines recruited in the country

The Continental Congress drafted a resolution for two battalions of Marines to fight on land and on shore leading up to the American Revolution in 1775, according to the U.S. Marine Corps' website. Captain and commanding officer Samuel Nicholas visits inns and taverns throughout Philadelphia to recruit people into the Continental Marines.

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(DarkoStojanovic / Pixabay)

J.C. Lee | jlee@pennlive.com

The first school of medicine in the country

The University of Pennsylvania started its School of Medicine in 1765, according to its website. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was later established in 1874 as the first teaching hospital in the United States.

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Shown is the Liberty Bell in view of Independence Hall on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The first capitol of the United States

The First Continental Congress, which included representatives from the 13 colonies at the time, convened in Philadelphia in 1774, according to the U.S. Senate's website. Other Pennsylvania cities that have served as capitols include Lancaster and York for the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and 1778 respectively.

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(orythys / Pixabay)

The first abolition law in the United States

The Pennsylvania Assembly passed the "Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery" in 1780, according to the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission's website. It stated that African Americans would be free when they turn 28; and "they would receive the same freedom dues and other privileges as servants bound by indenture for four years." Slaves were to be registered, and those who weren't recorded were to be free. It was one of the most conservative abolition laws passed in the northern states between 1780 and 1804 and freed few slaves immediately.

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(3112014 / Pixabay)

The first stock exchange in the country

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange was founded in 1790, and it helped to spur development and westward expansion in the early years of the United States, according to the University of Pennsylvania Press' website. It helped raise capital for railroads and coal mines and built up a fossil fuel-based economy. The exchange also helped underwrite transportation infrastructure, utility systems and real estate developments in growing cities.

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(joslex / Pixabay)

The first United States Mint

Congress passed The Coinage Act in 1792, which led to the creation of the mint and the construction of a building in Philadelphia, according to the United States Mint's website. It was also the first federal building erected under the Constitution.

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(Rico76000 / Pixabay)

The first toll road in the country

Pennsylvania was unable to fund improvements for roads connecting Lancaster and Philadelphia in the early 1790s, so the legislature passed a bill that would allow a private company to charge tolls in order to fund road construction, according to Explore PA History. This led to the chartering of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Company, which would partially complete construction of the road by late 1794.

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A woman views work in the exhibit titled, "Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis," Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The first art museum and school in the country

Several artists and business leaders founded the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1805 in Philadelphia, according to its website and Explore PA History. The school sought to cultivate fine art in the United States by "exciting the efforts of artists, gradually to unfold, enlighten, and invigorate the talents of our Countrymen," according to its Academy Charter Dec. 26, 1805.

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(stevepd/Pixabay)

First pharmacy school in the country

The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was founded in 1821, according to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. After gaining university status in February 1997, the institution changed its name to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia July 1, 1998.

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In this Friday, May 13, 2016, photo, animation and gaming arts student Lindsey O'Brien works on her project at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First and only visual arts college for women in the country

Sarah Worthington Peter founded the Philadelphia School of Design for Women in 1848, according to its website. It's known today as the Moore College of Art and Design.

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John Jordan, right, of the Washington Square West Civic Association removes the cover off a historical marker in front of the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 17, 2000. (AP Photo/Chris Knight)

CHRIS KNIGHT

First national convention for the Republican Party

The first Republican national convention was held in 1856 in Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, two years after the party was founded, according to History and the National Park Service.

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(RitaE / Pixabay)

First commercial pretzel factory in the country

Baker Julius Sturgis established Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery in 1861 in Lititz, the first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States, according to its website.

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Amur tigers walk across a passageway after a new conference at the Philadelphia Zoo, Wednesday, May 7, 2014, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

First zoo in the country

The Philadelphia Zoo was chartered in 1859, according to its website and Visit Philly. It has a number of other firsts as well, such as having the first orangutan and chimp births at a national zoo in 1928 and the first exhibit of white lions in 1993.

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(brigitsnow / Pixabay)

First World's Fair held in the United States

The Centennial Exposition was held May 10, 1876, in Philadelphia, according to WGBH Educational Foundation. Thirty thousand exhibits filled the exhibit halls that were spread over 450 acres in Fairmount Park.

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(2246794 / Pixabay)

J.C. Lee | jlee@pennlive.com

One of the teams in the first World Series game

The first World Series game was held in 1903 between the Boston Pilgrims and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were both ahead of the their leagues at the time, according to MLB.com. The game, however, was played at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in Boston.

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View of the Pennsylvania

State Capital and the Susquehanna River from the DEP building on

Market Street in Harrisburg. (JOHN C. WHITEHEAD)

First African-American woman elected to be a state legislator in the United States

Crystal Faust became the first African American woman to win an election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Nov. 8, 1938, according to Explore PA History. She introduced nine bill and three amendments on issues of public health, housing, public relief and women in the workforce.

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(cindydangerjones/ Pixabay)

First Little League Baseball game in the country

The first Little League Baseball game was played June 6, 1939, in Williamsport between Lundy Lumber and Lycoming Dairy, according to its website. Lumber won 23-8 against Dairy.

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Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge during a news conference in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

First Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

K. Leroy Irvis was the first African-American speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the first black speaker of any state legislature since Reconstruction, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that the Walnut Street Theatre is the first theatre built in the United States. However, the first theatre was actually built in 1716 in Williamsburg, Virginia, but it didn't last very long, according to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Even though it is not the first in the country, the Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest in the country, according to its website.
The Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the largest and oldest St. Patrick's Day parades in the nation. This year promises to be just as spectacular as years past, with plenty of bagpipers, Mummer string bands, Irish dancers and marching bands.

The parade is March 12 (it's held on the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day per tradition). It will step off at 11:15 a.m. at 16th St. and JFK Blvd and is expected to conclude around 3 p.m. Just remember, Daylight Savings Time is also on March 12, so be sure to set your clock accordingly.

The route starts the Staging Area between 16th and 20th streets on JFK Blvd. It continues down JFK Blvd. to City Hall, goes down S. 15th. St. and goes around City Hall until it gets to Market St. Then it goes all the way down Market St. to Penns Landing.

This year's theme is "St. Patrick, Protect and Guide Our Police Officers."

Prior to the parade there will be a Commemorative Parade Mass at St. Patrick's Church (20th and Locust streets) at 9:15 a.m. The mass will include a procession of the parade's grand marshal and board members as well as the Emerald City Pipe Band.

Can't make the parade? You can watch live from home on Fox29. The channel will also re-air the parade from noon-3 p.m. on March 17 (the actual date of the holiday).

Parades in Philadelphia celebrating St. Patrick's Day have been a tradition since 1771, but the current parade only started in 1952. Approximately 20,000 people participate in the parade, ranging from members of everything from marching bands to dance groups to Irish associations.

Find out more about the Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade at philadelphiastpatsparade.com.

Want more Philadelphia stories? Click here for all our coverage of the City of Brotherly Love.
Four people were injured in a fall from a barn roof in Lancaster County Monday afternoon.

Several building companies that volunteered to help repair recent storm damage sent employees to a West Cocalico Township farm to place new roof trusses on a large barn in the 2100 Block West Route 897, police said.

While the employees were working, one of the trusses gave way and four workers fell about 20 feet just after 3:30 p.m., according to police.

The employees were rushed to a Berks County hospital. One victim suffered stomach and wrist injuries in the fall. Another suffered various unknown injuries.

No additional information was immediately available.
Cumberland County commissioners.jpg

Cumberland County commissioners (from left) Gary Eichelberger, Vince DiFilippo, Jim Hertzler.

(Barbara Miller)

Cumberland County commissioners are asking the state auditor general to audit Capital Area Transit's management after they discovered executive staff members are receiving double pensions.

The commissioners are also renewing their call for regionalization with other transit agencies, and say interim leadership at CAT would be better supplied by rabbittransit rather than a costly consultant.

In a letter to Pa. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, the commissioners say they have become "aware of many questionable practices and costly shortcomings in the management of CAT."

One of the "most egregious," they say, is the discovery late last year that senior-level management of CAT receives, at taxpayer expense, two public pensions.

"Shrouded in secrecy, we only became aware of some of the details of this dubious double pension for certain CAT executives when our county's own representatives to the CAT board were forced to file a Right to Know request," says the letter.

Vince DiFilippo, chairman of the commissioners, said "It's more than just the pension," adding that CAT spends $5 million more per year (50 percent more) than other transit agencies in the region, while failing to meet many performance metrics over the past three years.

Commissioner Gary Eichelberger said the recent resignation of CAT general manager William Jones Feb. 23 doesn't solve the issues that he says are "deep-seated and long-standing."

"It's the organization, not one individual," Eichelberger said, emphasizing the need for regionalization to move ahead.

Lawrence Thomas, chief county clerk, also said the "issue isn't Mr. Jones. The issue is CAT's overall management," as well as costs at the agency.

Mike Clapsadl, who is one of Cumberland County's two representatives to the CAT board and serves as board treasurer, obtained information about the executive pension through Right To Know requests.

There are about 10 members in the executive pension, four of whom are currently employed at CAT, Clapsadl said.

Employees contribute nothing to the executive pension, but employees in the rank-and-file pension, which also covers the executives, contribute 4.5 percent.

The executive pension provides about 40 percent of salary to retirees, Clapsadl said, with a vesting period of seven years, and less if an employee is close enough to retirement age.

The executive pension cost "is four times the level of a typical Pennsylvania pension," Clapsadl said. Most average eight percent cost to employer, and CAT's executive pensions cost 36 percent, he said.

Annual cost to CAT is $25,143 per year for the executives' two pensions, compared with $5,332 for rank-and-file employees.

What is most egregious, Clapsadl said, is that the executive pension is paid for with public money - taxes, grants from PennDOT, and fares from riders, many of whom are low-income residents.

CAT was contacted regarding the Cumberland County concerns.

Robert Philbin, CAT spokesman, said "I don't know anything about that" when asked about the second pension, and said he will have to read the county's statement before commenting.

"I don't have any comment beyond that," he said.

Eric Bugaile, chairman of the CAT board, said "This is all news to me." He said Philbin will issue a statement later today.

The commissioners are also concerned about CAT's hiring of an interim consultant from Texas for six months at a cost of $20,000 per month, plus living expenses, in the wake of Jones' departure.

Commissioner Jim Hertzler said "The fact our representative to the CAT board had to file a RTK to get information should raise eyebrows of everyone involved in this operation," he said.

Hertzler said the board also discovered that CAT lost its federal transit funding for an extended period for not complying with standard reporting requirements.

How "double pensions" were discovered

Mike Clapsadl, Cumberland County deputy controller and CAT board member, said the second pension is listed in CAT's financials, but when he asked when it was last audited, he was told it hadn't been for at least 40 years. The rank-and-file pension is transparent and audited every year, he said.

Last year, Clapsadl said he made a motion to have the executive pension audited, and months went by before he was told there were no records.

After his RTK request he received boxes of records containing about one-third of the information he requested. He examined the data and reported to the commissioners in January.

"It went underground shortly after it was created in 1977," Clapsadl said of the executive pension. He said he found no mention of the executive pension in board minutes between 1979 and 2012. Decisions on the executive pension were apparently being made by the chief executives themselves, Clapsadl said.

In 2012, he said there was mention of change in third party administrator for the pension fund.

Thomas said there has been recent discussion at CAT on adding more positions to those receiving the executive pension.

Clapsadl said he was unable to identify any other government in Pennsylvania or outside agency that gives two publicly-funded defined public pension benefits to anyone.

He said he has "lingering questions about whether it is legal in Pennsylvania under pension and other laws," which the auditor general may be able to answer.

"It is clearly a bad business practice," Thomas said, but they may not be able to prevent the pension from continuing for those who are currently entitled to it.

"What's bad here is the system...we want to change the system, not just change the director," Eichelberger said.

"The information didn't come easily. It was only through a teeth-pulling exercise we got what we did get. This seems to be inherently unfair and irresponsible in terms of stewardship," Thomas said. Plus, he said the double pension exists as CAT declines in ridership and its financial picture worsens.

What they are asking

"I'd like to see more accountability. The second pension is a questionable practice. To have it be given to people not providing good service and running an organization that performs poorly seems particularly illogical to us," Thomas said.

Clapsadl said he'd like to see the second pension be eliminated as part of regionalization and more competent administration.

DiFilippo said the goal is to reduce or eliminate duplicate services. "With savings we could increase routes," which benefits riders, he said.

"We have an opportunity to overcome these failings, hit the reset button and move to a much better organization," Eichelberger said.

The commissioners said they are sharing the information with Harrisburg and Dauphin County, which are CAT's other local funding partners.

Cumberland County has been raising questions about CAT operations and costs since 2014, when it began requiring the agency to provide more data when requesting local share funding.

Clapsadl said CAT ridership is declining while its administrative spending is highest in the region - $14.43 per hours of bus service, compared to $8.42 for rabbittransit; $10.96 for BARTA; and $11.56 for Red Rose Transit.

Operating costs are also highest - $105 per hour of bus service, compared with $75 at rabbittransit.

The commissioners call for regionalization to be pursued, which a PennDOT study estimates would save $6.5 million in local revenue in five years if CAT would join with rabbittransit.

Cumberland County has already switched its shared ride bus service to rabbittransit, which saved $200,000 in the first year and improved service, Thomas said.
Dauphin County courthouse straight on.JPG

The Dauphin County Courthouse

Dauphin County has joined a program that allows people summoned for jury duty to donate the money they receive for the service to charity.

Such programs run elsewhere in the state have channelled more than $1 million to the needy since 2000. President Judge Richard A. Lewis said Dauphin County jurors already donated $1,232 during the first trial term of this year.

Lewis called the venture "a way to allow jurors to positively impact their community beyond their time in the courtroom."

Jurors receive $9 a day for the first three days of service, then $25 for each day thereafter. They are reimbursed 17 cents per mile for travel.

Agencies in line to receive Dauphin County donations are Caitlin's Smiles, Make-A-Wish, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Pennsylvania.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE) (FRANKFURT:1A9) (OTC:ASGOF) ("Asante or the Company") announces that it has appointed Eric Ewen as a consultant and advisor to the Board of Directors.



Mr. Ewen is a professional prospector. He graduated from the Haileybury School of Mines in Ontario in 1972, and has spent his entire career exploring for and finding gold and base metals in Canada, and West Africa.

In 1999, Douglas MacQuarrie, President grubstaked him with $2,000 to see what properties in Ghana were available for acquisition. As a result, Goknet Mining Company Limited was incorporated in 2000 with Mr. MacQuarrie as Chief Executive Officer together with its Managing Director Godfried Kesse, MSc. geologist and former Director of the Ghana Geological Survey, and Thomas Ennison LLB, a London and Accra based Barrister and Solicitor.

By 2002 Goknet had acquired interests in eight contiguous prospecting licenses located along the lesser known Asankrangwa gold belt. These properties were ultimately vended into PMI Gold Corporation. Mr. Ewen was the initial exploration manager on these concessions. PMI Gold under the direction of Douglas MacQuarrie, President, and with the assistance of Goknet went on to acquire the Kubi, former Obotan, and an additional four prospecting licenses. PMI Gold was acquired by Asanko Gold (formerly Keegan Resources) in 2014 for $173 million in shares.

Mr. Ewen was the Managing Director of Keegan Resources Ghana from 2005 to 2010. During this period he was instrumental in acquiring for Keegan, the Bonte Gold mining lease  a former alluvial gold mining operation located just north of Obotan. He commenced widespread soil sampling lines prospecting for the bedrock source of the alluvial gold  and is credited with discovering and drilling off the Esaase gold deposit which is the subject of the Phase 2 expansion of the Asanko Gold mine (Obotan). The geological resource base for the two projects is circa 11 million ounces of gold.

The Company welcomes Mr. Ewens keen prospecting talents to its Advisory Board as we continue to explore and develop the southern former PMI Gold Asankrangwa properties, plus our highly prospective Keyhole and Betenase options, and our Kubi Gold joint venture with BXC Company Ghana Limited. Mr. Ewen is a resident in Accra, Ghana.

The Company also announces the granting of 200,000 incentive options to Mr. Ewen at a price of $0.20 per share for a term of 5 years.

On behalf of the Board,

"Douglas R. MacQuarrie"

President and CEO

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante and BXC Company Ghana Limited have agreed to form a 50:50 Joint Venture to develop the Kubi Mining Leases in Ghana as a potential near term underground mine; and Asante is exploring the Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase concessions, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle.

Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Water fountain - Pixabay.jpg

Photo via Pixabay.

The rural western Pennsylvania school district where a lead-tainted water scandal prompted the resignations of administrators and the closure of an elementary school is now facing questions about what those officials knew, and when.

According to reports, on Aug. 15 of last year, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) notified Butler Area School District administrators of unacceptable lead levels above 15 parts per billion (ppb) and as high as 55 parts per billion in the well water supplied to Summit Township Elementary School.

Lead is a neurotoxin linked to learning problems, behavioral issues and sometimes stunted growth in children. Any level above 15 ppb is considered potentially unsafe and requires the water provider to make corrections.

But while school board members were assured that "a problem" with the water had been corrected, and that the state DEP had cleared the water for consumption and use, not everyone was convinced.

Spurred on by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, school board member Leland Clark "quietly filed a request on Dec. 6 with the DEP seeking test results of the school's wells, which never were provided to the board," TribLive.com reported in a weekend feature.

Clark's request also sought information on DEP communications with district administrators, in an attempt to determine "who knew what, and when."

The information he received back a month later would set off a cascade of events within the district. The information confirmed high levels of lead and that some district officials were aware of the problem but failed to respond or notify others.

The fallout would prompt the resignations of three administrators, including the Superintendent, an ongoing criminal investigation, and a federal lawsuit brought against the district by a female student last month claiming at least one child now has lead in their blood.

The closure of Summit Elementary would follow as well, with its approximately 250 students sent to a formerly shuttered elementary school in nearby Butler.

But with the students safely relocated, attempts to assign blame were only getting started.

This after an independent investigation uncovered evidence that some district employees may have deleted relevant emails and lied about elevated lead levels under oath.

The DEP had also informed the district on Jan. 20 of this year that the water also contained E coli, an infectious bacteria, and unacceptably high levels of copper, the Post-Gazette adds.

But parents say they were only notified of the lead in the water then, almost five months after the contaminant was first detected and reported to higher ups. Some of the district officials implicated in the scandal have since maintained that while aware of the lead in the water, they were unaware of the true extent of the problem.

Additionally, Clark's trawl had also uncovered emails sent between the DEP and the school district's maintenance supervisor with instructions on how to address and correct the water problem revealed by testing in August. However, there was no proof that any of the DEP's directives were followed, Clark told TribLive.com. Clark also said the public was never informed, and that there's no evidence that the district retested the water as required or that the DEP followed up with the school district after Sept. 27.

In speaking with the website, Clark was critical of both the district's administrators and the DEP, saying, "They all had the opportunity to be the hero for these kids, and they all missed that opportunity."

A criminal investigation by the state police is ongoing. Once complete, authorities say a decision on criminal charges will be made.
Five year old Kyla Williams, above, who has intractable epilepsy, continues to improve both mentally and physically thanks to treatment with cannabis oil. Kylas Quest, the group named in her honour, is sponsoring an information session on cannabis and your health this Saturday in Summerland.
NEW YORK, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cortera, Inc., a leading provider of business-to-business analytics and cloud-based risk management solutions, is pleased to announce its attendance at the first conference for the financial services data analytics ecosystem.



The DataDisrupt conference is an excellent fit for Cortera, a business that continually keeps B2B credit analytics at the forefront of what they do. Cortera will offer live demonstrations and complimentary business evaluations for commercial finance professionals looking to take their utilization of business intelligence to the next level.

DataDisrupt is the premier event focused on the impact of large scale data sets, new data sources, innovative analytic techniques, the latest technologies and the most creative entrepreneurs on the financial services sector, said Ariel Boyman, Co-Founder of DataDisrupt. Jim Swift and his team have created a category leading financial services focused data analytics company in Cortera, and were excited to feature them at our inaugural event.

In addition to exhibiting during DataDisrupts trade show hours, Cortera CEO Jim Swift will participate in a panel discussion among other financial trailblazers surrounding big data and technology, the value data sets have on businesses, and best practices for monetizing this type of information.

Were excited to participate in the DataDisrupt conference. Weve experienced a growing appetite from companies across the financial services spectrum for better data fuel for analytics into businesses, particularly private companies. With some of the smartest and most influential members of the financial services analytics community being involved, DataDisrupt looks to be a valuable forum for the exchange of ideas and innovations, shares Swift.

The event will be held on March 29  30, 2017 at the Metropolitan Pavilion West in New York, NY. Register for the event at http://www.datadisrupt.com/ and visit Cortera at the exhibitor area to learn more about B2B data and analytics.

About Cortera

Cortera provides analytical and cloud-based workflow solutions that enable companies of all sizes to better understand their customers, suppliers and business partners. Our comprehensive solutions increase visibility into the financial health of your B2B customers while keeping you informed of important changes that traditional credit reporting tools miss. Thousands of companies across diverse industries use Corteras solutions to increase revenue, improve sales effectiveness, and reduce risk. Cortera is privately held with offices in Boca Raton, FL and Quincy, MA.
The cityscape is pictured in downtown Vancouver, B.C. Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016. The top reason why foreign buyers from China want to get into the Canadian housing market is education, not investment, according to data from a popular global real estate listings website. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Freight containers are shown at the Port of Montreal, Wednesday, January 4, 2017. The country kicked off 2017 with a third-straight monthly trade surplus due in large part to stronger sales in motor vehicles and from the agri-food sector, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Harbor Springs girls take 5th at D4 finals, Boyne's Maginity all-state again in D3

BROOKLYN  With all the local talent and teams taking on the Division 4 state championships Saturday, there were expected to be some medals and hardware brought back north.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Google NEXT)  Pythian, a 400-person global IT services company that helps businesses adopt disruptive technologies to better compete, announced today that it has achieved the newly announced Google Cloud Partner Specialization in Data Analytics. The new Google Cloud Partner Specialization Program is designed to connect customers to qualified partners with demonstrated technical proficiency and proven project success in areas including Data Analytics, Application Development, Infrastructure and Machine Learning.

Pythian was awarded the Google Cloud Platform Partner Specialization in Data Analytics due to its expertise in data ingestion, preparation, storage and analysis including BigQuery, Cloud Dataflow, Cloud Dataproc, Cloud Datalab and Cloud Pub/Sub. The Specialization was awarded following Googles assessment of Pythians data services, solutions, methodologies and architectural frameworks, as well as its experience using Google solutions to help customers get more from their data.

Pythian specializes in designing, implementing and managing systems that contribute directly to revenue growth and business success, said Alex Gorbachev, Pythians Chief Digital Officer. Having achieved the Google Cloud Partner Specialization in Data Analytics is evidence of our commitment to delivering reliable, scalable data solutions that suit our customers unique needs and requirements.

Recently, using Google BigQuery data warehouse service, Pythian helped a global retail chain with more than 2,500 stores worldwide better analyze store capacity and traffic patterns to improve merchandise and store layout.

To learn more about Pythians big data specializations and certifications  and how it helps organizations around the world plan, build and deploy big data solutions  visit www.pythian.com/big-data, and visit www.pythian.com/google-cloud-platform/ to learn about Pythians wide range of expert services for Google Cloud Platform.

About Pythian

Pythian is a global IT services company that helps companies compete by adopting disruptive technologies such as advanced analytics, big data, cloud, databases, DevOps and infrastructure management to advance innovation and increase agility. Specializing in designing, implementing, and managing systems that directly contribute to revenue growth and business success, Pythians highly skilled technical teams work as an integrated extension of our clients organizations to deliver continuous transformation and uninterrupted operational excellence. Pythian is a Google Cloud Premier Partner.
FLNG projects challenged by low prices, shale gas

SINGAPORE

Petroleumworld.com 03 07 2017

Once considered the future of gas production, floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) projects have been firmly relegated to the backburner as global gas producers seek cheaper ways to compete with a surge in U.S. shale supplies and slumping prices.

FLNG projects - mega tankers fitted with gas extraction and liquefaction facilities - allow producers to tap offshore gas wells and ship LNG without having to build costly pipelines to onshore plants. Owners can move the vessels to new fields when production at an old one ends, slashing asset end-of-life costs.

The projects were popular with producers in the early-2010s when gas demand and prices were rising, and before the shale revolution unlocked U.S. oil and gas reserves that crushed global energy prices.

But a combination of the massive costs of outfitting a tanker with the necessary equipment - into spaces a fraction of the size of land-based installations - and a collapse in benchmark gas prices LNG-AS has halted interest in adding to the two current projects - Royal Dutch Shell's long-delayed $12.6 billion Prelude project off northwest Australia, due to come online in 2018, and Petronas' PFLNG Satu project in Malaysia.

Shell has been a major proponent of FLNG, but spot prices have halved since the major reached its final investment decision (FID) on Prelude in May 2011.

"There was maybe an expectation when Prelude was being conceived that this was the future and every LNG project would look like that," said Shell's executive vice president Steve Hill at a media briefing in Singapore last month.

"I think that got kind of superseded by the U.S. being the primary source of new LNG supply ... Maybe it was the switch from Australia to the U.S. that meant floating (production) didn't kind of take off in the way that was expected."

Woodside Petroleum shelved plans to build the $30 billion Browse FLNG project off western Australia last March because of global oversupply. Partners in the project include Shell, BP, PetroChina, Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp.

While FLNG remains the project's preferred option, Woodside is pushing to make the case to its partners that bringing gas from Browse and the southeastern Scarborough field into existing or expanded facilities onshore would be a cheaper option.

"It's about infrastructure sharing and it's about taking a sensible approach ... and making sure capital is used efficiently," Woodside CEO Peter Coleman told reporters following the group's annual results last month.

GDF Suez and Australia's Santos also scrapped a proposed FLNG project for the Bonaparte LNG field off northern Australia in June 2014.

Meanwhile, monthly U.S. LNG exports have risen above 1 million tonnes since the start of this year, hitting a record 1.05 million tonnes in February, Thomson Reuters Eikon trade flow data shows.

Another 8.6 billion cubic feet per day of U.S. gas production (68.3 million tonnes per annum of LNG) is currently under construction and scheduled to come on stream by 2020.

"With the market headed for oversupply until the early-2020s, it would be difficult to find a bankable new FLNG project in the near term," said Edmund Siau, a gas analyst at energy advisory FGE.


EU gives green light to Russian nuclear reactor project in Hungary

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST

Petroleumworld.com 03 07 2017

European regulators on Monday cleared Hungary to expand its Paks nuclear plant, approving a project that will extend Russia's influence over the energy policy of a state that has actively promoted its interests within the EU.

Budapest signed a 12 billion euros ($12.7 billion) deal for two new reactors with Russia in 2014, to be built by state atomic energy corporation Rosatom.

After a lengthy probe, European Union state aid regulators said on Monday that government measures within the plan would ensure its operator would not be over-compensated or gain an unfair advantage over other energy providers.

Paks will continue to be owned and operated by the Hungarian state.

The EU approval removes the last big hurdle to an upgrade of a site that generates over half of the country's electricity output. It will be funded with a 10 billion euro loan from Russian, with Hungary providing the balance.

The first of the two VVER 1200 reactors is due for completion in 2025 and the second a year later.

Hungary has promoted Moscow's interests within the EU, including lobbying to scrap the economic sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Bilateral energy ties include a gas supply agreement with Gazprom.

Hungary's government has repeatedly said the nuclear plant will serve the country's long-term energy security, and that Russia has less economic influence in Hungary than in other Western European states.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also followed parts of the Kremlin's playbook by cracking down on critical non-governmental bodies that he accuses of using foreign funding to subvert the political order.

Green liberal opposition party LMP, which wants a referendum on the Paks project, has said the deal was made in secret and exposed the country to undue Russian influence.

Paks currently has four small Russian-built VVER 440 reactors with a combined capacity of about 2,000 megawatts (MW). These were built between 1982 and 1987 and will be decommissioned between 2023 and 2037.

In Moscow, news agency Interfax said Rosatom welcomed the European Commission decision and was ready to start implementation of the project's active phase.

($1 = 0.9454 euros) ($1 = 0.9433 euros)


Kemp: Hedge funds trim record bullish position in oil

LONDON

Petroleumworld.com 03 07 2017

Hedge funds have trimmed their bullish position in crude oil by the largest amount since OPEC announced its decision to cut output in November.

Hedge funds and other money managers cut their combined net long position in the three main Brent and WTI futures and options contracts by 61 million barrels in the week to Feb. 28.

The reduction was the largest since the week ending Nov. 8, according to an analysis of positioning data published by regulators and exchanges ( tmsnrt.rs/2msPIv4 ).

But the decline comes after fund managers doubled their net long position from 425 million barrels on Nov. 8 to 951 million barrels on Feb. 21 ( tmsnrt.rs/2meyam3 ).

Even after the reduction in long positions and increase in shorts in the week ending on Feb. 28, the overall long position was still the third-highest ever.

Hedge fund managers remain overwhelming bullish about the outlook for prices with long positions still outnumbering short positions by a ratio of nearly 8:1 ( tmsnrt.rs/2megwP9 ).

The accumulation of long positions may have helped accelerate the rise in Brent prices to $55 per barrel following the OPEC and non-OPEC accords in November and December.

Oil prices have been closely correlated with the accumulation and liquidation of hedge fund positions since the start of 2015.

Since Dec. 12, however, the rally has stalled, with no further rise in prices, despite an increase of 220 million barrels in the hedge funds' net long position since then.

Commentators are divided over whether the large hedge fund long position in crude has become a crowded trade, and, if so, whether it signals a sharp reversal is imminent.

Bullish hedge fund managers point to strong compliance by OPEC, renewed interest among investors in commodities as an asset class, a cyclical upswing, and the comparatively low level of oil prices.

Fundamentals and positioning could both help push prices higher as oil stocks fall and institutional investors channel more money to specialised commodity hedge funds.

Bears, of whom there are few among fund managers, but more in other parts of the market, note the lopsided positioning of the hedge fund community is itself a source of downside risk.

Large concentrations of long or short positions have often preceded a sharp price reversal when funds attempt to take some of their profits.

The lack of further price gains could also prompt some momentum-following hedge funds to cut their exposure if they conclude the post-OPEC rally is over.


White House still evaluating U.S. biofuels program

WASHINGTON

Petroleumworld.com 03 07 2017

The Trump administration is reviewing the possibility of a key change to U.S. biofuels policy requested by oil refiners and Carl Icahn, the billionaire investor and special advisor on regulations to President Donald Trump, a White House official said on Monday.

The administration has no position "either way on this issue at this time," the White House official confirmed to Reuters. The statements come after news last week that Icahn had reached out to the White House regarding the change.

The debate centers on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a 2005 policy that requires increasing volumes of biofuels to be added to gasoline and diesel each year. Oil refiners including Valero Energy Corp and CVR Energy Inc currently have to show environmental regulators they are meeting those annual mandates, and have urged the government to push this compliance further downstream to fuel blenders and integrated oil companies.

Opponents of the change say it will complicate ensuring compliance and that it could threaten the future of the RFS policy that sets the annual requirements for use of biofuels with gasoline and diesel.

Confusion over Trump's plans for RFS sparked wild swings in energy and agricultural markets last week. Carl Icahn, who owns a majority stake in CVR, said he had reached out to the White House about the issue.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also been reviewing requests from oil refiners including Valero Energy Corp and Delta Air Lines Inc's Monroe Energy LLC. A public comment period on the issue wrapped up late last month.

Two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that they have been told by administration officials they are concerned about potential political backlash from biofuels companies and fuel marketers if they make the change that Icahn and Valero are seeking.


Oil market double loss Monday as OPEC production discussed

NEW YORK,

Petroleumworld.com 03 07 2017

Benchmark Brent gained while U.S. crude eased slightly on Monday, after the market pushed higher early in the day on reports that Iraq would participate if OPEC extended oil production curbs into the second half of the year.

Output forecasts from oil ministers of crude-producing countries buffeted the market as industry leaders gathered at the annual CERAweek energy conference in Houston. Prices have been rangebound for more than 60 days on concerns U.S. production growth may undermine the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' agreement to cut output during the first half of the year.

"We're still searching for direction," said Carl Larry, director of business development at Frost and Sullivan. "We couldn't push it up too far too fast and get over $55," he said, noting that U.S. oil prices had edged upward but not broken out of the range.

"People are looking for reasons with CERAweek this week. Right now, we're still stuck in the middle."

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled down 13 cents at $53.20 a barrel. Brent crude settled up 11 cents at $56.01 a barrel.

In a session driven by headlines, oil earlier strengthened slightly after Iraq's oil minister was quoted as saying that OPEC would likely need to extend production cuts into the second half of 2017.

But the oil minister, Jabbar Al-Luaibi, later told Reuters it is too early to discuss whether the policy should be continued. "It will depend on oil prices and market stability. If OPEC decides cuts, then Iraq will cut," he said.

Iraq agreed to reduce production by 210,000 barrels per day under the deal but OPEC's second-largest producer had originally sought to be exempt from any cuts, saying it needed the revenue to fight an Islamic State insurgency.

"I think that has stopped some of the selling pressure that we opened with," said Gene McGillian, head of market research at Tradition Energy.

Still, he cautioned that OPEC's cuts have not yet altered the overhang in oil inventories substantially.

"The idea that we can extend it would be supportive in the medium term," he said. Statements from Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest member, would be needed to push the price substantially higher, he said.

U.S. oil prices later swung lower after the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast potential shale oil growth and waning European refined product demand, factors which work against global efforts to end a glut.

U.S. shale oil production may grow by 1.4 million barrels per day by 2022 with prices at about $60 per barrel, the IEA said in a report. More than 3 million bpd of capacity growth could be generated if prices rise to $80 a barrel, the agency said. At the same time, demand for European refined products is seen weakening.

Earlier on Monday, oil retreated as China lowered its growth target for the year to 6.5 percent, compared with 6.7 percent last year, and tightened regulatory controls in an effort to tackle pollution.




French English

QUEBEC CITY, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, proudly announces the launch of PolyWorks Scandinavia, a joint venture created with a local business partner in Sweden to market the PolyWorks Universal 3D Metrology Software PlatformTM to the manufacturing industry in the Scandinavian region.



The automotive and aerospace industries have a strong presence in this region, with key international manufacturers generating a strong and active market. In Sweden alone, the automotive sector represents 12% of exports making it the largest export sector. InnovMetric already has a base of PolyWorks users in the manufacturing plants of the region, and the next strategic step is to reinforce our presence there to fully take advantage of these evolving sectors, said Marc Soucy, President of InnovMetric. To achieve this goal, InnovMetric Software Inc. has decided to form a joint venture with a long-time Swedish partner, Martin Elf, whose skill set combines excellent knowledge of the local manufacturing industries with solid expertise in 3D metrology.

PolyWorks Scandinavia will provide technical support, training, and sales assistance to InnovMetric metrology hardware partners located in the Scandinavian region. In addition, PolyWorks Scandinavia will market PolyWorks to VIP accounts, in the regions various manufacturing industries, that want to standardize their metrology operations on a single software platform. PolyWorks Scandinavia will also supply high-end services to PolyWorks customers, including metrology process consulting and software customization through macro programming.

Industrial manufacturing customers in Scandinavia are very enthusiastic about the power, robustness, ease of use, and flexibility of the PolyWorks universal metrology platform. I am very proud to partner with InnovMetric to further develop PolyWorks business in this market, said Martin Elf, who looks forward to a very successful first year as head of PolyWorks Scandinavia.

PolyWorks Scandinavia started its operations on March 1, 2017.

About InnovMetric Software

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Quebec, QC, Canada, with subsidiaries worldwide, InnovMetric Software Inc. is the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions. The worlds largest industrial manufacturing organizations (Toyota, GM, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW, Daimler, Ford, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier, Apple, and many more) trust InnovMetrics PolyWorks software solutions and associated technical services to maximize the benefits of 3D measurement technologies for their engineering and manufacturing applications.

With its subsidiaries and joint ventures, InnovMetric has more than 250 employees in 14 countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, India, Thailand, China, and Japan.

For more information about InnovMetric Software, please visit: www.innovmetric.com.
Revenue Increase of 4.6% to $1.3 billion; Organic Growth of 3.6%

GAAP Continuing EPS of $0.28; Adjusted Continuing EPS of $0.38

Declaration of 204th Consecutive Quarterly Dividend

NEW YORK, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ABM (NYSE:ABM), a leading provider of facility solutions, today announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

Three Months Ended January 31, Increase/

(Decrease) (in millions, except per share amounts)

(unaudited) 2017 2016 Revenues $ 1,326.7 $ 1,268.4 4.6 % Operating profit $ 23.8 $ 13.6 74.9 % Income from continuing operations $ 16.1 $ 13.6 17.7 % Income from continuing operations per diluted share $ 0.28 $ 0.24 16.7 % Adjusted income from continuing operations $ 21.5 $ 21.6 (0.6 )% Adjusted income from continuing operations per diluted share $ 0.38 $ 0.38  % Net (loss) income $ (56.8 ) $ 14.0 NM* Net (loss) income per diluted share $ (1.00 ) $ 0.24 NM* Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations $ (9.7 ) $ (6.6 ) 47.0 % Adjusted EBITDA $ 48.1 $ 43.7 10.3 % Adjusted EBITDA margin 3.6 % 3.4 % 20 bps *Not meaningful



This release refers to certain non-GAAP financial measures described as Adjusted EBITDA defined as earnings before income from discontinued operations, net of taxes, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and excluding items impacting comparability, "Adjusted EBITDA margin", Adjusted income from continuing operations, and Adjusted income from continuing operations per diluted share. These adjustments have been made with the intent of providing financial measures that give management and investors a more representative understanding of underlying operational results and trends as well as the Companys operational performance. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA as a basis for planning and forecasting future periods. Please refer to the accompanying financial schedules for supplemental financial data and corresponding reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to certain GAAP financial measures. We round amounts in these schedules to millions and calculate all percentages and per-share data from the underlying whole-dollar amounts. As a result, certain amounts may not foot, crossfoot, or recalculate based on reported numbers due to rounding. Unless otherwise noted, all references to years are to our fiscal year, which ends on October 31.



First Quarter Performance



For the first quarter of fiscal 2017, revenues of approximately $1.3 billion increased 4.6% and organic revenue increased 3.6%, compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2016. This performance was driven primarily by growth stemming from the Company's Aviation segment due to new business expansions with existing clients, and higher Work Order (tag) sales. Organic growth within the Business & Industry segment also contributed to the Company's total revenue growth. In addition, acquisitions provided $12.2 million of incremental revenues during the quarter primarily related to the higher margin Technical Solutions segment.

On a GAAP basis, income from continuing operations was $16.1 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to income from continuing operations of $13.6 million, or $0.24 per diluted share last year, which included the benefit to income taxes of the retroactive reinstatement of the calendar 2015 Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The increase in income from continuing operations versus last year primarily reflects higher revenue contribution, the impact of 2020 Vision savings initiatives, and lower items impacting comparability primarily related to the reimbursement of previously expensed fees associated with a concluded F.C.P.A. investigation. These factors offset one additional working day during this quarter.

Adjusted income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2017 was $21.5 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared to $21.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted share for the first quarter of fiscal 2016. A full description of items impacting comparability which led to the Company's adjusted income from continuing operations can be found in the "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" table.

Total net loss for the first quarter of 2017 was $56.8 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, compared to net income of $14.0 million, or $0.24 per diluted share last year. The net loss for the first quarter of 2017 reflects a net loss of $72.9 million from discontinued operations predominantly due to the Augustus et. al. v. ABM Security Services, Inc. class action litigation related to the Company's divested Security business.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $48.1 million compared to $43.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The increase versus last year is primarily attributable to higher revenue contribution and savings related to the Company's 2020 Vision initiatives. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter was 3.6% versus 3.4% last year.

Scott Salmirs, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABM Industries, commented, "Our strong performance during the first quarter is yet another proof point of our organization's continuous execution despite the many transformative changes we have experienced over the past year. We believe our new 2020 Vision operating structure has now set a foundation upon which we can build as we navigate the next phase of our strategy. We continue to believe that the many changes associated with our strategic transformation will lead to steady margin progression throughout this fiscal year and beyond."

Operating Results

For the first quarter of fiscal 2017, revenues increased by $58.3 million, or 4.6%, compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The increase in revenues was attributable to organic growth in the Aviation segment's domestic operations as a result of higher passenger services, cabin cleaning, parking and facilities services revenue. Organic revenue growth within the Business & Industry segment as a result of job expansions with existing clients also contributed to the Company's total revenue growth for the quarter. In addition, acquisitions provided $12.2 million of incremental revenues during the quarter primarily reflected in the Technical Solutions.

Operating profit for the quarter was $23.8 million compared to $13.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The increase versus last year is primarily attributable to higher revenue contribution, procurement, organizational savings stemming from the Company's 2020 Vision initiatives which were initiated in fiscal 2016, and the aforementioned lower items impacting comparability. This increase was partially offset by one additional working day during the quarter.

Liquidity & Capital Structure

The Company ended the quarter with total debt, including standby letters of credit, of $443.9 million. Total debt to proforma adjusted EBITDA was approximately 2.5x.

During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 0.2 million shares of common stock for $7.9 million. As of January 31, 2017, the Company had $134.1 million of remaining buyback availability under the $200.0 million share repurchase program.

In addition, the Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.170 per common share for a total distribution of $9.4 million.

Due to the pending settlement agreement related to the Augustus case, the Company is currently reevaluating the timing of share repurchase execution. The Company does not anticipate a long term impact to its overall liquidity as a result of this pending settlement agreement.

Declaration of Quarterly Cash Dividend

The Company also announced that the Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.170 per common share for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 payable on May 1, 2017 to shareholders of record on April 6, 2017. This will be the Company's 204th consecutive quarterly cash dividend.

Guidance

The Company continues to expect GAAP income from continuing operations of $1.40 to $1.50 per diluted share, or adjusted income from continuing operations of $1.80 to $1.90 per diluted share for the 2017 fiscal year. With the exception of the 2017 Work Opportunity Tax Credits and the benefit from the adoption of ASU 2016-09, the guidance does not include any additional, potential benefits associated with certain other discrete tax items and other unrecognized tax benefits.

Conference Call Information

ABM will host its quarterly conference call for all interested parties on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 8:30 AM (ET). The live conference call can be accessed via audio webcast under the "Events & Presentations" section of the Company's Investor Relations website, located at investor.abm.com, or by dialing (877) 664-7395 approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time.

A supplemental presentation will accompany the webcast on the Company's website.

A replay will be available approximately two hours after the recording through March 15, 2017 and can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 and then entering ID #77517060. An archive will also be available on the ABM website for 90 days.

ABOUT ABM

ABM (NYSE:ABM) is a leading provider of facility solutions with revenues of approximately $5.1 billion and over 100,000 employees in 300+ offices throughout the United States and various international locations. ABMs comprehensive capabilities include janitorial, electrical & lighting, energy solutions, facilities engineering, HVAC & mechanical, landscape & turf, mission critical solutions and parking, provided through stand-alone or integrated solutions. ABM provides custom facility solutions in urban, suburban and rural areas to properties of all sizes - from schools and commercial buildings to hospitals, data centers, manufacturing plants and airports. ABM Industries Incorporated, which operates through its subsidiaries, was founded in 1909. For more information, visit www.abm.com.

Cautionary Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. In this context, ABM Industries Incorporated (ABM) and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as ABM, we, us, our, or the Company). We make forward-looking statements related to future expectations, estimates and projections that are uncertain, and often contain words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, likely, may, outlook, plan, predict, should, target, or other similar words or phrases. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. For us, particular uncertainties that could cause our actual results to be materially different from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include: (1) changes to our businesses, operating structure, financial reporting structure, or personnel relating to the implementation of our 2020 Vision strategic transformation initiative; (2) unfavorable developments in our class and representative actions and other lawsuits alleging various claims; (3) increases in estimates of ultimate insurance losses; (4) challenges implementing our risk management and safety programs; (5) uncertainty in future cash flows, increases in the level of our borrowings, or inability to repurchase shares at anticipated levels; (6) challenges preserving long-term client relationships, passing through costs to clients, responding to competitive pressures, and retaining qualified personnel; (7) challenges in identifying, acquiring, and integrating businesses; (8) unexpected tax liabilities or changes in tax laws; (9) changes in energy prices or energy regulations; (10) deterioration of general economic conditions and reductions in commercial office building occupancy; (11) impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets; (12) changes in immigration laws or enforcement actions or investigations under such laws; (13) significant delays or reductions in appropriations for our government contracts; (14) failure of our joint venture partners to perform their obligations; (15) inability to complete the sale of our Government Services business in a timely manner or within the price range we have assumed, or at all; (16) losses or other incidents at facilities in which we operate; (17) difficulty responding to cyber-security risks and business interruptions; (18) liabilities associated with participation in multiemployer pension plans; (19) actions of activist investors; and (20) weather conditions, catastrophic events, disasters, operations in areas of military conflict, and terrorist attacks. The list of factors above is illustrative and by no means exhaustive. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties we face is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2016 and in other reports we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including all amendments to those reports). We urge readers to consider these risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward- looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

To supplement ABMs consolidated financial information, the Company has presented income from continuing operations and income from continuing operations per diluted share as adjusted for items impacting comparability, for the first quarter of fiscal years 2017 and 2016. These adjustments have been made with the intent of providing financial measures that give management and investors a better understanding of the underlying operational results and trends as well as ABMs operational performance. In addition, the Company has presented earnings before income from discontinued operations, net of taxes, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and excluding items impacting comparability (adjusted EBITDA) for the first quarter of fiscal years 2017 and 2016. Adjusted EBITDA is among the indicators management uses as a basis for planning and forecasting future periods. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. (See accompanying financial tables for supplemental financial data and corresponding reconciliations to certain GAAP financial measures.)



Financial Schedules



ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended January 31, (in millions, except per share amounts) 2017 2016 Increase /

(Decrease) Revenues $ 1,326.7 $ 1,268.4 4.6 % Expenses Operating 1,195.1 1,141.3 4.7 % Selling, general and administrative 97.3 99.9 (2.7 )% Restructuring and related 5.0 7.2 (30.6 )% Amortization of intangible assets 5.5 6.4 (13.5 )% Total expenses 1,302.9 1,254.8 3.8 % Operating profit 23.8 13.6 74.9 % Income from unconsolidated affiliates, net 1.4 2.4 (42.2 )% Interest expense (3.2 ) (2.7 ) (20.4 )% Income from continuing operations before income taxes 22.0 13.3 64.9 % Income tax (provision) benefit (5.9 ) 0.3 NM* Income from continuing operations 16.1 13.6 17.7 % Net (loss) income from discontinued operations (72.9 ) 0.4 NM* Net (loss) income $ (56.8 ) $ 14.0 NM* Net (loss) income per common share  basic

Income from continuing operations $ 0.29 $ 0.24 20.8 % (Loss) income from discontinued operations (1.30 ) 0.01 NM* Net (loss) income $ (1.01 ) $ 0.25 NM* Net (loss) income per common share  diluted Income from continuing operations $ 0.28 $ 0.24 16.7 % Loss from discontinued operations (1.28 )  (100.0 )% Net (loss) income $ (1.00 ) $ 0.24 NM* Weighted-average common and common equivalent shares outstanding Basic 56.0 56.6 Diluted 56.6 57.1 Dividends declared per common share $ 0.170 $ 0.165 *Not meaningful





ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES



SELECTED CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended January 31, (in millions) 2017 2016 Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations $ (9.7 ) $ (6.6 ) Net cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations (1.4 ) (23.2 ) Net cash used in operating activities $ (11.1 ) $ (29.8 ) Purchase of businesses, net of cash acquired $ (18.6 ) $ (81.0 ) Other (10.5 ) (6.6 ) Net cash used in investing activities $ (29.1 ) $ (87.6 ) (Taxes withheld) and proceeds from issuance of share-based compensation awards, net $ (1.0 ) $ (1.4 ) Incremental tax benefit from share-based compensation awards  0.5 Repurchases of common stock (7.9 ) (11.3 ) Dividends paid (9.4 ) (9.2 ) Deferred financing costs paid  (0.1 ) Borrowings from line of credit 207.4 299.6 Repayment of borrowings from line of credit (169.7 ) (170.9 ) Changes in book cash overdrafts 5.1 8.0 Financing of energy savings performance contracts 2.6 4.5 Repayment of capital lease obligations (0.1 ) (0.3 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 27.0 $ 119.4 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 0.5 (1.6 )





ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

(in millions) January 31, 2017 October 31, 2016 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 42.6 $ 56.0 Trade accounts receivable, net of allowances 855.9 795.6 Prepaid expenses 78.4 68.0 Other current assets 29.3 30.0 Assets held for sale 53.3 44.1 Total current assets 1,059.5 993.7 Other investments 18.4 17.4 Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation 87.5 81.8 Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization 104.4 103.8 Goodwill 924.7 912.8 Deferred income tax asset, net 76.7 37.4 Other noncurrent assets 140.7 134.3 Total assets $ 2,411.9 $ 2,281.2 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities Trade accounts payable $ 187.3 $ 174.3 Accrued compensation 127.1 130.7 Accrued taxesother than income 52.1 40.6 Insurance claims 92.9 92.2 Income taxes payable 0.5 6.3 Other accrued liabilities 264.6 135.9 Liabilities held for sale 16.8 19.2 Total current liabilities 741.3 599.2 Noncurrent income taxes payable 33.8 33.4 Line of credit 306.0 268.3 Deferred income tax liability, net 3.4 3.5 Noncurrent insurance claims 339.3 331.6 Other noncurrent liabilities 80.7 71.2 Total liabilities 1,504.5 1,307.2 Total stockholders' equity 907.4 974.0 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 2,411.9 $ 2,281.2







ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

REVENUES AND OPERATING PROFIT BY SEGMENT (UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended January 31, Increase/

(Decrease) (in millions) 2017 2016 Revenues Business & Industry $ 755.0 $ 743.6 1.5 % Aviation 232.0 203.9 13.8 % Emerging Industries Group 200.6 199.1 0.8 % Technical Solutions 107.7 93.4 15.3 % Government Services 31.4 28.5 10.0 % Total revenues $ 1,326.7 $ 1,268.4 4.6 % Operating profit Business & Industry $ 32.4 $ 28.5 13.8 % Aviation 5.4 3.9 38.8 % Emerging Industries Group 12.4 14.9 (16.9 )% Technical Solutions 8.2 4.1 NM* Government Services 1.9 0.2 NM* Corporate (34.6 ) (35.2 ) 1.6 % Adjustment for income from unconsolidated affiliates, net, included in Aviation and Government Services (1.3 ) (2.5 ) (48.8 )% Adjustment for tax deductions for energy efficient government buildings, included in Technical Solutions (0.5 ) (0.3 ) NM* Total operating profit 23.8 13.6 74.9 % Income from unconsolidated affiliates, net 1.4 2.4 (42.2 )% Interest expense (3.2 ) (2.7 ) (20.4 )% Income from continuing operations before income taxes 22.0 13.3 64.9 % Income tax (provision) benefit (5.9 ) 0.3 NM* Income from continuing operations 16.1 13.6 17.7 % Net (loss) income from discontinued operations (72.9 ) 0.4 NM* Net (loss) income $ (56.8 ) $ 14.0 NM* *Not meaningful







ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES



RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED)

(in millions, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended January 31, 2017 2016 Reconciliation of Income from Continuing Operations to Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations Income from continuing operations $ 16.1 $ 13.6 Items impacting comparability(a) Prior year self-insurance adjustment(b) 5.0 6.0 U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation(c) (3.2 )  Restructuring and related(d) 5.0 7.1 Acquisition costs 0.5 0.9 Litigation and other settlements 1.9 (0.4 ) Total items impacting comparability 9.2 13.6 Income tax benefit(e) (3.8 ) (5.6 ) Items impacting comparability, net of taxes 5.4 8.0 Adjusted income from continuing operations $ 21.5 $ 21.6 Three Months Ended January 31, 2017 2016 Reconciliation of Net (Loss) Income to Adjusted EBITDA Net (loss) income $ (56.8 ) $ 14.0 Items impacting comparability 9.2 13.6 Net loss (income) from discontinued operations 72.9 (0.4 ) Income tax provision (benefit) 5.9 (0.3 ) Interest income from energy efficient government buildings(f) (0.3 ) (0.3 ) Interest expense 3.2 2.7 Depreciation and amortization 14.0 14.4 Adjusted EBITDA $ 48.1 $ 43.7 Three Months Ended January 31, 2017 2016 Reconciliation of Income from Continuing Operations per Diluted Share to Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations per Diluted Share Income from continuing operations per diluted share $ 0.28 $ 0.24 Items impacting comparability, net of taxes 0.10 0.14 Adjusted income from continuing operations per diluted share $ 0.38 $ 0.38 Diluted shares 56.6 57.1 (a) The Company adjusts income from continuing operations to exclude the impact of certain items that are unusual, non-recurring, or otherwise do not reflect management's views of the underlying operational results and trends of the Company. (b) Represents adjustments to our self-insurance reserve for general liability, workers compensation and automobile claims related to prior period accident years. Management believes these prior period reserve changes do not illustrate the performance of the Companys normal ongoing operations given the current year's insurance expense is estimated by management in conjunction with the Company's outside actuary to take into consideration past history and current costs and regulatory trends. Once the Company develops its best estimate of insurance expense premiums for the year, the Company fully allocates such costs out to the business leaders to hold them accountable for the current year costs within operations. However, since these prior period reserve changes relate to claims that could date back many years, current management has limited ability to influence the ultimate development of the prior year changes. Accordingly, including the prior period reserve changes in the Company's current operational results would not depict how the the business is run as the Company holds its management accountable for the current years operational performance. The Company believes this is the most meaningful presentation for its investors and analysts to evaluate performance. (c) Represents reimbursement of previously expensed legal and other costs incurred in connection with an internal investigation into a foreign entity affiliated with a former joint venture partner. (d) Represents costs for 2020 Vision Transformation Initiative, net of the reversal of certain share-based compensation costs. (e) Tax impact is calculated using the federal and state statutory rate of 41.5%. (f) Adjusted EBITDA does not include interest income for certain long term energy contracts, in which case a gross up of both interest income and interest expense is being recorded.





ABM INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

2017 GUIDANCE

Year Ended October 31, 2017 Low Estimate High Estimate Reconciliation of Estimated Income from Continuing Operations per Diluted Share to Estimated Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations per Diluted Share Income from continuing operations per diluted share(a) $ 1.40 $ 1.50 Adjustments(b) 0.40 0.40 Adjusted income from continuing operations per diluted share(a) $ 1.80 $ 1.90 (a) With the exception of the 2017 Work Opportunity Tax Credits and the benefit from the adoption of ASU 2016-09, this guidance does not include any potential benefits associated with certain other discrete tax items and other unrecognized tax benefits. (b) Adjustments include costs associated with the strategic review and realignment, legal settlements, adjustments to self-insurance reserves pertaining to prior year's claims and other unique items impacting comparability.




NEW YORK, March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pzena Investment Management, Inc. (NYSE:PZN) today reported its preliminary assets under management as of February 28, 2017.

AUM for month-end February 2017, month-end January 2017, and month-end February 2016 are listed below:



Pzena Investment Management, Inc.

Assets Under Management1

($ billions)

As of As of As of February 28, 2017 January 31, 20173 February 29, 2016 Account Type Institutional Accounts $ 17.8 $ 17.5 $ 13.2 Retail Accounts 14.2 13.6 10.8 Total $ 32.0 $ 31.1 $ 24.0 Investment Strategy 2 U.S. Value Strategies Large Cap Value $ 10.2 $ 9.7 $ 9.0 Mid Cap Value 2.6 2.5 1.9 Value 2.1 2.0 1.6 Small Cap Value 1.6 1.6 1.1 Other U.S. Strategies 0.1 0.1  Total U.S. Value Strategies 16.6 15.9 13.6 Global & Non-U.S. Value Strategies International Value 5.1 5.1 3.8 Global Value 4.8 4.8 3.4 Emerging Markets Value 3.0 2.8 1.8 European Value 2.3 2.4 1.2 Other Global & Non-U.S. Value Strategies 0.2 0.1 0.2 Total Global & Non-U.S. Value Strategies 15.4 15.2 10.4 Total $ 32.0 $ 31.1 $ 24.0 Account Domicile U.S. $ 22.3 $ 21.6 $ 17.7 Non-U.S. 9.7 9.5 6.3 Total $ 32.0 $ 31.1 $ 24.0 1 Numbers may be subject to rounding. 2 Inclusive of our Expanded Value, Focused Value and variations thereof. 3 Adjusted from the preliminary assets under management amount of $30.9 billion reported on February 7, 2017.



About Pzena

Pzena Investment Management, LLC, the firm's operating company, is a value-oriented investment management firm. Founded in 1995, Pzena Investment Management has built a diverse, global client base. More firm and stock information is posted at www.pzena.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements provide the Companys current views, expectations, or forecasts of future events and performance, and include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as anticipate, believe, continue, ongoing, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, potential, predict, project or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by a forward-looking statement are those described in the sections entitled Risk Factors and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 14, 2016 and in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the SEC. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and factors, actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated, or if no date is stated, as of the date of this release.

The Company is not under any obligation and does not intend to make publicly available any update or other revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances existing after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of future events even if experience or future events make it clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements will not be realized.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (NYSE:RPT) (the Company) today announced that its Board of Trustees declared a regular first quarter cash dividend of $0.22 per common share. The Board also approved a first quarter Series D convertible perpetual preferred share dividend of $0.90625 per share. The dividends, for the period January 1 through March 31, 2017, are payable on April 3, 2017 to shareholders of record on March 20, 2017.



About Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (NYSE:RPT) is a premier, national publicly-traded shopping center real estate investment trust (REIT) based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Company's primary business is the ownership and management of regional dominant and urban-oriented shopping centers in the 40 largest metropolitan markets in the United States. At December 31, 2016, the Company owned interests in and managed a portfolio of 65 shopping centers and two joint venture properties. At December 31, 2016, the Company's consolidated portfolio was 94.4% leased. Ramco-Gershenson is a fully-integrated qualified REIT that is self-administered and self-managed. For additional information about the Company please visit www.rgpt.com or follow Ramco-Gershenson on Twitter @RamcoGershenson and facebook.com/ramcogershenson/.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Securities Arbitration and Investment Litigation Lawyers with multiple law firms are investigating customer claims against Raymond James, Morgan Stanley and BofA Merrill Lynch (and others) for their recommendations and solicitations of Linn Energy LLC limited liability company interests to retail customers, including in a May 2015 securities offering.



Investors in Linn Energy have been financially devastated by Linn Energys bankruptcy filing and may have legal claims to recover their losses as against the brokerage firms that recommended the investment.

The securities arbitration and investment litigation lawyers at the Ciklin Lubitz Law Firm, The Law Firm of David R. Chase, P.A., and Silver Law Group are investigating Raymond James, Morgan Stanley and RBC Capital Markets, among others, as to the suitability and appropriateness of their investment recommendations of Linn Energy to their customers.

If you purchased Linn Energy, or other oil and gas stock, based upon the recommendation of your stock broker or financial advisor, you may contact us to discuss your potential case and legal rights.

For a free and confidential consultation call: 1-800-856-3352

or visit: www.oilgasinvestmentfraudlawyer.com. No recovery, no attorneys fees.
UPDATED: Read our review at KOI Milk Tea Malaysia Preview and Pricing

Taiwanese Bubble Tea KOI to open in Malaysia

The Taiwanese bubble tea war will be starting soon. It will be Chatime vs Tea Live and KOI will join the fight. KOI is a Taiwanese bubble tea brand which is very popular in Singapore. This is their 10th anniversary in Singapore and finally they enter the Malaysian market for the first time.

This is not a rumour as their first outlet is opening soon in 1 Utama Shopping Mall. It is currently under renovation in Lower Ground 1 Utama New Wing and they have already started their official Facebook page for Malaysia.

We thought the trend of Taiwanese bubble tea is waning until the drama unfold in this couple of months due to the termination of Chatime Malaysia under Loob Holdings. Bryan of Loob Holdings then created Tea Live and recently La Kaffa (master franchiser of Chatime) appointed a local company to reopen Chatime. Now, it will be KOI vs Tea Live vs Chatime in a three corner Taiwanese bubble tea fight.

We are not sure when is the exact date KOI will be opening but it will be real soon. Find out more at their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/koithemy/

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer has died after suffering serious injuries Monday night when he crashed into a tractor on a public road in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, in the Monteregie.

On Tuesday morning, the RCMP released a statement identifying the officer as Constable Richer Dubuc. He was a 42-year-old native of Joliette and a father of four.

He joined the federal police force in November of 2009 and was originally posted in Codiac, New Brunswick. Richer was transferred to the Integrated Border Enforcement Team at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu last January, the police force said.

The accident occurred around 6:20 p.m., while the officer was responding to a call. Provincial police said the officer was traveling in an RCMP service vehicle at the time, the Montreal Gazette reports.
Jamie McBride, an outspoken leader of the union that represents Los Angeles Police Department officers, won $1.5 million Monday in a lawsuit alleging that his supervisors retaliated against him.

McBride alleged that he was unfairly punished for refusing to sign a declaration prepared by a federal prosecutor in a case involving 38th Street gang members.

One of the gang members charged in the case was McBrides confidential informant. McBride thought the declaration was inaccurate because it did not reflect his role in encouraging the informant to get close to a Mexican Mafia leader.

Jurors awarded McBride, who said he suffers from hypothyroidism brought on by stress, $1 million for pain and suffering and another $500,000 for future pain and suffering, the Los Angeles Times reports.

McBride was elected to the Los Angeles Police Protective Leagues board of directors, which is a full-time job, two years ago. He lost a close race for union president last December.
VIDEO: Utah Trooper Critically Injured in 3-Vehicle Crash

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was critically injured Monday during a three-vehicle crash on I-15 caused by a driver who fell asleep, investigators said.

Trooper Devin Gurney, 27, who has been with the highway patrol for three years, was taken to Utah Valley Hospital in critical condition, though his injuries are not considered to be life-threatening, according to UHP Sgt. Todd Royce.

Gurney had pulled over another vehicle in the far left emergency lane of traffic about 11 a.m. He was out of his vehicle to conduct the traffic stop when an SUV veered across multiple lanes and slammed into the rear of the trooper's car. The UHP car was pushed forward during the collision and hit Gurney, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon told KSL.com.
A wanted fugitive is in the Utah County Jail after literally running into a Provo SWAT Team and K-9 unit in training Thursday afternoon.

Maria Peterson, Public Information Officer with the Utah Department of Corrections, says Derreke Nelson, 39, was wanted by Adult Probation and Parole for failing to appear for a scheduled check-in on February 22, 2017.

Peterson says Thursday around 2:00 p.m. AP&P officials recognized Nelson's car in Provo. She says Nelson was in a vehicle with two other people. As officials attempted to pull the vehicle over all three fled.

Provo Police says officers assisted AP&P in the search for Nelson and the two other people. The arrest of Nelson came very quickly after he ran into a crowd of 30 SWAT officers and 3 K-9 units training in Provo. He was placed under arrest and booked into the Utah County Jail for outstanding warrants, ABC4 News reports.
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Its official: The U.S. Senate will accept Donald Trumps request to look into his latest paranoid conspiracy theory  that former President Barack Obama wiretapped the phones at Trump Tower before leaving office.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Monday, according to The Hill, that the Senate Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will investigate Trumps ridiculous Twitter claim, which was based solely on reporting from right-wing sources, like Breitbart.

Hes challenged the Congress to look into this and I will, along with Sen. Whitehouse, look into whether or not there was any lawful warrant requested and received on the Trump campaign and whether or not there was any illegal activity regarding the Trump campaign, Graham said, according to The Hill.

If this is what it takes to get a thorough investigation of any illegal activity regarding the Trump campaign, then count me in.

Not long after Grahams remarks were reported, NBC News noted that Arizona Sen. John McCain said that Trump owes it to the American people to provide evidence for his bogus claim that Obama personally wiretapped the phones at Trump Tower.

Heres the original Trump tweet that is causing such a stir on both sides of the aisle:

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

The pending inquiry into this claim is separate from other investigations into the Trump administrations ties to Russia, which have blown up over the past week as a growing number of people connected to the president  including the Attorney General Jeff Sessions  have met with Russian officials without previously disclosing it.

In the case of Sessions, he blatantly lied about it during his confirmation hearing when he told Sen. Al Franken explicitly that he never met with the Russians, even though he did twice during the campaign.

While its troubling that the U.S. government is now at the mercy of the unstable presidents baseless and paranoid conspiracy theories, its good news that more Republicans are voicing their support of investigations related to these matters.

After all, the more we look into the merits of Trumps early-morning Twitter rants, the more unstable he looks. Perhaps then we can reach a bipartisan consensus that this man has no business holding the most powerful office in the world.
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Although America was created without recognizing that all human beings are equal despite that storied claim in the Declaration of Independence, there was a sense that in 2016 more human beings were considered equal than ever before. That was simply unacceptable to racists, xenophobes, and particularly the evangelical right and now that they own the entire government with a fascist in the White House, they are celebrating by targeting non-white, non-evangelicals for violence and demands to get out of my country. This week, another white xenophobe with a gun expressed that sentiment with another Trumpism; go back to your own country. And then he pulled the trigger and shot a man because he wasnt a white Christian; and American citizen, but not a white Christian.

On Friday, while a 39-year-old Sikh man was working on his car in his driveway, a stocky, 6-foot tall white man holding a gun and wearing a mask approached him and started some kind of argument according to police. The argument didnt last very long at all; they seldom do when only one of the debaters is holding a gun. The white guy finally revealed the real reason he approached the Sikh man to start a discussion when he said go back to your own country before shooting the man. The two Indian men shot in Kansas by another white guy told his victims before he opened fire to get out of my country; a country Trump and one of his puppet masters, Steve Bannon, claim was created by god almighty to be uniquely snow white and Christian.

The victim didnt suffer life-threatening injuries, but the white guy with a gun and a mask covering his face was able to escape capture by the police. The family of the victim called on federal authorities to get involved and the Kent, Washington police echoed that request but at first hesitated to say it was because it was a hate crime.

Likely wary of inciting punitive action by the White House, Seattle, Washington law enforcement officials say they are investigating the shooting as a suspected hate crime according to a report in the Seattle Times. It is unclear why police just suspect it is a hate crime when the motivation was certainly hatred of the other. The other in Trumps America is no longer just African American; they are non-white and non-Christian and probably didnt support Trumps presidential bid to create the America that is living up to his ideal of what makes America great; telling non-whites and non-Christians to go back to your own country or face the prospect of being a victim in a suspected hate crime.

It is possible that because America is now great due to a racist xenophobe running the empire, the definition of hate crime may have been changed to make America even greater; or conceal the Trump effect driving these kinds of heinous acts. It is noteworthy that although in a civilized society a white guy shooting a non-white American citizen and telling him to go back to his own country would definitely be considered heinous, but America is no longer civilized and no small number of Americans who voted for Trump would say the Trump-incited shooting is what makes America great. It is a comment this author heard firsthand on Saturday night.

Fortunately, the Seattle shooting victims name hasnt been released for glaringly obvious reasons. Someone is likely to finish the job of the masked shooter because the target is still alive and still in his own country because he is an American citizen. If police are not worried another Trump acolyte will finish the job, they might be concerned that the masked shooter is still roaming around likely looking for more victims. The victim was recovering in a private hospital as of late Saturday according to relatives who do not share in Trumps surrogates idea that America is getting a little greater with every attack on the others.

The idea of America being great because Trump gets to live in the White House contradicts the sense of terror being felt by non-white, non-Christians around the nation. In fact, a couple of weeks ago after two computer engineers of Indian descent and a hero were shot by a white racist in Kansas, family members said, in interviews, that they were fearful of the current atmosphere in America and feared for their childrens lives. A relative of the man slain in Kansas, Venu Madhav, explained why there is a growing feeling of dread among Indian people living in Trumps great America. Madhav said,

There is a kind of hysteria spreading that is not good. Such hatred is not good for people. Something has changed in the United States.

What changed is for over the past year the idea of America as an all-inclusive society renowned the world over for embracing all people from all nations was taken over, with a giant assist from the nasty demographic, by a seriously nasty man who helped make racism a stellar feature of America the great.

Part of America being great in Trump-land is making non-white, non-Christians terrified to go out of their homes or seen in public. Now the Indian community is feeling what Muslims and Mexicans have been feeling over the past year; sheer terror and that is the point of white people targeting non-whites and non-Christians. Many local Sikhs expressed abject fear that another one of their own was the target of hate and said they are frightened to even go to the grocery store or any other public places. Many related noticing an increase in name-calling and other racist incidents since the day after the election. Many are hurt and cant comprehend the lack of tolerance and ignorance permeating the population.

One man, Sandeep Singh, said that Sikhism teaches about equality and peace. Its sad to see thats what it has come to in referring to the violence and racial animosity. Another Sikh adherent who served in the U.S. Marines and fought for his country in Iraq, Gurjot Singh, said of the violence, This is our country. This is everyones country. Mr. Singh also related that he was dismayed that people think others who look different arent equal or dont contribute equally to the community. He said, This is equally my country as it is your country. It doesnt anger me. It hurts me.

Mr. Singh should know that it hurts a lot of Americans, but it is time that it should start angering them to action besides signing stinking online petitions that serve no useful purpose to affect the kind of change this nation is desperate for after barely a month of a hate-driven administration. Reuters reported, by way of the tweet that Trump claims it is nonsense for anyone, much less relatives of Indian men shot by white guys, to suggest that Trumps xenophobic and racist rhetoric had any connection to racist and xenophobic hate crimes; no matter that the shooters parroted Trumpisms about getting out of my America prior to pulling the trigger.

What is going to be absent, again, is a Trump call to his followers to disarm and stop doing what hes been preaching over the past year or so; tell those others to get out of my country or get gunned down. However, if Trump were to demand that his surrogates stop targeting non-whites and non-Christians, that would mean he is not a hateful xenophobic racist; something everyone under the Sun knows he is including his hateful zealots.
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Donald Trump killed two birds with one stone on Monday, simultaneously taking credit for jobs he had no role in creating and plagiarizing from an Exxon Mobil press release.

A statement released by the White House today stole an entire paragraph from an Exxon PR statement issued just an hour earlier announcing investments that were planned in 2013.

The side-by-side image of the two statements shows just how similar they are. The White House didnt even try to pretend it wasnt plagiarizing.

Tweet via Vox:

Whats even more troubling is that Rex Tillerson, former Exxon CEO and current Secretary of State, met with Trump just two hours before the administrations statement was issued. As Slate noted, the White House statement looks a lot like corporate press release on behalf of Exxon Mobile.

The line between Trumps business entanglements and his work as president is essentially nonexistent at this point, and his free advertising for Exxon on Monday is proof of that.

It also shouldnt go unnoticed that the president is lying when he takes credit for jobs that he is supposedly helping Exxon create. The investment plan outlined by the oil company on Monday was announced four years ago when Barack Obama was president.

There is nothing new or newsworthy here, said energy analyst Pavel Molchanov, according to the Chicago Tribune. At the risk of stating the obvious, plenty of companies, across various industries, have been touting their U.S. job creation efforts in order to get on the Trump administrations good side  even when the underlying job creation has little or nothing to do with Washington policy. This is simply the latest example of that.

However, there was one new jobs announcement issued on Monday that the president was predictably silent about it. General Motors said it plans to lay off up to 1,100 of its workers from a plant in Lansing, Michigan.

Trump, who won the rust-belt state last fall by convincing enough voters that he would bring jobs back, has yet to comment on that development.
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Donald Trump ran on making America great again, but he has already severely damaged the very things the United States stood for, and thus injured our image internationally.

Donald Trump is already giving Russian President Vladimir Putin everything he ever dreamed of, and so much quicker than your average puppet could have done. Russia is laughing at the United States now, mocking its self destruction of the very values that made it stand in relief against an authoritarian dictatorship like Putins.

At destroying America, Donald Trump is the bigly best.

Kremlin-controlled news outlets used to root for Donald Trumps election. Now theyre reveling in the chaos and division of his early presidency, Michael Crowley of Politico reported Tuesday.

Politico ran through just a few of the headlines:

Immigrants See American Dream Fade in Wake of Surge in Hate Crimes, Sputnik News, another English language outlet bankrolled by the Kremlin, reported the same day.

America is in the grips of hatred, the Russian television commentator Dmitry Kiselyov told viewers of the Rossiya 1 network on Sunday night. The popular host, appointed directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested the political discord could lead to violence in gun-friendly America  a dangerous combination with free-flowing firearms, he said.

The original Russian state-controlled media fixation on Trump was that he was this destroying angel who would damage the established monopoly of two leading US political parties and lead a crusade against bankrupt American elites, Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia, told Politico.

 who would damage the established monopoly of two leading US political parties and lead a crusade against bankrupt American elites  Do those words sound familiar? Because it wasnt just Trump fans who spouted them. This came from the far left and the far right and it was embraced by libertarians.

This entire narrative was deliberately planted and targeted toward young Americans, who ate it up for good reason. Yes, we have a problem in our political system. That problem is that Republicans have enabled corrupt corporate money to secretly influence legislation for their benefit, to the harm of the people.

Its just that the solution to that was not to turn our backs on Hillary Clinton, ironically the only person in the general election who directly took on Citizens United and the NRA, in other words, the political influence of the dark money from elites.

But our country fell for the bait and elected the destroyer of American values out of rage over what they had been led to believe Hillary Clinton stood for. I warned about this during the election.

It was so easy to manipulate voters into hating Hillary Clinton. Perhaps that is partly on her as pundits keep insisting, but I cant help but add in the variables of the entities she took on directly, all of the big, big players in dark money and Putin himself  he knew Clinton was no easy pushover; That is, the entities that fooled Americans into voting against their own self interest.

Perhaps Americans need someone with the charm of Obama to see through the distorting lens of dark money. If so, that is a lazy weakness of which the Kremlin took easy advantage.

As I keep repeating, Moscows goal wasnt to get Donald Trump elected; they want to undermine western democracy, and they figured Donald Trump would be the best way to achieve this goal.

Already Trump is giving them headlines to make the U.S. a laughingstock. Which is to say, Donald Trump is destroying America for the Kremlin.

This was their goal, only it happened before Trump could return any of his promises to them. Who knew Trump would burn through his political capital so soon.

No matter to Putin, because the long goal is so much closer now that Trump has succeeded in dividing gun-crazy America.

Donald Trump still hasnt figured out that he was used and that Russia is not in fact invested in his presidency at all. He has already given all of the gifts he had to give; already destroyed faith in democracy, instilled fear and questions about reality.

As I kept writing during the election, that was the goal of phase one. The Kremlin has a decades long plan to destroy western democracy, Donald Trumps ignorance was just an early present.

The real danger here is not just the Russian puppet in the White House, but the undermining of the ideals that buttress western democracy and the chaos brought by an incompetent, mentally unstable president. The real danger here is the division and the feeling that we dont know whats real anymore.

The real coup is yet to come.

Lest this leave you depressed and demoralized, former President Barack Obama has said repeatedly  even knowing all of this  that he has faith in our democracy. Our democracy is fueled by the people. Speak up, speak out, be seen, be heard.

Yes, we can Yes, we did. Dont forget it.
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Its remarkable to hear things like what Donald Trump tweeted this morning about President Obama being weak on Russia.

For eight years Russia "ran over" President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

To make it worse, Trump showed right in his tweet where he is getting his information: Fox News. And this is the kind of hard-hitting journalism theyre doing on Fox & Friends this morning:

.@RobbyMook: Donald Trump won. That's not up for debate. But the question is was anyone aiding and abetting Russia's hack into the DNC? pic.twitter.com/EF8f6EeyXm  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 7, 2017

No talk here of Trumps ties to Russia, or of Trump pleading with Vladimir Putin to hack Hillarys emails, or of clandestine meetings between members of Trumps team and Russian intelligence agents or of Michael Flynn lying about talking to the Russian ambassador and then lying about it, or of Jeff Sessions secretly meeting with him during the Republican National Convention.

No, what Fox & Friends want to know is just how guilty are Democrats of Letting Russians hack them.

While CNNs New Day has a discussion about how little value there is in even interviewing Trump spokespersons because they dont actually know anything, Fox & Friends is blaming the victim.

It is no wonder the one is fake news for Trump and the other is the administrations state news agency.

Look, this is real simple: It was not President Obama who was taking orders from Vladimir Putin. It was not President Obama lying about how close a relationship he has with Vladimir Putin. It was not on President Obamas behalf that Vladimir Putin intervened in the American election process, but on Donald Trumps.

President Obama imposed sanctions. Donald Trump wants to weaken them and make nice to Vladimir Putin for hacking our elections.

The truth is, Donald Trump is very eager to please Vladimir Putin and the last thing on his mind is standing up to the Russian dictator. All those Russian flags his supporters wave arent a message to Putin to give back the Crimea.
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As part of his daily Twitter rant, Donald Trump tweeted a huge lie about President Obama and Guantanamo detainees, apparently again motivated by a story on Fox & Friends this morning:

122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

Never mind that its a complete fabrication:

The Coward-in-Command is up & lying, this time #Guantanamo. Does @realDonaldTrump / @POTUS have a pathological inability to tell the truth? pic.twitter.com/xXn6O0cMBR  Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) March 7, 2017

Trump watches Fox & Friends, then tweets (this time, neglecting that 113 of 122 detainees were released by Pres. Bush). This is SO reckless. pic.twitter.com/pNjRXJHCAG  Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) March 7, 2017

Thats right: just 9 of the detainees that Trump blames President Obama for this morning were actually released by Obama. And yes, Donald Trump does seem to suffer from a pathological inability to tell the truth.

However, for Trump, its a win. Its a distraction from the very real problems in his administration and it pushes the right buttons among his supporters, who will be repeating the lie all day long.
With fall in the air, cyclamen start peeking through the leaf litter, giving the woodland garden a splash of color when most plants have finished blooming. As those pink, white or magenta blooms unfurl and appear, it is a memorable sight to see. Read moreFall charmers and winter wonders
The Nexx Level Sports Center, planned to be built in Irmo, would host major sports tournaments weekly, and is projected to bring $51 million in spending to the area in the first five years, if developers can line up the financial support needed to build it. Read moreProposed Columbia area sports complex seeking financial commitments from county, state
South Carolina voters head to the polls Nov. 8, casting ballots in midterm elections that will not only determine the state's next governor but will also act as the first major referendum on the Biden era. Read moreYour voter guide to top races, key issues in South Carolina's 2022 midterm elections
The Rochester City Council took a step toward allowing Sunday liquor sales but noted there is no rush since the proposed state law change won't take effect until July.

Council Member Michael Wojcik proposed asking city staff to delete city controls that override state law on liquor sales.

While city ordinance mirrors current state practice, if the state's ban on Sunday liquor sales ends, Rochester's would continue, unless the city ordinance is changes. Gov. Mark Dayton, who has said he plans to sign the bill that passed Thursday, has three working days to make it official. Today is the third day. The bill also becomes law, if Dayton lets it pass without a veto.

City Attorney Terry Adkins noted Minnesota cities typically fall into two camps when dealing with liquor laws: Some remain silent and follow state restrictions, while others either mimic state law or add restrictions.

Rochester falls into the latter camp, which requires the council to consider ordinance changes each time state law is revised. Wojcik's request would have the city switch camps, ending the need for future ordinance changes.

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"It's the easiest ordinance to draft," Adkins said, noting it simply removes existing city controls. "Even a law student could do it."

However, council members voiced a desire to take at least some of the time the state law change will allow.

Council Member Ed Hruska said he has heard from local residents who want to address the council on the subject. While he supported having Adkins prepare a revised ordinance, he said he'd seek a public hearing before the final decision is made.

"I'm probably sure we're all going to support this, and I don't personally have an issue with it, but I was under the impression that the process would give people a chance to weigh in," Hruska said.

Wojcik said he would support a public hearing, but also voiced a desire to see the change made by July if the state law changes.

Adkins said the proposal will come back at a future meeting for additional review. At that point, the council can determine whether it desires to hold a public hearing on the issue.

In other action, the council:

 Approved revisions to the Chateau Circle Special District near the intersection of Rochester's 55th Street and Villa Road Northwest. After making some changes to the proposed language, the council approved the revisions in a 6-1 vote, with Wojcik opposed.

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 Set an April 3 hearing on a proposed change to the city's home-rule charter, which would revise the definition of the city administrator's duties.

 Approved the final reading of an ordinance change for taxicab operations in the city.
Several southeast Minnesota residents implored senators on Monday to reject a bill they say would roll back needed environmental regulation of silica-sand mining.

"This bill would put the profits of frac-sand corporations ahead of the best interests of the people of Minnesota, and that is wrong," said Johanna Rupprecht, a policy organizer with the Land Stewardship Project and Winona resident.

The bill would get rid of a requirement that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency adopt rules regulating particulate emissions from silica-sand mines. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, said mining companies already have to follow strict requirements.

"We're not repealing any standards that are not already in place today. We are not giving the frac-sand industry a pass. They still have very rigid requirements that they have to follow," Ruud told members of a Senate committee.

The requirement that the MPCA establish air quality rules dates back to 2013 when the Legislature approved a package of additional regulations for silica-sand mining. It came at a time when the industry was rapidly growing, thanks to North Dakota's oil boom. The sand is a key ingredient in hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." The technique involves pumping sand, water and chemicals into oil and natural gas wells within shale formations. The high-pressure mixture creates fractures in the rock, releasing the oil and gas trapped inside.

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Interest in mining silica-sand has dropped as oil prices have plummeted. Still, some southeast Minnesota residents say they are worried oil prices will go back up again, fueling renewed interest in opening new silica-sand mines.

Representatives of the silica-sand mining industry testified in support of Ruud's bill. Brett Skilbred, vice president of Jordan Sands, said the additional rules are unnecessary. He said the company's Mankato-based mining operation had to get an air emissions permit from the MPCA in 2014 that set strict requirements.

"We aren't here in an attempt to limit the agency's ability to protect public health. We are here to stress that current rules work appropriately. We are here to stress that the proposed rules put an unnecessary burden on our business," Skilbred said.

Also testifying was John Richards, with Air Control Techniques. He said data his company has collected shows there is little cause for concern when it comes to emissions from silica-sand mines. His company gathered data using nine monitors at one of Unimin Corporation's mines in Minnesota. The monitors detected low levels of ambient crystalline silica along the mine's fence line.

"Our concentrations that we were measuring are on the order of 10 to 15 percent of the chronic relative exposure levels that are accepted in Minnesota," Richards said.

But the bill's opponents told members of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee that there is still not enough research to make conclusions about potential health effects for residents living near silica-sand mines.

Ruud's bill also faces pushback from the MPCA. The agency's Legislative Director Greta Gauthier said it makes sense to move ahead with the new rules.

"We believe this rule will provide regulatory certainty and transparency regarding applicable and basic requirements for this industry," Gauthier said.

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She said the rules may also make the permitting process simpler for the agency and mines because they would no longer have to put together site-specific requirements. The rules would also ensure local governments understand the state's role in monitoring air emissions.

Several Democrats on the the committee voiced opposition to Ruud's bill.

Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, asked, "Why wouldn't we just simply allow the PCA to proceed with the rules to make sure the dust clouds and alike don't escape from these facilities?

No vote was taken on the bill. Instead, it is being considered for possible inclusion as part of a larger environmental policy bill. Ruud is the committee's chairwoman. Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester is a co-author of the bill. A similar measure has been introduced in the House.

Lake City resident Dennis Hatleli told senators that residents fought hard in 2013 to get lawmakers to pass additional silica-sand mining regulations. He said getting rid of the rule requirement after citizens have spent many hours working on it is wrong.

Hatleli added, "To just change this whole thing seems to be almost a slap in the face to the process of democracy."
Recently, I came across the American flag that covered the coffin of my grandad, Earl Danielson. He was a test pilot in the Navy during World War I. A deeply kind and gentle man, as well as being the person who named me, it is because of my memories of him that I was happy to keep this flag.

As I considered what to do with this flag, I thought of family and friends who have said that people have died for that flag. I disagree. It may seem like trivial semantics, but meaning is after all everything in language.

Men and women representing the best of our democracy died not for a symbol but the principles of justice and freedom.

The concept of "American exceptionalism " is conditional on our behavior. It is only valid by virtue of being a country of laws that we abide by. German soldiers in WWII tried to surrender to the Americans rather than be taken by the Soviets. We denounced torture, rape and massacres. If we became barbaric and lawless, how would we distinguish in any meaningful moral way between ourselves and the enemy? I think that American exceptionalism is sometimes misunderstood to mean that we can do what we want in the world, because we are a nuclear armed superpower.

The flag is a symbol, not an idea. As a material symbol, it can and has been exploited in every imaginable way. It can be burned and desecrated. Worse, it can be used as a prop.

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Our president took a medical deferment for a bone spur and bragged about the great party he was having during the years while John McCain was in hell. A prisoner of war who spent five years enduring torture, McCain was chastised for being captured. He has become one of the most outspoken senators to denounce torture.

The man who is our president advocated several months ago that the U.S. should stop running a "politically correct war" against ISIS. He advocated "taking out the families" of terrorists. I think it is important to call out the crimes violating the Geneva/Hague conventions.

I hope the timeless ideals of democracy are more resilient than I fear, because good people do terrible things when instructed by authoritarian figures in the name of nationalism.

My father also was in the Navy. He returned from World War II mad with grief. Seeing his shipmates die was a horror he never escaped. He would be sick to hear the Commander in Chief advocate atrocities and flippantly entertain the idea of using nuclear weapons.

I imagine the unrest and betrayal that resonates through his grave, and all I can do is promise to resist.

The old flag is now prominently displayed. It is a reminder about the difference between symbols and ideals.
John discussed the Trump administrations revised travel order in a post below. He says it looks bullet proof, and so it does. However, I cant help but suspect that if the same judges who reviewed the original order rule on its successor, the outcome might well be the same, with new concerns providing the basis for an anti-administration ruling.

This time around, though, Im confident the administration is prepared to take the matter to the Supreme Court. What the four liberal Justices will make of the new order is anyones guess. However, the fact that Trump scaled it back in response to the concerns expressed by courts may help the administrations case in even their eyes.

To me, the most interesting change in the travel order is one that wasnt prompted by any court decision. Im referring to the decision to eliminate Iraq from the list of countries to whose citizens the 90-day ban on the issuance of new visas applies.

The case for applying the ban to Iraq always seemed a little weaker than the case for the other countries on the original list  Iran, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria. The Iraqi government is more stable than its counterparts in some of these places and more willing to cooperate with the U.S. than its counterparts in others.

The official explanation for eliminating Iraq from the list, as presented by Rex Tillerson, is two fold: (1) Iraqs central role in the fight against ISIS and (2) Iraqs agreement to increase its cooperation in vetting Iraqis applying for travel into the U.S.

It also seems to be the case that Iraq pushed back. Parliament voted to impose a similar ban on Americans, and Irans proxies pushed for the expulsion of U.S. troops aiding in the fight against ISIS. It may be that the Trump administration felt the temporary ban wasnt worth alienating the Iraqi government and playing into Irans hands, especially once Iraq agreed to help with vetting.

Whatever the true motive for eliminating Iraq from the list, its initial inclusion may have led to improved vetting of Iraqis coming to the U.S. And thats what the 90-day ban is really about. Its supposed to give our government time to determine whether vetting of would-be entrants from unstable and/or hostile states with lots of terrorists can be improved to the point where we have sufficient confidence that were not letting in people who present a heightened risk of terrorist activity.

In this way, I think, the order marginally improves homeland security. It imposes some hardship, but almost entirely on non-citizens who have no right to enter the U.S.

Such an order should not be the subject of second-guessing by judges.
Martha Raddatz of ABC asked former press secretary Josh Earnest whether he would deny President Trumps claim that the Obama administration spied on his campaign. Much like former President Obamas current spokesman, Earnest weaseled:

She asked Josh Earnest point-blank, Can you categorically deny that the Obama Justice Department did not seek and obtain a FISA court order? [sic]

His response was full of weasel words: What I can categorically deny, Martha, is that the White House was at all involved in directing, or interfering, or influencing an FBI investigation.

Thats not what Im asking, Raddatz pressed. What Im asking is, can you deny that the Obama Justice Department did not seek and obtain a FISA court ordered wiretap of the Trump campaign? [sic]

Take two from Earnest: The simple answer to that question, Martha, is I dont know. The fact is, even when I was in government, I was not in a position of being regularly briefed on an FBI criminal or counterintelligence investigation.
Tiffany Trump, the presidents daughter by his marriage to Marla Maples, is applying to law school. The Washington Posts report makes two points: (1) children of celebrities normally receive preferential treatment in admission to colleges and law school, but (2) its not clear that such treatment will be granted to the daughter of this particular celebrity, the non-liberal President of the United States.

Both points are scandalous. They illustrate the bankrupt, pseudo-progressive nature of American higher education.

Why should the children of celebrities receive preferential admission? Why, in particular, would progressives indulge in this practice? Such applicants in most cases have had every conceivable advantage when it comes to building a strong resume. If, notwithstanding those advantages, their application falls short of a universitys usual standards, it should be placed in the reject pile without a moments thought.

Privilege is a central concept in the leftist dogma that many colleges and university subscribe to and inculcate. Whites are presumed, sometimes irrebuttably, to have it; certain minorities are presumed not to. The allegedly inherent disparity is thought to justify, for example, the failure to discipline African-American students who taunt and assault white students in a college library.

The concept is mostly nonsense. Most white kids who want to go to elite colleges have the privilege of busting their tails in high school, competing for honors in activities like debate and the school newspaper, engaging in community services, writing ridiculous essays, and then hoping that they arent rejected in favor of a minority student with far less impressive credentials.

Their main advantage over minority students? They are more likely to come from a stable, two-parent family.

But the sons and daughters of celebrities arguably are privileged. Consider the Obama daughters. Its almost certain that they possessed significant advantages in building strong resumes  attendance at top private schools, access to the most expensive SAT tutors, travel and public service opportunities  that almost no applicant, regardless of race, had. (Whether they needed these advantages to get into elite colleges, I dont know; nor do I know whether Tiffany Trump needs them.)

Yet the same colleges that inculcate the evils of privilege are delighted to grant admission preferences to those most likely to have been privileged.

Why do they do it? For one thing, it probably turns them on to have the sons and daughters of stars on campus.

For another, its a selling point. Ive heard students and/or their parents (who paid the big college bills) brag about the fact that they attended school with this or that celeb.

But this explanation demonstrates even more starkly the hypocrisy of progressives. Shouldnt the social justice warriors who attend elite colleges and their progressive parents be offended that their institution grants preferential admission to the privileged? (The Washington Post article cited above makes clear that this practice is known to students). Instead, for most it seems to be a point of pride.

Things werent always this way. As a freshman at Dartmouth, I heard rumors that a member of our class was the son of a major Hollywood star (or perhaps producer or director). The rumors were probably true because just a few years after graduation, this guy was already a player in the movie industry.

The identity of the star was a secret. The son, whom I knew slightly, didnt want anyone to know. Nor do I recall his fellow students being overcome by curiosity.

Now lets turn to the second element of the Posts story  that Tiffany Trump may not receive the usual celebrity preference because her father is despised by the leftists who will make the decision. The Post quotes David Lat, founder of a leading website that covers the legal profession, who says, The X factor is how her fathers controversial presidency affects what would normally be a big plus. (Emphasis added)

In other words, its possible that one or more law schools will decide that Ms. Trump will have to check her privilege. She may be denied the preferential treatment she would receive if her father were a liberal president, or even just a liberal congressman, Hollywood B-lister, or journalist.

This is speculation, of course. But the fact that people who follow these things closely are wondering whether Tiffany Trump will be discriminated against in relation to similarly situated offspring of celebrities is more evidence of the sickness that prevails at elite colleges and universities.
The Nigerian interbank foreign exchange market received another boost on Tuesday, with the further injection of $100 million by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

The fund is the fourth intervention by the CBN in continuation of its effort to ease access to FOREX by Nigerians to meet their needs for tuition fees, medical bills as well as personal and basic transport allowance.

The spokesperson of the CBN, Isaac Okorafor, said in Abuja, that the fresh injection of funds brings the total amount so far injected into the interbank FOREX market within the last two weeks to $1.138 billion for both forwards and invisibles.

Following the review of the FOREX policy more than two weeks ago, the CBN opened its series of interventions in the interbank market with a $500 million placements.

The second intervention was the injection of about $270 million, while the third placement was on Monday, with a total of $367.13 million supplied to the market to meet the requests of customers.

Mondays intervention was made up of about $144,073,753.07 for 45 days requests, while $223,060,576.86 was for 60 days.

Close watchers of the market said on Tuesday the CBN interventions would further boost the chances of the Naira to consolidate on its value, which strengthened significantly in the last few weeks since the review of the FOREX policy.

A former economic adviser to the President, Ode Ojowu, hailed the efforts by the CBN to stabilise the market and strengthen the Naira.

It appears this time around, the CBN has decided to become smarter than the market manipulators, by putting on its cap of authority to look beneath the market forces, Mr. Ojowu said.

Last month, the CBN reviewed its policy on the supply of forex to guarantee supply to all categories of end-users.

Since the introduction of the new policy, Naira has appreciated in value, with market stability and confidence almost returning.

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The International Organisation for Migration, IOM, said on Tuesday that 22 people were killed in fight between rival people-smuggling gangs on Libyas Mediterranean coast.

The IOM spokesperson, Joel Millman, said that the dead were thought to be migrants rather than smugglers because they were sub-Saharan Africans.

Mr. Millman told a news briefing in Geneva, citing information from colleagues in Libya, that no fewer than 100 people were wounded.

The latest deaths, he added come in addition to the 140 bodies found on Libyan beaches so far this year, while there have been 477 deaths at sea on the route from Libya.

Mr. Millman said so far this year, 15,760 migrants have arrived in Italy, up from 9,101 in the same period of 2016, while almost 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and brought back to Libya.

The number of migrants setting off for Italy by boat from Africa has risen more than 50 percent so far this year, after half a million people arrived during the past three years.

Italy is promising to send more migrants who do not qualify for asylum back home, either by force or with their consent.

This is creating all kinds of activity in the smuggling industry, and apparently that activity has reached the level of violent shootouts that left 22 killed in the last couple of days, Mr. Millman said.

He also said 62 Syrians also showed up among migrants arriving in Italy.

Syrian refugees have mainly gone to Europe via Turkey and Greece, a route which was effectively blocked last year by a deal between the European Union and Turkey.

No fewer than 200 Syrians made the trip from Libya to Italy in 2016.

So with 62, obviously were not setting records, but it could be a shift showing that that traffic has come back across North Africa, maybe coming to Libya again, Mr. Millman said.

(Reuters/NAN)

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Iran will not issue visas to Americans as long as the U. S. refuses to issue visas to Iranians, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said in Tehran on Tuesday.

Tehran said it was unperturbed by the renewed ban on Iranian visitors under U.S. President Donald Trumps revised executive order from Monday, which had been forced after legal challenges overturned the original order.

Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said: the new executive order is also worthless from a judicial point of view.

As long as Iranians were barred from entering the U.S., U.S. citizens would be barred from entering Iran; as soon as the U.S. lifts the ban, as it was forced to do at the end of February, Iran would respond in kind.

Mr. Takht-Ravanchi stressed that Iran had never been involved in any terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

He said countries that were involved were not on Mr. Trumps list.

Mr. Trump signed a revised executive order Monday halting new visas for 90 days for people from six majority-Muslim countries- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and also suspending refugee admissions for 120 days.

The new order takes effect March 16.

Iraq was on the previous 90-day ban order but is now removed from the list due to enhanced cooperation with the government in Baghdad, the White House said.

(Reuters/NAN)

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A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Monday adjourned till April 6 the suit filed by former first lady, Patience Jonathan, seeking to unfreeze bank accounts she claims belong to her.

Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned proceedings after counsel requested for more time to study an affidavit filed by Mike Ozekhome, counsel to the fourth and fifth defendants.

The counsel to the second defendant, Lanre Ogunlesi, a senior advocate of Nigeria, said he had not been served the affidavit said to have been filed by Mr. Ozekhome.

Responding, Mr. Ozekhome said the courts bailiff was unable to serve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as the commission had concluded the days activities before his arrival.

We are just coming into this matter and my lord on Friday we were able to file our paper. We filed on Friday and and my junior is just telling me that the courts bailiff said that by the time he got to the EFCC, they had closed and this morning they refused service, said Mr. Ozekhome.

Now my lord sir, there is another snag we just encountered, the registrar at the court took the same affidavit before another judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Babs Kuewumi, so its not in this court and my lord may not have it here.

Its for the fourth and fifth defendants and it was erroneously taken to your learned brothers court. If my lord will be so gracious to give us a stand down or a short adjournment, we will be so grateful.

Replying, Mr. Ogunlesi, told the court that a stand down would not solve the problem.

We took an adjournment in this matter over a month ago. Its the chambers of the client that should be served and in the interest of fair hearing, we should have time to respond.

Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, accused the defence counsel of stalling the suit and demanded a compensation of N50,000.

My lord weve not been served, he said.

An attempt was made for me to receive some documents. I only said I am not the designated officer to receive such documents. As it stands now, there is no counter affidavit before my lord and I dont think that should be the basis for adjourning this matter. I also want to correct the impression that I rejected service. Its not in my nature to refuse service.

But Mr. Ozekhome insisted that counsel-to-counsel has been in use since his 35 years of law practice.

The issue of cost should not be an issue at all because at every instance they have been asked to pay, they say they are a government agency and on several occasions have not paid, he said.

I will be very wealthy if EFCC pays me all the cost awarded against them. I have about ten cases against them and if I should win one of the cases, I will be a millionaire.

Mrs. Jonathan had sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after the agency froze the bank accounts containing a total of $15 million.

Also joined in the suit are Skye Bank Plc, and a former Special Assistant to ex-President Jonathan, Waripama Owei-Dudafa.

Others include Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd, Transocean Property and Investment Company Ltd and Globus Integrated Service Ltd.

She is demanding $200 million as damages.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has sworn in Walter Onnoghen as the 17th Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The swearing-in ceremony was conducted Tuesday inside the council chambers of Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja.

Mr. Onnoghen, a native of Cross River state, was first appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting CJN on November 10, 2016 after the retirement of former CJN, Mahmoud Mohammed.

Mr. Osinbajo returned his name to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation as substantive CJN on February 8.

The Senate screened and confirmed him on March 1.

Mr. Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari had asked him to let the new CJN know that he was assuming office at a time when all arms of government suffers from loss of confidence from the people.

He also said Mr. Buhari expressed the belief that the tenure of the new CJN will help revive and sustain the peoples confidence.

Mr. Osinbajo said it was time to show Nigerians that the choice they made in bringing in the administration was the right one.

Speaking earlier, the new CJN said his complete loyalty was with the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He pledged to continue to keep to his oath of office and solicited the cooperation of all Nigerians.

Mr. Onnoghen said the key to achieving good governance in Nigeria lies in respecting the rule of law.

To Nigerians who had kept the faith, some have even fasted, I say a big thank you, he said.

Part of the swearing-in ceremony was the investiture of the Grand Commander of the Niger, GCON, on the new CJN.

The award, Nigerias second highest national honour, was given by Mr. Osinbajo.

The event was witnessed by Mr. Onnoghens family, Senate President Bukola Saraki, former CJN Mohammed Mahmud, Justices of the Supreme Court and other divisions, as well as Ministers.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has lashed out at Nigerias elites, blaming them for the woes of the nation.

Mr. Osinbajo spoke on Monday in Benin City, Edo State. He was in the state to continue his tour of oil-producing states in the country.

The elites everywhere, and not just in the oil producing communities, have very frequently deprived the people the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the land, Mr. Osinbajo said.

That is the Nigerian story. And that is something we must deal with. We cannot continue as if we dont know. We know.

It is not just oil producing community issue, it is across the country.

The crowd in the Samuel Ogbemudia College (formerly the New Era College), venue for the acting presidents meeting with the Edo State government and the oil producing communities, applauded Mr. Osinbajos remarks.

Mr. Osinbajo continued: If you look at the numbers of contracts and the volumes of money that have been spent on paper in this country, it is enough to develop several countries. But this money has been usually corruptly taken away.

The acting president told the people how corruption among the elites was also responsible for the lack of meaningful development in the oil-producing communities.

I have looked at some of the issues of abandoned projects. I can tell you precisely how much have been voted or spent in several of our communities. And there is no sign of development in those areas.

I can tell you how many of these projects are supposed to have been completed, and when you looked in the books, they say they have been completed. But they have not been completed. They havent even been done. Many have not even been started at all, he said.

The acting president repeated a line he often used in the other oil producing states he previously visited, that the people of the oil producing areas have not really benefited from the wealth that oil has brought to the country.

He spoke of President Muhammadu Buharis sincerity and determination to turn things around in the Niger Delta.

It does not make sense for leadership to look at the plight of the people, especially in the oil producing areas. This is the source of the wealth of the nation. Even if you ignore the people for a while, a time will come when you can no longer ignore them.

So, theres no question at all that we are committed to doing the things we say we will do, and that is the pledge coming directly from President Muhammadu Buhari himself.

Mr. Osinbajo informed the people of the practical steps the federal government is taking to change the fortune of the oil producing communities.

The ministry of petroleum in collaboration with the oil companies is working on 20 initiatives for host communities, state by state, and this includes working with illegal refineries so that we can bring them into a programme of what we have described in other states as modular refineries. So that these illegal refineries can become hubs for proper refining.

We must make the oil producing communities become hubs for petroleum refining, Mr. Osinbajo said.

Earlier on, before the acting president spoke, there was commotion in the hall as some protesters pushed their way into the hall and insisted that Mr. Osinbajo must visit the oil producing communities in order to have firsthand knowledge of what the people were going through.

The meeting was temporarily disrupted for about 10 minutes.

The governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, appealed to the acting president to consider making another visit to the state, from there he could take a tour to the oil producing communities.

Like other oil-producing states in the Niger Delta we have had our fair share of neglect and deprivation, and that is what youve heard from our people today, Mr. Obaseki told Mr. Osinbajo.

The governor said the state government was developing a masterplan for the development of the 38 oil producing communities in the state.

Mr. President with your permission and agreement with the federal government, we will not allow any government or any agency to operate in any of our oil producing communities without strict adherence to our masterplan, Governor Obaseki said.

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The former Group Managing Director of the state oil firm, NNPC, from whom the anti-graft EFCC seized over $9.8 million has sued the commission for violating his fundamental rights.

Mr. Yakubu also wants the court to award him N1 billion against the EFCC and the Attorney General of the Federation as damages.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has therefore fixed March 9 for hearing on the fundamental right enforcement suit filed by Mr. Yakubu.

In the suit filed through his counsel, Adeola Adedipe, Mr. Yakubu is asking the court to shield him from further investigation by the EFCC.

He is also urging the court to award the sum of N1 billion against EFCC and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, who is the second respondent, as damages and compensation, while asking the respondents to tender public apology in two widely published national dailies, for the violation of his aforementioned rights.

At the sitting today, the counsel to the EFCC, J. A. Ojogbane, told the court that he had filed necessary responses and ready to take the preliminary objections and counter affidavit, while counsel to the attorney general, T. A. Kazali, told the court that they just filed their processes shortly before the court sitting, but were yet to be registered in the court record.

Justice Mohammed, thereafter, adjourned for hearing on the motion.

It would be recalled that, on February 3, operatives of the EFCC stormed a building belonging to Mr. Yakubu and recovered a staggering sum of $9,772,000 and 74,000 stashed in a huge fire proof safe.

On February 8, Mr. Yakubu reported to the Commissions Kano Zonal Office where he admitted being the owner of both the house and the money recovered.

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama,, has said that no Nigerian with full valid entry visa has been denied entry to the U.S. contrary to reports.

Mr. Onyeama, who stated this while fielding questions from journalists over the issue, said Nigerians were free to travel to U.S. as the country was not on the ban list.

The minister said he was constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there was no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S.

On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the U.S., this is not the case.

I am in touch with the U. S. Embassy and the Ambassador said no, there was nothing of such nature.

I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that.

We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back, he said.

The ministers position came a day after Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, to President Muhammadu Buhari, advised Nigerians to travel to the U.S. only when it is very pressing.

She said her office her received reports of Nigerians being turned away from the U.S despite having genuine travel visas.

Mr. Onyeama said if the government is speaking on any external relations, it will be heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency as any other source is not from the government.

He said Nigeria had embassies in almost 114 countries across the world and the ministry relied on their reports.

The U.S. Government has been reaching out to Nigeria.

The U.S. president took all the trouble to call our president and to offer the hand of cooperation to see how he was doing.

And, to congratulate him on the efforts he is being making and expressing the respect that he had for him, his leadership and his government, he said.

According to him, the U.S Secretary of State called to echo exactly the same thing and our cooperation with them is exemplary.

Nigeria is on no list and Nigerians are on no list ban by the U.S. Government and it is always business as usual and very good business with the U.S. Government.

Anything you hear in respect of the U.S. is incorrect, so any one that has valid document to go to the U.S. or any other country should please proceed to do so, he said.

In the same vein, the minister said there was no life lost in the recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa as was also reported in the media.

I want to say that no Nigerian was killed at the last xenophobic attacks in South Africa, wherever the information is coming from it is not true.

We have the high commissioner and we have the consular there and the report of people being killed is not correct, he said.

He said the Federal Government was having discussion with the South African Authority at the highest level to ensure that the issue did not repeat itself.

Mr. Onyeama said the discussion was also to ensure the protection of foreigners living in South Africa.

U.S President Donald Trump had on Monday signed a new executive order which bans immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, dropping Iraq from Januarys previous order, and reinstated a temporary blanket ban on all refugees.

The new travel ban comes six weeks after Mr. Trumps original executive order caused chaos at airports nationwide before it was blocked by federal courts.

It removed language in the original order that indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and called for prioritising the admission of refugees who are religious minorities in their home countries.

That provision drew criticism of a religious test for entry and would have prioritised Christians over Muslims fleeing war-torn countries in the Middle East.

The new ban, which takes effect March 16, also explicitly exempts citizens of the six banned countries who are legal U.S permanent residents or have valid visas to enter the US.

This included those whose visas were revoked during the original implementation of the ban, senior administration officials said.

Group condemns foreign affairs minister

Meanwhile, a group, Nigerian Coalition for Quality Governance, has criticised the foreign affairs minister for his handling of the U.S. travel controversy.

In a statement Tuesday, the group said Mr. Onyeama was only trying to deny and dismiss the effects of the Executive Order of the U.S. President Donald Trump banning nationals of select countries.

While it must be admitted that Nigeria is not officially among the countries whose citizens have been banned from entering the US, enough evidence has already surfaced that not a few Nigerians had been put on the next available planes from the US airports back to Nigeria despite their possession of all travelling documents including the US entry visa, the group said.

The group said the minister was wrong in calling on Nigerians to ignore the advisory issued by Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa.

While were not questioning the right of the Foreign Minister to an issue that borders on foreign policy as this, Mr. Onyeama has undoubtedly put the wrong foot forward in calling on Nigerians to ignore this Travel Advisory in the face of verifiable evidence that Nigerians are being unfairly targeted and included in the dragnet of the US immigration authorities, the group said.

Firstly, we had wondered why the Foreign Minister was always behind the 8th ball in his response to major foreign affairs and diaspora issues. While its never too late for Mr. Onyeama to wake up to his responsibilty, we wonder if he must play to the gallery with his denial that Nigerians have been affected by the US travel ban in any way.

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Nigeria has finally launched the long-awaited Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, a medium-term plan for 2017-2020, broadly targeting restoration of growth, human development and globally competitive economy, in efforts to combat current economic crisis and achieve sustained diversification and inclusiveness.

The Ministry of Budget and National Planning released the ERGP document on Tuesday, eventually providing a policy and reform framework, demanded locally and internationally, to haul the economy out of recession and chalk out path to national development.

Unavailability of the ERGP has been mentioned as impeding the countrys efforts to secure funds needed to address her economic challenges, including to fund the budget especially critical infrastructural objectives.

In January, Reuters reported how inability to submit recovery and reform plan stalled Nigerias bid for loan, quoting unnamed sources in global and Nigerian finance circle. The Reuters report mentioned the African Development Bank, AfDB, President, Akinwunmi Adeshina, as saying the bank held back the last tranche of $1 billion loan for Nigeria.

We are waiting for the economic policy recovery programme and the policy framework for that, Mr. Adeshina was quoted as saying, while explaining the reason for holding back last tranche of loan for Nigeria.

In the plan disclosed Tuesday evening, Nigeria said: The vision of the ERGP is one of sustained inclusive growth. There is an urgent need as a nation to drive a structural economic transformation with an emphasis on improving both public and private sector efficiency.

This is aimed at increasing national productivity and achieving sustainable diversification of production, to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens, beginning with food and energy security. This Plan is a pointer to the type of Nigeria that the people desire in the short to medium-term, and encourages the use of science, technology and innovation to drive growth.

It also provides a blueprint for the type of foundation that needs to be laid for future generations, and focuses on building the capabilities of the youth of Nigeria to be able to take the country into the future.

BROAD OBJECTIVES

The ERGP has three main objectives, including restoration of growth which has been elusive; investment in the people; and becoming a globally competitive economy.

To restore growth, the ERGP focuses on macroeconomic stability through fiscal stimulus, monetary stability and improved external balance of trade; and economic diversification by giving attention to agriculture, MSMEs, etc.

The revival of these sectors, increased investment in other sectors, less reliance on foreign exchange for intermediate goods and raw materials and greater export orientation will improve macroeconomic conditions, restore growth in the short term and help to create jobs and bring about structural change, stated the ERGP.

To drive investment in the people, the government said it would focus on social inclusion through targeted programmes that will enhance access and ensure support for the vulnerable. It also said it would reduce regional inequalities, especially in the Niger Delta and the North East.

Further, the government also expressed commitment to job creation and human capital by investing in healthcare and education to fill the skills gap in the economy.

The ERGP aims to tackle the obstacles hindering the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses, notably poor or non-existent infrastructural facilities and the difficult business environment, stated the ERGP. It will increase competitiveness by investing in infrastructure and improving the business.

Outlook by 2020

The ERGP, the government said, is designed to achieve agricultural transformation and food security and make Nigeria become a net exporter of rice, cashew nuts, groundnuts, cassava and vegetable oil by 2020.

For tomato paste, rice and wheat, the government said it targeted self-sufficiency by 2017, 2018 and 2020 respectively.

Improved foreign exchange inflow, achieving 10 GW of power generation, becoming exporter of refined petroleum products, stable macroeconomic environment, infrastructural development and industrialised economy are other parts of the outlook Nigeria envisions come 2020.

It is not the first time Nigeria would have a development plan; but mismanagement, lack of coordination, and non-implementation stalled effectiveness of previous ones.

But the government said it would ensure implementation of the ERGP by tackling growth constraints like poor business environment; involving the private sector and allowing market function; promoting national cohesion, social inclusion and core values that define the Nigerian society as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, notably discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance and patriotism.

Surprisingly, the government did not mention tackling corruption held by the Buhari administration as one of its main goals.

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Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, on Monday witnessed long queues of motorists outside filling stations as members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, threatened a nationwide strike.

The marketers were said to have been angered by the refusal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to allocate them sufficient volume of petroleum products.

Since the onset of the foreign exchange crisis last year, petroleum products marketers, including both IPMAN and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, have been finding it difficult to access dollars to finance their fuel import activities.

Consequently, more than 90 per cent of the fuel importation into the country were handled by the NNPC, which allocated products to the marketers for distribution across the country.

However, it was gathered that the IPMAN members said they were not allocated sufficient volume of products, as the conditions under which such allocations were made by NNPC did not allow them to enjoy the same credit terms as their MOMAN counterparts.

The independent marketers said they are not allowed easy access to forex.

They also said they had requested that payment of their bridging costs be fast-tracked by the government to allow them participate effectively in the fuel distribution business.

The spokesperson of the NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu, said the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Maikanti Baru, had moved quickly to avert the strike by inviting the marketers to Abuja on Monday to discuss these issues.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Ughamadu told PREMIUM TIMES that the pockets of fuel queues noticed in Abuja and environs were no cause to worry, as the issues that made the marketers issue the threat had been resolved.

The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, on Monday announced the suspension of a scheduled nationwide strike following a meeting with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, in Abuja, Mr. Ughamadu said in a statement.

Apart from the assurance the marketers got from the NNPC chief towards increased products allocation, Mr. Ughamadu said the Chairman of the IPMAN Committee on forex intervention, products sourcing and distribution, Musa Felande, described the meeting as peaceful, where all pending issues concerning the Association were addressed.

The meeting put to rest earlier grievances on issues relating to products supply, equalisation fund, access to FOREX and pricing of products, which are of interest to IPMAN, Mr. Felande said in a statement.

This is a very remarkable day for IPMAN and the country. We want to let the public know today that IPMAN is now one unified group. We are determined to continue to support the government.

We are calling on all our IPMAN members to go on with the usual supply and distribution of products in their respective stations and retail outlets across the country, he added.

The factional president of the association, Chinedu Okoronkwo, told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone all issues that bothered its members had been resolved and members were now free to go to any depot across the country to load products.

Another member of the committee, Zarma Mustapha, said the decision of the NNPC to intervene on the issue of bulk purchase agreement had gone a long way to sooth the frayed nerves of some IPMAN members across the country.

He said IPMAN, whose members own 19,000 of the 25,000 registered fuel outlets across the country, had resolved to work with the NNPC to ensure availability of fuel under a united IPMAN.

A member of the IPMAN Committee on forex Intervention, Products Sourcing and Distribution, Emmanuel Ihedigbo, said the cessation of hostilities between the two factions led by Chinedu Okoronkwo and Lawson Obasi was a good omen for the downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry.

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The police in Lagos on Monday arraigned a 35-year-old woman before an Ebutte-Meta Chief Magistrate Court for allegedly stabbing her lover to death.

According to the police, Mary Ally allegedly murdered her lover, Kingsley Perewe, 38, on January 27 at about 11.40 p.m. at Abukuru Street, Ajegunle, Lagos

The prosecutor, Cousin Adams, said the suspect stabbed the deceased on the neck and head with a knife in their bathroom.

Both of them run a beer parlour and have been co-habiting for 13 years but had no child, according to a statement presented to the court.

On the day the incident occurred, the statement noted, both the deceased and suspect closed from their bar and had gone home.

The suspect was in the bathroom taking her bath when the deceased told her he wanted to urinate, which the suspect obliged and excused him to urinate, read the statement.

Only for her to hear the deceased shout from the bathroom, she (the suspect) ran to the scene and met the deceased on the floor with injury on his head and neck.

He had minor stoke and on that day he slipped and fell breaking the PVC, which cut him on the neck and head. I rushed him to the general hospital Ajegunle, where he was confirmed dead

The Investigating Police Officer, Olaniyan Razak, however, said both the suspect and the deceased had struggled together in the bathroom before the PVC broke and there was also a blood-stained knife on the floor of the bathroom.

He said the deceased was last seen with the suspect and that she should be able to give account of what happened to him.

The police said the alleged crime contravened Section 123 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

The magistrate remanded the accused in custody and adjourned till April 3 to await legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution.

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A judicial drama that has lasted almost 12 years will reach a milestone on Thursday when Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court, Abuja, is scheduled to deliver judgement on the infamous Apo Six killings.

The court was to deliver the judgement on February 13, but Justice Bello pushed it forward to the new date.

The case centres on the alleged extra-judicial killing of five young auto-spare parts dealers in Apo, a satellite town in Abuja, and a young woman by officers of the Nigerian Police on the night of June 7, 2005.

The victims, Ekene Isaac Mgbe, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony and Augustina Arebu, were said to be returning from a night club when they were stopped at a police checkpoint.

The police had claimed that the victims, aged between 21 and 25 years, were members of an armed robbery gang that had opened fire on the officers when accosted at the checkpoint.

But a judicial panel of inquiry set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo found the police account to be false and recommended the trial of five officers for extra-judicial killings.

The indicted officers are Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami, now at large, Nicholas Zakaria, Ezekiel Acheneje, Baba Emmanuel, and Sadiq Salami. The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

But 12 years later, the trial continued to drag on in court.

The protracted trial has been hindered by institutional challenges, ranging from series of adjournments, problems over conveyance of defendants from the prison to court and difficulty in getting witnesses to testify.

Although the killings had caused a national outrage, after 12 years, the public has almost forgotten that the trial of the accused officers is still going on.

And the families of the dead have all but given up on justice.

The Apo Six, as the youthful victims have come to be remembered in and outside Nigeria, had set out for fun and merry making that ill-fated night almost 12 years ago.

But Nigerians would later be riveted by the horrific news of their deaths at the hands of the police.

The public outcry that followed the incident prompted then President Obasanjo to order an official inquiry.

The five officers accused of the killings and eight other police witnesses eventually testified before the panel of inquiry that Mr. Danjuma Ibrahim, the most senior of the accused officers, had allegedly ordered the killings of the youth.

According to the report of the panel, the victims were at a nightclub located at Gimbiya Street, Area 11 in Abuja that night of June 7, 2005 when they had a face-off with Mr. Ibrahim after the only female among the victims, Augustina Arebu, turned down romantic advances of the senior police officer.

Mr. Danjuma had allegedly stormed out of the night club to a police checkpoint at the end of the street and told the officers on duty that he had sited a group of armed robbers in the area.

According to the panels report, which forms the bulk of the evidence in court, when the six unwary young people later arrived at the checkpoint in their car, Mr. Ibrahim allegedly had the car blocked and ordered the officers to shoot at the occupants.

Four of the six died on the spot, but two of them, Mr. Ozor and Ms. Arebu, survived the initial onslaught.

The report had it that Mr. Ozor had immediately called to alert his friends after surviving the burst of gunfire. It was the last time they would hear from him.

According to a NAN report, the police officers later testified at the criminal trial that the two survivors were later taken to a location outside town where they were executed.

The officers allegedly later planted guns on the six bodies and had photographer take pictures of armed robbers killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police.

NAN reported that the photographer was later to raise an alarm and released the pictures.

In a curious twist, Anthony Edem, one of the officers close to the case, died after testifying to extra-judicial killings.

An autopsy report from the National Hospital Abuja confirmed that Mr. Edem died of poisoning and is one of the numerous exhibits before the court.

The pictures of their mangled bodies of the victims cannot be published due to their gruesome state.

There is nowhere else to look except at the bodies. There is a close-up of a face, gaping exit-wound at the temple, Amobi Nzelu, lawyer to the families of the victims, was quoted in a BBC article of May 9 2005.

Limbs and torsos covered in blood. Dead eyes stare upward. This is a human being, look what they did.

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The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has called for three days of prayers for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari and his early return to the country.

The NANS President, Chinonso Obasi, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said Nigerian students would within the three days starting from March 8 join other patriotic citizens to pray on behalf of the president who is on medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

According to him: As leaders of tomorrow and champions of a better Nigeria, we should not be left out in the national call for prayers for the President, especially now that his presence is needed for the country to navigate its way out of economic recession and political despair.

He, therefore, enjoined all students in tertiary institutions to join their hearts in prayer to God to heal the President.

He said that the prayers of 40 million Nigerian students would bring quick recovery and rejuvenation to the President.

March 7makes it 47days since Mr. Buhari left Nigeria for vacation in the UK.

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the presidents prolonged absence from Nigeria.

The presidency had announced on January 19 that Mr. Buhari was proceeding on a 10-day vacation and a routine medical checkup in the United Kingdom.

In a letter sent to both arms of the National Assembly, the President said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would act as president pending his return.

The president, who could not make it back to the country on February 6, transmitted another letter to the Senate requesting extension of time to complete his medical tests in London.

In that letter, he did not fix a date of return, fueling speculation that his health had deteriorated.

But top officials of his government maintained the presidents health was sound.

Although Mr. Buhari had telephone conversations spread over several days with individuals, including U.S. President Donald Trump and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a lot of Nigerians have called on the president to address Nigerians in a video message.

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The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has set up additional eight outposts and four ambulance points on the Abuja-Kaduna Road ahead of the planned temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The spokesman of the Corps, Bisi Kazeem, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the additional formations were to enable the FRSC to effectively manage anticipated traffic upsurge on the route within the period of the Abuja airport closure.

The Abuja airport will be closed for a six-week period beginning from Wednesday to pave for maintenance work on its runway.

During the period, flights will be diverted to neighbouring Kaduna Airport from where passengers to or from Abuja will travel by rail or road, aviation authorities said.

The Abuja airport hosts about 11,000 passengers daily, according to Henrietta Yakubu, the Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.

The diversion of these passengers to the Kaduna airport is expected to put more pressure on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, with an estimated driving distance of 199 kilometres.

The new outposts, according to Mr. Kazeem, are located at the Idu Railway Station, Madalla, Tafa, Jere, Alheri Camp, Barkin Ruwa, Rugasa Railway Station and Kaduna Airport.

The FRSC spokesperson added that 27 officers and 65 marshals had been posted to man the new outposts, while a tow truck had been provided for the removal of obstructions.

The spokesperson explained that there were five outposts on the Abuja-Kaduna axis before the additional eight, bringing the total to 13.

Mr. Kazeem said the new formations would remain after the six-week period.

He appealed to motorists on the route to cooperate with road safety officials and obey traffic regulations to avoid unnecessary crashes.

For the six weeks, we will be up and doing. We have established checks and balances to make sure that our men posted there are up and doing in order to achieve the ultimate goal of zero crash.

We should reduce our speed while on this road because traffic will be heavy.

We should make sure that our vehicles are maintained so that we dont unnecessarily cause breakdown on that particular road and other traffic rules and regulations adhered to.

We will go all out to enforce the law especially on speed limit, overloading, dangerous driving, wrongful and dangerous overtaking, phoning on wheels and drunk driving, among others.

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The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the Shippers Association Lagos State have disagreed over the one-month grace given by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) concerning payment of vehicle duties.

Both bodies expressed diverse views in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

The national president of ANLCA, Olayiwola Shittu, advised the Customs Service to make the deadline for duty payment on vehicles open-ended, saying the policy would check smuggling.

The president, Shippers Association Lagos State, Jonathan Nicol, described the Customs policy on vehicle duty as outdated and not in conformity with the current trend in world trade.

Mr. Shittu said that such a policy should be extended or be open-ended so that the duty on some vehicles that passed through Customs and not properly cleared, would be paid.

The Customs agent said if Customs pushes through its policy, vehicles owners would be forced to pay duties on vehicles that were not cleared but found their ways into the country.

He said the new policy would discourage smuggling along the land border areas

Anybody who has a vehicle imported through the land border should check with Customs, if correct duties were paid.

Some people go to Cotonou to buy vehicles and they pay duties, while the smugglers take them through unapproved routes.

Anyone who finds himself in such a position will be embarrassed, Mr. Shittu said.

Mr. Nicol decried the insistence of Customs to apply the new policy on vehicles that are already in use.

Mr. Nicol described the policy as outdated, saying that such a policy did not conform with the current trends in world trade.

Customs should go back to the drawing board if smugglers beat their network, he said.

He said there was no vehicle that passed through the border without paying duty, whether official or non-official.

The Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Seme Border, Bisiriyu Lasisi-Danu, commended the efforts of Customs in issuing an ultimatum for payment of duties on vehicles to avoid seizures.

The Comptroller-General of Customs says if anyone has a car and such a person knows he has not paid duty, such a person should visit Customs zonal offices and pay.

If any car user did not pay duty on his car, Customs should go after the owner and seize the car for not paying duty.

I have told some of my friends whose vehicles have been impounded one way or the other, to go and pay.

Those affected should go to Customs Zonal Offices to pay the duty and the person will be free to move around with the car,  Mr. Lasisi-Danu said.

He praised Customs for being on the right track.

The ANLCA chief said that government would soon link Vehicle Identification Number with Local Government, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Customs for easy identification.

A maritime Lawyer, Tino Buoro, said Customs is a statutory body that must act within the law.

Mr. Buoro said that, If anybody does not comply with Customs directive on duty payment for vehicles, such a person would face the consequence.

The Customs Public Relations Officer, Zone A, Ephraim Haruna, said one of the Automobile Associations sought the support of Customs to create a platform for payment of duties.

Mr. Haruna said the association wanted to ensure that smuggled vehicles do not escape duty payment.

According to him, this is why Customs gave a months grace to enable all vehicle owners who had yet to pay duty, to do so.

Many car owners who have not paid duties have been calling our zonal office and some had been calling on phone that they want to come and pay duties on their vehicles, Mr. Haruna said.

He said that Customs had made all necessary arrangements for the payment.

The Customs Public Relations officer, Tin-Can Island Customs Command, Uche Ejesieme said, New vehicles attract 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levies while used vehicles attract 35 per cent duty and 5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT).

Last week, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, approved one-month grace for all car owners who had not paid duties to do so or face outright seizure.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Joseph Attah, told NAN that the one-month window started from March 13 and will end by April 12, for car owners to pay the appropriate duty on their vehicles.

Mr. Attah said some owners of vehicles brought into the country through the land borders, obviously, did not pay duty.

He advised that owners of such vehicles should go and comply by paying the duty.

Mr. Attah listed four Customs Zonal offices where authenticity of Customs duty could be verified; such as Zone A Headquarters, No 1, Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos; and Zone B Headquarters, Kabala Doki, Kaduna, Zone C Headquarters, Port Harcourt and Zone D Headquarters, Yelwa Tudu Road, Bauchi State.

Mr. Attah said that any vehicle owner in doubt about the authenticity of his Customs documents, could approach the aforementioned zones closest to him to verify.

He said after the deadline, Customs would embark on an aggressive anti-smuggling operation to seize vehicles as well as prosecute the owners. (NAN)

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Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has fixed April 26 for the hearing of a suit seeking to stop the payment of security votes to the president and 77 other political office holders.

Adedokun Makinde, the Lagos-based lawyer who filed the suit, wants the court to declare that payment and or drawing of funds for security vote by the President, Vice President, Governor or Deputy Governor, Minister of FCT, and all political office holders from Consolidated Revenue Fund of the federation or state is unconstitutional, Illegal, null and void.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/220/17, the lawyer joined the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Senate President, the House of Representatives Speaker, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory.

Others joined as respondents are the governors of the 36 states and the speakers of the 36 state houses of assembly.

The lawyer also sought a declaration that payment for constituency project to the legislators either at the federal or state levels is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.

The plaintiff in his affidavit in support of the motion, deposed to by himself, averred that the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors belong to the class or category of executive political class. And that these cannot receive any remuneration above that approved or determined by the RMAFC.

The plaintiff averred that there is no provision for payment of Security Vote to the president, vice-president, governor or deputy-governor by the RMAFC in the constitution as part of remuneration.

He added that all monies received as security vote are not appropriated in either the federal Appropriation Act, or appropriation laws of the states.

The lawyer also stated that the quantum of monies charged in the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is unknown to the constitution, constitute a great drain on the revenue of the federation, and thereby deplete monies available for developmental purposes.

He added that the withdrawal and payment of security vote to elected office holders from the Consolidated Revenue Fund is a violation of constitutional provision.

He averred further that the duty of the legislators both at the federal and state levels, is to make law and not to execute projects.

Mr. Makinde said the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly appropriate and collect monies called Constituency Project Fund, which is charged on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, and that the said constituency project fund runs into several billions of naira, which are not remuneration determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, cannot and should not be paid or collected by the legislators.

The lawyer stated further that the legislators have no powers to collect monies for the purpose of executing constituency project not being members of the executives; and that payment of constituency project fund to the legislators is wrong, Illegal and unconstitutional.

The deponent also stated that payment and or withdrawal of security vote by the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, and others is a violation of the constitution, Illegal and such should be terminated forthwith.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has learned with sadness the tragic death of Adinoyi Onukaba, veteran journalist, playwright, academic and politician.

Mr. Osinbajo extended condolences to his family, the government and people of Kogi State on the passing of an illustrious son, who served the nation with distinction, notably as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Daily Times of Nigeria and Senior Special Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication.

During his lifetime, the brilliant and multi-talented journalist, academic and tested technocrat was a symbol of hope, integrity and decency, with a passion for excellence and community development that endeared him to those who came in direct contact with him, Mr. Osinbajo noted.

According to the Acting President, Mr. Onukaba as biographer of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and co-author of a biography of Late Dele Giwa, will be long remembered for enriching the nations history with his simple but incisive style of writing.

Just before his sudden transition over the weekend, Mr. Onukaba had completed manuscripts of a new book Peoples of Nigeria, detailing in short crisp language the historical outlines of the many ethnic groups our country is blessed with. He was the co-editor of the forthcoming publication.

His death at this time is indeed painful, Mr. Osinbajo said.

The Acting President urged all who mourn Mr. Onukaba to take solace knowing that his legacies will continue to remain relevant in Nigeria.

He prayed that God Almighty will comfort his family, friends and the nation he served diligently.

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The arraignment of Fortunate Fiberesima by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice Peter Affen of the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, earlier scheduled for March 7, 2017 could not go on after all.

Justice Affen fixed March 25 for the arraignment to hold.

Mr. Fiberesima, former Chief Executive Officer, State House Medical Centre, Abuja, is alleged to have abused his position as the Chief Physician to the President in 2012 to award contracts to a company where he has interests.

The defendant, who is also known as Fortunate David and David Thank God Fiberesima, was to be docked by the EFCC on a 6-count charge of money laundering and abuse of office.

However, when the charge was to be read to the defendant for him to enter his plea, Justice Affen observed that, all charges are under the ICPC Act not that of the EFCC.

The judge wondered why EFCC should take over ICPC cases as the two agencies refused to be merged as one when the idea was brought up few years back.

Efforts by the prosecuting counsel, Y. Y. Tarfa to explain that according to Section 7(2) of the EFCC Act, the Commission was mandated, empowered and charged to enforce all other law or regulations relating to economic and financial crimes were, however, turned down by the judge, who insisted that the charge be either amended or transferred to the appropriate authority for prosecution.

In the circumstance, the case was adjourned.

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday visited the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, in his palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The reason for the visit is unclear. The former vice presidents media office did not provide details. It only provided three photographs of the visit.

The Oonis palace is yet to comment on the visit.

Atikus visit to Ile-Ife came about 10 months after Oba Ogunwusi called at the former vice presidents Abuja home. The monarch visited on May 24, 2016.

No detailed statement was also issued on the event at the time.

The Ife monarch is one of Nigerias most influential traditional rulers, and is widely respected across the country.

Atiku, also a multi-billionaire businessman and philanthropist, belongs to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He was beaten to the presidential ticket of the party at the folds 2015 convention by incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

There are speculations the former vice president might run again in 2019. He has consistently angled to be elected president since 2007.

In 2007, he was the presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC).

By 2011, he had returned to his original party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But he failed to clinch the ticket of the party, losing to Goodluck Jonathan.

The politician crossed to the APC in February 2014 and ran unsuccessfully for the presidential ticket of the party.

He has of recent been courting top politicians and leading monarchs across the country.

He was at the book launch of Gwandu Emirate in Kebbi on January 21.

On March 4, he attended the coronation of the new Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse, where, in a goodwill message, he underlined the fact that he is holder of the Zege Mule U Tiv title, the highest traditional title for a non-indigene of the Tiv kingdom.

He also dressed in a traditional Tiv attire to the event.

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A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Nicholas Ashinze, a former aide to ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on Tuesday told the Federal High Court, Abuja, how Mr. Ashinze and others got N5.6 billion from the Office of National Security Adviser.

Hassan Seidu, the first witness who is an EFCC operative, said he was part of the team that conducted search in Mr. Ashinzes house, located at No 67 Vision Court Estate Apo Abuja.

Mr. Ashinze, a retired colonel, is standing trial along with an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl, Edidiong Idiong and Sagir Mohammed, on a 13-count charge of corruption and money laundering to the tune of N36.8 billion.

Other defendants in the case are five companies  Geonel Integrated Services Limited, Unity Continental Nigeria Limited, Helpline Organisation, Vibrant Resource Limited and Sologic Integrated Service Limited.

The witness said that on December 23, 2015, Mr. Ashinze was brought to their office for interview and after the interview he was asked if he would be able to respond to allegations of money laundering levelled against him.

He said after accepting, Mr. Ashinzes statement was recorded, but it was his colleague, Mohammed Goje, who administered the precautionary word to him where he signed and voluntarily wrote his statement.

Mr. Seidu further said that following Mr. Ashinzes statement, they conducted a search at his house at Apo where some items were recovered.

When the prosecuting counsel, Ofem Uket, sought to tender the search warrant as evidence, the move was objected to by the defence.

L.S. Nwoye, counsel to Mr. Ashinze objected to the admissibility of the document, saying it had no date.

Mr. Nwoye sited Section 147 of Administrative of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which stated that a document must have date on it for identification.

He said even though the search warrant emanated from a magistrate, it was not addressed to anybody and the name of the magistrate was not written.

The court said issues raised are omissions of details. Justice Gabriel Kolawale admitted the search warrant in evidence as exhibit two.

He also admitted items recovered which are one black diary, one blue notebook and one page of unsigned document, written in red ink dated 17 April 2014 in evidence as exhibit 2a, b and c respectively.

The witness also said the one page of unsigned document written in red ink (exhibit 2c) contained list of 5 companies, their banks and account numbers of each of the company with amount that has been transferred to them.

He said they got analysis of it and found out that N3.125 billion was transferred to the account of Geonel Integrated Services (5th defendant) with Heritage Enterprise Bank from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

N120 million was transferred to Unity Continental Nigeria Limited (6th defendant) on April 22, 2014, and N150 million in favour of Law Partners and Associates with Zenith Bank on April 22, 2014.

N500 million was also transferred from Geonel with Heritage Enterprise Bank to Helpline account (7th defendant) on April 24, 2014 and N100million was transferred from Heritage Enterprise to GTB account of Vibrant Resources Ltd (8th defendant) on April 23, 2014.

On April 23, 2014, Sologic Integrated (9th defendant) got N120million from Geonels account at Heritage Enterprise, and Law Partners also received N450million another payment which is not in the document on May 5, 2014.

The N450 million was transferred from Geonels account domiciled in Heritage Enterprise and it was the only transaction not captured in the document, Mr. Seidu said.

The witness further stated that they found out that the document (exhibit 2c) was prepared three days after N3.125 billion was given value in the account of Geonel Integrated Service Limited.

He said they also found out that N2.5 billion was transferred from CBN to Geonels account on Feb 16, 2015, and the contract was awarded from ONSA to Geonel Integrated Services.

He said the N3.125 billion was for a purported contract given to Geonel as mobilisation fee in securing 22 dams in Nigeria and the N2.5 billion was for full and final payment of the purported contract.

When asked by the prosecution the relationship of the defendants to the companies, the witness said Unity Continental Nigeria Ltd was owned by Sagir Mohammed (4th defendant) who is a course mate and friend to Mr. Dasuki.

Law Partners and Associate belong to Barrister Edidiong the 3rd defendant who is a friend and associate to Dasuki.

Helpline Organisation is owned by Bello Fadile, who was formerly second in command to Dasuki.

Vibrant Resources belongs to Abubakar Dasuki, junior brother to Dasuki and Sologic Integrated Services Nig. Ltd belongs to Bello Ibiyemi Abayomi, son of Bello Fadile, he said.

Mr. Seidu said after execution of the search on Dec. 29 2015, we asked Ashinze if he would make statement in relation to the items recovered from his house, he accepted and we recorded it.

The prosecution applied to tender the defendants statement in evidence.

Mr. Nwoye, however, objected to admissibility of the statement based on Section 6 of ACJA which demands voluntary giving of statement.

He argued that Section 17 (1) and (2) requires presence of lawyer before statement can be taken and that the EFCC investigators did not counsel him on the need to keep silent.

Mr. Nwoye insisted that the witness did not at any time inform the 1st defendant of his right to bring his lawyer before making statement.

The prosecution said Mr. Ashinze was not compelled to write statement in EFCCs office rather he voluntarily wrote it.

Justice Kolawale after hearing the arguments, adjourned till March 21 for ruling on admissibility of the statement and continuation of examination of the witness.

(NAN)

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Kidnapping in Bauchi State is now punishable with death or life imprisonment as Gov. Mohammed Abdullahi signed into law a bill in that direction.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Umar, made this known on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Bauchi.

He said Mr. Abdullahi also assented to bills on fisheries and accidents.

Mr. Umar said the governor assented to the bills on Monday.

Whoever is guilty of the offence of kidnapping shall be punished with life imprisonment.

If the victim dies as a result of the kidnapping, the offender shall be punished with death.

According to Mr. Umar, whoever seizes, confines, tricks, abducts or carries away anybody and holds to ransom or otherwise with or without a weapon, commits the offence of kidnapping.

Mr. Umar said the state government also signed into law a bill for provision of free emergency treatment to accident victims within 24 hours of occurrence.

He said that the government would provide for each public hospitals, an accident and emergency unit, intensive care unit and a blood bank equipped with personnel and effective communication gadgets.

The law stated that the state government shall provide funds and logistics for joint patrol of the hospital management board and Federal Road Safety Corps for rescuing accident victims in the three senatorial districts of the state.

Any government hospital that fails to accept an accident victim shall have its officers on duty that day punished according to civil service rules, including reduction in rank, he said.

He said that the law applied to all accidents including domestic fire, industrial fire, plane crash, flood disaster, snake bite, dog bite, rainstorm, bomb blasts and gunshot.

The attorney-general also said that the governor assented to the state Fisheries and other Related Matters Bill.

According to him, the law is to regulate fisheries in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and ensure that fishes would be free from contamination.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lagos State has also approved death sentence for kidnapping.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Feb. 1, assented to the states Kidnaping Prohibition Bill, 2016, which provides for death penalty for kidnappers whose victims will die in their custody, and life imprisonment for the act of kidnapping.

(NAN)

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A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kogi State has spent four days in custody for allegedly criticising Governor Yahaya Bello, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer and social critic, told PREMIUM TIMES that Abdulrahman Mohammed, a leading opposition figure in the state, was arrested on Friday and kept in Government House, Lokoja.

But Mr. Bello strongly denied the allegations, saying he did not order the arrest of anyone.

Mr. Falana said Mr. Mohammed was arrested by mobile police officers attached to Mopol 37 operating out of Lokoja, the state capital, and have kept him under illegal detention since then.

The lawyer said he had since reported the development to appropriate police authorities for action.

The police in Lokoja could not be reached for comments Tuesday afternoon as police authorities did not provide contact details for the Kogi police spokesperson

But Gbenga Olorunpomi, a spokesman for Mr. Bello, categorically denied his principals involvement in the alleged incarceration of Mr. Mohammed.

He is very much aware of the law and the procedures and will not flout them for any reason, Mr. Olorunpomi said in a message to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon.

No responsible citizen should seek to soil the good name the governor has built for himself just to get undue political advantage.

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution to probe the botched implementation of resettlement agreement entered with the indigenous people of the Federal Capital

In a motion Tuesday, Timothy Golu, a PDP lawmaker from Plateau, said some government officials abused the process by allocating land to people against approved procedures and denying the intended beneficiaries.

He alleged that the recent efforts by the FCT administration to relocate villages of Garki, Apo and Akpajenya to Apo resettlement centre has been enmeshed in irregularities.

Since the adoption of the resettlement and compensation policy, not much has been achieved because the government could not resettle the indigenous population to marked areas and provide them compensation as agreed upon, Mr. Golu said.

He said due to the delay, a lot of distortions have taken place across most of the areas and no compensation has been paid.

Consequently, the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, put the motion to vote and it was accepted by the house.

The Committee on Area Councils and Ancillary Matters was mandated to investigate the entire process of resettlement and payment of compensation to the original inhabitants of the FCT and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative actions.

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The Kaduna State Security Council has announced the commencement of enforcement of subsisting restrictions on begging, street hawking and usage of motorcycles for commercial transport in Kaduna metropolis and other urban centres in the state.

Credible reports at the disposal of security agencies have made it necessary to begin vigorous enforcement of the laws against street begging, hawking and the illegal business of motorcycle taxis, and safeguard lives and property, Samuel Aruwan, the spokesperson to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said in a statement Tuesday.

He said the states Security Council had given sufficient notice to persons that might be affected by the implementation of the decisions.

Mr. Aruwan said, Law enforcement agencies have been directed to begin enforcement of the restrictions against begging, street hawking and okadas/achabas in Kaduna town and other cities in the state. The directive is with immediate effect and is based on cogent security concerns and the need to uphold law and order in the state.

Citizens are urged to cooperate with the security agencies as they enforce the relevant laws.The directive is clear. No motorcycle is allowed to carry any passenger. Beggars and hawkers are also reminded by this notice to leave the streets, please.

The Security Council, according to Mr. Aruwan, commended the vast majority of residents of the state for maintaining peace and harmony.

The Kaduna State Government had in May 2016 passed an anti-begging law, which was quickly assented to by Governor El-Rufai.

However, shortly afterwards, hundreds of beggars, under the aegis of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, stormed the Government House in Kaduna demanding the withdrawal of the law until the governor fulfilled his campaign promises.

The controversy sparked by the passage of the law delayed its implementation.

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Newly-posted Commissioner of Police for Ekiti State, Ibrahim Chafe, has said his mission to the state does not include antagonising the state governor, Ayo Fayose.

Mr. Chafe, who addressed journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, said he was in state to sanitise it and make it a no-go-area for criminals.

The commissioner, who officially assumed office last Friday, also corrected the impression that he hails from Katsina State, stating that he is from Chafe in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Mr. Fayose and some political elders had alleged on Saturday that the police posting had the sinister motive of manipulating events against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in next years governorship election in the state.

They also alleged that Mr. Chafe was from Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been the subject of attack by the governor.

Mr. Fayose had complained that the redeployment of the former commissioner, Wilson Inalegwu, was done without his knowledge.

But the new police chief said he was transferred to the state from Kogi by the Inspector General of Police to fight crime and promised not to sacrifice professionalism on the altar of politics so as not to taint his career.

He promised to sustain all the strategies and structures built by his predecessor to combat crime.

Mr. Chafe said as part of his strategies, he would dialogue with the motor drivers unions and administrators of all the tertiary institutions in Ekiti to reduce disruption of public peace, cultism and the notorious yahoo boys (cybercrime).

I am not under any instruction to come here to fight anybody, Mr. Chafe said.

Even when I was transferred, I did not even know that Ekiti election is coming soon, it was when I got here that I knew that election is coming here soon.

I value my profession and personality above any other thing. Even if you check all the elections that had been conducted recently, President Buhari didnt interfere in police works. So, I am here to perform my statutory duties.

I am a Nigerian and wherever I go to, I see myself as part of that community and I cant come here to cause trouble. I have worked in all the six geopolitical zones of the country and I have good records.

I am old enough to form my own principles and these principles will surely guide me in the discharge of my duties, he said.

He promised that his men would sustain and improve the raiding of black spots in Ado Ekiti and motor parks if the sales of Indian Hemp and other hard drugs is not stopped.

Mr. Chafe appealed to members of the public to cooperate with his men and offer useful information to tackle crime in Ekiti.

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Organized by Brasil Audiovisual Independente (BRAVI), along with Fagga | GL Events Exhibitions and with Esmeralda Producoes, RioContentMarket starts today, March 7, at Windsor Barra Hotel, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, with a series of warm up presentations, the Annual Meeting of BRAVI members, the Welcome Address of the market and a world premier or Rebel.

When RCM was launched back in 2011, near 1.200 executives attended, and in 2016 this number grew up to 3700 participants from over 35 countries, with a 75% of the companies being independent producers and 25% being TV channels and OTT platforms and foreign producers. The organizers expect a similar number of attendees this year.

This event, which is unique in Latin America, emerged because there was a concrete need from the industry: to gather the ever-growing independent producers community, born and developed thanks to these public funding. In essence, RCM is a production market, but it is necessary that the organizers rethink and implement new strategies in order to attract international distributors that are targeting Brazil, which represents over 50% of the regional audiovisual business.

Here is one of the big challenges: how is it possible to add to the established production market, a space focused on content distribution. Prensario heard that big global companies are interested in taking part of the show, but still cant find the best way to attract the local buyers. They are in Rio, but most of them, dont take meeting on site. RCM should do extra efforts to understand and attend this need from the international marketplace.

With 0.52% of the countrys total revenue and generating 98.700 direct jobs and 107.600 indirect jobs, the Brazilian audiovisual market remains strong and as one of the few sustainable business models facing the economic reality of the country and the region, and thanks to a scheme where all the links of the chain work together.

And RCM is fully showing this trend: SBT + Mixer + Fox Life = A Garota da Moto; Band + Hungry Man + TNT = Terminadores; or Record + Endemol Shine + Discovery Home & Health = Batalha dos Confeiteiros com Buddy Valastro were some of the successful association cases in 2015/2016. Partnering in strategic projects is the best way to have high-quality content with international projection, highlight to Prensario key representatives of all sectors.

Government has become the most important player in the TV industry thanks to promotion policies. Until mid-January 2017, Government approved 593 proposals for the financing of feature films and 531 for series and telefilms. It has also invested in 263 projects under development and 69 creative centers in all regions of the country, which will generate 398 new audiovisual projects.

During RCM 2016, Manoel Rangel, president, Ancine, announced that a federal judge denied a claim for a court filing of an international telecommunications company operating in Brazil, and approved a 28% increase in the tax the government charges from telecoms and redistributes to the audiovisual sector, which in April/May last year reached R$ 1 billion (about USD 250 million).

Even in this context, Brazil's challenging political-economic reality during last few years, coupled with the sharp devaluation of 2016, forced the audiovisual industry to rethink strategies to improve costs without losing the quality of production, of which the country is a reference internationally.

Rodrigo Cantisano, from Rio de Janeiro
PLEASANTVILLE  Jayne Donato Dempseys fourth-grade classroom at the North Main Street School is a Peace Zone.

That does not mean it is always peaceful.

But it is a place where students can acknowledge their stress, anger and fear and learn ways to express and cope with it.

We are not happy all the time, said Dempsey. We have work. We have problems. But we want the norm here to be peace, to be a place where children feel safe.

Dempsey developed the program a decade ago.

I entered teaching with unrealistic ideas of how kids would behave, sit and listen, she said. But I was also into energy work and yoga. I realized I was being pulled down by stress and anger. I thought I could leave or change the system.

Pleasantville students create a multicultural mosaic tile garden PLEASANTVILLE  If youre going to create a mosaic mural, you have to break some tiles.

So she created Peace Zone to make school a positive, supportive place where students can let go of their problems and focus on learning and being successful.

Dempsey started the program at the middle school, where she was teaching at the time, then brought it to North Main Street Elementary School three years ago. Currently, eight teachers in six classrooms are using it, each modifying it to their own classroom.

The program was chosen by the New Jersey Education Association for the Classroom Closeup television series and will be featured March 19 and April 23 on NJTV.

The school will hold a special Red Carpet public screening at 5:30 p.m. March 16, which will also honor community partners.

Peace Zone students typically start their day with a 90-second mindfulness exercise where they put their heads down on their desks and think of being in their favorite place.

Breathe in the excellence, Dempsey tells them. Breathe out the failure. There is a bubble of positive energy around you.

Pleasantville teens turn love of technology into business PLEASANTVILLE  Local high school seniors Manuel Rauda and Khristian Orellana dont typicall

Students in the program do daily affirmations and visualizations to create a positive environment.

Fifth-grade teacher Michelle Jacobs is in her second year using the program. She said students who had it last year asked to keep doing it.

Her class has the Peace Zone bear, a stuffed bear that anyone having a bad day, including the teacher, can hug or have sit on their desk.

It keeps you calm and relaxed if you feel angry, Gabriella Garcia, 11, said of the program.

If you are having a hard time doing work, you let go of negativity and think positive and get it done, said Jamal Reid-Young, 11.

Fourth-grade teacher Rhonda Farmers students literally turn negative thoughts into positive statements. Her students write down any negative thoughts or feelings they have, fold up the paper and run it through a class shredder. The shredded paper is made into pulp, then new paper, on which students write positive messages.

It helps to think about letting (negativity) out, said Emely Cruz, 10. We turn it into something good.

I had a student tell me that they used to scream a lot, and now they write it down instead, Farmer said.

Second-grade teacher Deborah Gaskins modified the program a bit to mesh with her second-graders Team HERO campaign. Students recite their affirmations in their superhero power stance.

They are younger, and the body movement gives them a way to use their energy, she said.

If there is a problem, her students write down what is happening and why it bothers them. It stops the behavior but also tells Gaskins what is going on so she can address it privately.

Peace Zone lessons are integrated into the curriculum. Michelle McClines students did a graph tracking positive and negative behaviors in their classroom.

Theyre kids, not robots, and sometimes they misbehave, McCline said. But now they are more aware of positive and negative reactions.

Principal Teresa McGaney-Guy said the program has changed the culture of the school. She uses the principles herself and has students reflect on issues and talk about what they could have done differently.

Kids love the peace zone, said school nurse Noreen Bailey. They say it calms them down. Students who are in those classrooms have said they want to be teachers.

Dempsey said teachers are the role models for the program and it is up to them to emphasize the positive and set the norm. She recalled when a student called another one stupid on the playground and other students stepped up and said, You cant do that here. Its a peace zone.

Dempsey has also shared the program with parents and is working on a handbook for them and a program next year. Students said they sometimes use the techniques at home when they are upset by going to a quiet place or listening to music.

We dont know all the outside influences on children, Dempsey said. But we have to set the norm. Kids are not told enough how wonderful they are.
UPPER DEERFIELD  Danny Muniz was your average energetic, playful 5-year-old boy.

His parents, Daniel and Stephanie Muniz, said he was always talkative, outgoing, loved school and very mature for his age.

But the personality traits that made Danny who he was suddenly disappeared in August 2014 after, doctors say, he developed an extremely rare disease called acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalitis. The disease would render Danny immobile and verbally unresponsive.

Members of Bethany Grace Community Church in Bridgeton have jumped in to support the Muniz Family since Dannys diagnosis, including organizing fundraising efforts to help with the familys medical expenses through online campaigns and a benefit this Saturday at Seabrook Fire and Rescue House.

Daniel and Stephanie recorded a single interview with church Rev. Rob Weinstein in November about how their family has coped with Dannys condition since.

They just thought he had regular encephalitis, Stephanie said. They gave him an MRI that evening and by 6 oclock at night, he completely stopped talking. I kept telling him I loved him, and the last thing he said to me was, I know you do, Mom.

Not much outside of medical journals and studies is written about acute necrotizing encephalitis. Experts have recorded fewer than 150 cases in the world since Dr. Masashi Mizuguchi wrote about early cases involving children in Japan and Taiwan in 1995.

Case studies and research say the disease, in the most basic terms, destroys brain tissue, leaving patients unable to walk, talk and perform basic functions.

The majority of those cases have taken place in Asian counties, with only a handful in the West. The Muniz family was told by doctors their son is only the sixth person in the United States to contract the disease.

The day Danny came home from a sleepover with his cousin that summer, his parents said he was more subdued and tired, but they attributed it to the exhausting weekend activities. Within the next 48 hours, Daniel and Stephanie said, their son had an ongoing headache, fatigue and loss of appetite.

Lack of speech and extreme confusion led to a trip to the local emergency room, which later resulted in an airlift to DuPont Childrens Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. It was there doctors made the discovery of the rare disease.

Doctors were able to get the disease under control, but not before it caused massive brain damage to Danny, who, now at 8 years old, relies on his parents 24/7 for all of his functioning.

Stephanie said her family and Dannys physicians remain hopeful that since the disease hit Danny at such a young age, his brain may start picking up the pieces of what he lost as it continues to grow.

Meanwhile, paying for continuous therapy and hospital bills has not been an easy feat for the family. Jennifer is unable to work as she is the full-time caretaker for Danny and caring for her youngest son, who she was pregnant with at the time of Dannys diagnosis.

Health insurance has covered the majority of health expenses, the family said, but its left them with a hefty amount to pay. Daniel said hes been working overtime to try and make up the difference, but that takes him away from his family and helping with in-person support.

The single source of income, along with bills for hospitals, procedures, medication and therapy, and transportation costs to and from DuPont have left the family more than $20,000 behind on their rent and facing possible eviction.

Fundraising efforts and money raised by church and community members has helped in more ways than one, the Munizes said. The family is in need of a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

What the community has done for us, when they pulled together for Daniel (Danny), has been amazing and we were going through this alone, Stephanie said. Its really hard to ask people for help. Were not the type of people to reach our hands out and ask, and thats been a challenge for us, too.

Theyve given so much already, and its unbelievable, Daniel said. The community out here has been great to us.
WARETOWN  Hundreds of people crammed into the Waretown Volunteer Fire Company firehouse Monday to express concerns with President Donald Trump and the direction of the country.

But unlike other town halls featuring Republican congressmen who were interrupted by nonstop protesting, the gathering hosted by U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur stayed respectful, quiet and orderly as constituents asked questions about the environment, Russia, gun control, health care and public schools, among other issues.

MacArthur, R-3rd, who hosted his first town hall this year, stressed everyone should give the new president a chance.

One of the mistakes made when President Obama was elected was there were many people who didnt give him a chance, he said. Now the shoe is on the other foot.

Outside the town hall, there were chants from protesters who did not get into the event. Inside, the top two issues that kept coming up were the environment and the investigations into President Donald Trumps potential ties to Russia and his taxes.

I think that President Trump should release his taxes because he said he would (during the election,) MacArthur said. But I dont think it is the role of Congress to enforce that.

MacArthur added he does not believe an independent investigation is needed to see whether Russia meddled with the presidential election. Instead, he said, he trusts the congressional investigations that are already underway.

(Russian leader) Vladimir Putin is a thug; we all know that, he said. Its pretty clear Russia interfered with the election. ... But we need to give the congressional investigations a chance. I dont think Republicans or Democrats want to help Russia.

On the environment, MacArthur said he will never support drilling off the Jersey Shore. One accident could destroy New York and New Jersey, he said.

But MacArthur also said the environment needs to be protected without destroying the economy. He said he would not support any bill taking away the Environmental Protection Agency, but he said the agency overreached sometimes.

Another major issue that came up was health care. Last month, MacArthur was one of several Republican congressmen caught on tape saying they had concerns with how the party was dealing with repealing and replacing Obamacare.

MacArthur was one of nine Republicans who voted against starting the process of repealing Obamacare.

The congressman stressed he will not vote to repeal Obamacare without a replacement that keeps children up to age 26 on their parents plans, guarantees insurance for people with pre-existing conditions and does not pull the rug out from people who bought insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Overall, MacArthur thanked the crowd for staying civil during the town hall and encouraged them to contact his office regarding continued issues.

Lets sit down and see if we can help you with some of these issues, he said.
WARETOWN  U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur will meet with constituents in a town-hall session Monday as Republican lawmakers across the country face angry crowds at similar events.

MacArthur, a Republican whose 3rd Congressional District represents most of Burlington and part of Ocean counties, will hold the event at 6:30 p.m. at Waretown Volunteer Fire Company Station 36, 117 Wells Mills Road in Ocean Township.

The meeting comes as Republican lawmakers face backlash from constituents over proposals from President Donald Trump and efforts by Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Last month, MacArthur chose to hold a telephone town hall instead of an in-person event, saying he didnt want to be baited into having an event that some outside group can just make a spectacle out of, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Republican Rep. Leonard Lance, who represents northern-central New Jerseys 7th District, recently held a packed and rowdy town hall at which the constituents loudest message was to push back against Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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 Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials and a fellow of the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering.

The scientists started out with common polyurethane foam, used in everything from furniture cushions to home insulation. This foam has lots of nooks and crannies, like an English muffin, which could provide ample surface area to grab oil. They used a nanotechnology technique previously developed at Argonne to infuse a hard layer of "primer" into the foam. This gave the foam a new surface chemistry, so they could firmly attach a second layer of molecules that grab oil.

At tests at a giant seawater tank in New Jersey called Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, the Oleo Sponge successfully collected diesel and crude oil from both below and on the water surface.

"The material is extremely sturdy. We've run dozens to hundreds of tests, wringing it out each time, and we have yet to see it break down at all," Darling said.

Oleo Sponge could potentially also be used routinely to clean harbors and ports, where diesel and oil tend to accumulate from ship traffic.

The team is actively looking to commercialize the material; those interested in licensing the technology or collaborating with the laboratory on further development may contact partnerships@anl.gov.

The research was funded by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The team used resources of the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility, in the development of the material. To learn more, visit [www.anl.gov/articles/argonne-invents-reusable-sponge-soaks-oil-could-revolutionize-oil-spill-and-diesel-cleanup].

Related Links

http://www.anl.gov



SOURCE Argonne National Laboratory
Latest acquisition represents entry into Portugal, and strengthens its service offerings in the Iberian Peninsula.

LISBON, Portugal, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AGRO Merchants Group, a global leader in cold storage and logistics solutions, today announced the acquisition of Cold Land SGPS SA from funds affiliated with Inter-Risco, a premier Portuguese private equity firm, and Portugal Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm. Cold Land is the parent company of Frissul and Frigomato, which together offer 303,200 cubic meters of storage capacity or the equivalent of 55,700 pallet positions, making it the leading cold storage operator in Portugal and a key player in the Iberian Peninsula. This latest acquisition for AGRO expands its footprint in a key strategic region and significantly broadens its capabilities and service offerings throughout the food supply chain. The current management team, led by CEO Afonso Almeida, will continue to lead the business in Portugal.

The company's largest cold store is located in Carregado Industrial Estate in the Lisbon district. Two additional facilities are based in Aveleda and Aguda, both in the Porto area. The business is well-known for its high levels of quality, innovation and extensive expertise in value-added services, plus technology systems that enhances productivity throughout the distribution process. Product expertise includes frozen/deep-frozen such as ice cream, bread, pastries, produce and protein, as well as refrigerated products like dairy and cold meats. The company has developed a deep roster of customers across the food chain including producers, retailers, distributors and traders. Group certifications include ISO 9001, SMETA and IFS Logistics.

This latest acquisition by AGRO furthers its strategic goal to become the leading cold storage and logistics service partner serving the Iberian Peninsula. In March 2016, AGRO acquired Barcelona-based APC, a cold storage leader in Spain with two facilities totalling 55,000 pallet positions. Also in 2016, AGRO completed a state-of-the-art expansion of its Algeciras warehouse, which increased that facility's capacity to 15,600 pallet spaces.

"Frissul and Frigomato are valuable additions to our global cold storage network given the quality infrastructure, customer base and focus, management team and high standards of service," said Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of AGRO Merchants Group. "The Iberian Peninsula is also one of several key clusters for our group, with current operations in Algeciras and the Barcelona area and plans to expand further in the region. The addition of Frissul and Frigomato extends our geographical coverage and enhances our capability to offer full transportation and distribution solutions to existing and new customers."

Rui Branquinho, Partner at Inter-Risco, SCR, SA and former Chairman of Cold-Land, said, "Over the last few years, Frissul has become the market leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and transportation services in Portugal. We are proud to have been part of the company's development and contributing to build an exceptional team, including taking the company to a next level by acquiring Frigomato's cold storage infrastructure and expanding Carregado's facilities, which increased the overall storage capacity by more than 50%. Our goal was to create a market leader in Portugal by expanding their existing facilities. On the way, Cold Land acquired Frigomato and integrated its services with Frissul's, in a very lean process led by the Rui Costa (CFO). This was only possible with the exceptional team that was built, that benefited also from the long-standing experience of the former shareholder of Frissul (Jose Pais Lopes) that has served as a board member. AGRO Merchants Group is an unique strategic partner to take the company to the next level and expand Cold Land's geographical reach, services and capabilities."

Afonso Almeida, Cold-Land CEO, commented on the deal, "I was invited by Inter-Risco to join Cold Land's team just after they acquired Frissul. I found a fantastic company with amazing people and I always was supported by our shareholders and their teams. We are extremely proud of the work that we jointly developed over the last years and we believe that this work was recognized by the interest of AGRO Merchants Group in integrating Cold Land on its cold storage network. We believe that with this acquisition, Cold Land will continue to affirm its relevant role in the market and increase its capabilities, in a more and more logistically integrated world."

Celso Guedes de Carvalho, CEO of Portugal Ventures, said "This exit reflects Portugal Ventures' commitment to finding the best business opportunities for its portfolio companies. We are proud to have been a part of Cold Land's growth until its sale to one of the key international players in the sector."

About AGRO Merchants Group

AGRO Merchants Group owns and operates 60 facilities in 10 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. AGRO is focused on providing innovative cold chain solutions on a global basis by partnering with the highest quality family businesses and creating new, reliable, and integrated trade networks to help its customers grow. AGRO invests in modern assets, industry-leading technologies, and value-added service offerings to ensure the highest quality supply chain management standards in the industry.

For additional information, please visit AGRO's website at www.agromerchants.com.

About Inter-Risco

Inter-Risco is a premier private equity firm in the Portuguese Private Equity market, with over Eur 130 Mn of funds under management. Focused on consolidation and expansion investments targeting Portuguese SMEs, Inter-Risco currently holds a portfolio of investments in 10 sectors, representing approx. Eur 160 Mn in annual turnover and circa 2.000 employees, holding a track-record of over 100 acquisitions. Inter-Risco will start the promotion and fund-raising process for its new Fund in the second half of 2017.

For additional information, please visit Inter-Risco's website at www.inter-risco.pt.

About Portugal Ventures

Portugal Ventures is a Venture Capital and a Private Equity firm, focusing its investments in innovative, scientific and technology-based companies as well as in companies from the more traditional Portuguese Tourism and Industrial sectors, with significant competitive advantages and export oriented to global markets. We partner with exceptional entrepreneurs, assisting them in achieving new levels of competitiveness and success at all stages of development of their companies and operating in a number of different sectors. Founded in June 2012, as a result of the merger of the three state-backed Venture Capital & Private Equity firms - AICEP Capital Global (founded in 1988), InovCapital (founded in 1989) and Turismo Capital (founded in 1991).

For additional information, please visit Portugal Venture's website at www.portugalventures.pt.

Related Links

http://www.agromerchants.com



SOURCE AGRO Merchants Group
COVENTRY, England, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New pictures from London Taxi Company (LTC) demonstrate part of the extreme testing programme the all-new electric black cab is undergoing.

Video - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475022/All_New_Zero_Emissions_Capable_London_Taxi.mp4

Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474604/London_Taxi_Company_electric_cab_of_the_future.jpg

Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474603/London_Taxi_Company_Cold_Weather.jpg

Under way now in the lower reaches of the Arctic Circle, the regime to check the vehicle performance in even the harshest conditions will only get more stringent over the coming weeks, with the taxi set to be cooled down in giant fridges to -49C.

These checks seek to guarantee that the vehicle will always start, perform and enjoy class-leading electric battery powered range in the harshest of temperatures. The new range extended electric taxi will also undergo similar endurance testing in extreme heat environments before it is deemed ready for sale.

Quality Director Wolfram Liedtke explains: "Our new taxi is being developed with two key engineering principles - quality and endurance, to meet the needs of the demanding taxi duty cycle. We soon commit the product to series production at our all-new manufacturing facility in Ansty, near Coventry. It will be, without doubt, the highest quality and resilient product in London Taxi's 98 year history."

The testing programme also serves to check the quality of driver and passenger experience in extreme conditions. This means checking that cab heating and ventilation continue to perform to the highest standards - no matter how bitter or oppressive the temperature outside.

Driving experience is also checked - with the impact of grip, drivability and visibility tested to extremes. LTC engineers can then make adjustments to ensure that passengers and drivers have the best and most comfortable experience, regardless of the conditions outside.

Steve McNamara, General Secretary at the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, says: "This new clean, modern, 21st century vehicle will ensure that the world's best cab drivers now have the best tool for the job."

London Taxi Company CEO, Chris Gubbey, says: "Given these extremes of testing - we are demonstrating that our vehicle will be a taxi for London and the world over, capable and at home in any city."

LTC is due to open its new facility on the 22nd March 2017 thanks to a 300 million-pound investment from parent company Geely.

http://london-taxis.co.uk

SOURCE London Taxi Company
New York City has reached a tentative settlement in longstanding litigation over NYPD spying on Muslim New Yorkers, months after a judge ruled that a proposed settlement lacked safeguards necessary to ensure police compliance with rules governing surveillance of political groups.

The proposed settlement would resolve two parallel lawsuits against the NYPD related to illegal spying. The first suit, a class action that was originally filed in 1971, has been at the heart of civil libertarians' battle over police surveillance for generations. A 1985 settlement of that suit resulted in the creation of what are known as the Handschu Guidelines (named after the lead plaintiff in the suit, Barbara Handschu), which instituted rules barring indiscriminate surveillance of political groups, set strict reporting requirements and oversight for the use of undercover agents and confidential informants, and created a review panel with a civilian monitor to ensure departmental compliance.

Over the ensuing decades, the federal district judge overseeing the settlement made several adjustments to the Handschu guidelines. After 9/11, he significantly weakened several oversight provisions, including curtailing the powers of the review panel.

The second suit, Raza v. City of New York, which dates back to 2013, was brought by a group of Muslim New Yorkers and civil libertarians over surveillance operations conducted by the NYPD against Muslims in the city. It came in the wake of a series of investigative stories by the AP revealing the NYPD had for years engaged in blanket surveillance of political groups. Gothamist chronicled on such undercover operation, in which an NYPD undercover agent infiltrated a Muslim student group at Brooklyn College.

In January 2016, lawyers in the two suits reached a settlement with the city that would have resolved litigation over NYPD spying. That settlement set out stricter rules for NYPD surveillance operations, including requirements that the department offer evidence of potential wrongdoing before commencing an investigation, prohibitions on conducting blanket surveillance on any political or religious group, and the creation of a committee of senior NYPD officials and a mayoral-appointed civilian monitor to provide oversight on surveillance operations. Under the terms of the settlement, the monitor would have made periodic reports to the mayor, police commissioner, or the court.

But the presiding judge in the Handschu case, Charles Haight, ruled that the settlement agreement was insufficient to ensure NYPD compliance. In particular, he pointed to an August 2016 report from the Department of Investigation that found pervasive violations of the Handschu guidelines.

"Those failures suggest a systemic inclination on the part of the Intelligence Bureau to disregard the Guidelines' mandates," he wrote at the time.

In response to Haight's concerns, the amended settlement would require the civilian monitor to report potential violations of Handschu to the court; it would also require confidential annual reports on the state of the NYPD's surveillance operations. These reports would be filed under seal and made available to the city's corporation counsel and class counsel. Haight had recommended that the monitor report quarterly, but the lawyers on the case stated they believed such frequent reporting to be too onerous.

The settlement would also require the mayor to seek court approval to abolish the position of the civilian monitorand the court would only be empowered to do so if the NYPD is found to have not engaged in systematic violations in the preceding three years. (In the original settlement, the mayor would have been able to unilaterally terminate the position after five years.)

"We appreciate Judge Haight's suggestions for enhancing the settlement," stated NYCLU Legal Director Arthur Eisenberg in a press release issued by the NYCLU. "We believe the terms we have now arrived at make it even more protective of religious and political freedoms."

Judge Haight will review the amended settlement. If he signs off on it, it will take effect and the suits will be dismissed. The city and the NYPD did not immediately respond to Gothamist's request for comment.

"This settlement represents important progress, not only for Muslim New Yorkers but for other minorities in New York and beyond," stated Imam Hamid Hassan Raza, the lead plaintiff in the Raza suit, in the NYCLU release. "The new additions to the agreement cement the gains that we achieved before, securing our freedom to practice our religion without being afraid of who's watching."
PUNE, India, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Automotive Wiring Harness Market by Application (Chassis, Body, Engine, HVAC, and Speed Sensors), Vehicle Type (Light, and Heavy), EV Type (PHEV, BEV, and HEV), Component Type (Connectors, Terminals), Material Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets. The global market size in terms of value was estimated to be USD 42.70 Billion in 2016 which is projected to grow to USD 61.30 Billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 7.5%.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 90 market data Tables and 78 Figures spread through 170 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Automotive Wiring Harness Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-wiring-harness-market-170344950.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The major factors behind the growth of the Automotive Wiring Harness Market are the increasing installations of advanced driver assistance systems, stringent automotive safety norms introduced by the government and rising preference of automotive electricals among end-users.

Download PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=170344950

Speed Sensors Harness - To show high growth potential

The Automotive Wiring Harness Market across globe is dominated by the chassis wiring harness in application type, followed by body harness and speed sensors harness. In terms of growth rate, the market for speed sensors harness is expected to show highest CAGR in the next five years. This can be attributed to the increasing installations of driver assistance systems in new vehicle models launched every year, the type of electronics present in the vehicles, and the increasing mandates of automotive safety.

Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=170344950

Light Vehicles - Largest share in Automotive Wiring Harness Market

Growing complexity in the vehicle electronics, coupled with increasingly stringent emission norms has been propelling the growth of the passenger car segment of the global Automotive Wiring Harness Market during the forecast period.

Asia-Pacific: Fastest growing market for automotive wiring harness

The demand for technologically advanced cars has also witnessed a boost recently in Asia-Pacific region with the convergence of the ICT sector, the automotive sector, and the transportation sector resulting in the emergence of the advanced vehicle ecosystem. Upcoming safety regulations would increase installation of automotive safety technologies in passenger cars. Also, increase in penetration rate of high end electronics features in passenger cars and growing demand for light and heavy vehicles in Asia-Pacific countries are driving this market. The emergence of advanced driving assistance technologies has given a new factor to OEMs to remain relevant in a highly competitive market. Thus it is evident that from the increasing use of technologically advanced cars, it is evident that the need for wiring harness in cars will also increase in the Asia-Pacific market.

The Automotive Wiring Harness Market report also explains the qualitative aspects of automotive wiring harness with respect to material and advancements over the course of time. This report also shows an overview of the components of automotive wiring harness and the installations in electric vehicles. It covers the Porter's five forces analysis, competitive landscape, and company profiles for major players in the market for automotive wiring harness.

Asia-Pacific and North America are key markets with a number of automotive wiring harness manufacturers, such as Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Lear Corporation (U.S.A.), Delphi Automotive Plc (U.K), Yazaki Corporation (Japan), Leoni AG (Germany).

Browse related reports:

Automotive Interior Components/Accessories Market by Product (Cockpit Module, Seat, Door Panels, Infotainment System, Lighting & Headliner), Application (Passenger Car, LCV & HCV) and by Region - Global Forecasts & Analysis to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-interior-components-market-10199544.html

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CAMPBELL, California, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Danish fashion giant Bestseller A/S chooses Centric's PLM solution to support ambitious growth plans

Bestseller A/S, the international fashion group based in Denmark, has selected Centric Software to provide its PLM solution. Centric Software is the leading product lifecycle management (PLM) solution for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods companies.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/455901/Centric_Software_Logo.jpg )



Bestseller was founded in 1975 in Brande, Denmark by Troels Holch Povlsen and is still fully owned by the Holch Povlsen family. From its humble origins as a small clothes shop in the Danish countryside, it has become one of the world's leading fashion companies.

Bestseller has more than 20 brands in its range, including Jack & Jones, ONLY, Vila, Selected, Vero Moda and children's brand, Name It. With 2,700 branded chain stores, clothing in 15,000 multi-brand stores across Europe, the Middle East, North America, Latin America, Australia and India, and an independent Bestseller company designing collections for 8,000 stores across China, Bestseller is a truly global enterprise.

Bestseller has ambitious plans for the next few years, aiming to double sales revenue by 2021. In order to support this growth, the company needed to replace its homegrown business applications with a PLM system that could handle the company's complexity and scale.

"Our previous applications were stalling the automation and process alignment we needed to grow," explains Pernille Geneser, CIO at Bestseller. "We recognized that we needed to streamline our processes better across our brands in order to achieve this growth. A PLM system will assist us with planning, building collections and leveraging design and development work across the brands. We also wanted to take much better control of the speed of product development and vendor collaboration."

After a selection process and with positive recommendations from their ERP vendor and the independent Chinese company, Bestseller Fashion Group China, Bestseller decided that Centric Software's PLM solution would be a good fit for their needs.

"We put Centric's PLM system through an intensive evaluation process, including a very thorough piloting of certain areas of the system that are business-critical for Bestseller," says Kim Guldager, Senior Program Manager at Bestseller. "We were very impressed with the flexibility and abilities of Centric PLM and also built up a great relationship between our team and Centric's team. The implementation is already underway, and we look forward to evaluating the early stages of implementation in spring 2017. Over the course of the next months, we plan to roll out Centric to all of our brands."

Bestseller decided to purchase the entire Centric PLM suite including mobile apps. Centric PLM will be used by design and development teams in Denmark, as well as production, quality and purchasing teams spread out over Denmark and multiple production sites in Europe and Asia.

"We are very pleased that Bestseller has chosen Centric to partner with for the future," says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. "Bestseller is very proud of its products and family-owned heritage. They have a unique organizational culture for such a large, international company and share a common vision. We are proud to be chosen by them to share in their vision"

Bestseller is Centric Software's largest European customer, with 900 eventual internal users across 20 brands, and plans to open the system to 700 external users in the supply chain. Bestseller's signature is a significant milestone for Centric's Nordic team, who have signed seven customers in Scandinavian regions since they set up in Sweden in late 2015.

Bestseller A/S (about.bestseller.com)

BESTSELLER is a family-owned clothing and accessories company founded in Denmark in 1975. We provide fast affordable fashion for women, men and children. We market our products in 70 markets across most of Europe, the Middle East, Canada, India and globally via E-commerce. We have more than 3,000 branded chain stores across 38 markets worldwide and our products are sold in approx. 15,000 multi-brand and department stores. BESTSELLER products are marketed and sold under the following brands: JACK & JONES, VERO MODA, JUNAROSE, JAQUELINE DE YONG, MAMALICIOUS, NAME IT, NOISY MAY, OBJECT COLLECTORS ITEM, ONLY, PIECES, PRODUKT, SELECTED, VILA CLOTHES, LMTD and Y.A.S.

Centric Software, Inc. (http://www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software builds technologies for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Its flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivan's Global Retail, Fashion and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Centric Software
LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

DC Bead LUMI provides real-time visible, lasting confirmation of bead location during and post-embolisation of hypervascular tumours in the liver

BTG plc (LSE: BTG), a global specialist healthcare company, announced today it has received Class III CE Mark certification for DC Bead LUMI, the first commercially available radiopaque drug-eluting bead (DEB) in the EU which can be loaded with doxorubicin or irinotecan for the local treatment of tumours in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and malignant colorectal cancer metastasised to the liver (mCRC). For the first time, DC Bead LUMI provides real-time visible and lasting confirmation of bead location, bringing a new level of control to transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) procedures. DC Bead LUMI is a next-generation development of DC Bead, the market leading drug-loadable embolic bead.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160203/329110LOGO )



Liver cancer is one of the most challenging to treat and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the world[1], with around 47,000 deaths per year in the EU.[2] To date, the accuracy of treatment delivery has been based on response to the procedure. The unique visibility of DC Bead LUMI, both during and after embolisation, provides the opportunity to individualise a patient's treatment, by enabling real-time evaluation of the completeness of tumour treatment and enhanced endpoint determination. The innovative incorporation of a tri-iodobenzyl moiety offers inherent long-term radiopacity of DC Bead LUMI allowing informed decision-making for future treatment plans as DC Bead LUMI is still visible in follow-up scans, identifying areas of treatment and undertreatment.

"The ability to see bead location during TACE procedures is a key step in enhancing the quality and potentially minimising complications of the procedure, and can help improve treatment outcomes compared to current techniques," said PD Dr Tobias Jakobs, The Hospital of the Order of St. John of God, Munich, Germany. "More importantly, the lasting radiopacity of DC Bead LUMI means I can show patients that treatment has been placed exactly where it's needed."

"The Class III CE Mark approval for DC Bead LUMI is a real milestone and reinforces BTG's leadership in embolisation technology, following on closely from our recent Class III CE Mark approval for DC Bead and DC BeadM1TM," said Duncan Kennedy, BTG Head of Interventional Oncology. "DC Bead LUMI, the first ever radiopaque DEB, brings a new level of control enabling doctors to see rather than assume the location of the beads, providing the ability to adjust and optimise the embolisation procedure as they go. DC Bead LUMI is the next step in our ongoing commitment to transform cancer care with smarter solutions."

About BTG Interventional Medicine

BTG Interventional Medicine is part of BTG plc, a growing international specialist healthcare company. As medicine moves from major surgery to minor procedure, from the systemic to the local, no company endeavors to do more than BTG Interventional Medicine to help doctors in their quest to see more, reach further and treat smarter. Our growing portfolio of Interventional Medicine products is designed to advance the treatment of liver tumors, advanced emphysema, severe blood clots, and varicose veins. To learn more about BTG Interventional Medicine, please visit: btg-im.com.

About DC Bead LUMI

DC Bead LUMI is the first commercially available radiopaque drug-eluting bead (DEB) which can be loaded with doxorubicin or irinotecan for the local treatment of tumours in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and malignant colorectal cancer metastasised to the liver (mCRC). DC Bead LUMI are precisely calibrated, radiopaque DEB developed using the same core chemistry as the clinically proven DC Bead . DC Bead LUMI contain a covalently bound radiopaque moiety to offer inherent, lasting radiopacity; they are visible under imaging (computed tomography [CT], cone-beam computed tomography [CBCT] and fluoroscopy) providing visible confirmation of bead location during embolisation procedures. The lasting radiopacity of DC Bead LUMI means they will also be visible in follow-up scans. For more information, please visit: dcbeadlumi.com.

About DC Bead

DC Bead is the only drug-eluting bead with CE Mark approval for loading with doxorubicin or irinotecan, providing an effective standardised liver-directed therapy for primary and metastatic liver cancer. With more than ten years' clinical experience, extensive peer-review evidence supports the benefits offered by the unique chemistry of DC Bead. In intermediate HCC, these benefits include improved tolerability and tumour response versus cTACE and high rates of five-year survival.[3]-[7] In metastatic colorectal cancer patients, DC Bead has been shown to offer improved survival and enhanced quality of life versus systemic chemotherapy alone.[8] For instructions for use and important safety information, please visit: dcbead.com



References:

World Health Organization (WHO). Cancer factsheet. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/. Last accessed March, 2017. European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). The Burden of Liver Disease in Europe - A Review of Available Epidemiological Data. Available at: http://www.easl.eu/medias/EASLimg/Discover/EU/54ae845caec619f_file.pdf. Last accessed March, 2017. Lammer J et al. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2010; 33: 41-52. Song MJ et al. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2011; 23: 521-7. Dhanasakeran R et al. J Surg Oncol 2010; 101: 476-80. Burrel M et al. J Hepatol 2012; 56: 1330-5. Malagari K et al. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2012; 35: 1119-28. Fiorentini G et al. Anticancer Res 2012; 32: 1387.

SOURCE BTG Plc
McGraw-Hill Education's new ELL course provides teachers with pre-built, customizable materials developed by curriculum design experts and aligned to the CEFR

NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education, a learning science company, today announced the launch of ELLevate English, an innovative new English Language Learning (ELL) course for secondary school students. Available outside the United States, ELLevate English offers pre-built, fully customizable course content that has been designed by curriculum experts and is aligned to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) for grades 7-12.

ELLevate English's complete course framework also provides modular digital and print course materials, that can be seamlessly integrated to meet the varying needs of schools at different stages of digital-readiness. In addition, through a wide range of multimedia tools and resources, ELLevate English offers students a dynamic learning experience, with interactive practice, games, audio and video.

"The English language learning landscape outside the United States is still pre-dominantly print-based, and while a wider range of digital resources are available, they are primarily viewed as optional or supplemental," said Mark Dorman, president of Higher Education, Professional and International at McGraw-Hill Education. "School communities and language institutions are at different stages of digital readiness. We are, however, close to a digital tipping point as an increasing number of schools look to offer a more robust digital learning experience. ELLevate English's digital and print materials are fully integrated so schools that are just starting their digital journey can use them, as well as those that are 100% digital ready. In addition, ELLevate English provides a truly immersive, multi-dimensional learning environment that is designed to transform the student's English language learning experience."

ELLevate English supports teachers by providing both digital and print content, enabling them to teach more effectively and give their students practical, real-world communications and critical-thinking skills.

Benefits for Instructors: Maximizing Teaching Power

Open and Flexible Platform: Modular flexibility allows teachers to create, adapt and enhance their course, integrating their own content and personalizing the course based on their students' needs

Modular flexibility allows teachers to create, adapt and enhance their course, integrating their own content and personalizing the course based on their students' needs Data-Driven Analytics: Detailed reporting and analytics help teachers target instruction where students need it the most, as well as strengthen remediation at the class and student level

Detailed reporting and analytics help teachers target instruction where students need it the most, as well as strengthen remediation at the class and student level CEFR Aligned Curriculum: The course, developed by curriculum design experts, effectively delivers content aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference

Benefits for Students: Unlocking Language Learning Potential

Fully Integrated Digital and Print Materials: A cohesive course, offering students both an immersive digital experience and print materials, caters to all levels of digital readiness

A cohesive course, offering students both an immersive digital experience and print materials, caters to all levels of digital readiness Multi-dimensional Learning: A wide range of digital and multimedia assets transforms language learning from a flat, one-dimensional experience to an interactive, engaging one

A wide range of digital and multimedia assets transforms language learning from a flat, one-dimensional experience to an interactive, engaging one 21st Century Skills: Students develop and practice creative, critical-thinking and digital literacy skills, which are vital to live and thrive in today's world

To learn more about ELLevate English, visit http://www.mheducation.com/ellevateenglish.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that help students, parents, educators and professionals drive results. McGraw-Hill Education has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America and makes its learning solutions available in nearly 60 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Contact:

Nina Chang

McGraw-Hill Education

+1 (646) 766-3055

nina.chang@mheducation.com

Related Links

http://www.mheducation.com



SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education
BRUSSELS, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

To read the full article, published March 6, click here: http://www.esisc.org/publications/briefings/11800

The site of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center has published an article, which reports in some detail on the latest draft of the Syrian constitution presented by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the Syrian peace talks held last February in Astana, Kazakhstan. This new version of the constitution was drafted by Russian experts on the grounds of more or less joint views held by both Syrian government and the opposition, and is aimed at accelerating "the process to end the war."

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475469/Syria_Flag.jpg )



The text that consists of 85 articles recalls the fundamental principles on the rights of the citizens according to the ideas of freedom, democracy and division of power, and attempts to establish power-sharing between the rival factions. As the article notes, "the newly established equilibrium in the Syrian state is intended to appease the historically rooted rivalry between the Shiite Alawite minority ruling the country, the Sunni majority and the several communities in the country, notably the Turkmen, the Circassians, the Armenians and the Kurds."

The author of the article feels that despite considerable diplomatic efforts, which will be needed to persuade all the counterparts to accept a constitution that was created through international cooperation and doesn't fully satisfy neither faction, the document is remarkably thorough and "blows as a fresh breeze bearing hope for the future" in the war-torn country.

SOURCE European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC)
MILAN, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

GfK's sales tracking of four key European retail optics markets (Italy, France, Spain and Germany), shows a turnover of 17.6 billion for total year 2016. This is a sales value growth of 0.9 percent compared to the previous year. GfK released the findings at the international MIDO 2017 trade fair in Milan.

GfK tracks sales data in the optician channel for sunglasses, frames, spectacle lenses, contact lenses and solutions for contact lenses, via its GfK Optics Panel.

The four countries register varied performances in 2016: Italy and Germany drove the region's overall growth with sales value increases of 3.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively, compared to the same period last year. Spain, on the other hand, recorded a negative performance with a decrease of 2.6 percent. However, it was France (which accounts for 38 percent of the European market's value) that pulled down the region's overall performance, with a flat trend of -0.5 percent for sales value.

Category overview

The spectacle lenses and spectacle frames categories, which represent 80 percent of the overall optics market, have positively driven the performance of opticians in Europe with a sales value growth of 0.9 percent and 2.2 respectively. Contact lenses and care products (representing 9 percent of the total optics sales value) show a modest growth of 0.3 percent. Despite a remarkable growth of 7.0 percent in 2015 versus 2014, the sunglasses category is the only negative market this year, with a decline of 1.3 percent versus 2015.

"The European eyewear market is showing many interesting styles developments and dynamics, among which the 'combination' sector (plastic and metal together) is the fastest growing, standing at over 50 percent growth compared to 2015," says Francesco Foffa, GfK Senior Global Product Manager for Optics.

"Spectacle Lenses market growth is driven by premium products in which innovation is influencing the performance more and more positively. Looking at market segments, the constant growth of organic progressive lenses (+4.6 percent in EU4) and high refraction index lenses is key to sustaining the overall category growth.

"In the European contact lenses market we have witnessed a growth of the daily segment, which is now giving its own positive contribution not only in the spherical part of the business, but also via smaller and more technical sides of the market such as the astigmatism and multifocal."

"The industry is currently going through an important process of consolidation, as well as of vertical integration - both at manufacturers & retail level," comments Gianni Cossar, GfK's Global Director for Optics and Eyewear. "GfK is currently supporting leading players within the Optics industry in over 28 countries. Not only have we expanded our presence in emerging regions such as India, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia., but we have also further consolidated operations in Europe and South America by expanding into the Czech Republic and Chile."

For more information, please visit http://www.gfk.com

Follow GfK on Twitter https://twitter.com/GfK

SOURCE GfK
More Customers Can Now Enjoy the Simplicity, Performance and Reliability of the FileMaker Custom App Platform Without Having to Deploy and Maintain a Server

SANTA CLARA, California, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FileMaker, Inc. announced that its cloud platform for managing and running custom apps, FileMaker Cloud, is now available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition to the U.S.-based data centers in Oregon and Northern Virginia, customers may select from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Regions of Ireland and Frankfurt. FileMaker Cloud provides the simplicity, performance and reliability of the FileMaker Platform without having to spend time and resources deploying and maintaining a server.

Learn more about FileMaker Cloud.

FileMaker Cloud provides organizations looking to develop and manage custom mobile apps with minimal administrative overhead, speedy deployment, low upfront costs and instant scalability. This builds on FileMaker's commitment to empower organizations of all sizes to improve business operations through custom app solutions.

The advantages of FileMaker Cloud include:

Network security: Supports industry standard SSL/TLS-level encryption; includes a configured and installed 90-day trial SSL certificate.

Supports industry standard SSL/TLS-level encryption; includes a configured and installed 90-day trial SSL certificate. Fast deployment: Customers do not need to set up hardware and install software; FileMaker Cloud is up and running in 20 minutes or less.

Customers do not need to set up hardware and install software; FileMaker Cloud is up and running in 20 minutes or less. Automatic backups: Backups are created and preserved automatically when auto-maintenance is enabled. Data can be restored from any preserved backup or from a single file or a specific set of records.

Backups are created and preserved automatically when auto-maintenance is enabled. Data can be restored from any preserved backup or from a single file or a specific set of records. Separate data and configuration set up: Software upgrades, maintenance and service restart can be completed more quickly and easily because developers' FileMaker files are separated from their instance of FileMaker Cloud.

Software upgrades, maintenance and service restart can be completed more quickly and easily because developers' FileMaker files are separated from their instance of FileMaker Cloud. FileMaker Cloud Admin Console: Provides a dashboard view of system and custom app performance with a user-friendly design.

Ann Monroe, vice president of worldwide marketing, FileMaker, Inc., said: "FileMaker's goal is to make day-to-day operations easier for businesses so they can focus on their core competencies. With FileMaker Cloud, custom app developers are freed from the burden and cost of installing and configuring servers and benefit from AWS's scalability. We are happy to extend these capabilities to Europe, Middle East and Africa."

Shashibhushan G. Borade, CTO, Case Medical, said: "It's a true benefit to work with two recognized brands like FileMaker and AWS. Using FileMaker Cloud, the hospitals we work with can be confident about service reliability and our association with two trusted organizations."

About FileMaker, Inc.

FileMaker, Inc., an Apple subsidiary, delivers simply powerful software for easily creating custom apps that work seamlessly across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Business teams use the FileMaker Platform to streamline their operational processes, boosting overall productivity. www.filemaker.com

 2017 FileMaker, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker, FileMaker Go and the file folder logo are registered trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. FileMaker WebDirect and FileMaker Cloud are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Prices are listed in U.S. Dollars and subject to change without notice.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160927/412376LOGO

Related Links

http://www.filemaker.com



SOURCE FileMaker, Inc.
DUBLIN, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

FlowForma, the leading provider of BPM tools for Microsoft Office 365 is pleased to announce its partnership with Microsoft UK in hosting an HR Process Transformation event, taking place on the 21st of March 2017 in Microsoft's Paddington office in London.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/823123 )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474912/LSTM_Logo.jpg )



"Committed to putting the power back into the hands of the process owner, we are pleased to welcome Senior HR Executives to our upcoming HR Process Transformation event, to share their challenges, network with peers and get advice from both FlowForma and Microsoft experts," said Neil Young, CEO, FlowForma.

Attendees will hear directly from Martyn Coleman of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as to how their organization has recently revolutionised their paper based travel request process with a user friendly and informative electronic version powered by FlowForma BPM.

Tracey Haynes, HR Manager, Microsoft UK will share how Microsoft's HR department has embraced a digital transformation journey from recruitment and appraisal to learning and development, as part of their objective to improve the employee experience of their

thousands of employees and contractors.

Paul Stone, Solutions Architect, FlowForma will demonstrate to guests how the FlowForma BPM tool can be used as part of a digital HR strategy, empowering HR departments with a self-service tool to quickly automate HR business processes, such as employee onboarding, annual leave and contracts management. These use cases will showcase the intuitiveness of this no code, logic only BPM tool and reveal how power users can build and publish processes with speed and flexibility, with little or no help from the IT department.

Paul will also share examples of how FlowForma's customers have driven daily efficiencies through automated processes and increased visibility, enabling then to spend more time at what they do best, looking after the needs of their employees.

Seminar Details

When: Tuesday, 21st March 2017 from 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where: Old Bailey, Microsoft, 2 Kingdom Street, Paddington, London,United Kingdom

Who: Heads of HR, HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Business Partners, IT Managers

This is a free event but registration is compulsory, secure your complementary place today.

Supporting Resources

To learn more about FlowForma ' s upcoming HR Process Transformation event visit: http://www.flowforma.com/allevents/want-the-power-to-revolutionise-your-hr-processes-uk/?id=prnews

To read a case study on how Eurofound adopted FlowForma BPM to drive 75% efficiency improvement visit: http://www.flowforma.com/flowforma-bpm-becomes-a-strategic-asset-for-eurofound-download

To find out how the FlowForma Cloud BPM tool works visit: http://www.flowforma.com/howitworks

To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: http://www.flowforma.com/trial

About FlowForma

FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding.

FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100 customers across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners.

For further information, visit http://www.flowforma.com

SOURCE FlowForma
TRIPOLI, Libya, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

LPTIC, the Majority Shareholder in UTL, holding a 69% stake in UTL and ultimately owned by the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company, decided on Friday, 24 February 2017, to cease all further funding and investment in UTL. This was officially communicated to the Government of Uganda on Saturday, 25 February 2017.

The decision to cease funding was not made lightly. It followed 14 months of intense engagement with the Government of Uganda to seek to agree on the terms of a Transformation Business Plan for UTL, which included an indispensable funding offer from the Majority Shareholder. While these negotiations were ongoing, the Majority Shareholder continued to fund the substantial amount of working capital being incurred by UTL on a month-by-month basis. This was done to ensure that employee salaries and essential creditors could be paid and the business continue to operate in spite of making no sufficient operating profits partly due to the substantial amount of unpaid debt owed by the Government of Uganda for services provided to support the country's services and infrastructure.

Despite every effort by the Majority Shareholder to save UTL, and in addition to its readiness to fund the implementation of a Transformation Business Plan, it was not possible to conclude negotiations with the Government of Uganda. In straightforward terms, the process could not continue in the face of a protracted lack of substantive engagement from senior stakeholders within the Government of Uganda.

Therefore, given the institutional unwillingness of the Government of Uganda to commit to a transformation plan for UTL in addition to its lack of contributions, the Majority Shareholder, as a responsible investor ultimately accountable to its Libyan Government stakeholders, had no choice but to cease further funding of UTL.

Moving forward and notwithstanding the decision to discontinue funding UTL, the Majority Shareholder expects the Government of Uganda to fully comply with applicable laws and best practice concerning the protection of its investment interests in UTL, including with respect to its rights as UTL's largest creditor. As a Majority Shareholder, the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company will contest any plans or efforts to undermine its position.

Contact:

Libyan Post, Telecommunications and IT Holding Company (LPTIC)

Media & PR Team

Email: media@lptic.net

Website: http://www.lptic.net

Telephone: +35622477500

SOURCE LPTIC
On January 24th, a Columbia University undergraduate posted an image of five emails on a popular closed Facebook group, "Columbia buy sell memes." The earliest message, "On the Passing of Taylor Wallace," was dated November 2, followed by "On the passing of GS student Nicole Orttung" (November 28), "Notification of a Student Death" (January 19), "Notification of a Student's Passing" (January 23), and "Notification about a Student's Passing," sent at 5:04 p.m. on the day the image was posted.

In less than two weeks, more than 1100 people had reacted to the post. The top comment said, "Agh I hate these emails. They're so impersonal. They address nothing. I'm sad again."

These events, the latest in a series of suicides and student deaths that have galvanized successive universities into enacting reforms, have revealed deeper issues in Columbia's mental health practices. The past year's tragediessince September there have been seven deaths, at least four of which have been suicideshave rocked the university community and brought longtime grievances regarding the state of counseling and psychological services on campus to the surface.

"It was like an onslaught," said Juliana Kaplan, a sophomore at Barnard, remembering the student reaction in January, when students were notified about three deaths in one week.

That month, Jacqueline Basulto, a senior at Columbia College, wrote a Change.org petition calling on the university and 18 other highly selective universities to improve mental health services. By early March, it had more than 850 signatures, and dozens of supporters had posted their own stories of mental health challenges at the university.

One student wrote, "Being a freshman here and seeing a close friend forced to go on medical leave from the stress and lack of mental health help on campus, having a student on the floor below commit suicide, and hearing all around me about people being crushed by anxiety and depression here has been disappointing. Columbia, do something."

"What I'm hearing is that students are alarmed, and I'm personally alarmed," said Sean Ryan, a senior who serves as the co-chair of the Student Affairs Committee on the University Senate, a policymaking body composed of students, faculty, and administrators.

According to a survey that he and his fellow co-chair, Grace Kelley, presented to the Senate's plenary session on February 3rd, at least two dozen students have taken their lives since 2000. Of the total number, almost 80 percent were undergraduates, and 15 (62.5 percent) were students of color.

This problem is not unique to Columbia. In 2014 (the most recent year for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide data), suicide was the second-leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds. A 2016 study from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University found that among college students seen by campus mental health counselors, the number who have seriously considered attempting suicide has increased every year since 2010, reaching 33.2 percent in the 2015-2016 school year. In the same report, over nine percent of respondents said they had made a suicide attempt.

Over the past two decades, a number of universities have witnessed suicide clusters, defined by the CDC as suicides or suicide attempts "that occur closer together in time and space than would normally be expected." In the 2003-2004 school year, five students committed suicide at NYU; in 2010-2011, there were six suicides at Cornell. Similar suicide clusters occurred at the University of Pennsylvania in 2013-2014 and at Tulane University and Appalachian State in 2014-2015.

Victor Schwartz, the chief medical officer of the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that works to promote mental health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults, cautioned that such clusters may give a misleading appearance of high suicide rates on a campus. "College appears to be protective in some ways," he said, pointing out that young adults enrolled in universities show lower suicide rates than their un-enrolled peers.

However, Schwartz noted that at universities, the large numbers of students living in close proximity poses a greater risk of suicide contagion, the process through which individuals exposed to suicides or suicidal behavior in others may be led to exhibit that behavior themselves. "The extent to which people in a community identified with a person who [died by] suicide might be a risk," he said.

Doreen Marshall, the vice president of programs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, explained that mental health conditions like depression can contribute to suicide risk, and college is "often the first time that a student has to manage that on their own."

Community, family, and peer connectedness and support can substantially affect suicide risk. When students arrive at universities to live away from their families and hometowns, such support can diminish. Marshall added that individuals who are isolated or experience other "barriers to help-seeking" are among those most at risk.

International students, often far removed from their social safety nets, may be particularly vulnerable. "Some of the things that do contribute to suicide risk we do see in our international population, and sometimes those are more pronounced," Marshall said.

A recent article in the Columbia Spectator identified social isolation and stress as two of the principal factors contributing to the university's mental health problems. The lack of on-campus spaces for gathering, as well as what students say is confusing and inefficient access to psychological help, only exacerbates these problems.

Basulto, the author of the Change.org petition, said that when she was feeling suicidal she called the school's mental health hotline and after four days received a call from Columbia's Counseling and Psychological Services. She explained her situation to the operator and learned that she would have to wait two weeks for an appointment. The therapist with whom she finally met told her that she could only schedule a follow-up for her acute symptoms another two weeks later.

But, she adds, "I felt lucky." She had a support network in New York: her family lived in the city, and as a senior and a member of a sorority, she had a strong social support network. Furthermore, she was able to afford $350-per-session fee for off-campus care, a luxury not available to many students.

Some of the students who recently took their own lives may not have had the benefit of such networks. One of them, Yi-Chia "Mia" Chen, was an exchange student from Waseda University in Japan. In December, Mounia Abousaid, a senior from Morocco, was found in her dorm room several days after passing away; police classified her death as a suicide. Another student, Taylor Wallace, was a freshman. "Where are these kids on our campus? Are they living with anyone?" his mother told Spectator. "Taylor didn't have a roommate. Taylor didn't do a lot with his floor group."

For Sidney Perkins, a vice president of the student council for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the flaws in Columbia's current approach to mental health became clear during a conversation with a friend who attended the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After a student passed away last summer, the school canceled classes, held several mandatory assemblies, and hosted breakout sessions. "It struck me how obvious these suggestions were," Perkins said. Compared to Mount Sinai's response, the Columbia administration's approach to student deaths, with its emails, uninterrupted class schedule, and smaller-scale counseling responses, seemed lacking.

The day before the Senate meeting where Ryan and Kelley presented, Suzanne Goldberg, the executive vice president for university life, published a six-page public letter responding to the student deaths and announcing a series of new initiatives, including a "mental health week," expanded access to mental health services, and further resources for student spaces, groups, and on-campus social events.

Columbia declined to provide Gothamist with specifics about how much money the school would be investing in these initiatives.

Goldberg also announced an advisory group of students, faculty, and staff to continue the effort. In an email 11 days later, Columbia College Dean James Valentini announced that staff would receive required training for "gatekeepers"individuals who can help identify students who may need support.

"We have been reexamining the practices and resources in place for identifying students in need and connecting them with the extensive counseling, support groups and other services available at Columbia," a Columbia College spokesperson stated.

But Ryan remains skeptical. "From our perspective," he said, the Office of University Life's initial proposal "really doesn't go far enough." The resources and grants Goldberg mentioned would only partly achieve the changes he hoped the school would make.

Most critically, he says, counseling is too hard to access for students in crisis. Columbia's Counseling and Psychological Services complements its sizable clinical staff with a hotline for urgent mental health crises that connects students with triage specialists who offer recommendations for care.

But as Basulto's story illustrates, it can take multiple steps to reach professional counseling. At times, there are delays. Other services, like the late-night mental health hotline Nightline, are operated by undergraduates rather than clinicians; Barnard College runs separate counseling services, but they are closed on weekends.

Ryan believes that administrators need to help lead a broader cultural shift away from overwhelming academic stress and student isolation through more university-supported social events, continuous engagement with mental health programming, and straightforward, efficient avenues to counseling and psychological help. The problem is not that counseling is unavailable, he thinks, but rather that the "triage system" fails to quickly and easily connect students who need help with professionals who can provide it.

In a statement to Gothamist, a Columbia University spokesperson expressed confidence in Columbia's triage system. "This system is based on best practices, to assess the student's concerns, understand their clinician preferences, and determine the priority with which they need to be seen. Students in distress are prioritized for care," the spokesperson stated.

Perkins coauthored an addendum to the memorandum from the Engineering Student Council proposing a range of community-building and gatekeeper-training initiatives, as well as improved academic advising to help students manage their workloads.

Many of these proposals resemble peer institutions' responses to on-campus suicides. Fom 2004 to 2011, NYU increased its mental health staff from 25 to 40 clinicians and quadrupled the hours of its walk-in clinic. The school also began offering low-cost psychiatric care to students and instituted mental health first-aid training for staff in places like the financial aid and registrar's offices. It also created a centralized hotline system.

In the wake of the University of Pennsylvania's cluster of suicides in 2013 and 2014, the university instituted similar changes based on recommendations from a task force. New policies focused on improved communication about mental health services, resources, and training offered to community members.

The Jed Foundation's Schwartz, who served as a consultant for the task force, said that many of these measures were successful at expanding access to counseling. Indeed, after adding four clinicians, the school reduced average wait times for appointments from 21.6 days in December 2013 to 8.5 days one year later. In December 2014, it created a 24-hour hotline, and its counseling services moved to a new, larger location. Last spring, the task force reconvened after another student suicide.

But at Columbia, despite the administration's press releases and the new initiatives, many students remain unsatisfied. Kaplan said that there's a sense that "there hasn't been an organized, publicized response."

Kaplan, like many of the students Gothamist spoke to, said she doesn't think the administration is indifferent to the tragedies that have taken place this year, but she feels much of the burden has fallen upon students themselves. And her classmates remain deeply concerned about the situation on campus. "It's at the point where a lot of people are saying, myself included, that this is an epidemic," she said. "And that's terrifying."

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
BERLIN, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Approximately 900 million -- or just over one in four -- people living in 16 countries in Asia Pacific, including some of its biggest economies are estimated to have paid a bribe to access public services, according to a new public opinion poll from the anti-corruption movement Transparency International.

Transparency International spoke to nearly 22,000 people about their recent experiences with corruption for People and Corruption: Asia Pacific, part of the Global Corruption Barometer series.

The results show lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistleblowers; governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

In China, nearly three-quarters of the people surveyed said corruption has increased over the last three years, suggesting people do not see the major offensive on corruption is working.

Only one in five people surveyed thought the level of corruption had decreased, while half of people polled said their government was doing a bad job fighting corruption.

"Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. It's time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable," said Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.

Thirty-eight percent of the poorest people surveyed said they paid a bribe, the highest proportion of any income group.

"Without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill," Ugaz said.

Police top the list of public services most often demanding a bribe; just under a third of people who had come into contact with a police officer in the last 12 months saying they paid a bribe.

People said that the most important action to stop corruption is speaking out or refusing to pay bribes. But more than one in five said they felt powerless to help fight corruption.



Transparency International recommends:

Governments integrate anti-corruption targets into all Sustainable Development Goals including hunger, poverty, education, health, gender equality and climate action, and develop mechanisms to reduce corruption risks.



Legislatures adopt and enforce comprehensive legislation to protect whistleblowers, based on prevailing international standards, including those developed by Transparency International.



Authorities prevent and sanction bribe paying/taking to end impunity related to bribery



Anti-corruption agencies engage with and encourage large numbers of citizens who are willing to refuse paying bribes and report corruption.

Editors' note: Click here to see full report.

The surveys were carried out face-to-face or by telephone between July 2015 and January 2017. They were sampled and weighted to be nationally representative of all adults. Go to http://www.transparency.org to see the methodology note.

Contacts:



Berlin - from 6am GMT

Julie-Anne Miranda-Brobeck

T: +49-30-34-38-20-666

E: press@transparency.org



Singapore - until 6am GMT (1pm in Singapore)

Rukshana Nanayakkara

T: +49-176-277-63-115



SOURCE Transparency International
Summit EMEA Keynote Speaker: Mike Ehrenberg , Microsoft Technical Fellow , will share Microsoft's strategy for digital transformation and show Microsoft Dynamics 365, the next generation of intelligent business applications that enables organizations to grow, evolve and transform. Learn more.

AXUG Summit EMEA General Session Speakers: Sri Srinivasan , General Manager for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations in the Cloud and Enterprise Group , and Kees Hertogh , Senior Director of Product Marketing will feature the latest updates, roadmap and future of "Dynamics 365 for Operations." Learn more.

CRMUG Summit EMEA General Session Speakers: Siegfried Leiner , Principal Program Manager, Microsoft and Angela Bandlow , Senior Director of Product Marketing for Microsoft Dynamics 365 will feature the latest news, product strategy, and roadmap update for the Dynamics 365 customer engagement applications. Learn more.

NAVUG Summit EMEA General Session Speakers: Jannik Bausager, NAV Principal Group Program Manager and Gordon Macdonald , Director of Dynamics Product Marketing will discuss their commitment to SMBs, top capabilities in Dynamics NAV 2017 and the product roadmap to help support the ambition of attendees' growing business. Learn more.

PBIUG Summit EMEA General Session Speaker: Kamal Hathi , General Manager of Engineering will assist attendees in learning about how Power BI and Dynamics 365 work together, the latest Power BI updates and what is driving our user-led innovation. Learn more.



In addition to the Microsoft keynote and general session involvement, the Microsoft team will lead 25+ sessions dedicated to the recently unveiled Microsoft Dynamics 365, the next generation of intelligent business applications from Microsoft. Attendees will also have direct access to Microsoft personnel, product insights, practical answers to Dynamics questions, and peer to peer expertise that will provide attendees with incremental product knowledge and help them streamline business operations.

"We are excited to be part of Summit EMEA 2017, the premier conference for European-based Microsoft Dynamics users," said Chris Rothwell, Microsoft UK Dynamics Business Lead. "The knowledge sharing opportunity at the event is phenomenal, with access to other users, product experts as well as Microsoft engineering and product managers."

Click here to learn more about Summit EMEA keynote speakers and join us at the largest gathering of Dynamics users in Europe, 4-6 April in Amsterdam by registering today: www.summitemea.com/pricing.

Dynamic Communities is the business management organization that supports technology-centric user groups and associations  providing necessary resources and business operations such as staff, systems and event production. Dynamic Communities is independent from Microsoft; however, the two organizations maintain an intentional close working relationship so that our members can provide a collective voice to Microsoft on user concerns, needs, and requests.

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475109/Summit_EMEA_Amsterdam_2017.jpg

SOURCE Dynamic Communities
LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Combined business will have a unique, comprehensive B2B payments solution offering

Global business-to-business payment solutions provider and virtual card specialist Optal, today announced the acquisition of innovative payments company Invapay, in a deal which will significantly expand Optal's capabilities in the global corporate payments space.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474455/Optal_Logo.jpg )



Invapay enables corporate buyers to use credit cards to pay suppliers who historically have not accepted card payments. Invapay's technology platform seamlessly integrates with the buyer's existing enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) through a simple plug and play payment API. Once integrated, the solution delivers a secure, data rich automated payment solution, with suppliers paid via EFT, eliminating the need to sign up to a merchant facility to receive payments by credit card.

The Invapay solution enables corporate buyers to obtain the extended payment terms of traditional card payments, while effecting automated, secure and efficient payments to non-card accepting suppliers, in any location across the world in any currency.

Sid Vasili, the founder and CEO of Invapay and his experienced team will remain with the Invapay business post acquisition, to continue its exciting growth. The acquisition is subject to FCA approval in the UK.

Optal CEO Rob Bishop says:

"The acquisition of Invapay enables Optal to deliver a one-stop-shop for corporate B2B payables needs. Combined with our existing highly successful virtual payment solutions including virtual account numbers or VANs, Invapay completes our product offering, enabling us to offer genuine 'pay anyone, anywhere' capabilities."

"Solving payment acceptance issues and optimising working capital for customers is crucial for successful payments solutions in the procurement industry and Invapay are the leaders in this space."

"We're delighted that the Invapay team are joining us to continue our remarkable growth."

Invapay CEO, Sid Vasili says:

"The Invapay and Optal businesses are a great fit. This transaction will ensure that the Invapay business has the resources and capabilities to meet our global growth aspirations. People talk about 'procure to pay' but no one really manages the 'pay' part very effectively. The team at Optal share our vision for solving that problem."

About Optal Ltd

Optal is re-inventing how payment processes work across complex industries. By stripping payment processes of their customary inefficiency, Optal helps companies boost profitability across a growing number of sectors around the world.

Optal issues Mastercard branded payment products, driving its focus on developing and bringing to market, game-changing payment solutions.

For more information about Optal, visit http://www.optal.com

About Invapay

Invapay is a UK based payment technology company. They offer an efficient, flexible way to manage payments and working capital and are connected to over 800 banks. Invapay operates across three continents, processes all major currencies and provides a flexible payments alternative that ensures long-term buyer and supplier benefits.

The cloud-based solution can be operational in 24 hours, which provides more access to credit lines at the flick of a switch. The enhanced transaction data enables efficient processing and reconciliation of payments. This enables CFOs to be confident of financial control and compliance.

For more information, visit http://www.invapay.com

Contact details

Rob Bishop

Managing Director

Optal Ltd

+61-457-700-001

robert.bishop@optal.com



Sid Vasili

CEO

Invapay

+44(0)7875-268-416

sid.vasili@invapay.com



Bradley Eccleshare

Director of Marketing

Optal Limited

+44(0)20-3892-4928

bradley.eccleshare@optal.com



SOURCE Optal Ltd & Invapay
" Our OYO team believed we had developed a ground-breaking fitness product, however we were just blown away with the response from the marketplace ," remarked Paul Francis, founder, inventor and CEO. " U . S . and international distributors are now working with OYO to get the DoubleFlex gym into everyone's hands ."

The DoubleFlex Black total portable body gym weighs only 2 lbs., yet produces up to 25 lbs. of smooth linear resistance that feels like free-weights. The resistance is created by patented SpiraFlex technology used to keep NASA astronauts in shape in space.

The DoubleFlex is the only exercise device that applies resistance to both sides of muscle groups in one motion, building a balanced body in half the time. Combining strength with movement, without weight or momentum, this portable gym is the new way to get fit anywhere, anytime.

The DoubleFlex Black is the second generation of the original DoubleFlex, featuring more resistance, additional cable extension, and also folds up to fit in a back pocket or carry bag.

"NASA was trying to find a countermeasure to keep their astronauts from losing bone and muscle mass in zero gravity." Francis explained, "A NASA study showed my SpiraFlex technology increased lean muscle as much as free-weights, so my team was selected to develop the first 'mission critical' strength training equipment to keep astronauts fit and build muscle in zero gravity on the International Space Station."

"Floating in space is similar to leading a sedentary lifestyle on earth. The body begins to atrophy unless resistance training is a two to three times a week habit," says Nick Bolton, the Director of Fitness at OYO.

Francis is an accomplished fitness inventor who has also licensed SpiraFlex to Nautilus, Inc. to power what many people consider the best home gym yet, the Bowflex Revolution.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474630/DoubleFlex_Black_from_OYO_Fitness.jpg





SOURCE Oyo Fitness
In a sprawling archipelago made up of 17,000 islands and sometimes difficult land connections, the digital revolution will soon transform the way people access healthcare. In the short term, the greatest disruption will come from telemedicine, facilitated by a growing array of apps that give patients direct access to GPS and subsequently order medicines for home delivery, directly on their mobile phones. Examples of local players already offering the service are Halo Doc, Apotik Antar, and Alo Dokter.

Andy Richards, an investor in digital health, in the last issue of The Economist ("A digital revolution in health care is speeding up") argues that three groups are fighting a war for control of the "health-care value chain".

One group comprises "traditional innovators" -- pharmaceutical firms, hospitals and medical-technology companies such as GE Healthcare, Siemens, Medtronic and Philips. A second category is made up of "incumbent players", which include health insurers, pharmacy-benefit managers (which buy drugs in bulk), and as single-payer health-care systems. The third group are the technology "insurgents", including Google, Apple, Amazon and a host of hungry entrepreneurs that are creating apps, predictive-diagnostics systems and new devices. In emerging economies, where regulations on health data are less onerous and where people often already expect to pay to see a doctor, faster growth and innovation is in the making.

These and related topics will be discussed at CPhI SEA in 2 weeks' time. Tailored to suit this fast-changing industry, the 6th edition of CPhI South East Asia, taking place during 22-24 March 2017 in Jakarta, provides the must-attend trade exhibition where the regional pharma industry meets to leverage connections, knowledge and insight to spur business.

Sign up now to attend!

Government supporters: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry, Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, National Agency for Drug and Food Control

Trade and Professional Organization Supporters: The Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association (GP Farmasi Indonesia), Pharma Materials Management Club (PMMC), International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group (IPMG), the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), and the Indonesian Pharmacists Association (IAI)

Regional Supporters: Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PReMA) - Thailand, Malaysian Association of Pharmaceutical Suppliers.

The CPhI series of events drives growth and innovation in the global pharmaceutical industry, with leading exhibitions and online communities covering every step of the supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage.

More than 100,000 visitors meet over 6,000 exhibitors at events in Europe, China, India, Japan, South East Asia, Russia, Brazil, Istanbul and Korea every year to exchange ideas, form alliances and conduct business on an international scale.

Contact:



Ivan Ferrari

Tel.: +62 21 2930 5959

Email: ivan.ferrari@ubm.com

Related Links

http://www.cphi.com/sea



SOURCE CPhI SEA
Developed countries dominate the above-100 kVA range while developing economies are big markets for small-range UPS, finds Frost & Sullivan's Energy team

LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The accelerating shift toward digitisation, Internet of Things (IoT), software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing is giving a huge boost to the adoption of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems across different applications. With greater virtualisation, data centers have risen in importance and numbers, creating a vast market for UPS systems. The United States alone has more than 12 million servers in 3 million data centers. As loss of power could disrupt data centers' globally connected data processors and result in significant losses, high-power UPS systems are enjoying enthusiastic uptake among these end users.

"While data centers propel the above-200 kVA UPS segment, the popularity of modular UPS systems has made the up-to-300 kVA systems the biggest growth segment," said Frost & Sullivan Energy Research Manager Suba Arunkumar. "Modular UPS' scalability makes it ideal for backup power in key industrial applications."

Global Uninterruptible Power Supplies Market, 2016 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Energy Storage Growth Partnership Subscription. This deliverable discusses the demand for and usage patterns of UPS across wide power ranges, from below 1 kVA to above 500 kVA. According to the research, more than 60 percent of the UPS demand is from North America and Asia-Pacific, with the United States, China and India being prominent markets.

Click on the following link for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders: https://goo.gl/QDtNF8

The size and potential of the market has attracted numerous players offering small power-range UPS at fiercely competitive prices. This market fragmentation is slowing down the overall revenue and market growth, compelling UPS suppliers to innovate as well as implement expansion strategies.

"Developing countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, India and China are proving to be high-growth markets due to their power deficits, ageing transmission infrastructure, blackouts and brown-outs," noted Arunkumar. "Significantly, emerging economies adopt UPS of less than 20 kVA, whereas developed countries largely depend on the above-20 kVA range to combat low power quality issues in industrial, healthcare and data center applications."

Other analyses available under the Energy Storage Growth Partnership Subscription include energy storage technologies, datacenter infrastructure solutions, modular UPS and batteries. All studies in the subscription provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Anna Zanchi

Corporate Communications  Europe

P: +39.02.4851 6133

E: anna.zanchi@frost.com

http://ww2.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
STOCKHOLM, Mar 07, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

First to the Swedish market to launch contactless payments technology  SeqrTM is enabling consumer payments at over 30 million retailers globally.

Seqr is continuing in its quest to own its position as the standard for mobile payments with the most versatile technology and the largest network of retailers accepting the solution of any of its compet- itors in the global mobile payments market. Seqr was the rst one to o er contactless payments in Sweden. Easy to use and a secure alternative to carrying cash or cards, Seqr is designed for everyday payments using just an android smartphone  approximately 80% of the smartphone market. This can be done by simply holding the phone near the contactless card terminal and con rming payment. In Sweden this is possible at Ica, 7-Eleven, Pressbyran among many others.

3% cashback

Seqr's active markets, which cover by far the largest area with 16 countries where the Seqr app can be downloaded, and its global acceptance network of more than 30 million retailers makes Seqr a truly global leader in mobile payments. "The success of Seqr, next to its acceptance network, lies in its optimal security and user-friendly bene ts", says Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless. By paying with Seqr, users get up to 3% cashback on everything they buy, regardless whether they are shopping in a store or online. For optimal security, the Seqr application is protected by means of encryption and tokenization, making it impossible for registered accounts to be cloned for use on any other device without permission.

Near-Field Communication technology

Customers using the Seqr app across Sweden can pay with Seqr all over the world using Near-Field Communication (NFC), a contactless technology. The user simply holds the phone up to the contactless card terminal to pay in every shop where a contactless card terminal is installed, even if a retailer has no private agreement with Seqr. Seqr increases the freedom and independence via contactless technology for users of smartphones running on Android, approximately 80 % of the worldwide smartphone mar- ket. The number of contactless payment terminals, currently around 30 million, is increasing fast and it has been planned and projected by the card networks that all card terminals in Europe should accept contactless payments by 2020.

Next to Sweden, Seqr can today be downloaded by consumers in Germany, Romania, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Austria, Ireland, Malta, Luxembourg, Italy and the USA.

Contact:

Annika Blome,

COO.

Tel: +46-725-08-98-09

Dominique Tilleman,

Head of Communications

Tel: +32-473-27-04-90

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/seamless-distribution-ab/r/swedes-can-pay-contactless-with-their-smartphone-all-over-the-world-using-seqrtm,c2205591

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Seamless Distribution AB
DUBAI, UAE, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

25 per cent of UAE respondents would recommend their primary bank

Souqalmal.com, the UAE's #1 personal finance and insurance comparison website, surveyed close to 1,500 bank customers in the UAE for the 2017 edition of its annual Bank Satisfaction Index.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474842/2017_People_s_Choice_Awards.jpg )



Results from the survey revealed that 25 per cent of UAE respondents would actively recommend their bank to friends or colleagues. This is a 9 per cent drop from the results seen last year.

According to Ambareen Musa, Founder and CEO of Souqalmal.com, "The aim of the survey is not just to understand how satisfied bank customers are, but also to uncover what factors influence customer satisfaction. The Bank Satisfaction Index provides banks with constructive feedback to help them tap into the pulse of the market, and work towards resolving the biggest concerns that customers have."

Customer service has a high influence on customer satisfaction, survey results highlighted. Respondents pointed out that customer service was the primary banking feature they would like to see improvement in. Customers also called for better product offerings and higher transparency in rates, as the second and third most upgrade-worthy areas in banking.

Among other areas where customers would like to see banks step up, are improved online banking functionality and mobile app offering, faster turnaround time for processing customer requests, and a wider ATM network.

"The survey highlights the gaps in the customer experience journey, and banks can use this knowledge to design products, and deliver service that is sure to delight the customer, and in turn boost customer loyalty towards their primary bank," said Josiane Assaad, Director of Communications at Souqalmal.com.

The survey also sheds light on how customers like to bank. Results revealed that digital banking channels are displacing physical channels like branches and ATMs as the preferred way to bank, among UAE (68 per cent) respondents.

Factoring in findings from the NPS survey, Souqalmal.com has also revealed the 'Most Recommended Bank' in the UAE, wherein Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank outshone its peers.

The survey results have further been supplemented with Souqalmal.com's annual rankings of the 'Most Popular Banking Products' in the UAE, in five retail banking product categories - Personal Finance, Home Finance, Car Finance, Credit Cards and Accounts. The results are based on an in-depth analysis of product searches and visits received on the site for the period January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.

Most Popular Banking Products Personal Finance ADIB's Personal Finance Home Finance RAKBANK's Home In One Car Finance DIB's Al Islami Auto Finance Credit Card The American Express Gold Credit Card Account ADCB's Millionaire Destiny Savings Account Souqalmal.com

"At Souqalmal.com, we aim to gauge what drives customer behaviour and expectations, and how users can get the most out of their banking experience. The survey has been a step in the same direction, and helps us build on our ongoing research efforts based on the 800,000+ visits we receive on a monthly basis," Musa concludes.

About Souqalmal.com:

Souqalmal.com is the biggest financial & insurance aggregator/comparison site in UAE & KSA allowing users to compare retail banking products like credit cards, loans, accounts and insurance, as well as education products.

Conceptualized as a highly transparent marketplace, Souqalmal.com is designed to empower consumers to make the right choice by bringing together on one convenient platform all the latest details on more than 3,200 retail banking, telecoms, insurance and education products offered by various providers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia (KSA).

SOURCE Souqalmal.com
LUGANO, Switzerland, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ESMO, the leading European organisation for medical oncology, announced it will take over the organisation of the Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Congress, with the aim of expanding its educational offer and ensure that professionals are kept up-to-date with the latest drug developments to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Starting in 2018, the TAT Congress , considered the "home of phase 1 in oncology," will take place annually in Europe, with next year's congress organised in March in Paris, France.

"Early drug development in oncology is undergoing a revolution," said Jean-Charles Soria, TAT Scientific Chair, Drug Development Department, Gustave Roussy, Paris, France. "Phase-1 trials are no longer the exclusive domain of highly specialised investigators and scientists but a field where academia, industry, clinicians, researchers, regulators, scientists discuss together to speed up the development of new anti-cancer treatment for the benefit of cancer patients."

"The role of early-phase trials in oncology drug development has changed dramatically with the advent of precision medicine," said ESMO President Fortunato Ciardiello. "ESMO is committed to organise educational activities that provide comprehensive updates on the latest developments, be it in clinical practice or earlier phases of development. It is only natural for ESMO to include such a fundamental event in our educational offer providing an expanded programme as well as a broader experience to attendees."

"TAT offers a top-quality programme, covering the most promising new drugs and targets under development in early-phase clinical and translational research, as well as drugs close to entering clinical development," explained Josep Tabernero, ESMO President-Elect, TAT 2017 Organising Committee. "If you want to know what your clinical practice is going to be like in five-10 years, this is the meeting to attend."

Full story: http://bit.ly/2lRynsV

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology, with over 15,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 130 countries worldwide.

ESMO Press Office

media@esmo.org

+41(0)91-973-19-07



SOURCE European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
Michael Kuhlow commented, "Opening an office in Frankfurt will enable us to better understand the workflows and specific requirements of our regional clients and to offer them the optimum level of local support and service."

"The financial sector in Germany is playing a key role in the European and global economy," said Pierre Schroeder, CEO of TradingScreen. "After Britain voted to leave the European Union, financial services and investment firms started looking to other European cities. The new office is more than an opportunity to grow the European business; it will enable TradingScreen to better serve existing clients as they transfer operations to continental Europe."

"This is an exciting time to be opening the new TradingScreen office in Frankfurt. We look forward to working closely with regional clients including a number of Europe's largest asset management firms. Our local presence will enable us to service their multi-asset class trading and evolving regulatory requirements as we approach the year-end deadline for MiFID II compliance," said Michael Kuhlow.

A Greenwich Associates survey showed 40% of continental companies had plans to change the allocation of their banking business as a result of Brexit. The Financial Times data shows that 80% of the top EU banks and 60% of insurers have head offices or subsidiaries in Frankfurt or other German cities.

Contact

Michael Kuhlow

TradingScreen Frankfurt

Zeil 127, 60313 Frankfurt

T: +49 (0) 69 50600 5520

M: +49 (0) 170 3174541

T: +44 (0) 207 1493100

michael.kuhlow@tradingscreen.com

About TradingScreen

TradingScreen is the leading independent provider of liquidity, trading, and investment technology via SaaS to the financial community. TradingScreen's goal is to simplify the complexity of markets, by consolidating all investment workflows for exchange-traded and OTC instruments on a single platform. TradingScreen brings the major, global sell-side participants, leading regional brokers and the largest Buy side firms to a common environment, delivering market access, order-management, liquidity-management and investment services. The benefit to clients is an exceptional reach across counterparties, asset classes, and geography, and a full integration of services front to back. TradingScreen was named Best Sell-Side Technology: OTC Trading Initiative and Best Crossing Network Provider by WatersTechnology, in addition to winning numerous awards for best trading technology. TradingScreen provides global coverage from offices in Boston, Chicago, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. For more information on TradingScreen, go to www.tradingscreen.com.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475173/TradingScreen___Michael_Kuhlow.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475220/TradingScreen_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.tradingscreen.com



SOURCE TradingScreen
Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner O'Neill held a press conference in Staten Island today to speak out against the anti-Semitic threats that have recently plagued the city, with the mayor referring to the present as "a moment in history where forces of hate have been unleashed." The city has vowed to be "not only vigilant, but aggressive" in combating the threats.

The city has faced a spate of anti-Semitic incidents of late, including bomb threats called in to synagogues and Jewish Community Centers and swastikas tagged on a number of public spaces, including on the subway. Over the past week, two Jewish centers received threatening phone calls. Last Wednesday, the Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights received a series of threatening calls. On Sunday, the following voicemail was left at Brooklyns East Midwood Jewish Center: "Oy vey, we coming to spray your synagogue with pig's blood, the goyim. That's right you kikes, take a hike."

De Blasio called the increased threats, both in the city and nationwide, "a very troubling reality."

"This is a moment in timea moment in history where forces of hate have been unleashed," de Blasio said today. "And it is exceedingly unsettling to people who are the victims of that hate, who have that hate directed against them." He promised that he and the NYPD would stand with the Jewish community against any hate crimes against it, or any other group:

We dont take this lightly at all. We understand history and any member of the Jewish community who feels that these threats are not only unsettling but too reminiscent of the past, they have every right to feel that and we understand that. So, our response is to be not only vigilant but aggressive. This is the stance that New York City takes and the NYPD takes in addressing hate crimes - any act of hate, any act of bias that violates the law will be investigated very thoroughly and we will work with district attorneys and with the federal authorities to ensure that there are real consequences for anyone who commits a hate crime. We need to show that those who purvey hate and break that law will suffer the consequences. And I believe that is one of the key ways that we deter further acts against this community and the other communities that have been suffering at this moment of history. Remember we see three horrible trends right now - increase in anti-Semitic incidents, and in an increase anti-Muslim incidents, and an increase in anti-LGBT incidents all happening in just the last few months. All of which must be addressed very, very aggressively.



O'Neill, meanwhile, urged New Yorkers to report anti-Semitic activity, in hopes of mitigating any attacks. "It cant just be us though. If you see something out there that doesnt look right, if you witness somebody committing a hate crime, its your duty, its your responsibility to make sure you step up and let us know about it," O'Neill said. "Everyday crimes - you got to help us. You got to come forward. Its your duty and its your responsibility."

The mayor also noted that in addition to threats against the Jewish community nationwide, Muslims around the country have been subject to attacks. He pointed out that the two religious groups have helped each other in this current time of strife. "Mosques have, literally, been burned to the ground," he said. "And members of the Jewish community have come forward to help the Muslim community rebuild the mosque. There have been attacks on Jewish cemeteries and members of the Muslim community have come forward to help the Jewish community rebuild and restore the cemeteries." (This happened in Philadelphia, for example.)

De Blasio added, "This is when we find out what were made of as Americans. This is when we get an opportunity to live out, more fully, our values. I wish we didnt have this moment in history but it calls upon us to do something."


SINGAPORE, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vela Genomics, a subsidiary of Vela Diagnostics, has launched TheraKey to provide accurate Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) clinical interpretation and reporting. The cloud solution, available on www.velagenomics.com and follows HIPAA compliance, enables matching of rich genomic profiling data to clinically actionable outcomes, expanding clinicians' treatment options and providing cancer patients with more precise therapies and up-to-date recruiting clinical trials.

Vela Genomics has successfully built the TheraKey database to include somatic cancer mutations in more than 800 genes, 220,000 clinical trials and 2,000 cancer drugs. Proper structuring of clinical knowledge through custom built Natural Language Processing (NLP) facilitates reporting of actionable treatments from a comprehensive curated oncology database.

Besides FDA-approved drugs, the report also indicates off-label, investigational and combination therapies for the specific disease and gene or variant. Current clinical trials that have the most relevance to the patient's genomic biomarkers, disease diagnosis, eligibility and location proximity are also specified. Certified clinicians will curate and review the final report, highlighting any contraindicated therapies in adherence to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines to further ensure accuracy.

TheraKey brings advancement in eliminating the difficulty and time spent on interpreting the data manually with accelerated results and reporting. It can be integrated with any sequencing platform to assist clinicians in completing the workflow of their NGS somatic cancer tests. Reports can be requested using a private and secure account by the simultaneous uploading of multiple Variant Call Files (VCF) and the submitting of requisition forms online.

The launch of TheraKey online platform by Vela Genomics is the latest in a line-up of projects that aim to shape and provide greater access to personalized medicine.

Vela Genomics also offers TheraKey in its own proprietary Sentosa NGS workflow for Oncology with Vela's targeted solid tumor panels and 70 gene Oncopanel. All panels can run with FFPE and cfDNA extractions on the automated Sentosa NGS workflow.

For a trial TheraKey account, please click here.

For enquiries, please email info@velagenomics.com or contact Chrystelle Widjaja at +65-6672-9047/ chrystelle.widjaja@veladx.com.

About Vela Genomics

Vela Genomics specialises in NGS intepretation and reporting to empower personalised medicine in healthcare. The TheraKey platform was developed through advanced bioinformatics and clinical curation expertise to achieve accurate and sophisticated reports that enable clinicians to deliver the best possible precise care for their patients. We are committed to delivering powerful genomics solutions and actionable insights with worldwide medical, technical and economical benefits.

Related Links

http://www.velagenomics.com



SOURCE Vela Diagnostics
BAAR, Switzerland, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Weatherford International plc (NYSE: WFT) announced today that after a full and diligent search process, the Board has appointed Mr. Mark A. McCollum as President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as a member of the Board of Directors, with an effective start date in late April 2017. Mr. McCollum is a proven executive with an impressive background spanning over 36 years in the energy sector, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Halliburton Company. In addition to Mr. McCollum joining the Board of Directors of the Company, Mr. William Macaulay has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Macaulay, Weatherford's Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented, "We are extremely excited to have Mark as our CEO and as new member of the Board. After conducting a thorough executive search the Board determined that Mark's significant industry experience, proven track record and leadership expertise makes him the ideal choice to lead Weatherford."

Mr. Macaulay continued, "Consistent with our recent communications, our near-term priorities remain unchanged and focused on driving sustainable free cash flow, higher returns and improved financial flexibility. Furthermore, we remain committed to the core elements of our near-term strategy and will achieve these objectives through debt reduction, non-core asset dispositions and getting back to the basics in the way we work as we continue serving our customers with excellence and the highest level of service quality. The Board and I are highly confident that Mark is well suited to lead Weatherford in these efforts and execute a longer-term strategy to position the Company for the next chapter in its evolution. We look forward to working with him on these important steps."

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. McCollum said, "I am excited to join the Company at such an important time. Weatherford is an excellent company with great people, technology and global reach. I look forward to working with the team to build a stronger and healthier Weatherford with a clear purpose and vision for the future. I believe Weatherford is well positioned to maximize opportunities in the recovering market and provide exceptional service to our customers and value to our shareholders."

Krishna Shivram will be departing as interim Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Christoph Bausch, Weatherford's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer will serve as acting Chief Executive Officer until Mr. McCollum assumes the role in a permanent capacity.

Mr. Macaulay concluded, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Krishna for his contributions to the Company and his years of service at Weatherford. Krishna was instrumental in helping us through this transition process while setting the Company on the right path forward. The entire Weatherford family wishes him well in his future endeavors."

About Mark A. McCollum

Mr. McCollum's has over 36 years of leadership experience in the energy sector. Most recently he served as Chief Financial Officer of Halliburton Company, a position he started in 2008 and resumed in July of 2016 following an interim role as Chief Integration Officer during the pendency of Halliburton's proposed acquisition of Baker Hughes Incorporated. Prior to joining Halliburton, Mr. McCollum held a number of senior positions at Tenneco, Inc., including Chief Financial Officer, and served as an Audit and Advisory Partner in Arthur Andersen's Energy Division, where he began his career.

Mr. McCollum is a member of the Board of Directors and the Audit and Compensation Committees at Archrock, Inc., previously known as Exterran Holdings. He is also a Regent at Baylor University and on the Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees. Mr. McCollum received his Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Baylor University, and is a registered CPA in the State of Texas.

About Weatherford

Weatherford is one of the largest multinational oilfield service companies providing innovative solutions, technology and services to the oil and gas industry. The Company operates in over 90 countries and has a network of approximately 900 locations, including manufacturing, service, research and development, and training facilities and employs approximately 30,000 people. For more information, visit www.weatherford.com and connect with Weatherford on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, the Company's strategies and priorities, and are also generally identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "outlook," "budget," "intend," "strategy," "plan," "guidance," "may," "should," "could," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are based upon Weatherford's current beliefs and are subject to significant risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements. Readers are also cautioned that forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Forward-looking statements are also affected by the risk factors described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and those set forth from time-to-time in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). We undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required under federal securities laws.

Contacts:

Christoph Bausch +1.713.836.4615



Acting Chief Executive Officer, EVP and CFO













Karen David-Green +1.713.836.7430



Vice President  Investor Relations, Marketing and Communications



Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/19990308/WEATHERFORDLOGO

Related Links

http://www.weatherford.com



SOURCE Weatherford International plc
LONDON, March. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- North American Cable Assembly Manufacturers report is a 1,200-page report, in PDF format, containing profiles on 1,105 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that manufacture cable assemblies for resale. The profiles include company name, address, phone number, business manager, website, estimated 2015 worldwide revenues, facility size, manufacturing locations by region of the world, markets served, product types manufactured, agency approvals/certifications, minority business designations, and a brief description of the business. The report also contains a chapter on the worldwide and North American cable assembly market, and a statistical/high level analysis of the profiles and summary of the information collected.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4754992/



Who can benefit from the report:

- Companies seeking potential subcontractors for the outsourcing of their cable assembly requirements.

- Companies that want to identify potential customers for their products and services, including connector and component suppliers, equipment/tooling suppliers, material suppliers, and distributors.

- Organizations seeking to acquire cable assembly companies can find a comprehensive list of potential targets in the report. For an additional charge, the report database is available as a sortable Excel document.



Highlights from the report:

- The worldwide cable assembly industry had a value of $134 billion in 2015.

- In North America, there are at least 1,105 companies participating in the cable assembly industry with combined, worldwide revenues of over $66 billion.

- The state/province with the most cable assembly manufacturers is California.

- 23% of the companies participated in serving the industrial market sector and 5% participate in the medical market sector.

- The median company size in the report is $5M. The following page is an example of a company profile.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4754992/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

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ABBOTT PARK, Ill., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that, as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time, on March 6, 2017, the aggregate principal amounts of each series of notes listed in the table below issued by St. Jude Medical, LLC (successor to St. Jude Medical, Inc. - STJ), had been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn. Abbott is making this announcement in connection with its previously announced offers to exchange all validly tendered and accepted notes of each such series for new notes to be issued by Abbott, and the related solicitation of consents to amend the indentures governing the STJ notes to eliminate various covenants, event of default provisions and other provisions. A registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-216141) relating to the issuance of the Abbott notes was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Feb. 21, 2017, but has not yet been declared effective.

Series of notes issued by STJ to Be Exchanged (the "STJ notes") CUSIP No. Aggregate principal amount of such series of STJ notes tendered and consenting as of the Early Consent Date Percentage of total outstanding principal amount of such series of STJ notes tendered and consenting as of the Early Consent Date 2.000% Senior Notes due 2018 790849AL7 $473,355,000 94.67% 2.800% Senior Notes due 2020 790849AM5 $483,635,000 96.73% 3.25% Senior Notes due 2023 790849AJ2 $818,103,000 90.90% 3.875% Senior Notes due 2025 790849AN3 $485,105,000 97.02% 4.75% Senior Notes due 2043 790849AK9 $637,461,000 91.07%

The exchange offers and consent solicitations are being made pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in Abbott's preliminary prospectus, dated as of Feb. 21, 2017, which forms a part of the registration statement. The exchange offers and consent solicitations commenced on Feb. 21, 2017, and will expire at 11:59 p.m. New York City time on March 20, 2017, unless extended. Tendered STJ notes may be validly withdrawn at any time prior to the expiration of the exchange offers. The Abbott notes are expected to be issued promptly on or about the second business day following expiration of the exchange offers (the "Settlement Date"). The consummation of the exchange offers is subject to, and conditional upon, the satisfaction or, where permitted, waiver of the conditions discussed in the preliminary prospectus, including, among other things, the registration statement having been declared effective by the SEC.

On March 6, 2017, STJ and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, executed a supplemental indenture to the indenture governing each series of STJ notes, incorporating the proposed amendments. The supplemental indenture became effective upon execution, and as a result, holders of STJ notes will not be able to revoke properly delivered consents with respect to any series of STJ notes. However, the proposed amendments will not become operative until the Settlement Date.

The dealer managers for the exchange offers are:

BofA Merrill Lynch 214 North Tryon Street, 14th Floor Charlotte, North Carolina 28255 Attn: Liability Management Group Toll-Free: (888) 292-0070 Collect: (980) 387-3907 Barclays 745 Seventh Avenue, 5th Floor New York, New York 10019 Attn: Liability Management Group Toll-Free: (800) 438-3242 Collect: (212) 528-7581 Email: [email protected] Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC 1585 Broadway, 4th Floor New York, New York 10036 Attn: Liability Management Group Toll-Free: (800) 624-1808

Collect: (212) 761-1057 Email: [email protected]

The exchange agent and information agent for the exchange offers is:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

Attn: Andrew Beck

Bank and Brokers Call Collect: (212) 269-5550

All Others, Please Call Toll-Free: (800) 659-6590

Email: [email protected]

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as legal advisor to Abbott in connection with the exchange offers.

Additional Information and Where to Find it

Abbott has filed a registration statement (including a preliminary prospectus) with the SEC for the exchange offers to which this press release relates. Before you invest, you are urged to read the preliminary prospectus in that registration statement and other relevant documents filed or to be filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they will contain important information about Abbott, the exchange offers and related matters. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a copy of the preliminary prospectus may be obtained by contacting BofA Merrill Lynch, Attention: Liability Management Group, 214 North Tryon Street, 14th Floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255 or calling (888) 292-0070. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Abbott by requesting them by mail at Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-6400, Attention Investor Relations, or by telephone at (224) 667-8945.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities described herein and is also not a solicitation of the related consents. The exchange offers may be made only pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in Abbott's preliminary prospectus and the other related materials. The registration statement relating to the Abbott notes has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. The Abbott notes may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement is declared effective by the SEC.

About Abbott:

Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare. With a portfolio of leading, science-based offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals, Abbott serves people in more than 150 countries and employs approximately 94,000 people.

Visit Abbott at www.abbott.com and connect with us on Twitter at @AbbottNews.

A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements. Abbott cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's and St. Jude Medical's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors,'' Abbott's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2016, which is incorporated by reference. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE Abbott

Related Links

http://www.abbott.com


LITTLE ROCK, Ark., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ABC Financial Services (ABC), the leading provider of software and payment processing in the Health and Fitness Industry, today announced enhancements to their DataTrak software. The latest upgrade includes full translation into Spanish and MICROS integration. These features will be demonstrated for the first time through interactive displays at the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) tradeshow in Los Angeles March 8-11.

Spanish DataTrak will have a unique URL providing a complete Spanish language experience for the user. It will encompass the same functionality as the English version and will not require additional hardware or software instillation. Both DataTrak Spanish and English versions are the same system and can be run side by side, providing the same data and reporting.

MICROS specializes in point-of-sale transactions for food and beverage sales. With the addition of MICROS, point-of-sale transactions for food and beverage can be processed through DataTrak. Members will have the ability to use their DataTrak Club Account to pay for MICROS point-of-sale transactions.

"ABC is proud to announce our most recent software enhancements. We understand our customers require these upgrades and we are pleased we can provide," said Steve Ayers, Chief Revenue Officer. "ABC is continually releasing software enhancements allowing us to enhance the ways in which we connect with our current and potential clients," said Ayers.

About ABC Financial

Launched in 1981, ABC Financial has revolutionized software and payment processing for the health and fitness industry. Headquartered in the Little Rock, AR. area, ABC Financial serves approximately 8,000 clubs throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The company's innovative club management software, DataTrak, is the most complete web-based software in the health and fitness industry.

Visit ABC Financial at booth #1545 at IHRSA.

www.abcfinancial.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Steve Ayers

Chief Revenue Officer

ABC Financial

501-515-5066

[email protected]

SOURCE ABC Financial

Related Links

http://www.abcfinancial.com


LONDON, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- asing investments in building & construction and transportation end-use industries are driving the demand for acoustic insulation"

The market size of acoustic insulation is projected to reach USD 13.57 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 5.50%, between 2016 and 2021. Currently, the use of acoustic insulation is rapidly increasing in the building & construction and transportation industries, globally. The demand for acoustic insulation has increased in the building & construction industry due to rising standard of living in residential and infrastructural developments in the commercial building sector.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4730542/





"Transportation: The fastest-growing end-use industry of acoustic insulation"

The transportation end-use industry is estimated to register the highest CAGR, between 2016 and 2021, in terms of both value and volume. The high growth is attributed to the growing demand from the automotive industry, resulting in high growth rate for acoustic insulation products. Increased developments and activities in the transportation industry for soundproofing applications drive the market for acoustic insulation in this industry.



"Rising demand from Asia-Pacific: A major driver for the acoustic insulation market"

In 2015, Asia-Pacific was the largest acoustic insulation market, in terms of value. It is estimated to retain the market leadership during the forecast period. China and Japan are the two major markets for acoustic insulations in Asia-Pacific. The Chinese building & construction industry has the largest share in Asia-Pacific, resulting in a high demand for acoustic insulation owing to its increased use in the commercial building sector for soundproofing applications. In addition, high growth in the transportation industry for increased usage in soundproofing applications in engine components and panels is likely to drive the demand for acoustic insulation in China, Japan, and South Korea.



In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews were conducted.



The break-up of primary interviews is given below:



- By Company Type - Tier 1 - 33%, Tier 2  60%, and Others - 7%

- By Designation - C level - 56%, Director level - 33%, and Others - 11%

- By Region - North America - 13%, Europe - 47%, Asia-Pacific - 20%,

- The Middle East & Africa  13%, and South America  7%



The key companies profiled in this market research report are Rockwool International A/S (Denmark), Knauf Insulation GmbH (Germany), Saint-Gobain SA (U.S.), Owens Corning Corporation (U.S.), Johns Manville Corporation (U.S.), Kingspan Group PLC (Ireland), Armacell GmbH (Germany), Paroc (Finland), Fletcher Insulation (Australia), and others.





The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market in the following ways:



1. This report segments the acoustic insulation market comprehensively and provides the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall market and the subsegments across different verticals and regions.



2. It helps the stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.



3. It will help stakeholders understand the competitors and gain more insights to improve their position in the business. The competitive landscape section includes new product developments, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, and mergers & acquisitions.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4730542/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

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The Actuaries Climate Index is based on an analysis of quarterly seasonal data for six different index components collected from 1961 to summer 2016, compared to the 30-year reference period of 1961 to 1990. The current five-year moving average for the index is 1.03.

"We have now seen three of the last four seasons having an Actuaries Climate Index value over 1.50, compared to the 30-year reference period, which had no index values above 1.00. The spring and summer 2016 data reflect a continued pattern of increased frequencies of high temperatures and precipitation, and of lower-temperature extremes, compared to the reference period," said Doug Collins, chair of the Climate Change Committee. "We collected this data from neutral, scientific sources, and our membersactuarieshave developed these evidence-based results on extreme weather events."

The current highest five-year average values by region are in the Northwest Pacific (British Columbia and Yukon Territory), Northeast Atlantic (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) and Southern Plains (Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming). The high values in these regions are driven primarily by high temperatures and rising sea levels.

The Actuaries Climate Index was developed by the Climate Change Committee, which was formed from a partnership of the American Academy of Actuaries, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, the Casualty Actuarial Society, and the Society of Actuaries. The index is designed to provide actuaries, public policymakers, and the general public with objective data about changes in the frequency of extreme climate events over recent decades. The index measures changes in extremes of high and low temperatures, high winds, heavy precipitation, and drought, as well as changes in sea level.

Updates for values will be posted quarterly on ActuariesClimateIndex.org as data for each meteorological season becomes available. The organizations are also developing a second index, the Actuaries Climate Risk Index, to measure correlations between changes in the frequency of extreme events as measured by the index and economic losses, mortality, and injuries.

About the Sponsoring Organizations

The American Academy of Actuaries is a 19,000-member professional association whose mission is to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession. For more than 50 years, the Academy has assisted public policymakers on all levels by providing leadership, objective expertise, and actuarial advice on risk and financial security issues. The Academy also sets qualification, practice, and professionalism standards for actuaries in the United States.

The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) is the national organization and voice of the actuarial profession. The Institute is dedicated to serving the public through the provision, by the profession, of actuarial services and advice of the highest quality. In fact, the Institute holds the duty of the profession to the public above the needs of the profession and its members.

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is a leading international organization for credentialing and professional education. Founded in 1914, the CAS is the world's only actuarial organization focused exclusively on property and casualty risks and serves over 7,000 members worldwide. Professionals educated by the CAS empower business and government to make well-informed strategic, financial and operational decisions.

With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world's largest actuarial professional organization with more than 27,000 actuaries as members. Through research and education, the SOA's mission is to advance actuarial knowledge and to enhance the ability of actuaries to provide expert advice and relevant solutions for financial, business and societal challenges. The SOA's vision is for actuaries to be the leading professionals in the measurement and management of risk.

SOURCE American Academy of Actuaries

Related Links

http://www.actuary.org


The Adaptiva Client Health product is trusted by leading organizations throughout the world to improve IT efficiency by automatically checking a device's health, diagnosing any problems, and fixing issues in seconds. It delivers IT professionals the automation necessary to keep up with the pace of troubleshooting and resolving issues on 1000s of devices in hundreds of locations. One of Adaptiva's largest international banking customers currently uses Client Health to run over eight million health checks each day to maintain the health and security of more than 250,000 endpoints worldwide.

"There are a lot of endpoint management products coming to market which claim to provide instant visibility and control over thousands of endpoints in seconds," said Deepak Kumar, chief technology officer, Adaptiva. "In reality, many of these product architectures cannot intelligently scale to handle multiple simultaneous endpoint queries which results in CPU processing and network bandwidth nightmares for large organizations. With Client Health 6.0, we have meticulously integrated the load balancing technology and elegant peer-to-peer architecture necessary to provide enterprise-grade health and security across hundreds of thousands of endpoints. It delivers the endpoint visibility and control enterprises need while protecting the network and ensuring zero impact on the managed devices."

Client Health 6.0 integrates with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager to allow IT professionals to rapidly respond to security incidents on a massive scale. Custom health checks and fixes can be built in seconds using the Client Health Visual Workflow Designer. This feature lets users model any endpoint security question and remediation in seconds by selecting actions from a list of over 160 options and dragging and dropping them into a logical workflow. The status and progress of these health checks can be monitored and analyzed using some of the new dashboards and reports found in Client Health 6.0 which include:

Client Health Overview Dashboard  provides an overall picture of the current health of the enterprise including how many endpoints have failed or successfully passed health checks. It gives a quick view into the top 10 failing health checks and the top 10 most remediated health checks as well as charts to easily assess the overall health and compliance of the organization at a glance.

All Machines Summary Dashboard  provides the number of health checks run, success and failure rates, number of remediations run, health state of each machine and more. This report also provides instant insights into the health of all endpoints at once and can be filtered to display endpoint health against all health checks or individual health checks.

Individual Health Check Summary Report  provides detailed information on each health check run, including the number of times that health check was executed, unique machines that it was run on, success and failure rates, and more. This report also shows a chart on endpoint health check status over a one year period. This enables enterprises to easily investigate when and why failures are occurring.

Last Health Check Execution Status Reports  provides the overall health and security compliance level for each specific health check the organization runs, or each specific machine on the network. This delivers deeper analysis capabilities of where endpoint problems are most recently occurring across the enterprise.

Historic Health Check Execution Status Reports  provides the overall health and security compliance level for each specific endpoint on the network historically, over time. This enables IT admins to pinpoint when the most health and security failures occurred and analyze what may have happened during that time period to cause the problems.

 provides the overall health and security compliance level for each specific endpoint on the network historically, over time. This enables IT admins to pinpoint when the most health and security failures occurred and analyze what may have happened during that time period to cause the problems. Specific Health Check Execution Status Reports  provides a view into all health checks based on their success, failure, and resolution rates and status level. This report provides instant insight into how endpoints are performing against specific health checks and fixes.

 provides a view into all health checks based on their success, failure, and resolution rates and status level. This report provides instant insight into how endpoints are performing against specific health checks and fixes. Active Directory (AD) Site or Subnet Status Reports  provides health check status for all AD sites, individual AD sites, all subnets, and individual subnets. Reports can be filtered to show status across all health checks or individual health checks, for the most recent time period or historically to enable analysis of endpoint health in particular sites and subnets.

Client Health 6.0 is available for purchase now. Current Client Health customers will receive the upgrade automatically this month as part their current maintenance and support package. To request a demo of the new Client Health 6.0 product visit: http://www2.adaptiva.com/client_health_demo.

About Adaptiva

Adaptiva is a leading, global provider of IT systems management solutions that advance the power of Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. Founded in 2004 by the lead architect of Microsoft SMS 2003, Adaptiva enables IT professionals to securely speed enterprise-wide software deployments without adding costly servers or throttling network bandwidth. The company's breakthrough peer-to-peer systems management technology uses intelligence, automation, and bandwidth optimization techniques to distribute content faster than any other systems management solution available today. Adaptiva's suite of smart scaling systems management products includes OneSite for rapid content distribution and management, Client Health for endpoint security, troubleshooting, and remediation, and Green Planet for energy-efficient Wake-on-LAN capabilities. The company's software is used by Fortune 500 companies and deployed on millions of devices in over 100 countries. Learn more at adaptiva.com.

SOURCE Adaptiva

Related Links

http://www.adaptiva.com


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) has announced the following: "Reynolds American and its employees donated $13 million to nonprofits in 2016."

Go to RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, to read the full release.

Web and Social Media Disclosure

RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, is the primary source of publicly disclosed news, including quarterly earnings, for RAI and its operating companies. RAI also uses Twitter to publicly disseminate company news via @RAI News. It is possible that the information we post could be deemed to be material information. We encourage investors and others to register at www.reynoldsamerican.com to receive alerts when news about the company has been posted, and to follow RAI on Twitter at @RAI News.

ABOUT US

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc.; American Snuff Company, LLC; Niconovum USA, Inc.; Niconovum AB; and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company.

Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials, including risk factors containing forward-looking information, are available at www.reynoldsamerican.com. To learn more about how Reynolds American and its operating companies are transforming the tobacco industry, visit Transforming Tobacco.



SOURCE Reynolds American Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rjrt.com


"Effective January 2020, AB 89 will require an applicant for licensure as a psychologist to show as part of the application, that he or she has completed a minimum of six hours of coursework or applied experience under supervision in suicide risk assessment and intervention. Those who are licensed prior to January 1, 2020 will have a one-time requirement to either complete training or show proof that they have previously satisfied the requirement," said Gordon Doughty, co-chair of AFSP's California Public Policy Committee and San Francisco Chapter Board Member . Doughty has been involved with AFSP since losing his daughter to suicide in 2003.

For the past year, AFSP has been working with the California Board of Psychology to study the training and licensure testing for psychologists to ensure that they have adequate training in suicide risk assessment and intervention. In November 2016, the Board of Psychology Licensing Committee proposed prospective statutory language to the full Board. The Board agreed and Assemblyman Marc Levine introduced AB 89. This legislation is sponsored by the California Board of Psychology.

The advocates are part of a larger national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates who will be visiting 35 state capitols across the United States in spring 2017 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to state legislators.

Suicide in California

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death overall in California. For people aged 25-34 in California, it is the second leading cause of death. For those aged 10-24, it is the third leading cause of death. More than twice as many people die by suicide in California annually than from homicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

http://www.afsp.org


On Wednesday, in honor of International Women's Day, the organizers behind January's historic Women's March on Washington have planned a Day Without A Woman strike, urging women and their allies to take the day off from paid and unpaid labor, if possible; avoid shopping for a day, unless it's at small women and/or minority-owned stores; and to wear red in solidarity. This isn't the first women's strike that's been proposed since Donald Trump was elected to lead this country local feminist group the National Women's Liberation called for women to strike on January 20th and January 21st to coincide with Trump's inauguration. Now, NWL is bolstering the Day Without A Woman strike in hopes of bringing awareness to the political issues plaguing women, and the country at large. We spoke with Stephanie Kollgaard, a member of NWL's steering committee, to learn what women and their allies can do on March 8th, and beyond.

So what's the impetus behind the Women's Strike?

As you probably know, the Womens Strike for March 8th was called by the founders of the Womens March, who organized all the Womens Marches on January 21st, the Saturday after inauguration day. NWL, separately from that, called for a Womens Strike January 20th and January 21st, for very similar reasons as to why the founders of the Womens March are calling for this strike on March 8th. They called it to coincide with International Womens Day, so I believe in over 30 countries, women plan to go on strike on March 8th.

One of the really well-known strikes was in Iceland in 1975. After that strike, their first female prime minister was elected. But to get back to what were doing, and what NWL is doing, is that we just updated our strike websiteWomensStrike.org. We have the same demands that we had for the strike that we called over inauguration weekend. Its not just paid jobs that were striking from. The Womens March organizers who are calling the strike have also made that clear, because not everybody can literally strike from a paid job. Theres also striking from like emotional labor, childcare, housework, cooking, wearing makeup, laundry, fake smiles, flirting. Any woman could strike from anything she wants to, like any sort of emotional labor that disproportionately falls on women.

This is the list of demands that NWL is specifically striking for. Were striking for an end to racist and sexual assault and all forms of bigotry; were demanding reproductive freedom, full access and no coercion; national healthcare for all; $15 minimum wage for all workers, no exceptions; protection and expansion of social security; and then childcare, thats free like public schools, and paid family leave. And I also want to say that we have respect spelled out, like R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Why is it specifically so important that women come together in solidarity and/or show the workforce how important they are right now? Why at this moment is it so particularly important?

International Womens Day goes back to 1909, so theres a very long history of this. But its very important now, I think, because of the current administration that's in office. There have always been issues with womens rights throughout the whole history of the U.S. Women have always suffered from oppression. But this particular administration and this particular Congress is especially dangerous for women because they want to roll back the ACA, they want to put restrictions on womens access to abortions and birth control. They oppose raising the minimum wage. They want to privatize Social Security. All of these issues are issues that impact everyone, you know, working families. But they also seriously hurt women.

For example, $15 for all workers is what were asking for for the minimum wage. Thats also a womens issue because the majority of minimum wage workers are women, and women raising families. You know if the ACA is repealed, that hurts everyone, but especially women, because if theres not money for health careits not only about abortion and birth control, but a lot of caregiving disproportionately falls upon on women. So if money is removed for longterm health care or from Social Security, it will disproportionately be women who are caring for elderly or sick relatives.

Obviously now people feel its important that women come together to fight the Trump administration, but theres also been a lot of criticism, considering 53% of white women who voted voted for Trump. So theres also been this sentiment that "sisterhood" isnt a real thing. How would you respond to that?

At least for NWL, we are definitely proponents of intersectional feminism. We definitely understand that theres a lot of work that white women need to take on, since, as you mentioned, 53% of white women did vote for Trump. So I do think white women do need to step up and do need to take responsibility, and maybe theres some kind of internal examination. And I do think women need to have a better understanding of intersectional feminism becauseI believe this is an Audre Lorde quote, my apologies if Im a mangling it a little bitbut were not really free until every woman is free. That means women of color, LGBT women, trans women. Thats also why were asking for an end to racism, sexual assault, and all forms of bigotry. Because as long as bigotry and racism exist, that hurts all women. White women need to understand their privilege and how they can use their privilege in a positive way.

And specifically for NWL, as I mentioned, we believe in intersectional feminism. We do have a Women of Color caucus that meets separately from white women to examine how racism and feminism intersect.

The Womens March, obviously, but the womens strike seems to come from a place of privilegeI know that Ive heard people who were like, "Well I cant strike, I cant just take a day off from work without losing my job." You've framed it in terms of not wearing makeup, not doing housework. What can women do if they cant physically not go to work on March 8th?

If its possible, they can ask the men in their life to take over housework, to take over childcare duties, laundry, dishes. For example, one example is a woman who had been street harassed on the day that we were doing the strike [January 20]. She said, "I verbally fought back, saying this is not OK." Basically I feel like women sometimes fall in the default of wanting to please everyone. Standing up for yourself is another way of going on strike. We definitely want to be as inclusive as possible, because we understand that not everyone can afford to take a day off work.

One of the ways of showing solidaritywhich I believe is on the main website, the one the Womens March organizers haveyou can just wear red in solidarity. Even if you have to go to work that day, you can wear red, for example, to show that you support the goals of the strike. What NWL did for the January 20th and 21st strike is, we made pins. If you werent literally able to strike, you could wear the pin to show solidarity.

What are some other things that we can do aside from striking that might help fight for womens reproductive health, and other factors that are affecting us?

There are so many actions that can be taken. Definitely calling your senators or representatives, thats really important outside for women outside of New York, in red states. To let their senators or representatives know that they dont want the ACA to be repealed or Social Security to be privatized or whatever other issue they care about.

NWL holds consciousness-raising meetings. Women get together and we share our personal experiences. One of the topics weve been discussing is abortion and birth control. So weve been talking about what restrictions we've faced in getting access to abortion and birth control, how our lives would change if we did have free access to abortion and birth control. And then we reach conclusions from that to understand, what are the commonalities, how are we all oppressed in similar ways, and then what actions can we take based on that. One action that we did, is that we actually printed out postcards and then sent them to Tom Price, whos the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. Hes the guy who famously said, Theres no woman whos ever had trouble affording birth control, show me one. So weve been sending postcards to him with our demandsnational health care for all, reproductive freedom, full accessand also with our personal stories.

Were also planning a speak-out on March 16th. Its going to be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. outside of the Manhattan Health and Human Services office, which is at 26 Federal Plaza. We all come together and, basically, speak, like into a megaphone so everyone can hear, about our personal experiences and how the actions of this administration will personally hurt us or cause issues in our lives. Public actions like that are really good ways to raise awareness. There are a lot of people, for example, who dont know who Tom Price is or have no idea how they will be personally impacted. So actions like that, I would say, just getting involved with a local group, like NWL. There are also plenty of other great feminist groups that people can seek out, to work to find a meaningful way to take action.

New Yorkers who wish to strike and/or show solidarity with women striking are encouraged to attend the International Women's Strike NYC rally in Washington Square Park tomorrow, starting at 4 p.m. Participants will march down to Zucotti Park, with planned stops at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory site, the Varick Street Immigration Detention Center, Stonewall, the African Burial Site and more relevant sites along the way.


"Each year, suicide takes more lives in the U.S. than homicide, war and natural disasters combined. In Alabama, about two times as many people die by suicide each year than by homicide. It is a critical that we work together with legislators to prevent suicide and help saves lives," said Tracie Blackmon, AFSP advocate .

Health Professionals Training

Health professionals regularly encounter patients who are suicidal. According to a study published in the Annuals of Psychiatry, in the month prior to their death, 45 percent of people who die by suicide had contact with a primary care physician, and 19 percent had contact with mental health services. In the year prior to their death, 77 percent of people who die by suicide had contact with a primary care physician, and 32 percent had contact with mental health services. But there is not a mandatory suicide prevention training session that health professionals are required to attend, so they are left untrained in how to deal with people who are suicidal. Six states currently require this training via statute including Kentucky, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington and Utah.

College Campus Mandates

Life-saving information, such as improving access to crisis intervention hotlines or text services, the availability of mental health programs and services, and suicide prevention resources both on and off campus, could be made easily accessible by all college and university students, faculty and staff. Schools could also improve communication standards and a protocol for support of students, faculty and staff following a suicide death on campus. If schools were more transparent about mental health services they offer, it would reduce the fear and misinformation surrounding mental health and reinforce help seeking behavior.

This is the fifth State Capitol Day in Alabama. Ms. Blackmon is part of a larger national contingent of AFSP volunteer advocates who will be visiting 35 state capitols across the United States in the spring of 2017 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to state legislators and their staff.

Suicide in Alabama

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death overall in Alabama. For people aged 15-24 in Alabama, it is the third cause of death. For those aged 10-14, it is the fourth leading cause of death. On average one person dies by suicide every 12 hours in the state.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

http://www.afsp.org


HOUSTON, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabian Oil Company ("Saudi Aramco") and Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") announce today the signing of binding definitive agreements between Saudi Refining, Inc. ("SRI") (a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco) and SOPC Holdings East LLC (a U.S. downstream subsidiary of Shell) on the separation of assets, liabilities and businesses of Motiva Enterprises LLC ("Motiva").

This step marks a major milestone toward closing the transaction. Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Senior Vice President of Downstream, Saudi Aramco, said: "This transaction is well aligned with Aramco's global downstream strategy. Motiva is a strong competitor among U.S. refiners, and we value this important link with the dynamic U.S. energy sector. Our intent is to continue providing Motiva with strong financial support as it transitions into a stand-alone downstream affiliate. We have a long history with the Motiva team, and we're proud of the impressive strides they have made in recent years toward building on the company's core strengths."

John Abbott, Shell Downstream Director, said: "A simplified, integrated business structure will emerge from this deal for us in the United States and that's consistent with the stated goal of making Shell a world-class investment opportunity. We have today created a set of assets that plays to our strengths. This portfolio upgrade will increase optionality and strengthen Shell's Downstream business."

The discontinuation of the joint venture and redistribution of the assets allows each company to focus its downstream business. Per the terms of the non-binding letter of intent the partners signed in March 2016, both companies have evaluated options and through constructive and successful negotiations selected an optimal deal structure to divide and transfer Motiva Enterprises LLC's assets, liabilities and businesses between the companies. The final negotiated transaction includes the following:

SRI will assume full ownership of the Motiva Enterprises LLC name and legal entity, including the refinery at Port Arthur, Texas and 24 distribution terminals. Additionally, Motiva will have the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Virginia , Maryland and Washington, D.C. , as well as the eastern half of Texas and the majority of Florida .

and 24 distribution terminals. Additionally, Motiva will have the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in , , , , and , as well as the eastern half of and the majority of . Shell will assume sole ownership of the Norco, La. , refinery (where Shell operates a chemicals plant), the Convent, La. , refinery, 11 distribution terminals, and Shell-branded markets in Alabama , Mississippi , Tennessee , Louisiana , a portion of the Florida panhandle, and the North-eastern region of the U.S. These assets will be fully integrated with Shell's downstream business in North America .

Dan Romasko, Motiva President and CEO, said: "We are nearing completion of our preparations to support stand-alone operations upon transaction close. As always, we remain focused on safe and profitable operations and serving our customers exceptionally well."

Both Motiva owners are fully committed to supporting the venture during this period of transition and assuring excellent customer service and continued health, safety and environmental performance. Owner financing support arrangements for Motiva will remain in place throughout the transition, and both parties are committed to maintaining Motiva's balance sheet strength and liquidity.

Additional Notes to the Editor:

The refining assets from Motiva that will be owned and operated by Shell include the 230,000 barrel per day Convent refinery in St. James Parish, Louisiana and the 235,000 barrel per day Norco refinery, is located in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana .

refinery in and the 235,000 barrel per day refinery, is located in . The refining asset retained by Motiva is the 600,000 barrel per day Port Arthur refinery located in Port Arthur, Texas .

refinery located in . Distribution terminals, retail assets, branded and commercial customer agreements have been divided by geography in a way to ensure each partner has an integrated and robust business.

About Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco is a world leader in integrated energy and chemicals. We are driven by the core belief that energy is opportunity. From producing approximately one in every eight barrels of the world's crude oil supply to developing new energy technologies, our global team is dedicated to creating positive impact in all that we do. We focus on making our resources more sustainable and more useful. This promotes long-term economic growth and prosperity around the world.

Saudi Aramco subsidiaries and affiliates have operated in the U.S. for more than 60 years.

www.saudiaramco.com

About Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 18,000 people.

plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 18,000 people. www.shell.com

www.shellus.com

About Motiva Enterprises LLC

Headquartered in Houston, Texas , Motiva Enterprises LLC refines, distributes and markets petroleum products. With three refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Motiva has a combined capacity of over 1.1 million barrels per day. The company's marketing operations support a network of approximately 8,400 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the eastern and southern United States . Motiva is owned equally by affiliates of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company.

, Motiva Enterprises LLC refines, distributes and markets petroleum products. With three refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Motiva has a combined capacity of over 1.1 million barrels per day. The company's marketing operations support a network of approximately 8,400 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the eastern and southern . Motiva is owned equally by affiliates of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company. www.motivaenterprises.com

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this announcement refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations" respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule", ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. There can be no assurance that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this announcement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, March 6, 2017. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov

SOURCE Royal Dutch Shell plc
LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcentra Limited ("Alcentra"), the alternative fixed income specialist for BNY Mellon Investment Management (IM), announced the final close of its second European direct lending fundraising. This fundraising has brought recent commitments to 4.3bn across funds and separately managed accounts. The firm's committed capital for the strategy now exceeds 5.7bn.

The fundraising is part of the broader Direct Lending strategy that Alcentra has been offering to institutional investors since 2003. To date, Alcentra has invested over 5.3 billion in middle market companies across senior debt, unitranche, second-lien, mezzanine and equity investments.

Alcentra has been sourcing and arranging financings to middle market businesses in Europe since 2003. Alcentra was one of the first investment managers selected to participate in the HM Treasury Business Finance Partnership initiative in 2012. The closure of the second EDL fundraising follows that of Alcentra's first EDL Fund in November 2014, whose committed capital for the strategy exceeded 1.5bn.

Graeme Delaney-Smith, Managing Director and Head of European Direct Lending for Alcentra, said:

"It is an exciting time for direct lending. In recent years we have seen a growing interest from European companies and financial sponsors to partner with non-bank asset managers to access financing solutions. We believe that Europe represents one of the best opportunities in this space. Banks have had to increasingly focus on improving their capital ratios and as a result have been unable to lend to businesses to the extent they used to. This has created the opportunity for investment managers with credit and structuring expertise like Alcentra to provide financing to quality businesses. Our direct lending platform has gone from strength to strength and our Fund, with such significant capital committed by investors, is the latest proof."

Jack Yang, Global Head of Business Development at Alcentra, said:

"Globally, institutional investors are looking for meaningful, long-term returns. Private lending is becoming a key strategy for them, given the potential for equity-like returns and the income and capital preservation of debt. I am very pleased with the strong interest that this Fund has generated amongst investors. The level of participation from pension funds, insurers, and not for profit organisations, is indicative of the growing popularity of this asset class and is strong recognition of Alcentra's leadership."

Alcentra Group is a global asset management firm with assets under management of approximately $31bn1. It is considered to be one of the largest managers of private debt in Europe, and has received awards, including the "Best European Direct Lending Fund" by Creditflux Manager Awards 2015, the "Direct Lender of the Year Europe 2014" and the "Deal of the Year Europe 2014" by Private Debt Investor."

Notes to editors:

Alcentra Group is a global asset management firm with assets under management of approximately $31bn1. Alcentra Group has an investment track record that dates back to 1998. Strategies include: senior loans, high yield bonds, direct lending, structured credit, distressed debt, and multi-strategy credit. Alcentra Group is owned by The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and is headquartered in London, with offices in New York and Boston.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, with $1.6 trillion in assets under management2. It encompasses BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies. More information can be found at www.bnymellon.com.

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries and more than 100 markets. As of December 31, 2016, BNY Mellon had $29.9 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.6 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.



All information sourced by BNY Mellon as of 07 March 2017. This press release is qualified for issuance in the UK and Europe is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities or investment services or an endorsement thereof in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or not authorized. This press release is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited to members of the financial press and media and the information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice. The value of investments can fall. Investors may not get back the amount invested. Income from investments may vary and is not guaranteed. Investment Managers are appointed by BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited (BNYMIM EMEA) or affiliated fund operating companies to undertake portfolio management activities in relation to contracts for products and services entered into by clients with BNYMIM EMEA or the BNY Mellon funds. Registered office of BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited: BNY Mellon Centre, 160 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4LA. Registered in England no. 1118580. Authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A BNY Mellon Company.

Alcentra Limited is exempt from the requirement to hold an Australian financial services licence under the Corporations Act 2001 in respect of the financial services; and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under UK laws, which differ from Australian laws. This material is for wholesale clients only and is not intended for distribution to, nor should it be relied upon by, retail clients. If this document is used or distributed in Australia, it is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management Australia Ltd (ABN 56 102 482 815, AFS License No. 227865) located at Level 2, 1 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.

1 Alcentra Ltd and Alcentra NY, LLC (collectively "Alcentra Group") are subsidiaries of BNY Alcentra Group Holdings Inc. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation ("BNY Mellon") holds 100% of the Alcentra Group. Assets under management reflect assets of all accounts and portions of accounts managed by Alcentra Group for Alcentra and assets managed by Alcentra Group personnel for affiliates under dual officer arrangements.

2 As of 31 December 2016

Contact:

Christian Zarro

+44 207 163 3490

[email protected]

Ben Tanner

212 635 8676

[email protected]

SOURCE BNY Mellon Investment Management
SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CREDO, the mobile carrier with a conscience, today announced the launch of its Amazon Alexa skill. Progressives can now get the latest news and calls to action from the CREDO blog with a simple voice command: "Alexa, ask CREDO for the latest news." Alexa reads the headlines and can text message links to the blog posts for further reading. The skill is available for free and works on Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap and Fire TV.

To launch the Alexa skill, CREDO partnered with Witlingo, a McLean, Virginia-based startup that specializes in delivering products and solutions on emerging voice- and text-based conversational platforms. Ahmed Bouzid, co-founder and CEO of Witlingo, proposed the skill as a way to boost progressive awareness and activism.

"I've felt troubled by what is happening to our country, and I wanted to help in any way that I could," said Bouzid. "I am a long-time fan of CREDO and believe that we can bolster progressive causes by making CREDO news as accessible as possible. The most important headlines are now a voice command away."

"We are thrilled to deliver an Alexa skill that helps people stay on top of breaking events and political action," said Ray Morris, CEO at CREDO. "Voice assistants like Alexa provide CREDO with an opportunity to rise above all the noise and clutter of the digital world. We thank Ahmed and the talented team at Witlingo for helping us get our message out to the public."

To download the CREDO Alexa skill, visit http://www.amazon.com/.

About Witlingo

Witlingo is a McLean, VA Software as a Service product company focused on enabling enterprises to deliver highly usable conversations on Far Field devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

About CREDO

Founded in 1985, CREDO gives individuals the power to make positive social change every day. Whenever members use a CREDO product or service, they generate critical donations for progressive causes (at no extra cost) and fund vital activism work. Since 1985, CREDO has donated over $83 million to progressive nonprofits, and the company has built a network of over 5 million activists. Visit CREDO Mobile, CREDO Action and CREDO Donations to learn more.

SOURCE CREDO

Related Links

http://www.credomobile.com


MIDVALE, Utah, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ally Home Loans, the direct-to-consumer mortgage arm of Ally Bank, today announced that it has broadened its product suite with the addition of the HomeReady mortgage loan, a Fannie Mae product designed to serve creditworthy, low- to moderate-income borrowers.

Consumer-friendly features of the HomeReady loan include expanded eligibility for underwriting home loans, as well as the following benefits:

Low down payment. Down payments for first-time and repeat homebuyers as low as 3 percent.

Down payments for first-time and repeat homebuyers as low as 3 percent. Flexible sources of funds. Can be used for the down payment and closing costs with no minimum contribution required from the borrower's own funds (1-unit properties).

Can be used for the down payment and closing costs with no minimum contribution required from the borrower's own funds (1-unit properties). Affordable and cancellable monthly mortgage insurance (MI). Reduced MI coverage requirement above 90 percent LTV; cancellable MI (restrictions apply).

Reduced MI coverage requirement above 90 percent LTV; cancellable MI (restrictions apply). Homeownership course. The online Framework course prepares borrowers for sustainable home-ownership; other education and advising options are available.

"Home ownership is part of our American culture, and as we continue to ramp up our direct-to-consumer mortgage business we recognize that home buyers need customized solutions to suit their specific circumstances," said Diane Morais, Ally Bank President, Consumer & Commercial Banking Products. "The innovative underwriting flexibilities for financing homes offered by the Fannie Mae HomeReady program provide consumers with an alternative home loan option."

Similar to all Ally Home product offerings, HomeReady will include access to the Ally Home TeamSM of dedicated loan experts. More information about buying or refinancing a home, including current rates, loan types, and three interactive calculators (Affordability, Refinance, and Loan Payment) can be found on the Ally Bank website under the 'Home' tab.

Financing a home purchase

According to the National Association of REALTORS 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, buyers continue to see purchasing a home as a good financial investment, and 88 percent of nationwide purchases were funded with a mortgage, with an average loan-to-value ratio of 90 percent. As home values have started to rise again, the 20 percent down payment requirement for a conventional loan has the potential to represent a challenge for nearly two-thirds of home buyers who rely on savings to fund their down payment.

"Many new home buyers are unaware of the different financing options that exist, particularly those that have a lower down payment because they have yet to build up equity in a home," said Ally Home executive Craig Evans. "We want to offer consumers suitable alternatives for financing their new home, and we are very excited that this product will open up the possibility of homeownership for many buyers."

Visit https://www.fanniemae.com/singlefamily/homeready to learn more about the HomeReady program offered by Fannie Mae.

Source: https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/reports/2016/2016-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers-10-31-2016.pdf

About Ally Financial Inc.

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial services company and a top 25 U.S. financial holding company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients. Ally's legacy dates back to 1919, and the company was redesigned in 2009 with a distinctive brand, innovative approach and relentless focus on its customers. Ally has an award-winning online bank (Ally Bank Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) which offers deposit, mortgage and credit card products, one of the largest full service auto finance operations in the country, a complementary auto-focused insurance business, a growing digital wealth management and online brokerage platform, and a trusted corporate finance business offering capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.

The company had approximately $163.7 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2016. For more information, visit the Ally press room at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @AllyFinancial.

Contact:

Andrea Puchalsky

313-656-3798

[email protected]

SOURCE Ally Financial

Related Links

https://www.ally.com


CARLSBAD, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- An experienced management team, led by Joseph M. Limber, in partnership with Ampersand Capital Partners and 1315 Capital, has completed the acquisition of Genoptix, Inc. from Novartis. The financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Genoptix is a recognized leader in its field, and is one of the largest hematopathology centers in the United States. Since 1999, Genoptix has worked with thousands of oncologists and pathologists across the country, providing a comprehensive suite of testing solutions in hematology and solid tumor molecular profiling. More recently, Genoptix pioneered the development and commercialization of a number of proprietary technologies, such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panels based on clinically validated markers.

Joseph M. Limber, who previously served as CEO of Prometheus Laboratories, will lead the new Genoptix as Chief Executive Officer. He will be joined by Mark Spring as Chief Financial Officer and Juan Estruch as Head of Corporate Development, both of whom served with Limber on the executive team at Prometheus Laboratories.

"We are extremely excited to continue to build on the Genoptix brand and renowned history in the field of oncology molecular diagnostics," said Limber. "Together with the committed employees of Genoptix, we look forward to continuing to innovate and expand our outstanding suite of services and solutions that provide powerful informational tools for clinicians to ultimately improve patient care."

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand is a private equity firm with a focus on growth equity investments in the healthcare sector. Over the past two decades, Ampersand has managed more than $1 billion in private equity partnerships. Ampersand leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Additional information about Ampersand is available at www.ampersandcapital.com.

About 1315 Capital

1315 Capital provides expansion and growth capital to commercial-stage specialty pharmaceutical, medical technology, and healthcare services companies. 1315 Capital leverages experienced investors and proven operating teams to work alongside portfolio company management to rapidly grow platform companies into high value businesses that positively impact patients, physicians, and the broader healthcare system. For more information, visit http://www.1315capital.com.

SOURCE 1315 Capital

Related Links

http://www.1315capital.com


ATLANTA, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta Bread, one of Atlanta's early franchise successes, recently announced its partnership with Trevelino/Keller, a full service digital public relations and marketing firm based in Atlanta. Trevelino Keller will support Atlanta Bread in its brand revitalization with digital marketing and creative services, initially developing a fresh creative strategy to push its new brand image and boost expansion. The firm has clients located across the U.S., including franchises such as Johnny Rockets, Staymobile and Discovery Point Child Development Centers.

What started as a small sandwich cafe in Atlanta, has expanded into franchise locations across the country in states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and New Jersey. Atlanta Bread began offering franchise opportunities in 1993, seeing an unmet need for healthy dining options featuring the freshest ingredients in the fast casual industry. By franchising the business, the company could meet the needs of consumers, while continuing to drive expansion. With Trevelino Keller's award-winning reputation in the sector, Atlanta Bread is gearing up for new growth in 2017.

"We ultimately decided to partner with Trevelino Keller because of its background with food and beverage franchise clients and expertise in the digital realm," explains Basil Couvaras, Vice President & COO of Atlanta Bread. "The agency brings a hands-on approach to every aspect of the franchise, from menu to digital trends and fresh creative, we are confident that they will be able to support our brand refresh efforts and bolster sales growth in franchise locations across the country."

The fast casual experience, fresh food and healthy ingredients are what set Atlanta Bread apart from other sandwich cafe franchises. For this reason, the company hopes to showcase its food as the brand's biggest asset in 2017 campaigns. Trevelino Keller and Groovy Studios, the firm's in-house creative team, will lead the effort, developing a new creative strategy, including updated campaigns and overall branding to express a fresh image. These efforts will be supported by Trevelino/Keller's in-house digital team, developing a strategic approach to establish the brand's online presence.

"Atlanta Bread is a well-known, established brand in the Southeast and the franchise industry, its new brand direction has the foundation to differentiate itself in the category," explains Dean Trevelino, principal, Trevelino/Keller. "Our suite of services today line up extremely well with a brand that recognizes the power of creative and hyperlocal marketing space."

About Atlanta Bread

In 1993, Atlanta Bread began as a small sandwich cafe in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Known for its fine ingredients and exceptional sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries, it quickly became a fast-growing concept that satisfied appetites with fresh, quality food in a casual, friendly setting. Building on its 23-year heritage, the company recently launched a major brand revitalization designed to honor its customers and community by crafting delicious food and offering it in home-like surroundings through its local owners. Customers who treasure Atlanta Bread can enjoy the items they've always known, while exploring new additions to the menu that are fresh, flavorful and filled with ingredients that can be eaten every day. Atlanta Bread has franchises throughout the country. Visit http://atlantabread.com/locations for a full list of locations and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.

About Trevelino/Keller

Trevelino/Keller is a digital public relations and marketing firm serving disruptive and scaling companies across seven practices  Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Franchising, Lifestyle and Environment. Its Groovy Studios brand houses creative services, dynamic content, digital and social marketing and demand generation. Headquartered in Atlanta, the industry's "First in Retention" firm operates six distinct ventures -- WheelhouseTK, an extended marketing services consortium; Atlas Alliance, a global network of agency partners; Consume Brands, a culinary arts, brand extension, product incubation and reputation management collaboration; TechRise, a real estate technology partnership; and, StartOpia, an information ecosystem designed to support the startup market. For more info on Trevelino/Keller, visit http://trevelinokeller.com/.

SOURCE Trevelino/Keller

Related Links

http://www.trevelinokeller.com


Highlights:

Total income increased by 3% (3.3% at constant foreign exchange rates)

Gross insurance result improved 15.5% to EUR 370.4 million

Investment result rose 24.9% to EUR 45.0 million

Net profit increased 18.8% to EUR 211.8 million

Shareholders' equity increased 8.4% to EUR 1,625.5 million

Atradius' aim is to lead our customers into the future by strengthening their credit and cash management to support growth of their businesses. We continue investing in new technologies and taking advantage of opportunities in the markets. Our strategy is anchored by our distribution network of brokers and agents who deliver quality services that make a difference and where our people and global footprint play a key role.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150513/743985 )



Isidoro Unda, Chairman of the Management Board of Atradius commented, "2016 was another strong year for Atradius. We were successful in making improvements to our operations to the benefit of our cost structure and also enabling us to further enhance our operational efficiency and effectiveness. Year after year we are committed to delivering our customers and business partners quality service, regularly updated buyer information, collections support and prompt reimbursement of claims. This resulted in a very high customer retention rate of 93%."



Key figures (in EUR ,000): 2016 2015 % change Insurance premium revenue 1,557,588 1,537,005 1.3% Service and other income 203,079 180,754 12.4% Total revenue 1,760,667 1,717,759 2.5% Gross claims and gross operating expenses (1,314,538) (1,337,813) -1.7% Investment income 44,968 36,016 24.9% Operating income before reinsurance 424,045 364,616 16.3% Reinsurance result (140,062) (102,958) 36.0% Income tax expense (62,792) (69,949) -10.2% Result after tax 211,772 178,221 18.8% Gross claims ratio (gross claims / total insurance revenue) 41.60% 43.50% -4.4% Gross expense ratio (gross expenses / total insurance revenue) 36.40% 37.10% -1.9% Gross combined ratio 78.00% 80.60% -3.2% Shareholders' equity 1,625,470 1,500,249 8.3%

Total Revenue

Atradius' total revenue grew 2.5% to EUR 1,761 million in 2016 compared to EUR 1,718 million in 2015. At a constant exchange rate this marked a 3.4% increase. Europe, Asia and Oceania showed encouraging revenue growth, consistent with our expansion ambitions in these regions. The business line for multinationals (Global), Bonding and Instalment Credit Protection performed well delivering increased revenues.

Claims

Gross claims ended at EUR 701.1 million in 2016, down 2.9% from EUR 721.7 million in 2015 despite a steady inflow of medium sized claims influenced by a weakened insolvency outlook in many markets. All Atradius business lines contributed to the improvement.

Expenses

Gross insurance operating expenses decreased 0.4% to EUR 613.4 million in 2016 from EUR 616.1 million in 2015, with an improvement in the expense ratio compared to 2015.

Investment result

The net investment result, including the share of income of associated companies, ended at EUR 45.0 million, an increase of 24.9% compared to 2015. The impact of the persistent low yield environment was partially offset by increased dividend income and the revaluation of our existing 45% stake in Graydon after the acquisition of the remaining 55%, adding EUR 19.9 million of non-recurrent profit.

Operating income before reinsurance

Operating income before reinsurance improved 16.3% to EUR 424.0 million from EUR 364.6 million in 2015.

The positive developments in claims and expenses resulted in an excellent gross combined ratio of 78.0% compared to 80.6% in 2015.

Reinsurance result

The Reinsurance result of EUR 140.1 million in 2016 was 36.0% lower than that of 2015 (EUR 103.0 million) largely due to lower claims recoveries following the decrease in gross claims.

Consolidated net income

The result for the year after taxes of EUR 211.8 million marked an 18.8% increase over the 2015 result for the year of EUR 178.2 million. In addition to the improvement in the operating income with better claims and expense ratios, there was a positive contribution from the service segment.

Solvency ratio

Atradius consolidates with Grupo Catalana Occidente. The overall Group, including Atradius, has a very strong capital position with an estimated coverage ratio to insurance risk of approximately 200% at 31 December 2016.

Outlook

There is a significant amount of uncertainty in 2017 for the outlook of global and regional trade. The expected renegotiation of numerous trade agreements across the world could potentially stall international trade growth. A side effect of this could be an increase in payment defaults as trade costs are expected to rise, putting pressure on some businesses to improve cash management. This should also increase the need for information and collections services to better monitor creditworthiness of buyers and collect overdue debts.

Isidoro Unda concludes, "Every year businesses are challenged with new potential hurdles to increasing profits and managing payment risks. At Atradius, we have a strong corporate culture that is focused on ensuring we are able to meet our customers' expanding needs for securing their receivables. We do this by expanding our credit insurance, bonding, credit information and collections capabilities into new markets, by constantly improving availability of information about buyers and by innovating to deliver new services to our customers."

About Atradius

Atradius provides trade credit insurance, surety and collections services worldwide through a strategic presence in more than 50 countries. Atradius has access to credit information on over 200 million companies worldwide. Its credit insurance, bonding and collections products help protect companies throughout the world from payment risks associated with selling products and services on trade credit. Atradius forms part of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC), one of the leading insurers in Spain and worldwide in credit insurance.





For further information:

Atradius Corporate Communications

Christine Gerryn

Tel.: +31-20-553-2047

E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.atradius.com



SOURCE Atradius N.V.
DES MOINES, Iowa, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Nick Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice recently commented on the $127 million verdict awarded to a child who was a victim of sexual assault and her family. James Hohenshell was found guilty of lascivious acts with a child and supplying alcohol to a minor back in 2014 and sentenced to five years in prison. The 13-year-old victim and her family filed a lawsuit against Hohenshell for the pain and suffering and loss of affection caused by the sexual assault.

"James Hohenshell encountered the victim when she came to his home to attend a sleepover with friends, one of whom happened to be Hohenshell's child," Rowley says. "Instead of acting as a responsible adult and parent, Hohenshell supplied the children with alcohol before sexually assaulting the victim."

"No parent ever expects their child to be sexually assaulted during an innocent sleepover with friends," Rowley states. "What happened to this girl and her family is every parent's worst nightmare."

"I applaud the young lady who had the courage to file a lawsuit against her assailant to hold him responsible for the pain she and her family have suffered," Rowley continues.

"The jury sent a strong message to the public with this verdict," Rowley says. "And that message is if you physically or emotionally harm children in any way, you will be forced to pay in both criminal and civil court."

With offices in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and California, and offering legal services from coast to coast, Trial Lawyers for Justice specializes in personal injury law. Trial Lawyers for Justice is dedicated to helping clients recover the compensation they deserve for their injuries. For more information, or to schedule a consultation regarding your case, visit www.tl4j.com today.

SOURCE Trial Lawyers for Justice

Related Links

http://www.tl4j.com


To support the new brakes and highlight their incredible stopping power, Team Penske driver Joey Logano ran the Duralast GT brakes on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion that won the "Clash" at Daytona on February 19.

Until now, there hasn't been a brake pad on the market that delivers the extraordinary stopping power you witness in stock car racing redesigned for the streets," said Troy Hitchcock, Vice President, Merchandising, AutoZone. "Duralast GT is geared toward drivers in search of high-performance stopping power at all temperatures, and it is a great option for street and track racing, heavy-duty truck hauling and towing, and fleet and pursuit use."

The technology used in Duralast GT brakes is comprised of a series of performance enhancing features including: a V-Slot design, which helps reduce wear and increases stopping power; Quiet Shield Shims, not available in the aftermarket today and exclusive to Duralast GT, that feature a nitrile-weave construction designed to create vibration diffraction. The high-temperature carbon formulation is ideal for high performance street and track use. AutoZone's Duralast brake line is comprised of Duralast, Duralast Gold Semi-Metallic, Duralast Gold Ceramic, Duralast Max, and now Duralast GT, the latest premium brake offering within the line.

AutoZone will officially launch its Duralast GT partnership with Team Penske and Logano during the STP 500 weekend at Martinsville Speedway March 31-April 2. Logano will drive a specially-designed Duralast GT Ford Fusion during the STP 500 race weekend. AutoZone continues its multi-year agreement with Team Penske that includes marketing rights to Logano and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion. Under the agreement, in addition to using Duralast GT brake pads in racing, Logano and Team Penske will utilize the Duralast GT brake pads during specific tests over the course of the 2017 season in hopes of providing feedback to further enhance the product.

"I was blown away by Duralast GT's high performance and stopping power; they stood up to every test," said Logano. "AutoZone asked me to take part in their national advertising campaign, and it was a lot of fun using a Ford Performance Mustang GT to push the limits of the brakes. It's exciting to have Duralast GT on the No. 22 Ford Fusion, and I look forward to continuing the partnership with AutoZone."

Duralast GT brakes are now available exclusively at AutoZone and AutoZone.com.

About AutoZone:

As of February 11, 2017, AutoZone sells auto and light truck parts, chemicals and accessories through 5,346 AutoZone stores in 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in the U.S., and 491 stores in Mexico, 26 IMC branches and nine stores in Brazil for a total count of 5,814.

AutoZone is the leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States. Each AutoZone store carries an extensive product line for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Many stores also have a commercial sales program that provides commercial credit and prompt delivery of parts and other products to local, regional and national repair garages, dealers, service stations, and public sector accounts. IMC branches carry an extensive line of original equipment quality import replacement parts. AutoZone also sells the ALLDATA brand diagnostic and repair software through www.alldata.com. Additionally, we sell automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through www.autozone.com, and accessories, performance and replacement parts through www.autoanything.com, and our commercial customers can make purchases through www.autozonepro.com and www.imcparts.net. AutoZone does not derive revenue from automotive repair or installation.

Contact Information:

General Media Relations (in regards to Duralast GT launch): Havas Formula, 312-229-0605, [email protected]

Corporate Media Relations, Ray Pohlman, 866-966-3017, [email protected]

Financial: Brian Campbell, 901 495-7005, [email protected]

SOURCE AutoZone, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.autozone.com


Our latest installment of Quick Bites brings us to Brooklyn for Sam Talbot's new spot, featuring fantastic biscuits.

THE VIBE

Pretty Southern, a fried-chicken spot that opened in January on the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border, is the product of Sam Talbot, a former Top Chef TV star who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. His menu here revolves around the birds-sides-biscuit holy trinity, but Talbot is also a diabetic (he published a memoir/cookbook on the subject), so per his belief in "healthy eating," he offers several of his dishes here in gluten-free versions.

The place itself is currently somewhat of an addled affair. The lighting is extremely dim, so much so that the place looks closed from across the street, which is an odd choice for a restaurant hoping to lure pedestrians in to its prominent take-out counter. If you are dining in, the generous portion sizesoften with multiple sauces on the sidecall out for group sharing, but all of the available seating is at alarmingly narrow counters and tiny tables.

The only art on the brick walls is a big photo collage of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and in the bathroom you'll find pineapple wallpaper. That bathroom, by the way, is accessible via a small back patio (which will help ease table waits a bit once it gets warm).

The service is friendly but distracted; upon entering the establishment you might stand in the middle of the room for a while wondering what to do. Three items on the short menu were already 86ed by 7 p.m. on a Saturday. The music is cranked up to party levels, and the mix delivers Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Moby, Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem.

As for the menu itself, it is a bit confusing, and I needed my server's help to navigate it.

THE BITES

Some early reports on the food here were unenthusiastic, but I really enjoyed just about everything I ate over two nights last week.

The core of the menu is Fried Chicken, sold by the piece, and I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the bird itself is expertly cooked, nice and gamey, and even the large breast was juicy all the way to the bone. On the other hand, the crackling skin had a bitterness to it that I associate with a tea-brine, and do not personally care for. I was excited to try Talbot's Blackened Fish sandwich on my second visit, but it was unavailable. The Egg and Sharp Cheddar sandwich, served on a huge, remarkably moist and buttery biscuit, turned out to be a decent substitute, especially with the addition of three thick, excellent strips of maple bacon.

The sides I tried were all terrific, led by a creamy, sticky Mac n' Cheese, served in a skillet and a model of textural balance and robust flavors. Talbot's Black Eyed Peas were the best I've eaten in a long time, the firm legumes evened out with creamy butter beans, with a whole mess of meat (mostly ham hock, but also strips of chicken) making this almost a meal in itself. The bright and lively Collard Greens might have been doused in too much vinegar, but the sweetness of the tasso ham and a surprising spiciness added depth and discovery to what is too often a one-note dish.

And whatever you order, also order a side of chewy, crispy biscuits, which are presented almost like slices of sheet cake and come with a trio of dipping sauces, including an amazing Coconut Cinnamon Honey.

THE VERDICT

If you can deal with the various discomforts inherent in the cramped, narrow, dark space, you can get a great Southern-style feast here. And if you live nearby, I imagine everything travels well, so maybe just pick up some take-out.

Pretty Southern is located at 14 Bedford Avenue between Lorimer and Manhattan, and is open for lunch (12 noon to 3:00 p.m.), brunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and dinner (5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) six days a week. Closed Monday. (718-349-2967; prettysouthernbk.com)
HOUSTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- (CERAWeek) - Azima, the global leader in Production Uptime Management, today released details of a presentation given this morning by its Chief Executive Officer, Burt Hurlock, at CERAWeek 2017 in Houston, TX.

Speaking to an audience of energy industry leaders, regulators, and policymakers, Mr. Hurlock challenged the energy industry to use cloud-based data & analytics applications to literally "turn data into dollars."

According to Mr. Hurlock, "[c]loud-based vibration analysis can predict major equipment failure months in advance. The science is proven. It's already working in the field." Giving specific real-world examples, Hurlock stated that industry innovation-leaders are already using Predictive Maintenance technologies to:

Double the useful life of capital equipment & assets.

Completely eliminate unplanned capex spending for replacement & repairs.

CERAWeek is a private, invitation-only annual gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials, and policymakers.

According to one industry observer who attended Azima's presentation: "With crude oil at $50 per barrel, we can't afford to ignore proven technologies that maximize production uptime and minimize unplanned downtime. As an industry, we need to turn every machine into a cash machine."

About Azima

We're the asset uptime people. When our clients have capacity, they can sell it. They're serious about uptime and rely on Azima to maximize it. We combine the efficiency of algorithms, the accuracy of data, and the judgment of experts, and we do it across multiple plants, locations and countries.

When companies are ready to scale predictive analytics for distributed production assets, they turn to Azima. No one monitors more production capacity in more industries and places than Azima.

Azima delivers programs & results, not parts & pieces. We monitor 100,000 assets in dozens of countries, on every inhabited continent. We even cover stuff on the oceans.

Azima is headquartered in Boston, with locations and experts across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.AzimaDLI.com.

About CERAWeek 2017

CERAWeek by IHS Markit is the premier annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the technology, financial, and industrial communities  and energy technology innovators. 2017 marks the 36th anniversary of this influential event, ranked among the top five "corporate leader" conferences in the world. Midst the turbulence and uncertainty in energy markets this year, CERAWeek 2017 will provide new insights and critically-important dialogue  and a very cost efficient way to engage on the most urgent questions with decision-makers from around the world.

Richard Cellini

Vice-President, Marketing

Office: 781-938-0707 x1035

[email protected]

www.AzimaDLI.com

SOURCE Azima

Related Links

http://www.AzimaDLI.com


LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Benson Hill Biosystems will present at CleanEquity Monaco 2017 on March 9th & 10th at the Fairmont Monte Carlo.

CleanEquity is an annual invitation-only event hosted by Innovator Capital, the London based specialist investment bank. The conference provides an intimate and collegiate setting for inventors and entrepreneurs to share their stories with delegates  key decision makers looking to assist them with reaching their commercial and strategic goals.

Other partners and sponsors include Prince Albert II of Monaco's Foundation, Covington & Burling, Cisco EIR, Cision, Cranfield University, Deloitte, Hobbs & Towne, the Monaco Economic Board, Parkview and the Social Stock Exchange.

Benson Hill Biosystems has been identified by an expert panel as one of the world's most innovative sustainable technology companies and has been selected to present to senior financial and strategic cleantech investors, policy makers, legislators, end users and media.

Benson Hill Biosystems unlocks the global genetic potential of plants to enhance the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production. It's computational platform CropOS leverages recent advances in cloud biology, an intersection of disciplines including cloud computing, big data analytics, and plant biology to empower any company of any size to improve the genetics of any crop for a fraction of the time and cost traditionally required. CropOS is a cognitive engine that uses machine learning to continuously advance, enabling researchers to better predict which seeds will produce a desired trait  such as higher yield or environmental sustainability  across the spectrum of tools from breeding to genome editing to transgenics.

"Given the universal importance of agriculture in our society, we are excited to participate at CleanEquity Monaco to highlight a new era of innovation that can accelerate the development of sustainable, low-cost bioenergy feedstocks and other crops," said Benson Hill CEO and Co-Founder Matthew Crisp. "Through a convergence of disciplines, a new generation of plant science can help meet our global food and energy goals while creating new market opportunities and private sector growth."

During a period of unprecedented consolidation in the agriculture industry, Benson Hill is democratizing innovation to empower a more robust community of seed, energy and food companies to meet societal and environmental needs.

To learn more about Benson Hill Biosystems, please visit www.bensonhillbio.com.

Media contact

Natalie DiNicola

[email protected]

314-422-7735

About Innovator Capital

Innovator Capital, established in 2003, is a specialist investment bank advising emerging technology companies on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions. Its expertise includes intellectual property and multi national strategic partnering.

www.cleanequitymonaco.com

SOURCE Innovator Capital

Related Links

http://www.innovator-capital.com


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- James Lacey of Healthy Ventures, LLC, brand builder of freeze-dried snack category, Crunchies has been engaged to power Berry Sleepy to leadership position in the sleep category.

With his team of Healthy Ventures seasoned pros in place, Lacey plans to develop and expand Berry Sleepy and related brands to top positions within market segments.

Berry Sleepy and Berry Awake All Natural Dietary Supplements

Tim Prier, co-founder of Berry Sleepy with Greg Doring said, "We are thrilled to have James onboard to lead the growth of the Berry Sleepy Brand. More than 25 years of experience with successful companies such as, Natural Snacks, Crunchies, Power-Bar, Nestle, Gillette and Weider/Schiff, makes James a perfect fit to expand our brand globally."

James was attracted to this brand because like Greg and Tim, running companies while raising children can often interfere with sleep. They all know how well Berry Sleepy works because they use it themselves!

Line Extensions:

Berry Sleepy Veg Caps, 60ct, a driver for the brand is now adding a 24ct SKU SRP $10 as well as 12ct-serving sachets, SRP $12.99. Also new for the brand, a convenient two-serving blister pack that is perfect on the go! SRP $2.69

Berry Sleepy will be also be launching Berry Sleep Shots with 5 grams of Probiotics. These new liquid sleep shots are available in two flavors, Strawberry and Mixed Berry. SRP $3.99

The exciting new Berry Awake Fruit Energy Shot offers a delicious energy blast with 10 grams of pea protein to kick start your day! Also in two flavors, Strawberry and Mixed Berry SRP $3.99

Come see us at Expo for free samples and sip cups of Berry Awake!

Natural Expo West, Anaheim, CA

Booth Number 1006

March 10, 2017 - March 12, 2017

Contact Information

Ashley Ginther

[email protected]

800-540-2435

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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com.

SOURCE Healthy Ventures, LLC

Related Links

http://www.berrysleepy.com


SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DoorDash, the technology company connecting customers with the best local businesses through door-to-door delivery, today announced a pilot with alcohol retailer BevMo!, allowing customers to order their favorite beer, wine, spirits, and mixers directly to their doorsteps. The partnership will test delivery from select BevMo! stores in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas and marks DoorDash's first partnership with a multi-state retailer in specialty alcoholic beverages.

Los Angeles and San Francisco-area residents can use the DoorDash app or website to order their favorite BevMo! products, without leaving the house, office or party. DoorDash will be offering more than 600 top-selling BevMo! products, including wine, craft beer, spirits, mixers, and specialty foods and snacks.

"We're excited to be expanding our delivery options and combining BevMo's! vast selection of alcohol and gourmet snacks with the convenience and reliability of delivery with DoorDash," said Tamara Pattison, Chief Marketing and Information Officer at BevMo!. "Our customers now have a fast, simple and easy way to order their BevMo! favorites with the tap of a button."

Last June, DoorDash launched alcohol delivery in select cities. To meet customer demand, alcohol delivery quickly expanded beyond the pilot in Southern California to a number of markets including California, Texas, Chicago, and Miami. With the launch of alcohol on DoorDash, customers are able to order beer, wine and spirits along with their favorite foods for the first time.

"DoorDash is winning in the last-mile delivery space thanks to our incredible partners, dependability and dedication to customer service," said Prahar Shah, Head of Business Development at DoorDash. "We're delighted to add BevMo! to the platform to make their wide selection of products more accessible than ever. With the growing demand for alcohol delivery, we know our customers will be celebrating this partnership."

About DoorDash

DoorDash is a technology company that connects customers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 250 cities across the United States and Canada. Founded in the summer of 2013, DoorDash empowers merchants to grow their businesses by offering on-demand delivery, data-driven insights, and better in-store efficiency, providing delightful experiences from door to door. By building the last mile delivery infrastructure for local cities, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time. Read more on the DoorDash blog or at www.doordash.com.

SOURCE DoorDash

Related Links

http://www.doordash.com


Effective as of the closing of the second tranche, Albert Cha, M.D., Ph.D. and Eric Aguiar, M.D. have been appointed as directors of Biohaven. Dr. Cha is a Managing Partner at Vivo Capital. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Ascendis Pharma A/S, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, and several private companies. Dr. Cha received his medical degree from the University of California Los Angeles and his undergraduate and masters degrees from Stanford University. Dr. Aguiar is a partner at Aisling Capital and previously was a partner at Thomas, McNerney and Partners, a healthcare venture capital and growth equity fund. Dr. Aguiar currently serves on the board of directors of Invitae Corporation. Dr. Aguiar is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Tufts School of Medicine and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Aguiar received his medical degree with honors from Harvard Medical School. He graduated with honors from Cornell University as a College Scholar. He was also a Luce Fellow and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

"Albert and Eric bring significant clinical, financial, risk management and operational expertise to the Board and further enhance Biohaven's corporate governance capabilities. Their operational expertise and experience serving as directors of other biotechnology companies will be valuable to our growing business, and we are pleased to welcome them to Biohaven's Board of Directors," said Declan Doogan, M.D., Chairman of Biohaven's Board of Directors.

Also joining the Board as observers are Nimish Shah, MPH, MBA, Vice President at Venrock, and Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D., Managing Director of RA Capital Management. In connection with the new director appointments, Kam Shah, Chief Financial Officer of Portage Biotech, Inc., has resigned from the Biohaven board but will continue to provide financial consulting services to Biohaven.

Vlad Coric, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Biohaven, commented, "With the closing of this financing, we have not only strengthened the company's financial position but also added key additional expertise to our Board of Directors. Albert and Eric each have a track record of helping other small biotech companies build value for their stakeholders. Additionally, we have the privilege of having Peter Kolchinsky from RA Capital and Nimish Shah from Venrock participating as board observers. We are indeed fortunate to have such a strong set of seasoned biotech entrepreneurs join our group of advisors to help us advance our late-stage clinical pipeline to patients."

About Biohaven

Biohaven is a privately-held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, late-stage product candidates targeting neurological diseases including rare disorders. Biohaven has licensed intellectual property from Yale University, Catalent, ALS Biopharma LLC, Massachusetts General Hospital and other prominent companies and institutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements regarding Biohaven's plans for growth and the clinical development of its drug candidates. These forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and are based on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management. You should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements including results of preclinical studies and clinical trials, receipt of regulatory approvals and market conditions. The forward-looking statements are made as of this date and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact:

Dr. Vlad Coric

Chief Executive Officer

Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

Phone: (203) 404-0410

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard, the leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced a new partnership in Italy with B Human, an Italian systems integration and digital consulting company with proven experience in education. The partnership, which aims to expand Blackboard's presence among universities, public institutions, private organisations and corporate academies, further demonstrates its commitment to investing in Southern Europe and driving market changes.

Blackboard's product portfolio is unmatched in the marketplace, spanning teaching and learning, analytics, community engagement, campus transactions and security solutions as well as student services. The company serves more than 16,000 institutions and private organisations in 90 countries around the world, reaching over 100 million users.

"Italy is a key market for us and we are looking forward to working with B Human and local institutions and businesses to drive learners' success," said Lee Blakemore, President of Blackboard International. "Our solutions can be key assets to improve students' retention, course completion rates and, ultimately, enhance students' employability."

"Since its inception, B Human has developed a strong expertise in the education sector and working with Blackboard is for us a natural evolution," said Davide Mantegazza, President of B Human. "Thanks to the depth and breadth of Blackboard's portfolio, their unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, and our knowledge of the Italian market, we will be able to support institutions and private organisations to meet the needs of new types of learners and help them thrive."

About Blackboard

Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education's partner in change.

About B Human

Established in 1997, B Human srl is an Italian technology company with deep competences and expertise in software development, system integration, digital and mobile transformation, Internet of Things solutions and digital learning projects. It serves leading private companies in a number of industries, including banking and insurance, telco, manufacturing, fashion and publishing, as well as Universities and education institutions.

CONTACT

Massimo Morigi, Blackboard Inc.

+44 (0)20 7534 2063 or [email protected]

SOURCE Blackboard
THE VALLEY, Anguilla, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Literary buffs will want to mark their calendars for the sixth annual Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification, featuring award-winning authors, celebrity writers and note-worthy publishers from across the USA, Canada and the Caribbean, as well as Anguilla. From May 18-21, 2017, at the beautiful Paradise Cove Resort, attendees will gather for stimulating panels, presentations and workshops, against the stunning backdrop of Anguilla's tropical beauty.

This year's distinguished panel of authors and publishers includes:

Marlon James - Acclaimed Jamaican author of John Crow's Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009), and A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014).

- Acclaimed Jamaican author of (2005), (2009), and (2014). Colin Channer - Called " Bob Marley with a pen," known for the poetry collection Providential (2015), The Girl With the Golden Shoes (2007), and Waiting in Vain .

- Called " with a pen," known for the poetry collection (2015), (2007), and . Nicole Dennis-Benn  Author of Here Comes the Sun (2016), a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and NPR Best Books of 2016.

 Author of (2016), a Notable Book of the Year and NPR Best Books of 2016. Ilyasah Shabazz  Educator, motivational speaker, and author of Growing up X (Random House 2002).

 Educator, motivational speaker, and author of (Random House 2002). Tiphanie Yanique  Award-winning author of How to Escape a Leper Colony: A Novella and Stories (2010), children's book I am the Virgin Islands (2012) and Land of Love and Drowning (2014).

 Award-winning author of (2010), children's book (2012) and (2014). Thomas Mullen - Author of Darktown , an NPR Best Book of the Year, and The Last Town on Earth.

- Author of , an NPR Best Book of the Year, and Kevin Larimar  Award-winning American poet and editor of Poets & Writers Magazine.

 Award-winning American poet and editor of Magazine. Amy Berkower  Chairman of literary agency, Writer's House.

 Chairman of literary agency, Writer's House. Yona Deshommes Associate Director of Publicity at Atria Books. Adrian Green - Notable Spoken Word Artist/Lyricist from Barbados .

"Anguilla Lit Fest is an important cultural event which the Government of Anguilla is pleased to support," says Hon. Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary. "We appreciate the significant role that the Literary Arts play in the development and preservation of our cultural heritage, and the Anguilla Lit Fest offers visitors an opportunity to experience one of Anguilla's oldest social traditions - the Jollification."

The event is organized by the Anguilla Literary Foundation and sponsored by the Government of Anguilla, the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Business Community of Anguilla.

For more information on the Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification or to register, visit www.anguillalitfest.com. For more information on Anguilla please visit the official website: www.IvisitAnguilla.com .

SOURCE Anguilla Tourist Board
BIRMINGHAM, Mich., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Board certified facial plastic surgeon Charles Boyd, MD, MBA, FACS announces the availability of Silhouette InstaLift, a minimally invasive skin lifting procedure, at his private practice, BOYD Beauty. Silhouette InstaLift is a procedure that re-contours the mid-face by lifting the deeper layers of skin for a more youthful look.

With offices in Birmingham and Ann Arbor, Michigan, BOYD Beauty is committed to helping patients achieve their best selves through the most cutting-edge technologies. Dr. Boyd has been performing Silhouette procedures since early 2016 and is the number one trusted and preferred provider of Silhouette in the state of Michigan. He has received generous training on this anti-aging treatment, and with his experience you can be assured you are in good hands.

Silhouette InstaLift is a procedure that re-contours the face by lifting the deeper layers of skin for a more youthful look. For the first time in the States, Silhouette InstaLift gives patients, both men and women, a safe and effective solution to restore the facial sagging without surgery. While wrinkles, brown spots and lost volume can be treated with current anti-aging methods, there hasn't been a minimally invasive method for lifting sagging skin and the underlying tissue available until now. Silhouette InstaLift is an outstanding procedure that complements the other minimally and non-invasive facial and neck treatments that are offered at BOYD.

"This new and exciting procedure will fill a need for many of patients who are not yet ready for a facelift, but need more than what fillers can do! Especially in women and men who are starting to sag in the jowl area," said Dr. Boyd.

The procedure helps increase volume while restoring the contours of the mid-face and cheek areas gradually and naturally. During this simple in-office procedure, the physician lifts the deeper layers of the skin. Silhouette InstaLift is done with local anesthesia and typically takes 45 minutes. Results will be visible immediately and improve over a three-month time span, with lasting lifting effects.

Silhouette InstaLift technology is made from glycolide/L-lactide (PLGA), a biomedical copolymer that is well tolerated by the body. Over time the sutures will naturally be absorbed by your body while stimulating production of collagen to aid in healthy skin renewal for natural-looking, long lasting results. Collagen is scientifically proven to be critically important for the maintenance of youthful looking skin. Collagen decreases with age and causes the skin on the face and neck to weaken and sag. Silhouette InstaLift works to encourage the important production of the essential collagen building block.

To find out if Silhouette InstaLift is right for you, schedule a consultation by calling one of the offices below or fill out the form here.

Birmingham

135 East Maple Road

Birmingham, MI 48009, United States

248-433-1900

Ann Arbor

1000 E. Stadium Blvd, Suite 4

Ann Arbor, MI 48104, United States

734-669-6000

About Thermi

Thermi, an Almirall Company, is a leading global manufacturer of temperature controlled radiofrequency technology. The company's flagship product is ThermiRF, a platform technology that uses temperature as an endpoint for various minimally and non-invasive applications (ThermiTight, ThermiRase, ThermiSmooth Face, ThermiVa). Thermi also offers the Thermi250TM device as the newest innovative RF for body and is the distributor for Silhouette InstaLift (lifting to redefine mid-facial contours). www.Thermi.com

About Sinclair Pharma

SINCLAIR is an aesthetic dermatology company renowned for its skin-care expertise: Providing best in class products that enable physicians all around the world to meet their patients need for safe and effective rejuvenation solutions. SINCLAIR is committed to support medical professionals with excellent customer service and high quality training programs.

For more information: http://www.instalift.com

https://www.facebook.com/silhouetteinstalift/?fref=ts

SOURCE Thermi

Related Links

http://www.thermi.com


GREENVILLE, S.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shareholders of Canal Insurance Company at the Company's Annual Meeting today re-elected Mr. Lansing Crane, Mr. Victor Lund, Mr. David Pauly, Mr. William R. Timmons, III, Ms. Ann Pelham Cullen, and Mr. John Pollock to its Board of Directors. In addition, the Shareholders elected two new Directors to the Board, Mr. Charles M. Timmons, Jr. and Mr. William H. Pelham, both Shareholders of the Company with deep ties to the Greenville community.

Charles ("Chuck") M. Timmons, Jr. served Canal Insurance Company, Canal Indemnity Company, and the Wm. R. Timmons Agency, LLC in various leadership positions, beginning in 1972, and most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of those entities before retiring in 2009. He currently serves on the University of South Carolina's Insurance School Advisory Board.

William ("Bill") H. Pelham is the Founder and President of Pelham Architects, LLC, as well as a Managing Partner of RPM Partnership, LLC. He also currently serves as Board Chair and Building Committee Chair for Camperdown Academy, as Vice President and Art Committee Chair of Artisphere, and as Vice President of the Poinsett Club Foundation.

"We are pleased to welcome Bill Pelham and Chuck Timmons to Canal's Board of Directors," said Lansing Crane, Canal Board Chair. "Each brings extensive business and community experience to the Board, along with family knowledge and commitment to Canal."

Crane said the mix of family directors and independent directors, with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, has created a strong board for Canal. "We are working closely with management to ensure Canal's long-term success as a highly competitive, profitable insurance company," said Crane. "Canal Insurance Company and its family owners are dedicated to serving its agents and customers by providing insurance products and services specially tailored to the trucking industry."

About Canal Insurance Company

Rated A- by A.M. Best, Canal Insurance Company has specialized in providing insurance to commercial trucking insureds through selected professional agents for more than 75 years. Visit canalinsurance.com for other news and information.

Media/Legal Contact:

Christopher Greene

Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary

864.250.9254

[email protected]

SOURCE Canal Insurance Company

Related Links

http://www.canalinsurance.com


And so it begins...like a car crash that noone wants to look at, but all are irrresistably drawn to, we are all going to be transfixed by th...
DENVER, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CareerToolkit.com just released the top 100 careers of 2017 to help job seekers navigate the job landscape. Job seekers can review the top 100 careers overall as well as the top careers by industry (i.e. healthcare, business, science, engineering, technical, etc.) in this detailed research guide.

Top career rankings are valuable for those trying to discover the right career for them. While there are other career rankings online, CareerToolkit.com leaves the subjective criteria out of their rankings and instead focuses on actual statistics.

The CareerToolkit.com career rankings are based on salary, salary potential, job outlook, employment numbers, changes in employment, and the typical education required to start the career. The data is collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lisa Parmley, founder of CareerToolkit.com said, "The factors we used for our rankings are important to many job seekers and are based on actual data. Of the six criteria, education is the most subjective. It's true that not everyone is going to view needing a Master's degree the same way, but we've added education in because there's such a big cost in time and money when considering college."

Of the top 10 careers the study showed that only two careers (physicians and dentists) required a Doctoral or professional degree and only one (nurse practitioners) required a Master's degree. The remaining seven require only a Bachelor's degree to get started.

"It's one thing if you get into a career that pays a lot of money plus has a good job outlook, it's another if it costs you over $100,000 in student loans and takes 8 years of college to even get started in that career," says Parmley. "Adding in education helps round out the careers and gives a true snapshot of which careers really are most ideal."

The top careers overall and from each industry are listed below:

Top Careers Overall

Personal Financial Advisor Computer and IT Manager Physician Software Developer Management Analyst Dentist Financial Manager Computer System Analysts Nurse Practitioner Medical and Health Services Manager

Top Healthcare Careers

Physician Dentist Nurse Practitioner

Top Science Careers

Geoscientist Environmental Scientist and Specialist Physicist

Top Engineering Careers

Biomedical Engineer Petroleum Engineer Civil Engineer

Top Business Careers

Personal Financial Advisor Management Analyst Financial Manager

Top Technical Careers

Computer and IT Manager Software Developer Computer System Analysts

Top Creative/Media Careers

Producer and Director Film and Video Editor Art Director

Top Social Services Careers

Attorney School Psychologist Psychiatrist

Top 6 Education Careers

Postsecondary School Teacher Elementary, Middle, and High School Principal Training and Development Specialist

See all the top career rankings here:

http://www.careertoolkit.com/top-career-rankings.html

About CareerToolkit.com

CareerToolkit.com was started in Spring of 2016 with one goal in mind; to help you begin your life's next big adventure. Visit CareerToolkit.com and review career profiles, learn about high paying jobs, and even use the Career Explorer Tool to sort careers with the criteria that matter most to you. Start a career you'll love.

Media contact:

Lisa Parmley

[email protected]

303-549-2194

SOURCE CareerToolkit.com
ANAHEIM, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cascadian Farm, a pioneer in the organic food movement, and parent company General Mills today announced their work with The Land Institute (TLI) to help commercialize organic Kernza, a perennial grain (intermediate wheatgrass) and wild relative of annual wheat, whose deep roots show promise to increase soil health, carbon sequestration, water retention and enhance surrounding wildlife habitat. The sweet- and nutty-tasting grain lends itself particularly well as an ingredient for cereal and snacks.

Close up of threshed Kernza(R) perennial grain seeds and unthreshed Kernza(R) seed heads. Side by side comparison of common wheat roots and Kernza(R) wheat roots throughout the four seasons in a year.

Cascadian Farm has agreed to purchase an initial amount of the perennial grain which allows TLI to arrange with farmers to plant on commercial-scale fields versus the test sized plots currently being grown.

"From our earliest days, Cascadian Farm has had a deep commitment to creating a positive relationship between food and the land where it is grown," said Carla Vernon, Vice President of Cascadian Farm. "Now, 45 years since our inception, we are excited to incorporate the perennial grain Kernza into our foods and our organic farming. We believe in the potential of this grain to make a positive ecological impact. And, this helps us live up to the expectation that our consumers have for Cascadian Farm and continue to be a pioneer in organic farming and land stewardship."

In addition, General Mills approved a $500,000 charitable contribution to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota in partnership with The Land Institute, to support advanced research to measure the potential of Kernza to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production, determine best management practices for sustainable production, and increase Kernza yields through breeding.

Since 2014, General Mills has worked alongside The Land Institute and University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences to research the viability of Kernza intermediate wheatgrass as an earth-friendly, more sustainable grain. Kernza is unique in that its roots grow more than twice as deep (upwards of 10 feet) and are greater in density than current annual wheat roots. As a perennial, farmers who produce Kernza don't need to till and replant the crop every year, minimizing disruption to the soil. Early research shows Kernza's long roots may help preserve soil, enhance soil health, and reduce nitrogen movement into ground and surface waters.

"Research has demonstrated that the ecological benefits of Kernza perennial grain for agricultural systems are remarkable," said Dr. Lee DeHaan, Lead Scientist at The Land Institute. "The length, size, and long life of the roots enable the grain to provide measurable soil health benefits and drought resistance while preventing soil erosion and storing critical nutrients  potentially turning agriculture into a soil-forming ecosystem. This partnership with General Mills and investment by Cascadian Farm, promises to be a significant boost, helping take this planet-friendly grain to the next level of viability as a food ingredient. Additionally we anticipate it will allow researchers to more precisely measure the impact of widespread Kernza perennial grain cultivation on carbon sequestration."

Cascadian Farm has reserved an initial amount of Kernza perennial grain seed and plans to plant an acre test plot this fall on the Cascadian Farm home farm next to the Skagit River in Washington. The farm team will closely monitor and research how the grain fares in the unique temperate rainforest ecosystem in partnership with The Land Institute.

"Incorporating winter annual and perennial crops such as intermediate wheatgrass into agricultural landscapes offers progress towards water quality goals," said Dr. Brian Buhr, Dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences. "Support from General Mills is an example of a university  industry partnership that can help translate research into commercial application that in turn helps develop markets to spur further advancement in crops for both food use and ecosystem improvement."

Cascadian Farm joined General Mills in 2000 as the company's first organic brand. Cascadian Farm has a history of leading the company's corporate sustainability efforts, and was recently one of 50 product brands to endorse Carbon Underground's guidelines for "Regenerative Agriculture" to further the brand's commitment to soil health by supporting farming practices that have a positive impact. Other General Mills' brands who endorsed the guidelines include Annie's and Epic.

General Mills is showcasing the company's natural and organic brands at Natural Products Expo West 2017 March 8-12 in Booth 3846.

The University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative

The University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative (UMFGI) mission is to diversify economic opportunities for Minnesota's farmers through the production of new sources of food, feed, and high-value biomaterials without interfering with current annual production systems. Teams of faculty working on breeding, agronomics, ecology, food science and economics are developing new crops such as intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza) to improve vital land and water resources; and, enable abundant grain production despite climate variability and new pest pressures. The new Forever Green crops will enhance rural communities by creating new industries and employment opportunities based on renewable agriculture resources. Visit forevergreen.umn.edu to learn more.

The Land Institute

The Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Salina, Kansas, that was founded in 1976. The Land Institute's work, led by a team of agronomists and ecologists in multiple partnerships worldwide, is focused on developing perennial grains, pulses and oilseed bearing plants to be grown in ecologically intensified, diverse crop mixtures known as perennial polycultures. The Institute's goal is to create an agriculture system that mimics natural systems in order to produce ample food and reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of industrial agriculture. Visit landinstitute.org to learn more.

About General Mills

General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 worldwide sales of US $17.6 billion, including the company's US $1.0 billion proportionate share of joint-venture net sales. For more information about General Mills, visit www.generalmills.com.

SOURCE General Mills
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of West Hollywood expresses disappointment in an announcement by the Supreme Court of the United States that it will not hear a major case regarding transgender rights. The Court vacated the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in favor of the plaintiff, Gavin Grimm, and remanded the case to the appeals court for further consideration in light of the Trump Administration's reversal of the government's position regarding the use of public school restrooms by transgender students.

G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board concerns a Virginia transgender boy who filed a discrimination suit against his local school board. The case addresses whether Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires school districts to treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity. Now, as a result of the Supreme Court's action, the case will go back to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Thursday, March 2, 2017, the City of West Hollywood signed onto an amicus brief, joining San Francisco, New York City, and 28 other cities across the nation, to express support for the plaintiff in the Gavin Grimm case and to outline support for polices that protect transgender people from discrimination.

"All of this comes down to dignity and respect. We've seen a very disturbing trend from Washington since President Trump's inauguration. In sending the Gavin Grimm case back to a lower court, the Supreme Court sends a message that the rights of transgender students are not worth considering at this point in time," said West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister. "Gender-specific restrooms can be unwelcoming and potentially unsafe for many people whose gender identity falls outside of traditional gender norms  schools should not be allowed to get away with policies that encourage fear. The City of West Hollywood stands for treating everyone with dignity and respect. We will continue to speak out and do what we can to protect people in our community."

In February 2017, the Trump Administration took action to rescind protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. In 2016, the Department of Education and Department of Justice under the Obama Administration had issued guidance to clarify schools' obligations to prevent discrimination against transgender students.

The City of West Hollywood, in December 2014, adopted an Ordinance to require all single-stall restrooms in businesses and public places within the City to be gender-neutral. West Hollywood was the first city in California to adopt gender-neutral restrooms, a simple yet meaningful way to help ensure that facilities in the City of West Hollywood are welcoming and open to all people.

The City of West Hollywood has been one of the most outspoken cities in the nation in advocating for the legal rights of LGBT people. More than 40 percent of residents in the City of West Hollywood identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The City of West Hollywood is one of the first municipalities to form a Transgender Advisory Board, which addresses matters of advocacy on behalf of transgender people in the areas of education, community awareness, and empowerment, and makes recommendations to the West Hollywood City Council.

SOURCE The City of West Hollywood

Related Links

http://www.weho.org


Kymeta mTenna technology replaces traditional satellite dish technology with light, thin, software-steered antennas specifically designed for mobile communications. The satellite industry has been waiting for an electronically steered antenna to bring the massive capacity available via satellite to the mobile communications market. This is the first time a technology with this capability will be available.

The Kymeta mTennau7 ASM and KyWay Terminal will make satellite spectrum viable for mobile communications where it has never been possible before. High-throughput connectivity will now be available to a broad range of markets including maritime, rail, VIP and Civilian Armored Vehicles (CAV), energy and more. The range of uses and markets Kymeta will bring to bear will impact both the satellite and communications industries.

"iDirect has been a leader in the mobile satellite communications market for over two decades and we have been waiting for a technology like this to enable and expand satellite connectivity into new markets," said David Harrower, Vice President of Business Development, VT iDirect. "At iDirect we are proud to be the first modem partner, working with Kymeta to support their innovative KyWay Terminal with a trusted solution that also supports Kymeta KALO connectivity services through the IntelsatOne Flex network."

Kymeta mTenna technology delivers a low profile, lightweight, small footprint, metamaterials based Ku-band antenna with several advanced features including:

Electronic RF beam-steering in manual or automatic modes with polarization selection and angle control, with absolutely no moving parts.

Satellite auto-acquisition and tracking with communication through a standardized application programming interface (API).

Weather-facing flat radome eliminating the bulky legacy radome, reducing weight and complexity for easy maintenance and installation.

Supports transmit and receive operations on a single aperture with low power consumption.

For more information, connect with Kymeta at SATELLITE 2017:

March 7  March 9 , Booth 1109

Kymeta will be exhibiting and accepting reservations for mTenna u7 ASMs and KyWay Terminals during show hours.

Kymeta will be exhibiting and accepting reservations for mTenna ASMs and KyWay Terminals during show hours. March 6 , 11:20-11:40 AM ET : Going Domeless, Why the Future of Maritime Communications is Flat

Kymeta Vice President of Maritime, Hakan Olsson , will discuss the transformation of the maritime connectivity industry.

Kymeta Vice President of Maritime, , will discuss the transformation of the maritime connectivity industry. March 7 , 1:45 PM-3:00 PM ET : Delivering Critical Mass through Standardization

Kymeta Chief Commercial Officer, Bill Marks , will be joined by other industry executives and the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) to discuss the future of interoperability in the satellite industry.

Kymeta Chief Commercial Officer, , will be joined by other industry executives and the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) to discuss the future of interoperability in the satellite industry. March 7 , 3:15 PM ET-4:00 PM ET : Can Flatter Antennas Bring Fatter Profits?

Nathan Kundtz , Ph.D., Founder, President & CEO, Kymeta, will be joined by connectivity technology leaders to explore the economic benefits of switching to flat-panel antenna solutions.

, Ph.D., Founder, President & CEO, Kymeta, will be joined by connectivity technology leaders to explore the economic benefits of switching to flat-panel antenna solutions. March 8 , 1:45 PM-2:15 PM ET : Closing the Business Case While Avoiding Past Mistakes

Cate van Oppen , Kymeta Business Development Manager for IoT, will be joined by other industry leaders to highlight the importance of business plans that do not underestimate development costs, competition, and future disruptive technologies.

Cate , Kymeta Business Development Manager for IoT, will be joined by other industry leaders to highlight the importance of business plans that do not underestimate development costs, competition, and future disruptive technologies. March 8 , 2:00 PM ET-2:45 PM ET : MSUA's Mobility Maritime Focus session, titled 'Which Technologies will Lead the Way in the New Mobile Maritime Era?"

Kymeta Vice President of Maritime, Hakan Olsson , will be joined by other industry professionals to analyze the evolving role of antenna technologies in the maritime market.

About Kymeta Corporation

Kymeta delivers on what connectivity is meant to be  secure, available, and global. Kymeta is removing barriers by providing an innovative means of leveraging satellite network capacity for high bandwidth communication access while on the move. The company's first products, software-enabled metamaterials-based electronic beamforming antennas and terminals for satellite communications, will keep boats, planes, cars, and more connected.

In 2017 Kymeta has been recognized with a 2017 Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies in Space award and the 2017 Puget Sound Business Journal Innovation Award for Technology. The company has also been awarded the 2016 Seattle Business Silver Tech Impact Award for Emerging Technology and the 2016 2b AHEAD Innovators Award, which were closely preceded by the Frost & Sullivan 2016 New Product Innovation Award. The company has also been recognized as a CNBC Disruptor for two consecutive years, a FiReStarter by Strategic News Network and a top 50 MIT Technology Review Disruptive Company. Kymeta has formed significant partnerships with industry leaders including Toyota, Intelsat, Panasonic, Airbus Defence & Space, Sharp, Intellian, O3b, and more. If it moves, Kymeta will keep it connected. Anywhere. The company is based in Redmond, Washington and operates on a worldwide basis. For more information, please visit www.kymetacorp.com.

Business Inquiries for Kymeta:

Lisa Dreher

Director of Marketing

Kymeta Corporation

+1 425.658.8724

[email protected]

Media Inquiries for Kymeta:

Aaron Grabein

WE Communications

+1 512.527.7022

[email protected]

SOURCE Kymeta Corporation

Related Links

http://www.kymetacorp.com


NEW YORK and OSLO, Norway and LONDON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Confirmit reported that it has achieved the highest annual sales in the company's history for 2016, reaffirming its position as a leading global solutions provider for Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Employee and Market Research. Confirmit celebrated 20 years of business in 2016 with a 60 percent increase in new business sales over 2015. The expansion of its partner and customer portfolio and innovative product offering promoted this exceptional finish and helped fuel momentum for continued success in 2017.

"2016 was a year full of milestones for Confirmit, and we are proud to cap it off with this record revenue achievement and a stunning Q4," said Henning Hansen, Confirmit President and CEO. "I am pleased to see successes from every part of the business, from great performance in our established regions of EMEA and North America, to exceptional growth in Australia, just a year after we began operating there. With this added momentum, I am confident that 2017 will bring even more excellent results for not only our company, but also the valued clients using our world-class solutions."

The company recently announced that long-serving CFO, Ken streng, will take the role of President and CEO in April, helping to drive continued success into the future.

Global Growth and Customer Success

2016 boasted significant customer wins for the company, including the largest deal ever signed in the Asia Pacific region. Since launching its direct sales presence in the region in 2015, the company has substantially grown its customer base, widening its reach in the Market Research market and driving the growth of VoC in the region.

Confirmit's technology solutions continue to drive business success for customers around the world. New customers joining Confirmit's ranks during 2016 include: Aldermore Bank, Canada Goose, CUA, Deloitte CE, Ipsos Japan, Magna International, Inc., Metropress Ltd., Scandinavian Hospitality Management, Transport Focus, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, and Woolcott Research. These companies join the ranks of Confirmit's established clients who include Grant Thornton, Canon Solutions America, Nielsen, Philadelphia Insurance, Sony Mobile Communications, and Virgin Money.

"Due to the technology and the consultative partnership with Confirmit, Philadelphia Insurance Companies has been able to realize a significant increase in its retention, overall satisfaction, and NPS Score  moving the NPS score above 60.0 for the first time since the company has tracked these results," stated Seth Hall, Senior Vice President, Customer Service at Philadelphia Insurance.

Technology Milestones

For the fifth consecutive year, Confirmit achieved more than 99.9 percent uptime across all of its web-based SaaS environments globally. In that same timeframe, over a billion surveys have been completed on the Confirmit Horizons platform. 2016 featured with the launch of Version 20 of Confirmit Horizons, its award-winning multi-channel software platform. Confirmit Horizons boasts advanced features focused on increased agility, flexibility and mobility for organizations. Later in the year, Confirmit launched the innovative FastTrack for Contact Centers, a comprehensive customer feedback solution that delivers engaging experiences for capturing relevant feedback, role-based dashboards for driving insightful decisions, and real-time case management for triggering immediate alerts and ensuring fast response to customer issues.

In an effort to provide its customers with even more ways to capture and analyze engaging and timely feedback, Confirmit partnered with pioneers in the multimedia space, Affectiva and LivingLens. Affectiva's emotion recognition technology and the video intelligence software from LivingLens, enable MR and CX professionals using Confirmit Horizons to harness the power of visual cues by bringing their respondents, their opinions and subject matter to life. The company also saw greatly expanded use of the Confirmit Genius text analytics platform, with 9 million customer verbatims processed using the solution in 2016, more than double compared to 2015.

Company Initiatives

Throughout 2016, Confirmit celebrated its 20th Anniversary with events and initiatives to mark the milestone, including celebrations in the U.S., UK and Australia. Confirmit is putting the spotlight on the future and the need for continued innovation, and sharing the knowledge and expertise it has gained over the past two decades. This includes the launch of the first annual Young Market Researcher Awards to identify and recognize young MR professionals who will drive the future of the industry, as well as the continuation of its Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Awards program.

Focus on data protection and privacy is increasing in the markets Confirmit operates in. Confirmit Inc. was one of the first companies in the industry being listed under Privacy Shield (by the U.S. Department of Commerce). Additionally, in 2016 our privacy models were certified by TRUSTe for Enterprise Privacy Certification.

Awards and Recognition

Solidifying Confirmit's growth and progress within the industry, the company achieved many industry accolades and awards during 2016. Notable wins include:

"Customer Experience Innovation Award" by TMC's CUSTOMER magazine for Confirmit Horizons

magazine for Confirmit Horizons AAA rating by Dun & Bradstreet for the seventh consecutive year

"Best Exhibitor Award" at ESOMAR, the annual event for marketing and research professionals from across the globe

"Top 20 Most Promising CEM Solutions" by CIO Review for Confirmit Horizons

for Confirmit Horizons "CRM Excellence Award" by TMC's CUSTOMER magazine for Confirmit Horizons

magazine for Confirmit Horizons 2016 Tech Culture Award Recipient by TMCnet

Industry Presence

In addition to the award wins, Confirmit reaffirmed its expertise in the industry while attending and hosting workshops across the globe, including Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Most notably, Confirmit hosted its Third Annual Insurance Summit in New York City, focused on leveraging customer emotion to enhance Voice of the Customer programs and overarching customer experience strategies. Several winners of the Confirmit ACE Awards were in attendance, including: Asurion, Erie Insurance, and The Hanover Insurance Group, who were all recognized for their outstanding work.

Continuing to expand its presence across the globe, Confirmit spoke at MRMW Europe on Internet of Things and its practical applications for Market Research. The company's key thought leaders also took part in 40 webinars on a range of topics from reducing survey fatigue, reaching millennials with multi-media surveys, and the role of emotion in the customer experience.

*All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.

About Confirmit

Confirmit is the world's leading SaaS vendor for multi-channel Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Employee, and Market Research solutions. The company has offices in Oslo (headquarters), Chengdu, Grimstad, London, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Vancouver, and Yaroslavl. Confirmit's software is also distributed through partner resellers in Madrid, Milan, Salvador, and Tokyo.

Confirmit powers Global 5000 companies and Market Research agencies worldwide with a wide range of software products for feedback / data collection, panel management, data processing, analysis, and reporting. Customers include Aurora, British Airways, British Standards Institution, Copart, Cross-Tab, Dow Chemical, GfK, GlaxoSmithKline, GMO Research, KeepFactor, Morehead Associates, Nielsen, Research Now, RS Components, QRS, Sony Mobile Communications, and Swisscom. Visit www.confirmit.com for more information.

Media Contact

Emma Walter

Matter Communications

978-518-4820

SOURCE Confirmit

Related Links

http://www.confirmit.com


NOVI, Mich., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cooper Standard Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CPS) will present at the 29th Annual ROTH Conference on Tuesday, March 14 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dana Point, Calif.

Cooper Standard's Jeffrey Edwards, chairman and CEO, and Matthew Hardt, executive vice president and CFO, will discuss the Company's business and strategies from noon to 12:30 p.m. PT. A link to the live webcast will be available here  http://wsw.com/webcast/roth31/cps  and a replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website following the event (www.ir.cooperstandard.com).

About Cooper Standard

Cooper Standard, headquartered in Novi, Mich., is a leading global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry. Products include rubber and plastic sealing, fuel and brake lines, fluid transfer hoses and anti-vibration systems. Cooper Standard employs approximately 30,000 people globally and operates in 20 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.cooperstandard.com.

CPS_F

Contact for Analysts: Contact for Media: Roger Hendriksen Sharon Wenzl Cooper Standard Cooper Standard (248) 596-6465 (248) 596-6211 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cooperstandard.com


-- Dalcetrapib Studied in Genetically Distinct Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome --

LONDON and MONTREAL, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DalCor Pharmaceuticals today announced it is ahead of the enrollment schedule with the randomization of over 1,000 patients of the expected 5,000 patients planned for the Phase 3 "dal-GenE" clinical trial, a cardiovascular outcomes study of dalcetrapib in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the AA genotype in the ADCY9 gene. Patients have been recruited at 642 hospitals in 30 countries, including the U.S., and on six continents.

The worldwide clinical trial is led by the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC), the Lead Academic Research Organization (ARO) and Medpace a leading Clinical Research Organization (CRO).

Approximately 1 in 5 of the general population harbor the AA genotype.

Quotes

Jean-Claude Tardif, C.M., M.D., director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute and professor of medicine at the Universite de Montreal, and Principal Investigator for dal-GenE said, "We are pleased and gratified that recruitment goals are ahead of schedule. This is a testament to the need for precision medicine in this critically important sector of medicine; the DalCor approach is the first for cardiovascular medicine. Furthermore, it clearly shows the interest in the study and the necessity for a new therapeutic alternative for patients."

Marc Pfeffer, Dzau Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Senior Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Consultant to the dal-GenE executive committee and chair of the prior dal-Outcomes Safety Committee, said, "This impressive recruitment despite requiring a specific genotype reflects well on both DalCor's experienced international leadership team as well as the motivation of sites and their patients to be part of this major trial addressing a genetically targeted "precision medicine" approach. When completed, dal-GenE will be the first major test of pharmacogenetically profiling patients to improve prognosis following a recent myocardial infarction."

Donald Black, M.D., chief medical officer of DalCor, said, "This significant milestone is the result of the efforts of multiple parties collaborating around the world. Our clinical team, in partnership with a strong network of investigators and other groups, such as ANMCO in Italy, GLCC in New Zealand and ECLA in Argentina and Chile, have been able to work together and significantly improve the study's recruitment rate. It is the hard work of the dedicated team that has enabled the surprisingly quick physician response that has enabled DalCor to reach this important milestone in the short time since initiation.

We believe this compound has a unique profile and possesses a unique combination of safety and efficacy attributes for targeted patients which has the potential to greatly improve outcomes for patients worldwide.

There is much ahead, but DalCor is committed to completing this high-quality trial to obtain a reliable answer to this important question. For now, we look forward to continuing our clinical work in the dal-GenE trial, where we expect to demonstrate a significant reduction in heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths with the addition of dalcetrapib to the standard of care including statins in patients with ACS and the appropriate genetic profile."

About Dalcetrapib

Dalcetrapib is the first precision medicine in the cardiovascular space to have reached full-scale development with this Phase III clinical study. Over 17,000 patients have participated in dalcetrapib clinical trials to date.

In 2012, investigators at the Montreal Heart Institute led by Professors Jean-Claude Tardif and Marie-Pierre Dube found a significant association between the effects of dalcetrapib in altering CV events and the polymorphism at the rs1967309 location in the adenylate cyclase type 9 (ADCY9) gene. Patients with the AA genotype had a 39% reduction in CV events when treated with dalcetrapib compared to placebo, while GG patients had a 27% increase and AG patients had a neutral effect. This analysis was conducted in 5749 patients. A prospective analysis of the dal-Plaque 2 study data has also demonstrated reduced atherosclerosis in the AA population when treated with dalcetrapib, but an increase in atherosclerosis in the GG population.

About the dal-GenE Study

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter Phase 3 clinical trial will enroll 5,000 patients recently hospitalized with ACS and who express the AA genotype at variant rs1967309 in the ADCY9 gene, determined by an investigational companion diagnostic test developed by Roche Molecular Systems (RMS).

The primary endpoint of the study is the time to first occurrence of any component of the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke. The trial will be conducted at 880 sites in 33 countries.

About DalCor Pharmaceuticals

DalCor is developing precision treatments by genetically targeting patients that will derive clinical benefits. By integrating clinical and genetic insights, DalCor intends to deliver superior clinical cardiovascular outcomes. The company's first development program, dalcetrapib, is intended to reduce cardiovascular events in a specific genetic subset of patients.

DalCor secured a worldwide exclusive license for dalcetrapib together with rights to the genetic marker for use with dalcetrapib and is sponsoring the dal-GenE study, which is planned to include 5,000 patients to prospectively confirm the results of the pharmacogenomic analysis in the dal-Outcomes study in a patient population with the AA genotype at the rs1967309 location in the ADCY9 gene.

DalCor Pharmaceuticals has offices in Montreal, San Mateo, Calif., Zug, Switzerland and Stockport, U.K. For more information, visit www.dalcorpharma.com.

About the Montreal Heart Institute

Founded in 1954 by Dr. Paul David, the Montreal Heart Institute constantly aims for the highest standards of excellence in the cardiovascular field through its leadership in clinical and basic research, ultra-specialized care, professional training and prevention. It is part of the broad network of health excellence made up of Universite de Montreal and its affiliated institutions. The Montreal Heart Institute ranks as the No. 1 research hospital in Canada for research intensity and research funds per researcher, according to Research Infosource. For more information, please visit www.icm-mhi.org.

DalCor Contacts:

Corporate

DalCor Pharmaceuticals

Donald M. Black, MD

(609) 613-6637

[email protected]

Media

Russo Partners

Alexander Fudukidis

(646) 942-5632

[email protected]

SOURCE DalCor Pharmaceuticals
IRVING, Texas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) (the "Company") today announced that management will present at the 29th Annual ROTH Conference to be held at The Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, CA. Randall C. Stuewe, Darling's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present on Tuesday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m. PT, and will hold one-on-one meetings throughout the day. Randy will be joined by Patrick Lynch, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Melissa Gaither, Vice President Investor Relations and Global Communications.

Additionally, Mr. Stuewe will be presenting at the Gabelli & Company 3rd Annual Waste Services Symposium at the Andaz 5th Avenue Hotel in New York on Thursday, March 16th at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The investor presentations will be webcast and accessible via the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded developer and producer of sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients, creating a wide range of ingredients and customized specialty solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, food, pet food, feed, technical, fuel, bioenergy and fertilizer industries. With operations on five continents, the Company collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into useable and specialty ingredients, such as gelatin, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstocks, green energy, natural casings and hides. The Company also recovers and converts used cooking oil and commercial bakery residuals into valuable feed and fuel ingredients. In addition, the Company provides grease trap services to food service establishments, environmental services to food processors and sells restaurant cooking oil delivery and collection equipment. For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release. Many of these risks and uncertainties are described in Darling's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending January 2, 2016 and our other filings with the SEC.

For More Information, contact:

Melissa A. Gaither, V.P. Investor Relations and Global Communications Email: [email protected] 251 O'Connor Ridge Blvd., Suite 300

Irving, Texas 75038 Phone: 972-717-0300

SOURCE Darling Ingredients Inc.

Related Links

http://www.darlingii.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif. and CAMPBELL, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DataEndure and Komprise Inc. today announced a partnership that provides organizations with an assessment of their unstructured data, what can be stored using less expensive methods and what can be deleted. By combining DataEndure with Komprise's solution that runs as a service, customers can save as much as 70 percent or more of the cost of storing, protecting and accessing data.

The assessment includes ROI analysis to provide insights to users about what's stored in their data centers, how it is being used and when investments in new storage will meet specific ROI targets. DataEndure helps companies build digital resilience so that their critical information assets are protected and available to the right people, at the right time. The Komprise data management software offers insights into data composition and growth across existing storage on all their unstructured data to identify cold data and transparently move it to secondary storage of the customer's choice at a fraction of the cost. Komprise deploys in minutes as a virtual appliance and works across a customer's storage infrastructure  no storage agents, complex configurations or special hardware required. Komprise is designed to handle today's scale of unstructured data, which can often be billions of files scattered across thousands of shares on multi-vendor storage.

"Organizations of all sizes are struggling with storage growth without the budget to handle it. This pain can be alleviated with actionable insights about what is in their data centers and how they can use the most cost-effective storage method based on the need for accessibility, ongoing archiving or data management," said Kurt Klein, CEO of DataEndure. "The assessment is very eye-opening. Everyone wants to know what is in their storage. Is it redundant, obsolete or trivial? The Komprise solution has an ROI calculator and gives insights about how much money people are spending on Tier 1 storage that could be moved elsewhere. For DataEndure, it's not about customers buying more storage; we want to help customers maximize their budget by being more efficient with their storage."

[Suggested tweet: Is there dark data in your data center? Gain insights with a dark data assessment @DataEndure + @Komprise #storage solution Dark Data Assessment]

The DataEndure and Komprise assessment is free and customers can get a view of up to 100 TB of data to understand the profile of their data, how much is not being used and the ROI of transitioning to cheaper types of storage. Once the dark data assessment is complete, DataEndure will reward the organization or manager with a free iPad  no strings attached.

Availability:

The DataEndure-Komprise assessment is currently available here: https://www.dataendure.com/dark-data-assessment-2

To watch the webinar: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13139/239579?utm_source=Quantum&utm_medium=brighttalk&utm_campaign=239579

"We declutter the data," said Krishna Subramanian, Chief Operating Officer and Cofounder of Komprise. "Our solution combined with DataEndure's trained technologists allow CIOs, IT and data center managers to gain control of fast-growing data footprints to allow for a more efficient method of storage and ongoing data management as IT budgets stay flat. Komprise shows who is using data, what data is not actively used and what may be stored elsewhere, and leverages the analytics to automate data management at scale."

About DataEndure

DataEndure (formerly Computer Media Technologies) helps companies build digital resilience so that their critical information assets are protected and available to the right people, at the right time in a cost-effective and compliant way. Their holistic approach in architecting and delivering a data management and protection strategy leverages the relationship of integrated and interoperable solutions to simplify enterprise environments and accomplish customers' specific business goals. DataEndure customers are better able to manage their IT risks, respond well when information assets are threatened and protect and access their critical company information wherever it resides. DataEndure was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. To learn more about DataEndure, visit www.DataEndure.com or call 1-800-969-4268.

About Komprise

Komprise, the industry-leader in intelligent data management across clouds, empowers businesses to efficiently manage today's massive scale of data growth while unlocking its value. The Komprise mission is to radically simplify data management through intelligent automation. Komprise partners include NetApp, EMC, Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services and Azure. Komprise is used by enterprises to intelligently manage data at scale. For more information, go to www.komprise.com.

DataEndure Public Relations Contact:

JoAnn Yamani, Esq., APR

+1 (408) 781-5719

[email protected]

Komprise Media Contact:

Monica Giannella Read

408-218-0795

[email protected]

SOURCE DataEndure

Related Links

http://www.DataEndure.com


LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The excitement is building as Meetings Quest will feature exhibitors from meetings destinations around the country when it is held March 1415 at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hosted by Meet AC and presented by Association News, Meetings Quest is the nation's longest-running series of educational and networking events for association, corporate, government and religious meeting planners.

"We are very pleased by the number of destinations that have signed up to exhibit at Meetings Quest in Atlantic City," said Timothy Schneider, president and CEO of Schneider Publishing, which publishes Association News and organizes Meetings Quest. "From Newark in the East to Bloomington, Minnesota, in the Midwest to Denver and Albuquerque in the West, we are seeing interest from destinations around the country. We look forward to connecting meeting planners with these prospective host cities and many others."

According to Schneider, destinations that have committed to Meetings Quest in Atlantic City include Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Valley Forge and Plano, Texas. Meetings Quest will include an Opening Celebration on the iconic Atlantic City Boardwalk, a half-day of hot-topic educational programming featuring expert presenters, a motivational keynote address, a luncheon and an afternoon appointment-based expo.

In Atlantic City, Darrell Gehrt of CrowdCompass by Cvent, Kathy Armistead Olen of Atticus Brand Partners, Josh Randle of the Miss America Organization and John Wentzell of Spectra will provide unique insights into maximizing every aspect of the attendee experience. In addition, a session on crisis management and event security will feature Steven Hacker, author of the monthly "Association Doctor" column for Association News and the former president of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events. The keynote address will feature seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, who will discuss how the gold-medal mindset leads to victory, whether at the Olympic Games, in an exhibition hall or a boardroom. Meetings Quest will conclude with a drawing for cash prizes and a Departure Lounge, which will provide a final opportunity for business networking.

Click here to read more. For those wishing to increase the business they book from meeting and event planners, there is still time to reserve exhibit space at Meetings Quest in Atlantic City. For further information, please visit MeetingsQuest.com or call (877) 577-3700.

Tweet this Destinations from coast to coast exhibit @MeetingsQuest in Atlantic City @Meet_AC bit.ly/2lYSPrS

Media Contact: Ann Shepphird

Phone number: (310) 577-3700

SOURCE Meetings Quest

Related Links

http://meetingsquest.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of National Consumer Protection Week this week, Duke Energy is reiterating its warning to customers about the tricks scammers use to steal money, and how customers can protect themselves from falling victim to utility scams.

"Arming customers with information is truly the first line of defense from becoming a scam victim," said Jared Lawrence, Duke Energy vice president of Revenue Services. "Scammers can be persuasive, intimidating and they continually employ new strategies to dupe customers. It is important for customers to stay alert and informed to protect themselves."

Duke Energy is a member of the Utilities United Against Scams collaborative consisting of more than 90 gas, electric and water utility companies across the country and Canada. Members of the organization work across the utility industry and with regulators, law enforcement and other telecommunications partners to help stop scams targeting utility customers.

In November, Utilities United Against Scams implemented a national, week-long campaign focused on how customers can protect themselves from scams and identify the warning signs of a scam. Since the campaign, about 93 percent of Duke Energy customers who reported being targeted by scammers, did not fall for it.

Phone scam history

Under the long-running scam, a customer receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual who falsely claims to be a Duke Energy representative. The scammer warns that Duke Energy will disconnect the customer's electric service if the customer fails to make a payment  usually within a short timeframe.

Scammers have even duplicated the Duke Energy upfront Interactive Voice Response system, so when customers call back phone numbers provided by the scammer, it sounds like a legitimate Duke Energy phone number. Some of these criminals also use caller ID spoofing to replicate Duke Energy's customer service number.

Red flags for scam activity

The thief becomes angry and tells the customer his or her account is past due and service will be disconnected if a large payment isn't made  usually in less than an hour.

The thief instructs the customer to purchase a pre-paid debit or credit card  widely available at retail stores  then call him or her back to provide the card information to supposedly make a payment to Duke Energy. Some scammers may request a money wire or money order.

The scammer asks the customer for the prepaid card's receipt number and PIN number, which grants instant access to the card's funds.

How to protect yourself

Duke Energy never asks or requires a customer with a delinquent account to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid disconnection.

Customers have multiple payment options. They can make payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.

Customers with delinquent accounts receive an advance disconnection notification with the regular monthly billing  never a single notification one hour before disconnection.

Customers who suspect or experience fraud, or feel threatened during contact with one of these thieves, should contact local authorities, and then the Duke Energy phone number listed on their bill.

About Duke Energy

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States. Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business unit serves approximately 7.5 million customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas Utilities and Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the United States.

Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online destination for stories about people, innovations, and community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and insights into the future of energy.

Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: Meghan Miles

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_MeghanM

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com


PORTLAND, Ore., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI) ("Eastside" or the "Company"), a producer of award-winning hand-crafted spirits, today announced that Grover Wickersham, executive chairman; Steve Shum, chief financial officer; and Melissa Heim, executive VP of operations and master distiller, will present at the 29th Annual Roth Conference on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 12:00pm PT (3:00pm ET) in WHITE  The Promenade. The conference is being held at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, California.

Management will be available for one-on-one meetings during the Conference. Investors interested in arranging a meeting with management should contact their ROTH representative at (800) 933-6830.

A copy of the presentation being utilized at the Roth conference will be available on the company's website at http://www.eastsidedistilling.com/presentations/

About Eastside Distilling

Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI) is located in Southeast Portland's Distillery Row, and has been producing high-quality, master crafted spirits since 2008. Makers of award winning spirits, the company is unique in the marketplace and distinguished by its highly decorated product lineup that includes Barrel Hitch American Whiskies, Burnside Bourbon, Below Deck Rums, Portland Potato Vodka, and a distinctive line of infused whiskeys. All Eastside spirits are master crafted from natural ingredients for unparalleled quality and taste. The company is publicly traded under the symbolOTCQB: ESDI. For more information visit: www.eastsidedistilling.com or follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; acceptance of the Company's products in the market; the Company's success in obtaining new customers; the Company's success in product development; the Company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the Company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the financial statements and related information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and interim Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release may include statements related to our strategic focus, product verticals, anticipated revenue, and profitability. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this release.

Investors:

Robert Blum, Joe Diaz or Joe Dorame

Lytham Partners, LLC

(602) 889-9700

[email protected]

SOURCE Eastside Distilling, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eastsidedistilling.com


DALLAS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Janet Elkin, President and CEO of RecruitIQ Staffing, has been named to the first Staffing Hall of Fame by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). The Staffing Hall of Fame honors those individuals named to the SIA annual Staffing 100 list each year since its inception in 2011.

Janet Elkin, RecruitIQ Staffing President and CEO, Named to Staffing Industry Hall of Fame

The Staffing 100 recognizes those men and women who have proven themselves to be the top leaders and influencers within the staffing community over the past year. The Staffing Hall of Fame, according to SIA, recognizes the 29 executives within the industry who have made the Staffing 100 each of the past five years and who have been instrumental in taking the industry to new heights.

"The staffing industry plays an important role in today's economy," said Elkin. "From IT to Healthcare, and every business segment in-between, this industry helps balance workforce supply and demand, and drive economic growth. I am honored to be included among such a distinguished group and as being someone seen as making an impact on the industry."

Announced in the February 2017 Staffing Industry Review magazine, the article points out several key qualities shared by the Hall of Fame members. Included in the list: the constant pursuit of excellence, the ability to empower others and a combination of unwavering integrity and strong leadership skills.

"Those attributes describe Janet perfectly," said Cheryl Wilhelm, Chief Development Officer at RecruitIQ Staffing. "Those of us on our executive team have had the pleasure to work with Janet for years, and we know she is a difference maker. For our company, for our clients and candidates, and for the industry."

About RecruitIQ Staffing and Janet Elkin

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, RecruitIQ Staffing specializes in the sourcing, recruiting and placement of mid-to-upper level IT and non-clinical personnel for the healthcare industry. Through a ready supply of qualified candidates and the delivery of cost-efficient, custom-tailored workforce solutions, RecruitIQ Staffing is the intelligent way for companies to address their workforce challenges.

As an expert in the healthcare staffing segment, Elkin is a frequent media guest and speaker, providing insights on the recruiting, employment and human resource challenges facing healthcare today.

Visit www.RecruitIQstaffing.com for more information.

CONTACT:

Mike Dunagan, Chief Marketing Officer

RecruitIQ Staffing

404-834-8180

[email protected]

SOURCE RecruitIQ Staffing

Related Links

http://www.RecruitIQstaffing.com


VANCOUVER, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Equicare Health Inc., the leading supplier of comprehensive care coordination solutions, releases Extract Engine 1.0 (EE 1.0) which streamlines data flow between Equicare products and oncology information systems (OIS), making access to new data less disruptive and seamless. The introduction of EE 1.0 greatly expands integration with Elekta's MOSAIQ OIS, pulling over more data than ever.

"Extract Engine 1.0 represents a significant change to the way we develop and deliver our products," says Malcolm Wright, VP of Product Management, "EE 1.0 is a separate package that collects data from third party systems and focuses on information that our products, ECS and APP, retrieves from the OIS. With EE 1.0, it will enable us to be more flexible and responsive in developing data solutions to meet the needs of our customers."

The new EE 1.0 module expands MOSAIQ integration, which previously supported customers with MOSAIQ for Radiation Oncology. With EE 1.0, MOSAIQ integration now includes support for Medical Oncology.

"A number of our current and prospective customers use MOSAIQ to manage their Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology practices," Malcolm Wright continues, "With EE 1.0, it provides a comprehensive solution for our customers."

EE 1.0 will take data from MOSAIQ 2.6 systems, including surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, lab test results as well as toxicities during treatment and put that data into the navigation and survivorship area's of EQUICARE products.

For customers operating a combination of ARIA and MOSAIQ OIS', EE 1.0 continues to fully support the needs for data consolidation from multiple systems.

About Equicare Health

Equicare Health is the industry's leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions. Equicare's flagship solution EQUICARE CS (ECS) is a web-based software tool that facilitates patient engagement, patient navigation, survivorship care, and adherence to standards including Meaningful Use & the Commission on Cancer. ECS enables cancer centers to influence clinical outcomes for patients, optimize revenue streams, and increase operational efficiency. www.equicarehealth.com

SOURCE Equicare Health Inc.

Related Links

www.equicarehealth.com


PALO ALTO, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ERPScan, a leading provider of Cybersecurity solutions for ERP systems, today announced that it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in its February 2017 Application Security Testing Magic Quadrant based on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.

This is the first year ERPScan appeared in the Gartner MQ. We feel this recognition is remarkable not only for the company but for the ERP and SAP Security market in general. ERPScan believes that the recognition establishes this area of Cybersecurity as a separate and critical field to watch.

In Gartner Inc.'s 2017 "Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing1," Dionisio Zumerle and Ayal Tirosh state that, "security testing is growing faster than any other security market, as AST solutions adapt to new development methodologies and increased application complexity. Security and risk management leaders must integrate AST into their application security programs."

"We consider our positioning in the Application Security Testing by Gartner a confirmation of our mission to provide products for security testing of ERP Systems such as SAP and PeopleSoft," - said Alexander Polyakov, Founder and CTO at ERPScan.

ERPScan is known for its unique ERP Security capabilities and high expertise in SAP and PeopleSoft Application security testing. ERPScan was honored by 40+ different awards worldwide for its technical innovation and market expansion.

"The most important for us is that our clients' appreciate strong support we provide and our comprehensive expertise in SAP and PeopleSoft applications security," - added Doug Roberts, VP of Sales.

The year 2016 was very significant for ERPScan since the company achieved record sales growth and extended its sales partnership in North America by signing sales partnerships with such industry leaders as Optiv and Deloitte as well as technology ones with HPE and Check Point.

*Gartner, Inc., "Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing" by Dionisio Zumerle, Ayal Tirosh, February 28, 2017.

About ERPScan

ERPScan is the most respected and credible Business Application Cybersecurity provider. Founded in 2010, the company operates globally and enables large Oil and Gas, Financial, Retail, and other organizations to secure their mission-critical processes. Named an 'Emerging Vendor' in Security by CRN, listed among "TOP 100 SAP Solution providers" and distinguished by 30+ other awards, ERPScan is the leading SAP SE partner in discovering and resolving security vulnerabilities. ERPScan consultants work with SAP SE in Walldorf to assist in improving the security of their latest solutions.

ERPScan's primary mission is to close the gap between technical and business security, and provide solutions for CISOs to evaluate and secure SAP and Oracle ERP systems and business-critical applications from both, cyberattacks and internal fraud. Our clients are large enterprises, Fortune 2000 companies and managed service providers whose requirements are to monitor and manage security of vast SAP and Oracle landscapes on a global scale.

We function in two hubs, located in Palo Alto and Amsterdam to provide threat intelligence services, agile support and operate local offices and partner network spanning 20+ countries.

About the Magic Quadrant

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Media contact:

Darya Maenkova

650.798.5255

SOURCE ERPScan

Related Links

https://erpscan.com


BOSTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP announced the appointment of Jane Steinmetz as its Boston Office Managing Principal and the New England Markets Leader to begin on June 1, 2017.

Steinmetz, who recently led the firm's New England financial services practice and national indirect tax practice for the financial services industry, will now be responsible for the overall client service and internal management at one of the region's largest professional services organizations. The Boston area offices are home to over 2,075 assurance, tax, transaction and consulting professionals.

"I am honored to lead this dynamic group of high performing individuals," said Steinmetz. "Our professionals deliver high quality services to many of the area's largest companies, mid-market firms and entrepreneurial and innovative start-ups."

In this role, Steinmetz will bring over 20 years of experience to guide strategic, client service and operational recommendations. She will be responsible for market growth, the day to day operations and management of the Boston Office across all services lines, and furthering strong relationships with community, government and business leaders. Steinmetz, a seasoned professional, will also continue to serve multi-national clients.

"Boston is an incredible place to work and live and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be the office managing principal for one of the area's 'Big Four,'" said Steinmetz. "I am excited to support the existing strong sense of community in the Boston office as well as maintain EY's position as a preeminent leader in New England."

Rich Jeanneret, Vice Chair and Northeast Region Managing Partner of Ernst & Young LLP, who appointed Steinmetz as the new Boston Office Managing Principal, said: "It is with great excitement that we welcome Jane to the Northeast region's leadership team. As the first woman to lead a Boston area-Big Four practice, we are looking forward to her continued positive impact on our people and the market in this new role."

Steinmetz will resume the role that was once held by George Neble, who will be retiring. George led the Boston office for over five years. During his tenure, the New England practice had tremendous presence in the market and brand in the community.

"I am proud to transition the role over to Jane. She is strongly embedded in the firm's culture and is passionate about delivering exceptional client service," said Neble.

Steinmetz is currently a trustee and executive committee member of the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, board member of the New England Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and serves on the Boston Club corporate advisory board. She is also a member of the Connecticut and Massachusetts bar associations.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the US.

SOURCE EY

Related Links

http://www.ey.com


FORT WORTH, Texas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Falcon Steel America, a leading designer and fabricator of American-made steel structures, has completed the delivery of 73 new steel transmission poles for a Texas-based electric cooperative. The new structures replaced aging H-Frame wood poles and are designed to provide the cooperative with more than 50 years of reliable transmission service.

All structures were hot-dip galvanized and featured embedment corrosion protection-coated bases to extend the poles' usable life cycles. According to Jim Taylor, CEO of Falcon Steel America, all structures were delivered ahead of schedule, with no reported field issues on the expedited delivery, despite a two-week delay caused by heavy rains.

"Because we're American-based, we can work more flexibly and transparently with our customers than a foreign fabricator is usually capable of doing," Taylor said.

"This project was a particularly big win for us because, historically, we've been known as a leading fabricator of steel lattice towers and substations, and as a whole, the market has been less aware of our pole fabrication capabilities. But over the past year, we've made major strides in expanding our pole production capacity, and our efforts are clearly paying off."

Texas-based Falcon Steel America designs and fabricates a full line of products for the transmission and distribution (T&D) industry, including turnkey steel pole manufacturing, with all products made in the USA. Falcon's steel transmission pole structures range from 69kV to 500kV, and the company's highly qualified, in-house engineering staff provides the best design solutions while meeting necessary load requirements and all industry standards.

About Falcon Steel America

Based in Haltom City, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, Falcon Steel America has been a leader in designing and fabricating quality steel structures since 1963. With more than 300 employees, Falcon Steel America is the only fabricator of steel lattice towers in the United States. For more information, visit www.falconsteelamerica.com.

SOURCE Falcon Steel America

Related Links

http://www.falconsteel.com


RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmer Boys Restaurants, the brand known for cooked-to-order breakfast, burgers and more, today announced it completed its transition to cage-free California eggs across its 89 locations in just under one year.

Farmer Boys established a goal in early 2016 for its eggs to be 100% cage-free based on growing consumer support for animal welfare. The swift transition to all cage-free eggs was achieved through close collaboration with Hickman Farms, its long-time egg supplier.

"Our transition to cage-free eggs reinforces our commitment to quality," said Kristy Foster, vice president of supply chain and research & development. "Farmer Boys will continue to evolve its menu to meet the needs of our customers and provide the tastiest, farm fresh experience."

The company has been at the forefront of other industry trends including all day breakfast and providing guests an option for hormone-free, antibiotic-free, fresh never frozen beef through its Natural burger line.

"We commend Farmer Boys for completing its conversion to 100 percent cage-free eggs ahead of schedule," says Josh Balk, vice president of farm animal protection at The Humane Society of the United States. "This action demonstrates real leadership on animal welfare and is consistent with a philosophy of doing right by your customers."

Today's announcement includes shell eggs, hard-boiled, and liquid eggs used in recipes. Farmer Boys has been hand cracking eggs and cooking breakfast to order since 1981. Following the introduction of all day breakfast in 2008, Farmer Boys now hand cracks over 17 million eggs annually.

About Farmer Boys

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Riverside, California, Farmer Boys is a fast casual restaurant chain serving award-winning burgers, specialty sandwiches, crisp salads, signature sides, and all day breakfast. Farmer Boys knows farm fresh food will never go out of style. That's why the Farmer Boys family is growing, and the chain continues to seek sites and franchisees. Farmer Boys currently operates 89 restaurants in California and Nevada. For more information, visit www.farmerboys.com

SOURCE Farmer Boys Restaurants

Related Links

http://www.farmerboys.com


Professor Niels Frenzen, founding director of the USC Gould Immigration Clinic, will be installed as the first Sydney M. and Audrey M. Irmas Endowed Clinical Professor. The gift will expand the Immigration Clinic's work and student participation in advocacy and representation of immigration clients.

"Audrey Irmas has been a steadfast supporter of USC and the Gould School of Law for many decades," said Dean Andrew Guzman. "We are deeply grateful to have such a committed member of the Trojan Family supporting a critical need for our clinics at the law school."

Four generations of Irmas' family attended USC, including her husband, Sydney '55 and grandson Jared Irmas '13 both graduating from the law school. Daughter Deborah Irmas graduated in '72 with a degree in fine arts and later taught art history.

"I am thrilled to support the work of USC Gould's Immigration Clinic," said Audrey Irmas. "The clinic has helped many women and children successfully gain freedom and asylum after enduring unimaginable harms, while training some of USC Gould's best and brightest future lawyers."

The Immigration Clinic's recent representation of two Tanzanian sisters, who were born with albinism and targeted for "magical" body parts in their small African village, grabbed the national spotlight recently. Under the direction of Frenzen, USC law students logged hundreds of hours to help the teenagers win asylum. Today the girls are safe in Ojai, living with guardians and attending high school.

"This is one of hundreds of cases we are working on," Frenzen said. "It's cases like these that we are committed to. Our students are actively practicing immigration law while our clients benefit from representation that can literally save their lives."

Frenzen, who launched the Immigration Clinic in 2000, said he is honored to hold the inaugural Sydney M. and Audrey M. Irmas Endowed Clinical Professorship. "The Immigration Clinic is aligned with Audrey Irmas' mission of helping vulnerable populations. Her passion is truly inspirational," he said.

In the past 17 years, nearly 200 USC Gould students participated in the Immigration Clinic, representing more than 1,000 clients. The clinic boasts an impressive 95 percent success rate.

The clinic is currently working on more than 200 open cases, representing clients from 25 different countries. More than half of the clinic's clients are women and transgender women, and a third are children, with the youngest being a four-year-old boy from El Salvador.

The Irmases have been loyal supporters of USC and Gould. In 1997, the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation endowed the Sydney M. Irmas Chair in Public Interest Law and Legal Ethics and funded the Irmas Fellowship in Public Interest Law and Legal Ethics. In 2012, Irmas funded the Audrey Irmas Clinical Teaching Fellow. They have also supported the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Keck School of Medicine.

"The Irmas family's longstanding engagement with USC Gould has specifically supported our public interest and service efforts," said Guzman. "Their support has made a significant impact for those students interested in pursuing careers in public interest law. This latest gift is truly a game changer for our clinical education."

Contact: Gilien Silsby

1-213-7409690

[email protected]

SOURCE USC Gould School of Law

Related Links

http://www.LAW.USC.EDU


(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/823123 )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474912/LSTM_Logo.jpg )



"Committed to putting the power back into the hands of the process owner, we are pleased to welcome Senior HR Executives to our upcoming HR Process Transformation event, to share their challenges, network with peers and get advice from both FlowForma and Microsoft experts," said Neil Young, CEO, FlowForma.

Attendees will hear directly from Martyn Coleman of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as to how their organization has recently revolutionised their paper based travel request process with a user friendly and informative electronic version powered by FlowForma BPM.

Tracey Haynes, HR Manager, Microsoft UK will share how Microsoft's HR department has embraced a digital transformation journey from recruitment and appraisal to learning and development, as part of their objective to improve the employee experience of their

thousands of employees and contractors.

Paul Stone, Solutions Architect, FlowForma will demonstrate to guests how the FlowForma BPM tool can be used as part of a digital HR strategy, empowering HR departments with a self-service tool to quickly automate HR business processes, such as employee onboarding, annual leave and contracts management. These use cases will showcase the intuitiveness of this no code, logic only BPM tool and reveal how power users can build and publish processes with speed and flexibility, with little or no help from the IT department.

Paul will also share examples of how FlowForma's customers have driven daily efficiencies through automated processes and increased visibility, enabling then to spend more time at what they do best, looking after the needs of their employees.

Seminar Details

When: Tuesday, 21st March 2017 from 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where: Old Bailey, Microsoft, 2 Kingdom Street, Paddington, London,United Kingdom

Who: Heads of HR, HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Business Partners, IT Managers

This is a free event but registration is compulsory, secure your complementary place today.

Supporting Resources

To learn more about FlowForma ' s upcoming HR Process Transformation event visit: http://www.flowforma.com/allevents/want-the-power-to-revolutionise-your-hr-processes-uk/?id=prnews

To read a case study on how Eurofound adopted FlowForma BPM to drive 75% efficiency improvement visit: http://www.flowforma.com/flowforma-bpm-becomes-a-strategic-asset-for-eurofound-download

To find out how the FlowForma Cloud BPM tool works visit: http://www.flowforma.com/howitworks

To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: http://www.flowforma.com/trial

About FlowForma

FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding.

FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100 customers across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners.

For further information, visit http://www.flowforma.com

SOURCE FlowForma
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Foundations Marketing Group (FMG), a leader in marketing innovations for the wine and spirits sector, along with Victoria Distillers, Canada's preeminent craft distillery, announce a strategic partnership for U.S. market entry.

"It is an exciting time for craft spirits consumers," stated FMG's CEO, Monika Elling. "We look forward to working with the team at Victoria Distillers on creating and implementing the program for their U.S. market activation and development."

"We are thrilled to be partnering with FMG to launch the next chapter of our North American growth," asserts President of Victoria Distillers, Peter Hunt. Adding that "FMG's breadth of experience in the US market makes them ideally positioned to build on our existing success."

About Victoria Distillers: Established in British Columbia, Canada in 2008, Victoria Distillers works with iconic local destinations to create premium cocktail spirits that reflect a sense of place. Well known in British Columbia (producer of second most sold premium Gin behind Hendricks), Victoria Distillers' creative efforts are rooted in Canada's West Coast culture. As one of Canada's oldest, small-batch spirits companies, Victoria Distillers is known for its drive for innovation and distinctive product line.

About FMG: Foundations Marketing Group (FMG) is a New York based, brand development agency. FMG's leadership consists of experienced international executives with diverse wine and spirits industry backgrounds, providing clients with comprehensive market strategies for success. Offering foundations to help brands succeed, FMG anticipates new trends and opportunities in today's rapidly evolving global market.



Contact:

Bettina Elling

[email protected]

212-537-9363

www.fmg.nyc

SOURCE Foundations Marketing Group

Related Links

http://www.fmg.nyc


SALT LAKE CITY, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RizePoint, the leading provider of brand, quality, and safety management software, today announced that President and CEO Frank Maylett will present at The Montgomery Summit, an annual business and technology conference in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 8 and 9, 2017.

At 9:30 a.m. PT on March 8, Maylett will exhibit in the Emerging Companies track. His presentation, Your Brand is Under Attack, shows the risks companies face in managing brand reputation, and how RizePoint helps some of the largest food service and hospitality brands in the world protect their brands. The invitation-only audience includes 1,000 entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and venture capitalists.

"More companies are recognizing how much their brand reputation impacts the bottom line," said Maylett. "RizePoint helps brands protect their reputations with software that identifies and automates corrective action and offers C-suite visibility into quality, safety, and operational issues before they become costly liabilities."

Maylett saw the importance of brand reputation in his previous roles leading and growing technology companies like Workfront and InContact. He brings a deep understanding of how technology is helping companies address old problems in new ways to The Montgomery Summit audience. Maylett will present on how marketing is no longer the sole owner of brand, by showing how robust operations and quality compliance help maintain valuable brand reputation in a social world.

"The caliber of companies nominated for this year's Summit was higher than ever and the selected presenters will provide excellent insight and expertise into their respective and rapidly evolving fields  from enterprise data to financial technologies to connected devices," said Jamie Montgomery, founder of The Montgomery Summit. "Our goal is to connect technology's best entrepreneurs with incredible investors, partners, and advisers and to facilitate meetings that will lead to success for all parties."

This year, a global committee of senior investors from top venture capital and growth funds, prior Summit attendees, researchers, entrepreneurs and Summit partners and staff selected 140 companies to present from over 4,000 nominations. Nominations were evaluated by each company's sector, stage, growth and engagement metrics, as well as criteria including management, vision, and more.

In addition to presentations from top private growth company CEOs, the two-day event features industry leaders and top innovators in a series of keynotes, panels and salons. Speakers at this year's Summit include Beth Comstock, vice chair, GE; Rob High, CTO, IBM Watson; John Chambers, chairman, Cisco; and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former U.S. Army General. Additionally, a Female Founders program that will highlight the rising role of female entrepreneurs and investors in the technology world is scheduled on March 7.

RizePoint At-a-Glance

RizePoint mobile and cloud-based software helps organizations improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of their products, services, and facilities.

RizePoint's software is used by 5 of the top 8 hospitality brands and 5 of the top 8 food service brands.

RizePoint serves more than 387,000 users in 120 countries and territories, speaking 40 languages: 105,000 food service restaurants 27,000 hotels and resort properties 13,000 grocery and retail stores



About RizePoint

RizePoint  formerly Steton Technology Group  is the global leader in software solutions that proactively safeguard enterprise compliancefor both internally imposed standards and externally imposed regulations. RizePoint software builds and protects brand equity by enabling a consistent customer experience. Our customers gather better data, see necessary actions earlier, and act faster to correct issues before they become costly liabilities. Considered the industry standard for food service, hospitality, and retail, RizePoint mobile and cloud-based solutions serve nearly 2 million audits with 200 million questions answered annually. RizePoint is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit RizePoint.com.

About The Montgomery Summit

The Montgomery Summit gathers an invited group of entrepreneurs, senior investors and leading executives to discover the most important innovations in business and technology. The event features two days of presentations, keynotes, panels and salons in Santa Monica, Calif. Previously known as The Montgomery Technology Conference, the Summit has for more than a decade provided unparalleled opportunities to meet a diverse blend of technological visionaries and innovators from all over the world. For more information, visit www.montgomerysummit.com.

Press Inquiries:

Whitney McCarthy

801.285.9827

[email protected]

SOURCE RizePoint

Related Links

http://www.rizepoint.com


DETROIT, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after Quicken Loans' Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl ad ignited a nationwide conversation about the power of the American homebuyer, the largest FinTech lender funded $7 billion of its record $96 billion in total closed loan volume in 2016 through Rocket Mortgage. In just 11 months Rocket Mortgage's closed volume alone would already rank as a top-30 national mortgage lender, among the nearly 50,000 banks, credit unions, brokers and mortgage companies in the United States.

"Rocket Mortgage has forever changed the way people think about getting a mortgage," said Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken Loans. "The product has been a success in so many ways, including its strong appeal to first-time homebuyers and ability to remove the intimidating and cumbersome aspects of the traditional mortgage process. Rocket Mortgage has become a significant part of our business and will continue to be a central driver of our growth."

The rapid growth of Rocket Mortgage comes from its appeal to a new generation of homebuyers. In 2016, two-thirds of Rocket Mortgage clients used it to finance a home purchase and 80 percent of those consumers were first-time home buyers.

"It's no surprise that Rocket Mortgage is attracting so many first-time homebuyers. The product allows borrowers to qualify for a new mortgage in an automated and highly transparent fashion, without spending hours, or days, cobbling paperwork together," said Laurie Goodman, Co-Director of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute.

Millennials were twice as likely to use Rocket Mortgage in 2016.

"While millennials are more likely to use Rocket Mortgage, we see strong adoption across all demographics," said Regis Hadiaris, Senior Product Manager of Rocket Mortgage. "Many consumers can't, or simply won't navigate the mortgage process solely within the limited timeframe of traditional business hours. They expect technology to service their demands and simplify their lives, whether it's shopping, dating, arranging an Uber, trading their sneakers or even a complex infrequent transaction such as a home loan."

The development of Rocket Mortgage includes the digital verification of client income, credit, assets and even property valuations in a growing percentage of cases; all via third-party electronic interfaces. This capability has enabled hundreds of thousands of home buyers to eliminate paperwork entirely from the mortgage process, ensuring accuracy for the lender, virtually eliminating any compromise of highly sensitive data and closing 12 days faster than industry averages.

Quicken Loans offers conventional, VA and FHA mortgages products through Rocket Mortgage.

For more information, please visit the Quicken Loans press room.

About Quicken Loans

Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's second largest retail home mortgage lender. The company has closed over $300 billion of mortgage volume across all 50 states between 2013 and 2016. Quicken Loans generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Primary Mortgage Origination" in the United States by J.D. Power for the past seven consecutive years, 2010  2016, and highest in customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past three years, 2014  2016.

Quicken Loans was ranked #5 on FORTUNE magazine's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list in 2016, and has been among the top-30 companies for the last 13 years. It has been recognized as one of Computerworld magazine's '100 Best Places to Work in IT' the past 12 years, ranking #1 for seven of the past eleven years including 2016. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010, and now more than 12,000 of its 16,000 team members work in the city's urban core. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit QuickenLoans.com.

Twitter: @QLnews

Facebook.com/QuickenLoans

SOURCE Quicken Loans

Related Links

http://www.quickenloans.com


Mr. Bautista comes to GIBC Digital after 7 years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he most recently founded and managed the BI Lab, within the Business Intelligence Group, which delivered integrated analytics and visualization solutions to the Global Investment Management business. Bautista also has experience working with J. P. Morgan's big-data-warehouse architecture and Gaia, its private cloud solution. Prior to that, he spent 3 years in Hong Kong building J.P. Morgan Asset Management's first centrally managed digital operations team, aligning 9 countries into a global organization. He also held positions at AIG and graduated from Stevens Institution of Technology, with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering.

As a seasoned leader with experience in driving digital-transformation initiatives that employ enterprise-wide platform solutions alongside business intelligence capabilities, Mr. Bautista is an attractive acquisition for GIBC Digital. Bautista is the second to join the company from J. P. Morgan Asset Management. Greg Wood, GIBC Digital's CEO, said, "we are excited to have Gino join us. He will play a vital role in helping the company deliver on its promise to help our clients evolve in a digital world, where customers expect every company to be a technology company."

Bautista believes GIBC Digital "is the right company at the right time" and "think[s] it is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the tremendous changes taking place in every industry, as the world evolves."

ABOUT GIBC Digital

GIBC Digital helps clients transform how they do what they do. Our team takes a multi-disciplinary approach to providing end-to-end services spanning strategy, business process, people, organizational change, and technology. We can create an integrated and individually tailored customer experience across your organization, harness the power of business analytics, and automate your business processes. Our services are delivered by management-consulting, subject-matter, and IT professionals, with the experience to transform an industrial-age business into a digitally-optimized business. To learn more, visit us at www.gibcdigital.com

SOURCE GIBC Digital

Related Links

http://www.gibcdigital.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary

This report provides all the information you require to better understand GlaxoSmithKline and its partnering interests and activities since 2010.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03605586-summary/view-report.html





Description

The Partnering Deals and Alliance since 2010 report provides an in-depth insight into the partnering activity of one of the world's leading life sciences companies.



On demand company reports are prepared upon purchase to ensure inclusion of the most up to date deal and company data.



The report will be delivered in PDF format within 1 working day of receipt of order. If the CD-Rom version purchased, the report will be sent by courier using express service.



One of the key aspects of partnering is finding those companies that are potential candidates for the development and commercialization of the next generation of therapies. A lot of resources are spent on finding partners, identifying their interests and making contact to initiate discussions.



Using this report, dealmakers will effectively and efficiently target their partnering activities to deliver the company's business development objectives.



The initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of deal making and business activities. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 lists the top companies partnering with the company since 2010. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the leading partnering and M&A deals since 2010 to present date based on headline value.



Chapter 4 provides details on how to approach biopharma companies with partnering opportunities whilst chapter 5 lists forthcoming partnering events and conferences where biopharma companies will be present to discuss opportunities face to face.



The main body of the report is provided in chapter 6 providing a infographic visual summary of the company's partnering activity since 2010 according to deal type, industry sector, phase of development, and therapy area.



The deals are listed by deal type, stage of development and therapy focus, allowing easy access to deals and alliances of interest. Every deal record links to an online, live version of the deal record at the Current Agreements deals and alliances database. Where available, deal records also include the contract document as disclosed at the SEC.



One of the key aspects of partnering is conducting due diligence on a partner to determine under what terms a prospective partner agrees to a partnering relationship.



Understanding the flexibility of prospective partners' negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered  contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do not.



In addition, contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal.



Each contract document is accessible through a link to an online version of the actual contract document as filed with the Securities Exchange Commission.



Analyzing actual company agreements allows assessment of the following:

- What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company?

- What exclusivity is granted?

- What is the payment structure for the deal?

- How are sales and payments audited?

- What is the deal term?

- How are the key terms of the agreement defined?

- How are IPRs handled and owned?

- Who is responsible for commercialization?

- Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture?

- How is confidentiality and publication managed?

- How are disputes to be resolved?

- Under what conditions can the deal be terminated?

- What happens when there is a change of ownership?

- What sublicensing and sub-contracting provisions have been agreed?

- Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon?

- Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type?

- Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law?



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03605586-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery is open and accepting patients for plastic surgery and non-surgical cosmetic treatments. The newly constructed 8,000 square foot facility features the private practice of board certified plastic surgeon Christa Clark MD, FACS and a full-service medical spa.

"Building my own practice has long been my goal, and I am proud to join the ranks of female small business owners. I am excited to serve patients from this beautiful, state-of-the-art facility, and patients have already expressed how much they love the new practice as well as the expert level of care they have received from our staff," states Dr. Clark, who trained in plastic surgery at Stanford University Medical Center.

Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery marketing manager Susan Goodrich notes that Dr. Clark, who has practiced in the Sacramento area since 2006, has developed a strong patient following over the past 10 years and is known for her personable nature as well as her surgical skill. Goodrich comments, "Our doors opened in late January, and Dr. Clark's surgical schedule is already booked well into the spring with new and existing patients."

AAAASF Accredited Surgical Suite Maximizes Patient Safety, Comfort and Privacy

Dr. Clark performs all cosmetic surgery procedures, including breast augmentation, breast reduction, tummy tuck, and mommy makeovers, at the center's private surgical suite, which is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), an independent organization that inspects and certifies hospital-level safety in medical facilities.

Dr. Clark explains, "Our on-site operating suite provides the utmost in safety while prioritizing patient privacy and comfort," adding that, "when patients come in for surgery, they are already familiar with the facility and staffthis makes a tremendous difference in helping them feel relaxed and secure throughout the surgery process."

On-site Medical Spa Provides Non-surgical Treatments and Skin Care Services

In addition to Dr. Clark's surgical practice is Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery's medical spa, where patients can receive non-surgical treatments including BOTOX, Dysport and filler injections, facials and skin resurfacing, CoolSculpting fat reduction and MiraDry sweat reduction.

Medical spa services are provided by a team of registered nurses and licensed aesthetic specialists and supervised by Dr. Clark.

Dr. Clark emphasizes staff expertise as a key factor distinguishing Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery as the area's premier aesthetic medicine center. She states, "Our medical spa team was selected for their proven expertise in both the latest non-surgical technologies and classic treatments, as well as their experience providing care to patients with different skin types, conditions, and concerns." She continues, "Patients who come to Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery can feel confident that the person providing their treatment has the knowledge, skills, and training to achieve superb results."

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Will Take Place Monday, March 13 at 9AM.

Dr. Clark and the Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery staff will celebrate their practice grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, March 13, 2017 at 9:00 AM. Dr. Clark notes that the event will be a great opportunity to meet the staff, learn what the practice has to offer, and see the new facility: "I encourage community and local business leaders to join us and help celebrate this exciting addition to Granite Bay."

Those who would like to learn more about Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery or schedule a treatment consultation can phone the practice at 916.242.2662 or visit granitebaycosmetic.com.

About Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery: Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery is a full-service plastic surgery center and medical spa located at 5220 Douglas Blvd, Granite Bay, CA 95746. Stanford trained, board certified plastic surgeon Christa Clark, MD, FACS performs a full range of cosmetic surgery procedures for the breast, body and face. For more information, visit granitebaycosmetic.com.

Media Contact: Susan Goodrich, 916.242.2662

SOURCE Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery

Related Links

http://granitebaycosmetic.com


About two months ago, the opening of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg - the spectacular concert hall in the heart of the port that also includes a Westin hotel - brought Hamburg to the front pages of the world's leading media. Hamburg, the port city in Northern Germany, thus became one of the world's must-see tourist destinations of the year. Booming tourism, a pent-up demand in the convention and congress market, ongoing economic momentum and major investments in research and development make Hamburg one of the most attractive European locations for hotel investment.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475612/Elbphilharmonie_Hamburg.jpg )



Hamburg's booming tourism sector

Hamburg's tourism sector has been booming for several years and has turned the city into the most successful tourist hotspot in Germany. Over the past 10 years, the number of overnight stays in Hamburg has more than doubled, and record numbers have been achieved every year for the past 15 years. A total of 6.6 million guests generated 13.3 million overnight stays in Hamburg in 2016, which corresponds to an increase of 5.5 percent compared with the same period of the previous year.

In the course of 2016, some of Hamburg's top ten foreign target markets recorded strong growth in the area of overnight stays. The majority of international overnight guests came from Denmark (396,000, an increase of 7.8 percent compared with the previous year). Switzerland came second, with 340,000 overnight stays, an increase of 10 percent. Despite a weak British pound caused by Brexit, demand from the UK showed a positive development with a growth rate of 8.5 percent. Intercontinental markets such as the United States (+6 percent) and China (+30.7 percent) showed encouraging momentum and will help position Hamburg as a top ten European tourist destination.

In 2016, the hotel occupancy rate in Hamburg amounted to 79.6 percent on average (+1.4 percent). Hamburg thus commands a leading position and is ahead of both Berlin (77.1 percent) and Munich (75.9 percent). Compared with the same period of the previous year, the average room rate rose by 5.2 percent to EUR 115, and the revenue per room (RevPAR) in Hamburg was EUR 92 (+ 6.7 percent).

In addition to leisure tourism, Hamburg's conference sector is also experiencing rapid growth. In July, the city's hotels will be hosting more than 15,000 guests during the the upcoming G20 summit - the meeting of the world's major advanced and emerging economies. With the Hamburg Messe exhibition grounds in the city centre and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Hamburg provides ideal locations for this high-profile meeting of international leaders. What is more, Hamburg has been showing solid growth in the trade fair sector for many years.

One of Europe's most attractive locations for hotel investment

The tourism boom of recent years has made Hamburg one of Europe's most attractive hotel locations, with great market potential for additional congress and conference hotels. Dr Rolf Strittmatter, CEO of the HWF Hamburg Business Development Corporation, commented: "January saw the opening of one of the world's most spectacular concert halls: the Elbhilharmomie Hamburg, which towers above a historic port warehouse. The fusion of the old warehouse structure with the superimposed modern glass construction symbolises Hamburg's future potential. It increases Hamburg's attractiveness for visitors and is a strong driver of demand in the hotel industry."

At the MIPIM in Cannes, the world's premier trade event for location marketing, the focus of the Hamburg presentation will thus be on hotel investment. According to the brokerage firm Colliers International, Hamburg and Munich show the best hotel key figures in all of Germany. Steady growth and ongoing demand reflect the positive development of Hamburg's hotel market. Last year, four new hotels with around 520 rooms were opened in Hamburg. In 2017, a total of 14 new hotels with a capacity of some 2,300 rooms are expected to be added to Hamburg's hotel landscape.

These include e.g. the Holiday Inn Hamburg in the City Nord, the modern boutique hotel Sir Nikolai in the old town and the elegant luxury hotel The Fontenay on the Alster Lake.

In light of Hamburg's growing attractiveness as a tourist destination, the positive development of the congress market, sustainable economic growth and a demand-driven increase in hotel capacity, Hamburg offers excellent opportunities for investment in the coming years - especially in the high-end segment of the 4 and 5 star hotel categories. At the same time, Hamburg has a proven track record in the area of international congresses, conferences and the MICE segment as such. Due to the city's excellent economic performance and great potential as an economic hub, demand in the business segment is also very high.

Further information on Hamburg as a hotel location:

http://www.hwf-hamburg.de/contentblob/8127904/ae7662b15048649b3460d6e45856647e/data/hotel.pdf

Hamburg - a city on the rise at MIPIM

In addition to the international attention gathered by the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg's potential in the tourism sector and its continuing economic momentum, the city is also advancing its position on the global market as a successful research and development location. Thus, for instance, an unparalleled science project has just been launched in Hamburg and its neighbouring federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, inviting scientists from around the world to submit proposals for experiments at the European XFEL X-ray laser facility. The new project, which involves academics from eleven different countries, provides a basis for new findings, for exploring disease processes and for energy research. Additional research institutes are currently being founded or expanded in Hamburg, especially those belonging to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Hamburg's hotel industry will also benefit from these developments.

Hamburg is also setting new trends in urban development. While Europe's largest urban development project, the HafenCity Hamburg district, is approaching completion, several new development projects are currently underway - among them the Mitte Altona, the Hamburger Deckel and the HamburgOst projects, which will change the face of the city and further enhance the quality of urban living.

In the Riviera Hall at the MIPIM in Cannes, the world's largest real estate exhibition, Hamburg will be presenting these projects as well as hotel investment opportunities from 14 to 17 March.

Further information on Hamburg's presentation at the MIPIM:

http://www.hwf-hamburg.de/contentblob/2656070/427c5e37bb424668c4f0cc84f07d8f04/data/download-001-mipim-2017-messemagazin.pdf

About Hamburg Marketing GmbH

The Hamburg Marketing GmbH sees itself as a responsible partner and initiator for marketing the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. By developing, communicating and coordinating the Hamburg brand, the HMG highlights the locational attractiveness of Hamburg and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region in Germany and abroad. The Hamburg Marketing GmbH markets the entire metropolitan region beyond the boundaries of the federal states.

Contact:

Hamburg Marketing GmbH

HWF Hamburg Business Development Corporation



Media Relations

Guido Neumann

Wexstrae 7

D-20355 Hamburg

Tel: +49-40-300-51-580

Mobile: +49-160-97-29-83-02

Mail: guido.neumann(at)marketing.hamburg.de



Web: www.mediarelations.hamburg.de

SOURCE Hamburg Marketing GmbH
SEATTLE, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this year two deserving college students received a financial boost to help pay for college tuition, courtesy of academic scholarships from Healthy Paws Pet Insurance  the #1 customer-rated provider of insurance for dogs and cats.

"The scholarships not only support students as they pursue their education in veterinary medicine and animal advocacy, but also foster our commitment to ensuring a better life for all pets," says Rob Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.

The Animal Advocate Scholarship is designated for a student with significant volunteer experience enrolled in an accredited institution in the United States, and the Veterinary Student Scholarship is designated for a student enrolled in an accredited vet medicine program in the United States. Recipients are chosen based on educational merits and extracurricular dedication to improving animal welfare.

Spring 2017 Recipients

Marianne Rogers, Animal Advocate Scholarship recipient, is enrolled in the animal science program at California Polytechnic University, in San Luis Obispo, California. An active member of the equestrian team and wildlife club, Rogers' outstanding qualifications and academic achievement make her a natural fit for the scholarship.

"I truly appreciate this generous scholarship; it enables me to dedicate more of my time towards studies and volunteer opportunities, rather than working as much to pay my tuition," Rogers says. "This scholarship will enrich my opportunities here, so I would like to pass on my sincerest gratitude for that privilege."

David Rubincam, Veterinary Student Scholarship recipient, is enrolled in the veterinary technology program at Pierce College in Fort Steilacoom, Washington. An active animal shelter volunteer who's tried retirement twice, Rubincam decided to pursue a career as a veterinary technician to better contribute to quality clinical care for shelter animals. This scholarship will make it possible for Rubincam to attend an externship at Washington State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the springan experience that wasn't previously in his budget.

"When you go to retirement planning conferences, you are advised to have a reason to get up in the morning. I have found minebeing an advocate for homeless animals and using my skills to further their welfare," Rubincam says.

Healthy Paws is now accepting scholarship applications for the fall 2017 semester. The application deadline is June 30, 2017. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/academic-scholarships.

About Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Healthy Paws is one of the leading pet insurance program providers in the U.S. for dogs and cats and ranked #1 by customers on leading review websites. Its insurance policies are provided by Chubb, whose U.S. carriers are rated A++ by A.M. Best. The Healthy Paws Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, provides cash grants to pet adoption organizations specifically for life-saving vaccines, spay/neuter surgeries and advanced medical treatments of homeless pets in their care. Learn more about their mission to save more homeless pets and how you can help. For more information about Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, visit https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/.

SOURCE Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Related Links

http://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com


AUSTIN, Texas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, announced today that Hefner Ace Hardware has deployed the Epicor Eagle N Series solution as its new retail business management platform to improve inventory management and expand the business.

A family-owned, independent hardware retail business since 1981, Hefner Ace Hardware serves Bloomfield, Neb. with hardware products, appliances, home repair services, and more.

"With Eagle N Series software, we hope to minimize carrying costs and maximize our profitability, while gaining deep insight into our business that will help us grow," said Jason Hefner, Owner, Hefner Ace Hardware.

The business has seen significant changes over the last few years including a change in ownership, becoming an Ace Hardware dealer, and most recently, moving from ECi RockSolid POS to Epicor Eagle N Series software. "Since becoming an Ace dealer in 2015, we have tripled our inventory and now maintain 30,000 SKUs," said Jason Hefner, owner, Hefner Ace Hardware. "Because of that jump in our inventory levels, we needed a system that was better equipped for inventory management and analysis. With Eagle N Series software, we hope to minimize carrying costs and maximize our profitability, while gaining deep insight into our business that will help us grow."

Technology Tools to Drive Retail Growth

Hefner Ace Hardware's previous system lacked a host of features including overall support, Ace-specific capabilities, security, and multi-store functionality, all of which discouraged business expansion. "One of our business goals is to add a second location within five years. This is impossible without a strong foundation to build on. With Eagle N Series, our business now has the right tools to support this endeavor. It is better protected with an actual server; the Ace catalog and respective data is seamlessly integrated into the software, allowing quick and easy access; we get quality support, when we need it; and, when we are ready to move forward with a new location, the software will grow with us," said Hefner.

"Hefner Ace Hardware is a business with its strategy centered on business improvements and growth," said Doug Smith, director, product marketing, retail and distribution, Epicor Software. "We understand the challenges that independent retailers face on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Epicor Eagle N Series is a robust solution built with these challenges in mind. We are pleased to be Hefner Ace Hardware's selected technology partner and look forward to supporting the business entirely."

About Epicor Eagle N Series

Epicor Eagle N Series software is a fully-integrated retail business management system, with built-in best practices, designed for small to mid-sized businesses. Thousands of retail customers rely on the Epicor Eagle N Series solution to operate more efficiently and grow revenue and profits. Visit the Epicor Eagle N Series solution hub to learn more.

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solutionin the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Epicor, Eagle N Series, and the Epicor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Contact: Lindsay Ortega

Senior Specialist, Public Relations

Epicor Software Corporation

+1 952 417 5022

[email protected]

SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epicor.com


Hikvision and Screenwave Solutions provide new security system for Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Nevada

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hikvision USA Inc., a North American leader in innovative, award-winning video surveillance products, worked with dealer partner Screenwave Solutions to provide a new security system for Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Nevada. The Reno Ronald McDonald House welcomes families of seriously ill children who live more than 30 miles away from Reno and have a child undergoing treatment at a local hospital or clinic.

"We were glad to help," said Art Verling lead integrator for Screenwave Solutions. "But, without Hikvision's support, Screenwave Services could not have completed this project. The RMHC staff was super impressed by the clarity of image. Once they saw it, they were knocked over. Everything is just way better than the previous system."

Founded 12 years ago, Screenwave is based in Sparks, Nev., and specializes in video surveillance, computer network support, and telephone systems. Distributor ADI introduced Verling to Hikvision three years ago, and since then, he has been installing Hikvision products exclusively.

With the new security system, 15 Hikvision 4MP WDR Dome Network cameras render high-caliber video night and day. Featuring an IR range of up to 100 feet, 4-megapixel sensors and full HD 1080p resolution at the monitor, the cameras also come with smart features, alarm control, and IK10 protection.

Marty Ozer, executive director for the Reno Ronald McDonald House said the facility "never had this kind of capability before with the older surveillance system. The video quality is great."

Installed to cover outdoor areas, the single TurboHD 1080p Analog IR PTZ Dome Camera boosts the overall security setup. With this PTZ dome, Verling programmed a regular patrol of the parking lot and playground. The previous outdoor camera rendered a display where viewers could just barely make out the color of a car on the screen. Now, the video from Hikvision's signature TurboHD PTZ dome is so sharp the security staff can zoom in--and clearly read--license plates even across the street from the house. If an incident occurs, the house is well equipped to identify suspected vehicles.

Lastly, a single 8 TB TurboHD Tribrid DVR connects all 16 cameras. This "Tribrid" model has inputs for HD-TVI, analog, and IP cameras. If swapping out cameras becomes necessary, the DVR won't miss a beat in the process, as the connectivity stands ready to go. These DVRs also provide a powerful custom video tagging feature so video can be easily referenced and called back when needed. Since played-back footage is a crucial function in case of an event, video tagging is a cardinal feature.

"At Hikvision, we do not just sell products--we strive to build relationships and deliver solutions," said Alex Asnovich, director of marketing for Hikvision USA. "This project was a great opportunity to expand our partnership with Screenwave Solutions and to support the incredibly important services that Ronald McDonald House Charities provides to families who are caring for their seriously ill children."

Hikvision will exhibit its enterprise-level security solutions at ISC West, Booth 18037, in Las Vegas, April 5-7, 2017.

About Hikvision

Hikvision is the world's leading supplier of video surveillance solutions. Featuring the industry's strongest R&D workforce, Hikvision designs, develops, and manufactures standard- and high-definition cameras, including a variety of IP cameras, analog cameras, and cameras featuring the latest in high-definition analog technology. Hikvision's product suite also includes digital video servers, hybrid and standalone DVRs, NVRs, and other elements of sophisticated security systems for both indoor and outdoor use.

SOURCE Hikvision USA
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2017 Jury of Fellows has elevated HLW's David Louis Swartz, FAIA, to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession. Founded in 1952, the AIA Fellowship program is one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow upon a member. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. Out of over 90,000 AIA memberships, there are just over 3,000 distinguished with the honor of fellowship and honorary fellowship. The 2017 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony at the 2017 National AIA Convention.



Swartz is a Partner in HLW's Los Angeles and Shanghai offices. He has over 30 years of experience in the design of creative and technologically sophisticated projects and over 21 years at HLW. As a hands-on architect he brings a strong technical background to the HLW team, which is complemented by his ability to seamlessly infuse design and client expectations. During his time at HLW, Swartz has helped to foster an environment where technology, design and management are equals, and where the technical role can flourish, have impact, be rewarded. Swartz has expert code knowledge and is excellent at obtaining city and other constituencies' approvals.

Swartz was involved in an effective campaign to rescind California's attempt to adopt the NFPA as its model building code. He worked with the California Architect's Board and Governor Schwarzenegger's office to adopt the IBC as its model code. Further, Swartz lobbied, litigated and received support from the National AIA, California Architect's Board and Lawton Chiles Governor of Florida to overhaul Florida's Continuing Education system to align with AIA standards setting the tone and survival of Continuing Education nationwide. Swartz has also had a 23 year involvement with the California Supplemental Exam given to all candidates seeking licensure in California. He has been an advocate in focusing the California Architects Board to simplify the examination process to be more achievable, fair and equitable for future architects seeking licensure and architects from other states seeking reciprocal registration.

About HLW

HLW is an award winning integrated architecture, design, strategy & planning firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, London and Shanghai- serving clients around the globe.

Media Contact: Lauren Maxted, [email protected]

SOURCE HLW

Related Links

http://hlw.com


AUSTIN, Minn., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) announced today that Jim Snee, president and chief executive officer, will present at 11:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, during the 2017 Consumer Analyst Group of Europe Annual Conference in London, UK. The company invites interested parties to listen to the presentation live via the Internet.

TO ACCESS THE WEBCAST:

Log on to http://www.hormelfoods.com.

Go to the Investors page and click on the link under webcast, which will bring you to the webcast page.

If you are unable to listen to the live webcast, an archived version will be available at the above mentioned website for 90 days following the presentation.

About Hormel Foods  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across 75 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly Guacamole, Hormel Black Label and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the eighth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future - Inspired People. Inspired Food. - focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://2015csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Hormel Foods Contact:

Nathan P. Annis

(507) 437-5248

[email protected]

or

Media Contact:

Wendy A. Watkins

(507) 437-5345

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation

Related Links

http://www.hormelfoods.com


AUSTIN, Texas, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HostGator, an Endurance International Group brand, today announced the winners of its Small Business Scholarship. Of nearly 100 applicants from colleges across the nation, three winners were chosen to receive $1,500 in scholarship funds to provide assistance for student expenses such as tuition, fees, books and on-campus room and board.

Scholarship Winner Raquel Solares Scholarship Winner Logan Miller

The global web hosting company launched its scholarship program in May of last year. As a leading provider of web hosting and related services for small businesses, HostGator wanted to provide a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech professionals to share their ideas for advancing the future of small business development.

The following three students were selected by HostGator staff based on their essay response to the question, "What is the biggest tech challenge facing small businesses today, and what is your proposed solution?"

Logan Miller , an undergraduate student at Arizona State University's School of Sustainability, discussed the uphill battle many local businesses face when trying to compete with large national businesses in online search results. He suggested small businesses come together to develop a mobile app that would enable business owners to network with each other and make it easier for consumers to shop local.

, an undergraduate student at School of Sustainability, discussed the uphill battle many local businesses face when trying to compete with large national businesses in online search results. He suggested small businesses come together to develop a mobile app that would enable business owners to network with each other and make it easier for consumers to shop local. Chelsea Sumner , an undergraduate student at Wagner College's Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing, recounted the steep online marketing learning curve she faced when founding her small business. Her solutions included rate-based advertising determined by business tenure and more educational programs for small business owners surrounding online search marketing and business negotiations.

, an undergraduate student at of Nursing, recounted the steep online marketing learning curve she faced when founding her small business. Her solutions included rate-based advertising determined by business tenure and more educational programs for small business owners surrounding online search marketing and business negotiations. Raquel Solares , graduate student at Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management, also highlighted the disadvantages small businesses face when it comes to budgeting for Search Engine Optimization and paid Google advertising. She proposed a new section on the right-hand side of Google search results that would be dedicated exclusively to small business listings.

HostGator will be announcing its next scholarship in early 2017. To learn more about HostGator and read the winning submissions, please visit https://www.hostgator.com/blog.

About HostGator

HostGator is an international provider of cloud-based web presence solutions, striving to deliver first-class service to its customers, ranging from people building their first website to businesses scaling their online presence. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. A wide range of options includes web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. HostGator is based in Texas, with offices in Houston and Austin, and offshore enterprises in Brazil and India. Snappy is the company's internationally recognized mascot. For more information, visit www.HostGator.com.

About Endurance International Group

Endurance International Group (em)Powers millions of small businesses worldwide with products and technology to vitalize their online web presence, email marketing, mobile business solutions, and more. The Endurance family of brands includes: Constant Contact, Bluehost, HostGator, iPage, Domain.com, BigRock, SiteBuilder, MOJO Marketplace and SinglePlatform, among others. Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, Endurance employs more than 4,000 people across the United States, Brazil, India and the Netherlands. For more information, visit: www.endurance.com.

Endurance International Group and the compass logo are trademarks of The Endurance International Group, Inc. Other brand names of Endurance International Group are trademarks of The Endurance International Group, Inc. or its subsidiaries.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/endurance-international-group

SOURCE Endurance International Group

Related Links

http://www.endurance.com


BUENA VISTA, Colo., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Town of Buena Vista, Colorado has selected HR Green, Inc. (HR Green) to assist with the development of a Broadband Assessment and Feasibility Study. The study will provide an analysis of the Town's current and future broadband needs and will propose alternatives that the Town can undertake to address their needs now and in the future.

Unique to HR Green's approach is leadership by former municipal managers, David Zelenok, PE and John Merritt, PE, who have been directly responsible for conceptualizing, implementing, and constructing some of the largest municipal fiber deployments in Colorado.

"We believe that we are on the front edge of a major wave," said Zelenok. "Communities across Colorado - and the nation - are trying to keep their cities connected to the world. We find the incumbent providers often simply aren't doing what they need to do, especially in smaller, rural communities. We're delighted to be helping our colleagues in Buena Vista explore ways to improve their broadband connections to the world and the 21st Century."

On April 5, 2016, Buena Vista voters supported the override of Colorado Senate Bill 05-152, the bill that prohibits local government from supporting, either directly or indirectly, advanced telecom services, thus authorizing the Town to investigate alternatives for promoting advanced telecom services to its citizens.

Broadband will be a vital element of the Town's economic vitality and is viewed as a "fourth utility"

affecting nearly every function within the community. Where the streets, sewers and power provide the infrastructure necessary to connect communities physically, broadband provides the digital infrastructure necessary to connect communities virtually to the rest of the world. HR Green will put a particular emphasis on broadband strategies that will support economic development, education, public safety, healthcare, and overall quality of life.

This is the first broadband feasibility study for HR Green. The company is the primary firm on the contract and the selected team features three subconsultants: Lookout Point (feasibility), NewCom Communications (GIS/Outside Plant) and Blakely + Company (public involvement).

SOURCE HR Green
STOCKHOLM, Mar 07, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

"We have previously communicated the ambition to grow our Construction Division. The acquisition of HTC is an important step on that journey and, together with the recent acquisitions of Pullman Ermator and Diamond Tool Supply, is seen as an expression of that goal. Combined, these acquisitions give us a strong position in the fast growing and attractive surface preparation market", says Kai Warn, President and CEO of Husqvarna Group.

"The combination of HTC and Husqvarna Construction will create a strong platform to educate floor owners and architects about the benefits of polished concrete floors and increase the preference of this flooring solution. Through the acquisition, we will strengthen our ability to develop and offer customers the best total solutions for the segment" says Henric Andersson, President of Husqvarna Construction.

HTC Floor Grinding Solutions, a part of HTC Group AB, headquartered in Soderkoping, Sweden is the global market leader in floor grinding solutions. Sales in 2016 amounted to approximately SEK 380m. The about 150 employees are mainly located in Sweden and in the fully-owned subsidiaries in France, Germany, UK and the U.S, which also are the biggest markets in terms of sales. HTC is currently owned by Polaris, a leading Nordic private equity company.

"The HTC team brings extensive floor grinding product and application expertise which combined with Husqvarna's global reach and scale gives us a stronger position to grow the polished flooring market, and help our customers to achieve beautiful and easily maintained floors at lower environmental impact. Together we will also explore synergies in areas including sourcing and technology.", says Henric Andersson, President of Husqvarna Construction.

Further details will be announced closer to the finalization, which is expected by mid-year. The acquisition of HTC Floor Grinding Solutions is subject to approval from competition authorities and the impact on Husqvarna Group's earnings in 2017 will be limited.

For more information, please contact:

Henric Andersson,

President Husqvarna Construction Division,

Tel: +46-8-738-9133

Tobias Norrby,

Husqvarna Group Investors relations,

Tel:+46-8-738-93-35

Asa Larsson,

Husqvarna Global Media Manager

Tel: +46-8-738-90-80

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/husqvarna-ab/r/husqvarna-group-to-acquire-htc--strengthening-its-position-in-surface-preparation,c2205718

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/996/2205718/638441.pdf Husqvarna Group to acquire HTC

SOURCE Husqvarna AB
An internet search led to a practical yet elegant solution: a swimsuit with a mastectomy bra that looked great, was easy to care for, and allowed freedom of movement. In fact, she discovered that there's a whole industry dedicated to active wear for women like her.

At a time when "athleisure wear" is trending more than ever, manufacturers are responding to the needs of women living with a variety of ailments and conditions that prevent them from having an active lifestyle  something that's obviously key to their overall health. These companies believe that health issues should not be an excuse for giving in to a sedentary existence.

The "athleisure wear" industry is also becoming more aware of the varying cultures, faiths and communities that require more modest attire. Companies like the New Rochelle-based HydroChic (www.hydrochic.com) specialize in fashionable coverage for what they call "real women"  consumers outside the traditional market. It offers products like swimwear and tops with mastectomy options, figure-flattering styles that cover the arms and legs, and flexible workout wear that provides compression without restricting movement. HydroChic's durable, stretchable fabric also protects against sun damage with UPF 50+ protection and chlorine-proof fabrics.

The co-founders of Hydrochic, Daniella Teutsch and Sara Wolf, are approaching ten years of continuous business growth, selling to consumers all over the globe via its website and select specialty stores.

"We knew we were on to something when we noticed women on the beach covering up with their husband's oversized t-shirts, while trying to swim or sun bathe," says Wolf. "We also knew that consumers with special health needs want to live active lifestyles without sacrificing style, fashion, fit and comfort, and thus, HydroChic was born," she adds.

Today HydroChic offers more than 100 mix and match separates in missy and plus sizes to 4X.

Lookbook:

https://indd.adobe.com/view/cd993b5c-1931-41b7-98b5-32af328e2a57

SOURCE HydroChic

Related Links

http://www.hydrochic.com


Providing the international keynote address at the 11 th annual conference, CEO of Hyperloop One, Rob Lloyd, shared a bird's-eye view of how construction is progressing at the world's only full-system and full-scale Hyperloop test site, proving the company is well-positioned to deliver the first working Hyperloop. The 500 meter-long DevLoop, which has a diameter of 3.3 meters is located 30 minutes from Las Vegas in the Nevada desert. The company is expected to perform a public trial in the first half of 2017. The DevLoop trial will follow Hyperloop One's first public test of a prototype propulsion system, which took place in the same area less than twelve months ago in May 2016.

Speaking at the conference, Lloyd also shared the company's vision for how Hyperloop One could transform the future of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with a faster, more efficient and cleaner system of mobility. A Hyperloop system is a new mode of transportation, capable of connecting to all modes of existing transportation and helping individuals be anywhere and move anything with on-demand autonomous transport. A Hyperloop One system would ease pressure on existing infrastructure and presents the potential for the Middle East to reinvent and transform transportation.

"While technology is revolutionizing many facets of our lives, we have not seen a radical change in transportation since the Wright brothers introduced air travel over 100 years ago," said Lloyd. "Tying together the Middle East region would produce greater virtual density, without congestion and pollution, spurring innovation, productivity, job growth and more powerful sharing of knowledge, labor and investment. Building a Hyperloop would vastly impact the economy and make any major city in the GCC accessible within one hour."

Josh Giegel, President of Engineering and Co-founder of Hyperloop One, joined Lloyd during his presentation at Middle East Rail via video from the DevLoop location in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I am so excited to be able to share images of DevLoop at Middle East Rail and update the world on our progress. Our team of more than 150 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been transforming what was, just over five months ago, a barren stretch of desert, into a hive of activity and now home to the world's first full-scale Hyperloop test site," said Giegel. "We have come so far in such a short space of time, and our team of over 240 employees are working tirelessly to eliminate the barriers of distance and time and reinvent transportation."

Not only will a Hyperloop system benefit the GCC economically, but socially, by facilitating easier access to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, expanding access to city attractions and unlocking urban development. It could create a UAE pan-urban area within a 30-minute Hyperloop reach between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain.

"With a Hyperloop One system in place, there is ability to further unify the alliance of the GCC, socially, culturally and economically," said Shervin Pishevar, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Hyperloop One. "Hyperloop could further enable diversification and could make a huge impact on the region's relatively young and growing population, reimagining how cities and countries in the region work together. Progress made on the DevLoop in just five months demonstrates how quickly we could bring Hyperloop to the GCC and to the world."

Benefits of Hyperloop include higher standards of safety than a passenger jet, close to half the construction and lower maintenance costs than high-speed rail and energy usage that is similar to a bicycle per kilogram-kilometer. Hyperloop One estimates that around 4,000 vehicles travel every day between Abu Dhabi & Dubai, with traffic congestion in Dubai costing the economy $800 million in lost working hours. Reducing this commute to 12 minutes opens a whole new realm of options and Hyperloop One shows an investment in a UAE Hyperloop network could unlock economic value 3.5 to 4 times over high speed rail.

Hyperloop One has announced a series of achievements in the last 12 months, demonstrating the company's rapid progress in developing the new form of transportation. One week ago, Hyperloop One convened a landmark innovation summit  The Hyperloop One Vision for India  in New Delhi, discussing how the company could integrate with and augment India's vast transportation network with reliable, clean and on-demand autonomous transport, connecting India's major cities at faster-than-airline speeds.

Held in Dubai on March 7-8, 2017, Middle East Rail brings together more than 350 construction and engineering companies, contractors and solution providers, regional and international railway operators to offer their services and present their plans for the future systems of transportation.

To see the complete gallery of images, please visit www.hyperloop-one.com.

About Hyperloop One

Hyperloop One is reinventing transportation by developing the world's first Hyperloop, an integrated structure to move passengers and cargo between two points immediately, safely, efficiently and sustainably. Our team has the world's leading experts in engineering, technology and transport project delivery, working in tandem with global partners and investors to make Hyperloop a reality, now. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the company is led by CEO Rob Lloyd and co-founded by Executive Chairman Shervin Pishevar and President of Engineering Josh Giegel. For more information, please visit www.hyperloop-one.com.

SOURCE Hyperloop One

Related Links

http://www.hyperloop-one.com


(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140310/673848 )

Wireless Charging 2017-2027: Phones, Cars etc. primarily discusses mobile phone and electric cars charging but showing how much the same arguments apply to many electrical and electronic goods, particularly mobile ones.

Most analysts forecasting sales of contactless charging systems for phones and pure electric cars have over-estimated both over the last 15 years. In response to customer demands, many other aspects were being fixed first. These impediments are gradually being overcome, so consumer needs relevant to wireless charging now come nearer to the top. Beware though. This report exposes how the charging needs and solutions for phones and the like have important differences from the needs and uses for vehicles and, contentiously, it translates this into value sales for electric vehicles overtaking those for phones within the decade.



The report is extremely comprehensive. It looks at the activities of many developers and manufacturers and their potential customers and users. The enthusiasm of suppliers shown in new interviews is tempered by twenty year of experience for IDTechEx and new opinion from key companies such as Ford assessing the technology in 2017. IDTechEx is best placed to provide a balanced view having researched reports on a number of related subjects recently. Indeed IDTechEx stages related conferences and exhibitions and the report contains exclusive content from these events.



The report is essential reading because it supports brand enhancement for those making and selling electronics and electrics including electric vehicles land, water and air. It reveals the future for component manufacturers supporting these companies and the evolving competitive landscape. It is the most insightful and up to date source with inputs predominantly from 2017.

For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com/wc.

IDTechEx provides companies with tools that can assist them in making essential strategic decisions in emerging technologies. IDTechEx offers research reports, subscriptions, consultancy, introductory services and events.

Contact:

Alison Lewis

Marketing Manager, Reports

[email protected]

http://www.IDTechEx.com

twitter.com/IDTechEx

UK: +44-(0)1223-810290



SOURCE IDTechEx
PETERSBURG, Va., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When Christopher Zoukis first went to prison over 10 years ago, he was completely unprepared. "I had no idea how the system worked, where I was going or what to expect," says Zoukis, who is still incarcerated at FCI Petersburg in Virginia.

Like most of the other 10 million Americans imprisoned across the country, he didn't even know what to prepare for emotionally, financially or otherwise. "There was no one resource to go to and find the real information I was desperate to find."

Now that's all changed.

The newly-released Federal Prison Handbook compiles resources and information to help prisoners and their loved ones understand how the federal prison system works, as well as help keep prisoners safe by explaining how to avoid the near-constant conflicts found inside prisons.

Some of the topics inside include:

- A brief history of the Bureau of Prisons and a breakdown of the current inmate population

- Details about the different security levels and special administrative facilities

- What to expect on the day you're admitted to prison, and how to greet cellmates for the first time

- What to do about sexual harassment or assault

- Navigating racial and cultural divisions at different security levels and during transport

- The best ways to avoid fights, and the options that provide the greatest protection if a fight cannot

be avoided

- Typical daily schedules, controlled movements and inmate counts, and how to carve out a life between mandatory activities

- The best ways to avoid gangs and fights, and options that provide the greatest protection if a fight cannot be avoided

- Comprehensive analysis of Federal Bureau of Prisons policy and regulatory guidelines

Media Inquiries

Christopher Zoukis is pleased to speak with media by telephone about topics related to prison education and justice reform. For more information or to book an interview, email [email protected] or send a request in writing to:

Christopher Zoukis

Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg

P.O. Box 1000, #22132-058

Petersburg, VA 23804

What Others Say About the Federal Prison Handbook"The Federal Prison Handbook is an excellent resource for individuals currently incarcerated or facing incarceration in a federal prison." -- Brandon Sample, federal-prisoner-turned-attorney, author of The Habeas Citebook, and Executive Director of Prisology

"A must-read . . . [Filled with] extensive details on the nuances of federal prison culture." -- Jack Donson, Director of Case Management at FedCURE, Chair of the American Bar Association's standing subcommittee on Federal Bureau of Prisons policy, nationally awarded FBOP retiree.

"The go-to reference book for answering all those 'good questions' the incarcerated client asks but which the attorney doesn't know the answers to because they never teach you [this] in law school." -- Kent Russell, expert attorney and author, California Habeas Handbook

About Christopher Zoukis

Christopher Zoukis is an outspoken prisoners rights and correctional education advocate who is incarcerated at FCI Petersburg Medium in Virginia. He is an award-winning writer whose work has been published widely in major publications such as The Huffington Post, Prison Legal News, New York Daily News and various other print and online publications. Learn more about Christopher Zoukis and the Federal Bureau of Prisons at prisonerresource.com.

SOURCE Christopher Zoukis

Related Links

http://prisonerresource.com


WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a new study funded by AARP Foundation, researchers from NORC at the University of Chicago found that nearly half of older adults (62 and older) in the United States experience some degree of loneliness. What's more, lonely adults are more likely to have lower income and fewer assets than their non-lonely peers.

The study is part of Connect2Affect, a collaborative effort spearheaded by AARP Foundation to learn more about the effects of isolation and loneliness in older adults. Using data obtained with support from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health, the researchers examined the frequency of loneliness among older adults in the U.S. and identified the characteristics that indicate a high risk.

"The results of this study make it clear that income is a significant factor in social connectedness said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of AARP Foundation. "We need more research examining the effects of loneliness and social isolation on low-income older adults and other, often marginalized groups so that we can develop effective strategies to increase social connections."

Nearly half (48 percent) of the respondents feel some degree of loneliness. According to the study, 29 percent experience "occasional" loneliness while 19 percent define their level of loneliness as "frequent." Socioeconomic status stands out as a differentiator between non-lonely and lonely individuals. Lonely older adults are significantly more likely to have an annual household income of less than $25,000 and assets less than $10,000, and are more likely overall to be in the lowest income group.

Marital status is another strong indicator of loneliness. Both married and unmarried older adults can be lonely  but the lonely group is less likely to be married than the non-lonely group, and more likely to be divorced, separated or widowed. The data show that 14 percent of married older adults and 30 percent of unmarried older adults fall into the lonely group. Married women are at a higher risk of loneliness than married men, but unmarried women are at a lower risk of loneliness than unmarried men.

Marital quality further distinguishes between lonely and non-lonely married older adults. Those with more support and less strain in their marital relationship are at lower risk of loneliness.

The Connect2Affect website includes a searchable directory where users can find local resources to help them connect with their community. The site also includes a fast, easy self-assessment test to identify isolation risk.

For more information about social isolation, loneliness and the Connect2Affect platform, please visit connect2affect.org.

About Connect2Affect

AARP Foundation is developing innovative ways to address social isolation through Connect2Affect, a platform to help end isolation and build the social connections older adults need to thrive. A collaborative effort, Connect2Affect (connect2affect.org) features research, tools and resources to help people evaluate isolation risk, reach out to others who may be feeling lonely and disengaged, and find practical ways to reconnect to the community.

About AARP Foundation

AARP Foundation works to ensure that low-income older adults have nutritious food, affordable housing, a steady income, and strong and sustaining bonds. We collaborate with individuals and organizations who share our commitment to innovation and our passion for problem-solving. Supported by vigorous legal advocacy, we create and advance effective solutions that help struggling older adults transform their lives. AARP Foundation is the affiliated charity of AARP.

SOURCE AARP Foundation

Related Links

http://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI) and analytics, information integrity, and integration solutions, today announced Omni-Gen Data Quality Edition, a unified platform for profiling, cleansing, and enriching information in databases and corporate information systems. Omni-Gen Data Quality Edition empowers business people to collaborate with IT professionals to promote consistency, accuracy, and completeness across all types of data sourcesincluding native Hadoop sources and file formats for big data projects.

Tweet this: [email protected] debuts Omni-Gen #DataQuality Edition, a platform to enable better #datamanagement: http://ow.ly/OHMr309FoQ7 #MDM

All organizations rely on data to execute transactions and make decisions, but key data sources often contain errors that negatively impact business activities. These rogue data elements have an adverse effect on sales, finance, customer service, quality control, and many other business functions. Built on the foundation of Omni-Gen Integration Edition, Information Builders' new data quality platform combines a powerful rules engine with a data quality firewall to proactively eliminate bad dataoften in the context of comprehensive master data management initiatives.

Traditionally, these projects are hindered by incomplete or conflicting business rules, scoring techniques, validation methods, and data requirements. Omni-Gen Data Quality Edition remedies this situation with a unified toolset for profiling, cleansing, and enriching dataall packaged into a user-friendly workbench designed for business users. The workbench allows the business community to correct defects in the data without the burden of sourcing that data or learning to use software that is primarily designed for IT professionals. It's easy to detect defects, share cleansing rules and operations with other business users, and collaborate with developers to execute data quality and MDM initiatives.

Gerald Cohen, president and CEO, Information Builders, said:

"Organizations need a flexible, reliable, and proactive way to preserve the integrity of their critical information assets. Today's broad range of applications, databases, systems, messages, and documents make it more difficult than ever to identify and control data quality on an ongoing basis. If you can't easily combine, cleanse, and manage your data, you can't fully tap into its value."

Omni-Gen starts with the business drivers and business artifacts, and then auto-generates business processes and rules, reducing implementation times for complex data management projects from months to weeks. It's all part of a progressive data management strategy that simultaneously tackles data integration, data governance, and BI development as part of a continuous flow. Information Builders leveraged its rich iWay heritage to design this new data quality platform, with an eye to improving data processing in transactional and analytical applications. Omni-Gen Data Quality Edition is an important addition to Information Builders' Data Management Platform, a mature set of technologies that helps organizations solve complex data challenges.

About Information Builders

Information Builders provides solutions for business intelligence (BI), analytics, data integration, and data quality that help drive performance improvements, innovation, and value. Through one set of powerful products, we enable organizations to serve everyone  analysts, non-technical users, even partners, customers, and citizens  with better data and analytics. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched with thousands of organizations relying on us as their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.

Press Contacts

Kathleen Moran

Information Builders

(917) 339-6313

[email protected]

Kate Finigan

LEWIS

(781) 761-4500

[email protected]

SOURCE Information Builders

Related Links

http://www.informationbuilders.com


WATERLOO, ON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Intellijoint Surgical Inc., a privately-held Canadian medical technology company, announces FDA clearance of intellijoint HIP Anterior, the newest application to the intellijoint HIP suite. intellijoint HIP Anterior is a 3D mini-optical navigation solution that provides quantifiable, intraoperative measurements for cup position, leg length, and offset to orthopaedic surgeons performing Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA).

"intellijoint HIP Anterior has been developed by a group of brilliant engineers with deep understanding of the steps involved in direct anterior hip replacement, which allows surgeons to integrate the device easily into their workflow," said Dr. Javad Parvizi, member of Intellijoint Surgical's Scientific Advisory Board and DAA orthopaedic specialist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Department of Orthopedic Surgery. "intellijoint HIP Anterior provides quantifiable, intraoperative measurements that allows surgeons to optimally position the components, restore limb length and offset. intellijoint HIP Anterior stands to eliminate fluoroscopy verification for cup position, leg length and offset that is often used by surgeons."

Per bench top validation testing cleared by the FDA, 20 separate simulations were performed with intellijoint HIP Anterior accurately measuring anteversion to within 0.47and inclination to within 0.65 when compared to radiographic scans. intellijoint HIP Anterior was intuitively designed to provide cup position measurements in relation to the supine coronal plane or Anterior Pelvic Plane, depending on surgeon's preference.

"The low-cost fee-per-case pricing model of intellijoint HIP Anterior allows me to utilize navigation for all of my total hip replacements with the Direct Anterior Approach." commented Dr. Michael Bradley, President/CEO of Orthopedics Rhode Island. "My DAA patients have peace of mind knowing that their hip implants are positioned exactly how I planned pre-operatively, thanks to intraoperative measurements from intellijoint HIP Anterior."

Intellijoint Surgical will be showcasing the full intellijoint HIP suite including intellijoint HIP Anterior at AAOS 2017 Annual Meeting  Booth #5551 from March 15  18, 2017 in San Diego, California, USA. intellijoint HIP Anterior is currently in Limited Market Release and will be available in New York, Illinois, Rhode Island and Houston, Texas in early summer 2017.

About Intellijoint Surgical:

Intellijoint Surgical develops and commercializes surgical navigation solutions. Intellijoint's flagship product, intellijoint HIP provides surgeons with real-time, intraoperative measurements to ensure proper positioning of orthopaedic implants during Total Hip Arthroplasty. Intellijoint is committed to driving clinical results through the development of solutions that are accessible, fast, and easy-to-use. Guided by a scientific advisory board comprised of Dr. Allan Gross, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital, and members, Dr. Javad Parvizi at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Dr. Michael Cross at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Wayne Paprosky at Rush University Medical Center, and Dr. Ran Schwarzkopf at NYU School of Medicine, Intellijoint is setting the new standard in miniature 3D surgical navigation.

Intellijoint Surgical is the recipient of the 2015 North American Frost & Sullivan Enabling Technology Leadership Award and the Futurpreneur Shopify True Grit Award 2016.

For more information, please visit: www.intellijointsurgical.com

SOURCE Intellijoint Surgical Inc.

Related Links

https://www.intellijointsurgical.com/


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP (www.kaplanfox.com) is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Pearson, plc. ("Pearson" or the "Company") (NYSE: PSO).

A class action complaint has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Pearson and certain officers of the Company on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Pearson American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") between January 21, 2016 and January 17, 2017, inclusive (the "Class"), alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Pearson and certain of its officers and directors made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made overly optimistic projections for 2017 and 2018 regarding the U.S. education business when, in reality, students were not likely to purchase Pearson's products when more affordable alternatives were available, resulting in an excess of unsold products.

The complaint further alleges that on January 18, 2017, Pearson announced that "[t]he North American higher education courseware market was much weaker than expected" and that it was "withdrawing [its] operating profit goal for 2018." According to the complaint, following this news, Pearson's ADRs fell from a closing price of $9.99 per share on January 17, 2017 to $7.13 per ADR on January 18, 2017, a drop of approximately 29%.

If you are a member of the proposed Class, you may move the court no later than April 25, 2017 to serve as a lead plaintiff for the purported class. You need not seek to become a lead plaintiff in order to share in any possible recovery. If you would like to discuss the complaint or our investigation, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-290-1952.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Jersey, has many years of experience in prosecuting investor class actions. For more information about Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, you may visit our website at www.kaplanfox.com. If you have any questions about this Notice, the action, your rights, or your interests, please contact:

Hae Sung Nam

KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP

850 Third Avenue, 14th Floor

New York, New York 10022

(800) 290-1952

(212) 687-1980

Fax: (212) 687-7714

E-mail: [email protected]

Laurence D. King

KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP

350 Sansome Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, California 94104

(415) 772-4700

Fax: (415) 772-4707

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP

Related Links

http://www.kaplanfox.com


LAS VEGAS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- International Spirit & Beverage Group, Inc., (a Nevada Corporation) (OTCPK:ISBG) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Passion Spirits, LLC to build, operate, and maintain an industry leading e-commerce platform for Besado Platinum Tequila, providing direct-to-consumer delivery.

"Online sales is very much the future for the Wine and Spirit industry," stated Alain Scheiman, President of Passion Spirits, LLC. "With Besado's innovative and unique offering and eye-catching packaging, the potential online is extremely promising."

"We are excited to be re-launching our Besado website to incorporate our new online sales platform, that will further illustrate our dynamic brand as we grow in the marketplace. Our new e-commerce platform will enable us to reach up to 80% of the country including all of the major markets. We will have our new website and online store live by March 24th and available for pre-orders of our latest production of Besado Platinum. Our new website will further detail both our Besado Platinum and our upcoming limited release Besado ORO, both crafted with premium tequila and carefully blended with our natural herbal infusions," said Terry Williams, CEO of International Spirit & Beverage Group.

"I'm pleased to further announce we will be releasing details of our new back-of-house national supply chain deal shortly as minor details are being finalized. The combination of our new online sales platform, along with our soon to be announced national supply chain and logistics provider gives International Spirit & Beverage the foundation we need to properly grow our brands. We will also continue working alongside our current distributor RNDC, and other select distributors, as we expand in the current markets," Williams noted.

"Our initial order of 2,000 cases of Besado Platinum has been depleted, bringing revenues of $300,000 with an additional 2,000 cases slated for shipment imminently. In process, is an additional production run of 10,000 cases which will be used toward fulfillment of expected orders coming from Passion Spirits, LLC and our soon to be named national supply chain and logistics provider. This is an exciting time in the evolution of the company, as we are now at the outset of a major expansion set to commence over the weeks and months ahead."

"I'd like to address our recent share structure changes. The authorized share count was indeed increased, and I want to assure our shareholders past, present, and future, of all our associated businesses, that the increase was necessary to accommodate a critical move by the company that will greatly benefit our investors and be detailed in upcoming press releases and audits. We very much value our loyal investors and plan to demonstrate that appreciation with a tangible return to those who have believed in our mission to make Besado one of the top selling Tequilas on the market."

In closing, Williams stated, "We are extremely excited about the distribution channels we've currently secured, in addition to the one we will be announcing within several days, and within the time frame initially projected in our February 9th, 2017 press release. We thank our shareholders for their continued support and patience as we remain focused on expanding and growing our innovative Besado brand across the country." Stay tuned for additional guidance from the company on some exciting developments.

Besado Platinum Tequila is currently available in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana and Maryland, as well as online commencing March 24, 2017.

About ISBG: ISBG is a Nevada-based alcoholic beverage company specializing in the development, marketing and global sales of innovative wine and spirits brands. The Company's expertise lies in the strategic development and aggressive early growth of its brands and establishing these brands as viable and profitable. ISBG intends to build its own brands while seeking out individual acquisition candidates to continue to develop its pipeline of new brands into the ISBG portfolio. For more information visit: www.isbg.global

Forward Looking Statements: The information in this news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include: changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry. Forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding future exploration programs, operation plans, geological interpretations, mineral tenure issues and mineral recovery processes. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward looking statements are reasonable, results may vary, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

SOURCE International Spirit & Beverage Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.isbg.global


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary

This report provides all the information you require to better understand Isis Pharmaceuticals and its partnering interests and activities since 2010.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03605593-summary/view-report.html





Description

The Partnering Deals and Alliance since 2010 report provides an in-depth insight into the partnering activity of one of the world's leading life sciences companies.



On demand company reports are prepared upon purchase to ensure inclusion of the most up to date deal and company data.



The report will be delivered in PDF format within 1 working day of receipt of order. If the CD-Rom version purchased, the report will be sent by courier using express service.



One of the key aspects of partnering is finding those companies that are potential candidates for the development and commercialization of the next generation of therapies. A lot of resources are spent on finding partners, identifying their interests and making contact to initiate discussions.



Using this report, dealmakers will effectively and efficiently target their partnering activities to deliver the company's business development objectives.



The initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of deal making and business activities. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 lists the top companies partnering with the company since 2010. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the leading partnering and M&A deals since 2010 to present date based on headline value.



Chapter 4 provides details on how to approach biopharma companies with partnering opportunities whilst chapter 5 lists forthcoming partnering events and conferences where biopharma companies will be present to discuss opportunities face to face.



The main body of the report is provided in chapter 6 providing a infographic visual summary of the company's partnering activity since 2010 according to deal type, industry sector, phase of development, and therapy area.



The deals are listed by deal type, stage of development and therapy focus, allowing easy access to deals and alliances of interest. Every deal record links to an online, live version of the deal record at the Current Agreements deals and alliances database. Where available, deal records also include the contract document as disclosed at the SEC.



One of the key aspects of partnering is conducting due diligence on a partner to determine under what terms a prospective partner agrees to a partnering relationship.



Understanding the flexibility of prospective partners' negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered  contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do not.



In addition, contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal.



Each contract document is accessible through a link to an online version of the actual contract document as filed with the Securities Exchange Commission.



Analyzing actual company agreements allows assessment of the following:

- What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company?

- What exclusivity is granted?

- What is the payment structure for the deal?

- How are sales and payments audited?

- What is the deal term?

- How are the key terms of the agreement defined?

- How are IPRs handled and owned?

- Who is responsible for commercialization?

- Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture?

- How is confidentiality and publication managed?

- How are disputes to be resolved?

- Under what conditions can the deal be terminated?

- What happens when there is a change of ownership?

- What sublicensing and sub-contracting provisions have been agreed?

- Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon?

- Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type?

- Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law?



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03605593-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary will honor award-winning actor Vince Vaughn, with the "True Grit" Humanitarian Award and internationally recognized medical oncologist Steven J. O'Day, MD, with "The Duke" Special Service Award at the 32nd annual Odyssey Ball, March 25, 2017 at the Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills. The Best is Yet to Come casino-themed gala fundraiser benefits the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center. The Auxiliary is helmed by president Anita Swift, granddaughter of John Wayne.

Vince Vaughn has become one of Hollywood's most highly acclaimed triple threats  as an actor, producer and screenwriter. Vaughn caught the attention of critics and audiences in Doug Liman's cult classic Swingers. He was most recently seen in Mel Gibson's WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge, and recently wrapped production on Craig Zahler's Brawl in Cell Block 99. Vaughn's film credits include: Wedding Crashers, Couples Retreat, Four Christmases, Fred Claus, Into The Wild, The Breakup, Old School, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Rudy, The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2, among others.

Steven J. O'Day, MD is Professor of Medical Oncology, Director of Immuno-Oncology and Director of Clinical Research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Dr. O'Day is recognized as one of the preeminent melanoma specialists in the world. He provides expert clinical care while incorporating teaching and leading clinical research. He lectures extensively, both nationally and internationally. He has been at the forefront of new melanoma drug development over the last two decades. Dr. O'Day played a leadership role in the development of the breakthrough immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab. He has been a principal investigator in more than 100 clinical trials.

Since 1981, the family of John Wayne has been committed to pioneering cancer research in memory of their father, who died of cancer. The courageous and dedicated researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute have made groundbreaking discoveries that have changed the way cancer is detected, diagnosed and treated around the world. Today the tradition of excellence continues as the Institute spearheads new research advances, while training the next generation of leaders in the fight against cancer through its renowned Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program. The Institute provides immediate hope to cancer patients everywhere.

For tickets, email [email protected] or visit https://www.classy.org/campaign/John-Wayne-Cancer-Institute-Auxiliary/c105376.

SOURCE John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary
"Kenwood Vineyards has a long history of supporting the preservation of the Jack London Historic Park in our hometown of Sonoma, California," said Jo Adamo, Vice President Marketing, Pernod Ricard USA. "Partnering with the National Forest Foundation is an extension of this support and our commitment to the spirit of discovery, adventure and love for the land."

"The NFF is excited to work with Kenwood Vineyards to support our national forests. Kenwood Vineyards understands the connection between healthy forests and our quality of life, and they understand the love people have for their public lands. This partnership demonstrates both," said Bill Possiel, President, National Forest Foundation.

Kenwood Vineyards is committed to supporting sustainability in our communities, through the partnership with National Forest Foundation, and at home. The winery is making every effort to reduce waste, recycle and lower energy and water consumption. All of Kenwood's vineyards are certified Sonoma County Sustainable, and they are proud to do their part in helping the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission in its mission to make Sonoma County the first viticultural region to have 100% of its vineyards verified as sustainable by 2019.

The partnership with NFF, which engages Americans in the restoration and enjoyment of our national forests, is part of Kenwood Vineyards' new and ambitious campaign, The Wild is Calling. Established in the 1970s, Kenwood Vineyards helped found premium winemaking in the Sonoma region and continues to draw inspiration from the wild, rugged land when crafting wines today. The Wild is Calling campaign represents the brand's insatiable curiosity and connection to the wilderness and encourages Americans to explore the great outdoors and find inspiration in nature. Recently launched, the campaign also includes a food and wine program with compelling digital content that is designed to expand consumers' palettes as they discover unexpected tastes and authentic flavors paired with Kenwood Vineyard wines.

Those interested in supporting the NFF initiative are encouraged to visit KenwoodVineyards.com to purchase direct from the winery. The program will be promoted in participating accounts with point-of-sale materials such as menu inserts, coasters and table tent cards. More information about the National Forest Foundation, can be found at nationalforests.org.

About Kenwood Vineyards

Established in 1970 in the heart of Sonoma Valley, Kenwood Vineyards produces premium wines that showcase Sonoma County's world class vineyards. For additional information visit www.kenwoodvineyards.com

About Pernod Ricard USA

Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA, which employs a workforce of nearly 19,000 people worldwide and is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI).

The company's leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut Vodka, Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Malibu, Kahlua Liqueur, Beefeater Gin, Plymouth Gin, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin, Martell Cognac, Hiram Walker Liqueurs, Pernod, Ricard and Avion Tequila (through a joint venture with Tequila Avion); such superior wines as Jacob's Creek, Kenwood Vineyards and Brancott Estate; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouet Champagne, G.H. Mumm Champagne and Mumm Napa sparkling wines.

Pernod Ricard USA is based in New York, New York, and has roughly 850 employees across the country. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.acceptresponsibility.org

About the National Forest Foundation

The National Forest Foundation promotes the enhancement and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System. By directly engaging Americans and leveraging private and public funding, the NFF improves forest health and Americans' outdoor experiences. The NFF's programs inform millions of Americans about the importance of these treasured landscapes. Each year, the NFF restores fish and wildlife habitat, plants trees in areas affected by fires, insects and disease, improves recreational opportunities, and enables communities to steward their National Forests and Grasslands. Learn more at www.nationalforests.org

i Excluding AL, HI, MA, MS, and SCa

ii Up to 50,000 trees

SOURCE Pernod Ricard USA

Related Links

http://www.kenwoodvineyards.com


Teel Plastics' facility in Baraboo, Wisconsin has ten manufacturing lines that produce a range of products, each requiring customized recipes deployed at different times throughout the day. These recipes include different material inputs, equipment, heating components, and other variablesall of which represent opportunities for human error, downtime, and product flaws. Teel Plastics wanted a solution that would enable operators to monitor and manage all essential production components through a single secure, seamless, and reliable web interface.

After evaluating several IoT offerings and their in-house development capabilities, Teel Plastics found that KEPServerEX was the only solution that could fully address all business aspects, protocols, and standards while also supporting connectivity to a wide range of PLCs (including Allen-Bradley and Siemens).

Since implementing Kepware's solutions, a Teel Plastics line operator can send a pre-saved recipe with more than 20 parameters from a web interface to the IoT Gateway, which then translates and distributes the instructions to the machines on the line. This enabled Teel Plastics to drastically reduce the risk of human error and decrease setup times by 30 percent.

"By leveraging the power of the IoT on our shop floor, we've been able to take something that previously required memorization and 30 to 40 clicks and bring it down to a single click of a button," said Owen Gwynne, Senior Programmer, Teel Plastics. "Working with the IoT Gateway is seamless. We are also confident that as our recipes evolve, KEPServerEX will be able to take on anything and everything that we throw at it."

With KEPServerEX, Teel Plastics has also gained greater visibility into the granular details of its manufacturing process. Engineers can now test different variables and make more informed adjustments, which empowers them to increase both output and quality. For example, prior to the IoT Gateway implementation, one line was completing 18 units a minute. That same line is now producing 35 units a minutenearly doubling its capacity.

For additional information about Teel Plastics' IoT implementation, please read the complete case study here.

About Kepware

@Kepware is a software development business of PTC Inc. located in Portland, Maine. Kepware provides a portfolio of software solutions to help businesses connect diverse automation devices and software applications and enable the Industrial Internet of Things. From plant floor to wellsite to windfarm, Kepware serves a wide range of customers in a variety of vertical markets including Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Building Automation, Power & Utilities, and more. Established in 1995 and now distributed in more than 100 countries, Kepware software solutions help thousands of businesses improve operations and decision making. Learn more at https://www.kepware.com/.

About PTC

PTC has the most robust Internet of Things technology in the world. In 1986 we revolutionized digital 3D design. Now our leading IoT and AR platform and field-proven solutions bring together the physical and digital worlds to reinvent the way you create, operate, and service products. With PTC, global manufacturers and an ecosystem of partners and developers can capitalize on the promise of the IoT today and drive the future of innovation.

PTC.com @PTC Blogs

The announcement of a customer's selection, implementation or deployment of PTC software is not necessarily indicative of the timing of recognition of related revenue or the amount of revenue for any particular period.

PTC, Kepware, the Kepware logo, and KEPServerEX are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact

Torey Penrod-Cambra

Kepware

+1 (207) 775-1660

[email protected]

SOURCE Kepware Technologies

Related Links

http://www.kepware.com


DALLAS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kingsley Gate Partners, a retained global executive search firm that addresses the senior executive recruitment needs of the digital age, today launched a new practice serving the financial services industry. The practice will be led by two new senior partners, Mark Esposito and Paige Scott, who recently joined the firm. In addition, Kingsley Gate Partners also announced the opening of offices in New York and San Francisco, which are fully staffed with professional research and administrative staff, to support the company's continued growth.

"Kingsley Gate has been successful in representing the executive search needs of financial services clients for many years, but the launch of our global financial services practice marks a significant milestone for the company by dramatically extending our expertise and expanding our footprint. Mark and Paige's knowledge and experience in asset management, banking and alternative investments elevates our capabilities to new levels," stated Umesh Ramakrishnan, senior partner, Office of the CEO, Kingsley Gate Partners.

"We're also thrilled to open two new offices on the East and West Coasts to serve the needs of our financial services clients, and we welcome Mark, Paige and their talented teams to our firm."

Esposito and Scott bring a wealth of global financial services expertise to Kingsley Gate Partners. They will be joined by other partners to deliver executive search and consulting services to all the major financial hubs across the globe, including:

Nancy Albertini , senior partner, and member of the Office of the CEO, who brings more than 25 years of experience recruiting C-suite and board positions for private equity and financial services firms;

, senior partner, and member of the Office of the CEO, who brings more than 25 years of experience recruiting C-suite and board positions for private equity and financial services firms; Martin Mendelsohn , senior partner, who brings more than 15 years of experience in placing senior financial executives in key corporate and sensitive government positions across Europe , Russia and Israel ;

, senior partner, who brings more than 15 years of experience in placing senior financial executives in key corporate and sensitive government positions across , and ; Manisha Deva, who is a partner in the firm's Singapore office and specializes in cross-border assignments across southeast Asia for private equity, hedge fund, private banking and wealth management clients;

office and specializes in cross-border assignments across southeast for private equity, hedge fund, private banking and wealth management clients; Raj Kapoor, who is a partner based in the U.S. and brings more than 20 years of expertise serving the recruiting needs of financial services, private equity and financial technology companies with a specialized focus in risk, regulatory compliance and transaction advisory services placements.

With more than two decades of experience in the executive search industry, both Esposito and Scott bring deep financial services expertise that takes advantage of superior market intelligence, the collective experience of the senior management team and their research and support teams. Previously, Esposito was responsible for management and strategic development of the U.S. region and was the founder of the U.S. Corporate Officers practice for Sheffield Haworth, Inc. He advised CEOs, boards and C-suite executives on their most senior corporate officer needs across banking, asset management and alternative investments. Esposito also served as a member of the Sheffield Haworth board of directors. Prior to his tenure with Sheffield Haworth, he led the Corporate Officers practice at Sextant Search Partners and was the founding partner of the Financial Services practice at CT Partners.

Prior to joining Kingsley Gate Partners, Scott served as the head of the North American asset management practice at Sheffield Haworth, Inc. Scott began her retained search career with Pearson, Caldwell & Farnsworth, which was acquired by Korn Ferry. She became senior client partner at Korn Ferry before leaving in 2005 to join Sextant Search Partners, a specialty boutique financial services search firm dedicated to alternative asset classes. In 2009, Paige joined Sheffield Haworth and subsequently opened the firm's Boston and San Francisco offices while serving as a member of the U.S. Executive Committee. Scott actively advises asset managers on global expansion activities and offers specialized knowledge with pension risk transfer (de-risking) build outs.

About Kingsley Gate Partners

Designed for the digital world, retained global executive search firm Kingsley Gate Partners leverages its deep industry insights, vast search experience and state-of-the-art technology to bring transparency and faster results to the search process. Through its industry-leading, multi-phase evaluation process, the firm's search partners deliver the right candidates to meet the needs of discerning clients. Headquartered in Dallas, the partnership employs consultants and recruiters worldwide with expertise in financial services, private equity, life sciences, technology, manufacturing and professional services.

Editorial contact :

Valerie Beesley

Finn Partners

Phone: 646.202.9767

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Kingsley Gate Partners

Related Links

http://www.kingsleygate.com


RESTON, Va., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a global science and technology company, announced its Skyline air traffic management system is now fully operational at the Korea Area Control Center (KACC) in Incheon, Republic of Korea. Leidos successfully completed the installation and implementation of the latest version of SkyLine in collaboration with Korean partner LG CNS to provide increased airspace safety and efficiency.

The latest version of SkyLine provides capabilities including, enhanced electronic exchange of information, air ground data communication and flow management tools. It also oversees the aircraft movements within the Korea Flight Information Region. The original contract awarded in December 2013 called for replacing the previous SkyLine system that had been operational at the KACC since 2001.

"This latest version of our SkyLine system greatly enhances Korea's ability to meet the ever-growing demands of air traffic in that region," said Angie Heise, Leidos Civil Group president. "We are honored to be a long-term partner for Korea, and will continue to invest in enhancing our SkyLine system with innovative functions and features."

Leidos is a world-class provider of air traffic management systems. More than 60 percent of the world's air traffic and 80 percent of the world's managed oceanic airspace are guided by Leidos systems. For more information on our gate to gate solutions please visit www.sidewalktosky.com

About Leidos

Leidos is a global science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil , and health markets. The company's 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $7.04 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 30, 2016, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE Leidos

Related Links

http://www.leidos.com


The crawfish of honor was dubbed Emile after the founder of Zatarain's who first introduced boil mixes in the 1920s. After the reprieve, Emile was released in Bayou Segnette State Park by Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries to live out his days burrowing in the mud, foraging for food and determining which nomenclature he prefers, "crawfish", "crayfish" or "mudbug."

Local fisherman Mayor Sherbin Collette of Henderson, Louisiana, caught the crawfish which was selected to be spared from the boiling pot by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. Emile was then transported to the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans to receive his official pardon from Nungesser.

"With Louisiana crawfish representing more than 90% of the domestic U.S. crawfish supply, we felt it important to grant Emile his freedom before people around the country dig into their favorite crawfish dish or boil party. Emile is sure to enjoy his freedom in our beautiful State Park along Bayou Segnette," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

"We're expecting an abundant season this year and we're working around the clock to meet demand for boil seasonings," said Claude Davis, Zatarain's Principal Product Developer and Brand Ambassador. "Last year we provided enough boil products to flavor 151 million pounds of crawfish."

About Zatarain's

Since 1889, Zatarain's has been the authority on the fun and flavor of New Orleans. From its humble beginnings producing root beer extract, the company has grown to make more than 200 food products from Rice Dinner and Side Dish Mixes, Frozen Entrees, Pasta Mixes, Breadings, Seasonings and Spices to Seafood Boils, Creole Mustard and other products based on authentic New OrleansStyle recipes and seafood preparation. Now, people across the U.S. recognize that to capture the true flavor of New Orleans cuisine, you have to "Jazz It Up with Zatarain's." For information, recipes and Zatarain's online store, visit www.zatarains.com.

Zatarain's is one of McCormick & Company's (MKC) portfolio brands. As a global leader in flavor, McCormick has built a portfolio of leading flavor brands that enhance people's enjoyment of food all around the world. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick Brings Passion to Flavor.

SOURCE Zatarains

Related Links

http://www.zatarains.com


TRIPOLI, Libya, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

LPTIC, the Majority Shareholder in UTL, holding a 69% stake in UTL and ultimately owned by the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company, decided on Friday, 24 February 2017, to cease all further funding and investment in UTL. This was officially communicated to the Government of Uganda on Saturday, 25 February 2017.

The decision to cease funding was not made lightly. It followed 14 months of intense engagement with the Government of Uganda to seek to agree on the terms of a Transformation Business Plan for UTL, which included an indispensable funding offer from the Majority Shareholder. While these negotiations were ongoing, the Majority Shareholder continued to fund the substantial amount of working capital being incurred by UTL on a month-by-month basis. This was done to ensure that employee salaries and essential creditors could be paid and the business continue to operate in spite of making no sufficient operating profits partly due to the substantial amount of unpaid debt owed by the Government of Uganda for services provided to support the country's services and infrastructure.

Despite every effort by the Majority Shareholder to save UTL, and in addition to its readiness to fund the implementation of a Transformation Business Plan, it was not possible to conclude negotiations with the Government of Uganda. In straightforward terms, the process could not continue in the face of a protracted lack of substantive engagement from senior stakeholders within the Government of Uganda.

Therefore, given the institutional unwillingness of the Government of Uganda to commit to a transformation plan for UTL in addition to its lack of contributions, the Majority Shareholder, as a responsible investor ultimately accountable to its Libyan Government stakeholders, had no choice but to cease further funding of UTL.

Moving forward and notwithstanding the decision to discontinue funding UTL, the Majority Shareholder expects the Government of Uganda to fully comply with applicable laws and best practice concerning the protection of its investment interests in UTL, including with respect to its rights as UTL's largest creditor. As a Majority Shareholder, the Libyan Post, Telecommunications & IT Holding Company will contest any plans or efforts to undermine its position.

Contact:

Libyan Post, Telecommunications and IT Holding Company (LPTIC)

Media & PR Team

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.lptic.net

Telephone: +35622477500

SOURCE LPTIC
MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mahaffey Fabric Structures, the leading provider of temporary turnkey structures and shelter solutions in the United States, today announced the launch of Manhattan Matrix by Mahaffey, a unique 50-foot by 82-foot fully-enclosed special event structure with an all-glass front eave side that adds a sense of luxury, typically reserved for permanent installations. The fully-engineered structure will house large, high-end events and is on inaugural display at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas March 7-11, 2017.

Manhattan Matrix by Mahaffey, special event structure

"The Manhattan Matrix structure reflects a standard of excellence that mirrors our first-class clients' needs and expectations," said Victoria Mariencheck, special event project manager at Mahaffey. "This structure is different from anything we have ever offered, especially in the special event arena. Mahaffey has continued to grow and innovate throughout our more than 90 years in business, and this structure is a prime example of that."

At CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the Manhattan Matrix is being utilized by Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, a market leader in the design and manufacturing of mobile cranes. The company needed an innovative structure that provided ample space for hosting demonstrations during the event. Mahaffey installed a 4,100-square foot structure, customized to fit Link-Belt's needs, complete with a Biljax deck and plenty of space for branding.

"The Mahaffey team brought experience and confidence to our set-up," said Tonya Creasman, manager, marketing promotion at Link-Belt. "The building is beautiful and is a stand-out at the show. We wanted to create an inviting space, and Mahaffey went a long way to make that happen."

The Manhattan Matrix is a modular, completely customized structure, with a contemporary exterior look and feel. The structure is charcoal gray and built from 100 feet of frame and nearly 500 feet of glass. The Manhattan Matrix is also sound-proof, allowing no wind or outside noise to be heard from the inside. Additionally, the interior aluminum frame is not visible to exterior on-lookers.

This aesthetically-pleasing structure has an inviting appearance, drawing people in with its distinctive elements. Those elements include a sizable black vinyl panel, with the option for branding and other promotional opportunities. The Manhattan Matrix by Mahaffey will be used for corporate events, such as tech and auto shows, exhibitions, conventions, product launches, sporting events, fundraisers and corporate galas.

To learn more about this structure, visit www.mahaffeyusa.com/manhattan-matrix.

About CONEXPO-CON/AGG

CONEXPO-CON/AGG takes place every three years, where every major construction industry is represented among 2,500+ exhibitors over 2,500,000 square feet and more than 150 education sessions, including asphalt, aggregates, concrete, earth-moving, lifting, mining, utilities and more. For more information, visit www.conexpoconagg.com.

About Mahaffey Fabric Structures

Founded in 1924, Mahaffey Fabric Structures currently serves customers throughout North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond, installing as many as 400+ temporary structures in a typical year. This award-winning, innovative company simplifies the rental experience, as all planning, siting, permit gathering, installation and maintenance are performed by Mahaffey's highly-skilled, professional crews, so you can focus on the work at your site while we focus on the details of your structure. For more information, visit www.mahaffeyusa.com.

Media Contact:

Beth Wilson

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 901.278.3773

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Mahaffey Fabric Structures

Related Links

http://www.mahaffeyusa.com


WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report outlining the dangers to states and municipalities of the tax agreements some have been entering into with lodging behemoth Airbnb has been released today, Tuesday, March 7th. Tax administration expert Dan R. Bucks, who was Executive Director of the Multistate Tax Commission and ran the Montana Dept. of Revenue authored the study. The study was underwritten by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. In a conference call this afternoon, Bucks made the following statement:

"Having studied 12 of the 200 supposed 'voluntary tax agreements' Airbnb has entered into with states and localities - nearly all of which have been kept secret at Airbnb's demand  it is clear they are actually not tax agreements at all, and they do nothing to insure the right amount of tax will be collected."

"The agreements Airbnb is getting states and cities to sign do not require Airbnb to disclose all information relevant to its tax status, and they consciously shield with secrecy the identity and addresses of local lodging operators, or 'hosts' as Airbnb calls them. They do not contain actual tax information. In short, they do not do what normal tax agreements do."

"So, what are these agreements? They are, in truth, rules that grant special privileges to Airbnb and its lodging operations. They are rules because they cover multiple decisions - not just tax issues - sprawling across a range of policy and administrative issues by:

giving unjustified amnesty to Airbnb and its lodging operators,

granting broad tax and regulatory benefits to a large class of unidentified beneficiarieslodging operatorswho are not signatories of the agreements,

creating unusual and unprecedented limits on tax administrationespecially audits and information sharingthat are a radical departure from normal practices and undermine the proper accountability for taxes collected, reported and paid,

shielding in multiple layers of secrecy the identity and location of lodging operators to prevent the enforcement of tax and regulatory laws that affect public health and safety and the quality of community life, and

restricting the public, the media and other agencies from knowing about and participating in the public policy decisions made in these agreements."

"The Airbnb lodging most relevant are commercial-style facilities with one to several units where the operators do not live in them but rent them out full-time. This is not home-sharing. While home-sharing is often legal, commercial-style rentals more likely violate zoning or housing laws. Airbnb's revenue growth is shifting toward commercial-style lodging, so hiding these facilities from public agencies to keep them from being shut down for zoning or housing violations benefits Airbnb's revenues."

"It is a myth that Airbnb employs a special business model deserving special treatment. Airbnb uses an old model, well-known in taxation. Airbnb is a retailer working with lodging operators - their 'hosts' - who are wholesalers delivering the final product to the consumer. For tax purposes, states have designed dual reporting with a coordinated, single payment system to fit this model. There is nothing new here that justifies these agreements with their special features."

"The report analyzes the texts of 12 publicly released Airbnb agreements. There are reportedly 200 such agreements, most of which are being held secret for now. These 12 agreements do not contain anything confidential. Since Airbnb has sought similar agreements across the country, it is likely the bulk of the remaining agreements should also be released publicly."

The report calls upon agencies to stop signing Airbnb's deeply flawed agreements. The agreements provide unjustified and unprecedented favoritism for Airbnb and its lodging operators through a broad range of tax and regulatory handouts not available to other citizens and businesses. The gifts these agreements grant to Airbnb and its operators are unfair to other taxpayers, to lodging competitors and to citizens simply looking for a place to live.

"The agreements do not even guarantee that Airbnb's lodging tax payments will be full and accurate. Airbnb gets to keep its books and records secret from tax agencies and provide only anonymous data for tax auditorsdata that could be fact or fiction. These provisions insulate Airbnb from accountability for the taxes they pay. While there is no evidence of tax abusesonly a thorough, independent audit of books and records could determine that - and the agreements appear specifically designed to make audits impossible or as difficult as possible.

"As a final note, I would hope the press would consider independent action of its own to seek release of more of these agreements to the extent that they do not contain confidential information. We see no evidence that any of them appear to."

Dan Bucks has served as Director of the Montana Department of Revenue (2005-2013) and as Executive Director of the Multistate Tax Commission (1988-2004). Prior to that he held executive positions in both Montana and South Dakota state governments back to 1971. He currently serves as a revenue policy and administration consultant and is a contributor to State Tax Notes. A copy of the report is available:

https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/Airbnb_Tax_Agreement_Report_0.pdf

Contact:

Lisa Camooso Miller

703-336-9920 [email protected]

SOURCE American Hotel and Lodging Association
IRVINE, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wrapping up the fourth year of the Mazda Drive for Good program, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced it will donate more than $5.4 million to select charities across the United States in 2017, as a result of money raised during the 2016 Mazda Drive for Good event. In addition to the monetary donation, Mazda employees, dealers and partners across the nation have pledged over 67,500 hours of charitable service in 2017, as a result of vehicle test drives.

Mazda Raises More Than $5.4 Million for Charity Through Annual Mazda Drive for Good Event Mazda Raises More Than $5.4 Million for Charity Through Annual Mazda Drive for Good Event

"Being an active member in the community is an important aspect of who we are as a company and what the Mazda Drive for Good program stands for," said Masahiro Moro, president and CEO of MNAO. "Because of this, we are proud to not only support our national and local charity partners through donations, but to also provide extra hands to the local organizations that make a difference in their community each and every day."

Since its inception in 2012, Mazda Drive for Good has donated more than $18.4 million, and seen Mazda employees, dealers and partners deliver nearly 263,000 hours of charitable service.

The 2016 Mazda Drive for Good charitable event took place November 21, 2016 through January 3, 2017. For every new Mazda vehicle purchased or leased during that time, Mazda donated $150 to one of four national, or 42 local, charitiesultimately allowing the customer to choose where the money was directed. In addition to the monetary donation, Mazda pledged one hour of charitable service for every test drive of a new Mazda vehicle.

Over the last four years, Mazda has partnered with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and Mazda Foundation on a national level, allowing Mazda Dealer Marketing Groups across the country to partner with additional nonprofits that make an impact in their local community.

Through the Mazda Drive for Good program, Mazda employees and dealers remain committed to being an active members in their local communities throughout the year. Follow the conversation at #MazdaDrive4Good or MazdaUSA.com/Drive4Good.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through more than 600 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations

Related Links

http://www.mazdausa.com


CHICAGO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McGuffin Creative Group, Inc., a Chicago-based creative services firm, announced today it is now accepting applications for the 2017 McGuffin Grant. Now in its seventh year, the McGuffin Grant was created to provide creative strategies and design solutions to worthy 501(c)(3)s working to help people or the planet.

Applications for the 2017 grant are available at mcguffincg.com/grant and must be submitted by Tuesday, April 18.

Launched in 2011, the McGuffin Grant gives one nonprofit recipient per year the expertise and guidance of McGuffin Creative Group's team of designers, copywriters and account executives, totaling $25,000 worth of work. The scope of that work is defined by the client's needs and goals, whether they include building a more compelling brand, launching a fundraising campaign or raising awareness.

"Year after year, the grant is one of our agency's most rewarding and enjoyable projects," says McGuffin Creative Group President Chris Sculles. "We're passionate brand storytellers, and working with organizations that are equally passionate for their causes is resolutely uplifting."

The 2016 McGuffin Grant was awarded to Purple Asparagus, an organization fighting increasingly high rates of childhood obesity and metabolic disorders in Chicago through elementary school programs. Learn more about past grant recipients here.

Founded in 2004 and located in Chicago's West Loop, McGuffin Creative Group provides creative services and marketing consulting for clients including BMO Harris Bank, Cars.com, Allstate and more.

For more information, contact:

Nick Orlandi

[email protected]

312.715.9812 ext. 216

SOURCE McGuffin Creative Group

Related Links

http://www.mcguffincg.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: Overview

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04760060-summary/view-report.html

This report provides forecast and analysis of the medical microbiology testing technologies market on the global and regional levels. It provides historical data of 2015 along with forecast from 2016 to 2024 in terms of revenue (US$ Mn). The report also includes macroeconomic indicators along with an outlook on medical microbiology testing technologies globally. It includes drivers and restraints of the medical microbiology testing technologies market and their impact on each region during the forecast period. The report also comprises the study of current issue and opportunities for medical microbiology testing manufacturers.

In order to provide users of this report with comprehensive view of the market, we have included detailed competitiveness analysis and company players. The dashboard provides detailed comparison of medical microbiology testing manufacturers on parameters such as operating margin, unique selling propositions, collective market share, and geographic concentration. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, by indication, type, technology type, application type, end user type and region.

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: Segmentation

The report includes usage of Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies and the revenue generated from sales of medical microbiology testing technologies in all regions and important countries in these regions. By indication, the global medical microbiology testing technologies market has been segmented into respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, infectious diseases and others. By technology, the market is segmented into Cell Culture, Microscopy and Serology. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into Diagnostic and Treatment Monitoring. On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into Hospital Labs, Pathology Labs, Research Institutes and others.

Market numbers have been estimated based on average consumption and weighted average pricing of medical microbiology testing technologies and the revenue is derived through regional pricing trends and the epidemiology of specific diseases. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets. The Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market has been analyzed based on expected demand. All key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents. Regional demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies in different regions. Top down approach has been used to estimate the Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market by regions. Market numbers for indication, technology, application, and end user segments have been derived using the top-down approach, which is cumulative of each region's demand. Company-level market share has been derived on the basis of revenues reported by key manufacturers. The market has been forecast based on constant currency rates.

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: Competitive Landscape

A number of primary and secondary sources were consulted during the course of the study. Secondary sources include FACTIVA, NCBI, Google Books, company websites, journals, press releases, Morningstar, Hoover's, and company annual reports and publications.

The report provides detailed competitive and company profiles of key participants operating in the global market. Key players in the global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market include Agilent Technologies Inc., Becton, Dickinson & Company, Beckman Coulter Inc. (A Danaher Company), Biomerieux SA, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Roche Holding AG, among others.

The market has been segmented as below:

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By Indication

Respiratory Diseases

Neurological Diseases

Infectious Diseases

Others

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By Technology

Cell Culture

Microscopy

Serology

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By Application

Diagnostic

Treatment Monitoring

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By End User

Hospital Labs

Pathology Labs

Research Institutes

Others

Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By Region

North America

U.S.

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Europe

Germany

UK

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC)

China

India

Japan

Australia

New Zealand

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Saudi Arabia

UAE

RSA

Rest of MEA

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04760060-summary/view-report.html

About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

http://www.reportlinker.com

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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LONDON, March. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- milk powder dates back to the 13th century when the Italian explorer Marco Polo found out that the Mongolians dried the skimmed milk under the sun. Since milk is a highly perishable commodity and requires high maintenance and transportation costs, converting milk into milk powder seems like a more feasible option these days. Thus, ever since its discovery, milk powder manufacturing has slowly advanced to a large scale industrial manufacturing. Powdered milk offers many advantages over fluid milk. It has an extended shelf life and thus can be stored for extended periods of time without any substantial loss of quality. The easy transportation and low distribution costs make powdered milk accessible in regions where the penetration of milk is negligible. Although the milk powder market is experiencing a moderate growth due to a growing awareness about UHT Milk, strong growth in emerging markets and stable growth in end user industries is expected to drive its demand in the next five years.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4715171/





IMARC's latest study "Milk Powder Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2017-2022" has provided a comprehensive analysis of the global milk powder market. Further, the report segments this market on the basis of types of milk powder, mainly Whole milk powder (WMP) and Skimmed milk powder (SMP). Region wise, the European Union represented the biggest producer of milk powder in 2016. In terms of consumption, China represented the world's biggest consumer of milk powder accounting for nearly 32% of the global consumption.



This report provides a techno-commercial roadmap for setting up a milk powder processing plant. The study, which has been done by one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, covers all the requisite aspects of the milk powder market. This ranges from a macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, processing and manufacturing requirements, project cost, project funding, project economics, expected returns on investment, profit margins, etc. This report is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the milk powder industry in any manner.



Key Questions Answered in This Report?

How has the global milk market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets in the global milk industry?

How has the global milk powder market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets in the global milk powder industry?

What are the key product types in the global milk powder industry?

What are the price trends of milk powder?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the milk powder industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the milk powder industry?

What is the structure of the milk powder industry and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the milk powder industry?

What are the profit margins in the milk powder industry?

What are the key requirements for setting up a milk powder manufacturing plant?

How is milk powder manufactured?

What are the various unit operations involved in a milk powder plant?

What is the total size of land required for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the machinery requirements for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the raw material requirements for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the packaging requirements for milk powder?

What are the transportation requirements for milk powder?

What are the utility requirements for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the manpower requirements for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the infrastructure costs for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the capital costs for setting up a milk powder plant?

What are the operating costs for setting up a milk powder plant?

What will be the income and expenditures for a milk powder plant?

What is the time required to break-even?

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4715171/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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The property is conveniently situated close to major thoroughfares, such as Southwest Boulevard and Interstate 20, and provides easy access to downtown Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport via the Chisholm Trail Parkway and upcoming TEXRail commuter rail line. It is also within close proximity to some of the region's most notable employers and attractions, including Ridgmar Mall, Ridglea Country Club, South Z Boaz Park and Benbrook Lake.

Napali Capital's acquisition of The Monterrey Apartments & Townhomes is part of its long-term strategy to grow its portfolio and strengthen its focus on creating passive income streams for its investors. MPF Research reveals occupancy in Fort Worth in Q3 of 2016 reached an all-time high of 96.3 percent, reflecting underlying market strength. Rising demand levels were due in part to strong job growth in the region. In 2016, Forbes Magazine ranked Dallas as third in its America's Fastest-Growing Cities list.

Co-founder and Managing Partner of Napali Capital, Thomas Black, MD, said: "We are thrilled to have closed this investment offering in Fort Worth, Texas. This offering will deliver solid double-digit returns to our investors. We will begin immediately implementing our business plan, which will improve operating performance and grow rental income."

Founded in 2016 by Thomas and Timothy Black, Napali Capital, LLC, owns nearly $50 million in multifamily real estate in Texas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The company acquires real estate to generate passive income for its investors. Co-founder and Managing Partner Thomas Black is a board certified ER Physician, Blogger, Public Speaker and Author. You can read about him at FreedomintheBlack.com and his LinkedIn profile Thomas Black MD. He is releasing a book, entitled The Passive Income Physician, in early April.

Media Contact:

Timothy Black

1-608-216-6638

[email protected]

SOURCE Napali Capital, LLC

Related Links

http://www.napalicap.com


ST. LOUIS, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- National Medical Billing Services, a national healthcare revenue cycle management company that specializes in servicing ambulatory surgery centers and their affiliated surgeons, today announced that it has been recognized by both Becker's Hospital Review and the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the best places to work in 2017.

For the fourth straight year, National Medical Billing Services has been named to the Becker's Hospital Review "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare 2017" list. The national publication provides business, legal and analytical information for the hospital industry. Their annual list features both U.S. healthcare provider organizations, such as hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgical centers and home health agencies, as well as other types of healthcare-specific companies, like consulting firms, health IT vendors, medical societies and more. Winners were determined by evaluating benefit offerings, wellness initiatives, and efforts to improve professional development, diversity and inclusion, work-life balance and a sense of community among employees.

"Our most critical asset is undoubtedly our people, and we are elated and honored to, once again, be recognized as a world class employer among other great healthcare organizations such as The Cleveland Clinic, DaVita Healthcare Partners, Mayo Clinic, Cardinal Health, Massachusetts General Hospital and Stryker, among others," said Nader Samii, CEO of National Medical Billing Services.

National Medical Billing Services is committed to attracting and developing employees in line with the company's core values: bringing highly passionate people together under a common cause, working extremely hard, improving continuously, delivering excellence to our clients  and having a blast every day.

"Our primary focus at National Medical is to foster an environment that encourages everyone to utilize their passion, innovation and integrity so that we bring the best to each other and our clients," said Lisa Rock, president of National Medical Billing Services. "We strive to maintain mutual respect and teamwork throughout the entire organization, and the success of National Medical is a direct result of the caliber of our people."

On a local level, the St. Louis Business Journal also named National Medical Billing Services to their "2017 Best Places to Work" list. This recognition is based solely on employee feedback, and places National Medical alongside other prominent St. Louis employers such as Mastercard, Monsanto Co. and Northwestern Mutual.

"This recognition is held in extremely high regard, because it was voted on by our employees," Samii said, "We pride ourselves on our company culture where everyone is encouraged to have a collaborative spirit, bring forward new ideas and understand their role is essential to the prosperity of our organization."

The organization has also been recognized on multiple occasions as a Top 100 Global Outsourcing Company, as published by Fortune magazine, a "Top-Workplace" recipient in 2015 and 2016 by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Award for a Top Rated CEO. In addition, Lisa Rock was named as one of St. Louis Business Journal's Most Influential Business Women in 2016.

About National Medical Billing Services

National Medical Billing Services is a national healthcare revenue cycle management company with a sophisticated, boutique-like approach to operational delivery and client service. The company focuses solely on servicing ambulatory surgery centers and their affiliated surgeons. National Medical's team of professionals consults with ASCs and their surgeons to aid them in maximizing revenue while adapting to and overcoming industry challenges and changes. National Medical also provides its clients with industry insights, education and data analytics to enable them in rendering the best business decisions possible.

For additional information, visit www.nationalASCbilling.com.

SOURCE National Medical Billing Services

Related Links

http://www.nationalascbilling.com


LISLE, Ill., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) today announced a first quarter 2017 net loss of $62 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared to a first quarter 2016 net loss of $33 million, or $0.40 per diluted share. Revenues in the quarter were $1.7 billion, a decline of six percent compared to $1.8 billion in the first quarter last year. The decrease primarily reflects lower truck volumes due to soft Class 8 heavy industry conditions and lower global sales.

First quarter 2017 EBITDA was $63 million, compared to first quarter 2016 EBITDA of $82 million. This year's first quarter EBITDA included favorable net adjustments of $8 million, primarily resulting from a reversal of pre-existing warranty accruals. Excluding this benefit, adjusted first quarter 2017 EBITDA was $55 million.

"Our results are on track with our plan for the year, and demonstrate our ability to effectively manage costs at a time of persistent Class 8 industry headwinds," said Troy A. Clarke, chairman, president and CEO. "Our order share continues to outpace our market share, which confirms our confidence in the retail share improvement to come. At the same time, we are rolling out a steady stream of new product introductions that are helping us generate new sales opportunities, and position us to take advantage of the anticipated Class 8 rebound in the second half."

Navistar finished the first quarter 2017 with $771 million in consolidated cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and $697 million in manufacturing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The company took advantage of strong conditions in the capital markets and generated greater financial flexibility through a $250 million senior note tack-on in the first quarter, while also completing a transaction in February to re-price its existing term loan in order to lower future interest expense.

The company made progress in all three areas of its business strategy -- driving operational excellence, growing the core business and building new sources of revenue.

In the first quarter, Navistar began customer deliveries of its new International LT Series Class 8, long-haul truck featuring advanced technologies that deliver unrivaled fuel efficiency, best-in-class uptime and unparalleled driver appeal. The company continued its cadence of new product offerings with the unveiling last week of its new International A26 engine, which it expects will be the catalyst that drives improved share in the 13-liter segment, when it is launched mid-year in the LT Series. Built from the proven MAN D26 engine platform, this new 12.4-liter engine is designed to deliver superior fuel efficiency and provide industry-leading uptime.

Navistar plans to continue to introduce new products every four to six months through the end of 2018, refreshing its entire product portfolio, while also expanding it with its re-entry into Class 4/5 vehicles through its collaboration with General Motors. Last month, the company went into production on its other major project with this automaker, when it began manufacturing General Motors' cutaway G van at its Springfield, Ohio plant. In addition to generating additional revenues, it will also help enhance the company's manufacturing capacity utilization.

Another major growth opportunity is OnCommand Connection, Navistar's industry-leading telematics system, which surpassed 270,000 subscribers at the end of February, and continues to add new features and services.

Navistar announced last week the closing of its wide-ranging strategic alliance with Volkswagen Truck & Bus, which included a $256 million equity investment in Navistar by that company and the creation of a procurement joint venture and a strategic technology and supply collaboration, both of which are already up and running. The company reiterated it expects the alliance to be accretive beginning in the first full year, and for cumulative synergies for Navistar to ramp up to at least $500 million over the first five years. By year five, it expects the alliance will generate annual synergies of at least $200 million, and for the annual run rate to grow materially thereafter.

"Now that the transaction has closed, we can start collaborating with Volkswagen Truck & Bus to increase our global scale, strengthen our competitiveness, and provide our customers with expanded access to cutting-edge products, technology and services," Clarke said. "This marks an exciting new chapter in Navistar's history, and another step in our journey to becoming a stronger, more profitable company."

The company reiterated and updated its 2017 guidance:

Retail deliveries of Class 6-8 trucks and buses in the United States and Canada are forecast to be in the range of 305,000 units to 335,000 units for fiscal year 2017.

and are forecast to be in the range of 305,000 units to 335,000 units for fiscal year 2017. Full-year 2017 revenues are expected to be similar to 2016.

Full-year 2017 adjusted EBITDA is expected to be higher than 2016.

Fiscal year end 2017 manufacturing cash is now expected to be about $1 billion , including the capital injection from Volkswagen Truck & Bus and a $250 million senior note tack-on completed in the first quarter 2017.

SEGMENT REVIEW

Summary of Financial Results:



(Unaudited)

Quarters Ended

January 31, (in millions, except per share data) 2017

2016 Sales and revenues, net $ 1,663



$ 1,765

Segment Results:





Truck $ (69)



$ (51)

Parts 149



150

Global Operations (4)



(13)

Financial Services 13



26

Net loss(A) (62)



(33)

Diluted loss per share(A) $ (0.76)



$ (0.40)







__________________ (A) Amounts attributable to Navistar International Corporation.

Truck Segment  Truck segment first quarter 2017 net sales decreased $105 million, or nine percent, primarily due to lower Core (Class 6-8 trucks and buses in the United States and Canada) truck volumes as a result of softer industry conditions, the end of CAT-branded units sold to Caterpillar, and the sale of Pure Power Technologies, both of which occurred in the second quarter of 2016.

The Truck segment loss increased to $69 million in the first quarter 2017 versus a loss of $51 million in the same period one year ago. This was primarily driven by market pressures, the impact of lower Core market volumes, and a decrease in other income due to the receipt of a one-time fee from a third party last year, partially offset by lower used truck losses, improved material costs and lower adjustments to pre-existing warranties.

Parts Segment  In the first quarter of 2017, the Parts segment net sales were comparable to the prior year primarily due to higher U.S. and Canada parts sales related to Fleetrite brand and remanufactured parts sales, offset by lower volumes in export and Mexico.

Global Operations Segment  In the first quarter of 2017, the Global Operations segment net sales decreased $42 million, or 46 percent, driven by lower volumes in its South America engine operations. Engine volumes declined 69% compared to the prior year period, due to the end of a customer contract early in the second quarter 2016 and as a result of the ongoing economic downturn in the Brazilian economy. The decrease in volume was partially offset by favorable movements in foreign currency exchange rates, as the average conversion rate of the Brazilian real to the U.S. dollar has strengthened by 15%.

For the first quarter 2017, the Global Operations segment results improved by $9 million, or 69 percent, to a loss of $4 million, primarily due to lower manufacturing and SG&A costs as a result of prior year restructuring and cost reduction efforts, as well as the favorable impact of a one-time benefit recognized as an adjustment to pre-existing warranties.

Financial Services Segment  In the first quarter of 2017, the Financial Services segment net revenues decreased by $5 million, or eight percent. The decrease is primarily driven by lower overall finance receivable balances and unfavorable movements in foreign currency exchange rates impacting its Mexican portfolio, partially offset by higher revenues from operating leases.

The Financial Services segment profit decreased by $13 million, or 50 percent. The decrease is primarily driven by lower interest margins, a decline in other revenue due to lower interest income from certain intercompany loans and an increase in the provision for loan losses in Mexico.

About Navistar

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial and military trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Information provided and statements contained in this report that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this report and the company assumes no obligation to update the information included in this report. Such forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, including the results of our alliance with Volkswagen Truck & Bus and descriptions of our business strategy. These statements often include words such as believe, expect, anticipate, intend, plan, estimate, or similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of performance or results and they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. For a further description of these factors, see the risk factors set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are many factors that could affect our actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. All future written and oral forward-looking statements by us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to above. Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information as required by the federal securities laws, we do not have any obligations or intention to release publicly any revisions to any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances in the future or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Navistar International Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations



(Unaudited)

Quarters Ended January

31, (in millions, except per share data) 2017

2016 Sales and revenues





Sales of manufactured products, net $ 1,629



$ 1,730

Finance revenues 34



35

Sales and revenues, net 1,663



1,765

Costs and expenses





Costs of products sold 1,370



1,466

Restructuring charges 7



3

Asset impairment charges 2



2

Selling, general and administrative expenses 200



205

Engineering and product development costs 63



58

Interest expense 82



81

Other income, net (8)



(22)

Total costs and expenses 1,716



1,793

Equity in income (loss) of non-consolidated affiliates 3



(1)

Loss before income tax (50)



(29)

Income tax benefit (expense) (4)



5

Net loss (54)



(24)

Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests 8



9

Net loss attributable to Navistar International Corporation $ (62)



$ (33)









Loss per share attributable to Navistar International Corporation:





Basic $ (0.76)



$ (0.40)

Diluted $ (0.76)



$ (0.40)









Weighted average shares outstanding:





Basic 81.8



81.7

Diluted 81.8



81.7



Navistar International Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets











January 31,

October 31, (in millions, except per share data) 2017

2016 ASSETS (Unaudited)



Current assets





Cash and cash equivalents $ 573



$ 804

Restricted cash and cash equivalents 49



64

Marketable securities 198



46

Trade and other receivables, net 262



276

Finance receivables, net 1,161



1,457

Inventories, net 1,022



944

Other current assets 184



168

Total current assets 3,449



3,759

Restricted cash 48



48

Trade and other receivables, net 17



16

Finance receivables, net 202



220

Investments in non-consolidated affiliates 53



53

Property and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $2,566 and $2,553, respectively) 1,290



1,241

Goodwill 38



38

Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $140 and $136, respectively) 50



53

Deferred taxes, net 162



161

Other noncurrent assets 85



64

Total assets $ 5,394



$ 5,653

LIABILITIES and STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT





Liabilities





Current liabilities





Notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt $ 589



$ 907

Accounts payable 1,046



1,113

Other current liabilities 1,131



1,183

Total current liabilities 2,766



3,203

Long-term debt 4,276



3,997

Postretirement benefits liabilities 2,990



3,023

Other noncurrent liabilities 691



723

Total liabilities 10,723



10,946

Stockholders' deficit





Series D convertible junior preference stock 2



2

Common stock, $0.10 par value per share (86.8 shares issued and 220 shares authorized at both dates) 9



9

Additional paid-in capital 2,496



2,499

Accumulated deficit (5,025)



(4,963)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,617)



(2,640)

Common stock held in treasury, at cost (5.1 and 5.2 shares, respectively) (198)



(205)

Total stockholders' deficit attributable to Navistar International Corporation (5,333)



(5,298)

Stockholders' equity attributable to non-controlling interests 4



5

Total stockholders' deficit (5,329)



(5,293)

Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit $ 5,394



$ 5,653



Navistar International Corporation and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows



(Unaudited)

Quarters Ended

January 31, (in millions) 2017

2016 Cash flows from operating activities





Net loss $ (54)



$ (24)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:





Depreciation and amortization 37



39

Depreciation of equipment leased to others 22



19

Deferred taxes, including change in valuation allowance 



(18)

Asset impairment charges 2



2

Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount 10



9

Stock-based compensation 7



1

Provision for doubtful accounts, net of recoveries 4



2

Equity in loss of non-consolidated affiliates, net of dividends 3



1

Other non-cash operating activities (3)



(5)

Changes in other assets and liabilities, exclusive of the effects of businesses disposed (6)



(128)

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 22



(102)

Cash flows from investing activities





Purchases of marketable securities (212)



(117)

Sales of marketable securities 59



115

Maturities of marketable securities 1



9

Net change in restricted cash and cash equivalents 15



(1)

Capital expenditures (46)



(29)

Purchases of equipment leased to others (24)



(49)

Proceeds from sales of property and equipment 2



14

Investments in non-consolidated affiliates (2)



(1)

Net cash used in investing activities (207)



(59)

Cash flows from financing activities





Proceeds from issuance of securitized debt 5



50

Principal payments on securitized debt (27)



(8)

Net change in secured revolving credit facilities (79)



(108)

Proceeds from issuance of non-securitized debt 298



42

Principal payments on non-securitized debt (200)



(77)

Net change in notes and debt outstanding under revolving credit facilities (48)



(70)

Principal payments under financing arrangements and capital lease obligations 



(1)

Debt issuance costs (5)



(1)

Proceeds from financed lease obligations 8



7

Proceeds from exercise of stock options 3





Dividends paid by subsidiaries to non-controlling interest (8)



(10)

Other financing activities 



1

Net cash used in financing activities (53)



(175)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 7



3

Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (231)



(333)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period 804



912

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period $ 573



$ 579



Navistar International Corporation and Subsidiaries

Segment Reporting

(Unaudited)

We define segment profit (loss) as net income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Navistar International Corporation, excluding income tax expense. The following tables present selected financial information for our reporting segments:

(in millions) Truck

Parts

Global

Operations

Financial

Services(A)

Corporate

and

Eliminations

Total Three Months Ended January 31, 2017





















External sales and revenues, net $ 1,017



$ 563



$ 46



$ 34



$ 3



$ 1,663

Intersegment sales and revenues 10



7



4



20



(41)





Total sales and revenues, net $ 1,027



$ 570



$ 50



$ 54



$ (38)



$ 1,663

Income (loss) attributable to NIC, net of tax $ (69)



$ 149



$ (4)



$ 13



$ (151)



$ (62)

Income tax expense 















(4)



(4)

Segment profit (loss) $ (69)



$ 149



$ (4)



$ 13



$ (147)



$ (58)

Depreciation and amortization $ 37



$ 3



$ 3



$ 13



$ 3



$ 59

Interest expense 











20



62



82

Equity in income of non-consolidated affiliates 1



1



1











3

Capital expenditures(B) 43







1







2



46

























(in millions) Truck

Parts

Global

Operations

Financial

Services(A)

Corporate

and

Eliminations

Total Three Months Ended January 31, 2016





















External sales and revenues, net $ 1,081



$ 562



$ 84



$ 35



$ 3



$ 1,765

Intersegment sales and revenues 51



8



8



24



(91)





Total sales and revenues, net $ 1,132



$ 570



$ 92



$ 59



$ (88)



$ 1,765

Income (loss) attributable to NIC, net of tax $ (51)



$ 150



$ (13)



$ 26



$ (145)



$ (33)

Income tax benefit 















5



5

Segment profit (loss) $ (51)



$ 150



$ (13)



$ 26



$ (150)



$ (38)

Depreciation and amortization $ 34



$ 3



$ 5



$ 12



$ 4



$ 58

Interest expense 











19



62



81

Equity in income (loss) of non-consolidated affiliates 1



1



(3)











(1)

Capital expenditures(B) 25



1



1







2



29

























(in millions) Truck

Parts

Global

Operations

Financial

Services

Corporate

and

Eliminations

Total Segment assets, as of:





















January 31, 2017 $ 1,694



$ 605



$ 354



$ 1,789



$ 952



$ 5,394

October 31, 2016 1,520



594



407



2,116



1,016



5,653





_______________________ (A) Total sales and revenues in the Financial Services segment include interest revenues of $36 million and $42 million for the three months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. (B) Exclusive of purchases of equipment leased to others.

SEC Regulation G Non-GAAP Reconciliation

The financial measures presented below are unaudited and not in accordance with, or an alternative for, financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). The non-GAAP financial information presented herein should be considered supplemental to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and are reconciled to the most appropriate GAAP number below.

Earnings (loss) Before Interest, Income Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization ("EBITDA"):

We define EBITDA as our consolidated net income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Navistar International Corporation, net of tax, plus manufacturing interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. We believe EBITDA provides meaningful information to the performance of our business and therefore we use it to supplement our GAAP reporting. We have chosen to provide this supplemental information to investors, analysts and other interested parties to enable them to perform additional analyses of operating results.

Adjusted EBITDA:

We believe that adjusted EBITDA, which excludes certain identified items that we do not consider to be part of our ongoing business, improves the comparability of year to year results, and is representative of our underlying performance. Management uses this information to assess and measure the performance of our operating segments. We have chosen to provide this supplemental information to investors, analysts and other interested parties to enable them to perform additional analyses of operating results, to illustrate the results of operations giving effect to the non-GAAP adjustments shown in the below reconciliations, and to provide an additional measure of performance.

Manufacturing Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities:

Manufacturing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities represents the Company's consolidated cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities excluding cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of our financial services operations. We include marketable securities with our cash and cash equivalents when assessing our liquidity position as our investments are highly liquid in nature. We have chosen to provide this supplemental information to investors, analysts and other interested parties to enable them to perform additional analyses of our ability to meet our operating requirements, capital expenditures, equity investments, and financial obligations.

Structural costs consists of Selling, general and administrative expenses and Engineering and product development costs.

EBITDA reconciliation:





(Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended

January 31, (in millions) 2017

2016 Loss attributable to NIC, net of tax $ (62)



$ (33)

Plus:





Depreciation and amortization expense 59



58

Manufacturing interest expense(A) 62



62

Less:





Income tax benefit (expense) (4)



5

EBITDA $ 63



$ 82





___________________ (A) Manufacturing interest expense is the net interest expense primarily generated for borrowings that support the manufacturing and corporate operations, adjusted to eliminate intercompany interest expense with our Financial Services segment. The following table reconciles Manufacturing interest expense to the consolidated interest expense:



(Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended

January 31, (in millions) 2017

2016 Interest expense $ 82



$ 81

Less: Financial services interest expense 20



19

Manufacturing interest expense $ 62



$ 62



Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation:





(Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended

January 31, (in millions) 2017

2016 EBITDA (reconciled above) $ 63



$ 82

Less significant items of:





Adjustments to pre-existing warranties(A) (17)



5

North America asset impairment charges(B) 2



2

Restructuring of North American manufacturing operations(C) 7





Cost reduction and other strategic initiatives 



3

One-time fee received(D) 



(15)

Total adjustments (8)



(5)









Adjusted EBITDA $ 55



$ 77





________________________ (A) Adjustments to pre-existing warranties reflect changes in our estimate of warranty costs for products sold in prior periods. Such adjustments typically occur when claims experience deviates from historic and expected trends. Our warranty liability is generally affected by component failure rates, repair costs, and the timing of failures. Future events and circumstances related to these factors could materially change our estimates and require adjustments to our liability. In addition, new product launches require a greater use of judgment in developing estimates until historical experience becomes available. (B) During the first quarter of 2017, we recorded $2 million of asset impairment charges relating to certain operating leases. During the first quarter of 2016, we recorded $2 million of asset impairment charges relating to certain long lived assets. (C) During the first quarter of 2017, we recorded $7 million of restructuring charges related to the 2011 closure of our Chatham, Ontario plant. (D) During the first quarter of 2016, we received a $15 million one-time fee from a third party which was recognized in Other income, net.

Manufacturing segment cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities reconciliation:





As of January 31, 2017 (in millions) Manufacturing

Operations

Financial

Services

Operations

Consolidated

Balance Sheet Assets









Cash and cash equivalents $ 506



$ 67



$ 573

Marketable securities 191



7



198

Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities $ 697



$ 74



$ 771



SOURCE Navistar International Corporation

Related Links

http://www.navistar.com


LINCOLN, Neb., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoweapons just might render humanity extinct in the near futurea notion that is frightening and shocking, but also more likely as the technology advances. In Nanoweapons: A Growing Threat to Humanity, the first book about this new class of weapons, Louis A. Del Monte describes the most deadly generation of military weapons the world has ever encountered. With dimensions one-thousandth the diameter of a single strand of human hair, this technology threatens to eradicate humanity as it incites world governments to compete in the deadliest arms race ever.

Louis A. Del Monte Louis A. Del Monte

"Nanoweapons opens the cloak of secrecy on the developing area of nanotechnologies and how societies may use them in the future for good and evil," said Tamara Bratland, engineer for a Fortune 500 medical device company. "A very captivating topic."

In his insightful and prescient account of this risky and radical technology, Del Monte predicts that nanoweapons will dominate the battlefield of the future and may ultimately prove more problematic than nuclear weapons. He traces the emergence of nanotechnology, discusses the current development of nanoweaponssuch as the "mini-nuke," which weighs five pounds and carries the power of one hundred tons of TNTand offers concrete recommendations, founded in historical precedent, for controlling their proliferation and avoiding human annihilation. Most critically, Nanoweapons addresses the question: Will it be possible to develop, deploy, and use nanoweapons in warfare without rendering humanity extinct?

Louis A. Del Monte is an award-winning physicist, featured speaker, and the chief executive officer of Del Monte and Associates, Inc. During his thirty-year career as a physicist and business executive at IBM and Honeywell, he led the development of microelectronics and sensors and developed patents fundamental to the fabrication of integrated circuits. He is the author of The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Us or Replace Us? and How to Time Travel: Explore the Science, Paradoxes, and Evidence.

Mr. Del Monte is available for interviews (952-261-4532, [email protected]).

For more about the book, please visit: http://www.louisdelmonte.com/nanoweapons-a-growing-threat-to-humanity-2

About the University of Nebraska Press: Founded in 1941, the University of Nebraska Press is a nonprofit scholarly and general interest press that publishes 150 new titles annually under the Nebraska, Bison Books, and Potomac Book imprints, and in partnership with the Jewish Publication Society, along with nearly 30 journals. As the largest and most diversified press between Chicago and California, with more than 3,000 books in print, the University of Nebraska Press is best known for publishing works in Native studies, history, sports, anthropology, and geography, American studies and cultural criticism, and creative works. For more information, visit nebraskapress.unl.edu.

CONTACT:

Tayler Lord, Publicist

402-472-3632

[email protected]

SOURCE University of Nebraska Press
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman, a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager, announced that eight of the firm's wealth advisors were named among Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors". The annual state-by-state list includes three of the firm's wealth advisors ranked among the top ten in their state: Rick Szelc of Texas, Brian Hahn of Illinois, and Seth Finkel of New York.

Mr. Szelc, a Dallas-based managing director at Neuberger Berman, who heads a wealth advisory team with $1.7 billion in client assets, was ranked #1 in the state of Texas for the second year in a row. Having joined Neuberger Berman in 2000, Mr. Szelc works closely with high-net-worth clients to create bespoke investment solutions. A member of the Barron's "Top 100 Financial Advisors" in America, Mr. Szelc applies his investment banking background and global perspective to help guide his clients through shifting investment landscapes. A graduate of Lawrence Technological University, he holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Hahn jumped three spots to #5 from #8 in Illinois on the Barron's list. Mr. Hahn and his team, with $1.6 billion in client assets, specialize in the design and implementation of comprehensive investment solutions for private clients, integrating a detailed understanding of each client's overall tax, estate, and wealth planning needs. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Kansas State University and a Master's in International Business from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he attended as a Rotary International Scholar. Mr. Hahn has been named by Barron's as one of the "Top 100 Financial Advisors" in America.

The New York-based Mr. Finkel, a managing director at Neuberger Berman, ranked #10 by Barron's in the state for the second year in a row. He heads a wealth advisory team with $2.5 billion in client assets. Mr. Finkel has been with Neuberger Berman since 1990 and focuses on high-net-worth individuals, closely held businesses, fiduciaries, and not-for-profit organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University, a JD from Fordham University School of Law, and an LLM in Tax from the New York University School of Law. He also appears on the Barron's "Top 100 Financial Advisors" in America.

Also on this year's Barron's Top 1,200 list were the following Neuberger Berman advisors: Tripp Taylor in California; and Peter Arbes, Virginia Guy, Holly Newman Kroft, and William Peterson in New York. 2017 is the third consecutive year being named to this list for all of these advisors.

"We are honored that many of our advisors are ranked among the top again this year. Our consistent inclusion in this list demonstrates our extreme focus on client service," said Kenneth Rende, Head of Wealth Management at Neuberger Berman. "We're proud to have advisors across four states represented in the top ranks, and thrilled that we are able to serve a diverse group of clients across the country." Barron's used a number of factors to determine the state-by-state rankings including: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages equities, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund portfolios for institutions and advisors worldwide. With offices in 19 countries, Neuberger Berman's team is more than 1,900 professionals and the company has been named by Pensions & Investments as a Best Place to Work in Money Management for four consecutive years. Tenured, stable and long-term in focus, the firm fosters an investment culture of fundamental research and independent thinking. It manages $255 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2016. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

Information Regarding Barron's Rankings

Barron's rankings are based on a proprietary formula that has three major components: assets managed, revenues produced and quality of practice. Investment returns are not a component of rankings as returns are dictated largely by the risk tolerances of clients. Third-party accolades referenced do not reflect the experiences of any Neuberger Berman client and readers should not view such information as representative of any particular client's experience or assume that they will have a similar investment experience as any previous or existing client. Third-party accolades are not indicative of the past or future performance of any Neuberger Berman product or service.

All information is as of December 31, 2016 unless otherwise indicated and is subject to change without notice. Firm data, including employee and assets under management figures, reflects collective data for the various affiliated investment advisers that are subsidiaries of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. Firm history dates back to the 1939 founding of Neuberger & Berman (the predecessor to Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC).

This material is being issued on a limited basis through various global subsidiaries and affiliates of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. Please visit www.nb.com/disclosure-global-communications for the specific entities and jurisdictional limitations and restrictions.

The "Neuberger Berman" name and logo are registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Group LLC.



 2017 Neuberger Berman Group BD LLC. All rights reserved.

Media Contact: Alex Samuelson, 212 476 5392, [email protected]

SOURCE Neuberger Berman

Related Links

http://www.nb.com


WILMINGTON, Del., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TMM, Inc. (http://www.tmmi.us) (OTC PNK: TMMI) ("TMMI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has received the ruling by Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court denying over $867,000 in legal fees sought by defendants Dimension, Inc. et al. Trial Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez further ruled that TMMI's defenses against Dimension were non-frivolous.

TMMI initially brought suit against Dimension in 2013 for misappropriation of one iteration of TMMI's original fractal-based code. As the original and leader in fractal video technology, TMMI engaged in this litigation to protect its shareholders and its assets.

The technical program in the dispute pertained to TMMI's 1993 fractal based PVS/SGI compression technology. The PVS was specifically built to work with IBM's main frame computers of that day and the SGI was designed to work with Silicon Graphics Incorporated 1993 work stations. TMMI no longer found the PVS/SGI technology to be commercially viable and voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Dimension in January 2016.

Subsequently, Dimension filed twelve counter claims. TMMI defeated ten of these claims on Summary Judgment, Dimension voluntarily dismissed one of their claims, and the last claim was resolved in a declaratory ruling in November, 2016 whereby Dimension would have rights to the PVS/SGI version of the 1993 program. TMMI has appealed that decision. After the mid-1990's TMMI never again used the 1993 PVS/SGI version of the codec and has since developed its new state-of-the-art, proprietary technology.

In addition to denying all of defendant Dimension et al. request for legal fees, the court also reduced defendants' claims for over $104,000 in court costs, granting them approximately $54,000 in costs, which TMMI is considering for appeal. "We are gratified that the court recognized the merits of TMMI's position and ultimately ruled against the defendants in their attempt to extract exorbitant legal fees and unsupported costs from the company", said Gerard V. Cavanagh, TMMI President, "TMMI is focusing its resources on the marketing and the further development of the company's superior patent pending non-fractal technology."

ON BEHALF OF THE TMMI BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF TMM, INC.: GERARD V. CAVANAUGH

CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT

For more information, please visit the Company's Website at http://www.tmmi.us.



About TMM, Inc.

TMM, Inc. (OTC PNK: TMMI) is a technology company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, specializing in digital video compression, video scaling and image management. Founded in 1990, the company is dedicated to improving bandwidth utilization and video image quality.

TMMI develops digital video compression and scaling technologies that provide end-to-end workflow and distribution solutions for digital cinema; streaming media; cable TV; sports; mobile; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; defense; security; medical imaging; space exploration; video game applications; training and distance learning.

Safe Harbor Statement:

The information in this release contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the Company's capital needs, business strategy and expectations. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, which may be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "will," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "forecast," "project," or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Readers should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events or results. Any or all of the Company's forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. In addition, new factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward- looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE TMM, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tmmi.us


WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Average math and reading scores for fourth- and eighth-grade American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students were released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). According to the National Indian Education Study (NIES), students' scores have not change significantly in 2015 compared to 2005 or 2011.

Administered as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NIES is a national study endorsed across AI/AN communities that puts into context the condition of education and experiences of AI/AN students in the United States.

A national sample of approximately 17,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students participated in this study. The study separates AI/AN results into three mutually exclusive categories of schools as well as an overall category. Those three categories include: low-density public schools where less than 25 percent of students were AI/AN; high-density public schools where 25 percent or more students were AI/AN; and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. All AI/AN students include all AI/AN students sampled throughout the nation in public, private, BIE, and Department of Defense schools.

"The latest results of the NIES study provide important insights into the extent of school resources available for improving student achievement for schools of varying density," said Dr. Peggy Carr, the acting commissioner of NCES. "We see that the overall achievement of AI/AN students has remained the same since NCES began conducting this study."

Performance results for 2015 are unavailable for BIE schools at fourth grade due to school participation rates that did not meet the 70 percent criteria. The national results show a consistent pattern in both grades 4 and 8 in reading and mathematics. AI/AN students did not show statistically different changes compared to the most recent administration of NIES in 2011 or the first administration of the study in 2005. That same pattern appeared in low-density, high-density, and BIE schools.

NIES also explored the educational experiences of AI/AN students through survey questionnaires. Students, teachers, and administrators provided insights into how schools engage with their AI/AN students and how teachers integrate culturally responsive materials, activities, and instructions into their lessons. The survey included the following topics:

Students  knowledge of Native culture and use of language

Teachers  knowledge of and skill development for teaching AI/AN students, culturally specific instruction, and classroom practices

School Administrators  involvement of AI/AN community members and sufficiency and quality of books specific to AI/AN culture

All survey questions are available to the public and data from all survey questions will be available via the NIES Data Explorer, https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/niesdata/, in conjunction with the report's release.

There are significant differences among student characteristics in all school types for both grades 4 and 8. The study also collected information about factors such as computers in the home, eligibility for National Student Lunch Program (NSLP), percentage of English language learners, and those who attend rural schools.

Findings include the following:

Seventy-three percent of all AI/AN students at grade 4 and 66 percent at grade 8 are eligible for the National Student Lunch Program

Eleven percent of all AI/AN students at grade 4 and 7 percent at grade 8 are English language learners

Forty-five percent of all AI/AN students at grade 4 and 38 percent at grade 8 attend rural schools

Sixty-nine percent of all AI/AN students at grade 4 and 75 percent at grade 8 reported having a computer in the home

At grade 8, 40 percent of all AI/AN students reported their parents went to college

When the study began in 2005, seven states had reportable data specific to AI/AN students. The number of states with this data has since expanded and now includes: Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

NIES is sponsored by the Office of Indian Education, within the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

CONTACT:

Lisa Matthews, [email protected], (202) 706-7477

James Deaton, [email protected], (202) 245-7140

SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics
AURORA, Colo., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon's (NYSE: RTN) use of technology development best practices and its completion of a systems engineering milestone are driving progress on the U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as GPS OCX. This new system will provide improved performance and security for the GPS technology used by millions of users worldwide.

Raytheon has completed its latest major systems engineering milestone for the final software iteration, a marker of the progress achieved by the GPS OCX program course corrections implemented over the last two years. The milestone provided extra rigor and accountability around the systems engineering for the rest of the GPS OCX program. It also enables more efficient completion of the remaining software development and associated cyber protection capabilities that will harden the system against hackers, double GPS accuracy, enhance its availability, and eventually replace the stop-gap and patching measures currently used on the legacy GPS ground system.

The OCX team reduced development cycle times to create more efficient and effective software development by using a commercial best practice called DevOps. DevOps combines commercial cloud technologies, new automation and software development processes. This is the first use of DevOps in a large-scale U.S. Department of Defense acquisition program.

"The recent milestones achieved for OCX demonstrate our resolve to meet long-term schedule commitments and keep our momentum in 2017," said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "These software development innovations are helping to drive OCX capabilities, the replacement of the legacy GPS ground system, and significant enhancements to GPS overall."

The U.S. Air Force-led GPS Modernization Program will yield new positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for U.S. military and civilian users across the globe. Developed by Raytheon under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, GPS OCX is replacing the current GPS operational control system and will support the launch of the GPS III satellites. The new system will provide enhanced performance, the effective use of modern civil and military signals and secure information-sharing with unprecedented cyber protection.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

www.raytheon.com

Media Contacts

Raytheon

Michelle Lammers

+1.720.858.5777

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company

Related Links

http://www.raytheon.com


DENVER, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at Nolah Sleep, LLC (https://www.nolahmattress.com/) believes in "conscious consumerism"  the idea that it's possible to do good in the world by choosing certain products and services. To that end, the company has partnered with Defenders of Wildlife (http://www.defenders.org/), a nonprofit conservation agency that has been protecting imperiled and endangered wildlife since 1947. For every mattress purchased from Nolah Sleep, the company will sponsor a symbolic adoption of a wildlife animal native to North America.

One Nolah = One Adopted Wildlife Nolah Wildlife Adoption Certificate

"As avid lovers of the great outdoors, we can't stand by silently while pristine habitats are endangered, and the animals that call them home are displaced," says Daniel Galle, co-founder of Nolah Sleep, LLC. "Being headquartered in Denver, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, means we have unfortunately seen this happening up close. That's why it makes sense for Nolah Sleep to work together with Defenders of Wildlife to protect America's wildlife and wild places."

At checkout, Nolah shoppers can choose which animal they wish to adopt. The list is long, but some well-known species include bald eagles, bison, black bears, wolves, sea otters, arctic foxes, blue whales, dolphins, polar bears and prairie dogs. There's no extra cost to shoppers for supporting an animal  Nolah covers the entire adoption cost. Shoppers will receive an official adoption certificate from Defenders of Wildlife. Ninety-seven percent of funds contributed to the organization go directly to helping animals and preserving natural spaces.

Defenders of Wildlife is active on the "front lines" of the battle to save American wildlife. The organization works directly with landowners and lawmakers to restore and set aside important habitats, benefiting countless native species. Its goal is to ensure a health level of biodiversity for this and all future generations. Nolah Sleep completely is proud to endorse and partner with Defenders of Wildlife, and is excited to further its invaluable mission.

"Nolah Sleep is demonstrating real commitment to the community through the purchase of animal adoptions from Defenders of Wildlife for its customers," said Jonathan Proctor, the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife. "These symbolic adoptions support Defenders' efforts to protect wildlife and the habitats on which they depend, both locally, here in the Rocky Mountains, and across the country."

Ultimately, Nolah's mission as a revolutionary online mattress company in Denver is to help people sleep better so they're fully ready to face whatever adventures the day brings. At the same time, the company is giving back to the community that has enabled its success by supporting the nation's incredible biodiversity. Consumers ready to join the #NolahNation today can visit the company website and connect with Nolah on social media, and participate in the defense of U.S. wildlife.

About Nolah Sleep, LLC

Nolah Sleep was founded by two award-winning sleep experts and serial entrepreneurs, Daniel Galle and Anna Hjoellund. With a background in sleep material science and product design  plus a passion for the great outdoors and American wildlife  Nolah set forward to change the health and wellness of Americans through a focus on good sleep.

Nolah Sleep firmly believes that great adventures stem from great sleep, for without great sleep, a person simply cannot perform at peak excellence.

Press Contact

Daniel Galle, Co-founder

Nolah Sleep, LLC

Phone: 720-749-8430

Mail: [email protected]

Logos: Download here

Lifestyle photos: Download here

Product photos: Download here

SOURCE Nolah Sleep, LLC

Related Links

http://www.nolahmattress.com


MIAMI, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- North American Title Co. (NATC) has launched a new Spanish-language website to be a resource for Spanish speakers who are navigating the homebuying process. Located at www.nat.com/Spanish, the website focuses on content explaining how title insurance protects a homebuyer. It includes three new Spanish-language videos as well as several informational brochures to download.

"Like many companies, North American Title is very cognizant of the evolving demographics of U.S. homebuyers," said Tom Fischer, president of North American Title Group LLC, NATC's parent company. "While we have spent a good deal of time and effort focusing on millennials, they are only a part of the evolving marketplace. Another notable demographic change is the growing impact of Spanish-speaking homebuyers. The launch of this Spanish-language website is our first step to better serve this community."

Otto Suarez, national marketing director for North American Title Group, added, "We are very excited to introduce some Latin flair to our online presence. We know Hispanics are very committed to pursuing homeownership as part of the American Dream. This website will assist them in better understanding title insurance and will eventually contain additional content about the homebuying and selling process, much as our English website does at www.nat.com."

At a time when overall U.S. homeownership rates have dropped to the lowest levels in nearly 50 years, Hispanics increased their homeownership rate for the past two years. According to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), Hispanics were the only ethnic demographic that showed an improvement, to 45.6 percent in 2015 and to 46.0 percent in 2016. NAHREP attributed the increase to Hispanics' "high workforce participation and the fervent desire to own a home."

Suarez noted NATC's Spanish videos are also located on the company's YouTube channel, at www.youtube.com/natcvideo. They include "Understanding Title Insurance," "Protect Your Homeownership" and "Advantages of an Owner's Title Policy."

"Our goal is to make the homebuying process a bit easier for those in the marketplace who only speak Spanish, or those who speak and understand English but prefer to research more complex topics in their native Spanish," said Suarez. "We also hope they will consider using North American Title to handle their closing or settlement."

About North American Title

With well over 1,000 associates and a vast network of branches from coast to coast, North American Title Group, LLC (NATG) is among the largest real estate settlement service providers in the United States. Consisting of both agent and underwriter operations, NATG reported annual net revenues in fiscal 2015 of $229 million. The company also has the resources and stability of a wholly owned subsidiary of an S&P 500 company with over $14.4 billion in assets (fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 2015). North American Title's agency network operates nationally under the name North American Title Co. (NATC) and similar names in 19 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia, in addition to the District of Columbia. Through our relationship with our expanding affiliate network, NATC provides real estate settlement services in all 50 states. NATG is headquartered in Miami, Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.nat.com

Related Links

http://www.nat.com



SOURCE North American Title Co.
PROVO, Utah, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: NUS) today announced the appointment of Mark H. Lawrence as chief financial officer, effective March 27. Lawrence will replace Ritch Wood, who will become the chief executive officer of the company as previously announced. As indicated in the company's Feb. 16 press release, Truman Hunt, who has served as the company's chief executive officer since 2003, will become the vice chairman of the board of directors and Ryan Napierski will become the company's president. These changes are effective today.

"Mark brings a wealth of leadership experience and an in-depth knowledge of finance and operations that will provide strength to Nu Skin and our senior management team," said Wood. "In addition, his extensive experience in leadership positions at multiple publicly traded companies provides Mark a strong foundation to understand and leverage the opportunities ahead for our company. We believe he will play a key role in moving Nu Skin toward our short- and long-term strategic goals."

About Mark Lawrence

Lawrence brings 20 years of operational and financial experience to the role. He recently served as the head of finance for Amazon-Lab126, where he was responsible for the company's global finance functions and played a key role in the launch of several Amazon devices. In addition, he has held senior financial leadership roles at Silicon Valley-based companies Polycom and Brocade as well as Utah-based Vivint Smart Home.

Lawrence holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Davis.

About Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

Founded more than 30 years ago, Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. develops and distributes innovative consumer products, offering a comprehensive line of premium-quality beauty and wellness solutions. The company builds upon its scientific expertise in both skin care and nutrition to continually develop innovative product brands that include the Nu Skin personal care brand, the Pharmanex nutrition brand, and most recently, the ageLOC anti-aging brand. The ageLOC brand has generated a loyal following for such products as the ageLOC Youth nutritional supplement, the ageLOC Me customized skin care system, as well as the ageLOC TR90 weight management and body shaping system. Nu Skin sells its products through a global network of sales leaders in Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Pacific. As a long-standing member of direct selling associations globally, Nu Skin is committed to the industry's consumer guidelines that protect and support those who sell and purchase its products through the direct selling channel. Nu Skin is also traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NUS." More information is available at nuskin.com.

SOURCE Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.nuskin.com


CLEVELAND, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Winter Park, Florida-based Rollins College has selected OnBase by Hyland, a single enterprise information platform, to replace its Perceptive Nolij Web solution, which is being sunsetted. In addition to promoting advanced workflow and form functionality, OnBase will fully integrate with the institution's existing line-of-business systems including Banner by Ellucian, its enterprise resource planning application.

Rollins College, which deployed Nolij Web in 2002 in an effort to go paperless, will begin its OnBase implementation within the financial aid office. The institution plans to use OnBase workflows and forms, as well as the ability to build retention schedules and automate financial aid processes to bolster its digital campus approach.

"We value the tight integrations that OnBase has to offer with Banner and our Microsoft Outlook mail client, which we struggled with when using Nolij Web," said Katie Sanchez, director, administrative computing, Department of I.T. at Rollins College. "We are looking forward to utilizing the scalable OnBase technology to create future efficiencies that we may not even know about to help our faculty and staff get their jobs done without any technical hiccups."



During the vendor assessment period, the Rollins College team began to hold discussions with multiple offices across campus to re-evaluate their records retention and data governance procedures. With the new measures in place and a successful deployment in financial aid, OnBase will be strategically rolled out across departments all over campus, including those critical to the student experience such as admissions. Rollins College will also look to leverage OnBase workflows in human resources.

"Rollins College was a pioneer in going paperless more than a decade ago, and now they're redefining their digital strategy through OnBase  deploying a strategic vision of true information management," said Laurel Stiller, solution manager, higher education at Hyland. "Our dedicated higher ed services team is ready to support Rollins' implementation across their enterprise while the I.T. team is leveraging this opportunity to re-examine document retention policies and reduce risks for exposure."

For more information about why institutions are choosing OnBase to streamline processes, implement workflows and tightly integrate with existing systems of record to graduate from a paperless strategy to a true enterprise information management platform, visit OnBase.com/HigherEd.

About OnBase by Hyland

OnBase is a single enterprise information platform for managing content, processes and cases deployed via mobile, on-premises or in the Hyland Cloud. Providing enterprise content management (ECM), case management, business process management (BPM), records management and capture all on a single platform, OnBase transforms organizations around the globe by empowering them to become more agile, efficient and effective. Enterprise cloud-based sharing capability for the OnBase platform is available with our complementary offering, ShareBase by Hyland.

OnBase is one of the most widely used ECM solutions for colleges and universities. Flexible, scalable and secure, OnBase fits specific processes across institutions. From admissions processing and review, including transcript capture and transfer course evaluation, to AP invoice processing, this end-to-end solution enables institutions to leverage existing hardware investments, integrate with student information systems and alleviate administrative burdens on IT. For more information about OnBase, please visit OnBase.com/HigherEd.

Media contact:

Laura Pegg

+1 440-788-5632

[email protected]

SOURCE Hyland Software

Related Links

http://www.hyland.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Option 1 Staffing Services, Inc. an award winning specialized staffing and recruiting firm announced today it has earned Inavero's Best of Staffing Client Award for high client satisfaction. Inavero's Best of Staffing Client winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality, based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.5 times more likely to be completely satisfied with services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

Focused on serving Silicon Valley and the Greater Bay Area, Option 1 Staffing Services, Inc. received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 84.3% of their clients, significantly higher than the industry average of 29%. Award winners make up less than 2% of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada who earned the Best of Staffing Award for service excellence.

"For us this is more than just an award  it's an honor to be recognized as one of the top staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada. It is a true reflection of our commitment to providing unprecedented quality of service and candidates for our clients," said Option 1 Staffing's President and CEO Greg Myers.

"Staffing firms are giving top companies a competitive advantage as they search for talent in North America," said Inavero's CEO Eric Gregg. "The 2017 Best of Staffing winners have achieved exceptionally high levels of satisfaction."

About Option 1 Staffing Services, Inc.

Option 1 Staffing Services, Inc. an award winning specialized staffing and recruiting firm is more than just an agency. Option 1 is characterized by clients for the integrity of its work and the quality of its candidates; and among job seekers for its personalized approach to placement. Since 1991 Option 1 Staffing has been serving the Silicon Valley and the Greater Bay Area employers in need of Contract, Contract to Hire and Direct Hire employees; in the areas of Technical, Accounting and Finance, Professional/Administrative and Health Care from stealthy start-ups to the Fortune 500 across market sectors.

About Inavero's Best of Staffing Award

Inavero's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and job candidates.

SOURCE Option 1 Staffing Services, Inc.
DULUTH, Ga., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OS National LLC, national title provider, announces successful attainment of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices third party certification by Frazier & Deeter CPAs & Advisors, one of the nation's largest CPA firms and ALTA Elite Provider.

OS National LLC, national title provider, achieves the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices third party certification by Frazier & Deeter CPAs & Advisors, one of the nation's largest CPA firms and ALTA Elite Provider.

"We are ecstatic to receive our third-party certification that our business practices and the services we offer our valued customers meet the ALTA Best Practices," said Jamie Wunder, Managing Partner of OS National. "This third-party validation is further assurance to our customers that we are their trusted title and settlement provider and uphold our business to the highest standards set."

Frazier & Deeter performed assessment procedures related to the following ALTA Best Practices:

Licensing Escrow Accounting Procedures Privacy and Information Security Settlement Procedures Title Policy Production & Delivery Professional Liability Insurance Coverage Consumer Complaints

The scope of Frazier & Deeter's engagement was performed in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in relation to the Procedures.

"In our reports dated February 28, 2017, we stated that, in our opinion, the Company's title insurance and settlement practices, as of May 31, 2016, comply, in all material aspects, with the ALTA Best Practices based on the ALTA criteria," said Tracey Webb, principal at Frazier & Deeter, LLC.

"Our ALTA Best Practices certification is another way how OS National is redefining title solutions," said Charles Chacko, Managing Partner of OS National. "We want to uphold our company and employees to the highest standards in the industry."

For more information on Frazier & Deeter's ALTA Best Practices Compliance, visit http://www.frazierdeeter.com/en/Services/ALTA-Best-Practices-Compliance.aspx.

With offices in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas (Arlington and Plano), Phoenix and Las Vegas, OSN is rapidly expanding their national operations with local offices to better serve the niche real estate needs of local communities. For more information on OS National, visit https://www.osnational.com.

About OS National LLC

OS National LLC (OSN) is redefining title solutions as a nationally recognized provider of residential and commercial title and settlement services. OSN provides services to national lenders and banking institutions, REITs, private equity firms, mortgage servicers and institutional investors to facilitate real estate transactions and title insurance-related services.

OS National provides services in certain jurisdictions in partnership with its wholly owned subsidiaries and/or its related entities, OSN Texas LLC and OSN Escrow LLC (known together as "OSN"). OSN is a licensed agent for most of the country's major national title underwriters, with work ranging from single property transactions to multi-million dollar, multi-site transactions. For more information, visit https://www.osnational.com.

From:

OS National LLC

2170 Satellite Blvd., Suite 200

Duluth, GA 30097

(770) 497-9100

http://www.osnational.com

Contact:

Jamie Wunder, Managing Partner

[email protected]

SOURCE OS National LLC

Related Links

https://www.osnational.com


"We are excited to bring API testing and service virtualization to Microsoft Visual Studio eEnterprise subscribers," stated Mark Lambert, VP of Products at Parasoft. "Today's highly-connected applications require extensive API, performance, and security testing on a variety of environments. Virtualize/SOAtest Desktop will allow developers to rapidly validate functional and non-functional requirements quickly and precisely."

Parasoft Virtualize/SOAtest Professional Desktop provides Visual Studio eEnterprise 2017 subscribers with:

Complete API testing across a broad range of industry standard protocols

Ability to quickly simulate the messaging and behavior of dependent multi-tiered systems

Highly-efficient API and protocol testing without the overhead of writing stubs or waiting for resources to free up

Cost savings by sharing virtual services and/or system components

Six months free access, followed by 25% discount on annual subscription

"We're excited to partner with Parasoft to give Visual Studio eEnterprise subscribers direct access to API testing and service virtualization within their preferred development environment," said Craig Kitterman, Director of Visual Studio Product Marketing for Developer Tools & Cloud Services. "Teams embracing DevOps face the daunting task of automating API testing and testing against dependencies, with Parasoft SOAtest and Parasoft Virtualize Visual Studio Enterprise subscribers can easily construct advanced end-to-end test scenarios and simulate complex systems interactions against unavailable or incomplete dependencies."

To learn more about the offer, visit:

Visual Studio benefits portal: http://my.visualstudio.com?wt.mc_id=AID605451_QSG_141866

Visual Studio Subscriptions overview page: https://www.visualstudio.com/subscriptions?wt.mc_id=AID605451_QSG_141871

Parasoft SOAtest-Virtualize Desktop for Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise subscribers: http://software.parasoft.com/virtualize/microsoft/

About Parasoft

Parasoft provides innovative tools that automate time-consuming testing tasks and provide management with intelligent analytics necessary to focus on what matters. Parasoft's technologies reduce the time, effort, and cost of delivering secure, reliable, and compliant software, by integrating static and runtime analysis; unit, functional, and API testing; and service virtualization. Parasoft supports software organizations as they develop and deploy applications in the embedded, enterprise, and IoT markets. With developer testing tools, manager reporting/analytics, and executive dashboarding, Parasoft enables organizations to succeed in today's most strategic development initiatives  agile, continuous testing, DevOps, and security.

SOURCE Parasoft

Related Links

http://www.parasoft.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following validation of 90 bids received by the March 3 deadline for the second restaurant license auction authorized by Act 39 of 2016, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) this week issued Notices of Selection to top bidders on 42 licenses.

Winning bids range from $25,001 for a license in Lower Yoder Township, Cambria County, to $463,802 for a license in Abington Township, Montgomery County. The average winning bid in the second auction was $119,315.

The number of bids received for each of the 42 licenses receiving bids ranged from one to five.

Seven licenses  one each in Beaver, Carbon, Franklin, Greene, Mifflin, Pike, and Wayne counties  received no bids, and the single bid for the license in Northumberland County was disqualified for being under $25,000.

Winning bids and bidders are posted to the PLCB restaurant license auction web page.

Top bidders have 14 days from the date of each Notice of Selection to remit full bid payment to the PLCB. If bid payment is not received within two weeks of auction award, the second-highest bidder will have opportunity to remit their full bid payment.

Once bid payment is received, each auction winner has six months to file a license application with the PLCB. Bids will be held in escrow by the PLCB, pending approval of the license application.

Revenue from this auction cannot be totaled until license approvals are granted and bids come out of escrow.

This auction included 50 licenses across 48 counties:

One license in each of 40 counties that were not represented in the first auction, including Armstrong , Beaver , Bedford , Berks , Bradford , Cambria , Carbon , Clarion , Clearfield , Clinton , Columbia , Crawford , Elk , Fayette , Franklin , Greene , Huntingdon , Jefferson , Lackawanna , Lawrence , Lebanon , Luzerne , Lycoming , McKean , Mercer , Mifflin , Monroe , Montour , Northampton , Northumberland , Pike , Potter , Schuylkill , Snyder , Sullivan , Susquehanna , Venango , Warren , Wayne , and Wyoming counties.





, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and counties. Two licenses each in Philadelphia and Allegheny County , where multiple bids were received in the first auction for each license made available.





and , where multiple bids were received in the first auction for each license made available. One license in each of six counties where bids demonstrated high demand in the first auction: Chester , Dauphin , Lancaster , Lehigh , Montgomery , and York counties.

Statewide, about 1,200 licenses that have expired since 2000 will be made available through auctions in the coming months and years.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits  totaling $15.1 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Brassell, 717.919.1905

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Related Links

http://www.lcb.state.pa.us


AMSTERDAM, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), today announced the expansion of its Dream Family of products with the new DreamStation Advanced Therapies platform designed to deliver optimal ventilation with minimal mechanical intervention. Through these new offerings, DreamStation now supports the most complex patient cases  those suffering with sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory insufficiencies.

Worldwide, more than 100 million people have obstructive sleep apneai,ii (OSA), with recent research revealing that a significant percentage of these patients suffer from more complex sleep-disordered breathingiii. Chronic respiratory illness impacts a significant population worldwide, with an estimated 65 million suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD)iv , and even more suffering from specific respiratory insufficiencies due to other chronic or neuromuscular diseases, all requiring unique therapy. To address the varying needs of these complex disorders, Philips designed the DreamStation Advanced Therapies BiPAP autoSV and AVAPS devices. Built on sophisticated, clinically-proven algorithms, BiPAP autoSV aims to deliver optimal ventilation with minimal intervention so patients experience comfortable, restful sleep, while BiPAP AVAPS is designed to deliver effective and comfortable ventilation therapy so patients can experience an improved quality of life.

"Treating patients with complex breathing disorders is not always straightforward, and every patient has unique therapy needs that can change night to night," said Mark D'Angelo, Sleep Therapy Business Leader, Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care. "In addition to medical support, they require guidance and encouragement. With these updates to our Dream Family, we can provide individualized support for a wider range patients and empower clinicians to deliver the most efficient and best care possible."

As with all Dream Family solutions, the DreamStation Advanced Therapies are fully-integrated through Philips Encore Anywhere patient management tool. This connectivity provides automated support for the patient's specific and changing needs as well as remote monitoring capabilities support for physicians, durable medical equipment (DME) providers and caretakers to intervene when needed to minimalize adverse events.

Currently available in in select markets including France, Australia and the United States, the devices are expected to become available globally by the end of 2017. The Philips Dream Family of products launched in 2015 as a full suite of sleep solutions that connect and support the patient, clinician and homecare provider to enhance patient care and quality of life. With the launch of DreamStation Advanced Therapies AVAPS device, Philips expands the Dream Family to feature respiratory solutions. To learn more about the enhanced DreamStation Platform, please visit: http://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/resources/landing/dreamstation-advanced-therapy-devices.html?origin=10_global_en_advancedtherapiesna_pr

For further information, please contact:

Meredith Amoroso

Senior Manager of Communications and Public Relations

Philips Sleep and Respiratory Care

Mobile: +1 724-584-8991

E-mail: [email protected]

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2015 sales of EUR 16.8 billion and employs approximately 70,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care

Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care is a global leader in the sleep and respiratory care markets, offering solutions in sleep apnea management, oxygen therapy, noninvasive ventilation and respiratory drug delivery and has a long history of leading new innovation in both devices and informatics solutions to help patients sleep and breathe better.

i "Sleep Apnea: Epidemiology." Sleepdex. http://www.sleepdex.org/epidemiologyapnea.htm. Accessed December 2016.

ii Jean Bousquet and Nikolai Khaltaev et. al. (2007). Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases: a comprehensive approach. Retrieved December 2016 from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/gard/publications/GARD%20Book%202007.pdf?ua=1

iii "The 3 Types of Sleep Apnea Explained: Obstructive, Central and Mixed." Alaska Sleep Clinic. http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/types-of-sleep-apnea-explained-obstructive-central-mixed. January 28, 2015.

iv "Burden of COPD." World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/burden/en/. Accessed December 2016.

SOURCE Royal Philips
NEW YORK, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lebenthal Holdings, LLC (Lebenthal) and South Street Securities Holdings Inc. (South Street) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which South Street will acquire from Lebenthal its 49% ownership interest in Lebenthal & Co., LLC and its 100% ownership interests in Lebenthal Asset Management, LLC and Lebenthal Family Office, LLC. Lebenthal & Co., LLC will continue to operate as a Woman-Owned Firm. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Jim Tabacchi, President and CEO of South Street, commented on the transaction. "I am pleased to welcome Alexandra Lebenthal, Jim Lebenthal, and the rest of the Lebenthal team to South Street. I believe they will play a meaningful role in our growth going forward. We are committed to making this business combination mutually beneficial for everyone involved, particularly the Lebenthal clients, as we develop business opportunities for Lebenthal & Co. and continue to expand South Street's footprint in asset management."

Alexandra Lebenthal, CEO of Lebenthal, noted, "We are pleased to be able to join forces with South Street, which has had extraordinary success since its founding in 2004. South Street's business model, conservative approach and operational focus are consistent with our culture. We believe this combination with South Street will enable us to better serve our valued clients, and we look forward to this next chapter of our long history."

"Lebenthal Asset Management has grown threefold since 2014. My team and I look forward to continuing that growth in the future with South Street," Jim Lebenthal, CEO of Lebenthal Asset Management stated.

The Boards of Directors of both South Street and Lebenthal have approved the agreement. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and the parties expect the closing to occur by the third quarter of 2017.

Gordian Group, LLC is serving as investment banker to Lebenthal, and Saul Ewing LLP is serving as Lebenthal's legal counsel.

Pi Capital International LLC is serving as investment banker to South Street, and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is serving as South Street's legal counsel.

About South Street Securities Holdings Inc.

South Street Securities Holdings Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a leading provider of U.S. Treasury and Agency repo financing to Agency REITs, asset managers, banks, broker dealers and other capital market participants. The company is a broker-dealer and FICC member running a matched book portfolio that provides low cost financing for high-grade security positions and a source of secure short-term investment for money market funds, municipalities, GSEs, insurance companies, and other alternative deposit clients. South Street also provides other servicing, collateral management, technology, and administrative services for banks, broker dealers and other capital market participants. Further information is available at www.southstreetsecurities.com.

About Lebenthal Holdings, LLC

Lebenthal Holdings, LLC, is the venerable New York-based firm that provides a broad range asset management and capital markets products and services through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. Lebenthal & Co. (Member FINRA/SIPC) is a leading woman-owned broker-dealer that conducts underwriting and capital markets activities. Lebenthal Asset Management (an SEC-registered Investment Advisor) manages domestic and global equity portfolios and taxable and tax-free fixed income portfolios. Lebenthal Family Office provides to clients cash management, bill pay, liability management, tax filing and other professional services. Further information about Lebenthal can be found at www.lebenthal.com.

About Pi Capital International LLC

Pi Capital's services include advising on mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and restructurings, and raising private capital. Pi Capital offers access to alternative investment and non-traditional pools of capital. All regulated activities are conducted through Marco Polo Securities Inc. (member FINRA). Further information is available at www.picapitalllc.com.

About Gordian Group LLC

Gordian Group is a registered broker-dealer and is ranked in the top 10 firms by The Deal in its financial restructuring League Tables. Its individual investment bankers have been ranked as high as number 1 in The Deal's League Tables. Further information is available at www.gordiangroup.com.

CONTACT:

Pi Capital International LLC

Steven Carlson

Managing Partner

(914) 772-6245

[email protected]

SOURCE Pi Capital International LLC
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry (Hank) Plyler has joined the Barnum Financial Group as a Financial Services Executive it was announced today by Paul Blanco, the firm's founder. In this role, Plyler will provide financial and wealth management to a large portfolio of clients, including business owners, corporate executives, small business owners, foundations, endowments and institutions. He comes to Barnum from Merrill Lynch, where he served as a Senior Portfolio Advisor.

"Hank Plyler is a seasoned portfolio manager whose experience, knowledge and reputation are amongst the strongest in the industry," said Blanco. "He has earned the trust of his clients by providing sound financial strategies, keen insights and a financial acumen that has consistently helped guide them. We are very pleased to welcome him to the Barnum Financial Group."

"I grew up in a family of business owners and got to experience firsthand the rewards and challenges they faced," said Plyler. "My move to Barnum gives me increased resources to help develop comprehensive solutions for business owners in the areas of business growth, continuation, and succession. It also provides me with the tools and solutions to help integrate their personal financial life with their business planning to better serve all of their needs."

Plyler is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor(SM) (CRPC) designee who has been in the financial services industry since January of 2007. Before working at Merrill Lynch, Plyler served as Vice President at both JP Morgan and Smith Barney, with a focus on asset management and client acquisition. Previous to his career in financial services, Plyler spent 20 years working in his family's retail sales and real estate management business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a bachelor's degree in finance and now serves on CCU's Wall School of Business Board of Visitors.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Roberto R. Aponte

[email protected]

SOURCE Plyler Financial Group
Prager Metis Technology was formed in response to the significant regulatory requirements being implemented at both a federal and state level. On December 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA) as part of the 2016 omnibus spending bill. CISA encourages businesses and the federal government to share cyber threat information in the interest of national security. On September 16, 2016, New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) raised the bar for cybersecurity programs, as the first state to release cybersecurity regulations that will go into effect on March 1, 2017. The regulations will affect all entities with a DFS "license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the banking law, the insurance law or the financial services law." Among other things, the regulation requires each entity's Board of Directors to file an annual certification of compliance with the Superintendent of DFS.

Glenn Friedman, Co-Managing Partner of Prager Metis, said "We are extremely excited to launch this new company in an effort to continue to provide the necessary and required services and advice to our clients around the world. We also welcome Peter as CEO of Prager Metis Technology, who brings decades of experience in cybersecurity, risk intelligence, and regulatory compliance."

On joining Prager Metis, effective March 1st, Mr. Fiorillo stated that "Prager Metis is the third fastest growing company in the Accounting Today 2016 Top 100 Firms Databank, with 43% growth over the previous year. Along with its global presence and eight offices in New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and London, we will now have the capability to serve these growing markets and our international client base on an expanded basis."

On March 9, 2017, Peter Fiorillo will be speaking at the FSO Knowledge Xchange Conference at the University Club in NYC on risk management and cybersecurity resiliency. Peter will discuss how to implement effective cybersecurity risk strategies for financial service companies. As an expert in the field of developing, integrating and delivering technology, professional services, and customized solutions, Peter will address industry concerns about why risk management, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance programs are often too costly, inefficient, and sometimes ineffective. This is primarily because firms have viewed these programs and solutions as merely regulatory compliance activities until now.

With the ever increasing requirements placed on cybersecurity resiliency and as regulators tighten their grip, financial institutions, as well as all companies on a global basis, need to have a cost-effective, efficient and integrated cybersecurity, risk management and regulatory compliance program that can respond in hours and days, not weeks and months. As such, Prager Metis Technology and Peter Fiorillo will be providing these programs, technology solutions and subject-matter-expertise to help companies in need of protecting their assets, employees, customers and stakeholders.

About Prager Metis CPAs, LLC

Headquartered in New York City, and with offices in New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and London, Prager Metis CPAs, LLC, an affiliate of Prager Metis International, LLC, is one of the nation's fastest growing accounting and advisory firms, offering a full range of accounting, audit, tax, consulting, and international services.

Media contact:

Sarah Holzberg

(212) 643-0099 x130

[email protected]

SOURCE Prager Metis CPAs, LLC

Related Links

http://www.pragermetis.com


HOUSTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA), an education technology company building the first full service training and career advancement brand for the skilled trades, has teamed up with GlobalSim Inc., a leading provider of simulators and training systems for a variety of industries including ports, construction and military throughout the world, to launch the VR Construction Crane Simulator. GlobalSim has developed a significant software library of virtual heavy equipment models and has installed over 200 simulation systems on 5 continents. GlobalSim has now taken that expertise to deliver high quality training to the mobile crane market through virtual reality.

ProBility and GlobalSim have executed an exclusive agreement in which GlobalSim will provide the portable VR Construction Crane hardware and the eLearning software and ProBility will sell the product through its extensive sales channels in the United States and Canada. The GlobalSim VR simulator comes equipped with a headset that offers an unlimited field-of-view in a mixed reality setting, allowing for a completely immersive experience. The VR platform uses real equipment controls, joysticks and buttons so operators can become familiar with the actual equipment they will be using in the workplace. The simulator can be configured in a variety of different environments for any number of industries. GlobalSim's cutting edge VR simulation platform offers a training experience with superb realism at an affordable price when compared to traditional simulator systems.

For more information on GlobalSim VR for construction, visit http://www.ProBilityVR.com

"We are incredibly excited to be partnered with ProBility on the launch of one of the first portable virtual reality training methods for the crane industry," stated Jonathan McCurdy, Chief Executive Officer of GlobalSim. "What separates the GlobalSim VR platform from others on the market is the seamless integration of real-life controls and technology that allows operators to see their hands in the virtual environment. The result is a VR training product that provides an unparalleled amount of realism and still incorporates the GlobalSim training management system and simulation tools that are among the very best in the industry. Just as a commercial pilot learns to operate a complex aircraft in a simulator before ever flying an airplane, VR Construction Crane simulation technology can train a student to operate a crane, safely, efficiently and proficiently before ever turning on the engine. This dramatically increases the operators market value and offers not only an increased safety profile but a tremendous cost savings as well."

"Providing high quality training to the $35 billion crane industry is paramount in our strategy of building our training and career advancement brand across multiple skilled trades," stated Noah Davis, President and Chief Operating Officer of ProBility. "We have recognized early that the crane industry is positioned for global growth and ProBility is positioned to deliver high quality training and eLearning to the hundreds of thousands of operators and potential operators in the industry. Providing virtual reality to the crane industry is just the first step in bringing a similar experience to many of the skilled trades. We look forward to building a long term relationship with GlobalSim and are excited to work together on additional products for different industries."

Both ProBility and GlobalSim will be attending Con Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 7th through 10th.

About ProBility Media Corp.

ProBility Media Corp. is an EdTEch company building the first full service training and career advancement brand for the skilled trades. Through its divisions Brown Technical Media Corp., Brown Technical Publications Inc., Brown Book Shop, Inc., National Electrical Wholesale Providers, and One Exam Prep, LLC, ProBility is executing a disruptive strategy of defragmenting the skilled trades training market place by offering high quality training courses and materials and preparing the workforce for excellence. ProBility services customers from the tradesman to the small business to the enterprise level corporation.

For more information, visit http://www.ProBilityMedia.com

About GlobalSim Inc.

GlobalSim, Inc. is a privately held company based in Salt Lake City, Utah with a rich history in the simulation industry. The company was founded in the early nineteen-nineties by a group of talented engineers and computer software experts. GlobalSim designs, builds, installs, and maintains simulators and systems for a variety of industries, including ports, construction, and the military. The simulators range in size from small portable units to some of the largest simulators in the world. In 2016, GlobalSim initiated a management-buy-out and spun off from Kongsberg, its former parent company, to once again be an independent company. Today GlobalSim continues to provide premier quality simulators and training systems to training organizations throughout the world.

For more information, visit http://www.globalsim.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information included in this Press Release including such forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

Noah Davis

President and Chief Operating Officer

713.652.3937

Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

[email protected]

SOURCE ProBility Media Corp.

Related Links

http://probilitymedia.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5th edition of the 'Public Sector (Non-Residential) Construction Market Report - UK 2017-2021 Analysis' specifically focuses on public sector construction activity within healthcare, education, defence, custodial, justice and other public sectors against a backdrop of continuing public sector funding cuts and uncertainties surrounding Brexit.



Key areas in the report:

- Structure, size and value of the public sector construction market and a detailed assessment of the major sectors within public sector construction.

- In-depth analysis of government funding for schools, higher education, healthcare and defence. Analysis of both resource and capital spending levels to 2021.

- Detailed review of major contractors and consortia involved in public sector construction forecasts of market developments to 2021.

- Review of investment levels and progress in sector-specific procurement routes and construction programmes within the key public sectors.

- Analysis of construction output in the public sector with forecasts to 2020-21. Future opportunities for public sector work for the construction industry.



Areas of particular interest:

- Capital spending is now being prioritised following the easing of austerity measures, enabling the government to use public borrowing to fund capital developments. This will see capital spending rise from 52.3bn in 2016-17 to 74.2bn in 2021-22, a rise of around 41.8% over the 6 year period.

- Analysis of the likely impact of Brexit on public sector funding and public sector projects, EU funding and the availability of new loans from the EIB.

- Review of key public sector procurement routes and programmes including PFI and PF2; and Regional Construction Frameworks such as the London Construction Programme; the Southern Construction Framework; the North West Construction Hub; EMPA/SCAPE Contractors Frameworks; YORhub; Constructing West Midlands; and NEPO in the North East.

- A review of the new public sector market frameworks and alternative procurement routes to central government frameworks including Pagabo Major Projects Framework for EU compliant projects covering Scotland, the North, Wales and South.



Public Sector Construction Market in the UK

Value of construction output 2012 to 2021. Total new work and RMI output in the residential and non-residential sectors, trends by sector and forecasts to 2021.

Public non-residential construction analysis and outlook 2012-2021 - output, forecasts and sector analysis: health, education, defence, police, custodial, justice and other public sectors.

Current and forecast public sector spending and investment. Impact of 'Brexit' on public sector spending and public sector projects to 2021.

Analysis of policy and announcements in the 2016 budget and 2016 autumn statement.

Public sector funding: Education - DfE spending; higher education spending; education capital spending.

Public sector funding: Healthcare - NHS spending; CCG spending; NHS in Scotland & Wales; healthcare capital spending to 2021.



Procurement Programmes in Public Sector Construction

Overview of government investment in PFI projects. Analysis of forthcoming public sector projects under PF2.

Construction and procurement programmes in the education sector: PFI; PSBP; academies/free schools programme; Scotland-schools for the future programme; Wales - 21st century schools programme.

Construction and procurement programmes in the healthcare sector: PFI & PPP; PF2; ExpressLIFT; Scottish hub initiative and frameworks Scotland; Procure21+ and P22; and designed for life: building for Wales framework.

Construction and procurement programmes in the defence sector: next generation estate contracts (NGEC) programme with a mix of prime contracts and capital works frameworks.

Construction and procurement programmes in the justice, police, fire & rescue and custodial sectors.

Review of regional construction frameworks such as the London construction programme; the Southern construction framework; the North West construction Hub; EMPA/SCAPE contractors frameworks; YORhub; Constructing West Midlands; and NEPO in the North East.



Construction Supply in the Public Sector

Detailed review of major contractors and consortia and overview of contractor capability and experience in public sector construction work.

Key contractors in the education healthcare, education, defence and other public sectors. Capability, experience and key projects and frameworks awarded in 2016.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04759521-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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Customer Experience: Delight customers at every touchpoint;

Product Experience: Build products that people love;

Employee Experience: Improve employee engagement, retain top talent, and develop leaders;

Brand Experience: Create differentiated brands that people want to associate with.

According to Ryan Smith, CEO of Qualtrics, "There are two types of data: operational data and experience data. For too long, organizations have been looking exclusively at data about the pastthe operational data or 'O data.' Where companies fail is in not leveraging experience data, or 'X data.' X data is the human-factor data, the beliefs, emotions, and sentiments that tell you why things are happening and that help predict what is going to happen next. And while there are plenty of technologies to help companies manage their operational data, until now there hasn't been a technology that makes it easy to capture and understand the X data."

Smith continued, "Because most organizations are O-data rich, and X-data poor, this has led to a huge gap between most companies' ability to know what's happening and understanding why it's happening and how to adapt programs in real time. We call this the 'experience gap' and Qualtrics XM, our experience management platform, is the key to helping companies close this gap."

Growing Experience Expectations

The combination of new technologies, rapid advancements in customer experience (CX) programs and a younger consumer population is creating an immediate need for a platform to measure and optimize experiences across an organization. Millennials and Generation Z are fast becoming the largest population groups in the world. Both groups have higher expectations when it comes to brands, the products they buy and the experiences around them.

"The internet of things, wearables, self-driving cars, cashier-free stores, automated home assistants, Wi-Fi connected ordering buttons and deliveries by drone are leading the frenzied pack of experience expectations," said Smith. "But to deliver great products and to provide delightful customer experience requires employee excellence across the organization. A company's ability to win in today's business environment depends on its ability to create amazing and consistent experiences across all aspects of the business."

Customer Acclaim for Qualtrics XM Platform

Allianz

"Over the last 18 months, our partnership with Qualtrics has enabled Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty to more effectively support and manage our engagements with customers in over 30 countries. By having Qualtrics as a global platform integrating customer experience, market research and business data, we can better focus on the aspects of the customer journey that will not only have an impact on business performance but also will deliver the best customer experience," said Allison Windon, Global Customer Experience Director at Allianz. "A key part of this approach has been to effectively use the insights gained to drive a customer-focused cultural change within our employees. And, as we look to the future, an experience management platform will become more and more important, as it is only through truly engaged team members that our customers can have the best experience."

JetBlue

"JetBlue holds 'Inspiring Humanity' as our mission and loftiest aim in all we do. As such, insights from our valued customers and engagement of our 20,000+ crewmembers are paramount. Qualtrics continues to be an outstanding, treasured partner in uncovering the insights needed to enable our crewmembers to deliver award-winning service, helping us adapt our offerings to exceed our constantly growing expectations for customer experience and, truly, helping facilitate our mission to inspire humanity," said Danny Cox, Director, Customer Support & Insights at JetBlue. "Further correlating and evolving crewmember engagement and customer, product and brand experiences is our focus to help us better predict winning customer experiences, and we trust Qualtrics' XM strategy to help power this process."

Michelin

"Michelin's BFGoodrich brand embodies the enthusiast lifestyle. Our go-to-market strategy includes meeting our core consumers where they work and play; on the racetrack, in the desert, or on the trail. Qualtrics has been instrumental in giving us the flexibility and functionality to capture valuable feedback at our sponsored events," said Jill Burnett, Market Intelligence Manager, BFGoodrich Brand, at Michelin North America. "The proposition of having an experience management platform with the ability to take our insights to the next level by identifying the experiences and motivations that are truly part of our enthusiasts' DNA is exciting!"

Vivint

"Qualtrics plays a key role in helping Vivint Smart Home manage a world-class smart home experience for more than one million customers," said Jim Lewis, director of customer service strategy at Vivint Smart Home, the leading smart home services provider in North America. "Since implementing Qualtrics, we have been able to achieve several business objectives, including driving significant improvements in our Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Qualtrics XM Platform presents additional opportunities to meet our business goals and assist in our efforts to redefine the home experience."

Qualtrics Insight Summit Event

The Qualtrics XM Platform was announced at the annual Insight Summit where over 3,500 global attendees hear from the world's top brands, universities, and researchers about combining operational data and experience data to provide incredible experiences to stakeholders.

Also at the event, Qualtrics announced the winners of the 2017 Insights to Action (I2A) Awards. The winners were recognized for their use of Qualtrics to create actionable insights that drive top experiences for customers and employees alike. The winners include:

Grand Prize I2A Award: Allianz

Allianz I2A Grand Prize Runners Up: JetBlue, 1-800 CONTACTS

JetBlue, 1-800 CONTACTS I2A Gold Awards: Delta, Michelin, Ricoh

Delta, Michelin, Ricoh I2A Silver Awards: Liberty Mutual (SafeCo), Pandora, Citrix, Costa Cruises, Thanksgiving Point, Ciena, Belk

Liberty Mutual (SafeCo), Pandora, Citrix, Costa Cruises, Point, Ciena, Belk I2A Bronze Awards: Whole Foods, Cars.com, Fuji-Xerox, Ingersoll Rand , Jackson College , Flagler College , American Academy of Neurology

For more information, please visit: https://www.qualtrics.com/insights-to-action-award/.

The Qualtrics XM Platform is available now. Visit https://www.qualtrics.com/ to learn more.

About Qualtrics:

Qualtrics is a rapidly growing software-as-a-service company and the leader in experience management. More than 8,500 enterprises worldwide, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 100 and 99 of the top 100 U.S. business schools, rely on Qualtrics. Our solutions make it easy to measure, prioritize, and optimize the experiences organizations provide across the four foundations of business: customer, product, employee and brand experiences. To learn more, and for a free account, please visit https://www.qualtrics.com/.

Media Contacts:

Julia Giona, Qualtrics

+1 (415) 828-4775

[email protected]

SOURCE Qualtrics
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is providing comfort and support across multiple states in response to wildfires, flooding, tornadoes and severe weather.

WILDFIRES Wildfires are burning thousands of acres in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida. Red Cross workers opened shelters in Kansas and Texas and are providing snacks and water for firefighters in Oklahoma. The Red Cross will be on hand to help for as long as needed. In Texas, a wildfire has already burned 23,000 acres northeast of Amarillo, forcing people to leave their homes. A wildfire in Logan County, Colorado, also caused people to evacuate the area after the fire burned 25,000 acres. Several wildfires are burning in Oklahoma in Alfalfa, Harper, Ellis, Woodward, Beaver, Logan and Payne counties, and several small towns are under evacuation orders. A wildfire forced the town of Wilson in Ellsworth County, Kansas, to evacuate, and fires are also burning in Reno County in the state. And in Florida, fires damaged hundreds of acres in Lee County and damaged several homes.

TORNADOES In what has been characterized as the worst tornado season since 2012, Red Cross workers are helping people impacted by tornadoes in several states across the Midwest. In Arkansas, about 200 homes have been affected. In Missouri, Red Cross workers opened shelters after tornadoes touched down in Smithville, Clinton and Oak Grove. The Red Cross is also helping people in Seymour, Iowa after a tornado caused damaged and ruptured a gas line.

FLOODING In California, more than 255 people remain in shelters, where flood warnings continue in some areas. Red Cross workers are providing shelter, food and relief supplies, and are helping people plan their next steps. Officials are also warning that people should avoid the possibly contaminated flood waters.

OTHER RESPONSES A blizzard in Ward County, North Dakota, prevented about 40 high school students from getting home  and the Red Cross worked with school officials to provide help to the stranded students. In Grady County, Oklahoma, a train derailment kept residents from their homes. The Red Cross helped those affected and also provided support to emergency responders.

WEATHER REMAINS A THREAT Parts of the country face the threat of more severe weather in the coming days and weeks, and the Red Cross is monitoring weather regularly to respond if needed. Severe thunderstorms are possible for the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys. Freezing rain is predicted for the northeast and heavy snow may hit parts of the Cascades and Rocky Mountains. The threat of wildfire conditions continues for portions of the Southwest, Great Plains, Central/Southern Rockies and the Mississippi Valley due to dry conditions and forecast high winds.

HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross depends on the generous support of the American public to fulfill its crucial mission. Help people affected by disasters like floods, wildfires and countless other crises by making a donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief. These gifts enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Make a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 gift.

CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; General Motors Foundation; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; Humble Bundle; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

ADGP $500,000 members are: 3M; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bank of America; Boise Paper; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; McDonald's Corporation; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelez International Foundation; National Grid; PepsiCo Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; Reynolds American Foundation; Ryder; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; Sunoco; the TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; and Wells Fargo.

Disaster Responder Program members are: Alcoa; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; Ball Foundation; BNY Mellon; CarMax; The Clorox Company; Cox Automotive; DTE Energy Foundation; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; Hi-Rez Studios; HP Foundation; IBM Corporation; IHG Foundation; IKEA; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; PuroClean Disaster Recovery; SC Johnson; ScriptRelief; SERVPRO; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; T O Y O T A; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; The USAA Foundation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org


LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Churches, co-founder of the Christopher Street West (the oldest pride parade in the world), and marriage equality activist, will be the first American citizen to be given Cuba's CENESEX award. The event will take place at the 10th Cuban Gala Against Homophobia be held in the historical 5500 seat venue Karl Marx Theater in Havana May 12, 2017. Also, on May 13,the documentary, "Call me Troy," will be shown at Cuban Pavilion after the National March against Transphobia and Homophobia. The entire conference will take place from May 8-13.

Doctor Mariela Castro and Rev. Troy Perry

The National Center for Sex Education (Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual, or CENESEX) is a government-funded body in Cuba. The center is best known for advocating tolerance of LGBTQ issues on the island. CENESEX stresses acceptance of sexual diversity and has attracted international attention in recent years for its campaigns for the rights of transgender persons, including the recognition of an individual's gender identity, regardless of birth sex, and provision of state-funded gender reassignment surgery. The Director of the center is Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro and Vilma Espin, the brother and sister-in-law of former leader Fidel Castro.

"To say that I am honored to receive this award from CENESEX would be an understatement," Perry stated. "I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to visit Cuba and meet members of the Cuban government as well as this wonderful citizens. I am still saddened that the government of my country, the United States of America, still has not lifted the embargo against this wonderful country and its people. I call, again, for our government to make that change now!"

Perry has praised the work of Mariela Castro for working against transphobia and homophobia in Cuba. "Thank God for her. As a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba, she is in the position to be our voice to the socialist government of her country. She is a heterosexual ally, one of the only ones, who is also the mother of LGBTQ rights in her country."

Perry will be traveling to Cuba for the conference with his husband of 32 years, Mr. Phillip Ray De Blieck. They reside in Los Angeles, California.

Contact:

Mike Easterling

MCC Global Justice Institute

646-457-8901

[email protected]

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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Metropolitan Community Churches
SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world's #1 CRM company and Intelligent Customer Success Platform, today announced Einstein AI is available to all of its customers across sales, service, marketing, commerce and more. Part of Spring '17, Salesforce's 52nd major product release in 18 years, Einstein is already being leveraged by customers to deliver smarter, more impactful customer experiences, and by developers to bring AI into the next generation of customer relationship management (CRM) apps.

Salesforce also announced Einstein Vision, a set of powerful new APIs that allow developers of all skill levels to bring image recognition to CRM and build AI-powered apps fast. The result of computer vision breakthroughs from Salesforce Research, Einstein Vision allows companies to unlock powerful insights within photosfrom detecting inventory levels and product quality to identifying consumer trends and customer preferences. Now, any developer can leverage pre-trained image classifiers, or train their own custom classifiers, to handle a vast array of specialized image-recognition use cases.

"The world's #1 CRM is now the world's smartest CRM with Salesforce Einstein available to millions of users in our Spring '17 release," said Alex Dayon, President and Chief Product Officer at Salesforce. "With Einstein, we are democratizing AI, enabling everyone to achieve new levels of productivity and accelerate growth, directly within the products they use every day."

Salesforce Customers Champion Einstein

"Sales Cloud Einstein will transform the way Air France-KLM's sales teams work, empowering them with intelligence to improve lead qualification and help make smarter choices that drive more revenue," said Henri de Peyrelongue, SVP Commercial Planning, Air France-KLM. "With AI embedded into Salesforce workflows, our sales organization can bring its productivity and effectiveness to entirely new levels."

"At U.S. Bank, a cornerstone of our customer commitment is to cultivate meaningful relationships with the customers we serve," said Kate Quinn, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Reputation Officer, U.S. Bank. "Predictive insights from Salesforce Einstein can ensure that U.S. Bank's relationship managers and loan officers are able to engage with each customer's unique situation quickly." Quinn adds, "With Sales Cloud Einstein, our front line employees can be more proactive and know the best next action for each specific customer."

"Sales reps are faced with an influx of information everyday and often struggle with how to prioritize their time as a result," said Cristina Schwartz, Director of Sales Automation, Seagate Technology. "Salesforce Einstein will help Seagate streamline and provide recommended next best actions that help reps be more productive and sell smarter."

AI is Here

Unlike general AI platforms that require extensive customization and armies of data scientists, Einstein democratizes AI with state-of-the-art algorithms built directly into the Salesforce Intelligent Customer Success Platform and is delivered through the apps and workflows that millions of CRM users rely on every day. Powered by advanced machine learning, deep learning, predictive analytics, natural language processing and smart data discovery, Einstein delivers intelligence directly within the context of business. And, because Einstein is built into the Salesforce platform, customers can customize their AI models for their specific needs.

Einstein Makes Salesforce the World's Smartest CRM

With the release of Spring '17, Einstein AI capabilities are now live across the Intelligent Customer Success Platform. Customers like Air France-KLM, Seagate and US Bank are already leveraging Einstein to connect with their customers in entirely new ways. The Einstein features include:

Sales Cloud Einstein: With Einstein Opportunity Insights, sales reps can increase their productivity and close more deals with intelligence based on customer sentiment, competitor involvement and overall prospect engagement. These predictive insights serve up recommended next best actions so reps can better prioritize their day and engage with the right customer, at the right time. Einstein Account Insights help reps stay ahead of their business with insights gleaned from the latest news, including M&A activity and company financial results. And with Einstein Activity Capture, reps can connect their email and calendar to Salesforce to free themselves from hours of manual data entry so they can focus on building better relationships with their customers.

With Einstein Opportunity Insights, sales reps can increase their productivity and close more deals with intelligence based on customer sentiment, competitor involvement and overall prospect engagement. These predictive insights serve up recommended next best actions so reps can better prioritize their day and engage with the right customer, at the right time. Einstein Account Insights help reps stay ahead of their business with insights gleaned from the latest news, including M&A activity and company financial results. And with Einstein Activity Capture, reps can connect their email and calendar to Salesforce to free themselves from hours of manual data entry so they can focus on building better relationships with their customers. Service Cloud Einstein: Einstein Supervisor Insights combines real-time operational insights with smart data discovery to empower contact center supervisors with omni-channel intelligence and AI-powered analytics to increase agent productivity and customer satisfaction. In addition, Einstein Supervisor Insights can predict customer satisfaction and make specific recommendations to improve the customer experience.

Einstein Supervisor Insights combines real-time operational insights with smart data discovery to empower contact center supervisors with omni-channel intelligence and AI-powered analytics to increase agent productivity and customer satisfaction. In addition, Einstein Supervisor Insights can predict customer satisfaction and make specific recommendations to improve the customer experience. Marketing Cloud Einstein: Einstein Journey Insights applies algorithms to analyze hundreds of millions of data points to help marketers understand what events and sequences lead to buying decisions so they can optimize campaigns and journeys. With Einstein Segmentation, marketers can uncover clusters of related consumers and target entirely new segments with more personalized and effective campaigns.

Einstein Journey Insights applies algorithms to analyze hundreds of millions of data points to help marketers understand what events and sequences lead to buying decisions so they can optimize campaigns and journeys. With Einstein Segmentation, marketers can uncover clusters of related consumers and target entirely new segments with more personalized and effective campaigns. Commerce Cloud Einstein: Einstein Commerce Insights analyzes order history, product data and customer data to power smarter merchandising. Now retailers can better understand purchasing patterns in order to market more effective product bundles, improve in-store merchandising and optimize website and campaign design.

Einstein Commerce Insights analyzes order history, product data and customer data to power smarter merchandising. Now retailers can better understand purchasing patterns in order to market more effective product bundles, improve in-store merchandising and optimize website and campaign design. Analytics Cloud Einstein: A new capability in the Salesforce Platform, Einstein Data Discovery automates the entire analytics workflow by analyzing millions of data combinations in minutes to surface and answer key business questions without needing advanced data science. Business users are then provided with interactive and actionable insights and recommendations right inside Salesforce. With one click, these insights can be turned into a slide presentation complete with charts and graphs that outline key findings and talking points that explain them, enabling any business user to communicate findings quickly.

A new capability in the Salesforce Platform, Einstein Data Discovery automates the entire analytics workflow by analyzing millions of data combinations in minutes to surface and answer key business questions without needing advanced data science. Business users are then provided with interactive and actionable insights and recommendations right inside Salesforce. With one click, these insights can be turned into a slide presentation complete with charts and graphs that outline key findings and talking points that explain them, enabling any business user to communicate findings quickly. Community Cloud Einstein: With Einstein Recommendations and Einstein Trending Posts, companies are able to serve up the most relevant and popular content and peopleincluding files, groups and subject-matter expertsto deliver personalized experiences to community members.

Einstein Vision Empowers Any Developer to Build AI-Powered Apps

Advances in image recognition are enabling companies to discover new insights about customers and develop more efficient processes. New Einstein Vision capabilities that bring the power of image recognition to any app include:

Visual Search allows consumers to use visual filters to find products that best match their preferences and take photos of products to discover where they can be purchasedin-store or online.

allows consumers to use visual filters to find products that best match their preferences and take photos of products to discover where they can be purchasedin-store or online. Brand Detection analyzes user-generated images in communities, message boards and social media, giving marketers a better understanding of their customers to help improve quality of service, extend marketing reach and maximize campaign ROI.

analyzes user-generated images in communities, message boards and social media, giving marketers a better understanding of their customers to help improve quality of service, extend marketing reach and maximize campaign ROI. Product Identification analyzes images to give sales and service reps the ability to remotely evaluate product issues, manage inventory and analyze product mix and selling potential. See here for more.

Salesforce Incubator Welcomes 15 New Startups Building Einstein-Powered Apps

Salesforce is extending the power of Einstein to its ecosystem, welcoming a new group of 15 startups into the Salesforce Incubator. This international group of startups, which cover a broad range of solutions and industries, will use Einstein to bring powerful AI capabilities to the apps they are developing.

The Salesforce Incubator is a five-month program that helps select startups deliver innovative solutions using Salesforce technologies and tools. It includes access to a diverse network of mentors and advisors, exposure to industry events and a physical workspace within the Salesforce San Francisco campus to facilitate innovation and collaboration. See here for more information about this new group of startups.

Continued Ecosystem Momentum

"Accenture and Salesforce share a similar vision on the role and impact of AI," said Nicola Morini Bianzino, Managing Director  Accenture Artificial Intelligence Lead, Accenture. "With Einstein, Salesforce is delivering AI for CRM, enabling companies to deliver more predictive and personalized customer experiences."

Pricing and Availability

All Einstein capabilities within Spring '17 are generally available for Salesforce customers.

Sales Cloud Einstein : Einstein Opportunity Insights, Einstein Account Insights and Einstein Activity Capture are available together for $50 per user, per month with any Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition and above.

: Einstein Opportunity Insights, Einstein Account Insights and Einstein Activity Capture are available together for per user, per month with any Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition and above. Service Cloud Einstein: Einstein Supervisor Insights combines Omni-channel Supervisor with Analytics Cloud's Service Wave analytics app and Einstein Data Discovery. Omni-channel Supervisor is included in Service Cloud Enterprise edition and above. Service Wave is available at $75 per user, per month, and Einstein Data Discovery pricing is based on the volume of data and number of users.

Einstein Supervisor Insights combines Omni-channel Supervisor with Analytics Cloud's Service Wave analytics app and Einstein Data Discovery. Omni-channel Supervisor is included in Service Cloud Enterprise edition and above. Service Wave is available at per user, per month, and Einstein Data Discovery pricing is based on the volume of data and number of users. Marketing Cloud Einstein: Einstein Journey Insights and Einstein Segmentation are available with any Marketing Cloud license and a Krux license. Pricing is based on data collection volumes and storage and data processing use cases.

Einstein Journey Insights and Einstein Segmentation are available with any Marketing Cloud license and a Krux license. Pricing is based on data collection volumes and storage and data processing use cases. Commerce Cloud Einstein: Einstein Commerce Insights are included at no additional cost with any Commerce Cloud Digital license.

Einstein Commerce Insights are included at no additional cost with any Commerce Cloud Digital license. App Cloud Einstein : Einstein Vision can be used in conjunction with Heroku or any Force.com license at no cost for up to 1,000 predictions per month. The costs for additional predictions is based on prediction volume. Einstein Vision is currently in Pilot and expected to be generally available later this month.

Einstein Vision can be used in conjunction with Heroku or any Force.com license at no cost for up to 1,000 predictions per month. The costs for additional predictions is based on prediction volume. Einstein Vision is currently in Pilot and expected to be generally available later this month. Community Cloud Einstein: Einstein Recommendations and Einstein Trending Posts are included at no cost with any Community Cloud license.

Einstein Recommendations and Einstein Trending Posts are included at no cost with any Community Cloud license. Analytics Cloud Einstein: Einstein Data Discovery pricing is based on the volume of data and number of users.

Additional Information

Learn more about Salesforce Einstein at http://www.salesforce.com/einstein/

Start exploring Salesforce Einstein with Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/module/ai_basics

Connect with Salesforce

Like Salesforce on Facebook.

Follow @salesforce on Twitter.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the world's #1 CRM company and Intelligent Customer Success Platform, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Rights of ALBERT EINSTEIN are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight.

SOURCE Salesforce

Related Links

http://www.salesforce.com


CINCINNATI, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, its 64th, the Scripps Howard Awards will recognize an investigation that revealed a national problem of sexual abuse cases involving doctors; photos that captured the horrifying reality of government-directed killings in the Philippines; and breaking news coverage by a California newspaper when fire ripped through a warehouse, killing dozens.

The Scripps Howard Awards celebrate excellence in journalism during 2016 in 17 categories, with prize money totaling $180,000. The winning journalists and news outlets demonstrated courage, resourcefulness and ingenuity. They told stories that resulted in lasting impact. Their work enacted new laws, ended waste and deceptive government practices, and saved lives.

"Recognizing the best journalism in the country is a fundamental mission of Scripps Howard Foundation," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the foundation. "We, along with the judges, were impressed with the quality of journalism in submissions from the smallest of hometown newspapers to newer digital media brands to the traditional powerhouses whose investigations extend to global audiences. We commend the work these journalists did in 2016 and the impact their words, videos and interactive elements will continue to have across our communities. They embody our motto of giving light and changing lives."

2016 Scripps Howard Award Winners:

Investigative Reporting, Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize  $20,000

"Doctors & Sex Abuse"  Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Upon discovering that in two-thirds of sexual abuse cases, Georgia doctors were allowed to keep their medical licenses, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution set forth on an investigation into tolerance of sexual abuse by physicians nationwide. Stories of abuse had remained untold in part because the nation's 64 state medical boards do not keep databases of disciplined doctors. The only national accounting of physician discipline is, by law, anonymous to the public.

Determined to find a way around the barriers of controlled medical board documents, the newspaper wrote computer programs to collect 100,000 disciplinary documents representing every state. The series is sparking changes at state medical boards and in state legislatures.

Finalists: "Unsafe at Any Level" by M.B. Pell and Joshua Schneyer with Reuters and "Wounded Warriors" by Chip Reid, Jennifer Janisch, Len Tepper and Heather Abbott with CBS News

Topic of the Year  $10,000

Alec MacGillis  "The Breakdown," ProPublica

The Topic of the Year category was the 2016 presidential election. Alec MacGillis spent 2016 visiting the heartland, measuring the mounting wave of discontent, frustration and anger. With this background on the sentiment toward Donald Trump, it took just hours for MacGillis to pound out a post-election piece of deeply reported analysis  "Revenge of the Forgotten Class." The story capped a year of reporting on the changes underlying the political season.

Finalists: "Electorate Issue" by Bloomberg Businessweek and "The Choice 2016" by Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Philip Bennett, Jim Gilmore and Gabrielle Schonder with Frontline/WGBH

Public Service Reporting, Roy W. Howard Award  $10,000

"Special Education Denied"  Houston Chronicle

To offset its financial deficit, the Texas Education Agency set an unprecedented  and secretive  benchmark that its school districts should have no more than 8.5 percent of students in special education. Until the Houston Chronicle launched "Special Education Denied," no one outside a tight circle of state officials and school administrators even knew the decree existed. The paper assembled and analyzed millions of lines of data that showed Texas' special education enrollments were the lowest in America by far and interviewed more than 800 people about their experiences. The series sparked action by the U.S. Department of Education to order the state to eliminate the benchmark and provide the proper education.

Finalists: "Beyond Homelessness" by San Francisco Chronicle and "Mississippi Child Care Crisis" by Jackie Mader and Sarah Butrymowicz with The Hechinger Report

Photojournalism  $10,000

Daniel Berehulak  The New York Times

Over 35 days, Daniel Berehulak documented 41 crime scenes with 57 fatalities in the Philippines  evidence of the president's promise to rid the country of drug addicts and dealers. Berehulak unearthed back stories, contradicted police accounts, cataloged crowded jails and witnessed wrenching funeral scenes. His photos and reports were viewed nearly 3 million times in multiple languages and is credited as a factor in the United States' decision to defer financial aid to the Philippines.

Opinion, Walker Stone Award  $10,000

Stephen Henderson  Detroit Free Press

Stephen Henderson brought weighty perspective to 2016's major issues through the lens of historical narratives  American, racial, literary and his own. He fashioned powerful arguments about issues that ranged from the presidential election to police shootings of black citizens to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. He excavated connections between personal and public histories as he began work to revitalize the Detroit neighborhood where he was born and raised.

Finalists: "California Coast" by Steve Lopez with Los Angeles Times and editorials by Marie C. Dillon with Chicago Tribune

Environmental Reporting, Edward J. Meeman Award  $10,000

Rob Davis  "Toxic Armories" The Oregonian/OregonLive

Although a military audit 20 years ago warned that indoor firing ranges exposed soldiers and the public to lead dust, it was not until Rob Davis raised questions about lead levels in National Guard armories that the military took action. Davis devoted 18 months to investigating the dangers of unsafe lead levels inside National Guard armories still in use by the military and the public. He filed 100 public record requests and obtained 23,000 pages of inspection reports. He discovered the military had failed to properly ventilate and clean indoor gun ranges at the armories. After the publication, the Guard closed every one of its toxic U.S. armories to the public.

Finalists: "Killed for a Horn" by Nelufar Hedayat with Univision and Fusion and "Mobile Power, Human Toll" by Peter Whoriskey, Todd C. Frankel, Michael Robinson Chavez and Jorge Ribas with The Washington Post

Business/Economics Reporting, William Brewster Styles Award  $10,000

"The Panama Papers"  The Center for Public Integrity, McClatchy and the Miami Herald

Journalists from nearly 80 countries speaking dozens of languages joined forces to delve into 11.5 million files, 214,000 offshore entities and almost 40 years of records, collectively known as "The Panama Papers." The trove of leaked documents came from a Panama-headquartered law firm that establishes offshore accounts for its clients. It exposed offshore hideaways tied to mega-banks, corporate bribery scandals, drug kingpins, arms traffickers and a network of people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin that shuffled as much as $2 billion around the world.

Since the investigation, governments and corporations in 79 countries have opened at least 150 inquiries, audits or investigations.

Finalists: "Amazon, Customers' Race" by David Ingold and Spencer Soper with Bloomberg Businessweek and "Infuse" by Joe Carlson, Jim Spencer and MaryJo Webster with Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Breaking News  $10,000

"Oakland's Ghost Ship Fire"  East Bay Times  $10,000

Less than four hours after inquiring into a warehouse fire, the East Bay Times began piecing together the causes behind what would become the deadliest fire in Oakland's history. The newspaper uncovered fire code violations, no permit for residency in the structure and problems that impeded firefighters' access during the fire. As hours unfolded, the Times dedicated a team solely to telling the stories of the 36 victims killed inside the Ghost Ship warehouse.

The newspaper brought the entire tragedy into focus a week later with harrowing stories of those who made it out and those who tried to help, what was lost and what led to the tragedy.

Finalists: "Death of Jose Fernandez" by Miami Herald and "Orlando Nightclub Shooting" by Ari Shapiro, Jinae West, Renita Jablonski, Melissa Gray with NPR

Community Journalism  $10,000

Gregory Pratt  "Lincoln-Way Investigation" Daily Southtown

When a prominent and affluent school district, Lincoln-Way, shuttered a new school, Gregory Pratt launched a probe that led to 56 stories and investigations by a federal grand jury and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pratt used the Illinois Freedom of Information Act to file more than 100 requests for invoice documents, disciplinary records, account fund histories  anything that would shed light on the situation. His reporting unearthed $40 million in insider deals, waste and deceptive budgeting practices. It uncovered a toxic political culture enabled by a rubber-stamping school board and lax oversight in a state known for public corruption and imprisoned governors.

Finalist: "Free to Flee" by Jacob Carpenter with Naples Daily News

Distinguished Service to First Amendment, Edward Willis Scripps Award  $10,000

Eric Eyre  "Painkiller Profiteers" Charleston Gazette-Mail (West Virginia)

Eric Eyre and this 37,000-circulation West Virginia newspaper fought to save the local citizens from the epidemic of prescription painkillers that made it the state with the highest drug-overdose rate in the nation. The team went to court to unseal records, reviewed unenforced state pharmacy regulations, tabulated startling statistics and compiled compelling individual stories to reveal an astonishingly large influx of prescription into the small town. Armed with Eyre's stories, seven counties, two cities and one town quickly sued wholesalers to recover damages for addiction treatment costs. The State Board of Pharmacy voted to enforce laws that had been on the books  but ignored  since 2001.

Finalists: "Dangers of Government Secrets" by J. David McSwane with The Dallas Morning News and "FOIA Battles" by Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia)

Human Interest Storytelling, Ernie Pyle Award  $10,000

Lane DeGregory  Tampa Bay Times

Lane DeGregory tells the stories of the unheralded and unknown. Two of her noteworthy 2016 pieces focused on death. For one, she spent months in the cramped living room of a terminally ill man who had planned to take his life when he became a burden to his wife. The other delved into the death of a 5-year-old girl thrown from a bridge by her own father. DeGregory convinced dozens of people to recount, in excruciating detail, the warning signs they had observed. The intimate interviews and recounting of the child's last days left readers wondering what they would do if they saw a child spiraling into danger.

Finalists: "Trapped in a Dying Body" by Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje with San Antonio Express-News and "Long Walk Home From War" by John Luciew and Joe Hermitt with PennLive/Patriot-News(Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania)

Digital Innovation  $10,000

"Machine Bias"  ProPublica

"Machine Bias" delved into whether algorithms discriminate against some groups and favor others, pulling back the curtain on everything from digital profiling to variable pricing to machine learning. ProPublica used deep data analysis and worked with experts to effectively reverse engineer algorithms. It involved readers to crowdsource crucial data and fuel reporting. And it used dogged reporting, knocking on doors in multiple states. The crowdsourcing effort resulted in the discovery that Facebook was allowing advertisers to exclude people by race. Federal officials expressed "significant concern," and Facebook soon rewrote its policies.

Finalists: "Red Feed, Blue Feed" by Jon Keegan of The Wall Street Journal and "Make It Stop" by the editorial staff of The Boston Globe

Radio In-Depth Coverage, Jack R. Howard  $10,000

"Flint Water Crisis"  Michigan Radio

After other news organizations moved on, Michigan Radio continued to pursue the problem of unsafe drinking water in Flint, Michigan. The entire newsroom covered the story from all angles: political, environmental, legal and social justice. In 2016, the station produced more than 500 radio stories and web articles about the Flint water crisis. It resulted in the governor admitting there is a problem with the town's drinking water. Numerous state and local officials have since been charged with felony-level crimes.

Finalists: "The Man Inside: Four Months as a Prison Guard" by Mother Jones, The Center for Investigative Reporting, and "Strange Death of Jose de Jesus" by Marlon Bishop, Fernanda Echavarri and Maria Hinojosa with Futuro Media Group

TV/Cable In-Depth National, International Coverage, Jack R. Howard Award  $10,000

"ISIS Fighters"  Fusion, Vytenis Didziulis, Catalina Gomez Angel, Mikhail Galustov and Keith Summa

Fusion ventured into Syria, the deadliest country in the world for journalists, to follow several Western volunteers embedded with Kurdish militia as they uncovered the brutality of life under ISIS. Among its revelations: underground prisons ISIS used to jail Yazidis, a Kurdish religious community on the verge of extinction; sanctioning of the indiscriminate killing of Yazidis; and kidnapping of women and girls to sell as sex slaves. The film received a half-million views online, making it Fusion's highest-viewed show in 2016. It alerted policy makers to the present dangers for those who travel to Syria to fight ISIS.

Finalists: "New Colombia" by Lara Logan, Alan B. Goldberg, Timothy Costa and Joe Schanzer with CBS News and "Death by Fentanyl" by Keith Summa with Univision and Fusion

TV/Cable In-Depth Local Coverage, Jack R. Howard Award  $10,000

"Medical Waste"  WVUE-TV New Orleans, Lee Zurik, Jon Turnipseed, Tom Wright and Greg Phillips

As WVUE began looking into the rising costs of prescription drugs, a pharmacist's insights revealed insurance companies' secretive practices of charging patients more for prescription drugs  and then pocketing the difference. The practice, known as "clawbacks," often caused consumers to pay more for prescription medications when using insurance than if they had purchased it outright. Contractually, insurance companies had forbidden pharmacists from telling customers they could save money by not using their insurance. The story led to 11 lawsuits and to legislation empowering pharmacists to tell customers they could save money by not using their co-pay. United Healthcare, one of the nation's largest drug insurers and the main target of this investigation, announced it would stop the practice of overcharging customers.



Finalists: "Verify Road Trip" by Chance Horner, Alexander Krueger and David Schechter with WFAA-TV (Dallas) and "Cash for Compliance?" by Dave Biscobing, Shawn Martin and Gerard Watson with KNXV-TV (Phoenix)

Scripps Howard Foundation also recognizes excellence at the collegiate level for both journalism administration and teaching. The Foundation awards $10,000 for each of these honorees and will recognize their contributions at an event later this year.

Administrator of the Year  $10,000

Maryanne Reed  Dean, Professor, Reed College of Media, West Virginia University

Teacher of the Year  $10,000

Allan Richards  Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Florida International University



The Scripps Howard Awards event is April 12 in Cincinnati at The Aronoff Center for the Arts in the Jarson-Kaplan Theater from 7-8:30 p.m. Eastern. This year's Scripps Howard Awards will be a stage show. The Foundation, in partnership with WCPO 9 On Your Side, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, will live-stream the event through Facebook and on WCPO.com. At the event, winners will receive a trophy along with their prize money.

Also that evening, Scripps Howard Foundation, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation and WCPO 9 On Your Side will announce the winner of the $100,000 literacy grant for one Greater Cincinnati nonprofit. The remaining two organizations, in competition for the grant, will each receive $25,000 to support literacy initiatives.

About the Foundation

Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation educates, empowers and honors extraordinary journalists who illuminate community issues, and partners with impactful organizations to drive change and improve lives. As the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company, the Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy and First Amendment causes. With a special commitment to the regions where Scripps does business, the Foundation helps build thriving communities.

About Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands. Scripps is one of the nation's largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets. Scripps also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including multi-platform satire and humor brand Cracked, podcast industry leader Midroll Media and over-the-top video news service Newsy. Scripps also produces television shows including "The List" and "The Now," runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the longtime steward of the nation's largest, most successful and longest-running educational program, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company

Related Links

http://www.scripps.com


CINCINNATI, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tim Wesolowski, senior vice president and chief financial officer of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP), and Brian Lawlor, senior vice president, Scripps broadcast division, will discuss the company's business strategies at the Deutsche Bank 25th Annual Media, Internet and Telecom Conference in Palm Beach, Florida, today.

Live audio of the presentation will be available from 3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. Eastern. To listen, visit www.scripps.com and click on "investor information," then "audio archives." A replay will be available there for approximately 30 days.

About Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands. Scripps is one of the nation's largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets. Scripps also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including multi-platform satire and humor brand Cracked, podcast industry leader Midroll Media and over-the-top video news service Newsy. Scripps also produces television shows including "The List" and "The Now," runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the longtime steward of the nation's largest, most successful and longest-running educational program, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company

Related Links

http://www.scripps.com


Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, said this edition of Sea Asia will provide a platform for maritime leaders from around the world to address trends and challenges.

"The maritime industry has always played a vital role in Singapore's economy. This sector is here to stay, and by attracting companies and talent, we will continue to build on the strong platform that has been established over the past decade," said Mr Sohmen-Pao.

According to statistics released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Singapore remained the world's top bunkering port in 2016. Total cargo tonnage and vessel arrival tonnage also increased by 3.0 and 6.3 per cent respectively in 2016 compared to 2015.

Mr Sohmen-Pao added, "Sea Asia 2017 provides a golden opportunity for executives to interact with each other, to discover new opportunities, and to collaborate to find solutions to the industry's challenges. We are delighted to have many new national pavilions join us this year."

This year's edition of Sea Asia will feature 10 national pavilions -- four of which are new to Sea Asia. These are the Japan, South Korea, Denmark and Greece pavilions. Over 300 exhibitors from across different sectors around the world will also be showcasing their latest and innovative maritime products and solutions.

Notably, the Sea Asia conference will see six shipping industry leaders debate for and against the motion at the inaugural Parliamentary Debate. The leaders will each share their thoughts on the motion, "This House believes that the best days of the private independent shipowner are over".

Seatrade Chairman, Mr Chris Hayman, said current developments in the industry today, such as the challenging offshore and marine sector and the implications of smart shipping, will also form significant parts of discussions at Sea Asia 2017.

"These trends are impacting the industry in more ways than one. The move towards smart shipping and data analytics, for example, provides opportunities for industry players to potentially cut costs and enhance productivity. At the same time, there is a need to think about the talent and skills needed in this area.

"Sea Asia 2017 will provide that critical and established platform for industry leaders from around the world to come together and share their thoughts on the current developments and how the industry can navigate challenges together moving forward," said Mr Hayman.

Other topics that will be discussed at the Sea Asia 2017 conference include the importance of technical change and innovation for the industry, the future of freight markets, and the opportunity for ship finance against a challenging market environment and more demanding regulatory framework.

Mr Hayman said, "We are excited to welcome maritime leaders from the world and to hear their insights on some of the more prominent issues that the industry is facing today. With the new features and format introduced for this year's edition of Sea Asia, we look forward to more engaging and fruitful discussions on how we can all work together to propel the industry further."

For more information, please contact:

Disha Gurnani Lyna Hanis Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 9789 1655 Mobile: +65 9139 0572 DID: +65 6239 4105 DID: +65 6239 4108

Notes to Editors

About Sea Asia 2017

Sea Asia, the premier maritime and offshore conference and exhibition in Asia is returning for the 6th edition on 25 - 27 April 2017 at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Co-organised by Seatrade and the Singapore Maritime Foundation, Sea Asia is well-attended by trade professionals and some of the most influential and respected leaders in the industry, delivering an unparalleled reach of key decision-makers.

Alongside an international exhibition, the highly acclaimed and interactive Sea Asia conference complements and puts Sea Asia at the forefront of regional maritime events. International thought-leaders will address the latest topics, debate on key trends, and discuss opportunities and challenges facing the maritime and offshore businesses from a commercial perspective.

For a full list of sponsors and exhibitors, and more information on the conference programme, please visit www.sea-asia.com.

About Seatrade

Founded in 1970, Seatrade was acquired in 2014 by UBM, the world's second largest media and event organiser across a wide variety of industries. Seatrade's publications, events, management training, research and award schemes cover every aspect of the cruise and maritime industries. The company's principal strength is its ability to bring key people together, encouraging innovation and facilitating better communication within the industry. Seatrade is headquartered in Colchester, UK, with regional offices in Dubai, Singapore, as well as representatives in all major maritime centres and cruise destinations across the globe.

For more information, please visit www.seatrade-maritime.com.

About the Singapore Maritime Foundation

Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a private sector-led organisation that seeks to develop and promote Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). As the representative voice for the commercial players of the maritime industry, SMF seeks to forge strong partnerships with the public and private sectors of the maritime industry. SMF spearheads initiatives to promote the diverse clusters of the maritime industry in Singapore and at international frontiers, and to attract young talents to join the sector. SMF is directed by its Board of Directors which comprises prominent leaders in the Singapore maritime community.

For details, please visit www.smf.com.sg.

About the Singapore Maritime Week 2017 (22nd  28th April 2017)

Sea Asia 2017 is held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2017 (SMW). SMW is the leading maritime event in Singapore driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. These events reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

SOURCE Seatrade Communications

Related Links

http://www.sea-asia.com


ARLINGTON, Va., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump, introducing him to the specialty chemical industry and thanking him for his focus on small business, jobs and the economy.

"With a new Administration now in place, this is the perfect time to reach out to President Trump and introduce our innovative industry and its impact on the lives of every American," said SOCMA President and CEO Jennifer Abril. "Our member companies employ more than 100,000 workers across the country and produce some 50,000 products  valued at $60 billion annually - that make our standard of living possible. We want President Trump to know that SOCMA members make materials that save lives, make our food supply safe and abundant, and enable the manufacture of literally thousands of products that people use daily."

Abril also shared insight into how burdensome regulations and discriminatory trade practices hurt not only SOCMA members but all American businesses. "SOCMA member companies depend on a dynamic global supply chain to make products for global markets," she said. "Trade agreements are a way for chemical manufacturers to fairly access foreign marketing and positively contribute to the growth of the U.S. economy, which can help grow the industry and create domestic manufacturing jobs.

"SOCMA looks forward to collaborating with the new Administration to find ways to expand opportunities for our highly productive and innovative sector," Abril said.

About SOCMA

Since 1921 SOCMA has represented a diverse membership of small, medium and large chemical companies located around the world bringing world-class support uniquely tailored to enhance the operational excellence of our member companies. SOCMA is the only U.S.-based trade association dedicated solely to the specialty chemical industry, making us the leading authority on this sector. For more information, visit www.socma.com.

Contact:

Jenny Gaines

Director, Marketing and Communications

(571) 348-5110

[email protected]

SOURCE Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates

Related Links

http://www.socma.com


DURANGO, Colo., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- StoneAge, Inc. is pleased to announce that on February 21st, 2017, the company closed an acquisition agreement with AquaPower Ltd, headquartered in the industrial midlands of the United Kingdom. "AquaPower has been a StoneAge dealer and key partner for well over a decade. We are united by a common business culture and commitment to exceptional customer service which makes this a very natural transition," said Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge. "As StoneAge products are steadily adopted across the globe, we are committed to providing our growing customer base with fast and accurate access to localized stock, training, repair, and support."

The new StoneAge Europe facility will be lead by Managing Director, Steve Ellis, who brings nearly 30 years' experience in the waterblast industry, having played an instrumental part in the growth of several companies including Flowplant (formerly Harben), WOMA, and Asia Waterjet Equipment in Dubai. "This new StoneAge site presents contractors with the convenience of accessing everything they need for a water blasting job in one location along with responsive local support," says Ellis.

Long-time General Manager of AquaPower, Karen Birt, will move into the role of acting Operations Manager and continue to oversee day-to-day operations, managing the experienced AquaPower team of order fulfillment and customer service specialists, Karen Evans, James Stallard, and Andy Stevenson. This continuity of staff will enable a seamless transition for customers as the facility begins to ship and support StoneAge products throughout Europe. Bob Birt, founder of AquaPower, will stay on as a technical consultant and support the StoneAge Europe team and UK customers through this transition.

To compliment the new base of European operation, StoneAge will add regionally based staff to provide technical sales and field support to extended areas of Western Europe. Andrew Birt, who has worked in the water blasting industry for 20 years, and directly for StoneAge for the last seven years, will take on the new role of European Dealer and UK Sales Manager. Jan van der Wal, brings extensive experience selling and supporting technical water blasting products for DiBo, and VertiDrive to his new role of StoneAge Sales Manager for Benelux, Germany, and Austria. StoneAge will be adding more regional staff in the coming months to provide convenient customer assistance for the European marketplace.

StoneAge, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of high pressure waterblast tools and automated equipment for industrial companies and contractors worldwide. Our focus is on developing the highest quality products for industrial, sewer, and downhole cleaning as well as custom equipment for application-specific challenges. Visit news.stoneagetools.com for information.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE StoneAge, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.stoneagetools.com


MILTON KEYNES, England, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategy Analytics has released a new quarterly Intelligent Home Speaker Vendor and OS Market Sharereport citing Amazon's early dominance in the burgeoning market. Over four million Intelligent Home Speakers were sold globally in Q4 2016 and the report finds that Google's Assistant achieved ten percent share in the quarter following the launch of its 'Home' speaker in November.

"Amazon has had a near two year head start over its rivals and has done an excellent job of building out an ecosystem of compatible devices and services or skills," says David Watkins, Director, within the Intelligent Home Group at Strategy Analytics. "However, Google is hot on Amazon's heels and the search giant should be able to significantly cut Amazon's lead over the coming year thanks to its superior AI platform and well-established technology licensing model which has proved successful through its Chromecast built-in program."

Bill Ablondi, Director of Strategy Analytics' Smart Home Strategies research program comments that, "Amazon and Google are not the only players in town of course and we expect that Intelligent Speakers that incorporate Microsoft's Cortana and possibly even Apple's Siri AI assistant will emerge over the next twelve months. We may also see US or European service operators take the lead from South Korea's SK Telekom and LG Uplus in launching their own Intelligent Home Speakers to help advance their Smart Home efforts."

Strategy Analytics' new Intelligent Home market tracker provides quarterly global Intelligent Home Speaker shipments and installed base metrics by hardware vendor and by operating system (Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana etc.) across six key global regions.

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com

US Contact: Bill Ablondi, +1 617 614 0744, [email protected]

European Contact: David Watkins, +33 153 409952, [email protected]

SOURCE Strategy Analytics

Related Links

http://www.strategyanalytics.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratifyd, Inc., a leading data analytics software company whose AI powered platform uses machine learning to turn raw data into real decisions achieved 300% growth in 2016 through strong demand for their software, aggressive international expansion, and robust employee onboarding. The company added clients around the globe with strong success in banking, retail, and consumer product companies.

Stratifyd Achieves 300% Year End Revenue Growth

"Stratifyd's exceptional growth in 2016 paves the way for an even stronger year in 2017," said Derek Wang, Founder and CEO of Stratifyd. "With our expanded team and continued product development, we will be expanding our reach in our current industry verticals in 2017. In addition, we receive strong interest from companies in the Healthcare, Hospitality, Insurance, and Travel industries. This will drive deeper development of offerings and features on the Stratifyd platform in 2017."

Stratifyd had a number of key milestones in 2016 that contributed to the strong year. They added clients such as Lenovo, Kimberly Clark, and Ally Bank. Stratifyd opened international offices in London and Beijing, paving the way to service clients on three continents. They increased the number of employees by 50%, bringing in highly experienced professionals in global sales and marketing while continuing to bolster their foundation of skilled data scientists and programmers. Stratifyd was recognized as one of the IDC Innovators for the 2016 Machine Learning-Based Text Analytics Market, increasing their profile among data analytics solutions providers.

"Our development team's innovation, drive, and dedication to our clients was critical to our success in 2016. This year we enhanced the Stratifyd platform with faster performance, enhanced user interface, additional operational capabilities, and new collaboration tools," added Wang.

Stratifyd's data analytics platform uses AI powered machine learning to process structured and unstructured data, collecting a wealth of data from a wide variety of sources to provide business insights faster and more efficiently. The artificial intelligence uses deep textual learning, natural language understanding, sentiment analysis, and smart structured data analysis with geographical, temporal, and predictive analysis to help clients understand their issues faster for quicker resolution. The seamlessly sharable dashboards allow anyone on the client's team to possess the power of data science and provides the ability to apply their deep domain knowledge for the most accurate results.

Contact

Joshua Camden

VP of Marketing

704-215-4955

[email protected]

SOURCE Stratifyd
LANSING, Mich., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of students representing 20 schools, career and technical centers from across Mich. will meet in Frankenmuth March 12-13 for the annual Michigan ProStart Competition, with half a million dollars of scholarship money at stake for top competitors. Hosted by the Michigan Restaurant Association's Educational Support Foundation (MRAESF), the student competition will take place at the Bavarian Inn from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 12, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 13. The event is free and open to the public to attend. Additional details are available at www.mraesf.org.

Hundreds of students representing 20 high schools, career and technical centers from across Michigan will meet in Frankenmuth March 12 - 13 for the annual Michigan ProStart(R) Competition, with half a million dollars of scholarship money at stake for top competitors. Hosted by the Michigan Restaurant Association's Educational Support Foundation (MRAESF), the student competition will take place at the Bavarian Inn from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 12, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 13.

The winning teams in the culinary and management/entrepreneurship portions will represent Mich. in Charleston, S.C., from April 28-30, 2017, to compete against regional winners from across the country at the 16th Annual National ProStart Invitational. More than $500,000 in culinary and foodservice scholarships are at stake for students representing the Great Lakes State.

"ProStart students represent the future of the restaurant and hospitality industry," said Justin Winslow, Michigan Restaurant Association President and CEO. "This Competition is an incredible opportunity for those students to demonstrate the skills they've learned through the ProStart program, and their passion for this industry. We are excited to see the results from countless hours of preparation throughout the school year."

According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurant industry is the nation's second-largest private sector employer, providing career opportunities for one in 10 working Americans. In Michigan, restaurants are projected to employ 465,100 people by 2026, which equates to 10.3 percent job growth or 43,600 jobs over 2016. Yet restaurant owners report recruiting and retaining employees as a challenge to their business. The ProStart Program is one answer to that challenge as it gives students interested in foodservice careers a head start by teaching culinary techniques and management skills through an industry-driven curriculum. Upon successful completion of the ProStart Program, students receive an industry-recognized certificate  and employers get well-prepared, enthusiastic employees.

Competition Details

On Sunday, March 12, students will compete in the ServSafe "Jeopardy!" style knowledge bowl sponsored by the Van Eerden Foodservice Company. This question-and-answer event tests the participants' knowledge of critically important issues of food safety and sanitation. The culinary competition will also take place on Sunday and is sponsored by Sysco of Mich. This portion of the competition challenges students to execute perfect knife cuts, develop a three-course meal in one hour (using only two butane burners), and cost-out the meal for menu pricing  all while being evaluated by industry professionals on their sanitation, teamwork, organization, and taste.

On Monday, March 13, teams will complete in the management/entrepreneurship portion of the competition, sponsored by Gordon Food Service. Students demonstrate their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation, and applying critical thinking skills to challenges that restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations. Also on Monday is the nutrition competition component. Designed to encourage the creation of healthy menu items for restaurants, students will create a menu and prepare a three-course meal that meets the National Restaurant Association's Kids' Live Well and USDA menu criteria. New to the Competition this year, menu design and table top design competitions will also be held on Monday.

Industry professionals as well as leading college and university instructors observe and rate all portions of the competition. Additional ProStart Competition sponsors include: Coca-Cola, Michael's & Associates, US Foods, and Valley City Linen.

Schools Participating in the Michigan Competition:

Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center

Boyne City High School

Branch Area Careers Center

Calhoun Area Career Center

Capital Area Career Center

Careerline Tech Center

Clare-Gladwin RESD

DCTC @ Riverview Community High

Gaylord High School

Gratiot Isabella Technical Education Center

Iosco RESA

LISD TECH Center

Oakland Schools Technical Campus Southeast

Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northwest

Petoskey High School

Plymouth-Canton Educational Park

Romeo Schools

Saginaw Career Complex

South West Washtenaw Consortium (SWWC)

Tuscola Technology Center

West Shore ESD

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and industry to develop the best and brightest talent into tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice leaders. In Michigan, 68 high schools and career centers use the ProStart curriculum with 5,000 students participating. For more information about ProStart, contact Amanda Smith at 800-968-9668, visit michiganrestaurant.org/prostart, or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

About the Michigan Restaurant Association

The Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) is the recognized leader of Michigan's hospitality industry, providing essential services to the foodservice community. Founded in 1921, the MRA represents nearly 4,500 Michigan foodservice establishments. The industry plays an integral role in Michigan's economy, employing more than 421,000 people and creating $15.4 billion in annual sales.

SOURCE Michigan Restaurant Association

Related Links

http://www.mraesf.org


IRVINE, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Synoptek, leading global managed IT services provider and managed cloud-services firm, today announces the launch of a Cybersecurity Training and Testing service designed to train end users and change behaviors in an effort to reduce organizational risks. As part of this essential service, Synoptek's Cybersecurity advisors work closely with organizations to develop a comprehensive, custom-tailored training program that helps to establish a "human firewall."

Synoptek's new Cybersecurity Training and Testing service is a concentrated effort toward mitigating the ongoing epidemic of unprecedented risks and threats to organizations' technology environments. Synoptek's aim is to reduce companies' exposure and minimize attack surfaces at an organizational level. This Cybersecurity Training and Testing service launch comes at an opportune time on the part of Synoptek, as companies are being targeted by ever-increasing social engineering schemes.

"Our human protection solutions guard your employees against cybercrime with comprehensive internet security awareness training which conditions them to be wary of threat from Wi-Fi to the inbox," shares Miles Feinberg, VP of Service Development at Synoptek. "You could heavily invest in expensive cyber security products and your data systems could still remain vulnerable to persistent social engineering attacks."

The Cybersecurity Training and Testing service comprises seven dynamic components in which organizations take part to lower risks and instill user resiliency.

Baseline TestingSynoptek initiates a statistical campaign to establish a per-user threat baseline.

User Security Awareness TrainingOn-demand, interactive training and exercises expose major cyber threats, instill best practices, and help in adherence to security compliancy.

Simulated Phishing AttacksReal-time monthly email phishing attacks are instigated to inform and engage users and promote a desirable response.

Simulated USB Drive AttacksUsers are presented with a highly pervasive threat vector in USB devices and instructed on the proper reaction.

Ongoing Actionable IntelligenceData is used for understanding security gaps, producing intelligence reporting, and implementing mitigation plans.

Continuous ImprovementOngoing simulations and training exercises sharpen employee responses and help to continually develop organizational antibodies to protect against cyber mercenaries.

Synoptek's Managed ApproachSynoptek helps your organization overcome the challenges of establishing and maintaining an enterprise wide "human firewall."

"By regularly training and testing employees on the latest threats, lessons will be learned and behavior can improve over time." From a broader perspective, Miles said, "that in addition to security awareness, there are complimentary Synoptek security solutions that provide defense in depth to comprehensively protect organizations."

About Synoptek

Synoptek offers IT consulting, managed services, cloud services, and on-premise IT management as well as 24/7 end user support for improving business results. With over 525 employees and more than 2,000 active customers in the United States and abroad, Synoptek provides comprehensive information technology management services and support. Synoptek leverages ITIL service management processes, customer-focused IT architecture, and operational excellence to deliver uninterrupted services demanded by today's market. Over the past four years, Synoptek has been consistently recognized for thought leadership and growth as confirmed by industry awards and recognition including a #4 Total-Service-Provider by MSPmentor in the World's Top Managed Service Providers in 2016, CRN's Elite 150 Managed Service Providers, and recognition on the Talkin' Cloud Top 100 Cloud Service Providers list for 2014, 2015, and 2016. For more information, visit www.synoptek.com.

Contact

Synoptek

Tyler Suss

Digital Marketing Manager

949-491-1832

SOURCE Synoptek

Related Links

https://synoptek.com


SEATTLE, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM), a partnership among the University of Colorado Denver, UCHealth, Children's Hospital Colorado, and CU Medicine, is using Tableau Software (NYSE: DATA), a global leader in visual analytics, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to analyze patient data to predict disease risk and develop targeted treatments based on an individual's health history in support of breakthrough research projects. This research requires examining the genetic makeup and health history of thousands of patients to reveal patterns showing how people with particular genetic profiles tend to get certain diseases and whether they could benefit from specific treatments.

To address those concerns, CCPM relies on Health Data Compass, CCPM's enterprise health data warehouse. Health Data Compass integrates patient genomic data from CCPM and electronic health records from UCHealth, Children's Hospital Colorado, and CU Medicine, including external records such as insurance claims, public health records, and environmental data. Eventually, it will encompass data from social media, wearable devices, and more.

Health Data Compass previously used a traditional on-premises system to store and analyze data. But that approach proved costly to maintain and didn't scale for the center's current analytics needs, let alone their projected growth. Following a comprehensive six-month pilot project, Health Data Compass migrated to the GCP and Tableau, which together can handle massive data sets and powerful visual data analyses, while costing less and allowing for easy scalability as CCPM grows. Significant to CCPM's decision was the ability of GCP, including Google BigQuery, to support HIPAA compliance per CCPM's requirements.

"We take our responsibility to protect patient data very seriously. The Google Cloud Platform provides significant advantages in data security over on-premises systems and helps us achieve HIPAA compliance," said Michael Ames, Associate Director for Health Data Compass and Director of Enterprise Architecture for CCPM.

Drilling down into genomic data

Health Data Compass uploads data from multiple sources to Google Cloud Storage, which is less expensive and more scalable than Health Data Compass's on-site storage. From Google Cloud Storage, data is routed to Google Genomics and Google BigQuery, where a wide range of analytics is performed.

Google BigQuery provided an unexpected benefit for one of Health Data Compass's key services: probabilistic record linkage algorithms. Information about patients comes from multiple sources, so Health Data Compass needs to ensure that records aren't duplicated. For example, it must determine whether 'Bobby Peterson' treated as a youth at Children's Hospital Colorado is the same as 'Roberta Peterson' treated as an adult years later at UCHealth. Compass holds records for nearly 6 million patients, so this algorithm requires tremendous processing power. Health Data Compass's original on-premises infrastructure took eight hours to complete the job. With Google BigQuery, it is completed in 15 minutes at a fraction of the cost.

Health Data Compass is developing tools to drill deeper into this data to quickly find answers. It uses Tableau's self-service visual analytics platform with optimized connectivity to Google BigQuery for live analysis directly against the data in Google BigQuery. Tableau enables role-based dashboards for clinicians and researchers who are not data scientists to get useful insights from the data in a governed and secure data environment. Health Data Compass also deployed their Tableau implementation in the cloud on Google Compute Engine .

"Self-service data discovery and visual analytics from Tableau with Google BigQuery will enable researchers and clinicians to use Health Data Compass to quickly identify and understand patterns in genomic data to improve quality, lower costs, and accelerate delivering care, for superior patient outcomes. This is the future now," said Andy De, Senior Industry Director, Healthcare and Life Sciences at Tableau Software.

Faster and better answers at less cost

Health Data Compass successfully completed its comprehensive pilot project using Google Cloud Platform and expects to capture considerable benefits when it goes into full production this year. Analysts can perform queries much faster with Google BigQuery than with the previous solution. As a result, they can iterate alternative data queries with clinicians and researchers to extract complex concepts. In addition, Health Data Compass expects to dramatically cut operating costs including software, hardware, maintenance and support.

With Google Cloud Platform, Health Data Compass scales quickly without having to add hardware. It can also more easily integrate data from new sources, because it doesn't have to contend with complex issues such as opening up ports and firewalls and setting up FTP servers. In addition to the hospitals that University of Colorado partners with, such as UCHealth and Children's Hospital Colorado, Health Data Compass also pulls in state public health department data, weather data, insurance claims data, and data from other sources.

"Combining genomics with clinical data and the exploding diversity of other personal data to provide individualized patient care is the frontier of medicine and research. Google Cloud Platform and Tableau provide us with the big data processing and analytics power we need to give researchers tools to improve healthcare for millions of people," says Ames.

Learn more about Tableau at Google Cloud NEXT 2017

Tableau is working with GCP to provide integrations for Google Analytics, Google BigQuery and Google Cloud SQL, in addition to certification for Tableau Server on Google Compute Engine. Tableau will also be supporting integration with Google Cloud Spanner in the second half of 2017.

To learn more about Tableau on GCP, visit https://www.tableau.com/tableau-google. Come by the Tableau booth #D5 at Google Cloud NEXT in San Francisco, March 8-10.

About Tableau

Tableau (NYSE: DATA) helps people see and understand data. Tableau helps anyone quickly analyze, visualize and share information. More than 54,000 customer accounts get rapid results with Tableau in the office and on-the-go. Over 300,000 people use Tableau Public to share public data in their blogs and websites. See how Tableau can help you by downloading the free trial at www.tableau.com/trial.

Tableau and Tableau Software are trademarks of Tableau Software, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

SOURCE Tableau Software

Related Links

http://www.tableausoftware.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Taylor Morrison, a leading national homebuilder and developer, today announced the appointment of President and CEO Sheryl Palmer to HomeAid America's National Board of Directors and Executive Committee. HomeAid America, a national non-profit, works with the local building industry to build and renovate multi-unit shelters for homeless families and individuals in 17 markets and 12 states across the country.

Palmer's appointment serves as the perfect complement to the already strong relationship Taylor Morrison has developed with HomeAid. Several Taylor Morrison divisions throughout the U.S. partner with HomeAid to build and refurbish a wide range of housing options for local homeless residents. One division specifically pledged $50 per home closing for the entire 2016 fiscal year to one of HomeAid's local chapters.

"Partnering with builders of housing for the homeless intensifies our ability to reduce homelessness and improve the quality of life for individuals and families across the nation," said Palmer. "Taylor Morrison's team members are passionate about giving back to the communities in which we build, and we hope to help HomeAid expand their local chapters' presence into more markets where we operate."

HomeAid America relies on the generosity of America's builders, their trade partners, financial institutions, and the public, making alliances like the one Taylor Morrison and HomeAid have formed so critical. It is through these partnerships that HomeAid is able to build and donate shelters to charities that not only understand the needs of their local homeless population, but also provide the social services necessary for the homeless to attain self-sufficiency and acquire longer-term housing.

"The value a building industry leader such as Sheryl Palmer brings to HomeAid America cannot be overstated," said Scott Stowell, executive chairman of the board, HomeAid America. "We are thrilled to expand our affiliation with Taylor Morrison and their 100-year legacy of building communities, and we look forward to Sheryl's leadership and Taylor Morrison's trusted reputation as we continue to address the homelessness crisis in our nation."

About HomeAid America

HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for homeless families and individuals, founded in Southern California in 1989. Through the generosity of builders, their trades and their suppliers, HomeAid has completed 475 multi-unit housing projects nationwide at a value of more than $215 million, of which nearly 50 percentover $100 millionhas been donated by the building industry. HomeAid currently has 70 additional projects in development across the country. HomeAid has added over 9,000 beds in facilities helping the homeless through HomeAid's network of 17 active chapters in 12 states across the country. These beds have been used by over 270,000 previously homeless people over HomeAid's history. For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.

About Taylor Morrison

TAYLOR MORRISON HOME CORPORATION (NYSE:TMHC) is a leading national homebuilder and developer that was recently recognized as America's Most Trusted Home Builder for 2016 by Lifestory Research. Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., we operate under two well-established brands, Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes. We serve a wide array of consumer groups from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury, and 55 plus buyers. In Texas, Darling Homes builds communities with a focus on individuality and custom detail while delivering on the Taylor Morrison standard of excellence.

For more information about Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes please visit www.taylormorrison.com or www.darlinghomes.com.

CONTACT:

Corporate Communications

Taylor Morrison

(480) 376-0641

[email protected]

SOURCE Taylor Morrison

Related Links

http://www.taylormorrison.com


BEAVERTON, Ore., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, has named Tami Newcombe to the position of commercial president where she will be responsible for leading global sales and marketing. A former Cisco executive with 25 years of technology industry experience, Newcombe has a strong track record of working with customers ranging from small and medium businesses to enterprises and in developing new approaches to capture critical market transitions, capitalize on the power of channel partners and show the business value of technology adoption to customers.

Tektronix has named Tami Newcombe to the position of commercial president where she will be responsible for leading global sales and marketing.

"I am pleased to welcome Tami to the Tektronix team leading our global sales and marketing efforts," said Pat Byrne, President of Tektronix. "She brings a broad range of experience working with technical industry customers, plus a proven track record of delivering growth results and developing leaders in a high-performance environment."

At Cisco, Newcombe held the role of vice president for commercial sales responsible for driving business that supported the entire Cisco product portfolio. Prior to Cisco, Newcombe held positions as a global client executive, sales engineer, product-marketing engineer and development engineer at Analog Devices and IBM. She holds an MBA from Union College and degrees in electrical and bioengineering from Syracuse University.

Wondering what else Tektronix is up to? Check out the Tektronix Bandwidth Banter blog and stay up to date on the latest news from Tektronix on Twitter and Facebook.

About Tektronix

Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for over 70 years. Join us on the journey of innovation at TEK.COM.

Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Tektronix, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tek.com


BOSTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tervela today announced its premier partnership with Egnyte, a leading cloud and on-premises content collaboration and governance provider. The partnership is designed to offer an automated solution to help organizations migrate from legacy file systems to Egnyte. This agreement formalizes Tevela's cloud orchestrated data movement solution, Cloud FastPath, leadership in powering the migration of content, metadata, permissions and users into Egnyte Connect from other cloud file platforms as well as on-premises systems.

Tervela's market leadership and its tight integration with the Egnyte Connect platform helps companies more effectively and efficiently onboard their users to Egnyte. The partnership simplifies the transition to a modern content collaboration platform as organizations seek to reduce IT overhead and provide users with enhanced mobility. No other solution can provide the speed of loading, security of data transfer, and management of the often-complex user roles, permissions and metadata into Egnyte from the wide variety of source systems that Cloud FastPath supports.

"Egnyte Connect customers tell us they want to manage and collaborate on their content from wherever that content is created. And they've voiced the desire for a seamless, secure migration experience," said Rosen Vengosh, VP of Business Development at Egnyte. "Tervela's Cloud FastPath helps our customers migrate their data quickly to realize the potential of Egnyte as an enterprise data orchestration platform."

After standardizing on Egnyte Connect as his company's Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) solution, Robert Engler, Director of IT at Eastridge Workforce, migrated content into Egnyte from a variety of on-premises and cloud-based sources with Cloud FastPath. "Our migration to Egnyte Connect with Cloud FastPath was a success on many levels. We were able to efficiently and quickly consolidate our content platforms and enhance our collaborative culture while maintaining strict regulatory compliance," he noted.

Where moving content to the cloud was once a manual process, Cloud FastPath now automates the migration of large amounts of data and the associated metadata to be managed with Egnyte Connect. Cloud FastPath streamlines the entire migration process with pre-migration analysis and simulation, optimized data transfer technology, and post-migration reporting. Cloud FastPath's flexible permission mapping capabilities give customers the ability to replicate users accounts and file permissions during an Egnyte migration.

"As more companies are making the decision to fully adopt secure cloud file sharing platforms, migration has become a roadblock for decommissioning old systems and standardizing on the new," said Eric Schnadig, CEO, Tervela. "Our partnership with Egnyte fits our strategy of eliminating that roadblock and accelerating the shift to cloud storage and collaboration so that companies can continue to thrive in today's digitally driven economy."

As part of this new partnership, Tervela is introducing special promotional pricing for customers adopting Egnyte Connect as their collaboration platform. To take advantage of this offer, users must have an active Egnyte Connect account and register for a free trial via the following url: https://www.cloudfastpath.com/egnyte/

About Cloud FastPath

Cloud FastPath offers advanced features and tools to manage large scale data transfer between cloud environments and from on-premises systems to the cloud. Cloud FastPath's integrations include the leading file sync and share solutions, cloud storage providers, and on-premises systems. For more information, visit www.cloudfastpath.com.

About Egnyte

Egnyte transforms business through smarter content allowing organizations to connect, protect, and unlock value from all their content. Our Content Intelligence platform delivers smart content collaboration and governance in the cloud or on-premises to thousands of businesses around the world even the most regulated industries. Founded in 2007, Egnyte is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Investors include venture capital firms, such as Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as well as technology partners, such as CenturyLink and Seagate Technology. Please visit http://www.egnyte.com/ or call 1-877-7EGNYTE for more information.

CONTACT: Luke Tubinis, [email protected]

SOURCE Tervela

Related Links

http://www.tervela.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) announces the appointment of Scott McDonald, PhD as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

The ARF has provided trusted, groundbreaking, and actionable research, to the advertising and marketing industries for 81 years. As President and CEO, Mr. McDonald will lead the organization's work of anticipating changes in the advertising landscape and providing its 400+ member companies with relevant insights to drive impactful business results.

Mr. McDonald joins The ARF with 30 years of experience solving bottom-line business issues through effective use of research. He has worked closely with all five of The ARF's constituent groups  media, advertisers, agencies, research companies and ad tech. He understands the challenges that all four of these groups face in adjusting to and leveraging the torrent of change in marketing and media. He is an ardent champion of unimpeachable quality standards, and has led industry-wide efforts that use research to mediate conflicting claims and interests of diverse participants in the advertising ecosystem.

Mr. McDonald has held senior research positions at leading global media companies, including Time Inc., Time Warner, and Conde Nast. He was a front-line participant in the digital revolution, with positions that afforded him the inside track to conducting research on how the proliferating digital choices were affecting consumer behavior and perceptions, media formats and business models, and marketer touchpoints and ROI.

A past ARF Board Chair and decades-long supporter of the organization, Mr. McDonald brings excitement and enthusiasm to his new position: "The ARF acts at the dynamic nexus of the media, advertising and research industries  businesses continually transformed by technology and changing consumer behavior. There has never been a more important moment for The ARF to provide the high ground of science -- independent, unbiased, empirical, transparent, replicable science -- to resolve the questions and inform the arguments that arise at such moments of rapid change. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead this vital organization at such a critical time; indeed The ARF's success is inextricably linked to the success of all 400 of its member companies."

His innovative work at the intersection of advertising research, traditional media, and the digital revolution reflects his roots in academia. McDonald earned his PhD in Sociology from Harvard University and has taught courses on media measurement, media economics and monetization strategies at Columbia Business School for the past 18 years.

At the February 2017 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Advertising Research Foundation unanimously selected Mr. McDonald after a nationwide executive search. Jed Meyer, Chairman of the Board of The ARF, states, "The ARF, like the industry, is at a pivotal moment. The digital revolution has exponentially increased the pace of change and impact on advertising. Scott's ability to deftly integrate the value of traditional media advertising with today's innovations provides The ARF with leadership to tackle key issues facing our constituent groups today and into the future."

About The ARF:

For 81-years, The ARF has been the only organization creating and curating original, objective research for advertising practitioners. Through education, events, and networking, The ARF is providing leading-edge solutions and best practices for the industry. For eight decades, The ARF has been a trusted resource and partner to the more than 400 member companies comprised of leading advertisers, agencies, research firms, media companies, and ad tech. The ARF's unique network and point-of-view, enables it to generate relevant insights that empower members to make impactful marketing decisions. The ARF signature events, like the 63rd Annual Conference 3/20-3/21 in New York City, provide a platform for the exchange of innovative ideas, groundbreaking research and powerful connections.

Media Contact:

Touseef Mirza

The Advertising Research Foundation

432 Park Avenue South, 4th floor, New York, NY 10016

646-465-5741

[email protected]

SOURCE The Advertising Research Foundation

Related Links

http://thearf.org


Sourced exclusively from the family-owned farms of the Maple Hill Milkshed (geographical region producing milk for Maple Hill Creamery) in New York State, this new fluid milk product has the delicious and distinctive flavor found only in milk from 100% grass-fed cows and is available in a family-sized 64-ounce half gallon. A one-cup serving contains 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of protein, and 30% of the Daily Value for calcium.

"We're so excited to finally be able to offer milk to our customers and consumers. The rapid growth of our Maple Hill Milkshed (now topping out at 108 certified 100% grass-fed farms) has allowed us to expand and enter the fluid milk category, which is becoming more segmented, specialized, and dynamic," said Tim Joseph, CEO and founding farmer of Maple Hill Creamery.

Consumer demand for 100% grass-fed milk now outweighs the price sensitivity usually associated with this routine, staple grocery item. "Our yogurt fans have been asking for whole milk'whole milk for their families'for years," said Joseph. "We're hoping that this product will both expand our brand growth and also raise awareness about all the awesome benefits of 100% grass-fed dairy."

Maple Hill Creamery's story dates back to 2009 when Tim and Laura Joseph started selling their 100% grass-fed organic yogurt made from cow's milk sourced from their 250-acre dairy farm. Eight years later, Maple Hill Creamery now sources milk from over 100 dairy farms (all certified 100% grass-fed organic) across New York State. In parallel to the growth of Maple Hill's Milkshed, the company launched numerous artisanal-quality 100% grass-fed organic products, including Cream On Top Yogurt, Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, Whole Milk Drinkable Yogurt, Whole Milk "Cleaner" Kefir, as well as raw milk cheeses. Maple Hill Creamery's products are currently sold at nearly 6,000 retailers nationwide.

Additional Packaging Information:

USDA & PCO Certified Organic

Third Party Certified 100% Grass-Fed

Kosher Certified

Homogenized

 gallon 64 oz.

About Maple Hill Creamery

Maple Hill Creamery is a farm-family owned dairy manufacturer founded in 2009, and is widely recognized as the preeminent leader in the emerging 100% grass-fed dairy category. MHC is the first dairy brand to receive the Pennsylvania Certified Organic 100% Grass-fed Certification. Since day one, Maple Hill has stood by their conviction that 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming is better for everyone from cows to consumers. 100% grass-fed dairy farming produces the highest quality milk, supports the healthiest lifestyle for cows, improves the fertility of grazing land, and allows farmers to prosper. The Maple Hill Creamery Milkshed now numbers over 100 small farms. Maple Hill Creamery products are available nationwide at Natural Grocers, Jewel, Stop & Shop, ShopRite, Shaws, Meijer, Central Market, King Soopers, PCC Markets, Target, Safeway, Albertsons, Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Earth Fare, Sprouts, Costco, BJs, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market, as well as many specialty and independent retailers. For more information, visit www.maplehillcreamery.com, and follow us on Twitter @MapleHillCream, Facebook (www.facebook.com/maplehillcreamery), and Instagram @maplehillcreamery.

Contact:

Allison Beadle

Wild Hive

[email protected]

512.963.6930

SOURCE Maple Hill Creamery

Related Links

http://www.maplehillcreamery.com


CHICAGO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) has announced the recipients of its 2017 Silver Plate Awards. Eight Silver Plate category winners were unveiled by the 2016 Gold Plate Honoree Rafi Taherian, Associate Vice President, Yale Hospitality at Yale University, at the annual IFMA Chain Operators EXchange (COEX) in Las Vegas.

The annual IFMA Gold & Silver Plate Awards enables the industry to honor the nation's top foodservice operator talent. Silver Plate winners are nominated by IFMA members and industry leaders, then selected by a distinguished jury including national trade press, foodservice experts and past Gold and Silver Plate award winners. From the Silver Plate winners, one is chosen by the jury to receive the industry's most prestigious recognition, IFMA's 2017 Gold Plate Award, revealed at the Gold & Silver Plate dinner celebration in May.

"For 63 years now, the Gold & Silver Plate awards have been the pinnacle award for individual excellence in our foodservice industry," said IFMA President and CEO, Larry Oberkfell. "The 2017 Silver Plate Class continues this excellent record with winners that demonstrate the best of our industry. All eight set the standard in their respective segments and we honor them as the best of the best."

2017 Silver Plate Winners:

Independent Restaurants/Multi-Concept: Wolfgang Puck, Chef/Owner, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group (nominated by Nestle Professional)

Wolfgang Puck, Chef/Owner, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group (nominated by Nestle Professional) Chain Full Service: G.J. Hart , Executive Chairman & CEO, California Pizza Kitchen (nominated by Wayne Farms)

, Executive Chairman & CEO, California Pizza Kitchen (nominated by Wayne Farms) Chain Limited Service: Chris Newcomb , Co-founder, President & CEO, Newk's Eatery (nominated by Wenner Bakery)

, Co-founder, President & CEO, Newk's Eatery (nominated by Wenner Bakery) Health Care: Patti Oliver , Director of Nutrition, UCLA Health (nominated by Hobart Corporation & Basic American Foods)

, Director of Nutrition, UCLA Health (nominated by Hobart Corporation & Basic American Foods) Elementary & Secondary Schools: Betti Wiggins , Executive Director, Office of School Nutrition, Detroit Public Schools (nominated by Schwan's Food Service)

, Executive Director, Office of School Nutrition, Public Schools (nominated by Schwan's Food Service) Colleges & Universities: Ted Faulkner , Director of Dining Services, Virginia Tech (nominated by Basic American Foods)

, Director of Dining Services, (nominated by Basic American Foods) Business & Industry/Foodservice Management: Jeff Metz , President & CEO, Metz Culinary Management (nominated by Basic American Foods)

, President & CEO, Metz Culinary Management (nominated by Basic American Foods) Retail & Specialty Foodservice: Chris Gheysens , President & CEO, Wawa Inc . (nominated by Nestle Professional)

The Gold Plate Award will be announced by way of secret ballot at the 63rd Annual Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebrationtaking place Saturday, May 20, during NRA Show Week at the Revel Fulton Market in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.

About the Event

Tickets are now available to attend the 63rd Annual Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebration, where the winner of the prestigious IFMA Gold Plate for overall industry excellence will be announced. In addition, a new award will be unveiled by the National Restaurant Association that recognizes an operator for their distinguished career in foodservice. For more information, go to www.IFMAWorld.com/gsp.

About International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)

IFMA is the leading trade association comprised of the world's most prestigious food, equipment and supply manufacturers in the $600 billion foodservice industry, as well as related marketing service organizations, trade publications, distributors and brokers. IFMA's Vision is to provide our member community and industry partners the opportunity to enhance the consumer's enjoyment of the foodservice choice. For more information, visit ifmaworld.com. Follow IFMA on Twitter: @IFMAWORLD and Facebook or join our group on LinkedIn.

SOURCE International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)
ANAHEIM, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The makers of the WHOLLY GUACAMOLE brand, America's #1 selling refrigerated guacamole, today announced three new flavor-packed, guacamole-based Layered Dips in its product portfolio. Continuing to modernize the prepared dips category, the company will showcase its new plant-based innovations, including Black Bean over Guacamole Layered Dip, Roasted Corn over Guacamole Layered Dip and Spicy Pico over Guacamole Layered Dip, at Natural Products Expo West (booth #H632), in Anaheim, Calif., from March 9-12.

"Interesting flavors and real ingredients continue to drive consumer interest, and our tasty line of Layered Dips offers shoppers a convenient new way to enjoy and share their favorite guacamole with others," said Terrill W. Bacon, senior brand manager, MegaMex Foods. "We're putting a new spin on the WHOLLY GUACAMOLE brand by pairing it with complementary layers of great tasting, real ingredients. Like all our foods, with no need for mashing or prep, there's no hassle or fussjust open the cup and let the snacking begin!"

WHOLLY GUACAMOLE Brand's innovations include:

Black Bean over Guacamole Layered Dip  Black beans provide protein and fiber in this simple yet savory dip

 Black beans provide protein and fiber in this simple yet savory dip Roasted Corn over Guacamole Layered Dip  A smoky combination of roasted corn and chunky guacamole with hints of fiery flavor

 A smoky combination of roasted corn and chunky guacamole with hints of fiery flavor Spicy Pico over Guacamole Layered Dip  Bursting with flavor, this zesty variety is topped with fresh pico de gallo, offering the perfect amount of heat

Available in stores nationwide this spring, the Layered Dips (MSRP $2.99-$3.49) are made with hand-scooped Hass avocados and are gluten free and kosher certified. For more information about WHOLLY GUACAMOLE products, stop by the WHOLLY GUACAMOLE product booth (#H632) at Expo West or visit www.eatwholly.com.

About the WHOLLY GUACAMOLE Brand

The WHOLLY GUACAMOLE Brand is a brand of MegaMex Foods, one of the largest manufacturers of pre-prepared Mexican food across the country. A global leader in food safety, quality and innovation, the WHOLLY GUACAMOLE Brand uses High Pressure Processing (HPP) to create Wholly products. In addition, each product is made with hand-scooped Hass avocados and is gluten free and kosher certified. All WHOLLY GUACAMOLE products are available nationwide in the produce or deli section of grocery stores. For more information, visit www.eatwholly.com.

SOURCE WHOLLY GUACAMOLE

Related Links

http://www.eatwholly.com


NEW YORK, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

is report to:

- Examine the present status and future prospects for thermal barrier coating technologies

- Evaluate thermal barrier coating technology markets with keen potential for growth

- Gain insight into the issues concerning the merits and future prospects of the thermal barrier coating technologies business

- Identify the economic and technological issues regarded by many as critical to the industry's current state of change





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4754984/





Highlights

- The global market for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) totaled $834.9 million in 2016 and should total nearly $1.1 billion in 2021 at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6%, through 2021.

- Aircraft gas turbine industry as a segment totaled $501.7 million in 2016 and should total

- $694.8 million by 2021, a CAGR of 6.7% through 2021.

- Power generation gas turbine industry as a segment totaled $312.2 million in 2016 and should total $376.5 million by 2021, a CAGR of 3.8% through 2021.



INTRODUCTION



STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The study focuses on key thermal barrier coating (TBC) technologies and applications, and provides data about the size and growth of numerous thermal barrier coating technology markets, company profiles and industry trends. The goal of this report is to provide a detailed and comprehensive multi-client study of the market for thermal barrier coating technologies and potential business opportunities in the future.



The objectives include thorough coverage of the growing need for increased intake gas temperature in gas turbines used in aircraft, power generation and industrial applications in order to gain efficiency, which is driving the thermal barrier coating technology business. An assessment of new and potential products and services that companies are developing is also provided.



Another important objective is to provide realistic market data and forecasts for the market for thermal barrier coatings. This study provides a complete account of ongoing thermal barrier coating technologies currently available in a multi-client format. It provides a thorough and up-to-date assessment of the subject. The study also provides extensive quantification of the many important facets of market developments in the market for thermal barrier coatings.



This, in turn, contributes to the determination of the type of strategic responses that companies may adopt in order to compete in this dynamic market. TBCs used in aircraft, power generation and marine diesel engines are also covered in this study.



REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Maximizing business opportunities in the thermal barrier coating technologies arena is a challenging task. Significant changes are taking place within this industry, which in the past, has been dominated by a few multinational OEM (original equipment manufacturers), MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) and PMA (Parts Manufacturer Approval) equipment providers and surface technology expert coating companies with a "niche" technology to address the hot section of aircraft, power generation gas turbines and marine diesel engines. Many external forces, including new developments in gas turbine technology, new thermal barrier solutions and new coating architectures, have driven the shift in the industry trend that is taking place.



INTENDED AUDIENCE

Audiences for this study include marketing executives, business unit managers and other decision-makers in the business of thermal barrier coating technologies used in the hot section of gas turbines used in aircraft and for power generation and industrial gas turbines and marine diesel engines. This report will also be of interest to other companies peripheral to this business.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The scope of this report is comprehensive, covering the present status of and future prospects for thermal barrier coating technologies. The scope of the report includes thermal barrier coating technologies applied to gas turbines for aircraft, gas turbines for power generation and industrial gas turbines and diesel engines for marine and other application.



The report identifies and evaluates thermal barrier coating technology markets with keen potential for growth. The study also provides extensive quantification of the many important facets of market developments for advanced thermal barrier coating technologies development.



In addition to thermal barrier coating technologies, it also covers the many issues concerning the merits and future prospects of the thermal barrier coating technologies business, including corporate strategies, information technologies and the means for providing these highly advanced products and service offerings. It also covers in detail the economic and technological issues regarded by many as critical to the industry's current state of change.



The report provides a review of the thermal barrier coating technologies industry and its structure, and the OEMs, MROs, manufacturers of PMA equipment and surface technology expert coaters involved in providing these coatings. The competitive position of the main players in the TBC market is well protected due to license restrictions by OEMs (e.g., GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran) for sharing TBC solutions for hot section gas turbine for aircraft, particularly the high-pressure blades and vanes.



Manufacturers of PMA parts have received approval through aircraft regulating agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and National Aero and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap). This has narrowed down the competition in TBC related solutions applied to gas turbines used in aircraft. On the other hand, gas turbines used in the power generation industry and other industrial stationary applications have a large number of approved MROs globally to repair and recoat the thermal barrier coatings on the hot section of gas turbines that undergo high-pressure blade/vane repair. These MROs follow approved quality certification procedures of OEMs (e.g., GE, Siemens, Rolls-Royce) for the bond coat and top coat.



The forecast tables represent the estimated value of the thermal barrier coating technologies added to the components of gas turbines and diesel engines as manufactured by the OEMs, MROs, PMA parts companies and coaters. In this report, the term revenue is equivalent to, and is used interchangeably with purchases, demand and sales. All growth rates mentioned in the tables and text are based on compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) from 2016 through 2021. Because current 2016 dollar measures are used, these growth rates thus reflect the growth in volume or real growth, including the effects of price changes and changes in product/service mix.



METHODOLOGY

The research methodology was qualitative in nature and employed a triangulative approach, which aids in establishing validity. Initially, a comprehensive and exhaustive search of the literature on the application of thermal barrier coating technologies in the hot section of aircraft gas turbines, power generation gas turbines industrial gas turbine (IGT) and marine diesel engines was conducted. These secondary sources included thermal barrier coating technology journals and related books, trade literature, marketing literature, other product/promotional literature, annual reports, security analyst reports and other publications. A patent search and analysis were also conducted.



In a second phase, a series of semi-structured telephone interviews and email correspondence was conducted with marketing executives, product sales engineers, international sales managers, application engineers and other personnel of companies that offer thermal barrier coating technologies. Other sources include thermal barrier coating technology magazines, academics, technology suppliers, technical experts, trade association officials, government officials and consulting companies. These were a rich source of data. Subsequent analysis of the documents and interview notes was iterative.



To understand the TBC market for gas turbines, the research study measured total number of blades, vanes, nozzles and combustors used for gas turbines along with their average price. Similarly, to understand the TBC market for diesel engines for marine application, the study measured the total number of piston, cylinder liners and exhaust pipes and their associated average price. All measurements were derived from manufacturers' total revenues from three types of providers, namely, OEMs, MROs providers and manufacturers of PMA equipment.



INFORMATION SOURCES

Initially, a comprehensive and exhaustive search of the literature on thermal barrier coating technologies was conducted. These sources included latest the press releases on company websites, including application news, company news, marketing news, product news, brochures, product literature, thermal barrier coating technology magazines (e.g., Aircraft Commerce), technical journals, technical books (Handbook of Thermal Spray Technology published by ASM International), marketing literature, other promotional literature, annual reports, security analyst reports and other thermal barrier coating technology business digest publications.



Publications related to the aviation industry, power industry and marine industry, on thermal barrier coating technologies that were consulted include the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology, Thermal Spray Society (ASM International), Acta Materialia, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, Surface and Coating Technology, Journal of Porous Materials, Materials Science and Engineering A, Journal of American Ceramic Society, Journal of European Ceramic Society, MRS Bulletin, The Society of Vacuum Coaters. The ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power and journal articles, conference papers, books and data information, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and online research papers published by various U.S., European, Chinese and Korean universities and research institutes. The latest issues of magazines such as Aircraft Commerce were also studied to extract the desired information related to TBC.



There is very little specific data in the available literature that analyzes the thermal barrier coating technology industry as a whole, and the data that do exist, for the most

part, present thermal barrier coating technologies as part of the hot section components of turbine parts such as blades, vanes, combustors and the hot section components of diesel engines such as piston tops and exhaust pipes. The challenge was to identify the thermal barrier coating technology market and evaluate where it fits in with the gas turbines used in aircraft and gas turbines used in power generation, IGT and in the marine diesel engine industry. An extensive patent analysis was conducted to gauge technological innovation and to determine research activity as it applies to new product development.



The second phase involved formal and informal telephone interviews/emails correspondence with personnel in companies that offer thermal barrier coating technologies for application in gas turbines and diesel engines. Gas turbine and diesel engine suppliers, design engineers, consulting companies, other technical experts, government officials and trade association officials were also interviewed, as well as the personnel of the thermal barrier coating technology companies.



ANALYST'S CREDENTIALS

Since 2004, BL Gupta had authored more than 34 market research reports on cutting edge technology pertaining to the emerging technologies connected with piezoelectric actuators, piezo motors, piezo sensors, PVDF sensors, automotive semiconductors, energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries, ultracapacitors and electrical equipment such as power and distributing transformers, materials such as permanent magnets, soft magnetic materials and the Internet of Things (IoT) related to manufacturing and other topics focused on the U.S. and global market.



During 20112012, BL Gupta was appointed as a national consultant to machine tool manufacturing companies in North India through the TUPE program (Technology Upgradation and Productivity Enhancement) under UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)a joint effort between the United Nations and the government of India. He has been a fellow of the Institution of Engineers of India as well as a Charter Engineer of the Institution of Engineers (India) since 2001. Mr. Gupta holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Mechanical Engineering from the Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4754984/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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VENTURA, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Patagonia's most recent initiative to protect Bears Ears National Monument is a collection of interactive 360-degree films highlighting the cultural and recreational significance of the threatened region in Southeastern Utah. In This is Bears Ears National Monument, powered by Google's 360 technology, Patagonia's ten short films create an experience of total immersion through the storytelling of Native American tribal leaders and outdoor athletes. The film experience concludes with a call-to-action to Secretary Zinke, asking him to stand up for public lands and defend Bears Ears National Monument.

Patagonia has been fighting for the protection of Bears Ears since 2013, supporting the historic vision of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and grassroots allies at Friends of Cedar Mesa and Utah Dine Bikeyah. In April 2015 the company released Defined by the Line, a film about climber and conservation activist Josh Ewing and his story of converting a passion for climbing into a passion for protecting Bears Ears. Building on the connection that many climbers have to the region, Patagonia expanded its efforts to include environmental grants to local groups, in-kind donations to local communities and regular use of company communication channels to amplify its strong outdoor business voice in Utah to call for protection.

Earlier this year, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard penned an open letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert demanding he stand up for public lands. The Governor did the exact opposite and signed a resolution asking President Trump to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument. As a result, Patagonia announced it would boycott Outdoor Retailer as long as it is in Utah, and days later, the Outdoor Industry Association followed and is in the process of finding a new home for the $40 million industry trade show.

"Bears Ears National Monument is a sacred home for Native Americans, a world-class location for rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts, and a mecca for archaeologists. But it is also a target for looters, mining and energy companies and elected officials who want to privatize and develop the nation's public lands," notes Rose Marcario, Patagonia's chief executive officer. "It is our hope that this film will help to defend this national monument by bringing it to life and spurring action to protect this American treasure."

Hosted on Patagonia.com/bearsears, visitors can choose whether they want to explore the cultural or sport aspects of Bears Ears National Monument. Viewers can scan walls adorned with petroglyphs and learn about them from a Hopi archaeologist. They can follow Navajo Elder Willie Grey Eyes as he travels through a narrow slot canyon and tells stories of his ancestors, or climb the iconic North Six Shooter tower with Tommy Caldwell and take in the expansive desert views from above.

To support the interactive film experience, Patagonia is underwriting PBS NewsHour and purchasing a digital advertisement on NewYorkTimes.com. This is the first time the company has created a television advertisement. To see the television spots, click here (culture) or here (sport).

Discover Bears Ears is a joint-production with director Fitz Cahall and his company Duct Tape Then Beer.

SOURCE Patagonia, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.patagonia.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), a leading independent investment bank, announced today that Thomas K. Barber has joined the Firm as a Vice Chairman, based in Toronto. Mr. Barber has more than 35 years of experience as a leading investment banker in Canada, focused principally on the global mining and energy sectors, but also advising leading Canadian companies across all sectors.

Mr. Barber was most recently global head of the mining group at Nomura Securities. Prior to that he held similar leadership positions in the mining and broader natural resources sector at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse. Earlier in his career he spent 15 years at Morgan Stanley, where he founded the global mining group and was President of Morgan Stanley Canada.

Scott L. Bok, Chief Executive Officer of Greenhill, said, "I am pleased to be reunited with Tom Barber, who worked closely with Bob Greenhill and myself for many years at Morgan Stanley, before our Firm was founded. Tom has been one of the top bankers in Canada for the past three decades. He brings us a wealth of senior management relationships and deep industry insight in the global mining and resources sector, which will be his principal focus at our Firm. In addition, his long experience in Canada brings us a wide range of management and board relationships across all sectors."

Steve Mayer, President of Greenhill Canada, said, "We see significant opportunity to further expand Greenhill's business in Canada, and the addition of Tom to our senior team is an important step in that effort. Canadian clients value Greenhill's industry expertise, our global platform and our focus on providing high quality and independent M&A advice, and Tom's addition will certainly enhance our Canadian franchise."

Mr. Barber said, "I am very pleased to be joining a leading independent investment bank, led by people I know, where I can focus all my efforts on what I enjoy most -- advising senior managements and boards on important strategic transactions. Greenhill's global footprint fits the mining and energy sectors perfectly, and I look forward to working with Greenhill colleagues around the world to help clients in the mining and natural resources sector achieve their strategic objectives."

Greenhill & Co., Inc. is a leading independent investment bank entirely focused on providing financial advice on significant mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings and capital raising to corporations, partnerships, institutions and governments globally. It acts for clients located throughout the world from its offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Melbourne, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

Contact: David M. Trone

Director of Investor Relations

Greenhill & Co., Inc.

(212) 389-1800

SOURCE Greenhill & Co., Inc.
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Brooklyn residents living at The Allure Group's Crown Heights Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation celebrated a special centenarian feat on Monday, March 6 in Brooklyn, N.Y., surrounded by friends, family and neighbors to honor their extraordinary lives. In total the women have lived a combined 303 years.

Lucille Price, 100, Sophia Smith, 101, and Grace Marie Baker, 102, were showered with flowers and words of praise, and received certifications from the Social Security Administration and citations from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Melissa Powell, COO of The Allure Group, said: "We realize how incredibly blessed we are to have three residents living at one facility who have reached one hundred years old. This is a remarkable and joyous occasion, and we want to show these three ladies and their families just how much we value and appreciate them. It's a true celebration of life in every way."

Lucille Price, born in 1916 and from Guyana, was a former house wife and hairdresser. She has 20 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren.

Sophia Smith, also from Guyana, is an active church member in her community and enjoys visits from her five children.

Grace-Marie Baker has lived in Brooklyn for 86 years. Her hobbies include cooking, painting, and visiting museums.

All three ladies are friends and enjoy each other's company.

The 295-bed Crown Heights Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation specializes in short-term, post-acute rehabilitation and long-term residential care, and is part of The Allure Group's growing network of skilled nursing facilities. Since it took receivership of the property in 2012, Allure has made dramatic improvements to all aspects of the Center's operations, improving its overall CMS rating from two stars to five stars.

Founded on the principles of compassion, respect and clinical excellence, The Allure Group is a network of comprehensive skilled nursing facilities in New York City that offer innovative rehabilitation programs and sub-acute nursing care. Facilities include Hamilton Park Center in Bay Ridge, Linden Center in East Flatbush, Bedford Center in Williamsburg, King David Center in Bensonhurst, Crown Heights Center, and Harlem Center.

SOURCE The Allure Group
SAN DIEGO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tocagen Inc., a clinical-stage, cancer-selective gene therapy company, today announced the appointment of Mark Foletta as executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding Tom Darcy, a company co-founder who is retiring. Mr. Darcy will continue to serve on the company's board of directors.

"Mark is a proven leader with deep experience building successful biopharmaceutical companies," said Marty Duvall, Tocagen's chief executive officer. "With the recent milestones achieved in the Toca 511 & Toca FC clinical development program, including the granting of FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation, we are pleased to have an executive with a strong track record of strategic, operational and commercial execution join our leadership team. We look forward to Mark's contributions to Tocagen during this period of rapid growth and progress."

Mr. Foletta holds more than thirty years of experience as a financial executive. He previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. through the company's acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb in August 2012 in a transaction valued at $7 billion. During his twelve years in this role, Mr. Foletta executed strategic transactions and participated in the commercial launch of several novel drugs. Mr. Foletta currently serves as a board member for several biopharmaceutical companies, including AMN Healthcare, Inc., Regulus Therapeutics Inc. and DexCom, Inc., and chairs each of their audit committees.

Prior to Amylin, Mr. Foletta held roles of increasing responsibility at Intermark, Inc./Triton Group Ltd., including serving as senior vice president, chief financial officer and corporate secretary. Previous to this position he held various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young, LLP, including serving as audit manager. Mr. Foletta received a bachelor's degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and is member of the Corporate Directors Forum.

"Tom's financial leadership since our founding has been instrumental in the growth and success of Tocagen to date," said Faheem Hasnain, chairman of the board of directors at Tocagen. "We wish him all the very best in retirement and look forward to working with him in his continuing role on the board of directors for the company."

About Tocagen

Tocagen is a clinical-stage, cancer-selective gene therapy company developing first-in-class, broadly applicable product candidates designed to activate a patient's immune system against their own cancer. The company is developing its lead investigational product candidate, Toca 511 & Toca FC, initially for the treatment of recurrent high grade glioma (HGG), a disease with significant unmet medical need. Tocagen has received grant support from leading brain cancer foundations, including Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS), American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA), Musella Foundation and Voices Against Brain Cancer (VABC). For more information, visit www.tocagen.com or follow @Tocagen.

SOURCE Tocagen Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tocagen.com


KETTERING, Ohio, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Two automotive digital marketing experts from Naked Lime Marketing are set to present at the 22nd Digital Dealer Conference, April 11-13, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.

Ryan Zwerneman will present "Grow Profits by Shrinking Per-Vehicle Ad Costs," April 12 at 2:30 p.m. in Room 23. Zwerneman, a field marketing consultant for Naked Lime, will discuss the need for efficient dealership marketing strategies, such as zip code-specific targeted marketing to minimize per-vehicle ad costs and raise profits.

Larry Bruce will present "Why Your Marketing Still Sucks  Move Beyond Talking at Your Customers to Talking to Them with Marketing Automation," April 12 at 9 a.m. in Room 15. Bruce, vice president at Naked Lime, will discuss the two-way nature of marketing communication and the need for customized messages that speak directly to customers as individuals.

Naked Lime also will host a booth at the conference. Stop by booth 516 to learn more about Naked Lime's suite of marketing, advertising, and web services for automotive retailers.

To register for the Digital Dealer conference, go to http://info.nakedlime.com/digital_dealer/.

About Ryan Zwerneman

Ryan Zwerneman works as a field marketing consultant for Naked Lime Marketing. Zwerneman has worked in various facets within the automotive marketing community during his five years in the industry. He strategically collaborates on marketing and advertising services designed to assist in franchise dealer market share acquisition, and he consults with dealerships on their overall marketing process.

About Larry Bruce

Larry Bruce, vice president at Naked Lime Marketing, is a 30-year veteran of retail automotive and digital marketing. Prior to joining Naked Lime, Bruce was founder and CEO of OnlineDrive, and also founded several other digital marketing companies. His retail automotive experience includes having held different leadership positions at Houston-area dealerships.

About Naked Lime Marketing

Naked Lime's Naked Truth: Deliver fresh and innovative full-service marketing, advertising, and web solutions and services that help automotive dealers turn the heads of consumers and inspire consumer loyalty at every point in the retail process. (nakedlime.com)

SOURCE Naked Lime Marketing

Related Links

http://www.nakedlime.com


BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City's Chief Digital Officer Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamino, and stakeholders from the city's urbantech ecosystem convened in Greenpoint, Brooklyn last week to welcome URBAN-X to its new home within design space A/D/O. Founded by MINI with joint venture partner SOSV, URBAN-X is a venture accelerator that educates, invests in and advocates for startups shaping the future of cities through technology and design.

"Cities are fertile ground for profound change," said URBAN-X Managing Director Micah Kotch. "We're proud to make our home in Brooklyn, where both private and public sector innovation across a diversity of perspectives has created a global destination for entrepreneurs who are generating new solutions to some of our most pressing urban challenges."

As URBAN-X welcomes its newest cohort, it will advance its mission to support early-stage companies in making compelling ideas viable and scalable through three core principles: technology geared towards human need, design that drives adoption, and city-scale ambition.

"URBAN-X is part of our evolving portfolio of projects that seek to improve urban life through a rigorous design-thinking approach  which is at the core of all our initiatives," said Head of MINI Brand Strategy and Business Innovation Esther Bahne. "We're proud to be working with these startups to turn their ideas into real impact for people. And for MINI, exploring the nexus of tech, services, data and city infrastructure in the emerging city of tomorrow is highly relevant to the development of our own offer."

Through each 14-week program cycle, URBAN-X companies benefit from the expertise of world-class mentors, significant in-kind services and $60,000 in seed capital investment. In addition to an educational program with visiting industry leaders, companies receive ongoing support from electrical and mechanical engineers, industrial design talent from MINI and BMW, user-experience and interface designers, and experts in investment strategy, sales, growth and communications. Additionally, MINI and SOSV offer each startup working trips to Germany and China, respectively.

"SOSV is proud to be working with MINI in bringing urban tech solutions to market," said SOSV General Partner Shawn Broderick. "As a global venture capital firm accelerating over 150 startups per year around the globe, we have brought hundreds of products to market focused on IoT, software, life-sciences, food tech, and more. We are thrilled to leverage our global network of mentors, investors, and partners to bring these urban solutions to market."

Recently, URBAN-X unveiled Cohort 02, the eight companies comprising its second cohort. With a mission to improve urban life by making it smarter, more efficient and more enjoyable, Cohort 02 is driving the sustainable transportation of cargo, helping the visually-impaired better navigate through their communities, harnessing the potential of big data for blue collar industries, and more. Details on each startup follow.

O2-O2 is working to enable those in polluted megacities from Beijing to London to take back the streets, and to commute and exercise without fear of pollution. O2-O2 has a unique mask technology solution which uses clean, filtered air to protect its customer, and in so doing, provide unparalleled comfort, performance and fashion.





is working to enable those in polluted megacities from to to take back the streets, and to commute and exercise without fear of pollution. O2-O2 has a unique mask technology solution which uses clean, filtered air to protect its customer, and in so doing, provide unparalleled comfort, performance and fashion. buildsense.io offers machine learning software that analyzes data from a building's existing HVAC automation system to determine room occupancy in real-time -- with no need to install new sensors. The platform then adjusts ventilation systems to fit the needs of people inside, saving buildings 10-20% on their total energy bill and increasing happiness, health and productivity for occupants.





offers machine learning software that analyzes data from a building's existing HVAC automation system to determine room occupancy in real-time -- with no need to install new sensors. The platform then adjusts ventilation systems to fit the needs of people inside, saving buildings 10-20% on their total energy bill and increasing happiness, health and productivity for occupants. Citiesense creates data-driven maps and dashboards with layers of information to track property changes in urban areas, guiding real estate investors and other local stakeholders to smarter development decisions. Founded in New York , the company aims to help real estate industry professionals form a clearer understanding of local market demand and neighborhood dynamics.





creates data-driven maps and dashboards with layers of information to track property changes in urban areas, guiding real estate investors and other local stakeholders to smarter development decisions. Founded in , the company aims to help real estate industry professionals form a clearer understanding of local market demand and neighborhood dynamics. contextere is an Industrial IoT software company enabling the connected workforce. Its team is developing an intelligent personal agent that delivers actionable insights at the point of service, to make every worker more skilled, reduce human error and save lives. Using human-centric machine learning and intelligent context generation, contextere is transforming the future of work.





is an Industrial IoT software company enabling the connected workforce. Its team is developing an intelligent personal agent that delivers actionable insights at the point of service, to make every worker more skilled, reduce human error and save lives. Using human-centric machine learning and intelligent context generation, contextere is transforming the future of work. Revmax develops fleet management and routing software for ride-hail vehicles. Its technology maximizes vehicle utilization by proactively forecasting rider demand based on historical data and future events. Revmax ensures that vehicles are in the optimal location to find rides quickly -- increasing fleet revenue while reducing pollution and congestion.





develops fleet management and routing software for ride-hail vehicles. Its technology maximizes vehicle utilization by proactively forecasting rider demand based on historical data and future events. Revmax ensures that vehicles are in the optimal location to find rides quickly -- increasing fleet revenue while reducing pollution and congestion. Sencity is reimagining connected urban street furniture, starting with one of our most pressing concerns: waste. Its TetraBIN product is an interactive receptacle that brings delightful surprise and reward to the simple act of trash disposal, leveraging interaction into an effective behavior shift. Providing new outlets for information, entertainment, and experience, Sencity is changing the way we think about responsibility, and imbuing the urban environment with moments of joy.





is reimagining connected urban street furniture, starting with one of our most pressing concerns: waste. Its TetraBIN product is an interactive receptacle that brings delightful surprise and reward to the simple act of trash disposal, leveraging interaction into an effective behavior shift. Providing new outlets for information, entertainment, and experience, Sencity is changing the way we think about responsibility, and imbuing the urban environment with moments of joy. Upcycles develops unique human-electric cargo tricycles for moving goods around urban environments, up to and including the last mile. Their growing zero-emissions fleet is used by delivery services across New York . While delivery technology edges towards automation, Upcycles represents a socially responsible, transitional step that is reliable and efficient.





develops unique human-electric cargo tricycles for moving goods around urban environments, up to and including the last mile. Their growing zero-emissions fleet is used by delivery services across . While delivery technology edges towards automation, Upcycles represents a socially responsible, transitional step that is reliable and efficient. WearWorks is a haptics design company using sensory feedback systems to communicate information entirely via touch. Using vibration-based language, their product augments the senses of blind and visually impaired users through a non-visual interface, helping them to easily and effectively navigate the world around them.

Last week's premiere also included a keynote with New York City's Chief Digital Officer Sree Sreenivasan and Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamino. The conversation centered around the necessity of rallying behind emergent ideas as the future of cities reaches an inflection point.

"As New York's Chief Digital Officer, part of my role is to recognize opportunities to bring more startups to the city, and URBAN-X is exactly the kind of organization that helps us accomplish that goal," said Chief Digital Officer Sree Sreenivasan. "We strive to build a culture that values innovation, entrepreneurship, and solutions-driven action that benefits city residents and includes them in the process. I look forward to working with the URBAN-X team to scale change in an impactful way and work toward our shared goal of a better New York."

"To someone who recently arrived in New York, the city's goal of leveraging technology to drive equity in government services is a game-changer," said Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamino. "From public services in transportation and public health to housing and healthy food, we're at a point in time where we have the tools to reimagine how the government and city residents can work together, and there's no better place to start that movement than New York. I'm thrilled to welcome this global cohort of entrepreneurs to this community and look forward to working together."

URBAN-X 02 will present its market-ready prototypes and business concepts to customers, prospective partners, media, and leading investors on Demo Day, to be held May 4, 2017 at A/D/O.

In its new home at A/D/O, URBAN-X companies become part of a creative ecosystem with opportunity for daily exposure to their end consumer. The space offers access to a range of potential collaboration partners as well as a public program intended to provoke and invigorate the creative practice, spark debate and inspire important new work. A/D/O invites URBAN-X companies to utilize its space for real-time feedback  for example, by showcasing working prototypes at its design store.

"For founders that are solving big problems, URBAN-X provides the runway to get off the ground," notes Amanda Weeks, URBAN-X alum and founder of Industrial/Organic. "Many startups in this space have a higher barrier to achieving traction, as our business models generally include hardware and physical infrastructure, which are nearly impossible to bootstrap. URBAN-X gave us the validation and resources to get across this barrier, and we closed a pre- seed round four months after Demo Day."

The inaugural cohort of URBAN-X launched in 2016 and accelerated nine companies: Brooklyness, Buzzware, CTY, Farmshelf, Industrial/Organic, Multimer, Nello, Samocat and stae. Since the program's conclusion, members of URBAN-X 01 have gone on to secure additional investor and crowd funding while benefiting from the broader URBAN-X and A/D/O network. Brooklyness is now selling its electric CMYK 5.0 folding bikes in The Shop at A/D/O.

URBAN-X is currently accepting applications for its next cohort (click this link to be directed to the application page). URBAN-X 03 will begin in late Summer 2017.

About URBAN-X

URBAN-X is a venture accelerator that educates, invests in and advocates for companies shaping the future of cities through technology and design. Founded by MINI with joint venture partner SOSV, URBAN-X forges meaningful connections with leaders in the public and private sectors, helping early-stage startups turn compelling ideas into viable, scalable solutions for urban life.

URBAN-X 02, the accelerator's second cohort, premiered its eight companies in March 2017 and will conclude on May 4th, 2017 with Demo Day. URBAN-X 01, the inaugural cohort, consisted of nine companies, who graduated from the program in June 2016. Applications for URBAN-X 03 are currently open at urban-x.com.

URBAN-X is based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at A/D/O, a creative space founded by MINI and dedicated to exploring the boundaries of design. As part of A/D/O, URBAN-X companies join a creative ecosystem, which stimulates innovation through inspiration and inclusive dialogue.

Find URBAN-X on Twitter/Instagram at @urbanxaccel and on Facebook: facebook.com/urbanxaccel.

About MINI

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 125 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.

SOURCE URBAN-X
QUINCY, Ill., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) announced today that the U.S. Department of Commerce ("DOC") released on March 2, 2017 countervailing duty ("CVD") orders on imports of off-the-road ("OTR") tires from India and Sri Lanka and an anti-dumping duty order on such tires from India (with the exception of imports from one company). The three orders have been published in the Federal Register.

The DOC's issuance of these orders is the last step in the investigations that started early last year following the filing of petitions from Titan and the United Steelworkers ("USW") in January 2016. In February the U.S. International Trade Commission ("USITC") determined, by unanimous vote, that the domestic industry producing certain OTR tires was materially injured by reason of subsidized imports from India and Sri Lanka and "dumped" imports from India. The Federal Register notice of the USITC's final injury determination was published on February 28, 2017. All imports from India and Sri Lanka of certain OTR tires are covered by the CVD orders and all imports from India of such OTR tires, other than imports from Balkrishna Industries Ltd. ("BKT"), are also covered by the anti-dumping order. Following the USITC's February 28, 2017 determination, importers of products covered by the DOC's CVD orders are required to post cash deposits equal to the CVD amounts identified in the CVD orders.

Maurice Taylor, Titan's Chairman, remarked that, "We thank the government agencies for their diligence throughout the investigations. On behalf of our shareholders and workers, we are pleased that the U.S. government's investigations have confirmed that our industry has been materially injured by certain imports from India and Sri Lanka that were found to have been subsidized and/or dumped. Imposition of the orders is an important step in restoring conditions of fair trade. We believe that the level of subsidization may be larger than was found in the original investigation, and we plan to monitor developments in both countries to evaluate whether the full measure of unfair trade is offset through the issuance of the orders and any subsequent administrative reviews.

"Titan has been fighting for years to safeguard the rights of U.S. producers of certain OTR tires and their workers to conditions of fair trade. These recently issued orders on imports from India and Sri Lanka are another important step in that process. If the President adds additional tariffs on OTR tires, as he has said, this will further assist in the fight for fair trade."

The orders cover OTR tires for agriculture, industrial, construction, and mining applications. They cover OTR tires whether they enter the U.S. mounted on wheels or unmounted, though only the tire is covered.

Company description: Titan International, Inc., a holding company, owns subsidiaries that supply wheels, tires, assemblies and undercarriage products for off-highway equipment used in agricultural, earthmoving/construction and consumer applications. For more information, visit www.titan-intl.com.

Safe harbor statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which statements are covered by the "Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "would," "could," "outlook," "potential," "may," "will" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us. Although we believe the assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, these assumptions are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various factors, some of which are beyond Titan International, Inc.'s control. As a result, any of these assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions could be incorrect. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and trends to differ materially from those made, projected or implied in or by the forward-looking statements depending on a variety of uncertainties or other factors including, but not limited to risks detailed in Titan International, Inc.'s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. The Company cautions that any forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to several risks and uncertainties and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason.

SOURCE Titan International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.titan-intl.com


OUTER BANKS, N.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With a steadfast dedication to excellence and a lifetime goal to become the best in his profession, Village Realty's Senior Associate Broker Matt Myatt is well on his way to achieving his goal. According to year-end statistics from the Outer Banks Association of Realtors' MLS database, Myatt is the top-producing Outer Banks sales agent in sales volume from Corolla to Nags Head for 2016. Completing 55 closings with an impressive total of $23.8 million, he was also named Village Realty's Agent of the Year. Matt has now achieved lifetime sales of more than $150 million.

A longtime sales agent with Village Realty, Myatt joined the exceptional sales team in 2004, quickly rising in ranks among his fellow real estate professionals. By 2009, he was named Village Realty's "Agent of the Year," a title he has now held for eight consecutive years, including 2016. He stated that he chose and remains with the company because "Village Realty has always had a hometown 'feel,' and I think that's what people are looking for when they pick a real estate agent. If I were to buy here and didn't know any agents, I'd look for the locally owned company, expecting them to have their pulse on the market better than the larger, corporate operations."

Having maintained his position with the top 1% of Outer Banks agents since 2009, Myatt has worked hard to strengthen his strategies, achieving most of his challenging professional goals along the way. He acknowledges the competitive nature of the real estate industry, and credits the Sales team at Village Realty for being more inclined towards cooperation and camaraderie. "I trust the agents in my office. We're all competing in the same aggressive market, but we also work very well together."

For more than a decade, Myatt has helped hundreds of happy homeowners with all their buying and selling needs. Myatt's clients rave about his friendliness, accessibility, and personalized approach to his craft, committing himself earnestly every step of the way. "I try to make the process fun, but I'm not afraid to tell them my honest opinion  we're in this together!" he said. When asked what sets him apart from his colleagues, he replied, "I think I've been successful because my clients get access to ME. I don't list the houses and then hand them off to an assistant. When a client calls, I'm the one who answers the phone and that will never change."

Myatt's deep fondness for the Outer Banks took root during childhood family vacations on the beautiful barrier islands. Relocating to the area from his hometown in New Jersey, soon after graduating from Elon University's Love School of Business, it wasn't long before he met his 'love,' Jenny. Married since 2004, the couple now shares a home in Southern Shores with their yellow Labrador puppy, Shea.

"In 2004, when I started working in this industry with Village Realty, I was in the office Monday through Friday, trying to grow my business. After work, I'd drive from Corolla to Nags Head, where I held a second job, waiting tables. I'd get home around 11pm and do it all over again the next day," he recalled. "I knew it would be worth it eventually  now I can say it was!"

To join the ranks of the many satisfied homeowners who've experienced how easy it is to Buy It With Myatt, contact Matt via his cell phone 252.207.6588 (text friendly), email [email protected] or online at MattMyatt.com. Updated hourly, his comprehensive website features unlimited access to current property listings, including best buys, short sales and foreclosures.

*Data obtained from OBAR MLS for period 1/1/2016 through 12/31/2016.

Village Realty has expertly served the region for more than 20 years. Specializing in premier property sales, vacation rentals and association management, Village Realty offers two locations, in Nags Head and Corolla, where qualified NC brokers are on duty seven days a week from 9am-5pm. For more information, call 800.441.8533 or visit www.VillageRealtyOBX.com.

Media Contact:

Robert Kissell

252.480.4754

SOURCE Village Realty

Related Links

http://www.VillageRealtyOBX.com


BEVERLY, Mass., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brookwood Securities Partners, LLC ("Brookwood"), the broker-dealer affiliate of Brookwood Financial Partners LLC, a leading real estate investment and asset management company, today announced that W. Onnie Mayshak has joined the firm's Institutional Sales and Investor Relations group as a Senior Vice President.

Mr. Mayshak's primary responsibility is to raise capital for Brookwood's various fund offerings and separate accounts from institutional investors across the United States and Canada. "Onnie has a unique and varied background in finance, with relationships that span the financial services sector, which will be highly accretive to our efforts to expand our roster of institutional clients," stated Jayne M. Rice, Brookwood's Director of Institutional Sales, Marketing and Investor Relations. "We are thrilled to have someone with Onnie's background and experiences join our team."

The expansion of Brookwood's institutional sales practice mirrors the firm's growth over the last several years. Since re-entering the market in 2010, Brookwood has acquired 8,401,327 square feet of real estate worth over $1,200,000,000 and has expanded its staff to 109 employees located in 24 offices across the United States. Brookwood also recently launched BW Gas & Convenience Holdings, LLC, d/b/a Yesway, a new gas station and convenience store chain with locations in Iowa and expansions underway across the Midwest, which is expected to employ 1,000 people by the second quarter of this year.

Prior to joining Brookwood, Mr. Mayshak was a Director of Institutional Sales at Guggenheim Partners, where he was responsible for a book of business that included Asset Managers, Hedge Fund Managers and Private Wealth Managers in Boston. Prior to this, he was the Northeast Director of Institutional Sales at Ned Davis Research, where he managed a sales team responsible for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions.

Mr. Mayshak has a bachelor's degree in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, and previously served as a mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay.

About Brookwood Financial Partners, LLC  Brookwood is a nationally-recognized private equity investment firm that specializes in acquiring and managing value-add commercial real estate and related operating businesses on behalf of a select group of institutional investors, family offices and high net worth individuals. Since its founding in 1993, Brookwood has raised over $860 million of equity to acquire a portfolio of 223 commercial real estate and convenience store properties, with a realized and unrealized value in excess of $2.4 billion. The portfolio has spanned multiple asset classes, geographical markets and industries across the United States. www.brookwoodfinancial.com

Contact: Jayne M. Rice

(978) 720-7500

[email protected]

SOURCE Brookwood Securities Partners, LLC

Related Links

http://www.brookwoodfinancial.com


NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Waterproofing Admixture Market: Overview





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04760061-summary/view-report.html





Waterproofing admixture is a porous chemical ingredient employed during cement or concrete formulation to resist water penetration and water-borne contaminants. Waterproofing admixture is primarily used in residential, commercial, and infrastructure sector. Concrete being sustainable building material can reduce carbon footprint by 30-40%, but being porous in nature it is susceptible to chemical attack. Thus, waterproofing admixtures if employed during formulation provides excellent resistance to alkali attack during climate and weather changes. It also reduces maintenance cost and enhances the durability of concrete structures.



The report estimates and forecasts the waterproofing admixture market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (KiloKilo Tons) and revenue (US$ Bn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the waterproofing admixture market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the waterproofing admixture market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes global average price trend analysis of waterproofing admixture.



Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: Research Methodology



Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.



Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: Segmentation



The study provides a comprehensive view of the Waterproofing Admixture market by dividing it into product type, application and geography. The waterproofing admixture market has been segmented into crystalline, pore-blocking, and others. Application segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated in terms of volume (Kilo Kilo Tons) and revenue (US$ Bn) between 2016 and 2024.



Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for activated alumina in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for end-user segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual end-users in all the regions and countries.



Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: Competitive Landscape



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the waterproofing admixture market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein application and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for Waterproofing Admixture between 2016 and 2024.



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.,BASF SE, Sika AG, Wacker Chemi AG, Mapei S.P.A. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).



The global waterproofing admixture market has been segmented as follows:



Waterproofing Admixture Market  Product Type Analysis



Crystalline

Pore-blocking

Others



Waterproofing Admixture Market  Application Type Analysis



Residential

Commercial

Infrastructure



Waterproofing Admixture Market  Regional Analysis



North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

ASEAN

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

GCC

Egypt

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04760061-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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MINNEAPOLIS, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Learning Worldwide announced today it has won three Stevie Awards at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Gold Stevie Winner for Leadership or Management Training Practice of the Year

for Leadership or Management Training Practice of the Year Gold Stevie Winner for Sales Training Product of the YearWilson Learning's Coaching the Counselor Salesperson

for Sales Training Product of the YearWilson Learning's Bronze Stevie Winner for Sales Training Practice of the Year

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development, and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes several of the world's leading business awards programs, including the prestigious The American Business AwardsSM and The International Business AwardsSM.

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry were evaluated in this year's competition, an increase of 10% over 2016. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 77 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 61 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, more than 53 categories for sales and business development achievements, and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

"The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service continues to be among the most competitive and fastest-growing of our awards programs," said Michael Gallagher, founder and President of the Stevie Awards. "The growth of the program illustrates the importance of the functions highlightedsales, business development, and customer serviceto successful enterprises of all types, and how integral recognition in these domains are to building and maintaining corporate reputations."

"Wilson Learning is honored to receive this recognition. Our ability to provide unique solutions that deliver measurable business impact to clients is what sets Wilson Learning apart. We are committed to providing approaches, strategies, tools, and solutions that advance the success of sales professionals around the globe," said Ed Emde, President of Wilson Learning Corporation.

To learn more, contact Wilson Learning at www.WilsonLearning.com or 800.328.7937.

About Wilson Learning  Improving Performance Through People

For more than 50 years, Wilson Learning has been equipping sales organizations with the capability, tools, and knowledge to increase win rates, grow revenue, and boost profits and market share. Our holistic approach combines proven learning content, consulting expertise, learning services, and an award-winning extended learning system that ensures reinforcement and application. Wilson Learning Worldwide is a global leader in human performance improvement solutions with operations in over 50 countries worldwide, including Japan and the United States, incorporating over 30 languages. For more information, visit www.WilsonLearning.com or call 800.328.7937.

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business AwardsSM, The International Business AwardsSM, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Press Contact:

Nancy Brenny

Wilson Learning Corporation

+1.952.828.8821

[email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Wilson Learning

Related Links

http://www.wilsonlearning.com


ORLANDO, Fla., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world's largest vacation ownership company and member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), earned six prestigious awards at the eleventh annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. The awards were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. More than 650 executives from around the world attended.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes several of the world's leading business awards programs including the prestigious American Business AwardsSM and International Business AwardsSM.

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year's competition, with WVO earning one (1) gold, one (1) silver and four (4) bronze Stevie Awards.

"We are incredibly proud of our award winners who represent WVO excellence and have been recognized among the industry's top professionals," said Jeff Myers, chief sales and marketing officer of Wyndham Vacation Ownership. "Our team of dedicated associates go above and beyond each day to deliver exceptional service while welcoming new owners into our Wyndham family. These awards are a true testament to our unwavering commitment to our owners and guests."

WVO's 2017 Stevie Awards recipients include:



Gold Stevie Award:



Innovation in Sales - Robert Peck , QA Manager, Atlantic City , recognized for his revolutionary approach in engaging our owner base in support of Armed Forces overseas. By bringing awareness to this important initiative and emphasizing Wyndham's core values, Robert was able to improve performance at his site and reduce rescission rates.

Silver Stevie Award:



Contact Center Leader of the Year - Mark Candell, Senior Director, Contact Center Operations

Bronze Stevie Award:

National Sales Executive of the Year - Brendon Buirski , Vice President, Williamsburg

, Vice President, Williamsburg Sales Representative of the Year - Jason Page , Sales Representative, Vino Bello Resort

, Sales Representative, Vino Bello Resort Best Use of Technology in Sales - Sales Recording System

New IVR or Web Service Solution  Wyndham Extra Holidays Mobile Site

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/sales.

About Wyndham Vacation Ownership

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of Wyndham Worldwide's (NYSE: WYN) family of companies, is the world's largest vacation ownership business, as measured by the number of vacation ownership resorts, individual vacation ownership units and owners of vacation ownership interests. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its seven primary consumer brands, CLUB WYNDHAM, WorldMark by Wyndham, CLUB WYNDHAM ASIA, WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham, Shell Vacations Club, Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham and WYNDHAM CLUB BRASILSM. As of December 31, 2015, we have developed or acquired 213 vacation ownership resorts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and the South Pacific that represent more than 24,000 individual vacation ownership units and nearly 900,000 owners of vacation ownership interests. Wyndham Vacation Ownership is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and is supported by approximately 17,700 associates globally.

About The Stevie Awards

The Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

SOURCE Wyndham Vacation Ownership

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com


Beginning today, YOTEL guests will have access to a fun, quick and instructional series showcasing how one can easily relax and unwind while away from home. Featured on a dedicated YOTEL television channel, the videos will allow guests to 'wake-up,' 'motivate' and 'unwind' through a morning, afternoon and evening routine, respectively. Each short video will include a series of movements or positions aimed to help the guest be more mindful, healthy and 'at home' throughout their day.

The videos portray the brand's ability to connect comfort, accessibility, playfulness, and efficiency into one. Just as each YOTEL cabin has everything a guest needs, but nothing they don't, these short and interactive videos include everything a guest will need for an ideal wake-up, afternoon pick-me-up, and evening wind-down, but nothing extra to clutter their mind space.

Acknowledging the trend in travellers yearning to be more respectful and considerate of their body and mind while away from home, YOTEL aims to provide a fun and quirky solution to an increasingly common consumer pain point. Through a morning stretch sequence, guests can gently wake the body from sleep, preparing for the day ahead. By the time afternoon rolls around, many of us have been sitting for an extended period of time  the afternoon pick-me-up series of movements will help guests boost blood flow and tune up posture for increased productivity. After a demanding day, the evening routine will help guests to wind down before bed, releasing tension and freeing the cluttered mind.

Free to watch in-cabin on a dedicated YOTEL television channel, the videos will also be available online http://www.yotel.com/mindfresh so that guests may access beyond their stay at their convenience. Travelers on the go will be able to access the Mindfresh videos from anywhere at any time through 'Shaggy,' YOTEL's mobile app.

About YOTEL

Inspired by first class travel, YOTEL translates the language of luxury airline travel into small but luxurious 'cabins'. Uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL City hotels are taking the essential elements of luxury hotels in smaller, smart spaces and deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise. Premium Cabins include YOTEL's signature adjustable SmartBed with luxury bedding, rejuvenating monsoon rain showers, relaxing mood lighting and 'techno wall' with smart TVs, multi power points and easy connectivity.

YOTEL currently operates four airport hotels under the YOTELAIR brand in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris, Charles de Gaulle airports; and one city hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with eight new hotels under development globally, including another YOTELAIR in Singapore Changi Airport (2019); and seven new city hotels currently under development in Boston (2017), Singapore (2017), San Francisco (2017), London Clerkenwell (2018), Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2019), Miami (2019), and Dubai Business Bay (2019).

Co-founded by YO! founder Simon Woodroffe OBE, YOTEL's HQ is in London and has offices in Boston and Dubai. Its major partner and shareholder is IFA Hotels and Resorts KSCC based in Dubai.

For more Information, please visit the development section on:

www.YOTEL.com

About Mindfresh

Mindfresh is a modern meditation experience for people who sit all day long. It's sound, movement + meditation to jumpstart the senses + inspire you to conquer your day. Through Mindfresh, over 1,000 mindfulness sessions have been held at the most dynamic companies in NYC, SF + LA. With a growing library of digital content (wellness.mindfresh.co), now anyone, anywhere can now keep their Mindfresh during a long, demanding day.

Media Contact KWITTKEN

Lauren Wright, [email protected]

SOURCE YOTEL

Related Links

http://www.YOTEL.com


MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- YourMechanic, the nation's leading mobile car repair network, today announced the startup will bring together experts for a forum to discuss the future of the automotive industry. The event, Driving the Auto Industry Forward: Transforming the Car Ownership Experience, will be held on March 30, 2017.

The forum will take place at Plug and Play Technology Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., a global innovation platform connecting startups to corporations. The program will include a panel discussion with speakers including YourMechanic President and CEO Anthony Rodio, Ally Insurance Executive Vice President and COO Angie Tuglus, eBay Motors General Manager of Parts and Accessories Sree Menon and Turo Chief Business Officer David Stewart.

Alexis Evans, Director of Communications at AutoMobility LA/Los Angeles Auto Show, will moderate the panel, with a focus on discussing how businesses and startups across the automotive lifecycle  from purchasing, financing, repairing, selling, and monetizing  are working to address the evolving needs of today's car owner. Program topics will include changes in customer behavior, environmental impact of car ownership, consolidation of vehicle use and the future of personal car ownership.

Startup Lane, an exhibit of up-and-coming startups, will be on-site with founders available to demonstrate new products and solutions that aim to disrupt the traditions of car ownership.

Booths from LotBlok, Prazo, Selly Automotive, SHIFTMobility, Turo, YourMechanic, and other startups will be featured. Turo, the leading peer-to-peer car rental marketplace will bring celebrity vehicle, Erlich's 2006 Ford Escape Aviato, to the event.

Projections estimate shared mobility platforms, new connectivity services, technology advancements, and innovative business models will expand automotive industry revenue by 30 percent, adding $1.5 trillion in coming years.1

"There is tremendous opportunity for the auto industry today," said Anthony Rodio, President and CEO, YourMechanic. "As product quality from OEMs continues to increase, Americans are keeping their cars for more years than ever before, making access to routine maintenance important. This is occurring during a period of tremendous transformation, for example population growth in urban centers, coupled with outdated infrastructure, has sparked a surge in new modes of transportation. Technology is answering these challenges and transforming how people get from point A to point B in ways that used to seem impossible."

Automotive and mobility industry professionals, venture capitalists, startup founders, OEM and aftermarket suppliers, and media can register for the free event at http://yrme.ch/drive.

About YourMechanic

YourMechanic is the industry leader in mobile car repair, offering more than 600 repair, maintenance, and diagnostic services. YourMechanic is available in the top 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. YourMechanic connects mobile mechanics to customers who seek affordable, convenient, and honest car repair services at their home or office, seven days a week. Mobile mechanics enjoy flexible hours and higher pay than at a shop or dealership. Founded in 2012, YourMechanic has secured $32 million in funding. YourMechanic won TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in 2012 and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, YourMechanic is funded by SoftBank Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, Ashton Kutcher, Data Point Capital, and others. For more information on YourMechanic, to book a service, or to view current career opportunities, visit www.YourMechanic.com.

Sources:

1 McKinsey & Company, Disruptive trends that will transform the auto industry, January 2016

SOURCE YourMechanic

Related Links

http://www.YourMechanic.com


BETHESDA, Md., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Avoiding or reducing the harm of tobacco cigarettes is the top reason youth vape, according to data from a survey by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and analyzed by PinneyAssociates. Almost 90% of 418 adolescents (ages 12-17) who used vapor products in the past month said that "they might be less harmful to me than cigarettes" or "they might be less harmful to people around me than cigarettes."

Saul Shiffman, PhD, Senior Scientific Advisor to PinneyAssociates and Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, will present this analysis on 10 March 2017 at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Florence, Italy. PinneyAssociates reached their conclusion after analyzing data from Wave I of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), which encompassed more than 13,000 adolescents who completed an in-home interview between September 2013 and December 2014.

The Pinney analysis rebuts a research letter in JAMA, in which this same dataset was used to argue that "because e-cigarettes come in flavors I like" was the number one reason youth use these products. Dr. Shiffman's presentation argues that by not combining responses citing harm reduction, the earlier analysis overemphasized the comparative role of flavors in youth vaping decisions.

"Almost 90% of youth vapers surveyed by the NIH and FDA endorsed reducing the harm of tobacco cigarettes as their reason for choosing e-cigarettes  significantly more than the 81% who cited availability of flavors," stated Dr. Shiffman. "In fact, among the teens who said flavors were important, fully 92% also said harm reduction was their motive for vaping. Flavors play a role in youth experimentation with e-cigarettes, but this analysis underscores that the much lower harm of vaping compared to smoking cigarettes is a far more important factor."

Youth trial and use of vapor products has often been at the center of a contentious ongoing debate on their potential opportunity to reduce the premature death and disability caused by cigarette smoking. In December 2016, the US Surgeon General issued a report declaring that "E-cigarette use among U.S. youth and young adults is now a major public health concern." (p. vii).

In contrast, experts and authoritative bodies in the UK (e.g., Public Health England, Cancer Research UK, Royal College of Physicians) have endorsed vaping as a tool to help current smokers switch away from combustion cigarettes.

"These data show that even teens who are using e-cigarettes are motivated by harm reduction. Use of any tobacco or nicotine product by teens should be strongly discouraged, but it's important that our thinking balance concerns about this use with the potential benefits of vaping for smokers who want to reduce their harm," Dr. Shiffman concludes.

About PinneyAssociates

PinneyAssociates is a pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare consulting company that helps clients to reduce their regulatory risk and enhance the commercial value of their life sciences products. PinneyAssociates consults with pharmaceutical companies that market a wide variety of prescription and over-the-counter medications. PinneyAssociates' experts have extensive expertise in abuse-deterrent drug formulation evaluation, abuse potential assessment, as well as pharmaceutical risk management, Rx-to-OTC switch, and tobacco harm reduction.

For the past 25 years, PinneyAssociates has worked to minimize the death and disease associated with smoking conventional cigarettes. Our efforts have included helping smokers gain greater access to nicotine replacement therapies by facilitating over the counter availability of these products, as well as tireless advocacy for regulations, policies, and products that facilitate smoking cessation and harm minimization. Our current work on smoking cessation and reduced risk tobacco products is exclusively with Reynolds American Inc.; and extends these goals by focusing PinneyAssociates' efforts on increasing smokers' access to non-combustible forms of nicotine delivery with a continued commitment to reducing the devastating impact of smoking on public health. We do not work on RAI's conventional cigarettes.

For more information about PinneyAssociates, please contact us at +1.301.718.8440 or [email protected], or learn more about our work at www.pinneyassociates.com.

SOURCE PinneyAssociates

Related Links

http://www.pinneyassociates.com


The first bell rings and students flood into Rossiter Elementary School. Before getting to their classroom, they have a choice to make: cinnamon roll, bagel or breakfast cookie. Now, it's time to learn.

In the past, students came to school with a stomachache but no fever, and I would ask them, Are you hungry? They almost all said, Yes, says Candyce Kepler, school nurse at Rossiter.

That was until Jan. 11, when the school implemented the Breakfast After the Bell initiative, in which students can start the day with a shared breakfast in the classroom.

Nearly two months into the program, the school has given food to more than 100 students who qualified for free breakfast but never claimed it. Though not all students at the school receive free or reduced breakfast, some still pay the regular cost for food. First Lady Lisa Bullock visited the school Friday to see the success of the initiative firsthand.

A recent study by The Food Research & Action Center, an organization that works to eradicate domestic hunger and under-nutrition, found that Montana ranks among the top 10 states for percentage growth in free and reduced-price breakfast participation from school year 2014-2015 to school year 2015-2016.

Schools in Montana are committed to their students success and recognize that serving breakfast gives kids the energy they need to focus in the classroom, said First Lady Bullock. We are taking steps in the right direction to increase breakfast participation, and ultimately, put an end to childhood hunger in Montana.

Rossiter fourth grade teacher Patrick Rieley says he has seen a marked increase in not only the attentiveness of his students, but also the efficiency with which the students calm down and become engaged in the academic process.

One concern for school officials upon implementation was how to keep the classroom clean with the introduction of food.

Its gone flawlessly, Rieley said regarding the students keeping the classroom mess-free. He says because the students do not like to work in a dirty environment, they do a great job keeping the breakfast from causing a mess in the classroom.

I think it's great, because if you are late you still get to eat it, one of Rieley's students chimed as the first lady chatted with students.

In some classrooms, students can add their unwanted food items -- raisins, fruit, etc. -- to a share table that other students can eat from later in the day or during a snack time.

The initiative is not new to the state. In fall 2014, the governor and first lady launched the initiative to encourage schools to implement new breakfast programs or convert existing programs to alternative breakfast models that are proven to increase student participation.

Through the Breakfast after the Bell initiative:

The governor and first lady, in partnership with Montana No Kid Hungry, have awarded $235,000 to Montana schools through private partnerships.

There are now 139 schools across Montana that have made breakfast part of the school day.

There are now more than 1,014,133 more breakfast meals served to Montana students each year.

The number of breakfast meals served increased by 7 percent in the 2014-2015 school year and by 11.4 percent in the 2015-2016 school year.

We know that when kids have a healthy meal to start their day, they perform better in school, said Gov. Steve Bullock. More students in Montana now have access to the meals they need to grow and learn -- and as a result, weve seen improved student behavior, fewer disciplinary referrals, and better test scores.

Next week is National School Breakfast week, and all students in the district get free breakfast through the week.

Clarification: The story has been updated to clarify that not all Rossiter students get free breakfast.
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ABO Capital announced today that its CEO Zandre Campos was featured in the Huffington Post discussing African entrepreneurialism and how it is positively impacting the economy. The article entitled "Why The African Entrepreneurial Economy is Flourishing" was originally published on Huffington Post on March 1, 2017.

Because of the Great Recession, many Africans living outside the continent lost their jobs. They returned home to Africa where they developed an entrepreneurial spirit due to the lack of native jobs. Young entrepreneurs are especially optimistic about the availability of good business opportunities and believe they have the skills and knowledge necessary to start a business. Currently, local businesses are reigning king in Africa. Governments are decreasing international training and imports, and are supporting more local entrepreneurs.

"Continuing the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit in Africa is key, and confidence is a quality that can be a young entrepreneur's best friend," said Mr. Campos.

Zandre Campos is chairman and CEO of ABO Capital, an international investment firm that invests in companies in the healthcare, energy, transportation, hospitality, technology and real estate sectors throughout Africa. ABO's mission is to create global value for developing countries in Africa, while contributing to their economic development.

Read the full Huffington Post article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58b7345ae4b015675cf65b87

About ABO Capital

ABO Capital, formerly Angola Capital Investments, is an international investment firm that invests in companies in the healthcare, technology, energy, transportation, hospitality and real estate sectors throughout Africa. The mission of ABO Capital is to create global value for developing countries in Africa, while contributing to their economic development.

About Zandre Campos

Zandre Campos is one of the great, innovative business leaders and global entrepreneurs emerging out of Africa. Currently, he is chairman and CEO of ABO Capital, an international investment firm headquartered in Angola with holdings throughout the Globe. Mr. Campos was named one of the Top 25 African business influencers and was a recipient of the Distinguished Business Excellence Award by African Leadership Magazine. He is frequently quoted as an expert on Africa in the media and is a recurring contributor for The Huffington Post and US News & World Report. He recently addressed both students and professors at the NYU Africa House on the opportunities in Africa.

SOURCE ABO Capital

Related Links

http://www.abocapital.net


Red traffic cones, a sign of spring in Montana, appeared Monday along Interstate 15 as bridge work in Helena resumed.

Traffic along a portion of the interstates southbound lane between the Cedar Street and Prospect Avenue interchanges is planned to be rerouted Thursday afternoon into the northbound lane where it crosses the bridge spanning the Montana Rail Link railroad tracks, said Craig Shanholtzer, project superintendent for Sletten Construction.

Demolition work is set to begin Friday on the interstate bridge for southbound traffic, he added. About five weeks will be needed to demolish the bridge.

Southbound traffic will share a lane of the bridge serving the northbound traffic. The speed limit in the construction zone will typically be 45 mph but will be reduced to 35 mph when crews are working closer to the passing traffic, Shanholtzer said.

Boulder Avenue was closed to all traffic on Monday, and the closure will last through April 22, according to a news release. The closure will be in place 24 hours per day and seven days a week during the time its in effect.

Area residents will again hear a pile-driver at work from about the last week of March through May, Shanholtzer said.

The 175-day contract, slated to end about the third week of October, allows for work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

A retaining wall along the west side of the southbound lanes of the interstate will be constructed, as will a wall to help muffle the noise from passing traffic.

The wall to help block the noise from traffic will be constructed above the retaining wall that will be located nearer to the interstate, Shanholtzer said.

The bridges, built in 1964, are being replaced because they dont meet federal standards. The bridges are also being widened to 64 feet in the reconstruction.

The $31 million project will conclude in 2018 with a few weeks of work where the interstate surface is sealed with a coat of oil and rock chips.

Seeking comment

The Montana Department of Transportation is seeking comment on another proposal to retrofit and improve the retaining wall about 1.4 miles east of the Basin interchange, exit 156, on I-15. The project is located under the I-15 bridge between the the Basin and High Ore exits on the I-15 Frontage Road, locally known as Cattle Trail Road.

Proposed work includes repairs to the retaining wall, drainage improvement and grading. The purpose of the project is to extend the life of the retaining wall and prevent further structural and erosional damage.

Cattle Trail Road will be closed during construction at the project area under the interstate bridge. Minimal interruption to Interstate traffic is proposed on an intermittent basis.

Construction is tentatively planned for 2017, depending on completion of design and availability of funds. New right-of-way is not anticipated to be needed.

For more information, please contact Butte District Administrator Jeff Ebert at 494-9625 or Project Design Engineer Tyrel Murfitt at 444 6227. Written comments can be sent to the Montana Department of Transportation Butte office at P.O. Box 3068, Butte, MT 59702-3068, or online at: www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.

Comments should note that they are for project UPN 9340000. Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request by contacting the Office of Civil Rights, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620; 444-9229; fax 444-7243, or e-mail to aflesch@mt.gov.

Those using a TTY may call (800) 335-7592 or through the Montana Relay Service at 711.
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
Gorakhpur, March 2 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not fulfilling any of his promises made for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a public rally here, the Congress leader said that all that the Prime Minister has done in the last three years is "talk useless things" and do nothing.

"Modi ji had promised to give two crore jobs per year. Has this happened," Gandhi asked before the cheering crowds.

Adding that the Prime Minister had no connect with the poor and farmers, the Gandhi scion urged the people to vote for the Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) alliance so that their lives can be changed for good.

"I have taken out a kisan yatra from Deoria to Delhi and I know that farmers of the country are in bad shape...all this needs to change and this can only happen if the alliance is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
New Delhi, March 3 : India is planning to conduct a trial run of a container train between Dhaka and Kolkata this year - to move a step closer to a proposed 6,000 km trans-continental integrated freight railway network project connecting five countries - Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.

But experts are wary of Pakistan playing spoilsport because the project, aimed to boost trade and economic development of the region, is seen as a response to China's One Belt One Road initiative.

A Railway Ministry official told IANS that "a demonstration container train between Bangladesh and India has been planned in the first quarter of the 2017-18 and the modalities of have been agreed by senior officials of both countries."

The official said that the railway heads of the five countries would also be meeting in Delhi later this month "to appreciate and sort out the issues" related to the trans-continental freight network, named the ITI-DKD-Y corridor that will pass through Dhaka-Kolkata-Delhi-Amritsar-Lahore-Islamabad-Zahedan-Tehran-Istanbul.

Pakistan railway chief Javed Anwar is also being invited.

The feasibility studies of the strategic route connecting the capitals of the countries have been done by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) as part of its Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) project for an integrated freight network across Europe and Asia.

Former diplomats are, however, apprehensive if Pakistan would be willing to join the project at this stage even if Islamabad in 2006 signed the overall 80,900-km TAR network project, that would originate from the Pacific seaboard of Asia and end on the doorsteps of Europe.

"This (ITI-DKD-Y) project is not feasible at this stage. Currently, we have a tough relation with Pakistan. How can this rail project be implemented if even the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline) has not been implemented. At this juncture the project can't be executed," Pinak Chakravarty, a former Indian envoy to Bangladesh, told IANS.

Chakravarty said India should plan to execute the project only after it is able to execute other pending projects involving Pakistan.

Sheel Kant Sharma, former Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, said the government should discuss the project with Pakistan to sort out issues related to "a way too ambitious project".

"The project has several obstacles in its way. India is trying to do this because its neighbour China has executed a rail project to London. At the same time Pakistan and China have cordial relations. In such a situation why will Pakistan let India execute the project," Sharma told IANS.

Railway ministry officials said various conferences have earlier been held with the countries involved in the project that would also include the rail networks in Nepal. Nepal can be connected via the existing and operational rail route of Birgunj (a border town in Parsa District of southern Nepal)-Kolkata.

Bhutan and Afghanistan that do not have rail connectivity at present may also be connected at a later stage, the officials said.

"Bhutan can be connected by road from Kolkata (existing route) and containers can be loaded in Afghanistan by connecting road routes with the railway network either at Quetta through Spin Boldak (in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan)-Chaman (capital of Qilla Abdullah District, Balochistan) or at Islamabad through Torkham (one of the major International border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan," an official explained.
New York, March 4 : 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.

"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.
Recently, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) addressed the Montana House of Representatives. His address solidified his stance on Montana's public lands, and subtly addressed criticism that he is unreachable by his Montana constituents. However, most notably his address offered lengthy praise for congressman Ryan Zinke (R-MT), as he awaited confirmation as President Trumps Secretary of the Interior. Intertwined in this praise was a strong message of deregulation and freedom for Montana to pursue energy production at heights unachievable under The Obama Administration, with its stark EPA guidelines and oversight. Daines showed visible excitement over the forward movement of the Keystone XL pipeline, and made it one of the cornerstones of his address. He boasted of the 800 jobs it would create, and the increased revenue Montana desperately needs.

Amid these remarks, Democrats scoffed, while Conservatives stood and applauded. Having been on The House Floor, I couldn't help but scoff myself, not at Daines' remarks, but at the ultimatum politics of both parties. So often, Democrats oppose domestic pipelines in the name of Climate Change and environmental safety, while entirely disregarding jobs and revenue. Conservatives on the other hand, care only of how the present economy manages, and utterly disregard Climate Science and its impacts on the environment they will leave for their children and grandchildren.

Climate Change is indisputably real, and the conclusive cause is increased emissions from fossil fuels. Recent data from NASA shows a steady rise in carbon dioxide emissions, resulting in a 1.7 degree Fahrenheit temperate increase since 1880. Sea levels are up, and the ice in The Artic is decreasing dramatically. The science is clear, and has only become clearer, and clearer since the 1970s when scientists began putting resources towards investing Climate Change. The case is closed on the validity of Climate Change; however, policy decisions surrounding it are still up for discussion.

Opposing the Keystone XL pipeline is not the responsible, logical Montana response to the issue of Climate Change. Most importantly, it lacks scope and doesnt consider the numerous other factors involved in U.S. fossil fuel emissions. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, America imports around 9.4 million barrels of petroleum per day. Most of these imports, about 40 percent, come directly from Canada. Disputes over approving domestic pipelines arent inherently helping decrease the effects of Climate Change, theyre only ensuring the climate continues to spiral, with the only benefit being rewarded to foreigners producing petroleum, and not Montanans. Hence, the lack of scope.

The truth of the matter is this: Montana is losing precious jobs to individuals living less than 100 miles north of its border. Frankly, that is a travesty. Montana policy should not be denying its capable citizens work, only to import their product from its northern neighbor. While its true fossil fuel emissions need to decrease on a national level, doing so and creating domestic jobs are not mutually exclusive. They can be done simultaneously, and satisfy concerns from both sides of the aisle. Montanans should be making concessions, not ultimatums. Investing serious dollars into renewable energy, such as solar, hydroelectric, wind, and nuclear, while approving Keystone XL and other domestic pipelines would effectively increase Montanas workforce and revenue, while decreasing total fossil fuel emissions. The common sense solution is simple; Decrease aggregate fossil fuel emissions, invest heavily in renewable energy, but ensure that the remaining fossil fuels are produced by hard-working, dedicated, Montanans. Doing so takes a big leap in tackling Climate Change, but doesnt do so on the backs of employable Montanans. Personally, I think that is something we can, and should, all get behind.

Aaron Irion is a student at the University of Montana.
New Delhi, March 6 : The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the arrest of Gayatri Prajapati -- a Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government -- for allegedly raping and blackmailing a woman.

"It's very unfortunate that its order for registration of FIR against Gayatri Prajapati is being given a political colour," said a bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R.K. Agrawal while refusing to allow his plea to recall the order on lodging of FIR in the sexual assault case.

The bench said Prajapati can approach the concerned court for seeking bail if he gets arrested. "Whatever remedies the parties have they will have right to avail," said the bench.

The court made it clear that it was not monitoring the case against him and its order was confined to registration of FIR.

On February 17, the apex court had asked Uttar Pradesh Police to register an FIR against Prajapati.

A woman has alleged that Prajapati had raped her when she met him three years ago. She alleged that she was raped when she fell unconscious after taking tea laced with a sedative. Prajapati took some photos of the victim and then threatened to make them public and continued to rape her for two years.

A non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against Prajapati, Uttar Pradesh's Transport Minister, who is absconding.
Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh), March 6 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to polarise voters on communal lines.

Addressing a gathering here, Akhilesh Yadav said it was sad that Modi had even "divided electricity into Hindu and Muslim".

Pitching for the Samajwadi Party in the seventh and final phase of polling on Wednesday, he said allegations that more electricity was given out during Muslim festivals and less during Hindu events were baseless.

"We have responded to such false propaganda by providing statistics," the Chief Minister said.

He again asked Modi to swear by the Ganga whether Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, gets 24x7 power supply or not.

On Sunday, Modi remarked that when Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi went to the Kashi Vishwanath temple on Saturday, there was a 15-minute power cut.

"I do not have to prove anything or swear by Ma Ganga. Lord Shiva has proved the point that there is no round-the-clock electricity in Kashi," Modi said.

The Chief Minister on Monday asked the Prime Minister to tell the people of Varanasi what work he had done for the district.

He urged the people to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections.

He also pointed out how the huge crowds at last week's Varanasi road show had sent a message that people of Kashi and neighbouring areas were for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance.

Akhilesh Yadav asked the people not to trust Modi as he had "not fulfilled any of the promises he made in the 2014 Lok Sabha election".

He also came down heavily on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, calling her previous government in the state as "pattar waali sarkar".

All that Mayawati did during her tenure was to make monuments and statues made of stone, he said.
Lucknow, March 6 : Campaigning for the final phase of the seven-stage Uttar Pradesh assembly elections came to an end at 5 p.m. on Monday, bringing the curtains down on one of the most caustic and bitterly-fought political battles ever seen in recent times.

The last round of balloting on March 8 for the 403-member assembly comprises 40 constituencies in Poorvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonebhadra and Jaunpur districts.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, went to the Gadwaghat Aashram, venerated by millions from the Yadav community, and also visited the ancestral home of the late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Ramnagar to pay homage to him.

He also addressed a rally at Khushipur in Rohaniya area, winding up an extensive campaign in which he addressed more than two dozen rallies. He urged people to boot out the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress and vote for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Meanwhile, for the SP-Congress alliance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav addressed seven back-to-back rallies in Poorvanchal, during which he accused Modi of "misleading the people of UP", while Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally at Jaunpur where he called Modi an "aging leader" and asked people to vote for young leaders.

Gandhi also took potshots at the 'Acche Din' slogan of the BJP, saying the film has flopped.

Akhilesh Yadav's wife and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav also addressed three rallies in Bhadohi and Chandauli.

BSP supremo Mayawati did not address any rally on Monday and took stock of the balloting so far from her Lucknow bungalow, a party leader said.

The electorate in the seventh round of polling comprises 1.41 crore voters, including 64.76 lakh women. A total of 14,458 polling centres have been set up, a poll panel official told IANS.

Security forces have stepped up vigil for the last phase as three districts -- Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra -- are Maoist-affected.

The maximum number of candidates in the fray are from Varanasi Cantt (24) and the least (6) in Kerakat assembly constituency.

In the 2012 state assembly elections, the SP had swept the region by winning 23 of the total 40 seats. The BSP trailed far behind with five, followed by the BJP with four and the Congress with three. Five seats went to other smaller parties.

Votes will be counted on March 11, along with counting of ballot cast in the Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab assembly elections earlier. The Election Commission has already begun preparations for the vote count at 75 centres across the state.
New Delhi, March 6 : A 17-year-old Class 12 student was killed here when a speeding Mercedes Benz ran over him after hitting his Scooty, police said on Monday.

Atul Arora died in the accident at Paschim Vihar in west Delhi on Sunday night. He was dragged about 100 metres by the car before it ran over him, police said.

The car driver fled the spot. The incident was captured in CCTV cameras of nearby shops.

"We have identified the driver and will soon nab him," a police officer said.

Atul was a student of Bal Bharti School at Pitampura and had just passed Class 11.

He was to attend his first day in the new class on Monday. He scored 76 per cent marks in the Class 11 results announced just two days back, Tara Anand, his maternal grandmother, told IANS.

The student was the sole male heir in the joint family which included the families of two brothers of his father Ajay Arora. He is survived by his parents and two elder sisters.

"He was very enthusiastic about his birthday which falls on April 18. We had planned a trip out of the city to celebrate that as well as his Class 11 result," Anand told IANS.

Earlier reports said Atul was a Class 11 student.
New Delhi, March 6 : Lt Governor Anil Baijal's speech on Monday was an "uninspired summary" of the AAP government's publicity campaign ahead of municipal elections, BJP leader Vijender Gupta said.

Calling Baijal's address "highly disappointing", Gupta said it failed to present the Arvind Kejriwal government's vision for Delhi's future.

"The Delhi government lost the opportunity to spell out its action plan for the future, especially for fiscal 2017-18," he said.

It was Baijal's maiden address to the house after he assumed the office in December.

Gupta said he expected a concrete plan for the city's development, "especially in view of Kejriwal's dream of turning Delhi into Paris and London.

"There is no vision as to how the city will be made clean, green, healthy and smart through municipalities."

The BJP leader said the poll promises made in the AAP manifesto like Swaraj Budget, Mohalla Sabhas and Aam Admi Canteens had done a vanishing act from public domain.
Kathmandu, March 6 : At least three persons were killed and 10 others injured in a clash between agitating Madhesi Morcha protestors and security personnel in southern Saptari district, officials said on Monday.

According to Nepal's Home Ministry spokesperson Bal Krishna Panthi, three persons died in the clash and 10 were injured, among them a critically injured member of the Madhesi Morcha. They were undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Among those killed, Ranjan Mehata has been identified by Madhesi Morcha as their member. He was shot in the head and died on the spot.

The police are yet to identify the other two.

The Home Ministry claimed that at least two dozen police personnel were injured in the violent clash.

Security personnel resorted to firing after Madhesi Morcha activists attempted to foil a mass gathering organised by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists) [CPN-UML] at Gajendra Narayan Singh Industrial Corridor in Rajbiraj municipality under the Mechi-Mahakali campaign.

Security was beefed up in and around the area by the ministry after the Madhesi Morcha announced it would obstruct the campaign organised by the CPN-UML. Several parts of the districts were tense since then.

The CPN-UML has started a 15-day east-west campaign from Saturday across the Terai/Madhes areas of Nepal. The agitating Madhesi Morcha has opposed this.

Madhesi Morcha, an alliance of Madhes-based parties of Nepal, has acrimonious ties with CPN-UML after top CPN-UML leaders repeatedly called them "anti-national" and "political force run by foreign powers".

After CPN-UML decided to launch the campaign, the Morcha has been telling it to stop it or face disruption. The Morcha cadres clashed with the police while CPN-UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli was addressing the mass meeting.

Earlier, six Morcha cadres were injured in a clash that occurred before Oli reached the venue. Two persons were reported to be in critical condition.

The Morcha leaders and cadres burnt tyres and staged demonstrations with black flags and sticks since early morning on Monday, aimed at foiling the CPN-UML mass meeting.
Gandhinagar, March 6 : After his hectic campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Gujarat on Tuesday for a two-day visit during which he will inaugurate a much-awaited cable bridge in south Gujarat and address a national convention of women sarpanches on International Women's Day in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

The new cable-stayed bridge, on NH 8 over river Narmada near Bharuch town, connects twin industrial towns of Bharuch and Ankleshwar. It is expected to considerably ease traffic on the busy highway that leads to commercial capital Mumbai.

After inaugurating the cable bridge in the evening, Modi will address a public meeting at the agriculture university in Bharuch. The Prime Minister would also take part in an 'Industry Meet' at ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPAL), Petrochemical Complex situated at Dahej near Bharuch as chief guest.

Then he would leave for state capital Gandhinagar to attend a special dinner organised at Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's residence to be attended by Rupani's Council of Ministers as well as BJP MLAs.

Early on Wednesday, Modi will leave for coastal Somnath temple to offer prayers and attend a meeting of the Somnath Trust, headed by former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. Modi is a member of the trust. This would be Modi's first visit to the historic temple after he became Prime Minister in May 2014.

In the afternoon on March 8, after returning from Somnath, Modi would address a convention of women sarpanches in Gandhinagar. He would then fly back to Delhi.
Shillong, March 6 : Residents along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya are using Bangladesh SIM cards for communication, Meghalaya's Opposition Leader Donkupar Roy informed the assembly on Monday.

Roy, who was participating in the amendment to the motion of thanks on the Governor's Address, urged the government to take steps to ensure connectivity in rural areas and those along the international borders.

"People are using the Bangladeshi SIM cards to communicate with relatives and friends, since no landline connection is available in the international border and mobile networks are very poor," the veteran United Democratic Party legislator said.

Shella constituency, which is represented by Roy, is on the India-Bangladesh border. He revealed that he also has a Bangladesh SIM card but does not use it, knowing that it is illegal.

"However, the people on the border have no option and are compelled to use Bangladeshi SIM card for better communication," he said.

The UDP legislator informed the assembly that even the Border Security Force troopers are using the Bangladeshi SIM cards.

"Once I asked one BSF personnel about the problem, who told me that communicating with his colleagues was very difficult. While we were sitting, I saw one personnel was also communicating by using Bangladeshi SIM card," Roy claimed.
Seoul, March 7 : The South Korean government and the ruling party on Tuesday agreed on the need to push for more "effective" sanctions on North Korea after it fired off four ballistic missiles into the the Sea of Japan.

The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defence and diplomatic officials, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"(The two sides agreed that) there is a need for additional, strong anti-Pyongyang sanctions," the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told the media.

Lee did not elaborate on additional measures, but he said this matter should be discussed at the UN.

The two sides also agreed to make "active efforts" to put Pyongyang back on the US list of state sponsors of terror in consideration of the recent assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam.

Kim Jong-nam was killed with the lethal VX nerve agent in an airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on February 13. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the killing, but it has denied the claims.

On Monday, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles in protest against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.
New York, March 7 : American multinational tech company Google faces a regulatory scrutiny in Turkey after officials launched an antitrust investigation on the companys Android operating system, a media report said.

The investigation, prompted by a complaint from Google's Russian competitor Yandex, was launched to find out whether the tech giant's software has broken the country's antitrust rules, New York Times reported.

Google has been accused that its software bundle in Android creates an unfair advantage against its competitors.

The investigation in Turkey was the latest legal problem for Google, which faces three separate competition charges in Europe and has already been found to breach antitrust legislation in Russia, the report said.

The investigation by Turkish officials is similar to the one by the European Commission regarding Google's alleged abuse of its dominant position with Android, which runs on 75 per cent of smartphones worldwide, to unfairly gain market share.

Google has rejected these claims and argued that the European regulators did not properly factor in consideration the fragmentation of Android as it gets modified by developers.
In a convention Monday night, Montana Republicans picked Republican businessman Greg Gianforte as their nominee for the special congressional election in May.

Gianforte was picked after a single round of voting, securing 150.5 votes by 8:45 p.m. in one round of voting Monday night. Candidates needed 123 to win; fractional votes are due to weighting by county population.

We are going to bring our conservative values to return liberty and freedom to Montana and this country, Gianforte said after winning. We will make America great again.

Last year Gianforte entered the world of politics in a bid against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who won re-election in November with 50 percent of the vote to Gianforte's 46 in Montana's most expensive gubernatorial race. He is a Bozeman businessman who started the technology firm RightNow Technologies, which sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion.

Montana is in need of a representative to fill its lone seat in the U.S. House after former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke resigned March 1, minutes after being confirmed as Secretary of the Interior.

Bullock has set a special election date of May 25, the earliest possible. In picking the date, Bullock said he wanted the vote quickly and not the 100 days allowed after Zinkes resignation because Montana has no other representation in the House. Zinke had not voted since Jan. 5, a little less than a month after being named President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Interior.

To get into the candidate pool, hopefuls had to pay a filing fee of $1,740 to the Montana Republican Party, get support from at least 10 members of Republican central committees in at least five counties around the state and meet age and citizenship requirements.

Gianforte beat out five other candidates, including state Rep. Carl Glimm, from Kila; state Rep. Ed Buttrey, from Great Falls; Ken Miller, a former state senator from Laurel; Dean Rehbein, a Missoula contractor; and Samuel Redfern, who runs a nonprofit in Missoula.

In a five-minute speech before the first round of ballots was cast, Gianforte quickly aligned himself with President Donald Trump, who he spoke little about during his campaign for governor this past fall. We need to back Donald Trump and keep this seat in Republican hands.

Gianforte told delegates the country needed to defend its border and not allow Montana communities to become sanctuary cities. He also said the U.S. needs to stop bad trade deals and protect our sovereignty and took digs at the Democrats nominee, musician Rob Quist, who was picked the night before through a similar process at the same hotel.

We dont need to send Nancy Pelosi a court musician who wants to socialize medicine, Gianforte said. He also called Quist an out-of-touch liberal who wants to create a national gun registry.

Gianfortes campaign has said polling shows he holds a double-digit lead over Quist and has 84 percent name recognition statewide.

In response, Quist communications director Tina Olechowski shot back at Gianforte.

"Rob Quist comes from a ranching-farming family where guns are a way of life ... He supports the Second Amendment and will not support any legislation that does not align with Montana's values."

Olechowski also said Quist is "running to fight for the right of every Montanan to have access to affordable health care and fix the health care system for Montana's veterans."

Democrats are trying to paint the race as referendum on Trump, who has seen his approval rating plummet after his inauguration Jan. 20, with the most recent Gallup poll putting it at 43 percent. Georgia is also holding a special election, set for June, to replace former Rep. Tom Price, a Republican who is now the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The races are already getting national media coverage as well as money. The Hill, a Washington, D.C., based news outlet, reported Monday the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, spent $700,000 on an ad attacking Quist.

Gianforte said Montana has already spoken when it comes to Trump, who won the state with 56 percent of the vote.

Montana has a choice. We can either put someone in our lone house seat to advance the Trump train or we can pick someone who will fight against Donald Trump."

That sentiment rang true with at least one of his supporters, a proxy delegate from Beaverhead County.

Ron Johnson, of Dillon, said he supported Gianforte in the governors race and does so now too. Wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, the former four-term chairman of the Beaverhead County Republican Central Committee said he wants Gianforte in Montanas congress seat so that hell work with Trump.

It hurts me were spending all of this time on both sides fighting and not doing what needs to be done for this country, Johnson said. We need to work together to get the job done.

Republicans gathered at the same hotel where Democrats picked political newcomer Quist as their candidate to fill the vacant seat the day before. Though new to candidacy, Quist is a well-known musician who toured with the Mission Mountain Wood Band for years.

Mark Chase, a delegate from Columbus, said the decision after the first round of voting shows that the state Republican party is united.

"When somebody wins an election on one vote and they said it would take three, that shows he's got Republican support." In years past, Republicans at the statewide level have struggled to bring together the more conservative wing of the party with moderate Republicans who have voted with Democrats on some issues.

Montana Republican Party Chair Jeff Essmann, who is also a state representative from Billings, told delegates before the first round of voting that each candidate pledged to him they'd support whoever became the nominee.
Chennai, March 7 : An Indian fisherman was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Straits on Monday night, evoking sharp criticism from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, who announced a solacium of Rs five lakh for the bereaved family.

He also announced compensation of Rs one lakh for an injured fisherman.

Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near Katchatheevu islet, when the attack took place.

Reacting to the killing of fisherman K. Britso, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemning the Lankan Navy's attack, demanded that the Indian government should not tolerate such action and stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

"They were first attacked by the Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at in which Britso was killed and one more fisherman was injured," Ramadoss said.

He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Lankan Navy has been happening for the past 30 years killing more than 800 fishermen.

The fishermen are sitting in protest in Rameswaram against the Monday night attack.

Ramadoss said at a meeting, Indian and Sri Lankan ministers agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner.

"It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreements," Ramadoss said citing the Monday night killing.

He also said the Tamil Nadu government should pressurise the Indian and the Lankan governments to arrest the Lankan Navy personnel who attacked the Indian fishermen and deport to the state.

The Lankan Navy attack on Indian fishermen comes a day after Chief Minister Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats under Sri Lankan custody.

Katchatheevu island is located in the narrow sea dividing the two countries. The sea near the islet is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.
New Delhi, March 7 : Apprehensive that the Centre's move to let IIMs award degrees would jeopardise their prospects, business schools offering a post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM) want the government to ensure a level playing field.

Management educators contend that once parliament passes the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Bill 2017, it will lead to recruiters and foreign partners questioning the validity of a PGDM. They want the government to set up a National Management University (NMU) that will empower them to award degrees as well, and ensure they are not wiped out by the IIMs.

Granting complete autonomy to the 20 IIMs, the Bill -- introduced in the Lok Sabha in the first half of the budget session that resumes on March 9 -- proposes to empower the premier management institutes to award degrees instead of the PGDMs they have been offering thus far.

Under the aegis of the Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI), directors of over 50 PGDM institutes brainstormed over weekend on the fallout of the IIM Bill and the ways to counter its adverse effects.

The EPSI is an umbrella body of over 500 private institutions, including prestigious ones likes XLRI, MDI, IMT and Bimtech.

The directors unanimously agreed that once the IIMs start awarding degrees, recruiters and foreign universities will have "serious doubts about the legal status of a PGDM".

"PGDM has been a brand developed by these institutes over the past 60 years. Several lakh management graduates have passed out from these institutions and joined industry both in India and abroad. Besides leading hundreds of corporates, they are also part of IIM faculties," EPSI Alternate President and Birla Institute of Management Technology (Bimtech) Director H. Chaturvedi told IANS.

He said the PGDM institutions offer 75,000 management graduates every year to the industry -- 10 times that of the 20 IIMs.

Chaturvedi said the EPSI will approach Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar as also the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with their proposal of setting up an NMU.

"This is a question of the future of all PGDM institutes. Only when we all are also allowed to award degrees will a level playing field be maintained. And the way to do that is setting up a university to which all B-schools will be affiliated. If needed, we will also approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Chaturvedi added.

He said the EPSI will approach the HRD minister later this month with details of the proposed NMU, which will be modeled on the Singapore Management University.

Fore School of Management Director Jitendra K. Das also questioned the government's intent behind the IIM Bill.

"Of all PGDM and MBA programmes run in the country, government institutes account for just 13 per cent of the total students enrolled. Why is the government concerned only about the IIMs," Das asked while speaking to IANS.

"Barring 4-5, most of the IIMs are struggling and have been set up without conforming to AICTE norms. In such a scenario, the IIM Bill seems to be more of a political agenda. It's amply clear that the government is not concerned about the quality of education but more about scoring political brownie points by showing they have opened new IIMs or given them more autonomy," Das added.

Speaking in similar vein, Indian Institute of Finance Chairman J.D. Agarwal said the bill was an attempt to kill private B-schools.

"It is the private institutes that have ensured supply of quality management graduates over the years. It is the private sector which has immensely contributed towards higher education in the country.

"Instead of giving impetus to the private sector, the government is trying to kill it with this bill. There is no way out unless we too our allowed to offer degrees," Agarwal maintained.

EPSI president and VIT University Chancellor G. Viswanathan said the government must do away with procedural bottlenecks.

"In India, (setting up) educational institutions means affiliation, approval, NOC (no objection certificate), permission, recognition -- as opposed to most global institutes where only accreditation matters.

"If we want to compete globally, the government needs to do away with old ways of functioning. Accreditation is what we want," Viswanathan told IANS.

While appreciating the idea of an NMU, Viswanathan said that the top B-schools should approach the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the HRD Ministry seeking deemed university status.

"Based on their performance, the UGC should grant deemed university status to the B-schools so that they can award degrees. Coming up with a new university is time-consuming -- you need go through parliament for that. But a deemed university status would solve the problem," he added.

(Anurag Dey can be contacted at anurag.d@ians.in)
Jaisalmer, March 7 : Actors Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta met Border Security Force (BSF) personnel here.

The actors are currently shooting for Milan Luthria's action-thriller film "Baadshaho" in this Rajasthan city. On Sunday, they visited the troopers.

After having an "awesome interaction" with them, Emraan tweeted on Monday: "These brave jawans ensure security on the borders of India."

"Baadshaho" marks the fourth collaboration of Luthria with Ajay. They had earlier worked for "Kachche Dhaage", "Chori Chori" and "Once Upon a Time in Mumbai". The film is set to release on September 1.
Washington, March 7 : The US has issued a travel warning to its citizens visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and said extremist elements are also "active" in India.

The warning came on a day President Donald Trump's administration issued a new executive order temporarily barring citizens of six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States but exempted those with valid visas.

"The US government assesses terrorist groups in South Asia may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US facilities, citizens, and interests. US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence," the US State Department said in its worldwide caution on Monday.

"A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan."

"Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets and institutions in Bangladesh," the advisory stated.
Chennai/New Delhi, March 7 : A Tamil Nadu fisherman was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea dividing the two countries. As India voiced "deep concern", Colombo promised a thorough probe.

Six fishermen from Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet when the Navy targeted them on Monday night, Indian officials said on Tuesday.

Katchatheevu is located in the narrow Palk Straits dividing India and Sri Lanka. The sea near the island is rich in marine life, leading to frequent clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.

Hundreds of fishermen launched a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu against the killing. Another fisherman was injured.

The Sri Lankan Navy promised "a full and thorough probe" into the incident after India took up the matter at the highest level, informed sources said.

India voiced deep concern over the killing.

Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu took up the matter with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the sources said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the dead fisherman, K. Britso, and a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the injured fisherman.

The attack comes a day after Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of 85 fishermen and their 128 boats now in Sri Lankan custody.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday condemned the killing and said New Delhi should stop terming Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.

"They were first attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy with grenades and then were shot at," Ramadoss said in Chennai.

He said attacks on the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been happening for the past 30 years, leaving more than 800 fishermen dead.

Ramadoss said India and Sri Lanka had agreed that fishermen crossing the maritime boundary by mistake should not be attacked but handled in a humane manner.

"It seems Sri Lanka is not willing to abide by any agreement," he said.

He said the Tamil Nadu government should put pressure on the Indian and Sri Lankan governments to arrest the Navy personnel who killed the Indian.
Ankara, March 7 : The Turkish Foreign Minister on Tuesday escalated an ongoing "war of words" with Germany when he said that nobody could stop him from taking his referendum campaign to Hamburg, despite an order from German officials to cancel the event.

Germany is home to around 1.4 million eligible Turkish voters in the upcoming referendum that could see Turkey's parliamentary republic become a presidential one, enhancing the executive powers of current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Efe news reported.

"They are trying to cancel all our rallies with unprecedented pressure. It is a totally oppressive system that puts pressure on private hotel owners," Foreign Minister MevlAt Cavusoglu, told the Hurriyet daily.

"I'm going to go. Nobody can stop me," he continued.

City authorities in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Monday prohibited a meeting that was scheduled to be led by Cavusoglu.

He confirmed that the meeting was cancelled but added that it had been relocated.

The government clampdown on several Turkish referendum rallies being held on German soil combined with Ankara's detention of a Turkish-German journalist on terror charges has led to tension between the two nations.

Erdogan recently criticized the German government's actions and likened them to the Nazi regime.

The referendum to alter Turkey's Constitution in favour of the president has raised eyebrows in the west and has been lambasted as an authoritarian power grab by Erdogan's critics at home.

Ankara restructured state institutions and media outlets following the failed coup d'etat in July 2016 as well as detained thousands of people for alleged links to the Islamic organisation of exiled US-based cleric Fethullah GAlen whom Turkey holds responsible for the coup attempt.

Turkey has also accused Germany of failing to hand over GAlenists and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey will decide on the future of its executive system on April 16.
Mumbai, March 7 : A short film titled "Chicken Biryani", dedicated to the Indian Army, is set to release soon.

Its director Lom Harsh said in a statement: "'Chicken Biryani' is a satirical take on the facilities available to our beloved jawans (soldiers) who work day and night to make sure that we get to sleep peacefully at night."

The makers of the short film, starring Gavie Chahal, unveiled its trailer on YouTube and Facebook on March 4. It has garnered two lakh views on YouTube and Facebook combined.

The trailer opens with a scene at the Indian border where a soldier of the Indian Army has a Pakistani soldier as his captive.

Produced by Sandeep Chaudhary, under the banner of DLB films, "Chicken Biryani" also stars Arpit Sharma, Gourav Jangid and Sadanand Sharma.

It is a precursor to the upcoming movie "Yeh Hai India", which also stars Gavie, and has been directed by Lom Harsh.
Islamabad, March 7 : Pakistan on Tuesday temporarily reopened two border crossings with Afghanistan which were closed in February after a spate of terror attacks in the country.

The opening of the Torkham and Chaman border crossing points on March 7 and 8 is being seen as a move to ease tension between the two neighbours and relieve some of the backlog of people and vehicles at the border, Dawn online reported.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, Afghans and Pakistanis with valid travel documents will be allowed to cross the border points for two days.

The two crossing points are major arteries for trade and commerce between Islamabad and Kabul. Other crossings, which are less in use, will remain closed.

"We have only allowed patients to cross borders on the basis of valid documents," a Pakistani official told The News International.

According to an Afghan official, no trade activity between Pakistan and Afghanistan has resumed so far.

Another security official at Chaman said hundreds of Afghans were crossing the border and Pakistanis were returning amid tight security.

Pakistan shut the crossings hours after a bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan town of Sindh on February 16. Nearly 90 persons died in the attack which Islamabad blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.

Islamabad also sought to use the closure as a tool to pressure Kabul to act against militants with sanctuaries across the border.

The reopening came a day after the killing of five Pakistani soldiers in a gunfight with militants crossing over from Afghanistan, officials said.

Islamabad demanded that Afghanistan take action against militants launching attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan has described the allegations as baseless.
Mumbai, March 7 : Taking forward the plan to promote "Poorna", actor-director Rahul Bose has tied up with a budget passenger carrier.

The tie up with IndiGo was announced on Tuesday via a statement. As per the association, the passenger buses at the airport will carry the film's poster, and other things are being chalked out at the moment.

Rahul Bose, who has directed and produced "Poorna", hopes "this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values".

"It was just a perfect fit to partner with a brand like IndiGo that consistently recognizes and respects the incredible achievements of women. I hope this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values," Rahul said.

"Poorna" is a biopic about a teenager who became the youngest girl in the world to scale Mount Everest. "Poorna", produced by Rahul Bose Productions, Raay Media Pvt Ltd and Co-produced by Amit Patni, is slated to release on March 31.

Patni, Founder of RAAY Media, also said: "When Rahul suggested we tie-up with the airline, we immediately agreed. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence and 'Girl Power' initiative left us in no doubt that this would be a natural, mutually productive partnership."

Aditya Ghosh, President and Wholetime Director at IndiGo, congratulated Rahul "for creating such a masterpiece and I am confident that the movie will receive love from the audience".

Last year, AirAsia India became the official airline partner of superstar Rajinikanth's Tamil actioner "Kabali".
Kalpetta (Kerala), March 7 : Six youths were on Tuesday arrested for raping seven school girls, who are inmates of an orphanage near here, police said.

Statements of the victims -- students of Classes 8 and 9 -- were recorded by a magistrate earlier in the day.

Speaking to IANS, a Kalpetta police station official said all the six alleged attackers have been identified through an identification parade.

"The youths have been arrested and now they will be presented before a magistrate. A case has been registered against them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

Sexual exploitation of the girls had been going on since January this year, according to him.

Lok Sabha member from Kannur P.K. Sreemathi, who held an interaction with the victims on Tuesday, told reporters that the accused had shot photographs of the victims and were threatening of their misuse, forcing the girls to fall into their trap.

Sreemathi instructed the authorities that all the residents of the orphanage be given counselling.

Office-bearers of the orphanage told media that the moment they came to know about what had happened to these girls, they reported the matter to the police, which led to the arrest of the six youths.

State Minister for Social Justice K.K. Shailaja told reporters in state capital Thiruvananthapuram that very soon all the orphanages would be inspected to find out their condition.

"Strict action would be taken against the violators of rules and regulations," said the minister.
Several people spoke in opposition Tuesday to a pair of bills they say create a debtors prison for tenants who walk away from rentals and add a special level of protection for landlords without looking out for renters.

Sen. Roger Webb, R-Billings, is carrying the legislation to allow tenants who abandon rentals without giving notice to be charged with theft. A second bill would let landlords ask courts to collect money from tenants who have judgments against them until the amount owed is paid in full.

You cant go to jail for debts on unpaid bills, but this would change that, said Amy Hall, a housing specialist for Montana Legal Services Association. We abolished incarceration of people who failed to pay their debts centuries ago. Do we want to return to the days of debtors prison?

Webb, who disclosed he is a landlord, said he is carrying Senate Bills 239 and 255 because landlords are harmed by tenants who walk away and owe money. He and his wife, Sen. Peggy Webb, R-Billings, have several bills this session addressing landlord-tenant issues.

Normally when they leave in the dead of night normally the conditions they leave (rentals) in arent very satisfactory, Webb said. Im trying to address an issue that for some reason seems to be socially acceptable, Webb said.

He told the Senate Judiciary Committee, which heard the bill and took no action Tuesday, that tenants walking away from rentals is the same as shoplifting.

If an individual pulls up to a service station, fills their vehicle with gas and drives off, thats theft. An individual walks out of a Walmart with a basket of whatever and doesnt pay for it, thats theft. That is the absolute same pretense.

No one spoke in support of either bill. Opponents included housing advocates and representatives for college students.

Hall presented the committee with several scenarios where tenants could be found guilty of theft, including if a member of the National Guard who had pre-paid their rent deployed, leaving their lease early and forgetting to notify their landlord.

She also raised the question of what remedies a tenant would have against a landlords who don't provide necessary services such as a functioning heating system. Tenants who abandon a property because their utility bills are too high could be charged criminally under the bill, she said.

This provides extreme remedies to a landlord for a tenants nonpayment of rent but does not provide comparable remedies to a tenant who has been wronged by a landlord. If the landlord is not providing heat in the winter, shouldnt the tenant be able to file criminal charges to a landlord for theft?

Webb said he wouldn't have a problem with bills to strengthen laws against absentee landlords.

His second bill would let landlords ask courts who have found that tenants owe money to landlords to collect and track where tenants live. It's the landlord's responsibility to do that under current law and Webb said people disappear and never pay.

"It gets to the point where its fruitless. You beat your head against the wall so long it hurts. That judgment is worth just about as much as the paper its written on, Webb said.

Opponents said landlords already have remedies under Montana laws and the bill treats landlords more favorably than other creditors. They also said it would overburden an already overwhelmed court system.
Lucknow, March 7 : A gunfight between a suspected IS operative and commandos of the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) was underway here on Tuesday, the police said.

The ATS, based on "concrete" information from intelligence, had gone to apprehend Saiful, suspected of involvement in the blast in a train in Madhya Pradesh, from a house in Haji colony of Thakurganj area when he suddenly opened fire on the team.

Following this, ATS commandos returned fire at Saiful, who was on the first floor. A senior ATS officer is heading the operation, a senior police official told IANS.

"We are trying to ensure that he is arrested alive and there is no collateral damage as this is a residential area," said another official.

At least eight persons were injured in an explosion in a passenger train, going to Ujjain from Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur district on Tuesday, authorities said.
Varanasi, March 7 : The seventh and last phase of polling to pick a new Uttar Pradesh assembly will be held on Wednesday in seven districts of poverty-struck Poorvanchal region.

Around 1.41 crore voters are eligible to take part in the balloting in the sprawling region that includes Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency.

The other districts which will see voting are Sonebhadra, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Bhadohi and Jaunpur.

While the onus is on the ruling Samajwadi Party to retain the 24 of the 40 seats it won in 2012, a lot is also at stake for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Modi himself as the party swept the Poorvanchal in the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), trying hard to regain power in the country's most populous state, has put in all its might to add to its 2012 tally of five seats.

The Congress, now a Samajwadi ally, won three seats in 2012, the Quami Ekta Dal one and three independents too made it to the outgoing assembly.

In Poorvanchal, poverty is a dominant theme. In his speeches, Modi spoke a lot on joblessness and poverty.

The BJP did not win even a single seat in five of the districts in 2012.

The last phase of election is a litmus test for BJP stalwarts.

Former Chief Minister and now Home Minister Rajnath Singh comes from Chandauli. Mahendranath Pandey, an MP, is a member in the Modi government. Ghazipur MP Manoj Sinha is Minister of State for Railways.

Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, a BJP ally, has a lot at stake too. Her parliamentary constituency Mirzapur goes to polls on Wednesday.

BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak says the party was confident of doing "exceedingly well" in Poorvanchal.

"We have performed beyond our expectations in the last six phases. We are sure of getting maximum seats in the final phase," Pathak told IANS.

The Samajwadi Party expelled most of its powerful Poorvanchal leaders after an internal party feud involving Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh.

Senior cabinet minister and Akhilesh Yadav aide Rajendra Chowdhary says the region has always stood by the Samajwadi Party.

The BSP is banking heavily on the appeal of Mukhtar Ansari and his family. The region is home to hundreds of thousands of weavers, many of whom are Muslims.

BSP chief Mayawati speaks of a groundswell in her party's favour.

"People have tried and tested both Modi and Akhilesh Yadav and there is nothing but disappointment. Poorvanchal, like other parts of the state, is looking to the BSP for good governance," the Dalit leader says.

Some areas are home to Maoists while some of the candidates have a criminal background. Security has been stepped in Sonebhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli.

It is a triangular fight in Mughalsarai, Sakaldeha, Sayyedraza and Chakia seats in Chandauli. So is the case in Mirzapur, Chunar, Majhwa, Chanbe and Madihan in Mirzapur district.

Sonebhadra - Robertsganj, Ghorawal and Duddhi - will see a close contest between the BJP and BSP.

Political strongmen who are either in the fray or have fielded family members include Sigbatullah, Vineet Singh and Atul Rai (BSP), Dhananjay Singh (Independent), Alka Rai and Sushil Singh (BJP), Dinesh Kant (RLD) and Manoj Kumar (Samajwadi Party).

Varanasi has hogged the maximum limelight.

It has eight assembly constituencies of which the BJP won three. In all 127 candidates are in the fray in Varanasi. Modi, Akhilesh Yadav, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati extensively campaigned in the city.
New Delhi, March 7 : The city police on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that it has already set up a three-member committee to probe the alleged misbehavior and beating of women students by police during Ramjas College violence last month.

Police told a division bench of Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that Delhi Commissioner of Police has already constituted a three member committee of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vigilance and DCP, Women-child.A

Observing that National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is taking up the matter, the court granted police four weeks time to file report on the steps it is taking as it disposed off the petition. It however granted liberty to the petitioners to approach it again if said committee does not submit its report to the NHRC in four weeks.

The court was hearing a plea of two Delhi University final-year law students Tarun Narang and Deepak Joshi who sought directions for setting up an independent committee to probe alleged misbehaviour and beating of women students by police during Ramjas college violence last week.

The students also urged the court to issue guidelines to law enforcement agencies while dealing with students and media on university campuses.

The plea said the tension between the opposing groups of students increased despite police presence, after which the situation turned violent and police used excessive force to bring the situation under control.

The two petitioners also accused police of stopping, threatening and manhandling reporters covering the protest march, adding that police also broke the cameras and other equipment of the media persons.

On February 21, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad activists allegedly forced the Ramjas College to cancel a seminar in which Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, charged with sedition last year, was scheduled to participate.

The next day, ABVP activists were accused of attacking students, teachers and journalists during a protest march outside the Ramjas College.
Shimla, March 7 : Moderate snowfall and thundershowers may occur in Himachal Pradesh for the next two days that will bring down the mercury before the Holi festival, the Met Office here said on Tuesday.

High hills of Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts are likely to experience moderate snowfall over the next 48 hours till Thursday, an official of the meteorological office here told IANS.

He said the Western Disturbances -- storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region which cause rain and snowfall in the Indian subcontinent's northwest -- are likely to remain active in the region till March 9.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dalhousie and Manali are likely to have thundershowers, he added.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a low of 5.7 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district was fractionally below the freezing point at 0.6 degree, while Shimla recorded the minimum temperature at 6.7 degrees Celsius, Manali 2.2 degrees, and Dharamsala 10.2 degrees.

The state capital, which saw cloudy skies throughout the day, recorded the highest temperature at 13.4 degrees Celsius.
Guwahati, March 7 : Tension prevailed in Silapathar town in Assam on Tuesday after members of a linguistic minority organisation attacked and vandalised the office of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on Monday.

Dhemaji district administration on Monday imposed night curfew and the Army carried out a flag march in and around the town on Tuesday to instill confidence among people.

A rally by Nikhil Bharat Bengali Uddastu Samannay Samiti (NBBUSS) turned violent and hundreds of its members raised slogans against Assamese people and the Assam Accord before attacking the AASU office in Silapathar.

The rally was organised after some NBBUSS leaders reportedly delivered inciting speeches in a meeting earlier on Monday.

The NBBUSS members also vandalised some shops and attacked passersby in the rally. They also clashed with the police who tried to quell the violence.

"The situation in Silapathar is under control now and the police have arrested nine people so far for their alleged role in the violence," Assam's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandr Mohan Patowary told the legislative assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

"Additional Chief Secretary V.B. Pyrelal has been asked to conduct a probe into the matter and submit a report within 30 days," he said.

Patowary said the government was analysing the speech of NBBUSS President Subodh Biswas and some other leaders and action would be taken against them if the speeches were found to be inciting in nature.

The AASU in an FIR had named five persons for their role in the violence.

"The security forces are on alert to ensure that the incident does not take a communal colour. We have deployed adequate forces to contain the situation and an all-party delegation led by Deputy Speaker of Assam Assembly Dilip Paul will visit Silapathar to assess the situation," Patowary said.
New Delhi, March 7 : The Tihar Central Jail officials on Tuesday told a Delhi court that Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal has not been kept in solitary confinement as there is no such cell in the prison.

During in-camera proceedings, the jail officials also told the court that Bhatkal is kept under surveillance since there are several cases pending against him.

The court was hearing Bhatkal's plea in which he has alleged that he cannot be kept in a high security cell as per previous rulings of the Supreme Court.

Bhatkal's counsel M.S. Khan also claimed in the application that his solitary confinement amounts to contempt of court.

"In view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, lodging him in isolation in a separate cell was in violation of articles of the Constitution," said Bhatkal, who was recently sentenced to the death penalty in the 2013 Hyderabad blast case and is under judicial custody in various other terror cases.

The court has listed the matter for March 25 for further hearing.

Bhatkal was arrested in August 2013 from India-Nepal border.
Moscow, March 7 : Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pardoned a woman who had been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of high treason.

Putin said in the pardon decree, signed on the eve of International Women's Day, that the measure was due to "humanitarian considerations", reported Efe news.

The woman, 46-year-old Oksana Sevastidi, was convicted for sending two text messages to the son of a former colleague in Georgia detailing Russian military movements in April 2008.

Sevastidi, who lived in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, had been asked by her Georgian acquaintance whether Russian tanks were in the city.

At that time, Russia was about to enter into war with Georgia over the separatist republic of Abkhazia and had deployed numerous armoured vehicles in the Black Sea region.

Sevastidi answered the message by saying: "there were (tanks) earlier." She also told her acquaintance that a train full of military equipment was heading towards the Georgian border.

In August 2008, following the deployment of Georgian troops in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the Five Day War between Russia and Georgia broke out, which ended in an overwhelming Russian victory.

In January 2015, almost seven years after the text messages had been sent, the police showed up at Sevastidi's home to arrest her on treason charges.

In March 2016, she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, a verdict her defence attorney at the time did not appeal.

Sevastidi's current attorney, Yevgeny Smirnov, said that while news of the pardon was welcome, he would continue to fight for a full exoneration.
Berlin, March 7 : A manhunt is on in Germany after a young man stabbed a nine-year-old boy to death and uploaded a video on internet boasting of his deed, police said.

Another user on the dark web -- a hidden part of the internet where guns, drugs and child abuse images are traded -- alerted police, BBC on Tuesday quoted a police spokesperson as saying.

The boy's body was found in the cellar of a house in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

According to the police, the 19-year-old suspect may be armed.

Searches were being carried out in towns near Herne, a heavily industrialised region.

According to reports, the suspect is a martial arts enthusiast.
Kathmandu, March 7 : Curfew was imposed in Nepal's Terai and Madhes regions on Tuesday in view of the prevailing tension there since the death of three Madhesi Morcha cadres in a clash between security forces on the previous day.

Sporadic protests and demonstrations took place in several parts of Nepal's southern region on Tuesday in reaction to the deaths. An alliance of Madhes-based parties has called for a two-day strike to protest against the killings.

Public transport, factories, industries and educational institutions were badly hit, as irate Morcha cadres held demonstrations and burned tyres in Rajbiraj -- the headquarters of Saptari district. Markets in Bhardaha, Kanchanpur, Rupani and Kalyanpur areas remained shut during the day.

Hundreds of protestors took to the streets and chanted slogans demanding compensation to the kin of the deceased, medical treatment to the injured, declaration of the deceased as martyrs and action against the guilty.

They vandalised the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists) [CPN-UML] regional office at Lahan Municipality-1, gheraoed Saptari District Administration Office (DAO), ransacked Rajbiraj Municipality and Nepal Telecom office, and also damaged a National Human Rights Commission vehicle, police said.

In view of the violent protests, security has been beefed up at the District Court, DAO, District Police Office and the District Land Revenue Office.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', meanwhile, called a meeting of Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi and security chiefs and urged them to exercise restraint while using force.

After the meeting, the Home Minister called the Chief District Officer and local security chiefs of Saptari district to the national capital for clarification.

"I am really saddened by the tragic incident that took place in Saptari. The government will pay compensation to the deceased and bear all costs incurred on the treatment of the injured," said Prime Minister Prachanda.

Three Morcha cadres died and at least two dozen were injured in police firing on Monday when the alliance of the Madhes-based parties attempted to disrupt the Mechi-Mahakali campaign of the second-largest party, CPN-UML, in the Rajbiraj industrial zone.

As tension grew, the Saptari administration clamped curfew in Rajbiraj.

According to the Morcha, seven of the injured demonstrators were in critical condition. They were undergoing treatment at the Dharan-based B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, while others were being treated at the Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital in Rajbiraj.

Meanwhile, the main opposition CPN-UML at a press conference in Kathmandu on Tuesday alleged that the attack on their office was a plot to kill all the top leaders of the party.

The Monday clashes took place immediately after the top CPN-UML leadership concluded a mass meeting.
Mosul (Iraq), March 7 : Iraqi security forces on Tuesday dislodged Islamic State (IS) militants from main government buildings in Mosul city.

The federal police and interior ministry special forces after overnight clashes with militants managed to free large parts of the neighbourhoods of Dawassa and Dandan.

The forces recaptured the judicial government complex, Mosul Museum, court buildings and Nineveh police directorate building, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, from the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The troops also captured the foot of a strategic bridge across the Tigris River, known as Al-Hurriyah Bridge and the adjacent municipality building, as well as the building of the central bank, a provincial security source told Xinhua on anonymity.

"The Mosul museum is completely destroyed and levelled to the ground. ISIS militants have looted and destroyed the museum artifacts and have rigged explosives around the buildings and leveled it to the ground," Abdel Amir al-Mohamadi, Commander of the Rapid Response Forces of the Iraqi Federal Police, told CNN.

Meanwhile, the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service continued fight against IS militants in the neighbourhoods of Mansour and Tel al-Rumman in the southwestern part of Mosul's western side.

The offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq's second most populous city, began in October 2016.

Divided into east and west by the Tigris river, the forces are now in the second phase, launched on February 19, to clear militants from the west, having liberated the east in January.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, arrived in Mosul Tuesday to inspect the ground forces that won back the government area on Monday, according to a statement from his office.
Mumbai, March 7 : The CBI has booked two Union Bank of India employees here for allegedly violating the RBI guidelines by depositing in the bank's chest over Rs 84 crore in old currency notes of three private firms, an official said on Tuesday.

Deputy General Manager Ashok Kumar Dhabhai and Assistant General Manager K. Shivashankar Rao were booked along with the directors of the three jewellery firms -- Pihu Gold, Satnam Jewellers and Pushpak Bullion here.

All have been booked for criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery of Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The directors of the firms have been identified as Rakesh Patel, Mayur Deepak Chawla and Amit Sampat.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson R.K. Gaur said two of the three private firms deposited Rs 47.45 crore and Rs 37.15 crore in their accounts with the Union Bank of India's branch in Zaveri Bazar during November 15-December 26 period.

"The firms fraudulently showed the deposits by fabricating records. The amounts were further shown as transferred to the account of a third firm which has been maintaining its NPA (Non-Performing Asset) in the same branch of the bank," Gaur said.

"The amount was later directly deposited into the currency chest of Union Bank of India in old currency notes in the guise of outright purchase (Cash Purchase) of gold from Standard Chartered Bank or other authorised bank by the third firm," he added.

Gaur said the huge cash was deposited purportedly by representatives of the private firms in an alleged conspiracy with the senior officials of the bank.

"The accused persons violated the RBI guidelines issued on November 8, 2016," said the officer, adding the agency conducted searches at 12 places, including residential and office premises of accused persons, and recovered incriminating documents.
Ahmedabad, March 7 : "PM Go Back" posters came up outside the BJP headquarters on the outskirts of Gandhinagar on Tuesday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Gujarat.

Hours earlier, a group of youths from the Patel community late on Monday night claimed to have thrown eggs at the cavalcade of national BJP president Amit Shah.

Two videos appeared on social media showing half a dozen youngsters threatening and then pelting eggs at Shah's cavalcade on its way to the Somnath temple.

"Amit Shah is going to Somnath by road and so we along with Patidar Anamat Adnolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor from Keshod will welcome him by (throwing) eggs at him. Jai Sardar," youth showing eggs in their hands said in a video message that went viral on social media.

In another video, youth are found camping on the highway and shouting slogans against Amit Shah, calling him "General Dyer" and throwing eggs at the cavalcade.

Shah was on his way to the Somnath Temple ahead of Modi's visit to the revered Hindu shrine.

Shah and his wife offered prayers at the temple on Tuesday morning.

Shah is likely to be at Somnath when Modi visits the temple on Wednesday morning to offer prayers. Both would then attend the meeting of Somnath Trust, chaired by former state Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. They are members of Somnath Trust.

The Patel community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions under the OBC category for over two years. The attack on the convoy of Amit Shah is seen as part of the series of protests organized by Patels.
New Delhi, March 7 : The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Narendra Modi government was indulging in "plain extortion" in the name of Digital India by levying various taxes and charges on digital transactions.

"After forcing the devastating decision of demonetisation upon the people of India, the Narendra Modi government is brazenly indulging in organised loot and legalised plunder in the name of digital transactions," Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said here.

"In the name of digital transactions, last year the government earned Rs 6,750 crore through taxes/charges from us. This year, this amount is expected to climb to Rs 26,000 crore," he added.

He said that there are five types of charges/taxes levied by the government, viz, Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) when one pays through cards, over the counter transaction charges, charges on ATM transactions after a fixed number of transactions in a month, charges for not maintaining a minimum balance and charges on online transactions.

"We were told the cost of printing new currency notes would be around Rs 12,000-15,000 crore. To recover this cost, the government is now levying all kinds of charges and taxes. This is nothing but plain extortion in the name of Digital India," he added.

As of now the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), that is, the rate charged to a merchant by a bank for providing debit and credit card services, which is paid by the consumer is 0.25 per cent for a debit card transaction worth Rs 1,000; 0.5 per cent for a debit card transaction worth Rs 1,001 to Rs 2,000; and one per cent for a debit card transaction more than Rs 2,000.

"According to various media reports, the MDR can now be increased from April 1, 2017. We urge the Government to not fleece the already burdened citizens of the country," he said.

Surjewala pointed out that the banks have started charging Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.

According to new rules, up to five non-home branch transactions will be free, subject to a maximum per-day deposit of Rs 50,000. For larger deposits or the sixth transaction, bank would charge Rs 2.50 per Rs 1,000, or Rs 95 per transaction, whichever is higher.

"These charges amount to burning holes in the pockets of the hard working honest citizens. Why should people pay to withdraw and deposit their own hard earned money?" Surjewala said.

The Congress leader also criticised the State Bank of India's reintroduction of "minimum balance" rule for savings bank accounts under which a customer would be charged an amount for not maintaining a minimum of Rs 5,000 in his account.

"The UPA government in 2012 had done away with this charge, but the Modi government has re-introduced it," he said.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 07 : Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Kerala assembly on Tuesday that the government would do everything humanly possible to tackle the drought situation prevailing in the state, including falling back on artificial means of inducing rain like cloud seeding technology.

The chief minister also assured that the assembly that the government would loosen its purse strings to any extent to ensure supply of drinking water to the drought-affected.

Pinarayi was responding to a notice for adjournment motion moved by congress legislator Shafi Parambil accusing the government of proving an abject failure in keeping drought at bay and ensuring drinking water supply to drought-affected areas.

He told the assembly that the government was considering the cloud seeding technology to create artificial rains as a means to address the drought-induced water scarcity in the state.

The cloud seeding technology, which entails identifying rain clouds using radars and seeding them, had been tried before in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, as also in a few foreign countries, Pinarayi said in the assembly.

The government was in the process of gleaning scientific information to ascertain the feasibility of using this technology in the state, he said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala endorsed the initiative, saying that the opposition would lend its support if the cloud seeding technology proved effective in inducing artificial rains to tackle drought.

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technology that is used to create artificial rainfall by inducing moisture in the clouds.

The technology entails depositing dry ice or silver iodide in clouds using an aircraft or artillery gun.

In November last year, the aam aadmi party-led Delhi government contemplated using the technology to induce rain to clear the smog that had enveloped the national capital since Diwali.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Maharashtra had last year conducted a trail run of the cloud seeding technology to tackle drought.

However, the experiment wasnt effective since most of the moisture-laden clouds had withdrawn by then, the report says.

The same report also says that the trial runs carried out by previous governments in Karnataka had also largely failed.
Geneva, March 7 : Morocco organised a debate in Geneva to discuss possibilities for a global human rights-based climate change agenda.

The meeting was held on Monday on the sidelines of the main sessions of the UN Human Rights Council.

Participants called for strengthening large-scale awareness-raising initiatives involving non-state actors that focus on building bridges between the climate agenda and the protection of human rights.

Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Ambassador Mohamed Auajjar, stressed that human rights-based climate action requires open institutions and processes, as well as precise and transparent measures, notably in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

States should develop relevant human rights indicators in the context of climate change, Auajjar said, stressing the need for an equitable response to both development and environmental needs for future generations.

National Human Rights Council (CNDH) President Driss El Yazami called for greater contribution from national human rights institutions.

The panel was moderated by United Nations Environment Programme (UNDP) Director Jan Dusik and included senior officials from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Shillong, March 7 : Meghalaya Home Minister Horju Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh on Tuesday said that the law will take its own course if even his own kin was found involved in the sex racket in the guest house owned by his son.

"I have done no wrong and I have no knowledge at all," Lyngdoh said while replying to a special motion in the assembly on increasing atrocities against women and children. The motion was moved by opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator Paul Lyngdoh.

Supporting the motion, opposition Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit demanded that the Home Minister step down to ensure free and fair investigation into the trafficking and rape of a minor girl.

"I appeal to the Home Minister to step down to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter and to ensure justice to the victim," the HSPDP legislator said.

Basaiawmoit said former Governor V. Shanumganathan had resigned from his post after he was accused of turning "Raj Bhavan into young ladies club", as claimed by Raj Bhavan staff in their petition to the President and the Prime Minister.

Four people had separately raped the 14-year-old girl at the Marvelene's Inn, the guest house which is run by Lyngdoh's son Nathaniel Osbert Rymmai.

The Meghalaya Police have arrested 16 people, including Independent legislator Julius Kitbok Dorphang, for the sexual abuse of the 14-year-old at various guest houses and a government-owned resort.

"If my kin are involved or are in the know, there should be action against them as per law of the land," the Home Minister said while informing the assembly that he had not interfered and had given the police a free hand to ensure that the law takes its own course against anybody involved.

Lyngdoh said that being the Home Minister of the state did not mean that he was also a "watch dog", and went on to add that crime could happen anywhere, anytime and no one could prevent it.

The Home Minister also informed the assembly that as per surveys, violence against women and children were mostly perpetrated by neighbours, friends, known persons and even family members.

He called for a comprehensive effort from the society and educational and religious institutions to combat the ills.

Earlier, moving the special motion, Paul Lyngdoh said Meghalaya, which was predominantly matrilineal society, had sunk to such depths that violence against women and children could be seen in every sector and all age groups, and that the evil had entered even the precincts of the house.

"A legislator is in jail. The name of the Home Minister has also been dragged into it and even the former Governor has been named for being involved in misconduct towards women," he said.

"We have reached a point where incidents of rapes and molestations may become common place and people may take it as normal and they will not react to it," the UDP leader said.

Fearing that Meghalaya could be the next after New Delhi, which had been dubbed as the "rape capital", to figure in the foreign advisory to travellers, Paul Lyngdoh said: "How do we sell Meghalaya as a brand outside with such reports of rape in the state?"

"Delhi has got a huge hit as even foreign countries have issued advisory to the travellers... I don't want Shillong to figure in such advisory."
New Delhi, March 7 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan to appear before the Allahabad High Court on March 8 to honour a bailable warrant issued against him due to his non-appearance in a case related to the state Jal Nigam, which he heads.

A bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice S.K. Kaul also rejected the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader's request that he would comply with the High Court's order to appear before it after completion of the assembly elections on March 11.

"The High Court feels you (Khan) are hoodwinking it. It is asking you to appear but you are not appearing... Bailable warrant was issued, even then you did not appear... You go and tell the High Court whatever you want to explain," said the bench noting that the court had sought Khan's personal appearance on March 1 and 6.

The counsel of Khan told the court that the minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the U.P. Jal Nigam and that he had nothing to do with the case.

The High Court had ordered issuance of the warrant against Khan on a service petition filed by the Jal Nigam in 2013. The petition was filed challenging the judgement of the U.P. Public Services Tribunal in favour of Assistant Engineer D.K. Singh, against whom the Jal Nigam had initiated recovery proceedings for financial irregularities.

The court had sought Khan and other officers' presence in the case. While the Jal Nigam's Managing Director and the Chief Engineer had appeared in the court, Chairman Azam Khan never showed up.
New Delhi, March 7 : RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday welcomed the life-imprisonment sentence awarded to DU professor G.N. Saibaba, saying the latter played a big role in spreading Maoism in urban areas.

"Saibaba was instrumental in spreading the ideology of Mao in urban areas. It has been proven by the court that he was in touch with the Maoists hiding in jungles and used to work for them from the city. He worked as a mediator for them on a national and international level both," ABVP said in a statement.

It alleged that Saibaba spread the ideology and aided recruitment of Maoists in many universities of the country, including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU). His state of disability also worked in his favour to garner sympathy, it said.

"People who raised anti-national slogans in Ramjas College were the gang members of the very Saibaba. Even after his arrest many left-groups campaigned for his release, student associations like AISA, SFI, and DSU are these groups," the right-wing student party said.

It also mentioned that one of the convicts along with Saibaba, Hem Mishra, was a JNU student and a member of Democratic Students Union (DSU).

A Sessions Court in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra awarded life-imprisonment to the suspended Ram Lal Anand College, DU, professor Saibaba for having connections with banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its "front" Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF). He was convicted on Tuesday for, among other charges, hatching a "criminal conspiracy to wage war" against the nation.

Apart from him, a total of five other persons were convicted. Except one -- who got 10 years rigorous imprisonment -- everyone was given a life-sentence.

Saibaba was arrested in 2014 by Maharashtra Police and was later granted bail on health grounds.
New Delhi, March 7 : Hours after Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba was sentenced on Tuesday to life imprisonment for "Maoist connections", his wife expressed her shock and accused the central government of following a RSS agenda in pressurising the judiciary for a favourable outcome.

"This judgement is shocking. In the history of Maharashtra this is the first case in which all the persons chargesheeted were convicted in all the sections with life imprisonment," Vasanta Kumari said in a statement.

"No evidence has been proved by the prosecution... electronic evidence were not sealed. It seems the state and Central governments have put a lot of pressure on the judiciary to implement anti-people and undemocratic policies at the behest of corporates and MNCs," she said.

Vasanta Kumari said that she will fight for her husband's freedom in the higher courts and urged the civil society members to condemn the "undemocratic character of the government".

"Honouring the court, Saibaba has been attending it in all these years including today, despite his deteriorating health. As a wife I will fight in the higher courts to seek justice.

"The government has been putting relentless pressure on my family for the last four years by raiding my house in Delhi. I appeal to democracy champions, peoples' organisations, intellectuals, students to condemn such undemocratic character of the government," she said.

Vasanta Kumari noted that after the verdict was announced, the pleas advocating cooperative behaviour towards Saibaba - who is wheelchair-bound and 90 per cent disabled - were also rejected by the judge.

"Judge rejected to issue any order on the appeal of our advocate... (who) asked him to issue an order directing the jail authorities to give required medicines, help of assistants for Saibaba's movement, operation to be performed for gall bladder etc," she added.

A sessions court in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli sentenced the suspended Ram Lal Anand College professor for having connections with banned Communist Party of India-Maoist and its "front" Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF). He was convicted, among other charges, for hatching a "criminal conspiracy to wage war" against the nation.

Apart from him, a total of five other persons, including a Jawaharlal University student, were also convicted.

Saibaba was arrested in 2014 by Maharashtra Police but later granted bail on health grounds.
Washington, March 7 : US President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on Barack Obama's administration, claiming he was responsible for releasing 122 "vicious prisoners" from Guantanamo Bay, who have since re-engaged in terrorism.

"122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!" he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday morning.

However, the President's tweet was inaccurate as US intelligence data revealed it is former President George W. Bush who freed nearly all of the prisoners Trump wrote about, reported New York Daily News.

According to a report on re-engagement through July 2016, 122 of the 693 former detainees who were transferred out of Gitmo went back to terrorism.

Bush oversaw the release of 532 detainees, and 113 of them - more than one-fifth - were confirmed to have re-engaged, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Obama released 161 detainees, and only nine were confirmed to have returned to terrorism.

Trump also took aim at ObamaCare calling it "a complete and total disaster" which is "imploding fast".

The President's new claim continues his public feud with Obama over alleged wrongdoings that Trump cannot prove, said the report.

Trump fired off a weekend tweetstorm accusing Obama, with no evidence, of ordering wiretapping on him before the election.

However, Obama denied the accusation and FBI Director James Comey pleaded with the Justice Department to publicly refute Trump's claim.

Trump also tweeted his thoughts on Obama's position on Russia, writing, "For eight years Russia "ran over" President Obama, got stronger and stronger, picked-off Crimea and added missiles. Weak!"
Chandigarh, March 7 : The migration of Dalit families from a Haryana village due to tension in the wake of stone-pelting over 'ghurchari' was raised in the assembly on Tuesday, following which the government said a minister and a lawmaker were sent there to resolve the issue.

Accusing the opposition of politicising the issue of tension over 'ghurchari' ritual in a Haryana village, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday told the house that Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Kumar Bedi and legislator Bhagwan Dass Kabirpanthi have been sent to Sagga village in Karnal district.

Earlier, Congress legislator Kuldeep Sharma raised the issue of Dalits' migration from the village.

An altercation took place between members of two communities on March 3-4 night, after a Dalit groom was allegedly stopped from 'ghurchari' by some upper caste youths in the village, which led to stone-pelting.

Khattar said his government was making efforts to normalise the situation in the village.

Tension prevailed in Sagga after a Dalit groom was allegedly stopped from the customary riding of a mare before his wedding.

"As per the information, villagers had decided to do away with 'ghurchari pratha' in the village. But when members of the Scheduled Castes community wanted to perform 'ghurchari', they were stopped by members of another community, which made the situation tens," Khattar told the assmbly.

"However, the 'ghurchari' was performed in police presence, but it was opposed to by the members of the other community and they resorted to pelting of stones, which caused injuries to some police personnel and several others," the Chief Minister added.

Police later registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

"The government is trying to restore normalcy and resolve the issue. But in case it is not resolved, further action will be taken as per the FIR lodged in the case. The Karnal Deputy Commissioner had constituted a committee to resolve the issue," he added.
Lucknow, March 7 : The Pradesh Police's Special Task Force on Tuesday handed over two accomplices of the state's "fugitive" minister, Gayatri Prajapati, who is the prime accused in a rape case, to the Gautampalli police station, where the initial FIR was lodged.

The Special Task Force (STF) on Monday arrested two of the associates of Prajapati -- Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Aashish Kumar Shukla -- from Zebra Toll Plaza in Noida. Tiwari and Shukla are also accused in the rape case.

Additional Directore General (Law and Order) Daljeet Chowdhary said that three persons named in the FIR have been arrested and efforts are underway to arrest the remaining four, including the minister.

Passports of all the accused have been cancelled and lookout notices issued.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh's Transport Minister, who is now a declared "fugitive", continues to embarrass the Akhilesh Yadav government as opposition parties and social workers accuse the Chief Minister of sheltering him.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya alleged that Prajapati, at large despite a non-bailable warrant against him, had become the first of its kind case in democratic India.

A rape-accused minister continued to be member of the Cabinet and had not been arrested so many days after the FIR was lodged on the directive of the Supreme Court (SC), he pointed out.

"It shows the lack of will of the Chief Minister and the state government to bring the accused minister to book," Maurya said.

Social activist Nutan Thakur also wrote to Governor Ram Naik, asking him to suo motu sack the minister. She said that a minister could be removed from his office under the provisions of Article 164 of the Constitution, as he had lost the pleasure of the Governor.

By writing a terse letter to the Chief Minister on how a rape-accused minister was still continuing in the state Cabinet, the Governor has already made his displeasure known.

The Governor should not wait for the Chief Minister's report, but treating this as an "extraordinary situation" dismiss Prajapati on his own, using his power under the Article 164, Thakur said.

Gayatri Prajapati is a senior Samajwadi Party leader close to both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and is the party candidate from Amethi.

As Akhilesh went twice to campaign for him, opposition leaders have been targeting the Chief Minister, and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his campaigning took potshots at the state government on the issue.
Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), March 7 : Suspended Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba and four others - who had been earlier convicted on charges of having Maoist links - were on Tuesday sentenced to undergo life imprisonment by the Sessions Court here, officials said.

The wheelchair-bound English teacher of Ram Lal Anand College in Delhi, Saibaba, 47, was arrested from the capital in May 2014 by Maharashtra's Anti-Naxal Operations (ANO) unit.

Earlier, Saibaba, with 90 percent disability, was lodged in Nagpur jail but got bail from the Supreme Court on medical grounds in April 2016 which also exempted him from personal appearance in view of his deteriorating health.

Another convict was awarded a 10-year jail term by Additional Sessions Judge Suryakant S. Shinde.

All the accused have been convicted under the UAPA Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 pertaining to conspiracy, having links with terrorist groups and supporting the outlawed Maoists.

The others convicted are Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi (both nabbed in 2013), Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote (all sentence to life) and Vijay Tirki, who will serve a 10-year term.

The ANO said they found incriminating documents, pen drives, memory cards and CDs which contained vital information about the banned Maoist groups.

The prosecution contended that Mishra, Tirki and Narote went into the deep forests of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra to meet Narmada Akka, a top Maoist commander, who handed over Rs 500,000, which was delivered to Saibaba to propagate Maoist ideology in the urban setting.

Public Prosecutor Prashant Satgianathan produced 23 witnesses and 41 articles, including data retrieved from hard disks found at Saibaba's residence.

Satgianathan said that in 2012, Saibaba and others had participated in a conference of the Revolutionery Democratic Front, a Maoist frontal group which is banned in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

In his speech as deputy joint secretary, Saibaba had said that Naxalism was the only route and denounced the democratic system.

The videos of his speeches were played in the court and the prosecution said Saibaba was in contact with Maoist groups in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Jodhpur, March 7 : The Rajasthan government on Tuesday filed an appeal before in the Jodhpur District and Sessions Court, challenging a lower court's order acquitting Bollywood actor Salman Khan in a case under the Arms Act.

The court has issued notice to Salman, seeking a reply by April 21.

Arguing on the appeal, Public Prosecutor Pokar Ram Bishnoi criticised the order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) saying the trial court overlooked many material facts of the case.

"The sessions judge, while admitting the appeal, has posted the matter for further hearing on April 21," Bishnoi told IANS over phone.

The CJM's court in January this year had acquitted Salman of the charges of illegal possession and use of arms during alleged poaching of two black bucks in village Kankani near Jodhpur on October 1-2, 1998.
Imphal, March 7 : A polling official and an Assam Rifles trooper were wounded in two bomb blasts by militants near the India-Myanmar border in Kamjong district of Manipur on Tuesday evening, the state police said.

Kamjong will vote in the second and final phase of the assembly elections in the northeastern state on Wednesday.

No underground outfit has so far claimed any responsibility for the two blasts, but police officials said after the blasts the unidentified militants who triggered these escaped.

"One powerful foreign-made bomb exploded at 3.30 p.m. at Aishi village. One personnel of 31 Assam Rifles was wounded," said a police officer.

The victim, a part of the road-opening party, was evacuated to the Army hospital at Leimakhong in Imphal.

About 30 minutes later, another powerful bomb went off near Ashang Khullen village, not far from the first blast spot, injuring the polling official.

The police said security personnel retaliated after both the blasts, but the unidentified militants escaped in the high mountains.

Highly placed sources said the objective of the blasts was to kill security personnel and snatch their weapons.

The Election commission has ordered for beefed-up security in areas where polls will be held on Wednesday.

While central paramilitary forces are being used to conduct the polls, additional state and central forces have been rushed to the district to track down the militants.
Bengaluru, March 7 : Indian software major Infosys on Tuesday announced that West Asia's Housing Bank would use its Finacle product for operations in Algeria.

"The bank has chosen us to deploy our Finacle core banking, trade finance and internet banking solutions for its operations in Algeria," said the city-based global software firm in a statement here.

The bank will also use Finacle's Islamic solution for its Shariah banking product.

"The Housing Bank in Algeria is among the select banks in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region to adopt Finacle for delivering a digital banking experience to its customers," said Infosys Global Head Sanat Rao in the statement.

The Finacle analytics solution will enable the bank to provide customised offerings to its customers, enhance operational efficiency, accelerate growth, manage scale and drive innovation, the statement said.

Building on the company's similar partnerships in Jordan and Algeria, the banking and financial services software product will help the bank extend its offerings to its other regional entities for growth and profitability, it added.

"As a private bank in the Algerian market, we are looking to offer our customers with new products and services. We believe Finacle will support us in our mission and help us enhance customer's experience," said bank's General Manager Houcine Hannachi in the statement.

The software product will help the bank eliminate manual processes, enhance productivity, reduce errors and ensure 24x7 availability.

Finacle will also enable the bank automate its processes and manage real-time data of its NPA (non-performing assets).

"The bank's ATM operations will be online, overcoming risks and service limitations such as low withdrawal limits," added the statement.
Lucknow, March 7 : The gunfight between a suspected IS operative and commandos of the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) was on late Tuesday night with the man holed up inside a house refusing to surrender.

While there was initial exchange of fire, the gunfire stopped briefly after which the ATS commandoes lobbed chilly bombs inside the house in Haji colony of Thakurganj area here to incapacitate the suspect but to no avail.

Senior police officials are camping at the site to oversee the operation, which is also being monitored by the Union Home Ministry.

Police has since cordoned off the area in the colony and have asked people to stay indoors. Some adjacent houses have been got vacated as well. With the operation continuing into the night, night vision glasses, ambulances, fire brigades and additional security reinforcements have been summoned.

The ATS, based on "concrete" information from intelligence, had gone to apprehend Saiful, suspected of involvement in the blast in a train in Madhya Pradesh, when he suddenly opened fire on the team from the house.

Following this, ATS commandos returned fire at Saiful, who was on the first floor. An official at the site had said that they were trying to ensure that he is arrested alive and there is no collateral damage as this is a residential area.

"We got a lead on these operatives from outside the state and we are on the trail," said Additional Director General (Law and Order) Daljeet Chowdhary.

At least eight persons were injured in an explosion in a passenger train, going to Ujjain from Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur district on Tuesday, authorities said.

Sources said the house belonged to Badshah Khan, resident of Malihabad and the accused was living there with two others for the past two months.

In a related development, another suspect of a sleeping module has been held from Kanpur by the ATS.

Following the Lucknow gunfight, an alert has been sounded at the Lucknow international airport and at prominent railway stations across the state. Police and intelligence officials have been directed to step up vigil and keep a close watch on busy thoroughfares, malls and markets.
Sangli (Maharashtra), March 7 : In a pre-dawn swoop, a team of Maharashtra Police arrested Babasaheb Khidrapure, the absconding homoeopathic doctor who had carried out a spate of illegal abortions from Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka, an official said here on Tuesday.

Khidrapure was brought to Mhaisal village in Sangli this afternoon and produced before a magistrate who remanded him to police custody till March 17.

Earlier, police had arrested Praveen Jamdade, 35, husband of pregnant Swati Jamdade, 26, who died after a forcible abortion was performed on her by Khidrapure on February 28.

Her death exposed the sensational racket involving illegal sex determination tests and abortions of female foetuses. Police recovered 19 such foetuses from a compound of Khidrapure's private clinic, Bharati Hospital, which is around 10 kms from the two states' borders.

A police raid at his hospital on Monday revealed incriminating documents, medical records of pregnancy tests and abortions besides a full-fledged operation theatre functioning from the basement of the hospital, Sangli Superintendent of Police Dattatraya Shinde told media persons.

"We had formed four teams to nab the accused, We scanned all possible hideouts in Sangli and finally traced him to the neighbouring state. We have collected sufficient incriminating evidences against him to register a fool-proof case and are investigating further from different angles," Shinde added.

Khidrapure has been booked under various charges of the Indian Penal Code, the Medical termination of Pregnancy Act, the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act and other laws.

The case came to light with the death, on the operation table, of Swati, a mother of two young girls who was against the abortion but forced by her husband who wanted a male child.

Suspecting foul play, her distraught parents demanded an autopsy and took the body to the Sangli Civil Hospital, even as Khidrapure fled the village.

The Maharashtra government on Monday ordered a probe into the shocking racket while Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Women & Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde are due to visit the district soon for a first-hand assessment.

Taking a strong view of the racket, Maharashtra State Women's Commission Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar warned that this was a very serious matter and they would initiate the most stringent action against all the accused.
New Delhi, March 7 : A woman was arrested on the charge of battering her sleeping husband to death with a hammer, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

Hansa Devi, who is said to be mentally disturbed, battered her husband Kamal, 35, on late Monday night when he was sleeping at their home in Narela's Sector 5, the police said.

"Hansa, 26, was arrested on Tuesday morning after her four-year-old daughter told their neighbours about the crime and they in turn informed the police," a senior police officer said.

"Hansa told police that she had an altercation with Kamal on Monday night over not purchasing some medicines for her. Kamal beat her after a quarrel over the issue," the officer said.

"When he was asleep, she attacked Kamal and battered him to death. She slept beside the body the whole night. Her elder daughter witnessed the crime and recorded her statement with the police," the officer added.

Kamal worked as a labour in a shoe factory in Narela.
Bhubaneswar, March 7 : Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar and senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav on Tuesday met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, fanning speculation about a new non-BJP front in the offing.

However, both the JD-U leaders described the meeting as "personal and not political". They said the meeting with the Biju Janata Dal leader as a courtesy call.

Both leaders met Patnaik at his residence separately.

Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav were in the Odisha capital city to attend the funeral ceremony of former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, who died at SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack on Monday.

"How could I return without meeting Naveen Patnaik-ji? I had met Naveenji in New Delhi a few months ago. The meeting was purely personal. I met him as we have a personal relationship," Nitish Kumar told media persons here.

Sharad Yadav termed the meeting as personal and said there was no talk on a proposed Third Front.

"Will comment on the 'Third Front' when time is appropriate, not now," he told media persons. "It was a courtesy visit. Whenever I visit Odisha, I meet Naveen Babu. I share a family relationship with him. There was no talk on Third Front," said Yadav.

Both the leaders also discussed the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and the recently-concluded Panchayat polls in Odisha, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party has made major gains.

Reacting to the meeting, BJP National Secretary Suresh Pujari said, "They can't defeat BJP even being united. The BJP is with the people and people are with the party."
Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), March 7 : Suspended Delhi University Professor G.N. Saibaba and four others were on Tuesday sentenced to undergo life imprisonment by a Maharashtra court for their links with Maoists.

The Gadchiroli Sessions Court also handed out 10-year jail term to their sixth accomplice.

The wheelchair-bound English teacher of Ram Lal Anand College in Delhi, Saibaba, 47, with 90 percent disability, was arrested in May 2014 from his home in the capital by Maharashtra Police's Anti-Naxal Operations (ANO) unit.

The court noted that the accused had conspired "to create violence, cause public disorder and spread disaffection towards the central government and the state government".

"In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, the accused were found in possession of printed Naxal literature" that was to be circulated "amongst the members of banned CPI-Maoist and its frontal organisation (Revolutionary Democratic Front) RDF and other persons for creating violence and causing public disorder".

Judge S.S. Shinde convicted Saibaba under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and found him and his associates guilty of conspiring and being a member of the terrorist outfit, as well as of offences relating to support given to the Left extremism rebels.

Saibaba was in April last year granted bail by the Supreme Court and exempted from personal appearance on the grounds of his deteriorating health.

Besides the DU teacher, the court also sentenced to life Jawaharlal Nehru University student Hem Mishra, former journalist Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirki, and Pandu Narote. Vijay Tirki will serve a 10-year term.

Saibaba came under police scanner after the JNU student confessed to the police that he was acting as a courier between the professor and Maoist leaders, including Puppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy.

The prosecution contended that Mishra, Tirki and Narote went into the deep forests of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra to meet Narmada Akka, a top Maoist commander, who handed over Rs 500,000 to be delivered to Saibaba to propagate Maoist ideology in the urban setting.

Public Prosecutor Prashant Satgianathan presented 23 witnesses and 41 articles, including data retrieved from hard disks found at Saibaba's residence.

Satgianathan said in 2012, Saibaba and others had participated in a conference of the RDF that is outlawed in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

In his speech as deputy joint secretary, Saibaba had said that Maoism was the only route and denounced the democratic system.

The videos of his speeches were played in the court and the prosecution said Saibaba was in contact with Maoist groups in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Saibaba's wife expressed shock over the court verdict and accused the central government of following an RSS agenda in pressurising the judiciary for a favourable outcome.

"This judgement is shocking. In the history of Maharashtra, this is the first case in which all the persons chargesheeted were convicted in all the sections with life imprisonment," Vasanta Kumari said in a statement.

She said she would fight for her husband's freedom in the higher courts and urged the civil society members to condemn the "undemocratic character of the government".

The RSS' student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) welcomed the court verdict sentencing to life imprisonment Saibaba who spread Maoism in urban areas.

"Saibaba was instrumental in spreading the ideology of Mao in urban areas. It has been proven by the court that he was in touch with the Maoists hiding in jungles, and used to work for them from the city. He worked as a mediator for them on a national and international level both," ABVP said in a statement.
New Delhi, March 7 : The violence at Ramjas College reverberated in the Delhi assembly on Tuesday, with the ruling AAP and opposition BJP legislators getting into a heated debate over "supporting anti-nationals".

The rape threats issued to Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur were denounced by Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra.

Chandni Chowk legislator Alka Lamba started the discussion in the assembly and played the video of Gurmehar Kaur, in which she holds placards against the violence in the Delhi University, including the one saying: "Pakistan did not kill my father, but war did."

Kaur had launched a social media campaign against the RSS's students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The opposition lawmakers loudly objected to playing the video in the assembly.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of supporting Kaur and JNU students Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar -- both accused of sedition -- the AAP in turn accused the BJP of instigating violence in universities by having ABVP activists raise anti-national slogans.

Delhi Tourism and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra, raising the issue of Gurmehar Kaur, said that the "morale of soldiers protecting the borders goes down when the daughter of a martyr gets rape threats".

Mishra also said that the morale of soldiers is lowered when a trooper demanding implementation of the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme has to commit suicide and another has to post a video on social media for getting a proper meal.

"The politics of finding traitors within the nation should be ended," Mishra said.

He also asked why the people who had raised anti-national slogans in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were not yet arrested despite the central government having all powers and agencies at its command.

"They (BJP and ABVP) sent their own people to raise anti-national slogans and fled the scene. They are never going to be caught," Mishra said.

Lamba, while addressing the house on the issue, said that such incidents were vitiating the atmosphere in the university and college campuses.

"Such incidents indicate that a big conspiracy of spreading hatred and dirty politics on the campuses is being hatched," she added.

Reacting to Lamba's speech, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta said "anti-national slogans were raised in Ramjas College by a group of students from JNU" after the college administration denied permission to a seminar where Khalid was to speak.

"Whenever such anti-national slogans are raised in the country, moral of the soldier guarding the nation's borders goes down," Gupta said.

"Gurmehar is a kid. She should have been made to realise that it was Pakistan which unleashed war on India," Gupta said.
New Delhi, March 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks votes in Uttar Pradesh in the name of "shamshan ghat" (cremation ground) and not on the basis of his work, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

Saying that he has listened to all speeches of Modi in the Uttar Pradesh election campaign, Kejriwal told the Delhi assembly on the second day of the budget session that there was a difference in his and the Prime Minister's approach.

"Modiji seeks votes in the name of 'shamshan ghat'," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said, referring to Modi's remarks that the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led Uttar Pradesh government should not differentiate between Muslim graveyards and Hindu cremation grounds.

Speaking towards the end of the debate on Lt. Governor Anil Baijal's address to the house, Kejriwal pointed out that when he campaigned in Punjab and Goa, he sought votes on the strength of the AAP government's performance in Delhi.

Responding to Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta's statement that there was no mention of most of the AAP's poll promises in Baijal's speech, Kejriwal said the party's election manifesto was like Bible for him and that all promises would be fulfilled.

"Every government can praise its own work. But when common people praise our government and tell us how their lives have changed (due to our work), that is the real certificate for our work," Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said the AAP government had performed well despite various hurdles of the central government, while the latter "failed to perform even without any hurdles".

He challenged Modi to list any five major works done by him that had benefitted the people.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Partyy (BJP) and the Congress of working together, Kejriwal said: "All parties are hell bent on destroying us."

"They were all like a big happy family and are now upset with outsiders like us coming into the picture."

"That is why not even a 'sarpanch' of the Congress has been arrested while 20 of our MLAs have been arrested so far," the Chief Minister said.

He added that the Modi government was using the Income Tax Department to harass those who donated money to the AAP.

"I also worked in the Income Tax Department but I have never seen politicisation of a government department to such level."

BJP leader Vijender Gupta earlier said the city government failed to address the issues of Mohalla Sabhas, Lokpal Bill, last-mile connectivity and Aam Aadmi Canteens -- AAP's poll promises -- in the Lt Governor's address on Monday.

"The government made tall promises but failed to construct even a single school in unauthorised colonies where they are needed the most," Gupta said.

He also accused the government of making no attempts to fill 29,623 vacancies for teachers despite claiming to have education as its top-most priority.

The motion of thanks on the Lt Governor's address was passed through a voice vote after the debate.

Addressing the Delhi assembly on the opening day of the budget session on Monday, Baijal listed out the work done by the AAP government in the last two years.
Rome, March 7 : Italian authorities on Tuesday expelled a radical Tunisian Muslim who allegedly voiced support for the Islamic State jihadist group's 2015 attacks on Paris and incited racial hatred and violence towards women.

The 39-year-old Tunisian was deported from Malpensa airport in northern Italy aboard a flight to Tunis "for reasons of public security," the Interior Ministry said.

"He displayed approval for (IS's) November 2015 attacks on Paris," the ministry stated.

The Tunisian had been doing jail time for petty crime in the northern city of Brescia, where his extremist views emerged from police monitoring of Muslim prisoners deemed at risk of radicalisation, the ministry said.

"During prayers he often incited racial hatred and violence towards women, who he said were 'impure'," the statement added.

The Tunisian was the 18th alleged radical Muslim to be deported this year, according to the ministry.

A total of 150 suspected religious extremists have been expelled since January 2015, said the ministry.
New Delhi, March 7 : Despite India's "cleaner record compared to Pakistan", no discrimination should be made while considering their bids to join the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a Communist Party of China official said here on Tuesday.

Ma Xiangwu at the 19th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) said the position of the two countries was "similiar" and both should be given a chance to be part of the elite grouping that controls global atomic commercial activities and technology transfers.

"India and Pakistan position on this issue is similar, if China can vote for India, then why Pakistan cannot be voted in? Pakistan is a friend... It should also be given an opportunity to be voted in," Ma said.

"There should be no discrimination between the two," he said, reiterating China's known argument that has saddled India's NSG bid with the bad track record of Pakistan. That country has allegedly been caught selling atomic weapons technology to Libya.

Asked about India's record on proliferation, Ma acknowledged that "India has a cleaner record compared to Pakistan" but quickly added that "China has its own position, which is consistent."

Beijing opposes India's inclusion in the NSG on the ground that India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. New members in the grouping are admitted largely if they agree to be part of the NPT or Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). India has signed neither on the ground that the treaties are discriminatory.

Speaking on the border dispute between India and China, Ma said it was "a tricky issue on which there should be a good negotiation between the two countries".

"We need to understand what India wants and what China wants."

Calling negotiations as "the best approach", Ma suggested if India was offering some goodwill at the start of the negotiation, then China will start negotiating.

"It's all about peaceful negotiation to reach objective. China believes that India should make a wise political decision," he added.
Mumbai, March 7 : A portion of the land parcel gifted by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to a mosque in Nashik district has been declared 'non-Wakf' property allegedly to benefit a Pune-based realtor, two opposition leaders said in the Maharashtra assembly on Tuesday.

Describing it as a Rs 2,500-crore scam, senior Congress leader and former minister Naseem Khan and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi demanded a high-level judicial probe.

Last month, the then CEO of Aurangabad-based Maharashtra State Board of Wakf (MSBW), Naseeba Bano Patel, was suspended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. She is accused of misusing her powers while holding additional charge as CEO of the MSBW since 2015. The government also ordered a probe into the matter.

"The state government speaks of transparency, but a scam happens right under their nose and they do not come to know," Khan said, demanding a probe by a Bombay High Court judge.

Khan said the land originally belonged to Emperor Shah Jahan, known the world over for the construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra, one of the seven wonders of the world.

He had donated 85 acres to Masjid Doodhadari Katra at Borwadi in Nashik, of which now 55 acres has been designated as 'non-Wakf land'.

Khan said that a realtor-developer based in Pune had claimed ownership of the Wakf property last year.

When the Supreme Court asked the CEO to conduct a hearing, she allegedly filed an affidavit contending she had no right to do so.

The Wakf lawyer sought more time and later the property was allegedly described as a 'non-Wakf land'.

Khan alleged that a mega-township project is coming up on 700-acre land adjacent to the mosque, and the 55-acre Wakf land was converted to 'non-Wakf land' to benefit the builder.

The government has the property records right from the times of Emperor Shah Jahan along with his royal seal, the renewal of the lease during the Maratha rule as well as the 1927 British government gazettes certifying the property's antecedents.
Panaji, March 7 : Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon looked ravishing in a beautiful lehenga by designer duo Sukriti & Akriti here.

The actress donned a ravishing candy floss pink lehenga choli with gold drizzle as she walked and twirled on the ramp at the ongoing eighth season of India Beach Fashion Week 2017 here.

About the designers, Kriti told IANS: "I love their creations...."

On her organic lehenga, made out of milk and soyabean, she said: "I don't know how it's made, but it's like amazing."

The designers showcased their collection titled unicorn tribe, which saw a wide range of lehengas, shararas, deconstructed sarees, anarkalis, off shoulder kurtas and palazzos.

About their collection Sukriti said: "The clothes are made of organic cotton, which is made out of milk and soya bean...So you realise it is a very soft fabric."

The duo used frosted colours of the unicorn that is white, blue, green, pink and pastels.

The three-day fashion event which started on March 6 will conclude on Wednesday with designer Suneet Varma's show.
Shillong, March 7 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday assured a judicial inquiry into police firing in which three people suspected to be militants were injured in the state's North Garo Hills district.

In the meantime, civil society groups have served a two day ultimatum to the government for immediate transfer of the district's Superintendent of Police Dalton P. Marak holding him responsible for the firing and action against the erring police personnel.

"In order to clear all (doubts) and instill confidence, we will have a judicial inquiry into the incident and will also ensure necessary support system to the injured people," Sangma told the assembly.

His assurance came after the opposition National People's Party legislators Nihim D. Shira and James Sangma and veteran Congress legislator Salseng C. Marak urged government to institute a judicial inquiry.

Chief Secretary K.S. Kropha and Director General of Police S.B. Singh are monitoring the situation, Sangma said, while appealing to the people of the area to maintain peace.

Earlier, making a suo moto statement in the assembly, Home Minister Horju Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh explained about the sequence of the incident which led to the torching of the Resubelpara police station and police barracks besides seven police vehicles.

He said police had fired at the three persons travelling in a pick-up van on the Resu-Khaldang road, suspecting them to be militants, when they sped away through three different police checkpoints despite being signalled to stop.

The three injured persons - Milseng Sangma, Tubal Sangma and Janrak Sangma - have been admitted to a private hospital in Assam's main city Guwahati.

Police were conducting checking on vehicles in the area following inputs about movement of a dreaded terrorist William Sangma, responsible for a number of kidnappings and other crime in Meghalaya and Assam, Lyngdoh said.

Moreover, he said that place of occurrence of this incident is very close to the border with Assam and there were lot of militant activities by various militant organisations that include the United Liberation of Asom, the Garo National Liberation Army, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and other groups.

"Our police force has been working under very challenging circumstances and they have acted with restraint and have earned public goodwill," Lyngdoh said, adding the incident turned violent when a crowd that had gathered at Resubelpara Community Health Centre burnt down two police vehicles as well as ransacked the buildings.

He said the situation has been brought to normal.
Guwahati, March 7 : Police in Assam's Dhemaji district on Tuesday issued a wanted notice against Subodh Biswas, president of All India Nikhil Bharat Bengali UdbastuSamannay Samiti for his alleged role behind the violence in Assam's Silapathar town.

Dhemaji Superintendent of Police Nilesh Sawakre said the notice was issued in a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code registered under Biswas and appealed to people to inform them if anyone has information about him.

Biswas had earlier delivered a speech at Silapathar on Monday demanding granting of citizenship to Hindu Bengalis by amending the Citizenship Act.

This is believed to have incited the participants of the rally to attack and vandalise the office of the All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) at Silapathar, which led to chaos in the town on Monday.

The participants of the rally also clashed with the police and security forces who tried to stop the violence.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while condemning the incident, had already ordered a probe to be carried out by Additional Chief Secretary V.B. Pyarelal into the incident and assured that action will be taken against all the guilty.

The Aasu on the other hand had taken out a candle light rally in Assam's main town Guwahati on Tuesday evening protesting against the attack and vandalism of its office. The powerful students' body, who had been opposing the amendment of Citizenship Act and granting citizenship to religious and linguistic minorities who entered Assam after 1971, had also announced that it would hold a satyagraha programme in all district headquarters of Assam on Friday.
Washington, March 8 : House Republicans on Monday released long-anticipated legislation to replace Obamacare, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favour of a system for people to buy insurance in the open market.

The legislation aims to supplant the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature health care plan, with a more conservative vision.

Under two bills drafted by separate House committees, the government would no longer penalise Americans for failing to have health insurance but would try to encourage people to maintain coverage by allowing insurers to impose a surcharge of 30 percent for those who have a gap between health plans, reports Washington Post.

The legislation would preserve two of the most popular features of the 2010 health-care law, letting young adults stay on their parents' health plans until age 26 and forbidding insurers to deny coverage or charge more to people with pre-existing medical problems. It would also target Planned Parenthood, rendering the women's health organisation ineligible for Medicaid reimbursements or federal family planning grants A a key priority for anti-abortion groups.

The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated, the New York Times writes.

People who let their insurance coverage lapse, however, would face a significant penalty. Insurers could increase their premiums by 30 percent, and in that sense, Republicans would replace a penalty for not having insurance with a new penalty for allowing insurance to lapse.

The White House and both chambers of Congress hope to repeal it and sign into law a Republican replacement by April 7, before lawmakers take off for a two-week Easter recess.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Obamacare is "rapidly collapsing" and it is "time to turn the page".

"The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them," Ryan said in a statement.

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday dismissed Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's criticism of the House's Obamacare repeal-and-replace legislation.

In an interview Tuesday morning with Fox News, Paul blasted the House plan as "Obamacare lite" and warned that a provision to pay penalties to insurance companies rather than the government is likely "unconstitutional and could destroy the whole repeal plan."

"This is Obamacare lite," he said. "It will not pass. Conservatives are not going to take it."

Democrats have given no indication that they intend to work with Republicans, and top party leaders decried the GOP plan Monday as a betrayal of everyday Americans. "Trumpcare doesn't replace the Affordable Care Act, it forces millions of Americans to pay more for less care," said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

The Republican plan would offer tax credits ranging from $2,000 per year for those under 30 to $4,000 per year for those over 60. The full credit would be available for individuals earning up to $75,000 a year and up to $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. The credits would phase out for individuals earning more A for each $1,000 in additional income, a person would be entitled to $100 less in credit, meaning a 61-year old could make up to $115,000 and still receive some credit, the Post reported.

The income-based phase-out of the credit allows the GOP plan to be funded without taxes on employer-provided insurance that had been considered earlier in the drafting process. In addition, the latest proposal would delay the ACA's "Cadillac" tax, a levy on the most generous employer-provided health plans, until 2025. It also retains the tax exclusion for premiums paid for employer-provided health plans.
Cairo, March 8 : The Tobruk-based parliament in eastern Libya on Tuesday opted to suspend dialogue with the United Nations backed unity government of Fayez al-Seraj and the 2015 accord that created it, news site Al-Wasat reported.

The move came after clashes between rival armed groups in recent days in Libya's oil crescent that were condemned by the US, France and Britain.

The Benghazi Defence Brigades, a militia group, captured the ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf in an offensive that began on March 3. The ports had been under the control of eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar, who is allied to the administration in Tobruk.

Over five years after the ousting of late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, the country remains regionally split with rival governments and a myriad of rival armed groups which they are unable to control.
Mumbai, March 8 : Bollywood actor-producer Anushka Sharma who is playing a ghost bride in her second production "Phillauri" says it was fun to play a "non-living" character.

"It was fun to play a non-living character because normally we play characters which are in the flesh and its boring to portray a living character in each film. You should keep doing a different thing. I think I've represented the ghost community well," she said in an interview on Tuesday.

The "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" actress ventured into production with 2015 thriller "NH-10" and is now gearing up for her banner's (Clean Slate Films) next project "Phillauri".

When asked about what she enjoys the most, the 28-year-old actress said, "I enjoy both. I have realised that when I have too many responsibilities on me, I perform better. Acting and producing both are very different things. Like when I am on set I just do my job and when I am producing a film I have to collaborate with ALL, right from the inception of a film. Both are going well for me."

Anushka who seems to be quite happy with the "encouraging response" from the industry said, "I feel very happy when the audience and industry people say good things about 'Phillauri'."

The story revolves around a young man who has come to Punjab to get married, but a local priest says he will have to get married to a tree first in order to combat the bad setting of his stars.

The tree happens to be the home of Shashi's (Anushka Sharma's character) spirit. Incidentally, he gets married with the spirit. The spirit also has a flashback, which showcases a love story between Shashi and her fiance.

Directed by Anshai Lal, the film also features Diljit Dosanjh and is releasing on March 24.
Washington, March 8 : Anti-secrecy organisation WikiLeaks on Tuesday released thousands of documents that it said described sophisticated software tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to break into smartphones, computers and even Internet-connected televisions.

The initial release, which WikiLeaks said was only the first part of the document collection, included 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments, The New York Times quoted the group as saying. The entire archive of the CIA material consists of several hundred million lines of computer code, it said.

Among other disclosures, the WikiLeaks release said that the CIA and allied intelligence services had managed to bypass encryption on popular phone and messaging services such as Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram.

According to the statement from WikiLeaks, government hackers can penetrate Android phones and collect "audio and message traffic before encryption is applied."

The source of the documents was not named. WikiLeaks said the documents, which it called Vault 7, had been "circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorised manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive."

WikiLeaks said the source, in a statement, set out policy questions that "urgently need to be debated in public, including whether the CIA's hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers and the problem of public oversight of the agency."

The source, the group said, "wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons."

The documents, from the CIA's Centre for Cyber Intelligence, are dated from 2013 to 2016, and WikiLeaks described them as "the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency."

A CIA spokesman, Dean Boyd, said, "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents."

Some of the details of the CIA programmes might have come from the plot of a spy novel for the cyberage, revealing numerous highly classified -- and in some cases, exotic -- hacking programmes, The NYT added.

One, code-named Weeping Angel, uses Samsung "smart" televisions as covert listening devices. According to the WikiLeaks news release, even when it appears to be turned off, the television "operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server."

The release said the programme was developed in cooperation with British intelligence.

Since their release, internet-connected televisions have been a focus for hackers and cybersecurity experts, many of whom see the sets' ability to record and transmit conversations as a potentially dangerous vulnerability.

In early 2015, Samsung appeared to acknowledge the televisions posed a risk to privacy. The fine print terms of service included with its smart TVs said that the television sets could capture background conversations, and that they could be passed on to third parties.

The company also provided a remarkably blunt warning: "Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition."

Another programme described in the documents, named Umbrage, is a voluminous library of cyberattack techniques that the CIA has collected from malware produced by other countries, including Russia. According to the WikiLeaks release, the large number of techniques allows the CIA to mask the origin of some of its cyberattacks and confuse forensic investigators.
"Rent to Own and Lease with the option to buy is a great way for people with dinged up credit to buy a house!"

Many experts recommend against renting a property if it's possible to buy, since rental situations don't build many future resources, apart from good credit. With buying not always an option, Raritan Valley Holdings has celebrated a middle road rising in popularity in New Jersey  Rent to Own leases, where after a period of time renting there's an option to buy delivering the best of both worlds.

There's no doubt at all that choosing to rent or buy a home can be one of life's most serious decisions. Fortunately, a third option is generally available. Leading New Jersey real estate solutions company Raritan Valley Holdings recently pointed out a third option that more New Jersey residents are choosing that combines many of the benefits of the other two approaches, Rent to Own leases. A Rent to Own lease is an agreement between a home buyer and home seller where the property is rented for an established amount of time and then the option is given to buy the home at a predetermined price. It's an approach that has won praise from many home buyer and sellers alike.

It's not a surprise how popular Rent to Own options have become, commented a spokesperson from Raritan Valley Holdings. It gives the home buyer a real chance to experience the home first hand and see if it lives up to their expectations on one hand and on the other it guarantees a stream of income to the home seller, rather than leaving the home unsold or without rental tenants.

According to the company, another advantage to Rent to Own leases is that banks are generally much more generous and lenient when it comes to mortgage approval requirements. Smart home buyers, while renting, can even structure their rental payments to include their future down payment making it much more simple and easy to get together the required amount of money on schedule. Raritan Valley Holdings are happy to give advice to home buyers on how they can build better credit scores while renting to own, which in the end could also greatly work to their advantage.

Feedback from clients of Raritan Valley Holdings have been extremely positive.

Michelle G., from New Brunswick, recently said in a five star review, We went through Raritan Valley Holdings to get in Rent to Own situation and it was a life changing decision for our family. Everything was upfront and transparent and now we are in our own home. Fully recommended.

Raritan Valley Holdings also pay cash for homes and problem properties.

For more information be sure to visit http://www.raritanvalleyholdings.com.
Transforming your Network for People and Things The iPhotonix superior level of support and quality contributes greatly to the delivery of market leading communication services our customers expect

iPhotonix, an industry innovation leader for the virtualization of Optical Access announced that Jefferson Telecom has selected the iPhotonix iVolve dual functioning AE/GPON Optical Access platform with software enabled Virtualized Gateways to deliver communication services to its customers in its serving areas. The iVolve Optical Access platforms robust feature capabilities combined with software upgradeable Virtual Gateways enables Jefferson Telecom to deliver gigabit speeds along with accompanying services like voice, video & managed WiFi (AC) to the home or office in a flexible and most efficient way.

"As part of our efforts to bring market leading fiber-optic services to our customers, we needed an access device platform that would evolve with our service offerings," said Duane Russell, chief technology officer, Jefferson Telecom. "The iVolve Platform from iPhotonix offers next-generation capabilities and allows us to provide a wide range of features to support our market-leading voice, video and data solutions. The iPhotonix superior level of support and quality contributes greatly to the delivery of market leading communication services our customers expect."

"The iVolve Platform with software enabled Virtual Gateways offers communication service providers (CSPs) unique opportunities in supporting services like home managed WiFi for the entire product life cycle of the ONT. All 60+ models of iVolve ONTs can be delivered or post-install upgraded with our Virtual Gateway solutions supporting services offerings now and well into the future. Virtualized Gateway solutions ultimately reduce truck rolls or the need to reclaim out of date customer premise equipment required for future services, said Jeff Mulqueen, deputy chief executive officer and vice president of sales and business development, iPhotonix. "We are excited our technology can help Jefferson Telecom expand its markets and offer a new world of virtualization possibilities with our ever expanding NFV offer."

About iPhotonix

iPhotonix is a Richardson, Texas based company and is the leading emerging technology provider for the virtualization (SDN/NFV) of the optical access and transformation occurring throughout the globe in the residential, business, enterprise and mobile backhaul markets. iPhotonix is advancing open and modular software platforms that simplify network operation complexity, enables multi-vendor hardware deployments, and seamlessly connects the physical and virtual network elements. iPhotonix augments its optical access offering with its powerful and agile iPhotonix Virtual Network (iVN) platform that enables communication service providers to create network managed services for a fraction of the cost and time it takes to deploy traditional managed services. iPhotonix has a rich history of innovation, R&D experience and delivering reliable solutions for communication services providers. Our solutions are tested and deployed by many CSPs around the world.

About Jefferson Telecom

Jefferson Telecom is dedicated to providing high quality communication services with local customer support. In 1938, Jefferson Telecom began as a local independent telephone company in Jefferson, Iowa, yet today the company provides more than traditional telephone service. The company also offers internet through the deployment of fiber, cable TV, cellular service as an agent for U.S. Cellular for over twenty years, and advanced calling features and voicemail. Substantial investments in the telecommunication infrastructure have been made through the years by the company to ensure its customers have access to state-of-the-art communication and highest quality video programming. In 2011 a 5,200 square foot retail showroom was added onto the facility to better fit the needs of our customers. For more information call 515-386-4141 or visit http://www.jeffersontelecom.com.
Rainbow Over Dining Hall We are delighted to be working with UCCR to manage Clover Woods. The experience they bring will help us provide great customer service to everyone who uses our camp facility. ~ Albert Grunenwald

United Camps, Conferences and Retreats has announced that the non-profit has assumed management of Clover Woods Camp & Retreat Center, located in Madrid, IA.

The Iowa 4-H Foundation selected United Camps, Conferences and Retreats (UCCR) of Petaluma, California to take on operations of the camp and retreat center beginning in February 2017.

UCCR, a non-profit cooperative established in 1970, currently manages 12 sites in Northern and Southern California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, most of which are owned by religious organizations.

Under the new management agreement, the Iowa 4-H Foundation will become a member of UCCR with two seats on its board of directors.

Recently renamed Clover Woods, the 4-H camp is located in Madrid, Iowa just 22 miles from Ames and 30 miles from Des Moines. Clover Woods consists of over 1100 acres of woodlands, meadows, wetlands and fields in the heart of the scenic Des Moines River Valley. The trail system is extensive with 23 miles of trails to explore through the forest and along the Des Moines River. There are ponds and creeks throughout the property, and the site has a strong sense of being remote with long vistas of natural prairie and the surrounding forest.

The camp currently accommodates up to 180 guests in a variety of lodges and cabins organized in villages.

Mike Carr, president of UCCR, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to manage and operate Clover Woods Camp and Retreat Center and establish a new partnership with the Iowa 4H Foundation. The 4H Foundation is very involved in improving the site for their use as well as the other wonderful groups that use the site. There is passion in all the work the 4H Foundation carries out at the site. UCCR looks forward to a productive partnership."

UCCR has expanded its management services beyond California in recent years to properties in Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and, now, Iowa. All sites managed by UCCR are open to non-profits, schools, religious groups, and organizations for retreats, camps, meetings, reunions, educational and community gatherings. UCCR also provides program partnership to its facilities and owner group organizations through on-site support and the Web of Life Field School (WOLF). The WOLF School is an environmental education provider.

Albert Grunenwald, Executive Director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation, stated, "We are delighted to be working with UCCR to manage Clover Woods. The experience they bring will help us provide great customer service to everyone who uses our camp facility."

UCCR may be contacted directly at 800-678-5102 or http://www.UCCR.org
Ono Hawaiian BBQ is celebrating its new restaurant with a Grand Opening Luau this Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 9230 West Northern Ave, Suite 109, Peoria, Arizona.

This location will be the second unit for the Hawaiian restaurant in the city of Peoria.

The Grand Opening Celebration will have special events including:



Ribbon cutting ceremony 10:45AM

Raffling of fifty $100 Ono Hawaiian BBQ gift cards 11:00AM to 1:00PM

Buy One Get One Free deal all day

Hawaiian dance performance 12:00PM to 2:00PM

This Ono Hawaiian BBQ will feature newly implemented digital menu boards. The interior design incorporates the brands industrial chic design inspired by Hawaiis rustic elements; featuring reclaimed wood walls, rope lighting, aqua tiles, and tropical planters.

About Ono Hawaiian BBQ

Ono Hawaiian BBQ is a fast casual restaurant with locations in California and Arizona that serves Hawaiian Plate Lunches and other island specialties. All of Ono Hawaiian BBQ plates are created with fresh ingredients using authentic Hawaiian recipes, prepared daily in each restaurant and grilled fresh to order. Ono Hawaiian BBQ operates 61 restaurants throughout California and Arizona and have plans to open 10 more locations in 2017 with the next opening in Menifee, California.

Fans can receive promotions and news by Liking Ono Hawaiian BBQ on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OnoHawaiianBBQ or joining Club Ono. For more information please visit http://www.OnoHawaiianBBQ.com, @OnoHawaiianBBQ on Twitter or @OnoHawaiianBBQ on Instagram.

Ono Hawaiian BBQ  Peoria

9230 West Northern Ave, Suite 109

Peoria, AZ 85305

Phone: (623)872-7788

Sun - Thurs: 11:00AM  9:00PM

Fri-Sat: 11:00AM  9:30PM

marketing(at)onobbq(dot)com
Text Overlay Today marketing is unthinkable without high-quality visual content. Whether its a website, social media, ad, or blog, visual appeal is crucial when it comes to engagement with both existing and prospective customers.

Animatron, an easy-to-use and powerful online animated video maker, today announced that its customers can take advantage of nearly half a million royalty-free video clips, images, and music tracks within the enhanced Marketplace to create compelling visual stories. Animatron provides unlimited access to an extensive collection of HD video clips, motion backgrounds, photos, images, audio tracks, sound effects, and more, to empower limitless creativity for agencies, businesses, and individuals.

Today marketing is unthinkable without high-quality visual content. Whether its a website, social media, ad, or blog, visual appeal is crucial when it comes to engagement with both existing and prospective customers, said Dmitry Skavish, CEO at Animatron. By adding a large library of ready-to-use content, Animatron provides businesses with everything they need to communicate their message in the most appealing and impactful manner.

Animatron offers unparalleled options of visual content customization and multiple ways for agencies, businesses, and marketers to personalize their videos. Not only customers can use studio quality video clips, but also import their own videos to ensure the visuals they create are absolutely unique and true to their brands. Animatron makes it possible to combine video with animation, place branding assets, logos, and slogans over video to create promotional clips. The content is instantly ready to download, share on social media, or embed on a website.

On top of that, Animatron addresses an acute problem of adding text on video. The software provides an easy and inexpensive way to convey a message by allowing customers to place annotations, subtitles, inspirational quotes, and calls-to-action over their video clips.

As an animation maker, Animatron offers exceptional approach to editing video content. Animation effects that are normally applied to static images, can now be enabled for video clips too. For example, in Animatron videos can be resized, rotated, skewed, and looped; users can edit opacity of video clips, and combine a few videos in a collage.

The new visual and audio content is available in both Animatron Expert and Animatron Lite, a simplified version specifically designed for those who have never had any animation experience before. Lite Mode offers a set of special effects which can now be applied to video clips, such as scene transition effects. Animatron Lite has been developed to simplify creation of marketing collateral and let customers design professionally looking animated videos, explainers, presentations, banners, and more, in-house and on budget.

The new ready-to-use content comes with royalty-free licenses, making it available for personal and commercial use to all Animatron Pro and Business customers at no additional cost. urrent subscription customers can access updated Marketplace immediately. Animatron Pro and Business subscriptions allow customers to take advantage of unlimited clips, images, and audio tracks, saving thousands of dollars each year compared to expensive pay-per-download websites. For more information about plans, pricing, and discounts, please visit: https://www.animatron.com/pricing.

Resources



About Animatron

Animatron is an easy-to-use and powerful online animated video maker designed to empower visual storytelling. Animatron allows agencies, marketers, and businesses to instantly create stunning animations and branded videos with a simple drag-and-drop right in the browser. With an extensive collection of royalty-free video clips, music, and images, conveying messages through visuals has never been easier. Learn more about Animatron at https://www.animatron.com.
Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell, Exotics of Cincy car show We are also so proud to be handing over all the proceeds to Cincinnati Childrens, - Daniel Govaer

After two stunning and successful exotic car meets in 2016, Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell is again rolling out the red carpet for Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, McLarens, Porsches and other luxurious exotics.

Last year more than 500 people gawked at and drooled over more than 100 super cars from members of the Exotics of Cincy car club. This years kickoff event -- Saturday, April 22, 2017, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.  promises to be bigger and better, with more than $15 million worth of vehicles on display.

The event will be open to the public, without an admission charge, although attendees are asked to bring needed items from the Cincinnati Childrens wish list (see below).

As attendees get an up-close look at the most stylish, luxurious and powerful rides on the planet, local DJs will provide the groove and local food trucks will be filling the air with heavenly aromas.

And, yes, the public will have a chance to get behind the wheel, virtually at least.

In exchange for a $25 cash or gift-card donation to Cincinnati Childrens, drivers will get the opportunity to climb into the worlds most advanced virtual-reality racing simulator, the CXC Motion Pro II, and take three exhilarating laps at Watkins Glen International Raceway in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Most of us get to see cars like these only in movies, says Daniel Govaer, manager of pre-owned vehicles at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell and organizer of the event. We are thrilled to be able to give people the chance to see scores of these amazing vehicles up close.

We are also so proud to be handing over all the proceeds to Cincinnati Childrens, Govaer says. We cant think of a more important or more deserving charity.

On their way to the dealership, Exotics of Cincy members will be stopping by the hospital to pick up some champion patients and give them a VIP ride to remember to the dealership.

We realize that none of our dealerships can survive without the community supporting us, says Bernie Moreno, president of Bernie Moreno Companies and owner of Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell. Thats why we are always looking for more ways we can give back to our community and share our blessings.

Items on the hospitals wish list include: Kroger gift cards, gasoline gift cards, restaurant gift cards and Wal-Mart or Target gift cards ($25 or under, please). Also on the list: diapers, baby wipes, toiletries, hairbrushes, combs, toothbrushes, teething rings, pacifiers, onesies, T-shirts, hats, gloves, scarves, bottled water, fuzzy socks, universal phone chargers and Greyhound Bus ticket vouchers.

For more information about the event, how to show your exotic car or for sponsorship info, visit http://www.mbfm.com/exotic-car-meet-and-event-fort-mitchell-ky/

In 2013, with the enthusiastic support of the local community, Bernie Moreno Companies took over the site of the troubled USA Hotel in Fort Mitchell, Ky., demolished the eyesore of a building and invested more than $20 million to build a beautiful new Mercedes-Benz dealership. Today Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell is thriving -- and employs more than 70 people.

In 2005, Bernie Moreno purchased a small, underperforming Mercedes-Benz dealership on the west side of Cleveland, turning it into Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, the flagship dealership of his organization. After just one year, that dealership earned a coveted Best of the Best award from Mercedes-Benz and would go on to win the award for 10 consecutive years, something no other Mercedes-Benz dealer has done. In the meantime, Bernie Moreno Companies has become one of the fastest growing and most admired auto-dealership organizations in the country, earning awards for its growth, client service, community involvement and employee engagement.

THE CARS

Here is a partial list of the exotic vehicles that took part in the last Exotics of Cincy meet at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell:

Aston Martin Vulcan

Acura NSX

Audi R8 Coupe

Audi R8 Spider

Audi R8 GT Spider

Audi R8 AMS Performance

Audi S8

Bentley GTC

BMW M4

BMW m3 (various)

BMW M6 (various)

BMW i8

Chevrolet Corvette Zo6 (various)

Dodge Viper / Viper GTS (various)

Ferrari 360 Modena

Ferrari F430 Coupe/ Spider

Ferrari 458 Coupe

Ferrari 458 Spider

Lamborghini Huracan

Lamborghini Aventador SV Coupe

Lamborghini Gallardo

McLaren MP4

McLaren 650S

Mercedes AMG GTS

Mercedes E63S AMG

Mercedes C63S AMG (various)

Mercedes S63 AMG (various)

Mercedes-SLS AMG

Mercedes CLA 45

Mercedes ML 63 / GLE63

Mercedes GLS 63 AMG

Mercedes CLS63S AMG

Nissan GTR

Porsche 911 GT3RS

Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

Porsche Panamera (various)

Media members: To schedule a ride on the CXC Motion Pro II racing simulator on the day of the event, contact Daniel Govaer at 440-201-4440.

To set up an interview with Bernie Moreno, contact Marketing Team Lead Ralph Stawicki at 440-567-9144.
Fellows and Associates Logo It was hoped that recent efforts in the industry would indicate a decline in those from an Oxbridge background, however it was found that 28% of all those currently training were from either Oxford or Cambridge.

Fellows and Associates, a boutique IP recruitment and management consultancy, has publicised their findings following an industry wide study on the university preferences of UK patent attorney firms. The report was published in February 2017. The data was gathered in November 2016 and included all firms listed on the CIPA website at the time the research preparation commenced. The lack of academic diversity in the IP industry is quite prevalent and has been for some time noted Fellows and Associates Director Pete Fellows. There is still a perception that firms, whether consciously or not, gravitate towards those who studied at either Oxford or Cambridge. We were curious as to whether this theory held any actual truth and decided to investigate further.

The study included all patent attorneys in the profession ranging from entry level up to Senior Associate, and all technical disciplines excluding trade marks. The Fellows and Associates teams initial findings indicated that over half (53%) of the firms researched had at least 20% of their patent attorneys with an Oxbridge background and over a quarter (26%) had at least 40%. Phillipa Holland, Consultant at Fellows and Associates, commented the figures do suggest that there is an overwhelmingly disproportionate representation of graduates originating from either Oxford or Cambridge and, although we most certainly dont think that attending either university is a bad thing, it is disappointing that excellent graduates from other academic institutions are perhaps being overlooked as a consequence.

The data was analysed further to test the theory that the older a firm is, the more of an Oxbridge bias it might have. The team focused on firms established around the mid to late 1800s and found that the average percentage of Oxbridge staff members was 27%, with the lowest at 0% and the highest at 78%. When looking at firms founded at the more recent end of this time scale 57% still had at least 20% of patent attorneys with an Oxbridge background, leading Fellows and Associates to conclude that the bias is likely a problem for the profession as a whole, not simply firms that have existed for a long time.

When reviewing the demographics of larger firms, we found the results to be even more alarming, say Pete Fellows. For firms with a total staff number of 100 or more, 36% of their patent attorneys attended Oxbridge, with the highest rate at a startlingly high 83%.

Technical specialism was also an area of focus, with the team keen to find out if some areas of expertise had a higher Oxbridge representation than others. It was found that 43% of those with a background in chemistry, life sciences or similar attended either Oxford or Cambridge, compared to 25% of those in physics, electronics, engineering or similar. This is the highest statistic we have seen during our research, however it could be attributed to a number of factors other than bias Phillipa Holland explained. There is huge market demand for candidates with the latter backgrounds, which has meant firms have had to become more flexible in their recruitment strategies either consciously or unconsciously. It could also be due to firms hiring like for like with Oxbridge alumni naturally gravitating towards other Oxbridge alumni, as well as non-Oxbridge perhaps favouring those who also have an alternative background.

Some conclusions were drawn between the proximity of firm to the universities in question, with an average of 32% of patent attorneys attending from all London based firms, including those with offices elsewhere. For firms solely based in the regions, 22% of their attorneys had an Oxbridge background.

The findings have definitely encouraged debate amongst the IP community and for many to agree that it is a problem that needs addressing. Following the publication of the article and prompted by a query from the industry equal opportunities initiative IP Inclusive, Fellows and Associates made a final remark regarding those who have entered the profession most recently. It was hoped that recent efforts in the industry would indicate a decline in those from an Oxbridge background, however it was found that 28% of all those currently training were from either Oxford or Cambridge.

The research does suggest that the profession is perhaps missing out on some excellent graduates to other industries, however Pete Fellows stressed that the article by no means a criticism of hiring practices and we are definitely not trying to force opinion on what is regarded as correct or incorrect, we merely hope it is used as a platform for discussion in the industry.
Educators at traditional, online, and blended schools alike are creating gender identity-sensitive procedures to foster inclusive learning environments for all K-12 students.

Connections Education LLC, a part of global learning company Pearson, will bring together thought leaders, educators, and stakeholders on a topic meaningful to many in education at the SXSWedu Conference and Festival: Transgender Student Rights in K-12 Education.

Families around the world have faced tough decisions to ensure the safety of their transgender students, said Tisha Green-Rinker, Director of Counseling for Connections Education. Educators at traditional, online, and blended schools alike are creating gender identity-sensitive procedures to foster inclusive learning environments for all K-12 students.

J.M. Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, developed a transgender student nondiscrimination policy that allows students to use locker rooms and restrooms based on their gender identity.

I didnt know anything about transgender issues when the question arose at my school, said Thomas Aberli, principal of J.M. Atherton High School, but I quickly educated myself on the legal issues involved when a transgender student asked the administration for accommodations.

According to a 2017 Post-Election Survey of 50,000 youth conducted by Human Rights Campaign, over the past 30 days about half of transgender youth reported feeling hopeless and worthless most or all of the time, and 70 percent said that these and similar feelings have increased in the past 30 days. Thirty-six percent had been personally bullied or harassed, and 56 percent had changed their self-expression or future plans because of the election.

Regardless of the political climate, it is critical that schools continue to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory learning environment for all students, no matter their gender identity, said Johanna Eager, Director of Welcoming Schools, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.

Transgender Student Rights in K-12 Education

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

2:00-3:00 PM CT

Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon C

Presenters: Thomas Aberli, Principal, J.M. Atherton High School; Johanna Eager, Director of Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign; Tisha Green-Rinker, Director of Counseling, Connections Education; Khoa Nguyen, Marketing Manager, International Connections Academy and board of governor, HRC; and rounding out the panel, a student will share a personal story -- bringing to life the realities of school for transgender students.

Educators from around the world will also explore the power of online and blended learning to transform lives through the following presentations at SXSWedu:

Design Your Own Learning App (in Just 2 Hours!)

Separating Hype from Reality: AR/VR & Learning

A Workforce Shift to Alternative Credentials

A Turning Point: Scaling Dynamic Education

SXSWedu, March 6-9, 2017 in Austin, Texas, celebrates innovations in learning by hosting a diverse community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education. To join the conversations, visit the Pearson lounge and higher ed hub on Wednesday, March 8, or follow @PearsonNorthAm on Twitter and #SXSWedu.

About Pearson

Pearson is the worlds learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit http://www.pearson.com.

About The Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
Savannah Dental Solutions

Temporomandibular joint disease, or TMJ, is a serious and progressive disease that can cause a variety of symptoms. Over time, TMJ can permanently damage the jaw joint and its supporting structures, but it can be halted or even reversed with proper diagnosis and treatment. For March, Savannah Dental Solutions is offering a complimentary TMJ consultation.

What Is TMJ?

TMJ is a misalignment of the complex temporomandibular joint. While the joint normally operates smoothly, like a sliding hinge, TMJ causes pain and difficulty with movement. TMJ sometimes occurs after trauma to the jaw, but its root cause is most often unclear.

TMJ creates a structural misalignment of the teeth. During chewing, the jaw is pulled further out of alignment in an attempt to balance the bite. This causes immense pressure in the joint capsule, leading to the hallmark pain, pops, and clicks experienced by TMJ sufferers.

Symptoms of TMJ

Everyone experiences TMJ in a different way. Nonetheless, most people with the disease experience a few of the most common symptoms:



Jaw pain

Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw

Difficulty chewing

Jaw lockup

Pain in the ear, head, or face

TMJ Treatments

TMJ treatments focus on relaxing the jaw and realigning the bite. Mild cases might require only home remedies, while more complex cases generally require in-office procedures. Common treatment options include, but are not limited to:



Purposeful relaxation

Ice packs

Medications

Orthotics

Physical therapy

Functional reconstruction

About Savannah Dental Solutions

Married dentists Chad and Alexandra Schnabel welcome new patients to Savannah Dental Solutions. From caring childrens dentistry to high-tech cosmetic procedures and even full-mouth reconstruction, they blend the latest technology with traditional customer-oriented values. Those who are ready to start their journey to better oral health can visit Savannah Dental Solutions at 9A Medical Arts Center, Savannah, GA 31405. Call (912) 354-1366 for more information, or go to http://savannahdentalsolutions.com/.
Home buyers now start their search online. What better way to help them than to provide comprehensive neighborhood guides and the latest listings available in their chosen area?

Appleton Properties, a boutique brokerage providing white-glove real estate service in the Washington, DC metro area, recently unveiled their redesigned website, AppletonProperties.com.

Appleton Properties is excited to announce that our redesigned website, AppletonProperties.com, is now live, says the brokerage and property management companys principal broker William Fastow.

AppletonProperties.com went through a major website overhaul to establish a unique and stronger online presence and to provide clients with better resources.

We realized that our old website didn't accurately represent our business values and brand, shares real estate agent Adam Fastow, William's brother and the other half of Appleton Properties. We needed a site that would show the breadth of our services and expertise and we are very pleased with the results."

The new and improved http://www.appletonproperties.com/ has a fresh, sophisticated feel, and highlights the companys distinct branding throughout its various pages. Built with todays user in mind, the site is completely responsive and has an interface thats user friendly across all kinds of devices.

Our goal was to keep things simple yet effective, says William. We wanted our potential clients to immediately see what our real estate website has to offer, and consequently what we have to offer.

Aside from a design overhaul, the site also features a more robust neighborhoods section, complete with up-to-date community information and property listings.

Home buyers now start their search online, says Adam. What better way to help them than to provide comprehensive neighborhood guides and the latest listings available in their chosen area?

http://www.appletonproperties.com/ also offers comprehensive resources and guides for home buyers and sellers. The website's integrated Internet Date Exchange (IDX) allows home buyers to search for properties and open houses in the region. Sellers can check out monthly market reports to see how homes are selling in their area.

Site visitors can also access tips and more information through Appleton Properties' blog, which is updated regularly.

We are particularly excited with the blog. It will allow us to connect to different people and share our real estate expertise and knowledge, Adam says. We'll be posting articles once or twice every month.

For more information about Appleton Properties and the services they offer, visit http://www.appletonproperties.com/ or call the company toll free at 1-800-659-2706.

About Appleton Properties

Appleton Properties provides extensive real estate and property management services throughout the District as well as in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Annapolis, and other nearby areas in Maryland and Virginia. Principal broker William Fastow has over 15 years experience in property sales, development, and management in the region.
[Moving Trends] is an incisive analysis of what relocation trends used to be and how they have been changing over the years, says Vidyadhar Garapati, CEO of Movers.com.

Movers.com, one of the leading online relocation portals, has updated its study, Moving Trends: An Exploration, to include data from 2016. The initiative captures the present trends and scenarios of the relocation industry, based on information collated from Movers.coms internal customer database.

[Moving Trends] is an incisive analysis of what relocation trends used to be and how they have been changing over the years, says Vidyadhar Garapati, CEO of Movers.com.

Moving Trends: An Exploration, which began analyzing the trends of moving industry in 2005, is a comparative analysis comprised of charts, tables, and reports used to present the changing scenario of local, long distance, auto, and international moves along with the variation of the move size encompassing several states and cities. The report is divided into detailed segments, including the top US cities that people moved out of, people are moving into, and shipments picked up.

The report indicates that, as of 2016, Chicago, Houston, and Washington DC are among the top cities people are moving out of, whereas the top cities people are moving into are Phoenix, Denver, and Las Vegas.

A sample audience of over 1,000 Movers.com users who have moved in 2016 were sent a market research survey, responding to certain details regarding their move. Below is a summary of their responses.

Reason for move

When asked, what was the reason for their move in 2016, most users cited a new job/job relocation, with nearly 17%. This was followed by family reasons with 13.25% and retirement with over 10%.

Time spent planning

When asked, approximately how much time in advance was spent planning their 2016 move, nearly 40% of the sample participants took 2-3 months planning their move. This was followed by 29% planning for less than one month, and 16% planning for 3-6 months.

Final cost of move

When asked about the approximate final cost of their move, a quarter of the sample surveyors spent $1,000 - $2,500 on their move. This was followed closely with 21.5% of movers spending $500 - $1,000 on their move, and 18.5% spending $2,500 - $5,000 on their move.

Utility/Home improvement expenses

The sample audience was also asked how much they spent or plan to spend on utilities and home improvements since moving in 2016. Approximately 42% of respondents have spent under $1,000 on their new home. This was followed by 22% spending $1,000 - $2,500 on home improvements thus far, and 16.5% spending $2,500 - $5,000.

Previous moves

When asked, including their move in 2016, how many times have they moved in their lifetime, over 70% of the same audience have moved 5 or more times in their lifetime, followed by 4 times with 11% and 3 times with 10.5%.

Moving stress

When asked to gauge the stress of their recent move on a scale of 1-10, the average response from the sample audience was 6. This was followed up with, what would have helped ease the stress of their move. Responses included hiring a better moving company that would have helped with their needs, needing more time to plan the move, and a final moving cost that more closely resembled their initial estimate.

To view the full report, click here.

Established in 2003, Movers.com specializes in no-obligation moving quotes from licensed and insured professional moving companies across the country. The organization is dedicated to helping its users find moving services based on their specific needs. The website also offers guides, tools, and tips on numerous topics from real estate, selecting the right mover, and settling into a new community.

# # #

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Michael E. Fromm at 732-289-9089 or email michael.fromm(at)movers.com.
VMI Toyota Northstar We are proud to provide wheelchair accessible solutions to improve the quality of life for others.

Vantage Mobility International (VMI) announced today that Michael Gallagher of Wellington, CO. was selected as the winner of the companys Claim More Space Sweepstakes, in which there were more than 7,000 entries nationwide. He will be receiving a check for $10,000 and a years supply of gasoline valued at another $1,000. Gallagher purchased a VMI NorthstarTM side-entry in-floor conversion for wheelchair access for his 2016 Toyota Sienna. Gallagher, 72, who suffers from degenerative spine disease, discovered the contest when searching online for mobility and wheelchair-accessible transportation solutions. He and his wife of 50 years, Lorene, previously had purchased a very used van with a lift system that, as he put it began to cost more to maintain than it was worth.

The Toyota Sienna features a power in-floor wheelchair ramp that allows Gallagher easy access to enter the van. It also has a wheelchair tie-down system, quick release front seats and a lowered floor for maximum headroom which enable him to ride along side Lorene as a front seat passenger in his wheelchair while she drives. Gallagher says his family has enjoyed a good history with Toyota and the dependability of the product over the years. "It was awesome in our minds to find the same kind of quality and dependability in a ramp matched for the vehicle. Independence is buying something good that will last, he adds. VMI holds a Gold-Star quality rating with Toyota.

Gallagher, a U.S. Army Veteran who served in the Military Police with a tour in Vietnam in the early 70s, describes himself as a servant. When he returned to civilian life, he was a policeman for 20 years, a firefighter for another 22 years, an EMT, city councilman and Mayor of Minturn, Co. On the advice of physicians the Gallaghers left their hometown of Minturn for the lower altitudes of Wellington. He continues to serve his community as a deacon in their church.

We are proud to provide wheelchair accessible solutions to improve the quality of life for others. In Michaels case, being the VMI Claim More Space Sweepstakes winner, the dependability of the conversion provides him with the freedom to travel and live to the fullest, said Doug Eaton, VMI president and CEO.

The check presentation will take place at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 7th at Frontier Access & Mobility in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

About VMI

Vantage Mobility International (VMI) is a leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles built on Toyota, Honda, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) minivans. It has advanced the mobility industry for 30 years with a robust portfolio of power and manual ramp conversions and platform lifts. VMI is based in Phoenix, Arizona where its manufacturing facility utilizes Six Sigma techniques to employ continuous process improvements and deliver high quality products for personal use and commercial applications. For additional information, contact Penny Malone at VMI 602-243-2700 or visit http://www.vmivans.com.
Info Security Products Guides recognition of LECMPAs customer service team further validates our customer service as excellence-in-class and a clear differentiator in the industry

LECMPA, provider of wage loss protection for railroad and transportation workers, today announced that Info Security Products Guide, the industry's leading information security research and advisory guide, has named LECMPA a Gold winner of the 2017 Global Excellence Awards for Customer Service Team of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that LECMPA has been acknowledged as a gold winner in the customer service category.

The security industry celebrated its 13th Annual 2017 Global Excellence Awards in San Francisco by honoring excellence in every facet of the industry including products, people behind the successes and best companies.

More than 40 judges from a broad spectrum of industry voices from around the world participated and their average scores determined the 2017 Global Excellence Awards Finalists and Winners.

Info Security Products Guides recognition of LECMPAs customer service team further validates our customer service as excellence-in-class and a clear differentiator in the industry, said LECMPA President Susan Tukel. This industry honor is a great endorsement to the fact that LECMPA values its relationship with our client members. Its not merely a slogan to provide excellent customer service, its an unwavering principle of the customer service team at LECMPA. I commend them for their dedication.

A list of global award winners can be viewed here.

About Info Security Products Guide

Info Security Products Guide plays a vital role in keeping end-users informed of the choices they can make when it comes to protecting their digital resources. It is written expressly for those who are adamant on staying informed of security threats and the preventive measure they can take. You will discover a wealth of information in this guide including tomorrow's technology today, best deployment scenarios, people and technologies shaping info security and market research reports that facilitate in making the most pertinent security decisions. The Info Security Products Guide Global Excellence Awards recognize and honor excellence in all areas of information security. To learn more, visit http://www.infosecurityproductsguide.com and stay secured.

About LECMPA

LECMPA, founded in 1910 as a cooperative assessment insurer for railroad workers, provides wage loss protection to unionized transportation workers in all crafts and industries throughout the United States. LECMPA is a nonprofit, member-owned company with approximately 27,000 members nationwide. LECMPA headquarters are in Southfield, Michigan. More information is available at http://www.lecmpa.org.
Every year, the U.S. education system spends millions of dollars on apps that never realize their full potential. Our platform provides data that allows administrators to evaluate the effectiveness of their technology.

Addressing the education app sprawl occurring in school systems, CatchOn launched a public beta of the first accountability platform for classroom technology today at SXSWedu. The platform delivers data-driven evidence about which apps are being used, how often theyre being used and where theyre being used. Early adopters have already tapped into CatchOn to inform decisions about technology investment and implementation.

Every year, the U.S. education system spends millions of dollars on apps that never realize their full potential, said Jena Draper, CEO of CatchOn. Our platform provides data that allows administrators to evaluate the effectiveness of their technology.

CatchOn is an intuitive application management and reporting platform that presents a granular analysis, which district leaders can examine when making data-rich decisions about app use, cost and ROI. The platform analyzes data by showing a percentage of the budget per app and compares it with consumption across an entire district. CatchOn measures the financial impact of edtech investments and gives recommendations on new apps to implement based on student and teacher habits.

In an environment that is oversaturated with applications, portals and services, CatchOn puts our districts technology use in perspective, said Jim Peterson, technology director at Bloomington School District 87 in Illinois. We finally have actual evidence when making difficult decisions about technology purchases.

Draper also joined a panel of edtech professionals at SXSWedu to discuss how school districts and administrators can make smarter technology decisions for students. For key takeaways and slides from the App Overkill: Going Beyond the Buzzwords session, contact info(at)getcatchon.com.

District administrators can register for the free public beta at http://www.getcatchon.com.

About CatchOn, Inc.

CatchOn provides the first accountability platform for school districts to track edtech investments through digital analytics. Using data, CatchOn helps administrators compare usage across grade levels, campuses and apps at every step of software implementation; identifying gaps in usage where training and professional development can prevent wasted resources and ensure important apps are being used effectively. For more information about CatchOn, follow us on Twitter @catchoninc or visit http://www.getcatchon.com.

About SXSWedu

The SXSWedu Conference & Festival fosters and celebrates innovations in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education. The annual four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, immersive workshops, interactive learning experiences, film screenings, early-stage startups, business opportunities and networking. Through collaboration, creativity and social action, SXSW edu empowers its global community to C onnect. Discover. Impact. SXSWedu is a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals. Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSWedu, March 6-9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit the online schedule.
Our average merchant revenue goes up 3% when they deploy us, and that is at mature organizations. At less mature firms, or firms trying to expand into new geographies, they can see revenue go up 8% to 15%.

Within three years merchants will no longer be liable for credit card fraud online, said Skye Spear, vice president of partnerships at Signifyd. Already, firms like Signifyd, Forter and Riskified use fast, smart technology, like real-time machine learning, to review credit card orders coming into e-commerce operations, decide which orders are safe and guarantee those orders. If the order turns out to be fraud, the companies will reimburse the merchant. Signifyd charges for providing a guarantee range from about 50 to 100 basis points, or 1 percent of an order. In the future, Spear said, credit card companies could just tack that onto what they charge for their card, or retailers could simply contract directly with the guarantee providers.

Were seeing tremendous penetration in SMB mostly through partners, Spear added. Were being embedded into Magento, [a large e-commerce platform] and you will see some more announcements about Signifyd being embedded in other e-commerce platforms.

The company works through a dedicated sales team and also through e-commerce platforms to reach the large number of SMBs which are looking for an effective fraud prevention tool.

Some of the largest internet retailers are using Signifyd, he added, and more are on the way.

We want to be the BASF of the e-payment fraud world, Spear explained, referring to the giant chemical companys slogan, We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better  The company has partnered with American Express, Magento and, recently Salesforce.

Read the full article
Engel & Volkers North America announced today the launch of a network-wide initiative to integrate virtual reality technology, capabilities and support into each of its real estate shops, a first in North America to make this technology standard. During its national conference, Exchange, Engel & Volkers North America unveiled that it will provide each of its brokerages with an immoviewer virtual reality camera, Google cardboard glasses as well as informational webinars, marketing tools and support.

Click to tweet: Engel & Volkers North America Makes Virtual a Reality for Its Entire Network

We realize that virtual reality is not simply a trend, and we are committed to integrating new technologies into our network that help improve the home buying and selling experience, said Anthony Hitt, CEO, Engel & Volkers North America. This not only supports our domestic business, but adds great value as a truly global real estate network. International buyers can experience 3D listings on a much broader scale, saving time and targeting their focus as they look to purchase homes in North America.

Engel & Volkers North America is partnering with German-based virtual reality company immoviewer to distribute their virtual reality cameras to each office. immoviewer currently works with more than 2,000 brokerages worldwide to deliver stunning listings in 3D. Executives from immoviewer will be working with Engel & Volkers North America to develop educational content that will be available exclusively to members of the Engel & Volkers North America network.

We are thrilled to be partnering with Engel & Volkers North America to deliver virtual reality technology to its license partners and advisors, said Ralf von Grafenstein, CEO of immoviewer. We have seen incredible results for real estate professionals, including quicker turnaround times during the home buying process, a decrease in the amount of time sellers need to vacate their properties and more flexibility for homebuyers to view multiple homes. Virtual reality is quickly becoming an industry standard in real estate and companies that dont embrace this technology will quickly fall behind the pack.

Homebuyers and sellers have the expectation that their agents will offer new technology that enhances the customer experience. According to the most recent Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers from the National Association of REALTORS, more than three-quarters of homebuyers found virtual tours useful and 70 percent of agents said that consumers expect virtual tours to be available.

We have recently integrated immoviewer-powered virtual reality listings to enhance our client offerings, said Paul Benson, license partner at Engel & Volkers Park City. The camera itself is compact and can be used with or without a professional videographer because of its ease-of-use, and we love the unique ability to give guided 3D tours to clients anywhere in the world. Its this type of support we receive from Engel & Volkers that keeps us at the forefront in our markets.

For more information about Engel & Volkers North America, please visit EVUSA.com or EVCANADA.com .

About Engel & Volkers

Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of over 8,500 real estate advisors in more than 750 brokerages spanning 32 countries across five continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established Engel & Volkers North America in 2007 and assembled a team of the industrys top leaders, performers and real estate innovators to expand operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.

About immoviewer, inc.

immoviewer (http://www.immoviewer.com) is an international technology company providing fully interactive, virtual reality-compatible DIY 3D home tours with live 24/7 open house capability. immoviewers easy-to-use software helps real estate professionals create an outstanding real estate experience for buyers, sellers, and investors. Download the immoviewer app in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
REWOP Helps People Find Places to Charge

REWOP (http://www.rewop.co) is a multi-platform mobile app that helps people in major cities find places to charge their devices. Upon reaching low phone battery, the REWOP app will notify users of nearby phone charging stations. Charging locations, ratings, and other information on the app will be crowdsourced from users.

Surveys show that over 70% of smartphone users across the country report to have experienced anxiety over a low or dead smartphone battery. To combat that, and to help promote the phone app during SXSW, REWOP branded charging stations will be deployed at the Austin Convention Center and venues throughout the city.

The REWOP team will focus on New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia for initial testing of the market to gauge consumer adoption. Starting March 7th, REWOP will be available and free to download from Google Play or the App Store.

ABOUT REWOP

REWOP, LLC was founded in 2016 by some of the partners of Veloxity (http://www.veloxity.us) with the mission to cure low and dead battery anxiety for everyone. The REWOP app uses crowdsourcing to establish a network of charging locations that people can use in major US cities.
Our data shows 401k fees declined in all sixteen market segments we track.

Our data shows 401k fees declined in all sixteen market segments we track. In addition to total plan costs declining, we saw an across the board reduction in 401k investment fees, said Joseph W. Valletta, co-author of the 401k Averages Book.

The average total plan cost for a small retirement plan (100 participants/$5,000,000 assets) declined from 1.28% to 1.25% over the past year, while the average total plan cost for a large retirement plan (1,000 participants/$50,000,000 assets) declined from 0.97% to 0.96% according to the newly released 17th Edition of the 401k Averages Book.

Smaller Plans Still Paying More Than Larger Plans

Although 401k fees have been declining, if you work for a small company youre probably paying higher fees in your 401k plan, said David Huntley, co-author of the 401k Averages Book. The average cost for a micro plan (10 participants and $500,000 in assets) is 1.85%, while the small plan and large plan averages are 1.25% and 0.96%, respectively. Even with small companies paying more attention to their plan fees its still more costly to deliver the services to a small number of participants.

Wide Range Between Low and High Cost Providers

The 401k marketplace has seen great changes, ranging from comprehensive 408(b)(2) fee disclosure to the delayed Fiduciary Rule. The good news is that all these actions have brought a heightened awareness to fees. The bad news is the range between the high cost and low cost providers is still wide, said Valletta. The book shows the range between the high and low total plan costs on a small plan is .46% to 1.69%, while a large plan is 0.28% to 1.21%.

About 401k Averages Book

Published since 1995, the 401k Averages Book is the only benchmarking resource book available for non-biased, comparative 401k average cost information. It's designed to provide retirement plan advisors, employers and financial professionals with essential 401k cost information needed to determine if their 401k plan costs are above or below average. The 17th Edition of the 401k Averages Book is available for $95 and can be purchased by calling (888) 401-3089 or online at http://www.401ksource.com.
Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inaveros Best of Staffing Client winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.5 times more likely to be completely satisfied with services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

Focused on building dynamic media teams for leading brands and corporations, broadcast networks and inter-governmental organizations, TeamPeople received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 70% of their clients, more than double the industrys average of 29%. Award winners make up less than 2% of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada who earned the Best of Staffing Award for service excellence. A testimonial from one of TeamPeoples clients said, This team continues to push the envelope to create consumable content that is informative, entertaining and easy to understand. I really appreciate TeamPeoples teamwork, positive energy and boundless talent!

Growing TeamPeople has been about providing exceptional service to our clients and becoming a strategic resource for building creative and technical teams. Were so happy to see our teams recognized for their efforts in such a big way, said TeamPeoples President, Genia Spencer.

"Staffing firms are giving top companies a competitive advantage as they search for talent in North America," said Inavero's CEO Eric Gregg. "The 2017 Best of Staffing winners have achieved exceptionally high levels of satisfaction and I'm proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com."

About Company:

Team People, LLC is a trusted advisor providing multimedia, engineering and AV staffing and consulting services to the best-known and well-respected organizations in the world. When the mission and message matter, brands and corporations, including broadcast networks and government agencies choose TeamPeople to build dynamic media teams for in-house studios, content creation, media and AV support, and delivery. A women-owned, WBENC certified company, TeamPeople is headquartered in the greater Washington, DC area and its services are available worldwide.

About Inavero:

Inavero administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world. Inaveros team reports on over 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and talent each year, and the company serves as the American Staffing Associations exclusive service quality partner.

About Inaveros Best of Staffing:

Inaveros Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com  an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need.
Attendees take time to network at a HIMSS event Were looking forward to diving into the critical issues affecting healthcare delivery today.

HIMSS is pleased to announce keynote speakers for the Pop Health Forum, a conference dedicated to improving care and slowing the rise in healthcare spending.

The forum, which will be held on April 3  4, 2017 at The Westin Copley Place in Boston, will bring together the nations largest group of population health experts at a time when Republicans are seeking to replace the Affordable HealthCare Act (ACA).

Noted Harvard health economist Katherine Baicker, PhD, C. Boyden Gray Professor of Health Economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who studies the impact of politics on health care policy, will deliver a keynote address called Can We Have Slower Spending Growth and Better Healthcare?

Baicker helps lead the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, a groundbreaking study that examines the effects of expanding Medicaid coverage. In her keynote, she will examine where the ACA succeeded and failed, what we can learn from the Oregon Experiment and what she considers key to delivering high-value healthcare for the money we spend.

In addition, Leora Horwitz, a Director at the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science at NYU Langone Medical Center, will deliver a keynote called How to Make Hospital Innovations Routine. Shell discuss how to use academic research to improve care, outcomes, and patient safety while addressing real-world healthcare delivery challenges like reducing readmissions, clinician communication, and patient follow-ups.

The Pop Health Forum will also feature a number of breakout sessions that focus on best practices for patient engagement, care coordination and data analytics  key factors in managing healthcare outcomes.

Sessions of note include:

Technology and Strategy: Creating the Framework for Value-Based Care

Kaiser Scales Success: From Population to Personalize Health Management

Driving Outcomes Through a Clinician Workflow-Technology Interface

Chronic Disease Management: Key Leadership Skills and Competencies for Effective Pop Health

Patient Engagement: Do You Need a Bigger Boat? Attack Plan for Telehealth Barriers

Boston is a hub for the healthcare industry, explains John Whelan, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Media. Were delighted to be returning there to host the Pop Health Forum  and were looking forward to diving into the critical issues affecting healthcare delivery today.

Visit our event website for more information or register here.

About HIMSS

HIMSS is a global voice, advisor, convener, and thought leader of health transformation through the best use of IT with a unique breadth and depth of expertise and capabilities to improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health and healthcare. Through its network of over 1 million professionals, including 64,000-plus members, HIMSS advises leaders, stakeholders and influencers globally on IT best practices to ensure decision-makers have the right information at the right time to make the right decisions. HIMSS North America, HIMSS Analytics, Personal Connected Health Alliance, HIMSS Media and HIMSS International (HIMSS Europe, HIMSS Asia and HIMSS Middle East) are the five business units of HIMSS. A not-for-profit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, HIMSS has additional offices in North America, Europe, United Kingdom, and Asia.

About HIMSS Media

HIMSS Media is the fastest growing B2B media group focused exclusively on health and technology markets. Through its suite of market-leading brands, such as Healthcare IT News, Healthcare Finance and MobiHealthNews, HIMSS Media delivers news, analysis, and must-have information to an audience of senior healthcare and technology influencers. HIMSS Media is also the leading producer of important live events, including Big Data and Healthcare Analytics Forum; Cloud Computing Forum; Digital and Personal Connected Health; Precision Medicine Summit; Privacy & Security Forum; Pop Health Forum; Revenue Cycle Solutions Summit; BrandHIT Summit.
"With Bozeman Websites, we can better serve small businesses and startups in our local community." - Joshua Reynolds, President

JTech Communications is excited to announce the launch of a new product line: Bozeman Websites.

For 20 years JTech has been a full-service web design firm, serving Bozeman, Montana and the surrounding area, and helping businesses across the country build custom solutions so they can succeed in business online.

Bozeman Websites are custom-designed, meeting any industry need with the ability to grow with a changing business. They offer the flexibility of a custom website, but are affordable for startups, non-profits, small businesses or those working with a constrained budget. All of JTechs websites are supplemented by their in-house services, including site maintenance, hosting and digital marketing, providing a lifelong partner in business.

Were super excited to introduce Bozeman Websites to serve our local community, says JTech's President, Joshua Reynolds. We believe strongly that a custom website is the right solution for all businesses and organizations. Now with Bozeman Websites, we are able to provide a completely customizable solution that allows businesses to achieve their goals online. With Bozeman Websites, we can better serve small businesses and startups in our local community and give them the same great ongoing service that we provide all of our clients.

The launch of this new product line follows closely with JTechs ideology that everyone deserves to have a custom website and digital strategy that ensures them success of for the lifetime of their business. You can learn more about Bozeman Websites at bozemanwebsites.com.

JTech Communications is based in Downtown Bozeman, Montana and can be reached at 888-586-3000 or jtech.digital.
The ethanol industry, its organizational advocates, and every corn grower have buckled their seat belt. Whether a wild ride is just accelerating or may be coasting to a stop is unknown, but it has been a bumpy ride so far for a market for one-third of the corn grown in the U.S.

A brouhaha began early last week when CEO Bob Dinneen of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced that the White House was about to issue an executive order that would substantially impact the ethanol industry in several different ways. Dinneen was particularly happy about the fact that part of the order would allow 15 percent ethanol blends to be sold in the summertime throughout the nation, instead of being restricted to a 10 percent blend in certain air quality areas. That was the good news.

The bad news was spurred by White House advisor and oil company owner Carl Icahn, who wanted to change the point of obligation, the administrative point where RINS or paper ethanol credits are bought and sold. Icahn did not want his oil company to have to do it, and wanted them shifted downstream to fuel blenders, such as Valero, or Caseys.

That was a change in policy for the ethanol industry, not only the RFA, but Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and other advocates of the corn-based, home-grown, renewable fuel. Dinneen indicated the White House executive order was a done deal and he would accept it because of the increased amount of ethanol going into motor fuel year round.

But other members of the ethanol coalition did not see it that way and the finger pointing began. Some were vocal, and angry. Some were quiet. Ethanol refiners, such as ADM, are upstream from the so-called point of obligation, and the issue may be moot for them. But many others have a different opinion.

One of the groups which has said little are the corn farmers, and not because they are getting ready to plant another corn crop. Grundy County, Ill., farmer Paul Jeschke had a good take on the issue last week when commodity groups across agriculture convened in San Antonio for their annual effort to communicate and check signals. Jeschke is chair of the Ethanol Action Team for the NCGA, and said they are all family, and in every family there are some disagreements. He added, We will work through this, but right now we are unsure of the outcome. Uncertainty is a concern.

How important is this to the corn industry? Jeschke said, The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is one of the most important economic drivers in rural America and we will continue to protect the integrity of the RFS now, and well into the future. Addressing the issue of the ethanol coalition beginning to pull apart, Jeschke said, By staying united we can and will continue to achieve our collective success.

The reason for the concern is that when the executive order was rumored about a 15 percent increase in ethanol, corn prices jumped 14 cents per bushel, and a couple hours later when the White House denied such an order was in the works, corn prices expectedly retreated. RIN prices, however, have traded with great volatility.

The only comment from the fuel consuming industry came from investor Warren Buffett, who indicated adversity to the Icahn plan, because of Buffetts ownership of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway. The BNSF would blend its own fuel because of the volume used and published reports indicate Buffetts opposition is due to the administrative costs of dealing with the trading of RINS, the paper ethanol documents that accompany each gallon

University of Illinois agricultural economist Scott Irwin, who studies the ethanol economy indicates Icahns opposition does not have any legitimate basis, because whatever RIN trading costs him, can be passed along in the form of higher prices for the oil he sells.

Because of the impact of ethanol on the demand for corn and corn prices, Jeschke and other corn farmers are hoping the bumpy ride stops. When corn prices are at 10 year lows, the current strong ethanol demand is preventing further declines.
Freirich Foods has been providing high-quality meats using the finest ingredients for more than 95 years. Four generations of our family have made sure our customers enjoy the delicious taste synonymous with Freirich.

St. Patricks Day is a time for wearing green and celebrating Irish culture with friends and family. Freirich Foodsproducer of the highest quality meats for more than 95 years, including corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, and many other specialty itemspresents tips for hosting an Irish-themed celebration everyone attending will enjoy.

Traditional Corned Beef Dinner

Celebrate the holiday serving traditional St. Patricks holiday recipes. Freirich Foods partnered with Chef and Television Host, Claire Robinson to demonstrate how easy is it to prepare the brands delicious, time-honored Traditional Corned Beef recipe. The recipe demonstration is available at http://www.freirich.com/video/.

Freirich Foods has been providing high-quality meats using the finest ingredients for more than 95 years. Four generations of our family have made sure our customers enjoy the delicious taste synonymous with Freirich, says Paul Bardinas, President and CEO. Our traditional corned beef recipe is easy to prepare because the meat comes ready to cook in water with a delicious secret spice packet. So, you can spend more time on St. Patricks Day enjoying a delicious meal with friends and family.

Freirich Foods Traditional Corned Beef comes ready to cook in water, and is available in a thick cut for extra flavor and a thin cut if a leaner option is preferred. While the corned beef is already infused with spices such as bay leaves, mustard seed and sea salt, the meat comes with an extra spice packet for those who desire additional flavor. Simply cook the corned beef for approximately three hours until it is fork tender. Claire Robinson also demonstrates how to prepare cabbage and potatoes so everyone can enjoy a complete traditional St. Patricks Day Dinner.

Freirich products are sold in supermarkets and delicatessens. To find the nearest store, please go to http://www.freirich.com/where-to-buy/.

Easy, Fun Decoration Ideas

First, stage the area with green and gold balloons, streamers, tablecloths, napkins and plates. Next, bring the celebration to life by having the guests make the decorations. To get the children into the Irish spirit, have a kids-only table they can decorate themselves. Place a large sheet of paper to cover the table and supply the kids with green markers, shamrock stickers and glitter. Paper leprechaun hats are also festive party decor and are an easy task for everyone that requires only construction paper, glue and markers.

Lucky Leprechauns Scavenger Hunt

Friends and family will feel part of Irish folklore by playing St. Patricks Day-themed games. A Lucky Leprechaun scavenger hunt for gold is a perfect game that can be played indoors or outdoors. First, purchase either gold chocolate coins or use real coins. Then, give each guest a bucket or container and send them on hunt to find as much gold as possible. The person with the most gold wins the Pot of Gold, which can be a basket of Irish-themed gifts such as a plush stuffed Leprechaun, a Celtic Music CD or Shamrock-shaped cookies.

###

About Freirich Foods

Founded in 1921, Freirich Foods is the producer of the highest quality meats, including: corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, and many other specialty items. The Freirich Family prides itself on innovation and bringing new products to the marketplace  while still maintaining decades of traditional know-how and flavor. Freirich Foods is headquartered in Salisbury, NC and has a state-of-the-art production facility on the East Coast. For more information, please visit http://www.freirich.com/.
Asons Solicitors Asons have re-focused their business plan, improving efficiency and maximising profitability whilst keeping a positive mindset in a challenging industry.

Asons Solicitors have released their mid-year figures to show how they have adapted and thrived in a legal industry which has faced many changes.

The latest figures show that as of November 2016, the firm reported six months turnover of 4.3m with a net profit of 807,753. This is in comparison to the six months to May 2016 figures, with turnover of 5.8m and a net loss of 1,050,968.

Asons attribute their recent success to an innovative business model, diversifying and focusing on immigration and serious injury.

Head of Finance Gareth Beardsworth said:

Asons have re-focused their business plan, improving efficiency and maximising profitability whilst keeping a positive mindset in a challenging industry.

The firm has reviewed its internal processes to become more streamlined. They have placed a premium on having a forward-thinking digital marketing strategy which utilises the latest online marketing and SEO techniques (that are not traditionally used by law firms) to generate more inbound enquiries.

Despite turbulent times in the legal industry, Asons is debt free. The business has also forecast a 1.7m net profit for the next financial year, an increase from 18.8% to 23%.

Gareth also said that:

Asons are a different business from just two years ago. We took a strategic turn by focusing on profitability rather than turnover. Our business has been strengthened in a way that protects us from things like the recent proposed PI reforms. We look to continue to build upon this successful transition in the years to come.
BigHand "...were seeing a ninety percent decrease in our transcription turnaround time in some cases, thanks to BigHand."

Lewis & Lewis, a personal injury law firm in upstate New York, has switched to [BigHand Professional Digital Dictation with mobility to enable their attorneys to keep work moving, even when they are out of the office. With five offices across the upstate New York region, attorneys at Lewis & Lewis are frequently traveling to multiple locations for their work. Consequently, they need the ability to quickly and seamlessly send work to support staff when they are out of the office.

Prior to BigHand, the firms attorneys had been using microcassette dictation devices. However, with their attorneys constantly traveling and attending depositions and meetings away from the office, there was a lag time in getting dictations back to their secretaries for transcription. They realized this was no longer an effective way to work.

Attorney Edward Sundquist led the firms quest for an upgraded system. Having interned during college at a company that sold dictation solutions, he had a deep understanding of the technology and he knew exactly what their firm needed. He wanted a solution that would allow the attorneys to submit recordings, documents and photos, as well as approve documents and dictations while on the go. In addition, he wanted a cloud solution that would allow them to configure their own work groups and workflow to speed administration and turnaround times. He was impressed by BigHand Professional because it was a cloud solution that provided mobile apps for smartphones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops. And unlike other options they considered, it allowed the firm to configure specific work groups and routing rules.

As a firm, Lewis & Lewis places a big priority on efficiency, and they regularly monitor and analyze their performance to ensure they provide their clients with the best value. Sundquist has been very pleased with the productivity gains theyve experienced, as well as the more streamlined workflow. He says, With BigHand, we are now able to send a dictation immediately back to the office to have someone transcribe within the next hour or two. In the past, one dictation could take up to two days to turn around with travel and work schedules. Now, were seeing a ninety percent decrease in our transcription turnaround time in some cases, thanks to BigHand.

The firm was also very happy with the ease of implementation. Sundquist commented, We were able to get all five offices up and running in less than a month. Our attorneys were even able to set it up to use in their home offices themselves. And amazingly, one of our least technical attorneys was the first to fully adopt BigHand.

About Lewis & Lewis

Lewis & Lewis is a personal injury law firm with offices in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Batavia, Jamestown and Olean, NY. With a focus on high-quality service at a fair cost, they strive to be an efficient and effective partner for their customers. They have been serving clients and helping them with their personal injury cases in the Buffalo area for over 70 years.

About BigHand

BigHand is a leading software technology company with a big difference. Established in 1996, BigHand has developed a range of speech, workflow, document creation and process improvement solutions that help our customers achieve more in less time. BigHand is based in Chicago, Eindhoven, London, Sydney, Temecula and Toronto and currently supports over 280,000 users in 2,550 global organizations.

BigHands Voice, Delegation and Improvement product suites are HIPAA compliant to protect the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI) as defined in the HITECH Act. BigHand is proud to be ISO27001 certified. For more information, visit http://www.bighand.com or follow @BigHandNA on Twitter or BigHand North America on LinkedIn.

For more information, please contact:

Jami Gyurci

Senior Marketing Manager

jami.gyurci(at)bighand(dot)com

bighand.com
Our three winners all exhibited that vital mix of having great teams, with a passion for their product and a clear vision on where they would like to take their ideas.

Digital Science, a business division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group and a leading global technology incubator focused on jumpstarting innovation in the research community, today revealed the latest winners of its prestigious Catalyst Grant award: Figures, HackScience and HipDynamics have each been awarded a grant of up to 25,000 / $30,000.

The Catalyst Grant is an international initiative to support the innovation of new software tools and technologies for research. The program supports and invests in early stage ideas in the novel use of information technology in research, with an award of up to $25,000 for the most promising ideas to aid science and further education research.



Figures: https://www.scientificfigures.co/ New York, USA

o A workflow solution to manage figure data including creation, tracking, editing and discussion - all on one platform.



HackScience: http://hackscience.io/ Researchers from Imperial College London, U.K

o A platform enabling scientists to create, share and control open and affordable lab automation tools.



HipDynamics: http://hipdynamics.com/ Researchers from Kings College London, U.K

o A data set interrogation tool in the field of cell and molecular biology.

Steve Scott, Director of Portfolio Development at Digital Science said:

"Once again, we were overwhelmed by the number of applications to this round of the Catalyst Grant. It confirms our belief that the award is much-needed in the science and research space. Our three winners all exhibited that vital mix of having great teams, with a passion for their product and a clear vision on where they would like to take their ideas. We look forward to working with them and stepping up our support of Catalyst as we move into 2017."

*Figures

Figures is a web-based, collaboration app for creating, sharing, and disseminating scientific figures and raw data. It enables efficient figure design and sharing, gives researchers the ability to add detailed metadata, and provides in-context messaging in an effort to increase communication and accelerate research data velocity for research teams. Figures also enables researchers to integrate open data preparation into the research cycle by creating web-friendly shareable figures with strong data provenance.

Founded by New York-based team Xavier Armand, Dominic Benoscek and Chuong Nguyen-Thanh, Figures will use the Catalyst Grant to continue development of an API for figure analysis and data sharing.

Xavier Armand, Co-Founder, Figures said: Someone once said that scientific publications are figures held together by text. With this in mind, were building a solution with figures as the nucleus. The goal is to enable efficient figure design, organized raw data tracking, and collaboration.

*HackScience

HackSciences platform enables scientists to find and create affordable lab automation tools. These tools are built by both HackScience and the community. Users can also use HackSciences powerful software to easily control and monitor these tools remotely, without needing to code.

Most scientists spend at least half their time in the lab on manual lab processes. Science can be accelerated if work could be automated more cheaply and efficiently. However, lab automation is currently far too expensive for academic labs. Ali Afshar and Ignacio Willats from Imperial College co-founded HackScience after realising the potential maker technology could have on accelerating science.

Ignacio Willats, Co-founder, HackScience said: We are delighted to have won the Catalyst Grant! With this we can drive the development of our first set of tools to help automate the growing and counting of cells. We look forward to working with the Digital Science team.

*HipDynamics

Kings College London born, HipDynamics is an open source, data set interrogation tool in the field of cell and molecular biology. The software facilitates data visualisation and sharing through an intuitive dashboard, contextual analyses, offering data management capabilities between users and research groups.

It is increasingly difficult to integrate data from different sources and analyse them appropriately, not just due to their sheer size, but also due to the challenges in the interoperability between tools and formats. HipDynamics enables a progressively pervasive digitisation of laboratory data.

HipDynamics was founded by Maximilian Kerz PhD Student in Dept. of Biostatistics and Health Informatics at Kings College London and Davide Danovi, lead at the HipSci Cell Phenotyping Unit at Kings College London, as a way to tackle the problems around facilitating data integration.

Maximilian Kerz, Founder of HipDynamics said: Our vision is to enable the community to fully leverage their data and improve research outcomes. This is why we are thrilled to have received a Catalyst Grant and look forward to making HipDynamics a reality.

*Notes To Editors*

The Digital Science Catalyst Grant

The Catalyst Grant is an international initiative to support the innovation of new software tools and technologies for research. The program supports and invests in early stage ideas in the novel use of information technology in research, with an award of up to 25,000 / $30,000 for the most promising ideas. To date more than $100,000 in grants has been awarded. The goal of the grant is to help entrepreneurs grow an idea from concept to prototype, working with Digital Science to refine, develop and promote their innovations to the wider scientific and technology communities.

Previous Winners

Norbert Schuff, Etalia

A platform that offers recommendations for papers and people based on a unique fingerprint generated from a researchers reference library

San Francisco based Etalia, is building a powerful cloud-based scholarly communications platform that empowers personalized literature searches and scholarly dialogues. Traditionally, scholars have limited resources to find relevant literature and to reach out beyond their peers and small networks of colleagues - often valuable intellectual input may be missed. Etalia have developed a unique digital platform that aims to make this process more efficient.

Ben Adams and Richard Hosking, Simiary

Software solution which boosts content discovery via intelligent search

Simiary is a software company that wants to improve content discovery by offering intelligent exploratory search and analysis software. The majority of scientific knowledge consists of unstructured data built for human consumption, in the form of publications, data abstracts, reports, grant submissions, blog posts, and even email mailing lists. Yet, the massive scale at which this data is generated limits what can be learnt from it. The organization of scientific knowledge has not moved with modern times so finding and understanding of relevant information from this boundless content is a problem that current tools are not equipped to manage. Simiarys unique software automatically ingests and resolves these diverse types of unstructured data and thematically contextualizes the related content. This allows their users to discover relevant information quicker, form connections, and make new insights.

Juan Castro and Alberto Villar, Writefull

An online software application which provides editing and authoring guidance to enhance academic writing.Writefull promises to help users write with more confidence by allowing them to check words and phrases against databases of correct language, such as Google Scholar and Google Books. Using Natural Language Processing to extract patterns in written language, they offer accurate grammar corrections and sentence replacements specific to academic writing. Writing strong academic texts is challenging, particularly for non-native speakers of English who make up the majority of researchers worldwide. A great deal of time can often be lost on editing and checking writing. Writefull, speeds up this process allowing researchers to work more efficiently. Writefull can be used in a researchers own working environment, as it operates in any writing tool such as Overleaf, Microsoft Word and Gmail.

Alok Tayi, TetraScience

Building a cloud-based laboratory that can accelerate scientific discovery

TetraScience is a Boston-based technology company building an open Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform to enhance productivity, safety and reproducibility. By combining wi-fi connected tools and a cloud-based software platform, scientists can monitor and control their experiments from anywhere and upload the data directly to the cloud, thereby accelerating the research process. Alok, alongside a team of serial entrepreneurs from Harvard & MIT, founded the company and explains that the Catalyst Grant funding is enabling his team to pursue their vision of a cloud-based laboratory that can dramatically accelerate scientific discovery. Digital Science has since gone on to invest in TetraScience.

Suw Charman-Anderson, Ada Lovelace Day

An international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Each year, Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) holds a flagship science cabaret event in London, whilst around the world independent groups put on their own events. This year, Ada Lovelace Day Live! will be hosted by Conway Hall, the worlds oldest surviving freethought organisation, on 13 October. ALD is also aiming to encourage over 100 grassroots events across all seven continents.

James Harwood, Penelope

Improving the quality of scientific research reporting

Penelope, a London based technology company that wants to help publishers enhance the standard of scientific research reporting. They are building an automated editorial assistant that uses machine reading to check for common reporting errors and then gives instant feedback to authors, so editors can be certain that all received submissions meet the high standards set by journals, funders and academic bodies.

Michael Schmidt, Nutonian

Creating a Robotic Scientist to See Patterns in Massive Data Sets

According to Michael Schmidt, CEO at Nutonian, Inc. and a former researcher at Cornell University, we often take the massive complexity in the world for granted. Thats why Schmidt is working on a new direction in artificial intelligence  the creation of a robotic scientist that can identify patterns in massive data sets unseen to the human eye. He and his team at Nutonian have set out to map the worlds data sets, calling it the data genome project. The goal is to collect one million data sets in the first year, analyze them in the cloud, find out what hidden equations lie in them and link them together. This innovative process will reveal road markers that will allow scientists to look back and see what they say about science and data in general. Schmidt says that the Catalyst Grant Program has been instrumental, and that we wouldnt have been able to do the project without it.

Reuben Robbins, Grantee

Transforming neurocognitive research through technology

Reuben Robbins, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University, studies the neurocognitive aspects of HIV through research and neurological testing that requires extensive manual processing. Robbins realized that the interactive nature of the electronic touchscreen could reduce most of the manual processing and an online database could make test results available to his peers globally  transforming research in the field. The new platform affords clinicians instant results and eliminates manual processing to save time and ensure consistency. According to Robbins, funding typically comes through the federal government and is a slow process. The Catalyst Grant is intellectual and emotional support with fast and flexible funding."

Nathan Jenkins and Alberto Pepe, Authorea

Dynamic content and data-driven figures for scholarly papers

Nathan Jenkins and Alberto Pepe, of the University of Geneva and Harvard University respectively, cofounded Authorea to bring the modern capabilities of the Web to the previously staid world of scholarly publishing. The Web at some level has transformed most mediums, but the scholarly paper has remained a mostly static document, until now. Authorea allows researchers to dynamically present insights and collaborate on research data in real-time, and gives readers the ability to interact with source data directly. For the first time, scientists will be able to not only read a scholarly piece, but easily understand how the researchers came to their conclusions based on the data, and use it themselves in future studies.

Digital Science is a technology company serving the needs of scientific and research communities, at the laboratory bench or in a research setting. It invests in and incubates scientific software companies that simplify the research cycle, making more time for discovery. Its portfolio companies and investments include a host of leading and admired brands including Altmetric, BioRAFT, Figshare, GRID, Labguru, Peerwith, Overleaf, ReadCube, Symplectic, TetraScience, Transcriptic, and UberResearch. It is operated by global media company, the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. Visit http://www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on Twitter.
Lucas Group I am confident Nicks robust financial skillset and exceptional business acumen will play an integral role in reaching our financial objectives and goals

Lucas Group, the premier executive recruiting firm in North America, is pleased to announce the addition of Nick Blanchard, who recently joined the Lucas Group team as Accounting Manager. Within his role, he will be responsible for helping manage and perform daily, monthly and annual accounting tasks and initiatives, along with spearheading multiple projects and software enhancements.

I am confident Nicks robust financial skillset and exceptional business acumen will play an integral role in reaching our financial objectives and goals, said Mark Hinshaw, Vice President of Finance for Lucas Group. With more than six years of industry experience, Nick is poised to make an impactful contribution to our business, offering valuable insight to help refine our accounting programs to ensure accurate and timely reporting, as well as promoting strategic long-term financial successes.

Blanchard, a Georgia Certified Public Accountant (CPA), brings a wealth of financial expertise and accounting knowledge, primarily in process development and improvement and financial reporting and budgeting. Previously at VMware Airwatch, he managed key accounting system operations, implemented a new company internal audit self-testing model and performed monthly invoicing, purchasing and reporting on cost-savings opportunities and project-cost accounting.

Nick possesses the willingness, aptitude and high-level mindset to resolve operational and systematic challenges for improving accounting practices and procedures. He will be an instrumental asset to our teams success, said Hinshaw. Lucas Group continues to experience consistent growth, and we need remarkable, transcendent talent to facilitate that growth.

In addition to his professional experience, Blanchard is an active participant on the Young Professional Board (YPB) for the University of Alabamas Culverhouse School of Accountancy and a student mentor for Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School.

Blanchard, an Alabama native, holds a Masters of Accountancy and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from The University of Alabama.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Lucas Group recruiters operate out of 15 offices located throughout the U.S. This allows them the opportunity for national reach coupled with expert, localized search techniques. Since 1970, Lucas Group has been working with mid-tier to Fortune 500 corporations nationwide to address critical hiring needs with transcendent talent. The team of recruiters specializes in seven practice areas: Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Manufacturing, Military Transition and Sales & Marketing. Using sophisticated search methods and innovative technology, Lucas Group recruiters are able to uncover hard-to-find talent for challenging and complex positions.

About Lucas Group

Lucas Group is North Americas premier executive search firm. Since 1970, our culture and methodologies have driven superior results. We assist clients ranging in size from small to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies find transcendent, executive talent; candidates fully realize their ambitions; and associates find professional success. To learn more, please visit Lucas Group at http://www.lucasgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Sara Lazar PhD American Meditation Institute After eight weeks of meditation we have found increases in gray matter density in several brain regions in meditators as compared to the controls. --- Sara Lazar PhD

Noted neuroscientist, brain scan researcher and meditator Sara Lazar, PhD will join the faculty of The American Meditation Institute (AMI) for a 30 credit hour mind/body medicine CME conference on meditation, gentle yoga and diaphragmatic breathing for physicians and other health care professionals, October 24-28, 2017 at the Cranwell Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts. Entitled "The Heart and Science of Yoga, this comprehensive training, accredited through the Albany Medical College Office of Continuing Medical Education, is designed to help relieve physician stress and burnout.

Now in its ninth year of providing physicians continuing medical education credits, this unique curriculum of Yoga Science as holistic mind/body medicine will present an in-depth study of practical meditation and yogic skills designed to help relieve physician and patient burnout by reducing their allostatic loadthe physiological consequences of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine responses resulting from chronic stress.

Presenter Sara Lazar PhD, is an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sara Lazar is a Board member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and is a contributing author to Meditation and Psychotherapy. As a leading neuroscientist in the field, her team was the first to show how meditation and yoga influence both brain structure and human behavior.

Dr. Lazar has been practicing yoga and meditation since 1994. The focus of her scientific research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of meditation and yoga, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. One main focus of her work has been to determine how meditation and yoga influence brain structure, and how these changes influence behavior.

In Lazars 2005 study her team was the first to show how long-term meditation practice correlates with cortical thickening in brain areas associated with attention, sensory processing, and interoception (the awareness someone has about the physiological state of their body). In a 2011 paper, she found that people who learned meditation for the first time in an eight-week course had increases in gray matter concentration in areas of the brain associated with "learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking."

Dr. Lazars participation at this years Heart and Science of Yoga conference will include a lecture entitled Meditation and Neuroplasticity." In describing her research, Dr. Lazar explains that, We use neuroimaging techniques to study neurological, cognitive and emotional changes associated with the practice of meditation and yoga. We also incorporate measures of peripheral physiology, such as breathing and heart beat, in order to understand how meditation practice influences the brain-body interaction.

The entire curriculum of this CME conference is dedicated to providing quality, comprehensive and evidence-based education to physicians and other health care providers on Yoga Science as mind/body medicine. In addition to neuroplasticity, topics this year will include mantra meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, Yoga Psychology, the chakra system as a diagnostic tool, mind function optimization, trauma, PTSD, relieving physician burnout, resilience, Functional Medicine, Epigenomics, Ayurveda, easy-gentle yoga and lymph system detoxification.

According to last years attendee, Janine Pardoe MD, Board Certified Internist of Wellesley, Massachusetts, This was my second time I attended this conference. Its been the most influential factor in transforming my life and medical practice. It should be a medical school requirement.

Recent graduate, Joel M. Kremer, MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and practicing in Albany, New York, described his experience with the conference as follows: This teaching has been an enormous benefit in my personal and professional life. I have less stress, more focus, and am able to serve my patients with greater clarity. It becomes surprisingly easy now to recognize the many clinical situations in which patients with somatic manifestations of 'dis-ease' could greatly benefit from Yoga Science.

About the American Meditation Institute

The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, meditation and its allied disciplines as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of classes, retreats, and teacher training programs. AMI also publishes Transformation a bi-monthly journal of meditation as holistic mind/body medicine. Call 518.674.8714 for a mail or email subscription.

Media Contact:

Robert Washington

60 Garner Road

Averill Park, NY 12018

Tel: 518.674.8714

Fax: 518.674.8714
Cruise Planners has expanded its Veterans Initiative to now include all Armed Forces (active and retired) and the First Responder Community since it offers the ideal home-based franchise business. Armed forces personnel and first responders are ideal for our franchise model because their leadership skills and our on-the-job training allow them to run their own business, without needing travel experience, said Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners.

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, the nations largest home-based travel agency franchise network in the industry, is recognized by Franchise Business Review for its commitment to transitioning, training and supporting veterans, the active military community and their spouses. Franchise Business Review is a national franchise market research firm that provides industry benchmarks for franchisee satisfaction. The recognition identifies Cruise Planners as a Top Franchise for Veteran s showing that the company is an outstanding brand evaluated by those who know the company bestthe franchise owners. The company recently expanded its military incentive program to include Armed Forces and First Responders.

We know that armed forces personnel and first responders are ideal for our franchise model as their leadership skills and our on-the-job training allow them to run their own business, without needing travel experience, said Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. We are committed to helping the military and public service communities transition to civilian life by being small business owners and entrepreneurs using the Cruise Planners business model.

Cruise Planners recently revamped its Armed Forces and First Responders Initiative Program, which is dedicated to making it easy for the entire military and first responder community to combine their passion for travel and entrepreneurial spirit. The program includes up to $4,000 in benefits, incorporating additional tools for success such as a marketing credit, more than 25 percent in savings, free Cruise Planners military or first responders postcard and allowing an additional attendee to the Cruise Planners six-day training program. The wealth of support and benefits that Cruise Planners offers has helped the military community to account for nearly 20 percent of Cruise Planners franchise owners. People with a passion for travel and a connection to the military should become a work from home travel agent with Cruise Planners.

Cruise Planners Franchise Owner, Russ Russell, is a United States Veteran who was able to combine his military experience and passion for travel and turn it into a lucrative small business.

With the right training and support, you can sell travel and be successful, and I knew my passion for travel would be a recipe for success, says Russ Russell, U.S. Veteran and Cruise Planners franchise owner. The path to building a successful business is not an expressway; its more like a meandering country road that eventually gets you where you want to go so long as you have the right map to guide you. Cruise Planners provides a turn-key, business-in-a-box strategy to make me successful.

Cruise Planners gave Russell the tools, guidance and support to become a travel professional and an expert in his field. He then took his military training and utilized it to become successful just a few short years. Those with a connection to the military or first responders looking to become a travel agent should consider investing in a Cruise Planners franchise.

About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nations largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 1,800 franchise owners who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients. The Florida-based Home Office Team positions a nation-wide network of franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing, booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industrys top executives. The company continues to be lauded and has been named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 14 consecutive years. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, has been ranked as the #1 travel franchise by Franchise Business Review for 6 years in a row, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel since it started ranking companies.

Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. with more than 22 years of experience, Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line. Accolades include numerous Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly, American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for 13 consecutive years (2004-2016), American Express Agency of the Year (2010), Royal Caribbean International Chairmans Award (2015), Royal Caribbean International Presidents Award for Overall Achievement (2012 and 2014), Royal Caribbean International Home-Based Partner of the Year (2007-2013), Norwegian Cruise Line Elite Agency of the Year (2016), Norwegian Cruise Line Franchise Agency of the Year (2011-2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Partner of the Year (2016), Celebrity Cruises Field Sales Account of the Year (2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Account of the Year (2013-2014) and Celebrity Cruises Southeast Region Travel Agent Partner of the Year (2010), Travel Impressions Best of the Best Globe Award (2008-2016), Sandals Top Host  Worldwide, Globus Family of Brands Premier Agency Partner (2009-2016), Platinum Circle Member with Viking River Cruises (2009-2015), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Top Producer (2008-2014) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Top Producer. Cruise Planners is one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, has been named one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com.

Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room, following us on Twitter @Cruisitude or on Facebook. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit the Cruise Planners franchise website at http://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.
After a comprehensive business process review, we determined Softdocs was the right partner based on its education focus and willingness to work with us to address our challenges - Scott ONeil, MCCs Assistant Dean, Enrollment Management

In an effort to give self-service capabilities to students and reduce paper touchpoints between offices at its two campuses, Middlesex Community College (MCC) and Softdocs today announced the successful deployment of Etrieve by Softdocs, an enterprise content management, e-forms and workflow platform. Bridging operations including financial aid, admissions and enrollment management between two campuses in Lowell and Bedford, Mass., MCC required a solution that could digitize processes and alleviate the growing amount of paperwork.

Up until now, all of our business processes have relied on an intensive amount of paper and multiple touchpoints. After a comprehensive business process review, we determined Softdocs was the right partner based on its education focus and willingness to work with us to address our challenges, said Scott ONeil, MCCs Assistant Dean, Enrollment Management. Following the deployment of Etrieve Content in December, our staff is already seeing a return in terms of increased productivity and less time spent retrieving paper records. Regardless of technical experience, each staff member has been able to easily utilize Softdocs web-based interface and access student documents from their desktops.

In the late spring, Softdocs will deploy its Etrieve Forms and Flow solutions, enabling students and administrators to access, track and complete web-based e-forms from any device, significantly decreasing time to completion and increasing efficiency. This will ultimately support the colleges goal of increasing the persistence, retention and completion rates of its students. MCC will also implement Etrieve throughout its Finance and HR operations later this year.

The Etrieve platform offers ERP-integrated applications that store and organize content, as well as redefine common business processes, reducing the need for paper and improving productivity across the entire organization. For more information, please visit softdocs.com.

About Softdocs:

Softdocs develops enterprise content management, e-forms and workflow solutions exclusively for the higher education and K-12 markets. The companys Etrieve platform redefines business processes, reducing the need for paper and improving student service and employee productivity by providing educational institutions complete control over how content is captured, processed and distributed. A privately held company founded in 1998, Softdocs is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.softdocs.com.
The use of Social Media has become a common aspect of our daily lives  both private and in our business dealings. But there are many unanswered questions about the myriad aspects we take for granted, which could very well lead to legal complications.

Specialty Technical Publishers have announced the release of a new publication for the evolving field of U.S. Social Media Law. Social media now permeates most aspects of life and has become a vital tool in business too, used for everything from communicating with customers to hiring. Use of social media has outpaced regulation and users may find themselves unclear or even unaware of the legal implications of using it professionally.

The interaction between social media law and business law is of particular interest to business owners and managers who increasingly use social media and who need advice on a wide range of issues including consumer protection law, privacy, security, endorsements and promotions.

Use of social media raises many legal questions, for example:



What are the legal risks for businesses using social media information to hire employees?

Who owns intellectual property posted on social media?

What security precautions should employers take to prevent security breaches on social media?

Can employers discipline employees for off-duty conduct such as social media posts?

Can employers request employees social media log-in information?

What are the best practices in drafting a workplace social media policy?

What type of employee speech on social media is protected by law?

Is social media information discoverable in litigation?

What happens to social media assets when the account holder dies?

U.S. Social Media Law covers some international law but the laws and cases are mostly from the United States. However, as each country seeks to create a legal structure to govern the Internet nationally, its lawmakers inevitably look to existing law elsewhere. The publication includes a section on international law where some of the non-U.S. trends and laws are discussed.

Intellectual Property, of particular interest to business owners and managers, is also covered. Issues discussed include how courts have assessed copyright infringement and the fair use doctrine on social media. The publication also covers upcoming developments in social media and includes four how to checklists:

Review of Social Media

Developing a Social Media Policy

Planning for Disposition of Digital Estate

Guidelines for Online Sweepstakes and Contests

This guide is available online for US$89 and is also a new chapter in STP's publication Internet Law: The Complete Guide.

Steve Britten, President of Specialty Technical Publishers notes:

The use of Social Media has become a common aspect of our daily lives  both private and in our business dealings. But there are many unanswered questions about the myriad aspects we take for granted, which could very well lead to legal complications. This publication is the ideal starting point for company officers, legal counsel, and human resources professionals. Based on the laws of the United States many of the issues are universal, and this publication will be of value to business professionals in other countries.

About the Authors

Eric P. Robinson, JD, PhD is an attorney and scholar focused on legal issues involving the media, including the Internet and social media. He is currently assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina, focusing on media law and ethics. Previously he taught media law and ethics at Louisiana State University, the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism, Baruch College (CUNY), and the University of Nevada, Reno. He was also co-director of the Press Law and Democracy Project at Louisiana State University and deputy director of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Courts and Media. He has worked of counsel to the Counts Law Group, as an affiliate scholar with the Digital Media Law Project at Harvard Law Schools Berkman Center for Internet and Society, as a staff attorney at the Media Law Resource Center, and as a legal fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Eric has published articles in several academic, legal, and professional journals, as well as several books and encyclopedias, and blogged for Harvard Law Schools Berkman Center for Internet and Society. He has also spoken at conferences and been interviewed on issues involving new media and technology, including by the Boston Globe, Associated Press, Oregon Public Radio, and The New York Times.

Michael J. Lambert, JD, DCL, received a Juris Doctor, Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, and Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and journalism from Louisiana State University. He currently serves as a judicial clerk at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He held the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Legal Fellowship at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D.C., where he submitted amicus briefs on behalf of the press to courts throughout the country, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh and Ninth Circuits as well as the California and Missouri Supreme Courts. His briefs tackled Internet law topics such as online speech, Sec. 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the right to be forgotten, and the application of anti-SLAPP statutes. He also guest-lectured graduate journalism classes at Georgetown University on the First Amendment and obscenity.

Michael worked for Harvard Universitys Berkman Center for Internet & Society at the Digital Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic. There, he contributed to an international report on online intermediary liability and drafted a case study on the Espionage Act and WikiLeaks.

Michaels writings have appeared in numerous publications. He published a Comment in the Louisiana Law Review on the First Amendment implications of a recently enacted statute and a piece for the Interdisciplinary Internet Institute on the U.S. Supreme Court case of Elonis v. United States. Before pursuing a legal career, he wrote extensively as a reporter for The Daily Reveille newspaper. He is licensed to practice law in the state of Louisiana and is a member of the American Bar Associations Forum on Communications Law and Section of Intellectual Property Law.

About Specialty Technical Publishers

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.
Netelligent is in an ideal position of offer security products and services to mid-market businesses," Ron Burley, Director, Security - Systems Engineering.

Netelligent Corporation, a leading technology solutions provider, announced today the addition of two leaders in sales and security as the company continues to grow to meet its growing demands. Steve Busselman returns to Netelligent as the Area Vice President of Sales, and Ron Burley leads and directs the Security Engineering practice.

Busselman believes in and commits to tight alignment between sales and marketing. After a two-year hiatus from the company, Busselman returns. I have worked with and consulted for many of our competitors and business partners throughout the region, Busselman shares. I can say without hesitation that Netelligent is a dominant leader in every facet of this industry. He continues, Time is the great equalizer. Whom we chose to spend our time with and how much time we spend with them can have a very diverse impact on what can and cannot be accomplished.

Burley with 15 years in security advisory services and a trifecta of creating and growing national multi-million dollar security services teams joins Netelligent to add another protective layer in todays cybersecurity marketing. Theres a gap for strong, actionable services for the mid-tier market to assist with security concerns. In the security realm help is either too advanced and expensive or too simplistic and ineffective, Burley states. Netelligent is in an ideal position to offer the products and services that mid-market businesses need while still understanding the business impact. We are large enough to be fiscally secure, and small and agile enough to help secure the customer exactly.

Aaron Stone, CEO/President shares, Steve and Ron bring talent, maturity and experience to Netelligent as we continue to look for ways to optimize our clients businesses and help them succeed in ways never before imaginable.

ABOUT NETELLIGENT: Netelligent Corporation is a technology solutions company. Netelligent provides companies with the basic technologies they need to run their business (phone system, servers/virtualization, disaster recovery, security, networking, and video). Our mission is to help elevate business above technology. We take a neutral approach in helping to determine what IT consumption model best benefits each clients organization (on-premises, managed, or cloud). Founded in 2003, Netelligent is headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri and operates two data centers located in Colorado and Missouri. Netelligent is a Cisco Gold Partner and SOC II Certified. Additional information about Netelligent can be found on their website http://www.netelligent.com.
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We chose Merlot Marketing because they immediately understood who we are as a region and had great strategies on how to tell our story...

Merlot Marketing, a national public relations, branding and social media agency, has won a competitive pitch for El Dorado Winery Association (EDWA). EDWA is an association of over 30 wineries located in scenic El Dorado County in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

TWEET THIS: .@MerlotMarketing named agency of record for @ElDoradoWines. #Marketing #PR #Winery #Wine

In close partnership with EDWA, Merlot Marketing will manage all facets of branding, messaging, strategy, public relations and social media supporting the associations initiative to reach a broader market of wine enthusiasts. The new messaging platform  aimed at those who want to venture off the beaten path for an authentic wine tasting experience  will be unveiled this spring. Thanks to unique terrain of varying altitudes and multiple microclimates, the county grows more varietals than any other place in the world, making it a wine tasting destination unlike any other.

We chose Merlot Marketing because they immediately understood who we are as a region and had great strategies on how to tell our story, said Carey Skinner, president at El Dorado Winery Association. Their successful track record in consumer marketing and their expertise in branding and storytelling will help us share our message across digital, social and traditional media platforms.

We are honored that the El Dorado Winery Association selected our agency to showcase its talented winemakers and award-winning varietals, said Debi Hammond, CEO of Merlot Marketing. Tasting wine can be so much more than just sipping and buying; it can be an adventure, and our agency is excited about the opportunity to tell this regions amazing story.

About Merlot Marketing

For more than 15 years, Merlot Marketing has helped companies rediscover their brand position through its exclusive REDiscover process. Headquartered in Northern California, Merlot Marketing is an award-winning, national agency that specializes in marketing strategy, public relations, social media, advertising and digital communications. Think RED. Think Passion. Discover Merlot at merlotmarketing.com or call 916-285-9835.

About El Dorado Winery Association

El Dorado Winery Association (EDWA) is dedicated to representing the unified interests of its members and nationally promoting El Dorado County as a high quality wine production and tasting destination. The region is home to more than 2,000 acres of vines and approximately 70 family-owned wineries. Its multifaceted terrain features three distinct climate zones and hundreds of microclimates ranging in elevation from 1,200 to 3,500 feet, which allows winemakers to grow more than 70 grape varietalsthe largest, most diverse selection in the world. El Dorado County has been Californias most unique destination for adventurous wine enthusiasts since the first vineyard was planted in 1849, and its wineries have received more gold awards per winery capita than any other region in California State Fair history. Wine. Altitude. Adventure. For more information on EDWA and its members, visit EldoradoWines.org.

Related Links:


Plant Therapy's Lucky Synergy 10 ml + Scratch & Win Card The Lucky scratch-off card is something truly fun and unique, and the response has already been fantastic.

Plant Therapy, the fastest-growing essential oil company in the U.S., has released a new essential oil synergy in honor of St. Patricks Day. The blend, aptly called Lucky, has a fresh, citrusy scent with a hint of mint. Each order of the new Lucky blend will come with a scratch-off card revealing one of many Plant Therapy product prizes and discounts.

Our holiday promotions are always popular, said Chris Jones, President of Plant Therapy. The Lucky scratch-off card is something truly fun and unique, and the response has already been fantastic.

Lucky Synergy is a brand-new product that joins Plant Therapys line of essential oils and essential oil synergies. Plant Therapys team of Certified Aromatherapists designed Lucky Synergy to freshen a room, refresh the senses and give a feeling of confidence and motivation. It is the perfect scent to welcome springtime and celebrate St. Patricks Day. The essential oil blend can be diffused into the air, added to a foot bath or diluted and applied as a massage oil. Lucky Synergy is KidSafe, meaning it is safe to use on and around children ages 2 and above.

Every purchase of Lucky comes with a St. Patricks Day scratch & win card, and every card is a winner. Prizes include discounts at PlantTherapy.com, gift cards, free essential oil sets and free Plant Therapy Oil of the Month subscriptions. The promotion will continue until St. Patricks Day or until supplies last.

About Plant Therapy

Founded in 2011, Plant Therap y is a leading supplier of essential oils and accessories. Based in Twin Falls, Idaho, we provide the absolute highest-quality essential oils and are committed to educating our customers on their uses, safety and efficacy. Our products include organic essential oils, carrier oils, blends, KidSafe Synergies and pre-diluted roll-ons as well as accessories such as diffusers, books and natural body care. Visit us at http://www.planttherapy.com.
FireflySci Inc. is a fiery company that continues to deliver explosive products and innovations to the cuvette and the photometric accuracy markets. In 2016, FFS released over a dozen new products that filled in much needed gaps in the spectroscopy field. Now in 2017 they are continuing with this positive momentum and blasting out more value added products and services for their customers.

One amazing contribution that FireflySci has made was their introduction of the only solid-state NIST traceable photometric accuracy standards in the world that do not need re-calibration. FFS designed a way to lock in the properties of neutral density glass so that re-calibration was no longer necessary. This process stops the aging of the glass and saves researchers time and money from having to get their standards re-calibrated.

Many labs have upgraded to the FFS standards but their lab protocols require them to send out photometric accuracy standards every so often for re-calibration. The great news for these labs is that FireflySci has the fastest re-calibration service in the world. The typical lead-time for a FFS re-calibration is about two weeks, which blows away the industry standard of six weeks.

FireflySci is able to accomplish such lighting fast lead times because they are the only spectrophotometer calibration manufacturer in the world with a re-calibration lab in North America. All other calibration standard manufacturers have to send out their standards to labs overseas to get the work done. This can be a hassle especially when packages are tagged by customs adding days or even weeks of precious time to the delivery time.

Another strong point about FireflyScis re-calibration service is the rock-bottom pricing. Since the FFS photometric calibration lab is located in Canada it gives FFS two powerful advantages. The first is that there are no duties and taxes thanks to NAFTA. The second is that there is virtually no downtime in sending standards to the Canadian lab because the package arrives in one business day. These advantages give Firefly an ironclad lock on all US re-calibrations.

In addition to the facts above, many customers have chosen FFS over other companies simply because of their honest, hardworking customer service representatives. FFS is run by real people with families who understand how people need to be treated and they deliver this in abundance to their customers.

FireflySci welcomes all universities and companies to come take advantage of their awesome re-calibration service and put them to the test.

For more information please visit http://www.fireflysci.com/recalibration/
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that David A. Newman, who previously served as Associate Counsel to President Obama and in key positions on the staff of the National Security Council, has joined the firm as of counsel. Among his many roles in the White House, Mr. Newman advised the president and senior staff on high-profile counterterrorism legal and policy matters and played a vital part in coordinating the Administrations responses to domestic and international crises.

Mr. Newman will work closely with John P. Carlin, former Assistant Attorney General for National Security, the U.S. Department of Justices (DOJ) top-ranking national security lawyer. Mr. Carlin joined Morrison & Foerster in January and counsels clients on crisis management strategies as well as issues related to national security, including foreign investment approvals and cybersecurity.

I collaborated with David on numerous initiatives while we were both in government positions and am delighted that our clients will now benefit from the outstanding credentials that he brings to Morrison & Foerster, said Mr. Carlin, co-chair of Morrison & Foersters National Security Group and chair of its Global Risk + Crisis Management Practice. David has an extensive breadth of knowledge across national security, crisis management, emerging cyber threats, and sanctionsas well as a strong background in litigationthat make him an invaluable resource.

Mr. Newman most recently served in the White House Counsels Office as special assistant to the president and associate counsel to the president. Previously, Mr. Newman held multiple positions on the National Security Council staff including as Director for Counterterrorism and Chief of Staff for the Office of the Ebola Response Coordinator. While at the White House, he advised on a range of complex matters affecting the federal government, overseeing a broad portfolio that included national security matters, crisis response and preparedness, and data and technology initiatives, as well as criminal justice reform and civil rights litigation. Prior to his tenure at the White House, Mr. Newman served at DOJ as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security where he helped manage the National Security Division, regularly coordinated White House and congressional briefings, and counseled senior officials at DOJ and across the government on counterterrorism, sanctions, and surveillance programs and on matters before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Before joining DOJ, Mr. Newman was a law clerk for the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Newman joins four other Supreme Court clerks already with Morrison & Foerster. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A. from Columbia University.

I have heard great things about Morrison & Foerster and am pleased to join a firm that has a strong platform across so many different practices, said Mr. Newman. I look forward to working closely with John again, as well my new colleagues, in helping our clients navigate pressing national security-related challenges ranging from the risks of cyber threats to the implications of proposed transactions involving non-U.S. companies or investors to implementing appropriate compliance programs.

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerster  a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its lists of most innovative law firms in North America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Bankruptcy and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.
The United Servicers Association Partnership Award recognizes commitment to exceptional service training and technical support. A critical part of the ultra-premium consumer experience is having great post-purchase service that supports the excellent products we manufacture. -Chuck Huebner, Dacor President and CEO

Dacor, a leading manufacturer of ultra-premium kitchen appliances, received the 2017 United Servicers Association (USA) Partnership Award for its commitment to providing exceptional service training and technical support to business owners and servicers in the appliance industry. The United Servicers Association presented the award to Dacors regional technical managers during the Annual Service Training Institute (ASTI) conference held February 8-11, 2017 in San Diego, California in front of more than 600 servicers and business professionals. Dacor has been honored every year since the awards inception in 2013.

We are pleased to be recognized by the United Servicers Association as an outstanding service partner for the fifth consecutive year, said Dacor President and CEO Chuck Huebner. A critical part of the ultra-premium consumer experience is having great post-purchase service that supports the excellent products we manufacture. At Dacor, we strive to have a team that is well trained, on-time and exceeds expectations.

TWEET THIS: For the fifth consecutive year @Unitedserviceas presents Partnership Award to @DacorKitchen #ASTI2017 http://bit.ly/1kMsIT5

Dacor consistently displays a commitment to quality training that produces exceptional results for the customer experience, said Sarah Brown, executive director of the United Servicers Association. Were excited to present them with the Partnership Award for the fifth year in a row, a valid measure of their ongoing efforts to provide outstanding technical training in the industry.

The United Servicers Association offers training to business owners and appliance servicers, and it grants its Partnership Award to companies that participate in its Annual Service Training Institute and demonstrate outstanding service training and support. Dacor previously received the Partnership Award in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

About Dacor

Founded in 1965, Dacor is a leading manufacturer of ultra-premium kitchen appliances. Designed and built in California, Dacors cooking appliances integrate function and technology to create high-performing, intuitive products that reflect the lifestyle and needs of the passionate cook. Dacor is also the first and only ultra-premium appliance brand to be tested and recommended by the Master Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu. Le Cordon Bleu is considered the worlds most respected culinary arts and hospitality educator. Dacor's full-suite of award-winning appliances include ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, refrigeration, ventilation and wine preservation. The company is responsible for many of the innovations that have improved the way people cook in the modern kitchen. http://www.dacor.com

About United Servicers Association

United Servicers Association (USA) is a non-profit trade association for appliance service professionals that provides services and programs that assist members in building strong businesses in North America's competitive environment. Along with conferences such as the Annual Service Training Institute (ASTI), USA provides educational programs, government lobbying, and a variety of management, marketing and operational programs to support professionals in the servicer industry. http://www.unitedservicers.com
Jack Holmes, 10-4 Systems Chairman of the Board

Boulder-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) company 10-4 Systems announces Jack Holmes as the new Chairman of the Board. After serving on the companys board since July, the move to Chairman adds to Holmes distinguished career in the freight transportation industry  he served as President of UPS Freight from 2007-2016 and was co-chair of the U.S. Department of Transportations National Freight Advisory Committees Conditions, Performance and Data Subcommittee under U.S. Secretaries of Transportation Ray LaHood and Anthony Foxx.

We are excited to make this announcement, says Travis Rhyan, President and CEO of 10-4 Systems. Jack has the leadership, business ethic, and strategic guidance needed for 10-4 to evolve as the premiere software technology provider in the transportation visibility space.

Holmes, whose UPS career began in 1979 when he was a package handler, is currently an Advisory Board Member at tech innovator LinkLabs and has also served on the Board of the American Transportation Research Institute for the past five years.

Reflecting on the chairmanship and his relationship with the executive team at 10-4, Holmes says, Taking on this role is a privilege for me. I have been watching this company grow over the past seven months, and everything I have seen tells me that we are not only delivering the kind of innovation that freight transportation sorely needs, but that the technology we have developed drives bottom line performance for carriers, shippers, brokers, and 3PLs. The team here is outstanding, and the opportunity to work with both Travis Rhyan and Loren Burnett is a huge honor for me. We all share the same values in business, which was a big draw for me.

10-4s executive team includes Travis Rhyan, President and CEO; Loren Burnett, COO and CFO; Gordy Ferguson, EVP of Business Development; Jeremy Estep, EVP of Sales; Jim Heide, VP of Administration; and Nick Cheever, VP of Technology.

About 10-4 Systems

10-4 is redefining the future of freight execution with intelligent Supply Chain Visibility that delivers real-time visibility and streamlined communication. Our software connects shippers, carriers, brokers, and 3PLs with smart data that reimagines the transportation process. Our goal is to drive efficiencies across the global supply chain and to transform the customer experience across the industry. For more information, visit http://www.10-4.com.
Products have to pass a rigorous quality assessment process and get a grade accordingly, says Albert Mita

By 2018, a third of the worlds population is anticipated to own a smartphone, which translates to a staggering 2.53-Billion smartphone users in the world. Each new smartphone model that is released by major manufacturer causes a ripple effect into existing markets. This upward trend has caused a domino effect in mobile payments, wearable tech, accessories, and device redistribution channels as well.

Redistribution channels give smartphones and tablets their second and possibly third life, says Albert Mita, CEO of Phantom Communications. The 14-year industry veteran has posed his Brooklyn based smartphone and tablet distribution company to capitalize on the innovation of tech giants like Apple and Samsung.

Ride-sharing apps, restaurants, educators, and shopping centers are a few of our clients, says Mita. The company acquires smartphone and tablet products in bulk and sells it to other interested clients. Consumers are intrigued by the fact that their old phones might be used by their Lyft/Uber or by the server taking their order at a restaurant. After acquiring the devices, the quality of each device is analyzed and then further sold to various companies that arent keen to pay top dollar for the latest model but willing to pay less for a slightly older model that gets the job done. Some even consider this the hidden industry within the wireless business, explains Albert, but in no way is it small.

Products have to pass a rigorous quality assessment process and get a grade accordingly, says Mita, referring to the various letter grades his company gives each phone. Maintaining the quality of the electronic devices is a crucial part the redistribution business. Factors like pricing, client relations, and company integrity depend on it. Furthermore, governing authorities have awarded companies like Phantom Communications with certifications for their quality control management systems helping them stand out in the wireless industry. We have been seeing a consistent 30% yearly increase in our distribution capacity and there are no signs of it slowing down, said Albert. See his article about the emerging trends here.

About Phantom Communications:

Phantom Communications partners with manufacturers, operators, distributors, service centers, and retailers to turn inventory challenges into business opportunities. We specialize in the redistribution of new and pre-owned phones, tablets, accessories, and other wireless equipment.

Our partners leverage our programs such as Asset Recovery, Buyback Programs, OEM Value Added Distribution, Open Market Programs, Device Services and Device Diagnostics to improve their bottom line. Our commitment to operational excellence has inspired us to apply for ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 and R2:2013 certifications.

Phantom Communications is a privately held company which began operations in 2012. We are headquartered in Brooklyn, NY.

Website http://www.phantomcomm.com
How to start manufacturing in Mexico Taking the tour as a team helped our organization in a decisive manner and move from the visionary stage into a real and actual world class incremental analysis solution...

Co-Production International (CPI) announces its next Mexico manufacturing tour coming up this March 16th. With international trade and NAFTA effects in the headlines, more and more manufacturers are considering manufacturing in Mexico to remain competitive and increase profit margins. Over 1,000 foreign manufacturers are operating in Baja California and are showing no signs of slowing down despite US President Trumps recent rhetoric about NAFTA. It is more clear now than ever that manufacturing in Mexico will always be strong.

We really have President Trump to thank for all the recent attention. Even we as an industry have taken a deeper dive into analyzing the effects of NAFTA and have found that the US and Mexico relationship is not simply defined as trading partners. Our countries are and have been co-producing together even before NAFTA. Our relationship is deeply woven together after 50 years of international trade strengthening and benefiting both countries, says Denisse Martinez, Marketing Manager and organizer of the CPI Baja Industrial Tours.

What weve discovered is that once you educate manufacturers and give them a chance to see it first hand, they realize their opportunity for growth on both sides of the border. They finish the tour blown away by the numbers: the lower labor costs for the same quality of work and more importantly the sophistication in the daily flow of trade and products going back and forth in supplies and finished products, says Martinez.

CPIs one-day manufacturing tours to Mexico bring US manufacturing companies to see world class operations in the northern border region of Baja California. At no-cost, manufacturers are picked up in San Diego and spend the day in an education session and visit various types of industrial plants and sites. They also have the opportunity to speak with plant managers asking questions about their personal experience in manufacturing in the region. They finish the day enjoying Bajas delicious regional cuisine and tasting award winning wines.

Taking the tour as a team helped our organization in a decisive manner and move from the imaginary and visionary stage into a real and actual world class incremental analysis solution. It provided synergy to step into the real and actual opportunity that manufacturing in Tijuana represents, said Danny Viales, Plant Manager for an aftermarket exhaust systems company and former attendee of CPIs Industrial Tours.

Baja California boasts a strong, over 200,000-person workforce dedicated to the electronics, medical device, aerospace and defense, automotive and plastic injection molding industries. With many of its universities and technical schools funneling engineers and highly educated talent into manufacturing, industrial tour attendees leave confident their proprietary and innovative products will be just as designed and specified. Manufacturers are also finding additional cost savings in the currency exchange between the US Dollar and Mexican Peso in materials and supplies purchasing.

As with past CPI Baja Industrial Tours, space fills up fast. If you are interested in this tour or would like to schedule a day that works for your company, please contact Denisse Martinez. Tours can be designed to fit your schedule and needs.

For more information or to sign up for your tour today, please visit:

https://co-production.net/contact/mexico-manufacturing-tour.html

Or Contact:

Denisse Martinez

(619) 429 4344

denissem(at)co-production(dot)net

###

Co-Production International is an administrative services provider located in San Diego, CA, offering successful business expansion solutions, shelter and administrative services, site selection, and the complete set-up of your operation in Mexico.
Active surgeons in over 20 countries and counting. We believe that we have significantly upgraded the quality of our distribution network in Northern Europe, enabling VTI to better serve its existing surgeon customers as well as significantly expanding on this existing user base.

VTI  Vertebral Technologies, Inc. a MIS spinal implant medical device company based in Minneapolis, MN, has strengthened its distribution in Northern Europe to better serve its international customers. During this process VTI has appointed three new distributors with a strong focus on the spine market. This improved territory coverage will help increase awareness and give surgeons access to VTIs InterFuse modular spinal implants.

The three new distribution channels VTI will be partnering with are: Joline GmbH & Co KG, based in Hechingen, Germany: Articular, based in Helsinki, Finland and Anatomica, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. All three distributors have a strong presence in all major hospitals within their respective countries.

Vice President of International Sales Ben Wasscher states, We believe that we have significantly upgraded the quality of our distribution network in Northern Europe, enabling VTI to better serve its existing surgeon customers as well as significantly expanding on this existing user base. This will bring the benefits of the InterFuse modular interbodies to a larger patient population.

Anatomicas sales force is very enthusiastic about the InterFuse system! says CEO Sverker Stomberg of Anatomica.

When asked about how surgeons react when seeing the InterFuse product, Peter Kohlbecher Director of Sales & Marketing at Joline GmbH & Co KG said, They like the fact that a large surface implant can be inserted from posterior; no need to flip the patient; no need to work with general surgeons to get access to the spine from the anterior.

ABOUT VTI - VERTEBRAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

VTI - Vertebral Technologies, Inc. is a privately held company based in Minneapolis, MN, USA. VTI is dedicated to the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of medical devices to address painful conditions of the spine through less-invasive surgical approaches. VTIs products utilize its unique modular-assembly technology to deliver solutions optimized for both surgeons and their patients. VTI sells its InterFuse modular interbody fusion devices worldwide.

For more information, visit: http://www.vti-spine.com or contact Brian Thron at marketing(at)vti-spine(dot)com or + 1.877.912.5401.
We're very excited to reach even more clients across Florida with our growing representative team.

In an effort to serve their customers better, Bulldog Adjusters has announced the expansion of their representative team. This Florida-based public adjuster company started in South Florida and has since expanded to reach customers throughout the state.

Bulldog Adjusters understands just how frustrating it can be to deal with insurance companies when needing to file a claim. Growing the representative team allows them to reach a wider portion of Florida, while responding even faster to local, South Florida claims.

Faster response times ultimately benefits their clients because they are able to arrive on the scene to complete their free damage inspection and take any necessary photographs to be used in the settlement. Starting a claim early is one factor in getting homeowners, businesses, and commercial property owners the maximum settlement possible.

With career opportunities throughout the State, Bulldog Adjusters is always looking for more Outside Sales Representatives to help with claim opportunities around Florida. For those interested in joining this dynamic, public adjuster team, qualifications include being able to travel locally, sales and networking skills, and construction knowledge is preferred.

Bulldog Adjusters is a licensed public adjuster firm in Florida that has helped thousands of homeowners across the state settle property damage claims quickly and accurately. With local representatives throughout Florida, they are able to quickly assess damage, evaluate repairs costs, and ensure claims are settled in a timely manner.

For more information on how to apply or to hire Bulldog Adjusters, please visit their website.
SPRINGFIELD  Months after his case was dismissed in Macon County, former Decatur Police Chief Brad Sweeney continues to seek a trial to argue why he shouldn't have been fired last year.

Sweeney's attorney, Jon D. Robinson, asked a three-judge 4th District Appellate Court panel Tuesday in Springfield to reverse a previous ruling in the case and send it back to trial court. The panel included Justices Thomas Harris, John Turner and Robert Steigmann.

Macon County Circuit Judge A.G. Webber IV dismissed Sweeney's lawsuit in June. Sweeney, who was not present for the oral arguments, alleged he was wrongfully fired in February 2016 by City Manager Tim Gleason.

In dismissing the lawsuit, Webber wrote that the decision was based on Sweeney's lack of legal standing for the case, not on what kind of job Sweeney had done as police chief.

Sweeney should get his day in court to prove whether or not he was retaliated against, Robinson said. This case should be allowed to go to trial. I believe he is entitled to that.

Sweeney spent more than 20 years with the Decatur Police Department and was named chief by former City Manager Ryan McCrady, taking office in January 2015. Gleason fired Sweeney a little more than a year later, on Feb. 4, 2016.

The basis of the firing is being disputed in the lawsuit.

Robinson said Sweeney should be protected under provisions of the Illinois Whistleblower Act, which is intended to protect employees who report wrongdoing against their employer.

Steigmann asked Robinson why Sweeney reported the alleged misconduct about Gleason's use of a police vehicle only to the city manager instead of going to the mayor, city council or even the press. Steigmann said Sweeney did not appear to blow the whistle either publicly or internally.

The scope of the whistleblower protections and intent of rulings in similar cases would not be expanded by this case, Robinson said.

Robinson said Sweeney did what city code required, which was report to his supervisor, who was Gleason. Reporting to the Herald & Review, another government or law enforcement agency would not have sufficed, Robinson said.

Robinson said employees such as Sweeney absolutely need protection in order to disclose misconduct.

Attorney Jerry Stocks, who is representing the city along with Ed Flynn, said Sweeney did not report the alleged wrongdoing in a timely manner. Sweeney allowed a police officer to drive Gleason in a marked Decatur police car to the airport in St. Louis on May 7, 2015, Stocks said.

Sweeney didn't say anything about it until Gleason fired him in February 2016, Stocks said.

He sat on it for seven or eight months by the time he was terminated, Stocks said.

Stocks said Sweeney has been trying to find a way to recapture his job.

As a police chief, Stocks said Sweeney should have known exactly how he could report misconduct. Some burden needs to be placed on the whistleblower seeking protection, otherwise Stocks said the law could be applied on a virtually limitless basis.

Harris said a police chief complaining to a mayor about the conduct of a city manager would seem more like a classic whistleblower scenario. In this case, Sweeney was disclosing information Gleason already knew about, Harris said.

There were all kinds of opportunities for him to blow the whistle, Turner said.

The mayor at the time of the May 2015 incident in question was Mike McElroy, who died about two months later.

Sweeney's freedom of speech was another issue covered during the arguments. Sweeney was alleged to be insubordinate when, during a meeting of city department heads, he refused to support Gleason's plan to increase the city's gas tax.

Stocks said it would have been Sweeney's obligation, as part of his assigned duties, to advance the policies of the city manager. Sweeney could have objected as a private citizen during a city council meeting, Stocks said.

He didn't say anything, Stocks said.

Sweeney's freedom of speech would not have been protected during the meeting of department heads as part of its role to establish city policy, Stocks said.

Gleason attended the oral arguments along with current Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe and city attorney Wendy Morthland.

Some questions were raised about how some material was included in Webber's ruling. Robinson said the trial court misconstrued aspects of the initial complaint and misinterpreted Illinois case law.

The appellate court did not issue an immediate response in the case. It is expected to issue a written opinion on whether Webber's decision should be upheld or reversed.

The opinion could be issued within the next three months.
The Innovation Awards' new logo Each year we present forward-thinking companies that represent how the industry is keeping pace with a changing world.

Flow Control magazine, part of Grand View Medias Process Flow Network, is accepting entries for its 2017 Innovation Awards program, which represents the fluid handling industrys ongoing commitment to manufacturing excellence and technological advances.

Now in its second decade, Flow Controls Innovation Awards recognize the industrys latest innovations and technology breakthroughs based on a nomination and reader voting process. The 2016 honorees included flow and level measurement solutions.

Each year we present forward-thinking companies that represent how the industry is keeping pace with a changing world, said Flow Control Editor in Chief Robyn Tucker. This years awards will reflect how technology is adapting to societys evolving needs and interests.

The deadline to submit nominations is April 2. Nominees will be chosen by the Flow Control editorial staff and presented to readers on flowcontrolnetwork.com in April. Open voting will then take place on the website through June 30. The results of this voting process will be used to guide the Flow Control staff in the selection of Innovation Award honorees.

Honorees will be announced online in September, and case studies on each of the winning technologies will be presented in the October print issue. Case studies will showcase how each technology has helped improve real-world flow applications. Each winner will also receive a commemorative trophy.

The 2016 honorees were:



red-y compact 2 series thermal mass flowmeters, Vogtlin Instruments AG (Winner)

Micropilot FMR10/FMR20, Endress+Hauser

InnovaMass 240i/241i iSeries, Sierra Instruments

HydroRanger 200, Siemens Process Instrumentation

To read more about the 2016 winners and the 2017 awards, visit flowcontrolnetwork.com/innovationawards.

About Flow Control Magazine

Flow Control magazine is the leading source for fluid handling systems design, operation and maintenance. It focuses exclusively on technologies for effectively moving, measuring and containing liquids, gases and slurries. It aims to serve any industry where fluid handling is a requirement.

About Grand View Media

Grand View Media serves industries from horticulture to hunting to health care, publishing content and providing client services for business-to-business and consumer markets. Whether via magazines, custom publications, digital communities, websites or proprietary lead generation tools, Grand View Media presents clients with custom solutions. Specializing in the green, outdoors, industrial and health care industries, almost 30 brands combine for collaborative, comprehensive solutions for clients worldwide. Grand View Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EBSCO Industries, a multibillion-dollar international conglomerate based in Birmingham, Alabama. One of the largest privately held companies in the U.S., EBSCO Industries is No. 1 in the world for many media and data services and comprises more than 40 diverse business units.
NT7000 Fingerprint Smart Time Clock / Kiosk We have a lot of high school students. Not all are as careful as they should be. But one minute is an infraction with the Department of Labor, so it is really important. We needed a solution to enforce minimum breaks for minors.

NOVAtime Technology, Inc. (http://www.novatime.com), a leading provider of enterprise Time and Attendance / Workforce Management solutions, announced that Darrenkamps Market has automated its time and labor management processes by utilizing NOVAtimes solution as part of the NE Time Systems package.

Darrenkamps Market is a fourth generation, family-owned chain of successful grocery stores in Pennsylvania. Darrenkamps is focused on caring for customers and communities by offering friendly personalized service, quality meats, and competitive prices. The company also strives to provide a safe and rewarding workplace and employs around 700 employees across four retail locations in Lancaster and York counties.

While opening its third and fourth stores, Darrenkamps management determined that it needed a workforce management system to scale with the companys growth. Darrenkamps chose the NOVAtime solution, provided and implemented by NE Time Solutions, along with NOVAtimes NT7000-FP biometric time clock. The NOVAtime software is cloud-based and offers unlimited scalability. Prior to the conversion, Darrenkamps relied heavily on its department managers to enforce minimum breaks for minors. Payroll Administrator, Sena Ombasic, explains, We have a lot of high school students. Not all are as careful as they should be. But one minute is an infraction with the Department of Labor, so it is really important. We needed a solution to enforce minimum breaks for minors.

To address this issue, NOVAtimes meal lockout feature, along with the NT7000-FP time clock device, prevents employees from punching back in until the required minutes for the break have elapsed. Ms. Ombasic explains, With technology, we cant control employees not taking a lunch, but now we can at least finally ensure that they do not return from their break too early. This frees up our managers to ensure that minors take their breaks.

Ms. Ombasic and her team also like Auto Enroll, another NT7000-FP feature. Upon creating employee records in the software for new hires, the time clock automatically prompts employees to enroll their fingerprint, making it unnecessary for a supervisor to be present.

Regarding the software, Ms. Ombasic says, I know that there are other systems, but I like NOVAtime's solution and would recommend it. I like that it is web-based, and that I can give access to an unlimited number of supervisors. I can control what they see, and what they do not see. Ms. Ombasic also likes the report generator and appreciates that the payroll bridge generates an export file that matches the import specifications of their payroll company.

Ms. Ombasic adds, NE Time Systems' service is excellent! They are wonderful and make me feel like I'm their only customer. Everyone is so nice and very professional."

About NOVAtime

With over 18,000 customers, NOVAtime is headquartered in Diamond Bar, California and has become the leader in integrating Workforce Management solutions with Human Resource and Payroll systems. Known for its scalable and leading-edge software and hardware technology, NOVAtime has been selected as the preferred Time and Attendance / Workforce Management solution provider by many of the best-managed companies in the world.
Zonar President and CEO, Ian McKerlich receives Daimler Supplier Award 2016 in the category Innovation We are honored to be recognized alongside so many other leading suppliers by Daimler for our innovation and delivery of a more dynamic customer experience through vehicle insights and connectivity.

Zonar, the leader in smart fleet management technology, today announced it has been honored by Daimler AG with the Daimler Supplier Award 2016 from Global Procurement Trucks and Buses in the category Innovation. Zonar is recognized for generating significant time and monetary savings for Daimler customers by contributing to the innovative telematic solution Detroit Connect.

Throughout our long-standing relationship, we have focused on working with Daimler to develop innovative, industry-leading technology analytics solutions to transform how our shared customers can gain greater performance, said Ian McKerlich, CEO and President at Zonar. We are honored to be recognized alongside so many other leading suppliers by Daimler for our innovation and delivery of a more dynamic customer experience through vehicle insights and connectivity.

Zonar began working with Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) in 2010 to develop the Virtual Technician advance diagnostic system engineered into Detroit Diesel engines. Zonars technology is now used in more than 200,000 Daimler trucks. A concept born out of airline flight data recorders, Virtual Technician records critical vehicle performance data immediately before, during, and after a fault occurs, giving Detroit Diesel engineers the most relevant information to interpret engine fault codes.

"'Focus on excellence means: We are concentrating on excellence, quality champions, innovation drivers, and true partners, said Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg, Vice President Procurement Daimler Trucks and Buses. We need exactly these kinds of suppliers. Beyond that, Focus on excellence also means: Recognizing special achievements and showing appreciation. This evening also serves this purpose. The Daimler Supplier Awards give us a chance to say 'Thank You' to the suppliers. One thing is clear: We can only remain No.1 in the industry as partners. And that is why we are celebrating our achievements together.

The Daimler Supplier Award honors suppliers for above-average performance and partnership collaboration at an annual event. Performance is measured in terms of quality, cost, delivery reliability, and innovation power. Furthermore, co-operative and moral behavior is also evaluated. This is based on trust and open communication.

About Zonar

Founded in 2001, Zonar has pioneered smart fleet management technology by providing innovative technology that has changed fleet operations in the vocational, pupil and commercial trucking industries. With a unique focus on this field, the Company offers a complete suite of solutions and specialized platforms for our customers in multiple markets. Our patented, award-winning technology keeps fleet owners and managers connected to their fleets and drivers to dispatchers. Headquartered in Seattle and majority-owned by technology company Continental, Zonar also has a Technology Development Center in downtown Seattle, a regional office in Cincinnati, and a distribution center outside of Atlanta. For more information about Zonar, go to http://www.zonarsystems.com
No matter your experience level, the photos and videos you can share on social media utilizing the PerfectBook app are sure to provide your friends and family with the wow factor!

When Photographer Arron Hsiao saw that the pictures on his iPhone couldnt naturally provide the same incredible quality of professional film color, he got the idea for an app that could change that forever. From there, he developed the PerfectBook app, which is the first app of its kind to provide live previews and real-time filter adjustments that offer premium film color.

The PerfectBook app Pre-release launched earlier on iTunes. You dont have to be a professional photographer to easily utilize the PerfectBook app. Anyone with an interest in fashion, photography, art or travel can benefit from the enhanced features PerfectBook provides. These features include filters for both film and video. Two options include the Real Beauty Filter and the Dream Beauty Filter. Both were created to help people take their selfies and videos just like celebrities.

With the app, users can experience one-hand catch and shoot photography. Just press and snap for a quick, professional photograph. The color system with PerfectBook is directly measured from real films like Porta, RVP and TMAX. After photos or videos are taken, retouch them easily with two or three fingers.

While PerfectBook provides professional style photographs and videos, Hsiao encourages photographers at any level to give the app a try. Hsiao explains, saying, No matter your experience level, the photos and videos you can share on social media utilizing the PerfectBook app are sure to provide your friends and family with the wow factor!

To download the PerfectBook app, users can visit the iTunes store today. The app requires iOS 9.0 and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

About:

PerfectBook was launched in 2017 and is the first app of its kind. Taiwans Arron Hsiao invented PerfectBook in order to make iPhone pictures provide the same quality of the highest end cameras. The app allows for real-time filters to be accessed that maximizes color and beauty. If youre a photographer you no longer need to save hundreds or thousands for a professional camera and film, the incredible PerfectBook app is the only thing you need.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will participate at the FIBA (Florida International Bankers Association) Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Conference March 6 -8 at the InterContinental Miami. Rudolph W. Giuliani, chair of the firms Cybersecurity, Privacy and Crisis Management Practice and former New York City Mayor, will deliver the keynote address on how the 2016 elections impact regulatory reform. Greenberg Traurigs Mark Clayton and Carl Fornaris will also speak at the conference.

Carl Fornaris, co-chair of the firm's Financial Regulatory and Compliance Practice, will moderate the panel Lessons Learned from the U.S. Treasury Departments Recent Enforcement Actions Against Financial Institutions in the Region March 8 from 4:15 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Mark Clayton, co-chair of the firms Global Gaming Practice will speak on the panel Compliance Standards for Casinos and Money Service Businesses March 7 from 11:25 a.m.  12:40 p.m.

Greenberg Traurig is also a sponsor of the conference.

Giuliani serves as Chair of the Cybersecurity, Privacy and Crisis Management Practice at Greenberg Traurig and is also the founder of Giuliani Partners, a leading professional services firm in emergency preparedness, public safety, leadership during crises, and financial management. Rudy gained notoriety as Mayor of New York City from 1994-2001. His leadership in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has been hailed by world figures.

Prior to becoming Mayor, Rudy served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983-1989. He continues to handle high level litigation matters and recently was retained by a major public company for which he scored a complete victory. Rudy served as the vice chairman of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Transition Team. He leads a group of private sector representatives who share information about cyber security with President Trump and the administration.

Clayton has wide-ranging experience in the gaming industry and focuses his practice on regulatory matters, including those related to land-based gaming, internet gaming and the manufacturing and distribution of gaming equipment. Mark focuses on legislation and regulatory projects and represents clients with gaming matters in U.S. and international jurisdictions. Prior to joining the firm, Mark served as an executive and as counsel for many casino corporations. He is a former member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Fornaris concentrates his practice on the representation of U.S. and non-U.S. firms on finance and corporate matters, and provides supervisory and compliance counseling for institutions regulated by the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, CFPB, SEC, FINRA, Florida Office of Financial Regulation and other state supervisory authorities. Carl frequently speaks at conferences regarding financial regulation and compliance.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the second largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2016, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Penn Community Bank is pleased to announce that Walter H. Cressman has been named an Outstanding Director by the Philadelphia Business Journal for his leadership on the board of directors of Penn Community Bank.

The award recognizes directors who have shepherded successful organizations through periods of change and revenue growth. A 37-year member of the banks board of directors, Cressman served for many years as board president and was instrumental in the creation of Penn Community Bank in 2015.

Walter exemplifies community service, said Jeane M. Coyle, President and CEO of Penn Community Bank. He has given generously of his time and talents for decades, and we are proud to see his service being recognized in this way.

A longtime resident of Richlandtown, Cressman first joined the board of what was then First Federal Savings & Loan of Perkasie in 1979. He was following in the footsteps of his own father, Howard, who had served on the banks board and as its president for many years.

During Cressmans tenure on the board, seven branches  in Bedminster, Buckingham, Milford, New Britain, Pooles Corner, Quakertown, Richlandtown  were added to the banks four branches, in Dublin, Riegelsville and two in Perkasie. The bank also added insurance and investment products to its services during Cressmans time as chairman of the board. In 1991, he was involved in the banks name change to First Savings Bank of Perkasie. Later, he was integral in adding a mutual holding company structure.

Always committed to community banking, Cressman helped lead the bank through unification in 2014 with a fellow mutual bank, First Federal of Bucks County, to form Penn Community Bank, now the leading mutual financial organization in Bucks County and the second largest in Pennsylvania.

It has been an important goal of mine over the years to ensure that Bucks County residents have the choice to do business with an independent, mutual financial organization that is responsive to community needs, not to shareholders, said Cressman. Im proud that the bank is stronger today than it was when I joined the board decades ago, and Im honored to have been able to serve the organization throughout the years.

In addition to his leadership of the bank board, Cressman served on the board of directors of Grand View Hospital for 34 years, stepping down in 2014. During his time as chairman of the finance committee, the hospitals investments grew from less than $2 million to more than $220 million.

A prominent Upper Bucks County businessman, Cressman ran his familys business, Cress Gas Company, which had been founded by his father in 1939, the same year Walter was born. In 1961, when Cressman took over the company, it had 750 customers and five employees. When he sold the company in 2014, it had grown to 26 staff members serving 10,000 customers.

Cressman was honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal during an awards ceremony on Feb. 23 at the Union League in Philadelphia.

About Penn Community Bank Penn Community Bank holds more than $1.8 billion in assets and employs more than 300 people at 23 bank branches and two administrative centers throughout Bucks County, Pennsylvania. As an independent, mutual financial institution, Penn Community Bank is not publicly traded and operates with its long-term mission in mind: to help businesses grow and prosper, to support individuals and families throughout their lifetimes, to strengthen the local economy, and to partner with local organizations to act as a catalyst for positive growth in every market it serves.

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I cant imagine there are many programs like this in the country for agriculture, Rep. Charlie Dent said. This is what you might see in institutions in higher education.

Recently, U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent of Pennsylvanias 15th District which includes Hershey visited Milton Hershey School to tour the schools Agricultural and Environmental Education Department to gain better awareness of the program available to students in anticipation of National Agriculture Day being celebrated on March 21.

I was surprised by the depth and the breadth of the programs here [Milton Hershey School] that are offered to the students, Rep. Dent said.

MHS students shared with Dent the experiences they gain through the top-notch program that provides pre-K through 12th grade students with exposure to environmental and agricultural contexts through experiential learning opportunities.

We are thrilled that Congressman Dent was able to see firsthand how we have enhanced our Agricultural and Environmental Education to incorporate active-learning projects so that our students can excel with a greater understanding of 21st century agribusiness, MHS Director of STEAM & Agricultural & Environmental Education Dr. Jaunine Fouche said.

The schools AEE curriculum also has incorporated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) to expose students to real-world, project-based learning and empower them to apply their knowledge, take on new challenges, and achieve postsecondary success.

I cant imagine there are many programs like this in the country for agriculture, Rep. Dent said. This is what you might see in institutions in higher education.

Rep. Dent explored the schools Animal, Environmental, and Horticulture buildings. He also toured the schools STEAM Project Market, a year-round market open to the campus community and the public. It operates through an authentic, student-run business model and a collaborative partnership with AEE and the schools award-winning Career and Technical Education program.

There are always new programs being developed and new opportunities, and Im very proud of what is being done here, Rep. Dent said.

More information about Milton Hershey School can be found at mhskids.org.

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ABOUT MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL

Milton Hershey School is one of the worlds best private schools, offering a top-notch education and positive home life to children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade from families of lower income at no charge.
Flourish, The Growth of Branded Currency Flourish is the first event of its kind, and The Gift Card Network is thrilled to provide creative support.

As part of a 2017 initiative to connect with other payments industry events and bring member benefits, The Gift Card Network has partnered with K+H Connection as a marketing and media sponsor for a brand new event, Flourish. Launching April 10, 2017 in Omaha, NE, Flourish is a three-day event specifically focused on the branded currency industry. Presentations on fraud, benchmarking, and the overall shifting view from gift card to branded currency will provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of the changing trends for gift cards.

Flourish is taking a fresh view on the state of branded currency. Gift card, prepaid, promotional value, points and affiliate have all grown dramatically in past few years. GCN has helped us creatively brand and cultivate an identity for this conference that will encourage productive conversations on this rapidly changing industry. - Holly Glowaty, Co-Founder, Flourish

As a marketing partner, The Gift Card Network will have events each day of the event. GCN will be hosting an opening reception cocktail hour the night of Monday, April 10, presenting How to be a Gift Card Geek on Tuesday, April 11, and holding the first GCN member meeting Wednesday, April 12. GCN will also be hosting an in-store best practices experiential booth during the conference. Additionally, current GCN members have access to special pricing for registration.

Were excited to support Flourish because it fills a need for the industry and is an event GCN believes will help move the industry forward. Desiree Wiercyski, Marketing & Communications Manager, The Gift Card Network.

About the Gift Card Network

The Gift Card Network is the home of everything gift card, the only gift card focused media and collaboration network in the world, and a unique organization where Gift Card Geeks can grow and network. Members gain a large number of benefits, such as presence in GCNs various publications, access to educational content, collaborative, and networking events. Any company can join the Gift Card Network to learn about gift cards and interact with other members to help form the future of the gift card industry. Find out more at http://www.thegiftcardnetwork.com
VidaPrimo, the premier multi-platform network for Latin Rhythm Music, has begun producing and distributing original content as of February 21. The announcement was made by VidaPrimo Executive Vice President and General Manager Stephen Brooks. The network is positioning itself as one of the best ways for advertisers to reach Latin Millennials and for music artists to engage fans.

A Content Trifecta

As a premier media network for fans of Latin music, the time is now to begin producing high-quality original content, says Brooks. Every month VidaPrimo will premiere hours of new content, including video releases from new artists, concerts from your favorite Latin stars, exclusive interviews, in-studio sessions, and other material that is not available anywhere else. Creating this original content elevates the brand.

Dawn-til-Dusk Latin Rhythms

The first original VidaPrimo content originates from a recent a dusk-til-dawn concert held earlier this year in Puerto Rico. The VidaPrimo team in Colombia went to Caguas to film over twenty Latin artists and emerged with over nine hours of video capturing the celebratory mood of the show. The content will be released under the brand name VidaPrimo Stage. VidaPrimo will launch further sub-brands, including VidaPrimo Sessions (focused on in-studio footage); VidaPrimo News (focused on industry news) and VidaPrimo Confidencial (focused on the artists beyond the music).

Finale

I think we can get to the point that we actually have more original content than we do music video releases from our artists, says Brooks. Its going to take time to get there, but we have a fantastic team and a solid plan, and our artists are buying into that plan. Viewers, too, are excited to get access to new material about their favorite artists and genres. Theres no such thing as too much content when it comes to your passion points.

About VidaPrimo

VidaPrimo is a global media company that provides advertisers access to an exploding marketplace of US and Latin American Millennials as they consume the hottest content in the young Hispanic culture. Through contracts with 100 of the hottest Latin Rhythm artists, VidaPrimo is one of the largest Latin Music Multi- Platform Networks with presence across YouTube and VidaPrimo.com. With 60mm+ monthly views in the US and over 400mm across Latin America, VidaPrimo reaches 25% of US based Hispanic Millennials and an average of 20% of Millennials in Latin American countries. The VidaPrimo advertising platform leverages its massive reach of engaged Latin Millennials and connects them with brands through high quality in-stream video opportunities in front of premium content. Additionally, VidaPrimo offers display, creative product integration, and custom video/activation opportunities.
Gwynn Deaver Gwynn brings a dynamic understanding of todays marketing needs to Firstmark Credit Union. San Antonios market is very diverse and it is important that we take creativeness for member engagement to a new level in the next phase of our growth.

Visibility of its brand and image is the heart of any great company in a competitive market. Firstmark Credit Union is pleased to announce the addition of Gwynn Deaver as its Vice President of Marketing.

Gwynn brings a dynamic understanding of todays marketing needs to Firstmark Credit Union, said Wendy Bryant-Beswick, Chief Retail Officer. San Antonios market is very diverse and it is important that we take creativeness for member engagement to a new level in the next phase of our growth.

In her role, Deaver will be responsible for all phases and execution of the company's marketing strategy, branding, communications, public relations and the overall growth for Firstmark. She has a proven track record of efficiently driving customer acquisition and engagement. Deaver joins Firstmark after serving as the Director of Marketing for Texas MedClinic for eight years. Prior to that role, she served as the Marketing Manager for the Institute for Womens Health.

Were excited to have Gwynn join our team, said Bryant-Beswick. We look forward to continuing to build the Firstmark brand in the San Antonio market.

In addition to her corporate work, Deaver has served on the Communications Board for March of Dimes San Antonio Chapter since 2013. She is a graduate of Baylor University with a double major in Management and Marketing. She completed her MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2013.

###

About Firstmark Credit Union

Firstmark Credit Union has been helping people achieve financial success for more than 80 years. Founded in 1932 by ten teachers within San Antonio Independent School District, Firstmark has grown their original $475 investment to over 100,000 members and over $1 billion in assets. While a lot has changed in over 80 years, Firstmarks common purpose of helping people to better their lives and small businesses still continues. For more information, visit http://firstmarkcu.org or call (210) 342-8484.
HR Uncubed We designed the event as a forum for idea exchange amongst peers to ensure every attendee gains practical knowledge on building an authentic employer brand, which we know has serious implications for hiring great talent.

Uncubed, a leading marketplace for recruiting talented millennials through compelling video content, announces today its inaugural HR Uncubed conference -- an event dedicated to helping human resource professionals supercharge their employer brands -- which will take place on April 27 and 28, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York.

HR Uncubed will tackle the most pressing recruiting, hiring, and employer branding challenges that todays companies face through a curated series of intimate panels, discussions, and fireside chats held in distinct Williamsburg venues including Brooklyn Brewery.

Uncubed has built a reputation for turning traditional, tired conferences into high-energy events. So when the HR community expressed a desire for an innovative east coast conference, we decided to take on the challenge, said Tarek Pertew, CCO and Co-Founder of Uncubed.

Day one (April 27) sessions of HR Uncubed focus on defining internal company culture and shaping a more compelling employer brand story, while day two (April 28) sessions encourage attendees and speakers to explore new tools, content development, and outreach methods to more effectively attract quality candidates.

We designed the event as a forum for idea exchange amongst peers to ensure every attendee gains practical knowledge on building an authentic employer brand, which we know has serious implications for hiring great talent, said Pertew.

Attendees will also learn what not to do in a fireside chat with Dan Lyons, author of the New York Times best-selling book, Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble, and screenwriter for two seasons of HBOs hit comedy Silicon Valley.

The HR Uncubed speaker roster includes an additional 50+ industry experts from Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups:



Susan Lee, Vice President of People at Warby Parker

Edward Dias, Director of Recruitment Intelligence & Innovation at LOreal

Erin Dertouzos, Head of Talent and Culture at Meetup

Stacey Olive, Executive Director of Talent Acquisition at The New York Times

Regis Courtemanche, Director of Learning & Talent Development, BuzzFeed

Ryan Smith, Head of Global Human Resources, GE Business Innovations

Attendees can expect to walk away from HR Uncubed with a refreshed mindset on employer branding and storytelling, as well as actionable strategies on how to source and engage diverse technical talent.

Uncubed encourages anyone who plays a significant part in the hiring, recruiting, or employer branding process for their company to attend HR Uncubed. Conference passes start at $699 per attendee and include access to both keynote addresses, all content, lunch, and a happy hour. To view the full speaker list and conference schedule, or to purchase your conference pass, please visit http://hr.uncubed.com.

For bulk ticket rates (3 or more), please reach out to sales(at)uncubed(dot)com.

###

ABOUT UNCUBED

Uncubed connects top talent with innovative companies through compelling content. Based in New York City, the company was founded by Chris Johnson and Tarek Pertew. A community of diverse, tech-driven millennials trust Uncubed as a one-stop resource for career advancement, through its video-first job board, quality editorial, and engaging events. For employers, the Uncubed software platform delivers unparalleled employer branding and serves as a high-quality candidate sourcing tool with powerful intent analytics unique to video consumption. Uncubed works with fast-growing startups and innovative Fortune 500 companies across the country including IBM, ADP, Betterment, BuzzFeed, and Greenhouse. To learn more about Uncubed, please visit http://www.uncubed.com
Time to Supply Private Stem Cell Clinics? ...glibly painting all several hundred or more private stem cell clinics as exploitive is an unsubstantiated claim itself.

Recent scientific reports put the number of private clinics offering stem cell medical treatments in the U.S. at greater than 400. More than 300 of these clinics emerged since 2009. They mirror the rapid increase in FDA-approved clinical trials during the same period at a rate of about 300 new therapy-focused adult tissue stem cell trials each year. However, because of the inherently small number of patients enrolled in early clinical trials and the much larger number of patients seen in medical clinics, the number of stem cell treatments performed in private clinics dwarfs the number in clinical trials by more than 10-fold.

In both settings, treatment cell transplants per se appear generally safe, as long as proper care is given to other routine safety factors, which include mainly keeping treatments free of infectious agents and chemical contaminants and avoiding immune reactions. These safety procedures fall well within the training and expertise of physicians in private clinics, as well as in hospital-based clinical trials.

The rapid growth of private stem cell clinics has alarmed some stem cell scientists and their member organizations. The clinics are accused of making false claims, exploiting patients pain and distress for financial gain, and generally harming the reputation of stem cell science. In contrast, in FDA-approved clinical trials, patient volunteers are necessarily informed that their treatments are experimental, and therefore may bring them no medical benefit. Generally, trial subjects do not pay for their treatment, though often treatment costs are covered by their personal health insurance.

Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D., recently began a public discourse, in which he argues that in the important respects private stem cell clinics are not all that different than FDA-approved clinical trials. First, he says that glibly painting all several hundred or more private stem cell clinics as exploitive is an unsubstantiated claim itself. Generally, physicians in both settings are diligently looking for ways to improve the health of patients  clinical trial physicians in the more distant future and private clinic physicians immediately. Sherley, a physician scientist, stresses the importance of recognizing medical empiricism as an important contributor to the advance of modern medicine and medical science.

At the conference, Sherley is scheduled to lead a panel discussion on the topic on March 8 at 15:50 PM (EDT) and give a talk on March 9 at 13:30 PM (EDT). A major new position he will present is that the volume of stem cell treatments now occurring in private clinics is much too large to simply disparage and attempt to shut down. Working to improve the quality of private stem cell clinic treatments for patients and to improve their documentation towards accelerating progress in stem cell medicine is a better goal.

To attendees at this weeks Clinical Trials Supply conference, Sherley will suggest that the supply of private stem cell clinics with high quality, certified sources of stem cells is an underappreciated crucial need for advancing stem cell medicine. The companies that are able to mobilize to fill in this supply gap could have a 10-fold greater impact on advancing stem cell medicine compared to their current minimal impact in FDA-approved stem cell clinical trials.

About Asymmetrex

Asymmetrex, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company with a focus on developing technologies to advance stem cell medicine. Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems  production and quantification  that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells for disease research purposes. Currently, Asymmetrexs focus is employing its technological advantages to develop and market facile methods for monitoring adult stem cell number and function in stem cell transplantation treatments and in pre-clinical assays for drug safety.
NFI, a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., has welcomed new Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, Gerard Darby, to the executive leadership team. Gerard will oversee NFIs IT functions including the development, implementation, support, and maintenance of technology used by both employees and customers.

The evolution of the supply chain has resulted in the use of IT as a differentiator for our customers, said CEO, Sid Brown. Our customers continue to look to NFI for technology solutions to optimize their supply chain and Gerard will spearhead those efforts and continue to drive our capabilities.

NFI employs more than 120 IT professionals with a majority of the team dedicated to customer solutions. The team's diversified knowledge in warehouse and transportation management systems provides customers the flexibility to utilize their existing systems, or leverage NFI's partnerships with world-class technology providers. With multi-modal, cross-functional expertise, NFI enhances information visibility across the supply chain solutions for large and small businesses. NFIs consultative approach leverages data to allow for better supply chain planning and prides itself on rapid start-up capabilities with a seamless integration of systems.

NFI has a long history as a successful organization, said Darby. I am excited to join the team and drive our technology offering, providing customers with solutions that generate even greater value for their supply chains.

Darby comes to NFI with 26 years of experience, previously serving as Divisional CIO for a specialty retailer. He is a graduate of University of Michigan with a Bachelors of General Studies in Information Technology, Business, and Philosophy.

# # #

About NFI -- NFI is a fully integrated supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. Privately held by the Brown family since its inception in 1932, NFI generates more than $1.3 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 8,300 associates. NFI owns facilities globally and operates more than 31 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space. Its company-owned fleet consists of over 2,200 tractors and 8,300 trailers, operated by more than 2,600 company drivers and 325 owner operators. Its business lines include dedicated transportation, warehousing, intermodal, brokerage, transportation management, global logistics, and real estate services. For more information about NFI, visit http://www.nfiindustries.com or call 1-877-NFI-3777.
ktMINE, an intellectual property (IP) information services firm, announced today that they will be exhibiting at the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) 2017 Annual Meeting, taking place from March 12-15 2017, in Hollywood, Florida. AUTM is the gold standard for professional development in technology transfer.

ktMINEs Danielle Lambert, Marketing Specialist, and Laura Sorg, Marketing Manager, will be representing ktMINE in the exhibit hall at booth 411. Many tech transfer professionals rely on survey data or experience in their field to prepare licensing deals, however, ktMINE provides access to over 100,000 license agreements and over 60,000 royalty rate structures for evidence-based claims. ktMINE takes the difficulty out of commercialization and lightens the research load with their Technology Transfer Suite. The suite of applications can be used to find potential partners, identify potential deal terms, value technologies, and determine commercial viability. From training to project assistance, a top priority at ktMINE is to provide exceptional customer support, making ktMINE technology transfer professionals go-to resource for IP intelligence for commercialization.

The 2017 AUTM Annual Meeting is the place for industry dealmakers and investors to network with nearly every academic research institution in the world in one place, at one time. This is the premier annual face-to-face meeting for those responsible for marketing, valuation, protecting, licensing or negotiating university IP. This years meeting will feature the keynote, Top 10 Court Decisions That Impact the Way We Negotiate and Draft Patent License Agreements, and fireside chat, What role does IP play in innovation?. Session tracks are split into topics such as IP Trends and Successful Practices, Licensing Successful Practices, Nuts and Bolts of Technology Transfer, Startups and Gap Funding, and more.

About ktMINE

ktMINE, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is an intellectual property information firm founded in 2008. Focused on minimizing research time, maximizing analysis power, and strengthening business decisions, ktMINE provides businesses across the globe access to insights on industry players, technologies, and developments. For more information, visit http://www.ktmine.com, or contact ktMINE to schedule a meeting.
Monroe College, a national leader in educating urban and international students, today announced that its ninth annual "Americas Best High School Chef" (ABHSC) competition will be held on Saturday, March 11. The national competition for high school seniors intending to pursue a college degree in the culinary or baking and pastry arts will take place at the Colleges Culinary Institute of New York facility in New Rochelle, NY.

Participants were selected to compete in the ABHSC event from online applications submitted earlier this year. Fifty students from around the country were invited to participate in the culinary competition, with another 12 selected to compete in the pastry category. The winners will be awarded full academic scholarships for the Associate Degree Program in Culinary Arts or the Associate Degree Program in Baking and Pastry at Monroe College, as well as for the Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management should they opt to continue their studies.

We look forward to welcoming dozens of Americas top high school chefs this weekend to compete in our annual 'America's Best High School Chef competition, which provides these talented seniors a terrific opportunity to showcase their technical skills, culinary passion, and plating finesse while competing for scholarships to make their culinary dreams a reality," said Frank Costantino EdD CEC CCE AAC, Dean of Monroe Colleges School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts. We were very impressed by the caliber of applicants this year, and are excited to see what they can do in our kitchens."

In addition to students from New York area high schools, participants will include students from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Most are expected to arrive on campus on Friday to begin preparing for the competition that starts at 7:30 AM on Saturday.

The culinary competition includes a series of three rounds of competition comprising basic skills, salad basket, and mystery basket challenges. All students participating in the ABHSC culinary competition will be required to compete in the Basic Skills Round. The 16 students with the highest overall score in that round will move on to the semi-final Salad Basket Round. The top eight students from that round will progress to the Mystery Basket Round, which will require them to prepare and plate an elegant dish of their choosing created from a select set of ingredients. The winner of that round will be awarded the Americas Best High School Chef title and the academic scholarship. Additional scholarship funds will be awarded to those placing second and third in the competition.

The pastry competition requires the competitors to prepare their signature upscale dessert within a 90-minute timeframe. It must include five key components: the main item, a sauce, a cookie or crisp item, chocolate and fruit.

Julie Velasquez from Passaic County Technical Institute in New Jersey and Ameia Peters from Food and Finance High School in New York City, respectively the winners in the culinary and pasty competitions last year, are currently pursuing their professional education at the Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College. Victoria Helwig and Keiry Palma, winners in 2015s "Americas Best High School Chef" Competition, are on track to receive their Associate degrees this year.

The Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College is an award-winning, nationally recognized culinary institute that provides students with a combination of theoretical education and hands-on experience in culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality management. With facilities designed to simulate the kitchens of restaurants, hotels, and large production operations, students receive personal instruction and mentorship from a faculty of ACF-certified chefs and experienced industry professionals who are committed to their success. CINY has been ranked one of the top 10 culinary schools in the Northeastern U.S. and in the top 20 nationwide.

Since 2009, the program has produced award-winning culinary teams, students, faculty and staff, as well as a critically acclaimed student-run restaurant, The Dining Lab, which was deemed a "training ground for students" by The Wall Street Journal and "the little kitchen that could" by The New York Times. Its culinary competition team was named New York State Champions for two years running and has won more than 680 ACF medals. More information, including admissions criteria, is available online.

ABOUT MONROE COLLEGE

Founded in 1933, New York-based Monroe College is a nationally ranked private institution of higher learning with a student-centric learning approach that prioritizes hands-on academic experiences, practical and relevant academic programs, flexible learning schedules, best-in-class instructional technologies, and committed and engaged faculty to ensure that students are well positioned for career success upon graduation. Monroe is among the leading higher education institutions in the country for graduating minority students.

Monroe College offers Certificate, Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degree programs. It has campuses in the Bronx, New Rochelle, as well as in the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia, with programs offered through its Schools of Criminal Justice, Information Technology, Nursing, Education, Business & Accounting, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, and Allied Health, as well as through its liberal arts and continuing education programs, and its King Graduate School. For more information and admissions criteria, please visit http://www.monroecollege.ed u.

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Paragon Software Group, a leader in hard disk management and backup & disaster recovery (BDR) technology, today announced VM Copy Tool, a time-saving solution for copying virtual machines (VMs) within or between VMware infrastructures.

Paragon Software Group, a leader in hard disk management and backup & disaster recovery (BDR) technology, today announced VM Copy Tool, a time-saving solution for copying virtual machines (VMs) within or between VMware infrastructures.

Now available, VM Copy Tool is designed as a value-added utility for Paragon Protect & Restore (PPR), an award-winning BDR solution offering protection for physical, virtual and hybrid IT environments in a single product. The VM Copy Tool is sold as a bundled solution with Paragons Hard Disk Manager, a leading suite of disk management and system optimization utilities that optimize productivity for enterprise IT executives as well as small to midsize businesses (SMBs). These solutions are distributed through Paragon channel partners across North America.

Unlike competitive solutions, VM Copy Tool fully encapsulates the target VM, including its current state, all available snapshots and connected external devices. It supports VM environments even when clusters or shared storage are not in use, and even if the VMware license doesnt allow utilizing vMotion technology. By leveraging the native VMware NFC (Network File Copy) and Paragons proprietary data transfer technology, the VM Copy Tool can easily perform ad-hoc backup and deployment of individual or multiple virtual machines from one ESX(i) host or vCenter to another.

"The challenges of migrating VMs are significant for IT organizations of all sizes, creating IT headaches that tend to spiral, said Tom Fedro, President, Paragon Software Group Corp. This new standalone utility addresses those challenges while demonstrating Paragon ingenuity at its finest. Easy to use and a significant time saver, it simplifies migration of a VMware VM along with its snapshot tree to a new host via the GUI, while the Command Line Interface provides a means to batch process multiple VMs simultaneously.

Key features and benefits of the VM Copy Tool include:



Supports any ESX or vCenter from 4.1 update 3 up to 6.5

Object-oriented data processing for optimal performance

Copies VM files without registering virtual machines in the inventory of the virtual infrastructure

Recovers VMware virtual machines and their snapshot trees from one ESX host or vCenter to another while registering the VMs in the inventory (this operation is called deployment in terms of the program)

Configurable to save all time stamps or only the latest snapshot while copying

Enables copying of virtual machines along with their connected external devices, such as ISO-images

Transfers virtual machines between different vSphere environments

Supports independent disks (it copies the current state of powered off VMs without snapshots)

Supports linked disks, also known as linked clones

Powerful Add-on Tool for Paragon Protect & Restore Unified Site BDR Software

The VM Copy Tool is a powerful add-on solution for PPR, which is designed for use by IT professionals who manage infrastructures of all types and sizesranging from one server to thousands. PPR offers agent-based and agentless data protection options, along with no-hassle, set-it-and-forget-it configuration and operation. With PPR, SMBs benefit from:



Centralized physical and virtual machine backup and recovery

Storage requirements reduced by up to 80 percent via PPRs powerful deduplication engine

Application-level granular recovery included at no additional cost

Leveraging virtual machines for robust and cost-effective disaster recovery strategies

Lower total cost of ownership from the time implementation begins and for many years to follow

PPR can be purchased via Paragons Unified Site License, a disruptive licensing model designed to take the time and hassle out of BDR sales for channel partners, while also streamlining the purchase and administration process for their SMB customers. A single SKU covers all servers, VMs and workstations for backup and recoveryalong with best-in-class replication at no additional cost.

For more information on the PPR  VM Copy Tool, visit the Paragon Software website.

About Paragon Software Group

Paragon Software Group is an innovative software developer focused on two dynamic growth markets. The companys comprehensive product line for the data storage market addresses the needs of data security, storage and management for PCs, servers and networks. A second portfolio of products focuses on mobile productivity applications for handheld devices. Founded in 1994, Paragon Software Group has offices in the USA, Germany, Japan, Poland, Russia and China, delivering its solutions to consumers, small business and enterprise clients worldwide through a network of Value Added Resellers, distributors and OEMs as well as online through the company website. Paragon Software Group provides technology to a host of world-class companies and partners, including Cisco Systems, Dell, HP, Western Digital Corp., ASUS, Seagate, Toshiba, LG Electronics, Logitech, Buffalo, Acer, EMC/Iomega, Siemens, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and more. For more information, please visit the company website at http://www.paragon-downloads.com.
In todays complex IT environment, where challenges related to security, IoT, BYOD, and Cloud are rising, managed services is no longer just nice to have. It has become a mandate for IT organizations, large and small." - Ross Rehart, Burwood Group

Burwood Group, a leading technology consulting firm that bridges business strategy, business outcomes, and technology solutions announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Burwood Group to its Elite 150 category of CRN's 2017 Managed Service Provider 500 List. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed services.

In todays fast-paced business environments, MSPs play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRNs MSP 500 list shines a light on the most forward-thinking and innovative of these key organizations.

Burwood Group is honored to be recognized for the significant investment in our managed services offering, said Jim Hart, President at Burwood Group. Our customers find tremendous value in how we integrate it as part of our lifecycle capabilities, including Advisory Services and Technology Integration. We are proud of our ability to provide seamless support and reliability for our customers infrastructure so they can prioritize strategic goals and long-term vision for their organizations.

Burwood Managed Services (BMS) provides customers with a cost-effective, highly-reliable way to monitor and maintain back-office infrastructure. Burwood consultants manage support of day-to-day operational tasks so customers can focus on providing strategic value to their organization.

In todays complex IT environment, where challenges related to security, IoT, BYOD, and Cloud are rising, managed services is no longer just nice to have. It has become a mandate for IT organizations, large and small, said Ross Rehart, Managing Consultant, Managed Services at Burwood Group. We help customers improve operational efficiencies, leverage new technologies, and maximize ROI on their technology investments.

Learn more about Burwood Groups Managed Services offering.

About Burwood Group

Burwood Group is a systems integrator, helping forward-thinking IT leaders deliver knowledge to the end-user within the organizations unique business context to increase profitability, reduce risk and enhance customer loyalty. We partner with leading technology and service organizations to provide tailored product and industry solutions. We work to ensure an optimal fit for each individual client. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Burwood Group serves local, national and international clients. We pride ourselves in being trusted business advisors to clients by providing smarter solutions that deliver better outcomes. Visit http://www.burwood.com.

 2017. The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
On March 6, 2017, Immigration Voice announced that it filed a motion to intervene on behalf of thousands of its members who currently possess employment authorization as spouses of H-1B visa holders (H-4 dependent spouses) who have filed for lawful permanent residence. The name of the case at issue is Save Jobs USA v. United States Department of Homeland Security, Case No. 16-5287 (D.C. Circuit).

On February 25, 2015, the Obama Administration issued a rule through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allowing certain spouses of H-1B high-skilled visa-holders to work in the United States while the H-1B visa holder awaits the receipt of his/her lawful permanent residency card (green card). This rule is critically important to allow both parents in families to work and provide for their loved ones together in the United States rather than being separated in two different countries during what is often over a decade long wait for a green card. Many of the H-4 dependent spouses have started business once they received work authorization, thereby creating jobs for U.S. citizens and residents

Almost immediately after this Rule was issued, a group called Save Jobs USA filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia arguing that the Obama administration lacked the authority to issue work authorization for spouses of H-1B holders. The District Court granted summary judgment to DHS, holding that Save Jobs USA lacked standing to sue and upholding the rule.

Save Jobs USA filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. After Save Jobs USA filed its initial brief last month, the Department of Justice surprisingly filed a document on February 1, 2017 entitled "Consent Motion to Hold Proceedings in Abeyance for 60 Days."

Instead of filing the brief it was supposed to file on February 10, 2017 that would defend the District Court's decision on standing and on the merits, the Government asked for a 60-day pause in the case to "allow incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues." This is especially concerning to Immigration Voice because Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when he was a United States Senator, called the H-4 Rule a "change [in] immigration law in a way that hurts American workers," even though this rule has actually allowed many H-4 visa holders, including named intervenors, the ability to start businesses in the United States that employ American workers that would otherwise not have jobs if the Rule had not been promulgated. Immigration Voice decided that intervention in the Save Jobs lawsuit was the only option to protect the rights of our members and their families, including children who are US citizens.

Sudarshana Sengupta, one of the Intervenor, shared that I have been involved in biomedical research for the last thirteen (13) years in this country, initially as a J2 dependent (work authorization) and later on H-1B visa. In August 2015, I decided to use H4- EAD work authorization to continue my research. During the course of my research career, I have worked at and published from notable academic institutions like Harvard University, University of Chicago and Boston University, investigating molecular biological aspects of diseases such as cancer and certain cardiovascular conditions. I am currently involved in preclinical research developing effective strategies for cancer immunotherapy. I am on the verge of launching my own startup developing cancer immunotherapy strategies based on my preclinical studies. However, if H4-EAD is taken away, then I will be unable to launch my startup

Additional intervenor, Anuj Dhamija, said "I have been legally working in the US since 2010 as a Project Manager for a reputed Fortune 100 company. Due to decades long wait to get our green card, I made a switch to the H4 EAD program as it was the only option for me to pursue my business ventures in the interim. On this program, I was able to keep my existing job and also start up my small High End Luxurious Home Remodeling Business. Per my business plan, I targeted to generate $775k revenue in Year 1, $1.6m in Year 2 and $1.9m in Year 3. Along the way, I expected to create 5-10 new American jobs in the construction industry. If this program ceased to exist, I will lose all my investment in the new business and also my job as there will be no other legal option for me to work in the USA. I will face significant financial hardships and won't be able to provide for my growing family"

Aman Kapoor, the Co-Founder and President of Immigration Voice stated that:

"Immigration Voice could not simply wait until it was too late to see if the Department of Justice would defend the reasoned decision of the District Court dismissing Save Jobs' complaint. There is nothing for the Department of Justice attorneys to confer with their leadership about given the District Court's clear decision stating that this case had no basis for ever being filed. The recent statements from the Government present an unacceptable risk for Immigration Voice members that DOJ might decide after 60 days to adopt the position of Save Jobs USA. Any failure to provide the strongest possible defense of the District Court's decision risks establishing a precedent prohibiting H-4 visa holders from working under the current statutory regime. Under these circumstances, Immigration Voice felt compelled to act to protect the existing and future work permits of our members."

At 2 PM Eastern /11 AM Pacific time today (March 7, 2017), Immigration Voice will hold a press call for the media. Kindly register below to join the press call and we will email you the Dial-in conference numbers.

http://pressupdate.immigrationvoice.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Immigration Voice is a national non-profit organization with over 100,000 members that advocates for the alleviation of restrictions on employment, travel, and working conditions faced by legal high-skilled immigrants in the United States working as doctors, researchers, scientists, and engineers at many of America's Fortune 500 companies.

Find out more about Immigration Voice and the green card backlog at http://www.immigrationvoice.org.
Florida Life Care Residents Association The association supports specific provisions in the proposed legislation that would improve the ability of the Office of Insurance Regulation to protect the rights and welfare of the 30,000 residents living in Florida communities.

The Florida Life Care Residents Association (FLiCRA) is asking the Florida Legislature to hear Senate Bill 1430 sponsored by Senator Tom Lee and House Bill 1349 sponsored by Representative Cyndi Stevenson.

The association is keenly interested and aware of the magnitude of recent activities at several continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the state of Florida. The situation that occurred, specifically, at University Village in Tampa, Florida has negatively impacted not only the welfare but also the financial footing of over five hundred residents that live in that community. The University Village case has brought to light gaps in Florida Statute 651 that could be addressed through reasonable reform.

Senate Bill 1430 and House Bill 1349 are not perfect, bills. However, there is considerable merit to some sections of the proposed legislation, says Pat Arends, a resident of Freedom Village in Bradenton, Florida, and president of the state board of the FLiCRA.

The association wants to ensure any legislative reform does not result in increases to 'entry fee or monthly costs' of residents living in continuing care retirement communities, nor impacts the ability of a CCRC to obtain financing or refinancing. says Bennett Napier, CAE, executive director of FLiCRA.

Nonetheless, the association supports specific provisions in the proposed legislation that would not financially impact providers or residents, and that would improve the ability of the Office of Insurance Regulation to protect the rights and welfare of the 30,000 residents living in Florida communities.

FLiCRA agrees with other stakeholders that the vast majority of CCRC operators and owners are experienced, dedicated and successful in delivering quality services to thousands of seniors on a daily basis.

During the last several months, resident members of FLiCRA testified at a number of county legislative delegation meetings asking state legislators to fully debate the CCRC reform when it was filed for the 2017 session. Reasonable reform is required in 2017 to mitigate the ability of another provider to repeat similar actions that occurred at University Village. During the last two years, residents at University Village lived under a cloud of anxiety every day, not knowing what was going to happen to their community. Further, the residents have seen collectively, millions of dollars of hard earned retirement funds invested into the CCRC disappear.

The Florida Life Care Residents Association (FLiCRA) was established in 1989, and is the oldest and largest association of continuing care residents in the country. The membership of FLiCRA is exclusively made up of residents residing in Florida CCRCs. FLiCRA boasts a membership of nearly 14,000 members statewide. Its mission is to ensure quality of life for residents living in such communities.

# # #

For more information visit http://www.flicra.com
Selling a home can be a challenge  one thats magnified dramatically if the structure faces the damaging effects of mold and rot. In an upscale Doylestown, Pennsylvania neighborhood, improper sill flashing and reverse through-flashing on window openings were contributing to these severe moisture management issues in a series of stucco homes.

A Community Issue

AI Restoration, a local construction and repair firm specializing in stucco, tested for water damage in a number of homes in the community. Analysis showed extensive damage and the firm recommended Benjamin Obdykes HydroGap drainable housewrap and HydroFlash self-adhered flashing to help filter the water out of the building envelope. As AI Restorations universal water management system for siding installations, Benjamin Obdyke products are proven to effectively manage moisture and increase the life of structures following remediation.

Proper installation would also be critical in certain areas throughout the homes, such as underneath the edges of windows and around doors, where moisture is most likely to creep in.

Realistically, when a moisture management system is re-installed, water should be able to drain between the housewrap and the facade without penetrating the building envelope and causing damage, said Bryan Darby, Operations Manager at AI Restoration. Dissimilar services are the root cause of these problems in many of the homes we work on. While windows may not necessarily be leaking, the water that gets between the window frame and the stucco can be extremely difficult to remove without the proper drainage solution.

Remediation of one of the houses required AI Restoration to remove approximately 3,700 square feet of stucco covering the sides and back of the home. The area included a large walkout basement that showed elevated moisture readings along the back wall.

Before installing the specified moisture management system, AI Restoration needed to replace a significant amount of sheathing, framing and band board throughout this home. This was a weeks-long process in which the remediation team oversaw staging the home with scaffolding, pulling and resetting doors and windows, extensive rot repair, proper flashing installation, roofing work and more.

A Solution that Provides Peace-of-Mind

As the next step, the Benjamin Obdyke service team provided product recommendations for warranty-approved installation. From the time they arrived on-site, the team worked hand-in-hand with AI Restoration to ensure best practices were implemented throughout the installation on this home. That process was repeated in every home AI Restoration worked on in the community.

AI Restoration wrapped homes with HydroGap, a drainable housewrap that is proven to remove bulk water up to 100 times faster than a typical housewrap. HydroGap creates a drainage space between the sheathing and cladding material, allowing water to quickly escape the building envelope. This advantage is critical for combatting wind-driven rain and other extreme weather conditions common in the Northeast U.S. Additionally, HydroGaps low profile drainage space eliminates the need for design changes in the wall assembly.

HydroFlash was also used to create a tight seal over sheets of the HydroGap drainable housewrap, protecting against moisture and air intrusions. Considering the reverse lapping of the prior, failed installation, properly applying HydroFlash was a major upgrade that eliminated the potential for leakage around windows, doors and other penetrations.

After the moisture management system was installed, the warrantied stucco board needed approximately six weeks to cure. AI Restoration pointed to the combination of high-quality products and knowledgeable on-site support services from Benjamin Obdyke as a key to accelerating completion and reducing labor costs for these projects.

AI Restoration is a leader in providing solutions to these common moisture issues. Over the course of more than 17 years, the company has transformed thousands homes using the highest quality moisture management systems on the market. AI Restorations long relationship with Benjamin Obdyke reflects its commitment to innovation and high attention to detail in helping put homes back together.

Current homeowners in the community will be able to focus on selling their home without worrying about the effects of water damage, while future homebuyers will have peace-of-mind that their investment will be properly protected from water intrusion for years to come.

Were in business to provide our customers with the optimum solutions for moisture management, said Darby. We pride ourselves on using the best products on the market, and weve been able to do that time after time with systems and support from Benjamin Obdyke.

###

About AI Restoration

AI Restoration specializes in full scale stucco remediation. We also replace stucco with siding, stone or a combination of all three. AI Restoration will handle every aspect of the job - including replacing or resetting windows/doors, chimneys and chase covers, your roof and exterior cladding. AI has been in business for almost 20 years and guarantees the work will be done right. http://www.airestoration.com

About Benjamin Obdyke

Since 1868, Benjamin Obdyke has been a leading designer and provider of moisture management solutions. Our founder, Benjamin P. Obdyke, pioneered the first-generation corrugated downspout. This innovation ultimately led to the modern day Benjamin Obdyke. Benjamin Obdykes pioneering spirit remains the hallmark of our company today. http://www.BenjaminObdyke.com
DECATUR  Eddie Sutters of Decatur will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to first-degree murder. The charges allege he intentionally ran over 53-year-old Janice Cole with his SUV in the summer of 2014 in a rural area west of Decatur.

Sutters, 67, will receive a sentence of 20 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, to be determined by Circuit Judge Thomas E. Griffith at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for May 31.

The sentence will be served at 100 percent.

As Sutters stood before the judge's bench, dressed in a black-and-gray striped jail jump suit and wearing orange plastic flip-flops, Assistant State's Attorney Regan Radtke presented the factual basis of the case.

She said that on or about Aug. 26, 2014, police responded to the report of a deceased woman, found in the weeds at the intersection of Pit Road and Sable Road. It was determined that the cause of her death was consistent with being run over by a vehicle.

When he was interviewed by police, Sutters admitted that between 12:30 and 1:30 a.m. he punched Janice in the face, causing her to pass out, Radtke said. He said he later ran her over. He advised that he aimed for her neck and back with the intention to kill her. He then dragged her into the weeds and left.

At the time of this homicide, Sutters was out on bond in a domestic battery case in which Cole was the victim. Sutters was charged with hitting her in the face with a closed fist on March 1, 2014, causing her to lose hearing in her left ear. That case will be dismissed by the state as a result of the murder conviction.

Sutters was represented by Assistant Public Defender Karen Root.

Sutters has 14 prior convictions, dating back to a felony case in Cook County in 1965. He has served prison terms for armed violence, manufacture/delivery of cocaine and violation of bail bond.

He has been held in the Macon County Jail on $5 million bond since his most recent arrest.
Focused on Building Community in Rental Housing, AAOCs tradeshow and conference will host a wide range of free seminars and vendors.

Contemporary Information Corporation (CIC), the nations leading provider of tenant and employment screening, is proud to announce that they will be participating in the Apartment Association of Orange Countys (AAOC) 46th Annual Trade Show and Conference on March 9th, 2017. This free event for rental-housing owners and property management companies is an excellent way to learn about the latest challenges that the rental industry faces in California and how to protect their businesses.

Focused on Building Community in Rental Housing, AAOCs Trade Show and Conference will include a wide range of seminars and vendors. As a sponsor, CIC invites you to join their vice president, Dan Firestone, at booth #333 on Thursday to learn how you can protect your company with the associations tenant screening, employment screening and other tools. The event runs from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA.

Since 1986, CIC has been eager to share their passion and knowledge for best-in-class tenant screening data. CIC has a long standing partnership with AAOC for comprehensive credit and background reports, along with AAOCs newest offering of no cost consumer-initiated renter checks at https://www.applyconnect.com/

AAOCs Annual Trade Show and Conference is a must see event for owners, property managers, and leasing agents within Orange County. Seminars about how to legally build a better community and how to construct positive tenant experiences will be happening throughout the conference. To get connected with CICs vice president in advance, call 800-288-4757 x8262 or fill out the contact form at http://www.cicreports.com.

Download AAOCs advance show ticket for free at http://www.aaoc.com/attendees.html.
The Fenway Institute is an LGBT health research, education and policy advocacy organization headquartered in Boston, MA As Congress and the Trump Administration debate what will be included in a new, national health care insurance plan, it will be important to include provisions that ensure broad access to health care insurance for LGBT people and people living with HIV.

Today, The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health released a policy brief outlining the essential elements of a revised national health insurance strategy to ensure that LGBT people and people living with HIV have broad access to health insurance and culturally competent care. LGBT people and people living with HIV have disproportionately benefitted from the Affordable Care Acts expansion of health insurance coverage.

As Congress and the Trump Administration debate what will be included in a new, national health care insurance plan, it will be important to include provisions that ensure broad access to health care insurance for LGBT people and people living with HIV, said Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research for The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health. The most significant of these provisions are preserving the right to insurance coverage for preexisting conditions, continuing the ban on lifetime and annual spending limits on health insurance coverage, and continuing the Medicaid expansion.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act implemented broad reforms of the nations health care system, such as prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions, including HIV. It also greatly expanded access to health insurance for low-income people by permitting states to cover more residents through Medicaid, an insurance program funded jointly by the federal government and states that covers low-income people and those in need, including children and people with disabilities. The ACA also allowed for immediate coverage of those living with HIV via Medicaid without first requiring a diagnosis of AIDS.

Key provisions to expand access to private and public health insurance were implemented in 2013. Since then, the rate of uninsurance among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people (LGB) decreased from 21.7 percent to 11.1 percent, which is larger than the decrease in uninsurance among the non-LGB population.

The percentage of people living with HIV who lacked any kind of health insurance coverage was 22% in 2012 and dropped to 15% in 2014, following implementation of key elements of health care reform. The percentage of people with HIV on Medicaid increased from 36% in 2012 to 42% in 2014, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Other essential health care provisions for LGBT people and those living with HIV outlined in the policy brief, titled Essential Elements of a Revised National Health Care Policy for LGBT People and People Living with HIV, include:



Expanding eligibility criteria for Medicaid

Prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination in healthcare treatment and access

Encouraging sexual orientation and gender identity data collection in clinical settings

Encouraging cultural competency training to provide affirming care to LGBT patients

It is also critical that access is guaranteed to essential health benefits such as prescription drugs, mental health and substance use treatment, and preventive services such as testing for HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections, Cahill added. LGBT people suffer from higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality. They also use tobacco, alcohol and other substances at higher rates than the general population. These disparities in health and health outcomes cannot be addressed without access to preventive services delivered by cultural competent health care clinicians.
The Northern Virginia Womens Initiative and the Washington Womens Leadership Initiative of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will host the Womens Power and Purpose networking luncheon with Lisa A. Rickard, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform President, Workforce Freedom Initiative President, and Executive Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon will be held March 15 from 11:30 a.m.  1:30 p.m. at Greenberg Traurigs Northern Virginia office. This moderated program will discuss Rickards approach to success and how she has paved a path for generations of women to follow.

Rickard is one of the U.S. Chambers top leaders on a wide range of issues, with a strong focus on legal reform. Rickard plays a significant role in maintaining the Chambers long-term position as the worlds most influential advocate for business. Rickard has served as president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) since 2003. Under her leadership, ILR has developed from a strong national legal reform organization into a comprehensive, multifaceted global legal reform campaign with cutting-edge legislative advocacy, communications, and voter education initiatives.

About Greenberg Traurigs Womens Initiative

Greenberg Traurig is committed to its women lawyers success, which includes a firmwide womens affinity group encompassing recruiting, retention, and business development. The firm regularly collaborates with like-minded organizations to address these issues on a broader scale in a variety of industries and communities. Greenberg Traurig also takes thoughtful action to address issues such as maintaining a healthy work-life balance, breaking the glass ceiling, mentoring, taking charge of your health, and giving back to the community.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the second largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2016, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
With a public debate in full swing in the United States regarding the countrys posture toward refugees, the United Nations Foundation today issued a statement reconfirming its commitment to working with the United Nations to stand with refugees and to champion the values, principles, and international frameworks that help refugees receive life-saving assistance and protection.

UN Foundation Deputy CEO, Elizabeth Cousens, said, American leadership has been a bulwark of the international refugee regime for 70 years, and the United States has long been seen as a beacon for victims of war, violence, and persecution who have been welcomed to our shores and in our communities for generations. American values are upheld when we help families in their greatest hour of need, and by ensuring every person can live in safety and dignity, we create a safer world for Americans and for all people. The Executive Order released on March 6, 2017 on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States threatens these values, our reputation as a welcoming nation, and our security. While the new Executive Order is more limited in scope than its predecessor, it suffers from the same flaws. It puts refugees from the countries in question  who like all refugees to the United States are already subject to some of the most extensive vetting procedures in the world  in limbo. In cutting overall refugee admissions by half, it undermines our leadership. In targeting only refugees from certain countries, it encourages enemies of the United States who benefit from seeing the U.S. close its borders to the most vulnerable. As we stated in the article Why American Leadership Means Standing #WithRefugees, U.S. leadership in support of refugees has always enhanced our security: cooperating with other countries to share the task of helping the displaced has been a bedrock of regional and global stability for over 70 years. As we face the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II with over 60 million people forcibly displaced, the UN Foundation will continue to stand with the UN, with U.S. leadership to support refugees, and against discrimination in all its forms.

Editors Note: On March 6, 2017, the U.S. Administration released a revised version of the Executive Order on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. The new order includes changes such as removing Iraq from the list of targeted countries, but retains the fundamental  and harmful  elements of the original order. The United Nations Foundation continues to stand with refugees and against this Executive Order, as we expressed in the piece here following the signing of the original order.

###

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the worlds most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: http://www.unfoundation.org.
Dr. Allen Chudzinski, Medical Director of the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery We believe education is key in the fight against colon cancer

Florida Hospital Tampa hosts a lunch and learn to educate the community about colorectal cancer on Thursday, March 9th. March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. The surgeons at the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery are out in full force reminding people that screening saves lives. Colon cancer has the third highest incidence rate and the second highest mortality rate of all cancers in the United States. Luckily, there is an opportunity to reduce these numbers.

Colon cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable types of cancer if found early. Screening is the best way to prevent colon cancer, often catching pre-cancerous tissue called polyps before it has a chance to develop. Anyone over 50 (45 for African Americans), or who may be high-risk or symptomatic should talk with their doctor about getting checked.

We believe education is key in the fight against colon cancer. The more that people know about the risks, their family history, and understanding the symptoms of colon cancer, the better the chance that it can be found in early stages and removed. Just by having a conversation with your physician about changes to your colon health can save your life, said Dr. Allen Chudzinski, Medical Director of the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery.

When screenings detect cancer in the colon or rectum, early detection can allow for treatment to increase a persons chance of survival. The surgeons at the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery are dedicated to increasing the survival rates of those diagnosed with colon, rectal, and anus cancers. They prioritize patients diagnosed with cancer, making themselves available for immediate consultations.

Led by Dr. Allen Chudzinski, Medical Director of the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery, the comprehensive medical team is able to evaluate patients and treat them using advanced surgical techniques, including laparoscopic and robotic procedures, that allow for a faster healing process.

On March 21, 2017, from 6:00 pm  8:00 pm, Dr. Allen Chudzinski and Dr. Haane Massarotti, surgeons for the Advanced Center for Colorectal Surgery are presenting a free seminar: Colorectal Cancer Awareness: Prevention and Treatment of Colon and Rectal Cancer at the Wallace Conference Center in the Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute located on the campus of Florida Hospital Tampa (3100 E. Fletcher Ave, Tampa, FL 33613). Space is limited. Attendees can register by calling (813) 615-7211 or online at ColonScreening.eventbrite.com.

About Florida Hospital Tampa

Florida Hospital Tampa is a not-for-profit 527-bed tertiary hospital specializing in Digestive Health, Cardiovascular Medicine, Neuroscience, Orthopedics, Womens Services, Pediatrics, Oncology, Endocrinology, Bariatrics, Wound Healing, Sleep Medicine and General Surgery, including minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures. Also located at Florida Hospital Tampa is the renowned Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, a recognized leader in cardiovascular disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and leading-edge research. The recent addition of the Doc1st ER shows that Florida Hospital Tampa is committed to providing compassionate and quality healthcare. Part of the Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is a leading health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state. For more information, visit http://www.FHTampa.org.
Over the last few years we have seen much growth in the use of both on site and online auctions, a spokesperson for Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc. said.

Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc. announces their Rolling Stock Auction. The event will take place April 1, beginning at 9 a.m. (EST) at 5550 Wilkinson Boulevard-Bldg. A, Charlotte, North Carolina 28208. All auction items, including cars, dump/pick-up/utility trucks, tractors, buses and much more, will be sold at absolute auction to the highest bidder. A Generac Generator will also be selling with a reserve price. Customers can view auction items and bid online by creating a free account on the Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc. website. A preview date is set for Friday, March 31 to view all inventory.

Buyers do not have to be present at the auction as this unique auction experience allows customers the option of bidding on site or online at http://www.rogersauctiongroup.com. Users can visit the website to set up a free account, view all items up for bid, place and verify bids, complete payments quickly and receive email notifications about the status of their bid.

Today, more than ever before, auctions are providing results for buyers and sellers. Auctions are transparent, and buyers and sellers like that among other benefits of buying and selling at auction. With the ability to view products online, customers can access products miles away from the comfort of their homes, bidding is just as instantaneous as if on site and payments can be processed quickly and easily.

Over the last few years we have seen much growth in the use of both on site and online auctions, a spokesperson for Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc. said. Our auctioneers are knowledgeable problem-solvers who take pride in their work while making our customers happy.

About The Company

Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc. has served hundreds of individuals as well as attorneys, local and national banks, mortgage companies, asset managers, Fortune 500 companies, local, state, and federal governments, universities, major corporations, brokers and others. Our auction division has sold single family, acreage, commercial, multifamily, industrial and resort real estate at public auction in several states. Our professionals conduct auctions for heavy machinery, real estate, business liquidations estate, municipalities and more. For more information, please visit http://www.rogersauctiongroup.com.

Contact:

Susan Rogers Holder

Rogers Realty & Auction Co., Inc.

susan(at)rogersrealty(dot)com

(336) 789-2926
Its time to get more women in communications and technology, and its time to get more women in the C-Suite.

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) announced today the recipients of their prestigious Leadership Excellence Awards. Eleven Canadian leaders and achievers are being recognized by WCT for their efforts to advance and inspire women across Canada in communications, media and technology (CMT).

We received an overwhelming number of incredible nominations for women with the skills, experience and ambition to reach top ranks in Canadas digital economy, says Lynda Partner, Chair of WCT. It is an honour to recognize them as leaders in Canadas CMT industries and hopefully inspire other women to aim for the top in their careers. Its time to get more women in communications and technology, and its time to get more women in the C-Suite.

Recognizing and promoting the achievements of women in Canada is a key strategy in WCTs efforts to engage and advance all women to new heights in their careers. Research shows that without role models in leadership positions, young women and girls are up to 32% less likely to aspire to reach leadership roles themselves. With women largely unrepresented in Canadas CMT industries, it is important to recognize the achievements of women who have made significant contributions to diversity and Canadas information, communications and technology industries.

The awards will be presented at WCTs Annual Awards Gala on April 26th at Ottawas Fairmont Chateau Laurier. The must-attend event draws over 400 high-profile public and private sector leaders for a night of networking and celebrating diversity in Canada.

The 2017 Annual Leadership Awards recipients are:

Woman of the Year: Heather Conway, Executive Vice-President English Services, CBC

Company of the Year: Microsoft Canada

Leadership Excellence Awards:

Arleen King, Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience, TELUS, WCT Trailblazer of the Year

Catherine Cano, President and General Manager, CPAC, WCT Innovator of the Year

Dany Meloul, Vice-President, Programming, French Language TV, Bell Media, WCT Mentor of the Year

Elizabeth Alves, Vice-President Internal Risk and Auditing, WCT Leader of the Year

Eniko Rozsa, Natural Language and Dialogue Team Lead, IBM Canada, WCT Technology Innovator of the Year

Jenelle Sobey, Managing Partner, Norex, WCT Emerging Leader of the Year

Julie Adam, Senior Vice-President, Rogers Media, WCT Diversity Champion

Vicki Iverson, Co-Founder and CTO, Iversoft, WCT Entrepreneur of the Year

Actua, WCT Empowerment Award (brought to you by IBM)

The WCT Judging Committee consists of Julie Cork, Executive Vice-President, ARTEX Environmental Corp, Robin Hildebrand, Manager, Human Resources & Regulatory Affairs, Golden West Broadcasting, Corinne Charette, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies, and Telecommunications, Krista Shibata, Leader Women in Technology Initiative at IBM, Grant J. McDonald, Partner, KPMG, and Joanne Stanley, Executive Director, WCT.

For more information, contact Mathea Stevens at mstevens(at)wct-fct.com

To purchase your ticket to the WCT 2017 Annual Awards Gala or reserve a table for your organization, contact us at: info(at)wct-fct.com

About Women in Communications and Technology

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is a national association committed to advancing women in Canadian communications, media and technology. WCT inspires and engages women from coast to coast through professional development programming, networking, mentorship and opportunities to recognize achievements in Canadas digital economy.
Representation is top of mind for us, and we want all customers of Cottman to feel like theyre being heard, says Sue Burg, Sr. Director of Advertising

Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care has never been content doing things the same old way. The brand, known for transforming the typical auto care customer experience from stress inducing to honest and transparent, has also made it a point to prioritize diversity and community service in each of its markets. This sentiment is never more apparent than in its customer auto repair marketing  coinciding with Womens History Month (March), Cottman announced today a new video featuring its proprietary female automotive care expert, the Transmission Physician.

The release of this video, and the perpetuation of the Transmission Physician, is a subtle but meaningful acknowledgement to the contributions of women of the auto care industry. Building on the momentum of female automotive trailblazers such as Mary Anderson, who invented the windshield wiper blade in 1913 and Helene Rother, the first female automotive designer, Cottmans Transmission Physician plays an important role in the development of womens presence in the auto industry. She is an animated female transmission expert who debunks common transmission myths and shares specialized, transmission-specific advice to drivers everywhere.

Its not often talked about, but women have had a significant impact on the auto industry, said Rebecca Ledbetter, digital marketing coordinator for Cottman. In fact, the invention of the automobile itself helped usher in a new era of womens independence and autonomy  take, for example Alice Huyler Ramsey, the first woman to trek alone across America via automobile in 1909. In the same way she was a pioneer, Cottmans Transmission Physician plays an important role in the way women participate in the automotive experience at every level.

We created this video  and the Transmission Physician  to highlight the contributions of women in our field, says Sue Burg, Sr. Director of Advertising. Representation is top of mind for us, and we want all customers of Cottman to feel like theyre being heard, says Burg.

The Transmission Physician is a specialist in transmission technology and repair, and she explores topics through the video series such as checking the automatic transmission fluid (ATF), why transmissions are so expensive, the process of how a transmission works, rechecks and more, and is accessible via the Cottman website on the Videos tab at http://www.cottman.com/transmission-physician/.

As a continuation of the Cottman video series, the Transmission Physician is a resource to predominantly female consumers who may be coerced into spending unnecessary money to completely replace a transmission when a simple fix by an expert would suffice. In fact, according to a study, women make up more than 60 percent of car care customers. Additionally, the Transmission Physician represents a growing sector of women who face limited representation in the automotive repair industry. Cottman is putting significant time and resources toward making auto care an inclusive and welcoming environment.

To view the Transmission Physician Video Series, visit http://www.cottman.com/transmission-physician/.

About Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care

With locations across the U.S., Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care is a transmission and auto repair brand that services almost any make or model vehicle, foreign or domestic. Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care centers specialize in complete transmission service, brakes, suspension, air conditioning service and much more. Cottmans headquarters is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit http://www.Cottman.com and http://www.TheCottmanManBlog.com.
Beauport Hotel Gloucester We wanted to be able to trust a reliable networked lock platform that communicated with our front office system and allowed us create a secure perimeter access. We selected dormakabas Saflok system to do this. It was the right decision. Past News Releases RSS Le Pavillon Hotel Implements...

John Q. Hammons Hotels &...

dormakaba Launches Quantum...

dormakaba, provider of Saflok and Ilco RFID and mobile access security solutions, announced the new Beauport Hotel Gloucester, Massachusetts, opened its doors with mobile-ready networked Saflok Quantum RFID guest room electronic door locks as well as perimeter and facility access entry points. The propertys electronic door locks communicate with the Beauport Hotels front office system over dormakabas Messenger Lens network for a more secure guest environment. The luxury Beauport Hotel Gloucester is located ocean front on Cape Ann in Massachusetts. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

Guest safety and secure perimeter access are a priority

Guest safety and convenience were a priority when we planned Beauport Hotel Gloucester, said Ray Johnston, general manager. We wanted to be able to trust a reliable networked lock platform that communicated with our front office system and allowed us create a secure perimeter access. We selected dormakabas Saflok system to do this. It was the right decision. Safloks Quantum RFID electronic door locks and Messenger Lens wireless online network let us remotely monitor guest door activity to provide a safe, secure environment for guests. We can also interrogate guest keys for access information and remotely recode doors for greater guest convenience and flexible property security.

Saflok flexibility allows custom portal-specific access control

Johnston noted that the property also installed online networked Saflok locks on its perimeter access entry points, its rooftop pool, workout area, and business center. We have direct access from our beach that we secure with Saflok, he said. The locks and RFID key code system are so flexible that we can enable guest keys to let them into the building and their rooms, but not allow direct beach access to our restaurant. The Beauport Gloucester provides guests and local residents with an excellent array of fresh catch seafood and other specialties in its 300-seat community focused ocean front 1606 Restaurant.

dormakabas Messenger Lens wireless online system provides two-way communication between the front desk and a propertys guest room doors and perimeter access electronic locks. Messenger sends staff notifications or alerts from property locks if a door is left ajar for a specific period of time or for maintenance issues such as a low battery. Messenger alerts may be delivered to a server, directly to a cell phone via text message, or to an email address to ensure guest safety and proper system operation. Messenger also communicates with the climate control system and other systems to optimize guest comfort.

The Beauport Hotel Gloucesters team worked with dormakaba to implement the most reliable and secure lock system to optimize guest convenience and property security, said Alastair Cush, dormakaba head of lodging global business development. This is an exceptional property and dormakaba is committed to ensuring the smooth operation of its guest room locks and access control solution.

The Beauport Hotel Gloucester was a new build from the ground up and is now the premier destination on Cape Anne. Our in-season guests can come from as far away as Norway and New Zealand for our Atlantic views, fresh seafood and comfortable luxury, said Johnston. Cape Ann is a nearby four-season escape for guests from New England and New York.

All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with BLE, IOS and Android mobile technology. dormakaba Mobile Access enables guests to open their hotel doors equipped with BLE electronic locks using their mobile phone or device, including the Apple Watch, as a flexible alternative to a classic RFID keycard.

About Beauport Hotel Gloucester

Overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Pavilion Beach and the Atlantic Ocean, this waterfront boutique gem is the perfect New England coastal getaway with 94 classically designed guest rooms and suites, an oceanfront restaurant and lounge and a magnificent rooftop pool and bar. As one of the finest new hotels on Bostons North Shore, we are committed to exceeding our guests every expectation of what a seaside hotel should be.

Beauport Hospitality Group has a proven track record of success. It developments and manages upscale independent full service hotels, restaurants, event facilities and harbor dinner cruises. With a mission that is rooted in its people and community. Its properties offer superior guest satisfaction as our foundation. The company runs its business impeccably with meticulous attention to detail that ensures our properties are among the best of the best. Beauport Hospitality is dedicated to unparalleled hospitality and the genuine care of our guests.

About dormakaba

dormakaba Group is one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions. With strong brands such as Dorma and Kaba in our portfolio, we are a single source for products, solutions, and services related to doors and secure access to buildings and rooms. With around 16,000 employees and numerous cooperation partners, we are active in over 130 countries. dormakaba Group is headquartered in Rumlang (Zurich/Switzerland) and generates an annual turnover of over CHF 2 billion.

SIX Swiss Exchange: DOKA (formerly: KABN / KABNE) Further information at http://www.dormakaba.com
Attitudes are changing as shoppers pay more attention to where their food is coming from and how their food affects their health. Grocery retailers must quickly adapt and adjust their offerings to maintain shopper loyalty.

METTLER TOLEDO presents a new on-demand webinar that takes a look at this changing landscape, and discusses how the industry is reacting to attitudinal shifts. Learn how new technology is popping up on store shelves, and what new offerings can be found around the perimeter of the grocery store. This webinar also dives into some of the science behind genetically modified foods and how these are created to meet specific consumer demands. After watching this webinar, grocery retailers will be better equipped with knowledge to address the shifting food retail landscape.

The Food Retail Landscape on-demand webinar is free with registration. Visit http://www.mt.com/retail-landscape to learn more.

About METTLER TOLEDO

METTLER TOLEDO is a leading international manufacturer of precision measuring instruments. The company is the worlds largest manufacturer and supplier of weighing systems for laboratories, industry and food retail.

METTLER TOLEDO is one of the three leading suppliers of various complementary measuring technologies and a leading supplier of automated pharmaceutical research and ingredient development systems. Moreover, the company is the worlds biggest manufacturer and supplier of metal recognition systems for the production and packaging industry. Further information on METTLER TOLEDO Retail can be found at: http://www.mt.com/retail.
DECATUR  Marquis Beverage owner David Cooper always encouraged learning, about ourselves and each other, and getting involved.

He was always looking for that learning opportunity, said Duane McCoskey, project manager for Marquis.

Cooper died Thursday at age 77 in Florida. Partners In Education Salute honored Cooper for his contributions to the community during Monday's luncheon. He was named as the Partner's Tribute Honoree several weeks before his death.

McCoskey honored his boss during his Partners Salute speech in front of nearly 200 community members, students and parents. McCoskey said Cooper stressed in his employees, and any student he encountered, the importance of learning about others.

McCoskey met Cooper in 1976. Cooper encouraged his employee to get involved in education, through school board meetings, special projects or simply attending his children's activities.

We work to be corporate citizens and help the community, McCoskey said.

Cooper's desire to help his community was also felt by his long-time friend, WSOY host Brian Byers. Byers remembered Cooper as a gentleman and a storyteller.

He dreamed and live large and our entire community is better because of it, Byers wrote in his tribute.

The Partners Salute was sponsored by Richland Community College and 1340 WSOY. Other businesses and institutions contributing to the luncheon included Consociate, Culinary Arts Institute, Herald & Review and Heartland Technical Academy.

Partners in Education at Richland facilitates learning experiences for students in the work world, promoting leadership and career opportunities.

During the ceremony, Partners In Education gave a special honor to the top students in the 2017 classes of area schools and their parents.

Baby TALK was awarded the Outstanding Business Partner for its contributions in educating families about child development. Accepting the award was Baby TALK Executive Director Shauna Ejeh. According to Ejeh, Baby TALK began as collaboration with Richland Community College, as well as both Decatur hospitals and the library.

Baby TALK isn't just for babies, she said. We come at it from a two-generational approach. Without the parents, we can only have a minimal impact.

Consociate President Darren Reynolds introduced Eisenhower High School math teacher Hannah Lybarger with the Outstanding Educator Award. Reynolds' company awarded her a $1,000 stipend to used in her school.

Lybarger continued teaching while at the podium, addressing the students in the audience. She challenged them to focus on making a difference.

Don't pick a major or job, she said. Pick something that you can change the world with.

The Eisenhower math teacher described her own experiences that helped with her achievements. She has lived in Macon County most of her life and is happy she is part of the community.

It's been a long journey, and I love doing what I do, she said.

However, many of her students will ask 'Why a math teacher?' She said she simply wanted to be a teacher and could have picked any subject.

I just love being a teacher, Lybarger said. I go about my day-to-day and teach my students the best I know how.
Heather McCune, PhD, Senior Scientific Director Im delighted to rejoin the Viscira team, and am very excited about the companys dedication to providing best-in-class medical and promotional content development for our clients.

Viscira, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions and software products for the life sciences industry, is proud to announce that Heather McCune, PhD, has rejoined the company as Senior Scientific Director. She will be responsible for guiding scientific strategy and medical content development for the companys diverse base of domestic and global life sciences clients.

Heather brings over 10 years of medical content development experience back to Viscira. In addition to her previous role as Director of Medical Content at Viscira, Heather has held senior-level scientific positions at the medical communications agencies CMC and GeneEd, and in medical affairs at Cord Blood Registry.

Heather has shaped content development efforts for some of the worlds largest pharma and biotech companies, providing support for nearly 400 digital, promotional, and medical education programs. McCune has also supported several launch brands, including those requiring OPDP preclearance review. She has experience in multiple therapeutic areasnamely, hematology/oncology (ALL, multiple myeloma, B-cell malignancies, hemophilia), solid tumor oncology (breast, lung, colorectal), neurology, cardiology, psychiatry, regenerative medicine, and rare disease.

Heathers academic credentials are as impressive as her pharma marketing and medical communications experience. She holds a BA in Biology from Macalester College and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Washington. She also has 10 years of bench research experience, gained during her doctoral studies, her postdoctoral fellowship in Biochemistry & Biophysics at UCSF, and research positions at the University of Minnesota and the University of Chicago.

Heather commented, Im delighted to rejoin the Viscira team, and am very excited about the companys dedication to providing best-in-class medical and promotional content development for our clients. Viscira has a proven commitment to this integral area, and Im thrilled to lead and grow our talented medical content team.

Dave Gulezian, President and CEO of Viscira, said, We are very happy to welcome Heather back to the Viscira family. Her depth of scientific knowledge is invaluable, as is her ability to work both strategically with our clients and collaboratively with members of our internal teams. Its energizing when we have talented former employees choose to return to the company.

Visciras Medical Content team consists of expert PhD medical writers, marketing copywriters, and editors with extensive experience in a broad range of disease states and therapeutic areas, as well as an independent medical advisory board. Visciras content capabilities include content strategy, message development and refinement, creation of de novo content, digital optimization of existing content, and expert consulting regarding legal and regulatory compliance issues (including OPDP)across all phases of the product lifecycle.

Viscira has immediate plans to hire additional members for its Medical Content team, including a Scientific Director, a Medical Editor, and Medical Writers. Please refer to the Careers Section of http://www.viscira.com for additional information.

About Viscira

Viscira is dedicated to the design and development of digital marketing solutions and interactive software applications for the life sciences industry. Viscira provides a suite of programs that integrate best-in-class technology to deliver engaging and memorable content via various electronic channels. Viscira is part of the Sudler & Hennessey Group, a leading global healthcare communications network. For more information, please visit the companys website at http://www.viscira.com, or contact Nol Ashekian at (617) 429-0834.
With over 20 years of industry experience, exceptional leadership skills, and a fresh perspective, he will help take Proforma to the next level in the growth of our company.

Proforma Screening Solutions welcomes Phillip Smith to the team as Director of Operations. Smith has previously worked for several background screening and risk management companies. His most recent position was with CARCO Group Inc. as their Deputy Director of Operations.

When Smith was asked about joining the Proforma team, he said, I am thrilled to join such a well-respected and professional organization. Their culture and drive for excellence is exemplary and is the primary reason I had to be a part of the team.

Proforma Screening Solutions provides an array of employment screening services and background checks that aid companies, both large and small, in making better hiring decisions. They are built for customization, and deliver actionable information. The team at Proforma maintains compliance with hiring laws and regulations, while providing accurate and efficient background screening services.

Burt Thompson, the President of Proforma Screening solutions said, We are excited to welcome Phil and his family to team Proforma. With over 20 years of industry experience, exceptional leadership skills, and a fresh perspective, he will help take Proforma to the next level in the growth of our company.

About Proforma Screening Solutions:

Headquartered just outside the nations capital in Purcellville, Virginia, Proforma Screening Solutions is a pioneering firm in the development of cost-effective employment screening technology and services to help employers make better hiring decisions. Proforma provides useful information from public and private data sources at an affordable price. As a unit of the Lowers Risk Group, Proforma Screening Solutions has access to a full range of risk mitigation practices to offer clients a single point for total enterprise risk management. For more information and to get started, visit http://www.proformascreening.com or call (866) 276-6161.

Author: Jessica Rumke
PMG Research of PIedmont HealthCare The partnership with Piedmont HealthCare is a natural fit for the PMG service offering.

PMG Research, Inc. and Piedmont HealthCare announced today finalization of an Integrated Services Agreement that formalizes a clinical research partnership effective April 1, 2017. This partnership will increase clinical research availability in Statesville, NC and the surrounding communities. PMG Research will assume the existing research infrastructure within Piedmont HealthCare as part of its continued growth to bring a clinically integrated research model to pharma.

Piedmont HealthCare is one of the largest physician-owned and directed, multi-specialty groups in North Carolina and the Southeast region. With 50 locations and more than 160 providers across 32 specialties, Piedmont HealthCare provides comprehensive health care to families, businesses, and employers across Iredell and the surrounding counties in North Carolina.

Jeffrey Smith, CEO of Piedmont HealthCare, The partnership with PMG Research is an opportunity for Piedmont HealthCare to further our Mission of providing excellent and innovative medical care and service. Clinical research offers our providers the chance to participate at the cutting-edge of medical development while providing patients with additional care options to consider.

Through this collaboration, patients in the Statesville area, including Huntersville and Mooresville, will have increased access to clinical research across a broad range of therapeutic areas including but not limited to internal medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, neurology, and pulmonology. The integration of clinical research into patient care delivers additional benefits and innovative solutions to the drug development process; both patients and healthcare providers will ultimately see lowered costs and faster time to market for potentially life-saving medications, vaccines, and medical devices.

Jennifer Byrne, CEO of PMG Research, The partnership with Piedmont HealthCare, whose vision is to remain the regions premier provider of integrated, high quality, state-of-the-art patient care, is a natural fit for the PMG service offering. The commitment of the Piedmont HealthCare administration, along with their providers and staff, to excellent and innovative medical care aligns seamlessly with PMGs continuous efforts to integrate clinical research as a care option: bringing the right trial to the right patient with the right provider at the right time.

This new location represents PMG Researchs fourteenth site, and its second healthcare partnership this year.

About PMG Research, Inc.

PMG Research, Inc. is an integrated network of clinical research facilities with fourteen hub sites located in Champaign, IL; Ames, IA; Cary, Charlotte, Hickory, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Salisbury, Statesville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem, NC; Charleston, SC; and Bristol and Knoxville, TN. PMG has conducted over 7,700 research studies for hundreds of pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs since 1979. We have extensive experience conducting all phases of trials across a comprehensive list of conditions. Our mission is to bring clinical research to as many lives as possible while delivering unparalleled service and exceptional value to our clinical trial partners and stakeholders. To learn more, visit http://www.pmg-research.com.

About Piedmont HealthCare

Piedmont HealthCare is one of the largest physician-owned and directed, multi-specialty groups in North Carolina and the Southeast region. With 50 convenient locations and more than 160 providers across 32 specialties, we provide comprehensive health care to families, businesses, and employers across Iredell and the surrounding counties.

Piedmont HealthCares physicians are committed to providing excellent and innovative medical care and services. Our patients have access to the latest in medical tests and procedures including x-ray, 2D and 3D Mammography, CT, MRI, ultrasound and in-house laboratories. To learn more, visit http://www.piedmonthealthcare.com.
Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis kicks off May 3-7 Im gratified that Tennessees hometown is now embracing our greatest playwright. We look forward to continuing to offer theatrical, artistic, and educational programming to the community, and becoming a major destination event.

In May, the city of St. Louis again celebrates its world-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright  Tennessee Williams - with the 2nd Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, May 3rd through 7th, in venues across the Grand Center Theatre District.

"The magic of the other" is a thread through all of his hundreds of plays, poems, stories, and essays. Some of us fear and reject strange people and ideas. Williams understood that by confronting and embracing the other, we can be elevated and mysteriously transformed. This is not just the magic of theaterit is the magic of the other, explains TWFSTL Executive Artistic Director, Carrie Houk.

Highlights include the unacknowledged Williams masterpiece "Small Craft Warnings," a breathtaking Spanish-language (with English supertitles) production of Deseo; and "The Playwright and the Painter," an exhibition of acclaimed Tennessee Williams paintings on loan from Key West. There is something for all tastes--plays, live music, movies, paintings, readings, panel discussions, and tours. Tickets are available through Metrotix beginning on March 1st. See the full schedule at http://www.twstl.org.

We thrive on the vibrancy of Grand Center. Mary Strauss and Ken and Nancy Kranzberg have embraced us. We are thrilled to have been invited by the Kranzbergs to be an anchor arts organization at the .ZACK! boasts Board President, Scott Intagliata. We premiere Small Craft Warnings at the .ZACK theater, and it will be our hub. Patrons can settle in to discuss the festival and enjoy a drink or a meal.

All programming is within walking distance of the .ZACK. "Bertha in Paradise," featuring St. Louiss Grammy-winning Anita Jackson, kicks off the festival on Wednesday, May 3rd at the Curtain Call Lounge. In a bluesy cabaret performance, Jackson conjures up a continuation of her hauntingly unforgettable character of last years "Hello from Bertha." An opening night party follows.

The remarkable showcase, Tennessee Williams: The Playwright and the Painter, is a major coup for St. Louis. These 18 deeply personal paintings, only once before shown outside of Key West, illustrate how Williams magical poetry brilliantly suffuses every art form he undertakes. Exhibited at the St. Louis University Museum of Art, they are on loan from the Key West Art & Historical Society and the owner of the paintings, Williamss longtime friend David Wolkowsky.

The marquee, must-see production of the festival is the little-known but critically heralded Williams play "Small Craft Warnings." Richard Corley, one of Americas most praised Williams directors, directs a cast of St. Louiss top performers. The cast is headlined by New Yorks much-lauded Williams interpreter Jeremy Lawrence as Doc, a role Williams himself played in its original New York City run.

Deseo, the festivals first-ever international entry, provides a thrilling re-interpretation of Williamss most famous play from the perspective of the Cuban experience. It remains true to the essence of Williams, while freshly channeling the unfamiliar challenges faced by of immigrants and exiles. It is a co-production of Lilian Vegas Miami-based El Ingenio and the world-renowned Teatro Beundia in Havana, guided by Raquel Carrio and Flora Lauten. In Spanish, with English supertitles, at the Marcelle.

The historic Stockton House, everyones favorite venue last year, returns as the stage for "Will Mr. Merriweather Return from Memphis?" Local favorite Jeff Awada directs the first professional production in fifty years of this intimate, funny, poignant play. The scarcest ticket in town last year was for the immersive St. Louis Rooming House Plays at the Stockton House, so theater-goers should get their tickets early and often.

The Tennessee Williams New Playwrights Initiative makes its debut this year. The winner is Jack Ciapciaks "Naming the Dog," also the recent winner of NYUs Goldberg New Playwright Award. The play presents us with millennials who live near Ferguson, veering between attempts to cope with racial unrest and the apparently more consequential task of naming their new puppy. Ciapciak leads a Q&A after the staged reading at the Kranzberg Studio.

Tennessee Williams Tribute: Magic of the Other features scenes, songs, and poetry as interpreted by special guests including Ken Page, Lara Teeter, Elizabeth Teeter, Anita Jackson, Michael James Reed, Jeremy Lawrence, and a surprise vocalist from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. This program will again be curated by Thomas Keith, editor of the continuing series of Williamss newly collected works for the New Directions Press in New York.

The festivals 17 distinct elements, receiving 39 performances, include many of last years favorites: educational panels, a bus tour of Williams locations, Beatnik Jam, films at the Nine Media Commons, a photo exhibit, and, of course, the crowd-pleasing Stella Shouting Contest (to win Stella beer!).

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis looks forward to building on last years critical success and exceeding its 2016 attendance of some two thousand. Says Houk, Im gratified that Tennessees hometown is now embracing our greatest playwright. We look forward to continuing to offer theatrical, artistic, and educational programming to the community, and becoming a major destination event.

Please check the festivals Facebook page (Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis) for updates and announcements.

Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis mission is to enrich the cultural life of St. Louis by producing an annual theater festival and other artistic and educational events that celebrate the art and influence of Tennessee Williams.

http://www.Twstl.org

About some of the creators of this years festival

Carrie Houk, Executive Artistic Director

When we encounter strange people and ideas, many of us avoid, reject, even banish them. Tennessee Williams understands that by confronting and embracing the other, we can be elevated and mysteriously transformed. This is not just the magic of theater. It is the magic of the other. Small Craft Warnings bewitches us with a fog-enveloped seaside bar, full of characters who are simultaneously alien yet familiar. Will Mr. Meriwether Return from Memphis? is literally fantastic, the fantasy intruding into reality in unpredictable and indeterminate ways. Deseo reimagines the most famous Williams play through the experience of Castro-era Cubans. This festival removes us from the everyday...and then returns us just a little different.

Richard Corley, Director of Small Craft Warnings

I am honored to direct my second production of Tennessee Williams' 1972 play SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS for Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. I directed the Russian premiere of this play in the late 90's, during a period of enormous change in that country. Today, when the U.S. is going through upheaval, we need Williams' late masterwork more than ever. SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS is a cri de cur for empathy, a plea for understanding of the weak, desperate, and lonely. Like all of Williams' work, it plumbs the hearts of people so in need of connection that they often hurt others just to feel human. SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS is a love song for, as Williams puts it in one of his finest poems, "the crazed, the strange, the queer," and it reaches across the decades to speak to us forcefully of acceptance and compassion for society's rejects. Working on a Tennessee Williams play is always a pleasure for me as a director - brilliant characters, strong dramatic moments, wonderful humor, and passion. Beyond that, however, his work makes me see others in a richer, more profound, more honest and caring way. That's special - and this is the time for it.

Jef Awada, Director of Will Mr. Merriweather Return from Memphis?

Whats interesting about Merriweather is that the other takes on so many forms: famous ghosts, first loves, scolding librarians, second loves, a trio of witches, romantic French teachers, and dead husbands. And every encounter is a kind of attempt to connect, to be changed, or to escape some undesired personal circumstance. As fantastic as the encounters are, what drives them feels so utterly human.

Jack Ciapciak, playwright of Naming the Dog (Tennessee Williams New Playwright Initiative)

The characters in Naming the Dog have been ignoring things that aren't familiar to them their entire lives. During the play, each character is forced to acknowledge the existence of people and ideas that are 'other' to them, which makes them see their own lives, wants, needs, and desires in a whole new light.
The Piazza Center, a plastic surgery practice in Austin, plans event to raise funds for the regional nonprofit group through its Cocktails & Curiosity event.

On April 20, Dr. Rocco C. Piazza of The Piazza Center (http://www.thepiazzacenter.com), a plastic surgery practice in Austin, is hosting an event raising over $10,000 for the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas (BCRC).

Over 150 attendees came together for the third annual Cocktails & Curiosity event at The Terrace Club in Dripping Springs, hosted in 2016, and they anticipate 200 guests for the event this year.

"This is the most exciting event of the year in Southwest Austin, where we can learn about advances in plastic surgery and make a difference in the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer and their recovery journeys," Dr. Piazza says. "It's a cause that's so close to so many people, and we are truly honored to do our part."

BCRC is a local nonprofit staffed by breast cancer survivors with the goal of reducing mortality rates. The organization assists Central Texans diagnosed with breast cancer as they confront the obstacles that stand in the way of their treatment or affect their quality of life. BCRC aims to be a centralized resource of information, education, and support that empowers those affected by breast cancer to navigate through diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and beyond as active, knowledgeable participants in their healthcare.

The Austin plastic surgeon says he has long been an avid supporter of BCRC since he opened his practice in 2010. He is actively involved in this organization and its extraordinary event, Art Bra Austin, set for June 3 this year. He has witnessed first-hand the services the group provides for many of his breast reconstruction patients.

"The BCRC empowers our patients to move through each decision during the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer like no other resource that exists. Real patient navigators who are breast cancer survivors provide unparalleled support to these women," Dr. Piazza says. "Cocktails & Curiosity is a way to educate the public about BCRC, as well as the process patients face who are undergoing reconstruction surgery."

Part of the evening cocktail hour will be dedicated to testimonials from BCRC clients, who are breast cancer survivors themselves.

Cocktails & Curiosity will include demonstrations and discussions of the latest techniques in cosmetic surgery, skin care, and nonsurgical facial rejuvenation. Vendors include Allergan, Galderma, Revision Skincare, SkinMedica and CoolSculpting.

"It will be an educational night, but also a really fun evening," Dr. Piazza says. "We love putting these events on and making them exciting for our patients, because it helps us spread the BCRC message even further."

The annual events have raised over $17,000 for BCRC in the past few years, and Dr. Piazza says the goal is to double the contribution year-over-year.

Art Bra Austin, happening June 3 at the Austin Convention Center, includes a fashion show and auction of unique, artist-designed bras, also benefitting the BCRC.

Rocco C. Piazza, M.D., FACS, of The Piazza Center (http://www.thepiazzacenter.com) offers the most advanced procedures available to meet a wide range of cosmetic needs. After graduating summa cum laude from Baylor University, he attended University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Piazza completed his plastic surgery training at the Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center in Michigan under 20 board-certified plastic surgeons, including the world-renowned breast surgeon Dr. Dennis C. Hammond. This diverse training experience gave him wide exposure to many different surgical techniques in facial aesthetics, trauma reconstruction, breast and body contouring, and the latest advances in nonsurgical facial rejuvenation. Dr. Piazza is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Spokespersons Network of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, representing the prestigious group by providing the media with information on a broad range of plastic surgery topics. Dr. Piazza and his staff are committed to healthy eating, he is an advocate for exercise, and he has created a comfortable practice environment focused on anti-aging skin care, nonsurgical facial rejuvenation with injectables (JUVEDERM, Restylane, and Sculptra Aesthetic) for volume restoration, and reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
Workplace Eye Wellness Month TIDI Products is honored to participate in Workplace Eye Wellness Month. It is our vision to protect vision in healthcare environments

TIDI Products, LLC, a leading manufacturer of clinically differentiated, single-use, infection prevention products, today announced its participation in March 2017 Workplace Eye Wellness Month. TIDI Products will support eye wellness advancement efforts by offering two unique webinars, designed to inform healthcare staff and infection prevention managers about eye infection risk in healthcare environments.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, each day, nearly 2,000 people injure their eyes while working; one third of these workplace eye injuries are severe enough to require hospital emergency room treatment, and almost three out of five of these injuries, including abrasions, splashes, and impacts, result from a lack of appropriate eye protection. To combat these trends in healthcare environments, TIDI Products has designed two educational webinars.

On March 21, 2017, Melanie Burton, RN, CNOR, BSN, and Nurse Educator, will review eye related infection risks and advanced protection protocols, covering relevant standards, current research, clinical risk reduction, and best practice process implementation. Eligible participants can earn one contact hour. On March 29, 2017, Dr. Amber Hogan Mitchell, President & Executive Director of the International Safety Center, and Victor R. Lange, Director of Infection Prevention, Alta Hospital Systems, Los Angeles, will discuss new research and recommendations around eye-infection risk reduction. For more details and to register for either webinar, please visit http://www.TIDIProducts.com/eyewellness.

TIDI Products President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin McNamara said, TIDI Products is honored to participate in Workplace Eye Wellness Month. It is our vision to protect vision in healthcare environments. More information about TIDI Products is at http://www.TIDIProducts.com.

About TIDI Products, LLC

TIDI Products, LLC is a leading global manufacturer of innovative, single-use, infection-prevention products and unique, safety-improving interventional equipment. TIDI is committed to supporting caregivers and preventing infections in hospitals, clinics, dental offices, and other healthcare environments. The TIDI Product portfolio ranges from exam table paper, patient capes and gowns, dental bibs, curing light sleeves, intra-oral camera covers, and sterile C-Arm drapes; to protective eyewear, gowns, masks and gloves for staff; to securement products for catheters and other devices; to radiation protection capital and consumable products. For more information, please visit http://www.TIDIProducts.com.
Worthington Direct is a great company to work with. They have a personal connection to their customers and are always available to answer any questions. I love the customer service they provide.

This month marks the 20th year in business for school furniture dealer, Worthington Direct. Founded March 17, 1997 by Kevin Worthington, the company has transitioned through changes in both the educational furniture market and the channels in which they have catered to their loyal customer base.

In its inception Worthington Direct was solely a direct mail catalog dealer whose catalog has likely crossed your desk over the years if you work in school administration. Not to leave out similar institutions in need of quality furniture, Worthington Direct also curated and distributed print catalogs to the church and preschool markets for a time.

In the early 2000's, as ecommerce channels were just coming to life, their website http://www.worthingtondirect.com opened its doors to early adopters of ordering online. Flash forward to today and the Worthington Direct website has since become the clear choice for school procurement departments, office managers, daycare owners and church administrators. But check your desk because Worthington Direct printed catalogs are still being produced and are a big driver for sales and brand awareness.

Even with technology changing the source of business, Worthington Direct still is very personable. If you call during business hours, there's no auto-attendant. You will be greeted by a team member that likely has 5-15 years of experience and has been personally trained by Kevin Worthington. "Our sales and customer service staff is small enough to allow communication to flow among each other which fosters a sort of continually training session as new trends and questions arise," says sales coordinator and 15 year veteran, Neely Rose.

So what trends have changed in educational furniture over the past 20 years? There used to be a lot of focus on keeping students within their own personal space- hard, solid plastic combination chair desks, ordered in neat rows, all day long. Now schools want flexible furniture that allows students to come together for interactive lessons and even be comfortable, as if in their own home, while they work. Standing in class might have landed you in detention 20 years ago, but now it's encouraged and schools are providing stand-up desks to students as a workspace option.

To celebrate their 20 years in business, Worthington Direct has planned some great furniture giveaways in collaboration with some of their top furniture partnerships. "Worthington Direct is a great company to work with. They have a personal connection to their customers and are always available to answer any questions. I love the customer service they provide, says Stephanie Laney from Marco Group.

Look for 6 months of giveaways which can be entered through their Facebook page starting now. A single entry will automatically enter you for all 6 giveaways! The remainder of the year will feature some exceptional 20% off sales events from everything on classroom furniture to office furniture.

About Worthington Direct

At Worthington Direct, you will find over 20,000 quality furniture products for your school, church, daycare or office. Our goal is to make your purchasing job easier by giving you direct access to competitive prices on all types of commercial and institutional furniture products. Worthington Direct has been in business 20 years and is staffed with knowledgeable sales associates that average 10-20 plus years experience in the furniture supply industry.
CHICAGO (AP)  Chance the Rapper's unusual intervention into Chicago Public Schools' funding crisis took an even more curious turn Monday when the Grammy-winner presented a $1 million check to city schools and urged Gov. Bruce Rauner to use his executive powers to help the nation's third-largest district.

"This isn't about politics. This isn't about posturing. This is about taking care of the kids," he said. "Everybody and their mama knows what's going on in Chicago. We're about to enhance the conversation on supporting and funding the education of the kids in Chicago."

At the heart of rapper's beef with Rauner is $215 million in teacher pension relief for Chicago schools that he vetoed last year. Rauner said a broader pension overhaul was needed, part of his push for pro-business and long-term reforms. However, the school district of roughly 400,000 students had factored the money into its roughly $5.4 billion budget and had to make mid-year cuts. The district has also proposed ending the school year early to save money.

Rauner, who called the meeting a "good exchange of views," circulated plans before Chance's public appearance for ways to recover the $215 million; both require state legislation. One option calls for using up most of Chicago's special taxing district funds, set aside for capital projects, for a one-time infusion. The other would attach the funding to broader pension reform.

Chicago officials rejected both, saying Illinois' school funding formula is fundamentally unfair to the largely minority and poor school district. CPS has sued the state over the calculation and argues the district is further penalized since it's the only one in Illinois where local taxpayers, not the state, help pay teacher pension costs.

Chance also dismissed the plans, saying he wasn't a politician.

"It's not my job to propose any policy or be behind anything but the kids," he said.

Rauner's office issued a statement detailing his history of giving: roughly $7 million over 20 years to organizations benefitting Chicago students.

"While the Rauners are passionate donors to our schools, individual contributions will never be enough to address the financial challenges facing CPS," the statement said. "It would be helpful if CPS officials came to Springfield and joined in serious good faith discussions about the long-term stability of all of our schools."

Rauner has blamed Chicago's fiscal woes on years of financial mismanagement and argues that Chicago receives hundreds of millions in block grants other schools don't.

Meanwhile, Chance deemed his donation  from the concert ticket proceeds  a "call to action" and asked other artists and corporations to follow suit.

The rapper has family ties to prominent Democrats. His father worked in former President Barack Obama's Cabinet and for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Chance has been civically engaged before, leading a march to the polls in November and serving on the board of Chicago's DuSable Museum of African American History.
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A Michigan indie takes on Facebook; Cleveland booksellers honor Women's History Month; three booksellers win book fair scholarships; and more.

Facebook Deletes Michigan Bookstore's Page Then Restores It: The Book Beat bookstore in suburban Detroit had lost its Facebook page for several days after a complaint from Sweden's Bonnier, which recently launched a new audiobook subscription service with the name BookBeat. The site, which contained ten years of postings and links to nearly 5,000 people was restored yesterday.

Cleveland Bookstore Shelves Men's Books Backwards: As a visual metaphor in support of Womens History Month, booksellers at Loganberry Books took two hours to comb nearly 10,000 books and face those by male authors spine in.

Three Booksellers Win International Book Fair Scholarships: Jonathon Welch of Talking Leaves Books, Buffalo, N.Y.; Jennifer Witte of Skylight Books, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Camilla Orr of Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe and Phoenix, Ariz. have won scholarships from Europa Editions and Other Press that will allow them to attend the Turin International Book Fair May 18-22.

BAM Spin-Off 2nd & Charles Opens in Indiana: The new store in Highland, Indiana offers some 300,000 items for sale and allows customers "a forum to buy, sell and trade goods all in the same place."

Queen Books to Open in April in Toronto: A new 1,700 sq.-ft. general interest bookstore is opening in the Leslieville neighborhood of Toronto this April. The co-owners, Alex Snider and Liz Burns, met while working at Type Books.

Death of Coloring Book Trend Hurts B&N: The chain bookseller blamed the end of the fad which gave an unexpected boost to sales in 2015 for some of its poor results last year.
Confident and unafraid  not many mothers would describe their feelings during childbirth with these words, but they are the words Charissa Peterson uses to describe giving birth to her youngest daughter and son.

I was surrounded by support, and I knew my midwives were prepared, educated and fully capable of handling and making decisions about any complications that might arise, said Mrs. Peterson, 33.

She delivered her children in her Davenport home with her husband, Ryan, 36, by her side.

The Petersons stand among 26,500 families that plan a home birth each year in the U.S., according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Families seek home birth for a variety of reasons, including the desire for fewer medical interventions, enhanced comfort and maximum continuity of care provided by a trained midwife, which can lend to healthy outcomes for mother and baby.

Yet in Illinois, where more than 800 babies are born at home each year, many families lack access to licensed midwifery care, said Sarah Moore, 32, of Rock Island.

Mrs. Moore, a mother of three, home-schools her children and works as a professional labor support provider, or doula. She also is training to become a certified professional midwife, or CPM, a national certification for which there is no companion licensure in the state of Illinois.

CPMs cannot legally provide care  and a CPM caught working without a license can go to jail. Some take that risk, working without legal access to basic supplies.

These midwives dont have access to life-saving medication, and they cant easily transfer a patient to the hospital in case of complications, Mrs. Moore said.

Early in her apprenticeship, she remembers using oranges to practice injecting Pitocin, a medication that spurs contractions, with a local lay midwife.

I looked at the bottle, and it was in a different language, she said. I was like, 'How do you know this is Pitocin?' I mean, universally all of the green-tab, one-mil vials are, but how do you really know?

State licensure is a safety issue, Mrs. Moore said. Thats why she volunteers with the Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives, a nonprofit organization working to make state licensure a reality for CPMs in Illinois. The group currently is rallying support for House Bill 677 and Senate Bill 1754, known jointly as the Home Birth Safety Act, penned by an obstetrician who formerly presided over ACOG.

Last week, Mrs. Moore traveled to Springfield to meet with legislators, and she brought her youngest daughter, Lydia, 4, along for the ride.

The politics can be fun, and some of these people are just super cool ... but I dont really wanna be doing this. I want to serve my women. I want to take care of ladies and babies, said Mrs. Moore, who began her training after Lydia was born at home with the aid of Bernice Keutzer, a nurse midwife from Arlington, Ill.

She said midwifery is a calling.

I had the opportunity to attend a few home births, and it just totally revolutionized what I thought birth was and could be. They were life-changing. And after Lydias birth at home, which was amazing, I was like, 'This is what I have to do.' Its almost like I cant do anything else, now.

"It was a big thing when I started my training. They said, 'You cant do it here legally.' But Im like, 'Yeah, but I have to do it!'

Mrs. Moore said her husband, Jared, has suggested moving the family to Wisconsin or Michigan, where she could work legally.

Today, there are no licensed midwives providing home-birth care for Quad-Cities families. The Quad-Cities does have many state-licensed certified nurse midwives, or CNMs, but none of them serve home births.

If a pathway to state licensure were developed, CPMs could fill the gap locally by providing safe care to low-risk mothers and babies, Mrs. Moore said.

She stresses that home-birth midwives only take "super low-risk moms.

Thats one reason why our (prenatal) appointments are so long," she said. "For that hour and a half we are with you, you are being assessed mentally, health-wise, family-wise, emotionally. We are looking at all of these qualities, making sure youre still a good candidate, she said.

Ongoing assessment is part of midwifery training for certification through the North American Registry of Midwives, which requires apprentices to attend 100 prenatal exams, 55 births (10 out of hospital), 40 newborn exams and 50 postpartum exams, among other requirements, such as neonatal resuscitation and basic life support.

Mrs. Peterson believes access to safe, licensed midwifery care is crucial.

It's so important for states to legalize and license CPMs who are trained, knowledgeable and have the proper skills to ensure safe home birth practices, she said, so that women can safely, comfortably and legally birth their babies at home.
Drug charges will proceed in Henry County Circuit Court against a semi driver and two men in a pickup who allegedly exchanged a duffel bag of heroin and cocaine at the Flying J truck stop off Interstate 80 in LaSalle.

Three separate preliminary hearings were held Monday for Alejandro Martinez, 29, of Las Vegas, Nev.; Omar Gutierrez-Valle, 28, of New Paris, Ind.; and Jose M. Gandarilla-Ayala, 28, of Pico Riviera, Calif.

The men are alleged to have brought more than 900 grams of cocaine and heroin into Illinois on Feb. 26. Each faces four Class X felony charges and two Class 1 felonies.

Illinois State Trooper Andrew Fratzke testified he conducted a tractor trailer inspection of Mr. Martinez's semi of yogurt about noon Feb. 26 and, at the end of it, told Mr. Martinez he was free before asking if he could have his K-9 do a free-air sniff.

He said, 'Um, sure,'" Trooper Fratzke said. The trooper said he then asked again and Mr. Martinez again gave permission.

The dog alerted on the front driver-side headlight and behind the driver door, Trooper Fratzke said. He said a duffel bag with 10 kilos of cocaine and one kilo of heroin was found at the passenger-side sleeper berth. The drugs were allegedly loaded onto the semi in Los Angeles.

Mr. Martinez agreed to cooperate with police and further the delivery. He said he had been told to meet people at Flying J truck stop.

At hearings for Mr. Gutierrez-Valle and Mr. Gandarilla-Ayala, Officer Eric Hamilton of the Black Hawk Area Task Force said Mr. Martinez exited his semi and carried a duffel bag from the semi to a white pickup containing two men. At that time, officers converged on the pickup.

Judge Jeffrey O'Connor found probable cause to believe all three defendants committed felonies. He said he would hear a motion to dismiss two of the six charges involving bringing drugs into the state of Illinois for the two men in the pickup.

Mr. Gandarilla-Ayala's pretrial hearing was set for March 22. Hearings for Mr. Gutierrez-Valle was set for April 19 and for Mr. Martinez on April 20. Mr. Martinez remains in jail on a $500,000 bond. The other men remain in jail on $750,000 bond.
DAVENPORT -- Ida Johnson, the founder and former executive director of United Neighbors Inc., has filed a lawsuit against the group alleging breach of contract, slander and theft.

She and independent contractor Tonya Williams filed suits against the community assistance group in February. Two other former employees, Patricia Williams and Theresa Fuller, filed suits against United Neighbors on Dec. 9.

On Monday attorney Anthony Bribriesco, who is representing the former employees, emphasized that his clients' lawsuits do not involve United Neighbors' rental assistance program and deal only with arbitrating damages for unpaid wages.

United Neighbors was not available for comment.

In 1973, he said, Ms. Johnson launched a charitable organization "at her kitchen table" which became United Neighbors in 1980. She served as its executive director for more than 30 years, he said, and received several awards for her service.

In May 2016, Ms. Johnson announced she planned to retire at the end of year. On July 5 the group hired Evelyn Nelson as its deputy director.

The lawsuit says Ms. Nelson made false statements about Ms. Johnson and, without investigating the claims, the board asked Ms. Johnson to retire in October 2016 in exchange for $6,617.82 in salary and vacation.

Ms. Johnson agreed, the suit states, but the board didn't comply with the proposed terms for her departure. From about Sept. 27, United Neighbors denied Ms. Johnson entry to its offices at 808 N. Harrison St., Davenport, and retained her personal property that was on the premises, the suit states.

"The biggest thing is that Evelyn Nelson and United Neighbors Inc. broke a promise to (Ms.) Johnson," Mr. Bribriesco said.

Ms. Williams is suing United Neighbors for a breach of contract and theft. Hired in October 2014 as a consultant to improve business operations, she also assisted with the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program, according to the lawsuit.

On about Sept. 26, United Neighbors denied Ms. Williams entry to the premises and, on Sept. 30, terminated its contract with her.

The lawsuit states Ms. Nelson tried to close United Neighbors for two weeks. In October 2016, multiple programs were suspended because the organization failed to verify participants' eligibility. Since that time, the Iowa Finance Authority has suspended payments supporting United Neighbors' operations. The payments won't resume until United Neighbors can confirm its eligibility; the finance authority is awaiting results of a United Neighbors' internal audit.

"Evelyn Nelson ... fired the employees who knew what they were doing," Mr. Bribriesco said. "We believe that the consequences of that are now being seen."
CHICAGO (AP)  Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has released a policy draft that would make it easier for his officers to use force than a previous draft of the same policy he released last fall.

The Chicago Police Department has been under intense pressure to change its ways following the release of a video showing a white officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. A Justice Department report also harshly criticized the department for using excessive force.

But the draft released Monday gives officers more latitude to use force than the draft released in October and adds a provision urging police to employ de-escalation tactics only if doing so won't put their own safety at risk.

Police and the public have until March 16 to comment on the latest draft.
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP)  A judge has ordered an April 12 hearing on the constitutionality of charges filed against the widow of a suburban Chicago police officer who killed himself and made it look like it was duty related.

Defense attorney Donald Morrison claims Lake County prosecutors have avoided detailing specific criminal acts Melodie Gliniewicz committed to be charged with conspiracy, unlawful use of charitable funds for personal gain and money laundering.

Prosecutor Scott Turk says the specific charges against the woman are highlighted in an FBI report already turned over to Morrison.

The 52-year-old Gliniewicz was indicted after her husband, Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, committed suicide in September 2015. She has pleaded not guilty to charges she siphoned money from the village's youth policing program.

Authorities say Charles Gliniewicz staged his suicide because he feared discovery of his embezzlement from the youth program.
CHICAGO (AP)  Authorities say students were evacuated for nearly two hours from a Jewish grade school in Chicago after someone called in a bomb threat.

Police shut down several streets surrounding the Chicago Jewish Day School on the city's north side after the threat was reported Tuesday morning.

Police say school staff decided to evacuate the students and staff members. Police dogs were used to search around the school, but police didn't immediately say whether anything was found before students were allowed to return. The school's website says it has more than 200 students from junior kindergarten to eighth grade.

The Chicago threat comes as the New York-based Anti-Defamation League and several Jewish community centers across the country reported a new round of bomb threats Tuesday.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A former Chicago lawyer who threatened to sue thousands of people who downloaded pornographic video pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that John L. Steele, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In entering his plea, the 45-year-old Steele admitted that between 2011 and 2014 he and Paul Hansmeier threatened copyright lawsuits against individuals who supposedly downloaded pornography from file-sharing websites. Prosecutors claim they obtained more than $6 million through the threats.

Steele admitted he and Hansmeier created sham entities to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites to lure people to download the movies.

Hansmeier of St. Paul, Minnesota, was charged as a co-defendant in December. It wasn't immediately known if he has obtained legal representation.
SELMA, Ala. (AP)  Throngs of people converged in the city of Selma, Alabama, for the annual re-enactment of a key event in the civil rights movement.

Sunday marks the 52nd anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River in Selma. On March 7, 1965, African-Americans seeking voting rights launched a march across the bridge en route to Montgomery but were attacked by police. That violent episode became known as "Bloody Sunday."

The march is credited with helping build momentum for passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Attendees included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and North Carolina NAACP President Dr. William Barber.

WFSA-TV (http://bit.ly/2lPWFDi ) reports that a number of Selma church services kicked off Bridge Crossing Jubilee events including at the historic Brown Chapel where speakers remembered the battle for African American voting rights and the role the Chapel played in that fight.

Merrill's speech however upset some audience members. He told onlookers that the state has been working to create more opportunities for people to obtain photo identification and get registered to vote by going to various sites throughout the state.

"We want to make sure that every eligible U.S. citizen that is a resident of Alabama is registered to vote and has a photo ID so they can participate in the electoral process at they level that they want to participate," Merrill said.

Multiple spectators called out in opposition several times of having a photo ID including in the voting process. Many walked out of the church service while Merrill was still talking including NAACP president Barber, according to WFSA.

"Standing on this historic ground, where people died for voting rights, we cannot accept this hypocrisy of voter suppression," Barber said.

The service continued, despite the moments of tension, with Congresswoman Sewell calling for unity and activism and other leaders asking for respect and peace.

This year's march re-enactment was planned despite a dispute over city fees that forced organizers to change plans for a festival-like event leading up to the bridge-crossing commemoration.

The city asked for thousands of dollars to cover the costs of police, fire and cleanup workers, but Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, and other leaders of the event refused to pay. Instead, they moved a music festival to private property rather than holding it on a blocked city street as in past years.

Organizers of an annual Civil War re-enactment held in Selma canceled their event when presented with a similar bill from the city.

This year's crowd for the bridge crossing was expected to be far smaller than the one in 2015, when then-President Barack Obama and his family led tens of thousands of marchers on the 50th anniversary weekend.
WASHINGTON  Several Senate Democrats want to know if the Secret Service is running background check on visitors to President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort.

The seven Democrats led by Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island are asking Secret Service Deputy Director William J. Callahan about the procedures in place for Trump properties when the president is there and apparently conducting business.

The Democrats ask if WAVES (Workers and Visitors Entry System) is being implemented at the resort in Palm Beach or at other properties like Trump Tower in New York City.

Visitors to the White House are, as a matter of routine, required to provide personal information including birthdates and birthplaces, as well as Social Security or foreign ID numbers before getting access to the building and grounds.

If not, what other steps are being taken to conduct background checks people who will be present during President Trumps trips to Mar-a-Lago? the senators wrote in a list of questions for the Secret Service. Is the Secret Service considering extending these systems, or any other security screenings, for Trump Tower, Bedminster, or other Trump properties at which the President may spend time conducting official businesses? If not, why not?

The White House announced that Trump dined Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, along with White House Counsel Don McGahn and top advisers Stephen Millen and Steven K. Bannon

President Trumps conduct of official business at private property to which some members of the public have access appears to be unprecedented in recent times, the seven senators wrote to the Secret Service. While we appreciate that every President has the right to some privacy when not in the White House, this President has invited members of the public, who in many cases have paid significant amounts of money for access to him, to watch official business be conducted and has in some cases sought their advice during these breaks from Washington.

Along with Whitehouse, Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Ron Wyden of Oregon signed the letter to Callahan.

Joseph Clancy, who had been the director of the Secret Service, retired effective last Friday.

In a separate letter to Trump also dated Monday, the same group of Democratic senators also ask whether he plans to continue the Obama administration policy of releasing White House visitor logs.

Continuing President Obamas transparency policies would help dispel concerns that the wealthy and the well-connected have unfair access to your White House, they wrote.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  Native Americans from across the country are bringing their frustrations with the Trump administration and its approval of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to the nation's capital Tuesday, kicking off four days of activities that will culminate in a march on the White House.

Tribal members and supporters plan to camp each day on the National Mall, with teepees, a ceremonial fire, cultural workshops and speakers. Native American leaders also plan to lobby lawmakers to protect tribal rights.

"We are calling on all our Native relatives and allies to rise with us," said Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. "We must march against injustice. Native nations cannot continue to be pushed aside to benefit corporate interests and government whim."

On Friday, the 2-mile "Native Nations March on DC" will lead participants from the Army Corps of Engineers office to a rally near the White House. Organizers said they expect thousands of people to take part.

The White House referred a request for comment to the Interior Department. That department referred the inquiry to the Corps, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The protest comes as a federal judge in Washington weighs a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to halt construction of the last section of the Dakota Access pipeline pending the outcomes of their lawsuit to stop the project. The tribes say that section of the pipeline, which will pass under Lake Oahe, a large Missouri River reservoir, will threaten their water supply, sacred sites and religious rights. The judge is expected to rule this week.

The march Friday will begin at the Army Corps of Engineers office because the agency manages the Missouri River and last month gave the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, permission to finish the project. The company expects to wrap up the work and have oil flowing this month.

The two tribes say they weren't properly consulted about the pipeline route, which the government disputes. They also maintain their treaty rights were violated when the government changed its mind about conducting further environmental studies of the Lake Oahe crossing after President Donald Trump took office in January.

"This fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has been the tip of the spear of a powerful global movement calling for the United States government and Donald Trump to respect indigenous nations and people in our right to water, land, sovereignty, and culture," said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network.
A convict at Armenias Nubarashen Correctional Facility has testified, according to the Special Investigative Service (SIS), that over the years he has bribed facility officials to smuggle in various medicines, allegedly for personal use, and that he then sold them to other convicts.

The unnamed convict, according to the SIS, also alleges that guards beat him for sending petitions to various state agencies, and that convicts had to bribe officials in order for their relatives to be allowed visits to the facility.

The SIS says that it has brought criminal charges against several of the staff at the correctional facility.
What happens when the American people reject election results? Defy a Supreme Court holding? President James Buchanan, our vilified 15th president, had strong views on those questions.

Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, in an attempt to save the Union, engineered passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. That law included this provision:

"The true intent and meaning of this Act (is) not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State, nor to exclude it therefrom; but to leave to the people thereof free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the Constitution of the United States."

In January 1857, the Supreme Court decided the Dred Scott case, holding that the Constitution left the question of slavery to the states. It further held that the Constitution gave Congress no power over slavery (only a duty to assist returning fugitive slaves). Additionally, it held that as Congress had no power over slavery, it could not "delegate" a power to the territories, which it didn't have. Perhaps most importantly, the court held that a slave was "property," and that under the Fifth Amendment's "due process" clause, "no person could be deprived of his ... property, without due process of law."

After the Dred Scott decision, the Douglas Democrats persistently denounced President Buchanan for adhering to the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision.

They accused the president of "proving faithless to the Cincinnati Platform, which he had accepted, and on which he was elected."

President Buchanan's position was that even if the Cincinnati Platform had affirmed, as the Douglas Democrats insisted, the right of a territory to approve or reject slavery therein pursuant to Congressional authorization, that in the face of an unequivocal contrary Supreme Court decision, it was the President 's duty to act in adherence to that Supreme Court decision, rather than a party platform. In Mr. Buchanan's words,

"He could not hesitate in the choice (between adhering to the party platform, or to the law of the land as pronounced by the Supreme Court) under his oath [to] faithfully and to the best of his ability to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.' Sad must be the condition of any country where an appeal can be taken from judicial decisions to excited popular elections! ... When [the law] is disregarded and defied by excited and exasperated popular majorities, anarchy and confusion must be the inevitable consequence. Public and private rights are sacrificed to the madness of the hour. ... To avoid such evils, history has taught us that the people will at last seek refuge in the arms of despotism. Let all free governments in the future take warning that the late disastrous civil war, unjustifiable as it was, would most probably never existed had not the American people disobeyed and resisted the Constitution of the country as expounded by the tribunal which they themselves had created for this express purpose."

Most modern legal scholars believe Dred Scott was wrongfully decided, relying on the dissenting opinion therein of Justice Benjamin Robbins Curtis.

Chief Justice Roger Taney, for the majority, had written that Negroes could not be U.S. citizens, and therefore could not sue a citizen of another state in Federal Court ("diversity of citizenship jurisdiction"). Curtis replied that Negroes were considered citizens in most of the northern states; they thus could sue a citizen of another state in Federal Court.

Taney wrote Congress had no power over slavery in the territories. Curtis responded that for 70 years, that power had been universally acknowledged by every branch of government.

Taney wrote that slaves were "property," protected by "due process." Curtis replied that - since Magna Carta (1215) -- the due process clause meant that no man could be executed, imprisoned or fined, except in accordance with the laws of the land.

Candidate Abraham Lincoln later made the moral argument slavery is immoral, and "nobody has a right to do a wrong."

At least in one respect, however, President Buchanan was right. Americans have every right to peacefully express disagreement with election results, or high court decisions.

But when Supreme Court holdings and/or election results are violently "defied by excited and exasperated popular majorities, anarchy and confusion must be the inevitable consequence."
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Letters To The Editor

Street Closure Dangers Neighbors, Friends, Citizens of NYC/QUEENS: Many may not know that NYC has decided to close off miles of streets to cars in...
On Monday March 6, 2017, Little Free Libraries in Armenia, an initiative started in 2015 by Laurie Alvandian and Nina Roma Agvanian, launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the building, painting, and installation of at least 40 Little Free Libraries throughout Yerevan, the unrecognized Armenian Republic of Artsakh, and each of Armenia's 10 provinces.

Little Free Libraries are free, public book exchanges, usually located outside in accessible public spaces. While they come in all different shapes, sizes, and designs, they usually resemble small wooden boxes or houses. The concept was started in 2009 in the United States, and has since spread around the world. There are now over 50,000 Little Free Libraries in over 70 countries. The motto of Little Free Library is "take a book, return a book." Anyone in the community is welcome to take a book from the library or bring a book to place in the library for someone else to read.

In 2015, Laurie and Nina received a Next Step Alumni Fund grant from Birthright Armenia to build 15 Little Free Libraries in Armenia. In July 2016, with the help of Four Peaks Landscape + Architecture, the first official Little Free Library in Armenia was installed on Arami Street in Yerevan. Since then, Laurie and Nina have installed two more libraries in Yerevan, have attracted over 1,600 Facebook followers, and have at least seven exciting library locations scheduled for installation in spring/summer 2017, including Dilijan (Cafe #2), Kapan (ARK Armenia), and more.

Laurie, a librarian from the United States, and Nina, a social worker and artist from the United States and Spain, both came to Armenia in 2014 to participate in Birthright Armenia, an organization that brings young diasporan Armenians to Armenia to work as volunteers. They had never met before, but quickly bonded over their mutual love of books and sharing stories. After several months of living in Armenia, they agreed that they felt a deep connection to the country and that they wanted to move there permanently and create something meaningful together.

Laurie and Nina had both come across Little Free Libraries in their home communities, and agreed that the project could be a very accessible, high-impact initiative that would yield a lot of positive results in their new home. In the context of the rapid change that they noticed taking place in Armenia, they also noticed a lack of access to books and information for themselves, their peers and their communities, despite a growing reading culture. Thinking about ways to be a part of the change in a country they had come to care deeply about, they conceptualized Little Free Libraries as a way to contribute to community development through information and book sharing. Additionally, amidst hopelessness and stories of corruption that they heard from local friends and family, they wanted to find a way to reignite hope and empower people.

After checking the official map of registered Little Free Libraries around the world, they saw that no Little Free Libraries appeared in Armenia. It was then that they decided to put Armenia on the map.

The main goals of the project are: to provide free and easy public access to information, promote reading culture, preserve and celebrate the Armenian language, attract book-loving tourists, and encourage community development, all while engaging local and diasporan artists to contribute beauty to Armenia's public spaces.

The overwhelmingly positive response that Laurie and Nina received from the community after the first official Little Free Library was launched in Armenia has encouraged them to now set their sights even higher. Their $15,000 crowdfunding goal aims to ensure that Little Free Libraries will live a long and healthy life in Armenia, and covers the costs of building, painting, and installing 40+ Little Free Libraries, storing them until installation, transporting libraries to regions around the country, purchasing additional books for the libraries, creating a website, shipping books from donors overseas, and more.

Any funds raised beyond the initial goal will be put towards the newly established Open Book Initiative, an NGO started by Laurie and Nina in 2017 that is dedicated to the promotion of literacy and access to information in Armenia through implementation of initiatives and educational programming related to access to books, libraries and library resources, reading, languages, and the literary arts.

Donate and share their campaign here: https://igg.me/at/NIjNQSO9cVw
All 82 RRX EMUs, which were ordered in February 2015, will be serviced and maintained at the depot for 32 years, creating 75 jobs, with test operations beginning in mid-2018.

The new four-car 160km/h trains are based on Siemenss Desiro High Capacity product platform, which combines single-deck driving cars with double-deck intermediate vehicles.

Siemens says the depot will support a predictive maintenance regime which will identify faults long before failures actually occur. Data retrieved from the trains will be analysed at Siemens Mobility Data Services Center (MDS) in Munich-Allach, Germany. Here specialists will calculate failure predictions and recommend maintenance actions based on their findings.

The site of the new depot covers 70,000m2 and Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) owns the property until 2050 through a leasehold agreement with Siemens.

The rolling stock and maintenance contracts are worth a combined 1.7bn.
Now that E. Hunter Harrison has become CEO of CSX, we expect additional layoffs in addition to the recently announced 1,000 members of management, says Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl. We also expect CSX to easily exceed the previous long-term operating ratio goal of 65% over the next few years.

In a much expected announcement, CSX Corp. named Hunter Harrison as Chief Executive Officer, replacing the retiring Michael Ward, who will remain as a consultant, Seidl notes. The company also reached an agreement with activist investor Mantle Ridge that gives them five new seats (including Harrison and Mantle Ridge founder Paul Hilal) on the CSX Board of Directors. With three incumbent board members announcing their intent to resign their positions at the end of the year, the Board will have 13 members now, with current director Edward Kelly III becoming Chairman and Paul Hilal Vice Chairman.

According to reports, Harrisons compensation will be roughly $200 million, down from the reported $300 million originally requested. He will receive incentive options to purchase nine million shares of CSX at its current trading price. These options will vest over four years, half based on service and half based on the achievement of designated performance goals over that period. A previously requested $84 million payment of compensation and benefits forfeited by Harrison as a result of his separation from Canadian Pacific will now be put to shareholders for a vote.

While CSX was already in the process of laying off/cutting 1,000 people from its management ranks, we fully expect that Harrison will push that number higher and also cut into the rank-and-file headcount by reducing/combining yards and shops. It is also expected that the company will now focus on faster-growing areas of its network, which could lead to some shedding of lines.

Harrisons proverbial playbook of cutting fat and running a scheduled railroad may not seem complicated, but his methods are time-tested and we fully expect him to easily exceed the companys previous long-term OR target of 65% over the next few years. Our previous estimates are currently under review.
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The effectiveness of body-worn cameras in police forces presents a mixed picture  our research shows it. On the one hand, complaints dropped against police officers by around 90 per cent following the cameras' introduction in several forces, which alone is a large enough effect to perhaps justify the costs of the cameras in the short term. On the other hand, rates of assault against officers during arrest were higher on shifts when body-worn cameras were in use, compared to shifts where cameras were not present. Finally, the overall rate of use of force did not differ between shifts where officers wore cameras and those where they did not. However, we found that this varied by how much discretion the officers used in turning cameras on and off.

In light of these findings, RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge sought to understand why body-worn cameras might escalate encounters between police officers and members of the public, and to think about how much police discretion should be allowed when using body-worn cameras.

Police discretion is a pillar of modern policing, particularly in the UK. However, regarding body-worn cameras, we believe there is a hazard in giving police officers broad discretionary powers. Indeed, providing too much discretion to police officers over their use of body-worn cameras is described by our latest paper as a slippery slope.

When police officers used their discretion, the use of body cameras appeared to backfire on them.

Our own previous research supports this assertion. Police officers sticking closer to the protocol of body-worn cameras being on all the time led to use of force falling by 37 per cent, whereas use of force was higher when officers used their discretion. In essence, when police officers used their discretion, the use of body-worn cameras appeared to backfire on them.

In our latest paper we present and discuss what we call the deterrence spectrum, in an attempt to build an explanation of why body-worn cameras work well for police officers or could potentially backfire on them. A big part of the deterrence spectrum is linked to police discretion  in the case of cameras  whether or not police officers should be able to turn their body-worn cameras on and off (and how they use them more generally). (Note it is a different matter when considering how the cameras might affect arrestees.)

The deterrence spectrum presents a range of idealised scenarios linked to the amount of discretion that police officers might have. At one end of the spectrum is minimal deterrence, which is linked to strong police discretion. For body-worn cameras, this means that police officers have complete discretion as to when and how they use the devices. Examples of minimal deterrence could be police officers making the decision about when to turn the body-worn cameras on or off, or whether they announce that they are recording an encounter with the public. It is likely that departments with this sort of policy will not hold police officers accountable for neglecting to use body-worn cameras on a continuous basis.

Towards the other end of the deterrence spectrum, there is maximum deterrence, which is linked to weak discretion because the police officer is not in a position to override a rule. In the context of body-worn cameras, this means making the use of devices mandatory, providing a clear protocol for their use and not giving officers the power to decide when the device is turned on.

However, the deterrence spectrum gets more complicated with effects in between and even outside of minimal and maximum deterrence.

A potential, slightly perverse, effect of body-worn cameras could be what we call over-deterrence. This is where police officers not only apply body-worn camera rules, but also apply other rules of engagement with the public in a regimented approach, because they fear reprisals by their superiors. Some police officers might fear that their actions will be viewed as lenient or ill-advised, so will simply ticket or arrest everyone as required by law, instead of providing leeway and understanding on an individual basis. In other words, the loss of discretion with the body-worn cameras spills over, and fears about being monitored for compliance make police officers risk averse, resulting in them applying rules rigidly across the board.

Another effect is inertia, which is perhaps most relevant to our finding of assaults against police officers who wear body-worn cameras. When dealing with particularly aggressive members of the public, police officers will have to apply more force; however, the presence of body-worn cameras might make police officers reluctant to engage due to the fear of being disciplined, if they are deemed to have applied too much force or acted too aggressively. In certain cases, the reluctance to apply force could make police officers more vulnerable to assault in aggressive situations.

Finally, there is the elusive middle-ground, the Goldilocks scenario where everything is just right, which is known as optimal deterrence. This is where officers can apply discretion in how they respond and interact with the public, are conscious of the body-worn cameras (and so alter their behaviour), but are not stymied in performing their normal duties.

Striking the right balance is a real operational challenge for police forces everywhere, but we think that current evidence is clear, police officers should have cameras turned on all the time  certainly before responding to calls for service  and let the public know they are being filmed as soon as possible.

Alex Sutherland is a research leader at RAND Europe.

This commentary originally appeared on Policing Insight on March 5, 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 Islamic State is reeling. With its finances cut in half ( PDF ) over the past six months, its media and information operations in tatters, and the offensive in western Mosul eating through its territory, the end of its so-called caliphate across the Middle East seems near. While a clear-cut victory is far from inevitable, at the current rate, it is conceivable that U.S. forces and their allies will defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria by killing and capturing its fighters, driving the group from key cities and villages in what formerly constituted its vaunted caliphate, and ultimately taking Raqqa, its stronghold.

The focus, then, will shift to what ISIS's foreign fighterswho at their peak numbered tens of thousands from dozens of countrieswill do next. There are several possibilities.

When a conflict ends, either through force or negotiated settlement, transnational terrorists are likely to disperse in numerous directions. ISIS fighters are unquestionably capable: Dug in to their positions, they have skillfully used tunnels and subterranean networks to move men and materials, and have perfected the production and deployment of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices to keep their adversaries at bay.

The hardcore fighters, especially the foreign ones within the inner circle of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his top commanders, will likely remain in Iraq and Syria, and look to join the underground resistance of an ISIS, 2.0. In all likelihood, these guerrilla insurgent shards of ISIS will congeal into a clandestine terrorist organization. Besides conducting sporadic raids, ambushes, and, perhaps, spectacular attacks using suicide tactics, these ISIS fighters will rest, rearm, and recuperate.

During this time, the militants may switch their allegiances between a smattering of groups on the ground, including ISIS, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Ahrar al-Sham (already a loose coalition of Islamist and Salafist units), and will actively seek out ungoverned areas still beyond the writ of either Syrian or Iraqi government forces and their allies. As the terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman has suggested, if the fortunes of ISIS continue to decline, there may be a group of jihadists that see rapprochement with al-Qaeda as the only option to continue their struggle. Interviews with some Western ISIS fighters suggest that the ideological differences between al-Qaeda and ISIS are too significant to be bridged quickly, but this may change over time.

A second group of fighters are those potential free agents or mercenaries who are prevented from returning to their home countries. They can be expected to form a cohort of stateless jihadists who will travel abroad in search of the the next jihadi theaterYemen, Libya, West Africa, or Afghanistanto protect, sustain, and expand the boundaries of the so-called caliphate. These are the militant progeny of the original mujahideen, or transnational jihadists that once filled the ranks of al-Qaeda and fought in Afghanistan against the Soviets, and in Chechnya and the Balkans. ISIS affiliates and local Sunni jihadists in these places would likely welcome an influx of battle-hardened comrades.

And then there is the third group of foreign fighters: the returnees. This is the cohort that most concerns those in counterterrorism circles. These fighters may attempt to return to their countries of origin, like Tunisia or Saudi Arabia, or go further afield to Europe, Asia, or North America. States with more robust national defense structureswell-trained border police, world-class intelligence servicesstand a better chance of blunting their impact. But all Western security services are not created equal: Some will inevitably have a tougher time containing this threat than others. Further complicating the issue is the inability among nation-states, especially those within the European Union, to even agree on the definition of foreign fighter.

The returnees are not as homogeneous a group as they may seem. Some will be among the disillusionedthose that went to Syria in search of utopia, adventure, and an opportunity to express their religious identity and instead found something far different. According to interviews and other research ( PDF ), local Syrianswhom the fighters said they went to savedid not respect them. These fighters struggled to fend for themselves when it came to obtaining basic things like food and financing, and grappled with the tribulations of war. But upon returning to the West, they could be used to mentor other radicalized youth. These fighters may require psychological care, not prison time.

There is a second subgroup of returnees that we'll call the disengaged but not disillusioned. Just as militants are motivated to join the fight for a variety of reasons, they may leave it behind for any number of reasons: an impending marriage, battle fatigue, or because they miss their families. They are, however, still committed to jihadism. As one returnee recently said, I left ISIS, but if another fight happened somewhere else, I would probably go. This individual grew disillusioned with ISIS as an organization, but not with jihad as a whole.

The final subgroup of returnees are the operational returnees: returning fighters who attempt to resuscitate dormant networks, recruit new members, or conduct lone-wolf style attacks. They will be well-positioned to attempt attacks under the command and control of what remains of ISIS in the Middle East. They are the most deadly ( PDF ). The November 2015 Paris attacks, conducted by foreign fighters who trained in Syria and were dispatched to France, are perhaps the clearest instance of this. Operational returnees are an even bigger concern if, in fact, hundreds of operatives have already been deployed to Europe, with hundreds more hiding out on Europe's doorstep in Turkey.

For the West, countering these different groups will require a range of strategies. The hardcore fighters who remain in Iraq and Syria must be killed or captured by Iraqi Security Forces and the rest of the coalition battling ISIS. Taking on the roving bands of militants calls for continued efforts to build the partner capacity of host-nation forces in weak and fragile statestraining and equipping military and security forces, strengthening the rule of law, and promoting good governance and a host of other medium- to long-term objectives.

While the EU is distracted with the fallout from Brexit and Russian meddling in national elections, militant jihadists will be streaming back into Europe, some of them determined to strike. And while transnational terrorists will undoubtedly flock to Libya and Yemen, the real challenge will be preventing further attacks around the globe, including in major European cities.

Colin P. Clarke is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an associate fellow at the International Center for Counter Terrorism. He is the author of Terrorism, Inc.: The Financing of Terrorism, Insurgency, and Irregular Warfare. Amarnath Amarasingam is a senior research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and a fellow at the George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

This commentary originally appeared on TheAtlantic.com on March 6, 2017.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
RAND launched a new office this year in the San Francisco Bay Area to serve as a research hub at the intersection of technological change, innovation, and public policy. Nidhi Kalra, a senior information scientist who studies science and technology policy, will lead the office. Her recent work includes groundbreaking studies on autonomous vehicles and a TEDx talk on the science of making good decisions .

Why is RAND opening a Bay Area office?

The San Francisco Bay Area is really at the center of technology and transformation. That's also been a focus at RAND since our very first report, Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship, in 1946, which foretold the creation of satellites more than a decade before Sputnik.

Today, our researchers are working on important questions related to autonomous vehicles, drones, cybersecurity, education technology, virtual medicinethe same questions driving Silicon Valley startups and billion-dollar Bay Area corporations. At the same time, we're looking at issues surrounding social inequality, drug policy, water resource management, and transportation, all of which directly relate to the Bay Area.

RAND is working on the same questions driving Silicon Valley startups and billion-dollar Bay Area corporations.

How do you see RAND becoming part of the conversation there?

RAND works to make individuals, families, and communities throughout the world healthier, safer, and more prosperous. Today, that means finding ways to make the most of the innovation coming from the Bay Area. We bring a unique set of tools to these policy questions: big-data analytics, gaming, methods to help people make hard decisions in the face of uncertainty. We want to partner with the region's technology and innovation communities, to link our research and their expertise to make better policies and improve people's lives.

Will RAND's work in the Bay Area only focus on technological innovation?

Not at all. In just the past several years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an online tool created by RAND researchers to help states decide how best to invest in and implement interventions proven to prevent car injuries and death; the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new guidelines for colorectal cancer screening informed by RAND modeling and estimating efforts; and RAND was instrumental in the development of Louisiana's 50-year coastal risk mitigation and restoration plan, which was adopted unanimously by the state legislature. Researchers behind that effort are now helping other vulnerable regions reduce future flood risks and achieve greater resilience to confront future disasters.

Technological innovation will be an important part of the work this office does, but it won't be the limit.

What is an example of a project this office might do?

We recently took a look at whether test-driving autonomous vehicles could really prove their safety. Nobody had asked that question before. And we showed that it would take hundreds of millions of test-drive miles, maybe billions, to demonstrate that autonomous vehicles are safer than humans with any kind of statistical certainty.

The industry and regulators need to look at other ways to make sure autonomous vehicles are safesuch as simulations, mathematical modeling, or limited pilot studies. We're already seeing some of that today. It just goes to show that part of innovation is asking those hard questions, and answering them.




"The HoseMaster is the funniest satirist writing about wine in the world today."



--Karen MacNeil













--Terry Theise









HoseMaster

HoseMaster

HoseMaster



--Robert Parker





"...With sometimes crude analogies and occasional droppings of f-bombs, Washam cleverly uses satire to expose the underbelly of the wine business. It's often hilarious stuff as long as you're not the one being lampooned.



Washam takes no prisoners in skewering all that is silly, stupid, frustrating and pretentious about wine, and his favorite targets are other bloggers and writers. No one is immune."



-- Linda Murphy in "Vineyard and Winery Management"









-- JancisRobinson.com





"

Hosemaster of Wine

First: Im not sure if there is anyone better at cutting through the confidence trick that is often intrinsic to the business of wine.

Second: in a world where offending people appears to border on the illegal, the Hosemaster piles in. No one is safe."

--Joss Fowler "Vinolent.com"







"As serious as the world of wine is, it does allow time for humor. Each Monday and Thursday, Ron Washam customarily posts a commentary on his needling wine blog HoseMaster of Wine . Washam, a former sommelier and comedy writer  he might say they are closely related  is the most opinionated, humorous and ribald observer in the wine world. His body of work is irreverent and remorseless. Its almost always satire and parody, though he occasionally drifts into straight commentary, sometimes even with tasting notes. This past year, one of his posts was named the best of the year in the Wine Blog Awards. His success has spawned several imitations, which in their awkwardness show just how difficult satire is."



--Mike Dunne, Sacramento Bee





Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/21/6089630/dunne-on-wine-wine-blogs-and-bloggers.html#storylink=cpy





"Please let this guy write the scripts for Saturday Night Live which has gotten so lame...his newest "wisdom" is worth an Emmy....I wonder if he is the genius behind all those Hitler/Parker,etc. clips? No one else is remotely as funny or as talented.And the wine world sure needs someone to poke fun at all the nonsense and phoney/baloney unsufferable crap out there."



--Robert Parker





"

Washam uses his own blog, HoseMaster of Wine , to skewer the industry in general and wine blogs in particular. If your mouse scoots to your browser's close box while reading a wine blog, Washam may be the blogger for you."



-- San Francisco Chronicle



"Ron Washam, former sommelier, is easily the most bitingly funny blogger/wine writer that we have ever come across. He is an equal opportunity crusader who pillories big wineries and amateur bloggers alike, as well as everything and everyone in between...One needs a sense of humor and a tolerance for earthiness to enjoy reading The Hosemaster . We must have both because this guy deserves a wider audience, in our humble opinion."





--Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine

--Steve Heimoff





"This site should carry a warning label. It's sort of a Dave Barry/George Carlin approach to wine. The Hosemaster (real name Ron Washam) skewers fellow bloggers and industry savants with glee, while offering hilarious wine guides such as his Honest Guide to Grapes...

--Paul Gregutt, Seattle Times

"Washam is a skilled wine judge (I have judged with him) who is willing to judge wine double blind, in public . To my knowledge, Parker does not do this and never has. So Ron's credentials are in place, and so is his sense of the absurd."

--Dan Berger, VintageExperiences





"...I consider Ron a

talented writer and Ive long been an admirer of his scathing wit..."

--1WineDude

"And if any free sites think they can conquer the world, theres always the Hosemaster

to take em down a notch."

--Tyler Colman "Dr. Vino"

--Jo Diaz "Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz"





"I must say you are an idiot. I've never liked you. I have no idea why people find you funny."

--Reign of Terroir

--Will Lyons (WSJ) on Twitter







--Levi Dalton on Twitter

very
Originally set to launch at the beginning of this year, the release of RTVEs childrens channel for LATAM and the US has been delayed.





The Spanish broadcasting corporation will be presenting the pay-TV network Clan at Colombias Andina Link, which is becoming one of the reference events for the Latin American broadcasting industry.However, RTVE, which announced the network with much fanfare at NATPE , has delayed release until the second half of 2017.The HD signal will focus on preschool kids between two and seven, although some programming will be suitable for children up to 12, as with the Spanish version of the channel.Two-thirds of Clans line-up will be in-house productions or co-productions with Spanish and European companies, while the rest will be acquired independent content produced in Spain.The network will become RTVEs fourth international channel, and the second exclusive to the Americas. The public broadcaster also distributes Star HD, TVE Internacional and 24 Horas.The Spanish-language kids channel, which is aiming for distribution across Latin America and the US Hispanics, will be represented at Andina Link by RTVEs vice manager of international sales, Maria Jesus Perez.
Registration for subsidised digital set-top boxes (STBs) is on the rise with over 36,000 households signing up during February 2017, according to South Africas Department of Communications.





The South African Government has offered subsidies to five million TV-owning households to allow them to access digital terrestrial television (DTT) when the country switches from analogue broadcasts The Department of Communications says the registration of 36,042 eligible households in February is a significant increase on Januarys registration total of 11,709.It is encouraging to see the growth in demand. The increase in registrations is a strong indication of the success of the migration project, said Communications Minister Faith Muthambi (pictured). Awareness is growing day by day and people appreciate the tangible benefits that come with this process.South Africa began the first phase of its analogue switch-off in October 2016, with households in the Northern Cape switching to DTT. Since then, a total of 18 analogue transmitters have been switched off in the surrounding Square Kilometre Array area, according to the Government.Northern Cape and Free State provinces have gone through an STB installation phase, with the installation continuing this month in other borderline provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.Digital terrestrial television services provide us with a rich opportunity to realise the vision of building a people-centred and inclusive information society, added Muthambi.
US streaming giant Netflix has announced strategic partnerships in India with mobile operator Vodafone, and direct-to-home (DTH) TV providers Videocon d2h and Airtel Digital TV.





Netflix, which launched in India in January 2016, is planning to open an office in Mumbai and invest heavily in content.In 2017, we will work on making our Indian service better in every dimension. What's unique about Netflix is that we have got international originals and we will focus on premium content, Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix told reporters in the country.Through the tie-up with Videocon d2h and Airtel Digital TV, Netflix will be available to subscribers as an integrated app in the set-top box, without the need of a smart TV, Chromecast or Apple TV.Netflix has also partnered with Vodafone to enable carrier billing for both post-paid and pre-paid customers. The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service is priced in India from INR500 for standard definition quality, increasing to INR800 for 4K content.In the months and years to come, we look forward to bringing our Indian members more compelling stories from all over the world, an ever-improving viewing experience and incredible joy, said Hastings.Both Bharti Airtels MD & CEO of India Gopal Vittal and Videocon d2hs executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot, welcomed the tie-up with the US subscription SVOD service.Sandeep Kataria, director commercial, Vodafone India, added: We are proud to be the first mobile partner of Netflix in India and look forward to offering its rich content to further delight our millions of customers.Netflix will be bringing Marvels Iron Fist and new seasons of Orange is the New Black and House of Cards to audiences soon. Later this year, subscribers will be able to see Netflix Original films such as War Machine starring Brad Pitt and Sir Ben Kingsley; Okja starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano; Our Souls at Night from Indian director Ritesh Batra and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda; and Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton.Working with some of Indias top artists, we cannot wait to bring more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members households around the world, Hastings added.
Content protection and multiscreen solutions provider NAGRA and CE giant Samsung have announced the first deployment of their TVkey protection system with the HD+ satellite service in Germany.





Launched in September 2016, TVkey is designed to enable consumers to sign up for pay-TV services directly on select new Samsung TVs, while meeting the MovieLabs requirements for enhanced content protection such as 4K and HDR. It is claimed to offer the quickest and lowest cost route to market for 4KTV/Ultra HD services without requiring additional pay-TV operator investment in set-top boxes (STBs).In January, NAGRA and Samsung agreed to establish a new co-venture to license TVkey technology to industry stakeholders including chipset, dongle, TV and conditional access vendors During a promotional period, buyers of compatible Samsung TV sets at participating dealers in Germany will receive the HD+ TVkey free of charge by registering on the HD+ website . This also entitles them to a free six-month HD+ subscription, which upon expiration, can be converted to a regular subscription. The HD+ TVkey gives consumers HD+ channels without the need of a separate receiver or conditional access module (CAM) with smartcard  meaning access to HD+ becomes even easier, said Georges Agnes, managing director and COO at HD PLUS GmbH, a subsidiary of operator SES. Working with Samsung also gives us the ability to reach new customers as soon as they buy a new television through instant HD+ service activation. And because the solution uses the security we know and trust from NAGRA, we know our content partners will be satisfied.We are providing consumers and pay-TV operators with a flexible and cost effective route to high quality services, while offering state-of-the-art pay-TV security, said Pierre Roy, executive VP and COO, digital TV at NAGRA. By integrating our latest content protection technology alongside open standards, such as USB and HbbTV/HTML5, we not only ensure excellent security, but also deliver a feature-rich, operator-branded user experience directly to the consumers TV.
Automatic payroll withholding to help workers save for retirement should be a no-brainer. Both conservatives and liberals worry that Social Security will lack funds to pay for promised benefits after 2030. At the same time, about one-third of workers are not too confident or not at all confident they will have enough money to live comfortably when they retire. Under these circumstances it seems sensible to make it as easy as possible for workers to save for retirement in the workplace. Twelve years ago George W. Bush proposed giving workers the option of placing up to 4% of their wages or $1,000 in private retirement accounts. (The funds would have come from workers Social Security contributions.) Oddly, however, most conservative lawmakers are opposed to practical steps to put retirement savings plans in every workplace. This position seems puzzling in view of conservatives opposition to raising taxes to pay for future Social Security pensions. If Social Security benefits must be trimmed to keep the system solvent, it makes sense to offer all workers, including those without a company pension plan, a simple way to accumulate private retirement savings.

At the moment a sizeable fraction of employees works for companies that do not offer a 401(k) or any other kind of retirement plan. The exact percentage of workers who lack access to a plan depends on the category of employee and the source of statistics. Full-time workers between ages 21 and 64 are more likely to be offered a retirement plan compared with part-time employees, teens, and older workers. Even in the favored group of full-time, prime-age workers, about one-quarter are not offered a savings plan at their place of work. The statistics for workers in small firms are much worse. Only about half of workers in companies with fewer than 100 employees is offered a retirement savings plan.

Among employees who are offered a retirement plan, the take-up rate is very high for workers employed in both large and small companies. In many private retirement plans, of course, workers are enrolled in the plan whether or not they choose to participate. Employers make contributions into the plan for all the workers they hire, perhaps after a brief waiting period. Even in plans where workers must elect to participate by making voluntary contributions, however, enrollment rates tend to be very high. Participation rates in voluntary savings plans can be boosted still further if workers are automatically enrolled as soon as theyre put on a companys payroll. Employees in these opt-out plans can affirmatively elect to drop out of the savings plan, but experience shows that relatively few make this choice.

Plainly, most workers recognize the need to set aside part of their pay for retirement, especially when their employer fails to offer a traditional pension. When enrollment in a retirement plan is simple and when savings are automatically subtracted from wages in each pay period, the great majority of prime-age workers will accumulate retirement savings. Even if many end up saving too little, all will have the opportunity of saving something. Most will accumulate more than would be the case if they were forced to save outside of a workplace plan.

Legislators in five states, including California, Illinois, and Maryland, have passed laws mandating that most private employers offer their workers automatic enrollment in a retirement savings plan. Employers that already provide a retirement plan or that choose to establish a new retirement plan of their own are exempt from participating in the state plan, but the aim of the new laws is to offer all private employees the opportunity to have part of their wages deposited in so-called auto-IRAs. Workers participation in the plans is voluntary. Employees who dont want to contribute are allowed to opt out. Payroll withholdings deposited in worker IRAs would be invested in one or more investment options. States are still deciding on the investment options to be offered, but it is likely these will be similar to the choices available in many existing 401(k) plans.

A better and simpler alternative to state auto-IRA plans would be a single federal plan, a position endorsed by GOP presidential candidate John McCain in his 2008 campaign. Congress has shown little interest in establishing such a plan or mandating employer participation in one, however. Astonishingly, conservative federal lawmakers now seem intent on disrupting state plans to establish their own auto-IRAs. They are trying to accomplish this by invalidating a regulatory ruling made by the U.S. Department of Labor last August. That ruling permitted state auto-IRAs to move forward with the assurance that they would not be covered under federal ERISA rules. Without this assurance from DOL several states may postpone their plans for auto-IRAs or turn to the courts.

Some small businesses and other employers that have not established workplace retirement plans oppose state-mandated auto-IRA plans. One explanation is that, even though no employer contribution is required, the plans will impose some administrative burden on employers, who must collect and forward workers contributions to investment managers. While this burden is real, it is hard to believe the administrative cost is large. All employers, big and small, must already calculate, withhold, and transmit payroll and income tax payments to federal and state tax authorities. Calculating auto-IRA deposits is less difficult than computing income tax withholdings.

The striking aspect of this debate is the opposition of conservative lawmakers to practical measures to boost voluntary private savings  savings that will placed primarily in private investment options of the kind found in thousands of 401(k) plans. Some conservatives may be uncomfortable forcing private employers to participate in a government-run scheme. However, employers are already obliged to participate in and contribute to Social Security, unemployment insurance, and Medicare, each of which is government run and holds its reserves solely in government securities. Nearly all informed observers believe that future retirement incomes will shrink unless contributions to the retirement system rise. Several states have taken steps to encourage increases in private, voluntary retirement savings. It seems astonishing that conservatives want to block the way and yell Halt!
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the National Peoples Congress that Chinas GDP growth rate would drop from 7 percent in 2016 to 6.5 percent this year. In 2016, the countrys growth rate was the lowest it had been since 1990. The precision with which any countrys economic growth is measured is dubious, since it is challenging to measure the economic activity of hundreds of millions of people and businesses. But the reliability of Chinas economic numbers has always been taken with a larger grain of salt than in most countries. We suspect the truth is that Chinas economy is growing less than 6.5 percent, if at all.

The important part of Lis announcement is that the Chinese government is signaling that it has not halted a decline in the Chinese economy, and that more economic pain is on the way. According to the BBC, Li said the Chinese economys ongoing transformation is promising, but it is also painful. He likened the Chinese economy to a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. Put another way, there are hard times in China that likely will become worse.

Chinas economic miracle, like that of Japan before it, is over. Its resurrection simply isnt working, which shouldnt surprise anyone. Sustained double-digit economic growth is possible when you begin with a wrecked economy. In Japans case, the country was recovering from World War II. China was recovering from Mao Zedongs policies. Simply by getting back to work an economy will surge. If the damage from which the economy is recovering is great enough, that surge can last a generation.

But extrapolating growth rates by a society that is merely fixing the obvious results of national catastrophes is irrational. The more mature an economy, the more the damage has been repaired and the harder it is to sustain extraordinary growth rates. The idea that China was going to economically dominate the world was as dubious as the idea in the 1980s that Japan would. Japan, however, could have dominated if its growth rate would have continued. But since that was impossible, the fantasy evaporates  and with it, the overheated expectations of the world.

Chinas dilemma, like Japans, is that it built much of its growth on exports. Both China and Japan were poor countries, and demand for goods was low. They jump-started their economies by taking advantage of low wages to sell products they could produce themselves to advanced economies. The result was that those engaged in exporting enjoyed increasing prosperity, but those who were farther from East China ports, where export industries clustered, did not.

China and Japan had two problems. The first was that wages rose. Skilled workers needed to produce more sophisticated products were in short supply. Government policy focusing on exports redirected capital to businesses that were marginal at best, increasing inefficiency and costs. But most importantly  and frequently forgotten by observers of export miracles  is that miracles depend on customers who are willing and able to buy. In that sense, Chinas export miracle depended on the appetite of its customers, not on Chinese policy.

In 2008, China was hit by a double tsunami. First, the financial crisis plunged its customers into a recession followed by extended stagnation, and the appetite for Chinese goods contracted. Second, Chinas competitive advantage was cost, and they now had lower-cost competitors.

Chinas deepest fear was unemployment, and the countrys interior remained impoverished. If exports plunged and unemployment rose, the Chinese would face both a social and political threat of massive inequality. It would face an army of the unemployed on the coast. This combination is precisely what gave rise to the Communist Party in the 1920s, which the party fully understands. So, a solution was proposed that entailed massive lending to keep non-competitive businesses operating and wages paid. That resulted in even greater inefficiency and made Chinese exports even less competitive.

The Chinese surge had another result. Chinas success with boosting low-cost goods in advanced economies resulted in an investment boom by Westerners in China. Investors prospered during the surge, but it was at the cost of damaging the economies of Chinas customers in two ways. First, low-cost goods undermined businesses in the consuming country. Second, investment capital flowed out of the consuming countries and into China.

That inevitably had political repercussions. The combination of post-2008 stagnation and Chinas urgent attempts to maintain exports by keeping its currency low and utilize irrational banking created a political backlash when China could least endure it  which is now. China has a massive industrial system linked to the appetites of the United States and Europe. It is losing competitive advantage at the same time that political systems in some of these countries are generating new barriers to Chinese exports. There is talk of increasing Chinas domestic demand, but China is a vast and poor country, and iPads are expensive. It will be a long time before the Chinese economy generates enough demand to consume what its industrial system can produce.

In the meantime, the struggle against unemployment continues to generate irrational investment, and that continues to weigh down the economy. Economically, China needs a powerful recession to get rid of businesses being kept alive by loans. Politically, China cant afford the cost of unemployment. The re-emergence of a dictatorship in China under President Xi Jinping should be understood in this context. China is trapped between an economic and political imperative. One solution is to switch to a policy that keeps the contradiction under control through the use of repression.

The U.S. is Chinas greatest threat. President Donald Trump is threatening the one thing that China cannot withstand: limits on Chinas economic links to the United States. In addition, China must have access to the Pacific and Indian oceans for its exports. That means controlling the South and East China seas. As we have previously written, the U.S. is aggressively resisting that control.

Faced with this same problem in the past, Japan turned into a low-growth, but stable, country. But Japan did not have a billion impoverished people to deal with, nor did it have a history of social unrest and revolution. Chinas problem is no longer economic  its economic reality has been set. It now has a political problem: how to manage massive disappointment in an economy that is now simply ordinary. It also must determine how to manage international forces, particularly the United States, that are challenging China and its core interests. One move China is making is convincing the world that it remains what it was a decade ago. That strategy could work for a while, but many continue viewing China through a lens that broke long ago. But reality is reality. China no longer is the top owner of U.S. government debt, an honor that goes to Japan. Chinas rainy day fund is being used up, and that reveals its deepest truth: When countries have money they must keep safe, they bank in the U.S.

China carried out a great  and impressive  surge. But now it is just another country struggling to figure out what its economy needs and what its politics permit.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/06/2017



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/09/2017



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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 narrowed his list of potential bachelorettes matches to only two suitors.Nick, a 36-year-old former software salesman from Wisconsin, sent Rachel Lindsay packing during a Rose Ceremony in Finland after enjoying a romantic fantasy suite date with her.Rachel got her heart broken after confessing to the Bachelor that she was falling in love with him. Nick even said in reply, "Rachel, I am falling for you, like, 100 percent.""It's hard to hear how great you are and [about] how much love somebody has got for you but then they still don't choose you, and that's the story of my life. I know how great it could've been," Rachel said in tears following her ouster."Maybe I didn't show all that. Maybe he didn't get that. I wanted someone to have that undeniable, unconditional, unexplainable love for me, and I want to feel the same way for them, so it's back to square one."Rachel will, however, get another shot at love as ette's upcoming thirteenth-season star.With Rachel gone, two bachelorettes remain in the running for Nick's heart: Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates In the latest episode, Nick and Vanessa had a playful date in which they ran back and forth from a steamy sauna room to an ice bath. It wasn't until they completed multiple rounds of this torture that they got to relax and get to know one another better in a hot tub.Raven enjoyed her fantasy suite date with Nick in last week's broadcast.While Raven seems completely smitten with Nick with no hesitations or reservations, Vanessa is just the opposite. There is no doubt in Vanessa's mind she could envision spending the rest of her life with Nick, but at the same time, the couple hasn't decided where they would live since Nick resides in Los Angeles, CA, and Vanessa is from Montreal, Canada.Vanessa also wants to be able to have lunch with her large Italian family in Montreal every single Sunday, which Nick must have realized would be a big undertaking if he doesn't decide to move there.Nick's bond with both women appears strong, but they certainly bring different things to the table -- challenges and positives.Both women, however, are strong, feisty, intelligent and beautiful. And most importantly, Raven and Vanessa are both truly in love with star.Nick has one more huge decision to make about his future wife and partner in life. Will he choose Raven or Vanessa, and will he propose marriage? If he chooses to get engaged, will the bachelorette be on the same page and accept his offer?According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Nick rejects Raven in favor of Vanessa at the final Rose Ceremony. As a result, Vanessa walks away from the process with Nick's final rose and a Neil Lane diamond engagement ring!As for the current status of Nick and Vanessa's romance, Reality Steve claims they are still happily engaged. Apparently Nick's fourth attempt at finding love on a reality dating series truly was the charm!Below are the two bachelorettes still in the running for Nick's heart: Vanessa Grimaldi , a 29-year-old special education teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada Raven Gates , a 25-year-old fashion boutique owner from Hoxie, AR
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/06/2017



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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
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You Can Defend Yourself, But Who Will Defend Your Right to Defend Yourself? Enter Former Trial Lawyer and Private Practice Owner Alex Kincaid, a Second Amendment Proponent and the Author of a New Book Designed to Help Firearms Owners Educate Themselves to Become the Answer to that Question.

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Whoever said experience is the best teacher clearly hasn't met Alex Kincaid. She is a trial lawyer, with nearly two decades of experience. She is a frequently requested public speaker, and legal analyst for radio and television having appeared on Fox News. She is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, primarily because first and foremost, she's a firearms owner. The combination of the last two give way to Alex's latest title, published author, as she has recently completed an incredible book called Infringed.

Billed as the gun owner's guide to gun rights, the 317-page bible is the culmination of Alex's law career as a Second Amendment specialist, written as an easy-to-digest guide in succinct chapters aimed at owner education. I want to reach as many gun owners as I can, says the daughter of a law enforcement officer. Stop and think. I hope they will remember reading things and say maybe I can't do this, I should look it up, or I better ask what the laws are in my home state.

Alex believes the inconsistencies of gun laws from state to state have a lot to do with why she has seen and defended so many owners who did not understand that they were in violation of law within their actions. When I teach the legal classes, the joke is not whether or not you break a law, it's how many laws you've broken? That's the level of confusion that's out there, explains Kincaid.

As a trial lawyer, she shares a certain kinship with owners who may not understand everything they should regarding the laws within their particular state. When I was prosecuting, I had threats made against me. I would have to walk from the courthouse, which was a gun-free zone. I remember feeling so vulnerable because I couldn't carry a gun inside the courthouse.

Channeling that vulnerability made Alex understand some owners don't know exactly where and when they are permitted to carry by law, or what level of extent the law will protect them in a situation of crisis. With so many laws simply based on things like transportation of firearms, and sales and possession, Kincaid seeks to educate owners about laws that seem more destined to impact common citizens than criminals. We shouldn't be making criminals out of gun owners, says Kincaid, with a taut emphasis betraying her years in front of a jury.

Due to her strong conviction in the Second Amendment and her commitment to the firearms community, Alex has dedicated her life to education, offering specialized legal advice for owners through her private practice, Alex Kincaid Law. She has affiliated herself with grassroots organizations like the law enforcement-oriented CCW-Safe and has a partnership with Orchid Advisors, which helps gun owners and gun-based businesses to become aware of laws and regulations they must follow.

She spends countless hours networking online and getting feedback from Infringed, and she has a YouTube channel with a new show called The AK Show, which will keep her followers up to date on the gun control news, and will also feature interesting topics beyond the law. I hope this will be a way that Infringed can live on  the book gives the basics, but the show will help people stay current, says an enthusiastic Kincaid. The Idaho-based lawyer took some time to sit down with RECOIL to explain why she is so committed to defending those who are just trying to defend themselves.

RECOIL: Why did you want to write Infringed?

Alex Kincaid: After I went into private practice, most of my clients tended to have the same issues, concerns and questions about what their rights were as a gun owner and what they could and couldn't do with a firearm. I wanted to reach beyond the states where I can practice law and try to help educate as many gun owners as possible. The book is an attempt to try to help people understand this super complex area so that they don't end up losing their gun rights, which I have seen.

Given the complexity of varying laws, how did you choose what went into the book and what didn't?

AK: I think my clients and my students gave me the roadmap for that because as I paid attention to their questions, I figured out that their questions would actually be parallel to what most people would ask. Most gun owners seem to have similar concerns and questions.

You did a great job of taking some very high-level information and making it a concise read. How did you approach the language of the book?

AK: I think lawyers have a tendency to try and sound intelligent and spew case law and statutes, so while I was writing, I had to break it down a bit; I actually started writing it one way and ended up throwing it out the door and starting over. My goal was to make it digestible. It's so complex, I tried to give it some interesting titles, put it in words that people use when they ask me the questions, and make the chapters very short, but at the same time, help people spot the issues. I've been a trial attorney almost my whole life and with the book I realized, I am talking to the jury; I'm not talking to the judge, I'm talking to the jury. I wanted to be able to explain it to the perspective of someone who did not having any formal legal education.

How long did it take and when did you first get the idea to write the book?

AK: It took years of listening to people, to gun owners to finally get the idea that, hey, I can reduce this to something I can send around the country; then probably about a year of outlining and thinking about it and a year and a half where I forced myself to find the time to spend nights and weekends to write it, because that was the hardest part. I started it with big long chapters, lumping a lot of stuff together, and I got about a third of the way done with it and threw it out the window and started over. I realized it was too much information, and I had to break it up so that people could actually pull the right information from the chapters.

Initially, you were a prosecuting attorney and now in many ways, you are on the defense side of things in terms of giving people the knowledge to protect themselves. How did that psychology change or when did that psychology change in your life?

AK: I grew up in a law enforcement household, and my dad was in law enforcement for about 30 years, which is why I grew up with guns. When I decided to go to law school, which was in high school, I wanted to do the prosecution side of things because I believe in law enforcement and saw a lot of the stories he went through. I am affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Police, and that is contrary in the minds of some gun owners, especially in the minds of the hardcore Constitutionalists  they don't respect that. I don't go down that path; I am a heavy Second Amendment advocate, but I also have a huge respect for law enforcement and part of my practice is helping them.

When I went into private practice, it was with the idea that I was going to help people avoid the courtroom, because I saw so much in the criminal justice system that I thought could be avoided if people just paid attention and did things a different way. My community was primarily seniors; we had a lot of retirees moving to the Oregon Coast from California. I saw a ton of elder abuse, some of the people who came through my door were law enforcement officers I worked with and gun owners who knew I was a Second Amendment advocate, and they wanted legal advice now that I wasn't in a government office anymore on gun-related issues and self-defense issues.

So yeah its defense work in a way; it's gun related and it's Second Amendment related, and in my eyes, it's the side of justice and protection of people who are in the right and not the other way around. I had a number of people asking me how they could put me on retainer if they needed me. It started me down the whole path of wanting to help people prepare and not wind up in the government-controlled court system after a crisis happened. My practice has always had this element of education to it, but the cases that are criminal defense cases are cases where I am defending gun owners or representing law enforcement officers.

With so much in the media about law enforcement and private citizens and gun rights, how do you prepare yourself when you're working on cases mentally in terms of not getting attached to a side, but really sticking to the Second Amendment and believing in what you believe in?

AK: Sometimes I do get attached to my side, which helps me be a little more passionate [laughs] I can't say that I'm always neutral because I have gotten to the point where I enjoy the luxury of picking and choosing my cases, which you can do in private practice and not as a prosecutor. I do take on cases that I feel passionately about and that I know I should win for the client. There's one person I can discuss; he had come back from Iraq years ago, he was a soldier who was blown apart, with a broken back, had walked around the desert for 100 days with his equipment on, which actually kept his back together.

When he needed multiple surgeries, the V.A. decided, We are gonna revoke his gun rights because he needs a fiduciary. I still battle on the Internet with people who think the statistics that have actually been founded by Congress in their investigations that our veterans are being treated poorly, being discriminated against, and losing their gun rights  there are people out there who think these scenarios are all made up and aren't true and they are 100-percent true!

I lived this story with my client who came to me after trying to fix this on his own for a year, and it took up two years to get it straightened out, so I can't say that I am neutral in any way with the cases that I take on [laughs]. I hope that most people will try to get educated on the gun laws so that they never need me, but I can't say that I am always neutral.

What about other aspects of the Second Amendment in the courtroom? How important is the full understanding of it to a trial for a defense attorney?

AK: When I'm making recommendations for a self-defense attorney, I've gotten into arguments with other lawyers who have tried to scold me for suggesting that a good self-defense lawyer is going to also be an advocate for the Second Amendment. If you're anti-gun, you're not going to fight as hard for your client, if you are passionate about the right to self defense, you will fight that much harder.

We live in a time where there are lawyers and judges who don't even understand the gun laws because they're so complex, I've seen them over and over again give the wrong advice, make the wrong decisions, and if you have someone who doesn't even believe in that kind of protection, why would you want that person on your side when there are other options?

Do you have a percentage or a guess of how many trials you've seen that a person could have avoided serious penalties, had they just known a small detail?

AK: The percentage is heavily weighted in favor of people who could've avoided issues with just a little more knowledge about the laws. I think back to when I was a college student with a firearm, I didn't know anything about the laws. I knew I had a gun for self-protection, but did I understand when I could actually pull the trigger? Absolutely not.

Unfortunately this is pretty common, in the sense that there are many owners who think, Well, if someone breaks in my house and tries to kill me, I'll shoot back, but they really don't understand when they can actually take human life and defend themselves. The state line issue is one of the biggest issues I see, whether you're transferring or just travelling with your gun, that's when people get in big trouble.

The inconsistency of gun laws seems to be a primary cause for confusion in this country.

AK: The bottom line problem is that the gun laws are not inherently immoral or criminal conduct; they are restrictions on things we would do every day with our gun. If you pull the trigger into a crowd of people and shoot somebody, you know that's wrong; you violate the speed limit; you know that's wrong, you steal you know that's wrong, but driving with your legal AR from your home state into another state, or driving with certain ammunition from one state to another state; you're not hurting anybody, you're not intending to hurt anybody, you don't even stop to think about it and that's the problem.

AK: We have out of control gun control and that is the struggle. Laws that are punishing behavior that is not intended in any way to cause anybody any harm and doesn't all by itself cause anyone harm  if someone is not a criminal, but they let a license expire, why not just let them renew the license? If they take a gun into the airport and are a law abiding citizen and not a criminal, and obviously didn't mean to do it, why isn't the $3,000 fine enough? Isn't that a deterrent?

If I'm prosecuting a case, and it's costing taxpayer money, is there a benefit to doing this? If there isn't then why are we going after somebody? To me, it's backdoor gun control. The field is full of anti-gun prosecutors who hate guns, and they don't think people should have guns, and they use this opportunity to take guns away from people, because the minute it's a crime  it's backdoor gun control and people are losing gun rights.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to gun ownership rights education?

AK: People are scared; I think that's the problem. They don't know where to get the answers and that feeds the fear, they know there are a lot of rules out there, but they want to have a firearm for protection and they don't know where to get the answers and the education. So much of the training available revolves around how your gun works, how to use it, and how to hit the target, but there isn't an equal amount of training about what the rules are that will help you be a law-abiding gun owner and avoid winding up in jail or on probation, That's what I see missing, and we are trying to bring that through the book and speaking and classes. I'm getting asked more and more to come to different places and teach or talk.

How can we help change society?

AK: One thing is to turn the attention toward the criminals and the terrorists, and away from law-abiding gun owners because they aren't the problem. If you focus on the true problem, then those people will be eliminated or locked up and kept away. Unfortunately, we know that the criminal justice system is nothing short of a revolving door, people go in and they come out, then go back in, so we have a problem that is not related to gun owners or gun laws. If you start in your home state and get involved in grassroots Second Amendment-type organizations or organize one, now we're going to start making some progress!

What about firearms education?

AK: We can bring firearms education into the youth of our country. We are seeing more and more youth shooter camps, shooting ranges popping up for school-age children, competitions popping up for young kids, college students embarking on that path, I think we always have to look to the next generation to make the change. If you're going to have a gun or you know someone who wants a gun, you have to understand what the rules are nowadays or you can wind up in trouble. You could potentially face a misdemeanor or a felony and you could end up losing your rights to ownership. If you don't know what your state laws are, you better learn them and if you want to change them then you'd better get involved and change them because you can! We've seen that in the states where people are organized and the gun owners come together  you can still make the difference and you can help other people.

Alex Kincaid

Occupation:

Private Practice Law

Hometown:

Moved quite a bit, but identify most with my current hometown of Emmett, Idaho

Husband:

Eric E. Kincaid

Education:

J.D. University of Idaho, College of Law

Alma Mater:

U.C. Davis (B.A. German, B.A. Psychology, minor in music)

Dogs:

Stuka the German Shepherd, Spot the Border Collie

Favorite Quote:

Trust everybody, but cut the cards.  Ronald Reagan

Favorite Movie or TV Series:

Band of Brothers

Favorite Firearm:

Tikka T3

Favorite Food:

Street tacos

URL:

www.alexkincaid.com

Collections:

Mauser K98, Tikka T3, a collection of ARs including Ambush Tactical (AMTAC) SBR suppressor and MCM Firearms Brock's Liberty Bell cerakote pattern, FN PS90, FN F2000, M1 Garand, Kimber America Solo Carry

Alex's EDC

Kimber Pro Carry II 1911 with custom wood grips depicting Lady Justice

Kimber Solo 9mm (her EDC)

Spyderco locking folding knife (Delica 4)

Can Can Concealment thigh holster

Miss Concealed Hidden Heat waistband holster
SilencerCo has teamed up with yet another big name in the industry to bring you the latest limited edition Summit Package. This time it's with Boresight Solutions.



Industry News: Latest SilencerCo Summit Package: Boresight Solutions

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If youre a fan of customized firearms, then youre likely already familiar with Boresight Solutions. Based out of Miami, this veteran-owned company specializes in refining firearms for improved function and appearance. Believing that no detail is too small, Boresights wait list can often stretch past eighteen months as they pay meticulous attention to every single aspect of their work. SilencerCo has teamed up with Boresight Solutions to bring this package to market  without the usual wait time. This Summit package features a Glock 19 with Special Edition Duty Series customization and an Osprey 9K (silencer only available through Summit packages) all together in a unique co-branded 5.11 Tactical carrying case. Only twenty five of these packages are available, and Only the Best Firearms & Accessories in Florida is the place to buy them.



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For more information, you can visit SilencerCo online here.



Industry News. What are you seeing here? Just as the tagline reads  industry news. This is a product (or service) announcement. It is not an endorsement. It is not a review. It is not an advertisement.

Posts on RECOILweb.com labeled as Industry News are advisory notifications only. Information contained therein is likely provided by the individual manufacturer (or service provider), provided to RW and passed along to our readers as a notification only. Such articles do not represent our tacit approval, nor (unless labeled SPONSORED) were they paid for. RECOIL publishes not just for a fraction of the gun-owning community, but all of it. Individual editorial staff member opinions are not the sole arbiter of what news we present. What one person derides, another will extol. One of RECOIL's responsibilities is to inform readers of new products or services from manufacturers, training organizations, and the like. RECOIL readers have made it very clear this is something they want to see, and frequently. Some of those products will be chosen for further coverage or evaluation. Some will not. Some may have great promise or potential. Others will do nothing but prove the old adage, A fool and his money are soon parted. Readers should form their own conclusions, if appropriate. Rest assured if a member of the RECOIL staff is providing an opinion, you will know about it.

If you are aware of a new technology, product, or service you think is worth us passing along, reach out to [email protected] with details.
America is defined as the land of opportunity, and for freshman Uriel Galarza, the American 
Spring break is in full swing at the University of Georgia and many students are leaving for home or the beach. However, professors get the we
India should plan its strategies on the assumption that the rightward swing will stay and the West will retreat into an economic fortress, says Nitin Desai.

One month of the Donald Trump presidency has confirmed the fears that were expressed after his surprise victory. His acts are as extreme as his views and have been restrained only by the checks and balances in the US political system.



In Europe too, the far-right may well be legitimised in the forthcoming elections in the Netherlands and France. Exceptions, like Canada under Justin Trudeau, will be few.

The rise of the far-right is not just a passing blip but a necessary consequence of the way globalisation progressed over the past three decades.

Prudence requires that we in India plan our grand strategies on the assumption that the rightward swing will continue and the West will retreat into an economic and security fortress.

On the economic front, this poses three challenges -- coping with rising protectionism and reduced foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, accelerating domestic demand growth and building up intellectual capital.

Protecting domestic jobs is at the very heart of the political appeal of the far-right (and also of the far-left!) in the West. At the same time, technological changes like automation and 3-D printing are encouraging localisation.

Hence, we may not benefit, as China did, from the trade growth and FDI associated with outsourcing and the emergence of global value chains.

Western stock markets will reinforce this inward orientation as lately non-globalised corporations have done better than the globalised ones.

Seven decades of trade and investment liberalisation may go into reverse gear. What survives may be a demand for trade liberalisation in services like banking, insurance and business services.

We should insist on including information technology and engineering services, where the right to travel to provide these services is currently under threat.

Virtually, every instance of sustained high growth has rested on rapid export growth. We may have to accept a seven per cent growth goal and rely more on domestic demand growth rather than exports. But this will require systematic income redistribution.

Demand growth for discretionary consumption items follows a logistic pattern -- growing slowly at low-income levels, rising rapidly as incomes rise and tapering off as saturation level is reached.

If the rich get richer, demand growth for discretionary consumption items will slow down as these households will be in the saturation range. Their consumption preferences may shift towards foreign goods like vacations abroad.

On the other hand, a shift in income distribution to the middle-and lower-income groups will increase the number of households in the rapid growth part of the logistic curve and boost domestic demand for better housing, health care, higher education and consumer durables.

The post-war growth of the West was based on such redistribution, a consumerist orientation as yesterdays luxuries became todays desirables and tomorrows necessities.

Hopefully, this capitalist case for income redistribution will carry some weight in a business friendly policy system!

Relying more on domestic demand growth reinforces the importance of vigorous competition and domestic investment. Given our huge infrastructure deficits, investment in physical capital will continue to command policy attention.

But public policy and corporate strategy must recognise that the shift in economic returns from physical capital to intellectual capital will continue.

This requires building up full spectrum research capabilities all the way from fundamental research of the sort that gets Nobel prizes to innovating engineering, creating space for creativity in the venture financing and transforming high education from rote learning to a deeper understanding of concepts and methods.

This, more than anything else, is vital for our future as an independent nation.

In environmental diplomacy, the challenge posed by a fortress West will be more in the rhetoric than in substance. They only paid lip service to principles like common but differentiated responsibility and the polluter pays principle.

All that will happen now is a more brazen trumpeting (pun intended) that India and China must do more. The challenge is more one of public relations than of substance.

But that is no reason for not doing what is necessary for managing the environmental down side of more rapid domestic consumption growth.

The challenge for security policy is as yet uncertain. Pax Americana is over and we are moving to a G-zero world with no one committed to sustaining the global order.

A USA less dependent on West Asian oil may withdraw its security presence in the Gulf and expect India rather than China to bear more of the burden of keeping oil supply routes open.

An isolationist USA and an inward looking Europe may abandon Central Asia to China and Russia.

China is moving to establish a presence in global finance, aid and investments in developing countries approaching the scale of Western efforts.

If China opens its economy, and that is big if its role as the mover and shaker of global economy will increase.

Are we ready for this power play?

But the difficult question is how to deal with a unilateralist isolationist USA. One answer is to follow a transactional approach focussing on shared economic and security interests.

But in any bilateral deal, we will face stronger pressures on intellectual property rights, market access for services, investor protection than in Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Mr Trump may be a dealmaker; but he also has a history of broken deals and bankruptcies.

Transactional relationships tend to have a short-term horizon, with a focus on immediate gains and costs.

Longer-term relationships require a strategic vision on both sides. The strategic vision which guided George W Bush and Barack Obama may not continue under the present dispensation in Washington.

Hence, we must rely more on the bipartisan Congressional support for stronger relations and the interests of US corporations in India.

Transactional relationships require rationality, based on facts and a willingness to compromise. But in a post-truth world, prejudice and myth, beliefs held without reference to evidence, determine action.



The greatest threat we face is not the retreat from globalisation. It is the attack on liberalism and the rejection of science and modernity that far-right electoral victories represent.

Photograph: Reuters
The regulator is now probing 24 hospitals, including Max Hospital in New Delhi and Lilavati in Mumbai, for allegedly overcharging patients for stents

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has said hospitals not providing details of the brand of stents they are selling patients would be prosecuted under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

The drug price regulator also said hospitals not providing these details could be accused of distorting evidence deliberately.

On February 13, NPPA fixed the ceiling price of drug-eluting stents at Rs 30,000 and of bare metal ones at Rs 7,500.

In 2016, 600,000 stents were used in the country, over 90 per cent of which were drug-eluting and priced between Rs 24,000 and Rs 150,000 then.

NPPA had, in its order, asked hospitals to provide details of stents - metal or plastic tubes inserted into clogged arteries to keep them open - along with prices.

The regulator is now probing 24 hospitals, including Max Hospital in New Delhi and Lilavati in Mumbai, for allegedly overcharging patients for stents.

In a recent tweet, NPPA said hospitals being probed had failed to provide details in the relevant format.

"Non-compliance shall now be treated as deliberated distortion of evidence along with charges of over pricing. Such cases may also be taken for prosecution under the EC (Essential Commodities) Act, NPPA said.

We have sent our response to the NPPA. We are quite confident that we will be able to demonstrate to the authorities that we have not overcharged the patient on the stent used and are compliant with the NPPA order fixing ceiling on the price of the coronary stents," said authorities at Max Healthcare.

Lilavati, however, did not respond to Business Standard's query.

NPPA began keeping an eye on hospitals after doctors complained that there was a shortage of high-end stents.

It asked hospitals to raise their demand before accusing manufacturers of creating a shorting. It also asked manufacturers to monitor the availability of stents.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has also invoked the Section 3(i) of the Drug Price Control Order 2013, making it compulsory for all stent manufacturers to submit a report to the pricing regulator every week.

Photograph: Ilya Naymushin/Reuters
Indian IT industry veterans believe lack of maturity from the political leadership may have helped people in the US to take advantages.

Indian IT services industry says engineers from the country working in the US should be counselled on how to protect themselves against racist attacks in the wake of Kansas incident where an Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was allegedly killed by a shooter.

A 51-year-old man from Olathe, Adam W Purinton, allegedly opened fire at Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer with aviation Garmins Ltd, Alok Madasani of Overland Park, and another bar attendant Ian Grillot of Grandview, reported The Kansas City Star. The incident took place at Austins Bar in Olathe.

While Kuchibhotla died in the hospital, Madasani was released on Thursday and Grillot is recovering.

A large chunk of the Indian software engineers work on projects in the US with H1B visas and such an incident may depress them. The IT services industry lobby Nasscom said it is crucial to ensure "safety" of the Indians working in the US on different technology projects.

"This may be an one-off incident. But, safety and security of our workers or any immigrant in the US are of utmost importance. Companies should counsel the employees from India and other places how to protect themselves in situations like these," said Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice president, Nasscom.

Indian IT industry veterans believe lack of maturity from the political leadership may have helped people in the US to take advantages.

US President Donald Trump came in power with nationalism card and proposed to amend the H1B visa norms, which could impact Indian IT companies' business.

Indian nationals roughly account for 69 per cent of the total H1B visas issued including new and renewal and most of them are software engineers working on projects for US businesses.

"Misplaced nationalism is a growing issue. Political leadership need to act in a mature way," said V Balakrishnan, a former chief financial officer of Infosys, India's second largest software exporter.

Trump has advocated for having strict immigration laws to protect the jobs of local people. He said his administration would be harsh to companies if they try to replace jobs of US citizens with talent from other countries.

Indian IT services firms, however, often said lack of high-skilled talent has been an issue for servicing their customers in the US, which is the biggest software export market.

"Donald Trump's rhetoric of nationalism during the US Presidential election campaign may have provoked people to use it to their advantage. It is also the responsibility of the political leaders to not play up such issues. US is nation of many immigrants," said Balakrishnan.

Photograph: Dave Kaup/Reuters
Sebi, RBI discuss monitoring foreign investors in real time after foreign shareholding cap breach in HDFC Bank on February 17.



Spooked by a recent breach of foreign ownership limit at HDFC Bank, regulators and intermediaries are grappling with the question of monitoring foreign investors in real time.

Both held talks on exchange of data to track real-time behaviour of foreign investors.

According to sources, the Securities and Exchange of India (Sebi) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently met to discuss the February 17 breach at HDFC Bank. They also discussed whether new systems can be installed to observe foreign shareholdings and prevent breaches of investment limits.

At present, only the RBI monitors foreign investments daily. Its alarm goes off each time foreign ownership in a company breaches a certain limit, which is typically lower than the actual ceiling. However, that alarm goes off after market hours only; intraday, it never rings.

Hence, the need for real-time monitoring.

"There is a need for real-time data integration between depositories, custodians, and stock exchanges. If the stock exchange has a mechanism to automatically block trades in case the limit is reached, then the problem will be taken care of and there will be no need for the regulator to step in," said Tejesh Chitlangi, partner, IC Legal.

Experts say stocks with high foreign investment need better monitoring to avoid another HDFC Bank-like breach.

"There is a need to actively monitor the top 50 or top 100 stocks, for which foreign demand is highest. Data on ownership limits need to be provided to regulators or brokers, which can then block trades in real time," said a person at a foreign brokerage, who did not wish to be named.

According to him, depositories are best-poised to collate data and disseminate it to other intermediaries. However, they will not be able to do much on intra-day monitoring.

"An ownership limit could be breached at 10 am and then fall below the threshold after two hours. How do you deal with these fluctuations will be a key challenge," said an industry official.

Debate over trade annulment

In last week's meeting, officials also discussed whether trades, after a cut-off time, could be annulled, and if brokers be held liable for the breach, according to sources.

Chitlangi believes that annulment of trades should be last-resort measure, to be used only in extreme cases of technical or human error: "Why annul trade if it is not the trader's mistake?"

"There are not too many instances of this (breach of foreign investment limit) and the current norms on annulment of trades are adequate. So no point adding to the rules as that will make things more confusing and impact foreign trading," said Prashant Gupta, partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas.

Annulment refers to cancellation of trades by stock exchanges, which can consider a trade for annulment on their own or on a request by a stockbroker.

Stock exchanges have to examine the requests by brokers before the start of the next trading day. The exchanges may also choose to reset the price of the trade instead of annulling it to minimise impact on other brokers and investors.

On February 17, shares worth Rs 15,000 crore were traded in HDFC Bank, of which 66 per cent or close to Rs 10,000 crore were delivery-based trades, mostly from foreign investors.

Shares of HDFC Bank had soared as much as 9.5 per cent on huge demand from foreigners. However, most gains were eroded after the central bank reimposed foreign shareholding ban, with the stock closing only 3.75 per cent higher at Rs 1,377.

Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters.
'It was clear that the cell phone gave her access to a temptation that destroyed her family shed never have strayed without it.'

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com.

Increasing cell phone penetration among Indias rural areas has been one of the three thrusts of Prime Minister Narendra Modis poverty alleviation effort. However, a recent migrant to Delhi, Sanju Devi, told me a story that made me realise that not everybody is that thrilled with the ubiquity of mobile devices.

It began when she said she didnt possess a cell phone because her husband and most of her family didnt believe women should have them. They say that cell phones lead women to temptation, she said.

Sanju Devi belongs to Madhubani district in Bihar, a district where, once upon a time, apparently all virtuous women were content to live within the confines of their homes. One of these women was Radha Bhabhi. Unlike many other families in the village, Radha and her husband had chosen not to migrate, but to stay back and look after the familys agricultural land.

She was like the Lakshmi of the household, Sanju recounted. There was always something to eat in the kitchen and she kept the house in mint condition. Under her expert supervision, the eldest daughter was married off as soon as she turned 18. Her younger daughter was in school and her son migrated to Delhi and got a job as an electrician. With his first salary, he fondly bought his mother a cheap cell phone. Thats when the fun began.

In our village, women are traditionally expected to go out only when necessary, and when accompanied by their husband or son, said Sanju Devi.

However, the cell phone opened a window of freedom for Radha Bhabhi, for it connected her to the outside world even when she was cooped up indoors. It so happened that the local shopkeeper gave her his number saying hed deliver goods to her house whenever she called for them.

This convenient system continued for a few months, and then the unthinkable happened. Radha Bhabhi and her teenage daughter boarded the bus to her native village (duly escorted by her son of course) -- and disappeared.

The disconcerted family searched for her high and low, but to no avail. Eventually, she was found living with the shopkeeper, with whom she had been engaged in a passionate phone romance for the last few months. The repercussions echoed across the village, and beyond.

Wed all seen what a good mother and virtuous wife she used to be, said Sanju Devi. It was clear that the cell phone gave her access to a temptation that destroyed her family shed never have strayed without it.

Perhaps, I said mildly, chastity wasnt as contingent upon opportunity as Sanju Devi and her family believed. Did she really think that lack of temptation was the only reason so many women were monogamous? Surely owning a cell phone wasnt the reason why Radha Bhabhi chose to decamp with another man. Sanju Devi wasnt convinced and to be honest, I didnt expect her to be.

You are innocent to the ways of this world, she told me, with what I almost hoped was a delicious shiver. These days everything -- and I mean everything -- can happen just on the phone.

Cell phones were an effective way to communicate, stay safe and these days, pay ones bills, I told her. And yes, perhaps they empowered women and opened up a window to the freedom that is their birthright.

Sanju Devi pondered my speech for a while. Perhaps, she said hesitantly, now that weve migrated to Delhi, and I will probably have to get a job to contribute to the household, Ill tell him I need to get a cell phone too.

Id like to believe that the metaphor wasnt lost on her.
Stars go for the loveliest holidays -- exotic locations with a lot of adventure thrown in.

So we decided to bring you their travels with a special series.

Celina Jaitly vacationed in Shanghai, Beijing and Sanya with her family.

Shabbir-Kanchi had a fun Maldives holiday.

Sidharth Malhotra took us on an adventurous trip to New Zealand.

Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover had a beautiful Bali holiday.

Last time, we took on a journey to Australia thanks to Parineeti Chopra.

Now, let's tour Egypt with Pari.

Parineeti enjoys the lovely Egyptian view.





She gets into the Dil Dhadakne Do vibe while cruising the Nile river. It was her home for two days and she was obsessed with it.

It was freezing but she really wanted to see the pyramids.





She wakes up for the Sun Festival one early morning, which happens only twice a year!

She made sure to Dance like an Egyptian in front of the pyramids.

Photographs: Parineeti Chopra/Instagram
General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) CEO Jeff Immelt's annual letter to shareholders outlines what investors should expect from the company in the coming years. While Immelt usually addresses analysts and the professional investment community during presentations, the annual shareholder letter is a chance to directly speak to ordinary shareholders. If you own or are considering buying shares in the company, it's worth taking the time to see what he has planned. In that vein, let's take a look at five key takeaways from Immelt's letter.

Culture of change

If there was one overriding theme in the annual report for 2016, it was the emphasis on the culture of change at GE. In recent years Immelt has overseen a shift back to the company's industrial roots, while driving future growth through investment in the industrial internet. Meanwhile, with its mergers and acquisition strategy -- most notably with Alstom's energy assets and the Baker Hughes Incorporated merger -- the company plans to grow its scale to enhance cost synergies. In short, Immelt's transformation of the company -- including moving its headquarters from Connecticut to Boston -- is ongoing and is being shaped by a desire to do what GE is best at.

Operating goals

In reality, most investors understandably care most about the bottom line and how the company will get there. As such, the following table outlines GE's goals for 2017.

Metric Target for 2017 Industrial operating and verticals EPS $1.60-$1.70 Organic revenue growth 3%-5% Industrial operating margin Up 100 bp Industrial cash from operating activities (billion) $11-$15 GE Capital dividend (billion) $6-$7 Dividends (billion) $8 Buybacks (billion) $11-$13

It's worth keeping an eye on these numbers, because GE missed its organic revenue growth target in 2016 (1% compared to an original forecast of 2%-4%) but it made its EPS target ($1.49 compared to the original forecast of $1.45-$1.55) partly due to increased buybacks ($22 billion compared to a forecast of $18 billion) made possible by better-than-expected GE Capital dividends, as well as proceeds from industrial asset sales. (I wrote more on the subject in an article discussing the company's most recent quarter.)

Digital moves

It's no secret that the industrial internet and GE's Predix -- a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) cloud solution lauded as the "operating system for the industrial internet" -- is critical to the conglomerate's future, and here Immelt outlined some impressive progress. Having started the year expecting 50 Predix partnerships, GE signed up more than 400. Clearly, Predix is gaining traction as the platform of choice for industrial companies to use to gather and analyze data from their assets.

GE digital software orders totaled $4 billion in 2016, and Immelt expects them to grow by 20%-30% in 2017, to at least $5 billion, with Predix orders predicted to top $1 billion in 2017. Those are important numbers for investors to keep an eye on.

Additive manufacturing

GE is not just an industrial internet solutions provider -- it's also using the technology to generate productivity gains. A similar theme was evident in Immelt's discussion of GE's plans for additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. The acquisitions of a controlling stake in both Arcam and Concept Laser reportedly give GE around 20% market share in the additive-equipment market. Moreover, Immelt claimed, "Additive manufacturing can reduce GE's product cost by $3 billion to $5 billion over the next decade."

Meanwhile, the company's additive equipment revenue is expected to increase from $300 million in 2016 to $1 billion by 2020.

Services growth

GE expects services revenue (which tends to be at a higher margin than equipment revenue) to increase by 7% in 2017 and by 5% over the long term. It already contributes around 40% of total revenue, and Immelt argued that the so-called GE Store can help GE improve its services offering to customers. The GE Store is simply the process whereby GE's different businesses collaborate with one another in order to create value and help one another improve solutions for customers.

Immelt sees the GE Store as an integral part of improving its services offering; it's a key point because it means that GE's services can create value for customers even if the customers' revenue isn't growing -- a useful offering to have when the economy slows again. It's also another argument to suggest that GE's biggest strength lies in its scale.

2017 and beyond

All told, Immelt's themes speak to the vision of GE as a company undergoing constant change, reinventing itself by going back to its industrial past while at the same time innovating to help drive the creation of new markets -- such as the industrial internet and additive manufacturing -- in which it has first-mover advantage. All of these strategies exploit GE's scale and core competency, and provided GE can execute in the coming years, it looks likely that the company will be much stronger in the next decade than it was in the last.

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'Ignorance isn't a problem when it's a question of common citizens having forgotten (or never learnt) middle school science.'

'It becomes a problem when it's displayed by policymakers and people of some influence,' says Devangshu Datta.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

The USA hosts the greatest scientific establishment in the world. It also has a president who says, 'You know what uranium is, right? It's a thing called nuclear weapons. And other things.'

That self-same president also believes that the world isn't getting hotter. He wants to shut down the US Environmental Protection Agency and he has appointed an EPA head who is on the record saying this.

President Donald Trump is not unrepresentative of Americans in his ignorance.

A large number of Americans believe that dinosaurs and humans roamed the Earth together.

Some also believe that vaccines cause diseases.

A few are convinced that LGBT persons can be 'cured' of sexual orientation(s).

Other people around the world have similar uninformed fantasies.

For example, one of India's neighbours has a mid-school science textbook which asserts, 'The Theory of Evolution as proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century is one of the most unbelievable and irrational claims in history.'

The same nation also has lunatics who run around shooting paramedics administering vaccines.

India is scarcely better off.

India's space agency has accomplished the impressive feat of putting 104 nano satellites in space with a single launch.

At the same time, India also had government funded programmes that 'research' the therapeutic properties of cattle urine.

There is at least one well-known yoga teacher and 'ayurvedist' who says he can cure HIV.

Recently a college principal said that women who wear shirts and trousers develop polycystic ovarian syndrome because they think like men (men don't have ovaries, but anyway).

And India has a prime minister who seems to think that the legend of Lord Ganesha proves head transplants happened in ancient India.

Ignorance, even ignorance of this level, isn't a problem when it's a question of common citizens having forgotten (or never learnt) middle school science.

After all, how does it matter if your plumber has never heard of uranium?

It becomes a problem when it's displayed by policymakers and people of some influence.

The vaccine-haters have put entire populations at risk because pockets of non-immunised vulnerability could lead to the comeback of deadly diseases.

Vaccine-deniers are the prime reason why polio has not been eradicated, for instance.

The 'cattle-urine therapists' and other researchers who pursue nonsensical causes funded by the taxpayers' rupee swallow funding that should go to the reduction of infant mortality, and the building of public toilets.

The college principal who insists women students wear salwar kameez endangers them in the lab, where they need to wear protective unisex garments.

The yoga teacher who says that HIV can be cured could be responsible for killing someone, who opts for 'alternate therapy' rather than anti-retroviral drugs.

He may even be responsible for killing many people if a HIV-positive person infects others, while under the impression that he or she is cured.

The ignorant US president could be responsible for driving entire species extinct if he does succeed in shutting down EPA.

He could be part of a cabal of contemporary politicians who push the planet into a death spiral by refusing to combat global warming, while there's still a chance of damage limitation.

He may even spark off a nuclear exchange if he decides to find out some of the things that uranium can do.

The prime minister who believes in head transplants directly manages the science & technology portfolio.

(S&T has always been managed directly out of the PMO. Why this is so is a different question and perhaps worth an 'entire political science' research paper in itself.)

Therein lies the problem.

There is a certain kind of blue-sky, undirected pure scientific research that is funded by governments.

Obvious examples at the moment would include the Large Hadron Collider or the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.

If governments don't fund these programmes, nobody will.

If government policy is made by ignoramuses, those programmes may be replaced by touchy-feely stories of dinosaurs transformed by head-transplants and super-vaccines extracted from cattle-urine.

Scientists are often apolitical. American scientists have started fighting back, raising funds to make political statements and to support candidates who understand science.

Maybe it's time Indian scientists did the same?

DO READ the interesting features in the RELATED LINKS below...
Will the unpredictable North Korean leader provoke conflict on the Korean peninsula?

Dr Rajaram Panda checks out the possibilities.

Tensions in the Korean peninsula remain high because of North Korea's nuclear tests, missile launches and constant threats to attack both its southern neighbour and the US.

As the US and South Korean militaries participated in exercise Foal Eagle 2017 on March 1, North Korea expectedly reacted by firing four banned ballistic missiles on March 6 that flew about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) and reached a height of 260 km (160 miles), with three of them landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Pyongyang has always insisted that the military drills are invasion rehearsal by South Korea and the US. South Korea's military, however, said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which can reach the US.

In recent months, North Korea has staged a series of missile test launches of various ranges, including a new intermediate range missile in February.

Pyongyang has always justified its actions, saying that these are insurance against hostility and possible attack by the US and South Korea against North Korea.

Though Japan is not involved in the military drills, it felt the heat as three of the four missiles landed in the 200 nautical mile offshore area, as close as 300 (190 miles) from Japan's northwest coast, where Japan has sovereign rights to explore and exploit resources, leading Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to term Pyongyang's act as 'a new kind of threat.'

South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn too condemned the launches as a direct challenge to the international community and said Seoul would swiftly deploy a US anti-missile defence system despite angry objections from China.

According to South Korea's joint chief of staff, the missile launch site was Tongchang-ri in the North Pyongan province, home of North Korea's Seohae satellite station where the prohibited long range launches were conducted in recent years.

The US state department strongly condemned the ballistic missile launches, calling it a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology.

Tension in the Korean peninsula continue to remain high since the Korean War of 1950-1953, that ended with an armistice and without a peace treaty and therefore both the South and North are in a technical state of war.

Both South Korea and the US claim the military drills are routine and defensive in nature. The exercise involves a series of joint and combined ground, air, naval and special operations field exercises and designed in the spirit of the US-South Korean mutual defence treaty of 1953.

This year, about 3,600 service members were deployed to join the 28,000 US troops already based in South Korea for the annual exercise, which will run through April 30.

The drills have a 40-year tradition and have been carried out regularly, openly and transparently.

From the US perspective, it is a demonstration of its commitment to the alliance and justifies Foal Eagle 2017 as designed to increase readiness to defend South Korea to protect the region and to maintain stability on the Korean peninsula.

In accordance with its treaty obligations to its two East Asian allies, the US stations 28,500 troops in South Korean bases and another 50,000 in Japanese bases, as a deterrent against potential aggression from North Korea.

The exercise in 2016 involved about 17,000 US troops, including strategic naval vessels and air force assets, and more than 300,000 South Korean marines.

This year, the US key strategic assets include the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, F-35 aircraft, and B-1B and B-52 bombers for the exercises.

Participation in the joint exercises is known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle.

The South Korean people are scared with the war mongering rhetoric from both sides. They want peace and tranquillity in the peninsula.

If war breaks out, the South Korean economy will be in ruins and South Koreans do not want to lose the benefit of economic prosperity.

Scores of protestors staged a rally outside the US embassy in Seoul on the day the joint military commenced, expressing opposition to the war games and emphasising that the drills would 'bring the peninsula sharply closer to the brink of a nuclear war.'

North Korea is always uncomfortable with such drills and responds with expensive deployments and drills of its own, which is taxing for an impoverished nation.

Pyongyang warned that its response this year would be the toughest, which was reflected with the firing of four missiles into the Sea of Japan in retaliation and therefore sent out a warning.

US Defence Secretary General James Mattis assured his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo of the US commitment to defend its ally. Both the US and South Korea have agreed to station the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense -- THAAD -- system to neutralise any missiles coming from the North.

South Korea is already at an advance stage to make it operational. The urgency to deploy the THAAD battery was because of the serious threat highlighted by North Korea's February 12 ballistic missile launch.

Calling for the early deployment of the missile defence system, acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn urged the national security council to go ahead with this soon, before the end of the year as earlier planned.

Though intended to protect the South Korean and US military sites from North Korean missiles, China strongly opposes the THAAD deployment as it fears that would undermine its own nuclear deterrent. Beijing has hinted at economic retaliation against Seoul.

Japan too plans to reinforce its ballistic missile defences and is considering buying either THAAD or building a ground-based version of the Aegis system that is currently deployed on ships in the Sea of Japan.

Pyongyang has little respect for UN resolutions that makes launching of missiles by North Korea illegal.

The world is not expected to remain silent to North Korea's unlawful weapons programmes pose a grave threat to the security to the region.

Earlier, apart from threats to retaliate in response to the joint military drills, Kim Jong-un warned that his troops are in readiness to prepare for a 'merciless' counter-strike against potential enemy aggression.

Though the drills always raise tensions on the divided peninsula, this year it assumes special significance because of a ballistic missile test by North Korea and the assassination of Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur airport and the North Korean regime's alleged hand in the murder.

On the security front, things are getting messier day by day. President Donald Trump reportedly discussed with his national security advisors various options against North Korea, including the possibility of re-introducing nuclear weapons in South Korea as a bold warning.

A North Korean diplomat who defected recently in the UK has said that if Kim Jong-un gets hold of nuclear weapons, he will surely use it. In his New Years Day speech Kim Jong-un claimed that his country was in the 'final stage' of preparing for its first ICBM test.

'If North Korea gets hold of nuclear weapons,' South Korean acting President Hwang rightly cautioned, 'its consequences are too horrible to think about.'

North Korea has boasted of having the ability to strike the continental US with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Though it has never tested a missile capable of flying across the Pacific, it has displayed what analysts say were ICBMs during military parades.

Strong doubt also remains over North Korea's claim that it can manufacture a nuclear warhead small enough to be fitted onto such a missile.

After North Korea test fired a new type of missile into the sea on February 12, President Trump vowed to rein in North Korea and Kim Jong-un. Re-introduction of nuclear weapons into South Korea is also on the table.

The US withdrew nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991 before the rival Koreas signed a declaration on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. North Korea walked away from the agreement, citing the threat of a US invasion.

The situation in the Korean peninsula is ripe for a potential conflagration. Diplomacy must prevail to bring calm.

Dr Rajaram Panda is the ICCR India Chair Visiting Professor at Reitakau University, Japan. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect either the views of the ICCR or the Government of India.
Donald Trump has forced the sophisticated to reveal their real selves, which are as vicious as that of any status quoist in the world, says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.

There have always been two diametrically opposed views about the American society.

The dominant one is the pretence that, for the most part, it is a highly sophisticated society intellectually driven by altruism.

The less articulated view is that it is -- if not short in physical stature -- certainly nasty and brutish in its behaviour.

The election of Donald Trump has put both views in sharp relief. More specifically, with reference to the American response to Mr Trump, the worst in everyone in the country has burst forth in all its glory.

The we are so wonderful school has been left howling at the moon like Bob Dylans tragic hero. Seldom have I seen such bile and acid coming from the elites.

This howling has succeeded in proving the other view of America, namely, that even the intellectually sophisticated are exactly like Mr Trump -- nasty and brutish.

But that is not a cause for surprise. It is what happens when you think an idea is superior to all others merely because you hold it. This failing is especially true of the people of the Western hemisphere.

Indeed, this is exactly like religion. There is, after all, no difference between the god-man who reviles persons of other religions, and the liberals who disagree so viciously with persons who disagree with them.

A long, illustrious list

Ramanuja in India, Martin Luther in Europe, the Sufis of Arabia, the bunch of Republicans in France who threw out the Bourbons, Gladstone in England, Lincoln in America, Lenin in Russia, Thatcher in Britain, Roosevelt in the US, Gorbachev in the USSR -- all were derided, scorned and reviled when they first started saying their pieces.

But to their credit they stuck to their guns because intuitively, deep inside, they had grasped something that people were actually experiencing -- that things that had worked previously had now stopped working. They had therefore felt the need for change and suggested ways of achieving it.

This is what Mr Trump is doing in a very forceful way. He is forcing society to consider the new viewpoint. Those who reject him out of hand arent doing themselves any great favours.

He has, in fact, already won the war of ideas. He has forced the sophisticated to reveal their real selves, which are as vicious as that of any status quoist in the world when challenged at any time in the past 5,000 years.

To be sure you can grumble about his ways. But is his message wrong? He is forcing change and he is doing it very crudely. But does that matter?

Does it mean there is a prescribed way of forcing a reassessment? And, if there is, should it be laid down by those who have the most to lose by the change that is being demanded?

The evidence

Take three examples, one each from international politics, economics and sociology. Actually you can take as many examples as you want and the result will be the same.

Mr Trump has forced everyone to think differently and to re-examine beliefs. This is no mean achievement.

In international politics, Mr Trump stands accused of letting down allies and diminishing American power. But no one is willing to answer the question he asks: Why should Americans pay for the security of rich countries? Does anyone ever do that? Has any country done that on the scale America has since 1945? To whose benefit?

In economics, the charge is that Mr Trump is ending globalisation. This claim doesnt bear any scrutiny because it was the 20th century which actually abridged globalisation by restricting flows of capital, labour and trade as in no century before.

Indeed, if anything, it was the 20th century that ended globalisation and never really got going with it except in the matter of capital flows, and that too in a very limited way. This was the natural outcome of the emergence of so many new countries, and that too with democracy.

Mr Trump is also being pilloried for ending Americas open and tolerant character because of his policy towards immigrants. Really? The truth is different.

Between 1700 and 1900, the white population of America allowed open immigration because they needed cheap labour. Even then only whites were allowed in freely; the rest were kidnapped like the Africans in the 16th and 17th centuries and the Chinese in the 19th century. In any case, open immigration ended soon after 1900.

In the end, the damage that men do is more important. By this metric how many of those who curse Mr Trump today will answer truthfully if you ask them about the number of people his predecessors have killed in foreign wars since 1945?

That was ok, was it, their nationalism superior to Mr Trumps?

Image: US President Donald Trump reacts after delivering his first address to a joint session of Congress from the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2017. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/Reuters.
China on Tuesday hit out at the Dalai Lama over his snide remarks that Chinese hardliners have parts of their brains missing, saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is a highly "deceptive actor".

"Remarks of the Dalai Lama appeared to be funny and humorous but they are all lies and they are not facts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media in Beijing when asked about his comments on the contested issue of his reincarnation during an interview to prominent comedian John Oliver.

Speaking to the British-born comedian in Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader said that he might be the last Dalai Lama.

Asked if he was worried that China might appoint its own Dalai Lama after his death, he said it would be foolish.

"Our brain usually, you see, has the ability to create common sense. The Chinese hardliners, in their brain, that part of the brain, is missing," the Dalai Lama said.

The foreign ministry spokesman said that China has "noted the programme."

"On the Tibet issue, the Chinese position is clear. You know it very well and I will not repeat it. The 14th Dalai Lama is in political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the disguise of religion," he said.

"From now he can say that he is also an actor. He is very good at acting and is highly deceptive," Geng said.

China views the Nobel Peace laureate, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, as a dangerous separatist.

China in the past held talks with him for reconciliation after he fled from Tibet. But no such talks were held after President Xi Jinping took over as the new leader in 2012 and Beijing kept pressure on various countries not to host him.

China has also recently criticised India for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.
'Photojournalism is there to trigger interest, to make people learn more. And in the long term, to be a visual reminder of how great, brutal, happy, sad and unfair the world once was.'

-- Damir Sagolj

They say a photograph speaks louder than words.

That is perhaps why Reuters decided to present Damir Sagolj, its China-based photographer, the Photojournalist of the Year award.

Sagolj spent 2016 documenting the ongoing drug war in the Philippines and North Korea's party congress.

In the Philippines, he showed the world the terrifying and heart-breaking effect of President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs as well as the terror that plagues the streets of Manila and other Filipino cities and towns.

In North Korea, he captured the excitement and protests in response to North Korea's first party congress in 36 years.

A look at some of the stories brought to us through Damir Sagolj's cameras in the last year.

Please click on the photographs to view full screen images of the same.

Close

Armed security forces take a part in a drug raid in Manila.

Since Philippines President Rodrigo Dueterte came to power on June 30, 2016, 2,041 drug suspects have been killed by the police in what he calls a 'war on drugs.'

Close

12-year-old Kasandra Kate cries next to the coffin of her father Verigilio Mirano during his funeral at the Navotas public cemetery in Manila.

According to a family member, Mirano, who was using drugs but stopped after Duterte became president, was killed by masked gunmen at his home in September.

Like Kasandra, many have lost their near and dear ones in Duterte's war on narcotics where there is lack of due process and respect for the law.

Close

A woman covered in blood holds her head after her husband was killed by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles in Manila.

During Duterte's tenure, 3,658 vigilante style killings, usually executed by masked men on motorcycles in pursuit of marked targets, have taken place till date.

The wives of the men who have died are now dubbed by the media as 'The Widows of Duterte's Drug War.'

Close

The mother and other relatives of Florjohn Cruz, who was killed in a police drugs buy-bust operation, mourn by his coffin during his funeral in Manila.

Cruz, 34, was shot dead in his mother's house in northern Manila on the evening of October 19, 2016.

Police say plainclothes officers killed Cruz in self-defence after he fired at them during a drug-buying sting operation.

The family says the police burst into their home and shot Cruz as he protested his innocence.

With Duterte encouraging police to kill drug addicts, and officers answering his call with a near-perfect kill rate, many bereaved relatives say they are fearful of questioning law enforcement authorities.

Close

Inmates sleep in the open at the Quezon City Jail in Manila.

Many of the country's prisons remains packed with Filipinos rounded up as part of the anti-drug campaign.

The Quezon City Jail, built in 1953 originally to house 800 people, today houses more than 4,000 inmates -- a whopping 60 per cent of them imprisoned for drug offences.

But those living in what has to be one of the most densely populated corners of the Philippines, say they are lucky.

Many of the inmates feels "safer in here than out on the streets" where "the cops could kill you."

Close

Girls play guitars at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace in central Pyongyang, North Korea.

According to a report, the Children's Palace, a massive, 2 million square foot building on the southwestern edge of the North Korean capital, is billed by the reclusive regime as a temple to youth, a testament to the care and devotion of the nation's rulers to its future generations.

Close

A subway worker walks away after a train departed the station in central Pyongyang. It's hard for photojournalists to show images of everyday life taken in the secretive State of North Korea.

Close

Fireworks explode over participants in a mass dance in the capital's main ceremonial square, a day after the ruling Workers' Party of Korea wrapped up its first congress in 36 years in Pyongyang.

The last time North Korea held such an event the country's founder, Kim Il-sung, was in charge.

Kim Il Sung is the grandfather of North Korea's current leader Kim Jong-un, and father of its previous leader, Kim Jong- il.

Close

An enormous civilian parade comprised of hundreds of thousands of North Koreans take to the streets to celebrate the country's newly completed ruling party congress.

The vast parade at the Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang featured everything from floats bearing patriotic slogans to marchers with pompoms.

Close

A performer holds an umbrella as she and others wait for their turn to go onto the stage at the Longtan park as the Chinese Lunar New Year, which welcomes the Year of the Monkey, is celebrated in Beijing.
Breaking her silence over the much publicised infighting in the Yadav family, the second wife of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sadhna, on Tuesday said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been misguided.

"I had never thought that Akhilesh would part ways with Netaji (as Mulayam is fondly known among supporters) and that too when Netaji is still alive," she told reporters.

"I don't know how could Akhilesh do this but he definitely loves his father. I think he has been misguided," said Sadhna who has been blamed for the feud in the family.

Sadhna, who is believed to be close to Shivpal Singh Yadav, said that the younger brother of Mulayam has been insulted.

"Shivpal has been insulted. He was not at fault," she said.

To a question on whether the family feud and the emergence of two factions in the party would mar its prospects in the ongoing assembly elections, Sadhna said, "It will have an impact on the outcome of the polls as its timing was wrong."

To a question, she said that she wanted Samajwadi Party to return to power and Akhilesh back as the chief minister.

"Let's see what happens on March 11 and what the voters decide," she said.

The step-mother of Akhilesh also said she had been advising Mulayam on various issues ranging from social life, politics and even those related to family.

"I have kept the family united," she said.

Maintaining that she had no interest in joining politics, Sadhana said that she wanted her son Prateek become a Rajya Sabha MP.

"Prateek would understand the gravity of the situation and he would definitely join politics," she said.

On being blamed for the infighting, Sadhna held time responsible for the rough patch through which the family went, saying, "I have given my 100 per cent to the family. I have given time to all members of the family, be it Ramgopal Yadav, his children, Dharmendra, the daughters-in-law of the family, my sisters-in-law or brothers of Netaji."

"I have regarded everyone as part of my family and asked Netaji to help each one of them," she remarked.

When asked why she did not take any credit for all the work she had done, she said, "I never wanted to take any credit as whatever I have done is because of Netaji, and it is because of him that I have been able to do so much. Hence, I want to give all credit to Netaji."

She also said that she now wants to foray into social work and help under-privileged people.
On the eve of the final phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani reviews the political landscape in the epicentre and beyond.

IMAGE: Devotees travel past the ghats of Varanasi -- the district that has emerged as a battle of pride in the UP elections. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

The campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections peaked in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency and one of the seven districts that will go to the polls March 8 in the seventh, and final, phase of the 2017 elections.

The elections here are being looked on as a mini-referendum for the Modi government at the Centre.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's top leaders and ministers, including Modi, made Varanasi their base camp with the PM camping in Varanasi for three days and holding road shows across the length and breadth of the district.

The other star BJP campaigners were party president Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh (will he be the chief minister if his party wins the UP election?) with Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kalraj Mishra, Uma Bharti, Ananth Kumar, Smriti Irani, Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal chipping in.

The BJP even moved its war room to Varanasi. Party officials said this was also the first time that they set up a new media centre in Varanasi, with at least one Union minister present to address the media every day.

The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party also left no stone unturned.

The SP-Congress combine's campaign strategist Prashant Kishor crafted a Varanasi-specific strategy with initiatives like 'Dard-e-Banaras,' which highlighted the disillusionment among voters.

In addition, Kishor's team launched a two-pronged campaign offensive -- going door-to-door and reaching out via social media.

Mayawati kept up a gruelling pace of three to four election rallies a day even as her party leaders reached out to the grassroots.

Varanasi's road show politics: From Akhilesh-Rahul to Modi and Mayawati

At stake in this phase is the future of 535 candidates, contesting 40 seats, in the districts of Bhadohi, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra and Varanasi.

In the 2007 assembly election, Mayawati emerged victorious in Eastern Uttar Pradesh riding on the Dalit-Brahmin-Muslim combine; the BSP won 206 seats in the 403-seat state assembly that election.

The 2012 assembly polls saw Purvanchal swing to the SP; the party also emerged with the largest majority in that election.

In the 2014 general election, the BJP, with its ally, the Apna Dal, won all the Lok Sabha seats from this region.

Holding onto this region is a battle of pride for both the SP and the BJP.

This phase too has seen a poor percentage of women candidates. It stands at an almost negligible 47 out of 535.

On the education front, 245 candidates have declared an educational qualification of graduate or above; 229 candidates have declared an educational qualification between Class 5 and 12.

Parties also continue to pitch candidates with criminal records. As per the data available with the Association for Democratic Reforms, 115 or 22 percent of the candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.

95 or 18 per cent of the candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, etc.

The BJP and BSP have once again fielded the most number of candidates with criminal cases.

A total of 132 crorepati candidates are in the fray in this phase. Leading the list are the BSP's Bholanath from Mariyahu (Jaunpur) with declared assets worth of 51.02 crore, the BJP's Shuchimita Maurya Majhwan (Mirzapur) with declared assets worth 46.85 crore, and the SP's Subhash Pasi Saidpur (Ghazipur) with declared assets worth 40.82 crore.

The polling on March 8 will draw the curtain on not just the elections in Uttar Pradesh, but also the five state assembly elections.

Counting for all five states will take place on March 11.

The road so far in UP...

Please scroll down for more poll stories from Uttar Pradesh
The United States has started deploying the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system at the Osan Air Base in South Korea after North Korea conducted test of four ballistic missiles which broke international sanctions.

According to CNN, the announcement comes just a day after North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

THAAD is designed to protect against threats from North Korea. It's designed to shoot down incoming missiles that threaten civilian populations.

China has voiced opposition to the proposed placement of the THAAD system so close to its borders.

Beijing's concerned that THAAD's surveillance capabilities might be able to offer early tracking data to parts of the American ballistic missile defence system, eroding China's ability to target the US in the event of war.

The Global Times, a Communist Party-affiliated newspaper, has accused Seoul of "tying itself to the US chariot and turning into an arrogant pawn of Washington in the latter's military containment against China".

But with North Korea increasing the number of missile and nuclear tests last year, the US and South Korea have publicly stressed the need to speed up the deployment of the technology.

The decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea was made in July last year.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday affirmed America's "ironclad commitment" to Japan and South Korea's security following the latest missile test.

Trump spoke over phone separately with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the White House said.

During the phone calls, Trump emphasised the United States' ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.

"He emphasised that his administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities," the White House said.

"Trump agreed with Prime Minister Abe and Acting President Hwang to continue close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions," the White House said.

Pentagon Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada to discuss North Korea's missile launches.

"Mattis and Inada both agreed that these launches are an unacceptable and irresponsible act that undermines security and stability in the region," Davis said.

Mattis reaffirmed that the US remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan including its extended deterrence commitment, he said.

"Both Mattis and Inada agreed to cooperate closely along with the Republic of Korea to strengthen deterrence and to maintain the peace and security of Northeast Asia," Davis said.

Image: Courtesy Lockheed Martin
It's finally here. The long-awaited Republican replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is best known as Obamacare, was released by House Republicans on Monday. You can read the full text of the 123-page bill courtesy of CNN.

President Trump made repealing and replacing Obamacare a keynote of his campaign, so his victory in November, along with Republican lawmakers retaining control of both houses of Congress, began the countdown toward Obamacare's imminent demise.

In many respects, Obamacare did exactly what it was intended to do. It wound up allowing more than 20 million Americans who likely couldn't afford health coverage, or who were shut out of the system due to pre-existing conditions, the opportunity to be covered. Unfortunately, it also tied the hands of insurance companies, which found the ACA to be an unsustainable model.

With further ado, let's dive into the 23 important things you need to know about the Republican Obamacare replacement bill.

1. It immediately repeals the individual mandate

The Republican replacement plan phases in a number of changes, but it immediately eliminates the individual mandate. The individual mandate is the actionable component of the ACA that requires all adults to purchase health insurance.

2. The Shared Responsibility Payment will go away

The replacement plan would also do away with the Shared Responsibility Payment (SRP) associated with the individual mandate. The SRP is the penalty you pay come tax time for not purchasing health insurance. In 2016, it was the greater of $695 or 2.5% of your modified adjusted gross income.

3. The employer mandate would be no more

In addition to eliminating the individual mandate, the employer mandate would be axed. The employer mandate required businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTE) to offer health coverage options to those employees and potentially subsidize those FTEs who spent more than 9.7% of their income on premiums.

4. The Advanced Premium Tax Credit will be repealed

The subsidies associated with Obamacare wouldn't be repealed completely until 2020. However, it would mean that the Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) would go away. The APTC is the income-based subsidy individuals and consumers receive that helps lower their monthly premium costs. Individuals and families earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level are currently eligible.

5. Cost-sharing reductions, too

In addition to the APTC being repealed, cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) would also disappear by 2020. Cost-sharing reductions are apportioned out to individuals and families earning between 100% and 250% of the federal poverty level who also purchase a silver-tier plan. CSRs are what help lower the copays, deductibles, and coinsurance tied to a doctor visit.

6. Medicaid expansion ends by 2020

As expected, the Republican replacement plan would no longer allow states to expand their Medicaid programs by 2020. Under the ACA, states were allowed to choose whether or not they would take federal funds to expand the number of people and families that would be covered by Medicaid, ultimately lifting the federal poverty threshold to 138% from 100%. In total, 31 states chose to expand their Medicaid programs.

7. Medicaid funding doled out on per-capita basis

Another massive departure from the ACA is that Medicaid funding will be doled out on a per-capita basis. Republican lawmakers are clearly trying to reduce the amount of federal funding being supplied to the states, and this would be a major step in reducing the federal government's responsibility in covering millions of Americans.

8. Older adults could be charged more

One of the bigger concessions to insurance companies in the Republican Obamacare replacement plan is that it would allow older adults to be charged up to 67% more than they're being charged now relative to younger adults. The ACA currently caps what older adults can be charged compared to younger adults at three-to-one. If this bill were to pass, this ratio would increase to five-to-one. Since older adults are typically costlier for insurers, Republican lawmakers believe this will make their plan more sustainable over the long run.

9. Tax credits will be based on age

Instead of subsidies that are based entirely on income, individuals and families will receive annual tax credits based on their ages:

$2,000 for people in their 20s.

$2,500 for people in their 30s.

$3,000 for people in their 40s.

$3,500 for people in their 50s.

$4,000 for people in their 60s.

10. There's a high limit on tax credit phase-outs

However, there is an income component to the aforementioned tax credits. Full credits are available to individuals and households earning up to $75,000 and $150,000, respectively. Tax credit phase-outs begin at incomes above this point until the exemption levels are hit, which is $215,000 for individuals and $290,000 for households. This would mean that approximately 98% of all individuals and households would qualify for tax credits under the Republican plan.

11. Health savings account contribution limits will nearly double

A critical cog for the Republican plan involves lifting the importance of health savings accounts, or HSAs. In 2017, the limit on contributions to an HSA is $3,400 for individuals and $6,750 for a family. By 2018, these contribution limits would jump to $6,550 for individuals and $13,100 for families. HSAs are tax-advantaged accounts that can be used to help pay for eligible medical care costs on a tax-free and penalty-free basis.

12. Insurers can charge a 30% premium to previously uninsured members

Though the individual mandate would be no more, a version of its penalty would continue to live on. Insurers would be authorized to increase the premiums charged to a consumer who didn't have insurance in the previous year by 30% until they've had health insurance for one full year, upon which the surcharge would be removed. This premium surcharge is designed to encourage ongoing coverage.

13. The medical excise device tax would be axed

Even though it's already suspended, the medical device excise tax, which implemented a 2.3% tax on certain medical devices, would be eliminated for good. Medical device makers had warned that this tax would cause them to move their innovation to more tax-friendly foreign markets when it was first introduced, though few device developers actually followed through with that threat.

14. The NIIT will be repealed

Another casualty of the Republican's Obamacare replacement plan is that the net investment income tax (NIIT) would be repealed. The NIIT is a 3.8% tax on investment income for individuals and joint filers earning in excess of $200,000 and $250,000, respectively, in modified adjusted gross income. In short, investors will be able to keep more of their capital gains.

15. The Medicare surtax will be gone

Another tax that will disappear to the delight of the wealthy is the Medicare surtax of 0.9%. Most Americans currently pay 1.45% in payroll tax that heads to Medicare, with your employer covering the other 1.45%. Individuals making more than $200,000 are required to cover an additional 0.9% (2.35% total), with no added burden to the employer. Under the Republican plan, this surtax will be axed.

16. The prescription drug tax will be removed

One of the under-the-radar taxes associated with the ACA involves an excise tax on brand-name prescription medicines. This tax was expected to generate $27 billion for the program over a 10-year period. With the Republican replacement plan the prescription drug excise tax will go away, potentially making brand-name drugs just a tad less expensive.

17. The health insurance tax will be repealed

Another somewhat unknown ACA tax that's currently suspended is the health insurance tax on insurers. This tax was suspended by the federal government last year in the hopes of encouraging insurers to keep their premium prices low in 2017. Needless to say, its suspension didn't do all that much for insurers. Under the Republican plan, the health insurance tax will end.

18. The 10 essential minimum benefits clause stays

Believe it or not, the minimum essential benefits clause remains in place in the Republican replacement plan. Mind you, there are some language and coverage changes between the ACA and the Republican replacement bill, but states will not, despite popular belief, be able to pick and choose the minimum essential benefits for health plans.

19. No maximum lifetime benefits

One major concern prior to the release of the Republican Obamacare replacement plan is that it would allow insurers to reinstitute lifetime benefit caps on minimum essential benefits. The Republican plan provided a pleasant surprise by maintaining that insurers cannot place lifetime benefit limits on minimum essential benefit spending.

20. Establishes the Patient and State Stability Fund

The Republican bill would also devote $100 billion between 2018 and 2026 to create the Patient and State Stability Fund. This money would be given to all 50 states ($15 billion in 2018 and 2019, $10 billion in each year thereafter) to create risk pools to subsidize the sickest and costliest patients, as well as to stabilize premiums in the individual markets.

21. Pre-existing conditions mandate kept

Another semi-surprise is that the Republican bill preserves two of the most popular components of the ACA. These were also components that President Trump himself had suggested be kept after a meeting with now-former President Barack Obama in November. First, insurers will be barred from turning away people with pre-existing conditions, which should be a relief for millions of Americans.

22. Dependent coverage up to age 26 stays

The second component of the surprise is that children under the age of 26 will be allowed to stay on their parents' health plan. This popular ACA component should be a big sigh of relief for college students and those who've just entered the workforce who may not have the income to cover a monthly premium payment.

23. The Cadillac tax comes back in 2025

Finally, and maybe the biggest surprise of them all, the Cadillac tax, which imposes a 40% excise tax on employers that offer high-deductible health plans, won't be killed. The implementation of the Cadillac tax had already been pushed out to 2020, but under the Republican plan it'll be moved out until at least 2025.

Clearly, this is a lot to digest. It's also possible, given the early objections from some Republicans in Washington, that this bill could face some changes before it heads to vote.

Perhaps the biggest question mark of all is whether adjusting from an income-based subsidy to an age-based credit will be enough to coerce lower- and middle-income individuals to enroll. It can rightly be argued that a $2,000 credit for a low-income 20-something may not be enough to make healthcare affordable, even with the establishment of a Patient and State Stability Fund.

Let the debate begin.

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Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Title Brazil: National Council for Migration: Normative Resolution No. 125/2017

Publication Date 22 February 2017

Country Brazil

Other Languages / Attachments Brazilian Portuguese

Cite as Brazil: National Council for Migration: Normative Resolution No. 125/2017 [Brazil], 22 February 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58beba094.html [accessed 7 November 2022]

Comments Disclaimer: This is an unofficial translation, prepared by UNHCR. UNHCR shall not be held responsible or liable for any misuse of the unofficial translation. Users are advised to consult the original language version or obtain an official translation when formally referencing the resolution or quoting from it in a language other than the original.
UN agency concerned new US refugee plan may 'compound the anguish' of people fleeing conflict

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN agency concerned new US refugee plan may 'compound the anguish' of people fleeing conflict, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58becc164.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Refugees are ordinary people forced to flee war, violence and persecution in their home countries and who remain in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection, the United Nations refugee agency underscored today in the wake of the latest Executive Order signed by the President of the United States on refugee resettlement.

"The imperative remains to provide protection for people fleeing deadly violence, and we are concerned that this decision, though temporary, may compound the anguish for those it affects," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a news release, adding that his Office (UNHCR) has long been a partner for the US in finding solutions to refugee problems, "and we look forward to continuing this partnership."

Mr. Grandi's statement follows the signing earlier today by US President Donald Trump of an Executive order that, according to news reports, would, among other things, suspend the country's refugee programme for 120 days. It would also bar for 90 days travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Today's measure follows a similar Order signed by the US President on 27 January, which barred all nationals from several majority Muslim countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the US for 90 days. Under that Order, Syrian refugees were barred indefinitely.

In the wake of the new Order, the UN refugee agency reiterated its readiness to engage constructively with the US Administration to ensure all refugee programmes meet the highest standards for safety and security.

"Americans have long played a crucial role in promoting global stability while simultaneously exemplifying the highest humanitarian ideals, from support for refugee emergencies overseas, to welcoming some of the most vulnerable refugee families in the United States to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom and dignity," said UNHCR.

"This is the gold standard in refugee protection and a powerful model for all countries," it said, adding that at a time of record-high levels of forced human displacement, "this kind of humane leadership is needed more than ever."
West Africa can serve as a model for preventive diplomacy  UN political chief

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, West Africa can serve as a model for preventive diplomacy  UN political chief, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58becc6f4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations political affairs chief today stressed that West Africa could be a model of how the UN can work with local partners in bringing stability to regions or sub-regions.

"The situation in West Africa says a lot of the region's growing capacity to deal with regional problems," said Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman at a regular briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York, following a one-week visit to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Guinea, The Gambia and Senegal.

The key objective of his visit was to advance sustaining peace initiatives in Burkina Faso and the Gambia - two countries that are in political transition. He also said that the situation in Guinea-Bissau, which he did not visit this time, was also a major topic of discussion during his trip.

The transition in the Gambia is "a very clear case of prevention," in which the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the UN were "all united behind the will of Gambian people."

In January, the former President of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, decided to facilitate an immediate and orderly transition process and transfer of power to President Adama Barrow after concerted mediation efforts by a number of African leaders to help resolve the crisis in the country following the presidential elections in December.

The situation is still fragile, however. With the legislative polls to be held on 6 April, the cohesion of the seven-party ruling coalition will be tested, he said.

On Burkina Faso, Mr. Feltman highlighted some progress made since the new leader was inaugurated in December 2015, including the country's improved relationships with its neighbours, in particular with Cote d'Ivoire.

He said he discussed with President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other officials the implementation of key reforms that will help consolidate stability in the country, including in the economic and security spheres.

Mr. Feltman said Burkina Faso was successful in rallying international support for its 2016-2020 national plan for economic and social development, with donors pledging 28.6 billion euros at a conference in December.

Mr. Feltman highlighted the contributions of ECOWAS and the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) to these countries' transitions.

"Working with local actors and subregional organizations can make the UN more effective in prevention," he said, underscoring the need to build on the leverage and credibility that local partners have inside countries.

For instance, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who chairs ECOWAS, can talks to fellow Heads of States in West Africa as a peer and as someone who with real leverage and credibility on the ground, he noted.
World must 'act fast,' scale up life-saving assistance in drought-hit Somalia  UN

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, World must 'act fast,' scale up life-saving assistance in drought-hit Somalia  UN, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58beccc34.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles today by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), three of which landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

"Such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability," Mr. Guterres said in a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the DPRK leadership to refrain from further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations," concluded the statement.

This is the latest in a series of reported missile launches by the DPRK, all of which have been condemned by the United Nations.

After urgent closed-door talks last month, the Security Council, condemning a reported incident on 12 February, issued a press statement expressing serious concern that the DPRK conducted these ballistic missile launches after the 15 April, 23 April, 27 April, 28 April, 31 May, 21 June, 9 July, 18 July, 2 August, 23 August, 5 September, and 14 October 2016 launches, as well as the nuclear test of 9 September, "in flagrant disregard of its repeated statements."
With the April 18 tax filing deadline rapidly approaching, now's the time to start going through your documents and getting your paperwork in order. Now you may be wondering: What do I need to file my tax return? One thing you should know is that regardless of whether you're filing your own taxes or paying a tax preparer to do them for you, you're still the one responsible for providing the necessary information to submit a return. Here's a comprehensive list of the tax prep items you'll need.

Personal information

To file your tax return, you'll need a few key pieces of personal information, including:

Your name

Your date of birth

Your Social Security number

Your bank account information (if you're signing up for direct deposit)

You'd be surprised at how many people have their taxes rejected for providing the wrong Social Security number, so check yours carefully before including it on your return. Also, while it might seem like a no-brainer, if you're hiring an outside tax preparer, be sure to provide a clear spelling of your name so that he or she gets it right.

Income history

In order to file an accurate return, you'll need to report all of the income you received for the 2016 tax year. This figure encompasses more than just your salary; it should include interest payments, dividend payments, freelance compensation, Social Security checks, retirement plan benefits, and any other earnings you collected. Some common forms and documents you'll need at the ready include:

Your W-2

Your 1099 forms; keep in mind that there are different types of 1099s, so if you receive multiple forms, don't assume that they're duplicates

Your alimony payment summary, if applicable

Your business profit and loss statement, if you own a business

Your rental property profit and loss statement, if you own a rental property

Adjustments to your income

Adjustments to income can help you reduce your total income and lower your tax burden in the process. Adjustments to income are often referred to as above the line deductions, and you'll need the following information to ensure you're getting your maximum tax benefit:

Form 1098-E, which summarizes your student loan interest

Records of educator expenses (teachers can deduct up to $250 per year for out-of-pocket school supplies)

Records of retirement plan contributions

Records of health savings account (HSA) contributions

Records of health insurance premium payments if you're self-employed

Records of moving expenses

Records of alimony paid

Tax deduction and credit information

The IRS offers a number of valuable tax credits and deductions that can help lower your tax bill. To capitalize on these, however, you'll need to have the following information available:

Form 1098, which is your mortgage interest summary (this will also include PMI premiums and mortgage points, if applicable)

Records of medical expenses

Records of child care costs, including the name and address of your provider

Form 1098-T, which lists your tuition expenses for the year

Records of charitable contributions, including cash and non-cash donations

Records of unreimbursed work expenses (such as uniforms, continuing education, and travel)

Records of home expenses (such as heat, water, and electricity) if you're taking a home office deduction

Tax payment records

The taxes you pay throughout the year can impact the amount you owe (or are owed). To prepare this year's taxes, you'll need:

A record of the property taxes you paid

A record of the estimated tax payments you made during the year (if you're self-employed)

A record of the taxes you had withheld from your retirement plan distributions, which can be found on Form 1099-R

In addition to everything listed above, you should also have a copy of last year's tax return on hand. This is something an outside tax preparer is pretty much guaranteed to ask for.

While all of this might seem like a lot of information, if you plan ahead and give yourself ample time to gather it all, you'll be a lot less stressed as the tax filing deadline nears. Remember, even if you're planning to hire someone else to do your taxes, the above information will still need to come from you, so don't wait until the last minute to get started. The more thorough and prepared you are, the better your chances of avoiding an audit and enjoying a hassle-free tax filing process.

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Security Council wraps up Lake Chad Basin visit; stops in 'epicentre' of Boko Haram violence

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council wraps up Lake Chad Basin visit; stops in 'epicentre' of Boko Haram violence, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58becd734.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The crisis in Africa's Lake Chad Basin is of global concern and action is needed "right now," the United Nations Security Council today said, wrapping up its four-country tour with the promise of long-term support for the Governments and the people in their fight against Boko Haram.

"Neither the military fight against terrorism nor the immediate humanitarian response will solve these protracted crises," Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the United Kingdom, who is leading the Council visit as President of the 15-nation body for the month of March, told journalists in Abuja.

He spoke alongside Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, as well as Fode Seck, Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, and Michele Sison, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations.

"What is needed in the end is long-term development," Mr. Rycroft said, noting the need for jobs, education, human rights, services for displaced people and refugees, and solutions for coping with drought and other environmental challenges.

"Those are multifaceted, complex set of problems and require a holistic set of solutions, and we are here to support the Government of Nigeria in finding those solutions," he vowed.

Yesterday, the Council members met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Teacher Village in Maiduguri, in hard-hit Borno state in the north-eastern part of the country. About half of the displaced persons living in the camp are children, with 379 of them infants.

The Council members joined a circle of survivors, many of whom were women whose husbands and children were killed by Boko Haram, and who are struggling to feed themselves and the remnants of families that they have left.

"Their accounts of a life in crisis were beyond sobering," Mr. Rycroft said.

The displaced camp is in Maiduguri, which is known as the epicentre of the years long Boko Haram crisis, according to Governor Kashim Shettima, who spoke with the Council members.

Some 14 million people are affected by Boko Haram, with 8.5 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

While in Nigeria, the Council also met with women's groups from across the country who called for a greater role in finding solutions to the Lake Chad Basin crisis.

"We can pass information faster than the men," one woman told the Council.

The Council members also spoke with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional group of 16 countries, with discussions focused on coordination of response and sharing of information.

The Council also met with Nigeria's acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, and other senior political leaders.

After visiting Nigeria, and previously being in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the Council emphasized that "barely enough is being done" to aid the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.

"The scale we have seen is of a growing crisis. Famine is being averted at the moment because of the generosity of donors and the effectiveness of the national responses - but only just," Mr. Rycroft said, adding: "We urge the international community as a whole to continue to step up before it is too late. And that means right now."
Indonesia: Blasphemy sentences are an injustice that must be reversed

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Indonesia: Blasphemy sentences are an injustice that must be reversed, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bece9c4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Indonesian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release three people convicted under the country's blasphemy laws for peacefully practicing their beliefs, Amnesty International said today.

Ahmad Mussadeq, Mahful Muis Tumanurung, and Andri Cahya are three members of a now disbanded religious minority group known as Gafatar who were sentenced for blasphemy by the East Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

"The sentences show how Indonesia's vague, coercive and discriminatory blasphemy laws are being used to punish people for peacefully exercising minority beliefs," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

"These individuals must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the blasphemy law, which flies in the face of Indonesia's human rights obligations, should be repealed."

Ahmad Mussadeq and Mahful Muis Tumanurung and were sentenced to five years, while Andry Cahya was sentenced to three years. The three individuals were arrested on 25 May 2016 and were later charged with blasphemy under Article 156a of the Criminal Code, and with "rebellion" under Articles 107 and 110 of the Code.

Background

The blasphemy provisions in Articles 156 and 156(a) of the Criminal Code criminalize "any person who in public deliberately expresses his/her feelings or engages in actions that in principle is hostile and considered as abuse or defamation of a religion embraced in Indonesia".

Indonesia's blasphemy laws violate a range of the country's international human rights commitments - including obligations to respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression, and freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Blasphemy cases are mostly lodged at the local level, where political actors, hard-line Islamist religious groups and security forces often collude to target minorities. An accusation or rumour is sometimes enough to land a person in court on blasphemy charges. Many individuals are harassed or attacked by hard-line groups before their arrest, and tried in court in an intimidating atmosphere. The convictions are often justified on the basis of "maintaining public order".

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Thailand drops defamation case against human rights activists

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Thailand drops defamation case against human rights activists, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58beceff4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The announcement by the Thai military that it will drop the criminal case against an Amnesty International chairperson and two other human rights activists who would have faced prosecution for reporting on torture is a step in the right direction, Amnesty International said today.

A Thai military body, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), said it will withdraw a criminal complaint alleging criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act against Pornpen Khonkachonkiet, Somchai Homla-or and Anchana Heemmina, who published a report on torture in Thailand's southern provinces.

"We commend the military authorities for their decision to drop the case against these brave activists. We hope the authorities will follow this step in the right direction by immediately and unconditionally dropping complaints and charges against other peaceful human rights activists," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

"This case is emblematic of how criminal defamation provisions and other repressive laws have been used to target activists peacefully exercising their rights in Thailand. To prevent further such injustices, the authorities should reform or repeal repressive laws and bring them into line with the country's international obligations."

Background

In February 2016, Cross-Cultural Foundation and Duay Jai Group (Hearty Support Group) published a report documenting 54 cases of torture and other ill-treatment by the Royal Thai Police and Royal Thai Army in Thailand's southern provinces.

On 17 May 2016, the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, which is responsible for security operations in the area, filed a case against the three human rights defenders, who edited of the report.

In recent years, Thai authorities have targeted many activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and other members of Thailand's civil society as part of a systematic crackdown on government critics.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Philippines: The death penalty is an inhumane, unlawful and ineffective response to drugs

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Philippines: The death penalty is an inhumane, unlawful and ineffective response to drugs, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58becf6c4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The adoption of a draft law by the Philippine House of Representatives to revive the death penalty sets the country on a dangerous path in flagrant violation of its international legal obligations, Amnesty International said today.

"The idea that the death penalty will rid the country of drugs is simply wrong. The resumption of executions will not rid the Philippines of problems associated with drugs or deter crime. It is an inhumane, ineffective punishment and is never the solution. The Philippines' attempts to reintroduce it are clearly unlawful. This will just earn the country notoriety as one of the few countries to revive its horrific use," said Champa Patel, Amnesty International's Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Today, the House of Representatives of the Philippines adopted on its third and final reading of House Bill 4727, a measure put forward by President Duterte's majority coalition to reintroduce the death penalty.

The proposal was passed with 216 votes in favour, 54 against and one abstention. The Speaker of the House openly threatened to strip members of Congress of key positions if they dared to vote against the bill, or even abstain from voting. The bill will now go to the Senate.

"The Senate is now the Philippines' last real hope of upholding its international obligations and rescuing the country from this backwards step," said Champa Patel.

The draft law has been passed at a time when the country is reeling from a wave of more than 8,000 deaths, many of them through extrajudicial executions in its "war on drugs" since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power on 30 June 2016.

Amnesty International is opposed to the death penalty for all crimes and in all circumstances. Under international law, the death penalty must be restricted to most serious crimes, and drug related crimes do not meet this threshold. There is also no evidence to show that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect.

"The death penalty for alleged drug offenders, like extrajudicial executions, violates international law, deprives people of the right to life, and disproportionately targets the poor," said Champa Patel.

In 2007 the Philippines ratified an international treaty that categorically prohibits executions and commits the country to the abolition of the death penalty. Legally, this obligation cannot be withdrawn at any time.

Since the death penalty was abolished in 2006, the Philippines has been a strong advocate against capital punishment and has championed several initiatives to this end in international forums. It has also worked to commute the death sentences imposed on Filipino nationals abroad, such as overseas workers.

"If the Philippines authorities want to deal with the root causes of drug-related offences, they should support humane, voluntary, health-focused and evidence-based policies as an alternative," said Champa Patel.

Background

House Bill 4727 is a consolidated version of several proposals adopted by the Sub-Committee on Judicial Reforms of the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives on 29 November 2016.

As of today, 141 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice; in the Asia Pacific region, 19 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and a further eight are abolitionist in practice. The new Criminal Code of Mongolia abolishing the death penalty for all crimes will become effective in July 2017.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Hungary: container camp bill is flagrant violation of international law

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Hungary: container camp bill is flagrant violation of international law, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58becfb34.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Responding to the Hungarian Parliament's adoption of a set of amendments allowing for the automatic detention of all asylum seekers while their applications are processed, Gauri Van Gulik, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe, said:

"Plans to automatically detain some of the world's most vulnerable people in shipping containers behind razor wire fences, sometimes for months on end, are beyond the pale. This new border detention package is just the latest in Hungary's aggressive crackdown on refugees and migrants."

"These measures will even be applied to children, a flagrant violation of international and European law. It will also enable refugees to be forcibly returned to Serbia without due process. We are urging the EU to step up and show Hungary that such illegal and deeply inhumane measures have consequences. Dumping all refugees and migrants into containers isn't a refugee policy - it's avoiding one."

Background

Under the new law, all current and future asylum seekers will be transferred to a "transit zone" near the border with Serbia, where they will be held in border camps made of containers for the duration of their asylum application process. This will apply to all adult asylum-seekers regardless of gender, age and vulnerability, as well as children travelling with adults and unaccompanied minors above the age of 14.

These measures are to be applied during a so-called "crisis situation due to mass immigration" which has been in place since September 2015 and will be in place at least until September 2017. The new measures lower the threshold for invoking a crisis situation.

Detention of asylum-seekers should always be a last measure and should not be applied arbitrarily and without judicial review and access to remedy. Children must never be detained solely on the grounds of their immigration status.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Sudan: Opportunity to investigate Darfur chemical attacks must not be squandered

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Sudan: Opportunity to investigate Darfur chemical attacks must not be squandered, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed0404.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) must demand a proper investigation into alleged chemical attacks by Sudanese government forces in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur, said Amnesty International today, as the OPCW's Executive Council begins its four-day meeting in The Hague.

In a shocking report published in September 2016, Amnesty International revealed credible evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons, against civilians, including very young children, from January to August 2016.

"These brutal attacks left an estimated 200 to 250 people dead and scores more with horrific injuries, and the OPCW must fully and independently investigate them. Failure by member states to trigger the investigation would be a monumental and shameful abdication of duty," said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

"Some states have expressed concern at this cruel use of chemical agents on civilians, but that is not enough. They must ensure concrete steps are taken to determine the full nature and extent of Sudan's chemical weapons programme, and demand that Sudan fully cooperates with the OPCW."

Amnesty International is calling on member states to seek clarification from the Sudanese government on the alleged chemical attacks in Jebel Marra. In the absence of this clarification, member states should request an on-site challenge inspection in accordance with Article IX of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The international community must also apply political pressure on the Government of Sudan to ensure that it permits United Nations and African Union peacekeepers, as well as aid agencies, unfettered access to Jebel Marra, to provide vital humanitarian assistance, establish operating bases and implement proactive patrols.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Bahrain: Activist's Family Targeted

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Bahrain: Activist's Family Targeted, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed0c54.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Bahraini authorities are apparently targeting the family members of a prominent Bahraini activist in retribution for his human rights work, Human Rights Watch said today.

Since March 2, 2017, authorities have detained the brother-in-law and mother-in-law of Sayed al-Wadaei, a United Kingdom-based Bahraini human rights activist who has accused the Bahraini authorities, including senior members of the ruling Al Khalifa family, of serious human rights abuses. Sayed al-Wadaei's wife, Duaa, told Human Rights Watch in October that a senior official had referred to her husband as "an animal" and asked, menacingly during an interrogation at Bahrain airport, "Where shall I go first, shall I go to his family or your family?"

"This looks like a cowardly attempt to break the resolve of an activist by attacking his family," said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Bahraini authorities forced Sayed al-Wadaei into exile in Britain, where he's a thorn in their side. Since they can't touch him, they've resorted to threatening and harassing his wife, infant son, and in-laws."

In 2012, the UK Home Office granted Sayed al-Wadaei leave to remain in the UK, three weeks after he fled Bahrain, where he said police had beaten and tortured him in the aftermath of anti-government protests in 2011. In 2013, he set up the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, which has publicly accused senior members of Bahrain's royal family of involvement in serious human rights abuses, including Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

A relative told Human Rights Watch that a large group of masked men, accompanied by police officers, detained Sayed al-Wadaei's 18-year-old brother-in law, Nazar Sayed Namaa al-Wadaei, at a house in Jid Ali at approximately 3:40 a.m. on March 2. He called his family two hours later to say he was at the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). At approximately 1 p.m. on March 5, police in civilian clothes went to the home of Nazar Sayed Namaa al-Wadaei's mother and Sayed al-Wadaei's mother-in-law, Hajar Mansoor Hasan, and summoned her to the CID. They refused to explain the basis for the summons. Hasan cares for her 90-year-old mother and two children. Prior to being taken into custody at the CID, Hasan told a family member that her son, Nazar Sayed Namaa al-Wadaei, had called her to say that CID officers had tortured him and forced him to implicate other relatives in wrongdoing.

In a report on Bahrain issued in November 2015, Human Rights Watch identified a general pattern of detainee abuse, including torture, in CID facilities.

The detention of Sayed al-Wadaei's in-laws appears to be part of a campaign of retribution in response to his human rights work. Nazar Sayed Namaa al-Wadaei and Hasan were in CID custody at the time of writing.

Duaa al-Wadaei told Human Rights Watch that senior Bahraini officials threatened her husband and both their families during a seven-hour interrogation at Manama airport on October 27, 2016. Speaking to Human Rights Watch by telephone the day after the incident, she said that she was checking in for a London-bound flight with the couple's 2-year-old son when airport officials asked her to accompany them for a search. Officers took her to a private room, removed her headscarf and shoes, and searched her bag and her son's stroller. When officers then tried to take her to another part of the airport, she refused to accompany them and sat down in the duty-free area with her son in her arms and said she would no longer cooperate unless officers explained where they were taking her and why. Officers then forcibly separated her from her son, she said, and dragged her by her wrists until she stood up and accompanied them to an interrogation room.

A seven-hour interrogation followed, Duaa al-Wadaei told Human Rights Watch, in which an official asked her about her husband's work, threatened to revoke her family's commercial licenses in Bahrain, informed her she was subject to a travel ban, and threatened her husband. She said the officer, who appeared to be a senior official, told her: "Deliver this message to your husband - I will get him," as she left the interrogation.

Authorities forced Duaa al-Wadaei and her son to miss that flight but allowed them to leave Bahrain on November 1. However, upon arriving in the UK, she discovered officers had charged her with assaulting a police officer.

The airport interrogation occurred hours after Sayed al-Wadaei had protested the King of Bahrain's visit to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May. Police outside 10 Downing Street briefly detained Sayed al-Wadaei but did not charge him.

An official from the Bahrain embassy in London sent an email to a journalist on October 29, in response to questions about the airport interrogation. It states that "precautionary security measures were necessary" on the basis of "the history of Mr al-Wadaei being involved in and supporting terrorist acts, as well as the number of weapons caches and explosive materials having been found in the Kingdom." On November 1, the Bahrain embassy in the UK issued statements on social media about the incident and said that Duaa al-Wadaei "failed to cooperate with airport security request for info and assaulted a female police officer while being interviewed."

"Bahrain should tackle the serious human rights abuses identified by Sayed al-Wadaei instead of punishing the messenger and his extended family," said Goldstein.

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North Korea: Crimes Against Humanity Demand Justice

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, North Korea: Crimes Against Humanity Demand Justice, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed12e4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) today announced its support for two new United Nations reports calling for the international community to hold the North Korean government accountable for crimes against humanity.

The group of independent experts on accountability, appointed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the request of the Human Rights Council last year with a specific mandate to explore approaches to accountability, asserted that "investigation and prosecution of serious crimes is critical." The group called for "measures to ensure the right of victims to reparations, the right of victims and society to know the truth about violations, and guarantees of non-recurrence of violations."

"The North Korean government and its leaders should face justice for their crimes against humanity, which continue to this day," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "We urge the UN Human Rights Council to respond positively to the special rapporteur's call that the recommendations of the group of independent experts be implemented without delay."

The independent experts stressed the need to consider creating an ad hoc international tribunal, even with a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC provides an important way to hold accountable those most responsible for gross rights abuses, but given the pervasive impunity in North Korea, the experts argued the prosecution of some high-level perpetrators at the ICC should be complemented by other criminal accountability processes. "A dedicated international tribunal for the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] would allow the temporal, territorial, personal and subject-matter jurisdiction to be calibrated to meet the needs and aspirations of the victims," the experts argued.

The independent experts - Sonja Biserko, a Serbian human rights activist who served on the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea, and Sara Hossain, a lawyer in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh - contended that "given the severity and complexity of the human rights situation in the DPRK, a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach is required to addressing violations." They also made concrete recommendations to the Human Rights Council to strengthen the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul with additional resources to "receive, preserve and consolidate information and evidence pertaining to the human rights situation in the DPRK, through a central and independent repository, for use in any future accountability mechanism."

"The two independent experts deserve backing for their hard work and strong recommendations for achieving accountability for human rights violations in North Korea," said Eunkyoung Kwon, secretary-general of the ICNK. "Member states of the Human Rights Council should now step up to provide support and resources to OHCHR Seoul to support initiatives on extending research and ensuring effective analysis for holding perpetrators accountable."

In a separate report, the new UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, Tomas Ojea Quintana, emphasized that "addressing human rights violations, particularly allegations of crimes against humanity, requires that perpetrators be held accountable." He called for a "two-track strategy" of engagement with North Korea on human rights where possible, and the pursuit of accountability. "These two tracks are mutually reinforcing, and a dual approach is necessary to produce tangible and sustainable improvement in the situation of human rights."

The special rapporteur endorsed the group of independent experts' recommendations and urged "all relevant stakeholders" to act and "to ensure that serious human rights violations, especially those amounting to crimes against humanity, do not go unpunished." He called on the Human Rights Council to implement the recommendations of the group of independent experts "without delay, ensuring that perpetrators of gross violations are held responsible and supporting all victims in their quest for truth and justice." He further urged the UN "as a whole" to address "the grave human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in a coordinated and unified manner."

"Six years ago we joined together with over 40 other human rights organizations to establish the ICNK with the specific purpose of seeking accountability and justice for crimes against humanity in North Korea," said Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide. "The UN Commission of Inquiry and its report were a landmark step on the path to accountability. The time to end the culture of impunity surrounding North Korea's crimes against humanity is long overdue."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
China: New Rules for Students with Disabilities Inadequate

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: New Rules for Students with Disabilities Inadequate, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed19a4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

New Chinese government regulations encourage mainstream education for students with disabilities, but do not provide adequate pathways for achieving that aim, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 23, 2017, the Chinese government released long-awaited Regulations of Education of Persons with Disabilities to replace the out-of-date 1994 regulations.

The new regulations are unlikely to substantially change the current environment in which mainstream schools only admit children with physical disabilities or mild forms of other disabilities, and bar admission to many others. More positively, the regulations do mandate local governments to plan and allocate adequate funding and resources to the education of people with disabilities; stipulate teacher training, evaluation, and promotion; and require that schools develop individualized educational plans for students with disabilities.

"While international standards have influenced the new regulations, China still imposes discriminatory obstacles for children with disabilities to be placed in mainstream schools," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "After nearly a decade to implement these standards, children with disabilities will still too often be segregated in a separate educational system."

China's Ministry of Education has long operated parallel systems of education for persons with disabilities: mainstream schools in which students with disabilities "study along with the class," and special education schools in which students with disabilities are segregated according to types of disabilities. While state media reports say the revisions were aimed to fulfill China's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which it ratified in 2008, these practices are at odds with the convention, which require that governments "ensure an inclusive education system at all levels."

In a 2013 report, Human Rights Watch found that even when students with disabilities were placed in mainstream schools, they were often given little accommodation or systematic support. In one case, a girl with intellectual and visual disabilities was placed in the back of the class, rather than the simple accommodation of seating her in the front where she could see the teacher and the board. Many students with disabilities find themselves in classrooms without adequate support and with little assistance from teachers to participate meaningfully in the curriculum or classroom activities. The failure of schools to provide reasonable accommodations to children regardless of their disability is discriminatory.

In its General Comment No. 4 on the right to education, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifies that integration, whereby children with disabilities are placed in mainstream schools without changes to curriculum, teaching, or learning strategies, does not constitute inclusion.

Although the new Chinese regulations affirm that mainstream education is the preferred method for students with disabilities (article 3), they also require that children with disabilities be evaluated by a quasi-governmental Expert Committee on the Education of Persons with Disabilities, and placed according to their "physical conditions and ability to be educated and adapt to [mainstream] schools" (articles 17-21).

Human Rights Watch's 2013 report found that similarly vague standards allowed schools to arbitrarily deny admission to persons with disabilities. This is inconsistent with the convention, which obligates governments to ensure that "persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability." As the committee has stated, "the education system must provide a personalized educational response, rather than expecting the student to fit the system."

An inclusive approach to education focuses on identifying and removing the barriers to learning, and changing practices in schools to provide "reasonable accommodation" to meet the diverse needs of individual students, including those with disabilities. "Reasonable accommodation" is defined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as "necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden." Although China's new regulations mention several times that students with disabilities should be "accommodated" (articles 22, 36, and 52), and in one instance use the term "reasonable accommodation" in reference to providing support during examinations, they fail to specify the kinds of accommodation or support these students are entitled to, making it difficult for parents and students to seek redress when such accommodation is not provided.

In practice, this may mean that students with, for example, a physical disability may still be barred from a mainstream school because of the school's refusal to hold classes on the ground floor or have accessible toilet facilities inside the school.

The regulations state that higher education institutions "should admit those students with disabilities who meet the admission requirements of the state" (article 34). But the government still requires all students applying to universities to submit the results of a detailed physical examination, including having a disability, enabling the universities to discriminate against applicants with disabilities. A joint 2003 guidelines document issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Chinese Disabled Persons Federation allows schools to reject candidates if they have certain categories of "physiological defects" or "mental disorders." In one case documented by Human Rights Watch, a student with a visual disability was denied his top choice studying English because he failed the physical examinations. The Ministry of Education should repeal the Guidelines for the Physical Examination of Students in Recruitment for Ordinary Higher Level Educational Institutions that sanction disability-based discrimination in higher education.

In recent years, disability advocates have urged the Ministry of Education to provide reasonable accommodation during government exams, with success. There have also been cases of students with disabilities being admitted into universities after their rejections from other institutions were reported by the press.

"The Chinese government can't claim victory in improving education for children with disabilities while still systematically discriminating against them in higher education," Richardson said. "While China has taken some modest steps toward respecting the rights of children with disabilities, it still has a long way to go to meet its obligations under the convention."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Georgia: Media Freedom at Risk

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 6 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Georgia: Media Freedom at Risk, 6 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed26e4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

An ownership dispute over Georgia's most-watched television broadcaster, Rustavi 2, has sparked serious concerns about potential government interference with both media and the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today.

Rustavi 2's current leadership, the political opposition, and many independent groups see a lawsuit by a former owner seeking to retake ownership and a March 2, 2017 ruling by the Supreme Court endorsing the change as a government-orchestrated move to take over the opposition-minded station. The European Court of Human Rights has ordered temporary suspension of the Supreme Court decision and instructed the Georgian authorities to refrain from interference in the station.

"A government-favored change in the editorial policy of Rustavi 2 would deliver a serious blow to Georgia's media pluralism and could significantly limit the public's access to opposition views," said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch. "The entire process of contesting Rustavi 2's ownership threatens media freedom and judicial independence and demands further scrutiny."

Concerns about potential government interference in Rustavi 2 have been exacerbated by other developments in the overall media landscape in Georgia that have reduced the space for critical opposition media, Human Rights Watch said.

The March 2 ruling by Georgia's highest court of appeal said that the station's ownership should revert to Kibar Khalvashi, a businessman who owned it from 2004 to 2006, and who alleged he had been improperly forced to sell the station at below market value by then-president Mikheil Saakashvili. The Supreme Court's Grand Chamber, consisting of nine judges, issued a unanimous decision the same day it took up the case, declining to allow the parties to make oral arguments. The written judgement is expected in a month.

Khalvashi initiated the lawsuit in August 2015, claiming he had been strong-armed into relinquishing his majority stake by the then-Georgian leadership. Khalvashi's key evidence was a report on the valuation of Rustavi 2 shares in 2005-2006 by a current state forensic bureau expert based on data Khalvashi provided. The report showed the shares were worth far more than Khalvashi received.

Rustavi 2's current shareholders dispute the report's validity, alleging that the valuation was based on inconclusive financial data and had not been compiled in accordance with international valuation standards. In November 2015, a judge from Tbilisi City Court ruled to reinstate Khalvashi as the majority owner. An appeal court upheld the decision in June 2016.

Rustavi 2's current owners, brothers Giorgi and Levan Karamanishvili, are widely seen as close associates of Saakashvili. Nika Gvaramia, the station's current general director, served in several high-level government posts during Saakashvili's administration, and maintains close contact with him. Khalvashi and the current government are both strong opponents of Saakashvili.

The current owners, numerous Georgian human rights groups, Georgia's ombudsman, and many of Georgia's international partners have raised questions and concerns throughout the ownership dispute, suggesting possible government interference to silence critical, and in particular, opposition media.

Senior government officials have on multiple occasions made clear not only that they take issue with Rustavi 2's editorial stand, but that they want to see the station's ownership changed and given to Khalvashi, expressing clear support for the courts to act to strip the current leadership at the station.

The Tbilisi City Court judge also issued an interim injunction in November 2015, replacing Rustavi 2's top management, including Gvaramia, with temporary management, contending that the station's managers were too focused on the ownership dispute, to the detriment of other issues of public interest. Local human rights groups and Georgia's international partners criticized the move as an attempt to affect the channel's editorial policy.

A week later, the judge overturned his decision and reinstated the broadcaster's top management. The Constitutional Court then suspended the civil procedure code clause that had allowed the appointment of temporary managers.

Domestic observers have raised questions about the independence and impartiality of the judges in this case. Rustavi 2 attorneys unsuccessfully sought to get the first-instance court judge recuse himself on the basis that pending criminal proceedings against the judge's mother could have been used by the government as leverage against him.

The station's current director, Gvaramia, has also made credible allegations of intimidation to pressure him to resign. In October 2015, Gvaramia alleged that a government official threatened to leak a personal video of him if he refused to "step aside." Although the prosecutor's office initiated an investigation, the results were inconclusive. A few days later, audio recordings appeared online, allegedly of Gvaramia receiving instructions from Saakashvili to prepare for a possible "physical confrontation" with the authorities to defend the station.

The Georgian government has consistently denied that it backs Khalvashi's efforts to regain ownership or that it has interfered in anyway with the process. The government issued a statement the day after the Supreme Court ruling, emphasizing that "[T]he Government of Georgia has full appreciation and respect towards the freedom of media and does its best to protect and ensure a pluralistic media environment."

On March 3, Rustavi 2 lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights contesting the March 2 decision, saying that it violates guarantees under the European Convention on Human Rights. In a rare move on the same day, the European Court instructed the Georgian government to temporarily suspend enforcement of the March 2 decision and to "abstain from interfering with the applicant company's editorial policy in any manner." The government has complied with the temporary measure, which is to remain in effect until March 8. The European Court said it would treat the Rustavi 2 case as a priority.

The Georgian government's compliance with the suspension measure is a positive move, Human Rights Watch said. It should agree to extend the suspension until the European Court's final judgement and to allow scrutiny of all the human rights concerns raised by the ownership dispute.

The Council of Europe places a high premium on media pluralism and diversity of media content as integral to freedom of expression and information and essential for the functioning of a democratic society. It has called on it members to "adopt policies designed to foster as much as possible a variety of media and a plurality of information sources, thereby allowing a plurality of ideas and opinions." The European Court has long held that the state has a key obligation to ensure media pluralism, noting that "this observation is especially valid in relation to audio-visual media, whose programmes are often broadcast very widely."

In February, the leadership of the Public Broadcaster announced controversial plans to suspend political talk shows, citing reorganization plans to upgrade the station's equipment and content.

In August 2015, Imedi TV, the second most-watched station, suspended its current-affairs political talk shows amid claims of government interference and pressure. The station merged with two other smaller broadcast stations, and now is largely viewed as a government-friendly channel.

Rustavi 2 was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi, about a 20-minute drive from Tbilisi, the capital. The station gained popularity for its hard-hitting investigative exposes and reporting on corruption during the administration of then-president Eduard Shevardnadze. After becoming the nation's most-watched news channel, Rustavi 2 played a key role in catalyzing the November 2013 Rose Revolution, which brought Saakashvili to power. Rustavi 2 ownership changed hands multiple times after Khalvashi sold his shares, and before the current ownership.

"Democratic societies depend on safeguards to ensure the government of the day cannot unduly interfere with either an independent judiciary or the requirement of a pluralist media," Gogia said. "With widespread concerns about such undue interference in Georgia, action should be taken to address them, and the process before the European Court of Human Rights could create the space and opportunity for that."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Sabrina "Heymiss Progress" Madison's new show will drop on her YouTube channel this Wednesday.
RSF opens first center for the protection of Afghan women journalists

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF opens first center for the protection of Afghan women journalists, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed2db4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

On the eve of International Women's Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is proud to announce the opening of Afghanistan's first center for the protection of women journalists.

RSF has gone to Afghanistan to inaugurate the center, called the "Center for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists" - CPAWJ. Many political figures and civil society representatives are due to attend the opening ceremony tomorrow in Kabul.

Those scheduled to attend include Hossien Mortazavi, spokesperson of the president, Farid Hamidi, attorney general, Kamal Sadat, deputy information minister; Spozhmai Wardak, deputy women's affairs minister; Fawzia Kofi, who chairs the women's commission in parliament; Zohra Yousof, an adviser to First Lady Rola Ghani; and Dr. Nasri Oryakhail, labour and social affairs minister. Headed by well-known Afghan journalist Farida Nikzad, the center is the first Afghan organisation to be created by and for women journalists. Its aim is to assist and protect women journalists, especially those working in remote parts of Afghanistan, who are more vulnerable.

"The creation of this center is intended to send a strong message not only to Afghan women journalists, but also to all of the country's women", said Nikzad, who is the centre's co-founder (along with RSF) as well as its director. "We want to support women journalists both in war zones and within the news organisations for which they work, to defend both their rights and their physical safety. To that end, we need the government and media owners to commit to do their part in what is a key battle for Afghan society".

The center aims to combat all of the various forms of social and material pressure that women media workers face in Afghanistan. It also aims to be a forum where women journalists, especially those operating in remote regions, can obtain and exchange information and contacts that can assist them in their work.

Recommendations will be given to the authorities on implementing laws affecting women in the media, including quotas for women employees. The center will press media owners to combat discrimination within their news organisations and to provide women with better protection. To this end, the center will organise seminars on physical and digital safety.

"We are proud to announce the creation of this first center for the protection of Afghan women journalists", said RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire. "These journalists are victims twice over, victims of the war imposed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group, and victims of strong pressure from all those around them. Dozens are threatened, physically attacked or forced to flee the country every year. By protecting women journalists, we are defending media freedom in Afghanistan".

Ten women journalists based in ten different provinces, five of them in conflict zones, are already working with the center and acting as Afghanistan's first network of women journalists. The goal is extend this network throughout the country.

Women in the Afghan media

The presence of women in the media is an important asset for Afghanistan. Women began working for radio stations in 1918, in a decade that also saw the emergence of women's print media. But women journalists were always among the first victims of turmoil in Afghanistan, including the 1992-1996 civil war and the reign of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001. They have again endured many difficulties since 2003, especially physical danger.

Social obstacles, imposed for the most part by those close to the women journalists, compound security threats. In some cases, it is the very families of women journalists who become a source of pressure as they fear that their loved ones will be exposed to threats and dangers.

According to a survey by a local NGO, 53 per cent of families would have a problem with their daughter working as a journalist. In Kabul, it is 20 per cent, but in the provinces of Kandahar and Nangarhar, it is as high as 80 per cent.

Since 2002, relatives have killed at least four women journalists, including Tolo TV presenter Shaima Rezayee in 2005 and Shamshad TV presenter Shakiba Sanga Amaj in 2007. They were the victims of fundamentalist propaganda in favor of a ban on working women in a patriarchal society, and a lack of protection on the part of the state.

The Afghan authorities have often been accused of doing little to improve the conditions of women. Violence against women, including women journalists, has increased by 60 per cent in the past six years, according to the UN. Dozens of women journalists have been physically attacked, threatened or reduced to silence in remote provinces such as Nangarhar.

Many have been forced to stop working. In some regions, there are no longer any women journalists at all. Three of the ten journalists and media workers killed in 2016 were women. Thirteen women journalists and media workers (including five foreigners) have been killed since 2001, and at least ten have had to flee the country.

Afghanistan is ranked 120th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Spanish Arrests of Russia-Connected Individuals Illustrate Complex Dynamics of Madrid's Relations With Moscow

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Alex Calvo Publication Date 6 March 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 29 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Spanish Arrests of Russia-Connected Individuals Illustrate Complex Dynamics of Madrid's Relations With Moscow, 6 March 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 29, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed5fb4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Two arrests in Spain's two biggest cities have brought to the fore the complex issues of Russian cyber activities in the West and relations between Madrid and Moscow. On January 13, at Barcelona's El Prat Airport, Spain's Civil Guard (constabulary-type police force) arrested computer programmer Stanislav Lisov while he was on vacation with his wife (Elmundo.es, January 20). And on January 16, the National Police arrested businessman Peter Wakkie (connected to Russian millionaire Mikhail Fridman) at Madrid's Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport, after he had flown in to attend a business meeting (Abc.es, January 16). These developments came soon after the mainstream media in Spain finally began to openly acknowledge Russia's regular naval presence in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, facing Gibraltarfollowing years of silence on this matter. Moreover, the arrest auspiciously occurred only days before Russian Deputy Culture Minister Alla Manilova visited Madrid's Fitur tourism fair, on January 19, at which she said that her government expected Spain to be the third most popular foreign destination for Russian tourists in 2017.

Russian computer programmer Stanislav Lisov, arrested at El Prat Airport on January 13, stands accused of computer piracy and fraud and is wanted by the United States and Interpol (Elmundo.es, January 20). The Civil Guard issued a press release explaining that Lisov had developed, distributed and employed the "NeverQuest" malware, which made it possible to steal bank and credit card details, as well as personal and financial data from computers. For this reason, the US had been investigating him since 2014. NeverQuest is estimated to have cost its victims some $5 million in unauthorized wire transfers (Guardiacivil.es, January 17). Lisov was flying to Lyon (Southern France). Following a video-conference interrogation, National High Court Judge Carmen Lamela remanded him without bail due to his lack of roots (friends or family) in Spain and previous escape from justice in the United States (Lavanguardia.com, January 19).

News of the arrest prompted a negative reaction in Russia, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov underlining that Moscow would not "allow infringement of the interests of Russians, no matter where in the world." Stronger words came from Alexander Ionov (the vice president of the Russian branch of the International Human Rights Committee), who labeled Lisov's arrest a "violation of international law." Noting the "very close relations" between the US and Spain regarding the extradition of third-country nationals, Ionov accused Madrid of simplifying "the rules of international law to the detriment of human rights" (RT, January 19).

According to unnamed Spanish diplomatic sources, the request to arrest Lisov came "from the FBI [US Federal Bureau of Investigation] and Interpol, and Spain simply execute[d] it." Writing from Moscow, Spanish journalist Marc Marginedas explained that that "Spain belongs to the group of Western countries in favor of a line of rapprochement with Moscow." The Barcelona-based daily El Periodico's correspondent further cautioned that "the arrest may poison relations between Moscow and Madrid, which already took a hit following the failed stopover in Ceuta by Aleppo-siege-bound Russian naval ships" (Elperiodico.cat, January 19). For years, Spain has been discreetly providing key logistical support for the Russian Navy at its African exclave of Ceuta, as regularly reported on by the local press but heretofore never mentioned by the national media (see EDM, September 3, 2015). However, in October 2016, a visit was canceled following strong and unusually public pressure from Washington and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (Elpais.com, October 26, 2016). Meanwhile, Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, the president of the Madrid-based think tank Real Instituto Elcano, stated in Moscow that "There is no bilateral conflict [C]ontrary to other peoples, us Spaniards do not think that Russia is a danger to the world" (Eldiario.es, January 12).

Three days after Lisov's arrest, Spanish authorities took into custody businessman Peter Wakkie, who was in the country to attend an investors' meeting for the Dutch-registered holding company Zed+. Wakkie is linked to Russian millionaire and Zed+ shareholder Mikhail Fridman. Zed+ is under investigation for continuously siphoning off funds to opaque corporations, some of them controlled by leading members of the Russian administration, such as Interior Minister Alexander Kolokoltsev (Abc.es, January 16). As he himself admitted, Wakkie drew a large salary from Fridman through Highland Marine Stichting, a Dutch corporation controlled by the latter. After several days, Wakkie was released from jail, charged with fraudulent bankruptcy, membership in a criminal organization and money laundering (Elconfidencial.com, January 18).

While attracting less media attention, another potentially significant development affecting Spanish-Russian relations was the announcement, on December 20, 2016, by Defense Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal, that Spain's Cyber Defense Command would be training Ukrainian personnel. According to military sources, Ukrainian experts have visited Madrid as well as welcomed their Spanish counterparts in Kyiv, in order to "exchange experiences" and explore the potential for cooperation. Spain's Joint Cyber Defense Command, which was set up in 2013, had prompted great interest in Ukrainian military circles (Elpais.com, December 26, 2016). Ukraine had come under multiple cyber attacks from Russia since the start of the war in early 2014 (see EDM, March 20, 2014; RFE/RL, December 30, 2016).

What will the ultimate impact of the two arrests beparticularly against the background of Spanish-Ukrainian cyber security cooperation? Is Lisov's capture by law enforcement a shot across the bow aimed at deterring Russian cyber activities in Spain? To date, the two incidents seem not to have prompted any significant diplomatic fallout, at least publicly. And Madrid is still trying to play its difficult balancing actretaining good relations with Moscow while avoiding any impression of stepping too far outside the West's consensus regarding Russia. Spanish sources continue to stress the role of Russians and Russia-based actors in cyber incidents (including instances of fraud and other crimes), but this has not given rise to any political narrative in Spain aimed at vilifying Moscow. Madrid's decision to help train the Ukrainian military in cyber security could well be seen as an attempt to display the country's abilities in this domain as well as an eagerness to help curb Russia's power-projection abilities in the latter's "near abroad." But taken together, the last several months could be interpreted as Spain seeking a compromise solution between Russia and NATO. Such a stance is likely considered to be a safe one, particularly given the majority view of the Spanish public, which is yet to rank Moscow among the top perceived threats to the country's security (see above).

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Moldovan President Seeks Regime Change Via Referendum

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mihai Popsoi Publication Date 6 March 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 29 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Moldovan President Seeks Regime Change Via Referendum, 6 March 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 29, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bed65b4.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

After only two months in office, Moldova's President Igor Dodon announced plans for amending the constitution. His proposed changes, presented on February 28, would give the head of state the power to dissolve parliament on five new grounds, in addition to the existing two (President.md, February 28). If successful, the move would transform Moldova from a parliamentary into a semi-presidential republic. Dodon is becoming increasingly frustrated with his largely ceremonial powers and sees himself as a second Putin, citing polls in which the Russian president is consistently the most trusted figure in Moldova (Independent.md, February 17). Dodon gave the parliament a month to initiate the process; otherwise, he promised to start collecting signatures in support of a popular referendum starting on March 24. Dodon's former party colleagues from the Socialist faction in the legislature have 24 signatures in support of the initiative, falling 10 signatures short of the required 34. As the parliamentary process will most likely go nowhere, Dodon is expected to appeal to his support base. Even so, the chances for a referendum are low, as long as Vlad Plahotniuc, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, maintains his control over the Constitutional Court and Central Election Commissionboth of those bodies would need to sign off on the process. Therefore, Dodon can hardly employ the referendum process to his advantage, unless Plahotniuc is on board. The Democratic Party head's support is likely when it comes to Dodon's second referendum idearegarding the Transnistria settlement. But the motivation behind Plahotniuc's potential backing in that instance is not straight forward.

On March 1, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the start of the Transnistrian conflict, Dodon proposed a public platform for national reconciliation (President.md, March 1). Dodon has earlier called for a referendum on a settlement of Transnistria, which was immediately rejected by the separatist leader, Vadim Krasnoselsky (Moldova.org, January 30). Nevertheless, subsequent messages from both Tiraspol and Moscow indicate a willingness to consider the option now (Izvestia, February 22). It is not clear what the referendum proposal could look like, but Dodon repeatedly spoke in favor of federalization during the campaign. That is also the option most preferred by the Kremlin, as it would presumably ensure Moldova's U-turn away from European integration once 250,000 Transnistrian voters join the already strong pro-Russia forces in Moldova proper. Clearly, Plahotniuc is not interested in this scenario, but he stands to benefit if federalization becomes perceived as a real threat and begins to dominate the public agenda. It is a win-win for both Plahotniuc and Dodon, as long as the latter pushes for a federal (pro-Russia) solution and the former positions his Democratic Party as the sole defender of Moldova's European integration. The prospects for settling the Transnistrian conflict on terms similar to the 2003 Kozak Memorandum, which are unacceptable to Moldova's center-right opposition, could serve as a perfect smokescreen for Plahotniuc to divert public attention while he pushes through electoral system reform that would allow him to stay in power after the 2018 parliamentary elections.

This power play is consistent with the overall picture currently presented to the Moldovan public by the pro-Plahotniuc and pro-Dodon media. The political theater, in which Dodon and Plahotniuc are the two main rivals, is capturing the national public discourse while sidelining the rest of the political actors. A case in point has been the recall of the Moldovan ambassador from Moscow. On March 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration surprised everyone, including its Russian colleagues (TASS, March 1), by suddenly recalling Ambassador Dumitru Braghis, who is also a former prime minister. He was only appointed ambassador to Moscow in November 2015 and has been regarded as a highly authoritative figure (Newsmaker.md, March 1). The recall is presented as part of an ongoing struggle between the government and the president over ambassadorial portfolios (Publika.md, February 24). But in fact, a closer analysis points to a farce.

The true motivations behind the recall of Braghis from Moscow reflect under-the-table political dealings. President Dodon announced the following day that his foreign policy adviser and former top envoy to Moscow, Andrei Neguta, will replace Braghis. Thus, the recall was evidently hardly a surprise for the president, particularly when noting that then-ambassador Braghis was not even allowed to participate in Dodon's high-level meetings during the president's visit to Moscow in January (Newsmaker.md, March 2). As part of an apparent deal, Dodon did not employ his connections in Moscow to oppose the appointment, on February 9, of a Plahotniuc protegee to the helm of Moldovagaz Company, owned by Gazprom. This sort of implicit cooperation between the two major political forces pretending to be in opposition to each other is both a blessing and a curse to the remaining center-right opposition parties. Such backroom dealings could serve as a useful rallying cry to energize their electorate. But despite having the support of about a third of society (Ipp.md, October 20, 2016), these parties struggle to present the public with a meaningful alternative, given the large asymmetry in administrative, financial and media resources between Plahotniuc-Dodon on the one side, and the rest of the opposition, on the other.

Dodon's referenda plans are a mechanism of agenda control but are beset by major risks; and they have potentially serious implications. Plahotniuc can use both of Dodon's referenda plans to his own advantage. Under the meticulously constructed threat of regime change by Dodon, it is Plahotniuc who is likely to further cement his grip on power by introducing a majoritarian or a mixed electoral system. Ironically, Dodon is about to repeat the folly of Moldova's second president Petru Lucinschi, who also sought to increase his powers by amending the constitution in 2000. Yet, Lucinschi ended up losing the battle with the parliament and, inadvertently, opened the way for Vladimir Voronin and the Communist Party, which dominated Moldovan politics in the subsequent decade. Now, President Dodon runs the risk of doing the same favor for Vladimir Plahotniuc.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
UN HRC must continue freedom of expression scrutiny on Iran

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 7 March 2017 Cite as Article 19, UN HRC must continue freedom of expression scrutiny on Iran, 7 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58bee3b34.html [accessed 7 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the report the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran to the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), the first by Asma Jahangir since she assumed this mandate earlier this year. The report raises serious concerns regarding the alarming situation for freedom of expression in the country, and will be discussed in an interactive dialogue at the HRC on 13 March 2017.

During this UN debate, ARTICLE 19 urges all member and observer states at the HRC to address the continuing violations of the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association in Iran during the interactive dialogue on the Special Rapporteurs report.

At the conclusion of the 34th Session of the HRC, States will consider a resolution to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of one year. The extension of the mandate is essential to maintain international scrutiny of the situation for freedom of expression and information in Iran, and to support calls for accountability and reform. ARTICLE 19 calls on all States to show full support to the Special Rapporteur through the negotiation of this resolution, including by co-sponsoring it.

Background

As the Special Rapporteurs report outlines, some positive declarations by the Iranian authorities on human rights in the past year have not translated to concrete action to resolve serious outstanding human rights concerns.

Notwithstanding the launch of the Citizen Charter by President Rouhani and assurances on the safety of journalists, severe violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and privacy, continue online as well as offline. Activists, journalists, trade unionists, lawyers, artists, women and ethnic and religious minorities are increasingly being harassed and intimidated, arbitrarily detained under draconian laws and subjected to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, for exercising or demanding their rights.

Ahead of the May 2017 Presidential elections in Iran, the renewal of the Special Rapporteurs mandate is essential. Without it, the possibility of meaningful and sustainable improvements to the human rights situation in Iran is far more remote.

The objective scrutiny provided by the Special Rapporteur on Iran has had a positive impact to date, notwithstanding insufficient cooperation between the government and previous mandate holders. Failure to support the mandate renewal at this point in time would send precisely the wrong message, at precisely the wrong time. It would only serve to embolden hard-liners in Iranian politics, and ultimately lead to the already precarious situation for freedom of expression and information deteriorating further.

Priority freedom of expression concerns

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the detailed attention in the Special Rapporteurs reports to the present situation for the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and privacy in the country. This briefing highlights many of those concerns, supplementing additional information and case examples in support of the Special Rapporteurs conclusions and recommendations.

The Islamic Penal Code

The continued criminalisation of dissent and criticism in Iran is in many cases attributed to the application of vague and overbroad criminal offenses for expression in the Islamic Penal Code. While the Special Rapporteur notes amendments to the Islamic Penal Code in recent years, ARTICLE 19 observes that these have not addressed long-standing freedom of expression concerns.

Journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and minority groups are often arrested, and in many cases charged and convicted, for insult and blasphemy, the dissemination of propaganda against the State, spreading false rumours or lies, and creating anxiety and unease in the publics mind carrying severe penalties including long terms of imprisonment, flogging by up to 74 lashes in some cases, and even capital punishment. Other often-abused provisions in the Islamic Penal Code often target protesters and civic organisers, in particular on charges of acting against national security, membership in an illegal organization and participation in an illegal gathering".

ARTICLE 19 shares the concern of the Special Rapporteur that the Political Crimes Bill, adopted in April 2016, expands further the governments legislative arsenal for suppressing dissent, and calls for its repeal.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists

As of December 2016, 24 journalists continue to be arbitrarily detained in Iran. Several have been targeted by hardliners due to their perceived support for the more moderate President.

In August 2016, having spent months awaiting a verdict, prominent reformist journalist Issa Saharkhiz was convicted of insulting the Supreme Leader and propaganda against the state and sentenced to 27 months in prison.

In September 2016 Afarin Chitsaz, a foreign policy journalist and columnist for the Rouhani administrations official newspaper Iran, was sentenced to 10 years for assembly and collusion against national security and collaboration with enemy states.

In December 2016, Tahereh Riahi, social affairs editor of the state-funded Borna News Agency, was detained on charges of propaganda against the state, without evidence being provided and without access to her appointed legal counsel.

In January 2017, Zeinab Karimian, former reporter for the state-run Mehr news agency, was arbitrarily arrested and is yet to be informed of the accusations against her.

Citizen journalists, bloggers and popular social media users have also been arbitrarily arrested and detained:

Hamid Ataee, a news editor, was sentenced to four months in prison in November 2016 for spreading rumours online; he had shared a video on Telegram of an Iranian MP making disparaging comments about women. More than 20 administrators of public Telegram channels were arrested in the past year for sharing immoral content.

Mohammad Reza Fathi, a blogger and journalist, was sentenced to receive 459 lashes in August 2016 for his online social media posts criticising city officials of Saveh in Markazi province.

Soheil Arabi, detained since 2013, had his death sentence for Facebook posts that insulted the prophet commuted in 2015, but remains in detention and has been denied medical treatment for seizures.

Diminishing Press Freedom

Press freedom in Iran is heavily restricted. ARTICLE 19 supports the Special Rapporteurs assessment that the situation has deteriorated in the past year.

Many vague or broadly interpreted content-based restrictions seek to protect Islam from criticism and suppress any diverse or dissenting expression around religion or belief, in particular Article 6 of the Press Law and Article 24 of the Constitution. Prior censorship together with sanctions such as forced closure, disproportionate fines, and prohibitions on individuals working in the press, lead to a media environment almost entirely under government control.

The proposed Comprehensive Mass Media Regulatory Plan, intended to replace the existing Press Law, threatens to make the situation worse still. It introduces new content restrictions which provide even greater scope for politically motivated charges against the media. Legislation establishing a Media Affairs Commission, when passed, will further undermine media independence through onerous, and partisan regulation favouring hard-line and conservative media, and with powers for the Commission to suspend individual journalists from the profession.

Crackdown on online expression

The Iranian government has intensified its efforts to restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy online. As the Special Rapporteur notes, of 5 million websites blocked, the top 500 relate to the arts, social issues, the news and other popular culture issues.

ARTICLE 19 is further concerned by reports of government sponsored hacking against individuals exercising their rights. Security researchers have uncovered practices such as the use of malware to target journalists, and the hijacking of Telegram accounts, and other sophisticated strategies to attack Iranians exercising their rights online, creating a climate of fear in online communities within and outside Iran.

Controls on users access to and use of digital communications tools, including those that offer encryption, such as Signal, as well as social media platforms, have been tightened. Facebook and Twitter remain blocked in Iran, and the government announced in May 2016 that to be uncensored platforms would need to transfer their servers to Iran, making them more vulnerable to government surveillance. Telegram, widely used by Iranians during the February 2016 elections, has been singled out for a new requirement that all public channels with over 5000 followers register with the Cyber Police, and add a government bot as co-administrator, enabling direct access to user information.

The Cyber Police often block user-generated content and takes over their accounts: in March 2016, the Instagram pages of several models were blocked under Article 472 of the Islamic Penal Code which prohibits producing and publishing obscene images", and articles 639 and 743 prohibit inciting others to commit immoral acts", and using cyberspace for this purpose.

Religious & ethnic minorities and leaders targeted for speaking out

Religious and ethnic minorities are often targeted for exercising their rights to free expression, assembly and association, and frequently face more severe punishments, including execution:

In August 2016, 5 Kurdish prisoners were executed, having been convicted of moharebeh (enmity against god). Kurdish activists are often accused of this crime for their membership of political groups. For example, Khosro Kordpour, a Kurdish activist and founder of the Mukerian news website, remains in arbitrary detention following his arrest in March 2013. More than three years has passed since the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) called for his urgent release.

In November 2016, Keywan Karimi, a prominent Kurdish filmmaker, received a sentence of 223 lashes. This came after a sentence in October 2015 to six years of imprisonment on charges including of insulting Islamic sanctities for a music video clip the authorities found on his hard drive.

There are currently 90 Bahais in prison, all on spurious charges such as propaganda against the regime, false accusations clearly motivated by discrimination on the basis of religion. We welcome the Special Rapporteurs inclusion of a full listing of these individuals in an annex to her report. In January 2017, seven Baha'is were arbitrarily arrested in Yazd after masked officers raided their homes and confiscated religious books, computers and flash memory cards. Similar incidents occurred in Shiraz, Karaj and Yazd between August and September 2016 when 32 Bahais had residences raided, and had all mobile phones and laptops confiscated.

In February 2017, four Azeri activists were given sentences of 10 and 15 years imprisonment followed by 2 years in internal exile for forming an illegal group and assembly and collusion against national security. They were arrested and detained three years previously at an International Mother Language Day event in February 2014.

Clampdown on Womens Rights Defenders

Arbitrary arrests, arbitrary detentions and harassment against womens rights activists have intensified since the February 2016 Parliamentary elections, in particular against those associated with the Campaign for Changing the Male Dominated Face of Parliament and the Feminist School:

In June 2016, Homa Hoodfar was arbitrarily detained on accusations of entry into fields concerning feminism and national security offences, and detained under undisclosed security charges. Media outlets affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards claimed she was the Iran agent of a feminist network building operation, and linked her to the Campaign for Changing the Male Dominated Face of Parliament. She was released on 26 September.

On 18 October 2016, the Intelligence Ministry raided the home of Alieh Matlabzadeh, a day after her return from a womens empowerment workshop in the Republic of Georgia. She was summoned for questioning on 26 November and subsequently detained in the notorious Evin prison without charge. She has been subject to ongoing interrogation in detention, focused on her womens rights activism and the workshop she attended.

On 23 February 2017 Kurdish womens rights activist Farzaneh Jalali, who had previously been banned from higher education, was arrested after being summoned to her local Registry Office ostensibly to correct a mistake in her documents. She has been denied family visits, her medication, and her appointed lawyer.

Iran's renowned women's rights magazine Zanan-e Emrooz ceased publication after years of struggle with the government over its content. The magazine was finally shuttered permanently in July 2016. The crackdown has also prompted self-censorship; for example, the Feminist Schools website and Facebook page have not been updated since February 2016.

Targeting of Environmental Activists

The targeting of environmental activists has increased in the last year against groups involved in civic organising, especially against activism by women or minority groups, and against campaigns backed by influential personalities.

On 15 July 2016, six environmental activists, were arrested while holding a gathering to discuss environmental affairs and transferred to the Shiraz Ministry of Intelligence detention centre and subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment over a period of 2 months, before being released on bail. Two other activists arrested the next day were later released on bail. One activist arrested, Yekta Saadi, is Bahai and has been targeted and arrested by the government numerous times since 2011. There have been no charges and no possibility for those detained to access legal counsel.

An anti-pollution initiative was stymied in July 2016 when women were arrested for riding bicycles in a demonstration against the use of cars in the city of Marivan. The women were released after signing pledges to never ride bicycles again. On 2 August 2016, a demonstration was held protesting this ban, with women walking alongside their bicycles.

On 1 April 2016, 17 environmental activists, among them well-known actress Hediyeh Tehrani, were arrested at an animal rights event for Nature Day in Laleh Park. They were forced to disclose their passwords for their mobile phones, which were confiscated and not returned.

Targeting of human rights defenders and trade union activists

The Iranian authorities continue to target human rights defenders, prevent the formation of independent trade unions, and subject labour leaders to harassment and intimidation campaigns. Strikes, which are not legally recognised in Iran, are brutally repressed. Recent arrests of trade unionists include:

Narges Mohammadi, one of the best known human rights activists remaining in Iran was sentenced to 16-years in prison. Mohammadi is a supporter of the anti-death penalty campaign Legam and vice president of the Defender of Human Rights Center in Iran. She was was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to 11 years in prison in October 2011 on charges of assembly and collusion against national security", membership in the [now banned] Defenders of Human Rights Center", and propaganda against the state". While on medical furlough in 2014 she met with EU High Representative for foreign affairs Catherine Ashton. She was taken back into custody after publicity over this meeting, and tried for an additional ten-years based on the old charges. She was denied proper legal representation, with the verdict later delivered to her lawyer on 17 May 2016.

Arash Sadeghi, known for his peaceful activism and arrests since 2009, began serving a 15-year prison sentence in June 2016 for charges of assembly and collusion against national security", propaganda against the state, spreading lies in cyberspace", and insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic". Four months into his sentence, his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, convicted to six-years imprisonment for the content of some of her Facebook posts and an unpublished work of literary fiction about stoning in Iran; she later released on furlough after a 71 day hunger strike by Arash Sadeghi. Iraee was re-arrested on 22 January 2017 while visiting her sick husband in hospital, while the review of her case is being deliberately held up in the courts by the revolutionary guards. Sadeghi continues to suffer from deteriorating health following his hunger strike.

Activist Ali Shariati began a 75-day hunger strike the day he began serving his five-year sentence, on October 31, 2016, for acting against national security by participating in a protest against acid attacks in front of [Parliament] on 22 October 2014". He ended this strike on 14 January 2017, but continues to demand a judicial review of his case.

Esmail Abdi, Secretary General of Irans teachers association, had his sentence of six years imprisonment upheld and ordered back to prison in October 2016 for propaganda against the state and collusion against national security.

Reza Shahabi, a member of the governing board of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was sentenced to six years in prison. His peaceful activism brought about the charge of propaganda against the state and assembly and collusion against national security". He was released on furlough in 2014, but was told to return in January 2016. As of 22 February he has been resisting orders to return to jail.

A group of nine protesting workers from the Iran Central Iron Ore Company were sentenced to lashing on June 6, 2016 for disrupting the order and public peace or preventing people from their business".

Ebrahim Madadi, a labour activist and leading member of Tehrans bus drivers union was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment in February 2016 for "gathering and colluding with intent to act against national security" and "disrupting public order and peace by participating in illegal gatherings".

Arrests of Dual Nationals

An increasing number of dual nationals have been arrested in the past year on national security and foreign espionage charges, despite assurances dual nationals could safety return to Iran. Many appear to have been targeted for their actual or perceived political opinions and for exercising their rights to freedom of expression:

Robin Shahini, arrested on 20 July 2016, is an Iranian-US citizen detained while visiting family who previously had made online comments criticizing Iran's human rights record.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested on 6 April 2016 and sentenced to five years on 14 August, is a British-Iranian woman held in Iran for months over accusations she planned the "soft toppling" of the government while visiting relatives with her young daughter

Siamak Namazi, arrested on 15 October 2015, is an Iranian-US businessman who has advocated for closer ties between the two countries and whose father, Bagher Namazi, also a dual citizen, is also held in Tehrans Evin prison.

International scrutiny must be maintained

The situation for freedom of expression in Iran requires all stakeholders to speak out during the 34th Session of the HRC, calling on the Iranian government to release all those arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights, to cease the abuse of the Islamic Penal Code and other laws, and to commit to long-lasting structural and legal reforms to protect freedom of expression and information, as recommended by the Special Rapporteur.

Additionally, ARTICLE 19 calls on all states to co-sponsor the resolution on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which will be considered at the conclusion of the 34th Session of the HRC. If a vote is called on the resolution, as in previous years, Member States of the HRC must vote in favour of the extension of the Special Rapporteurs mandate.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Posters protesting rape culture at UW-Madison appeared last spring as federal officials visited campus as part of an investigation into officials' handling of such cases.

in April 2016 at the Mosse Humanities Building.
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Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday confirmed the authenticity of a recently leaked telephone conversation between himself and opposition leader Kem Sokha, and claimed it proves he engineered the latters ascent to the top of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).



Speaking at a commencement ceremony in the capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said the 21-minute recordingposted Saturday to the Seiha Facebook pagewas genuine and called on Kem Sokha to acknowledge his part in the conversation.



I did have that conversation with Kem Sokha and, frankly speaking, I also arranged the plan for him to become [opposition] party president, the prime minister said.



It was through a concrete plan about the amendment to the law [on political parties] that  gave 90 days for choosing [a partys president], meaning [the CNRP] would have to promptly elect a new leader.



Former CNRP president Sam Rainsy resigned in February in order to preserve the CNRP in the face of a new law that bars anyone convicted of a crime from holding the top offices in a political party.



The law, which was approved by the National Assembly on Feb. 20, passed with 66 votes by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), despite a CNRP boycott of parliament in protest. The CNRP last week elevated Kem Sokha from second in command to party president.



Hun Sen on Monday also threatened to release what he said were additional conversations between him and Kem Sokha unless the opposition leader acknowledged that it was his voice in the phone recording.



If you try to deny it, I will disclose everything, including your communications with me through [texting service] WhatsApp, he said.



Ill release it for you to see what happens next. Lets see who scolded Hun Sen as being a puppet, but later turned into Hun Sens puppet.



The prime minister said that if Kem Sokha denies his part in the conversation, he should be willing to take a sacred oath to that effect at Preah Ang Dangkeu in front of Cambodias Royal Palace.



Hun Sen did not announce any intention to investigate the Seiha Facebook accountthe source of several recent leaks that show the opposition in an unflattering lightor to take measures to prevent future leaks.



News of the recording was picked up over the weekend by the government-aligned Fresh News website, which said it had been made in September, when then-deputy president Kem Sokha was in hiding at CNRP headquarters to avoid arrest after being sentenced to five months in prison for refusing to testify in a prostitution case.



According to a transcript of the recording, Hun Sen pressured Kem Sokha to distance himself from Sam Rainsy, who had repeatedly criticized the prime minister in a series of Facebook posts, as part of a plan to diffuse political tensions during the Pchum Ben holiday.



Hun Sen also suggests Kem Sokha would not be arrested if he left CNRP headquarters to register to vote, and urged him to wrest control of the CNRP from Sam Rainsy, who the prime minister refused to work with because of an alleged comment he made implying Hun Sens son was fathered by a Vietnamese general.



In its report, Fresh News said that a series of events which took place in the aftermath of the phone conversation show that Kem Sokha had agreed to work with Hun Sen. Soon after, Kem Sokha posted a note to Facebook calling for political calm, registered to vote, condemned claims about Hun Sens son, Hun Manet, and received a royal pardon backed by Hun Sen.



CNRP response



During a meeting on Monday with local CNRP activists and supporters in the Sa-ang and Koh Thom districts of Kandal province, Kem Sokha did not mention the alleged conversation between himself and Hun Sen.



But CNRP spokesperson Yim Sovann told RFAs Khmer Service that the recording would not lead to internal divisions within the opposition party. He did not confirm or deny its authenticity.



The party is functioning normallythe leaders work well together as they normally do, he said.



On Monday, Sam Rainsyin exile since late 2015 after his conviction on charges of defamation that supporters say were politically motivatedtold RFA that Hun Sen and the CPP fear the opposition will make significant gains in upcoming commune and general elections set for June 2017 and July 2018, respectively.



That is why they are finding a pretext to dissolve the CNRP or divide the party, or the partys internal leadership, he said.



It is nonsense to attempt that. Dont ever think that the CNRP can be divided.



Instead of attacking the CNRP, Sam Rainsy said, Hun Sen should spend his time solving problems affecting Cambodian livelihoods.



Why is he spending time on nonsense such as wiretapping, eavesdropping and sharing it with the public  Does that mean our countrys leader has too much free time? Why didnt he use his time to help solve other problems faced by the country?



A day earlier, Sam Rainsy took to Facebook, urging supporters to ignore falsehoods aimed at splitting the party.



Please disregard any materials (letters, statements or audio tapes) that have been invented or doctored and published out of their context, and dont be deceived by such materials, which are just incitements aimed at dividing the CNRP, he wrote in a post.



Kem Sokha and I, Sam Rainsy, are as one, meaning we will live and fight together until we succeed in rescuing our nation. Because the other side cannot find any means to weaken the CNRP, they desperately resort to cheaper and cheaper tricks, but eventually and inevitably they will be defeated by the CNRP.



The post followed an earlier recording shared by the Seiha Facebook account and published last week on Fresh News purportedly showing that some senior CNRP lawmakers, including Mao Monyvann, had colluded with Hun Sens cabinet chief Ho Sothy to arrange for Kem Sokha to become head of the opposition party.



Mao Monyvann denied that the conversation had ever taken place in a Facebook post the same day the recording was published, saying it had been fabricated with the intention to divide us.



Sok Sam Oeun, an attorney with the AMRIN Law and Consultants Group, told RFA that whether or not the leaked conversation between Hun Sen and Kem Sokha is authentic, Cambodias telecommunication law forbids the disclosure of phone call recordings without prior agreement by both parties.



Civil society



Also on Monday, Hun Sen warned members of Cambodias civil society organizations that they could face fines and imprisonment for making statements critical of the government.



At a ground breaking ceremony for a beltway in the capital, the prime minister urged nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work in accordance with professional standards and the law, after many groups slammed the government and the CPP over the recently approved political parties law, saying it was an attempt to dissolve the opposition ahead of elections.



Let me remind you in advanceit happened many times alreadydont be rude or you will end up in jail, Hun Sen said, referring to an unnamed NGO official.



The law will put you in jail, not me.



On Sunday, 78 civil society organizations issued a joint statement expressing their disappointment over the continued detention of human rights activists and political influence over Cambodias courts.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.



CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that the National Assembly approved the bill on Feb. 20 with 44 votes by the CPP.
Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei have detained a rights activist for damaging the flag of the ruling Chinese Communist Party during the annual parliamentary session in Beijing, while the whereabouts of her seven-year-old son are unknown, lawyers and activists told RFA on Tuesday.

Zhao Chunhong was placed under criminal detention by Beijing police after she traveled to the Chinese capital during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), a politically sensitive time during which petitioners and activists seek to highlight grievances.

Zhao was detained alongside fellow petitioners Ma Bo, Xiao Pang, Jiang Chunhua, Lin Wenyan and Wu Wenjing, but is the only one to remain in custody following the others' release, sources told RFA.

They were accused of damaging the hammer-and-sickle flag of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and warned that this could be considered subversion, they said.

The child's father, rights activist Chen Fengqiang, said Zhao is currently being held in the Fengtai Detention Center in a southern suburb of Beijing on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble."

"Zhao Chunhong was detained by police from Lu village in Fengtai district on March 4," Chen, who hails from the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, told RFA. "The authorities didn't issue any official notification to her family."

"I am really concerned about the child right now; he was born in 2009 and is a minor," he said. "We don't know what has happened to him since Zhao Chunhong was detained. I am really worried."

Under police surveillance

Sun, who is currently under close police surveillance at his home in Zhuhai, said the authorities haven't contacted anyone to arrange for his son to be collected.

"I am under 24-hour surveillance during the annual parliamentary session, and if I go anywhere in Zhuhai I am immediately followed," he said. "There is no way I can leave Zhuhai."

"I was living as husband and wife with Zhao Chunhong back in 2009, and this child is ours, and yet nobody seems to care about him," he said.

"As the child's father, I call on the authorities in Beijing to give me back my son," he said.

Zhao has previously served a three-year jail term for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" after she and a group of fellow petitioners put up a banner welcoming then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Beijing in 2009, and calling on U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to put pressure on China over its human rights record.

Chen said she has likely been singled out by Beijing police out of a sense of retaliation for her actions then.

Beijing-based rights activist Zhou Li said she had also confirmed Zhao's whereabouts and been permitted to give money so Zhao could buy essential items and food while in detention.

"All I know is that she was criminally detained on March 4, which means that she was probably first taken away on March 3," Zhou said. "I am a close friend of hers, so I went over there to try to visit her."

Hundreds of petitioners detained

Police and local government "interceptors" have detained hundreds of petitioners during this year's parliament in a massive security operation that has encircled Beijing with checkpoints and extended to the hometowns of anyone with a track record of complaining about the government.

Petitioner Li Baihua was detained in the northeastern city of Harbin on Monday, while Shenyang petitioners Li Yanjie and Sui Hong were forcibly removed by local security guards from rented accommodation in the capital and taken to an unofficial detention center at Jiujingzhuang on the outskirts of the city.

Shanghai petitioners Yan Yanwen, Zhang Shunbao and Zhou Miaoru were also detained and forcibly escorted back to the city on Sunday. They are currently being unofficially detained on a farm in Hengsha village in the city's Chongming district, sources told RFA.

A Shandong petitioner surnamed Jiang said the local governments typically hire "muscle" from local criminal groups to act as "interceptors" during important political meetings.

"Petitioners who go to Beijing are being persecuted at every turn by local governments, who are in cahoots with the criminal gangs," Jiang said.

"We have been hearing reports emerging on a daily basis of petitioners being detained and mistreated at the hands of these thugs," he said. "What human rights do petitioners have?"

"These people are animals that are bringing disaster on the country and on the people," he said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
While the ruling Chinese Communist Party's apparent reluctance to put a figure on defense spending grabbed headlines on Tuesday, the confusion has masked an even murkier area of the national budget: the money the government spends keeping its people quiet.



State news agency Xinhua stepped in amid queries over the lack of figures in the finance ministry's report to parliament with an article confirming total defense spending at "about one trillion yuan" (U.S.$145 billion).



But there has been no equivalent amount reported for the government's nationwide operations--known collectively as the "stability maintenance system"-- aimed at curbing mass protests, petitions, and other forms of peaceful dissent.



The domestic security budget was last reported in 2013 at U.S.$130 billion, when it exceeded military spending.



Since then, no further figures have been forthcoming.



But a rare disclosure by a county government in the northern region of Inner Mongolia suggests that "stability maintenance" spending is easily keeping pace with the military budget.



The Duolun county government recently said it had spent U.S.$48,650 on round-the-clock surveillance of a single petitioner, Wang Fengyun, who has made nine trips to Beijing to complain about a land grab by local government.



Wang, a typical target for "stability maintenance," incurred costs to the county that included overtime for night-time surveillance, additional personnel, and even food for those tasked with watching her.



Millions of complaints



According to official figures, some six million complaints are registered against the government across the country every year, which would result in a nationwide bill of U.S.$146 billion if half of those petitioners were surveilled in a manner similar to Wang.



Wang's brother Wang Fenglong told RFA that he has every reason to believe that the figure is on the increase, but that the government may be keeping it quiet for other reasons.



"Naturally, the government doesn't want to make the figures for spending on stability maintenance public," Wang Fenglong said. "This is because the local officials would embezzle it all."



"My sister Wang Fengyun is in the detention center now, and they have people watching every member of our family who is directly related to her, for the duration of the parliamentary session," he said.



Tianjin petitioner Zheng Jianhui told RFA that she has seen no evidence that domestic security operations are being rolled back.



"Stability maintenance spending can't come down, and it has been so high in previous years," Zheng said. "The local governments won't resolve our complaints, and when we complain to a higher level of government, they send out teams of people to follow us."



"That's got to cost money, right?"



Prevention and control



Premier Li Keqiang repeatedly mentioned "stability" in the context of potential social unrest during his work report to the National People's Congress (NPC) on Sunday.



"What we faced was a complicated situation ... [an] increase in the factors that affect social stability," Li told delegates.



Li pledged to perfect a computer-based "prevention and control" system for public security and to fully implement plans for a social credit systems that awards points to citizens for behavior the government regards as desirable.



"Smart" vehicle license plates that track all vehicles and deny fuel to unlicensed vehicles are already being implemented in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.



Bruce Lui, senior journalism lecturer at Hong Kong's Baptist University, said he estimates the domestic security budget at a little over a trillion yuan (U.S.$145 billion), representing a rise of some 6.5 percent over last year.



"Previous budgets have shown that they don't usually deviate much," Lui said. "As for whether a huge increase in domestic security spending is likely to produce a highly oppressive stability maintenance regime, I'd say that's entirely likely."



He said the entire stability maintenance budget is aimed at preventing social unrest before it starts.



"If there are 10 potential pressure cookers, the government will put 20 lids on them," he said. "They are constantly tamping things down."



"But this strategy of relying on access to resources and force can't last long without the necessary remedy to resolve social tensions, which is a fair and impartial judicial system that people can use as a channel for redress," he said.



Costs invite corruption



Beijing-based eviction activist Ni Yulan said the numbers of security personnel keeping tabs on people like herself is continuing to rise.



"I was watched for the whole of last year by three to five people who were there long-term," Ni said. "That number goes up when security is tighter during the NPC."



"The huge amounts being spent on stability maintenance are only going to make local officials even more corrupt," she said.



"They report to those higher up, this is how much we spent, but who really knows?"



Reported by Ding Wenqi for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Goh Fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




North Koreas government has ordered the countrys overseas diplomats and workers not to access the internet through their smartphones, warning that anyone found doing so will be forced to return home to face severe punishment, according to sources.



Sources from Vladivostok, Russia, where between 2,000 and 3,000 North Koreans work largely in the construction industry earning currency for the Kim Jong Un regime, said local handlers have begun conducting random inspections of phones to determine whether anyone had shirked the ban.



North Korea has commanded overseas workers who work at diplomatic missions in the foreign country to prohibit internet access through smartphones, said one source, who spoke to RFAs Korean Service Sunday on condition of anonymity.



North Korea warned the overseas workers that they would not avoid compulsory summonses and punishment if the command is violated.



According to the source, the directive is part of a bid by the Kim regime to rein in North Koreans abroad and prevent them from hearing news about their country and the rest of the world from sources outside of official media.



Pyongyangs order is that overseas workers and also North Korean overseas diplomats internet access should be completely blocked, the source said.



After the order was given, random inspections of overseas workers smartphones began.



When North Korean diplomats or workers are dispatched to foreign countries, the first thing they do is purchase smartphones, the source said.



Although smartphones are expensive to buy, they are popular because they can be used to easily obtain the latest news and information about what is going on around the world, he said.



North Koreans abroad must not access the internet or share information if you hear the news, the source said, citing the new directive.



If you share the news with others, you will be summoned forcefully and will receive severe punishment, he said.



News of murder



A second source, also from Vladivostok, on Monday confirmed that Pyongyang had ordered the ban on internet access.



Local diplomats gathered the workers who were scattered around the region and delivered the command, said the source, who also asked not to be named.



The source said the ban was likely ordered in response to the rapid spread of news within North Korea about the assassination of Kims estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia last month.



But he suggested that it would be extremely hard to enforce among North Korean workers, who count internet access and other relative freedoms among the greatest benefits of an overseas posting. Most North Koreans abroad work long hours in difficult conditions, and most of the money they earn is confiscated by their handlers and sent home to help fund the Kim regime.



Although Pyongyang is threatening the workers with punishment  it will be hard to control them, as they are already used to frequent and unfettered internet access, the source said.



The top three positions in North Korean companies operating overseas are president, party secretary and state security agent, according to the source, and they are referred to as No. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.



The instruction for No. 3 is to randomly inspect the smartphone usage of overseas workers, he said.



Violators [of the internet ban] will be forcibly summoned and punished for life.



TV clampdown



Last week, sources told RFA that North Koreans working in China are being banned from watching foreign television shows, with their sets fixed to receive only satellite broadcasting from official sources in Pyongyang.



Due to the restrictions, many know nothing about the murder of Kim Jong Nama purported advocate for political reforms in North Korea and open critic of the regime who died Feb. 13 after being attacked with a chemical spray as he prepared to board a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Macau, in China.



In a bid to prevent news of the killing from reaching North Korean citizens, restrictions appear also to have been imposed on the movements of North Korean traders hoping to travel into China on business or to return to North Korea, the sources said.



Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Soo Min Jo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Three Lao workers arrested last year for criticizing their government on Facebook while working in Thailand are still in custody with no resolution of their case in sight, prompting calls from friends and human rights groups for their release.



Somphone Phimmasone, 29, his girlfriend Lod Thammavong, 30, and Soukane Chaithad, 32, disappeared in March 2016 after returning to Laos to renew their passports, their family and friends told RFA in earlier reports.



While working in Thailand, the three had strongly criticized the Lao government online, accusing it of human rights abuses, and they were later shown on Lao television making what appeared to be public confessions for what they called the mistake of protesting the countrys policies.



Friends and supporters meanwhile continue to call for their release.



I want to urge the government to free these three people, because they shouldnt have been arrested, a close friend of the imprisoned workers told RFAs Lao Service, speaking from Thailand.



They only held dissenting opinions. They didnt use or call for violence [against the state], the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Here in Thailand, we are going to write a letter to the U.N. asking them to press the Lao government to release these friends of ours, the source said.



Present conditions unknown



Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, meanwhile called on the government of Laos to publicly reveal what is now happening in the case against the three workers, adding there is no real way for us to learn the conditions they are being held under.



What is clear is that Laos intends to treat them quite harshly, and teach a lesson to other Lao migrant workers overseas to do nothing to oppose the government, Robertson said in a statement this week.



The only hope that these three imprisoned activists have now is if the U.N. or bilateral foreign aid donors take up their cases and demand the authorities immediately release them, Robertson said.



Speaking last week to RFA, a close family member of one of the three workers said that parents of the three are unable to visit them as often as they would like, citing lack of money for transportation to the prison where they are being held.



Another reason is that whenever they go, they learn nothing new about their childrens cases, the relative said.



The authorities keep telling them to wait, saying, This is a political case. Its up to those at higher levels to make the appropriate decisions.



Reported and translated by RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.


Residents of Laukkai in Myanmar's northern Shan state flee their homes to escape fighting between Kokang insurgents and Myanmar army troops, March 7, 2017.

Ongoing hostilities between Kokang fighters and government forces in Myanmars volatile northern Shan state have left six more civilians dead and forced thousands of residents and migrant workers in the town of Laukkai to flee to safety, locals said on Tuesday.

Fighting broke out early Monday when 30 soldiers from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the formal name of the Kokang army, attacked police and military posts and civilian buildings, leaving about 30 peoplepolice, civilians, and insurgentsdead.

On Tuesday, six people inside casinos in Laukkai died in the fighting, and government soldiers apprehended about 80 casino workers, locals said.

MNDAA soldiers told Agence France-Presse that civilians and some army officers died in clashes around Laukkai, but did not specify numbers.

Myanmar nationals from other parts of the country and Chinese who work in the city close to the border with China have been trying to return home to safety, they said.

About 10,000 workers from middle Myanmar are trying to go back home, but they cannot afford the 10,000-kyat (U.S. $7.30) bus fare and are waiting around on the streets, locals said.

The MNDAA are said to have initiated the assault on government troops and police in retaliation for Myanmar army troops attacking Kokang territory.

Brigadier General Nyo Tun Aung, an Arakan Army (AA) officer who is a spokesman of the Northern Alliancea coalition of four ethnic armed groups including the MNDAAtold RFAs Myanmar Service that the ethnic militias will not lay down their arms, but are open to political discussions to resolve their conflicts.

The government military has been asking us to abandon our weapons for a long time, but we stand firm on resolving political conflicts through political means instead of abandoning our weapons, he said.

The government military has been launching offensive attacks on us since last December, and has used heavy weapons many times, he said.

The MNDAA and government troops engaged in three separate clashes this morning, he said, adding that at about 2 a.m., the [Myanmar] military used heavy weapons and dropped bombs that exploded in Chinas territory.

We ethnic armed groups are not doing anything to harm our ethnic people, Nyo Tun Aung said. We always try to stay away from fighting in town and not to affect people, but this time we had to fight back in the town because they attacked us in the town.

People have had to flee from the town, he said. Our group took about 300 workers to a safe place yesterday.

Fighting to continue

Nyo Tun Aung believes the fighting will continue because the government military added about 50 trucks with troops.

We ethnic armed groups have to fight back to protect our territories because the government army is making a war of aggression, he said. We have been fighting off the military government as representatives of the Northern Alliance.

The MNDAA and other three members of the Northern Alliancethe AA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA)have been fighting Myanmar forces in northern Shan and Kachin states. They carried out coordinated attacks on government and military targets in northern Shan state last November.

Myanmars Commander-in-Chiefs Office issued a statement on Monday saying that the government military had invited the MNDAA, TNLA, and AA to attend a national-level peace talks this month and participate in political dialogue without signing a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) if they abandoned their weapons.

The Northern Alliance responded in a statement issued Tuesday that it had to defend itself because government troops are using force against the group.

The four ethnic armies did not sign the governments NCA that was reached with other militias in October 2015.

In the meantime, the Chinese government has called for an immediate cease-fire and restoration of order as thousands flee across the border from Myanmar, raising fears of another exodus like the one that occurred two years ago, AFP reported.

Fighting between ethnic armies and state soldiers in the same area in early 2015 drove tens of thousands of residents to flee, many of whom crossed the border into China, which accused Myanmar of dropping bombs on its territory.

Reported by Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (R) distributes copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Nha Trang, capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam, May 21, 2013.

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights called on the Vietnamese government on Tuesday to release all women detained for demanding human rights and revise provisions of the criminal code routinely used to imprison female activists.

The Paris-based organization issued a statement to call attention to the plight of women and female human rights activists in the authoritarian country on the eve of International Womens Day, celebrated annually on March 8 to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

The committee specifically wants the Vietnamese government to free all women detained for the peaceful advocacy or exercise of their human rights and revise Articles 79, 88, 258, and other vaguely worded provisions of the countrys criminal code used to imprison women who support human rights and denounce abuses.

Article 79 pertains to carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the peoples administration, while Article 88 refers to spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Article 258 pertains to abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens.

The articles are among the broadly-worded national security section of the 1999 Penal Code that rights groups and Western governments say Vietnam uses to persecute dissidents. They carry lengthy jail sentences or even life imprisonment in some cases.

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights also called on the government to begin political reforms promoting pluralism so women can fully participate in the countrys social, economic, intellectual, and political development.

[W]omen human rights defenders, bloggers, online journalists, land rights and worker rights activists, religious and political dissidents are the target of brutal attacks, harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and ill-treatment in detention simply for the peaceful advocacy or exercise of their human rights, the statement said.

Bloggers, activists in jail

The organization cited the example of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a 37-year-old blogger and human rights defender better known as Mother Mushroom, who has been repeatedly harassed by authorities for commenting on social and political issues.

She was arrested on Oct. 10, 2016 in central Vietnam and charged under Article 88 for spreading propaganda against the state, a crime for which she could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Authorities have extended her pretrial detention by three months to May without explanation and have not allowed her to see her lawyer or family, the organization said.

I myself, her teachers, and her friends can say that she always stands up for vulnerable people, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan, the bloggers mother told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

Activist Nguyen Trong Hien from Australia called Mother Mushroom a brave and honest woman.

[S]he dared to speak up for issues and victim of injustice, be they about people who died in police custody or Formosa, she said, in a reference to the countrys largest environment disaster caused by a toxic chemical spill by Taiwanese company Formosa along the coast of Vietnams central provinces.

She always tells the truth, and she is not afraid of confronting others, Hien said.

Beautiful image of a fighter

The organization cited the case of Tran Thi Nga, a 40-year-old human rights defender and labor and land rights activist, who was arrested on Jan. 21 in Phu Ly, capital city of northern Vietnams Ha Nam province and charged under Article 88 for using the internet to spread propaganda videos and writings against the state.

She has also been harassed and beaten for her activities, and now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Blogger Pham Thanh Nghien, co-founder of a network of Vietnamese bloggers, told RFAs Vietnamese Service that Tran Thi Nga is very brave.

She might not be one who can talk about politics on a grand scale, but in the fight for our countrys reform, people like Nga are precious, she said. I like the image of Nga when she was arrested and still confronted the authorities. That is a very beautiful image of a fighterfighter Tran Thi Nga.

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights also said Tran Thi Thuy, a 45-year-old Hoa Hao Buddhist who is serving an eight-year sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the state because of her involvement in land rights, is critically ill from a tumor on her uterus but has been denied medical care.

Her treatment is a violation of the United Nations Convention against Torture, which Vietnam ratified in 2015, the statement said.

There are at least 84 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, including bloggers, labor and land rights activists, political activists, ethnic and religious minorities, and advocates for human rights and social justice who have been convicted after unfair trials or are held in pretrial detention, according to a July 2016 report on Vietnamese political prisoners issued by London-based Amnesty International.

The report did not specify the number of female political prisoners.

The organization also took the government to task for discriminating against women in the workplace, health care, education, and land rights, as well as failing to address the trafficking of girls and women for labor and sexual exploitation or curbing domestic violence against women, despite having ratified the U.N. Covenant on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women 35 years ago.

Given the absence of independent womens civil society organizations, free trade unions, independent media, and an independent judiciary in Vietnams communist state, women have no means to voice their grievances or seek remedy for abuses of their rights, the statement said.

Reported by Kinh Hoa for RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
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Russian activists demanded the resignation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over charges of large-scale corruption during a protest in St. Petersburg on March 6. Protesters quacked and waved pictures of ducks -- a reference to allegations that one of Medvedev's luxury properties houses a private lake and a shelter for waterfowl. (RFE/RL's Russian Service)
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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived for a meeting of the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union in Bishkek. The main issue on the agenda was harmonizing commercial conditions for trade in food and agricultural products, but Belarusian Prime Minister Andrey Kabyakou criticized Russia for increasing the price of natural-gas deliveries.
WASHINGTON -- The United States says it is "deeply concerned" by the decision of Russia-backed separatists in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region to close two crossing points on the boundary line with Georgian-controlled territory.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on March 6 that the closures, completed a day earlier near the villages of Otobaia and Nabakevi, "will further restrict freedom of movement and damage the livelihoods of local residents."

"The United States calls for these crossing points to be reopened, allowing children to attend school and residents to move freely to engage in commerce, visit relatives, and obtain necessary medical services," Toner said.

NATO had previously criticized the announcement of the planned closures, saying they would "have a negative impact on the situation on [the] ground and stability in the region."

The European Union said the closures of the crossing points "would be contrary to efforts to normalize the situation."

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008, and maintains thousands of troops in the breakaway Georgian regions.

Toner reiterated Washington's longstanding support for Tbilisi in the standoff, saying the United States "fully supports Georgias territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian Service
Lawyers for an Afghan family detained by border officials in Los Angeles after traveling to the United States on "special immigrant" visas say the family has been released from custody at separate locations and safely reunited.

But the attorneys say the family's case is not resolved, and that they still must pass an "admissibility interview" set for early April before they are allowed to resettle in the United States.

The lawyers say it is still not clear why the father, mother, and their three sons -- aged 7, 6, and 8 months -- were taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on March 2, interrogated, and held for some 40 hours.

The family was separated, with the father being sent to a detention center in Orange County, California, while the mother and three children were ordered by customs officials to be sent to a separate detention facility in Texas.

The intervention of the lawyers, who worked on the case pro bono, led to a federal court decision that prevented the Afghan mother and three children from being sent to the detention center in Texas.

Attorney Robert Blume described the detention as a mistake by U.S. immigration authorities, saying: "The government swung and missed on this one. They just got it wrong."

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) said in its court filing to seek the family's release that the couple and their children were granted "special immigrant visas" in return for work the father had performed for the U.S. government in Afghanistan that put the family's lives at risk.

In order to qualify for that program, applicants go through a difficult and lengthy vetting process that often takes more than five years and requires letters of recommendation from senior U.S. military officers or U.S. government officials in Afghanistan.

The family upon arriving in Los Angeles was scheduled to board a connecting flight to the state of Washington where they planned to resettle. Instead, they were detained by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"After the threats and violence the father had experienced in Afghanistan because of his work for our country, the family looked forward to a new life here," Blume said. "It is an incredible injustice to treat the family like this after scrupulous vetting and background checks and after the father provided years of dedicated service to the United States government."

"The family's arrest and detention were improper, and the denial of access to legal counsel for more than 40 hours violated the tenets of decency, public policy and, most importantly, the Constitution of the United States," he said.

"We are extremely pleased to see the family released from detention and reunited, though we are disheartened that this was a battle that needed to be fought in the first place."

Lawyer Abbey Hudson, who witnessed the scenes at the Los Angeles airport, said: "The family was clearly terrified and had no understanding of what they were being asked to do or why. The children were crying, the mother -- who doesn't speak English -- was trying to wrangle all three children while dealing with instructions from the agents on the ground telling her to board a flight to Texas."

Hudson said the pro bono legal team was "very happy to be able to connect with her in time to prevent this from happening."

Attorney Caitlin Bellis said it was "unacceptable that this family came here to start their new life, and instead of a welcome mat they were nearly torn apart."

U.S. immigration officials have tightened their border security checks for incoming foreign travelers since President Donald Trump on January 27 issued an executive order that temporarily barred entry into the United States of citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

But that original order -- which called for "extreme vetting" of arriving migrants -- was later blocked by U.S. federal judges.

The detention on March 2 of the Afghan family, whose name was not released, came despite the block on Trump's executive order, and despite the fact that Afghanistan was not one of the seven countries listed under the executive order.

IRAP director Becca Heller said it was "completely outrageous that immigration enforcement acted with such lack of transparency and accountability, especially towards our military allies."

Heller said: "Congress created the Special Immigrant Visa program to protect those whose live are in danger because of their service. The administration granted this family a visa after a multiyear screening process, in recognition of the dangers they faced because of the father's faithful and valuable service to the United States."

"When they arrived, instead of being protected and welcomed, the family was separated and detained for three days with no access to courts or lawyers," Heller said. "If this is how we treat our allies, we will not have allies for long."

On March 6, Trump signed a revised executive order that freezes the issuance of new visas for citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries -- Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.

The revised order, due to come into effect on March 16, says valid preexisting visas would still be honored for individuals from those six countries.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Belarusian Prime Minister Andrey Kabyakou has expressed concerns over what he called Russia's failure to meets its obligations in the Eurasian integration process.

Kabyakou made the comments on March 7 at a prime ministers' meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (EES) grouping in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek.

In particular, Kabyakou criticized Russia for increasing the price of natural-gas deliveries to Belarus by 110 percent over a year, after the EES officially started functioning in January 2015.

The EES comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to use the EES to bolster Moscow's influence in the former Soviet Union and counter the European Union and NATO.

Based on reporting by KyrTAG and Interfax


It's not quite Vladimir Lenin's Comintern yet, but hey, there's still time.

Over the past three months, the ruling United Russia party has signed agreements with two far-right European parties, Italy's Northern League and Austria's Freedom Party.

And you might ask, so what's new here? The Kremlin has been forging ties with the European far right -- as well as some elements on the European far left -- for years.

They've cultivated xenophobic European parties, from Marine Le Pen's National Front in France to Jobbik in Hungary, to AfD in Germany.

They've built networks of influence and turned European democracy into a weapon against European democracy.

But United Russia's coordination agreement with Italy's Northern League, and its more extensive cooperation agreement with Austria's Freedom Party, take this process to the next level by formalizing it, by making it official.

Vladimir Putin's regime is establishing a Nationalist International.

And more European parties are clamoring to join.

Just last month, for example, AfD leader Frauke Petry made a pilgrimage to Moscow and held talks with State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

Can an agreement be far behind?

And as Putin's Nationalist International grows, so will his ability to meddle in Europe's affairs, disrupt its politics, sow chaos, and advance Moscow's interests.

For years, the Kremlin's war on Europe has been waged in the shadows.

Now it's moving out into the open.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Europe's top human rights court has prolonged its suspension of an attempt by the government in Tbilisi to put the country's biggest independent television station under the control of an alleged close government ally.

Georgia's Supreme Court on March 2 backed a legal ruling that broadcaster Rustavi-2 should be returned to its former co-owner, businessman Kibar Khalvashi.

Critics have alleged that the move is an attempt by the government to stifle political dissent in media.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on March 3 imposed a brief suspension against the Georgian Supreme Court's ruling.

Known as an "interim measure," the Strasbourg court's temporary suspension order was due to expire on March 8.

But Rustavi-2's lawyer Tamta Muradashvili said she was informed by the Strasbourg-based court on March 7 that judges there had unanimously ruled in favor of prolonging the suspension order on the issue.

Muradashvili said the extension did not have an end date, allowing Rustavi-2's lawyers to prepare a case to file at the European court that challenges the legality of the government's move.

Rustavi 2 Director-General Nika Gvaramia posted what appeared to be a letter from the court on Facebook. It said court officials decided to leave the suspension in place "until further notice."

Georgia's justice minister was not immediately available for comment on March 7.

But Muradashvili said the government was unlikely to disobey the instructions from the ECHR.

On March 4, Georgia's government followed the initial order from the European court and suspended the takeover of Rustavi-2

Gvaramia welcomed the ECHR extension, saying in a televised statement on March 7 that "Europe saved us today, Europe saved Georgia today."

Government officials have accused the popular TV station of bias, while critics fear Khalvashi -- a close supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- would silence the only strong media voice critical of the government.

Opposition politicians charge that billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who founded the Georgian Dream coalition and served as prime minister for a year, was behind the Supreme Court's ruling handing Rustavi-2 over to Khalvashi.

Khalvashi contends that the Georgian authorities under former President Mikheil Saakashvili had forced him to sell Rustavi-2 at an undervalued price.

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, Ron Synovitz, and Mark Najarian
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
Hungary's parliament has overwhelmingly approved the automatic detention of all asylum seekers in container camps at the borders, despite criticism from rights groups.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on March 7 that the legislation, passed 138-6 with 22 abstentions, is in response to recent terror attacks in Europe.

It reinstates Hungary's practice of detaining asylum applicants, which it suspended in 2013 under pressure from Brussels, the UN refugee agency, and the European Court of Human Rights.

According to the new measure, all asylum seekers entering Hungary, and those already in the country, will be detained or moved to the container camps.

While in camps, they will not be allowed to move around Hungary or leave the country during the processing of their applications, unless they are crossing the border back into Serbia.

The new border camps will comprise converted shipping containers built onto existing "transit zones" erected in 2015 at the southern border with Serbia, government officials say.

Orban, speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for a new group of border guards known locally as "border hunters," said Hungary is "under siege."

Hungary could only count on itself for protection, he said.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, voiced deep concern after the adoption of the measure.

"This new law violates Hungarys obligations under international and EU laws, and will have a terrible physical and psychological impact on women, children and men who have already greatly suffered," UNHCR said in a statement issued in Geneva.

"Under international and EU laws, the detention of refugees and asylum seekers can only be justified on a limited number of grounds, and only where it is necessary, reasonable and proportionate," the statement added.

'Disregarding EU Principles'

Rights group Amnesty International said last month that the new rules "disregard EU guiding principles that it is forbidden to detain someone on the basis that they have claimed asylum."

"Elderly, sick people as well as families with children may also be detained [in the containers]," the rights group said.

The new measure is the latest in a series of a tough anti-immigration steps by Orban -- who has called immigration "poison."

Hungary built militarized razor wire fences on its borders with Serbia and Croatia in 2015, and handed thousands of migrants expulsion orders for "illegal border-crossing" and even jailed some.

It has also gradually been closing down its network of refugee camps, while allowing only a trickle of asylum seekers into the existing transit zones.

According to the government, 1,004 people have applied for asylum in Hungary so far this year.

The Interior Ministry on March 6 defended police against accusations of brutality against migrants, made in a newspaper article by medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and in an article in Britain's Independent website.

The Independent quoted migrants as saying that Hungarian border guards are "taking selfies with beaten migrants." (http://ind.pn/2mo7GyV)

The Interior Ministry "repeatedly and categorically rejects the unverified allegations," said a ministry statement.

Written by Eugen Tomiuc with reporting by AFP, dpa, and The Independent
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.
Iraqi security forces have captured the central bank's main branch in Mosul, and also seized a building that housed the extremist Islamic State (IS) group's main court of justice, a military spokesman said.

The court was known for delivering harsh sentences, including stonings, throwing people off building roofs, and chopping off hands. The bank had been looted when IS overran Mosul in 2014.

The central bank branch and the justice court are located in the same zone as the main government buildings complex that Iraqi special forces stormed overnight, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi said on March 7.



The overnight raid that led to the capture of government buildings and the surrounding government complex lasted about an hour, he said.

"They killed tens from Daesh," he added, referring to the Islamic State group by one of its Arabic acronyms.

Mosul's main museum,where IS militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artifacts, was also recaptured, Mohammadawi said.

The capture of the government complex allows Iraqi forces to attack militants in the nearby old city center.

The old city lies on the western bank of the Tigris River. Some 750,000 people were estimated to have lived in west Mosul when Iraqi forces began the offensive in this part of the city last month.

The Iraqi military also said its troops now control the western side of a second bridge across the Tigris River.

U.S.-led airstrikes disabled Mosul's five bridges last year in a bid to isolate the militants.

Iraqi troops, supported by a U.S.-led coalition which is providing key air and ground support to the offensive, took the eastern half of the city in January, after 100 days of fighting.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
PRISTINA -- Kosovo is trying to counter a perceived radicalization threat within its prison population amid reports of a surge in the embrace of more radical beliefs by practicing Muslims and others.

A tide of conservative Islam in society has been eyed suspiciously by the government in this predominantly Muslim, secular state with a tradition of religious moderation.

Now, dozens of Kosovars who returned from the Middle East -- and individuals who worked in Kosovo as recruiters for extremist groups -- have been imprisoned under a new law that punishes involvement in terrorist activities with prison sentences of between five and 15 years.

More returnees have either been arrested or are under investigation for recruiting extremist militants or fighting abroad.

"Not only those who are convicted of terrorism have been radicalized," Justice Minister Dhurata Hoxha said recently. "There are also prisoners who were convicted of other crimes who are serving their sentences and in whom we have observed a radicalization."

The Justice Ministry cited an increase in the number of inmates with radical Islamic beliefs, including many in prison for non-terror-related crimes.

The crackdown reflects a desire in Europe's newest state to defend fledgling secular institutions and safeguard a population of around 1.9 million people from antistate movements masquerading as religion.

But Pristina's antiradicalization efforts could also provide lessons for governments around the world as they try to counter religiously fueled extremism in the age of digital propaganda and with Islamic State (IS) militants and other fighters returning from battlefields in Iraq, Syria, and other theaters of conflict.

Working With Religious Officials

More than 300 Kosovar nationals have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight alongside the IS militant group and other extremists, making Kosovo the continent's leading per capita contributor to membership in radical Islamic movements.

Officials in Kosovo say they have traced some of the uptick in radicalization to prison visits by conservative imams and radical Islamist literature circulating among inmates.

That led to Justice Ministry officials and the independent Kosovo Islamic Community (KKI) -- an institution led by muftis, who interpret Islamic law, that oversees Islamic affairs in Kosovo -- to begin cooperating in an effort to prevent the spread of radical Islam among convicts.

Fatmir Iljazi, the country's deputy chief imam, tells RFE/RL that the KKI agreed with the government to inspect the literature available in nine prisons. A group led by Kosovo's chief mufti, Sabri Bajgora, then evaluates suspect books and publications.

"We found books that were translated from Arabic but had no authors or were written by authors unknown by the [listed] publishing house," Iljazi says, adding that many such books were withdrawn from prison libraries. "Lots of books were inadequate for the penitentiary system, so we provided books that describe traditional Islam -- the kind that has been present in Kosovo for 600 years."

Iljazi says the KKI also agreed to hand-pick -- in consultation with the Justice Ministry and prison officials -- imams that will visit prisons, presumably as part of the attempt to keep radical Muslim clerics away from convicts.

Jailing Imams

There have been prosecutions of Kosovar imams for their hard-line views.

An imam from Kosovo's third-largest city, Ferizaj, was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison for publicly spreading hatred and inciting ethnic and religious hostility. The cleric, Zeqirja Qazimi, can be seen in a YouTube video from 2013 saying that "the blood of the infidels is our best drink."

Several other imams have been indicted recently for alleged radical statements or extremist leanings, including Imam Shefqet Krasniqi from Pristina's Sultan Mehmet Fatih, the Kosovar capital's main mosque, who was charged on February 27.

Kosovo officials last year shut down a network of five Shi'ite organizations run by Iranian cleric Hasan Azari Bejandi, who was later charged with money laundering and financing terrorism.

Social Roots

Iljazi says unemployment, poverty, the uncontrolled publication of radical Islamic literature, and easy access to online media have led people "to deviate" from Islam as it was traditionally practiced in Kosovo.

The jobless rate in Kosovo has hovered above 30 percent since 2011 and can easily top 50 percent in some rural areas, a hotbed for foreign Islamic organizations operating as charities but whose main aim is to indoctrinate young Kosovar men.

Kosovar officials closed 14 such charities in 2014, all of them funded by Middle East states -- including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Persian Gulf states -- and several suspected of ties to extremist groups.

Critics say the KKI has been too lax in regulating unofficial mosques and unregistered religious schools.

Officials acknowledge that the presence of such sites is another issue that needs to be addressed to fight radical Islam in Kosovo.

Kosovar Interior Minister Skender Hyseni said on February 28 that the "type of Islam that we have practiced in Kosovo, our traditional Islam, is a good religion, a religion that calls for peace, for love between people, and understanding. We must not let -- excuse the language -- a group of idiots endanger our values."

Some observers question whether, the efforts by Kosovar officials to change the environment in penitentiaries notwithstanding, society-wide changes are what's truly needed.

"Prisons are always problematic...and become a kind of university for militants," says David Phillips, director of the Program on Peace-Building and Rights at Columbia University. "What is needed is to give people hope in the future, skills and economic opportunities in order to give them a sense there is something to do with their lives other than to turn to religious extremism."

Written by Pete Baumgartner based on reporting by Amra Zejneli of RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denounced what he called "hysteria" in the U.S. political establishment and media over Russia's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election and said it is harming ties between the two global powers.

"This, I would say, emotional extremism of trying to make a toxic country out of Russia, to make a toxic ambassador out of Russia's ambassador. This is something unbelievable, actually. And I dont think it at all corresponds with our national interests -- I mean both the interests of the United States and Russia," he told CNN on March 6.

"All this...hysteria in official Washington, hysteria in American media, this is doing lots of harm to the future of our bilateral relationship," he said. "The sooner well start to talk, the better for both countries."

Peskov said it is "unimaginable" that a strong nation like the United States would fear being so "weak" that an outside power could attempt to influence its political history and government as U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Russia did by hacking and releasing Democratic Party e-mails during the election.
MINSK -- Kyrgyzstan's former President Kurmanbek Bakiev has described his 2010 ouster as "an armed coup."

In an interview with RFE/RL that was published on March 7, Bakiev claimed that dozens of people who were killed during antigovernment protests in April 2010 had not been shot by government forces.

Bakiev claimed that the killings, which led to his ouster, were instead carried out by "armed groups."

Bakiev also said that Russia's then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had telephoned him during the protests and recommended that he leave Kyrgyzstan in order to avoid larger disturbances.

"I heard then that U.S. President [Barack] Obama talked to Russia's then-president, Dmitry Medvedev, and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev, asking them to secure my safety and the safety of my family," Bakiev told RFE/RL.

He also said Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka called him in the midst of the 2010 violence to offer political asylum for Bakiev and his family.

Bakiev accepted Lukashenka's offer.

Bakiev was sentenced in absentia to life in prison after being convicted by a court in Kyrgyzstan of involvement in the killing of almost 100 protesters during the 2010 uprising.

He told RFE/RL that he never received a subpoena or official notification about the trials in Kyrgyzstan.
CHISINAU -- A court in Moldova has allowed former central bank chief Leonid Talmaci, who was hospitalized with heart problems after being arrested on suspicion of fraud, to stay home, his lawyer says.

Talmaci's lawyer, Vitalie Nagacevschi, said on March 7 that his client remains in a Chisinau clinic and will be transferred home after he feels better.

He is to remain under the court's supervision while investigations are underway, Nagacevschi said.

Talmaci, 63, was detained on March 3 and placed under a 15-day preliminary arrest. He was rushed to hospital later on that day with symptoms of heart trouble following some 10 hours of interrogation. He had heart surgery in January.

Investigators say Talmaci is suspected of involvement in alleged fraud that caused a state car-insurance system to suffer financial losses.


Thousands of Afghan citizens have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan after Pakistan temporarily reopened two of its border crossings that have been closed since February for what Islamabad described as necessary security measures.

Pakistani authorities say they will continue to allow Afghans with valid visas to cross from Pakistan back into Afghanistan through March 8 at the two border crossings -- the Torkham crossing into eastern Afghanistan along the Khyber Pass and the Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar.

Mohammad Ali Dawary, the police commissioner at the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar Province, said as many as 2,000 Afghan citizens had crossed through the Chaman checkpoint on Pakistan's side of the border by late on March 7.

Faiz Khan, a Pakistani official at Torkham, said on March 7 that overland trade between the two countries had yet to restart.

Islamabad closed the crossings on February 16 after a series of suicide attacks in Pakistan that killed dozens of children, soldiers, and police officers.

Islamabad claimed that the attacks were carried out by militants who were crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
"Russia is open" to investment and collaboration with U.S. companies in the oil and gas sectors, Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said.

Addressing an energy conference in Houston on March 6, Novak also said that the world's top oil producer still has "huge potential" for discovering new fields on its continental shelf, in its Arctic expanses, and in its vast shale deposits.

With oil fetching between $50 and $60 a barrel on world markets today, profit margins in Russia are "among the world's highest," he told executives.

Novak told the TASS news agency that he met with 13 "global funds" interested in investing in Russian oil and gas at the energy conference, though he did not name them.

He also credited Russia's agreement last year with OPEC to limit production for almost doubling oil prices from lows near $30 a barrel a year ago.

While Russia will continue working with OPEC, he said it has no plans to join the cartel.

"Our interaction with oil-exporting countries is necessary and helpful," he said.

With reporting by CNBC and TASS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned a woman who was convicted of high treason for sending a text message to a friend in Georgia during the brief August 2008 Russian-Georgian war.

Putin's decree pardoning Oksana Sevastidi was posted on the Russian government's official legal website on March 7.

According to the document, Sevastidi is to be released on March 12.

Sevastidi's lawyer Ivan Pavlov welcomed Putin's clemency decree and vowed to work on his client's full exoneration and revoking of her verdict.

Sevastidi, 46, was sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2016 for texting in 2008 about a Russian train full of military equipment heading toward the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia during the brief war between Russia and Georgia.

Human rights activists have said the case was politically motivated.

Sevastidi's amnesty come a day after the release of Yevgenia Chudnovets, a Russia kindergarten teacher jailed for reposting an online child-abuse video in order to raise awareness of the case with the public and with Russian authorities.
Russia says the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has no jurisdiction to issue an order Ukraine seeks to halt Moscow's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

The matter is "clearly outside the courts competence," Russian Foreign Ministry Legal Department Director Roman Kolodkin told the court on March 7, a day after lawyers for Ukraine accused Russia of making it "impossible for Ukrainian citizens to feel safe anywhere in their country."

Judges at the ICJ, the United Nations highest judicial body, hear disputes between states. Cases can take years to pass through the court and although its rulings are final and binding, it has no means of enforcing decisions.

Moscow seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and has supported separatists in eastern Ukraine in fighting that has since killed more than 9,750 people.



Kyiv has accused Russia of violating UN conventions against terrorism and discrimination by supporting groups in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

It also accuses Russia of mistreating Crimea's Tatar and ethnic Ukrainian populations since it seized control of the peninsula.

No Substantiations

The Kremlin has denied sending troops or military equipment to eastern Ukraine despite what Kyiv and Western countries say is incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.

The United States and other Western powers have placed economic sanctions on Moscow because of its interference in Ukraine.

Kolodkin said on March 7 that allegations Russia participated in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine are groundless.

"The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under [the] treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine, he also told the court.

"Ukraine has not provided substantiations for its position that there are circumstances falling under the convention" on eliminating discrimination, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The first round of hearings is expected run until March 9 and will largely consist of procedural matters.

Georgia brought a similar case against Russia, but the court ruled in 2011 that it had no jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
Pakistani activists are claiming that two transgender women from Pakistan were beaten to death by police in Saudi Arabia last week after being arrested there along with more than 30 other members of Saudi Arabia's transgender community.

Farzana Riaz, a leader of the campaign group Trans Action Pakistan, told a press conference in Peshawar, Pakistan on March 6 that several members of Saudi Arabia's transgender community had complained about the alleged beating deaths.

Riaz said the sources alleged that two Pakistani transgender women were forced into sacks by Saudi police and then beaten to death by police with batons.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry would not immediately comment on the allegations.

Officials from Pakistan's Interior Ministry were not immediately available for comment, and it was not immediately possible to verify the reported deaths.

Saudi media reported last week that police had raided a party where men were dressed as women and wearing makeup.

The Saudi media reports said about 35 people had been arrested, but did not use the word transgender nor report that anyone had been killed.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Dawn.com


ON MY MIND

Reports surfaced this morning that the Kremlin is considering moving the date of next year's presidential election from March 11 to March 18.

That would mean that the election would be held on the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

So much for subtlety.

The annexation of Crimea, of course, is about more than Crimea. It's a metaphor for Russia's imperial revival.

If these reports are true (they smell like authorized leaks and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn't deny them), then Vladimir Putin's re-election will effectively be transformed into the coronation of an emperor.

IN THE NEWS

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denounced what he called "hysteria" in the U.S. political establishment and media over Russia's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election and said it is harming ties between the two global powers.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has acknowledged having spoken twice last year with the Russian ambassador in revised testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 6, but he insisted his original testimony not mentioning those meetings was "correct."

Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign says that the Senate Intelligence Committee has contacted him concerning its investigation into alleged Russian interference during the election campaign.

The chief of a prominent Russian human rights group says that torture in Russian penitentiaries and police stations can only be stopped if police officers and prison guards who practice it are brought to trial and convicted. Igor Kalyapin, head of the NGO Committee Against Torture, made his comments to Current Time TV in Prague on March 6.

The United States says it is "deeply concerned" by the decision of Russia-backed separatists in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region to close two crossing points on the boundary line with Georgian-controlled territory.

Russia is open to investment and collaboration with U.S. companies in the oil and gas sectors, Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said.

Natalya Poklonskaya, one of Crimea's deputies in Russia's State Duma, has claimed that a bust of Tsar Nicholas II located in the annexed peninsula wept tears on the centennial of his abdication of power. And the Internet is laughing.

Belarusian Prime Minister Andrey Kabyakou has expressed concerns about what he called Russia's failure to meets its obligations in the Eurasian integration process.

A court in Kyiv has placed Roman Nasirov, Ukraine's tax and customs service chief, under arrest pending trial on embezzlement charges.

WHAT I'M READING

Putin's Comintern

Anton Shekhovtsov, author of the forthcoming book Russia And The Western Far Right, has a post on his blog looking at the coordination agreement signed by Italy's Lega Nord and United Russia.

A Dark Future

In a piece for Foreign Policy, Jamie Kirchick describes The Plot Against Europe and paints a dark future.

The Russian Economy

In Bloomberg, Anna Adrianova looks at the state of the Russian economy and argues that it "is running on more than just the black stuff."

What Ukraine Thinks

Kenneth Wollack, president of the National Democratic Institute, has a piece in The Hill looking at a recent NDI poll of Ukrainian attitudes. Wollack argues that we should "not make Ukraine policy without talking to the Ukrainians."

Reactionary Chic

Michael Weiss has a piece in The Daily Beast looking at the rise of what he calls "reactionary chic."

Critiquing Coverage Of The New Cold War

Meduza looks at the state of discourse in the United States about Russia and explains "what's wrong with American articles about the new Cold War."

Navalny Vs. Medvedev

In his column for Republic.ru, opposition journalist Oleg Kashin looks at opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's corruption investigation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev -- and why Medvedev can't answer it.

Putin And The Taliban

Brahma Chellaney of the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and the Berlin-based Robert Bosch Academy, has a piece for Project Syndicate on "Putin's dance with the Taliban."

Hybrid War In Belarus

In a piece for Belarus Digest, Arseni Sivitski, director of the Minsk-based Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies, looks at The Belarus-Russia Conflict Through The Lens Of The Gerasimov Doctrine.

Beware The Conspiracy Trap

In the New York Review of Books, Masha Gessen, author of the book The Man Without A Face: The Unlikely Rise Of Vladimir Putin, warns us to beware the Russian "conspiracy trap."

February 1917 And The Opportunity Lost

In an op-ed in The New York Times, John Quiggin of the University of Queensland, looks at the lost opportunity of Russia's February 1917 revolution.
The chiefs of staff of the Turkish, Russian, and U.S. militaries have met in southern Turkey in an effort to boost coordination in Syria and prevent skirmishes between rival groups that are all battling Islamic State (IS) militants.

The meeting between Hulusi Akar of Turkey, Joseph Dunford of the United States, and Valery Gerasimov of Russia on March 7 came amid progress made by a U.S.-led coalition in pushing IS forces out of Syria.

Turkey, Russia, and the United States are all fighting IS militants, though they support different sides in the Syrian conflict. Tensions also remain over Turkey's opposition to U.S. support for the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia in the battle against IS.

Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said discussions at the trilateral talks in Antalya focused on "additional measures" to boost the effectiveness of the fight against extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.

"During the meeting the parties discussed regional security matters in Syria and Iraq...with an effort to wage a more effective fight against all terrorist organizations in the future and the importance of additional measures for de-conflicting operations," Hicks added in a statement.

The Antalya meeting came as Iraqi troops, with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition, are gaining ground in a large-scale operation aimed at retaking the IS-stronghold of Mosul in Iraq.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on March 7 that the talks were aimed at improving coordination to prevent "the risk of unwanted clashes" given the number of countries operating in Syria.

The Antalya talks are aimed at ensuring better coordination to avoid "the risk of unwanted clashes" as many countries are involved in Syria, Yildirim said.

"The objective of the meetings today and tomorrow is how to provide coordination in the best way possible and prevent parties from interfering with each other's operations and causing unpleasant developments while fighting against terror," Yildirim said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Interfax
A court in Kyiv has placed Roman Nasirov, Ukraine's tax and customs service chief, under arrest pending trial on embezzlement charges.

A special prosecutor tasked with fighting corruption has sought Nasirov's arrest on suspicion of "abuse of office leading to serious financial losses," citing concerns that he could try to flee the country.

After a 14-hour long hearing, the Kyiv district court ruled on March 7 to send Nasirov to pretrial detention for two months.

He was suspended from his post on March 3 pending an investigation, alleging that the tax chief defrauded the state of 2 billion hryvnyas ($74 million).

The probe marks a rare attempt to prosecute a senior Ukrainian official on suspicion of corruption.

Nasirov can be granted house arrest if he pays bail of $3.7 million -- a record amount for Ukraine.

The National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) said Nasirov has signed off on grace periods for a number of taxpayers, including companies linked to a former lawmaker who fled abroad last year while facing a corruption investigation.

Based on reporting by AP and UNIAN
Russian Orthodox Church officials in the Kremlin-annexed Crimea region have refuted a controversial claim by State Duma Deputy Natalya Poklonskaya that a bust of Tsar Nicholas II in Simferopol wept tears on the centennial of his abdication of power.

The Eparchy in Crimea said on March 7 that a special commission checked Poklonskaya's claims on March 6 and found no traces of tears either on the bust or on icons in a chapel next to the bust.

The Eparchy said that the cleric at the chapel "should be instructed to watch the bust and report if tears appear on the bust."

Poklonskaya made the claim on March 3 in a televised program, saying that she had been informed of the "miracle" by colleagues in Crimea, where she briefly served as the Moscow-imposed prosecutor after Russia seized and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.

Nicholas was executed along with his entire family in 1918 by the Bolsheviks, who by then had seized power.
WASHINGTON -- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has assured him that Washington will continue to support Kyiv in its standoff with Russia.

Klimkin made the comments outside the State Department on March 7 following a meeting with Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil CEO who now serves as President Donald Trump's top diplomat.

The meeting came amid ongoing concerns in Ukraine and among its supporters in the West that Trump could soften the U.S. line on Russia given his stated desire to repair relations with Moscow.

His young administration, however, has so far publicly supported the continuation of sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its support for separatists in the country's east.

"[Tillerson] assured me that the United States would consistently continue to support Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression, that Ukraine is a key partner of the U.S. in the region, that the U.S. would also consistently support Ukraine on its path of reforms," Klimkin told reporters.

Russia rejects accusations by Kyiv, NATO, the EU, and the United States that it is backing the separatists with weapons and personnel despite substantial evidence of such support.

Trump suggested during the election campaign that he would consider lifting sanctions imposed on Russia by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in response to its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and the Kremlin's support for separatists in the country's east.

But Tillerson and other senior U.S. administration officials have publicly voiced a tough stance since Trump's inauguration on January 20, saying that Russia must return Crimea to Ukraine and de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the meeting that Tillerson told Klimkin the U.S. sanctions against Russia would remain in place until "aggression is ceased," until the Minsk peace deal to end fighting between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists is implemented, and until Moscow returns to Kyiv control of Crimea and separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner largely confirmed the ministry's characterization of the two diplomats' discussions of sanctions.

"With respect to the sanctions remaining in place until Russia complies, both with respect to eastern Ukraine, but also with respect to Crimea, that that holds true," Toner told a briefing in Washington later on March 7 in response to a question about the Ukrainian ministry's statement.

Toner added that the talks focused on "domestic issues within Ukraine" as well as "our continued concern about compliance with" the Minsk peace deal.

More than 9,750 people have been killed in the war in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, and more than 40 were killed in January and February amid a spike in hostilities in the conflict.

"They talked about reform efforts under way by the Ukrainian government, and they talked about -- and certainly Secretary Tillerson reiterated -- the U.S. strong commitment to Ukraine and our commitment to ensuring that all sides fulfill their Minsk commitments. And that includes Russia," Toner said.

Speaking several hours after his meeting with Tillerson, Klimkin told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that he received a strong signal from Tillerson that Ukraine would not become a bargaining chip in a push for rapprochement between Moscow and Washington.

He added that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had received similar messages in his conversations with Trump.

It was a "very strong message of support for Ukraine, and that any kind of tradeoffs are not possible," he told senators.

Ambassadors from Georgia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland also gave testimony at the hearing.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has acknowledged having spoken twice last year with the Russian ambassador in revised testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 6, but insisted his original testimony not mentioning those meetings was "correct."

Sessions provided the committee with revisions to testimony given originally at a January confirmation hearing, during which he declared he did not have any communications with Russians during the presidential campaign. But last week he admitted he met with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak twice last year, though he said the meetings were unrelated to the campaign.

"I do not recall any discussions with the Russian ambassador, or any other representative of the Russian government, regarding the political campaign on these occasions or any other occasion," Sessions said in his revised testimony.

Sessions was asked at the confirmation hearing what he would do if reports of repeated contacts between Trump associates and Russians were true.

"I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them," Sessions wrote. "My answer was correct."

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


WASHINGTON -- A U.S. federal prosecutor who is poised to oversee Justice Department investigations into alleged connections between Russian officials and White House aides during the 2016 presidential election campaign has said he isn't aware of any reason for him to recuse himself from those probes.

Rod Rosenstein made the statement on March 7 during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Rosenstein's nomination to be the No. 2 Justice Department official has been caught up in the swirl of allegations about meetings between President Donald Trump's aides and Russian officials during 2016.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who heads the Justice Department, recused himself last week from overseeing all investigations about the election campaign after he appeared to have misled senators during his own confirmation hearing by saying that he never met with any Russian government officials during the campaign.

Later, however, after media reports on the issue, Sessions admitted meeting with Russia's ambassador to the United States at least twice during the election campaign.

Republican and Democratic senators are at odds over whether a special independent prosecutor should be appointed to look into Russia's alleged interference in the U.S. election campaign.

The FBI is reportedly conducting its own probes on the subject, as are four different Senate committees.

During Rosenstein's March 7 confirmation hearing, he was repeatedly asked -- mainly by Democratic senators -- about how he would handle the oversight of investigations into the election campaign and whether he would consider calling for a special prosecutor.

Rosenstein said he was not familiar with the facts of any investigation and was unaware of any requirement that he abandon oversight. But he said he would recuse himself if it was necessary.

One Democrat on the committee, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, has specifically demanded that Rosenstein step aside from overseeing any investigations related to Russia's alleged efforts to interfere in the election campaign.

"I will use every possible tool to block the nomination of Rod Rosenstein to be deputy attorney general unless he commits to appoint independent special prosecutor," Blumenthal said in a statement released ahead of the hearing.

Sessions, meanwhile, submitted revised written testimony to the Judiciary Committee on March 6, acknowledging that he had spoken twice during 2016 with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Sessions also insisted that his original testimony was correct.

"I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them," Sessions wrote. "My answer was correct."
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Judge Neil Gorsuch at the White House as he announced Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court.
Shareholders of Genworth Financial Inc. voted to approve the companys proposed acquisition by a China-based investment company.

Genworth, a Henrico County-based insurance company with thousands of employees in Virginia, announced in October that it had agreed to be acquired for about $2.7 billion by China Oceanwide, a privately held, family-owned international financial holding company based in Beijing.

Its a big milestone, Genworths President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. McInerney said after the company held a special shareholder meeting Tuesday morning at the Westin Richmond hotel in Henrico County.

The company said about 96 percent of votes cast were voted in favor of the merger, representing 71 percent of Genworths total outstanding shares of common stock as of the record date for the special meeting.

Genworth shareholders would get $5.43 per share in cash under the deal. Shares closed Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange at $4.02, down 3 cents from Monday.

Genworth and Oceanwide expect the deal to be completed by the middle of this year.

The deal still has to get approval from about a dozen regulatory agencies in the United States and overseas, including the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, and regulators in Delaware, New York and North Carolina.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal interagency committee, also must approve the deal, along with various regulators in foreign nations where Genworth does business.

We have done all the filings, and we have had a lot of dialogue back and forth with (regulators), McInerney said in an interview after the meeting. They tend to wait to really get going until after shareholders have voted. McInerney said he expects that the Virginia Bureau of Insurance likely will hold a public hearing on the proposed deal.

Genworth, which sells mortgage insurance and long-term care insurance, agreed to the deal with China Oceanwide after struggling for several years with financial losses in its long-term care insurance business.

The merger deal includes a cash infusion and debt reduction from China Oceanwide worth about $1.1 billion, which Genworth executives have said should make the deal more likely to win regulatory approval.

McInerney said Tuesday that he expects to remain with the company after the deal closes. I have told Oceanwide that we are three to five years away from finishing the fixing of long-term care, so I am prepared to do that, he said.

There are also opportunities to build a long-term care insurance business in China, McInerney said. Partly because of that opportunity, the merger should be good for the companys operations and staffing in Virginia and North Carolina.

We will likely be the global headquarters for China Oceanwide for mortgage insurance, long-term care insurance, life and annuity, he said. I think we will have more stability and growth in the U.S. because of the capital that is coming in.
Any vehicle tire of any size for $25 seemed like a good deal.

But in 2015, some customers who tried to take advantage of the deals advertised by Shockoe Bottom Automotive & Tires at 2500 E. Main St. were told there were not any available at that price.

The company also at the time offered customers a free tire and alignment with the purchase of three tires  a deal that some customers said they were refused, even though it was advertised on the outside of Shockoe Bottom Automotives building.

The companys tactics amounted to bait-and-switch advertising, said Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who on Monday announced a settlement with Shockoe Bottom Automotive & Tires.

The settlement will make refunds available to eligible customers who file a complaint by Aug. 7 alleging they were misled and suffered monetary harm by the companys refusal to honor advertised specials.

Honest advertising is one of the most basic requirements of doing business in Virginia, Herring said in a statement. Consumers have a right to rely on the advertisements and representations a company makes. A business cant just advertise one price, then charge customers more when they actually arrive at the door.

Emerald Young, who said he is the son of the companys owner, apologized Monday.

We settled. We were wrong. The sign was up there, and it didnt have the complete information, he said.

The signage should have said $25 and up, he said.

A state investigator who checked out the $25 tire and free alignment with purchase deals was also told they were unavailable, according to the state complaint filed against the business.

Customers eligible for refunds are those who made purchases at the business, which also goes by Shockoe Bottom Tires and Emerald Tires, on or after Sept. 1, 2013.

The company has agreed to give refunds to customers who suffered monetary harm as a result of paying:

in excess of $25 for any tire purchased;

for a fourth tire where three tires were purchased at one time;

for an alignment where the consumer purchased two or more tires and sought but did not receive a free alignment; or

any other charges incurred as a result of Shockoe Bottom Tires failure to honor its advertised terms or price(s).

The agreement also requires the company to conform its signage, coupons or other advertisements to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

The company also agreed to pay a $1,500 civil penalty and to reimburse the state $3,000 in attorney fees and costs.

Consumers who believe they are owed refunds can file written complaints, including documentation of their purchase from Shockoe Bottom Tires, with the Virginia Attorney Generals Office by calling (800) 552-9963; or by email at consumer@oag.state.va.us; or online at ag.virginia.gov/consumer-protection/.

Bait-and-switch advertising not only hurts consumers but also legitimate competing businesses as well, said Thomas J. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Central Virginia.
As Dr. Limor Glazer left the grocery store, a young employee asked: How was your day at work?

I looked at him, open mouth. I didnt know what to say, Glazer recalled. I took my groceries and I went in my car and I cried like a baby.

As she sobbed, Glazer thought: I dont have a job. I dont have anywhere to go.

Glazer is a breast cancer survivor. She had a double radical mastectomy on Feb. 29, 2016, a leap year. I had no anniversary this year, she said during a recent interview. Isnt that the weirdest?

For 25 years, Glazer had been immersed in her career as a podiatrist and board-certified podiatric surgeon. But the lingering physical effects of her mastectomy have left her unable to continue her practice.

At 52, this professional woman, wife, doting mother and caregiving daughter would have to redefine herself.

Ninety percent of my life, all I did was take care of other people, she said. I took care of everyone. That was my pleasure.

Now, she was the one who needed care.

Shed had a whirlwind career, attending conferences, teaching and serving on the board of the Virginia Podiatric Medical Association while attempting to navigate stressful, time-consuming changes in health care.

But I couldnt do it all. I was the Girl Scout leader, I was the volunteer in my local groups, there was nothing I didnt do. But it took its toll because I wasnt taking care of myself. I wasnt giving myself the rest I needed.

Glazer launched her practice in Highland Springs in 1991, not long out of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. She said she was embraced by her new community despite sticking out.

Her mother was a Romanian survivor of the Holocaust who moved to Israel as a teenager in 1951. Her father, whose Polish family had been decimated during World War II, brought the family to America in 1963, a year before Glazer was born.

I was a female doctor, a New Yorker, Jewish, just a total misfit for East End Richmond, Glazer recalled.

Her office moved around, from Mechanicsville to downtown Richmond to Carytown to Glen Allen. But her drive remained constant.

I was one of those people who wanted to do everything. I wanted to be equal. I never wanted a male in my profession to be able to say that women were not as qualified, were not as quick, she said.

For many years, I was the only female who was board-certified locally, she recalled. I spread myself as far as I could for teaching purposes. And loved the community, loved Richmond.

I thought I could do it all.

Did the pace contribute to her illness?

I know it did. And thats my message, she said, as tears came. My message is, if it feels like its too much, dont say, One day Ill change it. 

Her kind of cancer, triple negative, is so aggressive that chemotherapy comes before surgery. She worked every day that she wasnt receiving treatment, she said.

After six months of chemo at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, she underwent surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in her native New York. Thirty-three rounds of radiation followed at Johnston-Willis Hospital.

She ceased doing foot operations the month she was diagnosed and stopped practicing on June 28.

She had planned a summer trip to Italy and Greece with her two teenage daughters. Her first question to her oncologist was not whether she would survive, but whether she would be able to go on the trip.

Given the green light, she made it through with the occasional use of a wheelchair and a tripod chair. My daughters had to grow up quickly.

In the meantime, patients sent her gifts. Cancer-surviving friends of patients became her friends. Neighbors and friends organized meal trains and took turns walking Shana, her chocolate Lab, or strolling with Glazer to ensure that she got exercise.

The outpouring, and the gratitude I feel ... I havent been able to write a thank you letter because I cant write, Glazer said, citing the pain and hand problems stemming from surgery on her lymph nodes. She hopes to hear from patients and others who read this column so she can thank them.

The kind things that have come my way from my surgery ... I didnt realize how many good people are in the world. Thats the gift of cancer. Because you find out how many patients were giving me presents and cards and calls, and I had a patient pray in tongues with me. I prayed every religion.

The outpouring of kindness, I would not have known it was out there if I didnt go through this. And thats amazing.

The contact with former patients has been especially gratifying, she said, because they werent just patients, they were my life. Thats really sappy, but its the truth.

Glazer has reconstructive surgery ahead, but the cancer for right now, is gone.

She had coffee with a dentist and cancer survivor who lost his career as a result of the neuropathy from his treatment. He advised her to find things she likes to do.

Glazer took his advice to heart. On this afternoon, she left her western Henrico County home for lunch with a friend at Mezeh Mediterranean Grill. She is learning to slow down, take care of herself and put a little joy in my life.

Now, she trying to figure out the next chapter.

She thinks shell write a book someday, or perhaps a play  a comedy perhaps. But, first of all, I need to help people. She has offered to provide rides to radiation patients and has noticed chemo patients sitting alone. Shes trying to figure out a means of outreach to them and other cancer patients.

I need to help people who dont have the support that I have, she said.

Im not there yet, but Im getting there. But now, if that guy at (the grocery) ever says to me again, How was your day today?, I have my answer ready, she said. Im going to say, Its great, it was fine. Because I am working. Im working on myself. Im working to get myself healthy again.
John Nichols: Jeff Sessions should be impeached for lying to the Senate
HARDY  Political beef between Republican gubernatorial contenders Ed Gillespie and Corey Stewart took center stage at a Tuesday candidates forum for the four Republicans vying for the nomination.

As the candidates tried to discuss economic development, immigration, transportation and voting rights at a forum put on by Franklin County and Smith Mountain Lake Republicans, Stewart and Gillespie sniped at each other, overshadowing the other two contenders  state Sen. Frank Wagner and Denver Riggleman  and substantive responses to the issues.

Starting with his opening statement, Stewart, a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, criticized Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, for his stance on removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville .

Last month, Stewart, who prides himself on being a political wild card similar to President Donald Trump, rallied at the Confederate statue after the Charlottesville City Council voted to remove the figure from Lee Park.

According to Mr. Gillespie, apparently, its just fine if Charlottesville takes it down, Stewart said. Hes not going to do a single thing as governor to stop that locality from taking down a real Virginia, a real American hero  Robert E. Lee.

In front of about 75 people at The Westlake country club, Gillespie fired back that while he opposes the councils decision to remove the statue, state government should be wary of overriding local government decisions.

Weve got to adhere to our conservative principles, Gillespie said. I think those city council members should be voted out of office for voting for that, but at the same time, to have the state come in and say were going to mandate through the cities and counties what they can do relative to their statues sets a very dangerous precedent for the future.

As debate continued, the two candidates sparred on immigration, sanctuary cities and Gillespie chided Stewart for being fired from the Trump campaign.

In October, the Trump campaign fired Stewart, a campaign co-chairman, after he protested in front of Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., while Republican support for their candidate wavered after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape that featured Trump making lewd comments about women.

"When I call the Trump administration, I will get my calls returned because I was not fired for incompetence by the Trump folks," Gillespie said.

In response, Stewart said that while Gillespie was getting a head-start preparing for the governor's race, he was supporting Trump across the commonwealth for 10 months.

Stewart also criticized Gillespie and other "establishment Republicans" who condemned Trump in the aftermath of the scandal.

"As I stood up for President Trump against the RNC, and got fired for it. I stayed loyal," Stewart said. "I stayed loyal, and that's the difference. He [Gillespie] has no courage."
Forms filed by Virginia lawmakers that show gifts theyve received, what companies they own stock in and who employs them and their immediate family members are online for the public to view.

The forms were traditionally kept on file at the offices of the House and Senate clerks. Theyre online for the first time.

A change in the law in 2015 mandated that the forms be maintained in a searchable database available to the public on the website of the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. The council  which consists of lawmakers and other appointees  was created following the gifts scandal of former Gov. Bob McDonnell to offer formal and informal guidance and training on Virginias ethics laws.

The form, called a statement of economic interest, is now filed annually by lawmakers, and the newest forms were due Jan. 17.

The law says the forms should be made available to the public no later than six weeks after filing. The forms went online last week at the tail end of the deadline. The ethics council website also includes forms filed by lobbyists and certain state officials.

Theres one complication: The ethics councils website doesnt indicate that the lawmakers forms are now online.

G. Stewart Petoe, the councils executive director, said Monday he agreed the website needed clarity.

Thank you for bringing that to my attention, he said. Youre right. I think it could be a little confusing.

To find a lawmakers form, go to the ethics councils website at http://ethics.dls.virginia.gov/

Then click Public Information. Under State Officers and Employees click the link for Conflict of Interest Database.

Then select conflict of interest search, choose year 2017 and search for lawmakers by name.

A bipartisan commission created by Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued a report in December 2015 calling for the state to create an independent ethics commission with power to investigate and enforce ethics issues for executive branch officials and lawmakers, who have opted to not create such a panel.

The Virginia Public Access Project, which provides nonpartisan information about Virginia politics, is expected to upload data on lawmakers gifts to its database today.
Lawyers defending the Virginia House of Delegates are arguing that the states 2017 election cycle is too far along for a federal court to swiftly reexamine a racial gerrymandering case in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week.

On Friday, Democratic attorneys who have challenged a dozen predominantly African-American House districts as an unconstitutional use of race in the drawing of electoral boundaries asked the Richmond-based U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to expedite the case schedule, with briefs due by the end of next week.

This case involves questions of exceptional importance, including whether the Virginia House of Delegates map was unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered following the 2010 census, and whether a remedial map is necessary, that must be resolved as soon as is practicable to ensure that Virginia voters do not vote in another election under an unconstitutional map, wrote a legal team from Perkins Coie LLP led by Marc E. Elias, who served as general counsel to Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign.

In a response filed Monday, attorneys for the House and House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said that looming election deadlines, specifically a March 30 deadline for candidates to declare for June 13 primaries, makes the proposed timetable unworkable and too late.

A final judgment in this case will be reached after the 2017 elections process is well underway, and federal courts do not lightly tread into the state elections process at this late hour, attorneys from the BakerHostetler law firm wrote in a response motion asking the court to reject the expedited schedule.

In a March 1 opinion, the Supreme Court instructed the lower court to rehear the suit using a different legal standard for measuring whether race was a motivating factor. The case could lead to a redrawn political map and weaken the 66-34 Republican majority in the House.

A scheduling collision between the federal redistricting case and a similar state-level challenge pending in Richmond Circuit Court could further complicate the timeline, the lawyers defending the House plan argued.

The redistricting case filed in the state courts by advocacy group OneVirginia2021 is scheduled to go to trial next week. Lawyers for the House said they may ask the federal case to be stopped to allow the state suit to proceed to its conclusion, which they noted may require redrawing of the entire 2011 Redistricting Plan.

On Tuesday, Richmond Judge W. Reilly Marchant denied a motion to stay the state-level proceedings in response to the Supreme Court ruling after attorneys working with OneVirginia2021 argued the cases could continue in tandem because they deal with different districts. The OneVirginia2021 challenge argues that several House and Senate districts violate compactness requirements, and attorneys representing the group argued that, if the General Assembly goes back to the drawing board, they would be well served to have new guidance on both the racial and compactness questions.
Virginia would be the perfect place to develop pint-size nuclear reactors for use around the world. These very small modular reactors  known as vSMRs  would avoid the kinds of problems that have held back the construction of large nuclear power plants in the United States.

Because of its advantages as a substitute for fossil fuels, a Defense Science Board task force has envisioned the use of nuclear power at U.S. military bases in remote and forward-operating areas of the world. The task force said in a recently released report that vSMRs producing just 10 megawatts of electricity could serve as the standard source of electrical power at a number of military bases, supplying reliable, abundant, and continuous energy.

Small reactors could lay the foundation for a new generation of nuclear plants. They would be built in a factory setting and manufactured in series from a standardized design. They would then be shipped to a military base, replacing the use of bulky and polluting diesel generators. A vSMR would be small enough to fit into a shipping container.

If placed in a cluster, vSMRs would also be suitable for larger military bases or even commercial use, since these tiny reactors would provide electricity around the clock at a cost that would match that of natural gas or other renewable energy sources. And inasmuch as they would operate apart from the electric grid, vSMRs would be less prone to cyber-attacks, thus adding a measure of security.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has just started the review of the design certification for a small modular reactor that would generate 50 megawatts. Nu Scale, an Oregon-based nuclear company, developed the design for this reactor. The companys plan calls for 12 SMR modules  each would be one-fourth the size of the reactors that power the U.S. Navys nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers  to be placed alongside one another.

With our large nuclear infrastructure and know-how, Virginia would be ideal for the development of very small nuclear reactors, for both military and commercial use. AREVA and BWX Technologies, both among the worlds leading nuclear suppliers, have key facilities in Virginia. Newport News Shipbuilding, the builder of nuclear aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, is located in Newport News. Our state is home to NASA, the nuclear Navy, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and Dominion Power, which operates four nuclear reactors that supply almost 40 percent of the states electricity. Providing a talented and well-prepared workforce for the nuclear complex is Virginia Commonwealth University, the largest public university in Virginia, which has a growing nuclear engineering program, the only one in the state to offer a full suite of nuclear engineering degrees.

Congress needs to address the potential for small modular reactors of various sizes and it should create the policy conditions under which American companies will be allowed to innovate to develop and build new nuclear capacity. When coupled with regulatory stability and a streamlined licensing process, a new generation of small modular reactors could begin producing electricity in a decade or less. The commercial implications are huge.

Nuclear energy facilities in Virginia employ more than 2,100 highly skilled workers with an annual payroll of $144 million, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. Those numbers would increase significantly if Virginia designed and manufactured small reactors for the global market. It is time to take our economic future seriously and place new emphasis on an energy source that is available now: nuclear power. Building small reactors will pay rich dividends in more jobs and revenue sooner than anyone might think.
A chance for snow in the middle of March shouldnt be shocking, but its natural to feel a bit skeptical about the idea after this warm winter.

Warm weather will retreat by this upcoming weekend, and cold air and moisture will try to converge over Virginia. Thats about the extent of what can be said with any real confidence several days out.

Cold air building in Canada is on track to pour into the Northeastern states on Friday and Saturday, and that chill could eventually take hold across Virginia. At the very least, itll rule out a weekend where we can enjoy highs in the 70s.

Along the boundary of the cold air in the Northern states and mild air in the South, an area of low pressure will try to develop in the Southern Plains on Saturday, then slide to the east on Sunday. Tapping into Gulf of Mexico humidity, it could spread plenty of precipitation through Virginia.

The center of the low could track as far north as the Ohio Valley or as far down as the Deep South. As long as the range of geographic possibilities stays that wide, the forecast remains flaky.

Whats in the realm of possibility? Varying amounts of rain, wildly varying amounts of snow, or a flip-flop between precipitation types.

Its tempting to fixate on the chance for heavy snow  especially now that our plants have been lulled into thinking its early April  but rain and even dry weather are still on the table at this point.

Based on this pattern, it will probably take a few more days until useful details come into focus. It may be hard to narrow the range of potential outcomes through the middle of this week.

Ill have more updates on how the forecast shapes up as the week goes along. In the meantime, its too early to cancel any plans but too early to put the winter coats into storage.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Lawyers defending the Virginia House of Delegates are arguing that the states 2017 election cycle is too far along for a federal court to swiftly re-examine a racial gerrymandering case in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week.

On Friday, Democratic attorneys who have challenged a dozen predominantly African-American House districts as an unconstitutional use of race in the drawing of electoral boundaries asked the Richmond-based U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to expedite the case schedule, with briefs due by the end of next week.

This case involves questions of exceptional importance, including whether the Virginia House of Delegates map was unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered following the 2010 census, and whether a remedial map is necessary, that must be resolved as soon as is practicable to ensure that Virginia voters do not vote in another election under an unconstitutional map, wrote a legal team from Perkins Coie LLP led by Marc Elias, who served as general counsel to Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign.

In a response filed Monday, attorneys for the House and House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford, said that looming election deadlines, specifically a March 30 deadline for candidates to declare for June 13 primaries, makes the proposed timetable unworkable and too late.

A final judgment in this case will be reached after the 2017 elections process is well underway, and federal courts do not lightly tread into the state elections process at this late hour, attorneys from the BakerHostetler law firm wrote in a response motion asking the court to reject the expedited schedule.

In a March 1 opinion, the Supreme Court instructed the lower court to rehear the suit using a different legal standard for measuring whether race was a motivating factor. The case could lead to a redrawn political map and weaken the 66-34 Republican majority in the House.

A scheduling collision between the federal redistricting case and a similar state-level challenge pending in Richmond Circuit Court could further complicate the timeline, the lawyers defending the House plan argued.

The redistricting case filed in the state courts by advocacy group OneVirginia2021 is scheduled to go to trial next week. Lawyers for the House said they may ask the federal case to be stopped to allow the state suit to proceed to its conclusion, which they noted may require redrawing of the entire 2011 Redistricting Plan.

Attorney General Mark Herrings office, representing the state in the proceedings, has not stated a position on the competing scheduling motions.
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.
MAYVILLE  The Mayville City Council wants the Wisconsin Attorney General to charge suspended Police Chief Christopher MacNeill with misconduct in public office.

After a closed session meeting that lasted a more than an hour, the council authorized Mayor Rob Boelk to file a formal complaint with the Mayville Police and Fire Commission against MacNeill and to request the Attorney Generals Office to bring a charge against MacNeill.

MacNeill has been on leave since Feb. 9 after city officials learned of an unspecified allegation against him on Feb. 6.

Watertown Police Department was asked to investigate the matter and provided the results of that investigation to Mayville officials late last week.

Capt. Ryan Vossekuil, who has been heading the police department in MacNeills absence, was present for the meeting Monday and participated for a short period in the closed session.

We believe the Mr. MacNeill violated the policies and rules of the Mayville Police Department, Boelk said, but added he could not disclose what rules or policies were violated at this time.

He said contact with the attorney general and the PFC would take place soon and mentioned that Mayville Police and Fire Commission has authority over disciplinary matters involving the police and fire departments. That means any decision about ending MacNeills employment would likely be made by the PFC.

Misconduct in public office is a Class I felony and includes a wide variety of potential conduct including refusing to perform duties mandated by law, exceeding legal authority, falsifying records, exercising discretionary power to gain advantage for yourself or someone else and bribery.

MacNeill has served as Mayvilles Police Chief since 2011. He has worked in the department since 2000.
WAUNAKEE  History came alive for seventh-graders at Waunakee Middle School on Monday, as Jacob Atem shared his story of survival as a 6-year-old orphan fleeing civil war in north Africa in the late 1980s.

I would never, ever wish this on you, Atem told the students in a voice earnest and soft-spoken. But its to make you appreciate the life you have in this country.

Atem, now 32 and a U.S. citizen, was one of the storied Lost Boys of Sudan, part of an estimated 20,000 boys ages 6 to 17 who left family and country to escape death or conscription into rebel or government armies.

The boys walked more than 1,000 miles from what was then southern Sudan  and since 2011 has been the independent nation of South Sudan  to reach refugee camps, first in Ethiopia and then two years later in Kenya, where they went to escape civil strife in Ethiopia.

It wasnt an easy, take-your-time kind of walk, either, Atem said, recalling for the students a harrowing trek with no shoes and little food, beset by wild animals, disease and warring soldiers.

At one point Atem lifted a leg of his pants to show a large scar above his left knee he said he got from running into a sharp tree to avoid a lion in camp one night, days after some other boys were killed by lions.

Its just amazing to me, said Quinn Whalen, 13, after the hourlong talk, which capped a social studies unit on Africa for all of the schools 330 seventh-graders. Its hard to comprehend everything they had to go through.

Atem was so skinny by the time of the lion attacks that he could see his leg bones, he said, crediting his survival on the journey to a 15-year-old cousin who carried him much of the way. Atems parents had been killed and his sister was kidnapped before he left home, he said.

People are chasing you with guns, Atem said, as the students listened with rapt attention. Its hot ... and you are seeing your colleagues and friends dying.

About half survived the journey and some, including Atem, eventually thrived, resettling in the U.S. after years in camps, which Atem described as devoid of hope and like living in an open prison.

Arriving in the U.S. with some 3,000 others in 2001, Atem, then 15, initially lived with a foster family in Michigan. He spoke little English, he said, and like his fellow refugees faced extreme culture shock, amazed and confused by everything from the electric lights in hotel rooms to the pilots voice over the intercom on their plane.

By 2008, Atem had earned a masters degree and created the Southern Sudan Health Care Organization, a nonprofit he founded with fellow former Lost Boy Luag Deng to provide medical facilities and distribute health care supplies to people in his former homeland  and setting an example for the students, Atem said, that if he could make it to college and follow his dreams, so could they.

Beyond hearing Atems talk, students also read a non-fiction book about the Lost Boys called A Long Walk to Water, and they are raising money in a penny war fund drive to support an organization called Water is Basic that promotes clean drinking water in South Sudan. Last month another guest speaker, Gregg Keen, demonstrated water filters that his company distributes in developing countries.

This is a look at other world cultures and a look at what people different from ourselves have to deal with in their everyday lives, said Clare Zaiman-Keen, one of three social studies teachers at the middle school who helped develop the unit curriculum on South Sudan.

Its about understanding different kinds of normal, she added. We think nothing of having running water everywhere we turn around. But our speakers have talked to us about people who dont have easy access to clean water, and how its a compounding problem. They have to go get water, so they dont get to school, and if they dont go to school, they cant get jobs. Or if they drink bad water, then they get sick, but with no good medical facilities, they miss more school and work.

What surprised Quinn Bogost, 12, most about Atems story, she said, was how they were able to stay motivated during the walk by little things along the way, such as finding a bit of food or being able to cover a small distance each day in the epic journey.

Carson Blang, 12, said it put their own daily troubles in perspective.

Students asked Atem many questions, such as whether he remembered his parents  not as well as he would like, he said; whether they had to cross a river with crocodiles in it  they did, and many did not survive; and whether he ever saw his sister again. He did hear from her once over the phone in 2013. But he hasnt been able to return to find her, he said, because civil war has again broken out in South Sudan, making it dangerous to return now.
 The National Rifle Association is making policy with no Democrat in the White House to veto the madness. Hence, Donald Trump reversed a rule preventing gun purchases by the mentally ill. Can guns in bars and a national concealed-carry "right" be far behind?

 We have a businessman as chief executive. Government is not a business and shouldn't be run like one, but here we are. In the case of America, it is fittingly a developer instead of an ice-cream chain CEO. Arizonans only know the language of developers, so this should be familiar ground. So should the lack of competence by a president with absolutely no public-sector experience and his contempt for it.

 We're now a one-party nation, with the presidency, House, and Senate in the hands of hardcore right-wing Republicans. Soon the courts will be dominated by Federalist Society judges to validate whatever laws the GOP passes.

Outside of a few "elitist" blue enclaves, the United States is headed toward resembling the state we find revealed each week by journalists on Rogue's Arizona's Continuing Crisis . Let me count the ways:

 Ideology, rather than pragmatism, rules. As a result, taxes must always be cut, regulations must always be rolled back and minimal, government is the enemy and must be under-funded to a level to ensure its failure and produce the feedback loop proving its worthlessness. This has proved catastrophic for Arizona where, for example, infrastructure is decades behind needs. Nationally, we're still feeling the consequences of the Reagan and W tax and funding cuts. Now it's going to get really bad.

 The Democrats are powerless. Being in the minority sucks.

 Vote suppression is carried out to ensure the continued rule of the right, cloaked by the patina of democracy.

 The charter-school racket thrives. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is a champion of this doomsday machine for public education. When the New York Times sought an place that exemplified the disasters that policies such as tax vouchers produce, it naturally focused on Arizona.

 Kleptocracy sets in. For decades, politically connected Arizonans  even legislators  have enriched themselves by various hustles: charter schools, private prisons, building freeways long after they were needed, and especially the Real Estate Industrial Complex. Legislation, back-scratching, and shadowy deals such as public-land swaps ensured this. Trump's America is enriching the president like the head of a banana republic  he's already in violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution  and his crony capitalist gaggle, including ones such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with ties to Russia.

 Science and knowledge are sidelined. Arizona has spent decades cutting funding to its universities. It eagerly embraced Palinism, where pointy-headed intellectuals were "elitists" trying to tell Real Americans how to live their lives. Rigorous study of Arizona's water situation and vulnerabilities to climate change can get a person kicked out of the state. Now it's national policy. Trump is a denier of mainstream science on climate. NOAA, one of the premier agencies keeping track of climate change, is already being defunded by Trump. It's a sign of what's to come. Trump doesn't read books.

 "Enemies" must be identified and silenced or sidelined. Arizona doesn't like boat-rockers. Even newspaper columnists who hope to remain viable must stay within the invisible fence (for example, don't write about sprawl, water, or history). It's sunny! Why wouldn't you want to go hiking Camelback on a 110-degree summer day? Raising questions labels one an enemy of this paradise, a helpful way for those in power to divert attention from what's really going on. "Talton hates Arizona." Now, Trump-Bannon are doing this on a monumental scale to usher in their new authoritarianism.

 Republicans believe in "local control" as a matter of faith  except when they don't. Hence, the Legislature has passed a slew of bills to constrain blue cities. The Tempe ban on plastic bags was quickly quashed. This is coming to the blue enclaves as Washington will seek to withdraw funding for sanctuary cities and any place that defies the New Order.

The consequences for Arizona are self-evident (and refreshed every week on this site)  and the local media have been so savaged by cuts, we don't even have a real picture of how bad things are. For the United States, the repercussions will be infinitely greater, made more sinister by the treason committed by Trump and his band of quislings. The destruction will not be repaired in my lifetime.
A severe hail and wind storm that swept through the Madison area in late September resulted in $21 million in damage claims filed by American Family Insurance customers.

It was the Madison-based insurance companys third-largest event for storm damage claims last year and contributed to an overall 2016 total of $879 million in storm claims, a 20.4 percent increase from $730 million in 2015, American Family reported Tuesday during its annual meeting.

Despite the jump in storm claims, it did not top the companys record of $1.2 billion set in 2011, when a tornado swept through Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and causing more than $3 billion in property damage.

American Family was prepared to handle the claims, said Dan Kelly, the companys chief financial officer. Because of its size and 19-state service area, the company forecast its storm claims for 2016 would be closer to $1.1 billion and set aside the money to handle that potential volume.

For storms, it was a relatively mild year for us, Kelly said.

Even if American Family would have hit or exceeded its forecast of $1.1 billion in storm claims in 2016, policyholders were protected by another $7.8 billion in equity, the company said.

Nationally, severe weather resulted in $21 billion in property damage claims in 2016, according to the Insurance Information Institute based in New York. Thats up from $15 billion logged in both 2015 and 2014.

Hurricane Matthew, which hit coastal areas of the southeastern U.S. in October, caused an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion in damage, said James Lynch, chief actuary for the institute.

American Family in 2016 surpassed 10.2 million policies in force.

Its the first time ever we went over 10 million, Kelly said. Thats a number you do not want to pass more than once. We do not want to move backwards or drop below that. We want steady growth from there.

Kelly credits policy growth to a variety of factors including existing American Family policy holders buying additional plans and more policies being purchased at its other insurance businesses: Homesite of Boston and The General of Nashville, Tennessee. American Family acquired Homesite in 2013 for $616 million and PGC Holdings, which owns The General, in 2012 for $239 million.

We were very encouraged by all three of our brands experiencing growth, Kelly said. For the year, policyholder equity grew by $397 million.

While American Family traditionally signs up customers through agents, the acquisitions of Homesite and The General strengthened the companys position to reach customers online.

Lynch said a 2016 survey conducted by the institute found about 50 percent of insurance transactions conducted in 2015 were face-to-face and 39 percent were done online.

I guess its fair to say the (insurance) industry has done a good job of serving (online customers), Lynch said.

American Family has its sights set on growth. Policyholders overwhelming approval in December of American Familys move to a mutual holding company creates more flexibility to expand and offer new products.

According to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurances 2015 Wisconsin Insurance Report, American Family is the states market share leader in homeowners insurance at 20.6 percent, commercial insurance at 6.7 percent and auto insurance at 17.5 percent.

The data in the OCI report suggest some potential growth opportunities for American Family. In life insurance, American Family ranked fourth in market share at 3.2 percent, behind category leader Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.s 19.7 percent. In farmowners insurance, American Family ranked second with 13 percent market share, behind Rural Mutual Insurance Co., which controlled 35.1 percent of that sector.

Kelly said American Family has nothing on its immediate horizon in regard to another acquisition or launch of a new product.
Former Dane County Sheriffs Deputy Andrew Steele, who was found not legally responsible for the shooting deaths of his wife, Ashlee Steele, and her sister, Kacee Tollefsbol, in 2014, died Tuesday morning, said his lawyer, Jessa Nicholson Goetz.

Steele, 42, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect for the August 2014 deaths after a jury trial. Steele had pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide but not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

Nicholson Goetz said that Steele had been at UW Hospital for the past week after experiencing breathing complications and died there. The breathing problem is a common complication of ALS, she said. No extraordinary livesaving measures were taken at the hospital, she added.

Steeles death came on Tollefsbols birthday, which has caused mixed emotions, said Brad Putnam, brother of Tollefsbol and Ashlee Steele.

He said his family had planned to celebrate Tollefsbols birthday but then got word of Steeles death.

Once again, of course, Andys name comes up, Putnam said.

Putnam and his wife, Rachelle, have adopted the Steeles two children, and Putnam said theyre doing well and have adjusted to their new family and surroundings.

But with Steeles death, he said, we close the book on Andy. Maybe its selfish, but I hope hes in a horrible place, because he never apologized to us.

At a last meeting with Steele about a year ago, he said, the children said their goodbyes, and Putnam asked Steele to explain why he killed Ashlee Steele, 39, and Tollefsbol, 38. He said he came away with no answers but a sense that Steele knew much more than he had ever explained.

In January, a Dane County judge approved a plan that allowed Steele to live his remaining days with his parents at a home, the location of which was not disclosed at the time.

Nicholson Goetz said Tuesday that it was an apartment in Monona. Steele was receiving what Nicholson Goetz described as palliative care from his parents, which was something they were grateful to be able to do.

Steele had been kept at Mendota Mental Health Institute after he was committed in April 2015, then was ordered released from the institution in March 2016 after it was determined he no longer presented a threat to his own safety or that of others, due to the progression of his illness.

But it was difficult finding a care facility that would take Steele, due to the notoriety of his case.

ALS is a terminal neuromuscular disorder. Steele was diagnosed with the disease in June 2014, and then shot and killed his wife and sister-in-law on Aug. 22, 2014, at the Steele home in Fitchburg. He never told authorities why he killed them.

Nicholson Goetz said his family is not holding a funeral here but is planning a memorial service at a later date in Saginaw, Michigan, the Steele familys hometown.
China and India control 60% of all gold jewelry market globally Gold jewelry continues to appeal to different cultures throughout the world, with additional uses for the yellow metal, such as investment opportunities, flourishing in the face of adverse economic situations also remaining popular. Gold has many different...

Sibanye-Stillwaters SA PGMs output dips on power cuts Sibanye-Stillwaters platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold (4E) production from its South Africa Platinum Group Metals (PGM) operations was affected by power curtailment imposed by the national power utility, Eskom during the third quarter...

AngloGold Ashanti mulls 30% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030 AngloGold Ashanti has come up with a new carbon emissions reduction target which seeks to achieve a 30% absolute reduction in its Scope 1 and Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2030, as compared to 2021. This will be achieved through a combination...

Lucara Q3 revenue, output drop Lucara Diamond, which wholly owns the Karowe mine in Botswana, realised $49.9 million in revenues in the third quarter of 2022 compared to $72.7 million in the comparative quarter. The revenue includes $46.5 million from the sale of 99,301 carats and...
Lucapa Diamond said Lesotho has issued a new 10-year mining license to Mothae Diamonds for the Mothae kimberlite project.

The issuance of the mining license was one of the conditions precedent for Lucapa to acquire its 70 percent interest in Mothae Diamonds, it said in a statement.

The advanced Mothae kimberlite project had an indicated and inferred resource of 1 million carats and an inferred resource valuation of $1 billion.

Trial mining had identified that Mothae hosts large Type IIa diamonds, including individual stones up to 254 carats, as well as gem quality diamonds that have sold for up to $41,500 a carat.

Paragon Diamonds had initially finalised an agreement with Mothaes previous majority owner, Lucara Diamond, to purchase its 75 percent stake in the project for $8.5-million, but failed to raise the funds.

Lucara, however, completed the transfer of its shares of Mothae and the Mothae site bulk sample plant last March to the Government of Lesotho, which saw it being released from all liabilities relating to the rehabilitation of the project.

Meanwhile, Lucapa said Lesothos mines ministry recently received a legal challenge against the award of the tender for Mothae Diamonds.

However, the company was advised by the mines ministry that the challenge was unfounded, without merit and is being vigorously defended.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Mulling whether to extend production at its Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia, Rio Tinto has announced that it has reduced its mineral resources estimate for the project.

In a statement recently, Rio Tinto said that the estimated mineral resources, which is the volume of material that can be extracted for economic purposes, dropped sharply last year. The company reduced the estimate by 66 percent to 15 million tonnes in 2016.

Rio Tinto said that this is due to an ongoing review of potential mine-life extension options and restricts reported resources to that component of the known mineralization which may be developed, mined and processed within the current operational mine life".

However, the mining major pointed out that production at the Argyle mine will continue until 2021.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Productivity remains number one operational challenge for the industry as it has dropped by 30% over the last decade, said Mark Cutifani, CEO of Anglo American, in his speech at the Prospectors and Developers association of Canada convention.

Cutifani reported that since 2012 Anglo American has increased its productivity by 41%, delivering 8% more product, from a 1/3 fewer assets. The number of environmental incidents has decreased by 87%.

Anglo American has also reduced its net debt by 34% in a year, said Cutifani. He outlined the importance to show resilience through our balance sheets, acting responsibly and understanding that increased macro, geopolitical and other uncertainties require greater operational discipline, and a different approach to the way we develop and finance our businesses.



Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels




The final decision on Kristall Smolensk privatization remains unclear despite the fact that the company is in the list for 2017-2019 state enterprises privatization plan.

Maxim Shkadov, CEO of Kristall Smolensk, said: "Russian government approves a forecast plan for the privatization of enterprises for a certain period. In February this year, shares of our enterprise were included in this forecast plan[Meanwhile], during the 2014-2016 privatization period our shares have also been included in the plan, but no further action was taken."

According to Shkadov, the Ministry of Economic Development and Federal Property Management Agency which own the Kristall Smolensk said there are no plans and specific options for its privatization.

Shkadov believes that the best option for Kristall is to be purchased by the diamond producer ALROSA since there are few investors who wish to finance the diamond cutting company.

"In our opinion, the purchase of the company's shares can only be carried out by a strategic investor [ALROSA]," Shkadov notes. "And that would be a logical step, since the rough diamond producer must work closely with the manufacturer to monitor all the processes that are taking place on the market."

Shkadov added: "Recently, a new president of ALROSA was named, and we hope to find a common ground with its new management."



Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow




The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), which was set up early last year, following the removal of several diamond mining companies in Marange, has fired its acting chief executive Ridge Nyashanu.

He was replaced by Morris Mpofu, who was the head of the exchange control unit at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).

The Zimbabwe Independent reports that Nyashanu was relieved of his duties as the company had been registering poor production and revenue.

ZCDC produced about 900,000 carats last year from peak figures of 12 million carats annually.

The dismissal of Nyashanu came few months after the ZCDC fired its former chief executive Mark Mabhudhu under unclear circumstances, the weekly reports.

Nyashanu was fired last [Wednesday] and a police report has been made because he went with a company vehicle (Mercedes Benz GL), a source was quoted as saying.

Zimbabwes mines minister Walter Chidhakwa told Rough & Polished last month that the actual consolidation of diamond mining was yet to be concluded because of the legal fights and the protracted time it had taken negotiating with the previous Marange miners.

It has taken much longer than we anticipated [reaching] an agreement on these matters but I am happy to say that we are now finalising the matters, he said.

Chidhakwa said Zimbabwe was planning to produce 500 000 carats per month in Marange by end of this year.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Presenting what looked and sounded like an argument intended for a jury, lawyers for the family of Tony Robinson, the 19-year-old man shot two death two years ago by a Madison police officer, said Monday that nothing the officer said after the shooting matched the evidence at the scene.

Instead, the lawyers argued that Madison police and the city should revisit Robinsons shooting death so that appropriate actions and reforms can come from it.

Were not out to demonize or go on a hunt, but we think its important for this information to be known, said Anand Swaminathan, one of the lawyers who represented Robinsons family in its civil lawsuit against Officer Matt Kenny and the city of Madison.

The entire argument and supporting documents are detailed on a website, tonyrobinsonshooting.com.

The city was dismissed from the lawsuit by a federal judge, but the citys insurance company, which represented Kenny, settled with Robinsons family last month for $3.35 million, the largest settlement in state history for a police shooting.

The settlement headed off a trial that was to have started on Feb. 27.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval and Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, have criticized the settlement, saying it deprived Kenny of his day in court. Palmer again said on Monday that Kenny has been repeatedly exonerated, and said the entire file in the investigation has been available to the public for nearly two years.

It is more than a little mystifying how some can claim bias on the part of the law enforcement agencies that investigated this matter while touting the alternative facts and theories asserted by people on the Robinson family payroll, Palmer said in a statement Monday.

We also find it difficult to reconcile the Robinson familys efforts to try their case in the court of public opinion when they settled to stay out of a court of law, he added. If the Robinson family felt as confident about their claims as they suggest, then they shouldnt have agreed to a settlement.

A story told

But Swaminathan said that based on forensic evidence, video and audio evidence, expert opinions and witness statements, events could not have happened as Kenny described them. Analysis of the evidence by lawyers for Robinsons family cast doubt on whether Kenny was attacked at all by Robinson in the stairwell 1125 Williamson St., as he told investigators.

The attack, Kenny told investigators, prompted him to fire one barrage of shots into Robinson at close range at the top of the stairs, and another barrage at the bottom of the stairs, where he said Robinson had aggressed toward him.

For two years, its been a story told about how Tony Robinson attacked a police officer and got shot, Swaminathan said.

The defense theory was first laid out back in November, in a court document opposing Kennys request that the lawsuit against him be dismissed. Instead of an attack against Kenny by Robinson, Swaminathan said, Kenny first shot Robinson from the bottom of the stairs, as Robinson came down from the top of the stairs, possibly after tripping on something. The reason for firing the shot, Swaminathan said, was simply the presence of Tony Robinson in the stairwell.

Those initial three shots, Swaminathan said, show none of the tell-tale stippling or contact burns that are seen in the kind of close-range shots that Kenny described firing during close contact with Robinson.

Once Robinson was at the bottom of the stairs, Swaminathan said, hes in a more or less seated position, his feet just out the door to the porch at the bottom of the stairs, where Kenny fired four more shots  the ones that killed him. Those shots were fired at close range, he said, and show stippling and burning characteristic of shots fired from less than 4 feet away.

Shell casings from Kennys gun all were also found at the bottom of the stairs or just outside the stairwell door, he said.

Evidence of attack?

Theres also little to no evidence that Kenny was attacked, Swaminathan said. Kenny cited a dent in the drywall at the top of the stairs caused by his head, and initially claimed he might have suffered a concussion. But Swaminathan said the dent could have been in the wall before and seized upon by Kenny when he was allowed to walk through the scene after the shooting. He said Kenny also presented no medical evidence that he had sustained a concussion.

Also cited was video from the squad cars dashboard camera, showing Kenny entering and exiting the stairwell, and firing gunshots into the stairwell. When synced with audio from another officers audio recorder, Swaminathan said, Kennys claim that he had identified himself as a police officer when he entered, and that Robinson had mocked Kennys presence, falls apart. Swaminathan also said that a downstairs neighbor who heard the shots also did not hear voices before the shots were fired.

Swaminathan said that none of the inconsistencies in Kennys story were truly investigated until after the lawsuit was filed, and then only by lawyers for the Robinson family.

David Owens, another lawyer for Robinsons family, said the city chose not to adequately investigate inconsistencies in Kennys account.

Thats the reason were here, to try to bridge the informational gap, Owens said.
Kid Rock made a special guest appearance alongside Chris Janson for a medley during a recent show in Florida. The show took place in West Palm Beach, Florida and found the two connecting for the tracks "Buy Me a Boat" and "Cowboy."

The performance comes at a busy time for Rock, who also made recent headlines with news that he is being considered as a Republican contender for Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow's Senate seat next year.

According to Roll Call, Rock's name was brought up at a Michigan Republican Party convention last month. There have been no official decisions announced yet. Rock has been a vocal supporter of Republican candidates, having described his as "more libertarian."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Entertainment News
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Tuesday said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the San Jose, California -based Nimble Storage, a provider of predictive all-flash and hybrid-flash storage solutions.

As per the agreement, HPE will pay $12.50 per share in cash with a net cash purchase price of $1.0 billion. A subsidiary of HPE will commence a tender offer to purchase the outstanding shares of Nimble common stock. HPE will also assume or pay out Nimble's unvested equity awards, with a value of approximately $200 million at closing.

The deal is expected to be accretive to HPE earnings in the first full fiscal year following the close. The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in April.

Nimble will merge with a subsidiary of HPE and become a wholly owned subsidiary of HPE. Following the completion of the transaction, Nimble shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

HPE said Nimble's predictive flash offerings for the entry to midrange segments are complementary to its scalable midrange to high-end 3PAR solutions and affordable MSA products.

Nimble, founded in 2007, has around 1,300 employees worldwide.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Yemen's army continues targeting Saudi military sites, its mercenaries

div style="text-align: left;">SANA'A, March 07 (Saba)  The army and popular forces have continued targeting military sites of the Saudi enemy, its gatherings and its Saudi-paid mercenaries in different fronts.



Three Saudi soldiers were killed when the army and popular forces hit their military vehicle nearby al-Ash in Najran.



The artillery of the army and popular forces pounded al-Thab'ah and al-Ash sites, causing direct injury at their ranks.



The army and popular forces launched Sumod rocket on Saudi gatherings at Rajla military camp in Najran.



The sniper unit of the army and popular forces shot dead two Saudi soldiers in Aleeb highways in Najran.



A Saudi solider was shot dead in Aleb border crossing an two others at al-Nemsa Control in Aser.



Two Saudi soldiers were also shot dead at al-Dukhan site.



The army and popular forces pounded al-Rabu'ah complex, al-Muntazah site, al-Hajez site and Aleeb center in Aser.



Meanwhile, the army and popular forces repulsed an attempt to move towards Yam Mount by Saudi-paid mercenaries. A number of mercenaries were killed or injured in the attempt.



The army and popular forces launched Organ rocket at Saudi-paid mercenaries' gatherings behind Naqeel-Fardhat-Nehm district.



Five Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed in al-Majaweha area in Nehm district. In addition, dozens of mercenaries have been killed when the army and popular forces targeted their ordnance in Mocha district in Taiz province.



HA





[07/March/2017]Saba
A man known to a 4-year-old girl as Uncle Ron was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for sexually assaulting the girl while he was supposed to be caring for her while the girls mother worked.

Ronald L. Mikkelson, 74, of Madison, who is not related to the girl but was a trusted friend of her mother, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault of a child, and three years for sexual exploitation of a child. He also received a concurrent three-year sentence for possession of child pornography.

He pleaded guilty to the crimes in September.

The sentence, handed down by Dane County Circuit Judge William Hanrahan, was longer than the 18-year sentence sought by Assistant District Attorney Rachel Sattler. Mikkelsons lawyer, state Assistant Public Defender Stan Woodard, sought a sentence of three to five years behind bars, citing, among other things, Mikkelsons recent health.

The girls aunt, reading a statement to Hanrahan from the girls mother, said that the sexual abuse Mikkelson inflicted on the girl has changed her from a happy child to one who doesnt trust easily and avoids hugs and affection.

How do I put into words the depth of what that monster did to my daughter? the girls mother asked in her statement.

According to a criminal complaint, Mikkelson had done odd jobs at the place where the girls mother works, and later the girls mother would let the girl stay at Mikkelsons home in the 1400 block of MacArthur Road while she was at work.

On March 15, the girl told her mother that she had been naked with Mikkelson and that he had touched her private areas. The girl also said that Mikkelson took pictures of her. Sattler told Hanrahan that pictures of the girl, along with nude pictures of Mikkelson, taken by the girl, were recovered by police. Sattler called the images disturbing.

Mikkelson, a former insurance agent and stockbroker, previously served time in prison for financial crimes after convictions in Dane and Green counties.
By SA Commercial Prop News

North West Health MEC Dr Magome Masike



The North West Health Department will this financial year launch Primary Healthcare Re-engineering to substantially improve waiting times and reduce the workload in the system, Health MEC Dr Magome Masike announced.

Presenting the department's R6 959 308 budget vote and policy speech on Tuesday for the 2012/13 financial year, Masike said Primary Healthcare (PHC) Re-engineering was about improving the quality of care given to citizens.

He noted that public health studies have shown that out of 100 patients, only five need to see a doctor and 40% - 60% of patients seen in hospitals could receive optimal care at PHC level.

"The implementation of this massive programme is in motion and our foot soldiers are already on the ground doing work and changing lives. There is hope and our people are beginning to see what we mean when we talk about taking healthcare services closer to them," Masike said.

Efforts to reduce maternal and child death were still a high priority for the department. Masike was concerned about the significant proportion of women (about 16%), who currently delivered babies outside health facilities. He committed his department to intensify efforts to improve delivery within healthcare facilities, so that mothers have access to professional healthcare during delivery.

The department has also prioritised purchasing obstetric ambulances, which will be used to transport women who are in labour to facilities with maternity services. Paediatric services will also be improved.

"Integrated management of childhood illnesses remains a key strategy for managing our children and we will now put more emphasis on monitoring implementation," Masike said, adding that the department intended to roll out a programme to identify health problems in children at all hospitals where children are managed.

Basic antenatal care (BAC) sites will be increased from 169 to 219.

In a bid to improve response time, the department was planning to establish and fund the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS).

"We are on course to re-engineer emergency medical services by training, discipline, access and communication to improve the response times of ambulances to all communities to be in line with national targets.

"National Treasury has just awarded a tender for aeromedical services, which is going to be used for specialised services in remote areas... Some of our patients in remote areas are in urgent need of specialised services. A specialist will be sent to them via aeromedical services," said Masike.

Focus will also be on reviving school healthcare services and sending outreach teams to patients' homes. This, Masike said, would substantially improve waiting times and reduce the workload at the secondary level of care.
The Madison Plan Commission approved plans Monday for the expansion of a private West Side religious school.

Lighthouse Christian School is looking to convert an office building on the city's Southwest Side that will offer more space than is currently available at Lighthouse Church, 5202 Regent St. The proposed renovation calls for creating about 19 classrooms, two bathrooms, a computer room, gymnasium and chapel in the 37,000-square-foot building at 6400 Schroeder Road.

The school currently enrolls 93 students from grades 4K through six, but school officials aim to increase enrollment to about 260 students by the 2022-23 school year. They want to add grades seven and eight by 2018-19.

Lighthouse is the first and only private school in Dane County to participate in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which provides financial aid for income-eligible families who want to send their children to private schools. More than half of current students attend on state vouchers.

The plans call for an enclosed 3,000-square-foot play area to be built on the property, while existing features of the building, such as some offices, a cafeteria and kitchen, will remain.

If approved by the City Council, officials hope to move to the new location by the fall.
An air ambulance, hired by Medanta Hospital, had crashlanded near Bangkok on Sunday, killing one of its pilots, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.

"The Air Ambulance of Medanta Hospital with five member crew caught fire and crashlanded near Bangkok. The injured were shifted to Bangkok Hospital by Army helicopters," she tweeted on Monday.

In a series of tweets, she said that the Indian mission was extending all possible assistance.

"Our Mission has just informed me that we have lost pilot of the Air Ambulance Arunaksha Nandy. Dr.Shailendra and Dr.Komal are in the ICU. The other two have sustained minor injuries.

"Our Mission is extending them all help and assistance. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," she added.

The Thailand-bound air ambulance of Medanta hospital from New Delhi with five on board had crash-landed at Nakhon Pathom Airport near Bangkok on Sunday.

The private air charter being operated on the Pilatus Aircraft PC12 VT-AVG was operating a medical flight.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday presented the visitor's award for the best university to Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University while noting the research activities in the Central universities should align with the developmental challenges of the country.

He also urged all the universities to continue the good work and use their "best minds" to convert new knowledge into innovative products to directly benefit the common population.

"Innovative minds should create tools and implements that alleviate the drudgery of farmers, workers, artisans and weavers. The number one barometer for successful outcome of research and innovation should be its beneficial applicability to a wider section of the population.

"The areas for research activity should align with the developmental challenges of our nation. The best minds in our universities should apply themselves to work out solutions in areas like sanitation, urban transportation, sewage disposal, clean river systems, healthcare and drought-resistant farming," Mukherjee said.

On JNU, he said it has "been adjudged the best university for its unrelenting pursuit of academic excellence. It has shown outstanding performance in all key parameters like quality of students and faculty, training of faculty, citations, publications, research projects, foreign collaborations, seminars and innovation exhibitions".

The President also presented the visitor's award for innovation to Deepak Pant, department of Environmental Science, Himachal Pradesh University for developing a reactor for direct conversion of waste plastic to LPG in small scale.

The visitor's award for research was jointly received by Shyam Sunder, department of Medicine, Banaras Hindu University for his work in the area of diagnosis and treatment of Indian Kala-azar and Niranjan Karak, department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University for development of renewable resource based bio-degradable hyper-branched polymer nano-composites.

The President further said that the honours recognise the single-minded devotion and painstaking work in the pursuit of excellence of the winners.
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a revised version of his executive order on immigration, that places a 90-day ban on people from six predominantly Muslim nations.

The new order, which excludes Iraq from the original list of seven countries, will go into effect from March 16. The executive order bars citizens from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering America for 90 days.

President Trump signed the new order behind closed doors around 11:30 a.m., NBC reported.

Iraq was removed from the list after assurances from the Iraqi government of increased information sharing with the US, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told reporters on Monday.

Visas revoked because of the original travel ban have been fully restored, according to the State Department.

"To our allies and partners around the word, please understand this order is part of our ongoing efforts to eliminate vulnerabilities that radical Islamic terrorists can and will exploit for destructive ends," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after the executive order's signing.

Tillerson, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled the order in front of reporters.

The directive includes a 120-day ban on all refugees.

A three-judge panel from the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals had in early February ruled unanimously to uphold a federal judge's restraining order on the travel ban, delaying the executive order's implementation.

Kelly said the US needed a "rigorous review" of visa and refugee programmes. "We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives," he said.

The earlier order had sparked chaos at airports around the world as airlines refused to let passengers with visas on to flights bound for the US.
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 to defend their national championship this past season.
Public health officials are looking for information regarding two dog bite incidents, one on Saturday in a county park and the other on Monday on Monroe Street.

Public Health Madison and Dane County issued two notices on Tuesday, with anyone having information asked to call the animal services officer, 255-2345.

The first dog bite incident happened at about 9 a.m. Saturday at Prairie Moraine County Park, a huge dog park just south of Verona.

A woman jogger said she was bitten by a dog with curly white fur, weighing about 35 pounds. The dog was with a 35- to 40-year-old woman wearing a hat and mint green jacket. She had a second dog with her.

In the second incident, a woman was bitten Monday at about 5:30 p.m. by a dog tied outside Trader Joe's, 1810 Monroe St., on Madison's West Side.

The dog is medium-sized, with red and cream fur. The owner was a man, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, wearing glasses and a large set of headphones.
After roaring in 2016, the energy sector seems to have stalled so far this year.

But a top strategist for UBS Wealth Management Research thinks within the next three to four months, oil prices may increase by as much as about $10 a barrel.

I think some investors are content to lock in 2016 gains but that is not what were recommending, said Nicole Decker, energy sector analyst for energy, in a telephone interview last week from her office in New York City.

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We believe the oil market will continue to tighten in 2017, providing further support for oil prices and also support for energy equities.

Back in November, oil prices rallied after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to cut production for the first time in eight years. But since then, prices have flattened.

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude  the benchmark price for most oil produced in the U.S.  jumped in the wake of OPECs announcement but since then the price has stalled in the low-to-mid $50 a barrel range. On Tuesday, U.S. crude lost 6 cents to close at $53.14 a barrel in New York.

Many analysts and U.S. oil producers were skeptical that OPEC members would stick to their commitments to curtail production. In the past, it was not unusual for some of the cartels members to cheat. But a series of reports have indicated OPEC has largely adhered to its targets, with Saudi Arabia taking the largest cuts.

Cutting production leads to reducing supply, which helps raise prices. And global oil prices swooned from over $100 a barrel in the summer of 2014 to $26 in February of 2016.

Pointing to the OPEC reductions, Decker said, Near term, we see the price of West Texas Intermediate rising potentially as high as $63 a barrel.

Russia is not a member of OPEC but said last November it would join in the production cut. There has been some question whether the Russians were sincere but on Monday the countrys energy minister said that by late April the country will achieve its agreed-to cut of 300,000 barrels per day.

But at the same time, there are other indications that supplies are heading in the opposite direction.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) came out with its Short-Term Energy Outlook and anticipated domestic oil output growing, led by increased drilling in the Permian shale region of West Texas and eastern New Mexico.

EIA forecasts domestic oil prices to average $54 a barrel for this year and $56 a barrel in 2018.

Decker said UBS doesnt expect to see significant growth in U.S. production in the first half of this year but does anticipate production to rise in the second half of the year.

Its going to be a tale of two halves in 2017, Decker said. We dont expect a wall of new supply but we do expect U.S. production to rise but not enough to cause the market to dip back into an oversupply situation.

As a result, Decker said prices could return to the mid-$50-a-barrel range in the second half of the year after hitting the aforementioned $63 potential high.

But other energy observers have worried that any OPEC cuts would be canceled out by rises in production by U.S. producers.

I remind them that global demand is rising, Decker said. We have conservatively estimated 1.2 million barrels a day of global demand growth.

Though U.S. oil producers have been hurt by the low-price environment, many have proven surprisingly resilient and have been able to survive and even make money with prices in the $50-a-barrel range.

Decker sees opportunities for investors predominantly in the exploration and production and the oil services sub-sectors.

The trends have pointed to fundamental improvement and ultimate rebalancing in the oil market, Decker said. I dont think the market is appreciating the potential magnitude of the inventory draws that we might see in the coming weeks  I think investors who have kind of rotated away from energy may revisit.

Speaking of revisiting, OPEC meets in late May, when its members are slated to discuss whether to continue the cartels production curtailment or not.

At an energy conference in Houston on Tuesday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said, OPEC obviously will not indefinitely reduce its production and market share to make room for U.S. producers who ramp up production too aggressively.

So we need to find that balance and grow in line with the market, Falih told CNBC.

Business

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

ALSO

OPEC agrees to curtail production

Trump figures to be a friend to the oil industry, but not across the board
Nearly 450 Steele Canyon Charter High School students filled the campus theater on Monday morning to accept a nationwide award for efforts to help end violence and bullying.

Nicole Hockley presented the school a certificate and a check for $2,500 on behalf of Sandy Hook Promise, a group she co-founded after her 6-year-old son was killed in a 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The nonprofit organization focuses on preventing violence before it happens. It works to educate students, parents, schools and communities on mental health and wellness programs that identify, intervene and help at-risk individuals.

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Several hundred high schools and middle schools from around the United States are involved in Sandy Hook Promises annual Say Something Call To Action Week. Students learn how to be upstanders in their community instead of bystanders, Hockley said.

The week-long events involve activities and events to encourage communication between students and teachers, empowering them to care for one another and speak up when something concerns them.

Steele Canyon students received the Best Overall school award for their call to action event Oct. 24-28. It included poster making, creating and producing videos, dress-up days, lunchtime activities and wristbands that read SAY SOMETHING.

You continue to inspire and amaze me, Hockley told the students. You are a very special group of people. I appreciate you for all the work you have done.

Hockleys son, Dylan, was one of 20 students shot and killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also killed his mother and six adults at the school before committing suicide.

Hockley came to Steele Canyon last year when the school finished as runners-up for the award in 2015.

Steele Canyon physics teacher Pamela Ostermann shared a story of how her son was saved from committing suicide because of the action taken by people who cared enough to speak up and help him.

You guys are my heroes, Ostermann told the students. You have no idea how amazing a word or an action can be, how it can affect the lives of everyone in this community.
For the 37th straight year, the Arbor Day Foundation has named La Mesa Tree City USA.

Were very fortunate to have lots of trees, said City Councilwoman Kristine Alessio. We care about our trees and we treasure them.

And they count them.

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La Mesa Assistant City Manager Greg Humora says the city keeps track of trees in its parks and rights-of-way, and it counts 10,014 in its inventory.

The city is one of 10 in San Diego County to get the title, joined by East County neighbors El Cajon and Santee, and the city of San Diego.

The designation is given to cities, towns and military bases around the country that are committed to urban forestry.

To be considered, four requirements must be met:

A community must have a tree board or department (La Mesa has an Environmental Sustainability Commission)

It must have established a community ordinance for tree care

It must have a community forestry program

And of course, an Arbor Day observance and proclamation

The Tree City USA program includes more than 3,400 towns, cities and military bases in the U.S.

Santee and El Cajon will each also be recognized as a Tree City USA later this year.

So what is La Mesas No. 1 species? The queen palm, with 1,243.

Every tree has an estimated value based on species, size and age, Humora said.

He estimated La Mesas trees are worth more than $21 million.

Humora said the palms are the most labor intensive and need to be maintained annually. Other trees are trimmed and thinned about every seven years.

The more trees you have, the better the air quality, said Councilwoman Alessio. And theres nothing like mature trees to give a neighborhood character.

Santee will have 15 years as a Tree City when it is honored this year. Santee has 9,000 trees inventoried and maintained in parks, rights-of-ways and landscape districts.

Bill Maertz, director of community services, said Santee also has 1,000 acres of riparian habitat, which averages between 100 and 150 trees per acre, along the San Diego River.

El Cajon will celebrate 20 years as a Tree City USA at its annual Arbor Day ceremony on March 25.

City spokeswoman Monica Zech said the city owns 6,510 trees, and it will plant 20 more trees that day at Kennedy Park in honor of the Tree City USA designation.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization whose mission is to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. The Tree City USA program is co-sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
The aunt of Carlsbad woman accused in a failed murder-for-hire plot testified in a Vista courtroom Monday that her niece had once asked if she knew someone who would scare or kill her estranged husband.

The alleged conversation, perhaps a year or so before the nieces husband was shot by a sniper, began when the niece, Diana Lovejoy, told her aunt how frightened she was of her husband, and that she suspected he was abusing their son.

She said Aunt Diana, do you know anyone who could do that, either scare him or kill him? Diana Clark said.

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Clarks testimony came on the second day of a preliminary hearing for Lovejoy and her gun instructor, Weldon McDavid. At the end of the hearing, Superior Court Judge Robert Kearney found that enough evidence existed to order the pair to face trial.

They have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and attempted murder in the attack on Lovejoys husband, which took place about 11 p.m. on Sept. 1 along a dark dirt road in Carlsbad. A suspicious call from a burner phone had lured the victim, Greg Mulvihill, to the area.

Attorneys for both defendants said there is no evidence of any agreement to kill Mulvihill.

Lovejoy and Mulvihill were in the middle of a contentious divorce and bitter custody battle. She met McDavid weeks before the shooting, while learning how to shoot a gun at a local gun range. He installed a security system in her home.

Police arrested the pair about a week after the shooting, after cell phone records and video surveillance led Carlsbad police first to Lovejoy, then to McDavid. Each remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail.

Related

Hearing starts for woman, gun instructor accused of attempted murder

In court Monday, an emotional Clark took the stand and recounted the alleged conversation with Lovejoy, an exchange she said had left her shocked and taken aback.

And beyond the moral and ethical concerns, Clark said, I told her it was a remarkably dumb idea. She would never be able to get away with it.

Clarks testimony was unexpected; investigators first learned just last week of Lovejoys alleged conversation with Clark. It is unclear how they heard about it, and Clark initially denied that Lovejoy had mentioned wanting someone to scare or hurt husband.

But moments before court started Monday morning  and moments after denying the conversation had happened  Clark spoke to the prosecutor and admitted she had not been truthful.

I couldnt open my throat to say those words, Clark said of the initial denial.

Also on Monday, Carlsbad police Detective Scott Stallman testified that while Lovejoy had initially denied any physical relationship with McDavid, she later told him theyd had sexual relations a couple of times.

Before testimony started on Monday, both defense attorneys challenged the legality of their clients statements to police after they were read their Miranda rights, and asked the statements be tossed out. Kearney denied the request.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
The Eastlake Post Office was dedicated this week in honor of San Diego police officer Jonathan De Guzman, who was shot and killed while on duty last year .

De Guzmans son Jed said the dedication is a big deal for his family because it preserves his fathers legacy.

My fathers name will be a reminder of the sacrifices police officers and other first-responders make to keep people safe, he said.

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Mondays ceremony was the result of efforts by U.S. Rep. Susan Davis, who pushed for a bill to be passed for the dedication of the Jonathan J.D. De Guzman Post Office Building at 830 Kuhn Drive in Chula Vista.

Davis introduced the legislation in September. It was approved on Dec. 16 and signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

The dedication was attended by hundreds of regional law enforcement officials, local dignitaries and members of De Guzmans family, including his mother, widow Mary Jane, son Jed and daughter Amira.

De Guzman, 43, was a 16-year-veteran of the San Diego Police Department.

He was hired in October 2000 and assigned to the Mid-City patrol division.

San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman described De Guzman as thoughtful, kind, compassionate and caring to everyone he met.

He was also a good cop right out the gate.

On his very first day he caught a suspect that was wanted for a series of robberies, Zimmerman said.

In 2003, De Guzman was awarded the purple heart after a man hed pulled over during a traffic stop got out of his car and charged De Guzman, stabbing him in the arm with a knife.

J.D. never wavered in his commitment, he never questioned his decision as to why he became a police officer, the police chief said.

De Guzman became a member of the Police Departments gang suppression team in 2010, and the unit received a meritorious service award for bravery during life-threatening circumstances during an incident involving a man armed with explosives and other firearms.

Zimmerman said De Guzman fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2015 by becoming a member of the departments SWAT team.

On July 28, 2016, De Guzman was shot multiple times at point blank range during a pedestrian traffic stop in the Southcrest neighborhood. His partner, Officer Wade Irwin, was also wounded.

It may have been J.D.s final moments that made headlines, but it will be the way that J.D. cared for people that will ensure his legacy...will live on forever, Zimmerman said.

Other dignitaries in attendance included David Bejarano, former police chief for the Chula Vista and San Diego police departments, Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.
A good number of attendees at Friday nights GreenFest concert at San Diego State University enthusiastically sang along when rap star YG performed his popular 2016 protest anthem F--- Donald Trump.

However, contrary to reports Monday in Billboard magazine and other national media outlets, YG did not breach his contract or forfeit his approximately $60,000 concert fee by performing his anti-Trump song.

At SDSUs GreenFest concert this weekend, the song in question was played by YG and he was paid for his performance that evening, SDSU Interim Chief Communications Officer Gina Jacobs told the Union-Tribune Monday afternoon, via email.

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The concert was for SDSU students only. He was paid the contracted amount.

In response to further questions from the Union-Tribune, Jacobs said in an email: That is all the information I can provide.

Fridays concert also featured San Diego rapper Rob Stone. Formerly known as Aztec Nights, the annual GreenFest event is designed to encourage, celebrate, and advocate for sustainability, SDSU Pride, and diversity

Speaking anonymously, because they were not authorized to publicly comment, a source familiar with the event said SDSUs Associated Students had requested in advance that YG, 26, not perform his Trump song. When the rapper (real name: Keenon Jackson) objected, a conversation ensued that eventually led to the students withdrawing their request he not include the song at his Friday concert here.

However, fueling a fast-spreading urban legend that YG may have helped spark with his on-stage comments Friday, some hip-hop fans posted comments on social media praising him as a free-speech advocate who willingly opted to forego his $60,000 fee and perform the song here.

I have so much respect for @YG now. Bro really didnt care that my school didnt want him to rap FDT, one fan tweeted.

YG really broke a 60k contract to play FDT... This man my idol, another tweeted.

Shout out to @YG for playing FDT even though it means he wont get paid. Not just bc its a good song but its relevant and important, posted another fan.

Another fan wrote: SDSU: Hey YG, you will not get paid your 60k if you play FDT

YG : plays FDT anyway

Representatives for YG did not respond to a request for comment.

Twitter @georgevarga

george.varga@sduniontribune.com
For a stage actor, appearing in a Broadway show can be a dream come true.

Appearing in the road production of a Broadway show? That can be fun, too  but you still dont hear many theater artists say they were born to tour.

Meryn Beckett, though, can go that one better: The San Diego Junior Theatre-trained actor and Kinky Boots cast member was just about born on tour.

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Fun fact: About six months after I was born, my dad booked the national tour of (the musical) Anything Goes,  Beckett explains. And when he got it, he was like, Well, theres one catch: I just had a baby, so if youll take my wife and kid on the tour, Ill do it.

And they agreed. So I spent the first year of my life on a national tour.

David Beckett, who died in 2011, was my mentor, he was my everything, in terms of teaching and training and all that, his daughter says now.

And because of his influence and that very early touring experience, part of me feels it was ingrained in me to do it at some point for myself, she adds.

Kinky Boots

When: 7:30 p.m. today; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday.

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown.

Tickets: About $22-$116

Phone: (619) 570-1100

Online: broadwaysd.com

Beckett is talking by phone from Calgary, a couple of tour stops before the arrival of Kinky Boots in San Diego for a quick four-day run.

Its the second time through town for the Tony Award-winning 2013 musical, which tells the real-life-inspired story of a failing British shoe factory that shifts to making high-heeled, fab footwear for men. (The show is scored by the pop star Cyndi Lauper and adapted from the 2005 movie by the actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein.)

Its the first chance, though, for Beckett to perform on a big professional stage in San Diego since the Coronado School of the Arts grad left for the Boston Conservatory a decade ago.

Starting at age 7, Beckett spent 11 years performing in shows at Junior Theatre, the pioneering youth company that has trained numerous Broadway stars-to-be.

It was definitely what shaped me and pushed me and really honed the beginning of my (career), and ultimately helped me decide this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, Beckett says of her JT experience.

Her story might be especially heartening for those devoted souls who do show after show in the ensemble: Although Beckett is now in a big Broadway touring company, she didnt land a major role on JTs Balboa Park mainstage until her final show, a production of Grease.

That kind of humble dedication  and versatility  serves Beckett well in Kinky Boots. Shes a swing in the show, which means she has to be ready before every performance to play any one of five female roles.

There have been times when Ive gone six weeks without going on, she says. And there are times when Im on in every other show. (Beckett, whos also the shows assistant dance captain, is confirmed to appear in Friday evenings performance.)

But getting to experience the show from the different womens perspectives  its such an honor to do that, Beckett says.

Ultimately, its been one of the most rewarding things for me.

Did you know?

Kinky Boots costume designer and Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes is a San Diego native and Junior Theatre alumnus.

Twitter: @jimhebert

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
Authorities on Monday continued their investigation into whether active-duty Marines and Navy corpsmen used a secret online forum to share salacious images of female service members, glorify sexual violence and threaten reprisals against the journalist who reported the misconduct.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents began interviewing potential victims of the cyber harassment posted on Marines United, a closed Facebook group that attracted about 30,000 followers before it was shut down over the weekend at the Pentagons request, Marine officials told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

They also urged possible victims to call designated hotlines to offer information for the investigation and receive counseling or related support services.

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The scope of the scandal  hundreds of obscene photos and the forums large membership  raises questions of whether sexism still runs rampant in the U.S. military despite a high-profile campaign in recent years to cement womens place as equals.

Yes, gender relations have improved exponentially in the military, but that doesnt mean that its enough. This (misconduct is still) happening, said Shawn VanDiver, San Diego chapter director of the Truman National Security Project and a recent Navy veteran.

The controversy was first reported Saturday by the nonprofit news site The War Horse in concert with Reveal, part of the Center for Investigative Reporting. The reporter, Purple Heart recipient Thomas Brennan, said in the aftermath of his story that Marines United members have sought photographs of his daughter, threatened to rape his wife and hinted that he should be killed, too.

The predatory behavior displayed on Marines United and the follow-on threats to the journalist indicate that the site has been a refuge for the dishonorable few, said Marine spokeswoman Capt. Ryan Elizabeth Alvis.

We dont know yet how many members of this site are active-duty Marines, nor how many have participated in sharing explicit photos, but the Marine Corps will continue to support NCIS and make every effort to hold perpetrators accountable, Alvis added. It is concerning that these predators hide behind the title Marine to fuel their prejudice and harassment.

The Corps top enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Ronald Green, said the scandal is forcing the service to take a look in the mirror and decide whether we are part of the problem or the solution.

Stand up, speak out and be a voice of change for the better, he wrote in a statement to the Union-Tribune. Hold those who misstep accountable. We need to realize that silence is consent  do not be silent. It is your duty to protect one another, not just for the Marine Corps, but for humanity.  We must do a better job of teaching Marines what we expect of them in the social media realm. I expect all Marines to treat one another with dignity and respect, whether it be in public, behind closed doors or online.

COLUMN: Senior female Marines are contributing to the gender-equity problem 

According to Marine Corps headquarters, any offending officers and enlisted troops could be prosecuted for a wide range of violations under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including Article 120C, which bans the distribution of indecent photos and videos.

The Corps cannot charge veterans who long ago left the service or other civilians who flocked to the Marines United forum.

Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Michael Regner, senior military adviser to the Virginia-based Marine Corps League, said his veterans service organization will await the findings from the new investigation before weighing in. Our policy is to wait until are facts are known, he said.

Joe Kasper, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R- Alpine, a combat veteran and senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said theres an expectation and deep trust that the Marine Corps will do a thorough investigation and take action as necessary.The revelation is definitely troubling and whether in the Marine Corps or out, theres no excuse or defense for violating someones privacy that way. Green is slated to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about the Marines United incident, but questions about a tolerated culture of abuse against women in the ranks have long dogged the Marines and other military branches.

The 1991 Tailhook Association scandal snared hundreds of Marine and Navy aviators following allegations that servicemen pawed women attending the Las Vegas convention. Following charges that military leaders tried to cover up the seriousness of the abuse, 14 flag officers lost their jobs and more than 300 officers saw their careers scuttled. The Pentagon reorganized the Navys criminal investigative system in the wake of the crisis.

The Army was rocked by its own sexual assault scandal in 1996 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. That triggered pledges by Army leaders to adopt a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment and abuse of women in the ranks.

Sexual assault scandals erupted in the Air Force at the services Colorado Springs academy in 2003 and at the San Antonio recruit training depot nine years later.

Between 2009 and 2012, 43 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base alleged they were sexually abused by drill instructors. The Air Force removed 35 instructors from their posts, prosecuted half of them and fired the colonel in charge of the training squadron.

At the end of 2012, the Department of Defense estimated that more than 26,000 service members experienced unwanted sexual contact annually.

In May, the Pentagon published its most recent annual report on sexual abuse and harassment in the military. It said in federal fiscal year 2015, nearly 6,100 victims reported being sexually abused by troops  double the number from 2007. Eighty-six percent of the alleged victims were service members themselves.

Kate Hendricks Thomas, a former Marine military police officer, recalled carrying a can of spray paint in her cargo pocket while on a base in Iraq to blot out violent and obscene graffiti slurring her. She said Corps leaders have tolerated for too long online abuse of women, including cyber-stalking and the distribution of revenge porn by former boyfriends and ex-husbands.

The Marine Corps is culturally struggling, said Thomas, who resigned her commission nearly five years ago and is now a behavioral health professor at Charleston Southern University. We have fewer women in the Marine Corps than any of the other branches. Were the last one to still do segregated training. Because of the segregated training, the Marine Corps still keeps women as other.

Thomas, a board member for the nonprofit Service Womens Action Network, urged Corps leaders to adopt a zero tolerance policy for future incidents like the Marines United scandal. She believes a small minority of active-duty Marines are likely involved in the online abuse, but said the harassment and marginalization of women has wider repercussions throughout American society.

I laughed it off. I thought I could handle anything when I was in, Thomas said. But this is another reminder that youre just not quite another Marine. Youre not quite part of the team.

Helen Benedict, author of the 2009 book The Lonely Soldier about U.S. service women who deployed to Iraq, said the Marines United cyber-bullying reached the level of traitorous misconduct.

It sends the message that we dont respect you, we see you as nothing as sexual prey and were going to demean you as much as we can, Benedict said.

When you go through military training, you are told to see the military as your family, and your comrades as your brothers. When they treat you like this, it is possibly the deepest betrayal you can have as human being, she added.

On Monday, Camp Pendleton officials circulated a list of telephone numbers and websites where potential victims of the online abuse can report misconduct and get professional help.

Acts like those on the Marines United site are not in keeping with Marine Corps values and will not be tolerated, said Camp Pendleton spokeswoman 1st Lt. Abigail Peterson.

The Camp Pendleton hotlines are:

* 24/7 sexual assault support line: (760) 500-1707

* Uniformed victim advocate: (760) 421-6919

* Chaplain: (760) 725-4700

* Legal services support section: (760) 725-6558

* Sexual assault response coordinator: (760) 725-4467

* Naval Criminal Investigative Service: (877) 579-3648

* Inspector general: (760) 725-5144

* Provost marshal: (760) 763-2077

* Equal opportunity representative: (760) 274-3767

* Military OneSource: (800) 342-9647

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
As President Donald Trump pushes to harden U.S. immigration policies, Mexicos federal government is launching a legal protection program aimed at protecting Mexican migrants in the United States.

The centers began operating Friday at Mexicos 50 consulates, following a directive by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The assistance is offered locally at the Mexican Consulate at 1549 India Street in San Diego, as well as through information forums and mobile services that provide outreach to migrants in different parts of the county.

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The centers are offering a range of workshopsfrom educating migrants about their rights to promoting dual citizenship to offering information about Mexican government assistance for deportees.

For Mexican migrants who are detained in the United States, consular officers will stay vigilant to the identification of irregularities during the arrest and detention process and provide them with the corresponding information and legal assistance, according to a statement from the Mexican Consulate.

The Defense Centers will collaborate with a network of local allies, including lawyers, law schools, pro-migrant groups, and minority rights advocates, the statement said. They will seek out institutions, corporations and other players to provide pro-bono assistance and multiply the resources needed to support legal counseling and advocacy actions for Mexicans who require it, particularly in immigration.

Mexicos Foreign Minister, Luis Videgaray, said last week that 320 temporarily workers are being hired to help staff the centers. During a presentation in Mexico City before the Mexican Senate, he said that we need to contract law firms, and to finance cases.

Videgaray said that there are some cases that are costly, but that are well worth defending, not just for the interest of the person in question, but because they can establish a precedent.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
An El Cajon doctor who prescribed addictive painkillers to two patients in exchange for sex was sentenced Monday to more than two years in federal prison.

Naga Raja Thota, 62, pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of distributing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. According to court documents, he admitted he provided 870 oxycodone pills and 300 hydrocodone pills to a woman identified in court by her initials J.S.

The doctor, who specialized in pain management, admitted hed also prescribed pills in 2013 in the names of the womans father, brother and friend, and that hed engaged in sexual contact with a second female patient in 2013 and 2014.

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U.S. District Judge Larry Burns called the defendants conduct egregious. Despite the defenses arguments to the contrary, the judge said he believed Thotas crimes involved some kind of quid pro quo situation in which he exchanged drugs, gifts and money for sex.

I think the doctor ignored the Hippocratic oath, First do no harm, the judge said.

Defense lawyer Robert Schlein urged to judge to consider Thotas long history of professional success before determining the sentence. He argued that Thota had led an exemplary life until his 29-year marriage broke apart, and he became lonely and vulnerable.

J.S. came to Thota as a legitimate patient, and in 2013 they began a dating relationship, the lawyer said. Because Thota was still the womans doctor, this was a clear violation of medical ethics.

There was no question he was at fault, Schlein said. He added, however, that the patient population Thota dealt with in his practice was difficult, as many of them suffered from addiction.

According to the complaint, Thota was accused of prescribing J.S. drugs 33 times during their relationship, which lasted several months. Although he had been accused of sexual relationships with two other patients, all of the counts Thota pleaded guilty to stem from his conduct with J.S.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Orlando Gutierrez said text messages Thota exchanged with J.S. suggested that he understood the consequences of engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient.

He knew it was wrong, the prosecutor said Monday. He absolutely knew it was wrong.

At one point he texted her the message, No babe no meds please, when she requested a prescription in her brothers name. Another time he expressed concern that he might lose his medical license, according to court documents.

Gutierrez also said Thota lied in interviews when he said he hadnt given any gifts to his patients other than a box of chocolates. The evidence showed he had doled out pricier items, including a laptop computer, cellphone, jewelry and Victorias Secret underwear.

Standing before the judge, Thota said he was deeply ashamed about what he had done, and that this actions would haunt him for the rest of his life.

(To) all the people I did hurt unintentionally, I sincerely apologize to them, he said.

The defense lawyer said Thota had given up his medical license and can no longer work as a doctor in the U.S., but he wants to be able to do volunteer work.

That argument failed to keep Thota from doing time behind bars, but the judge said he would recommend that the defendant serve a portion of his 30-month term in a residential re-entry center, or halfway house, if approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

After serving his time, Thota will be on supervised release for five years.

Several of Thotas family members, friends and colleagues attended the hearing. He was allowed a few minutes to say goodbye to them in the hallway outside the courtroom before he was taken into custody.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against UC San Diego and student leaders filed by The Koala, a student-run satirical newspaper that claimed the university had violated its First Amendment rights.

The claim against the school followed a November 2015 decision by the Associated Students, also named in the lawsuit, to cut funding to The Koala and other student-run campus publications.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties, which filed the suit, said his organization is considering an appeal to the Feb. 28 decision by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller.

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While the Associated Students decision to cut funding affected all student-run campus publications, the timing of the decision raised suspicions that it specifically targeted The Koala.

The paper had recently published an article many on campus considered offensive, and the decision to cut funding came the same day UC San Diego administrators stated online that The Koala was profoundly repugnant, repulsive, attacking and cruel.

In a statement issued by UC San Diego, the school said it was pleased with the decision to dismiss the case.

The court found that the Associated Students did not violate the First Amendment or any other student rights, the statement read. We believe that this is the right decision and hope that the courts decision brings this case to a close.

Miller wrote in his decision that the university was allowed to restrict speech in what was called a limited public forum as long as the restriction was not based on a viewpoint of the publications being affected.

Here, there is not doubt that the elimination of funding for all print publications is viewpoint neutral, he wrote about the Associated Students decision to defund all publications.

Miller also wrote that the case was unlike another incident where a university funded numerous campus publications but inappropriately withheld funds to a Christian-themed publication.

The judge also wrote that despite claims that the Associated Students action was motivated by negative comments made by the public, students and others against the publication, there was little evidence to support the claim.

David Loy, legal director for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said Millers decision is being reviewed.

We have some serious concerns, he said. We strongly disagree with the result. We think its a case of fundamental importance for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

UC San Diego graduate Gabe Cohen, who was editor of The Koala at the time the funding was cut, said he was disappointed with Millers decision.

However, I do still believe our case has merit, he said in an e-mail. The Koala has continued to publish and will continue to thrive with or without a win in court.

According to the lawsuit, the Koala continued to publish after it was defunded, but it cut the number of issues to three instead of six a year.

The lawsuit named UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Associated Students President Daniel Juarez and Associated Students Financial Controller Justin Pennish as defendants.

The amount of funding that was cut was not large, according to the lawsuit. The Koala and other student organizations were eligible for up to $1,000 a quarter, and in the fall of 2015 it received $634 and had been approved for $453 for the winter of 2016.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
The Trump administrations push for school choice is unlikely to have a big effect on California, where hundreds of charter schools are already flourishing, according to local educators. The greater risk, they say, is that possible changes in federal funding could hurt the states most vulnerable students.

My perspective is were already in a context of school choice, said Devin Vodicka, superintendent of Vista Unified School District, which has pioneered personalized learning programs. Im not sure what the federal administration would do that could affect that, but choice is still the reality in California, and has been for a long time.

Still, many worry that the appointment of education activist Betsy DeVos as federal Secretary of Education last month may signal an attempt to defund public education. DeVos, a billionaire Republican donor, promoted school voucher programs in her home state of Michigan. Her visit to Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida with President Donald Trump on Friday stoked fears that she aims to redirect public money to private, religious schools.

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What we would be very concerned about is an education secretary with little background, little experience in education, who would want to do big experiments in education throughout the county, and would divert resources away from special education or students in poverty, said Richard Barrera, board president for San Diego Unified School District.

A top point of conflict is Trumps pledge to earmark $20 billion for school choice programs such as vouchers, which could be used to pay tuition at private schools. Local educators say vouchers arent a likelihood in California, where charter schools are well-established and state law bans the use of public money for religious institutions like parochial schools.

But where that $20 billion would come from and how it might affect other funds administered by the U.S. Department of Education is troubling to some administrators, even though the bulk of school funding comes from the state.

In San Diego County, federal money makes up nearly 10 percent of most districts budgets including programs for low-income students, English learners and special education, said Nancy Sedgwick, the Local Control Accountability Plan director for the county Office of Education

According to state records for the 2012-13 school year, nearly $100 million of San Diego Unified School Districts billion dollar budget came from the federal government, including about $47 million for low-income students, $26 million for special education and more than $4 million for English as a second language.

The South Bay Union School District  which receives about $8.4 million annually in federal funding, including money that pays for free and reduced lunches  considers changes that could threaten that funding alarming, said Superintendent Katie McNamara.

The loss of federal funding would be catastrophic to school districts including South Bay Union, she said in an email to the Union-Tribune. ...Very basic foundational programs and services would be reduced or eliminated.

Local superintendents say theyre hopeful that DeVos and Trump wont cut those lifelines, and argue that options already offered in San Diegos charter and public magnet schools could satisfy calls for school choice.

I think its too early to tell, however, I know that the theme of choice is going to be definitely very relevant under the new administration, said Luis Rankins-Ibarra, superintendent of Escondido Union School District.

Escondido is already reconfiguring schools in an effort to win back students who have left the district in part because of charter alternatives, including nearby Classical Academy, Heritage Charter and High Tech campuses.

The district opened campuses geared toward specialized instruction in arts or science, offers dual language immersion classes, and will bring back programs for gifted students next school year, Rankins-Ibarra said.

Those steps to broaden its offerings position the district for school choice initiatives under the new administration, he said.

Well look at whatever those changes are, and well look at how we can turn those challenges into opportunities, Rankins-Ibarra said. Is there a way we can compete within those guidelines?

Cameron Curry, executive director of Classical Academy, which has campuses in Escondido, Vista and Oceanside, said a push for choice could help all schools perform better.

We should be having the conversation, which program, which model, which system works for the individual student, said Curry, whose schools offer a hybrid of classroom and independent learning. There are great traditional public schools, and there are great charter public schools. And we should be learning from each other, not throwing rocks at each other.

While critics protest that DeVos has never worked as an educator or attended private schools, Curry thinks her background as an activist could put more control in the hands of parents.

I think its a great opportunity for us to have a leader that thinks differently, and is coming into the department as a parent advocate, he said.

Curry also hopes DeVos will expand opportunities for charters such as his to receive a greater share of federal education funds.Thats what worries Roberto Rodriguez, a San Diego-based board member of the California Teachers Association, who says diverting that money could shortchange students with disabilities.

Feeding their worst fear is legislation such as H.R. 610, which would dismantle the Department of Education and divvy up its funds into vouchers for public, private and home-school students, without consideration of economic or educational need.

Our big concern is that the federal government would use those funds for some sort of massive voucher experiment that would impact special education students negatively, Rodriguez said.

Some private school leaders agree. Terry Kok, superintendent at Calvin Christian school in Escondido, said he works hard to keep tuition affordable to lower- and middle-income families. Hed like school-funding programs to help with that, but not at the price of undermining public schools.

I think we need quality public schools as well as private schools, he said. So I wouldnt want to diminish public education.

Kok believes competition with charter and private campuses can benefit public education, but he favors tax credits, which allow taxpayers to donate toward scholarships at private schools.

I personally dont think vouchers are the best approach, he said. I think there are better approaches to fund the needs of all kids.

Vouchers wouldnt cover enough of private tuition to make a difference, said Todd Deveau, middle school principal at Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach, but they could pose dilemmas for religious schools.

California, like many other states, has a constitutional provision called a Blaine Amendment that prohibits use of public money for religious institutions, including schools. So a voucher program could come with conditions that Santa Fe Christian wouldnt welcome.

We are a Christian school, he said We do expect the parents coming in to be Christian. That and meeting academic criteria. We have certain criteria that we couldnt or wouldnt sacrifice.

Vodicka, of Vista Unified School District, said federal policy stressing greater choice and local control could invigorate public schools.

If we continue to have local flexibility, that will support and accelerate innovative educational practices, he said.

Barrera, of San Diego Unified, said students in that district can attend any of its 200 schools, ranging from neighborhood schools to specialized arts, science and language campuses. Hes wary of any federal gambles with public school funds.

The concept of taking money away from public schools that offer a variety of choices to students, and putting it into private schools, would be very destabilizing to the strong education system we have here, he said.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
A number of swastikas have been found at the University of San Diego over the past month, and a Jewish professor at the school recently revealed that someone left human feces in front of his office a few days after the Nov. 8 election.

I have never been faced with that kind of explicit anti-Semitism, said Rabbi Shai Cherry about the November incident. I was shocked.

While the incident was disgusting and shocking, Cherry said he isnt frightened.

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These are cowardly acts, he said. If somebody wanted to confront me, this wouldnt be how they would do it.

Cherry said he reported the November incident to campus police, but did not talk about it publicly until the swastikas appeared.

The university responded to the five swastikas  the emblem of Nazi Germany  discovered in campus restrooms with a Feb. 22 e-mail from Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Donald Godwin, who condemned the incidents and called for unity.

Defacing our facilities with this deplorable symbol is hateful and reprehensible, and the incidents are being investigated, Godwin wrote. We are keenly aware and sensitive to the historical and present-day incidents against our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Hillel of San Diego and USD Jewish Law Students Association also have collaborated to reach out to all students and offer support and opportunities to talk about the recent events, according to another statement from the university.

Cherry, who teaches classes on the Holocaust and on Jewish faith and practices, said someone from the Anti-Defamation League also spoke to members of the Jewish Law Students Association last week.

Tammy Gillies, regional director for Anti-Defamation League of San Diego, said she had not heard of swastikas being discovered at any other local schools recently. The incidents, however, were the latest in a number of anti-Semitic activities locally and nationally..

The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in San Diego has been evacuated three times because of bomb threats, she said, and leaflets from a white supremacist group had been discovered at San Diego State University, a trend happening at a other universities nationally.

Nationwide, there also have been bomb threats at other Jewish centers and vandalism at Jewish cemeteries in the past few months.

Cherry said he first talked publicly about the November incident when one of his students was interviewing him for a story on the swastikas for the student-newspaper, The USD Vista.

I wanted to allow for the possibility that it wasnt directed at me, or that it was just a one-time occurrence that would not end up being the first of a pattern, he said about why he didnt talk about the incident before.

Cherry said a colleague discovered the feces in front of his office, and it was cleaned up by the time he arrived.

His colleagues, who are not Jewish, at first thought that whoever left the feces selected the location at random, Cherry said. While he said he thought that was naive, it wasnt until a swastika was discovered in the restroom closest his to his classroom in Camino Hall that he was certain he was the target.

Other swastikas have been found in the Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, the Copley Library and the Student Life Pavilion. All five were in mens restrooms.

Cherry said he thinks the school is dealing with a number of pressing issues now, including the anxiety some students feel because they are unauthorized immigrants, but also said the school has not marginalized the issue.

I would expect that if this continues to be an issue, there will be a more forceful statement coming from the president, he said.

Gillies said she believes the school is doing what it can to find the perpetrator and help put students at ease. She also said the incidents do not reflect the values of USD.

Godwin had a similar statement in his campus-wide e-mail.

In condemning this incident, we have offered support to members of the community who may have experienced fear and anxiety, and we reaffirm our efforts to build a safe environment that resonates love, equality and compassion for all members of our community, he wrote.

Godwin also linked to an online message from USD President James Harris, who wrote about the universitys Culture of Care Principles that reject all forms of racial, ethnic, and national origin discrimination.

The principles also state, We are committed to diversity and inclusion and access to higher education by creating an atmosphere of trust, safety and respect in a community characterized by a rich diversity of people and ideas. 
Several vocal members of San Diegos large Iraqi community spoke out Monday against President Donald Trumps new executive order on refugees and travel restrictions  even though Iraq is excluded.

Trumps new executive order, issued Monday, is about protecting the nation from terrorism, the White House said. Unlike the previous one, it excludes Iraq from a list of Muslim-majority countries whose residents are ordered not to enter the U.S. for 90 days.

Members of San Diegos Iraqi community were quick to point out that fellow Iraqis are still affected by the executive order because of separate provisions halting entry for refugees from any nation.

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Most local Iraqi arrivals came as refugees, they noted, and the new order halts the refugee resettlement program for 120 days, beginning March 16.

Between 2011 and 2015, San Diego County took in 8,621 Iraqi refugees, according to data from the California Refugee Programs Bureau. Thats about 71 percent of all refugees the county took in during that time frame.

Wedad Schlotte, an Iraqi woman who came to the United States in 1980 to study at San Diego State University, said she considered the new order to be a Muslim ban, despite the changes from the original executive order.

This ban, it will instigate further discrimination and a sense of superiority, said Schlotte, an electronics engineer for the Department of Defense. It will empower those people who have a bias of racism. It will give it power. Its feeding it. We see it happening.

Schlotte said feelings of inferiority and superiority based on things like class and skin color were familiar from her early days in Iraq.

In my own country in Iraq, I was made to feel inferior, Schlotte said. Coming to the U.S., I felt that I was unique. I was special. I felt celebrated.

Refugees do not choose to be refugees, she said.

People need to understand that refugees were driven to leave their countries, Schlotte said. They were living their lives. Their aspiration was to do well in their own country.

She said she was strongly opposed to the new executive order and hoped her community would join her in voicing dissent.

It still impacts a lot of humans, refugees who have fled places of war, oppression and hatred, said Schlotte. It goes against the values of this country, the reasons we chose to remain in this country.

Nital Meshkoor, a former refugee from Iraq and now real-estate broker in El Cajon, said she was proud when she became a U.S. citizen because of those values that she believed the U.S. stands for.

Its all about enforcing the code of ethics, especially freedom, Meshkoor said. I vote every year. I pay taxes every year. I do it happily.

This ban will create hatred, Meshkoor added. This hatred will result in more terrorism. Wed like people to feel more peaceful inside, not discriminated against.

Both Iraqi women said the new travel ban as well as other immigration-related executive orders reminded them of actions taken by the Baath regime in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

I tell all of us from those countries, the banned and Latin Americans, we should stand united, persevere, adopt each others causes and remind ourselves it used to be difficult for the Italians, the Polish, the Irish and the Jews, Schlotte said. We are next.

Mark Arabo, head of the Minority Humanitarian Foundation, said that the Chaldean Christian community in San Diego was split over the new order.

Given the humanitarian efforts occurring in Iraq to save refugees, some in the Chaldean Christian community welcome the decision, he said in an emailed statement, while others still think that the ban on refugees hurts the United States and our interests abroad.

Arabo sided with the latter.

This is a welcome decision for Iraqis, but not for refugees around the world, Arabo said. While the exclusion of Iraq is a step in the right direction, I cannot praise what should be expected and reasonable. There is no disclaimer on the Statue of Liberty. Our constitution does not come with fine print.

Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service San Diego, one of the countys four resettlement agencies, said that even though Iraq is no longer on the list, that hasnt eased the minds of families supported by his organization.

In the field we talk about that the only thing that needed more vetting was the executive order, not the refugee vetting process, Hopkins said. Weve actually heard from families that some of the anxiety that they were experiencing living in a country at war and the uncertainty is the same thing theyre beginning to feel here.

Trumps supporters welcomed the new order.

The President has full authority to secure the border as he did in the first order, said Imperial Beach resident Ernie Griffes, who has supported Trump for his immigration policies. He is being fair to the Iraqis who have helped us. Its time for the liberal pundits and judges to read the authority he has and shut up. If we have any terrorist events in the near future, its on them for blocking the presidents legal orders.

Refugee advocates worried that the new executive orders delay in the refugee program would have a large ripple effect on the lives of refugees from across the globe, Iraq included.

Everybody knows that each step of the refugee security check process is time sensitive, so this pause will result in a domino effect of expiring validity periods, forcing refugees who are already approved to wait months and even years to repeat the process from the beginning, said Mustafa Dib, community organizer at Partnership for New Americans, in an emailed statement. Personally, I was hoping to reunite with my sister, who is in a refugee camp in Jordan, and who had hoped to come to San Diego too. Now, it saddens me to think that might never happen.

Dib is originally from Syria.

In an emailed press release, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the order Muslim Ban 2.0.

No matter how this executive order is packaged, it is still a Muslim Ban. It does not make America any greater and it definitely is not making America any safer, said CAIR San Diegos executive director, Hanif Mohebi. We need to unite and defend any unconstitutional effort regardless of how its packaged.

At the San Diego International Airport on Monday night, roughly 50 people peacefully protested the travel ban. Demonstrators said the order still targets people who should feel welcome, including people from Muslim-majority countries still barred from entering the country.

Im here for my Muslim friends, said one protester who identified herself only as Jenny. I dont want them to ever feel afraid.

Mohamed Abdallah, one of the organizers, said he believes the executive order will once again be blocked by the federal courts.

It still violates peoples constitutional and First Amendment rights, he said outside Terminal Twos baggage claim area.

Among travelers at the terminal, protesters chanted No borders, no nations, no racist deportations, Build bridges, not walls and Deport ignorance, not immigrants.

Several drivers showed their support by honking.
San Diegans interested in better understanding their refugee neighbors will have two options to do so Wednesday.

The San Diego Jewish community will host a free forum at Temple Emanu-El at 7 p.m. Wednesday to talk about how the refugee resettlement process works and ways that San Diegans can get involved. Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), will give national and international context to the discussion.

For the Jewish community, it wasnt that long ago that we were refugees, said Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego. It is central to our Jewish values to welcome the stranger and welcome the refugee.

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Hopkins said this is the second in a series called We Were Refugees Too. The first event, he said, had about 800 people in attendance with another 800 watching on Facebook live.

Separately, the new group Sumitra will host an informational session at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Lukes in North Park for San Diegans interested in mentoring a nearby refugee family.

The most important thing of all is literally just friendship, said organizer George Kuhrts. I cant go any more basic than that. Having a personal relationship with them so they know theres an American out there within a 10-minute drive who could visit them, who they can call up or who they can text.

Kuhrts said he piloted the idea himself by mentoring two Congolese refugee families.

Im trying to replicate myself, Kuhrts said. I would be really happy if I had 10 Georges to do what Im doing.

His visits have included simple but useful lessons like how to turn on the pilot light for the heater and adjust the thermostat, he said.

Its just easy stuff we take for granted that they dont know about, Kuhrts said. We got heat in the apartment. That was like a 10-minute visit. It was something really easy. Anybody couldve done that.

While Hopkins said the Jewish community event was at least partly inspired by President Trumps travel ban executive order, Kuhrts said it was not a motivating factor for him.

He wants to help the people who are here, he said, regardless of how many more are allowed to come.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate
WikiLeaks published thousands of documents Tuesday described as secret files about CIA hacking tools the government employs to break into users computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung.

The documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes. U.S. government employees, including President Trump, use many of the same products and Internet services purportedly compromised by the tools.

The documents describe CIA efforts  cooperating with friendly foreign governments and the U.S. National Security Agency  to subvert the worlds most popular technology platforms, including Apples iPhones and iPads, Googles Android phones and the Microsoft Windows operating system for desktop computers and laptops.

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The documents also include discussions about compromising some Internet-connected televisions to turn them into listening posts. One document discusses hacking vehicle systems, indicating the CIAs interest in hacking modern cars with sophisticated on-board computers.

WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents, and experts who sifted through the material said it appeared legitimate.

Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, said: We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also declined comment.

Missing from WikiLeaks trove are the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. WikiLeaks said it planned to avoid distributing tools until a consensus emerges on the political nature of the CIAs program and how such software could be analyzed, disarmed and published.

Tuesdays disclosure left anxious consumers who use the products with little recourse, since repairing the software vulnerabilities in ways that might block the tools effectiveness is the responsibility of leading technology companies. The revelations threatened to upend confidence in an Obama-era government program, the Vulnerability Equities Process, under which federal agencies warn technology companies about weaknesses in their software so they can be quickly fixed.

It was not immediately clear how WikiLeaks obtained the information, and details in the documents could not immediately be verified. WikiLeaks said the material came from an isolated, high-security network inside the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence but didnt say whether the files were removed by a rogue employee or whether the theft involved hacking a federal contractor working for the CIA or perhaps breaking into a staging server where such information might have been temporarily stored.

The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive, WikiLeaks said in a statement.

Some technology firms on Tuesday said they were evaluating the information. Microsoft Corp. said it was looking into the report; the maker of secure messaging app Signal said the purported CIA tools affected users actual phones and not its software design or encryption protocols.

The tools described in the documents carried bizarre names, including Time Stomper, Fight Club, Jukebox, Bartender, Wild Turkey, Margarita and RickyBobby, a racecar-driving character in the comedy film Talladega Nights.

That RickyBobby tool, the documents said, was intended to plant and harvest files on computers running newer versions of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server. It operated as a lightweight implant for target computers without raising warnings from antivirus or intrusion-detection software. It took advantage of files Microsoft built into Windows since at least 10 years ago.

The files include comments by CIA hackers boasting in slang language of their prowess: You know we got the dankest Trojans and collection tools, one reads.

The documents show broad exchanges of tools and information among the CIA, NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence services of close allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

WikiLeaks claimed the CIA used both its Langley, Va., headquarters and the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, as bases for its covert hackers. The AP found that one purported CIA hack that imitates the Domain Name System  the Internets phone book  traced to an Internet domain hosted in Germany.

Jake Williams, a security expert with Augusta, Ga.-based Rendition Infosec who has experience dealing with government hackers, said the files extensive references to operation security meant they were almost certainly government-backed. I cant fathom anyone fabricated that amount of operational security concern, he said. It rings true to me.

In an unusual move, WikiLeaks said it was withholding some secrets inside the documents. Among them, it said it had withheld details of tens of thousands of CIA targets and attack machines throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.

WikiLeaks also said its data included a substantial library of digital espionage techniques borrowed from other countries, including Russia.

If the authenticity of the documents is officially confirmed, it would represent yet another catastrophic breach for the U.S. intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks and its allies, which have repeatedly humbled Washington with the mass release of classified material, including from the State Department and the Pentagon.

Tuesdays documents purported to be from the CIAs Embedded Development Branch discuss techniques for injecting malicious code into computers protected by the personal security products of leading international anti-virus companies. They describe ways to trick anti-virus products from companies including Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, Romania-based BitDefender, Dutch-based AVG Technologies, F-Secure of Finland and Rising Antivirus, a Chinese company.

In the new trove, programmers also posted instructions for how to access user names and passwords in popular internet browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Under a list of references in one exchange, users were advised: Be advised, the following may be low traffic sites, sites in which it might be a good idea to disable JavaScript, etc, referring to a widely used Internet programming language. Remember, practice safe browsing, kidz! they were told.

Some documents were classified secret or top secret and not for distribution to foreign nationals. One file said those classifications would protect deployed hacks from being attributed to the U.S. government. The practice of attribution, or identifying who was behind an intrusion, has been difficult for investigators probing sophisticated hacks that likely came from powerful nation-states.

ALSO

Theres more than the CIA and FBI: The 17 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community

Trumps nominee for intelligence chief says Russia definitely tried to meddle in U.S. election

Nunes, acceding to White House, says Trumps wiretap claim will be investigated

UPDATES:

12:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comment from tech companies.

9:28 a.m.: This article was updated with ways in which files could have been removed from the CIAs center in Langley, Virginia, and information on a purported CIA malware program.

7:50 a.m.: This article was updated with details of the documents contents, including digital espionage techniques, and comments from a security expert Bob Ayers.

7:24 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from a CIA spokesman and security expert Jake Williams and additional background.

This article was originally posted at 6:30 a.m.
Reps. Darrell Issa and Juan Vargas have joined the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that aims to address global warming.

The membership puts Issa, a Vista Republican, and Vargas, a San Diego Democrat, and the caucus other members in conflict with President Donald Trump, who has said the slow heating of the planet is a hoax created by China.

There are 14 Republicans and 14 Democrats in the caucus, most of whom are from coastal states that would be impacted by rising sea levels. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, joined the caucus in June.

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Issa said that the new administration and a Republican Congress offers chances to address climate change.

With the new administration and newly united government, I think we have an opportunity to take fresh look at this problem and see what we can be accomplished in a more bipartisan manner, Issa said.

Vargas office did not answer questions sent by email.

Unlike some other members of his party, Issa has long said that climate change is real. But he has called for more research to determine the rate the planet is warming and at what point global temperatures would reach a critical threshold before major public policy changes are needed.

On his congressional website, Issa said: One of the difficulties in examining the issue of the climate change and greenhouse gases is that there is a wide range of scientific opinion on this issue and the science community does not agree to the extent of the problem or the critical threshold of when this problem is truly catastrophic. The statement was published in 2009.

He also said that non-skeptics have concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels cause climate change, and went on to encourage the development of clean electricity, including nuclear power, hydro-electricity and wind and solar to replace dirtier fossil fuel generation.

Issa said there needs to be a balanced approach to addressing climate change.

Ive never been shy about speaking out against misguided or extreme policies that push environmental protection at all cost without consideration of the impact on our economy or the cost of energy and goods we all use everyday, he said.

The League of Conservation Voters criticized Issa for impeding federal efforts to curtail climate change, and for investigating, and demanding hearings about politics in science, and oversight of the Environmental Protection Agencys regulation of greenhouse gases.

There is nearly unanimous consensus from the scientific community that the planet is warming from man-made activities. NASA,, the American Meteorological Society, and the Geological Society of America have all said that climate change is real and a result of man-made activities.

While Issa said that more research is needed before making policy changes related to climate change, the National Academy of Sciences said in 2005 that it is time to act.

The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify taking steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the academy said.

While the scientific community agrees on climate change, the general public is not nearly as united. Analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of U.S. adults believe that climate change is caused by human activity, while another 31 percent believe that it is due to natural causes, while another 20 percent say there is no evidence that the planet is getting warmer.

Pews report found that the differences largely adhere to political lines, and that Democrats more than Republicans see the harm of climate change as very likely.

The Climate Solutions Caucus was founded in 2016 by Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Florida, and Ted Deutch, D-Florida. The group tries to tell other House members about the risks and impacts of climate change and find economically-viable means to protect the country and its infrastructure, water and security from the harms of global warming.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
The hiker whose body was recovered in a remote part of Anza-Borego Desert State Park on Feb 28 has been identified as Michael Salan, a native of Canada who spent winters in Borrego Springs.

Park Superintendent Kathy Dice said Salans body was found on an off-shoot trail from the popular Borrego Palm Canyon trail. It appeared he was heading toward the top of Indianhead Mountain.

Rangers said they believe Salan may have suffered a medical problem, and his death was not considered suspicious. The cause of his death has not yet been determined by the county Medical Examiners Office.

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Salan, 64, was an avid hiker who would link up with various other hikers via email. A lot of people were familiar with him in town, Dice said.

Salan was a known in the desert community for traveling the area on a bicycle and camping at various locations. However, he often went hiking alone, Dice said.

He was known to do that, she said. He did have some hiking friends but he hiked a lot on his own. We obviously never recommend that.

Authorities estimated he may have died 10 to 14 days before his body was spotted by other hikers.

They reported late on the afternoon of Feb. 25 that they had found the body on a side trail several miles up Borrego Palm Canyon. Strong, gusty winds the next day and rain on Feb.27 prevented law enforcement helicopters from recovering the body quickly.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew was able to make the recovery on Feb. 28. The trails were closed to the public until the recovery was completed.

He was very private.
A rare white rhinoceros living in a French wildlife park was found shot to death and mutilated in an attack that shocked and saddened zookeepers who said the killing of the captive animal was a first in Europe.

Vince, a 4-year-old male who lived at the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, was found dead Tuesday morning in his enclosure that he shared with two other rhinos.

Park director Thierry Duguet called the killing shocking and unbelievable.

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Vince was found this morning by the keeper who was very attached to him and is deeply upset. This odious act was carried out even though there were five staff members living on site and security cameras, wrote zoo officials on Facebook.

The popular rhino had been shot three times in the head and his main horn had been hacked off, likely with a chainsaw. It appears the poachers also tried to cut off the endangered rhinos secondary horn but they did not succeed. Authorities do not know if the killers were scared off or if their equipment failed.

A police spokesperson told The Guardian that it was possible they had intended to kill all three animals and ran out of time.

The other two white rhinos, 37-year-old Gracie and 5-year-old Bruno escaped the massacre and are safe and sound,  the zoo reported.

Rhino horns, which are nothing more than keratin - the same substance as fingernails - are prized for their medicinal properties. Products made with the poached horns are sold as cures for hangovers, laryngitis and even aphrodisiacs, despite an abundance of evidence that they are totally useless. They are also carved into artworks considered symbols of status and wealth

A bonfire at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Thursday morning was meant for destruction of confiscated products made from rhinos, a crime that is pushing the animals to the brink of extinction.

Just last September, state and local wildlife officials destroyed some $1 million worth of rhino horn products at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Experts say that rhinos are being killed at an average rate of three per day and that if the needless and gruesome deaths continue the iconic animals could vanish from the Earth completely in just 15 years.

We are grieving. Its a terrible shock, said Paul de La Panouse, a former historic director at the zoo who blamed the job on professionals.

Animal parks across Europe have been put on alert.

The four-year-old male white rhino called Vince is seen in this handout picture. (HANDOUT / Reuters Photo)

619-293-1710

debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com

twitter.com/Debbi_Baker
President Trumps extraordinary Twitter allegation that the Obama White House wiretapped him during the presidential campaign dominated headlines all weekend. As it should have  there is no precedent for such a claim by one commander-in-chief about another, nor to having an FBI director urge the Justice Department to publicly reject such a claim, as The New York Times reports James Comey did on Saturday, to no avail.

Despite the lack of evidence for Trumps allegation, it apparently will be folded into the expected congressional investigations into ties between the Trump campaign and Russian government agents. OK. Wild goose chases are not normally smart uses of a governments time, but the claim is so serious that it demands an independent-minded probe.

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Whatever the upshot of Trumps latest tweetstorm, the cumulative effect of the presidents combative use of Twitter since his inauguration has been the sense of a nation adrift. Yes, its possible the Trump administration regains its footing this week by focusing on two of his biggest campaign issues: releasing a revised version of its stymied immigration restrictions and making progress with congressional Republicans on their proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Yet its also possible that this will be another week of stories in which the presidents own aides paint a picture of an impulsive, petulant man whose first impulse is to reject facts or pieces of evidence that do not flatter him or comport with his worldview.

A Sunday story in The Washington Post, based on interviews with 17 top White House officials, members of Congress and friends of the president, describes how furious Trump became after the high point of his presidency  his gracious Feb. 28 speech to Congress  was eclipsed by a new chapter in the Trump-Russia saga: the discrepancy between Attorney General Jeff Sessions two prior meetings with a Russian ambassador and his denials to senators during his confirmation hearing that hed had any contact with Russian officials while working with the Trump campaign.

Those meetings emerged via a leak to the Post, further fueling Trumps and aide Steve Bannons apparent belief that the deep state  insider slang for the top national security and intelligence officials whose power is unaffected by changes at the White House  has it in for Trump. There has never been anything like this torrent of unflattering leaks about a new president, so Trumps belief could be true on various levels. It could be true in a dark way  security and intelligence officials want Trump out because he is a threat to their power; a troubling way  they think Trump is dangerous and unfit to be president; or a simpler way  they know Trumps aides have dissembled about contacts with Moscow and want to expose that.

At some point, Trump needs to grasp that a president must focus on the country, not on unproven conspiracy theories. He needs to fill the 1,200-plus appointments that require Senate approval because as of last week only 1 percent had been confirmed. He needs to focus on issues where there are real opportunities for bipartisan support, starting with tax reform and his bold infrastructure proposal. He needs to take his own advice in his address to Congress  to set aside trivial fights  and see the bigger picture. He needs to be that rarest of political creatures: a leopard that can change his spots.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

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Time to rethink the tax benefits churches get

Regarding Does politics belong in the pulpit? (March 6): Thanks for the excellent article outlining both sides in the church-and-state debate. I had not known that colonial Americans were taxed to support local churches, whether they attended them or not. This, of course, would be unthinkable in todays America.

But how many realize the special treatment religion gets at the expense of taxpayers? The churches are exempt from federal and local taxes, and ministers themselves get the benefit of a parsonage allowance that allows them to deduct their housing expenses. How many smiling TV preachers live in their mansions tax-free? All of them. Id smile, too. We even siphon off scarce school money to support charter schools, many of which have a religious orientation.

I have no problem letting preachers say anything they want from the pulpit, as long as they pay taxes like everyone else.

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Phil Heinz

Rancho Bernardo

Religion helped shape nation, its government

Once again the First Amendment-protected right to practice religion without interference from the government is the topic of discussion. For more than 150 years, there was no question that freedom was protected by the government. Only in the last few decades has that changed.

If it is not our right, why is the government closed on Sunday? Why is Sunday not counted in time allowed for a presidents veto? Why did we have blue laws until recently?

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.

Why did Thomas Jefferson attend church in the House of Representatives during his term? Religion was in government, not the other way around.

Yes, the current fad is to remove religion and morals from society, and we can see the effects even with the recent debacle with our Marines.

Now thats deplorable!

Scott Rieker

San Diego

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
Sun Power Corporation and the Cajon Valley Union School District are about to begin construction of solar systems at 24 school sites in El Cajon

They will primarily include carports at the school locations, as well as a few rooftop systems.

The cost to the district will be about $18 million.

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That will be paid over 20 years, with most of the interest being offset by financing through a U.S. Department of Treasury Clean Renewable Energy Bond, said Scott Buxbaum, the districts assistant superintendent of business services.

The federal bonds are available to mostly public sector entities to finance renewable energy projects.

Cajon Valley also entered into a separate $3.6 million agreement over the next 20 years to provide the maintenance and operation of the system.

The first phase of putting in the solar systems will be at sites that allow construction during the school day:

The Cajon Valley District office

Emerald Middle School

Los Coches Creek Middle School

Avocado Elementary School

Anza Elementary School,

W.D. Hall Elementary School.

Remaining district sites will see construction start in June as soon as school is out.

Cajon Valley hopes to have all systems energized and producing electricity by October or November.

According to SunPower, the solar installations total 4.6 megawatts. One megawatt is considered the equivalent of the energy produced by 10 car engines.

With Cajon Valleys solar investment, we continue to enrich both our schools and our communities by generating clean, renewable energy, which will help save on electricity costs and improve our local environment, Buxbaum said.

In 2011, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a requirement that California get 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy, by 2020.

Cajon Valley will own the solar power system along with the associated renewable energy credits.

SunPower says it has installed more than 135 megawatts worth of solar systems in 30 school districts.
Rimini, Italy -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/07/2017 -- Leading online shoe store Sergio Fabbri has recently launched its latest line of high performance running shoes. This will be the company's one of many attempts at bringing professional gear to the general public.



Many athlete enthusiasts have eagerly waited for the company's anticipated launch since last year. The company has already announced the latest launch last year, and the wait is finally over. It is said that as the company pulled back the veil, customer response was immense. Media coverage at the launch has indicated that it was worth the wait for many of the customers. One major reason for the eager anticipation was that it promised the shoes will improve the performance of athletes and running enthusiasts. True to its promise, many customer reviews show that they have been able to perform better with the help of the saucony technology. The company's collection is already popular in Italy. Several pairs are already considered as masterpieces by professional athletes. Experts reveal that professional athletes depend not only on their performance but also on the technology of the shoes. Sergio Fabbri is lauded for extending this privilege to running enthusiasts. From its collection, the sneaker Saucony shadow NVY PNK 600 is popularly bought for its innovative technical performance. The saucony sneaker shadow limited edition is currently exclusive only to celebrity clientele. With a high customer base the company has already expanded, leading to a direct increase on the number of employees. This has been the reason behind why despite the increasing customer base worldwide, it still manages to offer quick shipping services. Delivery is normally complete within the stipulated working days, following the receipt of the order. For a secure transaction, customers are highly encouraged to opt for credit card payment. With international shipping done on a daily basis, the company also gives high priority on precise packaging.



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Sergio fabbri is a leading online store. The store is specialized in selling sneakers. It is a one stop store for selling high performance sneakers for players and athletes.



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Brazilian taxonomists have discovered and described three new species of the bird-eating tarantula genus Avicularia from Ecuador, Peru and Brazil.

The description is published in a new issue of the journal ZooKeys, authored by Dr. Caroline Sayuri Fukushima and Dr. Rogerio Bertani, researchers in the Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Even though these harmless tarantulas have long been a favorite exotic pet around the world, their identity has remained problematic ever since the first species, the pinktoe tarantula (Aranea avicularia), was described back in 1758 by the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), the scientists explained.

He described the species based on a hodgepodge of spiders. Over the next centuries, other species with completely different characteristics were called Avicularia creating a huge mess.

As a result, basic questions, such as the characteristic traits of the genus, the number of its species and their localities, have been left unanswered.

To address the confusion, Dr. Fukushima and Dr. Bertani studied both newly collected specimens and also specimens from museum collections.

The authors concluded that, instead of the 49 species previously assigned to the genus Avicularia, there are in fact only 12 species, including three new to science: Avicularia merianae, A. lynnae, and A. caei.

Avicularia merianae is known from the department of San Martin, Peru.

It is named after Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717), the German-born naturalist who drew the famous engraving of a specimen of Avicularia eating a bird, in recognition to her importance for Natural Sciences, the researchers explained.

This extraordinary woman was one of the pioneering female scientists and a remarkable artist.

The second newly discovered species, Avicularia lynnae, occurs in Ecuador and Peru.

This species is named after Lynn West, wife of mygalomorph expert Rick West, the authors said.

The third new species, Avicularia caei, is known only from type locality in the Brazilian state of Para.

This species is named after Carlos Eduardo Gurgel Paiola, aka Cae, in honor to his continuous support to one of the author, the scientists said.

People think all biologists are like Indiana Jones, with their daily lives full of adventures in the wild. But most of the time, they are much more like Sherlock Holmes  sitting on a chair, collecting and analyzing clues (specimens and scientific papers) and then using logical reasoning to solve Natures mysteries, Dr. Fukushima said.

We, taxonomists, are wildlife detectives who play an essential role not only in biology and conservation, she added.

Our work can also become the grounds for new technologies, medicines and ideas that could solve a variety of problems.

In the same ZooKeys paper, Dr. Fukushima and Dr. Bertani described three new genera of tarantula: Ybyrapora, Caribena, and Antillena.

Ybyrapora spiders occur in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, the other two genera live exclusively on the Caribbean Islands, they said.

_____

C.S. Fukushima & R. Bertani. 2017. Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Avicularia Lamarck, 1818 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) with description of three new aviculariine genera. ZooKeys 659: 1-185; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.659.10717
NASA scientists have discovered a new technique that could improve weather forecast and help to protect astronauts from the dangerous solar storm. The Sun is an active star that repeatedly releases powerful flames and huge eruption known as Coronel Mass Ejection.

Now NASA experts have developed a new instrument called Coronagraph, Which blocks the Sun's bright light and allow astronomer to see what is going in the Sun's Corona. The Sun is still streaming powerful solar energetic particles (SEP) towards Earth. With help of this tool, scientists found a way to detect SEP activity tens of minutes earlier than current forecasting techniques allow, stated on Space.com.

The current space weather research uses the method of space band Coronagraphs but the process is too much time-consuming. Now NASA Astronauts said that the new technique can deliver a better observation, which is almost instant and at a much higher time resolution than satellite instruments.

In a recent study, the scientist used observation from the ground-based coronagraph called K-Cor. They found the Coronal Mass Ejections are extremely energetic and it can move at nearly the speed of light.

NASA is currently implementing Project Solar Shield to provide warnings to vital systems after an Earth-affecting CME occurs. This allows satellites and power transformers to be shut down if necessary for a short period of time.

The researcher confirmed on Journal Space weather, that SEPs could be detected as early as 45 minutes before the particles arrive at Earth. And the scientists said they hope to improve this early warning system even further.

Joan Burkepile, the principle investigator for the K-Core said currently processed images from K-Cor are available on the internet in less than 15 minutes after they're taken. Scientists are installing a more powerful computer at the observatory in Hawaii to process the images seconds after they are acquired and provide the data on the internet within a minute or two of acquisition.
A NASA scientist proposes a plan of launching a giant magnetic shield around Mars to make it potentially habitable. The magnetic shield could protect the planet Mars from high-energy solar particles. This could shield the astronomers and humans that will explore the Red Planet in the future.

Jim Green, NASA's Planetary Science Division Director, spoke at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The talk is titled A Future Mars Environment for Science and Exploration.

Green said that although Mars is an arid and cold world with a very thin atmosphere and frozen water resources, it is thought the planet could once have had deep, liquid oceans and a warmer climate. He further said how launching the shield in the space between Mars and the Sun could hypothetically shield the Red Planet in the extended magnetotail that trails behind the protective field, according to News Talk.

The "magnetic shield" will be launched in a stable orbit between Mars and the Sun, which is referred to as Mars L1. The shield consists of a large dipole, which is a closed circuit powerful enough to produce an artificial magnetic field. It could make Mars protected by the magnetotail of the magnetic field generated by the object. This could restore gradually the Mars' atmosphere, according to Popular Mechanics.

The shield could also help Mars attain half the atmospheric pressure of Earth in just years, according to simulation models. The frozen CO2 at Mars' polar ice caps would start to transfer into gas from a solid with the protection from solar winds. Then, the greenhouse effect will fill the thin atmosphere of Mars and warm the planet particularly the equator, in which the huge amount of ice is stored under the poles will melt and flood the world with water.
The NOAA biologists have captured another image of the bizarre creature in their three-week expedition to the American Samoa region of the Pacific. They have seen a rare fish that seems walking on thin stick-figure legs in the ocean at a depth of almost 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

The team used the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to capture the image of the rare species. The team was aboard the Okeanos Explorer from Feb. 16 to Feb. 26 and searched three sanctuaries, namely the National Park of American Samoa, the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument and the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, according to Science Alert.

NOAA team member Santiago Herrera said that much remain unknown about the deep-sea habitats and geology in and around these protected places. He further said that this expedition will contribute new information by exploring areas of the deep ocean in American Samoa for the first time.

The spotted never-before-seen species is known as the armored searobin. In the image below, the armored searobin seems walking with thin stick-like legs, which are actually its fin rays.

A researcher said that those things that you see under the fish that are like little, thin legs, they are actually part of the fin. He further said that they are really interesting fish with a lot of morphological features for life on the seafloor.

The armored searobins walk instead of swimming as other fish do. This is their standard form of locomotion. They have bony plates along their bodies and thick, stiff fin rays that they use like legs, according to Dive Photo Guide.

There are other never-before-seen species the researchers spotted in their American Samoa expedition. These include sea stars, cosmic jellyfish, mollusks, corals, Venus flytrap anemone and sponges, among others.
President Donald Trump has proposed a way to preserve federal payments to Planned Parenthood. However, it comes with a big catch -- abortion will have to go.

The New York Times reported that although never made formally, the proposal has already been rejected by officials at Planned Parenthood, which receives about $500 million annually in funding for women's health services, not for abortion services.

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said on Monday that federal funds to not pay for abortions. She emphasized that women health care is their top priority, saying that "Providing critical health care services for millions of American women is nonnegotiable."

Still, there had been an internal struggle in the White House regarding the Republican President's stance in satisfying his conservative base and the views of first daughter Ivanka Trump, who is an informal adviser to him. She took it upon herself to make women's issues her focus. In the early days of the campaign, Ms. Trump has been known to urge her father to tread carefully on the Planned Parenthood issue.

President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has emphasized his stance on being pro-life. He stated that he is committed to investing in women's health, especially in support of non-abortion services such as cancer screening. In a private discussion with those working closely with Planned Parenthood, it seems that the White House officials suggested an increase in federal funds as long as abortion-related works end.

This does not sit well for the organization. The proposal to stop abortion services takes away women's access to safe, legal abortion and is therefore an attack toward women who will lose their ability to access the full range of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a statement, according to The Hill.

Despite President Donald Trump's stance on the matter, more moderate GOP senators have already expressed concerns about the possible defunding of the women's health organization if the abortion issue cannot stand a compromise. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that she will not support the repeal bill if it included abortion, while Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has not stated how she would vote, but did vote against a repeal bill in 2015 as it would have defunded Planned Parenthood.
NEW YORK - After a 12-year battle with debilitating abdominal conditions that forced her to stop working, marijuana has helped Lynn Sabulski feel well enough to look for a job.

Sabulski is among nearly 14,000 patients in New York state who are certified to use medical marijuana for one of 10 conditions, including her primary diagnosis, inflammatory bowel disease. Marijuana doesn't address her underlying disease, but it does relieve her painful symptoms.

Nationwide, an estimated 1.4 million patients in 28 states and the District of Columbia use legal medical marijuana for a varying list of conditions. A much smaller number of patients in 16 states use limited extracts of the plant, primarily to treat seizure disorders.

In the midst of an opioid crisis, some medical practitioners and researchers say they think that greater use of marijuana for pain relief could result in fewer people using the highly addictive prescription painkillers that led to the epidemic.

A 2016 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that states with medical marijuana laws had 25 percent fewer opioid overdose deaths than states that do not have medical marijuana laws. And another study published in Health Affairs last year found that prescriptions for opioid painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet paid for by Medicare dropped substantially in states that adopted medical marijuana laws.

In December, the New York Health Department said it would start allowing some patients with certain types of chronic pain to use marijuana as long as they have tried other therapies. The state's original medical marijuana law, along with those in Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire and New Jersey, did not include chronic pain as an allowable condition for marijuana use, in part over concerns that such a broad category of symptoms could result in widespread and potentially inappropriate use of the controversial medicine.

Advocates for greater use of medical marijuana argue that including chronic pain as an allowable condition could result in even further reductions in dangerous opioid use.

But some physicians remain cautious about recommending the botanical medicine as a pain management tool.

Jane Ballantyne, a pain specialist at the University of Washington and president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, which promotes the use of alternatives to opioids for chronic pain, said she does not recommend that her patients try marijuana.

"There is no doubt marijuana is much safer than opiates. So we don't discourage its use." But in general, she said, "non-drug treatments are far more helpful than any drug treatment, and marijuana is a drug."

At Mount Sinai Hospital here in New York, Houman Danesh, director of integrative pain management, suggests patients try physical therapy, yoga, acupuncture, stem cell therapy, nutrition counseling, hypnosis and behavioral health counseling before resorting to opioids or any other medications. He said a lack of sufficient research to back up marijuana's safety and efficacy has kept him from adding it to his pain management tool kit, but he doesn't rule it out in the near future.

In January, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a review of more than 10,700 medical marijuana studies published since 1999, showing that substantial evidence supports the use of marijuana or its extracts for the treatment of chronic pain. Existing research also supports its effectiveness in treating multiple-sclerosis-related muscle spasms and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, according to the literature review. But the study cautioned that both the positive and negative health effects of marijuana need to be studied further.

Historically, research on marijuana has been hamstrung by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which classifies marijuana along with heroin and LSD as illegal substances with "no currently accepted medical use" and "a high potential for abuse." As a result, the supply of legal marijuana that can be studied and federal funds to pursue academic research are limited.

Since 1996, when California voters ushered in the first law legalizing medical marijuana, the progression of states adopting similar laws has been slow and steady. Enacted in 2014, New York's medical marijuana law is considered among the most cautious in the nation. Americans for Safe Access, a patient advocacy group, gives the state a letter grade of C when it comes to balancing product safety and ease of access to the emerging medicine, among other criteria.

New York allows doctors to certify patients to purchase marijuana at a limited number of highly regulated dispensaries - 20 statewide, including four in New York City - for the treatment of 10 conditions: cancer, HIV infection or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies and Huntington's disease.

In the fall, after two years of operation, the state health agency declared its medical marijuana program a success and expanded its rules to allow nurse practitioners to certify patients for marijuana use. The state also approved home delivery for patients too ill to travel and announced it would certify more manufacturers of marijuana extracts to increase the supply of tinctures, liquid capsules, sprays and vape cartridges available for patients who rely on them.

- - -

Sabulski's physician, Howard Shapiro, started certifying patients for marijuana about a year ago and quickly became a believer. He's one of only 371 doctors out of nearly 33,000 in the city's five boroughs registered to certify patients for medical marijuana. Statewide, only 863 of about 96,000 physicians have signed up for the program.

Technically, doctors can't prescribe marijuana for their patients because federal law prohibits it. But under New York and most other state laws, doctors can verify that patients are suffering from an allowable condition, which authorizes patients to purchase marijuana on their own at a regulated dispensary. So far, Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance do not cover medical marijuana, so patients must pay out of pocket.

"I really think medical marijuana is the drug of the future," Shapiro said. "We're going to find out that it does a lot of things we already think it can do but don't have scientific studies to prove it."

Out of 109 patients he's seen over the past year, all but a handful reported substantial improvement in their pain and other symptoms within a month or two of using medical marijuana, he said.

For Shapiro's patients, the cost of marijuana treatment ranges from $300 to $400 a month, depending on their level of use. Sabulski said her monthly bill is about $400.

"I urge my patients to purchase only a two-week supply at first, so they don't waste money on a dose that may not be effective," Shapiro said. Most patients start out with a 1-to-1 ratio of THC, the intoxicating component of marijuana, to CBD, the second major component, which has proved to be medically effective for a range of conditions.

Patients typically need to work with the dispensary to adjust their ratio so that the medication alleviates their symptoms but doesn't get them too high to function, Shapiro explained. It's a trial-and-error process, he said.

Most marijuana patients take a tincture or liquid capsule every four to six hours during the day and use a vape pen to inhale a faster-acting dose of marijuana extract when they have breakthrough symptoms. Sabulski said she uses a vape pen before she gets out of bed in the morning, because it almost instantly wards off her abdominal spasms. She then takes an oral dose, which kicks in within one to two hours.

At 36, when she quit her job last year, Sabulski said she feared she would be permanently disabled and never be able to return to work. She had seen multiple specialists and tried a medicine cabinet full of prescribed drugs, including OxyContin and muscle relaxers, to relieve her pain and abdominal spasms, but nothing worked.

Once she was unemployed, Sabulski said, she experimented on her own with street-purchased marijuana and found that it worked better than anything else she had tried. But she couldn't control the potency of what she was smoking, so sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, and sometimes it made her too high to function.

Still, she felt well enough to return to work and started applying for jobs. That's when she realized she couldn't pass a drug test, which she said most employers she spoke to required.

In December, Sabulski found Shapiro through a Yelp listing and brought him her medical files so that he could consider certifying her to use pharmaceutical-grade marijuana. Working with him and a pharmacist at a dispensary in Queens, she said she found the perfect combination of THC and CBD to keep her symptoms at bay while allowing her to be highly functional.

"It's been life-changing," she said.

This article was produced by Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts.
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Kelleys Fine Arts (KFA) will be featured in the movie One Family this summer for its role in fostering relationships between dancers who have become more than friends, but family.

Burnadene Kelley-Newman is the owner and director of KFA, and she said all of the students at the dance studio spend time together, and have usually danced together from when theyre in elementary school until they graduate high school. For them, the relationships they form with each other are sometimes closer than the ones they have with their actual family.

A few dancers will be interviewed and featured individually for the film. One of those is a young dancer named Scarlett. She started dancing at the studio at the age of two, when her mother had cancer.

We at KFA do a charity concert every year, Kelley-Newman said. In fact, in 2013 we did a concert to raise some money to help offset some of her expenses, and then she passed away. So our concert in 2014 was honoring her life.

At this years Mother-Daughter Dance, Scarlett will be dancing with Kelley-Newmans daughter, Alexis McDonald. McDonald is the director of KFA Camden, but was a student assistant when she first met Scarlett.

My mom and I were talking about it, and she was like Alexis, do you want to step in? and I just started crying, McDonald said. Nothing could have made me happier, but only if Scarlett wants it. So we mentioned it to her dad, and he brought it up to her, and she was super excited.

As a follow-up to a previous film, the production company Untapped decided to make a documentary about the unique, binding relationships that dancers have at their dance studios. Producer Matthew Young said he noticed that dance studios are a place where people from all backgrounds come to celebrate their love for dance. In a time when communities are divided, he wants to show that everyone could find common ground.

Were really trying to focus on the divisiveness of culture in general right now, Young said. Its not political. Its just asking, Why cant people find common ground? When we did this the first time, it kind of became evident that despite kids backgrounds, despite where they came from, what their particular hobbies, interests, anxieties, fears, dreams were, it was the dance that was their common ground.

Kelley-Newman said one of the best ways that she establishes a family-like relationship between her dancers is by setting rules.

I try to be on at all times with them -- to set an example, hoping that they will carry that out, Kelley-Newman said. One of the things that I always say is that kids will do, honestly, what you will allow them to, and so if you dont allow it, and they know from the get-go that youre not going to allow it, they have more of a tendency to comply.

It comes down to being an example.

I make them understand too that instead of saying, Oh, I learned from my friends or whatever, they can change the example and hope that they follow, Kelley-Newman said.

The film will feature 30 studios across the U.S. and Canada, but KFA is the only one from South Carolina.

About 105 competition dancers aged 5 to 18 performed for the cameras on Monday.

Untapped said parts of the film will be released at a festival, but there isnt a set release date. Kelley-Newman said they will have the ability to have private viewings and keep the unpublished film of KFA.
Have you seen the Prayer back in schools signs all over town? While I fully support the free exercise of religion, our neighbors appear to be demanding a return to the good old days, but which days were the religious good ones?

How about 1620? The Puritans came to New England to escape religious persecution, and then they created a strict theocracy that persecuted everyone, Puritans worst of all. Were those the good old days?

How about 1773? In most of the original colonies, either the Anglican or Congregational Church was authorized to levy taxes and jail those who refused to pay, especially if you werent Anglican or Congregational.

Unfortunately, our Colonial ancestors brought many of the Old World animosities with them, leading to bloody sectarian violence across the Colonies, especially between Presbyterians and Baptists right here in South Carolina.

But then something changed: In 1779, Virginia passed The Virginia Act on Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson, which strictly separated church and state for the protection of both. And in 1791, James Madison used that strict separation as his template when he wrote the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment.

Fast forward to 1962: New York State Law required every public school student and teacher to pray, out loud, the approved school prayer regardless of the religion, beliefs or desires of the teacher, student or parents. Therefore, in Engel v. Vitale, the U.S. Supreme Court found the government in violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment, thus ending mandatory prayer in public schools but not activities like voluntary prayer, religion clubs and elective courses on the Bible, Koran, Vedas, etc.

But what about all of the signs around town? To go back to mandatory prayer, well either need a 28th Amendment that repeals Jeffersons and Madisons work  and nullifies all of the relevant court decisions  or well need a law that passes the Lemon test, derived from Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), which says any law that inhibits or promotes religion is unconstitutional. First graders won't pray on their own; the teacher will have to lead them. This is the definition of mandatory prayer, which not only promotes religion in general but has historically inhibited all but the religion in power at the time, leading directly to sectarian violence, leading to our Bill of Rights. Please remember: Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia and the Middle East are but recent examples of this problem, and the best way to repeat our failures is to pretend they never happened and never will.

Before we start breaking down the Constitution, let me propose a solution where government employees can still teach small children to worship the right deity, in the right way, from the right version of the right book. We call it going to church, and best of all, those government employees from other faiths are required to leave your children alone.

CHARLES TRANT

Florence
This will allow the hospital ship Africa Mercy to complete more than 400 surgeries during its current assignment in Cotonou, Benin.

CEO Michael Thamm spontaneously pledged the support after a brief presentation at Seatrade Cruise Med by Russ Holmes, director of development/corporate relations for Mercy Ships.

Thamm announced the donation from the main stage of Seatrade Cruise Med in Tenerife after the short presentation that featured Vanya, a young girl with an orthopedic condition called 'windswept legs.' Her family could not afford treatment. Vanya received surgery and therapy free of charge aboard Africa Mercy.

According to Holmes, the gift from the Costa Group is being made through AIDA Cruises brand to Mercy Ships' German office.

During its current months-long stint in Benin, Africa Mercy's all-volunteer medical personnel hope to complete more than 1,700 surgeries on board, treat over 8,000 people at a land-based dental clinic and provide holistic healthcare training to Beninese health professionals.

Mercy Ships is the charity of choice for Cruise Lines International Association and for MedCruise, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports.

Pullmantur became the first cruise line to sign a partnership agreement to support Mercy Ships last spring, and recently a Voyages to Antiquity 10-person team raised funds for the charity by participating in the Wolf Run. Porthole Cruise Magazine is donating a portion of proceeds from subscriptions in September and October.

Four Winds Interactive, a provider of touch-screen digital signage to the cruise industry, also supports Mercy Ships in a variety of ways, as detailed in the current issue of Seatrade Cruise Review.
The collaboration will promote cruising out of Singapore to overseas passengers on Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.

According to STB, this latest tripartite partnership is projected to generate over S$26m in tourism dollars. It is also expected to bring in around 45,000 overseas fly-cruise guests to Singapore to sail on the pair of ships from March to June 2017.

The partnership is underpinned by news of the cruise brands longest-ever deployment of ships in Singapore from 2017 to 2019.

Projected to bring in over 170,000 overseas fly-cruise visitors to Singapore over three years, the first years numbers surpass the annual visitor target by over 40%.

To kick off the partnership, Ovation of the Seas arrived for her inaugural season in Singapore Monday with 10 sailings to take place during this season.

According to RCI, more than half of the ships bookings have come from overseas, with the five- and 12-night sailings proving to be popular. The vessel can carry 4,905 guests, while Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas have a capacity of 3,807 and 4,269 guests respectively. These are among the largest capacities in Asia.

The tripartite partnership, which can be extended into subsequent years, is the latest between CAG, STB and a cruiseline. In recent years there have been similar agreements with Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and TUI Cruises as well as RCI itself. The brands first collaboration has been in place with Mariner of the Seas since August 2015.

Sean Treacy, md Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said, 'This tripartite partnership is a tremendous boost for our first Ovation of the Seas season in Singapore as we deepen our commitment to this region with even more attractive cruise products.'

The signing of the new partnership also marks another milestone in Royal Caribbean's 10th year in Asia. The partnership will be carried out via a series of marketing campaigns, research studies and channel development activities, such as partnerships with the media and trade. These will be targeted at markets not only within Asia like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, but also beyond the region in Australia, Europe and North America.

Coupled with the optimistic outlook for cruise tourism in Asia, which witnessed double-digit growth in cruise capacity and became a source market in recent years, this partnership promises significant economic impact to Singapore.

Singapores award-winning Changi Airports strong air connectivity to more than 380 cities worldwide and around 7,000 flights each week, is positioned to tap into fly-cruise traffic and serve as a cruise hub for the region.

Peh Ke-Wei, Changi Airport Groups vp of passenger development, said, 'Fly-cruise traffic has performed well in recent years, and Changi Airport seeks to further grow this segment together with our partners, as part of Changi Airports aim to grow different passenger segments in Singapore. With these new offerings, visitors to Singapore will have more travel options.'

He added that airlines can add supplementary or chartered flights to support the fly-cruise initiatives. He expects incremental traffic, especially with the opening of Changi Airports Terminal 4 later this year.

Peh said they are working with stakeholders, including immigration authorities to build a seamless passage from home country to cruise vessel cabin to enhance passenger experience.

STBs role, as Singapores cruise industry champion, is tasked with helping cruise stakeholders succeed. Annie Chang, director, cruise, said the industrys success is dependent not just on cruiselines and tourism authorities but on an entire ecosystem that is supported by the likes of NTO and airports.

She said the fly-cruise segment is a significant market and it is important to have sourcing from the region. India, for instance, grew 29% last year and Singapore is also seeing good growth trajectories for cruise passengers from China as awareness rises. Singapore stands to benefit when cruise passengers spend pre and post-cruise days. Chang reported that on-shore spending by cruise passengers generally exceeded that of non-cruise tourists.

Royal Caribbean shared news of its longest-ever deployment in Singapore from 2017-2019. For 2017/18, it is lining up a total of 72 sailings on Mariner of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. This comprises an extended season of 52 sailings on Mariner of the Seas from October 2017 to April 2018, two sailings on Ovation of the Seas in April 2018, and 18 sailings on Voyager of the Seas from April to July 2018.

'The announcement of Royal Caribbean's longest deployment for the next three years is a reflection of how multi-sector collaborations like these are vital to developing the local and regional cruise industry. It is these partnerships that enable Royal Caribbean to bring bigger and more innovative ships to Singapore, enhancing the cruise experience for travellers and ultimately growing the industry here,' said Treacy.
At the Capital Link MLP Conference in New York, LNG carriers were represented by Andrew Orekar, ceo of GasLog Partners (NYSE: GLOP), while FSRUs were represented by Hoegh LNGs (NYSE: HMLP) and ceo/cfo Richard Tyrell.

In describing the market, Orekar talked about the changes during 2016, which after a dismal start, still managed to eke out 7% growth for the year; he said that in 2016, demand was there to absorb the supply; we look forward to demand growth for many years to come. He cited the overall natural gas market expected to grow by 1-2% annual over the next 15 years, with LNGs growth double thatwe are taking significant share from pipeline gas.

Tyrell, from Hoegh, framed the role of FSRUs, which feed gas into local supply grids, as an energy source that could be brought online quickly, and can provide gas for peak loads - for example using the example of peak summer A/C loads - for long term supply, or using the example of Lithuania, to provide an alternative to more traditional pipeline supply sources. Demand will be strong for a number of years, he offered.

On the finance side, the partnerships relationships with strong parent companies that can build vessels and deliver them into contracts, are critical. The Hoegh entity, HMLP, has five vessels, with three more to be dropped down, in other words in the pipeline, while GasLogs partnership, GLOP, currently owns nine vessels, with rights to acquire 13 more from the parent (NYSE: GLOG).

The perfunctory moaning and groaning about difficulties in securing bank finance were not in evidence here. Indeed, quite the opposite is true. Orekar, responding to a question about how financing to pay for vessels dropped down from the parent is structured, talked about first lien debt, and said, we are seeing terms improve over time, even as the credit markets have tightened up a bit.

Bankers seem to crave LNG shipping. Investors, however, do not completely understand the sector, nor are company shares widely transacted. In the banker-speak of panelist Akif Irfan, from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, The LNG space screens as interestingthe contracts do tend to be long-term contracts. Yet, still, the shipping MLPs do not see a lot of trading, and shipping partnerships are perceived as riskier than the overall MLP universe - some 100 plus entities.

Irfan contrasted yields of the Yorkville Capital Marine Transport Index, which includes five gas MLPs among its nine constituents, compared with the broader Alerian MLP index, representing 42 MLPs none from LNG shipping. This spread was 1%- a slight risk premium for LNG shipping MLPs, just before the late 2014 oil price crash, when it rose to 6.4% (at the oil price nadir of early 2016). Now, it has backed down to 2.4% in early March, as perceptions of the overall energy complex have improved.

Is LNG shipping ready for prime time? Maybe it is. Orekar, from GasLog with its capitalization now approaching $1bn, told the audience, we are keen to appeal to different pockets of capital and wed be keen to pursue the addition of GasLog to one of the broader MLP indices such as Alerian. He added that, since our last equity offering (raising $77m in late January), weve seen a fairly substantial increase in our trading volume.
The 2012-built, 33,752 dwt bulker DL Marigold arrived in the port of Tauranga on Saturday 4 March from Indonesia and was due to stay in New Zealand waters for nine days.

However, New Zealands Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) ordered the vessel to leave the countrys waters within 24 hours on Sunday following the discovery of dense fouling of barnacles and tube worms on its hull and other underwater surfaces by divers.

"The longer the vessel stayed in New Zealand, the greater chance there was for unwanted marine species to spawn or break away from the ship. So we had to act quickly," said Steve Gilbert, MPI's border clearance director.

"The vessel won't be allowed back until it can provide proof it has been thoroughly cleaned."

The MPI said it understood the DL Marigold would go to Fiji for hull cleaning before returning to New Zealand to complete discharging its cargo of palm oil expeller.

It marks the first time an international vessel has been expelled from New Zealand waters for biofouling. "We were dealing with severe contamination in this case," Gilbert said.

From May 2018 it will be mandatory for all international vessels entering New Zealand waters to have a clean hull and in the interim action can be taken in severe cases as it has been with the DL Marigold.
The students, who came from a mixed background and with a wide range of experience, took part in a number of seminars on key insurance topics where they were able to quiz the Clubs top staff members on some of the complexities involved.

The Swedish Club has been hosting such visits from the University for the past 18 years and its md Team Asia, Ruizong Wang, is a former member of the WMU.

We value the close relationship we have built up with the organisation over the years, and applaud the excellent work that it does in the field of maritime education, commented Johan Kahlmeter, The Swedish Clubs head of claims - Marine.

WMU was founded by the IMO in 1983 and is based in Malmo, Sweden. As well as offering postgraduate courses it also carries out wide-ranging research in maritime and environmental studies.
Come July 2020, a half-dozen rockets from around the world will be preparing to launch an armada of rovers, landers, and orbiters to Mars in a multi-pronged attempt to learn if Earth's neighbor has or ever had life, and to test technologies for eventual human visits.

The flurry of launches is meant to seize on a optimal 20-day launch window that opens about every 26 months when Earth and Mars are favorably aligned.

The Mars party includes longtime planetary explorers NASA and the European Space Agency, both of which are sending sophisticated rovers to investigate life on the Red Planet. NASA's Mars 2020 rover will continue work currently being undertaken by the Curiosity rover, which has been looking for habitable environments in Mars' Gale Crater since its arrival in August 2012.

Like Curiosity, the as-yet unnamed Mars 2020 rover will be about the size of small car. It will search for evidence of life and collect samples for an eventual return to Earth for analysis. The rover is due to launch in July 2020 and is expected to reach Mars in February 2021.

RELATED: Curiosity 2.0: This Is NASA's Next Mars Rover

"Missing the 2020 launch window would result in significant additional costs related to overhead, stand-by work force, replacement of degraded parts and components, and storage while waiting for the next launch opportunity," says a NASA report on the Mars 2020 project that was released in January.

Europe's ExoMars rover is taking a more direct approach to look for life. The ExoMars rover will be able to drill up to about 6.5 feet, or two meters, beneath the planet's surface and look for microbial activity. The rover is expected to launch aboard a Russian Proton rocket in August 2020 and arrive at Mars eight months later.

The NASA and European Space Agency missions to Mars will be joined by a spacecraft from India as a follow-on to its ongoing Mars Orbiter Mission technology demonstration. France is partnering with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for the mission, which may include a rover as well.
In 2016, two astronauts finished nearly a year of work on the International Space Station. NASA's Scott Kelly and Russia's Mikhail Kornienko were studied closely for changes in their physical and psychological health.

NASA touts the mission as part of its "Journey to Mars", in which it hopes to send humans to the Red Planet by the 2030s. But a recent paper published in the journal Space Policy argues that there are so many aspects to a Martian colony that it is all but impossible to simulate the parameters on Earth.

"We can not simulate the same physical and environmental conditions to reconstruct the Martian environment, I mean such traits like Martian microgravitation or radiation exposure," Konrad Szocik, a cognitive scientist at the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, Poland and lead author of the paper, said in an e-mail. "Consequently, we cannot predict physical and biological effects of humans living on Mars."

He argues that "an awareness of the one-way journey and all possible dangers" cannot be simulated on the ISS, or even in Antarctica, one of the most remote places on Earth and a frequently cited zone in space analog studies. Szocik argues that people in Antarctica are not reliant on artificial life support to the degree that astronauts are.

RELATED: Martian Meteorites Could Reveal Wetter Past on the Red Planet Than Thought

Szocik suggest individuals acclimatized to living in harsh conditions would be best suited for exploration of Mars. So that's not to say that the space station or Antarctica wouldn't be useful locations for training. But, he argues, it may be necessary to go a step further - modify people's bodies and minds ahead of journeying to Mars.

He suggests possibly electronically enhancing the human senses or prescribing medication that might help diminish emotional reactions in a moment a crisis. Of course, how exactly to do this still lies mostly in science fiction.

Szocik says he is greatly concerned with how a Martian colony would function. While most discussions of colonies focus on the technological or financial challenges of constructing and maintaining it, there has been less study of the social aspects of putting people within a Martian colony.

"A human being is a social animal and he lives in a group," he said. "Group problems affect many challenges and troubles, and we should consider now how we can prevent such typical human problems like conflicts, wars, cheating, etc."

Szocik is also concerned about reproduction on Mars, which not only needs a technological and medical support system, but a large enough colony to avoid the risk of inbreeding. He suggests a population of at least 500 adults on the surface. Not only that, but medical officials would should consider how to reduce the likely mortality rate from disease, possible technological failures, and radiation from the Martian environment, among other factors, he said.

Szocik's previously written about how religion would function on Mars and how the human psyche might be impacted. first foray into predicting human behavior on Mars.

WATCH: Pluto Could Be Made A Planet Again, Along With 102 Other Celestial Bodies
Intruders at a French zoo have shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns in a grizzly overnight poaching incident, the police and the zoo said Tuesday.

The perpetrators forced the main gate to the Thoiry zoo near Paris and broke through at least two other security barriers on Monday night, without disturbing five people who live on the grounds.

The animal, a four-year-old "critically endangered" white southern male named Vince, was attacked inside an area where at least two other rhinos are kept.

He was shot three times in the head and his horns were "probably cut off with a chainsaw," a police spokeswoman told AFP, with the grim discovery made on Tuesday morning by zoo workers.

According to police, both of the rhino's horns were sawn off but only one was taken. Investigators estimate it to be worth $31,700-$42,250 (30,000-40,000 euros).

Black market rhino horn sells for up to $30,000 per pound - more than gold or cocaine - with most demand from China and Vietnam where it is coveted as a traditional medicine and aphrodisiac.

In the last eight years alone, roughly a quarter of the world's rhino population has been killed in South Africa, home to 80 percent of the remaining animals.

According to the zoo, this would be the first time a zoo was the target of an "attack" of this nature leading to the death of a rhino.

Thoiry zoo is equipped with video surveillance, but cameras are not installed in the area where the rhinos live. The two others in the enclosure with Vince were unharmed.

RELATED: Video Captures True's Beaked Whales Underwater for the First Time

Image: Two White Rhinoceros lay in the shade in Krugar National Park on July 8, 2013 in Lower Sabie, South Africa. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty.
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who grew up just 30 minutes away from Montana's Glacier National Park, claims he once watched a glacier in his home state melt so quickly that it visibly receded before his eyes during the course of a single lunch.

Now, with authority over 500 million acres of public land, a fifth of US territory, Zinke will play a key role in determining the amount of fossil fuels that get pulled from the ground and burned, which contributes to glacier melt like that near Zinke's hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

Environmentalists and the fossil fuel industry are watching closely to see how Zinke resolves the tension between development and conservation of public lands, and the diligence he'll bring to carrying out US President Donald Trump's promise to boost economic growth through deregulation and exploitation of the sizable oil, gas, and coal reserves located on federal property.

"A lot of people across the political spectrum are going to hold Zinke accountable to preserve our public lands and waters," said Sharon Buccino, director of the Land & Wildlife Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Those lands are a big part of what it means to be an American."

Much of the drama will play out in the American West and in coastal waters, where the reach of the Interior Department is vast.

RELATED: Trump's EPA Chief Warns Staff Over 'Abuses' as White House Mulls Climate Reversal

The federal government controls 45 percent of land in California, 85 percent in Nevada, 37 percent in Colorado, and 69 percent in Alaska. Back east, Zinke's reach is more limited, with only 3 percent of land managed by the federal government in Pennsylvania and just 2 percent in Ohio.

His department manages 35,000 miles of coastline and 1.7 billion acres of offshore territory in what is known as the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS, three nautical miles away from the shore.

A key question will be how Zinke handles offshore oil development in the waters north of Alaska known as the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, both marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean that are thought to be rich in fossil fuel reserves.

In December, after Trump won the election, Obama moved to permanently block new energy leases in both seas, along with about 3.8 million acres in the Atlantic, by invoking a little-known provision of a law called the Outer Continental Shelf Land Act, which allowed him to pull those areas out of circulation for future development.

Zinke may now attempt to put those areas back into play. Pressure is already mounting on him to try.

During Zinke's confirmation hearing, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski railed against Obama's move, saying the White House deprived her state of its resource wealth and pushed too hard to preserve Alaska's pristine environment.

The Secretary of the Interior controls so much of her state, Murkowski said, that Zinke would be "Alaska's landlord."

"To state that Alaska has had a difficult or a tenuous relationship with the outgoing administration is probably more than an understatement," Murkowski said at the hearing, days before Trump was sworn into office. "Instead of seeing us as a state of Alaska, our current president and secretary seem to see us as Alaska, the national park and wildlife refuge."

Zinke promised Murkowski he would undertake a formal review of Obama's order.

"I can guarantee you it is better to produce energy domestically under reasonable regulation than watch it be produced overseas with no regulation," Zinke told her.

RELATED: Prominent Conservatives Argue for a Carbon Tax to Address Climate Change

Yet production in Arctic waters is expensive and difficult - and even if new opportunities were to be served up by the Trump administration, oil companies might hold out for higher global energy prices to make those projects more attractive. Firms like Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips have walked away from plans to develop US Arctic reserves after the price of oil fell in 2014, despite spending $2.5 billion for drilling rights, according to data from Bloomberg.

Another hot area could be the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, the largest national wildlife refuge in the United States, which lies on Alaska's northeastern coast. Debate over drilling in ANWR has roiled for decades - but opening up the area to energy firms would require an act of Congress.

Trump and Zinke could potentially seek to open up new leasing areas along the coast of California, where oil production has been present but heavily restricted for years.

However, the state itself would likely throw up significant obstacles, and environmentalists would probably file lawsuits to stop them, said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Amherst, Massachusetts.

In offshore reserves, "the one that really matters is California," said Lynch said. "That would be a big battle."

Here, too, Zinke would need to overcome barriers imposed by Obama.

Before leaving office, Obama released a federal plan banning new offshore drilling in federal waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington until the year 2022. Any attempt to undo that plan would require public hearings and analysis - and likely face an enormous pushback, including lawsuits.

On Monday, Zinke announced that 73 million acres of offshore territory in the Gulf of Mexico will soon be offered up for oil and gas exploration and development, and hailed the move as "a pillar of President Trump's plan to make the United States energy independent."

However, that sale had already been set in motion by the Obama administration.

RELATED: Trump's Pledge to Revive Coal Looks Doomed - but US Oil Exports Are Booming

Another place where Zinke will contend with the Obama legacy is in coal country.

Some 40 percent of coal produced in the United States is mined on land owned by the federal government, primarily in Wyoming and Montana.

Zinke's predecessor, Obama's Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, issued a moratorium on new coal mining leases on federal lands in January 2016, citing a need to review how companies pay for development rights as well as concerns about coal's contribution to climate change.

That move, along with a policy of restricting greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, were two reasons why Republicans denounced the Obama administration for waging a "war on coal" - a war Trump has vowed to end.

Zinke has promised to review the coal leasing moratorium.

"The war on coal, I believe, is real," he told the Senate during his confirmation hearing. "We should be leading the world on clean energy technology and I'm pretty confident that coal can be a part of that."

In his testimony, Zinke sought to present a balanced approach between development and environmental protections.

Zinke told the senators he does believe that the climate is changing, and that humanity is having an "indisputable" influence on that change.

But pressed by Democrat Bernie Sanders, Zinke said, "I think where there's debate on it is what that influence is; what can we do about it."

Then he told the story about the glacier.

"I've seen glaciers over the period of my time recede," he said. "As a matter of fact, when my family and I have eaten lunch on Greenough Glacier, the glacier has receded during lunch."

Trump campaigned hard on opening up public land to fossil fuel interests, and there is little doubt he will push Zinke to follow through. What remains to be seen is how successful Trump and Zinke will be, and how much resistance they'll face from states, environmentalists, and the rules Obama put in place before leaving office.

"Trump is going to run into the politics of not-in-my-back-yard," said John Freemuth, a public policy professor at Boise State University in Idaho. "There's a growing number of people in the West who are opposed to oil and gas leasing in their favored areas. And that acreage seems to be getting bigger and bigger. It's not going to be as easy as he thinks.

WATCH: The Difference Between Global Warming and Climate Change
When students from the educational program Master Mint went on a field cruise in waters off of Portugal's Azores Islands a few years ago, they had no idea that they were about to witness an historic first. "A small inflatable boat stopped in blue calm deep waters near the coast of the Azores," Natacha Aguilar de Soto of the University of La Laguna and the University of St. Andrews told Seeker. "Suddenly, four beaked whales appear from nowhere and swim slowly around the boat, with deep blows, allowing the teacher to film them from the boat with a small underwater camera." She continued, "Nobody on board recognized which species of beaked whales they were watching at just 5 m (16.4 feet) from the boat, and nobody knew that they were filming an historical first: underwater video of True's beaked whales!" Aguilar de Soto and her team recently identified the secretive whales in the unprecedented footage as part of a new study published in the journal PeerJ. The study compiled sightings in the Azores and Canary Islands, as well as stranding data, in order to better document True's beaked whales.

Little is known about the cetaceans because the whales - which are named for Frederick W. True, an American biologist who first described the species in 1912 - spend about 92 percent of their time underwater. They are believed to dive nearly two miles below the surface, and to remain at such depths for up to two hours. RELATED: Video Slideshow: Wondrous Whales from Drone's Eye View The video reveals that True's beaked whales can travel in small groups. In this case, the group consisted of three to four adult females or juveniles. The whales forage using suction or grabbing, so only adult males have teeth. Researchers suspect that males use the teeth in fights and assertive displays, similar to how male deer brandish their large horns. By studying the images collected for the study, Aguilar de Soto and her team identified the first photos of a True's beaked whale calf. The scientists also discovered a new coloration pattern in the species.

Senior author Emma Carroll of the University of St. Andrews told Seeker that the "new color pattern is a white mask. Typically, in the North Atlantic, True's have a greyish pattern." If the color is found to be common in True's beaked whales, then "it means that it might be more difficult to tell the different beaked whale species apart in the wild than previously thought," Carroll said. RELATED: Beached Beaked Whale Likely Killed by Boat She explained that similar white colorations are sometimes found in a species called Cuvier's beaked whale. The study, which represents one of the largest collections of True's beaked whale sightings at sea, further determined that these marine mammals favor waters off the Azores and coastal regions off the Canary Islands. Both sets of islands are oceanic volcanic archipelagos that rose from the seafloor of the Atlantic. As a result, the water around these islands is very deep, and is therefore suitable for the deep-foraging whales.
Sen. Bam to DICT: Present approved nat'l broadband plan to stakeholders

With the approval of the national broadband plan, Sen. Bam Aquino called on the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to present it stakeholders, experts and other concerned groups for suggestion and scrutiny.

"Masaya tayo't inaprubahan na ng pamahalaan ang national broadband plan na makatutulong upang mapaganda ang kalidad at mapalawak ang sakop ng internet sa bansa," said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.

"Now that the plan is approved, we call on DICT to present it to stakeholders, experts and other concerned organizations for scrutiny and suggestion to ensure that it will be an effective one," he added.

According to Sen. Bam, the committee will conduct a hearing where the DICT can provide details of the plan, which was approved by President Duterte during Monday's 13th Cabinet meeting.

During last year's committee hearing, Sen. Bam said the DICT presented three options to implement the P75-billion plan, including its preferred way of investing in Internet infrastructure, like fiber optic cables, especially in underserved and hard-to-reach areas.

Under this option, the government will also use the existing infrastructure of current players while encouraging new players to develop new Internet infrastructure.

The DICT is expected to come out with a final national broadband plan by the 2nd quarter of 2017. The project is expected to be finished in about 2 to 3 years.

Sen. Bam is the principal sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1277 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, which is being currently tackled in the plenary.

If enacted into law, free internet access will be provided in all national and local government offices, public schools, public transport terminals, public hospitals and public libraries.

Sen. Bam's Senate Bill No. 1050 is included in Senate Bill No. 1277. It seeks to connect all public educational institutions to the internet to help students enhance their personal and academic development.
Press Release

March 7, 2017 Triumph for the Working Filipina

NANCY LAUDS PASSAGE OF EXPANDED MATERNITY LEAVES BILL ON THIRD READING Senator Nancy Binay on Monday lauded the passage on third and final reading of a measure that increases maternity leaves from the existing 60 days to 120 days. "I am glad that this measure has received so much support from my colleagues in the Senate. This is truly a victory for the working Filipina," said Binay, a co-author of the measure. The lady senator also filed similar bills during the 16th Congress. "Ang pag-apruba sa Senate Bill No. 1305 ngayong Buwan ng Kababaihan ay isang napakahalagang hakbang tungo sa pangangalaga at pagpapahalaga sa kanilang papel bilang mga ina," she added. The Senate voted 22-0 to approve SB 1305 which gives all covered female workers in both the public and private sectors 120 days of paid maternity leaves, regardless of civil status or legitimacy of the child. The bill also gives them an option to extend for another 30 days of leave, but without pay. A qualified solo parent under RA 8972, or the Solo Parents' Welfare Act, meanwhile, will be given 150 days of maternity leaves with pay under the measure. A female worker, under the proposed, can also allocate up to 30 days of her maternity leave to the child's father, whether they are married or not. In the abscence, death or incapacitation of the father, the 30 days may be allocated to an alternate caregiver who may be a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity or the current partner of the female worker sharing the same household. "Many working mothers choose to work until the last three or two weeks before giving birth just so they can maximize their leave benefits. And even then, they still do not have enough time to take care and fully bond with their babies," Binay lamented. "Sa pagpasa ng SB 1305 sa Senado, tayo po ay nalalapit sa pagsunod sa standard ng International Labor Organization (ILO) sa maternity leaves na 98 na araw. Sana po ay patuloy tayong magtulungan upang mabigyan ng sapat na benepisyo ang mga kababaihang nagsisikap upang balansehin ang kanilang papel sa tahanan at trabaho," she added.
Press Release

March 7, 2017 INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT OF SEN. JV EJERCITO

The Source - CNN Philippines

Pinky Webb

7 March 2017 | 9:03 AM | Tuesday Webb: Let's go straight to the source of the story, Senator JV Ejercito. Senator, good to have you again, thank you for being here. Ejercito: Yes Pinky, it's nice to be here again, good morning. Webb: So yesterday, you were at the tail-end of the questioning SPO3 Arturo Lascanas. How would you assess his testimony? Ejercito: Well, first of all, he already went there and testified last October under oath and here he comes again, recanting all that he said and again testifying. So from there on, once you recant and you lied under oath, your credibility somehow already suffers. But we do not want the Senate to be accused of concealing the truth, that's why politically, we think that it will not be good, but we still allowed Lascanas to tell his side of the story. Webb: So were you part of the 10 who allowed Lascanas to come back to the Senate? Ejercito: Actually, I abstained, because I had mixed feelings. If you noticed, I'm not really into these investigations, if you noticed, even against Sen. De Lima and the other high-profile, highly controversial cases because I feel there a lot of things more important or equally important matters that need our attention. So I feel spending 6-8 hours every day glued to the television sets, we are spending so much time for these investigations, but yesterday was probably my first time in a long while to attend because I found something fishy, because I thought that when Lascanas said that he was really loyal, extremely loyal, to Mayor Digong Duterte then, to the point that he is blindly loyal, but I told myself, how come when he retired, that was the time that he turned the tables or turned against President Duterte. So I told myself, probably there were expectations that were not met. Webb: Because there was a line of questioning, Senator, we're going to bring that a little later on in the program. You were trying get more information about his life after retirement. Ejercito: Yes. Webb: What happened? How did you... why is there, seems to be like this background check on Arturo Lascanas? Ejercito: Well I had that suspicion already because why will you, being loyal for so many years, why is it what when you retired, that was the time that you turned against President Duterte. So I just felt that he had expectations, probably it's normal for any police officer to think about their future after retirement, so I had an inkling that there were things probably were not given to him, so we had, I personally and my admin, we went to Davao to investigate. Webb: You went there? Ejercito: Yes. Webb: For how long? Ejercito: Actually it was my Chief Admin who spent quite a few days for the investigation. I went there only overnight, just to confirm part of the story. Webb: Before you tell us about the story you found out, why go to that extent? Why did you have to spend your own time, overnight and your staff, to spend a number of days in Davao just for Arturo Lascanas. What was your point? Ejercito: Well, it is our job, it is the part of our job, the investigation, it is our job to do our homework in this investigation as well. Webb: But why this man? What makes him so special? Ejercito: I had that suspicion already, and you cannot just go on... I do not want the Senate to be used as an institution, to be used for any ouster plot or any destabilization, and I just feel that this testimony of Lascanas, the ones behind him, are after Duterte's ouster in the future, this is just a part of it, and if you would look at the lawyers with Lascanas now... Webb: The FLAG lawyers? Ejercito: The FLAG lawyers. The Sanidad brothers, Diokno, Estabilla, kulang na lang si Mel Marcelo, sabi ko, I think these are familiar faces, these are the same faces with Chavit Singson in 2001. Webb: The prosecuting team. Ejercito: The prosecuting team. Webb: Against your father. Ejercito: Yes, they were part of the ouster plot against my father. Webb: Okay, so what does make you feel? Let me start... let me continue on with that because you faced the Sanidad Brothers yesterday and then tinanong mo sila, di ba? Parang sabi mo hindi ba kayo yung lawyer ni Chavit Singson? As a matter of fact, I think that was Atty. Arno Sanidad who said, so what's the question, tinanong ka nya? Tapos doon ka na napunta doon sa I don't want the Senate to be used as a venue for destabilization plot. Were you in order to have said something like that, knowing that you were a Senator and they were resource persons there? Ejercito: Well, since that is already history, but I guess they were the same faces behind the ouster plot against President Estrada then and I feel that this time around, with Lascanas coming out, well, Sen. Trillanes, he's behind it as well... Webb: So malinaw sa iyo yun? It's Sen. Trillanes who's behind this? Ejercito: Well, he's the one taking care of Lascanas. Webb: You said, sabi niyo po Si Sen. Trillanes is behind this? Ejercito: He's the one taking care of Lascanas and he admitted, yes. But you know, I just feel that we have to give the President a chance. This DDS, all of these issues were hurled against him already during the campaign right? But the Filipino people still chose him. We gave him a resounding mandate, victory, of 16-million, so we have a contract with him, he has a contract with the Filipino people. We just have to respect, we just have to learn how to respect that mandate and we cannot just go on and oust the President and it's not going to do the country any good. Webb: Senator JV, when you talk about something like this, may pinapanggalingan ka because you said deja vu, Sen. Ping Lacson said, he said another word... Ejercito: Traumatic. Webb: Traumatic experience for you. Noong nakaharap mo ba yung FLAG lawyers lumabas po ba ulit yung sama ng loob mo o galit sa kanila? Ejercito: No, but ano na lang, siguro on hindsight, Pinky, even after my father was ousted in 2001, even the first few years of the Arroyo Administration was really turbulent, because there was no political stability, the legality of her assumption to office was in question. So, that is my point, that we can't just go on how's the President that we do not like. We just have to give them a chance, because we have to respect the mandate given to them by the Filipino people and you know, one of the most sacred rights that the Filipinos really value is their right to vote and to choose their leaders. We just have to respect that. Webb: Balikan ko lang yung Sanidad brothers, because I wanted to also get your reaction that in situations where for example, Chavit Singson, way back then and you have to compare votes, you have Lascanas now. Do you take it against them that ganoon po ba that they were with Chavit and then now that they are with Lascanas, because is not the duty of lawyers to protect... Ejercito: Well you know, if there is something I learned from my father, it is how to forgive and how to have a wider understanding, I have nothing against them but I just do not want... again and again I do not want the Senate to be used as an institution for any ouster plot. I'm against destabilization and we do not want that to happen again and because it's not going to do the country any good. Webb: But is there destabilization plot, Senator? Ejercito: Well, probably the aim of the whole testimony is really to destroy the credibility, to destroy the image of the President. Ano lang yan, it's like a steel rust, kumbaga slowly but surely they will try to weaken even if iron or steel is a strong element, but slowly but surely, through all of this the negative things, the demolition job will somehow weaken it in time. Webb: And that's what you're trying to protect? Ejercito: We just have to protect the mandate that was given we have to protect the President because he was the one chosen to lead the nation for the next six years. Webb: Yes, so that means you have blind obedience or blind loyalty just using the words of Lascanas? Ejercito: Well, Of course we after the truth, but again if you weigh it, I think all of these issues were already hurled against him and yet the Filipino still chose him. Webb: Ok. So let's go back to you line of questioning kay Arturo Lascanas, you said that you went to Davao overnight and you have a staff of yours investigate Arturo Lascanas and this was what you were asking SPO3 Lascanas. Let's listen. (Audio clip played) Webb: So, dahil hindi napagbigyan, Senator, what were you trying to emphasize here? Ejercito: Well, again Pinky I had already that suspicion that after his retirement, probably he was thinking of his future and probably because of his being from Davao, being perceived as close to the President, that he would be able to obtain some business venture upon retirement, one of which is a group, I'll just call them the Davao group, they attempted to get an STL in the juicy areas like Cavite, Bulacan and Laguna. Webb: Together with Arturo Lascanas? Ejercito: Lascanas is one of those in the Davao group. Webb: There's a Davao Group? Ejercito: There were Barangay Captains, some of his colleagues as well. He was the one who said he had a chance to talk PCSO Chair Jorge Corpuz in a chance meeting and he asked for this. Even some of the known Duterte people were there as well. But unfortunately, Chairman Jorge Corpuz did not give them the franchise. Webb: So what are you trying to say? Because he tried to get into four business ventures, all didn't push through? Ejercito: Yes. Webb: You're saying what now? Masama ang loob niya? Ejercito: In a way probably, because there's the STL, Customs and then the van terminal, the transport terminal and last but not the least, there was a long coastal road project in Davao, Toril, that's about 53 km, they wanted to supply the quarrying needs of the said contract which was also again turned down. So probably, sabi nga namin hindi lang strike four, zero-four nga sabi. So probably, ano I think he felt really bad probably. Webb: That's why? Ejercito: Because that's was four, I guess that was four ... four ventures. Webb: Yes, these were ventures na sabi nga at some point nabokya. Ejercito: Yes. Webb: But I'm not going to read between the lines because I know what are you trying to say, so because hindi nakuha yung mga possible business ventures... Ejercito: That probably triggered why he turned against the President. Because some of his colleagues, in our investigations, Tocmo and others that were mentioned, they already have better lives, they are in a better situation compared to him. So kumbaga parang he was the one who was left out of the group. Webb: Alright, this is The Source on CNN Philippines. Still to come, did Lascanas' testimony finally draw the line at the Senate? And what's next after the Senate shake up and the death penalty bill? Senator JV Ejercito will still be with us after the break. (Commercial break) Webb: We're still with Senator JV Ejercito. So, balikan ko lang the testimony of Lascanas, what about the stuff that he was saying, Senator? Did that even make you think yung sinabi niya na he was responsible for the death of his two brothers? Ejercito: Yes, Pinky I forgot to ano... I had during our investigation, I found out something also, that two of his brothers were killed, well I found out also that he had a squabble with two of his brothers because of a property that they inherited, so that's the inside story that I forgot to ask yesterday, so, they were not really in good terms. Webb: So does that mean that, because the brothers were killed supposedly in his testimony because of drug-related activities, hindi yun ang dahilan kung bakit sila isa doon? Ejercito: Well, probably, it came from him that his brothers were involved in illegal activities like, even kidnapping, drugs all of those. But probably he said that he give his consent because probably because he had a rift with two of his brothers. Webb: Okay. That's what you were trying to say. Alright at some point Senator Manny Pacquiao wanted him to be cited in contempt hindi naman natuloy yun, and then Senator Ping Lacson saying that seems to be the end of the testimony of Arturo Lascanas, should this end all talk or hearings in the Senate of Lascanas? Ejercito: Well, I'm hoping because we just have to move on Pinky, and I think our legislative agenda suffered much because, in the Senate we only passed two measures as of this time because I think all of this high-profile investigations or controversial investigations have really hampered our work in the Senate. Webb: And is there another one right now? Also Jee Ick-Joo, I think? Ejercito: Yes. Imagine we are glued again to the television for four, six hours a day, so I would rather buckle down to work, like infrastructure, economy, there are equally important matters that need our attention. Webb: And possibly even more. Two legislative measures so far passed, the House is looking at passing the death penalty bill. Let's go to the Senate, of course hindi naman yan maipapasa kung wala naman yung Senado. Senate President Koko Pimentel was saying that's he's looking at a 14-10 or 10-14, depende kung where the tide will turn. Where are you in the death penalty bill? Ejercito: Well it's very touchy, a very controversial issue. But I am pro-death penalty, but for high-level drug trafficking, I am for it. Had Digong Duterte not become President, we would not have known that 90% of our barangays all over the country are infested with drugs. I was a Mayor also for nine years and we're not remiss in our duties in fighting the drug problem, but we never had an idea of the magnitude of this drug problem. Then, if you analyze, if you look at our ASEAN neighbors -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand -- all of them have drug trafficking. Probably, I'm sure you know that every time you enter, if you fill in your Immigration card, it says there, boldly - Death to all Drug Traffickers. And it's only our county, it's only the Philippines which repealed the death penalty, and probably, in my suspicion, my personal analysis, is that we became the drug hub for international drug syndicates because we are the only country that doesn't have the death penalty. Webb: Ok. So just to qualify that, you're yes to death penalty, but only on high-level drug trafficking. Ejercito: Yes Pinky. Webb: Walang plunder? Walang rape? Ejercito: Well, that was the question, the President questioned that. But may sinasabi na karumal-dumal na krimen like rape, raping your own daughter, your relatives and killing them, those should be included. But probably some in the House probably thought that just to pass this measure, they assign it to drugs. Webb: Well, Senator, they said that already. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said mahihirapan tayo, at saka na lang natin dagdagan. Pero ang stand mo, high level drugs ka lang ba or pati karumal-dumal na... Ejercito: I'm also thinking of that, because sometimes if, you know, watching it on the news, you feel really like, sometimes taking the law into their hands to prevent that. We just have to have the death penalty to prevent people from taking the law into their own hands. Webb: So you are for high-level drugs and possibly meron kang, you're open to heinous crime. Ejercito: Yes. Webb: But plunder? Ejercito: Why not? So that it will become a deterrent for people not to do, not even think of... Webb: You're for plunder to be included in the death penalty? Ejercito: For not being involved in any corruption because I'm confident, Pinky, because as a public servant, public service is a public trust. I've tried my best to keep my name. I guess I have done that, even if I had a case, I was also already acquitted. So, probably it will show, it will give a strong signal that if you're in public service you just have to maintain the trust, you just have to give that priority to maintain the trust and your credibility. I hope it will become a deterrent. Webb: You are also open to that, ang plunder. What about treason? Ejercito: Well, if it becomes too many already, it may have a hard time passing. But I think these are issues that deserve to be studied. I'm open to it. I'll try to study. Webb: Looking to it. Ejercito: I will be looking forward to it, but at this time I'm only for high level drug trafficking because Pinky, it really destroys the future of individuals. Webb: Very quickly Senator, people saying that first and foremost, we have to fix the judicial system in the country before we even implemented death penalty, are you not considering that to be possibly the first thing that we should do? Ejercito: Well of course, we are for judicial reforms, we want to have it fixed, but, Pinky, what I'm worried about is that, again, going back, the Philippines has become the international drug hub for international drug trade because of... we are only country does not have death penalty among the ASEAN nation, so probably these international drug syndicates, the Chinese, you know who are involved. At least in the Philippines if you get caught you will not be killed. We will not allow high-level drug trafficking and that will already be a good deterrent for international syndicates to think twice about doing business here in the Philippines. Webb: Senator JV very quickly, how do you describe the Senate now after that shake- up? Ejercito: I guess now we have already defined our lines. It's been an awkward situation but Pinky don't get me wrong I work very well with our colleagues in the Liberal Party. I feed bad, it's a mixed feeling because on one hand most of the majority senators feel that every time we vote on issues we're on the opposite side and we are called the super majority. There's a feeling of awkwardness every time there is a situation like that. To be fair, Sen. Bam Aquino, even if he is in Liberal Party, we have collaborated to pass the SK Reform Law. Sen. Hontiveros, unfortunately I'm the recipient of the Committee on Health which is her advocacy, talagang love niya yun. Webb: Sa kampanya pa lang. Ejercito: It's her campaign promise but I told her, you know I have to be honest with you, this is not my cup of tea, I have to study and then it will take me a while to be able to have a grasp of the Committee on Health, so I asked her if she would be willing, even she is in the minority, I will make her the vice chairperson. Webb: Pumayag? Ejercito: So, that there will be a continuity and she gladly obliged. Webb: Very good. It's refreshing to know that someone like you even said, I don't know much about that, di ba? At least umaamin. Ejercito: I'm just being honest. Webb: I mainly need your help, and get her former chairperson. Ejercito: So that there will be a continuity Pinky, so that all the advocacies she has started will have continuity while I'm learning. Webb: You guys can learn from each other. Ejercito: We can learn from each other, probably my local experience. Webb: We can help each other. Ejercito: So I'm really happy that you know, despite line that was already drawn, we can still work together especially in advocacies and that's the good thing about the Senate, we work on issues most of the time and we do not work along party lines. Webb: So that good to hear. Sen. JV Ejercito. Thank you so much and will see you again, sir, maraming salamat.
Press Release

March 7, 2017 SENATE PASSES HONTIVEROS' EXPANDED MATERNITY LEAVE LAW, HOUSE URGED TO DO THE SAME On Monday, in a vote of 22-0, the Senate passed on third and final reading a bill granting working women 120 days maternity leave and 150 days for solo mothers. Senate Bill 1305 or the Expanded Maternity Leave Act, authored by Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros, seeks to revise Republic Act (RA) 1161 or the Social Security Act of 1997, which currently grants only a 60-day (for normal childbirth) to 78-day (for caesarean) maternity leave for women workers. Hontiveros, who is the Chairperson of the Committee on Women, said that the last time the number of maternity leave was increased was 25 years ago or in 1992. "Amid the current climate of misogyny and sexism, the passage of this important measure in the Senate is a clear triumph of women over antiquated thinking and policies," Hontiveros remarked. "I would like thank Senators Nancy Binay, Loren Legarda, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Francis Pangilinan, Manny Pacquiao, and Antonio Trillanes IV for helping me pass this landmark measure," Hontiveros said. The Senator however said that the fight is far from over as the measure's counterpart bill in the House of Representatives has yet to be passed. DIWA Partylist Representative and House Women Committee Chair Emmeline Aglipay-Villar is leading the campaign for the passage of the Expanded Maternity Leave in Congress. Prioritize Expanded maternity leave bill not death penalty Hontiveros appealed to her congressional colleagues to reciprocate the action of the Senate. She said that the House leadership should prioritize the passage of the Expanded Maternity Leave bill rather than measures that seek to restore the death penalty. "What the people need are policies that will radically improve their quality of life not laws that will bring death. What the people demand are adequate protections and safeguards that will lead to welfare enhancing outcomes at par with international standards," Hontiveros said.
Press Release

March 7, 2017 Legarda Hails Senate Approval of Expanded Maternity Leave, Says PHL Can Lead Global Fight on Women Empowerment In observance of International Women's Day, Senator Loren Legarda today said that the Philippines can lead the global effort to achieve gender equality and women empowerment. Legarda also hailed the Senate's approval of the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, which she co-authored. "The Senate's approval of the Expanded Maternity Leave Law is timely as we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 and National Women's Month. This is a multi-pronged measure on improving maternal healthcare, reducing child mortality, and promoting breastfeeding," she said. The measure provides that all female workers, regardless of civil status or legitimacy of her child, should be granted 120 days maternity leave with pay and an option to extend for another 30 days without pay. Single mothers, on the other hand, would be granted a total of 150 days maternity leave with pay. "This is an important women empowerment measure because when mothers are given enough time to recuperate from childbirth and care for their newborns, they feel more fulfilled as mothers, which will definitely affect their emotional well-being, give them more confidence, and allow them to be prepared again to embark on a more challenging role of being working mothers and equal partners of men in nation-building," Legarda explained. Meanwhile, the Senator also said that the country already has several laws on gender equality and women empowerment, and the implementation of these policies are improving through the years. "We know that there are still challenges and there are many Filipino women who are still victims of abuse and discrimination. But we are doing well compared to other nations, thus, we must build on our gains and continue to provide equal support to men and women," said Legarda. The country has been consistently at the top tier in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) gender equality index. It ranks first in Asia and always at the top ten countries globally in the WEF's Global Gender Gap Report. "The Philippines can lead the global effort to achieve gender equality and women empowerment. We can share with other countries our best practices on women empowerment as well as our laws which can be used as guide by other nations in crafting policies on gender equality," she explained. The Philippines has a multitude of laws on the protection of women's rights, which Legarda authored/co-authored, such as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, the Anti-Discrimination Against Women Act, the Women in Development and Nation Building Act, the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act, the Magna Carta of Women, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and its expanded version, and the Domestic Workers Act. The Magna Carta of Women, which Legarda co-authored, ensures women are protected from violence and other crisis situations, represented and given role in community decision-making, given equal access to education and employment, and provided with access to comprehensive health services, among other provisions. The Senator also said that women should be engaged in disaster resilience and climate adaptation efforts as these are among the world's most pressing concerns today. "We must invest in women, make them part of decision-making, as their development role is crucial in adapting to climate change and building community resilience to disasters. From the quiet but steady work they perform at their communities, women should move into the frontlines of delivering decisive action towards a sustainable and resilient planet," Legarda concluded.
LP PRESIDENT SEN. PANGILINAN ON DEATH PENALTY PASSING ON THIRD READING

We are saddened that the minority in the House was not given the chance to debate the bill in full. Without the benefit of a full debate, we are now in the dark as to the compelling reasons that merit a constitutional return of the death penalty.

It is unfortunate that most of the people's representatives voted for a bill that is proven worldwide to not work in reducing crime, and that overwhelmingly victimizes the poor and powerless.

We maintain that death penalty is cruel, degrading, and inhuman.

We commit to stopping the death penalty in the Senate.

We commit to modernizing our judiciary to ensure the certainty of punishment as the response to lawlessness and disregard for the rule of law. We propose to fill up vacancies in our courts and prosecution service; reduce to (a maximum) of 2 years instead of 6 years the average case life of court cases; and increase the conviction rate of criminal cases.
Press Release

March 7, 2017 Due to 'pasa-load' provision

DADS MAY GET 30-DAY SHARE OF EXPANDED MATERNITY LEAVE Even men stand to gain from the bill expanding maternity benefits as it allows a mother to transfer to the father of the child up to 30 days of the 120 days of allowed maternity leave for child-care duties. This, according to Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, was one of the reasons why he voted for Senate Bill 1305, or the "Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017", last Monday. The bill seeks to grant an additional 60 days of maternity leave to expectant mothers, expanding their leave credits to 120 days. But Recto noted that under Section 6 of the bill, a mother entitled to maternity leave benefits may opt to allocate up to 30 days of said leave credits to the father of the child, whether they are married or not. "This is the best pasa-load app ever invented. And a fair one too, as it does not impose the burden of matrimony," Recto pointed out, in explaining his vote on the Senate floor. The "30-day pasa-load leave" is also transferrable to alternate caregivers such as "the current partner sharing the same household", and relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity. Giving fathers more time to take care of their wives and children, the senator said, would benefit not only the family but humanity as a whole. "Any step that lightens the burden for women, and lights the path for the full development of their being, benefits humanity," he said. In his speech, Recto said the bill was "past its due date and should have been delivered a long time ago." He cited studies on how longer maternity leaves result in better school test scores for the child and cuts maternal deaths by 13 percent. "On the macro level, longer maternity leaves do no harm to the economy. On the micro level, longer maternity leaves make both the baby and the mother healthy and happy," Recto said. According to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, author and sponsor of the bill, the measure would bring the country closer to compliance with the International Labor Organization's standards on maternity protection, a field where Philippine law is alarmingly inadequate. Studies show that the Philippines' maternity leave policy remains as one of the shortest among the member countries of the ILO. Recto praised Hontiveros for championing a bill "which brings out the many bests in this institution." "It is a testament to our ability to multitask, that we can conduct high-profile investigation while we quietly craft wise legislation. It is a demonstration of the Senate tradition to champion progressive laws. It is a fruit of bipartisan push." The bill was also co-authored by Senators Sonny Angara, Francis Pangilinan, Loren Legarda, Nancy Binay, Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Trillanes IV.
It took four days for Oaklands newest police chief to be under investigation.

Chief Anne Kirkpatrick accidentally backed into an unoccupied scooter in downtown Oakland last week, causing minor damage and prompting a routine traffic investigation, officials said.
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San Francisco could soon have the most sweeping lactation policy in the nation, making it easier for mothers to pump breast milk in the workplace.

Supervisor Katy Tang will introduce legislation Tuesday that would require all workplaces in the city  private and public  to have a lactation space that would include a seat, surface, electrical outlet and access to a sink. The city Department of Public Health would provide a form for women to request time from their bosses to pump, and the bosses would be legally required to accommodate the request.

The legislation would also require that all future commercial buildings include a lactation space.

State and federal law already requires private employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a clean space other than a bathroom where women can breastfeed or pump breast milk. But the laws do not spell out specifics, and the federal version is part of the Affordable Care Act, which Congress may soon repeal.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

New mothers who want to return to work face so many barriers, whether its juggling child care, balancing a new schedule or figuring out how to provide breast milk for their children, Tang said. Although there are existing lactation laws, they do not provide minimum standards, such as a place to sit or an electrical outlet. Many women also do not feel comfortable asking their employers for lactation breaks.

Tangs legislative aide, Ashley Summers, said her boss concluded that the city needed to act after she read an October report by the Public Health Department that found that breastfeeding rates among women living in San Francisco were lowest among those at the bottom of the income scale.

About 97 percent of new mothers in the city breastfeed in the days after giving birth, according to census data. Six months later, however, only 16 percent of women enrolled in the citys Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program  which provides support for low-income families  are still exclusively breastfeeding, the report found.

Summers, the mother of an 18-month-old girl, attributes the gap to low-income womens lack of power in the workplace and the intimate nature of talking about lactation, especially with a male supervisor.

Theres a disparity among moms who have the ability to breastfeed while going to work, Summers said. People like me have understanding employers who are supportive. But it was still hard to pump at work. I cant imagine what it must be like for a mom to go back at six weeks with a boss who isnt supportive.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Priti Rane, director of the Women, Infants, and Children program, which serves about 1,000 pregnant women and 1,800 new mothers, said babies who drink formula rather than breast milk are more likely to develop asthma, obesity, respiratory infections and diabetes. Mothers who dont breastfeed are at greater risk of Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and ovarian cancer, she said.

Even though they intend to breastfeed longer, they arent able to, Rane said. Obviously, the big impact is health. Having a healthy baby is a huge benefit to the mom, and also, of course, the moms health is impacted as well. This legislation will definitely provide and empower mothers who are going back to work to continue to breastfeed.

Last year, the Board of Supervisors passed legislation introduced by Tang requiring the city to make breastfeeding as easy and comfortable as possible for city employees. Soon after, workers installed a lactation pod in the City Hall basement, which Mavet Coronel ducked into on Monday so she could breastfeed her 6-month-old daughter, Allison.

Coronel, who was attending a wedding in the rotunda, is a stay-at-home mom. She said she couldnt imagine working while trying to feed a baby.

There is little to no breastfeeding in public, Coronel, 28, said in Spanish. She described having to hunt for empty aisles in the grocery store where she can feed her daughter in peace.

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Its really difficult, Coronel said. Sometimes you have to go to the bathroom and do it. Theres really no choice.

But the business community is wary of legislation that would enact more regulations  especially for owners of small shops that barely have space for a single-stall bathroom, let alone a lactation room. Summers said Tang is open to exemptions for businesses that have a financial hardship or are too cramped.

Our goal is to make it as workable as possible for everybody, for all businesses big and small, for all employers and their employees, said Dee Dee Workman, vice president of public policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. We want to make sure that small businesses are not set up to fail. Most want to do the right thing, and are doing the right thing providing accommodations to the best of their abilities. We want to make sure they are not always in the position of saying, No, we cant do this.

A representative of the San Francisco Office of Small Business, a city agency that assists firms that have only a few employees, declined to comment on Tangs proposal. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which lobbies at City Hall on behalf of restaurants, did not respond to calls for comment.

Tang said she was willing to talk with businesses about how the measure should be shaped.

Our legislation seeks to make the lactation discussion a regular part of employment conversations, she said.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
Airbnb wants to give its hosts more voice in the company.

Airbnb started as a community more than a business, co-founder Brian Chesky told about 50 hosts at a meeting at the companys San Francisco headquarters on Tuesday. Other technology companies, their product is something you can hold in your hand  its a piece of software. Our product is you. People will always be at the center of that community.

Toward that end, Chesky said, hes changing his title to CEO and head of community, going on a world tour with other executives and implementing several other measures to incorporate more feedback from the companys 3 million hosts worldwide, as well as its millions of guests.

Chesky will also host a quarterly Facebook Live event for hosts and guests to share updates and take questions. The company will add a Host Advisory Board to make sure they have a seat at the table, he said.

Some hosts will also get a seat at the boardroom table. I commit that at one board meeting a year we will invite a selection of hosts  (for) a portion where they can give feedback to me, the board, the investors, he said.

And Airbnb said its host clubs, groups of hosts who have organized to lobby lawmakers and share tips with one another, will expand to 1,000 clubs worldwide by the end of next year, up from 114 today.

Every Airbnb will have people at the center of it, Chesky said. This is an important recommitment at a time of uncertainty that our community is powered not just by technology but first and foremost by people.

Chesky and Airbnb seem determined to differentiate themselves from Uber, the other leading company in the on-demand economy. Uber and its CEO, Travis Kalanick, have spent recent weeks addressing a series of missteps and blunders that have cast a harsh light on the companys corporate culture, its treatment of workers, drivers and others  and Kalanicks own fiery temperament. Uber said Tuesday that it is seeking a chief operating officer to help the embattled leader.

But Airbnb is dogged by controversies of its own, most notably whether vacation rentals take away permanent housing for residents.

An Australian guest asked Chesky Tuesday how to combat Airbnb being seen as the whipping boy for tight housing markets.

Airbnb can do a better job explaining who hosts are to provide better context for lawmakers and critics, Chesky said. The majority of Airbnb listings are homes rented out by residents when theyre not there, he said. When people look at Airbnb and see entire home, entire home they say, taken off the market, taken off the market. Those two things are two dots that should not be connected.

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Airbnb has taken some recent steps in cities with tight housing markets, such as allowing only one home listing per host to deter hosts from becoming professional landlords. In London, the company recently agreed to cut off hosts after they rent their units for 90 days a year. It had previously resisted efforts to police its own site, saying that would send hosts to other services and hurt its business.

Airbnb is now negotiating with San Francisco over a way to enforce its hometowns rules that only registered hosts can offer short-term rentals. Airbnb, later joined by rival HomeAway, sued San Francisco last year when it implemented strict new penalties for companies that showcase vacation rentals by hosts who flouted the citys registration requirement.

U.S. District Judge James Donato has indicated that he is more favorable toward San Franciscos arguments in the case, and has ordered both sides to attempt to hash out an enforcement mechanism. The parties are due back in court in April.

The tension was also reflected when a host from Sausalito asked about how to get more hosts automatically involved in host groups, saying that it is especially important where its underground like in Sausalito. The citys zoning laws currently do not allow any short-term rentals in residential districts, as noted in bold type on Sausalitos government website.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CSaid.
A plan unveiled Monday by Congressional Republicans to replace former President Barack Obamas signature health care law would keep intact some important consumer protections, but health policy experts say it would reduce the benefits that millions of Americans receive through Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor.

The proposal is the Republicans first legislative step under President Trump to make good on their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which was enacted seven years ago and has expanded health coverage to 20 million more Americans  including about 5 million in California, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

The plan would decrease federal funding to Medi-Cal, the states version of Medicaid, and take away a subsidy from the states health insurance marketplace, known as Covered California.

The proposed legislation would preserve two popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare: Insurance companies could not deny coverage to patients based on pre-existing conditions, and children could stay on their parents insurance until age 26.

The measure would eliminate the tax penalty for not having insurance, otherwise known as the individual mandate. The mandate is a crucial component of the ACA because it forces healthy people to buy insurance, and as a result allows insurers to spread their costs across more people. The GOP plan would provide tax credits based mostly on age, rather than the Affordable Care Acts income-based subsidies, to help people buy insurance.

Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post

The proposal is far from the final word on how Congress and the Trump administration may alter the health law, as four key GOP senators on Monday vowed to oppose any plan that does not protect Americans who gained health coverage under the ACAs expansion of Medicaid.

House GOP leaders said the plan would give states more flexibility and authority. Republicans have criticized the ACA, saying it increases health costs and limits Americans coverage choices. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chief architect of the new plan, said the changes would drive down costs, encourage competition and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance.

Trump applauded the Republican plans introduction. House just introduced the bill to #RepealAndReplace #Obamacare. Time to end this nightmare, he tweeted Monday.

Democrats sharply criticized the plan. Republicans will force tens of millions of families to pay more for worse coverage  and push millions of Americans off of health coverage entirely, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said in a statement.

The cost of the Republican plan is not yet known; the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency, has yet to analyze the legislation and provide figures.

Under the ACA, California drastically reduced its uninsured population in two ways: by using federal dollars to expand Medicaid, and by creating Covered California, the state-run exchange where the vast majority of people use federal subsidies to buy health insurance. The changes proposed by House Republicans would chip away at the expansions of coverage in both cases.

The plan would end the ACAs Medicaid expansion after 2020, which could have a significant impact on California, where 4 million new residents were able to enroll in Medi-Cal as a result of the expansion.

It means we would likely lose the coverage of 4 million Californians, said Anthony Wright, executive director of the California consumer advocacy group Health Access, which supports the ACA.

Nearly 34 percent of Californias 40 million residents  about 13.6 million people  are on Medi-Cal, according to the California Budget & Policy Center.

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The proposal would also restructure Medicaid by essentially capping the amount of money that states receive from the federal government, which health experts say would result in less funding to states.

It will not only take us back to where we were before the (law), but its going to take us somewhere weve never been, said Nadereh Pourat, research director at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Its a significant reduction in a very important program thats designed to take care of the lowest-income Americans. ... Every cure for the ills of the American health care system that the (ACA) put in place  this is taking all those away.

The GOP plan would also eliminate a segment of the federal subsidies that people who buy their plans on Covered California currently receive to help pay for doctors visits and prescription drugs. These subsidies, called cost-sharing subsidies, totaled about $1 billion and helped 800,000 Californians pay for health care in 2016. The plan does not directly address the broad future of state exchanges like Covered California.

The proposal also aims to end federal funding to Planned Parenthood by prohibiting Medicaid dollars  the largest source of federal funding for the womens health organization  from going to organizations that perform abortions. In California, Planned Parenthood  one such group  operates 115 health centers and serves 850,000 patients each year, the majority of whom are on Medi-Cal. The proposal would also prohibit tax credits from being used to buy any health insurance plan that covers abortions.

The two relevant House committees, Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means, plan to start voting on the measure as early as Wednesday.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Cat__Ho
A gunman in Redwood City shot at police officers before opening fire into his neighbors homes, prompting an hours-long standoff in a residential neighborhood on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The episode began around 1:30 a.m., when 57-year-old Frank Leon called 911 saying he had downed a significant amount of prescription drugs and he intended to die, police said.

When officers showed up at his home on the 500 block of Harrison Avenue, police said, Leon opened fire on them but did not hit anyone.

Redwood City police began evacuating residents, during which time Leon told a fleeing neighbor that he intended to kill arriving police officers and then fired more shots at officers, police said.

Leon also fired into two occupied apartments where two families, including children, were sleeping, officials said.

The Redwood City SWAT team and crisis negotiators were dispatched to the scene as Leon continued to shoot at officers from within his apartment while attempting to lure police inside, officials said.

Negotiators ultimately got Leon to come out of the apartment. But as he exited, police said, he acted as if he had a gun so that officers would shoot him.

Police continued to speak to Leon until he surrendered shortly before 8 a.m., and he was placed under arrest on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and shooting into an occupied dwelling without officers using force to subdue him. He was not harmed.

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Officers shut down streets and briefly closed McKinley Middle School and North Star Academy during the standoff. Four families were temporarily evacuated and later cleared to return home.

Leon was taken to San Mateo General Hospital for a psychological evaluation, police said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
James Steidl / James Steidl / ST

A 48-year-old man San Jose resident was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for trafficking pounds of cocaine, federal prosecutors said.

Jesus Alberto Bueno-Meza pleaded guilty in November 2016 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distributing cocaine, according to the U.S Attorney for the Northern District of California.
Evan Sernoffsky / Evan Sernoffsky

A veteran San Jose Police officer was arrested Monday on suspicion of stealing marijuana while answering a domestic violence call, police said.

Officer Julio Morales, 49, who has been with the San Jose Department for 21 years, was arrested on suspicion of petty theft, a misdemeanor, and released, police said.
Because I am being deluged by a seasonal flood of press releases about fruity cocktails, pink lipstick and capri pants, Im guessing its time for late winter break. And that means snow on the slopes, blossoming fruit trees, a return to sunscreen ... and for one days relief, the absence of you-know-who.

In keeping with todays theme  having a good time  dont waste time fretting that youve already missed the Friday, March 3, National Day of Unplugging. Some statistics, based on a http://nationaltoday.com poll of 1,000 people:

Three out of 4 Americans spend more than three hours a day on their electronic devices. Furthermore, (a) 32 percent spend the most time on their phones when they wake up, (b) 26 percent when theyre in bed going to sleep, (c) 20 percent on work breaks, (d) 10 percent in the bathroom and (e) 3 percent during their morning commute.

Since this nationally declared day is a day now bygone, feel free to act on your own initiative to declare an unauthorized day of unplugging for yourself. Suggested replacement activities for the places mentioned above: (a) sex, (b) flossing, (c) gossiping about colleagues, (d) eating a sandwich and (e) knitting socks for your boss.

The Bay Area Rainbow Symphony is giving a concert at Herbst Theatre on Saturday, March 11, featuring 75-year-old virtuoso double bassist Gary Karr, who once told The Chronicle that he got a sexual charge from the vibrations of playing his instrument. This item is in hopes that other musicians will email their hottest (shareable in a family newspaper) fantasies about their axes.

Oprahs favorite gay royal to visit San Francisco was the headline on a must-read press release. Prince Manvendra Singh, who claims to be the first out gay royal in India, will be at Beaux Bar on March 31 under the auspices of Max SF for a benefit to raise money for an LGBT center in Mumbai.

According to the release, he was married to a woman, had a nervous breakdown, came out in a newspaper, was disowned by his parents and discovered by the BBC and Oprah Winfrey. His life is dedicated to ensuring that other gay Indians do not have go to through what he did. His trust also fights HIV and AIDS.

The Sunday, March 5, entry in the monthly series of tributes to people who stood up for their beliefs, as expressed in In Memoriam notices placed by J.A., was the late Lynn Margulis, an evolutionary biologist who had some wacky ideas. Her scientific theories, widely rejected when they were presented in 1967, were borne out years ago, and in 1999 she won the National Medal of Science. To honor Lynn Margulis and scientific rebels everywhere: Take chances, make mistakes, get messy. Be Brave. Stay Strong. Live your values.

Noticing a sign at the Civic Center noting that work is under way for City Hall/Backup Power Generator, Bertie Brouhard wonders, Now that Rose is gone, Who? Willie?

This is not a review of the production, which I havent seen. Its an endorsement (****) of the title of a show running at the Exit Theatre: Lovesick  the Cat Allergy Musical. Its said to be a comedic musical romp through the world of online dating.

Near the Walgreens on Bay and Columbus streets, a pair of tourists asked Stewart Bloom if he knew of a pharmacy where they could get a prescription written. He told them there was a pharmacy inside. But theyd already been there, and the pharmacy couldnt help with their needs. He asked where they were from. Colombia, they said. You dont need prescriptions for drugs there? Not for birth control pills, they said.  Welcome to America, Bloom said.

Conceptual artist-scientist Jonathon Keats new show, developed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts Art + Technology Lab and set to open here at the Modernism Gallery on March 16, is Superego Suits. This is clothing intended to alter self-perception, augmenting wearers personalities for work and social life.

Among his inventions: Sunglasses with irises opening and closing synchronized to the wearers inhaling and exhaling, which he claims will augment her presence by increasing awareness. Also, mechanical heels that dynamically adjust the wearers stature to exceed the height of anyone she encounters. Keats says that these inventions may allow technology to further entrench egotism or facilitate empathy. I thought that was already the job of fancy cars.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

Man 1: Am I allowed to look? Man 2, pushing a shopping cart: I dont know. Youre very critical.
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Five dozen demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Oakland on Tuesday afternoon at a Resist Trump rally focused on protecting the environment.

Marchers, carrying banners that said One Planet, One People, No Pipeline, started at 12th and Broadway and stopped at two downtown banks that they said were funding the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

The climate crisis is a symptom of a deeper problem  an economy based on extraction and exploitation of resources and people, said Martha Kuhl, treasurer of the California Nurses Association, as she addressed the crowd.

The event was led by the Bay Area environmental justice organization Sunflower Alliance. Marchers also stopped at Frank Ogawa Plaza and outside the office of developer Phil Tagami, who has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the city of Oaklands ban on shipping coal from the citys port.

Tagami, a longtime friend of governor Jerry Brown, claimed in a December suit the city interfered with federal rules with its July ordinance that banned coal handling and storage.

The city council did what was best for community when it voted not to export coal, said Hai Bo Pan of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. Im demanding that Phil Tagami drop the lawsuit.

In front of Oakland City Hall, city council member Rebecca Kaplan told the crowd that Trump is taking away our EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

Whatever theyre doing in D.C. is not going to stop us from standing up for the air, water and people of the planet, she added. It aint in Trumps hands. Its in our hands.

There were no violent incidents in the protest. A handful of police monitored the march.

Demonstrators ended the rally around 1 p.m. with a group photo in front of city hall. Instead saying, cheese, they chanted, No coal in Oakland.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
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President Trumps new version of a 90-day ban on U.S. entry from selected Muslim-majority countries has been stripped of some of its most legally vulnerable provisions, such as its application to legal U.S. residents and visa holders.

The new executive order also includes 10 days notice before it takes effect, allowing travelers to enter the United States if theyre already on the way. And, unlike Trumps previous order, which federal courts have blocked, this one allows those who have been denied entry to apply for waivers on various hardship grounds.

Those changes address one of the chief judicial objections to the order that Trump issued on Jan. 27: that it excluded large numbers of foreign travelers and refugees, previously approved for entry to the United States, without notice or an opportunity to be heard.

But a presidents authority over immigration, although extensive, is still limited by the Constitution. The survival of the revised decree that Trump issued Monday will likely depend on the courts assessment of whether his declared rationale, to protect the nation from terrorists, is a smokescreen for discrimination against Muslims.

Trump travel ban Trump Today: President signs revised travel order

As opponents noted in their lawsuits against the initial order, Trump as a presidential candidate called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. He declared when he signed the first order that the nation needed to defeat radical Islamic terrorism. The next day, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump adviser, told an interviewer that the president had asked him to assemble a commission to draft a Muslim ban that would satisfy the courts.

Despite the new revisions, said Jayashri Srikantiah, a Stanford law professor and director of the schools Immigrants Rights Clinic, the executive order continues to target individuals from majority Muslim countries and nowhere else. ... The problem is the underlying motivation.

Another Stanford law professor, Michael McConnell, had a different view. A 1972 Supreme Court ruling, he said, recognized far-reaching presidential authority over issues of foreign policy and national security and made the presidents motives irrelevant.

It would be quite extraordinary, I think, for the judiciary to second-guess this order and say, No, its unconstitutional because we suspect a bad motive, said McConnell, who was a federal appeals court judge from 2002 to 2009.

The six nations whose residents would be prohibited from entering the United States for 90 days are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The order that Trump issued Jan. 27 had included those six nations plus Iraq, but his revised order omits Iraq, whose forces are crucial to a U.S. campaign against Islamic State militants.

The new order also indicated that the travel ban, while temporary, could be lengthened for those countries and extended to other countries if necessary for the security or welfare of the United States.

Mondays order, like the previous order, would impose a 120-day ban on all U.S. admission of refugees, those fleeing violence or persecution in their homeland. The earlier order would have indefinitely suspended admission of refugees from war-torn Syria, but the new order would treat Syrian refugees like those from other nations.

The new order also dropped an earlier provision that would have given preference to refugees who were religious minorities. Trump told an interviewer from the Christian Broadcasting Network that the preference was intended for Christians in Muslim countries  a comment cited in lawsuits claiming anti-Muslim bias.

Both the old and the new order would also reduce total refugee admissions from the 110,000 approved by then-President Barack Obama to 50,000 for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Mondays order is scheduled to take effect March 16 and expressly revokes the original order on that date, contrary to recent statements by both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that the administration would continue to defend the Jan. 27 order in court.

Trump said the revised order was crafted to meet the objections of a federal judge in Seattle and the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, whose rulings have blocked enforcement of the original order since Feb. 3.

Both rulings said Trumps order likely violated the due-process rights of migrants and refugees who were denied entry without notice or a hearing, and raised questions about religious discrimination. In a later ruling, a federal judge in Virginia found strong evidence of anti-Muslim motivation.

The new order seeks to satisfy the due-process claims by exempting legal residents and visa holders, whose constitutional rights are well established, and allowing others from the targeted nations to seek a waiver from a U.S. consular official.

Waivers may be appropriate, government lawyers said in a court filing Monday, when a resident of one of the six nations has left the United States to work or study abroad, has business or professional obligations in the U.S., or wants to visit a close relative who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

Non-U.S. residents who lack visas have a much weaker constitutional claim than visa holders or legal residents, said Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor. He said the change in categories was essential for the ban to satisfy due process.

But Bill Ong Hing, an immigration law professor at the University of San Francisco and founder of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said the ban exceeds the presidents legal authority by targeting countries instead of terrorist groups.

By continuing to list nationals without current visas from these specific countries, the president is saying that the entry of all others from these countries (is) detrimental to the national interest, Hing said. That allegation is not true and factually impossible to prove.

A 1952 federal law allows the president to exclude classes of foreigners who are detrimental to the national interest.

In defending the decision to target six predominantly Muslim countries, the executive order said Iran, Sudan and Syria had been classified by the United States as state sponsors of terrorism, and terrorist groups are participating in armed conflicts in Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

The order also noted that the six nations, along with Iraq, were singled out for increased scrutiny in a law signed last year by Obama. But Iraqs absence from Mondays order appears to weaken the governments justification for targeting that group of nations, said Robert Chang, a University of Seattle law professor who has filed arguments supporting challenges to the earlier order.

Disputing arguments by the administration and its supporters that judges must defer to such presidential decisions, Chang said, I dont believe that the courts have granted that kind of absolute power to the executive, even in cases of national security.

However, McConnell, the Stanford law professor and former appeals court judge, said Congress and the Supreme Court had given broad powers to the president to determine the national interest on such issues, because of the nature of intelligence the president is privy to and the courts are not.

Its not an issue for the court, he said. Its a legitimate issue for political debate.

But McConnell declined to predict the outcome. He said Trump has hurt his case by questioning the competence or impartiality of the courts that have ruled against him, including his reference to the so-called judge in Seattle who blocked the Jan. 27 order nationwide.

It would be helpful if he doesnt insult the judges next time, McConnell said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @egelko
I first heard about Chris Lehane when he was serving as a political strategist for the Clinton White House and I was running Salon, the online publication that burst into the national spotlight with investigative stories about special prosecutor Kenneth Starr and the vast right-wing conspiracy that was determined to impeach President Clinton for lying about a consensual sex act. Our reporters tried to steer clear of the Clinton spin machine, but I had to admire the work of the Lehane operation. Finally, here was a Democratic Party team that knew how to play Washington-style hardball, taking the offense against the highly politicized prosecution of the president.

But these days I often find myself on the opposite side of former Democratic power players like Lehane, who is now the chief policy strategist for Airbnb. He is part of the brain drain from the Clinton-Obama camps that has flowed into the top ranks of the tech industry, using their political savvy and connections to avoid or rewrite government regulations and to crush opponents who get in their companies way.

Lehane was hired by Airbnb in 2015 to lead the battle against San Franciscos Proposition F, the initiative that would have restricted short-term rentals to 75 days a year and compelled hosts to pay hotel taxes and follow city codes. Lehane brought his scorched-earth philosophy to San Francisco politics. Heres how you run a ballot campaign, he told Airbnb executives, according to his own account in the Washington Post. You kick the s out of the other guy; you drive them into the ground.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky balked at demonizing the supporters of Prop. F the way Lehane had vilified the GOP impeachment mob. In the end, the company simply used its enormous campaign war chest to crush its opponents, spending over $8.5 million to defeat the measure.

Lehanes stroke of political genius was to enlist Airbnb hosts in his No-on-F campaign, since they had an economic stake in the outcome. He called it a revolutionary movement that empowered all the mom and pop hosts who were clinging to their homes in expensive markets like San Francisco. But Airbnb opponents dismissed this as political marketing, aimed at hiding the true astroturf character of this grassroots movement. They argued Airbnb itself was largely responsible for driving up the cost of local housing by encouraging landlords to convert apartments and homes to Airbnb hotels.

Share Better SF, an anti-Airbnb coalition funded partly by the hotel industry and the hotel workers union, estimates that as many as 14,000 units have been taken off the market in San Francisco because of the short-term rental industry. The group says that the great majority of local listings are advertised by commercial landlords, not mom-and-pop hosts. With more than 7,700 active hosts, and only 1,800 of them registered with the city, you can see why Airbnb is threatened, says Share Better SFs Dale Carlson. According to Carlson, the unregistered hosts cant sign up with the city because theyre not renting primary residences, but second homes and other investment properties.

Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas disputes Share Better SFs figures, saying the overwhelming majority of hosts in San Francisco offer one listing  they are doing it on an individual basis. But a 2015 report by The Chronicle found heavy use of the Airbnb platform by commercial landlords.

This Airbnb colonization of cities like San Francisco can be felt building by building and neighborhood by neighborhood, as the families or elderly couples you once knew as friendly anchors in your daily life disappear, to be replaced by a flow of random strangers wheeling their suitcases along the sidewalk and fiddling with the lockboxes that are now our citys new urban jewelry.

Lehane insists that Airbnb has taken steps to kick out thousands of illegal commercial hosts. But as a recent article in the Washington Post noted, the efforts are largely pro forma.

Airbnb also touts its new cooperative spirit with officials in San Francisco and other cities that feel besieged by the short-term rental colossus. We appreciate the opportunity to continue talking with the city and remain hopeful we can reach a solution that protects the citys housing stock and enables San Franciscans to continue sharing their homes, Airbnbs Papas emailed me.

But Lehanes smashmouth tactics can still be seen in the companys hard-fought lawsuit to block the 2016 San Francisco ordinance that would finally compel Airbnb to enforce the local ban on commercial listings. Ive got no problem with legitimate, law-abiding home-sharing, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, one of the laws architects, told me. But the facts are clear: Airbnb continues to take precious housing off the market. And to add insult to injury, theyre suing their hometown. The appropriate response is to stand up for your constituents against this kind of bullying.

A growing coalition of hotel industry officials, union leaders and housing activists is doing just that. Representatives from this coalition sat down with Mayor Ed Lee in December to win his support for another Board of Supervisors measure that would have lowered the cap on short-term rentals to 60 days a year from the current 90. The unusual business-labor alliance thought they made a persuasive case, despite the mayors close ties to Airbnb investor Ron Conway. But within hours of the meeting, Lee vetoed the measure.

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.

I get it  Ron Conway has a lot of clout with the mayor, Mike Casey, president of the San Francisco Labor Council, told me. But for the mayor to take the side of one company against this type of broad, unprecedented labor-business alliance is just mind-boggling to me.

Working families are being forced out of the city at an alarming rate, he continued. For the first time, Local 2 (the hotel and restaurant workers union) has more people living outside the city than within it.

After he vetoed the 60-day Airbnb cap, Lee said he would convene a working group to hammer out better legislation, but no such group was assembled. Deirdre Hussey, the mayors spokeswoman, says Lee is waiting for the Airbnb lawsuit to be resolved.

A federal judge has signaled that he will likely rule against the company, upholding the San Francisco law that would compel Airbnb to boot commercial landlords off its platform or face stiff fines. The imminent ruling, expected next month, could gut Airbnbs business, Carlson says, and would likely be appealed by the company.

In the meantime, as the Airbnb battle rages, Lehane and I are talking about having a drink together. Hell probably want to know why I joined the vast anti-Airbnb conspiracy. And I want to ask him how he justifies joining the dark side, turning his guns on the labor and community groups that are the bedrock of the Democratic Party.

It should be a lively discussion.

San Francisco Chronicle Columnist David Talbot appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email: dtalbot@sfchronicle.com
San Francisco art collector and philanthropist Pamela Joyner is rapidly becoming an influential figure around the world. A trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago and a member of support committees at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Britains Tate museums, Joyner was elected last month to the 14-member Board of Trustees of the J. Paul Getty Trust. At that time, Getty Trust President James Cuno called her an art collector of distinction, and praised her commitment to education and her deep understanding of the value of a research library.

A scholarly catalog of the works she and her husband, Fred Giuffrida, have amassed, Four Generations: The Joyner Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art, was published in September to strong reviews.

Now, an extensive exhibition drawn from the collection has been announced. It will tour to at least five prominent museums throughout the United States, beginning this fall at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and making stops at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the museums of Duke and Notre Dame universities. Current plans call for the tour to end at the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive in August 2019, though additional venues are under discussion.

This kind of attention would please any committed art collector. The Joyner Giuffrida Collection, however, has a particular distinction: It comprises some 300 works by leading African American artists, and artists of the African diaspora. And it has a mission. Joyner, by phone, said that is to try to be a catalyst to reframe art history around artists of African descent who have been overlooked by the full arc of the canon.

Christopher Bedford enthusiastically embraces that goal. He is director of the Baltimore Museum of Art and co-curator of the exhibition with Baltimore Museum curator Katy Siegel.

Her collecting practices are astoundingly topical, he said by phone. In the history of collecting, we have never seen this mix of commitment to the quality of the objects and to their social import.

The exhibition, titled Solidary and Solitary: The Pamela J. Joyner and Alfred J. Giuffrida Collection, will look at the work of the four generations of artists on which Joyner and Giuffrida have focused. It will span from the 1940s to the present.

The work of Norman Lewis, in particular, but also Alma Thomas, Beauford Delaney and others associated with Abstract Expressionism and its offshoots are well represented among the collections earliest objects. Other significant first-generation artists include Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Richard Hunt and Jacob Lawrence.

Venerable artists like Sam Gilliam, Charles Gaines, Melvin Edwards, David Hammons, Raymond Saunders and Jack Whitten are among the second generation. The Freestyle generation, named after a groundbreaking 2001 exhibition at the Studio Museum of Harlem, is a large group encompassing many key artists of our day, from Mark Bradford  who will represent the U.S. this year at the Venice Biennale  to Kara Walker. The final group is defined, according to Four Generations essayist Joost Bosland, as artists connected to the African continent by birth or recent family history. It includes Odili Donald Odita, Moshekwa Langa, Robin Rhode and others, with a strong representation of the British portraitist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

Bedford, the Baltimore Museum director, said the show is a particular passion for me. As museums, we do a really poor job of representing the interests of all our audiences. He said his museum will devote 12,000 to 14,000 square feet of galleries to an expanded version.

We are just taking the first step here, he said. When all is said and done, the story to be told is not one of exclusion but integration.

Asked whether she had models in building such an extensive and incisive collection, Joyner said, We started 20 years ago, like a lot of people start, with a need to enhance our living environment by hanging things on the wall. But as we got into this more deeply, what emerged was a strand of stories that really has been of interest to me.

Over time, she came to love the Anderson Collection, now permanently installed at Stanford University, where works from her collection hang on loan as part of Stanfords effort to broaden the story it can tell. She also admires the scholar and collector Estrellita Brodsky, who really has shined a keen light on Latin American artists whove been overlooked.

It took me some time to develop a strategy, a mission statement  we have all of that, you know. I actually write these things down. Thats the businessperson in me, said the collector, who holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and retired early from a successful career in finance.

And, she said, I have an acquisitions target list. After buying about 30 works annually in recent years, the couple plans to slow down now. Although, in preparation for the exhibition, were trying to fill a few holes or enhance a few story lines.

The collecting bug is a pretty bad bug to have  you become addicted to the process.
Evan Sernoffsky / Evan Sernoffsky

Two San Jose men were arrested after they rammed a pickup truck through a glass storefront in Half Moon Bay in a bid to steal an ATM, police said Monday.

Joseph Goulart, 31, and Mario Darosa, 36, were arrested early Saturday after they crashed their getaway pickup in San Jose after an extended car chase, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office.
Protesters returned to San Francisco International Airport on Monday night to rally against President Trumps new travel ban. But they lacked the numbers that helped drive a nationwide backlash to a first round of restrictions in late January.

A couple dozen demonstrators lined the arrivals gate of the international terminal about 8 p.m., chanting No hate, no fear as bemused travelers filtered through the makeshift welcome committee. Half a dozen San Francisco police officers watched nearby, but all was peaceful.

The group had the same concerns of protesters five weeks ago, when more than 1,000 people turned out at the airport for a weekend of rallies against the travel ban. They didnt like that Trumps restrictions single out individuals from Muslim-majority nations and make it harder for refugees from war-torn areas to find safety in America.

A centerpiece of Mondays protest was a projector that flashed No ban, No wall, and other protest slogans on an airport wall.

While the new executive order similarly calls for sweeping travel restrictions, it removed Iraq from the list of countries where residents would be temporarily banned. It also doesnt apply to permanent residents and current visa holders. And it bars Syrian refugees for 120 days instead of indefinitely.

The order doesnt take effect until March 16, instead of immediately, like the previous order, which was subsequently blocked by a federal appeals court.

But Oakland resident Maya Malika, handing out a stack of yellow fliers on how to Resist, the mantra of the moment for the anti-Trump crowd, wasnt interested in speaking in subtleties.

Its still a ban, period, she said. And were not going to allow that to stand.

Flanked by several dozen curious, and supportive, onlookers, the protesters, clutching makeshift signs and toting along a wireless speaker that played selections like Lean on Me, clapped as families made their way through their ranks, out to the waiting cabs and cars that would whisk them throughout the Bay Area.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report.

Micahel Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: michael_bodley
A 20-year-old woman who was crushed to death by a tree at Yosemite National Park over the weekend was a park contract worker from Stanislaus County, officials said Monday.

Destiny Rose Texeira Borges, a Ceres resident, was killed at around 10 a.m. Saturday when she was hit by a large ponderosa pine near a campground in Half Dome Village, formerly known as Curry Village, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said.

Borges had come to the national park to work at a retail outlet operated by park concession company Yosemite Hospitality, officials said.

The tree collapsed while heavy snow and high winds swept through the park during a powerful weekend storm, knocking over trees up and down the Sierra foothills and state.

Jason Henry / Special to The Chronicle / /

Borges was standing outside among wooden and tent cabins used by visitors and park employees.

No one else was injured in the incident. One cabin was crushed by the tree, but no one was inside, Gediman said.

Friends and family members were offering condolences on social media Monday and on a GoFundMe site set up to cover Borges funeral costs.

Ceres resident Leigh Alison Genova set up the crowdfunding site, calling Borges a beautiful and bright young lady just starting to live a bright dream filled life.

The death was the first fatality caused by a falling tree at Yosemite since the summer of 2015 when two Southern California teens were killed by a falling limb from a large oak tree, Gediman said.

The teens, Dragon Kim of Tustin and Irvine resident Justin Lee, both 14, were killed when the branch crushed their tent as they slept at the Upper Pines Campground.

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.

Two years earlier, 21-year-old UC Santa Cruz student Annais Rittenbark was crushed to death and four other women were injured when a 3-foot-thick tree collapsed on them at Camp Tawonga outside Yosemites western border.

And in 2012, a concession employee died at Yosemite when a falling limb crushed him in his tent cabin.

Around 15 people die every year at Yosemite in a variety of ways, including natural causes and accidents, officials said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
President Trump has signed a new executive order blocking arrivals from the citizens of specific majority-Muslim countries.

In response to the travel chaos, overwhelming public outcry and judicial challenge that met Trumps first order, the new one is designed to minimize immediate chaos. But dont be fooled  the new executive order is still designed to have an extreme and cruel impact.

The new executive order will block visas from being issued to citizens of Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Iraq, which was part of the original executive order, has been left off of the current list.

Other differences from the first order include the exemption of legal permanent residents and people who currently have visas.

In an attempt to answer the legal argument that the initial order constituted religious discrimination, the new order omits a section about prioritizing non-Muslim refugees. (It does maintain a 120-day ban on admitting any new refugees, as did the first executive order.)

Finally, the new order will go into effect on March 16, not immediately  a way to skirt Januarys terrible scenes of travelers being detained as soon as they reached the U.S.

The Trump administration obviously intends this to be a kinder, gentler version of the original travel ban.

Theres just one problem: There was no evidence of the need for the first executive order, and theres still no evidence of the need for this one.

Any terrorism expert could have explained this basic fact to the Trump administration: Citizenship is an unreliable indicator for threats.

This is especially true for the countries listed on Trumps executive order  although there is plenty of violence within those countries borders, no individual from any of them has killed a single American on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks.

In the absence of evidence, the second executive order looks just like the first one  an order to discriminate against immigrants for religious reasons. And the determination to prevent the safe resettlement of refugees during a time of enormous worldwide need is especially galling and cruel.

Further legal challenges seem inevitable  and they should be. This new order is only superficially better than the first. It still takes our country in the wrong direction.
President Trumps off-hours recklessness with Twitter sank to new depths Saturday with his unsupported allegation that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had my wires tapped in Trump Tower before the election.

In a flurry of tweets, Trump declared, This is Nixon/Watergate. A NEW LOW! Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! He called Obama a bad (or sick) guy.

It would have been illegal  and one of the great political scandals in U.S. history  if it had happened. Trump did not present a shred of supporting evidence for his explosive charge, nor did he indicate the source of his information. Was it by viewing direct evidence available to the president, or was he repeating the rumors tossed out by right-wing purveyors of conspiracy theories and innuendo?

The evidence pointed to the latter when the White House later issued a statement calling on Congress to investigate the allegation. If the president had the evidence, he could have  should have  made it public immediately, especially since the charge was denied emphatically by a spokesman for Obama as well as a former director of national intelligence.

Trumps Twitter blasts are disturbing not just because they are yet another example of un-presidential behavior by a man who has shown little recognition of the responsibilities of office. When a president says he just found out something of great consequence, the American people  and allied leaders around the world  should have cause to pay attention.

There are moments in any presidency when the interests of the United States rely on our confidence in the words of the commander in chief. Presidents are entrusted with the authority to launch military strikes, or take other extraordinary action to safeguard the nation, on the basis of intelligence not readily available to the rest of the world. This is not a reality show where outrageousness is the coin of the realm. Credibility is earned by the veracity, not the volume, of an administrations assertion.

President Trump continues to squander whatever small reservoir of respect he brought to the office.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel is one of the most sensitive diplomatic postings in the world. The ambassador is charged with maintaining our vitally important relationship with Israel in one of the worlds most volatile regions. It requires carefully chosen words and actions, each of which are weighed and analyzed for even the subtlest of policy implications.

In David Friedman, President Trump has nominated someone who lacks the necessary temperament to serve in such a crucial position. His divisive rhetoric and dangerous positions are contrary to long-held policy and would undermine our national security by further inflaming tensions in the region.

Friedman rejects decades of bipartisan U.S. policy and international consensus toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He has supported immediately recognizing Jerusalem as the capital and moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv. Such a relocation has been repeatedly delayed by previous administrations  both Republican and Democratic  so the final status of Jerusalem and its holy sites can be resolved by the Israelis and Palestinians themselves.

He has directly supported settlement activity. According to public records, Friedman is the president of American Friends of Bet El Yeshiva, an organization that raises funds for the Beit El settlement in the West Bank. As a benefactor of the settlement enterprise, its impossible to imagine Friedman will push to stop settlement expansion, though the White House recently called for holding off on settlements.

Friedman expressly rejects the two-state solution. Since the Oslo Accords, the United States has consistently called for two states for two peoples. The reason is simple: The only way to ensure that Israel remains a Jewish democracy is through the creation of an independent Palestine by its side.

The fact of the matter is that Israeli Jews are already a minority between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. We simply cannot wish away Israels demographic challenge, which will only worsen with time.

Rather than dealing with the facts as they are, Friedman has dismissed Palestinian sovereignty by describing the two-state solution as a scam designed to cultivate a narrative of an illusory solution in search of a non-existent problem.

In the absence of creating an independent Palestine, Im unaware of any plausible plan that would create a single state that can be both Jewish and democratic.

His vision of a one-state solution would either exacerbate the conflict by ignoring the Palestinians inherent right of self-determination or would result in a state where the Jewish people were a minority. Perpetual conflict with the Palestinians will never create an enduring peace for Israel.

Friedmans positions are so extreme that he tried to walk them back at his confirmation hearing. However, pandering for votes doesnt negate a lifetime of radical views. If confirmed, I seriously doubt he would push for a two-state solution after so forcefully denouncing it in the past.

As dangerous as his policies are, Friedmans past rhetoric toward those with whom he disagrees casts significant doubt on his diplomatic abilities.

He called President Barack Obamas administration anti-Semitic. He attacked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by falsely stating she received advice from individuals connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda. And he has shockingly described some Jewish Americans as lost souls who are worse than kapos (prisoners in Nazi concentration camps appointed to supervise forced labor of other prisoners). He even went so far as to say some are not even Jewish  language that is far beyond the pale.

Even more frightening, I feel his confirmation would only fan the flames of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Friedmans comments questioning the legitimacy of the Palestinian leadership alone make it impossible for him to be a neutral arbiter for peace. We need an ambassador who will bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians, not make it worse.

This posting is far too sensitive to entrust in an individual so divisive.

Dianne Feinstein represents California in the U.S. Senate.
There are no rules about this  you can all do whatever you want, Raffaele Morra declared to the dancers gathered around him. Thats not the typical direction given by ballet teachers, who are better known for enforcing strict conformity than for nurturing individuality.

But this was no ordinary ballet class, and Morra is no ordinary teacher. He is a dancer and ballet master with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the venerable all-male comedy company that lovingly spoofs the ballet canon. On the morning of Saturday, March 4, in the midst of the Trocks 40th-anniversary season at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, he taught a master class in one of the companys signature works, The Dying Swan.

Hosted by Cal Performances, the Community Class drew 25 would-be swans to the spacious, light-filled studio at Hearst Gymnasium at UC Berkeley. The diverse bevy ranged from undergrads in sweats to ballerinas in leotards, and Morra encouraged each of them to create their own version of the three-minute solo, one of the most recognizable ballets ever created.

In this workshop, everyone has a moment of finding a funny way to express themselves, said the Italian-born Morra, 41, in a pre-class phone interview. We get people who dont do ballet at all, and you see a natural way of expression that is not hidden by the technique. That has helped me to incorporate something more natural into my Dying Swan. I learn from them, not just they from me.

Choreographed in 1905 by Mikhail Fokine for the great ballerina Anna Pavlova of the Ballets Russes, The Dying Swan is set to an elegiac violin solo from Camille Saint-Saens The Carnival of the Animals. The Trocks perform the original choreography but put their own spin on it, combining tender musicality with vaudevillian trips, tumbles and grimaces.

A 16-year Trocks veteran, Morra has performed The Dying Swan countless times in his ballerina guise, Lariska Dumbchenko. (Every Trock is anointed with two Russian-parody stage names, one female and one male; Morra performs danseur roles under the name Pepe Dufka.) Morras conceit is that an offstage hunter has injured the swans wing with an arrow.

They all die differently, observed attendee Chuan Phung, 20, of the Trocks many moribund flock members. A junior in economics and an enthusiastic ballet student, she describes The Dying Swan as sacred. I didnt think there was going to be that much leeway, she said. It was nice that he let us be dancers.

After demonstrating his personal version, Morra began by teaching the dancers to flap their wings  It starts in the center of your back  then added bourrees, the rapid, tippy-toe steps done with one foot in front of the other. Almost instantaneously, the class coalesced into a graceful corps, floating over the sorrowful music.

Morra layered his lesson with the essentials of comedy, foremost among them Dont try to be funny. (Of course, everyone laughed at that.) In short order, and in true Trocks fashion, they collapsed onto the floor like lame ducks, gleefully skewering the seriousness of it all. A Trock takes his curtain calls like a queen, so the class finished with melodramatic bows and suggestions on hamming it up for greater applause  tipping over is never a bad idea.

The experience doubled as a performance primer for Mingxi Liu, 28, a postdoctoral fellow in Cals Energy and Resources Group, and his wife, who had tickets for the Saturday matinee. The most essential thing I learned today was the whole idea of the show, said Liu, who had no previous dance training. Its to have fun. I think thats a fantastic idea.

The Trocks do love to get laughs, but they take ballet very seriously. When Artistic Director Tory Dobrin joined as a dancer in the 1980s, the Trockadero was considered a career wrecker. Now its actually a career choice, he said by phone from the companys New York headquarters.

In the 1980s, drag was an important part of the comedy, he continued. Other elements have developed over the years, including the level of the dancing technique, and the comedy has become wider in scope. Some of todays Trocks are so refined, they are almost indistinguishable from female ballerinas. In February, Chase Johnsey (a.k.a. Yekaterina Verbosovich) won the United Kingdom National Dance Award as best male dancer  for dancing the prima ballerina role of Paquita.

We are not just clowns, we are dancers, Morra said. We decide to make it funny because we want to, and not because we cannot do it the real way.

Back in Berkeley, Morras affection for The Dying Swan, and his pride in dancing it well, gave the class as much depth as mirth. Between wing flaps and pratfalls, he dispensed his very best advice. You want everybody to love you, he told the group. So whatever you do, smile.

Claudia Bauer is a Bay Area freelance writer.

Online

To view a video of the master class: http://bit.ly/trocksswan

To see Anna Pavlova perform The Dying Swan: http://tinyurl.com/joqzqx6

To see Ida Nevasayneva (Paul Ghiselin) dance The Dying Swan: http://tinyurl.com/hrwlcnj

To see an interview with Tory Dobrin: http://tinyurl.com/hbt8axc

To see Chase Johnsey perform the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake: http://tinyurl.com/hf3bmjx
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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.

Wednesday

Womens demonstrations: Gatherings to promote womens rights on International Womens Day, coinciding with calls for a one-day womens strike. In San Francisco, a rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon outside City Hall. There will also be an International Womens Strike rally from noon to 5 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza. In Oakland, a rally will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall. https://www.facebook.com/events/1289337677802574/. There will be an International Womens Strike rally from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UC Berkeleys Lower Sproul Plaza, near Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way. Womens rights rallies are also scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., and in Santa Cruz from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St.

Volunteer: The UC Gill Tract Farm in Berkeley is hosting a volunteer opportunity for women striking to support a community project that supplies food pantries. The event is from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers can attend for as long as they want. The UC Gill Tract community farm is at 1050 Marin Ave. in Albany.

Workshop: For people interested in running for local government, and how to get involved without running for office. The event, hosted by the San Francisco Young Democrats, is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St., San Francisco.

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. 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.

International Womens Day party: A celebration hosted by the Friends of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the Young Womens Christian Association of San Francisco and Marin County. The party is from 6 to 9 p.m. and will include speakers from the Global Fund for Women and U.S. National Committee for U.N. Women. It will be held at 940 Powell St. in San Francisco. Registration: http://www.friendscosw.org/event-2448198.

Saturday

Health care discussion: A conversation about single-payer health care proposals and a proposed state law, SB562, which would establish a single-payer plan in California. The event starts at 1 p.m. at the Community Health and Wellness Center, Room 103, 50 Phelan Ave., San Francisco. For directions: https://www.ccsf.edu/Info/Map/ocean.shtml.

Sunday

Peace gathering: To denounce an incident in Kansas 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.

Monday

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.

Tuesday

Anti-Trump rally: Members of the tech community are expected to rally on Pi Day, March 14, 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.

March 19

Community conversation: Sierra Club leader Arthur Feinstein leads a discussion on local and statewide environmental issues. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Northern Police Station Community Room, 1125 Fillmore St., San Francisco. RSVP: www.sierraclub.org/san-francisco-bay/activities.
Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, signed satellite operator Eutelsat Communications as its first paying customer as it prepares to launch more powerful rockets early in the next decade.

A few months ago we started approaching customers, and Eutelsat was very interested right away, Bezos told the crowd Tuesday at Satellite 2017, an industry conference in Washington. We will benefit greatly from their experience.

Bezos announced the partnership at the event by inviting Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer on stage after delivering remarks about the progress of Blue Origins reusable rocket launches. The founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com is competing with billionaire tech moguls Elon Musk and Richard Branson in a space race thats gained steam under the prodding of President Trump.

Blue Origins New Glenn rocket  named after John Glenn, the former astronaut and U.S. senator who was the first American to orbit Earth  will be capable of flying farther than Blue Origins New Shepard, which is designed to reach the edge of space to provide tourists a few minutes of weightlessness.

Clay Mowry, who leads global sales and marketing for Blue Origin, said in an interview that Eutelsat had purchased one launch on New Glenn scheduled to take place in 2021. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.

In including New Glenn in our manifest we are pursuing our longstanding strategy of innovation that drives down the cost of access to space and drives up performance, Eutelsats Belmer said in a statement. This can only be good news for the profitability and sustainability of our industry.

Blue Origin and Bransons Virgin Galactic plan to fly tourists into suborbital space, while Musks Space Exploration Technologies recently announced plans to send two paying citizens on a trip around the moon late next year.

Blue Origin has been circulating a seven-page white paper to NASA leadership and Trumps staff about the companys interest in developing a lunar spacecraft to touch down near a crater on the moons south pole, the Washington Post reported last week. Bezos bought the newspaper in 2013.

Bezos said he has been fascinated with space since he was 5 years old and watched astronaut Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. His vision of the future is for millions of people to ultimately live and work in space.

Eutelsat, which is based in Paris, operates satellites that provide radio and television signals and broadband coverage for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas. The company plans to launch five satellites over the next four years, according to its website.

Dana Hull is a Bloomberg writer. Email: dhull12@bloomberg.net.
A Syrian refugee whose image showed up in fake news reports linking him to terrorism lost a closely watched case in Germany on Tuesday that sought to prevent Facebook from allowing users to repost the picture.

The refugee, Anas Modamani, became a potent symbol of the wave of migrants flooding into Germany, and of the countrys immigration policy when he posed for a selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015. But the image surfaced in social media posts falsely linking him to terrorist attacks in Brussels and on a Christmas market in Berlin, prompting Modamani to seek an injunction against Facebook in a court in Wurzburg, in the southern German state of Bavaria.

The case, one of several against Facebook in Germany, was viewed as an important indicator of how the countrys stringent laws on personal privacy will be applied to social media companies. It also raised questions about whether those companies should be treated as data providers, and whether they should follow stricter media laws or even new legislation.

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The rise of fake news and populist propaganda has prompted broader concerns ahead of German elections in September. A government-led task force, which includes representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter, is looking into how such companies deal with posts deemed hateful.

In the case on Tuesday, Judge Volkmar Seipel ruled that there were no grounds for an injunction because Facebook had not in any way manipulated the content, which would have made it legally responsible for the distribution. The judge added that a host provider, according to the European Unions electronic commerce laws, could be held responsible for eliminating content from its site only when it is considered technically possible.

Facebook had argued that it is not possible to search the entire contents of its site. Modamanis lawyer disagreed. This question was disputed by the parties and could not be clarified in the hearing, the judge said, suggesting it could be answered in a separate trial if pursued.

Modamani, who lives in Berlin, was not present at Tuesdays announcement and declined to comment on the ruling. His lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, said that although some of the altered images remain available on Facebook, the attention the trial generated had resulted in a drop in threats against Modamani since late December.

Jun, however, arrived at the court flanked by two police officers. He said the security detail had been ordered after an anonymous call several weeks earlier in which the person threatened to murder him and cited information that Jun said only an insider could have known.

We learned a lot from this case, Jun said after the ruling. People have learned that Mr. Modamani is not a terrorist. We lawyers have learned that we cannot help victims of libel and slander with the laws we have. But we have learned which laws have to be changed.

The post at the center of the dispute, which has been shared at least 940 times on Facebook since it was first posted Dec. 27, claims that Modamani was one of three men suspected of setting fire to a sleeping homeless man in Berlin. It shows a copy of Modamanis original selfie with the chancellor, alongside images of the three men. Above the pictures, in German, the post reads: Homeless man set alight in Berlin. Merkel took a selfie with one of the perpetrators.

The post remains in circulation on Facebook, although Jun said that he had reported it as recently as Monday through the channels the company provides. In response to a request to take down the photograph, Facebook replied that it did not violate user guidelines, the lawyer said.

We appreciate that this is a very difficult situation for Mr. Modamani, Facebook said in a statement. Regarding the ruling, we are pleased that the court shares our view that the legal action initiated was not merited or the most effective way to resolve the situation.

We quickly disabled access to content that has been accurately reported to us by Mr. Modamanis legal representatives, the statement added, and will continue to respond quickly to valid reports of the content at issue from Mr. Modamanis legal representatives.

Jun had previously tried to file a separate suit against Facebook for violating a German law that prohibits publication of seditious comments by extremists. A court in Hamburg rejected that suit last year, but a court in Munich is examining it.

Jun said that one goal of the trial was to find out and demonstrate whether it is possible, under existing laws and Facebooks approach to compliance, to effectively protect personal privacy.

The German Constitution guarantees a right to the free development of the individual, which is understood to include the right to personal privacy and to determine the extent to which a person appears in public. Jun has argued that Facebook is failing to uphold German law, instead adhering only to its own guidelines.

The case also demonstrated the complications involved in applying rules in a digital era.

Seipel was not clear, at first, of some of the basic social media terminology. He asked for clarification about the difference between viewing, or seeing something posted to the platform, and sharing, when people distribute another persons content to their own networks, increasing the number of viewers.

In Modamanis case, such information was crucial, because simply erasing the original version of the disputed image would not ensure that it could no longer be found elsewhere on the platform.

Lawyers for Facebook said in February that they did not possess a wonder machine capable of recognizing and immediately blocking every reproduction of Modamanis image. Jun rejected that defense as ridiculous.

Germany has been struggling with how to apply laws on personal privacy to social media giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter.

On Monday, an administrative court in Bremen handed down a suspended sentence of six months and two weeks to a man who had insulted refugees on his Facebook page. That case concerned the posting of hateful comments on the platform, but it did not involve Facebook itself.

The Justice Ministry is expected to announce in the coming weeks its guidelines for dealing with hate speech on social media and for preventing its proliferation. The report comes after more than a year of round-table talks involving the ministry and representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter.

Melissa Eddy is a New York Times writer.
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Ah, the wonders of the automotive resale shop.

A junkyard in the Baja California region of Mexico has apparently coughed up the 1968 green Ford Mustang GT driven by actor Steve McQueen in the movie "Bullitt," also produced in 1968.

According to FoxNews.com, classic Ford expert Kevin Marti has confirmed that the wayward Mustang is one of two used in filming the movie in which McQueen played police detective Frank Bullitt.

STILL POPULAR: Ford reveals all-new Mustang in 12 colors

Before Bullitt's car was found last year in terrible shape, the story was that the old Mustang had gone to the junkyard shortly after the movie was finished, having taken a beating as the film's primary stunt car, Fox News reported. But the vehicle retrieved from Mexico had several layers of paint on top of the Highland Green it wore in the movie, suggesting it had been around the block a few times.

The car's celebrity status was discovered because Marti's business, Marti Auto Works, maintains a database of every Ford built from 1967 to 2012. All it took was the VIN number from the wreck purchased in Baja California to reveal where the car had been.

"It's not the first time one of these old movie cars showed up in a junkyard, but it's rare," Marti told Fox News.

The co-owners say they are planning a full restoration with input from Ford experts, which should happen just in time for next year's 50th anniversary of "Bullitt."
A police officer in Richmond opened fire on a driver who tried to run him over with a car Tuesday before driving away, police said.

The officer, who was not identified, was responding as backup to a report of an attempted car burglary in the 6100 block of Sutter Avenue just after 1 a.m., said Lt. Felix Tan, a spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.

It was unknown whether the driver was struck by the gunfire. No police officers were injured, Tan said.

The first patrol officer on the scene attempted to arrest the man, described as between 20 and 30 years old and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, but he took off on foot, Tan said. The man ran west on Sutter, losing the pursuing officer when he turned right onto Carlson Boulevard, Tan said.

Another backup officer responding to the call said he got out of his car on Carlson Boulevard and saw no signs of the man.

All of a sudden, he hears the roar of a car coming toward him, said Tan, describing the silver sedan as possibly a Mercedes with tinted windows. He felt like his life was in danger, like he had no choice.

The officer opened fire on the car bearing down on him, shooting toward the drivers side multiple times, Tan said, before rolling out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.

Just after noon, a caller in Berkeley reported spotting the car that might have been involved in the shooting, according to the Berkeley Police Department. Officers found the vehicle abandoned near Channing Way and Fourth Street, police said.

Police fanned out and searched the area, after witnesses reported seeing the driver running toward Aquatic Park.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
What does Auli'i Cravalho, the 16-year-old star of Disney's Moana, do (and eat!) when she's in San Francisco?

Cravalho visited the San Francisco Chronicle newsroom last Thursday and spoke with arts content editor Mariecar Mendoza live on Facebook.

The young actress was in town for two days last week and told us she wasn't going to leave San Francisco without getting clam chowder in a bread bowl. Cravalho also said she planned to visit the Exploratorium and was hoping to fit in a university tour.

Mendoza asked, "Are you thinking about going to college up in the Bay Area?"

Cravalho responded with a warm smile, saying, "I'm thinking about it." No word on which local schools the actress may be considering.

But the teenage star already has a lot on her plate to think about. She's juggling her high school coursework with a nationwide tour promoting the DVD release of Moana.

During the interview she also revealed she's been cast in the new NBC pilot "Drama High." Cravalho's enthusiasm for the new show was clear, as she bounced up and down while talking about it. Like any other teenager, she is also excited about her upcoming prom, which she says she will be attending with one of her best friends.

Cravalho has already achieved a national profile higher than many voice actors, recently boosted by her performance at the Academy Awards.

While the best picture announcement was considered the Oscars' biggest screwup, many viewers at home thought Cravalho's performance was one of the night's highlights. She spoke with us about what it was like to perform "How Far I'll Go" and how she kept her cool when a prop hit her in the head on stage. Check out our full interview with Auli'i Cravalho below to hear more.

Cravalho was in the audience at the end of the awards show and witnessed the best picture gaffe firsthand.

"I was with everyone else, shocked." Cravalho explained that it was clear from the crowd that the mixup wasn't a joke. "When you look on stage, there were so many stage hands that were passing back and forth, radio-ing in behind the actual speaker... You could tell something was going to happen."

Moana comes out on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, March 7.
This story originally appeared on Hoodline.

Get your pink Pussyhats ready: Local activists are hosting a rally on the steps of City Hall this Wednesday, March 8th, to mark the national "Day Without A Woman" strike.

Timed with International Women's Day, the organizers behind the Women's March on Washington in January have called the general strike to "highlight the economic power and significance that women have in the US and global economies, while calling attention to the economic injustices women and gender nonconforming people continue to face."

National organizers are encouraging women across the country to take the day off from paid and unpaid work to attend rallies and marches in their communities instead. The group is also asking women to refrain from shopping in stores and online, and/or wear redthe color of "revolutionary love and sacrifice"in solidarity.

Here in San Francisco, organizers behind Women's March Bay Area have announced a rally from 11am to noon in front of City Hall.

Protestors at the San Francisco Women's March in January.

Supporters will begin gathering at 10am to "spend the time sharing stories, meeting new folks, making strong connections and maybe sharing a snack with neighbors," the group's public relations team told Hoodline via email.

Confirmed speakers for Wednesday's rally include:

District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang and District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen

Maria Trujillo, executive board member of SEIU United Service Workers West

Shannon Coulter, cofounder of the #GRABYOURWALLET boycott

Diana Macasa of San Francisco United Against Trump

Conny Ford, campaign director for SF CLOUT/San Francisco Labor Council

More for you Impressive Bay Area women, past and present

For those who can't join Wednesday's rally, Women's March Bay Area organizers suggest taking a moment of silence and reflection from noon to 12:15pm, and spending "extra time and energy with the people and activities that sustain them," in addition to the guidance national organizers have offered.
By now you may have heard that San Franciscos traffic is so horrible that it ranked fourth worst in the world. Despite the hellish conditions for commuters by car, though, recent data shows that transit ridership between 2015-16 didnt increase by much.

Data gathered by the Federal Transit Administration found that in 2016 transit ridership was at 455 million. That wasnt a significant change from the previous year.
1 Overfishing: The first-ever assessment of Hawaiis reef fish shows that 11 of 27 species are experiencing some level of overfishing. Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center said in a statement Monday that 11 species including ulua, five surgeonfishes, two goatfishes, and three parrotfishes are being overfished. Reef fish support local tourism and fishing economies and are important to Native Hawaiian culture and the health of the overall ocean ecosystem.

2 Spouse slain: A man in Schenectady, N.Y., threw gasoline on his wife and set her on fire during an argument, killing her, police said. A fire was reported Saturday at the home of Elizabeth Gonzales and Antonio Bargallo. A neighbor woken by her screams used a blanket to put out the flames on her burning clothes. Gonzales, 48, told police her husband threw gasoline on her and set her ablaze. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she died Sunday. Bargallo, 69, is being held in the county jail without bail.
HOUSTON  The number of people exonerated in the U.S. rose again in 2016, with more than half of them involved in cases in which it was later determined no crime occurred, according to a report released Tuesday.

A record 94 of last years 166 total exonerations came in such cases, according to the annual report from the National Registry of Exonerations. Almost two-thirds of those 94 were drug cases, one was for murder and 16 were for sex crimes. Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located, was home to 48 of the drug cases, in which individuals drug convictions were dismissed after lab tests determined they never had illegal substances.
Brennan Linsley/Associated Press

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba  President Trump broke his White House silence on the topic of Guantanamo on Tuesday, incorrectly blaming Barack Obama, not George W. Bush, for the release of more than 100 captives whom U.S. intelligence agencies consider recidivists.

The presidents tweet, just after 7 a.m., correctly referred to an Obama-era report from the Office of the Directorate of National Intelligence as citing 122 former captive as re-engagers.
A consumer watchdog is urging smartphone owners to be vigilant in the wake of a WikiLeaks document dump Tuesday suggesting the Central Intelligence Agency had the means to exploit security vulnerabilities in several popular devices.

The papers allegedly lay out secret files on CIA hacking tools capable of bypassing encryption and other security measures on smart TVs, iPhones and Google Android phones, among others.

On Tuesday the Electronic Frontier Foundation responded to the revelations by urging the CIA to help vendors identify and patch these vulnerabilities.

"The documents confirm that the CIA holds on to security vulnerabilities in software and devicesincluding Android phones, iPhones, and Samsung televisionsthat millions of people around the world rely on," the San Francisco-based organization said in a release Tuesday. "Even spy agencies like the CIA have a responsibility to protect the security and privacy of Americans."

The EFF urges users to maintain faith in encryption tools and keep software up to date.

"The worst thing that could happen is for users lose faith in encryption-enabled tools and stop using them. The releases do reaffirm that users should make sure they are using the most current version of the apps on their devices. And vendors should move quickly to patch these flaws to protect users from both government and criminal attackers," wrote the EFF.

WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents, and experts who sifted through the material and spoke with the Associated Press said it appeared legitimate.

Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, said: "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents." White House spokesman Sean Spicer also declined comment.

Missing from WikiLeaks' trove are the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. WikiLeaks said it planned to avoid distributing tools "until a consensus emerges" on the political nature of the CIA's program and how such software could be analyzed, disarmed and published.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.